"Fucking Furries." || Michael Afton x Reader

Chapter Nineteen || Bonding

Suddenly, someone bumped against my backpack, causing me to stumble to the side. Michael grabbed my wrist before I could fall and pulled me away from the crowd. "Thanks," I mumbled. "You're welcome. Oh, do you want to come over? I was trying to convince Mark, but he said his mother wanted to bake with him today." He questioned. "Oh, sure! I miss all of us hanging out as a gang, though. The last time we did that was at the Beetlejuice movie," I responded and Mark hummed in agreement.

"Oh, yeah! I heard some girls in my geometry class talking about The Rocky Horror Picture Show! It's apparently a movie with this cult following. We should go sometime, it'll be fun!" Mark suggested. My eyebrows furrowed. "A cult following...?" I hesitantly questioned. "Mhmm! It starts at midnight and people show up to the movie either dressed in black or as one of the characters. They usually attend the movie every week." He explains, seeming excited. "It's playing at Tower Theater this weekend!"

"Oh, okay! Yeah, we should go! What do you think, Michael?" I question, looking over to the boy. "Seems fun! We should call up Simon, Frederick, and Taylor when we have the chance," He responds. "I can ask Taylor at work tomorrow." Mark smiles in joy while Michael nods. "Okay, perfect!" Mark exclaimed. "The hall is starting to clear out, though, so we should go."

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Michael, Mark, and I walked down the familiar neighborhoods, talking about random things. I pointed out the braids that I put in Michael's hair that he decided not to take out and teased him about them, causing Mark to chuckle at our banter. Soon, we made it to Michael's house and we said our goodbyes to Mark, entering the house. When the door shut, we heard footsteps exit the kitchen and Elizabeth popped out of the kitchen, brightening when she saw us.

"Mikey! (N/N)!" The little girl exclaimed, throwing her arms up like she wanted a hug. Before any of us could move, she dropped them, rushing back into the kitchen. A few seconds later, she reappeared with a piece of paper in her hands. "Look! Look! I drew us!" Elizabeth exclaimed, handing Michael the paper which he gladly took. I leaned over his shoulder to see it. It was a drawing, most likely done in crayon, of Michael, C.C, and Elizabeth all holding hands somewhere outside.

"Do you like it?" Lizzy asked, placing her hands on her hips, seeming proud of herself. Michael smiled down at the girl. "Yep! It looks really good, Elizabeth! Is it okay if I hang it in my room?" He asks and the girl nods rapidly, giggling. He stares down at the picture and raises a brow. "Did you forget to put father in there?" Elizabeth's smile drops and she tugs at the end of her blue skirt, staring down at the ground.

"No, I'm just a little scared of him. I love Daddy! I just don't wanna draw him right now," She explained and we nodded. Michael crouched down in front of the girl and patted her head, sending him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Lizzy." He said and the girl looked up at him, suddenly perking up. She reached out to his hair and grabbed the braids I put in, smiling brightly.

"You look so pretty, Bubba!" Elizabeth exclaimed and the boy grumbled, gently swatting her hands away. The girl pulled away from him, smiling brightly. "Oh! Mikey, I wanna try something on you! Come on! (N/N), you have to come with us as well!" She said excitedly, grabbing Michael's hand and pulling him towards her room. I let out a breathy laugh and followed them.

Michael whined as she commanded him to sit on her bed. I closed the door behind me and sat down beside the boy, chuckling at his behavior. Elizabeth dashed to her closet and dug through it, pulling out a set of various nail polishes and running up to me. "(N/N)! What color should I use for Mikey?" The girl thrusted the container close to my face. I reeled back slightly, smiling at her antics. "Hm? Well.." I trailed off, looking over at the boy who was staring at the wall. "I guess black would suit him," I say and she smiles, setting down the container and snatching the black bottle.

The girl hops onto the bed beside her brother, catching his attention. "Give me your hand!" She demands, earning an eye roll from the boy. He reluctantly places his hand in hers, allowing her to begin to paint his nails black. As she does so, he rests his head against his palm, glancing over at me. He perks up when he sees my smile, causing him to blush and look away.

"Ugh- Liz! This is for girls!" He exclaims, pulling his hand back as she finishes the last nail. "No, it's not! And besides, black is definitely your color!" Elizabeth responds, snatching his other hand. I chuckled. "Yeah, she's right. You look great!" I chimed in, nudging him. He grumbles in response. Elizabeth finishes his nails and she closes the bottle of nail polish, throwing it onto the bed. I smirk at Michael.

"You're officially a material girl now. Madonna would be so proud," I joke, earning a chuckle from the boy. "Yeah, okay, maybe it isn't so bad." He responds, flicking his wrist to show off his nails. "See, I told you!" Elizabeth exclaims. The little girl turns her attention to me, giggling. "(N/N)! I wanna do your nails as well!" I chuckle at her. "Okay, sure. What color?" I question and she smirks. "You're gonna match with Mikey!"

Elizabeth crawls over her brother and sits beside me, grabbing the black bottle again. She takes my hand and begins to paint my nails, ranting about her day at school. I glanced up at Michael who was shaking his hands in an attempt to dry them quicker. I noticed a black smudge on his cheek and snickered. "Mikey, you have something on your cheek," I tell him and he perks up, wiping the mark. The black smear spreads across his cheek more, causing me to chuckle.

I take my free hand and cup his cheek, wiping it. The smear doesn't come off. "Yeah, that's not coming off. You should clean it with water," I tell him, laughing. He blushes and nods, standing up. "Yeah, I'll go do that." He says, exiting the room. Elizabeth takes my other hand and paints the rest of my nails, humming to herself. "I think Mikey has a crush on you!" She exclaims, smiling up at me. I choke on my spit, heat rising to my cheeks.

"I- um...I don't think so, Lizzy." I responded. She sends me a pout, her eyes wide. "But he's always talking about you!" She retorts and I send her a small smile. "That's stuff friend's do. I talk about Mark all the time, but I obviously don't have a crush on him," I say. The girl opens her mouth to retort, but before she can, Michael pops his head in. "Hey, um- father wanted to know if you guys want to go to Circus Baby's again? He has some work he needs to do there."

I smirk at the boy. "Depends. Can I borrow a hoodie?" I ask and he groans, reluctantly nodding. I look down at Elizabeth to see her rapidly nodding, beginning to bounce on the bed. "Oh! Mikey, (N/N), can you guys paint my nails before we go?" She asks excitingly, holding up a bottom of light pink nail polish. Michael purses his lips. "Um...Sure, I can try." He answers, walking over to his sister. He sits on the bed beside her and takes the bottle, gently taking Elizabeth's hand.

His hand shakes as he squints his eyes, concentrating. When he drags the brush across her nail, the liquid drips onto her finger, causing the girl to squeak. I roll my eyes with a sigh. "You're not doing it right, Michael." I tell him, sitting behind him. I take his hand in mine and reposition the brush, holding Elizabeth's hand up as I show him how to correctly paint her nails. I finished her first hand and let go, smiling at the boy. "See, that's not so hard."

The boy nods, his face flushes as he attempts to do the other hand, doing a little better despite it being kinda messy. "Hm? It looks okay," I say, smirking at Michael who rolls his eyes in response. "Yay! Thank you, Bubba and (N/N)!" Elizabeth exclaims, admiring her nails. "No problem, Lizzy! C'mon, Michael." I say, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him out of the room. We walked down the hall to his room, entering it.

"Can I look through your closet or are you gonna pick one for me?" I question, giving Michael a smug look. He stares at me for a good moment before rolling his eyes, gesturing to the closet. "Go ahead." I smile at him and slide open the doors, rummaging around. I see a Queen hoodie and smile, pulling it out. I put it on and turned to Michael.

"Not my Queen hoodie. I'm sorry my fellow British men," He dramatically cries out, clutching his shirt. "Drama queen," I joke, crossing my arms. He chuckles. "C'mon, my father is probably waiting for us." Michael says, grabbing my arm and leading me out to the living room. When we make it into the room, I notice C.C standing beside his father who was leaning against the door. The kid perked up when he saw us, sending me a small smile. I smiled back, waving.

Elizabeth came out of her room behind us, bouncing over to Michael and grabbing his hand. Mr. Afton opens the door and leads everyone out to the car. "Today is going to be so fun!" Elizabeth exclaims and she hops into her seat, buckling in. I smiled down at the girl. "Yeah, I hope so."