TW: Blood, Mentions of Death.
This is going to be an angsty chapter, sorry guys lmao
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"Michael! Wait up!" I call out as the boy rushes towards the arcade. He looks over his shoulder at me, smirking. "(Y/N), the point of a race is to not slow do-" The boy slams into the wall beside the arcade's entrance, causing him to stumble back. I burst out laughing, stopping beside him to check for injuries. "Are you okay?" I question through my laughter and he chuckles. "Yeah, I think I'm okay."
"Mikey! Are you okay!?" Elizabeth calls out, rushing over to us. "Mhmm. I'm fine, Lizzy." He says, rubbing the back of his head. C.C comes up to us with a worried expression. "Are you sure?" He questioned, clutching the bear in his hands. Michael nods. "Yeah, don't worry about me." I smirked up at him before dashing into the arcade, leaving him behind. I heard him scoff. "Hey! That's not fair!" He called after me.
"Of course it is! Survival of the fittest, man!" I called back and he groaned. "That doesn't even make sense, but whatever." I stopped beside a random Circus Baby themed arcade game, watching as Michael and his siblings walked towards me. "Oh! I wanna try that game!" Elizabeth exclaimed, pointing to the arcade machine beside me. "Hm?" I hummed, looking over to it. "Icy Cold Ice Cream? That's a weird name, but go ahead." I said and she cheered, popping in a coin before beginning to play the game.
In the game, you play as Circus Baby and collect cupcakes to give to children. Elizabeth pressed a button to make Circus Baby jump, accidentally throwing her off the ledge. She whined. "This game is stupid!" Elizabeth complained, crossing her arms. "Nah, you're just bad at it. Lemme try," Michael says, putting in another coin and beginning to play the game.
As the game progressed, Michael furrowed his brows. "What the- How am I supposed to do get over there?" He mutters to himself. Soon, the time runs out and he loses the game, causing him to lean back and cross his arms. "Elizabeth was right. This is a stupid game," He says and I giggle. "Sure."
I turn my head to look at the two kids, my eyes widening at the sight of Elizabeth sneaking away. "Not on my watch!" I exclaimed, swooping her up. She shrieked, flailing around. "Elizabeth. Your father specifically told us to look after you and make sure you don't wander away, so please behave. I don't want to get in trouble. He is my boss after all." I tell her and she stops, pouting. "Okay..."
I smile down at her, placing a kiss on her forehead before placing her on the ground. "Thanks, Lizzy." I say and she nods. C.C tugs on my sleeve, catching my attention. "Can we go try the claw machines?" He questions and I nod. The four of us make our way over to the small machine and C.C attempts to get a Circus Baby plush for Elizabeth. After a few tries, he ends up picking up both a Circus Baby plush and a Funtime Foxy one, the two plushies landing in the dispenser.
The two kids cheer and grab the plushies, smiling brightly. Elizabeth hugs her brother, causing him to giggle. Michael suddenly nudges me, causing me to look up at him. "We should have a rematch," He says, pointing to a Space Duel arcade machine. I smirk. "Oh, hell yes!" I exclaim, walking over to the machine. "I'm totally going to win this time!" Michael says and I roll my eyes, putting in a coin. "I wouldn't be so sure, British Boy."
Behind us, Elizabeth and C.C sat down playing with their plushies, playing. Michael and I mashed the buttons, both determined to win. In the end, I won by a few points, causing me to cheer. "Hah! Take that, bitch boy!" I exclaimed, flicking Michael's nose. He fake gasps, placing a hand over his heart. "Bitch boy? How dare you!" The two of us laugh.
I turn to the two kids to check on them and my heart sinks, eyes wide. They were gone, but the plushies were left on the ground. "Um...Where did they go?" I questioned, looking around. I noticed C.C rush through the arcade's exit and grabbed Michael's hand, dashing after him. "C.C!" I called out, but he didn't turn to me. We exited the arcade and ran after the kid. Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen, which worried me, but I focused on chasing C.C. It was kinda difficult, considering my leg injury, but I managed.
Michael shoved through the crowd in front of me, the two of us sprinting down the hallway. The sounds of kid's cheering and laughing began to fade the further we ran, watching as C.C stopped at a door. He froze up in the doorway, tears streaming down his face. He seemed shocked. "C.C.." I breathed out, huffing. "What...happened..?" My voice trailed off as I stared at the large animatronic on stage, glitter shimmering across her metal body.
My breath hitched at the sight of blood splattered across the stage, an ice cream cone laying in front of Circus Baby. "S-she took Lizzy! I saw her!" C.C cried, looking up at me with pleading eyes. I just stared down at him in shock, tears gathering in my eyes. I shook my head. "No..." I whispered to myself, scrubbing my face. I turned my attention to Michael. The boy had tears streaming down his face, staring up at the stage. He turned his head to the little boy beside us, a glare on his face.
The kid scurried off, shouting for his father as he did. Michael sniffled, covering his face as he cried. I quickly wrapped my arms around him and he stiffened for a moment before relaxing, resting his head in the crook of my neck. I played with his hair as he cried. "Michael..?" I whispered and he hummed, lifting his head. He stared at the ground and I cupped his cheeks, wiping away his tears.
"Hey, Michael, look at me. Your sister isn't dead, okay? You know Eli has a tendency to wander and get lost, but I'm sure she is okay." I say and he places his hands on mine. "Yeah, but C.C said he saw her get killed. That little-" I cut him off. "Michael...I- As morbid as this sounds, that could've been any kid. Besides, we didn't actually see it happen, it might be C.C and his imagination again. Look, let's go find Mr. Afton and tell him that we can't find Liz. I'm sure he'll be able to fix this, okay? Remember, Circus Baby was made just for Elizabeth. Mr. Afton would never build something that could harm his own daughter."
Michael nods, sniffling. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for crying in front of you," He says, averting his gaze. "You have no reason to be sorry, Michael. It's okay," I say, sending him a reassuring smile. He mustered a small smile in return.
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I sat on the curb in front of Circus Baby's Pizza World, Michael beside me with his knees pressed against his chest. C.C was frantically trying to explain what happened to Elizabeth to his father, but the man simply patted him on the head and told him that it was just his imagination and that his sister was okay. Tears welled up in the kid's eyes as he shook his head.
Henry came over to us and placed a reassuring hand on Michael's shoulder, causing the boy to tense. "Hey, bud. Are you doing alright?" He asked and Michael paused before weakly shaking his head. The man grunted as he took a seat next to him. "I understand. It's been hard on me ever since Charlie went missing. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll find your sister soon." He gives Michael a pat on the back before standing up, walking over to Mr. Afton.
I felt something drop on my shoulder and I glanced down to see Michael's head. I leaned my head against his, playing with his hair. "Can you stay over for the night?" He questions, his voice a whisper. "Sure, if our parents say yes." I responded and he hummed, closing his eyes.
We stayed like that for a while until Mr. Afton came over to us, telling us that we were leaving. He had closed down Circus Baby's early. The sky was turning orange and pink, colors flaring. Elizabeth would love to see that. The little girl would point to the sky and comment on how pretty it was and how the orange looked like her hair.
Michael and I stood up, walking to the car. I sat down in the middle while C.C and Michael sat on either side of me. We began to pull out of the parking lot and Michael spoke up. "Hey, father? Can (Y/N) spend the night?" He questioned and Mr. Afton looked at him through the rear view mirror. "Sure. We can swing by your place, so you can ask your mother and grab your things." I nodded in response.
The car ride was painfully silent, no one daring to speak. We eventually pulled into my driveway and Michael hopped out to let me out. Before I could walk to my door, Michael spoke up. "Can I come with you?" He questioned and I raised my brow. "Sure," I shrugged, walking into my house with Michael following close behind. I opened the door and called out for my mother, noticing her sitting on the couch.
"Hey, (Y/N). Who's this with you?" She questioned, gesturing to Michael. "Michael," I said simply, closing the door behind me. "Hm? So, that's what he looks like. Why is he here?" She asked curiously. "I was wondering if I could have a sleepover at his house." My mother nodded. "Sure, just call me in the morning," She agrees and I nod, walking to my room to grab some things.
As I shoved things into a bag, Michael watched, leaning against the wall. "So, why did you want to come with me?" I questioned and he shrugged. "I guess I was just curious about your house," He responded, glancing around. "I like your room." I smiled up at him. "Thanks," I said. We exited my room and walked out of the house, my mother calling after me. "Have fun, but not too much fun!" She remarked. "Shut up, mom!" I shouted back, flustered. I heard her laugh from inside. Michael let out a small chuckle.
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The two of us laid on Michael's bed, staring up at the ceiling as the small radio on the bedside table played music. I sucked in a deep breath before speaking. "Are you really mad at C.C for what happened?" I questioned quietly, feeling the bed shift as Michael moved. "Yes. I mean, he had the chance to help her and he didn't do anything. He just stood there and watched! And even if Circus Baby didn't hurt her and she just got lost, he should have stopped her from leaving. He knew she wasn't allowed to leave our sight. Ugh! It doesn't matter anymore. She's gone..."
I rolled over and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest. He hugged me, clutching the back of my shirt as if it were his lifeline. His body shook as he silently cried, his head resting against mine. We stayed like that for a while, not moving and not speaking. I could feel tears prick the corners of my eyes, so I squeezed my eyes shut, my grip on Michael tightening. The two of us soon fell asleep, the music fading and the lamp's light darkening.
It was scary how quickly everything could change in just a few minutes.