"Mikey...? Mikey, wake up! Why won't you answer me! Wake up, Mikey please wake up!!"
Henry gets the first call at one A.M.
"Is this the godfather of Elizabeth Afton, Evan Afton, and Michael Afton?"
"...Yes, I'm their godfather, why?"
"It's been discovered that they are living in an unsafe environment. Would you be willing to take them in until permanent residences can be found for them?"
"Uh—of course, they can be here—but what do you mean by unsafe environment?"
"...It's a very sensitive manner, it's best to hear it in person."
He arrives at the police station at one-thirty.
All three children are huddled on the bench , haggard and tired. Evan and Elizabeth are in their pajamas, scared and confused, and Henry thinks that that's blood on Elizabeth's hands.
Michael looks the worst of all of them, still in his normal clothes and covering up as much of himself as possible, with his coat and hat and hair over his face. But Henry can still see bandages peeking out from his clothes.
"We received an anonymous call to investigate the household at night and found...many worrying things, which shouldn't be mentioned in front of them. But a basic rundown is that both parents are in custody. It's not legal for them to stay in the house alone, as the eldest isn't even seventeen. So until permanent homes are found for them, they should stay with you after you sign these papers..."
They're getting out of the car by three.
Evan seems to have fallen asleep in the car, so Michael carries him inside, Elizabeth trailing after him. He navigates to Charlie's—no, the empty room and tucks them in. Henry's grateful for his help, because he's still reeling from the fact that it was William who killed her.
"I can...get some blankets, you'll have to sleep on the couch I'm afraid—I don't have another bedroom."
Michael only nods, wordlessly following him and collapsing on the couch, not bothering to even get a blanket.
Henry just lets him sleep and leaves for his own bed.
At seven, something wakes him up.
He gets up and goes to the kitchen, where he heard a thump. Henry finds Michael using the counter to pick himself up off the floor.
"Michael, are you okay?"
The teen flinches at his voice, almost falling back down. He nods slowly, gripping the edge of the counter.
"...Alright, what are you doing?"
Michael murmurs, "Cooking." He flaps his hands at Henry in an obvious shooing motion.
"Okay, call me if you need any help." It's probably not the best idea to leave him, but Henry doesn't want to pry and he's also just tired. Call him an old man, but he needs his sleep.
— ~ - Michael POV - ~ —
Henry acted a bit like his father there, having concern for Michael and then allowing him to just continue doing his own thing. Michael's always liked his father for that reason...it makes him easy to be around, when he is around and not just busy with work.
Shaking his head, then wincing at the flaring ache, he goes to wake up Evan and Elizabeth. They like to watch him cook.
— ~ - Henry POV - ~ —
Henry goes back out to the kitchen at seven-thirty, wary of leaving Michael alone too long—after all, the kid couldn't have slept for more than four hours. But it seems that he's fine, albeit rather quiet for a sixteen-year-old.
He walks in to see Elizabeth and Evan both at the table, eagerly watching Michael. Following their lead, Henry looks over and sees him toss an egg into the air. Henry watches open-mouthed in fascination as Michael gets out more eggs, juggling them until he has four and then catching them. He taps them on the counter and cracks them open, dropping the insides on the pan and tossing the shells over his shoulder to the compost bin. He then takes out a spatula and scrambles the eggs, the impromptu show seemingly over.
Michael has the stove temperature ridiculously high, so the eggs only take a few minutes to be done. He uses the spatula to toss them onto plates, then turns off the stove. He juggles forks and knives, distributing them easily among the four plates. He lifts himself onto the kitchen counter then begins to quickly eat his eggs.
"Mikey, what's for dinner?" Evan asks innocently, gobbling down his eggs. Michael hums, leaning over and opening the fridge. After a moment, he pulls out a bag of lettuce and gestures towards a bag of cheese.
"Yay, pasta!!!" Michael continues to peruse the fridge, frowning when he doesn't seem to be able to find something. Elizabeth tilts her head. "So we're going to the store after breakfast, or are you meeting your friends?"
Michael nods in response. Henry feels confused. "He didn't say anything, why are you going to the store?"
Elizabeth points, "We like white sauce on pasta and Mikey couldn't find the ingredients for it so we're going to the store to get them!"
"But...why didn't he just...say that?"
Evan looks at him oddly. "Because...not supposed to? Mommy's rules say making food but then eating some means no talking. It's math, a positive and a negative make a negative."
Michael pats his head. Annoyed, Evan turns, trying to swat his hand. Not a single one of the children seem to bat an eye at this admittance of abuse.
"Hold up. Your mother...punishes you for eating."
Michael frowns, then nods, confirming the statement. Henry runs a hand through his hair, sighing. "That is...not okay. You can talk here, you know. I'm not gonna make you stop talking for something as simple as eating."
The teen frowns deeper, fingers twitching. Elizabeth speaks up. "But then that breaks the rules. You can't break Mommy's rules, there are punishments for breaking the rules. I don't want Mikey to get punished again."
Henry sighs, "Yes, but I'm not your Mommy, am I? I dunno what these 'punishments' are, but I'm not gonna enforce them."
None of them look very convinced, but they continue on with breakfast.
The day proceeds...rather normal, honestly. The kids go to the store and get some heavy cream, then Evan and Elizabeth do homework while Michael is at his friend's house. It's all perfectly ordinary and boring until they join Michael and one of his friends—Elliott, the kid with the Bonnie mask—at the park. Elizabeth mocks him for looking more like Michael's sibling than she does, with his black hair and light skin, and then Elliott mocks her right back for being a tiny little ball of chaos. Evan then proceeds to attempt to earn the title instead, managing to get stuck in a tree. While Henry panics, Michael just climbs the tree and gets him down. Unfortunately, Elizabeth seems to have wandered off in the midst of the chaos, so now they're looking for her as one big group, as they don't want more people to get lost.
Elliott tilts his head. "Did you hear that?" He doesn't wait for an answer, abruptly turning and sprinting in a different direction. After a moment of surprise, Michael follows him, easily catching up. Sighing, Henry runs the best he can (Evan mocks him for his "creaky old man bones". Henry never knew an eight-year-old could be so mean.)
They run into...quite the scene. Elizabeth is shaking, hugging Elliott tightly. And Michael is fighting a boy almost as tall as Henry.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—stop!" Henry drags Michael away, grabbing his arms and trying to hold him through his violent thrashing. The boy sneers, "Need your uncle to hold you back, huh, cause your parents are in jail—"
Michael breaks free from his hold, landing on top of the guy and sending them both to the ground. Michael immediately begins to hit him, fists making contact with his face, his neck, his chest over and over again as the boy cries out. Elliott runs forwards, grabbing Michael by the wrists and yanking him to his feet. "Michael. Let him go, that's enough. Or I will pour water on your head."
Elizabeth shakes her head, "Nooo, he says it's fine! Mikey, listen to him, I'm okay and you beat him!!"
Seemingly placated, Michael is released from Elliott's hold. He crosses his arms, but they leave without further altercations.
——————
1410 words
Jan 2023
please keep me accountable for a part 2 or I'll never do it. You guys are so lucky I didn't end it on a cliffhanger