"Bold."/"Bold italic" : animatronic is talking/animatronic is talking in mind
"Normal."/"Normal italic." : human is talking/human is talking in mind
=o^o=
"Enn."
"This is the fourth time you called me but didn't tell me what you wanted to say, Afton. One more time you do that, I'll throw you all the way to the next room."
Michael pursed his lips hearing Ennard's reply, he leaned forward and stared intensely at Ennard who was sitting across from him. Ennard frowned at him before snorting, then lifted his book so that it covered his entire face. Michael stepped back again and leaned against the couch cushions. "Ennard."
"Oh my fucking god what?!"
"Are you planning on taking a walk or no?" Michael groaned, looking out the window longingly. "Tonight seems like the perfect night to get out—after all I'm stuck in this house like a prisoner! I can't stand it!"
"If you really want to go outside, then just fucking go!" Ennard gritted his teeth in exasperation.
The brown-haired man raised his eyebrows up, then he pouted. "You've been so irritable lately," Michael said as he put his feet up on the sofa. "Your patient used to be around this," Michael brought his palms together at close range, "but now it has become like this." Then Michael pushed his palms away as best as he could.
Ennard wanted to retort, his mouth already open to release a well-prepared swear word, but he held back and let out a heavy breath. Ennard pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. "What do you want?"
Michael's wide grin instantly caught on. "Accompany me to Evan's grave!" Michael said excitedly, he stood up quickly and walked over to the table that was behind the couch Ennard was sitting on. Ennard glanced around and watched Michael pull a small bouquet of flowers from a drawer. "Just for a moment really!"
"Why don't you go there yourself?" Ennard rolled his eyes lazily. "Are you afraid of suddenly having a mental breakdown or afraid of suddenly meeting your brother's ghost?"
"Both," Michael replied casually.
After a moment of silence, Ennard couldn't help but stand up, causing Michael to jump happily in his place, and run quickly to the front door. He had no other choice but to comply with the wishes of the eldest Afton. He caught up with Michael who was wearing a tight coat, complete with a hat and a mask covering his face, not forgetting to wear an eyepatch. Ennard closed the door silently, then stepped towards Michael who was already far away from the house—that shortie was really fast.
They walked side by side with Michael who often talked about random things, he just listened, didn't intend to respond to any of Michael's words, Michael didn't seem to mind anyway. Due to the night time, there were few people out of the house, they weren't too worried. They decided to pass by Michael's house as well, after all the quickest way to the cemetery was through the alley.
"My father caught me sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night when I was thirteen."
Ennard's brow furrowed deeply. "What were you doing at that time anyway?"
"Being a delinquent." Michael giggled. "I didn't know he came home late, I thought he was already home when I've finished my tutor because I went straight to my room. But no, he came back almost at midnight and just as I was about to get my bike out of the garage. I was going to go to one of my friends' house, but because of that, my father gave me a detention and I couldn't go anywhere for a month."
"I still wonder how you can be blood related to that man."
"Hey," Michael said, offended by Ennard's response. However, he grinned widely. "I was always doing everything I can to get my father's attention, you know, and he turned his head to me only when I'm getting into trouble. It's so annoying."
The bicolored eyes glanced at Michael for a moment, Michael looked normal when he said that but he realized the bitter tone of the eldest Afton's words. Ennard looked away, the other side of Michael slowly attracted him, and he didn't know why. They weren't alike in all respects, but in certain ways, he felt they were both 'clicking'. Ennard snorted softly and pulled the hood of his jacket over his red hair.
Soon they arrived at their destination. Ennard let Michael in without him, telling Michael he would give him a few moments to be alone while he would wait outside the cemetery. Michael agreed, gave him a sweet smile for a moment, then went inside. Leaving him alone with a warm sensation running down his cheeks.
Ennard pursed his lips for a moment, took a deep breath, then looked at the grave. He could catch Michael's figure quickly, crouching on a gravestone while giving a meaningful smile. Michael looked peaceful, and that made him feel at ease. Ennard turned and walked away, waiting for Michael at the end of the alley leading to the cemetery. He stared at the deserted streets, a handful of passers-by who he thought were people who were working overtime and could only come home at this time.
He always thought that people who worked late into the night either wanted to provide for their families and themselves, or simply to get away from home. He appreciated the first thing, but ... sometimes one of the people who worked late for their sake was a complete jerk.
Halberg, for example.
Ennard restrained himself from groaning in annoyance and left as soon as he found Halberg walking from a distance and looking back at him. Damn, damn it, you damn bastard, Ennard thought as he put on a forced smile in response to Halberg's wave of greeting. Why don't you just get out of here and fend for yourself you son of a bitch, Ennard thinned his smile and felt his irritation skyrocket the moment Halberg drew closer to him. Motherfucker.
"How are you?"
Good before you came here, you shit head. "Just decent." Ennard shrugged his shoulders. "You?" I hope you just go to hell, scum.
"The hospital is crowded recently, so I have to work from morning to night," Halberg replied while letting out a tired breath. "Moreover, I have to look for Terrance."
Or perhaps you could be useful, Ennard drew his eyebrows upwards and smiled. "What about your searching?"
"No sign at all." Halberg was silent for a moment. "Maybe Terrance has left town again ... maybe, I don't know."
"No one helped you?" Ennard feigned surprise and gave a pitying look. "Didn't you say someone would help you back then?" He tilted his head in confusion, he had indeed made a guess about that, but he had to confirm it first. If his guess was correct, then he finally could give this information to Michael and Lucy.
Halberg was silent for a bit longer this time, he seemed to be contemplating whether to answer or not. Ennard glanced a few times, waiting for a response, every now and then he glared back and hoped Michael wouldn't come running to them when he was done grieving. "If I find something, then I will ask for help from—my friends."
Weird.
"Really?" Halberg nodded in response, Ennard acting as though he was impressed. "I hope they don't actually take advantage of you, then," Ennard said afterward, holding back a snort over his own fake empathy.
"No way," laughed Halberg as he smacked his shoulder playfully, causing him to almost growl and immediately change his facial expression before chuckling too. The wires behind his body slowly backed away and went back into hiding. "Besides, I know something about them, I'm sure they're serious too." Halberg smiled at him.
Ennard gave a small nod. "You do you," he said. "Who helped you, really?"
Halberg's answer was determined for his assumption, he looked at Halberg and waited for the black-haired man to speak. Not long after, Halberg spoke up. "Just a girl and her brother."
Damn it, he was right.
"I see ...." Ennard looked the other way, anxious feeling started to rose within him. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Halberg said. "By the way, what are you doing here alone?" asked Halberg curiously, as he looked around for a few moments. "At the ... cemetery?"
Ennard rubbed the back of his neck lightly, then his hand pulled down the hood of his jacket, letting his red hair shine in the street lamp light. "I was actually coming here for a few weeks to visit my relatives, his mother just passed away," he said, and Halberg knit his eyebrows with pity. "And he—" Ennard frowned briefly, "—is still depressed about that, so I accompany him here most nights."
"Give my regards to your relatives, then," Halberg said sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder briefly, and he just nodded at Halberg's words. Then Halberg raised his eyebrows and his hands began to touch his red hair—that seemed to have taken Ennard by surprise. "Your hair color is a kind of ... unique." Halberg sounded like as if he was trying not to offend him.
"Oh, yes, yes it's because of the genes from my family." Quickly Ennard removed Halberg's hand, he was completely horrified.
Halberg smiled faintly. "I'll go then, bye."
He didn't return Halberg's farewell, who then walked away from there. His smile was still plastered on his face, but his heart was full of unleashed curses for Halberg. However, he tried to put aside the man's annoying behavior and thought back to the person Halberg had mentioned earlier. It was obvious that it was Alice and her accomplice. Ennard exhaled slowly, he would tell Michael and Lucy tomorrow about this. Now, he needed to see Michael—
Ennard gasped to find Michael standing behind him without his knowledge. He didn't notice that at all, which was a bit odd because he was always so sensitive to his surroundings. Michael looked at him with a straight face, before looking in the direction Halberg had left. Had Michael witnessed their conversation earlier?
"What did Mark talk to you about?"
For some reason ... Michael's voice sounded so calm, he felt like something was off. "I'll tell you later at home," he replied then.
Michael gave him a quick look. "Why not now?"
"You ask a lot." Ennard frowned and broke their eye contact. "Let's go home now."
"Why not now, Ennard?"
"Later, Afton."
He saw how Michael was silent for a while with an expression as if he was holding back his annoyance, but ended up being an expression that didn't mean anything at all, before Michael shrugged his shoulders and smiled broadly back at him. "Let's go home, then," Michael said cheerfully. "I'm going to tell you about how I got three trespassing letters a week!"
Ennard frowned. "You were such a troublemaker."
Hearing that, Michael grinned before he laughed, then his purple eye squinted sharply to the departure of his old friend. An inexplicable twinkle in his eyes