-2018-
That fire.
He remembered clearly the fire that had started yesterday, bringing down the entire building rapidly. It was still seared in his memory, he was in his office when the fire broke out, he was in the arms of someone he missed.
How did he end up in his bed?
But was this really his room? He looked around, it was quite sunny outside. This didn't seem like his room at all, this wasn't his house. He exited quickly and stomped his feet on the steps to confirm. He headed out of the house and looked around with wide eyes; this house was the house they had lived in before, the house of the blonde woman. He still remembered it.
He returned to the house again and tried to calm down, not understanding anything. He was so sure he had decided to stay in the restaurant, he was so sure he had been burned too ...
... his reflection in the window stopped him from walking down the corridor.
He didn't even look like he was a corpse that had been rotting for more than thirty years. He looked like a human again, only with a quarter of the skin on his face rotting away, but it was more like a normal skin condition than the rot that used to hurt his whole body.
He was flabbergasted, what exactly happened? He didn't understand at all.
Michael exhaled tiredly, many questions in his mind. He rubbed his face in exasperation and tried to think more clearly. He could still feel his stomach empty. But with how he was suddenly here and how his body had suddenly returned to normal, it was really strange.
Then he felt the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly goosebumps, as if someone was staring intently at him. Michael turned his head and searched around, until his eyes met someone's who was standing outside the back fence.
He stared at her, he was sure his gaze was on her.
So Michael walked out of the house slowly, somewhat cautiously, wanting to know what the woman wanted. A straight black-haired woman dressed all in white, her gaze was warm towards him, making him feel as though he was in heaven and eternal peace.
"Hello, Michael."
Michael didn't even bother to think how she knew his name. "Hello ...?"
"Do you want to stay here or go with me?"
It was an odd question, Michael frowned at her in confusion and wonder. "Go ... where?"
Despite that, the smile she gave him made him feel at ease. "Go, to a peaceful place," the woman replied in a gentle tone.
His mind was racing again, he seemed interested in joining, but he was reluctant. He didn't know who the woman was, he didn't know her origins and he didn't even know her name. There was a part of him that told him he could trust her, but even so Michael was still reluctant. He turned to the house, the house that bore witness to his time together with Ennard.
Michael paused, a question arose. "Why am I here?" He believed she could answer it.
"You are in a place that makes you feel calm the most," the woman replied warmly, before she spread her hand out to him. "But there's a more comfortable place than here, do you want to come along?"
For a moment, Michael said nothing, he was astonished.
In the end Michael shook his head. "I want to stay." His voice was low, a little soft, as he stared at the house with a faint smile. Then he looked back at the woman, the smile still plastered on the face of the woman in the white dress.
"Okay, it is your decision." The woman nodded in understanding. "You are now free."
Free?
Michael didn't understand anymore—what did she mean by free? He was free? Free from what? Dangerous? Well he would quite like it if he was now free and didn't have to deal with scientists or any trouble his father created.
He was about to ask again, but in the blink of an eye, the woman was gone. She disappeared.
Weird, very weird.
What was happening today? Michael got annoyed himself, his head ended up dizzy.
Oh, fuck it.
A cup of coffee sounded good.
-EC-
His breath hitched as he stared at the reflection in the cracked mirror, his chest heaving frantically as he glanced alternately at his trembling hands and the mirror.
He was burned in that place, with the person he loved.
Now he was back here, in the underground again, in a place where he usually resides without being disturbed by other crew members.
He placed his hand on his chest after that, trying to calm his bad breathing and lower how his heart was beating too fast. His head was spinning and his vision was blurry, it felt like he might lose his balance at any moment. He was still panting as he leaned against the wall for support, though in the end his body slumped and he looked up at the ceiling which appeared to be spinning. His shaking hands returned to his chest, still trying to control his shallow breathing.
He recalled the reflection in the mirror; blonde hair, pale face, red eyes.
How could?
How could he change to his old self?
He hated it, he hated it so much. He forced his feet to stand up again and darted towards the animatronic lying not far from him, he started to wonder. Would he be able to possess it again? Still using that animatronic as a vessel for his soul? Noah wondered.
His hand moved to hold onto the white mask, before he felt his entire body being pulled away completely.
Everything was black for a moment, then his eyes opened.
He got to his feet again and headed towards the mirror; Ennard, he could still possess him. He was relieved now, before he tried to change again—no, not the blonde one! He focused a second time and opened his eyes slowly.
Now he exhaled heavily after looking at the reflection of the red-haired man with tan skin and bicolored eyes. He groaned as he held the side of his head—damn it all made his head hurt so badly. He took another breath and exhaled slowly, his breathing steady.
He could hear the cacophony of the crowd outside, as if a performance were being staged. However, considering that his place right now was close to the backstage, he wasn't too surprised. He wanted to get out of here quickly, he tried to hide the wires that were still swinging behind him—but couldn't. He couldn't. The illusion disc had a low battery at the moment, he didn't have a charger.
He groaned again in annoyance, meaning he had to use another form to save. Then he calmed down, took another breath.
Okay, just for a moment, he said to himself as he closed his eyes, focused again,
He seemed to be feeling very uncomfortable looking at other forms, but he had no other choice. He stepped out and walked down the messy hallway with anxiety, afraid someone would bump into him. He didn't have sunglasses or contact lenses with him, those bad memories never left him.
It was true that there was a show going on at this place, it looked like someone was renting the crew again for a birthday party.
Noah passed backstage silently, he glanced at the stage for a moment before looking back up and somewhat surprised that he didn't notice that the Circus Baby was in front of him. Seemed like Circus Baby was also coming back to this place, they seemed to be using her in a show soon. He stepped aside and walked behind Circus Baby, then turned to her again.
His red eyes widened to find a girl standing beside the Circus Baby—he knew, that girl wasn't an ordinary entity. She was just like him. It was his mentor's daughter, who then turned to him abruptly.
He was taken aback for a bit and feigned ignorance, immediately averted his eyes and left the place.
Noah focused his attention again, he wanted to get back to Michael.
=o^o=
Michael was drinking his coffee at night—he had no idea how many cups of coffee he had, he felt stressed after everything he'd been through today. Suddenly woke up in this house, found his body back to normal, then that mysterious woman. His head was quite dizzy, he couldn't find the answers to all the questions that had piled up in his mind. He sighed tiredly before sipping his cold coffee again, his eyes glued to the paper he was scribbling on.
Ennard.
He was still thinking about what happened to Ennard, was Ennard alright after the fire? Or did he also ... destroyed in the fire?
Thinking about the second possibility made his chest ache, he still felt lost after so many years, but he couldn't lose Ennard forever. The last words Ennard had said kept ringing in his head, Michael gripped his pencil tightly in worry.
He wanted to meet Ennard again ....
The sound of knocking on the door startled him and he accidentally broke the pencil he was holding. Michael looked at the door intently, confused as to who was knocking at this time. The knock sounded again, Michael got up but didn't walk, just kept quiet. Who was it?
Eventually Michael approached the door slowly, still somewhat hesitant. Will there be other strange people like that woman? Michael turned the knob and opened it.
He found the red-haired man standing right in front of him, his eyes widened, he knew him very well.
Even so, his hand moved to slam the door and shut it—he suddenly felt frantic. Wait—who was that? Was that really the person he was thinking of earlier? Was he really Ennard? Or was it just a delusion his brain has created because he drank more than four cups of coffee today?
Michael panicked, but enthusiasm overcame him if it was really Ennard.
He stood up again and slowly opened the door a second time—no, the man wasn't there. There was no one else. Michael frowned and pursed his lips, maybe it was just his imagination indeed. He sighed softly and closed the door tightly.
He planned to return to the living room and return to feeling depressed again ...
"Michael."
... if only the man had not suddenly appeared behind him and called his name, causing him to scream in fear as he stepped backwards until he slipped and fell backwards.
"Are you ... okay?"
Michael looked in front of him in disbelief, he didn't really care about the pain he got from falling, only letting the man stretched out his hand to help him up with a worried expression on the face he knew so well.
"Ennard ...?"
The man only nodded brokenly, before glancing the other way, looking nervous. "You slammed the door so I went through the back door because I know you keep forgetting to lock it."
The explanation wasn't necessary, but he felt very happy to hear that voice again. He felt very happy looking at the man again. He felt very happy to be with Ennard again. Ennard was here, he was here with him. Even in physical form, it wasn't just the memory that had always been with him since their last fight.
The feeling warmed up, it really was Ennard.
"Michael ...?"
Ennard seemed surprised how Michael started to cry, but he let Michael hug him tightly as he hugged him back. A thin smile plastered on his face, he also missed Michael. At first, he had doubts, maybe Michael still hated him, maybe Michael still didn't want to talk to him. However, all his worries paid off with all of this, with how Michael sobbed in his arms.
"I missed you so much ...." Michael buried his face in Ennard's chest, still in denial that this was actually the person he loved. "I'm sorry ...."
Ennard rested his chin on the top of Michael's head, still maintaining his smile. "What happened in the past, just let it go," he whispered softly.
Michael looked up at him and was still sobbing a little. "Then what about me ...?"
"Didn't I say that you were never my past?" Ennard pulled Michael's cheek in annoyance, full of delight at Michael's question. After that he chuckled, he cupped both sides of Michael's face and wiped away his tears using his thumbs gently. "I've always loved you, Michael."
Hearing that, his feelings warmed up again. Michael kept himself from smiling too widely as he hugged Ennard even tighter. "I love you too ...."
Michael giggled when Ennard finally kissed the top of his head, he put his arms around Ennard's neck, his sweet smile still glued to his face. He stood on tiptoe to press their lips together, Ennard began to embrace him and pulled him closer as he accepted the kiss.
After that they ended their kiss and gazed at each other, exchanging smiles to each other. Ennard dropped another kiss on Michael's forehead.
"By the way you looked ugly yesterday."
"Insolent."
Ennard snorted in amusement and chuckled at Michael's reply. "But I still love you."
"You left me."
"You told me to go."
"Just for a moment! Not for—fourteen years!"
"You didn't specify, so technically I didn't leave you over my own decision but you asked me to leave you alone."
"You're so annoying."
"You still love me."
"Yes I still love you."
They both laughed together after the short argument. Ennard looked at Michael lovingly, his smile softening to see Michael still giggling. He moved his hand to brush Michael's bangs from his eyes, causing Michael to look at him.
Ennard was still smiling. "You're cute."
It was only a small compliment, but Michael blushed violently at that. "W-why so sudden?" Michael asked nervously.
"Maybe because I missed you." Ennard pulled Michael into his arms again.
Michael pursed his lips and felt all these feelings melt away in Ennard's warm embrace, his smile was delightful. "I missed you too, Enn."
"All of this is over now," Ennard whispered in his ear. "Do you still want to live with me in this house?"
Michael laughed and tightened their hug. "Of course!"
The night ended sweetly for both of them, their journey has ended here.