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Michael Afton had a problem and his problem’s name was Uncle Henry Emily.
He had less of a problem with Charlotte “Charlie” Emily despite the fact that when he’d called her Charlotte she’d kicked him in his testicles but she’d gotten yelled at by her father and told she must never ever do that to a boy again unless she did not feel safe and when someone called you by your actual name that was not an excuse to kick a boy at all unless, again, it was in a threatening way. Especially there.
(It had to have been bad because apart from sobbing and messing himself and glaring furiously at her for the next few days his father had a long talk with him about boundaries and that he had to respect her wishes as well. She had asked him to not call her that. He had done so. He did not deserve such a painful punishment but he had to respect people.
But why?!
Because that’s just what we do. And if you don’t do that I’m going to be angry. Do you want me to be angry?
He had then been called hobbling and crying in front of the little girl to be apologized to.)
No. Charlie was like his sister. Henry was the problem because Uncle Henry was liked by everybody and father was not unless father was Bonnie. People loved Bonnie. They did not like Father. William Afton was shunned. He made people nervous, they squirmed in front of him. They acted like actual rabbits, like they’d smelled a big dog or a fox in their rabbit hutch.
People liked Bonnie, but everyone liked uncle henry and Michael sat, kicking his feet and staring at the adult trying to light him on fire with his eyes.
“What’s going on?” Charlie plopped down beside him, “What’s daddy doing?”
“Nothing.” Uncle Henry was talking to guests at the restaurant, smiling jovially. A great big group of them in suits were talking to him and Father, “They like your father. They don’t like mine.”
“What?” She blinked. Her curly brown pigtails bounced as she stared, “Who, the Fazbear guys?”
“Fazbear?” they were all stuffy looking and hot. It was disgustingly warm in Hurricane today and he was glad to be in the air conditioning.
“Is that who they are?” Michael squinted, “I want to get something for my father for his birthday but I don’t know what. He doesn’t have lots of people who like him. I’d like to find someone who does.”
“You want to get your dad a friend for his birthday.”
He looked at her, frowning, “Don’t make fun of me!” He frowned, “I have Jeremy. You have …all the…girls. And I have lots of guys. And all the babies like Elizabeth and Evan even if he’s a big stupid crybaby who just won’t stop crying.” He glowered, “But mother says father doesn’t like birthdays but I know he’s lonely he’s gotta be. He just spends all his time with the animatronics.”
“You guys are really weird around your dad.” She frowned, “Like really weird. You and your mommy. And it’s not just cause of the ani-anima-antom-”
He screwed up his face, “animatronics.” he had memorized that word. Then he frowned at her, “How d’you mean?”
“I mean you always start talking like you’re from England when you’re around him, and your mom always kind of makes way for him like he’s a king in England but he’s not they have a queen. I asked daddy. You have a queen and he’s not a king.”
“No.” Michael kicked a shoe, “But he’s still my Father.”
“And that’s another thing! You call him Father but you call your mom mommy and he-” She sighed, “I dunno. Sorry. Daddy says I ask too many questions and I need to leave you alone sometimes but you’re my friend-”
Hmph.
He turned six, she was also six. Months apart. When they were smaller (apparently) they’d had shared birthdays.
“Daddy’s your…Father’s friend.”
“Is he?”
“Yeah.” She squirmed, “They argue and stuff but so do we. They like building things together. You should ask your father if you can come to the workshop in our garage!”
“My father’s is in our basement.”
“Have you been in there?” She blinked, “Daddy built me a puppet a few weeks ago. We’re …” she screwed up her face, “...Playtesting it.”
Michael did not want to talk about the basement or his father’s workshop. Instead he watched her daddy nod and wave and shake hands as father moved off with the men before he came over, “Hey kiddos! How’s tricks? Charlie bear, let’s go home. I think you’ve got homework…”
“Michael wants to get his daddy a friend for his birthday and I told him he has you and you’re his best friend but Michael says he wants another friend.”
Silence. Henry Emily stared. A number of expressions (that was what teacher called the things faces did) moved over his face before Henry Emily began to laugh good naturedly.
“That has got to be the cutest - hey Will. C’mere man. You need to hear this.” Henry gestured. Michael felt his own expression go scared - his eyes went wide as his father came over. He looked just as unhappy in the heat as he was, “...What? Michael what are you doing bothering the animatronics?”
“Michael wants to get you a friend for your birthday!” Charlie sang out the words, “He says you’re lonely. But you’re not right? Cause my daddy’s here!”
She had obviously meant it to be some sort of comfort to him, but Michael’s eyes widened, his superman shoes suddenly twice as interesting, before sudden anger overtook him, “Fuck you Charlie Stupid Emily-face!” He climbed to his feet and ran backstage crying his eyes out refusing to look at either parent.
She always did that, she was always there, in his face, where she wasn’t wanted stupid stupid stupid…
He didn’t want to cry about it at least. Rather, he kicked over a big box of something and watched it with a satisfying angry glare. Good. Make a mess. Good. Father was going to come back and probably be mad and that would make the sad feelings go away. Good. Good. Good.
—
Charlie stared shocked because both adults had been on the verge of responding when Michael sad the F word and he’d run backstage.
“Bloody hell-” Uncle Will shook his head, “I’ll go find him. See you tomorrow Hen.” The taller man climbed onto the stage with the ease of an expert, calling out Michael’s name.
Daddy sighed, “C’mon Charlie. Let’s go home and I’ll make dinner. Actually no, let’s go pick up Chinese. You and I need to have a talk.”
“I don’t understand.” She stared, “I was trying to remind Uncle Will you’re his best friend. You’re his bestie like me and Louise and Amber and Sharon and-” she had lots of besties and sure grown ups didn’t have slumber parties except with other grown ups like daddy and mommy did or Uncle Will and Aunt Clara.
“I know Peanut.” Daddy sounded sad. He lifted her into his arms, “C’mon. Like I said. We’ll have a talk.”
The lucky Dragon was a few blocks away - an easy walk normally. They drove this time, taking their favorite seat right behind the fish tank and right in front of the big gold dragon statue she had named Laurel. The waiter, a nice guy named Steven, had said perhaps it was more appropriate to call it Lotus so Laurel became Lotus and she gave Lotus a friendly pat before they sat down and ordered their favorites. She wriggled, confused, as her daddy sipped his water seemingly thinking.
“Uncle Will…isn’t…” he stared at his hands, “...Uncle Will isn’t…” he frowned, “I’m not doing this right.”
She cocked her head, “He’s not what?”
“His …” He rubbed his nose, “Okay. You know my batman comics? Remember how you didn’t like the villain with the scary face?” she had rummaged through his boxes, found some, read them, gone to bed and had very vivid nightmares.
One of the villains had a scary face. Half his face was totally normal and the other half was twisted and rotten and burned and yucky, “...That guy with two faces?”
“Yeah. Two face. He has a nice face, that’s Uncle Will who likes to do Stanley and Theodore’s voice for you. And he has a …bad face. That’s two face. That’s him when he gets mad.” Daddy looked so sad then her heart cracked, “Sometimes it’s all the bad face, and sometimes it’s all the good face. He knows he’s like that.”
“...Is he a criminal?”
“No!” Daddy held up a hand, “No. No. And no batman is gonna come and beat him up. He’s just different. He gets upset easier and he’s really, really working on it.”
Daddy sounded like he did when he was trying to lie to her when he said she was going to go get ice cream and she was going to the doctor instead.
“...So…so he’s a bad guy. And a good guy?”
“Well.” Henry shifted his water around, “Look. The point I want to make is, sometimes you can’t surprise him with stuff like that. It’s nice that you want to remind him that I’m there but I promise you. I promise you he knows I’m his bestie.” He smiled and ruffled her hair, “But at the end of the day, Michael is his bestie too. As are Evan, Elizabeth, and Aunt Clara. He has lots of besties. Michael’s notion is a very nice one because it’s very sweet…but that’s what family is for sometimes.”
“But he doesn’t have any other grown-up friends?” she paused, “Don’t you get friends when you’re grown ups?”
“You do.” He smiled, “But it’s…harder.” He smiled a little sadly, “It’s a lot harder to make friends.” Steven was bringing their eggrolls, “It’s a hard lesson to learn peanut, but sometimes that’s just how it is. Uncle Will will be fine. Besides, he hates birthdays.”
—
Michael Afton was scared.
He had never been more scared in his life because daddy hadn’t yelled or spanked him or done anything. Instead he had extended a calm hand, his features spooky and blank, and gently helped him out of the box he’d crawled into. He carefully, carefully set everything in place before lifting the boy up into his arms. He locked up the restaurant, put away the cashbox, folded some T-shirts and then moved to take his hand again, surprisingly gentle.
When they had gotten into the car the sun was setting and Michael stared at his father.
“Father I-”
“I’m going to say two things about that conversation.” William Afton’s voice was still blank, an automaton, “One. You are never to use that word again in my presence. Two.” The automaton face stopped for a heartbeat, “Do not bring up my birthday again.”
When you love someone, really love someone, before that love turns poison, turns acidic, turns into bile, you are willing to do anything for them.
(This is what hurts him the most, later, much later, in fire and blood and pain. As he fades, as he releases, as he lets go, as his lungs burn - Don’t you understand I would have died for you?)
Michael Afton knew better than to speak as they drove home, his father handing him a book bag from the back seat and walking into the house heedless of where the six year old was walking. The door blew in a desert breeze and Michael shuffled into the house trying to wipe tears from his eyes. His mother was supervising Evan and Elizabeth in the playpen and for once the old man didn’t stop to look at them or say hello. Both of the twins stared after him as he walked downstairs, opened the basement door, closed it behind him and locked it.
“Michael?” Mother was there, “What happened?”
I’m his creation. That was a good word. He liked that word. He doesn’t get to say what I do.
The irony. The irony should not be lost on the universe.
—
“He’s been down there for three days.” michael sniffled, “I didn’t mean to make him so upset. It’s you. It’s all your fault. I could have surprised him and he would have been happy but you did it.” He glared at her, “Why’d you do it!?”
“...I wanted to help.” Charlie Emily was coloring a picture as her teacher had requested, “I like helping people. Like batman.” She watched her friend stare at his own picture, frustrated, before he began to scribble hard black and red in the animal’s lines. She resisted the urge to say that’s not how you’re supposed to do it as he did so, not looking at her.
“Superman’s better.”
“Batman!”
“Superman!”
“Kids.” Henry beamed, “They are both great. But May I suggest, the X-Men?” The Afton household was very different from the Emily Household. It was dark green and blue, the antiques were few and far between. It was depressingly bare, Charlie thought, but the babies made it light and happy. She liked playing with the babies.
Daddy had brought a big stack of comics for Michael and he was holding a few out. She nodded at it, approving, before she rocked back and forth on her feet, “Daddy can I play with baby Liz and baby Evan?”
“Only if Aunt Clara says you can.” He gestured, “C’mon old sport.” He gestured to Michael, “I’ll help you sound out some of the bigger words okay?”
“Who’s playing with what?” Clara was wearing jeans and a shirt. She looked like a mommy, “If you’re good, Charlie. Come on. Let’s go play with Evan he could use a few extra snuggles today.”
Evan was small and scared looking. He had a very large fredbear plush, almost as big as he was, clutched in his tiny baby fingers. Gently, gently his mother moved it away and Charlie sat beside him trying to drag him onto her lap. Elizabeth, round and curly haired, moved closer with a babble of baby talk.
“I like playing with the twins!” She beamed, “Michael did you see! Evan blew a bubble!”
“He always blows bubbles.” Michael rolled his eyes and went back to the comics, “What does this word say?”
He may have, but for an only child, babies were fascinating things. Mommy had died having a baby, that’s what daddy said whenever he got sad. He got sad less and less though and Charlie thought that she might like to be a parent one day, she was - as daddy said - good with kids. It was the making of children that was a problem but that was okay because Aunt Clara had two and-
“What the hell are you two doing here?”
Aunt Clara was on her feet to the twins surprise, both of them began to fuss, evan starting to wail in her arms. She looked at her father, panicked, as Michael jumped off the couch, “Dad-Father!”
Uncle Will looked awful. He was sweaty and smelled like the drugstore floor. He looked rail thin, shirt rolled up to his elbows, grease and oil splattered across his hands.
Daddy put an arm across Michael - which was the wrong thing to do. The thin man strode toward them, lifting Michael away from daddy as the little boy squirmed, “Get the hell out of my house.”
“Will take it easy-”
“It’s been three days.” Aunt Clara murmured, “Will, we were worried, I know - I know you got upset but we were worried-”
“Get out of my house.” He pointed a finger at Henry, “Get away from my wife, get away from my children. Get the hell out of my house.”
“No.”
For one horrible moment, one terrible moment in time, Uncle Will looked like Two face. He looked crazy. Bats in his Belfry totally bananas. His gaze widened, “No?”
“Will. I’m your friend.” Henry planted himself between Uncle Will and the rest of the people in the room, “I’ve fought you plenty of times, but I’m putting my foot down. You spent three days downstairs. That’s not fucking normal man. I know this time of year is rough for you-”
That was again the wrong thing to say. Charlie shrieked as Uncle Will raised a fist and swung at her father, features rabid and angry. He really looked like two face now - no. He looked like the Joker. The Joker was batman’s worst villain. He was totally crazy, he had no nice anywhere in him. Charlie moved to put a protective arm around Evan and Elizabeth as daddy took the punch to the face.”
“No!” Michael was yelling now. He squirmed out of his father’s arms aiming kicks for herdaddy, “Stop! Stop hitting him!-”
And Charlie Emily screamed.
Little girls have a superpower. Children have a superpower too but it is especially useful in terms of the fairer sex. It’s a banshee like call, an X-men esque mutation, that a well placed child’s scream, especially a little girl’s scream, can stop time and space, pierce adult ear drums, in the right cases, shatter glass.
Charlie was especially good at it. She shrieked, “Stop it!” at the top of her lungs so loudly that everyone in the room quieted save for Evan who took it as some sort of a challenge, and Elizabeth who was just plain confused.
“Stop!” Tears were running down her cheeks now, “Stop hitting him! Stop hitting back! Stop yelling!” She glared - staring down a fully grown man in the grip of a demon - “Stop being crazy and mean!”
While children may have the power of screams that can stop time and space, other children often have the ability of doing something monumentally stupid. it is based on their reaction time. Michael, not as thrown as the adults in the room, glared at Charlie and leapt for her like a tiny lion cub, “No! Leave my father alone-!”
“Michael!”
“Charlotte!”
This was easier to manage chaos. Clara Afton went to go quiet the twins, her own tears drying on her cheeks. Uncle Will caught Michael like she’d catch Butterscotch, lifting him into the air kicking like a wild thing while Daddy put his arms around her and squeezed. What was left were quiet words between the adults and leaving, setting her carefully in the car.
“Charlie, Charlotte, never, ever do anything like that again-”
“No!” She pointed, “You never do that again! If Uncle Will is sick you should be helping. And he should know better than to act like the Joker! And all of you need to just …just stop.”
Her own tears fell. She wondered if Batman cried about injustice too as she curled away from her father’s gentle hands and bawled hard into the passenger door.
—
“Michael.”
Michael squirmed against his father’s hands.
“Michael stop.” his grip tightened, “Stop. Stop fighting me damn it. Stop!” his grip tightened harder and Michael stopped short, like a cat with it’s scruff held by a parent, “...There. Now. Relax.”
“He shouldn’t have hit you!” The unmitigated gall, the injustice of Henry Emily trying to hit father. Fuck him, he was terrible, a terrible person, father needed new friends who would always be nice to him like Jeremy-
Michael sniffled, “He shouldn’t have hit you.”
“I hit him first.” Father was pulling on his shirt sleeves. He’d left grease smeared across Michael’s own pajamas, “I was …very angry.” He clenched his fists, “I am very angry. He thinks-”
Father’s teeth clenched, “...Adults can’t fight like children can. If Henry wants to he can have me arrested. I would go to jail. You might not see me for a very long time. Do you want that?”
“No…”
“That’s right no.” He gestured, “I don’t want it. I don’t like to be locked in places unless I have a key. It is…very very upsetting to me.”
“Why?”
He wanted to cuddle against his father, but perhaps this was why father did not like to be touched. He did not like hugs, he did not like being enclosed.
“...Because when I was your age your grandfather did that to me. And I do not like it.”
(It is a sign of madness for many that someone would tell that to a child. An adult is one thing, an adult perhaps it can be used to throw other adults off their trail, it can be used to disorient them. Humans do not fight with teeth and claws, they fight with words and images.)
“He locked you in places?”
“Yes.” Father was gripping the bedsheets on Michael’s little bed, “I do not want to go to jail. So I will apologize to Uncle-I will apologize to Henry tomorrow. And you will not go to the restaurant for a few days.”
He stared at him, expression unreadable, “You really were ready to defend me weren’t you.”
“Nobody should hit you.” Pure human emotion hit little Michael Afton and he wrapped his arms around his father, “Nobody should hit anybody. If you do it it’s because you care but other people…”
His father froze before gently, ever so gently, patting his son on the head.
“Go to sleep son.” he gestured, “Go find your little pirate and go to sleep. I have…I have work to do.”
—
Charlie did not see Michael at the restaurant for several days, or Uncle Will but when he did come back he went to the office with Daddy while she was playing the claw machine. They were in there for a long time before daddy came out beside him. He wrapped his arms around the tall purple clad stork man and the two hugged and she felt good except…except…
“...Look. I’ll talk to the kid. I know you hate it, but maybe you could just make an exception. Just this year!”
“...Fine. Just to keep him quiet. I hate being reminded of my age.”
“You’re not that old man, c’mon…”
“Uncle Will?”
She was wearing a green little fake army jacket daddy had found in a thrift store and a pair of jeans and sneakers. She had on a boy’s batman shirt that made Uncle Will frown, confused, “Can…can I talk to you?”
Daddy frowned, “Peanut Uncle Will’s got a lotta work today…”
“Please?”
“I don’t see what’s wrong with it.” He gestured, “Where would you like to speak to me Charlie?”
“We can sit in a booth.” she gestured, “C’mon.”
When they sat, the look on Uncle Will’s face was amused. Like this was all a joke. No. It was not a joke. Daddy was sad, Uncle Will was sad, Michael was sad and Michael was her friend like daddy was Uncle Will’s. She had to do something.
“Can I offer you a glass of water?”
This was how grown-ups did things. Uncle Will laughed aloud, “...I’ll be all right for the moment thank you Ms. Emily.”
“Thank you.” She folded her hands, “I have decided that you are not allowed to be crazy anymore.” she had thought this over. Adults did this. This was what the Fazbear people did with Uncle Wil land Daddy. They signed contracts.
Silence in the room. The bottom fell out of the world. William Afton raised an eyebrow, “...Oh you have?”
“Yes. For you and For Michael and for daddy and for Aunt Clara also known as your wife.” She set a napkin down, “I would like you to sign a piece of paper saying that you will not be crazy anymore so that you can have a nice life with your family and Elizabeth and Evan.”
More silence.
Daddy did not know about this. It was absolute utter genius. It would go all the way to a judge. It would solve everything. Uncle Will wasn’t like the Joker. That was a mistake. Daddy said he was like Two-Face so she just had to appeal to the good side of him that liked funny voices and said nice things.
She pulled out a folded piece of paper and set it down. At the top had been written Contract in her best lettering and while she had struggled with the rest of it because there were lots of words in contracts and words were fucking hard to write -
(great word, fuck. Very useful. She decided she would use it lots on the playground)
There were instead, drawings.
“See that’s you. And that’s daddy.” One was in purple and one was in orange and they were holding hands, “And you are friends.”
Uncle Will said nothing.
She pointed her finger down the paper to reveal a large purple figure with sharp teeth and big clawed hands.
“That is you when you are crazy.” The picture beside it was him with aunt Clara and elizabeth and Evan and Michael, “And that is you when your family. And there we all are as one big family!”
She pointed down at the bottom. She had added many furry creatures to the image, all of the little stuffed critters in the prize counter cases.
“I have carefully, very very carefully with teacher’s help, written out “signature” here.” She pointed down at the bottom squished under the picture of the family, “And i would like you to sign it. Then I will sign it, then daddy will witness it like the man from the fazbear people did.”
Uncle Will had his hand over his mouth, reading it over.
“Daddy!”
“What’s going on peanut?” Her father had worn overalls today so he could carry his tools in the pocket, “What-what’s this?”
“It is a contract so that Uncle Will is not crazy anymore and he will be happy and you will be happy and everything will be fine.” She gestured, “We are going to sign it and you are going to witness it.”
Silence from the two adults.
“...Charlotte…”
“This is amazing.” William Afton laughed, “This is bloody brilliant.” He snorted, “Tightest legal contract I’ve ever seen.” He pointed, “What do I get, if I agree to it?”
“Will…”
“No no.” William Afton was snickering, “See, that’s how contracts work, Charlie dear. When we sold Freddy and his friends to Fazbear, we got lots of money. First rule of legal anything - always read over the terms. These are terms. If I am not crazy-” there was an edge to his tone, “Then I get…what?”
“All of us.” She stared, “To be your friends.”
“Ah.” he nodded slowly, “While that does seem very reasonable…” he tapped the paper, “I do not think that’s enough.”
This was not how it was supposed to go. This was very reasonable, “You’re supposed to be like Harvey Dent right now and not Two-Face.” She frowned, “You’re supposed to agree to this cause its the right thing to do.”
Something passed over Uncle will’s face, “...How about. A slice of pizza.”
Daddy had looked tense, then he relaxed visibly.
Well that was dodging a bullet. She nodded, “...I can’t write pizza. So I’m going to have to draw it.”
“Of course.” He gestured, “And Henry is here to witness it. If I am not crazy anymore, I get my family, and my friends, and a slice of pizza.”
“Correct!” She beamed. She returned the paper to him with a big piece of yellow pizza with red circles on it. It was squished right beside the family, “I could make him a pizza with arms and legs like an anima-animat-animat-”
“Robot?”
“Yeah!”
“No no.” Uncle Will chuckled. He pulled out a very pretty fountain pen, all shiny and black, “That’s not important. Where do I sign. Here?”
“Yeah!” she nodded, “Then I’m going to sign.” It was foolproof. A big red X over the scary purple rabbit joker creature. A big green checkmark next to all the nice people.
“Should I write my name?”
“Yeah!”
Daddy was smiling now. Uncle Will wrote his name down in tiny block letters than signed it with a flourish.
“Then I sign.” She nodded, “I can’t write Charlotte so I’m going to write Charlie.”
“That’s fine I think. We need to ask our notary. Henry? Is that fine?”
“Aw shoot. Me without my stamp.” He shrugged, “I say yes. Still legally binding.” he paused, “Wait! I have a stamp!” He bolted out of the room as Charlie began to draw her signature on the line, “C…H…”
“Charlie.”
“Yeah? A…R…”
“A word of advice.” Uncle Will was studying her as she wrote, “When you write a contract. Make sure it is very, very, very airtight. Do you know what that means?”
“No. L…I..E…”
She signed it with a flourish too and added a big heart, “Airtight?”
“That means that there’s no wiggle room. I can’t …oh. Let’s say I don’t have sharp teeth. See you’ve drawn me.” There was an edge to his voice, “Here. With sharp teeth. I could have my lawyer, a very good lawyer named Kenny, say that if I don’t have sharp teeth, I’m not crazy.”
She stared at it, then at him, “Oh.”
“It’s not nice to call people crazy Charlie.” Uncle Will looked angry, “It’s not nice at all.”
“Yeah but you’re not gonna be anymore. You’re gonna be like Two-Face. And Two-Face had a good side cause he was also district attorney harvey dent!” she said the word attorney like at-torn-bee, as if Gotham’s esteemed legal official were a bumble bee, “So you can be Bonnie and be with Daddy and all of us and not be crazy or lonely.” she nodded, “Then you won’t have to be like the Joker and go to Arkham Asylum and be locked up in there!”
Silence hung between them for the final time.
“I’m back!” Henry beamed, “And I have a stamp! There!”
He stamped it on the paper, a big one that said “Fredbear’s Family Diner” on it, “Witnessed!”
“Daddy can I go play the arcade cabinets?”
“Sure can kiddo.” Henry was beaming, “I will go put this, in our office.” She skipped off. Obviously this had worked. Obviously she was great. Obviously the scary Joker she’d seen inside Uncle Will would not be there anymore. He did not want to go to Arkham. He wasn’t a bad guy. Two face wasn’t real, but if he was like that then he could be helped!
She skipped, all right with her world.
—
Henry Emily smiled mutely, wiping a tear from his eye, “Look I know that might have been embarrassing but you gotta admit that was adorable.” He put a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder, “she really does love you.”
“I don’t like it when people call me crazy.” He stared at it, “I’m not going to be locked up anywhere. Do you know what your little -” He exhaled, “...Sure. Fine. It was cute.”
“See!” He beamed, “She’s on a Batman kick. I shared some of my comics with her.” Henry shrugged, “I didn’t think she’d pick up on the legal stuff! How about that huh?”
“So I’m Two-Face?”
“...did she say that?” Henry looked asbashed, “I…I was trying to figure out-”
“What.” William Afton stared down his best friend, “What were you trying to figure out. Best friend of mine. Please, share it with me.”
“Will.” Henry put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and William Afton flinched - but didn’t pull away, “She’s a baby. She didn’t mean anything by it. She’s just a kid.” He sat across from him, “If anything, this should be a sign that we care. She wrote her name man. And apologized for not writing Charlotte. Do you know how hard it’s been to even get her to think of herself as Charlotte? She was willing to write it out. For you.” He gestured, “See? That’s her teacher’s handwriting.” He pointed down at the second signature and William saw to his chagrin, Charlotte emily spelled right below the line he’d signed and written William Afton below.
“...Ah.”
“We care.” Henry smiled, “we really do. So c’mon man. Let’s get to work okay? And legally - you can’t be crazy anymore!” he snickered, “Kidding. Or am I? Haha.”
“Ha.”
William Afton found Charlie Emily playing in the arcade with a big grin on her face. His smile appeared, then curdled like sour milk.
“...Ha.”
—-