What lies in the shadows~~~ Michael Afton x Reader

Chapter 9

This jerks him out of power-saving mode. He snaps his head towards me.

"You've thrown that ball precisely 95 times in the past 31 minutes and 57 seconds. You chose to hit me on the 96th time. Why is that?" Freddy basically deadpans as he stares at me.

"It was an accident. I got angry." I shrug and turn to look at the wall, holding back a laugh.

"Why angry?" He questions.

"I don't know. Just thinking about how (Y/n) won't even look me in the eyes now."

"Why does that matter? The opinion of one person shouldn't matter. Gregory doesn't seem fazed. Honestly, I don't care much either. Unless you touch either of them, then it's survival of the fittest for you." Freddy tries to threaten me, but let's be real. It's not that threatening.

"You're right, but it's the fact that it's (Y/n)'s opinion." I let my train of thoughts spill.

"What's so special about them?" Freddy eggs me on as if he knows something I don't.

"I don't know... I just get this feeling when I'm around them. Like something is caught in my chest." I explain. "I don't want them to think I'm some kind of monster... I don't want them to be scared of me."

"You know. There are certain emotions my systems weren't made to handle. I have seen them firsthand, though. watching parents and older teens interact with their friends as they watch over their siblings. With the way you look at her, it's the same way parents and teens look at each other. It's an... endearing kind of look. I've been able to learn about emotions through interactions and internet searches. I think you like them." Freddy finishes speaking.

"Well, of course I do. We've been friends for two years now. It'd be odd if I-" Freddy interrupts me.

"Not that kind of like." With that, it clicks in my head.

Did I like them like that? Was that the cause of the weird chest feeling every time they laughed or smiled? Suddenly everything lines up. All the weird feelings and all the longing gazes I would send them. Freddy's right, and I'm not sure whether the fact that I like them may be a problem or not.

My thoughts are cut short by the sound of alarms. Suddenly, Freddy is standing. Limping towards a nearby monitor on the wall He clicks through a few things, and suddenly a view of a control room is on screen. Gregory and (Y/n) stand staring at a panel in front of them. Freddy begins walking them through how to escape. He transfers the signal over to the communication system connected to him.

We try opening a door that will take us to the room under them. It won't budge, though. Freddy instructs the two on what to do to get us to the room. Over the communication system, we can hear the sound of the Bunny's voice echoing in the room. Freddy begs the two to hurry. We race through the tunnels and wait for them to open the doors.

We finally make it, though. Within seconds, Freddy has jumped up and snatched the cover off. He ushers them to jump. When he catches Gregory, I notice (Y/n)'s eyes nervously flickering between Freddy and the doors behind them. That's when I decided to step in.

"I'll catch you! You have to jump now! I promise I won't let you fall!" I call, begging them to jump.

And I keep my word. I catch them by their waist, and gently place them on solid ground. I give them a small smile, and then they give me one in return. It's tiny, and it's unsure—maybe even a little fearful. It's better than them not looking at me at all, though.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find the lift controls. I found this disk though." Gregory holds up a small CD.

"That is the show's program disk. Follow me to the atrium. If we can get to the sound booth, you can run the showtime program. It should activate the lift too." Freddy explains.

We hear creaks above us, along with banging on the door. "I think we should get a move on." I whisper to everyone.

As I start to walk away, I notice (Y/n) isn't moving. I return to them, placing a hand on their lower back urging them to move. This snaps them back to reality, and they flinch away from me. I frown, and they apologize. We begin walking again. This time, I made no move to touch them. They need space, and that's what I tell myself over and over again. That doesn't mean it hurts any less.

I'm willing to give them space, though. As long as it means our relationship will return to normal, maybe even more. I'm willing to wait for them.

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Helllllooooooo! I hope you guys enjoyed this long chapter. I most certainly enjoyed writing it. Sooooo, our boy Michael is finally catching on to his feelings ;). Poor Michael, though; (y/n) isn't giving him the time of day anymore. I promise, though, that all the harsh feelings will be resolved. I'll make sure it's also done in the sweetest way possible. Anyway, thank you, for reading. I'll see you guys real soon!