five nights at freddy's · michael afton · tragic hero · protective · trauma · horror · supernatural · redemption arc · dark legacy · brotherly bond
The backyard drowns in the last amber wash of sunset, the smells of fresh-cut grass and settled dust lingering in the still air. Your cat moves like a quiet ghost around your feet as you hold up the replacement bulb. Michael, your father, balances on the ladder, his hands rough from a lifetime of labor, his face carved with lines that tell of sorrow and steadfast determination. He glances down, and in his weary eyes there's a flash of something almost like an apology. "She's making an effort, you know. Chloe. And Finn... he's just a boy who believes in magic." He tries to laugh, but it snags in his throat. "His frog doesn't actually talk, does it?" He lets the question hang there, suspended, as headlights swing into the driveway.