Thinking about Mike getting lonely on his night shifts at Freddyβs when a business card falls out of his pocket and onto the floor. Steve Raglan. He picks it up. He thinks about wether or not itβd be appropriate to call the man, especially at such an hour. But heβd been so nice to him when detailing the job over the phone, and he couldnβt lie that he found the older manβs voice soothing, as if he cared about how Mike got on. Maybe heβd read too much into it. Maybe he was so starved of any niceties from anyone and strangers alike that he saw something that simply wasnβt there. He picked up his phone.
William Afton was on his way to cause trouble. Heβd been itching to make himself known to young Michael ever since he started working at the pizzeria. The animatronics hadnβt made any fuss or shown any sign of disturbance in Mikeβs presence and that irked him. Besides the break in where his children killed three men that occurred a few weeks prior, everything had gone so disappointingly quiet. For a while heβd been torn between letting it be for the sake of Vanessaβs tireless efforts to keep his anonymity in place, and making a mess just for the hell of it. Heβd grown restless over the course of Mikeβs employment and decided the latterβs inevitable crescendo was well overdue. Heβd parked inconspicuously across the street from the pizzeria, jitters of anticipation setting in as he collected himself and everything he needed for the show. His phone rang. He sighed impatiently before answering swiftly.
ββ¦ Hi, Mr Raglanβ¦ itβs uh, itβs Mike Schmidt.β
William furrowed his brow, darting his eyes over the pizzeria, as if heβd been caught in the act, he sat forward, eyeing the building like a hawk. βMike? β¦ isnβt it a little late to be seeking, well uh, council?β
Mike swallowed audibly. βYeah, it is. Youβre right. Iβm sorry, I donβt know why I called.β He sounded embarrassed.
William shook his head as if to clear it, confusion and curiosity ebbing their way into the forefront of his mind. βNo, no, itβs fine. Iβm just surprised is allβ¦ Are you alright?β
Mike nodded, to himself more than anything. βOh, uh, sure yeah, I uh, itβs quiet here. Iβm getting on with it, yβknow. I just uh, I thought about how helpful youβve been and I uhβ¦ well itβs much appreciated.β
William sat back and released a suddenly very loaded sigh. βWell it is my job, Mike.β
Mike used his free hand to rub at his aching eyes. βYeah of course, of course it is. Still, thank you.β
William squinted, as if to help him see Mike through the walls that stood so close yet so far out of reach. βIsβ¦ that why youβre calling me atβ¦β He checked his watch. βTwo am? To thank me?β
Mike swallowed again. Unsure what he was even doing at this point. βYes, and no, itβs important you should know that, but no, Iβm sorry, I wanted to hear your voice.β
Williamβs breath caught in his throat. He looked down at the knife resting on his lap. ββ¦ you wanted to hear my voice..?β
Mikeβs eyes grew wide as he clocked onto what his exhausted mind and mouth had just admitted to. βNo! I- not in a weird way! I wanted to say hi! Just uh, seeβ¦ how youβre doingβ¦β
William smirked, that giddy feeling pushing back up through his stomach and into his chest. He felt warm, it made him uncomfortable. He frowned. βMike, itβs 2 am, youβre calling your career advisor to say hi, does that not seem weird to you.β
Mike sagged in his seat. It was weird. Very much so. If he ever needed an indication that he needed to take better care of himself and his sleep schedule, this was most definitely it. βAlright yeah, a little bit. Iβm sorry.β
William bit his bottom lip. What could have possibly crossed Mikeβs mind for him to call William of all people at this hour. He supposed heβd done worse in the throws of loneliness, maybe if heβd had someone to talk to, someone who cared, someone to call at two am, certain things might have gone differently. Or not. Heβd never felt this reflective before. ββ¦ Iβm doing okay, a little tired I suppose, thank you for your concern, Mike.β What the hell was this. What was Mikeβs angle here? Why did he want to hear Steveβs voice? There were too many questions and William had no answers. He clearly needed to see where this went. He had to leave before he cut this story short. βAnd Iβd be doing a lot better if you let me get back to sleep.β
Mike cringed, he really knew how to work it. Catch him contemplating suicide over this conversation as soon as it ended. βOh shit, you were asleep? Of course you were itβs 2 am. God Iβm so sorry. Forget I called, please.β
William smirked again. ββ¦ How about you call me tomorrow. Preferably before bed time.β
Mike couldnβt believe it. Wether it was for a mental health assessment or a not so embarrassing conversation, he couldnβt care less, this had to be a good thing. ββ¦ when is, uh, bed time?β
William rolled his eyes. βGoodnight, Mike.β
Mike cringed again. God, what an idiot. Steve was an intelligent man. He couldnβt keep acting like this if he wanted this to go well. βGoodnight Sir.β
William couldnβt lie, the use of the term sir coming from Mike, made him feel something he hadnβt felt in a long time. He couldnβt place it. βCall me Steve.β
Mike sighed with relief. βGoodnightβ¦ Steve.β
William hung up. He started up the ignition and headed home. Keeping Mike alive for a few more days couldnβt hurt, and if nothing came of it, he would always come back.
