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πΈπ§βｑ Β°β My Personal Headcanons For "Teenage" Michael Afton ΰΌβπ¦Ή πΌ
(REMINDER I DON'T CLAIM ANY OF THESE ARE CANON OR FACT, IT'S ALL JUST MY INDULGENT HEADCANON)
Note: One of my fav Afton, lowkey missed him cuz I rarely talk about him :') so I just make a bunch of headcanons I have in my mind to share yall + Art by Foxyybro
π¦ Michael absolutely goes through phases. In the 70s heβs this lanky, too-long-haired kid, dabbling in whatever style is rebellious but cheapβfrayed band tees, denim jackets with random patches, thrift store flannels. In the 80s he edges into the mullet, ripped jeans, scuffed sneakers territory. He probably tries eyeliner once after a band inspires him, gets teased, and swears he doesnβt care (but secretly thinks he looked badass).
π¦ His wardrobe never looks fresh. Itβs always worn-in, holes forming at the knees, sleeves chewed at the cuffs. Not because he means to be grunge he just doesnβt care enough to maintain things.
π¦ Heβs into hard rock, punk, and early metalβBlack Sabbath, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Dead Kennedys. Anything that drowns out his thoughts. His room would smell like vinyl sleeves and burnt incense he bought just to hide the cigarette stench.
π¦ Despite his βlazy teenβ reputation, heβs good with his handsβfixing up bikes, tinkering with electronics. Itβs not polished skill, more like he fiddles until it works again. Maybe he even tries to modify his cassette player to sound louder.
π¦ He doodles on his notebooks: skulls, flames, random half-drawn cartoons. Thereβs one sketch he keeps trying to perfect but never shows anyoneβhis family, drawn in a way that actually looksβ¦ happy.
π¦ At school, heβs the kid that teachers peg as βa problemβ even if he doesnβt always deserve it. Smart but only when he wants to be. He mouths off in class, gets detention constantly, but secretly aces certain assignments when he tries.
π¦ Kids think heβs mean because of his sarcastic mouth and temper, but really heβs more awkward than cruel. He has a small group of friends, usually the outcasts or βtroublemakersβ though he cycles through them because of his temper and tendency to push people away.
π¦ He has that βI donβt careβ mask, but deep down he craves being likedβhe just doesnβt trust people to actually want him around.
π¦ Smokes behind the school gym, sometimes drinks stolen beer with friends in the woods. He hates the taste but drinks anyway, because itβs rebellion and numbing.
π¦ Fidgets with lightersβflick, snap, flick. People think itβs just a nervous tick, but itβs also control: the little flame starts and stops at his command.
π¦ Eats garbage food like cold pizza, instant ramen, and chips for dinner when his dadβs absent. At the same time, he has this weird soft spot for kidsβ cereals, like Count Chocula or Froot Loops.
π¦ He feels overshadowed by his siblingsβresenting and protecting them at the same time. Elizabeth gets all the bright attention, Evan gets the pity, and Michaelβ¦ just gets the responsibility.
π¦ His relationship with William is strained even as a teen. Heβs rebellious because William is controlling, but a part of him still craves his fatherβs approval. He hates himself for that craving.
π¦ At home, he tries to act like he doesnβt care, but when no oneβs around, he cleans up messes or fixes broken things, just so the house feels less empty.
π¦ Heβs the type who gets into fights at school but then goes home, locks his bedroom door, and quietly cries into his pillow where no one can see. He thinks showing weakness will ruin him, so he hides it fiercely.
π¦ Despite his roughness, heβs surprisingly gentle with small kids and animals, like, heβll shoo his friends away if theyβre harassing a stray cat, or heβll help Evan set up toys when no oneβs looking. He just doesnβt want credit.
π¦ He 100% has braces in the late 70s into the early 80sβsilver metal, clunky, and he hates them. Constantly whining about how they hurt or how food gets stuck. He picks at them with paperclips when no oneβs watching (donβt tell his dentist). Smirks are his default expression, but with braces it makes him look half-goofy, half-menacing. He pretends to hate it but he secretly leans into itβgrinning wide when he wants to creep someone out.
π¦ Heβs always chewing gum, like a nervous habit. Loudly snapping bubbles in class, stretching it with his tongue in detention, or chomping during arguments with William just to be extra annoying... It drives teachers crazyββMichael Afton, spit that gum out!β Heβll take it out, pretend to throw it away, and then pop a fresh piece in five minutes later. Flavors? He rotates between classic pink bubblegum and stronger stuff like spearmint. But his favorite is whatever turns his tongue bright neon colors.
π¦ When he talks with gum in his mouth, it makes his sarcasm that much more smug. βYeah, suuure, whatever you sayβ¦β pop. Sometimes heβll offer gum to his friends in that casual, βI donβt care but take one if you wantβ way, even though he secretly likes the tiny power move of being the one with the stash.
π¦ He probably keeps packs hidden everywhere: school jacket pocket, under his mattress, even in old shoeboxes,... because William refuses to buy him any after finding wads stuck under furniture.
π¦ Ever since he was little, Michael got a rush from startling people. At first itβs harmlessβjumping out from behind doors, making his friends scream at sleepovers. But he hones it into an art. He knows how to hold his breath, stay still in shadows, and pop up exactly when someone least expects it. By the time heβs a teen, his βpranksβ are legendary. Teachers check closets before locking up because βthat Afton boyβ once jumped out after hours. He hides in lockers, under bleachers, behind bathroom doorsβsilent as a cat until his victim wanders by. He adores that split-second of pure panic on someoneβs face before they realize itβs just him. Heβs chasing that laugh, that tiny spark of control in a life where he feels powerless.
With Evan, itβs crueller, part sibling rivalry, part projection. Michael knows Evan is afraid of the animatronics, so he uses the Foxy mask like a weapon. Itβs not just scaring anymoreβitβs asserting dominance. βIβm bigger, Iβm scarier, youβll never beat me.β He probably hides in Evanβs closet, under his bed, crouched behind doors, waiting for him. Evan gets paranoid, never sure where Michael will appear next. Michael, in his twisted teenage logic, finds it hilarious.
π¦ The type who chewing with mouth open. He knows itβs gross. He knows itβs rude. Thatβs why he does it. Especially at the dinner table when William is already tenseβMichael sits there chomping away, snapping gum between his teeth, showing off the neon pink wad like itβs a badge of honor. Sometimes he chews food this way, tooβmouth open, exaggerated, smacking his lips just to get a reaction. Elizabeth yells at him, Evan covers his ears, William tells him to stop βbefore I glue that mouth shutβ. Michael only doubles down.
Heβs the type to chew gum mid-sentence, letting it snap and stretch while he talks. Half his sarcasm lands harder because you can hear the chomping.
π¦ With braces, itβs even worseβhe gets strings of gum caught on the brackets and then shows it off like a gross party trick. βLook, it stretches.β Cue Elizabeth screaming and leaving the room. The orthodontist keeps telling him not to chew gum, but he ignores it. If anything, the βdonβtβ makes him chew even harder.
π¦ Michael practically grows up in those walls. From Fredbearβs to Freddyβs, he memorizes every nook, every corner, every dusty maintenance hallway. He knows which tiles creak, which doors stick, and where you can sneak snacks without getting caught.
π¦ Ask him where the best spot to hide during hide-and-seek is? Heβll tell you, behind the service hallway soda crates. Where the old wiring makes the lights flicker? East Hall, third bulb... He doesnβt just know the layout, he feels it, like the building is part of his body.
π¦ His friends call him the βtour guideβ when they hang out there. He shows them the good seats to spy on other customers, the machines most likely to cough up free tokens, even the exact timing of the animatronic routines.
π¦ A aficionado of arcade games. Michael is that kid whoβs always hovering at the arcade corner, sleeves rolled up, gum snapping between his teeth as his fingers fly across the buttons. Heβs obsessed with high scores. If someone beats his name, heβll blow all his tokens until he reclaims his throne. His initials (MAF, or maybe just M) are plastered across half the leaderboard screens.
π¦ Favorite games? Beat βem ups, pinball, and anything loud and flashyβhe thrives on chaos. But secretly, heβs really good at the more methodical ones, like Pac-Man, because heβs got patience and map memory.
π¦ He probably brags to Evan and Elizabeth that he can βbeat any game in the placeβ (which is true for most). Evan admires him, Elizabeth teases him, and William just rolls his eyes at his son wasting time.
π¦ The (FNAF 4) bullies/tormenters, I love thinking about theyβre such a window into Michaelβs teen yearsβhow he clings to the wrong crowd, plays ringleader, but also doesnβt quite fit in. Theyβre perhaps the neighborhood kidsβslightly older teens, the type who hang out behind convenience stores, steal quarters from their parents for arcade machines, and think theyβre invincible because theyβre in a group.
Each one has a mask (Freddy, Bonnie, Chica) because they treat the pizzeria as their personal playground. Theyβre rowdy, careless, and love the thrill of breaking rules. Theyβre not βbad kidsβ in the criminal sense but they are mean-spirited. Teasing, shoving, laughing at othersβ pain. The kind who grow up into people who peak in high school and look back at these years as their βglory daysβ.
π¦ Michael is the ringleader, but not the heart. They follow him because heβs bold, sharp-tongued, and knows how to make people laugh at someone elseβs expense. With the Foxy mask, Michael turns into βthe showmanβ of the bullies. But the dynamic isnβt as simple as βtheyβre all equalsβ. Michaelβs desperate for their approval.. He acts tougher, meaner, louder than he feels because he doesnβt want to be the one laughed at. If he stops performing, heβs terrified theyβll turn on him. Deep down, they donβt respect him as much as he thinks. They like his daring, his knowledge of the diner, his ability to orchestrate scares but theyβll ditch him the second someone cooler comes along.
π¦ The bullies think teasing Evan is hilarious, but Michael uses his little brother as currency. βWatch thisβmy brotherβs terrified of animatronics.β He sacrifices Evan to entertain his friends, because being the βfunny cruel older brotherβ keeps him safe in the group.
At the same time, thereβs tension: when they go too far with Evan, Michael gets prickly. He wants to be the one in control of the teasing, not them. He sees Evan as his target, not theirs. (Oh well... this is not age well, heβs not thinking about consequences)
π¦ Michael would totally pull the βborrow without permissionβ stunt with Williamβs car, especially to flex in front of his so-called friends. Probably lies about it later like itβs an epic story: βYeah, I take my dadβs car all the time.β Even if he only did it once, he milks that memory forever, because for a few hours, he was untouchable.
π¦ His favorite food/snack?
Eggs, eggs, eggs whatever the fuck. He doesnβt even really love them at first, but because William teases him with that stupid nicknameβ"Eggs Benedict"βMichael stubbornly starts eating them constantly. Fried eggs, omelets, egg sandwiches, boiled ones with salt. It becomes his βscrew you, Dadβ meal. Over time? He actually does grow to like them. The irony.
Arcade junk food enthusiast. Heβs absolutely the type to shovel down greasy pizza slices at the pizzeriaβsoaked in too much cheese, edges burnt. Add on soda that fizzes so strong it burns your throat. Classic arcade kid fuel.
Snack gremlin. Michael loves quick bites more than full meals. Potato chips, nachos drowned in fake cheese, jerky sticks he stuffs in his pocket, packs of gum he chews until it loses flavor after 2 minutes.
Sweet tooth? Not extreme, but he does like little nostalgic treatsβgumball machine candy, jawbreakers, Pixy Stix. Basically anything he can toss into his mouth while hanging with friends or siblings.
Guilty pleasure... I think heβs into diner food. Late-night milkshakes and fries, pancakes at odd hours, onion rings that leave grease on his fingers. He craves that βmessy comfort foodβ instead of anything fancy.
π¦ Heβs the type to dramatically air guitar in the living room when a good song comes on, sliding across the floor in his socks like heβs on stage. If William walks in, he freezes and. pretends he was just βstretchingβ
π¦ Michael has the worst bedhead imaginable. His hair sticks out in every direction, and instead of fixing it, he just shrugs and goes out like that. The look somehow works for him.
π¦ Michaelβs socks never match. Ever. Heβll wear one striped and one plain and insist βItβs punk.β
π¦ Loves prank calling pizza places or arcades with his friends: doing bad voices, pretending to order β69 pepperoni pizzas", etc,... He always cracks up before he can finish.
π¦ He absolutely tries to sneak into R-rated movies at the theater by acting cool, only to get caught and kicked out. He grumbles the whole walk home but secretly thinks itβs hilarious.
π¦ His handwriting is atrocious. Like chicken scratch on paper. Teachers hate it, and William teases him with βDid you write this with your feet, lad?β
π¦ He has this dumb little habit of balancing a pencil across his upper lip and pretending he has a mustache. Heβll pull the most serious face while doing it, waiting for someone to notice.
π¦ He has an irrational hatred for olives. If theyβre on pizza, heβll dramatically pick them off one by one and toss them at whoeverβs nearby.
π¦ Once tried to spray-paint his bike black to make it βlook coolerβ and ended up painting half the driveway by accident. His mother was furious.
π¦ 100% the type of teen who, if bored, will climb up onto the roof of the house just to βsee the view". Nearly gives the neighbors a heart attack.
π¦ Collects weird junk in his pockets: arcade tickets, bottle caps, bits of string, arcade tokens, gum wrappers. He doesnβt even realize until he dumps it all out at the end of the week.
π¦ Spider-Man is his #1 favorite. The awkward, lanky teen who gets picked on, but has wit and bravery underneath? Michael relates hard. He probably quips βfriendly neighborhood Mikeβ to his friends, earning groans. He definitely reads Batman too, though more for the aestheticβdark, brooding, mysterious. He pretends to like Batman βbecause heβs badassβ but secretly, he likes the more colorful heroes. If he has pocket change from odd jobs or Williamβs forgotten cash, heβll blow it on comics from corner stores or gas stations. Half of them end up wrinkled because he shoves them in his back pocket.
He would sketch little superhero doodles in the margins of his notebooks during classβstick figures with capes, his initials drawn like a logo.
I can also see him loving arcade tie-ins like superhero pinball or the early beat-em-up games. He and his friends argue over who gets to play Wolverine or Cyclops.
