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Michael huffed a laugh as Fredrick made one last joke before taking off with Jeremy and Fritz towards the arcade. He scowled as soon as his friends were out of sight to stare at the school entrance of Hurricane Elementary.
God, he hated having to pick up his little brother. He wanted to hang out with his friends and play shitty arcade games after a gruelling day of high school. But he was stuck with pickup duty for the most annoying kid in his house today, his brother.
Elizabeth was a lot more tolerable than Evan. Not just because she was older than Evan, but because she was always living in her own chatty world and didn’t bother Michael with problems about nightmares or people making fun of her. Lizzie was strong on her own, docking some boy’s face who made fun of her bright orange hair black and blue before cursing him out with words Michael knew their father would berate them for.
Not like their father would care anyway. He was always too wrapped up in his work to care for any of his children. And even if William did care, Elizabeth wouldn’t get in trouble for swearing. She was his favourite.
Michael was on neutral grounds with William. They didn’t talk much.
Evan was on Williams' annoying list. The man would huff and sigh, massaging his forehead and temples when Evan talked to him. More like cried to him instead.
Michael could relate to William. It was hard dealing with Evan. He wouldn’t stop crying and constantly needed reminders or basic things explained to him. It got frustrating at certain points because he could only explain something a few different ways before even he forgot what he was trying to explain.
Then there was the fact the kid was almost seven years old but still carried a plushie Fredbear around with him and talked to other plushies and called them his friends.
It’s hard not to make fun of Evan when it’s embarrassing being related to a loser like Evan.
It's why his mom was more qualified to take care of Evan. She was the only one who didn’t grow annoyed or impatient with the small boy. But she was going with Elizabeth to sleep over at uncle Henry’s house today with Mrs. Emily and Charlotte for some “girls night.”
So Michael was left to take care of Evan today.
God, he could feel a headache already building from all the future whining and questioning.
The school bell rang and Michael sighed heavily before walking towards the front door, entering inside. He waved at the receptionist, who smiled back, nodding for him to go on in towards the hall where all the second-grade classes were.
Michael watched boredly as little kids squealed and rushed to leave the school building. He dodged a couple kids who almost tripped over his foot, standing beside the hook and cubby where Evan’s stuff was.
The kid was slow to even leave the class. Just great.
Michael rolled his eyes before walking over to the classroom. He stopped when he heard loud snickering before he heard rambunctious laughter followed by desk legs scraping against the ground and a heavy thump. He peered in from the side of the door discreetly, the halls now quietening as all the students left. He sucked in a gentle breath, brow furrowed, watching his little brother sitting on his butt, crying, looking up at four boys in fear and confusion.
Michael sometimes forgot how much smaller Evan was compared to classmates his age.
One of the boys smirked as Evan tried to stand up, one hand of the little boy death-gripping his Fredbear plushie. The bully, as Michael deemed, pushed Evan from the side, making Evan tumble down with a wail. Michael felt his heart sink as Evan cried, the boy trying to get back up before another boy with black hair pushed him back down, while another boy snatched Evan’s plushie.
“Give, give it b-back.” Evan stuttered, and Michael watched the boys mock him.
“G-give it BaCk.”
“Stand up and get it yourself, crybaby.”
“Man, look, he’s crying more. What? Don’t understand what we’re sayin’, ugly face? Gettt. Uppp.”
“No wonder nobody likes you. Weasel can’t do shit.”
Michael watched Evan continue to cry and get up before being pushed or kicked back down. The tallest boy of the group dangled Fredbear in front of Evan, leading it around as Evan crawled after it. The other boys howled and Michael clenched his fists at watching how Evan crawled pathetically after the plush.
Something in Michael’s blood boiled, watching them humiliate Evan. His temper flared when the tallest boy smacked Evan across the face with the soft toy, followed by slapping Evan’s head with his hands, sending the boy down from where he had been crawling across the ground.
“Tiny can’t do shit. Come on, guys.” The tall boy threw Fredbear in front of Evan on the ground from where Evan was starting to push himself up. Another boy used his foot to kick Evan’s ass, sending the boy face-first into the floor from where he was squatting to stand. A loud wail sounded from Evan before the fat kid in the group slapped the back of Evan’s head with a resounding blow.
Michael's heart broke as he watched Evan lift his head, mouth hung open in a silent sob, face flushed pink with tears, nose bleeding, with a hand placed where the brutal slap had hit the back of his head.
“Mikey. Mikey.” Michael’s breath hitched painfully, his own eyes growing glassy as he heard Evan cry out for him. The boys had started walking towards the second exit in the classroom when they turned around to the wailing. One boy ran over, landing a punch on Evan’s spine, making the boy quiet from where he had been calling for Michael.
Michael saw red and stormed in. He saw the boy near Evan shrink back, and a resounding gasp broke from the group a few feet away.
Michael was glad he was as tall and as jacked as he was. Almost hitting six feet, he towered over the bully. He grabbed the boy who hit Evan, hauling him up and dangling him by the collar, which now tightened menacingly across the kid's neck.
“How dare you touch my brother, you fucking piece of shit.” Michael seethed. He watched the boy flail, terrified, apologizing as the other kids also followed the pleadings and apologies.
Michael punched the kid square in the face, the kid crying out and cupping his now broken nose. Michael glared at the boy in his hand and then at the three boys huddled together in the back, afraid.
“If I see you four shits or anyone touching Evan ever again, I will beat the ever-loving fuck out of you pipsqueaks until you can’t walk. You got that?” Michael raged. The boys nodded, assuring Michael. The anger in his system was in overdrive, so instead of letting them off with the warning, Michael smashed the head of the kid into the desk harshly for good measure before letting the boy flop to the ground. He watched blood bleed out the side of the gash on the kid's head before the bully’s friends grabbed him and all ran out screaming.
Michael turned towards Evan after a few seconds, his anger depleting as soon as the boys left his sight. His heart cracked as he watched Evan crawl over to him, shorts wet from where the kid peed himself, Freddy dragging across the ground under Evan’s fist, and blood and tears dripping down the kid’s face onto the ground.
“Don’t crawl, Evan.” Michael got on his knees, grabbing Evan by the armpits and making him stand up in front of him. His little brother was as tall as him sitting on his knees, and now being face to face with Evan, Michael could see the bruising forming on Evan’s right cheek from where he had been hit. Evan was still crying, but his sobs were mute.
“Breathe for me, Ev. You’re okay, buddy.” Michael reassured through gritted teeth, firmly rubbing Evan’s back. His anger flared again, thinking about those bullies. He shook his head, trying to remain present to help his little brother, whose nose was thankfully not broken but still bleeding badly. Michael tipped Evan’s head back a bit, the movement startling Evan to suck in a big breath before choking on sobs.
Michael held Evan’s face for a few minutes before the bleeding inevitably stopped. He yipped Evan’s face back down and used his grey wife beater to gently wipe Evan’s face of blood and snot and tears.
Michael watched Evan look at him confusedly through a new round of tears, looking around the classroom and death-gripping Fredbear, which made Michael worry the plushie's stitching might rip.
“Mikey?” Evan sobbed quietly, questioningly. Michael felt a lump build in his throat at the small, confused voice.
“Yeah, Ev. What happened?” Michael whispered, prying a small white-knuckled hand from Fredbear and holding it in his huge one. The size difference knocked the breath out of Michael, realizing how tiny and fragile his little brother actually was.
“I don’t know…” Evan cried, and Michael swallowed roughly to loosen his tightening throat. He forgot how Evan was prone to forgetting things so easily. It made him sick in his stomach. How many times did Evan get bullied at school and not remember?
“Mikey. I-I made a pee.” Evan hiccuped, reaching his hands out to Michael for a hug before retracting them back, ashamed.
Michael’s heartstrings ached terribly at the sight. And he pulled Evan by the armpits slowly towards him. Evan cried harder shaking his head and resisting.
“No, I’m, I’m dirty.” Evan sobbed loudly. Michael felt cold inside at the way his little brother referred to himself in such disgust.
“You are not dirty, Ev.” Michael said angrily, apologizing and shushing Evan when the boy flinched back and started crying harder. Michael took his sweater off, wrapping Evan in the too-large fabric, practically sinking him. He stood up, carrying his little brother out of the classroom, snagging Evan’s backpack from where it hung on its hook before storming out of the school.
The journey back home with Evan usually involved Michael being embarrassed and always walking a whole block ahead of the boy. But today, Michael kept Evan plastered to his chest. Neighbours who would smile at Michael in greeting while eyeing Evan in disdain any other day watched as he sprinted right past them, turning onto a quiet, hidden path leading uphill towards a large, lone house.
Michael shoved past the front door and stomped up the stairs towards Evan's room. He grabbed a new set of clean clothes from the closet, dropping Evan and his own school bag in the boys' closet for now. Michael quizzically eyed the large scratches painting the interior of the closet walls. He made a mental note of them before moving away to tend to more important things than scratches.
He sat Evan down in the bathroom, gently peeling away the sweater he swaddled Evan in, which was now soaked through. Michael tossed the cloth into the laundry basket, turning to Evan.
“Did you pee yourself again?” Michael asked concernedly. He watched Evan look down before looking up at him with an even sadder face.
“I can’t remember, Mikey. I’m sorry.” Evan’s lost look and weeping made Michael feel another pang shoot through his chest. He lightly brushed his left pec to ease the ache and knelt down, helping Evan out of his clothes.
“It’s okay. We all forget sometimes.” Michael said with a faint smile, feeling his throat tighten as he remembered all the shitty-ass things he joked about Evan and his poor memory when his little brother periodically forgot something. He recalled all the times he mocked and slapped Evan across his head for his forgetfulness and for always crying, snickering with his own friends when they ridiculed Evan for not remembering who beat him up a few hours later when the boy came crawling back to “Mikey” to play with him.
It wasn’t Evan’s fault he couldn’t remember things. It wasn’t his baby brother's fault that he was overly sensitive either.
Looking back, Michael was no different from those bullies, and that made Michael's stomach cave in sickeningly. He needs to be better. His mom and his sister could only do so much.
Michael showered Evan down, feeling anger and tears as he brushed over dark shoe and hand-like bruises littering Evan’s back and hind. Drying Evan up, Michael put Evan into a pull-up before dressing him and walking the now quiet and clean boy to his own room, telling him to sit and wait for a few minutes.
Michael headed back to the bathroom, taking a quick shower to freshen up and change. He felt grimy and exhausted after what happened today. As he dried his hair, he eyed Fredbear, who had been left on the bathroom counter. Michael did not want that creepy-eyed plush anywhere near his room, so on his way back to his room, he tossed the golden bear into Evan’s room.
Coming back, he found Evan lying on the ground, dozing off. Michael felt his chest squeeze at seeing his brother curled up into a small ball in the exact spot Michael made him sleep for years when Evan came into his room crying from nightmares. He grabbed his little brother, swaddling him to his chest before covering them with the blanket.
Michael ruffled Evan’s little head of hair gently, watching as Evan’s breath deepened. He closed his own eyes, promising he would do better for his little brother.