Work Text:
Edwin Murray sat in his office rereading a message from his business partner W.A: "you’re one step in bankruptcy, call us, we can help.". It was a simple message but Edwin kept rereading it over and over again. Henry Emily and William Afton were his close friends and Murray’s Costume Manor was really in shambles so why won’t he just call for help? Something bothered him for some reason, like there was a deeper meaning in this message what he just can’t crack open yet. Maybe Edwin was just overthinking.
After the loss of his family everything went downhill. Man became depressed and paranoid, crazy, some say. His employees got treated worse when they were and started to leave for a better place….which was Fazbear Entertainment. Some Murray’s ideas got stolen and all of this just made his condition worse.
He was angry at Fazbear Entertainment but he just couldn’t be angry at William and Henry. It was because they were not the ones behind it all, the employees were. Or maybe he was wrong… Each day he overthought it more and more and truly believed what his friends betrayed him but something just didn’t let him get angry, maybe it was something deeper in his mind, heart or soul.
There were something special about Henry and William what Edwin just couldn’t understand. Like something was drawing him to them, something weird, something what he wasn’t able to understand.
Afton send some messages about the state Murray was in, it felt mocking but he couldn’t get angry at all.
Edwin was highly suspicious what those people he had called friends betrayed him but there was a bigger feeling - hope. It felt like they’ll come and save him.
And they did.
. . .
"It’s very pathetic, innit?" William said not turning to face Henry. He was looking through blueprints and sketches of cartoony characters.
"What exactly?" Henry answered, looking Afton’s way but seeing how he was unbothered, looked back to the documents on his desk.
"Murray’s situation." Afton said unbothered. Now he turned Henry’s way holding a piece of paper in his hand. "He didn’t even finished those." It was a sketch of SpringBonnie and Fredbear. It showed cartoony versions of characters and ideas on mechanisms for animatronic versions.
"Yeah." Henry looked at the paper and looked back at the documents. "Such a shame we have to make them ourselves, i thought his works were nice." Although he just complimented Murray’s work he didn’t seem so enthusiastic and more annoyed at Edwin.
William went stiff for a moment but then a somewhat mocking smile appeared on his face. He got to Henry and hugged him by a shoulder. "Oh, Hen," That was a nickname Edwin used. "OUR work will be nicer! We don’t need that sappy man to help us." He said enthusiastically.
Henry looked at William and smiled. His smile was more genuine than Afton’s but still had some type of mocking inside. "You are absolutely right, my dear friend!" He got up from his chair and went to pick up a box with all the blueprints and sketches. "It was fun while it lasted." He picked up a blueprint of a Chica costume. "But Ed is no help for us anymore."
. . .
When Fazbear Entertainment took away everything they could that’s when William Afton and Henry Emily showed up. They looked at the Murray’s Costume Manor building with disappointment and rang a bell.
Edwin opened the doors. He looked terrible: dark eyebags making his eyes not visible enough, crooked figure, clothes looked like they weren’t ironed or washed for some time.
William and Henry looked at him with disgust but quickly hid it.
"There you are, our friend!" William said enthusiastically but it was a clear lie. "Haven’t seen you in some time."
"Ed, how’s everything going?" Henry asked with a smile. Of course he perfectly knew what things were terrible for Edwin but still asked that question.
"Well actually-" Edwin was interrupted by one of the workers loading in stuff in the truck and dropping it.
All three man turned towards the sounds. William and Henry turned back to Edwin but the man couldn’t get back to conversation and continued to look at workers with sadness on his face.
William and Henry exchanged looks what meant "This is just pathetic".
"Pretty rough, huh?" Afton said to Murray after one more second of silence. "But we’re here to help!" Henry and William smiled at each other.
Hope bloomed in Edwin’s soul, but there was that same thought of betrayal…fear.
"What do you have to offer?" Henry asked with a businessman voice.
That’s when it hit Edwin. Those two didn’t came to help as friends, they came to help as businessmen. They want to make a buck from his misery. Fiona was right, he shouldn’t have trusted them but he did. He opened his heart and this is what he got. His heart was broken for the third time and now it seemed like there was nothing left behind, just shards reminding him what he used to love people.
Whatever William…No. Mister Afton said next didn’t came to Edwin’s ears. His legs were dragging him all day but he didn’t noticed where he went. He didn’t know what he said or did, he wasn’t here anymore. And in the end of day when three men said goodbye, Edwin Murray understood what there was nothing left behind. He lost everything. The only thing he got left were memories which shattered like glass and were washed away. There was nothing left. Edwin Murray died even if he was still breathing.