Work Text:
"William--"
He's trying to sound exasperated, he's trying his damndest. Really. Henry has his firmest of faces on, shoulders squared, hands staying put where they are on his desk. If it were anyone else, this would work. If he were looking at an employee or a child, they would stop whatever it was they were doing in fear of reprimanding.
But this wasn't anyone else he was staring at. This was William Afton, with his wild, mischievous eyes and wry smile. The type where you can see just a flash of his teeth from under his lips, as if he's challenging Henry to say anything more. He knows - William knows he's already won.
Henry refuses to accept that.
"William, we are not playing hooky from work. No. Absolutely not. We can't just--"
"Why not?"
His pacifism is being tested. By God, it is being tested. He wants to smack the grin off of Will's face, as if that would do anything but make him laugh. There was no stopping this man, unfortunately.
"Because, we're--" "Henry, we own this place. We can call it an early day, catch some dinner-" "William.." "Maybe watch a movie, or- or anything! You need a break, Henry. Look at you!"
He hates that he's right.
Henry glances at his own reflection in the shiny surface of the large computer monitor on the desk. His hair is frazzled, a set of dark circles settling in under his eyes.. He looks exhausted. They both do, to be fair. It was always harder to tell on William, the shadows always fell hard under his eyes.
Henry really hates that he's right.
"We can take a break after we close."
There's an eye roll from Will, his back straightening for a moment as he stands. He shakes his head. "Oh, nonsense. Come now, Henry. No one is even here, it's been thundering outside for hours!"
William is right. Henry hates when he's right.
And he makes sure to take his sweet time locking the front door and flipping the open sign around to show it.
___
Hours later, they are on Henry's couch, the sound of laughter ringing through the air. Will is telling some ridiculous story, laughter hardly contained in his relaxed state. It was rare to see Will like this nowadays, his glasses crooked, his smile natural and actually happy for once, his eyes full of unfocused energy as they dart around while he tells his little story.
It's enough to bring a smile to Henry's face, just watching his partner act like.. well, his partner. His best friend. The bright-eyed, idiot-genius who took too long to tell his stories, with his slightly crooked smile and the way his nose would slightly crinkle up when he was happy and--
Henry takes a drink, trying to clear his thoughts before they spiral out of control.
"--You should have seen it! Confetti and cake went everywhere. The entire aisle of the supermarket was coated in sparkling sugar, it even coated this little old woman!" William's laughter is contagious, bubbling from his chest right into Henry's.
He has to take another drink to smother out a wave of butterflies, but when he lowers his glass his eyes meet with Will's. Henry's body freezes up for a moment as Will scoots closer, that same mischievous smile from earlier on his lips. That smile was evil, truly. A smile that always managed to cut right through Henry's inhibitions.
It's hard to think with Will this close. It's hard to think when he's getting closer, hard to push down that weird feeling he gets in his stomach when Will does stupid jokes like this. This is what that was, right? A joke? A prank? Just his strange, eccentric friend continuing to push the boundaries and test Henry's patience.
He can feel the heat from Will's body, can smell his cologne, he's way too close now. This is how it happened, right? In the movies? In a few moments, Will would push forward and kiss his best friend, further complicating whatever their friendship already was. Their too-close, everyone-already-assumes-they're-together friendship.
But, the kiss doesn't come. There is no press of Will's lips against Henry's, no heart-skipping, stomach jolting, goosebumps forming moment. Instead, Will gently presses his forehead to Henry's, exhaling a relieved sigh.
".. I'm glad you chose to spend tonight with me, Henry. I needed this."
His voice is.. soft. Genuine.
Will doesn't give him a moment to respond before he's pulling away, pressing a quick kiss to Henry's cheek as he does. He's right back in his relaxed position on the couch in an instant, as if that had never even happened.
For a moment, Henry isn't even sure it did.
A few more hours tick by and Henry realizes that it's been awfully quiet. His eyes trail from where they had been fixed on the ceiling down to his own lap, where Will's head is currently resting (when did that happen?). His eyes scan over Will's face, over his closed eyes (he forgot to take his glasses off), the subtle scars on his cheeks, the curve of his jawbone, slightly parted lips--
Will was asleep. Peacefully, he might add. An even more rare sight. There is no crease in his brow from nightmares, no panicked breathing. Just a slow rise and fall of his chest and a deceptively serene man.
Henry shifts, carefully taking the glasses from Will's face before removing his own, resting them both on the coffee table. He lets himself sink into the couch a bit, his hand resting in William's chest. His head leans back against the couch, eyes closing.
It's right before sleep claims him that he feels Will's hand reach up, their fingers lacing together.