Non-canon to my The Show Must Go On AU.
Also this is old as hell, so pardon the cringe writing.
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"Do I have to wear this?" Henry asked, gesturing at the tux he was wearing.
"Yes. It's a formal event." William said with a sigh as he adjusted his bow tie. "Do you need help?"
"No I think I got it." Henry said, fumbling with his own bow tie. William rolled his eyes and walked up to the man.
"Let me do it." he said.
Letting out a sigh, Henry lowered his hands to his sides, allowing William to quickly tie his bow tie. Once he did that, he took a step back and looked Henry up and down.
"Hmm... We need to fix your hair..." William mumbled.
"What's wrong with my hair?" Henry asked.
"It's far too messy and looked unkempt." William replied as he grabbed Henry's wrist and dragged him towards the bathroom.
"Why do I have to dress so nice again?" Henry groaned. William sat Henry down on the toilet and opened up one of the cabinets.
"Because a lot of important people are going to be there." William said, pulling out a hairbrush and a bottle of hair gel. He set the bottle on the counter and instructed Henry to turn around. Henry quickly complied.
"But why does it matter?"
"Because," William said, running the brush through his friend's hair. "You wanna expand our business, don't you?"
"I mean, kinda..." Henry replied with a shrug. William came upon a tangled bit in Henry's hair and harshly yanked, causing Henry to flinch.
"Ow!"
"Sorry." William mumbled as he continued to brush.
"Why do you bring that up?" Henry asked.
"Because these people could help us achieve that goal." William replied, brushing Henry's bangs back.
"Okay... And you need me there because—?"
"Because we're both the faces of this company." William answered, setting down the brush and reaching for the hair gel. "And besides, this might be a good experience for you."
"But—"
"Don't worry," William said, dumping some of the gel into the palm of his hand. "I'll be doing the talking."
Henry nodded, mentally sighing.
William quickly styled Henry's hair, being sure to make it look as nice as possible.
"Alright. Get up and let's go." William said, stepping back so that the other man could get up. Henry did as told and took the chance to look at himself in the mirror. His face immediately scrunched up with what could be described as a sort of disgust.
"I look like a damn monkey."
"I think you look great." William replied. "Now let's go. We don't want to be late."
Sighing, Henry turned and followed William.
The two men made their way out of the house and into William's car.
"Promise not to drive too crazy this time, alright?" Henry mumbled as he buckled himself up. William let out a chuckle as he started the vehicle up.
"No promises."
When the two men arrived at their destination, there was already plenty of people there.
"You didn't tell me that there would be so many people..." Henry mumbled, sticking as close to William as he possibly could. William let out a low chuckle as they made their way to the main room.
"Nervous?" he asked with a smirk.
"Extremely." Henry replied.
William glanced over at his partner and noticed that the poor man was already sweating bullets. Sighing, he quickly pulled Henry to the side and reached into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his friend's face.
"Don't worry, Henry, you'll do fine." he said reassuringly. Henry gulped and nodded, seeming unsure of William's words, but agreeing with them anyways. William stepped back and stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket.
"You ready?"
Henry nodded in reply.
The two men entered the main room, immediately being greeted by music, chatter and people in fancy dress.
"Ah, William Afton!" a feminine voice called out. Both William and Henry turned to the sound of the voice and were greeted by the sight of a woman who appeared to be in her late fifties.
"Mrs. Anderson." William said, a smile creeping upon his face. The woman stopped right in front of them.
"It's so great of you to come." she said. Mrs. Anderson's attention then quickly shifted to Henry. "And who is this handsome man?" she asked.
"H-Henry. William's business partner." Henry replied, his voice coming out hoarse. The woman laughed.
"I'd say that your partner seems quite nervous." Mrs. Anderson remarked.
"He's new to this kind of thing." William replied, glancing over at Henry as he let out a chuckle.
Henry couldn't help but inwardly cringe a bit as he thought to himself. I don't belong here.
"My husband has been dying to speak to you, Afton." Mrs. Anderson said, turning and starting to walk away. William followed suit and Henry followed William.
What else am I supposed to do?
The three made their way over to a group of people who were chatting with one another. As they approached, everyone in the group immediately greeted William, welcoming him and exchanging warm handshakes with the British man. They didn't seem to notice Henry, however. It wasn't like he expected a warm welcome here. He had known he probably wouldn't be receiving one.
Here he was an outsider.
Henry stood close to William, silently standing there and listening in on bits and pieces of the conversation. The more Henry listened to them speak, he noticed their mannerisms and behaviors were so much more different than he was used to. Even William's behavior seemed to change, making him feel even more out of place.
Henry awkwardly glanced around and spotted a table which had food and wines. Quickly and quietly, he slipped away from the group and started to make his way over to the table. Of course, he ended up being stopped a few times by quite a few females, asking to dance. Being too nervous to answer confidently but being too caring to turn them down, he shyly accepted.
After about a dozen or so terrible dances and a lot of flirting from women, Henry finally managed to make his way to the table. Quickly, and surprisingly without anyone noticing, he grabbed the entire wine bottle and made his way over to the balcony.
"It's great to see that you've decided to take your own path, William." Lydia said, smiling at the man.
"Well, entertainment has always been a passion of mine." William replied with a chuckle.
"Not to get off topic," Mrs. Anderson said, cutting into the conversation. "But it seems your friend has disappeared."
William looked behind him and saw that Henry was, in fact, gone. He let out a groan and turned to look at the others.
"Sorry but it seems I must go find my partner." William sighed, a twinge of annoyance in his voice.
"Alright Afton," one of the men said. "Hopefully we'll be seeing you later."
William nodded and walked off.
I can't believe he's done this, William mentally groaned. It shouldn't be that hard for him to do this.
William looked around for Henry, which quickly became difficult due to the abundance of people there were. William couldn't help but become frustrated.
Why the hell couldn't Henry just—
William's thoughts were cut off as he made his way to the balcony and noticed a singular man standing by himself looking up at the stars. All alone. Then moonlight casted a soft light upon the man's hair and skin, making him look angelic. Beautiful.
William almost didn't recognize him in those clothes, though he should've, seeing as how he chose them. William started to walk towards Henry, the annoyance subsiding a little.
"What are you doing out here?" William asked.
"I could be asking you the same." Henry replied, not even bothering to look at his partner. "Your people are inside."
"My people...?" William repeated. Henry didn't respond.
William let out a frustrated sigh as he looked at Henry. But the more he looked at him, the more the frustration subsided, being replaced with a feeling of something else.
Henry looked... Wrong.
William hadn't really noticed it, but Henry really didn't look like himself. He wasn't acting like himself, either. He seemed... Tense.
And realization hit William Afton like a ton of bricks.
Henry wasn't like him. He wasn't used to a rich lifestyle, nor was he used to associating with people who lived such a lifestyle. Henry was one of the working class men. One of the men who would associate with the common people and work hard for a living. He was messy and scatterbrained and even a little antisocial. He didn't need nor have many expensive things. He was content with what he had.
And here William was, attempting to make him into something else. Someone that he wasn't meant to be. Someone like him.
As if he had read William's mind, Henry began to speak. "William, I know you're trying to do what you think is best for me... But... I don't like it here." Henry whispered. "These people..."
"Feel fake?"
Henry turned his head and looked at him. William couldn't help but notice how beautiful the man's green eyes looked when the moonlight shone in them.
"They remind me of how insignificant I am." Henry said.
William gently took Henry's hand into his own. "Listen to me, Henry. You are not insignificant. You're important and people love you."
Henry cracked a small yet nervous smile.
"William, go talk to your friends. I know you'll enjoy them more."
William rolled his eyes. "Henry, you're my... Best friend." he said, cupping Henry's face with his free hand. "All these other people? They're nothing compared to you."
Henry attempted to turn his head away, but William's hand held it in place.
"You mean the world to me, Henry," William continued. "If anything were to happen to you, I'd... I'd... I'd probably lose it." he whispered, casting his eyes down.
Without warning, Henry took a step towards William and wrapped his arms around him, embracing him in a tight hug. William hugged the man back, not really caring if anyone saw.
So what if they did? They didn't matter anyways.
"Henry?"
Henry looked up at William, his green eyes shining in the moonlight. "Yes, William?"
"What do you say we leave this place and go get some fast food?"
"I'd like that."