last dance

  "One last dance, Henry?"
  ". . . I'll submit one last time, just for you, Will."
  The moment was surreal. Henry tried his damnedest to avoid watching as William's blood slowly drained from the spring locked suit. He reached a hand out to the other, helping him stand. A memory came back to Henry.
  Blueprints were scattered across a few desks in William's garage, each design more petrifying than the last. Henry had never understood Afton's obsession with the grotesquely murderous concepts; yet, he still hadn't fully comprehended the other's obsession with untimely death either. The pair had been arguing over the designs for nearly the past week, off and on.
  "If they're difficult to wear, they'll be more difficult to steal. These robots are a huge financial decision, and we need to be prepared to defend them!"
  "Just playing the part of any sane human being and saying- OF WE CAN'T PUT THEM ON, WE CAN'T TAKE THEM ANYWHERE."
  "I'd like to play the devil's advocate and say that you're being a pussy about this."
  "Afton. Don't fall into name calling, you man child."
  "Hey!!"
  The two laughed it off. Will tossed his head back, and Henry could see the soft creases around his eyes, and his dimples that seemed so obviously- and how could anybody not notice them?- there when he smiled.
  Henry longed so badly to reach out and touch this- feel this false idea of William that he hadn't felt in such a long time. He choked up at the thought.
  How was this really happening? It wasn't. It couldn't be. It was just another one of those cryptic night terrors he'd been having. That had to be it.
  Miller snapped himself back into the moment, as a jagged laugh escaped from William's bloodied mouth. He wondered silently about the kind of pain Afton was in.
  "H. . Henry. . . It. . . This really hurts, Henry."
  His voice sounded as though he was racked with sobs that couldn't escape. Will tried to find empathy in the other's eyes, but was met with pity. Moments flew by him.
  They had been in Henry's new apartment, listening to some trashy music, at least, by William's standards. Henry seemed to love this music, nodding his head to the beat and tapping his shoes against the hardwood floor. They hadn't put any rugs in yet- felt no real need to so soon- and Will knew their downstairs neighbors would be getting mad soon enough. Henry seemed determined with whatever he was working on, as Will continued his ongoing micro-examination of how Henry lived his life.
  "Henry?"
  There was silence from the other, and the music faded with the end of one song.
  "Yes, Will?"
  "Do you like your new place so far?"
  Silence again. Henry subtly adjusted his position and sighed.
  "Yeah, I suppose I do. It's quiet, but it's still home."
  "Have you thought about getting something to fill the silence?"
  "Did I ever say I liked noise?"
  Will simply "hmph"ed as a response before looking over at Henry's sketches.
  "Who's that?"
  Henry lifted the book up, revealing it to William.
  "This is Fredbear. He's an electronically powered bear- I think.. I really feel like people are going to love him." Henry had a grin across his face, and Will just couldn't deny it.
  "I'm sure they'll love him."
  Reality settled in like a heavy weight, or a set of giant iron springs piercing through your organs. The pair had been "dancing" for about a minute, and Will didn't want to stop. He didn't want this world to be taken from him yet, it wasn't fair, it wasn't his fault, it wasn't-
  His vision began to blot away slowly, and the cries he hadn't been vocalizing began to leave him quickly.
  "Henry, please, I'm not ready to die- Please, do something-?"
  Henry tried to do anything he could to calm the man, but he was running out of ideas and time. He closed his eyes, holding onto the shaking man's hands. A quiet melody began.
  William slowly whispered the words, trying to remember them. He couldn't remember anything outside of this one moment. Everything else fell away until-
  The corpse suit fell to the floor with a painful thud. Henry listened to it fall. He wouldn't open his eyes. Not here. He turned from the creature, stepped outside the room, and greeted the world as a new man.

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