It's Wednesday and it feels like every time one of them says anything, it ends in an argument. They're usually not as bad as the first day, but it definitely isn't getting better and Henry's slowly starting to lose his mind.
It hasn't snowed since Tuesday, which is wonderful, but there's also so much snow already that it'll take a month to melt from the sun alone. And that's without the ice in consideration. Any progress they get over the day is lost when it freezes again over night. It's a maddening process to watch and Henry's starting to really consider spending the rest of this time in someone else's dorm room.
Henry sits on his bed, the metal case of Fredbear's head in his hands as he attaches the fabric parts to it. He can't really work on the springlocks without his welding kit -though, the idea of setting William's bed on fire does strike him as fun- so he's reduced to this until the city starts running again.
He's just about finished with the ears when William comes back, looking considerably relaxed. He sits at his desk, opens one of his text books, and starts reading. It's all he's really done and Henry should feel bad that he has nothing else to do, but he doesn't. It's actually really funny.
The smell comes in a moment later and Henry wrinkles his nose. He looks at the door with slight annoyance. "Do they have a pet skunk or something?"
He said it to himself mostly, but William turns toward him, confused. "A skunk?"
Why does that simple response sound so annoying? Hatred really is a powerful emotion. "It smells like skunk in the hall and there are only a few other people in the whole dormitory." It gets especially bad near the bathroom, but the smell isn't coming from inside. So, the logical answer is the room across from it, but how else would it smell like skunk if they don't have one in there? He doubts anyone got sprayed, since the front door's been closed this whole time.
Henry looks back and sees William staring at him like he's the biggest idiot the world has ever seen. It immediately makes Henry defensive. "That's not skunk." William says, like he's talking to a child. "It's weed." He turns back to his book.
"Weed?" Henry looks back to the door, completely thrown off by this new information. If mamajuana smells like that, then why would anyone want to smoke it? And better yet, why would anyone want to smoke while they're snowed in like this? That could set off the fire alarms and then what? It's not like they can leave the building. At least, not without falling into waist-deep snow.
Then, Henry turns to William. "Wait, how do you know what it smells like?" He never took him for a smoker. He seems too uptight for that sort of thing. And recent studies showed it's not exactly good for you and William is all about health.
William looks up again, seemingly aware of Henry's thought process. "I lived in Brighton." He says. Then, once Henry doesn't respond -because he has no idea what that's supposed to mean- William sighs. "It's a big city. People do all sorts of things there."
"But you don't smoke, do you?" He hasn't brought any drugs into their dorm, but maybe there's a special drug that shoves a giant stick up your butt.
He doesn't really answer besides giving Henry a completely annoyed look and turning away again. It's fine by Henry. He's already proven that he knows nothing about this topic and continuing it would just make him look stupid. So, he grabs the ear part and starts gently nailing the fabric into place again.
William turns back. Henry doesn't bother stopping. "What is that?!" His tone is enough to know he completely missed the suit while coming in. If Henry liked William slightly more, he would give him the benefit of the doubt. It's not every day you see a giant metal bear head in your room, but Henry doesn't like William, so he gives him the same "are you stupid" look.
"It's a project." He says. To Henry's irritation, William actually walks over to his bed, his eyes tracing over it. Henry hides it away, now defensive of his creation. He glares upward. "I'm trying to keep myself busy and you should be doing the same thing. Go back to reading your textbook or something."
William matches his glare. "Bugger off. I wasn't going to touch the damn thing." Bugger off? "What is it? A beaver?" His gaze his judgmental now, any previous interest disappearing quickly.
"It's a bear, obviously." Sure, it might not be done yet, but it's still pretty clear. And why a beaver? It doesn't have the buck teeth or a tail.
"Perhaps you should fix it because that is most definitely not a bear. Last I checked, they don't come in gold."
"It's-" Henry lets out a deep breath. "Look, just mind your own business. You're not an engineer and have no idea what any of this even is, so just...bugger off, like you said."
He expects William to laugh, but he doesn't. He stared down at Fredbear like the head did something to offend him personally, then leaves. He does mumble something about Henry's degree, but it's ignored. If he wants to smart mouth, then he can, but no one messes with his creation.
Henry wakes up with a start. His heart is pounding and his head spins from the images just barely filling his mind.
It was a nightmare. Nothing more than that, but he can still recall it so easily. He was driving with his mother, talking about the Christmas season and all it would entail. They planned a party for the whole town, for some reason, but all of that was forgotten when they drove right into a swamp.
He remembers how it felt, being tied down by the seatbelt while water started flooding in. He couldn't move or shout for help. He was forced to sit there and watch his mother slowly drown while he did the same thing.
Henry throws his blanket off of him and slides out of bed. It's nearly impossible to see anything with how dark it is, but he knows where the door is. Slowly, with shaky legs, Henry stumbles to the door and slips out of the room.
The lights in the hall blind him as he makes his way to the bathroom. It's not dimmer in there, but he's more relaxed as he stands in front of the first sink, staring at himself. He looks exactly like he feels, shaken up. Running a hand through his messy hair, Henry turns on the faucet and splashes some water on his face. He tries to erase the memory of his dream, focusing on anything else. He thinks of Mom as she is now, probably sleeping soundly. She might have fallen asleep on the couch to watch the Christmas tree lights. He remembers her doing that a few times during his childhood. And he can't really blame her because the lights have always been his favorite part of the holiday too.
With the adrenaline now gone, Henry starts to feel the exhaustion return. He yawns on his way back out of the bathroom and ignores the smell of drugs as he stumbles back to his own room. He slips inside just as carefully and once he's closed the door, he takes a few moments to adjust to the sudden darkness.
He walks carefully back to his bed, but freezes when he hears a soft snore. His eyes go to William, who's sleeping like a stupid little baby. Tonight, he's sleeping on his back, which causes the snoring and Henry's thoughts turn dark as he stares down at him.
He wants to just slap him. It would be funny, especially if he got away with it, but he holds himself back. They've argued countless times but it's never really gotten physical and Henry would prefer it stayed that way. Although William certainly doesn't win in the muscle category and he's thin enough that Henry might be able to pick him up, it's still not a risk he wants to take.
But a better idea comes to mind and Henry smiles to himself. Slowly, he creeps closer, trying not to make a sound. Then, he reaches down and slowly runs his hand through William's hair. He pauses every time the man moves, not wanting to get caught like this. Then, once he's sure he's safe, Henry flips the majority of it to the over side. He pulls his hand back and gently presses the hair down into it's new part, then backs away and climbs into bed.
Henry holds back a laugh as he pulls the blanket over himself. It's not the most devious prank by any means, but it'll be enough to bother his roommate in the morning. He'll have to not only re-part his hair to the other side, but it will also feel weird for a while after.
And the best part is that William will never know it was him.
It's the day before Christmas eve and people are startling to speculate that the roads will finally be safe enough to drive on again. The snow plows will go out first thing in the morning, pushing the snow away and dumping salt everywhere. Then, they'll finally be free!
Honestly, Henry would be willing to rid the bus at this point. He just wants to get out and away from the dormitory. He also wants to give himself the full Christmas experience, even if he can't be with his family for it. There's already a whole list of foods, mini decorations and a few activates to do. He'll still follow the Emily Family traditions no matter where he is.
But most of all, Henry's excited to finally call his parents again. It feels like forever since he last heard from them and he can't say he hasn't been a little bit worried on their part. The storm might've passed over them, but New Harmony is a lot more isolated. They might not have gotten power back yet and he dreads the thought of them freezing.
"What's all this?"
Henry's really starting to hate that phrase. He glares at William, who's just walked in again. "What? I'm eating." Henry raises up the obvious cup of ramen.
"You're making a mess." William steps forward, gesturing to Henry's entire side of the room. "Look at this! You left the wrappers on the floor, there's papers covering your desk and you haven't made your bed yet! I was very specific when I said-"
"I don't need to make my bed whenever you want me to. And my desk shouldn't be a concern of yours."
"You're destroying our room! I have every right to be upset about this!"
Henry sets his cup down precariously on his bed. "Leave me alone! I'm not touching your side and you can easily walk by! Besides, it's not like I'm just leaving it like this! I was going to pick up as soon as I finished eating!"
"You're just saying that. What person would leave something on the floor until they were done eating? Don't try to trick me-"
"I'm not!" Henry moves to stand, but his cup knocks over and his lunch spills all over his bed. They both freeze, staring at the disaster for a moment until Henry turns back to William, fully pissed now. "Are you kidding me?! Look what you did!"
"What I did?! You're the one who set it down on a soft surface! If you had just kept it in your hands-"
"Well, I couldn't really do that with someone barging into my room to yell at me, now could I?!"
"This is our room, not just yours!"
"I don't freaking care?! Just get out!"
William stops, but his face turns up in a mocking smile and Henry has no idea what he did to earn it. "I can't take you seriously when you fake swear." He says in a laughing tone.
Henry gets off of his bed and for a moment, he sees William step back, but Henry doesn't go for him. He just turns around and starts pulling the blanket and sheets off of his bed. He hopes the laundry room is open.
William clicks his tongue. "What a waste."
That's it.
Henry drops his laundry on the floor and marches up to William. "Shut up!" They're close again but Henry doesn't give William the chance to counter it. He does something his parents would be very disappointed in him for, but he doesn't care anymore. He's past trying to keep his Christian morals in check and without a single second of hesitation, Henry takes a step forward, pressing their chests together and spits, "Fuck. You."
William laughs, right in his face. It's not just a chuckle or something mocking, but a full laugh. He's stumbling back, holding his stomach has he loses it.
Henry sets his jaw and turns back to grab his bedding. He marches out of the room, the ringing of William's voice following him out. As he makes it to the laundry room -thank the Lord that one of the machines are open- Henry decides he's going to beg someone to let him stay with them until he can pay for a motel or get his roommate switched, because this can't go on any longer.
He should've risked crashing on his way to New Harmony.
I'm glad you guys love the tension because I love making it. Also, thank you everyone for the love you're giving this story! I really do love hearing how you enjoy reading this, even if I don't respond to every comment! Thank you, thank you!