Warning: Internalized homophobia. And more homophobia in general.
They spend all of Christmas morning in the motel room since Henry already paid for it. He gets out his decorations and spreads them around the area, even when William gives his quiet protests. They eat his "Christmas Breakfast", which is really just canned green beans, a rotisserie chicken, and store bought pie. It's nothing amazing and he knows his family's cooking would be so much better, but it's pretty good for what they've got.
And while William has a concussion, his snarky comments are significantly reduced, which is probably the only reason it's even enjoyable.
"I should probably call home." Henry says after they've cleaned up. It's just past noon and he's sure his parents are just sitting by the phone, waiting.
"Or, we could go back to the dorm so I can be in pain somewhere clean."
Henry's about to argue, but then he actually thinks about it. "Yeah, let's do that."
It doesn't take long for Henry to take down the decorations and gather his stuff together. He stuffs his and William's clothes from last night into a plastic trash bag so they don't ruin anything else. It ends up in the back seat, along with the leftover food. By the time Henry gives the room key back, it's a little past noon. He checks over everything a second time, but with nothing left to do, he drives the two of them back to the dormitory.
"Can you get to the room on your own, or should I help you?" Henry asks as he gets out of the car. It's cold enough that he can leave the food there until he's done with his call.
"I'll be fine." William waves dismissively, already starting to walk toward the door. He looks like he's going to say something else, but decides against it. Good.
Henry makes it to the phone booth quickly, suddenly aware of everyone else around him. Even once he's inside, he watches everyone that passes by with a new weariness. It's only once the phone picks up that he starts to relax again.
"Oh, Henry! Please tell me you're okay! It's been so long since we last heard from you!"
He smiles at his mother's tone. "Yeah, I'm fine, Mom." It's not the whole truth, but he can't tell them about last night. Not only will he have to explain why he was at a motel instead of his dorm, but she would get worried and rightfully so.
"Did you get the packages yet?! They better have gotten there! I swear, if they got lost in the mail-"
"Sorry, I didn't check yet. Maybe I can call once I do get them." He probably should've done that first. "Um, how's your Christmas been? Anything big to share?"
His mother laughs and he wonders if she's going to take up the rest of his call time by retelling what everyone got. "It wasn't too special, really. I got your father that new grill brush he's been talking about, you know the one." He does. "Oh! And I made crepes today! First time doing it and I think they turned out great!"
Henry nods along, not sure how to respond to any of this. Then, the dreaded question comes.
"So, how's your Christmas been? Not too lonely, I hope."
"Honestly, it kinda has been lonely, but it's not too bad. I just really wish I could've gone out to visit." He certainly wasn't needed here. He could've avoided last night completely, saving himself the horrible memory and William the injuries. "But it was still good." Henry says suddenly, realizing that Mom was waiting for him to continue. "We don't have a full kitchen so I just bought some stuff for breakfast and shared it with William. He didn't say anything, but I think he liked it."
He better have.
Mom laughs. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you two are so close." He almost laughs. He's glad he didn't, because when Mom speaks again, she sounds sad. "Um...Jen told you about her friend, right?"
The warm happiness leaves quickly. He didn't think they were going to talk to him about this. "Yeah, she did." He says, dreading the response he should give. Do they expect him to agree with them? What will they say if he doesn't? He doesn't want to cause any problems, but he also doesn't want to betray Jen's trust either. She really needs him right now but if Mom and Dad pressure him...
"What do you think? I've heard enough from your father and Jen won't really tell me about it anymore, so I want to hear it from you."
Here it is. He's supposed to give his own thoughts and his first instinct is to just say what she wants to hear but the problem is...he doesn't know what she wants to hear. So, he tells the truth. "I know what the church says. We all grew up learning about it and I think Jen knows it too, but...Mom, she's not messed up. She's still my sister and as her family, we need to love her. The Lord gave us the ability to choose for a reason."
The line goes silent and he's scared he said the wrong thing. Mom sighs, like she's exhausted. "Thank you for being honest with me, Henry. I really need it right now. Your dad...well, you know how he gets. He wants to be right and won't hear what anyone else says. Your poor sister has to defend herself and...Oh, Henry, I feel so bad. Jenny was so upset."
He doesn't want to hear this. The image is already appearing in his mind and he hates it! He hates thinking about them like this, so divided between right and wrong! Why can't they just be happy?! "Are you really going to make her move back in with you?"
"No. She's going back to the city after New Years. Your father said a lot of things that night but I don't think he really meant that. He was just upset and scared. He doesn't want to lose her."
He has a full minute left on the call, but he ignores it. "I'm almost out of time, but...look, I don't know everything Dad said, but if he wants to try and force Jen to marry someone or live somewhere she doesn't want to, then you'll really lose her. She's not just some doll you guys can make your own. She's her own person and if that person likes other girls, then so what? The Lord still loves her and so should we."
The line goes quiet, but Henry waits. He waits for some kind of answer, a realization that he's right and none of them should be shouting at Jen for this, but it never comes. Instead, he gets a quick "it was nice hearing from you" and the call ends.
It was too much. He said too much all at once and now he's going to be the family's second biggest enemy. They're going to think he's siding with her over them, that he's falling away from his religion.
As Henry walks back to the dorm, he fights the tears that threaten to spill. Why does this have to be so complicated? Is he in the wrong? Should he let them straighten Jen out? Is she the reason they're fighting?
He doesn't know anymore. He has no idea and as Henry walks into his room, he finally lets himself sob into his pillow. He curls onto his side and tries his best to muffle the sounds he makes, but they still come out, broken and pathetic. The hundreds of questions and feelings swirl around his mind like a violent tornado, threatening to break him further apart.
As heavy sobs turn into stuttered breathing, Henry's mind starts to clear again. He doesn't find an answer and the questions still try to press at the front of his mind, but it's a little easier to push them away now.
The quiet calm ends as soon as he sees William staring down at him with wide eyes. Shit!
"Um!" Henry sits up quickly, his stomach sinking. "I didn't..." He forgot William came up first. Oh no. He saw all of that. Holy shit, that's embarrassing.
"Family troubles?" William says simply, pretending like Henry didn't just run in and sob like a baby. He's actually kind of thankful for it.
"Kinda. How..." He hasn't mentioned Jen yet, right? No, he definitely wouldn't tell William about that.
The man shrugs, looking just as perfect as he did without his bruises. He must've cleaned himself up. "Well, I assumed it was family. You just left to call them. Unless something else happened." William gives him an odd look as he says the last part. It's not quite defensive, but something similar. It's probably because of last night.
Henry shrugs as well, trying to change the subject. Or, at least make light of it. "It's nothing too serious. Families argue sometimes, you know? It'll pass."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Henry stares at him. What's that supposed to mean? "Sometimes, simple arguments make lasting tears between people. If there really is an issue, you may want to solve it before someone begins holding a grudge."
"That's really not helpful, William." Henry pulls his blanket over his shoulders. Jen wouldn't hold a grudge against their parents, would she? And Dad won't hate them both forever, right? "This is my business, not yours." Henry glares at his roommate, then looks away.
William just lays down again. "Fine. If you want to wallow in your problems, then be my guest. But just know that I'm speaking from experience."
"Well, keep your experience to yourself." Henry lays down as well, facing the wall. He doesn't want to think about what that last comment means. He doesn't want to know if William really did get sent away or not. He tells himself that he doesn't care because he doesn't care about William. It's simple as that.
Mom doesn't mention their conversation when he calls again. In fact, she ignores Jen's sexuality as a whole. She only talks about the pastries she's making and their plans for the New Year. Henry plays along for the most part, sharing his own ideas for the holiday and saying, once again, that he wishes he were there.
But it's slowly becoming a lie. Every time Mom grazes over any problem they have, he's just more and more glad to not be at the front lines. He prays for Jen because she really needs it, but beyond that, there's nothing else he can do but hope. Hope that they see this differently.
He receives his Christmas gifts with a bit of guilt. He tries to tell himself that his parents still love him, but a dark voice wonders if that conversation happen earlier, would they have "forgotten" to send him something? He shrugs it away and tells Mom that he loves the new tools and when he gets ahold of Jen again, he thanks her for the switch knife. He doesn't use it, but he does feel safer with it in his pocket, especially while he's in the city at night.
Before he knows it, it's New Years Eve and everyone left in the dorm has a party together. They've survived the snow storm, so they deserve a little fun, right? It seemed like a good enough idea, until the actual event started. Henry stays away from the beers, sticking to his cup of normal old water. He's not sure who brought the alcohol, but he'd rather not get involved with it.
As soon as the year turns over, it's like a flip switches. Everyone acts twice as drunk as they were a minute ago. A song starts and Henry decides he's had enough for tonight. He goes back into the dormitory and retreats to his room without notice. What's the fun in getting that drunk anyway? They'll just end up vomiting all night.
When Henry steps inside, he sees William already sitting on his bed, reading a new book.
Over the past week, his bruises have turned a dark purple, but hey don't look nearly as bad. The cuts have scabbed over and the chipped tooth didn't really change, but Henry's gotten used to seeing it.
"I thought you were upstairs." Henry says as he grabs new clothes to change into for the night. They walked to the party together, he remembers that distinctly. He even saw the man every so often, talking to the others.
"I left an hour ago." William says without looking up. "I would rather graduate with a degree than be kicked out for getting wasted, thank you." That's fair.
Henry retreats to the bathroom to change and when he returns, William hasn't moved. But as Henry climbs into bed, very much ready to sleep, the man sits up. "I had an idea earlier." Oh great. Henry sighs and turns just enough to make eye contact. "We aren't on the best terms, but I think we could understand each other better. I would like to call for a truce."
"A truce?"
"Of sorts, yes." Henry looks at him in disbelief. "This is my idea. We both choose something fun to do together. We can negotiate of course but I think this could be very beneficial."
A pause. "You want to hang out." Henry sits up fully, not quite sure he's hearing it right. Why would William suggest this? Sure, they might've come to an understanding of each other, but it's not like they're friends. They still barely tolerate each other.
William looks at him in irritation. "Don't be so simple minded, Henry. This is a way for us to know each other better. And even if we decide to never do this again, we have still gone through with the experience."
It feels like a trap, but Henry can't really see much reason to refuse. "What would you want to do then?" And what would Henry want to do? They don't really share any hobbies.
He regrets asking when William smiles. "I want to take you shopping. Or rather, give you a makeover."
"Makeover?!" There's no way he's agreeing to this!
"I won't dress you up like a girl, idiot." William rolls his eyes. "It's just...you dress so casually all the time. I want to know what you would look like if you actually tried with your appearance."
He still can't believe this. "So, you're going to make me look like you."
"No, I won't make you look like me. I'll make you look like yourself, but formal. Just let me do this. I really am so very curious. And you still have your own idea too! You could make me dress like a redneck or something." It's funny how William's face falls at the last part.
Although the idea is tempting and Henry would love to make the man do some actual hard labor, he doubts it would end up very fun. So, he thinks about it. If he were to let William give him a makeover, what would he want that is equally painful?
His mind goes to Fredbear's now complete rough draft. He plans to test the suit part on himself, but that would be difficult to do while he's inside. Henry bites at his lip, his eyes going over William's form. He ignores the looks he's gives in return.
It's decided. "Alright. I'll let you dress me up if you agree to help me test Fredbear."
William looks lost for a moment, then he looks under Henry's bed. "You mean the robot you've been making? How would that be beneficial to you? I know nothing about engineering or robotics."
"For this, you don't have to. All you're really signing up for is standing in place while I work."
"...For how long?" Henry finds William's hesitation very satisfying.
"An hour at most. That shouldn't be too long, right?"
There's a long silence. They stare at each other, both dreading what they're about to agree to. Then, William offers his hand. Henry shakes on it and just like that, they've doomed themselves, but there's no going back. Not anymore.
I can't tell you how many times I changed that last scene. It's so difficult to write them still not really liking each other, but also kind of getting along.