helliam/willry oneshots (ft. angst)

happy wife ≠ happy life (2/2)

the next day, 7am.

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henry had arrived and was waiting outside the house in his car around the corner as not to raise suspicion. william listened as mary trotted around the room. he pretend to be asleep as he watched her shadow dance along the wall he was facing. after some time, she had finally found what she was looking for and left the room. he sat up, waiting for the footsteps to shift to creaking stars and escaped out of the window. he ran over to henry's ford escort that was currently parked. as soon as the man noticed william running towards him, he unlocked the vehicle.

the two were now both sat in the car waiting for mary to leave the house. it didn't take long as she stepped out in black kitten heels paired with a blue jean skirt and a forest green top. sunglasses were pressed against her face even if the sun hadn't risen over their house yet with a matching black reflective handbag. she looked good, although a bit overdressed it was nothing outstanding with a need to worry about. she entered williams muted purple morris marina, backing out of the driveway henry started his car and began to drive, following mary at a distance. he didn't want it to seem like he was following her even if he was, so he shifted lanes and went different ways to end up in the same place as her.

william anxiously fiddled with his fingers, now worried that mary would never trust him again. it wasn't an unusual feeling despite how sickly he felt. there was tension in his whole body while he focused on keeping his breathing steady. henry sympathetically placed a hand on williams back, rubbing it gently at the red light they were waiting at. in henry's mind, this was quite stress inducing. having to follow mary to god knows where and make sure william doesn't freak out is only something for good multitaskers, but henry was willing to give it a shot.

"i think we're almost there" henry said as he watched mary turn into a residential area.

"s-shes going to be so mad at me-" william gushed, "she'll hate me".

"no she won't" henry sighed, "your mind is playing tricks on you, will.. just focus on your breathing right now".

william hesitantly took a couple deep breaths to stabilise his racing mind. he had no idea why he felt so terrified in the first place. he had never had any alterations with mary that were too bad... right? no, of course not! it was just his nerves playing tricks on him.

the car came to a stop. they were far away enough to see what was happening, but not close enough to be suspected of anything by mary. william put his hands over his mouth and nose as the driver side door opened. mary stepped out, throwing her purse over her shoulder and closing the door with a loud thud. instead of going anywhere, she waited by her car. for what, the duo didn't know. henry drank the bottled water he had placed in his cup holder, staring at the woman in suspense.

suddenly, a man exited one of the houses. he came over to mary, hugging her tightly and talking for a little bit. it was odd to say the least. it was very unlike mary to converse with men she didn't associate with. william couldn't help but assume the worst while henry kept his determination to find an answer.

but even hope can be shattered with a simple movement. and before the duo knew it, mary was kissing that other man. henry felt fire rise in his chest of unbridled anger and pure fury while william stared tiredly. neither of them bothered to follow her as she drove away with the man. henry's bubble of anger popped as he heard sobbing from his side. the black haired man he had been friends with for years - decades even - had never cried in front of him before. his sobs cracked the others heart with ever sharp inhale and tear that fell onto his pant leg.

"william...?" henry muttered while reaching over to take his friends hand.

"i.... i don't...." william tried to dry his tears, but the waterworks wouldn't stop pouring until it had been drained, "am i... not...... enough?"

the shocked pause that came after only led williams mind into darkness he was tired and lost. wherever he was, it was not reality. his tears left blotches of water on his pants. hands pulled at his hair in frustration, jaw clenching down so hard he showed his teeth.

"i think you are enough" henry leaned back in the cushioned seat, "you... you are more than enough... to me".

"then why.... why am i so replaceable?" william cried, "why does nobody stay with me?".

henry had never seen william cry, let alone have a breakdown like he was now, and it was apparent william was trying to hide himself away. the taller man shifted himself so henry couldn't see his face, leaning forward to hide himself even more.

"because they don't know you like i do" henry stated simply, "they take you for granted, old friend".

william froze, tightening his grasp around his hair, "my own parents didn't even want me-".

"stop that" henry demanded, placing his warm hand onto williams, "you are worth more than you give yourself credit for".

"you're a liar" william replied, "if i was so good, why does everyone leave? why am i alone!?".

"well i'm still here" henry looked down at the peddles, "doesn't that make me the expert?".

"uh.." william stunned silence didn't last long, "what if... you only stuck around for the pizzeria".

"you're acting as if we haven't been friends for decades" henry smiled sadly, "do you seriously think i would spend my time becoming your friend for years on end just to use you? that would make me a time wasting fool".

"i'm a waste of time?" williams head dipped down slightly.

"no. but it would be a waste of time to earn someone's trust for years only to lose it in mere seconds, don't you think?" henry said carefully while caressing williams fist, "you're a hidden gem, will. but you never let anyone see the beauty you're hiding".

william perked up, looking at henry with wide red eyes, "what?".

"you don't give yourself enough credit for how well you take care of everything no matter how hard it is" henry rambled, "raising your kids on your own for the most part, being a co-founder of a large company, dealing with that".

william wiped his tears softly as a smile grew onto his face.

henry continued, "sometimes i'm jealous of how well you manage yourself. your kids love you, everyone in our staff think you're a delight to be around, you even impressed our technology and english professors in college for crying out loud... anyone who has seen the real you loves you".

william hugged henry across the car before he could continue any further. his tears soaked into the others shoulder, but he didn't mind as long as his friend was going to be okay. the two talked for a while, cheering each other up and having a nice chat as friends do. it had been nearly two hours before henry started driving back again. it was a leisurely drive during midday. as per usual it was empty on the streets at this time. everyone was either at work, or at home. henry talked about his new ideas for the pizzeria and william participated.

in the end, the pair had found out something devastating, talked themselves out of rash actions and had a good time.

william spoke to mary that afternoon, demanding an explanation or their marriage was over. mary refused to speak and the ring came off her finger shortly after. william seemed less stressed now, although he was mad at himself for invading her privacy he was starting to feel better with henry's help.

their divorce was quite easily settled. mary didn't want anything from william and left him with everything they had owned, including the desaturated purple morris marina william had owned for so long. mary also agreed to leave william with kids as long as he didn't ask her for child support money.

life was good for once.

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a/n :

sorry for the late update lolz i was busy wallowing in despair and rediscovering my love for an old fandom.

didn't think it would be out so late but meh better late than never i guess!
- grin