Death Of Me (William Afton X Reader)

̷C̷̷h̷a̷̷p̷̷t̷̷e̷̷r̷ ̷F̷̷o̷̷u̷̷r̷̷t̷̷e̷̷e̷̷n̷

(I just want to clarify- the first part of this story is solely focused on the love aspect more than the actual... Plot. And expect more than one smut chapter. Shit will start to focus on other stuff later.)

The awkwardness of your compliment clung to you like a second skin, lingering throughout the rest of the lesson. At least, it felt that way to you. Every time William's voice broke through the silence to correct a measurement or explain a concept, the memory of your bumbling words came rushing back, fresh waves of mortification prickling at the edges of your mind.

It was enough to momentarily distract you from the fact that you'd overheard something you shouldn't have.

Momentarily being the key word.

That little secret sat heavy in the pit of your stomach, bubbling with unease. As if the humiliation of your failed compliment wasn't enough, now you had to contend with the nagging anxiety that he might somehow know you'd been snooping. You'd been careful, but paranoia whispered that his sharp eyes could see right through you.

And as if to make matters worse, you couldn't stop cringing at yourself. A tie? Really, Y/N? That's what you chose to compliment? The memory of Alex's advice felt ridiculous now. Compliment his tie, they said-it'll be easy, they said. Instead, it felt like you'd stumbled into a bear trap of your own making.

Now, as the two of you worked in silence to clean up the workshop, the tension seemed to double with each passing second. Not quite uncomfortable, but certainly not the kind of silence you could relax into.

You were bent over, carefully sorting a handful of tools back into their proper places when the door to the workshop burst open.

"Daddy!!! I'm hungry! What are we having for dinner?!"

The sudden shout made you jump so violently that you nearly dropped the screwdriver in your hand, fumbling clumsily before catching it. You straightened quickly, cheeks burning, and found yourself face-to-face with a small strawberry blonde whirlwind who was practically glowing with energy.

William noticed your slip-up, of course. His sharp gaze flicked toward you, and for a fleeting moment, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make your stomach twist in some confusing, infuriating way.

And why, your inner voice piped up, have you been looking at his lips so much lately?

You bit the inside of your cheek and focused on the tools in front of you, pretending to be very busy and very unaffected.

Meanwhile, William's attention shifted entirely to the little girl standing in the doorway. The transformation in his demeanor was still just as startling. The cold professionalism he so often wore around you melted away, replaced by something so soft and warm it was almost hard to believe it was the same man.

"I don't know yet," he said, his lips curving into a full smile that seemed to light up his face in a way you'd never seen before. "We'll see when we get home if you and Michael can agree on something."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes dramatically, planting her hands on her hips. "Pfft-Michael and I never agree on anything!"

William chuckled softly, the sound low and genuine. It was such a stark contrast to his usual tone that it left you momentarily stunned. "Then I suppose we'll have to flip a coin. Go get your things ready, and we'll head home as soon as I'm done helping Y/N clean up."

The mention of your name made Elizabeth's head swivel toward you, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Oh! Can Y/N join us for dinner?!"