Chapter Text
Today was the day. William planned to finally drive down to meet with Edwin one-to-one. He had asked the man to meet with him the following week after Henry's visit to talk about their designs.
That morning he had purposefully picked out his best vest, a pristine purple vest that rested over his well-ironed shirt. He wanted to look neat and well off, hoping to intimidate Edwin.
William strolled through the doors of the pizzaria, more confident than usual. Henry was talking to one of the janitors, until he spotted William. Henry looked over the outfit, and William's powerful stance. He wasn't even listening to the janitor beside him, who eventually rolled their eyes and walked away.
William stopped in front of Henry. He confidently pushed his chest out.
"Wow. Well, uh, Will, you, uh..." Henry cleared his throat. "You look... good." He couldn't put into words what he thought about William's outfit, and he knew he shouldn't. He'd surely be shunned if he said the wrong thing. Something too soft.
"I do, don't I?" William smirked. "I'm just about to be on my way to the costume manor."
"Ah, right. Tell Ed I said 'hi'." Henry excused himself to his office, letting William roll his eyes behind his back.
"Hm. I will."
Before William rang the front door of the building doors, he made sure to fix his hair and outfit. He pressed the bell and waited. The intercom crackled.
"Yes?" A tired voice came through.
"Yes, hello. I'm here for a meeting with Edwin Murray." As soon as William stopped talking, he was buzzed into the company building.
The place was busy, workers rushing from every corner of the hall William walked into. He caught glances of mascot costumes being packed up.
"William!" Edwin cheerily greeted William, patting him on the back. William didn't smile. His expression tightened.
"Murray." William only greeted the man with his last name, hoping to set a boundary that said 'I don't like you, because you're too friendly with my business partner who yes is married, but I can change that'.
In Edwin's office, William felt even more agitated as Edwin talked through Henry's blueprints. As if he knew better than William.
"So, Hen was thinking--"
"Hen?" William cut in. Edwin looked quite embarrassed.
"Uh, yes. Uh, it's just... you know... silly. Silly nicknames." Edwin explained sheepishly. William felt his eye twitch. "But... as I was saying..." Edwin continued. William completely tuned out of the discussion. His fists were clenched. He felt ringing in his ears.
After a few minutes, Edwin seemed to notice William seeming spaced out.
"William?" The man snapped back to reality, his thoughts of murdering this man inside this room cut short. He stood up straight. As he came back to reality, he heard the sound of a child laughing and shouting outside.
"What is that noise? You have hooligans in your warehouse?"
"Oh, uh, no. That- that will be my son, David. He has a play area near our loading dock. Sorry if it's distracting, I just need to keep him in my sight."
"He wouldn't be fine on his own?"
"Oh, no, I don't think so."
The rest of the meeting seemed to be a waste of time for William. He had found the man's weakness. His son clearly was his pride and joy, and Edwin gave him whatever he wanted. That would be a good starting point.
William walked to his car, a smile on his face.
"Thanks for coming down." Edwin waved and gave a polite smile.
"Thank you indeed."
Back at the pizzaria, William was desperate to chat with Henry. He had very little to notify him about, but any chat with the man was worthwhile to him. As William got in, there was no sign of Henry at all.
"Hm. You, boy." William snapped his fingers at a janitor.
"Yes, sir?" The janitor squeaked.
"Where is Mr. Emily?"
"Oh. He told the team he was picking up his daughter from school." As the janitor scurried away, something clicked in William's mind. School. He didn't pick up his kids from school. Oh, well. Mike was old enough to take care of his siblings.
"I don't wanna!" Mike groaned as his little sister, Elizabeth threw another tantrum. The youngest, his little brother, stood silently beside them. Mike ignored him for now.
"Liz, get up! Dad'll kill me if you get mud on your skirt!" Mike dragged her across the pavement. The youngest followed them.
Mike found it impossible to keep his siblings in check. His sister was spoiled, used to getting her way. William would always take her for ice cream after school, which Mike couldn't and wouldn't do. Their youngest, the most quiet, was often forgotten. He was mute, and it seemed that anything Mike did made him cry.
Mike ended up dragging Elizabeth all the way down the path. His back hurt, his legs hurt, and his cheek burned. His chest especially hurt. It ached as Mike had previously binded his chest down with tape he found around the house. He had gotten into another fight at school, and they had punched just about every part of him. Up ahead, there was a park with swings.
"Oh! Mike, come push me!" Elizabeth shouted demandingly as she ran ahead. Mike groaned and followed her. His chest hurt, and his lungs couldn't get enough air. The three kids hopped over the fence, despite there being an opening on the other side of the park.
Mike froze as he locked eyes with Henry.
"Hey kids." Henry was pushing his daughter, Charlie, on the swings. He was looking around for William, probably. His eyes stopped on Mike.
"Are you three okay? Where's your dad?" Henry asked. Charlie stared at Mike, adding to the pressure to answer.
"Busy? I guess?" Mike shrugged. Elizabeth didn't engage with Henry or Charlie, being pushed by their youngest sibling. Henry frowned.
"It's not safe to walk alone at your age. Especially with your younger siblings."
"I manage." Mike stood awkwardly. Henry sighed. He didn't want to push Mike for answers, despite wondering if William really had just forgot to pick them up. Too busy.
"You want a shot on the swings?" Henry asked, pushing Charlie again.
"What?" Mike stepped closer.
"The swings. You want on? I'll push you."
"Uh... I'm... too old for that. It's... girly."
"Girly? Mike, fun isn't girly. You're a kid. The park is like, the best place for you and your siblings." Mike didn't reply back to Henry, just fidgeting and scratching absentmindedly at his arm.
"Mike?" Henry gently pushed.
"Fine."
Mike didn't want Henry to catch on to anything going on. Mike getting beat up at school, William leaving them alone, or the fact that Mike was definitely not capable of looking after his siblings.
Charlie stared at Mike for a while. She wanted to ask, wanted to talk to him, but she ended up staying silent as Henry pushed them on the swings.
Eventually, Elizabeth was throwing another tantrum as their youngest sibling stopped pushing her on the swing. They were clearly tired of pushing.
"Mike!!" Elizabeth screeched. "Come push me!"
Charlie and Henry looked at Mike as he groaned and went to push her. He had no energy, but gave it a shot, just to stop her tantrum.
It only took a few pushes until Mike's chest had a sharp pain run through it. The tape on his chest had become painful, limiting his breathing. The punches he recieved on his chest from kids at school didn't help. He winced in pain and stepped back from the swing.
"Mike!" Elizabeth frowned. "Why'd you stop!" Mike stood up straight, trying to take deep breaths.
"I just... can't be bothered." Mike lied. Henry slowed down pushing Charlie, focusing on Mike. He knew something was wrong. Now, both Henry and Charlie couldn't help snooping in this problem.