Chapter Text
It's been about a week since then and William is finally free. Henry picked him up from the hospital with the kids. He was so excited to see his kids, you would have thought they had died. He got to their level and brought the three young kids (Charlie, Elizabeth and CC) into his arms in an overdue hug.
He needed a shower, everyone knew that. It was probably an over-exaggeration when Elizabeth said someone could smell him from a mile away, or when Michael told him that his ancestors from medieval Britain probably bathed more than him. It was clear at this point.
"Kids I'm going to shower. Henry might be here soon, so let him in when he does," William said from the bathroom door. He was swiftly met with a finally from one of his children.
He stepped inside and locked the door behind him. He walked over to the bathtub and decided he would treat himself to a bath instead of a shower today, his little reward for not dying during the springlock failure. He twisted the valve and began to strip. He was only in his boxers when he looked into his full-body mirror. He stood straight in front of it. He saw the angry scars of his self performed, botched mastectomy on his now exposed tits and his newer self-harm scars from when he was served with divorce papers from his abusive ex. Then those scars. The ones from the springlock failure. They were a light red now but they were all over his body.
His arms.
His legs.
His neck.
Under his eyes.
His mouth was torn the fuck open.
And his chest and stomach.
It left a disgusting, ugly pattern that was forever embedded in his skin.
If William didn't hate his body before, he definitely hated it now.
It felt even worst now. Henry would be coming soon and he would want to see him. probably would want to get in with him too.
William didn't want Henry to see his body. He didn't want anyone to.
The ugliness of the scars made Will think about his figure.
He was way too skinny to pass as a man.
He had feminine hips and soft thighs.
His chest was a large problem. It was ugly from when he took a knife to it when he was twenty. Ten years later and he was still paying the price for it.
His private place was an issue too.
He HATED it.
He wanted gone. Or he didn't want it to make him female.
All he felt was hatred towards it.
No wonder e was a masochist.
Enjoying the punishment of his brittle body for not being good enough for him, for anyone.
The mirror taunted him for his insecurities.
He was about to punch the bastard mirror when he heard a knock at the bathroom door.
"Will, it's Henry. Can I come in?" The man on the other side of the door said.
"No. I don't want you to see me." William yelled through the door, running over to the tub to turn off the water and running back to the door.
"How come Will?" Henry asked through the door.
"Cos I'm fucking ugly and if you see me you won't want me anymore." William cried out, grabbing at his hair out of stress.
"I can be the judge of that." Henry countered, William finally unlocked the door.
Henry opens it and sees William with a towel covering his torso and thighs.
"What up, Hun?" Henry asked sincerely. William doesn't answer. Instead, he wraps his arms around Henry's neck and slinked his legs around his waist, dropping the towel in the process.
"Oh. It fuck you up badly didn't it,"
William only nods. Henry places his hand on Will's cheek. Will didn't realise he was crying until Henry wiped tears away from his eyes.
"I get it. Having an unfit body is hard. Especially for you. To me, you're beautiful, sexy even. Others may disagree but their opinions don't matter." Henry rants with a soft smile. William looks at Henry with sorrow.
He didn't feel beautiful or sexy.
"I get that you just want to stay in your Springlock suit because Spring-bonnie is male but that isn't healthy."
"I know," William said softly.
How about we go in together? Nothing sexual just me and you together in a bath. Get you all clean." Henry offered.
"Yeah. I want that." William said, unlatching himself from Henry and standing in front of him.
"Can I keep these on?" William asked, slightly pulling against the waistband of his boxers.
"Of course Will. I'll keep mine on too."
Henry stripped to his boxers and both of them got in.
William didn't feel much better with Henry with him. It was more of a distraction. He couldn't hate himself while he was loving Henry.
"The springlocking didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. It was mainly the shock that made me react like that." William said quietly but loud enough for Henry to hear.
"You seem to take pain well so no wonder," Henry responded, hugging Will from his waist.
"Believe me I hurt like a bitch, but not the worst thing I've felt."
"Done springlock yourself again, please."
"That won't happen again.