#(again no rush at all! i ADORE your take on w.illiam sm omfg...)

[mute-call]

"You--? S-Sorry, Mr. Afton. I guess I was pretty distracted." He laughs tonelessly, struggling and failing to recall any noise in the background before William had appeared. He believes the other man's account over his own recollection, however; Steven's very good at keeping alert when he picks up night shifts, but this is different. It's easy to get in his own head when there's no threat of danger keeping him grounded in reality.

Except if he's right about William, then who's to say he's not in danger right now? What if his boss had noticed him thinking a little too hard and had decided to make him disappear? A single bullet, a quick slash of a knife... Afton could have done almost anything while Bell had been sitting there, oblivious to the world.

The thought makes Steven freeze, and he masks it with a flat, emotionless smile. If nothing else, at least he's gotten good at burying his true feelings deep beneath this blank veneer.

...a skill William shares, perhaps? No, that can't be it. Afton's too... vulnerable. It's one thing to hide your feelings, and quite another to keep up an entirely different persona day after day. No one's that good of an actor, right?

Maybe Steven's wrong about the man's involvement in these disappearances. God, he hopes so.

Bell laughs again, this time a little more earnestly, and nods without making eye contact. Maybe he's wrong. Maybe he's delusional. Mr. Afton's always been kind to him. Why in the world would someone like that want to hurt anyone?

He stands, ready to trail along after. If only he could be certain.

"How..." he starts, his voice failing him for a moment. "How are you holding up?" Maybe he can gently prod, convince himself one way or another based on William's reactions. Aren't there signs when someone's lying? He's seen something like that on TV. Like in Columbo--as long as he keeps it casual and light, Afton's sure to slip up.

"It must be scary, knowing they haven't caught the guy yet." Far too direct! "Just because it's a lot to manage, m-making sure people still--you must be under a lot of stress."

》 Dull hues and knitted brows begot gentle creases that fit William's caring persona like a glove. Afton had taken special care to enter the room as quietly as possible, deriving sick fascination out of even the most miniscule iota of fear. He knew Steve well enough by this point to recognize his patterns. The man had a tendency to disassociate into a world of his own creation — much like that of the children he had sworn to protect. Perhaps a child-like mind was what drew him to a job this in the first place.

》 What the other thought of, frankly, wasn't of too much interest to William under normal circumstances. However, with the subject of the missing children being whispered in hushed tones, he'd thought it might be best to stay alert regarding what his own employees thought about the matter. It would have been more than wishful thinking to pretend that anyone's mind might wander to a more benign subject after their chatter had silenced. He could feel it, too. A peculiar aura seemed to manifest around the engineer; one brought on by the townspeople themselves. While the jury in the court of public opinion was still out, he needed to maintain all of the hallmarks of an innocent man — especially around his employees.

❝ Everything ok in here, bud? I knocked, but you didn't answer. ❞

》 He had not, in fact, knocked. Adding an element of self-doubt into Steve's daily routine was just what the guard needed to crack. False confessions certainly weren't uncommon in this day and age - who's to say that Steve wouldn't eventually succumb to that fate as well? The pressure felt like it was rising, yet he still maintained a demure demeanor.

❝ You look unwell.... Wanna join me for a smoke? I.... think it might both do us some good to get some fresh air. Well, might not be the freshest after we're done with it, huh? ❞

》 A nervous hint of a laugh graces the surrounding air, followed instantaneously by a fragile smile. His ego held their weight, managing to piece together fragments of himself while the id feigned innocence. Contented with his handiwork, William quietly retired his speech and awaited a response.