But such happiness had grown scare at Will's home. Once he realised pretending to like Sarah had hurt Augustus, he wasn't sure what else to do. And he was getting sick of his parents renewed berating. He eventually went neutral. He wasn't defiant, but he wasn't exactly cooperating with them.
Uncle Deus was visiting one afternoon, so just before dinner, Will was up in his room, grabbing another book about Ancient Greece to discuss later. But his excitement was quickly ruined.
"You mother and I are once again disappointed with your refusals."
Francis's familiar, lecturing tone cut into Will's concentration.
Will stood motionless, staring into his mirror, book in hand. He refused to turn and face him.
"You cannot," Francis lumbered forward as he spoke. "seriously still be humoring these childish fantasies of living any way you want."
With each heavy footstep, Will's resolve to ignore him grew stronger. "Especially without regards to others."
"What would you prefer to do?" Francis asked, staring Will down.
"Ignore your responsibilities, reject your own family" --Will grinded his teeth until his jaw hurt-- "turn your back on society and just...run off with him, indulging your deviances?"
Not facing his father directly somehow made Will bolder.
His voice rose to a light, patronizing tone. "That wouldn't give you any grandchildren, now would it?"
His father's thick hand gripped onto his shoulder, fingers pressing against his collarbone.
He pulled Will around to face him so hard that the rest of his body had to move or he'd lose his balance.
His eyes flashed with an uncontrollable fury Will was so used to by now.
"This is not a game!" he grunted. "We have expectations for you."
Will forcefully yanked his paw off, pushing his father's arm away from his body. He didn't deserve to be lectured like a schoolboy. He was a man, not a child. This was a challenge, not a stern talking-to.
He had to choose his words carefully and be as aggressive as his father was. He glared suspiciously at Francis, sizing him up.
"You told me to 'go off and form my destiny,' and 'lead my own life'. That's exactly what I'm doing. Isn't that what you said?"
"Yes, but I expected you to have at least some morals!" Francis yelled, throwing up his hands. "Do you truly think what you've done is right?!"
"I thought I was a man now!" Will shot back.
"So did I." Francis growled.
He swiftly turned away, stomping his way to the door and slammed it shut behind him.
Will threw his book at the floor, frustrated. He sighed, aggravated.
"Why do I bother." he grunted to himself as he grabbed the book off the floor.
When he leaned back up, he looked out his window. His eyes travelled as thick clouds slowly moved in, darkening the horizon.
~*~
An hour later Augustus, Uncle Deus & Will had settled down in the Music room, quietly discussing the new books they'd been reading after dinner.
It had been a rather tense meal; as Will had spent half the time glaring at his father, who largely ignored him.
Lily was hunched over a nearby desk, covertly working on another round of secret accounting work Mr. Collins had sent her. The evening was slowly fading into twilight. The nearby fireplace had a hearty glow, the flames wrapping their way around a thick log, crackling here and there.
Will and Augustus lounged together on a large rug in the center of the room. Augustus on his back, propped up with with a small pillow, Will's head draped on his shoulder. Uncle Deus sat before them, in a large leather armchair, sipping a glass of red wine.
"So the Ancient Greeks thought us being...together was all right back then?" Augustus asked, toying with a quill pen as he spoke. He stared at it, slowly smoothing out the white, delicate feathers.
"They had a very different view of that, they felt it was natural. They merely saw different kinds of love." he explained, shifting back in his seat and sipping his wine.
"Like the way you love your mother is different than how you love you country. Two boys like you," he shook his head, "that wouldn't bother anyone."
Will's smile faded. With all their studying, he'd actually imagined what a life in Ancient Greece would be like. He knew it was a very strange thing to consider, but it represented a life with so much freedom!
He had pictured being out and about with Augustus in beautiful Mediterranean weather with no insecurity. No one caring if they held hands. No one forcing him to be with Sarah. And instead of just reading these Ancient philosophers, he could live right alongside them! And Augustus would be working with some of the most brilliant minds in medicine in all of history!
It wasn't new for Will to imagine living in a different place to be with Augustus. But he never thought he'd want to live in a different time.
"What happened that people stopped accepting it?" he asked his uncle, disappointed, curling around Augustus.
"For centuries, Greece had the greatest amount of influence in the world. It was one of the largest Empires ever, thanks largely to Alexander the Great. But eventually, they lost power to Rome, who didn't agree with those practices as much. From there, more and more ideas came along, none of them supporting those views. The people who agreed with the Greeks were becoming outnumbered. People shunned their ways, which were viewed as sinful. Among other things, they vilified frequent parties with drinking, polytheism, and had strict rules about your situation. The group of people who objected to their ways got bigger and bigger until it's as it is today. But now, ideas and philosophies from both Ancient Greece and Rome are being studied again."
"Wait...Sarah mentioned something about this!" Will added, now sitting up, as Augustus laid beside him. "She was in Italy for her birthday. She said they were making art like they had back then and studying their writing."
"So...how can we live by their morals in our time?" Augustus furrowed his brow, concentrating as he now sat up. "Under their thumb, no less."
"My best answer is...covertly. And keep studying up. I think you'll appreciate it. Have you gotten far in Symposium yet?"
"We read that passage you said to look for," Will explained, "but that's all so far. We really liked it, though!"
"Well then, did you get...my letter?" he asked quietly.
"Your what?" Will asked, as Augustus shook his head, no.
"My lett--"
They all stopped and looked over when there was a loud knock on the door. Francis swept dramatically into the room, Margaret in tow.
"Will," Uncle Deus leaned over to him, whispering as his parents approached. "I have something very important I need to tell you about my upcoming--"
"And just what are you doing?" Francis demanded, marching towards his brother before he could finish.
Uncle Deus leaned away from Will and stood from where he'd been sitting. He set down his wine, and faced Francis.
Thunder rumbled outside, brewing in the thick clouds Will had seen upstairs. Sensing the seriousness, he and Augustus got to their feet and moved so they weren't between the two, expecting their fight to continue. Francis did not look happy.
"Reading. Is there a problem?" Uncle Deus asked, tilting his head slightly, folding his arms in front of him.
"Speaking of." Francis glared at the young couple, then back at his brother again. "I've read the most fascinating account on your current topic of study. I assume you're here once again to flaunt your nonsense. I highly disapprove of your ethics."
"What do you mean an 'account'?!" he asked, gritting his teeth.
"Oh, they read my journal." Will added bitterly, staring at Francis. His eyes hardened with a cold indifference. "And then lectured me for being a deviant. They've been keeping it from me ever since."
"The--the one I gave you?!" Uncle Deus's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. A flood of disgust formed in his eyes.
"Go on, father." Will looked at him with a satisfied smirk, folding his arms "Tell him."
"You took it from him--"
"We found it; just left out in the open." Margaret corrected, waving her hands dramatically.
Augustus avoided eye contact with anyone. He wriggled uncomfortably. That was his fault.
"And took it upon yourselves to--" he quickly turned back to look at Will and Augustus and then to the adults again in disbelief. "--read it?! When it's not yours?! That's--that's a violation!"
"That's nothing." Will scoffed. "Mother physically attacked both of us."
"There wouldn't be a need for discipline if they didn't do such things in the first place!" Margaret snapped, throwing up her hands. "And you have certainly played your hand in this catastrophe."
She glared at her brother-in-law, looking like a bull snorting its horns. "You're crossing a line, Amadeus."
"Funny." he shot back, a hand on his hip. "I was about to say that to you. You find and tear away something so personal, just to punish him. Then you attack them both?! And I'm the uncivilized one?" he growled, painting at his chest. "I'm the one with questionable ethics?"
"And I'll have you know." he held his head high again, sizing up his brother. "I'm merely trying to help him learn about the world around him. My tutelage was your idea, if you recall. So what about the importance of a good education? Is that suddenly not the case?"
"Oh, we all know you're doing more than that. You've given him this unrealistic perception that he isn't at fault for his behaviour. Instead of using the word of God to guide his morals, you dust off antique theories to justify his transgressions. And now thanks to you, he's spent page after page convinced his deviancy is "love". Completely unacceptable!" he cried, stamping his foot.
"Are your objections really about theology?" Uncle Deus looked like a bird puffing up his feathers when faced with an enemy. "Or are you worried your son might be thinking for himself?"
"How dare you insult my family! We have a dissenter in our midst, and that is not my fault."
More thunder broke through the clouds outside. A dry thunderstorm raged on.
"I have done nothing to Will but tell him the truth about his potential, and help him explore the world around him. Do forgive me if I am not narrow-minded enough for you." he bowed slightly, mocking his brother's smug attitude.
"Your ways are unhealthy, and we will not accept your influence on the children." Francis declared, folding his burly arms tightly across his chest.
Lily looked up from her work and left her seat, determined to join the conversation.
"But father, he's not actually--"
"Lillian, please." he spat, looked down at her. "Men are talking."
At this, Augustus promptly glared at Francis from behind Uncle Deus.
"And having him study all these 'classic thinkers'." he snarled as he grabbed Will's book from a nearby table, waving it around.
"You know what kinds of debauchery they promoted; much of it is unspeakable! That is not civilized and it is not to be emulated in our modern era!"
"So they had their virtues and vices. Everyone does! Is the King a shining beacon of morality?" Uncle Deus asked, raising his eyebrows. There was no way they'd say he was.
"You've taught him to respect a society full of Pagans. How admirable." Margaret coolly snipped.
"As though that's their only trait. Of course." he bit sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Why value a culture that gave us Hippocratic oaths and trial by jury?"
"I know what this is about: me." Francis theorized, eyes burning with an enraged flash. "You're doing this to me. You want to ruin our business. You're swaying him into some other life so he'll reject our concerns and devastate the whole thing."
"And why would I do that, exactly? So you'll have something else to complain about?"
"You don't care about the business at all! You've told me on numerous occasions you only joined in to please Mother." Francis insisted, glaring.
"Don't bring Mother into this. We're not talking about us, we're talking about him." he replied, gesturing to Will who remained helpless in their back and forth.
"You're taking him away from us. He needs to be here."
"Because I've been enjoying it ever so much." Will said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"You ungrateful--" Francis dashed towards Will, furious and ready to strike him.
Uncle Deus quickly stepped between them. "Get away from my Godson!"
Margaret went too far: "You can't take our child! Just because you and Emily never had one doesn't mean--"
"Don't you dare mention her!" he yelled, seething. "I've done nothing wrong, and neither has he!"
"So you think what he's done is appropriate?!" Margaret shrieked in disgust.
"I think it's up to speculation. And I know it's not your decision." he folded his arms.
"You can't just come in here and tell him how to live his life!" she raged.
"But why? Because you're already doing so?" his words cut through the air like shards of ice. "You're forcing him into your way of life before he gets a single second to think for himself, and he's miserable!" he passionately cried. "At least I love him. You clearly don't."
"Oh, you're so much better than us, aren't you?" Margaret snapped, hands squarely on her hips. "So arrogant, coming in here, spouting off ideas about how we all desperately need radical change. You and your Godless philosophers, wasting precious time and money on hare-brained projects you call research! Going on about how wrong everyone else is when you refuse to acknowledge your own moral failings!"
"Moral failings?" he cried, agape at Margaret. "Compassion is not a moral failing. Acceptance of others is not a moral failing, nor is a genuine interest in the intricate design of the universe! A moral failing would be things like hatred, greed, violence, using your own children--"
"Be that way." Margaret coldly insisted. "Leave."
Tension outside broke as thunder crackled and lightning struck. The windows rattled, the sound filling the room.
"With utmost pleasure." he mockingly bowed again and turned away. Uncle Deus sounded typically exuberant, but uncharacteristically bitter.
"Of course," he added, turning back "if anyone would like to join me-"
"No!" Margaret cried, snatching Will's shoulder when he tried to run past her.
With that, he turned and left everyone else behind.
Lily dashed to the living room door, shocked: he was actually leaving?! "No! Uncle, please, I--" He shook his head. No, he had to leave.
"I still--" Uncle Deus's voice was weakened as he nearly wept in the hallway, looking back at his niece, nephew, even Augustus. "I still love you."
Lily watched him leave, and turned around. Her face shone with bitter tears, angrily gleaming as she stomped back to face her parents.
She grabbed the drink Uncle Deus had left behind and guzzled down the dark, bitter liquid.
She threw the cup down, broken glass scattering everywhere. She slowly stepped through the mess, and her eyes never left her parents. The wine burned in her throat as the broken glass crunched under her new heeled shoes. She was almost her mother's height in them. She felt powerful as she approached them, fury bursting through her chest.
"I hate you! Both of you!"
~*~
That night, things went from bad to worse when Margaret went back to covertly pulling the strings to create her preferred outcome. With Uncle Deus out of their lives for now, she was determined to maintain an unseen upper hand.
"Care to play?" Francis asked Augustus, gesturing to the nearby Chess board. Every so often they'd played, and Margaret had suggested he ask to play again that night in order to "smooth things over", but this actually meant "keep an eye on Augustus, and try to get pertinent information out of him."
Augustus looked up from a book he'd been perusing and thought. It seemed a little odd he'd suggest it now, but this could be a chance to get inside Francis's head. He had things he wanted to say to him. This might be a way to do so indirectly.
As the game went on, resentment took hold for both of them. Augustus was fed up with the abuse, and Francis wasn't being very strategic, either in Margaret's aims or the game itself. He was too disgusted.
"Your manipulation in the name of success is unmatched." Augustus couldn't help but comment.
"Excuse me?" he looked up with a questioning glare.
"Your pawns. They're all over the board."
He said nothing, and grunted in annoyance.
"Well," Francis began three turns later, "I cannot for the life of me figure out why you always have to be so...different." he complained, frowning in disapproval.
"I'm sorry?" Augustus looked up with a questioning glare.
"Every time we play, you move your pieces in a different order. No rhyme or reason to it."
"Do you fear change?"
"What?"
"Change in our game. You do it the same way almost every time. Become too predictable, and you lose. Check."
"Things are as they are for a reason." he made his final move.
"Yes, but keeping it the same for the sake of 'keeping it the same' eventually stops working." Augustus made his winning move. "Check mate."
Augustus went too far and said with hubris: "Hate losing control, don't you?"
"That's it." Francis growled, and they both abruptly stood, their faces angled closely together in an aggressive, competitive manner. "We both know what this is about. I'm supposed to look the other way and ignore everything while you continually defile my son."
"Seems like I love him more than you do." his tone unfortunately was still too smug, but this time it was driven by passion, not pride.
This turned the tide. With one sweeping motion, Francis shoved the board aside, and the pieces shot everywhere, crashing on the floor.
He leaned in uncomfortably close to Augustus, with their foreheads almost touching. He gritted through his teeth with resentment and condescension: "You're nothing but a poor ingrate who's turned my only son into a...bugger."
His wife, who was sewing only a few feet away, gasped in shock and looked up, appalled at her husband. Her plan had gone horribly awry:
"Street language?!" Vulgar phrases and emotional outbursts were not what she wanted.
At this, Augustus was uncharacteristically aggressive: "You're nothing but a spiteful brute, you git!"
Before anyone knew what to do about this outrage, Augustus punched Francis sharply, right in the face.
The room was shocked. Augustus had never displayed a single violent tendency with them before this moment.
He'd gotten into a few scrapes before, fighting people off in the city, but this was months of unfiltered, pent-up resentment boiling over.
Francis stumbled backwards at this blow and almost fell to the floor, blood gushing through his hands.
"You insolent prat!" he yowled, blood sputtering from his angry lips.
Augustus wasn't done. Will saw this and ran between the two, pushing Augustus back as he reached to hit Francis again and yelled at him:
"I'm not done! You pathetic--"
Will pushed him back at his chest and pleaded to calm him down: "Alright, alright, one's enough, one's enough. C'mon, let's get you outside before my father kills you."
He struggled as he practically dragged Augustus away, who was still fuming as he yelled and reached to hit him several more times.
Francis shot a furious glare at them as they left, his nose still bleeding heavily. "You stupid, ignorant child! You have just made a grave mistake. I will not be forgetting this!" he sharply hollered, blood trickling down his face.
His wife glared at them in kind, then knelt down to attend to her husband.
After he'd been dragged through the living room away from Francis, Augustus turned and rushed outside, nearly crying. Will naturally followed him.
"What happened?" Will asked, still shocked.
"We-we were playing chess; don't even know why we bothered. I was so mad at him! He's horrible to you; he made Uncle Deus leave...how can you stand it." he grumbled, pacing furiously as thunder cracked again. "How can you let him treat you like that?!"
"I...I guess I'm used to him being unreasonable." Will said, shrugging.
"'Unreasonable'?!" Augustus's jaw dropped. "Will this is much worse. He's--he's abusive, you must know that!"
"Yes, but I have no defense against it. I can't even protect my mother because she thinks she always has to agree with him. What can I do? I hate watching him mistreat her, and Lily, and you, but I'm just...weak." he shook his head.
"You're not weak. He just has an unfair advantage."
"Well, then how can I help?" Augustus asked earnestly.
"Don't apologise for it." Will said with a smile. "He earned that one."
"And... Just love me. That's been one of the only things that's kept me from going completely mad." he approached Augustus and kissed him gently.
Inside, Margaret was still tending to Francis. She'd applied pressure to staunch the bleeding and gently wiped the rest of the blood from his face, carefully observing his nose to make sure none of the bones were broken.
"It doesn't seem to need repair, nothing looks broken. Here." she handed him a shallow glass of Scotch. "For the pain."
He took a long sip and spoke again. "We have to do something, Margaret." He said, voice drawling from the liquor in the back of his throat. "My brother might be gone, but that little street urchin has the lion's share of blame. It's only fair. We must devise a befitting punishment."
Margaret looked over when she heard Will and Augustus re-enter, seeming neither dejected or powerless. They appeared to have an air of confidence, which sparked her desire to regain control over them.
"How does the saying go? Ah yes." she stared at the boys as they walked off. "You've made your bed, now lie in it."
~*~
Later that night, Will fell asleep, and had an unnerving dream.
He found himself standing in the living room, anxiously facing Augustus and his parents on the other end of the room.
Augustus stood in one corner, Francis and Margaret in the other.
"You have a choice to make. Us or him."
Will's instinct was to be with Augustus. But why would they do this?
He looked at his parents and saw nothing he wanted or needed. He only saw rules, 'obligations' and willful ignorance. Their eyes were empty and cold.
Then he looked at Augustus and felt like the sun was rising before him. He felt warmth, happiness and freedom.
You don't deserve my love anymore!" he confidently yelled at his parents. "You'll only love me if I change!"
"You're making a mistake." Francis warned as Will proudly crossed the room to join Augustus.
"I don't care!" he reached Augustus and kissed him happily.
They pulled apart. Will looked to his mother when she spoke:
"You don't understand...." She said with an ominous drawl, slowly shaking her head as a dire look on her face filled his view. "If you keep speaking in each other's defense, you'll both be gone for good."
Gone for good.
Will awoke with a howl, disturbed by his mother's cryptic threats. He was panting and dizzy; alone and miserable.
He shoved his blankets away and burst into the guest bedroom, not even caring if he woke anyone else up. He darted to the guest bed and clung to Augustus, shaking with fear.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Augustus mumbled, turning over.
"I had an awful dream." he whimpered, still panting. "My parents made me choose between them and you. When I picked you, they said if we ever defended each other, we'd be 'gone for good'. I don't even know what that means!"
"It's all right." he soothed, stroking his face gently.
"It's only a dream. It doesn't have to mean anything."
Will said nothing more, but refused to leave Augustus. He didn't care who found him there; he was tired of being alone.
He just hoped Augustus was right.