s e v e n t e e n
"Brutum fulmen." - Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder

THESE STRINGS

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It turns out, studying every once in awhile, actually payed off sometimes. That was the thought running through William's mind. He passed his physics exam, just barely, but passed all the same.

He would be going on the physics field trip, a trip past students had gone on every year-it was a tradition, if you will-the next day to the London Science Museum. William was excited, though not because he would be getting the chance to learn more. No, definitely not that.

He was excited because he would be skipping the rest of his classes.

This had been the only good news he'd received yesterday. No mention of Mary, no letter. Lucien had also been ignoring him-avoiding him, really.

William had been strolling the halls yesterday, mindlessly walking out of boredom during one of his classes when he saw Lucien at the end of the hallway, hastily scribbling on a sheet of paper. As soon as he had noticed William, he backtracked immediately, turning the corner.

William hadn't bothered chasing after him.

Currently, he was standing in a cluttered hallway, Ashton, Henry, and Elijah right by his side, as they all waited for the coach bus to arrive. It was an hour long drive to the London Science Museum.

"You assume they'll sort us into groups?" Elijah asked, eyes scanning the cluttered foyer.

"Most likely," Ashton muttered, tiredly rubbing his eyes-it was still fairly early in the morning. "Thompson'll probably split us all apart, that bastard."

Henry sighed, then murmured a sarcastic,"How lovely."

William watched as his eyes traveled across the large room, sweeping through the clump of people waiting. He followed Henry's gaze. There, in the corner, sitting on a lone sofa, sat Roy. His eyes were closed, legs crossed.

He wondered why Henry was looking at him, but the idea soon became lost in his ever moving thoughts. They were finally piling people into the buses.

The two physics classes Professor Thompson taught were fairly large, so two coach buses were rented for their excursion to the museum. They filled up rather quickly, students rushing towards the back. William didn't think there would be enough room for the four of them to fit into the bus.

And, with just his luck, Professor Thompson stuck out his arm just as William was about to climb the stairs. "The coach is full, Mr. Brown. I'm afraid you'll have to ride in the other one."

"There's an open seat right there."

"It's reserved."

William resisted the urge to scoff or say something he'd regret, so he bit his tongue. "Very well."

Professor Thompson offered him a smile William knew was not sincere in the slightest. Although he'd never really given him a reason to like him, William thought he might at least sit on the bus with his mates before they were inevitably split up.

He stepped away, lips pulled into a taut line as the bus doors shut. A cool breeze whirled through the air at that moment, ruffling his ink black hair and whipping his long, dark jacket behind him rather dramatically. He pulled his jacket closer to his body, thankful he hadn't left his room solely in a thin jumper.

"Been kicked to this bus, Mr. Brown?" Professor Kim, head of the science department, asked as William neared the doors of the second bus. She offered him a small smile. "Separated from your friends, too?"

"I'm afraid so," William said, his tone light. "It appears someone failed to mention one of the seats were reserved."

She was still smiling as she motioned for him to enter the bus. William climbed the few steps, ducking his head down.

There was a single open seat left in the front, so it wasn't exactly difficult to find. The only problem though, was that the seat next to his was occupied as well.

As William slid into the seat next to the golden haired boy, he watched to see his reaction. Lucien did not even look his way, though William was sure he must've heard his voice as he was talking with Professor Kim.

Lucien's head was turned away, eyes peeled to the foggy window, hands resting in his lap unmoving. He seemed frozen in place.

William didn't bother speaking. He let memory bite into his mind. Lips inches away. Thighs pressed against one another. Late at night, alone in his room. Lucien's eyes fluttering shut. The two of them slightly leaning in. Then, of course, Ashton's interruption.

The old engine roaring to life brought him back to reality. Laughter split the air, hums of conversation starting up as the wheels slowly started rolling against the pavement. Just a few seconds later, when they reached the main road, rain started to beat down on the roof, raindrops racing down the windows. Inside, everyone was a mixture of cozy and bored.

Well, everyone void for Lucien.

He seemed as stiff as ever. Still, William ignored it, eyeing the road through the windshield as time wove on. About ten minutes into the trip, the conversations died down, everyone's tiredness taking over as the bus slightly rocked everyone side to side.

Outside, cars drove by, puddles growing and wind picking up. It was oddly comforting-the storm, that is. It was also then, that William heard his voice.

"Your shoe is untied."

What a lovely start to a conversation, he thought. Then, William's head swiveled to face Lucien, who was currently looking at him expectantly. "Is it?"

"If you'd simply look-"

"You disappeared fairly quickly the other day," William said, cutting straight to the point.

A flash of lightning. "I didn't want to intrude."

"You weren't-"

"Yes, well, I wanted to leave, Brown," Lucien snapped, tone ice cold, as he turned away to face the window once again. "Your shoe's still untied by the way."

Annoyance flashed through William. Again, he didn't respond. Instead, he leaned into the back of his seat, crossed his legs and closed his eyes without tying his shoe.

Yes, Lucien was still somewhat of a prat. At least that hadn't changed.

---

Lucien hated himself for what he was doing. He knew he was being childish, ignoring and avoiding William for the past day or two and being noticeably rude to him. Still, he didn't know if he were willing to risk everything for him. Because he would, in fact, be risking everything if he were caught.

His father would throw him out to the streets, without a doubt. Lucien knew that.

Alas, there was still that part of him-the part that yearned for William and the part that would sometimes think, "To hell with it. Who fucking cares anymore?"

Lucien Harding was on the edge of breaking. He just didn't know which way he'd fall, which side of him would split off.

"Your groups are written on this sheet of paper," Professor Kim explained as the bus rolled to a stop in front of the museum, where they'd pile out. "Pass it around, quickly boys."

She handed William the sheet of paper first, as he had the aisle seat and was closest to the front. Lucien peaked over the side of his shoulder, leaning slightly closer.

His eyes scanned the list for his name first:

Group 3-Lucien Harding, Henry Clover, Jack Lipton, and Joseph Sparcino

He let out a sigh of relief, yet still... he hadn't really cared that much. A part of him wanted to be in William's group.

Group 7-Owen Smith, William Brown, Cyrus Kellen, and Roy Lang.

Two troublemakers and two prefects in group seven. Lucien took the sheet from William, pretended to read it-he already had over his shoulder-before handing it to the row behind him.

The sheet of paper was eagerly passed from hand to hand, as most were avidly waiting to see what group they were put in. Disappointed sighs and loud praising screams flooded the bus, yet with a single raised hand from Professor Kim, silence ensued.

"We will not be running towards the building. If you failed to bring an umbrella, share with your friends or suffer accordingly." She grabbed her own umbrella, ready to open it as soon as she would step off the platform stairs. "No talking once we step foot into the building. Form a line to enter, then split off accordingly. Straying from your group will be worthy of detention."

Lucien reached for the umbrella he'd brought, fingers curling around the handle. Luckily, he'd had an inkling that it might storm this morning after taking a look at the grey sky.

"Off we go, boys."

William stood, slid off his seat and made his way towards the now open door, the rain relentlessly pouring down. Lucien did the same.

He followed after William, though once he stepped out of the bus, rain pattered down onto his hair and clothes before his umbrella could open in time. Once it did, the sound of the rain seemed to intensify, each drop a clear beat upon the black fabric. Water splashed onto his shoes as he walked against the pavement.

"Care to share, Lucy?"

Lucien's eyes flitted toward William's. He stood there, infamous, crooked grin on display, lips turned slightly upwards in a teasing manner. His raven colored hair was flattened by the rain as it kissed the bare,
open spots of his skin.

He thought he should decline him-it was what was expected of him. He should have more strength to resist something so simple, yet. . .

"Lucy?" Lucien questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Is that a yes?"

Lucien let out a sigh, yet lifted the umbrella slightly as his answer.

William slid underneath the protection of the umbrella immediately, his shoulder brushing against his slightly. Just that sliver of touch-a brush of shoulders-ignited a spark, a fire, inside.

"Do you like the rain, Lucien?"

Lucien did. "Why does it matter, William?"

He shrugged, then turned his head slightly to face him as they walked towards the Museum. "Because," he said.

"Because," Lucien repeated.

"Because I want to know what you love, Lucien. I want to know you, if you'll let me."

Again, this conversation. "You know I can't."

"But you can." William looked away, gazing keenly into the distance. Drops of rain cascaded from the umbrella rim in a shower of water. "It's your life, not your father's."

Lucien knew that. He knew that this life he called his own shouldn't be controlled by anyone else but himself, yet there were strings. The string connecting him to family, to love, to his interests. It seemed each pulled him into a different direction, yet everyone expected something different of him.

His father. His teachers.

His future depended on it.

"You can't live your life with fear pushing you down every second of the day," William said, then paused, his voice lowering, turning softer. "What are you so afraid of?"

Rejection, Lucien thought idly. Abandonment. Though he remained silent, staring William in the eye.

"What are you so afraid of?" he repeated, eyes staring into what felt like Lucien's soul.

Could he say? Could he risk exposing himself? Would he risk losing everything? Was what he had really, truly worth anything, anyways?

Lucien knew. He knew the one person that could be worth something to him was standing directly in front of him.

He knew, yet. . . his voice remained silent. The lump in his throat grew. Those strings tightened.

"You are not my son. You are not a man. You are a monster."

He knew what his father thought of him, but his mother? His sister? What would they say? Did they already know that Lucien was gay?

In that moment, Lucien simply wished the world would be more accepting.

"Everything," he ended up saying, just as they reached the doors, closing his umbrella.

As Lucien stepped through the doorway, he heard William's voice from behind him. "I'll wait."

"You shouldn't."

"But I will."

In that moment, the strings to Lucien's heart pulled tight.

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an // hehe, catch Lucien's new nickname? credit to @ABigPJFan for the idea ;) and to @ziero_ , @DTfictions , & @whatusernamewedkher for fighting for its use as well lol

hope you guys liked this one!!! hopefully i'll update soon!!