Book I: Burnt Bliss [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 35: Silver Linings

Will and Augustus had been walking for hours. It was past midnight by the time they got far enough into London to start making a plan for their escape.

"I say we leave tonight. What do you think?" Will asked.

"Leaving tonight makes sense; no one would think to look for us now. We have a long way to go. Did Uncle Deus say where he was going?"

"Not entirely" Will replied, pulling the letter from his pocket. "He has this agenda and I'm not sure where he is now, of course." He unfolded the note to show the map to Augustus. "We should just go the path and stop at each place. If he's not there, at least we're further away. He's bound to catch up or meet us there. We'll just keep asking if anyone's seen him."

"Alright, that's a start." Augustus confidently agreed.

"I don't know where my parents are staying right now, so I decided I'll leave this with a friend. I wrote a note to ask him to give it to them and he lives here...this is it." Augustus retrieved the note, but then paused. He loved his family. They loved him in spite of his so-called sins.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this." Augustus said, pangs of guilt suddenly overtaking him. "My family cares about us. I bet they'd help us."

"I know you're scared. I know you hate leaving them." Will softly said, squeezing Augustus's hand. "But if you stay, you'll eventually be found, and they'll be charged too. We'll still keep word with them. This is the only chance we have to stay together. That's...what you want, right?"

Will frowned as he saw concern stretch across Augustus's face. Was he asking too much of him?

"I want to be with you." Augustus finally said. "We've already been through this much, why stop now? You're worth it. You're worth all of this." He added with a smile. "I don't care what we go through, because we'll face it together." He paused and gathered his courage again.

"So be it!"

Augustus beamed in triumph, placing his note on the step, partway under the front door. "I'll stay in contact with them. That's what matters."

"Now," he said with a knowing smile. "You think you're ready?"

"Long as I'm with you," Will gripped his hand tightly for a moment.

"Is there anything else you want to do before we leave?" Augustus asked, scanning the London skyline as they walked along. "I don't imagine we'll come back; maybe...ever."

The couple stopped for a quiet moment. Augustus's usually pretty eyes looked solemn as he observed his surroundings, quietly drinking in years of memories.

"Do you remember playing on the docks?"

"Of course I do." Will gently replied.

"Everything was easier then," Augustus sighed.

"It was, we were children...playing games with our sisters....our fathers actually got along..."

"I wish we had time to go there now, but I'm nervous we could be recognised. I saw someone patrolling the other night. I slept there."

"Why?" Will asked, a bit puzzled.

"If it was going to be my last night, I wanted to remember something that made me happy." Augustus said wistfully.

Will wanted to hold him forever; make certain he'd never be in danger like that ever again.

"Well, it wasn't your last night." Will said triumphantly. "And we're going to have so many more happy memories now."

Augustus nodded in reply. Yes, this was home. But he had to leave to make a new life. Maybe this wasn't abandonment. Maybe this was moving forward.

"Well, there is one more thing I want to do before we go." Will replied. They slowed down to a stop.

Will faced Augustus directly and slid a hand around his waist, pulling him closer. "Do you realise," he demurely asked, "that I've never kissed you out in public before?"

"No." Augustus immediately replied.

"Good." Will whispered with a coy flutter, eyes half-closed. "Then you'll remember this."

He pulled Augustus forward as their lips met: sweet, tender, and out in the open! Will threw his arms around the boy he loved. He didn't want this feeling to end.

They pulled apart at last.

"Sure you want to do this, right?" Will asked, a hand still on his waist.

Augustus just smiled happily at him.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Augustus looked into his beautiful face, the one he'd known for so many years. The eyes he'd get lost in, the lips he'd kissed so many times...

Will swallowed, still nervous. Maybe their plan to escape would work, and maybe it wouldn't. Maybe they'd be found and dragged back to court. Maybe Uncle Deus was too far away and they wouldn't find him for weeks.

But he knew he'd rather take that chance and spend their lives together, no matter what happened.

As Will pondered, Augustus pulled him in for another kiss.

"I couldn't wait;" he begged, voice full of longing. They were about to kiss again--

Broken glass shot through the air, landing at their feet. The boys immediately parted and looked about. Had someone seen them? Was there a fight at one of the ale houses?

Augustus saw the building on their left had billows of dark smoke swelling into the sky through a broken window.

"Oh, my God, that's the bakeshop! There's a fire! What do we do?"

"Is there any way we can help? We--we don't have anything..." Will looked around and felt stranded. What if there were children inside? Did the inhabitants know? Were they even awake?

As he looked around, he noticed other people had started to peer through their windows and a few even came to their front doors. What if someone recognised them from the trial?

"Someone might see us! We have to go now!"

Will grabbed Augustus's hand. He could barely see through the smoke, but he could still make out a growing crowd. His heart pounded.

The boys rushed forward despite billows of thick, black smoke obscuring their view. Broken glass crunched under their feet as they ran, holding hands so as to not lose one another.

Flames roared just behind as the fire easily consumed the bakeshop. Will and Augustus burst through the mob of panicked onlookers, desperate to strike out on their own.

The Universe saw this, and a light shone down from high above the fray, cutting through the smoke and chaos. The moonlight illuminated the path before them, guiding their way towards freedom.

End of Book One.