Closing Doors (Wilmon AU)

Settling In

Wednesday, November 16th:

The next morning, Wille woke up early and ended up checking his phone. In Instagram, he followed an impulse and found Simon's photos. There were many of him with Sara, and a beautiful older woman who must be their mother. No one who looked like a father though. The other people in the photos must be his friends.

"Oh shit, sorry," August said, opening his door with a bang that startled Wille. "I didn't see anything. I just wanted to check in on you. It's time for practice."

Wille glared at him, and dropped his head down to the bed. What an asshole, barging into his private room like that.

"You can't just lie here jerking off all morning," August continued.

Wille sat up. "I wasn't-"

August grabbed his phone. "Just don't use the school's Wi-Fi for porn surfing. Could be embarrassing."

The phone rang, and August smiled broadly, answering it. "Hey man! What's up?"

Wille could hear Erik's voice, and tried to grab to phone back from August as he slagged his rowing abilities to his brother.

Finally he left, tossing the phone back to Wille.

"August is completely getting in my nerves. Is he always like that?"

Erik chuckled. "Well, yeah, he's a bit intense. But try to understand-"

Wille scoffed, grabbing a glass of water to guzzle it down.

"He's had it rough. That school is his entire life. You know his mom enrolled him there after his dad killed himself."

"What?" Wille stood, going to the window to look out. "I knew he died, but not that he-"

Erik sighed. "You were probably too young to be told the whole story."

Wille saw the rowing team gathering on the lawn. "Shit. I gotta go to practice. I'll call you tonight, OK?"

...

After a long run, they did sit-ups and planking. Wille wanted to go back to bed, sleep a few more hours. He leaned against a tree when the team disbursed.

Again, Simon ended up approaching August when he was away from the others. They talked back and forth, ending with August nodding and seeming to agree with whatever they discussed.

It seemed so strange. What were they talking about? Simon was a first year, August in third, so nothing about schoolwork. Likely not about rowing, or Simon wouldn't try to get him alone.

...

"So, why did August's dad commit suicide?" Wille asked, lying back on his bed.

Erik was in his bedroom as well, in his favourite green flannel pyjamas. He took a sip of whiskey from a cut glass tumbler. He often relaxed in his room that way in the evenings.

Shrugging a shoulder, Erik sighed. "A far too common story. Most people drink a lot or try drugs as teenagers or in their twenties. Most of us grow out of it. But some of us.... We turn to it too often, too much..."

"So, he was an addict? An alcoholic?" Wille had definitely been shielded from any of this before.

Erik nodded, and took a long swallow from his glass, the ice cubes clinking.

It brought up some disturbing thoughts. "So, here, at school, where do students get that stuff? The booze..."

"Why are you asking? Pressure getting too much for you? Dealing with August? You know I could-"