SILAS, saltburn

iv. FELIX'S SAVIOR

CHAPTER FOUR
felix's savior

SILAS KNEW WHO HE WAS FROM A VERY EARLY AGE. Silas Maximilian Montague had realized he was gay ever since he watched "Dead Poets Society" with his brother for the first time at the age of eleven. It happened when his brother kept ranting on how hot the girl named Chris, complaining she didn't have enough screen time.

But what was Silas looking at?

Silas was practically drooling over Charlie Dalton and Knox Overstreet. Every time they appeared on screen, he could feel heat creeping to his neck and ears and this tingly feeling in... certain parts of his body.

The second time he confirmed it was during the summer of '99 in Saltburn with his family. Silas and his four-year-older brother, Silvan, had known the Cattons since they were in diapers and practically watched each other grow.

However, the summer of '99 was different for Silas. He liked to call it 'the summer Silas Montague discovered his love for men and pricks.' Since that winter, Felix had started to exercise and became quite muscular. Silas couldn't avert his eyes from him every time they spent time in the pond.

One thing led to another, and Felix became Silas' first kiss with a boy. His first kiss overall had been with Venetia when she was thirteen and he was twelve — safe to say, he didn't like it.

But with Felix, one afternoon, the two Montagues and the two Cattons, plus Farleigh, were playing hide and seek in the maze. Silvan was the seeker, and Silas and Felix ended up in the middle of it. Although Silas was taller than Felix at the time, it was the brunette who locked his hands around the blonde's neck and initiated their first kiss under the Minotaur.

"Oh! There he is! Ollie! Oliver! Oliver, come here, mate!" Felix's voice snapped him out of his daydream, and he was back in the king's arms, sitting beside Felix and Farleigh to his left. Silas stole Farleigh's lit fag, took a drag, and blew the smoke in his face. "Come here!"

The boy named Oliver, Felix's savior, awkwardly walked to their group. "Hiya, mate!"

"Hi," he replied, hands buried in his pockets.

"This is my hero, right here. I was just telling everyone how you saved my arse yesterday," Felix said, taking a drag from his fag.

"So cute!" Annabelle and India exclaimed simultaneously. Silas just looked at them oddly, downing his beer.

"Hey, take a seat! I owe you a drink!" Felix exclaimed. Silas glanced briefly at Farleigh, who discreetly scoffed. Silas stole his halfway done fag, took a drag, and blew the smoke in his face. "Or sorry...are you with friends?"

"Oliver glanced back behind him. Silas tried to see who he was looking at and saw a blonde, nerdy-looking boy with glasses who seemed to be waving at 'Ollie,' but he ignored him.

He looked behind him. "No, they just left."

Silas raised his brows in amusement, returned Farleigh his fag, ran a hand through his hair, and looked at the new addition to the group. Oliver sat down next to Harry, who was on Farleigh's left, so the so-called Oliver was in front of Silas.

"So, erm, what college are you in, mate?" Harry asked.

He propped his elbows on the table, glancing back once again but then looking at Harry. "Yours."

"Oh, right!" Harry exclaimed, clueless. "And, er, what are you studying?"

He glanced at Silas and Felix a few times before answering.

"Shots! Shots! Shots!" Silas downed another shot and slammed it on the wooden surface. There were empty glasses all over the sticky table, and everyone was hammered.

His cheeks and chest were flushed, and his hair was messy. He had a permanent grin on his face, and Farleigh's arm draped over the back of his chair on his shoulders. As their stomachs filled with alcohol, Felix's new friend couldn't seem to find anything better to look at than Silas and that's why every five minutes Farleigh leaned a millimeter closer to him. The Montague boy was completely oblivious, laughing at Felix's jokes.

"Wait, wait, wait! Jägerbombs!" Farleigh exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, jägerbombs!" Silas seconded, and the table whooped.

"I..." Oliver stuttered.

"It's your round, man," Farleigh continued, and Silas nodded.

"It is actually," Silas commented, joking. "I paid three rounds in a row." He raised three fingers at Oliver.

Oliver looked at Silas with a sweaty face and a nervous expression. "I should go to bed," he said in a queasy tone.

"No, no, no, no. You can't snake out of your round," Farleigh pressed him. Silas, if sober, would've smacked him, but he was too drunk to read Oliver's awkwardness, especially when Farleigh's hand changed place from shoulders and was now caressing his inner thigh under the table.

"I'm not..." Oliver stammered.

"It looks like you are," the curly-haired boy said, eyes narrowed, and the table booed except Felix.

There was a silence, and Silas choked when Farleigh's hand abandoned its place below the table. "Okay, okay," Oliver said finally after a while. He managed to get to his feet and headed for the bar.

"Farleigh," Felix spat at him after Oliver was out of earshot.

"What?"

"Just cut him a break, mate," Felix said, eyeing him reprovingly.

"What?" Farleigh repeated, playing dumb. Silas took another drag from his fag and threw his head back while closing his eyes briefly, feeling the chair's back digging against the nape of his neck.

"Pub rules, Felix."

"I could pay it, I don't care," Silas finally processed the words thrown because of Oliver. With his free hand, he started to retrieve his wallet from between his legs on the chair. Even if the Oliver guy didn't sit completely right with him or maybe he was fucking hammered.

"No, no, no," Farleigh pushed his hand down, and Silas looked at him in confusion. "He's the one to pay."

"Well, I don't care," he got back into his previous position, fag between his lips.

He could just hear Felix standing up, and with half-closed eyelids, he saw the smoke swirling upwards.

note
i survived my first week of architecture.
this chapter is not as long as the other ones i think but i wanted to update! i feel this is just filler (i hate everything i write😻) and i can't wait for the to get to saltburn omg

also, thank u so much for 2,2k reads like??? that's fucking insane, also thanks thanks for the votes <333