The House Master

I Believe You

This chapter is mostly filler - fluff and angst - you may skip.

The next day, Adrian doesn't want to get ready and go to school. But Vincent - and mostly Diedrich - insist upon it. Vincent doesn't have any classes with Adrian at the beginning of the day, but they do meet at break.

"Do you seek truth, Adrian?" Vincent asks.

"I prefer to admire from the sidelines," He turns to grin at Vincent. "It's more fun that way,"

"I have to disagree. You're too passive," Vincent shakes his head. "You watch the world pass by and take no action. Doesn't that feel shitty?"

"You clearly haven't been about to learn enough about me, but you're trying," Adrian chuckles and stubs out his cigarette. "I don't want to look for answers, I'm content without them,"

"Then why do you question me?"

Adrian pauses for a moment, feeling like he's duped himself. He's perfectly aware that the mind can have two contrasting ideas, but explaining that sounds like a cop out - the confession of cognitive dissonance. "Do you ever want to try dating again?"

Vincent smirks and stands up, wandering a few feet away from Adrian. He turns back, looking over his shoulder, his body streamlined so elegantly. "Now who's looking for truth?"

Adrian looks away angrily. "It's not that deep,"

He stands up too, tearing his eyes from Vincent and focusing on the blank wall. It isn't enough to cool the heat he feels in the most inconvenient place. "What class is next? Biology? Let's go,"

Vincent laughs at the feeble attempt to dodge the question but follows Adrian anyway, acting on impulse of desire to be close to him.

The taller boy saunters back into school. Vincent watches him walk, watches his legs.

Biology is uneventful.

*

They sit at their usual table in the cafeteria, Diedrich eating in during silence while Adrian and Grell talk and laugh like children. Vincent simply watches, observing Adrian's mannerisms, his behaviours, looking for indication of something. He watches Diedrich too, flattening his hair with his hands, ensuring he looks perfectly presentable since he refused to share Adrian's hairbrush with Adrian and Vincent.

Vincent, feeling devious, ruffles Diedrich's hair, making it stick up in its unwashed state.

"Hey!" The tallest of the group pulls out his phone, obsessively fixing the strands in its mirror.

Grell giggles and grabs Diedrich's arm. "Finally, my style expertise comes to use," she drags him off to the bathroom to properly fix his hair.

"You asked if I wanted to start dating again," Vincent raises a challenging eyebrow at Adrian, now they're alone.

"Tch - so what? It was just a question,"

"Why are you angry?" The shorter boy pushes, trying to stir up a frenzied knot of emotion in Adrian. Adrian knows exactly what he's doing, yet remains powerless.