Chapter Text
In my room, the light shines brightly through the curtains suddenly, a sharp gust of wind coming along with it. Achilles stands before me, in a dark green tuxedo, looking ready to give me a heart attack. He was there and I was ready to die.
“Patroclus, I need a favor” he says, sitting in the bed and leaning into my side. Those words were never good ones, but who was I to deny him anything.
“What is it?” I say squinting at the sun and putting my hand over my temples to shield my eyes. He moves his head in the way of the sun to help me block it out and he comes alive, his shoulder length hair lighting up in a lively yet subtle way. He was always unaware of his striking beauty.
“So, as you know, it's Helens wedding today” Helen was Thethis goddaughter, so she was basically like Achilles cousin. Or sister. I didn’t really know. “My mother” he says disdainfully, baring his teeth a little in the way he did when he was upset “just called to remind me to bring Deidamia. I haven't told her that we broke up. I need a plus one. So I thought of you of course.
“So, you’re coming out to your mom on your godsister / cousin or whatever’s wedding. Oh and with a guy she hates no less”
“First of all. She is just my moms god daughter. It's not like she’s my sister or cousin. We’re not that close. Secondly, I’m not coming out to her because I don't know what I am yet. Third, she doesn’t hate you, she hates everyone. And fourthly, what makes you think I’m asking you out on a date Patroclus?” He grins dangerously at me, licking his lips and I plot how I'm going to kill him because no one should ever have that much power over me.
“Don’t flatter yourself blondie. Its a plus one Achilles, your mother is not a daft woman. She will know” I say my voice cracking when I say daft from lack of use during sleep. He laughs at this.
“I don't really care what she thinks at this point. I’m done with her micromanaging my life” he says, pausing and licking his thumb, putting it to the corner of my mouth. “You had dry toothpaste” he says when I slap his hand away. “So will you come? There's gonna be an open bar at the reception. We can get shit faced” he says, wiggling his eyebrows, leaning closer to press our noses together and I groan in defeat.
“Okay, but you’re gonna be my slave for like a month”
“Sounds kinky” he comments, and I kick him off my bed, landing with a loud thump.
“Shut up or I will hurt you”
“Sounds kinky” he says from the floor, getting up and straightening himself out.
“Achilles”
“Fine. You had your suit dry cleaned after graduation right?”
“Yeah, we sent them together remember?”
“No, but sounds like something we would do”
“ I'm gonna make tea, get ready we leave in less than an hour. Bring clothes, it's about 2 hours away so I got a room”
“You so owe me”
I shower, spray on some cologne and lace up my oxfords. I comb my fingers through my curls, using the cream Briseis had given to me. As I pack, I think of her. “You need to care for your hair, Pat” my hands smelled like cocoa butter and like her. I missed her.
“Patroclus, we’re gonna be- late” he says when I walk in, his eyes widening a little.
“What's wrong?”
“You...you forgot your bow tie” he says, raking his fingers through his hair. Suddenly he seemed to be extremely uncomfortable.
“Shit. Casey Anderson has it”
“Casey Anderson? You banged Casey Anderson on prom night? What the fuck? He hated me.” His expression changing completely into a harsh scowl.
“He didn't hate me for sure. He took a souvenir” I laugh. He glares at me, going into his room and throwing me a dark blue one.
“Here you go you, you Casey Anderson fucking prick”
“Oh, come on Achilles. It was prom and you were out with Dumbameia and I was bored and he was hot. It didn't mean anything. Why do you care anyways?”
“I really don’t”
“Fine”
“Fine” he says as we leave, shutting the door hastily behind us. Casey was jealous of Achilles, he always had been. Achilles was the number one athlete, he found it rather difficult to live in his shadow all his athletic career. And social. And romantic. That was probably why he slept with me. Thoroughly fucking the golden boy’s geeky best friend was equal to fucking their sibling. He said that he would call me. He said that he liked me. It may have hurt me more than I’d like to admit.
He drives there. We were silent the whole way, the music loud to avoid any conversation. The service is boring and his jaw is clenched so tight I could see it moving slowly. He was really angry.
At the reception, we sit together and follow the plan. A few drinks in, I’m staring at the pompous centerpiece and I hear him speak to me.
“He hurt you didnt he?”
“He said he would call. He never did. The only reason he slept with me was because of you. I did it because of you” I say tipsily. My mouth was saying things that I didn't mean to say out loud. I had a tiny crush on Achilles in our senior year. Okay, since freshman year... Fine since middle school. And it wasn't tiny. It was huge. Okay, it wasn't a crush I loved him in a non platonic way. And while he was out being heterosexual, I was depressed. I wanted to get it out of my system. So I did. Sort of.
“You did it because of me? I don’t understand”
“I meant to say "he" but I’m kinda drunk right now”
“Oh, okay”
The party is slow around us while were in our little bubble of drunk talk, and he asks me why I did it.
“I don't know. He wanted me, I wanted to feel wanted so badly”
“He isn't even attractive enough for you”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Have you seen yourself? Like honestly seen yourself. I wish that you could see what everyone around you sees. Patroclus, you have the most charming face, and your hair, your pretty eyes and those freckles. You're a ten, that guy is like a 4.5”
My face is really heated, because now he is rambling about Casey's physical looks. He had blonde hair, just like him. His was a little darker but it was still blonde. He was tall and lithe, not scrawny but strong.
“That asshole is Helen’s cousin, I think” he babbles. “Good that he didn't show his face today”
“Hey, Patroclus” A voice whispers in my ear, breathy and familiar. I turn to see no other than Casey Anderson, In a black tux with my maroon bow tie on. He had a buzz cut now, it made his dark eyes pop.
“Hi” I say dumbfounded, and I grip Achilles, a bit too hard so he gets the memo.
“You’ve definitely grown since graduation. Look at you, you're a pretty little thing” he says, eyes scanning me in a way that made me want to hide.
“He always has been, pity you only realize that now” Achilles says standing up beside my chair and hooking and arm around the back, leaning on it languidly.
“The real pity is you never let him out of your sights long enough for me to realize that” he says nastily at Achilles.
“And yet you still managed to slither into his bed”
“Yeah, that was fun. He doesn’t look it but he is a total fiend. And so loud” He stage whispers, and I cover my face my hands. He had to stop talking, right now. Achilles was tenser than before beside me, his hand shaking at his side. “Hey Patroclus, if you have the time this weekend I'd love to take you riding. I'm sure that would be a sight”
It happened faster than I could process, Achilles was always quick on his feet. He gave Casey a sharp punch in the face, blood oozing out immediately. I grab him by the shoulder and pull him back, with Thethis already standing between them at the scene. The party had gone silent.
“Fuck, you arrogant bastard” he says, gripping his nose only for Achilles to escape my grips and hit him again, then again. He didn't even try to fight him off, it was sad really. He was overpowered.“I didn't know it was like that between you two” he manages to say, as Thetis grabs her son, putting his hands behind his back like he was handcuffed. She was always stronger than she looked, and my did she look powerful. Almost 6 feet tall, dark hair and a steely gaze that could kill .
“You didn’t know? You piece of shit! You used him, you dared to touch him! You knew how important he was to me. He is mine, I love-”
“Achilles” his mother shouts, her voice tight and her hands gripping his even tighter. He was going to say something, nothing that I didn't know. I knew he was territorial with me. She drags him away and I’m quick to follow, because I go where he goes.The party’s music continues, the mood of the reception a bit tainted, but it continues. She drags us into the men’s bathroom, quicking out 2 teenagers that were smoking pot with just one look. They scatter away and she grabs his hands, leading him to the sink and filling it up with cold water. He sinks his hands in and she combs his hair back, like she always did. She may be the devil, but she sure did love her son with all her wrath.
“You” she says directing her head at me. It sounded like she called me an earthling. She always spoke like she was something other than human, with such authority over people it was hard to believe that she was of flesh and bone. “Didn’t I warn you about my son once?”
“Mother, stop it. You know how I feel about Patroclus”
“I do indeed. How long has this been going on?”
“Wait, what?” I say, confused and quite dizzy.
“Since Deidamia and me broke up” he says, his eyes pleading at me.
“ A year?”
“How did you know her and me broke up?”
“You should know by now that you can't hide things from me Achilles. I thought this was some teenage infatuation, that it would pass. Obviously I was wrong”
“You were?” Achilles says, surprised that she was willingly acknowledging one of her faults.
“What the hell is going on?”
“You don't have to pretend anymore, Patrick” she says my name disdainfully, even though that wasn’t my name.
“Yeah its okay Patroclus” Achilles says, not even bothering to correct her. She always called me something with a P but never my name. He pouts at me, putting his hands together at me like he was praying while his mother got some paper to dry his wrecked hands. I cave, even though I know this will inevitably hurt me in so many ways because it is him, and because I never denied him anything. I was always one to play with fire. I mouth a fine at him, and he nods, giving me a look that said I’ll make it up to you.