... who put the 'glad' in 'gladiator'? (hercules!) whose daring deeds are great theatre? (hercules!) isn't he bold? (no one braver!) isn't he sweet? (our favorite flavor!) hector andino. student of archaeology. sports prodigy. 23 years old. aka. hercules.
Tony spent all his holidays at Stinky Pete. Though he never really celebrated Christmas, the Sweat Shop was closed for the week and the jolly families out in the market were nauseating. He pulled up an entire pitcher of cheap beer. “Want a drink?” he asked.
“Is that a drink or fifteen?” Hector asked, eyebrows shooting up. Nevertheless, he slid a glass over. At this point, it was better to accept a free drink than try to refuse one -- especially when it was Tony. “So, uh...Happy Holidays? And Happy New Year!” He poked his shoulder gently. “Are you gonna do New Year’s Resolutions?”
hector was adopted, as a baby, by a greek couple in their 30s
real story: ‘zeus’ and ‘hera’ had to give him up as a child (teen pregnancy) and they gave him to the andinos. hector was 1 years old. part of the deal was to give hector a different name, but when they saw that someone had placed a gold pendant with a cloud and lightning bolt, and the name hector, they decided to keep it.
but on legal documents, his other name is ‘angelo’
full name: hector angelo andino
parents: nikos andino and maria andino
for four years, the andinos had no other family in america, and then everyone started coming over. the family accepted little hector in a heartbeat.
though they were aware he was still different
the adults of the family all decided that hector should also learn his own culture, while being absorbed in greek culture
hector tried attending chinese school for a year
he learned as much as he could before telling his parents that he hated it there
in both chinese school and normal school, he endured bullying by his peers
he felt he didn’t belong properly in either chinese culture or american culture, but the andinos always made him feel like he belonged
all his cousins were younger than him, so he’d walk to the primary school and wait to be picked up with them.
they’d see him crying and give him their handkerchiefs and swear that when they were older they would fight anyone who hurt their cousin
the twin andinos, nick and costas, were two years younger than hector and when they were finally in the same school with him, they started fighting a lot
grew up to be jocks like hector so like don’t fight the andinos
the parties were always the best because they were so big and everyone was invited
everyone doted on hector when he was a kid w chubby cheeks
and then everyone doted on him when he was grown and muscular
the andinos lived in a small town in new jersey, close enough to the city though, where the andinos recently started a bakery/restaurant/catering business
the idea was that hector would work here too. mr andino was adamant that he would join the family business, but hector knew that this wasn’t for him.
he’d been good at sports since forever, and it was the one time where people really liked him bc they were cheering for him and, at the start, this was his main reason for pursuing his scholarship
he has a people-pleaser issue ... and he still feels that being the kind of person everyone likes is the way to feel like he has a purpose, and that he belongs
he applied for the scholarship without his father knowing - though his mother knew
when he GOT the scholarship, the whole family celebrated after the initial surprise
his father took some getting used to the idea, of hector moving far away and ‘leaving them’
but when it came to the day of leaving, he drove hector up himself.
his parents are still wondering if they should tell him the truth of his adoption, but for now...they just love him a lot ok i love the andinos
The suit he borrowed was too large, having to adjust the pants every few minutes even with the belt he was wearing. It was the only thing he could have worn, debating whether or not this might have been a mistake. “You got a clip or anything? If these pants keep falling, it’s going to drive me crazy.”
“Oh, I got you, man, no worries.” Hector fished out a bull-clip from his blazer’s pocket and held it out to Olly. “Always be prepared, my dad always says. Also, before I got this belt, these pants were just slipping off. Do you want...” He took out a box of safety pins, “any as well?”
❛ COMIC BOOK STORE, comic book st – ❜ her attempt to join his ten times faster effort is quickly interrupted with a stifled laugh at the mispronunciation. ❛ i mean, are they not supposed to be called comic book stores ? or – sorry – ‘ comic mook schmores ‘ ? oh, watch them have some super niche name that only true comic fans would know. ❜
WHEN BOTH FAILED, hector laughed even harder, covering his mouth with his hand to try and stifle the sand. ❛ well, when they’re not called ‘comic mook schmores’, that’s sort of an archaic term anyway, i think they’re called...graphic novel...emporiums, ❜ he decided, his eyes moving around for comedic effect as he thought. ❛ graphic novel emporiums. but that’s secret comic book fan code, so don’t go spreading that around. now you have to tell me a secret club thing you’re part of ! ❜
Tony thunked on to the floor, nearly smashing into Hector. He laughed hysterically. Everything was funnier while he was drunk. He was surprised no sirens had gone off. The mayor needed better security.
“Shhhh, come on let’s go find your damn horse,” he said.
Tony stood up and tried to help Hector get his bearings. However, he was wobbly as it was.
“Come on, help me out here.”
“Don’t insult him,” Hector flapped his hand at Tony’s general direction. He appreciated the sturdy arms keeping him up. “I feel like a dead man, hmm,” he stated, leaning against the other a little before trying to stand up by himself. Then he helped Tony up, as much as he could. “We’re like a house of cards. When we find Pegasus, he’ll help both of us. C’mon, the stables are that way --” He started walking one direction, and then stopped. “Nope, they’re this way.”
As they began to walk, Hector couldn’t find it in himself to shut up. “Hey, man, if this ends in like a cowboy shoot-out...you should know...I'd take a bullet for you, bro.”
Tony wondered who was the genius that had smuggled in party hats despite Kostya’s strict dress code. Way better than a top hat, that was for sure. “Where can I get one of those?” He pointed at the party hat. “And no, it’s not, but Kostya and I had to compromise. If he had it his way, we’d be in a Ritz or something.”
When Tony pointed out the party hat, he beamed. Hector took out from an inside pocket a pile of folded party hats. “They’re a bit creased but pick your colour,” he said, fanning them out. “Kostya? Who’s that? Is that someone new you’re seeing?”
— soso wasn’t really hungry. he preferred drinking on an empty stomach regardless because that was a sure-fast way to get more drunk more quickly. but hector seemed so earnest in his offer that he couldn’t imagine refusing. he followed hector closely as the two meandered their way through the crowd. it finally donned on soso just how crowded it had become, almost losing hector a few times in the process of crossing the house. he could just barely hear him over the sound of the horrible scooby doo remix, but nodded along to what he was saying anyways.
— when the pair reached the table, soso couldn’t help the small smirk on his face. perhaps there had been pizza there once upon a time, but presently it just looked like a table that had been scavenged by vultures. stray pizza crust lay strewed across the tabletop, along with dots of sauce and occasional crumbs of cheese. he looked up at hector, quirking an eyebrow.
— “ doesn’t look like there’s much left of your pizza, ” he teased, running a hand through his hair. “ but what else can you expect from a bunch of drunk college kids, hmm ? ” a bright, humourous smile appeared on soso’s face as he spoke.
— “ if you want we could just dip ? ” his suggestion came out as more of a question. he didn’t want to be too overt, or assume that hector would leave a party thrown specifically for him in favour of going to get pizza with some guy he’d just met. but there was no harm in trying. testing the waters. “ go grab some more pizza to bring back ? or not. totally up to you.”
— as soon as he saw the barren desert of pizzas, hector's face fell. " aw, man... " spotting one upside down pizza on the floor, he pushed against it with his shoe and the slice slide across the floor, creating a web of cheese and pepperoni. " i dunno who's on cleaning duty but frankie's housemates are...gonna be pissed. "
— he looked up just in time to see the luminous smile on soso's face. " diiiiipp... ? " hector took longer than usual to understand what that meant, his mind going to all sorts of places, so much so that he had to shake his head out of himself to reply properly.
— thankfully, soso elaborated.
— " oh, definitely. yeah, that's actually a good idea. frankie -- ? " he turned around, half-expecting frankie to appear out of thin air as he always seemed to, but this time he was gone. " ah, i'll just text him. " looking out into the crowd, he pulled a face at how dense it had become. " uh, okay, " he pumped his arms, as if gearing up for a fight. " you get behind me and i'll push. "
— hector wasn't a battering ram so much as a wave that pushed and pulled at people. most people had remembered why they were there. they screamed 'HECTOR !!' and one girl clamped onto hector's arms so tight that when he lifted it, she rose up with it. drunk and ecstatic, she went to hug him and accidentally palmed his jaw. " ACK -- soso -- HELP -- "
Tony started laughing. Kostya had really tried to class up the Stinky Pete. Most of the bloodstains had been scrubbed out of the floor and he was sure Kostya had smuggled his own wine, but Tony preferred his specialty cocktail. He snorted as he looked at the crocodile perched on the wall. “Who put the top hat on the crocodile?”
Hector, with a party hat strapped to his head, grinned. “Not me, but I like it. Makes everything so much more posh. Also, is it weird that everything....is so posh? No offence, but it doesn’t really seem like your style.” He adjusted the bow-tie at his neck, looking down at his rented suit.
HER BROWS FURROW – just for a moment ! the poor girl was just realizing her own naiveté. she tries to hide a laugh behind the slowly - cooling mocha in her hand, but on a scale of one to successful, ramona’s coming it at a solid two.
❛ wait, i just sounded so homeschooled, didn’t i ? wow, definitely still getting used to this – this human interaction thing … i guess ? ❜
HECTOR SHOOK HIS HEAD, laughing in a good nature at ramona’s fumble. ❛ don’t even worry about it, honestly, i’ve done worse. i actually went to a comic book store once, right, a comic book store and i asked the guy...hey, do you sell DC...comics ? at the comic book store ! even right now, i’m saying 'comic book store’ too many times it doesn’t sound real. try it saying it ten times faster. comic book store, comic book store, comic mook schmore -- ❜
Tony was getting more and more disappointed. He didn’t have a strong opinion on horses either way, but he did have one on being arrested for breaking into the mayor’s stables. Kostya would never let him live it down if he didn’t cause at least a little chaos in there. “Don’t knock it until you try it. Thanks for calling me handsome though.” He shot him a cheeky smile. “Let’s just hope over this thing.” He began to scamper up the trellis.
“I’m not making any promises! And, yes, of course, I can be a little dumb sometimes but I’m not stupid. You were always handsome, man,” he smiled, shooting finger-guns at Tony. Hector watched in awe as Tony began to climb what looked like a twenty-foot tall wall to him. “Aw, I usually wait for Pegasus to come but you’re right, he probably can’t hear me...” Joining the climb, Hector was shocked to find that the trellis ended sooner than he thought, and thinking there was more to climb, he flopped over to the other side.
Flat on his back, he started to laugh. “In the jungle, the MIGHTY jungle, the lion sleeps toniiiight. A-WHEEEEEEEEE --” he sang, his voice cracking at the pitch.
“Whoa, glad you enjoyed it. Sorry, some of my notes are in the margin,” he said. “I would have gotten you a new copy, but it’s out of print.” He laughed at Hector’s excitement. He was a menace in the ring, but a teddy bear out of it. “So, how are you feeling now?” The match had gone faster than Rico expected, but had still been exciting. He had flinched more than once though, worried Hector was going to be bruised by the end of it. He never worried about him winning though. Ten seconds in, he knew Hector was going to be the one on top. “Tired? Exhilarated? Thirsty?”
“Oh, my goodness, honestly -- books with notes are the best, this --” He held his breath for a minute as he looked down at the book again, and then released it with his evergrowing smile. “This is the best thing anyone has ever gotten me. Don’t tell my coach that, he got me a pair of socks with cartoon butts on them and he’s really proud of it,” he laughed.
Wiping his neck a bit with his towel, he shrugged. “I’m feeling pretty okay! Sore, at some parts, I’ll have to get checked and then changed before I go -- but I am definitely all three of those. Where are we going?”
“Not so nicely at least. Some of the guys at the shop sweat too much, but it’s mixed with grease and their ass hanging out of their jeans.” He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “Not religiously or anything, which is probably why I missed it. I kind of came here on a whim, glad I did though.”
“Ah, well, these are definitely staying on,” he patted his hip, at the shorts he wore with all the brands and labels of his sponsors. There weren’t too many for now, but if his coach had anything to say about it, there would be more coming. “Yeah, I’m glad you did too! Maybe it’s some kind of fate thing. Hey, though, are you doing anything after this? I’m thinking of grabbing some pizza, if you wanna come with? We can talk about assignments!” he added, like that was the best thing in the world to talk about.
charlie didn’t care much for sports. he didn’t care for balls being thrown down fields–or in this case–men punching the ever living shit out of each other. he could understand the appeal, sure, being able to get aggression out on somebody else with no chance of punishment sounded fantastic if he was being honest. but the only reason he showed up to hectors fight in the first place, even with the hesitant invitation the other man gave him, was because charlie didn’t have anything else better to do. soso had been out of the apartment all day, doing god knows what, and since charlie was low on drugs he didn’t want to do much of those either.
( besides the small, white line he did off the toilet seat before he sat down to watch–but that was neither here nor there. )
he finds himself standing in the crowd after the match, allowing bodies to push him to and fro but all but refusing to move his feet as they tried to pass him. it earned him a few dirty looks, ones charlie brushed off with ease, nose pressed into his phone as he waited for it to die down so he could finally leave. the only thing that dragged his attention away from an ongoing feud on twitter was hector’s voice, loud and excited as he bounded towards charlie’s way.
leave it to hector to ask about charlie when the day was supposed to be about him.
❝ fine. i was in the area, thought i’d come and watch. ❞ which…he didn’t do much watching, but hector didn’t need to know that. only really paying attention when the crowd around him screamed out in cheers. a low hum leaves his throat when hector mentions his current state of being, and charlie doesn’t hesitate as he reaches out to place a hand on the other mans damp bicep–giving the muscle underneath a soft squeeze. a shame, really, that hector was never his type. ❝ you really beat that guy to shit, huh? ❞
❝ it means a lot to me that you came, man! i know it’s probably not your -- ❞ someone rushed up to him, saying a quick congratulations and a pat on his shoulder, ❝ oh, thank you so much! -- ❞ and then charlie was suddenly in front of him, hand on his bicep, and he laughed. ❝ i guess so, yeah. i try not to think of it in that way. he was actually doing really well, honestly, he had some good blocks but -- ❞ he shrugged, gesturing randomly with his hand. the guy did have some good blocks, but it wasn’t hard to manoeuvre past them when hector weakened him, as he’d been trained to do.
in general, he tried not to think of how violent the sport could be.
talking while he walked, hector’s coach gave him some breathing room ( ‘ all right, all right already, you can all say yer hi’s and hello’s when the boy’s not half-naked and sweating, okay ? jesus, you animals -- ’ ) as he led the way towards the locker room.
❝ okay, i’m gonna go get changed but -- are you doing anything right now? we were thinking of going over to stinky pete’s for some chips and beer, if you wanted to come with? or, you know, he’ll be drinking and i’ll be the designated driver having some apple juice, ❞ he joked, pointing at his coahc.
