I often wish I could be touching him always.
It is a day off and we've managed to sleep in for once. I wake to the bright light of the sun already well into the sky, and sigh into the warm crook of his neck, arm slung across his chest.
Achilles is still asleep, face soft in that way I love, breath as light as a breeze. I watch the rise and fall of his chest as I allow my hands to roam, compelled in my relaxation to kiss at his shoulder.
I am barely awake and yet it seems I want him even in sleep. My warm delirium cajoles the movement from my limbs, though they protest their fatigue as I pull myself up so that I may bring my lips to his chest.
Weâve been together like this hundreds of times by now but it seems the novelty will never be lost on me. I revel in the warm sunshine of his skin as my palms trace the shape of him, unable to stop myself from leaning down to kiss his collarbone the second I lay eyes on it.
I pull myself up to hover over him now, nudging his knees apart to settle my hips between them, and reach down to take him gently in my hand as he finally stirs; a flash of boldness that draws the most gorgeous sleep-laden sound out of him immediately. Smiling, I lean in to kiss him, and his arms hold me close.
âWhat pleasant thing have I done to warrant such a lovely good morning?â His lips murmur the question into the shell of my ear and I can feel his rich voice vibrate through his chest. I curl further into him to press a kiss to his neck.
âNothing in particular.â I continue to kiss that spot, the one I know he likes. âI only wished to wake you in a lovely manner.â
His hands roam over my back as his words coast breathlessly from him, âIâm glad you did.â
He kisses me, warm and pliant beneath my hands. This is the Achilles that no one knows about, the one that only I get to see, gentle and blithe. His smile, still heavy lidded with sleep and pleasure, is radiant.
Weâve long ago lost the need for words when we are like this; he brings his legs up to wrap around my waist and I know instantly what he means. I would not deny him for a thousand ships launched in my name.
It is perhaps foolish that I should feel such an instinct to protect him. Aristos Achaion does not need protecting, and the gods have doomed him regardless. I cannot stop that irreversible fate, a fact Iâve long had to learn to live with.
But pinned under me, hair tangled between my fingers and whispering my name in that way I love, as though saying it brings him joy - Pa-tro-clus - he is all the parts of him I love and none of the things surrounding him that I fear. He is all things warm and good and I would do anything for him.
It is in the middle of this, lost in the passion of our movement and these whispered affections, that Odysseus arrives.
âAchilles, it is mid-morning and we really must discuss-..... My apologies.â
My head snaps up to see Odysseus silhouetted in the tentâs entryway. I freeze, and almost move to pull away, but Achilles reacts first and holds me tight by my waist. I realize vaguely that the sheet we are under obscures the most obscene parts of us, but there is no mistaking what is happening. I look back at him, and his countenance is painted with annoyance.
âOdysseus.â His voice is terse, but he still holds me fast. âIt is impolite to enter a manâs tent without announcing yourself first.â
Another moment of shock hangs in the air. Then, despite myself, I stifle a laugh. Odysseus is a respectable man, but Achilles had often remarked what a conniving personality he was. I realize with a thrill that this is his attempt to punish the general for taking up so much of his time. It is not as if this - if we - were anything he did not already know about.
Emboldened, I relax my position slightly, resting my weight on Achillesâ chest and allowing his arm to wrap further around me as I settle down to prop myself up by an elbow, chin resting in my hand so that I may smile directly at Odysseus. His face is carefully composed to not betray the embarrassment we both hope he feels.
âMy apologies,â he says. âBut the situation with the left flank will be dire by tomorrow if we do not modify our plans today. I had hoped you and I might discuss strategy over breakfast.â
âYes, well,â Achilles runs a hand up my back casually as he speaks. âAs you can see, we are in the middle of something. Or, rather,â he smirks. âPatroclus is in the middle of something. Iâll come talk to you later.â
What I would give to have a painting of Odysseusâ face in this moment. He is forever cool, but his face betrays just the barest hint of bluster.
âVery well,â he huffs. âApologies again for disturbing you.â The tent flap closes with a flourish.
Silence for a moment, then I am unable to hold back my laughter any longer. Achilles laughs too, hearty and loud without a care for if Odysseus is still nearby.
âYou are mad,â I say, wrapping myself closer to him.
âHe annoys me sometimes,â Achilles sighs. âI do not answer him like a dog.â
I hum and resituate our position, wrapping a hand behind his knee to bring it further up my waist. Hands braced now on either side of his head, I observe, with rapt attention, the way his hair spills onto the pillow.
âYou are lucky Odysseus deals in learning gossip rather than spreading it,â I say.
âI donât care who gossips.â His voice is firm. âI told you, didnât I? No one will ever make me give this up.â
He does this to me sometimes; says something so heart-wrenchingly wonderful that the force of it hits me like a spear to the chest.
âNor will they make me give up you.â My conviction is ironclad as I lean in to take him again.
Iâve lived days and weeks without thinking about his destiny, but it is always there; looming on the horizon like an apocalyptic storm.
But here, alone together, I can shut it all out. I can fill my thoughts with nothing but the sound of his voice, the feeling of his body. He is the most beautiful thing Iâve ever beheld and I would fight the entire army of Troy a hundred times over to keep him.
He clutches me close, comes undone as he sighs beloved, and in his arms I feel bolder than ever before in my life.
ââââââââââââââââââ
Ao3 link, there will be other chapters: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34505767/chapters/85883488
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