Golden days melted into the thickening shroud of November, when the lakes had frozen and my father called Patroclus and I into his bureau.
It was the time for me to "come-of-age" according to him. "Fulfilling my prophecy...", was a phrase that he kept repeating and repeating, and I suddenly felt shy whilst father prophesized my future with Patroclus sitting silently beside me. The plan was set - Patroclus and I were to go up the mountains in the far north to become a man.
I know.
...
A few days later, I was sat atop my horse and Patroclus was sat on his own, his eyes drifting into the distance. My heart thundered rapidly - partly from the fear of what awaited me - us - on the mountains - and from having to spend this much time alone with Patroclus. I tensed whenever an awkward silence settled over us - I felt such a need to satisfy his attention, to make him laugh, to make him look at me.
Patroclus seemed fidgety, which was unlike him. He always seemed so confident and now, as the air that wound around us as we advanced up incline after incline became colder and frosty, he resigned to contemplate his surroundings sulkily, not meeting my eyes once or responding to my questions with more than a few broken syllables.
He was a sun chaser, and in the months turned cold - we had spent more and more time in our room, sometimes speaking in hushed tones, sometimes not saying anything at all.
We stopped for a break by a small pond. Our guide had gone and set up a small camp further on.
We were alone.
...
The sun had all but set, and the sounds of reluctant chirping crickets weaved through the tall dewy grass.
Patroclus shivered.
He was silent, his strong arms outstretched behind him. His hair flew about in the wind, it was freezing and suddenly his eyes were on me.
He had been sitting next to me at a respectable distance, but now inched ever so slightly closer.
Too close.
Wild, hot flames rose at once to my cheeks and temples.
"Why do you look at me like that?", he half-whispered. It was hard to see the smile he was hiding under the fading light.
"Like what?" I retorted, flustered. I tried then, I tried to look away.
His hands moved to where mine were resting on the grass.
His eyes were so beautifully deep. The ripples in the pond were too countless to see our reflections clearly. The sun had left the horizon. I swallowed. I breathed.
His hands briefly, ever so briefly touched mine.
"like you're in love with me."
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Olives - Achilles x Patroclus
Fanfiction"It's hard to love him. And it's hard because I think about him all the time. Patroclus. Patroclus. Patroclus." The love of Achilles and Patroclus told from Achilles' perspective. Starting from their first meeting till their descent. Separate from...
