sedated - hozier
p e n e l o p e
"like the generations of the leaves, the lives of mortal men."
- glaucus
"You fucking asshole!"
The voice rang out through the halls, and Achilles lifted his head off of his desk, looking over at Patroclus and offering a questioning glance. Patroclus shrugged, and the teenagers started to whisper to themselves as the etcher tried to ignore the profanity that had just been screamed during third period.
"I'll kill you, I'll rip your throat out!"
The teacher sighed, setting his Expo marker down on his desk and walking out of the room. Other teachers apparently has the same idea, since the sound of shoes scuffing on the floors and mumbles came from the hallway. Achilles reached over and tapped on Patroclus' arm.
"That's Menelaus' voice."
- - -
"I say we split up and find him before he rips someone's - probably Paris' - throat out and shanks him with a rusty cafeteria knife. I'll go to the fields, Odysseus you go - " Achilles was cut off by a hand grabbing his shoulder.
"Hey guys, I'm a assuming you heard me during third period?"
"Yeah. Menelaus, what the fuck?" Odysseus raised his eyebrows. Menelaus laughed.
"Hear me out, walk with me," Menelaus said, draping his arm around Achilles' shoulders as they all walked to the cafeteria for lunch. "So Paris slept with Helen again. Like as if the guy thought that he could keep that a secret! And that means that he's struck the last nerve in my body so I have to kill him now."
Patroclus held up a finger as they turned a corner. "Okay, yeah, no, no one is dying."
"Tell that to Paris' ass."
"Menelaus, we get it, and we'll help you fight him and his brother but I won't let you kill him."
Menelaus rolled his eyes. "What a buzz kill."
"Paris isn't even a threat on a physical level. He's more gangly than Achilles in seventh grade and I've seen him try the monkey bars. It doesn't happen."
Achilles looked over at Patroclus, "okay, rude, but it's true."
The group of boys had just reached a lunch table when Briseis came speeding up to them, slamming her books down on the table and pushing her hair out of her face. "Okay, I know, Helen and Paris are in deep, deep shit, but hear me out."
Menelaus gave her a look of disbelief but allowed her to sit next to him and have the other boys sit down before she gave some wild explanation.
"Alright. So I think - think - that Mrs. Dite and Helen are close, it's weird, I don't know, and somehow Mrs. Dite got into contact with Paris and told him that maybe the solution to this whole problem was to make Helen feel comforted and apparently he took that as to sleep with her. Menelaus, maybe you should just let her go?"
Menelaus sat up straight. "Paris comes into my relationship and you want me to back out? Hell no. I'm gonna break his ne - " Patroclus cleared his throat and looked over at Menelaus, "legs. Break his legs. Because that won't kill him."
"You're so weird. Just, look, don't do anything stupid."
"It's what I'm known for, don't get your hopes too high."
- - -
"I feel - and this is just a hunch - but I feel like we're getting really dragged into this mess now," Patroclus said, his fingers aimlessly twirling Achilles' hair as they laid on Achilles' bed. Achilles looked over at the brunette boy.
"Just a hunch, but I think so too."
Patroclus looked down for a moment. "Think it'll end badly?"
"Well, there'll probably be blood, sweat, and tears, but I don't think Menelaus will kill Paris. Plus, at the end of the day we have each other if everyone else turns batshit crazy on one another," Achilles smiled, pulling himself up and pressing a kiss to Patroclus' lips. He smiled as he pulled away.
"About that, like really, what the fuck are we?"
"We are probably what many would refer to as," Achilles pressed his lips up onto Patroclus' ear, kissing it and then backing up a bit, "boyfriends."
"Are you for real?" Patroclus asked, blushing a little.
"Entirely and completely. So we have each other if all else goes bad and Paris gets shanked in the bathroom and Agamemnon goes too far fighting for his brother."
"So encouraging."
"You know it, so come on and pick a movie. Pretty in Pink or Romeo and Juliet?" Achilles asked.
"Is it Leonardo DiCaprio Romeo and Juliet?"
"Yup."
"Romeo and Juliet."
- - -
After having a peaceful night of movie watching and popcorn, Achilles and Patroclus didn't really expect to return to school, coffee in hand, to a scene of a fight in the entrance hallway. At least, not a fight where two boys were knocked out cold on the floor.
"Okay, what the fuck is this!" Achilles yelled, causing the yells to stop. A few people stepped aside, revealing Hector and a boy Achilles knew from English, the latter having an extremely bloody nose and eyeball. "Dude!"
Achilles handed his coffee over to someone, running up and separating the two, Hector spouting curses at the other boy. Achilles grabbed Hector's shoulders, looking him in the face. Hector quickly grabbed Achilles, throwing him to the ground.
"You, you keep making my brother the - the bad guy and I heard that your boyfriend told Menelaus that you guys would help him fight and that's not fair!" Hector said, his hands wrapping around Achilles' throat. Patroclus was trying to get to Achilles but people were keeping him back simply for the sake of seeing more boys fight.
Achilles gasped air, grabbing Hector's arms and throwing him off of him and his throat. "You think any of this is fair, you dick? Listen to me, you're making this way too dramatic and you're going after innocent people!"
"He's my brother!"
"So let him fight for himself! He got himself in this mess!"
With those words, Hector fling himself back onto Achilles, punching his face, causing Achilles to spit blood back up into Hector's face, allowing Achilles to throw Hector onto the ground and keep him there with his hands. "Let your brother figure this shit out. Don't drag me, Pat, Odysseus, or anyone else I know into this mess. This isn't my fault."
"You're the one edging Menelaus on!" Hector said, kneeing Achilles in the crotch and grabbing his throat again. "Just tell him to piss off, I know people, and they'll tear you to pieces."
Achilles did the same thing to Hector, causing Hector to fall over and allowing himself to stand up and back away. Finally teachers showed up, pulling Hector back before he could lunge again.
"I'll kill you, Achilles, I'll fucking kill you!" he yelled as the teacher told him to be quiet and for the kids to seperate. Kids told them that Hector was the one who initiated the fights, leaving the nurse to care for the two knocked out boys and one bloody one, and Achilles standing there with a bloody face and racing heart.
Patroclus was right, they were in way too deep.
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a/n : you can thank me later for the ending and the now moving plot and slow updates. i love patroclus so much honestly. i know it's summer but i have a busy summer ahead/currently and it's stressful so hang in there for updates. i only want to put out content i like and I have done anything but forget about this story, don't worry.
- ash