~Xander~
It was at 5:47am when I realized Achilles loved me. He was sleeping on the bed, nude and gorgeous, mostly under the covers. I was curled on my side, watching him sleep and toying with the necklace he'd given me. The necklace was a surprise and I felt bad for not realizing how thoughtful Achilles was.
Over the past few months he'd been looking at me strangely. Soft and shy. Fond. No one ever looked at me like that. At first I thought he pitied me, because of how badly Corey affected me. The way he still affected me. But then sometimes, Achilles' eyes would turn molten, his voice would roughen and he'd touch me, arms brushing, fingers touching, lips pressed against mine. He loved me.
I felt foolish, suddenly, watching him, realizing how he felt for me and knowing I didn't feel the same way. I worried my necklace, the pendant cool between my fingers. I wasn't sure if I was capable of loving again so soon.
Even sleeping with Achilles had made me cry, because that kind of intimacy was something I hadn't had for so long. It was cathartic in its own sweaty, sticky way.
When Achilles did wake up, he kissed me. He touched my thigh. "Again?" He asked, stroking circles into the skin.
Then, Achilles and I made love, because that's what it was. The feel of him against me made my skin sizzle and my heart hum. He was on top of me and heavy, and that felt nice, too, because it was him. This morning was slow, and Achilles' eyes never left mine as things went on. His eyes would shift from brown to yellow, then gold and back to brown as he kissed me and told me he loved me. The only sound in the room was the low sound of my moaning intermingled with his. Eventually, Achilles shook and shuddered against me, giving me a long kiss before rolling off of me.
I almost laughed because Achilles was asleep again within seconds. I carded my hand through the dusting of hair across his stomach and chest. So, he was one of those guys who fell asleep right after.
I got up from the bed and then sat down quickly again because of how badly my legs wobbled. Fuck, good thing Achilles didn't see that. Wouldn't want to stroke his ego. I lifted myself slowly, making my way to the bathroom.
#
Not much later I made Achilles breakfast. I was trying to slowly move his diet towards healthier , leaner food but today I wanted to give him something different.
I always kept some of my mother's food in the house in case she visited. I turned on two burners, putting water in one pot and rice and water in the other. I mixed the tomato sauce in after the water boiled, adding peppers and onions and pieces of pork to the stew. The other pot was filled with beans and rice. I turned on another burner to steam some vegetables. By the time I turned everything off, I felt Achilles' arms wrap around my waist, and his head nuzzle into my shoulder as he kissed my neck.
"Good morning," He said in his soft, low voice.
I sighed, putting the tops on the pots. "Aren't you late for work?"
He spoke between kissing my neck and nuzzling against the side of my cheek. "I called out. I want to spend the day with you since you don't lecture Fridays." Achilles' warm body pressed against mine in a tantalizing way.
"I made you some food." I said, moving out of his embrace to give him a generous helping of bean rice, stew, vegetables and a tall glass of water. "It's bean rice, some stew and just some vegetables."
I took some blood packets from my blood fridge, and then made myself a bowl of cereal. I'd always had a weak spot for frosted flakes.
"This looks ethnic." Achilles murmured, leaning down to sniff at his food. "But it looks good."
I snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Achilles, it's just bean rice, you'll love it." The plate ended up being very colourful with the brown-red rice along with black eyed peas, red sauce with pork pieces and the steamed cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and corn.
He took a small mouthful, closing his eyes and nodding. "It's good!"
"I'm going to a hearth meeting tonight." I said, watching him eat. He took large bites, eating at a quick, determined pace. "So we have all day together."
He took a moment to get all his food down before drinking down a glass of water. I got up to refill it for him, when he spoke again.
"Let's go on vacation together." Achilles said when I got back to the table.
"What?" I said.
"It's almost spring break for you, right?"
I nodded.
He grinned. "Let's go on a cruise. Or something, I don't know. I've been googling."
I couldn't help but smile. "Googling what exactly?"
A small blush rose on Achilles' face. " Like romantic getaway trips for gay couples. I think I got a bit carried away. I mean, I didn't book anything but there's some nice stuff out there."
"Oh my God." I gasped. "You're a romantic, aren't you, Achilles?"
He frowned, but his face was only reddening further. "I'm not."
"I bet you keep all the receipts for all the places we go to."
"Not every place." He argued, finishing the rest of his food.
Achilles went for a run while I cleaned up the kitchen, put the leftovers into the fridge and wiped down the stove top. By the time he was back and had showered, I'd made hot chocolate for both of us and we met again in the playroom. I only called it the playroom because it was where I had my gaming systems set up along with board games.
Achilles and I had been tackling a jigsaw puzzle over the past few weeks. We sat side by side, working on the puzzle. It was about half done now, and it was a Galatrickiton movie poster rendered into a puzzle. It was a picture of the cast with space in the background.
We spent the next few hours talking about work, and then more about ourselves. Achilles had slowly been gaining an appreciation for classical music after coming to one of my performances. He told me about how he wanted to learn Farsi to make an effort to reconnect with his grandparents, since they didn't speak English and he wanted that connection to his biological side. I'd learned that underneath all of Achilles' stoicism, there was something really sensitive there. I liked seeing that vulnerable side of Achilles, and especially knowing he was willing to show it to me.
Some time later, I got ready for my hearth meeting. Once a month we had something of a checkup with the other local vamps and a reception afterwards. Achilles saw me off at the door, giving me a quick kiss and telling me to have a good time. I left feeling good that I had someone to come home to.
#
When I came back from the hearth meeting I was emotional and drunk, a common combination when I was inebriated.
Achilles was asleep but he woke up while I was trying to quietly change in my bedroom. I must have tripped over something because I was suddenly on the bed and lying down.
Achilles was laughing. "Do you need help?"
"Yes, darling." I drawled, wanting Achilles to hug me. I wrapped my arms around him and inhaled his scent, feeling how stable he was. He wasn't wearing a shirt and I licked his jugular vein, wanting a taste. "I had some blood tonight but nothing as good as yours." Achilles stiffened but in my drunken state I didn't care much. "Hug me harder." I said.
It wasn't enough so I crawled up on Achilles' thighs, hugged him across the shoulders and sitting in his lap, hooked my ankles around his waist. We were completely lined up, as much as we could be with our clothes on.
I cupped Achilles' face between my hands, giving him a long, slow kiss while shifting against his lap. He groaned, the deep sound pulsating through him and into me. He felt so good against me, his hot, soft tongue moving against my own. I broke the kiss, moving down to his neck, wanting his blood.
"I'm tired of blood packets, Achilles. Let me taste you." I said with a soft kiss, pressing down on the vein with the flat of my tongue. I could feel the movement of his blood passing through and my fangs pushed out quickly, ready to strike. "Please?"
Achilles breathed unevenly. "Okay."
I bit down, splitting his skin as the hot, fresh, blood welled out of the cut and into my mouth. I lapped at the pool hungrily for several seconds, feeling Achilles' body relax against mine. I stopped drinking from him, sealing the cut, swallowing the last few sweet droplets and kissing where I'd bitten him on his neck. "Fuck." I said against his throat. "You taste so good, Achilles."
I hugged him for a while before I moved off of his lap, and began stripping, leaving my briefs on before moving under the covers.
Achilles was breathing heavily and I thought something was wrong before he gave me a hard, invasive kiss, pulling me against him. "I want you." He whispered. "I need to mark you, Xander." Achilles' voice broke. "I need to. My wolf-I- It'll scar, and it'll hurt but I need you to let me."
"Now?"
He shook his head. "Tomorrow night, during the full moon I need to make you mine. But tonight, I just want to be with you."
I nodded, curling up beside Achilles and folding my body against his.
"I'm going to tell them." He whispered.
"Huh?" I said.
"My pack. About us, that you're my mate. That I intend on being with you for as long as I'm alive. I know you'll outlive me, and I'll just be an old man with a young guy but for now it's okay."
I was surprised that Achilles had been doing this much thinking, the high off of Achilles' blood and the drunkenness from the alcohol I'd had was slowly waning.
"There are spells for the age thing." I said. "Sorcerers can extend the lives for lovers of vampires. I love you Achilles but I don't want to be getting a bed pan for you when you're old and can't get up to relieve yourself." I murmured into his throat.
"You love me?" Achilles shot up, turning to face me. His fingers were gripping the sheets and his other hand was on my thigh, squeezing.
I felt myself blushing in the dark. I turned over, facing away from him. "Yes, you goof." I whispered.
Achilles let out a laugh, and then laid down behind me, sculpting his body against mine. He gave me a nip on the shoulder before trailing kisses up from my shoulder to the side of my jaw. His breaths were hot and heavy on the side of my face. "I'll expect you to repeat this when you're sober."
I turned over, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Maybe. If I feel like it."
Achilles laughed, curving a hand over my cheek. "I don't understand how you make me so happy."
My eyes were slowly lowering as I felt sleep trying to catch me. The last thing I remember saying is "You make me happy, too."
#
Overall thoughts
Oof, Achilles is gonna come out to his pack in the next ch. I'm stressed.
I've got exams so I won't be be posting again till after this week is over.