#HIV AIDS

[reasonsforhope]

"A large clinical trial in South Africa and Uganda has shown that a twice-yearly injection of a new pre-exposure prophylaxis drug gives young women total protection from HIV infection.

The trial tested whether the six-month injection of lenacapavir would provide better protection against HIV infection than two other drugs, both daily pills. All three medications are pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) drugs.

Physician-scientist Linda-Gail Bekker, principal investigator for the South African part of the study, tells Nadine Dreyer what makes this breakthough so significant and what to expect next.

Tell us about the trial and what it set out to achieve

The Purpose 1 trial with 5,000 participants took place at three sites in Uganda and 25 sites in South Africa to test the efficacy of lenacapavir and two other drugs.

Lenacapavir (Len LA) is a fusion capside inhibitor. It interferes with the HIV capsid, a protein shell that protects HIV’s genetic material and enzymes needed for replication. It is administered just under the skin, once every six months.

The randomised controlled trial, sponsored by the drug developers Gilead Sciences, tested several things.

The first was whether a six-monthly injection of lenacapavir was safe and would provide better protection against HIV infection as PrEP for women between the ages of 16 and 25 years than Truvada F/TDF, a daily PrEP pill in wide use that has been available for more than a decade.

Secondly, the trial also tested whether Descovy F/TAF, a newer daily pill, was as effective as F/TDF...

The trial had three arms. Young women were randomly assigned to one of the arms in a 2:2:1 ratio (Len LA: F/TAF oral: F/TDF oral) in a double blinded fashion. This means neither the participants nor the researchers knew which treatment participants were receiving until the clinical trial was over.

In eastern and southern Africa, young women are the population who bear the brunt of new HIV infections. They also find a daily PrEP regimen challenging to maintain, for a number of social and structural reasons.

During the randomised phase of the trial none of the 2,134 women who received lenacapavir contracted HIV. There was 100 percent efficiency.

By comparison, 16 of the 1,068 women (or 1.5%) who took Truvada (F/TDF) and 39 of 2,136 (1.8%) who received Descovy (F/TAF) contracted the HIV virus...

What is the significance of these trials?

This breakthrough gives great hope that we have a proven, highly effective prevention tool to protect people from HIV.

There were 1.3 million new HIV infections globally in the past year. Although that’s fewer than the 2 million infections seen in 2010, it is clear that at this rate we are not going to meet the HIV new infection target that UNAIDS set for 2025 (fewer than 500,000 globally) or potentially even the goal to end Aids by 2030...

For young people, the daily decision to take a pill or use a condom or take a pill at the time of sexual intercourse can be very challenging.

HIV scientists and activists hope that young people may find that having to make this “prevention decision” only twice a year may reduce unpredictability and barriers.

For a young woman who struggles to get to an appointment at a clinic in a town or who can’t keep pills without facing stigma or violence, an injection just twice a year is the option that could keep her free of HIV.

What happens now?

The plan is that the Purpose 1 trial will go on but now in an “open label” phase. This means that study participants will be “unblinded”: they will be told whether they have been in the “injectable” or oral TDF or oral TAF groups.

They will be offered the choice of PrEP they would prefer as the trial continues.

A sister trial is also under way: Purpose 2 is being conducted in a number of regions including some sites in Africa among cisgender men, and transgender and nonbinary people who have sex with men.

It’s important to conduct trials among different groups because we have seen differences in effectiveness. Whether the sex is anal or vaginal is important and may have an impact on effectiveness.

How long until the drug is rolled out?

We have read in a Gilead Sciences press statement that within the next couple of months [from July 2024] the company will submit the dossier with all the results to a number of country regulators, particularly the Ugandan and South African regulators.

The World Health Organization will also review the data and may issue recommendations.

We hope then that this new drug will be adopted into WHO and country guidelines.

We also hope we may begin to see the drug being tested in more studies to understand better how to incorporate it into real world settings.

Price is a critical factor to ensure access and distribution in the public sector where it is badly needed.

Gilead Sciences has said it will offer licences to companies that make generic drugs, which is another critical way to get prices down.

In an ideal world, governments will be able to purchase this affordably and it will be offered to all who want it and need protection against HIV."

-via The Conversation, July 3, 2024

[shamebats]

"Keep dancing! Joy is resistance."

[politijohn]

Source

[byler-invested]

Started ugly crying (like this: 😭) by the “99/100 timeline” section.

So, so well explained and exactly what I’ve also been envisioning Mike and Will’s real story actually is.

The Henry/1/Vecna -> HIV connection is insane. Somehow I had NEVER noticed it before omfg.

I still think, though, that there is a real sci-fi element to all of this show. It’s officially classified as Science Fiction as one of its main genres. It was named Stranger Things and the word “Strange” has long and famously been associated to science and science fiction in multiple ways and contexts. We also have to consider the fact that the show’s concept needs to be replicable into future spin-offs and an entire fictional universe.

So in that sense, I’m not entirely sure that Stranger Things is only about figurative or metaphorical storytelling. I feel like the One timeline out of 100 will actually be made to happen in real life, through Mike’s will (pun intended) and some kind of scientific or technological factor that is going to be Stranger Things’s main lore conceptual trademark.

They have a history of breaking stereotypical tropes and subverting expectations. Therefore I imagine they will initially make us think that Byler has a tragic ending (like gay and LGBTQ+ stories usually have), to then subvert that and actually create a happy(er) ending for them. This would serve the purpose of educating the audience about how human mindset and society and free will actually have the power to create better outcomes in life.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Mike was written as a nerdy intelligent kid who knows computer languages. Or that multiple other characters are versed in various science fields. Or that Stranger Things as a whole has a huge focus on science topics.

That being said, we can only truly know whenever s5 officially drops its final episode. AMAZING theory and post! 🌟🌈💔

As an extra, and to further prove all the connections in the show, I wanted to leave this (heartbreaking) HIV/AIDS info below:

I especially recommend everyone checks out Ryan White’s story in more detail, because the similarities and references are INSANE.

The Nested Universes Theory

and the high chance of a very literal bitter/sweet ending…

Yes, Will and Mike will end up together, but their ending may be both happy and tragic simultaneously.

(This theory may explain why the cast and Netflix executives were crying heavily when informed of the show’s ending…)

I'm warning you guys, take care of yourself while reading this. This isn't an easy read.

CW: CSA, sex, drugs, HIV/AIDS, period typical homophobia, death

Framed Narratives/Stories

Framed narratives are basically a story within a story. Common examples of this are the movie “The Princess Bride” and “Titanic”. Both stories have the story of the narrator and the story within.

Another example is Stranger Things itself. When we see the boys playing Dungeons and Dragons, they are creating a story within a story.

Sometimes, framed narratives are nested, meaning multiple layers of storytelling. An example of this would be the movie “Inception”. In that movie there are dreams within dreams within dreams… It’s a complex but fascinating way to tell stories.

Now, I do think Stranger Things is also a nested narrative story. Meaning, there may be a layer of a story that hasn’t been revealed to us yet (or more than one).

Basically I’m saying: the show itself may be a story created by some of the characters.

I’m guessing two characters in particular. Which two characters? The two most associated with creating stories. The writer and artist. Two of the characters that have existed since the show’s inception.

Mike and Will.

Multiple Universes

I do think there are multiple timelines/universes within Stranger Things… but it’s not exactly what you think. It’s not parallel universes/timelines. They do not exist parallel to each other, they exist within each other.

This is the reason for the “memory within a memory”, “play within a play” references.

It’s a story within a story within a story.

While Mike and Will are creating their DnD campaigns, there is another version of Mike and Will creating the story we see within the show.

Let’s break it down:

Inner layer: Mike and Will’s characters existing within a DnD campaign

Middle layer: Mike and Will within the show creating the DnD campaign

Outer layer: Mike and Will creating the story of the show

Mike and Will’s story within the frame (the outer layer) likely does share a lot in common with the story within the show, with one major difference:

There’s no Upside Down, and no supernatural elements. No superpowers, and no superheroes. There are still monster(s) and heroes, but these monsters and heroes are real.

Living on as “Heroes”

Ever notice the association between characters being referred to as “a hero” after facing their demise?

We have seen this time and time again. It’s not a coincidence, it’s a pattern.

Love for horror and escapism

@threemanoperation has a great post on Will’s love for horror.

It makes perfect sense for a boy like Will to enjoy horror. It can be a great way to process trauma and grief.

We also know even from the earliest descriptions for Mike and Will’s characters that they both love to “escape” into fantasy. They do this together, through DnD.

Gods/Puppet Masters/Creators

Within the show, there are many subtle nods to Will and Mike somehow controlling/manipulating things. These hints have lead to many interesting theories about Mike and/or Will having powers. In a sense, they both are absolutely right! But if this theory is correct, their influence over the show is mainly due to them creating it. They’re the authors, so in a way, they’re both “Gods”.

Solving the “Letter to Willy”/Lettergate puzzle

"Letter to Willy" is a song that plays over three different scenes within ST4. Each scene involves regrets, and survivor's guilt.

Max mourns Billy and reads out her letter "before it's too late" aka before she dies too.

Mike and Will have a heart-to-heart and Mike expresses guilt over El leaving, thinking there was more he could have done. This occurs while they are burying a dead man's body.

Dustin tells Eddie's uncle that Eddie died a hero, despite what the town thought.

This all leads back to Mike and Will within the story's outer layer. This also connects with the writer's incomplete letter they posted years ago on Twitter. I'll get back to this.

A father infecting his child

Oh boy. I hate this part but it requires context so…

Hopper admits to indirectly causing the death of his daughter, Sarah. He had been exposed to Agent Orange which led to his daughter developing cancer at a young age. He has remorse and has been grieving Sarah this whole time.

Now, Hopper is a decent guy and father, and is written as an almost “fix it” version of Mike and Will’s own fathers. He isn’t perfect, but he’s a man who strives to grow and improve himself.

Papa, is not a decent guy, and we also see him injecting El and Henry with needles.

So, what I’m saying is that this may be a hint to what happened to Will (in the 99/100 timeline). Lonnie is hinted to be a drug user, and it wouldn’t be far fetched to say he may have used IV drugs. Exposure to IV drugs is a way to transmit diseases, as blood may be exchanged through contaminated needles. Also, Lonnie has been hinted at, through subtext, to be a horrible monster. (<- click that link for a post about him.)

The “1/100” Timeline

The show itself is the 1 out of 100 timeline. It is the only one where Will was not kidnapped by his parent/guardian (Lonnie).

This means, it is the one where none of the tragic stuff ever happened, specifically to Will and Mike’s story at least. They may encounter challenges, but nothing they cannot overcome together, as a team.

1983: The Demogorgon got Will. He survives the horrors done to him in the Upside Down… but barely. He is taken to the hospital and heals from it all, including flu-like symptoms (cough, nausea/vomiting).

1984: Will suffers from flashbacks. He is also plagued with the nickname “Zombie Boy” and suffering from the Mind Flayer’s possession of him. But with the love of his family, and Mike, is able to return back to his reality.

1985: He then begins to struggle with the pressures of growing up, and having to move away. Plus the Mind Flayer returns and reeks more havoc.

1986: He then moves to a pleasant place. Where things are sunny and warm. Things on the surface seem happy and “normal” but there’s a looming threat hidden beneath the surface. Henry/1/Vecna. This opportunistic threat preys on the weak and begins to take over Hawkins.

1987-1989: Will is back in Hawkins and his ties to the Upside Down increase. He can’t shake it off as easily as before. He also can’t shake off his love for Mike, who grows even closer to him. One thing leads to another and they become lovers (they have sex). They eventually are able to stop the contamination of Hawkins, and save everyone. Will also realizes that he has developed superpowers from his time in the Upside Down, through his blood. Mike also develops superpowers, given to him by Will.

Okay… you might understand where I’m going with this but I still must warn you before reading the next part. It’s devastatingly tragic.

The “99/100” Timeline

(I’m probably wrong on some of these details but this is what I theorize thus far):

1983: Lonnie “got” Will (CSA). Will survives the horrors done to him by his father… but barely. He is taken to the hospital and heals from it all and from flu-like symptoms (cough, nausea/vomiting).

1984: Will suffers from flashbacks. He is also plagued with the nickname “Zombie Boy” and suffering from the flashbacks of his father’s possession of him. But with the love of his family, and Mike, is able to return back to reality.

1985: He then begins to struggle with the pressures of growing up. Plus the memories of Lonnie return and reek more havoc.

1986: Things on the surface seem happy and “normal” but there’s a looming threat hidden beneath the surface. HIV -> AIDS. Opportunistic infections slowly begin to prey on Will.

1987-?: Will can’t shake off colds and infections as easily as before. He also can’t shake off his love for Mike, who grows even closer to him. One thing leads to another and they become lovers (they have sex). Will soon discovers he has HIV/AIDS, which he had transmitted to Mike. Devastated by the news, they do everything they can to fight it together. They cope through creating a DnD campaign together to process everything they’ve gone through. They play DnD in Mike’s basement until Will’s condition becomes critical. Will is forced to stay in the hospital, while Mike is unable to visit (strict rules about visitation due to the disease and because they aren’t/cannot be considered legal partners). So, Mike does the only thing he can do: he writes letters to Will and continues the story. Mike eventually loses Will, for real this time. He’s devastated, and plagued with grief, depression, and survivor’s guilt. He didn’t complete their story in time. But his family and friends support him and encourage him to finish the story. To change the ending before his time runs out too. He completes their story himself, and reads his final letter to Will’s grave.

“anyway I think you’ll like [the ending]. sorry I couldn’t get it done [on time] but you mean so [much to me] and it’s been [so hard being without you] hope this is [enough to] last until [we meet again]. Love, [Mike].”

Attached to this letter is the full campaign. The full story of the show itself, which started on November 6th, 1983. He successfully turned back the clock, and changed their ending. They became superheroes within their story, saving Hawkins with their love. Mike dies soon after and we are met with…

Mike and Will reuniting within their own story. Blue meeting yellow at a gate, one final time, that leads “into the west”.

They continue their story and it’s a never ending story… Living on as heroes, forever and ever.

Some thoughts:

To simplify things, I didn’t include other characters much here but they likely all play an important role in the story. Many characters likely only exist within the mid layer (the 1/100 timeline).

I do think their story likely will be published, and this will be done by another character (my guess is Lucas). Their story will impact others profoundly, perhaps completely altering perspectives. This will lead towards positive change, and increase pressure for the development of a “cure”.

Lonnie obviously dies too, but we won’t see it. He’s significant but irrelevant. We don’t need to see him. Perhaps he rots in jail.

If characters like Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Hopper all exist within the outer layer (the 99/100 timeline) in a similar way, they too may be inflicted with HIV/AIDS. Remember, it wasn’t just gay men, everyone was affected by this awful epidemic.

The time period is super relevant in this story. There’s no way that HIV/AIDS will not play an important role. Think about it… it revolves around two gay boys growing up during that time. This epidemic was widespread and terrifying. Had they been born a decade later, there would have been treatments/“cures” accessible to them.

The biggest reason why I strongly believe this theory is because… this is basically the ending of Stranger Things season 1, on a much grander scale. Think about it. Mike changed the ending of the DnD campaign so Will could be a hero, not a victim. This was further established in the comics.

While Mike and Will within the outer layer (99/100) have a tragic ending, Mike and Will within the show (1/100) do not. They beat the odds. Although it is undeniably a tragic end, remember that somewhere out there Mike and Will are still playing DnD and Nintendo for the rest of their lives.

Free Will and Writing your Own Ending

Free will has always been a reoccurring theme within Stranger Things; meaning we can choose our own destiny, fight chance, and beat the odds.

Do we truly have free will though? Obviously, we don’t know. The point is, we should still live life as if we do have it. To take control where we can, and not let external forces dictate who we are and what our destiny is. I think that’s the message there.

[icemav86]

1980s/1990s safe sex posters part 2

[part 1]

[otherbombdotcom]

From the lack of care for community health, to the constant thread of eugenics, and disproportionate effect on people of color and queer people the similarities between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the ongoing covid pandemic are eerie.

[magicfemme]

“Still loved."

AIDS QUILT SERIES | VIEW THE QUILT

[oncanvas]

(American Flag), Joseph Wolin, 1989

Screenprint 11 × 15 5/16 in. (27.9 × 38.9 cm) Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City, NY, USA

[ashleymilesphil]

LGBTQ+ Refugees in Crisis, Urgent Need for HIV/AIDS Medication After U.S.🇺🇸Funding Cuts😭💊

Since July last year, we, the LGBTQ+ refugees in Gorom camp, had finally started benefiting from a crucial program providing life-saving HIV/AIDS medication. It gave hope to many of us who have suffered not just from persecution but also from neglect in healthcare access. But with President Trump’s decision to cut funding, that hope is now in danger.

At least 70 of our fellow LGBTQ+ refugees living with HIV/AIDS rely on these monthly medications to survive. Without them, their health will deteriorate rapidly, and the already dire conditions in the camp will become even worse. We cannot afford to lose this vital support. That’s why we are calling on the global queer community to stand with us in finding alternative solutions.

We urgently need your help to secure this medication. Please donate, share our fundraiser, and advise us on other ways to get support. Every action counts whether it’s a small contribution, spreading the word, or connecting us with organizations that can help. Our survival depends on collective action. Please stand with us in this fight!

[liberaljane]

Zero stigma, Zero AIDS-related Deaths & Zero New HIV Infections.

Created with Getting to Zero Massachusetts

Digital illustration of a group of people of different ages, races, sexualities, genders and abilities. In the center is a Black woman holding a sign that reads, 'together we can end the HIV epidemic.'

[gayest-historian]

Unfinished Painting

The artwork titled 'Unfinished Painting' (pictured above) was created by Keith Haring in 1989. The purpose of the piece is to reflect the lives cut short by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It represents the lost potential of those who died from the disease and the lack of care for it.

This disease disproportionately affects queer men like Haring. Due to this it wasn't taken seriously enough by governments, particularly in America. Keith Haring himself later died due to complications related to HIV/AIDS in 1990, just a year after he created the painting.

I find this painting and it's background extremely compelling. There is a whole generation of queer people, particularly AMAB, who are gone because of the negligence of governments and healthcare systems. They could have done so much but their lives were cut short in a cruel act of erasure.

[reasonsforhope]

Hopeful news: a camp for kids with HIV/AIDS in northern Minnesota is closing...because there are so few kids infected with HIV/AIDS these days that there aren't enough campers! As someone born in the 80s and raised with the AIDS crisis raging, this is really incredible.

source (remove space after www.): www. startribune.com/closure-of-northern-minnesota-camp-is-the-greatest-story-heres-why/601199362

That's amazing!!!

[satancheeto]

Huge shoutout (/s) to my Microbiology professor, in our class of all Med Lab Tech students, for deciding it was important to have a conversation about the AIDS epidemic, the societal epidemiology, and how it was handled in the lab (since we’re lab students). About how terrible it was that the government denied its existence, put out false information, insisting it was only a gay men problem, repressed scientists voices and denied funding. And how there was so much hate and and uncaring about what was happening, bc it supposedly only affected gay men, so it wasn’t everyone else’s problem to do anything. She alluded to not trusting the public beliefs and just following everyone else’s behavior (of hatred specifically). Obviously all my classmates were in agreement saying it’s terrible all this happened, we need to listen to science, be compassionate and support victims, etc.

I raised my hand and tried to emphasize that much more and also add not to trust the government for the truth, not even to trust the CDC and FDA. How you need to do your own research in order to find out how to deal with a pandemic.

Very notably, I’m the only one wearing a mask (N95), and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone else in the health education building that wears one more than just when they are actively sick with either Covid or Flu, in which case they wear baggy surgical masks for a few days. The only other person I have ever seen wear a proper mask about half the time was an older gay man (he moved to teach elsewhere now).

For the record, AIDS has killed ~1 million people. SARS-COV-2 has killed >10 million people, and many many deaths aren’t recorded attributed to Covid when they die of later complications like stroke or heart attack.

It is not enough to teach history. We need to teach how to apply it to the present. It is so easy to say how you would have acted considerately with compassion and reason and followed science instead of society. But clearly none of the 22 other people in this room understood that this was the same situation and they were not applying what they were claiming they would.

[urialnathanonwright]

Trump’s War on Humanity: A Deadly Mix of Racism, Eugenics, and Christian Nationalism

The decision to cripple PEPFAR is not merely a “pause”; it is an act of cruelty on an unfathomable scale. This is not about fiscal responsibility or bureaucratic adjustments; this is the calculated dismantling of a program that has saved millions of lives, driven by a toxic ideology that prioritizes xenophobia, eugenics, and religious extremism over basic human decency.

Trump’s administration isn’t just stopping aid—it is weaponizing suffering. This isn’t budget cutting; this is genocide by neglect. Stripping life-saving HIV medication from millions is a death sentence for individuals and a catastrophic blow to the global fight against AIDS. It will obliterate years of progress, allowing HIV to spread unchecked, fueling new, drug-resistant strains, and destabilizing entire regions. The ramifications will be felt across the globe, including in the United States.

This is intentional. Trump has repeatedly demonstrated disdain for non-white, non-Christian lives, openly labeling nations in the Global South as “shithole countries.” This is a continuation of his eugenicist rhetoric, amplified by the dangerous ideologues he surrounds himself with, people who believe suffering is deserved and who use pseudoscience and religious dogma to justify policies of mass death.

The presence of RFK Jr., an AIDS denialist, in any health-related capacity underlines the recklessness of Trump’s administration. It sends a chilling signal: science and truth are irrelevant in the face of conspiratorial thinking and extremist ideology. The deliberate conflation of PEPFAR with abortion — a baseless claim — is another cynical tactic, designed to rally the Christian nationalist base while undermining a program that has been a bipartisan triumph for decades.

This humanitarian disaster also jeopardizes America’s global standing. In withdrawing support, the U.S. is ceding moral leadership and strategic influence to adversaries like China, whose aid will come with strings attached. Trump’s “America First” doctrine is a sham, ensuring America is not first in compassion or diplomacy but rather in ignorance and isolationism.

This is not just Trump’s failure; this is a national disgrace. It is a moral test for the country and its citizens. Congress must rise above partisanship, renew PEPFAR, and reject this administration’s barbaric assault on the vulnerable. The global fight against HIV is a fight for humanity itself, and to abandon it is to abandon the very principles that define us.

Trump’s America is one where lives are weighed by race, nationality, and utility to his twisted vision of the world. We must fight back against this dystopian reality, not just for the 26 million people now left to die, but for the soul of our nation and the shared future of humankind.

[icemav86]

1980s safe sex posters

[x]

Part 1

[Part 2]

[helpmeimblorboing]

The world passes by, and it’s cold. The gravestone is warm. In the depths of Achilles’ fevered mind, he thinks it still smells like Patroclus, the warmth of his skin, the cypress smell of his clothes

He kneels in the frozen dirt, and twigs dig into his skin like the claws of the Furies his mother used to tell him about, screaming, raving spirits of vengeance, risen from the other world to punish him - how dare you let him die !! How dare you let him hurt !!

He thinks he’s been kneeling here for years, but that can’t be right. The Sunday chill is still in the air, and the wind carries the smell of his corpse, limp and dead

The stone is simple, just a slab of rock, words carved into its face - PATROCLUS MENOITIADES 1995-2024

He thinks there should be an “Achilles” scrawled beside it. He thinks he might be dead, too

He remembers how he looked, in those final days, eyes sunken, face shriveled. Skinny as a twig. So unlike the Patroclus he loved that he was half-convinced it was a prank

They said it was pneumonia. Achilles thinks it was Fate herself, playing a cruel joke on him

The weather was calm, almost irritatingly so. Briseis came by to leave out some coffee and donuts for him, lest he ended up starving himself to death, but that was hours ago. And Achilles’ stomach felt like a black hole. He hungered for only one thing, and that was now forever beyond his reach

By now, the cup contained only black-brown sludge, and critters had devoured whatever remained of the donuts. As he watched, one of them nibbled on a crumb

He derived some vicious satisfaction in squishing it, leaving behind a smear of black blood on the rim of the plate. If he had to suffer, so would everyone around him

Maybe, if he sits out here long enough, he’ll catch pneumonia, too. Maybe then he’ll finally be able to follow Patroclus over to the other world. Maybe then he would finally get to be happy

A hoarse voice cleared its throat right behind him. The man was wearing doctor’s scrubs, having just gotten off work. Achilles flinched. It seemed unfazed, “I’m sorry for your loss”

Achilles didn’t respond

Hector continued, “We did everything we could, but it was too late for him. All we could do was-“

“Shut up”, his voice was sharper then he remembered, hoarse and rusty from screaming, like shattered glass, “Shut up before I gouge out your eyes”

“I understand you’re upset”, Hector’s voice was placating. Achilles wanted to kill him, “but it’s not OUR fault”

“I thought I told you something”, his voice was dead, lifeless as his love, right under him, like all the nights they had spent together, “Let me repeat it - shut up”

“Right…”, Hector paused, before clearing his throat, “Briseis wants to know if you’re okay”

Achilles was silent. After a long moment, the tell-tale sounds of a man shuffling away reached him. He didn’t move

After a long moment, he rose to his feet. At the gates of the cemetery, Automedon, clearly worried, perked up slightly at the sight

“Boss”, he called, “The car’s waiting”

“Is…”, Achilles cleared his throat, “Is Mom…”

“She’s at the house”, he swallowed. Hard, “She wants to see you”

“I…”, the breath he drew in was ragged and torn, as he turned back towards the grave, feeling oddly like he was chopping off a limb by leaving this place, “I…”

His mother had never liked Patroclus. But these last few weeks… she had changed. For some reason, the thought of her son losing his heart seemed to get her to finally show the young - so young, too young - man some compassion.

Who knows ? Maybe she had a change of heart.

“Boss ?”, Automedon sounded a bit nervous. He idly scratched the back of his head, “Lady Thetis said she wants you inside by sundown, lest you…”, he swallowed, “…end up like him”

Achilles resisted the urge to bark out a pained laugh. Isn’t that what she always told him would. come of associating with the likes of his beloved ? A bastard, a disgrace, someone disowned by his own family ?

How odd that, now that he was dead, those words were repeated, and with such a different meaning

“Boss ?”

“Yeah”, Achilles turned towards his friend, and was a bit disappointed to not be faced with a funeral hearse, “M’coming”

It seemed improper, for a corpse to be carried around in his mother’s gleaming black Chevrolet Cameron, but he supposed after it had carried his mother around for years, it was used to carting around wounded souls