#nah it's fine 🙃 it'll be fine

[johaerys-writes]

Hi! A Snippet Sunday if you don't mind? Thank you, and have a pleasant weekend!

Hello anon! I've been working on a Disasters AU one-shot, about that time when tiny baby Achilles and Patroclus tried to build a boat and go on an epic, grand adventure (and everything went swimmingly 🙃)

The overlook close to St. Andrew's chapel is unusually quiet for the time of day. Ajax's pick up truck takes up most of the space in the small churchyard, and sitting on the truck bed they all get a sweeping view of the valley below, with the Spercheios river flowing lazily through it. Fat bees buzz nearby as Achilles takes a big bite out of his watermelon slice; the first of the summer, picked by Ajax himself from their vegetable garden; ripe and full and bursting with sweetness. 

"Where does the river go?" he asks idly, juice dripping down his chin, for the first time wondering where the river he has known all his life leads.

"To the sea," Ajax replies, and spits his watermelon seed half an inch further than Achilles did.

"Duh, I know that. I mean, where exactly does it end?"

“Far from here."

"Like where?" Achilles presses. "Volos?"

"Nope."

"Atalanti? St. Constantine? St. Nicolas? St.—"

"Are you going to name every damned town and village in Greece?" Ajax snaps. 

"Just tell me where it ends!" 

Ajax huffs. "Athens, runt. It ends in Athens."

Achilles narrows his eyes at him. "Bullshit."

"You don't believe me? Fine, check any geography book you want and it'll prove me right." 

“What do you think?” Achilles turns to Patroclus. "Does the river end in Athens?" 

“I… don’t know,” Patroclus says shyly. "I'm not sure." His bottom lip is shiny and tinted pink from the watermelon when he absently chews on it, and his usually guileless eyes are somewhat wary now. He gazes out over the river following its quiet, stolid course in the distance. “I always thought … it flows into the sea a little off the coast of Thermopylae. But— but I might be wrong."

“That’s not too far from here," Achilles perks up. "That’s like, an hour by car, tops.” 

“Nah." Ajax says, shaking his head. “I'm telling you, it goes all the way down to Athens. Flows out at Piraeus port. I know what I'm talking about, runt.” 

Achilles and Patroclus glance at each other. Patroclus is one of the smartest people Achilles knows, but even he doesn't seem to know for sure whether Ajax is pulling their leg or not. He often does that, Ajax does: tell him something with a completely straight face, so earnest that Achilles believes him, until he relays Ajax’s information to someone else and they look at him like he has gone insane. 

“We should ask Father,” Achilles tells Patroclus after Ajax drops them off at the house. “He will know.”  

But Father doesn’t come back home that night, nor the next, and their search for a reliable map in his extensive library is fruitless. They sift through dusty books and papers for hours until they give up; Achilles throws himself on the couch with a frustrated huff.

"It doesn’t matter," Achilles tells Patroclus when he sits next to him. "No matter where the river goes, we should see it.” 

“See what?”

“Where it ends.” At Patroclus’ blank stare, Achilles adds, “If it ends in Athens, then we go to Athens.” 

“Why would we do that?" 

"Because it's boring as all hell here." Patroclus gives him an incredulous look, and Achilles grins enthusiastically. “It’s time we went somewhere new, right? Go on an adventure.” 

"How would we even go about doing that?" Patroclus mutters, his eyes so big and owl-like behind his glasses. "That's… so far away." 

"Where there's a will, there's a way, my friend." Achilles throws his arm over Patroclus' shoulders and gives him an encouraging shake. "So what do you say, huh? Would you go on an adventure with me?"

"Yeah," Patroclus chuckles. His reply comes swift and without any hesitation, his cheeks flushed a warm pink. 

[hyenaswine]

i'm watching this new spanish movie about the uruguayan rugby team airplane crash instead. even though sewing & reading subtitles at the same time is difícil. i tried the english dub track for a second but wasn't a fan, but will resort to that if need be. although come to think of it i JUST made that post about already being scared to fly to belize... nah i'm sure it'll be fine to watch a plane crash movie 🙃

all of this man's movies are 3 fucking hours long. sir i have other shit to do