Chapter Text
Group Chat: “Troy High Track Team 🏃♂️🔥”
Members: Achilles, Hector, Paris, Odysseus, Ajax, Patroclus, Nestor, Diomedes
Achilles:
bro whos bringing the snacks for tomorrow’s meet
Hector:
me. and I’m not carrying all this gatorade again alone, Odysseus, HELP
Odysseus:
last time I brought it, you called me “useless Ithacan luggage”
Achilles:
accurate😭
Ajax:
ok but is Patroclus running the 400 tomorrow? i need to know if i’m placing or not lmao
Patroclus:
yeah, coach confirmed today. sorry 😅
Achilles:
don’t apologize you’re literally the best 400 sprinter we have
Paris:
Achilles turning into a cheerleader every time Pat speaks 🥰
Achilles:
shut up Paris
Odysseus:
someone’s got a crush ouuu
Patroclus:
oh my god can we not
Achilles:
he doesn’t even mean it like that guys chill 😐
Diomedes:
sure he doesn’t 😭
⸻
Private Chat: Achilles 💬 Patroclus
Achilles:
hey sorry about earlier, they’re annoying
Patroclus:
lol it’s okayyy used to it by now
Achilles:
still tho
you good? looked kinda tired after practice
Patroclus:
yeah just didn’t sleep well. my brother was up late playing stupid war games again 💀
Achilles:
I swear Menoetius should be grounded for letting him do that
you want coffee tmr? I’ll grab it before school
Patroclus:
really?
that’s… nice of you. sure ☕️
Achilles:
cool. your usual? oat milk vanilla?
Patroclus:
you remembered that?
Achilles:
ofc I did
⸻
Group Chat: “War & Gossip ⚔️”
Members: Helen, Briseis, Andromache, Cassandra, Penthesilea
Helen:
ok but I’m not the drama this week. guess who is
Briseis:
you always say that then make it about you LMAO
Helen:
rude anyway
Achilles is like OBSESSED with Patroclus rn
he bought him coffee today
held the door open
and he like smiled. Achilles. SMILED.
Cassandra:
the world is ending
Penthesilea:
I ship it. Patroclus is lowkey adorable
Andromache:
Patroclus doesn’t even know Achilles likes him tho right?
Briseis:
omg no he’s so oblivious
but he blushes SO HARD when Achilles talks to him
Helen:
I’m giving it 2 weeks tops before Achilles confesses
or explodes from yearning
⸻
Private Chat: Achilles 💬 Briseis
Achilles:
why do you tell everyone everything
Briseis:
because watching you pine is ENTERTAINMENT
also bc it’s OBVIOUS
Achilles:
🙄
Briseis:
when are you going to tell him tho
like… you got him coffee. you make sure he eats. you literally glare at Ajax when he flirts
Achilles:
I don’t glare
I just… monitor.
Briseis:
LMAO “monitor”
you’re literally jealous every time someone talks to him 😭
Achilles:
I’m not good at this.
I don’t know how to say it.
Briseis:
just tell him
Achilles:
not today
⸻
Private Chat: Patroclus 💬 Hector
Patroclus:
ok random but
do you think Achilles is mad at me??
Hector:
wait what? why would he be?
Patroclus:
idk he’s been quiet
like after the meet yesterday he didn’t even wait for me like usual
Hector:
hmm
maybe he’s just stressed? he’s been moody since Coach started talking about State qualifiers
Patroclus:
maybe
he got me coffee tho… like yesterday morning. but then he didn’t text back last night. idk.
Hector:
you care a lot huh?
Patroclus:
what do you mean
Hector:
just… I’ve seen the way you look at him.
even if you don’t realize it yourself yet.
Patroclus:
I don’t—
I mean he’s… he’s Achilles. everyone looks at him like that
Hector:
not the way you do
and not the way he looks at you
⸻
Private Chat: Achilles 💬 Odysseus
Achilles:
how do you tell someone you like them without it being cringe af
Odysseus:
oh?
is this about your curly-haired crush
Achilles:
answer the question smartass
Odysseus:
honestly?
tell him what you admire about him
real things. not just “you’re hot” or whatever
you’re bad at being vulnerable but he’ll get it if it’s you
Achilles:
you think he’ll think it’s weird tho?
Odysseus:
nope
I think he already likes you
he just needs a push
⸻
Private Chat: Patroclus 💬 Achilles
Patroclus:
hey
are we okay?
Achilles:
yeah
why wouldn’t we be
Patroclus:
you’ve just been… distant
and I don’t like when we’re weird.
Achilles:
I’m sorry
I’ve just been dealing w stuff
Patroclus:
if you ever wanna talk about it
I’m here. you know that right?
Achilles:
yeah
I do
thank you
Patroclus:
also
thanks for the coffee
it made my whole morning
Achilles:
I’d bring you coffee every day if I could
Patroclus:
Achilles…
⸻
Group Chat: “Troy High Drama 🎭 (yes, even the athletes)”
Members: Paris, Helen, Briseis, Achilles, Patroclus, Odysseus, Hector, Ajax, Cassandra
Paris:
GUYS
VALENTINE’S DANCE ANNOUNCED 💃
Helen:
I’m not going unless someone iconic asks me. looking @ u, Paris
Paris:
obviously. I have taste
Briseis:
wait—so… are Achilles and Patroclus going together 👀
Achilles:
why are you like this
Patroclus:
we haven’t even talked about it lol
Ajax:
not yet 🤫
Cassandra:
I’m seeing visions.
someone’s getting a love confession that night
⸻
Group Chat: “War & Gossip ⚔️”
Members: Helen, Briseis, Andromache, Cassandra, Penthesilea
Helen:
okay. girls night. friday. my place. mandatory.
Briseis:
YES finally
I need this. face masks, pizza, therapy circle let’s go
Andromache:
count me in. I’m bringing kettle corn and emotional baggage
Cassandra:
if I’m forced to interact with anyone all week, it better be you lot
Andromache:
I need this after this week, I swear.
Cassandra:
how many people are we inviting?
Helen:
just us… plus Patroclus
Briseis:
obviously
Andromache:
lol yeah no one was gonna object to that
Helen:
facts. he’s invited.
plus the way he giggles when I paint his nails??? elite
Briseis:
Achilles is gonna DIE when he finds out
⸻
Private Chat: Briseis 💬 Patroclus
Briseis:
hey babe. girls night. my place. you in?
Patroclus:
wait me??
Briseis:
duh. you’re obviously invited why not?? your practically part of our group anyway
Patroclus:
omg okay😭
what should I bring??
Briseis:
chips and your clueless self.
Patroclus:
clueless?? rude
Briseis:
you’ll get it eventually
⸻
Private Chat: Briseis 💬 Achilles
Briseis:
guess who’s coming to girls night 😌
Achilles:
don’t mess w me
Briseis:
not even lying. patty’s IN.
Achilles:
is it too late to identify as a girl for the weekend
Briseis:
LMAOOOO you’re DOWN BAD
Achilles:
you’d understand if you saw him in those dumb soft pajamas he wears
Briseis:
😳 you’ve seen him in pajamas??
Achilles:
once. sleepover in 7th grade. I never emotionally recovered.
how are you all just allowed to spend time with him like it’s normal
Briseis:
because it is. to us. to you he’s a daily heartbreak and a Greek tragedy
Achilles:
you’re evil
Briseis:
you’re in love
⸻
Group Chat: “Girls Night 👑🩷✨”
Members: Helen, Briseis, Andromache, Cassandra, Penthesilea, Patroclus
Helen:
okay. arrive at 7.
pajamas only. no makeup. no boys—except the one exception
Cassandra:
can we do movie night after?
Patroclus:
I vote yes. I haven’t seen anything released after 2012 anyway
Penthesilea:
that explains so much
Briseis:
bring something comfy, Pat. this is a safe zone
Patroclus:
I’ve got my Star Wars PJ pants and my big hoodie, that count?
Andromache:
yeah you’re good pat
⸻
Patroclus arrived with a bag of snacks in one hand and his phone in the other, glancing up at the front door like he wasn’t entirely sure he was at the right place. He was wearing his Star Wars pajama pants and an oversized heather gray hoodie. His curls were still damp from a shower, the ends sticking slightly to his forehead. The second Briseis opened the door, she grinned.
“Look who actually showed up.”
“I promised snacks,” Patroclus said, lifting the bag.
“Helen leaned around from the living room. “Patroclus! You’re late. That means you’re sitting between me and Cassandra.”
“I don’t think that’s a punishment,” he muttered as they pulled him inside.
The living room was already transformed into a battlefield of plush blankets, half-empty bowls of popcorn, and open soda cans. Fairy lights wrapped around the curtain rods glowed softly, casting a warm pink hue over everything. Penthesilea was already in sweatpants, scrolling through movie options on Helen’s TV. Andromache, wearing a Troy Music Dept hoodie, tossed a face mask packet across the room at Briseis, who caught it effortlessly.
When Patroclus stepped in, everyone barely reacted, just waved him over like it was the most natural thing in the world. He relaxed.
⸻
“Alright,” Helen said, sitting cross-legged and cracking open a soda, “let’s get this started.”
Briseis pulled out a deck of conversation cards. “Warm-up round. Go-to comfort movie?”
Answers came in rapid fire —
Andromache: “Little Women.”
Cassandra: “I don’t watch anything made after 2005.”
Penthesilea: “That scene in Mulan where she climbs the pole. On loop.”
Helen: “Legally Blonde.”
Briseis: “Paddington 2.”
Then they looked at Patroclus.
“Uh…” He hesitated. “Spirited Away, I think.”
That made Helen pause. “That makes so much sense.”
Cassandra nodded slowly, like she’d just confirmed a theory.
⸻
As the night went on, Patroclus stopped perching politely on the edge of the couch and melted into the mess like the rest of them. He sat cross-legged with a pillow hugged to his chest while they gossiped and debated movies. Cassandra painted his nails black without asking. He didn’t protest. When the polish dried, she inspected her work and shrugged. “Not bad for my non-dominant hand.”
Briseis passed him a bowl of caramel popcorn. “Still glad you came?”
“Honestly, yeah,” he said with a quiet laugh. “I needed this.”
Private Chat: Achilles 💬 Briseis
Achilles:
so how’s it going
Briseis:
he’s sitting cross-legged on the couch arguing about which Harry Potter house is the most annoying. he has no idea how much you’d be staring if you were here
Achilles:
I already am. mentally.
Briseis:
god you’re dramatic
you’d be losing your mind
Achilles:
I am losing my mind
you’re just lucky I respect boundaries or I’d be outside the window
Briseis:
he just said Spirited Away is his comfort movie
I think I almost cried
Achilles:
I’m in love with someone who thinks bathhouse spirits are comforting. this explains everything.
⸻
“Okay,” Helen said later, flopping back dramatically onto the pile of pillows. “We’re doing it. Truth or dare.”
“No dares,” Penthesilea said instantly. “I don’t want to end up in someone’s TikTok.”
“Fine, just truths,” Briseis said. “We’re too emotionally tired for chaos anyway.”
Cassandra, in a deadpan voice: “Who do you want to slow dance with at the Valentine’s Dance?”
Everyone groaned.
Andromache mumbled something about Hector. Penthesilea shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe no one.” Cassandra refused to answer.
Then Helen turned her eyes toward Patroclus. “Come on. You’ve gotta pick someone.”
Patroclus blinked, caught mid-sip of his soda. “What?”
“Dance partner,” Briseis said gently. “If someone asked. Who’d you say yes to?”
He looked down for a moment, the flicker of a smile curling into the corner of his mouth. “Achilles, probably.”
There was a beat of stunned silence, and then Briseis made a weird choking sound behind her popcorn.
Patroclus glanced around. “What?”
“Nothing,” Helen said, too fast. “Just. Interesting answer.”
He blinked again. “He’s easy to talk to. I feel normal around him.”
Cassandra exchanged a glance with Briseis and mouthed, He has no idea.
⸻
Briseis 💬 Achilles (Private Chat)
Briseis:
he said you. for the dance.
dead serious. no blush. no panic. just said it like it’s obvious
Achilles:
WHAT
Briseis:
you need to ask him soon
before someone else figures it out
Achilles:
I don’t even know how to function right now
Briseis:
do what you always do
pretend you’re cooler than you are
and then accidentally tell him everything
⸻
Back at the sleepover, Briseis queues up music. The girls are dancing. Patroclus spins in a lazy circle, laughing. He stumbles into a pillow, curls flopping into his eyes. He looks up, breathless and pink-cheeked, not noticing Briseis recording.
“How is Achilles breathing?” Cassandra giggles, whispering.
Briesis laughs “He’s not, he’s texting me full Shakespeare sonnets right now.”
⸻
Private Chat: Achilles 💬 Briseis
Achilles:
he’s dancing
he’s actually dancing
he looks like the moon tripped into a human body
Briseis:
you’re a poet AND a simp
Achilles:
I need to lie down
_____
Later that night, the room faded into quiet. The movie playing in the background was one of those old mid-2000s rom-coms that no one was paying full attention to. Briseis glanced over and found Patroclus curled up under a blanket, one hand still in the bowl of popcorn, half-asleep. He looked peaceful. Not glowing or cinematic, just real. Comfortable. Warm.
Helen caught Briseis staring. “He looks like that and still has no idea what he does to people.”
Briseis smiled faintly. “Yeah. That tracks.”
⸻
Private Chat: Patroclus 💬 Achilles
Patroclus:
you’d laugh if you saw me right now
Briseis made me try this avocado face mask and I look like an alien
Achilles:
I wouldn’t laugh
I’d probably just sit there being in love like a fool
Patroclus:
lol
Achilles:
wait
I didn’t mean it yk like that
Patroclus:
it’s okay
I just wasn’t expecting it
Achilles:
yeah, me neither.
⸻
Private Chat: Briseis 💬 Achilles
Briseis:
you still breathing
Achilles:
barely
Briseis:
he just fell asleep during the movie. arm flopped over a pillow like a toddler.
I swear it’s like watching a Studio Ghibli character exist
Achilles:
I’d let him ruin my life
Briseis:
I know