Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandom:
Relationship:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2024-11-25
Completed:
2024-11-25
Words:
2,051
Chapters:
6/6
Comments:
14
Kudos:
96
Bookmarks:
14
Hits:
671

The Words to Keep You

Summary:

My soul, whatever half of it remains with me, aches for your embrace. A thousand spears could pierce my flesh and it would not equal a fraction to the amount of pain I feel in your absence. I miss you. I miss you for every grain of sand that lay on the beaches where we used to run, I miss you for every star we used to count in the sky, I miss you for every tear shed in that blasted war.

 

or,

Five times Achilles wrote letters to Patroclus, and one time Patroclus wrote to Achilles.

Notes:

Hello friends! I come bearing you an obligatory "achilles writes unsent letters to patroclus" fic but lets be honest those are always fun

This originally was just a bit of writing practice that was never meant to see the light of day but it ended up being so good that I kept writing and have now decided to post it! :)

Big thank you to my friends who read snippets of this at like 3am and gave me so much encouragement, I love you guys to death <333

Fic title is from New York Torch Song by The Amazing Devil

Chapter 1: I

Chapter Text

My dear Patroclus,

Pat,

 

Patroclus,

I write to you in the depths of the House of Hades, and so I write from the depths of my heart. Words have never come to me quite as easily as they have for you. I still think of the many times you would humble the various kings with your sharp tongue and even sharper wit.

Yet here I am writing to you, though you may never see this, I ought to put my thoughts to page— lest they consume me entirely. To even dredge up such memories fills me with

I only have one thing to say to you, beloved,

I am sorry.

I have failed you in life, and yet again I fear I have failed you in death. I pray that you are happy within those blessed fields, content, at the very least. While I waste away here in this dreary hall, I find comfort in knowing that you lay in paradise, waiting wanting for nothing.

My soul, whatever half of it remains with me, aches for your embrace. A thousand spears could pierce my flesh and it would not equal a fraction to the amount of pain I feel in your absence. I miss you. I miss you for every grain of sand that lay on the beaches where we used to run, I miss you for every star we used to count in the sky, I miss you for every tear shed in that blasted war.

I am filled with regret, if nothing else. Regretting every moment where I should have stayed in your arms, spared you one more sentence, took a second glance.

I would

I shall continue to think of you, my love, while I stand here waiting. For what, I am yet unsure— a purpose, perhaps, something to keep me going. Sometimes I fear the hope I hold onto of seeing you again is slipping through my fingers like the time we effortlessly wasted.

 

Yours, forever and always,

Achilles