The Song of Achilles, Epilogue

Epilogue

as a young boy, i used to marvel at the stories of the land of elysium, the endless beaches of soft sand silhouetted against a blue sky brimming with thousands of restless stars. as bright as these suns shine, they fall ill and dull to achilles' beauty as he lounges upon this billowing beach, golden locks framing an immortalized face of just sixteen.
the sweet pulp of the fig drips down my chin as his deft fingers whirl three fruits in a wide arc above him, eyes crinkling with humor as i toss a fourth, fifth, and then sixth into the frenzied orbit. his hand seems to slip, and with an almost imperceptible twitch the paths of the figs are redirected towards my chest, meeting their target with one dull thud after another.
an act of outrage plays at my brow as his lips struggle to conceal a smile. with a strangled howl i launch myself at him, and we are all limbs, churning against each other, painting a sharp contrast to the mild sea a few feet in front of us.
i struggle to a kneeling position on top of him, my legs pinning his heaving chest against the merciful white sand.
"you fig hurling weakling! how dare you invoke the wrath of the mighty patroclus!"
he shifts suddenly, and the air is forced from my lungs as he pulls me beneath him and straddles my chest. he leans forward and our harsh breaths mingle, invading my nose and mouth with his rushing warmth.
"mighty patroclus, slaughterer of heroes," he drawls, voice sweeter than honeyed wine.
pa-tro-clus.
"can't you see? my eternal paradise would be hardly worthy of its title without your rage."
he closes the already narrow gap between us and i feast on his eager mouth. my chest is warm and tight and my heart brims to the point of bursting.
this, this is my paradise, my fuddled mind manages.
no matter the rage. it will be this, always, for as long as you will let me.
he presses his nose against mine, pausing as if to pluck my ripened thoughts right from me.
"always, always," he exhales.
we lie like this, faces flushed, for our own microcosm of eternity.
far too soon, we untangle our limbs and trek up the beach until the sand morphs to lush grass and towering trees. we break into a sprint, hands clasped, the earth pounding beneath us until the trees give way to a small clearing.
in front of us lies a glittering rose quartz cave, and love, and light, forever.