Falling [Stelios/Astinos]
Not smut this time either, I'm afraid. I will do it, it's in my head believe me ;) But at the moment it seems my muse wants fluff. I can only obey.
Title: Falling
Author: bloodonmyarms
Pairing: Stelios/Astinos
Fandom: 300
Word Count: 693
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: Spoilers if you haven't seen the movie. Stelios POV.
It had been a long day and Stelios was exhausted. His body ached from the long hours of fighting. But what plagued him more wasn’t the dirt and dust caked on his skin, or the dry blood threatening to crack through the sealed wounds and burn again, but the dull pain in his heart. They had lost brothers in last night’s battle, and some more today. All honoured comrades gone to their reward, and Stelios knew that it had to happen someday, but he had hoped he might die before Astinos. After all, he was older. And he had sons to carry on his name. Astinos wasn’t ready to die. Stelios wasn’t ready for Astinos to die. Not by a long shot.
He remembered the day when Astinos had walked up to him in the gymnasium, his brown eyes smiling, and his body glistening with sweat from his own training. Stelios’s breath had caught in his throat. He had been watching Astinos for a while, admiring how the boy was progressing with his agoge. He will be a great Spartan one day, Stelios remembered thinking to himself. He had smiled in return, and beckoned him to follow over to a seating area.
“How was your training?” Stelios asked.
“Good, “Astinos replied. “Yours?”
Stelios chuckled slightly, “Yes, fine also.” Astinos didn’t bother addressing Stelios as his senior, never had. That was one of the things Stelios had always liked about him. The boy wasn’t afraid to speak his mind or stand up for himself.
“I wanted to ask you something. “ Astinos waited for Stelios to acknowledge this, and when he had nodded, continued. “The time has come for me to take an erastês. “ Astinos waited again.
“Well, that’s not really a question is it?” Stelios laughed. “Spit it out boy.”
“Well obviously, I mean to ask you. I thought you would have got that. ” Astinos teased. “Well, come on then. What do you say?”
“Astinos, the first thing I will teach you is how to respect your elders.” At Astinos’s shocked face, Stelios couldn’t help but grin. Astinos punched him squarely on the arm, which only earned him a much harder punch from Stelios and another of his wicked grins.
He remembered teaching Astinos how to mend wounds. He taught him the different herbs you could use to relieve pain, how to seal a wound with a hot spear and how to train with an injury so you won’t aggravate it. Astinos found it all fascinating and would whine when Stelios said it was time to return to the barracks. There was something in Astinos’s eyes that meant Stelios often caved and the pair would sit out in the fields until the moon shone high in the sky.
He remembered Astinos passing his agoge. He remembered smiling at him with pride in his eyes, and Astinos staring back with that look that Stelios’s heart knew was love, but dared not acknowledge for fear of what it might mean.
He remembered an evening spent discussing music, after a long days training, when Astinos’s hand had brushed his and he had wanted to grasp it. He remembered the day when he had hugged Astinos and noticed that their bodies fit together perfectly. He remembered the night when he decided it was a risk worth taking. He remembered the smell of him, the small sounds that escape Astinos’s unsure lips, and how amazing it felt to rest his head on Astinos’s shoulder.
He remembered those years as if they had just been. Time seemed to have played a trick on him. He thought he’d had years with Astinos but now it felt like it had been a brief dream. A few blissful moments, now snatched away.
What hurt the most is that for once in his life, Stelios wanted to cry until his eyes stung. He wanted the others to know that Astinos had been his, but as far as they were concerned all Stelios should feel is sorrow for a fallen friend. And so he drank to Astinos’s memory and let out a silent prayer to the Gods that he would fall tomorrow.
P.S. Totally loving This Is War.
Title: Falling
Author: bloodonmyarms
Pairing: Stelios/Astinos
Fandom: 300
Word Count: 693
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: Spoilers if you haven't seen the movie. Stelios POV.
It had been a long day and Stelios was exhausted. His body ached from the long hours of fighting. But what plagued him more wasn’t the dirt and dust caked on his skin, or the dry blood threatening to crack through the sealed wounds and burn again, but the dull pain in his heart. They had lost brothers in last night’s battle, and some more today. All honoured comrades gone to their reward, and Stelios knew that it had to happen someday, but he had hoped he might die before Astinos. After all, he was older. And he had sons to carry on his name. Astinos wasn’t ready to die. Stelios wasn’t ready for Astinos to die. Not by a long shot.
He remembered the day when Astinos had walked up to him in the gymnasium, his brown eyes smiling, and his body glistening with sweat from his own training. Stelios’s breath had caught in his throat. He had been watching Astinos for a while, admiring how the boy was progressing with his agoge. He will be a great Spartan one day, Stelios remembered thinking to himself. He had smiled in return, and beckoned him to follow over to a seating area.
“How was your training?” Stelios asked.
“Good, “Astinos replied. “Yours?”
Stelios chuckled slightly, “Yes, fine also.” Astinos didn’t bother addressing Stelios as his senior, never had. That was one of the things Stelios had always liked about him. The boy wasn’t afraid to speak his mind or stand up for himself.
“I wanted to ask you something. “ Astinos waited for Stelios to acknowledge this, and when he had nodded, continued. “The time has come for me to take an erastês. “ Astinos waited again.
“Well, that’s not really a question is it?” Stelios laughed. “Spit it out boy.”
“Well obviously, I mean to ask you. I thought you would have got that. ” Astinos teased. “Well, come on then. What do you say?”
“Astinos, the first thing I will teach you is how to respect your elders.” At Astinos’s shocked face, Stelios couldn’t help but grin. Astinos punched him squarely on the arm, which only earned him a much harder punch from Stelios and another of his wicked grins.
He remembered teaching Astinos how to mend wounds. He taught him the different herbs you could use to relieve pain, how to seal a wound with a hot spear and how to train with an injury so you won’t aggravate it. Astinos found it all fascinating and would whine when Stelios said it was time to return to the barracks. There was something in Astinos’s eyes that meant Stelios often caved and the pair would sit out in the fields until the moon shone high in the sky.
He remembered Astinos passing his agoge. He remembered smiling at him with pride in his eyes, and Astinos staring back with that look that Stelios’s heart knew was love, but dared not acknowledge for fear of what it might mean.
He remembered an evening spent discussing music, after a long days training, when Astinos’s hand had brushed his and he had wanted to grasp it. He remembered the day when he had hugged Astinos and noticed that their bodies fit together perfectly. He remembered the night when he decided it was a risk worth taking. He remembered the smell of him, the small sounds that escape Astinos’s unsure lips, and how amazing it felt to rest his head on Astinos’s shoulder.
He remembered those years as if they had just been. Time seemed to have played a trick on him. He thought he’d had years with Astinos but now it felt like it had been a brief dream. A few blissful moments, now snatched away.
What hurt the most is that for once in his life, Stelios wanted to cry until his eyes stung. He wanted the others to know that Astinos had been his, but as far as they were concerned all Stelios should feel is sorrow for a fallen friend. And so he drank to Astinos’s memory and let out a silent prayer to the Gods that he would fall tomorrow.
P.S. Totally loving This Is War.