[closed/incomplete]

[theprizeofwar]

Characters: Achilles & Briseis
Date/Time: Just after this.
Location: Lobby.
Rating: PG13?
Warnings: Possible/probable language.
Summary: They needed to talk--and properly this time.

Comments

[the_swiftest]

If Briseis took the time to look at his hand, she would notice that his wedding ring was still on his finger. On more than one occasion he had thought about taking it off. But every time he went to do it, something always held him back. There was a small nag in the back of his head that kept it on him. It was trouble for him but in time he figured that he would sort it out and make a decision.

Now he was one step closer to making that decision. The two of them were face to face, not throwing out words over a journal for the majority of the community to see. The two should have talked in person though back then, thanks to Cronus, he had been repulsive in the eyes of women. Thank whatever gods were left that that had been put to an end.

"Good, those bricks and mace saved his life." If Briseis hadn't of had them on her and she had been injured or worse, Achilles would have tracked the man down and killed him. The bricks and mace were heroes all around, spending the next 10-20 years for a crime of passion wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. But when his anger is at that level, he doesn't exactly think. He just does.

"Yes, I have. That day..I was angry. I do not think my anger was out of line but I wasn't thinking as clearly as he should." While in hindsight he was regretful of a couple of the things he had said, he still thought his words and the majority of his actions were justified. Any man who did not become angry in a situation like that was no man at all. Greek men were meant to feel and react, not stifle their emotions.

[theprizeofwar]

The benefit of him sitting beside her meant that she could avoid eye contact without it necessarily looking like she was avoiding it. It was natural for her to stare ahead at the wall. Achilles need not see the pain that flashed behind her eyes as she remembered what had been said, what she had intended to say and what she may have said--but couldn't necessarily remember--during a time when she was not herself.

"We both were," she reminded him, trying to defer any blame. She did not expect him to think so clearly when he was angry; she knew him better than that. But then she wasn't going to voice the fact she did not think her anger was out of line, either--if it had been, she would not have said anything to begin with.

Fingers untangling themselves, she started to fidget with her ring. A habit she had developed when it was put there, that only came into play when she was uncomfortable. She stared at her hands for a moment before realising she really ought to say something else. And probably look at him.

"You--um," her focus fled from Achilles' face to his chest and came to a rest on his knee, "You wanted to talk to me." When it came to men--as stereotypical as it was--Briseis was not a confrontational person. She still clung to the older gender roles in an effort to remain herself. When it came to Achilles, she tried to do as she was told--though often that didn't work. So she stated the obvious; somehow it was proof that she could do what was requested of her.

[the_swiftest]

While she looked him over, he looked her over in turn. Much like the conversation he had with Patroclus, while he heard what she said and it was partially being taken in (though she wasn't saying a whole lot), his mind was on something else. That something else being how attractive she was and how the conversations they had had since his return, reminded him of how they use to talk before all the drama. It was something he missed. More and more he realized how much he missed what they had.

However, there was also Polyxena now. And the more he thought about her, the more he wanted her as well. It appeared that his heart was equally divined and held love for both women. This choice was much more difficult than the choice he was presented back in the war. The glory he had was not something he had to share. It was not something he could only have in one place. Why was his heart being so fickle? He was silent for a few moments, his eyes resting on hers, as he chewed his thoughts over.

Then it dawned on him.

He wanted the both of them, he didn't want to decide between the two of them.

He wanted to love both of them and have the both of them love him in return. This of course would be no easy feat but he was no ordinary man. If anyone could do it, it was him. His conversation with Patroclus had given an idea of what he needed to work on with both women. The revelation he came across when he thought of Polyxena's death also made it clear what was important to him. He wanted to be the most important person in the life of his lover. It made him angry when he thought that someone was being chosen over him, especially in public. It hurt both his heart and his ego. However, he also knew that in the past, he had gotten over a lover being okay with his enemies. With Polyxena, he had made peace offerings with his enemies, in order to be with Polyxena. There was one thing he had to be certain of. One thing that he needed to know before he was willing to give that idea any more thought.

"Briseis, do you love me above all others?"

[theprizeofwar]

Briseis, somehow expecting him to make a statement rather than ask a question, blinked. Out of sheer confusion, her reaction was slow, though the process of her mind connecting the dots was a visible one. Her brow furrowed, somewhere between frustrated and insulted--Why that specific question? Why? What had she done to--then smoothed again. In answer, one hand reached down, pulled the broken shoe off her foot and hit him with it, leaving it in his lap, completely destroyed.

But no, it did not make her feel any better, and the expression on her face said as much. She was not in the habit of directly lying to Achilles, though the colour in her cheeks gave her away regardless.

"You had to ask, Achilles? Really? You--" The sentence was cut off with the closest thing Briseis would ever get to a frustrated growl while she was sound of mind, and her eyes snapped to the wall opposite her. She wanted to hit him again. Maybe with the heel of the other shoe. Or one of the bricks.

Her arms had folded across her chest before she realised she hadn't actually answered the question properly. "Yes, I do." And then, because the time apart had made her bolder. "That was a damned stupid question."

[the_swiftest]

Alas, poor shoe, we knew you well. Achilles eyed his shoulder where he was just nailed, looking surprised. If she had smacked him in the face with her shoe, that would have made him angry. Not that he would ever hit Briseis, but having a nasty gash on his face would definitely trigger some rage

Despite how angry she was, he was pleased with her answer. With everything that had happened, she could have said something else but she didn't. She spoke the truth and it was a step in the right direction for what he had in mind. While she was glaring, he had something that was a mixture of a smile and a grin on his face. One of his hands was brought up to her face and his other hand rested on her knee.

"In turn Briseis, you should know that nothing Electra has said regarding me is true. She accused me of what, not coming to your aid when you were upset? When you had that break down awhile back, I rushed out of practice to come to your side. When we argued in that journal entry, while I was angry, I realized that you were upset which was why I said I would talk to you when I got the apartment. Once again I left work to check up on you. More importantly.."

He leaned in to her so that their faces were much closer but he didn't make a move to do anything else, though his fingers did stroke her cheek and his hold on her kneepcap tightened slightly.

"You are not a prize to me, something to be kept pretty and watched from a distance. Yes, Polyxena is here. Yes, I hold love in my heart for her as well but that does not mean I would push you aside for her. I love you both for different reasons. My heart is capable of great love and it is great for the both of you, one cannot replace the other."

His hand that was on her knee moved over to her wedding ring and he lightly tapped it with his finger tip. "I have had many lovers in the past but never once have I given them a gift like this."

He paused and this time his eyes did narrow slightly and the smile on his face began to turn into more of a frown. "As for the comment about Patroclus, while it pleases me that the two of you get along, you are not better off with him. You are not better off with him, I love you like no other."

[theprizeofwar]

With a fixed frown--it simply wasn't going away--Briseis looked at the hand over knee, then turned sharply to raise an eyebrow at Achilles when she caught him grinning. This wasn't funny. Being reminded of Electra's very existence, however, turned her gaze back to the wall. There would be holes burned into it before this conversation was over.

"She was just pushing my buttons," the words barely made it past clenched teeth, "Quite successfully." The woman was a--no, Briseis did not have a word for her, and her hands curled into fists. No one could get a rise out of her like that venomous bitch could. Achilles has succeeded many times, but she was never at a loss for names to call him when he did--not that she made a habit of saying them to his face.

"Achilles, I--" She deflated slightly, the anger knocked out of her at least in part by the misinterpretation of her own statement. "I didn't--don't--think that you really thought of me that way, it--It was just how I felt at the time." There was a moment's pause. "Made worse by my own anger and... and apparent disgust." She winced apologetically, before hurrying herself onto the topic of Polyxena. "She is a good girl... Older than her years, I think... I like her." Regardless of her sentiments towards Polyxena, her tone was coloured with concern. She could see the direction this was taking, whether Achilles meant to be subtle or not.

"And what of Polyxena?" She kept her eyes glued to the ring. He would have married the Trojan princess before he would have married her. And here he could not marry more than one of them.

That concept was brushed away. "Patroclus and I are just friends, Achilles, you know that."

[the_swiftest]

It was a relief to know what she didn't think he felt that way. At the time it sounded like she meant it and that was partially what caused her so much grief and anger. One of these days he would have his revenge on Electa. That would be a truly glorious day. However, that was on the back burner for now. There were more important things to focus on; Briseis and Polyxena.

"I want to be you and I want to be with her." Some men would be shy when they said, would look the other way, would chew on their lower lip as they waited for a response. Achilles on the other hand, for better and for worse, was not a typical man. To be fair, it was not an uncommon practice for a man to have multiple wives. Usually the issue came with who would be the concubine and who would be the wife. He had some thoughts on that, thoughts that he would expand on whenever he spoke with Polyxena.

"You are the one wearing the ring I gave you, so you would be my wife. I did not give that ring to you lightly, Briseis." Granted, at the time he had thought that Polyxena had betrayed him, but Briseis was one of the great loves of his life. He hadn't married her as a consolation prize.

"As for what I said about Patroclus, what I meant is that you are my wife. You belong with -me-. No one else. I do not say this as a man who is trying to 'own' a woman but as a man who is in love with a woman." Because seriously, he would be damned if he let anyone else make a move on her.

[theprizeofwar]

Yes, that direction. And it was something Briseis had extremely mixed feelings over. Where Achilles saw the prospect of having both women, she saw more ammunition for others. She saw a young woman--however old in wisdom--being subjected to the same torment she had gone through and was doubtlessly not rid of. And for all intents and purposes, she did feel a little protective of Polyxena--especially when it came to the General and his daughter. None of which even began to cover potential domestic issues--she had yet to work out how comfortable she was sharing a man (though she had shared him with Patroclus for years), let alone how the idea would affect Polyxena, but at the moment this was about Achilles. But the ring she wore was binding and marriage was something she took seriously. As much as she may have sometimes wanted to drop Achilles on his head (a laughable notion, really), she could not just let him go. And she probably couldn't begin to try unless the demand came straight from him.

"You want to have your cake and eat it too," she remarked with a small degree of amusement, entertained by the fact it was rather accurate at the moment. She was not mocking him, though. Merely stating the obvious.

"Then--" Briseis cut herself off, making sure she thought through what she was trying to say before she made a complete mess of it. "Then, I think--because it solves a number of issues and potential issues--I think I ought to stay with Lady Adrestia." Unsure as to how Achilles may actually react, she kept talking, making sure she could explain before he jumped down her throat. The mild sense of urgency did leave her explanation at a higher pitch than it ought to have been, however. "For instance, I am actually talking to you and--and explaining myself, and that's not something I could have done a month ago." She was finding it hard enough to do now, and it rather showed in the way her gaze flickered around the room as though she were literally trying to follow her trail of thought. "The three of us--you, Patroclus and I, I mean--the three of us living together like that is--or was too much like the war and... And if I have yet to break away from that, I know you have not either--and of the two of us, you are by far the stronger." Out of everything she had to say, that was the most important. Without moving on, Briseis would not survive this.

"And--" Just to move onto a hopefully more upbeat subject. "And assuming Polyxena is... comfortable with your proposition... Well, privacy is a valuable thing." And then, after a moment. "I can ask Lady Adrestia if you may have a key." The last statement was more of a suggestion. Briseis had run out of the pros of her living elsewhere, and was left staring at her knee. "And you know I'm yours. What made you think I would go elsewhere?"