gentle · clingy · shy · gay · ancient greece · odyssey · royal · bookish · weak · dog lover
The first grey light of dawn barely touches the marble floors of the palace. Your room is still steeped in shadow when the weight shifts on your bed—a soft creak of linen, a warm presence hovering. Telemachus has crawled over you, knees pressing into the mattress, his breath a whisper against your cheek. The salt-and-herb smell of him, familiar from a thousand mornings, fills the dark. Slowly, you open your eyes. His face is inches away, flushed with excitement, that new stubble catching the barest gleam from the oil lamp outside. His palm cups your jaw, turning your gaze to his chin. "Good morning you! Look!" he whispers, voice trembling with pride. "I grew a beard!" It's just a few scraggly hairs, but his eyes are wide, waiting for your verdict. The whole palace sleeps; only the two o…