Fic: More Than Friends
"Jason?"
Pythagoras's chest somehow felt exposed under the grey, shifting fabric. His friend's own clothes were teasing enough, merely with the shape and the colour, already so similar to Jason's skin tone. He tried to get a hold on himself.
"Yes, Pythagoras?" asked Jason.
"Thank you," he said. "What you've done for me on this journey... it's an enormous weight off my heart. You have cared more for me than even Hercules, with the length of time that we've been friends..."
"Any time. You know that," said Jason.
Pythagoras smiled. "Yes. Of course. It's just that... I hope I'm not misinterpreting this, but... the way you've kept me so close, the way you begged my brother for my life, the way you confessed... it seemed like a little bit more. Not just friends, not even best friends. I felt like you... loved me."
"Oh, Pythagoras, I'm sorry, but I --"
"It's just that," Pythagoras interjected, "I know you're in love with Ariadne. And I've tried to come to terms with that. It isn't just my brother, I've been heartbroken for you for weeks. And I know it might be too much to ask for you to love me back, but before all this, I always felt that you were blind to how I felt. This adventure proved me wrong. Not only did you see me for how I was, but you actively tried to help me right from the start. Which makes me wonder..."
"You think I've been ignoring you," said Jason. "You think I don't love you."
Pythagoras looked up at Jason with shock. "Do you love me?"
"I have loved you since the first moment I met you," said Jason, "as you saved my life and I buried my face into your neck."
"And ever since then, you have been chasing Ariadne."
"It's true," Jason admitted, "I have chased her. And I'm truly sorry, Pythagoras, I never meant to hurt you. In truth, I assumed that I must be the only one who felt this way, so I set my sights on someone more natural, someone who already found herself in love with me."
"She is a princess. What's natural about that? Even if she was in love with you, she could never be with you. And I'm right here --"
"You're a man."
"Clearly, you've learned nothing from Hercules."
"Hercules is in love with Medusa. He likes women."
"But he's also quite affectionate with men. He did try to kiss you."
"Oh yeah, that was awful!" said Jason.
"I heard that!" called Hercules from across the room, as Jason had almost shouted the last sentence. The two of them laughed.
"Honestly, Jason. I thought you were just trying to play the hero all this time. For me, for Ariadne. But you really do care, don't you?"
"What can I say?" said Jason. "I'm passionate."
"And what about me?" said Pythagoras. "I love you, and I'm right here. Don't you want that, too? I know you don't want to feel alone anymore."
"It's just that where I came from, it isn't accepted."
"Why not?" asked Pythagoras.
"I don't know," said Jason. "It just isn't."
"And you've never questioned it?"
"Not really," said Jason. "I mean, I learned to accept it. I learned to love women. And I really do love Ariadne, in my own way. But, if you're asking, perhaps there's something else. Perhaps, when I look at you..." he smiled. "We could be more than just friends."
"I'd like that," Pythagoras smiled back.
Pythagoras's chest somehow felt exposed under the grey, shifting fabric. His friend's own clothes were teasing enough, merely with the shape and the colour, already so similar to Jason's skin tone. He tried to get a hold on himself.
"Yes, Pythagoras?" asked Jason.
"Thank you," he said. "What you've done for me on this journey... it's an enormous weight off my heart. You have cared more for me than even Hercules, with the length of time that we've been friends..."
"Any time. You know that," said Jason.
Pythagoras smiled. "Yes. Of course. It's just that... I hope I'm not misinterpreting this, but... the way you've kept me so close, the way you begged my brother for my life, the way you confessed... it seemed like a little bit more. Not just friends, not even best friends. I felt like you... loved me."
"Oh, Pythagoras, I'm sorry, but I --"
"It's just that," Pythagoras interjected, "I know you're in love with Ariadne. And I've tried to come to terms with that. It isn't just my brother, I've been heartbroken for you for weeks. And I know it might be too much to ask for you to love me back, but before all this, I always felt that you were blind to how I felt. This adventure proved me wrong. Not only did you see me for how I was, but you actively tried to help me right from the start. Which makes me wonder..."
"You think I've been ignoring you," said Jason. "You think I don't love you."
Pythagoras looked up at Jason with shock. "Do you love me?"
"I have loved you since the first moment I met you," said Jason, "as you saved my life and I buried my face into your neck."
"And ever since then, you have been chasing Ariadne."
"It's true," Jason admitted, "I have chased her. And I'm truly sorry, Pythagoras, I never meant to hurt you. In truth, I assumed that I must be the only one who felt this way, so I set my sights on someone more natural, someone who already found herself in love with me."
"She is a princess. What's natural about that? Even if she was in love with you, she could never be with you. And I'm right here --"
"You're a man."
"Clearly, you've learned nothing from Hercules."
"Hercules is in love with Medusa. He likes women."
"But he's also quite affectionate with men. He did try to kiss you."
"Oh yeah, that was awful!" said Jason.
"I heard that!" called Hercules from across the room, as Jason had almost shouted the last sentence. The two of them laughed.
"Honestly, Jason. I thought you were just trying to play the hero all this time. For me, for Ariadne. But you really do care, don't you?"
"What can I say?" said Jason. "I'm passionate."
"And what about me?" said Pythagoras. "I love you, and I'm right here. Don't you want that, too? I know you don't want to feel alone anymore."
"It's just that where I came from, it isn't accepted."
"Why not?" asked Pythagoras.
"I don't know," said Jason. "It just isn't."
"And you've never questioned it?"
"Not really," said Jason. "I mean, I learned to accept it. I learned to love women. And I really do love Ariadne, in my own way. But, if you're asking, perhaps there's something else. Perhaps, when I look at you..." he smiled. "We could be more than just friends."
"I'd like that," Pythagoras smiled back.