(Available for reading on AO3 as well /with some graphics/. Link on my profile!)
Title:: Triangle Heart
Author:: Aislin
Fandom:: Atlantis (BBC)
Pairing:: Jason/Pythagoras
Rated:: R
Word count:: 13 000
Genre:: Pre-slash, Drama, Romance, Friendship
Disclaimer:: I doesn't own anything from the show.
Warnings:: episode tag, episode recap, Post – The Earth Bull, missing scene, UST, Pythagoras-centric, masturbation, pining, falling in love
A/N:: After watching the first episode, I made a quick fanart for tumblr ( post/62623058784/hahaha-im-not-even-sorry), which then inspired me to write a oneshot featuring the scene from the drawing. Not exactly a new occurrence with me, but the fic abruptly decided it wanted to be a lot longer than I'd planned, and… Well, here it is. Hope you enjoy it~! xx
Also, millions of kisses and hugs to Lauren aka hercolourwasred (tumblr), who was kind enough to beta-read my work (which was a horrid task and I can't express how grateful I'm to her for putting up with me), answered my questions in a lot of things concerning Ancient Greek pederasty and made me giggle with her hilarious comments. Without her, this piece of fiction wouldn't be readable at all, so everyone, go and give her your love!
ETA: Now a series has been set up, titled Shapes of Tomorrow. The next story in the series, Circle of Contemplation, can be found on FFN and AO3 as well.
Summary::
Pythagoras had long been aware that he had a thing for sharp lines and angular forms. What he never expected was to become so utterly fascinated by a man he'd only known for two – albeit quite eventful – days.
Triangle Heart
.
The thing is, Pythagoras has always adored triangles. Ever since he had been nothing more but a green lad, he found the sharp lines and narrow edges endlessly fascinating. He remembers quite clearly that the expensive parchment he should have used solely for mathematic problems had always been showered with sketches of all kinds of triangles. It's just, there was this thing about them, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, even though he was certain it was there, waiting for him to reveal.
He liked other geometric shapes as well; squares, rectangles and such were always welcomed by him. Circles and ovals, though, were never as much of an interest to him as their angular brothers. He has learnt about them, knew them, used them… yet they have never made his heart beat that happy excited rhythm it was always dancing when Pythagoras was working with angled shapes.
When he was twelve, he kissed a girl for the first time. Her name was Kora, she was extremely sweet, and had flowing curly hair that had reached as far as the small of her back. What Pythagoras can still recall from that time is that he was really surprised by the softness of her lips. He'd tried to cup her face in his palms, but it was too soft, too oval for his liking, and he felt really awkward about how he couldn't seem to find a hold on the gentle curves of her body.
He'd only ever seen glimpses of Kora after that, and a few months later learnt that she had been married off to a wealthy merchant.
The first time he kissed a boy, Pythagoras was a summer past thirteen. In truth, Naos was the one who had kissed him first, but Pythagoras certainly wasn't protesting. He remembers that right from the first second their mouths touched, it all clicked together in a way it never did with Kora; he liked the feel of the older boy's rough hands on his cheeks, the way the hard angular body leant into his own. It wasn't soft, smooth and awkward. Really, it was good.
"Open your mouth… Like that, yes..."
Oh, it was fantastic.
Naos had been the eromenos of an aristocrat for two years by the time Pythagoras met him, and had known an awful lot about what men can do together. From time to time, when they found some time alone, he kissed Pythagoras on the lips, pinched his nipples, touched his groin, and once he even took him into his mouth.
"That's the most I will do with you, Pyth," Naos said on that afternoon.
"What do you mean?" Pythagoras had gotten up to his elbows on the rags they were lying on and looked his friend in the eye. "There is more?"
"Well, yes. Men like using boys in the way they bed women, sometimes. But that can be quite painful. I don't really like it."
"But how can that be?" exclaimed Pythagoras with shock evident on his young face. "Their body is so different! We don't have that… that hole you've talked about!"
"There are other ways," Naos said with a small chuckle. "But don't worry about it, really. And not even every man likes it anyway."
"But your erastes… Serafeim, he does? Like it, I mean?"
Naos shrugged, and picked up an apple from the corner. "Yeah. He doesn't demand it so much these days, though. His wife has just given birth to his heir, and these past months he's always been busy with work. But even if I were to lay with him every night, I couldn't object. He has always been so kind to me after all, and it's not that bad."
Pythagoras had just opened his mouth for the next question that wanted to bubble out him when Naos laughed out, and ruffled the light brown tufts of the boy. "You're now of age. If you're so damn curious, try catching the eyes of someone. For once, I know that one of Serafeim friends has just let go of his last eromenos because he was too old now. The man is looking for new boys now."
"I'm not sure I would like that," Pythagoras admitted in a small voice. Naos just chuckled again, and threw his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders.
Pythagoras didn't catch the eyes of anyone, after all. He wasn't surprised; with his appearance - gawky, way too skinny, with giant ears, pale colouring and sharp cheekbones - he wasn't exactly the embodiment of beauty, unlike those healthily flushed, golden-haired youths that most erastes has sought. A couple of years later Naos, too, had parted ways with his patron, got married and moved away with his new family.
Once again, Pythagoras had been left with his beloved triangles - only now with the certain knowledge that his love for sharp lines extended way beyond geometry.
When Jason entered Pythagoras's life, it was with a loud crash and plenty of straining muscles.
One moment he was drawing his triangles like usual, completely submerged in his own world, and then the next he was trying to prevent the strange man who had somehow landed on his balcony from falling into his death (or at the very least, the acquisition of a couple of broken ribs). He hadn't even looked at the man; just grabbed his wrist as hard as he could, and pulled with all his strength.
Seeing as how that wasn't much to begin with, it was quite a miracle that he'd managed to pull the guy into safety.
Momentum caused them to crash together, and all at once Pythagoras' arms were full of hard muscles, his hands clutching at strained shoulders, whole body - groin included - flushed tight against the other. The young man lifted his head and looked down at Pythagoras with lingering fear and overwhelming gratitude in his eyes, and then groaned out several breathless thank yous before hugging the shocked mathematician back to his body.
Once again, Pythagoras had found himself pinned to the ground, only this time his sensitive neck was bathing in the hot panting breath of the stranger, dark hair prickling at his throat and rising goose-bumps all over his skin, the sharp smell of sweat and musk heavy in his nose. He swallowed and clutched harder at the shoulder, causing the man to lift his face back up and gaze down at Pythagoras with a last 'thank you' tumbling out of his lips.
Then reality crashed down on Pythagoras. "What exactly were you doing out there?"
The man seemed to have come round as well because he stumbled off of Pythagoras, but before he could provide an explanation for his extraordinary entrance, they heard the lout shouts of guards from the streets.
Pythagoras didn't need to catch what they were shouting; the way the stranger lifted his arms defensively and said "I-I… I didn't do anything!" was an answer in itself.
They're searching for him , Pythagoras realized, his body going stiff. I've just saved a fugitive!
"One minute I was on the sub," the man continued as he stood up, arms still in front of himself, "and there was something in the water… a, uh - a white light! And the next thing I know, I'm waking up on the beach, and there's this city-
Pythagoras didn't pay any attention the man after that first unfamiliar word because he was busy trying to distance himself from him - a feat that was harder than it ought to have been, seeing as how the rambling man just kept following him. He was sounding more and more desperate with every passing minute, desperate to explain himself, and dear gods, what was he to do with a fugitive on the verge of a panic attack?
"I know it's insane, but-"
Finally, it broke out of him: "What's a sub?"
That shut the man up at last - but not for long. In the next second, there was a loud banging on his door. "Open up!"
All the blood seemed to leave the stranger's face.
"No!" he groaned as Pythagoras started for the door.
"Open up! By the order of King Minos, open up!"
Pythagoras was ready to tear it open, yet one touch of the stranger's hand to his chest was enough to halt his steps.
"Please," the man whispered, eyes filled with desperation, and Pythagoras hated himself for how his resolve seemed to crumble instantly under that pleading voice. "Please."
I'm SO stupid!
Sword to his throat, his precious parchment crumpled, his desk turned over and his whole being ridiculed by those bastard guards… all for a crazy man he didn't even know! That's it, man, way to live a life!
I'm so kicking him out now , he thought as he stomped over to the door to reveal the secret cell under his floor. He can go where he wants with that 'sub' thing!
Yet as he opened up the trap door and glanced down at the apparently unconscious man inside, his boiling anger disappeared in an instant, as if blown away by an icy wind.
Ignoring the way his arms still ached from the strain of having to pull the man onto the balcony, Pythagoras slowly lifted him out of the small cell and laid him down on the ground. By the time it was finished, he was panting heavily - gods, those muscles weighed at least a ton - but he didn't pay any real attention it. His palms were coated with blood, and dark red patches were shining everywhere on the wooden boards, so he gently cupped the man's arm and tried shifting him in search of a wound. He soon found it on the stranger's left bicep.
An arrow wound… So he was already injured when he landed on my house , he mused while propping up the man's head. Then how come blood wasn't streaming from it before?
The man moaned a bit when Pythagoras pulled him onto a soft wool blanket and twisted some linen tightly around his arm to stop the bleeding.
He has a nice, angular face , Pythagoras observed absent-mindedly while putting down the bowl of cool water he'd just brought from the large pot in the kitchen. Admittedly, the strange man was quite handsome: long nose, hard-looking mouth, sharp cheekbones and strong, slightly stubbly jaw… Even though his eyes were shut tight and small beads of sweat were sitting on his furrowed brows, his general appearance was strong and quite easy on the eyes.
Long seconds had passed when Pythagoras realized that he was staring. He quickly tore his gaze away, cleared his throat and continued cleaning the wound.
Before long, the stranger had regained consciousness with a pained gasp. "What happened?" he asked, glancing down at the linen.
"You passed out," Pythagoras explained. "You've lost a lot of blood."
The man was silent for a minute, then sat up and asked in a tight voice, "Where am I?"
"You're in Atlantis."
"Atlantis?" he repeated, like he wasn't sure he'd heard it right. Pythagoras creased his brows. "As in… 'The Lost City of Atlantis'? As in… the mythological city under the ocean?"
Whoa. Had the hit to his head really been that bad?
"Why do you call it lost?" Pythagoras inquired, abashed. "And how could a city exist under the ocean? Surely everyone would drown?"
From the way the guy stared at him with wide eyes, one would think Pythagoras had said something funny. Or totally unbelievable.
Except, the man clearly didn't find it funny at all.
"Either I'm dreaming," he said as he stood up, taking a step away from Pythagoras, "or I'm hallucinating. Or I'm dead." Suddenly, he went completely still, and asked Pythagoras with so much seriousness the mathematician certainly wouldn't deem it appropriate for the question, "Am I dead?"
"No, you're very much alive, although I think you're delirious," Pythagoras answered honestly. Then abruptly, "I'm sorry, I'm forgetting my manners. I'm Pythagoras."
If half a minute ago the man looked flabbergasted, now he looked as if he'd just been slapped in the face. Twice.
"Pythagoras? You're joking?!" He even laughed a bit, though when Pythagoras failed to understand the bottom of this strange joke, the man's face fell again. "You're the triangle guy."
Now it was Pythagoras' turn to drop his jaw to the floor. "How did you know I've been thinking about triangles?"
The man gasped again, and his eyes were so wide it was as if he was seeing a ghost. "I'm in Ancient Greece," he breathed.
No, I've just told you you're in Atlantis , Pythagoras thought. Was there a serious problem with this guy from the loss of blood, or was he just crazy from the beginning? Before Pythagoras could have pushed him for answers though, Hercules stormed through the door, loud as ever.
"And who, pray tell, is this?" he demanded as soon as he caught sight of the stranger.
That's right! I don't even know his name! Pythagoras had started for his old friend, but now turned to face the bewildered-looking man even as he stepped away from him. "You didn't tell me your name," he pointed out.
"It's Jason," the guy supplied in an instant.
Pythagoras looked at Hercules and started explaining the unusual situation to him, but his head had shut off for half a second to savour the name he was given.
… Jason.
Never before in his life has he ever been slapped so hard in the face. Right then, it was not even a slap but a hard punch. And worst of all, it had come from a damned little stone.
A black stone.
Damnation.
"Maybe you could kill the Minotaur."
Pythagoras looked up at Hercules, who was apparently trying very hard to cheer him up with false conviction and easiness. "Perhaps, if you were to smuggle a sword in your robes…"
Jason nodded along even as Pythagoras started shaking his head. "You have always said that there is no man more useless with a sword than I."
"I was… joking!" Hercules protested, a weak grimace trying to pull his mouth into something akin to a smile.
Pythagoras dropped his eyes to where that evil black stone was sitting on the table innocently, like it wasn't the reason of his true terror. The little stone was like the embodiment of the nastiest plague; the young mathematician felt the foul fume it poured into the table and evaporated into the air, making him sick to his stomach and his fingers ache with false coldness. The ugly little thing had just robbed him of his future, his dreams, his life, and it dared to sit so smugly on their table! His friends witnessed nothing of this, of course. This sickness was his, and his alone.
"You're clever, there is no man cleverer than you," Hercules insisted with fake ease. "Perhaps you could trick the Minotaur. You could trick it… into…" He halted though, and after a few awkward seconds, gave up. "Y-You'll think of something. I know you will."
And he smiled, smiled, with all the faith he so rarely showed, but still had, in Pythagoras shining brilliantly through his expression - and Pythagoras might have hated him in that moment, because why, why did he have to show this much faith in him now when there was nothing he could do to prevent what was coming?
"You have to." Hercules' eyes hardened. "Think of something!"
But there was nothing he could think of that might prove to be useful, and it didn't help one bit to pretend otherwise.
"It's going to eat me alive, isn't it?"
Hercules face dropped at his words, and his expression was so pained that Pythagoras almost wished he could take them back.
"We're not going to let that happen," Jason injected firmly with all the bravado of a stranger who haven't yet understood the ways of Atlantis. "There must be a way we can get you out of the city."
"If I escape, then some other poor, unfortunate soul will have to take my place," Pythagoras explained gently. "And I'm not sure I could live with that."
He could see understanding flash through Jason's eyes, even as it was buried under hard rocks of grief in the next second. And wasn't it sort of wonderful, to have this man whose existence he hadn't even known of two days ago already grieve for him and the friendship they could've had?
He shook his head and then promptly stood up. "Well, I can think of no two finer people with whom I would wish to spend…" he swallowed against the hard lump in his throat, "my last supper." With the best wine Hercules brought home last time, Pythagoras saluted his companions. "To friends."
Jason looked down at the table with a forced smile on his face, Hercules however could not let go of his apparent goal of easing up the chilly evening. "Maybe you could talk about triangles and bore the Minotaur to death."
Jason laughed a bit, and with that, Pythagoras found the grounding he needed to survive the night. "You know, triangles are very, very interesting. There is something about the angles they create that-"
"No, no, no, I will not have it!" Hercules snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence. "We are not going to spend your last supper discussing triangles!"
Oh.
"Well, what do you think we should discuss then, Hercules?" Pythagoras asked not without some heat after a long minute of awkward silence. "It's my last supper, mind you."
Hercules opened his mouth, but no sound came out, so closed it again after a minute.
"Thank you, that's a brilliant suggestion," Pythagoras murmured under his breath. "Well, if we have run out of conversation topics, I shall-"
"It's not your last supper."
Two pair of eyes snapped to Jason, and the man met their looks squarely. "It's not. We'll think of something, we won't let you die."
And he said it so seriously, with so much conviction, that even though he should have known better, in that moment Pythagoras believed him. For a moment, he believed he could be saved.
Warm, pleasant bubbles sprang to life and spread out in every direction inside him, making his chest tighten and warm up like he'd just drunk all the wine by himself.
Even if he knew that they were all just pretending, the feeling was still rather nice.
"Thank you," he said, never meaning the words more.
Jason just gave him a warm smile, and Pythagoras couldn't help but to smile back.
The gesture dropped from his face with an alarming speed however when Hercules abruptly jumped to his feet, grabbed Pythagoras by the shoulders and promptly pressed his lips to the young man's mouth without any warning.
With eyes widened and thoughts flying out of his head from shock, Pythagoras just stood there like a marble statue and let his friend abuse his closed mouth. To his credit, Hercules didn't drag it out for long; after a couple of seconds, he pulled his head away and grinned down at Pythagoras while patting his back.
What on earth was that?! , Pythagoras wanted to ask, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Hercules grabbed his upper arm and suddenly shoved him at Jason.
The man was half-way out of his chair, and the momentum of Hercules' push has nearly caused them to bump together on the ground again. They didn't, though, so there was nothing to stop Pythagoras from looking up at his new friend and discover the bewildered expression of utter shock on his face.
Before Pythagoras could have uttered a word, Hercules made a wide gesture with his arms and cried at Jason, "Well? What are you waiting for, son?"
"Wha-? What do you mean?" Jason stuttered confusedly. Although his hands were still on Pythagoras, he didn't quite meet his eyes, as if the mathematician's mere look was burning him. Now that he looked closer, Jason was avoiding looking directly at Hercules as well.
"What do I mean?" the big man exclaimed with affected outrage. "I mean to give my best friend the most significant charm in the form of an affectionate gesture that shall bring him the best of luck for the hardships he must face tomorrow! Or do you not wish to honour him with this old Atlantian tradition?"
There is no such tradition!, Pythagoras wanted to yell, but his tongue felt like it was made of cotton and his lips weren't moving at all. Hercules, what are you doing?
Jason's hands tightened on his arms. "Oh. I'm… sorry, I wasn't aware that people around here wish good luck to others like… this." He finally risked a glance down at Pythagoras, who then could see the faint flush of embarrassment high on Jason's sharp, angular cheeks. "I do wish the best of luck to you, my friend," he said, and then bent down to touch their lips together.
It was all very soft and tentative, like he wasn't sure how to handle the situation properly, yet all Pythagoras could do was to concentrate on not melting completely into the light kiss. It wasn't his fault, it really wasn't, but it had been so long and Jason's lips felt so nice against his own… They were hard and tight, slightly chapped, and he could feel the light scratch of the man's stubble against his chin.
No more than three second later, Jason lifted his head back up and flashed an awkward smile at Pythagoras.
"…Thank you," Pythagoras said quietly after a moment or so, not quite looking Jason in the eye. He stepped away from him and started for the kitchen. "I think I shall retire for the remainder of the night. Hercules, if you could help me with the cups…"
Jason made a small nod at him before scratching his nape and going back to his place on the floor.
As soon as Hercules had brought the cups into the kitchen, Pythagoras cornered him.
"What the hell were you doing?" he hissed angrily. "'Significant charm'? 'Old Atlantian tradition'? Why did you tell him that?!"
"How was I to get him on you otherwise?" Hercules snapped back in a somewhat hushed voice. "Look, the way you took him in like he was a stray puppy, despite my objection and the fact that he was a fugitive - or still is, I'm not sure - speak volumes about your… attraction towards him. In the light of today's events, I thought you could do well with-"
"With what?!"
Hercules halted and never finished the sentence; Pythagoras however could easily guess what it'd been about.
"Let me tell you something: I don't need you to organize me a pity kiss!" In a rare act of true rage, Pythagoras has slammed his fist onto the table. "Oh, but if you're at it, why not ask him to come and sleep with me? At least I, the poor lad, could go to my death well-sated after a good night!"
He hardly even noticed that his whole body was shaking from the barely supressed emotions. It boiled in him, made him see red and flushed his cheeks with anger, shame and embarrassment. What would Jason do if he realized he was tricked? It was absolutely clear from his awkwardness that he wasn't used to dealing with males - probably had never even kissed one before -, and although he was fine with it for the sake of his doomed friend, there was no telling of what he'd think of them were he come to learn that there was no such tradition.
As things stood, Pythagoras wouldn't be there to witness it, but it still stung.
Hercules, that idiot.
"It wasn't like that," the big man said finally in a low and slightly ashamed tone. "I...I only figured that you'd like to be kissed by someone you fancy before you have to go and face the Minotaur tomorrow."
"Before I'll be killed tomorrow, you mean."
"No!" Hercules grabbed Pythagoras by the shoulders and looked deep into his eyes. His own mirrored the same stubborn conviction that Jason's had before. "No. You won't get killed. If there was one thing coming out of that brat's mouth that I completely believed, it was this; we won't let you die."
Pythagoras sighed, and with that, his anger dissolved. He laid his forehead onto his friend's shoulder who was still holding his shoulders but now with the rarest gentle touch.
"Don't you worry, kiddo," Hercules murmured into his hair. "No harm will come to you, I swear."
Pythagoras closed his eyes against the rough waistcoat that smelled of sweat, musk and wine mist.
"Thank you."
Pythagoras woke to the definite feeling that something was amiss.
The funny thing was, the cause of his distress was not the fact that soon he was to present himself with the other tributes in front of the royal family. Neither was it the fact that this was probably the very last morning of his life.
He turned to glance at the black stone lying on his night desk - the blasted thing that had doomed him to death the day before - and something twisted hard in his stomach when he'd seen it wasn't there.
He didn't look down at the floor in search of the stone he might'veaccidentally knocked off during the night. The thought didn't even occur to him. No - about the fate of that damned thing he was suddenly absolutely, frighteningly sure.
"By the gods", he whispered hoarsely before jumping out of bed.
As he'd suspected, he found Jason's pallet on the floor empty and cold, which meant that the man must have left with the first light. Heart racing, Pythagoras had ran to Hercules' room and roughly shook the man awake.
"Hercules! Hercules!"
But the man just snored. Pythagoras bit on his lip, and seeing how serious the situation was, he resorted to the violence he rarely ever used and slapped the man hard in the face.
"Bhhhrr," Hercules murmured. As his eyes snapped to Pythagoras leaning over him, he startled awake an alarmed groan and a grimace.
"It's Jason," Pythagoras explained in hurry before his friend could've put together a question in his slumber-foggy head. "He's taken the black stone!"
Hercules shut his eyes and groaned again. For a moment he struggled to get up, but his head fell heavily back onto the bed. After another failed attempt, he just lay there on the sheets. Apparently, the news about Jason's actions was not important enough for him to make him jump out of the bed.
What was I thinking, Pythagoras thought bitterly, shaking his head. He didn't care a bit about Jason to begin with. Not waiting for his friend to get up, Pythagoras left Hercules and raced out of the house to search for Jason before it was too late.
When he'd caught sight of the man, Jason was walking down the main road with the other tributes. Out of the seven of them, he was the only one who walked with his back completely straight, head lifted high and gaze pointed forward. There was no fear, nor shame in his movements; he walked with the pride of someone who had chosen his fate for himself.
"Jason!" Pythagoras shouted as he fought his way through the gawping crowd.
At the sound of his name, Jason snapped his head up, and when he spotted Pythagoras amongst the sea of people, he flashed a smile at him that was completely inappropriate in the current situation.
"It should have been me," Pythagoras stated as soon as he'd fallen in step with the marching tributes. "It was my stone."
A woman snapped her head up at that and looked at Pythagoras and Jason with a bewildered face, the young mathematician however didn't care how many may have heard his words; all his attention was focused on Jason, who kept smiling at him like he wasn't marching to meet his end.
"Pythagoras," he said in an oddly bright and sure voice, "your theories and your triangles are destined to bore millions of children throughout history. That's your fate. This is mine."
With a last nod, he turned his gaze forward again, and before Pythagoras could've called out to him again, one of the guards stopped him with a forbidding hand on his chest.
He said I have a destiny , a bewildered Pythagoras thought, watching his friend's back as the distance between them grew greater with every passing second. He doesn't think I'm an idiot for always musing about triangles. He thinks it's my destiny.
He is the first one to have faith in me like that, to acknowledge and respect my obsession.
And now he's going to die because of me. Instead of me.
Pythagoras turned to look at the guard, but the eyes of the man told him that there was no way he'd let Pythagoras go after Jason. Icy cold fingers clawed into his heart, making his chest tighten with fear and some strange emotion he didn't think he'd ever encountered before.
Suddenly, an idea sprang to life in his head. In that moment, he felt no fear of the cave, no fear for his life. The only fear he had was for his new friend, and of the chance that Pythagoras might not be able to save Jason from sacrificing his life for him.
He turned around and started dashing for their house with as much speed as he was able to muster.
I accept that going to the Minotaur's labyrinth is your fate, Jason, he thought grimly as he passed a corner. But I'm going to make sure it isn't going to be your end.
"So, now you're packing?"
Pythagoras didn't look up at the man fuming beside him, just kept on collecting all the weapons he'd found in the house into one place. Some of the blades were scratched badly, and a good lot of them were getting quite rusty, but he didn't want to leave anything to chance. Jason was going to need everything that might prove to be useful.
"If we'd left the city when I said, none of this would have happened."
Ignoring all the bashing he'd been getting from Hercules since he'd got home, Pythagoras grabbed two swords and turned to meet the man standing leisurely beside him. "Are you coming with me?"
"No, I'm not, not a chance."
That was quite a clear answer - and a definite as well. Pythagoras couldn't very well say it came as a surprise, but it still stung a bit.
Well, it didn't matter. He'd decided to risk everything for Jason, because that was the least he owed the man for going into the cave in his place. He might have not understood the reasoning behind Hercules' dislike of Jason, but he had no right to question his decision to not risk his skin for him.
So Pythagoras just shrugged, grabbed the bunch of weapons, and started for the door.
He barely even took two steps when Hercules was already calling after him, "Wha- What is it you plan to do?"
"I plan to reach the caves first," Pythagoras explained, turning back to his friend, "and sneak in with the weapons. It's the only way Jason has a chance."
"What if we were to sneak into the caves, leave the weapons for Jason, and then sneak back out again?" Hercules suggested. Then, on a harsher tone: "Would that satisfy your misplaced loyalty?"
That last comment got to Pythagoras like a poisoned knife. He took a deep breath to calm his rising anger and pointed at Hercules with his finger.
"Jason saved your life-"
"That is a matter for debate."
"- and he offered himself as a tribute in my place," he finished, ignoring the interjection. He stared at Hercules with plea in his eyes, as if willing him to understand what he was feeling. After a long moment of silence, he finally exclaimed, "I won't let him face the Minotaur alone!"
Hercules just stood there, dumfounded, and judging from his expression, Pythagoras suspected he might've revealed a bit too much of his emotions. The look he gave to the mathematician was nearly pity, and of that Pythagoras had had enough, thank you - so he turned around, and following a bit of a tumble where he'd nearly dropped all the weapons, hastily exited the room.
When Pythagoras had decided that he'd be there for Jason, he hadn't really imagined that he would be, like, physically there. Sneaking into the cave and leaving the weapons there for him, that's okay. After that, he would've stayed there hidden among the rocks, praying with all his heart that the man would be all right and survive the day.
He certainly wasn't expecting to get caught by the guards and pushed amongst the tributes along with Hercules. Maybe his old friend had been right for not wanting to come with him.
Well, it was only fitting. He should have been there to begin with; the black stone was his burden to carry. He couldn't quite deny though that this turn of events made something quiet down in him - if there is an end, no matter how is it going to happen, they were going to meet it together.
Despite the fact that everyone saw how poor of a swordsman Jason had proven to be, he was the one who stepped out of the group and decided to go and see where they could exit the tunnel. "Wait here until I return," he said, and then hurried away.
Pythagoras had unconsciously stepped forward, too, and watched with worry as his friend disappeared from sight at the next corner.
When he next caught sight of Jason, it nearly resulted in a heart-attack.
He didn't know how much time had passed; he only knew that there was a strange noise and a frightening shadow, which then caused their group to split and run into every direction. Slightly wounded, completely breathless and unsettlingly alone, Pythagoras was panting harshly against a rock when a dark silhouette suddenly jumped in front of him with a loud shout. He cried out, and a second or two had to pass until he recognised Jason by the light of the torch.
More out of breath than ever, Pythagoras clutched at his clothes behind which his racing heart was beating madly.
"What happened?" Jason asked immediately.
"The Minotaur, it found us," Pythagoras breathed, voice trembling like the rest of his body.
"Where's Hercules and the others?"
"I don't know. We all ran. We got separated." Gods, he wasn't fit for this. Hiding from hideous, man-eating monsters surely couldn't be the fate the gods had meant for him. He closed his eyes for a moment to try and calm his hammering heart, and when he next looked up, he saw Jason staring at his forehead.
"You're bleeding," he observed.
"I fell and hit my forehead." Pythagoras resisted the urge to touch his aching head. Instead, he let Jason cup his arm and put it around his own shoulders, pulling Pythagoras close to his body in case he was dizzy from hitting his head. Pythagoras wasn't dizzy - or at least, not from hitting his head. "I'm fine," he insisted.
A woman's scream tore through the air, making Pythagoras shiver.
"Helena!" Jason snapped his head in the direction the scream came from, then turned to look at Pythagoras with eyes set hard, mouth opening for… explanation? Permission? Something else?
It didn't matter - Pythagoras could read that face very well. It was the face of a hero who'd offer himself in place of someone he'd only known for a couple of days, who would run after the Minotaur without hesitation if that meant he could save a woman from being killed. And Pythagoras wouldn't be the one to hold him back.
So he met the earnest gaze of his friend, and set him off without questions. "Go."
Jason nodded, than turned away, grabbed the torch from the ground and hurried away.
Eyes falling closed, Pythagoras stayed where he was and let his head hit the hard wall of the cave as he groaned. His head was still aching - in fact, there was no part of his body that didn't ache at least a bit -, and his sides hurt from panting so much that he'd clutched at them unconsciously.
Gods, let them be all right , he prayed to all deities, hoping they were listening. Let us all walk away from here unscathed.
Some time later - that might have been seconds, minutes or hours for all he knew - Jason returned with the young woman who must have been Helena. His face was grim, jaw set hard, and in his hand he carried a bloodied sword.
Pythagoras was sitting on the cold ground where he'd left him, but at the sight of his friend he staggered to his feet and stepped forward to meet him.
"Did you…?"
It was the woman who answered, though Pythagoras never took his eyes away from Jason's. "He'd slain the Minotaur."
Jason didn't brag. Not even when they had found the others hiding, who after learning the news, hugged Jason close and clasped his hand one by one as they cried with relief and gratitude. Even Hercules, who so far had not shown any affection for Jason, gave the man a bone-crushing embrace and clasped his shoulders laughing like they were old friends.
Pythagoras closed his eyes, mouth quirking up to the smallest of smiles.
The gods were listening after all.
Apparently, getting thanked by King Minos himself before the eyes of the entire court and those who were present was something big. Very big.
All at once everyone wanted to shake their hands and share a few words with them. Hercules was clearly enjoying all the attention he was recieving, especially when it was coming from a lady, Jason, however, had taken it all in a surprisingly humble way. Pythagoras, well, he knew very well that he had had no actual part in the feat, so he acted accordingly to that. For him, public acknowledgement by the royalty of Atlantis was no greater gift than the fact that he and his friends could still walk under the light of the sun.
Finally, the three of them were free to go. Hercules was happily commenting on how this latest turn of events would make them rich, which therefore was followed by some good-natured bickering. As much as he'd been agaisnt Jason during the previous days, Hercules seemed to have finally warmed up to the man. Pythagoras figured that saving one's life did that. Well, he wasn't about to complain.
"I say we deserve a special treat after what we've accomplished today," Hercules stated once they'd established that he was not fat. "It's been months since we last visited a bathhouse, and I must admit I'm rather keen to make up for that."
"We are rather keen too, Hercules," Pythagoras bantered back with a smile. To his surprise, Jason caught on and joined in instantly.
"Because as much as I hate damaging your ego, I have to say that you reek like a three-day old carcass rotting under the sun."
"Well, you aren't exactly emitting the sweetest flowery fragrance either, boy!" Hercules retorted. "But let's face it, lads, we all reek."
"I've never been to a bathhouse before, actually," Jason admitted quietly.
"Really?" Curious, Pythagoras glanced up at his friend. "Are there no bathhouses where you're from?"
"No, we use…" Jason got the same strange, far-away look he sometimes demonstrated, and after a second, he shook his head. "No, there aren't."
Hercules frowned at the man like he'd just admitted to coming from an other world. "What an uncivilized place that must be!"
Half an hour later, they were getting undressed for a hot bath in one of Atlantis' most established bathhouses. Hercules must have been in a really good mood after all, because he had offered to pay for the services all by himself.
Shedding his tunic and breeches before folding them neatly, Pythagoras left all his clothes on the bench and secured the white towel he'd gotten from one of the servants on his hip. As he looked up, he saw that his friends were doing the same.
He didn't expect, however, to get so distracted by the sight of Jason's naked chest that the whole world would seemingly cease to exist.
Of course, the light tunic Jason wore didn't hide so much of his body that Pythagoras couldn't get an idea about how gorgeous he must've looked. Now, however, he was presented with the naked glory of the man, and could only gulp at the sight. Chiselled abdominal muscles were sharp little squares on Jason's flat stomach, the dark trail of hair that led down from the oval of his navel hinted at a perfect triangle before disappearing under the knit of the towel.
Now that he'd really looked, Pythagoras was surprised to discover that a lot of triangles were hiding here and there on that marvellous sculpture of a body; on the sharp elbows, between the shadows on the nipples, right there where his neck and shoulders met - and dear gods, was he losing his right mind? Clearly he was, because even the way Jason held his head seemed to form a perfect triangle in Pythagoras' foggy mind, and the way he bent his arm seemed to create the most fascinating angles.
Well, this was definitely something new. So he liked… triangles, okay, but to imagine them on his friend's body?! Something was seriously wrong with him…
So lost he was he in his scattered thoughts, Pythagoras never even noticed when Hercules went ahead to the bath and Jason turned back to him. Slowly emerging from the depths of his far too creative imagination, he noticed a strange expression on Jason's face that implied that Pythagoras had just been asked a question.
"Um, sorry, did you ask something?" he said, hating how he could feel his face heating up in embarrassment.
Jason's mouth quirked up, but otherwise he let the awkwardness of Pythagoras spacing out go without mentioning. "Nothing, I just said I've heard a lot about public baths around here. Are you ready to come?"
"Yes. Yes, of course."
He soon caught up with Hercules, who by that time had washed himself and was already getting into the large pool in the centre of the enormous chamber, all the while talking sweetly to a servant girl who was now blushing red as she put a wine jug down next to him.
"What on earth had taken you so long?" he asked as soon as Jason and Pythagoras sank onto the hot water beside him. "I was starting to fear Pythagoras had slipped on the wet floor and knocked the both of you out."
"Why do you immediately assume that I'd be the one slipping?"
"Because I know you, lad, that's why," Hercules huffed. "Now shut your mouth and let me enjoy this feeling in silence for a moment. Aaaah, this really is the best!"
Pythagoras had to agree. He closed his eyes and breathed in the warm steamy air and heavy scent of incense as he leant back and let the deliciously hot water surround his body. There were at least five other men in other sides of the pool murmuring quietly, but he ignored every one of them. The water washed out all the fear and stress and strain of these past two days, and by the time he opened his eyes again, he felt so relaxed like he'd just slept through a day.
"I can understand why people love this," Jason murmured under his breath with eyes still closed, and Pythagoras couldn't help a light chuckle escaping him because the man was quite nearly purring. "Jesus Christ, this is fantastic. I want this at home."
"Who's Jesus Christ?" Pythagoras asked with a frown.
Jason's eyes snapped open, and for a moment the relaxed expression left him completely, leaving a hard, unfathomable look behind. But only for a second.
"Never mind," he said, wetting his lips. "Hercules, can we have a sip from that wine?"
"But of course!" The man waved his hand, and soon the blushing woman from before came back to them, this time with three cups on a plate.
After filling the cups with the dark red liquid, she stood up and asked with a kind smile, "Will you be requiring the services of our masseurs after your bath, sirs?"
Hercules flashed a cocky grin at the servant. "You can bet I will! Boys?"
Jason shrugged slightly. "Why not? If we're already here, we might as well try everything out."
When two set of eyes turned expectantly at him, Pythagoras felt the well-known discomfort creep up in him.
"I think I pass it this time," he said in the easiest tone he could manage. "I still feel a bit faint from that hit."
The way Jason's face suddenly clouded over with lingering worry for him made Pythagoras drop his eyes in guilt. Stepping over the fact that he didn't particularly like massages, not an inch of his body felt like welcoming a woman pawing him all over.
The look Hercules gave him told Pythagoras that he'd seen through him, but thankfully he didn't bring the issue up with Jason around.
After the servant woman left, the three of them clinked their cups together before sipping from the rich wine.
"To friendship!" Jason offered, and it didn't escape Pythagoras how he was using the same line the mathematician himself did the night before. It was much more optimistic this time, though.
"So, where're you from again, Jason?" Hercules asked after a moment or so. Oddly enough, Jason nearly choked on his wine.
"Um… From a really faraway city called… London-is." He dragged out the last syllable really long, like he wasn't sure how to pronounce the name.
"Londonis? Never heard about it," Hercules commented with a burp. "Where is it?"
"Really, really far away."
Pythagoras frowned as he put his cup down on the marble floor, before sinking even deeper into the hot pool. Unlike Hercules, he'd caught on to the reluctance with which Jason talked about his homeland. Though he was curious about the reason for this reluctance, he was gentleman enough not to press the subject when it caused discomfort for the man.
"You said you came here in search of your father," Pythagoras said to direct the conversation away from this Londonis place. "Did you know when you set off that he was in Atlantis?"
Jason shook his head. "No. When I set off on my… ship, I had a direction to follow but no ideas as to where I'd end up being. But then there was a… shipwreck, and when I next came round, I was lying on the beach. I found the city and you," he looked at Pythagoras, "have told me I'm in Atlantis. I didn't know what to believe but then I went to the Oracle and she told me I was in the right place because this is where my father was from, and this is where he came back after he'd left home." He sighed, and Pythagoras resisted the urge to squeeze his shoulder in comfort. "Too bad I've missed him by who knows how much time. For all I know, he could've been alive here until last month. I wish I'd set off sooner."
"There's no point in thinking like that," Pythagoras said quietly. "Maybe you'd have met your father, maybe you'd have not. But if you didn't come at this exact time, I can safely say that seven innocent people of this city would be dead now, I included, with more to come with the next years. So I am forever grateful to the gods for wrecking the Sub two days ago."
Jason looked up with surprise, and Pythagoras blinked. "The Sub was the name of your ship, right? When we met, you said you had been on-"
"Oh!" The smile was right back on Jason's face. "Yeah, that's right. The Sub was my ship."
"What about family?" Hercules lapped closer to Jason and grinned at him like a hound on a scent. "Did you leave any broken hearts behind?"
Pythagoras' heart might have skipped a beat, but there was no way he'd ever admit it.
"No," Jason answered, his smile turning fainter and tighter at the question. "I've been on my own for a long time. Of course I had girlfriends throughout the years, but I was never in love enough to really consider settling down, you know? Something was almost missing, something was never quite right…" He broke off, and then looked up to meet Hercules' eyes. "Maybe in Atlantis, it'll be different."
"Well, there are certainly many beautiful little birds in this city," their big friend stated at. "But if you're looking only for the pleasures of the flesh for now, I shall bring you to my favourite brothel that, I can safely say, you'll enjoy to the fullest."
Pythagoras' mouth dropped open, and he nearly told Hercules to shut up. He didn't want to imagine Jason going to that brothel and laying with any those gorgeous young women, even though he knew that he'd no right thinking like that.
Fortunately for him, Jason did not find the idea particularly tempting either.
"I don't really want to deal with that right now," he objected immediately. "It's too soon. I want to settle in here, find my way, you know? As long as I don't get a feel of who I am, I'm not sure I could offer anything to anyone."
Hercules just shrugged his shoulders, though his slight disappointment was apparent. Clearly, he was already looking forward to visiting the brothel. "As you please. But give a go to that massage; you'll feel like a different person after that, I promise!"
As he said that, Hercules pointed his gaze straight at Pythagoras, causing a terrible thought to form in the young mathematician's head.
Was Hercules doing this on purpose? Asking Jason if he had a beloved, offering to take him to a brothel… Was he doing this in front of Pythagoras to show him how foolish and failure-doomed his attraction was? If that was the case, it was working, because all sort of knives were plunging into Pythagoras' chest.
"Let's swim a bit," he suggested, partially to get rid of the dark thoughts circling in his mind. "There's space at the other side now that those guys have left."
It wasn't such a good idea.
From the other side of the pool, there was an ample view of the large murals decorating the walls. Most of them were illustrating naked men taking a bath or getting washed by servants of both sexes, but there were a few mildly explicit paintings of carnal pleasure. And not just about the common type, either.
"Oh," Jason breathed while staring at the mural closest to them, which depicted a young boy kneeling between the legs of a man just clearly out of a bath tub.
Pythagoras couldn't help but blush to the roots of his hair as he remembered the few times he'd been in the same position as the boy - or sometimes, the man - on the painting, so he quickly dived into the pool in hope that he can blame the redness of his cheeks on the hot water.
When he emerged, he thought he might've caught Jason murmuring something along the lines of, "I've forgotten about the pederasty of this era…"
"Did you say something?" he asked while wiping water droplets away from his eyes, and was relieved to note that his voice hadn't revealed anything about his inner turmoil.
"No, nothing," Jason said hastily. He seemed to want to tear his eyes away from the murals but not succeeding; his eyes tentatively travelled to a painting of an erastes bedding a naked youth. "Just…"
Hercules followed his gaze, and then knowingly clicked with his tongue. "If that's what you're interested in, I know of a few places that-"
"No!" The sharp outcry nearly made Pythagoras jump out of his skin. "No, that's not it. I'm not… I was just surprised, that's all."
"Oh. Is it not a common occurrence in your great city Londonis?"
"It's not… uncommon." Jason seemed to be fishing for words, and Pythagoras wanted to dive into the water again so as to not hear the rest of this conversation. "Just… people, they think about it differently then you guys do. I for one never… Well, it isn't really my thing, you know?"
Hercules clapped at Jason's back and made a wide gesture with his hand. "Don't worry, lad, you don't have to look so uncomfortable like someone was plunging needles into your backside. What happens in your bedchamber is your own business."
Jason nodded, but he seemingly still found it hard to look them in the eyes. "So, do any of you…?"
"Aaahh," Hercules groaned, pulling a grimace, "I love tender ladies far too much to consider laying boys. But…" His eyes turned to look at Pythagoras, whose heart has nearly jumped out of his throat at that. With a small but sharp motion of his head, he silenced his old friend before he could've said anything about him. "There are some who enjoy the pleasures found in them," Hercules finished somewhat clumsily. "And there is no problem with that, is there."
"No, of course not," Jason agreed.
They all soaked in the water in silence after that, before finally Jason brought up the question of massages. Later, as he and Hercules got their bodies rubbed with sweet-smelling oils, Pythagoras stood under a marble lion from the maw of which lukewarm water was streaming down, showering his back and shoulders.
No matter how relaxing it was, he couldn't seem to find his way back to the blissful joy he'd felt up until then. Jason's astonishment and awkwardness when facing the topic of love between men was as clear of an indicator to his romantic preferences as Pythagoras was going to get. Even though he wasn't expecting… He hadn't really hoped… Well, whatever the case, he certainly came to a dead end.
He told himself something didn't just shatter inside his body. But the truth was, he felt shame.
Shame and Pythagoras were old acquaintances. They'd met a lot during his adolescence when he had desired things he could've easily gotten if he'd been prettier, if his sharp and bright mind would've fascinated older men, instead of scaring them off. Shame and Pythagoras walked side by side when he slowly reached the age when it was no longer appropriate for him to desire being in a relationship with man, especially not in a submissive role - although his lean, skinny form wouldn't have made taking the dominant role possible. Shame was lurking behind him in the shadows whenever he had a quick tumble with a man, whenever he forced himself to make love to a woman.
In the last couple of years, it hadn't been so bad. After spending most of his life dedicated to the mystery of triangles, he felt he was close to the solution now and spent most of this time working on his theories or simply being with Hercules - the only true friend he'd had since Naos - so the fact that he was always alone in his bed had never bothered him.
But now Jason was here, and he was awakening things in Pythagoras he'd long believed to be buried. All that made his chest ache like his heart and soul were slowly withering away inside.
Or maybe that was the pain of waking up.
"Why am I having to be the one dragging him home, again?"
"Oh, come on, Pythagoras! When do you think I last had the chance to be with such a sweet beauty as Philomela?" Hercules turned back to wink at the women standing next to the entrance (wasn't she the same girl who'd massaged him?), than looked back at Pythagoras. "I won't be away for all night, so you just have to take him home and put him into bed."
Ignoring the very clear signs of teasing, Pythagoras groaned out, "Do you have any ideas about how heavy he is? In case you've missed it, I'm not exactly built for his muscles!"
Jason chuckled into his neck, rising goose bumps all over Pythagoras' skin.
"'M not that heavy," he slurred into the sensitive skin of the mathematician's throat.
Biting on his lip, Pythagoras willed the shivers away and turned his flaming gaze back at Hercules. "And besides, it's your fault to begin with that got so pissed."
"How is it my fault that he can't hold his liquor?"
"Oh, maybe if you weren't giving him the strongest spirits…"
Hercules just rolled his eyes and lifted his hand up as if to cut off Pythagoras' objections. Then, "Look, could you please just get him home? You don't have to drag him all by yourself, he can walk just fine. Right, Jason?"
The man straightened his back the best he could, and grinned tipsily up at Hercules. "Sure thing!"
Hercules flashed a 'you see?' type of look at Pythagoras. "Now you boys go home and get to bed, and I, well…" He let out a satisfied chuckle. "Hopefully I too, will get to bed soon!" He turned around to blow another kiss at that Philomela.
… So that's how Pythagoras ended up with Jason pressed yet again close to him with one arm around the other man's hip and the other securing the arm that was draped over Pythagoras' shoulder. Truth be told, he really wasn't so drunk as to not being able to walk (however, he'd stumbled quite often) though he blabbered about the most amusing nonsenses while they walked home.
"Christ, that last one was like liquid fire. I'm gonna need an Ibuprofen tomorrow so much."
"Can't believe I've never tried out a public bath in London."
"Brew me a coffee, Pyth, please brew me a coffee when we get home! Black, one sugar, thank you."
"The funny thing is, you're the reason I failed a maths exam in secondary school. I fucking hated Geometry lessons because of you."
"Who would've thought you were such likeable nerd?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Pythagoras said finally, once they had reached their door, "But please look ahead because we have to climb the stairs now."
Climbing the stairs was proven to be a more difficult feat than he would have given it credit for. The worst of all was the minute Jason had tripped at the last step and bumped against Pythagoras so hard that the man was caught off balance, and fell onto the floor, dragging Jason with him.
For the second time, Pythagoras was lying on the dusty floor with the heavy weight of Jason draped all over him.
"You okay?" he panted, grabbing at Jason's shoulders and lifting his leg to get the man off of himself.
He froze like a statue though when Jason let out a breathless half-groan half-moan sound, and dropped his forehead onto Pythagoras' shoulder with a shudder.
Pythagoras stilled completely, barely even daring to draw a breath. He tentatively shifted his leg again - and no, there was no way to misunderstand the hardness against his thigh or Jason's sharp intake of breath at the motion. All at once, Pythagoras' face flushed scarlet.
"Haha, sorry," Jason murmured with an awkward chuckle into his skin. "It's been mostly like this since the massage… Hercules said they sometimes put things into the incense." He got up to his elbows and gazed down at the mathematician with slightly unfocused eyes. "Uh… I'm getting up now, sorry…"
Pythagoras gulped loudly, and didn't dare to move as Jason clumsily stood up. He tried to fix his gaze on the floor, he really did, but he couldn't help glancing up for a moment… and yeah, there it was, a not-so-noticeable but still quite obvious bulge that the breeches and tunic couldn't hide very well…
I'm going to kill Hercules , he thought bitterly as he staggered to his feet and followed Jason into the house. Slowly and painfully, by reciting mathematical theories to him all day and night.
There was a loud bang followed by a muffled curse, and Pythagoras looked up to find Jason clutching at his head. "I walked into the cupboard," he explained gruffly. "Argh, that hurt."
"Drink a cup of water then go to bed," Pythagoras suggested, already marching into the kitchen to retrieve a cup for Jason. "It's just past sundown, but you should rest. It was a long day after all."
He poured water into the cup then went back to hand it to Jason. To his astonishment - and horror - the man was blatantly palming his hard shaft through the breeches.
"Must have a quick wank before that," he murmured, staring absently in the direction of the balcony where the faint silhouette of the moon was winking into the room. "Why the hell do they burn aphrodisiac incense? Is it that much fun getting a guy horny?"
Pythagoras opened his mouth to answer but his tongue was heavy and dry, and absolutely not willing to move one bit, let alone form sentences, so he just gave the cup to him in silence.
Jason finally pulled his hand away, drank the water, then stretched, only to nearly fall to his ass again as he tripped in his own legs. "Shit, I can't move after all."
Without waiting for any form of consent from his brain, Pythagoras' body has moved to Jason's side in a second and clasped his arms to direct him into his own room.
"No, no," Jason protested with wide hand-gestures, "that's your room, I'm not taking it."
"Just for tonight," Pythagoras said firmly. "You're in a bad state, I'm not, so shut up and go to sleep. But don't you dare be sick on my bed."
Jason shut his eyes together. "I'll try."
"We'll have to get you your own bed soon, anyway," Pythagoras mused. "I'm not sure as to where we could fit it in, but we'll think of something."
"My own bed?" Jason lifted his head and blinked slowly at Pythagoras.
"Well, you can't sleep on the floor forever, and-"
"You mean I can… stay? With you guys?"
Now it was Pythagoras' turn to blink a couple of times, and he was embarrassed to feel his cheeks heating up yet again. "Of course you can stay. You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"
"No, but… I don't want to impose on you. Especially if it'd cause trouble between you and Hercules."
Oh. He hadn't even though about consulting with Hercules first. But he wouldn't mind it, would he? However cold he was to Jason at the beginning, he's certainly warmed up to the man by now. Actually, Pythagoras was quite sure that his friend has come to like Jason after all.
"Don't worry," he said finally, "I'm sure there won't be any problems."
As soon as he collapsed onto the bed, Jason pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes and let out a small, strangled groan. "I still can't believe I'm in Atlantis, have just killed the Minotaur, met Hercules and am currently lying in Pythagoras' bed. Who the hell would blame me for drinking at that? It's a miracle I'm not completely stoned out right now."
He abruptly looked straight at Pythagoras, and his eyes were a lot clearer than a moment before. "Thank you. For everything."
Flustered, Pythagoras could only smile down at him. "No, thank you. I owe you my life."
"And I owe you mine."
The strange moment felt really intimate; the warm bubbles spreading through his insides were both foreign and familiar. When Jason closed his eyes and loosened the laces of his tunic to take it off however, Pythagoras suddenly remembered the matter he had to face.
He turned his head away and muttered, "Well, I shall retire for the night. Sleep well, Jason."
"You, too."
Even though he'd said that, Pythagoras couldn't get a blink of rest. The pallet and blankets Jason had slept on the two previous nights were soaked through with his scent, surrounding Pythagoras like a warm, teasing cocoon. Whenever he closed his eyes, he felt like standing next to the man again, or worse yet, having that perfect angular body pressed against him like that time when Jason had so abruptly crashed into his life…
Oh, this was not a very good direction of thoughts.
He was already aroused from the bathhouse, since admiring Jason's strong, muscled body up close, but now the heat was creeping back into him with renewed force, filling his body up from the inside and making his blood boil. His heart was hammering against his ribs when he remembered the way Jason had fit between his legs that first time, the way he burrowed his head into Pythagoras' shoulders and breathed hot air all over his neck. If he'd moved that time, had made just a little motion with his hips, their groins would have rubbed deliciously together-
A strangled moan tore itself free from Pythagoras lips, and he pressed his hand against his mouth. He shook his head to get rid of the images his mind of-so-readily supplied for him, but he could tell that there was no way of getting back from this point. Liquid heat was pooling in his stomach, his insides were squirming madly, and the hard length of his member was pulsing hotly against the confines of his breeches.
Sitting up, he let his head fall back and knock against the wall as he tentatively reached down and lightly touched the heated bulge between his thighs.
Oh gods. Oh gods. Oh gods.
Pythagoras bit on his lip so hard that it almost drew blood. He can't do this, he really can't; he wouldn't be able to look Jason in the eye tomorrow…
From where he sat, he had a clear view of his own bed in which Jason was lying with his back to Pythagoras. For a second, he wondered if the man had watched him last night like this as the decision to offer himself up in Pythagoras' place born in his head… but then he recognised the small, rhythmical pattern in which Jason now seemed to move his hand under the blankets, and every single thought has promptly decided to fly away from his head.
Dear gods, he groaned internally, please tell me he isn't pleasuring himself right there in my bed!
But it certainly seemed like he was, and now shivers were running through Pythagoras' entire body as all his blood seemed to rush south. He couldn't remember a time he was more aroused in his life, and knowing that Jason was relieving himself so close to him was definitely not helping.
Pythagoras' eyes fluttered closed in the second his hand slipped under his breeches and cupped his aching shaft. His head knocked against the hard wall again and again as he started stroking himself, and he bit on the side of his left hand to keep down the strangled moans that wanted to rip themselves out of his lips.
He imagined the perfect chiselled abdomen, the squares of muscles, the ovals of tight nipples, the perfect triangle of dark hair leading the way down to his groin…
"Mmh…"
At the sound of his own muffled voice, Pythagoras' eyes snapped open, and he turned his head in the direction of Jason to check if he'd heard it. By the look of it, he hadn't; Jason was still moving his right hand, though his movements were becoming more and more erratic. His naked back was tense and hard, the sharp lines seemingly burning themselves onto Pythagoras' mind. The next moment he tensed up even further, and Pythagoras couldn't for the life of him tear his eyes away as the man went rigid and strained like a bow, shuddering once or twice before going completely limp on the sheets.
That was too much for Pythagoras. His sac tightened and his heart nearly leapt out of his throat as he thrown his head back with another deep moan, not caring that it had banged against the wall with enough strength to make him see stars, his whole body shuddering furiously in the high of pleasure. Sweaty locks clung to his hot face, mouth falling open to gasp wildly on air as the hot liquid of his seed spurted out to coat his palms.
Seconds have passed, but Pythagoras just lied there like a lifeless doll, panting hard, and waiting for his racing heart to start beating in something akin to a normal rhythm. After what seemed to be a really long time, he could finally open his eyes again to the now massive darkness of the night.
Way too soon, the well-known claws of shame started gripping at his heart, making the euphoria of his release drain from him quicker than ever.
He shut his eyes tight to stop the stinging from turning into angry, ashamed tears.
I'm so pathetic…
Pythagoras was still wide awake when Hercules got home around midnight, emitting the smell of more alcoholic beverages and the heavy steam of love-making. At first, the man didn't notice him sitting by the window, but as he went to to wash his face, he suddenly caught sight of Pythagoras.
"What are you still doing up?" He glanced down at the rags where Jason had slept in the past couple of days, then to Pythagoras' room where their new friend was now snoring softly. "And why is he sleeping in your bed?"
"Because he was tipsy, that's why."
"Tipsy people can still sleep perfectly fine on the floor," Hercules said with a frown. "You shouldn't have let him take over your bed."
"No, it was me offered it up," Pythagoras has corrected. "He didn't want to accept it, but in the end he was too tired to argue."
Hercules stopped shedding his waistcoat and looked up at Pythagoras with a strange expression on his face. "Really?"
The young mathematician just shrugged.
Hercules knit his brows in a way that certainly didn't hint at anything good, then stomped over to Pythagoras, grabbed one of the chairs and sat down in front of him. "All right, boy, spit it out."
"What?"
"Something happened, tell me what was it!"
Pythagoras hated his stupid face for already starting to heat up, even though he'd felt like paling. "Nothing happened."
"Oh come on, I know you like my palm. You wouldn't be sitting here in the middle of the night looking like the whole world was weighing on your shoulders if nothing happened." Pythagoras swallowed and dropped his eyes to the ground, resulting in Hercules pulling a grimace and groaning.
"Please don't tell me you went to bed with him for real!"
"Of course I didn't!"
"Good," his friend huffed. "Because I can't see anything good coming out of that. Jason's a really fine guy, I admit, but the way he is means that you lusting after him would just create problem after problem. He's not exactly the most ideal candidate for your attraction, as we've established in the bathhouse, right?"
Pythagoras clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles all turned white. So his suspicion was right - Hercules had been trying to show him that Jason was beyond Pythagoras' reach. The way he asked the man about his lovers, how he inquired about his views on male-love… Hercules did all that to shove it in Pythagoras' face how stupid he was for-
"Hercules," he forced through his teeth, "Was it you who told the servants to burn aphrodisiac incense for Jason?"
"What? No, not at all! It was Phaeda's doing… You know, Philomela's sister who massaged Jason. She took a shining to him, and I'd bet she burnt those in the hopes that he'd get an interest in her after all." Hercules' eyes hardened abruptly. "Why, has he done some-?"
"No," Pythagoras said immediately, shaking his head. "I mean, he was… you know," he made a wide gesture with his hand, "but he took care of it on his own."
"I see." Hercules quietly stared at Pythagoras for a long couple of moments before he finally cleared his throat and said, "Look, you have been a really good friend to me for a long time. I wish nothing but the best for you… and that's why I say that if you want to keep Jason close as our friend, you should forget about your attraction as soon as possible, because it won't be happening."
It cut into Pythagoras like a dagger, having the hopelessness of his desires told so blatantly and ruthlessly into his face. Even though he was very well of aware of the idiocy of his affections for Jason, now he felt like something had just came apart and fell into pieces inside his body.
He pointed his gaze at the window-sill and did not meet his friend's eyes. "It's not like that. I don't-"
"Like hell you don't! For the long time I've known you, I have only ever seen you with so much light in your eyes when you were speaking about your triangles. But ever since Jason has got here, you are…" A bright blush blossomed on the young man's face, and Hercules abruptly halted like his words were cut by a knife. For a second he just stared wordlessly at his friend, and then he made an expression like he's got punched in the face. "By the gods, Pythagoras, please tell me you didn't go ahead and actually fall for him!"
Oh goodness, I really have done that, haven't I?
"I didn't," he protested however, because it was one thing admitting to himself that what he felt went way beyond physical attraction, and a completely another to tell it to Hercules.
"You'd better not!" the man grunted. "Aside from the fact that apparently he isn't the type who sleeps with men, he sort of has 'trouble' written all over him."
"Hey, you just said that he's a fine guy!"
"Yeah, and I meant it!" Hercules stated firmly. "I won't argue with that, his heart is in the right place. He's a good lad, he's brave, he's not even stupid. Honestly, I like him, even though my old mother has a better hold on a sword than he does. But… he seems to be wrapped in mysteries, and I'm not sure we won't get burnt if we stay close to him. In my opinion? It'd be best to pat him on the shoulders and send him on his way tomorrow."
"Well, isn't that nice," Pythagoras commented in a grim tone. "I wonder what you would say if you didn't like him."
"Hey, none of that now. I was merely pointing out the facts for you. That doesn't mean I don't want to help Jason - as I've said, I like him quite a bit."
Pythagoras looked his friend squarely in the face and just eyed him for long moments before finally getting up from the chair. "What do you propose we should do, then?"
"Me? I'll snore over the remainder of the night, after which I'll go to my carpenter friend tomorrow and try to get a bench or something for our new flatmate." Pythagoras couldn't supress the happy smile that spread over his cheeks from relief. "You, on the other hand, my friend, you'll kick that tipsy dog out of your bed the next time he gets himself drunk, and in the meanwhile you'll work very hard on toning down this thing you've got going for him the best you can, all right?"
The mathematician clasped Hercules' hand tightly. "All right."
"Tell me something, though," the larger man said, stopping Pythagoras from leaving for the pallet. "What was it that made you so fascinated by him after only two days?"
Pythagoras thought about that, but couldn't come up with an answer. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "He said I have a destiny."
"'Course you do," Hercules agreed with a grunt. "Your destiny is to make me lose all my hair prematurely." For another long moment, he just stood there eyeing Pythagoras like he was trying to look into the depths of him, and then he shook his head with a sigh. "You have it really bad, don't you?"
The only answer he got was a small smile. "Good night, Hercules."
Later, when he was once again lying on the rags, with the blankets that still smelled of Jason draped all over him, Pythagoras though about his options and failed to detect a viable path. Attraction and affection were not things he could just weed out from his heart and throw out into a bin, no matter what Hercules had said. And his friend had hit the nails with many of his points; Jason hadn't given one hint of that he'd ever be willing to enter a relationship with a man (quite the contrary, actually), not to mention as to what his opinion would be if that other man was Pythagoras.
Because Pythagoras himself was in a quite unfortunate situation; not a beautiful youth, nor a brave warrior, he was just a lanky man short of all the marks of masculinity that society has appreciated so much. Who in their right mind would willingly choose to be with him and endure the social stigma that would come with that? Even if their preferences matched, he couldn't ask that of Jason.
Yet, despite all these depressing facts, Pythagoras somehow felt more secure in his body than in the time he did since leaving the bathhouse. His situation was grim, but his look on the future was not. And if nothing else, his friendship with Jason was there to bloom into a full flower. With him and Hercules by his side, and with the angles, triangles and theories to solve, Pythagoras felt like he won't ever need anything else.
He pulled the warm blanket up to his neck, closed his eyes and burrowed his nose into the strongly scented linen.
There's nothing to do now but wait and see what tomorrow brings.
A/N: That's it! Hope you enjoyed it~! Some feedback would be really nice. Also, I might write more to this fic, depending how the rest of the season shapes up^^
ETA: The sequel to this is now up and can be read here on FFN under: s/9887829/1/Circle-of-Contemplation