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Simon, also known as the gladiator Ghost was in the forest after a bloody day in the ring, even with being blind he is a ruthless fighter and very competent fighter too. He was taking a quiet walk in the forest of Greece letting the grass brush against his sore feet. He was relaxed, while John was in the abandoned temple he called home. He got a whiff of the man walking near, and he smirked he was either going to be snake food or a new stone statue to add to his collection. Well when the gorgon stalked near, the gladiator whipped around, looking around trying to target the noise. This confused John, he was in the man’s line of vision even with the helmet on. Sure it blocks peripheral vision but he was right in front of the man’s line of vision, maybe he was trying not to look at the snake man directly? That must be it, right? You have to look in his eyes and look at him to turn to stone. John stepped forward, and Simon looked at John but he wasn’t stone and John got more concerned “I’m surprised you’re not stone yet…” The gladiator looked confused with the small tilt of his head, “You know what I am right?” Soap questioned
“Should I?” He asked, that shocked John and he stumbled back a bit “I’m a gorgon.” John answered. Simon just nodded, “I’m blind, I can’t tell who anyone is. Someone can be Zues himself and I wouldn’t know.” John snorted before chuckling a bit, he was amused by Simon’s response and not Simon’s condition. Simon rubbed the back of his neck, it was a bit embarrassing for this to happen. He’s not used to being laughed at, he gets more pity from the other grecians than laughter “Can we just get to the part where you eat me…?” John frowned at Simon’s response “No…now I just…feel bad.”
“Don’t be.” He tried to reassure him “I kill people for a living”
“So do I, but I kill people to keep living.” Simon snorted a bit “I do too, not for food but if I lose a battle I will die.” John laughed, to Simon it was a nice laugh it was like something a siren would sing “You have a beautiful laugh” He complemented and John turned red, “You think so?” Simon nodded a bit and he smiled a bit, fangs and all “Would you like to come into my home?” He motioned to the temple, sorta forgetting that Simon can’t see. Simon muttered something that John couldn’t catch “Excuse me?” He asked hoping Simon would repeat what he said, and Simon did with a sort of embarrassed tone “...help…?” He held his hand out and John grabbed it, and squeezed it a bit. It was warm, not what he is used to anymore. He’s used to his cold skin by now so it’s weird to feel flesh warm, but still he dragged Simon into the temple and set him down on the plush bench and Simon felt around feeling the plush velvet on the palm of his hands.
He let out a hum, and John looks at him confused “Yes?” Simon shook his head, “Just feeling around” John nodded and sat next to him, thighs brushing against each other. John wanted as much touch from that man as he could, and Simon tensed up as he felt the snake’s tongue flicker around near him as they sniffed him and let out a soft groan of discontent. John tried to calm him down, “It’s okay, they’re just smelling” he reassured the blind gladiator but that didn’t help much with Simon’s fears. He has never liked snakes since his father tormented the poor boy with them as a sick sense of amusement from the person who was supposed to help raise him. The snakes kept sniffing the man before stopping and John smiled “Awwww, they like you.”
“They what now?” Simon questioned, “Like you” John reiterated. “How?” John shrugged “Do not know, but they do!” Simon didn’t know how to feel about it, “They don’t like guest often.” Simon wasn’t surprised about that, he was more surprised that they liked him. Especially with all the blood on his hands, but John did say he had blood on his hands too so maybe because they are similar they would enjoy his company “So, I’m special?” he asked and John nodded “Yep” Simon groaned “Great…”
“That’s a good thing!” Simon was even more confused, he wasn’t used to feeling special. At least, special in the aspect that sentient snakes that replaced Soap’s hair would like him “Not used to it.”
“You will!”
“What do you mean by that?” He asked, “I’m going to keep you here!” The gorgon said in delight, Simon shot right up from his seat and tried to back up but John quickly followed suit and hugged Simon to keep him from moving and Simon tried to push John off him “I’m not staying.” He grunted, “Please!” the gorgon pleaded, “I get so lonely!” He said in a sad tone, trying to gain sympathy from Simon. But he didn’t care “I don’t know you” He added, trying to get John to see through his idiocy “I’m John!” He tried, trying to get Simon to know him so he would stay “...John?” He nodded with a smile “Yes!” Simon sighed, deciding to play along “...Simon…”
“Simon?” John questioned, and Simon nodded “My…mother named me.” John smiled, it’s working, his plan was actually working! “She must have been a gorgeous woman.” Simon nodded, he never got to see his mother since he was born blind but he has always heard the compliments from the men when she brought her kids to the market for food. “She was…”
“I miss her…” He frowned at the memory of Claire finding her and Simon’s mother dead at the bed, “I bet.” John sympathized, his mother was still alive so he never had to deal with the pain but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel bad for the man. “You didn't cause the disease that killed her” Simon sighed, he nodded “I know.”
“Don’t blame yourself.”
“Humans offer condolences, do they not?” Simon frowned, “I don’t talk to a lot of people anymore…I mostly slaughter them in the arena now.” John chuckled, “I turn them to stone on sight…” It finally clicked in Simon’s brain “Don’t female gorgons do that?” He questioned, John nodded “born in the wrong body” He frowned “I’m sorry Apollo was drunk when he made you…” Simon said, trying to offer condolences. John shrugged, he wasn’t affected by that anymore “I figured it out.”
“I bet you look handsome.” He was trying to compliment the man, but it sounded more than what it was supposed to sound, it sounded like he started to like the man. At least a little bit. John didn’t catch on to it yet and nodded, taking it as him just trying to be nice “Thank you”
“You…sound handsome…” He whispered, John turned red, “You’re handsome too…” Soap smiled and Simon was shocked before taking off his helmet, and Soap turned more red. He didn’t expect him to be rugged but also handsome. “Yeah…” Soap smiled “You’re handsome too” Simon turned red, and looked away not believing it. “I never could see myself in the mirror” John chuckled and grabbed Simon’s face gently, Simon shivered a bit from John’s cold hands “I’ll describe you then.” He held Simon’s face, moving and twisting it a bit “You’re pale like marble with freckles you can’t see unless you’re looking hard. Eyes, there brown that reminds me of if ambrosia was split onto a dirt patch.” John soon weaved his hands into Simon’s hair, which made Simon’s eyes shut from the sensation “Hair is like Phrixos’ golden fleece” Simon smiled a bit and chuckled and John awed, which made Simon turn red dropping the smile
“You have the cutest smile!” John cooed, “No I don’t” Simon tried to argue, which made John double down “Yes, you do!” Simon sighed knowing he won’t win, “Fine.” He backed down and John kissed his nose which made Simon’s eye widen in shock and he backed up which made the gorgon chuckle “So cute” He cooed sweetly, and Simon again tried to argue “Not cute” He grunted, and John again doubled down “Yes you are~”
“I am not, I’m a gladiator” That peaked John’s interest like Simon’s outfit didn’t give it away, “Ooooooooooooo~"
“You sound too happy about that”
“I like fighters.” John cooed, leaning close to Simon which made the gladiator back up, running into another bench and he grunted as he landed onto the marble bench and Soap tilted his head “What?”
“You like me?” Simon asked, and John nodded “Yeah” Simon wasn’t used to that, or that feeling in his chest “...You’re nice too…”
“I am?” John asked, with a tilt of his head and Simon nodded “At least to me” John squealed and hugged the muscled man and Simon just let the snake man hug him, he missed physical touch since his sister moved to Lesbos. He has got physical touch but not the nice kind, it was the hurt kind. Simon closed his eyes as he felt the top of John's head gently rubbing it, which made the gorgon even more giggly. “I’ll stay.” Simon’s statement made John see stars, in the good way his eyes lit up and everything. Only thing is that Simon couldn’t see it, then again that’s keeping him from turning to stone. Simon felt John jumping up and down from joy and he smiled again. Maybe it was nice to stay in the house of a gorgon.