YOU BROUGHT ME BACK. THAT WAS… UNMOTIVATED BY ANYTHING ELSE, OTHER THAN… LOVE.
for a guy who said they’re just friends he is feeding us so well lmao
But he’s never said they’re “just” friends! He said their love isn’t romantic, but that doesn’t mean their love isn’t meaningful. That’s the heart of the whole show. It works especially well with an aro interpretation of Arthur—his love can change a god, and without romantic love he can still represent the ups and downs of humanity against the cosmos.
But it all boils down to how Arthur can so easily and confidently say that he knows John loves him, and John replying that Arthur is his dear friend as agreement rather than contradiction.