#Thena doesn't want to leave Gil home alone

[softquietsteadylove]

Some aftercare for Gil after his poisoning experience? Thenas Pokémon being surprisingly caring and protective of him!

Something sweet maybe

Gil blinked, feeling something cool on his forehead. "Oh, uh, hey."

"Frosslass!"

Gil sat himself up in the bed, touching where Frosslass' hand(?) had just been. "Did I have a fever."

The ghost pokemon put on a contrite face and nodded, "Frosslass-Fross."

He had been at home for almost a week now, but they did tell him there could be latent effects of the poisoning he had suffered. So far the pain he had felt had at least lessened, but he still had some aches and chills, and the occasional fever.

Thena's pokemon had been...surprisingly helpful. He had expected Dragonite to be a bit of a worrywart, but both he and Teddiursa had been good about going back to work while he was still recovering. Thena may have told them that they had to help cover for Gil while he was still out sick.

She herself took as much time off from work as she could, but the league didn't exactly give her paid leave. Instead, she had gone back to her usual route with only Gallade and Ninetales, asking her most recent team addition - Froslass - to stay home with Gil.

"Frosslass?" she asked, floating down to the bed on top of his multiple blankets.

"I do feel better, thanks," he smiled at the kind hearted ghost pokemon. She tended not to let herself be visible for too long, but he felt that he had a good rapport with her. "What time is it?"

"Fross," she reached for him, using her long arm(??) to retrieve his pokegear. "Fross-Frosslass?"

"Yeah, she should be home in a little bit," Gil commented, looking through his messages, although they were mostly from Thena telling him that she hoped he was resting, and also a picture of a Luxray who apparently seemed to know her.

"Fross!" the ghost pokemon startled as he started sliding out of bed.

"I'm okay, really, I can at least put some soup on," he attempted to assure it, patting between the horns on her head.

But the ghost rushed in front of Gil, its eyes narrowed. "Frosslass!"

He had to admit he was surprised. He knew that Thena had instructed the ice/ghost type to take care of him in her absence, but he hadn't expected her to be so invested in his recovery.

"Fross," she continued, explaining how even in her short time in the house, she had noticed how much happier Thena's 'aura' seemed when Gil was around. He brought a calm to her trainer's mind which Froslass appreciated. "Froslass?"

"Of course I would," Gil sighed, not even wanting to think too hard on the idea of Thena being sick the way he had been. If anything, he was unconscious for so much of it, his memory was questionable at best. But as he had asked Thena about it, the severity of it was enough that she had admitted she was prepared to have a very serious talk with their little bear cub about the worst case scenario.

Froslass was right; he had a family to take care of, and to do that, he had to take care of himself.

She joined him, floating alongside him to the kitchen. "Frosslass...Fross?"

Gil nodded, reaching for the stew pot as well as some kitchen basics. They were actually from his apartment, since Thena's kitchen was terribly lacking for anything that wasn't related to pokemon nutrition. "It'll be easy, I'll just put it on so by the time Thena gets back it'll probably be almost ready."

Froslass floated around him, watching as he prepared the meal for himself and her trainer. "Frosslass."

Gil laughed, chopping a little more slowly than normal given his cold fingers. "Yeah, I guess I do kind of worry about what she feeds herself when I'm not around."

"Fross," the pokemon shrugged, pointing out that Gallade's snacking habit actually came from their trainer.

"Well, actually," Gil smiled at Froslass as he cooked. "When I first met Thena, I learned early on that she only cared for her pokemon and pretty much neglected herself."

"We ran into each other here in the valley. She had just moved and was still camping with Ralts and Swablu. When I brought her to the pokemon centre, not only did she sleep for almost an entire day, but I also found out that she spent all her money on luxury balls and vitamins and pokemon food. All she'd eaten was oran berries and packaged curry she'd brought with her."

Frosslass laughed as well, fading in and out of view as she expressed her glee. It certainly sounded like her very driven, very caring, but also very dense trainer. "Fross-Frosslass?"

"Well, I mostly told her that I would share my lunches with her, but only if she stopped spending all her money on her pokemon and at least bought herself some sandwiches or something. Or, y'know, worked on finding a place to stay while she was here."

"Frosslass?"

"She stayed in the league facilities for a while," Gil narrated as he began chopping the potatoes. He hadn't blanched them at all, wanting them to cook in the broth. But they were still pretty hard. "A lot of trainers do, but I don't think she liked not being able to have her pokemon out of their pokeballs and in her room with her."

"Fross," the ice type nodded, pressing the knife down with Gil. She was delighted to discover that, at home, Thena maintained an open pokeball policy. Sure, some people had a Pikachu or Skitty in the house with them, but mostly it was smaller breeds like that.

"I kind of like to think that was my influence, a little," Gil chuckled as Froslass helped him slide the diced potatoes into the stew as well. "I mean, she already carried Ralts in her arms all the time, but still."

"Fross?" she asked, intrigued by the idea of proud and stubborn Gallade being carried around the way Teddiursa had been at first.

"Yep," Gil confirmed as he started stirring. "She totally babied him. Carried him in her arms, let him sleep in her sleeping bag with her, even kept him in her coat when she went up the mountain. He acts all cool now, but right up until he evolved into a Kirlia, he was just as much of a lap pokemon as Teddi."

Froslass snickered to itself; she would savour this information the next time Gallade got bossy about the house rules.

"Come on, don't tell him I told you that," Gil attempted to dissuade her. "He already hates me, I can't have him thinking I turned you against him."

"Frosslass!" she waved, dismissing the notion that the Blade pokemon disliked the gentle ranger in any way. "Frosslass-Fross, Frosslass!"

"Really?" Gil felt the need to ask. Gallade always acted like Gil was somewhat of a nuisance, if a familiar one. He really hit those teenage years hard, and Gil sometimes wondered if he would ever outgrow that phase of only wanting to lie around and watch tv at home.

But Froslass argued that Gallade cared very much for his trainer's mate (as they put it). Gallade was Thena's battle partner, certainly, but he had at least some respect for the fact that Gil was her partner in a different way.

"Fross!" It was the thing about auras again. Gallade and Ninetales - and Frosslass to a certain degree - could all sense the auras people and pokemon gave off. And Gil and Thena's auras were never so healthy and happy as when they were together, so the ghost type said.

"I guess that's a relief," Gil looked into the soup pot, stirring the dinner for himself and his aforementioned partner. He certainly felt like he was part of their family. "He could give me a little less lip, though."

"Fross," she shrugged. That was Gallade--he didn't like listening to anyone, and even listening to Thena didn't always work. But he cared for their family and took protecting them very seriously.

"Yeah, I'll say," Gil huffed, mostly in reference to the many occasions Gallade had interrupted their dates like a disgruntled father or agitated little brother. "I used to make poffins for him, and he treats me like I'm some homewrecker."

"Frosslass," she lamented, and she was right, Thena's poffins were better (marginally). "Frosslass!"

But Gallade did have fondness for Gil, and being his usual petulant self around him was a sign of that.

"Well, thanks for telling me that," he smiled at the ghost companion who handed him the pot lid. "This can just simmer away until she gets home."

"Frosslass?"

"A little," he also lamented, yawning into his palm. "Man, this is killing me."

"Frosslass!"

"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled, patting its head again before shuffling to the couch. "Thanks for keeping me company, too. I know you'd rather be out battling with Thena."

"Frosslass," she excused easily. Everyone was worried about him upon the news that he had fallen ill. And if she could do small things to help, like look after him at home or babysit Teddi on occasion, then she was happy to.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked as he picked up Gallade's precious tv remote.

"Fross," she pondered, watching him skip through programs until her eyes lit up and she floated up off the couch again, "Fross!"

"Okay, Great Galar Bakeoff it is," Gil declared, setting the remote down and sinking further into the cushions. "Do you and Thena watch this?"

"Fross-Frosslass," she nodded, recounting how Thena actually paid very close attention to the relaxed show, hoping to absorb some practical knowledge.

Gil yawned again, already being lulled to sleep by the calming music and gentle regional accents, "that's pretty cute."

"Fross," she whispered, watching as he curled himself up. She reached to the back of the couch, also using Gallade's precious throw blanket to drape over Gil.

#Thenamesh pokemon AU #Froslass is an excellent caretaker #and she has a soft spot for Gil #she did try to kidnap him at first but that's in the past #Thena doesn't want to leave Gil home alone #but they're both working parents! #Dragonite goes back to work and he makes sure he gets Teddi to and from work safely #Thena goes back to work very relucantly #for the time she's back in Victory Road and Gil is at home #she's vicious she's ruthless win rates for trainers PLUMMET #and she gets home worried but Froslass assures her she's taking care of him #Thena hand feeds him stew and holds his head in her lap as he sleeps #she maybe gives him kisses and says 'goodnight my Snorlax' #one times he's awake for it and he does not think it's a cute petname #too bad he's wrong about that #even Gallade is sweet with him #getting things from the kitchen so he doesn't have to get up #sharing the couch #he even occupies Teddiursa before bed so he and Thena can have some cuddling time #Teddi of course comes home and jumps on Papa's chest #he's basically as big as he's going to get #but even though he acts all cool at work #he sits with Gil all evening #cherishing this time with his Papa #and Mama of course #I love this suburban pokemon family

[softquietsteadylove]

It’s been a while for the life interrupted one. Would you write more?

Druig being worried about Thena not coming home and it’s being very very late that he rushes to Gil’s and almost breaks the door from his angry knocking?

"Where is she?!"

Half the apartment complex would be woken.

"I know you can hear me you bastard!" Druig raged, not caring who heard him--not caring what time it was. He pounded on the door, "let me the fuck in or I'll-!"

The door whipped open just before Druig was yanked inside.

"Will you calm down?"

Druig looked up at Gilgamesh with wild eyes. "Calm down? My sister disappears and you tell me-"

"She didn't disappear," Gil huffed at him as if he were pitching a fit over nothing.

Druig took in the man who was 'dating' his sister. His t-shirt was rumpled, his hair dishevelled; Druig grabbed the front of his shirt, "you have idea what I am gonna do to you?!"

"Easy," Gil spoke calmly, despite Druig seeming completely ready to let his fists fly. At least Druig wasn't nearly tall or strong enough to actually haul Gil up by the neck of his shirt.

"She's vulnerable," Druig snarled through his teeth, "and you-"

"Thena is asleep, in my room, untouched," Gil defended, holding his hands up to Druig as he backed him up to his couch again. "Fully clothed, you can check on her in you want."

Druig looked at Gil's pointed hand for a second. He let go of his shirt and did just that, stomping the few feet to Gil's bedroom and opening the door none too gently.

Thena didn't even blink, curled up in the middle of Gil's bed, on top of all the covers but with a blanket thrown over her. He had taken her hair out of a ponytail and taken off her shoes, but she was clearly still wearing the stockings she wore under her dress to work.

Druig whirled around; he wasn't done being angry.

Gil huffed as Druig closed the door gently so they could talk man to man. He put his hands on his hips, "we were watching tv on the couch and she dozed off."

"So call me," Druig snapped at him, circling him like a wild animal. He certainly looked wild in the eyes.

"I did, but there was no answer," Gil shrugged. "I left you a text."

Druig's face twitched. He did actually have that text--it was what had made him storm all the way over here.

"But you're not-" Gil cut himself off before he could say something that would only worsen Druig's feelings towards him. He cleared his throat, "Thena doesn't need you to worry about her every minute of the day, is what I mean."

Druig tried not to pounce on him for the simple statement. It was true, T didn't need his worrying and fussing. She more and more often was telling him to leave well enough alone--that she was his older sister and that he did not have to baby her.

He wasn't babying her! He was worried about her! He was worried about the only person in his life on whom he could rely, ever. Thena had always looked out for them their whole lives, and he knew that standing up to their father came at a price. She was more fragile than she let on, even before being committed.

Now he was more worried about her than ever, and this 'boyfriend' of hers wasn't helping things.

"Look, Druig," Gil sighed, holding out a hand for them to talk at the ledge connecting his living room and kitchen. Druig waited for him to move but he rolled his eyes and sat himself down. "I have no intention of hurting Thena."

Druig held back some more biting and acerbic responses. He leaned against the edge of the counter, leaving a stool between them. "Yeah, and our father never 'intended' to backhand 'er 'cross the face."

Gil looked away.

Druig gripped the counter edge. "She's a lot more vulnerable than she lets on to be. She's more vulnerable than she even knows she is, and she's puttin' a lotta trust in you when she comes over 'ere!"

"And I take that seriously, Druig," Gil scowled. "I would never let anything happen to her, whether we're out or back here."

Every time either of them brought up their 'dates' Druig wanted to grind his back teeth flat. "You wanna know why I don't like you?"

Gil sighed, still rubbing at his eyes, "I'm sure you'll tell me."

Druig pointed at him, "you show up like magic during the worst time in T's life? And suddenly I'm hearing about this amazing guy who's a li'l too perfect?"

"I hear about how they're not even wearin' real clothes, just these loaner scrubs that've been fuck knows where?! I hear about how they get woken up on the hour and the showers don't have bloody doors and they're barely allowed to take a piss by 'emselves!"

"You expect to hear about the hell that place was and have a good opinion of ye?" Druig hissed at him. He realised none of those things were Gil's fault, and not even things he would be able to change or influence in his position. "So forgive me if it's a li'l hard to swallow my sister's trauma bond to you with all that goin' on."

Gil sighed after he was done his tirade. "I get it, okay, man? That place is a hellhole, you're right. But a job's a job--obviously they don't exactly pay me in gold."

Druig shrank as Gil held out his hands to display his modestly sized flat.

"And I never thought anything of it before," he shrugged. "But Thena was there for three months. And I saw her every single day, dragging herself around, obviously just wanting five fucking minutes when she wasn't being watched like a rabid animal."

"So yeah, I let her hang out with me and the potatoes, and I made her fresh mac and cheese, and I saved her pieces of cake so she'd have a singular thing to look forward to." Gil tilted his head at Druig, "obviously you wouldn't have preferred I give her up."

No, he didn't want that. And as resistant as he had been, Thena had asked him to pass her contact onto Gil, and he had done it. Because the look in her eyes when she said that she would miss her chivalrous cafeteria cook was too much to bear.

"Gil," Druig said just above a whisper, looking at his hand fidgeting on the back of the stool. "T really likes you, and I'm tryin' to accept that. But...I haven't been able to do much for her in our lives. She's always been older, stronger, tougher--her balls are bigger than both of ours, I'm sure you'll agree."

Gil just nodded.

"This is the one thing I can actually do to keep her safe," Druig professed, shifting as the feelings attached to his words became too much to bear. "After it was me who landed her there in the first place."

Gilgamesh smiled, though, "y'know she doesn't think of it that way."

"Maybe she should," Druig grumbled.

"Well, she's not going to," the older man chuckled and ruffled his hair again. The size of them arms... "So you can forget it."

Druig sighed as Gil slipped off the stool. He resisted the urge to ask Gil if he had been excused.

"Here," Gil set down a glass of water for him, smiling like Druig hadn't barged into his home and harassed him.

Dammit, he was just a nice bloke, huh? Druig snatched the water and chugged it aggressively. "I should go."

"You don't have to," Gil shrugged, leaving it up to Druig what he would prefer.

He shook his head, "T'll lose it if she knows I came o'er here."

"Druig?"

"Fuck," he bit his tongue as Thena emerged from the other room.

"Hey."

Druig watched Gil get up and go right over to her, speaking softly and reaching for her hand. She was drowsy, blinking a lot against even the living room lamp's dim glow. Gil brushed some hair out of her face with a smile. He must have asked if she was okay, because she nodded with a smile Druig had never seen before. Gil kissed her forehead, and Thena blissfully leaned into it.

"Sorry, I was just-"

"Druig, what are you doing here?" Thena asked, knowing the last thing her brother would do was ignore her.

Druig's shoulders drew up and inward, "I, uh, was just comin' to see if you wanted a drive home. But-"

Thena looked at Gil, who shrugged. "I texted him when you fell asleep. He just got here."

Traitor; Druig glared at him again.

"Oh." Thena just shrugged, no hands on her hips, no lecture about how her baby brother didn't have to come barging into her love life, please and thank you. She smiled, "I see."

Shit, was this guy really such a miracle drug for her? Druig tried not to be even more suspicious of his temperamental sister's serenity. He sighed, "yeah, but, clearly I had nothin' to worry about. I'll head out. You two...whatever."

"Really?" Gil raised an eyebrow.

"Druig," Thena spoke up a little more firmly, making him freeze partway to the door.

He sighed as she came over to him, but rather than jab him with her bony little finger, she tugged at his rumbled jacket affectionately.

"I know you were worried. But thank you," she gave him the eyes, "for trusting me--and Gil?"

Druig made a face and looked away from the woman who was as good as his own mother in many ways. "Fine, fine, I'm goin'. I'll see you when I see'y."

Thena nodded, pressing her hand over his heart for just a second before pushing him gently, "I do hope you didn't make a scene when you arrived."

A chill ran through him; how did she know that? "'Course not."

Gil chuckled, "not at all."

Okay, maybe he wasn't so bad.

#Thenamesh Life Interrupted AU #listen #Druig is a good brother #he just...doesn't know what to think sometimes #Makkari tells him all the time #Thena doesn't need him being overprotective #every time she goes on a date he acts like she's a teenager #Druig just wants to make sure this 'Gil' guy is legit okay?! #Druig has seen him #he's big and tall and strong #and maybe that's a good thing' #or maybe all it would take would be him not knowing his own strength to bruise poor Thena like a peach #Druig is here imagining the scene from Incredibles #when he picked up Mirage and said it would be like breaking a toothpick #meanwhile Gil is actually that scene when he picks up the car and then gently sets it down again #poor boy has a lot of anxiety with nowhere to go #we're all getting better #thank you for requesting this AU because I really do love it #it's all about character development and growth and healling #and I love that

[softquietsteadylove]

For the Thenamesh Proposal AU:

Thena finds the perfect dress and is suprised by Gil’s reaction!

"What about this one?"

No, this one!

"Girls, please," Ajak said gently over her arguing daughters, both holding veils in their clutches. She patted their hands, turning over her shoulder, "I think we might be starting to smother our guest."

Thena turned, raising her hands in protest, "no, please, it's-"

"Sorry, Thena," Sersi offered her a very sweet, very contrite smile. She brought her choice in veil closer to her chest. "She's right, we're having a little too much fun playing dress-up with you."

Sorry, Makkari also smiled and plopped herself on the bench at the foot of Ajak's luxurious king sized bed.

Don't be, Thena shook her head with a smile to both of them. She really did like Gil's sisters. They were both warm and sweet, just like him, and their mother. A whole family of sweethearts, they were--even Gil's cousin Kingo, who had just arrived yesterday.

Ajak set down the last of the pile they were working through at the moment. She came over to Thena, putting her hands slightly upwards on her shoulders, "we must be overwhelming."

Thena offered a sheepish smile. She had lied to Ajak enough already, and it would be another lie to say that she wasn't used to having so many family members around. Especially all so...genuinely fond of each other. "That doesn't mean I don't like it."

Ajak laughed at Thena's reluctantly honest answer. They were also a whole family of knockouts--each and every one of them, absurdly beautiful. She still hadn't met Gil's father, the supposed demon man. But Gil described him as monstrously tall and cold as ice.

She rather thought she was quite cold, but he always told her she was more like ice cream: cold, but sweet underneath it.

"Why don't you try these without all of us fussing over you?" Ajak suggested so gently as she ran a hand over Thena's hair. Her motherly touch was so natural, in a way Thena had never really encountered for herself before. "See which ones you like and then you can show us."

Thena looked at the pile of dresses to get through before nodding. Perhaps this would expedite the process a little. Although she liked the way Sersi had described it; it was a little like playing dress-up, and it wasn't un-fun, as it were.

"Okay," Ajak clasped her hands around Thena's for a brief, tender moment before turning. She waved her hands, ushering her daughters towards the door as if she were herding lambs, or chickens. "Come on, you two, let's leave the bride to her fitting."

Thena sighed as the door closed behind them. She had never thought she would end up becoming a bride, let alone under the current...circumstances.

When Gil asked her to put on this charade with him, she was honestly surprised. He was such a sweet guy, she could barely imagining him telling anyone a lie ever in his life. But if it was for his sister's sake, he was more than willing, especially given the opportunity to embarrass his father.

And he was her best friend--not just work friend, but probably actually her best friend, all things considered.

He was apologising to her morning, noon and night, now that the charade was no longer a charade, and actually happening. He even offered to call the whole thing off, but she wanted to see it through. She liked Sersi, and she also wanted to help alleviate her burden, some.

When asked what having a marriage - annulled or divorced or whatever - would really do in her life, she had told him that it probably wouldn't make much of a difference, really. It wasn't like she had someone waiting for her back home.

Thena ran her hands over herself as she tried on the first one that had actually caught her eye. Sersi's taste was more flowery and plant based, and Ajak's was for lace and chiffon and tulle. Makkari's choices were a little...eclectic, but they tended to be a little shorter than Thena would choose for herself.

This one, though.

It was sleek, elegant without looking plain. The silk was shimmering white, tight where it needed to be but flowing off her nicely instead of being more of a mermaid fit. It sat around her shoulders in a way that felt somewhat alluring but with some of her usual penchant for coverage. It was a little more cleavage than she was used to in turtlenecks and cardigans, but she had to admit, it did look good on her.

She tilted her head at herself, running her hands over it. For as much as she had never given thought to what kind of wedding dress she would like, it certainly seemed to fit her perfectly. She had worn plenty of white dresses before - it was kind of her colour - but this one really did feel different. This really did feel like her wedding dress.

A knock.

"Come in," she smiled, expecting Ajak and her daughters to be pressing their ears to the door in anticipation. She examined some of the details of the dress a little closer. "I don't know who picked this one, but I think it's-"

"Wow."

Thena whirled around, her toes curling in the carpet as Gil smiled at her from the doorway. Ajak and his sisters were nowhere in sight. "Gil!"

"Sorry," he chuckled, stepping into the room more with his hands in his pockets. "I came looking for you because I just finished making lunch."

"Oh," she blinked, wringing her hands together. Ever since arriving, there was a nervousness cropping up here and there that she never used to experience with Gil before. Not consciously, anyway.

"You like it?"

"Hm?" she blinked, desperately trying to collect her thoughts as he walked even closer. His smile was probably the most relaxed she'd seen it since arriving.

"The dress." He looked at her in a funny way--like he had with plenty of other dresses already. She wasn't used to it. But the way he was looking at her now was like nothing she'd seen before. His eyes flicked over her and she felt an increasingly familiar wiggling under her rib cage. "It's...wow."

Thena felt herself start to blush. She wasn't used to that either. "Th-Thanks. I must admit, I think it suits me more than some of the other choices."

Gil's smile was still that one she couldn't quite identify. He stood close to her, his hand close enough to touch her arm but hovering in the air around her. "I think it's perfect."

His breath hit her ear, even moving the stray hair or two curling around it. She swallowed, which suddenly seemed suspiciously loud in her mind. "Good."

"Good," he agreed, stepping back with his smile turning into more of a grin. "I'm glad you found one you like."

"I-I suppose I am too," she mumbled, pressing her palms together again so they wouldn't seem shaky. She smiled at him, "I'll be right down."

"No rush," he shrugged, taking his good sweet time actually leaving. Every step backwards he took worsened her nerves. "That's worth the wait."

Once the door was closed again Thena let out a breath and pressed the back of her hand to her cheek. This was a far cry from herself at work, literally called the Goddess of War. She was getting a little too used to all this 'bride' stuff. She shook her head.

"Stop it," she spoke directly to herself in the mirror as she started pulling herself out of the dress. "None of this is real."

#Thenamesh Proposal AU #I remember really liking this one when I first wrote it #waaaaaaaaaayyyy back when #so I'm glad to do more for it! #it's the slow burn of it all #the mutual pining #the fake dating!!! #I have been trying to conjure a fake dating au for these two for ages #the thing is that I don't think it's easy specifically for Thenamesh #Gil is so honest and I don't think Thena would feel the need to lie to anyone #but this is actually an early inspiration for Something Old Something New believe it or not #I just love the slow realisation that they are and HAVE BEEN in love #also Ajak already knows because of course she does #she sees how they look at each other and is like #whatever is is going on here... #continue

[softquietsteadylove]

2nd- Gil insisted for Thena to go back to her home because it's not safe anymore but she doesn't want too, she said that Gil's home is her home. So Gil instructed her on what to do when Kro and his men come to their house. But Thena doesn't know that Gil has another plan, he called Makkari (who also happened to bring Ikaris) so she could get Thena away, Thena was hurt, she felt betrayed (it's the first time she felt it). They both had an argument, Gil's trying to be gentle and calm while explaining why he had to do it. But Thena just couldn't get it (knowing that she's still adjusting with how humans thinks) and still felt betrayed by him. Before they left she just stared at him, still worried on what might happen to him. And can you add Ikaris hissing on Gil before following the two after seeing her sister with teary eyes.

"No!"

"Thena, please," Gil attempted again, but Thena crossed her arms at him. "Angelfish-"

"Don't!" she snapped at him, her fangs bared as she glared at him. "It's one incident, Gil! You said yourself that it sounded like a 'nut job' made it!"

"Yeah, one nut job with a lot of money, Thena," Gil argued. They had never argued before--not like this. He had maybe had to tell her not to do this or that, but they had never fought like this. "And money can convince even sane people to do just about anything!"

Thena sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter the way she had seen him do. "You said I would be safe here, with you."

"I thought you would be," Gil ran his hand through his hair. "I want you to be, Thena. But if you're not safe here, then-"

"No!"

"Thena!" he groaned. "I don't like it either! But this is the only way to protect you--at least for now!"

Thena looked at him with those sea green eyes of hers, tears making them glassy. "You want to send me away."

"I don't want this, Angelfish," he whispered, going over to her and reaching for her hands. She turned away from him, and he pulled back as if she'd hissed at him. He looked at the kitchen floor between them. "I don't want to let you go. But if Kro shows up here again, I don't think he'll take no for an answer."

Thena sniffled, possibly a little confused about the water running down her cheeks.

"Angelfish, please," Gil whispered, holding her cheeks in his hands and brushing her tears aside with his thumbs. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. And that monster...if he gets his hands on you-"

Thena's eyes flashed, catching something at the end of the dock through the window. "What?"

Gil sighed. "I called her."

Thena's eyes sparked again. She pushed against his chest, shoving him away from her and rushing out of the kitchen.

"Thena!"

She stormed out of the house and down the hill to the dock, where she could see not only Makkari, but her brother. "What are you doing here?!"

Ikaris wasted no time, launching himself onto the dock. "We're leaving, Thena."

She turned from her brother to Gil, who skidded to a halt behind her. "So it would seem."

"I called out for Makkari," Gil professed, his hand on his chest. "I didn't want you to swim off alone--just in case Kro is already monitoring the area."

Makkari looked up at her with pleading eyes, let's go.

"Thena!" Ikaris barked at her, much less delicate about the high running emotions surrounding the situation.

Thena's tears returned, her fists clenched as she looked at Gil. "You called her before you even talked to me?"

Gil flinched. She was right, but it felt even worse for her to say it like that. "Yeah, I did."

Thena huffed, "oh, tough Mister Human will handle it all? It's my life on the line, but so long as you're the one making the decisions-"

"Thena-"

"No!" She kicked off the shoes she had been wearing in his direction. "By your own insistence, let's go, then!"

Gil walked over as Thena threw herself into the water. He knelt down on the dock, although she threw his soaked shirt back up to his face.

Ikaris gave him a look that would make kelp wither and dry in an instant. He gave him a glare and a hiss before joining his sister in the water.

Gil clutched the wet mass of fabric to him, enduring the glares of all three mermaids looking at him. "Just for now, Angelfish."

"Don't," Ikaris glared at him, already ushering his sister away from the human causing her such strife. "You're lucky I'm not drowning you as we speak."

Yeah, he believed that Ikaris would if he ever got the chance again.

"Thena," Gil pleaded, kneeling down on the dock again. Even if she didn't want to hear it, and even if Ikaris wanted to try and drown him with his bare hands. "I promise I'll call for you, Angelfish. I promise-"

Makkari thrashed her tail in his direction, dousing him with water again. Let's go, Thena.

Makkari disappeared first, although clearly didn't go far. Ikaris put a hand on Thena's shoulder, ready to push her if necessary.

She gave Gil one last sad look (just to really drive a rusty dagger through his heart, it felt like). "Goodbye, Gil."

He gripped the post of the dock, leaning as far forward as he could, "just for now."

"Goodbye."

#Thenamesh Mermaid AU #pt 2 #the aNGST #Gil hates to do it #hates making his poor little Angelfish so unhappy #I wanted their argument to have real 'married couple' vibes #they're not the couple that fights a lot #but they're both stubborn as hell #Makkari and Ikaris are immediately like #you don't need him! #you don't have to ever see that human again! #thank the seven seas #they immediately start talking shit about him #and Thena goes and curls up somewhere #Makkari is like leave this to me #She rubs Thena's back #who needs humans? #Thena: Gil is not just any human #who needs--I do! I need human--one human--THAT human! #Makkari is forced to face the realisation that Thena is genuinely in love with this human...dude #she has no idea how to proceed #Ikaris is too dense for it #he's like...will killing the human not end the infatuation? #Makkari: ...bringing you with me was a mistake

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello Dear! I had a dream last night that gave me so much Thenamesh vibes, so i have to share this.

It's an AU where Thena is a Princess, daughter of King Arishem and, against her will, promised to the Prince Eternal Eros himself. Thena fled from the wedding, running through the woods for days until she's not able to walk anymore and hides under a big tree in the rainy night. And Gilgamesh, sweet Gilgamesh, finding her when the sun rises. He's a lumberjack, living in the woods. He doesn't know who she is, but he wants to help her anyway. But we're talking about Thena, so she's holding a knife to defend herself, telling him not to touch her, to leave her alone. But she ends up in his cabin, eating some delicious soup he prepared. So eventually she's hiding there for days and weeks until some Royal Guards knock on Gils door, asking him if he had seen the Princess. And after the Guards are gone, he has a talk with our beautiful Thena.

I would like to ask you to write the talk that followed, if you have time and this AU speaks to you, because my alarm clock wouldn't let me finish the dream.

Much love to you!! 🖤✨

The morning of the wedding she ran.

She didn't care which direction, she didn't care that she was on foot, or that the wedding dress she hated was trailing behind her as she ran. She took off in the direction of the woods and didn't look back until her knees were numb and she couldn't breathe.

She didn't know how long she ran for. But she kept going, and going, sleeping under massive trees and within the protective shelter of caves. She ran until her feet were raw, both from the shoes and then from abandoning them and running with her feet in the dirt.

She had never been allowed to run at the castle. She hadn't been allowed to do anything under her father's oppressive watch. Except get engaged, of course. Her hand had been promised to Prince Eros long ago--so long ago that it was far too distant in her mind to be real. It was just a distant mirage of a future.

Then she met him. And he was just like every other prince and noble who saw an extension of her father - the throne - in her, wanted her crown, wanted her body--anything but her. Anything but the real Thena.

It was raining, and a few times the tree offering her shelter moaned and even snapped so loudly she wondered if it would collapse on her. It was just her and her regrets, until he appeared. He leaned down to her, tilting his head under the hood of his coat.

"Are you okay?"

She held out a knife, ordering him to stay away from her, pushing her back against the inner wall of the tree stump. "Stay back!"

He held his hands up to her, the cut up logs on his back shifting as he moved. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you, I promise."

Thena kept her eye on him, though. She had only known two men in her life: her father, all her life, and her fiance, for a single day. She didn't trust either of them. And the men she had met however briefly, she didn't think she would be quick to ally herself with either.

"Look, I'm just gonna leave this here," he spoke softly, barely audible over the rain around them. He pulled a bundle of cloth out of the bag on his hip and slid it her way, even poking it towards her the last of the way and backing up. "My cabin is just a little further from here. I'll be making some soup when I get home...I'll be there, I mean."

And with that, he stood and left, walking in the direction he had pointed. Thena watched him as long as she was able from within her alcove. She picked up the bundle warily, but as soon as she smelled what it was her stomach growled.

And so she ended up knocking on his door, in the rain, in a sodden wedding dress, trying her best to have some dignity about her and not start crying as he led her inside.

But he was sweet, this strange lumberjack. He brought her towels and blankets, draping them over her but careful not to encroach on her space for too long or too close. He did have soup, as promised, and it smelled just as good as the sandwich he'd left her--better, even. He even let her serve herself, handing her a bowl and drifting to the other side of the room with his own.

She took a tentative sip of the soup, then a second. Then she wolfed down the whole bowl, ravenous after her days of solitude.

"You can have as much as you want," he said, easily able to tell she wanted more and didn't know how to ask for it. He walked over to the pot, ladling out more for himself and then nodding to her bowl. "You're hungry, right?"

She really did cry that time--just a few tears, which she was quick to wipe away. She held out her bowl to him, immeasurably grateful for his kindness. "Thank you."

"Gil," he supplied easily, as if they hadn't been stood in silence until now. He looked over his shoulder curiously, but he didn't ask her.

She shifted on her feet, feeling the sting of their wounds all the way up her spine. Her eyes shifted; she could tell him who she was, and maybe the name would mean nothing to him. Or she could tell him, and he would immediately know that she was the royal princess, obviously missing. They would probably reward him handsomely for her return.

"Here."

He held out her bowl for her, filled with his amazing soup again. His smile had nothing to hide, nor did it ask anything of her. It was just a smile, from a nice man with delicious soup.

She asked him questions instead, and he answered them honestly and openly. His name was Gilgamesh, he was a lumberjack who lived off the land, he had no family. And he was a great cook.

"Thena," she admitted quietly, stirring around the last few chunks of potato and herbs in her bowl. She couldn't remember ever being better fed, or more satisfied after a meal. Maybe it was the sleeping in a tree in the cold and starving, but she could swear that none of the feasts at the castle were ever this good.

"Thena," he smiled at her as he finished his own bowl. He leaned off his far shelf, reaching out to take hers to his washbasin. She handed it over gently, like a deer eating out of his palm. "That's a pretty name."

She stayed. He wasn't about to send her out in the rain, of course. And first and foremost, she was injured. He sat her in front of his fire, washing her feet in carefully heated water with medicinal herbs floating in it. It stung at first, but he handled her with such gentility that she nearly cried again. There was something almost reverent about the way he held the delicate bone of her ankle as he pressed a clean cloth to her raw skin.

She stated she would be fine on the floor, close to the fire, with a blanket. He refused. She refused his refusal. Then he picked her up, not giving her much of a choice as he placed her onto his bed and crossed his monstrously thick arms at her. "But-"

"Sleep," he ordered with his lips pursed.

She could have balked at the audacity to order her to do anything. Instead, she found herself laughing. "I'm afraid you're not as frightening as you think you are."

But he knew that. Because she had left her sad little knife in his kitchen, next to her bowl of soup.

He didn't send her away the next day, and she found herself without the desire to continue on in her loneliness. She let him check her feet, wash them again and press clean torn fabric to them. He kept doing that until she was healed, and even then, neither of them asked where she was headed.

She started helping him around the house. Just little things, at first. She was even worse than useless at cooking, having never seen a skillet - let alone handled a kettle - in her life. But she could wash and cut up the vegetables from his garden, sweep out the dirt he tended to track in after a long day, pull up the blankets on the bed he still wasn't inhabiting.

It wasn't until a particularly hard day of hauling wood that Thena managed to tempt him just to sit down on the bed while she massaged his aching shoulders.

It had taken nothing at all for him to drift to sleep like that. He even snored a little, he was so out of it. She laid him down next to her, pulling the blankets over him and everything. She still wasn't sure what to make of this sweet, kind man, but she had to admit that his snoring was almost a little bit cute.

He freaked out in the morning, discovering that he had not only fallen asleep, but wrapped his arms around her in the night. But Thena said that it was a perfectly natural thing to happen (as if she would know). And since his soreness was even more evident the next day, she used the same technique on him.

They never did end up sleeping separately again, just by...coincidence.

It was weeks over which it all took place. Thena hadn't even registered the passing of time in her little paradise. It wasn't until she saw a hint of the seasons changing that she realised how long it had been.

Then the thunder of hoof beats.

Gil opened the door, blinking at the royal guard standing there. He took in the man's shining silver armour and the scroll in his hand. "What can I do for you?"

"Sir, I have been sent by his Majesty King Arishem, and his Highness, Prince Eros," the guard declared, unfurling the scroll with the royal decree. "We have been searching for her Highness, Princess Thena, escaped from the palace."

"Escaped, huh?" Gil questioned, completely unfazed by the royal forces at his door and the urgency of their statement. "Did it suck to live there?--in the castle?"

The guard sputtered at the suggestion.

"What'd she run away for?" Gil asked, although he didn't exactly wait around for an answer. He pressed the potato he had been peeling into the hand of the guard 'for his trouble'.

"Sir, we-"

"Hope you find her!" Gil waved before closing the door on the entire royal procession. He leaned against the inside of the door, waiting until he heard their horses galloping off to push off of it.

Thena emerged from where she had rushed to hide herself among the woodpiles in the back. She poked her head out, guilt making her eyes drag along the ground. "They're gone?"

"They're gone," Gil promised, and she did bring herself to come back into the kitchen with him, hands fidgeting over the apron he had sewn for her out of scraps of the - lengthy - wedding dress train.

Thena squirmed as he took her hands in his, pulling her away from their vegetables and over to the table. He sat her down, choosing to lean against the table and look down at her.

"There something you wanna tell me, Sweetheart?"

Thena stared down at her hands on her lap. It seemed so strange to recognise the patterns of flowers on the apron that was once her wedding dress. "I didn't mean to lie to you."

Gil nodded, his arms still crossed, almost having to lean down to hear her. "I know."

Thena sighed. He was so sweet, even in the face of blatant deception. She peeked up at him, and it was almost even worse to see no trace of anger or betrayal on that handsome face of his. She bunched up the apron in her hands. "I was betrothed to Eros by my father's word. I was always intended to marry him so our kingdoms could combine forces."

"But the morning of the wedding, I...something happened. I-I don't know--I just...couldn't. The ladies helping me prepare were talking about life 'once I was married', and circling me, and pulling my hair and getting me into this dress and I-"

Thena looked up at Gil.

"I ran. I ran to the nearest door I could find and out the back of the castle into the woods. I ran until I thought I would meet my end, because I couldn't bear the thought of signing my life away to that man."

Thena looked down again but Gil reached out, tipping her chin back up to him with the gentlest of fingers.

"Is that why you stayed?" he asked gently, although there was plenty he needed to know within that one question. "All this time?"

Thena felt her cheeks flush with warmth. She wasn't entirely sure what had made her so resolute to stay. Surely she could have kept running--had she asked, Gil probably would have offered to help her. Given her shoes and some food, at the very least. She could have lied to him about why she was out there in the first place. She could have left at any time.

But she stayed. She stayed because her feet still hurt, and because by all that was good, the food he made was amazing. She stayed because she found his bed so much comfier than her plush monstrosity at the castle. She stayed because even once her feet felt better, she couldn't just run off with his kindness in hand.

She stayed because every time he came home and gave her that same smile, she convinced herself that she could stay just one more day, desperate to see it again.

Thena's eyes fluttered as his lips pressed between her furrowed brows. She hadn't even realised how tense she was all over until she relaxed. She had felt for herself how rough and calloused his hands were from the work he did. But his lips were soft.

"You can stay as long as you like, Thena," he promised her, and he meant it, because he was Gilgamesh. He smiled, "or should I be calling you Princess?"

She rolled her eyes; he would think this was just so funny. "Please, don't."

"Fine, but don't go out berry picking for the next few days?--just in case those guys are hanging around in the area." He said it so casually, the same way he had first suggested he teach her to peel the potatoes and carrots safely. He leaned off the table, returning to the kitchen with one less potato than when they started making dinner. "I'm sure they'll get tired of sniffing around here soon enough."

Thena turned in her seat, watching him start to peel onions with a simple little smile on his face. "Gil?"

"Hm?" he wasn't even looking at her, so comfortable with her presence and whatever she had to ask or say.

Thena gripped the back of her chair, letting it creak. "Why...?"

He looked up at her with a soft expression. He'd had this same look on his face when he was washing her cut and scraped feet, and when she had first welcomed him home with the worst kettle of tea he'd ever had, and when he first woke up with her in his arms. "Because you want to be here."

That was it. It was that easy for him--that simple. He returned to the onions, chopping them with flawless skill. She disliked them almost as much as peas, but he kept insisting that if he cut them up small enough and cooked them long enough that she wouldn't even taste them.

She could.

"And I want you here, too."

Thena leaned her chin on her hand, watching him work instead of leaping up to join him again. She would in a minute. They could talk about things--what was to come, what would need to happen if she was going to become a permanent resident of the cabin. Or they could talk about how the pumpkins were growing and the animals Gil saw while he was out working.

She just wanted to be with him.

#Thenamesh AU #it's a bit of a long one #but I really liked this prompt #and I kind of love the idea of runaway Princess Thena #and her daring rogue #in this case #a sweet handsome lumberjack #who makes amazing soup #and listen #one of my absolute favourite tropes #the slow and comfortable decline into domesticity #you can make as many excuses as you want #but you're basically all but married #and yet still insisting you're platonic? #or at the very least not involved? #no you live together make dinner together and hold hands #and he likes coming home to your smile #and you like it when he cuddles up to you at night #you're married #Your Majesty she's married now #Thenamesh Runaway Bride AU #I could just call it a princess au but #who knows if I'll have more in the future

[softquietsteadylove]

Hiiii!!! Maybe it's not too late to add this idea of mine to the Amnesia trope, it has three parts.

I think it may connect to the last one you posted (when Gil went to her place and she had the time of the month), so Thena just suddenly felt comfortable and told him why she had the 'memory loss' but the only thing she remembers is that she was calling someone and then suddenly there was something collided through her car, she also remembered someone talking and carrying her before she completely passed out. Gil, felt guilty and he suddenly told Thena that he has some emergency to the shop.

"That was great," Gil comments lightly as they get into her place after dinner. It really was a nice dinner, and the restaurant was as pleasant as he's read about. He has been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to go, after all.

"It was," Thena smiles gently as she hangs up her coat and sets her purse on the counter. "Did you want some tea?--or coffee?"

Gil smiles. He should really go--especially if he's going to prepare the daily special for tomorrow morning. But he walks a little further into her apartment, hands in his trouser pockets, "I guess a cup of tea wouldn't hurt."

Thena offers another fleeting smile before disappearing into her kitchen.

Gil walks slowly from the front hall to the couch. It isn't far, but it's hard to notice that her walls are eerily barren. There are no photos, no little trinkets or home decor at all. There's a singular hook for her keys, a plate on the kitchen cutout ledge where he can see some junk mail and spare change.

Her living room is sparse as well. Plain white furniture--lovely but as blank as it can get. It's a little mysterious in aesthetic, like the woman making their tea.

Gil smiles as she comes in with two petite mugs for them. She sets them both on the coffee table and he takes a seat on the other end of her loveseat. "Nice place."

She looks around her living room as well, as if also needing to familiarise herself with it. "I didn't move in so long ago. I guess it doesn't quite feel like home yet."

Gil just nods. "It can take a while to settle in to a place enough for it to feel like that, I guess."

"I suppose so."

Gil takes a sip of his tea. Thena does the same. She isn't the chattiest person in the world, and the last thing he wants to do is push her about anything.

Over dinner, he asked if they did anything for her birthday at work. She told him that no one seemed to know. And it makes sense for her--she never really made any effort to tell people when it is. Apparently her friends Kingo and Sersi gave her their well wishes and promised that if she would like to do something, they will be all too willing.

They sound like nice people.

"I'm not sure where I lived before."

Gil attempts not to look startled by the statement, but clearly it didn't work all that well.

Thena nods, despite not having anything verbally to confirm. "I...I have this memory gap. True and genuine amnesia, my doctors told me."

"I, uh, didn't know that was a real thing," Gil says cautiously, at a loss to do anything else.

But Thena is understanding, maybe even expecting the bewildered response. "They didn't tell me much when I awoke in the hospital. Just that there had been an accident, and that by the time I was awake, I couldn't remember well into last year."

"I'm sorry."

Thena shakes her head. "I don't even know what happened or caused it. And they've told me not to rush things or go looking for answers that could only put stress on me. I suppose they told me to leave well enough alone and go on with my life."

"That," Gil gulps, setting his tea down, "doesn't sound easy."

"I'm sorry," she whispers, setting her mug down as well. "I'm afraid it's not very pleasant news, but it is something I thought you should...know about me."

Gil angles himself towards her, even scooching an inch closer on the couch. "What...do you remember anything from before?"

But Thena shrugs, looking down at her hands on her lap, over her soft white dress. "I just barely remember moving to the city, starting work at the museum, meeting Sersi and Kingo within my first week. Then...pieces."

"Pieces?"

Thena frowns, her hands tightening.

"I'm sorry," Gil rushes out, leaning over to place a hand over hers. He gives them just the smallest of squeezes, hoping to reassure her, "I didn't mean to bring up something upsetting."

Thena looks at him, though, smiling again. "I'm afraid I'm a bit too comfortable around you for my own good."

Gil blinks, looking like she shot him right through the heart.

"I remember driving somewhere," she murmurs, picking up her tea again for something to do with her hands. "Someone was in the car with me, I think. But I have no idea who it would be. Then--nothing. I suppose the next memory I have is being carried, but I assume that was by the first responders pulling me from my car."

"Must be."

"I'm sorry," Thena apologises again. "I...this isn't exactly first date talk, is it?"

"N-No! I mean," Gil fumbles, wanting nothing more than to get that frown off her face. "It's a big part of your life now, right? Whether you get your memories back or not...I'm glad you told me."

It's easy to see that she doesn't quite believe him about that, but she at least attempts to smile again. "You're sweet."

"Hey, uh," Gil takes her tea from her hands, setting it down for her and clasping his hands around hers again. "I have to get back to the bakery. Y'know, to prep the...breads."

She nods.

"But," he pauses, his heart in his throat. She waits patiently, but he lowers their hands down between them again, his thumb rubbing gently against her pale silken skin. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?--at the shop?"

"I," she pauses, her hands growing heavy in his. He doesn't let them slip away, though, just holding them tighter.

"I'll see you tomorrow." It appears he's decided. "I'll see you tomorrow, like always. And I'll have something special for you, like always. Deal?"

She sighs, feigning some exasperation it would seem. But she softens, her eyes going warm and letting her hands tighten around his as well, "deal."

#Okay #this is a long one #so strap in #pt 1 #I haven't connected it with that one #But this is now #Thenamesh Amnesia AU #I don't always do multipart asks #but this one seemed to capture a lot of people #and also people really love the idea of Gil being this outlaw gangster #anyway #I haven't necessarily crossed it over with any other AU #out of respect for the original ideas that everyone submits #but I hope you like how this turned out