#and Thena asks about his mother and if it's acceptable for her to be there with him when he goes

[softquietsteadylove]

Proposal AU

Thena takes care of a very exhausted Gil!

Something sweet and soft 🤭

Gil groaned, trying to turn his face away from the light.

"It's almost over."

He blinked, finding his nose buried in a head of blonde brighter than sunshine. He could have just nestled in further, which was damn tempting of course. But he groaned, adjusting in the...hammock?

"You know, you're actually quite lucky," Thena continued in a whisper. Her fingers ran through his hair. "Had I not joined you here, I'm sure your mother or sisters would have no trouble awakening you for what is actually our own party. But with me in here as well, everyone thinks we're too wrapped up in pre-marital snuggling to bother you."

"You're doing an awful lot of talking for someone determined to let me sleep."

She gave his cheek a poke. "I know very well you're awake. You stopped snoring."

"I do not snore," he grumbled, moving his head so she could pull away and look at him. He pouted.

"You snore a little," she broke it to him gently at least, poking his lip back into place. "But I'll forgive you because you're so exhausted."

He yawned completely reflexively, but he at least pressed it into the shoulder of her cardigan. "How long?"

"A couple of hours."

That scared him. He jolted, not that it did much in their hanging basket arrangement. "No."

Thena nodded, though, confirming the statement that had sent fear shooting through him. "Just over two hours, assuming I found you relatively close to when you fell asleep."

"Thena, no," he groaned again, attempting to drown himself in the fabric suspending them off the ground. "No, no, no--my mom worked her ass off for this party, I can't have been asleep for that long."

"Sh," Thena hushed him from those soft lips again. She was being awfully tender with him. "I told her that I was the one who lulled you into sleep. If anyone is to blame, it's me."

He whimpered, though. "I'm a bad son."

"On the contrary," she had the nerve to laugh at him when he was upset. "You are the son who cooked every morsel of food at this party. If you happened to spend most of it in a hammock with your own fiance, I can't imagine she would have anything to say about it."

Well, she had a point. He did cook all of the food. And Ajak was always telling him to try and relax - with Thena - more. He sighed again, unfolding his arms from around himself and resting one over the curve of Thena's waist. "Guess I can't argue with that."

"You haven't missed much," she informed him. "Ajak announced how pleased she was for us."

Gil snorted, pulling Thena closer to him as a breeze rocked the hammock faintly. "That wasn't what she said when I first told her. Nearly took my ear off demanding to know why I hadn't said anything until now."

"You have a lovely family, Gil."

He opened his eyes again to look at the woman in the hammock with him. Some of their relatives had arrived early for this party. They were distant, some more family friends than anything. But it was certainly an escalation to their little lie. They were having to do couple-y things more often. A 'love you' here, a 'missed you' there. A brush of his hand over her shoulder--that kind of thing. He smiled, "are you actually in here avoiding them?"

Thena didn't deny it, which was basically a confirmation. She slid her hands up his chest and nestled her head closer again, approaching a position to tuck it under his chin. "Your mother knows a staggering number of people."

Gil chuckled, tucking her against him so she wouldn't have to close the gap herself. She happily accepted his invitation, practically settling into him like a cat in a sunbeam. "Sorry I left you to handle them all yourself."

"I gave up rather quickly," she lamented. "Said I had to find you to ask you something for the wedding. It worked to help me avoid anyone for nigh on half an hour."

"We're both bad hosts."

"Indeed," Thena agreed, not seeming all that upset about it. She sighed, her hot breath hitting his throat. "I'll apologise to your mother later."

"I'm pretty sure you can do no wrong in her eyes," he assured her. He had just had a pretty solid nap, but it was way too comfortable to continue lying there with Thena to even think about trying to roll out of the swaying hammock. "You'll be her first daughter-in-law. To her only son, no less. An eldest son I'm pretty sure she was getting worried wouldn't be settling down at all."

"Hm."

"Hey," he called to her before she could slide down that slippery slope of regret. He rubbed small circles in her back, "don't worry about it."

She didn't say anything else, but one of her hands slipped around his side and to his back, clutching a fistful of his shirt. She pressed her face into his shoulder.

He sighed, ready to settle into sleep again, feeling the familiar position of Thena cuddled up to him. He was nearly there when he heard a grating voice getting closer and closer.

"Yoohoo!--lovebirds?"

Gil kept his eyes closed, not in the mood for his showboat cousin who probably wanted to make some dramatic speech about them or drag him up in front of everyone.

"Gil, mom's lookin' for you!"

Thena stirred but he cradled the back of her head with his hand and held the small of her back. "It's a trap."

She puffed out some air at his joke before whispering, "diabolical."

"Very," he whispered back, eyes still closed.

"Here they-oh!"

Gil resisted the urge to tell his brother - in every way that mattered - to fuck off and not wake his fiance. He held Thena firmly, determined to appear asleep.

"It's so sweet!"

"Let them rest, you two--Makkari, put the stick down!"

His youngest sister was no doubt about to poke him in the face with it. His sweet and elegant mother had raised a bunch of animals.

He only cracked his eyes open when he heard them padding away, complaining why he got to skip out on the party duties, like entertaining guests and cleaning up as things started coming to a close.

"We can't sleep in here all night, you know."

"Why not?" he grinned, immediately pulled back into the little world that was the high sides of the hammock bending around his weight. "It's comfy."

"I would hardly call this lumbar support," she argued, although he was pretty sure she wasn't that far from dozing off herself. "And what if it rains?"

"We're in the trees, it's fine," he laughed. They weren't exactly in the depths of the wooded area surrounding the house, but they were away from everything else enough that they weren't the easiest to find in here.

"Gil," she scolded, but made no attempt to get up, or even separate herself from him.

"Mom wouldn't let that happen," he reassured, although it made her go quiet again. "Fine, just a few more minutes."

"Five, not a second more."

"Deal," he smiled. She sounded like she did when they were at work. It felt so far away, they'd been here so long. Not that they didn't deserve the break. And Thena had even more paid time off than he did. He was pretty sure she never took a day off.

Unless she was sick. In which case he would rush home from work and cook up his most healing chicken soup and noodles for her.

Thena didn't stir as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. If anything, she nestled closer to him, "five minutes."

"Five minutes," he repeated, moving his lips down her cheek, closer to her lips. He didn't close the distance quite yet, but Thena didn't pull herself away either. And he didn't need the next five minutes to make his decision.

It was chaste, just the barest brushing of lips against lips. It was like a peck. Thena didn't make any sudden moves or any sounds at all. Only she could lie perfectly still and straight postured in a hammock. "Was that your attempt at bartering?"

He grinned, their heads still too close to really see each other, breath mixing and lips twitching to meet again. "Depends if it worked."

"No."

"Fine," he conceded, moving his hands to her cheeks. He gave her another little peck before she tucked herself into the crook of his neck again. This was just another couple-y thing to add to the list, apparently. Not that he minded.

#Thenamesh Proposal AU #always love coming back to this one #poor Gil #he's a hard working boi #he cooks and prepares all the food #he sets out appetizers and mini sandwiches and desserts and fancy cut fruit #then he makes it maybe ten minutes into people arriving #he says hi to everyone thanks them for coming #accepts their well wishes about his wedding to his beautiful fiance #which he agrees with #then he slithers off and falls into the hammock #a few minutes he thinks to himself #and he's out like a light #Thena notices right away that he's gone #she asks everyone who comes up to her if they've seen Gil #great excuse not to have to talk to anyone about anything #then she sees the hammock in the treeline #weighed down with a considerable body of mass in it #she knows it right away #she goes over and he looks so cute and restful that she doesn't want to wake him #she doesn't tell him that at first she's too shy to just jump in #she's worried about landing weird #but eventually she moves to the other side and lets herself fall in #like when scuba divers fall off the edge of a boat backwards #and Gil instantly rolls over to face her #as well as he can in a hammock #Thena is like Gil we have to go to bed and also I am going to tell your mother the truth #hes' like okay honey let's--WHAT?!!

[bubbleteycosplay]

What ifs Sigyn's stories

Part 13

So many different universes, so many different possibilities. And in some loves Sigyn and their different stories. Pictures and brief information have been written about some of these possibilities.

But what is her full story, we don't know. But we can spin them further in our thoughts ^^

The whole project here serves to show the possibilities and potential that Sigyn would have had within the Marvel Universe. How she could have been reintroduced, her story made new and more exciting. #JusticeForSigyn stands for creating Sigyn content because Marvel doesn't give us any.

Inspired by @fauna-and-mythos @dailylogyn @dank-art @jonquilclegane @sigynoffidelity @sigynthevictorious @thewitchysystem @shenanigans-and-imagines @timeladyjamie @therese-lokidottir @puckwritesstuff @sigynappreciation @sigyn-obsessed @ellecaterina @roruna

Amora's promise

After the death of the only person who always welcomed Amora with open arms, even though she betrayed Sigyn more than once, she just couldn't help it. Amora promised Sigyn, no, she swore to protect her child with her own life no matter what the cost. It was ironic in all of this, but much too late Amora realized how much Sigyn had trusted her and would do it even beyond her life. And now Amora was standing here on a peaceful planet holding four year old little Vali, overcome with grief and guilt. But she would keep her vow!

Olympian Sigyn Story by @jonquilclegane

After the fall of Vanaheim, the Queen and her daughter ran away, very very far. Sigyn, one of Queen Freya’s daughters, thought she could find refuge in the realm of her father, Nidavellir. But alas, Thanos soon attacked and destroyed everything. The mad Titan killed everyone, and Sigyn barely escaped. She had now a very powerful enemy looking for her, wanting her dead. She decided to lay low, but soon met an old friend: Thena. She comforted Sigyn and reminded her she could always find refuge among her kind, the Eternals, or ask for the Olympians’ help.

And so, Sigyn took the disguise she had chosen centuries ago, when she visited Mount Olympus with some of her sisters. She was still Goddess of Victory, it was true. But for the rest? No one, except for Thena, would have known. She had wings with beautiful golden feathers, and her hair were brown instead of blond. She was now Nike, Thena’s little winged friend and lucky charm.

Some gods, male and female, tried to flirt with her and get her into their beds, but she never accepted their advances. Her heart belonged to a god, yes, that was true, but the god in question was far, far away, and he did not even know she existed.

She had loved Prince Loki with all her heart since childhood, but had been much too shy to ever speak to him. Now, he was dead, or so they said. It was much too late for regrets.

When she heard of Ragnarok, her heart broke for her friends and the few family members she had left on Asgard. Loki dying again… she did not know how to take it anymore. Surely, he had survived, as he always did. She wanted to go to New Asgard and check for herself, investigate, find out if he was truly gone this time, but Thanos was too close and powerful. She did not dare to leave her hiding place.

Was she turning into a rat now? She cursed her cowardice, but after crossing paths with Thanos, she was still traumatized, unable to forget the murder of her father and brothers in front of her very eyes.

One day, however, Zeus had some visitors whose faces and names were familiar to her. One of them was a Valkyrie, a former friend and lover of her mother, and Thor, God of Thunder, Loki’s brother. Some of the goddesses fainted at the sight of his naked form, which made Sigyn laugh. She did not care about it, however, she wanted to speak to him, and ask if he had news of his sibling.

Unfortunately, before she could, Gorr the Butcher attacked and killed most of the Olympians. Sigyn helped Thor and his friends, but alas they were separated in the battle. Gorr wanted to kill all the gods, and so, she knew she would be on the list.

Once again, Sigyn went into hiding, finding refuge on some desert planet, far way from the fights and the god-killing villains.

The last queen of Jotunheim story by @jonquilclegane

When Sigyn had married Prince Loki of Jotunheim, none had rejoiced. Laufey had had what he wanted: a princess bride for his son, one that would bring him the blood of Freya and the Dwarves’ gold. Prince Loki was already married to a Frost giant lady called Angrboda which whom he had three children. Therefore, the Vanir Princess was meant to become his second wife and consort, with no hope of ever being queen or seeing one of her sons on the Jotun throne.

The Jotnar royal court was dangerous and deadly. The young bride knew better than anyone a word spoken too quickly or a clumsy gesture could bring her downfall. Sigyn seemed meek and weak, but she was not. She was a survivor. At first, she had been depressed to be sold to an another realm as some common broodmare, but it was the fate of most princesses. Her husband was feared by all the gods, and slightly terrifying at first. But with time, Sigyn learned that it was only a mask. He needed others to fear him, so they would not plot to have him assassinated. She gave him two sons, Vali and Narvi, and was rather happy neither of them would ever be kings.

However, Laufey suddenly died – poison, some said. And Angrboda and her children decided to leave Jotunheim, hoping to discover and conquer some exotic realms. Sigyn became Queen, though she had not wished for a crown, knowing its weight and deadly danger. However, she accepted it with grace, always a smile on her face. The perfect lady, as her mother had taught her to be, even if her heart and soul knew this glorious day would end in tears and blood.

A new war arose, one with the Aesirs. Loki had been a threat to the AllFather for centuries now, and he had finally decided to crush his rival under his boot. Jotunheim stood strong for weeks, not giving their mortal enemy any rest, never showing any sign of weakness.

Unfortunately, during the final battle, the royal palace fell into the enemy’s hands. The men – adults and children- were killed, the women enslaved. Some nobles, seen as potential hostages, were made prisoner. This was Sigyn’s case, as Odin knew her father would pay an enormous ramson to see his daughter given back to him unharmed.

But the Queen of Jotunheim refused to leave her husband’s side – even more after their old enemy had killed both their sons in front of their eyes. Odin wanted a show of force, and he did. The scene was atrocious, barbaric. Any person with some heart witnessing this monstrosity would have understood who was the real villain, and revolted against the bloodthirsty tyrant.

Yet, no one moved. No one did anything to save her innocent children.

Sigyn was outraged and sickened. She wanted to kill them all. But there was no point. Even if she conjured her axe, she would not be able to slay the AllFather… only a few would perish. Not enough. Angrboda and her children would take their revenge. For now, Loki needed her.

Her poor king was bounded to a rock, Vali and Narvi’s entrails turned into chains. A huge snake was hanging over his head, unmovable, his venom dripping into her husband’s eyes.

Quickly, the Last Queen of Jotunheim conjured a bowl and protected her king as much as she could.

She hoped Angrboda and her children would be victorious. She prayed they would make the Aesirs pay.

Evil Sigyn Story by @jonquilclegane

Her whole life, Sigyn had been good. Too good. Too kind. When her sisters wanted one of her toys, she gave it to them. Whenever her mother asked for something, she did all she could to obey and give her satisfaction. Her uncle Feyr demanded of his nieces to be pure and virtuous, and so she was. One day, she went to a tournament on Asgard. That’s when she first met Theoric. He asked for her favour, and she gave it to him. When he won, everyone applauded, and he soon asked for her hand. Her father agreed, and so she did.

When Loki demanded she would be his, it was the first time she ever said no to anyone about anything. But what he asked of her was so fundamentally against everything she had been taught, how could she have ever accepted?

However, when it turned out Theoric was dead and she was now stuck with Loki, she accepted her fate and resigned herself to become his wife. At least, she was not his whore, so her uncle Feyr would be satisfied.

But with the murder of her children, something snapped inside of her brain. It was too much. The unfairness of it all, the tragedy she had not deserved. Why were the Norns so cruel towards her? She had never done anything wicked. She had always been a model of kindness, a perfect wife and mother. So why did all those bad things keep happening to her and her family?

Her husband hated her, humiliated her, cheated on her, and yet, she kept her calm, kept on loving him, even if he did not deserve such love and devotion.

Her father-in-law, Odin, despised her for not being enough, for not being able to change her son into a good person. He had expected her love for him to turn him into a son he could be proud of. Unfortunately, it had not been the case. So the AllFather looked down on her, casting her aside, sending her away with some words of reproach.

She was tired.

She started wondering if the Norns were expecting something else from her, if her sweetness was not the reason for all her pain. Maybe they did not want her to be good and virtuous as she had been raised to be. Maybe they expected of her to be pure evil.

Kindness had brought her nothing but misery. Could evil lead her to worse? Sigyn was starting to doubt it…

So, when Amora, one of her husband’s mistresses, came to her one day, to gloat and insult her, Sigyn smiled at her gently, while hiding her knife. The stunning Enchantress did not see the blade and fell on the ground, surprised, holding her own slitted throat while her blood soiled the ground.

Loki was next. When he came home, Amora’s corpse was still warm. He saw it, and then looked at her, as it was the first time he truly saw her.

“You do have a spine, after all this time?”, her husband asked with a laugh.

Sigyn held her head high, and casted a spell on him quicky, turning him into a rabbit. Before the God of Mischief could turn himself back, she snapped his neck and looked at the dead animal, before nodding.

“Yes, you’ll make an excellent pie for the AllFather. I’m sure he will love it”

The story of a crazy bet

Sigun always won all bets he never lost. Until Thor and Loki met and this bet would lead him not only to Amora but also to the adventure of his life.

A Sigyn x Amora story

Life is beautiful, falling in love is even more beautiful (AU)

Sigyn is a lawyer and her best friend and companion is Amora. Together they are a resilient team. They simply share everything with each other, their feelings, their life, even their life is not excluded and what could be nicer than losing yourself and your partner also doing it.

The shadow I killed

When Sigyn was born, Frayer was near death. And Sigyn was also born sick, she didn't manage to survive her mother. Frayer died 3 months after birth but with her last words she cursed Sigyn's father who lured her into his bed just to father this child. With that she died and Sigyn father became the sole ruler of Vanaheim.

Sigyn had 4 siblings who were all much older than her and three of them were just her half siblings. They all became very married and lived their own lives on other worlds. If they come to visit, it was only on occasion and otherwise they never came.

But Vanaheim has always had its difficulties with Jotunheim, and during one of her raids, one of the Jotun mages stole Sigyn's shadow, causing him to fall into a coma and never wake up.

Sigyn's body was treasured and her father did everything to get her shadow back. But he was unsuccessful and Asgard didn't want to interfere, happy to be at peace with Jotunheim. And so the centuries passed until Loki attacked Jotunheim and half destroyed it. The magician who had once stolen Sigyn's shadow was also killed with it, so Sigyn also died and her mother's curse was fulfilled. Her curse was that her father should lose the most precious thing in his life and Iwaldi`s precious one was the love of his wife and their last child together.

Avengers Sigyn Story by @roruna

Beth was just a waitress. Or at least, she worked as a waitress and her name tag said “Beth”.

She actually had no idea if that was her name. She couldn’t remember. She had no memory of her life before a college student going on a road trip over winter break found her walking along the interstate leading into New York City and took her to the nearest hospital.

Beth stayed in the hospital for a couple of days while they ran tests and took MRIs, only to find that other than not remembering anything about herself like her name or where she came from, she was perfectly fine. Beth was actually a name she picked for herself because while she was stuck in that boring hospital room, she found a copy of Little Women and read it over and over until she was released.

The only clue she had to who she used to be was a business card for a crumbling apartment complex in the Bronx and an apartment key. When she first stepped inside ‘her’ apartment, she missed the hospital room. It was worse than anyone could have imagined. It was smaller than a toolshed and had all the personality of a motel room. If she burned the whole block down, it would’ve been a nicer place to live. The best she could say about it is that it had a bed, an ancient creaking mess that folded up into the wall, electricity and running water. It looked like she’d just moved in but for a total lack of boxes.

She got a job as a waitress for a Manhattan restaurant across from Stark Tower. It drew huge crowds of tourists on weekends and Mr. Stark was known to order delivery sometimes which meant serious tips. Except for her tiny studio apartment where even the cockroaches were just staying until they got back on their feet, life wasn’t bad. It was just lonely. And exhausting. And empty.

The loneliness was really starting to get to her when an attractive blond man came to eat at her restaurant. He was drawing the view of Stark Tower on his paper place mat. He wasn’t the first person she’d seen do that but there was something about him. When she went to talk to him, she hoped, she prayed that he was someone from her past life. But when he spoke to her, there was no hint of recognition. He was just another customer. But he reminded her of someone.

Just not someone she remembered. Someone quiet and artistic or someone old fashioned and larger than life.

She tried to remember all day until someone turned on the restaurant TV for a bit of background noise.

There was breaking news that some… terrorist or something attacked a charity gala in Stuggart, Germany and killed a prominent scientist. She almost dropped the tray of dirty glasses when the camera fixed itself on the terrorist. He was dressed in leather armor in black and green and a gold horned helmet that should have looked silly but on him, looked terrifying and stunning.

He spoke of subjugation and of freedom and humanity’s true nature was to kneel. She couldn’t breathe. And she wished that she was that appalled by his bloodshed but she wasn’t. All she could think as she watched him was how beautiful he was. He looked every inch a conqueror.

He looked divine. She had to lean against a chair to keep herself from falling to her own knees.

Then he smiled at the camera like a little kid sneaking a cookie before dinner and her legs buckled under her.

Her boss made her leave early and asked one of the dishwashers to take her home. She didn’t sleep at all. She just got on her cheap laptop and watched online videos of the Stuttgart attack.

She went to work the next day because it was either that or pace around her miserable apartment. She’d been hoping for some semblance of normalcy and fate laughed at her.

There was an alien invasion just outside her door and she didn’t know how but she was sure it had something to do with the man in Stuttgart. She searched the skies as often as she dared looking for some sign of him. He was the key to understanding who she truly was and where she came from, she just knew it.

The next time she saw him was when a reporter approached her to ask her questions about the invasion, the Avengers who stopped it and the man who started all this trouble in the first place.

The reporter showed her the mugshot and said ‘Loki’. Then it all came back to Beth in a huge wave. Her name wasn’t Beth, it was Sigyn. And her previous job before becoming a waitress in New York was as princess of Vanaheim, daughter of the goddess Freya.

She grew up haunted by dreams of a beloved that was kept hidden from her but she inherited her mother’s talent for seidr and those dreams that were supposed to only be vague memories of parallel universes bleeding into people’s subconscious became as clear and vivid as if she’d lived them herself. She knew that Loki Laufeyson was supposed to be her husband, she knew their love was the stuff of myths and she knew her love wasn’t supposed to be a failed alien conqueror but something terrifying and unstoppable like a firestorm.

Sigyn followed Loki and Thor back to Asgard, concealing herself from Heimdall’s sight just as Loki had done the previous year. She found Loki’s cell. She broke him out. She told him everything she knew about the multiverse and their past life together. And he believed her because he had those dreams too. So together, they fled Asgard. Even knowing that it meant a life on the run from Odin, from Thanos and from the wicked fate that exiled Sigyn to earth in the expectation that she would die by her own husband’s hand, they were happy and hopeful because they were finally together.

The Melody of Death

There is a legend that when someone dies they leave a melody. This melody holds in all living beings that were connected to each other. But why does Sigyn's melody stop in Loki again even though they never met.

Murder mystery story by @jonquilclegane

One day, the Allfather called upon his two sons in the throne room. They were still young, but both were princes, and therefore had duties towards the realm. Their father explained that an alliance with Vanaheim was necessary, and that one of them would have to marry Queen Freya’s daughter, Princess Sigyn.

At the time, Thor’s heart was taken by Sif, and to break them up seemed too cruel, as Sif had loved Thor for all her life. And so, it was decided that Loki would marry Sigyn, though he was not enthusiastic at the prospect. His mother could not stop praising the girl, but she was obviously only doing that to calm him down and soothe his justified apprehensions. After all, princesses were boring and frivolous. The moment she would see Thor and Loki, she would prefer his brother and start a tantrum over it, Loki was sure of it.

Most of all, why was Thor allowed to have a love match while he was stuck with an arranged, loveless marriage? The whole thing was so unfair! Of course, the AllFather would not have let him marry Amora, as she was not trustworthy enough to become a Princess of Asgard… still. She was so fascinating and beautiful, she would have been a more amusing company than Sigyn of Vanaheim, plain and predictable.

But then, some news arrived from Vanaheim that changed everything.

Princess Sigyn had died.

How sad.

Anyway, that meant Loki was free, so he was relieved. Not happy, as he would not have wished such a sorrowful ending to an innocent creature, but still. This settled everything, so he was certainly not going to complain.

However, his Father was not satisfied. It turned out the circumstances of the Princess’ death were suspicious, and he asked Loki to investigate.

Great. That silly little girl would have been a bother to him, even after her death.

But the more he investigated, the more things did not match up, and he ended up being fascinated and obsessed by the whole affair. Who could have want the Princess’ downfall? Some jealous rival? Another realm who hoped Asgard would pick one of THEIR princesses over the Vanir one? Or had Sigyn some secrets of her own? At first glance, no, she was your typical princess, courteous, her nose on some tapestry she was embroidering, or some other nonsense noble ladies were told it was fashionable to do these days. And yet, after searching through her things, he found a small book under her bed that made him start to wonder.

“Spells and traditions from the Elvish realm”

Well, well, well… Had his future bride been interested in the magical arts?

Had some of her magic tricks turned against her and caused her death?

He had to be sure.

Vanaheim was the realm of Sigyn’s mother. Her father was, Iwaldi, a famous smith living in Nidavellir. The AllFather had wanted him to marry a half-dwarf lady? Ugrh! How repulsive must she have been!

Most importantly, he had to figure out who she truly was – he only knew parts of her Vanir side. But what about the Dwarf one? Surely her family in Nidavellir could tell him more about her…

So he went to her Father’s shop. Iwaldi was not there, but his two sons greeted him with more interrogations than he himself had.

“And why are you asking questions about our precious sister? You’re free now, so why do you care?”, Nabbi asked in a threatening fashion.

“Yeah, why come bother us with your questions? We are in mourning, don’t you see?”, his brother Daenne continued.

In truth, they did not look in mourning at all, busy with their work and with their father’s shop.

It seemed… strange, to say the least.

But before Loki could say one more word, the two dwarves had taken him into their forge and had chained him to a metal chair.

“You talk too much, Dark Prince!”

Loki had not said a word.

“How about we sew those pretty lips of yours, so you stop asking questions, right?”, Daenne was now holding him tight, while his sibling was preparing metal threads. Oh Norns, they were not going to sew his lips for real, were they?

“Have you lost your damn minds?”, a female voice screamed, making both brothers stop their infernal plans.

“Sigyn, don’t bother with this! That demon has come to take you away!”, Daenne explained.

“Yeah”, Nabbi went on, “He has come to force you to marry him, but we won’t let him! We will protect you, sister!”

“That’s touching, but there is no need to sew his lips for that, I can protect myself!”, the princess – alive and well, it seemed- replied.

“I mean”, Daenne suggested, “we could kill him. Now that he has seen you, he has to die!”

But their sister would not let them hurt Loki, and for that, the Prince of Asgard was grateful. She shielded him with her own body, looking defiantly at her brothers.

“No, he does not. You two don’t realize the consequences his death would have on both Vanaheim and Nidavellir. Please, think before you speak!”

She was right, of course, Odin would destroy both realms if he ever found out Dwarves had hurt his son, and to protect the Vanir princess’ secret. He was not the favorite, that much was obvious, but he still mattered, he hoped. At least, enough to be avenged.

The princess helped him, unbinding his chains with an incantation… Oh, an incantation fetter? How rare! How intriguing! Looking at her now with more interest, she was very pretty. More than pretty, if he was honest… The essence of beauty in truth. She was not very tall, but not a dwarf either. Pretty eyes, pretty hair, pretty lips he could not wait to kiss… Her voice was melodious, when she was not screaming at her brothers, but even then, she had done so to protect Loki from them, which made Loki love her even more.

“I am very sorry, your royal highness. Please, forgive my brothers. They are …something. But they meant well. They only wanted to protect me.”

Loki smiled and nodded. He still would have to take his revenge on Daenne and Nabbi, but that would be for another day.

For now, his lovely bride had taken over his mind. Her plan to fake her death to escape their arranged match showed a spirit full of mischief that pleased him more than he could tell.

She would make him a fine bride. His mother had been right to praise her and assure him she was his perfect match. What a fool he had been not to listen…

Sigyn was looking at him, a little unsure, a little doe watching carefully a walker in the forest, wondering if he was there to admire her or hunt her down…

Feeling his desire rise inside of him, Loki took Sigyn’s hand delicately and kissed it gallantly before winking at her.

It would be fun to seduce his wife, he decided, and give her all the reasons in the Nine realms to stay by his side.

Here you can find the last 4 parts

Part 14 is in progress ^^

#sigyn #loki #marvel #logyn #justiceforsigyn #loki x sigyn #lokiswife #marvel comics #goddessoffidelity #norse mythology #sigyn and loki #amora the enchantress #Sigyn Amora #sigyn stories #sigyn reboot

[californiannostalgia]

Things I Loved About Eternals

*SPOILER WARNING*

wow that was an amazing movie and it fucked me up I have so many emotions

let's go down the list of Immortal Family Angst

1. The Immortal Family Angst: First off, the 7000-year-old gods were gorgeous and powerful and petty and human, which is everything I could’ve asked for in a Mythological Deities movie. They’ve definitely got that Greek Mythology Olympians vibe with their differing fields of expertise (what they were made for + what they came to embody over the centuries), but I guess what makes them more or less fucked up than Greek gods is their unquestionable love for each other. Isn’t that such a curse and a blessing? 

2. The physical disability representation from Makkari: When she spoke, everyone automatically fell silent, and not once in the film was her disability a hindrance to her. Why? Because her 7000-year-old family members accommodated her needs, which isn’t that impossible to do. (Headcanon: her machine body might’ve been built with deaf ears because constantly breaking the sound barrier might be disastrous to the eardrums, maybe. Also I love her combat style, speed is deadly.)

3. The mental disability representation from Thena: This was done so well, with Ajak continuously reminding her, “You are loved,” with the others supporting her in not wanting to give up who she is, with Gilgamesh agreeing to keep her company through the years and constantly being there to remind her that just because she can’t fight the same way she used to doesn’t mean she is less loved. 

Mental illness can become more difficult to deal with when one experiences the loss of a loved one. Thena's character arc showed that though Gilgamesh was gone, the progress she had made and the determination to stay with her recovery did not become null. Sometimes remembering the love that was given to you is the reminder you need to continue to accept yourself, illness and all. (That cave battle metaphor for mental illness was on point. The Deviant was doomed the moment he quoted Gilgamesh without truly understanding the humanity he'd stolen from him.)

4. Phastos’s loving family representation: How about this disillusioned god of inventions, who saw all the bad that humanity could do and also rediscovered the good that humanity could offer? He’s a gay black man who’s got a happy, loving relationship with his handsome husband and his beautiful son. Wow did I love seeing this on the big screen. (Also his combat scenes? What a badass.)

5. Ajak, Ikaris, Gilgamesh, and fate: Let’s talk about these three. In a way, Ajak and Ikaris’s endings were almost fated due to the choices they made. Ajak could’ve chosen to stand her ground sooner, or could’ve not burdened her favorite child with the heaviest weight she carried. Ikaris could’ve chosen to accept the change of plans and reassessed his faith earlier. But neither of them could shake off the responsibility they were indoctrinated into that easily. Ajak’s favor of Ikaris might’ve doomed them both, but how could a mother love her son and not give him a chance to prepare for the approaching end? Could she have truly avoided raising him in the spitting image of herself? The loneliness she must have felt, with her burden. A Shakespearean tragedy, in the flesh.

In contrast, Gilgamesh did nothing to deserve his fate. Where Ajak was the Mind, Gilgamesh was obviously the Heart. He’s the one who volunteers to dedicate his life to helping Thena live hers. Without Gilgamesh, Ikaris would’ve died in the Amazon forest. He’s the protector, readily sharing comforting words and good food, as well as a badass fist. You could say he’s the purest embodiment of who an Eternal is. It makes me feel some type of thing, knowing that the tale of Gilgamesh is the first human epic we have a remaining record of, and it’s the story of a man who grew into a good, compassionate king and met a very human death. (Interesting how the Deviant became so human-like after absorbing Gilgamesh’s essence.)

Ajak, Ikaris, and Gilgamesh, despite their godly power, are not named after gods. They are named after mortal heroes (Ajax and Icarus from Greek mythology, Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamian mythology). Like their namesakes, it was not their power that defined who they were, and for them were reserved the most human ends.

6. Ikaris, Sprite, and immortality: They really came for my throat with the Peter Pan and Tinkerbell reference. Eternal youth isn't all that great, especially for Sprite or Ikaris. Peter Pan killed his mother because he couldn't bear to break out of his old way of life. He was unwilling to grow up. In contrast, Sprite wants more than anything else to be able to grow up, but is held in stagnation against her will. But in the end, when Peter Pan is gone and Wendy Darling is the new immortal leader of Neverland, Tinkerbell chooses what Wendy Darling had and leaves her old self behind. She changes.

(In the beginning of the movie, the title Eternals sounds grand and impressive. But near the end of the movie, when Ikaris talks about eternity with Sersi, the name no longer sounds glorious. Eternity sounds like a curse.)

7. Kingo and his faith: Take notes, Ikaris, this is how not to wage a holy war in the name of your faith. Kingo did leave Sprite to loneliness to pursue his love of movies, but at his core, his first and foremost love is for his family. (Something about Fighter Classes and how they throw themselves into danger for the other robot deities does something to my heart.) Despite his love for humanity, he cannot compromise his beliefs. That does not mean he is willing to harm others for that faith, because that is not what faith should be for. (Looking at you, Ikaris.)

8. Druig and his burned-out love: What a way to deal with a morally gray mind-controlling god, whose only wish was for humans to stop fighting and live companionably together. Here’s this deeply tired, flawed person who was unable to lose his empathy, however hard he may have wanted to. He was willing to shoulder the blame for preventing a Celestial’s birth if it meant sparing Sersi the weight, and I think that might be the essence of his character.

9. Sersi and her destructive creation: Finally, we come to the sorceress of myth (named after Circe from Greek mythology). Sersi is the most loving, kind-hearted person, but the power of creation she wields is the most destructive force of all. She shares the same characteristic with Celestials. This movie seems to be saying, ‘look hard at miraculous acts of creation, and make sure you know what the price of that creation is’.

"It is the most natural thing in the world to want to protect the one you love," said Gilgamesh. Sersi did so, and so did Ikaris. What a shame that it was such a struggle for Ikaris to do the most natural thing in the world. What a shame that Sersi's heart made a choice that would weigh her down with enormous guilt and terrible repercussions. It should not be so terrible to want to protect, and yet.

(Maybe it’s the way these robot deities were programmed, but every one of these people seem to have an instinctive love for humans and their world. That includes Ikaris, who took one last look back at the beautiful planet he had loved for several millennia, before flying into his destruction. If he had listened to love more than duty, things might be different. But then he wouldn’t be Ikaris. Again, Shakespearean.)

10. Celestials and their birth: What if all Celestials who were brought forth into the world by Eternals are a little in love with them, from that first mind-meld at the beginning of their life? What if Tiamut, while connecting with these tiny implements of birth and creation, saw their sorrow for the destruction of a beloved planet and chose—with a newborn deity's own free will—to make the sacrifice for these grieving, loving robots? (Why the continuous cycle of rebirth for this specific group of robots? Can this expression of sentiment be explained in any other way than love? Arishem may not be aware how much his tools are loved.) 

(Also I can't believe the eventual death of the universe, which is highly likely considering the actual science of everything, can be explained mythologically as Star-Forgers who grew too compassionate for the products of their creations and chose a slow and certain death over a hard-reset cycle. What a story.)

(If you think of the planet as the mother and the Celestial as the child, the movie is a pro-abortion metaphor. Of course mothers have a right to abortion if the pregnancy is life-threatening. The potential for new life cannot outweigh the free choice of who is already here. It's a question of seeing humans as mere implements of procreation or as actualized individuals with vibrant lives.)

11. Love can take many forms: Safe, sane, and consensual sex is a perfectly natural activity for humans in love. Cohabitation of platonic life partners is also a perfectly natural manifestation of love. Familial love is a wonderful thing when shared with the right people. Kissing is a beautiful affirmation of love, but it is not a requirement for two people to share a special connection together. The forehead touches in this movie made me scream internally. (Druig and Makkari own my soul, by the way. I don’t entirely understand how this happened. My heart I’ve given to Gilgamesh and Thena. Sersi can have my everything else.)

12. Found Family Dynamics: This actually wrecked me. The way Sersi and Ikaris acted in Phastos’s home, like they felt comfortable to be there, in that house and in that company. The way Ajak loved and cared for her children, and how she tried her hardest to do right by them despite knowing she was merely a tool. The way Druig, Makkari, and Phastos shared a couch. The way everyone laughed around Gilgamesh’s dinner table. The way Sprite told a story. The way Kingo said the word “family.” The way they waited for Thena to wake up. Just, so much about them. (I might need some AU fics to mend the hole they left in me.)

13. The Good Humans: Shout-out to Dane, Karun, Phastos’s family, and the other good humans I’m probably forgetting. Congratulations, your decency and kindness prompted a group of robot deities to fight for your continued survival. Keep being the good parts of humanity.

Conclusion: This is the best multi-character movie I have seen in my life. I became so intensely enamored with all of the individual characters, it was unreal. THIS is how you do a multi-character movie. What a masterpiece.

#eternals #eternals spoilers #eternals review #sersi #ikaris #ajak #phastos #makkari #druig #sprite #kingo #gilgamesh #thena #my reviews #my thoughts #character analysis #marvel

[fireinmoonshot]

“How could you ask me that?” Prompt with druig?

A/N: Happy Wednesday! Here's some ANGST. (Also, thank you so much for 1000 notes on my first Druig fic, and for all the love on all my other Eternals fics. <3)

CONTAINS DIRECT SPOILERS FOR ETERNALS.

As an Eternal, it wasn’t easy for you to get hurt. You were, first and foremost, a fighter. You’d been fighting for as long as you could remember. But fighting your own people – your family – was something else entirely.

Thena was like a sister to you, and the first time she’d been over taken by Mahd Wy’ry you had been one of the first to step in and try and stop her. Despite your confusion over her sudden bout of violence, you hadn’t hesitated. You knew that if she hurt anyone, she’d spend her whole life regretting it.

You just hadn’t counted on her hurting you.

Makkari had been the quickest to try and stop her, launching herself towards Thena. But she’d flung Makkari away with perfect ease, injuring her and sending her to the forest floor. It had been your turn, then.

You took a tentative step towards her, hands raised, powers ready.

“Thena – listen to me,” was all you managed before she spun in your direction and thrusted her weapon towards your stomach and through you. The breath left your body as she retracted her spear and you stumbled backwards to the ground.

You were going to die here.

Druig skidded into the leaves and dirt at your side at the fight raged on in front of you, each of the Eternals trying their best to stop her from hurting anyone else. Even Ajak, who was as good as your mother, stepped in. But you couldn’t focus on that.

“You okay?” Druig asked, hand moving to the wound in your stomach.

You hissed as he pressed his hand over it. “How could you ask me that?”

His other hand gently held your head, holding you towards his body. “Right, okay, sorry. You just got stabbed. I’ll save my intense distress about your health for later.” His words were laced with sarcasm, which you obviously caught onto.

You zoned out as the fight continued in front of you, focusing only on Druig’s face clear in your vision. His eyes were filled with worry, and the sight almost made you smile. He was never worried – or he never acted upon his worry – until this very moment. He was always good at taking his time.

You moved one of your hands to rest on his hand, still on your wound.

“Promise me you won’t resent Thena for this,” you muttered.

Druig frowned. “For what? For hurting you?”

“For killing me.”

The look on his face changed. “No, no. She didn’t kill you. You’re fine. Ajak will heal you and you’ll be okay. You hear me? You’ll be okay.” He wasn’t going to accept anything else. The fight would end, Thena would stop and Ajak would save you.

You winced as you moved a little, uncomfortable with your spot on the ground and the growing pain in your stomach. “I’m sorry, Druig,” you looked up at him. “I love you, and I’m sorry.”

He watched as your eyes fluttered closed and your breathing became shallower.

It felt like he’d had the whole world in his hands only for it to be ripped out of them.

But Druig was right. For Ajak fell to your side moments later, her hands replacing yours and Druig’s as she fought to heal you. To wake you up. To bring you back. Back to the others. Back to Druig.

And when he made his decision to leave them that night, you were with him, slightly regretfully considering the circumstances but still by his side. For there was no place for you where Druig wasn’t, and there was no world for Druig without you in his.

#eternals #druig #druig x reader #druig x you #marvel #marvel x reader #eternals x reader #marvel x you

[la-undercover-latina]

The Queen in Training Earning her Stripes

So this is another part of the story that I’m writing with Falice’s baby. This takes place in season 2 when the cops raid the Whyte Wyrm after the riots. Spoilers ahead

“Thena, look,” Toni showed her phone to the Serpent Princess, and Athena’s eyebrows furrowed. She immediately dialed her mom.

“Mom, we got a problem,”

“What’s wrong?” Alice asked, going into panic mode. Her oldest was very hesitant to accept her mother into her life, and with good reason.

“Penelope told Cheryl that Robocop is invading the Wyrm tonight. There’s nowhere for The serpents to go. I don’t know what to do,” Athena sounded defeated, but she was too stubborn to admit it outright.

“Bring them here. We’ve got blow up mattresses in the basement,” Alice offered and that was when Jug showed up with Cheryl and Archie. Serpents protect their own.

“Cheryl just showed up with the boys. I gotta go,” Athena hung up and pulled her brother in for a hug.

“My dad offered to have some serpents stay with us,” Athena nodded. They would get through this. The only thing standing in their way is the trek to the north side on foot. She stood on a milk crate and whistled for the attention of the serpents.

“Hey! Listen up! Sheriff Minetta is on his way here to raid the bar. Take what you absolutely need. We’ve been offered asylum on the north side. The sheriffs forces are all over the south side. So, if we want our skulls to remain intact, we have to move quickly and quietly. We’re splitting in two groups. Half will go with Jughead and Archie. The other half will go with me and Sweetpea. I don’t care who goes with who. Just as long as we all make it to the north side,” Athena commanded and jumped down, gripping Sweets hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.

“Text me the minute you get to the house,” Jughead’s group would be going to Fred’s, and her group to her mother’s. It also helped that the houses were right next to each other.

“Be careful,” Jughead told her and the groups lined up with their leaders. And like that, they all left the Wyrm. Athena’s senses went into overdrive as she kept her eyes peeled for berries and cherries. She led the group, while Sweetpea took care of the rear in case any little kids couldn’t keep up. For the most part, the baby serpents were glued to their mother’s sides, or one was holding onto Athena’s hand, white knuckling the princess’ hands.

The sound of sirens in the distance made Athena grab the child holding onto her and grip him to her chest as she ran for cover, her people following her into cover. They were so close to the bridge that separated the north from south side of Riverdale.

Sweetpea gripped his girlfriend’s hand in his, giving her a squeeze. They would get through this, and if the serpents as a whole were skeptical of her being able to take over for FP when he really retired, he knew there was no doubt in anyone’s mind after tonight.

‘We’re right by the bridge,’ Athena’s phone buzzed and she looked around in the dim street, lit by only the orange glow of the streetlights, for a bulldog jacket. Her eyes found the blue and gold jacket on Archie. And she breathed a sigh of relief. When the sound of sirens faded out of range, Athena stood up and walked towards the bridge, her people following behind her, and she let the little boy down on his feet. She looked to her younger brother, who was holding his own little kid in his arms. Jug stopped and looked back at the south side, tagged by the Ghoulies, and the occasional trash can in flames.

“Don’t look back,” Athena told him, rubbing his shoulder as the two Jones siblings led their people across the bridge, to safety.

When they were coming up to the street her mom lived on, Athena’s eyes made out a pickup truck. She held up a hand, stopping the serpents, and pulling the small five year old boy behind her, and stepping more in front of him, in case it really was the sheriff.

“Athena, it’s me. You can put away the fangs,” Fred teased.

“I figured some of you could get into the truck. It’s a long walk from the Wyrm,” Athena nodded, picking up the little boy in her arms.

“Kids in the truck,” Athena demanded and all the kids loaded up into the bed of the truck. The older ones helping the younger ones into the truck. One they were all in, Fred sped off, to safety. Screw the women and children shit that everyone thinks of when rescuing. The kids were the ones that couldn’t run as fast or handle themselves.

“It’s only three more blocks,” She spoke and they all hauled ass to the houses that would offer safety.

The porch light of the Cooper house was lit and Alice stood outside with Betty. Betty sped towards her sister and boyfriend once they came into her line of sight.

“Fred met with you guys, right?” She asked. She knew Fred was heading out to get some serpents was it the truck.

“Yeah. The kids are all at his house,” the serpents went to the Cooper house. Alice ran to her oldest,almost throwing herself in her oldest daughter’s grasp.

“Are the kids by Fred?” Alice asked and Athena nodded and they all walked into the living room. While the serpents made the trek to the north side, Alice and Betty moved all the living room furniture and set up air mattresses.

“Thank you mom,” Athena smiled and her shoulders relaxed as she felt the familiar feeling of Sweetpea’s arms wrapping around her waist.

“You guys get set up here. I’m gonna go over to Fred’s quick,” Sweetpea wordlessly followed behind her, pulling her into a quick kiss. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight until his adrenaline died down.

“We’re okay,” She breathed, and rested her head on Sweetpea’s chest. Once she pulled away, she gripped his hand and walked over to the mayoral candidate’s side door, knocking swiftly.

“It’s me,” She spoke, knowing that Fred wouldn’t open it up for anyone who was going to cause harm to his newest house guests.

“Athena!” Archie swung the door open, happy to see the serpent princess, not as happy to see her giant boyfriend, but he kept the door open for both of them, and Athena walked in, seeing Fred turning on cartoons for the kids and grabbing dominoes for the older ones.

“Only 7 each, no cheating,” He told the kids and walked over to Athena.

“I can’t thank you enough Fred. You didn’t have to open your house to us,”

“Please, I don’t mind. The kids might actually get Vegas some exercise,” he laughed and Athena’s attention was brought to her feet. The little boy she carried was tugging on her jacket, causing her to kneel down to be eye level with the little guy.

“Can I be with you tonight? My momma didn’t make it back from the rumble,” Athena’s heart shattered in her chest. She knew some of her people, very few thankfully, were killed in the rumble. Fucking Ghoulies and their weapons. She glanced up at Sweets, who looked exactly how her heart felt.

“Yeah buddy. Do you know where your daddy is?”

“He died when I was a baby,” And now, Athena understood why Tall Boy and her father assumed she was an orphan when she first escaped the sisters of quiet mercy.

“Yeah, you can be with me and Sweetpea,” You didn’t know the first thing about raising kids, but you were pretty good with them. Being one of the oldest kids being put up for adoption, the sisters made it your responsibility to watch over the younger ones. She had to bite her tongue hard to avoid telling Sweetpea the news.

“You guys listen to Fred,” Athena told the little kids, and they all nodded.

“Sweetpea and I will be back for you in a bit okay buddy. Just listen to the man that brought you here. Or here,” Athena pat her thigh.

“Vegas, come here bud,” The golden retriever trotted over to the princess, and the little kid gave her a questioning look.

“You can pet him,” Athena smiled, hoping the kid would follow her lead. Dogs tend to make every shitty situation a little brighter.

“He loves getting pet behind the ears,” Archie told him and kneeled down, petting Vegas in the specific spot, making the dog kick his back leg and his tail wagging like crazy. The little guy gave a toothy grin and replaced Archie’s hand. Athena and Sweets turned to leave when Sweets pulled her in for a quick kiss.

“What was that for?” Athena asked softly, finally able to relax. Now that her people were safe, or at least safe as they will be.

#riverdale imagines #sweetpea riverdale #sweetpea imagine #jughead jones imagine #jughead jones #falice #riverdale

[softquietsteadylove]

For the Ice Queen/Tyrant King AU:

Thena and Gil visit the grave of his mother before the wedding.

An emotional and soft moment between them :)

"I used to come here with Dad and Imo when I was little."

Thena looked at him, curiosity piqued by the first words he'd spoken since getting in the car. She held onto his arm as they walked, his hands in his pockets.

"Dad always used it as an excuse to bitch and moan about shit, especially about how I was the reason she was here in the first place."

Thena frowned, holding onto him just a little bit tighter. She leaned her head against his arm, "hm...I could kill him."

Gil smiled, leaning his head against hers, "nah, it's okay, Sweetness. Success is the only revenge that actually works in this family."

She had asked if this was even a good idea--her coming with him to visit his mother (in a sense of the word). She had worried that it was more of a family affair--even asked his aunt if it would be disrespectful for her to come.

Imo had told her that she was a part of the family, now, so what did that matter? She also told Thena to call her Imo, from now on.

Gil had grinned from ear to ear.

"When did you come here last?" she asked him gently, not letting him sit in silence but not chatting just for the sake of it, either.

"I guess it was with Imo, last time I was home," Gil shrugged beside her as they turned down another walkway. "I come when I can, but I can't really leave business just to visit."

Thena nodded with full understanding; it wasn't safe to, whether his mother was already passed or not.

Gil looked at her with a smile, pulling his hand out of his pocket just to link their fingers together, "I have a lot to tell her this time around."

Thena stopped beside him as they arrived at a particular grave marker and grassy knoll behind it. She bowed with him, offered her prayers and respects with him, in Korean and everything.

"Hey, Ma."

Gil took in a breath. "Sorry it's been a while. It's been a crazy year and some, so I think you'd understand. I got shot!"

"Gilgamesh," Thena scolded beside him. She squeezed his hand, "give your mother a proper explanation."

He smiled; that was his Ice Queen. "So...this is Thena."

"I know I've talked about her before. It was probably as just--oh, we had a meeting today and the Ice Queen is doing well, sort of thing. I was in denial back then, but you probably knew. You would have told me how obvious it was that I was already head over heels for her."

Gil peeked sideways at Thena, who rolled her eyes at what she definitely thought was embellishment on his part. He chuckled.

"You'd love her though, Ma," he continued, smiling at the stone with just a name in Hangul carved into it. He had long become accustomed to speaking with it as if he could picture his mother's face--it was one of the things that pissed his father off the most when they would visit her together.

Imo never minded.

"You'd love her because I do," he raised Thena's hand to his lips, moving his thumb over her ring. "But you'd also love how tough she is. You'd love how she doesn't let anything intimidate her and how smart she is. You'd love that I have her to keep my head on straight over there while I'm doing business."

"You'd love her because she's perfect," Gil whispered, squeezing Thena's hand as he felt his throat tighten. "You'd love how perfect she is for me. She's smooth and calculated, but there's one hell of a heart under that porcelain shell of hers. And I'm lucky that she gave it to me. I...I haven't always been the most careful with it."

Thena finally snuck her eyes over to him, but stayed silent.

"I know, and you and Imo would both kick my ass if you knew the whole story, too," Gil sighed. The look in Thena's eyes when she accused him of lying about loving her; he would never forget it. "But I righted my wrong--I took responsibility, just like you taught me. And you were right; good things come to those who stand for what's right."

"And she's the best damn thing I've ever found," Gil swallowed, blinking a few times. "I'm sure you would just kill Dad if you knew what he had tried to pull with the daughter of that business partner of his. You and Imo always were talking about how he was going to run your hard earned business into the ground. Imo's still got a handle on things, though."

"And hey," Gil sniffed, finding a smile again, "Imo loves her too!"

Thena looked at him again, about to accuse him of exaggerating.

"I've never seen Imo like anyone," Gil chuckled, finally tearing his eyes away from his 'mother' and to the woman beside him. "But I think she took one look at you and knew that you were right for me."

Thena shook her head at him.

"Really," he whispered, looking forward again. "You know how Imo is, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified to find out she was in America to see us. But I was shocked when she accepted that I wanted to stay with Thena instead of coming home. I mean, it was basically giving us her blessing. She even told Thena to call her Imo--that she's part of the family!"

Thena smiled.

"Dad doesn't know yet," Gil said in a quieter voice, his face drawing down again. "And he won't. He's never getting anywhere near the woman I love. I think you'd support me in that."

The grave marker didn't have a reply, but he really got the feeling of agreement.

"He doesn't need to be in my life, he doesn't have to know my business," Gil stated more for himself than anyone else, present or not. He squeezed Thena's hand again, "he doesn't have to meet my wife."

"Gil," Thena squeezed his hand back.

He looked up again, some lightness returning again. "We're not married yet. Well, not officially, I guess. Far as I'm concerned, we've been married since the very first time we-"

"Gil!"

"Sorry, Princess," he chuckled, turning and kissing Thena's warm, pink cheek. "But you already know I've been down bad for you since before then."

She chose to roll her eyes at him again instead of dignifying his claim with a response (whether denial or confirmation).

"But yeah," Gil looked at his mother's grave again, "this is the woman I love, Ma. She wanted to meet you--and I wanted her to meet you, too, even if it meant coming over here. Even if Dad knew we were here, even if our enemies knew we were flying over."

He looked at Thena beside him, in a simple white sundress with her hair loose around her shoulders. She wasn't here as the Ice Queen, just Thena: his fiancee and the woman he loved.

"Some things are worth the risk," he concluded, feeling he had told his mother the most crucial parts he wanted to. He had neglected to discuss the poisoning and the shooting and such, but that was business. They were here for a family matter. He looked at Thena again, "anything you wanna add, sweetheart?"

Thena took a long look at the stone before them before stating very plainly, "I love Gilgamesh."

Concise, his Ice Queen.

"I love your son," she elaborated in a whisper-soft tone. "I certainly hadn't expected to. But I'm sure you knew better than anyone that not loving him is...just impossible."

Gil blinked away a few tears again.

"There isn't much I can promise," Thena confessed in a surprising admission of fragility. "Imo may like me, but I doubt anyone else will. And my family...doesn't exist anymore. I don't have much to offer."

Thena very literally controlled the global diamond market--was one of the riches human beings on the planet (off the record). And only she could see that as 'just business' and set it aside from herself enough to think she had nothing to offer in a marriage.

"But I'll love him," she said with conviction, gripping his hand. She was shaking. "I will love him every second of every minute we have. I already do--I love him so much I can't breathe. It rewrote the world I knew and every cell in my body. But against all odds...I suppose I find it worth the risk."

"I know how special you will always be to Gilgamesh. And I promise that I will take care of him. I will stand by him through every decision and every consequence. I was willing to go through with a ceremony here with your family, actually...not that I had mentioned it."

Gil grinned; he already knew that, but still.

"He worries about me meeting his father," Thena peeked over at him before addressing his mother again. "I am not so fragile as to fear someone as cowardly as someone like him."

Gil held in a laugh. His Dad would shit a brick if he knew this woman - a powerful business mogul whom he had never met - had called him a coward to his late wife.

"I would rather face down his father and his whole empire than have to meet Imo for the first time again," Thena let out a breath at just the thought. She smiled, though, "I can see why Gilgamesh turned out to be such a good man. He had such wonderful women raising him, it was never in question."

Gil's eyes watered again.

"So, I suppose I would like to thank you," Thena mumbled, some shyness coming over her. "I don't remember my own mother, but...I promise I will do my best to honour you all the same."

Gil watched Thena clutch at her lace shawl laid in the crooks of her elbows and dangling around her legs.

"Thank you for having me," Thena bowed again before looking at Gil, holding her hair back against a breeze, "are you okay?"

He nodded, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, "thanks for coming with me, baby."

"Hm," she sufficed to say as they slowly came away from his mother's grave and made their way back to the entrance to the cemetery again. "I did want to meet her."

Gil moved his hand from hers, only to unfold her shawl and pull it over her shoulders so it could drape over her arms, which were only partially covered by billowing linen sleeves attached to her dress. "I don't want you to burn, Ice."

Thena held onto his arm, leaning her head against him again as they made their way back to the car. "It would be worth it."

#Ice Queen/Tyrant King AU #a soft moment #which you know I love #Thena called Imo #trying not to sound panicked but secretly freaking out #which Imo could obviously tell because she knows all #and Thena asks about his mother and if it's acceptable for her to be there with him when he goes #and Imo tells her straight up #fool you are a part of the family now #MY family #where Gil is welcome so are you #and Thena pretends that she doesn't want to break down into tears #instead she thanks Imo for her time #and that's when Imo tells her to call her Imo #basically tells her to call her Auntie and then hangs up on her #Thena is touched all the same #Gil takes Thena back to Imo's #where they're staying #Imo quietly adores Thena #like they get back and she has tea and snacks and a nice cool room waiting for them #she sits down and immediately starts talking with Thena #leaving Gil to just kind of...be there #she tells him to sit up straight every few minutes #he gets bored like a kid and slowly moves closer #until Thena looks down and his head is in her lap

[softquietsteadylove]

Me again! Could I maybe request a follow up to the lawyer/Thena raising her sisters au? The first one was so good and I'd love to see what happens when Gil comes over to make the lasagna. Thank you :)

"Hey!"

Gil looked up from chopping, just barely catching two heads ducking down behind the back of the couch again to resume pretending to watch tv. He chuckled, glancing briefly to his right, "it's okay, I don't mind."

Thena shook her head though, focusing back on cutting parsley with needlessly forceful chops. "They're only lingering so they can ask you invasive questions, despite me debriefing them earlier."

It was funny that she called it 'debriefing' them. But she had warned him that she didn't have much in the way of friends, so don't be concerned by the endless questions of being her boyfriend, or at least liking her, if not being accused of having a long standing affair with her. That, he had blushed at.

He shrugged though, laughing to himself as he caught the odd eye glancing his way again. "They're kids, I don't blame them for being curious. I did kind of come over uninvited."

"Trust me, it's never gone well when I've attempted to tackle our mother's recipes before," Thena muttered, looking at the hand written notes lovingly propped open on a book stand for their reference. She looked down and pointed with the knife, "like this?"

Gil smiled; the parsley looked like it had been murdered and sawed. He nodded, "looks great. Honestly, even finer--the smaller the better when it goes in the ricotta."

Thena accepted the instruction, resuming hacking at it.

Gil winced for the poor cutting board. "May I?"

Thena just watched as he reached over gently. He moved one hand to the back of the blade and adjusted the wrist of her other, demonstrating the rocking motion of a cleaner cut. "Oh."

"It'll be easier on your hand," he suggested lightly, leaving his ears and the cutting board's longevity aside.

Thena eyed him and the mirepoix he was stirring in the pot with sizzling meat already in it. She continued his work, slower and clumsier, but following his demonstration. "Thanks--this is what I was talking about."

He shrugged, though, adding the garlic and tomato paste to the loudly sizzling pot. "Hey, you wouldn't know this stuff unless it was taught to you. I just happened to be in the kitchen with my grandma a lot as a kid."

Thena stared down at her parsley, looking more and more fine by the moment. "Mother knew I was terrible in the kitchen. Father would remind me ceaselessly that a wife who couldn't cook was like a car with no wheels."

Gil frowned, "that's a pretty messed up thing to say. And to your own daughter?"

She gave him a half a smile and a raise of her sharp eyebrow, "you can tell why Mother's keepsakes are all over the house, while I didn't even keep the car that was in Father's name."

He gave her a little laugh at her joke, no matter how dark. "I guess I don't blame you for that. Moms hold the family together most of the time anyway, right?--taste."

Thena blinked at the speed with which he transitioned from one subject back to their dinner. But she accepted the bite of carrot, blowing before popping it into her mouth. "Hm, still crunchy, but it tastes good."

"Adding the tomato paste and frying it a little first helps get that tinny, acidic taste out, and sweetens it." He reached for the wine, adding a healthy glug or two before reaching for the canned tomatoes. He nodded his head, "want a glass?"

Her eyes darted to the living room.

She was a dutiful guardian, mother or not. Gil smiled, though, nudging the bottle, "one glass won't hurt, right? We're not going anywhere for the rest of the night, and they're fine."

Thena eyed the bottle before sighing, "there are some glasses on the top shelf next to the fridge, I think."

She thought, as in she wasn't sure. But Gil wiped his hands off on the towel he had thrown over his shoulder and moved to the fridge. There were indeed wine glasses still in there, upside down and everything. He pulled two out, admiring the light feel and crystalline shine of them.

"Hey," he whispered, pouring them each a modest glass of a mere few ounces each. He clinked them lightly too, although the quality of the glass still made them ting loudly. "To the first lasagne of many, right?"

That made her smile, and his own smile brightened. Whether it was lasagne or anything else from their mother's hand written recipes, he was happy to help with it. She picked up her glass and gave him a gentle smile over the rim of it. "To the inaugural lasagne."

Her lips looked even more full against the rim of a glass, and when she pulled away he realised for the first time that she wore just a little lip colour when they were in the office.

He averted his eyes from the faint pink on the rim of her glass, looking into his own swirl of red wine. Moving back to the pot he smelled the bubbling mixture. "Usually I'd say to let it simmer for a while, but about fifteen minutes should be fine so we can get things in the oven."

Thena nodded after another sip of her own. "Is the parsley cut enough?"

It was now practically a fine paste it was so chopped. The cutting board was stained green, which of course meant a lot of its flavour was stuck in the wood grain as opposed to still in the leaves. But he grinned, "looks great."

Thena rolled her eyes.

"Hey, really," he laughed, reaching around her for the bowl of ricotta to mix the greens into. "And you said you were terrible at this."

She sighed again, letting her eyes drift back to the couch and to the tv playing some kind of reality show. "Just ask them about the first time I tried baking cookies for them. I'm forbidden from contributing to bake sales. I think they nearly called the CDC on me."

Gil laughed from his belly at that. The heads on the couch turned to watch them again but he was busy looking at Thena, who was laughing faintly at her own joke. Or maybe she was laughing because he was. Either way, she had a cute laugh. "Come on, it couldn't be that bad."

She shook her head though, "poor Sersi had to take over for me to get even one pan of edible merchandise. I had to write a note excusing my poor performance."

Gil caught two pairs of eyes fully spying on them, getting caught be damned. But he slid against the edge of the counter to lean closer. "I mean, I would think they could give you a bit of a break, all things considered."

Thena's expression turned gloomy again, staring into her wine. "I think they do. But everything they send home for them to do feels herculean after a long week, or a big case, or soccer, or-"

The oven beeped loudly at them, announcing its preheating.

Thena gave him a light smile again as she retrieved the casserole dish they had selected. "Ready?"

"I'd say so," he replied gently. He picked up a ladle, first putting in some sauce on the bottom. "This helps to steam the noodles and prevent burning on the bottom layer."

"Hm," Thena mused as she watched him layer the first set of lasagne sheets in. "I thought it was a meaningless old tradition. I never imagined there was a reason for it."

Gil looked back at the recipe, "it's one of those things that you only know if you know. I'm sure your mom never thought of adding in stuff like this."

"No, I suppose not."

He gulped, wondering if he should have brought it up at all. But Thena's smile, although wistful, wasn't really sad. He pointed, "it's your time to shine."

She laughed faintly, scooping out the mixture of ricotta and her pulverised parsley. "I'm lucky I have your expertise."

He blushed. She could have asked him for anything, after he had found out what kind of day she'd had when she texted. He would have fished the moon out of the sky if she asked.

She flicked the spoon for the last glob before he layered on more sauce. "I may have to call on you again the next time we open the book."

He grinned down at the noodles as he laid them. Thena's hands were long but slim, her fingers so delicate and pretty. His sleeves were rolled up for cooking, as were hers. She looked half his size, standing next to him. "Any time, you name it."

"Careful Gil," she murmured, and it almost sounded like she was teasing him playfully. "If this turns out well, they'll be demanding you cook for them all the time."

He was pretty sure he would agree to that, whether by the girls' demand or their sister's. "The defense rests, your honour."

Thena rolled her eyes again at his corny lawyer joke, but she was still smiling at least.

"Okay," he breathed as he ladled on the last layer of sauce. "Get some cheese on this and I believe we'll have a beautiful lasagne in about an hour."

"About an hour?" she asked firmly as she sprinkled on the cheese mixture from the bag. "Don't underestimate my ability to ruin an hour's worth of hard work in the last ten minutes."

"Okay, okay," he chuckled. Thena was adamant in everything she did, from her casework in court, to her determination that she was a blackhole of culinary ability. "Set a timer for 40 minutes, then we'll check it, and I like to broil it for the last five or so, just to get that leopard spotting on the cheese."

"Yes, Chef," she purred (definitely teasing him).

He buried his nose in his wine glass again. He was just about empty, but Thena definitely didn't drink regularly with two teenagers at home, and he didn't come over to get buzzed anyway.

"Here," she said gently, reaching for the glass with the bottle already in hand. He had a polite decline on his tongue when she pulled his hand with hers, topping him up. "I owe you far more than dinner and some wine, but I guess it's a start."

"You don't owe me anything Thena," he frowned even as she poured herself a little more too. He leaned forward again, "really."

She just looked at him, and she was back to being completely unreadable. He dreaded to think what it was like to go up against her in court; not only was her beauty intimidating, but that stare was cold enough to chill his wine to the touch.

"Are you done flirting?!"

Gil tugged at his shirt collar, only to remember that he had already taken off his tie and undone the first two buttons so he wouldn't sweat in the food.

Thena glared at her sister, "I beg your pardon?"

The head of auburn hair ducked down like a startled dog, but didn't retreat entirely. "When's dinner gonna be ready?"

"In an hour," Thena snapped again, but it wasn't her sharp tone that had the girl trembling. If anything, her sharpness seemed familiar and comforting to her sisters.

"Can I have a diet coke?"

"No."

"Come on!" Sprite whined at her, "you're having a fun drink!"

Gil slid his eyes over to his colleague. The evidence was right there, even if he was the one at fault for it.

Thena let out a loud sigh, matching the dramatic energy of her sister(s). "Fine, you can each have one. But if it's gone before dinner, that's it, it's water for the rest of the night."

"Fine," Sprite moaned as she slid off the couch to retrieve them.

Thena glared at her.

"She means thank you," Sersi offered much more sweetly and docilely, even if it was just to appease their sister's glaring. She crept behind her younger sister, holding onto her shoulders the whole way to the fridge. Her eyes darted between them, "it, um, smells nice."

Gil smiled; they were nice kids. Thena had done a great job with them, clearly. "Thanks, I hope I got everything right."

"You can't do worse than her, dude, trust me," Sprite pointed blatantly at their guardian. "She's, like, find a bone in your cereal--bad."

"It was one time."

It wasn't a joke? Where did the bone come from?

"If dinner isn't for an hour," Sersi swayed on the spot, like a child shyly twirling her dress (although she was actually in yoga pants with a green flannel tied around her waist). "Would you like to watch an episode of Ghost Files?"

"Ghost show, huh?" Gil grinned, putting his hand on his hips. He looked over at Thena, who looked maybe even a little sheepish.

"It's our fav," Sprite added, excited at the prospect of sharing their favourite program. "They find evidence, and then Thee tells us if it would be accepted in court."

"None of it would be," she stated outright, "but they still ask me every episode."

She made it sound tedious, but she was smiling just like the other two as they started to move back to the living room. Gil followed, "sounds like a fun family thing."

"If you two sit up properly, there'll be room for Gil to sit," Thena suggested not-so-subtly.

But Sersi and Sprite threw themselves back onto the couch. One side was clearly claimed by each, Sersi's with a fluffy blanket for her legs and Sprite's with a crumpled up throw pillow and snacks on her respective end table.

They pointed. "Or you can sit on the loveseat."

"Yeah, why else have two couches?" Sprite snickered with a mouthful of roasted peanuts.

"Animals," Thena admonished her sisters, and yet took a graceful seat on the smaller sofa adjacent to the tv. She had sat closer, giving Gil the better seat for viewing. She pulled one of her legs up, leaving the other down and her pencil skirt stretching to accommodate her.

He sat down on the other cushion, clutching his wine glass and trying to focus on the show, rather than how he could now smell that Thena also wore a little perfume when she was in the office too.

#Thenamesh Family Law AU #I'm so glad you asked for more of this!!!! #thank you so much and I really liked writing it #okay so they settle in for this show #Thena relaxes a little more and he can see that they really do like their funny little ghost show #he's just happy to see them all having a good time #when the oven beeps he says no don't get up I'll check on it #but Thena is like oh no #Sersi and Sprite are immediately grinning ear to ear #they're giving her the thumbs up and winking and whispering #he's nice! #he's cute!!! #are you sure he's not your boyfriend? #and Thena hisses at them: STOP IT #not that it surprises her #just like it doesn't surprise her that they like Gil or that he's a natural with kids #and that he's a great cook #and that he looks completely at ease with his sleeves rolled up and still in his work clothes #because she couldn't even let him go home and get changed first #they left from work right to the store to get lasagne stuff #because she doesn't even know what she needs for it #so she gets home and they're both still in work clothes and she's like okay lasagne time #it comes out perfectly of course #and they have a wonderful time chatting over dinner and Sprite raves about it #and Thena gets up for water and to pretend she's not crying #Gil of course knows and gets up for seconds so he can comfort her and rub her back over the sink #Sprite and Sersi are just like oh my god they're so obvious #he even brought Thena's plate with him #the SECOND he's out of the house they're like WHENS GIL COMING BACK

[softquietsteadylove]

Kinda miss ice queen

So, this is not a request, but listen babe, same! So, here are some headcanons I have that I just haven't been able to fit into any particular story as of yet.

Although I guess since they're my headcanons for my au, they're kind of canon?

Thena was born into the family business as was everyone before her. They get raised and assessed and once they prove they're capable, they can take their own branch in whatever direction they want. She comes from Russian mafia business but she's the one who learned to corner the American diamond economy with both natural and lab grown diamonds to create her own competition and scarcity to control her own supply and demand.

Thena learned to use knives at an early age, and the knives grew with her. She can use other weapons, but none like a knife. She still has her little baby knives stashed away for nostalgia's sake. It freaks Kingo out that they're just sitting around somewhere in her office.

Thena's only other relationship was with a boy she used to train with. She did skating and ballet and equestrian training and he did wrestling and diving. They had two physical encounters and never spoke another word to each other. She poured one out for him when she found out he was killed.

Gil has always been a point of interest for her. She won't admit it, but ever since Ajak formed their loose community of those with 'business' in the city, she has kept tabs on the Tyrant King. She just thought it was fascinating how he commanded such a wide territory the way he did. No personal interest whatsoever. Sersi would argue that she does the same thing with Chinatown, but sure, no personal interest.

Gil has always been a little protective of Thena. It's his gentlemanly nature coming out. She would get mad at him for it, but if he heard she was getting hassled or something he would ask if she wanted to borrow his resources. She said her methods were more effective.

She maintains her Korean, which is still at an acceptable novice's level. She gets a little shy about it, though, so she doesn't really practice it at home much. Imo will encourage her, though, so they'll speak on the phone and through email in Korean. Thena is well and truly scared of her aunt/mother-in-law.

It is true that Koreans don't really consider someone an in-law; as far as Imo is considered, Thena is her daughter just as much as Gil is her son. And she approves greatly. If she needs to contact them for anything, she'll call Thena first, much to Gil's frustration.

Thena had to cut all ties with her family--business rules. There does exist a man she might call Grandfather, whom she doesn't contact except in emergencies. When Gil was shot she called him. She dealt with the Little Heiress herself, but the actual shooters were found for her by those from her old life. Cutting off the ring finger is actually an old Russian mafia practice.

Grandfather learned of the engagement and sent her the veil her mother wore for her wedding, also with the lace design that's actually a form of a family crest. After the veil was taken home the box was ordered to be burned. Kingo was even more freaked out by that.

Karun feels a lot like Thena's favourite attendant from when she was young, so even as one of her assistants, he feels very fatherly. She has a soft spot for him, and she doesn't let Gil kiss her if Karun is watching.

Thena really is sentimental. She collected up all the flower petals from Gil's failed proposal and kept them. She has some of them framed just between panes of glass very artistically. He doesn't even realise what it is for a while, but when he does he gets very sentimental and mushy over how romantic it is. She's mortified.

Thena does have a skincare routine, mostly basic cleansing and some serums maybe. She wears light makeup when she has meetings. Gil tried to replenish her stuff for her once as a sweet gesture, and while he image matched them all he was horrified to discover the price of them, as if they both aren't rich. He got her onto Korean skincare stuff because he swears it's better, and she doesn't need any of it anyway (such husband material).

Thena had her tubes tied as soon as she was age of majority. It wasn't known that she'd had her relations with the boy from her academy days, but everyone in their family gets their tubes tied to prevent complications. Her mother was an exception as the only daughter in eight generations.

Thena has more stamina than Gil. He's great at satisfying her, of course, but if they're both wound up, Thena can easily go for four rounds while Gil usually tops out at three. That's why he's gotta put on his best moves (his own words).

Even moved in together, Thena doesn't like Gil knowing too much about when her period comes and how she deals with it.

Imo has shown Thena all her baby pictures of Gil and she secretly really, really adored them. They look just like him now and it's the only time she's even remotely thought about children, even if they both can't have them. She's never spoken a word of this to Gil.

#Thank you so much! #I hope this is something you like #always feel free to request something! #if this was supposed to be a request then I'm sorry to misread the room #sometimes if they're really general like this I...I can't always tell

[softquietsteadylove]

Ok ok… here me out for a second…

Thenamesh Addams Family AU…

The Lee Family: business associates of Father's who were coming to meet with them over real estate (or some such). Mister Lee dealt in property, and also possessed quite a lot of the railways, according to Father. Missus Lee was as much of a matriarch as Mother, although they were going to talk about their poison gardens, or some other such.

Thena stared at the family standing in the foyer. They were like the picture perfect opposite of herself and her own family. They were dressed entirely in black, even the son in a smart black suit. They had mild expressions but warmer seeming eyes, all a gentle brown.

Mother and Father had perfectly sculpted smiles, but eyes as cold as the tundra. They were dressed in all white, just like Thena was, with her white-blonde hair braided over her shoulder.

"Mister and Missus Lee," Father greeted them with a falsely warm tone. Before they had arrived, he had said that they were horrid people to do business with, despite his very warm tone.

"Such a pleasure," Mother purred as she exchanged air-cheek-kisses with Missus Lee. She had said that she would rather let Theseus - the young iguana currently hiding in Thena's room - sit on her lap than align herself with 'Mister Lee's wife'.

Such walking contradictions her parents were.

"This is our son," Mister Lee smiled more genuinely, putting his hands on his son's (broad) shoulders. "Gilgamesh."

"Pleasure to meet you." He had a soft voice.

Thena stared at the young man. He was big for their age, with a young moustache coming in on his upper lip. Thena's lips twitched; it suited him, in a funny sort of way.

"Gilgamesh," Mister Lee clapped his hands on his son's back as the parents began moving into the drawing room, "greet the young lady properly."

Not that they stuck around to see that it happened.

Thena looked at the young man again, extending her hand, her palm facing the floor. Her face was still impassive, and she hadn't said a word, just like Father always taught her.

Gilgamesh looked at her with some intrigue in his eyes, bending further than he needed to as he accepted her hand in his. He bowed his head completely, nothing short of reverent as he said, "my pleasure."

Thena tilted her head as he kissed the back of her hand. It was gentle, and he even held it softly with his other hand as his lips touched her knuckle. She smiled; she could feel his moustache tickle her skin, "enchante."

"Bless you," he extended a handkerchief.

Thena laughed before quickly raising her hand between her mouth and his eyes. She was forgetting her etiquette with their guest; Mother would be furious.

"What, are you not allowed to laugh?"

Thena looked at him again, and, without his parents to loom over him, Gilgamesh seemed more relaxed. His shoulders were still wider than any she had seen, but they were slouched, his hands in his trouser pockets. She had never seen anyone look so comfortable in their own skin before.

"It's okay," he shrugged as he smiled, attempting to encourage her into doing the same, "I won't tell."

She almost - almost! - let another laugh escape her before fixing her lips into a perfect smile. It was rigid and hard to maintain, but it was the only one she knew how to do. "I thank you for your consideration."

"So, uh," Gilgamesh leaned back just for a second before walking closer to her, away from the doorway where their parents' business mutterings were happening. "We're supposed to...talk, I guess?"

"Indeed."

"Okay," he looked at her, hands still in his pockets. His eyes ran over her, and Thena briefly forgot what she had put on that day (Mother always picked her clothes for her anyway). "What do you wanna talk about?"

Thena blinked. She had read about trains and business economics and stock options all night in preparation to meet the magnate's son. And he was asking her? "Me?"

"Yeah, you," he smiled, even more naturally than before. He had a nice smile. "What do you like to do?"

What did she like to do? What was she allowed to do? Her days were filled with lessons, and then after that, she was left to her own devices. "Sometimes Mother lets me assist her in the poison garden."

"Oh yeah, Ma has the same kind of thing at home," Gilgamesh made a face that betrayed his lack of interest in the topic. "She just gets mad when I'm outside because she always thinks I'll step on it, though."

Thena felt her lips twitch, aching to leave the practised posture of the smile she had on. "Mother is similarly protective of ours. She gets furious when Theseus crawls around in the soil."

"Who's Theseus?"

Again, Thena felt caught off guard by the question, even though they were the only ones speaking. She wasn't used to being asked so many questions that weren't on a preordained subject. "Theseus is my iguana."

"You have a pet?" Gilgamesh beamed, so utterly delighted by even the idea of having an animal companion. He stepped closer to her, "can I see him?"

"I-I suppose," she uttered before she had a chance to think better of it. Was this what she was supposed to be doing? She was told to be hospitable to the Lee Family et al, so surely that included indulging Gilgamesh too...right? "Come with me."

"Allow me," he smiled, holding out his hand for her.

Thena paused just for a moment before slipping her hand into his, the way she had seen Mother do when Father held her hand as they walked the halls of their cold and sprawling estate. The way a gentleman did with a lady.

Gilgamesh held her hand so gently she felt as if she would collapse.

Thena looked down at the steps as she lead him upstairs, opting to walk to the left first. "Mother and Father have been anticipating your visit for quite some time."

"My folks too," he concurred, in much more casual phrasing. He looked around as they walked, his other hand still in his pocket. "They're all excited for it, and yet they keep saying what a drag it is."

Thena smiled as much as she was able without practising, "my parents are the same. I haven't the faintest idea why they insist on referring to things they claim are good to be so awful."

"They're funny like that, huh?" Gilgamesh looked away from the family portraits lining the upper walls to her again. "Should I have said it was quite awful to make your acquaintance?"

Thena let another tiny little laugh escape. She peeked at Gilgamesh, just to make sure he didn't mind. But he was smiling right at her. "Abysmal to meet you as well."

"See?" he grinned so freely, so uninhibited by the gilded cage around them. "Maybe that should be our code for things. If they're going to pretend shit it so great, then we can say just the opposite."

They reached the top of the staircase, where it split from its other half. Still, he didn't let go of her hand, waiting for to lead him wherever they pleased.

"Then I am having," she paused, her lips pressing together in threat of another smile, "an awful time."

His hand squeezed around hers faintly. But it was nice. "Me too."

#Thenamesh AU #Thenamesh Addams Family AU #so I love the Addams Family #always have #I watched a very specific incarnation of them #which was the very Canadian television series The New Addams Family #so in her youth they show Morticia as looking just like Wednesday #which I think is kind of funny and cute #Thena is in this all white getup #hair in a braid #hates life #then she meets this young enthusiastic mustachioed little gentleman #and goes ah this is what people mean by joie de vivre #also it's the Addamses whole shtick right? #to say good is bad and bad is good #and the most common critique is that it's tired and doesn't make sense #but that's...the point #the Addams represent how old comedy was always about hating your wife and your kids and your family #and how messed up that is #The Addams Family is all about how genuine love is deeper than what's on the surface #so back to this fic #I have always thought this about that little joke #that well if everyone else is going to spout lies then so will we #but it will be our little secret #our little love language to say we love each other in plain sight #the star crossed lovers of it all I mean #The Lees do eventually leave #Mister Lee is like well son did you get to know the girl? #Gilgamesh: I shall marry her

[softquietsteadylove]

Hiiii! I really loved your latest request with baby Druig being very protective of Thena!

Would you do another one where he still hasn’t forgiven Gil and would interfere between them and calling out loudly „PERSONAL SPACE!“?

Would be amazing!❤️❤️

"Hey, you're back," Gil smiled as the front door closed gently.

"Hey," Thena smiled as Druig kicked his shoes off and flung them so he could unpack his new toy.

They had decided a day with just her and Druig would be good for him. He was still a little sensitive after the whole 'crying' incident. He had been asked to forgive and forget, but it seemed that he had agreed before his mind could really grasp it completely.

"How is he?" Gil whispered, holding out his hand for Thena to come over to him.

"Better," she whispered back, sighing with relief now that they were no longer in a massive toy store or the mall or wherever else they had gone. She leaned against him, his hand on her back. "Although he's still a little clingy."

Gil just nodded. It made sense for Druig to be subconsciously hovering, even if he wasn't aware of it.

"Personal space!"

Gil sighed. This was exactly what they had been trying to work on. Even since they resolved his latent anxieties, he had still insisted on a certain amount of 'personal space' between his mother and Gil at all times.

But he accepted the boundary, lifting his hand from Thena's back and stepping away from her. "Hey, buddy, how was your day?"

Druig eyed him for just a moment, clinging to his plush toy. "Good."

"Good?" Gil repeated. He knew that Druig's trust wouldn't just get repaired overnight. Even if he wasn't actively thinking it, Druig was now wary of the person who was always by his mother's side. "What have you got there?"

"Darling?" Thena cooed, bending down and letting him run over to her. He rested his hand on her knee for support.

"Issa cheetah," he mumbled, still clinging to the seated plush in his arms.

"A cheetah, eh?" Gil grinned, "like Makkari's favourite animal?"

Druig nodded.

"I'll bet she'd love to see it," Gil suggested gently. "Maybe you can bring it for show and tell."

"Maybe," Druig mumbled.

Thena traded a look with Gil before picking Druig up in her arms. "And how was your day?"

"Pretty normal," he smiled at her. Just looking at her was a relief, really. "Got some grading done, there's chicken in the oven."

Druig kicked his feet a little, "is there one for me?"

"Yes, buddy, there's a plain one just for you," Gil promised. His immediate thought was to ruffle the boy's hair, but he held back. He wasn't sure how receptive to that Druig would be in his current state. "I was about to start the pasta. Would you like to help me?"

"Hm," Druig pursed his lips, making both parents smile at how much he looked like Thena when he did. "Yes."

"Okay, Darling," Thena acquiesced, kneeling again to set him down gently. She ran her hand through his hair, "and what do we have to do when we help in the kitchen?"

Druig glanced down at his cheetah. "Put away our toys."

"Very good," she whispered, accepting the cheetah from him for safe keeping, "and?"

"And wash our hands!" he nearly screamed, already running to the kitchen to do so.

Thena sighed, moving slower to follow him with his cheetah in hand. She looked up at Gil, "quick--while he's not looking?"

Gil grinned, wasting no time in leaning down to kiss his girlfriend. He kissed her fervently, his hand sliding up her back while the other held her hip. She whimpered into it, which he swallowed greedily.

"Mister Dad! I need my stool!!"

They broke apart with equal frustration and fondness. At least he hadn't regressed into calling him 'Mister Gil' again. Thena ran her hand over his arm, "you go. I'm going to get changed."

"Okay," he chuckled, kissing her cheek again before parting ways. He gave her a wink, "until tonight?"

She smiled, smoothing down her hair for the sake of it, "I'll look forward to it."

#Teach Me to Love AU #poor little Druig #a little confused but untrusting #he still likes Gil #but he's just a little nervous about what they're getting up to when they're standing so close #*and maybe he remembers when Kro got in her face on Christmas* #it's okay though #Gil knows not to rush anything #and he respects Druig's feelings and boundaries on the matter #Druig saying personal space and then going to bed knowing that Gil is still sleeping over basically every night #one day #he is going to learn that Gil in fact does not 'live' with them #and be super confused because #then...what has he been doing? #if he's here all the time? #and Thena and Gil #can have that conversation then :)

[softquietsteadylove]

Declaration of War

For @oldtvserieslover 's birthday, after asking about something for the Gladiator AU!

"My name is Eros," the newcomer smiled in a way that made both the queen and her daughter bristle. "And you, Princess, are as beautiful as the legends say."

His statement was accompanied by an up-and-down of her with his hungry eyes.

"Prince Eros," Ajak addressed him directly, and rather kindly, given the way he was looking at her daughter. "We welcome you to the tournament of Champions. You have come to challenge?"

"Indeed I have," the Prince grinned at them, bowing his mane of hair slightly to them. "I believe my selected champions will stand a great chance of beating you this time around, my Lady."

"Hm," Thena vocalised, mostly to herself. Her eyes drifted from the challenger in title to the actual fighters accompanying him.

They were lined up, facing their own gladiators. There was one who was clearly their first pick to win. He stood like a beast, massive in height and still heavily muscled. His face hardly even seemed human.

He was staring down Gilgamesh.

"We shall see," Ajak offered diplomatically, offering a polite sort of smile to the visiting Prince. "We have yet to be bested in the past years."

"Actually, I was hoping to propose," the Prince stepped back into proximity with the ladies, "higher stakes."

"Such as," Ajak frowned, backing up a step, incidentally pushing Thena further back as well.

"Such as a proposal," he tipped his chin up, his eyes shifting to Thena as if Ajak had disappeared from his line of sight. "I propose that my prize is the hand of the Lady herself."

"What?" Gilgamesh spoke up from his end of the line, although no one but Thena even looked at him as he spoke.

"That is hardly-" Ajak blinked as the Prince swooped down in a deep bow.

"I ask that if my chosen gladiators win, that I win the hand of the princess," he spoke downward, expressing a humility that he completely lacked just a moment ago. "The treasury I'm offering as a bet on my warriors is triple that of our other competitors."

Indeed, the funds offered by the brazen prince would provide for their coffers very nicely.

"And if we win?" Thena challenged, although something about the Prince's sly gaze and the presence of that beast of a man made her skin crawl.

Eros cocked his head at her with a grin that she could only imagine would have his concubines melting. "Why, you may ask anything you like, my darling bride. Since I intend to win no matter the challenge posed."

"We haven't even fought yet."

At last, the other royals present looked at Gilgamesh, still speaking up with no regard for if it was considered insolent of him - a mere fighter for the crown - or not. He met their critical glares without fear, shrugging his wide shoulders. "You could at least let her set her own conditions."

Thena shook her head ever so faintly, urging him to stay silent on the matter. She had come to enjoy speaking with him, and her mother - having become aware of this rapport between them - tolerated it. But most who were part of royalty did not welcome interruptions by civilians.

Eros chuckled, giving Gilgamesh a different kind of smile. It was still a smile, and still meant to appear affable. But this one was sharper edged and colder--the tilt of his head was so...demeaning. "Did you say something, brute?"

"Yeah, I did," Gil continued, undeterred by Eros' obvious disgust with him. His fists clenched, "it's pretty ballsy of you to come in here and demand to marry the princess. The least you could do is accept the conditions if you lose."

"Well, I don't intend to lose, so by all means," the prince bared his teeth at Gil now, like a predator toying with prey it knew it could outrun. "Set any conditions you like."

"Gil," Thena whispered, but he stepped up to Eros (and in front of her).

Gil got right in the Prince's face, who happily let him, meeting his challenge with a manic delight. "Speak up, pleb."

"If I win," Gil started without even considering the other gladiators selected alongside him. It was always just him by the final rounds of the tournament anyway. "Thena gets to marry anyone she chooses."

"The Lady may select her own groom," Eros postulated, emphasising the proper title for her, in contrast to Gil's overly familiar use of her given name. "What a peculiar thought."

Gil stood firm on the spot, even with the beast of a challenger moving forward and breathing like a bull ready to charge. "She gets to make her own choice. And no one gets to say a damn thing about it--not you, or anyone else."

"Hm," Eros raised his brows at Gil's adamant proposal. He looked amused by the resolve he showed and stepped away from the shorter but significantly more strongly built man. "Fine, I accept your little wager."

Thena glared at him again. Her life and freedom was a 'little wager', apparently.

"But know this, Gilgamesh," Eros turned his eyes on him again, voice sharp and eyes cold. "I do not intend to leave this place empty handed."

"I don't care what you intend," Gil snarled at him, finally backing up but not moving away from Thena behind him as Eros walked off and beckoned for his chosen fighters to follow. "You're not coming anywhere near her."

Ajak let out a breath as the prince and his entourage descended the steps to their mezzanine. She looked at the guards, who were hovering with their weapons, waiting for the word to be given about how the lowly gladiator was standing inappropriately close to the princess. Ajak shook her head, "relax, all of you."

The guards stood back against the walls, although Gil was still glaring at where Eros and his gladiators had vanished. He huffed, crossing his arms, "the nerve of that guy."

"Gil," Thena cut in, glaring at him (and forgetting that she too was addressing him far too casually).

"What?" he shrank back at her obvious ire. "D-Did I do something wrong?"

"Y-You-!" Thena pinched her full lips together, pressing her fingers together before she could make a real fist with them. "That thing with him will be out for your blood, after that altercation!"

"Well," he shrugged at her as if he were talking with anyone else and not the crown princess herself. "He was going to be anyway, right?"

"That's not the point!"

"Thena," Ajak scolded, watching her daughter squabble with one of their own fighters.

"I'm sorry," Gilgamesh conceded, bowing his head to his monarchs. "To both of you, my Lady. But I couldn't just...I couldn't let him think-"

"You have issued a very serious challenge, Gilgamesh," Ajak addressed him firmly but not unkindly. "This cannot be taken lightly."

"It won't be," he assured his queen before turning to his princess. "I'll win."

Thena bit down on the inside of her lip, "you can't know that will happen."

"I can, I'll make it happen," he affirmed, stating it as boldly as he would state any fact about the ocean being deep or the sun being bright. He held her eyes, not letting her fear sway him at all. "I'll win, Thena."

Ajak cleared her throat. That was quite enough use of given names for now. She would have to address it later. "Come--you must prepare for the first round of fights."

"Yes," Gil bowed, stepping back into the line, where his fellow competitors were staring slack jawed at him for yet again speaking with the princess audaciously.

"And you," Ajak turned to Thena, whose face betrayed her nervousness for just a second. "Come with me."

"Yes, mother," Thena murmured, indeed following Ajak up the stairs to the shaded platform for their respective thrones. She looked behind her.

Gil offered a faint smile and a little wave, same as he did every time he saw her, no matter the distance between them.

Thena's eyes were drawn and her frown was heavy, but she still managed to wave back at him as they drifted apart.

#Thenamesh Gladiator AU #for you my dear!!! #I hope you had a great day! #I do have other asks for this au! #there's more to come I promise! #if that is a concern you #if not...then there's nothing to worry about #this is a missing chapter per se #how we got into this mess in the first place #I know you love Gil asserting himself #and royalty has to play by a certain set of rules #there is diplomacy involved they have to watch what they say #not Gil #he's here to tell Eros he's being a prick and that he can't just throw Thena over his shoulder and walk off #Gil would sooner die #not that he's going to... #also I guess this is a fine time to say #yeah...I do birthday requests #if it's your birthday...send me an ask #and I will reeeeaaalllly try to get it out on the day #if not then soon after #because you're all so supportive #and you deserve to feel special! #also if it's belated and after the fact #even if we've never spoken a single word to each other #if it's your birthday and you have something in particular you want to read #I'll give it a shot!

[softquietsteadylove]

Hi love!! I have a prompt for TMHTL AU: lil Druig has a nightmare and runs over to go cuddle with his mum and Mister Dad 🥺

"Darling?" Thena looked up at the creak of her bedroom door. It was Druig trying to push it open, only to find it closed.

She had been hesitant about it, but it was time to start teaching Druig about knocking on her door before he came in. It would never be locked unless it was for a good reason, but still.

"Mum?" the little voice came.

"Come in," she encouraged, pulling off her reading glasses and setting them on her bedside table by the lamp. He did so, not even running over to her with his little rhino feet, but walking ever so gently with his entire blanket in tow. "Oh, Darling."

Thena bent off the bed to scoop him up, groaning as her back contorted to do so. She did pull him up, though, blanket and all, siting him on her bed with her. "Did you have a bad dream, my love?"

Druig nodded, his little lip pouted out and wobbling.

"Would you like to talk about it?" she asked him ever so gently, running her fingers through his hair.

He shook his head, burying his face in her shoulder, "no."

"Okay," she whispered, rubbing his back and easing onto her pillows against the headboard. "Then we don't have to."

"Uh-oh."

Druig pulled his head up as Gil walked in and over to his side of the bed. He sniffled, "Miss'er Dad."

Gil accepted Druig's wanting lean for comfort, patting the boy's back. He looked at Thena, who whispered, "bad dream."

"Oh," Gil nodded, rubbing Druig's back gently as the boy hovered the space between him and Thena. "Bad dreams sure can be scary, huh, buddy?"

Druig turned his head, looking up at Gil with watery blue eyes. "You have bad dreams, too?"

"I do," Gil nodded, reaching for a tissue and reflexively telling him to 'blow'. "Even grownups can have bad dreams. But when you're older, they feel less real, sometimes."

Druig pursed his little lips. "This felt very, very real."

Thena reached over, running her hand over her son's hair in a quiet and subconscious reminder of her presence to comfort him.

"I know, pal," Gil ruffled Druig's hair, making giggle. Only for Thena to smooth it down again, comforting him again too. "But they can't get you, here."

"Really?" Druig asked as he was situated between them, with his triceratops plush and his blanket laid over him.

"Really," Thena whispered, lying down beside her little boy and nuzzling her nose against his cheek, earning a giggle. "Mummy's right here, Darling."

Gil smiled at the sight of them, pulling the covers up over both of them further before turning out the lamp on his side.

"Can we leave one on?" Druig asked in a tiny little voice.

"Of course, Darling," Thena answered immediately. She obviously never intended to turn it off, given how heavily she was lying down, curled around her little boy.

"Night, you two," Gil whispered, lying down as well, stretching his arm over Druig so his hand could find Thena's.

"Hm," Druig sighed as he snuggled into the plush bed and the warmth on either side of him (but mostly his mother). "S'like Christmas."

"Oh yeah," Gil chuckled, recalling how he had sent these two up to his bed to sleep through the cold night.

"It is," Thena sighed, also on the verge of sleep.

"The bed smelled like you," Druig whispered, pointing in Gil's direction blindly.

He jabbed him in the eye with his itty bitty finger, but Gil brushed it away with a smile, "that so?"

"Hm," Druig sighed again, shimmying closer to his mother. "I said it smelled weird, but Mum said she liked it."

Gil picked his head up off the pillow, easily able to see Thena in the dim light of the room still on at her side of the bed.

"Go to sleep, both of you," she grumbled, trying to bury her blushing into her pillow.

#Teach Me to Love AU #I hope you like it!! #a little something #Druig definitely does this like...a few times a week #the poor kid #he's got anxiety #and he doesn't wanna talk about his bad dreams #about his dad coming and showing up and yelling at him and his mom #it's okay though #they have Mister Dad now #Druig sleeps like a starfish #limbs all spread out #definitely kicks Gil a few times in his sleep #Thena just holds onto him from the side #like a koala #and Druig is all snuggly with his mother of course #Gil wakes up with bruises on him #poor fella

[softquietsteadylove]

Your boxer and ballerina thenamesh au is the best thing in the world but it also makes me think of that lovely show: battle of the blades

So if it's not too much to ask, hockey player Gil x figure skater Thena? :o

"Again!"

"Again!"

"Again!"

Thena grit her teeth as she landed, her knee wobble only getting worse with each impact it took. Her ankles were killing her. She dragged in breath, the cold of the rink filling her lungs.

"Enough--we're done for today. I'll see you on monday if you can do better."

Great session, Coach. Thena nodded, taking another minute on the ice to take her hair out and let the air blow through it as she took the opposite exit off the ice. It would be good for her to cool down.

"Uh, are you...okay?"

Thena blinked. She looked to her left, seeing one of the boys from the hockey team that always had the ice slot either immediately before or after her practice. Today they were in after her, but there was always a half hour separation so the ice could be resurfaced and there was enough time to avoid conflict.

But there he was, smiling, waving somewhat sheepishly.

"I'm sorry?" she tilted her head at him as she stepped off the ice, blade guards in hand.

"Uh," he floundered, looking around the empty bleachers. "S-Sorry. Your coach seems kind of...intense."

Thena drew in a long breath and then sighed it right out. She was exhausted after this practice in particular. She walked over, sitting down next to him on the bottom bench. "They tend to be. It's the only way to be truly good."

"That can't be true," he refuted with an easy shrug. "Coaches can be tough, sure, but I don't see why he would have to yell at you like that."

Thena glared at him, her shoulders rising, "I don't see why it's any of your business."

But he didn't flinch at the way she snapped at him, just shrugging his truly massive shoulders. "Guess it's not. Just seems kind of mean."

Thena looked down at her knees, covered by her tights. "I suppose. He's like that with all of us."

"What an asshole."

Thena let out a quiet laugh before pressing her lips into her palm.

"What?--are you not allowed to laugh?" he leaned forward, looking half-teasing and half-serious.

Thena gave him half a smile. "My father doesn't enjoy mockery."

"That's your dad?!" he squawked, gesturing with his thumb to the opposite side of the rink, where Arishem had stormed off without so much as a glance in Thena's direction.

"I live with my mother, but...yes," Thena conceded. She didn't know why she was telling him this--any of it. But there was something charming about him. Certainly more than the captain of his team. "He's coached me since I was young. I almost don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't skating."

The hockey player shuffled on the bench, kicking his legs a little, not yet laden with goalie gear. "Do you even like it?"

"Hm?" she looked at him as he rifled in his bag for something.

"Do you like it?--figure skating?" he asked again before sitting up again with two protein bars in hand.

"I suppose," Thena's eyes drifted down to his hand. She was starving, but Arishem had a strict 'no consumption of any kind' policy while in the rink at all. It could affect her performance, he said.

"Well," he toyed with the wrapper of one before holding out the other to her. "Maybe you've just done it for so long that you don't know what else you could like...?"

Thena looked between him and the protein bar. He seemed so...nice. Just smiling, holding out what she was sure were precious calories just before a demanding practice of his own. But she accepted the bar delicately, listening to the rustling of the wrapper over the pounding of her heart. "Maybe..."

"I mean," he shrugged, taking a bite of his (and continuing to talk with his mouth full). "I think Ikaris is kinda like that. He's just done this for so long that he doesn't really know what else to do, y'know? That, and he's so competitive."

"That brute, you mean?" Thena laughed faintly as a few crumbs flew from his mouth to the floor. She took a more gentle bite of hers. It was chocolate. She loved chocolate.

"Yeah, I guess that's him," Gil laughed, having no reservations about the slander of his team captain. "He can be all right. He just...needs to be able to relax a little."

Relax a little. What a thought. Thena took another bite and sighed. "Do you think it would really change him that much?"

"I don't know if it would change him," he shrugged again, looking at her with bright eyes. "But people are more fun when they're themselves, and they can be more themselves when they're relaxed, right?"

She had never considered it before. Her father had such a way about him that maybe she had never been allowed to consider. Maybe this was what Ajak meant when she said that she wanted Thena to get in touch with herself more.

"I'm Gil, by the way," he rushed after gulping down his last bite. He wiped his hand on his pants, sticking it right out for a handshake, uncaring of how dorky it seemed.

Thena perched just her fingers in his, but he gave them a friendly little squeeze all the same. Lightning shot through her, making her feel squirmy on the inside. She pulled her hand back. "Thena."

"Well, I guess your dad wouldn't want me saying anything," he scratched his cheek, and Thena saw a trace of facial hair there. "But I thought you were really good. It's cool to see you jumping and turning and stuff."

She'd received praise before. She had won competitions with her skill, received compliments from the others her father coached. Her mother praised her endlessly, attending all her contests--even enduring the presence of her father to do it. But looking at Gil smiling at her as he said it, she felt truly...accomplished.

Thena looked back down at the half a protein bar in her hands, feeling her cheeks start to flood with warmth. "Thanks."

Gil cleared his throat, balling up his wrapper and shoving it in his pocket. He watched the zamboni make its rounds over the ice, resurfacing it for his practice. He looked towards the door, hearing the loud and already rowdy arrival of his teammates.

"I suppose that's your call."

He looked back at her as she finished off the protein bar and balled up the wrapper in her fist. "Guess so."

Thena inhaled, drawing up her shoulders again. She wasn't sure if she would get to converse with him again. Their schedules conflicted almost directly with one another's. "It was nice talking to you."

Gil shimmied a little closer to her again, leaning his head forward so he could look at her as she looked down at their white and black skates. "I liked talking with you too."

She peeked up at him, only turning her head as much as needed. He was a lot closer than he was before. Awfully close--too close? No.

"I can take it for you," he held his hand out and nodded his head. "The wrapper--there are trash cans in the changing rooms. You probably have to go home, right?"

She nodded. Her mother was probably waiting for her as they spoke.

He smiled as their hands brushed with a simple exchange of garbage. "I'll bring another one for you next week."

Thena inhaled sharply, feeling another tingle in her spine. "You don't know if we'll run into each other again."

Gil shrugged. "So I'll save it for you. And I'll come early and stay late if I have to."

Thena blinked as he stood, having made his promise so lightly but so seriously. He waved at her again and she waved back dumbly, "okay."

He turned and looked at her a few more times before joining the herd of his other teammates.

"You finally talk to her, Gil?"

"Shut the hell up!" Gil barked at his teammate, shoving him towards the changing room doors.

Thena collected her breath to the best of her ability. She felt like she'd been on the ice for a whole other hour after just a quick conversation. After replaying some of it in her mind she stood, ready to head to the parking lot. She startled at the appearance of her mother, leaning against the stand railing. "Ajak!"

"I was wondering what was keeping you," she smiled, and in a way that made Thena bristle. "It's not like you to linger."

"Sorry," she muttered, fully intent on walking straight past her.

"I didn't want to interrupt you and your boyfriend."

"Mother!"

#Thenamesh AU #Admittedly I haven't seen the show #and I don't know if this is what you had in mind #but on the one hand #I didn't want this to feel like a painted over version of the ballerina/boxer au #and I also have long toyed with the idea of Arishem being Thena's father #her ass hole dad #if you will #and Gil would be terrified of him #but also not too scared as to stay quiet about it #when Thena is so obviously being treated unfairly #and what is young love #if not falling for someone who stands up for you to a bully? #including your own father #Ajak loves him already #also #a very small detail that I left in #Thena knows he's the goalie #only because she's noticed him before #Thenamesh Goalie AU