#There is a reason that Gilgamesh is peak malewife

[softquietsteadylove]

Helloooo, we both know that I’m kind of addicted to your writing and I kind of have a weak spot for stories where the woman is on her period and her boyfriend husband takes care of her while she is in pain… so my request is: could you pretty please write a story like this about Thenamesh?

Gil knocked on the door again, having gone ignored so far. He was worried, though. He had been texting Thena like usual, and he'd thought their last date went really well, too!

Then, suddenly, she went all cold. She told him she couldn't make it to lunch, and when he'd asked why she said she was sick. But when he offered to bring her something she said no. Just plain and simple 'no'.

Gil knocked again.

"I said wait a goddamn second!"

Gil blinked as she whipped the door open, looking just as surprised to see him there. "Uh, hi."

"Gil?" she blinked at him, hunched over and definitely looking miserable. "What're you-"

"Well, I-I know you said not to," he started quietly, clutching the bag he'd brought with him to his chest. The crinkling of the paper seemed loud in his ears and his cheeks flushed. "But I was worried about you."

"Oh, Gil," Thena whimpered, gripping her doorknob. He still didn't know what was wrong with her, but she didn't seem good. "Really, I--ah!"

"Thena!" he startled, watching as she clutched at her abdomen and sank to her knees. "Are you okay?"

She grumbled something, letting him help her up, at least. "It's nothing."

"I really can't believe that," he frowned. She didn't seem feverish, or sound congested or anything. "Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"It's stupid."

"Huh?" he frowned, seeing her bottom lip wobble a little. "Thena?"

"It's just my period, Gil," she admitted at last. Her hand was over her forehead and eyes as she said it, as if she were ashamed of it. "Sometimes it's just worse than normal. It's nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing," he argued, leaning over the back of her couch to try and get a look at her again. She did look at him, and she seemed surprised at his response. He frowned, "you seem like you're in pain."

"Well-"

"Even if it's not always this bad," he continued, retrieving his paper bag from the floor. "I can still help."

"You don't have to," came her miserable little voice from her couch as she pulled a blanket over her legs.

Gil shook his head. "These things happen, right? It's perfectly natural."

Thena shuddered in pain again, her knees curling up around her. "That is not how I would describe this."

"Have you taken painkillers for it?"

"I thought I had some," she snivelled, still teetering between boiling anger and tears. "But I didn't stock up after last time--stupid."

"Hey," Gil cut in softly. What he really wanted was to pull her into his arms completely and cuddle her. But he wasn't sure how receptive she was going to be to being moved at all. He settled for leaning over the back of the couch, looping his arms around her shoulders and pressing his cheek to her hair. "You're not stupid."

She sniffled again. "You're sweet."

Gil looked off to the side with a miserable expression. "This is a pretty low bar, Sweetheart--I'd like to think I'm just...being a person about it."

Thena leaned her head against his slightly, shifting on the couch. "My ex was always telling me-"

"Ugh, that guy," Gil rolled his eyes. Thena muttered an apology, as if bringing him up was the problem. "He's the problem, Thena. And if he couldn't even take care of you like this then he wasn't fit to be called a boyfriend."

Thena stayed quiet as he handed over a bottle of gingerale and a bottle of painkillers specifically listing menstrual cramps on the box.

"You take those," he directed, rifling through his bag of supplies. He pulled out a bag of chocolates he knew were her favourite, "and these. I'll make you something to eat."

Thena immediately tore into all three things he'd handed her. "Gil?"

"Yeah?" he leaned out of the kitchen to look back at her.

"How did you know?" she asked, still quiet. She held up the bottle of painkillers, "to bring these?"

But he shrugged. "I didn't know if it was this, or if you were sick, or what. So I just wanted to come prepared. There's cough syrup and flu stuff in the bag too."

Thena let out a laugh, and thank god, 'cause he missed that sound. "You really are sweet."

Gil set her burner to low and went back to her, leaning over the arm of the couch to kiss her cheek. "Again, pretty basic boyfriend stuff. You've gotta raise your standards, T."

Thena took her time, but she eventually settled against the back of the couch, watching him cook. She smiled at him sweetly, with those beautiful green eyes of hers. "I don't know. I got you, and I can't imagine anyone better."

Gil blushed to his ears. He turned around again, happy for the excuse of frying some garlic before he started on her pasta. "Don't you worry about a thing, Sweetie. I'll get lunch made right up for us, you just sit and relax!"