#and Thena gets up for water and to pretend she's not crying

[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.

[rystarkov]

Jealousy, Jealousy

Hi there! I never make posts and I’ve never written anything before, but I have the strongest urge to write Druig fanfic! So, here you go! This story will be about a girl named Evie who is also an Eternal, with her powers focusing on energy manipulation and also being telekinetic. She is closest with Druig and Thena, but Druig is like her platonic other half. She has been in love with him since the day they met, but he’s only ever had eyes for another. Enjoy!

Ever since the day we arrived, I have loved the planet Earth. The beings on this planet are different than the rest of them and as each day passes, I feel my love and admiration for the human race growing. I’ve seen them fight, kill, and be horrible to one another, but i’ve also seen them love like no other. The way they protect and care for both their young and their old always leaves me in shambles, which Druig never fails to make fun of me for. He says I shouldn’t get attached, yet I always see him breaking up fights whenever he gets the chance.

My name is Evie and I am thousands of years old, yet I still have the impulsive tendencies and looks of a twenty year old. According to Ajak, all of us have been helping planets grow, thrive, and flourish while protecting them from Deviants. I wouldn’t know, as all I can remember is the day that I met Druig.

I remember Ajak’s calm and inviting voice saying,

“It is time. Welcome to Earth.”

I could not remember who I was before this, or what my purpose on this journey could have been, but I could never forget the beautiful yet smug man that stood to my right. I remember looking over and making brief eye contact with him before quickly looking away, as my cheeks began to involuntarily blush.

I did not know who he was or even who I was, yet his allure still drew me in.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I heard Sersi say, unknowingly beginning a love story with Ikaris that would span lifetimes. I briefly forgot about the gorgeous being to my right and ran over to the window, gazing out at the planet before me.

“She sure is.” I turned around, hoping it was the beautiful man that was complimenting me, yet I found that his words had actually been directed towards another, and that they were staring lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Since that day, I have known no peace and I fear I never will. All I know is that I will always come second in Druig’s eyes, no matter how badly or how much I am completely and utterly in love with him.

“You’re staring again.”

I blink and look away, grateful yet annoyed at Thena’s accurate observation, and quickly shift my body in an attempt to pretend to be watching Sersi dancing with the locals.

“I was not! I was zoning out. There’s a difference, Thena.”

Thena rolls her eyes and scoffs, “You know, I’m surprised he doesn’t know already. He can read your mind, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“He can’t read mine, Theen. I remember he tried once when he couldn’t figure out why I was crying that one day, but I blocked him.”

I watch with an unamused look all night, as everyone has the time of their lives and I’m ready to go to sleep. The night passes by and Ajak has rounded us all up again as we head back to the ship to turn in for the evening. I bid everyone goodnight and they don’t blink twice, knowing that we all have had a long day and that I simply must be tired.

I gasp as I shoot up in my bed, beads of sweat dripping down my forehead as I feel my heart beating out of my chest. I had another nightmare, and I groan in frustration over the impeccable timing of it all. I look over at the clock and read, “2:43 AM.”

I get up to grab a glass of water as I quickly realize i’m not sleeping again anytime soon, heading out of my room only to come across Druig and Makkari having a late night conversation in Phastos’s lab.

“Evie! What are you doing up? Is everything okay?”

Makkari signed to me, the usual concerned look in her eyes. Everybody on board knows about my chronic night terrors, yet nobody (not even Ajak) could do anything to silence them.

Druig looked at me with annoyance in his eyes, as I had unintentionally killed whatever mood he had been attempting to set between him and the speedster.

You couldn’t have waited to get a glass of water? You knew I was in here.

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my water from the fridge, of course I knew. But I would never tell him that.

I’m sorry Dru, I forgot! I’ll be quick, don’t worry! I hope the date is going well, I mean it.

I turned around as I finished my thought, and Druig gave me a soft smile. I knew he wasn’t actually annoyed with me, but the sting of him on a date with somebody who wasn’t me didn’t hurt any less.

“Sorry to bother you both, I’m going to head back to my room. See you in the morning!” I signed to both Makkari and Druig, with Makkari giving me the sweetest smile and the cutest goodnight in sign language.

Druig, however, gave me a pointed look, which I knew meant that we will talk about everything in the morning.

As I walked away, I couldn’t get my mind to quiet down. My mind was racing with anxiety from my nightmare, worries about my disheveled appearance in front of Druig and Makkari, and how I had finally come to the conclusion that I was in love with my best friend.

I practically ran to my room and threw open the door, most likely alerting the others of my distress but in that moment I didn’t care. I was angry, hurt, upset, and experiencing a pain I had never felt before: heartbreak.

Why not me? Why couldn’t he have found me beautiful, charming, adorable, and all of the things he sees in Makkari? We come to each other for everything, yet I will always be “just a friend.”

I want him to hold me while I sleep, I want him to give me forehead kisses and remind me of my beauty everyday, I want him to hold my hand and see me as the light of his life like he is to me. I want to be loved, but instead I’m all alone.

I begin to heave and suddenly my cheeks are soaked with the tears I never let fall until this very moment. I will never forget the way he looked at me when I interrupted the date, and then how he looked at Makkari right after as if she was the Sun and he was planet Earth, happily tied together in harmony.

The objects in my room begin to shake and I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t believe it’s me, as my power is quite simple. I can read minds, nothing more and nothing less. Makkari can run faster than the speed of light, and she looks effortlessly beautiful while doing it. Thena can create any weapon she pleases and win every single battle with ease, Gilgamesh can destroy an enemy with one single punch, Ikaris can shoot energy beams out of his eyes and fly around the entire globe without a second thought, Sersi can connect well with others and transform anything into whatever she wants, Ajak can heal with the slightest touch, Sprite can create allusions with the flick of a wrist, and Kingo can create orbs of energy that will leave an enemy either dead or close to it.

What can I do? Read minds. That’s literally it. When it comes to missions, I mainly stay on the ship. I am good at reading the minds of both humans and Deviants, as I can sense their presence, but Druig can do the same but better. I have no purpose, I am just dead weight to the people I consider my family.

I fall to the ground as the room begins to feel smaller and tighter, with the tears becoming more and more difficult to wipe away as there are too many. There’s wind in the room yet I am not commanding it. I feel a scream begin to bubble up in my throat as the realization of being both unloved and useless hits me like a punch.

Suddenly, I am thrown back against the wall and I let out the most guttural scream I have ever made in my entire existence. I continue screaming as the room fills with a bright blue hue and the side walls of my room are blasted out. I have no idea what is happening or who is doing that, all I know is I need to let my frustration out.

I feel an overwhelming surge of power engulf me and it feels warm, comforting, and familiar, as if this power or ability has been waiting for me to finally embrace whatever I have unknowingly been keeping down.

“Evie! Evie, are you alright? What is going on in there?” I hear Ajak yell throw my door, but I don’t care. I feel good for once, I feel like myself again.

I’m tired of being the girl that is always put last, that is never considered as beautiful or strong or desired. I am tired of Druig not loving me back and having to face that pain over and over again every time I step outside my bedroom walls.

I now know that sitting by and letting the world walk all over me is not the journey that was intended for me.

While my love does not love me, my chaos and my heartbreak do not ruin me. In fact, it was my chaos that made me beautiful.

[softquietsteadylove]

I really loved the way Gil interacted with a kid in the ice queen/ tyrant king au.

Would you do another one in another AU? You choose wich AU!

"What have we got?"

Gil helps get the stretcher out and wheels down on the ground. "Monkey bar slip, seems like a pretty clean fracture. No blood, no splitting, but the swelling's pretty bad."

Thena nods as she jogs alongside them on their way inside. She examines the arm which has indeed swelled tremendously in the time it took to get them here. "Sweetheart, I need you to look at me, okay?"

The young lady does her best to open her eyes despite her tears. She continues to cry as Thena shines her light into them, testing the reaction of her pupils.

"Good, good," she murmurs. "Can you give my hand a squeeze with your other hand?"

"Ma'am it's okay, just let the doctor work," Gil tries to calm the mother sobbing, trying to keep up with them.

"Get her into an x-ray as soon as you can," Thena announces as soon as the residents and nurses waiting for them are in sight. "It looks like we might have to let some blood out."

"Wha-"

"It's okay," Thena says in her velvety smooth voice to both daughter and mother before the girl is wheeled on. Thena puts her hand on the mother's shoulder as she walks them to follow her more calmly. "If anything, it's a good thing that the bone didn't break the skin. We're just going to relieve some of the pressure in the muscles around it that are causing that extreme swelling in her arm."

Gil looks around him for a second and then back in the direction of the ambulance bay. Something isn't right.

There were two kids when he picked them all up at the park.

He walks back to the ambulance he just parked, jingling the keys on his finger. He starts whistling a tune as he nears the open doors. His methods were correct, he discovers as he hears a definite sniffling coming from the back of the bus. "Hm...I hope there aren't any little stowaways in here."

A quiet hiccup floats out.

Gil pretends to reach for the handles, "I'm headed to the buzz-saw factory next--I hope it isn't too scary-"

"Wait!"

Gil smiles as a head of bouncy pigtails scrambles out from - he assumes - hiding next to one of the bench seats. "Well, what do we have here?"

The poor little girls sniffles, dragging her arm across her snotty little nose. "M'sorry--everyone was yelling, and no one would just talk to me, a-and I wanted to go home but-"

"It's okay," Gil tries to soothe the poor kid. He grasps her under her armpits to help her down from the tall ambulance step. Then he offers her a pack of tissues for the boogers. "Ambulances can be pretty scary, especially when everyone's freaking out."

The girl at least blows her nose and then wipes the snot off her arm. She looks around her but Gil holds out another tissue for her to deposit hers in, throwing them out next to the door. "Is my sister gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Gil chuckles, offering his hand so he can get the poor thing back to her family. The girl takes his it, wrapping her whole palm around just two of his fingers. "My friend is the best doctor ever, and she's fixing up your sister as we speak."

"Really?"

"You bet," he smiles as they make their way inside. He imagines they've done the x-rays already and hopefully have the girl in a bed by now. "Thena is my best friend, and she takes extra good care of all her patients."

"I wanna be a doctor when I grow up. But..." the little girl's eyes water again, "it was so loud in there."

Gil nods, sympathising with the tiny girl and her tiny steps. "The ambulance isn't for everyone. But doctors don't usually ride in ambulances, and not even all doctors work in emergency rooms. You could be the kind of doctor that sees people for appointments when they're sick."

She stares up at him, eyes wide. "You're not a doctor?"

"He's much more important than a any of the doctors here."

Gil smiles as soon as he sees her, standing at the nurse's station and definitely having expected him and their little VIP. "Aw, honey, you flatter me."

Thena gives him a roll of her eyes that he knows really means she's happy to see him. She leans down to the little lady with him, "your mother is looking for you."

The girls shrinks behind Gil slightly, lip wobbling, "I'm sorry."

Gil pulls her out again with her hand attached to his, though. "She's not mad, sweetie. But it's important not to get lost in hospitals. They're very, very big and a lot of people might not notice a lost kid."

Thena offers a softer smile and holds out her hand for the girl, "would you like to see your sister?"

The poor thing looks between Thena, who is a doctor and has promised her sister to her, and Gil, whom she knows is a safe haven in this very scary place.

"Let's go," he whispers to her, promising to join her as they start walking with Thena on her other side. He looks up at her, "I told her all about you."

Thena looks down at the girl, who averts her eyes shyly. "Did he tell you I'm the meanest, scariest doctor here?"

She looks up at Gil, who laughs loudly enough that a few nurses turn to glare at him. He shakes his head, "that's not true. This is my friend, Doctor Thena."

The girl looks up at Thena again, eyes sparkling with interest. "He said you're the best doctor in the whole world!"

Thena gives him that look again but isn't about to argue with a child, let alone such a cute one. "He might be exaggerating a little. He has a very important job here too."

Gil catches Thena's eye again and bounces his eyes down at their passenger, "she wants to be a doctor too, although the ambulance might be a bit much for her."

Thena nods, coming to a stop and kneeling down to the girl. "The emergency room certainly isn't for everyone. And plenty of doctors don't like working down here."

"Why do you like it?" the kid asks blatantly, without the slightest tact.

Thena smiles, though. "People come in here, sometimes for nothing, and sometimes because they're scared, or sometimes because they've had a very, very bad day. Like your sister."

The girl nods.

"And I do what I can to help each and every one of them," Thena says softly, reaching up to slide her stethoscope off her shoulder. "Would you hold onto this for me for a minute?"

She gasps, eyes wide and sparkly as Thena loops the stethoscope around the back of her neck. It's adorably big on her.

"Hm," Thena gives it a little pat before standing again, "you'll grow into it."

Gil looks at her as they round a corner, his hand now bobbing as their visitor skips along in delight. He whispers, "and you say you're not good with kids."

"I'm just biased," she brushes off, but he can see that bright smile in all its glory. They finally arrive at the room assigned to the patient. Thena knocks on the door, "ma'am, I'm here with the paramedic who brought you in. We have your-"

The door whips open and the woman scoops her younger daughter into her arms, crying any mix of joy and relief and stress out.

Thena shares a smile with Gil before going back over to the young lady with the broken ulna (and a fractured radius). Gil closes the door behind him, "we just needed a minute to ourselves in the ambulance. Nothing to worry about."

The woman smiles at him, not only for his retrieval of her daughter for how gently he has handled the situation. "Thank you, Doctor-"

"No, Mama," the girl on her hip corrects her. "He's a paramedic. He brings people in the ambulance. Doctors don't go in ambulances."

"Unless they're super cool trauma doctors," Gil corrects with a wink, pointing at Thena's back with a grin.

"Gilgamesh, whatever you're telling them," Thena murmurs as she tests her patient's pain levels, "stop it."

The girl and her mother share a little giggle over the antics of the pair. The little girl swings her feet to be let down, going back over to Gil. "I still wanna be a doctor when I grow up, I think."

"Maybe you'll work in a cool hospital like this one," he suggests with glee. He can see why hearing that she wanted to be a doctor really did Thena in. It's just so stinking cute.

The kid tugs at Gil's sleeve, asking him to lean down. Not that he needs to; she whispers as loudly as possible, "will I be pretty like her when I'm a doctor?"

Gil chuckles, especially at how Thena glares at him briefly, just daring him to say something. "Sorry kid, but no one is as pretty as she is."

The little girl giggles, and the mother hold a hand to her lips. She catches the doctor's eye as she grasps the foot of the bed. "Your husband certainly is a charmer."

Thena just sighs. "He's a distraction, is what he is."

Gil takes note of the colour in her cheeks she's trying her best to hide from him.

"I think we're all in order here," Thena announces as she finishes making some notes on the necessary charts. "What will happen now is we'll send off her file, and a colleague of mine who specialises in bones will take you from here. He'll get you set up with a plaster cast and how to take care of it."

"Thank you, Doctor," the woman nods and shakes Thena's hand vigorously. She looks at her daughter, "honey, it's time to give the doctor her stethoscope back."

The girl sighs but dutifully slides it from around her neck.

Thena catches Gil's eyes again on her way down to kneeling in front of her. He sees her take the ear tips off before pursing her lips. "Hm."

"What?" the mother asks, already fretful.

Thena smiles at the little girl, "I think it looks better on you, actually."

Gil holds back another chuckle; the woman claims she doesn't even like kids but she meets one (1) little girl who wants to be a doctor and gives her whole-ass stethoscope to her.

"Oh," the mother is already shaking her head, "no-"

"I think you should keep it," Thena whispers to their little visitor, securing the stethoscope around her tiny shoulders again. "Keep it until you get one of your own."

"Can I?!"

Thena stands, cutting off the mother before she can protest. "I insist. If she wants to play with it just stick some cotton balls on the tips. She won't be able to hurt herself with it without proper ear pieces anyway."

Gil offers the flustered mother a shrug, holding the door for Thena who is rushing to make her exit before she can be on the receiving end of any real thanks or praise. He waves at the kid, "see you later, Doc!"

Thena waits until the door has drifted closed to look back at him, "we'll be close to retirement by the time she's a doctor."

"You never know," he shrugs, moving his hands from within his hoodie pockets. "Maybe she'll be a kid genius, like Sprite."

"Could be."

"It was sweet of you to give her your stethoscope," he smiles, and laughs at Thena's visible squirming at the compliment. "Top of the line and everything."

"I'll get eaten alive when I have to put in my reason for ordering yet another one this year," Thena sighs, as if she isn't still smiling just remembering the look on the girl's face. "But maybe she'll become a great doctor--sweet and caring and attentive. It will be well worth it, then."

"Maybe she'll grow up to be the second best doctor in the world," Gil suggests as they end up at the nurse's station.

"I'll be retired, Gilgamesh," Thena takes the liberty of reminding him.

Gil just shrugs, "you'll always be the best to me."