#and Thena is about as grumpy as it gets

[softquietsteadylove]

Would love to read more form the wildfire one? Maybe something funny and soft?

"Thena?"

She jumped, fumbling with the key in her hands. She managed to catch it, at least. Gil did give her this key himself, after all. It was quite a leap of faith, considering how isolated anyone and everyone was out here.

"Everything okay?" Gil asked as he closed his truck door and walked up his driveway to the cabin.

She fidgeted with the key in her hands. She had somewhat been hoping to slip in and out while he was on duty, maybe at the station. She was going to leave him something as a thanks, of course! But she had been hoping to...keep to herself.

"Yeah, everything's fine," she insisted, still somewhat more agitated than he usual demeanour. She gripped her key, "sorry to...drop in."

"No, it's okay," Gil shook his head, smiling slowly, "that's why I gave you the spare."

She had been cleared to return to patrol weeks ago. And as her parting gift, she had left him a little bear carving she had made. It was crude and rough, but in her own words, she had little option for whittling lessons when she was stuck in his fucking bed all day.

In return, he had given her a spare key to the cabin, saying she could come any time she needed a break from the wilderness.

"How was duty?" she asked in hopes of appearing more normal, even moving aside as Gil used his own key on his belt clip to get in.

"Pretty routine," he smiled and spoke over his shoulder, a subconscious invitation for her to follow him in. "Not too many idiots looking to start a fire when it's this wet out."

"Hm," she nodded as she stepped into the both eerily and comfortingly familiar cabin behind him. Despite any and all circumstances, it smelled like home. Well, it smelled like 'a' home, whether hers or not was beside the point.

"Are you hungry?" Gil asked, still fishing for the reason to find her at his doorstep at the end of the workday. "I can make something."

"Uh," she paused, her eyes darting away just for a second, "y-yeah, that would be nice, Gil."

He gave her this look, like she was trying to bullshit her way out of something. He crossed those stupid arms of his and shifted his weight on his feet, "that'd be...nice?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "I can't be fucking nice?"

"You can be nice," he countered easily with a chuckle. If anything, she doubted that was the true part. "But that's not what you're here for."

She looked up at the ceiling, which also felt very familiar to her. Why was this so hard?--why did it feel so embarrassing to say? "I was hoping...to use the shower."

That obviously surprised Gil, and she couldn't even blame him a little bit for it. "The shower?"

She sighed, feeling as if he'd unearthed this horrible thing about her, when really it was very logical! "I guess I got used to it - or something - while I was here. Sometimes it's hard to go back to the lake knowing I could have nice warm water for it again."

"Right," he nodded slowly, visibly thinking through whatever litany of things he had on the brain. She had told him about going to the lake to bathe, and he had of course very chivalrously asked if that was safe for her. Guy was a gentleman even in hypotheticals.

"I mean," she cleared her throat, unsure herself as to why she was still explaining herself. There was a time when she would have walked right in, used his shower as she liked, and gotten the fuck out of there. And she wouldn't have felt the need to tell him shit either. "It won't be every time. Just, uh, it was pretty cold today and-"

"Thena."

God, those eyes were just so brown, and big and sad looking--like a puppy whining to be loved. She rolled her eyes at him, which was basically a physical reflex of hers, now.

"Use it any time you want," he shook his head, as if he couldn't believe she would even feel the need to ask. He uncrossed his arms, "when I said use your key any time, I meant it. I had it made for you and everything."

Fuck. That was...really sweet. Thena looked down at the key in her hands, her gut twisting and flipping and doing all sorts of things. She gulped, "fuck."

He just chuckled.

She tried to look him in the eyes, but her gaze kept sliding around everywhere else. "Thanks, Gil, that's...really nice."

"I did tell you that before you left, right?" he tilted his head, and there was the asshole who liked to tease her about her sweater habits and tell some of the worst jokes she'd ever heard in her life. "Or did I hallucinate that morning we had breakfast and you even let me hug-"

"Okay, okay, dry your eyes, Mister Sentimental. I'm just gonna wash my disgusting hair and be on my way."

"Your hair is beautiful."

"Hm?" she looked back before dropping her bag in the bathroom. She tilted her head; she couldn't have heard what she thought she heard. "Sorry, what-?"

"Spaghetti--do you want spaghetti?" he asked, also halfway into the kitchen, over his shoulder.

She must have heard wrong. She nodded, "uh, yeah, that's--sure."

"Okay."

"Okay."

The two stared one another down for another second before continuing on. Thena set her bag down and unclipped it to fish out her fresh clothes. She tried to replay what she had thought she heard in her head but it was no clearer than the damn inkblot tests in a psych eval. "Whatever."

If he had something to say, he could say it to her face. Even if it was something like that.

[callsigndragon]

The Christmas Date | Chapter 6: My Sad Christmas Song

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Fem!Kerner!Reader

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman’s backseater)

Wordcount: 2.4k

Summary: Y/n “Athena” Kerner and Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw hate each other. Everybody knows. What happens when they have to fake date for a whole week to avoid Iceman and Slider’s matchmaking plans?

(there won't be smut in this series)

Warnings: Solo being obsessed with Thena, ALMOST sexual assault, mentions of naked reader (no descriptions), body shaming, car accident, mentions of blood, injuries, scars, death...

A/N: this chapter wasn't supposed to be like that, but here we are. it's a much needed talk this two need to have before they turn into something else. i'm considering to write down ''emotional rollercoaster' as a trigger warning for this series.

Taglist:@ducks118 @milestellerwife @craftymoonchaos @littlebadariell @xoxabs88xox @alexxavicry @tayrae515 @shrimping-for-all @mak-32 @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @harper1666 @purplevortexx @abaker74 @ssprayberrythings @melllinaa @loveless-simp @k-k0129 @mygyn @castle-bookworms-world @chaoticversion @one-sweet-gubler @loveforaugust

@taytaylala12 @benhardysdrumstickrumstick @diggorycullen @green-intervention @waatermelon-sugaar @smells-like-perfect-senses

(If you want to be added, write in the comments! Those in bold I couldn't tag you)

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Rooster doesn’t enter the room until you go and open the door yourself. It’s the first time you’ve looked at him since the pub. 

“Are you gonna stand there all night?” 

“I wanted to give you some time alone,” he mutters, looking down. 

You feel like an asshole now. “Shit, Rooster… I’m sorry. Please, get in” 

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t have expected Grumpy to act any other way” 

You roll your eyes. He smiles. It seems like some things never change. 

You sit on the bed, waiting for him to get out of the bathroom in his pajamas. It’s hard to understand what has happened. How can someone say those things in front of everyone? How can someone be such a douchebag and act like that in front of your boyfriend? Well, he thinks he’s your boyfriend, and he didn’t seem to care about it. 

You don’t want to imagine how he would act if Bradley wasn’t there. 

“Hey, you’re sitting on my bed,” Rooster signals to the blanket under your legs. 

“Can I ask you for a favor?” he nods, and you inhale deeply. “Can you sleep on the bed? I will put pillows between us, it's just… I-I don't think I can sleep alone tonight." 

He sits down next to you, looking at the wall. "Want to talk about it?" 

You let out a shaky breath, moving further up the bed. You pull the covers away enough to slip underneath them, and make yourself comfortable. "Come here, and turn the lights off. Please" 

You're not sure if you're going to tell him everything, but you sure can't talk about it with the lights on. You don't want to see his face when he judges you. 

Following your request, Bradley turns the light switch, sending the room into a comfortable darkness. A faint blue light from the neighbors' Christmas lights keeps it from being completely dark. 

"This isn't your side, fly girl" he whispers, standing behind you. 

Your heart warms a bit every time he uses that name to address you. Stupid chicken, he needs to stop. 

You move to the other side, and he occupies your previous position in the blink of an eye, tossing a bit, trying to find the perfect posture. Your mind is going through all your history with Solo, carefully deciding which things you can share with Rooster. 

"You don't need to tell me anything if you don't want to" he states, probably having seen your troubled expression. 

You shake your head slightly. "You need to know. You almost got into a fight because of me" 

He scoffs. "I've been wanting to punch that idiot since the last day we saw him at the base" 

You lay on your back, your eyes fixed on the white ceiling above you. "We dated for a month" you finally confess, after seconds of silence. "He had been flirting with me for weeks, he was really nice, and... I thought he had a cute smile. So I gave him a chance." 

You tell him how easily Solo made you fall for him. How he seemed to know what to do and when to do it. The perfect words in the perfect moments. You never thought too much about it; why would you? He was like the perfect guy. He listened to you, he brought you flowers on your dates, and he even remembered your coffee order. He was what every girl looked for. 

Until it wasn't. 

As the song goes, he was a nightmare dressed like a daydream. 

He didn't listen to you because he cared. Solo was obsessed. He listened carefully to learn everything about you. That's why he knew which flowers were your favorites. Your coffee order. Your favorite food. 

Your size. 

Your address. 

You thought him getting you a dress in the right size was pure coincidence. But you never invited him to your house or told him where you lived. You've never been more scared in your life. 

"Did he go to your house?" Rooster asks. 

You shake your head. "I think he tried to come one night, but he saw Phoenix's car and left" 

"How do you know it was him? I'm not doubting you, just asking" 

"My favorite flowers were on the door" 

"Fucking bastard" he mutters. "Did he ever do something to you?" 

You open your mouth a few times to speak, closing it soon after as no sounds come out of it. It feels like the lump of emotions in your throat is getting bigger and is choking you with a strong grip. You want to tell him; you want to tell anyone, but it's so hard to talk about it. 

"Hey," he whispers, his finger whipping away a stray tear that fell from the corner of your eye to your temple. He must have been paying so much attention to you to see that small tear in the dimly lit room. "It's okay if I hug you?"

He waits until you nod and brings you closer to him and the warmth of his body. "I'm sorry."

"Y/n, don't. You have nothing to be sorry about. Try to sleep a little, okay? I'll be here. Nobody will hurt my Grouchy tonight." 

You nod, smiling a bit. You think he can't see you, but he's looking at you.

And he does keep looking at you, stroking your hair to help you fall asleep. Having you in his arms is the only thing stopping him from getting into his car and killing that son of a bitch with his bare hands. 

When you wake up the next morning, you are still in Rooster’s arms. It has been the first night without nightmares in a while. You don’t know how to feel about it. Glad? Surprised? Pissed off because the guy you hate is literally the perfect teddy bear? Big. Warm. And he smells like cinnamon. 

The first thing you see when you open your eyes is his neck. Well, the scar on his neck, to be more specific. That was the scariest wound of them all. If you close your eyes, you can still see it bleeding. 

Your hand moves on its own, your fingertips slowly tracing the mark. 

“That tickles,” he whispers, making you jump a bit. You didn’t realize he was awake. 

“Sorry” 

“It’s okay. Did you sleep well?” You nod, your eyes never leaving the scar. “Good” 

Something inside of you doesn’t want to leave the little bubble you two seem to be wrapped in. So you ask him something you’ve been wanting to know since yesterday. “Did you really buy the suit?” 

“Yeah. I didn’t want you to go to prom alone” he confesses, but you get the feeling that there’s something more there that he is not telling you. 

“Why?” you still don’t understand why someone would do such a thing for you. 

He swallows, one of his hands caressing your hair absentmindedly. “I liked you back then. I mean, wasn’t it obvious? I spent more time at your house than with any of my friends” 

“Wasn’t it because my dad almost adopted you as his own kid?” 

He scoffs. “Is it that hard for you to accept that people can like you?” 

You sigh, hugging him closer. “You have no idea” 

There’s a moment of silence only filled by your breathing. It’s not awkward, actually. Neither of you has anything else to add, and the comfort of each other’s arms is enough to make you stay in bed for a little while. 

“Is it because of him?” 

He doesn’t say the name, but you know who he is talking about. “The day I realized he was a creep, well... It was Halloween” 

“The Halloween party at that old pub?” he asks, trying to find the memory. “Didn’t you go home early that day?” 

“I didn’t want to leave. Solo took me to his house. He said he wanted to... be alone with me” you whisper the last part, not knowing why you’re opening that part of your heart to him. Only Natasha knows about this. 

“Did he…?” he doesn’t finish the sentence, and you know that his mind is filled with the worst ideas right now. 

“No. He tried, though. He tore up my dress… Then he saw the scar and thought I was horrendous. He called me a monster” 

“Thena” 

You can’t hear him. “He said nobody would ever want me” 

“Thena, stop,” he insists. But it’s too late. 

You’re in that living room again, late at night, trying to cover your body with the torn material of your costume. Everyone decided to dress up as their call signs or relate to them in some way. Yours was a good one, you liked it a lot. You never wanted to take it off. It made you feel like a real goddess.

But Solo didn’t ask for your opinion. He didn’t care if you didn’t want to take things to the next level. He didn’t care when you said no. Repeatedly. He didn’t care when you yelled at him to stop. It didn’t matter that you were trained to fight men taller than you. It didn’t matter how many self-defense moves your father and Iceman taught you when you were a teenager. 

Your first instinct wasn’t to defend yourself. Your first instinct was to run. But he knew his house better than you, there was no escape. 

He only shattered that dress, but it ripped you to pieces. 

And then he had the audacity to laugh at that scar on your belly. He pointed at it with his lewd fingers. He called you ugly. Hideous. Repulsive. He said that nobody would ever love you. No one other than him. 

You punched him in the throat, not caring how dangerous that was. It could kill him, but you didn’t care. He had killed a part of you that night. 

Phoenix didn’t go to the party. She had a cold and decided to stay at home. She lived a few blocks away, you ran to her house, hoping that she wasn’t already asleep. 

“Did she open the door?” 

“Yes. She stayed up with me all night. Later she drove me to my house, and spent the night with me. That’s when Solo left the flowers at my door.” 

"Wait, wasn't it the next day when Iceman kicked Solo out of the squad?” Rooster recalls, finally understanding what the pilot did to be pulled out of a mission like that. 

“Nat told him. Iceman wanted to kick him out of the Navy, but there was no physical evidence of what he did, so he kicked him out of the mission. At least, I could be three months away from him” 

“Does your father know?” 

You shake your head. “Only Phoenix and Iceman know. And you.” 

He kisses your head, his hand moving to your face to wipe the tear stain on your cheeks. “I’m sorry I made you be in the same room as him” 

“You didn’t know, Roos” 

“You won’t have to see him again. I promise” 

You thank him in a whisper, somehow relieved to finally tell the story to another person. Phoenix guessed it all by herself. Iceman learned the story through her. You never got the opportunity to get that weight off your chest. 

“Try to sleep a bit more; you deserve to rest,” he whispers, moving his face so that he can look you in the eye. It’s the first time that you’ve had those hazel eyes on you since last night.  You can see them lit up with rage. He doesn’t need to tell you all the things he would do if he had that man in front of him right now. “And I think that you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, fly girl” 

“Even with the scar?” you mutter, looking away. 

He grabs your chin between his fingers, preventing you from avoiding his eyes. “Specially with the scar”

You want to ask why he is being so nice to you now. Why now, after all of this constant bickering and teasing, after years of pranking him and him returning those pranks ten times worse. What made him change his mind? A part of you doesn’t want to know. You’re never going to admit it out loud, but you have never felt more secure than in this bed, with this stupid chicken that is proving to be more sufferable than you thought. 

And it seems like stupidity is contagious because you do something really dumb: you close the gap that separates his neck scar from your lips, pressing a soft kiss to the mark. “This isn’t a reminder of how you almost killed us, Bradley. It’s a reminder that we’re alive. You saved me” 

“I drove to your house. Drunk. And you tried to drive me back to mine, but we got into an accident. If I didn’t go there in the first place…” you can hear in his shaky voice how much he needs to close that chapter of his life. 

You pull away from his embrace, sitting on the bed and looking at him. “Were you driving?” 

“No, but-”

“No buts, nugget. We fell down that hill, the car rolled over several times, and you covered me with your body when you saw we were heading straight for that tree.” You remember him, tired of him blaming himself for something he didn't do. 

He seems confused, sitting on the bed, his eyes moving quickly. “Did I do that?” 

Now, you're the confused one. “Wait, you don’t remember?” 

“Not that part. I tried to save you?” he asks in a whisper, more to himself than to you. 

“You broke your arm, but that could have been my head. You saved me” 

He wipes a tear from his eye and lets out an airy chuckle. “It’s too early in the morning to fix each other’s traumas, isn’t it?” 

“If it makes you stop being all broody, then it’s worth it” you try to joke. 

He looks at you, squinting his eyes. “Did you call me nugget?” 

“As an insult” you say, trying to dodge the bullet. Did you do that?

“Oh, but I think it is cute. Say it again” 

“Never” you retort, laying down again, your back facing his way and pulling the cover over your head.

He moves closer, whispering in your ear. “I’m gonna touch you, if that’s okay” you don’t respond, giving him silent permission to do it. He circles your waist with his arm, pulling you closer. “Don’t even try to deny it, you love my cuddles” 

“Shut up, nugget” you snap.

He laughs happily, and you hate that hearing him laugh makes you smile. 

You better not fall for him again.

[onebourbon-oneshot-onetear]

My Home- DruigxF!Eternal Part 2

A/N: Part 2 to My Home. I wasn't expecting it to be this long, but I just kept typing lol. It's mainly fluff, with a change in the story towards the end. You'll know it when you see it. Please enjoy! Gif not mine, all credit goes to owner, and I also love this Gif

Warnings: Spoilers for Eternals, violence (fighting sequence)

Word Count: 4.1K

Part 1 Part 2

Once our plane touched down, it wasn’t long until we met up with the others and had our mini reunion. I was smothered in hugs from Sersi, and Kingo, while Ikaris and Sprite had stayed back. I was fine with that; Ikaris and I had a falling out when Druig and I left Tenochtitlan and Sprite and I had never been that close. I was in a daze seeing everybody again, but I only wanted to see one person, wishing that he was there to see me off the plane. Although, the surprised look on his face when we walked into the village would be good enough.

We had some locals drive us out to the edge of the forest, meaning we would have to walk through the jungle in order to get there. Thank goodness I’m used to the humidity. The drive took half an hour, and was filled with small conversations, and Kingo’s narration of our journey to Karun. As surprised as I was that a mortal was here with us, I could tell in the few minutes I had spoken to him that he was a kind man. He was humble enough to bring down Kingo’s ego. They were almost a perfect match.

Once we started the trek through the jungle, I started leading the way, moving away from the thicker paths of the forest and dodging large vines that were hanging down. “Y/n, you seem to know your way around here,” Kingo said, swatting away a bug that was buzzing around his face.

I only turned my head enough for him to hear me, “I stayed here for a bit, I know the way pretty well,” I said. Gil snorted, knowing what I actually meant.

“Wait, you stayed with Druig?” Sprite asked and it took quite a bit of effort not to get angry at the judgemental tone in her voice.

“I did,” I called back, hopping over a dead tree that had fallen down.

“Huh, no wonder you’re grumpy sometimes. He must have rubbed off on you,” she laughed. I know that she probably meant it in jest, but that didn’t quiet the pang of annoyance that rose in me. I flicked my hand and for a second, Sprite froze over the log she had climbed over before being released and tumbling to the ground.

“Sorry, I’m just grumpy,” I said. Thena and even Sersi chuckled as Ikaris helped Sprite up. “Besides, it’s not too far from here,” I called. In about five minutes we would make it to the outer reaches of the village. In 5 minutes I’d be back in my husband's arms.

The trees around us started to thin out and as they did my feet quickened. The further we got into the village, the more people we saw. I had been gone for so long that I didn’t recognize many of them, but they still waved and quietly greeted us. I was barely listening as Sprite spoke to a young girl, my focus was on the house right in the middle of the village square.

“Hello, Sprite,” I heard in the familiar lilt of my husband, but when I spun around the only person standing there was a man with golden eyes. The man looked at me and smiled, and that was the only thing I needed before I turned back around and sprinted.

Just as I made it to our house, the doors swung open and Druig stepped out, his hands clasped in front of him and a smirk on his face. Granted, his hands didn’t stay clasped for long because I launched myself at him, clinging to him. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his head in my neck. We stayed there for a minute before he set me down and put his hands on the sides of my face. “My beautiful wife. Did you miss me?” He smiled, because he already knew the answer. Of course I missed him.

I only grinned, and stood up on my tiptoes. That was the only invitation Druig needed before he pressed his lips to mine in a soft kiss. My heart melted as I kissed him for the first time in eighty years. He was still the same, the decades having no effect on him. I smiled through the kiss and pulled away, resting our foreheads together like we did right before I left.

“Of course I missed you, my love,” I whispered. He smiled and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead, until he noticed that everybody else had gathered behind us.

“I see you brought guests,” He said as we both turned to look at everyone. I let out a giggle at the face that Kingo was making, which was one of complete shock. Ikaris and Sprite just looked a little confused, while Sersi was definitely giving me ‘I knew it’ looks. Gil and Thena looked a little bored, not even paying the two of us any attention.

“Um, would you like to explain yourselves?” Kingo asked, gesturing between the two of us.

I glanced up at Druig and saw him giving me an amused look. “Should we tell them?” He asked, nudging my shoulder with his arm.

“Hmm, I think we should, it’s been long enough,” I answered, leaning my shoulder back to nudge his back. I took a step forward and looked at everyone. “Druig and I are married,” I said, and while nobody else's faces changed Kingo’s somehow was able to add even more shock.

He spluttered before turning to Karun, “This is what happens when you become a hermit, you don’t tell anyone anything!”

“I understand, sir,” Karun said as he checked over his camcorder.

“Kingo, there isn’t that much to it. We had dated for a while so we decided to make it official. We got married in a small church outside of Loch Ness in 1804. It was a small ceremony, nothing major,” I explained.

“And we weren’t invited?” Sprite asked.

“No.”

“Well, it was spur of the moment.”

Druig and I answered at the same time. I gave him a ‘really’ look, and he just shrugged.

“Besides, Gil and Thena were there. And Ajak knew afterwards.”

Kingo turned to Gil and Thena, who were giving me small glares. I smiled apologetically at them, knowing that Kingo would be asking them for details.

“Where is Ajak, anyway?” Druig asked. I turned towards him and took his hand in mine.

“That’s why we’re here, Dru. Something happened.” I brushed my thumb across his knuckles, and that was all he needed. Druig knew me well enough to know that something was seriously wrong. He nodded and turned towards the building behind us. It was usually used for gatherings, so it was big enough to fit all of us in it pretty comfortably.

Once we all settled in, Druig looked around us, expectedly. “Is someone going to explain all of this?”

I squeezed my hand in his, and just as I was about to gently tell him everything, Ikaris broke the silence.

“Ajak is dead.”

I glared at him and I saw that I wasn’t the only one. Thena looked just as annoyed, and Sersi looked taken aback.

Druig didn’t look shocked, but he did raise his eyebrows up in surprise. “What happened?”

This time I didn’t give Ikaris a chance to not so gently tell him everything. “It looks like some Deviants are back. They found her, and we think they are tracking us down. One of them attacked Gil and Thena, and another one found Sersi and Sprite in London.”

“Are you alright?” he asked, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. I chuckled, having missed the little movements that Druig often did, almost without him realizing it.

“I’m fine, none of them found me,” I answered softly, and relief flooded Druig’s face.

I almost had forgotten that we were in a room full of other people until Kingo cleared his throat and whispered something to Karun.

“If we could get back to the point,” Ikaris said, giving both of us an annoyed look. I felt Druig tense up next to me, but I squeezed his hand and he relaxed. Ikaris went on to explain everything, from the Deviants to Tiamut, to Sersi becoming the new leader. I knew that it was a lot of information to get at once, especially when Druig let go of my hand and started pacing. He only did that when he was stressed, mostly because he didn’t want to show anybody how upset he was. But you knew him better than anybody.

Which means I wasn't surprised when he picked a fight with both Kingo and Ikaris. When Druig stormed out of the building everyone turned to me, expecting me to stop him, but I only shrugged. “He took that better than expected.”

“Aren’t you going to go after him?” Sprite asked.

“In a little bit. He needs to cool off, or everything I say will just go in one ear and out the other.” I stood up and brushed myself off. “In the meantime, I haven’t been home in 80 years, I’m going to see what's changed. Feel free to look around,” I gestured around me, before walking out the still open doors. I knew that Ikaris would be pissed, but frankly I didn’t care. I hadn’t been home, and I did want to look around.

I walked around the village, stopping to greet some of the children, and make casual conversation with some of the adults who were going about their duties. The sun was low in the sky and I hadn’t seen my husband in quite some time. I gathered a handful of fruit and walked out to the woods, knowing exactly where he was going to be. We had found a hidden clearing in the thickest part of the woods ages ago. The clearing had plenty of boulders to sit on, and most of the time we would take picnics out here. It was quiet, and peaceful, and I knew that Druig would be craving exactly that.

I approached the clearing and saw Druig sitting on a boulder with his back towards me. I smiled, and quickly let out a whistle, a melody of just a few short notes. I saw his shoulders shake in a laugh before he returned his own whistle, a few short notes that mirrored mine.

When we were in Babylon we would sit in the jungles and mirror the songs of the birds, having competitions to see who could get our whistles most accurate. Eventually we used it for lookouts, finding each other, and just letting the other one know that we were approaching, especially if we were having bad days.

I walked into the clearing and set the food down on a rock, before going to stand in front of Druig.

“Hello, my love,” I said, placing my hands on his shoulders as his hands automatically rested on my hips.

“Hello, my darling,” He said, pulling me closer to him. “You remembered our calls,” He said, smiling up at me.

“It was good. Technology is really advancing, which is nice. Better food, better coffee, music got a lot better. You should have heard it in the 70s,” I laughed.

I scoffed and sat myself on his lap so that I was straddling him. Druig instantly adjusting himself so I would be comfortable. “I haven’t been gone that long,” I brushed his hair away from his eyes, “You act as if I’ve been gone forever.”

“It felt like forever,” He said, moving his head to kiss my palm. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I bowed my head. This man really would be the death of me. “How was the outside world?”

“Darling, I know what the music is, I’m not that out of touch,” He muttered. He knew I was only teasing him though.

“I know, I know. Sometimes you’re just so easy. Besides, you already know everything I’ve been up to. It’s like I wasn’t even gone,” I said, knowing that I was only teasing him further.

The usual mischievous look settled itself on Druig’s face as he tightened his grip on my thighs and pulled me closer to him. “Trust me, it’s been agony since you’ve been gone,” He whispered, his accent getting thicker.

I grinned and leaned down to kiss him, but what was supposed to be a quick peck turned into a full blown make out session. Gone were the light kisses that Druig had greeted me with when I first got here. This kiss was filled with hunger and need, of a man who had been missing his wife for 80 years. I was happy to oblige and kissed him back with just as much fervor.

After a few minutes I was in desperate need of air, so I started to pull away. Druig, however, wanted no part of that as he tried to pull me back in. I placed my hand on his chest and lightly pushed back. “Dru, we need to calm down before we get out of hand,” I mumbled against his lips, trying to slow my breathing down.

“What’s wrong with that?” Druig replied, brushing my hair away from my neck and smirking at me.

“Normally nothing, but everyone is in the village and I don’t want to face them if they walk over here and see us,” I said, sitting up so I could easily slide off of his lap. “And I also don’t want our first time in 80 years to be on a cold rock.”

Druig stood up and walked in front of me, his voice lowering. “Trust me, Darling, you wouldn’t be touching the rock if I had my way.”

I suppressed the shudder that ran up my spine before blinking and taking a step back from him before I lost all of my senses. I cleared my throat and turned towards the fruit that had laid forgotten on the rock next to where we were sitting. I didn’t trust my voice to not shake so I only held the fruit out towards him. He laughed and took it from my hand. “Thank you, love.”

He sat back down and patted the space next to him. I complied, sitting so that our thighs were touching as we both nibbled on fruit. I had missed how peaceful the forest was. It was always a symphony of animals, the rain, the quiet sounds of the village. It was simple, and sometimes I craved it.

When I finished my food, I looked back to Druig, who had been staring off into space for the last few minutes. “Are you okay? I meant to talk to you about what Ikaris told you, but you distracted me,” I pretended to be offended as I nudged his arm.

Druig finished his fruit and finally looked at me. I could see the pain and conflict in his eyes. “Our whole mission was a lie. Our lives are lies. How am I supposed to feel?”

I grabbed his hand and leaned my head on his shoulder. “You’re supposed to feel exactly what you are feeling. We’ve been lied to. The only thing to really do is figure out how we’re going to fix it. Because I don’t want to forget you.”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” He said, squeezing my hand and pressing his lips to the top of my head.

“I know you won’t,” I said. I sat thinking for a moment, “Dru, can you even put a Celestial to sleep?”

“I have no idea.”

“Well maybe we can both do it together, I can freeze him and you can put him to sleep-” Druig cut me off before I could even finish.

“Absolutely not, I’m not putting you in danger.” He looked me in the eyes, he was adamant and I knew that there wasn’t going to be much I could say to change his mind. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be there anyway.

“Well, I’m not letting you do it by yourself. We are in this together. For better or worse, remember?” I said, tugging on the chain around my neck that held my engagement ring and gold wedding band. I had decided against wearing them on my finger, so they didn’t get lost or damaged. The rings were so precious to me. The engagement ring had a small black stone set on a delicate silver band, along with a simple gold wedding ring. Druig had a matching chain around his neck, with just his gold wedding band attached.

Druig stared at the rings for a moment before sighing, knowing me well enough to realize that I certainly wouldn’t let him go headfirst into danger without me by his side.

We stayed together in silence for a few more minutes before I noticed that the sun was starting to go down. “As much as I would love to stay out here, we should get back to the others.”

Druig groaned, not wanting to leave our spot but I pulled away anyway. “Don’t give me that,” I countered, brushing myself off, “Besides, I want to make sure Thena is okay. She hasn’t been away from home for a long time, I don’t want her to get overwhelmed.”

I pulled Druig off the rock and he flopped on me for a second before standing up and walking out with me to the edge of the clearing.

“I’ll be back in a little bit,” I said, nodding towards the direction of the woods, “Behave yourself. Especially with Ikaris.” Druig only rolled his eyes, but still pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before walking back towards the village.

I wandered through the woods before I heard the sound of trees crashing to the ground. I ran over to the noise and saw that Thena was fighting Ikaris. Now normally I wouldn’t care if Ikaris got his ass handed to him, but I saw that Thena’s eyes were clouded over, and knew that she didn’t know what she was doing. If she didn’t stop, she could kill him.

I held out my arm and Thena froze mid sword stroke. Ikaris looked around in confusion until he saw me. “I can’t hold her long, go find Gil,” I said, my voice straining from trying to hold back Thena. Ikaris nodded and flew off towards the village.

At this point Thena was vibrating, trying to break free of the hold I had on her. I only held on for a few more seconds before she broke free and I was pushed back. Thena noticed me and started stalking towards me, her sword in one hand and a shield in the other.

“C’mon Thena, you know me,” I said, pulling out a long dagger that I always kept on me. I knew that when it came to it, it wouldn’t help much, but it was better than nothing.

I continued to freeze her the closer she got to me. She broke free every time but I was just buying time until Gil could come and try to calm her down. Finally, Thena was a few feet from me and my arms were shaking from exertion. She raised her sword above her head and I braced myself for the impact, but somebody pushed me out of the way and her sword reverberated off of something.

I turned around and saw that Gil had finally come back and was calming Thena down. He dragged her away from where we were and I caught my breath, shaking my arms out.

A branch broke behind me and I slowly stood up, and turned around. Yellow eyes glowed from the brush and I knew the Deviants had found us. I could hear the sounds of gunshots and fighting from the village. My thoughts wanted to run to Druig, but I knew that if I wanted to make it out of here alive, I needed to focus.

The deviant stalked towards me and I pulled out my dagger again. The deviant just looked me over before pouncing. I rolled out of it’s way, swinging my arm out so I slashed one of its legs. I scrambled to get back onto my feet when I saw Gil on the other side of the Deviant. I ducked just as he punched it and sent it flying.

“Try to freeze it, and I’ll keep hitting it,” Gil said. I nodded and waited for it to approach us again. I saw that it’s leg had healed, and found it odd, especially since they had never been able to do that before. I shook it off as I prepared to freeze him.

Gil and I worked well together, but my strength was depleting fast, and Gil was distracted trying to make sure Thena was safe. It only took one second for us not to be synced up before I was thrown against a tree, crashed through it and landed on the ground.

I groaned, trying to prop myself up but struggling with even the most basic functions. I laid there for a moment trying to catch my breath when I saw the creature pick up Gil with tendrils that snaked out of its body and hold him up in the air. The tendrils entered Gil and I knew that I needed to get up.

I grabbed my dagger that was lying next to me and sprinted over to the Deviant. I jumped and sliced the tendrils, making a clean cut and severing the connection between it and Gil. Gil hit the ground and the Deviant backed up, but not before mutating into a different being. It was still a Deviant, but it was more humanoid than before. I stood in shock, and I thought I heard it speak to me before it ran off.

I stared at it for a minute before turning back to Gil and rolling him over to his back. I felt a hand on my back and was startled to see that Thena was crying. She knelt down and gathered Gil in her arms.

“Is he okay? Is he…alive?” she shakily asked me, gripping him and watching as her tears melted into his shirt.

I placed my hand on his chest and my heart sank as I didn’t feel anything. Just as I looked at her with dread in my eyes, Gil’s chest rose lightly. I looked down and saw that he was lightly breathing, and his color was returning back to normal.

“I think he’s okay,” I hesitated, honestly not knowing for sure, but he was alive for right now.

Thena let out a noise that I wasn’t sure was a laugh or a sob, and leaned over him, whispering that she was right there.

I looked up and saw that all of the others had rushed over. My eyes immediately found Druig and I stood up and rushed over to him. I started checking him over for injuries, and he did the same to me. The only one that I saw on him was a light scratch on his arm, which was now sleeveless since he had discarded his outer layer.

We didn’t need to say anything, he only wrapped me in his arms and I felt his heartbeat hammering against my own. The forest was quiet except for Thena’s last sniffles and Kingo helping Gilgamesh.

“Where are the villagers?” I asked Druig. He sighed, and hugged me closer.

“I sent them to the river. They’ll have to take care of themselves from there,” He said, and I could feel the sadness in his voice. I know that he loved it here, the solitude and peace that we had created, and it would be hard for him to leave.

“I’m sorry, love,” I whispered. He kissed the top of my head but didn’t say anything else.

“Now what?” Sprite asked, breaking the quietness around us.

“We need to get to the others, then back to the Domo. From there, we can figure out a plan,” Ikaris said, helping Kingo lift Gil and half carry him to the remains of the village.

We trailed behind them as I looked at the houses that were destroyed and slightly smoking. Anger boiled up in me as everything we had worked hard for went up in smoke, literally. Druig must have sensed the change in me because he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I just turned into him and buried my head in his chest.

We laid Gil on a table next to the remnants of a house, and Thena took her place next to him. Tomorrow we would be leaving here, finding Makkari and Phastos, and hopefully getting one step closer to saving everyone.

[flyleaf-girl]

Chapter 3: Nothing’s Sacred

Athena Masterlist

Word count: approx 1.6k

Warnings: Language, mention of canon-typical injuries

. . .

Chapter 3: Nothing’s Sacred

Sam and Dean sat at the bar, sleepily sipping at their coffee whilst Ellen and Jo busied themselves around the kitchen. The boys had offered to help make breakfast, but the roadhouse matron shooed them out, saying, “House rules, boys. Can’t have you Winchesters messin’ up my prized iron-cast griddle.”

In no time, Ellen and Jo emerged with four steaming plates heaped with food and tall glasses filled with freshly-squeezed orange juice.

Dean groaned in appreciation. “You’ve really outdone yourself, Ellen. This smells amazing.”

Sam nodded in agreement as he reached for his utensils. “This is great, thank you!”

“Our pleasure. Dig in,” Ellen encouraged.

The room lapsed into a comfortable silence as they all dove into their food. The Harvelle’s were famed for their hospitality, and this meal was no exception.

After they finished eating, Jo collected their plates and trotted off to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Sam volunteered to help, which she accepted with a small smile.

“You boys thinking of heading over to Bobby’s today?” Ellen asked Dean as she refilled both of their mugs with coffee.

“Mmhm,” Dean replied. “We’ve stayed a bit longer than we expected... but it’s good to see you and Jo.

“Well, you know y’all are welcome anytime. You might wanna wait til high noon to get on your way. Heard it’s supposed to get mighty cold out an-”

Ellen’s voice trailed off as quiet, shuffling steps sounded from the darkened hallway. They both turned to watch as Athena limped gingerly towards the bar, squinting against the bright morning sunlight.

“Mornin, Thena,” Ellen said. “How’re you feelin?”

“Peachy,” she muttered in a scratchy voice. “Ya got any leftover coffee lyin’ around?”

“I think Jo started a new pot in the kitchen. I’ll go grab some along with a plate of food for ya.”

“Thanks, I owe you one.”

The Roadhouse owner shook her head as she stood up. “You’ve saved our sorry asses at least 10 times in this lifetime, and you know it.”

Athena waved her hand carelessly. “Nothing’s sacred, Ellen. Not in this business. You don’t owe me a damn thing.”

“Not true. Now sit your ass down and I’ll be out in a jiff,” she called over her shoulder.

“Well if we’re counting, it’s thirteen!” Athena rasped out after Ellen with a wry grin.

Dean watched this exchange with curiosity. Athena was an enigma. Usually, he could read people easily, but it was definitely going to take him awhile to figure her out.

The woman in question closed her eyes and massaged her temples slowly. Dean took in her appearance. Dried blood covered a small scab on the side of her head, which had probably reopened overnight. Her pallor had improved considerably from last night, but dark splotches of blue and purple covered the underside of her jaw and arms. His eyes narrowed in sympathy as he took in the bruising pattern on her neck, recognizing the faint outline of a handprint.

“The hell you starin’ at?” Athena’s hoarse voice broke his concentration.

Dean flinched. “Um, I- uh...”

“What you never had a hunt go bad before?” she asked bitterly, all while keeping her eyes closed.

“No, no... I just- ”

She sighed impatiently. “Just stop staring. It’s rude.”

The doors to the kitchen swung open. Ellen came out with a plate of food and a glass of orange juice while Sam and Jo followed with mugs and a fresh pot of coffee. Ellen’s eyes softened with sympathy as she saw Dean’s awkward posture.

“Is Athena being snappish? She’s not a morning person.”

Jo laughed. “She needs her coffee like the grumpy people need their chocolate in those Snickers commercials.”

Athena glowered at them over her steaming mug as she viciously ripped open a packet of sugar and stirred it into her coffee.

Ellen offered her the milk and creamer teasingly. Jo laughed as Athena glared and shook her finger.

“You keep that shit away from me. You both know I’m lactose intolerant. I don’t need more stuff fucking up my chi after I got stabbed in the gut.”

Sam cleared his throat. “Speaking of,” he said as he poured him and Dean a fresh cup of coffee, “How are you feeling?”

Athena snorted as she stabbed her fork into some eggs. “Fan-freakin-tastic. Thanks for the assist last night, Winchester.”

Sam and Dean blinked.

“We... never introduced ourselves,” Dean said warily.

“Half-dead don’t mean half-deaf,” Athena said as she ate another bite of food pointedly. “I heard every word y’all said last night. You’re Sam,” she jabbed her fork at the tall hunter. “You’re Dean,” she waved the utensil at the elder brother. “You’re hunters. Easy enough to pair two and two, Sam and Dean Winchester,” she said matter-of-factly before taking a long pull from her mug.

Jo grinned at the boys. “So... does the renowned Athena live up to her reputation?”

Athena threw a balled up napkin at Jo. “Oh, fuck off.”

“Girls,” reprimanded Ellen as she refilled Athena’s mug.

“Sorry,” she said, shoveling another forkful of food in her mouth. “Anyways,” she turned her gaze back towards Sam. “Not too shabby of a patch-up job last night. I appreciate it.”

He nodded in acknowledgement.

“And you.” She pointed at Dean with her knife. “Call me sweetheart one more time, and I’ll castrate you.”

Dean swallowed. “Got it.”

Athena smirked. “Smart boy.” She continued eating slowly, wincing a bit as she swallowed.

Sam’s eyes drifted over the fingerprints on her throat, pressing his lips into a thin line.

She glanced at him before abruptly saying, “Say Ellen, I don’t supposed you’ve got any spare bike parts lyin’ around in the storeroom...”

Ellen frowned. “I’m not sure... we’ll have to check.”

“S no rush,” Athena said as she waved her hand lazily. “I need a day or two to rest up before I do anythin’ else. I’m a little worried about the Indy, though. Gunnin’ 9 hours without maintenance prolly burnt his guts to a crisp, like mine,” she laughed.

Sam shook his head admiringly. “Seriously, though. You’ve gotta be one hell of a rider to pull that off while injured.”

She tipped her head. “Been ridin’ awhile. You pick up a few tricks here an’ there.”

Dean frowned. “You don’t look a day older than... Are- are you even legal?”

Jo laughed. “Athena’s got really good genes. She’s- ”

Athena slapped her hand over Jo’s mouth, smile full of false sweetness as she answered Dean. “You either get good fast, or you get dead faster, sweetheart.”

Jo ripped Athena’s hand from her face. “Which means she’s good. Real good.”

“Alright, alright. Shaddup, Double 0.”

“Oh, come on! You’re basically the James Bond of hunting!”

“I am not an old white dude that runs around, waving a gun, jumping from planes and having sex with women.”

Ellen laughed heartily while Sam and Dean ducked their heads to hide their smiles.

Athena blinked, as though suddenly remembering that the boys were there. A jaded look slipped back over face as she sipped her coffee. “Sides, I gotta leave the theatrics to Foxy.”

“Foxy?” Sam asked. “As in, Asa Fox?”

“Yeah.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “You know him? He’s an absolute legend! The dude killed five wendigos- ”

“Oh, he’s sayin’ it’s five now?” Athena laughed incredulously. “Of course he is. Jackass.”

Sam and Dean’s faces furrowed in confusion.

“It was three when he showed up on my doorstep, bleeding all over my new welcome mat. But he can say it’s five if he wants to. It’s cute. Like I said, I’m leavin’ the theatrics to Foxy. He’s a fuckin’ drama queen.” She tipped her mug back, draining the last dregs and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

Ellen reached for the pot. “Want a refill?”

Athena shook her head “Nah, I’m all coffeed out. Prolly shouldn’t’ve had any in the first place considering...”

Sam nodded. “I didn’t even think of that.”

She shrugged. “If coffee’s what kills me, I win.” She folded her napkin and placed it neatly on top of her empty plate, before standing up carefully. “I’m gonna hit the hay. You boys travel safe out there, yeah?”

Sam shook the hand she offered to him.

“Take care of that ‘pala out there,” Athena rasped as she punched Dean lightly in the shoulder. “She’s a beauty.”

He grinned proudly. “She sure is.”

They watched as she disappeared down the hallway and closed the door.

Jo sent her mom a worried look before leaning in. “So, not that I don’t like bantering with Athena, but...”

She nodded. “She’s either loopy from the pain meds, or it’s gonna be a long while before she’s out hunting again.”

“You think she’s hurt a lot more than she’s letting on?” Dean asked in a lowered voice.

“Dean,” Sam said. “You saw how messed up she was last night. No way she’s recovered that fast.”

Ellen nodded again. “Athena’s usually not this talkative or friendly... especially around strangers. We’ll have to keep a close eye on her.”

Dean stood up. “I can- ”

“No,” Ellen said firmly. “You boys have helped plenty enough. ‘Sides, I told Bobby to expect you to show up later today.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want to worry the old man, now would we?” Dean smirked.

The brothers helped clean up shop, giving Ellen and Jo hugs before throwing their bags into the trunk of the Impala, heading towards Sioux Falls.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hey :)

If ur still accepting requests, could you something where Thena is on her period and is in a lot of pain (Cramps suck Fr) and Gil comforts her??? You can choose the AU <3

Btw ur entire account literally gives me life lmao 🫶🏼

Thena woke slowly, having drifted off on the couch after using the last of her pain meds. She had sent a message to Kingo to bring her more, though.

There were sounds coming from the kitchen. Panic flooded through her as she looked up and over the back of the couch.

"It's okay," he smiled at her, having sensed her alarm, "it's just me."

Gilgamesh.

Thena relaxed her knee-jerk reaction to reach for a knife. Although she was on high alert in other ways, seeing him at her stove. "What are you doing here?"

Gil turned down the burner on whatever he was cooking and came over to the couch, leaning on the back of it. "How're you feeling?"

"Answer me," she grumbled at him, curling around herself and drawing up the blanket she had thrown over her legs.

"I ran into Kingo while he was out getting some things," Gil answered gently, brushing some hair away from her cheek for her (why she let him was beyond her). "I offered to come and check on you."

Thena made a mental note to fire Kingo before she killed him.

"I've got some cheesy tteokbokki on for you," he smiled at her, leaving the back of the couch only to retrieve a tray from the kitchen and bring it over for her. "Start with this."

Thena frowned as he set the tray on her coffee table, on top of the laptop she had abandoned since cramps had robbed her of the ability to work from home.

He had arranged a glass of gingerale, a fresh dose of midol, a few crackers and cheese and even a few pieces of white chocolate (her favourite). There was even a tiny little vase with a budding lily in it.

Thena looked from the tray to the eager and hopeful face of the Tyrant King. She was still curled up around herself, and not just because of the cramps in her abdomen. "Why?"

His smile fell, and she hated to admit that it made her feel so bad she was willing to do anything to undo it. He corrected his expression, though, letting his smile become smaller but softer. "I'm your boyfriend, Ice. So I'm here to do boyfriend things, like comfort you when you're having a rough period."

She was a grown woman. She had no reason to be embarrassed about a perfectly natural function of her body. But she had never intended on letting him witness it firsthand.

She hadn't showered yet, she was sure she was pale as a ghost with messy hair and cold sweat on her skin. And that was to say nothing of the fact that instead of her usual silk nightdress she was in fuzzy sweatpants and an old hoodie.

Thena picked her head up off the throw pillow and gave him a withering glare, "my boyfriend, are you?"

"Well, let's go with that for now," he chuckled, putting his hand on her shoulder to steady him as he leaned over to kiss her cheek before returning to the kitchen.

She eyed the fresh ink of his ring tattoo as he moved.

"Your cup is still in its pot here, too--I just moved it."

Right, she had been boiling her menstrual cup while she had texted Kingo for supplies. This was exactly what she meant about Gil not having to be here doing all this for her. They were...something--she had thought to maybe call them an ongoing affair. But apparently he was her boyfriend.

That didn't mean she wanted him handling the pot that had a silicone cup she put in her-

Thena groaned, leaning her head back against her throw pillow again.

"Take your drugs, Princess. I'll bring lunch over in a sec."

She pursed her lips as she eyed the lovingly arranged platter he had brought her. She could hear him humming to himself in the kitchen behind her. It was so...domestic. She turned herself as best she could, keeping her blanket over her lap as she leaned just enough to reach the midol and the gingerale (and a piece of chocolate).

"Here we go," Gil narrated as he came over with a sizzling claypot in its holder. He walked over briskly with it, setting it down next to the other platter and sitting beside her. He turned to her with a grin, "want me to feed it to you?"

"Absolutely not."

"Aw, come on, Sweetness," he laughed as he stirred around the steaming hot rice cakes in their red sauce. "It'll be like the old days in the poison ward."

Was that what constituted 'the good old days' for them?

"I can feed myself," she huffed, although when he leaned out of her way, she realised just how far away the nice hot bowl really was.

"Here," he smiled, picking up the utensils and using the chopsticks to pile a few into a larger spoon as kind of an in-between serving vessel. He handed both over to her, "take your time."

Thena sighed, taking a few and blowing on them before eating them. She knew very well he made the best tteokbokki. He was quite a sufficient home cook, but something about how he made the sauce for the rice cakes--how he got them to the absolute perfect consistency for her every time. It never failed.

Gil rubbed her back as she slurped back a few more. "You could have told me, y'know."

Thena sighed between bites. She didn't have to answer him. If she didn't, he probably wouldn't pester her with it, given her current mood. She handed the spoon back so he could pick up a few more for her. "It's...personal."

He gave her a look. "Baby, I gave you a sponge bath while you were in the hospital. You think I can't handle your period?"

She glared at him; he didn't have to bring that up. "Not the point."

He let it go, handing back another few tteokbokki with stretchy, oozy cheese on them.

"Just," she said just before taking a bite, using the time chewing to collect her thoughts. She sighed through her nose, her shoulders sinking. She gulped. "Just...let me be a mess on my own."

"A mess?" he asked in a tone that was so disbelieving it was a little snarky. But surely he knew better than to be snarky with her when she was in a foul mood; she glared at him again. But he laughed, "you think you can hide how beautiful you are?"

Thena stared down at the tteokbokki she was holding. She was piled under comfy clothes and blankets and a fuzzy warmer stuffed inside the pocket of her hoodie. Her back hurt, she hadn't even washed her face that morning, let alone brushed her hair or checked what she smelled like.

Gil blinked as she handed back the utensils without having finished her last bite. "Sweetness?"

"Stop it," she grumbled, pressing her face into her hands, including the tears that were threatening more and more seriously to spill over. "Stop...being sweet."

Gil smiled as the problem was stated. He set the food aside, moving closer so he could pulled her into his lap. She growled at him a little but he nestled her head under his chin, "I don't think that's something a good boyfriend does."

Thena pressed her face into his shirt. He smelled like his office, even in his casual clothes. He smelled like gojuchang and gojugaru and aromatics.

Gil let her bury her face in his chest, her hand sliding up to join it, sitting over his heart, like it always did. "I'm right here, Thena. I'm not going anywhere."

She inhaled the mix of scents on him, letting it relax her like lavender in a bath. "Lunch."

"I'll save it for you, heat it up later," he promised, whispering as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll run you a hot bath, we can have a nice relaxing dinner. What do you think, Ice?"

"Hm," she mumbled, already on the verge of falling asleep again. The night had been fitful at best, and something about how warm he was always made her want to nod off. "Tell Kingo he's fired."

Gil laughed, although it wasn't the belly deep laugh he sometimes had. He was careful not to jostle her in his arms. "I think you should tell him that yourself."

She whined faintly, burying her face in his chest completely again, "later."

"Later," Gil agreed, kissing the top of her head as he supported her back with his arm and rubbed her shoulder. "Take your time."

[softquietsteadylove]

But also!!! I love the headcanons!!! Can I request more for a different AU? (your choice for which AU, I can honestly say I’d read novels about any of them and I want to know EVERYTHING)

You...you want to hear my headcanons?

Okay!!!! (I'm so excited)

So let's talk Ballerina/Boxer AU, because that's another one with a lot of in-between things I've imagined but haven't appeared in any stories, even if I've alluded to them in the tags.

Mutual pining--my absolute favourite. Thena saw Gil a few times going into his studio across the hall. Sersi immediately called her out on it because Thena does not stare at guys. Thena doesn't really notice guys, for the most part. Until the handsome boxer smiles and waves at her. Sersi is on high alert.

Likewise, Gil noticed her because who wouldn't? He adjusted his schedule so he could come in a little earlier and catch a glimpse of her before class. Once he was smiling and waving and walked right into the propped open door. He felt like an idiot and avoided eye-contact for a week, but she was completely charmed by it.

Thena is all grace but at home she's a little forgetful. She's so exhausted that by the time she gets in the door everything is getting dropped on the spot. Then she comes out the next morning looking for her bag, her shoes, her water bottle, everything. Having Gil around has actually helped her keep her stuff organized better, she just doesn't want to admit it.

Gil loves spoiling her. He thinks it's so cute to get to see his graceful and beautiful swan curled up on the couch in a grumpy little ball. She loves watching tv with her head on a pillow on his lap with his fingers running through her hair. She has no idea what's happening in any of the shows they watch together because she always falls asleep, but Gil gives her the gist of what happens. It's super all-over-the-place and she still doesn't know what happens, but it's sweet.

She used to let him help her with her cool down after classes and rehearsals but it always ends up with them getting up to other things so now she has to ban him until after she's done or she won't stretch properly.

He brings up the locker room incident on at least a weekly basis.

Thena has never been in all that serious a relationship before. She's embarrassed and thinks it's terrible, but Gil doesn't care. He's happy and proud to be the first man she calls her 'boyfriend'. Sometimes he jokingly slutshames himself in comparison to her.

Thena only owns one pair of jeans, and one white leather jacket. Everything else is...what you might imagine a professional ballerina to own. Again, she thinks maybe this isn't a good thing, but Gil doesn't care of she dresses super casual or not.

Once they started seeing each other he immediately got his regular suit re-tailored and bought three new ones, so he could have options for her show nights, or if she went to fancy events and stuff. He just wants to feel like he belongs with his Gorgeous Swan.

Ben knew Thena had a thing for Gil from the first moment she mentioned him. All she said was "Gil, the boxing instructor in the studio across from ours" and he went oh yes, your future husband.

Thena was never nervous for performances until Gil started coming to them. It's not terribly nervous, maybe more like excited butterflies. And when she comes on stage he makes a loud 'whoo!' which everyone hates and is inappropriate for the venue, but she loves it.

Thena is much more eager to experiment than Gil. He's up for it, of course, but she's the one who's actively searching for ways or excuses to get up to wild things together. Unless he's going to ask her about it later, in which case it never happened.

Early on, Gil asked to do her warm up with her, for a change in his routine. It nearly broke him.

Thena is completely at the mercy of her students. First it was them calling Gil her boyfriend before they were really that official, which was why she would get so flustered. She didn't know that he loved them doing that. They go 'oooooh!' every time they see him, which embarrasses her every time. Soon they'll start asking if they're going to get married, at which point she will explode and burst into flames on the spot.

Sersi will say 'yes, they will', like a traitor.

Gil has a more distanced but friendly relationship with his boxing students. His oldest and friendliest student is Makkari, who was the one to tell him to just talk to Thena for a month before he ended up actually doing it.

After her fall, Gil starts subtly asking if and when she would ever give up performing for any reason (he's just worried about her).

Gil would never do anything as petty as retaliate against Lara for how she treats Thena. But he did once see her and her husband getting out of their car one day downtown. He called and had the car towed by claiming it had been there way past the allowed parking time.

When they move in, Gil will move in with Thena, because she has more stuff, it's easier, he's always there anyway, and he thinks her apartment is nicer than his.

The rose he gave her the first night he asked her out is dried properly and sits in a vase on a shelf on her wall above her bed (very romantic).

When Gil meets Jack, Jack asks if he and Aunt Thena are in love, to which Gil excitedly says he's head over heels for her. Thena is eavesdropping and has to stick her head in the fridge to recover.

[softquietsteadylove]

Alright your Pokémon au is just amazing! Here is another prompt to this beautiful AU! Gillade watching Gil and Thena dancing around each other a while now and decided to take a little action by bumping Gil “accidentally“ so he kisses Thena 😂

"Thanks again for the save, today."

"Don't mention it," Thena said softly, opting for that rather than telling him that it was insane to think that she wouldn't come to his rescue if he needed her. "Did you at least get some rest this afternoon?"

"The Audino checked me over and I was cleared for duty!" he smiled, although Thena glared at him for it. He chuckled, stirring around his bowl of soup. "Really, Thena, I promise I'm fine. They're trained to treat people and pokemon there, and they all agreed I could go back to work tomorrow."

He was omitting the fact that they wanted to keep him overnight for observation. The only reason he was here for dinner was on the promise that he would come back tonight and sleep with routine check-ins by the medical staff at the ranger centre.

"Ursa?!"

Gil chuckled, patting Teddiursa on the head as Thena ladled him more soup before he could even protest. "Don't worry, buddy, I'm fine. Your brave Mama came and rescued me from a pack of wild pokemon today."

"Teddi!" Yes, the little cub knew that, because he had been left home with Ninetales since it was 'too dangerous', and 'nowhere for her baby'. "Teddiursa!"

"No," Thena reasserted, and it silenced the little bear in one blow. Although he did sit himself on the counter with his little paws crossed and his cheeks puffed out. Thena shook her head, poking one of those fuzzy little cheeks and immediately receiving a giggle as a reward. "Bewear are very dangerous pokemon. I couldn't risk you getting hurt if things didn't go well."

"Teddiursa!" it protested, gesturing to Gallade. If the fighting/psychic type was entrusted to protect Thena and Gil out in the field, then why couldn't it have come too?

Thena set Gil's bowl back in his hands before poking Teddiursa in the tummy, getting another giggle for it. "That's enough of that, sweetie-poffin. Gallade had enough to worry about out there."

Damn right he did, Gallade mused as he observed the little family around him. Thena was tickling the grumpiness out of her little cub while Ranger Gil...well, he was watching Thena. Like always.

Gil took another bite of soup. The base of it was his own recipe that he'd managed to teach Thena (through excruciating trial and error). She was terrible at making human food, but at least with his soup base recipe all she had to do was throw in edible ingredients. And this soup sure was edible.

Thena settled Teddiursa against her hip, looking at Gil to see if he was regaining the colour in his cheeks. But when she looked at him he was already looking at her, and with a funny look on his face. Thena's cheeks took on colour of their own.

Gallade rolled its eyes. One night of watching tv without witnessing its trainer's terrible attempt at a love life--was that so much to ask?

"Ninetales," the fox pokemon by the fire commented. As always, she chose to stay out of it; if Thena figured out her feelings for the Ranger then good for her. But Ninetales was happy to let it happen organically.

After all, Ninetales had known about Gil's feelings for Thena since she was a Vulpix. Gil had a similar ignorance to it all as Thena did, but certainly he knew he felt...something, for Thena. It was further than the ace trainer had gotten to figuring it out, for Arceus' sake.

"Gallade," the Blade pokemon replied, looking over its shoulder again.

"Tell me you don't have to go out there again tonight," Thena frowned at Gil, scratching behind Teddiursa's ears idly.

"Not tonight, I'm just heading back to the centre to rest," Gil shook his head, still eating the soup. "I've got afternoon duty tomorrow, though."

Thena sighed, although her eyes made it seem like she'd rather be yelling, "I would think you could take a few days off after nearly being choked to death by a wild Bewear."

Gil didn't even blink, though, just laughing into his next spoonful. "Ah, it's okay. And besides, it's pretty much just aerial sweeps."

"Just don't go flying into a flock of Altaria," Thena teased a little more lightly, bumping his hip with hers.

They could just sit at her table, like normal people. But they took all their meals in the kitchen, standing up, talking with their heads close, elbows bumping, trading soft stories and loud, belting laughs.

Gallade turned the tv off and stood; enough was enough.

"I know you'd rescue me anyway," Gil chuckled, bumping her hip right back and setting down his third empty bowl on the counter. He turned to face her properly.

"Excuse me," she laughed, letting Teddiursa hop out of her arms to take Gil's bowl to the sink for her. "Who's the Ranger here?"

"Hey, I'm a pokemon Ranger, I range pokemon," Gil corrected, making Thena laugh until her cheeks were pink.

Gallade sighed, 'bumping' into Gil's back on its way to the berry cupboard.

Gil blinked rapidly, eyes wide. He had collided with Thena, pressing her against the counter, although he'd reached out to brace himself - and her - from the fall.

Thena's eyes had squeezed shut as Gil's lips landed against hers. She had been laughing--she un-pursed her lips, relaxing them against his. It was...kind of nice.

Gil was stunned as he felt Thena melt against him, just a little. But he realised too late that his eyes were already closed. He was already kissing her back. His hand was already on her cheek to do it.

Thena sighed as they parted ways, pulling away slowly. Her eyes fluttered open and found Gil's doing the same. She stared at him, wondering if he always looked so...wonderful. "Um..."

"Uh," Gil blinked right back at her, also at a loss for words. But blood rushed to his ears, making him wish he had his hat to hide his embarrassment (or at least fidget with). "S-Sorry! I-I didn't-"

"No, it was-"

Both stared the other down, trying to figure out what the next move was. Did they deny it?--deny that it happened, deny that it was nice? Deny that they undeniably both liked it?

Gallade glared at them from the couch again; did he do all this for nothing?

"It was," Thena paused, her voice barely coming out as she took in a shaky breath, "nice."

"Oh," Gil let out numbly (dumbly). The singular word made the colour in Thena's cheeks deepen and his heart nearly threw itself through his chest to offer itself to her, "I-I liked it too!"

"Okay," Thena mumbled, clearly at a loss for words.

"Okay," Gil mumbled back, trying to think of what to say. He had no fear wandering right into a pack of Bewear, sure, but uttering a few words to his beautiful trainer friend?--apparently impossible.

"Right."

"Uh," Gil sucked in a breath. He was still standing close to her, not having moved all that far away after the kiss. He tapped his thumb against her hip, "hey."

Thena peeked up at him through long, sandy lashes.

Gil kissed her again. Thena leaned into it more naturally this time. His hand came up, brushing over her cheek and pushing her hair back a little. Their heads tilted to the side together as they pulled apart again. Gil licked his lips. "I have to go, but...can I...come see you in the morning?"

Thena licked her lips too, nodding as they eyes held together almost too strongly. She smiled, "same time as always?"

"Yeah," Gil let out a faint laugh, smiling at her like he had never seen anything like her.

He hadn't.

"Okay," Thena whispered, keeping her eyes on him as he reached around blindly for his hat, gripping it in his hand as he waved to her on his way out. She waved back, "see you then."

Gil stared at her until the door had to break their gazes for them.

Thena immediately turned around, throwing her head in her hands on the kitchen counter. She pressed a scream of sorts into the back of her hand.

Teddiursa tumbled back, startled by the sudden outburst from his usually calm Mama. He turned over, petting her hair the way she pet his fur when he needed comforting. "Teddi?"

Thena didn't look up, only pointing to where she knew her Arceus forsaken pokemon was sitting on the couch (like a menace). "You don't deserve a luxury ball!"

"Gallade," he waved off, willing to accept any frustrations of hers if it meant not having to watch them dance around anymore.