#poor Thena must always be combating sunburn

[softquietsteadylove]

Hey loved the thenamesh lifeguard au! Would you write some cute fluff stuff like for example thena putting sunscreen on Gil’s back?

Thena looked down as she felt Kingo pat the side of the tower chair. "You are not supposed to climb this thing. We tell people not to all day."

He gave her a grin and a shrug, "just thought you'd wanna know that your break is in five--if you wanted to go early I'll cover for you."

Thena raised a brow at him, "and why would you do that?"

Kingo tipped his sunglasses down, "because I'm a good friend, Thena."

No dice.

Kingo chuckled, pushing them up again and climbing even higher, all but pushing Thena out of his way, "because your boyfriend keeps looking over here to see if you're done yet."

"He's not-"

"He is," Kingo rolled his eyes. It wasn't as if it was any secret at all. "Now, go!"

Thena huffed, on her way over to Gil while looking around her at the rest of the beach goers. It was easier than looking right at Gil on her way over to him.

"Hey."

"Hey," she smiled marginally, ending up beside him under the shade of his umbrella.

"How was your morning?" he asked genially, folding up his legs out of the sun as she curled up next to him.

"Uneventful, I suppose," she answered while staring out at the water. "I mostly had to watch the early morning kids and make sure they weren't being hooligans."

Gil chuckled at her word choice, pulling out a bottle of water for the both of them.

"Thanks," Thena murmured, accepting it and definitely not thinking about the very simple brush of their fingers as she did. "What have you been up to?"

"Mm," Gil hummed between sips. "Haven't been here long. But I did get in a quick dip before it got too crowded."

Oh, she had seen. It was impossible to miss a wall of muscle, after all. And in the binoculars, soaking wet...

"I just have to reapply my sunscreen."

Thena blinked, suddenly feeling as if she was being caught up in something. She looked over at him.

"I got most of me already," he promised, as if anticipating her concern. "It's, uh, just my back, really."

Thena could see why he might have trouble reaching it, with those arms, those shoulders, even just the muscles in his back...

"I don't suppose you'd, um," Gil trailed off, blushing cutely as he struggled to suggest the cliche.

Thena smiled at his shyness, "did you wait for me to go on break in hopes that I could help you?"

"Well," he semi-admitted, shifting on his towel. "If you didn't want to, I just wouldn't go swimming again. Or I'd put on a shirt, I guess."

And they couldn't have that.

Thena rolled her eyes, taking the squeeze tube from him, "turn."

Gil acquiesced, not making a big deal out of it, because he was sweet like that. In fact, he was the one with the tips of his ears gone red.

Thena inhaled, rubbing the cream in her palms and staring down the broad expanse of his back. She was hesitant, reaching out slowly before pressing her palms to his back.

The longer she took, the more flustered she felt. Thena blushed as she moved her hands over every bend and curve of his muscles, both strong and wiry but also with a pleasant layer of softness over them. She was a lifeguard, it wasn't like she was a stranger to the average human body.

But Gil was far from average, and she was starting to wonder if he was human.

Gil shivered as she reached the center of his back, along his spine. She withdrew her hand, letting out a soft sound of surprise (some might call it a squeak, which she would deny). "Sorry."

Thena didn't trust herself to get out proper words, instead just resuming her work of making sure Gilgamesh didn't get a sunburn. She moved her hand over his spine, from the base of his neck down, down...down as far as she could dare.

Gil blushed from the neck up as she swiped her palms around the plump over his hip bones. "D-Done?"

"Hm," Thena replied, handing the tube of sunscreen back to him.

"Th-Thanks," he smiled sheepishly at his...at Thena. He wasn't entirely sure what they were or where exactly they stood. But so long as it was beside her, he didn't have any complaints.

"Don't mention it," Thena muttered, fidgeting with the sleeves of her track jacket she threw on over her uniform suit.

Gil cleared his throat. "What, uh, what're you doing after your shift?"

"Today?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, I'm off by 1 today. Kingo and Ikaris have the afternoon shift."

"So," Gil smiled, "you could, maybe, have lunch with me?--if you want?"

Thena smiled at the very sweet man beside her. She was so used to being hit on by absolute pigs, but Gilgamesh was so completely different from all the meatheads she had to deal with on a daily basis. "That'd be nice."

"Okay!" he brightened, and Thena looked away again. "I'll, uh, I'll just be here, I guess."

"I'll come find you," Thena murmured, standing up to go back to the lifeguard tower.

"Oh, hey," Gil shot to his feet. He pressed the tube of sunscreen into her palm.

Thena tilted her head at him; she had plenty at the guard station.

"You look like you're getting a little too much sun already," he shrugged with a gentle smile. He tapped his own cheek, "just a little."

Thena turned around, eager to escape as she felt her cheeks become even more flushed (which Gil had taken as signs of sunburn). "Thanks--see you later!"