#Gil gets to see a ballerina fight for territory and he's like whoa

[softquietsteadylove]

We haven’t read from the Ballerina/Boxer AU since January I think! How about a little protectiveness from Thena this time?

"Wow," Gil murmured to himself as he walked down the aisle and towards the stage. His voice bounced around slightly, despite the carpeted floors. The crystal chandelier hanging above was lit up and glittering.

"You've been here before," Thena laughed lightly as she descended the steps to greet him.

"Yeah," he chuckled, receiving her in his arms and kissing her. "But only when I come to see you. And I'm not exactly absorbing my surroundings when that happens."

Thena just sighed, relishing the warmth of his embrace - and his hands on her back - a little longer.

They were in the middle of rehearsals for the dance company's next exhibition. She was reluctantly participating to advertise for herself and Sersi, as well as keep an eye on a few old students of hers who were now regulars.

Gil tapped his fingers against the bare skin of her back, "how is it?"

"Hm," she sighed, running her hands over his arms idly, "long. But they're giving us saturday and sunday this week. And in two weeks it'll all be over."

"So you can come over friday night?--is what you're saying?" Gil suggested hopefully, earning him another laugh and a kiss.

"I think I could manage that," Thena purred against him. She sighed less blissfully as she heard the doors to the stairwells open.

"What?" Gil blinked at her sudden change of mood. She swiped her lunch out of his hands and attempted to usher them back to the doors and out of the main theatre.

"Thena!"

Gil snorted at the total lack of attempt on Thena's part to disguise her annoyance. She let out a petulant grunt as her colleagues fluttered out of the wings and down the steps towards them.

"Who's this?" one of the other ballerinas asked with wide and curious eyes.

"Wait, this must be the beau that Thena's been texting between runs!"

"Is he?" another one gasped, although it sounded kind of fake. "This is the handsome specimen that's finally pulled perfect Miss Thena away from the stage?"

"We're leaving," she muttered to them, but they weren't having it.

Gil blinked as the flock of women spread out around them even more in an intimidating formation. Some of them towered over even him, making Thena seem even more delicate than usual.

"Thena, don't be so stingy," one of the really tall ones chastised her in a very patronising tone. "You know better than to bring something to rehearsal if you're not going to share."

Thena all but growled at them.

"Uh, sorry ladies," Gil attempted to speak up for himself, "but I was kind of hoping to have Thena all to myself."

More fake gasps; they reminded him of the girls in school who would say something nice and then whisper behind their hands the very next second.

"He's so sweet!"

"How ever did you find this one, Thee?"

Gil raised a brow at the overly familiar shortening of her name.

"None of your business," she continued to snarl at them, to no avail as they all but circled them in the narrow theatre aisle.

"He must be an athlete of some sort," one of the ones sitting down crooned as she eyed him up and down. "Look at those arms!"

Another round of giggles erupted from the group of them, much to Gil's discomfort. He tried not to squirm, squeezing Thena's hand in his.

"He must be good at lifts."

"I imagine they get up to a different kind of lifting, don't you think?"

Gil blushed.

"Well, Thee?--is he?" one leapt from her seat, reaching out to test out touching his arm for herself.

Thena swiped at the hand like a feral cat. She turned herself to face her colleagues head on, Gilgamesh behind her and her much smaller frame. "Enough."

"Oh, get over yourself, Thena," the tallest one rolled her eyes at Thena again. "We're just having a little fun."

"Not at my boyfriend's expense, you're not," Thena glared right at her, not intimidated in the least. "And I may have to be here for the company, but it does not require me to be civil with any of you."

"Yeah, that's clear."

Gil kept quiet, watching the women all but hiss at each other. He was happy to step in if his girlfriend was getting hit on, but she was more than capable of fighting her own battles. And he was pretty sure that boxing wouldn't help him in the least in defending himself against a flock of angry ballerinas.

"We are leaving. I will return for rehearsal." Thena listed out in her usual clipped and frosty tone. "You will never set eyes on him again without me there to make sure you behave."

"Whatever, Thena," the clear prime of the group crossed her arms in Thena's face, leaning over slightly to meet her eyes. "Are you so insecure that you think you have to babysit him?"

"Please," Thena finally cracked a smile, although Gil shivered to imagine being on the other side of it. "I couldn't imagine someone more loyal than him. You, on the other hand, seem quite eager to flirt with someone else's partner. My condolences to your poor husband."

Thena turned, her head held high and maybe with her nose turned up. She pulled Gil along behind her, grasping one of his hands and her lunch in the other.

Gil wrapped his arm around her as soon as they were in the lobby. "They seem...fun."

Thena wilted against him, letting out a very ungraceful growling sound. "I thought they were all having lunch in the greenroom downstairs. I never would have let you come in personally otherwise."

"What?" he chuckled, leading them out of the lobby and to the nearest peace and quiet. "Then I wouldn't have gotten to see you being a total badass with them."

"Gil," she chided him faintly as they headed out into the spring air. The light and breezy skirt she wore as a teacher was tied around her waist over her leotard.

He laid his jacket over her shoulders. "I mean it! It was pretty hot to see you fight 'em off like that, Gorgeous."

Thena blushed faintly, allowing herself the reprieve of snuggling into him until they reached a nice park bench. "Well, swans are very territorial, you know."

#Thenamesh Ballerina/Boxer AU #this might be a little defensive as opposed to protective #but I loved the idea of the other swans flocking to this big handsome man #and Thena's like back! get back! he's mine! #Gil gets to see a ballerina fight for territory and he's like whoa #these ladies mean business #they have a nice sweet lunch together #sitting on a park bench #taking turns feeding each other bites #y'know like gross disgusting couples in love do #then Thena goes back to rehearsals and holds her head high #the mean girls can say whatever they want about her #it does give her a kind of satisfaction #knowing they all want her boyfriend and can't have him #she tells Sersi later on and Sersi is like #I am a pacifist I believe in peace and love...but I will light their hair on fire #Thena's like not necessary #but if you ever see them so much as looking at Gil