#Thenamesh Rus AU

[softquietsteadylove]

While attending something important Thena gets suddenly and very boldly proposed from a man with high position. And Gil is there, watching, slightly amused and curious!

Would be funny if you would write it!

"Sankta Olga," her people bowed to her as they greeted the regent after their recent triumph in battle.

Thena overlooked the masses, looming over Olga's shoulder as her most trusted war advisor. Not that Olga had needed 'inspiration' for her ideas--equal parts ingenious and cruel. Thena had no qualms with what the human queen wished to inflict upon her enemies, no matter Ajak's claims of inhumanity and needless violence.

Let the humans know they were true beings of power, Thena thought. No matter their mortality, humans were fierce when it came to their loved ones. Whether protecting them or avenging them, it seemed.

"I owe this greatly to you."

"I contributed nothing," Thena argued with Olga's soft, gentle words (for a woman with a continually rising death count on her hands). What Thena meant was that Olga had fashioned the idea to attack during the Drevlian revelry herself. Thena had never - and still would never - pick up a blade against a human.

"Your support is more than you think," Olga smiled at Thena over her shoulder during the brief reprieve between subjects and nobles gathered in the palace. "For I could never have...after they..."

Thena offered Olga a slight bow - more respect than the Warrior Eternal tended to show to human leaders - before moving away. She had been by Olga's side when news of the Queen's husband arrived. She had done what she could, but she had to admit that she did not have the stomach for thinking about the death of one's husband.

"Hey."

Thena inhaled as Gilgamesh received her at his side, his hand settling at the small of her back, over her fine velvet dress but under the heavily fur lined cloak she wore as a member of court. "Hey."

Gil hadn't been there to witness the massacre. He, like Sersi, didn't really have the stomach for the violence of it. Thena had only gone alongside Olga to lend her support (and to keep her from going too far, if need be). "How is she?"

Thena looked back up to the throne, where Olga was continuing to receive grateful subjects now free of Drevlian invasion. The woman still had the glow of victory to her, but Thena could see the fatigue of grief still heavy over the woman. "I think she is nearing the end of her vengeance."

"Nearing?" Gil asked and looked at Olga just for a second. He ducked his head down and whispered, "she's not done?"

"I believe she had one more act to see through," Thena said just as quietly. She looked at Gil, knowing how he felt about Olga's actions. "If it were you, I would still be laying waste to the entire continent."

He smiled, pushing some hair away from her cheek and over her shoulder, "you don't have to worry about that."

"Hm," Thena sufficed as a response, nonetheless leaning into his touch.

"I'll get you something," he said gently, referring to either food or drink or both. She didn't need either, but he liked to think they could help her relax--feel a little more in the human spirit. He brushed his lips over her temple, "wait here, Solnyshkuh."

Thena watched him go, excusing himself as he attempted to navigate among the fragile little humans.

"Sankta Athena."

Thena frowned; both of those names were wrong. The man standing before her was a member of nobility, although she wouldn't be able to recall his rank if given a thousand years to do so. She tilted her head, "you cannot mean me."

"But I can," the nobleman bowed to her in greeting first before straightening up again. He was tall for a human, with reasonably agreeable features. "You are the Queen's most trusted War Advisor, are you not?"

"I am her only War Advisor." Because as soon as Thena had proved her worthiness of such a title, Olga had dismissed the entire panel of others.

"Then your reputation precedes you all the more."

"Do you have a point?" she asked in a painfully direct manner. This was the kind of manner that usually kept humans on her outskirts. But she supposed every once in a while, one or two - and they were always males, usually of high status - would walk right up to her, brazen as daylight.

"I would like to ask you something, oh great War Advisor," he continued to schmooze and flatter her. He had an insipid grin under his moustache.

"Is it related to battle?" Thena droned. She couldn't much refuse if it was, as much as she might come to want to.

"The greatest battle," he chuckled before lowering himself to his knee before the whole throne room to observe. But he ignored the looks and whispers, staring up at Thena. "The battle of marriage, my Lady. Indeed, I would like to ask you to become my wife."

Silence stretched over massive and echous room. The flames lining the walls in sconces and torches flickered, and no one dared take a breath.

"This is Arthur all over again."

The human blinked, "my Lady?"

"The answer is no," she offered just as directly as before, staring down at him with disdain. She glanced at Olga, who was watching with shameless curiosity. Thena sighed, "you dishonour yourself just by asking."

"This is just the battle to which I was referring."

Did he think she was being coy in her refusal? Thena looked down at him again, making her distaste for his actions even more plain to see, if at all possible. "There is no battle to be won, sir. I have no interest in your nor any proposals."

"I do relish a challenge, my Lady," he grinned still, even moving closer to her in his crouched position. "I am no stranger to the harsh ways of the world. And I believe that you could find no better a match-"

"You are glaringly wrong," Thena drawled, more and more bored with the conversation, if it could be called that. "Everything from my name to your intentions are misdirected."

The man was at least starting to feel jilted. "That's-"

"I do not know why you thought I would say yes."

He laughed, finally rising to his feet again, although it allowed him to move even closer to her. "Because I believe you are a woman of intellect. And it would be most unwise-"

"To reject a stranger's proposal?" Thena finished the truest form of that statement. His humiliation was starting to show the more she frustrated him. She took a step back, "do not speak to me of wisdom."

He reached out, nearly grasping her arm over her cloak.

"I wouldn't, buddy."

Thena smiled as he made his way back, two goblets in one hand and a grin on his face. He was clearly watching the proceedings. "You could have come and dissuaded him."

Gil laughed, sloshing some of his mead onto the deep brown bear fur of his own cloak. "And miss the show? You know I love to see these idiots throw themselves at you."

The human man flushed at being insulted, not even directly. "I never-!"

Thena looked at him, reminded that he was indeed still there. "Leave."

"Wh-!" he was fuming mad, now, gripping the hilt of the sword on his hip. He glared at Gilgamesh, "and who are you to speak to me in such a way?"

Thena laughed faintly this time. "He has seen me reject more suitors than you can count, I'm sure."

That finally made the human flinch, if just a little. He looked at Gil, "is he a royal concubine, then?"

"Ooh," Gil practically giggled, "I've never been called a concubine before."

"Hm," Thena looked back at him, drawn in by the music of his laughter. She tilted her head at him, "it doesn't do you justice."

The human bristled, forced to witness the salacious behaviour of Gil moving Thena's hair away from her cheek and her leaning into his touch again. The indecency! "Oh, I see."

"Look, pal," Gil finally snorted outright. He made eye contact with the nobleman as he pulled Thena closer to him with his arm around her waist. "She said no. If you ask again, she's gonna use that sword to make a kebab outta you."

"Hm," Thena purred as Gil's chest moved, pressing the soft fur he wore against her cheek. "You make wonderful kebab."

At some point, the nobleman decided he had had enough. He would perhaps complain about it later, but it wasn't as if he would have the Queen on his side for it.

"I swear, there's always at least one idiot who thinks it's a good idea to propose to you," Gil shook his head, still shamelessly moving his hand over her back, although her heavy cloak disguised such lascivious behaviour. "After - what? - two words to you?"

"I do not believe even that much," Thena sighed, enjoying pressing her cheek to his chest far too much. "No matter."

"That's true," he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head (avoiding the golden circlet sitting on top of it). "You're all mine."

And she had been since long before this kingdom came to be, and would be long, long after.

#Thenamesh Rus AU #I think Thena and Olga would often have to endure #comments and proposals and such #Olga was genuinely quite sought after even after the whole burning an entire city to the ground business #The Queen Regent and her beautiful War Advisor #Thena tells Gil about it all #he loves gossip #almost as much as he loves watching his wife reject fools left and right #At some point he stops interfering and starts watching #waiting to see what happens #will Thena pick them up by the scruff and shake them like an animal caught in the grain silo? #will she bend their arm in a clean 360 so that not even Ajak can totally heal the damage? #or will she simply look at them like...ew #truly a fate worse than death

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello! Wanted to ask you if you could write another Thenamesh AU in Kievan-Rus?

Maybe some interaction with Olga and Thena?

"A word?"

All of the Eternals turned, but the Queen's eyes were on the Warrior Eternal. Thena raised her brows. They were always to respect the rule of the humans of the land. Not that she was always the best at that.

"Please," the Queen offered more humbly, imploring Thena closer, "Warrior Eternal."

Thena looked at the others, who gave the Queen varying degrees of bows before taking their leave. Thena remained on the carpet rolled out over the frigid stone floors of the throne room.

Olga's eyes flicked to the far corner of the room before returning to Thena, "I understand you are no subject of mine."

Thena let her continue. She knew why her eyes had drifted; she could feel Gilgamesh lingering in the room. If she focused she could hear all of his little movements; the shuffling of his feet, his hands fidgeting, even his breathing.

"But I have watched you fight those demonic creatures," Olga held her head high. "Nightmares I thought only existed in legends."

Thena merely nodded. Deviants were getting harder and harder to explain to humans in that sense. But all the better that they became legends and myths and stories used to scare children.

"You are one of the fighters of Lady Ajak's," Olga surmised. Thena never considered a Fighter for Ajak. Although she wasn't even sure she considered herself a Fighter for Arishem. She simply...fought. "The best, in my view."

Thena needed no lavish praise. She had gotten plenty of it over the centuries. Still she bowed her head.

"I would like your counsel," Olga proposed, sitting taller in the massive throne, second only for the one meant for the King. "If you see fit."

"Counsel?" Thena raised a sleek eyebrow. For all she had been revered as a Goddess of War and Wisdom, she had grown rather tired of it.

"On matters of battle," Olga confirmed, now rising from the throne and walking closer to Thena below her. She descended the platform and steps keeping the thrones separate from the rest of the room. Her guards tensed but she dismissed them with a wave of her hand. "Matters of war, if you prefer."

Thena merely looked at the woman, far, far younger than she. And even then, Olga was still young in many ways. "No one prefers war, your majesty."

"It would not be wise to," Olga agreed in not so many words. The two women - equally guarded - stared at each other. "But I think your views on the subject align with mine."

"Do they?"

Olga smiled, and it seemed rather unlike she did when she was sitting on that throne. Olga actually managed much of her husband's ruling, he rather focusing on territory and its expansion. Their partnership was a fine match.

Olga twitched her head, gesturing to the man floating around listlessly, pretending to admire the tapestries hung around the room. "He is yours?"

Thena looked back at Gilgamesh with permission to do so. She smiled; he was very obviously listening in on them. "He is."

"I have seen you two fight," Olga said more gently, speaking less like a queen and more the way one friend might speak to another. "The way you protect each other. I find it rather admirable. Our way of combat is...more brutal."

Yes, the human warriors of this region were some of the most intense and brutal they had come across. They had Thena's full support and admiration for that.

"But of all our current war advisors," Olga slid her eyes in a way that made Thena think she maybe wanted to roll them. "Their views do not...align."

Thena tilted her head, asking for elaboration.

Olga openly admired Thena's hair sitting loosely around her shoulders. "Ferocity need not come from a place of malice, I believe. I much prefer to think of it as a byproduct of love."

Thena smiled. This human woman understood the necessity of force--that sometimes there was no better way to ensure the protection of certain things. Certain people.

"Some think our methods of expansion are aggressive," Olga resumed her more royal demeanour, "but I consider it necessary to keep our enemies mindful of who we are--of what we are capable."

"Yes," Thena murmured.

"To possess more is to lose more," Olga tipped her chin up at Thena, "and I do not intend to lose what I hold dear."

"I understand," Thena agreed.

"I believe you do," Olga's smile grew. She looked over at Gilgamesh again, catching him looking at them this time. His head snapped away. "It's quite all right."

Gil made a face like a child in trouble as he turned again. "Sorry, your majesty."

Olga eyed them as he drifted closer slowly until he was within reach of Thena again. "You are the Warrior Eternal's partner."

"Uh," Gil blushed, as if shyness suited a being of his size and stature, "I guess you could say that."

Thena ran her finger down his arm (she liked flustering him), "in more ways than one."

"You are a fine match," Olga complimented, regarding them as softly as she would her own family. "You, perhaps, remind me of myself and my dear husband."

Gil slipped his hand to the small of Thena's back, gathering that no one was going to gasp in horror or try to order him to remove it. Not that he would listen to that. "Then he's a lucky man."

Olga smiled more fully, looking more like the young woman she truly was. "I certainly like to think so."

Thena leaned into Gil, as if the few minutes spent half a room apart had taxed her.

"I hope I can count on your counsel in the future, Warrior Eternal," Olga nodded, which Thena returned. She wasn't much for bowing. "As a royal War Advisor, you have certain liberties. The royal grounds are open to you, and should you need anything, no one is to deny you."

"We'll keep that in mind, your majesty," Gil did bow to her, much more adept at the manners of any time period.

"Very well," Olga picked up her skirts, ready to return to her massive golden throne.

"Oh!"

She turned partway in her journey, truly a sign of respect and fondness that she would let anyone but the King call out to her in such a way. "Yes?"

"Uh," Gil shrank back, offering a sheepish smile. He held Thena's hand. "Maybe some extra blankets or something?--for her, I mean."

Thena looked at him with love radiating from her. So sweet, her Strongest Eternal.

"She gets cold easily," Gil concluded shyly, remembering to dip at the waist, "your majesty."

"I shall see to it," Olga nodded before settling herself in her throne again. "You will find all you need in your chambers by nightfall."

"Thank you," Thena offered to Olga before turning to Gil. She slid their fingers together, "you didn't have to."

"Of course I did," he countered immediately, pulling their joined hands up so he could kiss each tip of her fingers as they left. "I can't have my poor Thena walking around shivering."

"I am getting better," she argued, pursing her lips at him.

He just grinned at her (like it was so cute or something). He moved his head closer, touching the tip of his nose to hers, "hm, still feels cold to me."

She burst into a laugh.

He pulled her to the side of the corridor, not that there was anyone to witness their affections. He held her by the waist, "I just don't want you to be cold if you don't have to be."

"That's what I have you for, no?" she purred, letting herself melt into him.

"Sure," he chuckled, running a hand over her hair as he held her, "but the trip from your room to my room can be chilly."

#Thenamesh Rus AU #let me tell you #I am delighted that people like this one #I don't know it just has a certain place in my heart #I really do we had gotten more historical Eternals #I think the setting fits them better #Thena goes to her room and finds a heavy fur lined cloak and blankets and furs piled high #which is great and it does make the bed warmer #it's still nothing to sleeping with her beloved Gilgamesh tho #but at least now she has something warm to wear when she's sneaking into his room at night #he still tells her just to come to bed with him #don't bother trying to sleep in your room he says #but she always tries to give it a shot #poor stubborn Thena just go and sleep with your husband

[softquietsteadylove]

I know you've already written several of these, but I wanted to ask if you could write a nightmare scene. A scene in which Thena has a violent nightmare and lashes out wildly in her sleep. Gilgamesh tries to calm her down or wake her up without hurting himself or her.

Gil's eyes split open in the dark of his room. His fire was down to small embers, but it wasn't the chill that had woken him. It was faint, but it was a vibration that alerted him to something happening in the room next to his.

He looked up, waiting for another sign of anything. It took a few minutes, but he heard another thump of something. He pushed his covers back and prepared to make the chilly walk to the room next door.

Thena had always had nightmares, and the cold really wasn't helping.

Gil padded to her door, knocking gently before entering. He waited, but the fact that he hadn't woken her was a sign that she was quite deep in sleep, and whatever visions were plaguing her. "Thena?"

The room was a disaster. Blankets and sheets and furs slashed to pieces as if a battle had taken place. It would be easy to assume that an assailant had tried to sneak into the Warrior Eternal's chambers. But it was just her, tangled in what remained of her bedding.

"Oh, Thena," Gil sighed as he closed her door behind her. She was both sweating and trembling, which didn't surprise him, considering how cold she was here all the time.

The battle today had been long, and draining in a plethora of ways. Thena had just barely dragged herself back to the palace, leaning on him all through dinner.

"No," she panted, seeming feverish as her body spasmed in the bed, "please!"

"Thena, I'm here," Gil whispered, approaching the bed carefully. He jumped back just in time to avoid one of her blades.

She was made for war, and sleep wasn't strong enough to keep her from it.

"Please don't!" she whimpered, hands held aloft, sometimes still and sometimes twitching and clawing. Then they were fabricating a blade and lashing out. "No!"

"Thena," he raised his voice faintly, hoping to wake her gently. He didn't want to get hurt, but more importantly, he didn't want her to hurt herself in the process. He inhaled, pulling some energy into his palms, "wake up."

"Gil," she whispered, and sounded distressed when she did. "Gil, please help."

"I'm right here, Solnyshkuh," he attempted to soothe her. He didn't know what was happening in her mind, but he must have been taken from her by force. It was the only way he was ever parting with her.

"Gil," she mumbled out miserably, hands back to clawing at the air.

He swept forward, pressing his palms to hers. His energy met hers, the two fizzling and sparking against each other. He wove their fingers together, letting out a breath as her Cosmic Energy and its deadliness receded. Her hands softened, her fingers sliding against his to cling to him.

She stilled.

"Thena?" he whispered, still holding her hands together with his. He leaned down, nudging her head with his, "hey."

"Hm," she blinked as her eyes finally cracked open. They were hazy and unfocused--nothing like the Warrior Eternal. "Gil?"

"Hey," he cooed, pressing his lips to her forehead as he helped her sit up using his hands for leverage. He moved with her, only leaning as far away as strictly necessary. His head hovered close to hers, "you okay?"

"Wh-" Thena looked away from him around the rest of the room. Her fire was still reasonably stoked, and now with a few scraps of material in it. She looked around at the damage she had done. "Did I...?"

"Nightmare," he whispered, running his thumb along the bony ridge of her hand. "You remember?"

She shook her head.

"Okay." It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was awake now, and he could comfort her properly. He pulled her closer until she could settle in his lap, like she would when they went to the bath house together. "Never mind that."

Thena inhaled with her face pressed against his neck, nuzzling in to bury her nose in the collar of his sleeping robes.

She was shaking. Gil tightened his hold on her, pressing his much warmer cheek to hers, "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Thena said nothing, burrowing against him for comfort against an unknown, unseen enemy. Her fist closed around a handful of his robes, holding onto him with desperation.

"Come on," Gil said equally soft and decisive in tone, standing and hefting her - not that there was much to heft - into his arms.

"Where?" she sighed, although it couldn't be said that she protested at all as her arms looped around his neck.

"My bed," he clarified, as if it needed saying. He walked back to his room, leaving them to decide what to do about her bed chambers later. "It's nice and warm."

"And in one piece?"

"I was gonna say comfy," he chuckled, and felt her smile against his cheek as a reward. He leaned his head against her, "you need to rest."

Thena let him close his door and set her on the bed. She immediately snuggled into the spot where he had previously been lying, taking up half the space while on her side.

Gil chuckled, coming back to her after tossing a few more logs onto the fire. He slipped back into the bed, letting her take the warmest spot for herself. He was warm enough. He wrapped his arms around her, always happy to enjoy how cuddly she was when she was cold. "Better?"

"Hm," she purred, burying her face against his chest as she made herself comfortable.

"I keep telling you to come to bed with me," he reminded her as he listened to the sweet music of her dozing off.

"I'm trying to sleep, Gilgamesh."

"Okay, later," he promised, kissing the top of her head (since her face was pressed into his chest at the moment). "I'm just saying-"

"Shush."

"Yes, dear."

#Thenamesh Rus AU #I usually have these take place in Australia #but I don't think nightmares simply...started after Mahd Wy'ry #I think it would be easy for the Eternals to have nightmares #and Thena would just be a little extra sensitive to them #or maybe it's just me wanting an excuse to get them to cuddle #but I don't think she would exactly sleep easy while getting used to the harsh Russian-esque climate #that's why she has Gil! #and what a good husband he is #comforting his murder wife #Thena sleeps in a little the next day #Gil asks the palace staff to re-dress her room for her #they look at what happened and look at him #he says it's not what they think #it was a...uh...an assassin #after the Royal War Advisor! #yes that's it #they don't believe him #but he's fine with them assuming they just have wild sex in there #he's sure that Thena would prefer that too

[softquietsteadylove]

Would you write something funny that involves a certain amount of nudity?

Like Kingo and Ikaris joining Gil in the bathhouse, sliding into the water, closing their eyes, enjoying the hot water. So they don't notice Thena silently emerging from the water. She scares Kingo and Ikaris out of their trance with a dry joke about their manhood and embarrassing them to death.

Gil just wiggles his eyebrows. 🖤✨

"What a day," Kingo lamented as he left the steam rooms for the actual baths.

"Aye," Ikaris murmured alongside him. The fight had been a little rough, but after the fight, they had both been on watch. And watch along the borders of Kievan-Rus was much colder - and felt much longer - than it had in the Guptan Empire, or back in China.

There was already a wide back and set of arms sprawled out along the frontmost wall of the bath, facing the back of the room. The size of them was undeniably that of the Strongest Eternal.

"Gil, you beat us here," Kingo greeted in a light tone.

He shifted in the water, just barely turning his head to look back at them. "Oh, uh, hey guys."

"Were you not expectin' guests?" Ikaris chuckled as they stepped into the steamy room.

"No, it's just that-"

A second figure emerged from previously being completely concealed by Gilgamesh. A head of blonde hair lifted from off his chest, Thena looking at them with critical eyes, "hello."

"Shit!" Kingo yelped.

"Fuck's sake, Thena!" Ikaris roared, both angrier and the more embarrassed out of the two.

"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes at them, settling against her chosen seat in Gil's lap again. "I do not care for your maidenly shyness, nor your manhoods."

"Gil!" Kingo hissed, still trying to cover himself for modesty's sake, "you can't warn a guy?!"

Gil shrugged, though, pulling his arms off the wall and wrapping them around Thena. "You know this is our spot."

"Un-fuckin'-believable," Ikaris growled, still letting his anger create a cover for his threatened pride. He turned to march away, "I'm a married man, eh? I don't think you'd find it so funny if Sersi and I were in here and you walked in...like this!"

Thena was unbothered by her brother's taunting, "like Sersi would look? My worry would be for your pride alone, Ikaris."

"Go easy on him, Solnyshkuh," Gil soothed, attempting to keep his amusement about the whole situation to himself, for his brothers' sakes.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Come on, tiger, walk it off," Kingo placated Ikaris, pulling him back to the steam rooms. "We can use one of the other bath rooms."

"Indeed," Thena encouraged, if only to get one last growl out of her ruffled brother.

Gil gave her hip a little pinch before resuming his task of running his hand over her back. "I'm sure you wouldn't like it if someone were to catch me in that situation."

"You would have nothing to feel ashamed of," Thena purred back to him, encouraging the Strongest Eternal to blush a vibrant and endearing red. "I know what is mine, as do they."

Gil changed tactics, tipping her chin up, "and what if the human bath attendants were to catch me?"

Thena's glare was cold and immediate, "has this happened?"

"No, you know I only come in here with you," he chuckled, satisfied that she had some sense of propriety about at least his state of dress (or undress). "I'm just saying..."

Thena sighed, rolling her eyes, "fine. I'll tell them I didn't see anything."

"Did you?"

"No," she scrunched up her nose, disgusted at the very thought. "I was behind you the whole time. I have no interest in whatever they think they have to offer."

Gil shifted them slightly, moving her from her side on his lap to sitting with her back flat against his chest. He linked their hands together on either side of them. "Then why the crack at Ikaris?"

"To rattle him," Thena answered plainly and honestly. "And because I just know he has nothing on you."

Gil nuzzled her hair out of his way to kiss behind her ear. "Why is this so amusing to you, but you get all shy when you wanna crawl into bed with me?"

Thena denied his question the dignity of an answer.

He felt her squirm a little, though, and leaned so he could brush his lips against her cheek. "We all have our things."

"You are too kind," she sighed, deciding they were done with the topic of her propensity for cuddling and her inability to suggest it herself.

"Even to you?"

"Even to me," she cooed, settling in his arms again.

Gilgamesh's correction was warm and immediate, "never."

#Thenamesh Rus AU #I have decided to call this one #because the Eternals #would have been such a rocking series #the Deviants don't have to look particularly realistic after all #every season could be a different historical setting #we could have had so much #my brother in christ #we have been rOBBED #and anyway this is part of my headcanon universe #now a fully borne AU I guess #in which Thena serves as the chief war advisor to St. Olga of Kiev #and she and Gil like to cuddle in the bath house #because she's so cold all the time #the past entries have been tagged accordingly so go for it

[softquietsteadylove]

can you write some Thenamesh fluff? like, the two of them sleeping in front of a fireplace, snuggled up

Gilgamesh tossed another log into the fire as the door opened and shut, the air from it flickering the flames into a little dance. He leaned back on his elbows. "Hey."

"Hey," Thena smiled as she walked over to him, dropping the cloak and heavy robe behind her as she did. She shuddered once rid of the fine dressings of a royal war advisor, but that allowed her to hurriedly burrow under the blankets Gil had spread out for them.

"How's she doing?" Gil asked as Thena settled herself into his side. He asked it casually, the way he would ask about Sprite or Makkari or Sersi.

But they were referring to Olga, the current queen regent of Kievan-Rus, and freshly widowed due to Drevlian attack. The regent took the killing of her husband - cruel and undeniably torturous - personally.

She had asked her revered and unearthly war advisor how she should proceed. Ajak and Sersi had both moved to set the slander aside--for peace. And while being an advisor didn't mean Thena could incite grand wars between humans, she had answered honestly.

"What would you do?" Olga had looked up at Thena from her throne. "If it was your husband?"

Thena had thought about Gilgamesh in an instant, imagining his smiles, his hands holding hers, the warmth of him as he banished the unrelenting cold from bothering her.

"I would burn the world to the ground and then reshape the ashes in their likeness so they could beg my forgiveness from beyond the grave."

"Thena," Gil raised his brows, although for whatever he was feeling about the declaration, he did not look surprised about it.

"She may do with that advice what she desires," Thena mumbled, the warmth of Gilgamesh already soothing her like a cat in a sunbeam.

"Ajak is gonna be mad," Gil teased quietly as he leaned forward and reached into the fire with his bare hand to adjust the position of a log. He wiped the ashes off on the rug before pulling Thena into his lap.

"She already is," Thena sighed, although she did not care if their Prime thought she was being too violent in her suggestions. Olga had asked her - human woman to Warrior Eternal - and Thena had given her honest answer. She tightened her arms around Gil's neck.

He rubbed her back. She wasn't saying as much, but the thought of what she would have to do without him always tended to shake her. They were Eternals--it wasn't something they had to consider often. But they were also Fighters, and it was technically possible for them to perish. And that never seemed to bother the Warrior Eternal until they were on the subject of him.

"I can't imagine what she's feeling," Thena finally confessed in a whisper, the crackling of the fire underscoring her words. "If I had to worry about you dying from an attack by a handful of humans-"

Gil let her burrow into him deeper, her face pressed to his neck, her hands clinging to him. He was happy to let her, bending one of his legs and letting it cushion the curve of her back. He tucked the blanket over his shoulders more around her, even at the cost of having his other arm exposed to the open air. "So, we're going to war, huh?"

"I doubt they'll need us," Thena sighed, unwinding slowly. She pressed a hand to his chest. "Olga has...other methods in mind."

"I don't wanna know," Gil snorted as he adjusted them again. He laid himself lengthwise, parallel to the fire. He rested on his back with Thena stretched out on top of him. His hand raised to push her hair behind her ear. "I'm sure I'll be horrified at what she's about to do."

Thena pursed her lips, "I think they'll be somewhat deserving of whatever she is about to enact."

Gilgamesh chuckled, raising his head just to touch the tip of his nose to hers. "You menace."

Thena purred as she melted into him, under the blankets, close to the fire, listening to the beat of his heart and the rise of his lungs under her. "Olga was rather creative with her plan, actually. She needs no assistance from me."

"That's a little scary," Gil snorted. He gave her waist a squeeze. "You're beautiful when you're violent."

Thena laughed, all of her teeth showing.

Gil rolled them to the side, letting Thena's back be closest to the fire. He didn't need the extra warmth; he pulled her closer to him, burying his nose in her hair. "My Solnyshkuh has started another war, hm?"

Thena inhaled against his chest, running her hand up his flank and over his pectoral. "I do not start wars, I finish them."

"Well," Gil let out a loud sigh, the comfort of their position also lulling him into rest. "Whatever you ladies have planned, you know I'm around if you need me."

"Hm," Thena pressed her smile into his shirt, "yes, my ever helpful husband."

It wasn't the first time they had been taken for a married pair, and it would be far from the last. It wasn't as if it was out of the question for them.

Gil twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. "We should really get around to that."

"I suppose so."

"Olga could marry us."

"She's busy, Gil."

"After, I mean."

#Thenamesh Rus AU #I have been wanting to write this #for so long #Olga said gaslight gatekeep girlboss let's go to war #and Thena is like I didn't tell her directly to do this it isn't my fault #Ajak is trying to convince her otherwise but Olga already knows what she wants to do #for her husband's revenge #and Thena is rather impressed with the human woman's ideas #Thena checks in on young Olga and sees how she's doing #she and Gil both give the regent some space #she had often commented on how idyllic their marriage seemed #even while her own husband was alive #Gil is very considerate about that #seriously look up St. Olga of Kiev and just...take in everything this lady did #it's very Thena of her

[softquietsteadylove]

ready for some touchy (not spicy) fluff with Thena and Gilgamesh in a bathtub?

"This is nice."

It was nice. It was really nice--particularly, nice and warm.

Thena was practically purring as she rested against Gil's chest, curled up on him in the heated bath provided for them by Olga. Thena was officially the regent's war advisor, after all, and with that title came certain perks. Certainly Eternals weren't prone to taking bribes, but Thena was not about to say no to a nice hot bath.

She still had not quite adapted to the frigid temperatures of Kievan-Rus.

Gil danced his fingers along her arm as he held her. He was not quite sitting, not quite lying down, Thena on her side, not quite in his lap, not quite lying on top of him. "How do you feel?"

"Good," Thena sighed, letting the soft sound rise up to the ceiling with the steam of the hot water.

"Are you sleeping better?"

"A little." She was sleeping in her own room more, certainly. Although she still ended up in his room - in his bed - more nights than not. It was the damned cold. "I wonder if I'll ever get used to this place."

"You will," Gil promised, pressing a kiss to her temple as he did. Some might have called it an empty promise, but he had full faith in his Goddess of War to adapt and overcome. "In the meantime, we have the baths here. I'll make hot soup for you for every meal and you can crawl into bed with me as often as you like."

Thena let out a low, roiling laugh that vibrated through Gil's bones. "You spoil me."

"Mm," he pursed his lips, moving from tapping along her arm to swirling her hair around in the water, "I think of it as taking care of you."

"I need caring for, now do I?"

"Everyone needs caring for, Sweetheart," he sighed as one of her hands emerged from the water to lightly massage his shoulder. "And even if you didn't."

Thena smiled to herself as Gil shifted them, reclining even more with her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'd do it anyway," he resolved with a kiss to the top of her head. He let out a groan as he stretched out his legs, although Thena curled up even more against him in contrast.

"And what am I to do for your care?" she asked back with a playful tone lightening her cadence.

Gil rubbed her back. "This is pretty good for me, I think."

Thena pulled her head--going to the trouble of it just to look at him. Her eyes were hazy and soft, with no trace of the deadly sharpness her Cosmic Energy demanded. "Is this truly sufficient for you?"

Gil smiled at her. Thena often fretted about what she could offer him in terms of this relationship of theirs. She might argue that he was always doing things for her, large and small, consciously and without a thought to it at all.

But Gil argued that they simply spoke different languages.

True, he lived to care for Thena: her protection, her well being, her happiness--top priority for him. And for him, he best expressed that with the things he could do for her. It was knowing her as well as he did, making foods that she liked, holding her when she was cold, sticking close to her when she was ill at ease. It came naturally to him, doing all these little things.

Thena's language was quiet, but just as expressive.

Thena had her own ways of loving, from her watchful protection, to her silent support that could speak far louder than anyone or anything. She did little things for him, from reorganising his precious spices to making sure his meals were always attended and appreciated. But more than that, Thena's words came in the form of her hand in his, her hand on his shoulder or holding a shield between him and an enemy. Her love was her company, allowing herself to be close with him in a way she would never with another soul.

Different methods--different languages, but they were fluent in each other completely. It was an understanding that could only come with being as close as they were, for as long as they had. Gil liked to think that their souls were like two flower buds, borne from the same stem. And when Thena bloomed, so did he.

"Gil."

He laughed as she pinched the plumpness over his hip in a way that really only tickled.

"You're thinking too loud," she whispered, settling her head under his chin again.

"Sorry, Solnyshkuh."

Thena peeked up at him again, intrigue and possibly some adoration plain to see on her face. "Picking up their endearments already?"

Gil gazed upon her freely, running his hand over the back of her head, trailing over her hair from where it was dry to where it dipped into the water. "I've heard people calling their loved ones that. It refers to the sun--my sunshine, I think."

"So sentimental."

It almost sounded like an admonishment. But her arms wrapped around him until she was giving him a hug only the water could witness.

#being soft #so utterly painfully soft with each other #this is also part of my headcanon #of them spending time in Russia for a bit #Thena is the advisor who made St. Olga of Kiev so infamously violent and cruel #after the unjust murder of her husband tho #this is also close to that other one about Thena not being able to sleep she's so cold #and the fire doesn't work to warm her up #but you know what does work?--Gilgamesh #her sweet beloved Gil is all she needs #I have a bathtub scene like this in How to Build A House that's still a favourite of mine #so I wanted to make sure they felt different from each other #hence why this doesn't take place in Australia #also you decide if they're clothed or not #I decided it didn't really matter #because even if they're not #they're just here to enjoy each other's company #they've been alive far too long to believe that nudity inherently equates to sexuality #Thenamesh Rus AU

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello beautiful! ✨🖤

I have an idea for a new AU with Thena and Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh starts at an elite culinary school where the food in each lesson is judged by strict critics.

The students in the higher classes warn the new ones that one specific critic (Thena) can never be satisfied and never gives a good review. Many students have dropped out of school because of this. But Gilgamesh wants to see for himself.

🖤✨ Hgs and Love! ✨🖤

"I heard she made everyone in her class cry in their first lesson."

"I heard that she subs in for real food critics sometimes."

"I heard that the dean himself gave her a full-ride scholarship she's so good."

Gil rolls his eyes at the classmates of his whispering - loudly - about their expected panel of judges. He doesn't think this critic can possibly be as frightening as people are making her out to be. She's just a student, like them, right?

"Can't they just put us out of our misery?" Druig grumbles next to him, shifting nervously on his feet as he looks down at his dish.

"Hey," Gil nudges his shorter, more nervous friend, "don't look so freaked out. "It's a great dish."

Druig sighs, "thanks, man. But it's not you I gotta impress, is it? It's 'em."

The door opens and three senior students step into the room.

Sersi is the top student in the Molecular Gastronomy course. She makes creations that seem transmuted right down to the atomic level, it seems sometimes. They look stunning, they're always delicious, and the way she can make one thing taste entirely different from how it looks is always a showstopper.

Phastos all but wrote the bible by which the school acts. He doesn't cook, but his knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics--is so all-encompassing that there's basically nothing he doesn't know. It is just a rumour, but supposedly he has written all the recipes the courses use for instructing students since he arrived.

Thena is last, and by far the scariest. She looks like she's never seen the sun or eaten a morsel of food, at that. Her reputation precedes her, and her perfect palette is as terrifying as it is rare. She doesn't cook either, but if there is any sort of flaw in any way, she will detect it. And she won't have the smile on her face that Sersi does when she breaks the news.

Thena stands between the other two, eyeing the class with an expression that already screams that she's not looking forward to this. "Please present your dishes."

The first two come up, their trays rattling from their nerves.

Gil watches from his table a little further in the back. Sersi and Phastos try first, giving their praise as well as gentle critiques and advice. Once Thena is done sniffing it, she takes a bite.

"You lack identity."

The whole class practically keels over. It may seem small, and maybe even nitpicky. But to hear that you - as a chef - have no identity in your food?--it's devastating.

"I would say you lack creativity, but that is not what this is," she states and sets her spoon down after the one bite. "You have replicated a family recipe in the hopes that it would convey an emotion. But the balance has been put off by your muddled intentions. It's over-seasoned, and the flavours battling for dominance has overpowered what would actually make it shine if you weren't so clumsy."

The class is practically crying for their fallen comrade. And this is round one!

Druig blows out a breath as they watch their fellow student shuffle back to his table in shame (borderline in tears). "And the Ice Queen strikes again."

Gil stares straight ahead. He shrugs, "she did give him advice, though."

Druig looks at him with wide eyes. "If I shove you into a lion's den and tell you not to die, that's advice, I s'pose."

Gil chuckles just a little, still watching eagerly, "shut up."

The critique goes on, many falling to the Ice Queen's sharp words along the way. It's not that she has nothing nice to say at all, it's just that the bad seems to always outweigh the good for her.

Sersi and Phastos offer sympathetic smiles and waves; obviously they're used to this.

"Next."

Gil and Druig approach with their trays, a plate for each judge. Druig goes first.

He clears his throat, "I-I've made a confit salmon with swiss chard gelee and potato mousseline."

Sersi smiles brightly at them, showing off what's made her such a darling of the culinary world already. "That's very impressive, Druig!"

"A lot of technique," Phastos murmurs as he takes a bite. "The textures are right, although it's maybe a little soft overall."

Druig nods, taking the criticism at face value, "thank you."

"You have too much to prove."

Gil keeps a careful eye on his tablemate. Druig is stubborn, and younger than the rest of them. She's right, she just doesn't have to say it like that.

Druig stands tall against it, though. He looks the Ice Queen in the eye as he says, "and?"

Thena raises her eyes to him. Gil sees that they're green for the first time. "You've selected the most advanced techniques you've mastered thus far, but as Phastos said, there is no cohesion to the presentation of all of them in one dish. You didn't have to make a mousse of the potatoes--in fact, potatoes are not what I would have served with salmon in the first place."

Druig crosses his arms.

"The salmon is cooked perfectly," Thena says just as cut and dry as the negative stuff. She places her fork down, again, needing only one bite of each element to make her assessment. "It only brings out that, had you leaned into your strengths instead of showcasing your weaknesses, this could be perfect."

Druig has his arguing face on, and Gil almost wonders if he should drag him back from the judging table to cool off. He rolls his eyes, though, going back into his dismissive and pouty shell for the time being. He huffs, "I'll take it."

Gil is left alone as Druig moves back to the table.

Sersi smiles, "and what have you made today?"

"Chicken and dumplings!"

A poor man's dish. Chicken stew with dumplings in it: something that needs no technique to put forth. The whole room is silent, not even trying to hide the overall horror that has descended over them.

Even Sersi strains a little to smile at him as they pull their bowls closer. "How...interesting."

"I know, I know," Gil laughs, watching as Thena draws her spoon up to smell everything. "Just hear me out."

"I made a really quick chicken stock and let it simmer while I was preparing everything else. I made it more ramen style than country chicken soup style, but I also added some cinnamon and star anise to kind of have an element of what makes pho so comforting."

"Then while that was simmering I was roasting some veg with the other half of the carcass. I mashed up and then pan fried some potatoes and there's actually a little something in those dumplings."

"Well, that certainly sounds..." Sersi trails off, looking to her left as she holds a dumpling in hand, "impressive."

Thena is smiling.

She licks her lips as she puts her spoon down, still smiling at the shimmering bowl of broth. She picks up a dumpling and her eyes spark.

"You already know, don't you?" Gil smiles sheepishly. She looks at him as she takes a bite, pulling out the cheese he put in the centre. He snickers at the look on her face. "I made a simple mash and then turned it in to a dough with some flour and a little duck egg for some bite to it. Then I added a little more potato with some butter and the little piece of cheese curd for some chew. Like a-"

"Pierogi."

Phastos pushes his glasses up his nose as Thena utters something that isn't a direct review of the food.

Gil beams, his whole chest swelling with warmth from the inside out. "You order them for lunch all the time, right? You must have made them when you were little."

Thena smiles, taking a second bite of the fried mashed potatoes and their filling. "I did."

Gil celebrates to himself a little, clenching his fist. He looks over his shoulder and gives Druig a big thumb's up.

Thena takes another bite of the soup, too, her lashes fluttering as she savours the small but deliberate spoonful. "Hm."

Gil inches forward.

"It's not...perfect."

The class lets out a collective sigh.

"But," Thena is still smiling, taking a third bite. "I think it's about as close as I've ever had."

#Thenamesh AU #okay I love this prompt though #Gil hears about this terrifying student and her critiques #and thinks bring it on #either she's gonna love it or she'll hate it #but he's gonna make a dish he's proud of #they hear that they're getting the scary critics this time around #and they all pull out all the stops #Druig is all technique #Gil thinks hm...what would they like #and probably he's thinking about the hardest critic to please #he thinks about the solitary student who keeps to herself all the time #he thinks he's seen her getting pierogies for lunch on the odd time she eats in public #maybe her family is slavic or Polish or something #funfact pierogi origins are untraceable but they think they might be something from the old days of Kievan Rus #anyway he makes a stew that will feel warm and comforting #and he thinks about making just a flour dumpling and sticking them in the broth to steam #then he thinks about the beautiful Ice Queen and her pierogi #and goes...potato dumplings #I must #also this is very food wars #and if you don't know what this already #I am begging on my hands and knees don't look it up #I saw it with a friend who legitimately likes cooking I swear