#'Things Heating Up Between Stone Cold Foxes Gil and Thena'

[softquietsteadylove]

Hey! For the Actor AU:

In the last interview Eros was bitching around and tried to humiliate Gil. How about in the same interview the host decide to play a little game. Do you know these electronic boxing punch maschines to test out your strength? It’s a little fun game and Eros is trying extra hard because he is very sure Gil is too old or too weak to hit it very hard. So everybody hits and Eros gets pretty arrogant because in this moment he has the highest point hoping to impress Thena. until it’s time for Gil. He is a bit shy but Thena challenges him to use his full strength and he does because it’s Thena duh! Pretty sure Eros shut his mouth very quickly :D

"I hate these things," Thena murmured as they prepared to start airing again on the live talk show.

She rarely participated in silly little games like this.

"Me too," Gil sighed back to her, the two of them hovering in a little unit of their own during the commercial break. His hands were stuffed deep into his jeans pockets, "y'know, you don't have to participate if you don't want to. I'll take your turn for whatever stupid thing we're about to do."

Thena beamed at him, tilting her head and letting her hair drift over her shoulder as she did, "you're too sweet."

Gil blushed.

He shrugged his shoulders, still hunched in on himself as if trying to hide himself away, "just volunteer to judge for us. That'll get you out of whatever bullshit is about to happen."

Thena laughed lightly with Gil until the audience was seated again. She sighed as they were called back to their marks.

"So, it's no secret that this cast has no slouches in the stunt department!"

Thena tried to keep her wince off her face, although she was already imagining what they were about to be put up to.

"So why not test it?"

All heads turned as a carnival game was wheeled out on stage, already lit up, displaying the possible scores to be obtained while punching the lever controlled punching bag in its centre.

"We're all gonna line up, and see who's got the best swing! Who's up first?"

"I'll go!"

Both Thena and Gil breathed a faint sigh of relief as Eros proudly and too-eagerly strolled right up to the brightly lit machine.

"Okay, great!" the host beamed, carrying along the necessary energy to keep the segment entertaining. He held out a hand, "Thena, would you care to keep an eye on things--make sure he's not pulling a fast one or anything?"

"Gladly," she smiled graciously, stepping into the appropriate spot for camera. She met Gil's eyes, who gave her a little bounce of his eyebrows, congratulating her on being able to skip out organically.

"I've been getting pretty good at boxing, while I was training for this," Eros grinned, shrugging off his suit jacket, which got some screams from the audience in and off itself. By the time his sleeves were rolled up they were frothing at the mouth.

But he kept his eyes on Thena.

"Any time," she prompted him, hoping to hurry him along (and cut down on the amount of intense eye contact he was making).

"This is for you," he winked, giving his knuckle a kiss before taking his best swing at the fake punching bag. It was a decent score, certainly, and he celebrated it. "Yeah!"

The crowd cheered for him, and Thena clapped obligingly, wearing a perfectly polite smile on her face. "Seems decent."

"Not bad, not bad," the host nodded along.

Most of them took their turns, some giving it a light tap and some giving it a full swing. Surprisingly, Eros' score was still just barely at the top.

"It seems I have youth on my side," he teased his castmates, who took the joke in stride (mostly). He leaned forward to look at Thena down the line from him, "what's my prize, m'lady?"

"Is youth not enough?" Thena teased him right back, earning a laugh from the crowd (even his loyal fans). "Gil still hasn't gone."

The audience erupted into screams, possibly even loud enough to rival Eros' reaction.

"Oh, I-I don't have to," Gil waved his hand, trying to squirm out of it. He had continuously let people ahead of him in the line for this exact reason.

"Oh come on, old man," Eros grinned at him, just barely attempting to make it sound lighthearted. "Don't tell me that shoulder's still bothering you!"

Thena's glare was not well concealed, but at least the cameras weren't on her in that particular moment.

"Fine," Gil sighed, mostly as the host himself pushed him to it. He looked at Thena, somewhat asking what he should do.

She smiled at him, though, "give it your best shot. Don't let the young blood talk about you like you're retired."

Gil chuckled. What she meant was that she wanted to shut him up, and she was asking Gil to do it. He nodded.

Gil pulled off his bomber jacket, which Thena took from him, watching much more closely for his turn than she had for the others. Gil shook out his shoulders first before inhaling, "here we go."

It happened so fast! His fist raised, it made contact with the speedbag, and then it was up and lodged back into place, the machine beeping and flashing high score. The whole thing took about four seconds.

"Wh-" the host blinked, "I-I didn't even see that! Do we have playback?"

It took a second, but the screen behind them displayed the camera's recording slowed down, showing that Gil had indeed hit the punching bag so hard that it was immediately swung back into its locked position from the force of it.

"That is an indisputable win from the Tyrant King himself!" the host cheered, raising Gil's hand for the audience's applause.

Thena also clapped for him, although once he turned back to her she cupped his chin with her hand, leaning him down to kiss his cheek.

Gil blinked in surprise, but he grinned at her the next second, "now that's a hell of a prize. I would've gone first if I'd known."