#Gilgamesh: you are going to feel so cherished and protected!!!

[softquietsteadylove]

Hi love your works!

I love the Thenamesh zombie au and would like to ask for a prompt! Would love to read some Gil and Thena fighting action against a small group of zombies and towards the last zombies Gil is protecting Thena against a zombie too heavy and strong for her. Some cute fluff at the end maybe?:)

"You need a hand?" Gil called upward, anxiously watching as Thena scaled the higher up shelves for the remaining goods there.

"I got it," she called back down to him, pushing over cans of soup and bottles of water forgotten in the initial rush and panic.

Gil just sighed, collecting up what she sent down and putting it in the cart they'd commandeered. Thena never asked for his help with anything, and hardly ever even accepted it when he offered. Not that it surprised him. It was just part of being so badass, he supposed.

"I think that's it for this aisle," Thena leaned over to at least look at him. She looked around them, "doesn't seem to be much else worthwhile."

"Okay," Gil murmured, hoping that meant she would just come back down to the ground with him. It made him nervous, watching her jump around on the flimsy metal shelves, no matter how little she was. "Do you-"

Thena was already jumping from the shelf to the column, gripping the sides of it and then jumping down the rest of the way. She landed with a huff.

"Right," Gil sighed. He supposed there were worse things than having an amazing, cool, deadly - beautiful - woman by his side in the apocalypse. "We got some pretty good stuff, at least."

Thena examined the cart, tilting her head this way and that at the cans. "I can see why split pea soup was what was left."

"Hey, it's not so bad," he chuckled, taking the can from her hand. "If I find some maple syrup, this stuff will become your favourite meal."

"I doubt that," she at least laughed with him as they headed towards the exit again.

"Maybe I'll hold onto it until we're in farm land again," Gil mused as he walked the cart slowly and carefully--as quietly as possible. "This stuff goes great with bacon."

"I remember bacon," Thena smiled, whether she was reminiscing about the food or something else.

"Should we check the medical stuff?" Gil suggested as they arrived at the main stretch of aisles again. "See if there's anything left worth taking?"

Thena nodded, taking up her knife from her thigh, "meet you back here in fifteen."

"Make it ten," he corrected with a very particular sneer. But it made her laugh as she trotted off in the other direction. Gil left the cart where it was, drifting to the clothes close to the abandoned registers to see if there was anything they might want to take with them.

Not that there was much left, but he tilted his head at a white sweater that looked pretty clean. It was probably large enough that it would be a full on dress over Thena, but maybe she could wear it over her other stuff when it got colder.

"Gil!"

He ran. He ran as fast as he could, already reaching for the handheld axe he'd picked up a few stops ago (his trusty iron skillet was still strapped to his backpack). If Thena was calling for him, then she really, really needed help.

It was a security guard, probably long dormant and awakened by their rummaging around. It was massive, its lurching body leaning over Thena. Her back was on the ground, with only her legs being strong and long enough to keep it off of her.

"Gil, help!"

"I got 'im!" Gilgamesh slid over to her, sliding the handle of the axe against the thing's neck and pulling back. "How's this thing so heavy?!"

Thena laid on the ground, panting after her exhausting battle against the monster as well as gravity itself. "I wish I knew."

Gil twisted his back, tossing the thing aside and wrenching the head off its shoulders in the process. He stepped back, making a face as he eagerly schlupped the remains of it off of him. He dropped the axe, wiping his hands on his pants before pulling Thena up. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she muttered, although he had a feeling her pride was far more wounded than anything. "I should have been more alert."

"Hey, with the noise we made on the way in, I was sure we were alone too," Gil frowned as she dusted herself off. He kept his eyes on her. Thena wasn't often on the receiving end of anything she couldn't handle, and encounters like this didn't necessarily get easier with time.

Thena inhaled before turning around and pushing her face into his chest and throwing her arms around him. "Thanks for saving me."

Gil wrapped his arms around her delicate little waist, pressing his cheek against the top of her head. She never needed to thank him, especially for protecting her. He would do anything for it--for her. He gave her hip a squeeze, "any time."

Thena pulled back, smiling at him like he was the sun itself. It made his heart feel funny inside his chest. Her eyes travelled down, "sorry. I guess he made a bit of a mess out of us."

"Hm," Gil also glanced down at them, splattered with security guard neck fluids. He smiled though, "I think I have an answer to that."

"Oh?" she voiced her curiosity as they headed back to their cart hand in hand.

"You know," Gil frowned, and Thena seemed to anticipate what he was going to say. "It's not the end of the world if you need my help once in a while."

She sighed, obviously having know that was what he was getting at. She shrugged, "I'm just...used to taking care of things myself."

"Well," Gil corrected, giving her hand a squeeze, "you're not by yourself anymore. So, maybe it's not the worst thing in the world if you learn to lean on me a little more?"

Thena raised a brow at him in good humour. "Oh, so I should rely more on the big, strong man with me?"

Gil blushed, "okay, okay, I didn't say that."

"No, no," she continued through her laughter, "by all means. Tell me more about how you can help little old me."

Gil sighed. He should have known she would get a kick out of his suggestion to depend on him more. But she was laughing, and that sound was his greatest weakness in the world. "Fine, yes, chivalry is dead. Now will you just put this on?"

Gil crossed his arms, turning around so Thena could change out of her messed up tanktop and into the light sweater. He also needed to change his shirt, but he didn't dare open his eyes while Thena was changing. Knowing her, she wouldn't even be offended--just tease him for trying to be a gentleman about it.

"This is nice, Gil."

It did look nice. She looked nice--it looked nice on her. They looked nice together. It...she...pretty.

Thena blinked at whatever expression he had on, tugging at the hem of the oversized sweater that just brushed the end of her white cargo shorts. She rolled the sleeves of it up to her elbows, avoiding his eyes as her cheeks turned pink. "What do you think?"

Gil smiled, taking her hand again to bring her with him to the men's section, "it looks good on you."

Her smile was soft, almost kind of shy. She gave his hand a squeeze, "now, to find something for my big, strong man to wear?"

He rolled his eyes. He was never going to hear the end of this.

[crguang]

Hi can I request for thena, reader is pregnant and thena is being super protective but take your time writing this.

adding a toddler to their little family cause it was too cute an idea not to. She’s 15 months old and her name is Selene like the Greek goddess of the moon (a recurring theme im sure yall noticed…) but her nickname is Luna. Also, Thena can’t have Mahd Wy’ry in this one cause I need her to be a functional member of society—I can’t have her not knowing what a damn toaster is😭 This is like… think AoU (all the avengers spending time at Clint’s) but Eternals style. Pure fluff

To say you were excited would be the understatement of the month. These little reunions were rare, as you each had a life of your own—yours being a constant rollercoaster—and so you cherished each one as if it would be your last. Your beloved was a bit reticent at the thought of travelling so far into your pregnancy, but it had only taken a few soft reassurances and a couple of sweet kisses for her to relent. The last time the Eternals were all in the same vicinity, you were getting married to the love of your life and it had been a day you would never forget. Spending time with one of them wasn’t a hard feat—Gilgamesh was a recurrent visitor of your household, but you missed the chaos that inevitably followed whenever your entire family found itself in the same room.

Thena’s thoroughness, while incredibly appreciated, had some downsides to it. You knew there was nothing you could do when she was in this… planning state, so you opted for a small, tired sigh as you waited near the door, securely holding your 15 months old girl’s hand in yours while the other rested on your growing stomach.

“Baby, we’re already late,” you called out to your wife somewhere on the second floor. Her footsteps were never particularly loud; she was light on her feet, but you learned to recognize the soft thumping of her shoes on your wooden floor. You knew she was pacing from your shared bedroom to the nursery.

“Do we have everything?” You heard her ask, voice slightly muffled due to the distance between you. “Where’s Luna’s penguin?”

“In the bag where you packed it yesterday. We have everything and we’re going to miss our flight if you keep this up.”

You picked up on her pause, and you just knew her brows furrowed as she considered your warning. Ironically, Thena’s meticulousness had already made you a day late. It stemmed from her attentive nature, you were aware that she wanted you and your daughter to be as comfortable as possible, but she could forget herself at times. You heard her approach before you saw her, quickly stepping down the stairs to join you at the front door. Just as you suspected, there were the remnants of a frown on her face, the crinkles at the corner of her eyes betraying her worry. You tried to suppress an amused smile at the sight.

Luna let go of your hand to reach for Thena instead and you couldn’t even feel any jealousy at your daughter’s obvious favoritism, not when your wife instantly picked her up and pressed a tender kiss to her round cheeks.

“How are you feeling?” Thena ushered you out the door as she asked, closing it gently behind you and turning away for a second to insert the key into the lock.

“I’m okay—excited to arrive.”

“If you feel tired at any moment—”

“—You will be the first to know,” you interrupted her with a fond eye roll, making your way to the parked car in your driveway. Your wife had packed all the bags into the car half an hour earlier.

You heard a soft hum of agreement when you sat in the passenger seat. It only took a couple minutes for Thena to make sure Luna was secure in her chair before finally closing the door of the driver’s seat behind her. With a last confirmation from you that everything was okay, you were on your way to the airport.

---

The trip was easy, and Luna had only made a fuss a few times once in the air so you would consider it a win. You could barely contain your enthusiasm once on the road to Ajak’s home. It had been a while since you had last seen some of the others, but Ajak’s cooking was truly something you had missed. Luna had fallen asleep a couple hours earlier in her chair, head slightly tilted to the side. The comfortable silence that enveloped the car was deeply appreciated; you knew it was only a matter of time now before the others’ bickering would reach your ears.

The smile on your lips reached your eyes the second Thena parked near the house. You could see Druig and Makkari on the porch, engaged in some conversation you didn’t care about. The speedster met your gaze, and you swore you could see the excited glimmer in her irises from where you were still seating. Makkari was at your door in a blink, going as far as opening it for you and helping you step out of the car despite your assurances that you could do it on your own. Her hug was unsurprisingly full of energy, squeezing you tight against her until Thena reminded her to be careful, an edge to her voice that was only there when she worried. Makkari took a step back. Her smile grew at the sight of your belly, eyes widening.

Another?

You couldn’t help the chuckle at her short question, shrugging good naturedly.

“He’s not due for another trimester,” you signed as you spoke, letting her bend down and press her ear to your stomach. You bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing as you caught Thena’s eyes on the other side of the car. The blonde shook of her head at her sister’s antics, but didn’t disturb the moment, greeting Druig with a small smile and a nod.

Makkari straightened up with a hand on her chest, a moved expression lacing her features. The gesture hadn’t surprised you; she had done the same thing when you were pregnant with Luna. She had told you then that she could sense the baby’s movements and it always pulled the same face from her.

You turned to acknowledge Druig’s presence, offering him a wave.

“Long time no see,” he greeted you with a cheeky smile then glanced through the back door window. “The little troublemaker’s asleep.”

“Not for long,” you assured him. Luna’s naps never lasted long. It had taken her quite some time to sleep through the night as an infant. She had dozed off almost three hours ago, she would most likely wake up soon.

Makkari helped carry the bags into the house—and by carry, it means she took all of them before speeding through the front door. You weren’t one to complain about the lack of work though. You could smell the food the moment you stepped on the porch, Thena and a sleeping Luna at your side, the baby cozily pressed against her mother’s shoulder. Heaven, that was how Ajak’s food smelled like. It was only an hour past lunch, but you would never dare refuse that woman’s cooking. You could vaguely hear Kingo and Gilgamesh near the back, but the owner of the house hogged all your attention the second she saw you. Her smile was contagious.

“Oh, look at you,” Ajak gasped, arms covering you in a tight hug. “When is it due?”

“In roughly three months,” you answered, the scent of her earthly perfume putting you at ease almost instantly. You let her pull away and glance at your belly in the way Makkari did earlier.

“You look beautiful. Do you have a name already?”

“Not yet,” Thena was the one who replied to her this time and Ajak flashed her a warm smile, her palm briefly cupping her cheek in greeting.

The healer’s hand then came to rest on Luna’s back as she tilted her head to admire her restful face. “She’s grown so much since I last saw her.”

“In height and in trouble, I assure you,” you brought a hand to your stomach as you said it. Two babies under two would surely bring you to your knees.

Ajak laughed at Thena’s hum of agreement. “Did you eat? There’s food in the kitchen, I hope Kingo paced himself like I told him to.”

“Oh, we actually—” Thena started but your sudden palm on her bicep made her glance at you with a raised brow.

“We did not,” you grinned, already on your way to the kitchen. “I want some of that food you’re talking about.”

---

Sersi, Ikaris and Sprite arrived only an hour later. Phastos was the last one to get there, mentioning something about Jack begging him to let him come with and how it took hours to convince him that he would next time. Your family was finally under the same roof, and you couldn’t be happier sitting on the patio with Sersi and Ajak while Sprite entertained an impressionable Luna a few feet away under Thena’s watchful eye. The boys and Makkari were catching up inside, you could hear Phastos’ laughter echo through the house.

You brought your palm to your cheek as you watched Thena’s lovesick smile when Luna tried reaching up to the imaginary animals in the air. These two were your entire world, and you would soon be welcoming another human to your little family. The thought filled you with astonishment and love, your own smile pulling at your lips. Thena glanced at you as if she knew you were watching. You waved and your heart skipped a bit when she returned the gesture from where she was sitting cross legged on the grass. You had fell in love with her and married her, yet she seemed to have a way of making you feel like you did when you first saw her— out of breath. Your gaze stayed on her even as she turned to steady Luna on her feet. God, she was beautiful. And she was yours.

---

“What do you mean you didn’t get it?”

Kingo’s offended tone made you hide your laugh behind your palm but mocking him didn’t seem to be a problem for anyone else because Sprite jumped at the occasion the second the movie ended. Luna was tiredly laying on Gilgamesh’s chest in the loveseat next to the couch you were on, his large hand rubbing circles on her back to coax her into sleep.

“The plot was a bit… weird,” Ikaris spoke up next to Sersi, shrugging a bit when Kingo glanced to him with raised eyebrows.

“What are you even talking about that movie had everything,” Kingo got up to open the DVD player (he offered to hook Ajak on to the streaming world, but she refused like all the times he’s asked her before, luckily, he brought DVD copies that he intended to give to Makkari). “Action, humor, romance—did you guys not see me out there?”

“Everything but a plot,” Sprite commented, her grin widening when Kingo flashed her a glare.

“Look,” Phastos adjusted his position next to you on the couch, “were you good in it? Sure. Was the writing department lacking… common sense? Absolutely.”

“It sucked and there’s no way you made any money from that,” Druig snatched Makkari hand away from his plate while Sprite agreed from her place at his feet.

“It’s a fiction!” Kingo scoffed as he put the CD back inside its case. “You guys are the biggest haters I’ve ever had—and a lot of people hate how great I am. Gil, Ajak, what did you think?”

Gilgamesh shrugged, glancing down to check if Luna had fallen asleep. Her eyelids were heavy and the grip she had on his shirt was starting to go slack. “It was bad.”

“Okay, not talking to you anymore. Ajak?”

Ajak hesitated for a few seconds; lips parted while she pondered her words. “You were great.”

“See!”

Sprite snorted. “Great is extremely generous, definitely not the word I’d use.”

“You have such a nasty spirit.”

You couldn’t contain your chuckle at that one. You could feel Thena’s smile against your temple as the bickering went back and forth. She was warm against you, an arm snaked around your shoulders, the fingers of the other one laced with yours on your stomach. Her hair tickled your neck. She smelled good, her embrace secure, and if it wasn’t for the noise, you could have fallen asleep next to her in minutes.

You perked up when Kingo called your name, almost begging you to defend his name.

“Uh…” You trailed off, eyes darting to the loveseat. “I’ve got to put my girl to sleep.” Thena helped you get up from the couch with a steady hand behind your back.

“You’re avoiding the question,” he pointed an accusing finger towards you, eyes narrowing.

“Yeah, ‘cause it sucked,” Sprite sing-sang on her way to get another drink from the kitchen.

“Okay, how about this one—”

Multiple voices rose at the same time, all against Kingo’s offer to put in another one of his movies. You shook your head, a fond smile on your lips as Gilgamesh carefully handed you Luna. The girl rested her cheek on your shoulder with a small whine. She had a long day; she was definitely going to fall asleep the second you put her to bed.

You bid the others goodnight as you made your way to the stairs with Thena behind you. Sersi and Ajak were the only ones to answer you, the rest too absorbed in their conversation to notice you had spoken.

You let out a sigh when you reached the guest room. Your feet ached a bit and you couldn’t wait to lay down.

“Tired?” Thena’s soft voice murmured from behind you, her lips pressing a kiss to your temple.

“A little,” you admitted with a small smile. The blonde hummed, gently taking Luna from your arms to allow you to change while she put on the baby’s pyjamas.

You were grateful for your wife. She seemed to know your body language as if she was born speaking it and would always meet your needs with few words spoken between the two of you. It was a dance you rehearsed for years, and she was your reliable partner, thoughtful of your strengths and limits.

You watched her change when you were done, bottom lip between your teeth. You knew her bare skin was as smooth as it looked, your fingertips had traced figures on it too many times to count. Thena caught your eye over her shoulder, and even if half of her face was hidden from your view, you knew there was a teasing smile stretching her lips. You had stopped feeling shameful of your ogling a long time ago, though. Her shirt covered the skin of her back and you remembered yourself, taking a seat on one side of the bed. Luna’s chest was already rising and falling evenly, her lips slightly parted. You touched her soft curls. She was your everything. Tiring, a handful for sure, but your everything regardless. Thena watched you gaze at your daughter with amazement, fingers running through the short hair on her head. Her fingers unconsciously played with the ring on her left hand as she did. Becoming yours was the easiest decision she had taken in all her centuries of living. Her heart longed for your presence the moment she saw you, and even if it took her some time to come to term with those feelings, she wouldn’t change it for the world. You had broken the walls around her heart with your shiny smiles and bad jokes, you had taken the organ in your hands and held it with a gentleness she had only found within her family. It belonged to you, her life partner, the mother of her children. You had given her a family of her own, had shared a piece of yourself with her, and she would prove herself worthy of that decision for as long as she lived.

[secret-engima]

Last one! - the future’s blurry (but the past is a trap)

Time-Travel fic!!!!! Hmmmm- what fandom what fandom so many lovely choices....

FFXV. Because that’s my mood right now (as ever).

COR.

Cor Time-Travel fic. Cor who lives to see the end of the Long Night, Cor who HOPES and dreams of helping Noctis rebuild the kingdom after he restores the dawn, Cor who is Noctis’s godfather, Cor who PROMISED Regis the first time he held the tiny sleeping infant that is now a brave and wise king that he would PROTECT Regis’s son-.

Cor who stumbles into the throne room to see three brothers sobbing over the lifeless body of their fourth and king.

And Cor ... Cor breaks. He hides in some random, rundown apartment in the empty city and drinks and drinks-

“So this is how you’re going to accept fate? By drowning yourself in a bottle?” Scorns a voice he’s only heard one time in his life but still sends him scrambling for his sword. He whirls, heart in his mouth, blade in hand and sees not a towering suit of armor with glittering eyes, but a ghostly version of a fire-eyed twenty-something adult. A towering man of nearly seven feet, board shouldered and scarred on one side of his face, dark brown hair and piercing amber eyes that mark the Amicitia line, “I had hoped for better.”

“Gilgamesh,” Cor rasps and wonders if he’s lost his mind in his grief, “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” says the man with a sneer, “I should be moving on to the afterlife. I have been freed from my prison after all. The Prophecy is fulfilled.”

“Then why haven’t you?”

A pause, and the sneer, the confidence, fades away and leaves behind someone very tired and wrung out, “Because I have regrets, and you are the only one still alive for me to speak of them to. The Last Shield will not listen, he is lost in his grief and surrounded by the living. You are alone and you are open to my voice.”

Cor doesn’t like the sound of that at all, “You are not allowed to possess me.”

Gilgamesh laughs, short and sharp but oddly genuine, more animated than he ever was as a murderous suit of armor, “No. I have no desire for that.” Burning gold eyes lock with his, “I wanted to know if you still meant what you said that day.”

It takes Cor a minute to remember. Even if he knows what “that day” Gilgamesh means, it was years ago and he was an idiot at the time. Then Cor remembers, and his already broken mood sours, “I did. For whatever good it did. I’ve failed. They’re dead. Both of them.” Cor laughs and the sound is poison even to his own ears, “You were right. I am no Shield.”

“No. You are a Sword,” Gilgamesh corrects, “and you should have been treated as such. Instead you were sheltered and lied to, and those lies dulled your edge until you were useless to stop the death of those you cherished.”

Cor throws the bottle at the ghost’s head, listens to the shatter of glass as the ghost lets it phase right through him without a blink, “What do you want?” He roars at the ghost, fragments of his wild temper from his youth coming back to his bones.

“What my brother’s dear Shield is trying to say,” purrs another ghost that Cor hates even more, who also doesn’t blink when Cor draws his blade and tries to behead him, “is that we both feel terribly guilty. More than that, the rest of those who once were in the Ring feel guilty, and angry. We’ve also got a very spiteful and a very remorseful Astral respectively on our side in the matter, now all we need is a living human member of the conspiracy.” Ardyn Lucis Caelum, blue eyed and purified and just as dangerously mischievous as ever, grins at Cor as the human forms of Shiva and Ifrit manifest in his apartment, alongside far too many royal ghosts for Cor’s comfort (he firmly does not look at the ghost of Regis, sagging tiredly in a corner, the only one he recognizes other than Mors now that they are all human looking rather than giant statues with face masks).

“So,” The ghost of Ardyn purrs with a rueful smile, “what do you say to saving the world and your precious kings in one fell swoop and maybe spiting the Draconian along the way?”

And it’s a stupid idea. Cor probably isn’t even seeing any of this. He’s probably lying in the apartment, dying of alcohol poisoning and grief right now, hallucinating all of this as he goes. But if he isn’t.

If he isn’t...

“What do you need me to do?”

Their plan is simple on their end, and painful on Cor’s. They grab him and throw him back through time, drag him with them as one by one they use up the last of their magic and finally vanish, because for all Cor calls them ghosts, they are not. Living souls do not linger after they die, but memories can. Memories given shape and form by magic, and when that magic was used up and given away, the memories are shattered, turned back into the formless nothing they really were.

They carve open Cor’s being and pour their magic into it, Gilgamesh at the fore, leading the way through the howling abyss while each king and queen carves Cor open a little more and pours in the magic keeping him alive and sane as he plummets through time. Regis’s touch lingers longer than the others, a breath of apology on his brow before that memory too, shatters and falls away.

Mors’ fingers wrap around his wrist and Cor struggles for the first time as his blood burns under the king’s touch in a way the others had not, “Hold still,” snarls the man coolly, “I do this as a favor for my son and grandson alone. Hold still and let me work or you will die the moment you reach our destination.” Cor stills and his blood burns until Mors too shatters.

Then it is only Gilgamesh, Cor ... and Ardyn.

“Free me,” he whispers as he presses something into Cor’s hands (or maybe into Cor’s soul, it’s hard to tell where reality ended and magic began in this place), “Find my past self and free me, then give me this.” A chuckle, “Let’s see the Empire grow so strong without it’s Accursed to feed from.”

“What about Prompto?” Cor asks desperately, because he is here to save those he cares about, not condemn the man who was like a son to him to nonexistence.

“Have a little faith,” laughs the former Chancellor, “a King needs his Heart, and Noctis will have his. Now,” hands on his shoulders, a final yank from Gilgamesh, “Go.”

Cor wakes up.

He promptly rolls over and vomits onto the stone.

Gilgamesh, a towering suit of armor once more, watches him gasp and wheeze and shake under the too-sharp sensation of magic living in his veins and reality existing again after so much time falling through time and void without comment. When Cor is done and has staggered upright, Gilgamesh hands him a sword.

Cor leaves the Tempering Grounds unbothered by the things that lurk there and makes straight for the Rock of Ravatogh. He gains the waiting Infernian’s Blessing, then collapses in a caravan for the night after several days and nights spent walking without pause and sleeping on cold Havens without so much as a blanket.

After waking up and showering, he spends a good twenty minutes the next day cursing at a mirror.

He’s fifteen again. He’s fifteen years old when in the original timeline he would have been six (is six, somewhere out there the original Cor Leonis still lives and grows, unaware of an altered future counterpart).

He’s also not Cor anymore. His eyes are the same, icy blue and angry, his face shape is very similar-. His hair is not. His hair is black and thick and wavy, and under his skin, magic coils, deep and effortless and his, not a gift from another.

Those blasted ghosts turned him into a Lucis Caelum.

He thinks of Mors’ cold fingers on his wrist and burning in his blood, Mors’ angry demand he stay still if he wanted to “survive the destination” and swears louder.

Then he picks up his sword and disappears into the wilderness again. Let Shiva come find him. She had a talent for finding Lucis Caelums anyway.

She finds him in the Quay, as Cor steals a boat to make for Angelgard, she Blesses him and disappears, and in her wake is a winter mist that shields Cor’s journey to the isle from prying eyes.

He cracks open the prison with the magic he now has in excess, falters at the sight before him.

Ardyn looks a lot less like evil incarnate and more like a shivering, frightened, half-starved cat this way.

Also who hung up their prisoners on MEATHOOKS like some kind of slasher from a horror film?

Overdramatic Lucis Caelums, that’s who.

Cor hauls Ardyn down from his chains and carries the weak, disorientated Accursed outside. He can hear Ramuh stirring in the clouds as he takes the nameless Thing that Ardyn of the future gave him (magic, pure magic, an orb of it as bright as gold and the dawn) and crushes it against this Ardyn’s chest like he would a potion.

He sidesteps the black bile Ardyn heaves up like a drowning man ejecting water from his lungs, writhing and whimpering on the stone as Scourge smoke recoils off his body like it’s trying to escape, only to be burned clear by golden magic. Well. That was convenient. Pity he doesn’t have enough of those to cure the whole planet.

Ardyn stays silent, dazed and wide-eyed as Cor hauls him back to the mainland, steals some proper clothes and then bundles him in a caravan for the night. The man out of time flinches at every modern amenity, stares at the soup Cor roughly puts in front of him with confused eyes. Finally, tentatively, as if afraid of being struck (and that shouldn’t make Cor angry, it shouldn’t, this man killed both Cor’s kings and threw the world into darkness. He deserved whatever fear he felt, yet looking at him now Cor can feel nothing but pity and anger on the man’s behalf) he speaks, “Who ... who are you? You ... you healed me. I ... do not understand.”

And Cor pauses, because he ... isn’t Cor now is he? There is already a young Cor Leonis out there somewhere, and no one can know that Cor is one and the same person as that youth.

In the end he shrugs, “I don’t have a name.”

“...What?”

“I don’t have a name. I gave it up. It was the price for healing you.”

“Then why,” Ardyn asks incredulously, “did you heal me? I am a stranger to you, a monster.”

Cor scoffed. The Chancellor of his time was a monster. This man? This man was about as monstrous as a starving kitten, “Not anymore you’re not, so stop that.” At the sight of Ardyn’s frown, Cor rolls his eyes and says gruffly, “If it bothers you so much, give me a new one.”

Ardyn gapes, “You ... want me to name you. Just like that.”

“Is that a problem?”

The redhead stays speechless for a while and Cor busies himself polishing his sword and ignoring the fact that he’s now distantly RELATED to this man (and also, if he doesn’t miss his timeline, OLDER than Regis by several years. Thanks a lot Kings of Yore).

“Glaucus.” Cor twitched and looked up sharply, Ardyn shrank in his seat a little, “You don’t like it?”

It sounds too much like Glauca. But he couldn’t say that, and it was better than lots of other names Ardyn could have come up with. Even if he had no idea where Ardyn had come up with that name. Cor forced his shoulders to relax and went back to caring for his blade, “Do as you please.”

“Glaucus,” repeated Ardyn softly and Cor- Glaucus, resigned himself to having a name very similar to that of a traitor and imperial experiment.

Kind of fitting, considering the company he was keeping.

Glaucus set his sword aside and gestured toward the bed, “If you’re done eating, go get some proper sleep. We’ll be leaving once you wake up.”

“Where will we be going?”

Glaucus smirked and knew it was not a nice expression, “A place called the Tempering Grounds. There’s someone who owes you an apology.”

(anyway hi yes I have a new AU to keep. In it “Glaucus” is now an LC, specifically and according to blood test MORS’ kid and he’s about 4 years older than Regis. I shall expand on this new AU another time. Tagging @sparklecryptid @hamelin-born @a-world-in-grey @ean-sovukau @ertrunkenerwassergeist behold my newest insanity).

[fuwafuwamedb]

Archer Gets His Girl (Hakuno, Gilgamesh Archer)

“Would you like some sweets, my pretty queen?”

It was like the sound of a clock ticking in an empty room.

“My sweet Haku-wife! I found us a blanket to share! I grabbed the biggest one from my gates so that we could wrap ourselves up like Gudako’s tacos!”

Incessant. Constant.

“Ah, you have some food on your face. Maybe I could just kiss it off? Is that okay, my queen?”

Nailing home the reality around him.

“Ah! Hakuno, I really love you. You’re perfect for me. I should have married you sooner. Please stay with me forever.”

Building his anger high and higher, until it burned as warm and as splendid as a midnight’s fire.

“You want me to hold Enkidu for you while you take care of our plates? O-okay. I’ll protect our baby clays well!”

“If you glare any harder, Archer, your face is going to stay like that,” Hakuno told him, glancing up from her book.

“He married you.”

“A version of me, but yes. He did do that.”

Her book was set down, her eyes drifting over to the two children nearby as they cleaned up after themselves and began to play with the tiny Enkidu beasts. Her gaze softened as the girl leaned close, bringing the young Gilgamesh into blushing profusely and hugging her.

“They’re cute.”

“They’re pests.”

The woman across from him was rolling her eyes when he looked her way, shaking her head.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. We both know that you’d care for Hakuno Lily again if Kid Gil vanished. It was a wonder we managed to pull her away from your care long enough to marry Kid Gil in the first place.”

He would, but that was beside the point.

His younger self had gotten Hakuno to agree to remain at his side.

Permanently.

If the two were able to grow older, they’d have more options together.

Looking at his own Hakuno, he was lacking.

“Hakuno! Look! Enkidu is resting in my jacket!”

The two looked over in time to see Hakuno Lily kiss the boy’s cheek, making him keel over.

Tick tock, his mind seemed to hear.

“Hakuno, where is my wedding?”

The woman blinked, head turning quickly to him. “…What?”

He would not beg and plead for his own wedding. He had inquired about marrying a woman before to no avail as a servant. The age of marriages, political or not, were at a close obviously.

He threw his chair back in his temper, leaving the woman to watch their younger selves revel in one another’s presence.

The wines tasted bitter today.

His couch, while he played a good game of racing, was particularly uncomfortable today.

He shifted several times, ignoring the world around him. He had felt Hakuno move to sit beside him, but he zoned in on what he was doing.

Caster came to wave a plate before him.

A few pickings at said food and he was putting in a new game.

He fell asleep with the controller in hand.

He woke up to resuming his ministrations.

Once the aggravating feeling in his person had dissipated, he’d resume his day to day. He’d lock ol’ Kid Gil in a closet somewhere for a while just for the sake of personal pleasure as well.

Stupid kid.

Once again, he fell asleep.

He opened his eyes to the ceiling of a foreign room.

Glancing around, he frowned.

His body was in a suit. Not a bad suit. He was quite fond of the black on black ensemble, but…

“Gil?”

He heard the door opening, the woman nearby putting in earrings as she found him sitting up.

“Gil, good you’re up.” Hakuno smiled over at him, a vision in the revealing white dress. “Let’s get moving. The priest is planning to meet us in an hour and I’m going to be slower in this dress.”

“Hakuno?”

“Come on,” she told him again, turning and heading for the other room.

For lack of better things to do, he was getting up.

He followed her to the door, finding her wrapping one of his jackets around herself.

They rode down the elevator together in silence, his eyes drifting over the woman’s person.

A vision of white and lace, her brown hair tumbling over her shoulders in curls. Her veil was in hand, her eyes on the light over the door, flicking from one floor’s button to the next.

“You never did ask me to marry you.”

Hakuno glanced over at him, a soft smirk playing at her lips.

“I-I don’t know what you mean. We’ve been planning this for months. How else would I have this dress?”

He’d gotten it on a whim. Only Caster knew that.

“Perhaps we should wait,” he drawled.

“Perhaps, but I don’t want to.”

He watched that smile, that nervous shifting of the veil in her hands.

“I’m… very excited about this.”

She was scared about this. She wasn’t against waiting.

Her stubbornness would be the end of her, but he wasn’t going to let her off easy. She’d made him suffer. Waiting and waiting, she’d dragged him through the coals for this.

Opening the Gates, he pulled out a necklace and hung it around her neck, making her pause.

His lips went to her ear.

“You have no talent for applying makeup, Hakuno. As usual, your lies are poorer than your wallet.”

“Marry me then.”

“Ask better.”

Her hands held onto his shirt, holding him close. Those brown eyes looked up at his, determined.

“There’s no one else in this universe that I stand next to other than you. You’re all I’ve got, Gil. And if you want some big affair with white dresses and everyone watching you claim me and fuck me raw in front of an audience, then fine. I’ve been through enough with you to know you won’t do anything that makes me miserable. So marry me, because I’ll drag you to the altar and plead with the priest to marry us anyway if you don’t. Wife, queen, trophy; I’m yours and I’m not going anywhere… So marry me…”

He opened his mouth for another proposal, but she placed those gloved hands on his face, keeping him close.

She looked up at him from beneath those thick lashes and did him in.

“Marry me because I love you for every word that drips from these damned lips of yours, Archer Gilgamesh. And I’m willing to hear every word more.”

He laughed.

The elevator doors were opening. He was pulling her to the center of the lobby of the building they were in.

“Hakuno!” His voice rang out in the room. “This is embarrassing! You should know it’s a man’s duty to propose to the woman!”

She raised a brow at him, tensing a little.

He raised her hand to his lips, letting his gaze simply simmer as he gazed upon her.

“Stay by my side in every way imaginable, Hakuno.”

“Yes.”

She breathed the word, the sound pleasing as could be as he pulled her into his arms and carried her from the building.

They were driven to their affair in a long vehicle, giving him time to leave a rather nice red mark on her neck.

Punishment for making him wait.

He had her veil set in place, his fixing of her attempt at makeup taking another moment.

He stole flowers from his own gates, pulling her along to the church.

Everyone was in groups as he opened the doors, his amusement growing at the way they had desecrated the building to suit his tastes. Or perhaps he should call it fixing a spartan and lackluster interior design. The plush fabrics and abundance of blooms and gold around the room was rather pleasing.

Enkidu brought Hakuno to him as he went ahead to the altar, demanding extra vows.

The woman took his hand again only to smile his way.

“…to have and to hold, forevermore?”

“I do,” Hakuno told him.

“And do you swear to cherish and love him far more than any other, including any possible other selves that could exist?” The priest all but purred.

A warning look came to her eyes. The room had turned deathly silent as Hakuno hesitated.

“I swear to love all of him,” Hakuno amended.

“That was not the question, my dear,” Kirei chastised. “Do you swear to love Gilgamesh forever, more than anyone else, including any other versions of him that could exist?”

“I…do.”

He didn’t bother to wait.

Archer leaned in and kissed her deeply.

“I’ll take her,” he told the priest.

The man took a deep breath before quickly saying the bits for him.

He rushed it, his lips thinning as Archer enjoyed holding Hakuno’s face in his hands and kissing her.

He was the favorite. The best.

All was as it should be.

[cursedjustice]

Shirou. You really think that your parents wouldn't be proud of you? A soul like you is the most prized and cherished gift to the world anyone might ask for. A heart of priceless gold and generous to the core. You are a hero of justice because of your unbridled compassion and humility. And in this you are a hero that Kiritsugu and your birth parents are eternally proud of no matter what. That is a truth no one may deny.

   He was shaken to the very core by the words said to him, his expression a mix of shocked, pained and stunned. His mouth was parted as he tried to find the words to respond to all he heard but none came out. His heart felt overwhelmed, body stiff like stone as his brown eyes were left wide. A moment would pass before he could recover enough to function normally. The mental processing of the words still going on as he shifted his limbs ever so slightly to show he wasn’t a human statute.

“I-”, the words caught in his throat as his thoughts flooded his mind. 

   Did he really have worth? Would Kritsugu be proud of him? His birth parents who died in the fire? Had he lived a life worthy of being saved over all the others who perished that day or ended up in the Church’s basement? His kindness was usually something to take advantage of or seen as manipulation by others at his school and work life. He honestly didn’t care so long as he was helpful, so long as he was useful to someone. 

       He was a fake person, a sham, a fraud who leeched off the happiness of others because of how he lacked the ability to feel it on his own. He took of Kritsugu’s dream to find the same happiness he had that day he managed to save such a worthless tool like him. Could a twisted husk of a human being be really considered a Hero of Justice? Had he honest done enough to deserve such praise?

          People still cried in the world. He couldn’t save everyone. His desire to save meant he had a desire for evil to violate others. There were people like Keirei Kotomine who were broken like him, who sought to unleash things like All the Worlds of Evils of the World to bring about their own sense of Utopia or satisfaction. Shirou was also  far from a selfless man, as he did try to Arturia, his beautiful Saber who he loved dearly to run away with him. To choose a life with him instead of automatically desiring to face down Gilgamesh and stopping him and Kotomine from having their corrupted wishes granted by the grail.

             With all his flaws and weaknesses, his mistakes, his foolishness and selfishness, he was still seen as a hero? Wasn’t he just a twisted man trying to warp the world by force into an impossible ideal? Wasn’t going to share the same fate as Archer? Devoting his entire being to bring justice and salvation to the world around him only to be betrayed by the very people he protected?  Was a life destined for tragedy something to be proud of in the eyes of anyone? 

                Would Taiga, Rin, Sakura or Illya having to learn about his heroism resulting in him being branded a war criminal to be existed for the good of society- forcing them to live through such a world just or fair in way? What stopped them from having to endure the same hardship like the ones did in Archer’s timeline must have over his actions? What stopped him becoming a glorified butcher in the name of a utilitarian justice? Ending millions to save billions?

                          He could feel the tears roll down his face.

“If they could still love and be proud of me despite of how twisted and flawed I am. Love me in spite of how much I lack and how selfish my actions are to those around me- if they love my bloodstained hands trying to craft a world closer to a place where no one cried, I don’t deserve it.  I’m just chasing after a beautiful ideal and forever seeking a beautiful noble soul who’s heart was the most beautiful thing I ever witnessed. If they honestly felt these things toward me, it would be more than I ever deserve.”

[zer0pm]

A Gift for a Healer

He was spotted on the streets of his hometown. He swears that every time he returns from his venture, the streets grow longer, the buildings built taller, and a swell of pride surges through him. His home and his people are growing to no longer fear the night and instead are thriving in it. He would like to think that it was thanks to his and his company’s efforts. The sounds of the cheering crowd solidifies that for him.

He mounts off of his feathered companion, affectionately patting her on the beak before surrendering her to the stable master.

“Be careful with her today, she is being especially adamant for attention,” he playfully comments and just as surely, his steed nuzzles him on the side of the head begging for another pet. The stable master smiles and bows before him before taking the reins and leaving his side. Ardyn begins to move through the crowd, his brother and their guard ahead of him.

“Our lord has returned!”

“Welcome back, Sir Ardyn!”

“Hail! Our healer is back! Our future king!”

Ardyn shakes the hands and each of his adoring peers, waving at those he cannot reach so that they too are acknowledged. “Blessed am I to be greeted so warmly by you all!”, he shouts.

His brother Somnus smiles, “Come along, Ardyn. Surely you are weary from our journey.”

The elder Lucis Caelum turns to him. “Is that concern I hear, brother dear?”, he teases.

“Jealousy,” Somnus jokes back, “green and dastardly jealousy.”

“Now,” Ardyn starts, throwing his arm around his younger brother’s shoulders, “do not be so blue. When we get inside, I will send a good word to that pretty maiden you never stop ogling at.”

Somnus’ eyes snap wider before shrugging Ardyn’s arm off of him. “H-How dare you suggest such a thing?!”

Their hulking guard looks over his shoulder towards them whilst protecting them through the sea of people. “Are you running a fever, Somnus?” It seems the younger of the brothers cannot avoid the teasing.

“Eyes forward, Amicitia,” he huffs.

“Gilgamesh,” the guard corrects. “Are we no longer on a first-name basis?”

“Stop talking!”

The healer chuckles at the light mood, he hopes moments like these come often especially considering how daunting their journeys can be at times. He feels a tug on the sleeve of his robes and stops. “Hm?”

“E-Excuse me?”

Upon hearing this, Ardyn turns. It is you, one of his dear citizens. “Yes? How can I serve you? Do you require my aid?” His instincts as a healer and protector on high alert instantaneously. You seem to sense this and shake your head immediately.

“No, sir. I only wished...well…”

Ardyn tilts his head, the concern has not disappeared but it has certainly lessened. He eyes you curiously and is nearly taken aback when both of your arms stretch outwards to him. The motion was so fast he was surprised to see your hands stop in front of him and on your hands laid a parcel.

“Oh? A gift?”

“Yes,” you admit. “A small token of appreciation.”

He offers a modest smile. “A healer needs no compensation to care for his people.”

“The gift is not only for gratitude although it certainly plays a part,” you began and Ardyn offers his ear to you, “but the true reason is because… Well, you.”

“You as you are. For being the selfless, kind, and noble man who deserves all the happiness in the world. A man I would be proud to have as my king.”

Ardyn did not expect this. He was taken aback, taken by your sincerity. There was no trace of dishonesty in the words that flowed from your lips, each one heavy with meaning and his heart took a deep dip into them. The healer was overwhelmed with warmth. What he did next, he hoped did not offend the kind person before him.

Graciously taking the preciously wrapped gift in one hand, Ardyn holds your head with the other, the side of your face cradled in his gloved hand. He tilts your head and carefully leans in close. You can feel the unmistakable softness of lips pressed atop your head. His scent and warmth enveloping your senses and you were rendered speechless. All too soon, the healer pulls away. Yet where he kissed, the memory of the tingling sensation lingers on your skin.

His eyes were closed the entire time, when he opens them and offers the most beautiful smile you have ever seen, the world seemed to glow a little brighter around you both.

“Thank you,” he said graciously. “I will cherish this always.”

A moment passes between the two people in the crowd and a sudden question pops in Ardyn’s head. “What is your na-”

“Hurry, brother!”, Somnus calls out to Ardyn, pulling him from his reverie. “We can only fend off your admirers for so long!” The elder brother looks to see his younger indeed trying to stop a countless number of people pushing to move in closer to him.

“You’ll make quite a jealous king one day, Somnus,” Gilgamesh snarks as his large arms stretch out from both his sides to prevent any more citizens from shoving their way to his future king.

Somnus glares at the guard. “And I am certain you would not notice if I just let go.”

Gilgamesh blanches, “Dare not even think about it.”

Ardyn looks back towards the one who gifted him and moved his heart. You eye him back and smile knowingly.

“Next time,” you said, the unmistakable hint of hope in your voice.

The healer grins softly, holding the gift to his chest. “I will hold you to this. Until then, may the dawn smile upon you.”

With a small wave, he bids you farewell, not taking his eyes off of you until the last possible moment where their form blends in with the crowd. He turns back to the parcel in his hand, appreciating the care in its packaging before unwrapping it carefully. What was revealed before him casts a warm smile upon his face all over again.

Gilgamesh turns back to see Ardyn catch up to them. “There you are, my liege. I can see you are in high spirits.”

Somnus joins them and looks upon the reason for his brother’s present happiness. “It looks good on you, brother.”

“Yes,” Ardyn muses, “it suits me very well, doesn’t it?”

He had already wrapped the gift around his neck. The soft fabric nestling comfortably on his shoulders. For a moment, Ardyn imagines that it was you who is wrapping your arms around him in a warm embrace. The healer could not help but appreciate the beautiful pattern of symmetrical gold shapes atop the scarlet fabric.

Yes, he thought. Ardyn very much thinks he would never part from this precious gift. To this day, it holds true still.

.

.

A/N: This fic was part of my Christmas gift to you all and I had the pleasure of having it featured in @ryuuza-art’s zine here:

I edited it slightly for the zine and now wanted to share with y’all. More to come as I’m getting back in the swing of things but more importantly, check out this zine. It is heartwarming and full of beautiful works from amazing artists and writers that really gives Ardyn the love that he deserves as a man once kind and noble and can still know redemption (fingers crossed at Square). I love this so much and adore Ryuuza for taking the time to do sketches for the written pieces ;-; You are the best!! Until then, lots of love <3

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