#Thena gets Sersi all the way to the car

[softquietsteadylove]

Helloo, the 10 things about you Au was soo cute, i loved it. Could you do a part 2, pretty please 😁🩷.

"Princess?"

Thena bristled as soon as she heard it, as much as she tried to pretend she hadn't.

"Thena," Gilgamesh frowned, leaning over her shoulder while she tried to remain inconspicuous on the stairs. He nudged her, "Thena, what are you doing here?"

She pursed her lips, "I'm so sorry that my mere presence has interfered with your evening."

"Hey," Gil barked in protest, moving to sit with her despite the other party goers loitering around them. He crouched down one step below her, looking up at that scowl-y face of hers. "Really, Thena, I thought this wasn't really your scene, so what're you doing here?--at Ikaris'?"

She huffed, looking around them and so visibly uncomfortable she might as well have been hissing at him. "Sersi."

Gil tilted his head, awaiting further explanation. Thena squished herself even closer to the banisters as some guy came trudging down the stairs, practically kneeing her in the face.

Gil tripped him, sending him tumbling the rest of the way down.

She glared at him, "Gilgamesh!"

"Come on," he grumbled, pulling her up and out the front door by the hand.

"What are you doing?" she sniped at him, fighting him the few steps it took them to get out of the overcrowded and deafening house party.

"Getting some air," he frowned, pulling her with him until they could have some semblance of peace and quiet. "My question remains: what are you doing?"

Thena pulled herself out of his grasp, but she didn't sprint back to the house, or even down the front walkway. She leaned on the railing of the massive wrap-around deck. "Sersi wanted to come. She was hoping Dane would be here, but-"

"I mean," Gil pulled out his phone, "I'm pretty sure he was hoping for the same. At least last he texted me."

Thena looked back at the house forlornly. "I was afraid Ikaris would spot her and make his move."

"Ikaris?" Gil couldn't help but look at her with a frown. Ikaris was their age, and he couldn't imagine young Sersi even having an opportunity to get close to the infamous flirt that was Ikaris. "And Sersi?"

Thena pulled her cardigan tighter around herself as a summer breeze came along. "He tried to date me at one time."

Gil felt as if his eyebrows would rise clean off his face. For all the reasons Thena had to viscerally despise Ikaris, he wouldn't have guessed that one. Although he supposed that was just one more reason to hate the guy's guts.

Thena shrugged it off as best she could, "there was nothing serious about it, just a hunter looking for his prize. But after he figured out I wasn't interested in what he was offering...he turned his attentions to Sersi."

Gil nodded, trying to wrap his head around the tangled web encircling the sisters seemingly trying to mind their own business. He stepped closer to her, "that so?"

Thena either didn't notice him getting closer to her, or didn't mind it. His guess was the former. "I understand why she fell for his charms--the attentions of an older boy, someone everyone thinks is so cool. It's not as if I am immune to flattery. I once thought... "

Fuck this guy.

Thena shook her head, deciding she was done with that train of thought. She put her more steely expression back on, covering up the vulnerability that had started surfacing within her. "He is unfortunately proficient in seduction. And I would hate for my sister to fall victim to his false promises."

Seriously, fuck this guy. Gil agreed, pulling his hands out of his jeans pockets, "y'know, people do say that I was in juvie all of last year. If you want I'm sure I could, uh, teach him a thing or two."

Thena laughed--actually, fully laughed. But it was hard to feel laughed at when it was such a nice one. "Careful, Gilgamesh, or I'll ask you to follow through on that."

"Well," he shrugged, "maybe I would."

Thena looked at him, although it was just in time to find his arms reaching around her. "What're you-?!"

"Relax, Princess, relax," he soothed as he settled his hoodie on her bony little shoulders. "And don't even try to pretend you're not fuckin' freezing."

She looked pretty ready to do just that until another breeze passed by. She clamped her lips shut, although the slight purse to them told him that she wasn't happy about it. But she did look awfully cute, swallowed up by his massive hoodie around her lithe little frame.

Gil stayed relatively close, but also a safe distance away. Enough that she could give him a good hard shove if she wanted to. And knowing what he knew of Princess so far, he was sure she would have no problem doing so if she wanted.

"You said people 'say' you were in juvie."

He looked at her, unable to hide that he was intrigued by her striking up a conversation for herself. "Yeah?"

"So," she looked up at him, the moonlight bouncing off those stupid green eyes of hers. "Where were you really?"

He looked around, rubbing the back of his neck. He almost wished he had found some of those beers which had drawn him here in the first place. Why hadn't he?

Oh, right--so that if he ended up running into Princess here, he could prove he was sober enough to drive her home.

"I have an uncle who lives in the next state over," Gil nodded his head vaguely, tugging at the sleeves of his t-shirt. It was a lightly chilly summer night, but her bird-boned-ladyship obviously needed his sweater more than him. "He messed up his leg and needed help around the house. So I went and stayed with him all last year."

Thena looked genuinely surprised, drifting closer with her arms wrapped around herself. "Why do you let people make you out to be this terrible horror, then?"

He raised his chin up at her, "why do you let people think you're a bitter harpy?"

Thena didn't even blink, and while he didn't feel good about the remark, he had unfortunately heard much worse to describe her. "I am."

"You are not."

"And you would know?"

"I think I know you better than you want me to," Gil rose to her challenge, as well as physically stepped in closer again. He could tell that she had used some sweet smelling shampoo before coming to the party. Or maybe it was perfume? He grinned, "Princess."

She glared at him for the pet name again, but they were a lot closer than they were a second ago. Her eyes bounced around his face, "are you really going to keep calling me that?"

His eyes drifted down to her lips and stayed there, "what should I call you?"

"You..." she paused, her eyes dashing away as the front door opened behind him. "Sersi!"

Gil turned as well, although he had to admit he was more annoyed at the interruption than he was happy to see the two stumbling through the door mid-makeout. He rolled his eyes, "really, dude?"

"Th-Thena!" Sersi gasped, parting from Dane with her lip colour all over his paler skin. "I was-!"

"Coming home," Thena finished, grabbing her sister and prying her away from her lover-boy, "before Father has us both deported to a nunnery."

"Bye Dane!" Sersi at least managed to wave as Thena dragged her away, presumably in the direction of her car. "Bye Gil!"

Gil returned the friendlier sister's wave. He saw Thena's head twitch in his direction but refuse to bridge the gap to look back at him. He sighed.

Dane cleared his throat, sheepishly shuffling over to him as he swiped Sersi's evidence off his cheeks and lips. "S-Sorry, Gil, I didn't-"

"Don't worry about it," Gil chuckled, although he may have slapped the back of Dane's shoulder harder than he really needed to. "I owe you one."

"Owe me?" Dane blinked, watching Gil watch the sisters until they were completely out of sight. "For...?"

Gil slipped his hands back into his jeans pockets with a smirk, "I gotta get my sweater back somehow."

[brelione]

Messy Christmas Party (Eternals X Reader)

It felt silly, sending out invitations after all these years.

But you still had a bit of hope

You made them look nice, smelling of pine with golden seals and pretty writing.

You included an address and a small map in case they had trouble finding your cabin along with a little PS saying not to feel pressured to come

The first answer you received was from Makarri. The leaves around your house were all mixed up and the snow looked as though it had been plowed through. It was more than safe to assume that she had decided to personally deliver her response.

Sersi was the second to write back and you could see how her excitement had translated into writing. The letters were messy and written down quickly, stating that she would be more than happy to come and that she would be bringing her fiance, Dane. 

The second response you received was from Gilgamesh. He said that he and Thena would be coming and they would be bringing a wagon of baked goods with them.

That put a smile on your face. Gil’s response had been very important for you. Of course you loved him but you also love his cooking.

Two more envelopes came in three days before Christmas. One from Kingo, stamped with a K and full of glitter so that when you opened it a trail of shimmer covered your pants. The second envelope was from Ikaris. It was short and blunt, saying that he might just drop in.

The day of the party you waited anxiously, still in your warm pajamas with a feast cooked up. Salads, a ginormous ham, fresh bread and biscuits, butter you had made yourself, juice, liquor, tea, coffee. Anything and everything. Christmas music plays throughout your cottage from a record that Phastos had sent you along with an indestructible record player. 

Makarri was obviously there first. Before the sun had even come up you heard a light knock on your door, the beautiful eternal on the other side. You immediately hugged her, excited to see eachother after so long. She plucked a hot biscuit from a plate, signing a review as she finished it. 

You didnt expect Phastos or Druig to show up. Really, going into this you tried to keep your expectations low just in case anyone forgot or just didnt feel like coming. But damn, did they deliver.

Phastos and his husband had come in a car that you couldnt recognize which meant that Phastos probably built it himself. It had no problem getting through the mountains and is that a flat screen tv and a snack bar in the back?

His husband had brought a loaf of blueberry bread,handing it to you shyly. You showed them around and told them to feel free to put whatever they wanted on the tv. Which for them meant watching Christmas Chronicles. Not a bad choice. 

Sersi, Dane and Sprite got there at 10 pm sharp just as the invitation said. Dressed in coats and scarves, Sprite lunging at you the second you opened the door. “Oh thank fucking god i’ve had to listen to them all day on the way here.”She says, kicking off her shoes and helping herself to blueberry loaf. 

It didnt take long for everyone to catch up, sharing their adventures and introducing spouses and making future plans. Somehow Dane ended up getting an invite to Phastos and Ben’s next spa trip since they all agreed that they needed some more time to relax.

Dane was a little too nice, complimenting everything about the house. 

Makarri scanned the pictures on your walls, waving you over when she saw a picture of Druig. Which shouldn’t be possible since cameras weren’t around the last time you all saw each other. It had been from twenty-something Christmas’ ago, faded and poor quality as he stared blankly at the camera with a Christmas hat clinging to his forehead. The one next to it made you grin since he had finally given up his act and burst into laughter.

Speaking of, a knock on your door pulled you away from the wall. Tall and in all black he stood in the doorway, a small smile on his face. “Really, you’ve outdone yourself.”He comments, stating he could hear the shouting of Christmas carols from a mile away.

Every time he looks anywhere you immediately feel yourself getting nervous, getting his attention elsewhere

Its 11:30 when you hear a loud thump from outside and a Scottish voice shout to open the door

A tree comes through before he does, Ikaris standing with a blank expression and a Santa hat on

“We aren’t dressing up, are we?”He asks as everyone laughs

He puts the tree down and goes to shut the door when I hand stops him, Gilgamesh and Thena coming through dressed to impress. Red and green velvet elves, not bad. And a wagon of treats and potatoes behind them as promised.

And its twelve when you’re all hushed by Makarri who feels the vibrations of more footsteps

Kingo.

Well, Kingo and six cameras.

“These are my friends!”He says, opening the door and stepping right in. “Kingo, the movie star. Cant step out of the spotlight for a second, can you?”Druig asks. Oh, leave it up to him to stir up family drama. 

Ikaris sits like an elephant in the room, not talking to Dane or Sersi, rather keeping to himself until you call time for the feast

Most of the sounds are then just the sound of chewing and laughter

Well, until someone throws a potato at Irish man

“Ikaris.”You warn.

You get many compliments on your cooking along with a lot of requests for you to cook all the time. “Really, why haven’t we gotten together more?”Kingo asks, swallowing a mouthful of corn. “Because we’ve been everywhere but together.”You respond. Silence fills the room, broken by Sersi. “So why not get together every couple of holidays? I’m sure your fans could wait, Kingo.”She says. “Well, I guess now’s a good time to mention,”Phastos says, gaining everyone’s attention. He looks to his husband for support, taking his hand as they explain that they are planning on adopting. Everyone is happy for him, even Ikaris although he seems to be slightly bitter. “And you’ll let me be the number one babysitter, right?”You ask. “No, that would be me.”Thena says softly. Phastos chuckles, pointing to you. “I’ve got you on speed dial for when I need it. And you could make a huge feast for the birthday party, obviously.”He says. “Obviously.”You repeat. “And maybe one for my birthday.”Dane says jokingly. You frown, nodding. “I forget that some of us here have birthdays, all more reason to celebrate.”You say, taking a sip of cider. “Well i just gave myself a birthday.”Phastos says. Sersi hums, nodding as well. “Me as well, for an instagram account.”Kingo replies. “Pick a good one.”Gil says.

“Well how old do you say you are?”You ask Kingo. “Thirty-five as far as everyone is concerned.”He says, making Sprite crackle. “No way in hell!”She shouts. “What? I don’t look thirty-five?”He asks. “Dane is 35.”Sersi says, grinning.

After the age discourse, you settled on a birthday. 9/3/93.

“That wont work, you don’t look old.”Sprite says, making everyone laugh once more.

Then came time for presents, not that they knew that of course.

A bag and a box for each of them. A first edition copy of Emma by Jane Austen for Makarri, a new green sweater for Sersi that you had made yourself, a gold ring for both Phastos and his husband with sapphire stones, an 1800’s painting for Dane, leather arm cuffs for Druig since he always liked to look cool and proper, some gorgeous emerald moon earrings for Makarri, art supplies for Ikaris, a new white gown for Thena and an old fashioned cookbook for Gil, bound in leather.

 ‘Now this, this is just divine.’Thena says, taking in every detail of the gown.

‘Fluffy raspberry chocolate dipped macarons, that sounds like something I should keep in mind.’

‘Did you make these rings yourself?’

‘Goats fur paintbrushes?’

‘Is this a vangogh?’

‘How’d you estimate my wrist size so perfectly?’

These earrings are fabulous

Let’s just say there were many more messy Christmas parties to come

With a little note at the end of the invite that said it was not in fact a bring your own Christmas tree event

@i-am-the-1930s  @thorinslittlebitch​  @uwiuwi  @slytherin-shitposts  @jordynanderson9 

[eternalowl]

Incorrect Eternals quotes part 3

Ikaris gets d e s t r o y e d in this because it’s funny

Thena, while entering a store: Why do they have door sensors outside of the exit door if you’re not even supposed to enter through there?

Gilgamesh: Probably because there’s the occasional idiot that walks through the wrong door.

Thena, dead fucking serious: Then just take the sensor away and let them run into the damn door.

Kingo: *is recording Druig struggling to husk a corn cob*

Druig: I swear I will throw this fuckin corn at your face if you don’t put your damn phone away.

Thena and Ikaris: *are about to beat the living shit out of each other in the kitchen*

Druig, running into the kitchen like a damn track star: WAIT!

Thena and Ikaris: *pause*

Druig: *quickly makes a bowl of popcorn and heads over to the couch to watch*

Druig: Okay, you may continue.

Ikaris: Today, two families will become one.

Druig, in an ominous voice: Two families enter, one leaves.

Sprite: Accurate yet terrifying.

Ajak: …The Wedding Games…

Sersi: May the bouquet toss be ever in your favor.

Phastos: I hate all of you!

Thena: Please don’t turn Gil and I’s wedding into the Hunger Games.

Ajak: BEAT HIS ASS RAINBOW DASH!

Kingo: I can’t believe you just said that…

Phastos: I don’t even want to know.

Sersi:, texting the others: There’s just this bird…

Sersi: In the Chicago airport…

Sersi: I’m going to name it Ravioli.

Thena: Is it on fire? No? Can it be solved with a fire? Also no? Does it have anything to do with cooking? Yes? Then leave me alone, I’ll just make it worse.

Gilgamesh: Hey, I’m heading to Australia-

Druig: Get me a kangaroo.

Gilgamesh: Why?

Druig: B e c a u s e.

Gilgamesh: No get your own damn kangaroo.

Kingo, running away from Ikaris for who knows why: Lemme tell you something, lemme tell you something-

Ikaris: *grabs a frying pan*

Kingo, screaming: Let mE TELL YOU SOMETHING-

Phastos: So, T, what’s your New Year’s resolution-

Thena: To start a revolution.

Sprite: Don’t you dare kill me! I have a family!

Murderer: And you think I care?

Sprite: That wasn’t a plea for mercy, that was a warning.

*sounds of cosmic energy, several explosions, screams of agony, and car alarms are heard in the distance*

Sprite: And it sounds like they’re almost here.

Thena: What happens if you press the gas and the break down at the same time?

Gilgamesh: The car takes a screenshot.

Phastos, who was just about to leave the Walmart parking lot: Get out of my car. Both of you.

Phastos: Please, Thena, don’t do anything overly violent.

Thena: You could sooner divert a river from its course than deny me my nature.

Sersi, deeply inhaling: Okay, let’s try this again. Mary had a little lamb-

Druig: Its heart as black as coal.

Thena: It crept into her room one night-

Druig: -and ate her fuckin soul.

Sersi: …

Kingo: Roses are red…

Kingo: Violets are blue…

Thena, threateningly holding a paint brush: Interrupt my painting again and I’ll fucking bite you.

Sersi: I stay in bed, I am warm. I get in the shower, I am warm. The distance between the bed and shower? No. That is not warm.

Kingo: So, if you die, how do you think it would happen?

Thena: Eh, probably old age.

Kingo: But- We don’t even age?

Thena: That’s my point.

Druig: *laughing manically after Ikaris makes a stupid mistake*

Druig: It’s funny how dumb you are.

Makkari: I always wear red to funerals. It’s my way of saying, “Hello, Death. Kiss my ass.”

Random person in an elevator: Your purse looks delicious.

Ajak: …

Ajak, ready to wack them with her purse: WHY DON’T YOU JUST EAT IT THEN???

Druig: Hey, wait-

Kingo: Sorry dude, there’s no space left in here.

Thena: We could throw Ikaris onto the roof.

Ikaris: How about we throw you on the damn roof.

Druig: I agree with Thena, now get onto the roof.

Ikaris: How about we put Gil on the roof?

Thena: *throws Ikaris out of the car and pulls Druig in*

Ajak: *closes the elevator*

Kingo, Sprite, Phastos, Druig, and Makkari: *waiting outside the elevator since they won’t fit*

Kingo, as soon as the door closes: *opens it and waves*

Ajak: *shuts the door again because she just wants to leave*

Kingo: *opens the door again and waves*

Ajak: *closes the door again*

Kingo: *opens the door AGAIN* You shall not leave.

Ajak:: *closes the door AGAIN*

Kingo: *proceeds to open it yet again*

Ikaris: Just let us fuckin leave!

Ajak: *closes the door, starting to get agitated*

Kingo: *opeNS THE FUCKING DOOR AGAIN*

Ajak, Ikaris, Sersi, Thena, and Gilgamesh: LET THE FUCKING DOOR CLOSE!

Ajak: *closes the door, ready to beat the shit out of Kingo*

Kingo: *finally lets them go*

Thena: I am fluent in many ways of kicking your ass.

Ikaris: GIVE ME BACK MY FUCKIN TWINKIES!

Druig: NO!

Phastos, to Sersi: Are they drunk-

Ikaris and Druig: SHUT THE FUCK YOUR MOUTH!

Kingo, watching a potato that’s attached to his ceiling fan: A potato flew around my room before you came-

Kingo, Ikaris, Sersi, Sprite, Druig, Phastos, Gilgamesh, Thena, Makkari, and Ajak, less than ten minutes later: *chaotic, bloody murder, unholy screeching*

Kingo: If you’ve knocked on a door, you’ve technically punched a house before.

Phastos: No-

Kingo: honk :D

Druig: WHAT

Kingo: HONK >:(

Druig: WHAT THE FUCK DOES HONK MEAN THIS TIME YOU WHIMSICAL PIECE OF SHIT???

Makkari, pointing to a strange creature: WHAT IS THAT???

Phastos: I don’t know! I remember reading something about it, but I forgot the name!

Makkari: NEVERMIND. I DON’T CARE WHAT IT IS, JUST HIT IT!

Sersi: IKARIS, GET THAT THING OUT OF THE HOUSE!

Ikaris: What? You’ve told me about how much you’ve been wanting a cat, then I found this guy! It’s fate, Sersi, FATE!

Sersi: IKARIS.

Sersi: THAT IS A RACCOON.

Sersi: Words ending in 'ie' just sound so adorable. Like cutie, sweetie, cookie-

Kingo: Eyy, homie!

Makkari: But then there's cootie...

Thena: Die.

Ajak: You fuckers don’t know about my knife stick. It’s a knife taped to a stick and it’s the ultimate weapon.

Thena: Spear.

Ajak: BLOCKED.

Ajak: I CHOOSE TO CALL IT MY KNIFE STICK.

Druig: I woke up today smiling because I saw Makkari and then I remembered that I’m still better than Ikaris.

Druig: Ajak, there’s a monster under my bed and it’s really ugly.

Ikaris, on the bottom bunk: Honestly, fuck you.

Makkari: Vegetable oil is made from vegetables, coconut oil is made from coconuts, so BABY OIL-

Phastos: CAN’T WE JUST HAVE A NICE FAMILY DINNER FOR ONCE???

Thena: *shatters a window and climbs through it*

Thena: *turns around and helps Sprite through it* Breaking and entering is wrong, Sprite.

Sprite: Okay.

Ajak: Is he stupid?

Thena, Druig, and Phastos, in unison: Yes, but he prefers to be called Ikaris.

Makkari: No thanks.

Makkari: I'm god.

Sersi, tearing up nearly every room in the Domo: WHERE ARE THEY???

Sersi, opening every cupboard after interrogating Druig: WHO MOVED THEM? WHO MOVED MY CHILDREN???

Sersi: SOMEONE MOVED MY M&Ms AND NOW I’M GOING TO START KILLING.

Ikaris, during the Emergence: What has this planet done for you? Why would you want to save it?

Sersi, Phastos, Makkari, Druig, and Thena, in unison: BECAUSE I’M ONE OF THE IDIOTS THAT LIVES ON IT!

Druig: Where are you going?

Ajak: To either get ice cream or commit a felony. I'll decide on the way.

Thena, looking at a dead phone: How do we bring this thing back to life? Magic? Live sacrifice? I know a guy in town-

Eros: What happened to Ajak?

Thena: She died.

Eros: She what?

Thena: She died, but she’s okay now.

Eros: …Can you please clarify?

Ajak the Almighty: Clarification is for the weak.

Druig, working at McDonald's: Sorry sir, we don't serve a McFuck here, so either you throw that one slice of pickle out or we're gonna have a McProblem.

Druig: Why are you burning our marriage certificate?

Makkari: Good luck returning me without the receipt.

Phastos: Ikaris, I don't like you.

Ikaris: What did you say?

Phastos: You heard me!

Ikaris, internally: And it turns out I actually didn't hear what the fuck you just said.

Ajak: Are you really planning to shoot the demon?

Makkari: Don't worry, it's a holy gun.

Ajak: How so?

Makkari: It makes holes.

Ikaris: I feel so burnt out.

Thena: Don’t worry, it'll be over soon.

Ikaris: Are you gonna... assassinate me?

Thena: Well not if you’re expecting it.

Ajak, about to jump over a canyon with the others in the back: Total lack of drivers training DON’T FAIL ME NOW!

Gilgamesh: I love you.

Thena: I love you too. I've waited so long to hear you say that.

*Gilgamesh and Thena kiss passionately*

Phastos, to Kingo: You owe me 20 dollars.

Ajak: What? I'm not aggressive!

Druig: Last Tuesday, you wacked me with a pair of sandals and stole my chocolate chips?

Ajak: Survival of the fittest, bitch!

Gilgamesh: Wow, Thena, you want to hold my hand before marriage? How awfully lewd of you.

Thena: We literally slept together yesterday and we’ve managed to convince everyone else that we’ve been married for the past few thousand years.

Gilgamesh: That's NOTHING compared to the lewdness of holding hands.

Kingo, after being buried in sand: I am the sand guardian, Guardian of the Sand.

Sprite, who is the one who buried him: POSEIDON QUIVERS BEFORE HIM!

Kingo, a few minutes later, screaming at a wave: FUCK OFF!

[healingagoddess]

Run

Request: maybe reader saving ajak from ikaris?

Warnings: English is not my first language. 

Pairing: Ajak/F!Reader

Taglist: @fivemillioneyes​ <3

Part 2 Part 3

_ ✽ _

You are not supposed to see Ajak today, she told you she needed to do something important and that Ikaris would be accompanying her. You still go to see her before they leave, you can’t help it. Especially when you live so close to her place and really want to say goodbye, you don’t know how long she’ll be gone. Your feelings towards Ikaris are complicated, you never told Ajak, but seeing Sersi so broken for centuries really left some thorns inside you. She is confused when she sees you pull up right before they left, rolling down the window you give her a soft smile before she nods with her head. You step out the car without a glance to Ikaris, you don’t know how to approach him and you don’t want to.

“We weren’t expecting company.” Ikaris says. “I thought we would be traveling alone.” He talks with that monotone voice of his, but you can tell there is something strange about him. Yet, you have not seen him since he left Sersi, and you don’t know what to think of it. You hold a hand up signaling him to shut up, something that can be interpreted as rude and as understanding. Not even a hello… you haven’t seen each other in centuries.

Putting your attention on Ajak you press your lips into a thin line, now you are feeling awkward in his presence. “Do you have everything you need? Will he fly you there… or?”

“What is this? A questioning?” Ikaris asks, you can see him clenching his jaw. “Does she know?”

“Ikaris.” Ajak warns with a soft tone, like a mother would do. You hate it when she acts like that with him. She keeps her eyes on you as she speaks, approaching you with quick steps. “You have nothing to worry about.” For a moment you are not sure if she is talking to you or him. “Everything will be fine.”

You nod, of course you trust her, she is more calculating and careful than you anyway. You sigh and frown. “I just wanted to see you before you left. I wanted to say goodbye. I’ll miss you.”  

She smiles and closes her eyes, she places a hand on your chest. “You are worried; I can feel it.”

“Text me when you get there? Wherever you are going.” You talk in that tone reserved only for her. You don’t care how confused Ikaris might be. She locks you in a hug, her mistake because now you won’t let go.

“I promise.” And she doesn’t look mad at all, you thought she wouldn’t approve of you showing up after she told you not to. And you pull away to offer her a smile that doesn’t reach your eyes before turning away to leave.

_ ✽ _ 

Somewhere on your way back home, as you are unnecessarily driving, you get an urging and restless thought that something is not right. You can’t get Ikaris’ glazy and cold stare out your mind, and you can’t figure out why. You know you have seen that look before, and it says danger… you just can’t remember why or you don’t want it to be like that. You start shifting on your seat, but the thought won’t leave your mind. You notice you are not even fully focused on the road, and you are only driving by memory of your body.

Sersi once told you to trust your instinct because out of them all yours was always on point. She said so after you predicted a swarm of deviants after having a bad feeling for days, your warning was not overlooked and you were able to protect the humans. Thena once said that you were gifted by Arishem with an extra ability that allowed you to foresee disaster and tragedy. Now you feel alarmed, and it is starting to consume you inside. But you still make it home, expecting to see Ajak’s message at any moment, she wouldn’t forget.  

Somewhere during the night, you lay still awake thinking of Ajak. It feels like you have been on a trance ever since she left. So, when you got that notification on your phone you quickly opened it and found yourself finally breathing of relief seeing a message from her.

                                     Today

Wifey: We arrived an hour ago. I’m settled for the night.

You: Will you be able to message me throughout the day?

No response, you want to sleep your worries off and close your eyes. Somewhere before dawn you get a new sense of alert that jolts you out of the bed. You don’t know what it means, but you need to find Ajak. You have no idea where she went, but you are so glad she kept her promise and messaged you. You are easily able to track her phone down, and you feel some sort of hope.

You are not as fast as Makkari, but you have the ability of speed. Just like Ikaris has more than one power, you do too. And you take off as fast as you can, tracking down the woman you love. Your leader. The feeling of danger never once leaving your body. It took you an hour to reach her, and when you did he had her cornered down to a hill. A frozen lake to her back, and white coating everywhere.

You hide behind a tree, the cold around you burns and all the white is blinding. You can’t hear them talking, but you can see her face and it almost breaks you to see her close to tears… and she embraces him? You are confused, but you don’t even have a time to react nor process what’s happening because he has just pushed her off the cliff. You scream and tears rush down your cheeks, and he turns to look at you with lasers shooting off his eyes. You hide your figure behind the tree, but you want to see her first. You take off after Ajak, you need to make sure she is okay and that you both can make it out of here.

You don’t expect to find her fighting off deviants, many of them, they are coming from everywhere and you quickly gain their attention as you crash into the ice landing on your feet. With the distraction you created, Ajak launches her body to grab a shotgun and she starts firing. You are so confused; the deviants were killed off a long time ago during that night. The deviants return their attention to her and they launch with claws and sharp teeth out, you speed off and start throwing them off of her. Using your replication, which is your main power, you are able to be everywhere.

You feel a hard blow on your back, and Ajak screams. As you turn around on the ground you see him floating and shooting lasers at your replicas. You groan in pain, and then you notice the biggest deviant you’ve ever seen emerge from the cave. You try to get up, but when you do the deviant has taken a hold of Ajak. You try to take a straight run to get to her, but Ikaris keeps aiming his lasers at you. Your replicas are trying to barricade your run, but he is quick and you have to evade.

You see something strange happening as the monster has struck Ajak with some sort of tentacles. And you scream, and you cry, and at this point you are taking Ikaris blasts without losing your balance. And you throw yourself at the deviant making it crash right back into the cave. Ajak is thrown into the frozen ground, and Ikaris is at your tail. You rush to help her, your replicas jump to barricade both of you, and you sigh of relief as you see her healing herself. Something seems to shift inside of you, finally taking in that Ikaris has betrayed both of you. You don’t understand why he is doing it, but you feel rage. The deviants are still there, and you have only managed to go around them and slam them around. You are not like Thena or Kingo, and you are not as strong as Gilgamesh, nor as fast as Makkari, but you know you can escape this.

Ikaris is such a coward, he won’t come down from his place above the ground. And while you are distracted watching him, thinking of a way to escape, you hear gunshots. You turn to look at Ajak and you find her firing at Ikaris. You can’t believe what you see, but you know she won’t hurt him because she has missed on purpose every single shot. And he takes off, like the coward he is. She finally looks at you, and her hair is all messy, she has blood in her thorn shirt, and she looks mentally exhausted. “Let’s get out of here.” You don’t hesitate to throw her into your back and take off at full speed, some replicas following you and some retaining the deviants.

You don’t take her back to the hotel, and you don’t take her back to your home. You only stop in the middle of nowhere in a very dark green forest knowing you both are safe now. Replicas withdrawing back into one within you. Neither of you say anything, the feeling of stopping feels strange as you both were in a high rush. Your skin feels electric and magnetic, and you start crying as you both embrace. “Ajak, what happened? W-Why?” You pull away to look at her, you want to make sure she is okay and alive. She looks like she’s been crying, of course she has, she was almost murdered by her golden boy. “I want to understand why.” But she remains quiet, only crying and holding tight against your body.

It takes a moment for her to compose, and when she does there is that look you have not seen in centuries. That look that tells you she is your leader and it reminds you of your mission in this planet, she feels so distant like that.

“We need to find the others. We need to talk.”

[hottpinkpenguin]

Dawn - Chapter III

Part of the Druig x Elena AU (see full AU list here)

Characters: Druig x Fem!OC (Elena)

Summary: Druig and Elena's honeymoon plans get interrupted by bad news and peril

Warnings: Eternals spoilers, implied sex

Special thanks to @bellejeanx for all things ideas, plot, & editing! ❤

Tags: @50svibes

Read Chapter I here

Read Chapter II here

“Druig, there are other patients in this hospital, you know,” Kingo said incredulously as he watched Druig seize control of another passing nurse’s mind, bringing her into the exam room to check on Elena for the fifth time that hour.

Druig watched the nurse as he let his powers relax and relinquished control of her own thoughts back to her. The nurse looked momentarily confused, turning back to the hallway looking for a clue as to how she ended up in this room with no memory or intention of doing so. With an unbothered shrug (‘long shift I guess,’ Druig heard her think to herself with a tired sigh), she checked Elena’s vitals. Druig relaxed slightly to see the nurse’s thoughts turn optimistic: ‘this little lady should be waking up any time’. After sufficiently examining Elena’s IV lines and casting a nervous glance around the room at the Eternals clustered there, somehow more conspicuous than ever dressed in human attire (‘weird bunch of friends she’s got,’ the nurse thought), she left the exam room.

Once she was out of earshot, Druig narrowed his eyes at Kingo. “I like you fine, Kingo, but I won’t hesitate to grab control of your head and make you jump out that window,” Druig growled back, gesturing to the large window at the end of the exam room. It was dark outside, the skyline of Manaus, Brazil glittering in the distance.

It had been almost sixteen hours since they’d arrived at the hospital under the false pretense of a car accident, and although each doctor and nurse who had examined Elena (either voluntarily or under Druig’s influence) was convinced she would make a full recovery, Druig could barely keep himself from disintegrating into impatience. Human medicine was torturously slow, and he felt Ajack’s absence all the more keenly, realizing how spoiled they had all become with her powers of healing always at the ready.

“Simmer down, you two,” Thena chided gently. She and Gilgamesh sat together comfortably in the corner of the room, Lyla asleep in Thena’s arms and Thena absentmindedly running her fingers through the little girl’s hair. Thankfully, Lyla had escaped the Deviant attack with no more than a scraped knee and a healthy dose of hysterics. Elena, despite Sprite’s rescue, had managed to break her ankle, three ribs, and concuss herself, not to mention the five stitches she ended up needing on her palm. Druig had vacillated between intense relief that she would recover and bottomless guilt for allowing her to come so close to death. Despite his friends’ assurance that there was no way he could have known about the Deviant, Druig couldn’t shake the feeling that there had to be some clue he missed.

“She’s still unconscious?” Ikaris strode into the exam room, holding a cup of coffee. Lyla startled viciously at his intrusion, letting out a small whimper, prompting a comforting “ssh” from Thena, who started rocking the traumatized little girl and humming an old lullaby the Babylonians had taught her.

That tends to happen when humans almost get killed by Deviants Makkari signed back, the sharpness of her motions matching the derisive tone of Ikaris’ voice. Druig shot her a grateful look, which she returned with a subtle half-smile. Ever since Makkari had rendezvoused with the group a few hours ago, Druig had been felt a modicum of relaxation. Makkari fretted over Elena almost as much as him, insisting on brushing the dried blood and mud out of her hair and changing Elena (with Sprite and Sersi’s help) out the scratchy hospital gown into a luxuriously soft bathrobe.

Ikaris ignored Makkari’s retort, crossing the room and settling against the windowsill next to Kingo. “Any word on Phastos?” he asked the room, taking a sip of his coffee, the strong smell permeating the room.

“Should be here by sunrise,” Gilgamesh answered.

Druig felt a surge of gratitude towards his fellow Eternals; they had all answered the distress call Sersi had put out from the Domo after the Deviant attack. Makkari had pushed herself nearly to the point of exhaustion using her powers to sprint all the way from Alaska, where she’d been trying to locate the site where the frozen Deviants had emerged from a few weeks prior for clues. Phastos, incapable of super-human speed like Makkari, had been forced to settle for human air travel.

“Druig.”

Her voice was clear as a bell, despite only surfacing from unconsciousness a moment before. Druig shot forward off his chair, practically tripping over himself to land next to Elena’s eyes as they fluttered open. Like two magnets, their eyes locked instantly, an hours’ worth of questions getting answered in the span of a heartbeat. He saw the residual fear of the Deviant attack slowly recede from her hazel irises as Elena drank him and her surroundings in.

“Mama!” Lyla, in a similar frantic scramble to her father, leapt out of Thena’s lap, running to the edge of the bed. Elena gingerly extricated one of her hands from the tangle of IV’s and blankets to grab Lyla’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Hello, my sweet girl,” she replied, her voice hoarse but joyful. Druig grabbed Lyla, settling her into his lap so she could have a better view of her mother.

“Be gentle, honey, Mummy’s still sore,” he reminded her. Lyla nodded obediently and softly played with one of Elena’s chestnut curls, just as Thena had been doing with her a moment before.

There was an obvious sigh of relief in the room as the others stood up and quietly exchanged words of greeting with Elena, not wanting to overwhelm her or distract from the family’s reunion. Makkari planted a soft kiss to Elena’s forehead, a soothing smile on her face. Thena and Gilgamesh nodded gently from the corner, also smiling at her.

“There she is: the only human dumb enough to try to jump in front of a Deviant,” Kingo announced, unable to resist an opportunity for comedic relief. Elena chuckled, immediately wincing at the pain in her ribs but nonetheless appreciative of Kingo’s joke. Ikaris inclined his head seriously, not rising from his perch on the windowsill.

Elena’s eyes finally settled on Sprite, who – unlike the others – had not perked up at Elena’s activity. She stayed in her chair, arms crossed and her eyes slitted at Elena.

“You’re a damn fool, you know that,” Sprite remarked, her tone irritable. There was a small hush as the others looked tentatively from Sprite to Elena, waiting to see how the interaction would play out. After a moment, Elena’s face broke into an amused smile.

“I’m glad I’m okay too, Sprite,” she replied, wincing through another soft chuckle. At first, Sprite’s harsh demeanor remained unchanged; but after a few moments, her composure began to thaw, and soon she was laughing loud enough for the both of them. Sprite stood up and gently ruffled Elena’s hair.

“Next time you decide to play hero, I’m asking for 24 hours’ notice,” she teased, earning a winning smile from Elena. Druig felt his body relax as the others retreated from the bed, letting him and Elena have their overdue reunion. Careful of the bruised cut along the hair line on her forehead, Druig leaned forward, neck craning over the top of Lyla’s head, and trailed a line of kisses from her brow to her lips. Elena let out a soft groan of contentment, breathing in his scent.

“Ugh, gross,” Sprite commented playfully from the side. This time it was Druig who chuckled. He let himself settle back into the chair, content to stroke Elena’s cheek gently as she started to speak.

“Where are we?”

“Santa Juliá hospital in Manaus,” Druig replied, readjusting Lyla on his lap as she leaned her head against his shoulder, eager to go back to sleep. Elena nodded her understanding.

“Ly?” she mouthed, not wanting to disturb the little girl’s rest. Druig nodded reassuringly, indicating that, although exhausted, Lyla was fine. Elena visibly relaxed into the hospital bed, smiling contentedly at Druig. The last knot of anxiety that had remained clenched in his stomach finally relaxed.

“Doctor says you should rest, but will probably be ready to leave tomorrow,” Makkari informed her. Elena nodded appreciatively, her eyes starting to look heavy as if on cue.

“Go to sleep, love,” Druig prompted her. She raised her heavy lids and gave another sluggish nod before sliding back into rest. Druig noticed that Elena’s and Lyla’s breathing cadences synchronized. Gently, Druig laid a sleeping Lyla down on the side of the bed away from the IV lines. Without opening her eyes, Lyla nestled against the soft bathrobe. Elena’s head reflexively turned towards Lyla. Druig forced himself to absorb that moment, and the sight of the two most important things in the world to him, both safe and comfortable after one of the most nightmarish few hours of his life. He tried to soak in every little detail and carve it into his memory: the way Elena’s hair framed her head like a halo on the pile of pillows behind her, the way Lyla’s hair looked braided (thanks to Makkari), even the irritatingly rhythmic blips and beeps of the heart monitor.

After Druig was satisfied that the memory would last, he turned his attention back to the others, who had been waiting for him patiently, and asked the question they’d all been thinking: “now what?”

*****

5 days later

Chicago, USA

Phastos’ house

“And you know this how?”

“Arishem told Sersi,” Druig replied wearily. He knew Elena was trying to wrap her mind around what he’d just told her - hell, he was too - but as much as he loved her, the smallest part of him wished she could understand the way the others did. Some parts of his existence as an Eternal just didn’t make sense to Elena. Normally, it didn’t bother him, because he knew there were parts of her life as a human that were beyond his comprehension too; but tonight, after everything that Sersi had told the others, it felt like pressing on a fresh bruise each time Elena asked him to repeat the information they’d been running over for the last hour.

“So there’s a giant… being here? On Earth? Just, what, buried underneath the ground?” Elena stood up and began pacing around Phastos’ guest room, her hands on her hips. Phastos had fashioned Elena a boot for her broken ankle that had given her the ability to walk painlessly again, and ever since Phastos had presented it to her earlier that afternoon she hadn’t stopped bustling around. Druig wished Phastos had waited a few more days before giving it to Elena like he’d asked and allowed Elena to rest - something Druig was quickly realizing she was very bad at - but Lyla had found it when she’d been playing hide-and-seek with Jack and the secret couldn’t be kept any longer. Druig watched Elena wear footsteps into the carpet and nodded wearily in response to her line of questioning.

“And it’s some sort of planet creator thing?”

“Elena, we can talk about this in the morning,” Druig ventured half-heartedly, hoping she would take the offer but knowing her too well to hold out any real hope. True to form, she snorted incredulously at him.

“Dru, you honestly think I can sleep after this? After you coming in here and telling me that you’re actually here to, what, bring forth this giant THING just living under Earth’s crust and-”

“Lena, please-”

“- it’s going to kill everyone when it comes out, your daughter included, I might add-”

“- I know, Lena, but please can’t we ju-”

“- and you learned all this because Sersi can talk to this thing’s, what, it’s father or something?-”

Feeling his nerves straining to the breaking point, Druig launched off the edge of the bed where he’d been sitting, his head in his hands.

“NOT TONIGHT, Lena!” His voice was loud, just shy of a yell, and its edges were sharp.

Taken aback by his sudden show of emotion, Elena fell silent and stopped pacing. Druig watched her face closely, watching a parade of emotions scroll through her eyes: first, startled, morphing into insult by way of surprise, flickering into indignation, irritation, and ultimately landing on rage. Druig had rarely seen Elena mad - even less so at him - but he felt his own patience rapidly vanishing. He knew he was reacting to the stress of the last week, and he didn’t want to take it out here, with his friends right down the hallway. Not with Lyla having just gone to sleep, and Phastos’ son Jack halfway through his own bedtime story. And certainly not on her, the one person in his world that made it worthwhile.

Biting down on his anger, Druig left Elena standing dumbfounded, waging her own inner war between rising to the challenge or taking the high road. He walked out of the room, down the hall (noting that the room to Sersi and Sprite’s room was suspiciously ajar, the two Eternals likely eavesdropping on the other side), down the stairs, and out into the backyard.

It wasn’t as isolated here as Druig would have liked, but it would have to do. He inhaled deeply; the air was crisp and refreshing. Although the reflected light from downtown Chicago blotted out the stars to human eyes, Druig gazed up at them, willing his heart rate to settle. He registered with a mixture of relief and anxiety that Elena hadn’t followed him out in the yard. That would have to be a problem for the morning.

“She’s just trying to square with the fact that her planet is destined to be obliterated, you know.” Druig hadn’t noticed Thena sitting on the railing of the deck, back against the siding of the house, one arm slung lazily over her bent knee, munching on a red apple. Her snarky comment - and the kindness with which it was delivered - immediately deflated what was left of Druig’s anger. He chuckled, shaking his head and running his hand sheepishly through his hair.

“Yeah, guess that makes sense,” he acknowledged.

“Go easy on her, Dru,” Thena encouraged, taking a noisy bite of her apple. Druig watched her, thoughtful. She sliced off a piece of apple with her conjured knife, its golden glow faint but warm, and offered it to him. He took it gratefully, focusing on the sweet taste and crisp texture. Thena waited silently for him to collect his thoughts. She knew him well enough to know he needed to talk.

“When I first met her, I really convinced myself that I could protect her by being in her life,” he started, eyes glazing over as he revisited those memories of his first few interactions with Elena. “I told myself that no matter what happened, it’d be better if I was there. I could keep an eye on her. Keep her out of the trouble humans so famously love to get into. Keep her safe.”

Thena inhaled deeply, her expression serious now, matching the heaviness of Druig’s emotions.

“You have kept her safe,” Thena pointed out after a few moments of silence.

“Thena, you and I both know that isn’t true,” Druig replied, his voice quiet and fractured with regret. “She almost died last week against that Deviant. Lyla almost died. And now…” Druig trailed off, searching for words. “Well… now I just told her that my entire reason for being is to usher about the destruction of her homeworld.”

Druig let his words drop like bricks. He stared at the ground, chewing on his lip. The weariness he’d felt a few minutes ago upstairs with Elena returned with a vengeance, yet somehow he knew he wouldn’t sleep tonight.

“Doesn’t matter,” Thena replied matter-of-factly, returning to chew on her apple with a casual air.

“Of course it matters, Thena,” he replied reproachfully, not in the mood to play games with her.

“To you, it does,” Thena conceded. “But not to her.” Thena gestured vaguely back towards the house.

Druig couldn’t make heads or tails of the point Thena was trying to make, and he was too tired to try and preempt her point. Jamming his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, he looked at her tetchily. Thena noticed his cross mood, and indulged his unstated request, cutting right to the point.

“Druig, we’ve all seen billions of humans live out their lives here on Earth. They were born, they lived, they died. Kings, Caesars, Pharaohs, Chiefs - we’ve seen it all. But not once in all those billions of lives have any of us found what you and Elena have.” Druig was surprised to hear a note of frank envy in Thena’s voice. It rooted him to the spot, the strength of her emotions bludgeoning her words past his defenses. “She loves you, Druig. My god, does she love you,” Thena laughed earnestly, shaking her head softly. “And you love her. And I guarantee, whatever she’s feeling right now up there, it’s not going to change what you two have.”

It was Thena’s turn to let her words drop. She sat in silence, both of them unmoving, letting the intensity of her emotions speak for themselves. Druig felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck as a soft breeze brushed through the backyard. In the distance, the sound of a dog barking and a car horn drifted lazily to his ears.

After a few moments, Thena - apparently satisfied with her speech - returned to chewing on her apple lackadaisically. Druig, however, wasn’t so quickly assuaged. He let Thena’s words burrow into his mind, the truth in them cutting through the dying embers of his anger.

“Here.” Thena interrupted his reverie with another offered apple slice. Druig took it, raising it in a small salute to Thena.

“Thank you, Thena,” he told her sincerely before retreating back into the house.

“You know, you’re the one who can read minds around here! Could have done this for yourself!” Thena reminded him sarcastically from the deck as he made his way back up the stairs and into the spare room. It was empty now, but the light was still on. Druig breathed a small sigh of relief to see that Elena’s clothes were still piled haphazardly around her opened suitcase.

“Lena?” he called softly.

“In here, Dru,” came his answer from Lyla’s room, a small sitting room directly adjacent to the guest room where Phastos had graciously set up Jack’s old bed for Lyla. Druig followed Elena’s voice into the sitting room. The blinds on the window were open and light from the streetlights outside poured into the room, illuminating Elena who had climbed onto the bed with sleeping Lyla. Carefully, Elena untangled herself from Lyla’s arms, tucking the girl back under the covers and strode over to Druig with purpose.

He half expected her to continue arguing with him, or punch him, or even walk past him; but instead, Elena’s hands flew to his neck, pulling him down into a long, hungry kiss. Druig hadn’t noticed how starved he’d been for her touch, the flurry of activity of the last week erasing any hope he’d had for intimacy. As soon as he felt her lips, soft and urgent, moving against his, he felt himself melt into her touch. He returned the embrace with equal ardor, his arms wrapping around her waist, taking care to avoid squeezing her broken ribs. Her eyelashes tickled his cheek, causing him to smile.

Elena took that opportunity to pull back, still hovering intoxicatingly close to his face. “Dru, I’m sorr-”

Before she could finish, he reconnected their lips, slower this time but with the same pressing want. A thrill ran up his spine as Elena let out a small groan of appreciation at the kiss, her fingers twirling the hair at the base of his neck in tantalizing circles. This time, it was his turn to pull away.

“We never did finish our honeymoon,” he whispered, a half smirk quirking up the corner of his mouth. He knew that smile drove Elena mad, and just as he had hoped, he heard her breath hitch in her throat. A wickedly devilish grin spread across her face at his invitation, and she nodded eagerly. Druig let his hands slide down Elena’s spine, over her backside, grabbing at her thighs and lifting her up in his arms. She obliged, hopping onto his waist, her legs hooking around either side of his body as they renewed their kiss.

Quietly, Druig backed out of the doorway of Lyla’s room, closing the door with his free hand, the other gripping Elena’s thigh to his hips. Gently, he laid Elena down on the bed, her hair fanning around her slightly flushed face just the way he liked. As he began to work on the buttons of her blouse, one stubborn thought flashed across his mind like a ticker tape: nothing would change what they have…

[taran-chan]

on a Wednesday, in a cafe (chapter 27)

Read on AO3

sunday lunchbox: croquettes, bingsu & fruit tarts

“I told you so,” Gil grins smugly.

“I didn’t think the rain would actually stop,” Thena admits.

“Ye of little faith,” he teases, rubbing his morning stubble against her cheek. Thena pays back by pinching his round cheeks, narrowing her eyes at the three sunny dolls swinging back and forth to the wind on his balcony.

“You dark wizard,” she mutters.

It rained heavily last night and didn’t let up long after they went to bed. Everyone thinks the Sports Event is tanked. In a last desperate effort, Gil tried to make a new sunny doll. Thena took interest in that so she put her book down and joined him. They made two dolls, and Gil brought his old one out as well and hung them all outside. When they wake up in the morning, it’s like the rain never happened.

“Do they only pray for sunny weather? Can they make it rain?”

“Sure, just hang them upside down. Why? You’re planning on praying for rain at some point?”

“Just asking,” she shrugs, locking her eyes with his, “Maybe I’ll use them when I want to share an umbrella with you.”

She bets her face is as red as his right now, but she couldn’t care less because this is the second time in three days that words escape him. It’s usually the other way around. She holds his face with both hands, rewarding herself by kissing him in a way that makes him moan and press her against the balcony, but his caring nature doesn’t forget to squeeze an arm between the railing and her lower back. When they pull back at the same time to catch their breaths, a silver string connects their lips.

After breakfast, Gil uses the shop’s kitchen to make their lunchboxes. Thena sits across from him at the kitchen counter and impatiently waits for her ride. She wants to lend Gil her car so he won’t have to take the crowded bus, and Ajak and Makkari have already gone with Sprite to school since early to support her, so naturally Thena will stick with Sersi, who’s nowhere to be seen.

15 minutes after their scheduled time, she hears a car horn from the backyard and spots Sersi waving at her over the fence.

“Wait, wait,” Gil calls out when she’s about to run outside, “Bring this with you. It’s hot out there.”

He gives her a bottle of iced pomegranate juice.

“When did you make this?” She asks in surprise. How does he find time to make a juice bottle between cooking breakfast AND lunch, she has no idea. He shrugs like it’s nothing.

“I always have time for you, Thena. Now go, I’ll be there before the relay race.”

“This is not fair, I was in the lead this morning,” she grumbles, shoving the bottle into her bag.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she huffs, kissing his cheek goodbye.

★

“Sorry I’m late!” Sersi exclaims and gives Thena a big hug when she comes close enough, “My car is broken so we had to go back to Steven’s house to get his car.”

“Where’s Ikaris? And Kingo?”

“Ikaris went to Kingo’s to try some of his new games, apparently they played all night and now they’re beaten. Just me and Steven.”

From the driver seat, the curly-haired guy nods at Thena shyly.

“That’s fine, let’s get going,” she nods back, “Ajak is nagging in our groupchat.”

Sersi gets into the passenger seat and Thena slides into the back seat. The first thing she notices is a blue hippopotamus plushie sitting next to her. It wears something like a golden tiara. As if Steven sees the way she’s looking at it funny, he starts to explain.

“It’s a present from one of my students.”

Thena just raises an eyebrow, still her fingers subtly playing with the hippo’s ears.

“You’re going to the Sport Events as well?” She asks.

“More like I’m there for the play. Hadestown?”

“He loves everything about history and mythology,” Sersi says, “He’s a history teacher.”

“You would get along with Sprite,” Thena observes.

“Nah, I’ve met her a few times and she has that intimidating aura, I’m afraid I might get bullied by a sophomore student,” Steven’s answer makes the two women chuckle.

He pulls over at the school entrance and Sersi immediately leans out the window to wave at someone. A few seconds later, Makkari runs to their car. She nearly stomps her feet in annoyance as she madly signs at them.

The second half of the game has already started! Do you know what time it is?

“Car problems,” Thena replies while Sersi hugs Makkari to apologize like she did with Thena.

Anyways, glad you guys made it. Let’s go! The competition takes place in the gymnasiums so we’ve got to run.

“I’ll go and park my car, see you in there,” Steven says.

Do you know the way?

“Yeah, no worries,” he signs back, “But save me a seat!” He shouts after Sersi. She’s been dragged away like a kite by Makkari.

“Alright,” Thena replies on behalf of her friends and follows them.

Ajak is sitting on the nearest bench to the floor, anxiously checking her watch and looking over to Sprite, who’s discussing strategies with her teammates. She competes in singles with a senior student and has won the first round, but she’s terribly distracted in the second. She’s losing and Ajak can’t help but think that telling Makkari to wait for the others outside is a mistake. It’s likely that Sprite’s spirit is down because they haven’t shown up yet, so the woman exhales a big sigh in relief when Sersi got dragged into the room by Makkari, and Thena is right behind them. She gets Sprite’s attention and points at the doorway. Her eyes follow the direction of her finger and widen. She practically throws herself at them, thankfully Sersi opens her arms to catch her just in time.

“I thought you weren’t going to come.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Thena snorts, still the blonde woman hugs her hello and rubs her head affectionately, “Sersi’s car is broken and we had to ask Mr. Grant for a ride. And Gilgamesh will be here later for your relay race.”

How’s the game? Makkari asks.

“The senior team is ahead now, 14-10,” she grumbles.

“That doesn’t sound like you,” Thena states.

“Yeah, I wasn’t myself in the last 15 minutes, thanks to some people,” Sprite narrows her eyes at them, and puts her racket on her shoulder, “But keep your eyes open and watch me win.”

That’s our girl! Makkari signs, then gives the girl her fiercest thumbs up, But if you lose, we’re still very proud of you.

“Thanks, but if I lost this round, I’d have to go for a third round. And I’m not going to let that happen.”

“Break a leg,” Sersi high-fives with her, but hastily calls after her as she turns away and runs back to her teammates, “And I didn’t mean breaking bones literally!”

They slide across the bench to where Ajak is sitting. She has saved their seats by spreading Sprite’s stuff and Makkari’s tart basket on the bench. There aren’t that many people watching anyway, most of them are on the football field to see the obstacle race for the freshmen.

The game continues. They nervously observe Sprite swinging her racket time and time again. Ajak shouts her encouragement while Sersi and Makkari are raising a banner they borrowed from Sprite’s classmates. Thena records the game with her phone so she can show Gil later, however Steven comes forward and offers to take over if she wants to join and cheer for Sprite, which of course she does. This time, the girl is able to pull up her scores to a tie. But what decides the final result happens when she’s waiting for her component to serve, Sersi yells louder than everyone else, “Com on, Sprite! If you lose, there will be a third round!”

Right after that, her attack moves become more aggressive and she scores exactly 5 seconds before the timeout bell buzzes. Ajak is so happy she has tears in her eyes, and Steven forgets his recording mission, jumping up and down frantically, his arms (still holding Thena’s phone) waving around in the air.

Sprite is drowned in a group hug from her teammates. She notices Ajak and the others are approaching and detaches herself. Thena smiles when she catches her words, telling her friends, “My family is over there,” and runs towards them.

They have half an hour to rest and get Sprite ready for the relay race, and after that is the 100 meters race for the parents, also the final competition of the event. They move to the football field. There are many students on the field already, wearing sports uniforms and gathering in large groups. The cheerleaders are doing cartwheels on the grass, despite the heat.

Sprite leads them into a temporary tent, which is already occupied by some other parents. There’s a table with water bottles and plastic hand fans with the school’s mascot. She quickly falls into a selfie spree with Makkari at a corner of the tent, while Sersi convinces Steven to stick with the group and join them for lunch.

“Is it really no trouble?” He keeps asking, “Gilgamesh gave us so many coupons, and you guys have been great customers to our family’s restaurant.”

“It’s all a fair trade, Steven,” Ajak smiles softly, “Besides, Gil always cooks a look, if you don’t join us, there will be leftovers.”

Thena listens to their conversation, wondering what Gil is cooking for today’s lunch. Back at the shop, she saw him preparing pork and scallops, with a lot of potatoes but she forgot to ask. She looks over to the football field’s entrance, her eyes scan the crowd and her lips quirk after a few seconds, “Finally.”

Gil is carrying a large icebox on his shoulder, looking up and down the area. She steps out of the shade and raises her arm. She can see his smile when he spots her and speeds up. She’s so busy staring at him that she almost misses Druig, who’s walking behind the chef with a picnic basket similar to Makkari’s, on his back is a black backpack. Druig is frowning all the way under the sun but his scowl fades the moment he reaches the tent, just because Makkari is waving at him.

“Take off your jacket, Druig, you’ll boil yourself with that black leather,” Ajak reminds him but he ignores her. He pulls Makkari into a big, long hug then signs at her.

“How's my beautiful, beautiful Makkari?”

Thena rolls her eyes, turning her attention back to her partner instead. He puts the icebox down and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. Sprite is sniffing the basket on the table, “This smells good. What’s in here? Some kind of fried food?”

Her hand is about to lift the lid but Gil quickly blocks it.

“Not so fast, you’ll earn it by winning first place,” he says sternly.

“Hey, don’t put pressure on my daughter!” Ajak scolds.

“It’s fine, I’ll show him,” Sprite says confidently, but then her eyes narrow, “By the way, I won first place in the badminton game. Medals and everything.”

“Then you can take a cup,” Gil grins proudly at the girl.

“A cup of what?”

He squats down to open the icebox, and they gasp excitedly. Among blocks of ice are a dozen colourful bingsu cups the size of a large drink. There are at least 3 different flavours. Sprite shoves her arm into the box and grabs a cup with strawberry sauce and big slices of bright red strawberries. Thena picks her beloved chocolate-flavour cup and Gil hands her a plastic spoon. She scoops up a spoon that has everything: shaved ice, chocolate sauce and chocolate chips. The smooth shaved ice turns out isn’t water, it’s iced milk, bringing a light creamy and sweet taste, so cold that several of them got brain freeze. Thick chocolate sauce enhances the sweetness, balancing with the bittersweet chocolate chips. In each of their cups, Gil has put a couple of pirouette cookies on top.

“You made all of this alone?” Thena asks. He’s holding a mango bingsu cup, it has both mango jam and fresh mango. He’s shaking his head, to answer her but also to chase away his brain freeze.

“I got a little help,” he says eventually, nodding at Druig. Makkari is teasing him by pretending to feed him bingsu from her cup, only to turn her spoon around and into her mouth at the last second, smiling smugly.

“What’s in here though?”

“Why? Are you hungry?”

She shrugs, “Just wondering if it’s what I think it is.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“If I remember correctly,” her forefinger draws circles on the back of his hand teasingly, “A few days ago I mentioned that I’d been craving for a fried dish, which you can make with potatoes, meat, and seafood.”

“Something that would make Kingo regret so, so much for not coming here today?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Exactly,” she laughs.

Just then, the president of the student council announces that the relay race is about to begin. Sprite pushes her half-eaten bingsu into Gil’s hand, “Hold this!” before dashing to her team’s gathering spot. She’s the fourth runner, also the last one.

“The mushroom is the finishing one?” Druig walks up to them, “That’s ought to be fun.”

Don’t underestimate her, she’s been practicing with me every morning, Makkari warns.

“Really? She didn’t work this hard last year,” Gil says, “It’s not that she needs to anyway.”

“She said she had to secure her victory, because Thena would be there to watch her,” Ajak smiles, touching Thena’s arm, “She really admires you.”

“It’s hard to imagine I’m someone’s role model,” she shakes her head, but a smile threatens to bloom on her lips as she looks at Sprite from across the football field. She can’t help it.

“Oh, I beg to differ,” Gil snorts, tucking a few strands behind her ear, “You’re one big important part of us.”

She returns his smile fully and he lowers his head to kiss her on the cheek as if to prove it further. Only seconds before the starting shot rings out and the field erupts in cheers, she catches Druig’s eyes. His expression is almost apologetic and at that moment, her heart sinks. She has a bad feeling about it.

★

Druig is waiting for her when she’s heading out of the restroom. The race is over and Sprite has preserved her championship. The parent’s race will take place at 2 pm, one hour from now, and the play will start at 5 pm. The rest of them are gathering on the ground behind the gymnasiums, where there are a lot of trees and shade to hide from the sun. They’re about to have lunch.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” He asks. There it is. There’s that apologetic look again. Uneasy feelings plague her, but she nods nonetheless. They walk to a secluded corner of the equipment storage. Druig opens his backpack and takes out a folder. Its size looks like a bad omen, and he confirms that with his following words.

“I wish there was another way, but I really need your help.”

He passes the folder of the case to her and starts to explain. It takes a few moments before she can understand what he’s saying. The more she stares and those words, the harder it becomes for her to breathe. Same circumstances, same type of victims.

“No!” She almost screams when Druig mentions “consultant” and “go back to the city”.

“Thena, please consider it,” Druig raises his hands up in an effort to calm her, pleading, “You won’t have to stand on court, I’ll take care of that. All you have to do is research and work this case with me.”

“Why me?” She demands, her voice low because of her repressed anger.

“You’re the only one who’s qualified enough for this,” he says, and at her bitter scoff, he adds, “The only one that I trust. Plus, despite what happened after that, you won the last case.”

She feels her panic rise up to her throat, choking her. Goddess of War. Victory after victory. She was too confident, nearly arrogant, and it was her downfall.

“Yes, a pathetic win,” she grits her teeth, “You weren’t there. You don’t know how chaotic that day truly was.”

“That’s why I need you! We can learn from it and work together so that it won’t repeat.”

At her deathly silence, he sighs, rubbing his face and avoiding her eyes.

“You know, I’ve always wondered, what would have happened if I had reached out that time and asked my boss to let us work together on that one,” he confesses, “It could have been different if I had carried some of the burdens for you. I understand that you don’t want to have anything to do with it. But at least consider it for a few days before you answer, okay? As a favor for me?”

Thena closes her eyes, her shoulders slump.

“If you had asked to be my partner at the time, my damn pride would have refused. I don’t blame you, honest. If you did anything differently, I might never be able to come back here and meet him,” her voice softens as she tries to breathe deeply, imagining the sound of Gil’s breathing. What happened cannot be undone. But if she refused, would she regret it later? What if this time will be different?

“How long do you think this is going to take?”

“A few weeks, a few months at most,” Drugs says quickly. He doesn’t dare to hope but is still glad because Thena wants to know more.

“I still have my current job.”

“We’re going to get in touch with your superiors and make arrangements. When the case is over, you can come back and continue to work.”

He tries to reassure her that everything would be exactly the same when she returns, but deep down he knows that’s not the biggest obstacle to overcome. Not even close. He isn’t blind, of course he’s seen how Thena and Gilgamesh are inseparable in the time he knows them, from the day he first found her in his shop, to the day they officially…together, till now. Forcing Thena to part from Gil, maybe for months, feels like stepping over the line, and wrong. He pretends he didn’t see her wipe away a frustrated tear on her face. She’s probably thinking about it too.

“When is the deadline to respond?” She asks.

“The end of next week, at most,” he swallows, “We have some paperwork to deal with so the arraignment will take place in the second week of July.”

She balls her hands into fists. Too soon.

“Look, I’ll sleep on it and get back to you soon,” she puts on her steadiest voice, “I promise. But you can’t say anything to everyone else. Especially Gil. If I decided to go, at least let me tell him.”

Druig nods, “Alright. I won’t tell anyone until you make your decision.”

Thena gives back the folder and they go in search of the others.

★

“There they are!” Sersi exclaims. All of them, including Steven, is standing under a large tree.

Hurry up, you two! We’re starving! Makkari’s exaggerated gestures can be seen from far away.

“Sorry,” Druig calls out as they climb up the small slope, “The school is too big, I was lost and Thena found me.”

“Are you okay?” Gil asks worriedly, his eyes fixed on her, “ You look pale.”

“I’m fine,” she swallows the big lump in her throat, “It’s so hot, I got a bit dizzy.”

“Come here,” Gil steps closer, taking off his cap and putting it over her head, “I’ll get you a drink. Then we should eat the croquettes before they become soggy.”

“Good idea,” she clings to his arm. She doesn’t want to think about Druig’s offer just yet, at least not now.

Thena picks one in more than two dozen croquettes. From the outside, it’s impossible to see which ones have pork and potato filling and which ones are scallops and mushroom, like Gil said there are. All are shaped into thick oval pieces, with a crispy yellow breadcrumbs coat. Only one way to find out. She takes a bite. The potato layer cools down enough but the ground pork stir-fried with caramel onions inside releases steam when it’s revealed. It’s perfectly seasoned and tasty as is without any sauce, but Gil made his famous tartar sauce and brought a bottle of salsa so she can’t say no to them either. The scallop and mushroom croquettes are creamy and melt right on the tip of her tongue. For some reason, it keeps the heat inside better than potatoes, so their mouths are burning up from taking a bite too big. However, Gil has the coleslaw ready. Just shredded cabbages and carrots, with some sweet pickle and corn, all mixed with mayonnaise and some other seasonings, but when served on a hot summer day, it’s addicting.

They have Makkari’s colourful tarts and Gil’s last bingsu cups for dessert. While the others are fighting for berries tarts or mango tarts, Steven just adores the lemon tarts. He looks so happy eating them that everyone gives him all of the sweet-and-sour tarts.

When they’re cleaning up the trash, they hear the announcement of the school’s speaker that the 100 meters race for parents is about to begin in 10 minutes, and the contestants should move to the starting line.

You’re going to win! Makkari is giving Ajak a pep talk, You’ve been running every morning with me and Sprite.

“Come on, you can do this,” Sprite adds, “You even purchased a new pair of shoes for the occasion.”

Ajak still looks pretty nervous, until Gil steps in front of her, patting her shoulders and says, “Just keep calm, no pressure, third place is good enough.”

Ajak pokes a finger at his chest, “I'll shove that 3rd place of yours where the sun don't shine. Let’s go, Sprite, Makkari!”

She leads the group toward the football field, ignoring how Sersi is patting Thena’s back, who’s having a coughing fit because she’s choked on water at Ajak’s reply. Druig only stares at Gil, he looks almost impressed. The chef rubs his hands together, picking up the icebox and the picnic baskets, his shit-eating grin never leaves his face.

“Works like a charm.”

They regroup at the tent. Sprite is pleading with Ajak while the older woman is tying her shoelaces.

“Do me a favor. If you win first place, please don’t embarrass me?”

Ajak straightens and puts her arm around Sprite's shoulders, her daughter is almost taller than she is but she pulls her close and stands on her tiptoes to kiss the top of her head.

“My dear girl, I will definitely embarrass you,” she smiles her warmest smile before taking her position. And embarrass her she does, with a gold medal no less. Well, it’s not like Sprite is expecting something else.

★

After the race, they watch the ending performance by the cheerleaders, and the head of the student council announces which year won the most competitions, then they’re going to release balloons with that year’s colour to the sky. Freshman year has blue balloons, sophomore year: yellow and senior year is red. It’s obvious that Sprite’s medals help the sky above the football field filled with yellow balloons. The whole time, Thena’s like a sleepwalker. Everything around her seems unreal and blurry. It’s not until they all enter the packed hall, sending words of encouragement to Sprite before taking their seats, that she is able to ground herself and everything stills again. That’s when Gilgamesh laces their fingers together in the dark.

She also realizes that she’s been subconsciously reviewing what she has done the last time, and what could be changed. If she has to be honest with herself, she’s already known what her choice will be all along, since Druig gave her that offer; she just doesn’t want to accept the fact that she has to leave her home and go back to where she has picked up what’s left of her and ran away. She thinks about Ajak’s words, how Sprite admires her. That 16-year-old girl, who not only won two sports competitions today, but also standing nervously backstage when her family watches the musical that she directs, what would she think if she found out the person she admires so much refuses to help a friend of theirs because she’s afraid that she might fail?

She squeezes Gil’s hand and he puts his head on her shoulder. His breaths are even, she doesn’t have to look to know that he’s nodding off, despite the loud and upbeat music. His hand is so warm, fitting with hers like two perfect pieces of a puzzle. Something twists in her chest; This is what she has to leave behind? She drops a kiss on his hair, then leans her cheek against his head, feeling all the more broken when it occurs to her that he’s the only one in this room who would see that she’s not okay, even if he just woke up, even when they’re in the dark. How is she going to tell him?

[starfriday]

DISNEY PRESENTS UPCOMING LIVE-ACTION AND ANIMATED MOVIE SLATE TO JAM-PACKED HOUSE AT D23 EXPO 2019

Studio Leaders and Filmmakers from Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Disney Live Action, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios Reveal New Details, Introduce Major Stars and Host a Stunning Performance at Ultimate Disney Fan Event

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Walt Disney Studios—including studio leaders and filmmakers from Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Disney live action, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios—wowed an audience of nearly 7,000 this morning at D23 Expo 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer, The Walt Disney Studios—joined by Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Disney live action’s Sean Bailey, Pixar’s Pete Docter and Disney Animation’s Jennifer Lee—offered guests a captivating look at Disney’s upcoming film slate, including never-before-seen footage and a host of stars, plus a spectacular performance from “Frozen 2” voice cast members Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad.

“You’re not just fans, you’re family,” said Horn to the packed room. “It’s because of you that we keep working so hard to make great movies, and we love D23 Expo because it’s where we can share them with you first.”

The presentation included the following highlights.

LUCASFILM

President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” director/writer/producer J.J. Abrams showcased the riveting conclusion to the Skywalker saga. Kennedy and Abrams revved up the audience, introducing nine stars from the film—many of whom marked this as their first D23 Expo appearance: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran and Billy Dee Williams, plus special appearances from R2-D2, BB-8 and the new droid D-O. A brand-new poster was revealed—and gifted to the entire audience. And all were given a look back at the incredible legacy of Star Wars storytelling and treated to a sneak peek of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which opens in U.S. theaters on Dec. 20, 2019.

MARVEL STUDIOS

Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, kicked off his presentation with a surprise visit from “Black Panther” director and co-writer Ryan Coogler. Together, they revealed that “Black Panther 2” (working title) will hit U.S. theaters on May 6, 2022.

Feige segued to next year’s “The Eternals,” inviting cast members from the much-anticipated film to the stage: Richard Madden, who portrays the all-powerful Ikaris; Kumail Nanjiani, who plays cosmic-powered Kingo; Lauren Ridloff, who portrays the super-fast Makkari, the first deaf hero in the MCU; Brian Tyree Henry, who plays the intelligent inventor Phastos; Salma Hayek, who plays the wise and spiritual leader Ajak; Lia McHugh, who portrays the eternally young, old-soul Sprite; Don Lee, who plays the powerful Gilgamesh; and Angelina Jolie, who stars as the fierce warrior Thena. Feige revealed concept art images of each character, and announced three new cast members and their characters: Gemma Chan, who plays humankind-loving Sersi; Kit Harington, who was cast as non-Eternal Dane Whitman, and Barry Keoghan, who portrays aloof loner Druig, and was on hand for the event. Directed by Chloé Zhao, who helmed the critically acclaimed Sundance film “The Rider,” “The Eternals” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 6, 2020.

Feige concluded with “Black Widow,” the Cate Shortland-directed first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which hits U.S. theaters on May 1, 2020. Feige shared a pre-recorded greeting featuring stars Scarlett Johansson, who reprises her role of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow; David Harbour, who was cast as Alexei the Red Guardian; and Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena. The audience was also treated to an exclusive look at the upcoming film.

DISNEY LIVE ACTION

Sean Bailey, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, took the audience through upcoming releases for the studio, including next summer’s “Jungle Cruise,” a rousing adventure inspired by the classic theme-park attraction. Star Dwayne Johnson, who plays riverboat captain Frank Wolff, entered Hall D23 aboard an original Jungle Cruise boat, introducing a “trailer” that showed off his character—so much so, that co-star Emily Blunt, who portrays Dr. Lily Houghton, arrived via classic car to share with fans her own “trailer,” offering a different perspective—Bailey laughingly informed Johnson and Blunt that neither trailer was official. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” hits U.S. theaters on July 24, 2020.

Bailey welcomed Angelina Jolie back to the stage to present exclusive footage and details about Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” the exciting follow-up to the hit 2014 film. Maleficent, portrayed by Jolie, and her goddaughter Aurora, played by Elle Fanning, begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies and new dark forces at play. Aurora’s imminent marriage to Prince Phillip is cause for celebration—however, Prince Phillip’s mother, Queen Ingrith, portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer, challenges Maleficent’s role as Aurora’s mother figure. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Connal, one of the leaders of the dark fey who becomes Maleficent’s ally. Ejiofor, Pfeiffer and Fanning were all welcomed to the stage by an enthusiastic audience. Directed by Joachim Rønning, who co-helmed 2017’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” arrives in U.S. theaters on Oct. 18, 2019.

Bailey next introduced acclaimed filmmaker Niki Caro, director of “Mulan,” the upcoming live-action reimagining of the 1998 classic animated film. Caro expressed to fans her passion for the project, sharing several minutes of footage from the epic adventure inspired by one of China’s fiercest warriors. In Disney’s “Mulan,” which opens in U.S. theaters on March 27, 2020, the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders. So, the eldest daughter of an honored but ailing warrior masquerades as a man, transforming into a heroic warrior to ultimately earn her the respect of a grateful nation and a proud father.

Next up, Bailey shared details about “Cruella,” an all-new feature film starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson. Stone, who plays the iconic “Cruella,” sent D23 Expo fans a greeting from the London-based set with help from a spotted, four-legged co-star. Fans also got a glimpse of an image of Stone in full costume with Cruella’s signature black-and-white hair. Director Craig Gillespie, who helmed “I, Tonya” and “The Finest Hours,” brings “Cruella” to the big screen on May 28, 2021, with a fresh, 1970s, punk-rock approach.

PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS

Pixar Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter guided the audience through Pixar’s upcoming film slate of originals. Docter began with next summer’s release, “Soul,” which he directs. The film journeys from the streets of New York City to the never-before-seen cosmic realms and “The You Seminar,” the fantastical place where we all discover our unique personalities. Producer Dana Murray, co-director/writer Kemp Powers and writer Mike Jones joined Docter on stage, and together they set up the film for the audience and shared a sneak peek. The team revealed members of the voice cast who joined them on stage, including Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Daveed Diggs, Tina Fey and Jamie Foxx. Foxx lends his voice to Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher whose true passion is playing jazz. Fey plays 22, a soul-in-training who has an unexpected encounter with Joe when he accidentally finds his way to the “You Seminar.” Together, the two are going to find a way to get Joe back to Earth, making him think again about what it truly means to have soul. Filmmakers also revealed that globally renowned musician Jon Batiste will be writing original jazz music for the film, and Oscar®-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, will compose an original score that will drift between the real and soul worlds. Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” opens in U.S. theaters on June 19, 2020.

Docter next introduced director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae, who shared details and more than ten minutes of exclusive footage from Pixar’s upcoming feature film “Onward.” The movie, which opens in U.S. theaters on March 6, 2020, stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt as two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left in the world. Set in a modern fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” is inspired by Scanlon’s personal experiences with his brother. Holland, Pratt and Julia Louis-Dreyfus—who voices Mom in the movie—joined the filmmakers on stage—much to the delight of the audience, who all received an exclusive “Onward” poster.

WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee presented an overview of the studio’s next two features, beginning with the Thanksgiving 2020 fantasy-action-adventure, “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Directors Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins (“Big Hero 6,” “Frozen”), producer Osnat Shurer (“Moana”) and writer Adele Lim (“Crazy Rich Asians”) joined Lee on stage to set up the film, which introduces Raya, a lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra who teams up with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world. The D23 Expo crowd was the first to get a look at the new film, viewing an exclusive three-minute piece. They also met two newly announced members of the voice cast: Awkwafina lends her voice to Sisu, the Last Dragon, who was left on Earth in case dark forces return to the world, and Cassie Steele voices the lead character, Raya. Exploring themes of community and hope, and inspired by the beautiful and diverse cultures of Southeast Asia, the fantasy-action-adventure “Raya and the Last Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 25, 2020.

Lee, who directs “Frozen 2” with Chris Buck, and wrote the screenplay, invited Buck to join her on stage as the Oscar®-winning duo revealed new details about the upcoming film, which opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22. Lee and Buck introduced two new “Frozen 2” cast members: Sterling K. Brown, who voices Lieutenant Destin Mattias, and Evan Rachel Wood, who voices Queen Iduna, Anna and Elsa’s mother. The crowd—who received an exclusive D23 Expo “Frozen 2” poster—saw never-before-seen footage of the new characters, including a scene that featured Wood as Iduna singing to young Elsa and Anna. The song, “All Is Found,” is one of seven all-new original songs by Oscar®-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The audience also saw a sequence from the movie that showcased Elsa’s yearning for answers about the past, culminating in another song, “Into the Unknown.” And a climactic performance of the song “Some Things Never Change” by Menzel, Bell, Groff and Gad brought the audience to its feet, capping off the studio presentation in extraordinary style.

[creepykingdom]

Disney Unveils Upcoming Film Line Up at the D23 Expo

The Walt Disney Studios—including studio leaders and filmmakers from Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Disney live action, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios—wowed an audience of nearly 7,000 this morning at D23 Expo 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer, The Walt Disney Studios—joined by Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Disney live action’s Sean Bailey, Pixar’s Pete Docter and Disney Animation’s Jennifer Lee—offered guests a captivating look at Disney’s upcoming film slate, including never-before-seen footage and a host of stars, plus a spectacular performance from “Frozen 2” voice cast members Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad.   “You’re not just fans, you’re family,” said Horn to the packed room. “It’s because of you that we keep working so hard to make great movies, and we love D23 Expo because it’s where we can share them with you first.” The presentation included the following highlights.

LUCASFILM President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” director/writer/producer J.J. Abrams showcased the riveting conclusion to the Skywalker saga. Kennedy and Abrams revved up the audience, introducing nine stars from the film—many of whom marked this as their first D23 Expo appearance: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran and Billy Dee Williams, plus special appearances from R2-D2, BB-8 and the new droid D-O. A brand-new poster was revealed—and gifted to the entire audience. And all were given a look back at the incredible legacy of Star Warsstorytelling and treated to a sneak peek of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which opens in U.S. theaters on Dec. 20, 2019.

MARVEL STUDIOS Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, kicked off his presentation with a surprise visit from “Black Panther” director and co-writer Ryan Coogler. Together, they revealed that “Black Panther 2” (working title) will hit U.S. theaters on May 6, 2022. Feige segued to next year’s “The Eternals,” inviting cast members from the much-anticipated film to the stage: Richard Madden, who portrays the all-powerful Ikaris; Kumail Nanjiani, who plays cosmic-powered Kingo; Lauren Ridloff, who portrays the super-fast Makkari, the first deaf hero in the MCU; Brian Tyree Henry, who plays the intelligent inventor Phastos; Salma Hayek, who plays the wise and spiritual leader Ajak; Lia McHugh, who portrays the eternally young, old-soul Sprite; Don Lee, who plays the powerful Gilgamesh; and Angelina Jolie, who stars as the fierce warrior Thena. Feige revealed concept art images of each character, and announced three new cast members and their characters: Gemma Chan, who plays humankind-loving Sersi; Kit Harington, who was cast as non-Eternal Dane Whitman, and Barry Keoghan, who portrays aloof loner Druig, and was on hand for the event. Directed by Chloé Zhao, who helmed the critically acclaimed Sundance film “The Rider,” “The Eternals” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 6, 2020. Feige concluded with “Black Widow,” the Cate Shortland-directed first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which hits U.S. theaters on May 1, 2020. Feige shared a pre-recorded greeting featuring stars Scarlett Johansson, who reprises her role of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow; David Harbour, who was cast as Alexei the Red Guardian; and Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena. The audience was also treated to an exclusive look at the upcoming film. DISNEY LIVE ACTION

Sean Bailey, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, took the audience through upcoming releases for the studio, including next summer’s “Jungle Cruise,” a rousing adventure inspired by the classic theme-park attraction. Star Dwayne Johnson, who plays riverboat captain Frank Wolff, entered Hall D23 aboard an original Jungle Cruise boat, introducing a “trailer” that showed off his character—so much so, that co-star Emily Blunt, who portrays Dr. Lily Houghton, arrived via classic car to share with fans her own “trailer,” offering a different perspective—Bailey laughingly informed Johnson and Blunt that neither trailer was official. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” hits U.S. theaters on July 24, 2020.

Bailey welcomed Angelina Jolie back to the stage to present exclusive footage and details about Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” the exciting follow-up to the hit 2014 film. Maleficent, portrayed by Jolie, and her goddaughter Aurora, played by Elle Fanning, begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies and new dark forces at play. Aurora’s imminent marriage to Prince Phillip is cause for celebration—however, Prince Phillip’s mother, Queen Ingrith, portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer, challenges Maleficent’s role as Aurora’s mother figure. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Connal, one of the leaders of the dark fey who becomes Maleficent’s ally. Ejiofor, Pfeiffer and Fanning were all welcomed to the stage by an enthusiastic audience. Directed by Joachim Rønning, who co-helmed 2017’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” arrives in U.S. theaters on Oct. 18, 2019. Bailey next introduced acclaimed filmmaker Niki Caro, director of “Mulan,” the upcoming live-action reimagining of the 1998 classic animated film. Caro expressed to fans her passion for the project, sharing several minutes of footage from the epic adventure inspired by one of China’s fiercest warriors. In Disney’s “Mulan,” which opens in U.S. theaters on March 27, 2020, the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders. So, the eldest daughter of an honored but ailing warrior masquerades as a man, transforming into a heroic warrior to ultimately earn her the respect of a grateful nation and a proud father.

Next up, Bailey shared details about “Cruella,” an all-new feature film starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson. Stone, who plays the iconic “Cruella,” sent D23 Expo fans a greeting from the London-based set with help from a spotted, four-legged co-star. Fans also got a glimpse of an image of Stone in full costume with Cruella’s signature black-and-white hair. Director Craig Gillespie, who helmed “I, Tonya” and “The Finest Hours,” brings “Cruella” to the big screen on May 28, 2021, with a fresh, 1970s, punk-rock approach. 

PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS

Pixar Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter guided the audience through Pixar’s upcoming film slate of originals. Docter began with next summer’s release, “Soul,” which he directs. The film journeys from the streets of New York City to the never-before-seen cosmic realms and “The You Seminar,” the fantastical place where we all discover our unique personalities. Producer Dana Murray, co-director/writer Kemp Powers and writer Mike Jones joined Docter on stage, and together they set up the film for the audience and shared a sneak peek. The team revealed members of the voice cast who joined them on stage, including Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Daveed Diggs, Tina Fey and Jamie Foxx. Foxx lends his voice to Joe Gardner, a middle-school band teacher whose true passion is playing jazz. Fey plays 22, a soul-in-training who has an unexpected encounter with Joe when he accidentally finds his way to the “You Seminar.” Together, the two are going to find a way to get Joe back to Earth, making him think again about what it truly means to have soul. Filmmakers also revealed that globally renowned musician Jon Batiste will be writing original jazz music for the film, and Oscar®-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”), from Nine Inch Nails, will compose an original score that will drift between the real and soul worlds. Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” opens in U.S. theaters on June 19, 2020. Docter next introduced director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae, who shared details and more than ten minutes of exclusive footage from Pixar’s upcoming feature film “Onward.” The movie, which opens in U.S. theaters on March 6, 2020, stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt as two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left in the world. Set in a modern fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” is inspired by Scanlon’s personal experiences with his brother. Holland, Pratt and Julia Louis-Dreyfus—who voices Mom in the movie—joined the filmmakers on stage—much to the delight of the audience, who all received an exclusive “Onward” poster. WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee presented an overview of the studio’s next two features, beginning with the Thanksgiving 2020 fantasy-action-adventure, “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Directors Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins (“Big Hero 6,” “Frozen”), producer Osnat Shurer (“Moana”) and writer Adele Lim (“Crazy Rich Asians”) joined Lee on stage to set up the film, which introduces Raya, a lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra who teams up with a crew of misfits in her quest to find the Last Dragon and bring light and unity back to their world. The D23 Expo crowd was the first to get a look at the new film, viewing an exclusive three-minute piece. They also met two newly announced members of the voice cast: Awkwafina lends her voice to Sisu, the Last Dragon, who was left on Earth in case dark forces return to the world, and Cassie Steele voices the lead character, Raya. Exploring themes of community and hope, and inspired by the beautiful and diverse cultures of Southeast Asia, the fantasy-action-adventure “Raya and the Last Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 25, 2020.

Lee, who directs “Frozen 2” with Chris Buck, and wrote the screenplay, invited Buck to join her on stage as the Oscar®-winning duo revealed new details about the upcoming film, which opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22. Lee and Buck introduced two new “Frozen 2” cast members: Sterling K. Brown, who voices Lieutenant Destin Mattias, and Evan Rachel Wood, who voices Queen Iduna, Anna and Elsa’s mother. The crowd—who received an exclusive D23 Expo “Frozen 2” poster—saw never-before-seen footage of the new characters, including a scene that featured Wood as Iduna singing to young Elsa and Anna. The song, “All Is Found,” is one of seven all-new original songs by Oscar®-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The audience also saw a sequence from the movie that showcased Elsa’s yearning for answers about the past, culminating in another song, “Into the Unknown.” And a climactic performance of the song “Some Things Never Change” by Menzel, Bell, Groff and Gad brought the audience to its feet, capping off the studio presentation in extraordinary style. About The Walt Disney Studios For more than 90 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music, and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. About D23 Expo 2019 D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, games, theme parks, and celebrities. For the latest D23 Expo 2019 news, visit D23expo.com. Presentations, talent, and schedule subject to change. To join the D23 Expo conversation, be sure to follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and use the hashtag #D23Expo. About D23 The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. It gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year. Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($99.99), Gold Family Membership ($129.99), and General Membership (complimentary) levels at D23.com. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

(Film Images Courtesy of Disney / Panel Images Courtesy of Getty Images)

[softquietsteadylove]

HI!!!

it’s been a long time since the last doctor au. Can we get something new, please?

Thena eyes the woman chatting up her Gilgamesh. He's making friendly conversation, she knows. But the woman is obviously aiming for more than just friendly, the way she keeps laughing and smiling and putting her hand on his arm.

She has no one to blame but herself, Thena knows. The hospital fundraiser has been scheduled for months, and she's the one insisting their relationship remain secret from their coworkers. And of course Gil agreed, because it's Gil.

But watching women be all over him all night has been one hell of a just desserts. She takes a sip of her drink. Gil catches her eye and makes a bit of a face. He shrugs, which fits into the woman's story enough that she doesn't notice. But he's apologising to her - Thena - for it.

But she has no one to blame but herself.

Maybe the secrecy is overrated. She looks over to the dance floor, where Sersi is happily tucked into her husband's embrace as they sway to the music. They seem to make it work. Thena doesn't know how someone as sweet as Sersi is with someone as bullheaded as the orthopaedic specialist himself. But maybe the same could be said of her and Gil.

Thena tosses back the last of her champagne and walks straight towards Gil's table. This is why people don't like her socially--she's overly direct, chilly, has no bedside manner when it comes to her colleagues. She stares at them, "mind if I cut in?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Not at all," Gil smiles though, and it's all the assurance she needs. He even pulls out the chair next to him for her.

His visitor visibly and audibly scoffs and rolls her eyes. Thena thinks she recognises her from HR or accounting or some other level of administration. She gets up in a huff anyway. Thena seats herself, tugging her dress around without a thought to the delicacy of the material.

But Gil sorts out the skirt of it more nicely. He even lets his hand brush the side of her leg where the slit allows him to. He sneaks his eyes up to hers, "you look beautiful."

She's glad that woman got up in a huff as she feels her face warm up several degrees. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

Because he helped her get ready, after they'd had a few good rounds in her bed, and before arriving in separate cars. Still, he compliments her, because of course he does. He swirls his own champagne, looking quite smart in his dark green suit.

All the doctors are in tuxes, but she likes how this colour brings out his eyes.

"Are you making any good connections?" he asks, like any of their colleagues would. It's as much a night for them to have off as it is for them to schmooze wealthy benefactors into donating to the hospital.

"None," she deadpans, and he laughs from his belly in response. She loves his laugh. "You?"

He snorts and throws back the last of his flute. "No one even knows us."

"That's not true," she nudges his arm as she leans back in her chair in a very unladylike way. She gestures, "Kingo knows how to work a crowd."

True, the man of the hour is in the centre of a circle of people listening to his stories. She's quite sure he's trying to convince someone to write a medical drama about his stories as an EMT.

"Well, I'm no Kingo," Gil shakes his head at his partner, not that they would have him any other way.

Thena spares a furtive glance around them, although most have moved on from the tables to search for more finger food or hit the dance floor. She risks brushing her hand over his casually, "you're better."

Gil matches her energy, though, letting his hand cup hers for just as brief a moment, "you're in a good mood tonight."

She can say it's the booze, but she's only had the one glass. It's not to her taste, but it's part of the atmosphere. "When was the last time we got a night off to do this?"

He gives her a grin that's a little mischievous on the tail end. "Our first date?"

She looks away again, because sometimes these little moments still make her feel like she's liking him from afar again. "That was a good night."

"Our only date, in some ways," he corrects, although there's no malice or ill will behind it. Even though he would love to have more proper dates to their name as a couple.

Thena sighs, though, because he deserves that. He deserves to go wild to his romantic heart's desire, no matter how overwhelmed it makes her feel. She leans forward against the table, "Gil-"

"Oh, Gil!" a shrill voice singsongs over the music.

Thena scowls as her whole body knots up. His friend is back, and she's brought company. "Eros."

"Thena, darling, looking ravishing as always," the self-proclaimed 'god of love' himself grins at her. He is one of the doctors in a full blown tuxedo. "Gotten any donations?"

"No, no one donates to an emergency room unless it guarantees benefits to them personally." The two newcomers look at her uncomfortably but it's true; no one ever donates to the emergency room because it's for the public, not for the highest insured patients.

"Well, what if I make a donation?" Eros grandstands, putting on his most winsome smile and even reaching into his suit jacket pocket. Does he really have his checkbook just...in there?

Thena points, "admin will take it."

The woman gets tired of playing this game. She sidesteps Eros to put her hands on Gil's shoulders. "Oh, enough business! It's time for you two to take to the floor."

Gil just stares. Just because he's big doesn't mean he likes getting climbed on like a children's jungle gym. He shakes his head faintly at her; he's asking what to do.

Thena sighs. That's why she brought Eros with her; he's a distraction to keep her from stealing Gil's attention again. Stealing attention from her own partner is an amusing thought. But she hasn't had enough to drink for it to be thoroughly entertaining.

The woman backs up as she stands. She and Eros watch as Thena grasps Gil's tie, pulling it out from his suit jacket and using it to turn his head and drag his lips to hers. She even makes a dramatic little moan just for them.

Gil is happy to oblige. He responds, sliding his hands up her body in the way that's familiar to them. They were doing exactly this a few short hours ago. When they part he doesn't even look to see if their audience has stuck around. "Thought you'd never ask, honey."

Thena keeps her hold on Gil's tie as she moves towards the dance floor, abandoning her clutch on the table. There's nothing in it but her phone and, well, a few contraceptives (in case Gil got ahead of himself on the way home).

"Y'know, sweetie, I have no complaints," Gil voices as he closes the distance and fixes his tie again. "But you could just ask."

She sighs as they turn towards each other to dance properly. He pulls her against him as her temper simmers itself dry. "I got the feeling she wasn't going to take no for an answer."

"Well, she would have had to," he assures her, even as they begin swaying to the music. She doesn't really know how to dance, but he takes the lead, holding her hip and her hand out in his. "Although watching my girlfriend grab me like that will probably haunt her for a while."

"Good," Thena mutters darkly, still off-put by the memory of her latching onto Gil's shoulders (like she has any right).

"Are you sure?" he whispers, still holding his head up if she wants more discretion. "If she doesn't have everyone knowing before we leave for the night then Eros certainly will. I wouldn't be surprised if he's crying to HR right now."

She does laugh faintly at the mental image of Eros snotting and whining like the little boy he is. "We're technically in different departments."

Gil chuckles, "guess you're right. But I'm asking you."

He's asking if she really wants to go public, or if she wants to deny their claims to the very end. Because he'll be with her, if she does, because of course he will.

Gil is receptive as she leans up to kiss him again. Maybe she can - somewhat! - understand what people see in the romance of it all. Swaying to music, Gil's arms around her, kissing him without a care in the world. There is something that makes the pleasure centres in her brain explode with euphoria.

"I'll take that as a yes," he smiles at her, even swaying a little more in his elation.

She tries to keep her head held high instead of shrinking away from the people observing them during their own dances. She clears her throat, pretending she can't feel how hot the tips of her ears are. "If it keeps her off of you, then yes."

He bends his head down, kissing the side of her neck. But it's not any invitation to mischief or show of dominance. He emerges again and kisses her on the forehead. "Can I tell those orderlies that check you out all the time that you're my girlfriend, now?"

She smiles, because it's Gil, and their relationship is no different now than it's been for the past several months. "You don't tell them I'm your wife?"

"Oh, I do," he answers instantly, and now she laughs. And sometimes when she laughs, she catches him looking at her in a way that makes all of her insides feel like jello. "But everyone knows you're my wife. Not everyone knows you're my girlfriend."

That is true. They were long ago anointed work husband and work wife. People are used to it, and it somewhat muddies the waters on what their relationship to each other actually is. And Thena will not be un-muddying them any time soon.

She moves Gil's arm more around her for herself, tucking herself into his chest in a way that makes moving more awkward instead of easier. But he folds around her comfortingly, happy to shift from foot to foot rather than really dance. "Then all the world can know I'm your partner."

She sighs as he presses a kiss to the top of her head, "I like the sound of that."

There's no going back from this. She always says that their personal lives have no place in the hospital. But she can't think about any of that, drowning in the endorphins this one man overtakes her brain with every time he smiles. And she has no one to blame but herself.

[softquietsteadylove]

Can I have your headcanon of Thenamesh in the movie pleaseee? 💌🫶 love yaaa😘

Original Thenamesh headcanons! I've got plenty, let's talk.

So...Arthur proposed. He had been in love with Thena for plenty long enough of course, and everyone just kind of thought...oh, that's...cute. Gilgamesh just laughed and laughed. He thought it was adorable, like when little kids say they'll get married when they grow up or something. Arthur did not like being laughed at in this situation.

Sprite did make up the Epic of Gilgamesh, but she added the bit about him being a tyrannical king and huge asshole after he ate some dessert she had been saving. Gil felt really bad that this would go down in history but he agreed to let it go. Thena did not; she threw Sprite into the ocean the next day. They can't drown, keep in mind, but Sprite doesn't like swimming.

None of them are great swimmers. The movie shows that they can, but really they should all sink like stones. Sprite, Druig and Phastos are the worst, but Thena isn't much better, just kind of claws and flails around.

Thena did manage to help Gil with the Deviant that found them all the way out in Australia. It was the first time she had fought in literal centuries but Gil got in somewhat of a tight spot and they pulled it off. So, when Sersi says "even Ikaris couldn't kill it" it really is funny. The old married couple handled it just fine.

Everyone thinks Thena was the one who sewed Gil's frilly cute apron, but Thena doesn't know how to sew. Gil sewed the initial 'kiss the chef' and the face. Thena told him he should add a personal touch to it, and then he added the flowers.

Thena is still a restless sleeper by nature, but if she's dealing with the aftermath of an episode, she's like a cat drugged up for a flight. She'll close her eyes and fall right asleep. Gil just picks her up and moves her when need be. She'll wake up eventually.

Thena loves tending to all the lizards she finds. She's like a princess in a fairy tale, except instead of cute little furry creatures they all have scales and cold blood. She doesn't get along with snakes, though.

Gil is always trying to discourage her but there's at least one or two scaly dudes hanging around the house. In fairness, she has let him take in a pet a few times throughout their hundreds of years together. It's not all the time, though. They die so quickly, and he gets sad about it, so she only says yes once every fifty years or so.

Ignoring certain events in the movie, Jack and Thena and Gil get along great together. Jack and Thena really do vibe. He thinks her powers are cool, and she doesn't dress up her words or keep things from him just because he's a kid. Likewise, Thena can tell pretty easily what Jack is thinking or feeling. The first time he calls her Aunt Thena is the first time she experiences cute aggression and wants to pinch his cheeks. She pinches Gil's instead.

They spend some time travelling after everything rather than rebuild the house right away. They do hit Fiji, and plenty of other places. Thena doesn't do well with cars or boats or anything but Gil gives her a little something for her nerves and lets her sleep. Dane freaks out when he sees her taking an entire bottle of benedryl but Sersi tells him it's fine, it's just for the train ride.

Thena and Dane get along surprisingly well. Dane grows more confident the more he can get used to her, and Sersi and Gil are just happy their partners are getting along. Thena thinks Dane is funny, and Dane actually kind of likes how direct and dry Thena can be.

The more they're out in the real world, the more Gil learns that men these days have the audacity. Thena is getting not just flirted with but harassed constantly, and he is not here for it. He's always been Gilgamesh "my wife" the Strongest Eternal, but it's time for him to truly enter his my wife era.

It takes a lot for him to get drunk, but also alcohol isn't the same as it was hundreds of years ago. Gil learns what shots are and starts challenging people to arm wrestling. Sersi tells him he can't because he'll kill them, or at best rip their arms off.

They travel the planet for quite some time, spending some with their family, maybe even a few years depending on the place. Then they're off again. Eventually they wonder if more of the galaxy is worth seeing too.

[softquietsteadylove]

Thenamesh taking the subway for the first time! And some drama! pls?

Dane sat in unbearable silence with the woman next to him.

He and Thena were getting along, as far as Sersi could tell him. And he did enjoy Thena's company--she was calm, maybe a little cold, but he was getting to understand that none of her bite had teeth to it. And she seemed to find him funny.

He also knew that she wasn't doing well with most modes of transportation. She and Gilgamesh had apparently travelled by train as much as possible on their journey. Planes were too confined and too high risk, as it were.

He had been prepared to walk clear across London to meet up with Sersi and Gilgamesh, who were perusing the various food markets while Dane got some grading done and Thena rested through the morning and early afternoon.

It would take them literal hours but he was prepared for it.

Thena herself had said there was surely a faster way to get to them, and not to hold back on her account.

Now, they were seated together on the tube, in the least crowded car possible. They were through four stops already, and still had to make one transfer and then go through another six.

Dane cleared his throat. He wasn't entirely sure how to converse with the Warrior Eternal. She never struck up conversations on her own and he wasn't sure what would even be relatable to her, let alone not insufferably dull or passe for a person of her age--experience, maybe; he knew they didn't have any age at all.

Thena looked up as the lights grew dim. Dane looked at her instantly, watching for any small signs of trouble, "something is wrong."

He didn't ask for more. He knew her senses were capable of more than anyone else's. He made no attempt to placate her worries, either.

Not a few seconds later the car went dark before the emergency lighting shone faintly.

"Dammit," he murmured, looking out the window at the completely pitch black side of the tracks. They weren't even within site of the next station. "Power surge or something--we'll be stuck here until they can get the cars moved."

"Dane."

"Shouldn't be long," Dane sighed as he tried to see out the other side as well. No one else was panicking, which was a bit of a relief. "This does happen from time to time."

"Dane."

"We'll be on our way in no-"

"Dane!"

"Time," he muttered, catching the faint gold running under Thena's skin. Her eyes were closed, but he had been told that if he ever saw a flicker of white in them, he need do only two things: get Gilgamesh, and get away.

The car creaked under the dead weight of its load. Thena flinched.

"Okay, all right," Dane said gently, sitting next to her again. She was folded in on herself much more tightly than before--he should have taken more note of her posture. "Hey, Thena, are you all right? Can you breathe?"

She nodded, and indeed he could see the rise and fall of her shoulders, the clench of her throat.

"T-Tell me-" he gulped. Tell him what?--how to help her? Was there truly anything a mortal man like him could do?

She shook her head.

Dane pulled out his phone; no service, of course. He sighed, budging closer until his knee could knock against hers gently. "Thena, can you tell me what you need?"

Her throat tightened and her lips pinched together, something akin to a whimper escaping from her.

Gilgamesh: what, or who, she needed was her husband.

"Right," Dane sighed, still hovering close to the woman. He looked around him warily at the other civilians around them.

"Is she okay?"

He looked over, an older woman looking at them in concern. He gave her his calmest smile. "My sister-in-law, she gets...panic attacks--claustrophobic."

He looked at Thena again, afraid to worsen her struggle. He inhaled, "what if I talk? Something to focus on?"

Thena nodded, moving her own trembling hands to her head.

"Okay, yes, talk," Dane gulped and nodded to himself. His throat had never been so dry in his life. "Uhm, so, I-"

Thena growled from within her throat.

"Sorry," he sighed. Why had they split up? Even if just Sersi were here, she could calm her sister down. Better than he could, at least. "I'm sure you wish Sersi were here too."

Thena waved her hand at him.

Yes, Sersi--oh, Sersi! He leaned forward, "S-Sersi, yes, t-talk about Sersi?"

She nodded.

"Right," he let out a somewhat easier breath. "Well, we, uhm, we met almost four years ago now. She gave a presentation at the school and, well, I suppose I fell for her rather quickly."

"It's terribly cliche, but it's true," he chuckled, remembering the day he first laid eyes on the unearthly - oh, the irony - beautiful woman. "Even more unexpected was how much we had in common, and how she asked if I'd like to get coffee some time."

"I thought to myself, surely this woman is way out of my league. Surely she has some long-term partner I just don't know about yet."

Thena smacked his shoulder.

Right, no Ikaris talk; Dane rubbed his arm. "Sorry--anyway, we had such a great time talking about history and natural science that I suggested we get together again. And I suppose...it went from there."

"Sersi just...never gets tired of it all. Especially knowing now how long she's been here, I can't fathom how she still has so much wonder for the little things. But she takes nothing for granted--she loves the sunrise, and loud rain, and watching birds. She doesn't squish bugs who find themselves where they shouldn't be."

"Early in our relationship, we were on a walk in a public garden. There was a butterfly exhibit, and she told me that 'an old friend' of hers used sign language, and that her sign for Sersi was like a butterfly."

"Anyway, we were on our way out when we saw a butterfly on the leaf of one of the trees by the entrance. It was quite far from the butterfly exhibit and my guess is that it was swept away by the winds or something--poor thing."

"And Sersi," Dane sighed, a smile coming over him at the memory. "She held out her finger, and the butterfly made itself right at home with her. I've never seen anything like it, but it settled in her palm and moved its wings a little."

"We walked to lunch and that butterfly just sat there. At one point she took a strawberry out of her salad for it. Then, on the way home, it had finally recovered itself and...fluttered off."

"I'll never forget what it was like to see such a delicate life form so comfortable with another," Dane finished softly. Thena was holding herself much less tightly than she was before, he noted with some relief. "The next date we went on I got her a little trinket--just a silly little thing. Glass butterfly she could keep on her desk. Just-"

"It's on her shelf at home."

Dane blinked. Even before they had gotten stuck, Thena hadn't spoken since descending the stairs into the station. "I-It is?"

Thena nodded, looking up at last. Her eyes were green. "She keeps it next to the gift Ajak gave her on her wedding day."

Well that certainly was a place of honour, involving her ex-husband or not.

Thena looked up and over at something, Dane doing the same, even knowing it was futile. He looked back at her. "Something is coming."

He couldn't sense what she was, but he noticed a faint light travelling under them. He assumed it was safety precautions installed by the station.

"She's transmuting."

Dane blinked again. He knew that was what they called Sersi's power. He still didn't know every little detail of how they worked, and Sersi was more than tired of him asking her. But transmutation was the best word for it: transformation of one state of matter to another.

The lights came on and the car lurched as its systems booted again. The small crowd within let out a collective sigh of relief. Although not at full speed, the subway car did at least slowly slide into the next open station, where a crowd of people was both awaiting its arrival and anxious for those inside.

Dane startled as the doors rattled, being gripped and ripped open from the other side.

"I told you to use restraint!"

"Thena?!"

The Warrior Eternal rose and went right to him, letting their rescuer pull her into his arms as she buried her face in his chest. She sighed, "you're here."

"I'm here," he whispered to her, kissing the arch of her cheek and sending that golden glowing away.

Dane eyed the dents in the metal door where Gilgamesh had pried it open like wet cardboard. He cleared his throat, pulling it as far back as it could go and standing in front of it, "please, everyone, this way."

Sersi did the same with the other door, "everyone off, just in case it...shuts down again."

Gilgamesh pulled Thena off the modern contraption and to the side as the crowd filtered off the car and a station inspection crew replaced them. "Come on."

Thena settled into Gil's side as he led them away from the crowd and the congested stairs leading in and out of the station. She breathed in the scent of him.

Gil ran his hand over her hair as he turned to Dane, "you guys okay?"

He nodded, offering his sympathies in a weak smile, "certainly tried--I'm no substitute for the real thing."

"He did well."

Gil beamed, taking his wife's word and kissing the top of her head. He looked back at Dane with that same grin, "sounds like you did a hell of a lot better than 'tried'."

"I'm sorry," Sersi ran her hand down his arm, "I'm sure it was stressful being stuck in there."

He had never been more stressed out in his life. He shrugged, "we were all right, I think."

"Well, let's get above ground at least," Gil suggested, still with his bag of loot on his other arm. "Fresh air?"

Thena nodded against him, still quiet after their close call.

Dane looked at his girlfriend, "what did you do?"

Sersi gave him a somewhat sheepish smile, "copper is a much better conductor of both heat and electricity. Gil and I heard that a car had been stopped due to a power outage. He ripped the fuse box open and I turned all the wiring to copper."

Dane shook his head; she made it sound so simple.

"I changed them back already," she huffed in her own defense.

Dane just chuckled, taking her hand in his as they trailed behind his in-laws, "careful, love, or you'll make the news again."

[softquietsteadylove]

For the Thenamesh doctor AU. There is this patient (adult or kid) who has a mental breakdown and nobody can calm him down. So Thena calls Gil and ask him if he can give it a try :)

Maybe you can put a soft moment in the end?

"Gil?"

"Hey Honey," he grins at her, dropping his sandwich and wiping off his hands. He frowns at the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

Thena nods her head for him to come with her, which he does in an instant. "Husband of a patient in surgery. He's utterly beside himself and no one can get him to calm down."

"No one?"

"Not even Ajak," Thena pauses and looks up at him before they cross into the waiting room, "not even Sersi."

This is bad. Gil looks through the window of the swinging door and back to her. "And you think I can help?"

Thena shrugs one shoulder and looks up at him. He can't be sure, but he swears she's trying to look extra cute. "Well, you're the best at calming patients on the way here."

"That's-" he pauses, looking down as she rubs the zipper of his hoodie between her thumb and finger.

"I always find your company very soothing."

Dammit. She has to know how cute she is--she just has to! Gil sighs, "I'll try."

He pushes through the door and walks over to the man with his whole head in his hands, weeping and gasping for air. Sersi is beside him, speaking softly in that gentle accent of hers. But if not even she - the GP known for being as gentle as a butterfly - can calm him down, Gil really doesn't know what he's supposed to be able to do.

Thena must have told Sersi she was going for him specifically, though, because Sersi catches his eye and nods him over.

"Gil, this is Mister Wells. He's waiting for his wife to get out of an emergency bypass."

"Hi there," Gil begins gently, sitting in the seat Sersi vacates for him as she returns to her work. He leans forward in hopes of getting a look at the poor guy. "I'm a paramedic here at the hospital. Your wife is in surgery?"

The man mumbles something, still holding his head in his hands and now pulling faintly at his hair.

"Listen, I know you've been told a million times that we're doing everything we can, but," Gil pauses. It's true, sure. But that doesn't mean anything to this poor man. This poor bastard who is beside himself, sitting out here, unable to do anything. "But I guess I can't really promise you anything, huh?"

The absolutely haggard man finally pulls his head up and looks at Gil. At the very least, he definitely heard what he said, because he looks nothing short of aghast. "They sent you to comfort me?"

"I know," Gil shrugs, his hands in his hoodie pockets as he moves. "But my...someone asked me to come and talk to you. So I did."

His eyes run over Gil critically, "and what makes you so special?"

"Well, nothing, I guess," Gil purses his lips momentarily. "I'm not even a doctor, so I'm not really obliged to have any bedside manner or anything."

"I'll say."

"But," Gil pauses, his smile fading. "A few weeks ago...I guess I found myself in a situation a little like this. Nothing quite as serious, but...sure did scare me."

The older man finally looks at Gil--really looks at him. He sits up just a little, looking somewhat more like a human and less like a broken shell of a man. "Yeah?"

Gil nods, still haunted by the sight of Thena under that car. "Have nightmares about it and everything."

Mister Wells thinks for a second, sidestepping the question of what actually happened. "How'd you get through it?--the wondering, I mean. How'd you get through the...the what ifs?"

Gil takes a deep breath, thinking about the feeling of Thena's freezing cold hand in his and how she had let just a few tears slip out. "I...I guess I couldn't really get all the way there. I couldn't fully imagine what my life would be like without her."

Tears come to the poor man's eyes as he starts to curl up again. "I-I don't know-! I don't know what I'll do without her!"

Gil just pats the man's shoulder, letting him cry. He's sure that's all he would be capable of if Thena...

He had said those exact words to her; he had told her that nothing would happen to her, because he was there. But he didn't actually have that power to guarantee that. He would have put his very life on the line to do so, but sometimes things just don't work out that way.

It is true: he has had nightmares. Dreams of walking into the hospital and feeling something wasn't right. Looking for someone he can't name and yet whose absence he feels like a hole in his chest. He's had dreams of her dying in his arms, under that car, in the rain, and the cold, and him trying to help her entirely in vain.

"I can't tell you either," Gil offers, rather lamely, if he's being honest. Which he is. "But I can tell you that she'd tell you she loves you."

He looks at Gil again. "What?"

"She would tell you she loves you," Gil can guarantee. "And I'm sure she wouldn't want you out here tearing out the rest of your hair over it."

Wells gives Gil a look, which only encourages him.

"Look, I don't know what I'd do without Thena either," he professes entirely truthfully, hand - out of his pocket - to his heart. "But while she was in her surgery, I thought about all the things I love about her."

Finally - at long fucking last - the guy smiles a little.

Gil smiles too. "I thought about her laugh, about what jokes make her smile and which ones make her slap me on the arm."

Wells almost chuckles at that one.

"I thought about how I would tell her how beautiful she is, and how I can't imagine a single day without her."

The greying man nods, tears in his eyes, a smile on his face. Gil has finally found the right chord to strike.

"I thought about all the time we've had, all my favourite things about her," Gil sits back again, "and then, just like that, she was out. She was right in front of me again."

Wells sniffles a little, blinking away the last of his tears. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Gil nods. "And I guess I should promise that it'll happen for you too."

Wells shrugs. He knows just as well as Gil does that there's no such guarantee.

"But," Gil shifts uncomfortably. He hasn't let himself think about this much since it happened. Why would he? "But if she...if she hadn't..."

Wells doesn't press him.

Gil leaves the statement as it is, but looks up and smiles at him as best he can. "I think I'd just keep thinking all that stuff. I would think about her every second, of every minute, until the day I die."

Both men nod, a level of understanding passing between them that far exceeds any well wishes or empty promises. Gil has offered what he can, and nothing more.

Wells extends his hand, which Gil shakes firmly. "Thank you."

Gil raises his brows, "I don't know if I can say I'm happy to help, but I'm glad I got to talk to you."

"I-"

"Mister Wells?"

Gil stands with him as Eros comes into view. He's not Gil's favourite of their co-workers, but the guy knows his way around a heart.

The Brit pulls off his mask to give the man a smile, "your wife has pulled through rather beautifully, sir. She'll be back in her room by the time you get up there, then I'll come see you about the plan moving forward."

Gil catches Wells before he can collapse to the floor in relief. Gil tries to keep the completely boneless man upright and nods to the surgeon, "thanks, man."

Eros offers Gil a stiff nod and leaves.

"Hey," Gil gets Wells back in his chair and pats his back. "Hey, it's okay. Everything worked out."

He nods, at least, his head in his hands again, although at least the tears are happy this time.

"Come on, you've gotta get hydrated," Gil pats his shoulder, offering his arm to help the man to go see his wife (and any water coolers they can find along the way).

"Th-Thank you," he pats Gil's arm as they shuffle along in elation.

Gil smiles at the man, happy he can go tell Thena all the good news. And finish his sandwich. "I'm happy I could help, sir."