#but also because Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing is from Padua

[softquietsteadylove]

can you write thenamesh The Tourist AU pls? if you can’t/don’t want to it’s totally alright i love your work anyway <3💌

Gil just stared. He couldn't believe it, and he was seeing it. But this woman - the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on in his life - just...sat right down. He looked around a little, trying to see if she had mistaken him for someone else. But she was looking right at him. "Uh, h-hello."

"Hello." God, even her voice was gorgeous. He closed his lame little spy book on the table between their seats. "I'm Thena. What's your name?"

"Gil."

"That's a terrible name."

"It's the only one I've got," he shrugged sheepishly, and she smiled. This was different from the smile she had sat down with, too. This was more genuine seeming (cuter). "It's short for Gilgamesh."

"Hm," the woman's eyes dashed down to the table for a second before coming back up to him. "Better."

It was still the only name he had. "So, uh, what brings you to Venice?"

She eyed him, and then those killer eyes floated a little away from him too. She still seemed to be looking for someone, even if he was the one on whom she had settled. "Meeting someone."

"Ah." Of course--of course the positively stunning woman was already meeting someone. Probably a husband, if not a very handsome partner. He watched as she peeled her gloves off.

She didn't have a ring on. "And you?"

"Hm?" he blinked, still borderline dizzy from the appearance of this woman in his life.

"What brings you here," she paused, her perfect lips forming his name before it was spoken aloud, "Gilgamesh?"

"Just Gil," he corrected her and then immediately shook his head. She smiled again, though--that more real one. He smiled too, somewhat encouraged. "I'm just a tourist, really."

She tilted her head at him. "Just a tourist?"

Gil blushed faintly, fiddling with the worn and frayed edge of his book cover. "I teach."

"Here for summer break, is it?"

"Something like that," he chuckled, looking at her hands again. It was entirely possible that she simply didn't feel the need to wear one. Or perhaps they had been together so long it was a formality. But he couldn't help but tilt his head right back at her.

"What?"

He shrugged, shaking his head faintly. "Look, far be it from me to ask a lady this. But you seem...I dunno, a little lonely?--or something."

But she smiled at him again, although it was back to being that faker one. It did seem a little sad, though. "Aren't we all?"

He was a single teacher taking a train to Venice alone, who was he to talk? "Yeah, I guess we are."

"Wife?"

Definitely not. "Nothing of the sort. You?"

She looked down at her hands too, and maybe the lack of ring was not entirely by choice. "That has yet to be seen."

Were they going to be engaged? Or maybe was she was going to break things off, offer some dramatic ultimatum.

"Invite me to dinner, Gil."

He liked how she said Gil. It sounded so gentle and warm off her lips. Truly stunning lips. He cleared his throat, "would you like to have dinner?"

"Don't phrase it as a question."

"You said ask you to dinner."

"I said to invite me to dinner," she countered, and hints of the smile were returning. She was a woman who knew what she was after (god he liked that). "Try again."

He laughed, but sure, he gave it another shot. "Have dinner with me."

"Too demanding." Okay, now he was pretty sure she was just having some fun with him. "You are not summoning me. Again."

He sighed and rolled his eyes, and he did get a more genuine laugh out of her. Y'know what?--so long as she was having fun, maybe this wasn't so bad. "Uh...dinner?"

"Still a question," she borderline teased him. She leaned forward in her seat faintly, "once more."

One more shot to have dinner with the woman of his dreams. He straightened up in his seat, rolled his shoulders back and tugged at his sports coat. She seemed to respond to this, mirroring his posture. "I'm having dinner, if you care to join me."

Now the smile was back, and in full force. She smiled with all her teeth, which was really cute. She had a very pretty smile for an even more beautiful face. But he got the distinct impression there was a lot more to her than her looks.

"I would be delighted."

"Well then," Gil nodded, tapping his fingers against the edge of the table and its white table cloth. He still didn't know what made her come over to him, and ask him to dinner (or ask him to ask her to dinner, more like). But he smiled, "shall we?"

"Lets," she agreed. She was waiting for him to make the first move again.

Okay, sure; Gil stood, adjusting his plain old blazer and tugging at the sleeves to make sure they were straight. He was a little underdressed compared to Thena in her stark white dress and fancy gloves. But he held his hand out for her, "madame?"

"Enchante," she smiled, slipping her hand into his to stand as well. Her eyes darted around a little over his shoulder but perhaps he was being paranoid thanks to his silly spy book. "Have you had the food board?"

"From Padua to here," he nodded as he led them in the direction of the dining car. How she walked in those heels was beyond him, even if the train was pretty smooth a ride. "It's not bad."

"Padua," she mused and them grinned at him again, "you really are a tourist."

He pinked again, and he was beginning to think she just enjoyed flustering him. "Where are you coming from?"

She did that thing where she kind of scanned behind around them again before answering, "Paris."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes, "overrated. And you call me the tourist."

She tugged at his sleeve faintly, as if to admonish him, "you're the American."

He chuckled, "guilty."

"Not yet," she whispered as she moved in the train aisle to walk ahead of him. He was about to ask her about it when she turned back to him, "are you ready for this?"

He wasn't entirely sure what she was asking about, but he was damn ready to find out.