#he's going to go to Phastos' office and be like have I got some TEA

[softquietsteadylove]

in the break up au, they are technically not in a relationship together. So I was thinking what will happen if gil walk into a bar (or wherever you want), and see thena going on a date with someone else. The worst part is she SEEMS like she likes that guy a lot.

thank you!!!

Gil walked into the museum light on his toes--okay, he was practically skipping. Some would call him crazy, but it felt kind of nostalgic, in a nice way. He was walking into the museum to wander and see if he could find Thena roaming around.

Usually she was in her office, he knew, but he liked getting to see her in her element, admiring the history, advising on exhibits and stuff. It was like seeing a beautiful creature in its natural habitat.

He admired things as he came in. He used to love the museum, and then he convinced himself that it was only because of Thena, because when they broke up he had no desire to go back to it. But it really was nice and peaceful.

"Not at all!"

His ears perked. He knew that voice, and he knew that tone, too. He shoved his hands in his pockets, scurrying around with his shoulders hunched, trying to look inconspicuous. He probably looked like a maniac.

He positioned himself as subtly as he could. He couldn't risk Thena seeing him, but he needed to get a good look at what was happening. He needed to see this guy's face, and he needed to see what was making Thena sound so...playful.

The guy was handsome--unfortunately handsome. And he was making Thena laugh. It wasn't some fake laugh she could use sometimes when they were socializing, this was her real laugh.

Gil's gut twisted. He had no right to be feeling this way. They weren't together, and even reconnecting - and kissing, but whatever - as they had didn't bind her to him. Although, he was pretty sure he had asked if she was seeing anyone and she had said no.

"Really?" Mister Handsome persisted, standing awfully close to her. "Nothing?"

"Well," she tipped her head, tucking some hair behind her ear. Gil resisted the urge to rush right over there and un-tuck it. "Not nothing, I suppose. But it wasn't something either."

"Explain something to me, Habibti," he chuckled, scratching the facial hair on his chin. Gil knew what that pet name meant and bristled. "How long have I told you-"

"I realise," she cut him off. She really was comfortable with this guy. "I don't know what happened, it just...you were right."

Gil squinted, but the man's expression became visibly tender. His hand rested on Thena's shoulder. He wanted to grab the guy's wrist and snap it clean off.

"It's good that you talked to him. But are you sure this was what you wanted to happen?"

Thena sighed, deflated, and also didn't pull herself away from his hand. Now, that was odd--Thena didn't like just anyone touching her, even lightly. Who the hell was this guy?! "There was a time I would at least pretend it wasn't."

"But it was," he finished for her, even pursing his lips slightly. He put his other hand on her shoulder, angling her to face him more. His hands dragged down the arms of her cardigan. Gil squirmed. "Because love is complicated."

She didn't say anything, but he could see her nod. Much to Gil's alarm, she slumped forward, thunking her head into the guy's fashionable black turtleneck as she let him rub her back.

The stone in Gil's gut sank all the way down to his toes. He turned away. He shouldn't be spying on her and her new boyfriend (or whoever). He seemed like a nice enough guy, and she was obviously comfortable around him.

So, he had reunited with her after all this time, only for it to feel like they had never parted. So, they had kissed a few times, and he could have sworn she was feeling that old spark there, too. So, they had said they would just see how things went.

It wasn't like they were back together. It wasn't like he had asked her to get back together, because he was the same coward who had let her suggest their breakup two years ago, too. He was going to let the most amazing woman in the world slip through his fingers for a second time.

"Gil!"

Part of him wanted to be petty--to keep walking and pretend he hadn't heard her. But he wasn't that much of a coward, as miserable as he felt at the moment. He turned, offering a tight smile, "hey."

"I didn't see you. What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile--a real, bright smile. She was beautiful.

"Oh, I, uh-" he blinked, rubbing the back of his neck. When he looked up he made eye contact with her friend and lowered his eyes again. He didn't want her date to feel weird about him. For all he knew, Thena had never mentioned him, or maybe it would be worse if she had. "I didn't want to, uh, interrupt."

"Interrupt?" she tilted her head at him, her hair slipping over her shoulder.

He sighed, his fingers automatically rising to tuck it back for her again. But he stopped himself; that would just to be possessive, and he was trying to be a bigger person than that. He faked a chuckle, "you could have told me."

"Told you what?" she frowned now, through with his beating around the bush. "Gil, what are you talking about?"

He nodded his head in Mister Handsome's direction, who - upsettingly - just waved in a friendly manner. He huffed, "what's his name?"

She looked over her shoulder, as if it needed confirming just who he was talking about. She looked back at him as if he were hallucinating the tall, handsome stranger by the dinosaur skeletons, "Ben?"

"Sorry, I guess you don't really have to tell me about him," Gil muttered. Heat rose in his cheeks; he was an idiot for coming here and trying to surprise her like old times. "We aren't...we didn't say...I-"

Thena laughed. Well, she tried not to, out of politeness or something, but he caught her hiding her laughter.

"What?" he demanded, completely embarrassed now. "Look, go back to your date, I was just-"

"Ben is the husband of a friend of mine." Oh. Oh! She touched his hand lightly. "Phastos and I submitted for our doctorates around the same time, so I've gotten to know Ben and their son quite well in the last year."

Mister Handsome was married?

"I was actually talking to him about-" Thena cut herself off this time, her fingers sliding into her hair. "Well, it's not important."

It seemed pretty important. But Gil was happy to let her halfheartedly hold his hand as she explained it to him.

"Ben is here to have lunch with Phastos. He knows, to an extent, that you and I...reconnected."

So, she was talking about them! Gil went through the snippets he had gotten of their conversation, albeit from far away and while he was thinking that she was talking about herself and Ben over there.

"And you are here," she called his attention back to her, tugging faintly at the lapel of the nice blazer he had worn. She raised her sandy blonde eyebrows at him, "for?"

He grinned. He took the opportunity to lean in and kiss her cheek, "for this."

Thena blushed. She did that a lot more now than she had when they dated the first time.

"And," he continued, taking her hand in his properly, "to see if you wanted to grab some lunch."

"W-Well," she cast a nervous glance back at Ben, who - like any truly good friend - was watching the exchange shamelessly. She stepped closer to him, "I'm not actually off for another hour."

"That's okay," he shrugged. He had already endured what he had thought was a worst case scenario. Now, he was in quite a good mood again. "You can show me around, right? Tell me about all the history."

"You've seen it all before," she laughed as he moved her to take his arm anyway. She barely had the chance to wave to Ben as they took their leave.

He could meet Ben at another time, maybe even apologise for being weird. But for now, he was here to see his...ex. His friend. His date? His something. "So?--show me again. Tell me the stuff you talked about in your thesis."

"You don't want to hear about that."

"Why not?" he asked genuinely. Would a lot of it go over his head?--probably. But he couldn't believe he had never even asked before. He tightened his hand over hers. "Tell me anyway."