#i miss that little bird so much | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

amiharana · 1 year ago

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i come bearing a revalink suggestion,, they’re friends?? rivals?? but Revali’s been trying to rile Link up in a more flirtatious way and it all comes to a head when the champaign’s are out on an expedition with Zelda and oops! someone forgot to bring enough bedrolls for the night, enter: sharing a bed

yk what i mean

HI ANON i'm sorry i took so long to answer 😭 but thank you for the suggestion 👁️👁️ i've written about revalink sharing a hammock, but that was them in an established relationship, so this.... and they were hammockmates (oh my god they were hammockmates)

the premise of my canon-based situationship fic (if i ever get to write it LOL) was going to kinda be like this, a pre-calamity revalink who have decided they are no longer going to be rivals, but not necessarily friends, and then somehow revali catches feelings for link 😄 i just love the idea of revali seeing link and being like "this fucking idiot. i want him so bad." and reluctantly attempting to court him even if he knows that link doesn't understand what he's trying to do. my favorite part of this is that link is completely clueless. he has no idea what the hell is going on but he appreciates that revali is nicer to him :D

(warning: long ass fucking post. but we are so fucking back baby)

imagine revali trying his damndest to work up the courage to go give link a bouquet of swift violets, because (1) he knows it's a hylian courting ritual and link is a pretty simple guy, so he'll probably appreciate flowers, right? (2) revali thinks swift violets are very pretty flowers actually, and (3) they have a functional use in increasing link's speed during a fight when cooked into a meal, and with how often link gets injured in battle, goddess knows he needs the extra boost. imagining revali trying to give the bouquet to link on several occasions, but he always ends up chickening out or he waits too long so the bouquet gets ruined or dies so he has to gather more flowers for a new one, and when he finally gets to actually hand the bouquet to link, he gets nervous and insults link like the dumbass he is 😭 ("being the one with more foresight between the two of us, i predicted you would be in great need of something as simple as these swift violets. perhaps you could stand to learn a meal or two utilizing their innate effects on the field.") and then it turns out link is actually allergic to swift violets KJDHFKJSHDKFJH and revali has to take him to the infirmary in shame

just an endless string of the most cartoonish failures of revali's attempts to court link ☝️�� because it either ends in disaster or link completely misunderstands the situation, and of course revali gets frustrated that link isn't understanding his advances, what an idiot! and it makes him want link even more! so his advances become more and more obvious until even daruk is like. hey man. please calm down now it's not that serious. and revali is like NO he's so stupid daruk how can he not understand that i am trying to court him!!! how much clearer can i make it? (meanwhile daruk is like 🧍)

but revali's desperate pleads are answered when zelda calls the champions early in the morning into the throne room for a mission 🙇 i'm thinking maybe there have been sightings of a lynel up in the northernmost part of akkala and it seems to be much more powerful that the citadel squadrons can handle, so they've called in the help of the champions. not that i'm actually gonna write about them fighting the lynel though 😹 you know me, i just be creating context and circumstances wherever i go

"they couldn't handle one lynel? revali says, when the princess finishes. "you would think a fortress chock-full of hyrule's greatest soldiers would be able to take at least one down."

"well, i don't see you volunteering," urbosa says crossing her arms, a faint smile on her lips. "would you like to show them how it's done?"

revali shoots her a glare and then tilts his beak up, tossing his braids over his shoulder. "hmph. i normally don't waste my time on something as savage as a lynel, but if it could inspire better archers of the citadel, then i suppose my extraordinary skills may be necessary there." out of the corner of his eye, he glances at link; the little hylian doesn't react at all to his boasting, continuing to stand calmly at attention. it irks something in revali, but he blows air out of his beak and turns his head again. stupid link.

zelda sighs. "well, if we are all settled then, i dismiss you all to begin preparations to leave. we hope to leave just past noon and make it to foothill stable by nightfall."

"that'll be right in between our homes, miphy!" daruk says, placing his hands on his hips and leaning backward to laugh heartily. "ah, we've stayed at the castle so long i almost forgot what the heat of death mountain feels like!"

"i feel similarly, daruk," mipha says, giving a small smile. "i wonder if my father and sidon are doing well..."

zelda bows her head in remorse. "i apologize for keeping you all from home for so long. i did not intend for you to stay this long, either."

"it's alright, little bird," urbosa says, stepping forward to place a hand on zelda's shoulder in reassurance. "it's our duty as champions to serve the land of hyrule and protect it from all evildoing. if staying a little longer is what will ensure this era of peace and prosperity, then so be it; we can be patient." she smiles at the princess, and zelda stares at her with wide eyes for a moment before returning the smile.

"thank you, urbosa, i appreciate your kind words," she says. zelda turns back to the rest of the champions and bows her head slightly again. "i will see you all in a few hours. thank you."

SORRY FOR WRITING OUT THINGS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROMPT LMAO. ONCE AGAIN. I JUST LOVE TO SET THE STAGE AND CREATE A CIRCUMSTANCE. i also just miss the lack of champions in totk 🥹 but anyways! zelda & the champions meet at the front of the castle and with some extra personnel (hi impa!) & a battalion, they all set out towards the akkala citadel as the sun hits its peak in the sky.

at this point, you might be thinking, why don't they just travel in the divine beasts since they're bigger and can cover more ground in a shorter period of time? and to that i tell you, 🌸 shut the fuck up 🌸 KJDFHKDFJKH nah but in my head in this point of time, the champions all left their divine beasts in their respective regions because they're all still learning to control them and they would rather not go stomping around on random civilians while traversing hyrule. do you know how insane it would be to be a traveler going through hyrule field to visit the coliseum or something and then all of a sudden, a gigantic stone camel with long ass legs nearly squashes you flat? i would die of a heart attack on the spot.

i also think it's important to romanticize the naturalness of traveling on-foot and it would also be interesting to see how they would accommodate for each champions' needs or habits as they travel together; they have to travel near water so that mipha doesn't dehydrate, revali and daruk leave the main group momentarily every now and then to go burst into the sky or roll down further along the path respectively bc they're sick of walking, etc.

the group reaches foothill stable just after sundown; revali complains that they should have just brute forced it to the citadel since it was just further down the road, but zelda insists that it could be dangerous since ganon's power seems to be growing and they could be ambushed by monsters in the night. as safe as the citadel seems, they shouldn't let down their guard! so revali, not wanting to fight with the literal princess of hyrule, just shuts his beak and trudges along after the rest of the group, the calm warm glow of the stable in the distance growing brighter as they approach. he won't admit it out loud but he's a little weary from travel too 😹

link and zelda board their horses at the stable, and everyone else sets up camp just off to the side of the stable, pitching tents, starting campfires and cooking pots, and passing out bedrolls. but as they unpack and pass out bedrolls, they realize that there's not enough for everyone to sleep comfortably through the night. zelda pays for the rest of the beds in the stable to cover for the rest of the battalion, but it leaves out one soldier who link knows happens to have sleeping problems or something. so he decides to give up his bedroll to the dude; it's not like he needs it as much, he could probably fall asleep straight in the dirt right now if he wanted.

"ah, champion link! i couldn't take this from you—" the man starts, but link just shakes his head and pushes the bedroll into his arms, giving him an insistent look. the soldier accepts the bedroll in defeat, but bows his head. "oh... well thank you, champion, i appreciate it very much!" link nods and turns away before returning to the rest of the champions.

"hello, link— where's your bedroll?" mipha says, noticing the lack of one in his hands. link tilts his head back towards the soldier he had given his bedroll to. "oh, what about you?"

he just shakes his head. "don't need one," link says softly. though he's comfortable speaking with the champions, he's still not used to the way his own voice reverberates against his throat; he hasn't used his voice as much as he should since he took his 'vow of silence'.

"what do you mean you don't need one, little guy?" daruk says, scratching his head. "i might be a goron, but fleshy little hylians like you are made for fluffy beds and—"

but link pays him no mind and strides over to a nearby tree (one that happens to be near the two that revali has set his hammock up at 👁️), drops his stuff on the ground and sits next to it, leaning against the tree with his arms crossed. mipha and daruk both open their mouths to object, but urbosa places a hand on both of their shoulders.

"leave him be," she says, as all of them watch link settle against the tree. "that boy is far too stubborn for his own good. once he has his mind set on something, he won't give up."

"you sure the little guy's gonna be alright?" daruk says, face contorted into an expression of concern. "i know he's tough, but i can't imagine that what he's doing is comfortable at all."

"he'll be fine," urbosa reassures him. she glances to the side, where revali is already keeping an eye on link, sitting at the tree where the farther end of his hammock from the little hylian is tied and tending to his bow. she smirks knowingly; "he's already in good care."

so everyone gets ready for the night; the battalion soldiers are already fast asleep, zelda, urbosa, and impa are sleeping in the stable beds, daruk is rolled up closer to the rockier terrain near the stable, mipha is straight up sleeping in the nearby cephla lake, leaving link and revali to be the only people awake. they're both still sitting against the trees, revali making the final tweaks to the great eagle bow and link polishing the master sword. revali has been stealing glances at link the entire time, watching and waiting for an opportunity (and also working up the courage) to say something. even at the base of death mountain, the cold night wind perseveres and revali catches every single tremor that goes through link's body as he shivers. maybe he could offer to...

"why did you give up your bedroll?" revali says finally. to be honest, he could probably already figure out an answer if he wanted to, but he asks anyway.

link pauses and glances up at him, before returning to polishing. revali's feathers ruffle at the lack of answer and he looks away, beak clenching. while he cared not for link's stance on verbal speech, acknowledging him and not giving an answer was rather unnecessary, wasn't it? especially since link had grown comfortable speaking with the princess and the champions, that should have included revali as well—

"i don't need one," link says suddenly, so softly, revali has to hold his breath, straining to hear the little hylian. link's voice is so quiet, it could be carried away by the night wind and revali is borderline obsessed with it, but the answer he gives is the same one he had given to the other champions. so revali says nothing and stares at link, prompting him to elaborate. "torin needed it more than me."

"torin?" revali questions. he wonders how much of the hyrulean army link knows by name.

"the man i gave my bedroll to," link replies, still wiping at his blade. "excellent fighter, great with a sword. but his chronic pain makes it difficult for him on the field." he sets down the cloth he was using to polish the master sword with and holds it up, appraising the blade. it glints in the moonlight quite elegantly. "giving him my bedroll is the least i can do to aid his comfort."

for a moment, revali is speechless; he had known that link was rather altruistic, always offering to help out even if it was inconvenient to himself. perhaps he shouldn't be surprised at all.

"you didn't have to do that though," revali says. he has stopped tending to his own bow at this point, letting it lay across his lap instead. "isn't it 'first come first serve' with you hylians? you were one of the first to receive a bedroll. you could have kept it to yourself, and i doubt anyone would complain since you're their champion."

link only shakes his head. "he needed it more than me," he insists, still in the same soft voice. "as a captain and a champion, it's my duty to care for my fellow knights. we're only as strong as our weakest member."

"then what about you?" revali says, staring straight at link. "if that's true, you're in no better of a situation than he was in previously."

"i'll survive," link says simply, and then, he yawns. at the same exact moment, another cold night breeze passes by, tousling link's bangs and once more does revali watch, completely entranced by the way link's body shivers in reaction. then, he slides the master sword back in its scabbard before raising his arms to stretch and yawn again. "sleeping on the ground for one night isn't that big of a deal."

and revali sees his chance and it stares right back at him like it's a challenge, like an eye glowing bright gold in the darkness; this is now or never.

"you don't have to sleep on the ground," he says quietly, but he looks down at the bow in his lap when he says it. in the corner of his eye, he sees link's arms pause mid-stretch before he slowly lowers them. he can feel the piercing blue gaze of link's eyes searing right through his cheek feathers and in turn, his heart skips a beat. stupid, stupid link. revali wishes he could despise the effect that a hylian of all people has on him.

"what do you mean?" link says in similar volume.

revali looks up to meet his gaze and swallows at the sight of those terribly beautiful blue eyes sparkling at him in the moonlight. now or never. "you could stay with me," he says softly, before he loses his nerve.

and link's eyes widen. if revali lets his vision blur a little, perhaps he can convince himself into thinking that the pink flush on link's cheeks is just the natural color of hylian skin, or just a trick of the moon's light and the glow of lava oozing down death mountain above them. but nothing can change the fact that he can see the entirety of link's irises, or the slight part in his lips.

"with you? in your...?" link whispers, but in this moment, his voice is the only thing the rito can hear at all. revali gives a single nod. "why?" there's not a single hint of mirth in link's voice, only genuine surprise.

revali looks away. "your heroism makes you foolish enough to give up the supplies necessary for your own survival in order to ensure the survival of others," he murmurs. "look at you, you're shaking in the cold like a loose feather. if you were a rito like i, you wouldn't have this problem."

he hears link snort and glances up at him. link is looking at him fully, a small smile on his face, and perhaps they are far too close to death mountain with the way that heat floods revali's cheeks and makes his limbs melt into the ground.

"and we wouldn't want the princess and the hyrulean army to wake up in the morning finding that their beloved champion froze to death in the night," he continues softly.

"no, i suppose not," link replies, still smiling. but the smile fades in the next moment or two, the pink flush revali had tried to pretend was just the color of his skin returning to link's cheeks much darker than before, as if to goad him. "s-so... how are we going to...?" he trails off, staring at revali with wide blue eyes.

revali blinks, and then swallows. truthfully, he didn't think he would get this far, but there's no backing out now. with his heart grabbing the bones of his ribcage and bashing its head against them, revali stands dusting himself off and hangs the great eagle bow on one of the branches of the tree. then, he turns back to face link, who's still staring at him with wide blue eyes and his pretty pink-flushed face from the ground. he walks towards link until he's standing in front of the little hylian, and then offers a hand.

"well firstly, are you ready for bed?" revali says, attempting to sound irritated, like his own offer is an inconvenience to him. but it's all in vain; his voice comes out too soft, too tender, too fond.

link stares up at him for a couple moments more before nodding, so revali extends his hand a little further out. "hurry up then," he says, voice still so unbearably soft. "i wouldn't do this for anyone else."

so link takes his hand and revali pulls him up in one swift movement. but he pulls too hard, because before he can even register it, suddenly both of link's hands are on his chest, his body pressed up against revali's. instinctively, one of his arms goes to circle link's waist, pushing them closer together, and the rito's ears are full of the sound of link's quiet gasp at the pressure; is he depraved to want to push him closer, to hear it again?

"s-sorry," link whispers, just slightly pushing off of revali's chest. "i didn't mean to—"

"it's fine," revali whispers back. with all his will, he lets his arm fall from link's waist to let him step away, resisting the urge to pull the warm little hylian back into his embrace. hylia above, how could revali ever have offered to share his hammock with such depravities rotting his mind?

revali turns away to walk towards the hammock, desperately trying to ignore the electric pull of the string tying him back to link. he looks over his shoulder back at the little hylian. "come on," revali says, feigning all the coolness, all the suaveness he can muster. the show must go on, after all.

revali slides into the hammock easily, settling into a comfortable position, and then he looks back at link. the little hylian stares down at his body and suddenly he feels self-conscious, his crest feathers ruffling. "are you getting in or would you rather stand there until sunrise?" revali snaps, and then cringes at his own tone.

but link only looks at him with the same wide, blue-eyed gaze sparkling in the moonlight. "yeah," he whispers, "i just..."

"just get in," revali mutters, looking away. "i won't fall out unless you're trying to make me fall out on purpose."

and slowly, so slowly, link grabs the edge of the hammock closer to him with hesitant, gentle fingers. he looks up at revali, who gives him a nod of encouragement, so he continues, reaching over revali's chest to grab the opposite edge of the hammock and begins to climb in. with some fidgeting and struggling, link lies atop revali's chest, their legs somehow tangled together. revali hopes the little hylian can't hear his heart drumming its high-strung song against his ribs.

"you're so warm," link whispers. "i didn't think you'd be."

"how do you think the rito are able to live so close to the hebra mountains?" revali murmurs back. "our feathers are insulative and keep us warm even in the most bitter of winters." he pauses, considering his next words, and then continues. "if you ever return to the village... our artisans are working on a prototype of an outfit to help featherless hylians like yourself brave the frigid temperatures of hebra. they are... using some of my own plumage to make it. if you wanted to truly experience the power of rito feathers yourself, i extend an invitation for you to come visit rito village at your earliest convenience."

"i'd like that a lot," link murmurs in response.

the rito hums in acknowledgement and they both fall silent. another cold wind breezes past and this time, link curls closer around revali's body, sighing quietly. instinctively, the rito raises his wings and drapes them around the little hylian's form in response, pressing him even closer than before. they stay just like this, beginning to drift off to the sounds of nature around them.

"revali?" link says suddenly, pulling revali a little bit out of his drowsy.

"mm?" revali replies. he doesn't try to summon the energy to even pretend to be irritated, only wrapping his wings tighter around link's body.

"thank you," link whispers. "for this. you didn't have to."

revali just hums back, letting the drowsiness pull him under. "go to sleep," he mumbles. "there will be more time for gratitude in the morning."

"okay," link whispers back, and revali feels him snuggle closer. there's a moment of hesitation, and in the next, it dissipates as revali finally falls asleep, feeling link's arms circle his torso, embracing him gently.

in the morning, the champions find them wrapped around each other in the hammock, urbosa being the first. she smirks down at them, a hand on her hip and shaking her head in amusement.

"ah, urbosa, where's link—?" mipha says as she approaches the chieftess. but she spots them right away, snapping her mouth shut and blinking owlishly until it grows in a held-back grin.

"i told you, link is already in good care," urbosa says. she looks past mipha to see daruk and zelda walking over, the latter yawning and tying her hair up. when they see the predicament that revali and link have gotten themselves into, daruk has to hold back a guffaw and zelda just rolls her eyes.

"they took their time, didn't they?" zelda grumbles.

"with all due respect, you should not be the one to talk, princess," mipha says, smiling politely. zelda wrinkles her nose at the zora princess, who giggles behind her hand.

"none of you should be talking at all," comes revali's voice, gravelly and hoarse from sleep. the champions turn back to the hammock, where revali gives them a dirty look with only one eye open. he remains in his position in the hammock, wings still wrapped around link who's asleep on his chest. "speak louder than a summer breeze and i'll show you the true strength of a rito's shot."

"my, my, so aggressive," urbosa muses. "has he made you soft for him already?" revali's glare only intensifies, so she holds up her hands in playful surrender. "alright, i'll leave you two alone. everyone, let's go start making breakfast. we have some time before we need to be at the citadel."

the rest of the champions begin to walk over to the cooking pots they've set up, zelda's head on mipha's shoulder and daruk listing off what his favorite types of rock meals are for breakfast. when they're out of earshot, revali relaxes and lets a breath out through the nares of his beak.

"what'd they mean, 'take our time'?" link suddenly mumbles against revali's chest.

revali blinks in surprise, staring down at the mop of dark gold hair atop him. "nothing you need to concern yourself with," he says, eyes wide. "when did you wake up?"

"been 'wake since 'fore sunrise," link mumbles. "jus' too warm 'n comfy to get up. hope you don't mind."

revali relaxes and sighs. "you're lucky i'm too comfortable to care either," he murmurs. he adjusts the way his wings are wrapped around link's body, and the little hylian hums and snuggles closer. suddenly, revali feels wide awake and he swears his heart could jump right out of his chest right now. "do you plan on remaining shackled to my body for the rest of the morning?"

"if you'll let me," link murmurs in response, and the rito feels like the breath has been stolen from his lungs.

"fine," revali acquiesces, once he feels like he can breathe again. "just this once... you'll have to get up to eat anyway. everyone here knows about your voracious appetite. you're incredibly insatiable for a hylian." it's not like he truly wants link to leave anyway... but link doesn't need to know that part.

link hums. "okay." they're both quiet for a couple moments, until the little hylian speaks again. "thank you again for this, revali. i appreciate it a lot."

revali pauses, his heart skipping several beats now. "good to know you possess enough of a developed brain to not take my gifts for granted," he replies, barely keeping the tremor out of his voice. but the rito's voice softens as he continues. "and... you're welcome. my kindness is not a gift i grant as often as you might think. so treasure it now; you may not be so lucky to receive it so freely again."

"i will," link replies, his voice muffled in revali's feathers. the rito swears he can feel link smiling into his skin. "so thanks again."

revali blows air through his nares of his beak. stupid, stupid link. try as he might to reject and dislike the effect this little hylian has on him, he can't help but crave it more and more. perhaps the bestowal of more of revali's gifts onto link are in order...

#revalink #loz #botw #loz botw #legend of zelda #amihan's revalinkverse #ask #sorry i stopped writing i've been having a depressive episode and i didn't know until a couple days ago ✋#the way i wrote them here was a bit self-indulgent so sorry if it's not Giving 😔 idc tho i had fun writing again LMAO #happy pride to everyone but especially to this gay ass fucking bird i miss him so much #my revalink headcanon of all time is that revali was the one who designed the snowquill armor for link #paraglider & freeze-resistant outfit all this bird knows is make pretty gift for pretty n danger-prone hylian boy #HOMOPHOBIC ZELDA HAS MADE HER RETURN !!! MY LOVE 🫶#just love the idea of everyone being in on revali's crush on link #meanwhile link is completely clueless and also stuck in his own head about his crush on revali #revalink but it's 'kiss the girl' from the little mermaid #aghh... i miss the champions so bad. i've started to play totk less and less bc my heart yearns for the champs everyday #and of course i miss revalink in case you haven't noticed ✌️👹#very slowly making my way through asks and wips this summer. no promises! but i'm doing my best :]#this piece is dedicated to sen who's had to put up with my insanity for the past month i love u ate #ok bye i hope you liked this sorry again i've been gone mwah mwah mwah

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softquietsteadylove · 2 years ago

Text

Something New

"Hey."

Thena looks up with a smile. The rest of Sersi's party is having a perfectly pleasant time in the rest of the flat, mostly in their living room/kitchen/dining room. She's such a people person she makes a wonderful hostess.

Thena has been hiding in Sersi's study for 45 minutes, now.

"Hey," she smiles as Gil comes in and sits partially on the arm of the chair she's claimed.

"What're you up to in here?" he asks her with a smile, tipping his drink to the shelves upon shelves of books around them.

"My specialty, of course," she answers readily, and Gil hits her with an expectant look that screams that he already knows what she's about to say. "Avoiding everyone in there."

"Ah, come on," he laughs faintly, nudging her bare shoulder with the back of his hand.

Thena shrugs, taking a sip of her sparkling wine, which she's barely touched since arriving. "You know it's not really my thing."

"No, I know," Gil nods, and he knows entirely too well that it's not really her scene--the whole party thing. Because he usually manages to find her hiding away, ending up spending his time with her instead of socialising with all that natural charm of his. "But your friends are here."

That is true. Makkari is here, being her usual charming self. And Druig has allowed her to drag him out of his cave to talk to the occasional person, although firmly planted at her side all the while. Kingo is being the life of the party, as he is wont to do. Even Phastos is here, although clearly only to be a good partner to Ben.

"Yes, and I can see them tomorrow," Thena smiles into her glass as she takes another minuscule sip, "without the presence of several strangers in the mix."

"Fair enough," Gil sighs, standing up from the chair and taking a sip of whatever brown liquor is in his glass.

Thena eyes him as he drifts towards the door and watches the bubbles in her glass, preparing to be left alone with her own thoughts again.

"Some of them are pretty nice," Gil says instead, drifting around the shelves and letting his eyes wander over the books arranged in no particular order.

Thena tilts her head at him, "they're nice to you because you're nice, Gil."

"You say that as if you aren't."

"I'm not."

"That's not true," he shakes his head at her. And true, he tells her this all the time. But really, it's that she's...selective about who she's nice to.

"It is," she mutters over the top of her champagne flute. "Not that I need them thinking they can come over and talk to me, anyhow."

"Well, maybe not that guy who keeps asking you to brunch," Gil snickers, as if it's so funny to watch her be hit on by some idiot who works the front desk at the museum.

"He keeps insisting other people would be there, but I haven't seen him speak to a single other person here," Thena shakes her head. "Is he even still out there?"

"Yeah, trying to convince Sersi to get you go to brunch with him."

Thena laughs, at least, because she can always tell Gil about this kind of thing. His presence is the only reason she is here at all. "You'd think the poor boy would be able to recognise disinterest, working at the museum."

Gil sets his drink down on Sersi's desk, drifting back to her with his hands in his pockets. "Maybe he's too used to being around works of art to recognise a masterpiece way out of his league."

Thena shakes her head at him. Gil is good at saying stuff like that. She doesn't know how, since he can be kind of shy about this kind of thing, but sometimes he'll say something that she swears could melt even the frostiest of hearts. "I think the Trojans were wrong--it's you and those lines that could launch a thousand ships."

"I don't know about that, but it's good to know when I've got a line right."

Thena sets her glass down next to his before standing from the chair, joining him in front of the desk. The window is letting in enough light from outside that she can make out his features nicely, despite the dark in the rest of the room. She's always liked Gil's features in soft light--it brings out how handsome he is. "And who are these lines for--that you're always testing out on me?"

Gil just raises a brow at her, and for a second she wonders if she's missed something somewhere along the way. But he smiles, never one to let her sit in silence for too long. "Who do you think?"

"Well, the older woman from Sersi's department does seem to have taken a liking to you," Thena grins, and there--Gil's shyness comes out as he gives her an eye roll and a bashful smile. "I daresay she's ready to consider leaving her poor husband in your favour."

"Well, I'd tell her I'm flattered," Gil chuckles, leaning closer to her, "but I'm...a little taken."

"A little?" Thena asks this time, letting him lean into her space like no other could ever have such a right to do.

"A little," Gil confirms, shrugging his wide shoulders and pulling a hand out of one of his pockets just to tap the top of the desk. "Maybe?"

"By whom?" Thena asks, still somewhat teasing but now also genuinely asking.

"Well," Gil starts and then sighs, and now she knows she's missed something. He looks at her, and the look in his eyes is one she's seen a few times before. It makes her feel...something--a kind of clench in her heart, or flip of her stomach. "It depends."

"On what?" Thena blinks as he walks his fingers closer to her, and her hand comes up to meet his, their fingertips just barely crossing into each other's territory.

"How she feels about it," he smiles gently, and she realises they're so close that she's still looking up at him, even with her heels on.

"Oh?" she utters vaguely, distracted by their proximity and how her eyes have to travel from the open collar of his shirt all the way up - over his lips - to his eyes.

The party outside the study begins the countdown.

"Ten!"

"See," Gil whispers, drifting even closer, "she's this friend."

"Nine!"

"I see," Thena breathes, her heart starting to beat faster, and faster.

"Eight!"

"And she doesn't seem to realise," Gil moves their fingers closer.

"Seven!"

"Realise what?" Thena whispers as their fingers thread together.

"Six!"

"That she's the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Five!"

Thena's eyes travel down to Gil's lips, "have you...told her?"

"Four!"

"Well," he grins at her, "she doesn't always listen to me."

"Three!"

"What?" Thena's jaw drops as she looks at him, "I always-"

"Two!"

"Thena," Gil cuts her off, pulling her closer by the waist.

"One!"

Thena's eyes flutter closed as Gil pulls her in for a kiss. His arm fits around her waist as if they were carved out in the shape of one another from the same marble slab. She moans gently as she wraps an arm around his neck, and then his shoulders. Her other hand slides up his chest until she can tug at the lapel of his jacket.

Gil is soft with the kiss. Gil is soft about everything, at least when it comes to her. He kisses her gently and lets go of her gently, pulling away as slow as he wants. He opens his eyes and they find hers as soon as they're open again.

Thena looks at him. Gil is...everything--her oldest and dearest and in many ways best friend. He's the one to whom she can tell absolutely everything and at the same time is the one who would never require her to do so for their trust to be maintained. He accepts her--every part, every highlight and every shadow, every shred.

"Well?" he whispers, his thumb tracing little circles in the small of her back. "Am I?"

"Taken?" she whispers, and he nods, waiting for her to have the final word. Because if she were to say no, he would accept it and turn right around, never mentioning it again.

He would just love her...quietly. She knows plenty about that.

Thena just nods, not entirely sure of how to voice all she feels for him in this moment. It's way too much to just...blurt out. And she can hear the distant screaming and celebration of those present in the next room over. All their friends are out there. Druig and Makkari and Sersi and Ikaris and Ben and Phastos are probably all lip-locked.

Thena came in here to hide from the need to watch them do so--again.

But now she's here, in Gil's arms, wanting nothing more than to bury her face in his big, warm chest and never emerge. She nods with a smile.

Gil leans in, kissing her again, more softly, less climactically. But even without the drama of the moment - underscored by the countdown to a calendar page turning - it's just as incredible. Because it's her Gil, kissing her. "Happy new year, Thena."

"Happy new year," she grins against his lips. He kisses her again, and again, small but sweet, and eager but gentle. Her hands rise up to his cheeks. "Should we go back out there?"

"Not yet," he whispers, leaning in because he just can't get enough of her. "I want you all to myself for a little bit longer."

Because now she's a little bit taken too.

#Happy new year!#Thenamesh AU #probably connected to the Christmas one where she bakes him cookies #but doesn't have to be #this year has been rough #but you all have made it so much better for me #so from the bottom of my heart #thank you and I love you #I couldn't have done so much of this year without you #this is for #this is all for you #from your local Bird #Gil and Thena are in that room #not even making out #but just trading small cute little kisses #under the light of the moon #above the city glittering outside #eventually their friends notice they're missing #Sersi noticed Thena slipping away as soon as it happened #and she also noticed Gil noticing #trying desperately to end his current conversation so he could go after her #and that's when Sersi knew #she had to stop anyone from going looking for them #because it's finally time #it's Thenamesh time

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