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softquietsteadylove · 2 months ago

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Hello! Had this idea for Arranged marriage Au.

What if Thena is so busy doing some stuff at home she didn’t hear Gil and when he touches her lightly on her shoulder she flinches very hard and accidentally slaps him but instead of getting mad he just smirks and is surprised by her strength?

Thena tilted her head, examining the spread before her. Gil had given her full permission to go into his closet and purge anything she wanted to. They could shop for replacements when she was done.

While initially she had insisted that they didn't have to get rid of anything of his (none of it was 'bad' in any way), she had agreed mostly for the sake of her studies. Men's fashion wasn't an area of expertise for her, and getting to see what worked for Gil and what didn't might help train her eye more keenly.

She had helped him find a few casual pieces already, and she was quite proud to say that they did look good. Any man could look more polished in a suit, but Gil was truly able to wear a bomber jacket or a pair of jeans or a half-zip-pull-over nicely.

He didn't have much for a range of colour, but that might have been a little hypocritical, as she didn't either. But Gil had mostly all black suits, the occasional grey, oddly enough some brown. He had one that was such a dark red it bordered on black with a maroon undertone. It was nice but she didn't think it would flatter his complexion unless it was styled right. And some earthy greens wouldn't kill him either.

She sighed, stepping back and rubbing her eyes. The other challenge in this was that it completely entailed her imagining Gil in all of the selected ensembles.

Gil in various suits, two piece, three piece, in a casual jacket over a shirt and trousers. He didn't tend to wear accessories, but she had seen him wear a watch on a few occasions--dark face, leather strap. She wasn't sure if it was overstepping to suggest a metal link strap. What metals did he like?

He didn't have a wedding ring to match.

She rubbed her eyes more firmly. Gil had brought up wedding rings a few times since her first day. She had never thought anything of it; in her mind, they still weren't really...married. They were, but they weren't. For all she knew, he had some women for hire standing by to satisfy him before he actually came home to her and her frigid celibacy.

Not that she had thought about it much.

Thena huffed at herself, forcing out the thoughts of her gut twisting uncomfortably.

There was still a lot she didn't know about her husband. He wouldn't let her get too close to any of the sides of his line of work. He didn't let her ask about his day unless he could give her some excuse. She thought they were at least becoming friends in their odd roommate-like living arrangement.

There was the exception of that one kiss.

She hadn't wanted to admit that wasn't a bad kiss, really. Maybe even nice. She had gone inside and taken her seat, only to hear some women in the class whispering about the last time their husbands kissed them like that (it was a damn long time, apparently). She'd had half a mind to tell him not to embarrass her. But by the time her classes were over she was so happy to see him pick her up she had forgotten to hold onto her ire.

It was a nice kiss.

Thena groaned aloud, since there was no one to hear her frustrations. What was she to do? She couldn't exactly suggest couples counselling, and bringing up point blank in conversation that she wanted to know 'what they were' seemed trite and just humiliating.

She tried to resurrect the feelings about him she'd had in the beginning, when she found out that her father had signed both their lives away to a dangerous mob boss to whom he owed two entire lifetimes of debt. How they had signed her name on a piece of paper like a land transfer or a prized piece of chattle.

But Gil was different from how she'd first imagined him. All that time she had imagined he was some brute, waiting to make her some little doll or model he could parade around and then do something with at home--none of it was true. Gil had been true to his word, promising her a better life with him than she could ever have imagined at home with her father.

It wasn't just the gifts or the luxury or now catering to her every whim and want. Gil was just...nice. The side of him he allowed with her, at least. He was sweet, and kind, and thoughtful. He was mindful of things that spooked her and he never ended up demanding anything from her, especially in the 'wifely' department.

Well, her father was partially to blame, she thought. His last parting words to her were something along the lines of blubbering about how he had to, how both their lives were at stake and he just wanted to keep her safe. How selling her off did that was still a little unclear. But he had managed an almost fatherly sentiment when he told her that he had demanded Gilgamesh not touch her against her will in any way.

Perhaps that had set in her mind that Gil would, in fact, try something at some point. But that point never came, nor did her father's efforts to try and work earnestly and pay off his debts and bring her back home to their significantly more difficult life. And she should have known better than to believe the hollow words of a suds soaked drunkard anyway.

"Making progress?"

It all happened so fast. Thena felt the hand on her shoulder. She was so deep in her own thoughts she hadn't realised anything was happening around her. She didn't hear the door, or probably Gil calling to her as he came upstairs. All she felt was a presence behind her, and the cold grip of fear.

Gilgamesh blinked. She wasn't exactly an athlete, but she had still swung around and slapped him with the back of her hand. But he was eerily calm. He processed what happened and looked at her.

Thena's stomach dropped down to her toes. Her whole body went tense and she felt herself go even paler than usual. She gulped. "G-Gil...I-I'm s-s-s-"

"Not bad," he chuckled, his signature grin coming over him. He even touched his cheek, as if he could pull his hand back and find evidence of her strength. "You've got more in you than I thought."

"Gil?" she barely squeaked out in a whisper. Her hands were shaking. She didn't know what to expect from him. Her mind ran wild with ideas him wheeling around on her and dealing a similar blow. Or maybe he wouldn't go the physical route; perhaps all the closeness they had somehow managed to establish between them would vanish with this one incident. That somehow made her feel even worse. "Gil, I'm-"

"How was your day, sweetheart?" he asked her as if she hadn't just backhanded him for entering his own room. He bypassed the suits on the bed to walk into his closest. "What do you think of 'em?"

Thena was still trying to swallow past the massive lump suddenly stuck in her throat.

He re-emerged with something more comfortable on. He had come to put more effort into getting out of his work clothes immediately ever since she noticed some blood on him one evening. "Kinda boring, but if you have any suggestions, I'm open."

She must have been truly gaping at him like a fish. He stopped in the middle of leaving to go back downstairs to really look at her.

"Hey," he frowned, speaking more softly. He came over to her, putting his hands over hers. "Thena, look at me."

She struggled to. But eventually she managed it, still feeling a little green around the gills at the thought of what she had just done. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he assured her immediately and gently, as he always did. She still hadn't reconciled the gap between the Gilgamesh who ran a prolific crime ring to the Gil who was always so perfectly sweet with her. "I shouldn't have surprised you like that."

She shook her head. "I was just...thinking."

Gil waited for more but didn't prompt her for it. Instead he took her hand in his, angling himself toward the door again. "Come on--you hungry? I'll make us something. Or we can order in?"

Thena managed a faint smile. He was going the extra mile to try and lift her spirits. "Whatever you feel like. You must be hungry after work."

He shrugged, happy to have her walk beside him after the aberration from a moment ago. "I may have gotten some street meat while I was, uh, working. But I'm ready for a proper meal."

Thena looked down at his hand holding hers. He didn't have a watch on. "Do you prefer gold or silver?"

"Never thought about it much," he answered immediately and honestly. "I guess gold, but I mean that's the game in the business, y'know?"

She tilted her head.

He shrugged, smiling at her, "guy with the gaudiest office has the most money, kinda thing."

Thena laughed, which seemed to cheer Gil further. "If you know it's gaudy you could simply choose a more tasteful way to display your earnings."

He raised his brows at her.

"Winnings?" she corrected, and still got a look for it. She huffed, "your ill-begotten and mysteriously attained wealth?"

"That's the spirit, sweetheart," he snickered beside her.

And why he chose to spend so much of that wealth on her still escaped her. But Thena kept her eyes on him as they entered the soft, warm light of the connected living room and kitchen. Gil gravitated towards it, so at home in front of the stove.

He looked back at her, having felt her hand pulling at his as she lingered behind him. "Hon?"

Thena hesitated for only a second. She still had that funny clenching feeling in her gut. But she leaned forward to press her lips to the cheek she had hit earlier. "Sorry."

Gil didn't hide his surprise, which only made her fluttering belly issue worse. But he still seemed entertained by it, if anything. "Slap me more often if that's what I get out of it."

"Gil!"

"Come on, sweetcheeks," he laughed, sounding more like a crime boss now. He gave her waist a little squeeze, "maybe you can use that back swing to chop up some zucchini, huh?"

Thena sighed, still feeling rather ruffled about it. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"So, my wife's a badass, I wanna celebrate that," he shrugged, indeed endlessly entertained about it (much to her horror).

"Don't make 'sweetcheeks' a habit," she muttered as she settled beside him with her cutting board. Her knife clattered faintly as his lips hit her cheek in return. She was suddenly rather overheated and they hadn't even started.

"Yes, ma'am."

#Thenamesh Marriage Contract AU #thank you so much for the ask my dear!!!!#I have come to really love this au #so many opportunities for exploration of this unique dynamic #and Gil would totally love that Thena just turned around and smacked him #he's like hell yeah princess show 'em who's boss!#meanwhile Thena is sick to her stomach like oh my god what have I done #Gil thinks nothing of it #also he likes the idea that he can give her little kisses here and there now #nothing too much but she seems okay with it #later Gil is like uh sweetie?#Thena says she'll put away all the suits she dragged out #but he's like no I mean tell me what you think of them #and so Thena learns that Gil doesn't really care what he wears #he's open to trying some green and some accessories #pretty much anything she suggests

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corviiids · 1 year ago

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THANKS @kimdokjafan you are so kind and generous. ok im cashing in the first of three blank checks to talk about faith trust and pixie dust (most recent chatfic) because the last two directors commentaries were too serious so let's do a silly one.

some p5r spoilers, and this is mostly about sumire, and it's long again. do i need to keep disclaiming that these are long? you should know me by now.

i had this written for a while before i started formatting it because i wasn't really sure if i should post it? i feel like silly chatfic is something people go to for predominantly lighthearted nonsense so i was like, maybe there's too much plot and dramatic misunderstanding and i should just keep this one for myself. but then i was like well nothing matters and maybe someone will have fun with it. it's kind of terrible how much fully or mostly completed fic there is my docs that just doesn't see the light of day lol. write for yourself etc but i like sharing! too bad it comes with the mortifying ordeal etc. anyway that was a tangent

potato counter is a neopets game. there's no deep lore i just like neopets. i guess in this universe ryuji doesn't play neopets? or maybe he's just never played potato counter specifically. i also have a different fic where ryuji DOES play neopets. it's about neopets and ryuji and goro talking on neopets.

i think this might literally be the first time ive written sumi in a fic because i haven't actually written that much fic for royal, like, now that im looking, literally almost none? and none that had a group dynamic. so it was kind of fun to find her voice for the first time in a silly groupchat like this. i was worried people would find her exclamation marks annoying but i personally thought it was endearing so i added it in there.

every time i do a gag where a character corrects their own typo i have to code more stupid little bubbles to make it happen but i think it's worth it. all the effort that goes into making tgis look as much like a real chat as possible

this obviously doesnt take place in the canon p5/r universe, but im imagining sort of a postcanon sumi personality where she's more comfortable being herself and isn't borrowing kasumi's brand of confidence, but she's visibly a really anxious person without that kasumi veneer. i also think in this universe sumire is a fairly recent addition to the friend group, and while everyone likes her a lot and she really likes them, i kind of wanted to emphasise that feeling of being in a friend group where everyone's established and you're sort of a plus-one? you don't really fit yet. part of that is her being new, part of it is her anxiety, part of it is just the kind of person sumi is where she's so polite and self-conscious she ends up taking herself out of things with her own good intentions. stuff like her interrupting the flow of an existing conversation by greeting everyone instead of jumping straight in because she doesn't feel comfortable inserting herself, which means everyone else stops to greet her even though that doesn't normally happen in a friend group, or making a point of thanking everyone for being invited to events while the others take it as a given.

idk i love that she feels a bit out of place with the phantom thieves in p5r. and part of that is a natural consequence of being a new addition in royal who can't be naturally integrated with an existing dynamic but i honestly feel like the writing team realised that and acknowledged it, and really leaned into it, and that made it work incredibly well for me. like, it's part of her character that she's sort of an outsider. it's not like p4g's incredibly clumsy integration of marie and subsequent attempt to shove her down everyone's throat as the canon love interest in p4ga (knife). sumi has that outsider vibe on purpose and it makes me really like her dynamic with the thieves as an individual

goro also feels slightly out of place in these chats, but his conversational style blends more naturally with the other thieves at this point and he even uses their codenames sometimes. i keep saying my chatfic series isn't a real Series because the lore keeps changing, but if we accept that they're all kind of following a General Continuity, assume this takes place some time after the last fic in which ren added goro to the groupchat and they made an effort to integrate him into their friend group. he's kind of there now and has settled into being the weird boyfriend. that's his role.

every time goro says something like "ren and i" assume it's the text equivalent of him talking to the group with his arm around ren's waist.

ok i got really fond of this silly running joke where sumi brings up the weather when she's feeling uncomfortable. she's so polite. i like this thread because setting it up meant i got to tie it off like this:

this just made me happy lol i liked writing this. i tried to use it to demonstrate that despite goro's abrasiveness he obviously knows sumire pretty well, he's attuned to her quirks and knows how to tell when she's having a bad time with her anxiety, so he uses her little weather habit to ground her.

i honestly dont think goro and sumire could be considered close in p5r and as much as i like the "royal trio" in canon they're not really... like... friends? with each other? they're both attached to ren, so it' more a V shape than anything else. but that said, i really LIKE goro and sumi's canon dynamic. he takes a really grouchy but politely attentive supervisory role to her during their few forays into the palace as a trio where he doesn't really know her well but clearly identifies her as a harmless little tryhard who needs some guidance and steps into that role grudgingly, and she immediately looks up to him despite being very wrong footed by his ruthlessness, which i find incredibly charming. i think given time they could be good friends, they just didn't get much chance to know each other very well in canon. so i tried to kinda do that here.

once goro stops being evil and joins the group they all kind of tiredly accept that his role is to occasionally push a cup off a bench while smirking and refuse to clean it up. emotionally, i mean.

wait i need to backtrack chronologically to talk about akeshu.

in this scene they're in the same room lol talking and snickering while typing. im trying to get at that vibe of the annoying couple who is flirting with each other, via you. you know? like ostensibly they're talking to you (sumire) but everything they say to you is part of their stupid game. sumi is incidental to goro and ren teasing each other about flirting with someone else, goro is reporting everything ren says because his boyfriend is so eye-rollingly foolish in a cute way. they're very tickled by how amusing and charming they are. gross. disgusting. sumire im so sorry for putting you through this

anyway here are too many of my favourite jokes from the fic

#futaba gets a lot of my favourite punchlines because i love her. i think she's an incredible vessel for comedic timing #once again you can see how much i overthink everything #given the amount of thought that goes into character shit for what LOOKS like a stupid 3 second chatfic #but is really. a stupid 3 second chatfic with twenty years of overthinking behind it #it takes time and effort. to be this stupid #anyway i love sumi. i think she's so cute. i like her dynamic with the thieves so much #ive said it before but i think chatfic is one of those mediums that looks so deceptively simple because #you know it's just silly dialogue and memes. it's very accessible. anyone can write a funny chatfic #but i think it's such a character-forward 'genre' that it's really really difficult to do well in the sense that it feels like the characte #s you know and not just mouthpieces for memes with familiar names attached. so im kinda obsessed with the genre #it relies so heavily on every character having a distinctive voice without trying too hard to be unique #ideally you should be able to read one of these with no names attached ands till get a general sense of who's talking #without having to rely on liek (sorry) homestuck style quirks which make it visibly obvious #that' skinda hard because irl people's typing styles aren't THAT distinct you know. theres only so many variations #you can make to a person's use of grammar punctuation capitalisation etc before it becomes a gimmick instead of an idiosyncrasy #but hopefully if the character voice is strong enough their identtiy should come through more subtly anyway. idk .idk if im there but i lov #to work towards it #wow i wrote anothr essay in the tags about my love for Modern Epistolary Fiction (chatfic)#after already writing a whole essay in the post #i mgonna shut up guys thanks for having me #rookfic #asks #p5 #rookthots

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