#she liked cuddling & holding he's hand

[mstormcloud]

I think applying tropes commonly found in Sonadow fics to other sonic ships is very funny

Like today I saw the cute posts by Blu-ish about how hedgehogs circle and headbutt eachother when courting and how Sonic and Shadow would do that and I agree.

However I think the implication that mobian hedgehogs do this is HILARIOUS when applied to ships that only involve one hedgehog.

Like Silver starts circling around Espio one day and lightly shoving him with his hip or his shoulder and Espio is like: ???? What are you doing??

Or even Blazamy like- Amy keeps circling Blaze and the less Blaze reciprocates Amy does it more to try to get Blaze to react. Blaze eventually just tries to politely tell Amy to stop cause it’s hard to hold conversation while she’s moving all around.

But later Blaze talks to Silver and is like: “I have no idea what she is trying to do…perhaps she is finding a weakness in my stance? Should I fear her hunting me for sport???”

And Silver is like: uh. Well. I think she’s hitting on you? It’s a hedgehog thing.

And Blaze just freaks out because WHAT DO YOU MEAN AMY WAS FLIRTING WITH HER

[br1ghtestlight]

this is actually very cute considering we don't see bob and linda cuddling or being physically affectionate all that often (which is a natural consequence of bob's personality and general..... lack of wanting physical contact. same w/ louise) but look at them cuddling together they're soo adorable <3

[hoofpeet]

What if. Ditto like gum. Get stuck in Zoroark GF hair.

What a curse to date a girl made out of purple slime 😔

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

and so begins the making of christmas presents

[howtotrainyouragents]

Me, like I'm sitting at a cafe in a French philosophical film: Luffy, he kisses the homies good night, you know? He cuddles the bros to sleep

[softquietsteadylove]

I am once again requesting the Family Law au, anything you wanna do with it, I'm absolutely living for this slow burn

"So, when's your boyfriend getting here?"

"Shut up," Thena murmured, trying to practice her frosting writing while Kingo was doing even less than helping--he was only hindering her concentration.

"He works with you right?"

"Gil is not my boyfriend," she grumbled, reattempting on the cereal box serving as her practice. "He started at the firm around when I did."

"And you invited him."

"Sprite invited him," she corrected her yappity cousin. She set down the 'piping bag' - a sandwich bag with the tip cut off - of icing and turned to glare at him. He pouted at her as she snatched the cherry out of his grabby fingers. "Stop eating all the cake stuff."

Kingo sighed loudly as she took the various toppings away from him, but remained where he was, taking up two kitchen counter stools just for himself. "But you invited him for her. I gotta say I'm surprised, T."

"Why," she huffed as she picked up the accursed vanilla frosting to try again. Why was it so hard to write using food? "Because you can't imagine me having a work associate?"

"You have associates, what you don't have is friends," Kingo said plain as day. "Except for this one guy."

She glared at him over her shoulder briefly again. "I am capable of having friends. I had friends when we were children."

"You had friends of mine you tolerated," he corrected, still completely without any possible tact (they really were related). "But this guy is different?"

"You'll meet him, and I do hope you're over this private investigator phase by the time you do." She did her best to write out a decent 'happy birthday' again. Sprite's name wasn't the hard part.

"Sprite said he's really nice." He was still going. "And that he's your type."

She flinched reflexively, her fist clenching. Of course that made the side of the bag split from the pressure. She growled through her teeth, whipping around to him again. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Why didn't you just get the cake person to do this?" KIngo ignored her, waving his handful of pretzels at her hard work. "Y'know they'll do that for you, right?"

She wiped her hands off with paper towel before throwing it at her mouthy cousin, who dodged with lightening reflexes. "I couldn't go yesterday after work and they wouldn't have a custom one done for today, so I bought the blank one. I just have to practice first."

Kingo sighed dramatically again, "I had an audition for a period piece, but I assumed that if I had to write in fancy calligraphy that they'd hire someone to teach me--or double my hands."

"I don't need your help for it anyway," she insisted, whether it was true or not. And now she needed to put the frosting into a whole new sandwich bag.

And the kitchen was already a disaster from Sersi making pancakes for breakfast, and from having so many bowls for various snacks, and plates from the girls constantly getting new ones after forgetting where they put one down absently.

"Will you relax?" Kingo finally stood from his luxurious lounging to join her by the sink. "You know the kid doesn't care if it's pretty."

She sighed. She didn't need any veils or masks with Kingo. Halfway through filling her new piping bag, she threw her hands down and leaned against the counter. "Fuck."

"Easy," Kingo comforted in the best way he knew for her, offering little words but patting her shoulder gently. "Just take a breath, T."

"It's been rough," she admitted, staring into the sink, full of splatters of frosting and coffee and diet coke. "The year has been tough, and I finally got her to even accept doing anything for her birthday. If this goes badly, she'll never want anything to do with it again."

"That's not true."

"I don't know, Kingo, you know Sprite," she groaned, standing to her full height again.

"Yeah, I do," he shrugged. "And Sersi, and you--so I know you're doing your best. And I'm sure they can tell how stressed you are about stuff. So, maybe if you chill, it'll be better for all of you."

He had a point, and she knew that he was making light of it purposefully. No one knew better than Kingo the struggles they had gone through, her specifically with the legalities of all her new responsibilities. He had offered his help, even offering to move closer, if not in with them, to help. She had declined, knowing the demands of his career.

Besides, Sprite took great joy in bragging about how everyone's favourite action star was actually her cousin. And that no, she would not pass on their admiration or let them meet him because he was 'clinically uninterested' in them.

"Do you want a hug?"

"Absolutely not."

Kingo, still holding his arms out, burst out laughing. And so did she. It was a classic interaction for them, even from when they were kids. Kingo was versatile with his affections, and Thena was limited in them. Even as children, they had devised that when their parents would demand they hug out of social obligation, Kingo would wrap his arms around the air surrounding her and pat her hair obligingly.

His head turned as the doorbell rang. "Your boyfriend's here."

"Stop it," she slapped his shoulder on her way past him. "I mean it, don't give Gil a hard time. He's sweet, and the girls love him."

"I'm sure they're not the only ones," he felt the need to add. She was ready to snap at him again but he held up his hands before shoving them into his purple hoodie pockets. With a final huff, she opened the door.

Gil smiled at her as soon as he saw her, "hey!"

She smiled by pure reflex, just as happy to see him, if not more. Maybe it was the way relief flooded her body, but she sighed as she said, "hey."

Gil stepped in carefully, leaning close to lower his voice, "you okay?"

He was so very sweet. She closed the door behind him, "I'm fine, Gil. I've been trying to--actually, do you know how to write in icing? Like, on cakes?"

"Oh, like decorating?" he blinked, shuffling the box in his hands as he took off his shoes. "I mean, I don't want to oversell myself, but I've done it a few times."

"Then you're just in time," she grinned, guiding him straight to the kitchen by the arm. "And I do recall I told you not to worry about presents."

"Oh," he blushed, just barely setting it on a shred of clear counter space as she dragged him inside. "Well, sure, but I saw this, and-"

"Hey, nice wrapping job!"

Gil looked between Thena, dragging him to the cake sitting on the stove, and Kingo loudly admiring the package. His hands were poised to pick it up and shake it. Gil helplessly reached out to gesture that it wasn't a good idea. "Well, the store offers wrapping services. It's kinda fragile, so-"

"Don't you worry, big man, I'll set it down real gentle," Kingo said in the least assuring tone possible. He held it under his arm like a basketball, giving him a singular fingergun before taking his leave.

"That's my cousin I told you about," Thena felt the need to explain, given Kingo's loud introduction - in not so many words - and even rowdier exit. "Don't mind how overly comfortable he is here."

Gil smiled and excused it easily, as he did everything else. "I'm sure it's like a second home to him, here. I'm the new one."

She gave his arm one more pat after finally stationing him before the plain funfetti cake with regular turquoise frosting piped along the edges. "You're hardly new here, either. You are a guest of honour, remember?"

He chuckled, letting her hand him the messily filled sandwich bag, "I do, and I am--honoured, that is. So, what are we writing?"

"Happy Birthday Sprite will suffice," she eyed the cake with disdain, having felt its mocking presence all morning long. "I've been practising my attempts, but I simply cannot move this thing with grace."

"This is a good trick, actually, with the bag," he praised before positioning himself above the cake ideally. "Printed or cursive?"

"I will be impressed with either, I assure you," she sufficed to say as she moved to finally throw out her previous attempts and free some space on the counter. "Sersi is keeping Sprite occupied outside with the projector and screen Kingo brought her as a present."

"How are you, though?"

The question surprised her. She stood from loading the dishwasher and caught him peeking at her in the middle of his slow but steady frosting. She closed the dishwasher, tugging at the sleeves of her cardigan. "I just want today to go well for her."

"Well," Gil murmured in the middle of moving his body instead of the piping bag within his hands. "You're obviously putting a lot of effort into making that happen for her. I'm sure she appreciates that."

He always said something that she needed to hear at exactly the time she needed it most. Thena smiled to herself, continuing to tidy the kitchen rather than face his open praise of her parenting. "I think you're being kind. But if Sprite comes out of this without hating her birthday completely, I'll be glad."

"We better give her a good one, then."

Something about him saying 'we' made tears spring to her eyes. It was different from when Sersi asked her if she wanted her to make breakfast, or when Kingo arrived the night before with all the assurance in the world that Sprite wouldn't think twice about their mother's absence today.

"There!" Gil declared, standing back with a bright smile. "Not bad, I'd say."

Thena leaned over the cake as well, admiring the beautiful lettering and even how perfectly he had spaced things. None of the message was crammed or bunched up from underestimating the space on the cake. It looked perfect. "Gil, it's amazing."

"Well, I'm glad I could help," he offered modestly of course. He set aside the frosting, licking off a stray bit on his finger. "Vanilla?"

"Sprite says she doesn't like chocolate," Thena laughed faintly, still admiring the lovely calligraphy of it. "I think she just enjoys disliking something so overwhelmingly popular."

Gil joined in her laughter, shedding his light bomberjacket now that he wasn't being dragged anywhere. "I was kinda like that as a teen. I liked angry music and gangster movies and I wanted to be a boxer."

"You?" she couldn't help but ask as she picked up the cake to finally let it see the light of day outside.

"I know, I never would have made it, I'm really not a fighter," he chuckled at himself as he joined her.

It did explain his build, though, for someone who had only ever studied and worked in offices. It wasn't untoward to notice something so apparent about him. She dragged her eyes away from his arms to the patio glass door.

He opened it for her, like a gentleman, unsurprisingly. "They look like they're having fun."

As soon as the door was open, they could hear Kingo loudly recounting something to the girls, who were utterly howling with laughter. Thena smiled, "Kingo has always been like a brother to them, despite being closest to my age. He's even taken them to see his sets and rehearsals on the odd occasion when he's in town for work."

"That would be be pretty cool," Gil agreed.

"There you are!" Kingo waved to them from his stage in front of the patio furniture. He pointed, "gift from the man of the hour, handled nice and gently, as promised."

"That's so sweet," Sersi complimented eagerly.

"It's just a little something, really," Gil attempted to downplay his contribution.

"Take a look at his frosting job, too," Thena encouraged freely. As soon as she set the cake down she stepped back. Kingo took pictures of it, and the girls, Sersi gasped and openly admired how pretty the lettering was. Sprite leaned the closest, practically digging into it with her hands before Kingo handed her a fork.

Gil stood back with her, waiting for the initial mauling to subside a little. He leaned closer to whisper, "no candles?"

She shook her head faintly, happy to watch as Kingo and Sersi also started eating the cake one forkful at a time. "Too many memories. Best to let the cake speak for itself. We all know what day it is."

He nodded, accepting the form of their own tradition with quiet respect. "Well, thanks for having me."

"Thanks for being here for m-" she blinked, catching herself. He was here as Sprite's personal guest. She didn't know what would prompt her to bring herself up. "It's sweet of you to be here for Sprite."

"Well," he looked at her, both of them hovering close in their separation from the others. "I am here for Sprite. But it's not like I'm not here for you, either."

"Uh, are you two gonna stand there and play kissy-face or are you gonna have some cake?"

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Sprite to speak so inappropriately, it was Kingo. But because it wasn't her baby sister and was instead her cousin, Thena was free to grab a handful of cake and shove it right in his face.

[moonkinz]

cocker spaniel family!!! caramel (pronounced care-a-mel) has a little name collar, caramel (pronounced car-mel), and cara (lil kinz baby!) <3

i love them dearly

[thriceboundhome]

THEM WHILE DRUNK/WASTED

Quinn: hyper -> clingy -> sleepy

Itani: flirty -> dancing -> sick-> gonna pass out

Sage: SLUT flirty -> clingy -> he's mouthing somebody -> take him home, he's dirty talking his glass please—

[m-herra]

I need 2 draw the cuddle pile thoughts in tags

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

🎟

[lilgynt]

honestly fine with gale as far as how he responds and feels about counter violence to the capitol like i get why katniss is like i hate how he treats innocent human beings like they’ve personally responsible for his suffering and doesn’t know about taking a life up close like she’s right but also he’s thinking big picture during a war and doesn’t help most of his thoughts about the capitol or said war are proven right - like when he’s like is it safe to have everyone gathered here at the hospital and katniss is thinking yeah this can’t be healthy or encourage healing and he’s thinking no they’re gonna be targeted bc they can’t run and are useless for capitol use and bam what happens. he’s right in his own way half the time but what annoys the fuck me about him is him being like so pushy about his feelings even when he KNOWS katniss is completely oblivious to that kind of stuff and keeps blindsiding her with it and getting mad at her for not knowing what to do with that info even with the fact that she found out at like. the worst time of her life when she was stuck in a situation she would have a very hard time getting out of safely with everyone she loves and holds it against her she cares about peeta at all and the whole you only care about me in pain and all i could think is i’ll never compete with how much pain peeta is in so i lost it’s like so you understand how katniss operates is mostly out of concern and worry romantically wise bc she hasn’t had a chance to care about this shit outside of like oh who i am hurting/killing with my choices and then are STILL like im gonna kiss her then stop bc she’s obviously not into it at the moment for the right reasons and it’s like kissing drunk i get he’s like a teenager and is a dumb shit but also leave that girl alone for the love of GOD

[fellhellion]

Xina/Miguel + casual touch has ME screaming crying throwing up actually.

[yuukei-yikes]

haruka watches takane eat like a dog begging because he knows she will leave at least half its food. sorry i wrote a longer post in the tags.

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello Dear! I had a dream last night that gave me so much Thenamesh vibes, so i have to share this.

It's an AU where Thena is a Princess, daughter of King Arishem and, against her will, promised to the Prince Eternal Eros himself. Thena fled from the wedding, running through the woods for days until she's not able to walk anymore and hides under a big tree in the rainy night. And Gilgamesh, sweet Gilgamesh, finding her when the sun rises. He's a lumberjack, living in the woods. He doesn't know who she is, but he wants to help her anyway. But we're talking about Thena, so she's holding a knife to defend herself, telling him not to touch her, to leave her alone. But she ends up in his cabin, eating some delicious soup he prepared. So eventually she's hiding there for days and weeks until some Royal Guards knock on Gils door, asking him if he had seen the Princess. And after the Guards are gone, he has a talk with our beautiful Thena.

I would like to ask you to write the talk that followed, if you have time and this AU speaks to you, because my alarm clock wouldn't let me finish the dream.

Much love to you!! 🖤✨

The morning of the wedding she ran.

She didn't care which direction, she didn't care that she was on foot, or that the wedding dress she hated was trailing behind her as she ran. She took off in the direction of the woods and didn't look back until her knees were numb and she couldn't breathe.

She didn't know how long she ran for. But she kept going, and going, sleeping under massive trees and within the protective shelter of caves. She ran until her feet were raw, both from the shoes and then from abandoning them and running with her feet in the dirt.

She had never been allowed to run at the castle. She hadn't been allowed to do anything under her father's oppressive watch. Except get engaged, of course. Her hand had been promised to Prince Eros long ago--so long ago that it was far too distant in her mind to be real. It was just a distant mirage of a future.

Then she met him. And he was just like every other prince and noble who saw an extension of her father - the throne - in her, wanted her crown, wanted her body--anything but her. Anything but the real Thena.

It was raining, and a few times the tree offering her shelter moaned and even snapped so loudly she wondered if it would collapse on her. It was just her and her regrets, until he appeared. He leaned down to her, tilting his head under the hood of his coat.

"Are you okay?"

She held out a knife, ordering him to stay away from her, pushing her back against the inner wall of the tree stump. "Stay back!"

He held his hands up to her, the cut up logs on his back shifting as he moved. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you, I promise."

Thena kept her eye on him, though. She had only known two men in her life: her father, all her life, and her fiance, for a single day. She didn't trust either of them. And the men she had met however briefly, she didn't think she would be quick to ally herself with either.

"Look, I'm just gonna leave this here," he spoke softly, barely audible over the rain around them. He pulled a bundle of cloth out of the bag on his hip and slid it her way, even poking it towards her the last of the way and backing up. "My cabin is just a little further from here. I'll be making some soup when I get home...I'll be there, I mean."

And with that, he stood and left, walking in the direction he had pointed. Thena watched him as long as she was able from within her alcove. She picked up the bundle warily, but as soon as she smelled what it was her stomach growled.

And so she ended up knocking on his door, in the rain, in a sodden wedding dress, trying her best to have some dignity about her and not start crying as he led her inside.

But he was sweet, this strange lumberjack. He brought her towels and blankets, draping them over her but careful not to encroach on her space for too long or too close. He did have soup, as promised, and it smelled just as good as the sandwich he'd left her--better, even. He even let her serve herself, handing her a bowl and drifting to the other side of the room with his own.

She took a tentative sip of the soup, then a second. Then she wolfed down the whole bowl, ravenous after her days of solitude.

"You can have as much as you want," he said, easily able to tell she wanted more and didn't know how to ask for it. He walked over to the pot, ladling out more for himself and then nodding to her bowl. "You're hungry, right?"

She really did cry that time--just a few tears, which she was quick to wipe away. She held out her bowl to him, immeasurably grateful for his kindness. "Thank you."

"Gil," he supplied easily, as if they hadn't been stood in silence until now. He looked over his shoulder curiously, but he didn't ask her.

She shifted on her feet, feeling the sting of their wounds all the way up her spine. Her eyes shifted; she could tell him who she was, and maybe the name would mean nothing to him. Or she could tell him, and he would immediately know that she was the royal princess, obviously missing. They would probably reward him handsomely for her return.

"Here."

He held out her bowl for her, filled with his amazing soup again. His smile had nothing to hide, nor did it ask anything of her. It was just a smile, from a nice man with delicious soup.

She asked him questions instead, and he answered them honestly and openly. His name was Gilgamesh, he was a lumberjack who lived off the land, he had no family. And he was a great cook.

"Thena," she admitted quietly, stirring around the last few chunks of potato and herbs in her bowl. She couldn't remember ever being better fed, or more satisfied after a meal. Maybe it was the sleeping in a tree in the cold and starving, but she could swear that none of the feasts at the castle were ever this good.

"Thena," he smiled at her as he finished his own bowl. He leaned off his far shelf, reaching out to take hers to his washbasin. She handed it over gently, like a deer eating out of his palm. "That's a pretty name."

She stayed. He wasn't about to send her out in the rain, of course. And first and foremost, she was injured. He sat her in front of his fire, washing her feet in carefully heated water with medicinal herbs floating in it. It stung at first, but he handled her with such gentility that she nearly cried again. There was something almost reverent about the way he held the delicate bone of her ankle as he pressed a clean cloth to her raw skin.

She stated she would be fine on the floor, close to the fire, with a blanket. He refused. She refused his refusal. Then he picked her up, not giving her much of a choice as he placed her onto his bed and crossed his monstrously thick arms at her. "But-"

"Sleep," he ordered with his lips pursed.

She could have balked at the audacity to order her to do anything. Instead, she found herself laughing. "I'm afraid you're not as frightening as you think you are."

But he knew that. Because she had left her sad little knife in his kitchen, next to her bowl of soup.

He didn't send her away the next day, and she found herself without the desire to continue on in her loneliness. She let him check her feet, wash them again and press clean torn fabric to them. He kept doing that until she was healed, and even then, neither of them asked where she was headed.

She started helping him around the house. Just little things, at first. She was even worse than useless at cooking, having never seen a skillet - let alone handled a kettle - in her life. But she could wash and cut up the vegetables from his garden, sweep out the dirt he tended to track in after a long day, pull up the blankets on the bed he still wasn't inhabiting.

It wasn't until a particularly hard day of hauling wood that Thena managed to tempt him just to sit down on the bed while she massaged his aching shoulders.

It had taken nothing at all for him to drift to sleep like that. He even snored a little, he was so out of it. She laid him down next to her, pulling the blankets over him and everything. She still wasn't sure what to make of this sweet, kind man, but she had to admit that his snoring was almost a little bit cute.

He freaked out in the morning, discovering that he had not only fallen asleep, but wrapped his arms around her in the night. But Thena said that it was a perfectly natural thing to happen (as if she would know). And since his soreness was even more evident the next day, she used the same technique on him.

They never did end up sleeping separately again, just by...coincidence.

It was weeks over which it all took place. Thena hadn't even registered the passing of time in her little paradise. It wasn't until she saw a hint of the seasons changing that she realised how long it had been.

Then the thunder of hoof beats.

Gil opened the door, blinking at the royal guard standing there. He took in the man's shining silver armour and the scroll in his hand. "What can I do for you?"

"Sir, I have been sent by his Majesty King Arishem, and his Highness, Prince Eros," the guard declared, unfurling the scroll with the royal decree. "We have been searching for her Highness, Princess Thena, escaped from the palace."

"Escaped, huh?" Gil questioned, completely unfazed by the royal forces at his door and the urgency of their statement. "Did it suck to live there?--in the castle?"

The guard sputtered at the suggestion.

"What'd she run away for?" Gil asked, although he didn't exactly wait around for an answer. He pressed the potato he had been peeling into the hand of the guard 'for his trouble'.

"Sir, we-"

"Hope you find her!" Gil waved before closing the door on the entire royal procession. He leaned against the inside of the door, waiting until he heard their horses galloping off to push off of it.

Thena emerged from where she had rushed to hide herself among the woodpiles in the back. She poked her head out, guilt making her eyes drag along the ground. "They're gone?"

"They're gone," Gil promised, and she did bring herself to come back into the kitchen with him, hands fidgeting over the apron he had sewn for her out of scraps of the - lengthy - wedding dress train.

Thena squirmed as he took her hands in his, pulling her away from their vegetables and over to the table. He sat her down, choosing to lean against the table and look down at her.

"There something you wanna tell me, Sweetheart?"

Thena stared down at her hands on her lap. It seemed so strange to recognise the patterns of flowers on the apron that was once her wedding dress. "I didn't mean to lie to you."

Gil nodded, his arms still crossed, almost having to lean down to hear her. "I know."

Thena sighed. He was so sweet, even in the face of blatant deception. She peeked up at him, and it was almost even worse to see no trace of anger or betrayal on that handsome face of his. She bunched up the apron in her hands. "I was betrothed to Eros by my father's word. I was always intended to marry him so our kingdoms could combine forces."

"But the morning of the wedding, I...something happened. I-I don't know--I just...couldn't. The ladies helping me prepare were talking about life 'once I was married', and circling me, and pulling my hair and getting me into this dress and I-"

Thena looked up at Gil.

"I ran. I ran to the nearest door I could find and out the back of the castle into the woods. I ran until I thought I would meet my end, because I couldn't bear the thought of signing my life away to that man."

Thena looked down again but Gil reached out, tipping her chin back up to him with the gentlest of fingers.

"Is that why you stayed?" he asked gently, although there was plenty he needed to know within that one question. "All this time?"

Thena felt her cheeks flush with warmth. She wasn't entirely sure what had made her so resolute to stay. Surely she could have kept running--had she asked, Gil probably would have offered to help her. Given her shoes and some food, at the very least. She could have lied to him about why she was out there in the first place. She could have left at any time.

But she stayed. She stayed because her feet still hurt, and because by all that was good, the food he made was amazing. She stayed because she found his bed so much comfier than her plush monstrosity at the castle. She stayed because even once her feet felt better, she couldn't just run off with his kindness in hand.

She stayed because every time he came home and gave her that same smile, she convinced herself that she could stay just one more day, desperate to see it again.

Thena's eyes fluttered as his lips pressed between her furrowed brows. She hadn't even realised how tense she was all over until she relaxed. She had felt for herself how rough and calloused his hands were from the work he did. But his lips were soft.

"You can stay as long as you like, Thena," he promised her, and he meant it, because he was Gilgamesh. He smiled, "or should I be calling you Princess?"

She rolled her eyes; he would think this was just so funny. "Please, don't."

"Fine, but don't go out berry picking for the next few days?--just in case those guys are hanging around in the area." He said it so casually, the same way he had first suggested he teach her to peel the potatoes and carrots safely. He leaned off the table, returning to the kitchen with one less potato than when they started making dinner. "I'm sure they'll get tired of sniffing around here soon enough."

Thena turned in her seat, watching him start to peel onions with a simple little smile on his face. "Gil?"

"Hm?" he wasn't even looking at her, so comfortable with her presence and whatever she had to ask or say.

Thena gripped the back of her chair, letting it creak. "Why...?"

He looked up at her with a soft expression. He'd had this same look on his face when he was washing her cut and scraped feet, and when she had first welcomed him home with the worst kettle of tea he'd ever had, and when he first woke up with her in his arms. "Because you want to be here."

That was it. It was that easy for him--that simple. He returned to the onions, chopping them with flawless skill. She disliked them almost as much as peas, but he kept insisting that if he cut them up small enough and cooked them long enough that she wouldn't even taste them.

She could.

"And I want you here, too."

Thena leaned her chin on her hand, watching him work instead of leaping up to join him again. She would in a minute. They could talk about things--what was to come, what would need to happen if she was going to become a permanent resident of the cabin. Or they could talk about how the pumpkins were growing and the animals Gil saw while he was out working.

She just wanted to be with him.

[amatres]

woe, the sad realization the cute and funny moment i thought of would be interpreted romantically

[tbiscool35]

Living for how aroace she reacted tho. I too hyperfixated on a person and mistook it for a crush, good fucking thing I'm a coward tho cus that would have been an awkward conversation once I figured it out

How funny that she never considered that.