Lean On Me
Thena x Reader
Summary : This life wasn’t what you expected, but it wasn’t one you’d refuse, either. In fact, it is one you’d fight for.
Words : 2822
A/N : Reader is an elemental, with the addition of wings just because.
this is.. weird on some degree but I hope y’all would like it still lmao. I cant stop thinking about thena im literally obsessed please helpppp sjhdjehd. Written under the request from @sapphic-stress
[ᴛʜᴇɴᴀ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ]
•°•°••°•°•
The sky looked like it was burning. Red, even though the sun has long set. The fog was thick, though it was more smoke than you’d like. The world was burning, and you could do nothing but sit around and watch. Humans are complicated beings, they could be so passionate and kind, while the other half could be so wicked and cruel.
Thena walked with soft footsteps to alert you of her presence, sitting down beside you, her shoulder touched yours as she leaned a bit on you. “You okay?” She voiced out her concern, her whisper drowned out by the loud screams and clashes of swords. Turning your head to look at the woman, you shrugged, lips forming into a tight line.
“So much for saving the humans from the deviants,” You sighed, and Thena reached out to hold your hand, squeezing them in hope of comforting you. “Here they are, destroying each other.” The blonde could only do so much, because she knew the feeling of helplessness. Her feet were itching to run into the field, her hands were restless to hold a sword.
“Well-” She was cut off before she could continue by a loud screech, followed by a roar not long after. The two of you stood up hastily, hands still intertwined as you stared into the distance. Without saying another word, you pulled Thena against your body and she held onto you tightly while a golden wing formed on your back.
You flew towards the sound, seeing the other eternals running about at the scene. Finally, something to take off your mind from its melancholic episode. You and Thena grinned at each other before you let go of your hold, the Goddess of war immediately slashing through a deviant’s neck. “Kick ass!” You shouted, flying over to yet another ugly monster.
•°•°•°•°•°•
The night did not end like you expected. In fact, no one could’ve ever expected it. The news hit your ears but they’ve barely registered in your brain. There were no more deviants, the last of them are the remains of corpses. But the event that hit you the hardest was Thena, who apparently got a case of the, as Ajak called it, Mahd Wy’ry.
She came too close to ending your life then, because you were too stunned and afraid of ever hurting a hair on her body. Gilgamesh stepped in just in time and you could only stare at the unconscious woman breathlessly.
“Hey.” You ran over to Thena’s side, who was laid out in the middle of the room. Her eyes opened and you shoulders sagged in relief as they were no longer white. “You’re okay.” Assuring her, you let her lean on your side as they explained the extent of what happened.
“We could take you to Arishem. To reset your memories.” Ajak offered an idea, which a lot of the eternals went against. “She won’t be our Thena, anymore.” Makkari signed, devastated on the idea of her dearest friend losing her memories.
“I want to remember.” The woman on your side spoke for the first time, pulling everyone’s eyes to her. They shared unsure glances, and it seemed every single member of your family understood the danger of keeping them. “I’ll take care of her.” Gilgamesh decided. Mighty and strong as he was, you knew he’d always had a soft spot for her.
With teary eyes, Thena shoot him a grateful nod, before they moved on to you, anticipating your judgement. Sensing your hesitation, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, bracing herself for your disagreement. “She could easily end any one of us, you know that, right?” Kingo stated out the fact, and you squeezed her arm in reassurance. “We’ll take that chance.”
•°•°•°•°•°•
You spent the next century searching for a place to stay before settling on Australia. A wide settings, far, far away from any human residences. As you and Gilgamesh tried to find ways to get her back when an episode occurs, hard were the understatement of the century.
Both of you learned that fighting her only makes things worse. Running away wasn’t an option. You tried locking her down in a room, and it ended up with the three of you having to build the whole house over again because she destroyed it to the ground. For some time, the only way to stop her was Gilgamesh knocking her unconscious, like the first time.
Besides the failed attempts and false discovery on stopping her madness, the three of you bonded more than you ever had throughout your whole life. Gil loved cooking, so Thena and you bought an apron with the words “Kiss the cook” as a joke. He sulked for a few days about it, but then would never take it off while in the kitchen.
Thena had a little sanctuary in the backyard of the house, where she would paint to calm her thoughts. You’d sit there with her and hum random songs, and Gil would occasionally join. It’d usually end up with you and the male eternal making a fool out of yourselves, but at least Thena was smiling again, and you both thought it was worth it.
Gilgamesh went into the city the first time it happened. He said, specifically, not to burn the house down while he was away. It was when a horde of what seems to be an army marched past, and no, they weren’t close. But it was the battle cries that triggered Thena, who were just sipping her tea on the couch.
You do not have the power to effectively knock her down like Gil does, and you were running out of ideas on how to limit her because this woman does not tire. You’d have loved the idea in certain situations, but this wasn’t one of it. Ducking from a sword swung at your head, you turned to see Gilgamesh’s cupboard cut in half. “Oh, no.” Time to get her outside.
You wrapped your arms tightly around her and flew through the roof (breaking it in the process, but we’ll talk about that later), You threw Thena onto the ground, wincing as you watched her stumble. “Thena,” Drawing out her name as a warning, you lowered yourself and set your foot on the sand. “This doesn’t have to get ugly.” Another sword formed in her hand.
Gilgamesh and you have always tried to talk her out of an episode, but none seemed to break through. It sort of became a habit to make small talks while trying to figure out a way, though it always ended the same.
As she charged at you, a golden string appeared on the ground and slithered to her, a wall of soil rose around her and efficiently trapping her inside it. Groans and screams of frustration rang out as she pounded and hit the shit out of the little prison you created.
Walking to her, you touched the tough soil and it glowed a warm yellow, on the inside, Thena stopped struggling. Her breaths evened out, and her weapons disappeared. With a pounding heart, you thawed the barrier between the two of you like it was ice, and your eyes settled on the woman standing in front of you. Her eyes were still white and blank, but you felt the burn of her stare.
“Hey, love.” You held out your hand, palm facing the sky. “It’s okay,” Taking a step forward, you gained a piece of confidence when she didn’t back away. “No one’s gonna hurt you. I’m here.” Her calloused hand was shaking as she clasped it with yours and you squeezed it gently. “That’s it, you’re doing great, honey.”
The sun was blaring down on the two of you, the quiet wind blowing the sand and it almost seemed like a dream you’ve had. As soon as her forehead touched yours, the whites clouding her eyes faded, and she stared at you in shock. You grinned from ear to ear, the excitement of having brought her back consuming your whole being. Thena smiled at the little invention, a sigh leaving her lips and she leaned her head on your shoulder, her eyes gleaming for the first time in years. It felt like a weight have been lifted off her aching heart ever since that night.
You shared the story with Gilgamesh faster than he could step his foot inside the house, and smiled sheepishly as he discovered the state of his kitchen. “I’ll fix it.” You gave a promise, but he shook his head. Picking up a broken bowl, he gestured to the silver haired woman watching your interaction. “Worth it.”
Three of the eternals stayed there for approximately 500 years, Gilgamesh eventually found a way to calm Thena down, too. It wasn’t the kind of life you thought you’d be living in, but everyday spent with her was worthwhile. Spending time with Thena did not decrease the admiration you’ve had for the longest of time for her. She was closed off and poised as stoic, always calm in battles.
But during those years, you’ve discovered that she was the softest being on earth. You could guarantee it. Behind closed doors, she was soft-spoken and gentle. She’d blush easily when you give her a compliment, her laughs the sweetest sound to ever hit your ears when you made fun of Gilgamesh together.
Without realizing, your love for her grew with each day spent around her. The air shifted between the two of you since the discovery, and you literally calling her pet names to bring her back, and it was always just an unspoken understanding. It was there, implied in the glances you’d share, the nights you’d spend together. She knew and you knew the love you shared was as real as it could get.
You guessed this kind of life wasn’t so bad, after all.
Until the others suddenly paid a visit. An earthquake took place just a few days before they arrived, so you guessed it had something to do with it. Thena relapsed into her old self, staying in the backyard for hours on end, not interacting much with either of you.
The news of Ajak’s death hit you like a lightning, and it felt as if the wind was knocked out of your body. They went to retrieve Thena while you sat alone in your room, the weight of losing a family heavy on your heart.
The next few days were a blur. It all happened so fast, with the deviants coming back and the emergence taking place. Gilgamesh was heavily injured due to the battle with the deviants in Amazon, and Thena wouldn’t stop blaming herself as she claimed she’d distracted him with another episode. Luckily, you got there just in time and burned the ugly beast to hell, though not so bad it could kill him, it was enough for him to get off of the eternal you’ve grown close to.
It was decided that Gil would be put on bedrest, and so he stayed in Phastos’ lovely home with his consent.
Ikaris was a son of a bitch, and all hell broke loose when you understood when he said he ‘wasn’t as good as you think’. He killed Ajak. You’ve never hated anyone so much in your life that you wanted to kill them and make them suffer.
When you should be focusing on stopping Tiamut from emerging, you were instead fighting him. Too focused you were at him, you didn’t realize Thena wandering off on her own, going after the deviant who injured Gil.
Leaving the team, you flew into a cave, where you found her with the deviant absorbing her power. “No!” You threw a fire blast, making him detach the strings from her body. He harmed your Thena. And in an instant, all you saw was red.
You were never the best at hand to hand combat, but you were in a cave. Rocks were thrown, but they weren’t enough to hurt. Sharp icicles lodged themselves into his body, but he took them out and healed easily. You were quick, but his endurance was massive.
Thena stood up slowly, her head still foggy, grunts of pain and pants filling her ears and she couldn’t seem to stop the ringing. She took some deep breaths like you taught her, trying to calm her racing heart. Struggling to get in control of her own mind, she was snapped out of it when a sickening scream echoed.
“Thena!” With your neck under the grip of the monster’s and him basically draining you out of life, your eyes started to water from the lack of oxygen. “Please.” Your voice cracked, black spots were dancing in your vision.
It took her less than two seconds to kill the deviant.
Strong arms caught you before you could hit the ground and you gasped for air. “What did you do?” She repeated the question over and over again with tears streaming down her face, lips trembling as she checked you over. Bringing your hand up to wipe her tears away, she leaned onto your palm. “You’re okay, we’re okay.” She sniffled, “Hey, look at me. It’s alright, we’re fine, here.” You brought her head to the crook of your neck, and there, she could feel your heartbeat.
“Don’t do that ever again.” You shook your head and placed a kiss on her hair, rubbing her back soothingly. Deep down, she knew you would do it again in a heartbeat. “Anything to keep you safe.” You’d once told her. But the thought of your life taken at her expense was too much, the fear clutching tight at her heart.
“I love you.” Thena lifted her head from your shoulder to look at you, and she inhaled at the depth your eyes held, the genuine affection bared before her own. “I love you, and I would do anything. Okay? You’ll be alright, I promise.” Your thumb brushed her cheek, taking care of the tears that kept on falling. “I love you, too.” Her voice was raspy from the crying, and her fingers traced the open scars littering your skin. “Promise me you’ll be alright, too?” You breathed out a laugh in relief, nodding your head.
The ground rumbled under you, taking your attention off of each other. “Duty calls.” Standing up on shaky feet, your neck ached as you turned to your side, opening your arms as invitation. “Still up to stopping a celestial?” Thena wrapped her arms around your midsection, pulling her body flush against yours. But before answering your question, she pressed her lips onto yours, taking in the feeling of your soft lips she’d dreamt about for so long. When breath became a necessity, she pulled away. “With you? Always.”
•°•°•°•°•
When the heat of the battle subsided, you went back and retrieved Gilgamesh who insisted he was feeling fresher than ever. Along with Druig and Makkari, the five of you rode on the Domo in search of other eternals. It was strange to watch Druig being so soft with Makkari, that you thought you were hallucinating for a moment.
“I mean, you can’t blame me.” The mind controller mentioned as he noticed your questioning glances. “Don’t pretend that Thena doesn’t do the same to you.” You raised your eyebrows at his accusation, and he too raised his as a challenge for you to make a rebuttal.
“At least I’m not just seamlessly flirting and actually did something about it.” You pointed out nonchalantly. His eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, what?” You only shrugged, moving your feet towards the main quarter of the ship, finding Thena, Makkari and Gilgamesh lounging on the floor, each one of them with a book on their lap.
Thena’s head lifted up and a wide smile took over her face at the sight of you approaching, and you can’t help the butterflies from erupting in your stomach. She reached out her hand which you gladly accepted, falling into her embrace like it was the most natural thing to do. “Hello, love.” Her deep voice carried so much warmth and love, and your eyes light up like, in Gil’s words, a lovesick puppy.
You leaned forward to catch her lips, and she complied, but a thud of a book falling to the floor broke you off. Makkari sat with her mouth agape, turning to Druig. “Are you seeing this?!” She signed in complete disbelief, but a smile overtook her features shortly.
Gilgamesh smiled knowingly, eyes never taken off from his book. Thena handed you her book before laying down on the hard floor, her head resting on your lap. You tangled your fingers in her hair, gently caressing her head while the other held up the book. “What are we reading today, My Lady?”

















