The morning sun cast gentle shadows through the GDA facility hospital room window as Thragg helped war-torn Eve dress for the day.
His massive hands moved with surprising delicacy as he assisted her into comfortable clothes that had been specially selected - loose-fitting and soft against her sensitive skin.
Eve's fingers trembled slightly as she attempted to button her cardigan, frustration flickering across her face at her body's weakness.
Without comment, Thragg's hands covered hers, gently taking over the task.
"Your strength will return," he stated simply, his deep voice pitched low and soothing. "The cellular regeneration is proceeding as expected."
Eve nodded, though her eyes remained fixed on her lap. She felt... unclean. Tainted.
The medical procedures in the Emperor world recently had healed her physical wounds and scars, but she could still feel the phantom touch of her Mark's hands, still see the cruel satisfaction in his eyes as he marked her flesh.
And now here was Thragg - the Emperor himself - helping her dress like a child. The shame of it burned in her chest.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her speech having returned to its normal state these past days, the words escaping before she could stop them. "You shouldn't have to... I'm not worthy of..."
Thragg's hands stilled on the final button. His penetrating gaze studied her face, seeing beyond her words to the pain beneath.
"Worth," he said after a moment, "is not determined by what has been done to you."
Eve's breath caught in her throat. How did he always seem to know exactly what she was thinking? Was she that transparent, that weak?
But there was no judgment in his eyes, no disgust at her vulnerability. Only that steady, unwavering presence that had become her anchor in the storm of recovery.
"I thought..." she began hesitantly, her voice stronger than it had been days ago but still carrying the roughness of disuse, "I thought Viltrumites valued strength above all else."
"We do," Thragg confirmed, helping her into the wheelchair that would allow her to leave the medical wing for the first time. "But strength takes many forms. Survival is one of them."
He wheeled her toward the door, his movements careful and measured. Eve's hands gripped the armrests tightly, anxiety building in her chest as they approached the exit.
"What if..." she swallowed hard, forcing the words out, "what if people see you like this? The Emperor, pushing a broken girl in a wheelchair. Won't it make you seem... weak?"
The question had been haunting her since she'd first called him 'dad' in that moment of desperate need.
She'd manipulated him, used his relationship with her counterpart to secure his protection. The guilt of it ate at her constantly.
To her surprise, Thragg actually chuckled - a sound so unexpected it made her jump slightly.
"Child," he said, his voice carrying a warmth she was still adjusting to, "I wear the hide of Battle Beast as a coat. My strength is beyond question. A few hours spent caring for my daughter will not change that."
Daughter. The word sent a complex wave of emotions through Eve.
She'd always wanted a father, one who truly acted like one towards her, one she could depend on when times were tough, one that actually loved her, but she never had such a person in her life.
Hearing these words made her feel... Joy, fear, unworthiness, desperate hope - all tangled together in her chest.
They emerged from the medical wing into a bright corridor. Eve tensed, expecting to see others, but the hallway was empty.
"I have cleared this section of the facility," Thragg explained, sensing her anxiety. "We will encounter no one unless you wish it."
Relief flooded through her, followed immediately by more guilt. Here she was, forcing the Emperor of the universe to arrange his schedule around her fears.
"You don't have to-" she began.
"Believe me I know," Thragg interrupted gently. "No one can make me do anything. I choose to."
They moved through the building in comfortable silence, eventually reaching an exit that led to a private garden. Eve blinked in the natural sunlight - the first she'd felt on her skin in months.
To her continued surprise, Thragg was dressed not in his usual imperial regalia, but in civilian clothes - a simple black suit that somehow managed to accommodate his massive frame while still looking elegant.
"The Battle Beast coat would draw unnecessary attention, without it I am not as recognizable," he explained, noting her curious glance.
He positioned her wheelchair near a flowering bush, angling it so she could feel the sun on her face while remaining partially sheltered by shade.
Eve watched as he settled onto a reinforced bench nearby, his massive frame making the industrial-strength furniture look like dollhouse accessories.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked suddenly, the question that had been burning inside her finally escaping.
Thragg raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate.
"You're the Emperor," she continued, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. "You have an empire to run, worlds to conquer, dimensions to explore. Why waste time with... with me?"
"Is that what you believe you are?" Thragg asked, his voice carefully neutral. "A waste of time?"
Eve looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm broken," she whispered. "Damaged. I can't even dress myself properly. I manipulated you by calling you father, used your feelings for the other Eve to make you protect me. I'm... I'm dirty."
The last word came out as barely a breath, but Thragg's enhanced hearing caught it easily.
"Look at me," he commanded, though his tone remained gentle.
When Eve hesitated, he moved from the bench to kneel beside her wheelchair, bringing himself to her eye level - a gesture that struck her with its deliberate humility. The Emperor of the universe, kneeling beside her.
"What was done to you does not define you," he stated, each word carrying the weight of absolute authority. "The actions you took to survive do not make you unclean. And your need for protection does not make you weak."
Tears welled in Eve's eyes, but she forced them back. "But I used you," she insisted. "I saw how you cared for the other Eve and I... I took advantage of that."
"Did you?" Thragg asked, his penetrating gaze seeming to see straight through to her soul. "Or did you recognize something true, even if you didn't fully understand it at the time?"
Eve frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
"When you called me father," Thragg explained, "you were not creating something false. You were acknowledging something that already existed - my capacity and desire to protect you. To care for you. To be the father you deserve."
Thragg himself was surprised by his own words. Not in the way that he did not believe them, but that he actually uttered them.
He began to wonder in that moment whether deep down he wanted this - to actually show his care outward, so openly rather than hide it behind his normal exterior, the one formed since Argall's death.
On Viltrum, he of course never showed this much emotion even with his father, but even then, it was at least there, unspoken or not.
Now... now, he realises in some way the helping of war-torn Eve - no matter how sincere - in some way was also an excuse he gave himself to actually show the feelings he's buried deep,
the feelings that made him the son of a wise Emperor previously, as well as a human in his first life.
A sob escaped Eve's throat before she could stop it. "But I'm not her," she protested weakly. "I'm not your Eve."
"No," Thragg agreed. "You are your own person, with your own path. But that does not make you any less my daughter."
The tears came freely now, rolling down Eve's cheeks as years of pain and fear and loneliness crashed through the walls she'd built around her heart.
Without hesitation, Thragg gathered her into his arms, lifting her from the wheelchair to cradle her against his chest. Eve buried her face in his suit jacket, her thin frame shaking with sobs.
"I'm scared," she admitted between gasping breaths. "Scared of being weak, of making you vulnerable, of not being worthy of your protection."
"Your fear is understandable," Thragg replied, his deep voice rumbling through his chest beneath her ear. "But unnecessary. My protection is not conditional upon your worthiness. It is given freely, as a father's love should be."
They remained like that for several minutes, Thragg holding her as she cried, his massive hand running soothingly through her short hair.
When her tears finally subsided, Eve felt... lighter somehow. As if some of the darkness that had been poisoning her soul had been washed away by her father's acceptance.
Father. The word felt right now, not like a manipulation or a desperate plea, but like a truth she'd been afraid to acknowledge.
After their emotional conversation in the garden, Thragg noticed Eve watching a family having lunch at a nearby café. Her expression held a mixture of longing and fear that tugged at something deep within him.
"Would you like to try?" he asked softly.
Eve's fingers tightened on the wheelchair's armrests. "I... I don't know if I can."
"Then we shall make it easier," Thragg decided. He pulled out a phone - a device that looked comically small in his massive hand - and made a brief call.
Twenty minutes later, they entered a small restaurant - one he went to with Amanda a couple of times in his own world. The entire place had been cleared of other customers, with only a single elderly waiter remaining.
"Everything is prepared as requested, sir," the waiter said with a respectful bow, showing question at all to Thragg's identity or the like. Perfectly understanding of some things being not his right to know or ask about.
Eve realized Thragg must have arranged this in advance, perhaps even bought the restaurant outright to ensure her comfort. The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes, which she quickly blinked away.
The meal was simple but perfect - pasta that reminded Eve of happier times, bread still warm from the oven, and a chocolate dessert that made her realize how long it had been since she'd truly enjoyed food.
"You're not eating much," she observed, watching Thragg take careful bites with utensils that seemed like toys in his hands.
"Viltrumites require less sustenance," he replied. "But meals serve purposes beyond mere nutrition. They are... connection."
After lunch, they visited a small bookstore that had also been cleared for their visit. Eve's eyes lit up at the sight of familiar titles - books that had once been her escape, her comfort.
Thragg, noting her interest, began systematically purchasing every book she glanced at for more than a few seconds.
"Dad," she protested weakly, the word feeling more natural now. She knew intelectually, that such a development was fast, very fast, but she couldn't really care less.
She wanted a dad, and Thragg was choosing to be one to her, so she would welcome it with open arms.
"you don't have to-"
"I am aware," he replied, adding another stack to his growing pile. "I choose to." he stated, repeating his earlier words.
They spent the afternoon in a private garden, Eve reading while Thragg sat beside her, his massive presence keeping her fears at bay.
Sometimes he would comment on the books, revealing a surprisingly deep knowledge of human literature.
As the sun began to set, Eve felt fatigue creeping in - her body still adjusting to extended activity. Thragg noticed immediately.
"Time to rest," he declared, no room for argument in his tone as he took her back to the GDA facility, flying the both of them with care.
-----------------------
Back in her room, he helped her into bed with the same gentle care he'd shown all day. As he tucked the blankets around her, Eve caught his hand.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."
Thragg's expression softened imperceptibly. "Sleep," he commanded gently. "I will return soon."
Eve drifted off, feeling truly safe for the first time in longer than she could remember. Through half-closed eyes, she watched as Thragg left as then sleep took her.
The Emperor himself with speed went to his room and changed, his civilian clothes disappearing and his normal attire with the imperial regalia, the Battle Beast coat taking its place.
He went to the window, opened it and launched himself into the night sky, his massive form disappearing into the clouds above.
High above the city, Thragg hovered motionless in the thin air, his enhanced vision scanning the horizon.
A somewhat familiar - yet in someways unfamiliar soul presence approached - one he had been expecting.
"You took your time," he stated without turning as the figure drew near.
"So," a voice identical to his own replied from behind him, "you are the one who sent that dog Conquest with his tail between his legs."
Thragg turned slowly to face his counterpart - this world's Grand Regent Thragg, ruler of the Viltrum Empire.
-----------------------------
(Do please read this author note, it explains a lot about Thragg and this Eve's relationship development)
(Author note: So, the Thraggs meet. Do tell me if you are excited for their confronattion.
Also, I know, this chapter probably felt a bit fast, but I purposefully made it so for a couple reasons,
1) Eve wants to recover fast, with Thragg himself supporting her.
2) Besides that with their evolving father-daughter relationship, yeah, it is extremely fast in someways, but that is because of Eve having attached herself completely to Thragg as her source of protection,
and instinctively people when seeking safety and comfort want their parents, their parents having been good to them or not in the past.
Eve has... imprinted? I don't know if that is the right word for it, but something similar to that on Thragg, wanting to see him as a father figure, as it was the very reason he came to save her in the first place, unconsciously seeking that position as it is what brings her safety.
She's also in a way has become obsessed with strength and appearing strong, as appearing weak, being weak in her eyes means to be prey.
She feels guilty at making Thragg in a sense appear "weak" and "soft" by acting like this towards her, fearing to jeopradize his position with her limited understanding of how Viltrumites are.
Besides all this, Thragg himself is also well, changing. He himself has been observing Nolan with his family, as well as others, and their connection and openness and deep down wanted that,
especially the more Samael-like he becomes by getting more acquainted with emotions that aren't pure calmness.
Caring for Eve is basically Thragg's internal excuse for why he can be open without it going against his chosen discipline of always being in control,
regal, above the entire world as the perfect example of an Emperor that sees all from above, and is always logical and efficient.
That it is necessary to connect more with others.
So yeah, sorry for the long explanation, hope it makes sense and I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)