#GOOD FOR VIV AND KAL | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writingsbychlo · 1 year

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UNDER THE MISTLETOE (day eight)

summary; on your final day, you and az spend some time with kallias, while vivianne plans a party and a few surprises.

word count; 8848

notes; the last part!! I hope you guys love it 🤍

The hustle and bustle of the palace had been apparent from the very moment that you’d opened your eyes this morning. Azriel had been curled around you when you woke up, soft whispers of good mornings until the two of you had been ready to get out of bed. Now, as you stood at the bottom of the main stairway, staring in shock at the flurry of motion and hustle of workers, you felt like that peaceful morning had been years ago.

“What…”

“Viv.” You both jumped as Kallias appeared beside you, slipping out from the corridor beside the stairs and clutching a mug of tea in his hands, still steaming. He looked even more shocked and frazzled than the both of you, eyes wide as you stared out at the crowds. “Viv is throwing you a party.”

“Why?” The words tumbled from Azriel faster than you could process the statement, a giggle leaving you as you nudged him with your elbow for his brashness. As though sensing herself about to be teased, Vivianne wove through the crowds, steely gaze fixed on her husband, whose eyes only widened when he saw her.

“Shit, I—”

“Kallias!” She did not seem pleased, and his spluttering came to a halt as she stopped before the three of you, one hand coming to rest on her hip as the other clutched a clipboard. “You said you were going to get more berries!”

“I think we have enough berries.”

She only scowled, a look flashing across her face that told all three of you the berry debate wasn’t over. When her attention moved to the both of you, her expression became far sunnier. “It was brought to my attention last night that we didn’t have a Christmas party! You can’t not have a Christmas party at your first Christmas.”

“It was a joke,” Kallias grumbled the words into his tea, sipping from him and wincing.

“A joke I’m taking seriously.” She pinched his cheek, and he only scowled deeper. “Plus, it was a challenge, and I never turn down a challenge. You told me there was no way I could get a whole Christmas party together in less than a day. Well, not only can I do it, it’s going to be a fantastic party, at that.”

“Viv, you really don’t have to do that for us.”

“Oh, this party isn’t for you two, anymore,” Kal sighed, turning to face you both and shrugging. “This party is purely for my wife, at this point.”

“You won't have a wife if you keep up all this attitude.” She sniped, and he finally smiled at that.

“Uh-huh, sure.” He looped an arm around her, pulling her into him until her clipboard was pressed to his chest, and he left a wet kiss on her cheek. “You’re not going anywhere, so I’m going to keep complaining.”

Wiping at her cheeks, she was doing nothing to hide her blush or her smile, as she softened against him and kissed his cheek in response. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I love you too, snowflake.” With a final kiss to her lips, Kallias let her go, leaving a less than discrete tap on her ass as she walked away again, and you chuckled, turning to hide your expression in Azriel’s shoulder. When you emerged again, his attention was on the two of you. “While Viv takes care of everything else, it’s my job to distract the two of you today. You can’t be here in the ‘prepping area’.”

“So, we’re going out?” Excitement raced through you at the chance to get a little more sightseeing done before you left, your only regret is not having gotten enough in before it all to see everything. You would have to come back for sure.

“We are.” Scanning his gaze over you both, Kal smirked. “You two might want to change, we’re going to do some manual labour today. You’re gonna’ be busy and cold.”

You idled for a second longer, before he was ushering you back up the stairs, telling you to be back in ten minutes. The pair of you stumbled over your own feet, giggling as Azriel compared him to Cassian on a training day, and falling back in fits of laughter against the door of your room.

“So, can I at least get away with wearing my leathers for this?”

“No!” Your giggles were renewed, standing up to point at him as you wandered over to the packed cases sitting at the base of the bed, knowing you were going to have to gently unpack them to find some warmer clothes again. “Not the leathers!”

“What’s wrong with them? You’re going to have to get used to them, baby. I mean— I really don’t know how you haven’t already, it’s been—” You spun to him, throwing your jumper at him as you stripped it over your head in order to add some more layers underneath first. “Hey!”

“There’s nothing wrong with the leathers, that’s the whole point!”

“That’s the whole point?” He echoed, balling up the fabric and throwing it back at you with force. “Oh, I get it. Do my leathers distract you, baby? I did tell you they made my ass look good.”

“Go and get changed!” Your cheeks warmed, shaking your head at him and shooing him out of your bedroom, into his own, the door slamming on his laughter.

He had his own cases, and you rifled through your own, sorting for jeans and layers and thicker socks, until you had a pile to change into, and had to refold everything back up, including the outfit you’d already chosen. You’d barely finished getting dressed again when the door reopened, and you nudged your re-packed bag back under your bed with your foot.

When Azriel reemerged, your mouth went a little dry at the sight of him. Adjusting his collar, his head was tucked down, and you were given a chance to observe him. He had donned the leather pants of his training gear, tucked snug around his thighs and into his boots, one of his siphons now clipped onto his belt. Two sat over the backs of his hands in their straps, half covered by the sleeves of his thick flannel coat. With a dark grey long-sleeve underneath, the shades of pale blue threaded through the fur-lined jacket were a startling contrast to his usual moody outfit choice, and your mouth dried out.

He looked like he was glowing in the Winter scenery.

“What?”

His head snapped up, and you wondered how he’d known you were staring, preparing to look away, before the flustered haze cleared for just a second. You’d likely been sending him all of those astonished feelings down the bond, and it was that bond that meant you were absolutely allowed to check him out, whenever you damn well pleased.

“Seriously, what is it?”

“I’ve never seen you in that jacket before.” Your throat felt dry, and you swallowed a couple of times, taking a few steps closer to him. He raised his hands, waiting for you to walk into them so he could settle them on your hips.

“I bought it for this trip. There’s a lot of outfits I didn’t get to wear, we’ve spent considerably more time out of our clothes than in them.” You grinned, running your hands up his forearms, and scanning your gaze over him once more. He tensed a little, flexing the longer you stared, and you bit your lip. “You’re checking me out.”

“Yeah, and what of it? You’re hot, and you’re mine.” Reaching one hand behind him, he jumped as you grasped at a handful of his ass, his cheeks going red. “Turn around so I can check out the rest of you.”

“Only if you’ll do the same for me.” His sultry whisper lost all effect as his blush remained, and you pat the same cheek you’d grabbed, before pulling your hand back to his hip. He’d managed to do up the buttons under his wings himself this time, likely to avoid becoming the same wobbly-kneed mess you’d reduced him to last time as he fought all these new instincts that same way you were. “Kiss me?”

“You don’t even have to ask.” You mumbled, leaning up enough to meet him halfway, clashing together in the middle.

It was messy, and lazy, and so sweet that your heart skipped a beat. His lips were in languid drags over your own, noses bumping with the occasional breaths taken. Sliding his hand under your thick jumper, you shivered at the brush of the cold metal of his clasp on your skin, pulling back with a gasp and pressing into his hand more.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”

“I hope you do. I hope you start to see my kisses as a part of your everyday life, I hope you grow to expect them, I hope—” You cut him off with another kiss, grinning against his lips as he returned it more than eagerly, chasing you again when you pulled away.

“I get it. You’ll be there every time I need a kiss.”

“Every time.” He promised, stealing one final one, before stepping back. “I believe we still have two minutes to spare.”

“There’s no way we’ve been less than ten minutes.”

“I thought he said twenty… we’re definitely late.” He tipped you up under your chin, pecking the tip of your nose, before running his sights over you. Snatching up the scarf he’d gifted to you, he looped it around your neck, before plopping a bobble hat haphazardly and half-over your eyes, and deeming it a job well done.

Taking your hand in his as he grabbed both of your sets of gloves, you grinned, digging your heels in and failing to slow him down at all. “Wait, what about your other siphons, you’ve only got three on!”

“I’m not gonna’ need the other ones. I think we’ve expelled enough energy over the last few days that I’m still drained.” At your shock, he managed to tug you along further, out of the room and into the halls. He glanced at you over his shoulder, “I don’t know how you’re even walking, I clearly haven’t been fucking you good enough.”

“Az!” Your head whipped around, looking for any other people in the halls, grateful to find them empty.

“What? It’s true! I’ll have to do something about that later.”

You weren’t sure your cheeks could get any hotter without you catching fire, and you squeezed his hand in your own, only earning a head-tipping laugh in response. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I want you to remember those words, and scream them later tonight.”

“Oh, for—”

Kallias was standing at the bottom of the stairs, leaning on the railing with his arms crossed. He had also changed, swapping out for a thick coat and some sturdy jeans and boots, his white brows furrowed as he watched you both come down the stairs. “You’re late! Luckily for you both, I happen to be quite fond of you, so I’ll let it slide.”

At his words, you grinned, but Azriel’s shoulders locked a little and his wings ruffled pridefully, his eyes widening as Kallias turned his back, motioning for the two of you to follow. He glanced at you, seeming shocked at such an open affirmation of friendship, and you could only smile. One day, Azriel would see just how loveable he was to everyone else, when he let those guarded walls down.

Connecting bit!!

There was a carriage waiting for you outside, and you slid into it, Azriel sliding in beside you, and you leaned forwards, making space for his wings to stretch out, before sitting back and nestling into his side instead.

“So, I thought we might start with some charity work.” As the carriage kicked into gear, Kallias decided to finally tell you both what you’d be doing with the day, and your interest was piqued. “There’s a shelter in the city for children on the other side of the events of the Mountain and the War, I volunteer there every year. Viv did it during the time I was away, for all the children whose parents were trapped with me.”

His attention was fixed out of the window, throat bobbing as he spoke, and your eyes were wide at such a confession. “Kal… We don’t want to intrude. If you want to go alone, we can find something else to do with our day.”

Reaching out, he caught your hand, squeezing it as he turned back to face you, eyes a little glassier than they had been. “No, I’d like it if you’d come. I want to share this with friends.”

“Then we’re happy to be a part of it,” Azriel promised, the two men sharing a smile, before Kallias cleared his throat and looked back to the passing scenery.

“I thoughts afterwards we could go and get some lunch. You’re likely just to get nibbles at the party, Viv loves that whole finger-food party thing, she never misses a chance for it.” He smiled at the thought of his wife, “Then we can see how much time we have left, maybe see a carol service.”

When you finally pulled up to a stop, it was in front of a large cathedral-like building, with stained glass windows and tall spires, but it looked far more modern, like it had been recently converted. Only when you stepped out of the carriage were you able to truly appreciate its grandeur, letting out a low whistle at the sight.

“It used to be a part of the priestess’ worship, but it fell into a lot of disrepair during those fifty years. Services weren’t so popular, people struggled to find their faith when everything seemed so bad. The priestesses moved back to the temples. Viv fixed it up, and made it into a shelter instead for anybody who needed it.” The doors were pinned open, lots of people spilling in and out as you passed them by carrying boxes of donations, offerings of food, or coming for help.

You made an extra mental note to show your memories of it to Rhysand and Feyre when you got home, to perhaps install something similar in Velaris. Guiding you up several sets of stairs inside to reach the main floor, you were surrounded by tables filled with things to be out sorted, even more laying on the floor underneath, with runners taking things out as more came in. It was a truly impressive service.

“This is the donations centre. Everything that comes in needs sorting through, everyone here is volunteers.” Patting an empty table, Kallias lifted two heavy boxes onto the space. “I’ll leave you two here, I’m going to go and help out at the food station downstairs. I’ll be back in a little while. If you run out of boxes… well… you won't.”

Looking around, a chuckle spilt from Azriel’s lips as he did the same, noting the piles of things from floor to ceiling, wobbling precariously.

“Who are they?” Azriel pointed over toward the fireplace, a collection of what looked o be about ten children sitting around it, games and books and snacks spilt out around them.

“Uh, might be volunteers children, could be kids of the shelter.” He shrugged, a saddened look taking over his face, and Azriel glanced at them again, his frown matching. “Alright, I’ll come back to check on you guys in a little bit.”

He waved as he went, disappearing out into the halls again, and you took up a place behind the table, Azriel falling into step beside you, leaving a kiss on your cheek as he did.

“I love you.”

Your lips flicked up at the edges, tearing open the first sealed-up box, and turning to face him as he did the same. “Yeah? What’s brought that on?”

“Just, y’know, it’s our vacation, and you’re happy here working at the volunteer shelter, instead of sightseeing and all that. I wish the kids at the camps had something like this, I wish I’d had something like this when I was young, before I met Cass and Rhys.” Your heart clenched, and Azriel’s jaw rolled a little as he swallowed back emotions. “It feels fitting that the love of my life would be everything I wished I had since I knew what wishing was.”

“I love you, Az. I’m glad we’re here, and I’m glad we’re here together.”

“Me too.” With a simple peck to finish the conversation, the two of you moved on with your work, beginning to clear space for piles, and falling into a good harmony of sorting things into joint piles, making your way through the boxes gathered around your bodies.

You worked in simple silence, mumbled conversation about anything that came to mind taking place between the two of you, the time flying by as you put your vacation time into something that might just change someone's life, and would certainly make you feel better for taking some time off.

You waited, your latest dumb questing hanging in the air between you both, and you looked up to see what was taking Azriel so long with his answer, only to find his attention frozen once again, a shirt hanging in his hands to be folded.

This was the fourth time you’d watched Azriel’s eyes flicker towards the group of children gathered around the large fireplace, roasting hazelnuts and marshmallows in the flames. Trepidation and anxiety were strumming at that bond, feelings he didn’t bother to hide from reverberating to you, maybe he didn’t even know he was feeling it.

When he glanced again, you sighed. Nudging him with your hip, you stole his attention back to you, temporarily.

“Az?”

��Yeah, baby?” He didn’t look away, he kept working on the box before himself, folding the shirt he’d gotten stuck on and pulling out another item. He continued sorting it into the correct piles, only turning his gaze to you when you stayed quiet this time. “What is it?”

“Maybe you should go check on the kids, they’re all alone over there. Go make sure they’re all okay.”

He twisted, glanced over his shoulder at them, and when he turned back, there was a look in his eyes so full of love it nearly drowned you. With a meaningful nod and a kiss on your forehead, you watched him wander away, wings jerking at the pop of a log and pulling in tightly to his back, before crouching down beside the group of children.

You couldn't hear him now, but his lips flickered up into a smile at the edges as one of the children offered him a fresh stick with a marshmallow on the end. He settled to kneel properly with them, poking it into the fire. As he watched over them, he helped adjust their grips, subtly pulling all of their little hands further away from the flames, relief beginning to trickle to you instead as he worked, chatting gently with them all as they heeded his advice.

You continued to sort through the boxes, trying to control the racing of your heart and get the work you and Azriel had been set done, all while trying not to miss a single second of his interactions. You watched as he taught them to make smores, sticky marshmallows pressing between chocolatey crackers, and he seemed to be telling them all some kind of story as they giggled and ate.

When they were finished, he wiped all of their hands and cheeks, chubby-cheeked little ones settling in front of older ones before him, and one pointed at his wings. Flaring one out to the side and away from the fire, and the shouts of awe and wonder reached you on the other side of the room.

He gave it a flap, strong enough that the hair of those kids in the front row flew out of their faces, dragging laughter from them all, and the look on Azriel’s face only brightened. You didn’t realise you’d stopped working entirely until someone bumped their hip against your own, and you found Kallias at your side, pulling a blanket from the box and folding it neatly.

“Where’s your other half gone?”

Lifting a hand, you pointed him out by the fire, all the children crowded around him now, one little girl sat across his lap as a young boy clung to his shoulders, barely visibly in the crowd of little ones.

Sniffling back the emotions welling up at the sight of him, you refocused on the task at hand, only having made it through one of your two boxes. Lifting the empty one to the floor, you and Kal worked silently for a couple of minutes as you gathered yourself, distributing donations to the correct piles.

When you’d made it through that box together, he disappeared for only a moment, before returning with two more, practically overflowing, for the two of you to work through.

“He’s a good man.”

“He’s the best,” You whispered, plucking a bagful of children-sized clothes that someone had clearly grown out of, and beginning to sort them into various items. “I wish he’d see it in himself.”

“He sees in you that you see it in him, and that’s enough.” Your motions paused as you wrapped your head around his words, glancing up at your friend, who offered a vulnerable smile. You knew how much Rhysand had suffered on the other side of the reign of Amarantha, and how long it had taken your friend to truly recover. Perhaps this one was one of Kallias’ scars, and how he soothed it when the pain flared up.

Turning to him, you couldn't stop yourself from wrapping your arms around his middle, face in his shoulder as you squeezed him tightly. It was unprofessional, especially in front of his court, but Kallias had offered so many painful parts of himself to you today, and you didn’t know what else to do. A hug was the only thing that felt right.

It broke your heart to hear him let out a hurt sound, before wrapping his arms around you just as tightly, breaking those pieces further when he whispered a series of shaky ‘thank you’s into your ear. Your hands stroked up and down his back, his body shuddering a little as you held him.

“You’re a good man too, Kal. I’m so lucky, for getting to be your friend.”

“It’s me who is the lucky one.” He whispered, giving you one final squeeze before pulling back, his bottom lip trembling a little as he smiled. He busied himself with a stack of jumpers, claiming he needed to take this pile to the clothing tables immediately, and wandering away with a conspicuous sniffle.

You rubbed at your nose, letting out a watery laugh at yourself, before glancing back at your love. He was already looking at you, brows furrowed, a concerned stroke along the string connection you both to follow. Are you okay? He mouthed the words to you, and you offered a smile, tugging on that string in affirmation, and drawing a smile from him too.

Another moment longer with the children, and he was standing, brushing off his knees and waving them goodbye, before making his way through the bustling shelter and back towards you. When he was only a few steps away, he lifted his hand, closing it quickly over your cheek and swiping his thumb under your eye, worrying his bottom lip as you leaned further into his palm.

“What happened, love?”

“Nothing, I swear. I was just having a moment with Kallias, he told me some things about that time, and it made me a little emotional.” He stared, and you twisted your head, kissing over the strap across the centre of his palm. The furrow between his brows loosened, and his shoulders relaxed down, his thumb swiping again. “You looked like you were having fun over there. Make some new friends?”

“They’re just like what I know Nyx will be like soon. So curious about the world, so positive despite everything that's happened. They had so many questions, and they weren’t afraid of me.” He spared a look at them all, watching where they’d gathered once again around the fire, a huddle as one of the older children took the stage to tell tales in Azriel’s place. “It was nice.”

“I bet. You looked so happy.”

“Thank you.” He dipped down, brushing his nose with yours in a ghost of a kiss, and smiling. A throat cleared gently behind you both, and Kallias looked far more composed when you took him in now.

“You two ready to go for some lunch? I think we’ve done enough here for today.”

Kallias led the two of you out, the next stop on your tour being a small-town pub, somehow even smaller than the one you’d visited on your walk. It had a total of six tables, and you were sure Azriel’s wings took up half of the room you were in no matter how tightly he tucked them in to weave through the crowded tables.

He’d settled eventually, the three of you crowded around a small table, and you were sure you looked like one of the paintings that were hung lopsidedly on the walls. Cheerful people, happy smiles, and for once, a sense of complete normalcy. As the three of you had crowded around a table, cramped in and laughing, you hadn't wanted it to ever end.

Except, it had only gotten better, you’d gathered in a huddle outside under the snowfall to watch the carol singers in the town square. Azriel’s arms had been wrapped tightly around you from behind, keeping you warm and secure against his chest as Kallias had stood to the side, mouthing words along to beautiful songs you’d never heard before.

The priestesses who were singing had offered one final blessing to you all, a Christmas prayer that made your eyes water a little.

In the carriage back, you’d listened to Kallias and Azriel, listened to Az extend his offers for them to come and visit on behalf of Rhysand, and Kallias had only grinned. If it hadn't been for the party you knew you were going back to, it would have been the perfect final day all on its own.

The moment that you step back through the palace doors, Vivianne is already waiting. The doors to the ballroom had been shut, but you can hear the music loudly on the other side, a band playing upbeat music and the roar of conversation from what must be hundreds of guests, some already spilling out into the hallways.

“Oh, Gods, Viv!” She only beamed at you, practically bouncing with excitement as she cornered your trio in the doorway. “You went all out, huh?”

She had changed, the leggings and bun from this morning had been traded from an elegant silk dress and a braid crown, and before she even said the words, you knew what she was going to say. “You have to go and change! Kal, I laid something out for you.”

“Whatever would I do without you, dear?” He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he passed by, waving to you both and disappearing into the mansion, doing well to avoid any guests before he was ready to start mingling.

“You two have to wear your Christmas jumpers!”

“What? Why?” You dreaded having to wear that itchy thing again, especially to a party, but she wasn’t taking no for an answer, already beginning to shake her head to silence your protests.

“Ah! It’s a Christmas party for you! You have to wear them, no excuses!” You sighed, and Azriel let out a heavy groan beside you, earning himself a wicked glare from Viv that came with a smirk. “Chop, chop! Go and get ready, and hurry back down. There are people here waiting to see the guests of honour, you know!”

Glancing up at the stairs, you groaned, knowing just how many you’d have to take to get back to your room.

Dropping your forehead to your lover’s chest as Viv took off after her husband, you burrowed a little closer to him when his arms came up on either side of your body to hold your hips.

“I don’t think I can take any more stairs, Azzy.”

“S’okay, baby. We can travel my way.” The earth seemed like it melted out from underneath your feet, only to rematerialise a moment later, in the softer hues of your room as the faelights began to warm into life. “How’s that?”

“That’s the exact reason you were made to be my mate.”

“Good to know we’ve solved that mystery.” His drawl made you smile, face still resting in the soft shirt covering the hard muscles underneath, and you didn’t want to ever leave. Azriel seemed to decide for you, pulling back enough to tip your head up, and leave a brief kiss on your lips. “Chin up, baby. You love seeing me in smart clothes.”

“Says who?”

“Says the way I watch you blush every time Rhys makes us dress up for events.” His smirk was far too much for you to take, and you scoffed, pushing him backwards and spinning out of his arms, which only made him laugh. “Don’t be so embarrassed, it was a great ego boost while I was waiting for you. Tell me, what is it about my suits that get you going so much, huh?”

Pushing him back towards his room, he let you do so, but not without giving you the kind of look that made everything in your body ignite. You had to play dirty to win this. “I’ll tell you all about it, when you tell me what it is about sundresses that make you stutter?”

His jaw dropped, eyes widened, and a matching blush spread on his cheeks.

“Oh, yeah. I know. Now that I think back on all those summers in my summer dresses where you’d be tripping over your own tongue. When I’d catch you staring at you’d tell me you were just checking I was safe, or you thought you saw a bee land on me.” His blush only deepened. “I can’t believe I was so oblivious.”

“Neither can I.” He muttered, eyes scanning down your body to your thighs, where all your little sundresses would usually sit. “Touché, baby, you win.”

“Get used to it.”

He bit his lip, turning away to get changed himself, and the air between you crackled and pulled the further he got, until the mood snapped and you could breathe again.

With him gone, you were finally able to focus on your preparations, going first to the bathroom to top up your makeup and fix your hair. When you were satisfied with that, you dug out both of your Christmas jumpers from the bags, laying them on the bed neatly.

Turning your head at the zap along your spine, you found Azriel leaning on the doorframe, smart pants on, shirtless and arms crossed, a soft smile on his face as he watched you. “Stop trying to seduce me.”

“I’m not!”

“That’s a shame, it was working. We should totally ditch the party and stay here so you can fuck me.” His eyes widened, a hopeful look crossing his face, until he watched a smirk form on your lips, and a growl left his.

“You’re so cruel to me.”

“It almost worked. Next time flex a little, and you’ll have me.” You winked at him as he lifted himself off of the doorway, your attention turning away back to the bed as you got down onto your knees before it.

“This is the third time we’ve had to get dressed today.” You sighed dragging your suitcase out from under the bed once again, and beginning to sort through the clothes that Azriel had already neatly folded back up twice. So many of the clothes you hadn't gotten a chance to wear, your cases full of new and original items, things you’d bought along the way, the gifts you’d given. Yet, none of them had what you were looking for.

“I promise that the next time we’re up here, I’ll be undressing you.” He leaned over, kissing your shoulder as you stood, hands on your hips. “You won’t need any clothes for what I have planned.”

A chuckle left your lips as you turned to face him. “Have you seen my—”

He held up a soft purple dress with two fingers, brows raising as the soft fabric swayed in the wind. “Your dress?”

“How’d you know that’s what I was looking for?” He only grinned, and you took it from him.

“You only brought one fancy dress, and I know how much you love it. You wouldn't miss a chance to wear it.” Placing the bed down on the bed, you turned back to him, noting the leather pants had been swapped out for smart dress pants, but the boots remained. He had no shirt on, his themed jumper laying out beside your own, and you ran your hands up his chest. “Are you gonna’ get dressed?”

“Yes.” You whispered, curling a little closer to him, wrapping your arms around his waist. He offered a breathy laugh, tucking his arms around your shoulders and dipping his head down to rest his cheek on the top of your head. “I’m just taking a second to be with you first.”

“I know, my love. But we only have tonight with our friends before we go home, we have the rest of our lives together.” Smoothing his hands down your arms, he cupped your elbows, squeezing lightly and leaving a kiss on your head, before easing you backwards. “Come on, let me see you in this pretty dress, so I can get an eyeful before stripping it off you, later.”

“Well, the effect will be entirely ruined by this jumper.” Slipping out of your clothes as you walked, you were painfully aware of the lingering gaze on you, all the way as you stepped into the dress and adjust it across your body. His fingers did the zip up the back, sweeping your hair back over your shoulders, and turning you around. “See? This dress was not made to be covered up with a jumper.”

Azriel’s eyes dipped, a smirk pulling on his lips as she took in the plunging neckline and the tight bodice, his bottom lip pulled tight between his teeth. “No, it most certainly was not. Perhaps you should wear it for our first date.”

“Our first date?”

“Of course.” He reached beyond you, picking up your jumper and lifting it up slowly to hang over your head. “I have to take you on a proper date when we get home, court you properly.”

“Courting is old-fashioned, and to test a connection. I think we both know we have a connection, a pretty damn good one at that.”

“Let me treat you right, stop making it a challenge.” Easing your arm through each sleeve, you grinned up at him when the collar was around your neck, the jumper settling over your torso. You gave in, a giggle on your lips as he reached for his jumper, tugging it on with much less care than he’d taken with you. He disappeared, for only a second before returning with the only pair of heels you’d brought, one fancy dress and one set of fancy shoes, just in case.

Dropping to one knee, you balanced yourself on his shoulders, slipping one foot after another into the shoes and letting him fasten them up securely. When he stood back up, you were a few inches closer to his height now, no longer letting him tower over you completely, and you were able to press a kiss to his chin without having to lean too far.

“Let’s go.”

Your hands wove together, shadows crawling around your bodies, and when the light cleared again, you were back at the entrance to the party, the doors wide open and the noise at full blast once again.

Viv really had gone all out, faelights twinkled from the ceiling, a full band was playing loudly in the corner as the room was packed with dancing and mingling, a crowded bar taking up almost half of one wall, the queues filling the other half. You spotted more than a few familiar faces with just a single glance; Helion was lounging on a couch in the back, a usual crowd gathered around his charming self as he spun tales and stories, laughter following every word.

Several more Christmas trees had been set up, and in the back corner, you spotted Thesan lingering near one, his lover close to his side, murmuring into his ear. Tarquin was admiring the snow, Cresseida by his side, and you had to be impressed at how she’d managed to pull all this together.

“I think half of Prythian is in this room.”

“I can’t even see our actual hosts, can you?” You had to lean closer to one another just to be heard over the music, and you scanned the crowds again, searching for those pale flashes of hair.

You didn’t find them.

You found bright red and deep black, blonde and blue and everything in between, even a set of purple eyes, but—

“Az.”

“Yeah?” His head was tipped up, attempting to scan over the people filling the room, and you tugged at his sleeve.

“Az, that’s Rhys.”

“What?” His head snapped back down, following where you pointed, and the crowds seemed to part a little more for you to be able to see through. As you got a better look, a red dress shone with golden hair, a tall pair of Illyrian wings that were dangerously close to getting tangled in the tinsel of the tree he was half stood behind, and lots of smiling faces. “That’s everyone.”

Your hand squeezed his a little tighter before letting go, a squeal slipping past your lips as you took off through the crowds ahead of him.

Darting through the busy crowds, all formality and regality were temporarily abandoned. Your friends had already spotted the two of you, had been looking your way since the moment you’d turned your head in their direction, and were beaming as you neared. This was far from the longest you’d been away for work from any of them, but you were ashamed to admit just how little you’d thought of them in the week you’d been gone, it felt more like you hadn't seen them for months with everything that had taken place.

The first to meet you was Cassian, using his broadness to shove his way to the front, arms opening wide and sweeping you up into a hug, deep laughter rumbling from him and into your ear as your feet slipped from the floor.

The moment you were put back down, it was to the feeling of shadows swirling at your ankles, crawling happily up your claves to your knees and signalling that their owner had managed to catch up. He barely made it to your side, before Cassian was barrelling forward to sweep him into a hug too, and Feyre was tucking you into her embrace.

“Fey! Where’s Nyx? Your gaze flickered across the members of the group in search of the boy, to Rhys who was now standing by Azriel, to Nesta and Cassian, Mor and Amren, Elain and even Lucien. None of them were holding him. The woman in your arms chuckled as she pulled away, only to be immediately replaced by Mor.

“He’s at home, being looked after by Gwyn and Emerie.” There was a tremor to her voice, but she offered a reassuring smile to Nesta, a promise of trust that extended through her to her friends. You know how hard they had worked to reconnect and mend that bond, make it so much stronger than it had ever been before, and this faith was a part of that. You wondered why they hadn't brought him, Nyx had winnowed many times before and would likely have loved the Winter Court, but the question died on your tongue as a warm hand settled on your lower back.

Leaning a little closer to Azriel, you let go a sigh of relief, the bond still chafing a little at being so surrounded by people and having felt so far from him.

By the time all the greetings had been achieved, it felt like hours had passed by, and your shoulders slumped, cheeks aching with the smile on your face as they all gathered around. Cassian was busy retelling stories of his week alone training the Valkyries while Nesta smirked into her drink, and you leaned back into the warm touch of Azriel’s hand on your lower back.

You felt him move, like a magnetic pull the closer he got the stronger it felt, until you could picture him clearly leaning down to whisper into your ear, without ever having to turn your focus to him. “I’m going to go and get us a drink. It’s only a matter of time before Cassian starts into the old stories, and I need to be at least halfway drunk to endure those again.”

You bit down on the inside of your lip to keep your laughter inside, that large palm on your back smoothing up along your spine as you let it flood down the bond between your hearts instead. His hand drifted higher still, to tangle into your hair softly and pull you closer, until he could capture your lips in a sweet kiss.

You swayed into him a little, twisting to place a hand on his chest, a smile forming as you kissed him back at the simplicity of it all, an ‘I’ll see you in a minute kiss’, and it was certainly something you could get used to.

“Uh, what?”

You snapped back, Azriel’s lips still pouted a little as you pulled away enough to catch his gaze. Rolling them together as he straightened up, your cheeks flushed with heat, and you turned to face your friends. Cassian’s jaw was dropped, matching that of Mor and Feyre, while Lucien and Nesta smirked to themselves, and Rhys sipped his drink, a cheeky look on his face. Elain was merely smiling, a look on her face like she already knew, which she possibly did, if she’d seen it before you’d ever known it would happen.

“Since when?” Cassian demanded, a frown taking over his lips as he planted one hand on his hip, the other clutching his drink, and Nesta hid her laugh in his bicep as her face pressed into his arm.

“I’m gonna’ leave this one to you, baby.” With another quick peck, Azriel spun away and disappeared into the crowds before you could even splutter out a response to stop him.

“Baby?” Feyre squeaked, only seeming to get more and more excited as Rhys wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her closer to his side. “Explain! Now! That’s an order.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, High Lady.” You scoffed, and she giggled, but the anticipation and eagerness of them all were hanging over your head like rain clouds. “Azriel and I are… together.”

“It’s a solstice, sorry, Christmas miracle.” Rhysand teased, his smirk only growing fuller.

“‘Bout damn time!” Cassian’s yell drew the attention of those around you, various heads turning in your direction, and his mat pinched at his ribs roughly, smile now a scowl as she flushed with embarrassment at all the odd looks cast her way. He swatted at her hand, but never stopped smiling. “So you’re just together?”

“Yes, we’re together. In the same way… you all are.” You cringed a little, unsure why it felt so hard to say the words to them all, why your throat felt like it was closing up.

The uproar started once again, an amused tug echoing in your chest as you glanced around the room, locking eyes on him stood at the bar, waiting patiently for your drinks. He leaned on one elbow, not even bothering to hide his grin, and you shook your head at him. A feeling that you hoped was flipping him off was sent back, and you swore you could hear his laugh from here. Perhaps it was the question of whether it had always been so obvious, to everyone except for you, whether they’d known all along.

Without turning back to them, holding Azriel’s gaze across the room, your own smile formed. “Azriel and I are mates.”

“I fucking told you!” At that proclamation, you laughed, turning back to the group as Mor held her hand out, a victorious look on her face at Cassian, who scowled. Pulling out his wallet, he pressed a handful of notes into her hand, and Mor tucked the collection into the bodice of her dress.

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me!” Cassian sounded genuinely hurt, and if it wasn’t for the love shining on his face, you might’ve believed he was.

“How do you know it was him that knew, huh?” Your hands fell to your hips, brows raising at him.

“Because I watched him pine after you for years and never tell you how he felt, no matter how many times I told him to! He knew.” A pang of that same guilty pain shot through you, quickly comforted on the other side of your heart by your mate, like a hand reaching out to hold your own. You clung to that feeling.

“He didn’t tell any of us, Cassian. You know how private he is.” Amren was like the voice of reason, and your sights snapped to Rhys, only a twitch of his brow acknowledging what you both knew, and that you wouldn't tell any of them, less Cassian actually lose his mind. Once again, that feeling took you over, like a compass finding North, feeling Azriel weave his way back through the crowd until his bicep was brushing your shoulder.

Rhysand beamed at his brother as he pressed a drink into your hands, leaving a kiss on your cheek. You took a deep gulp of it, grateful for the relief and taking the attention off yourself, all turning to look at Azriel. Congratulations spilled out of everyone, except the other winged warrior, who continued to frown and stare off into the crowd.

Azriel frowned at that too, and you curled a little closer to his side, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as his arm looped your body, wing following protectively. “Cass?”

“You didn’t tell me!”

“I didn’t tell anyone.” At that, Cassian looked back, rolling his jaw a little.

“You told Rhys.” Your heart thudded over a skipped beat, Azriel’s lips parting in shock, and Rhysand looked even more surprised than you both. “I knew that… I knew you told him something. This big secret, you were in and out of it that night and I was getting fresh rags and I heard you ask Rhys to tell you the truth. I figured it was just about your feelings, it never made sense why it seemed like such a big deal to Rhys after you passed out, but now I get it.”

“Shit, Cass,” Dragging a hand over his face, Azriel looked positively destroyed. “I didn’t mean to tell Rhys. I didn’t want anyone to know until… but I couldn't risk dying and her not knowing. I would’ve asked you if you’d been there, Rhys just happened to be the one in the room at the time.”

“Ouch, way to make a guy feel special.” Rhys grouched, but there was no hurt in his tone, and you chuckled.

“We okay?”

“Yeah, of course, we are. I get it.” With a heavy sigh, Cassian let that frown turn into smile, striding forward to embrace his brother. The two collided so solidly that they stumbled backwards, and you almost fell with them as Azriel struggled to retract his arm in time to wrap it tightly around his brother’s back. Heavy pats and whispers not meant for anyone else, and you all pretended you didn’t hear the gentle sniffles as the two embraced.

Finally, they parted, and you were free to wrap yourself back up in your mate's embrace as his shadows wrapped possessively around your waist, tugging you urgently back to his side.

“So, what’s the story?” Feyre finally burst, and you chuckled.

“Not quite as exciting as yours, nobody was on the verge of death.” Your gaze flickered over all of them, realising just how dramatic and heartbreaking each pair’s story had been, and you swallowed thickly. “We kissed under the mistletoe.”

“That’s so… interesting.” The High Lady’s brows furrowed as she thought it through, looking up to her husband for clarification only to find him just as amused, and Azriel’s chuckled washed against your temple as he left a soft smattering of kisses there.

“It’s a tradition here. You should ask Vivianne to tell you all about it.”

“If you get caught under the mistletoe with someone, you kiss them.” Azriel shrugged, sipping some more of his drink, and Rhysand raised a hand. Summoning a small branch out of thin air to hover before you all on a fraction of power, all attention fell to the white-berried sprig.

“This?”

“That's the one.” You smiled fondly at it, leaning up to kiss Azriel softly at the image of it, and he returned the gentle affection with a smile.

“Oh, boo,” Rhysand snapped his fingers, the night-touched magic that was his signature wrapping around you until the sprig was hovering over your heads instead, and you chuckled at it. “Give her a real kiss, Az. That was pathetic.”

“Rhys!” Placing his drink down and taking yours from your hands, Azriel turned you to face him, lifting both of your arms to loop around his neck. “Az—”

His mouth descended onto your own, a crush of his lips to yours that knocked your breath from you, and left you dizzy. Your eyes fluttered closed, his arms circling your body and pulling you flush to him, before bending you backwards over them. A squeak left your lips as you went, his wings flaring around you until they draped to the floor, and you clung to him as you returned his enthusiastic kiss.

When his tongue swept along your lower lip cheekily, you scolded him through the bond, but parted your lips long enough for a single sweep of his tongue over your own, before you were pushing him back up, straightening until you were stable on your feet again. When you pulled back your heart stopped pounding quite so loudly in your ears. The fragile pants between you both, as your foreheads pressed together, were almost drowned out by the hollers and cheers of your friends.

“Now that was a kiss,” The general whooped.

“You’re telling me.” You mumbled, and Azriel dipped down, nipping your lower lip with a smirk. Your hands smoothed down over his shoulders, still gripping the fabric of his cheesy Christmas jumper for support, and you focused on the feel of the soft knit under your fingers, to soothe the swell of hormones trying to overflow within you. “By the way, Rhys, these Christmas jumpers…”

As though reminded himself, Azriel freed one hand from where they’d connected at the bottom of your back, to travel up your spine, and trace over the letters spanning your shoulder-blades that spelt out your name. His nose stayed nuzzled in your hairline as you turned to glare at the High Lord.

“There will be revenge for these, just so you know.” You already had the revenge you spoke of upstairs in your room, tucked away neatly in your suitcase for the prime opportunity. At your smirk, his face fell, glancing between both you and Azriel, paling a little further as he realised you’d teamed up against him. “Just you wait.”

Just like this, surrounded by your family as your cheek rested against Azriel’s chest, feeling the heart that beat for you steadily underneath, you realised once again just how much you loathed all the years that had passed, that you could’ve had this. That large hand was now sitting on the back of your neck, thumb stroking over your pulse slowly, holding you to him.

“I love you, Az.”

“I love you.” His whisper was low enough for only you, lips by your ear as his head bowed, and your eyes screwed shut, swaying to the music from the band and sinking into the feeling. This was exactly where you wanted to be, for the rest of your life.

The mistletoe continued to bob over your heads, and you gave another kiss to Azriel, pecking his lips sweetly, before dragging him out from underneath it.

“Alright, who’s next under the mistletoe?”

#UTMi #under the mistletoe #azriel x reader #azriel/reader #azriel x you #azriel/you #acotar x reader #acotar/reader #acotar x you #acotar/you #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #a court of thorns and roses #acotar

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separatist-apologist · 2 years

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The Wildest Winter

In the cracks of light, I looked for you

Summary: Viviane had not been Under the Mountain. As her childhood friend, Kallias had been protective of her to a fault over the years- had placed the sharp-minded female on border duty to avoid the scheming of his court. He didn't let her near Amarantha, either. Didn't let anyone get a whiff of what he felt for his white-haired friend, who had no clue- not one- that he had loved her his entire life.

Read More: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | AO3

[six months before the curse]

“Are you sure about this?” Viviane asked, eyeing the curved blade in her hand. Not with distaste for the crystalline steel glimmering beneath a full sun, but because it was inherently an unfair fight. She had to wonder if Nikolai, who had remained behind after Calanmai, was even aware of what she could do with carefully timed ice alongside a Winter Court blade.

Nikolai had stayed to help her train more sentries they hardly needed. Autumn wasn’t so desperate they’d stage an invasion, though Kallias was unnerved after the ice bridge had gone tattling to the High Lord, who of course had money for more soldiers. Nikolai was to oversee and Kira had been begrudgingly called back to court.

That, Viviane supposed, was for the best. Nikolai had come home that morning coated in blue, his eyes wild, his skin practically frosted over. Whatever had happened had unnerved him enough he refused to speak about it and Kira had sworn up and down nothing had happened.

Viviane wondered which was worse—they had sex and it was so good it freaked them out, or it was so bad they couldn’t make eye contact any longer.

That was how she felt with Einar. All that build up only to be fucked on his dining room table for the better part of two hours. She hadn’t dared tell Kallias the reason she couldn’t finish wasn’t because Einar was no good—he’d done his best with his lips and tongue and teeth—but because she couldn’t get her friend out of her mind. She’d tried. Viviane had taken control, had climbed into Einars lap, eyes locked on his.

Not Kal, not Kal, not Kal—

For all the good it did. In the end she’d faked it and gone crawling home like a miserable, terrible friend. Viviane still didn’t know what had possessed her that day. Maybe Calanmai merely heightened the tension growing between them, twisting it into lust. It had faded by morning—faded with each new carefully drawn sheet he’d made for her where he detailed how much it cost to treat the water each month. She’d fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder and woken alone in bed. Kallias had likely put her there before venturing into the city himself, because when Viviane woke, he smelled as though he’d been drenched in arousal not long before and his hair had been wrecked.

It didn’t inspire jealousy in her, at any rate, which made it easy to write the whole night off as a one off.

“Square up, Viv,” Nikolai ordered. She almost rolled her eyes at the command. They stood down in the valley in a makeshift training ring Kira had erected decades before. It would have been the perfect place for expanded barracks and an armory, had the High Lord ever allowed her such a thing. Perhaps Nikolai’s influence would change all that. It was the second to last missing puzzle to crafting her city as a major player. The very last was convincing both Kallias and the High Lord that the emissary from Hybern should be allowed to visit—to trade with them. Not just Hybern, of course. Autumn, Spring, and Summer, too. And with even a fraction of the High Lord’s court coming to live in Wegen, even if it was just to ski when the weather was mild, was enough.

Barracks first.

Nikolai pulled his icy blade from its sheath, the metal singing in the air. Viviane ignored that Einar had come to watch, his dark eyes blazing with curiosity. She also ignored that Kallias had said he’d come three days before and still hadn’t. All of those things were distractions.

She twisted her blade, offering a show of her teeth that wasn’t quite a smile. She waited for him to lunge before offering her own strike. Nikolai, she’d been told, had some magic of his own. Viviane wanted to find out just how much. And, perhaps, wanted to show off to the people she oversaw, if only a little.

It was a careful dance of her feet and body, of knowing how she moved against the wind and the squelching mud. Nikolai was a warrior, trained just as she had been, though not quite as quick on his feet.

Not as careful with his magic. He was the first to strike, panting as he sent a blast of skin shredding ice her way. Viviane barked out a laugh, dodging it easily.

And then rained a torrent upon him. Nikolai had to choose between defending his person with his blade and risk her icy wrath or block the ice and risk her blade. It was the oldest trick in Viviane’s book. She thought that because she used her magic so infrequently, and never at its full intensity, that people often forgot what hummed in her veins.

Forgot why a future High Lord courted her attention.

“Mother save me, Viv,” Nikolai panted. “Were you trying to kill me?”

Her victory was short-lived. As she walked to her friend, offering him a hand and noting where the blood staining his lips and cheeks, a new voice called through the mountain air.

“Now me.” Nikolai’s smirk told Viviane everything she needed to know. She turned, her eyes finding Kallias as he swung his powerful body over the fence with ease. Just to the left of him was Einar, watching her friend with guarded, almost distrustful eyes. She’d forgotten he’d only been interested in her when he learned Kallias was up at the palace.

It was a question for another day. Kallias had never once let her beat him and Viviane didn’t relish being beaten into the dirt in front of all the people she was supposed to oversee.

“Where’s your sword, Kal?” she taunted, annoyed when Nikolai handed his over before leaving them alone in the muddy pit.

“Miss me?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. The cold air ruffled at his white air, all but kissing his fair cheeks red.

“Were you gone?” she replied blithely, pretending to examine her blade.

He shook his head, running his tongue along the inside of his cheek. “I missed you.”

“Why wouldn’t you? I’m funny, I’m pretty, I’m smart…all the things you lack—”

His blade sang through the air before she could finish, crashing into hers with such force it made her bones vibrate. Gone was Kallias’s easy amusement–those eyes were practically granite against his glacial face. She had to remind herself that this was how he focused—this was how he’d always been in the ring.

Your enemies won’t smile when they kill you, Viv.

She smiled, noting how he stumbled ever so slightly—not enough to turn things in her favor but enough to remind her that Kallias was so easily distracted by someone acting in a way he didn’t expect.

She sent him that first blast of ice, catching him against the cheekbone. He snarled, flinging his own magic viciously back at her. He was so much stronger she couldn’t avoid it all—she felt the burning sting against her exposed neck. She smelled the salt of her blood in the air but didn’t dare touch it. Not when Kallias’s blade came singing towards her. Viviane slammed to the ground, her whole body squelching into the cold, muddy ground in an effort to block him.

It was easy to forget what Kallias was beneath his refined clothes and his fascination with numbers. He’d taught her to fight, afterall. His body was a weapon—he was an animal. He snapped his teeth against the cold, one of his thighs pressed between her legs as he bore his blade closer and closer to her wound.

Viviane took a risk, letting go of the hilt of her sword to press her frosted palm against his face. He roared against the pain, distracted just enough for her to plant her boot into his chest and push away. There was nothing fun about this fight anymore—it wasn’t quick like with Nikolai, nor was it particularly like a dance. It felt like a true battle where only one of them could walk away with their pride unwounded.

Kallias sent another vicious blast of ice and wind directly at her, one Viviane offered up in equal measure. He cut his face again, though not half as bad as his own shards, which sliced through her jacket, exposing her skin to salty mountain air.

She hissed, slammed right back to the ground as Kallias snarled in her face. His teeth were inches from her neck, his thigh wedged between her leg so hard she could feel the radiating heat. The only thing keeping him from pressing his body wholly against her was her blade between them.

Her arms shook from the effort.

“Surrender, Viv,” he whispered. “Let me clean up the blood.”

“You’re a bastard,” she replied. It didn’t matter. He wrenched her blade from his hand, tossing it to the ground and then pressed his own gently against her skin.

“An admirable effort,” he murmured, removing his blade and replacing it with his hand. All at once his body was off hers and Viviane couldn’t decide if she was angry or she was disappointed.

She took his hand, her body aching as she stood. No one made a sound—not Nikolai, who watched with eyes rounder than saucers.

And not Einar, who had gone ashen in the wake of their brutal showdown.

“What’s with them?” she whispered, letting Kallias brace her body against his own.

“They’ve never seen your kind of raw power,” he offered charitably. And maybe that was true. Maybe they hadn’t expected that kind of magic to blow out of her.

But privately, Viviane thought it was Kallias who had surprised them. She’d forgotten what he was like when he was unleashed—how uncomfortable the High Lord had once been of him and the magic glowing silver from his skin. No one had ever dared voice those concerns out loud, but Viviane understood them as she looked from the shocked faces of the warriors around them.

Kallias had all the markers of the next High Lord.

She reached between them for his arm. She didn’t want to think about how she’d lose him should that ever come to pass.

“Take me home,” she murmured, pressing her head into his shoulder.

He was just her friend—at least for now.

KALLIAS:

[five months before the curse]

“Kal–” Kallias cut off her breathless plea, his tongue delving back into her mouth. More, he needed more. He couldn’t stop the desperate glide of his hands over her naked form, mapping her skin beneath his palms. Beneath him, Viviane moaned, grasping at his hair so viciously she was in danger of pulling the strands out by the root. He didn’t care.

Still clad in his pants, he ground against her, desperate for relief. Kallias was drowning in the scent of her arousal, drinking it down while he tasted every inch of her mouth. Kallias needed to put his tongue between her legs, needed to know if all of her was sweet. She was warm here, open and inviting and he was so wrecked he couldn’t get his stupid body to catch up with his screaming brain.

He was running out of time. He couldn’t explain it. Something was ticking loudly in his head, some countdown to his doom he wanted to avoid. Wanted to ignore in favor of his female clawing at his back.

“Kal,” she panted, arching her neck so he could nip kisses down her skin. His fingers tugged and teased at her pebbled nipples, drawing more of her arousal into the air. Burying his face between her breasts, Kallias inhaled deeply. This was what he’d been missing. This was what he needed.

He’d never felt so wild in his life. He was unrestrained for perhaps the first time in his life and it was all Viviane’s fault. He pushed apart her legs roughly, taking a moment to admire the splayed out form of her on his silken silver sheet.

“You’re perfect,” he breathed, lifting her leg to press feather soft kisses up her thigh. She squirmed, eyes locked on his face. She wanted to watch? Kallias held her gaze, lowering his face until he could kiss the pale, pink lips of her cunt. Viviane exhaled, whimpering for more.

It was a dream, he thought. She was a dream, spread open for him to taste. He went to take that first hot taste of her, to slick his tongue over her clit—-

A banging on Kallias’s bedroom door dragged him from an all too familiar dream. He’d never gotten that far before. Usually Kallias woke just as he was about to remove her clothing. To find his head between her parted thighs was a new, almost exciting development, at least where his imagination was concerned. Nothing had changed between him and Viviane. As far as he knew, she was still seeing the disappointing male in Wegen and he was…well, Kallias was doing the world's shittiest job courting her. Unless, of course, utterly obliterating her with his magic counted as some romantic overture.

He very much doubted it. Viviane might have forgiven him for it, but the people of Wegen certainly hadn’t. They’d watched him with narrow-eyed suspicion the following day, as if he might turn her to a block of ice if she displeased him. As if Viviane wasn’t capable of removing his balls should he ever deserve it.

That vicious knock forced Kallias to snarl. Night still poured through his half open drapes and his cock was throbbing with need. “What?” “Get up,” Kira’s voice whispered from behind the door. “Right now, get up.” He shoved the blanket off his naked body and stuffed himself in the first pair of pants he could find, artfully arranging himself so it wasn’t entirely obvious he had an erection. Kallias pulled open the door, shrugging a shirt over his head.

Kira looked scared. Wide-eyed in the flickering hall light, she lunged for his wrist and began dragging him down the hall. Kallias was barefoot, though so was she, a robe hanging off her small frame.

“What is happening?” he hissed, running a hand through his messy hair in an attempt to keep it from falling into his eyes.

“Gunnar,” she whispered. “Oh Gods, Kal….he…”

A mournful wail interrupted what Kira had been about to say. He knew that voice.

“Gunnar?”

“Killed his wife,” Kira managed, practically shaking as she led him towards the throne room. “She wanted to leave him, too. And I guess…”

Kallias’s steps slowed as he imagined it. Wanting someone so badly you would have done anything to possess them, only to realize they didn’t want you back. The females at court had been lobbying hard, but Gunnar’s wife had been against them.

“What changed?”

Kira shrugged. “Special treatment for her, hell for everyone else? I’m sorry,” Kira added softly. “I shouldn’t…he killed her.”

Kallias started to ask Kira how she could possibly know that, but the scent of blood flooded his senses. He understood why when he came into the vividly bright throne room, joining the other courtiers flooding in to witness the spectacle.

The High Lord stared at his son with lifeless eyes while his son clutched at his wife's bloodless body, kneeling half naked in her blood. It was the gravest offense in their court—to take a life, especially one as defenseless as Gunnar’s wife had been.

All Kallias could see was Viviane laying there, her silver hair stained red as her blood cooled beneath Gunnar’s naked knees. She would have wanted the same—maybe not to leave him, given how dutiful Viviane could be, but the autonomy to be more than just the High Lord’s wife. She would have been vivacious and, when angry, vicious.

She would have died, too. Kallias put his hand over his chest, unable to get the image out of his mind. He might have winnowed straight to her had the High Lord not taken a step towards his hunched over son.

Everyone fell silent. Even Kallias didn’t believe the High Lord would kill his own son, law or not. Gunnar made no move to defend himself and Kallias wondered if he even realized what his father meant to do until it was too late. Gunnar twisted, eyes wide as he took a gasping breath of frigid air.

Kallia couldn’t watch this. He turned, pulling his arm from Kira’s grasp. He didn’t need to be present to hear that frigid death rattle or to know the High Lord had turned his son's lungs to ice. It was the end of a dynasty as old as their territory, ruined over one spoiled male too unused to being told no.

Kallias flexed his fingers as warmth twanged through his body. He stumbled, almost crashing into a wall in an attempt to steady himself. His palm caught against the smooth surface, steadied by Kira who had followed him out.

“Kal—”

“Don’t,” he rasped, hating himself for the first time in his life. The High Lord would realize, would know the truth of the matter soon enough. His son might have inherited had he been a better father. And now a new line would rise through Winter, assuming Kallias lived long enough to see the High Lord fade.

“Kallias—!”

A woman's high pitched scream forced a groan out of Kallias, his knees buckling beneath the weight of a vicious, violent cascade of magic. His palms stung, bracing his weight against the smooth floor while raw, unstemmed magic raced through his veins unrestrained. He looked over his shoulder to Kira, who knelt beside him. Her face was etched with her terror, the screaming in the throne room just behind him ringing in his ears.

“What did he do?” Kallias managed, bowing his head against the onslaught.

“Could you survive the loss of your own child?” Kira whispered. The scent of warm blood filled the air, driving out all other thoughts. Had the High Lord truly chosen to kill himself rather than live with his grief? Kallias forced himself to stand, his legs shaking. Kira helped, bracing him against her body while he got his runaway heart under control.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Kallias whispered, flexing his fingers.

How would he ever explain this? To the court, his people…to Viviane?

“Go,” Kira told him. “The longer you make them wonder, the longer they have to plot against you. Shore up your power now.”

He had only a second to make a decision. It should have been Nikolai, he lamented. Kira ought to have remained with Viviane.

“Get your sword,” he ordered. Kira’s eyes widened, and yet she nodded, racing down the hall. He had moments to get himself together, to step into that blood-soaked throne room and pretend this was normal–that he was normal. Kallias flexed his fingers, reveling in the feel of his magic, of the newness thrumming beneath his skin.

He took a step, swearing the world around him seemed to tremble. The screaming stopped and, with a breath, Kallias stepped into the room. The sight laid before him threatened to turn his stomach. Gunnar knelt before the corpse of his once beautiful wife, a block of frigid, blue ice. Beside him, the High Lord lay in his own rapidly cooling blood, his heart half torn from his body. It was all so gruesome, so unnecessary. Kallias knew that even if he lived for a century more, he’d never forget the sight. Not of the court that now belonged to him, all staring with wide, mistrusting eyes.

Kira skidded into the room, flanked by several sentries. She still wore her blue night dress, comical against the vicious look on her face.

“Kneel,” Kallias ordered, watching those sentries from across the room. He needed their support if he didn’t want to die in the next few days. The transition between one family to the next was rocky—or, so he’d been told. Winter had always avoided those kinds of shifting power plays. His eyes drifted back to the High Lord, who loved his son so much he couldn’t tell him no. Would have seen all of Winter crumble beneath one spoiled lordling's whim then govern as he should.

It was a reminder for Kallias, who turned his back to the kneeling nobility, of what he stood to lose. How things could go wrong so quickly—how he might lose focus if he wasn’t careful.

It felt strange, ascending the white cut dais to the glittering blue and amethyst throne. Kallias seated himself atop it, sweeping his eyes over the room.

High Lord.

He’d never wanted it.

#daddy winter #kallias #viviane #kallias x viviane #this is me trying to fix my mistake with canon #i thought kallias was crowned HL UTM #but hes not #i forgot that tidbit so i apologize

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mossytrashcan · 1 year

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Good morning! Here to remind you to draw Thesan and his husband, Kal and Viv, and Rhys’ sister. No getting off the hook! Love you and your art 💖

I LOVE YOU THANKS SM

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mitzyandme · 2 years

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Reclaim the Void

Healing country through community and weaving. This is what I've just returned from after 9 days in the desert. An ambitious project, Reclaim the Void: weaving country whole was "born from Ngalia elders in Leonora... expressing their pain and grief at ‘those gaping mining holes left all over our country’. The idea was conceived to symbolically ‘seal’ one of the holes with an artwork expressing the story of country." To read more about the project, head to https://www.reclaimthevoid.com.au/

Originally meant to only be out at Leonora, due to heavy rain closing the roads we started the retreat for 3 days at Lake Ballard, so I came back. I didn't mind though, as I felt like that land was still calling to me (I really didn't want to leave it in the first place).

Back in the red dust, I learnt a bit more about the significance of the place and that the rock in the centre of the salt lake actually is the seventh sister laid to rest, and the First Nations people of the area request it's not climbed. So, I made sure to have my little moment to apologise to Her for my ignorance when I climbed her the other day. I hope she accepted it.

We all trickled out there and found a spot tucked away in the dunes, however it took no time at all to feel like it was just a gathering of old friends. It's amazing how a project can call to such like-minded people. We had Jodie and Rochelle, Alex, the M&Ms (Maureen and Moira), Kal Karen and Karen, Michelle, Lyn, Erin, Ang, Jane, Gale, Julie, Nikki, Tanya, Deb our hosts Rachael, Fi and Viv and of course our cook Boonji (I really hope I got everyone!) Our Indigenous leader was Zabah and his trusty dog Smokey, who didn't meet up with us until we were on his Country in Leonora.

Mitzy turned quickly into 'Mitzy's Cafe', becoming a resting spot for flat whites, cuppas and respite from some wind and rain that got us into night two. We even fit the entire retreat under her awning at one point! She was also a charging station and was useful to help un-bog the kitchen truck with my trax. It felt good to provide :)

Our days consisted of rising at about 7am, moseying in camp and around the fire enjoying coffee and tea, eagerly awaiting Boonji's delicious porridge or polenta or scrambled eggs. Then, after enough gas bagging, we'd get to the important stuff which was weaving! Often it was interspersed with lovely nature walks, painting or naps.

Sadly, we did have to say goodbye to our beautiful first camp in Lake Ballard to travel to Leonora. I'll make another post about that!

#reclaim the void #travelling #australia #travel #vanlife #wanderlust #western australia #travel photography

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snelbz · 3 years

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Life As We Know It {Chapter 24}

Summary: After the sudden deaths of Nesta’s sister and Cassian’s best friend, they gain guardianship of their nephew, Nyx.

Based on Life As We Know It (2010) and a prompt sent in by anonymous for our Nessian fanfic contest. This is a modern au.

Instead of doing a tag list for this story, we have decided to have a set posting schedule. Chapters will be posted weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Occasional surprise chapters could be posted at miscellaneous times. Chapters will be posted on both my and Tara’s blogs! >> @tacmc.

Life As We Know It Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

A/N: Sorry for the late post! My baby shower was today, so Tara and I have been extremely busy! Look for Chapter 25 on her blog on Monday!

Warning: 18+ content.

Cassian got to the restaurant and took a look around. There were people everywhere, bustling about, getting ready for the night’s grand opening.

It had become the talk of the town - and the local groups on the internet - so they were expecting a good turnout.

At least, that’s what Cassian’s guess was.

He hadn’t talked to Nesta since he stormed out two days before, with the exception of one text exchange.

Cassian had texted, Tell Nyx I love him and I will see him tomorrow.

Nesta had replied, Ok.

Now, he was searching for that tiny little man with a mop of dark, black hair.

When he finally found Nyx, he was in his stroller eating cheeto puffs off the tray. When he saw Cassian his eyes lit up and he was instantly reaching for him.

Cassian laughed as he unbuckled him from his stroller and picked him up, giving him the biggest hugs. “Hey, buddy. I missed you, too.”

“This is his third helping of cheetos,” Helion said, from where he leaned against the wall. “Sorry about the next diaper.”

Cassian chuckled. “All this going on and Nesta stuck you on baby duty?”

Even saying her name out loud hurt, but he didn’t let it show.

He gestured toward the kitchen and said, “She’s been here since six and she’s in one of her moods. I decided I’d rather be on baby duty than caught in the crossfire.”

He winced, figuring that didn’t bode well for the two of them today. “I’ll stay in the bar, then.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Helion replied, looking him up and down, before pushing the stroller behind the counter. Cassian had the distinct feeling he was looking for a crack in his armor. He didn’t bother telling him that he’d been broken for two days, and the only person who could fix him was currently yelling at some poor employee in the kitchen.

Cass crossed the threshold into the bar area and let out a low whistle. He’d had a hand in the design, but most of this was all Nesta. It accented the restaurant perfectly and he immediately loved the place.

“Nice, right?”

He turned to find Kallias carrying a tray of fresh glasses from the dish area and the smile on his friend’s face was infectious.

Cassian nodded as Kallias said hello to Nyx. “Yeah, it looks amazing.”

Kallias nodded. “You and Nesta did good.”

“Thanks,” Cassian muttered, not wanting the conversation to go any further. “How long have you been here?”

“Just got here,” Kallias said, as Nyx started playing with the strings on Cassian’s hoodie. “Viv will be here soon to help out. She said she can watch Nyx while we work.”

Cassian nodded. “That would be great.”

It would be helpful, of course, to have Viviane help out watching Nyx. Cassian had a ton to get done in the next six hours before the opening began. He didn’t want to let Nyx go, though. Two days. It was the longest he had been away from Nyx since...everything happened.

“Well, little man, until then, you get to help me unpack liquor bottles,” Cassian said, trying his best to sound excited.

Nyx giggled. “Ba ba ba ba ba ba.”

“Yeah, different kind of bottles,” Cassian chuckled, and carried Nyx with him into the back room.

Kallias had been at the bar for the past two days, getting most of the stock ready to go. A few texts to explain the situation was all he’d needed and Cassian was thankful he had such a loyal friend and coworker.

Elain hadn’t been as understanding the first night he’d been there, but after talking to Nesta, even she backed off. He had no clue what Nesta had said to her, but her frustration turned to sympathy and she was back to treating Cassian like the brother-in-law she loved and not like a man who’d hurt her sister.

After pulling the carrier out of Nyx’s stroller, he strapped the baby to his chest and set to work, carrying case after case of liquor up to the bar. Kallias was busy stocking the assorted glasses they’d need, so the two worked in silence for the most part.

He had just walked back into the store room, short one case of whiskey, when he heard Nesta talking from the dry pantry separating the store room and kitchen. Cassian’s heart lurched and he was about to make his way back into the bar, but Nyx squealed as he heard her voice.

The swinging door flew open as Nesta hurried into the store room, wondering how Nyx had gotten in there in the first place. She froze when she found Cassian there. Their eyes locked and she blinked.

“Hey, Nes,” he said, quietly.

“I…didn’t know you were here,” she breathed.

He shrugged, turning back to the boxes of bottles. “Got here about an hour ago. Didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Nyx was reaching for her, so he unclipped the carrier and gave him to her. He giggled happily as soon as he was in Nesta’s arms, but she froze, unsure of what to say. “You should have let me know you were here.”

Another shrug. “You were busy, and I knew what I needed to do. Kal said Viv would be here later to watch him.”

She nodded, silence filling the space again.

Nyx pointed at Cassian, reaching for him. “Dada.”

Cassian stilled.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed his mouth.

A second passed.

Then, at last, he said, “What did he just say?”

“Dada,” Nyx repeated, and clapped his hands together. He reached for Cassian. “Dada!”

Cassian took Nyx, although he was moving slowly, stunned into silence. Nesta watched as a thousand different emotions crossed his face.

“Dada?” Cassian breathed, looking from Nyx to Nesta. “He just called me-.”

“He’s been saying it for the past two days,” Nesta said, staring at a spot on the wall behind Cassian.

For a moment, Cassian didn’t say anything, but then he asked, “You didn’t bother to tell me that?”

Nesta’s eyes narrowed and she slowly met his gaze. “You left.”

“A simple text letting me know that Nyx said his first word wouldn’t’ve killed you,” Cassian snapped. “Especially since his first word was…” Cassian shook his head, that fury fading as quickly as it had come. He looked at Nyx and chuckled, softly. “Dada, hmm?”

“Dada,” Nyx said, taking Cassian’s face into his hands before patting his stubbled cheeks with his chubby little palms.

Cassian watched Nyx for a moment, chuckling softly, before asking Nesta, “Has he said anything else?”

Nesta shook her head, even though Cassian wasn’t looking at her. “Just that. Probably wondering where you were. He’s been saying it nonstop, after all.”

“I’m sorry, bud,” he said, softly. He kissed the top of his head. “I’m still right here though.”

He was about to buckle him back into the carrier when Nesta reached for him. “I can take him. You’ve got a lot to do.”

“No more than you,” he said, settling him back into the carrier. “And I’ve missed him. Viv will come see Kallias when she gets here. Let me keep him.”

Her hands fell to her sides. “Fine.”

The tiny room felt like it was closing in on him, looking at her. They were so close together, whether they wanted to be or not. Without another word, Cassian grabbed the closest box and shouldered his way back through the swinging door.

Kallias caught the look on his face as soon as he came back. “That must have been the first conversation you two have had.”

Cassian grunted in response, letting Nyx continue to pat at his face.

“And how’d it go?” He asked, leaning against the bar.

“About as well as you think.”

Kallias watched his old friend for a moment before nodding, deciding to let the conversation drop. Cassian was grateful for it.

He was thankful for Nyx, too, for an endless amount of reasons, but right now, he was a distraction. With Nyx here, he was only thinking about Nyx, not about Nesta.

Cassian spent the next couple of hours lining up liquor bottles, and when Viv got there, she happily took Nyx and let Cassian work.

Once Nyx began playing with Viviane, Cassian’s thoughts were once again on the last person he wanted to be thinking about.

He continued to work, trying his best to keep his mind on that. It was kind of hard, though, when the owner of the restaurant was Nesta. He guessed he was part owner now, too - owner of the bar, anyway.

The hours flew by and by the time Cassian decided to check his watch, he realized he only had thirty minutes until the doors were opening for the main event.

He needed to get out of his old hoodie and into something nicer.

After making his way into the stockroom, he pulled off his hoodie before digging into his backpack for the black henley he’d brought. It wasn’t fancy by any means, but it was sure better than his ripped hoodie.

The door swung open as he was pulling his shirt over his head, and when he turned around, he saw Nesta, once again.

She stilled just in front of the door. “Are you planning on being in here every time I come in?”

It was meant to be a joke, something to lighten the mood, Cassian knew, but the light didn’t exactly reach her eyes.

He looked down at his shirt. “Just had to change. Didn’t think a hoodie was appropriate for an opening celebration.”

Nesta nodded, giving him a forced smile. “Couldn’t have gone all out with a button down?”

“This is Azriel’s,” he said. “All of my nicer things are at…home.”

He said the last word hesitantly.

Nesta’s eyes fluttered shut. He knew she was dying to say something, but what it was he couldn’t tell. He thought he knew her well enough to read her face. It seemed he was wrong though.

“I’ll come by and get my things on my day off this week,” he said, saving her the request. He pulled the Henley over his head, leaving his backpack against the store room wall. “You won’t even know I was there.”

“Cassian…”

He pushed back through the door without waiting to hear what she was going to say.

This was agony. Every moment of being around her hurt, because every time he saw her, he knew that he’d wasted the past three months of his life. He’d wasted his time falling in love with her, because she still hadn’t said it back.

“Dada!”

Nyx and Viv sat at one of the new tables, Nyx munching on some crackers, and even Kallias’ eyes dragged to him. Nyx’s blue eyes were the only ones he cared about though.

“That’s new,” Kallias said, from where he leaned across the bar.

Nyx’s new favorite word was one of the few things that had made him smile all day. Even if it tore him apart at the same time.

He didn’t mind Nyx calling him that. He was still too young to understand what had happened to Rhys. So one day, he’d explain to him who he really was, and who Rhys was. But until then, he was content to be Dada.

Cassian lifted him out of the high chair he was in and smiled, wistfully. “Hey, buddy.”

On the other side of the room, Nesta pushed through the double doors and into the restaurant, making sure everything was in order as the clock ticked down.

Cassian couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.

He wondered if she knew.

This was the biggest night that Nesta had in quite some time. A new bar would be amazing for business, and she was expecting a hell of a crowd.

And she wasn’t disappointed.

At exactly six, people began to pour in. They sat, and they ate, and by the Mother, they drank. She was amazed at how well Nyx was doing. She kept expecting to see him sleeping in a corner with Viviane, but he was being passed around to Viv, Kallias, Helion, and Cassian, having the time of his little life.

Nesta was glad someone was enjoying their night.

She should be enjoying her night, should be pumped at the booming business, but she could hardly focus.

All she could think about was him.

Cassian.

Every time she even got a glimpse of him, she wanted to run into his arms and tell him that she loved him. But she couldn’t do that. She had no clue what the repercussions of their relationship would do to Nyx, especially if something were to happen. If they were to break up, would this be their future? Barely speaking, passing the kid back and forth, both of them in misery?

Even when Elain and Azriel got there, both giving her hugs and warm smiles, the one on her face wasn’t real. She knew Elain could tell, knew she wanted to pull her aside, get the whole story, and quite possibly talk some sense into her, but she wouldn’t.

She couldn’t.

Not tonight.

As much as she tried to spend most of her time in the dining room, greeting guests and asking how they liked the drinks and new menu items, she kept ending up in the kitchen.

She got word that there had been a small grease fire on the line and she was about to rush into the kitchen when Helion stepped in front of her.

“Take a breath.”

“I can’t,” she replied, pulling her hair back off of her face. “There was a fire and-.”

“And it’s under control,” he said, gripping her by the shoulders. “It’s been put out, and I can go deal with Emrys and Luca and any potential fallout. Go have a drink, relax with your sister. You deserve a glass of wine and a moment to sit down.”

Nesta hesitated, but Helion wasn’t having it.

“Go,” he said. “Kallias is currently manning the bar. Go order a drink before the next wave of people come along.”

With a huff, Nesta nodded and exited the kitchen. True to Helion’s word, it was Kallias that was behind the bar. The second he saw Nesta coming, he was pouring a glass of wine.

She took a sip as soon as she reached the counter. “Vodka.”

Kallias blinked, then obliged her. He poured her a shot, Nesta downed it and thanked him, then took her glass of wine around the room to greet people. She eventually found Elain and Azriel, and was getting ready to take a seat by them, until she noticed Cassian already sitting with them, Nyx in his lap.

Bypassing their table, she gave them both an apologetic smile, before redirecting herself towards the bar. She breezed past it and Kallias, draining her wine and leaving it by the sink, before she entered the store room.

Cassian must have handed the baby off to Elain or Viviane, because not even a few seconds later, he was right behind her.

“Is this how it’s gonna be, Nes?” He asked, not stopping until he was right in front of her. “Are we just going to avoid each other, unless Nyx is concerned?”

The door hadn’t even finished swinging shut, but she noticed Kallias stacking a few boxes in front of the door.

For all intents and purposes, do not enter.

Their first night working together and already a fight. She couldn’t blame his frustration, this was all her fault.

“It hurts to see you,” she breathed. “It hurts to see you because I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

“You don’t know what the hell is going on?” He asked, incredulously. “I don’t know what the hell is going on! You’re so-.” His words fell away and his eyes shut as he rubbed his temples.

Nesta arched a brow. “I’m so what?”

“Infuriating,” he said, and met her eyes with a pained expression that knocked the breath out of Nesta. “It hurts for you to see me? It kills me to see you, but you know what? That’s on you. I wasn’t the one that started questioning everything. And you want to know what’s ironic? You’re pushing me away because you’re afraid it won’t work out. But, it’s not working now, Nesta. In pushing me away, you made what you’re worried about a reality.” He shook his head, slowly. “What the hell is the point of that?”

Nesta didn’t say anything. Her jaw locked and she refused to break his gaze, no matter how much it tortured her.

“It’s better for it to happen now rather than later,” she said, and hated herself for it the second the words left her. “It’s better for it to end before it really begins.”

Cassian chuckled, humorlessly, and shook his head. “That's bullshit and you know it. It already began, Nesta.”

He took a step toward her, and in such a small room, it left very little space between them.

Nestas breath hitched, and judging by the way Cassian’s eyes flared, he definitely noticed.

“Tell me you don’t care about me, and it’s done. We’ll pretend these past few weeks never happened, and we can move on,” he whispered, and she could feel his breath fan over her face. “Tell me this all meant nothing to you, and it’s over.”

Her eyes flashed down to his lips before meeting his own. “I can’t do that.”

Cassian wasn’t sure who moved first. If he grabbed her face or if she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, but before he knew what was happening, he had her back pressed against the store room wall. Gods, it had only been a few days, but kissing her again, the feel of her lips on his, it felt like he hadn’t been able to breathe.

Her hands were clawing at his back and he found her thighs, lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist. He hadn’t even noticed she’d changed into a loose, sundress but thanks to her own wardrobe change, there was very little fabric between them as she let go of him to fumble with his belt buckle and jeans.

There were no words necessary, not when they both needed the other as badly as they did.

Their lips never broke, that contact remained, hungrily, needily, as Nesta pulled Cassian’s cock out and, moving the thin scrap of fabric beneath her dress aside, he pushed himself up into her.

Nesta moaned into his mouth at the feeling of him filling her. He bit her lip, and that moan deepened as he began to thrust deep inside of her, over and over again.

There was no foreplay.

Foreplay wasn’t necessary, not this time.

Two days, two nights, had been far too long when they had become so accustomed to this same ritual every night, time and time again.

Cassian’s head fell back as he fucked her, relentlessly, then he met her lustful gaze. His forehead fell against hers as he slowed his pace. With a soft, reverent curse, Cassian breathed her name.

She clung to him, the smell and taste and feel of him making her feel far more drunk than the wine or liquor had. Nesta buried her face in his neck, trying to cover the sounds tumbling from her.

He captured her lips again, knowing her body better than his own at this point, and thrust into her as hard as he could.

The bottles on the shelves rattled gently, but he didn’t care if anyone could hear them in the bar. He didn’t care if anyone caught them. All he cared about was that he was deep inside of her, listening to the quiet whimpers and moans that she couldn’t stop.

There was no way she could walk away from this.

Not just from the sex. Which, yeah, was incredible, but there was more to it than that.

Their souls were connected, which is what made the sex so mindblowingly phenomonal.

It was more than just sex.

It was something that Cassian swore no one else had ever witnessed before. Or, maybe they had. Maybe this is what it felt like when you found the person you were meant to spend forever with.

No, Nesta couldn’t walk away from this.

He swore, hoped, prayed she couldn’t.

He wanted to say those little words. Wanted to tell her, so desperately, that he loved her, but he didn’t.

He just kept saying her name over and over and over again with every thrust of his hips.

I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

“Nesta,” he breathed, and she cried out as her legs began to shake around him. He cursed, his fingers digging into her thighs as his body flooded with the need to explode.

As soon as her release slammed into her, he met his own, her name a groan as he spilled into her. They stayed like that for a moment, him still buried inside her, even as his seed started to drip down her legs. Thankfully, the sound of the party out front had covered any and all noises they’d made. Her breathing was still uneven as he pulled out, and he pulled that ripped hoodie from his backpack and silently used it to clean her up.

Tossing it back towards his bag, not caring if it made it inside or not, he paused in front of her, and tried to tilt her face up to his.

She refused.

He breathed, “Look at me, Nes…”

She shook her head, and damn him if those weren’t tears starting to spill down her cheeks.

He gripped her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet his. “Damn it, Nesta, talk to me. Just talk to me and tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I think you need to go,” she breathed.

He hesitated. “What?”

“You need to go,” she repeated, but there was no bite in her voice.

Cassian took her face in his hands and brought her eyes to his. “I’m not leaving. Not after that.”

“Go,” she repeated, and another tear slid free. “Go, Cass, please.”

He shook his head, fury, frustration, utter misery filling his core. He dropped his hand and stepped back. “Damn it, Nesta! What do you want?!”

“For you to leave,” she hissed.

“You’re a fucking liar,” Cassian snapped. “You say you can’t tell me that you never cared, you fuck me in a damned store room, then you ask me to leave?”

“You’re making this harder than it has to be.”

“I’m making this harder?” he asked, breathlessly, unable to stop his darkened laughter. He looked away from her and sucked in his bottom lip.

A moment passed, and Cassian refused to meet her gaze. “I don’t get it,” he said, at last. “I don’t get it. I don’t know what you want. I don’t know what you want from me.” His words were coming out rushed, frazzled. “Know what? Fine. If this is the way you want it, this is the way it is. I’ll be at Elain’s and Azriel’s tonight, and I’m taking Nyx with me. I’ll bring him by tomorrow, when Viviane is there.”

With that, he was gone.

And Nesta was left alone, her hands flying over her mouth as she sobbed, still able to feel the soft, tender, alluring feeling of his lips on hers.

#snacmc lawki #snacmc collab #snelbz tacmc collab #life as we know it #nessian #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf

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theladyofdeath · 4 years

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Alone in the Ashes {22}

A Court of Thorns and Roses fanfction, characters belong to Sarah J Maas. Modern au. Revolves around Nesta x Cassian, Feyre x Rhysand, and Elain x Azriel. Other characters appear throughout. Based on multiple prompts sent in by anons tbr below.

Warning: Mature content. Alcohol abuse, verbal abuse, drugs, sex, language, eating disorders.

For summary & chapter index, click > Alone in the Ashes {Acotar}

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N: Yeah....I don’t even have a nice little book quote for this one.

The days passed by quickly, the weeks all blurring together. Planning a wedding was stressful, apparently, and trying to fit it into three months was a nightmare. With a month and a half to go until he and Feyre said I do, Rhysand had only crossed off half of his to-do list.

He had the day off of work and planned to try and knock off the other half during his afternoon at home, but it was morning, and Rhysand sat with Mila in the visiting room of the Velaris State Prison.

He hated Amarantha.

Loathed her.

But he loved Mila, and he couldn’t say no to Azriel when he’d asked. Azriel couldn’t miss Elain’s doctor appointment. They would be listening to the heartbeat for the first time. It was unmissable.

“You scared, Rhysie?”

Rhysand looked down into Mila’s big, pleading eyes. He hadn’t said much, felt incredibly uncomfortable. But for her, he smiled. “I’m okay. She should be coming soon, I would think.”

“The big men bring her in,” Mila said, referring to the guards. “She can’t talk a long time. They take her away.”

Rhysand nodded, taking her little hand in his as the door pushed open and Amarantha entered. The minute she walked in and spotted Rhysand, she grinned.

Rhysand hated that grin.

He and Amarantha had dated right after he graduated from high school, for just a few months - a few months too long.

She sat across from them and Mila beamed. “Hi, mama. Rhysie came with me today! Uncle Azzie is with Lain at the doctor.”

“Hi baby,” she smiled, then looked to Rhysand. “Rhys.”

“Amarantha,” he said, her name uncomfortable as it rolled off his tongue. “How’s prison life?”

“About what you’d expect,” she said. “I hear you’re getting married. To Feyre, of all people.”

“We don’t have to talk,” Rhysand said, trying to keep his voice light for Mila’s sake. “Talk to your daughter.”

“Oh, I will,” Amarantha said, “but this is such a great time for us to catch up. So. Feyre finally got rid of Tamlin, did she?”

Rhysand’s jaw locked. It seemed his last visit to Tamlin went better than he’d hoped for. Neither he nor Feyre had heard from the asshole since that day.

“Ah, she did, and fell in love with you,” Amarantha crooned. “And Azriel’s a baby daddy. How about Cassian?”

“Cassie is in love with Nesta,” Mila said.

Amarantha’s brows nearly shot into her hairline. “Archeron? Shit, his standards must have really lowered.”

“Shit,” Mila repeated, and giggled.

“Don’t say that word,” Rhysand whispered to Mila.

“Don’t tell my daughter what she can and can’t say,” Amarantha snapped. “She’s not your daughter.”

“Do you even know who her father is?” Rhysand asked, before he could stop himself. Mila didn’t seem to notice, an older guard was coming around, handing lollipops to the kids, and Mila was waiting eagerly in her chair.

Amarantha’s eyes had narrowed. “Yes, jackass, I do, and now that Az is having a child of his own, Mila will be seeing him a lot more.”

Rhysand stilled. “The fuck are you talking about?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot these past few weeks,” Amarantha said, sitting back. “Azriel’s negligence has already begun. He’s not here, doing his duty to Mila. Instead, he’s with Elain, obsessing over his unborn child. It’s only a matter of time before he starts ignoring Mila entirely.”

“Azriel loves Mila like she’s his own,” Rhysand spat. “Letting her go with anyone else would be fucked up, even for you.”

Amarantha took no offence. She simply grinned as Mila hopped up from her chair and dug through the bucket of lollipops.

“I disagree. In fact, I’ve already given Mila’s dad a call. He’ll be paying a visit to Azriel, soon.”

Rhysand said nothing as Mila crawled onto his lap. “Can you open this, Rhysie?”

Clearing his throat, Rhysand took the sucker and took off the wrapper before giving it back to Mila.

“Thank you,” she grinned, putting the sucker in her mouth before throwing her little arms around Rhysand’s neck.

“You can’t do this,” Rhysand breathed. “You just want something to control, but it’s not right, and you know it.”

Amarantha shook her head. “You don’t even know who her father is.”

“I know if he slept with you he must be a lowlife dipshi-” Rhysand’s word broke off, remembering there was a four-year-old within earshot. “Not good.”

Mila was singing a song in his ear, oblivious to it all, her entire, innocent world revolved around her lollipop.

“You’ll all find out soon, won’t you? Besides, you used to sleep with me,” Amarantha said, lips twisted upward. “Now, Mila.” Mila turned around at the sound of her name. “Tell mama what I’ve missed.”

Just like that, Rhysand was forgotten. Mila told Amarantha about preschool, about all she did while Azriel was at work.. Then, she told Amarantha about Rhysand’s wedding, and how pretty she felt in her flower girl dress. She also told her mother that Uncle Az was going to be a daddy, and she would have a little brother or sister soon.

Rhysand’s heart broke at the words, at the little girl’s excitement.

Innocent.

She was so fucking innocent.

Rhysand felt sick. He didn’t know who the father was. None of them did. They all just assumed Amarantha was sleeping with so many different men that she didn’t know. The thought of some random dick coming to take Mila away from Azriel…

Azriel would be crushed.

But he wouldn’t let Mila go, not without a fight - a fight he didn’t need as he prepared to bring a child into the world. Elain would support him, of course. She had grown to love Mila, too.

They all loved Mila.

The guard by the door soon announced that visiting hours were over.

Amarantha stood diligently from her chair, kissed Mila on the forehead, then pressed her lips to Rhysand’s, quickly. His jaw went hard, his lips tight.

The second she broke away from him, she whispered, “Let Azriel know about my little surprise.”

As Amarantha walked away, Mila looked up at Rhysand. “Why you kiss mama?”

Rhysand didn’t answer. With a sigh, he stood up, picking her up as he did so. She clung to his neck, the sucker still in her mouth, as they hauled ass to the parking lot.

~~~~~

Elain was practically bouncing out of her chair. Azriel, as always, seemed perfectly calm.

“How are you not freaking out?” she asked.

Azriel chuckled. “Because I know everything will be fine.”

“How?” she asked, rising to her feet. “Oh, I’m gonna puke.”

“There’s a garbage-”

But she had already found the trash can and was hunched over it, vomiting up what little she had managed to get into her stomach for breakfast that morning. Azriel was behind her, instantly, holding back her hair.

She leaned back into him and groaned. He stood there for a moment, comforting her as she caught her breath.

“What if they can’t find a heartbeat?” she whispered.

Azriel turned her around so that she was facing him. He kissed her forehead, softly. “Nothing out of the ordinary has happened, okay? According to my sources, you are a perfectly healthy pregnant woman, and there is a baby with a strong, little heartbeat in there.”

Elain couldn’t help but smile. “And who are your sources?”

“The internet,” he mumbled, and Elain laughed, pressing her forehead into his chest.

She didn’t have to stress about the unknown for much longer, though, because the door opened and the doctor walked in. They had gone to high school with him, he had been in the same grade as Azriel, played basketball alongside him.

His icy blue eyes shone as he took in Azriel and Elain.

“Hey,” he grinned, clapping Azriel on the shoulder before shaking Elain’s hand.

“Hey, Kal,” Azriel replied with a smile. “Long time.”

Kallias chuckled. “Yeah, it has been. I’m glad you told Viv you were looking for a doctor. She hauled ass home and told me if I didn’t make room for you two, she’d riot.”

Viviane was Mila’s preschool teacher. She had also graduated the same year as Azriel. Her and Kallias had gotten married just after high school.

Elain laughed, quietly. “We appreciate you getting us in. It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” he replied, gently. “Hop up on the table for me.”

Elain did so and laid back.

“Morning sickness?” he asked, as he sat on a stool that he wheeled toward her. Azriel stood on the opposite side of the table, quietly.

“Ugh, yes,” Elain began.

“Good.”

When she looked at him like he was crazy, he chuckled. “Believe it or not, it’s a sign that the baby is healthy.”

Elain looked at Azriel. He was grinning - no doubt something he already knew from his sources.

“At this point, your baby is the size of a kidney bean and only weighs a few ounces,” Kallias continued, pulling out a tube of gel. “You may start to notice your abdomen starting to grow, and you may notice your breasts getting bigger, too.” At that, he winked at Azriel. “If you haven’t already.”

Elain’s cheeks heated.

Kallias huffed a laugh. “Alright, pull up your shirt for me.”

She exposed her belly and took Azriel’s hand. Kallias’ smile softened at her tiny, growing bump. “Alright. We’re gonna try to find a heartbeat. If we don’t find one today, don’t panic. It’s normal, considering the fetus is so small. In that case, I’ll have you come back in a few weeks to try again. Okay?” Elain nodded. Kallias asked, softly, ”Ready?”

“Yes,” Elain breathed.

“Sorry, this part’s cold.” He squeezed the gooey gel onto her abdomen, then took a little probe and spread out the gel before slowly moving it around her abdomen.

The seconds seemed to pass too slowly.

Azriel’s thumb was lightly brushing over the back of her hand as they waited.

Suddenly, Kallias stopped and looked up at Elain with a smile as a fast-paced beating filled the room.

Elain looked up at Azriel and laughed. The heartbeat was fast, seemed too fast, but Kallias said it was normal, meant it was a healthy heartbeat.

Elain decided then, as tears filled her eyes, that it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. Judging by the softness of Azriel’s eyes, of his smile, he felt the same.

~~~~~

Cassian pulled into the townhouse’s driveway. He’d barely taken off his helmet as he knocked on the front door.

He hadn’t seen Nesta since the night he spent with her, watching movies. He had texted her the night before, though, asking her if she wanted to go out.

She had said yes, replied quickly.

So, Cassian had taken a bike home from work and planned to take her to dinner.

The door opened a minute later, and Nesta walked out onto the porch. She took one look at the bike and raised a brow.

“You should know by now what a night out with me entails.”

Nesta huffed a laugh then gestured to her close-toed shoes. “Obviously.”

He grinned and handed her the extra helmet. “Come on.”

She took the helmet and pulled it down onto her head. Cassian helped her fasten the chinstrap before putting on his own.

Her arms wrapped around him as they sped down the road, into the heart of the city, where they eventually came to a little restaurant in a brick building. Nesta smoothed down her hair as they entered.

“Italian?” she asked, keeping close to Cassian as they were led to a little table by the window.

“You don’t like Italian?” he asked, as they sat down.

“Everyone likes Italian,” she muttered, with a small smile, looking down at the menu.

But Cassian was looking at her.

She didn’t look up from her menu when she asked, “May I help you?”

Cassian chuckled, picking up his own menu. “You look nice.”

“I know,” she said, quietly. “You look pretty nice, too.”

“I know,” Cassian said, mimicking her tone.

Nesta shook her head. “So, after we eat a delicious meal, where are you taking me this time?”

“You’re so impatient,” he said, grinning.

“Yeah, I am,” she laughed. “Answer my fucking question.”

Cassian shrugged. “Wherever you wanna go. Tell me where, and I’ll take you there.”

“Anywhere?” she asked, brow raised.

“Within reason,” Cassian muttered.

She snorted, but nodded. “I like that idea.”

“That’s because you like to be in charge,” he countered.

Nesta didn’t deny it. “Obviously.”

Nesta pretended to think about it the entire time they sat at that table. Every time Cassian asked what she was thinking, she gave him the same answer he had always given her - it’s a surprise.

“You’ll have to tell me eventually,” he laughed. “I’m driving.”

Nesta had finished her plate of pasta as she said, “Are you?”

Cassian stilled, eyes narrowed, before taking his last bite. “Oh, I’m sure as hell not letting you drive my bike.”

“Think I can’t do it?” she asked.

Cassian hesitated.

It was a trick question, he swore.

“Let me drive,” she said, cocking her head to the side.

“Hmm,” Cassian grunted. “No.”

“Come on.”

“You don’t know how.”

“Then teach me.”

They stared at one another, neither of them budging.

Cassian let out a long, slow breath. “Fine, but if you wreck it, I will make you watch so many shitty old movies-”

“I’ll be careful,” she interrupted, chuckling.

“Better be,” he muttered, before asking for the check.

Far before he was ready, they were back on his bike, Cassian sitting behind Nesta.

“Alright,” he said, firing up the engine and starting to back them up. His arms were around her, his hands on the handlebars. “Put your hands under mine.”

She did so. Cassian’s hands tightened around hers. Yeah, he wasn’t sure about this one bit.

“Alright,” he said, again, guiding her hands as they approached the edge of the parking lot, ready to merge onto the road.

Cassian had never let anyone else drive any of the bikes he brought home. She would be disappointed if she thought he was going to stop guiding her hands.

Not happening.

He revved the engine and Nesta’s body shook against him with laughter.

“Here we go,” he muttered, heart beating wildly as she motioned for them to turn right.

Right they went.

They drove down the main street, through the city, until they were heading down a familiar backroad. Cassian let his hands loosen, just a little bit, once it seemed Nesta was getting the hang of it. She was going slower than he would’ve, which he was grateful for.

Eventually, Nesta was pulling off of the road, to a familiar place he’d brought her a couple months before.

She stopped the bike, and Cassian put his legs out to catch them, finally fully releasing her hands.

After turning off the engine, he took off his helmet.

“Come on,” she said, not waiting for him as she found the trail in the woods.

With a fond smile, he followed her into the trees and down the pathway, toward the waterfalls.

“This is my favorite place you’ve taken me,” she said, although she didn’t turn around as she did. She climbed down the path until she was on that large, flat rock, where she slipped off her socks and shoes. After rolling up her jeans, she hung her legs over the rock, into the water.

Cassian did the same, sitting next to her.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said.

“You told me you liked me that day,” she said, looking out at the falls. “It was a good day.”

Cassian looked at her through his side eye before reaching over to gently take her hand.

She didn’t pull away.

“Yeah, it was,” he agreed.

When she looked at him, she froze. “You’re giving me that look.”

“What look?” Cassian crooned.

“The look that says you’re about to do something that’s going to piss me the fuck off.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Cassian said, innocently.

Just as Nesta opened her mouth to reply, Cassian was wrapping his arms around Nesta’s waist and pulling her down into the frigid waters of the Sidra.

When they came up out of the water, Nesta was screaming. “Fuck, that’s cold!”

She splashed Cassian in the face, who simply laughed, treading in place.

He splashed her back.

With a scowl, she swam to where Cassian was staying afloat and pushed him back under the water by his shoulders. He came up, laughing, right in front of her face.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

His arms wrapped around her waist.

He admired how she looked, clothes and hair soaked, droplets of water falling down her face. Her lips were slightly parted, her blue-gray eyes wide as she looked into his.

“You look nice,” he whispered, the sound of the waterfalls nearly drowning out his words.

“You look pretty nice, too,” she said, brushing his wet hair back off his forehead.

He could feel her breath, warm against his mouth.

Her legs wrapped around his waist as he pulled her up, closer toward him.

She could never be close enough.

Closing the short distance between them, Cassian softly pressed his lips to hers.

~~~~~

“You WHAT?” Feyre yelled.

Mila had let the beans spill about Amarantha’s goodbye. Azriel had shown up mere seconds later to pick her up and, after giving them a quick rundown of Elain’s appointment, they were gone.

Leaving Rhysand and Feyre alone in their apartment.

“She kissed me,” Rhysand said, “not the other way around, calm down.”

“She put her dirty mouth on my husband’s!” Feyre said, throwing her hands in the air. “Bitch. And don’t fucking tell me to calm down. Never tell a woman to calm down.”

Rhysand didn’t correct her. Instead, he started picking up the dirty plates, silverware, and dishes off the table, bringing them to the sink. They’d had chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese - Mila’s choice.

Feyre shuddered. “That pisses me the fuck off. Just when you think she could do all the damage she could do, she pulls shit like that.”

“That’s not all she pulled,” Rhysand said, rinsing off the dishes as he put them into the dishwasher.

Feyre came up behind them and pulled herself up on the counter. “Care to elaborate?”

Rhysand turned off the sink and ran his hand through his hair. “She decided she doesn’t like that Elain is pregnant. She plans to use Azriel’s baby as a tool for manipulation.”

A minute passed when Feyre said nothing, and when Rhysand turned around to face her, leaning against the counter behind him, she finally said, “I don’t understand.”

“She told Mila’s dad that Azriel has her. And, apparently, told him to take her away from Az.”

Feyre blinked, letting the words sink in. “Wait- Mila’s dad? As in...she’s actually acknowledging who the bastard is?”

Rhysand nodded. “So she says. She wanted me to tell Azriel, but...I don’t know. He was so happy, just now, I couldn’t.”

Feyre’s eyes softened. “It’s not your fault, Rhys. But fuck Amarantha. She’s been a shitty parent all these years. Azriel has been that little girl’s only constant, and if this jackass takes her away….” She shook her head. “Did she say who it was?”

“No,” Rhysand breathed. “But, I have a really bad feeling about it, Feyre. Amarantha kept him away all these years, and, as you said, she’s been a shitty parent. If Mila’s dad is someone Amarantha wanted nothing to do with…”

“Why would she want him now, then?” Feyre asked.

Rhysand shrugged, turning back to the sink to finish the dishes. “Because she’s bored, and she’s bitter, and she likes to watch Azriel suffer, as she always has.”

Feyre said nothing else. She stayed sitting on the counter, quietly.

There was nothing else to say.

Nothing that would change the hell that Azriel was about to find himself in, anyway.

~~~~~

Azriel had driven Mila home and put her in bed before he joined Mor on the couch with a glass of wine.

“No Elain tonight?” she asked.

“Apparently it’s sister night. Nesta’s on her way home. They plan to watch a movie and paint each other’s nails or something like that.”

Mor laughed. “Sounds fun. We should do that, too. You’re good at painting my nails.”

Azriel rolled his eyes. “I was in high school. My skills may have faded through the years.”

“Doubtful,” she said, grinning. “Well, I may be being selfish, but I’m glad to have you for a night to myself. Daddy.”

“Do not call me that,” he muttered, sipping from his glass.

Mor’s grin widened. “Why not, daddy?”

“Stop.”

“I like it when you use that tone with me,” she said, winking, then added, “Daddy.”

Azriel flicked her nose, and Mor’s laughter filled the air.

It was cut short when a loud knock came to the front door.

“Who the hell is that?” Azriel mumbled. “It’s late.”

Concern consumed him, suddenly thinking it was Elain, suddenly thinking something was wrong. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he padded toward the door to make sure he hadn’t missed any messages.

He hadn’t.

Shoving it back into his pocket, he threw open the door and froze.

Eris Vanserra stood outside, grinning. “Azriel. I hear you have my daughter.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

tag List (to be tagged, comment or send me an ask!)

@throne-of-ashes-and-beauty @starkovsnesta @redisriding @photofeesh

@mariamuses @tswaney17 @amaranthas-whore @awesomelena555

@danika-defendyr @rachaels14 @faequeenaelin @theshadowsinger-and-thefawn

@hashtolanashoba @poisonous00 @chemicha @samotita

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@itsme-malin

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@starryandbooks

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@6255igntm @moondancer-204

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@aelin-rowan-whitehorn @bamchickawowow

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@ugh-avila @awkward-avocado-s

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@midnightrose-reader @lord-douglas-the-third @thestarguidingyouhome

@empress-ofbloodshed @starkovsnesta @nickjgoodsell

Prompts:

{ “I’m gonna fuck you so hard that you forget you ever met that asshole” - Feysand } -anonymous

{ “How about Nessian needing to fake date when they go home for the holidays?!” } - anonymous

{ “could u pls do like an elriel fic where azriel is like this mysterious bad boy and elain is a goody two shoes lik aaaaa i cant get that image out of my head” } - anonymous

#acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #tacmc AITA #fanfic #fanfiction #sjm #nessian #feysand #elriel #modern au

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ciaraloves · 3 years

Note

Hi Ciara!! How are you today? I hope you're doing good. I for one have a family gathering to go to today and I'm not exactly excited about it (I'm literallly gonna hang out with the cousins I'm staying with who are literally all still kids but whatever). so that's the most interesting part of my day (also I'm writing some Kal/Viv and Ardor part 2 but I don't know if that counts as interesting)

Heyyyyy!! How's the family function going? (lmao I know how you feel friend)

I just got back from hanging out at a friend's house so that was fun🥺

Very excited for all the content as always! Will defs get to it within the next days if not immediately💖

#Cass things #Ciara's Convos

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percyannabeth · 7 years

Text

Viviane x Kallias (Chapter III)

Hi, guys! As promised, here’s the last chapter (warning: it contains smut). It got a little longer than I intended but it was an amazing experience writing their story. Feel free to send me an ask with some ideas/requests for fics. You can read chapter I and chapter II. This story is dedicated to my beautiful wife @feyrearchsron. Thank you so much for believing in me and being such an enthusiast of everything I do. I love you ♡

Chapter III – Their first time

After the wedding, Kallias took Viviane in his arms and carried her until they arrived in his room. Their room now. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

When they arrived at the doorstep, he put her on the ground and opened the door. “You know, I’ve always like your room very much” she said to him as she walked into his bedroom. “I’m glad you like it because now it’s yours too”.

Viviane sat down on the bed and looked at Kallias. Suddenly she was nervous. It was not as if she was a virgin, but this would be her first time with him. “What’s on your mind, Viv?” She was about to say nothing but he stopped her. “Please don’t lie to me”, he said with a serious look on his face.

“I’m scared”, Viviane murmured. Kallias kneeled on the ground so he could face her eye to eye. “You have nothing to be scared of. Still, we don’t have to do anything. It’s your choice and it will always be”, he squeezed her hands in emphasis. “I want to, trust me. I just need to get out of my head”.

He gave her a small smile and said “Allow me the pleasure of helping you accomplish that”. Kallias lifted her and laid her down so her head would rest on the pillow. His scent hit her. He kissed her gently then started descending to her neck and leaving kisses all the way down her chest.

“I love this dress of yours but I think it’s time we get rid of it, don’t you think?” he unzipped the dress and placed it gently on the ground. He did so because he knew her clothes meant a lot to Viviane. The male continued, kissing her belly and reaching the spot between her legs.

A moan escaped her lips. Kallias kissed the spot and gave it the first leak. She tasted so good he almost came immediately. After that, he set a rhythm to his tongue, always making sure to check on the white-haired female and see if she was enjoying it as much as he was.

When he noticed she was about to come, he replaced his tongue with his finger so he could give another purpose to his mouth. Kallias found her breasts and sucked each nipple. Her back arched in pleasure. And just like that he felt her lose control and reach an orgasm. The sight was all he needed to come too.

“How about that?” he asked her while trying to calm down his breathing. Kallias had done this sort of thing plenty of times already but he never felt this overwhelming pleasure, need and love. All at once. Maybe this is how it feels like to have sex with a person you’re so connected emotionally. “I swear your tongue is miraculous,” she laughed and felt her heart jumping inside her chest.

“Just my tongue?” Kallias asked with his eyebrows raised. She nodded and said “Prove me wrong, darling” Viviane raised her head so she could meet her lips with his and slid her tongue in his mouth. His tongue pushed right back and she thought she would never ever get enough of the taste of him. The female started unbuttoning his tunic and she stared at his beautiful and muscular chest and his long legs. Of course, her eyes spent a considerable amount of time inspecting his big and hard erection.

He clearly noticed the way she was staring at his cock. “Found something you enjoy looking at, my love?” he could not help but ask that question. He knew it would break some of the tension and give her some time to fight her jitters. “Very much, High Lord. Though I’m not sure if it will give me what I’m looking for” Kallias had always loved her smart mouth and her reply made him smile and spread a warmness into his chest. “Let’s find out, shall we?”

They were both naked now and she could feel every single nerve of her body responding to the slightest contact of their bodies. The High Lord of The Winter Court parted her legs with one his hands, and his his fingers caressed her inner thighs. Viviane stroke his jaw and pressed a kiss on his lips. He leaned over and then he was inside her.

Kallias was very still, giving her time to adjust to him. He considered himself a very controlled male because lying there with Viv and inside her, he swore it was where he was always supposed to be. He was holding back until she said, “I need you to move right now”. Whatever self-control he thought he had was gone as he thrusted inside her. She cried out and squeezed her thighs around his hips.

He groaned and the sound expressed exactly what that avalanche of desire felt like. There was no need for him to tell her with words how much he treasured her, but he did anyway. “I love you, Viv. I love you so much”. As they kept their relentless pace, she said back to him “Since I first laid my eyes on you I have loved you. And now I get to love you forever”. She was blinded with a warm feeling and she could feel his scent as if they shared the same one.

He gave one last thrust and they came together. Ecstasy was running through his veins, unlike any other sensation he had ever experienced. Kallias felt this cling to his wife, like an unbreakable bond and he could sense her scent clearer than never. He looked down to find his best friend and lover with a marvelled expression on her face. Out of a sudden, he noticed the tiny little snowflakes that now covered Viviane’s hair and was surrounding them in bed.

The High Lord of The Winter Court looked up and could clearly see the snow pouring down on them. “Kallias, what’s going on?” He looked back at her and realized what was different. What had changed. There was a connection between them now, a bond. Viviane felt a certain urge to grab him and never let go. She raised her hand to touch his cheek and realized it was glowing a very subtle light. The female frowned at the same time Kallias said “We’re mates”.

Only then, she glanced at his hands and saw they were glowing just like hers. “What does that even mean?” she asked him with a bit of hesitation on her voice. “It means we were just meant to be. It means that I’m yours, body and soul, and you’re mine. And no matter what happens, we will always find our way back to each other because that’s where we belong”. Viviane started shamelessly crying and raised her back so she could hug him and put her arms around his neck.

He felt her tears wetting his neck and then he noticed he was crying as well. That seemed to be a common thing for him to do these days. Kallias eased back so he could stare at his wife again. He cleaned her tears and kissed each of her eyelids once she had closed her eyes. “You’re my home now, Kal. Not Prythian, not The Winter Court. Just you. My mate” and she smiled at him so intensely all he could do was smile back.

“You have always been my home. My soul loves yours beyond reason”. He gently eased her back at the mattress. “Now I’m going to show you how my body loves yours just as much”. He kissed her savagely. He had heard about how the mating bond made people go nearly crazy of need, love and want. He supposed that was happening to them now. This time, as he slid inside her, there was no doubts or second thoughts. Just two people who loved and needed each other as much as the night sky needs its stars.

They kept making love to each other and she whispered “I love you” as he intensified his thrusts. Once they’ve reached the climax again, Kallias laid down on her side and pulled her back into his chest. He crossed his arms around her and closed his eyes.

There was just peace being there with his best friend and wife. “There’s a lot we need to figure out. Things are quite a mess here in court”, she said with her eyes closed. Kallias pressed her tighter to his chest, “I know but for now I just want to enjoy tonight. Just the two of us”. They could think about all the problems and worries tomorrow morning. In that moment, holding her in his arms was all he wanted. It was all he has ever needed.

#viviane x kallias #kalliane #the winter court #acowar spoilers #acotar fanfiction #a court of wings and ruin #acomaf #acotar #highfaedaily #my writing

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writingsbychlo · 1 year

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hello!! i just wanted to pop in and tell you that your under the mistletoe mini series is so effing cute !! i love holiday fics so much but this one feels so cozy and you made the reader’s dynamic with azriel so adorable im giggling just thinking about how fluffy their little vaca is gonna be and looking forward to how it’ll end ;) lol. but genuinely, this story has been a source of so many laughs and smiles. thank you for sharing it with us! take care <3

ps. it’s so nice to see Viv and Kal in this story. they’re definitely an under-rated couple in the books and seeing them be all loving in this fics feels so naturally

this just made me so happy to read, oh my goodness, thank you so much 🤍 I love kal & viv in this and there is SO much more wonderful stuff to come from them, just you wait! I really hope the vibe carries because I wanted this one to be perfect 😌

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theladyofdeath · 7 years

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Castaway. {ACOTAR/Chapter 4}

Word Count: 3,168

Summary: A modern-day University AU, from the A Court of Thorns and Roses universe. All characters belong to Sarah J. Maas. The idea for this fanfic hailed from prompts sent in by Anonymous, and @queen-archeron. You can read previous chapters here.

Author’s Note: Decided to switch it up and add some scenes told buy our favorite baby bats. I want to remind all my (beautiful wonderful magnificent) readers, especially before we dive into the next few chapters, that this story deals with some sensitive content (see Castaway masterlist for details) and is intended for mature readers. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I would love to know what you all think! :)

September 5 – The day after I got punched in the face. Again.

I consider myself a forgiving person.

I don’t always come off as the nicest around, but I do my best.

I’ve been dealt an interesting hand – we all have.

And yet, we’ve tried our best to get away from our pasts. To move on. To make something of ourselves.

But my past keeps following me around.

Everywhere I go, he’s there.

It’s not that I’m scared of him. I’m not.

But my skin crawls at the sight of the him. Bile rises in my throat with every word that comes out his misogynistic, hypocritical mouth.

And the thought that he has someone like her – kind, smart, beautiful – the thought that he kisses her, beds her….

It’s revolting.

I don’t think I will ever get the sight out of my mind of her fear when he lost his temper.

Still waiting for the day karma comes to claim him.

Sincerely,

Orphan boy

Rhysand read over the rubric. Again.

Summary of project: Ten paintings, five by each member of the pair. They must be submitted by the deadline, November 1. This is part of your final, and will count as twenty percent of your final grade. Paintings will be added to your portfolio.

Guidelines: Each member must complete five paintings of their partner in various poses. No two paintings should look alike. Be creative. Do your best.

Rhys threw the paper across the room before he could read any more. Feyre wouldn’t even look at him for the remainder of the class period – how were they supposed to work together?

His head fell into his hands, causing him to flinch. Shit.

That morning, he had woken up to a pounding in his head and the loss of sight in his left eye, due to the swelling. He had a thousand reasons to hate Tamlin, and the night before was just the icing on top of the cake of utter hatred.

His roommate threw open his bedroom door, and froze at the sight of Rhysand sprawled out on the futon.

“Fuck, mate,” he said, eyes growing wide. “You look like shit.”

Rhysand blinked, with the one eye that could. “Thanks. So do you.”

Kallias glanced down at his red, silky boxers. “Viv got me these for Christmas last year. She thinks I look sexy in them.”

Rhys just grinned.

Kallias and his girlfriend, Viviane, had been together for nearly two years. Rhysand was waiting for the day he would ask her to marry him, and he knew it was coming. But, the two had been roommates since freshman year, and he would secretly be somewhat sad when the semester was over and the two would graduate, Kallias moving on to marry the love of his life and start a family. While Rhys will get his degree in architectural engineering……and that was it.

He had no more plans after that.

“Viv and I are going to dinner tomorrow night. Care to join?”

“And be the third wheel?” Again?

“Bring a date,” Kallias suggested. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

It had. Rhys hadn’t even kissed another girl since Amarantha – she had scarred him a bit too deeply. It’s not that he was in love with her. He loathed the woman. But, she kept coming back. And Rhys….he had trouble getting away. She was seductive, and captivating. Beautifully manipulative. After he had finally said goodbye, and considered her a part of the past, Rhys had a hard time getting close to women. He’d gone on a few dates, but didn’t take any of them back home with him.

“Who would I bring as a date?” Rhys scoffed.

He ignored the first face that popped into his mind as the throbbing in his eye worsened.

“Anyone. Come on, mate. It’ll be fun. You may even enjoy yourself.”

Rhysand grumbled. He couldn’t remember the last time he truly enjoyed himself. “I’ll think about it.”

He knew he was in a mood. He knew he was feeling sorry for himself, and probably seemed pathetic, but he couldn’t help it. Kallias didn’t seem to mind, though. He had seen Rhys at his best, and his worst. He gave his roommate a pat on the back before heading to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water.

The door to their apartment swung open and Mor swept in. It was always a dramatic entrance with that one.

She took one look at Rhys before halting. “Your face.”

“I’ve noticed,” Rhys muttered.

“Did you at least hit him back?”

“No, I handled it like a mature adult,” Rhys proclaimed. “After telling him to fuck off and throwing a certain finger in his direction.”

Mor shook her head, suppressing a wistful smile. “What are we going to do with you?”

Rhysand threw his hands in the air. “I wasn’t the one throwing punches!”

“Good morning, Mor,” Kallias smiled, directing the conversation away from his mutilated face, to Rhysand’s relief.

The stares he had received on his way to class that morning were much different than the usual stares of adoration he typically received.

“Good morning.” She openly observed his silk undies. “Viv certainly is a lucky lady, isn’t she. Is she here?”

“At work,” Kallias explained. “Should be here soon, though. She worked the night shift. She’s been doing a lot of overtime lately. She said they just hired a new nurse, though, so hopefully things will go back to normal. She’s exhausted.”

Mor frowned. “Hopefully. I haven’t seen her in weeks.”

“Morrigan,” Rhys interrupted, smiling when Mor grimaced at the use of her whole first name. “Not that I don’t love your unexpected presence, but aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

She rolled her eyes. “Cancelled. Professor got food poisoning.”

“And you didn’t have anything better to do than come stare at Kal in his silk panties?”

Kallias winked as Mor rolled her eyes at her older brother. “I’ve come with a note for you from a certain roommate of mine.”

Rhys sat up and grabbed the folded-up paper from in between Mor’s fingers. “Did you read it?”

Mor blinked. “Of course I read it.”

Kallias leaned over the back of the futon as Rhys opened it up, and read out loud, “We will meet at your apartment. I will be there tomorrow night at 11. We will begin then.” Kallias took the note and read it again, silently. “And here I was, thinking you haven’t gotten laid lately.”

Rhys snatched the note back and read it for himself. “I haven’t. It’s for a project.”

“Awfully secretive for a project,” Kallias crooned.

“That’s because she’s O’Brien’s girlfriend,” Mor informed him.

Kallias stared at Rhys. “She’s Tamlin’s girlfriend?”

Rhys nodded.

“As in the one who gave you that.” He gestured toward his roommate’s face. “Not to mention everything else the bastard has done.”

“Feyre isn’t to blame,” Rhys said, simply. “She probably doesn’t even know about……Tamlin’s cunning. He puts on a good show, we know that. But, yes – we got paired together in the elective I’m taking.”

Kallias whistled. “You’re entering dangerous territory.”

Rhys shrugged. “I stopped being scared of Tamlin a long time ago.”

“Why don’t you just drop the class?” Mor asked. “Or ask for a new partner?”

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Rhys laughed. “It’s just an assignment. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Mor blinked. “Have you looked in the mirror today?”

Rhys rose to his feet and balled up the note, tossing it across the room into the garbage can in the kitchen. “Like I said. I’m not scared of Tamlin.”

The fashion world was new for Azriel. He was a mechanic. His hands were calloused, and often dirty, considering he was used to working with grease and various automobile parts. It was always a relief when Elain gave him a task that didn’t have him handling the clothes…..He was always afraid he would ruin them in one way or another before they even made it onto a rack.

But today, he built shelves.

“It’s looking great, Elain.” Azriel glanced around The Fawn, admiring all the work they had put into the small boutique over the last month. “Have I mentioned how proud I am of you?”

He caught Elain blush just before she turned away from him, to hang up another dress on the rack. “Once or twice.”

“You deserve the praise,” he said, watching her for one second too long. “You’ve got a date tonight?”

“I do,” she faltered. “I’m thinking about wearing this. What do you think?”

Azriel watched as Elain lifted the knee-length, olive green dress up to her body. “I think you would look beautiful in that dress. But you will be beautiful in whatever you wear.”

Elain hesitated – Azriel caught the look in her soft, brown eyes as she stared at him. He told himself he should look away, but he didn’t. Neither of them said anything as they watched one another in the silence of the boutique, the humming of their air conditioning the only sound that could be heard above Azriel’s nervous breathing.

“Would you like to come over and help me get ready?” she asked, her voice quieter than it had been before he’d said what he did.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

He didn’t know why he said it. No, he didn’t want to help her get ready for a date with Lucien. He wanted to come over, hang out, and watch movies while they ate a bunch of junk like they usually did.

Neither of them said anything else as Azriel turned back toward the shelves he was hanging.

And as he attached the wooden shelves to the wall, he couldn’t help but think of all the other things he would like to do with Elain Archeron.

Cassian waited.

He’d taken a cab because he didn’t want to bother Azriel, as he knew he was helping Elain at the boutique all afternoon.

After the cab dropped him off at the curb, he hobbled down the brick path, toward the center of the park, where a small pond was surrounded by trees and paths and benches.

On one of the benches sat an elderly couple. They were holding hands and whispering into each other’s ears. Cassian wondered if it had always been that way – if when you find the love of your life, every date is like the very first one.

The other bench had a homeless man sleeping on it. Cassian had removed his jacket and laid it over him. He didn’t even stir as Cassian went on his way after slipping a five-dollar bill that was left in his jeans into the man’s new coat pocket.

He’d occupied the last free bench, sitting just off the side of the main path, staring at the pond. There were ducks swimming, and he’d wished he had brought something to feed them while he waited.

He knew it was a lost cause. He knew there was a slim chance that she would actually show. But, he went anyway.

And he waited for her.

After thirty minutes passed, he had perfected a duck call to communicate with the furry, swimming birds.

After an hour passed, he had already scrolled through every social media feed on his phone at least twice.

After two hours passed, he attempted to balance one of his crutches in the palm of his hand. And failed fifteen times before becoming successful.

And, after two and a half hours had come and gone, Cassian rose to his healthy foot, and took the crutches under his arms.

He didn’t know what it was about her – Nesta Archeron – that made his palms sweaty, and his heart race at unhealthy levels. She was rude. She was incredibly difficult to talk to. And, she had not given him any indication that she had any sort of attraction to him.

Except when her slim fingers had lingered when she was helping him out of that damn hospital gown, and when she had blushed when he’d called her his future wife.

And yet, Cassian felt a tug in her direction. There was something about her that he couldn’t stop thinking about.

She was different.

But, after three hours, Cassian hobbled back down the brick path. He didn’t bother trying to get a cab before he hobbled two blocks back to Azriel’s apartment.

Azriel knocked on her door just before seven.

“Come in!” he heard a soft, sweet voice from the other side.

A small, black cat greeted him as soon as he opened the door. “Hey, Shadow.”

The kitten gave him a soft meow before brushing up against his shins, and lying on his boots once Azriel had discarded them by the welcome rug.

“Elain?”

“Bedroom!” she called.

“Are you decent?” he called, and hated himself for the tingly feeling in his gut as he awaited her answer.

Elain laughed. “Yes, I’m decent. Come in!”

Once Azriel turned the corner that led into her bedroom, his mouth fell subtly open.

She looked stunning. The olive-green dress hugged her frame in all the right places. She wore a silver necklace that dangled in between the deep neckline of the dress, the long sleeves hiding the tattoo of a sunflower she had on her forearm.

Azriel loved that tattoo. He was there with her when she got it, and held her hand the entire time.

She caught his gaze in the reflection of her floor length mirror and smiled. “What do you think?”

Azriel cleared his throat as she turned to face him. “You look beautiful.”

Her smile deepened as she patted her mattress. “Sit. Help me with shoes.”

This wasn’t anything new. Azriel had helped her get ready for dates before, but it was early in their friendship. Elain hadn’t dated anyone for years. Neither had Azriel. Over time, he had come to care for Elain more and more.

He had begun to fall in love with her.

She was perfect. She was beautiful, smart, kind, graceful…..any man would be a fool not to see the beauty she had, inside and out.

But, they were friends. That’s how Elain saw him, and he didn’t want to mess that up. Didn’t want to destroy the bond that he cherished so much, that they had created between the two of them.

“How about the brown ones?” Azriel suggested, taking a seat on top of the fluffy, purple comforter.

“The wedges or the flats?”

Azriel blinked. “The…..brown ones.”

Elain laughed, taking two different brown shoes out of her closet. One had a thick heel, the other did not.

He pointed to the ones on the left, the ones with the heel.

“Wedges,” Elain confirmed, giving him a wink.

Azriel grinned. “Noted. Next time I’ll be sure to correctly label your shoes.”

Elain sat next to him as she strapped on her wedges. It was then that Azriel caught a better glimpse of the necklace she wore.

“It’s my favorite,” she said, when she caught him looking.

He’d gifted it to her for her birthday, the year after they had met. A small set of silver antlers hung from the chain.

“You reminded me of a deer,” Azriel said, and when Elain raised her brows, he continued with a smile. “Graceful. Beautiful. Peaceful. Could kick a guy in the face if feeling threatened.”

Her serious expression faded, and she began to giggle. “That’s true.”

“As long as it’s not me.”

“Don’t threaten me, then.”

Azriel smiled, and reached up to brush a curly lock of golden-brown hair back that had fallen from her braid. He froze, midway there.

Elain looked as if she’d stopped breathing.

Azriel let his hand fall back to his lap. “You…..a hair, um, fell loose.”

Alarm filling her eyes, Elain waltzed back to the mirror.

“Well,” Azriel stood, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I should get going. Cass has been gone all afternoon. I’m beginning to worry.”

“Oh, okay,” she said, giving him an encouraging smile through her reflection. “I’m sure he’s fine. Let me know when you find him?”

Azriel simply nodded before coming up behind her in the mirror.

They were complete opposites. Elain looked like a beaming ray of sunshine, while Azriel….

He was darkness. Thick, dark hair hung over his hazel eyes. His black jeans were ripped in the knees, and his black and gray plaid shirt revealed the tattoos on his forearms, on his chest. He wore fingerless gloves to hide the scars on his hands.

The only people who had ever seen his hands without the gloves were his family.

And Elain.

“Want to take Shadow for the night? She needs some love. I’ve been gone a lot lately.”

When she turned toward him, after fixing her braid, he nodded. “Of course.”

“Great.” She took one last look in the mirror, and he had to force himself to push his jealousy aside.

“You look perfect,” he promised, before backing back out into the hall. “Have fun, okay? Tell me how it goes.”

“I will,” she said, and maybe it was his imagination, but she almost seemed sad to watch him go.

After one last smile, Azriel turned around and walked away.

He didn’t look back as he grabbed Shadow, and his boots, and went back to his apartment across the hall.

Cassian was passed out on the couch when he entered, and Rhysand was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of leftover pasta from Azriel’s fridge.

Azriel blinked. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Rhys said, mouth full. “We just got here.” He motioned to Cassian with a nod of his head. “Caught him walking here from Harris Street Park. Chasing after some girl. Again.”

Azriel chuckled. “Sounds about right.”

Rhysand put down his fork, and lifted an eyebrow at his brother. “You don’t look so good. You okay?”

“Yeah,” Azriel promised, sounding much more confident than he really was. He set Shadow down on the floor before unbuttoning his plaid shirt, and throwing it in an armchair that sat in the corner.

“I don’t know why you don’t just ask her out,” Rhys said, taking yet another bite. “You two are made for each other.”

“She doesn’t see me like that,” was all he said.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Like that.”

Rhysand just shrugged, as Shadow curled into a ball under the table at his feet. “Never know until you try.”

But he wouldn’t try. Elain meant too much to him. He couldn’t lose her.

He didn’t deserve her, anyway. Elain Archeron was a rare gift in this cruel, obscene world. She deserved someone……better. Someone with a good job. And a good, normal family. And a nice car. And whatever else she had named that made Lucien seem perfect on paper.

She deserved someone that could give her everything she ever wanted.

And Azriel….

He was nobody. He didn’t make much. His car was crap and his family was beautiful, to him, but surely not normal. Not even his parents loved him. He didn’t even love himself.

So how could she?

Chapter 5 coming soon.

@wingedillyrian @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty @photofeesh @southern-by-gods-mercy @randomfanficshit @high-lady-of-perranth @ifinallygavein@xmanorianx @eleniherondale @eye-of-elena @feyreismeiamfeyre@littlehoneyybee @turtlesnook @willsrune @gcarroll@tiny1hallie @iwouldtrusthagridwithmylife @my-parabatai-is-a-herondale @highlady-of-slytherin @fireflyangelxx @theantisocialbookworm310 @redqueenfandom @aelinxfeyre @saybell1994 @nofantasynolife @priyahayes@fireheartbitch @live-the-fangirl-life @rishorro @literarynonsense @thebookqueen01 @highlady-of-night @beaches-and-books

#nessian #elriel #feysand #lucien #tamlin #acotar #acomaf #acowar #fanfic #fanfics #fanfiction #fic #my writing #my fanfics #castaway #chapter 4 #chapter four

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