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bettyfrommars · 9 months

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Touch my cheek before you leave me, baby//Part 3

(part 1)(part 2)

gigolo!Eddie x fem!Reader

18+Only, mature content, intimacy smut, fingering, sweet!Eddie, gigolo!Steve, semi-public fingering, toxic mother, tooth-rotting sweetness, oral (m receiving), unprotected p in v, cum shot, alcohol consumption, self-deprecation, struggles with body image, reader wears a formal dress and heels, pet names, tiny drop of angst. Eddie is around 30 and reader is 29. wc: 5.8k

Summary: the gigolo who was paid to take your virginity now has his sights set on your heart, and you're ready to give it. A chapter of shenanigans, flirting, 90's wedding music (Eddie's got a crush and he's got it bad), ripped nylons, and coming into our own. Guest appearance by gigolo!Steve.

pls no minors beyond this point

You already hated everything about the flouncy, taffeta dress your mother picked out for you to wear, but you were emotionally too exhausted to fight her anymore. Especially for an event you were already dreading. Your shoulders bunched up at your ears at the thought of everyone there asking you what you were doing with your life, and when you planned to get married. You wondered if Eddie could hold his own with all of the self-proclaimed “well-meaning” hyenas in your family.

You stood in the full length mirror upstairs in your childhood bedroom, wondering if Eddie would like the way you looked. You closed your eyes to silently berate yourself for how you had behaved the night before. The way you’d just bolted out of his place like he had done something wrong. You actually waited all day for the phone to ring, so sure it would be him, letting you know he had to cancel—but the call never came. You wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t show up to the venue, but if he did, you promised yourself that you would let yourself enjoy his company and not let your insecurities get the better of you for once in your life.

“Shit,” you cursed aloud, hoping no one mingling in the hall heard you, remembering you forgot to tell Eddie that he needed to be a mechanic when he met your mother. A mechanic who owns his own shop nonetheless. God, why did you do this to yourself.

Downstairs, you could hear the voices of your mom, your aunt, and your sister as they waited to make their way over to the winery where the wedding and reception would be taking place. Your mom gasped when she saw you, but it wasn’t a good gasp; it was a horrified one. She had you turn in a circle in front of everyone, announcing that she wished it covered your shoulders and asked why you looked so bloated—she told you to lay off the dairy for a week. Your sister said you looked pretty, but it fell on damaged ears.

“When is your date getting here?” your mother asked as you were all gathering your things to leave.

“He’s meeting me at the venue,” you mumbled, grabbing your bag.

Everyone looked at you as if you’d just said you were moving to Mars. Your aunt was the one who spoke up, eyeballing your mother. “Why isn’t he picking you up?”

You stammered. “He, um, well, he had to work and I wasn’t sure when we—”

Your sister, dressed in a tiny Kate Moss number, threw open the front door to take a step and stopped in her tracks. “Hey, who the hell is that?”

You pushed past your mom to squeeze into the doorway next to her, confused, thinking maybe it was someone pulling up to the wrong house.

Leaning back against the passenger side of a classic Pontiac Firebird with a pair of aviator sunglasses on looking fine as hell in his all black suit and shirt, with his hands in his pockets, was Eddie.

—---

“I’m not asking for your advice, Steve, I’m just telling you how it is,” Eddie stirred the cream and sugar into his coffee and then sucked the spoon before setting it on the nearby napkin. “I like her.”

Steve Harrington shifted in the red vinyl booth they were in at Maude’s Diner, and held up the large, laminated menu to look at the breakfast specials, a toothpick rolling between his lips, his wayfarer sunglasses on his head.

“She’s different,” Eddie continued. “I can tell she doesn’t realize how attractive she is. I just want to hold her, I can’t explain it.”

Steve’s face was hidden behind the menu, tongue moving the toothpick, concentrating as he spoke. “I understand, man.”

“Wait,” Eddie hovered his brown coffee cup half way to his mouth. “You do? I figured you’d tell me I was losing my shit.”

“Well, you are,” Steve put the menu flat on the table with an air whoosh that flew the ends of Eddie’s hair back over his denim battle vest. “I mean, when the pussy is good, it can fuck any guy up. Hell, I’ve been there. Remember that chick who paid me to go with her for a week to the Florida Keys a few months ago? Damn, I thought she was the one, you know?”

Eddie finally took that sip of his coffee, licking his lips as he sat the cup back down, making a tent with his hand to twirl it in thoughtful circles on the Formica table.

Steve continued. “I still think about her. But she has a serious boyfriend now and all that,” he took his toothpick out and pointed at him with it. “No girl wants to commit to guys in our profession.”

“Yeah, I know.” Eddie was biting the side of his fingernail off as he spoke, concentrating. “But I don’t plan to do this forever. As soon as I get Wayne out of the hole with his medical bills—”

“Aren’t you two handsome boys a sight for sore eyes?” It was Donna, their favorite waitress. Her graying, dishwater blonde hair up in a bun and the red and white Maude’s apron tied in a bow at her back. She hovered her pen over the order pad. “What’ll it be? Lou is in the kitchen, he makes a mean steak and eggs.”

The boys gave her their orders, sprinkled with plenty of that sweet, gigolo charm, and Donna walked away with a spring in each step of her orthopedic shoes.

“Yeah but,” Steve continued after a sip of his orange juice and a smack of his lips. “Why would you want to give this gig up so soon? Plenty of bitches in the sea, man.”

Eddie squinted across the table at him, fingers drumming the table. He didn’t sound like Steve anymore, he sounded more like Billy, another one of their friends who dabbled in the trade.

“You know, you never used to be like this,” Eddie told him, sitting back flush against the squeaky vinyl. There was an ashtray over by the salt n’ pepper shakers and he pulled it closer, tossing his pack of cigs next to it.

“Like what?” Steve blanched. “A guy who likes money and pussy?”

“No,” Eddie crossed his arms over his chest, slotting his hands in his armpits. “A guy who is so afraid of connection that he does everything he can to avoid it.”

Steve looked over his shoulder, as if to check to see if the food was coming, to avoid Eddie’s eyes. “Yeah, well, people change.”

The steaming hot plates of food came a couple minutes later, and the boys dug in for a few thoughtful bites in silence, forks and knives slicing and shoveling. A different waitress refilled Eddie’s coffee and he said, “thank you darlin’” as if he were a country western star.

Steve wiped his mouth with his napkin while Earth Angel by The Penguins played softly from the jukebox, a gray haze settling in the atmosphere from all of the other patrons who were smoking cigarettes around them. Outside on the street, a group of bikers on chrome beasts roared by.

“You’re lucky I was busy, or maybe Robin would have referred your girl to me that night,” Steve said around a mouthful of food.

For some reason, that comment set Eddie’s teeth on edge. “Oh I think Robin knew exactly what she was doing when she referred her to me and not you. But keep dreaming, playboy.”

There was a tension in the air as Eddie lit a smoke, and Steve had time to regret his snide remark. “So, are you going to tell her how you feel when you see her tonight, or what?”

Eddie set the cig in the ashtray to smolder while he took another bite of food, chewing as he considered the question. “I invited her to the house last night, asked her to stay, but she ran off so fast, I’m worried I scared her,” he took another drag and then tapped the ash, blowing smoke out the side of his mouth. “But the sex dude, it’s just…mind blowing. I haven’t had this kind of chemistry with someone in years, and I convinced myself she felt it too.”

“You gotta give the girl a break, man,” Steve offered, scratching his chest through his white tee and then combing his fingers through his hair a few times. “She doesn’t know you’re for real, she probably thinks it’s all part of the act. I bet she thinks you’re gonna send her a bill for the whole weekend or something.” Steve chuckled to himself but Eddie wasn’t laughing.

“I told her I never go down on clients, I told her it was special, but I don’t know, she didn’t seem to believe me.”

“Gigolos are notoriously good liars, man. We have to be,” Steve perched his forearms on the table. “I mean, I’ve lost count of how many clients I’ve said ‘I love you’ too just because I knew that’s what they needed to hear.”

Eddie’s eyes widened in shock. “You tell clients you love them?”

“Well,” Steve fussed. “Sometimes I mean it, in the moment, you know?” His eyes went to the table as he wiped his hands off with the napkin. “Sometimes I need it as much as they do.”

Eddie considered Steve’s words as Donna came to remove their plates. “You should tell her,” Steve encouraged sincerely. “Tell her that you like her and want to take her on a real date, and that you don’t want her to pay you for the wedding thing. If she likes you too, hopefully she can wrap her head around the fact that your dick is in a different babe a couple times a month.”

Eddie had already been thinking about this, and so he worked his jaw with a solemn face. “What if she’s not interested in me in that way and I make her uncomfortable? It’s not very professional, and pretty creepy if you ask me.”

“It’s the risks we don’t take, man,” Steve shrugged. He moved his hands as he talked. “Feel it out, don’t just bombard her with it. See how the night goes. When the time is right, you’ll know. Otherwise, you’ll get paid a decent amount for a solid gig, and you had some great sex, so it wasn’t a total loss.”

All the same, Steve’s words were only partially comforting because there was only one way Eddie wanted the evening to go.

—-----

Eddie smiled when he saw you, taking his sunglasses off as he pushed off the Firebird. The collar of his shirt was unbuttoned a bit to show the guitar pick necklace he wore, and the suit was perfectly tailored to him, complete with a thin leather belt and silver buckle. You mirrored his cheesy grin, filled with a rush of relief and excitement that no words could express.

“Wait,” your sister balked, eyes darting from you to him. “Is that him? Is that your date?” As good of a person as your sister tried to be, she could not conceal her disbelief that someone like you could snag someone like Eddie.

You waved at him, bolting from the porch and down the steps, ignoring your mother’s voice as best you could as she called out to you. “Where are you going? I thought you were coming with us? Tell him to come up so we can meet him.”

But, you only shouted over your shoulder. “See you over there, mom!”

You trotted up to Eddie at the end of the sidewalk in your heels, almost tipping over, and he took your hand, his eyes sparkling as they darted over you. “Wow, you look —”

“Please,” you whispered urgently, squeezing his thumb. “Get me out of here as fast as you can, and we can talk on the way.”

“As you wish,” Eddie held the door open for you to slide in, scooping the frilly parts of your dress with you. The women were all on the porch staring, mouths agape, and he gave them an open palm. “Ladies. Looking very lovely today,” just as he slammed the metal door and jogged around to the driver’s side.

Eddie snapped his seatbelt across his lap. “You look so damn good, almost got me hard right in front of your family.”

You shrank down in your seat so they couldn’t see you through the window and giggled at his shrill tone. “Serves you right for showing up here when I said to meet me at the venue.”

Eddie revved the engine and pulled from the curb with speedy finesse, adjusting the lapel of his suit jacket. “Went in to visit Robin at the coffee shop earlier today,” he started. “Your friend Nellie was working and she mentioned you might need rescuing from your mother, so I took a shot.”

“What can I say,” you cleared your throat, eyes on the road. “You’re good at your job.”

You noticed he still wore his chunky silver rings with his suit and you appreciated the way he always stayed true to his style. It was hard for you to give compliments, only because you rarely received them, but you did your best. “You look really handsome. I’m happy to see you.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Eddie’s head turn to look at you, his voice low. “It makes me happy to hear that.”

You chatted about horror movies for a bit, because you were quite the aficionado, and then when the Firebird came to stop at a traffic light, Eddie stretched across, planting his elbow on the console to present his lips to you, making a smooch noise. “Kiss?”

He almost didn’t have to ask because your mouth was already on its way, eyelashes fluttering at the plump, warm welcome of their destination. The light turned green but Eddie was still hovering close, gaze flicking to different areas of your face.

“What?” You asked, slightly paranoid. “Is there something on my—?” You wiped your cheek and your mouth as if you expected to find a lipstick smudge or crumbs.

“You’re perfect,” he soothed. “I just like looking at you, that’s all.”

But then the person behind you honked, and Eddie hit the gas, but also threw a dirty look in the rearview to whoever it was who dared to interrupt such a moment.

You rubbed your lips together, relishing the taste of him, a wild fluttering in your heart.

—-------

“So, I’m a mechanic, and I run my own garage,” Eddie came around to your side to open your door in the winery parking lot, running down the list of things he needed to remember. “It’s actually not a far cry,” he assured you. “I’ve been working on cars since I was a kid.”

You kissed him again when you took his arm, pinning your clutch under your other arm. “I’d like to apologize in advance for my family,” you said glumly. “They’ll probably ask you a bunch of personal questions, and you have my permission to tell them it’s none of their business.”

“Nah,” Eddie nudged you. “I want them to like me.”

You could see the stucco building ahead with a big white gazebo set up in front of lines of white chairs in the garden next to a pond that glimmered in the early evening sun.

Eddie took the lead in more ways than one, and you were so grateful. You’d never felt so protected and sure of yourself in your entire life. He had this way of talking to people like he’d known them for ages, disarming them and charming them in a way that was unfamiliar to you. The usher sat Eddie on the aisle of the row you were in while your mother was next to you, and that was when you made the formal introductions.

Your mom thrust her arm across you to shake his hand. “It’s so rude of my daughter to not tell us more about you. How old are you? How much money does a mechanic make? How long have you two known each other?”

Your eyes glazed over as you wished to god the ceremony would just start already so she could stop talking, but Eddie handled it with such grace and ease. He even offered to switch seats with you so that he could talk to your mother more, mostly just to give you a break from her, and as you stood up to let him scoot into the middle, pulling him in for another kiss to let him know how much you appreciated it.

The wedding itself was lovely, your cousin cried and looked very much in love. Eddie squeezed your hand when he heard you sniffle, passing you a blue and white handkerchief from his back pocket. You had this passing thought that he didn’t have a single flaw, but then you remembered what he did for a living, and the realization that he wasn’t perfect comforted you.

You started drinking as soon as time would allow, clinking your wine glass against Eddie’s beer, taking a few generous swallows on the way to the dining room. Your mother sat across the round table from the two of you, so Eddie finally had a break from her, but now he had one of your aunts to deal with. She was already tipsy, though, so she just kept telling him that he would’ve been her type back when she was his age. Eddie pretended to be flattered, at least you thought he was pretending? The wedding colors were pink and lime green, and you moved the floral centerpiece a few inches to the right so your mother couldn’t stare at you.

By the time the main course was being served, you and Eddie could not keep your hands off of each other. He’d had his hand on your knee under the table the whole time, but as he got bolder, his fingers dipped in under your dress, dragging along your inner thigh, until his knuckle was moving at your slit. Your breath hitched and you squirmed, making him pull his hand away, but you caught his wrist to let him know not to stop.

Your nylons and underwear were creating a barrier that you desperately wanted to be rid of to give him full access. You spread your knees open as far as you could without touching your neighbor, inviting him deeper. Your panties were soaked by the time he pulled away to use both hands to cut his steak, and then he choked on his bite when your hand slipped under the curtain of the chartreuse tablecloth to palm his cock through his pants. He was hard, and it made your hole clench around nothing where you sat, staring across the room at where the bride and groom sat with their party, offering a tight, distant smile.

Normally, being so bold was not your style. But he was, indeed, yours for the night, wasn’t he? He’d signed off on this, and he’d been so damn good to you all night, your body ached for him. After the lights dimmed and the DJ called the bride and groom to the floor for the first dance, you stood up and took him by the elbow, urging him to join you for a slow dance to You Were Meant For Me by Jewel. His cloth napkin fell from his lap to the ground when he stood, and like a gentleman, he had to bend over to pick it up first and set it on his chair, excusing himself to the others.

“I was planning on saving my dancing energy for Slayer,” Eddie said, trapping you in his arms, flush to his chest, feet carrying you in a slow circle. Your cheek was at his shoulder, your nose inhaling the woodsy scent of his shampoo.

“We can start the mosh pit,” you assured, to which he tightened his arm around you. You planted a kiss on his throat above his collar and Eddie closed his eyes, remembering Steve’s advice and feeling like the opportunity was approaching.

Halfway through the song, there was a tap at your shoulder and Eddie stiffened.

“I thought that was you, Eddie,” a female voice cooed. “Fancy meeting you here.”

You turned to see a beautiful blonde woman with striking green eyes, pin straight hair down past her shoulders, and a serious rack pushed up in her slim, turquoise dress giving Eddie the hungriest eyes you’d ever seen. She was older, 40’s maybe, and your attention flicked from him to her, taking note of how uncomfortable he suddenly was, locking his palm to your lower back so you wouldn’t go anywhere.

With deep reluctance, Eddie introduced the two of you, and the woman winked, whispering, “I’m one of his clients, too.”

Your blood ran cold.

You had no idea who this woman was, possibly from the groom’s side of the family, but your mind raced to figure it out, the need to run screaming out of the building itching in your veins. Your worst fear had come true: someone knew your secret and you’d soon be outed as paying a gigolo to be your date.

“Wait,” Eddie snatched you close as you tried to walk away. He took your hand, nodding his head in your direction. “This is my, um, girlfriend.”

“Oh?” The woman was painfully shocked and confused. “Does this mean you’re no longer offering your...services? I was going to see if you were available to go to Chicago with me next month.”

Eddie leaned toward her, trying to whisper. “I’ll refer you to Steve or Billy, but later, okay? Not here.”

“Oh of course, of course,” she winked again, almost as if she had a tick. She squeezed your arm as she went by, her eyes on Eddie. “You’re a lucky girl. He’s the best.”

The Jewel song ended, replaced by Unbelievable by EMF and you freed yourself from Eddie’s grasp to bolt out of the main dining room, pushing through groups of people and dodging tables. Eddie was on your heels, jogging up just as you went around the corner, clutching your stomach.

“Hey,” he touched your arm, tilting his head to look in your eyes, his hair falling off his shoulder. “I’m really sorry…about that, and for the girlfriend thing. I just didn’t want her to think that—”

“That I’m paying you to be here with me?” Your words came out a bit louder than you’d meant them to and a couple walking into the party snapped their heads in your direction. “Why not, it’s the truth.”

“Come here,” he took your hand, pulling you behind him, checking around for a place you could talk privately. The restrooms were busy with people in and out, one door was locked, but the door at the other side of the reception area opened into a living room with a fireplace, a master bathroom, and a bunch of makeup, champagne, and clothes everywhere that you assumed belonged to the bride and her friends.

Eddie called out to make sure no one else was in there, and then he locked the door behind him. Your anxiety was through the roof, but you’d learned fairly recently that there was one thing that could cure it.

“Listen I—” Eddie closed in on you, wanting to explain, but you met him with a different type of urgency, clutching the front of his shirt and pulling his mouth to yours.

“Please fuck me,” you begged. “That’s what I want right now.”

“But I want to make sure you—”

“Please, Eddie,” you whined, running your fingers along the outline of his cock. You were possessed, and Eddie didn’t mind it. He was caught off guard, sure, but he was quick to sit down on the couch and pull you with him, spinning you around so that you were in his lap, back flush to his chest, facing the unlit fireplace.

You scrambled to pull the taffeta of your dress up, pooling it up at your waist, and Eddie’s hand slid down to find the heat between your legs. You arched your head back and his lips tickled the shell of your ear. “Are you my eager girl?”

You whimpered, nodding, too impatient to properly take your nylons off, so you tugged at the material, slashing them open at the crease in your thigh with a few rips, exposing the tell-tale wet spot on your underwear, and Eddie’s hand dove right for it. Rolling your body, you turned your head to meet his kiss while the pads of his fingers unraveled you, pushing the material aside to groan at what he found there. You rode your ass up and down on his cock, feeling it grow beneath you.

He hissed a few dirty things in your ear, and you spun around to drop to your knees on the floor between his legs, working frantically at his belt and zipper to free his now throbbing length.

“Fuck, baby,” Eddie hissed, but then you yanked his boxers down, and your mouth found the soft underside of his tip, glistening already, and sucked it in, twirling your tongue. His head rolled on the back of the couch as you worked your hand and mouth down a few times, saliva running down your fingers and to his patch of hair at the base. You licked the tip and kissed it, and then wrapped your lips around it again.

Wannabe by Spice Girls could be heard on the other side of the building as all the girls on the dance floor screamed. Eddie’s cock popped out of your mouth when he pulled your head up to kiss you, urging your back flat to the floor, and then you were coaxing him on top, bending your knees up and spreading your legs wide, opening yourself for him.

Was this the moment? Eddie wondered, fingering your underwear to the side, sliding the tip of his length up and down your slit, while you bit your lip and bucked your hips, greedy for it.

“Hey, I need to say something,” he braced one hand by your shoulder, finding your eyes.

“Right now?” You breathed, your hole pulsing, nearly sucking him in.

“It’s important,” and he emphasized it by slapping your pussy with his thick cock, watching the way your face lit up at the impact. “I really like you.”

You swallowed hard, not prepared for such sincerity. “I like you, too,” you managed.

Eddie sat back on his heels, pinning your legs on either side of him, fingers spread out on your thighs, chocolate eyes flicking around your face. “I don’t want you to pay me for tonight. And I want to take you out again, after this. I want you to get to know me because this isn’t who I am.”

Something in his tone suggested that he anticipated a rejection, but you just frowned curiously. “Yeah, okay. I’d like that too.”

“Really?” Eddie balked, thrusting so that his tip tapped your entrance, making your mouth seize open.

“Yes, really,” you scooted your hips toward him. “Please fuck me now?”

Eddie fell forward, bracing his forearm by your head, tips of his hair grazing your cheek while his cock sank in, making you both curse. “Goddamn,” he gasped, tongue parting your lips, his entire body trembling. “To feel you with my skin is everything.”

He worked your clit with his thumb and after all the build up, it wasn't long before you were already on the verge.

“Babybabybaby…fuck,” you cried out, slamming your pelvis up to meet him.

“God I love the way you feel,” Eddie grunted, pausing for a second so he wouldn’t cum too fast, but then you were chanting his name, warm wet walls milking him as the orgasm rolled through you, and he was barely able to pull out in time. He sat back to work the exploding head with a few hand pumps, ropes of hot cum shooting onto the shredded material of your ripped nylons, shivering and moaning as he did so.

That was when the door on the other side of the room, the one you forgot to lock, flew open to the sound of women chattering. You’d heard the voices getting closer, but in the heat of the moment, hadn’t planned on there being a second entrance. You tilted your head back, chin up, to give an upside-down greeting to the horrified faces of the bride, her mother, and a couple of the bridesmaids. The Macarena song blared loud enough to shake the foundation of the building.

With his dick still fisted in one hand, Eddie waved with the other. “Hey, ladies, great party.”

—----

The two of you took off out of the building like a shot after you were discovered. Racing across the pavement on bare feet, your shoes in one hand, and Eddie’s hand in the other, his open belt flapping loose at his hip. His hair flying out behind him, as both of you did a poor job of containing the cries of amusement and squeals of unbridled joy.

Inside Eddie’s Firebird, you were both laughing so hard, there were tears rolling down your cheeks. Eddie had the radio on, and the song The Flame by Cheap Trick was playing.

“Do it again,” you snorted. “Make the face.”

And then, on cue, Eddie’s face contorted into the exact expression your aunt made when she walked in on the fornicating, his fists tight around the steering wheel. Your cousin, and her two bridesmaids had chuckled, averting their gaze. But your elderly aunt? You were sure she would never be the same, and probably tried to bleach her eyes out later.

“Oh god, that was so horrible,” you put your head back against the seat, your hands over your face, and then you slid them down to rest at your clavicle. “But also, the best thing that could’ve ever happened.” You never knew how good it would feel to rebel in that way. Of course, your aunt was probably explaining it all to your mother at that very moment, and the two would speculate on your “mental issues” for the rest of the evening. The beauty of it was, for the first time in your life, you really did not care. There was something about the way Eddie looked at you and treated you that made you feel like you weren’t as damaged as your family made you out to be. With Eddie at your side, you felt invincible; you felt free.

Eddie turned his head to the side to fix his gaze on you and put his hand out, palm up for you to take. Thoughtfully, you matched up your palm with his and intertwined your fingers. “You looked so beautiful tonight. I was really proud to be there with you.” He took a thoughtful pause and then: “So did you mean what you said earlier? Can I take you on a real date?”

Your cheeks exploded with heat, unable to maintain eye contact. “Eddie, I really do like you, but it’s just—-”

You moved your jaw from side to side, stare fixed on the other cars parked in the lot. “---I’m not sure how comfortable I’ll be knowing you’re sleeping with all of these other women.”

Eddie blew out a hard exhale, releasing your hand to fidget with a coin on the console. “Yeah, I was afraid of that. I don’t blame you, I’m not comfortable with it either.” He sat back to plant his hands at his knees. His suit jacket was off, and his black shirt was unbuttoned further down his chest. “I want you to know that I never planned on doing this forever. My uncle—uncle Wayne—his insurance is shit and he’s been paying out the nose for cancer treatments, so this is how I help him with that. The jobs I’m skilled to do out in the real world could never pay this well. Besides, it’s hard for me to be intimate with other people when I…when I have feelings for someone.”

You turned in your seat to look at him and brought your knee up, searching his profile. “What if you end up having feelings for one of your clients? I think that would always worry me.”

He turned in his seat to face you, honey brown eyes dark and earnest. “Listen, I understand your concern baby, but I’ve been doing this for almost 3 years now? I’ve never wanted someone the way I wanted you that first night.”

You let that sink in, your mind tripping over the “almost 3 years” part, trying to calculate how many sexual partners he’s had during that time. You reasoned that the sex worker profession was as old as time, and there were plenty of people out there who slept around a lot but didn’t get paid for it. As a single man, and as handsome as he was, Eddie could've easily had sex with just as many women, and would you hold it against him then?

“I don’t want to scare you off,” his jaw muscles tightened. “But I’ve been looking for a reason to get out of the gigolo trade, and I think I found it.”

“I’m going crazy

I’m losing sleep

I’m in too far

I’m in way too deep

Over you”

“What about this,” he reached out for your hand again. “What if we keep it casual and get to know each other as friends until I get a new job, find another way to make a living,” his gaze was on your held hands, his thumb caressing yours. “Would you wait for me?”

“I don’t know about that,” your words came out on an exhale. Eddie closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable rejection. “I don’t know if I could keep this casual, to be honest. I think I already like you too much.”

“You’ll always be the one

You were the first

You’ll be the last”

His eyes shot open, and a smile hitched up one side of his mouth. “Yeah, I don’t think I could, either.”

You chuckled softly, and then chewed a bit at your bottom lip. “This is very new territory for me, and I think we should take it one day at a time,” you reasoned. “I don’t want my boyfriend to be having sex with other women, but I also don’t want to lose you.”

“Your boyfriend?” Eddie grinned, teasing you with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

You playfully tried to free your hand from his grasp, but he only snatched you closer, catching your cheek with his other hand. He swept his thumb across your cheekbone and rubbed his nose along yours, barely skimming your lips with his. “What do you say? You wanna be my girl?”

You covered his hand with yours, a happy sob hitching in your throat. “With all my heart.”

------

A/N: This adorable story has been very soothing for me to write, and even though the "official" story is finished, I already have some plans for blurbs and maybe a one shot down the road. My ask box is always open if there are certain scenarios you'd like to read more about when it comes to these two sweethearts. I'd also LOVE to do a gigolo!Steve version, but do not have immediate plans for it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who cared enough about this story to comment and reblog! it really is a big deal to us, your fic writers ❤️

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I didn't have a taglist planned, but a few of you were really sweet about it so I hope you enjoy! @micheledawn1975 @emma77645 @battinsonwhore05 @magnificantmermaid @erinsingalong

#gigolo!Eddie #gigolo!steve #touch my cheek before you leave me baby #Eddie munson fic #Eddie munson smut #Eddie munson fanfiction #Stranger things fic #steve harrington #virgin!Reader #Eddie munson x reader #smut #intimacy smut #Spotify

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readychilledwine · 3 months

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Bound by Fate pt 6

Summary- When Kaylee Archeron meets Azriel, her world turns upside down. Between balancing her trauma, new powers, a mating bond, and war looming over her new home, Kaylee learns everything is not as little as it once seemed.

Warnings- miscommunication trope, sexual tension, Eris being the queen of pettytown

A/n- this is the smutless version of this filler chapter. But boy, do we love a petty Eris. If you'd like to read the smut version of this chapter, click here

Series Masterlist

Lucien and Kaylee sat around the fire. She had hardly spoken since they left the House of Wind a week ago. She had been focusing all her energy and effort on tracking the Mortal queen, and she had been so close today. They had almost linked until the sun fell, then Kaylee felt nothing coming from the Queen's end.

She did feel Azriel all day today, though. Love was constantly showering Kaylee's bones. She had been trying to ignore it, but as a shadow curled into her hand, dancing between her fingers, then ran up her arm, she broke.

Lucien turned to her instantly, pulling her close as she cried. “It's okay,” he rocked her, running a hand up and down her back. “Just breathe, Kaylee.”

She couldn't, though. Panic began to flood her. Lucien rocked her, whispering comfort to her as he reached into her bag. He pulled out a small stuffed bat, one that He could scent Azriel on, and placed it in her arms. “Just breathe,” he repeated. “Breathe.”

At that soft command, Kaylee felt her mind pause, shifting to focus on Lucien's command instead of her panic. She took a deep breath, eyes locked on his as he silently coached her through her panic. “That's my girl,” Lucien wiped a few spare tears from your face. “Keep going, Kaylee.”

Kaylee clung to Lucien that night, holding him close as she slept as if he was her lifeline. Lucien couldn't bring himself to understand Azriel. No matter how hard he thought about it, he could not understand. Had Kaylee been his mate, had those tables been flipped, he wouldn't have picked someone else over her. Just like he wouldn't pick someone else over Elain.

He didn't stay up long enough to further question it, though. They had to get on the road early. Kaylee thought the queen was close, and Lucien needed to focus on this. He needed to prove Elain right.

Kaylee groaned as bright light hit her face and rolled into the warm chest. She felt a pull in her powers causing her to shoot up and hit a sleeping Lucien. “Lu, she's here.”

The male groaned, arm going around Kaylee's waist. “Who?” His voice was laced heavily with sleep, eyes not even opening.

“The firebird?”

Lucien shot up next to Kaylee, eyes locked on the cursed mortal queen. “Can you feel her?”

Her only response was a nod. “Her name is Vassa. She wants to know what we want.”

Lucien looked between the two. “I trust you,” he looked at Kaylee. The simple statement struck, her eyes lighting up as she smiled. “Tell her everything.”

Night fall came quickly. The three of them spent the day talking and moving back towards the wall, with Lucien stopping every so often to grab some form of flora he had Kaylee staying away from.

When she transformed back, silence fell between the three. There, naked as the day she was born, a mortal queen stood with her red hair moving gently in the breeze. Kaylee went into her bag, grabbing the clothing they had packed just in case Elain's vision had been correct and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she nodded to Kaylee, moving to go change into the soft tunic and leggings before rejoining them at the fire. “It is nice to speak to peo-” she shut her eyes and sighed. “It's nice to speak with… friends again.”

Lucien spoke first, poking the fire slightly. “I can not imagine how lonely you are, my lady.”

Vassa hummed. “You get used to loneliness. She is the first contact I have had in a long while. Most Humans and fae sleep when I'm human again."

“Do not get used to her being around,” Kaylee's head snapped to Lucien. “Her high lord has demanded her back for the meeting he is having. I will be transporting her to Autumn, and my brother will be taking her to the Night Court from there.”

“Lu-”

“He ordered it, hun. I'm sorry.” Lucien handed Vassa a plate of food. “It will be you and I, if you agree to take my company.”

Kaylee stood, walking away from the fire and wrapping her arms around herself. She stopped at a lake, watching as a few fish swam by and took a seat. She thought she had more time to process. To get away. She felt a tug at the bond and gently answered, letting him know she was alive but still hurting. A wave of regret and of self hatred came down causing Kaylee to flinch.

She was angry.

But Gods did she love him. She stroked the bond back, sending him her love and mixed emotions, and prayed he got the message. "Just give me time," she whispered.

Lucien and Vassa left Kaylee the next morning in a cabin. Kaylee shivered in dark, curling into herself as she waited for this brother to arrive.

To her annoyance, he was late. She took the blanket sitting behind her and wrapped it around herself with a sigh.

“Such a sorrowful noise for one who is supposedly such a happy female,” the tone was mocking and bored. “You three were early.”

“Or you're late,” she shot back, wrapping further into herself.

“No, little Kaylee,” the cabin came alive, flames starting in the fireplace, lanterns glowing brightly, and music playing. “You three were early.” She felt the male place a hand on the part of the blanket she had turned into a hood and pulled it down. “A tiny more attractive version of your sister, I see.”

And this male?

A stunning pale skinned red head. Freckles lining his nose like a constellation of stars. Burning bright eyes sparkling with danger that had Kaylee curling her toes. “You must be hungry,” he said. “I brought food. Come. Eat.”

“Papa told me to never take food from strange men.”

He leaned down to her, face inches away. “Then it's a good thing I am a male, isn't it?” Kaylee made a face as he sniffed her and smirked. “Eat. Don't eat. Makes no difference to me, little one.”

Kaylee stood following him after he walked away. “I don't even know your name.”

“Eris,” the male said, pulling her chair out. “Heir and general of the Autumn Court. The more important question is this,” the male pulled out a chair, turning it so he could straddle it and leaned in close to Kaylee. “Who are you?”

“Just Kaylee.”

He scoffed slightly. “The shadowsinger is offering me a pretty deal to ensure you are returned in one piece,” his hand trailed her chin forcing her to look at him. “Just Kaylee. I can see why too. Such a beautiful thing left to the safety of little Lucien? I wouldn't have allowed you to even leave my bed.”

Kaylee immediately noted how close they were. “I do not believe I will ever be in your bed, Eris.”

The heir smiled, face still near hers. “We shall see about that. I have until nightfall to change your mind.” He pulled away, fingers lingering in her hair as he did. “Eat, just Kaylee.”

Eris finally had Kaylee relaxed enough that the cabin didn’t carry a heavy scent of fear mixed with slight arousal. Bringing her four of his hounds had caused her guard to go down, and now the female sat pretty in his lap, sleeping soundly. His intention in trying to bed her was far from pure, but this would work. She would return to Azriel bathed in his scent from the close contact, and maybe then the male would realize how Lucien felt.

His hands had run through her hair countless times, ensuring each strand held his scent. The blankets she was using were his, marking her body in his scent. The dress he was going to change her into hung in his closet.

Was it as effective as fucking her senseless? No. Would it be enough to piss off the clearly tense shadowsinger? Eris smirked to himself, most definitely.

He kissed her shoulder gently, “Kaylee, we need to get you changed and ready to go to the Night Court.” She cuddled in tighter, squeezing her eyes shut and enjoying his warmth. “You've already overslept, little one, you won't have time to bathe.”

She shook her head, “Do not care.”

Eris stood, lifting Kaylee with him and carrying her to his room. “Well, I need to get ready, at least,” he laid her in his bed, covering her with the blanket, and went to the bathroom. Kaylee sat up a few moments later and felt Her eyes go wide before looking down. Eris stood near the bathroom doorway shirtless, broad muscles on display as she finished changing into finely tailored trousers.

“Stupid fae males and their attractiveness,” Kaylee grumbled softly and laid back into the bed. She had turned her back to the doorway, squeezing her eyes shut, and cuddled into the blanket that smelled like warm cinnamon and fire.

She felt the bed dip behind her and herself get pulled into a warm body. “Is my shirtlessness bothering you, just Kaylee?”

Kaylee refused to let him tease her anymore and rolled over so they were chest to chest, her face near his. “I am perfectly fine. Thank you for asking.”

He chuckled softly. “You do not lie well,” Eris ran the back of a finger down Kaylee's face, smirking as her eyes fluttered shut. “You are such a beautiful little thing.”

Her arousal flooded his nose. Her eyes went wide as he rolled them, so he was on top of her. "Say the word, and I'll stop."

“Please stop,” Kaylee put a hand on his bare chest. “Azriel will not appreciate this.”

Eris held that hand, kissing it softly. “Azriel doesn't even appreciate you, but if you insist little Kaylee. Walking away from the opportunity to share my bed is your loss.”

Eris stood again and motioned towards the burgundy dress hanging up. “You need to get ready. We've wasted a lot of time playing this back and forth game, dearest. We are pushing being late."

Kaylee went towards the dress. It was an expensive fabric threaded with hints of gold and gems. It was fit for a queen, not some common female he had offered to bring home. “This is expensive. You didn't purchase this for me, did you?”

Eris shook his head. “It has been sitting unused in the Forest House for a while. I refuse to show up to a party with you looking less than divine. Therefore, I picked that dress. You look close in size to the female it was made for."

Hewn City terrified Kaylee. She could not help but to cling close to Eris despite Cassian having trained her in fairly basic Self defense. “A few more halls, Kaylee,” Eris held no arrogance in his voice. It had almost begun to border on comfort.

These halls were too close to Hybern's cells. Dark smelling of moisture and earth.

Kaylee felt a soft familiar purr and felt her shoulders fall slightly.

Rhys was close, and he had his beast looking for signs of Kaylee. She also felt the bond tug as it began to come alive.

Eris paused before entering a room. “Well, little one, this will be our last few moments alone.”

“Thank you for taking care of me,” Eris nodded.

“It was self serving, but you are welcome.” She watched as a mask went up, an almost sad dead look coming over the heir’s eyes. He pushed the door open, walking in with her on his arm and a smirk.

Kaylee watched as Rhysand's face dropped, anger flaring in his eyes. She heard the growl from Azriel and Cassian. Eris turned to her, murmuring quietly in her ear, “And the game begins. Thank you for providing me with entertainment, just Kaylee."

Taglist: @impossibelle @luvmoo @wallacewillow0773638 @nightless

@cat-or-kitten @knmendiola @holb32

@mis-lil-red @minakay @whatsupb18 @deeshag @justdreamstars @pyrostatic @acourtofmarvels @no1massassin @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @acourtofbatboydreams @mich0731 @thelov3lybookworm @going-through-shit

@coralseacourt @snoopyspace @tothestarsandwhateverend

#acotar #azriel acotar #azriel x oc #acotar x oc #azriel x archeron!oc #eris vanserra #boundbyfate #azriel shadowsinger

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nightcourtseer · 2 months

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Day/Night - Vassien and Elriel

Two mating bonds out of balance

As I’m writing my first Vassien fic, I can’t help but think about a theory of two mating bonds having been corrupted (by Koschei, or maybe even some other force) that have corrupted innate balance in the ACOTAR world.

In this theory of mine, day and night, dawn and dusk are inverted due to the corruption of two powerful bonds.

Elain comes alive at dawn and glows at dawn but wants to be able to bloom at Night (like her scent of night-blooming jasmine), when she is her true self with Azriel. This would also reinforce the idea of Azriel and Elain being associated with the Dusk Court, and possibly restoring it in some shape or form.

Vassa comes alive at dusk (aka shifts back into her human body from a Firebird curse) but wants to be able to walk in the daylight in her true form with Lucien, Son of Day.

Potentially restoring these two true mating bonds could restore balance.

Just a fun theory to think about!

#elriel #elain archeron #azriel #elain x azriel #acotar fanfiction #pro elriel #pro elain #elriel theory #true mates theory #vassien acotar #vassien theory

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kindasleepywriter · 5 months

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Bird of Prey - Chapter 6: Tempest

Bird of Prey masterlist. Azriel x Reader.

Chapter summary: Feyre dives into unwanted memories, and Azriel deals with the consequences you have to endure.

Story rating: Mature - Minors DNI

Warnings: Torture, blood, burns, use of the word "half-breed", trauma response. This is a heavy chapter- but balanced with fluff, so much fluff<3

Word count: 5.6k

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The few days spent alone with Lucien had done you a lot of good. Cassian and Nesta weren’t around often, and it was refreshing to finally let your guard down, being able to exhale after centuries of holding your breath. The two of you were barely able to scratch the surface of all that you’d lived in the last two hundred and something years.

He was completely in love with his mate, and you were profoundly grateful that the mother had granted him a reprieve and a circle of people he trusted. Elain seemed like a sweet girl- a good soul that had managed to keep her softness through unending trauma. You’d never tell Lucien that you still didn’t trust her, of course, but you knew he was aware of your ‘hesitancy to accept people’, as he’d called it once. Over dinners and late-night chats, he’d gone quickly over the rocky beginnings of their relationship- and Azriel’s part in that turbulence- but he reassured you that there was no bad blood, and Azriel had even been to one to finally convince Elain to take a chance on Lucien. You didn’t know how you felt about that information, so you willfully ignored it.

His friends, his band of exiles, as he called them, also seemed like interesting people- especially the firebird. He was excited about the prospect of introducing you to them and, even though you were reticent to meet strangers, there was little you wouldn’t do for him. You could try, at the very least.

Then, there was the elephant in the room. Amarantha. You already knew the gist of what had happened during those fifty years, but he recounted how he had experienced it in Spring, his friends sent to slaughter in the human lands in hopes of ending her reign. He knew you understood what being trapped felt like. You’d offered him the best support you could muster, pushing past your discomfort at the subject.

“Where were you during that time, anyways? How did you hide from that nightmare for five decades?”, Lucien asked, sitting in an armchair to the side of yours where both of you were taking comfort in the crackle of a low fire in the sitting room. “I heard you disappeared during that time. No one heard about any contracts you might’ve taken.”

“Well, I didn’t have the chance to be in Velaris when the curse rose from under the mountain”, you muttered sarcastically, “but I already had so few ties to people. It wasn’t hard to keep track of them and… well. You’re aware of what I do when a messenger decides to let slip important details. They know the consequences signing on.”

Lucien winced. “Did it happen often.?”

“Only once, at the end of the first year. A shopkeeper who thought he might be able to gain Amarantha’s favor by selling me out. I decided not to take any chances after that and I took shelter as far as I could, even hiding in the human lands for a while. Any contracts I could’ve gotten during that time would’ve probably been on her orders, directly or not. I didn’t want to participate in her destruction. I did visit you in spring once or twice over the decades, though. I think I rather prefer you without the mask.”

“You’re not the only one, but I also think not ripping the collars of my shirts while dressing is really the best thing about losing it.”, he chuckled. “I’m glad to hear you weren’t hurt during her reign. She really had an obsession over you, but you never even heard about that, did you?”

You shook your head, confused. You knew she’d have interest in someone with your skillset, but you weren’t exactly well known. You wouldn’t be very good at your job if you left witnesses.

“What did I ever do to piss her off? I’ve never even been close to her for contracts, it’s not like she could’ve had a grudge against me.”

“She didn’t need to know you to resent you- You know your old reputation, Feather, but you’ve got to understand that it’s not just a rumor circulating through the undercities anymore,” he said, “People were clinging on to every hope they could during those decades. The idea of someone who had the power to take down rulers… It caught on like a brushfire.”

“But I wasn’t even there.”

“That’s a detail the common folk didn’t care about.”

“And yet, its still the most crucial one.”, you sighed. “By the mother, they might’ve thought I’d be their savior, but I didn’t talk to a single soul for half a century.”

“Now, that’s one long dry spell, I’ll say that your uptight attitude with the others is so much more unders- ow!”, he yelped as you smacked him in the arm with the book that sat on the table between you.

“If you think me not getting any for a couple years is enough for me to not check your audacity, Kit, I-“

“Now that I think about it, maybe that explains the tension between you and a certain spymaster, I’m sure after so long out there you just can’t- stop it!” Another smack, as he held you at arm’s length to protect himself from any further literary assaults, but he continued undeterred.

“I mean, with the way you’re watching him, I feel like you’re really earning your title of Bir-“

You clapped a hand over his mouth, hissing. “Not here!”You had no idea who could be listening in. Using your ‘professional’ name wasn’t the best idea.

He wrenched your arm away from him, laughing. “They’re not going to hurt you. They’re not who you think they are, Feathers. The act they put up before was mostly just that, an act. I know you heard the rumors, that you-”

Your mind flipped like a switch from amusement to anger, and you shoved him away. Lucien’s face immediately went white at your change in demeanor.

“Heard the rumors, Lucien? I didn’t just hear them, I saw them! I’ll be damned before any of these damn faes fool me into believing their bullshit. The camps, they’re a nightmare.”

You were seething. He knew of your history, and to disregard their actions as mere court gossip felt like a betrayal.

“You don’t know what it’s like to see a little girl’s wings pinned to the town square because she went just a little too far in the forest”, you spat, “women carrying so many bruises that their skin was more purple than skin colored, flinching whenever a door opened!”

A soft voice put an end to your tirade. “I’m sorry you’ve been witness to such a horrible event. These clippings… They’re harrowing.”, the High Lady said, standing in the doorway of the room with her arms loosely folded as she stared at you, pain flashing in her eyes. You hadn’t noticed her, in your anger. Immediately, you stiffened and tried to calm your breathing, but struggled when you heard Lucien let out a breath of relief behind you. You fought every urge to turn around and swing at him. He’d get his verbal beating later. You forced your voice back into neutrality, years of practice aiding you.

“I assume that you disapprove of the practice, then.”, you said, venom still subtly lacing your words despite your efforts.

“Of course, I do.”, she sighed. “We’ve been doing what we can to stop them, I swear that to you, but it’s easier to try and lift a mountain than to convince the Lords watching over the camps.”

You narrowed your eyes, not offering a word. If convincing them was the problem, you thought, then perhaps a change in leadership was needed. Either for those Lords… or higher in the ranks. Still, you felt a certain amount of honesty in her words. Maybe she had a distaste for the practice, but it didn’t mean her entourage did.

She exhaled, noticing your closed off body language. She walked slowly into the room, sparing a glance at Lucien, standing still for a moment before turning back to you. “I was told you asked for me specifically, to hear what you’re willing to share.”

Ah, right. The planned dive into the most intimate part of yourself: your memories. You’d almost forgotten about it, in the comfort of Lucien’s presence. Almost.

Lucien shuffled around you awkwardly, nodding to Feyre as he left the room with haste. If your jaw could clench any harder, you were pretty sure your teeth would have started cracking by now.

“You seemed like the better alternative.”, you said.

“Yes, I know Rhys can be a little much when you meet him for the first time. Trust me, I didn’t like him at first either.”

Mentally, you rolled her eyes. What words were hers, which ones were his, and were any of them truthful? You couldn’t know.

Feyre looked disappointed at your lack of response. If she thought a few niceties would change your mind about her mate, she was wrong.

“Well, we can get started, if you’d like. This will only take a minute.”

You nodded.

She gestured to the velvet couch that sat parallel to the armchairs you and Lucien had occupied, and you sat, keeping a certain distance from her. You felt the fire’s warmth at your side. A cold shiver ran through you despite it.

“What do I need to do, exactly? Do I need to close my eyes, or…”

The truth was that you had no idea how daemati powers worked. You’d had a certain amount of training in the Dawn court against it, but it was always from a position of defense. The instinct to bar anyone from your mind had been drilled into you as a young fae, and the idea of letting someone in was making every nerve in your body recoil. You didn’t want people to see even the most minute emotional reaction, and Feyre would be privy to your entire history and thoughts.

“If you feel like you need to, you may, but it’s not necessary. Just lower your shields and I’ll make sure to keep it as brief as possible. You can go afterwards, but invite you to stay, should you choose too. You’re Lucien’s friend, he’s told us good things about you…”, she said.

You braced yourself for the intrusion, keeping quiet and watching her carefully as you dismantled your barriers, brick by brick. She seemed to abandon the idea of convincing you. You felt the soft scratch of sharp talons against them, figuratively knocking at your door. The feeling was too familiar to Rhysand’s powers, and you couldn’t help but shudder at the thought. You finally made an opening in your stone walls.

Her incorporeal presence started to sort through your mind. You appreciated that she let you see her exploring and that she focused on the relevant parts of your memories. You knew that was a conscious choice on her part and you felt the slightest appreciation for how respectful she was in the situation. You felt a warmth from her as the thought crossed your mind, immediately turning your gratefulness into wariness again.

She started at the most recent events, thankfully skipping your time since you’d arrived in Velaris, and travelled backwards in time. She saw the confrontation with Azriel in the woods, the hunt for the Illyrian spy across Prythian, back to the initial arrangement that had taken place.

You almost felt her shock as she witnessed your messenger transmitting the details of the contract, lingering on it just a moment too long for it to go unnoticed. The story of the young woman and what she suffered, her forced marriage, her destroyed wings. You felt Feyre’s fury run through you as she processed the information. Her emotional state agitated her, so much that some of her memories slipped through.

You could see her discussing with her circle in a large room, a table covered in what seemed to be reports and maps, debating on ways to protect the women in the camps. You saw fragments of her and Rhysand, locked in an embrace in the morning light, whispering about the horror they’d seen, his hold on her tightening as tears ran down her cheeks. You felt like an intruder, these were private conversations, intimate moments, but you couldn’t help but be shocked at the idea that the court really did want to change the camps. Was she the only one pushing for this, or did they listen to her pleas for change? She did hate those clippings, that you were sure of. You let out an exhale of relief, ready to rebuild your barriers.

What you didn’t expect, however, was for her to keep going. You began to struggle as you tried to stack brick after brick, shoving her out, but she was too strong. She wasn’t finished, and you were powerless to stop it, but panic ran through you. You couldn’t tell where her emotions started and when yours ended, if the thoughts running through you were hers, yours, or somebody else’s.

You tried to throw every thought possible at her, stop her descent into your past, but she was too far gone in the trauma of your past. She was getting too close, too deep, and you were shaking through it all.

“Stop.”, you gritted out aloud. “You know I wasn’t here to cause problems, stop going through my fucking past, let me go!”

It was as if she didn’t hear you, but she let out a gasp of shock when she completely bypassed your time in Autumn, flying instead to the one moment you had never shared with anyone like a moth to a flame. Ice ran through your veins. Anything but this, any other memory, you pleaded, but you were met with only growing alarm and dread. You were both engulfed by the weight of your pain.

“Dad, please, I didn’t think, I’m sorry!”

You were sobbing, a large weight on your chest as two hands gripped the bone that ran along the top of each of your wings so harshly that you could feel the fingernails drawing blood and ripping out soft dawn feathers. Your full feathers weren’t even completely mature yet, you weren’t even fully grown yet.

“Damn right you didn’t think, you ungrateful little shit. I was clear that you would not come back here.”, the man spit out. “You’re not my daughter, never was. I don’t care that your mother died pretending to have the right to fight. I’m not responsible for a disgusting fucking chicken like you!”

You squinted through the pain at him, his knees digging into your thorax as he held you down. You couldn’t breathe. His stocky frame blocked out the light that filtered through the shut windows, his wings fully extended as you struggled against his hold. His leathery black wings.

“I’ll go right now”, you pleaded, “I’ll never be seen in the night court again, I swear, please, just let me go!”

His hand gripped tighter, a loud cry echoing through your lungs.

“And have Arevos think me weak, letting a few tears from a half-breed like you sway me? Never, not in a million years. You’ll learn the consequences of your actions. You’ll see what happens to lowly women like you who would rather destroy a man’s reputation than know your place.”

He swung a fist at you, dizzying you as you choked on the blood now flowing down your throat. He moved behind you, stepping on you in the process, and started dragging you out the door, grabbing only your wings. You screamed in pain, sobbing uncontrollably as red-hot pain shot through your muscles and back, feathers ripping out and leaving bloody trails as your father stepped through the camp furiously. You clawed at the floor, trying to grip at anything to yank yourself out of his grip, only catching dirt and stones and your fingernails ripping.

He hauled you out to the forest, closely followed by Arevos and a few other legionnaires. They watched, laughing, as Aravos’ son handed your father a blade. Kallon. The only person in this forsaken camp who’d ever spoken to you like a person, now laughing at your torture as if you were only entertainment. The dagger radiated warmth, its metal red from where it had been laying in a nearby campfire. Your crying impossibly grew louder, your pleas ignored as you tried to call for Kallon’s help, tried to bargain, to negotiate, but they didn’t care. They all watched on with vicious smirks as the legionnaires freed your father’s hands and held your wings down for him.

You’d never felt pain like this before. Broken bones, sprained muscles, you were familiar with. This? It didn’t even begin to compare. You felt like it went on for hours, pain drowning out the laughter of the sadists that surrounded you. You wailed and screamed until your throat wouldn’t let anymore more than pained croaks come out, vocal cords giving up on you as your spirit was crushed by the reality of what was happening. Your wings were who you are, and you knew this might be the last time you’d ever see them.

You prayed to the mother to let you dive into unconsciousness, to grant you the peacefulness of death, but your prayers were useless, and you could picture the goddess spitting at your feet in disgust. You were delirious, still feeling every touch and burn of that dagger as it sliced through your flesh as if you were a slaughtered animal, only worth anything torn apart and freed of your vile skin.

An unspeakable amount of time late, bored of the spectacle that was your murder. They let go of your body and left it on the forest floor, every shred of your body and soul bleeding profusely, meeting with dirt and moss. Fertilizer was all you would ever be, all that you were worthy of. Your breath was barely more than a whisper, a crackle of fire inside your chest. When the dark embraced you, your life draining into the ground along with your silent tears, you only felt gratefulness that your torment was over.

Someone was saying your name. It resonated around you despite you barely hearing it, like an echo in a dark cave. You felt the hard floor beneath you, no longer embedded into your grave as distant shouts reached your ears. You were crying, rolled into a fetal position. You were screaming, the crackle of fire and pain ever present within you.

“What the HELL did you do to her, Feyre?”, you heard a deep voice yell.

“I don’t know, I couldn’t stop falling into her memories, it was like I’d fallen through a crack in her mind! I can’t stop seeing it, the torture, the pain…”, a panicked feminine voice replied.

You were still howling like a wounded animal, your eyes closed tightly. A torrent of wind was whipping your face, sharp pain still coursing through your veins, a ghost underneath your skin. You could make out hands slowly lifting you from the ground, startling you into resisting in the darkness, your screaming turning to sobs and pleas of mercy, but cold mist surrounded you, an unknown familiarity only barely making a dent in calming you. You were shaking uncontrollably from your sobs, the pain fainter than it had been moments ago.

“Shh, it’s okay Dove”, a voice whispered to you, even though it still seemed so distant from you, muted in the roaring consuming your mind. “You’re safe, they can’t get you here. You can breathe.”

You couldn’t stop your sobs. It was if every emotion you’d ever felt, ever suppressed were rushing out of you all at once. You were drowning beneath the waves. Firm hands traced circles on your back, and a softer wind laid on your skin like a blanket. Your hands gripped the thin fabric that you felt brush against your fingers. The warm voice kept murmuring, soothing you.

You could only lay there helpless against the never-ending agony as you cried.

When you came to again, it was to the sound of voices again. A soft touch was running over your back.

“She destroyed the sitting room; we can’t let her stay here.”

“Maybe if Feyre hadn’t gone looking in places she shouldn’t have, it could’ve been prevented.” You felt deep vibrations against your cheek.

“Watch it, you’re clearly too invested in her to-”

“Rhys, let him be.” A feminine voice, this time. “What matters here is how she even managed to summon that storm. We didn’t even feel any power from her and then this happens… I showed Mor, and she said it was exactly like the one I’d made before she saved me from Tamlin’s manor. We can’t just-”

You couldn’t help a whimper from leaving you from the tension the room, your hands flat against the same fabric as before. You felt exhaustion down to every single bone in your body. The surface against which you laid shifted, the warm circles stopping for just a moment.

“Az… We’ll come back later, but we need to meet whenever possible. We haven’t told Lucien yet, he’s with Elain at their cottage, but I won’t be able to hold keep in the dark for long, and we all know he’ll freak out.”

“Just let me handle it for now, Rhys.”

You felt the sun harshly against your eyelids and back as you gained more awareness and tried to blink the sleep out of your eyes to grasp your surroundings. You stretched out your legs a little, the hand on your back tightening and keeping you from going too far. Your eyes got used to the light, and you became aware of the body underneath your hands. You squinted and looked up at Azriel, sighing. He was watching you like a hawk, worry written all over his face.

Wait. Azriel?

You yelped and jumped out of his hold, almost toppling over the side of the bed from the force of your wings snapping shut, Azriel’s hands stopping you from falling face first of the ground by gripping your waist and lifting you up into a sitting position in front of him.

Your eyes widened as you scampered to the foot of the bed away from him, your brain still in a fog of exhaustion that confused your senses and your heart beating like a hummingbird’s. How did you end up here?

“What- What happened?”, you said, agitated and too tired to wrangle your demeanor into calculated cold.

“Feyre didn’t have the decency to keep her curiosity under control when she paid a little visit to your memories, that’s what happened.”, he grumbled, still watching you as if he feared you’d run for the door at any moment.

His fear wasn’t unfounded. You were considering the option, still freaking out a little over the proximity you two had shared.

You looked around yourself, finally realizing that the two of you were in the bedroom you’d been staying in, a book still open face down on the other side of the bed just like you’d left it to talk to Lucien. You could faintly remember talking to Feyre, the relief you’d felt… And then the terror. It all came rushing back and you curled against yourself. Shadows wrapped around your ankles and legs softly, cooling your now overheated skin.

“She saw… she saw everything, didn’t she?”, you said, your voice cracking. Your eyes filled with tears again.

“She only saw the worst of it. She didn’t elaborate much, but I think we all understood what she’d seen.” His hands were clenched into fists, knuckles white, and he immediately relaxed them when he caught you looking. You studied his hands, the scarred skin. It looked just like the scars you carried from the torture your father had put you through.

“If it means anything”, he continued, “I truly am sorry that happened to you. It’s something you should never have gone through. To know that Arevos had a part to play in it too… We’ll deal with him.”

You looked up from his hands, a question dawning on you. “Did you… Did you see my wings?”

He shook his head. “Only the backside of them, they relaxed when you fell asleep. I was careful not to let you on your back, I didn’t want you to injure them.”

You let out a shaky breath of relief, whispering your thanks. He could’ve easily used the opportunity to examine the mess of scars that laid there, along with the only clear sign of your Illyrian heritage. Hints of it were everywhere, from the softer tip of your ear, your more angular wings, and the above-average length of their terminal bones, but you could pass as full-blooded Peregryn. You still had the typical hollow bones, the eye color and skin tone of their people.

What stood out, however, was only visible when you fully extended your wings. The soft dawn that protected the base of your flight feathers wasn’t the pure, untainted white or vibrant gold of your comrades. Instead, the light feathers emerged from midnight-black tufts that lined the skin. Only in flight could it been truly seen, but it was enough to mark you as the one thing the population of the Dawn court hated most: A half-breed, specifically one whose father was a disgusting Illyrian.

Azriel could’ve easily just lifted your wing and looked, and you would’ve never known. Yet, he didn’t. Your heart warmed a little from its current apathy.

“Am I cleared, then? Free to go?”

His face dropped from aggravation to something akin to... nervousness? “We know you can be trusted if that’s what you’re wondering. Feyre left you the choice of leaving, so you weren’t forced to exit the court after what happened. There’s something else you need to know before you go though, and it’s got the others worried.”

You frowned. You were less eager to depart from Velaris than you thought you’d be, but your freedom was your priority. You didn’t want another reason for them not to let you go.

“When you were reliving the memory, something peculiar happened. I don’t think Feyre was expecting it, given the look on her face when I flew in. You may have… whipped up a storm in the sitting room. More precisely, you summoned one.”

“That’s impossible. I don’t have powers.”, you stated, confused. Was this his idea of a prank? If so, it was needlessly cruel.

He hesitated, clearly considering his next words carefully. “We thought that too, but you really did create it. It was your energy, even if it didn’t feel as clear as it should. You used it like a shield surrounding you. Feyre couldn’t even get close to you.”

Shock coursed through you. You’d never shown any signs of power, much to the dismay of your parents. You’d always been the disappointment. The result of the union of one of the greatest Illyrian warriors and a commander of the Dawn court was expected to be of great power, even if considered as lesser than. It became clear quickly as you grew that you weren’t, and unable to use what little you had of it. You could fight, sure, but power? Not a chance.

“I spent the first 18 years of my life being tested relentlessly in every manner known to man.”, you said. “How is this even possible?”

“We’re not exactly sure, but the theory so far is that Feyre may have unlocked your capabilities when she went digging through your mind. Quite violently too, given the state of the room.”, he nervously laughed. “It wasn’t the first time this happened, either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that the other day, you left a burn so deep in the doorknob of the study that I’m surprised it didn’t catch fire.”

The study? Oh. That study. Your face flushed. Knowing what you did now, you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by your reaction.

“I’m sorry.”, you whispered.

Azriel almost growled as he got closer to you, reaching out a hand to lay on your crossed knees. “You have nothing to apologize for. I should’ve known better. God I…” He paused, rubbing a hand over his face. “I can’t begin to imagine how it felt, you had every right to end it there. I’m just grateful it was the door, not me.”

You looked up at him. His hand still covered his face, and he was stiff as a board.

You considered silently your next move. You were still exhausted, and you definitely weren’t thinking right, but you were just so tired of always pretending. Always keeping up a cold front, always distancing yourself from any who dared approach you. Since you’d met him, you’d been nothing but cruel to him. All of this for your false impression of the rulers of the Night court, and a single insult from centuries ago. Your heart was screaming at you to say something, do anything other than shut yourself off. For once, you listened.

“Look, Azriel, I… I’m not sure how I feel right now, I’m lost, and I can’t make sense of anything.” You gently laid a hand over the one that covered your knee. “What I do know is that we clearly started off with misconceptions about each other.”

His eyes snapped to yours, lowering his hand. “I think we agree on that.”, he chuckled dryly, the hold on your knee tightening slightly before letting go. His shadows retreated from you abruptly, as if forced to. He abruptly stood up and started pacing with his back turned to you. His fists were clenched again. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable here. I feel like I’ve imposed enough.”, he said. “I’m the one who dragged you here, threatening you with torture or mind-breaking, and it was so wrong to force myself on you then and now keeping you here with me, you’ve got enough going on as is, and I should ask Lucien to come up here to stay with you, he’s the one who you feel comfortable with-”

His breath stuttered as you threaded your arms around his ribcage after you’d silently tip-toed over to his position. You were careful not to touch his wings and you laid your cheek against his back. You felt him shudder as his arms captured yours at his front, his head dropping. The heat of him didn’t help your drowsy state but his shadows reached out tentatively and encircled you again when a sigh of contentment escaped you.

You couldn’t say why you trusted this man. You didn’t have many memories together, especially positive ones, but something in him drawn you to him like a siren would a ship. You knew there was more to him than he let others see, and your own shattered self resonated with his.

“I don’t agree, Az.”, you whispered softly. He hummed in dissent, but you just gripped him tighter. “If I’d wanted you out of here you would’ve known. I quite remember my knee doing some damage last time you hurt me.”

He laughed, startled, the vibrations coursing up your arms.

“I don’t need to start wearing special armor around you, then?”, he said.

“Not yet, no.”

A moment of silence, the two of you wrapped around each other, unmoving in the sunlit room.

“I meant it when I thanked you.”, you finally said. “For staying with me last night, for getting me out of there in the first place. For letting me fall apart.”

“I couldn’t leave you there.”, he breathed. “I felt the bargain disappear and then I heard your screams from miles away. I thought- I don’t know what I thought. I raced here as felt as I could.”

You bowed your head, even though you knew he couldn’t see you. You were starting to feel faint. Using your newfound powers apparently took a lot more energy than you’d assumed. You really needed to sleep.

Your grip on his ribs loosened as you tried to take a step backwards. Your legs failed beneath you, but Azriel, always as fast as a falcon, stopped your fall and held you up against his chest. You gazed up as his hazel eyes, lingering on his perfect skin and his soft lips for a second. A few curled strands were separated from the rest, and you softly passed your fingers through his hair, unsuccessful in your attempt to tame them. His stare was warm, and he gave you a small smile, not commenting on your unashamed appreciation of his features. You could’ve kept watching him for hours.

“I think I might need to rest a few minutes before we talk more.”

“You’ll be lucky if you’re awake within that day.”, Azriel sighed. He lifted you softly onto the bed, as if to lay you down and leave. You didn’t let him go.

“Stay. Please.”, you croaked, looking up at him. His hair was still all over the place, his frame highlighted by the sweater he wore. He looked beautiful, exhausted as he may be. The sun created a halo of light around him. An angel, you thought.

He sat down on the bed, keeping you close as you grabbed his shoulders to pull yourself up to lay against his chest, your face buried in his neck, breathing in the smell of cedar and mist that always surrounded him. He chuckled at your tight grip.

“I’ll be here when you wake up, Dove. Take the time you need.”

You fell asleep to the sound of his breath and to the rhythm of his heart, drumming slowly alongside yours.

Banner created by the amazing @saradika!

Taglist: @sapphenaa

#azriel x reader #azriel #acotar #acotar x reader #acotar fanfic #azriel fanfic #azriel POV #azriel x you #azriel x y/n #enemies to lovers #bird of prey

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blacklegsanjiii · 2 months

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It's been a while but here's some acesan Shirohige!Sanji!

It's a dull day on the Sunny for once, Sanji is taking a break and laying on the deck with Ace's head on his stomach and Sanji just carding his hands through his hair as Ace is just sleeping on him. Nami gives Sanji a letter from the mail which he opens and just photos fall out of the envelope making Sanji curse and Ace wake up to look. Turns out Marco sent a bunch of photos with a paper that has a middle finger drawn on it and that's it.

Ace crawls up to the side as Sanji starts muttering curses about "the shitty firebird" and immediately laughs at the first photo which is Ace holding Sanji bridal style in the galley of the Moby Dick while Thatch is pointing and laughing at them. It's from Ace's first birthday with the crew and he and Sanji had been dating maybe a month at that point. The next photo is Ace next to Sanji and their both asleep in a field, the ground around them is scorched, after that is their one year anniversary and White Beard is giving a knowing look to the camera as Sanji and Ace smile in the main frame of it.

Ace hangs them up in the galley with Marco's note.

#sanji x ace #ace x sanji #acesan #sanace #fire fist ace #portgas d ace #black leg sanji #vinsmoke sanji #shirohige!sanji

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bloomingdarkgarden · 3 months

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Could Vassa Be Immortal After All?

A Firebird Theory

(WARNING: HOFAS SPOILERS BELOW)

While reading CC3 I couldn’t help but notice a plot element regarding curses that brought me back to Vassa in ACOTAR.

In HOFAS we learn Jesiba's mysterious backstory and all this talk of curses- I couldn’t help but to meditate on our favorite firebird. Jesiba unveils that she has been cursed in Chapter 38:

And also elaborates that there were unintentional consequences of the curse:

Jesiba obviously holds a strong grudge against her cursor but is able to use the curse to her advantage.

So Jesiba, similarly to Vassa, was a mortal, cursed unwillingly by an immortal male figure. The curse made her immortal in turn. This has me thinking- what if the same has happened to Vassa? More from Ch.38:

I also find the passage in ACOWAR really interesting, in which Feyre is describing her perception of Vassa the first time they meet:

‘Only a few years older than me, but ... young-feeling. Coltish. Fierce and untamed, despite her curse.’ (ACOWAR chapter 79)

Could this be because although Vassa is, let’s say, age 28- she actually stopped physically aging when she was cursed at age 20? Perhaps it's just Feyre noting that she's a spicy pepper. Who knows.

I recently went down a rabbit hole of Slavic lore and I’m so intrigued by Vaasa’s storyline in the upcoming books. Most folks are aware that SJM has taken her story directly from Slavic mythology- and there are loads of potential breadcrumbs in the fables of:

Ivan Tsarevitch in which Ivan, the youngest of several malaligned brothers, sets out on a quest to free a firebird from a dark sorcerer who also entraps other princesses (often Koschei the deathless).

Princess Vasilisa in which an archer finds a firebird’s flaming feather and gets roped into a quest to deliver a lost princess. Hello Elain’s vision regarding this exact imagery: “I saw a feather of fire land on snow and melt it.” (ACOWAR)

Swan Lake in which Princess Odette (Vassa) is cursed into a swan form by an evil lord and can only take human form between midnight and daybreak. Only a faithful vow of true love can break the spell. If her true love makes a vow to the wrong woman (Elain perhaps) the princess dies instead. Could something as powerful as a male (Lucien) breaking his mating bond to forge a destiny with Vassa be the key to breaking her curse??

Who knows.

Will Vassa be immortalized by Koschei's power touching her and chaining her to the lake? Will Lucien be the key to deliver her from her curse as Ivan was in the fables?

I don't know. But regardless of Lucien's heart, I myself am a Vassa acolyte. I'm so enraptured by the beautiful myths surrounding this lore, and am so intrigued to learn what becomes of Vassa as a heroine in her own right. Her character and story have so much magical potential!

In the words of Yakov Polonsky’s poem:

And in my dreams I see myself on a wolf's back

Riding along a forest path

To do battle with a sorcerer-tsar

In that land where a princess sits under lock and key,

Pining behind massive walls.

There gardens surround a palace all of glass;

There Firebirds sing by night

#vassien #acotar theory #vassa #firebird #lucien vanserra #this girl is on fire #hofas spoilers #acotar #cc3

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ataraxiasflame · 16 days

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Lucien and Vassa: a firebird retelling.

So often I see Vassien shippers argue (most recently in a @acourtofthought anon) that the last book of the series will be a retelling of The Firebird, a Russian folktale which inspired many versions of the story, including the most well-known Swan Lake, with Lucien and Vassa as the MCs.

And to justify this, they point to the fact that Vassa is literally a Firebird and that Lucien is a spellcleaver who can break her curse and save her from Koschei. Well, as always, I’m not too arrogant to admit that yes, this is always a possibility. No one knows what SJM has planned, but to those who are using The Firebird folktale as your evidence, you’re actually making a claim for Elucien that much stronger.

See, in most versions of this story, Prince Ivan (our Lucien) does not even end up with the Firebird. He falls in love with and marries one of the women/females/princesses who are also claimed by Koschei. Prince Ivan and the Firebird build a deep friendship and loyalty to each other through their shared struggles. That sounds very much like Lucien and Vassa, does it not?

Yes, there are so many versions of this tale, and SJM could really use it as inspiration rather than a retelling as such, but to argue that Lucien and Vassa are endgame because of the Firebird folklore is somewhat misguided, and is practically confirming the countless theories that Eluciens and many other ACOTAR fans have already predicted: Lucien AND Elain will play a role in the demise of Koschei TOGETHER.

#careful your e/riel is showing #vassien is really e/riel in a different font #elucien #pro elucien #elucien supremacy #varian #Vassa x Jurian

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stargirlie25 · 1 month

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How I feel about Vassien and Elriel 🙄

Elriel:

Hate this ship for the following reasons

Elain has always been full of light and does not belong in the NC or at least Feyres court.

Azriel is darkness and shadows, something that Elain wants to chase away in her darkest times.

Azriel has been silently in love with someone for centuries waiting for a mate.

He clearly already believes he is not worth anything with Mor and now with Elain. *SJM loves growth* *that's not growth* He feels unworthy of holding Nyx possibly because of his hands. Same bullshit with Elain.

You can't say not feeling like you deserve your partner is a pattern because Rhysand and nessian. First of all, Rhys felt unworthy of feyre because he did horrible shit to her. Nessian said horrible shit to each other. Therefore they feel unworthy. Azriel has done nothing to Elain yet he feels unworthy to ''taint her with his presence'' HE FEELS UNWORTHY OF HER BECAUSE OF HIS OWN TRAUMA. His job (torturing people and spying) while he said to Cass that it suits him. Hell even Mor feared his ruthless side and Elain has never seen it. Gwyn has seen him acting violently. She was assaulted and Azriel came in and did not hesitate to rip them apart. Then he wrapped Gwyn in his cloak. Does Gwyn fear him? Nah. Last I remember, she was broadly smiling at him during the winter solstice.

Or the fact that their relationship would have to be a secret and they would not be able to showcase it like their peers. That both of them have been hiding from different things all their life and they continue to do so? It would break them. LIKE GOD NO ONE CARES IF THE TROPE IS FORBIDDEN LOVE IF THE CHARACTERS ARE MISERABLE FROM THE GET-GO.

Generally the worst pairing along with Vassien

His shadows chose to vanish around her (just like Mor)

they would have to be a secret which would break her and him. (just like silently loving Mor did to him)

He feels unworthy of his trauma and generally around her (like Mor)

His character is the worst when it comes to Elain. He wants to kill a person for Elain for no good reason. (just like Mor)

He wants a mate (which is fine) and Elains reason for not wanting Lucien was because the mate aspect is not because of Lucien.

He simply pleasured himself to fucking her and that was it.

Rhysand who said Elain will be supported if she rejects the mating bond declines Az of pursuing Elain (relax Rhys he just wants to fuck her) and goes on to say in defense of Elucien that Lucien is fiercely loyal and has all rights to call a blood duel.

His sole reason for wanting to kiss her was because ‘’3 sisters and 3 brothers’’ and calling Elain the third as if she could be anyone but his argument would still stand.

Gives away the necklace he got for her because she returned it and feels good about it.

Vassien:

*Disclaimer: I do not hate Vassa in any way. I LOVE HER because I love the band of exiles*

I fucking hate this ship so much.JUST SAY YOU WANT LUCIEN OUT OF THE WAY! STOP BEING A PUSSIE AND SHIPPING A SIBLING LIKE RELATIONSHIP! LUCIEN FOUND FRIENDS. CAN HE PLEASE HAVE FRIENDS OR ARE YOU GOING TO SHIP HIM WITH EVERYONE TO GET HIM OUT OF THE WAY?

First of all the famous ''BiRd Of FLaME aNd LoRd OF FiRe''

Vassa being a bird of flame is her curse. One of the reasons her character and plot exists in the first place.

''I had not forgotten her plea to me that night after the last battle with Hybern. To break the curse that kept her human by night, firebird by day''

Lucien will be Lord of day and everybody in the Autumn hates him :( so I guarantee he does not want that title especially because he does not even want his last name. Eris is Lord of fire though.

Or Lucien blushing around Vassa. Noooooo. He was once again blushing because of Elain.

The scene:

''Not for long—not if Vassa has anything to do with it.``''You sound like an acolyte.” Lucien blushed, glancing at Elain. “She’s got a foul temper and a fouler mouth.” He cut me a wry look. “You’ll get along just fine.”

I nudged him in the ribs.''

This scene alone proves two things.

Lucien was blushing because feyre said he sounded like an acolyte In front of Elain and he blushed because being an acolyte is like worshiping

Lucien sees Vassa and Feyre in the same light. Although feyciens not endgame 🙄

Also the spark in Lucien's eye and a twitch of his lips.

The scene:

“Jurian ...” Lucien blew out a breath, scanning the carved wood ceiling above. “Thank the Cauldron for him. I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true.” He ran a hand through his silken red hair. “He’s keeping everything running. I think he’d have been crowned king by now if it wasn’t for Vassa.” A twitch of the lips, a spark in that russet eye.''

This is not a romantic gesture, this is an example of Lucien being amused by Vassa and Jurians dynamic. The spark alone is not even romantic even if it was solely directed at Vassa. Its recognition. Just like how Elain's eye sparked when seeing Lucien because she recognizes him. Amarantha's eye sparked when she realized that Rhysand was jealous of Tamlin and Feyre kissing. This literally could be him recognizing something between Jurian and Vassa. That Jurian could be king but the only force stopping him is Vassa.

Lucien lost his Lover,friend,and best friend-Jesminda,Feyre,Tamlin

Its safe to say that Jurian is his true best friend,Vassa is his true friend, Elain is his true mate/love.

Another thing E/riels like to say about Vassien is that Vassa can be immortal for Lucien or Lucien will become human

First of all, Lucien's role as heir to the day court is highly important in the upcoming books. Helion and Eris being featured so much in ACOSF was not for nothing. Also speaking about Beron and Tamlin? All linked to Lucien. All links to an Elucien book.

Coming back to Vassa:

'A once-proud queen—still proud, yes, but desperate to reclaim her freedom.Her human body. Her kingdom.

Saying she will be Faerie for Lucien is unfair to Vassas character. Once again Lucien's place at the Day court is very important and do you think Vassa would move in with him there? Leave her kingdom?

Ms girl is DESPERATE for her human body. She wants to be free. She does not want to be in Faerie realms. She has her site set and her goal.

Bye i could literally talk about this for hours and publish a whole novel but to sum it up i hate elriel and vassien (its the same thing) and this whole post has the reasons why!

#anti e/riel #anti vassien #anti dumb ships #gwynriel #pro gwynriel #pro elucien

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gracie-rosee · 2 months

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How is there literally one person writing fic for Lucien and Vassa? Like are y’all not intrigued by their potential? Does Russian folklore not interest you? A curse that can only be broken by true love??! The fox and the Firebird?!!!!!!! Hello?!?!?!!!

They are so slept on, I might just have to take things into my own hands.

#if I knew people would actually read it and be interested I would write the hell outta that #but alas people don’t care for them #sigh #big sighhhhh #probably one of the most interesting plot lines sjm could give us in this day #and yet? not a peep for them #there are barely even any Jurian and vassa fics too like??#VASSA IS SO INTRIGUING HOW ARE YOU ALL NOT IN LOVE WITH HER #when her story gets told y’all will be backtracking believe me #midnight rants

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lanitalay · 6 months

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Before I Say Goodnight

Chapter 3

A/n: Chapter 3 yay. Ngl i got feels towards the end. This is a sweet one. I kind of love the Band of exiles dynamic.

Other chapters

“Great, Cassian will pick you up in the morning”.

“Ok” you say between bites. “I have to get some things done before morning, but try to sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow” she stands and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Ok so maybe this Rhysand can help. Hopefully. If they are really worried about an unguarded portal then maybe they’ll hurry to send me back and close it up. The thought brings you a bit of peace. Finishing the stew you get up from the bed and place the bowl on the dresser. You look in the mirror and decide that you can’t wear the dress tomorrow,it’s far too long and, honestly, riding side-saddle was terrible, so you resolve to dig up your leggings and sports bra. Now that they have fully dried, the mud and sweat created a layer of crust and the smell… Ew. You bring them to the bathing room and scrub them until they have returned to their normal color. Hopefully they’ll be dry by morning. An idea pops up. You take the damp clothes down the stairs and place them near the crackling hearth. I’m so smart. Then remember the bowl left on the dresser, groaning to yourself as you walk back up the stairs, pick the bowl up and return it to the kitchen.

Jurian is sitting at the table with a cup of tea and a book. He looks quaint, much different then the rough looking man you’ve seen the last day. He looks up, sensing someone in the room and his eyes land on the bowl in your hands. “Beef stew is my specialty,” he says with a sly smile. “It was delicious, thank you” walking over to the basin, you wash the bowl and set it to dry with the rest of the dishes. “Tea?” He asks and motions to the pot on the wood stove. “That would be great, actually” you pour yourself a cup and sit down next to him. The tea is mint and there is another flavor that has hints of lavender. You breathe the scent in and try to ground yourself. Finding that if you are not doing something or talking you spiral and begin to think about home. Home. It's been more than 24 hours now. They probably think I’m lost in the woods. You shake your head and ask Jurian “are you human?” He looks up from the book and says nothing. You open your mouth and close it and then say “sorry, I just noticed that you have round ears and Lucien has pointed ears and also Vassa has round ears and the man from earlier had round ears but he had wings and… well in my world all humans have round ears so I'm guessing you’re human and if this is an offensive question I’m sorry. I'm rambling now. I’ll shut up” you look away and sip your tea. Maybe solo travel completely stunted my social skills. Oh god kill me now. Jurian chuckles “it’s fine, yes I’m human, Vassa is also human but she’s been cursed to be a firebird by day, Lucien is High fae and Cassian is Ilyrian. Any other questions?” About a million. “Vassa is a firebird by day?” That seemed like the most important detail. “Yes, it’s a long story though, and it’s also not mine so if you want more details ask her” fair enough. “Ok… how old are you?” He looked like he could be in his mid thirties but something about him felt off. “About 500” you choke on nothing and look at him wide eyed. He chuckles “I’m sensing a follow up question so I’ll elaborate. Yes I’m human, yes I’ve been alive for 500 years. How is that possible? Well 500 years ago there was this war that was fought by humans against the fae and I did some… bad things that got me dismembered and kept conscious in the ring and necklace of this truly awful female. Anyways, there was another war recently where a very powerful king found the cauldron and harnessed its power to resurrect me. Well, to put me back together and now here I am” he motions to himself and smiles bright. Jesus. “And I thought my life was hard, why did they resurrect you?” He sighs “The king was unhappy with the result of the last war and wanted me to help him invade the human lands and enslave the humans.” You put down the cup and ask “So there is no war happening currently?” “No, not right now but Koschei,he’s another powerful king, is up to something. Not sure what it is though”. “I see” you fiddle with your thumbs and ask another question “Vassa said that I’m supposed to go to the Night Court? Is it far?” He nods “ah, that’s right. Rhysand wants to question you. I suppose you have no idea where anything is. Come with me” he stands and walks out of the kitchen and crosses the house until he reaches two double doors.

When you walk in you see shelves and shelves of books. Oh my god it’s a library. Sick. “Here we are” Jurian says as he pulls out a large book titled “Geography of Prythian and its Surroundings” he opens up and gestures to the bottom of the page. “We are here, these are the mortal lands, pretty self explanatory. You showed up around here” he points “that is the Spring Court, there are seven, as you can see. The Night Court is all the way up here” he points to the north of the map. “Wait, so how am I going to get there tomorrow? That’s at least a few days by horse” he hums. “I’m pretty sure it's only a few hours by flight”. Oh no. There’s no way. “What?” “You’ll be flying, hope you’re not afraid of heights” he smirks, sensing your fear. “And if I refuse?” “Well, they are your best chance of getting back home. If you think I’m old just wait till you meet some of the people at Rhysand's court. They should know something about portals”. “That’s great” you say in a monotone voice. “Listen, I’m going to call it a night but feel free to stay here if you want”. You nod as he walks out of the library. There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep tonight. You resolve to stay and read the book. Gleaning as much information about this world as you can and not taking note of the time. You doze off on the chair and wake up to the sound of the book hitting the ground. Taking a deep breath and putting the book away, you make your way to your room and fall into a deep dreamless sleep.

The next morning breakfast is the same: warm bread, cheese and tea. Lucien sits in front of you as you scarf down the meal, having woken up very hungry. “Do they have food where you’re from?” You swallow and scowl at him, “of course we do. We have bread and cheese and tea and chocolate and coffee”. I miss coffee so much and it’s only been two days. “Well you’re eating like a woman starved” you sip your tea and roll your eyes. “Why are you so grumpy? And if you must know I think I’m stress eating. It’s a normal reaction for someone in my situation. Is pie a thing here? I could really go for some pie right now” he seems unimpressed. “I’m not grumpy and yes pie is a thing here. I’ll see what I can do to find some, we are a bit secluded from the nearest village” you beam. “Really? You’d get me pie?” he nods “oh thank you!” You can’t help yourself as you get up from your chair and throw your arms around him in a hug. “I haven’t gotten you anything yet” you straighten up “but it’s the thought that counts”.

“When is this Cassian guy supposed to get here?” you ask Lucien as you pack your bag for the trip. You suppose it’s only a day and you’ll be back by nightfall but you want to have your things with you just in case and having a water bottle and snacks is always handy. “Soon” you groan “but when-” before you can say anything else a knock comes from the front door. Lucien goes to open it and reveals Cassian waiting on the other side. “Sorry I’m late, the morning got away from me. If you’re ready we can leave now” he finishes looking at you. You get up and put the bag on “I’m ready”.

“Ok so how does this work?” you ask Cassian. “Well I’ll carry you in my arms and then I’ll take off. It’s a little scary at first but I’m not gonna drop you. Promise” He flashes you a grin and you let out a shaky breath “Listen, I am terrified of heights so please, no sudden movements” he nods curtly and holds out his arms for you. You step closer and hear Lucien snicker at your visible discomfort. “Stop it, Lucien!” you whine as Cassian grabs you and you wrap your arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. “Ok, I’m ready” you scream as he takes off. “It’s ok, the take off is the bumpiest part” you try to speak but nothing comes out as you see how high you’ve gotten in a matter of seconds. You press your eyes shut, refusing to look down and try to steady your breath. I am at home watching tv. I just fell asleep. This is just a very long and convoluted lucid dream. “So tell me, how’s life with the band of exiles?” Cassian attempts to make conversation “Uhm… it’s fine, ah! They have been very nice and accommodating. Whoa!” you hold on even tighter as he dodges some rain. This is all the rain’s fault. Stupid rain. “Sorry and I’m sorry for offending you yesterday, it was not my intention” you gulp “it’s ok, I’ve been on edge recently, ha ha” you shut your eyes again “how much longer do we have left?” Cassian looks at you and you don’t see the pity in his eyes as he answers “about an hour” kill me now “oh god”.

When Cassian finally puts you down you nearly collapse in relief. “Come on, the meeting is through here” you follow him inside the mountain building and try your best to keep up but his legs are probably twice as long as yours and you’re also still a bit dizzy from the flight. “We’re here!” he says as he walks into a dining room full of the prettiest people, or fae, you’ve ever seen. The male with night black hair and purple eyes says “yes the guest of honor, please sit” you nod and sit next to Cassian. The group all introduce themselves and then the female you now know as Feyre asks you “y/n please tell us, with as many details as you can recall, how you got here” and so you tell them. Trying your best to remember all of it. The rain, the wind, the rocks, the mushrooms. Rhysand then says “can you show me?” you look confused so he elaborates “I can access your mind and see everything you have seen, I would only be accessing that memory though” you nod “do i just sit here?” “Yes, it won’t hurt and it will only be a second” you look around and feel a gentle scrape within your mind and then you’re back in Scotland showing Rhysand what you saw. When he’s done you sag a bit, having to relive your last moments on Earth had been unsettling to say the least and watching yourself in a third person point of view made you want to scream at your past self to just stay on the path. I should’ve just kept walking. Rhysand showed Feyre and Amren and then Mor and then Azriel. “I’ll see what I have about portals, but I’ll warn you that I have never heard of traveling to a whole different realm. Other worlds, yes, maybe. A portal from point A to point B within the same world, of course. But this… this has bigger implications than anything I've seen before” Amren says matter of factly. Your eyes sting and your breathing becomes shallow. She can’t be right. “I’ll tell Nesta to get a group of priestesses to help research” Feyre says and then Cassian adds “I think we should add a patrol to the clearing, the weakened Spring Court borders and the portal business seems like a great opportunity in the wrong hands”. Rhysand and Feyre nod “I can send a few of my spies down there tomorrow” Azriel. “Y/n, you’re free to stay wherever you'd like. But we have a few rooms here if you want to help with the research. I’m sure Lucien, Jurian and Vassa have been very hospitable but they are pretty isolated and I’d feel better if you stayed here”. You try to take it all in but the despair… the sorrow is taking over you and you feel numb. They’re going to think I’m dead. A few tears fall and you nod, “I can stay, but I’d like to get some things I left at the house” . You were mainly thinking of the only change of clothes you had and saying goodbye to the exiles that had offered you shelter when you needed it the most.

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