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writtenonreceipts · 8 months

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Rowaelin Month Day Five: A Bad Date @rowaelinscourt

Link to my Rowaelin Month Masterlist

~3K words—welcome to cliché hell. Enjoy your stay.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

The Words We Share--Part One

Sam Cortland was the absolute definition of asshole and Aelin Galathynius could make her point in three simple facts. He didn’t tip well. He spoke for her. And he consistently forgot when they had dinner plans.

Which was how Aelin found herself sitting at a table alone at one of the nicest restaurants in the city trying not to look at the final roll sitting in the bread basket. She’d already scarfed down the other three, she really shouldn’t eat the third. Especially not now as she could catch the looks her waitress and others were passing her way. She’d at least only gone through one glass of wine and was nursing a water.

Aelin would have owned up to the idea of eating alone, she was a confident woman--she didn’t need anyone’s validation. By now, it was too late. Nearly an hour had passed since she’d been seated and she’d told her waitress she was waiting for someone else. That combined with the fact that she look sexy as hell with a tight green dress, her hair perfectly curled and her make up sharper and neater than any awards show actress.

She’d have to live up to the fact that she’d been stood up.

Hell.

She wished she could say this was the first time Sam had done this. Wished she could say that he would make it up to her later. Wished she could say that it didn’t really bother her.

Aelin glanced at her phone. One missed text but that was from Elide.

>>Elide: anything?

<<Aelin: no. I texted him twice. It’s been forty-five mins. I’ve well and good passed the pathetic mark.

>>Elide: ur not pathetic. Imma report his insta for porn hold on

Aelin rolled her eyes at the message. Elide had been her friend since college when they were first paired together on a project. It had turned into a mess of over caffeination and potential misuse of school property but they’d been inseparable ever since. It was Elide who had helped Aelin get the job she had now with Terrasen Publishing as a content creator. She had a full social media platform where she could share books, reviews and all the likes. She even hosted the company's podcast on a bi-weekly basis.

As far as Aelin was concerned, she was successful. She was capable. She was well on her way to reaching so many of her goals.

Sam, it seemed, couldn’t care less about her.

This was supposed to be a dinner to celebrate her promotion. Dorian, the actual CEO of the company had allowed her to open her own department as Lead Content Creator. She’d be her own manager, get a pay-raise, have more liberties with what she could do, get an office credit card, hell she’d be able to hire her own assistant. She’d told Sam she wanted to celebrate by coming here to her favorite restaurant no matter how expensive it was. She’d worked so hard to get here after all.

And how here she was—alone.

She knew Sam was busy, he was a lawyer after all, but after nearly eight months of dropping everything for him, she’d thought he would give her just one night. One night for her.

Aelin felt tears begin to prick that back of her eyes and had never been more grateful for the dim lighting of this restaurant. Hopefully no one would see the silver lining her eyes, the growing flush of embarrassment to her skin.

It was made all the worse when Aelin noticed a familiar person walking towards her. Someone she wanted to see even less than she wanted to admit that Sam was standing her up.

Hell.

Kaltain Rompier had been hired after Aelin by a few months and ever since decided she was the one who should be in charge of everything in the office. To the point of undermining and condescending everything Aelin did. In the end, Aelin was the one with the promotion and the office but Kaltain still made her life a living hell any chance she got.

“Aelin,” Kaltain crooned as she came to the table. And it wasn’t even to give a brief pass by, no, Kaltain had a look of feral delight gleaming in her black eyes and Aelin could feel the attack coming. “What a surprise to see you here.”

Behind Kaltain was her date, a man Aelin had never seen before and average enough looking. He didn’t seem to be even paying attention to the drama Kaltain was eager to whip out.

“Kaltain.” Aelin offered one of her own beaming smiles in return. Despite the tension radiating through her body, she was determined to be civil. She would not stoop to the other woman’s level. She would not stoop.

Kaltain didn’t bother waiting for the kill. “All alone tonight?”

Her full red lips pouted sympathetically, but Aelin had spent enough time around the woman to know how much delight she was taking in Aelin’s potential misery and embarrassment.

She could lie—her date was in the bathroom. She could own up to eating alone. On a Friday night. At the hottest restaurant in Terrasen. She could use Aedion as a scapegoat and have him come by the office on Monday and make a big show of—

“Sorry I’m late,” a deep, accented voice cut through Aelin’s wall panic as a giant, stupidly attractive man slid between Kaltain and Aelin’s table. “Traffic was impossible tonight.”

Aelin stared up slack jawed at her savior.

Rowan Whitethorn in all his glory stood before her. His silver hair was coiffed back out of his face, chin riddled with stubble, and a black suit that fit his broad frame perfectly. His green eyes gave her a significant look, one brow raised meaningfully.

Aelin pulled herself together and let out a relaxed, charmed laugh. At least she hoped that’s what it sounded liked because this was Rowan Whitethorn. The company’s biggest author. One of the most sought-after writers at conventions who had multiple Hollywood deals piling at his feet.

He was also the biggest ass Aelin had ever worked with.

“Let’s hope you're not this late for your next deadline,” she said, voice light and easy. Or as close to it as possible. But Aelin could see a muscle tick in Rowan’s jaw and watched as a smirk drew across his face. Savior of the night or not, she wanted to punch him.

“Of course not, sweetheart,” Rowan drawled, his thick Scottish accent low and hard. “We know how punctual you are.”

“It’s a good quality to have,” she said. She narrowed her eyes to which Rowan grinned. He was insufferable. An ass. Arrogant. And—

Rowan flicked a lazy look at Kaltain. “Was there something you needed Kaltain?”

The dismissal was clear and left no room for argument. It was such a fascinating sight to see Kaltain at a loss for words that Aelin forgot her disdain for Rowan. Kaltain had always been a busy body around the office, always gossiping and looking for a way to undermine everyone else as long as she came out on top.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Aelin,” Kaltain said, her cold eyes cutting into Aelin. And with that, she turned away with her date.

It was far too satisfying watching them go. Even Aelin had to admit that. Though, she’d be damned if she admitted so to Rowan.

She finally, reluctantly, turned her attention to him.

He leaned in his chair looking utterly at ease with himself and the situation. With his features as stoney and impossible to read as ever it would appear the last five minutes hadn’t even occurred. But Aelin could see the subtle gleam in his eyes. Sharp and calculating like a hawk.

She’d had five years to get to know him, he was Terrasen’s biggest client and she’d been the one to personally promote his first book on her review blog, not to mention act as a beta reader for early drafts of his work.

He was talented. Remarkable even. She’d never seen anyone wield a metaphor or create an image as he could. It was a shame they hated each other.

It had started innocently enough. In her critiques early on, Aelin hadn’t held back. She’d given the early drafts of his manuscript’s hell. She wouldn’t apologize for it. Wouldn’t he want his book to be the best it could? To have enough feedback to work with and accept or decline? Hell, he didn’t even have to take most of her opinions if he didn’t want to, but she was on the team of readers.

Well, he hadn’t taken well to most of her words and Aelin found a giant box of red pens waiting on her desk one morning from him.

Seems like you ran out last week.

Asshole.

She didn’t hold back though. Not at all.

Between overly marked up pages, passive aggressive notes, and blissful ignorance—they’d never known harmony in all their time of working together. The closest they’d gotten was in the last seven months while Rowan was finishing up a new manuscript and had avoided the office all together.

Aelin could hardly admit it to herself, but it had been a strange few months. She’d found herself looking up to catch a glimpse of him in the hallway in all that time. She hated herself just a little for it.

“What do you want, Whitethorn?” she asked, she did her best not to glare, knowing their table was in direct line of sight of where Kaltain was now sitting.

Rowan raised a brow as he leaned forward and took Aelin’s wine glass. He took a long sip, never breaking eye contact.

“That’s the thanks I get?” he asked, accent a low rumble that Aelin could feel straight in her belly. “By my accounts, I saved you from a rather embarrassing conversation.”

Aelin raised her chin. “Kaltain is harmless.”

Rowan only grinned. “Oh, aye?”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Aelin insisted.

“She’s never been an easy person and I doubt my time away has changed anything,” Rowan said. He spoke with such sincerity that Aelin could only stare at him.

In her silence, the waitress came back by their table with a new glass of wine for Rowan. The bastard then went ahead and ordered for her.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“We’re on a date, are we not?” he asked.

“Not.” She stared at him; his eyes sharp even in the low lights of the restaurant. His tattoos peaked out beneath the collar of his shirt. She’d never seen them in their full glory and now really wished she could see just a little bit more.

“Shame,” Rowan sighed. He glanced idly into the bread basket and took the one remaining roll for himself. “I really was going to pay.”

Aelin sighed and leaned back in her chair. As she looked at him, she tried to understand what he was trying to accomplish with this. He’d chased off Kaltain and saved her from feeling like a fool…but why?

They’d always played a game like this--one of touch and go, of give and take, of hate and hate some more.

She decided to try and approach this from another direction.

“What are you even doing here?” she asked, fingering the stem of her own wine glass.

That grin of his returned, a flash, but impossible to miss. Aelin tried to reel herself in. She couldn’t let him rile her up like this.

“Was out with some friends.” He nodded to the bar behind her.

Aelin turned in her seat, catching sight of two other men, one with curly blond hair and the other with a cut of shaggy black hair. The blond gave her an enthusiastic wave when he saw her looking. Aelin scowled.

“We were celebrating my finishing another book and getting Havilliards seal of approval,” Rowan explained, drawing Aelin’s attention back. “And I saw you sitting by yourself when Kaltain showed up. I know the two of you don’t really get along.”

And how long did you wait before stepping in? She wanted to ask. But she knew she wouldn’t want the answer. He’d probably been there since the beginning watching as she slowly spun into madness.

She glanced at her phone but didn’t touch it. It hadn’t lit up or vibrated or given any indication that anyone was worried about her. She tried to not let it sting. A full hour at this point. Maybe she should break it off with Sam. Officially this time.

“I figured you’d rip my head off if I came over sooner,” Rowan continued, his voice softening just a touch. “Figured it was none of my business.”

Aelin didn’t need his pity, didn’t want it either. “Yeah, well it’s not.”

He didn’t get the chance to respond as the waitress returned with their food. A steak for Rowan, salmon for Aelin. Exactly what she would have wanted for herself, even with the side of risotto.

Her stomach growled just loud enough that Rowan definitely heard. She grabbed her fork and started eating. Angrily.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Aelin pointed her fork at him.

“New book have a title?” she asked.

“Why would you care?”

“So I can figure out all the puns to call it on my podcast,” she said.

Rowan smirked. “I’m on your podcast now?”

“You? No. Your book? Sure.” She took another bite of salmon and sighed. “It’s more fun that way.”

“Right,” he said. “‘Course.”

She watched him as he cut his steak, medium rare, and dredged it in a bit of peppercorn sauce. He wasn’t at all uncomfortable with the act they found themselves in. Not at all concerned over the fact that his friends were leaving (Aelin couldn’t help but check). He was focused on her.

She didn’t know how she felt about that.

“So, the book?”

He paused before shrugging just barely. “Nothing special. Ancient weaponry and the likes. You’ll hate it.”

Aelin rolled her eyes. Rowan had written several historical nonfiction novels surrounded with ancient lore, weaponry, and conspiracies. It all seemed interesting when you thought about it--but Aelin loved the fantasy. She loved the whimsy. The strange. And while Rowan's books were well written and captivating, they never quite captured her.

“Are you finally going to write a book about kilts? You said you would.” She couldn’t help but smile at that. His first book had been a look into early Scottish history, connecting the Old Language and how it shaped fairy tales and other shared stories. She told him it needed more kilts; he’d told her it wasn’t that kind of book.

Ever since, the same question had been asked.

“Not this time,” Rowan said, returning the smile.

“Shame,” Aelin said, “I would have given you an excellent review.”

The rest of dinner progressed in somewhat amicable silence. They only exchanged a few words about what the next few weeks would look like for Rowan’s new manuscript. And Aelin of course ordered a slice of chocolate cheesecake to go.

When the waitress returned with the bill, Rowan swept up the little black book and deposited his credit card all before Aelin could ask for a split bill.

She raised a brow in silent questioning.

“I told ye I’d pay,” he said, accent slipping just a bit deeper than he usually allowed it. Something flashed in his eyes that kept Aelin from arguing further.

So she allowed him to pay for the meal, which couldn’t have been cheap, and help her stand and put on her jacket.

It wasn’t until they were outside in the warm summer night that Aelin stepped away from him, eyes narrowed. She fully expected him to turn back to the grumpy old writer she’d always seen him as, but as she took him in she noted that smoldering look remained in his eyes.

The sun was close to setting, casting them both in the soft golden light of dusk. Despite how it was nearing nine, it was still warm. Though, Aelin felt more than just the lingering effects of the summer heat rolling through her.

She had no idea what to make of the last hour with Rowan. No idea what to make of the look that he still held her with.

“You’re going to give me hell tomorrow, aren’t you?” he asked.

Aelin grinned, she couldn’t help it. “Oh, I guarantee it.”

She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t missed this subtle game of theirs. The verbal sparring had been the only thing getting her through the work day on most occasions. He was aggravating, certainly, but the only one who hadn’t dismissed her, who would take her shit and return it just the same.

Rowan flagged down a cab for her and opened the door for her, resting a hand on the small of her back. The action was so unlike anything she’d experienced before. All the other men she’d dated, or known casually, would have simply left her on the side of the road to flag her own cab or just toss her in the cab and be done with it.

Aelin remembered her dad treating her mom well and how he would always open her doors, make sure she was taken care of, buy flowers and chocolates…but then Rhoe had died. It had been ten years since the accident, but Aelin would never forget the kind of man he’d been.

“Thank-you,” she said. She even managed to muster up a sincere smile, even knowing that as soon as the cab pulled away, she’d be lamenting over the embarrassment at being stood up and found out by Rowan Whitethorn.

His expression was unreadable even as he made sure she was tucked into the back of the cab. Then he leaned in, close enough that she could see the cool green of his eyes.

“Whoever stood you up is an idiot, Galathynius.” He pulled back before she could respond and shut the door firmly before patting the top of the cab.

The cabbie shot off into the street before Aelin could even register Rowan’s words.

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Tag are not working 😕 please reblog! It would mean so much!

#rowaelin #rowaelin month #aelin galathynius #aelin ashryver galathynius #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #throne of glass #tog #fanfiction

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a-hazbin-reader · 2 months

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Okay, let's continue.

So Alastor makes a few digs in about her family. He found out that her father had died a few years ago. She has three older sisters and one brother. He knew what he was going to do.

So one day, he invited all of her family members to stay for a month in New Orleans. He's not going to finish them all in one kill; it's going to look suspicious, especially on her behalf. So he's going to take them down, one by one.

First, he tricks her first sister into a tavern and buys her a drink that has poison. One down.

(Btw, I know he most likely killed them by hand in his way, but he needs to make sure the family is cursed by coming here somehow.) (So it's not going to look suspicious.)

Second, her brother. This one he killed by hand, but in the end, he made it seem like he died in an accident. He put his dead body on a car, then put a brick on the pedal, and off you go! Boom! It's crashed into another car.

For the last two sisters, they tried to flirt with him (he was disgusted by them). So he used this advantage to trick them into this one abounded warehouse in the middle of nowhere and killed them in the most brutal way possible. His heart only belongs to his wife.

Now for the mother. He already has her tied up in the basement. When he was about to finish him off, Katty came down to the basement to look for him. How shocked is she when she finds out about the scenery in front of her? Alastor tries to explain the situation while the mother begs her to let her go. She then slowly stood in front of her mother.

The mother: "Kat, please... Please let me go. Together, we report this psychopath's husband of yours and live a happy life. I know you never had a mother to grow up with. So let me give you one."

Kaltain: "You think I never know...why the reason my real mother died...? You think I never know why my father got into a car crash...? You think I will never find out that you are the reason behind this? I know you poisoned my mother, and I know you planned my father's accident. I would never want you, mother, love; you are not one to begin with. You make my life a living hell. Now I will make sure you end up in hell."

She then took a knife from one of the Alastor collections and stabbed her. Not once, not twice, but until she is satisfied and breaks down. She then slowly sank to the floor while crying. A pair of arms wrap around her and comfort her.

Alastor then cleans up all the evidence and gets rid of the body. He then returned home and comforted her all night. The next day, she confronts her husband to see if he is the serial killer they are looking for. At first, he was scared that she would leave him, but his wife offered to help him with his killing. He declined at first, worried something was going to happen to her, but then let her.

Surprise is written on his face when he finds out his wife is pretty good. So they became partners in crime (yeah!). One lures the victim; one finishes the victim.

Until he got shot. Oh, how sad Katty was sad when she heard the news! It took her a few weeks, maybe a month, to recover. So to continue his legacy, she keeps killing for him. This continues for 2 years until she gets murdered or shot.

When she woke up, she was in a forest or swamp. Her appearance is also different. A hand is offered to her; she looks up and finds her husband in deer form. He quickly jumped into his arms. They finally reunited. The couple couldn't be more happy than they were.

So they live happily ever after death.

The end <3

Thank you for reading ✨

OH SHIT BBY GIRL GOT HER REVENGE AND HER MAN

#WE LOVE A STRONG QUEEN #YOU GO GIRL #LIVE YOUR LIFE #YOUR AFTERLIFE

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theladyofbloodshed · 7 months

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After reading the Song of the Lioness quartet (about Alanna), it’s very, very clear TOG is a blatant rip-off of the series. She took the gates from it, she fashioned Kaltain after a character called Delia, Alanna visits a tribe of people called the Bazhir, which we could compare to The Silent Assassins and Antica/The Southern Continent, one of Alanna’s names is The Brightly-Burning One, the prince is The Blue Eyed One and considered the moon to Alanna’s day basically, etc etc.

As a writer, this hurts me. To think I’m working hard to make something original and literal plagiarism gets published and makes it big? Might as well just publish my zero draft, I’ll be on the bestseller list in no time.

I suppose what's strange to me is that both writers have offered positive comments on the other one's book. So did Tamora actually read sjm's books and not notice similarities or was it a generic positive comment and she's not read them?

There was a really informative post on here showing all the lines and elements lifted from other media with references. Idk how she hasn't been accused of plagiarism other than having great lawyers with the publishing house and a team who cherry-picks fan questions.

#anon asks

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machinegrl · 7 months

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tag game: bold the facts ! ☆

thank you for the tag! @yuyulie <3

other ocs: syera, lilith, dione, nova & inna

rules: tag people and name a character you want to know more about! If you want to let the person you tagged decide who to showcase, then don’t name a character and they can pick somebody. easy! the person who is tagged will then bold the remarks below which apply to their character &, if they want to, include a picture with their reply!

KALTAIN - devourer of worlds 🌋☄️

[ PERSONAL ]

$ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable

✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other

✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other

✖ Criminal Records: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet(is literally a tyrannical supreme leader)/ yes, but charges were dismissed

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between

♦ disorganized / organized / in between

♦ close minded / open-minded / in between

♦ calm / anxious / in between

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between

♦ cautious / reckless / in between

♦ patient / impatient / in between

♦ outspoken / reserved / in between

♦ leader / follower / in between

♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in between (they're pretty much almost devoid of all human emotion)

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between / other

♦ traditional / modern / in between

♦ hard-working / lazy / in between

♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown

♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown

♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / Alcoholic

☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker

✿ Recreational Drugs: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict

✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication/ some medication needed / frequently / to excess

☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / frequently / binge eater

$ Splurge Spending: never (doesn't concern themselves with things that are purposeless to them)/ sometimes / frequently / shopaholic

♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes/ frequently / compulsive gambler

[ BELIEFS ]

★Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist ("i see no god up here but me")/ agnostic

☆Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✮Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✯Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

❃Belief in Aliens: yes(they are one)/ no / don’t know / don’t care

✧Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious

❀Philosophical: yes / no

[ FAMILY ]

◒Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children

◑Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

◔ Affiliation: orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parents / not applicable (have existed for several millenia. no one really knows how they came to be let alone where they came from.)

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual/ bisexual / asexual / pansexual demisexual

❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless

♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable /naive and clueless / romance suspicious

❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

#c:kaltain #acksjak im sorry i know i said i'm gonna limit my posting 😭#but i love doing these 🥹#ts4 #the sims 4 #tag game #deadstars save

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the-regal-warrior · 1 year

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The Captain’s Daughter: Part One

I’m back! Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything, but the writing gears in my brain stalled for a while. But they’re working once more and I’m back with a brand new story inspired by my newfound love of sea shanties.

Note: the song mentioned in here is Haul Away by Nathan Evans.

Summary: Elide and Lorcan living life as part of the best pirate crew.

Warnings: None.

The sea was unusually calm that night. Having spent as many years at sea as she had, Marion wasn’t used to such eerie stillness. She’d led her crew through more storms than she could remember, and found the motion of the waves soothing.

On nights when it was calm and the ship didn’t rock, sleep wasn’t easy to find. After tossing and turning for a few hours, her husband and first mate snoring away beside her, Marion had left the warmth of her bed and Cal’s arms for a walk around the deck in the chilly ocean air, deciding that was just what she needed.

Her crew always said that she had a bond with her ship, The Wyvern, and laying her hands on the mast while the night swirled around her had always brought her peace.

She’d made for the wheel, checking in with her helmsman and the course of her ship. Nox was a young man, not much older than her daughter, but he was a damn good crewman, and she trusted him implicitly to guide them all safely while they slept. But a good captain knew that no one job was beneath them, and Marion Lochan was a damn good captain.

“All good, Nox?” she greeted, trailing her fingers over the rail as she climbed the steps to reach the man.

“Yes, Captain.” He patted the wheel with a certain fondness every member of her crew possessed. “She’s a steady girl and we’ve got nothing but clear skies ahead.”

Nodding, she circled the rear mast, one hand braced on the wood as she moved. The faint sound of someone singing reached her ears, barely audible over the breeze that had kicked up, but it was lost as Nox spoke once more.

“Everything okay, Captain?” Keeping his face tilted toward the horizon, he turned to her in concern. “Worried about our last run-in with the Navy?”

Marion chuckled, the sound escaping her before she could stop it. “The Navy is the least of my concerns.”

Many would have found her statement egotistical and a harbinger of certain trouble, but Marion had a secret most other pirate captains didn’t share. Her closest friend and former crewmate was none other than Evalin Ashryver, the wife of Rhoe Galathynius, Admiral of the Terrasen Navy. Not to mention that Evalin’s daughter, Aelin, and nephew, Aedion, had both served briefly on the ship as well. The latter had become Captain in the Navy, serving under Rhoe and helping Marion and Cal continue their reign as pirate lords.

Descending the steps, she caught the tail-end of Nox’s smirk at her statement, and she shook her head in laughter once more. “Fair wind, Nox,” she said.

Reaching the main mast, she offered a wave up to Kaltain, her barrelman and the other person she trusted with the safe guidance of her ship through the night. The woman was a damn good lookout, and her affinity for climbing the ropes faster than anyone she’d ever seen only added to her value.

The woman waved back before offering a complicated set of hand signals in the direction of the wheel, and it was only moments before Marion heard Nox’s laughter rumbling behind her. The two of them had developed their own form of signs and signals so they could communicate without speaking.

Placing her hands on the solid bulk of the main maist, Marion breathed deeply, her eyes slipping closed and the smell of salt wrapping around her like a familiar embrace. The life of a pirate hadn’t always been easy, but she’d never wanted to trade it for anything else. She knew she’d miss nights at sea too much to ever give it up.

Marion wasn’t sure how long she stood there before she became aware of two things: the singing had become audible once more, and her husband had found her, if the arms wrapped around her waist were anything to go by.

“What brought you out of bed, husband?” she murmured, leaning against his chest without taking her hands off the mast.

Ghosting his lips over the very top of her forehead, Cal just sighed softly. “You know how hard I find it to sleep without you, Captain. I’ve been up since you left our bed, but I know how you cherish your time with your ship.”

“You,” she told him, finally turning in his embrace, “are a good first mate and an even better man.” Marion paused as the singing grew louder, finally allowing her to place the tune as Haul Away. “Who is that, I wonder?”

Her husband smiled down at her. “Just wait, you’re going to love it.” Taking her hand, he pulled her toward the bow. “Come with me.”

Walking slowly so as not to disturb the two people she could just make out sitting on the forecastle deck, Cal pulled her into the shadows at the bottom of the steps, motioning for her to keep quiet. Marion peered up onto the deck, smiling when she realized what exactly she was seeing.

Lorcan, one of her gunners - not that her style of piracy had much use for heavy artillery - and her newly appointed quartermaster, was seated against the railing. Resting between his legs with their fingers intertwined was none other than Elide, Marion and Cal’s daughter. The two of them had been together in secret for several months, only a select few people on the ship - Marion, Cal, Nox, and Kaltain - having been made aware out of a desire for privacy in the early stages of their relationship.

The dark-haired man was singing softly in her ear, the sound only carrying because of the breeze, and Marion felt her heart swell at the obvious love she could see growing between the two of them.

Wrapping her fingers around her husband’s wrist, she pulled Cal back toward their quarters. “Let’s leave them be, my love,” she murmured, catching the smile on his face. He’d told her once that he couldn’t picture anyone better suited for their daughter, and she wholeheartedly agreed.

As they slipped through the door and down the stairs to their room, Lorcan’s voice swirled around them before being carried off to sea on the breeze.

Tags: @highqueenofelfhame @dashedwithromance @musicmaam @snelbz @theladyofdeath @tangledraysofsunshine @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars @lordof-bloodshed @nalgenewhore @photofeesh @belamoonbeam @mis-lil-red @julemmaes @thesirenwashere @tswaney17 @b00kworm @maastrash @empress-ofbloodshed @celestialams @mynewdreamwasyou @maybekindasortaace @hizqueen4life @firestarsandseneschals @bielectra @bamchickawowow @ireallyshouldsleeprn @thegoddessofyou @somenerdydancer @wisteriiagrow @perseusannabeth @flamingveritas @treasurethelittlethings @story-scribbler @infernoqueen19 @live-the-fangirl-life @vanzetanze @the-hospitality-of-knives @rowanaelinn @mybloodrunsblue @sv0430 @swankii-art-teacher @pagemasters @marigold-morelli @itmeansofthesea

As always, if you want to be added to or removed from my tags, just let me know!! And don’t forget to let me know what you thought!!

#the captain's daughter #tcd #lorcan salvaterre #elide lochan #elorcan #cal lochan #marion lochan #nox owen #kaltain #throne of glass #tog #alyssa writes

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throneofsapphics · 5 months

Text

characters I write for;

throne of glass

aelin

rowan

manon

dorian

fenrys

asterin

elide

lorcan

yrene

kaltain

gavriel

poly!rowaelin

poly!manorian

poly!elorcan

acotar

mor

nesta

feyre

rhys

cassian

azriel

nyx

poly!feysand

poly!nessian

crescent city

lidia

ruhn

bryce

I'll also write mix and match/ poly ships! like manon & nesta, cazriel, rhyzriel, batboys, or gavriel & rowan, etc.

next gen

nyx

lysaedion's son/daughter

rowaelin's son/daughter

nessian's son/daughter

eris's son/daughter

tamlins son/daughter

these are the ones I can think of, please feel free to request others and I'll let you know!

side note: I stay out of ship wars, so if it's azriel's son/daughter, I won't specify their partner.

these are next gen names I’ll use when they aren’t y/n/reader, and i’ll probably come up with more as needed!

throne of glass

emelyn - elorcan’s daughter

brielle - lysaedion’s daughter

astra - manorian’s daughter

acotar

cora - eris's daughter

If you don’t see someone you’d like on here, please message me and i’ll let you know if I’ll write for them!

#acotar x reader #throne of glass x reader #crescent city x reader #finally making one of these

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morganofthewildfire · 2 years

Text

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Same Time Thursday - part 30

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masterlist

~7k words

CW: brief implications of pedophilia, brief mentions of domestic abuse

an: it's here everyone, the last chapter 😭 there'll be an epilogue coming but this is officially the end of STT. Thank you to everyone who's been on this journey with me, it's been such a remarkable and angsty ride and I'm grateful to everyone who stuck it out and is now here with me.

I couldn't have done it without you all ❤️

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Aelin Ashryver Galathynius was tired of the stupid work events her parents made her go to. All she wanted to do was stay at home and dive back into the book she’d been reading, about an assassin who was secretly a lost princess, and the lonely prince who helped her find her way home. But - her parents had a different idea of what she should do with her day, particularly her mom.

She’d already told them multiple times she didn’t want to do anything with real estate, but they’d brushed her off, pretending to accept her decision. Because she still had to go to these mind numbing events.

They barely paid attention to her at all, but when they did, it was always something about work. Work, work, work. Was there nothing else in life?

At least she got to show off her new hoop earrings. Her mom had finally relented, and for her fourteenth birthday, she’d finally gotten a pair. It’d taken long enough. Most of the girls at school already had multiple piercings, and she’d only just gotten her first a couple of years ago. Not that she really cared what they thought, though she knew that was a lie.

She was already an outcast because of her family and her money, however backward that seemed. But the end of the school year party she was going to throw was going to change that. She’d use her money to make them like her.

That would show Kaltain. And maybe be just enough to get the attention of a certain black haired blue eyed boy in her language arts class. Dorian was going to the same high school as her next year, so maybe then things would change.

“And this is my daughter, Aelin,” her dad was saying in front of her, and Aelin pasted a smile on her face, ready to be introduced to the hundredth coworker of the day. It all went completely over her head, she didn’t remember a single name of a single person she’d met, but it didn’t matter anyway. They were all old people, closer to her parents’ age. And after she was passed around and chatted about, she’d never see any of them again.

“She’s about to finish up middle school, but it’s never too early to get involved in real world business, right Aelin?” Her mom said, gesturing her forward a bit with her hand on her back, and she forced herself to keep her smile up.

“Right,” she muttered, trying to sound pleasant. There was clearly some sort of businessman in some sort of generic suit in front of her, but she was watching the photographer snap a picture of a few people conversing at the food table, wishing she could be over there. Aelin wasn’t sure why the convention had a photographer, but she guessed it was just some marketing thing.

Whatever.

“This is Arobynn Hamel,” her dad said to her, and she looked over at him, blinking once. Did he actually think she cared? She just wanted to go home. “Mr. Hamel worked at our company for a few years, but now has his own.”

“Cool,” she said, not knowing what else he wanted from her.

“Aelin,” her mom admonished under her breath. But a deep chuckle just filled the awkward silence.

“It’s no matter, Mrs. Galathynius,” that same deep voice said, and she finally glanced up at the person in front of her, briefly seeing dark red hair and steely gray eyes. “Not too interested in the business then, Miss Galathynius?”

She blinked, glancing away again before looking back. The photographer had moved, but those chocolate croissants were still calling her name. “I’m exploring other options,” she said blandly.

“That’s a very diplomatic way to say no,” Mr. Hamel said lightly, with a small chuckle. And she didn’t know what to say to that, so she just stayed quiet, letting the adults take the conversation back over, fidgeting on her feet as she scanned the rest of the room.

But she still felt eyes on her and she shivered a bit uncomfortably. And she didn’t look up to meet them. Instead she just eyed the dessert again, wondering if she could sneak off and grab some.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she went to reach for it, wondering if it was maybe Dorian. But before she could look at it, she was interrupted by her mom’s arm scooping around her waist, guiding her to pose for a picture. Guess the photographer made his way over to them.

Aelin leaned into her mother, pasting another fake smile on her face, barely noticing as Mr. Hamel slid into place next to her, politely setting his hand on her back for the photo. She could feel his skin slightly through her thin blouse, and she stiffened just a little bit.

But soon enough, the photo was done. And soon enough, her parents pulled her into conversation with someone else, and the man drifted off to another group himself.

Just another person she’d soon forget.

------

“You think what?” Rowan asked, shock clear in his voice. “Pregnant?”

“Keep your voice down,” she admonished, glancing out the office door. “I don’t know for sure, but it makes sense.”

And she didn’t know how to feel about it. Rowan was already up and pacing around the room, his anxiety making her own spike.

“I’m nauseous and throwing up,” she began listing, “I’m completely exhausted yet I can’t sleep. It’s everything I experienced last time, and I know it’s not just my reaction to things. This is different.”

Rowan paused, looking at her. “When was your last cycle?”

She shook her head, standing up. “It was a while ago, but it hasn’t been regular for years. That’s not a good indicator. But trust me, I know what this feels like. It’s exactly the same.”

“So what are you saying?” He asked, his silver brows furrowed. And she took a deep breath.

“I think we need to go get a test,” she said, and he blinked before nodding, stepping back into action.

“Okay,” he said simply, “Okay, we can do that.” Suddenly, her mind was completely gone from the revelations of the laptop sitting on the desk in front of her, and it was turned completely to what may or may not be going on inside of her body.

She cleared her throat and nodded too, in a bit of disbelief herself as she grabbed her stuff, tucking it into her bag as they headed toward the door. Rowan opened it for her like always, and she smiled thinly at the few people who looked up to see what she was doing.

Most people didn’t even notice, and she slipped out of the building undetected, through the backdoor. Rowan was right next to her the whole time, his fingers laced with hers. And when they hurried into the tiny convenience store right down the street, he didn’t let go. Not as she grabbed a test, bought a test, and walked toward the bathroom in the back.

But neither of them said a word.

The bathroom was only one stall, and Rowan stood outside as she, well, did what she had to do. But she pulled him inside as they waited for the timer he set on his phone to go off. As they waited to see if she really was… pregnant.

She turned the word over in her mind, thinking about what it meant, what it could mean. Pregnant. She could be pregnant again. She could be having another baby, Rowan’s baby this time. It was a lot to process. After all, her first pregnancy hadn’t been exactly smooth.

Crippling nausea, extreme exhaustion, all tied up with a premature birth that had taken everything out of her. It’d been hard as hell, but completely worth it once she’d held Elia in her arms that first time.

It seemed Rowan was going through a turmoil of his own, his face tense but unreadable as the timer ticked away.

She couldn’t blame him, with what had happened with Lyria. Gods, she didn’t know what she’d do if she was him, how scared she’d be.

But apparently there was something else on his mind as he finally opened his mouth and asked -

“Is there any chance this baby isn’t mine?”

“What?” Aelin blinked, furrowing her brows. But he was serious, his face grave.

“I’ll stand by your side either way, of course I will, I just-” he continued, rubbing his forehead with a hand. “If you’re sick now, and you are pregnant, then the baby would’ve been conceived about a month ago, right?” She nodded slowly, staring at him until it clicked. Because yes they’d had sex for the first time a month ago, but something else happened a month ago too.

“Oh,” was all she said. “Well, that doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t it?” Rowan asked, dropping his hand. “It could matter.” She shook her head, a misplaced feeling of defensiveness rising in her. Her arms tucked around her stomach.

“No,” she said flatly, “it doesn’t.”

“Well,” he said, a little exasperated. But she knew it was just from the stress. “How am I supposed to know that? I barely know anything that happened that day. And you don’t have to tell me but -“

“But what?” She said roughly, her voice thick. Rowan looked at her, his face closed off.

“I just want to know if this baby’s mine,” he said quietly, a bit of heartbreak cracking through. “And I want to know what happened to you. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

For some reason, the words nearly made her snap, sending a wave of misplaced defensiveness through her.

“You want to know what happened, Rowan?” She asked roughly, “You want to know what happened?” Unshed tears made her voice that much more emotional.

“Yes,” he insisted, stepping forward.

“Fine,” she spat, her hands clenched in fists, “I’ll tell you what happened. He brought me to that house, he took my daughter away from me, he made me strip in front of him, shower in front of him.” She shuddered, but kept going, gesturing wildly around her. “He paraded me around the fucking office like some show pony for his own gain. And then I found the videos, and he hit me, and kissed me, and -” a sob escaped her, and Rowan looked like he wanted to reach for her. But she shook her head.

“And then he dressed me in that fucking nightgown, and he tried to -” her voice failed her, but she straightened, taking a deep breath, tears streaming down her face. One of her hands clutched at her stomach. “He tried to - gods.”

“Aelin-”

She steeled herself, wiping roughly at the tears. “He tried to rape me, and I thought I’d be ready for it but I wasn’t.”

“I don’t think you can be ready-”

“So I convinced him to wait,” she shook her head, pressing on. “And then we got in the car, and we crashed.” She closed her eyes before opening them, her gaze right on Rowan’s dark green eyes. “So no, there’s no chance that this baby isn’t yours.”

Silence fell over the dingy store bathroom as he processed the news, as she watched him take in not only the revelation that he could have another child, but the revelation of what happened while she was gone.

“Aelin,” he repeated, stepping closer, but then the timer went off and he stopped, both of their gazes moving toward the test on the counter.

“I can’t look,” she whispered, frozen in place. So Rowan took that step toward the counter for her. She didn’t think her heart was even beating as she waited, everything in her stuck as she waited to hear her future. Was she to be another young, pregnant lost girl? At least in the eyes of the public.

Of everyone around her.

It’s what everyone had thought when she was pregnant with Elia, everyone in Doranelle. It’d been a mistake, and she’d been irresponsible, and should’ve just cleaned up the mess. She was a bit older now, but not by much. Two children by the age of twenty one… how the hell had her life turned into this? It was not nearly what she’d expected for her future.

And yet -

“Well?” She breathed, barely able to force the words out.

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

But Rowan was just standing there, his head hung low as he looked at the test in front of him. Aelin couldn’t see his face, so she was left with nervous anticipation as he slowly turned to face her.

Tension hung between them, his face unreadable, but then he was falling to his knees in front of her, his forehead tipping to rest against her stomach, his hands low on her waist.

A sob escaped her, tears spilling down her face even as she smiled. No, as she beamed.

“Am I -” she managed to choke out, and he nodded against her shirt, tears of his own soaking the fabric. But he pulled back slightly to look up at her, his handsome face brighter than she’d ever seen it.

“You’re pregnant,” he confirmed, grinning up at her, his dark green eyes watery. “Gods, you’re pregnant.” He laughed incredulously, kissing her shirt this time, and Aelin dropped a hand to his hair, the other covering her mouth as she let out a disbelieving laugh of her own. She couldn’t even sniff back her tears, they were unstoppable.

“I love you,” she choked out, “gods, I love you so much.”

“I love you, Aelin,” Rowan spoke, looking up at her, before dropping his forehead back to her stomach. “And I love you, too.”

She sobbed again, dragging her sleeve across her face to try and wipe some tears away. “Rowan,” was all she said, all she needed to say.

“Aelin,” he murmured back, just breathing her in. Breathing their child in. “Aelin.”

“I guess the condom didn’t work,” she joked, and a laugh escaped him.

And then he finally looked up at her, the look on his face making her tears run faster. “You have made me a father twice now, in just a few days.” His voice was completely overcome with emotion. “I don’t know what I’m ever going to be able to do to deserve that.”

She shook her head, dropping both of her hands to cup his cheeks. “You already do, Rowan.” She fell to her knees, joining him on the sticky floor. “Gods you already do.” She leaned in, touching her forehead to his. “To whatever end.”

Rowan shuddered with emotion, his breath skirting across her lips. “To whatever end.”

------

They stayed in the bathroom for a little longer, happy and exhilarated, but eventually her nauseous stomach grumbled and Rowan determined it was time to get some food. So she picked up and held the test in her hand, her other hand clutched in his as they headed out of the bathroom and toward the store exit.

Where they ran into a bunch of flashing cameras.

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath as the door fell shut behind her. And she quickly tried to stick the test in her pocket, but it was too late, the vultures were already swooping in on their prey, shouts coming at her from every angle.

“Aelin, is that a pregnancy test?!” “Aelin, are you pregnant?” “Who’s the father?” “Is Rowan Whitethorn the father?”

Even one disturbing “Is Arobynn Hamel the father?”

Was that flying around now? Lovely.

She ducked her head down and kept walking, only pausing when a certain question struck her ear.

“How do you feel now that Arobynn’s dead?” An almost familiar voice asked, and it was such an odd question, such a different perspective than everyone else, that she looked over. And she nearly passed out.

“Sam?”

----

And that’s how they ended up at a cafe a few blocks down, tucked into the middle of a block of stores. They sat in the back, away from the windows, keeping away from the media still on the prowl.

Aelin sipped at her decaf latte, trying to figure out how to break the uncomfortable silence. Rowan was next to her, a protective arm around the back of her chair, and Sam was across from her, looking nearly identical to how he’d been so long ago.

“So,” she said after a few minutes. “You’re a journalist now?”

“Yep,” he said, taking a bite of his croissant. “After I moved to Anielle, I decided to switch things up.”

“Anielle?” She asked, her voice empty. “That’s where you chose?”

He nodded. “I have family there, but after Hamel died, my newspaper sent me here to get the scoop.” She narrowed her eyes a bit, but didn’t comment, just taking another sip of her drink.

This was already awkward as hellas.

“Remind me why we’re doing this?” Rowan leaned over and whispered into her ear, and she nudged him with her shoulder, hoping Sam hadn’t heard.

“So is that what you’re here for?” Aelin asked, not able to resist prying just a little bit. “To get the scoop from me?”

But he shook his head. “I wanted to see how you were doing,” he said, “last I saw you…”

“I was about to get beat up,” she said blandly, “I know.” Rowan’s arm tightened around her shoulder. “But I was able to get away that day, so thank you.”

She made sure to keep her voice sincere, to let him know she really did mean it, and with the way Sam nodded back, she was pretty sure he understood.

“How’s your baby doing?” He asked, and a smile formed on her lips unconsciously.

“She’s doing well,” Aelin answered, taking a sip of her coffee. “17 months old and healthy.”

“That’s good,” Sam said, nodding again. “And your - other baby?” She knew what he was referring to, knew he’d seen the pregnancy test just like everyone else had. Her hand fell to rest on her stomach lightly.

“Healthy as well,” she said, before turning to look at Rowan. “We’re very excited.” He smiled softly at her, before leaning in and placing a light kiss to her lips.

“He’s treating you right?” Sam asked her, and she looked back at him, eyebrows raised just a little.

“Yes, of course,” she said, “I’m very happy.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, leaning back in his chair. He looked right in place, like a normal person in this normal cafe, but she still felt out of touch, like she was watching everything through a glass. That’s how she’d felt the whole time in this damned city, like she didn’t belong, like she was an outsider.

But she was happy. She just was pretty sure she’d be happier somewhere else.

“You know,” Sam added, and she forced herself to zone back in, paying attention to his words. Even though they quickly puzzled her. “I always had a bit of a crush on you.”

“What? Why?” She asked, a bit bewildered. “I barely ever spoke to you. I barely spoke at all.” Rowan’s arm was stiff around her.

Sam just shrugged. “I can’t explain i-” his phone rang, cutting him off, and he cursed, pulling it out of his pocket. “This is my boss,” he said, pushing to a stand. “I better take this. But it was nice to see you again,” he said, smiling at her, and she nodded weakly back. “One last piece of advice though,” he added. “Get out and tell your story before others try and skew it.”

Her smile fell a bit.

“There’s tons of people ready to get the biggest hit,” he said. “And they don’t care if it’s true or not. Let your voice be heard.”

And then he was gone.

------

“I don’t like that guy,” Rowan said, a frown on his face as they walked into the elevator in the hotel lobby, the metal doors sliding shut. Aelin just snorted, raising a brow at him. But he wasn’t joking, his face was pinched in a way that told her something was actually bothering him. “He claims to have had a crush on you, and yet sat on his ass while you were being abused until you prompted him to do something.” He shook his head.

Aelin sighed, taking his hand. “I never knew him very well,” she tried to explain, “despite his words I wouldn’t be surprised if he was trying to get on my good side to either get my story himself, or to get some of my money.” She shrugged, ignoring Rowan’s deepening frown. “Either way, I doubt he was being entirely sincere.”

He paused, but then pulled her into a loose hug, his chin resting on her head.

“Well,” he said, “we don’t have to see him again, right?” She snorted again, pinching his side and earning a hiss.

“Don’t be a jealous buzzard,” she joked, smirking up at him. “I’m carrying your baby, I’m not going to leave you now.” Rowan smirked back down at her, one of his hands sliding down to squeeze her ass.

“You get some other perks too,” he said smoothly, his voice dark. She looped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

“Oh really?” She tilted her head. “I haven’t gotten these… perks in a while.”

“I can fix that,” he said, his breath hot against her lips. They got closer and closer until she finally made the next move, kissing him deeply.

And by the time they got to their floor, her hair was mussed up, and both of their lips were swollen. It would be clear to anyone what they’d been doing.

But Aelin didn’t care a bit.

——

Rowan’s thumb was rubbing light circles over the fabric of her shirt covering her stomach, his other hand draped loosely around her waist as she sat in between his legs. Both of them were on the floor in front of the couch in the hotel room, watching as Elia crawled around, playing with Feefu.

They’d been sitting there for a while, just basking in each other’s presence, and the presence now inside of her too.

“Classes start tomorrow,” Aelin said quietly, leaning her head back against his chest, but keeping her eyes on their daughter, who had started reaching toward the coffee table.

“I know,” Rowan said, kissing her hair. “Is your laptop all ready to go?” She nodded.

They’d both gotten new laptops a few days before, just to start fresh for the new semester. Rowan didn’t want to go through the hassle of shipping his all the way from Doranelle, and, well, hers was a piece of shit anyway. It was time for a new one now that she could afford it.

Her classes for the spring were a bit more promising than her first semester had been. She was actually starting to get into the business side of things, though she had a literature class as well, as a requirement to graduate. Most people got those credits out of the way in high school, but she hadn’t taken any advanced classes, so she was starting from scratch.

But she was excited for it, and had even begun toying with the idea of picking up literature as a second major. She’d have to see how it went.

It wasn’t necessary for what she was going to be doing, especially now that she had a job already. She really didn’t even need to keep going to college if she really didn’t want to, but she wanted the education. She wanted to give herself the knowledge she’d denied herself in high school.

She ignored the sinking in her stomach that thinking about her future career caused, and instead focused on something else that had been bugging her. Just a little bit.

“When are we going back to Doranelle?” She asked a few moments later, still watching Elia. “I know we said we were waiting until everything is settled here, but what does that even mean?”

“When do you want to go back?” Rowan asked, still caressing her stomach, and she shrugged.

“If I’m being honest,” she said slowly, not looking at him. “As soon as possible. I,” she sighed, “don’t like it here. Too many memories, especially with those videos we found. It’s just - a lot.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, his voice steady and rolling. “We didn’t get a chance to earlier; how are you feeling about it? About everything?”

“Yeah,” she said, a small smile on her face, ignoring his questions. She didn’t want to talk about how she felt right now. It was time to celebrate their new baby, not morosely discuss how she was being forced back into another box with this new job. How working at the company was everything she’d been trying to avoid her whole life. “We got a bit distracted.”

“Yeah,” her boyfriend said, just as fondly. “Do you think it’s a girl or a boy?”

“Hmm,” she hummed, considering the question, “I think a boy.”

“Well,” he snorted, “you’d be wrong. It’s definitely another girl.”

“Oh really?” She laughed, “and you would know?” She turned her head to look up at him, seeing him grinning down at her.

“Yep,” he said, “I already have two divas in my life, why not add a third?” He poked at her sides, tickling her a bit and she couldn’t help the giggles that escaped her as she tried to escape him.

Elia seemed to be attracted by all the commotion, and used the leg of the coffee table to pull herself up into a stand, something she’d been able to do for a good while now. But Aelin stopped laughing and held her breath as her daughter did something she hadn’t done before: let go of the table and take one shaky step forward.

“Rowan,” Aelin whispered harshly, making sure he was seeing what was going on.

“Oh my gods,” he whispered too, like neither of them wanted to risk disturbing this moment. But their daughter was walking toward them, in tiny little unsure steps, so Aelin held out her arms, inviting Elia in.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” she encouraged, “you’re almost there.” Elia’s face was screwed up in concentration as she stumbled toward her, but soon enough she’d crossed that great divide and she fell into her mother’s arms.

Aelin scooped her up into a hug, showering compliments and praise down on her. Rowan joined in too, until Elia was smiling and giggling, happy there cuddled up with her parents.

She was still young, and would be young when the new baby was born, but Aelin already knew in her heart that she was going to be the most amazing big sister.

------

Today was the day Elia was finally going to get to see the office. Lysandra had a job interview, so she couldn’t watch Elia, and with both her and Rowan having classes that morning, there was nowhere else they could take her.

But it was okay, Aelin had convinced herself the night before that it was time to stop hiding her. She couldn’t spend her whole life hiding up in a hotel. The press would have a field day, but Aelin already had a plan in the works for that too.

If she was going to be stuck here, she had to stop hiding.

One thing she liked about staying was getting to stay with Lysandra. They’d been texting a lot and had already developed a fast friendship. In fact, the brunette was the only one so far who knew about her pregnancy. She was grateful to have her.

Despite the circumstances for the day, Aelin put on a brave face for the media as she carried Elia into the office building, not caring about their questions or their statements or their prying words. Her daughter looked overwhelmed by the whole scene, her turquoise eyes wide at the sight of so many people.

But she didn’t fuss as they rode up the elevator to the right floor.

People stared at her like always as she walked toward her office, but she didn’t pay them any attention, comforted by Rowan’s arm around her waist and Elia’s quiet babbling. Rowan had been almost jittery that day, though she didn’t know why.

It was either anxiety from bringing Elia, or there was something he wasn’t telling her. She wasn’t sure which, and she didn’t know which one she wanted it to be.

But she put it out of her mind as she entered her office, seeing Darrow waiting there, like he did every morning.

But this morning, there were two envelopes lying on top of her desk, her full name on both of them. Miss Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.

“What are these?” She asked the man, taking her seat. Elia stayed on her lap, cuddling close, but was looking up at Darrow curiously. He didn’t say anything to the little girl, he was too stoic for that, but he did smile gently and wave at her briefly, making her giggle.

Aelin deemed that interaction a success, and moved back to her question.

“The one on the left is something the movers found in Mr. Hamel’s house,” Darrow explained. “I figured you would want it back.”

She furrowed her brows, and reached to open it, Rowan coming to sit down next to her. Her eyes went wide as she pulled its contents out.

“Oh,” she breathed, staring at her necklace, with its beautiful fire pendant. The one Rowan had gotten for her. The one she’d thought she’d lost forever. She turned to look at her boyfriend. “Can you put it on for me?”

“Of course,” he said, clipping it around her neck, and she held it loosely, getting used to the feeling of it again.

“Thank you,” Aelin said to Darrow, and he just nodded. The pendant was warm right over her heart, and she pressed her hand against it as she moved on to the other envelope. “What’s in this one?”

“Just open it,” Rowan said this time, and she narrowed her eyes at him, sensing the anticipation oozing from his pores. What did he have to do with this?

But she didn’t question it as she pulled a piece of paper out of the envelope, flattening it against her desk.

It was a legal document of sorts, with a line at the bottom she knew was for her signature. But she didn’t understand what it was for. Was she supposed to know? Because she didn’t.

“What is this?” Aelin asked as she scanned the page over and over, not quite comprehending what she was seeing. Eventually she gave up, sending her questioning glance up to Rowan, who could barely contain his excitement.

“It’s a proposed new branch of the company,” he explained, gesturing to the document. “A charitable branch, a foundation of sorts.” He looked over at Darrow.

“Mr. Whitethorn came up with the idea a few weeks ago, and brought it to me,” the older man continued, “but it’s up to you to sign off on it.” Her eyebrows had shot up at the word weeks, but she didn’t question the timing, her brain already off to the next part.

A charity branch. Something Kingsflame hadn’t had before, but definitely something that could look good for the company amongst all this press. Some good publicity, instead of just drama.

“What’s the charity?” She asked next, furrowing her brows. Rowan smiled softly as he answered.

“The Rifthold Coalition Against Domestic Violence,” he said, and emotion filled her veins, tears pricking at her eyes. But she just nodded, looking back down at the paperwork. “I would help run it after I graduate, but I could be remote and just fly in for meetings every so often. Because I was also thinking -”

He stepped closer to her desk, reaching over to smooth back Elia’s hair. But his eyes were on her. “I know you don’t want to work here,” he said quietly, before looking back at Darrow, “sorry Darrow.” But he just waved him off with a smile. “I know you don’t want to live in Rifthold.” His green eyes held hers intently. “And you don’t have to. You can take on a board position in the company instead, and not be actively involved. Or you can quit entirely. But it’s up to you.”

She closed her eyes, a single tear slipping out as she reached up with her free hand to clutch at her necklace. But he wasn’t done.

“It’s your choice,” he whispered to her, and she nodded, feeling those words settle in her. “We can go back to Doranelle, you can graduate, you can open up your bookstore like you’ve always wanted to.” She sniffed, tears falling faster now. “You can do whatever you want. You’re free.”

She opened her eyes slowly, meeting his, and she nodded. She hoped he understood how grateful she was for him, for everything he did for her.

“I love you,” she whispered, and he smiled.

“I love you too, Fireheart.”

-------

It was snowing as they landed at the Doranelle airport, snowing as they got into a car, driving the thirty minutes back into town. And it was snowing as Aelin walked into her new apartment, completely overwhelmed by how perfect it was.

It was cozy, yet spacious, perfect size for them and two kids. It was within walking distance of campus, walking distance of the grocery store. It was just… a fresh start, a fresh start with Rowan and their family.

It was everything she could’ve asked for and more. And she kissed him heartily for it.

But after settling in a bit, Aelin knew there was somewhere else she wanted to go too.

And it was snowing as they made their way into Mistward Cafe, toting their backpacks and laptops with them to study there after saying hi to the man who owned it. It felt so right to be back, to be home.

She and Rowan had barely needed to discuss it after speaking with Darrow. Aelin was going to take a step back, and take more of a consulting role in the company, and they were going to move back to Doranelle. Rowan was going to work with Darrow on the foundation, but he wasn’t going to do it from anywhere but right there at her side.

Lysandra was even thinking about moving out there, with her niece Evangeline in tow. She had full custody of her now, and was looking for a fresh start. Aelin was ecstatic about it, and ready to help her settle in and start a new life as much as she could.

It was the perfect scenario, better than anything she could’ve dreamed up herself. She hadn’t lost that connection to her parents, but she wasn’t trapped in yet another cage. She could do everything she’d wanted to do, be everything she wanted to be.

She couldn’t stop smiling.

Especially as Emrys finally noticed them, a bright smile lighting up his lined face. He immediately dropped what he was doing, hurrying from behind the counter to greet them.

He hugged her tightly, saying warm words of welcome, before moving to hug Rowan as well, and placing a kiss on Elia’s head, who giggled at the old man.

“Oh it’s so good to see you three,” he said warmly, “I’m so glad to see you’re all okay.”

“We’re glad to see you, too,” Aelin said, smiling herself. “I’m glad to be back in Doranelle.”

“Here, sit down,” Emrys insisted, shooing them toward an open table. Mistward was pretty busy for a snowy day, groups of people taking refuge in the warmth. “I’ll get you some coffee.”

“Decaf, for me please,” Aelin interjected, and he looked up at her. “Because I’m -”

“Pregnant,” he said with a knowing smile. “Don’t worry, I read all about it in the Rifthold news. I’ve been keeping up with it since you’ve been gone.” She chuckled a little bit, shaking her head. Of course he was. “Which is also how I knew about -” he reached under the counter for something, before turning to their table. “This.”

He dropped a Rifthold newspaper down on the wood, and she couldn’t help but grin at the sight. There was her name and picture, printed in bold beneath the words:

Arobynn Hamel: The Truth Behind the Famous Name

It was the article she’d written only a few days before, an article she’d managed to get printed with the Rifthold Reporter. She was finally getting her side of the story out into the world, and all she could do was hope that the world listened.

But it was better than doing nothing, and letting everyone think that a good man died that day.

“I’m proud of you, Aelin,” Emrys said, his voice sincere, and suddenly she felt like crying. But all she did was press her free hand to her heart, trying to keep all the emotions contained.

“Thank you,” she said, “for everything.” He just nodded once, a smile on his face.

“Of course, lass, now get to work, I’ll have your drinks soon.” He waved them away, and she laughed again as she sat down, Elia in her lap and Rowan across from her. By coincidence, or by fate, they’d ended up at the exact same table they’d first met at, and she knew he remembered too, if the smile he shot at her was any indication.

But they didn’t say anything as they both pulled out their laptops, getting to work on their respective homework for the week. Elia was calm, playing quietly with Feefu, enjoying herself, and Aelin idly ran a hand down her hair as she stared at a math problem.

She’d begun her first accounting class, and the first assignment was just a pretest to see what they already knew. She didn’t know much, so she scored horrendously, but it provided an answer key afterward and now she was going back to try and understand some of them.

“Hey Rowan?” She asked, looking up from her screen.

“Yeah?” He asked, meeting her eyes, his green ones as gorgeous as ever, but so much warmer than they’d been months before.

“Can you help me with this problem?” She asked, grinning as he chuckled.

“Let me just put my tutor hat back on,” he joked, and she rolled her eyes. But she didn’t protest as he scooted over his chair to her side of the table, peeking at her screen.

“Dada,” Elia cooed, and Rowan took her and set her on his own lap, cooing back. It was a sweet scene, and she smiled softly before resting her head on his shoulder. He went back to looking at the screen and registered the problem quickly. He began explaining it to her, and she could barely pretend like she was listening, his voice soothing her into a restful state.

The snow was falling down around them, the soft music of the cafe playing lightly in the background, warm coffee seeping into her bones. And the three people she loved most in the world right there with her.

She’d come a long way to get to this moment, and she knew she wasn’t done recovering from the horrors of her past. She also knew that life wasn’t perfect, but hers certainly couldn’t get better than this.

----

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#stt #rowaelin #throne of glass fanfiction #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass #rowaelin au #rowan x aelin #throne of glass au

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nalgenewhore · 2 years

Text

need to know

elide x lorcan, modern au + secret relationship, word count: 4729

“Don’t go,” she whispered. She pressed her lips against his jaw while her legs wound around his waist. Her fingers slid over the back of his neck, enticing him.

Lorcan silently cursed his job and his boss. He dug his fingers into Elide’s soft thighs – she knew exactly how to work him. “I have to,” he told her, now cursing himself too.

It was a small miracle in itself that they had been able to spend the entire weekend together, holed up in her apartment. No one knew they were together yet, and both Elide and Lorcan intended to keep it like that for at least a while more. Evidently, the downside to no one knowing meant they had to take extra, extra precautions.

Elide pouted at him. “Why? For work?” She arched her back to purposefully press her chest into his. Lorcan raised a brow at her obvious tactics. She grinned and laughed, “C’mon, call out. I’ll do it too, and then we can spend all day right here.”

The offer was enticing, he had to admit. He smiled, then dipped his head to kiss her gently. “Sorry, sweetheart, I can’t. I got that presentation, and aren’t you having lunch with Aelin?”

Sighing, Elide pulled back. “Yeah… you can go, then.”

“Wow, that’s mighty gracious of you.”

“Mmm, I’m known to have my moments.”

✵✵✵✵✵

Fifteen minutes later, Elide was standing at her apartment door to send him on his way. She kissed him slowly, her hands resting on his stomach. She hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants. “You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay?” Elide whispered.

Lorcan hummed against her lips. There were probably many things and ways to make him stay, but he couldn’t risk it. He smoothed his hands down the sides of her neck from where they’d been tangled in her hair. “Nah, I know ya could,” he answered truthfully. He pulled back, and Elide grinned ruefully.

“But you have to go.”

“But I have to go.”

Elide gave him one last kiss before he finally left. She closed her door and leaned against it. Gods, she couldn’t believe how- how smitten she was. She’d certainly never felt like this about anyone she dated.

She shook her head, resolving to just get on with her day though her mind was filled with memories of their weekend.

✵✵✵✵✵

After being at work for a few hours and wrapping up her second useless meeting of the day, Elide grabbed her things to head out for lunch. Her phone chirped, and there was a message from Aelin saying that she was waiting in the lobby. Elide typed out a quick response to say that she would only be a couple minutes.

While waiting for the elevator, Elide chatted pleasantly with a couple of her colleagues. One of them, a man named Ress, had gotten engaged to his long-term girlfriend over the weekend and was all smiles. The other, Kaltain, bemoaned her perpetual single status good-naturedly.

“C’mon, Elide,” Kaltain nudged her. “It’s not fun for us single ladies, is it?”

Elide pasted on a mild smile as they stepped onto the elevator. “I guess not.”

Kaltain clicked her tongue at Elide’s reticence and turned to Ress, asking him for the story of how he’d proposed.

Once they got to the lobby, Elide said a quick good-bye to her coworkers. She spotted her friend’s blonde hair and walked over to her. “Aelin, hi, babe.”

“Hey, El,” her friend stood to hug her, squeezing tight and rocking side to side. “Gods, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

Elide smiled, “I know, I’ve just been so busy with work and with—stuff.” She hoped Aelin didn’t notice her pause.

Aelin was the last Elide would want to tell about her and Lorcan. At the moment, Aelin only considered him her boyfriend’s best friend, and that was all she needed to know. They were antagonistic on their best days. Elide knew the moment everything was out in the open, her boyfriend and best friend would start a vicious turf war over her – Elide wasn’t ready to play referee.

She pulled back, smiling brightly at Aelin. “So, where are you taking me?”

“I thought we’d go to that new French bistro on 11th,” Aelin told her while looping her arm through Elide’s elbow. They walked towards the doors together. “I haven’t been, but Lysandra said that when she and Nesryn went, it was to die for.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“I parked over there,” Aelin pointed out her cute sports car parked in the middle of the block.

Elide shook her head with a grin. “How’d you find parking at this hour?”

Aelin shimmied her shoulders. “I have my ways.” She pulled her keys out of her purse and clicked the fob a couple times to unlock her car.

Elide got in the passenger side while her friend slid in behind the wheel. After Aelin picked the right music, she turned the engine on and pulled smoothly out onto the street. They chatted idly, catching each other up on mundane, everyday news.

They had just gotten to the restaurant when Aelin’s phone started ringing. She sighed, pulling it from a pocket in her purse. “I swear, if this is work…” She turned it over, and they both saw her boyfriend’s face flashing across the screen. Aelin gave Elide an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, it’ll just take a minute.” She swiped her thumb over the screen and held her phone to her ear. “Hey, Ro. Listen, I can’t talk much, I—” her face paled quickly, too quickly. “You’re what?”

Worried, Elide sat back down. Her friend reached for her hand and squeezed tightly.

“You’re at the hospital? Which one? Are you hurt?” Aelin snapped. All was quiet for a moment, and then she sighed in relief. “Mala above, Rowan Whitethorn, do not scare me like that… Yes, I still have your wallet, I know you forgot it, I was just going to drop it off after lunch.” She paused and rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I have to come now? Can’t he wait, I mean I’m having lunch with Elide, and it’s not like they’ll kick him— fine. Fine! But you tell that bastard he owes me and Elide lunch.” She said good-bye and hung up, though she muttered obscenities under her breath.

Elide stared at her expectantly. “Aelin?”

“Oh, El, I’m sorry – I have to bring Rowan’s ID down to the hospital, some emergency contact verification thing for Lorcan.”

“Lorcan?”

Aelin rolled her eyes again. “He’s gotten himself into some accident, I don’t know exactly what it is.”

Elide’s heart dropped into her stomach. Her hands started to shake, and she breathed in choppily. “Is- um, is he ok?” Tears pricked her eyes.

“He’s fine, I think. Probably just a scratch, he’s so dramatic. So, should I drop you back at work?”

“N-no, I want to come with you,” Elide told her. She ignored her friend’s next irreverent quip and opted to look out the window instead with glassy eyes. All she could think was He’d better be alive, or I’ll kill him dead.

✵✵✵✵✵

Rowan stepped back into Lorcan’s room. “Aelin’s on her way.”

Lorcan sneered, “Why’d you call her?”

“‘Cause she has my ID, and you can’t leave until I sign. Which I need my ID for.”

He glared at his friend. “I can’t leave, dumbass. I have a concussion.” Rowan made a face like oh, yeah, and Lorcan nodded mockingly. “Do I have to see her?”

“Don’t worry, she’s not happy about it either,” Rowan said. “Aelin says you owe her and Elide lunch for the disruption.” He retook his seat at the bedside.

Lorcan tried not to seem too interested. “Elide’s with her?”

Rowan nodded, “Yeah, she’ll probably drop Elide back off at work before she comes though.”

Humming, Lorcan didn’t say another word and reclined back against the flat hospital pillows. It wasn’t comfortable. No matter how he situated himself, his battered body still protested. He’d been driving through the intersection when some jackass douche in a Ford F150 – seriously, who needed a pickup truck in the city – had run the red light and knocked Lorcan off his bike.

He knew he was lucky to make it out with just bad bruising and a mild concussion, but he hated being in the hospital. On the brighter side, at least in the hospital he could get some peace and quiet.

That peace and quiet was shattered after another fifteen minutes by the fire-breathing bitch queen in human form – Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. “Salvaterre,” she drawled. “How nice to see that you’ve survived your brush with death.”

He didn’t bother opening his eyes. “It’s a miracle, no?”

Another set of footsteps came in after Aelin. “Lorcan?”

His eyes snapped open at the sound of his girlfriend’s tremulous voice. Before Lorcan could even say a word, Elide was rushing to his side and practically throwing herself against him. Lorcan groaned at the impact, but he still looped his arms around her. “Ribs, sweetheart.”

“Oh,” Elied sniffled, pulling back with concern. Her hands slid to his shoulders while her eyes traced his body. “They’re broken?”

“Nah. Bruised.”

She hugged him again, albeit with more care. One of her hands slid to the back of his neck as she whispered in his ear. “Lor?”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever end up in the hospital again, and you do not call me, I’ll take you out myself,” Elide warned. “Got it?”

Lorcan laughed, then immediately regretted the motion that moved his ribs. “Loud and clear,” he answered in a strained voice.

“What on god’s green earth am I looking at?”

The mildly happy bubble they were in instantly popped. For a moment, Elide truly considered ignoring her friend, but that would be a horrible decision. Reluctantly, she and Lorcan let their arms fall away. She turned to face Aelin and Rowan, glancing once more at her boyfriend. “What do you think you’re looking at?” Elide asked Aelin.

“I think I'm looking my best friend hug my nemesis, and I’m pretty sure that asshole just called you ‘sweetheart’,” Aelin snapped, her voice rising by the word. “Elide, what is this?”

Elide shrugged, wordlessly entwining her fingers with Lorcan’s. “I think you have your answer,” she said. “He’s my boyfriend.” She stared defiantly at Aelin, chin cocked.

In her periphery, she saw Lorcan turn his head towards her. She’d never said that to anyone but him.

“No, no, he isn’t,” Aelin denied, but she sounded too shocked to be angry. “This is a joke, right?”

“Do you see either of us laughing?” Lorcan asked, finally speaking up. He glared at Rowan, wondering for the umpteenth time why his friend had to be her. They couldn’t help but be rude and belligerent to each other.

Rowan returned the glare. He looped his arm around Aelin’s waist like he was stopping her from attacking Lorcan in his hospital bed. “Why don’t we step outside, give them a little time?”

“What?! You want to leave, now? We can’t,” Aelin argued, gesturing wildly at the pair. “Rowan!”

“Now, Aelin,” he told her. He pulled her out when she started to tense in rage. They left quickly, and he shut the door behind him, yet not before giving Lorcan one last look.

Elide sighed and rested her head on Lorcan’s shoulder. “Don’t antagonise her.”

“Fuck are you talking about? I said two things to her,” Lorcan responded. “I didn’t do anything.” He rubbed his thumb over Elide’s knuckles. “Aelin’s unbalanced. She needs to be medicated.”

“Funny,” Elide deadpanned. “Y’know, she says that same exact thing about you.” She sat up to face him and sighed shakily. “Are you really alright?”

Lorcan lifted his hand to her face to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Really really. They’re only keeping me here ‘cause of my concussion. My ribs are kinda bruised, though.”

She narrowed her eyes at his nonchalance. “Oh, yeah? And what does ‘kinda bruised’ mean, huh?” His gaze slid away from hers, and he mumbled something indistinct. Elide grabbed the edge of his hospital gown.

He grimaced as she yanked it out of the way. She gawked at what she found.

From his hip to his shoulder, wrapping around his entire side, his brown skin was completely covered by red and purple bruising. In some places, the contusions were so dark they partially concealed his tattoo. “Lor…” Elide traced the edge of the brutal discolouration with the tip of her finger, her eyes brimming with tears.

Lorcan inhaled sharply at the contact. Unwillingly, he twisted away from it and groaned in pain at the pain that movement caused. He panted slightly, “‘kay. Maybe more than kinda.”

“What did they do to you?”

“Fender bender.”

Elide cut him a hard look.

He winced, slowly losing the battle against a growing urge to lie down. “I was–in the intersection, and some douche in his fucking truck ran a red light, knocked me over. Bet he fucked up my bike too,” Lorcan told her with a clenched jaw. His motorcycle was the apple of his eye, his pride and joy.

“Lorcan.”

With his head tilted to the side, Lorcan sighed, “I’ll be fine in a few weeks, ‘lide, it’s fine.”

“It is not fine,” she replied, her eyes drifting back down to his side. “It’s not fine that someone ran into you and sent you to the hospital. It’s not fine that I had to hear about it from Aelin, of all people.” The more she spoke, the more incensed she became. “You’re my boyfriend, and I couldn’t even call you that, and you could not even call me to tell me you were hurt because our friends are ridiculous and childish!”

“Aelin isn’t my friend.”

Elide glared at him. “It’s not just her and you know it.” She got up and walked around to his uninjured side. “They’re all like that.”

Lorcan moved to make space for her. She curled into his side with as much care as she could bear. He kissed her head and wrapped an arm around her. “Eh, I think we can take whatever they got.”

She sniffled, smiling against his chest. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Y’know, you’re scary when you want to be.”

Elide cackled, “I know.”

“Of course you do.”

✵✵✵✵✵

Elide only left after another hour. She’d told Lorcan that she would get him some clothes and proper food while he napped.

She almost stopped short when she saw Aelin sitting by the nurses station. Elide continued down the hall towards the elevators.

The moment Aelin saw her, she was on her feet and stalking towards Elide.

The look on her face made Elide grit her teeth. She knew that expression well, and if Aelin wanted a fight, then she was going to get one. “Aelin,” Elide stated. “You’re still here.” A quick glance told her that Rowan had left.

“Yeah, well, you’ve got some explaining to do,” Aelin retorted.

Elide scoffed and rolled her eyes. She brushed past her friend to reach the elevators. “I think you’ll find it surprising, but I don’t owe you any explanations for my relationships when they’re none of your concern and have nothing to do with you.” Her dark eyes cut to Aelin, hardened, and she jabbed the down button.

Aelin made a frustrated noise. “Ellie.”

Elide frowned. She hated when Aelin – or anyone else for that matter – called her ‘Ellie’. It made her feel like some helpless six-year old who needed everyone else to take care of her. “Don’t ‘Ellie’ me.”

The elevator dinged as it arrived, and the doors slid open. Elide slipped inside, crossing her arms after she pressed the button for the lobby. She pursed her lips when Aelin joined her.

“Where are you going?”

“I am going to get my boyfriend some clothes and better food.”

Aelin frowned at the floor. “Can I give you a ride?”

Elide just laughed.

“Ellie– Elide,” Aelin corrected herself. “Please? I just- I want to understand, I wanna talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

She put her hand on Elide’s shoulder, bidding her to look. “It’s not about him. You’ve- you’ve been in a relationship that’s clearly important to you, and I didn’t know anything about it.”

Elide gave her a look like can you blame me?

Aelin nodded, conceding. “Alright, I know we don’t get along, but still. You're my best friend, you should be able to talk to me about anything." She paused, an expression of mild desperation marring her face. "Please, can I give you a ride?”

The smaller woman stared at her dear friend. She knew what Aelin was like when she was truly apologetic. “A ride would be nice.”

The air between them was filled with tension, even after their concessions. Neither one of them spoke a word until they were behind the dashboard of Aelin’s car.

Even then, they didn’t say anything until Aelin had pulled onto the street.

“So?”

Elide glanced to the side. “So?”

“C’mon, you told me you’d tell me.”

“Ah, I said ‘a ride would be nice’, I never said—”

“Elide…”

She huffed a laugh. A wicked thought crossed her mind, and Elide smirked to herself. “Well, if you really want to know…”

Aelin tapped her hands on the wheel. “Elide, you’re killing me here!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll tell you,” Elide laughed. “He’s very, um, talented. Gods, I don’t know what it is, but Lor does this thing with his tongue, and it makes me—”

“Elide,” Aelin screeched. “Ew, that is so not what I want to know!”

“Alright, well, his dick is definitely bigger than Rowan’s, like, maybe not length, but definitely gir—”

“ELIDE LOCHAN,” she shouted, “I will crash this car right now, I swear.”

Elide cackled. She took mercy on her friend, “Ok, what do you want to know?”

“When did this start?”

Her brows creased as she thought back. “Um… three months, I think? We’ve been exclusive for three months.”

“Three months?! Elide,” Aelin gasped. “You… saucy little secretess!”

Elide laughed again, “‘Secretess’? Is that even a word?”

Aelin waved her hand flippantly. “It is if I want it to be. Now, c’mon, is that even what’s important here?”

Elide told her to ask another question.

“How did it start?”

She smiled softly, thinking back to the night of Rowan’s birthday party. “Um, y’know, I was interested before, but Lorcan’s kinda… I didn’t know he even knew I existed. We hadn’t talked much.” She looked down at her hands, trying to conceal her pink cheeks. “He gave me a ride home after Rowan’s birthday, and he was so… shy and nice. He was asking me about my day, my job, even the book I was reading.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Elide grinned again. “Lor walked me up to my apartment, and I invited him in for a drink, and we spent, like, two hours talking about everything.” She shrugged, “He asked me out the next morning, and the rest is history, I guess.”

Aelin whistled, “The next morning? Damn, you work fast.”

Elide shoved her friend’s shoulder. “Gods, you bitch. Lorcan texted me the next morning. He left when we finished our drinks.”

“Hey, there’s no shame,” Aelin said, laughing.

“Yeah, yeah. Any more questions?”

“Do you love him?”

“I, um, I- I,” she stammered. “Gods, Aelin!” Elide flushed down to her chest. “It’s still early, I don’t know.”

The blonde glanced at her and smiled. She turned the corner onto Lorcan’s street, finding a spot halfway down the block. Aelin recognised it. Elide’s affection for Lorcan was painfully obvious in the way she spoke about him. Hell, it was obvious in that hospital room, too, and in her fierceness to defend Lorcan – Elide didn’t do that for people she didn’t love. Still, Aelin also recognised that her friend wasn’t ready to be teased about it, so she wouldn’t push it. Yet.

Elide and Aelin got out of the car. The brunette stepped onto the sidewalk, but before she could walk any further, Aelin stopped her with a hand on her elbow. “Ok, just one last thing.”

“Shoot.”

“It’s pretty clear, but does he make you happy?”

She beamed and nodded, “I’ve never been happier.”

Aelin smiled, then hugged Elide tightly. “That’s all that matters then.”

✵✵✵✵✵

Someone gently woke him up by brushing their hand down his cheek. “Lorcan, baby.”

His mouth pulled into a small smile before he opened his eyes. Elide stood above him, clad in different clothes – she must have changed while she was gone. “Hey,” he said with a voice raspy from disuse. He tilted his chin up, and Elide grinned before she leaned down to gently kiss him. Lorcan caught her bottom lip between his teeth exactly how she liked it.

He was rewarded with her soft moan. Before he could go further, somebody else cleared their throat rather loudly. Lorcan frowned at the interruption, idly glancing at the doorway. When he saw Aelin, he jerked away from his girlfriend and was punished for the sudden motion by the pain in his side. He grit his teeth against the discomfort.

Aelin smirked as she stepped in. “Hope I’m not interrupting,” she lied through her shark’s smile. “You two look cosy.”

Lorcan eyed her warily and shifted, finding Elide’s hand. She perched herself next to him. “I, uh… didn’t know you were here.” He frowned. “Why are you here?”

“Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.” Aelin held up a paper take-out bag. “I brought food.” She pulled out the table attached to the wall behind him and placed the bag on it.

He looked at it suspiciously, not making any move.

“C’mon, it’s just food. How could I harm you?”

“Poison,” Lorcan said bluntly.

Elide nudged him with her elbow. Her eyes said play nice.

Lorcan conceded, muttering a ‘thank-you’.

They’d gone to the Thai place he liked and gotten him his favourites, enough for all three of them.

After they’d been eating for a bit, Elide excused herself, claiming she had to use the bathroom and confer with the nurses.

Lorcan was shovelling noodles into his mouth when Aelin started speaking.

“So, Lorcan. Tell me – what are your intentions with Elide?”

He chewed and swallowed. “Y’know, when you say that you sound like a dad from a sitcom. A bad one.”

Aelin levelled him with a deadened stare. “Answer the question.”

Lorcan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and put the carton of pad see ew down. “I guess… I intend to be around ‘til she doesn’t want that anymore. I want to give her everything she wants. I intend to make her as happy as I can and love her in every way I can.”

Aelin’s perfectly manicured brows rose on her forehead. She cocked her head to the side. “Love? You love her?”

His eyes widened as he realised his misstep. “Um, well, I—” Lorcan stopped himself. He had no idea why he was denying it. He nodded. “Yeah, I love her. I haven’t told her yet.”

She smiled, shrugging as she expertly twirled noodles around her chopsticks. “Maybe you should.”

Lorcan studied her shrewdly and picked his noodles up again. “Alright. Maybe I will.”

They silently returned to their meals.

Just as Lorcan was thinking that it was the first pleasant conversation they’d had, Aelin spoke again.

“Lorcan?”

“Mmm?” He looked up at her.

Her eyes were steely, the golden centres like molten lava. “If you ever hurt Elide in any way, I will make you regret it.”

Lorcan nodded perfunctorily. “Got it.”

“Great,” Aelin chirped, smiling brightly once more.

He went back to his food, but he wasn’t too hungry anymore. Lorcan looked at the door and hoped that Elide returned quickly. Her friend was unsettling.

Like he had manifested it, she appeared, an angel from the heavens. Elide smiled at him as she returned to his side and laid her hand on his shoulder. She glanced between her boyfriend and best friend. “Everything ok?”

“Yep!” “She interrogated me.”

Aelin narrowed her eyes at him. “Snitch.”

“Aelin,” Elide admonished. “You interrogated him?”

Her friend flipped her hair over her shoulder and sighed dramatically. “What’s the big deal? So what, I asked him a couple questions; that was not an interrogation.” Aelin stabbed her chopsticks into her food. “And even if it was an interrogation, he passed. With flying colours, I might add.”

“Really?” Elide and Lorcan asked in unison.

“Yes. Don’t look so surprised, you two,” Aelin tutted her tongue. “I’m a very reasonable person, and I happen to think you’ve found yourself a lovely beau, Elide.”

Lorcan shifted uncomfortably. “Stop saying so many nice things, you’re freaking me out.”

Elide hit him with the back of her hand. “Lor, don’t be a brute.”

“What? She usually hates me.”

Aelin shrugged, “I guess now that you’re dating my best friend, I should be nice to you.”

Lorcan fired back, “It didn’t stop you when I was just your boyfriend’s best friend.”

She narrowed her eyes and jabbed her finger into his chest, “Y’know, I don’t remember you being this gracious when I was just dating your best friend, so maybe you shouldn’t be so—”

“Alright, alright,” Elide interrupted before fists started flying. She sighed, muttering, “That was nice while it lasted.” She arched an eyebrow at Lorcan.

He looked down at his lap and mumbled. “Sorry, Aelin. You’re right.”

“I know. Was that so hard?”

Elide said through gritted teeth: “Well. Thank you for dropping by. We both appreciate it.”

Aelin laughed, “It’s my pleasure, babe. I’ll see you both later– oh! How about dinner, a double date with you two and me and Rowan? That’d be fun, I think.” She collected her things as she got ready to leave. She walked to the door with Elide.

“A double date sounds great, hon. We can set it up later, alright?”

“I’ll text you.” Aelin waved her fingers at Lorcan, “Bye, Lorcan! Feel better.”

He raised two fingers to his brow in a mock salute. “See ya. Thanks for the food.”

The hurricane in human finally left, and Elide came back.

“Please don’t tell me we’re actually doing that double date.”

She laughed and patted his chest. “Oh, I wish, but Aelin will not be denied.” Elide kissed his cheek. “Don’t pout, baby. I’ll be there, and so will Rowan. You like him!”

“Yeah… I guess so."

Elide laughed again. She picked up the empty cartons to discard them. As she turned away, Lorcan gently grabbed her arm to stop her. Elide faced him, a question on her face.

Lorcan cupped the side of her neck, skating his thumb down her jaw. “Elide.”

“Lorcan.”

“I love you.” Elide’s mouth immediately popped open, and she just… gawked at him. Lorcan’s gut churned. He forced an uneasy laugh, dropping his hand from her face. “You, um, don’t have to say it back. Or say anything, I just- I wanted you to know.”

“No, Lor,” Elide said. She laughed softly, putting her hand over her mouth. Her eyes welled with tears – it seemed like the only thing he could do today was make her cry. “Lorcan, I love you too.”

His eyes widened, and Lorcan smiled slowly. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” She let him tug her forward with his thumb and forefinger on her chin. He claimed her lips in a slow, sensuous embrace, savouring it. Elide’s eyes fell shut; her hands lifted to hold his forearms. She only pulled away after his tongue mapped the seam of her lips. “As much as I’d like to,” she said, resting her brow on his. “I don’t think that you or the nurses would appreciate it.”

Lorcan opened his mouth to protest, but every little movement caused him pain, and he figured Elide was probably right. Like she usually was. “Probably not.”

A wide smile appeared on Elide’s face, and she hugged him instead of kissing him again, her chin tucked against the crook of his shoulder. “I love you so much.”

Lorcan hugged her back fiercely. He didn’t care about his battered body, not now. He smiled into her hair. “I love you so much, ‘lide.”

And to think, it was all thanks to Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. She’d never let them live it down, that Lorcan knew for certain.

✵✵✵✵✵

an: i am on a ROLL omgggggg posting twice in one week ?? WILD.

(restarting my taglist lmk if u want 2 b added xx)

@sassyhobbits @empress-ofbloodshed @the-regal-warrior @gwynethhberdara @icecream52

#elorcan #elide x lorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #nalgenewhore #isa writes

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