Warnings: mentions of alcohol but nothing crazy. kinda cheesy writing
Synopsis: Itâs Solstice, reader gets clingy w Azriel when sheâs tipsy but he loves it. He tries to keep her awake to see Starfall but sheâs falling asleep. He takes care of her and takes her to her room when she drifts off.Â
âSome Spymaster, huh?â Feyre mused to Rhys under her breath, leaning into him to be discreet. Rhys glanced over at his brother who was sitting on the couch, his full, undivided attention upon you. Whether Azriel was letting his guard down due to the gradual intoxication of his friends around him on Solstice or because he simply didnât care, it was still quite the sight for him to wear his heart on his sleeve so comfortably. He was seated on one end of the couch with his body turned fully to face you, his posture shamelessly relaxed, a contented grin on his lips. He was listening to you go off on one of your various drunken rambles.
You werenât timid by any means, but you did have some shy tendencies around him specifically. Despite that slight reservation, the two of you always gravitated towards each other, silently seeking each other out in group settings, sitting beside each other during meals, volunteering to go on missions together. It was incredibly entertaining for the rest of the IC, of course, to see the two of you wander towards each other and then have so few words to say. Unsurprisingly, there have been many bets placed on the pair of you about who will fold first and take that leap of faith beyond friendship. Until then, it was lovely entertainment from the sidelines.
Azriel typically left the love for alcohol to Mor and Cassian, but Azriel has come to appreciate the lessened inhibition that came with your occasional drinking. He was endeared by your shy nature around him, especially because he mirrored that sentiment, but when you drank, he had the opportunity to see an uninhibited side of you that absolutely clung to him. He could only hope that one day you would feel this comfortable and open with him without needing the liquid courage, but for now he settled for the short-lived windows of it that came on holidays.
âSo the exam had a question about an earthquake that had happened two days before, which is absurd because why would anyone anticipate a question about one so recent anyways? And then he had the audacity to tell us all âHappy Solsticeâ afterwards, like he didnât just ruin the holidays for us with that test.â You were gesturing enthusiastically as you told your story to him, eyes wide and bright, and he was nodding along, gaze unfaltering from your face. If you caught him looking at you like that sober, with such softness and adoration in his eyes, you may have walked into a wall in fluster. âAnyways, that was a horrible introduction to geology, but it makes for a good story.â You beamed at him and began moving closer on the couch to where he was politely seated, not touching you. You wrapped your arms around his arm and laid your head on his shoulder, his brows shooting up in surprise and a light blush dusting his cheeks. âSorry for rambling, Az.â
âDonât be sorry, I love your stories,â he reassured. You reached for his hand and grasped it in both of yours, and he let you.
âYou have the warmest hands, you know.â You began to speak more softly, the drink making you sleepy.
âLittle bit. I thought champagne was supposed to make you feel warm.â You opened your eyes and began reaching for your flute on the table nearby.
He chuckled. âI donât think you need any more of that.â You stopped and turned to face him with a frown.
âYou think I had too much?â
âNo, but if you have any more, youâll miss the Starfall. We wouldnât want you to fall asleep first, would we?â He spoke to you gently.
âNo, we wouldnât,â you shook your head in agreement. He laughed at the seriousness in your expression, breaking your eye contact before his chest ached. He couldnât help his wide smile. When you got like this, he felt so intoxicated by you that he rarely bothered to drink. âOkay, Az. Be a dear and donât let me fall asleep, then.â You placed your head on his shoulder again, closing your eyes. He was still chuckling.
âAnd how am I supposed to keep you awake?â he mused.
âMmm⊠You tell me, youâre the big smart Spymaster, arenât you?â
He felt like a fool, not being able to speak without that smile on his lips, even when your eyes are closed, and you couldnât see it. âOkay, Iâll take care of it. You donât have to worry.â He couldnât lie, he also didnât want you to stop leaning on his shoulder, to stop embracing him so comfortably, like you felt safe.
Just when he thought you drifted off, you softly said, âyouâre so sweet, Az. An angel.â His heart skipped a beat, and that faded the smile off his face. You thought he was the angel here?
âHave you looked in a mirror lately?â he asked softly, his voice gruffer than he anticipated. You giggled, nuzzling closer to him and shushed him. âThe only angel here is you.â
âBe quiet. What I say goes, and I say you are an angel.â You smiled though your eyes stayed closed.
Though he wholeheartedly disagreed, he couldnât deny you anything you wanted. If only to let you win, he didnât say argue. You relished in the small victory and finally drifted off to sleep.
â[Y/N],â someone said gently, squeezing your fingers in warm hands. âItâs time for the Starfall.â
âHm?â you started to stir.
âWake up for the Starfall.â Azriel.
He chuckled. âThen why are your eyes still closed?â you could hear that smile on his mouth. It made you smile back.
âDonât worry about it. Itâs all under control.â
He laughed softly but got up gently to allow you to reorient yourself as you awoke. When you went to stand, he outstretched both of his hands to you, which you took without a second thought. You took his arm and let him guide you to the balcony to watch the stars fall. You didnât let go of his arm even when you stood, and you leaned even closer to him, which he allowed.
âAre you still cold?â he asked.
âNo,â you said softly. He looked down and found that you had closed your eyes again. The stars began to fall then.
âOpen your eyes for me,â he said softly, not wanting you to miss the sight, though he didnât move his gaze from your face. You did as he asked, watching the stars fall, and he continued to watch you, the stars in your eyes, the wonder and contentment in them. He was taking in how relaxed you looked with him, and more of your body weight slumped into him as you let yourself take in the moment. You eventually turned to look at him, catching his focused gaze, and you smiled brightly at him. The stars continued to fall around you, but the two of you couldnât take your eyes off each other. Azrielâs throat bobbed slightly. Angel, you had called him before. Yet here you were, rivalling the stars in his eyes. You continued to gaze at him, feeling such a warmth in your chest that you didnât notice your eyes closing again until you felt the hardness of his chest against your cheek. Your friendsâ delighted laughter and the music were in the background, but all you could hear was Azrielâs heart, feel his arms slowly come around you. âLetâs get you to bed,â you felt his smooth voice rumble against your cheek. You simply nodded, not wanting to open your eyes. He leaned down and scooped you up into his arms, and he began walking back inside while the stars continued to fall behind him.
By the time he made it to your room, you had all but drifted back asleep, clinging to him around his neck. He walked over to your bed and gently laid you down. Once he released you, he began to rise, but your hold on his neck tightened, preventing him from leaving. âStay,â you murmured sleepily. His cheeks burned, heart rate increased.
âI canât, sweetheart,â he said gently, bracing his arms on either side of your head to support himself while your vice grip around his neck continued to pull him down.
âGet your mind out of the gutter,â you quipped. He laughed again, and you smiled with your eyes closed. âIâm sober.â
He smiled. âSure you are.â
âPlease.â His heart panged, never wanting to deny you a thing. You had him wrapped around your fingers. He didnât say anything, and you opened your eyes but didnât let up the grip around his neck. âPlease, Az.â You pouted.
He took a deep breath and nodded, to which you closed your eyes again in contentment and let him out of your arms. He covered you with the blanket and made his way around your bed, laying on top of the covers. You snuggled into his side, exhaling happily. He absolutely beamed in adoration as he watched you. He waited for you to fall soundly asleep before begrudgingly untangling himself from your hold. He could only imagine your embarrassment if you woke up tomorrow to find he had stayed, despite how badly he wanted to. One day, he thought to himself. Once that line was crossed between the two of you, he would never leave your side. Stars continued to fall outside, lighting the world with brilliance, but there wasnât a sight more beautiful to him than you in your peaceful state. He finally turned to leave the room with that sense of intoxication in his veins, stardust on his shoulders, your starry eyes on his mind, and his heart on his sleeve