AN: Just a random day a little bit after Andi and Mor reunite, Azriel will be blushing as requested by @perseusannabeth ;)
Masterlist//Moodboard//Timeline//1888 words
Azriel sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. Deep circles under his eyes had appeared from nights scouring legal documents with Amren and Andromache, tirelessly searching for ways to bring down the Spring and Hybern Corporations.
He needed to keep working. There wasn’t time to stop.
Azriel straightened his shoulders and set his face in its usual impassive expression. Then he started out the bathroom door.
Down the stairs, into the living room. Sit down. Drink coffee. Open laptop. Grab papers. Azriel went about his tasks mechanically, barely functioning on limited sleep and extreme quantities of caffeine. Of course, he didn’t look tired to anyone else. Azriel was too good at hiding things, including the fact that he was about to burn out.
A knock sounded on the door, and Azriel glanced up in curiosity. He’d been sitting here with Andromache and Amren for hours as they all worked, only speaking occasionally to compare notes. Cassian was somewhere in the house and Rhys was upstairs, probably moping over Feyre. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone else here.
Neither Andromache nor Amren looked surprised, however; they exchanged a glance, Amren smirking and Andromache smiling slightly. The latter shot him a look and stood, making her way out of sight and toward the front door.
Azriel had no idea what that was about, and it bothered him. He always knew what was happening.
Footsteps sounded and Andromache led Lucien Vanserra, of all people, into the living room. Azriel knit his brows and glanced at the women in inquiry.
Andromache cleared her throat. “We thought we all needed a break. So I’m going to go catch up with Mor, and Amren is going to do whatever Amren does when she has free time”—the woman had caught on quick to the interesting atmosphere of Amren—“and you are going to hang out with Lucien.”
Azriel blinked. “Why?” His voice was slightly strained.
Lucien spoke up. “Because, Azzy, you need to chill. I can help you.”
Amren snorted. Azriel just fought the urge to punch Lucien, as was common with their interactions. The other urge he battled with was to kiss Lucien, something he’d only done several times before. Again, he was busy.
“I have work to do. You two can leave, but I want to keep going.”
Lucien just sent an easy smile to the two women. “You two can go. I can handle him.”
That thing about wanting to punch Lucien? Yeah, it was happening again.
Andromache sent a warm smile at the pair of them. She’d grown on Azriel quickly, and not a small amount of that was due to how happy she made Mor. But he also enjoyed her quiet company. Now, though, he wanted to scream at her for being so amused by the situation.
Amren just rolled her eyes, a malicious grin finding its way to her painted mouth. She sauntered away, Andromache following in her tracks, leaving Azriel alone with the hurricane of annoying behavior that was Lucien.
“Off your ass,” Lucien said.
Azriel squinted. “I need to work.”
“You need some relaxation. Seriously dude, get up. We need to go.”
“Go where?” Azriel didn’t budge.
“It’s a surprise. Come on.”
Azriel frowned.
Something wavered in Lucien’s face, the reduction of some of his amusement. Lucien walked over to Azriel and seated himself on the couch beside him.
“You’re overworking yourself, Azriel. You’re overwhelmed. Please let me take you somewhere.”
Azriel hesitated, his normally sure hands shaking. “I have to find something. I have to stop them. You don’t understand.”
Lucien just shook his head. “You say that like I didn’t spend all of my days and all of my nights doing exactly what you’re doing now. For three months. It’s easy to get consumed trying to destroy Tamlin, it’s easy because it’s so impossible. I won’t let you spiral like I did.”
Azriel was usually so confident. So sure of himself. No one questioned his unwavering authority, no stopped to think that maybe he wasn’t as put together as he looked. And then Lucien Vanserra came along and peeled the mask right off of his face. It was irrational and it was absurd and it was driving him insane.
“I’ll go with you,” Azriel said.
Lucien’s smile returned in full force. He started to stand, but Azriel grabbed his wrist and tugged him back down.
“Can I kiss you first?” He knew his voice sounded raspy and desperate, but Azriel had stopped caring. He just wanted to feel the man who had so merrily gotten under his skin with no intention whatsoever of leaving.
Lucien smirked. “At this point you don’t need to ask permission, babe.”
Azriel slowly leaned forward, their noses brushing. He felt no small amount of satisfaction to see Lucien’s smile disappear, replaced by stuttering breaths. Their breaths mixed as Azriel leaned forward farther, their lips only millimeters apart.
“Just fucking kiss me already,” Lucien muttered, and Azriel was grinning as he relented.
The kiss grew hungry quickly, tongues fighting for dominance. Azriel fisted his hands in Lucien’s shirt, and the other man groaned, deepening the kiss.
Azriel had never felt this burning before, this fire. No man or woman he’d been with before had driven him to the point of madness, let alone with a smile on their face.
Azriel leaned into Lucien’s touch as the other man rested his hands on Azriel’s shoulders. His hands were warm and strong and he wanted Lucien to never let go.
Just as Lucien nipped on Azriel’s lip and he tugged him closer, grip still tight on Lucien’s shirt, someone cleared their throat.
Azriel immediately released his grip on Lucien and nearly fell of the couch trying to scoot away from him, while Lucien only grinned, unashamed to be caught.
In the doorway stood Cassian and Rhys. Great. He’d have to be teased by both of them about it.
Azriel cleared his throat. “Hello.”
Feral smirks on both of their faces, Cassian spoke up. “Hope we’re not interrupting.”
“Not at all,” Azriel said, maintaining his serene tone and self.
“You are a little bit actually,” Lucien cut in.
Azriel shot him a glare while his two friends snickered. “We were just leaving, actually.”
Azriel grabbed Lucien by the arm and dragged him off the couch and toward the entryway, ignoring Rhys and Cassian’s catcalls behind them.
They got outside and Azriel closed the door firmly, pulling out his key and locking it behind them. He glanced over to find Lucien grinning at him.
It was more unsettling that Azriel cared to admit.
“What?” he asked, his voice sounding fake even to his own ears.
“You’re blushing,” Lucien said in disbelief.
Azriel shook his head vehemently. “No, I’m not.”
Lucien scoffed. “Yes, you are. You’re actually blushing.”
“I don’t blush,” Azriel insisted, pushing past Lucien and starting down the walkway to the sidewalk.
“Well you sure as shit are right now,” Lucien called after him, hurrying to catch up. “How come you’re so embarrassed that your friends caught you making out with somebody? You’re a grown man.”
“I tend to keep my private life private,” Azriel replied. He glanced sideways at Lucien. “This is a first for me.”
Lucien smirked in reply.
They reached the sidewalk and Azriel stopped. “Where are we going?”
“You tell me,” Lucien said.
Azriel frowned. “You said you were taking me somewhere.”
“I lied,” Lucien said remorselessly. “You are taking me somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Wherever you want.” Lucien rasied an eyebrow. “What? I haven’t even been here two weeks. Were you expecting me to have some sort of intimate knowledge of all the romantic spots in the city by now?”
Azriel shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “It’s late. Everywhere’s closed.”
“That’s your problem, babe.”
Azriel laughed incredulously. “I know a place. Come on.”
—
They walked for maybe fifteen minutes, and the whole way, Lucien just kept talking. Azriel found himself replying more than he would in a usually conversation. Lucien was… easy to open up to. Not something Azriel often found himself thinking about people.
They reached Azriel’s destination, and he grabbed Lucien’s hand and tugged him into the trees. It was never truly dark in the city area, always illuminated at the very least by several bright streetlights. So Lucien could certainly tell that Azriel was taking him to a park.
But he didn’t yet know where in the park, and Azriel kept his mouth closed as he pulled Lucien farther and farther into the small expanse of greenery. The middle of the park was not nearly as well lit as the sidewalks, and sheer memory had Azriel navigating to a small clearing. It was one of his favorite gems of the city, a small area few people knew about, quiet and untouched.
Azriel smiled at Lucien, a soft smile he didn’t know if he’d ever given anyone before. Then he let go of his hand and walked over to a large rock nearby, fairly flat and smooth, a perfect place to lie. Azriel climbed up and patted the area beside him in invitation.
“Looks like you do know how to woo a man,” Lucien said as he climbed up next to Azriel and lay back beside him. They both got comfortable, legs dangling off the edge and eyes tilted to the stars. Azriel could barely hear the sounds of the city, and with his gaze locked on the sky, framed by tall trees, he could almost pretend he was alone, no one nearby but Lucien.
Lucien traced a finger along Azriel’s muscular chest. “Why are you so strong? Don’t you just sit behind a desk all day and harass people?”
Azriel shook his head, smiling. “You’re a menace.”
Lucien pressed his lips against Azriel’s ear. “Oh, I know,” he whispered sensually.
Azriel did his best not to let his breathing alter, but it was a losing battle. “Why do you like me?”
Lucien, who had moved down to Azriel’s neck, paused. “What?”
Azriel turned on his side so he was face-to-face with Lucien. “What about me appeals to you?”
Lucien blinked, caught off gaurd for seemingly the first time. “You’re smart and sexy, especially when you’re trailing me around the slums.”
Azriel stared at him blankly.
Lucien sighed. “Okay, seriously? You pretend to be an asshole, but you’re sweet to all of your friends and super compassionate. You work really hard, even more so if you’re trying to help somebody. You’re infuriating and I love it, and I wasn’t joking about you being sexy as fuck.”
Azriel laughed quietly. “When you put it that way, I sound pretty cool, don’t I?”
Lucien grinned, but the expression faded as he moved a hand to trace Azriel’s cheek. “Don’t doubt yourself. Whenever you’re feeling down in the dumps, just know that I like you and I have impeccable taste.”
Azriel choked on a laugh. “I don’t understand how you can be so… you.”
Lucien smiled and pressed him lips slowly against Azriel’s cheek. “I was just born this way, baby.”
Azriel snorted. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Hm,” Lucien murmured as he kissed Azriel’s other cheek. “Nothing surprises you, does it?”
“You do,” Azriel said candidly. “Everything about you surprises me.”
They were both smiling as Lucien pressed his lips against Azriel’s own.
Elain bakes the cake for Nyx's 1st birthday. Feyre and Rhys think it's his first time eating chocolate, but they don't know that Nesta and Cassian have already been feeding him chocolate cake when babysitting.
This child is so spoiled. He receives gift from everybody, of course: cute onesies from Mor, all kinds of toy swords from Cassian, a magical book from Amren in which the drawings move on page (she's had help from Varian for this one, because what the hell do you give a toddler), homemade baby skincare products from Elain.
Nyx loves to see Feyre shapeshift and grow wings and claws. One time at the store he saw a dragon plushie and said "mama!" so Feyre and Rhys give him a little enchanted dragon that flies around the room.
At some point, Rhys gets emotional because he came so close to losing all of this, and despite the sleepless nights, the last year has been the most perfect of his life. Feyre knows, and while Nyx is with his uncles, she squeezes his hand and brings him aside to hold and kiss him.
Nyx loves the Illyrian's siphons, so Azriel gives him baby Illyrian leathers with fake tiny blue ones. Feyre's a bit exasperated though, because her son refuses to wear anything else from now on.
Feyre is stressed because they had a busy week and she wants everything to be on point for her son's first birthday, so Cassian and Mor offer to help with the planning and the decorations. Cassian's paper napkin flowers are a disaster and Mor went way overboard with the glitters, but Feyre and Rhys both consider the day to be perfect.
I’ve never written a fic before and this will be short but here goes nothing I guess…
Dog Pile
It was bad enough that Casteel had been gone for well over three months now. Bad enough that Kieran’s own hope had begun to dwindle. Bad enough that he woke up with a colder feeling in his gut every sunrise and that he fell asleep with a stone in his heart every sunset.
But to see that in her, to see her bright eyes go dull and to watch as she started to loose contact with the world around her, too focused on her goals that she no longer seemed to reside in her own body. Watching Poppy become vacant was almost the worst part. The hope wasn’t there anymore, Kieran knew, what he didn’t know was what kept her going. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he often caught her staring at her palm for long moments of time before she noticed him and quickly gave herself something else to do. Kieran knew Cas would hate this. Cas didn’t want this for them. He would be livid to know what Poppy looked like now, which was why Kieran needed to do something about it.
They were currently somewhere in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by various types of trees that blotted out the sun. Poppy had hoped to pick up on the trail of that wretched queen and her entourage who had decided to move Casteel. Kieran wasn’t entirely convinced they would be able to do it, but he’d try, even if it meant him and everyone else staying in wolven form for the time being. But he couldn’t just sit there and wait, if he couldn’t save Casteel, he could try to save her: Poppy, his friend, his Liessa.
Kieran slowly stood up from the mossy ground and trotted over to Poppy who was currently slouched against a tree staring into the deep wood. Tiredness lined each part of her body, her eyes were bloodshot and glassy.
Sleep he said to her down that bond.
Poppy responded out loud “No.”
Yes
“I don’t have the time. There are things that need to be done, Kieran.”
None of which you will be capable of doing if you can hardly stand upright alone.
She stared at him, stubborn and resolute.
Kieran stepped closer to her, softly nudging the palm of her hand with his nose, his fur soft under Poppy’s fingers.
Come
Poppy sighed but relented, slowly following Kieran on shaky legs into the middle of the small mossy clearing. As Poppy moved her body to lay herself onto the ground, Kieran positioned himself so that she would be leaning against him. If Poppy was surprised by his sudden affections she didn’t show it. Instead she buried her hands in his fur and tucked her face into the scruff around his neck.
Kieran could not take away her worry, there was little he could do to give her hope, but he could give her a warm place to sleep for a night.
Across the small clearing Delano picked up his head and quirked it to the side in question. Kieran simply set his head on his paws and stared back.
Apparently that was enough of an answer because the white wolven picked himself up and made his way to Poppy and Kieran. Delano curled at Poppy’s back, draping his head over top of her waist.
Soon, the rest of the wolven made their way over to the huddle. One by one they laid themselves down around, next to, and half on top of Poppy. Kieran could feel the other wolven shifting around him. Delano huffed as he snuggled his head further into Poppy’s side and Vonetta gently nudged Poppy’s hair aside to touch her nose to her cheek. They had effectively and completely surrounded her. The only part of Poppy visible was the shock of her wine colored hair on the back of her head.
It was not often that the pack slept in a huddle. The cases were few and far between where they needed to either out of desperation in the cold, or to protect the young and vulnerable. It was not a gift they gave to many, but for her, for their Meyaah Liessa, they would do anything.
And as Poppy’s hand wove deeper into his fur, Kieran decided that the worst part was not that Cas was gone, the worst part was the feeling of Poppy’s body shaking against his. It was the quiet sound of her crying and the feeling of her tears against his neck.
Besties, I was reading a review for KOTC on Goodreads (don't judge me, I'm desperate.) and this is what I found:
The enemies-to-lovers trope in this story was impeccable. I’m talking about the one-bed trope, knife-to-throat trope, who-did-this-to-you trope… How did she manage to fit all of those scenarios in one book and make it work? I have no idea, but man, it did work.
one-bed, knife-to-throat trope AND who-did-this-to-you ?
MS KERRI, MA'AM. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE THIS BOOK?
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