It’s family dinner time at the River Estate. Everyone is at the table, and the conversation is flowing merrily. There is delicious beef stew, creamy mashed potatoes, there is horseradish sauce, and sauteed spinach with garlic and herbs. Rhys put out a few of his good bottles of wine and both Mor and Cassian are helping themselves unabashedly.
Nesta is feeding Nyx mashed potatoes and he is grabbing her fingers and the spoon, trying to hurry her up, his fat little hand banging on his high chair impatiently. He is grunting with utter pleasure. The mash is quite amazing and a delight to his 10-month old palate.
Everyone is at the table. They are laughing and joking and teasing each other as usual.
The only person missing is Azriel.
The wind is blowing outside and it’s cold, snow whipping against the windows.
Elain quietly disappeared into the kitchen, promising to bring another basket of dinner rolls. No one notices, since she and the twins usually serve dinner, and she comes and goes as she pleases. Besides, Azriel isn’t here to hold everyone back and make them wait until she is seated.
“Are you alright?”
Feyre’s been observing her sister for the past few minutes–her posture straight, almost like Nesta’s. Elain is dressed in a plain, but form-fitting velvet dress. Cobalt of course. She always seemed to be wearing something cobalt lately. Elain hadn’t noticed her sister’s scrutiny, which isn’t surprising. Elain’s been stationary and absorbed in looking out the window, peering into the darkness, lightly fingering the little rose necklace that she never took off.
“He’ll be home soon,” Feyre said gently, her voice quiet, as she grabbed the rolls and piled them into the basket.
Elain turns to her abruptly, ready to argue, looking to deny Feyre’s implication, but then she falls silent and smiles sadly, before turning back to the window and resuming her vigil.
…It’s late and Nyx’s been in bed for hours, having eaten all the mashed potatoes, a generous lashing of gravy, and custard for his dessert.
When Azriel materialises in the kitchen, silent and sodden and thoroughly exhausted, no one notices.
He stops and watches Elain, who is wearing his favourite colour. She turns to him and her smile lights up the kitchen. His world.
“I saved you a plate,” she says simply.
He knows.
She always does.
She always waits up for him.
They have to pretend.
Elain is savvy. She understands her role, her matehood, and how politics are tied into her compliance and obligation.
But it doesn’t stop her from waiting for the shadowsinger.
She sets a plate of beef stew in front of him, as he collapses heavily in the chair. He isn’t ready to go out there. He wants to be with her. He doesn’t want to see anyone. He wants to be with her.
There is a separate bowl piled with mashed potatoes. His favourite. She knows. She knows everything about him.
His wings droop on the floor and he doesn’t think that he has the strength to lift them. As he digs into his mash, savouring the first delectable bite of smooth, rich comfort, Elain kneels near his feet and gingerly gathers his wings, lifting them off the floor and places them on a bench behind him.
He smiled and thanks her silently.
She sits across from him and props her cheek, watching him eat.
“This is delicious,” he admits at last.
She serves him food all the time. Sometimes, she serves him food in front of her mate. She serves him food in front of Rhysand. In front of Eris. Once, she served him food in front of Beron, at a High Lord’s dinner.
…Rhysand wanted to speak with his spymaster. He knew that Azriel returned from him mission, having felt his presence in the house.
Elain sat by the fire, cradling Azriel’s head on her lap. The invincible shadowsinger slept soundly on the sofa, resting his weary head in her lap. Rhysand watched.
Title: Deadliest Nightshade, Chapter 1
Pairings: Feysand, Nessian, Elriel
Rating: This series will be very explicit. It’s a dark romance, reader be advised.
TW: Domestic violence (happens offscreen). Additional warnings will be added as the series continues.
Summary: Mafia AU. In an attempt to get their sister Feyre out an abusive relationship, Nesta and Elain Archeron plan to take out Tamlin, the violent head of the Spring Court mafia, an act setting off a chain of events that echoes through Prythian.
Rhys, the head of the Night Court mafia, doesn’t know who or what took out his biggest enemy, but in the interest of protecting his family from the fallout, he sets his best men on finding out who killed Tamlin and what happened to his missing girlfriend.
Relationships: Feyre Acheron x Rhysand, Elain Acheron x Azriel, Nesta Acheron x Cassian (this story is told from all six POVs)
Warnings: Fluff
Description: Feyre, Elain, and Nesta Acheron are popular YouTubers with their channel Sisters Three. One day they received requests for them to react to three brothers that have reacted to their own videos and it throws them into a whirlwind of new friendships and possibly a new romance. Will old flames come back to haunt them and how will people react to their new relationships with each other?
The garden was vibrant as always when Elain stepped out the backdoor to the porch. Azriel was cursing as their new puppy Shadow chased after him. Elain had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh as she watched. “Shadow, Shadow no! We didn’t come out here to play, you need to be house trained. So I need you to pee.” The little Belgian sheepdog was not having it though and kept jumping at Azriel’s legs trying to get him to play.
“Maybe he doesn’t need to pee, honey,” Elain said as she set her gardening tools down onto the back patio table.
“No, that's how he gets you,” Azriel said, pointing a finger at her. “The minute we step back inside he’s going to pee on the rug. Shadow, don't dig up the tulips! Your mother just planted those!”
Elain couldn’t contain her laughter anymore and Azriel looked over at her, the serious look on his face transforming into a smile at the sight of his fiance laughing. It had been three months since he had proposed in the greenhouse where they had once filmed a video together and she taught him how to replant a cactus. Buddy was thriving and Feyre had to paint a new post for him when he outgrew the other one.
“I’m sorry for laughing,” she said when she managed to catch her breath. “It’s just this is too cute. I think you’ve met your match at last.”
Azriel came over and wrapped his arms around her, “Met my match, huh? I will get this dog to stop peeing on that rug.”
She looped her arms around his neck, “I have no doubt of that, but I can still find it funny when you get flustered.”
“Mmhm I bet you do,” he brushed his nose against hers. “How about tonight we try getting Shadow crate trained and play a game of strip Mario Kart to see just how flustered I can get you.”
“Incorrigible,” she murmured.
“You love it,” he whispered, his lips lightly brushing her.
“I do,” she was melting into him as he tugged her closer.
Just when he was about to kiss her Shadow barked and they looked over to see that he proudly uprooted several flowers. Azriel let out a quiet curse and rushed over to pick Shadow up and carry him away from Elain’s flowers. As they passed her she heard Azriel saying, “Don’t do that, okay? Don’t ruin Mommy’s pretty flowers. We don’t want to upset her and ruin all her hard work. Now since you seem to have so much energy we’re going to go for a walk and maybe you’ll pee for me then.”
They disappeared into their house and Elain’s eyes went back to the tulips that her and Azriel’s puppy had just destroyed. She sighed and thought, I never much cared for those tulips anyway.
Azriel and Hunt were in the ring together just practicing. They had fights coming up soon and liked sparring with one another. Nuala and Cerridwen were outside the ring shouting out pointers. “I thought this was just an easy practice,” Hunt said to Azriel when Nuala and Cerridwen were distracted by someone coming over to discuss an upcoming rookie they wanted to get their hands on. His name was Ithan and they were excited about possibly recruiting him for more than one reason.
“Ha, I’ve known them for decades, easy isn’t in their vocabulary,” Azriel told him. “But they’re feeling a bit under pressure lately.”
“I’ve noticed that, I wonder what’s going on,” Hunt mused.
“I’m retiring,” Azriel announced, causing Hunt to falter. It had been something he had been thinking about since he won the title. Elain and he had been talking about it for a few weeks and he had decided it was time.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m a bit surprised,” Hunt admitted. “But I’m also happy for you, I know this can get tiring after a while.”
Azriel clapped Hunt on the back, “Thanks, man. It just felt like it was time. No one knows this yet but my last fight is next week. But you won’t be getting rid of me that easily because I’ll be coming here to help coach and train any and all new recruits.”
“Plus it’s not like we’re not going to see each other outside this place, did you hear our girls are already planning for Feyre’s art gallery opening a few months from now? Bryce has been going over to Feyre’s for weeks planning everything down to the last detail.”
Azriel was excited for his future sister-in-law, she had announced it at their Friday night dinner several weeks ago. He had seen the pride shining in Rhysand’s eyes as he watched her tell the news. It had been a year since the trial with Tamlin and Ianthe and things had calmed down tremendously. Sure they all still got the usual hate comments and there seemed to be more of Tamlin’s stans in the comments, but the block button had been invented for a reason and they used it as often as they needed.
Even the more ardent fans of his seemed to have calmed down with their hatred of Elain. Once he had put the engagement ring on his finger they figured out that she wasn’t going anywhere no matter what they said about her. He loved her and he wasn’t going to let the people that called themselves his fans ruin this for him.
“Elain is already working on getting the flowers. She’s calling every supplier she knows to get the best. At this point, I think they need to combine forces and create a party planning business. This city always has some kind of function going on and I think if this art gallery is a success - which I know it will be - then they’ll have people lining up to get their input and help.”
“Bryce would probably love that idea, I know she’s been having a lot of fun working on this with them. It’s nice seeing her come home so excited and happy. I know all the latest gossip and party ideas.”
“Are the two of you done with your own gossip session?” Cerridwen asked and they turned to see that she and Nuala had their arms crossed over their chests. “We need your fights to go well because word is that Ithan is considering us and Micah. I do not want to lose Ithan to Micah.”
Azriel and Hunt wasted no time getting back to their sparring session.
Shadow was resting in the corner of Elain’s flower shop chewing on a biscuit she had handed him. He was happily munching away as customers came in and out. Some of them greeted Shadow and his tail would wag happily when they did. It hadn’t been long since she had moved into the space and started her own business. While she loved her YouTube channel she wanted to branch out and start her own business. She and Azriel were beginning to branch out and want different things in their lives. The thought of leaving their safety nets had been daunting at first, but they knew they would be there for the other and that helped them take that final leap of faith.
The door opened and Nesta stepped inside the shop, her arms full of bags. “I’ve brought the stuff for Az’s retirement party on Saturday. Will your house be able to hold everyone?”
“It’s just us, Nuala, Cerridwen, Amren, Mor and Emerie, Bryce and Hunt, and Az said that Lucien was going to be flying back into town for the party as well with his new girlfriend Vassa.”
“Oh? Who is she?”
“I don’t know, she’s not in the entertainment industry as far as I’m aware. He met her while on location in Mexico, she was apparently there with some friends and he fell head over heels for her.”
Nesta snorted, “Never pictured Lucien as the head-over-heels type.”
“He can be romantic, he told me about his first love once. He doesn’t talk about her often because it hurts, and I think that’s why we’ve never seen him with anyone. I don’t think he ever thought he’d find someone again that he would fall for like he did her.” Elain remembered the day he had told her about Jesminda and how hard it had been for him to talk about her.
“Well it’ll be good to see him with someone and happy. I can already see his fans mourning the loss of single Lucien Vanserra though.”
“They’ll get over it eventually,” Elain said as she arranged some flowers into a vase. “They always do.”
Azriel’s last fight came and he knew his family was waiting in the front row for him to emerge from his locker room. He could already hear the crowd of people cheering, waiting for him and Tharion. The knock on the door signaled that he needed to go and for the last time, he walked down the hall and out into the ring. People clapped and cheered for him, no one knew yet that this was his last fight. He would announce that after he won or lost.
Tharion joined him and the match started. He and Tharion had faced off a few times before, he was one of the first people that Azriel had gone up against when he first started his MMA journey. It seemed only poetic that he was facing off against him now.
The match lasted for a good while, and Azriel lost but didn’t care. He had fun tonight and that was all that had mattered to him. Elain stepped up into the ring, everyone moving to the side to allow her to pass and she wrapped him in a hug. He had told her once that she could wait until he wasn’t so sweaty, but she had said she didn’t care. “Hello my love,” he murmured in her ear over the sounds of the crowd.
“I’m sorry you didn’t win,” she murmured back.
“It’s okay, I had fun nonetheless,” he responded.
Reporters came over and started asking him questions and when one reporter asked, “So what are you going to do to ensure you win your next match?”
Azriel simply smiled and said, “This was my last match. I’m retiring.”
The room fell into a hush and then more reporters crowded in and began asking him question after question about why he had decided to retire. He answered them all as quickly as he could, but Nuala and Cerridwen ushered him and Elain back down into the locker room area so that he could shower and get out of there.
Tharion was waiting in the tunnel and the two did the one-armed bro hug. “If I had known it was your last fight I would have gone easier on you,” Tharion teased.
Azriel chuckled, “That’s what I didn’t want. I just wanted this to be a match like any other and not with everyone hanging over me.”
“Understandable. It’s gonna be weird not seeing your name come up in fights anymore, but you’ve had a good run and I’m happy for you,” Tharion told him, a smile on his face. “Have a good rest of your evening, Az.”
“You too, Tharion,” he called after the other man.
He showered and changed and met Elain at his Charger. The others had already left and were headed back to their house to finish setting up for the party while they waited. In the car, Azriel was in the passenger seat watching Elain shift gears and weave through traffic. He didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky, but he loved that she was in his life. The drive was short; when they arrived back at their house, the lights were on, and they could see their friends moving around putting the finishing touches on whatever they had been working on.
Azriel went to get out, but Elain stopped him. He glanced back at her and she leaned in to kiss him. He ran his fingers through her hair and deepened the kiss. When she pulled back her thumb brushed against his lips and her eyes drifted up to his. “I’m really proud of you,” she said. “You know what you want and aren’t afraid of going after it. I know this decision wasn’t an easy one, and even if you hadn’t decided to retire I would have supported you no matter what. And I know that when you begin training the new recruits you’re going to be the best damn trainer ever, but don’t tell Nuala and Cerridwen that I said that.”
He kissed her and then said, “I would never dream of telling them.”
“I just wanted to tell you that before we headed in and everyone starts pulling us in a million different directions for the rest of the evening.” They got out of the car and walked into their home hand in hand.
Their friends and family cheered for Azriel and Elain noticed the sight of a slight blush creeping up Azriel’s cheeks. His brothers were the first to hug him followed by her sisters and then everyone else. He thanked them all for coming after a round of “speech!” went around the room. “It’s a bittersweet day, to be honest. I know that this is the right path for me, and I’m excited to start training new and young up-and-coming fighters, but I’m not going to lie I will miss it. But it means the world to me that all of you were there to support me tonight and have been there to support me. So thank you for being here and being a part of this journey with me.” He raised his glass in the air and the others joined him, their glasses clinking together.
Azriel and Elain made their rounds around the room, Shadow was trailing after Azriel for most of the night. Lucien brought Vassa over to meet Elain and they shared how they had met when she had been on the beach on one of his days off. She was taking pictures of some seagulls and watching the surfers and Lucien took a chance and went to talk to her. She was happy to see her friend smiling and laughing, hanging on Vassa’s every word.
Later that night after everyone had left and they had cleaned up the majority of the mess left behind they climbed the steps together and got ready for bed. Elain was the last to climb into bed, she had to move Shadow so that Azriel could wrap his arms around her, but he curled up in the crook of her legs. Azriel kissed her forehead and murmured a goodnight before he drifted off, the events of the day making him fall asleep faster. Elain laid awake for a moment watching his peaceful face before she nestled closer to him and tried to dream about what their future would look like.
An A Court of Thorns and Roses fanfiction. Elriel. Period AU. 19th Century.
Written alongside @snelbz .
Click here to read the summary and for more chapters!
A/N: Chapter 1 will be posted on Thursday, September 1!
T/W: None
Dear Elain,
I hope you are enjoying your time in Spring. I have no doubt that the gardens missed you in your absence, for you admire and befriend every flower you pass. I am writing to share my regret with you. When I saw you at Rhysand’s, I did not speak to you as I should have. There were many things left unsaid that should have been voiced, and those unspoken words have haunted me since you left Velaris once more.
I have missed you.
I have missed talking with you and laughing with you. I have missed the way your eyes light up when you smile and how you blush when you jest. I have missed our promenades and our turns about the ballroom. I miss how you look when the light hits you just right, although the image of such beauty has been imprinted in my mind.
I must confess that I have not been forthcoming about matters of the heart. Do you remember when we sat by the Sidra and you joked that we should just marry one another? For you, it was simple amusement but for me it was anything but. For a year now it has been all that I have thought of. Being your husband. At first, it was only a thought and nothing more but then I grew closer to you and that thought became something more, something that could possibly become reality.
Perhaps I am mad, but I thought you may have felt the same for me. That you could see yourself as my wife.
Then, at the wedding, our last conversation seemed to go horribly wrong. Perhaps I am to blame for that but I feel it may have been a miscommunication that had destroyed our friendship and whatever else there may have been between us. I do wish to make amends, to let you know that I still think of you every minute of every day.
Azriel set down his pen and read over what he had written thus far, every word forcing him to become more and more anxious. Elain did not want to speak with him. She had made that perfectly clear when he last saw her.
Why was he wasting his time writing to her when she would most likely not even open the letter once she sees that it is from him?
Pushing his chair back from his desk, Azriel snatched the parchment off his desk and walked to the fireplace where it soon went up in flames until there were no words left to taunt him.
He and Elain would never gain what they could have had and perhaps it was time for him to accept that.
✨If Azriel doesn't end up with Elain, the person who is with him will have to know that before there was a woman to whom he gave his most precious dagger for the first time, there was a woman who called his scars "beautiful" before she did, there was a woman for whom he risked his life without hesitation, there was a woman who gave him one of the best smiles of his life, there was a woman who could illuminate his shadows with her smile, there was a woman he saw and heard before her mate , there was a woman that he freed with his discovery and understanding,
there was a woman with whom he felt so much peace and tranquility to talk until 3 in the morning, there was a woman who gave him such an invaluable gift that he will always treasure in his bedside table, there was a woman he questioned the assertiveness of the cauldron, there was a woman that he needed so much to the point of not being able to sleep, there was a woman for whom he begged on his knees, there was a woman who was light in his darkness, there was a woman...
Hey! I was wondering if you could do something along the lines of either Rowaelin or Elorcan cuddling and rowan or lorcan being half asleep and not wanting to let go? I’ve been needing a serotonin kick lately❤️
I would love to ❤️❤️
Can’t Let You Move
word count: 729
warnings: absolutely none :)
@writtenonreceipts this is dedicated to you, I know nothing can really help, but I hope this little bit of Elorcan brings you a smile ❤️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elide Lochan loved her husband. She really did. Even when he was laying directly atop her legs, which had definitely fallen asleep under all six-foot-five, 240 pounds of muscled man that was Lorcan Salvaterre.
He’d come home from work exhausted, she could tell by the way his shoulders slumped and the darkness smeared under his eyes, so the first thing she’d done when he poked his head into the living room was to roll up onto her toes and plant a gentle kiss on his lips. He tipped his head down to meet her, since he was a good foot and more taller, leaning gratefully into his petite wife’s caress.
“Hungry?” she asked.
“Not really.” Even his voice was thick with exhaustion.
“Okay.” She kissed him again. “Don’t fall asleep in the shower, Lor.”
“I’ll try.” He threw her a tiny little hint of a smile as he headed for the master bedroom.
Some twenty minutes later, he’d thudded back downstairs, showered and wearing only a pair of boxers, and flopped down onto the dark gray sectional couch, plopping his damp head in Elide’s lap. “What’s on the trashy watch list tonight?”
She snickered. Ever since they’d started dating, they’d had a watch list on their Netflix that was just the most mindless reality shows, which they loved to turn on after a long day so they could have themselves a good laugh. “Bachelor reruns.”
“Fuck yeah.” Lorcan winked up at her. “Nothing like twenty tipsy blondes to make ya laugh, babe.”
“Just what I ordered,” she grinned, stroking her fingers through his hair. She swore the man actually purred at the gesture, the low rumble deep in his throat warming her to her bones.
Lorcan shifted so his head was up against her chest, much of his weight draped over her legs, careful to keep away from her bad ankle, and wrapped his arms around her waist, thumbs rubbing patterns against her spine. He snorted and scoffed his way through about the first fifteen minutes of the episode, his little sarcastic noises gradually trailing off as he closed his eyes and snuggled with his wife. Who was all too willing to indulge him with cuddles, her delicate hands stroking up and down his back, nails scratching against his scalp as she trailed her fingers through his hair.
They’d let the screen go dark after the episode was over, content to just bask in each other’s presence. Elide knew her legs had fallen asleep, and she was pretty sure her husband had, too, judging from the way his breathing was slow and even as it fanned across her skin. A soft smile curved her lips as she kept petting his dark head, gingerly trying to shift her legs so they’d wake up.
Lorcan’s arms flexed around her waist. “Mmmphhhno,” he mumbled, clearly awake enough to not want to move.
Elide giggled softly. “Doesn’t bed sound a lot more comfy, babe?”
“Can’t let you move,” he returned, his eyes cracking partially open to wink sleepily up at her.
“Well, your back’s gonna give you grief if you sleep out on the couch,” she mused.
He grumbled something incoherent. “Don’t wanna move. Stay, babe.”
She grinned, growing more tired by the minute herself. “I gotta wake up my legs, Lor.”
He mumbled something she chose not to hear and reluctantly sat up, letting her swing her legs off the couch and stand up, shaking out her limbs. “Don’t wanna have to climb the stairs,” he protested as she tugged on his hands.
“I can’t give you a piggyback, you’re too tall,” was her deadpan response. “C’mon, babe. Get upstairs into bed and I’ll let you be the little spoon.”
Well, that was one way to get him moving.
Once Elide came to bed, dressed in her cozy pajamas that consisted of a pair of old sleep shorts and one of Lorcan’s t-shirts, it barely took him sixty seconds before he’d burrowed into her warmth, his muscles shifting as he settled into the cocoon of her arms, once again hugging her close and resting his head in the crook of her shoulder. And he tumbled into sleep content in his wife’s arms, the exhaustion of the day fading away beneath her touch.
God, if any of the guys found out he was such a sap, he’d never hear the end of it.
Relationships: Garden Shop Owner!Elain Archeron x DILF!Azriel
Word Count: 2.7K
Warnings: Fluff, probably light angst, age gap (15 years), swearing, and fade to black
Description: Single father Azriel and his daughter Rose always visit the garden shop Once Upon a Rose every Friday after school. Rose goes because she loves gardening but more importantly she loves the owner, Elain Archeron. And can Azriel tell you a secret? He’s pretty sure he’s in love with her too.
A/N: There will only be two more chapters I believe. I'm going to have one more regular chapter and then an epilogue. I'm honestly not ready for this series to end, but I'm going to let people requests stories they'd like to see set in the Once Upon a Rose series. They'll be extras so you could request Az and Elain's wedding day, maybe something with Cassian and Nesta, or Rhys and Feyre. I like doing extra content for series that maybe couldn't be included in the series because it wasn't important enough to the plot and I don't mind requests for stuff like that. So if you have an idea please feel free to send it in and I'll get to it as quickly as I can.
“I was thinking you could come over one day next week for dinner,” Azriel said as he leaned on the counter of her shop. He had been dropping by almost every morning that he could since her birthday a few weeks back. They had been on a handful of dates since then and talking on the phone every night after Rose went to bed. “We could come clean to Rose then and I can stop this awful charade of pretending like you’re still just an acquaintance every time I set foot in here with Rose.”
It had been hard keeping things from Rose, whenever they came in all Elain wanted to do after greeting Rose was give Azriel a quick kiss on the cheek. “That sounds good,” Elain said as she leaned in close to him. “I’ll be glad when this is all out in the open with her.”
“Me too,” he murmured as he leaned in closer to kiss her, but just before their lips could meet the door to the shop practically slammed open and they jumped apart in surprise.
Standing in the doorway was Elain’s youngest sister Feyre. “Well, this isn’t what I was expecting to walk in on.”
Elain let out an excited squeal and rushed around to practically tackle her sister in a bear hug. “When did you get home?!”
“Yesterday, I wanted to surprise you,” her sister said as she squeezed Elain back. “Are you going to introduce me to Mr. Tall and Handsome,” she whispered conspiratorially in her sister’s ear causing Azriel to chuckle.
“Az, I’d like you to meet my youngest sister Feyre,” she said and Azriel stuck his hand out for Feyre to shake.
Feyre paused and took a moment to really study him which had Elain giving her sister a look. “Wait, aren’t you Rhysand’s brother?”
Realization dawned on Azriel’s face, “How did I not put two and two together?”
Elain waved her hands, “You mean to tell me that your boyfriend and my boyfriend are brothers?”
“Small world,” Feyre said with a laugh. “But how did the two of you not put it together sooner?”
“Probably just too lost in our own little bubbles, you were traveling and this is still so new for us. Nesta hasn’t even met him yet,” Elain said.
Feyre’s grin turned slightly devious, “Oh I can’t wait to hold this over her.”
“Please don’t,” Elain begged.
Feyre ignored her sister and forged on, “Well this kills two birds with one stone. Rhys and I are going to host a dinner this Friday as a way to see everyone we love and just have a family and friends night. I was coming to invite Elain, but since you’re here too Azriel can y’all make it? I’m also extending the invite to your daughter Azriel, Rhysand wants to see her and I want to meet her.”
“We’ll be there,” Azriel confirmed. “But if we could keep Elain and I being a couple on the down low for now that would be much appreciated. We’re going to tell her next week at dinner.”
“Of course! I’ll make sure to tell Rhys so he doesn’t spill the beans,” Feyre said. “Well I need to go track down Nesta, I’ll see you Friday Azriel. Elain, I want a girls' night tomorrow with you and Nesta before the dinner.”
“That’ll be fine,” she told her sister. “I’m glad you’re home!”
Feyre waved goodbye and left Elain and Azriel standing there letting what they had just learned sink in. “I still don’t know how we didn’t figure out that your sister and my brother were dating sooner.”
Elain snorted and went back to her position behind the counter, “Probably because we’re still in the newness phase of our relationship and to be fair you tend to call him Rhys which isn’t that uncommon, now if you had said Rhysand then yeah I probably would have known.”
“But Feyre, I should have known instantly,” he shook his head.
“Well we know now and this gives us an excuse to see one another for a little while and for me to see Rose again,” Elain smiled brightly at him.
“She’ll be happy to see you too,” he told her. He glanced at his watch and said, “I need to head out now, but I’ll talk to you this evening.”
Left alone in her shop Elain thought over how the dinner on Friday was going to go. She’d be meeting Azriel’s family for the first time and he would be meeting her other sister as well. It would be harder too since Rose would be there and she couldn’t exactly lean on Azriel for support as she met his family. Clearly, they knew about her, so this first meeting would be interesting to say the least.
Nesta came over with takeout while Feyre brought some wine she had gotten while in Italy. They had popped the cork and let the wine flow until they were giggling and talking about anything and everything. Nesta was holding her glass close to her chest as she said, “I can’t believe my sisters are in relationships while I’m over here working my ass off all the time. When am I going to meet a nice guy?”
“Get on that app that Elain was on!” Feyre said, her cheeks red and she had her head on Elain’s lap as her sister stroked her hair. “She had some luck.”
“Only because I knew him already,” Elain clarified. “I mean I’ve had a crush on the man for two years now!”
Nesta whined and downed the rest of her drink, “The last guy I went out with was Eris and he had been egotistical and not that great in bed.” That made her sisters begin to laugh and she tossed a pillow at them. “Don’t laugh at my misery!”
“Rhys and Azriel have another brother,” Feyre said, a gleam in her eyes. “What if we try and set the two of you up?”
Nesta considered that for a moment, “Is he hot?”
Feyre scrambled for her phone and pulled up Cassian’s Instagram, “He’s a local bartender, owns the bar, and also coaches basketball at the high school.”
Nesta looked through the photos, “Oh my God, he has tattoos too. Those are my weakness.”
“Az has them too,” Elain spoke up. “I’d never seen them before, so imagine my surprise when my hot, nerdy professor comes up to me with tattoos.” She fanned herself, “I think he became ten times sexier.” There were more giggles from the sisters. “Imagine if we all wind up with the brothers, wouldn’t that be something?”
“At least we know our husbands would like one another,” Feyre teased. “I really love Rhys,” her voice had become a tad bit quieter, taking on a more somber note. “He’s so kind and gentle with me. When we were in Italy he took me to Capri and one night we just stood on the beach and watched the stars. There were no parties, no drinking, nothing wild and crazy. He just wanted to spend time with me on a quiet beach watching the stars.”
Nesta and Elain shared a look, their hearts clenching. They could still hear the breaking glass as Tamlin tried to keep their sister from leaving. “I’m glad he’s treating you right,” Nesta said. “And that the two of you are so happy.”
Feyre nodded and swallowed around a lump in her throat. “I can’t wait for you to meet him. I’m a bit nervous too because it’ll be the first time I’m meeting the rest of his family outside of Azriel and Mor.”
“Hold on,” Nesta pointed a finger at Feyre. “You’ve met Azriel?!” Then she looked at Elain who groan, “When did she meet Azriel?!”
“Technically it was an accident,” Elain started but Feyre had to cut in.
“I’m just the favorite sister, I supposed,” she teased cheekily.
Nesta was leaping up and Feyre let out a little screech as she darted away from her elder sister. Elain watched as Nesta chased Feyre around the living room as Feyre barely managed to escape. Both sisters were laughing though and when Nesta caught Feyre around the waist she began tickling her. “Take it back!”
“Never!” Feyre shouted defiantly.
“She loves us equally!”
“Girls!” Elain shouted as she tried not to laugh. “Behave yourselves.” Feyre and Nesta stopped to look at Elain, a gleam in their eyes as they grinned at one another. Elain knew what had passed between them and said, “Don’t you dare.”
But they didn’t listen as they descended upon her and started torturing her with tickles. They all laughed until their sides began to hurt and they collapsed onto the couch together. It had been so long since they had let themselves be free like that and it felt good. They stayed on the couch for the rest of the evening, falling asleep next to one another.
When Friday night rolled around Elain and Azriel had decided to forgo their usual Friday routine since Elain had to get ready. She heard from Azriel that Rose was very disappointed about this, and that he hadn’t told her that Elain would be at the dinner tonight. He had wanted Elain’s presence to be a surprise. Elain had closed at half day so she could go home and have time to shower and do her makeup before Nesta came to pick her up.
Around four was when Nesta arrived and they followed the directions that Feyre had sent them to Rhysand’s house. They found that they were not the firsts to arrive and Elain noted Azriel’s car next to her sister’s. Together they got out and headed up to the front door, it opened immediately and Azriel appeared. “Rose is being distracted by Mor and her wife Emerie at the moment,” he said as he greeted them. “I’m Azriel, you must be Nesta. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too,” she smiled politely. “I’ll give you a moment because I know the two of you have to act like you aren’t anything other than acquaintances tonight.” She stepped inside and softly closed the door behind her.
Azriel wasted no time and kissed Elain, dipping her backward and then righting her. “I kinda wish I’d gotten a babysitter for Rose,” he murmured. “It’s going to be hard keeping my hands to myself.”
Elain grinned, “Just a little while longer.”
“I know,” he kissed her again. “Okay, I don’t want to linger any longer. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
They opened the door and Azriel led them down a hall toward a great room where everyone was already gathered and laughing. Rose’s eyes landed on Elain and she squirmed off the lap of a beautiful blonde woman. “Ellie!” Elain bent and scooped the little girl into her arms. “What’re you doing here?”
“You’ve met Feyre, right?” Rose nodded. “She’s my younger sister.”
The little girl’s eyes filled with understanding and then she turned to Azriel who was trying not to give them heart eyes. “Daddy, did you know?”
He chuckled, “I did, sweet pea. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
The little girl appeared to be deciding whether or not she should be upset with her father or not, or be happy that she wasn’t missing the chance to see Elain on Friday as per usual even if it was a little unconventional. “I forgive you,” she said decidedly and a round of chuckles passed through the room.
Elain made her rounds around the room saying hellos and greetings to those she didn’t know. Rhysand was friendly and kind, Elain immediately liked him and had a gut feeling that he would be good for her sister. Cassian was just as handsome in person as his photos had been and noticed that he gravitated toward Nesta who was trying to act as if she hadn’t been secretly checking him out.
“Ellie,” Rose’s voice brought her back to the little girl in her arms.
“Yeah, blossom?”
“Since your sister is dating my uncle, does this mean I’ll get to see you more?”
“It does,” she confirmed, holding Rose a bit tighter. “No more waiting for Fridays, if there’s a gathering like this and I’m invited it means we’ll get to spend time together.”
Rose rested her head on Elain’s shoulder and said, “Good.”
Azriel and Elain’s eyes met and he smiled at them before discreetly taking a photo. The others watched the interaction with curiosity but didn’t comment. Dinner was served ten minutes later and stories were passed around about everyone. Laughter filled the dining room and Elain’s cheeks hurt from how much she had been smiling. It was amazing how quickly they had all begun to click with one another and Elain didn’t miss how Nesta and Cassian seemed to be gravitating closer as the evening progressed.
After dinner Rose became sleepy and Azriel took her up to the guest room that doubled as Rose’s room when she stayed with her uncle. Azriel came downstairs and immediately attached himself to Elain’s side as the adults began talking. His thumb stroked her arm and her head rested on his shoulder. She and Nesta were going to have to go soon, but she wanted to savor the moment for a little while longer.
As they were preparing to leave Azriel stopped her in the hall, “Would you like to come home with me tonight? Rose is staying here because Rhysand wanted to spend more time with her so we’ll have the place to ourselves and I don’t have to pick Rose up until tomorrow afternoon.”
She agreed and went to tell her sister to head on out without her. Then she headed out with Azriel, his hand resting on her leg as he drove them to his house. When they arrived at his home they spent the evening making love and talking about their future and what it could look like. Azriel couldn’t picture his life without Elain in it anymore. He was excited about where they could go from here and was even more excited to let Rose in on their secret. Azriel wanted more nights with Elain in his arms.
In the morning he let her sleep as he snuck out of bed as carefully as he could and started making breakfast. He was scrambling the eggs when he felt her arms wrap around him and he noted that she was wearing one of his teaching shirts. After he told her good morning she got to work helping him set the table even though he told her that she didn’t have to. The scene was all very domestic and he liked it a lot. Rose called in the middle of breakfast and he spoke to her for a few minutes and told her he would be there to pick her up in a little while.
When he was off the phone with his daughter he looked at Elain and said. “Do you want to tell her tonight?”
Elain nodded, “I don’t think I can wait any longer. I can go home and shower and come back here before you return.”
He cleared their plates and drove Elain home. When they pulled into her driveway he handed her the spare key. “I’ll head over there in about thirty minutes and I’ll stall as long as I can. Text me when you get back.” Then he kissed her cheek and made sure she made it inside before pulling out and heading to Rhysand’s.
The connections between Elain, Azriel, and the Cauldron.
When we are first getting to know Azriel, Rhys tells us this.
“Perhaps the shadowsinger gift had come to him then, perhaps he’d taught himself the language of shadow and wind and stone”
This tells us exactly what Azriel’s shadowsinging ability (gift) is. It’s the understanding and use of a language not heard by the average person. Azriel can hear and sense things others cannot. In Hyburn, he hears a heartbeat from the cauldron. We even get the like calls to like line here as well.
Shortly after Elain is turned fae, we get these comments from her.
Elain hears a heartbeat through the stone. Is it the cauldrons heartbeat, Azriel’s? The text hints right away that it is probably not Lucien’s. But who hears Elain, understands what she is going through? Azriel.
Now we have established that both Elain and Azriel have heard some sort of heartbeat/things others cannot. Fast forward to Elain’s abduction by the cauldron. What lures her out? A song from the cauldron most others cannot hear. And as soon as the song ends, Azriel is asking about Elain.
Now, lets look at this rescue. First thing that jumps out is the use of heart/heartbeat references. Here are a few…paying special attention to how the power from Azriel’s siphon is described.
Also during the rescue, Feyre wonders if the Cauldron trapped Elain in an in-between. Is this the murky realm Elain can find herself in on her own? Who do we know that can go to the space between places? Azriel. Who pulls her from her "murky realm"? Azriel.
During the rescue, Feyre also notes the Cauldron devouring light. What else does this consistently? Truth Teller. The blade only Azriel and Elain have used. Here is a post with even more Elain/Az/TT light devouring imagery.
And Lastly, if we take the very first thing we hear about Azriel literally. It fits with what Feyre describes Hyburns war camp to be, while Elain is there, Azriel going after her.
It may be that Sing Me is not actual singing, but a shared ability, a desire to be understood, seen, heard. Can Elain and Azriel hear each other's hearts? A song, if you will? Are their seemingly shared and complementary gifts indicative of a bond, or something even deeper?
Apologies that this is late to the game. I'd meant to have this modern AU fic properly finished as a one shot for Day 4 (Bat Boys), then Day 7 (Free Day), of @azrielweek2022, but last week coincided with a lot of our moving preparations. That insanity took over my life, understandably, so here it is now, but in the form of a headcanon, instead. I'm sorry, I know it's not my best effort, but I'm currently so exhausted that I fell asleep at 6pm last night and slept for 12 straight hours, so... 🥱🥱🥱
Please enjoy the unedited fluff and nonsense.
While at university, all three of the bat bros lived together while in appropriately different fields (Rhys studied an arts-law double major, Azriel studied software engineering with a minor in robotics, and Cassian studied secondary education with the goal of teaching PE and bio).
To celebrate the end of their year as JAFFYs, Cassian and Rhys bought a home brew kit and set it up in the dining room of their share house.
Azriel, who was a year ahead, just rolled his eyes and sighed. Rhys and Cassian could get chaotic.
After their final exams, the three of them made their first attempt at a basic ale. Reader, it was barely tolerable (and entirely messy), though their friends didn't much care; it was still free beer, and it "did the job."
Their second attempt was marginally better.
It wasn't until their third go round that they had something they would call both functional and enjoyable.
By the end of Azriel's third - and Rhys and Cassian's second - year, they had a solid ale and lager, and were almost there with a stout.
By the time Azriel was graduating, at the end of Rhys and Cassian's third year, it was so good that they were proud to serve it to their friends.
Rhys' girlfriend, one Feyre Archeron, a first year fine arts student who was the youngest sister of his law classmate, Nesta, had even designed a logo for the three of them. Thanks to their years on the high school football team, they called themselves the bats, and Feyre had grown up obsessed with the TV show Charmed, so... 🦇³ it was.
A decade passed them by, and they had all settled down, both into relationships and careers. Azriel worked in the tech industry, as did most who completed his degree, for a moderately sized company.
Feyre and Rhys had married young, followed by Azriel and the middle Archeron sister, Elain (a botanist) two years later. Azriel and Elain had met when Feyre brought Rhys (and Cass and Az) home for dinner with her sisters, who were attempting to mend bridges after their rough childhood. Nesta and Cassian then proceeded to drag out an almost decade-long battle of wits that had finally ended with a hook up at age 29. After that, they were as inseparable as their siblings, though not married. They joked that it would be another ten years before "any of that," or, to call it even, they'd probably marry by 40.
At approximately the seven year mark after graduation, Azriel, Cassian and Rhys were all getting a little frustrated with their careers, as they could feel themselves stagnating. By the ten year mark, they had decided to actually do something about it: turn the Bat Bros Brewery into a legitimate business.
Over the preceding years, they'd taken quite a few short courses in home brewing, not to mention they'd discovered that Elain, an avid cook, had an amazing palate for beers and cider in addition to food. Their brews were, in short, pretty damn good, so they began to run a stall at the local farmers' market on the weekends.
The first weekend all of their friends and families came out to support them - they highly suspected that Rhys' cousin, Mor, had a thing or two to do with that - and everyone had a blast. The second weekend was a bit of a let down, and they were worried about beginner's luck, but business picked up a bit in week three, and slowly but steadily continued to improve.
Not quite two years into this endeavour, the boys taking it in turns to run the stall each weekend, or sometimes running stalls at bigger festivals after they'd made a name for 🦇³, the co-owner of a local gastro pub got in contact with them and said that she and her sister would love to stock Bat Bros Beer on tap.
It took some time to ramp up production in their small, rented brewery space - and they tentatively began to look at larger facilities, just in case - but eventually, 🦇³ ale and lager were on tap at The Wolf and Shadow, with their stout and cider to both follow in autumn, if sales were as good as they hoped.
Nuala and her twin sister, Cerridwen, were so pleased with the popularity of the Bat Bros Beer that they could hardly wait for the new stock to arrive, and they began to negotiate for a Wolf and Shadow special brew.
By the end of that school year, Az, Cass and Rhys - along with Elain, Nesta and Feyre - realised that they could no longer treat BBB as a part time venture. With their families on top of two essentially full time jobs, it was too much, and something had to give; Cassian quit his job at the local high school, and Rhys and Az left their positions, too.
Their collective experiences weren't for nothing, though. Bat Bros Brewery boasted one hell of a website, to say the least.
As the school year ended, they found themselves moving into a much larger building that they fitted out with just enough equipment to get them started, and plenty of space left over to expand as they (hopefully) needed.
Everything progressed so well that, by the next December, other local pubs and restaurants were also clamouring to stock 🦇³ products.
The boys were very pleased that they didn't have to slink back to their old jobs with their proverbial tails between their legs.
Feyre, Elain and Nesta were glad that their partners were being professionally fulfilled once more.
By the ages of 38, 37 and 37, Azriel, Cassian and Rhys were happier than ever. In addition to their brewery, Azriel and Rhys had Elain and Feyre respectively, and a hoard of kids (or "batlets") between them. Nesta had proposed to Cassian on his 37th birthday, and they were "happily engaged."
You know those couples who get engaged and stay that way forever? Cassian and Nesta were beginning to appear that way until, one Autumn day, they invited their siblings, nieces and nephews to the park for a picnic.
Well, surprise, it was their wedding!
Nesta's good friend Gwyn was officiating, and Emerie, the other member of their inseperable trio, had returned early from her trip home to Illyria when Nesta had asked (because Nesta had never asked for anything like that before).
It was the most spectacular, Pinterest worthy autumnal wedding that anyone could have imagined. Elain was overjoyed that her spiced apple cider cake (made with 🦇³ apple cider, of course) was THE wedding cake; Feyre took the photos (and thank god she'd gone back for her tripod, after all).
At the end of the day, Nesta and Cassian handed out thank you cards that said the "three" of them were so glad everyone made it.
Feyre, the first to open hers, actually screamed. Mor followed suit no more than a second later, as Elain laughed her joy.
Azriel just raised his eyebrow at the commotion, at which point Elain gave him her card to read.
A giant smile bloomed on Az's face as he and Rhys tackled Cassian in a hug.
I loved your take and the Rowan POV on that QoS reunion scene, but I've always wanted to see Aedion's POV on that too. Because you know he would be fangirling on the inside over Rowan lol
thank you so much ❤️
and here you go!
The QOS Reunion: Aedion POV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aedion hadn't exactly wanted to follow Aelin and Nesryn Faliq and Westfall out into the streets of Rifthold at night, but when one's cousin and queen gave an order, one did not refuse. Which led him and his cousin and the other two to this random alley in the middle of the sketchier part of the city for gods (and Aelin) only knew what reason.
His demi-Fae ears pricked as the silence of the night was broken by the soft scuff of a boot over the cobbles, his posture going tense. “Don’t move,” he hissed to Aelin, “Think I heard someone.”
Aelin turned without moving her feet, one hand creeping to the knife sheathed at her waist. “Where?”
“Down at--” Aedion’s words died in his throat.
For there was a broad male figure at the other end of the alley, cloak and hood and darkness obscuring his features, and he was decidedly approaching them.
Aelin’s eyes widened as she watched the figure, her nose flaring as if she was trying to yank her Fae senses out. Just then, like it knew what she was trying to do, the wind shifted, a soft breeze blowing down the alley towards them, carrying the scent of snow and pine and mountain breezes and...embers? Aedion’s brow furrowed as he tested the scent. Male. Definitely male. And a powerful one at that. And...
And Aelin was sprinting down the alley, a choked sob escaping her, and flinging herself at the stranger, who caught her effortlessly.
The male’s hood slipped back as he swept Aelin into his arms, the dim lamplight playing over his features and revealing tanned skin ornamented with stark black ink, what looked to be characters of the Old Language etched onto the side of the male’s face and spilling down his neck, disappearing into his shirt. Aedion’s eyes narrowed as he watched his cousin embrace the male, catching a whiff of her shock, her joy, and...
Holy shit.
Her scent lingered within his.
Somehow, in some way, Aelin was bound with this male. Which meant...
Holy rutting gods.
Aedion was going to pass out.
Because that was Rowan Whitethorn standing in the alley, clinging to Aelin like she was his life force. Rowan Whitethorn, pure-blooded Fae warrior of Doranelle and a walking, breathing legend. Rowan rutting Whitethorn, in the flesh, a page of Aedion’s storybooks come to life right in front of his incredulous eyes.
“Who...” The question came from one of the two others with Aedion.
“Rowan,” Aedion whispered. “That’s Rowan.”
He may have spoken the words, but he was half convinced he was dreaming, that Rowan Whitethorn couldn’t possibly be in Rifthold, couldn’t possibly be holding Aelin, couldn’t possibly have somehow bound himself to her. Their bond, from what Aedion’s senses could tell, wasn’t as deeply entrenched as a mating bond--yet--but...it was deeper than purely emotional. Something had been exchanged between them.
He scented them again as Rowan let Aelin stand on her own feet, lacing his fingers with hers, tears shining in Aelin’s eyes. And he caught...
Gods.
He’d scented a blood bond.
Questions crashed through his mind--did she give the blood oath to another? Did she take Whitethorn’s blood? Why a blood bond?--but he forced them down as Aelin approached, beaming like it was the first day of her life, bringing the warrior prince over to meet her cousin and her guards. .
Aedion felt like he was about to faint as Rowan Whitethorn, Prince of Doranelle and legendary Fae warrior, scanned him, his eyes alert, a little wary, always flicking back towards Aelin like he couldn’t believe she was here, at his side, holding his hand.
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