#CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ELIDE | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lucienarcheron · 1 year ago

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Boner for You [Elorcan]

Prompt: Fake Dating College AU where Lorcan just wants Elide to be his girlfriend for a party and Elide wants to pretend she isn’t thrilled about it. |

Genre: Fluff/Humor Rating: SFW despite the title lol. Recommended listen: Born by OneRepublic Author’s note: Inspired by this gifset here. I saw it and it screamed Elorcan. I just had to find a way to fit it in and what better way than fake dating?

She stood scowling, rooted in her spot.

If it was up to her, she would stay rooted to this spot forever rather than step into that frat party and have to embarrass herself for him.

Elide’s eyes shifted up to glare at Lorcan who was glancing down at her with a smirk.

“Scared?”

“No.” she scoffed. “More annoyed with myself for letting you put me in this position.”

He grinned at her and brought an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closely into him. “Now now, you agreed on your own. All I did was ask.”

“Desperately.” Elide gritted out and his grin widened. “You asked very desperately.”

“And then you agreed to come to this party with me.” He said, leaning down to meet her gaze. His smile was wicked and Elide wanted to reach up and choke him. “You agreed to come with me to the party and be my girlfriend so that my ex would leave me alone.”

“Pretend. I am pretending to be your girlfriend.” Elide emphasized then pointed at him with narrowed eyes. ��And what if your crazy ex-girlfriend decides to turn her crazy on me, hm? What happens then?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you, kitten.” he replied, his voice low and he playfully tried to bite her finger which she retracted immediately with a growl.

“I’m not your kitten. Don’t call me that.”

“I didn’t say my kitten but I see how you like the possessiveness of the term.” he replied, grinning at her and she scowled again. “I’ll make sure to call you that in front of people so that they know what my girlfriend likes.”

“I’m going to punch you in the face if you don’t stop.”

“You can’t reach my face, kitten.”

Elide pulled away from his arm and used every bit of strength she had to yank him down by the front of his shirt until they were inches apart.

“Yes, I can.” she replied, glaring. “Don’t push your damn luck, Salvaterre.”

“Feisty. I’m hella turned on right now.” he said, grinning obnoxiously and Elide nearly did punched him right then and there.

“Lorcan.”

“Elide.”

“I hate you.”

“Yet, you’re still here.”

Elide groaned and shot him another glare then pointedly gestured towards the door. “Let’s get this over with, you giant barbarian.”

It had been so stupid of her. So stupid.

Did she know that this would happen when she agreed to tutor his stupid ass in their Calculus course? No.

Did she think she would start crushing on this giant jock with a handsome face and really nice body while she was tutoring him? Definitely not.

Despite how annoying he was now, Lorcan was actually a good student. So when he spent the majority of their last lesson completely zoned out, she snapped at him until he confessed. He had caught her completely off guard when he asked her to go with him to a party that Fenrys was hosting. She had gotten invited alongside all her friends but hadn’t planned on going — she had even forgotten about the whole thing, until he asked.

It had taken every ounce of willpower in her not to blush and not to get too happy about it.

-Two days ago-

“Why?”

“Why what?” he had asked her confused.

“Why are you asking me?”

He shrugged. “I need someone to play my girlfriend for the party.”

“And you thought of me?”

“Yeah.” he had replied. “You’re smart and hot. Plus you're tiny and it makes me look bigger than I already am.”

Her expression flattened. “So you want me to go with you because I help inflate your ego?”

“Yup.” he smirked.

She squinted at him then said, “No.”

“Come on,” he insisted, attempting a pleading look. “I know your friends are going and it’ll be fun.”

“You think I want my friends to see me pretending to be your girlfriend?”

“They’d love it.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“What if I told you it was because my ex was there and I really don’t want to deal with her?” he asked and Elide pursed her lips at what seemed to be a genuine expression. As if Lorcan Salvaterre couldn’t handle his ex-girlfriend.

“So you want me to play buffer between you and your ex?”

“No. When she sees you with me, she won’t approach at all.”

Elide snorted. “I doubt Maeve will be intimidated by me at all, if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

“Oh, Maeve will never see you coming. She’ll be too shocked.” Lorcan replied with a small smile.

“Shocked that you’ll stoop low enough to date a girl like me?” she asked, glowering at him.

“Shocked that a beautiful, smart girl like you would even look at a guy like me.” he corrected with a grin and Elide had wanted to punch herself for blushing.

“Well...there’s so much of you, you’re not exactly hard to miss.” she muttered, intensely gazing at her textbook. “Giant beefcake.”

Lorcan burst out laughing at that and Elide shot him a dirty look.

“If you haven’t already put that as my name on your contact list, please change it to that.” he said after it took him a few minutes to calm himself in which Elide thought of multiple ways to stab him to death with her pencil.

“I already have you down as ‘Annoying asshole’. I think it suits you better.” she huffed and he smirked at her.

“Fair enough.” he had replied, leaning closer to her. “So will you go with me? I’d be honored to have you as my pretend girlfriend.”

After a few moments of silence, she had finally agreed, on the condition that no intimate gestures would take place.

He laughed for another ten minutes at that and then Elide almost really did stab him with her pencil.

Currently, Elide wished she had stabbed him just to avoid stepping into this jungle.

Music was blaring, people were drunk all over the place, not to mention all over each other. Elide grimaced slightly. Lorcan’s gaze fell on her expression and he smirked before turning back to face the hallway, maneuvering them through the bodies.

“So which room do you want to start in first?”

“We will not be going into any rooms at all.” she snarled. “Open spaces only.”

Lorcan turned suddenly, causing Elide to crash into him. She staggered for a moment but Lorcan’s arm easily came around her waist, holding her tight against his chest. “Why? You’ve been in a room alone with me before, Elide.”

“That was the library. We’re never really alone in there.” she said, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him with flushed cheeks. “I already told you no funny business!”

Lorcan laughed and brought his face down to the crook of her neck, nuzzling his nose there before moving to her ear and speaking quietly, “Trust me, Elide. Business between us would be anything but funny.”

Her whole body heated at his words as he pulled away with another one of his wicked smiles and Elide let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding.

“You giant animal.” she hissed and he snickered.

“You know kitten, you keep mentioning how much of a giant I am.” he purred. “I’m starting to think you’re hella attracted to how much of me there is. You like that I dwarf you, don’t you?”

Elide could almost feel the steam coming out of her ears as she glared at him but he only laughed and winked at her.

She wanted to run at him and pound his face in. Elide was well aware he was making fun of her and yeah she was attracted to him because he was really handsome. And tall. And beefy. She did like that he dwarfed her. In her low moments, she often wondered what it would be like to actually have his giant body on hers.

Despite how annoying he was, she had to admit, he had charmed her in one way or another. The time they spent together working on calculus was ridiculous and he infuriated her to no end. But then he also brought her a cup of coffee and a snack for every tutoring session. He pissed her off but he made her laugh too. Lorcan was nice to her, even when he was being annoying.

Sighing, she followed him. Elide would play his girlfriend. Maybe she’d enjoy it. In fact, maybe she’d be the one to surprise him. With a determined expression on her face, she followed where Lorcan was now heading towards his friends.

What Elide didn’t know was that Lorcan was giddy as hell on the inside. He had taken a risk asking her that day but he’ll be damned if he didn’t at least try with her. This wasn’t about Maeve at all. That bitch wasn’t even at the party but Lorcan was willing to use her as an excuse if only to get Elide to come with him. Tutoring had been the first excuse so he could get her number. He was crushing on this tiny girl so badly, it made Lorcan want to dig a hole and die in it. She was too good for him. Way too pure. But he saw the way she looked at him sometimes. And he saw the way she blushed at the things he said and that had given him hope. Also, it gave his imagination a lot to work with.

“Elide! You CAME!” Fenrys half screamed, already drunk. He came and threw himself on her and Elide yelped at his weight.

“Hi, Fenrys.” she choked out and Lorcan quickly yanked his giggling friend off Elide.

“Don’t crush my girlfriend. I haven’t tortured her enough yet.”

Elide shot him a glare and Fenrys let out a loud gasp.

“YOU GUYS ARE DATING?”

“Yup.” Lorcan replied, grinning obnoxiously at Elide, the glare still in his direction.

“Nope.” She countered and Lorcan raised a brow.

“SINCE WHEN? UGH FINALLY LORCAN.” Fenrys continued, leaning against the wall for support and it was Elide’s turn to raise a brow.

“Finally?” Elide asked and Lorcan smirked.

“Don’t worry about it, kitten.”

Elide narrowed her eyes then broke out into a devilish smile. She leaned closer into Lorcan, bringing an arm around his waist. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’ve been pining over me all this time.” she said and it was Lorcan’s turn to narrow his eyes at her. “If I didn’t know you were truly clueless at calculus, I’d think it was an excuse to spend time with me...babe.”

Lorcan blinked and prayed his body wouldn’t betray him because Elide was touching him all on her own and he felt that death was near. Her delicate hands were on his body and he felt both blessed and cursed. Fenrys giggled drunkenly.

“SHE CALLED YOU BABE. AW SHIT. YOU’RE IN DEEP LORCAN.”

“Is he now?” Elide asked, looking over at Fenrys. “Do tell.”

“Shut up, Fenrys.” Lorcan snarled softly and Elide’s mischievous grin returned.

“Oh please, Fenrys, tell me.”

“PFFT, HE’S HAD A BONER FOR YOU FOR LIKE — MONTHS NOW.”

“Does he now?” Elide asked sweetly, lifting her eyes to meet Lorcan’s, pulling away from him and he scowled at her.

“YEAH. LIKE — HE NEVER SHUTS UP ABOUT YOU. HE ALWAYS STARES AT YOU LIKE A CREEP.”

Fenrys clearly wanted to die today. Lorcan’s scowl deepened but it was mixed with a slight panic and he bopped his friend on the side of his head causing Fenrys to yelp in return. He wanted to tell Elide he liked her. But not like this and certainly not through Fenrys.

“He’s drunk. Don’t flatter yourself and believe him.” Lorcan muttered to her, attempting the bravado he had when they first came in.

Elide blinked, her lips forming a small pout and she saw his eyes flash for a moment. “Well, geez, relax beefy.” she said quietly. “I already know you wouldn’t stoop for a girl like me. You’re the one who insisted I come with you.”

“That’s not what I meant.” he quickly amended and surprise colored Elide’s face at the red staining his cheeks. “I just — don’t listen to Fenrys — he’s being stupid —”

Elide waved a hand and cut him off, trying not to let the way her heart dropped at his words show in her expression. “Don’t worry about it. You should go get your girlfriend a drink.” she said, looking anywhere but him. “I’m going to need several if I have to keep pretending to like you.”

She could’ve swore hurt, then regret, flashed in his eyes before he reluctantly left her side to find the drinks. Elide watched him as he left and let out a sigh then her eyes scanned the room for any of her other friends.

“You know — hiccup — he really does like you.” Fenrys said, still rubbing the spot where Lorcan hit him. Elide turned to him with a raised brow.

“Does he now?”

Fenrys nodded then winced, rubbing his head again. “He just has a s-shitty way of showing it.” he slurred softly. “Maeve was a manipulative b-bitch. She totally — hiccup — fucked him up.”

Elide’s eyebrows furrowed and a small frown came on her face. Maybe Fenrys was right but that was certainly too much to hope for. Sure, he flirted with her nonstop and she had been attracted to him but Elide wasn’t really experienced and he most certainly was and —

“You’re overthinking it, t-tiny one.” Fenrys said with a drunk chuckle. “I can see it on your pretty face.”

Elide rolled her eyes but her cheeks heated nonetheless. “You’re drunk. You don’t even know what you’re saying right now.”

“Listen, I’m drunk cupid.” he said with a hiccup. “You got a b-boner for him like he has one for you. Just DO IT.”

Elide winced as he yelled the last two words, the blush deepening on her face before she waved Fenrys off. “Stop it. If he comes back just tell him I went to find the girls.”

“When you guys bone, I w-want a gift in exchange for this encouragement!” he called out after her and she flipped him off, causing him to laugh.

Elide’s eyes took in the mess of the room around her. People making out, people dancing, people laughing and drinking. She really wasn’t big on parties so she only came from time to time and each time, she was sure it would be her last.

“Well, it certainly isn’t a Fenrys party unless he’s getting flipped off by multiple people.” Aelin’s voice came from behind her and she turned with a wide grin to find her close friend.

“There you are! I was just starting to look for you and the girls!” Elide said, hugging her. “Where are they?”

“Manon and Dorian ran off doing things I don’t want to think about and Lysandra is kicking Aedion’s ass at beer pong.” Aelin replied with a laugh and Elide grinned.

“What about you and Rowan? I’m surprised you’re not all over each other at the moment.” she teased and Aelin gave her a smirk.

“We break up our intense make-outs and inappropriate touching into sessions so we don’t miss the party. You missed the first two times.” she replied with a nonchalance shrug and Elide burst out laughing.

“I’ll try to avoid any further sessions, thanks.” Elide said with an eye roll, her eyes scanning the room again, and fell on a current arm wrestling match going on between Rowan and Gavriel. Her eyes fell on the hulking figure of Lorcan intensely cheering the two on, the drink he was supposed to be getting her still in his hands.

“Forget about me...what about you?” Aelin asked and her tone made Elide meet her gaze. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“What do you mean?”

Elide knew what she meant. Her cheeks heating on their own indicated she knew exactly what Aelin was asking and the way Aelin’s smirked at her made Elide want to run from this stupid party.

“You walking in with Lorcan? Lorcan having his hands all over you when you first came in? His face buried in your neck? You having your hands all over him moments ago? Fenrys screaming something about boners and for you two to just do it?” Aelin rattled off and Elide groaned. “I mean, Elide, when were you going to tell me you guys were boning? Everyone has been taking bets on how long it’ll take for the two of you to go for it.”

Elide’s expression turned to horror and Aelin started laughing hysterically. “I-It’s not like that!” Elide quickly explained, her face burning. “I — we — it’s not like that! I’m just pretending to be his girlfriend! I’m doing him a favor!”

“Elide, Elide, Elide.” Aelin tutted, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “I may dislike Lorcan because he’s an annoying pig, but the heart wants what it wants. I will support you. And cut his balls off if he does anything stupid.”

Elide was about to protest again but Aelin pulled away to give her a look and she let her eyes wander back to where Lorcan was. As if feeling her gaze, his eyes flickered to hers and Elide tried not to let his expression unnerve her. She braced herself as he started walking towards her and slowly handed her a drink.

“Sorry. I got distracted.” he said quietly and Elide took the drink, their fingers brushing as they had many times during their tutoring sessions. She curled a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a thin smile.

“It’s fine. You guys look like you’re having fun.”

“Yeah.” he replied and his free hand came up to rub on the back of his neck. He shot Aelin a look before looking back at Elide and leaned closer to her. “I’m sorry. About earlier too. I didn’t mean what I said.”

She raised a brow at him. Lorcan’s expression was that of a scolded child. She almost laughed.

“It’s fine.” she repeated. “I get it. Fenrys riles up everyone.”

Lorcan chuckled then his expression turned serious again as if weighing his next words carefully. His eyes flashed to Aelin again but Aelin only crossed her arms, rooted to her spot and watched earnestly. Lorcan scowled and Elide bit back a smile then brought a hand to his chin, bringing his attention back to hers.

“What’s wrong?” she asked and Lorcan’s jaw clenched when she pulled her hand away. Elide had no idea what was going on in his mind but his eyes gave away to the hurricane which were his emotions. He cleared his throat and took a step back, taking the drink he had handed her moments ago then finished the entire cup in one go.

“I just wanted to say…” he began, then licked his lips. “Fenrys wasn’t wrong. He’s...he’s right.”

Elide blinked, looking between her empty hand and his earnest face. “W-what?”

“He’s right. I do. You know.” he said and Elide saw color heat his cheeks as he waved his hand, looking anywhere but at her. “Have a boner for you or whatever.”

Her eyebrows shot up as Aelin snorted behind her but the two ignored her.

“What I meant — I mean — that isn’t how —” Lorcan growled then stopped himself, crushing the empty plastic cup in his hand. He cleared his throat and then locked eyes with her. “I like you. I’ve liked you for a while. It doesn’t mean you have to do anything about it. I’m just — I’m being upfront with you.”

Elide stared at him. She heard the words he was saying but she wasn’t sure she could comprehend it. Lorcan watched her expression of shock and swallowed.

“So uh. You don’t have to pretend to be my girlfriend anymore. Maeve was just an excuse for me to ask you to the party.” he said and gave her an embarrassed smile. “I uh...I’m just going to go. Have fun with the girls.”

Elide blinked again and watched him go. Her body lurched forward after him but then she paused, turning to Aelin with a dumbfounded expression.

“Did he just —?”

“Yup.”

“Does he really —?”

“Yup.”

Elide’s whole body flushed and Aelin burst into giggles.

“I can’t believe he actually likes me.” she mumbled and Aelin squinted at her.

“Why wouldn’t he? You’re amazing, El.”

Elide shook her head. “I just...never thought I was his type.”

“You are very much his type.” Aelin confirmed and Elide looked at her curiously. “He’s whined to Rowan about you before when he doesn’t think I’m around. Jokes on him, Rowan tells me everything anyways.”

Elide’s cheeks flushed and she bit her lip. “So...so this is real? He isn’t...playing a game or anything?”

Aelin shook her head with a smile. “Definitely not. He knows you’re the real deal.” she said and Elide’s eyes flickered back to where Lorcan had returned to an even more intense arm wrestling match than before. He was seated in the place of Rowan, giving his opponent a menacing look as they got ready to go.

Elide watched him. She watched the curve of his body as he sat, barely putting in any effort to knock his opponent down. The corner of her lip went up when he started sniggering at the poor fellow clenching his arm and at the two who took his place. Idiots. She thought. He was a giant beast, none of them would actually be able to beat him.

“Jeez, Elide. Get a damn room.” Aelin said with a snort. Elide shot her a look.

“That’s rich coming from you.”

Aelin grinned. “Maybe. But at least I’m usually in his lap when I stare at Rowan like that.” she said then gently pushed Elide. “You should probably move along if you would like the same fate.”

“You think he’s annoying.” she said incredulously.

“Yes, he is and I would love to stab him if pulls anything.” Aelin said and then shrugged. “But he's not a total loser. What can I say? I’m a sucker for love.”

Elide blushed then bit her lip. He had been upfront with her. Maybe it was time she returned the favor.

Taking one last look at Aelin, Elide moved. She weaved her way through the bodies, her eyes locked on Lorcan and his bulging muscles that easily knocked over the two opponents across from him. She watched him laugh at his success but the laugh quickly died in his throat when Elide slid into the seat across from him.

She heard the murmur of confusion that her move had caused but her eyes were locked on the male across from her as he gazed at her with a raised brow.

Elide rested her elbow on the table and held her hand up, in position for the silly arm wrestling game he’d been playing. She gestured with her chin to his arm and with a tilt of his head, he slowly reached out to clasp his palm in hers.

“What are you doing?”

“Did you mean what you said?” she asked quietly, her heart racing at their linked palms. She really did like how his hand completely enveloped hers.

Lorcan held her gaze and she saw the sincerity in them when he answered. “Yes.”

“You have a boner for me then?” she asked with a small smile and his lips twitched.

“I do. A big boner.” he replied, a grin spreading on his face now. “Both emotionally and physically.”

“That’s good.” she said and leaned her body across the table, planting a quick kiss on his lips. His eyes widened in surprise and Elide took that moment to bring his arm down, giving her a cheater’s win in the arm wrestling match. “Because I have a boner for you too.”

At that moment, with him gaping at her stupidly, it felt like the rest of that room had vanished. It was just the two of them and a thrill rushed through her body. Lorcan stared at her for a few seconds before his head leaned back and he barked out a loud laugh.

Cheeks burning, Elide pulled back with a grin of her own.

“You owe me a date, Salvaterre. I expect you to deliver.”

He leaned back in his chair and gave her a look that made heat flood low in her belly. Oh, how she hated him.

“I owe you several dates and I plan to deliver on every single one of them.” he replied smoothly.

“Don’t expect me to go any easier on you during our tutoring though. I’m a dedicated instructor.” she said and leaned against the table, crossing her arms over her chest. His eyes lingered there a little too long before meeting her gaze and leaning forward against the table as well.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from my girlfriend.”

“Actual girlfriend now, huh?”

“Mm. This plays into so many of my fantasies.”

“Does it now?”

“I’ve been a very bad student, kitten.”

“I honestly cannot stand you.” she replied incredulously, but the knowing grin he gave her had her toes curling and cheeks burning again. He held his palm open to her.

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked quietly and she slipped her hand into his. She really liked how much he dwarfed her.

“I most definitely do.”

#elorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #lorcan lochan salvatorre #elorcan fanfiction #elide x lorcan #elorcanweek2023 #tog fanfic #throne of glass fanfiction #fic: bfy #gfics #I miss them

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nalgenewhore · 2 years ago

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boundaries

elide x lorcan, modern/university au, our roommates are dating, NSFW, word count: 9111

Lorcan exhaled heavily as he finally reclined in his too small, too uncomfortable bed. There was no hope for anyone above average size in student residence, even if he had a larger bed. He huffed, there was nothing XL about his extra-large twin. His feet still hung off the edge, and tonight he was too tired to curl up.

The only small mercy of tonight was that Rowan had decided to stay at Aelin’s. Finally. Whenever they spent the night here, Lorcan considered smashing his head against the cinder brick walls. It would be a better fate than spending the night with the couple. They were very… passionate, to say the least. Disgustingly, bordering-on-sexual-harrassment passionate.

He could feel how close, how blissfully close he was to falling asleep. Lorcan turned onto his stomach and sighed as he wrapped his arms around his pillow.

At that very moment, someone started pounding on his door. Lorcan’s eyes snapped open, and he swore loudly. The knocking didn’t stop, so he angrily got out of bed. He ripped the door open in hopes of catching whoever it was off-guard. “What the actual fuck,” he seethed, “is your gods-damned problem?”

The girl who stood there didn’t flinch or cower when confronted with his anger, even though Lorcan doubted her head would even reach his shoulders. Her dark eyes flashed in anger. He noticed she was carrying a pillow and dressed in pyjamas. “This is Rowan Whitethorn’s room, right?” He blinked dumbly, and the girl snapped, “Well?”

Lorcan bristled at her tone and straightened to his full size, glowering down at her. He crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s it to ya?”

She huffed, “Your roommate and mine are no better than feral animals and seem to have very little spatial awareness. So,” she sighed, shifting her weight. “I need a place to sleep, and I know there’s a free bed here.” Her brows raised hopefully.

He cocked a straight, dark eyebrow and leaned against the doorframe. “Yeah, so?”

The girl – Aelin’s roommate, he deduced – deflated, her shoulders curling inwards. “Please don’t make me go back to my room.”

Lorcan decided to take pity on her. He dipped his chin, stepping aside to let her in. She gave him a half-smile as she slipped past him. “Thanks,” she told him over her shoulder.

He waved it off and closed the door, plunging the room into darkness. “Don’t mention it. No one deserves to share a room with them.” Lorcan flicked on the lamp to see her stood between his bed and Rowan’s. He approached his bed and nodded towards the lofted one opposite his. “That’s Ro’s. Have at it.” With that, Lorcan laid back down and rolled towards the wall.

Lorcan listened for the sounds of her getting into Rowan’s bed, but the room stayed completely silent. He sighed in annoyance, rolling back, “Look, princess, I know Rowan’s a fucking nymphomaniac, but he’s also a neat freak, so…”

The girl whipped her head around, eyes flashing, “Don’t fucking call me that.” She turned back to the bed, sighing. “It’s not that. I’m just unsure how ‘m supposed to get into it, is all.”

He sat up, looking between her and the bed. “Huh. How ‘bout that?” Lorcan got to his feet.

She whirled around, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Lorcan held his hands up. “Cool it, killer. I was just going to ask if you wanted some help.” He glanced down her body. “No offence, you’re, uh, pretty tiny and Rowan’s not.”

“Oh. Um. Yes, thank you,” she said, still wary. “You can help me.”

He braced his hands around her waist and bent his knees. No way was he blowing out his back all because he wanted to impress some chick. “Ready?” When he nodded, Lorcan stood up and lifted her too. He gently sat her on Rowan’s bed. Her eyes widened, and her plush lips curled around an ‘oh’. Lorcan ducked his head, suddenly shy. “I play rugby for the school. I’m a prop,” he supplied.

She made a face, “Sorry, I don’t know anything about rugby.”

“Oh. Well, one thing I do is lift locks – that’s a position – during lineouts.”

She nodded sagely. “So that’s how you and Rowan ended up together? The rugby team?”

Lorcan nodded as he went back to his bed. “Yup.”

“Is Rowan a prop?”

He snorted, “Nah, he’s too small. He’s a scrum half, kinda like a quarterback?” He reclined once more, tucking his hands beneath his head.

The girled laid down. “Ah.” She shifted around for a bit until she settled on her side with her arms and legs neatly tucked against her torso. “You can turn the light off now.”

Lorcan reached out and turned it off. His gaze drifted back to her. Now, the only light source was the moon cascading through the window. It reflected off her ebony hair, making it glisten. It was fascinating. “I’m Lorcan, by the way,” he said softly. He suddenly felt very strange that they didn’t know each other’s names, yet they were sleeping only a couple metres apart.

Upon further reflection, Lorcan realised that Rowan probably mentioned it before, but Lorcan hadn’t cared enough to remember his roommate’s girlfriend’s roommate’s name.

He cared now.

Her eyes opened. “I’m Elide,” she offered. “It’s nice to meet you, Lorcan.”

The sound of his name on her lips made his foolish heart falter. Lorcan repressed his shiver. “Good night, Elide.”

Elide’s smile grew, and she whispered, “Sweet dreams, Lorcan.”

✵✵✵✵✵

Over the next month or so, Elide Lochan became a regular visitor at Lorcan and Rowan’s dorm. She’d show up with a small, tired smile, her pillow, and her bookbag. Lorcan always let her in.

He’d learned a lot about her. She was from Perranth, born and raised, and she and Aelin knew each other through their parents – friends since childhood. Lorcan knew she was an only child, and she’d met his younger sisters – Winona and Tallulah – once when he happened to be on FaceTime with them.

Sometimes, they met up on purpose to study together. Lorcan often found himself in awe at the ways her brain worked.

When she came over to steal Rowan’s bed, they didn’t just go to sleep anymore.

They stayed up talking about nothing and everything.

Lorcan had learned many important things about Elide, like she was at the Kingsflame University on a full-ride academic scholarship. The girl was wicked smart. She wanted to be a logician, and the thing about that was– Lorcan had had to take a deductive logic class his first year in computer science, and after three months, all he’d learned was that he never, ever wanted to talk about deductive logic ever again.

He didn’t seem to mind it when Elide talked about it.

Lorcan knew that Elide didn’t like movies, only TV shows, and her favourite show was Seinfeld, even if she could spend hours – and did – ranting about how she couldn’t stand Jerry and George. She hated cereal and shuddered every morning she woke up to him eating a bowl of Cheerios. Lorcan learned that Elide was not a morning person, and she hated coffee, even though she needed a dose of caffeine to move past monosyllabic grunts when she first woke, so she drank, more like chugged, three cups of black tea. He learned that she preferred poetry over novels, and that Audre Lorde and Leonard Cohen were tied for her all-time favourites. Her favourite genre of music was goth, and she knew a freaky amount of trivia about Depeche Mode and the Cramps.

He knew that she was mostly indifferent about sports, especially team sports, but she still tagged along with Aelin to rugby games. Whenever they scored a try, or succeeded in a lineout, Lorcan found himself looking for her in the stands.

At this point, Lorcan knew Elide better than he knew Rowan these days. It used to bother him that Rowan was never around, and he’d ditch plans in a second if Aelin was available, but since Elide started coming around, he wasn’t so upset anymore.

They were watching a movie one night, because Lorcan had declared that it was simply unacceptable that she’d never seen Inception. She’d been apprehensive, but he always managed to convince her.

“You like metaphysics, right? Like in philosophy?”

Elide scrunched her nose, “I guess… I mean, I think it’s a bit pointless, but it’s cool to think about.”

Lorcan grinned triumphantly. “Ok, well, Inception is metaphysics, princess, just fun and directed by Christopher Nolan.”

She’d outright laughed when he told her Inception was the best piece of metaphysical theory ever created, calling him an idiot, but she’d agreed.

Lorcan and Elide were sitting horizontal on his bed, their backs against the wall. At first, the laptop had been between them, then Elide had told him she was cold. He had put the computer on his lap so that Elide could press against his side and he could wrap his arm around her.

He split his time between watching the screen and watching Elide. Lorcan found that he enjoyed watching her reactions more.

“–even if it was true that we were only dreaming all the time, we would still need to exist in a reality where it’s possible to dream, you get that right? So, technically, we’d still be conscious beings, we just experience consciousness through our subconscious, but even if you accept that,” Elide explained, her hands gesticulating, “it’s kinda an inconsequential question because conscious experience is inherently relative and subjective, so what does it matter? This would still be my reality, this would still be all I know if it turns out I’m attached to some machine that keeps me asleep.”

“Y’know, princess, when I said it was like metaphysics, I wasn’t being serious, right?”

“You brought this on yourself, Salvaterre, it’s—”

Someone roughly shoved the door open, cutting Elide off.

Lorcan’s arm tightened around Elide as she startled, and two pairs of dark eyes turned to glare at the intruder. Upon finding Rowan, their glares deepened.

The silver-haired boy paused, then rolled his eyes. “Elide,” he muttered.

She looked up at Lorcan, then slowly extricated herself from his hold. “Hi, Rowan,” she answered flatly.

“I thought you were staying at Aelin’s tonight,” Lorcan said, not caring that his tone made the sentence more like an accusation than a statement.

“I was, but,” Rowan’s jaw clenched, “I’m not anymore.” He glanced at Elide, seeming irritated.

Lorcan’s jaw clicked. What right did Rowan, of all people, have to be irritated that someone else was in their dorm room? It was all too rich.

Elide must have picked up on his irritation. Her brows rose in incredulity, and she shared a look with Lorcan. He shook his head a bit, but she just glanced back at Rowan and shrugged.

Rowan cleared his throat obnoxiously, still glaring at Elide. “I don’t mean to interrupt whatever you two are doing,” he muttered before angrily getting into his bed and turning away.

Elide frowned at Lorcan, and he shook his head, leaning down to whisper. “Just stay ‘till the movie’s over.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t leave. Instead, she curled closer to him and rested her head on his chest. “Ok, then.” Elide reached out to press play on the movie, then lowered the volume.

Neither one of them could really pay attention. Rowan’s irritation rolled off of him in waves, and Elide felt too weird to relax. Lorcan could feel it too. His jaw ticked. He was pissed that Rowan was acting his way. Typically, his friend was more polite – Lorcan couldn’t say what happened to make him act this way.

Lorcan moved his arm around Elide to hold her tighter. He knew Rowan hadn’t fallen asleep and was just stewing in his pissy attitude.

At some point, while watching the movie, Elide gasped loudly.

Rowan flipped over, snapping, “Elide, can you get out?”

She startled, “What?”

He repeated himself, then said, “You’re being loud, and I’m trying to sleep here. Why don’t you go back to your room?”

Lorcan glared at him, his lips thinning, “Ro—”

“Y’know, it’s my room, too, so I get a say in who’s in here, and who’s not.” He worked his jaw. “So get out.”

The girl laughed coldly at the irony of it all. She slowly sat up, and Lorcan’s chest prickled from the loss of pressure and warmth. “Right. I’m intruding on your space, is that it?” Elide looked at Lorcan with a shrug, but he could see the hurt in her eye. “Sorry, Lor, I guess we’ll just finish it another day.”

With that, Elide crawled off his bed and started gathering her things. Lorcan sent another murderous look Rowan’s way, then got up to help her. Elide’s pillow had been on Rowan’s bed, and the prick hadn’t even noticed. He’d already turned back towards the wall.

Elide marched over, reached up, and yanked it out from under his head.

Rowan flipped over, “What the fuck, Elide?”

“I don’t want to forget my pillow,” she retorted. “Have a good sleep, Rowan.”

The way she said made it very clear she would probably prefer Rowan having the worst sleep of his life. Elide didn’t say another word as she stormed towards the door, yanking it open.

Lorcan stared incredulously at his roommate. “Rowan.”

Rowan frowned, “What? I don’t know what her fucking problem is.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Lorcan snarled before exiting the room. He half-jogged to catch up with Elide. “Princess, wait up.”

She sighed heavily and stopped, pivoting to face him. “I told you not to call me that,” Elide said, her voice sad.

He slung his arm over her shoulders, “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

They both turned towards the stairs to make the trek up to Elide and Aelin’s room.

When they got to her floor, Lorcan said, “I’m sorry about Rowan. I don’t know why he’s so pissy.”

“Oh, you know, trouble in paradise,” Elide sighed. “You don’t have to apologise for him, he’s not sorry.”

“I still feel bad.”

She flashed him a brittle smile. “Thanks.”

Too soon, they made it to Elide’s room.

She slowed in front of her door, but she didn’t make any move to open it.

Lorcan glanced between her and the door, an eyebrow raised in question.

“I don’t want to go in if Aelin’s still awake. She’s going to walk to talk about whatever happened, and,” Elide laughed coldly. “I’m so fucking done with their shit.”

He rubbed her back, opening his mouth to reassure her.

Before he could, the door ripped open. He and Elide jumped – seriously, what was Aelin and Rowan’s obsession with aggressively opening doors?

“There you are!” Aelin exclaimed in accusation. “I’ve been texting you, Elide, y’know, it wouldn’t kill you to check your phone once in a while.”

Elide sighed. “Good night, Lorcan.”

He thinned his lips, narrowing his eyes at Aelin. “‘Night, Elide. Good luck.”

She laughed quietly. “You too.”

Lorcan shoved his hands in his pockets and pivoted on his heel.

Elide looked at her roommate, desperately trying to hold onto her anger. She didn’t want to get into it tonight. She brushed past Aelin, beelining to her bed.

The door fell shut with a heavy thud. Elide’s hackles raised. She could almost feel Aelin staring at her. “What did that mean?”

“What did what mean,” Elide asked robotically as she got into bed.

“You know, Lorcan saying good luck. What did he mean?”

She sighed while pulling her blanket up to her chin. “Nothing, Aelin. It’s just a joke.”

Her roommate scoffed, “Well, yeah, but a joke about what?”

Elide clenched her jaw, “It’s nothing, Aelin, let it go.”

“If it’s nothing, why can’t you tell me what it means?”

She sat up, dragging her hands down her face. “Aelin, I really don’t want to talk about this now,” Elide said carefully. “Can you just let it go, and we’ll talk about it later?”

Aelin cocked her jaw. “No, I want to talk about it now. I never see you anymore, and when I do see you, you’re always annoyed.”

Elide pressed her lips together, weighing her options. Some part of her knew that whatever she said now, if she didn’t speak carefully, could never be taken back. It would change her friendship with Aelin, and even though she was angry with her, Elide didn’t want that.

Slowly, she sat up and turned on her lamp. “Ok, fine. Before I say what I’m going to say, I want you to know that I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I’m not trying to hurt you, ok?”

“...ok,” Aelin shifted uncertainly.

After a deep breath, Elide started, fighting to keep her voice even. “I’m very happy for you, that you found Rowan and you’re happy, but the way that you and Rowan act is… really disrespectful to me.”

“What? How?”

“You two are always here. You don’t ask me if it’s ok that he comes over,” she pointed out. “I don’t even like to come home most of the time because I’m scared you two will be in middle of having sex. You’ve had sex with him while I was literally two metres away, Aelin. It makes me extremely uncomfortable, ok? It’s inappropriate.”

Her roommate blushed deeply and averted her gaze. Aelin protested weakly, “We put up the screen, Elide.”

Elide scoffed, rolling her eyes. “A paper folding screen isn’t soundproof, Aelin.” She crossed her arms. “I’m just- I’m tired of it. I’m tired of you and Rowan acting like you can do whatever you want to do. This is my space too, and I feel like you don’t acknowledge that.”

“Well, you’re never here! How can we act like it’s your space if you’re barely here?”

“You’re not listening,” Elide said, hating how tight her throat got. She did not want to cry. “I’ve told you why I’m not here, and you’re not listening.” She swallowed and told Aelin, “Your boyfriend is an asshole, too. He’s mean.”

“How?” Aelin demanded. “How is he mean?”

“He kicked me out of his room.” Moisture gathered on Elide’s lashes, and her bottom lip wobbled, “Because I was watching a movie with Lorcan when you kicked him out, and he was pissed that I was in his room.”

Aelin spread her hands, “Ellie, I’m so sorry, I’m sure he didn’t mean–”

Elide slashed her hand through the air. “I don’t care what he meant. He was mean, and you two are rude, Aelin. Fix that before you apologise.” Her vision blurred, and her tears spilled over, streaking down her cheeks. Elide quickly wiped them away, shaking her head, “I told you I didn’t want to talk about this, Aelin.”

“Elide, I’m sorry,” Aelin said, her own voice tight. “I- I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, ok? I’ll talk to Ro, I’ll make him apologise.”

Crying softly, Elide shook her head. “Please, don’t. I don’t care anymore, because you’ve said you’re sorry before, but nothing ever changes, Aelin.” She looked at her roommate. “I told you I didn’t want to talk about this, I’m done talking about this. Good night, Aelin.”

“El—”

“I said good night.” With that, Elide turned the lamp off and laid down, turning away from her roommate.

Sleep did not come easily for either Elide or Aelin that night.

✵✵✵✵✵

Lorcan was stewing in the cafeteria, angrily stabbing at his bland breakfast. Eventually, he shoved the tray away from him and crossed his arms. He wasn’t hungry.

“Don’t take it out on the poor tray,” said a dry voice.

He looked up at Elide, his smile fading when he took in her state. A big, oversized hoodie, equally too-big sweatpants and thick glasses when she normally preferred contacts. Her face looked paler than normal, too, and she just looked so wrong. “H- hey,” he responded. Lorcan moved over on the bench, “Sit down.”

Elide put her tray down and sat with a big sigh. Without prompting, she leaned into his side. Lorcan was shocked, but he didn’t protest. He merely draped his arm around her shoulders. “So I’m guessing last night didn’t go well?”

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. “It was horrible, Lor,” Elide complained. “I cried, she cried. It was just- it was bad. And now she’s trying to be, like, cheery and friendly.” She shuddered.

Lorcan chuckled.

“Hey, don’t laugh at me,” Elide said, sitting up with an impressive glare. “How did your night go?”

He shrugged, “It was fine. Didn’t say much.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to her oatmeal. Elide glumly poked at it, clearly not feeling like eating. “You want to finish Inception tonight? It’s pretty good, you know.”

Lorcan gasped theatrically, “Wait, what did I just hear? Did- is Elide Lochan admitting that a movie is good?”

Elide laughed a bit, digging her elbow into his side. “Don’t push it, Salvaterre. I have to find out what happened to Cobb’s wife, don’t I?”

He nodded, pulling his tray back to himself. “True, true. So, your place or mine?”

“Wherever Rowan isn’t.”

Lorcan winced and glanced at her. “I’m sorry about that, you know?”

“You know, everyone except for Rowan has apologised for that.”

The muscles of his jaw feathered. Lorcan scooped a spoon of cereal into his mouth, speaking around his food, “Believe me, he knows what’s good for him now. He’ll apologise.”

He felt Elide looking at him, but he didn’t meet her gaze. She cocked her head to the side. “Lorcan. What does that mean?”

Lorcan shrugged, “It means that Rowan’s not the kind of guy who needs his nose broken to learn his lesson.”

“Lorcan!” she hissed. “You broke his nose?! What is wrong with you?”

“I did not break his nose,” he reassured her. “I almost broke it, and he can’t prove it was on purpose.”

Elide stared at him in disbelief. “Explain yourself.”

He shrugged again, cocking his jaw. “Rugby is a dangerous sport, Elide. Accidents happen, even in practice.” Lorcan didn’t tell her that as team captain, he often dictated their workouts, and he didn’t tell her he specifically chose a tackling drill where he could work out some of his anger on the very subject of it.

She slowly shook her head and laughed. Lorcan grinned, just happy to see something other than emptiness in her eyes. Elide leaned up to press her lips to his cheek. He froze, his eyes widening. “Thank you,” Elide whispered, “for defending my honour.”

When she pulled away, Lorcan was looking at her with an expression she’d never seen on his face before. Elide’s eyes flicked down to his lips, unwillingly. He caught the motion. Her heart started pounding, but she wasn’t scared.

His head dipped, and Elide found that she didn’t care that they were in the cafeteria. Granted, they were tucked away in the back corner, but people could see, if they tried.

She didn’t care.

Elide tilted her chin up, shivering when his hand came to rest on the side of her neck.

“Elide,” Lorcan whispered, his breath fanning over her lips.

Kiss me, she was about to say, about to feel his lips on hers, but they were interrupted.

Elide and Lorcan both looked to the side.

Aelin and Rowan stood in front of them, trays laden with food.

The darker pair exchanged a look before reluctantly pulling away. Neither went far though. Lorcan’s arm slipped around her neck, holding her closer, and Elide lifted her hand to entwine their fingers. “What do you want,” Elide snapped, glaring at Rowan. There was a bruise on his nose, and it looked swollen, yes, but not crooked or broken. A sick satisfaction filled her stomach.

“We wanted to see if we could join you.”

“Nope.” “Nah, we’re good.” Elide and Lorcan answered in unison.

Elide looked at Rowan. A little smirk curled her plush lips, and she tilted her head to the side. “Nice nose, Rowan.”

The tops of his ears turned bright red against the near-white of his hair. Rowan bent his head. “Yeah, I, uh, deserved that.” He looked at her, regret clear in his pine green eyes. “Elide, I’m really sorry about how I acted last night. I’m sorry for snapping at you, and for being rude.”

“You weren’t rude,” Elide said. “You were mean.”

He winced and nodded. “You’re right. I was mean to you, and I’m sorry. There’s no justification for it. I- I really just am so sorry.”

“Thank you,” she responded, genuine. “Really, Rowan.” Elide still didn’t want to be around them, even if Rowan had apologised. She looked at Aelin, who was looking like she could cry at any second. “Is that all you wanted to say, ‘cause we still don’t want to eat breakfast with you?”

Rowan muttered a curse, tugging on Aelin’s arm. “Let’s go, they obviously–”

“Rowan, stop.” Aelin pushed her shoulders back. “We know that we’ve treated the both of you really unkindly and unfairly lately,” she said. Aelin stared at Elide expectantly, “Will you let us make it up to you? Can we take you out to dinner tonight? Our treat.”

Lorcan scoffed.

Elide glanced at him, her eyes soft and pleading. She could see that Aelin was sorry, and she didn’t want this to end their friendship. He relented, dipping his chin in assent. Elide smiled in triumph, turning back to Aelin and Rowan. “Sure. That would be nice.”

“Good. Good, ok, I’ll make reservations,” Aelin said. “I’ll text you about it.” She waved her fingers, eyes sparkling, “Enjoy your breakfast, you two.” With that, Aelin flitted away, Rowan following in her step.

Lorcan collapsed against the padded bench. He dragged his free hand down his face and groaned, “This is going to be a shitshow.”

Elide hummed, “I don’t think so. But if it is, we’ll just leave early. Deal?”

He peeked up at her and nodded. “Deal.”

✵✵✵✵✵

Lorcan and Rowan were the first to arrive at the restaurant. They’d chosen Emrys’, a local restaurant. It was certainly fancier than the average university student’s preferred spot, but Rowan and Aelin were serious about making it up to them. If they wanted to throw their money away by wining and dining Elide and Lorcan, neither one of them was going to complain.

Despite Rowan’s apology to Elide earlier, Lorcan was still mad. He’d done his best to ignore his roommate all day, rolling his eyes when Rowan tried to talk to him or putting on his headphones the moment the other boy stepped into the room.

He was being petty, knew he was being petty, and could not care less.

To his credit, Rowan hadn’t stopped trying.

“Aelin texted me, she said she and Elide are almost here.”

Lorcan visibly perked up at the mention of Elide. His eyes peered through the darkened window, scanning the main street as if he could spot them. “Are they walking or taking a cab?” Their building wasn’t far away, but it was cold, and Lorcan had friends that often preferred shelling out fifteen dollars to walking downtown in heels.

“Uh, walking, I think,” Rowan said. He studied Lorcan shrewdly and sat next to him on the bench.

Lorcan looked at him, his upper lip curling, and moved further away. Fuck him.

“You know,” Rowan started, not one to lie down in a fight or give up. “When me and Aelin saw you two this morning, it was almost like you were about to ki—”

Faster than Rowan was expecting, Lorcan stood up. “Shut up,” he said lowly. “I’m not talking with you about Elide.”

His roommate sighed, getting to his feet as well. “I don’t know what you want,” Rowan muttered, eyeing the people around them. He didn’t want to fight in public with Lorcan. “I apologised to her, and you almost broke my nose, Lorcan. If anything, you should be apologising to me.” Rowan regretted the words the minute they left his mouth.

In an eerily slow manner, Lorcan turned around.

Suddenly, Rowan became very aware of how much bigger Lorcan was. It didn’t seem so obvious before now, but the other boy had a good half foot and at least fifty pounds on Rowan.

Lorcan angled his head to the side. “Why would I apologise? I’m not sorry for it, and if I had the choice to go back, I’d do it again,” he said softly, though his voice wasn’t any less vicious. “You still don’t get it, do you? It’s not about last night, Rowan. This has been going on for months now, and Lee and I can’t take it anymore.” He leaned in, his eyes dangerously dark and flat. “You and your girlfriend are rude, and I’ve never met anyone who has such low regards for the people around them or other people’s reasonable right to fucking boundaries, which includes not having sex when you’re around other people. That is the problem, not just that you were mean to Elide.”

Rowan opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by the arrival of the girls.

Aelin pranced over to him, all shiny smiles and bright eyes. “Hey, you two. Sorry we’re late, Elide couldn’t decide what to wear.”

Lorcan turned around, effectively ending his exchange with Rowan.

Elide stood just inside the front door, passing her coat and purse to the hostess.

He was speechless. Lorcan wasn’t sure if it was the lighting, or whatever had shifted between them, but she had never looked so beautiful. Elide grinned softly, walking over to him. “Hi, there.”

Lorcan finally found his tongue. “Uh… hi.” She reached her hand out, and he took it happily, liking the way their fingers fit together. He appraised her slowly, not wanting to miss a single detail.

Elide wore a long, slim-fitting black skirt that was made from some textured fabric. Lorcan didn’t know what it was but he liked it. Her long-sleeved top was a deep red velvet with a neckline that just barely skimmed her collarbones – a boat neckline, he thought one of his sisters had told him once. Both the neckline and the hem had some kind of subtle, short ruffle made of a delicate white, pleated material.

Like her skirt, her top fit like it was made for only her. Around her neck she wore a black-ribboned necklace with a large, glass heart pendant, that rested in the hollow between her collarbones.

He gently untangled his hand from hers, pressing his to the small of her back. Lorcan dipped his head, able to whisper in her ear because her long hair had been swept up and held in place with a lacquered, ornamental hairstick. “You’re beautiful, princess.” He left a gentle kiss on her cheekbone, careful not to disturb her makeup.

Elide’s nose crinkled with the force of her grin. Her blush highlighted the freckles he seldom saw. “Thank you,” Elide whispered back. She smoothed her hand over his heart, fingering the fine material of his navy shirt. “You clean up good, Salvaterre.”

Lorcan laughed softly. “Did you grow, or something?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, stupid,” she said with affection. “I’m wearing heels.” Elide kicked one foot up. “Four whole inches.”

He whistled low. “Damn, Lochan. You’re, like, average height now.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Lorcan laughed again, offering her his elbow. Elide graciously slipped her hand around his bicep, giving it a squeeze before they braved the other couple.

Neither Rowan nor Aelin commented on anything, which both Elide and Lorcan were eternally grateful for. Aelin’s eyes held a knowing look, but she just smiled happily. “Well, now that we’re here, shall we?”

A hostess led them to a table near a window that overlooked the garden next door. It was gorgeous, really. Rowan and Lorcan pulled out Aelin and Elide’s chairs, respectively, then sat across from them.

Lorcan didn’t want to be this close to Rowan, but looking straight at Elide made up for it. He gave her a little smile, and the four of them shared idle chatter until a server came over to ask for their drinks.

A few minutes later, the drinks arrived and Aelin proposed a toast.

Elide laughed, but she still lifted her cocktail and eyed Lorcan until he copied her. “What are we toasting to, Aelin?”

“Um… to good friends and even better ones like you two?”

They did the obligatory clink, but Lorcan wasn’t thinking about good friends while he took a sip.

Something about the way Elide stared back at him, completely cool, yet eyes simmering with heat and hidden intentions, made him think she wasn’t thinking about good friends either.

✵✵✵✵✵

At some point during dinner, probably around the time their plates had been cleared, Elide’s hand migrated to Lorcan’s on top of the table.

Beside them, Aelin and Rowan had fallen into their own little world, like they couldn’t help themselves.

Elide found that it didn’t bother her tonight. She was perfectly content in her own little world with Lorcan.

He sat leaned back in his chair, watching her with smouldering eyes. It didn’t help that he really looked too good. The deep navy of his button-up shirt, tie-less with the first two buttons undone, contrasted almost sinfully well with the richness of his copper skin.

She sipped on her ice water, needing something to quell the pulsing heat in the pit of her stomach.

Lorcan smirked like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Elide was left trying to deduce a logical reason for why they had to leave early, and why Aelin couldn’t come home tonight.

Like an angel, the waitress appeared again. She smiled politely, asking if she could interest any of them in dessert.

“I think we’re all set,” Lorcan said, briefly looking away from Elide. “Thank you, though.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Aelin asked. The only reason she didn’t pick up on their tension immediately was because she’d been so engrossed in conversation with Rowan, and Elide thanked her goddess.

Elide smiled pleasantly. “I’m sure, I’m so full,” she said. She leaned towards her friend, kissing her cheek. “Honey, this was amazing. Thank you, really.”

“You’re welcome, but I- I really want dessert,” Aelin answered.

“That’s ok. Stay, have dessert with Rowan.”

“Oh. Oh,” she looked quickly between Elide and Lorcan, nodding. “Right, ok, that sounds good.” Aelin smiled knowingly. She leaned closer again, speaking lowly to Elide. “Should I expect to see you tonight?”

Elide glanced across the table, where Lorcan was saying something to Rowan. “Um, I don’t think so. Enjoy the room, Ae.”

The blonde chuckled. “Be safe.”

Rowan and Lorcan sat back, having reached some sort of agreement. “Enjoy your night,” Rowan said.

Lorcan thanked him, though Elide still saw a mark of irritation. He got to his feet, offering Elide his hand. She took it, smoothly standing up and brushing her hand down her skirt. Once she was on her feet, Lorcan slipped his hand around her waist. “Thank you for dinner,” he said, squeezing Elide’s side.

The silver-haired boy simply inclined his head, taking Aelin’s hand again.

Elide said one last good-bye to Aelin, and then Lorcan was tugging her towards the hostess stand. She giggled at his impatience as they waited for their coats and Elide’s purse.

They walked out of the restaurant, the very picture of self-control.

✵✵✵✵✵

Elide eyed Lorcan as he used his student ID to let them into the building. “Lor,” she started, sliding her hand up his arm.

“Yeah?”

“Why are you still mad at Rowan? I thought everything was ok now.”

His jaw clenched, and she regretted asking him. She didn’t want to ruin their night with talk about Rowan. “Why would everything be ok now?”

She shrugged, “He apologised to me, you almost broke his nose…”

Lorcan sighed through his nose. “I’m not mad at him anymore for what he did to you because you’ve forgiven him. But there’s stuff that’s just between me and him, like there was stuff between you and Aelin.” He looked at her, his brows lowered. “He hasn’t apologised for that yet.”

“Oh.” Elide suddenly felt very selfish. Of course Lorcan would have his own feelings, exclusive to however she’d been treated. Gods, she’d made it all about her, hadn’t she? Cheeks burning with embarrassment, she let Lorcan lead her to his room, silent.

When they got to the door, Lorcan turned around. “Where’d you go?”

“Hmm? Nowhere, I’m right here.”

He frowned again. “You got all quiet.”

Elide shifted, trying to look away, but he held her chin steady, forcing her to look at him. She swallowed, trying to find her words. “I just- I kinda just made everything about me, and that was selfish.”

Lorcan almost recoiled, “What? What’re you talking about, selfish?”

She blushed again. “I basically acted like you should forgive Rowan immediately ‘cause he apologised, like you don’t have your own feelings about it.”

Realisation dawned on him. “Oh. I didn’t think you were selfish.” Lorcan bent his head, the tips of their noses touching. His voice was soft. “I don’t think you’re selfish, ‘lide.”

“You don’t?” she murmured, hardly knowing what they were talking about anymore.

“No, never.” His lips brushed against hers, and he whispered, “You know what, princess?”

“What?”

“I don’t want to talk about Rowan right now.”

“Neither do I.”

He kissed her deeply, one of his arms wrapping around her waist. Elide moaned a bit, her eyes falling shut. Vaguely, she realised that Lorcan was opening the door.

He tugged her inside and then pressed her against the door. “Fuck,” Lorcan whispered. His tongue licked into her mouth in a way that made her knees weak. She wrapped her arms around his neck, needing more, more, more. Lorcan sucked on her bottom lip, digging his teeth into the plushness of it before he let go.

Elide was unable to help herself and gasped into his mouth. She felt, more than heard, his cocky chuckle. A bit wickedly, Elide traced the tip of her tongue over his kiss-bitten lips. She pulled her hands down from his neck to push at his coat. “Off,” she mumbled.

His coat was gone within seconds.

Her lips curled into a knowing smile against his, and Lorcan grasped her head between his hands, tilting her face just so. As he slanted his mouth against, Elide raked her long nails down his torso to his belt.

Lorcan’s powerful body shuddered against her. He pressed her harder into the door, the kiss almost bruising. She groaned as he marked heavy, hot kisses down her jaw and throat. Elide’s arms slipped around his head as she tipped her chin up to encourage him. “Lor…” she moaned breathlessly.

One of his hands dragged down her side to cup her ass. “‘lide,” Lorcan whispered, nipping the sensitive skin of her throat.

“Mmm?”

“D’you know how good you look, princess?” he asked her.

Elide’s eyes opened, and she hummed as he sucked a little mark against her pulse. She smirked, of course she knew how good she looked, but... “No. You should show me,” she murmured, “how good I look.”

Lorcan pulled away, breathing hard while he stared down at her. His eyes were wild, holding a promise like he would fall to his knees and worship her the moment she told him to.

She pressed a hand into the middle of his chest and gently shoved him backwards.

He staggered back a step, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

Elide stepped away from the door and around him. She forced Lorcan to turn around as she waltzed to the middle of the room.

First, she shrugged off her long overcoat.

His throat bobbed as he dragged his eyes over her body.

Slowly, tantalisingly, Elide took the edge of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She let it slip through her fingers, and she was sure Lorcan wasn’t breathing now. Something like pride, pride that she had him so close to his knees for her, glowed in her chest and throbbed between her thighs. Elide knew exactly how good her sheer lilac balconette bra made her tits look.

He stepped closer, the evidence of his arousal pressing against his pants zipper.

Elide reached behind herself to unzip her skirt, and the slinky material slipped off her like blood from a wound. She was left bare, save for the matching sheer lingerie set – she really liked him – her strappy, platform heels that made her legs look like they went on for miles, and her necklace.

The last thing Elide did before Lorcan lost the wavering grip on his self-control was reach up and pull out the hairstick keeping her hair up. Her dark hair fell down sleekly, and she smirked. “Well? Show me.”

His hands wrapped around her waist before he tugged her into him, his lips finding hers like he was drowning and she was his only chance to breathe. “Beautiful,” Lorcan murmured, his tongue slicking against hers. He turned her to his bed and gave her a gentle nudge, so Elide sat herself on the edge of the mattress.

She propped herself up with her hands behind her.

Lorcan kneeled and hooked his hands beneath her knees, tugging her closer while spreading her legs. He leaned in to kiss her centre. Elide shuddered as she moaned, one of her hands slipping into his hair, either to hold him there or pull him closer.

He looked up at her before raising, kissing her again. “I’ll make you feel good,” he promised. “Better than you’ve ever felt.”

She nodded, desperately trying to hold onto her power. His hands slid up and down her thighs, hot and slow.

“You want that?” he asked, pulling away to kiss the corner beneath her jaw.

Elide gasped, her head falling back. “Yes,” she sighed.

Lorcan smirked again. Then. “Say please.”

Her eyes flew open, and she gawked at him. He merely arched a brow, as if waiting. Elide swallowed, her cunt pulsing. “Please,” she whispered. “Make me feel good.”

Lorcan gave her one last kiss before he moved down her body. One of his hands slid up her stomach to the heavy underside of her breast. While he peppered her chest with mindless touches of his lips, his hand expertly unhooked her bra. Elide let it fall, and Lorcan tossed it away.

For a moment, he just stared at her ample cleavage. Elide almost whined, needing some sort of reprieve.

He looked at her, holding her gaze as he lowered his mouth to one nipple, circling it slowly with his tongue as her breath hitched before he drew it into his mouth. Lorcan lapped at it greedily, his eyes shutting to savour her as his hands moved to her tits, kneading both at the same time.

Elide’s fingers dug into his dug as he worked her, her hips uselessly trying to rut themselves against his hard abdomen. “Lorcan,” she moaned as his mouth switched sides, this time licking the underside of her breast before.

She was almost sad when he moved on, kissing his way down her body, but she knew his final destination.

Lorcan looked up at her when he hooked his fingers in the band of her panties. He pressed a kiss to the hollow of her hip. “These are cute.”

“F-fuck, they’re new,” she confessed.

“Oh, yeah?” he asked, feigning interest as he stroked his thumb back and forth over the junction between her hip and pelvis.

Elide bit her lip, thinking it was cute how unaware he was. She sat up to lean down, one arm beneath her breasts to push them up. Lips brushing the shell of his ear while her fingers slid over his shoulder, feeling the muscles ripple, Elide told him, “I bought them today.”

He stilled at her admission.

Smug, she leaned back on her hands again, her head leaned to the side.

Lorcan’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Did you now,” he asked, his voice hardly above a guttural growl.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “You like when I wear purple, right?”

His hand slipped beneath her ass to yank the offending garment off. “I prefer nothing,” Lorcan told her.

Elide shook when he dipped his mouth to her, thinking he would finally give her what she wanted. Of course, he didn’t, the fucking tease.

Lorcan’s hands slipped down to her ankles, and Elide remembered she still had her shoes on. He fiddled with the buckles before pulling them off, one by one. Next, he kissed the inside of her thighs, and she thought he really was trying to kill her.

“Lorcan,” she half-moaned, half-whined. “Please, baby.”

“Please, what?” he asked, so close to her awaiting centre she could feel the vibrations of his deep voice.

Elide spread her legs wider. “Please make me feel good.”

He winked at her – the bastard winked – before dipping his mouth to her cunt. The instant his tongue touched her, Elide’s hips bucked. She slid her fingers into his hair, pulling on the silky strands. She could feel him chuckling against her as he alternated between long, slow strokes up her slit and little touches against her clit.

Elide moaned, long and low.

He worked her up slowly before paying his undivided attention to the little bundle of nerves. Elide started having trouble breathing, and the arm propping her up gave up. She crashed onto her back, her other hand joining the one in his hair.

She vocalised her pleasure through pants of his name and moans as a delicious tension spread from her pelvis, slowly overtaking her entire body. Whatever noises she made only encouraged Lorcan. He feasted on her like he was on death row and she was his last meal.

Elide had had good head before, this? Godly.

She was so close in minutes, her thighs attempting to trap him. Elide could feel it erupting within, and just as she came, she looked down and saw Lorcan looking up at her through his lashes. She cried out as her orgasm crested. Her back arched while she shuddered, and she pulled on his hair, not noticing how tight her grip was.

Elide was limp, her heart almost pounding out of her chest as he rose above her. She pulled him down, hungrily kissing him. “You’re,” she panted, “still dressed.”

Lorcan ran his hands up her sides to her waist. He squeezed her once before pulling away. Elide’s whine was soothed the moment she saw him unbuttoning his shirt. She kneeled on shaky legs to help him.

His lips found hers again, and she yanked his shirt out of his pants, too aroused for reason. Elide needed him bare, now.

Once his shirt was off, she backed away and reclined against his headboard, knees bent.

Lorcan almost tripped over himself in his haste to rid himself of his remaining articles of clothing. She crooked a finger towards, and he wrapped his arms around her, settling himself in the cradle of her thighs.

She sighed as she finally felt his skin, so soft and warm.

They exchanged slow, languid kisses, sinking into each other. Both were painfully aware how badly they still wanted each other. Elide nipped at his bottom lip, whispering, “Do you have a condom?”

Lorcan forced himself to part from her. “You’re sure?”

Elide nodded. “So sure.”

He reached over to his nightstand and fished one out of the drawer while Elide entertained herself by running her hand down his body. She wrapped one hand around his hard cock, grinning when he shook. Lorcan’s head fell against her shoulder, his eyes watching her as she moved her hand up and down, slowly.

His hips canted forward of their own accord, and he bit her shoulder, “Not nice.”

“I never said I was,” she countered.

Elide kissed his jaw as she took the condom out of his hand, carefully ripping the package. She tossed it aside after Lorcan took the condom from her and kneeled, her legs draped over his thighs. With her watching, he rolled the rubber on. His hands moved back to her hips, and he leaned down, his lips finding hers. “You’re good?”

She liked that he kept checking on her, but she just wanted him to fuck her. At that moment, it was the only thing she wanted.

The boy above her laughed lowly. “Alright, princess, you don’t gotta beg.”

She didn’t even care that she’d spoken her thoughts aloud, not when he finally pushed into her. And kept pushing into her.

Elide felt like her lungs were in her throat when he bottomed out. “Oh, fuck.”

Then, Lorcan started pumping into her. He kept his motions slow, torturously so. Elide gripped the pillow beneath her head, fighting to keep her eyes open. She wanted to appraise him in all his debased glory, the way the muscles beneath his amber skin rippled as he fucked her.

She gave into the feeling, almost forgetting that her body was just a vessel for pleasure or for their connection as he gratified her.

He had a bruising grip on her hips, and the muscles in his jaw clenched as he pulled out until just the tip remained inside her.

Elide moaned as he thrusted in, harder than before. She nodded, “Oh, just- just like that, baby, please.”

Lorcan groaned her name. He fucked her a little harder, tilting her hips so he could reach even deeper. He watched her face, eyes locked on hers. “Princess, you’re so good,” he praised her, his thumb stroking her skin. “You’re amazing, you feel like fuckin’ heaven.”

Her teeth sunk into her reddened bottom lip, and he realised he wanted to be the one doing that. Lorcan lowered her hips as he moved, stretching over her. His weight was balanced on the hand he planted beside her head.

He kissed her hard, his teeth digging into her lip. Lorcan lowered himself to his forearm while he lazily thrusted into her, lowering his gaze to where his dick was buried inside her.

Elide’s hips moved back and forth, in time with him. She circled his neck with her arms, pressing her lips across his cheeks and nose until his mouth met hers. He breathed hard into her, one hand pressing her hips into his mattress. The other dipped between them, his thumb finding her clit.

“Lorcan,” she cried out as he circled her clit. She could feel her climax building again, knowing it would be bigger and more intense than the previous one. Fuck, Elide wanted to come again, she wanted to come with him while he was inside of her. “Fuck me, fuck me, please.”

Lorcan grinned as he unleashed, snapping his hips into her. His kiss stole her ability to breathe and think straight. Harder and faster, he fucked her into the mattress, his thumb making tight circles against her clit.

He could feel his own orgasm growing at the base of his spine. Lorcan pulled his lips from hers, burying his face into her neck. There was some sick satisfaction in the way Elide clung to him, her limbs shaking.

Panted versions of each other’s names filled the room. Each stroke, each touch forced them higher and higher. Elide could feel her toes curling, her thighs tightening.

It slammed into her, forcing the air from her lungs in one last exclamation of Lorcan’s name. She came so hard her vision went white, and Elide shook, her legs clamping around his hips. She felt his thrusts stutter, his hands holding her tightly enough to bruise.

“Ffffuck,” Lorcan moaned, his fingers digging into her indulgently. One of his hands moved to her peachy ass as they rocked together, slowly coming down from the high.

Then, when they were done, they laid still, in complete silence save for soft pants.

Beneath him, Elide started to shake. He cracked one eye open, promptly closing it when he saw her laughing. Lorcan grunted, not wanting to move yet. If they could stay like this for the rest of his life, Lorcan would die the happiest man on earth, he decided. Slowly, he managed to rouse himself enough to pull out of her and get up to dispose of the condom.

He returned to her side, crawling in next to her and pulling the duvet over them. Lorcan draped a heavy arm over her waist to bring her closer. “Y’good?” he asked, eyes still closed.

Elide brushed his hair back, gently scratching his scalp with her long nails. “Yes, Lorcan.” She allowed him to tug her even closer, his body curling around hers. “Are you good?”

Lorcan opened his eyes then. He gently cupped her jaw to kiss her again, deeply and with so much affection. “I’m good, Elide,” he whispered. “Better than good.”

She grinned, her eyes soft and half-lidded with satisfaction. “Me too.”

They wasted a little time kissing until she patted his chest. “Baby,” Elide whispered, “I should use the bathroom before I forget.”

Lorcan rolled off of her. Luckily, he and Rowan had gotten one of the larger dorm rooms with an attached bathroom. He reclined against the pillows as Elide hurried off, snatching a spare t-shirt of his off his desk chair. She disappeared and gave him time to replay the night over in his mind.

After a minute or so, someone softly cleared their throat, tearing him out of his daydreams.

Elide stood by the bathroom door, clad in his shirt. Her hair was messy from their romp and his wandering hands.

He sucked in a breath, eyeing her from head to toe.

She had looked stunningly gorgeous before, in her skirt and top, but there was something so indecent and arousing about her hair and bareness covered by a holey shirt. Elide looked at him, one brow raised. “Come and get me,” she teased, dropping her voice to this low, seductive tone, “you know you want to.”

Elide had never seen someone his size move so fluidly and with such speed. He had her bent over his shoulder before she could think. She shrieked, her laughter following them as he took her back to bed.

When he put her down, he did it carefully, gently.

Later, after they’d tired themselves out a third and fourth time, he draped himself over her, gathering her pliant body against his. “G’night, ‘lide,” he whispered, his words mashing together.

She smiled, thinking back to the first time they’d met. “Sweet dreams, Lorcan.”

✵✵✵✵✵

an: enjoy my once a year sex scene and srry for my lil rowaelin h8r moment......I LUV THEM I DO.....also !! as a phil major who hates hates hates deductive logic (and also metaphysics is for LOSERS except i luv any and all christopher nolan movies 🫶🫶🫶🫶) i think elide would b rlly good at logic......anyher. hope u enjoyed !!

tag list (let me kno if u would like 2 b added): @sassyhobbits @empress-ofbloodshed @gwynethhberdara @the-regal-warrior @icecream52

#elorcan #elide x lorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #nalgenewhore #isa writes #also also also i believe in rugby player supremacy i need 2 c more thickum men......i want to see it !

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gayrobos · 2 years ago

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it’s making me feel insane seeing all these people posting about how great the new earthspark episodes are... the total lack of followthrough on any of the questions I had from the first part, the total lack of consideration when they were actively trying to answer those questions?? (like what was the war about? what separates a decepticon from an autobot? was the war history episode being purposefully vague or were the writers trying to obscure the fact that they couldn’t come up with anything coherent? when they implied the tf war was started by a decepticon labor uprising like in idw I was like please not this shit again. could you apply your critical reading skills.)

the main thing that pissed me off was the ridiculous framing of cybertronians in relation to humans. did we learn nothing from overwatch? it’s not a coherent metaphor for real life oppression if the people being oppressed came to your planet and blew up a bunch of your cities for their stupid war!! g-d the nonbinary kid who’s like “I’d never be scared of anyone who uses they/them pronouns!” after being kidnapped by a giant robot they can only assume was in the transformer military. sorry but being misgendered is simply not what people are afraid of from transformers! I could only read that scene as nervous compliance with someone powerful whose temper you don’t understand, but I know that wasn’t the intent of the writers. that was supposed to be a feel-good scene! good lord.

what exactly ARE the writers trying to do with the decepticons? they’re coming down on the anti-incarceration side, but... only because they’ve made a bunch of decepticons inexplicably nice? like. tarantulas? TARANTULAS is a nice and normal sadboy who just wants to be left alone?? have you ever. seen him in anything. like I have personal beef with the bizarre way this show grabs decepticons at random to make them nice little guys but I also feel like it’s representative of this weird impulse to be writing fanfiction where decepticons are nice actually. they’re all so noble! they’d rather give up their own freedom than see their autobot friends hurt! I’m mad about the incredibly toothless conflict between bee and breakdown. this series of episodes was really interested in painting bumblebee as someone concerned for decepticons’ welfare, but he refused to break cover to save breakdown---he only broke cover to save the person trying to capture them both. HUH? bumblebee is the hero here because he feels sad about doing nothing meaningful to help the people he ostensibly cares about?

anyway. genuinely bad people shouldn’t be incarcerated either.

there’s got to be a way to tell a story about being biracial and having to deal with the legacy of your family’s violence without this clumsy oppression metaphor that requires rewriting and eliding in-universe history and pretending that people spray-painting TRANSFORMERS GO HOME on a bridge constitutes genuine harm. do y’all know what systemic violence is? it’s not when there’s a secret organization that wants you dead and also everyone’s scared you’ll kill them.

#earthspark spoilers #the tag needs some negativity ✨#if addressing the aftermath of an alien war on a kids show means you're going to oversimplify and misrepresent everything about it...#you don't have to put it in a kids show!#I didn't even mention shockwave inventing a new slur on the spot after learning what a terran is. cmon.#tfes

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more-better-words · 7 months ago

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I'd like your advice as a writer, if you please:

What would you suggest for an completely n00b of a writer who has ideas and random scenes and/or chapters? Do they allow their writings to languish in WIP folder forever, do you just post and let come what may?

I have the ailment known as "lots'a ideas and randomness" when it comes to fan fic writing. Such symptoms include random idea/au with characters assigned spots/alignments (what-have-you), a scene for a greater fic but then no fic cometh, as well as "i just wrote a chapter of a fic, have edited it and now it will sit for years in loneliness." As such, I have at least 2 full-fledged chapters of different stories just twiddling their thumbs in wait.

As someone whose various fic folders are littered with projects that went nowhere, I feel your pain. So I've got a question, a suggestion, and a statement.

Question - What parts of your stories are you missing that keep them from being complete in your head? Not on paper, but just in your mind. If you can see the full scope of the story in your mind, but can't seem to make the words come, there are two options. One, you write around the problem parts until they're all that's left. By that point, you may find you have a solid enough grasp of the story that they're not actually problems anymore. Or two, you jettison the problem parts altogether. Gloss over, elide, time skip, whatever you need to do… just get past them.

Suggestion - Are any of your finished chapters anything that could be turned into a one-shot? If you really want to get your legs under you with regard to publishing some fic, short form is easier than long form. Believe me. My fic writing history is tons of little one offs, and a handful of long stories. And the majority of those one offs are under 2000 words. Don't let word count scare you. (Which is advice I still struggle with 😅)

Finally, statement - Writing fic is about sharing your weird/cool/fun idea with others. If what you want is to share your stories with other people because you want them to be enjoyed by more than just yourself, then do it! Hopefully this helps you figure out where your sticking points are. 😊

#thanks for the ask!#writer stuff #not that I consider myself any great authority mind you!#but I hope this helps anyway

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pearblossommina · 1 year ago

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ToG Read-A-Long, Kingdom of Ash, Day 9

Ch 62

Dorian and Manon are such a hard couple for me to root for. I can tell they care about each other - but they haven’t had a long time to explore their relationship. I feel like they’ve been starting to in this book. But it’s hard, especially with the way Dorian thinks it’s all up to him to steal the last Wyrdkey at all costs.

(It’s hard to focus on emotions when there’s a big, scary war happening and the fate of the world and everything rests on it) (but still) (I really like both Manon and Dorian individually)

(I would have liked to see a little more from them before this proposal and breakup.)

I can’t believe Dorian took the wyrdkeys with him and just left. How horrible for Manon, to wake up and find him gone, after she tried so hard to convince him to stay! And Dorian, hitting it and quitting it, what a bastard. I’m so disappointed in him! I’m sure he felt like he had to go through with this, especially with Manon describing their potential marriage as a “sacrifice” - like baby boy just wants to be treated like he’s important and he’s loved and he didn’t want to hear her say that - but I can’t help but feel like everything he did was the wrong choice.

That being said.

We do have to get the Wyrdkeys, it’s kinda important.

And there are bigger things at play than falling in love and getting married.

I just like those things more than being a tragic hero, lol.

(Don’t be a hero, Dorian)

(Or if you feel like doing it, don’t be a tragic one)

Ch 63

Man- Aedion and Lysandra and the others were still in the most DIRE situation when I paused. I hate coming back to this.

At least a little bit of backup is here

Thanks, Captain Rolfe, appreciate you…

And hang in there, you guys. Help is on the way. All hope is not lost.

(Someone needs to give Ansel of Briarcliff a hug and tell her everything’s gonna be alright)

Ch 64

“Once, he might have scoffed. Declared that far bigger things mattered, in this war especially. And yet the hand grasping his ... He'd never known anything more precious.”

That’s what I’m talking about! Nothing matters except falling in love, you fools! Stop all this nonsense and just kiss each other and tell each other you love each other!

(Elide and Lorcan are doing it right)

(The rest of these couples need to catch up)

Ch 65

Aw poor Manon. He’ll be ok.

Don’t get too heartbroken, babe. You’ve got a war to fight.

North - to Terrasen!

Ch 66

I’m very sad that Aelin will never be a goddess again, and it’s a bummer that she can’t use her goddess powers to evaporate Maeve.

But, like Rowan, I’ll be glad it never happens again as long as Aelin doesn’t have to suffer.

I’m so sick of her talking about wanting to end things. Girl needs therapy so bad. Yrene, when you get some time, our friend Aelin needs your help with her mental health crisis.

Ch 67

“Could Yrene heal them? Erawan and Maeve? I don't know why I didn't think of it.”

I would literally love that, lol, but I somehow don’t think it will be that easy

Poor Rowan. He really, really wants a family.

I do hope Aelin recovers enough to build one with him. I hope she doesn’t give up. I hope she finds a way to save the world without dying to forge the lock.

(Or Dorian - lol - I still love you Dorian, you piece of shit)

I literally don’t understand Chaol’s dad. He’s such a bitter old man, you’d think he would be happy that Chaol came here at all - that the battle waged in his lands was one where they survived. You’d think he’d be pleased that Chaol’s in such good standing with the new world order. Instead, he’s just pissed off that his whole family hates him, and he can’t control them anymore. It’s sad that he lost his wife and Chaol’s brother because of his own shittiness. It’s sad that the only one who cares for him at all is Chaol, and it’s sad that he’s pushing him away instead of working to let this trauma heal. I would have liked to have seen him apologize for being a shitty father. I would have liked for him to confess that he loved his son. I guess it doesn’t always work that way, and at least Chaol didn’t murder him like Dorian did with his dad. Maybe the door is still open. If we never see him again after today, well, I guess that’s fine too.

PART TWO BABIES. HERE WE GO. IT’S GO TIME.

#tog read along 2023 #kingdom of ash

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manonslayme · 1 year ago

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Girl I´m gonna need more details on the relationship with cryptid!elide and manon pretty please

Anon I have been WAITING for someone to ask me about them omg

Okay so all my stuff for Cryptid!Elide is written in a separate post but the short of it is Annieth put some of her power into unborn Elide so now Elide is also technically Annieth’s daughter too and has some small powers and a vibe that freaks people out. Thankfully, that whole vibe is the reason Manon grows interested in her in the first place, plus the witch blood in Elide.

Basically whenever Manon and Elide have any kind of interaction Manon can’t help but notice the whole energy Elide gives out and it intrigues her enough to interact with Elide even more, mostly because Elide is keeping up her scared girl act and Manon doesn’t buy it one bit, especially since she has that whole energy around her

There’s are a few moments where Elide does scare Manon( one of them being wherever she reports back about the witches in the dungeon and when she and Manon talk about if monsters are born or made) but it also only makes Manon even more interested in Elide because it is hard to scare Manon and Manon wants to figure out how Elide works (something Elide doesn’t even really know herself)

When magic comes back is really when their connection starts because, similarly to how Elide reacted on the beach with Maeve when she immediately tried to run to Manon, Elide’s magic/energy reaches for Manon the second it can because, despite everything, Elide sees Manon as something safe

And, for all her talk of keeping her distance and of not caring for Elide, Manon comes running the moment Elide’s magic reaches for her. She feels how similar the magic is to Elide and she somehow, deep within herself, knows that it’s Elide, knows that she needs her and that Elide is desperate and scared and calling out for Manon, of all people

(I always operate under the belief that Manon and Elide are mates, not matter what Sarah says, and this post always solidifies it for me)

Throughout the rest of the books Elide’s magic and very presence calls out to Manon, always lingering around her and marking Manon. Every time one of the fae characters is near Manon they always just sense Elide on Manon, even if they haven’t interacted is a while, like whenever Manon is on the boat after her grandmother injured her

Manon and Elide are always drawn to each other, something in Elide,her whole vibe and just her in general calling to Manon and Elide being drawn to Manon because basically everyone is uneasy and uncomfortable near Elide but Manon?

Manon has always only seen Elide, through all the masks Elide has had to use and all the acts she’s put on and through everything about Elide that pushes people away

Manon sees Elide.

(Anon I’m so sorry I went on a rant they have been rotting my brain)

#tog #manon blackbeak #throne of glass #elide lochan #malide #manon x elide #lady elide #cryptid/divine elide au #elide x manon

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drsarcasticraspberry · 7 months ago

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i saved this in my drafts to mull over because i think it raises some great points and it dovetails into other issues i see with how people expect trauma survivors to act. the take that "kink is okay only if it's subs using it to cope with trauma" is flawed for the ways that it pathologizes kink (it's something Wrong With You) whilst begrudgingly making an exception for certain people being Allowed to have that thing Wrong With Them (because of Trauma) and then gatekeeping acceptable expressions of that trauma (being Subby).

and i think this elides the fact that: (a) not all subs have a history of trauma, or have kinks related to their trauma; and (b) plenty of people with dom(me) tendencies also have a history of trauma and might find it cathartic/healing to process that through kink. a lot of traumatic experiences involve a loss of control - is it really such a stretch to imagine that some people might deal with that trauma by seeking out safe, boundaried situations in which they can feel fully in-control and powerful?

people tend to gatekeep acceptable trauma responses by demanding/accepting trauma responses that keep survivors in a victim role. meek, passive, eager to please, submissive; aesthetically depressed, endlessly wiling to forgive abusers, preferably in need of rescue. the palatable 'acceptable' trauma responses keep survivors as objects of pity. it's the "poor little match girl" fallacy. but anger can be a trauma response. violence and lashing out can be trauma responses. a need for control and a desire for domination can be trauma responses. if you're willing to begrudgingly give people a pass on being kinky because Trauma you don't get to gatekeep the nature of that trauma response.

besides, it's way past time we moved beyond "kink is a trauma response" and accept that people do all sorts of weird bonkers things for fun and dopamine hits. including kinky things. "but it's dangerous--" so's riding a bike. so's ice hockey. so's driving. "but why would anyone want to do xyz--" people run marathons for fun, and that sport only exists as a hobby because the first guy who ever did it very famously collapsed and died at the end. and then a bunch of people went "oh neat, i wanna see if i can do the Die At The End race!" humans are the Hold My Beer species. we do reckless and weird and ill-advised things for fun all the time. that doesn't stop being the case for kink just because kink involves sex and Sex Is Icky.

sex is a morally neutral fun activity. kinky sex is included in that. someone who likes tying people up and spanking them is no more morally "deviant" than someone who likes being tied up and spanked, and people need to get their heads around that. responsible and ethical practice of kink is symbiotic: it involves people with compatible sets of kinks working together to create a mutually enjoyable good time. you can't act like only one half of that dynamic is Allowed (uwu weak helpless subs who need help with their trauma) but the other half is Suspicious and Gross and Abusive. the whole point of ethical kink is that doms find subs who want to be restrained/humiliated/hit with things/choked/whatever so that both subs and doms get a negotiated, boundaried outlet for the kinky things they wanna do/have done to them. the idea that only submission is okay and sexy and funny but dominant tendencies are always Suspect is just advocating for a baffling dynamic in which either (a) subs only ever get to do kink with Evil Abusers (because those are the only people who are doms) OR (b) doms get nothing out of kinky sex and are just playing reluctant therapist until their poor sub's trauma is Fixed and then. idk i guess everyone reverts back to "normal" vanilla sex?

dom(me)s are not bad people. sexual desires are not bad, including kinky desires, including kinky desires that involve being in the position of power and dominance and control. like every other type of sexual desire/fantasy, it's entirely morally neutral, and ethically acting on it only requires finding someone with a compatible set of desires who enthusiastically consents to bone down about it. that's it. stop shaming dom(me)s and start celebrating the fact that there are good, kind, considerate people out there prepared to step on you to your heart's content.

I theorize the reason "bottoms" appear more prevalent than "tops" on these types of spaces is that it is simply easier to be funny about being a bottom than about being a top without sounding like a sex offender

"uuuuu 🥺 pls cock me aaaaaaaa *runs into wall like Wile E Coyote running into his own tunnel painting*" easy as shit comedy

"I want to put my DICK in someone" whoa dude calm down, take it easy

#k1nk #kink meta #did i think about this for way too long and then ramble on unnecessarily? yes. perhaps #but idk this stuff is important

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acourtofquestions · 6 months ago

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Ramble of recent batshit theories:

*that I haven’t had a chance to be nuts on here about yet, while listening to Queen of Shadows (& trying to go about life’s chaos in the midst of NEEDING to read) CAUSE WHAT HAPPENS😩😭😅😂🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️ I need to know, yet I never want it to end*

— P.S. NO spoliees plz🙃🫶thx😉😘

Elide Lochan *I need to go check* but ISN’T THAT the same last name as Rowan’s old Maeve buddy/enemy??? P.S. (cause I haven’t had a chance) ELIDEEEEEEEEEEEE LIVESSSSSS

I cannot type the name “Lorcan Salvaterre” without thinking Lochan like above🤦‍♀️ & Salvatorre (cause middle school TVD me lives on❣️)🤣 — I need to meet him & fix this… cause also Lucien Vanserra name vibes???

Is Rowan related to Manon… they both are in the vision right? & the whole “demon” nickname cause 100s of years of chaos, + silvery white moon hair? 🤷‍♀️

SUPER FAST HIGHLIGHTS (& then I must go be “a human”)

The book is queen of shadows, well we’ve got Aelin, and whatever this darkness slowly covering Rifthold is… seems promising (& ominous) don’t love the red on the cover😅 umm… Dorian??? Hon, babe, CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GET HIM OUT ALREADY?!

What do Wyrdstone collars look like? WHY DO WE NOT HAVE A FILM ADAPTATION😭

Help I just love Abraxos🥹 bbbbbbbbbb

Why does Asterin remind me of Astrid from how to train your dragon😂

After reading TAB this is just “I understood that reference” city

SO YOUR TELLING ME WESLEY WAS GOING TO ENDOVIER

Yes female friendship!!!

“The swaggering Assassin incarnate”

SHE MISSES ROWAN, I MISS ROWAN, WHERE IS ROWAN😭 (oh how the tables have turned)

I just need Aelin & Aedion’s reunion BE THE BALM TO MY SOUL SARAH

Yes please ladies team up like Genya & Alina and let’s switch up Riftholds pecking order starting with the truly Dolores Umbridge level of revolting *ugh* Arobynn

Did Aelin just pull a black swan reference?

Loving the Black Widow vibes

Lysandra just casually tending to Aedion sculpted chest?😂 … I’m sensing a ship? + it would make sense to add drama since Aelin would hate it (or maybe hopefully not… idk)?

LYSANDRA KNEW (help wait I kinda totally love her)

ELIDE PERSPECTIVE TIME (Chapter 20 here I come)

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tomtenadia · 2 years ago

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Drunken Cuddles

My stupid assignment is finally out of the way. It sucks but I don’t care. I am finally free to write some more Rowaelin. This is an answered prompt:

Prompt: Clingy Rowan please, cuddles and all the good stuff

It’s pure fluff with a very needy Buzzard.

@rowaelinprompts

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DRUNKEN CUDDLES

Aelin loved having an evening all to herself. She loved her husband dearly but on occasion, it was nice to be able to have total control of the TV to watch silly rom-coms without Rowan commenting on them or even just order take out, stuff her face until she was full and finish the night with a slice of chocolate cake without guilt trips on how her diet was verging on terrifying. Rowan was an healthy eater and not a fan of sweets. He was her weirdo and at the altar she had promised to love him for better and for worse and embrace all his weird quirks. That evening the boys had gone out. Lorcan was a professional hockey player and had finally scored the contact of a lifetime. He and Rowan were the only married ones, the rest of the gang was still single so when they asked Aelin and Elide to join them, the two women had agreed to let their men enjoy their night out like the good old times. Both wives had reiterated the necessity to leave the business of flirting with girls to their single friends. Aelin trusted Connall and Vaughan but Fenrys had a hard time dealing with the concept of monogamy. The movie had reached an interesting moment, she was all tucked under a blanket and polishing off a gigantic slice of chocolate hazelnut cake she had bought from Emrys that morning, when someone knocked at the door.

Aelin sighed. It was eleven o’clock at night, who wanted to suffer her wrath?

With a burst of anger she flung the door open and in front of her stood Lorcan, holding up a Rowan who was clearly wasted.

“Sorry,” apologised the tall man “The party got a bit wilder than I expected. Blame Fenrys.” “Believe me, I will.”

Lorcan moved a step in the house and Rowan shifted and groaned. In that instant his green eyes focused on Aelin and a stupid grin appeared on his face “Lor, look, there is a pretty girl in front of us.”

Aelin almost burst out laughing, but restrained herself. “I took all the others home already, you guys live nearby and now I can go home.”

“Lor, can I talk to the pretty lady?”

The man groaned “Do you want me to help you carry him in bed? He is kinda of a dead weight.”

“Lor, I am a firefighter, I carry people out of building on fire. I will be fine.”

Lorcan passed the man to his wife “Now you behave.”

“I am going with the pretty lady?” His green eyes had lit up in happiness and Aelin had a rush of tenderness.

With practice she pulled Rowan to her “go to Elide, and thanks for looking after him.”

Lorcan nodded and disappeared away and Aelin started dragging Rowan inside “Come on, Ro you need a good sleep and then tomorrow you can think about the fact that you are not nineteen anymore and can’t hold your alcohol like you used to.”

“You hair is so pretty. Can I touch it?” He shifted in his arms and Aelin almost lost her grip. They finally made it to the bedroom and dumped her husband and went to gran his t-shirt and shirts that he used to sleep.

She pulled him up to a seated position and he flopped against her. Damn stripping him to change would be a nightmare.

“I love your smell…” she felt his arms sneak around her neck “Can you be my girlfriend?”

Aelin laughed hard and pulled his face in front of her “I am your wife.”

His eyes widened in surprise “Are you sure?” He slurred.

Aelin pulled him again closer to her and grabbed their left hands and showed him the matching silver bands “See?”

In that instant his arms folder around her waist “Mine. The pretty lady is mine.”

“Ro, come on, let’s get you in more comfy clothes and get you to bed.”

“No,” he added stubbornly and tightened his hold on her “You are not leaving.”

Aelin sighed. It had been so long since he had been so badly wasted that she had forgotten that Rowan turned super clingy and needy.

“Ro, just to change your clothes, I am not leaving.”

He threw again his arms around her “I am scared. The Little Folk will get me if you I leave you.”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek “now you are protected.”

The satisfied goofy grin he gave was the most beautiful sight she ever saw.

“Fine,” he tried to pull off his shirt but in his inebriated state, his motor skills suffered a bit so Aelin had to help him. Then it was the time for his jeans and he blushed savagely when she told him he did not use underwear under his shorts “Come on, Ro, I have seen you naked a million times.”

He was still unsure so she tried another tactic “Ro, strip down and we can cuddle naked in bed.”

His face lit up and stripped naked as quickly as a drunken man could.

“Good, now go in bed. I will be back.”

She made a move towards the kitchen when all of a sudden she felt the weight of her husband on her back. Rowan was hanging from her like a backpack.

“Ro, I am just getting some water for you and some pills.”

He shook his head with decision “I don’t want to be alone in bed. You promised cuddles.”

She sighed heavily and turned to her naked husband “Fine, let’s go, you big baby.”

Back in bed Aelin stripped down and climbed under the blankets “Happy now?”

“Yes,” he snuggled closer “you are so warm and soft.”

“Now, do you want to be the big or little spoon?”

He gave a goofy smile “Little, I want you to hold me.”

She climbed over him and then took position behind her husband. Her arms folded around his body and she heard him sigh happily “Happy now?”

He scooted closer until her chest pressed against his back “You are the best wife.”

She kissed his back, inhaling his scent “I love you too, Ro.”

“I am a lucky man.” He added with a sleepy voice.

A few minutes later his breathing steadied and Rowan finally fell asleep.

Aelin squeezed him and buried her face in his back “I will never let you go, Ro.”

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@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck @susumaus98 @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee

#rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan whitethorn #aelin x rowan #rowaelin #rowan #aelin galathynius #rowan x aelin #domestic fluff #tooth rotting fluff

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grison-in-space · 3 months ago

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and it really ignores the way it makes a spectacle if there are only a handful of trans people in the room, or even worse, only one

god yes this. I'm visibly gnc enough that it gets everyone all het up to look at me, and I have in fact started going professionally by she/they exclusively because people stop being weird at me about it then. Pronouns aren't the biggest thing I want acknowledged about my gender, not by a long shot, but like... I am too busy trying to either tune out my own discomfort or obsessively parse the threat level of the people talking to me to comprehend anything interesting, okay?

I am so tired of people being excited to meet me and listen to me talk about a very specific experience of gender that I do not have! That is not the fault of people who do have gender experiences and interpretations of those experiences that aren't identical to my own, but boy fucking howdy I see these stupid fucking pronoun circles transmitting the idea that we are all in some kind of perfect consensus about gender as a major perpetuating factor driving that intensely awkward experience. I have been complaining about that experience for over a decade. I would like to stop doing that.

pronoun circles also erase foundational concepts from queer manners like "you do not ever, ever out another person" by eliding the concept of "contextual pronouns" or pronoun code-switching, in which one set of pronouns might be preferred in one venue but another might be preferred in a second context or around specific people. the thing is, these things are important. For all the straights and more insulated queers like to say how much better things are now (and they are!) they're still plenty rough for many of us--and, you know, what doesn't kill you can leave fucking scars. You don't get to judge how much scar tissue and unwillingness to talk about themselves without being able to control the safety of the space anyone has, and you don't get to arbitrate what spaces feel safe to other people. Consider that your space might feel unsafe no matter what you do and allow room for people to move away to inform their own comfort levels. Your audience might include people who have no idea about anything going on under the surface with the topic, but it also might include veteran activists and burnouts, so you will want to think about how you might respond to that if someone like that shows up and politely asks you to not smack them in the nose.

Please. It's so awkward to have that conversation.

I have also had someone cheerfully announce shit like "anything as long as it's not he, she or they!" because "gender is hard for me so I want it to be hard for everyone!" verbatim. *deep inhale of frustrated breath* when I am full on socializing and therefore masking I have limited cognitive capacity to retain specific contextual social roles, because I am doing everything consciously or semiconsciously and that shit is tiring. you have just announced that you are wasting my very limited cognitive capacity not because it fulfills a need that helps you feel alive but because it makes you feel wise and lofty, like you are engaging in performance art or "making people think." look. I don't need help thinking. I have three miniature essays on the nature of gender and sex rotating in my head at any given time. stopping me from thinking is the usual problem.

also the thing is I am not paying to attend your damn art, and I am not here to contemplate your deep thoughts on gender. I am out here fucking trying to figure out what cultural-category-shorthand I can politely shove you into so I can dedicate that piece of social processing to something else, like figuring out whether someone is secretly peeved about me or fighting off another intrusive anxiety attack. I like people who try to make interactions with themselves accessible to fucked-up autistic chronic maskers like me more than people who think making me do extra cognitive work to interact with them is a fun game. so sue me. you don't ever know how big or small someone else's overall energy reserve is. all you know is how much you value what you ask for.

the bitch of it is that I appreciate a good gender performance, in the sense of an art piece. that is, after all, what gender is: it's a social category we construct ourselves in order to advertise who we are to an unpredictable and public audience. and I love talking about gender, because gender is always endlessly interesting, and I have three different essays in the back of my head I should really figure out how to write up and submit. I love talking about gender because social signals are, in their own way, art! art is worth appreciating! but not when I am trying to play a role in my own right to make sure everyone is at ease, and not when I am trying to accomplish other things by communicating with you.

Besides, I love my friends very much but not all of my friends share my particular idiosyncratic taste in art, so it is easier to be able to dissociate these things with one another if we don't happen to overlap. performance art, like any art or form of play, should be opt in. if there is a thing you do not care about for itself, consider how hard you want to ask people to work to respect it. that's all I'm saying. as someone who has adjusted my pronouns to add singular they in order to accommodate people who are trying to figure out how to navigate a newer social rule to them as politely as possible.

and I hope the concept of the pronoun circle goes to die in hell, ideally before I have to launch myself bodily at people who are otherwise my allies and supporters in both queering sex differences research and also politics while shrieking at the top of my lungs about access conflicts, because the thing is I will do it. I am devoid of dignity. we all know I can and I will.

so. there's that perspective.

i think one of the most frustrating things about the “share pronouns in a circle” phenomenon, as someone who teaches, is it has been so entrenched in the “canon” of the “progressive toolkit” that when you reject it for very good reasons, you recieve pushback for not giving space for pronoun sharing, so you just end up doing it anyways. and it really ignores the way it makes a spectacle if there are only a handful of trans people in the room, or even worse, only one

#science #sciblr #I am genuinely just considering sucking it up and adding a gender categorization rider to the effect of “assigned trans by social circle”#I'm only autistic for all the free social benefits I guess #and yes seriously I have had someone excitedly tell me that she'd stood up for the TRANSGENDER student in the dept in a dispute once #and I got all excited going “omg we have a transgender student? do I know them? can--I know it's rude to ask but can I go make friends--”#and then it became. sad trombone. slowly apparent that the trans student she was referencing was me

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live-the-fangirl-life · 3 years ago

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Lost in the Maize

Aelin Galathynius x Rowan Whitethorn - Corn Maze

Getting lost in a corn maze is not Aelin’s idea of a good time. Maybe the helpful, silver-haired worker can help her find her way.

Masterlist | Read on Ao3 | Halloween Collection

Warnings: Language

2067 words

*******

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Aelin groaned as she came face to face with yet another dead end. She turned on her heel and stalked back down the path she’d taken. “Stupid mazes, stupid corn fields, stupid me for not grabbing my own map.”

She continued to grumble to herself as she tried walking in the opposite direction.

Aelin, Elide, and Lysandra had thought it would be fun to check out the newest corn maze, but apparently it turned out to be the most elaborate, challenging, and gods damned Labyrinth-like maze in all of Orynth.

At any other maze, Aelin would be able to walk through the stalks surrounding her until she got to another path, or better yet—the exit. To her growing frustration, this was the densest corn field she’d ever been in. She didn’t even know it could grow like this.

She followed the winding path as it curved around itself before abruptly ending, again. “For gods’ sake!” She cried, running an agitated hand through her hair.

Aelin took a deep breath. Two. Then she turned around and backtracked some more.

It was supposed to be fun afternoon. It should’ve been a fun afternoon. When they saw that advertisement for the maze, the three ladies excitedly bought tickets. All three of them loved fall, after all—all the activities, foods, and decorations. A corn maze should’ve been one more fun, autumnal thing to do.

It was bustling with people when they arrived, but not too crowded that they were afraid of being on someone’s heels the whole time they tried navigating the maze. They had just been about to hand their tickets to the bored-looking attendant when a bus full of over-excited teenagers pulled up. The ladies had taken one look at each other and ran into the maze, laughing, to get a head-start on the large group.

Their short sprint warmed Aelin up enough that she had been thankful she’d left her gloves in the car.

It only took a few minutes before a stampede of pre-teens barreled through and Aelin darted towards one of the diverging paths to avoid being trampled. When the group was gone and she came back out, Elide and Lysandra had disappeared.

Aelin had immediately tried texting and calling them, but she didn’t have any service out in the maze. She’d spent the next twenty minutes shouting their names, but there were too many people now that her voice got lost in the noise. After that, she was just trying to find the exit, content with grabbing a cider from the main building and waiting for her friends to find their way out.

But that had been two hours ago.

Now, she was tired, hungry, and as she lifted a hand to deflect the glaring sun, she could tell it was getting late. That, and her useless phone which was now nothing more than a brick ticking off the minutes as she passed dead-end after dead-end.

She couldn’t remember how late the maze stayed open, but surely, they couldn’t shut down with her still inside, right?

She stopped suddenly as she heard another set of footsteps from a couple of rows over.

“Hello?” A deep, male voice called out.

She whirled in the direction of the voice, hopeful. “Hello?”

A pause, then, “The maze closed ten minutes ago. Please find your way to the exit.” He said monotonously, as if he’d spoken those words dozens of times. “The cider stand is still open for a while longer.”

His voice got quieter as he spoke, like he was walking away.

“Wait!” She called out, “That’s what I’ve been trying to do, this stupid maze won’t let me leave.”

She felt ridiculous having a semi-conversion with someone she couldn’t see through a bunch of corn stalks. It didn’t help that she thought she heard him laugh.

“Are you lost?” His voice was closer now and Aelin heard a faint accent to his words.

She spun again, trying to figure out where he was. “Obviously,” She sniped. Was she being a little rude to the person who might save her from this corn-infested hell? Maybe. But she had been wandering in circles for hours now and was sure she was going insane.

Aelin froze when she knew she heard him laugh this time. Did he think it was funny that she was lost? She was fully prepared to tell him to shut up when his footsteps echoed behind her.

Aelin turned, seeing a tall, very attractive guy approach her. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his jacket and flyaway strands of silver hair poked through the beanie he wore. A small nametag was pinned to the front of his coat with a messily-scrawled Rowan written beneath an image of the logo of the maze.

“Do you need help finding the exit?” He asked, stopping a few feet away from her. He had a crooked grin that made his sharp features softer, and she supposed she could forgive his laughter if he could actually help her.

She flashed him a smile and nodded. “Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”

He jerked his head back the way he came and turned, waiting for her to follow. Aelin did, but stopped and look at him through narrowed eyes. “Can you really show me how to get out of here, or are you gonna lead further into this hell-hole and murder me?”

He, Rowan, choked on a laugh and looked at her incredulously. “What?”

She huffed and followed him anyway. “Whatever, either is better than wandering around any longer.”

He was still looking at her funny but turned down another path, waiting for her to follow. “I try not to commit murder where I work,” he told her after a second, “bad for business.”

She jerked her face towards him and laughed when she saw he was grinning. “Good to know.”

He held out his hand, “I’m Rowan, by the way.”

She smirked and gripped it. “I know,” her smirk widened as his brows shot up. “I’m Aelin.”

“Should I be asking if you’re going to murder me? How do you know my name?” he asked but didn’t let go of her hand.

She looked pointedly at his nametag and when she glanced back up, the tips of his ears were red.

“Oh, right.” He finally dropped her hand and rubbed the back of his neck.

“And for the record, I wouldn’t murder you here.” She paused and waited as he looked at her with a raised brow. “I’d wait until after you showed me how to find the exit.”

He laughed and Aelin smiled at the way his shoulders shook with it.

“Maybe I should take the long way, then.” He winked at her and Aelin thought it might not have been the worst thing to have gotten lost in the maze.

***

Aelin and Rowan trekked through the maze, not once coming across anyone else. They were joking and bickering, and if Aelin had to guess she’d say that it was taking slightly longer to find the exit than necessary. But she wasn’t complaining.

Not until the sun fell beneath the tops of the cornstalks, that is.

The dimming light brought a chill to the air and Aelin was now seriously regretting leaving her gloves in the car. She brought her cupped hands to her mouth and breathed hot air on them, trying her best to bring feeling back into her numbing fingers.

She could feel Rowan’s gaze on her as she kept up the heavy breathing and faced him with a raised brow. “What?”

He shook his head as they turned another corner, but she saw the corner of his lips twitch up, as if he was trying hard not to smile. “You didn’t think to bring gloves? Its October in Orynth.” He said like it was obviously something she should’ve considered.

Aelin rolled her eyes. “For your information, I did bring gloves.” she sassed but then grumbled, “I just left them in the car.”

He chuckled, “They’re real useful there.”

Aelin rolled her eyes but couldn’t help her small smile. “I didn’t plan to be out here for hours, smartass.”

At that moment, a particularly strong gust of wind swept through the path, ruffling her hair and sending shivers down her spine. Aelin looked at Rowan with his warm hat and extra layers and conceded that, fine, maybe he had a point—but in her defense, she hadn’t anticipated being outside for more than an hour with the sun gone.

Rowan huffed a laugh as she shivered again, and she was just about to retort with some very choice words when he stepped closer and grabbed her cold hands in his.

Aelin momentarily lost her train of thought as he carefully rubbed her hands together, keeping them locked between his, before bringing them up to his face and blowing hot air into their intertwined fingers.

Aelin opened her mouth but no words came out, and she knew the way her face was pink had nothing to do with the cold. Rowan blew a few more times, and Aelin watched him as she felt his warm breath on her palms.

She hadn’t said anything, a bit stunned by this relative stranger acting so boldly. But by the way her heart was racing, and the feel of his hands on hers, she knew she liked it. Really liked it.

Another moment passed before Rowan lifted his eyes from their joined hands to meet her stare. He must’ve liked her dumbfounded expression because he winked. Her brows shot up and he smirked, still holding her hands close, and explained, “We can’t have you getting frostbite out here.”

Aelin finally regained her voice and matched his teasing, “Frostbite is a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”

He shrugged. “You can’t be too careful.” Rowan dropped her hands from in front of his face but still kept a grip on them. “Like murder, it would be bad for business.”

She hummed in mock agreement, pressing her lips together to keep from smiling, “Of course, we don’t want this place shutting down and you out of a job.”

“Exactly,” he grinned, and she mirrored it. Rowan started walking further down the path, her hand still tightly held in his. “Especially since my professional expertise only consists of finding beautiful, lost woman in corn fields.”

Aelin snorted as she fell into step beside him. “Do you spend a lot of time finding beautiful, charming, lost women?”

He glanced sidelong at her and smirked. “Did I say charming?”

“I think you did,” she nodded. “And funny.”

Rowan huffed a laugh, “Humble, too.”

Aelin rolled her eyes but Rowan squeezed her hand and kept leading her through the maze.

***

It wasn’t much longer before they turned a corner and Aelin caught sight of the exit. She might have squealed. Rowan might have squeezed her hand again. She might have squeezed back.

When she finally stepped out into the clearing and beyond the last of the corn, she turned to grin at him.

“Thank you,” she told him, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, “I probably would’ve wandered around all night if it weren’t for you.”

Rowan smiled back, his eyes lighting up as she chuckled. “Nah, I’m sure you would’ve found your way out eventually.”

“Luckily I don’t have to find out.” She glanced around and didn’t immediately spot Elide or Lysandra, so she assumed they were at the cider stand inside the main building. Aelin turned back to Rowan and smirked as she caught him staring at her. “How can I ever repay you?”

He watched her for a moment and his grin widened as she exaggeratedly batted her eyelashes. “How about you give me your phone number and we’ll call it even?” He said it confidently, but Aelin noticed the hint of nervousness in his green eyes.

She took a step towards him, near enough now that she had to crane her neck back to meet his eyes. Eyes that widened at her closeness, but he didn’t step back.

“I’ll do you one better,” she whispered and winked. “I’ll let you take me out on a date.”

As he grinned, Aelin silently thanked the chaotic group of kids that separated her from her friends. Something good came from her being lost, after all.

*****

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@acourtofsnakes @allthebooksunderthemoon @astra-ad-mare @becarefuloflove @booklover41802 @charlizeed @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @danibutterr @doubt-less @emily-gsh @enormousbooklover @foughtconquered @fromthelibraryofemilyj @hakunamatatazz @i-have-but-one-brain-cell @in-love-with-caramel-macchiato @jorjy-jo @lemonade-coolattas @mariamuses @mayhemories @midsizewitch @miserablesmusings @morganofthewildfire @nehemikkele @rowaelinismyotp @rowansfirebringer @sayosdreams @sheharahu @sleeping-and-books @stardelia @story-scribbler @superspiritfestival @themoonthestarsthesuriel @swankii-art-teacher @tomtenadia @westofmoon @whimsicallyreading @moodymelanist @angelic-voice-1997 @realbookloverproblems @gracie-rosee @julemmaes @yesdreamblog @the-regal-warrior @rowanaelinn @thestoriesyoutell @autumnbabylon @sunflowermoonshinewrites @maastrash @annejulianneh111

#rowaelin #aelin x rowan #rowan x aelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #aelin #Rowan #aelin and rowan #rowan and aelin #aelin galathynius x rowan whitethorn #rowaelin fic #rowaelin au #rowaelin fluff #Halloween #corn maze #throne of glass #tog

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emeriethevalkyriegirl · 2 years ago

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‘Found you’ (Elorcan week: Day 7 Free Day)

You guys remember my Rowaelin fic when Aelin was a child right? Well guess what? I’m doing it again. This time with Elide and Lorcan.

@elorcanweek2022

Elide covered her mouth, trying to keep the dust from reaching her nose. This little 7 year old was playing hide and seek with her imaginary friend. A friend she came up with a little while ago while she was asleep.

She dreamed that this friend was tall. So tall that he could touch the sky with just a reach of his arm. So tall that this friend would help her to reach the top shelf of a cabinet. But mostly, to hide from her angry uncle so she won’t be so afraid.

She also dreamed that her friend was strong and brave. Because she thought she wouldn’t ever be those things. Someone to help her when she fell. When she needed to be cared for whenever she needed it most. A strong shoulder to cry on when she couldn’t face the day.

Lastly, she dreamed of that friend to be handsome. So handsome she wanted to marry him. That way, when she becomes beautiful, he could take her away from this place and they can run away together. Far away. Where no one could tell them what to do.

Now, that dream had become a reality. The moment she woke up from her bed, a mysterious man was sitting oh a stool looking at her with interest. There he was. Her imaginary friend. She smiled at him and asked, “Are you real?” The man smiled back and lightly squeezed her nose, making Elide giggle.

From that moment on, the two of them played games with each other and talked about their lives. (Well mostly Elide doing the talking sense her friend didn’t speak). Their favorite was hide and seek. Because where ever Elide hid, her friend would always find her.

Now, here she was again, silencing her giggles as she heard foot steps coming to her bed. Elide wiggled her toes in anticipation. “He’ll never find me here.” She whispered thinking that she had won the game. That is until her friend lifted the sheet form the bed revealing her surprised face. Elide squealed and laughed as her friend playfully pulled her from under the bed. “You found me!” She cheered in delight as her friend rolled his eyes and gave her a small kiss on her cheek.

Elide rolled over onto her back like a puppy begging for a belly rub. “Wanna play funny faces?” Funny faces was a game where Elide and her friend would try to pull off the silliest faces ever. Whoever laughs first looses. Elide always lost but she always had fun.

Her friend nodded, already pulled off his first funny face by using his hand to squish his face like a fish out of water. Elide covered her mouth and chuckled a bit but didn’t laugh yet. So she stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes in different directions. Her friend giggled but no sound came out. Still, it was almost a laugh. Her friend put both of his index fingers behind his ear and pushed them forward to make them look like a monkey’s ear. He couldn’t make any sounds but he moved his mouth in different shape to make it look like he was making monkey sounds.

Elide couldn’t take it anymore and was the first one to laugh. Her friend smirked and picked her up, surprising the 7 year old as he spun her around the room like a comet. Elide burst with joy. Never had she ever experienced so much fun in her life. She wished that it would never end.

That is…until he bell chimed.

Her friend froze in place, still holding Elide in the air. The amusement died in his eyes as Elide gasp in fright. Midnight had come. It was time for him to leave. Elide shook her head rapidly. “No no no. Don’t go please. I don’t want you to go. Please stay. Please!” Elide begged as her friend placed her in her bed and pulled the covers over her body. Her friend shook his head slowly, closing her mouth with his finger. Elide felt tears rolling down her face as her friend sadly smiled and kissed them away.

Her friend drew his finger along her forehead to form a sentence. It was how the two of them were able to communicate.

I’ll be back tomorrow

Elide sniffled a bit. “P-Promise?” She asked as her friend nodded and squeezed her nose knowing that it’ll make her giggle. It did. The friend put both of his hands on each side of her head to fall asleep. When Elide was finally asleep, Lorcan sighed. “I’ll found you again. I promise.”

#tog #elorcan week 2022 #Lorcan #her friend #the friend #child elide #empire of storms #Elorcan #AU

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rowanaelinn · 3 years ago

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Strange Love

A one shot I’ve been working on for a few days to thank you for 100 followers!! I’m so happy to see people enjoying my fics, i truly love it.

warning: nsfw

“What can I get you?” The barkeep asked Aelin with his most charming smile. He was young and a brunette, exactly Aelin’s type, and according to his name tag he was named Chaol. If only she was less tired or if she was in Doranelle for her own fun she might have tried to flirt with him. “We’ll take two Sex On The Beach, please,” Fenrys, Aelin’s best friend, and coworker, ordered for them both. As funny as it was, whenever they saw each other they drank the same thing. They had met at a work conference five years ago, both of them were sitting at the bar, not in the mood to keep up with their boss, and both of them were drinking the same thing. it had become their ritual, that little thing that made their friendship special.

The waiter nodded and started preparing the drinks. When Aelin looked at her friend he had an eyebrow raised and a small smirk on his face. “What is it?” She asked.

“That guy is basically Sam with straight hair, you can’t keep seeing men that look exactly the same.”

“That’s not true!” It was true. “Besides, I wasn’t going to try anything.”

The look he gave her proved he didn’t believe her. When Chaol brought their drinks and winked at Aelin, she couldn’t help but laugh with Fenrys. “Okay, I may have a type,” Aelin admitted and Fenrys shook his head as he drank. “But there is nothing wrong with that!”

“Of course there’s nothing wrong with it, Ace. But having a type and dating the same guys in different fonts every time are two very different things. You need to spice things up!” He shook her shoulders and they both laughed. “You work your ass off all the time. For Mala’s sake, you haven’t got laid in two years.”

She took the little piece of pineapple hanging on the rim of her glass and threw it into Fenrys' head, right between the eyes. “I should never have told you this.”

Of course, the bastard just laughed, he never took things seriously, exactly like Aelin, as long as it wasn’t about her. “We are on another continent for four days, why don’t you go for it and have some fun.”

“I am at a club with you, I’m having lots of fun.”

“Unless you want to sleep with me again, I can’t give you the fun I’m talking about right now.” This time she took Fenrys’s piece of pineapple and this time he received it on the nose.

“Sleeping with you was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.” Fenrys put both hands on his heart, pretending to be hurt by Aelin’s words. She shook her head as she laughed and looked around her. The club was quite crowded for a Thursday night, Fenrys and Aelin both had been lucky to find seats at the bar. “So you want me to take advantage of Elide and Lorcan’s wedding to have sex, that’s what you mean?”

“You'll meet a lot of people at their rehearsal dinner tomorrow or at the ceremony on Saturday. Many of them will be Lorcan’s friends that you will see only for two days.”

“I’m Elide’s bridesmaid, Fen. I won’t have time to flirt.”

“Elide told me Lorcan’s best man was hot!” he tried as he finished his first drink and ordered another one for both of them.

“He is Lorcan’s friend, I don’t trust anyone who pulls out with Lorcan’s bullshit,” She said and finished the end of her glass so that Chaol could take it back and put another one in front of her. “Besides Elide.”

“Amen,” Fenrys said as they clinked their drinks. Lorcan wasn’t Aelin and Fenrys’s biggest fan, and the feeling was mutual. Elide might see another side of this man when it’s just the both of them because Aelin didn’t know why else she would marry him. But Aelin never saw her sister happier than when she was with Lorcan, so Aelin was happy for her.

“Well since you don’t want to get laid tomorrow and Saturday, why not tonight? If you discreetly turn around you’ll see one of the hottest men I’ve ever seen staring at your back.”

Aelin was skeptical. Fenrys and her had similar tastes in women but not in men. She took her drink in hand and turned around slowly as if she was just looking around the club.

Her breath caught when she found a man with silver hair looking at her. He was sitting a few seats away from Aelin, and his eyes were fixed on her. She had dressed up well, she might not have gotten a lot of action lately because of her job but she still loved to be looked at. She was beautiful and she knew it, so she had no reasons to hide.

She had borrowed one of Lysandra’s dresses today, this one was gold. The dress was tight and exposed enough of her chest and back that she caught several glances at her tonight. The stranger was one of them. He had no shame in lowering his gaze to her breast and biting his lip. When his gaze descended again on Aelin's body, she arched her back slightly, crossing her legs to make her dress rise a little more.

As he drank in the sight of her, she marveled at the way his white shirt exposed his muscles. She even caught a tattoo on one of his arms, and with the way his head is turned toward her she could swear the tattoo went up to his neck. It was Aelin’s turn to bite her lip, she always found men with tattoos hot.

When Aelin looked back at his face he had a satisfied smirk, happy to catch her staring. She wouldn’t feel ashamed, not when it seemed he had to readjust his position in his seat after looking at her. She drank her cocktail down in one and delicately wiped her lips with her thumb, drawing the stranger's attention to them. Gods, it was almost too simple. Aelin loved the hunt, she loved to make things last. If she didn't have to fight for something it meant it wasn't worth it.

But the man wasn’t at her side yet, he was just sitting and seemed content to look at her. Most men would already be talking with her now or would be using their tongue in another way. But if Aelin learned something in twenty-seven years of life, it was that men didn’t like to wait. But maybe this silver-haired stranger did, maybe he was like her.

“You’re going to help me,” Aelin said as she took Fenrys' hand, he hurriedly finished his drink before getting down from his chair, following Aelin onto the dance floor. She slightly accentuated the sway of her hips, sure to have the stranger's attention on her.

“You’re the devil,” Fenrys chuckled as his hands slid on her hips and turned her around, pressing her back into his front. They started dancing slowly, both of their hips moving together. As her head fell back on Fenrys’s shoulder and one of his hands trailed up to her stomach, she opened her eyes to find the stranger staring at them.

If Aelin knew anything else about men is that they felt entitled to what doesn’t belong to them. So if she wanted to make him jealous to get what she wanted in the end, she would rather use Fenrys than a random man who could get violent for rejecting him in the end.

“With all the work I put into this I sure hope you'll ask me to join,” Fenrys said loud enough for her to hear as his lips grazed where the shoulder met her neck.

“Go find your own fun,” Aelin wasn’t shy in the bedroom but never had she done a threesome and she certainly wouldn’t have her first with a stranger.

The stranger’s eyes narrowed as she slid a hand on Fenrys’s blonde curls, arching against him. He tightened his grip around his glass of whiskey. Aelin's eyes were fixed on his fingers. She could imagine what they would feel like on her cheeks, breasts, stomach, tights or even inside her. Her inside twitched at that thought.

From the look on his face, he knew what had just been on her mind. Was this supposed to impress me? He seemed to ask as he arched his brow. He leaned in his seat and made a sign to Aelin to keep going. She couldn’t help but smirk and decide she liked this man.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Aelin winked at the man and turned around. She slid her hand around Fenrys neck and he automatically knew what she was doing. He laughed as he lowered his head to kiss her.

The kiss was heated, exactly the way it needed to be. One of his hands gripped her ass, bringing her closer to him while the other found her breast. She moaned, imagining the stranger's hands instead of Fenrys’s. Aelin opened her eyes to find him right in front of her, still sitting, staring at them. He was breathing heavily, eyes fixed on her. It felt so scandalous to kiss someone just for the show, just to provoke someone else.

She closed her eyes as Fenrys broke the kiss to start nipping at her neck. She threw her head back, still thinking about someone else's lips. Fenrys was good at it, but he wasn’t the one she needed now.

“Can I cut in?” A deep voice interrupted them as a warm hand slid on Aelin’s waist. She turned around to see deep green eyes staring at her. Her heart started beating faster at the mischief in these eyes, Aelin had no idea what she had just got into. Fenrys took his hands off her and kissed her cheek, murmuring to her to stay safe, to call him if she needed and he left them alone. Or as alone as they could be in a crowded club.

Having him so close to her made her feel many things but she did her best to keep a normal face. She gasped when he used his hand around her waist to turn her around, pressing her back to his front. Well, that wasn't exactly what she imagined herself doing once she spoke to him. “Don’t be shy, baby. You seemed to like dancing like a whore five minutes ago, didn’t you?”

She could feel herself getting wet at his crude words, this man was going to kill her before the end of the night and she wasn’t complaining. “Maybe I just don’t want to dance with you,” she taunted as her hips started moving with his. As she arched her back to feel more of him, she felt the evidence of his desire. Gods, he had gotten hard watching her. That might be the hottest thing Aelin ever lived.

“Is that why your eyes were on me when your tongue was down his throat?” One of his hands slid up, close enough to her breast for him to stroke the underside with his thumb. Her head fell back on his shoulder and she turned her head to find his eyes on her. She could see all his features now, and she’d been stupid to think every man she had been attracted to had been her type. Her type was him, nothing else.

She couldn’t answer, too overwhelmed. Looking at him as he touched her was too intense, she ground her ass harder on his erection, wanting to make him as desperate as she was. His hand slipped around her waist, holding her as close as he could, as the other one cupped her cheek, keeping her eyes on him. His thumb traced the curve of her lips, she opened her mouth and she stuck out her tongue to lick the tip of his finger in the most provocative way possible while keeping her eyes innocent.

He growled and inserted his thumb in her mouth, she closed her full, luscious, lips around it and turned her tongue around the tip. He leaned to her ear and whispered, tickling her with his hot breath, "You want me to fuck you, baby?"

She nodded eagerly, no longer caring that she looked desperate when his hand slid down to her thigh, just below her dress. He stroked her skin, if he moved his hand up a little he could touch her panties. “Are you wet?” He asked, making her clench around nothing. She didn’t have time to nod before his finger stroked her lace-covered slit. She moaned loudly around his thumb, suddenly grateful for the music. He slipped one finger under her panties and groaned at what he found. She closed her eyes as he caressed her folds, not touching either her entrance or clit. This man was a tease and Aelin loved it. “You’re so fucking wet, is it all for me?” he asked and let out a low laugh when she didn’t answer. “Does it turn you on to be touched in front of everyone?”

As if only remembering where they were, Aelin’s eyes shot open and she turned her head, trying to see if anyone was looking at them. Aelin’s mouth was left empty without the man’s thumb. He used his free hand to push her head back on his shoulder, forcing her to look at him. He had a satisfied smirk on his lips and didn't look worried about the hundreds of people around them.

“Nobody’s noticing you, baby. But you’re gonna have to stay quiet for me because I’m going to make you come right now and I don’t want anyone else to look at you.”

She wanted to protest, she really wanted to. But all she did was bite her lip when the stranger's thumb flicked her clit and another of his fingers plunged into her entrance. He didn’t wait before thrusting into her at the right rhythm to get her off. He added another finger and Aelin couldn’t help but let out another moan.

She closed her eyes, focusing on the pleasure but it apparently wasn’t in the man’s plan. “Look at me when I make you come, baby.” Too gone to care, Aelin opened her eyes and clenched around his finger when she met his eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen and having them on her as she started rolling her hips against his hand was almost too much. “You’re so tight, I can’t wait to feel your cunt around my cock,” He whispered in her ear as he added a third finger. He circled her clit one last time and she fell over the edge, hiding her head in his neck as she bit her lip to the blood not to scream of pleasure. He didn’t stop thrusting into her, prolonging her climax. When her walls stopped spasming around his finger he stopped, pulling out his fingers.

Her legs were shaking and if he didn’t use his arm to hold her she would have fallen on the floor. “You did so well,” he praised her, kissing the top of her head. She just let a man whose name she didn’t know finger her in public and made her come faster than anyone ever did. She could almost laugh at the situation if she wasn’t still so needy.

“Join me in the bathroom?” He asked and she didn’t answer, only took his hand and started walking. The moment he closed and locked the door, she was thrown on the wall and his lips crashed onto hers. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, sliding her hands through his soft silver hair.

"What's your name?" She asked as he kissed her jaw and then her neck.

He looked back at her face, she was grateful he was holding her legs because she felt them weaken, pinned under his stare. “What’s yours, baby?” She wanted to say she asked first, but she knew enough about him to know he was in control.

“Celeana,” the lie rolled off her tongue easily. No matter how good this man was, he was still a stranger and Aelin was a woman. The less he knew about her, the better. “Yours?”

“You won’t need to call me anything else than ‘sir’.” He said with a proud smirk as he got her back on her feet and turned her around to face the mirror. He pushed her so her hands rested on the sink, the only thing holding her when he started kissing her neck.

“If I’m too rough you say red, understand?” He asked, looking at her in the mirror. She just nodded, leaning her back into his front. He pulled her dress up around her waist and spanked her. She bent over the sink, only held on her legs by the man's hold on her hip. The pain spread throughout her body, setting all her nerves on fire. “Use your damn words, Celeana.”

“Yes.” Not the answer he wanted because he spanked her twice, once on each ass cheek, harder than the first time. She couldn’t hold back her moans.

“Want to say something?” He asked, his tone mocking. She shouldn’t like this, shouldn’t like being treated that way. She had had public sex and been degraded for the first time in her life tonight, and the gods knew how much she loved all of it.

“I understand, sir.” She breathed.

“So you can be a good girl, that’s surprising.” He said as he stroked her ass. “You’d deserve to be spanked to the blood for kissing another man in front of me.” She moaned at his words. she arched her back, silently begging for more. He let out a soft chuckle and instead of giving her what she wanted, he took his hand off her ass. She cried out, mourning the loss of his hand.

He wrapped her long golden hair around his wrist, pulling at it. He made her look at him in the mirror as he slid the strap of her dress, exposing her bare breast. Aelin hated wearing a bra, and stopping wearing one did wonders for them.

The man took one in his hand, playing with her nipple as he used his other hand to pull harder at her hair. “Beg for it,” He commanded but Aelin didn’t. Unhappy with her behavior, he slapped her breast, hard. He took her nipple between his fingers and twisted, making her cry out in pain. “If you don’t beg me, you brat, your pretty pussy is the next thing I will spank and I won’t stop until you come.”

“Gods, please,” she moaned, a tear falling from her eye. “Please, sir. Fuck me, I need you in me, sir.” She didn’t care how pathetic she sounded, she would die if she didn’t have this man in her.

“Celeana?” He asked as he made her panties slide down her legs.

“Sir?”

“You’re not allowed to come until I tell you to, understood?”

“Yes, sir.” He bent her over the sink and unbuckled his belt. Aelin wanted to see his cock, he had felt so big against her ass.

His tip teased her entrance and then her clit. She didn’t care if someone heard her moan as he slowly entered her. He was big, bigger than any of the men she ever had. He buried himself to the hilt, groaning as her walls spasmed around him. It hurt to have him inside of her, but she welcomed and enjoyed the pain, and he knew it.

That’s why he didn’t wait for her to adjust and started thrusting into her, hard. Her eyes shut, focusing entirely on the feeling of him filling her.

She was shaking so much she didn’t know how her legs kept holding her. He pulled out and entered her again, hard, his balls slapping her clit. “Your cunt feels so fucking good,” He moaned, going faster, harder. His hand slammed on her ass, tearing another cry out of her. She was close.

He made her rise, hanging the angle of his cock, keeping her from falling with a hand around her throat. Delicately, he tightened his grip, and Aelin’s eyes rolled. His other hand found her clit.

“Sir,” she moaned, trying to hold her orgasm back.

“What is it, baby?” He was breathless. “Use your words, Celeana.”

“Please, can I come?” She prayed to every gods in the world he would let her come, but when she opened her eyes and found him smirking she knew her prayers were useless.

He only said “No,” and thrust faster in her, chasing his own orgasm.

Aelin wished she had a name to moan as she tried to focus on everything but the feeling of this man in her pussy and his finger on her clit. She cried, both in pain and pleasure as he kept going, hitting that spot deep inside of her nobody ever hit before

“Let go,” he grunted. “Come for me, Celeana.” His grip around her neck tightened even more and she lost control. She screamed, loudly, as she fell over that cliff of pleasure. Barely noticing she squirted. He kept thrusting into her and came a second later, spilling himself inside of her. Both leaned on the sink, trying to take their breath.

He pulled out of her and made her sit on the sink. Her back rested against the mirror, too tired to do anything by herself. He got dressed and took some paper to clean her up, she whimpered, too sensitive to be touched. He softly apologized, kissing her shoulder as he helped her get her dress back in place.

“Think you would want to do this again?” He asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. There was only curiosity and desire in his eyes, not demands.

“Sorry,” She gave him a small smile. “I’m not from here and anyway, I don’t really do more than one nightstand.” Gods forbid anyone ever gets attached. He only nodded and gave her a small smile full of understanding.

“Will I ever get your name?” She teased him, earning a soft laugh from him.

“I think I‘d like to keep some mystery.”

------------

“We’re late,” Fenrys stated as they both entered the elevator.

“We’re fashionably late,” Aelin corrected him and he snorted. Both of them were past the point of fashionably late. Elide would be mad at her, she knew it, but Lorcan would be too and she kind of liked the sound of that.

“She’s going to kill you,” Aedion warned as he met them in the hall. Aelin quickly took him and Lysandra in her arms and started walking to the reception room.

“She won’t be physically violent, she won’t take the risk to ruin her bridesmaid look.”

“It’s Elide we’re talking about, it’s not physical violence I would worry about if I was you.” Lysandra chuckled, of course, she would find it funny. Aelin rolled her eyes but laughed along with her friend. Soon they were in the room, they were careful not to make noises, not wanting to drag attention to them.

She looked at her watch and sighed, one hour late wasn’t that bad, was it? At least, Fenrys would suffer from Elide’s rage if it came to that. Aelin took a glass of champagne and walked to Elide and Lorcan. Lorcan was talking to someone but she couldn’t see who because this bastard was just too tall. “Ellie,” Aelin started, taking the small woman in her arms. Maybe affection will make her less angry?

“You bitch!” Elide whisper-shouted, pushing Aelin away from her. Well, her plan definitely didn’t work.

“Elide, you look ravishing,” Fenrys winked and Aelin had to use all her focus not to laugh at Elide’s angry face. She was almost shaking as if it was taking everything in her not to yell at Aelin and Fenrys. If she laughed right now she was kicked out of the wedding, she knew it. Elide seemed to relax a little as Lorcan’s arms wrapped around her shoulders.

“Galathynius, Moonbeam.” He nodded. “So your plane didn’t crash.” She said with a point of humor but Aelin didn’t care and flipped him off. Fenrys just softly laughed and put an arm around Aelin’s shoulder, a normal way for him to show his affection.

“You two didn’t meet Lorcan’s best man.” Elide said as the man who talked with Lorcan turned around. Aelin’s heart stopped. No, no, no, no. “Rowan, this is Aelin, my sister. Aelin, this is Rowan, Lorcan’s best friend.”

This had to be some kind of sick joke, there was no way the man who fucked her last night was Lorcan’s best man. The universe really hated her. His eyes widened when he saw her and even more when Elide said Aelin’s name. Her real name.

Fenrys burst out laughing loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

—————

tag list:

@sheharahu // @morganofthewildfire // @thestoriesyoutell // @fromthelibraryofemilyj // @swankii-art-teacher // @itsforeverinnocent-blog // @becarefuloflove // @imnotsogoodatthis // @rowaelinismyotp // @a-court-of-milkandhoney // @feysand-loml // @surielandiareendgame // @live-the-fangirl-life // @story-scribbler // @loves-books // @fangirlprincess09 // @theysayitscrazy

#rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #rowaelin smut #rowan x aelin #rowaelin fic #rowaelin #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass fanfiction #throne of glass

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pearblossommina · 1 year ago

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ToG Read-A-Long, Tower of Dawn, day 10

Ch 52

I’m getting so sick of Chaol backsliding into negative thoughts about himself. I know there’s no way to instantly fix a mental illness. But sometimes! I just wanna shake him! And tell him to stop being miserable! Nothing that happened is his fault.

Also I really don’t want them to separate tonight, they should sleep together, even if it’s in this horrible mess of a room. It’d be good for him, to have her there, to help keep those negative thoughts at bay. JUST BE HAPPY AND IN LOVE CHAOL. It’s time! It’s time, Chaol.

Ch 53

“I never learned how the Fae came here, where they went and why they faded away. But they were here, and according to my predecessor, they left some sort of knowledge or power behind."

They faded away… into the healers you are today. Knowledge of it lost to time, as the magic mingled with mortal blood.

It’s kinda fascinating that she has a locked cabinet of books in ancient fae, and was specifically told, “not for human eyes,” well - I don’t think any of you are human! You might just happen to all be demi fae!

All it will take is some time to study the language…. And those teachings can be passed down once again, to anyone who wields healing magic. And anyone willing to learn.

Ch 54

I am… kind of confused about what’s going on with Chaol and Yrene. What is the darkness? Why does Yrene have it too? Is it in everyone?

Ch 55

Fuck.

Good chapter, yo.

Ch 56

"Then it is a good thing, Yrene Towers, that I love you as well."

MY HEART. It’s so full.

Ch 57

Sartaq stared down at her, that soft, sweet smile on his mouth again. "You saved me."

AND EVERYONE IS ALIVE 😭

Good job, Nesryn! Good job, Borte! Get yourself a girl who will stage a daring rescue when you get swaddled up by bloodthirsty spiders! Get yourself a girl who will fly to your aid when you’re pretty stubborn about telling her to stay home!

Now let’s all go save the world!

Ch 58

"I think I can heal them. I think the Valg ... I think they are parasites, and I can treat the people they infect."

Parasites are people, too

What happens when you try to purge the Valg from… the Valg? Can you save someone, who was never infested to begin with? Can Rowan be saved? Can Maeve? I believe in you, Yrene. Please don’t kill my hot handsome valg boyfriend. It’s not his fault he hails from a demonic race from another world… he’s a good dude! And more importantly, I love him.

Ch 59

Why is this lesbian so MEAN

(I love a mean lesbian, I DO, but she’s getting on my nerves)

(Is she on their side, or isn’t she?)

(I understand just wanting to look away, to distract yourself with all the pleasures of life and love. I understand not wanting to get caught up in this scary, intense, awful war. But! She doesn’t have to attend the battle! She just has to be willing to offer her support, to side with the good guys, and help in what little way she can. We’re not all warriors. Some of us HAVE to stay back from the front lines. It doesn’t mean sitting out entirely.)

(Have we convinced her? Have we convinced her siblings? Or are we wasting our time here?)

Hey - I read this yesterday……. When I got it into my mind that Maeve was Rowan’s ancestor (which I am wrong about) but the sentiment still stands! We need to purge the Valg from the people infected, but what does this mean for characters like Manon who have Valg ancestry? Or Elide? Or any of the other witches?

#tog read along 2023 #tower of dawn

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snelbz · 3 years ago

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Tempting the Fates {Chapter 3}

Summary: It’s the final semester of Aelin Galathynius’ collegiate career and she is so beyond ready to be done. Her schedule is packed full of nursing classes and labs designed to test her knowledge and hone her skills for the real world and her “big girl” job. However, she needs one last elective to graduate, so she decides to study a subject she’s always been fascinated by: Mythology. Who would have thought that a class about gods and goddesses living complicated lives would end up complicating her own in such an unexpected way?

Word Count: 2807

Chapters will be posted every Wednesday.

Tempting the Fates Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

Poseidon

– God of the seas, earthquakes, horses and tidal waves

Aelin had moved past hurt.

Now, she was just pissed.

It was nearly ten o'clock after her second day of classes and she sat cross legged on the couch with Lysandra in her apartment.

Her roommate had been a worthy rant partner thus far. She’d kicked Aedion out and supplied Aelin with an endless supply of alcohol.

“It’s official. I’m sitting in your Thursday class.”

Aelin groaned, taking a long drink from her wine glass. “Don't remind me that I have to go back there, please. The thought of sitting through an entire semester with him as my teacher… Oh, gods.”

Lysandra refilled Aelin’s glass.

“You’ve done the hookup thing before,” Lysandra said, shrugging as she took a drink from her own glass. “Just pretend this is one of those situations and he meant absolutely nothing.”

“That’s impossible, for two reasons,” Aelin said, adjusting the pillow she had squished between her legs. She held up a finger. “One, it’s not like the regular hookup situation where I might see him across campus or in a bar and we can pretend we don’t know each other. This is my professor we’re talking about.” She took a very large drink of her wine and held up another finger. “Secondly, it was supposed to be a hookup, but then he turned out to be perfect and I just…” She let her head fall back against the cushions. “Do you think I just want him because I can’t have him?”

“Maybe,” Lysandra admitted, but she hadn’t ever been in a situation like this. She and Aedion had been inseparable since high school. “What does your gut say?”

“I don’t know, they’re still in knots from where he rearranged them with his huge dick,” Aelin replied, draining her wine glass.

Lysandra nearly sprayed her wine across the couch, but she knew Aelin was well and truly drunk if she was talking like that.

“So, he still means something to you, then?” Lysandra asked. “Even after you found out he’s your professor, and also a little bit of a dick, apparently.”

Aelin shot her a look. “No, I’m drunk off my ass because he means nothing to me. Have you not been listening?”

Lysandra rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’ve been listening. But, after two hours things just start to blur together and not make sense.”

Aelin hit her roommate with her pillow.

Lysandra only laughed. “Maybe sit and think on it for a few days, yeah? Maybe it’s new and exciting and he’s hot as hell, but all that will fade if it meant nothing.”

Aelin nodded, slowly, fiddling with the stem of her wine glass. “And if it doesn’t fade? If it actually meant something?”

“If it actually meant something, then he won’t be forgetting about you any time soon, either,” Lysandra said, sipping from her glass.

She was still on glass #1.

Aelin had lost count of how many glasses she had drained so far.

“Doesn’t make it any easier now,” Aelin said, that hurt creeping its way back in. “You should’ve seen him, Lys. This morning, at his apartment, it was just…perfect. Then when he saw me in class, he was a completely different person.”

“Have you tried to see this from his perspective, Ace?” Lysandra asked, standing and heading into the kitchen. She handed Aelin a cold water bottle when she returned, falling back onto the couch next to her.

“Of course,” she snapped, opening the lid. “And I get it, it’s a big deal, but it’s not like I’m underage. I’m twenty-one, not sixteen. It’s not like he broke the law.”

“No, but I’m sure there’s a bylaw somewhere in his contract that says Don’t fuck your students,” Lysandra drawled, tucking her legs between her.

Aelin mumbled, “I bet it doesn’t say exactly that.”

“No, I’m sure it’s more along the line of inappropriate misconduct, but if we’re getting specific, it wouldn’t be hard for me to find an example,” she replied, leveling Aelin with a stare.

“Calm your pre-law ass down, I get it,” Aelin sighed, drinking from the water bottle. “His aunt is the president of the university. I wouldn’t want him to get into any trouble with her.”

Lysandra’s eyes softened. “He probably just got scared. I hear he’s a new professor. This must be his first year here. Hell, if he’s as young as you say, this must be his first year anywhere.”

Luck. He’d gotten the job purely out of luck, out of his connections to the university, and here Aelin was, jeopardizing his career as soon as it began.

“I’m being a bitch, aren’t I?” She asked, quietly, before draining her glass.

“You have the right to be hurt,” Lysandra said. “I’m not saying you don’t have that right, because I’d be hurt, too. But, I definitely think that this is complicated as hell.”

Aelin nodded, and took a drink of water before pouring the last of the wine into her glass. “We’re going to need another bottle of this, Lys.”

“I would just take you to the bar,” Lysandra said, “but I wouldn’t want to risk you fucking any of the other faculty.”

Aelin’s eyes snapped to hers.

Lysandra sucked in her lips to stop her grin. “Too soon?”

Aelin nudged her best friend, unable to stop her sputtering laughter. “Bitch.”

Lysandra caught her before she leaned back across the couch and held onto her shoulders, hugging her tightly. “I know this sucks, Ace, and I know you liked him. But just give it time. Either you’ll move on, which I can always help with, or something will happen. It’s not like you won’t be seeing him every other day.”

She sighed, resting her head on Lysandra's shoulder. “I know… I know.”

Lysandra reached for the remote, turning the television on. “What would make you feel better? Sappy love story, trashy reality tv, or a horror flick?”

“Trashy tv,” she decided, if for no other reason than it would be easy for her to block out while she still wallowed in her own misery.

Lysandra did as she was told, refilling Aelin’s glass again, and she thanked her best friend.

All the while, Aelin wondered how pissed Rowan was, or if he was feeling the same way she was.

A knock on Rowan’s door around nine-thirty had him closing his laptop and throwing it open. He groaned when he found Lorcan on the other side, walking back inside and leaving his best friend to let himself in.

“Alright, fill me in on Little Miss Perfect you took out last night. She was all you could talk about this morning, and then boom.” He sat down on the couch next to Rowan, noticing the half empty bottle of bourbon and looked at him. “Radio silence for the rest of the day.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he muttered. “Shouldn’t you be going home to your girlfriend?”

“She’s out with Manon,” Lorcan said, blowing off the question. “I’m bored, so talk.”

Rowan sighed, pushing himself up to go into his kitchen. He came back a moment later, two glasses in hand. He supposed he couldn’t continue to drink out of the bottle with company.

After handing Lorcan a half-filled glass, Rowan said, “It’s just not going to work.”

“You decided that quickly,” Lorcan muttered, his eyes remaining locked on Rowan. “Did you google her after she left? Find something cringeworthy?”

Rowan sipped from his glass. “She’s just not who I thought she was, that’s all.”

Lorcan scoffed. “You’re being vague.”

Rowan shrugged. That seemed to be the only answer he was going to give him.

“So what?” Lorcan asked, crossing an ankle over his knee and swirling the contents of his glass. “She lied and you caught her?”

“No, she didn’t lie,” Rowan said, dragging a hand down his face. “But it can’t happen. So it won’t.”

Lorcan raised one dark eyebrow. “First you say won’t, now you say can’t.”

Rowan emptied his glass. “What about it?”

“Well, which one is it?” He asked, leaning back. “Those two have very different meanings.”

“It can’t and it won’t,” he replied, giving Lorcan a pointed look.

Lorcan snorted, but took a drink from his own glass. “You act like she’s one of your students.”

Rowan didn’t say a word. He only stared at his closed laptop.

It took Lorcan a few seconds to understand Rowan’s silence. And a few more before he figured out how to make his mouth work.

And when he did, he started laughing.

“Are you kidding me, Whitethorn?” He asked, clutching his stomach. “You fucked your student?”

“Fuck off,” Rowan muttered, refilling his glass.

Lorcan was hardly able to breathe. “It was your first day at your first big boy job, and you already found yourself in bed-.” His words faded away as his laughter consumed him.

“It’s not like she’s some freshman,” Rowan snapped. “She’s about to graduate. Twenty-one. I just…” Rowan groaned as his face fell into his hands. “Someone had recommended the bar to me and told me the faculty hung out there a lot. I just assumed she was one of them, since she was the one to suggest the place.”

“Hate to break it to you,” Lorcan continued, still laughing. “But, people in their twenties don’t often land jobs at renowned universities. You’re the exception.”

Rowan continued to drink.

“Alright, alright,” Lorcan continued, taking a deep breath. “You’re five years older than her, so what? I’m four years older than Elide. Once you both hit twenty, age is just a number.”

Rowan shot him a look. “She’s a student, Lor. Maeve will fire me in a heartbeat over any sort of misconduct. This…” He just shook his head. “This position is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I probably shouldn’t even have. I can’t ruin it.”

Lorcan knew full well how harsh Rowan’s aunt could be. Before she’d become president of a prestigious university, she’d been the dean at the boarding school he and Rowan had spent their adolescence at. “So either move on or be careful and don’t let her find out.”

Rowan blinked at his friend. He was being so casual about this, when Rowan was freaking out both inside and out, which had required a two hour gym session earlier to calm his nerves.

Lorcan sighed and set his glass down. “Look, I really don’t see the issue here. She isn’t using you to pass the class, right?”

The thought hadn’t even occurred to Rowan, but he remembered the look of pure and utter shock on her face when they’d seen each other in the classroom. “No, it’s a basic gen ed. Plus I really don’t think she’d ever do that.”

Lorcan nodded. “Right. There are much tougher classes she could try and sleep her way through.” At Rowan’s simmering look at his choice of words, Lorcan held up his hands in placation. “I’m just saying, make sure she’s actually doing her homework and studying for her and don’t let Maeve find out.”

Rowan hesitated, but when his lips opened, nothing came out.

He liked Aelin. He really, really liked Aelin. And, yeah, it had been much more than a hookup. When he’d woken up that morning next to her in bed, he felt a sense of peace and satisfaction that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

Then again, the way he’d snapped at her that morning, knowing that she had only said what she had out of anger - even if she had been correct - would be difficult to come back from.

Rowan had completely shattered her. He saw it in her eyes before she left.

“I don’t know,” Rowan said, at last.

Lorcan groaned before pounding back his drink and pouring himself another. “You’re always going to be the one to stand in the way of your own happiness, Whitethorn.”

He refrained from saying anything. Lorcan had always been the one to hop from girl to girl, while he had always been the one in a committed relationship. After his last relationship had…ended, he hadn’t wanted anyone for a while.

Aelin was the first spark he’d felt since.

“You’re into her,” Lorcan said, staring up at the ceiling to avoid any sort of eye contact while he said something nice. “I can tell. And, if you don’t go for it, you’re going to regret it.”

Rowan knew he was right.

Of course, he was right.

And yet, this job was the first job he had been granted in his field since graduating three years prior with his degree in mythology. Yeah, he may have gotten it because of Maeve, but that didn’t make it any less important to him.

He had the chance to get students excited about something he loved, something he was passionate about.

“Go home to your woman or shut up and turn on the TV,” Rowan muttered, downing the contents in his glass.

Lorcan only snorted and grabbed the remote, fulfilling Rowan’s wishes.

Aelin awoke the next morning with a slight headache and the same dull ache in her chest.

Knowing she needed to move, workout the bad vibes, she tossed up her hair and put on her workout wear before jogging to the gym.

She was still regretting signing up for even one eight am classes, and was thankful her Friday’s were free. She was looking forward to some much needed sleep, which was a lost cause right now.

When she was packing her gym bag, she decided to go straight to class after a quick shower, so she tossed it into a locker after she arrived, locked it up, and put her ear buds in.

The gym was still pretty empty this early, since it wasn’t even eight yet, and most people were too focused on their own workouts to pay attention to those surrounding them. Aelin was grateful for the distraction the gym would provide, and for the physical outlet, as well.

She was just finishing up a mile run on the treadmills when she felt eyes on her. She could tell she was being watched, but didn’t want to look around. Whether it was someone ogling her from across the room or someone from one of her classes, she wasn’t in the mood to make small talk and made her way over to the machines, starting on her legs first. She cranked her music up and kept an eye on the time on her watch.

When there was about forty-five minutes before her first class, she put the free weights she’d been using back in their home and turned to head to the locker room for a much needed shower.

And found who had been watching her during her workout.

Green eyes bored into her own and Aelin felt a blush rising in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the amount of energy she’d exerted this early in the morning.

Ignoring the voice inside of her head, Aelin stopped in front of Rowan, and nodded. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. His t-shirt clung to him, and it was a fact that Aelin could not ignore.

“I was just going to get ready for class,” she said. “Excuse me.”

She swept past him, but his voice pulled her up short. “Aelin.”

She stilled, and slowly turned around to meet his gaze.

“About yesterday,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck. Aelin found the gesture somewhat charming, although she wouldn’t admit it. “I’m sorry. I…didn’t handle the situation right. It all took me by surprise and I reacted poorly. I’m sorry.”

“S’okay,” she said, looking away from him, down at her feet. “I said some things I didn’t mean. I’m…not proud of it.”

He shook his head. “Let’s just…pretend all of it didn’t happen, yeah?”

She swallowed roughly. “All of it?”

Rowan sighed. “Just because we apologized doesn’t change anything, Aelin. You’re still my student.”

She nodded, not looking at him. “Right. No. I get it. I have to get ready for class.”

Making to slip around him, she got two steps away before his hand wrapped around her wrist. “Aelin, I’m… I’m sorry. I wish it wasn’t— I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

Daring to take a chance by looking back at him, it nearly destroyed what was left of her when she saw the sincerity in his eyes. “But wishing doesn’t change anything, does it?” Aelin pulled her wrist free. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

Rowan said nothing, but she saw that her shot landed in his eyes.

She shook it off, though, hurrying away, toward the showers.

Aelin knew one thing was for certain: no matter how much she cared for Rowan Whitethorn, there would never be anything between them.

Even if she wanted there to be.

#snacmc ttf #tempting the fates #rowaelin ttf #snacmc collab #throne of glass #rowan whitethorn #aelin galythinius

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