#also will have a nyx face tossed in there
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nyxypoo · 5 days ago
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mutuals, lmk if u wanna join my community but aren't in already
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cressidagrey · 5 months ago
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Looked to the Sky - Chapter 18
Summary: 
Eira Archeron was neither a Valkyrie, nor a Seer, nor the High Lady of the Night Court. She was, however, Azriel‘s mate with her own mysterious, untrained powers.
Also known as: Azriel tries to court his mate the human way.
Warnings: 
THIS IS THE LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE SEQUEL! SO READ THAT FIRST IF YOU WANNA READ THIS ONE OTHERWISE THIS MAKES NO SENSE!
Amren Bashing, Low Self Esteem and without @k-godling this would have never happened.
(super pretty dividers by @tsunami-of-tears)
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The first time Azriel heard Eira play the harp...was Winter Solstice Eve. She had moved the instruments into one corner of the Living Room and was contently plucking the strings, Nyx on her lap.
Azriel watched from where he stood in the doorway as his mate strummed the harp, the sweet, lovely sounds filling the room. She gently bounced Nyx to the sound of the harp's music, Nyx's head bobbing with each movement.
Nyx was having the time of his life if his bright grin was anything to go by.
Azriel smiled gently as he watched the scene. Eira looked so...so happy, content, sitting there and playing her harp with Nyx on her lap. They were both grinning like fools, and Azriel's smile widened when Eira's gaze flicked up and landed on him.
"Happy Solstice Eve," his mate said softly, continuing the song, the last few notes ringing out in the room. It was decorated with pine garlands and dark ribbons, with little twinkling fae lights in the decorations.
He chuckled at her soft murmur, striding over to them, his gaze flickering across the living room as he moved, taking note of the way Eira had decorated the room. He knew it had been her because he had spent an evening a few days ago helping her string up the pine garlands and tying the bows she had made onto them. 
"And a very Happy Solstice Eve to you as well, my love," he replied, resting a hand on her shoulder to give it a light squeeze as he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. "And you, Nyxie-" he added, grinning at his nephew.
Nyx giggled gleefully at him, reaching out for him with a babble that vaguely seemed to be an attempt at a greeting.
Azriel gently plucked him from Eira's grasp and tossed him into the air in a move that was a little more reckless than usual, catching the babe again a moment later and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"I am surprised you aren't in the kitchen baking," he told Eira, who smiled as she watched him and Nyx play.
"Feyre told me to relax," she answered with a sigh. "I am not allowed to enter the kitchen on threat of no presents."
"Well, I suppose we'll have no cake this year..." he muttered with mock disappointment, bouncing Nyx a little in his arms and eliciting a giggle from his nephew.
Eira just snorted. "Have some trust in me, love. I made cookies days ago."
"Oh, did you?" he inquired, bouncing Nyx in one arm. "And where in the house did you hide these baked goods, Sweetheart?"
"Far from Cassian, hopefully," she muttered under her breath. "I have the shadows protecting them."
Azriel chuckled, the sound low and soft. "A wise choice," he agreed. "Or else Cassian would've devoured them all in five minutes."
Nyx giggled then, seemingly finding the conversation funny, and Azriel bounced him in his arms again, pressing another kiss to the baby's cheek.
"Yes, yes, Nyxie, this is all very amusing," he said with a grin, resting the baby on his hip as he glanced down at his mate, still sat by the harp. "Can you play another song, Eira?"
Eira smiled at him, a bright blush sweeping across her cheeks. "Of course," she answered, picking up the harp again, her fingers shifting to a different position on the strings.
Her fingers started to move across the harp's strings, and another sweet, lilting tune filled the room, a smile on his mate's face as she played.
Azriel listened silently, his gaze shifting between Eira - who was still blushing adorably - and Nyx, who was watching her play with wide, fascinated eyes. The baby's head lolled and bobbed to the beat of the music, his eyes tracking his aunt's fingers as they shifted across the harp's strings.
The rest of their family decided to trickle in slowly, even Varian and Amren deciding to show up.
Nyx squirmed in Azriel's arms as people began to fill the room, giggling eagerly and watching the guests with excited little squeaks and babbles.
Eira continued playing softly, nearly absentmindedly, smiling at Nesta as her sister found a seat next to her.
"Only three more days," Nesta murmured and Eira gave her a happy little grin.
"Three more days," she agreed, her excitement apparent in her voice.
Azriel heard her words, and they sent a small jolt of something - anticipation, he realised - through his chest. Three more days...
Nesta caught his eye, raising a brow meaningfully with a smirk on her face that he ignored.
"That does sound better than your screeching," Amren said suddenly and Eira's hands froze. A growl rose up in his throat. He opened his mouth to respond, but Eira was quicker than him. 
"I'd like to see you play the harp, Amren." she sniped, and oh by the stars above, the sharpness and the snark in his normally sweet mate's voice was so different, but in a...good way. It was unexpected, but he liked it more than he expected.
"Touchy," Amren answered, but it seemed more like a remark than a real complaint. She had a strangely...amused expression on her face that even Azriel could not interpret, but the look only lasted for a moment before it disappeared again.  "You gained some claws," Amren complimented.
"Amren," Rhys said in a warning tone.
"What?" Amren asked, turning to him with feigned innocence in her eyes.
Rhys just rolled his eyes, shaking his head and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like unbelievable.
"Are you done now, Amren?" Eira asked, her voice icy. "I am still waiting on an apology for last time."
"Whatever for?" Amren said with a scoff. Azriel felt the growl in his throat grow louder.
"Oh, I don't know," Eira said in a mock-thoughtful tone. "Maybe for the fact that you called me a waste? That you wanted to turn me into a weapon? Maybe for that? Maybe for upsetting me so much that I winnowed straight into Illyria and burned down a forest?!"
"I didn't say it because I disliked you," Amren said with a huff. "You're so damn...soft. Vulnerable, even.  And you have unimaginable power at your fingertips. Not using it is a waste."
A low snarl rose up in Azriel's throat, and he was considering going over there to tear the silver-eyed menace limb from limb.
Eira's hands stilled on her harp, her expression growing cold. Her eyes were like ice, glimmering with suppressed anger as she said, "Then it's a good thing your opinion of me means so little."
A smirk appeared on Amren's face. "You used to fear me," she purred. "You used to run when you saw me coming. But now...now you're a little bit more confident, are you?"
"I have more to fight for, to live for," Eira said coldly.
"Oh, yes." Amren's smirk widened. "I was wondering when you'd..."
That's how far she came. A moment later, lightning crackled in the palm of Eira's hand
"Finish that sentence, Amren." Eira hissed, and the lightning in her hand crackled and glowed, shining like silver in the light of the room.
The look on Amren's face suddenly changed as she stared, almost dumbstruck, at the lightning in Eira's hand. She was, for the first time since Azriel knew her, shocked into silence
Rhys' eyebrows rose as he took in the situation. On one hand, Feyre was giggling into Rhys' shoulder at the sight of Eira holding lightning. On the other...well, Azriel would not stand for anyone disrespecting his mate. Not when they were already pushing her this far.
A glance around the room showed that Feyre and Cassian were thoroughly interested in the scene in front of them. Nesta was watching Eira with something akin to awe, and Mor was leaning against a bookshelf with a slightly amused smile on her face.
Azriel turned his gaze back to his still-fuming mate and the shocked, nearly apprehensive Amren, the baby on his hip still babbling and giggling happily, blissfully oblivious to the scene in front of him.
"My, my, you are feisty today," Amren breathed, her composure back in place with an almost forced casualness.
"And you're far more annoying than usual today," Eira retorted.
The tension in the room was so thick, that Azriel was half-convinced that you could've reached out a hand and physically touched it.
"You have grown bold," Amren said conversationally, seemingly unbothered by the lightning Eira was still holding.
But Azriel could see the flicker of something in her eyes. Something...not quite fear, but similar. She was slightly nervous in the face of Eira's unexpected anger.
"Amren, that's enough," Feyre cut in.
Feyre's voice echoed through the room, stern and commanding. Amren's head whirled around to peer at her as Feyre stared back with a firm gaze of her own.
"No more," she said firmly, her eyes flickering between Amren and Eira.
"I just wanted a peek at her power."
Azriel's eyes darkened. Eira clenched her hand into a fist, the lightning in her hand vanishing as she muttered angrily, "Next time, I won't just give you a peek."
Amren huffed. "Are you threatening me?"
Azriel growled, low and sharp, handing Nyx to Nesta. "She isn't. I am," Azriel snapped. "Either you treat my mate with respect or we will be having a very different sort of conversation."
Amren looked up at him, a flicker of surprise in her silver eyes. It was gone the next moment, but she wisely made the choice to not say anything.
Meanwhile, Eira was still bristling, tension written across her face as she took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm herself.
"I apologise," Amren said stiffly.
Eira's eyebrows rose, startled by Amren's unexpected apology.
A tense silence followed, but it broke a moment later when Azriel said, "That is something you don't hear often, Amren."
Amren shot him a glare, but there was no real malice behind it.
A huff of agreement came from Rhys, and Feyre muttered something that sounded suspiciously like not going to get used to this.
For once, Azriel thought he had to agree with his friend. Amren actually apologising, especially to someone like Eira... He doubted they'd see that sight ever again.
It was something that much was certain.
Cassian suddenly let out a snicker, and they all turned to look at him.
"What?" he asked, grinning in their direction. "That Lightning is badass!"
Feyre chuckled as well, but it quickly turned into laughter as other people chimed in. Even Varian gave an amused chuckle that sounded surprisingly sincere coming from him.
Eira's cheeks turned a little red, as they always did when attention was focused on her.
She glanced up at him, a mixture of embarrassment and something like pleasure at the little caress, and he had to bite back a smile.
His mate, still so shy when confronted with praise or attention.
Azriel kept his gaze on her for a while longer, and his smile widened a little when she let out a shaky sigh.
Her curls were as beautiful as always, and she was dressed in a gown, silver threading winding across the dark velvet of the skirt. On every other female, the dress would've simply been pretty. On Eira, it was breathtaking.
Ours, whispered the shadows, and Azriel had to agree.
She was his in every way- his mate, his partner, his family. He wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.
"Can I...May I give you your present already? I think you can use it tomorrow," she asked him softly as the evening came to a close.
Azriel turned his attention back to her, hearing the quiet but excited tone in her voice. She truly was too sweet.
"Of course," he answered with a soft smile. "But what is it?"
Eira just gave him a smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and his heart started beating a little faster in anticipation. He'd never seen her this...eager about anything before.
"Something I hope you'll enjoy," she said mysteriously, standing up and grabbing his hand, tugging him to his feet. "But you have to come with me."
She led him up to her room, which was halfway packed up, most of her things already up at the House that she had christened Bluebell Cottage.
Azriel glanced around the room, a flicker of sadness going through him at the sight of the already half-emptied room.
But he had to admit, there was a strange sense of... anticipation in his chest. 
The package was soft and wrapped in red wrapping paper. Azriel took the package from her, his eyebrows rising as he felt how soft it was.
"What's in it?" he asked with a hint of curiosity and excitement.
"Unwrap it," she answered.
He let out a little hum, carefully working to open the wrapping without tearing it too much. He could feel Eira's excitement rising as he slowly worked his way through the wrapping, and his curiosity grew as well.
He could hear a few amused chuckles from the shadows, as some of them seemed to know what was in the wrapping.
A moment later, there was a pair of buttery soft, black leather gloves in his hands. He could only stare at them for a moment.
"Your hands start to hurt you more when it gets cold outside," Eira explained quietly. "I lined them with the offcuts from the second pelt you gave me. And I had them enchanted so that they were water resistant."
Azriel stared, shocked and silent, as he held the gloves in his hands. He could tell without even putting them on that they would be perfect- not just for the cold, but also fit snugly around his scarred fingers like they'd been made for him.
He could feel Eira's nerves increasing as he stared at her in shocked disbelief, almost like she was worried about his reaction.
It was an absolutely... perfect gift, and he knew that he could never ever repay her for this. That, for once, he didn't know what to say.
He had never had someone... think about him like this, someone who'd even care about something like the scars on his hands.
"Was that alright?" she asked worriedly.
"You made them for me," he said weakly, not a question.
Eira's eyes widened a little, and he realised that she thought that he was upset.
"Of course it's alright," he said quickly, staring down at the gloves in his hands.
His mate, his perfect kind and sweet and caring mate... He couldn't comprehend how lucky he was to have found her.
But Eira didn't look entirely sure, her anxious expression still on her face as she asked, "Do... do you like them?"
He tore his gaze away from the gloves and looked up at her.
"Like them?" he repeated, his voice soft and slightly awed. "Eira, they're perfect."
The anxiety on Eira's face vanished at his words, replaced with an adorable mixture of relief and excitement.
"You do?" she said, her voice eager and her eyes sparkling as she watched him hold the gloves in his hands.
Azriel just nodded, gently setting the gloves down on her still-untouched bed. He had to fight back the urge to take her into his arms right there and then.
"What did you make out of the rest?" he asked her. She looked at him with wide eyes. “You made the shrug for yourself. You made me the gloves. What else did you make?”
Eira gave him a slow smile.
"You'll see," she said quietly. "Hopefully soon. And now I expect you to win that Snowball Fight tomorrow.“
Azriel raised an eyebrow, both at the change of topic and at the implication of winning that Snowball Fight.
"And what will I get if I win?" he asked, a smirk slowly spreading across his face.
Eira took on a thoughtful expression as if she was actually thinking about his question.
"I don't know," she said slowly, looking like she was considering the idea. "What do you want from me if you win?"
Azriel shrugged casually, trying to ignore the eager, almost greedy shadows.
“A Kiss.”
***
Her sister's birthday dawned bright early, mostly because Eira was already in the kitchen by dawn. It did mean that she got to kiss Azriel goodbye though, before he, Rhys and Cassian disappeared to their annual Snowball Fight...and she got to finish the finishing touches on Feyre's birthday cake.
It was a beautiful morning, one of those days that just seemed perfect, and Eira hummed to herself cheerfully as she finished decorating Feyre's birthday cake.
Despite the fact that her sister was a literal High Lady, she had insisted that her birthday be a quiet affair, no huge celebration or party, just the inner circle and the family.
"Do you...need help?" Nesta's voice came from the doorway.
Eira paused in her decorating, glancing up to find Nesta standing in the doorway.
"I wouldn't say no to the help," she answered with a smile, waving her sister over.
Nesta came over to the counter, silently watching as Eira finished the last touches on the cake.
"It looks good," Nesta said admiringly, studying the cake's smooth dark chocolate surface and the bright silver icing.
"I did stars this year," she said brightly.
"So I see," Nesta said, studying the various silver stars that had been carefully piped onto the cake's surface.
"I think I might've made it a bit too plain, though," Eira said as she looked it over. "I should've added a few more,."
"It looks good as it is," Nesta said, her expression slightly bewildered at the sight of her younger sister worrying over cake decorations. "Feyre will love it, believe me."
"Right," Eira said, taking a step back and studying the cake with a critical eye. "Yes, I think this works."
Nesta looked slightly amused at the way she was looking at the cake, almost studying it, and shook her head, muttering faintly, "You're worse than Feyre with her painting, I swear."
"You did manage to make yourself very clear to Amren though," Nesta said calmly. "I am proud of you."
"I wasn't trying to," she mumbled, heat rising in her cheeks as Nesta chuckled softly. "I was just, y'know, frustrated. I guess I spoke more than I should've."
"You don't have to apologize for putting her in her place," Nesta said, looking amused at the memory of Eira's outburst the previous day. "It was a long time coming, honestly."
"I just-" Eira paused, fiddling with the end of her sleeves.
"It just really made me angry, that she was saying all those things," she mumbled. "I never did anything to her."
"That's because you've always been nice ," Nesta said with a sigh, her gaze and voice surprisingly fond. "In a way that a lot of people tend to overlook. But Amren was pushing it yesterday, and I'm just glad you finally snapped at her."
"It was about time, in my opinion," Feyre chimed in from the doorway, where she was cradling Nyx against her chest. "Amren's been treating you like a doormat for long enough."
"You aren't supposed to be in here!" Eira complained. "Happy Birthday!"
Feyre just smiled, not bothering to look apologetic at all as she said, "Thank you. This looks great."
Nesta just laughed as well, and Eira huffed, but there was no real displeasure in her expression.
"Go away," she said firmly to her sister, shooing both Feyre and Nesta out of the kitchen. "No birthday girl of mine is going to see her cake before they're supposed to."
Feyre let out a mock-offended gasp, but obeyed anyways, ducking out of the kitchen with Nyx still in her arms.
"Spoilsport," she called out over her shoulder, grinning.
Eira just rolled her eyes, even when she was already pulling out all the makings for breakfast.
They spent most of the day playing with Nyx, before Azriel, Rhys and Cassian arrived back, Azriel with his 200th victory in tow.
The three males arrived back not long after lunch time, their clothes rumpled and hair messy from the snowball fight.
Cassian and Rhys headed for the chairs, while Azriel made a beeline for her, looking slightly predatory in a way that made her heart beat faster.
She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks under his gaze, his gaze looking like he was ready to drag her off to a privatepart of the house.
She suppressed the urge to shiver, instead asking with forced innocence, "Did you boys have fun?"
"We certainly did," Azriel answered, his voice a low rumble as he closed the distance between them and gripped the waist, pulling her into his arms.
She let out a soft gasp as she landed against his chest, one of his hands resting on her hip.
"We had a wonderful game," Rhys chimed in from one of the couches, earning an annoyed muttering from Cassian.
"Wonderfully brutal, you mean," Cassian said dryly. "I swear, we were closer to frostbite than we were to a friendly match."
"Sounds like someone is just being a sore loser," Rhys said calmly, earning a scoff from Cassian.
"I am not!" he protested, looking more like a child whose favourite toy has been taken away than a centuries-old warrior.
"Want to help me in the kitchen?" she said quickly.
Azriel shot a warning glare at both Rhys and Cassian, before tightening his grip on her waist and nodding.
"Of course," he said, his voice so low that it rumbled in his chest.
They did manage it into the kitchen. And then his hands were suddenly all over her.
Azriel backed her up against the wall as soon as the door shut behind them, trapping her against the wall with his body.
The shadows swirled around them in an almost excited way, filling the room and blocking out the sounds of the voices in the other room.
"You owe me a kiss," he said, his voice a low rumble against the skin of her neck as he leaned down to press kisses against her neck. She shivered at the feeling of his lips on her skin, the heat of his body pressed up against hers. "I won."
"I guess I do," she answered breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck and gently running her fingers through the short, soft hair at the base of his head.
His mouth moved against her neck, his lips teasing and tempting, and she had to stifle a soft moan as his hands gripped her hips.
The shadows were almost dancing around them, swirling like they were as eager as she was. His hands were gripping her hips with a possession that made her feel almost faint with want, and the heat in her lower belly was spreading like wildfire throughout her body.
It was like a flame, igniting every inch of her body as his mouth moved up to press against her jaw, his lips brushing against her skin. She was shaking with the effort of holding back her moans, with the effort of holding herself together.
It was harder than she'd expected, with him so close, his presence almost overwhelming and his touch devastatingly good.
His mouth moved across her cheek, his breathing a low growl as he said, "I love it when you get flushed like this."
She shivered heavily, her hands gripping the collar of his shirt as he pressed his hips against hers in a way that made her pant helplessly.
And then he kissed her lips. Fitted his mouth over hers, his tongue plundering her mouth with no forewarning.
And she responded instantly, opening her mouth and letting his tongue into her mouth. Her mind was going hazy, her thoughts disappearing in an instant as she clutched at his shirt and pressed her body closer to his.
His hands were gripping at her hips like iron, forcing her body to stay still and taking as he claimed her mouth with a possessive ferocity.
She was completely at his mercy, shaking against him as he completely overwhelmed her with the force of his kiss.
His tongue was everywhere in her mouth, sweeping in and claiming her mouth as his own. She let out a desperate moan, the noise swallowed up by his mouth as his body pressed her up against the wall.
She was almost mindless with desire, her every thought and sense focused only on the feel of him against her, on the way his hands were gripping her hips and the hot, heavy feel of his body against hers.
And then he pulled back, panting. Resting his forehead against hers.
She was as flushed as he was, her lips slick and swollen from his kiss as she struggled to get her breathing under control.
His forehead was pressed against hers, the two of them just standing there, trying to catch their breath, as the shadows danced around them.
"Three days," he whispered.
"Three days," she echoed.
She rested her head back against the wall, her eyes fluttering shut as she let out a weary sigh.
Her heart was still racing, the heat in her lower abdomen aching like a throb, but they couldn't simply disappear to a private room when they were surrounded by the entire inner circle.
And she was not going to have her first time with Azriel somewhere public.
So instead, she focused on getting her breathing back under control, the heat of his body still overwhelming.
She forced her eyes open, studying his face. He was just as flushed as she was, his breathing heavy, but his eyes...his eyes were still dark and burning fiercely.
"You still owe me a solstice gift," she said with a weak grin.
Azriel managed a strained chuckle, lifting one hand up to cup her face and brush his thumb over her lip like he couldn't resist touching her.
"Indeed I do," he said, his voice still low and husky. "Let's see if we are already at the gift giving portion of the evening.
They heard the sound of laughter drifting in from the sitting room, and Azriel let out a rueful sigh, leaning his forehead against herss again.
"We should probably go back out to the others," he said quietly, his thumb still rubbing against her lip.
She almost wanted to disagree, to tell him that she wanted to stay right where they were. But reluctantly, she nodded in agreement, letting out a sigh of her own as she pushed herself off the wall.
Azriel's hands slid from her waist and hips, but he took her hand as they made their way back out of the kitchen.
They reappeared in the doorway, and Eira had to force down a flush as all of the others turned to look at them, as if they knew exactly what had been going on in the kitchen.
No one commented though, either because they didn't actually know or because they were being tactful for once, and instead, Rhys simply lifted the bottle of wine and said, "There you are. Come and sit down already."
But Azriel just led Eira over to one of the couches and sank down beside her, one arm wrapping around her shoulder to pull her closer. Not that she was resisting at all.
Eira just let herself lean against Azriel, resting her head on his shoulder and enjoying the solid warmth of his touch.
Gifts were exchanged, for Feyre's birthday and for Winter Solstice.
The wrapping paper piled up as more gifts were handed out, Nyx having more fun with the paper than his actually toys and Eira managed to find herself sitting almost on Azriel's lap with his arm still around her.
Not that she was complaining. If anything, she was simply enjoying the close contact and the heat of his body.
There were little piles of gifts before each of them. Eira was quite proud of the embroidered hair ribbons she had made for Nesta, Valkyrie white silk with little silver flames all over them, while Feyre had gotten an embroidered silk scarf. She had made other things, of course, other than the gloves she had already given to Azriel. A bright red silk dressing gown for Mor, even Cassian had gotten a new leather sheath for his daggers, while she had made a notebook cover for Rhys.
The others seemed to appreciate the gifts for the most part, with Mor giving her an overly dramatic show of affection as thanks. 
Mor herself had oviously decided to go the route of extravagance that year...with Cassian giving an offended noise at the box she handed him, glaring at it and protesting, "I don't need a face cream."
Which only made the rest of the group burst out laughing, even Amren managing a smirk.
"You certainly need something for those scars and freckles, darling," Mor said with a smirk. "I can see your skin deteriorating as we speak."
"It is not deteriorating," Cassian protested. "That's just the rugged look that I was going for."
Eira bit back a laugh at that, still staring at the dagger Cassian had given her, with a wink and the words "Not quite as cool as lightning. But I think Azriel would be happy to teach you."
She was still staring down at the dagger and the scabbard when Azriel gently leaned down to murmur in her ear, "You like it?"
His voice was a low rumble that thrummed through her body, and she almost shivered at the sound.
Eira  didn't hate it. Not as much as she had thought she would. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to learn to fight. But maybe she didn't need to. maybe she could just learn how to defend herself.
She could feel Azriel watching her closely, and she was sure that he could probably feel the tension in her body.
But she still nodded slightly in response to his question, her eyes fixed on the dagger and scabbard in her hands. And he seemed to get the message, resting his chin on her shoulder and giving her a small squeeze.
The scabbard had been made of fine, supple leather, polished and oiled to shine like satin. But the dagger itself was the real beauty. The slender obsidian blade was polished to a mirror-perfect gleam, and when she pulled the blade out to study it, she noticed the little lightning bolt patterns carved into the blade.
"Here," Azriel said quietly. "That Solstice Gift I owe you."
Eira was only mildly startled as his quiet voice drew her back out of her thoughts, and she blinked at him in surprise.
"You really don't-" she began, but Azriel just shook his head, the shadows swirling with excitement.
"I talked them out of buying you another 3 dozen gifts, but I still wanted to give you something," he told her gently.
Eira couldn't help but feel touched that he'd gone to such trouble, even if she had been firmly telling them not to make such a fuss.
She was still speechless as he pulled a small, silk-wrapped box out of his pocket, handing it to her with an almost nervous smile on his face.
"I thought..well...I...I thought that you could use more pearls," he finally said quietly.
Eira almost gaped at his words as she stared down at the gift in her hands, her heart clenching at the thought that he'd given her pearls.
She carefully unwrapped the gift, her hands shaking slightly as she opened the box and uncovered a King's ransom in Pearls and Diamonds. A Necklace, Bracelet and a set of Hair Combs, all laid tucked into black velvet.
"No Earrings, but everything else," he said quietly.
She was literally speechless as she stared at the jewelry, her heart stuttering in her chest.
It wasn't just the jewelry that stole her breath away, but the thought and care that Azriel had taken in creating it.
He'd given her pearls. Diamonds too, but the pearls just made her throat ache.
Pearls like these very first earrings, like her engagement ring...and now there they were, ready to encircle her throat and her wrist as well.
The pearls were perfect, flawless and shining under the light like they were made of living ice. They looked smooth to the touch and more flawless than anything she'd ever seen before.
"They're beautiful," she told him, her voice a little strangled as she stared down at them. "Azriel...I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," he told her as the shadows swooped around her, like they were eager to see the jewelry on her. "Do you like them?"
It was an oddly vulnerable question, and one that made her heart flutter in her chest.
"I love them."
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bubbles-for-all-of-us · 4 months ago
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Can I please request Nyx being a wing man for Cass?? 🥰🥰
Haven’t written for Cass in fucking ages…
Wingman
It was the annual ball one that Rhys loved to hold because well the man even if he was kind, deep down had that inkling to be a little show-off. It came from pride in what he had built. From general love for his people. For everyone who had built Velaris, turning it from just a city to an actual home. So these balls were open to everyone. The house that the high lord possessed was open to his people.
Cassian usually held back. If anything he let himself act like the guard of the house watching over everyone. Not that he expected someone to steal anything or break into a fight. It’s just his nature. Until Rhys had practically shoved him out of the house and into the back garden flowing with people. That’s where he had been ever since. That’s where he had caught a glimpse of you. That’s when something strangely unfamiliar rumbled in his chest.
“Mother, I’m a creep”, he mutters under his breath, pulling his eyes away from you as he tosses his drink back. Trying to keep his attention fixed on anything else. Anyone else? And then he’s back at square one as his eyes on their own accord find you. Moving across the garden to sit down. Smiling at the people on the dance floor. “Uncle Cass”, the voice of his nephew howling is however the only cure for now as he glances at the little boy half running half flying towards him. A proud smile forming on his lips. “What’s my troublemaker up to now”, Cass catches Nyx mid-air, tossing him up, earning a big belly laugh from the boy. “Got cookies”, Nyx giggled as Cassian slowly put him down, kneeling in front of him. “Cookies, hm… care to share?”, the general smirks watching as Nyx looked around, before pulling a cookie out of his pocket, making Cassian let out a laugh. A laugh that had caught your attention and as if his body had noticed that his eyes drifted to meet yours.
“What?”, Nyx asked, “What are you looking at?”, the boy glanced around too, not too keen on losing his uncle’s attention. But with your sparkly eyes watching him, Cassian couldn’t seem to string any words together. Captivated. He was captivated. “Uncle Az likes her for smooches”, now that’s enough to make Cass once again snap back to Nyx, “What?”, but the little boy only smirks before he’s off. His little feet carrying him fast through the sea of guests. All Cassian manages to do is grunt a quick no before he too tries to get to you.
Tinny hands pull at your dress making you look down. Purple eyes glancing up at you. “Well, hello there”, you muse. “My uncle really like you, he had drool on his face, going this”, the kid rambles on, before making a droopy lovesick face. You bite your lip, trying to stifle your laughter, “Really?”, “Mhm, he’s silly like me but he’s the best”, Nyx nods eagerly. “Well, your uncle sounds sweet”, you reach out to push some of his messy curls away from his face. “Can you be my girlfriend so I can annoy him?”, he asks but before you can say anything a firm voice booms behind you. “Nyx”, it’s more of a grunt than anything, “We don’t go harassing women, buddy”, and Mother strikes you, the moment you turn back you see the same male who had caught your eye. You knew him. Everyone knew him but… nothing prepared you for that real deal. “Is that why you were staring at her? He was staring at you”, Nyx nods along, way too proud of himself. “Mother, have mercy”, Cassian grunts into his palm before turning to you, “I’m sorry he's having a sugar rush, should have taken the cookies away”. But you simply cannot be anything but giddy as you watch them. “I can introduce you to Uncle Az, he also…”, but before he can say anything else Cassian cuts in, “No one is introducing anyone to anyone”, he shakes his head, “Get gone you little devil”, Cassian pinches Nyx’s side making the boy let out yet another mischievous laugh. “Uncle Cass and pretty lady will nice hair sitting in the tree…”, the boys sing songs making a couple of heads turn his way. “Don’t you dare finish that”, Cassian warns him but Nyx only grins deeper before shouting, “Kissing!”, and then he’s off, running as if his life depends on it.
Cassian watches him for a moment, composing himself before turning to you, “I’m so sorry, he’s not usually like that”, but he’s met with you softly chuckling. “He’s quite a character that one”, you mutter, lifting your head to look at him. Cassian takes a deep breath in, “wow”, he mutters. His hands reach up, wanting to brush over your face but he halts, stopping himself, “Sorry, you’re just so pretty”, he breathes out, making your cheeks turn crimson in a heartbeat. “General are you nervous?”, you muse. “Don’t pull rank on me, love, I’m a sensitive soul”, Cassian presses his hand to his chest as if he were wounded. “I can tell from the way that boy ripped you to bits”, you chuckled softly, making Cassian grunt, “He’s my sidekick but sometimes I doubt he’s actually on my side”, “Well, he did his wingman duties didn’t he?”, you shrug watching him. Cassian nods along, “Yeah, I guess he did. Cassian by the way”, he offers you his big callused palm. “Hm, and I was hoping for Uncle Az”, you shake your head biting your lip. “Now that’s plane insensitive, love. Don’t tag team with the devil”, Cassian whines with a laugh. “Y/n”, you press your way smaller palm against his, “But the pretty lady with nice hair works too”. You both chuckle, shaking hands, “I will find even more creative nicknames for you, sweet cheeks”, he winks your way before offering you a new drink.
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sarahs-library · 1 year ago
Note
hi! i hope your having a good day 😊 you said you were taking requests so i have one if you dont mind! could you do something were az and reader are interrupted after they accept the bond by someone, maybe elain and she's upset and it causes issues? thanks!
Hey,
This is my first request so please be gentle with me if it isn't exactly what you were looking for. Also I'm sorry this sat in my inbox for so long, I wasn't sure exactly how to go about writing this one; I eventually decided on making it as dramatic as possible. 😅 So in true form, this is written mostly from our drama king Rhys' POV but there is some Reader POV fluff at the end. I wasn't sure where you stood with smut, so I've kept it relatively open to interpretation at the end.
Get Out!
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Maybe being so secretive about your relationship with Azriel wasn't the best idea after all.
Word count: 5,090
Rhys POV
Rhys adjusted his grip on the blade in his hand as it clashed with Cassian's, the keen of metal against metal filled the training room. Sweat burned his eyes as he heaved air into his lungs. Cassian's grin bordered on feral as they separated, circling each other. Rhys hadn't realised how long it had been since he'd trained properly, but he could feel it in the ache of his muscles.
"Fatherhood making you soft, Rhys?"
Rhys rolled his eyes, hoping that Cassian didn't notice he couldn't muster more of a response between gasped breaths and fending off his attacks. They'd been at it for hours. Cassian was right, in between High Lord duties and trying to spend every possible moment with his son, resolute on not missing a single milestone, Rhys had certainly neglected his training regime. And now his brother was making him pay for it.
A blade whistled dangerously close to his face. Rhys managed to bring his own up in time to stop the blow as the force of it reverberated down his arm. He ducked out of Cassian's reach, staying firmly on the defensive while his brother eyed him with mirth. Cassian made a show of surveying Rhys slowly as he began to advance again, eyes trailing down his body and settling for a moment on the tight muscles of his abdomen. He clucked his tongue in disapproval.
"Just because Feyre loves you, doesn't mean you can let yourself go so much." Rhys dodged as Cassian swung towards his side, levelling him with a strike of his own which was blocked with ease. Cassian smirked at him as their blades locked, Rhys bared his teeth in a snarl as he forced Cassian's blade back.
A gentle caress against the fortress of his mental shields stole his attention away from his brother for a moment. Cassian smacked the flat face of his sword against Rhys' thigh, a strike that would likely leave a nasty bruise. Rhys opened the antechamber in his mind, built like a house of worship over the foundations of his mating bond with Feyre. He managed to send a small, gentle caress in return before he was drawn back to avoiding Cassian's blade.
Rhys, where are you? There was an undercurrent of worry flowing down the bond to him. It took his attention immediately. He signalled to Cassian, lowering his blade and taking a deep breath.
Training with Cass at the House. What's wrong? He was already moving as he answered, racking the blunted practice sword and retrieving his shirt from where it had been tossed earlier in the session. Cassian mimicked his movements before heading to the pitcher of water to pour two glasses.
It's Elain, something's happened.
What?
She's inconsolable. She says...that Y/N attacked her.  Surprise sparked in Rhys.
Are you sure? It didn't make any sense. You were so gentle. A junior healer under Madja's tutelage, brought in to assist with Feyre's pregnancy. You'd been visiting the River House regularly to do milestone checks on Nyx. During that time, both he and Feyre had struck up a friendship with you. He'd never seen you so much as raise your voice.
It's all she's said to us, Nesta is furious. Rhys' eyes drifted to where Cassian stood, gulping down his glass of water.
"We're needed at the River House."
Cassian raised a brow at the seriousness of the tone as he moved across the training room towards his brother.
"What happened?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. But we should get back before Nesta goes on the warpath." Cassian considered for a moment before taking to the skies, seemingly spurred by whatever he felt down his mating bond. Rhys launched himself after his brother before sending a reassuring message to his own mate.
We're on our way.
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Elain sat nestled next to Feyre on the sofa. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief as her sister rubbed soothing circles on her back. Nesta was pacing in front of the fireplace, the swish of her dress and hard clack of her heels against the hardwood felt too loud in the otherwise silent room. Rhys stood for a moment in the doorway, assessing the scene in front of him as Cassian passed him to join Nesta. She ignored him, continuing to pace.
Rhys approached his mate and Elain, settling himself on the arm of the sofa at Feyre's side. He casts an assessing gaze over the middle Archeron sister. Her other arm, the one not wiping at her face, was laid in her lap as Feyre held a compress of ice over the wrist.
Rhys let out a low sigh, running his hands through his hair as he worked through possible avenues of action. He reopened his mental connection with Feyre.
Has she said anything else? Feyre turned away from her sister where she sat staring into space.
No, Madja's on her way though. It's strange, she said she hasn't seen Y/N in days, she was supposed to be visiting her family in the Day Court. None of this makes any sense, why would Y/N do this?
Unease sat heavily in Rhys' stomach. Could something have happened to you on your travels? He thought of Braillyn and the manipulation the crown had afforded her over the minds of others. The Dread Trove was safe, was this a different horror Koschei was responsible for? Was he trying to target his family through you? It would make sense, you visited the River House regularly and both he and Feyre had left Nyx unattended in your care on more than one occasion.
He felt Madja's approach as she let herself in, inclining her head towards himself and Feyre where they sat. She settled herself on Elain's other side, reaching for her arm. Feyre moved her hand and the compress away, revealing a slight bruising and swelling on the skin underneath.
"We need to find her, she can't just attack Elain like this." Nesta's voice cut sharp as a blade across the room, Elain's tears starting fresh at her words. Madja lifted her gaze from where she was assessing Elain's wrist, tilting her hand in gentle exercises to assess the range of movement.
"Perhaps you can continue this discussion outside?" Rhys caught the pointed look the healer gave him. He nodded, standing and placing his hand on the small of Feyre's back as she did the same. Nesta watched them for a moment before stomping towards the door; disappearing into the foyer.
Feyre shot him a look, grey-blue eyes filled with worry as they moved to follow her out. Nesta continued to pace outside the room as they shut the door, the low sound of Madja's soothing voice travelling through the wood.
"We have to do something."
"Nesta, we shouldn't do anything rash." Feyre's voice was firm as she addressed her, switching smoothly from comforting sister to High Lady of the Night Court. "Not until we have more information."
"Well she," Nesta gestured towards the closed door and her distressed sister, "isn't saying anything. So I say we find Y/N and get her to tell us what happened."
Rhys was inclined to agree, but held some reservations as to what exactly Nesta deemed an appropriate method of finding out information when it pertained to the middle Archeron sister.
"Feyre's right, we shouldn't be hasty about this." He met Nesta's eyes, filled with burning silver fire. "You're too close to this," he continued. "Why don't you go back to the House, blow off some steam and we'll discuss this later when we know the full story." Cassian moved closer to Nesta's side, a comforting hand on her arm as she stared Rhys down. He watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then another. Rhys recognised the mind-stilling technique she favoured to keep her grounded.
Her eyes were still bright with anger when she opened them again, but she seemed calmer than she had been before. She gave a small nod. Cassian tucked her under an arm as they made their way to the front door.
"We'll send for you when we know something." Cassian nodded to Rhys over his shoulder but Nesta didn't turn back to look at either of them. The door closed with a thud behind them.
Feyre looked at where her sister and brother-in-law stood a moment before. She turned, making her way down the hall Rhys study.
"What do you think we should do?"
"I'll search the city for her, we could send a note? Ask her to meet us both?" Feyre nodded in agreement.
"We should make contact with Az." Rhys considered, reluctant to disturb his brother when he'd asked for a rare week off to visit his mother in Illyria. The request had been sudden and abrupt. Az had sent word close to midnight a few days prior. He hadn't written much, other than he needed some time away from his duties and that he'd reach out to Rhys later on in the week. He had been concerned at the out of character behaviour, apprehensive that something serious must have happened. Azriel had evaded requests for more information; saying that he'd brief Rhys on his return.
"When we know more," he paused with Feyre on the threshold of the study. "I don't want to call him back when it may turn out to be nothing serious."
Feyre hummed in agreement.
"I just...I don't understand, why would she do something like this? We gave her access to our son, Rhys. She didn't seem..." Feyre trailed off. Before she could continue the sound of a throat clearing came from the kitchen door. They turned in tandem, both sets of eyes fixed on the twins that appeared out of the shadows there.
"We...We think this may be our fault." Nuala's voice was quiet as she spoke for both of them, hands clasped together tightly as they stood before their High Lord and Lady.
"How could this possibly be your fault?" Feyre didn't hide the surprise in her tone. Their dark eyes were unreadable but Rhys didn't miss the glance they both gave towards the closed door where Elain still sat with Madja.
He opened the door to the office, gesturing in invitation to the twins to follow Feyre and him in.
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Rhys sat in the high-backed chair behind the desk, Feyre perched on his lap as they listened to Nuala and Cerridwen's tale.
"Azriel instructed us not to tell anyone where he was when he sent word. She saw us putting together a basket, asked us who it was for. We didn't see any harm in telling her we were making it for him," Cerridwen's face was grave as she spoke. "Elain wanted to help, so we baked the bread together. She went to the garden after that, and Nuala left to deliver it."
"I know she didn't follow," Nuala cut in, her voice shaking. "I would have noticed if she had."
"Perhaps she saw where you went in one of her visions?" Feyre supplied. She bestowed her a small comforting smile, Rhys could feel her sympathy for the twins through the bond. They cared about Elain; even without his daemati powers you could read the guilt they shared.
"But it was here? In Velaris?" Rhys asked. Nuala looked at her twin, a silent conversation happening between them, before she nodded her head. Rhys' stomach turned to lead. Azriel had lied to him about where he was. Rhys knew that Azriel had his secrets, maybe more than anyone else in the Inner Circle. But he'd never known him to be overtly dishonest, not with his family.
"What happened after that?" Feyre's voice was gentle as she pushed for more information.
None of this makes any sense.
I know. Feyre squeezed his hand, the one that she had clasped between both of her own beneath the desk, as she sent reassuring waves down the bond.
"We were both preparing lunch after that. We didn't see her again, until you did." Feyre had shown him the memory as he'd flown towards the house. Elain bursting through the front door, arm clutched to her chest and tears streaming down her face. She hadn't said anything as Nesta had taken her into her arms, demanding to know what had happened.
"Would it be possible that Elain met Y/N on the way to...where Azriel is?" Feyre addressed the question to the room but it was Cerridwen that answered her.
"I don't think so, my lady. It's...out of the way, you wouldn't stumble upon it by accident." Rhys didn't miss the look Nuala sent her, dark eyes on fire. Cerridwen sunk back into her chair, realising that perhaps she'd said too much. Rhys pressed though, he couldn't leave it.
"So that would mean that either Y/N followed Elain from the house on purpose or she was there? With Azriel?"He suspected it was the latter, and the twins certainly knew more about it than they were willing to share. They both looked down, pointedly avoiding Rhys' gaze.
"We promised, my lord."
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"We could do it together if you want?" Feyre's hand toyed at his neck, tracing the Illyrian tattoos etched into the skin. They'd dismissed Nuala and Cerridwen back to their duties while they discussed the next step to take. They had both agreed that reaching out to Azriel was the best course of action, to follow the lead of his potential involvement before they took any further steps concerning you.
Rhys was torn. He wanted Feyre to be involved, but it felt too personal. Azriel hadn't lied to her. But he had to him, his brother, his High Lord. Azriel, whom he had always trusted. Feyre would moderate his temper, if the need arose, but a dark volatile part of him didn't want that.
A quiet knock sounded on the door. Feyre called out for Madja to enter, already sensing her standing on the other side. Her smile was reassuring as she moved to stand in front of them at the desk.
"A nasty sprain, but no broken bones." Some of the tension seemed to leave Feyre's shoulders as she let out a relieved sigh. "I've recommended she rest it, keep it elevated," Madja continued, "it should be back to normal within a few days."
"Thank you Madja, we appreciate you coming out of you way." Feyre's tone was warm as she spoke to the elderly fae.
"It's my pleasure, my lady."
"Did Elain say anything to you? About what happened?"
Madja frowned, before shaking her head. "Nothing that made much sense. She mentioned a door and being pushed, she didn't say any more than that." Madja took a step closer to the desk, worrying the fabric of the apron she wore between her fingers.
"If I may..." She paused, waiting for further invitation to speak. Rhys gestured with a hand for her to continue.
"I've known Y/N since she was a girl," Madja's voice wavered as she spoke, in all the years Rhys had known her he'd never seen her close to tears before. "She wouldn't do something like this it's not in her nature," Madja paused before quickly adding, "not to discredit your sister, High Lady." Rhys watched Feyre as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she listened to the healer.
"This situation is highly unusual, Madja. We need to speak to the parties involved, gather more information." Rhys speech was clinical, playing High Lord rather than concerned brother-in-law.
"I'll take my leave then."
I should see to Elain. Feyre slipped off his lap with a parting brush of her lips against his cheek before following Madja out of the room. Rhys rested his elbows on the desk in front of him and lowered his head into his hands.
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After taking a few minutes to collect himself Rhys began using his power to comb through the city, brushing past the minds of his citizens as they went about their daily lives. It took longer than he thought, identifying the distinct signature of his brother, as recognisable to him as his own after 500 years. Cloistered on the outskirts of the city, the surrounding land reserved for farming crops with very few residences. He felt another presence there, one less familiar to him, yours.
Rhys brushed a talon against Azriel's mental shields, a teeming cluster of darkness not unlike the shadows he wielded, and waited. The tick of the clock as the seconds passed by had Rhys on edge, he was considering pushing again, this time more firmly, when the shadows created a small opening just big enough for him to slip through.
Rhys didn't bother with a greeting. His mental voice was harsh, more than he meant it to be, as it reverberated around the dark antechamber.
You have ten seconds to explain why you are not in Illyria, and why my mate is consoling her injured sister before I come and find you, and we have this conversation in person. Conversation was a very polite term to use for what would inevitably become a battle of wills, and potentially blades, between the High Lord and his Spymaster.
Don't you fucking dare, Rhys. Azriel's voice was ice. The hostile rage that bubbled underneath shook Rhys out of his own for a moment. It was like its own living thing, driven by base instincts to defend against a threat at all costs. The force of it almost pushed him out. Rhys bridled his own surprise and rage down.
Okay, Rhys' voice was soothing, carried on a night-kissed wind. I won't do that Az, but you need to talk to me.
The storm of Azriel's emotions seemed to calm a little, Rhys could feel the effort he was putting in, wrestling for control that was usually so militant. He waited for his brother to speak for a few moments before continuing.
Why don't you start with where you are, and why Nuala and Cerridwen are involved?
He thought that Azriel was going to hold fast in his reticence. Instead his voice, missing some of the frigid quality it had before, answered after a few beats.
I own a property on the outskirts of the city, I've been here since I sent word asking for leave. Azriel paused before continuing, Nuala and Cerridwen were just doing what I asked, they don't need to be a part of this. Rhys should have expected this. Azriel always knew how to toe the line between answering what was asked without giving any substantial information.
And what is it that you asked them to do for you? Because they wouldn't tell us, because of some promise they made to you.
They delivered some supplies to me.
Supplies?
Food and other basic necessities.
And is there a reason you couldn't retrieve these for yourself? Why you're sequestered away in some property we're unaware of with one of our healers? Rhys tried to press against the walls of Azriel's mind to see what else he could feel or sense but it yielded nothing. Are you injured Az? Worry bloomed. As out of character as it was for Azriel to lie to his family, if it was because he was injured and didn't want any of them to know, to worry, Rhys could rationalise that.
No. Rhys could feel Azriel's attention, drawn away to whatever was going in outside his mind, still only half maintaining their communication. Is Elain okay?
Are you talking to Y/N? I know she's there with you.
Azriel hesitated before answering. Yes.
Elain is saying that Y/N attacked her, is that true? Did you see what happened?
I did, but it was an accident Rhys. She didn't mean to.
She says she was pushed. I'm not sure how that can be considered an accident, Azriel. Rhys tried to keep a handle on his agitation, but this conversation was going nowhere quickly. Why don't you show me what happened, then we can put this whole thing to bed.
A tidal wave rose, angry and biting as it chased Rhys towards the gap in the barrier he entered from. Rhys retreated back from it, shocked by it's sudden appearance.
No. Azriel's snarled response rebounded around his head.
Fine, I'll take it up with Y/N if this is how you're going to act.
Wait, don't. The emotion receded as quickly as it came, leaving Rhys toeing the edge of the empty chamber. Leave her out of this Rhys, it's my fault.
Oh? She's assaulted a member of our Court, Azriel.
She's my mate, Rhys. Rhys thought for a moment that he hadn't heard him correctly. But it made sense, the instinctual frenzy of emotion that seemed eager to slip his brother's control. We didn't tell you in the beginning, we wanted to get to know each other without any added...pressure.
Az, this is wonderful news...unexpected but wonderful. But we wouldn't have pressured you, either of you, into anything.
I know, I just...I was being selfish, Rhys. And we were so caught up in each other. I said I'd talk to you when I got back, I was going to tell you then. Rhys didn't hide the happiness he felt, letting his brother feel it freely, It was a bit spur of the moment, deciding to accept the bond. That's why I asked Nuala and Cerridwen for help, they knew where we were.
I'm happy for you, Az. Rhys allowed himself to bask for a moment in the joy that he could feel from his brother as he spoke about you. A part of him wanted to leave then, to retreat from his brother's mind and leave him to enjoy this special, if volatile time, as a newly mated male. But there was still a piece of this puzzle missing. What happened with Elain?
It is my fault Rhys, I should have sensed her coming. But we were preoccupied. Azriel's discomfort put Rhys own teeth on edge as he continued. We were in the living room and Elain opened the door, Y/N panicked and slammed it with gust of wind.
Panicked?
We were...indisposed.
You're joking, Rhys barely managed to choke the words out as he tried to contain his laughter.
Its not funny, Rhysand. He could almost see his brother grinding his teeth in agitation. By the time we made ourselves decent, Elain had already left. I was going to come to the house to see if she was okay, but Y/N is really upset that she may have hurt her. Rhys understood what he didn't say, that he couldn't leave his mate like that.
Tell her it's just a sprain, nothing serious.
That's a relief. If we're done here- Rhy's didn't allow Azriel to finish, already taking his leave.
Rhys watched the sun set set over the Sidra as he ruminated on the strange events the day had taken, and how he was going to defuse the tension from this morning before Azriel returned, likely with Y/N in tow.
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Your POV
Steam curled into the air from the water of the bath. The heat soothed the ache in your muscles, ones that you didn't even know you had were making their displeasure known, as you adjusted your position to lean back against Azriel. His arm slipped around your middle, pulling you flush against his chest as scarred fingers traced circles over your midriff. You sighed in contentment as Azriel continued his ministrations, feeling his smile against the skin of you neck. He brushed the sensitive skin with a delicate kiss. Neither of you spoke as you sat there, enjoying the comfortable silence and basking in the feeling of the new golden thread that tied you together.
Azriel reached to the edge of the tub where the basket of toiletries lay, filled with your favourite scents curtesy of the shadow wraith twins, and grabbed a soft cloth and a bar of sweet smelling soap. You groaned as he began to gently massage the lather on the cloth into the skin of arms and shoulders, adjusting slightly to give him better access. You turned your head, resting it in the cradle of Azriel's shoulder, looking up at him through your lashes.
Over the few months that you'd known him, you'd come to admire his stoic beauty. Rich hazel eyes framed by thick lashes and dark brows. His sharp features and full lips that erupted butterflies in your stomach every time he gifted you with an alluring smile or tantalising smirk. As your relationship had progressed he'd become more open is displaying his emotions with you, less prone to cloaking himself in his shadows. But you'd never in that time seen such open contentment displayed on his features.
You watched as his eyes tracked the path his hand drew with the cloth against your body. You brought a hand out of the warm cocoon of the water to trace the map of markings across his shoulders, following the trail up his neck with tender kisses. Azriel's chest rumbled his approval. The flare of his wings sent ripples across the surface of the bath as you let a soft breath out against the delicate shell of his ear.
"It appears my little mate is rather insatiable." Azriel sighed, feigning exasperation as he moved the cloth lower, down off your shoulders to brush the top of your breasts.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." The hand on his shoulder reached to brush a single fingertip against the sensitive membrane of a wing as you smirked into his neck.
"Careful." Azriel growled, taking the circles he was tracing on your midriff dangerously lower. Even though the past few days had been filled with nothing but Azriel, the feel of his skin against yours, the taste of him on your tongue, there was a burning pit of desire that demanded more. You felt as though you could live a thousand more years and never tire of the feeling of him holding you in his arms. The thought of leaving the little bubble of bliss you'd created here was like a cold water shock. Thinking of the potential repercussions you'd face of what happened earlier left the sting of bile in the back of your mouth.
Azriel's hands stilled as he sensed the shift in your mood. You buried your face into his neck, closing your eyes and letting his scent calm your racing heart. Azriel abandoned the cloth to place his hand on the back of you head, carting his fingers through your hair. He made a low soothing noise.
"It's okay," he continued to massage his fingers against your scalp as he spoke. "It was an accident, no one is going to blame you."
"Elain will, she probably hates me." Your voice broke as you tried to hold back the guilt that had been plaguing you, such a start contrast to the joy and ravenous hunger.
"She'll understand. The others will too, Rhys actually found it very amusing."
"Oh cauldron boil me." You could imagine it now, the smirking good natured jibes from the high-lord and the likely even less subtle innuendos his general would deal out to you.
"Come on," the fingers dancing through your hair stopped. "Look at me." Part of you wanted to continue to hide as the anxiety and embarrassment coiled inside of you, but as Azriel moved to cup your cheek you lifted your face away to look at him. His eyes were soft as he took in your face, so close that you could see flecks of green and gold constellating around the iris. His thumb rubbed gently against you cheek.
"I just want to stay here for the rest of our lives." Azriel smiled gently and hummed his agreement, leaning forward to press his lips against the skin of your forehead.
"Unfortunately, I think we'll be missed." He considered for a moment before adding. "And I wouldn't put it past Cassian to break down the door and drag me back to civilised society." You loosed a small smile at his attempt to make light of the situation, but it still did nothing to quell the apprehension and doubts.
You'd so desperately wanted to make a good impression. It had all been planned out. After the week was done; once you and Azriel had returned to your normal lives, he would have announced the mating bond to his family. You'd planned to host a dinner, let them get to know you outside your capacity as a healer. Hoped to create the foundations for meaningful relationships. Instead, you'd ruined it before you'd even started, injuring the High Lady's sister and forcing Azriel to do damage control on your behalf.
"I'm just...I'm sorry Az, I know how important your family is to you. I can't believe I've screwed this up."
"They are important to me." He agreed, thumb stroking gently against your face. "But so are you. I've waited centuries to find you, and you're so much more than I dreamed you'd be." Tears welled in your eyes at his declaration. "I love you, and I know my family will love you too." You reached up to capture his lips in a delicate kiss, despite the gravity of the situation feeling his lips quirk into a smile against your own made your heart sing. You parted, and he began to trail kisses across your cheek.
"Rhys and Feyre already like you, they trust you with Nyx. Everyone else will fall victim to your charming smile and witty sense of humour, I'm sure." He murmured in your ear as he traced his nose against the soft skin of your neck.
"We'll face them together when the time comes." He whispered the promise into your skin as he paved a line of tender kisses to a particularly sensitive spot he'd discovered in the last few days, taking extra care to pay it the most attention.
You sighed and arched your back, allowing him greater access to your neck and chest. Azriel's affirmations had quelled the storm within you, leaving heat and hunger in the wake of his lips.
"But, we've got a few days before anyone is expecting us back. And I have plans for you." Azriel's voice turned husky at the end, the heady promise made your toes curl as you pressed yourself closer against him.
"Oh?" You breathed as his lips began to chart a course across your chest, skimming across the tops of your breasts. You felt more than heard as he hummed an affirmation against the delicate skin. "And what would those plans be?"
Azriel's wings flared as your hand found his hair, winding the strands between your fingers. He stopped lathing delicate kisses against your skin to look up at you through dark lashes, eyes light and mischievous. His grin was positively wicked, canines flashing in the light.
"Why don't I show you."
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acourtofmishapandmistakes · 9 months ago
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Shadowsongs
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Summary: After Rhys and Feyre decide to take a trip away to the Summer Court for the night to escape the thralls of their newborn, Azriel is left caring for Nyx and finds that his greatest battle might just be getting him to sleep. I also recently rewatched the Labyrinth and forgot how much that movie slapped so the song from that is included.
As the Velaris tower clock chimed midnight, the sitting room of the River House was enveloped in the soft, ambient glow of faelight. Azriel sunk deeper into the plush, green, velvet couch, his expansive wings draped elegantly over the back of the chair, eyes heavy with exhaustion. His hand rhythmically patted the back of the squirming bundle nestled snugly against his chest. The babe, Nyx, resisted sleep with the tenacity of an Illyrian warrior, his tiny fists punching the air as if to protest the very concept of bedtime. 
The room was a playful mess, strewn with toys - dolls lay abandoned, blankets were tossed aside, and bottles had rolled under chairs. Azriel had assured Feyre and Rhys he could manage babysitting for a day and night. They desperately needed a break after months of non-stop parenting in tandem with running the Night Court, and a trip to the breezy shores of the Summer Court was the only thing keeping Feyre from collapsing into tears. Feyre had sobbed when they left, overwhelming Azriel with reminders of Nyx’s schedule and a litany of do’s and don'ts, which Azriel already knew inside and out. Her maternal instincts flared to the point where Rhys had to gentle pull her away, reassuring her that Nyx would be fine for one night, and, if anything, they should be more concerned about Azriel surviving Nyx than Nyx surviving Azriel. 
Typically, everyone shared babysitting duties throughout the week day, but with Nesta and Cassian off in the Autumn Court, Elain incapacitated by her first fae cycle, and Amren claiming she would rather cut out her own tongue than be left alone with a babe, the responsibility had fallen to Azriel. Leaving Nyx overnight for the first time might have been a tad ambitious. 
“Come on, Nyx,” he coaxed with a whisper of amusement. “You’ve got to give in at some point.” Azriel briefly considered that perhaps this was how the victims of his torture efforts may have felt when they had been kept awake for hours on end. Perhaps he should start having them babysit a fussy Illeryian babe instead of cutting off fingers. He chuckled to himself before pushing the thought away.
Yet, Nyx remained defiant, his violet eyes locked on the ceiling, deep in thought, as if unraveling the secrets of the cosmos rather than giving in to slumber. Azriel exhaled deeply, his fingers threading through his tousled black hair. After learning about Feyre’s pregnancy he had stealthily devoured every parenting book Feyre had purchased, to the perfect formula-to-water ratio, optimal bath temperatures, and baby sensory activities, he had learned it all. When Feyre faced challenges with breastfeeding, Azriel had accidentally revealed his clandestine studies by suggesting a particular latching technique. Cassian had teased him relentlessly since. Despite employing every baby battle strategy known to him, Nyx was relentless.
With a resigned sigh, Azriel sank even further into the plush cushions, resigning himself to a long night. As he watched Nyx’s tiny chest rise and fall with each breath, he couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer stubbornness of the new babe. Azriel couldn’t tell if that was more from Feyre or Rhys, and then decided that that trait most likely came from his Auntie Nesta, whom Nyx had wrapped around his tiny, chubby fingers.
In the dimly lit room, Azriel’s gaze followed his shadows as they danced across the ceiling, capturing Nyx’s rapt attention. With a grin, he watched them twirl and twirl – they were always more playful when Nyx was around. His shadows seemed as curious about Nyx as he was about them. During gatherings at the River House, it wasn’t uncommon for the shadows to envelop Nyx, tickling him and teasing him, eliciting peals of laughter from the delighted babe as he reached out to catch them. 
Elain had said before that the shadows and Nyx reminded her when she and her sisters were young, a black barn cat would seek her out to frolic among the late summer heat. Azriel wondered what Nyx made of these ethereal companions, if they were like an animal to him, or another playmate. He also pondered whether the shadows would maintain their fascination with him as he grew older. Azriel, himself, hadn’t spent much time around children this young, and his shadows seemed to be so gentle with the babe, as though they somehow could sense his innocence and hoped he would keep it forever.
As Azriel and Nyx both kept their gaze to the ceiling, the shadows began to craft intricate shapes and forms, transforming into a mesmerizing puppet show. Nyx’s restless squirming subsided as the shadows danced across the walls, casting enchanting silhouettes that swirled and twirled in their silent ballet creating a tableau of delight.
On the ceiling, an array of animals appeared in what resembled a grand ballroom scene. Pegasus, birds, and sheep mingled before parting to reveal a single swan, its wings unfurling with ethereal grace. The swan bowed elegantly before twirling loftily above its admiring audience. Then, emerging from the gathered shadows, a sly fox approached, gracefully taking the swan’s wings in its paws and spinning it in a delicate dance. Although the room was silent, one could easily imagine the soft strains of music. Nyx reached up excitedly, prompting Azriel to adjust his hold, lifting him slightly higher for a better view.
As the dance continued above, some shadows descended the walls and playfully twirled around Nyx, their cool touch eliciting giggles from the dark-haired babe.
The shadows conjured forth visions of Nyxs’ family, distant echoes of life beyond the cozy sitting room. 
In one corner of the room, the shadows morphed into delicate snowflakes cascading down the wall. Above the floorboard, three figures raced across the scene – two winged Illyrians and one without wings. The winged males playfully lobbed snowballs at their wingless companion, who shielded his head with his hands. Suddenly, a log sprung from the ground, causing the wingless man to trip and tumble face-first into a pile of snow below. The two other males doubled over with laughter, one even dropping to his knees as the snow continued to fall. Nyx’s eyes widened with wonder, his tiny fingers reaching out to grasp the fleeting shapes. The snowball fight between his father and brothers drew excited coos and giggles from him, his laughed echoing around the room.
In the other corner, the shadows drifted into a scene of a woman standing at an easel, the woman's stomach swollen with child. The shadow woman stood before an easel, her brush moving across the canvas, she ran her hand over her stomach, glancing down towards it when a man walked in behind her, twirling her around into an embrace. The man leaned over, placing a tender kiss on the woman's stomach. Nyx babbled joyfully, his tiny feet kicking Azriel’s chest with delight, which while uncomfortable brought a smile to his face.
Across the ceiling, the shadows painted a scene of a great battle, a field of war and chaos as two winged males fight back to back against a vast army, shooting arrows and swinging swords. 
While the shadows swirled the tapestry of memories, Azriel looked only at Nyx, who giggled and babbled in delight at the unfolding scenes. With each passing moment, it became increasingly apparent to Azriel that while the shadows were doing their best to soothe Nyx to sleep, they had only awakened him more. It became glaringly obvious that bedtime stories wouldn’t work. 
Nyx’s giggles and coos echoed through the River House. With a sigh, Azriel gestured for the shadows to cease their dance, and the room was once again plunged into a soft, dim glow. 
“Alright, Nyx,” Azriel murmured, his voice gentle but tinged with exhaustion. “Let’s try something else.”
He drew Nyx back into his arms, cradling him close against his chest. Rising from the enveloping comfort of the couch, Azriel’s footsteps were muted against the plush rug of the sitting room as he began to meander through the house. Moonlight streamed through the towering windows, casting the ornate corridors in a serene silvery light, illuminating the walls adorned with Feyre’s vibrant paintings. 
Feyre and Rhys had both endured their share of sleepless nights, pacing the same halls with Nyx in their arms. Rhys had noted that being the babe of the Night Court it seemed all Nyx wanted to do was explore the world when the sun had set and all had gone quiet. Perhaps Nyx was more bat than babe.
Undeterred, Azriel pressed on, his footsteps echoing through the halls as he swayed in arms in a steady rhythm. But Nyx remained stubbornly awake, his eyes darting from window to window cooing loudly. As he reached the grand staircase that spiraled upwards, a faint cry echoed through the silence. Nyx stirred in his arms, his tiny fists clutching at his shirt as he let out a wail. 
Azriel attempted to shush the fussy baby who now was wailing louder for what seemed no apparent reason. Perhaps Nyx was finally fighting exhaustion as well. With a sigh, Azriel retraced his steps, as he stepped into Nyx’s nursery. 
Feyre had taken months to finally get the nursery the way she envisioned it. She had wanted Nyx’s room to encompass the entirety of Prythian as they were unsure what powers Nyx might hold. 
Each wall of the room was a canvas of vibrant colors and intricate designs including the bay window that Feyre had insisted be where Nyxs’ bassinet be. 
Painting the Spring Court wall had been a battle unto itself with Rhys and Cassian joking constantly that the wall should be burning to the ground, or that she should paint Tamlin being pursued by a dragon. Feyre had just shot them an obscene gesture and instead painted spring blossoms of pastel pinks and greens. Delicate flowers bloomed amidst emerald meadows, their petals unfurling in the warmth of the sun. Amongst the meadow was a warm pool with a waterfall cascading down a mountainside. 
Opposite, the wall of Summer blazed with the fiery hues of the sun, a tapestry of gold and crimson beamed down onto the deep blue sea, where Tarquin’s white castle glistened atop the white sandstone mountain. 
Next to it, the wall of Autumn was a symphony of earthy greens, oranges, reds, and browns. The Autumn Court forest held deep shadows which made the wheat fields protruding from them seem like shining gold. Lucien had helped Feyre paint this wall, and his awkward-looking, disproportionate deer and fawns clearly showed that. 
Beside the Autumn wall, the Winter Court lay shrouded in a blanket of icy blues and silvery whites. Snowflakes danced amidst frost kissed pines, their branches bending beneath the weight of the winter embrace. Bears and arctic foxes scampered on the piles of snow, wearing the traditional colors. Elain had insisted on giving the little foxes scarves. Azriel had reminded her they were made for that sort of weather but Elain had only glanced at him sadly before saying “But what if they get cold” before she painted tiny mittens on the bears. 
On the half of the ceiling closest to the door, Feyre had painted the Dawn and Day courts. Sunlight streamed through branches of ancient oaks as it rose from the corner of the room, and hills of rolling green with children from each court playing amongst them filled out the space. 
Over Nyxs’ crib, Feyre had painted a deep blue color of the sky with a sparkle of stars strewn across it. Rhys had enchanted the space just below the ceiling to be constantly in motion with sparkling star dust which moved in and out of constellations, with the occasional shooting star flying high above. 
As Nyx continued his tirade of shrill cries, Azriel rocked him around the room, shushing him as much as he could. As he continued to sway gently with Nyx in his arms, the baby began to quiet, his tiny body nestled into Azriels chest as his breaths steadied. With a tender smile, he began to sing, his voice a gentle melody through the darkness, like a whispered prayer. 
“I saw my baby, crying hard as babe could cry,” he sang, “What could I do?” 
With each note, Nyx grew more and more relaxed, his eyelids fluttering closed from the gentle cadence and rocking. 
“My baby’s love had gone and left my baby blue” he sang, his voice soft and tender, “Nobody knew.” 
Azriel watched Nyx’s tiny fingers curl against his chest, his breathing slow and steady and sleep drifted closer. 
“What kind of magic spell to use, slime and snails, puppy dog tails, thunder or lightning,” Azriel continued to sing as he wandered carefully over to the crib. 
“Dance magic, dance magic dance, dance magic dance,” He lowered Nyx into the soft blue oasis. “Jump magic, jump, jump magic, put that baby’s spell on me, kiss my baby, make her free,” Azriel placed his palm onto Nyx’s chest and continued to rub back and forth soothingly. 
“I saw my baby,” He continued, softer, more of a whisper, “Trying hard as babe could try, what could I do?” Azriel dropped to his knees, his fingers tracing the lines of the baby's face as he rested his arm on the side of the bassinet and laid his head atop it. “My baby’s fun had gone, and left my baby blue, nobody knew.” Nyx’s soft pink lips fell open slightly as his eyes finally closed and his head fell to the side. Azriel smiled and found his eyes drifting shut as well. 
Feyre found them the next morning that way. Nyx sprawled on his back, his tiny fingers wrapped around Azriels, and Azriel, a piled heap on the floor, his wings splayed on the floor behind him with his head still resting against the crib. 
Rhys walked up behind her as Feyre motioned him silently. “I guess he does sleep,” she whispered.
“Who?” Rhys chuckled, “Az or Nyx?”
Feyre turned her head to look at Rhys, “Both I guess.” 
Rhys asked Feyre if she planned to go in and wake either of them up but Feyre only shook her head, “I think they both could use a little more time.” 
With that, Feyre shut the door quietly, leaving the warrior and the babe to sleep a little longer.
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cvpiddszn · 2 years ago
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𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 | 𝐣.𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬
a/n: part three has been anticipated. i've been extremely busy rn, BUTTTT the last part is here, but i will continue to write for these two because i love them. a masterlist is in the making!!!! also might write for ellie and quinn, nyx and luke, AND kie and nico
summary: birdie finally comes forward about her feelings
warnings: babies, suggestions towards sex, major miscommunication, fluff
word count: 3.1k
series: part one, part two, part three
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My head was fucking pounding at the commotion downstairs. I could hear the squeals of the twins, their squeaks making the hangover worse than it already was. I tossed to the other side, feeling the cold sheets beneath my body at the new position. I closed my eyes hoping that sleep would consume me but alas: nothing. I knew the minute I walked down there Blair would know I was upset. With her empath ways which I silently cursed plenty of times, she could always sense when something was wrong but I knew that she wouldn’t say anything unless I told her myself.
I crawled out of the bed, making it and clearing out all of my stuff. We had plenty of guest bedrooms but Ellie and Quinn had sort of claimed this exact one which was closest to baby Amara (which I would’ve thought was a curse waking up to her cries). Closing the doors softly in hopes that I wouldn’t be caught coming out of the guest bedroom.
I nearly slipped into Jack and I’s room without trouble but a small Lowen was blinking at me, “Mommy?” He asked, his head tilted to the side in a question and I closed my eyes sharply praying that this was all some kind of bad dream.
I turned around and opened my eyes, masking my face with one of contentment, one that showed that I was happy with my life. He stood right in front of me, so I leaned forward kissing his forehead, “Yes, baby? What do you need?”
“Why’d you come out of Auntie Ellie and Uncle Quinn’s room?” Lowen’s blue eyes were held with curiosity and sometimes I wished that these boys inherited less traits of Jack. 
I crouched down, placing my hand against his cheek, smiling softly. “I was just making sure the room was ready for them, cleaning up. I saw a hot wheels car that was on the carpet. We wouldn’t want Auntie Ellie slipping and hurting herself on it. Would we?” The lie came easy, and I felt terrible having to lie to my boys but they weren’t old enough to understand. The words that Jack had said played through my head, but I knew that he would try to hide it from our kids for as long as he could. He believed in fixing things, he always had.
With a nod, Lowen raced down the stairs eager to do whatever it was that he was being entertained with right now. I finally walked into the room, seeing the blinds already open letting the sun come in. The alarm clock on Jack’s side of the bed read ‘10:29’, and I wanted to curl into the large bed and sleep. I was uncomfortable last night, and extremely cold knowing that J wasn’t there to warm me up. He was like sleeping beside a heater. always warm and never cold, which was why I was a good contrast for him. To cool him off when he got too warm.
Walking into the bathroom and locking the door behind me, I saw my reflection. My hair was a mess of curls, my makeup smudged, eyes were nearly red from crying. Starting the shower turning the dial much hotter than usual. To the point where I knew that it would turn my skin red after I got out.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Lake ran toward me, throwing himself at me as I made my way to the bottom of the stairs. Everyone was sat in the living room, Amara content to play with Ellie on the floor while Jack and Quinn had a hockey game already playing. I nearly rolled my eyes before my son flung himself at me.
I caught him with a grunt, his legs clinging onto my thighs instead of my hips. I dragged him along, kissing his head feeling my arms beginning to get weak as he continued to cling. “Morning, sunshine.” I grinned down at him, letting myself sit down on the couch beside my husband. I knew Jack wouldn’t want his brother to know about his relationship problems and he knew that I didn’t either so he let his arm rest just behind me. A simple gesture that had my heart racing.
Lake crawled up to my lap, hugging me for a quick second before moving to play with his brother. The boy couldn’t sit still to save his life, always needing to be preoccupied with something. As he left, Jack’s hand grabbed onto my shoulder pulling me in while he continued to talk to his older brother. My legs pulled up to the side and I watched as Ellie spoke to my little girl in a quiet voice to make sure not to startle her even though she had two older brothers who are extremely loud.
Without thinking my head resting on Jack’s shoulder, I closed my eyes comforted by his warmth. When I opened my eyes I saw Ellie’s eyes nearly question me. Kiera must’ve told her something so I only looked away, avoiding her eyes because I knew that she could read me just as well as I could read her. 
I stood up leaving my human heater, “Hey, Ellie, you mind helping me in the kitchen?” I asked, to which she nodded. “J, you mind watching her?” I asked as Ellie stood up beside me, I fiddled with my fingers resisting the urge to pick at them and pull at the skin.
“She’s just right there?” Jack replied, giving me a harsh look. It was hard to ignore a lot when your husband was actively glaring at you as if I had said the stupidest thing ever. 
Quinn slapped his brother’s shoulder, looking towards me and smiling. “We’ve got her, Mads.” Even after I had been married, he still called me a nickname that had my last name in it and I missed the familiarity of being young. “Don’t we?” The oldest Hughes stood up from his spot, scooping Amara up from her spot on the floor.
Looking towards Isla with a smile, seeing her admiration of Quinn with a baby in his arms. I grabbed onto the blonde’s arm pulling her along with me to the kitchen. When we were a good distance from the living room I let her go.
Ellie held her hands on her hips, holding some motherly pose that would’ve made me laugh in any other situation. “Okay, now, what’s been going on? Why is Jack looking at you like you committed some crime against him? Kie had mentioned something-”
My arms wrapped around her quickly, and she paused when she felt that I was crying, my shoulders shaking with every sob. I sank to the floor, and she followed with me. Her hand rubbed circles into my back, there had been plenty of times that we had cried together, yelled (or what Isla considered yelling) at each other, and so much more. 
“I can’t, I don’t know how,” None of my words made sense as everything just followed me. Not a sentence seemed to form right in my head or mouth. “J, he- and Amara. I can’t-”
“Hey, take your time. Relax, you’re safe alright? I’ve got you, B. Always.” Her words only made me sob harder.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
"Hey angel, you ready to go?” Quinn’s voice came closer, Ellie and I both paused looking up at the boy with wide eyes. My eyes were no doubt puffy and red, while we were both sitting on the floor in a comfortable position that we had been in for a while. I could already feel my ass beginning to hurt from the hardwood under. 
Ellie shook her head as I removed myself from her sniffling softly and wiping under my eyes, thankful for waterproof mascara. I grabbed one of Amara’s face clothes ran it under cold water and dabbed it under my eyes to reduce the swelling, hearing their hushed whispers behind me.
“We’re taking your kids to Kie’s, we’ll be back sometime later tonight.” Ellie’s soft voice was heard through the silence, she placed her head on my shoulder in a comforting spot and I bit back the urge to brush her hand off but she knew exactly what I needed even if it wasn’t said. She quieted her voice between the both of us, “I want you to go out tonight, I want you to take the time to fix it. You two are the one relationship I know that can work anything out. You are not your parents, Bird.”
I only nodded, placing the cloth over the tap turning around and giving the blonde a small smile. One of reassurance, that I was okay and that I would be okay. It was something so little, a doubt in the back of my mind. Old Birdie would’ve laughed if she found out what I had been so upset over.
Ellie left the kitchen, passing her husband who gave her a look that had her nodding. I always admired the two, their communication and how with a simple nod Ellie knew exactly what Quinn meant. They were synced up, and if you believed in soulmates; they were the perfect example of it.
“Trouble in paradise?” Quinn finally spoke, keeping his distance from me. Unless I had said or initiated any sort of physical touch, Quinn preferred not to. He wasn’t a big hug person, despite his younger brother being the definition of physical affection. Though he made an exception for me.
I managed a laugh, his commentaries were never all that serious. He knew that was what I had Ellie around for. “Something like that,” I replied, wiping my wet hands on a towel to dry them. Quinn gave me this look that I knew he knew and the dread began once again. The aching feeling of people knowing. The look of pity on people’s faces nearly made me want to cry all over again.
“I’m sure you’ve been lectured enough about this so I won’t bother with it. You know already. I will ask though, are you okay, Mads?” I was silent for a while as he waited for my response, deciding that I needed a drink because my head was beginning to pound once again. 
“Word of advice: do not drink when you have kids. You will never sleep or have any freedom. I think it’d be a little different if it was just the boys but Amara doesn’t like letting me sleep at all, she prefers to cry and scream until I get J. Daddy’s girl for sure.” I spoke, hoping to avoid his question. “It was only eight years ago when you swore off women and claimed you never wanted children. Then you got married and I imagine that you’re trying for children?”
We had somehow made our way into a spot in the kitchen that allowed you to peer through the living room. Quinn’s eyes glanced toward Ellie, with a sort of glassy look, it took him a minute to respond but I never questioned it. “I never wanted children, always expected that I would be the cool Uncle who spoiled the kids but kids make her happy. I want her to be happy.” He swallowed, I leaned my head onto his shoulder, to which he wrapped his arm around my arm, pulling me into his side.
“You guys are good together. You’d be a great dad, Quinn.” I reassured him, he kissed the top of my head and I already felt much lighter. The pair were perfect, the quiet and reassuring with the calm and calculated. They would make some kids extremely proud one day.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
"Do you have everything? The diapers, the car seat, wipes?” Jack’s worry was clear to everyone as he began to name things on a list like it was memorized and I nearly smiled rolling my eyes at him but bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself back. 
Instead, I placed my hand on his shoulder, “Everything is in the bag, nothing has been removed and you even watched Quinn put the car seat in to make sure that it was put in right.” My voice was light and when Jack looked back at me, I could see so much worry. I looked towards the couple at the door, waving them off, “You better leave now before J finds something that you need.” I shooed, walking over toward Ellie who had Amara snuggled in with her. 
When I backed up, I could feel a crash into my legs and when I looked down I could see little five-year-old hands on my thighs, unable to wrap themself around me. I turned around in what little space I had being trapped between the five-year-old arms. Lake looked up at me, wide-eyed. It wasn’t often that they left the house without us, sure there was a lot of travelling from Michigan to New Jersey so that we could be close to their grandparents for the summer, but within their five years, there was a lot of going to Jack’s games travelling. Especially when Jack’s team played against Quinn or Trevor’s. 
I smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair. Quinn called out to Lake telling him that they were leaving and the boys scrammed from his spot, hurrying out the door and closing it behind him. I could hear the gravel crunching underneath the tires.
Feeling hands wrap around my waist, I embraced the feeling, letting Jack stand behind me and slightly rock me as my head came back to rest against his shoulder while his head stayed in the crook of my neck. Placing a kiss between my neck and shoulder, I sighed aloud, letting out a breath of anxiety that I held. 
There was a silence that washed over the house, it was quiet and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I had been home with the kids for the last six months. Did I know what to do with myself in my free time? It was obvious that neither of us wanted to have sex, especially with the tension that filled our marriage for the last two days.
My hand placed itself over Jack’s pulling it from my body but I kept a hold of his hand dragging him with me to the couch. We sat down, my hand still placed into his and I cherished the feeling of it.
“We should talk,” I suggested finally feeling prepared. Though I wished I had some script, it would help with the anxiety. “About last night, about Amara, about everything. But first I want to say something, and you’re not going to argue with me on it because I already told them yes.” He never said anything so I took it as the queue that I could continue. “I’m going back to work in a month. We’ll hire a Nanny, Amara will already be seven months old. I can’t take care of the kids all by myself anymore. I got a job offer at a University, I’ll be getting paid twice the amount I did working at a High School.”
Jack only stared at me, as if he was trying to process my words and still manage to come up with something smart that wouldn’t make either of us upset, so he nodded. “Okay, we’ll start interviewing people next week. I might not always be there, it’s the first roadie of the season.” 
I nodded my reply, I knew that Jack didn’t like Nannies, especially since he claimed that Isadora took care of four children herself without any help but I couldn’t do it. “There has to be changes here too. I don’t want a divorce or to confuse our kids. I want to sleep in our bed, but I was doing some research and it said that babies need to start sleeping in their cribs when they’re six months old or they’ll get confused. Amara is confused and upset right now, I’m giving her formula now and she’s a bit fussy about it and she’s not used to you not being home. Sometimes we have to let her cry it out.”
“I get it, but sometimes we’re both too tired to argue with her.” He stated, and I remembered the time I had even brought her to sleep with us because she wouldn’t stop and the boys were in the room next door. I definitely regret setting the boys in the room next door to the baby.
“Another thing, I know that it’s different for both of us. You would think the second time around and with previous twins, I would be an expert but I’m not. I can assure you that a girl is much different than two boys. One more thing that I know is that I love you, and I’m sorry. I was completely jealous of our little girl getting all of your attention. It wasn’t fair that I was being selfish.” His hand squeezed mine in reassurance and he gave me a soft smile, kissing my cheek gently.
“I know that was hard for you to admit,” He teases with a smile knowing my stubbornness and I slap his bicep in protest, nearly speaking up in my defence before his lips came crashing onto mine and pulling back, “I'm sorry too. But to be fair, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to give you attention. You’ll always be my number one, Bird. Amara is a bit like her mother, don’t you think? Extremely needy and jealous?” He kissed me once again, his hand finding my back before laying me on the couch with him kneeling between my legs, his wedding band creating a chill on the back of my thigh as he brought it up to rest against his hip.
My hands pressed against his cheeks, pulling him closer. “I just love it when you insult me trying to get me in your bed, Mr. Hughes. Might want to watch your tongue.” I teased softly, my nails softly brushing against his jaw.
His brows raised in a challenge and I only grinned further. “You’ll get into my bed, either way, Mrs. Hughes.” Jack’s mouth came crashing against me again, and suddenly it felt as though we were newlyweds unable to keep our hands off of each other. It was rare that we actually slept around the time, staying up late and talking or doing other activities that involved no sleep. Little did I know that I would always remember this night.
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darling-archeron · 2 months ago
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@littedidyouknow, surprise! I was your Secret Santa for @acotargiftexchange. I had so much fun writing this fic for you. We talked about how you liked hurt comfort and would change how some of feysand's trauma was handled, so I combined that with some holiday fluff. This is chapter 1/3. I hope you enjoy - happy holidays!
With every solstice, it seems the Inner Circle grows. As Nyx's first solstice approaches, Feyre and Rhysand celebrate holiday traditions, both new and old, while grappling with unhealed wounds.
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After a night of fitful tossing and turning, it was safe to say that when light streamed through the bedroom window, Feyre wasn’t ready to face the day.
Between Nyx’s fussing, Rhys’s restlessness, and her bad dreams, she would have been just as well off not going to bed at all. All week, she had felt drained, and last night had been no different.
At least, Nyx was often good about sleeping soundly in the morning. A true Night Court child, it was the late hours that kept him awake. Judging by the slant of the sun – or what she could glimpse of it, through her barely-open eyes – she and Rhys should have another hour of peace.
Rhys, it seemed, had also managed to fall into a fitful sleep at last. Despite his tossing and turning, he had still ended up nestled in her arms.
Right where she liked him. Surrounded by his warmth. Close enough to feel his heartbeat.
She had tried to keep her unrest concealed from Rhys. She wasn’t sure why – they didn’t keep things from one another. She knew he would listen in quiet understanding to whatever she was feeling. But she got the sense he had been feeling the same way – even if he didn’t show it in his waking hours, his fitful sleep was enough of an indication.
Even so, knowing she wasn’t alone in her unrest didn’t stop her from feeling completely ungrateful and selfish.
This time of year was supposed to be for celebration and thankfulness. And yet, here she was, with everything she could want in the world – a family, a home, peace, a loving mate, and a healthy child – and she still felt…discontented. Heavy.
A little haunted.
Gods, she was ungrateful.
More long minutes passed until she felt Rhys stir beside her.
“Good morning, love” he murmured, though he sounded as exhausted as she felt, even as he pressed a kiss into her hair.
She mumbled something barely coherent back, leaning into his touch.
“Sleep well?”
“Not really,” she admitted.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, sounding a little more awake. Of course, they were both used to getting up during the night to calm down Nyx when he woke. This was different.
“I’m just so tired,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
“Did I keep you awake?” he asked with equal softness, pressing her closer.
“No, I don’t think I would have slept either way.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the drowsiness away while cringing against the sunlight streaming in.
Noticing her squint, Rhys flicked his fingers, and the heavy navy curtains immediately snapped shut.
“What’s bothering you?”
“I think I could ask you the same thing.” He had dodged bringing the unrest up as much as she had in past conversations, which was unlike both of them.
“Avoiding the question, are we?” He kept his tone light, but Feyre felt the undercurrent of concern. On a different morning, she might have tried to continue to tease and play, but…she didn’t realize how much of her fear and exhaustion she had been keeping from him. How long until fate tried to tear them apart again?
It haunted her, to think of how they had cheated death thrice. They couldn’t be so lucky again.
“This probably sounds silly, and maybe it’s selfish of me. For the first time in years, it feels like there’s no major disaster looming. Everyone is healthy, and our relationships with the other courts and the continents are going well. I know I shouldn’t be anxious. But it’s as if…for the first time in years – I really have time to think about everything that’s happened. During the War, and after.”
Wordless for once, Rhys just held her, rubbing soothing circles up and down her back.
“I think I’m feeling the same way you are,” he finally said. “Our first few solstices together, the relief was outweighing everything. Surviving the war and everything that came before…”
And Nyx’s birth, too. He didn’t need to say it.
“I just felt so much disbelief that we had made it through, that we had each other. But now…I just keep thinking about all the ways things have gone wrong, all the ways things could go wrong. I know it doesn’t do any good. I don’t want to ruin the present, by dwelling on what-ifs. Perhaps it makes me ungrateful, to still feel grief now. But my mind…it keeps trying to drag me back to times I’d rather not remember.”
“No, Rhys,” Feyre interjected sharply – and she couldn’t deny how cathartic it felt, to hear her own doubts in him. And if she could reassure him – she could reassure herself.
This is what they did. Blamed themselves for things they shouldn’t, patched up each other’s wounds. Held each other through the dark.
It was comforting, to know that she wasn’t alone in her exhaustion. That Rhys was beside her, as he was in so many things.
“I understand,” she continued. “Now that things have settled down. It’s like I actually have time to process some of the things that happened. In a way that…I suppose I didn’t before. I suppose I didn’t want to tell you, to make you feel bad.”
That first solstice, after the war, everything had been so fresh, so new. There had been sorrow, yes, and a sense of loss, but the warmth of love surrounding her for the first time in so long had kept the cold at bay.
Her mate didn’t say anything, resting his head on her shoulder.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. Rhys didn’t say anything for a long while, but she could guess that his mind was half Under the Mountain.
“It’s nothing worth remembering,” he insisted, but she caught the way he stiffened.
Gently, she turned his head to face hers, their eyes meeting. “That doesn’t mean it won’t need a way to come out, one way or another.” If she could save him some nightmares tonight by having this conversation now…
“You’re the one who said you were tired, darling. I shouldn’t be putting on this you.”
She frowned. “Where is this coming from, Rhys? Let me share your burdens, as you share mine.”
Together, as they were in all things.
Still, he frowned. “I…I don’t know if I can right now. Maybe later?”
Rubbing a soothing hand up and down his back, she sent a pulse of understanding down the bond. He hadn’t wanted to talk last night, either, when she had asked him why he was restless.
He would be ready at some point, she trusted, but that conversation wasn’t what he needed right now.
“We can talk about something else. What about other Solstices - when you were younger? How did you celebrate – where did the snowball fight come from?” She asked to get his mind on more pleasant things, but also of her own curiosity. No matter how much she learned of her mate’s 500 years of life, it seemed there was always more to hear.
He considered the question, idly playing with a strand of her golden-brown hair. She snuggled up closer to his comforting warmth.
“When I was very young, my least favorite part was always the court parties I would have to attend. Long, drawn-out events, mostly in Hewn City. Mor and I would always try to sneak off, only for one of our parents or nannies to drag us back by our ears.”
“Your parents let a child attend revels in the Court of Nightmares?” she asked incredulously. She had seen parties there that bordered on orgies.
“Oh, we were sent to bed long before things were that wild. The night felt like it dragged on long enough as it was – once, Mor almost fell asleep, falling face first into her roasted duck.”
“As I’m sure is no surprise, my father wasn’t much of a family man. Certainly not by the time I was born. If it wasn’t for my mother, I’m sure we barely would have celebrated outside the Court of Nightmares. And my mother, for as much as her chosen family meant to her, quickly realized that the strife of getting my father to stop thinking about politics for one day was more trouble than it was worth. When I was training in Illyria, it often got a little quieter around Solstice. For most, it was their only leave for the year. I was one of the lucky ones, with my mother living in camp, and my father occasionally dragging me away for one of his own lessons…”
“What a lucky little High Lord, getting special privileges,” Feyre teased, flicking his nose.
Rhys scoffed. “If you can call sitting through endless meetings in the Court of Nightmares, or being chased through the woods by whatever my father decided to send after me “special privileges.”
“But what I meant was that Cassian didn’t have any family they cared to visit outside of the camps. So there were years when it was just my mother and the two of us – later the three of us, once Azriel showed up. She would make special treats, and always sewed new clothes for the three of us. I wish I could say our gifts were always as thoughtful.” He chuckled. “At the very least, she always made a show of being pleased with whatever we had come up with. Those are some of my favorite Solstice memories.”
She felt his mental presence gently slipping through the walls of her mind, sharing a memory through his eyes, of his mother and his brothers, eating cookies and sharing presents by the crackling fire.
“I swear, I never would have thought such a thing was possible, but after my sister was born, she softened my father. When Celeste was young, there were a few years when the four of us would get together in Velaris. My sister would throw a fit if my father didn’t make some kind of effort to be with us through the holidays – and with anyone else, I would have sworn the holiday would have been better without the prick. But…he was kinder to her. Like he wanted to give her the childhood the rest of us hadn’t been afforded.”
Feyre listened attentively; hand braced gently on his arm as Rhys immersed himself in the years long past. 
“Celeste loved the holidays. Loved any reason to celebrate. Her favorite tradition was always baking, and she’d stay in the kitchen for hours and help my mother and the servants prepare dessert. When she got a little older, she would always try and join my brothers and I during our snowball fights. I would usually tell her to stop being a pest. But Az…he was the good one. He would let her join his team, pummel Cass and I. Of course, we’d always tell him that his win that year didn’t count, since he had extra help.” Her mate smiled at the memory.
“What else?” Feyre asked softly, eager to learn more pieces about the girl she had never met.
“She loved to ice skate. That was usually what the two of us did together.”
“You? On ice skates?” Feyre couldn’t help but interject in disbelief, incredulous at the idea of Rhys gliding across the ice. Not that he wasn’t graceful, but it didn’t exactly fit in with the idea of Illyrian brute strength.
“You doubt my abilities? I was an excellent skater. I’m the one who taught Celeste.”
She pictured Rhys, the dutiful big brother, spinning around on the ice with his sister, faster and faster, both of them laughing and carefree.
“You said you were an excellent skater. Are you still?”
“I haven’t done it in years, but you should know I’m a quick study,” he said slyly.
“Would you want to pick it up again?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, why don’t we do all of those things. The skating, the baking,” Feyre suggested.
He didn't answer for a moment, turning over her words, and Feyre was struck by the thought that he might not want part in these traditions with anyone other than his sister, that she was invading on a treasured memory.
Before she could brush her words away, change the subject, a smile played at Rhys's lips.
“You wouldn’t be bored? Doing all of these old traditions with me?”
She shook her head. “Of course not! And…I think it would help me, too, to spend time with you. To just be. I’ve been trying to stay so busy and focused on the future, our future, but…I can’t outrun everything. Maybe, if we can find some time, it could be good. To just be together, in the moment.”
And maybe if they were lucky, the magic of Solstice could bring a little healing to them both.  
"I'd like that a lot. We could bring Nyx along, too.”
“There are three days until Solstice. How many activities do you think we can fit in?”
“You’re in luck, my darling wife. As an early birthday present, I’ve cleared both of our calendars. Now, I’ll admit the activities I had in mind originally were a little more…physical,” he said, and she was very aware of his hand creeping up the side of her shirt, “but…few things would make me happier.”
“Well then, it sounds like a plan,” Feyre said, pressing a long, slow kiss to his mouth.
And for the first time in days, she felt lighter.
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melliae · 2 months ago
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The Moon and Buddhism (Persona 3)
Nothing long or expansive here; just a small thought that occurred to me while reading some things in twitter X.
Did you know the full Moon is an important piece of buddhist symbolism? As far as I know, it stands for the clarity derived from enlightenment, the "emptiness" that allows arhats (people who have achieved nirvana) to act as mirrors of the world at large, fully understanding and reflecting everything as it is without attachment.
On the other hand, the Moon as a whole can also act as a symbol of the transitoriness of reality.
Great Master Ma was unwell. The temple superintendent asked him, “Teacher, how has your venerable health been in recent days?” The great master said, “Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha.”
Above is a small koan based on the death of the Zen master, Ma. It's based in a small excerpt of the Sutra of Buddha's Names (I couldn't find, pitifully), which explains that the Sun-Face Buddha is everlasting and timeless, while the Moon-Face Buddha is ephemeral and bound to samsara.
Furthermore, the full Moon is also related with the birth and death of the Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. Thus, change and transformation are, ironically, constants within the illusory world, bounding even the mortal incarnations of the Buddhas (which yes, it's the meaning of the koan).
And with that, water enters, which is understood as a metaphorical mirror just like the Moon, as well as the purity and calmness inherent to "empty" world. The Bodhisattva Guanyin or Avalokiteshvara reflects this on her common list of symbols and iconography, but that's more of a trivia.
There's no need to explain why Nyx is the Moon, nor why the (male) protagonist is the water (thanks, Reload). So, then... where does Ryoji fall? If he's neither the Moon nor the water/sea, then the only option is that he's the reflection of the Moon within the water, the illusion itself that arises from emptiness.
Ryoji was never intended to last. He couldn't. The entirety of him was an illusion that couldn't keep going, because it'd betray his existence as "conditioned" being, that he was a reflection of the ever-changing Moon.
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And boy, he sure was aware that his being was just an illusion, another "grain of sand" in the desert that's tossed around by the winds.
But that doesn't mean Ryoji was meaningless. Far from it, since it was him who personified the protagonist's attachment to life, the "golden seed" incubated within that acted as a gift to the world - the possibility to delay the Fall.
Normally, the Moon's reflection in the water doesn't affect either, just as the world doesn't affect its own emptiness. But it seems this one was an exception.
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fieldofdaisiies · 5 months ago
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nessian week masterlist
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I haven’t done headcanons in a long time, and for this prompt it felt so right to do some fluffy modern Nessian + daughter Alayla ones
while on the outside Cassian is this strong and tough army general, behind closed doors and especially with his daughter, his is this big soft teddy bear
there is not a single wish he would not fulfil his little daughter (or his wonderful wife Nesta)
that can reach from breakfast in bed, to tea parties with her stuffed animals or going to Disney Land
“Try it!” Alayla is beaming, watching how Cassian takes a bite from the chocolate cookie she has just made. She mixed together all sorts of things in the kitchen, Cassian watched her and then helped her bake them (he would never allow her to use the oven alone).
Cassian fights the urge to grimace, tries to force a smile on his lips while nodding, and forcing down the bite. It’s disgusting, but how should he tell her?
“Lovely,” he brings out, still trying to smile.
But Alayla pouts, reading him just as well as her mother. “You hate them?” She furrows her brows, and silver lines her eyes.
So, Cassian is quick, shoving the whole cookie into his mouth and then a second one. “No. Deli-f-oms.” He holds both his thumbs up. “I momf them.”
Alayla also loves to play beauty salon and paint her parents nails, or do their hair
“Your right hand, daddy.” Alayla throws her hands, also the one tightly clasping the nail polish brush with the hot pink tip, into the air. “You need to focus, we are not doing this for fun. This is business.” She rolls her eyes and with the toss of her hair over her right shoulder she reaches for Cassian’s hand and holds it down before starting to paint his thumb and also the skin around it in bright pink.
Nesta laughs, slightly mischievously, from where she is leaning against the doorframe, her gaze moving from her daughter and Cassian to her own hands and the bright orange and pastel green gracing her nails, and the skin around them.
“Mummy always calls you my pretty man so we need to do your hair next.” Alayla thankfully spared Nesta’s hair. She explained to her daughter that it would be lovely if the blow-out she had done just the day before could stay the way it is.
Reluctantly, Alayla had agreed and decided to do Cassian’s hair instead, braiding some strands and pinning others with Barbie and Paw Patrol hair clips. (Also, on more than one occasion has it happened already that Nesta went to work with a one of those hair clips pinned to her hair). 
Rhys and Az will never let Cassian forget that one day he also forgot to remove the hot pink from his nails and fingers and showed up like this to training – “A sight for sore eyes,” as Rhys called it
Az and Rhys have been laughing for a solid twenty minutes, until Cassian came up with some stories about them and their kids
let’s now talk about cuddling
this family loves cuddling
staying in bed on a rainy Sunday, watching Alayla’s favourite shows on the TV in Nesta and Cassian’s bedroom, while eating in bed
“What’s his name?” Cassian asks, taking a big bite from his toast. 
Alayla sighs dramatically and Nesta, laughing, says. “It’s a girl, Cass, and her name is Skye. You finally need to remember.”
“You really do, she’s my favourite.” Alayla grins, mimicking the way Skye, the dog, is flying over the sky. Then she rests her hand on Cassian’s shoulder, and purses her lips. “Who is your favourite?” she asks in a very serious tone. 
Cassian swallows, then squints his eyes at the screen before looking at his daughter. Her eyes are trained on the TV screen and so Cassian throws Nesta a help seeking glance, before mouthing “What is the fire pup’s name?”
Nesta has to hold back from laughing, she bites the insides of her cheeks and then mouths “Marshall.” 
A thankful smile appears on Cassian’s face. “Marshall!”
“Ah!” Alayla taps her chin, nodding slowly. “Interesting.”
Interesting indeed, Cassian thinks when he ends up having to play said dog when Nyx, Dalia and Zada are over for a visit. 
Since they are three girls and only one boy (Nyx wants to be Chase, Dalia Everest, Zada Zuma) they are in need of another male dog and since Cassian’s favourite is Marshall, he earns himself this roll, much to Nesta’s amusement
and lastly, Cassian is a great cook and there is nothing better for Nesta and Alayla to enjoy one of his amazing meals
Cassian who was alone a lot as a child due to his mother working so much learned to cook very early on
He creates amazing meals, some of them are only reserved for his family
Nesta will never stop praising his talent, and the same goes for Alayla who boasts to her cousins and friends that her father is the best cook in the entire world
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tags: @helhjertet @moonlightazriel @aayo-whatt (no smut) @crushedcloudx @brekkershadowsinger @girasoli-e-sorrisi @ignite-me @swifti-ed @cassiansbigwingspan @burningsnowleopard @banasheefan56 @a-frog-with-a-laptop @bookishbroadwaybish
for @nessianweek💛
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tired-cryptid-club · 10 months ago
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Trouble Maker
More Phantom brain rot? (its more likely that you'd think, especially when @sister-nyx is involved)
Heres some fluffy phantom being a nuisance. WC 680 Implied spice at the end, but no real warnings, its fluffy as heck.
It wasn't uncommon for quint ghouls to have health issues; something about the way they're created can lead to omplications with their new vessels. In the pit, they don't have a physical form, and it's hard for their new bodies to contain the powerful magic they possess. Most of the time, it's little things like eyesight or hearing issues, but sometimes it can be more serious, like missing or malformed limbs.
When Phantom was summoned alongside multi-ghoul Aurora, all seemed to be going as planned. Sure, there were a few teething issues, but nothing they wouldn't adjust to with time. After all, it must be strange suddenly having a physical form (so many moving parts!). He settled well into the pack, the others all loving him and his childlike wonder, even if they had to answer what felt like a million questions a day.
Not long into the first tour though, the pack noticed he seemed to be having trouble with his hearing. It was just small things at first, like when they were all gathered backstage. Copia often had to repeat himself several times before getting a reply, with Mountain having to gently nudge his shoulder to get his attention.
It all came to a boiling point one night when they were all gathered in the kitchen after a particularly stressful rehearsal, each slumped on various chairs and benches. Dew was trying to get Phantom's attention, who was staring off into space, completely oblivious to Dew (and seemingly everyone else). Finally, he turned when Dew shouted his name, the anger in his words catching him off guard. Dew pulled him into the hall, Phantom confused about what he'd done to anger the fire ghoul so much.
"Did I do something wrong, Dew?" Dew sighed, considering his words, trying to make them come out without too much venom. "Listen, bug, I think we all just need to have a chat about what's going on with you lately. You seem even more of a space cadet than usual." He gave a half-hearted chuckle at the end, trying to lighten the mood seeing the rising concern on Phantom's face. He wrapped one arm around the little quint. "It's okay, let's go and talk to the others; we're all just. worried about you," guiding them back into the kitchen.
The pack all agreed that these incidents were becoming more frequent, and they were getting increasingly concerned (and their patience was admittedly wearing thin), so they figured they'd best take him to get checked, worried he might have some kind of hearing issue, or something else they weren't even aware of. Phantom didn't really understand what the issue was, but he agreed to go see Aether if it made the others feel better.
After waiting in the hall for what felt like forever, Aether emerged from the infirmary, the small ghoul beside him, and a smug grin on his face. "I've got good news and bad news," he said rather matter-of-factly. "The good news is he doesn't appear to have any hearing loss; in fact, he has above-average hearing for a ghoul of his element."
"So, then what's the bad news?" Mountain softly inquired, concern growing in his voice. The others began whispering between themselves, hushed tones, clearly also visibly confused.
“Well, the bad news is, it would appear that without any medical cause for his hearing troubles, our newest quintessence ghoul is just being mischievous," Aether chuckled, tousling the small ghoul's hair and gently nudging him back to his pack. "That part, you'll have to figure out on your own. There's no medicine for that as far as I'm aware."
The ghouls all turned to look at Phantom, a deep blush spreading across his face, staring at the ground and silently wishing it would swallow him whole. However, his shame spiral was interrupted when Mountain stepped forward and swiftly picked him up, tossing him effortlessly over one shoulder, simply saying, "I can think of a few ways to fix that." The others erupted into laughter, the smaller ghoul happily kicking his legs behind him as they disappeared down the hallway toward the bedroom.
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arvaelstyle · 7 days ago
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Going Through My Makeup
Due to my New Years’ resolution/challenge I really wanted to devote some time to go through my makeup to categorise and evaluate what I have.
I also wanted to highlight the items that I will probably need to replace due to using them up.
I will also highlight items that I will probably get rid of.
Primers
1. NYX Bare with me Hydrating Jelly Primer - I enjoyed this primer, it really softened the skin and gave a smooth base. I believe NYX discontinued production of this product, so I will have no chance of repurchasing.
2. Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched face base - Surprisingly, this product did not give me a result that I really liked. It also caused small breakouts, so once I used it up, I will not buy it again.
3. NYX Honey dew me up primer - Best of the best, this is the primer for me, so I will repurchase once I will use up all the others.
4. NYX Hydro Touch Primer - Second best primer I have, but I like a bit of stickiness on my skin after using a primer and this does not work the way I would like it to.
5. NYX MarshMellow Primer - This is not bad either, however it is smelling too heavy. Not gonna repurchase.
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Foundations
1. Chanel Vitalumière Aqua - Well, actually not my favourite one for some reason, although I did not give it enough chance yet. I will need to keep using it and later evaluate.
2. Dior Forever Skin Glow - Like this foundation, probably will need to repurchase later during the year.
3. Chanel Les Beiges - Ultimate favourite, no question about this one.
4. It Cosmetics CC Cream - Will need to repurchase very soon, because it has a very small amount in it already.
5. Erborian CC Red correct - This one, I want to repurchase, because I really like it when I need only just a hint of coverage, I like to use it at home as well.
6. Erborian Super BB - No, this one I do not like, it causes horrible breakouts, so I am thinking of tossing it.
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Concealers
I think I am still searching for ‘the concealer’, but until I will use these up, I won’t buy any new ones.
1. Catrice Liquid Camouflage (015 Honey) - Use this for concealing breakouts, because it is the same shade as my skin.
2. Catrice Liquid Camouflage (005 Light Natural) - Use this for under eye, but not a favourite
3. Maybelline Instant anti age eraser - Use this for under eye again, I like this a little bit more than number 2 because it does not set into the fine lines
4. It Cosmetics Bye Bye under eye - disappointment, the cream consistency is just too heavy, and it cannot be blended properly. I would like to sell this one, it is just not for me.
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Eyeshadow Primers
1. NYX Glitter Primer - Having this for obvious reasons, will replace if I use this up.
2. NYX Ultimate Base - Not my favourite, I will not repurchase.
3. Mac Painterly Paint pot - Yes, yes and yes, will probably not need to repurchase this year, but will do once it runs out.
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Powders
1. Maybelline FaceStudio setting powder - I am not a powder girly, if I will use this up or it will expire, I will not buy this product or any products like this again. Not because it is unsatisfactory, but I simply do not need it.
2. Mac Mineralize Skin Finish - This is a great product, but again, not sure if I really need this to be honest. I will probably not repurchase it.
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Contours
1. Mac Studio Fix Contour palette - The best contour palette I tried, would buy again if I needed to.
2. - 4. NYX Wondersticks - They are just great, easy to blend sticks, the light medium color however just looking a bit orange on me when I have no tan, so I like number 3 and 4 way more. Fortunately, I do not think I need to buy anything in this category during 2025.
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Blushes
I just have too many blushes it seems, so I would like to get rid of a few. As they are quite old items, I will get rid of number 2 and 10. I am very likely to get rid of number 4 as well, it is just not my vibe.
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Highlighter
I only have this one highlighter, apart from the ones that are included in palettes. That is Why I do not need more.
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Bronzer
1. Catrice Sun Glow - This is an old item, I will get rid of this, because it is already expired.
2. Estèe Lauder Bronze Goddess - Favourite bronzer, if I would not have purchased the others, I would only use this one.
3. NYX Matte Bronzer - Really nice bronzer as well, but I just recently realized that I like bronzers with a little bit of shimmer in them.
4. Revolution Blush Palette - Although it should be a blush palette, it is more f a bronzer, blusher, highlighter palette. It is very versatile, with really nice colors, but would not repurchase it.
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Mascaras
Apart from the SkyHigh and Lash Princess mascaras, the other 3 were basically purchased for only trying them, so once they will run out, I will not repurchase them.
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Brow Products
I just have too many prow products as well, but there is basically no products here that I would not like particularly. Almost each piece has different colors, so until I use them up, I won't buy another one.
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Eye Pencils and Eye Liners
I like using different colors of eye pencils, what I will need to be more careful about in the future is trying to avoid buying duplicates. I currently have duplicates of dark blue and dark brown eyeliners, and the reason for that was me thinking I have lost them.
The same happened to the brown NYX Eyeliner as well.
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Lip Liners and Glosses
I will need to declutter my lip liner "collection" - there are too many of nude lipliners, although I do not really like to use them to be honest.
Lip glosses - I prefer natural colored lip glosses. I rarely touch the Essence lip glosses (number 5-6) - they are too sparkly for my taste so I will probably toss them.
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Lipsticks
Although I am not really a lipstick girl, I have quite a few in my collection. I mostly love using nude colors - light and dark versions as well. I will get rid of number 4, 5 and 6 (The NYX Long Lasting Lipsticks) because they are just too matte for my taste.
I have the following MAC Lipstick colors :
Modesty
Creme in your coffee
Media
Brave
Amorous
On Hold
Verve
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Eye Palettes
Lastly, my eye palettes. These are the eye palettes which remained in my possession after decluttering a much bigger collection - I owned almost the double of the below, which was to be honest ... crazy. If I were a makeup artist (which I am not) the below collection could even be called crazy. I am expecting to get rid of 2 or 3 in the next couple of months, so it is unlikely that I will purchase an eye palette in the near future.
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bismuthburnsblue · 1 year ago
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pre project write up: the coat!
ill keep this short (for me) because i worked through most the details with the wearable mockup from last year, but i wanted to reintroduce this project & the fabrics ill be using :)
This is the final version of my winter coat project, which i am starting at a great time (ill probably finish this well after its gotten cold!) Ive started with a base of McCalls M6800, because im not super confident in my ability to draft a pattern with the correct ease for this type of garment. Ive made some minor fittings (far too much room in one of the front seams for me, and i took some volume out of the skirt area. the shoulders were. weird. i honestly wouldnt rate this pattern super highly it had some grading issues that should have been caught, but it serves my purposes) and now i should be ready to go! i wont be following the instructions very much but theyre pretty basic anyway, so ill just go my own way and see where i end up!
this is kind of the inspo if you want a visual!
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the main body of the coat will be made out of this gorgeous, velvet like wool (i think its a blend?). In true Nyx fashion, its black and absolutely impossible to photograph. its probably one of the most expensive fabrics ive ever bought but i looked through dozens of options and this was by far the best one i found. im really particular about textures and this one is just, so nice, and its quite thin for a wool (not in a bad way, its just compact rather than fluffy) which is something im going to appreciate with the amount of fabric in this coat.
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Next: the lining! given that i was going to all this effort to make my own coat, i wanted this to be a completely unique garment, in every aspect, including the lining. I knew i wanted something with a design on it, and something that was a dramatic contrast to the outside, so when i saw this gorgeous 'chinese brocade' fabric i knew it was the perfect thing. Its very much. not a lining fabric and was past the budget i had in mind for my lining but i didnt see anything that came even remotely close to this in my mind so i caved and bought it. Even a year on im still enamoured with it and hope i have some left over to use for other things! I did get extra of the slippery black satin i used to line the mock up coat and i plan to use that to line the sleeves just for the extra glide, but ill use this for the main body.
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one last fabric! one of the changes i wanted to make from the red version was to add a fur collar so i tracked down the softest faux fur you have ever touched! again awful to photograph, but its perfect, and it was by weight, so now i have a huge piece of this :D
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i do also want to make note of the buttons i picked! theyre absolutely gorgeous and i, once again, hunted for ages to find the perfect option and here they are! they photograph a lovely colour but irl the gold is a little pink toned so my extra ass has bought some rub n buff to tone them into a better shade. yes. the buttons. for my coat. listen.
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im generally happy with my mock up, but there are a few changes i want to make. the obvious one was one that was in the plans from before i even started the red one, which was changing the collar. i wasnt super sold on it in the first place and the further in i got, the more i wanted a fur collar! since i have so much of my fur, im also planning on adding it around the cuffs and i do keep tossing up doing the whole hem but i think that might be a little much.
The other major change i want to make is to how i finished the coat. im actually pretty happy with the hemming method i chose for the reasons i chose it, but for this version i want to do something different. the plan this time is to do a facing in the outer fabric on the lining pieces and have that completely attached through the inside, removing any opportunities for the lining to show unintentionally.
Theres also a couple of minor fit things i want to change, i want to add more width to the back in case this fabric is tougher than my mockup, i want to rethink how i did my buttons because that made me miserable last time, and i want to add a little length to the hem. oh and better pockets! i need to give it my mega pockets. but overall im pretty much ready to go straight into it! im so nervous
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fangaminghell · 10 months ago
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Hi, I'm here for more insurgence rewrite content. Tell me literally anything that you've cooked up recently :D
Hehe!
So this is something that I talked about before but it's nice to actually explain it: The Timeless and the cults. I'll hopefully not make this super long lol.
I'm realizing, thinking about it, there's a lot to unpack, so for now, I'll keep things short by explaining the relationship between the Timeless and the first Infernal cult leader, who is Jaern's ancestor.
In my rewrite I pretty much. Tossed out the old Timeless and replaced them with my own ocs lol. The two important ones for this little story is Vasilios ( my replacement of Verysn) and Nikolas. Vasil is/was the king of Torren in this au, and was chosen by Diancie. Vasil was the one that stumbled upon the void gauntlet/the throne of hegemon ( which might get some tweaks later on we'll see). He fell into the pool of starry waters, which was made him see glimpses of what to come- Nyx, chosen ones, the crystal- all of which had led Vasil to Arceus. That's when Arceus itself gave Vasil his duty to protect the crystal and was ultimately chosen by Diancie ( via Arceus). Nikolas is Vasil's right hand man, a head knight who is severely loyal to his king. He is also the chosen one of Keldeo. Him and Vasil are in love. Just thought I'd mention that.
Jaern's ancestor was a good friend to both of them. How exactly they all met I haven't fleshed out but the vague idea I have is that they found her one day, took her in and they've been friends ever since ( Nik used to be jealous of her, given how close she and Vasil would be. She would tease him for it later down the line lol. They became good friends!). Jaern's ancestor ( I should really get a name for her) was a genuinely kind woman. She wanted to help the world in earnest, and thus has taken up medicine. Despite her efforts though, she always mused on how she wishes she could do more for the world. That is, until she stumbled upon the crystal. I don't think I thought out how she found it- maybe I explained it before but I forgot. But she did, and was ecstatic! Something with immense power- it could heal so many people! Vasil, however, wasn't as pleased that she found out. I should mention that Vasil is a sweetheart. He truly is. If it was up to him, he would have used the crystals power to make his home so much better for everyone, but it's still a crystal with infinite power. If gotten to the wrong hands, it could be disastrous, especially when Nyx is a looming threat (according to Arceus n his visions). It was too much of a risk. So when Jaern's ancestor suggested making the crystal public, Vasil adamantly denied it. It had caused a small argument between the two, but it ended with Vasil convincing Jaern's ancestor to just let it go, that the risk of it all would be too great ( without mentioning the whole Arceus stuff).
And that was that.....until it wasn't.
Jaern's ancestor does have a deep sense of justice within her. She wants to help the world, but never seems to have the right resources to do so. The crystal would be on her mind for ages. It would help heal the world, it could help so many people if Vasil just let it be known! That was when she decided to take a risk of her own: she attempted to take the crystal for herself. She snuck into the caves, found the crystal again, and just when she tried to take it- it wouldn't budge. Vasil and Nik was there behind her ( she didn't realize she was being followed), and explained that the only way for the crystal to be moved is if you beat the original owner in battle- him. Jaern's ancestor had no pokemon, nor any proper combat training. She would not win, even if she tried. Again, she tried to reason with him, tried to convince him that it would help so many people - but her going back to the crystal was already enough. With a heavy heart, Vasil exiled Jaern's ancestor. He couldn't take that risk. No matter how much it hurts seeing the pain in her face.
Vasil allowed her to gather her things before leaving. He was not expecting her to gather some doctors and healers to leave with her. He didn't expect her to quietly vow getting the crystal for all to use. He hadn't expected her to form the first cult. The Sky Cult......though if you'd ask her, she'd looked at you with disgust if you call what she's doing "cult work". I can't stress enough, Jaern's ancestor isn't doing what she's doing for power. She just wants people to have the resources they need to live, and the absolute best one is literally being hidden away. And she thinks that's unfair. Truly unfair. And even if she doesn't get the crystal ( which she is determined to get), she won't stop helping where she can. Exiled or not.
Some smaller things
Pre- Crystal, Jaern's ancestor had always had a connection to the sky. You'd find her playing her lute on a high place when the sky is nice and clear.
Vasil and her LOVED teasing Nikolas lol. Vasil even more so, in her opinion, but he denies it. She Knows What's Up though.
Post Exile Jaern's ancestor went from someone who was pretty dainty in appearance to someone who ended up being fairly muscular.
At some point she ends up dying, perhaps in a final battle between her and Vasil. I think despite everything, they consider each other their greatest friends, and deeply respect each other. Her death is one of Vasil's biggest regrets.
In connection to the above, I also imagined that by that point she had a child and husband. I think her final wish was for them to live comfortably. Vasil made sure her wish came true.
Aaaaand I think that's everything! There's other Insurgence stuff, but I love these guys, so here you go!
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clericofshadows · 1 year ago
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the story of a weapon
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Description: Late at night, Kaidan is unable to sleep, and runs into Nyx Shepard, up late and working on his beloved dagger.
Pairing: Kaidan Alenko/Nyx Shepard, Past Nyx Shepard/Steven Hackett
Rating: M
Note: Nyx Shepard is a First Contact War Shepard, so he's quite a bit older than Kaidan. I'm also considering making him a no-Reapers AU Shepard, but there's no mention of that yet.
Late at night, Kaidan found himself unable to sleep, tossing and turning, so he got up and decided to head to the little kitchen aboard the Normandy.  Perhaps to brew some tea, grab a snack, or change the scenery to calm his mind.
Either way, he was sure that he was going to have a rough shift tomorrow.  He yawned, entering the kitchen without paying attention to his surroundings, rummaging around for the stash of tea he stored in the upper cabinets.
“Can’t sleep either?” The rough voice of Nyx surprised him, nearly dropping the box of tea bags he grabbed from the back. His hair was pulled out of its usual ponytail, spilling over his shoulders in silver strands.
“Didn’t see you there,” Kaidan chuckled, setting the box down and getting down a mug.  “Since I'm here, do you want a mug?”
He motioned to a bright pink, chipped mug that had his name surrounded by sparkles.  There had to be a story about that.  “Already made myself some hot chocolate.  Not much of a tea drinker,” he said.  
Kaidan nodded.  “Fair enough.  I just couldn’t sleep.  Restless, I guess.”  He filled the kettle with water and waited for it to heat up and placed the tea bag in his mug, adorned with hand-painted trees, a gift from his mother.  
“Aren’t we all?” Nyx muttered, picking up a polishing cloth from a kit on the table.  Kaidan tilted his head to the side, watching as he started to examine a dagger in the dim light of the ship.  There was a routine to his movements, holding up the blade, polishing, changing the angle, polishing… A frown formed on his face, and Kaidan could see a hint of pink poking out from his lips.
“Ask your question, Kaidan,” Nyx said, trading the cloth for a whetstone.  “I can hear your thoughts from a mile away.”
The kettle whistled, and he busied himself with his tea, a blend perfect for relaxing and sleep.  Maybe it will work.  Slightly embarrassed about being caught out, he delayed his response until he could join Nyx at the table, sitting diagonal from him to give him more workspace.
“Move closer,” Nyx said, motioning for him to sit next to him.  
“You have quite the spread here.  Didn’t want to disturb your meticulous workspace,” Kaidan said with a smile, sliding his mug over and moving to the seat next to Nyx.  “Doesn’t look like any old dagger.”
There was simplicity to the craftsmanship, but it had roots in older Earth designs.  Perhaps a remnant of the War, something Nyx carried with him as a reminder or as a trusted companion.  The blade had a marbled finish, with an S etched in the blade.  For Shepard, perhaps?  The pommel was the most eye catching part, a smooth grip that warped into a skull.  Nyx had an edge to him, purple eyes and piercings that contrasted his aged, gruff appearance.  The skull suited him, a hint of personality on an otherwise basic blade.
Nyx had a lot of faces, keeping his cards close to his chest.  Even while playing poker, Kaidan could best the man, who could count cards like no other and had a steely expression the entire time.
No, Kaidan seemed to only know the man in the afterglow of sex, seeing someone who had a heart kept locked away for too long, charm and humor leaking out in the glow of pleasure and happiness.
But some of that man was starting to show through now as he picked it up to present to Kaidan, pride evident on his face.  He offered it to him, and Kaidan took it.
Kaidan took the dagger into his hands, turning it over carefully. His fingers traced the fine etching of the 'S' on the marbled blade.
Nyx's intense purple eyes watched Kaidan closely as he examined the dagger.  "You've been in my goddamn bed," Nyx finally stated, a small grin playing on his lips. "So, you've seen a lot of me. But not many have been close enough to see his blade on neutral ground.”
Kaidan felt a flush of warmth creeping up his cheeks, but he didn't shy away from Nyx's probing gaze. "Well, I'd say it's quite an honor," he replied, his tone playful, though tinged with a sense of curiosity. "Your bed and now this?  What’s next…”
“You tell me,” He chuckled.  “Every weapon has a story.  What is mine?  You get one question, the rest you try to figure out on your own.”
A test, then.  Nyx was fond of those, always finding ways to keep the crew on its toes.  Kaidan held up the dagger, examining it closely.  His gaze fell back on the 'S.' “I’m afraid I have to go for the low-hanging fruit on this one.  True or False: The ‘S’ doesn’t stand for Shepard.”
He laughed, the sharp bark filling the room.  “Should’ve known you would’ve asked that.  You’re right. It’s not for Shepard.”
Kaidan looked at him expectantly.
Nyx seemed to chew on it for a moment before offering him another hint.  “The ‘S’ stands for Steven.”
A starting point, not enough to go anywhere, the name common enough that it could be from anyone.  A brother, a friend, a family member…  a lover?  
“He's someone who's climbed the ranks, close to my age… stayed in the Alliance while I took a break,” Nyx offered.  “I’ve given you plenty to work with.”
“Have you?  Might want to get your memory checked out,” Kaidan teased.  
Nyx rolled his eyes, not rising to the bait.  “Clock is ticking.”
“You never said there was a timer.”
“There is now.”
“I don’t see you pulling out your omnitool.”
“I have a brain that can count just fine.”
Kaidan shook his head at Nyx, playing around with what he had learned so far.  A name, a connection to the Alliance… close to his age.  A name immediately popped in his head, but it didn’t want to voice it just yet.
Could it be?  Nyx had a gap in his service history, choosing to become a civilian engineer for a few years before returning to the Alliance, rising through the ranks and eventually attempting N training.  
His thoughts drifted back to a mission, to the post mission report from a personal request from Admiral Steven Hackett, asking Shepard to rescue a group of scientists from biotic fanatics.  "I remember one mission," Kaidan began, his tone thoughtful. "The drugged scientists we rescued.  You were giving your report back to Hackett in the comm room, and you were… quite casual with him.”
Nyx's eyes lit up as he nodded, a faint smile on his lips.  “Good memory.  You were just walking out when we started talking, yes?”
“Veterans of the First Contact War,” Kaidan continued with a nod.  “Both enlisting early on… you could’ve fought together.”  And done a hell of a lot more than that.
Kaidan offered the dagger back to him.  “Am I wrong?”
Nyx took it and put it back in its sheath.  “The dagger was part of a pair.  An ‘S’ and an ‘H.’” He sighed, closing his eyes, memories playing on his face.  His expression slowly stilled.  “Maybe I didn’t want to say it out loud.  But yes, he and I shared more than just the battlefield.”
“Why tell me this?” Kaidan took a long, slow sip of his tea.
“I know what we share is risky.  Even as a Spectre, whatever I make public will still follow you.” He met his gaze once more.  “Just giving you some of the cards so you can make a decision on what you want to do next.”
Kaidan narrowed his eyes.  “Do you think I’m going to run away because you still carry around something that means a lot to you?”
Nyx shook his head, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "No, Kaidan. It’s… complicated."
“Then make it less complicated.  Shepard, stop being so damn cryptic.  I don’t want ‘cards’ or whatever you want to call this.” He gestured between them.  “I want you to be honest with me.”
Nyx's expression softened, and for a moment, his guard lowered. "Kaidan…”
Kaidan wasn't going to let him off the hook.  “Don’t ‘Kaidan’ me,” he retorted.  “Do I need to spell it out?  I wanted something out of this, despite all the risks.  Hell, I know you have the damn authority to overrule the Alliance’s rules on fraternization on board this ship as long as you are in command as a Spectre.  Are you trying to scare me away because you still have feelings for him?”
Nyx's calm exterior was maddening, and Kaidan's voice took on a sharper edge as he continued to press.  “Tell me what's going on in that head of yours.  That first night we got together, you admitted that you were seeking out comfort on the anniversary of Torfan.  Where is that openness now?”
Nyx met Kaidan's intense gaze with a mixture of reluctance and vulnerability. He still made no move to defend himself or to meet Kaidan's tone.
"Nyx," Kaidan said, his voice firm. "I'm not going to back down on this.”
Nyx's eyes flashed with a mixture of frustration and something else, something deeper. He leaned in closer, the distance between them shrinking, and Kaidan saw that his violet eyes were rimmed with blue. The gravity well stirred, and Kaidan kept his face still, betraying none of his surprise that Nyx, born far before the first gen, was a biotic.  "What are you going to do, Kaidan? Give me an ultimatum? You or Hackett?"
Nyx never made any indication on the battlefield that he was a biotic, and if this made him react, Kaidan struck a nerve hard.
Nyx was a damn anomaly, contrasting everything he knew about exposure, 
Kaidan met his gaze, keeping his tone steady, careful to not let his own biotics react in turn.  Most biotics aren’t able to sense subtle changes in the gravity well.  Maybe Nyx assumes he’s one of them.  "I don't want to give you an ultimatum.  I want you to choose what you want. If it's him, then I deserve to know.  If it's me, then we need to build something real together. But I won't stand by while you play these mind games, dropping hints about your past and then hiding behind vague answers."
Nyx was visibly angry now, eyes flashing with fury, the blue glow gone as quickly as it arrived.  “You think it's that simple? Just choose one or the other?”
“Then why show me your damn dagger, if you didn’t want to get a reaction out of me?  Trying to tell me you have baggage, that you aren’t worthy of what we’re starting to have?” Kaidan pressed on.
Kaidan hadn’t yet told him about BAaT, biding his time, only vaguely alluding to his past.  But after seeing what had to be biotics, it was something he wanted to share.  To talk with someone who wasn’t his family.  
Nyx’s face twisted, from anger to frustration and then to resignation.  He let out a deep sigh.  “The last time I had something meaningful was with him.  And it was spurred on by the backdrop of the fucking war.  After the war and after I left… We tried to continue.  Didn’t work out.  And now that I’m back in the Alliance, I made my own path.  Even tried to give him back his damn dagger, but he said they were meant to be shared.  Bastard.”
“Worried that with our current mission we’re starting another battlefield relationship?” Kaidan asked softly.  
“We already had some of our firsts outside of it, I know.” He ran his hand down his face, covering his mouth with his hand.  “But what about after?  We’ve saved a human colony, done some tasks for the Alliance...  What if the stakes get higher?”  They will get higher was left unsaid, but Kaidan heard it all the same.
“Then we will work through them,” Kaidan insisted.  “If you want me to wait until after this mission, I can and I will.”
“No, I don’t want that,” Nyx said, vulnerable.  He started to put his kit back together, his hands shaking ever so slightly, putting the dagger on his belt.  “Shit, Kaidan.  I care about you too much to do that to you.  I know what we have is still new, and to be completely honest, I’ve never been good at slowing down.”
“No shit,” Kaidan chuckled.  “I’ve seen you out in the field.”
The tension started to lift, and Nyx gave him a smile. “Haven’t seen anyone complain yet.  Can’t keep up?”
“You know damn well I can keep up with you.”
Nyx leaned in closer.  “I suppose you have proven that to me.  Join me for a moment in my quarters.  We can spin it as if you need some quiet rest from a migraine, hmm?”
The whiplash of the request nearly startled him.  “And what exactly are we going to do in your quarters,” he asked flatly, not yet letting him off the hook.
Nyx… Kaidan found himself falling for him far quicker than he expected.  If he was willing to entertain the idea of telling him about BAaT, there had to be something there.  
But with what he learned now?  It changed things, some. 
He was willing to hear him out.  Perhaps this whole charade was Nyx’s way of trying to reveal some parts of his past.  Taking the decision out of his hands by asking Kaidan to figure it out.
“Talk about this–” he motioned between them.  “Maybe more.”
Kaidan nodded, picking up his forgotten mug and dropping it in the sink.  “Lead the way.”
Nyx gathered his things, put his mug away,  and let him inside.  No one was still around at this hour, thankfully, to see their display, both of them forgetting themselves for a moment.
Nyx sat down on the bed.  Kaidan joined him, their thighs touching.
“Not that I’m trying to give you a hard time…” Kaidan started, and Nyx let out another laugh.
“Well deserved, at this point, I’m sure,” Nyx replied.  “Steven and I… I don’t know if it would have lasted outside of the war.  It sure as hell didn’t help that we had too much distance after I left to deal with my own shit.” His fingers twitched, as if reaching for something.  A cigarette, maybe.  “Been a long time since I let someone in, knowing I always wondered what could've been.  Two old soldiers, forever shaped by a war that should have never happened.”
Kaidan stayed silent, letting him speak.  Nyx glanced over at Kaidan, and he offered him a smile in response.  Nyx continued, “A part of me was scared to talk about it.  Never done it before.”
“Is that why you wanted me to figure it out on my own?” Kaidan asked, voicing his earlier thoughts.  “So you didn’t have to tell me yourself?”
Nyx winced.  “I’m sorry.”
Kaidan nudged him with his shoulder.  “No, you’re not.  Sure, I’m a little annoyed at you, but I could tell that you were jumping into something new.  Never expected a guy like you to be so hesitant.”
Nyx looked like he wanted to say something, but Kaidan stopped him with a peck on the lips.  “Don’t worry, I like that about you,” he said, pulling back.
Nyx slowly smiled, shaking his head.  “Don’t want to ruin this, and I feel like I started to.”
Kaidan shrugged.  “We all have conflicts, and we’re talking about it.  Could be worse.”
“No shit,” Nyx snorted.  “I should not be new to all this shit.”
Kaidan shoved him, pushing him down to where Nyx was now lying on the bed.  “I didn’t complain when you taught me how to best configure a drone.”
“That’s different.” He made no move to get up.
“How so?” Kaidan leaned back.  “Just filling gaps in our knowledge, that’s all.”
Nyx rolled his eyes and sat back up.  “Whatever, Alenko.”  Kaidan rested his head on his shoulder.  
“You know, you can tell me about him,” he offered as an olive branch.  “If you need someone to share the memories with, if it makes it easier.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Nyx wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in close.  He ran his fingers through Kaidan's hair.  Kaidan closed his eyes, leaning into his touch.
A quiet moment between them, neither one moving to change it.
Until Kaidan figured he should reveal a secret of his own.  “My biotics… make it difficult sometimes to find someone.  Ever since my training, I’ve always felt to stay in control all the time.  I’ve had people shy away when I glow blue.” He chuckled, only to release the tension, but he hated that he felt like he had to be so casual about it.  “And then you came along, and accepted all of me.  Making me feel… human.”
“I’m not blind,” Nyx said.  “I know you’re a powerful biotic.  You try to hide it, but I know you’re holding back.  You felt a change in the gravity well earlier and was kind enough to not point it out.”
Kaidan raised up to get a better look at him.  His face was neutral, betraying nothing.  Kaidan nodded for him to continue.  
“So when you say you feel like you need to stay in control, for me it's tenfold.  The Alliance keeps it under wraps, hell, I shouldn’t even be telling you,” Nyx continued, staring at the door.  “Got exposed to a shitton of eezo in an explosion.”  A far off look appeared in his eye.  “I was the only survivor, barely clinging to life.  It’s where I got some of these scars.” He pushed up his sleeves, arms marked by silvery scars.  “Among other things,” he sighed.  “It wasn’t until years later that I manifested, not long after reenlisting.  Sworn to secrecy with a damn asari-designed implant and amp in my head.”
Kaidan wasn’t sure what to comment on first.  “Asari designed?” he asked, testing the waters.
Nyx seemed grateful for the simple question, giving him a small smile and rubbing the back of his neck.  “Hackett asked for a favor from a friend.  A matriarch who specializes in cybernetics and biotics.  They did more than just give me an implant, made a whole new interface to make it easier for me to manage out in the field.”
He and Hackett not only had a close past, but he also protected him from the obvious blowback that an older gen biotic would create, keeping him free from human interventions.  How can Kaidan really compete with that?
He’s going to try. 
Kaidan never let go of him while he told his story.  He rested his head back on his shoulder.  “Thank you for telling me.”
“This won’t change anything out on the field,” Nyx said.  “I’m still just an engineer.”
“You aren’t ‘just’ anything,” Kaidan scoffed.  “But I figured.  Not meant to be used unless you leave no witnesses?”
Nyx grinned, his gaze shifting to meet Kaidan's.  “Something like that.  Maybe one day, I can show you what I can do.”
“I may hold you to that.” Kaidan's playful grin mirrored Nyx's.
“I’m sure you will.”
“You know, there’s a part of my own file that’s classified.  I’m sure you saw it,” Kaidan started to say.
“Don’t feel like you need to tell me anything,” Nyx said.  “I did see that.  Of course, I was intrigued, but anything can be classified. Not everything is as juicy as mine.”
“I’m not telling you out of obligation.  Feels like this is a good time.”  
Nyx nodded, motioning for him to continue.   Kaidan took a deep breath and told him about BAaT, about Brain Camp.  He told Nyx about BAaT, about Brain Camp, who set it up, and the brutal training that young biotics endured there. He described his own eezo exposure, how he ended up there, and the instructor, Vyrnnus, who held a personal grudge against him. 
“I was a little shit back then.” Kaidan admitted with a rueful smile.  “Vyrnnus introduced himself by saying, ‘I was at the helm of the dreadnought that killed your father.’  I replied back saying my father wasn’t involved in the war.  He had it out for me after that,” Kaidan said, taking a breath.
“Hiring a First Contact War veteran to teach young children?  Fucking idiots,” he cursed, shaking his head.  “I’m no fan of turians, but I’m not about to gloat about what I did during the war.”
Nyx didn’t judge when he talked about Rahna, about keeping an eye on her and his fellow biotics, his feelings for her and what he wanted them to turn into.
Kaidan didn’t shy away from any details, the ruthlessness of the turian mercs teaching him how to turn himself into a weapon, how to control himself and to tear apart others with the dark energy that rested inside of him.
"You either came out a superman or a wreck. A lot of kids snapped. A few died.  Didn’t help that we all were L2s.  Spiking high with all the side effects you can think of.”
Nyx nodded.  “Chakwas told me about your implant. Just the basics,” he reassured, but Kaidan had made it clear to Chakwas that she could divulge that information, important for his superiors officers to know if something were to go wrong.  “Never got a refit?”
“Too many risks.  At minimum, I would lose my extra power.  At worst, I’ll lose everything.”  Kaidan closed his eyes briefly.  “Anyway, it all came to a head one day.  We had to build something with our biotics and not drop any pieces.  The catch was that some of us didn’t receive our rations, and we were expected to do this for hours.  And we did.
“Rahna nearly dropped a piece, and I was able to catch it just in time.  But Vyrnnus noticed it, praising me and taunting us with a glass of water.”
“He wanted you to reach out and grab it, didn’t he?” Nyx said, catching on.  “But with your biotics.”
Kaidan nodded.  “I warned her, but it was too late.  She reached out for it with her hand, and he broke her arm with his biotics.”
“And you snapped,” Nyx said. 
“I stood up, not really knowing what I was going to do.  Vyrnnus lost it.  Beat the crap out of me, kept shouting that they should’ve bombed us back to the stone age.  And that’s when the knife came up.”  Kaidan traced the scar that bisected his lip.  “Military issue talon, right in my face.  I cut loose, gave him a full biotic kick right in the teeth.  About as strong as I can manage now.” 
Kaidan rose up slightly, and Nyx cupped his face, traced the scar on Kaidan's lip with a gentle touch of his thumb.  “Sounds like the bastard deserved it.  Good.”
Kaidan closed his eyes, his voice heavy with regret.  “Was it?  I killed him, snapped his neck.  They probably could’ve saved him if they got him to an infirmary quick enough.  But they didn’t. Caused a stir when they shipped him home and BAaT training was shut down.  Conatix folded a couple of years later.  It’s funny,” he sighed.  “I’m not sure which of us got the worst of what happened.”
“From where I stand, Vyrnnus got what was coming to him,” Nyx said, his voice carefully neutral.  
“I’m not upset he’s dead,” Kaidan emphasized, appreciating his restraint but wanting to make his own feelings clear.  “Just sorry I killed him.  I wasn’t prepared for that.”
“How old were you?” Nyx asked.
“Seventeen,” he replied.  “I dropped out of sight for a bit.  They let me go.  I guess they wanted it to blow over as much as I did.  I came back on my own terms because I wanted to serve.  So, yeah.  I hated that turian, but he wasn’t a turian to me,” Kaidan finished.  “Just another asshole thinking he had the right to control and target us.  Didn’t matter who or what he was.  All the same in the end.”
Nyx leaned back on the bed, and Kaidan joined him, allowing himself to cuddle up next to him. Their bodies fit together perfectly, and Nyx turned to face him, a mischievous grin slowly forming on his lips.
Kaidan's eyebrows furrowed as he saw that grin. "Oh no."
"And here I thought you were damaged goods," Nyx teased, his eyes dancing with amusement.
Kaidan chuckled, the tension of their earlier conversation melting away. He pointedly kissed the crossed scar on Nyx's temple, causing Nyx to roll his eyes but to also blush slightly at the unexpected affection. "I've got a few scratches and dents," Kaidan admitted, "but don't we all? I hope they give me character."
“They give you more than that.  Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me that.”
“I could say the same thing about you.”
Nyx shrugged, kissing his forehead.  “I trust you.”
And that’s all that Kaidan needed to hear.  He surged forward and claimed his mouth in a passionate kiss, running his tongue over his mouth and letting out a pleased sound when he let him in.  
Tonight's conversation had left Kaidan with many thoughts and questions, but one thing was clear: Nyx had charmed his way into his heart with his reserved yet cocky attitude, which melted away the moment they were alone.
Before things could escalate further, they reluctantly broke apart. Nyx's face was flushed, his lips swollen from their heated kiss. "Still too risky," he admitted, his desire evident in his eyes. "But damn, I want you."
Kaidan smiled, rolling off of him and swinging his legs over to the edge of the bed. “Maybe we can get some time off the ship for a bit.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Nyx chuckled, stretching out on the bed, making no move to hide the bulge that was forming in his fatigues.  “It’s been nice having you to myself, but one day, I want to be able to be open with you.”
“Me too,” Kaidan said, his mind helpfully supplying that maybe his connection with Hackett could help along with his Spectre status.  He tried to keep his face still, but Nyx narrowed his eyes, a smirk forming on his face.
“What are you thinking about over there, Lieutenant?”  Oh, he wants to play it that way?
Kaidan took a moment and decided to go along with it. He straightened his posture, arms crossed against his chest. "Permission to speak freely, sir?" he requested playfully.
“Granted,” he chuckled.  “We are playing around with that later.”
“Could you get Hackett to sign off on it along with your Spectre authorization?” He asked point blank, choosing not to comment on his previous statement just yet. He wasn't opposed to the idea... depending on how Nyx wants to spin it.
Nyx frowned.  “He’s not the only higher up we’d have to worry about, but yes, I’ve thought about it.  I don’t want anything to blow back on you.”
This again, trying to protect him from himself.  
“Not worried about your own career?”
“Not while I’m a Spectre,” Nyx parroted back but relented quickly with a sigh. “I’ll test the waters with him at the bare minimum and see what he says.  Bastard might even bring Anderson in to see what he thinks as well.”
Kaidan moved back to sit on the edge of the bed.  “I don’t want you to think I'm trying to rush you into anything.”
Nyx joined him, sitting up and resting his chin on Kaidan's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said with a small smile. "You are getting my ass into gear about something I should've already inquired about. We made the decision to continue even after we learned we'd be serving together.  Again, I–”
Kaidan was quick to interject. “If you are going to apologize, I don’t want to hear it.”
“Fair enough.  Still, it’s obvious I haven’t… talked about it much with anyone.  I’d like to tell you some stories.  Things you won’t see in vids or reports or interviews.  The real version of the War.”
“And maybe I can share some things I learned at BAaT that are far better than the standardized stuff you may have learned.”
“I’ll hold you to that.  Try to get some sleep, Kaidan.  Might be a long day.”  Nyx kissed him on the cheek before lying back in the bed.
“You too, Nyx.”  Kaidan reached for his hand to give a quick squeeze before exiting his quarters. 
No one was around to ask about his business.
Kaidan let out a breath.  Nyx… was so damn infuriating sometimes.  And now, Kaidan feels like he’s met yet another version of him.  A man left behind by the war, still pining over a lost love.
A part of him is angry at Nyx for telling him the way he did, but another part of him is comparing the whole situation to Rahna and his own past.
Maybe once he gets some sleep he’ll have a clearer head, but Kaidan wasn't sure if he'd ever fully understand all the different faces of the man who had come into his life.
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jakexneytiri · 2 years ago
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heyyy
i'm so boredddd
time for random questions
what's your🫵 skincare routine? 🧖‍♀️
what products do you🫵 use?🧼🧴
(might go around asking these questions at random avatar writers hehe)
🫵🫵🫵
hiiii my 🫵 anon hehe. how are you love?
ooohhh i love sharing products! i’m gonna preface this by saying i have very oily, acne prone skin so 😀 and i’m gonna say my skincare n makeup routine bc why not!
1. to cleanse in the am, i use garnier micellar water on a cotton round (i’m always running late/never have time to do a full face wash lol)
2. then, i like to use panoxyl’s oil control moisturizer (has spf 30 which is great, i kill two birds with one stone using a combined moisturizer/spf). if i know i’m going to be in the sun for longer than 30 min, i also apply the skinscience sunscreen (it’s very glowy tho so i’m not positive it’s great for my oily skin lol)
3. i recently purchased the elf power grip primer (the new pink one with niacinamide) and it’s nice! so i’ll use some of that and press it in, don’t rub since it has that tackiness feel to it and you don’t want the product to pill
4. then i’ll either spot conceal if i’m in a big rush w/ the dior forever skin correct, or if i have time, apply charlotte tilbury’s beautiful skin foundation (it’s pretty lightweight which is nice, especially in the summer)
5. for brows, i love the nyx eyebrow pencil. it’s a staple for me, i’ve been using it for years now. for contour, i also recently picked up the elf halo glow contour beauty wand, and it’s a very good dupe for the charlotte tilbury contour wand. dare i say better?
6. for mascara, honestly any drugstore mascara is good. i also like the little mini “travel” sized ones from sephora, since you’re supposed to replace mascara every month anyway. might as well spend $13 on the mini instead of $28 for the full size one since it’s getting tossed at the end of the month regardless!
7. for powder, maybelline fit me (the loose one) is great, and givenchy makes a good loose powder too but it’s $$. setting spray i like urban decay’s all nighter, but i don’t use setting spray every day.
8. at night, i always double cleanse. it is essential. i use an oil cleanser from the dermatology group i belong to, it’s pretty nice. it removes all the mineral spf that’s sitting on top of the skin, as well as makeup. then for cleanser, i like cerave’s foaming facial cleanser, or their acne control cleanser. both are nice.
9. then i use the advanced snail 96 mucin power essence after cleansing, slimy yes but it makes your skin look dewy and glowy. and after that i apply a moisturizer & retinol from the derm group i belong to :) and then eye cream & lash serum!
wowee that’s a lot hahaha sorry for info dumping i just love talking abt products, this was such a fun ask <3
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apolytus--pc · 1 year ago
Text
Chapter 1 - Nyx (first draft) (we're sorry)
I’m about to sit down with a new book in a study room when a loud scream interrupts me. I want to get in a few chapters before lunch so I ignore it and move on, finishing the first few pages.
“You bitch!” someone shouts, from far away.
I immediately recognize the voice and jump from my chair, striding towards the door. I can already tell what’s going on — a fight between Audrey and Riella. I love when they fight. It's the only entertaining thing that ever goes on here. As the yelling gets louder, I speed up. It’s coming from the common room. I pass a group of people talking just outside and grab Nat by the wrist without stopping.
“Nyx, where are we going?” She struggles to keep up with me, half a cookie still in her mouth from lunch.
I turn to her, remove my hand from her wrist and sign in ASL, “You didn’t hear the scream? Audrey and Riella are fighting again.” I generally prefer to use sign language instead of actually speaking. Plus, everyone else understands ASL so there's no need to speak out loud.
I grin at her and continue on, turning away before she can sign back, and try to convince me to not get involved. I grab her hand once more and pull her forward, urging her to go faster.
Natela and I are identical twins and best friends. We have the same blue eyes, same freckles, same humor, same split dyed black and white hair, same everything. Physically, the only difference is our clothing styles and the fact that I prefer glasses and Nat prefers to wear contacts. Also, unlike Nat, I don’t mind getting into trouble while she is usually trying to keep herself and I out of it.
“Shut off your goddamn music, Ri! Put in headphones! Something!” Audrey screams as she punches Riella square in the nose. As Riella recovers, Audrey pulls her electric blue hair back into a ponytail with a ribbon. She then removes her pink beaded earrings and tosses them to the side.
“Or what?” Riella wipes at the blood now dripping from her nose, which only smears it across her face more.
I lean against the doorframe and look over at Nat, using our own version of sign language to say, “This will be good.”
We had created our own version of sign as young kids, and used it often whenever we didn’t want others listening in. We called it TSL or twin sign language. Everyone here could understand ASL, and a few others could speak it, but none were as fluent as Nat and I. 
She rolls her eyes, pairing it with a disapproving look. I smirk and turn back to the fight.
“Or I’ll mess up your stupid face!” Audrey lunges again, seemingly going for Riella's throat. Riella sidesteps, using her long nails to scratch Audrey’s cheek and avoid harm to herself. Audrey immediately puts a hand where she was scratched, gasping dramatically. When she pulls her hand back, I can see the small bit of blood glistening on one of their fingers.
“I’d like to see you try,” Riella sneers, taking a step back
Grace and Rebecca run in behind us, yelling for Audrey and Riella to stop, but their pleas are drowned out by the scream Audrey lets out when Riella pulls her hair. Netpune eventually files into the room behind me.
He signs, “How much do you wanna bet they’ll kill each other by the end of this month?”
I suppress a smirk as the rest of the group tries to break up the fight. However, their efforts are worthless and Mr. S strides into the room a couple minutes later.
“Ahem.” He tries to get their attention but Audrey and Riella continue to fight, ignoring him. “Girls.” He tries again a little louder, but they don’t even glance in his direction. “For the love of god, will you two please stop fighting!” Mr. S shouts as loud as he can, making Audrey and Riella freeze. “Thank you. Everyone please have a seat, I will talk to you all shortly. One and Two please go clean yourselves up. Six, please get the others.”
I roll my eyes and sit on the end of the couch next to Nat, who shoots me a smile. I glance around the room, taking in what everyone else is doing. Watching the people in our house is always entertaining. 
I live in a house with nine other sixteen-year-olds and our guardian of sorts, Mr. S. There's Audrey, Riella, Vanessa, Rebecca, Effie, Neptune, Sirona, Grace, Natela, and me. We live on a secluded island with no one else around. We are educated by Mr. S and books, and we are stuck with only each other for company. It’s torture.
A few years ago, the people in our house would bicker all the time, but now the petty feud is mostly for dramatics. Only Audrey and Riella really think there’s still a divide and have recently resorted to physical fighting.
I look around the room to see all the fascinating things that the people in our house are doing. Effie, Vanessa, Rebecca, and Grace are sitting on the floor in some bean bags. Effie’s saying something and gesturing around the room with one hand while the other is wrapped around Venessa, her girlfriend. Vanessa is absent mindedly tracing Effie’s hand with her fingers, not participating in the conversation. Rebecca is frowning, as if what Effie is saying is incredibly distressing. Grace runs a hand through her long brown hair, whispering a reply to Effie’s comments.
Audrey is sitting by the window next to them, holding a towel to her bleeding cheek and ignoring everyone else. 
Audrey is what people would call “a mean girl”. She loves to stir up drama and get in fights, she’s super overdramatic, and she’s stereotypically pretty. She wears a full face of makeup and cute pink clothes. I love her. Not in the love way, not even in the “I love my friends” way. I just find her incredibly funny.
Sat in the opposite corner of the room is Riella. She is holding a tissue on her bleeding nose and staring rather unpleasantly at Vanessa. Somehow, the two of them are also twins. Unlike me and Nat, their only similarities are the amber color of their eyes and their dark tan skin. They aren’t friends the way Nat and I are, either, which is clear from the glare Vanessa is shooting right back.
Like Audrey, I also find Riella extremely funny. She has a great sense of humor, and the two of us are pretty good friends. She also definitely pisses Audrey off on purpose, which makes for some very entertaining fights.
Neptune is sitting on a chair next to the couch. It seems like he’s also just passively observing. I’m actually surprised he’s here, since a lot of the time he’ll slip away, somehow unnoticed, for long periods of time, which never seems to get them in trouble with Mr. S. I always beg them to tell me their secrets, but they refuse every time.
I glance back up towards the front of the room at Mr. S. He’s running his hand through his hair, revealing the scar on his forehead, while he paces slightly and talks in hushed tones to Sirona. 
Sirona is the nicest person in the history of the universe, or at least of everyone I know. I know that isn’t saying much given as I have only ever met like 10 other people, but seriously. She is always happy, always positive, always patient — our resident peacekeeper and Mr. S’s favorite.
Sirona has a frown on her face and keeps saying things like “why?” and “please?” I can only hear bits and pieces, though, because Mr. S keeps his own voice down, and he seems to be doing most of the talking. Suddenly Sirona shouts, “Fine!” and storms away.
Mr. S curses under his breath, wipes his glasses and takes a long deep breath as everyone turns to look at him. He’s strong but skinny with big shoulders, and shoulder-length wavy brown hair typically tied back in a ponytail. He glances up, realizing the amount of eyes staring at him. 
Even though he is shorter than a little less than half of us, he still manages to look down on us as he says, “I suppose that I should probably begin while I have all of your attention.” He pauses, looking around the room, probably making sure we were all there. 
“This is going to be hilarious,” I sign to Nat in TSL. She just shakes her head.
“I’ve kept you all here because the fight, while utterly unacceptable, has in fact brought a few things to my attention,” he continues, his voice rising as he speaks. “This feud of yours is getting out of hand. It’s aggravating, and, quite frankly, incredibly foolish. You all display such potential, but you will never be able to utilize your abilities to their full extent if you do not learn to work together. I expect you to resolve this petty conflict within the week, or the team-building exercises you can expect in your immediate future will be the least of the consequences you’ll face,” Mr. S says sharply.
“What are you going to do?” Audrey bursts out. “Ground us? We’re already living on an island with no one else around. It’s literally like an eternal grounding. What more can you do? Kill us?”
“Don’t tempt him,” Neptune mutters, turning towards the window and the open field behind it.
“I’d like to see him try. There’s ten of us and one of him.”
I mask my face into calm indifference to hide the smile, and when I glance at Nat, I could see her trying to hide her own laughter, a lot less successfully. Audrey has always been outspoken and dramatic especially if she wants something, or has an opinion, or even just wants some attention. Plus, sometimes she does occasionally have good points. 
Like the fact that this island sucks.
Mr. S pointedly ignored the outburst and resumed his speech, the only difference is his narrowed eyes. “There will be no more fighting. Do you all understand?” He enunciates each word, spitting them at us.
Mr. S meets each of our eyes, slowly turning his head to look at each of us individually. I’m the last one, and when he gets to me, I hold eye contact, eventually making him the one to break the stare. I hate eye contact but I never stand down to a challenge. Mr. S’s eyes eventually change focus, and fix on something past the doorway, and without another glance at any of us, he stalks out of the room.
As soon as he leaves, Audrey jumps up from her spot on the sofa and glares at Riella, opening her mouth to say something. 
Grace quickly stands, placing her hand on Audrey’s shoulder, quietly whispering, “Don’t.”
Audrey ignores her. 
“‘You will never be able to use your abilities if you don’t work together,’” she mocks, “Who does he think he is? That was the dumbest–”
Neptune cuts her off. “Well, you losers have fun pissing Mr. S off even more and making everything worse for all of us,” he says. “I’ve got better things to do.”
“It’s not like he can hear us,” Audrey counters, rolling her eyes.
“Really? Because as far as I’m aware, he hears everything.” Neptune looks around at all of us dramatically, then bursts out laughing. “I’m kidding. You guys are so gullible. He’s probably moping in his office because Sirona is mad at him. He couldn’t care less what we’re saying.”
With that, Neptune marches out of the room, the smile wiped from his face. Riella follows shortly after. The rest of us fall into an uncomfortable silence that I would normally accept with open arms, but this silence is unnatural. I don’t like it.
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