#az is the type that wants to touch his mate as much as he can :’)

[utterlyazriel]

azriel with a mate who’s messy enough they always manage to have something scruffy with their clothing— a collar untucked, a tag poking out, a belt twisted around at the back.

azriel always adores how they never seem to notice. he adores even more the chance to get closer to his love, always silently and politely tucking in tags or smoothing out wrinkles without being asked to — loving how his mate jumps in surprise at his touch but it soothes away into affection in half a moment when they realise who it is <3

[fineghkst]

How Azriel acts around his mate

i’m thinking of turning this into a series so let me know if you guys would be interested (you can also choose which character i should do next)

warnings: suggestive

At the moment he finds out

Azriel couldn’t hide the surprised look on his face. It was the first time in a while the spymaster got speechless. Az is most likely to create a ragged excuse and leave as soon as possible (yes, he’s definitely panicking), going to some isolated place to understand that he finally found his mate.

How he acts?

Azriel definitely doesn’t know how to act around his mate once the bond snaps. He probably will act very awkward at the beginning, not knowing if he should tell his mate about it (considering they didn’t felt the bond yet) or wait until they realize.

Therefore, Azriel will need some time to digest that he finally has a mate. Az feels really insecure, thinking he’s not good enough for them and believing they won’t accept the bond. Even so, Azriel really tries to be the best he can to his mate, he’s always there, showing support at every situation. He’s also very kind and just wants to see his mate happy.

Will he tell anyone?

No. Az will hide it as much as he can. Azriel is a very private person and probably wants to figure out this new situation by himself. On the other hand, he knows how his brothers are a pain in the ass, so Az rather avoid to listen to the stuff they’re going to say. At least until his mate discover the bond by themself, he won’t talk about it, preventing them from ending up knowing from someone else

But once his mate accepts the bond Azriel’s behavior changes completely, he’s almost announcing to the world, constantly touching his mate in public.

When his mate feels the bond

He’s scared. Really, Azriel never felt this type of fear his whole life, to be rejected by the person who was supposed to be with him for the rest of his life. However, even if he’s terrified, Az forces himself to be honest about his feelings towards his mate.

He has never opened up that much to someone before, exposing an extremely vulnerable side.

If his mate needs some time, he will be very understandable and wait as long as necessary. Az will never pressure his mate to accept the bond or even give him an answer (please he’s the biggest gentleman out there).

When his mate accepts the bond

Az finally feels complete. His mate is his family, the person he trusts the most and is willing to do anything only to make them smile.

As i said before, Az didn’t feel enough for his mate, so he always thought they wouldn’t accept to be bonded to him forever. Honestly, he’s in a deep state of happiness, it’s like he’s finally found his home, his place in the world.

And as SJM said before, Az is a freak, so yeah, not leaving the room any time soon after that.

Things he loves to do with his mate

Pretty much everything. Azriel his happy to go anywhere or do anything if he has his mate to accompany.

It can be to comb their hair to having deep conversations at midnight. Az just loves to be with them.

Does he often feels jealous?

It depends on the situation. Azriel really trusts his mate, but if someone gets too flirty around them, he will definitely be jealous (and kinda insecure). He’s not likely to make a scene but will have a frown on his face for the rest of the night.

Favorite body part

He’s addicted to every single part of his mate, showing true devotion to their body everyday. He loves to kiss their soft lips, neck and inner thighs (he just can’t keep his hands away).

PDA

Even though Azriel is a very reserved person, he’s constantly touching his mate in public, always having a hand on their waist, holding their hand or kissing them. He usually doesn’t go too foward, but it depends on the situation, if he spends a lot of time away on a mission, will definitely be more clingy.

In short, I don’t see him caring much if someone his looking, but he prefers when they have more privacy.

How often he says “I love you?”

Everyday. He just wants his mate to be sure of his feelings. Az not only say it with words, but always demonstrate with his actions.

Protectiveness

Azriel is really overprotective. He’s terrified on losing his mate so they will always have his shadows with them, almost turning into a part of them.

Random bonus

Before every snowball fight Azriel always spends the whole year planning a new strategy to beat his brothers asses. He will share EVERY SINGLE DETAIL to his mate and even accept suggestions to improve it.

Once he wins, Az will celebrate a lot with his mate (if you get what I mean…)

[azrielbrainrot]

SFW Alphabet with Azriel

note: I've seen a lot of people from a lot of fandoms do this so I have no idea who made the original prompts. Let me know if you do so i can tag them!

also I don't know what this is, just wanted to write down my thoughts

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

I think Azzie is really affectionate but mostly in private. I see him always gravitating around you and giving you small soft touches when you're in front of the ic or other people but then being clingy as hell when you're alone. This man is touch starved, he needs to catch up.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

I think you'd have to fist fight Cass for the title but he would be the best friend ever. I mean he's been nothing but soft and helpful with all of his friends. After you get past his millions of trust issues, Az is probably really easy to befriend. It might take a while for you to get to bestfriend but i don't think it would be hard.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He demands cuddles every night. I can see him being the little spoon as often as he's the big spoon, depends on what he's feeling up to that day.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I think that's all he wants at this point and he's probably such a good cook.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He'd probably be really firm but also really nice about it which would actually make it hurt infinitely worse. I can see him literally going down a list of your qualities and telling you how truly amazing you are while breaking up with you. He'd make sure you were semi alright before leaving as well but still make sure you knew this was final.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Well he craves commitment but he also has been running from it for over 500 years so I think it's a complicated feeling. I think he wants commitment more than anything but is also a tiny bit afraid of it and he only wants it with the right person.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He's so gentle I could cry. He's been waiting all his life for someone to love and he will treat you with the most care possible both emotionally and physically.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

I don't see Az being that much of a hugger but he probably gives the best hugs. Both arms (and wings) wrapped around you and face buried in your neck or in your hair type of hugs.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

I'm not sure he's ever said it to someone romantically (probably hasn't said it too many times platonically either) so it would probably take a while. He'd want to make sure it will really work out before saying it. You'd probably have to say it first.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

I know this is supposed to be sfw but he probably ties you up with his shadows and fucks you within an inch of your life. I don't think he'd be getting jealous all that often (excluding the typical mate possessiveness) but he'd still fuck you extra hard just to make sure. Besides that I think he could actually feel really hurt by it if it's a more serious scenario like imagine you've been hanging out with someone a lot and he starts to feel excluded. In that case I think his abandonment issues would resurface and you'd have to remind him how much you love him and how silly it would be to even entertain the idea of wanting someone else.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

He gives the best kisses and I will not take any criticism on this. Like soul consuming type of kisses. Not only does he have 500 years of practice but even when he was young I just know he made sure to perfect it because he can't do anything half assed. His shadows might even give him little tips

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He has such a calming presence that I just know kids love him. And his shadows probably give him brownie points. He's probably awkward at first though.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Well he trains at the crack of dawn so you'd probably wake up to an empty bed :/ but he'd always kiss your cheek before leaving even if you're unaware. Might even leave you little notes on your nightstand sometimes.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Reading in bed together. Cuddling covered in his shadows, completely hidden away from the rest of the world. Tucked away and watching over everyone at parties with the rest of the inner circle. Flying over velaris when his insomnia gets the best of him. Cute picnic dates in an isolated place somewhere only the two of you know. (I didn't wanna say fucking because this is sfw but let's be honest). I think every night with Azriel would make you fall in love with him all over again.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

It would take time for Azriel to really open up and I definitely think he'd go bit by bit.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

I think he tries to be as patient as possible but let's not forget he almost killed Eris and was the first to speak up when Tamlin was insulting Feyre. He's probably really patient normally, especially with his partner and family, but when he gets angry I think it boils over quickly.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He remembers everything about you to the point you suspect he has a journal with every little detail.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Is it too cheesy to say he cherishes every moment he's had with you? He definitely cherishes just having you there in the moments he felt lonely before. Like coming home from a mission and instead of an empty room you're right there waiting for him, probably staying up to see him even when he tells you it's not necessary. When he has nightmares and you're right there comforting him and kissing his tears away. At family dinners when he doesn't have to feel jealous of his brothers and just reaches out and kisses your hand making you smile at him and have him thank the Mother for the thousandth time for gifting him the blessing of a mate as lovely as you.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He's really protective. Probably keeps some of his shadows around you to make sure you're alright at all times. But I think he also wants to feel protected since he had so many times when no one was protecting him.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

He would go above and beyond every time. Always searching for new restaurants that cook your favorite foods or picnic spots that would take your breath away. He would give you the most thoughtful gifts too, things you barely remember mentioning. He'd give you these gifts out of nowhere too. He'd spoil you rotten really.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

I don't see him being great at communicating. If he feels hurt by something i think he'd pull back instead of addressing it. I feel like he has some passive aggressiveness in him as well.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

I don't think Azzie is as nonchalant about his looks as he appears to be. He's not as concerned as Rhys but I don't think he's that far off either.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Yes which makes me a bit sad.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Azriel pets and feeds stray cats and you can't convince me otherwise. He's also the top benefactor of every shelter in the night court.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

People that aren't open minded.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Not sleeping. jk He loves sleeping on his stomach with his face buried in your neck or chest and will literally purr if you pet his hair. I think he'd pull you to him unconsciously as well.

[daisiesandsage]

hi there! now, it's my turn to visit your inbox ❤️ i'm here to drop off a request (my first one ever hehe) but don't feel obligated ofc! only write it if it's something you'd like to do:

okay, since we're both swooning over Cas rn how about a fluffy piece that includes this prompt from that link “Don’t look at me like that."

Maybe reader is the one to say it since Cas is looking at her some type of way. Cas and reader can be "friends" (we all know how that goes) or they can already be in an established relationship. It could be followed up by a "like what?" "like you love/want to kiss me."

even if this request doesn't speak to you, I am excited to read whatever you'll write 🥰

A/N = I honestly hate this but it is the first thing I have written in FOREVER, and i edited it super fast in desperation NOT to read it back, sorry if it was more angsty than fluffy (whoops) but I tried…hopefully I will be blessed in the future by writing skills. HOPE YOU'RE WELL LOVELY.. also its so short I am so sorry <3

tw = bad writing, mostly fluff, angst, and not really suggestive

Cassian brushed his hair behind his ear with far too much brute force than necessary, but that wasn’t at the forefront of his mind as he willed the book in your hands to shrivel up, and quite frankly die. 

He wasn’t being overdramatic, it was the only rational response to something that could capture your attention so ubiquitously that was not an almost 7 foot illyrian warrior with and a bastard by the name of Cassian. Huffing loudly, his eyes slid to yours in hopes that maybe your own would meet his, even just a peek would suffice at this point.

Gods, if Az or Rhys could see him now. The thought clanged through his head, the image of him sitting there, practically panting like a puppy and so eager for your attention it surpassed the realms of embarrassment. His hair fell once again from behind his ear as he physically shook the thought from his mind, if only you would look up, if only you would see him, if only you felt the same wa-

“Shit.”

Your eyes snapped up, taken out of the romantic love confession of two mates right into the eyes of Cassian, a stressed Cassian, whose mouth was dropping curses like rain in a storm, something peculiar shrouded your gut as if Cassian’s very own thoughts had become tangible and twisted your insides itself. You reached out slowly, gently brushing his hair behind his ear and repeating the motion in a bid to soothe the both of you; the harsh hazel around his pupil eased into something softer, as if your very touch forced it away.

“Don’t look at me like that. Please.” His typically gruff drawl had retreated into a feathery timbre with a strange sort of intensity. 

“Like what?” The words fell before you could stop them, eager to understand how the illyrian was feeling, but they hung in the air and made it feel just that bit more heavy.

“Like you love me.” 

You pressed your lips to his, thumbs resting atop his cheekbones as if they were meant to be there, his lips were plush, opening slightly to take in your own top lip. The thrill of his kiss shot through you, down to your toes and back up, coiling in your gut and stirring into something sinfully warm. All you could breathe in was Cassian and all he could breathe in was you. He sucked your lip, so gently, so softly and used his large calloused hand to caress the back of your head. Slowly, his hand explored downwards, lovingly tracing your body as if eager to remember it blind. You felt his tongue lick into your mouth and it tasted heady and warm, just like Cassian’s presence, you let yours meet his; wanting to feel every aspect of him. Your grasp on his face tightened, as if begging for him not to pull away, begging him not to step out of this moment, begging him not to end it.

Alas, he slipped away.

“Sweetheart don’t cry, please, if I took it too far-”

Once again Cassian was interrupted, not by the tears slipping down your face but by the soft smile that curved the lips he had just kissed.

“You are an idiot.”

Oh, not what he was expecting.

“Well I mean, sometimes but I fail to see the relevance in this moment.” He rolled his eyes but they fell back on you, prompting you to go on.

“Of course I look at you like I love you, because maybe…I do love you.”

Once again, not what he was expecting. 

The Lord of Bloodshed spluttered, reduced to nothing but mush by a shabby love confession, the irony not lost on him that he interrupted a fictional one for a real one (yes he had been reading the book over your shoulder and no it still did not warrant your attention).

“Well that’s good I suppose.”

“Suppose! You suppose?” You were gobsmacked, you had confessed your love to a male and this was all he could say? “Is there anything else?”

“Right, of course, yes, I do love you too. Have done, for a while, I think.”

Shaking your head, you reached out, pulling the male’s jaw to your own and smashing your smile into his.

[acourtofthought]

what are your gwynriel headcanons/expectations for their book? 💙

I think we'll see Az and Gwyn deal with the Illyrians for sure and he'll eventually make peace with them as they'll eventually come around to the idea of and respect female warriors.

I think Gwyn will call Narben from the sea as well as the manuscript / small book Cassian threw in there and the information written in it will be important for them.

I'm thinking maybe Gwyn will tie Az up with his own shadows (since his shadows seem to respond to Gwyn) for their first time together. Not only does it give Gwyn the control in a situation where the control was taken from her but it fits in with what I think SJM might find kinky.

I used to think maybe Az would be into tying people up with his shadows and maybe he did that with the "lovers" he's taken over the years since we know he doesn't like "hand to hand combat" (meaning he doesn't like anyone touching him during sex) but I wonder if he's truly the dominant type in bed when it comes to someone he cares for. His mother was a servant and that's something he's struggled with so I feel like it wouldn't fit his history to demand a female bend to his will. Dominatrix Gwyn could definitely work 😁

I think Gwyn may end up being a cousin of Eris and Lucien's and she'll want to establish a relationship with them (as she has no remaining blood family) and that will cause an uncomfortable setup for Az who thinks neither Eris or Lucien are worth much (also wouldn't it be funny if the tables were turned and Lucien then wonders if AZ is good enough for his family? 😂) . This could also create a bit of conflict between she and Az which I think will be necessary because SJM has never done friends to lovers without them hitting a few bumps along the way.

Complete headcannon but I kind of love the thought of Az (and not Gwyn like Anti's like to claim) being the one SJM spoke of in SF as having one face while secretly hiding another. That his "beautiful" outward appearance hides an actual monster of sorts that comes out around enemies and Gwyn's song will be the thing that brings him back. That she'll have no problem with the monster being let out of the cage so to speak but she can call him back to her when he's about to lose himself.

I do think Gwyn has siren powers that she will use against their enemies. To me, that has nothing to do with her luring others in sexual way and is more along the lines of Rhys and Feyre being able to control others with their daemati powers. (Feyre was able to force Ianthe to pick up a rock and smash her hand so Gwyn being able to use her song to influence others to say, walk off a cliff, is really no different).

I definitely think there's going to be some sort of showdown between Merrill and Gwyn, that maybe Merrill is a bit of a villain that Gwyn will have to bring down but even when she does, it might be too late because by that time Merrill will have reached out to any remaining Asteri on other worlds and that will set up an even bigger threat to the characters of ACOTAR (leading into a multi series battle done in a multi POV beyond the traditional romance spin-offs).

I think Gwyn will suspect their bond first. She's the first full fae SJM has ever had as a possible FMC with a POV (even Aelin was only 1/4 fae) so she probably grew up on stories of the mating bond like Rhys, Cassian, and Az did. Az is so messed up over not having gotten a bond with Mor and realizing that his two brothers got one with two sisters while Lucien (not a brother) got one with the third, that I think he's completely clueless as to what's staring him in the face.

She'll definitely meet Az's mother though I'm not sure if they'll try to convince her to come back to Velaris.

I think they will end up living in the townhouse together.

I think we will eventually see Gwyn / the Valkyries in battle riding Pegasus but before that happens I think someone needs to figure out how to bring back their food source to the island where the Prison sits and figure out the illness that has prevented them from delivering foals (maybe an Elain plot?).

And that's that. 😂 For now at least.

[urukbignaturals]

I wanna write Yandere Bruz and Yandere Ratbag with the reader but like... I'm kinda dry on ideas... I'll type what I have in case later I get inspired...

Yandere Ratbag the Coward:

Stalker-ish yandere. He watches you a lot from afar. He isn't always the sneakiest but sometimes he leaves you presents and you chalk it up to him being shy.

What presents? Things he hunted (mostly dead rats, though he occasionally gets you rabbits and little birds), shiny rocks, the ears of stronger Uruks he totally killed on his own (aren't you impressed?), weapons also scavenged from those he totally killed...

He one time wanted to show you he could be a good mate by taking care of you, so he intentionally poisoned (he is such a genius) one of your meals. Despite his best efforts, he found out he wasn't at all a great medic or caretaker, so he had to beg Talion for help. Don't worry- you'll end up being fine, but the scare was so big that for weeks he hugged you tightly as he sniffed...

He knows he can't protect you but he has a big, strong olog friend AND the Grave Walker, so he definitely bothers them often, asking them to take care of you...

Ratbag may be the reason Talion and Az-Harto/Ranger become yanderes too.

Yandere Bruz the Chopper:

Some have already done some good interpretations for him, I'm not sure I have much to add LOL.

Bruz is definitely a clingy and manipulative yandere.

Like others have said- you must be at the very least in eyesight. He gets very anxious whenever he can't see you. He knows how dangerous Uruks and ologs are! What if another claimed you as theirs? Bruz can't allow that.

He has employed other Uruks to ambush you when you are alone, only for him to come out and save you. That way you'll be more inclined to stay close...

Cuddles. Many, many cuddles. He won't let you sleep alone and he simply can't sleep if you aren't in the safety of his arms.

Gets jealous of everything and everyone. Why are you talking to that coward? He is there! What's with you and the ranger? Isn't he good enough? Why are you sitting in that chair??? His lap is free! etc, etc, etc.

Might "accidentally" touch you inappropriately, "I'm sorry, little one, it's just that my hands are so big and your body is so small!".

Also, he "accidentally" marks you. "I meant to give ya a love nibble- sorry for the bite mark, sorry!" "Oh no, did I leave that bruise? I need to relax my grip, are you in pain? Let me help..." "Wanna spar? I'll be gentle this time.... besides, so far you haven't gotten a single scar! (yet)"

He lies to keep you on his side. "I heard Ratbag saying this", "I saw Talion rummaging through your things", "The Warchief asked Talion if he could keep you as a pet- and Talion said he would consider it! How rude!", "I need to warn you, that orc that asked to chat with you? Has a bet with other orcs on how quickly he can get in your bed..."

[gwyns]

I genuinely feel like Azriel would leave Elain if Mor showed the slightest interest in him, or wanted to start a romantic relationship with him (if circumstances were different: Mor’s sexuality). I also feel like he would do this the moment he found his mate. The number one thing I picked up on in the bonus chapter is how badly he wants a mate. Him not getting a mate is tying in with his self worth and insecurities. Him not having a mate (yet) is making him question if he really is that unworthy, which he’s not, but we all know how Azriel views himself. (And let’s not forget how Azriel kept waiting for a mating bond to snap between him & Mor for 500 years.)

Also, that ask you answered a day or so ago, where it said: “e/riels when azriel is relaxed, at ease, smiling, laughing, joking, having fun around gwyn: I can’t read suddenly. I don’t know.

e/riels when az hates and berates himself, talks about how he's unworthy to even touch elain because of how stained his hands and he as a person are and starts spiraling into extreme self loathing when he's near her: *insert Oprah meme*”

Is so true! Azriel was talking about how much he hates himself when touching Elain, and that’s not healthy. That mindset is so unhealthy and not okay. I don’t see how any of that is romantic (or sexy forbidden religious romance) like they claim it is. It was uncomfortable to read about. Him (and her) being turned on and wanting to kiss/have sex isn’t what made me - and other people - uncomfortable. Azriel’s inner monologue of how he views himself, and how he couldn’t see past his fantasizes of Elain was uncomfortable.

Azriel interacting with Gwyn made me comfortable, because we didn’t see him berate himself. The energy felt lighter and not heavy. Azriel felt an emotion other than self hate, unworthiness, and rage for once, and it was with Gwyn.

(Also, hope you’re doing okay.💙)

i agree. e/riels love going on about how he wouldn't choose gwyn over elain but let's be real... no way would az choose elain over the woman he pined over for 500 years. especially when that woman is also his friend, something i don't feel him and elain are at all. they could be, but they're not really. and like you said, he also wouldn't choose elain over HIS MATE. something he canonically WANTS and is incredibly jealous over

it's so funny to me that they think we're turned off by the sexual aspects in a SERIES THAT CENTERS AROUND THE ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS OF ITS CHARACTERS. i'm sorry but how does that make SENSE??? we're turned off because their "relationship" gives off many red flags, not because they want to fuck

hard agree on that last bit! az has always been shown to be the broody, emo, self hating type and idk i guess i'm a horrible person for wanting to see him be happy and accepting of himself and in a healthy relationship but i'll die on the hill that elain and az crave truly being seen and they're both blind when with each other

(and i'm doing as well as i can be, anon <3 you're so sweet to say this and i appreciate it very much, thank you!!! 🥰💖)

[fieldofdaisiies]

Hey... can you please write something azriel x reader where reader has back pain so az offers her a message and then they end up having sex?

of course. Thank you for requesting <33 hope you like it

Azriel x Reader | Oh Those Scarred Hands

type: smut warnings: explicit content, mature language word count: 1335

*all rights reserved*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Right there?"

A breathy moan left you, "Mhm."

Azriel chuckled lowly, your rear pressing against his hips.

"But a bit harder, please," you whispered, lips curling. Azriel groaned in response and pressed harder. You moaned again, feeling hot and tingly all throughout your body. Your skin felt so tight all of a sudden, Azriel’s scent lingering everywhere.

Humming, you bit down on your lip and curled your fingers towards your palms. He knew exactly how to touch you—how to make you feel good.

"That feels good, huh?" 

A soft sigh escaped you in return, toes curling when Azriel’s thumbs pressed the spot on the crook of your neck once again.

"It does," you mused. "My mate just knows how to make me feel good."

Purely male pride reached you through the bond, mixing with lust and desire.

You had been working the whole day, being bent over the table, going through reports and at the end of the day you had been suffering from sever back pain. Obviously your glorious mate could not let you live with it and did the only thing that would help. He was massaging you and you loved it—savoured every part of it. Before you could even head to your bedroom, Azriel, who had been sitting on the couch, had pulled you onto his lap and took off your dress. He immediately had started to tend to your sore muscles.

“Gods, I love your hands so much!” you told your mate, who often still felt very self-conscious about them. You really did love his hands so much and did not want him to feel bad about them for one single tiny moment. 

Azriel hummed, the feelings of gratitude, thankfulness, pure bliss and love rumbling through the bond. Azriel tended yet another knot that had formed at the crook of your shoulder, easing the tension which made you sigh loudly.

“Is it getting any better?” your mate then asked, genuinely concerned. He hated seeing you in pain, seeing your hurt. 

“The pain is nearly fully gone," you assured him, wiggling your hips slightly. The Shadowsinger groaned lowly, your butt rubbing against the building tent in his pants. Yes, he had promised to just massage you and actually wanted to give you an early night. But now that such noises left your mouth and your changing scent —your oh so sweet and lovely scent— reached his nose he was gone, knowing he had to make you feel good in another way as well. 

Azriel pressed his hips against you, drawing a gasp from you when he leaned forward. He nestled his face into the crook of your neck, one hand braced on the back of your head, the other one curling around your waist to pull you closer.

“Tired, sweetheart?”

Azriel kissed your temple and you giggled softly. “Not really. Why?” You obviously knew why, still you wanted to hear him say it. Azriel was not a male of many words, but gods, when he talked dirty it did things to you. Things you could not quite put into words. 

“My lovely mate, so innocent. Why? Maybe because I have other ideas for making you feel good?”

Azriel pressed his lips against your ear, his hand carefully tugging on a few strands of hair. He softly bit down on your earlobe, nibbling. You sighed and closed your eyes for a moment. “I think I would really like that,” you whispered.

“There are other body parts of yours that really need my attention tonight as well, I believe.” 

You leaned your head back against Azriel’s shoulder and mused, “Yes? For example?”

“Like these two?” Azriel’s voice was hoarse when he spoke, damp lips brushing the shell of your ear once again. Azriel’s hands slid up your front, your back now against his chest. He cupped your breasts in his large hands, kneading them before his thumbs teased the sensitive peaks. First it were just soft strokes, then he started rolling your nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, softly tugging. You moaned, Azriel’s name a whisper on your lips. You went molten. Just right then and there your were gone, liquid. 

Releasing a loud breath, you tried to glimpse over your shoulder to look into your mate’s face. You turned your head, your eyes already heavy-lidded when you met his gaze, his eyes dark and mysterious, a smile on his face. 

“I love you so much,” you said, voice barely above a whisper when Azriel’s hands let go of your breasts and fell to your hips. His fingers curled around you and he leaned forward. In an almost ravishing kiss your mouths connected. Azriel parted your lips with his tongue, savouring and exploring your mouth like it was the very first time he got to kiss you. He had a strong grip on you, groaning into your mouth. He helped you switch positions on top of him, not once breaking the kiss, until you sat with your front against his front. 

“Remind me to get you a new pair of these tomorrow.” It was the only warning you got before his fingers curled around the elastic of your underwear and he ripped them off. You gasped loudly, both at the quick movement and the sudden cold tingling your very sensitive parts. “Az,” you breathed which drew a grin to his lips. 

He kissed you again, your hands now moving to the top-most button of his pants. Without further ado you opened them fully and freed his already rigid length. Azriel lifted you up, positioned him against your wet heat, before slowly sheathing himself inside you. You both moaned at the feeling of your coming together. The spymaster slowly slid into you, stretching you out just as always. Your nails dug into his shoulders, into the fabric that annoyed you just a bit. “Shirt off,” you mumbled, pampering Azriel’s neck with tiny pecks.

“Too late, unless -fuck- you rip it off.” There was challenge in Azriel’s eyes when he leaned his head back and met your gaze. You were now fully seated on him, rocking your hips softly.

Challenge accepted, you thought to yourself. Your fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt and ripped. It was beyond you how well it worked, but the most important part was that your mate’s upper body was now naked.

Azriel looked impressed and jerked his hips up, hitting one special spot inside of you. “Never fail to impress me, my love,” he said before his lips closed over yours. Nothing was rough or fast that night. Azriel took you slowly, his thrusts deep and long. He made you feel every glorious inch of his proud length, making you feel good and helping you calm down and relax after such a work-loaded day. 

You rode him, soft and slowly, hips moving against his, chest touching and mouths meeting with passionate and tender kisses. 

Azriel’s hands smoothed up and down your back, kneaded your ass, once coming forward, his thumb teasing the bundle of nerves. His other hand curled around neck, squeezing only lightly.

“My very favourite necklace on you.” Azriel grinned. You grinned as well, throwing your head back. And then you did what you knew would drive him crazy. Leaning further back you let go of him, bracing your hands on his knees behind your back. Your back was arched while you kept riding him. You knew he was ogling you, getting closer to the edge. You heard your mate inhale deeply, a soft growl leaving his throat. 

It drove him crazy. The Shadowsinger leaned down, taking your breast into his mouth, tongue teasing the pebbled hardness. He twitched inside of you, telling you he was close.

You came simultaneously, panting and riding out your heights together. 

“You are the best mate I could have ever hope for.” It was the last thing Azriel heard before the two of you fell asleep on the couch, all tension of the long stressful day gone and replaced by the feelings of satisfaction and pure love between two mates.

tags: @juulle987 @marimorena06 @danikasthings @younxii @nightcourtwritings @mrofontaine @lunalilyf @whor-3-crux @tired-all-the-time @anni-was-here @ummmmmwat @azbracadabra @j-pendragonx @hollyismentallyillhelp @famousbasementpainter @bsenpai @lena-davina @red-highlady @thesugatoyourtae @azrielsbitxh @cityofidek @moony-thoughts @wrensical003

[raahosh]

Hello! I saw you wrote 18+ one shots and I have a request. If you’re not comfortable that’s perfectly fine, tho!

I was thinking of an Azriel x reader where Azriel just got back from a mission and it’s been a month or so since he and reader have seen/been with each other. Reader tease him and he says something along the lines of “come sit on my face, let me show you just how much I missed you”. And well, let’s just say he missed reader a lot… 👀

Type: Azriel x reader.

Fandom: A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Summary: Azriel got back from a mission and let's just say he missed you so much, at the point he wanted to show you for how long he waited for this moment.

Warnings: This is 18+, so if you don't like it just keep scrolling, I know you'll find something that fits you.

Authors note: Thank you so much for requesting. Actually I was urging to make a Azriel x reader, I have one in my drafts that I'm working on, but I didn't know what to do and you gave me the best idea. I hope you like it, and enjoy your reading honey. Any grammar error I'm sorry but this is the first full one that I'm doing in English.

Honor mention to talk about Sarah saying that he's a freak so... Let's say I'm a bit excited for the next book.

Ok, your hate towards Rhysand wasn't even a thing before he kidnapped your mate's attention. You knew there was a lot of things to resolve and political things aren't easy, mainly because we're talking about Prythian and the High Lords aren't really the type of grown man when it comes to internal fights, but you haven't had even a full day with Azriel in a whole month.

Your relationship with Azriel was very affectionate, his love language was skin contact and it might not look like when you're around other people but behind closed doors he was the most clingy you've ever had. And now you didn't have time to even hug him properly in a whole month.

You were at the living room talking to Cassian when you saw your mate arriving. He was destroyed, he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Automatically, you stood up, Cassian didn't even try to argue because he knew his friend needed some woman help at this moment.

He got to walk to the bathroom with your help, where magically you made a bath for him. His body sat down and when the warm water touched his body he relaxed. The shadows were still there, including in his eyes where they were most concentrated, just proving that he hasn't seen a bed in days.

"You look really tired. How was your day?" You tried to turn his attention for you and make it easier for him to distract a little bit.

"Exhausting. I knew Tamlin was hard to work but not that he was a complete asshole who can't even accept help." He sighed.

Your gaze met the bar of soup next to the tub, you grabbed, wet and started rubbing Azriel's back with it, paying double attention to his wings. You knew how sensitive they could be and how Iryllians were when it's about those things.

"I told you, he's not someone... talkable. But I feel some kind of pity after all Hyberns stuff and then I remember what he did to Feyre." You made delicate circles around his back, then his chest and then you put the soap in his hands to let him finish.

You went to the sink to clean your hands and dried it with a towel. When you came back he was finished, you grabbed that soup bar again and started working on his wings. Rubbing slightly, putting less weight in your hands.

"I can't feel anything but angry when it's about him. He could have done so much and chose to be this way." Azriel’s voice was a little darker than before.

"Ok, let's change the subject. Let's talk about you've not been sleeping those days. Love, I know you have a lot of things to do but you're going to kill yourself this way." Your hands went down, and down.

"I know but-" He didn't finish, instead he let out a low moan and grabbed the sides of the tub trying to stay still. "It seems that you got to the part."

Yes, you knew what you were doing. Your relationship with Azriel was long enough for you to have memorized what you can do and where, the many times and how, but now you wanted to tease him. You let your hands move free against his wings, now just them, to make him feel your touch.

"Continue..." You couldn't contain the excitment in your face but your voice was low and husky, it just made Azriels erection pulse a little more.

"You wanna know what, Y/N" His hands met yours. You could feel the warmth on your cheeks, they were getting so red. He took the soap from your hands and adjusted himself on that tub. "What, babe?" You arched your brow.

At this point the bath was cold but it didn't matter because he pulled your hands making you come closer to him. "I think you should get in... here with me." His gaze met your lips and then he kissed you.

Hands.

Lips.

Tongues.

Touch.

You were craving for his touch in a long time. Since Azriel was busy you didn't have times like this with him and even though his presence was everything you wanted you couldn't deny you missed it too. You missed the sensation of his hands trailing your body and his tongue doing magic in your mouth.

There wasn't a thing that Azriel did with bad quality. But you, you were smarter when you just pulled away with a smirk on your face. You took some distance from him, your clothes didn't get longer to be on the floor and Azriel didn't let his eyes meet anything but you. And, if you ask me what was going through his head, you'll know soon.

You stepped ahead and entered the tub, he held your hand and helped you do it. Now, your body was on his lap, your hands tugging his hair when he finally kissed you again. He was hungrier than before, the kiss turned to a making out session, he wanted you and you only, the only thing he could see was you.

"Oh, darling. I'm going to show you exactly how I feel everytime I see you." He said next to your ear. "Did you miss me?" His hand traced your entire body. He went from your arm, to your belly, then found it down there. His fingers trailed it's way and started exploring the territory.

You couldn't even think at this moment and got worse when his middle finger found your clit and started rubbing it slowly. At first you swallowed your moan and looked at him with a heavy breathing, then he fasted the pace, his other finger found your cunt and started to explore more that area.

"Hm, I didn't hear you. You didn't answer my question, darling." His mouth was in your ear, you could handle his hand but along with this husky voice it was impossible.

You let escape a loud moan when two of his fingers started to fuck your cunt, and when I say fuck I mean it. "Y-yes, I missed... Fucking God- I missed you so much." You couldn't even finish a phrase.

"How much did you miss me, gorgeous?" You knew what he was trying to do. The Cauldron knows how bad you wanted to continue his game but it was impossible since he was godly great with his fingers.

You didn't respond, instead just grabbed his shoulder tugging your nails in it while you moved on his fingers chasing some kind of more friction. Your breath was heavy and you could feel it, when he took his fingers out of you and you panted.

"No, love, you're not going to cum now." He stood up and you wrapped your legs around his waist.

He took you to the bedroom again and shoved you to bed. First he looked at you, eyes shining with your figure right in front of him. It made you blush but he didn't swerve his gaze, he wanted to memorize every bit of you, skin, hair, lips, your curves, he loved every little detail and the way you always get nervous at those times.

"You're going to just look at me?" You arched your brow.

"Honestly? I could do it all day but I have other plans for you." He bit his lip and came to the top of you.

His hands were one in each side of you, but one of them grabbed your wrists and pushed it up to the top of your head, cuffing it there with just one hand. The other he used to grab his cock and pull it inside you.

You sobbed with his size, he was being gentle with the velocity he was administrating. He was slow, letting you adjust to it, but even like this you were so tight for him, tight enough to make him groan when he got to the base. "You're so fucking great." He whispered.

Then he dropped your hands and grabbed your ankles, he started moving inside you. Gentleness wasn't Azriel's at those times, his pace was rough, you were seeing stars with every thrust, every time his cock was deep and fast. Azriel could be whatever you think but during sex he's not the cute mate you know.

"Az- Azriel" You couldn't even think anymore.

His sight of you was delightful, his pace increased his right hand went to grab your face, with his four fingers in one side and his thumb in the other.

"Look at me, that wasn't what you wanted? Am I the only one who make you feel like this?" He stopped and started thrusting slowly, torturing slowly.

The first made you stutter and choke on your words. "Ye-yes that is what I wanted... You a- Azriel-" In each words you said he made a thrust and the faster you get the faster his pace was, the more you stutter the more he thrusts on you. But he was waiting for you to continue, he wanted you to say it. "You're the only o-one." You reunited all your powers to say it but even though you gaggle at the end.

Azriel grabbed your thighs and pulled it up to his shoulders, giving him a way to go deeper. And so he did, his invests started to get deeper and deeper, you were a mess of sweat, moan, pants and pre-cum when he released inside you and continued until you get the high too. When your orgasm hit you strongly and you creamed Azriel smiled in satisfaction and collapsed beside you.

"Well, I didn't think it'd come to this but I'm not the one to complain." You listened to him while he just laughed and then turned your face to see him. "I love you."

He smiled. When you turned your head you saw that he was already looking at you. "I love you too, Y/N."

[gwynrielendgame]

Gwynriel smut lol

Okay yall I truly struggle writing smut...I deal with a lot of shame revolving anything with sex, but I figured writing a fanfic might be therapeutic in a sense. If you don't like it, please move along. It may not be spicy enough or perhaps you find it too spicy; either way, pls be considerate in the comments below. Probably 18+ if you read acosf then this is about the same level IMO. Idk what type of warnings to give with smut so I supposed continue at your own discretion.

“Um, Az?” Gwyn hesitantly called for her mate. She did not want to admit to being stuck, but there was no avoiding it.

“Yeah?” He released his cock from his hand to look at the beautiful female tied up in his bed. He caressed her soft backside before nipping it quickly.

“Az! Focus,” her giggles undermined the harsh tone she was attempting to use. “I’m stuck.” She tried to look back at him. But the ties they were using were particularly tight. She would have to teach Az a softer knot.

“That is kind of the point, is it not?” He continued to nip at her bottom in a playful manner. The giggles it elicited sent heat straight to his groin. He gripped his cock again and started pumping it with one hand while his other hand drifted to her thighs that were spread apart with the help of the very sturdy ribbons they were using.

“Azriel.” She whined his name.

They were attempting something that Gwyn found in a book that Nesta so kindly gifted her for Gwyn’s birthday one year. It clearly needed more detailed instructions because this was not as “loose” nor “comfortable” as she had read the position to be. Azriel gave one final chuckle before surrendering.

“Where do I need to fix it, love?”

“Loosen the ties on my wrists. I want to be able to prop myself up.”

He immediately went to work on the ribbons around her wrists. The action caused a rush of heat to flood Gwyn. As much as they teased each other, he always listened to her requests. Even if it doused some of the ambiance, he always stopped to make sure she was comfortable. It was the single most attractive thing he did, in her opinion. Nothing made her want him more than his quietly respectful demeanor. She could think of a few instances where his manners benefitted him greatly at the end of the night. Her fantasies were interrupted by the ribbons loosening. She sighed as she propped herself up on her elbows, making sure her backside was on perfect display for her mate. He stifled a groan by sinking his teeth into her more than supple bottom. She often found little bruises there from all his sucking and biting.

“Please continue.” She moaned as his teeth scraped at her. She never wanted him to stop especially when he brought his fingers back in between her thighs.

“What was that, love? I do not think I heard you.” Azriel said in his quiet, spymaster voice. It always turned Gwyn on when he used this tone, so she could not find it in herself to be mad that he wanted her to beg. She would beg if it meant he would keep talking.

“Please?” She tried again. “I want you to-“ her body jerked as he brushed lightly over her most sensitive area. She tried to scoot back towards his hand when he pulled away, but the ties prevented that. She whimpered to show her dissatisfaction. Azriel only chuckled in response.

“Please what?”

“Please touch me!” It was a desperate plea. She would allow him to tease her later for how quickly she started to beg; but for now, she simply needed his touch.

“Your wish is my command.” He used that same quiet, sultry voice.

Finally, his fingers were moving with a purpose. He circled her clit while using his other hand to pump inside of her. She started to wriggle underneath his touch. He knew she was close now.

“Yes! Azriel yes!”

It always filled him with so much pride when he could get her to moan his full name. His shadows roamed, untamed. They caressed every part of her that they could reach. She moaned even louder when a shadow slowly creeped up her back.

“Let me touch you.” She said in such a demanding tone that Azriel could not stop his smile even if he tried. He moved his hands faster, swirling her clit in a rhythmic motion that had her bucking against the ties.

“Soon.” He mutter. He would finish her off several times first. He could feel it building in her as her body tightened and she held in her breath.

“Do not stop!” She demanded once more. A sly grin slid onto his face even though he knew she could not see it since his fingers were sliding into her from behind. He slowed his speed down until he completely pulled his hands away altogether. She practically screeched in outrage.

“What was that? Did you say stop?”

“Azriel!” She yelped.

He plastered his front to her back, brought his mouth to her ear and his hand around the front to cup her. He started slow ministrations over again that had her whimpering.

“Who gives the orders in this bed?” Azriel asked with so much smugness that Gwyn wanted to yell many obscenities at him. She did not though considering he was slowly bringing her right back to the edge of her climax. She promised to pay him the same courtesies when it was his turn in the ribbons.

“You.” She muttered as though she was displeased, but truly she could not be more aroused. She knew he could tell by how wet his fingers must be by now.

“That’s right. I will let you know when I start taking orders from bossy Valkyries though.” The rough tone was so erotic as his mouth brushed against the shell of her ear that she thought she might finish right then and there. Secretly, she loved when he told her what to do. She had a feeling it was not much of a secret to him though. He intertwined one of his hands with hers while the other hand continued to torture her. He kept his chest firmly pressed against her back as she rode his hand. The restraints only added to the pleasure coursing through her veins.

She felt his very large cock press against her entrance from the back. She pushed back against him to try and take it all as his fingers continued to play with her. The restraints kept her legs in place though. She groaned out in frustration.

“Please?” She asked once again. She turned her head to look at his beautiful face only to see a look of utter concentration.

He, normally, only looked like this when he was writing a report for the High Lord. It always made her blood pump with arousal, so she was excited to see it now. He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and then lined himself up at her entrance.

“Azriel, I love you, but I swear to the cauldron if you do not enter me right now- ah!” She moaned loudly as Az finally entered her in one rough push.

He began rocking his hips- in and out. Gwyn tried to meet each thrust with one of her own, but the ties were proving difficult. She would need to add her own angry anecdote to the page on this position in her book. He thrust so deeply that Gwyn screamed out for all to hear.

“Fuck yes. Keep going please.” She made sure to add on the please at the end to keep him appeased. He made a loud moan himself as he continued to pump into her.

“Unless you want Cassian and Nesta to hear, I suggest you quiet down.” He was gritting his teeth as he said it. He was clearly trying to maintain some sort of control. Gwyn smirked as she knew that he always finished fast from this position.

“Payback.” Is all she uttered.

Azriel’s fingers swirled around her clit right as he hit a deep spot inside her. It had her coming so hard and long that she was certain she lost her vision for a second. She may have also been screaming, but she was not entirely sure. His fingers did not stop their movements on her though. It was such an intense feeling she almost wanted to ask him to stop. He kept pumping into her though while he tried to find his own release. Her hips were meeting his thrust for thrust. She could feel as his speed picked up and he became more wild and unhinged. It was her favorite part of sex with him. When he was so close that he almost gave over complete control and was not quite as gentle with her as he normally was.

“Fuck.” He muttered much quieter than Gwyn had when she finished. The hand that was interlaced with hers was squeezing so tightly that she worried her hand would go numb. She sighed contently. She knew with the Shadowsinger at her side, they could accomplish anything.

“Think I’m pregnant yet?” Gwyn asked once she had been untied, and they had finished a few more rounds.

They both lay on their back with Azriel’s arm tucked under her head. He pulled her closer to place a kiss on her forehead. It was such a tender moment that it made her heart squeeze. She started tracing his chest tattoos with her fingers. Azriel smiled softly at that. He noticed she could never sit still. If she was not tracing his tattoos, then it was his scars on his hands. If not that, then she was chasing his shadows around the room. She was only truly still when she slept.

“Good news is that we can keep trying until you are.”

“Very good news indeed.” A mischievous smile curled at her lips while the hand that had been tracing tattoos started trailing downwards.

“Again?” He asked astonished. He figured that she would definitely be sated at least until tomorrow. She rolled her eyes, but the smile stayed in place.

“A baby is not going to magical insert itself, now is it?” A smirk played at his lips.

“Just for that I am not going to let you finish for at least the next two rounds.”

[justheretoreadsposts]

Have you lost your mind?

summary: Azriel gets lectured by Rhysand and Cassian about his constant flirting with Elain, not knowing that she was hiding in the closet.

authors note: hello! This is my second one-shot (I might make this into a small series) This was inspired by a certain scene in The Office ;) and I’d like to thank @shedoessoshedoes for listening to my random ideas and giving me feedback and making this so much better!

Warning: English isn’t my first language.

Azriel didn’t like change. 

He really didn’t. But something had changed about his mornings. He used to love to wake up to the smell of black coffee, but that had changed since he met her. His new favourite thing was waking up to find Elain tucked in between his shoulder and his chest, sound asleep. 

He would never get bored of watching her sleep, he looked down at a sleeping Elain. He didn’t want to move and accidentally wake her up, even though he missed her big brown eyes looking up at him. 

 “What are you doing?” She asked, pulling Azriel out of his trance. She pushed herself up, sitting up against the headboard. She pushed her long honey-brown locks away from her face and threw it in a ponytail.

“Enjoying the scenery,” He simply responded before he sat up, leaning against the headboard.

Elain dipped her head, she was blushing a thousand shades of red. He hooked his index finger below her chin and gently tilted her head up, to look at him. He smiled, a loopy one nonetheless, and began to smother her face with light and tender kisses. “Az!” She squealed, squirming as he pulled Elain under him. 

“I gotta show some love somehow, don’t I?” He murmured as he began to press kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

She giggled, a bright smile on her face. She found herself growing excited as his grip on her hips began to tighten as she began to tug off the shirt she was wearing which she had snagged from his closet. Before they went any further, a loud bang broke the silence that had occupied the house. He recognized the footsteps that marched up the stairs, it was Cass and Rhys, who had gotten married to Elain’s sisters recently and were Azriel’s college mates in Velaris University.

The fuck? What are they doing here?

 Azriel kissed Elain’s cheek before he pulled his shirt over her shoulders and rolled off of her, hopping out of the bed with Elain close behind him. She realized it was her brothers in law when she saw Azriel’s eyes widen, she quickly pushed herself into his closet, hiding in between his hoodies before her brothers-in-law walked into Azriel’s room. 

Two weeks ago, after Nesta and Cassian’s rehearsal dinner, Azriel confessed his feelings to Elain. God, it terrified him when he admitted his feelings to his best friend. He didn’t want to ruin what they had. They met in University, before Elain opened her flower shop, and had became very close friends. 

What if she didn’t reciprocate his feelings? He worried, every rational fear flew through the window the minute Elain went on her tippy toes and kissed him.

Ever since that night, they have been together, in secret. Suspicions began to arise when Azriel and Elain to quietly flirt between themselves and began to sit next to each other every time the family went out. Small touches here and there, a hand on the small of her back, an arm around her shoulder. 

One time when everyone went out for dinner, he slipped his hand under the table trying to tease her, but his hand landed on Amren’s thigh. 

He didn’t know if he was going to make it alive tonight when Amren’s piercing gaze fell on Azriel’s face. One brow raised at him and he quickly retracted his hand in fear in fear while a small laugh erupted from across the table from Elain. They were a bit tipsy, but the mother, Azriel could've gotten drunk on the sound of Elain’s laugh.

He didn’t forget what she had done. He raised his brows, in challenge and nodded. Oh she was to pay for this, he would make sure of it. 

Nesta Archeron was always the mama bear while Elain was the cub but it was Feyre who noticed the occasional hand around her waist, the sly smiles and winks that were thrown across the table. She talked to her husband, Rhysand, and told him of her suspicions, which led them to this moment.

Azriel shut the closet door, making sure Elain wasn’t visible and then quickly sat back on his bed before Rhysand and Cassian welcomed themselves into his room. “She is like my little sister!” Rhysand exclaimed as he glared at Azriel. “I don’t want to see you sniffing around her anymore. Boy, have you lost your mind? Cause I’ll help you find it.” 

Azriel's gaze shifted to the closet, where the said sister, Elain, was hiding. 

“What are you looking at? I’m not going to hold Nesta back when you cuts you to pieces, The Mother could come through that door and she’s not going to help you if you keep flirting with Elain!” Cassian exclaimed. 

“Can I know what I did to earn a lovely lecture at-” He looked at the alarm that sat on his bedside table. “At nine in the morning?” 

“Feyre talked to me and said that she thinks that something is going on between you and El.” Rhysand explained, his violet eyes glaring at him as his arms crossed across his chest.

“And if something was going on between us?”

“Then good luck, because Nesta will kill you in your sleep.” Cassian shrugged. “Nes and Feyre love Elain, and they will happily kill you if you dare break her heart. And Mother! I would help them do it!”

“God, I would never break her heart. I love her.” Azriel declared.

The two men stood in shock and a small gasp was heard from the closet. Rhysand’s brows flew to his hairline when he heard the gasp, he made his way across the room and opened the closet door to find Elain standing there.

Only in his shirt. 

“The fuck?” Cassian exclaimed as he took in Elain.

Azriel clenched his jaw, not because their secret was now out, more like he didn’t like the way their relationship was exposed. 

 “You love me?” Elain whispered as she climbed out of his closet and towards him. 

Azriel just nodded, he loved her. And Mother did he hope she loved him back. “I love you Elain, you have bewitched me body and soul, I love you.” He let out a shaky breath.

“Did he just quote pride and prejudice?” Rhysand whispered to Cassian, who nodded. 

Elain ran to Azriel, who pressed a kiss on his lips. “I love you too,” She smiled as a happy tear escaped her. “I love you, and I’m never gonna stop.” She mumbled.

Azriel wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss. It wasn’t a tender kiss, it was the type of kiss where she felt devoured. 

“That’s our cue to leave.” Cassian mumbled as he grabbed Rhysand’s wrist and dragged him out.

She let out a big laugh when they left. Azriel flashed Elain with a smile only she would have the privilege to see. Her heart melted as she looked at him and his big grin that rarely graced his face. 

“I love you, Az.” She hugged him. 

“Say it again.” 

“I love you, Azriel Knight.”

——————————————————————————

authors note: I’m a big office fan, if you can’t tell already ;) hope you enjoyed reading this, and don’t forget to share, like, and give feedback!

[sassycassie-s-writing]

Mountain Night

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): A Court of Thorns and Roses Series/Rhysand

Rating: PG-13/T (lots of implications but nothing explicit)

Original Idea: Just kinda skimming back through ACOTAR and felt like it.

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) This has a couple extra headcanons of mine sprinkled in here, just to fill in gaps. Thanks. Enjoy!

^^^^^

I stood in front of the fireplace next to Rhysand, watching the flames. Somewhere within the Mountain, a bell tolled eight, agreeing with the clock on Rhys’ mantel. Rhys’ shoulders slumped. “Amarantha’s gonna be summoning me any time now,” he said. Dejected, exhausted. But not defeated.

I reached out and held him. “Not much longer now. The forty-nine years of Tamlin’s curse are almost over. Then… then we’ll see if we can break the spell on you and the other High Lords and get out of here,” I said into his shoulder. I traced my fingertips over his shoulder blades, where his wings met his back when he had them out. Amarantha didn’t even know he had wings—and he wanted to keep it that way.

“We can only pray,” he said, wrapping his own arms around me.

The mating bond thrummed between us. Neither of us had accepted it. Acted on it. If we did, Amarantha would smell it on us. Destroy me for what I meant to Rhys, just to torment him. It drove us both mad—wild, occasionally—but we’d fought it for years. We could fight it until we were free.

I kissed his barely-exposed collarbone, where the hint of his tattoos were poking out.

“Happy Starfall, Rhysand,” I whispered.

He shuddered. “Happy Starfall, darling,” he replied. His voice shook slightly. He blinked away tears and released me from the hug. Still holding one of my hands, he lifted it to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles.

His eyes, so dark blue they were violet, seemed to be piercing right into my soul. “I swear to you, when we’re free, we will never have to hide our love from anyone,” he said.

I smiled. “That will be nice.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, “Go. Be safe. Walk through the walls as a shadow so she doesn’t see you leaving.” He pressed his forehead to mine.

“I will.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I let his hands go. Darkness swam over my skin, almost like how they did with Azriel. Az… I missed our family.

Tears brimmed in my eyes. I backed toward the opposite wall from the fireplace, my lower body passing through the unrumpled bed. I wiped the tears away, staring at Rhys for as long as I could before I was swallowed by the wall.

I lingered in the wall for a while, letting my tears fall in the privacy of the stone. Inches from Rhys, yet I may as well have been on the other side of the Wall on the farthest end of the human continent. Forty-nine years. So close, trapped, together Under the Mountain. Mates unable to accept their bond for fear of their lives.

I heard the door open to Rhys’ room. “Well, hello, handsome,” Amarantha’s smooth voice greeted.

The sound sent me running. I knew Rhys hated every single night she forced herself on him. I knew he wouldn’t want me to hear. Knew he was ashamed of it, but willing to keep doing it to keep our family and our home safe.

I loved him all the more for it.

Even if the dormant mating bond chafed against me at the thought of another female in bed with my mate.

Stupid territorial instincts.

I burst out of the stone in my own bedchamber. Small, not particularly grand. Sometimes I imagined it was the guest room I usually occupied in the Velaris townhouse. When I was desperately in need of comfort. Neither Rhys nor I had seen the sun much in the last forty-nine years. Sometimes, in midsummer, Rhys, Helion, me, and a few closely trusted people would gather in one of our bedchambers and let Helion glow, imitating the sun.

Then Rhys would cast a blanket of darkness through the room. Darkness and those glittering stars. A night sky we never got to see either.

Neither High Lord had enough power to hold the light or dark for too long, but the brief snatches we got of both were enough to keep hoping. Enough to keep us from breaking entirely. From shattering down to our very souls.

I collapsed on my bed. Nuala and Cerridwen appeared a few minutes later. Just to sit with me. Their touches were light as I cried. It felt like they were barely embracing me. But I knew they were there. Appreciated their care and concern. As well as their company. If it weren’t for Rhys and Helion, I would have certainly gone mad a long time ago.

“My lady,” Nuala said softly, “how may we ease your pain?”

I shook my head. “Just… just sit with me a while.”

The twins nodded. “We serve and protect,” Cerridwen said.

The three of us stayed on the edge of my bed for hours. Hours, I knew, Rhys was spending with Amarantha. On Starfall. Because she knew he loved it, and she wanted to deprive him of it. Just as, if she found out we were mates, she would want to deprive him of me. Slowly. Painfully. In every way possible before I finally died. Hoping to break him beyond repair.

But my High Lord’s soul was forged in hotter fires, even, than this half-century-long trial. He would never let her break him. Even if she found out about his relation to me.

Long after midnight, Cerridwen pulled a small comb out of my hair that I’d forgotten I’d put in. A small, silver thing with a single star engraved into the top. No jewels, just metal. A simple ornament to remind myself it was Starfall. To remind Rhys.

Even if I had forgotten I put it in.

The twins helped me with the stiff buttons of my tunic and shirt and then left me for the evening to finish undressing and climbing into bed.

I didn’t sleep.

Forty-nine years, and I never slept the night of Starfall. Nor the Winter Solstice.

��

Rhys slipped into my room well into the next morning. I was still lying in bed, eyes closed but awake. He set a hand on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes.

His wings were out.

I sat up quickly. “What—why—”

He just held a finger to his lips. “So you know it’s me. Not some illusion. She didn’t see. I didn’t let them out until I closed the door in here.” His wings tilted backwards and then disappeared.

I leaned my head onto his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me.

“This kills me,” he whispered. “I should never have brought you to that party. Then you wouldn’t be stuck here.”

“It was my choice too,” I reminded him, sitting up from his shoulder. “I thought… I thought you’d need backup. Someone to distract anyone who came too near while you were getting into her head to make her confess. It kills me that I didn’t think to test your drink for curses. Sniff it for poisons. I want to kill her for all she’s taken from you. For the fact that we’ve lived like this for decades. That I can’t take you to be mine because of her. Some nights it makes me sick thinking about my mate being forced to bed a different female. This isn’t your fault, Rhysand. It’s mine too.”

I never called him his full given name to his face unless I was serious about something. He knew it too. Which was why his violet eyes finally met mine from where our knees were almost touching.

“I don’t deserve you,” he muttered.

“I feel the same way about you.”

He kissed my forehead.

Forty-nine years. The bond had snapped into place thirty years ago, even though we’d known each other for two centuries before that. Thirty years of not being able to even kiss him on the lips for fear of us both losing control and accepting the bond on both ends. Slamming our scents together in an unmistakeable sign we were mates.

“I promise, I’ll find a way to get us out of this,” Rhysand vowed, voice low.

“I’ll help any way I can,” I said.

It wasn’t a bargain, per se. Not the type that required a tattoo. Just a quiet promise between two people in love.

Nuala appeared in the room. “Amarantha’s calling a party for tonight,” she said. “Throne room. The usual.”

“Thank you,” Rhys and I said at the same time. She nodded and disappeared.

Silence stretched out between us for a few minutes. Long enough that it started to make me uncomfortable. I got out of bed and started selecting clothes for the day. Awful, immodest, wicked, Under the Mountain clothes.

“What do you think?” Rhysand finally asked.

“About?” I tested.

“The party tonight.”

“It’ll be just like all the other ones.”

“Wanna shake things up?”

“No. A party just like all the other ones is how we’ve survived this long.” I picked up a brush from where it sat on my basic vanity, set my clothes bundle where the brush had been, and started to detangle my hair. “We survive by playing our roles. Wearing masks even worse than those at the Spring Court, stuck to their faces. The people here—they know what you are. They know what I am. They know I will pretend to tolerate their company while the monster inside sizes up its prey. They know you do the same thing. Changing it now won’t be good for us.” I shook my head.

“What if you arrive in your most revealing gown and we pretend to be lovers that will use and discard each other?”

I didn’t answer until I finished brushing out my hair. “You know that would be dangerous.”

“It would distract Amarantha.”

I threw the brush across the room, where it bounced off the padded headboard, soaring an inch past Rhysand’s ear. “I’m not talking about Amarantha!” I snapped. Rhys looked startled, though the expression smoothed out after the blink of an eye. “You know why we can’t do that to each other. Not now. Because… because—” I squared my shoulders. “—because having you so close, playing that game… you know neither of us would be able to help it. We’d come back here, shred each other’s clothes, and tomorrow Amarantha would start slowly butchering both of us.”

He looked away from me, down to his knees. I crossed to the door that would lead to my tiny adjoining bathing room. “I know,” he said softly. He stood up and stomped over to me as something seemed to rile his temper. “But don’t assume for a second that she hasn’t noticed you have never taken a lover your entire time here. Everyone else has—except you.”

“So what?”

“She doesn’t like being beaten at her own game. Everyone else takes lovers because she expects them to grow more and more wicked and base as their souls wear down and break. For pretty much everyone else, she’s been right. She thinks she broke me like a prize stallion with very little effort. She sees that you’re not breaking—and she’ll want to start working on wearing you down. Tamlin’s deadline is crawling ever-nearer and she’s getting paranoid and restless. She’ll turn you into entertainment just for defying her like this.”

My shoulders slouched. “Even so, she’d never give up you. And I’m not about to take any other male while I’m here, knowing it’s you I should be taking.” The barest flicker of feeling twitched at the mating bond between us. Which emotion, I couldn’t place.

Rhys looked thoughtful. “She’d let me have a side-dalliance as long as she suspected there was nothing behind it. No care, no emotion at all. Just base, primal, carnal instincts we’d later toss aside.” He shrugged. I missed the sight of his wings sweeping the air with his shrugs back home.

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said.

“Your choice.”

It was always my choice. Even when things directly impacted him, or hurt his feelings, it was always my choice. “What about your choice?”

“Well, given I suggested it, I think you already know what my choice would be.” He gave me one of his best, sensuous, seductive grins. Wickedly flirtatious. Appealing to that part of me that was absolutely feral deep down. My chest tightened and I clamped down on the longing rising in my heart.

“Fine. But we can’t let—we can’t let the bond solidify. She can’t know.”

Rhys grinned. “I think you’re going to need to choose a different dress, darling.” He gave me a wink.

If I hadn’t already thrown my hairbrush at him, I’d have done it again.

[breaking-shadows]

A writer’s perspective...

I’m an Elriel shipper and an avid reader but I’m also a writer, so I wanted to add a writer’s perspective. This wasn’t intended to provide clarity on Elriel or otherwise, just a few thoughts. I apologise in advance for the long ramble.

When we start to get the first interactions between Elain and Azriel in ACOMAF, the stakes are simply not high enough, or there at all. It would have been so easy to have the “quiet” sister paired with the “quiet” brother. But who would have really cared and what impact would it have had on the reader? Very little, I imagine. Graysen wasn’t an established character that anyone cared about so if Elain discarded him for a beautiful, brooding Illyrian, then who’d blame her.

Personally, I would not spend three books dropping breadcrumbs to hint at a build-up between characters if I had no intention of making them end-game. But would I make them suffer to get their happily ever after? Absolutely! Would I put them through the ringer to make them deserve it? Of course, my readers would expect nothing less.

Even if I first intended the two characters to be together and then changed my mind, I would have fizzled it out and drawn a line under it asap.  This hasn’t happened with Elain and Azriel, if anything we’ve had the opposite, and we’re at the stage now where this is a love they’re going to have to fight for, and as a writer and a reader, they’re the best kind.

 Obstacle 1 – Mor

While Mor was never really a barrier for Elriel to overcome, Azriel’s feelings for her are still something that needs to be addressed. We’ve had hints of it in ACOSF, Azriel’s gazes of pining and longing towards her are less, but this is an issue that still needs resolving in the upcoming books. For their well-being if nothing else. Plot wise, it adds very little tension because as readers we know it will never be, as a writer, it needs an honest conversation between these characters.

Obstacle 2 – Lucien

We’ve had the set-up of mates and all the importance that comes with it with Feyre and Rhys, and now Nesta and Cassian.

Lucien, a beloved character, who deserves the world, is introduced as Elain’s mate during a highly charged, fraught ending in ACOMAF. Now as a reader, my reaction was: Oh! I thought she’d end up with the quiet one. And as a writer it was: Oh! What of she ends up with the quiet one? Suddenly, the stakes are a little higher, we have a barrier, there is something in the way of an easy get-together. Especially when we learn more about mating and the Blood Duel which is still legal in the Autumn Court.

At first, when Lucien goes to the Night Court with Feyre, it is because his mate is there, and he is nothing more than a guest in their court. Elain isn’t interested in the mating bond with Lucien, so fine. Reject the bond and move on with Azriel, very little to overcome. Except, fast-forward to ACOSF and Lucien’s dynamic has changed with the Night Court. Court politics come in to play. He is no longer a guest, but an ally that ties several of the courts together. They cannot afford to lose the support of the other courts. Which leads me on to:

Obstacle 3 – Rhys

I have read lots of posts with people furious with Rhys saying he was OOC etc. For him and Feyre, the dynamic changed in ACOSF, therefore, he had to change with it. He has a pregnant mate; which instinct tells him to protect at all costs. They have just faced a brutal war that affected them all and can’t put his people through that again, can’t put the ones he loves through that again and there is a shadow of one on the horizon.

All great plot points aside, that one scene in Azriel’s POV and we’re hit with the forbidden love trope. We have longing, we have tension, we have a barrier in the form of someone Azriel loves and respects deeply. The stakes are not suddenly high, they’re astronomical. What a mountain to overcome!

Obstacle 4 – Azriel and Elain

Elain needs to become something to be reckoned with. I loved the glimpses we got of her on ACOSF, she was beginning to fight back, she had bite, but now we know there is more to come – and I for one cannot wait. And as character development – oh the places she could go. She has feelings for Azriel, that is established, so no qualms there.

Azriel – this boy is a mess. Personally, he needs to love himself before he can offer anyone anything, but what a beautiful journey that could be. I didn’t lose my shit at his POV, it was a snap-shot of a moment. No, it didn’t scream of love for Elain, but previous actions have shown feelings that go beyond sexual, sitting, talking with her until the early hours etc. The scene was designed to tell us how much he wanted her. A trait often described with SJM’s males. He needs to get his shit together.

Obstacle 5 – Gwyn

Now, let’s look at the addition of Gwyn (who I adore btw). This one seems to have the ability to make or break Elriel. From a writer’s POV she has amazing potential. Azriel already has feelings for Elain so she isn’t really something to overcome, but she has already caused tension. I don’t see her as a distraction, given her background, (poor girl has been through enough) I wouldn’t want her treated like that and nothing in Azriel’s POV indicated that. She could be a friend, a different type of friend he so badly needs, a confidante, someone to help him heal. Could be.

We also have the potential of misunderstandings, which can add immense tension to a relationship. Will Elain see Az and Gwyn together and have her heart broken because she thinks he has feelings for her when really he’s confiding in his love for Elain? Maybe. (Not even touching on that necklace!) At this stage, for SJM all things are possible, and that is incredibly exciting.

Let’s say SMJ does indeed intend Gwyn and Azriel to be end-game. We’ve had sprinklings of interactions between them ranging from polite to sweet to a little flirty.

The moment with Gwyn in Azriel’s POV, I’ll have to admit, knocked me for six. I can see it; I can see them together and how she would be good for him. But for it to negate four books worth of build-up, I don’t see it happening, from a writer’s POV, and as a reader, I’d wonder what the point was. But I’m not SJM and there is a possibility she could go down this route. For me, for this to be worthwhile in the eyes of the reader, their story is going to have to be EPIC, otherwise the pay-off isn’t worth it. But as a writer, what a journey that would be.

In compense, Elain would have to do something magnificent, would have to step into her own. She herself could become something to fear, the Persephone to Koschei’s Hades. (I hope not but look at the potential). The only thing here is the relationship between Az and Gwyn. His feelings for Elain are the only source of conflict. It’s possible Azriel has had enough conflict and just wants to love and be loved in return. Gywn could offer than, but I think it’s missing something.

 I think my main point, though poorly executed, is writing is a rollercoaster, and the readers are the ones in the carriages with white-tipped knuckles, gripping on tight. If it consisted of a 2-metre straight track, you’d wonder why the hell you bothered. So, however this ends, sit back and enjoy the ride and be kind to each other, whoever you ship. It will be heart-breaking and gut-wrenching, and emotional. It will hurt like hell, but by god it will be worth it.

 Didn’t expect this post to be so long – forgive me!

[lily-mj-fae]

Elain Archeron Appreciation Week: Day 1; Favorite Scene

So I have multiple. I will pick one from each book. Because she’s my favorite character. And I adore her.

ACOTAR

“Feyre, you should have told us!” Elain said, still gaping. “Oh, how awful—and you had to endure losing her all on your own, you poor thing. Father will be devastated that he didn’t get to pay his respects.”

...

“Feyre, you look as dumbfounded as we were,” Elain said, hooking elbows with me. “Come inside. We’ll show you the house! We don’t have a room decorated for you, because we thought you’d be with poor old Aunt Ripleigh for months yet, but we have so many bedrooms that you can sleep in a different one each night if you wish!”

...

“You should come with me,” Elain went on. “Nesta won’t go, because she says she doesn’t want to risk the sea crossing, but you and I … Oh, we’d have fun, wouldn’t we?”

Listen. Elain’s reaction to Feyre returning home...you cannot tell me she does not love her sister. Her pure radiance and joy at seeing Feyre. Not to mention, it’s now her turn to take care of Feyre and she immediately embraces it. She tells Feyre they’ll figure out her room and encourages her to find one that makes her comfortable. She makes sure their father is able to start accessing Feyre’s new money. She even arranges a ball (because that’s the kind of thing people did) just to celebrate Feyre’s return. Even under the effects of the glamour, she wants to know about Feyre’s life as it was. And she wants to do things with Feyre. I think they could have had so much fun on the continent.

ACOMAF

“Nesta,” Elain said again, twisting her hands. “If … if we do not help Feyre, there won’t be a wedding. Even Lord Nolan’s battlements and all his men, couldn’t save me from … from them.” Nesta didn’t so much as flinch. Elain pushed, “We keep it secret—we send the servants away. With the spring approaching, they’ll be glad to go home. And if Feyre needs to be in and out for meetings, she’ll send word ahead, and we’ll clear them out. Make up excuses to send them on holidays. Father won’t be back until the summer, anyway. No one will know.” She put a hand on Nesta’s knee, the purple of my sister’s gown nearly swallowing up the ivory hand. “Feyre gave and gave—for years. Let us now help her. Help … others.”

A faint smile bloomed upon Azriel’s mouth as he noticed Elain’s fingers white-knuckled on that fork, but he kept silent, focusing instead, as Cassian was subtly trying to do, on adjusting his wings around a human chair. Cauldron damn me.

Elain’s voice wobbled as she noted the same thing and quickly said to him, “It … it is very hard, you understand, to … accept it.” I realized the dark metal of her ring … it was iron. Even though I had told them about iron being useless, there it was. The gift from her Fae-hating soon-to-be-husband’s family. Elain cast pleading eyes on Rhys, then Azriel, such mortal fear coating her features, her scent. “We are raised this way. We hear stories of your kind crossing the wall to hurt us. Our own neighbor, Clare Beddor, was taken, her family murdered …”

Elain sat a little higher as she said to Cassian, “And as for Feyre’s hunting during those years, it was not Nesta’s neglect alone that is to blame. We were scared, and had received no training, and everything had been taken, and we failed her. Both of us.”

This. I will die for Elain here. Elain, who was able to recognize her mistakes and wanting to help her sister. She wants to do better. Not to mention it’s just a great moment. We see how much good is in her. She’s terrified of Cassian, Az and Rhys. But she’s still talking to them. Defends her sister in front of them. I think it shows just how strong she is, especially compared to what everyone seems to think of her.

ACOWAR

Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.”

Listen. Even in my first couple reads when I didn’t give a rat’s ass about Elain, this moment made me cheer. When my third reread happened to have Elain grabbing me by the collar and making me love her, this scene became even better. The amount of courage she’d have had to build up. The amount on energy. The amount that she would have had to push back to make herself do something like this? Impeccable. Respect. And she deserves every ounce of respect for this moment. And you will not dare tell me otherwise.

ACOFAS

Elain floated to my side. “Happy birthday, Feyre.” My friends—my family—echoed the words as Rhys set the cake on the low-lying table before the fire. I glanced toward my sister. “Did you …?” A nod from Elain. “Nuala did the decorating, though.” It was then that I realized what the three different tiers had been painted to look like. On the top: flowers. In the middle: flames. And on the bottom, widest layer … stars. The same design of the chest of drawers I’d once painted in that dilapidated cottage. One for each of us—each sister. Those stars and moons sent to me, my mind, by my mate, long before we’d ever met. “I asked Nuala to do it in that order,” Elain said as the others gathered round. “Because you’re the foundation, the one who lifts us. You always have been.”

Listen. When I tell you this part almost makes me cry, I’m not kidding. Feyre had always wondered if her sisters ever even noticed the dresser. And the way Elain chose to show she had....absolutely beautiful. GORGEOUS. And I don’t think she gets enough appreciation for this moment Either.

ACOSF (I don’t have the E-book so copying and pasting isn’t happening. And I’m too lazy to type out everything)

Elain talking about Nesta dancing. The whole time she talks about Nesta. And commenting on how happy she is that Nesta has found something that seems to make her just as happy.

For all the wrong things she said in this book (which weren’t awful, just mistakes and it’s okay), I wish Nesta could have heard Elain in that moment. I wish Nesta could have been there to hear how Elain admired that. It just...oh my heart. I felt so much for Elain in this moment. Elain who had loved Nesta and was being pushed away. Elain who loved her family so dearly and felt like she was losing Nesta. That moment. I wanted to hug her.

[gwynsnesta]

Touch - Gwynriel (pregnant Gwyn)

Gwyn spent all day sitting by the piano with her songbook in hand as she pondered what to write. Azriel was out spying and their estate felt lonely when he was gone. Though a few of his shadows stayed behind, they’d soon gotten bored with sitting around. She had desperately wanted to write a song before Az got home to sing it to him. And though she wanted to go, her state left her sitting home.

She was near ready to give up when she felt the baby kick. Gwyn laughed as she placed a hand on her swelling stomach. She loved talking and singing to her baby. She had so many creative ideas when the pregnancy had first started out. But now she was tired, and alone. Not truly. She had her unborn child. But she missed Azriel’s warm arms. She missed her friends who were on a Valkyrie mission and Cassian had gone with Az since Gwyn demanded he didn’t go alone.

Feyre and Rhys were also busy with Nyx, though both her High Lord and Lady had visited her. Mor had stayed over as they gossiped about their partners and their mutual friends but Mor had returned to her home this morning. Gwyn wasn’t as close with Elain, Amren or Varian. She liked Lucien but he was with Vassa and Jurian

“What should I write?” She whispered to her baby even though no one was here. The darkness had taken over and a storm raged through. But Gwyn didn’t mind. She loved the rain and the thunder. The lighting that occasionally occurred. She didn’t understand why. Just that she had always loved storms.

Gwyn felt herself revisiting memories with Catrin. How they used to play in the streams and read stories to the children in Sangravah. Some days they played out those stories. She wondered if her baby would like stories. Most kids did. But she didn’t know. She didn’t know anything about being a mother and it scared her half to death.

Gwyn started to remember other moments like first meeting Nesta and later Emerie. Training with Cassian and her sisters. Her first dinner with the Inner Circle. Making friends with Lucien. The mating bond snapping. Azriel. Azriel. Azriel. How she had come so far. How she could be touched by her mate. How she could hug Rhys, Cassian and Lucien. How she could shake a male’s hand and know she was safe.

The song hit her like a sword. Gwyn didn’t need to write a song about happiness or her family. Today she’d write a song about herself. About her journey and her experiences. About what she could do know that she was on the path of recovery. She may not ever fully heal but she was glad enough for who she was know.

When will I feel this

As vivid as it truly is

Fall in love in a single touch

And fall apart when it hurts too much

Can we skip past near-death clichés

Where my heart restarts, as my life replays?

All I want is to flip a switch

Before something breaks that cannot be fixed

Gwyn wrote about how she first felt when she realised she loved Azriel. How she was afraid to lose him. To be broken once more. But it was a different type of broken. One that couldn’t easily be fixed. A heart shattering. But it hadn’t. Az had chosen her and she him.

I know, I know the sirens sound

Just before the walls come down

Pain is a well-intentioned weatherman

Predicting God as best he can

But God, I want to feel again

How Gwyn had begun to feel again. How she had prayed to the mother and the cauldron. How they rewarded her with this. Love. A mate and a child. Friends, family and her sisters.

Rain or shine, I don't feel a thing

Just some information upon my skin

I miss the subtle aches when the weather changed

The barometric pressure we always blamed

All I want is to flip a switch

Before something breaks that cannot be fixed

They may not be her thoughts now but they had been once before. Gwyn had been so afraid to feel. To allow herself to love someone as much as she loved Azriel and her unborn child. But she had made it here. She’d continue down this path.

Invisible machinery

These moving parts inside of me

Well, they've been shutting down for quite some time

Leaving only rust behind

Well I know, I know the sirens sound

Just before the walls come down

Pain is a well-intentioned weatherman

Predicting God as best he can

But God, I want to feel again

Oh God, I want to feel again

Gwyn did feel again. She made it here. And she couldn’t be more proud of herself.

Down my arms, a thousand satellites

Suddenly discover signs of life

When Gwyn finished her song she felt her baby kick her again. Softly and gently. As if to say “good job mama.” How she couldn’t wait to hold her bundle of joy in her arms. How she couldn’t wait to start this new path with Azriel.

———

Song is Touch by Sleeping at Last x

[acourtofthought]

What has Azriel done for Elain though?

What role did he play in her healing journey that apperantly happened off page? Cassian played an Important role in Nesta's journey and Rhys did in Feyre's. Not just as love interests but they were one of the reasons why the girls are now in a better place.

Azriel, unlike Lucien, sees Elain everyday. It was never ordered from him to stay away from her before, so why did he just stand there doing nothing? They got some finger touches, shy glances but nothing more? Azriel had always had the best chances to get to know Elain more. Plenty of opportunities to start something meaningful with Elain, but he did not? Meanwhile Lucien has to ask for permission to see his own mate and even then he gets monitored like he's a criminal. He rarely sees her and their bond is being used to control Lucien.

So this argument that Lucien doesn't care about her but Azriel does is so stupid, given that he did not care enough to find her and make sure that she's okay like Lucien did right after the war, literally after she made the killing blow KNOWING that she despises violence. Did not care enough to approach her in those 2 years and at least have some type of conversations. He did not care enough about her to trust her when she declared that she wants to help find the trove and is capable of doing that. He did not care enough to tell her to wait for a moment and that he'll be back instead of saying "this was a mistake". He did not care enough to just give the necklace back to the Shop owner, instead giving it to another women. He did not care enough to seek her out and apologize, instead he easily stayed away from her as he was ordered to. He did not care about her enough, like el/riels claim, to even look at her and that is going on for months and months after winter solstice. For El/riels to claim that he can't live without Elain, he seems to be doing fine and sure as hell is still breathing without her in his life.

Kinda same for Elain. What has she done for Azriel that got him to be able to heal a little. She made him laugh? Nesta and Gwyn also made him laugh. He's gentle with her than with anyone else? Actually, he's gentle to Nesta and Gwyn, Feyre, Mor and other women most likely too. His POV proved that he is feeling worse than good. Seeing someone as some type of goddess and himself as a monster is not some romantic sh*t people love to claim, especially when he did that with Mor too. Azriel always sees himself beneath everyone else.

Before someone comes in and declares some crap..yes, Gwyn hasn't done much for Azriel either and so hasn't Azriel for Gwyn, but keep in mind that Gwynriel just met after a traumatic event that happened 2 years ago. No one is claiming they're in love and they just started to be more comfortable around each other, especially Gwyn with Azriel.

Elucien too. They don't get the chance of even having a 5 min conversation without anyone monitoring them and without Elain still having plenty of issues with the fae life, specifically the bond.

But again- El*riel had plenty of opportunities in those 2 and more years. For people to claim that he cares so much about her, that Elain is healing and that Azriel can only heal with her in his life, it sure as hell doesn't look like it.

I'm sure he cares bout her, but not to the point of love. Not what El*riels claim to say.

You made so many good points in your ask and I also think the "Az hasn't done much for Gwyn" can be easily disproven.

Rhys, Cassian, and Lucien were there for their Mates in a way that made sense for them as individuals and their circumstance.

Rhys left Feyre alone as long as he did ONLY because it seemed to be what she wanted. But the second she called out for help he was there. And he KNEW that what she needed was someone to push her to reach her potential so she could find herself again. So she could believe in herself again. And that's what he gave her through their training, through the situations with the Attor, the Weaver, etc. Did it look a bit harsh? Tossing her into the deep end to see if she'd sink or swim? Yes but.....it's exactly what Feyre needed.

With Cassian and Nesta, sure he tried to give her space to figure out what she needed. But again, when that failed, he stepped in with his tough love. He pushed her to train, to find a healthy outlet for her anger and frustrations while also talking her through her deepest issues.

With Lucien, he stood by Elain's side as much as he was permitted (we all know he would have preferred to be more involved however Feyre and Nesta blocked him at nearly every turn). He continued thinking of things that might help her even when he wasn't being included by the others. Getting her outside, having a healer look her over, sitting with her himself and trying to reach out through the bond (which again, was interrupted by Nesta). And when he realized that she was starting to heal and needed time to herself, he volunteered to leave so she could have that.

The sisters experiences though, were not Gwyn's experience. They were all horrible but different. And what Az did for her did seem to be what Gwyn needed after being SA by a Male and nearly SA by other Males. The same Males who murdered her sister.

His first action for Gwyn was slaughtering everyone who had brought the nightmare upon her. He then covered her which I'm guessing she greatly appreciated after being so exposed. He then, respectfully handed her off to a female who might have the ability to set her at more ease than yet another Male she didn't know. And he gave her the time and space to surround herself with only females she felt safe with rather than pushing his way into her life and forcing his presence upon her.

I really think Az did do everything that was in his power to help Gwyn's healing because I don't think she would have wanted anything more from any Male until she decided she was ready for it.

As far as Gwyn, she brought Az a sense of calmness without even trying to. That's a pretty big deal for someone like him.

And I agree. Elain was in the HOW for months before Lucien arrived and she hadn't been eating, drinking, talking, etc. Rhys tells us that he, Az, Cassian and a few trusted servants were the only ones permitted access to her. Yet we're given absolutely no indication Az did anything for Elain during that time or whether he even tried to visit her. My guess is no but, even if he did, it's pretty apparent he wasn't able to do anything to bring her out of her depression. So Az, to me, gets no credit for helping Elain during the lowest moments of her life.

And after Elain did start to recover, I think she appreciated that Az was this polite human looking Male who sat quietly beside her but we're given no impression that she ever tried to get to know him during that time. Sure she "noticed" he rubs his head but......what about the deep stuff? If people are really going to claim they're in love than I'm a little confused what it is she loves about him. He says she doesn't know him and the deepest thing she's said about him is that he seems to get headaches from people. She called his scars or his siphons "beautiful" but did she ever ask him a question about either one? Sorry but I refuse to believe that all these deep moments happened off page and we're just supposed to believe they are in love without having witnessed the journey to get there. It doesn't make for a believable romance especially, when like you said, no one is preventing them from spending all their time together talking about everything under the stars.

(Honorable Mentions - he was about to pass out after the Hybern rescue and she kissed his cheek then walked to Feyre 😂)