#thank u taylor swift ur a real one for writing DBATC

[isnotwhatyourethinking]

One For The Ages

Cassian x Fem!Reader AU

Cassian Appreciation Week 2024

Day Six: Birthday

Summary: Cassian's been feeling a bit down since you both took a break due to some silly miscommunication, so his friends, Feyre, Mor, and Azriel, persuade him to go out for drinks, his birthday being the perfect excuse for the outing. As the night unfolds at Rita's, Cassian walks into an unplanned birthday surprise, and a song that helps bridge the gap between you two.

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: happy @cassianappreciationweek! this one-shot is for all the cheesy hearts, for the readers that want nothing but young, unfiltered, unapologetic, flirty, coma-inducing love between them and our favorite Illyrian baby <3 

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, language if you squint, reader is a bit of a brat, a dash of angst, and nothing but feet-kicking, giggle-inducing fluff fluff fluff

All ACOTAR rights to the genius of Sarah J Maas✨

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Mor and Feyre had been relentless, trying to drag Cassian out of his funk ever since the breakup. 

It had been a couple of weeks since you and Cassian had decided to take a break over some stupid miscommunication. He had tried to explain himself countless times, but you, as stubborn and proud as you were, hadn’t given him the chance. Two days ago he'd spoken to Rhys, hoping to get some advice on the situation, and Rhys had told him to give you some time and space to think things through, and he had, even though he still missed you terribly. 

He’d spent the day between meetings checking his phone for a message from you, a notification, a TikTok meme—any sign that you still cared—but nothing came. He wished he spent the day with you, though he knew his friends might have something planned, and he certainly appreciated the distraction. As it just so happened that today, on his birthday, the girls finally had the perfect excuse to take him out for drinks. 

Azriel walked into their shared apartment, arms loaded with bottles of aged tequila, chips and salsa. He found Cassian wrapping up a virtual coaching session, clearly planning to stay home after a quick shower. 

"Don't be a boring baby, Cass. It's your birthday. Get out and enjoy it," Az chided, setting the supplies on the kitchen counter.

Cassian arched an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Even you want to go out and celebrate? Who are you, and what have you done with my roommate?"

Az smirked, pouring two shots of tequila. "Just trying to get you out of your cave for once.”

Then he hooked an arm around Cassian's neck, pulling him into a playful headlock. With his free hand, he formed a fist and rubbed his knuckles into Cassian's hair, mussing it. Cassian grumbled, but a small smile crept onto his face as Azriel's quiet laugh filled the room. 

“Cheers to your birthday, man." 

They clinked glasses just as the buzzer rang. Azriel pressed the intercommunicator and two loud voices greeted him with a singsong.

"Go, Cassian! It's your birthday! We gon' party like it's your birthday!”

"Aaand that’ll be Mor and Feyre," Az said, buzzing them in. "Now go shower and get ready. You’re not weaseling out of this."

Cassian sighed and made his way to his room, still brooding a little over tonight's outing, but grateful for his friends, the group he had come to call family.

Moments later, two noisy girls burst into the apartment, each carrying a small bag containing a gift, already dressed and ready to hit Rita's. Mor and Feyre walked in with playful smiles that quickly faded when they saw the look on Azriel's face as he greeted them. 

"Hello, ladies. It looks like the party just arrived.” He leaned in to hug Mor first, then Feyre, while he said in a hushed tone:

"He's getting ready, still not in the mood, though."

Mor leaned in, whispering, "Any word from Y/N?" Feyre glanced hopefully at Az, who shook his head.

Both sighed in disappointment while dropping both gift bags on the kitchen counter, their hopes for a reconciliation dampened. 

You, Feyre and Morrigan were inseparable ever since you and Cassian had become best friends, even More so when you started dating. Whether it was planning girls’ nights out, painting each other’s nails, or curling up to watch scary movies, your time together was always filled with laughter and closeness; you formed a trio that was not just friends, but a cherished sisterhood that had not been the same since the breakup. The girls had been there for you through and through, even to call you out on your bullshit when you told them you were not sure if you were ready to forgive him. 

“Girl, it wasn’t that bad. You gotta let it go,” Mor had said in a teasing tone while rolling her eyes at you. And you knew it wasn't, you knew you were acting like a brat; they still loved you and didn't judge you, nonetheless.

From his room, Cassian's voice boomed, "You know I can hear you scheming, right?"

The girls giggled, and Mor called out, "Hurry up, Cassian! Amren and Rhys are meeting us at Rita's, and they should be there by now."

Cassian emerged, wearing a leather jacket, worn jeans, black boots, and a Van Halen t-shirt that wrapped tightly every single perfectly crafted muscle on him. He joined the group in the living room for pregame drinks. 

"Don’t think I didn’t miss you got my favorite tequila," he remarked to Az, offering him a wide grin.

Az winked at him. "Yeah, apparently that's what it takes to get you to leave this apartment."

They all laughed, clinking their glasses and taking shots. After a few minutes of catching up, and a few more shots, they left in almost a hurry to their Uber, closing the door behind them as the home phone rang, unanswered. The voicemail clicked on, a robotic voice echoing through the apartment:

"Please leave your message after the tone. BEEP."

"Hey, Cass. I know it's been a while. I’m sorry, I, uh, texted earlier but wasn't sure if you got my message. Anyway, are you coming to Rita's tonight?” Your nervous tone rang loudly over the background noise of drinks and chatter, “I was hoping to, uh… wish you a happy birthday. Plus, it's buy-one-get-one-free happy hour and karaoke night…! Shit, I'm ranting. Sorr—" 

“Your mailbox is full.” 

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Rita's was busting. The whole place was loud with pounding bass and bursts of laughter, as more and more people made their way to a corner of the bar, some still wearing work attire, but most likely all waiting for their turn to submit their karaoke song requests. You sat next to Emerie at the bar, leaning against the sticky surface as you awaited the shots you had ordered, and your song to come up. You constantly turned your face back to check the door, hoping he’d come tonight.

Emerie was tired of your antics.

“You’re making me nervous.”

You sighed. “Sorry I’m being a wreck tonight… should I call again, though?”

Emerie blanked her eyes at you with astonishment. “Y/N, be for real. You already texted and left a voicemail. We don’t want to sound desperate, do we? Besides, I think I saw Amren a minute ago. They’re all most likely coming.”

A pang of hope hit your chest. 

You’d been busy with work, this week going so fast you hadn’t had the time or energy to reevaluate Mor and Feyre’s advice, and more so to acknowledge you had indeed made a mistake and should have given Cassian the chance to explain himself. And you hated fighting with your best friend, much less on his birthday, as you had already planned over a month ago a couple’s retreat in Big Bear for this weekend—just the two of you in a quaint cabin secluded by the lake, phones on do-not-disturb, a schedule of all of his favorite outdoor activities, and some of the indoor activities that you both enjoyed, too. 

You hoped that if he came, he would at least hear your sorry-ass apology for being a proud snot, even if he wasn't interested in the birthday present, and you would finally give him the opportunity to talk, as you should have done in the first place.

You sighed once again with the turmoil of regrets in your head, ready to hit another shot of gin, when the DJ announced your name, letting you know it’s your turn and your song is about to come up.

Emerie’s head suddenly snapped back at you with a wide grin and complicit eyes, excitingly tapping the bar as the melody started. You finally finished your shot of gin, trying to gain some confidence. 

As you made your way to the corner of the bar towards the karaoke booth, where the DJ reached out with his arm to give you the microphone, you realized you were actually looking forward to this moment, to release the stress of the work week and the restlessness that sleeping without Cassian cuddling you these past few weeks had left you. 

The screen next to the karaoke booth lit up with the image of pink cotton candy skies, and the lyrics started playing in a fuchsia glitter font:

Ah

Ah

Ah

Ah

Ah

Emerie began clapping with an occasional “YAAASS” that tinged your cheek with embarrassment as you tentatively swayed on the small stage and brought the mic close to your mouth, when a familiar towering shape crossed the bar entrance with an entourage you knew all too well. Feyre came first, rushing into the bar and screeching with excitement while dragging Mor by the hand to meet Emerie, and you definitely did not miss how Mor and Emerie exchanged flirty looks.

All your confidence sank to your stomach when you saw Cassian walking in behind them, mindlessly heading towards the bar with a distracted look. Azriel elbowed him, nodding his chin towards you. Cassian’s eyes lit up, drifting in a flicker to the sundress he loved to see you wearing, and his jaw dropped faintly as you had no other choice but to start singing the song you had been blasting for weeks since the breakup:

Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts

Flashbacks waking me up

I get drunk, but it's not enough

'Cause the morning comes, and you're not my baby

You continued singing with a somewhat shy demeanor, though the grin that grew on Cassian's lips gave you the encouragement you needed to keep going. 

You both loved coming to Rita’s on karaoke nights. It had become an unspoken rule between you two—whenever the work week felt like a little too much, you'd come here to rant about clients, coworkers, or both, in the middle of 2x1 drinks and your poorly sung favorite songs.

Emerie, Feyre, and Mor, were now cheering you with shot glasses in their hands, Mor whistling loudly, while Cassian and Azriel tried to get the bartender's attention from the now impossibly crowded bar to order more drinks for the group. 

You sang with the newfound boldness Cassian’s grin gave you from the bar, never losing sight of you as you savored every single word that had held you up these past few days, your smile barely reaching your eyes as his attention fixed on you.

I look through the windows of this love

Even though we boarded them up

Chandelier's still flickering here

'Cause I can't pretend it's ok when it's not

It's death by a thousand cuts

The words kept pouring out just like the many shots of gin you’d had earlier, and you now regretted having that many as your skin felt too warm, too sweaty, too exposed to the crowd gathering in front of you. You tried to shake off the uneasy feeling that started to creep up on you when you saw Cassian click his tequila shot with Az, hit it while keeping a straight face, and walk towards the karaoke booth to your left.

Oh, Gods. 

He now reached the DJ, whispering something in his ear that made him laugh and reach out for something under his desk. Never mind him, keep singing, you told yourself, trying to ignore the fact that he now held a microphone and was walking onto the stage with a roguish smile that shattered any remnant of pride left in you. He walked towards you and reached for your hand as he began to sing playfully, staring into your eyes:

You said it was a great love

One for the ages

But if the story's over

Why am I still writing pages?

You shook your head in disbelief, covering your face with a knowingly amused expression that implied this was typical Cassian behavior, as now both of you were singing the next few lines in unison, while the now larger crowd cheered, and familiar faces sang along from the front line: Feyre stood in front of Rhys, who hugged her from behind; Mor and Emerie sang loudly, chanting and waving every word with frenzied exaggeration; and Azriel and Amren recorded a video with their cellphones, eyes full of amusement, knowing they’d use the evidence to tease you both in the future.

Cassian never stopped facing you, now solo singing with eyes glinting as he relished the next lines like they’d been written for you only:

My heart, my hips, my body, my love

Trying to find a part of me that you didn't touch

Gave up on me like I was a bad drug

But you didn’t back down, spitting back the lyrics you knew by heart, all this time never paying attention to the prompts on the screen,

My time, my wine, my spirit, my trust

Trying to find a part of me you didn't take up

Gave you too much but it wasn't enough

But I'll be all right, it's just a thousand cuts

The back-and-forth continued until you both finished the song, almost panting and laughing. Your friends, the crowd, the DJ, hell, even Rita, who had been watching from behind the bar, cheered for yet another entertaining karaoke-after-work Friday at the bar, which by this time of the night was always packed with drunk patrons.

Still holding hands as he wouldn’t let go yours, you both left the stage to greet your friends after returning the microphones, and before any of their teasing began, Cassian excused himself to pull you into a quieter hallway by the restrooms, his chest heaving while he placed himself impossibly close to you to address the elephant in the room.

He moved a strand of your hair away from your face with such a delicate touch that you subtly shivered.

“You came.”

"I, uh, wasn't sure if you'd be happy to see me here," you said tentatively, lifting your head as high as you could to meet his gorgeous hazel eyes, wondering if you could go another minute without kissing him, and foolishly telling yourself that it was probably the gin talking, “but I wanted to see you, I wanted to say I’m s—”

"No, wait, Y/N. I'm sorry. About our anniversary." Cass interrupted with eagerness before you could finish, his eyes reflecting nothing but regret, holding yours with a suffocating intensity that almost made your knees buckle.

"I swear, I had plans for us, I wanted us to spend a few days away from everything and everyone like we've always talked about, but I closed my two biggest accounts to date by offering them a free one-on-one, and they could only do it that weekend."

You could see his excitement as he spoke, you'd heard him rant many times in the past about how much these clients meant to him. 

"The Vanserras?" 

"Can you believe it, baby? They booked me for the next couple of years," he nodded with another breathtaking grin, a charming smile that should be the end of you by how it made you reach out for his impossibly toned arms, his broad chest, up until you playfully reached his messy bun.

"I'm—that's fantastic, Cass, I'm so happy for you!" Emotions swirled in your stomach as the gin finally settled in your system, and your eyes stung with tears as soon as you started apologizing profusely for acting so immaturely. He leaned in for an embrace, resting his face on your neck while his nose and stubble tickled softly your ear and cheek.

"Sweetheart, if anything, I should be sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you," he whispered in a rich baritone that made you clench your thighs together.

"Now, let's wipe these tears from that pretty face," he said as he pulled away to grab your chin softly, gingerly kissing your eyes, tiny drops fading away on his lips. 

He glanced back at you with a look you had seen many times at this same place, those two pools of honey projecting the clear intention of appealing to your competitive side, for he knew just how to taunt you and make your whole body flutter with excitement, he knew how to make you feel that you had to be the luckiest girl in the world. 

Oh, you knew what was coming next. And it meant war.

“Are you ready to duo Runnin’ With the Devil, or are you too scared to break your perfect streak? And I won’t take no for an answer because it’s my birthday.”

"You think I'm going to let you win this time just because it's your birthday? Big spoiled baby," you taunted back, tutting in a flirtatious tone that made him pull you in for a kiss. “For your information, I already got you a birthday present.”

“Yeah?” he whispered between kisses, your lips losing themselves in a breathless dance.

“Yeah. We’re going to Big Bear.”

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yes cassian’s a van halen fan it’s headcanon

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