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mcuamerica-reblogs · 2 months ago

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All this? Over an Heir?

A Neapolitan Bond’s Fic.

Pairing: Azriel/Eris/Reader | Rating: T| Word count: 3341

Master List | Read on A03 | For @sjmxreaderweek day 5 Heir.

Summary: Eris and Azriel are acting strange after a meeting with the Governors that you were not able to attend. You venture to find out what happened. You are not prepared for the truth.

Warnings: Discussion of having children, some slut shaming, off screen murder, some bigotry

A/N: I wasn’t planning on writing this but… it happens. Note the POV shift and the flashback when Eris is telling his story.

Tagging: (I am hoping I got everyone): @myromanempiree @pit-and-the-pen @lilah-asteria @crazylokonugget @st4r-girl-official @thisblogisaboutabook @paleidiot @div94 @tele86 @chaos-on-stand-bi @bobbyisbored @ysmtttty @romantasyreader28 @azrielsshadows42 @stargirlrchive @scarsandallaz @paintedbyshadows @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @acourtofbatboydreams @ninthcircleofprythian @secret-third-thing @theicarustoyourcertainty2 @hieragalbatorixdottir @daycourtofficial @prythianpages

Something was off with Eris and Azriel.

You knew their tells by now for when something was bothering them. Eris had tense shoulders and a clenched jaw even if it was subtle. Azriel’s shadows flurried more no matter how much he shooed them away. You’d been in the village all day and returned shortly before sundown, so you had no idea what transpired. You waited for them to talk about it at dinner.

Nothing.

They only asked how your visit was and told you how the governors meeting started off rocky but ended well. At least by bed they’d relaxed, but still something was off. You’d made it your mission to find out what happened. You outright asked Azriel if he was alright the next day.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” A lie if you ever heard it.

“Your shadows seemed more active is all,” you shrugged. His wings bristled but he didn’t respond.

When you went to Eris, you had to ask less direct questions. You asked about any hangups in plans for the month. Issues with the budget. When nothing worked, you asked for the written record of the meeting you missed. That seemed to get a reaction.

“I would have to find it.” Eris sighed. “It went three hours over and in a tired haze I can’t remember where I put it.”

Eris never forgot where he put things.

“When you find it, let me know.” You smiled sweetly.

You then went through the House looking for one person who could give you information. Charlotte, wife of Elden, was the biggest gossip in Autumn. She heard everything and forgot nothing. You invited her to tea under the disguise of catching up.

She was an older fae- her brown hair streaked with graying strands. It suited her, with how she pinned it up. She always had a flower in her hair to match her dress. Today it was a marigold and her dress was a velvet yellow. She greeted you with a kiss on the cheek and instantly went to chatting. It only took you a few sips of tea for her to bring up what you’d been waiting on.

“And poor Lord Hurbert, may The Mother keep him. I plan to visit his wife later today. Though I doubt she will be mourning heavily.”

“Lord Hurbert passed away?” You tilted your head. He was an elderly fae but not so old he was frail.

Charlotte’s well maintained brows arched.

“You didn’t know?” You shook your head. She made a hmph noise. “Elden said that the High Lord who, well” she let her voice trail.

“I’m sorry?” You put your cup down before your grip could break it.

“That’s what Elden told me. He wouldn’t speak of what happened. Came back from his meeting all shook up. Whatever it was, he did say Hurbert deserved it. The Mother knows the old fool had a temper.”

You sat there in silence. Eris had murdered someone? You felt a coolness against your wrist. You looked down and the shadow that followed you had curled around your wrist.

“Oh dear, don’t look so distraught,” Charlotte’s voice made you snap out of your haze. “Forty years and this is the first time the High Lord has done away with someone? Lord Beron used to make it a point to torture at least every full moon. Cauldron knows Lord Eris is better than his father. If I may speak plainly, Hubert was a dreadful male. I never knew why Lord Eris let him live when he came to power in the first place.”

That brought you no comfort.

“I need to speak with my husband,” you muttered, still in a daze.

You went to stand and Lady Charlotte stood with you. She grasped your sleeve, her dainty hand holding a tight grip on the fabric. You met her gaze and saw the panic in her eyes.

“Do not tell the High Lord I told you.” Gone was the humor and haughty tone, replaced with a harsh whisper. “I’d rather not be on the receiving end of his temper should he still have it.”

“Of course, I- I will not tell him,” you said firmly. “I am bound to learn of it soon enough regardless.”

She eased her grip and relaxed her shoulders. “Thank you, Lady.”

“Of course, Charlotte.”

You left the south parlor, your boots clicking almost too loudly on the tiles of the hall. The shadow continued to pulse on your wrist. An attempt to get you to keep your breath even. It helped but-

You went into an empty room. You could see some dust as the evening light poured in from the window. There were covers over furniture, bookcases bare along the wall. A fireplace almost pristine in appearance from being unused. Thirty years in this house and you still found secrets. You leaned back against the door after you shut it.

Eris had killed someone.

During a meeting no less.

He didn’t tell you.

Azriel knew and he didn’t tell you.

You tugged the bonds. You felt them both tug back twice. You looked down at the shadow.

“Tell them where I am please,” you whispered.

The shadow uncurled and disappeared. You waited and didn’t bother to move from the door. They would winnow in. You also didn’t care if sadness poured through the bond to them either. You didn’t have to wait long- a blaze of fire lit up the room and swirls of shadows followed next to it.

You crossed your arms when they came into view. Eris was in his deep brown riding pants and tight white shirt. You’d forgotten he was going to take his horse out. Azriel smelled like the wind, and he too wore tight clothes, leathers he used for flying. You ignored the concern on their faces and spoke before they could.

“What happened at that meeting yesterday?” You were curt and to the point. “Do not lie to me.”

Eris’s face hardened, his hands flexed at his side. He reached up and brushed back his hair from his face. It was back long enough that it fell over his shoulders again. A flame appeared in the fireplace. Without a flick of his hand, magic fell heavy over the room- a ward. He wasn’t your mate at that moment. He was Autumn’s High Lord.

“Lord Hurbert Graham crossed a line and I handled it.”

“By murdering him?” You asked loudly.

You didn’t like that Lord. He constantly made digs at Azriel. Covert ones that you could only mitigate with a stern tone. But it felt wrong. It felt wrong for Eris to have just killed him. It felt too much like the stories you heard of Beron.

“Eris did him a favor,” Azriel said darkly. His shadows flurried around him. “I wouldn’t have made it as quick.”

You looked between them both. “What did he do?” It came out as a whisper.

A flicker of emotion on both of their faces and a painful pulse in the bonds meant it had to be terrible. The fire died down but still burned in the fireplace. Thankfully Eris tampered the heat down from it. Neither of them spoke, so you asked again.

“I am your mate. I am Lady of this court- a High Lady if you had your way, Eris. I deserve to know exactly what transpired.”

A moment passed and Eris finally relaxed his shoulders.

“I am going to need a drink.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Eris convinced you to go to his study and not your chambers. He would not repeat those words within the walls of his refuge. Az was tense. What transpired got to him more than he was letting on. Eris poured himself a shot first and threw it back to try and drown out the look of disappointment on your face from moments ago. He prepped your drink and Azriel’s, which he added a second shot to. It did not go unnoticed by Eris that you sat yours down to the side and looked at him expectantly.

“Tell me what happened,” you repeated firmly. “And do not coat it in sugar.”

“If that is what you wish,” He replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Lord Eris, may I speak freely?”

The meeting had just started and Eris was already annoyed. The annual governor’s meeting was never enjoyable, But without you- he forgot this was what it was like. Lord Hurbert had waited for a lull in the conversation to poise his question. The eldest of the Governors- save for Elden and Rafael. Hurbert was his least favorite but his loyalty to Eris while his father lived was something he respected. But that was about all Eris cared about. Even looking at him now two seats down, Eris had little care for the male. Even more so due to this interruption.

“You’ve never been one to hold your tongue before,” Eris replied smartly. Az sent a wave of humor down the bond.

“Thank you, High Lord.” Hurbert’s smile grated Eris’s nerves. “While I do not doubt we will continue to see times of peace for more decades to come, may the Mother bless us all, there is never a guarantee.”

Eris felt Azriel tense beside him. “Is there something you know that we don’t?”

He ignored Azriel. An offense Eris took note of to deal with later. Hurbert’s voice grew louder, as if he was trying to captivate everyone’s attention despite already having it.

“You’ve been High Lord for nearly four decades, Lord Eris. But you’ve taken the mantle much later in life than your- much later than the previous High Lord.“

A knot twisted into Eris’s stomach. “Do you have a point?”

Eris did not hide his frustration this time. Hurbert knew it too, with the way his beady eyes blinked and he shifted in his seat.

“You have a wife now.”

Eris felt unease in the bond to Az. He tried to send back something soothing but knew he failed.

”She is my mate and Lady of Autumn.“ Eris replied, staring down the male in a way that had him squirming again. “You will address her as such even when she isn’t here.”

“Of course, Lord Eris. We’ve had a new Lady of Autumn now for almost three decades. She is very kind and capable. Arguably she does more work than she has to; I find that admirable.”

”I’ll pass on the compliment.” Eris ensured his tone conveyed the discussion was over. “Shall we continue?”

Hurbert held up his fingers. ”Actually, Lord Eris-“

”You are testing my patience, Hurbert.” Eris could feel the flames growing in him. “If you want to flatter my mate you may do so on your own time.”

Despite the older male shrinking back in his chair, he continued.

“My point is, we simply have some concerns.“

Azriel spoke before Eris could. ”And what might these concerns be?”

There was a moment of silence. Then Kelvin three seats to the left spoke up. He looked at Eris with a knowing smile and a glint in his eye. Eris trusted him- but the male was as messy as some of the females of the court when it came to gossip and knowing secrets.”

”I want it on record that I, myself, have no concerns High Lord.”

Kelvin brushed back his short red hair. A signal to Eris that this topic had been discussed before without his presence. He felt his blood start to boil.

“Nor do I.“ Dresden added.

Elden, the second oldest male at the table, looked to be sweating nervously. He liked Elden, trusted him since he treated the tenants of his land and the lesser fae well even when his father was alive. He was staring at Hubert.

“Hurbert, maybe this topic is best suited for a different time.’ He said softly.

Hurbert turned red in the face. “We have been putting off this topic for thirty seven years.” He turned his round red face to Eris. “High Lord, you’ve been blessed with two bonds. Which is a sure sign that the Mother herself favors you. And yet-“

“Yet what?” Eris said each word slowly and with venom that had the governors closest to him pushing their chairs back.

“You don’t have an heir.”

The fireplace, which had been empty, came to life behind him.

“And what consequence is it to you?” Eris leaned back in his chair like a snake waiting to strike. “Carefully consider what words leave your mouth next, Lord Hurbert.”

”It is a valid concern.” He replied weakly.

“I didn’t realize how I am fucking my mates were anyone's concern but my own.”

That only seemed to fuel Hurbert’s frustrations. He spoke louder this time.

“The Cauldron has blessed you with a female. A beautiful, court trained high fae mate.” The glass of water started to steam from the heat Eris began to radiate at his words. “Your mother had three children in the same time frame, and she was simply a wife. The concern is that The Lady’s endeavors may be too ambitious, that she has lost sight of her courtly duties.“

Azriel was on his feet, shadow whirling. His knife was already in his hand. “Watch your mouth.”

Hurbert rose to his own feet. Gone was the semblance of weakness he had with Eris. His face skewed into pure disgust as he looked at Azriel.

“What would a low born Illryian understand about the importance of an heir?”

Eris stood as well. “You’re out of line Graham.” His High Lord voice boomed throughout the room. “This is the last warning I will give you. Silence yourself before I make you.”

Hurbert, somehow redder, looked at Eris with sneer. “Am I out of line? The truth is that so called Lady of Autumn slinks around the house fucking that animal where ever they please like a whore.

He pointed to Azriel. Then he pointed to Eris.

“Maybe it is you who has lost sight of the duties to this court, High Lord. If she spent half the time on your cock as she does his, you’d have an heir by now. Or do you plan to follow your father’s lead by letting another breed your wife instead.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“And then,” Eris paused for a moment. “I set him ablaze.”

Az watched you carefully the whole time Eris spoke. He was attuned to every subtle shift in your expression. He sent extra shadows to help keep you calm. But you were surprisingly a statue, still and enraptured with every word Eris spoke.

“I do not remember much of it. I was too enraged to think.’ Eris continued, his tone turning cold. “He was a pile of ash in an instant. I then commanded everyone else to answer if they had so called concerns or comments about my mates. None of them did.”

“If they had, they would have been mine to deal with,” Az muttered, more to himself than for you to hear.

Eris sighed. “I did not want to tell you, love. But you are correct. You deserved to know.”

You finally blinked, your face still expressionless as you tilted your head slightly.

“Do you want a child?”

Az knew Eris paled without even looking at him. Children were not something they had discussed with you. Even worse, Az remembered when he and Eris talked about it. Eris had said he was actually thrilled his mate was a male. He didn’t want younglings- he didn’t want to risk becoming like his own father. Nothing Az said deterred him of that opinion.

Then they found you.

But Azriel also knew what you weren’t saying. You left the bond open. All your emotions bubbling under the surface were pushed to him. He could feel you question your own worth. That this is what the court really thought of you. He could envision your embarrassment at the comment that fae had made about you and himself. How people must whisper behind your back for how brazen you were. Az tried to push back his love for you even if it felt like it wasn’t working.

“It isn’t about what I want,” Eris finally answered.

“If the court wants an heir, should we not try to give them one?” you ask slowly.

Az felt his blood boiling. “It doesn’t matter what the court wants.”

“I am not a fool, Azriel.” You looked at him with so much sadness in your eyes. “If it is important to the citizens of Autumn, then as their Lady it is important to me.”

“It was one male,” Eris snapped. “A foolish one who clung to the rules of my father. This court doesn’t need an heir. Nor will anyone force you to carry one.”

“But what if I wanted to?” You whispered.

Az finally looked over to Eris. He was as pale as he expected. His gaze dropped to the hand around his drink- Az was shocked Eris hadn’t broken it yet. Eris didn’t reply and he felt you turn your gaze to him.

“And you Az?”

“Out of the question.” He winced at himself for how harsh his tone was. And how you recoiled. “It’s too risky. There is half of a chance the babe would-“

His voice cracked and he swallowed back tears. Images of Feyre slowly dying flashed in his mind. He could hear Rhys’s screaming and a flash of Nyx, so tiny and unresponsive in Mor’s arms.

He took a deep breath.

“The baby could have wings. I won’t risk your life like that. I can’t do that to you.”

A pause. Then you asked, “so neither of you want children?”

“Do you?” Eris asked.

A mix of emotions flickered in the bond from you.

“I don’t know,” you looked down at your hands. “Not right now. But if neither of you want a baby then does it truly matter?”

“It isn’t,” Eris paused again and took a long swing of his drink. He sighed. “I would need time. I am open to children but I would need time. I do not want my past to haunt my children.”

“But if,” another flood of emotions came through from you. Feelings of worry about Azriel.

“I would treat any child we have as my own,” Az said firmly. He pushed it through both bonds as well. “You are both my mates. A baby doesn’t have to be of my actual blood for me to love them. I mean that.”

“Okay.”

You stared down at your hands. Moments passed and the emotions from earlier resurfaced in the bond.

“Does everyone really think I’m a whore?” You whispered and your face crumpled.

“If they did, they would not be alive long enough for it to matter.” Eris’s words were sharp and venomous. “I commanded the governors in that room for a reason. That male said what he did because he thought he could get a rise out of me. But he forgot I am still a Vanserra and he suffered the consequences of that.”

“He should have suffered more,” Az hissed.

He was still just a little put out Eris didn’t allow him to end that male’s life. That male had undermined Azriel since the beginning. It was an honest surprise that it took him this long to say something that crossed the line for all of them. Az understood that Eris lost control, but it didn’t make it easier.

“The people of this court adore you,” Eris said softly and drew Azriel out of his thoughts. “There is not a person in his House who thinks ill of you.”

“I know but,” you wiped your eyes and a laugh escaped you. “I probably have fucked you both in every room of this house.”

“Not every room,” Eris said.

His statement broke the tension, you bursting into a laughing fit over it. When things settled he and Eris promised to not withhold information this severe again. You were right; you could handle it. Even if Eris and Az both felt you shouldn’t have to.

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mcuamerica-reblogs · 2 months ago

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Captive Family

Tarquin x Reader

For @sjmxreaderweek

Sjmxreader 2025 Masterlist

Day 5 - Heirs/Lords & Ladies

Summary: Being mated to someone from the royal family was frightening, while you were trapped Under the Mountain, pregnant with the only future of the Summer Court, with everyone else dead, and your mate now the High Lord.

Cw: Angst

You sat in your hard bed in silence. The Summer High Lord had tried to rebel against Amarantha, but they had gotten caught, and now you sat in your prison-like cell while the male you loved, your mate, the nephew of the High Lord, was taken away from you with his family. You couldn't even imagine what was happening to them.

The stone walls of your cell seemed to close in around you as despair washed over your frame. Tears pricked at the corners of your deep brown eyes, threatening to spill down your smooth cheeks. Your mind raced with images of the Tarquin—strong, handsome, and kind— being dragged away with his family, and he could lose his life.

The memory of his warm touch and gentle smile lingered, making your heart ache with longing. You clutched the rough fabric of your simple tunic, wishing you could reach out and hold him one last time. But the cruel iron bars separating you from freedom stood as a constant reminder of your confinement.

A soft rustling sound drew your attention to the door that had just opened. A faint breeze carried the scent of sea and citrus, a stark contrast to the dank, musty air within your cell. Rhysand stood outside your cell.

You let out a shaky breath seeing the male, "What... What happened to them? I... I can't feel Tarquin."

Rhysand's expression softened as he stepped into the dimly lit room, his violet gaze meeting yours with sympathy. He reached out, gently placing a hand on your shoulder, offering what comfort he could in this bleak moment.

"The High Lord and his kin are no more, they were killed on sight," Rhysand said, his voice low and measured. "Only Tarquin, Varian and Cresseida surivied. Your mate is now High Lord, and he'll be thrown here for his father's and uncle's crimes. Amarantha gave him something that severed your connection, but once the drug is out of his system, you can sense him again."

Your body shook with sobs as Rhysand's words sank in. The pain of losing Tarquin, even temporarily, was almost unbearable. You buried your face in your hands, trying to muffle the anguished sounds tearing from your throat.

When you finally lifted your head, tears streaming down your face, you saw Rhysand standing patiently before you, his expression still filled with compassion. He looked aged in his years, weighed down by the burdens of keeping secrets, yet there was a quiet strength about him that never wavered.

"You need to stay strong, Lady Summer," Rhysand urged, using your new title, his fingers tightening on your shoulder. "Tarquin needs you, and so does your Court."

You nodded, wiping your tears with the back of your hand. Drawing a deep, shuddering breath, you braced yourself to face the reality of your situation. "I know," you whispered, your voice hoarse from crying. You held a secret you didn't want to tell him, a pit in your stomach that wasn't just from nausea.

Soon, Rhysand left the dungeons, and in a few minutes after that, Amarantha's creatures were dragging the last remaining Summer family to a cell beside yours. You almost wanted to scream when you saw that Tarquin wasn't moving in the arms of the guards. Without the bond, there was no way to tell if he was alive.

As the creatures roughly shoved Tarquin's limp form onto the cold stone floor beside you, a wave of dread crashed over you. His chest remained still, unmoving, and his skin had an unnatural pallor. Panic clawed at your insides, urging you to check for a pulse, to shake him awake, anything to confirm he was alive.

With trembling fingers, you reached out, brushing strands of white braids from his forehead. His skin felt cool to the touch, but not icy, he had a soft heartbeat, a small mercy. As you sat there, holding his hand, praying for his recovery, you turned to look at his cousins. They were silent, looking off into the distance. You wondered what you could say to comfort them, but nothing came to mind, nothing would make it better.

Hours passed in agonising silence. The only sounds were the occasional stirs from you as you shifted when your legs fell asleep, and the distant echoes of Amarantha's revelry above ground. You kept by his side, your fingers entwined with his, willing him to wake up.

Just as exhaustion began to weigh heavily upon you, Tarquin's eyelids fluttered open. He blinked slowly, taking in his surroundings with a dazed expression. His turquoise gaze landed on you, and a weak smile touched his lips. "Y/n..." With a visible effort, he raised a hand to cup your cheek, his thumb stroking the delicate skin beneath your eye.

"Tar!" You gasped, jumping on top of him, arms holding his neck as you pressed him back on your cell with your body.

You clung to Tarquin desperately, relief and joy surging through you like a tidal wave. His strong arms wrapped around you, pulling you close as you buried your face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of his skin. You nuzzled into him, your body shaking with sobs of happiness.

"I thought... I thought I'd lost you," you choked out between ragged breaths, your voice muffled against his flesh. "I can't bear the thought of living without you."

For a long while, you simply lay there, lost in the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat and the comforting solidity of his form. Gradually, reality began to seep back in, and you remembered the dire circumstances that had brought you together in the cell.

You sat up on him, in his lap as he rested his back against the bed in the cell, "You're not losing me, my love. I am here. I'm yours."

"I'm pregnant." You blurted out, "I wanted to tell you but I never got the chance and while you were unconscious I couldn't stop thinking about how I might never get to tell you."

Tarquin's eyes widened in surprise, then a slow, radiant smile spread across his face as understanding dawned. He cupped your cheeks gently, tilting your face up to meet his gaze. "Oh, y/n," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "Our child… Are you certain?"

You nodded vigorously, a mix of excitement and trepidation swirling within you. "Yes, I'm sure. It's been a few weeks since we last… you know. And the symptoms, the changes in my body…"

Tarquin's expression softened, his thumb caressing your cheekbone. "We'll face this together, my love. Our little one will bring us strength and hope, even in these dark times." He pulled you into a tender embrace, resting his forehead against yours. "We'll find a way out of here," Tarquin vowed, his voice low and resolute. "For our child's sake, and for ours. We'll rebuild the Summer Court, stronger than ever, and ensure our baby inherits a brighter future."

In the warmth of Tarquin's arms, you felt a sense of peace wash over you, despite the ominous circumstances surrounding your pregnancy. The knowledge that you were carrying his child, your firstborn, filled you with a profound sense of love.

As you held each other, lost in the comfort of your love, the weight of your confinement began to recede. In this moment, nothing else mattered except the life growing inside you and the male who would stand by your side through every challenge to come.

"We'll endure whatever Amarantha throws our way," Tarquin vowed, his voice steady and resolute. "Our court, our people, and our child depend on us. Together, we'll find a way to reclaim our throne and build a future filled with love, laughter, and prosperity."

You would survive, you had to, for your mate, child and Court. For a brighter future, one free of Amarantha. You stayed in your mate's arms, surrounded by a dreadful silence.

{General taglist- @lilah-asteria @paleidiot @dee-writes-angst @adalia-jaycee @anarchiii @alwayshave-faith @velarisnightsky444 @minnieoo @mellowmusings @daughterofthemoons-stuff @tele86 @thelov3lybookworm @romanticatheartt @inkedinshadows}

{Week Taglist - @readinf @thorins-queen-of-erebor}

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mcuamerica-reblogs · 4 months ago

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I don’t think we’re rick rolling each other enough anymore. 1. it CANNOT die out 2. this under saturated market is perfect for unsuspecting victims who’ve been lulled into a false sense of security. be the person you hate. bring back the dastardly link

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mcuamerica-reblogs · 4 months ago

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Starfall Nights | Azriel x reader

Summary: After her mother's death, Starfall has been the hardest time of the year for her. But this one is special. It involves a surprise visit and a life-changing revelation.

This is part of my oneshot-series Crush and can be read separately. (For context on her mother, make sure to read Body and Soul!)

A/N: You guys, crush is baaaaack!!! And it’s so SWEEEET!!! This series truly carries my sanity on its back. Feedback always appreciated 🫶

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings: past parental death, lil' angst, lots of fluff

Starfall was always the hardest. It was the day that reminded her most of her mother—a day they’d usually spent huddled together before her mother’s little shop with a blanket thrown over their shoulders and their heads tilted back as they watched the stars fall. There in her mother’s arms, she’d listen to the stories of the stars—stories of long journeys and love and loss.

The years after her mother’s death had been hard. She didn’t have it in her to watch the stars fall without her, and so she’d stayed inside year after year. She was baking through the night most of the time, and when she wasn’t baking, she was reading, and when she wasn’t reading, she was doing whatever else it took to distract herself from the all-consuming grief sitting in the pit of her stomach like a ball of flame.

But this year, things were different.

This year, she had someone.

Azriel’s arms were firm around her waist, holding her secure as the stars began to drop from the skies, and it almost took her breath away. For the first time in years, she felt a spark of joy ignite in the centre of her chest as her eyes tracked luminescent green dots darting across a backdrop of deep black.

She felt his lips on the shell of her ear, felt the warmth of his words as he told her he loved her. They stood in a quiet corner of the balcony, Rhysand’s Starfall celebration only a background noise, and when her palms found the arms he kept wrapped around her, she pressed the pads of her fingers into his skin.

“I love you too,” she breathed into the cool night air, leaning her head back against Azriel’s chest. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his lips on her temple. “Thank you for bringing me here tonight.”

“It’s an honour to have you here with me, my love,” he replied in a voice low enough to send a shiver down her spine.

The corners of her lips curled higher.

“Are you saying I’m arm candy?”

“I’m saying,” she could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, and when he took his arms off her to turn her around with a palm on her cheek, she met a softened gaze. “I’m saying that five hundred lonely Starfall nights have been well worth enduring for the prospect of just a single one with you.”

Pushing to the tips of her toes, she wrapped both arms around Azriel’s neck, lids growing heavy when the tip of her nose brushed against his.

His scent was intoxicating.

“Well in that case,” she breathed, feeling Azriel’s arms tighten around her waist once again, the warmth of his body seeping into hers in the chill night air. “Here’s to many more to come.”

It was just as Azriel leaned in to capture her lips in a deep kiss that she thought she spotted movement from the corner of her eye.

Azriel’s shadows began whispering warnings into the shell of his ear just after midnight—warnings to have his blood run cold and his head snap up to scan the crowd for her face.

The balcony of the House of Wind was still bustling with Rhysand’s guests, laughter echoing through the night, fingers directed at the darkened sky to point out the last stars falling in scattered flecks of gleaming green. Azriel sensed their joy, sensed lowered inhibitions and rising levels of intoxication.

A few couples had separated themselves from the larger group. Cassian kept his arms wrapped around Nesta as they both held their faces tilted up at the sky. Lucien and Elain sat talking on a bench, a gentle hue of red dusted over Elain’s cheeks. Both Mor and Rhys were tilting their heads back with roaring laughter at something Feyre had said, and Amren and Varian had long excused themselves to a quieter location.

Azriel spotted each of his friends, spotted every face he counted to his family, but his heart sank with each face he scanned that wasn’t hers.

She couldn’t have been gone longer than a few minutes. She’d excused herself to the bathroom, but Azriel had known that she wanted a moment alone. He’d seen it on her face when a particularly beautiful shooting star had soared across the sky to awe the crowd—that grief that always took over when she thought of her mother.

He’d wanted to leave her some space, and this was the House of Wind after all. This had been his home for centuries, located high enough for no enemies to reach. He’d thought her safe here, but as his shadows continued to grow more and more restless, his throat tightened with the realisation that he should have gone with her.

Hallway, a familiar, shadow-kissed voice hissed close by his ear. Second floor. Library.

At once, and without a last glance at the celebrating crowd, Azriel stepped back into his shadows.

The hallway was empty as he reemerged, and it was easy for him to slip into the utterly silent steps of a spymaster as he neared the library door at the far end. Shadows scattered in the dim lighting, slipping beneath door cracks, around corners and along ceilings to report whatever they were able to pick up. But even as they whispered intel, Azriel never once took his eyes off the door.

It swung open easily, revealing the darkened expanse of the circular library. Moonlight shone through high windows, illuminating rows and rows of books that adorned the shelves along the wall, the flickering green light of the occasional fallen star brightening the room.

It took him mere seconds to notice her, and a soft sigh of relief slipped past his lips before he registered the tightness in her shoulders.

She stood by one of the large windows, hands hanging loosely by her sides, and her back facing Azriel. Her floor-length dress shimmered in the moonlight. She looked ethereal as she stood illuminated by the stars.

She had not yet noticed his presence.

Azriel observed her for a moment, his shadows cladding him in darkness, though he felt their restlessness, their urge to swarm her body instead and curl across soft skin to ensure she was unharmed.

A distant laugh could be heard. Probably one of Rhys’ guests in search of a bathroom.

Azriel let his shadows glide to the floor in heavy clouds of smoke.

“Y/N,” he spoke softly so as not to startle her. But she did not move. Had she not heard him?

Azriel’s eyes flickered to the side, making sure they were alone. He could not detect a threat, yet something seemed … off.

He took a few careful steps to cross the distance that separated them, and as he neared his love, he could hear the gentle beating of her heart, and another tense muscle relaxed.

“My love,” he said this time, lifting a hand to brush the tips of his fingers along the exposed skin of her back.

This time, she turned her head, blinking as though she’d just awoken from a dream.

“Azriel,” she smiled softly. “Is everything all right?”

“I was worried.” Lifting his hand higher, Azriel tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You were gone for a while.”

“Oh, yes.” Turning back to face the window, a distant look melted the smile off her face. “I just … thought I saw something.”

At once, the tension returned to his shoulders. “What did you see?”

Y/N was silent for a while, and when she finally turned her body to face him fully, her expression carried the lightness it usually did.

“It was nothing. Probably just the light of the stars.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she offered a smile to raise Azriel’s heartrate. “It suits you, you know?”

With a soft smile on his lips, Azriel lowered his hands to her waist. “What?”

“The light. Starfall. You seemed happy out there. Content.”

Tilting his head, the tip of his nose brushed her cheek, and Azriel could hear the hitch in her breath when he lowered his lips to hers.

“I am,” he breathed as they parted only far enough to speak.

Her smile widened, but just as she was about to speak, Azriel noticed movement from the corner of his eye. He lifted his head, and as he beheld the open space behind her—the floor drenched in moonlight—it seemed the air itself began to flicker. Crumbs of dust filled the air with gleaming clouds, and it was only as the shape lifted what seemed like an arm that Azriel reacted.

At once, he pulled Y/N close to his chest as he stepped into his shadows to emerge a few meters further away. Pulling her behind himself with her back to the door, Azriel flared his wings to shield her as much as he could.

“Azriel, what—”

But he did not let her finish, truthteller already resting heavy in his palm from where he’d pulled the dagger from the sheath he never left behind.

“Show yourself,” he demanded with a tone of quiet death, eyes focussed on the shimmering cloud of dust hovering before the window’s glass pane.

He could make out arms now; two legs forming beneath a body clad in what seemed like relatively simple clothing. He could watch as a person manifested before their very eyes, translucent and shimmering in a pale green hue as though made from the very essence of a fallen star.

Y/N kept her hands on him, her fingers curled into the fabric of his tunic as she attempted to peek over his shoulder. He was surprised at how much the contact assured him.

Azriel was ready to attack at the slightest sign of danger, ready to bury his blade in the gut of whoever would dare attempt to harm her. Because this must have been it. This must have been what Y/N had seen. And she’d followed it all the way to the library—the room furthest from the ongoing celebration, furthest from anyone who would have been able to help her.

It made sense now—why his shadows had not given specific warnings. It was because this … being had not yet shown itself.

As the last fleck of gleaming stardust seemed to fall into place, a woman stood before them—tall, and silent, and glowing with the moon in her back. Her ears were pointed, the expression on her face unreadable. But her attention did not lie on Azriel.

“Who are you?” he demanded, stance wide, body unmoving as he attempted to calculate the threat she would pose.

Eery silence settled. The woman did not move, and just as Azriel was readying himself to attack, his body tensed with the hand he felt on the very edge of his wing as Y/N gently pushed it aside to see.

He was just about to ask her to stay hidden when he spotted the utter devastation on her face. It was only a second later, when she spoke a word he never would have expected to hear, that Azriel began to understand.

“Mother?”

She’d known that she hadn’t imagined it. But this could not be. Her mother had died years ago.

But it was her. Y/N was convinced of it as she saw the kindness in her mother’s eyes, even though they did not hold the same colour they used to. She was even wearing the very clothes she had died in.

“Mum, is it really you?” Y/N heard herself breathe, her voice breaking with a choked sound to lodge itself in her throat.

She could feel Azriel’s eyes on her, could feel his tension as he was trying to assess the situation, but she was grateful for the chance he gave her to see for herself whether this was truly her mother.

As the spirit smiled, it seemed something within her chest cracked open—grief bottled up over years spilling into every last corner of her body. A tear dripped from her chin. It was the grief she always did her best to suppress on Starfall night. The grief she usually baked away.

An odd sensation filled her body then—a warmth as words echoed through her mind without the spirit having to move its lips.

It is me, my darling.

At once, sobs fell freely from her, and as Y/N crossed the distance still separating her from her mother, her vision grew increasingly blurry.

Her mother lifted her arms as though to embrace her, and it was only as Y/N stumbled right through dusted starlight for her hands to hit the cool glass of the window that her heart broke into a million pieces.

Turning her head, she found swirling clouds of gleaming dust, and as her mother remanifested from where Y/N had stirred up the air, her expression was sad.

Azriel was by her side then, gentle hands pulling her palms off the glass before he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her sideways into his chest in an embrace to soothe the agony she felt.

“I … I don’t understand. How is this possible?”

With devastating gentleness, her mother’s spirit lifted a hand to hover just over Y/N’s cheek. Her body ached with the desire to feel her mother’s caress, and a fresh wave of tears flooded her eyes at the impossibility of it.

My darling, have I not told you of the wandering souls? Your father used to say the falling stars were spirits returning to their loved ones.

“But why didn’t you return earlier? Why now?”

Her mother’s face grew sad again.

A star can only fall once, my darling. I wanted it to be the right moment. I wanted to see for myself.

Green glowing eyes flickered to Azriel then, and Y/N knew what her mother was saying.

“You … you heard me?” she breathed. “When I said that I was sad you didn’t get to meet him?”

Azriel’s hands were still tight on her, his attention sharp as he followed their conversation. She could only assume that her mother’s voice was ringing through his mind as well.

No, her mother hummed, lips curling into a smile. I could feel it. The day you met him, the stars aligned. And I wanted to see for myself.

“See what? I don’t understand.”

I wanted to see if the Cauldron chose wisely. I wanted to make sure you’re in good hands.

“The … Cauldron?”

Beside her, Azriel had gone utterly still, but Y/N wasn’t following. Bewilderment took hold of her as she stared at the spirit before her.

My sweet darling, her mother breathed, and for a moment it seemed her eyes were gleaming with tears. I suppose it is still new to you. To you both, she added with a glance at Azriel. But have you not noticed that this has long surpassed ordinary love?

For the first time since her mother had appeared, Y/N tore her eyes from the spirit to focus on Azriel instead. She found his eyes already on her—wide with a mixture of surprise and … desperate hope.

“Can you hear her too?” Y/N asked quietly.

Azriel gave a single nod.

“Do you know what she’s saying?”

Azriel clenched his teeth at that—she could see the way his jaw worked, the muscles tensing. It seemed he was holding his breath. Another nod, slower this time, choppy.

My darling, her mother’s voice returned, drawing Y/N’s attention back to her. Do you not remember the stories I told you of your father and I? What it was like?

Y/N blinked. “I—"

My time is running out, her mother interrupted gently. I wanted to see that you have found a mate deserving of who you are. And I have not been disappointed.

“A mate,” Y/N breathed near inaudible, swaying slightly where she stood. There was joy in her chest—blinding and loud enough to be all-consuming—but all she could do was stare at Azriel.

“You … know him?” Y/N rose a palm to Azriel’s cheek as she posed the question quietly. Azriel urged deeper into her hand, eyes flickering closed.

I know him, my darling. I can see his soul. I am proud of you, and so… so happy.

She thought she heard a slight choke in her mother’s tone, and when she looked back, her heart plummeted to the ground at the lightening silhouette of her mother’s spirit.

“Don’t go,” she pleaded quietly, her eyes welling up again. “I miss you. I miss you every day.”

I must, her mother whispered in her head. But know that I am watching. Know that I love you. I love you. Be happy, my darling. All is as it should be.

And with that, she was gone.

Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks as Y/N stared at the spot that—moments before—had held her mother’s soul.

Utter silence settled over them then, and only as she felt Azriel’s palm on her arm did she turn to face him with eyes wide as saucers.

She could tell that he did not know what to say. He was as overwhelmed as she was, mouth opening without a sound to fill the air. Only when she wrapped her arms around his neck did Azriel speak.

“My love,” he said quietly, nose burying in her hair. “My love, I … I’m so sorry.”

A sob tore through her then, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. “You’re my mate.”

Azriel stilled in her arms, having expected sorrow, grief, sadness over her mother’s early departure. Instead, she cried her joy into his neck, and his heart threatened to burst at the seams as he slowly allowed himself to feel his own.

“I can’t believe it,” she breathed. “You’re my mate.”

“I’m your mate,” he echoed quietly against her, arms tightening their embrace. He shook his head slowly to himself, closing his eyes as his wings unfurled to curl around them like a cocoon.

Y/N pulled back far enough to lift her gaze to his, eyes swimming with tears of joy as her hands cupped his face like the most valuable thing in the world. “And my mother knows you. She knows you.”

Her arms wrapped back around his neck, and with a laugh to tug on her lips, she kissed him in the last light of falling stars.

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mcuamerica-reblogs · 4 months ago

Text

A Matter of Firsts | Azriel x reader

Summary: Azriel and his love get into their first fight.

This is part of my oneshot-series Crush and can be read separately.

A/N: Based on this lovely request by @loving-and-dreaming. I tried balancing the validation of her feelings with the validation of his actions which was kinda hard to do and I hope it turned out okay! The ending’s a bit abrupt, but I hope you get the (not so subtle) hint hehe.

Word count: 1375

Warnings: language, mentions of sex, and idk they’re fighting but it’s kinda gentle haha

She hadn’t told him that she was upset. In fact, she hadn’t said a word since they’d left the restaurant where they’d met with Molly and Molly’s new girlfriend. But Azriel could tell.

“My love,” he said quietly as he closed the door to their home with a soft click. “I did not know—”

“I mentioned her name dozens of times before we went there tonight, Azriel.”

She wouldn’t look at him, her voice calm as she placed her handbag on a stool and slipped the coat off her shoulders to hang it on one of the hooks by the door.

Azriel hesitated, attention on her every move. “I did not recognise her name.”

Y/N gave a joyless laugh at that—a breath expelled from her lungs in a forceful exhale—and focussed her attention on toeing the shoes off her feet.

Azriel watched with his shoulders tense.

He did not like seeing her upset, and he certainly did not like that he was the cause for it.

“I’m—"

“It’s alright, Azriel,” she muttered, bending to place her shoes on the rack she kept by the door. “Apparently you fucked half of the Night Court’s population so I shouldn’t be surprised that you can’t remember their names. And I certainly shouldn’t be surprised that I’m going to run into them occasionally.”

Azriel felt her words hit something thus far unscathed within him—something only she held the power to injure—and when she straightened and turned towards the stairs, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist to stop her.

“Y/N,” he spoke quietly. “Please look at me.”

She hesitated, but when she finally lifted her gaze to meet his, another pang jolted through Azriel’s body at the wet sheen of her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean that.”

“I know,” Azriel said, swallowing thickly. “I understand why you’re upset.”

“I’m not upset,” she said, once again avoiding his gaze, her free arm coming up to hug her body as though to protect herself from harm. “I’m humiliated. She’s my best friend’s girlfriend, Azriel.”

Azriel felt his face twist into a grimace as he thought back to the girl Molly had introduced earlier that night. For all the times Cassian had pestered Azriel into taking more lovers, he never would have expected it to come back around to bite him in the ass as it had today.

It had been no more than a fling a couple years back. A girl picked up on a drunken night at Rita’s, a lover taken for a few short weeks before they both went their separate ways. Short enough to bear little significance in the span of 500 years, yet enough to form a thorn in the side of his love.

“And as if that wasn’t enough, that waitress—”

“I know,” Azriel interrupted, a fresh wave of annoyance washing over him. Because, in a cruel twist of fate, their waitress tonight had been no other than Lumina.

Lumina, whom Cassian had attempted to set him up with the night he’d first kissed Y/N. Lumina, who’d apparently still harboured no small amount of interest for the shadowsinger and had stopped at nothing to express it. Lumina, who’d treated Y/N as though she were invisible.

“I never slept with her.”

“Oh,” Y/N said, scoffing softly, sarcasm thick as she continued. “Well, that’s a relief.”

Azriel lifted a hand to her cheek in an attempt to console her and felt a distinct crack in the shell of his heart when she took a step back.

“How many people have you slept with?”

Azriel blinked.

“Y/N, I—”

“We’ve never talked about it,” she said, shaking her head softly. “I never thought to ask because I didn’t think it mattered.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Azriel insisted.

“It does though.” Her eyes were sad as she looked at him now. “It matters when it’s my friends. It matters when I walk through this city and find myself wondering whether you’ve slept with every person I see. It matters when I—”

She broke off, and Azriel watched as her brows twitched closer together.

He swallowed. “When you what?”

“It matters when I wonder if you— … if I can even compare.”

His heart sank at that, and at once he was before her, palms cupping her cheeks as he held her gaze with certainty.

“Don’t ever say that,” he spoke quietly, though his voice was firm. “You are everything. It has never been like this with anyone ever before. I have never … felt like this.”

Her eyes were swimming with doubt, and Azriel could scarcely bear it.

“Y/N,” he started. “You’re still young—”

She drew back as though he’d struck her, her eyes suddenly ablaze. “Don’t you dare call me immature. I am not some child pouting because you stole my favourite toy, Azriel. I am seventy-eight years old.”

“And I am well over 500,” he shot back, his jaw clenching at the vocalisation of a gap so wide, an insecurity he had carried with him since the day he’d met her.

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Azriel rubbed a palm down his face before continuing.

“My love, you are still so young. And I don’t mean immature, I just mean … young. You had your mother, and then you had Molly, and now you have me. You had a few flings, and had we not met, then with time, you would have had other lovers too.” Her brows twitched at that, but Azriel held her gaze. “I have spent centuriesalone. Centuries waiting for you when I could never even be certain I would ever find you. You cannot blame me for having a past. You cannot blame me for desiring others before I even met you.”

Silence settled heavy then, and Azriel found himself wondering whether he had managed to fuck up the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. But when she lowered her gaze to look at her own hands fiddling with the hem of her shirt, Azriel thought he could spot a twinge of guilt flickering across her saddened face.

“I know,” she breathed after a long while, shoulders slumping slightly. “I know I can’t.”

“I love you,” Azriel spoke quietly, hesitant in lifting his palm back to her cheek, but relieved when she closed her eyes and leaned into the touch this time. “I love you as I have never loved anyone before. You’re my first in so many ways, and every day I pray to the Cauldron that you will be my last too.”

She looked at him then. “I have never thought about our difference in age before. Not really. And when I met them today, I—” breaking off, she sighed softly through her nose, shaking her head slowly. “I notice the looks, the eyes following you wherever you go. I notice the attention you hold. I guess it simply never crossed my mind that some of those looks could be based on more than just an innocent crush.”

Swallowing thickly, her hand came up to cup the one he was still holding to her cheek. “I’m sorry. I guess I had a jealous moment.”

Azriel leaned down to press his lips to the top of her head, closing his eyes as he did. “Believe me when I say that there is absolutely no reason for you to be jealous.”

She hummed, and Azriel’s heart gave a jolt at the slight note of amusement in her tone. “I mean, I did get you to eat cake despite your aversion to sugar, so perhaps that’s a sign that you’re in it for the long haul.”

Azriel offered a cautious smirk as he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. “Yours is the only cake I’m interested in.”

With a snort, her palm came up to shove at his chest, and Azriel chuckled quietly as she pushed off to turn towards the stairs.

“I’ll go take a bath,�� she called over her shoulder.

It was only once she’d vanished from his sight that Azriel registered the odd sensation in his chest—like a gentle tug to follow.

He chalked it up to relief.

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