#everywhere everything

[duskandcobalt]

Everywhere, Everything: Chapter Four

Chapter Summary: Azriel meets Elain’s new boyfriend at Nyx’s birthday party. Graysen has some questions about Elain’s “friend.”

Word Count: 4.4K

Missed the first three chapters? You can find the Masterlist for this fic here 🥰

A/N: chapter four already!! Thank you to everyone that’s read this fic and commented or interacted in anyway! I’ve had the loveliest messages come through and it’s been such a joy to chat with you guys about this. I’m a little extra nervous to post this chapter, please keep in mind that this is a bit of a slow burn and we must suffer a little before we get our reward. Alternate title is “Graysen Slander (Azriel’s version)”

ENJOY XX

Read on AO3

Flying back home to Velaris had caused Elain a level of anxiety that had previously been unknown to her.

There used to be a time where she enjoyed seeing her city from the birds-eye-view of an airplane window. She loved to look down and admire the twinkling lights on either side of the sprawling river that split her hometown in half. She liked to scan the buildings as they came into view and point out each place that held a space of her heart because of the special memories attached.

There was her elementary school, the movie theater parking lot where she had her first kiss, and her favourite library. There was the ice-cream shop located a few blocks from their childhood home that she and her sisters would sneak out to at all hours of the night for their cookie dough fix, not bothering to change out of their robes and slippers. She’d look out for the small park where she and Nesta spent their Saturday’s sprawled in the grass, reading books and gossiping. Her heart ached as she spotted the rose and sculpture garden she and Azriel liked to stroll through early on Sunday mornings, hot cups of coffee warming their hands as they walked and talked, Azriel leaning in close to tell Elain that the roses there had nothing on the ones that she grew in her garden.

She hadn’t bothered to point any of those places out to Graysen as their flight had made its descent. Hadn't really felt the need or desire to share those parts of herself with him. She’d just sat quietly, staring straight at her own reflection in the little screen in front of her as she took deep breaths to try and ease the rapid beating of her heart.

Her anxiety had calmed a little once they’d landed and disembarked, emerging from their gate to Nyx’s loud squeal of her name which brought her back to reality just in time for her to drop her bags and catch his tiny body as he ran towards her at full speed and flung himself into her outstretched arms. 

“Hi, baby!” She’d hugged him tight, overwhelmed by just how much she’d missed him.

“Hi, Lain!” Nyx giggled, his little face tucked tight against her neck.

She hadn’t questioned the nickname, one her nephew had never called her before, because she had been too distracted breathing in the scent of his hair - the scent of the same watermelon shampoo that her mother had used during bath time when she and her sisters were kids. It was comforting and familiar and exactly what she needed to push past the worry that had rendered her useless for the past few hours.. 

The initial introductions had gone as well as she could’ve hoped.

Graysen had defaulted back to the easy charm that he’d used back in the day to talk Elain into a drink and it seemed to work on Feyre and Rhys well enough that the drive back to their house and the late dinner that followed were easy and painless. The only hiccup was that Nyx refused to even greet Graysen and had thrown him the most menacing looks he could muster up each time Graysen so much as attempted to hold Elain’s hand. 

“He’s jealous,” Feyre had laughed nervously, embarrassed by her son’s behavior after he’d insisted on sitting next to Elain at dinner. “He’s always been a little territorial when it comes to her and since he hasn’t seen her in a few months…” 

Graysen had laughed it off but Elain had caught the annoyance in his demeanor at the idea of having to share her. Even if the person he was sharing her with was just her soon-to-be five year old nephew. 

Elain’s anxiety returned in full force the next afternoon when guests began to arrive for Nyx’s party. No amount of rearranging balloons or organising the treat station could keep her attention off the front door each and every time it opened. It was only a matter of time before he showed up and the wait was torture. In the years she’d known Azriel, he’d never once missed an important event when it came to his friends and there was no way he’d start now. 

“So…” Nesta appeared next to her suddenly, head cocked to the side as she leant against the table and watched in amusement as Elain straightened the goodie bags for the seventh or eighth time that hour. “Graysen seems nice.” 

“Yeah,” Elain nodded, not bothering to look up from the little cellophane bags full of treats that she’d been busying herself with for the last ten minutes. She didn’t need to look at Nesta to know her true feelings. She could hear it in her voice. “He’s great.” 

“He’s very… passionate.” Her sister studied her nails as she fought to hold back the teasing smile that played on her lips.  “About work. And golf. And work. And his car… Did I mention his work? Because he certainly did.” 

“Okay, okay.” Elain groaned, casting a fleeting glance across the room where Graysen was still chatting to Rhysand. 

She sent a thank you to the universe that Feyre had married a man that had the talent and patience to talk to absolutely anyone. She couldn’t say the same for Cassian, who had quickly maneuvered out of that conversation and over to the backyard to terrorize the kids, instead. 

“He just loves his job,” Elain shrugged, finally turning to face her sister. 

Nesta raised a perfectly manicured brow, fixing Elain with a pointed look. “You mean he loves money.” 

There was a reason Elain had never introduced a boy to her family and the reason was standing directly in front of her, all perfectly coiffed hair and dangerous eyes. Feyre could find a way to see the good in anyone and the boys would say they were okay with whoever Elain dated as long as she was happy. But Nesta - Nesta had always had a knack for seeing straight through any of Elain’s lies and she’d never been afraid to call her out when necessary. It was a quality Elain had come to appreciate from time to time but she didn’t appreciate it today.

“I mean… he does work in finance.” 

“Elain.” Another pointed look was thrown in her direction.

“Nesta.” 

“He looks like he pays more for a haircut than I do.” 

“Nesta!” Elain hit her sister on the arm, unable to stifle the laugh that bubbled to the surface. She knew exactly how much Graysen paid for his hair cuts and Nesta was right. “He’s nice.”

“You know who’s nicer...” Nesta said it under her breath but Elain heard her loud and clear. 

“Stop,” Elain lowered her voice. “Please. You promised.”

“I promised I wouldn’t tell the boys and I haven’t,” she replied without missing a beat. “I never promised we wouldn’t talk about it at all.” 

“Nesta, please. I can’t talk about this now.”

What Elain really wanted to say was that she couldn’t talk about this ever, but she knew that would only result in more back and forth and right now all she wanted was for this conversation to be over.

“He’s miserable, El.” Nesta lowered her voice to match Elain’s. “He’s very good at acting like he’s fine but he’s not. You just left and I know you’ve cut him off completely since and -”

“I haven’t spoken to anyone, really. It’s not like I’ve only stopped talking to hi-” Elain abruptly stopped speaking, standing up straight and plastering a smile on her face just as she spotted Graysen beginning to make his way towards them.

He didn’t have a chance to say anything, had only just managed to sling an arm around Elain’s waist when the front door swung open and Shadow came flying through. She was nothing but a black blur, ducking and dodging around furniture as she ran straight through to the kitchen. She paused in front of Rhys for a quick hello before she made a beeline towards where Elain stood with Nesta and Graysen by the dining room table. 

Her long tail wagged furiously, whipping against the wooden leg of the table. Shadow was seemingly unbothered, too busy flailing around happily between Nesta’s legs before she finally came to a stop in front of Elain. Her long snout nuzzled into Elain’s open palm and her lean body leant heavily against her thighs.

Much like Nyx, Shadow paid Graysen little to no attention other than to sniff  in his direction just once which Elain thought quite strange given that Shadow loved meeting new people and she’d famously always favored the company of men. 

“Hi, Shadow girl!” Elain cooed, crouching down to properly greet the dog that had come to feel like her own over the years. She’d gone with Azriel the day he’d picked her up and brought her home, had even helped name her. “Look how gray you’ve gotten!”

“She’ll be nine next week.”

The timber of his voice hit her at the exact same time as the familiar scent of his cedar cologne and Elain was suddenly grateful that she was already on the ground because if she’d been standing, she was sure her knees would’ve given out completely.

Elain swallowed her nerves, raising her eyes from Shadow’s sweet salt and pepper face to look up at Azriel only to find that every bit of his attention was focused solely on her.

“Hi, Lain.”

There were a couple beats of silence before Elain got a hold of herself and stood up. She stepped forward and before she could stop herself, she raised onto the very tips of her toes and wound her arms around his neck. Azriel’s arms wrapped around her waist in turn, tentatively at first before she felt his fingers flex against the middle of her back as he relaxed, readjusting his grip to pull her tight against his chest as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Probably because it had been at one point in time.

“Hi, Az.” She whispered into his neck, breathing in the divine scent of him. The scent of home.

“Hey, Azriel!” Nesta said loudly from behind them, effectively breaking the trance that Elain had unwittingly found herself in. 

She let go of Azriel quickly and took a large step back, bumping into the dining table, as Nesta took her place in his arms. 

She was only just aware of Graysen staring at her in her peripheral, his hand once again heavy against her hip.

“Were you planning on introducing me?” He asked her as Azriel and Nesta separated and Azriel turned to face them again. Elain hadn’t noticed that she’d been staring dumbly straight ahead - directly at Azriel’s chest. 

He was wearing an oatmeal coloured fisherman’s sweater that she’d told him she loved on him more than a few times and a small, stupid part of her wondered if she crossed his mind when he slipped it on this morning.

“Oh, yes!” She shook her head, laughing nervously. “Um, Az… this is Graysen, my uh…”

“Boyfriend.” Graysen finished the sentence for her, extending his hand towards Azriel. “And you are…”

“This is Azriel. My…. Azriel.” Elain stuttered as she watched the two men shake hands.

She allowed herself the tiniest shake of her head to ease the frustration she felt towards herself. She sounded like an absolute idiot.

“I think I’ve missed something,” Graysen looked between Elain and Azriel, eyebrows lifting slightly. “How do you know each other?

“We’re good friends.” Azriel answered at the same time Elain said “He’s Rhys’ best friend.”

Jesus. Fucking. Christ. 

She couldn’t possibly have handled that any worse.

“So you’re Rhys’ friend or Elain’s friend?” Graysen asked, the slightest hint of a frown forming on his lips. 

Any hope that Elain had of him dropping this topic evaporated in front of her eyes.

“We’re all friends. We met through Rhys when he started dating Feyre and we all spent basically all our time together.” She answered quickly, briefly meeting Azriel’s eyes.

Another mistake. 

All she saw was hurt. No one else would’ve noticed because the emotion was there and gone in a flash but Elain saw past the mask. She saw the hurt she’d caused him. Hurt at being reduced to a friend of a friend, as if he wasn’t so much more to her. As if they hadn’t spent years of their lives seeing each other almost every day. Trading secrets. Letting each other see parts of themselves they’d never allowed anyone else to see.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Azriel smiled politely, redirecting his attention to Graysen. “I’m gonna go find the birthday boy but I’ll talk to you guys later, I’m sure.”

He didn’t look at her again before he walked away, Shadow obediently following right behind him. Even Nesta quickly excused herself so she didn’t have to be around to witness the uncomfortable tension that had settled heavily between Elain and Graysen..

She had absolutely no idea what had come over her. She thought she’d been somewhat prepared to see him again but nothing could’ve prepared her for the reality of him standing in front of her. Smiling at her. The feel of his arms around her - strong and sure and familiar. Nothing could have prepared her for seeing him walk away from her, disappointment lingering behind his eyes. She’d done that to him and she hated herself for it.

She silently cursed herself for ever thinking that bringing Graysen back here would be a good idea. Mere minutes had passed and she’d already fucked up. She had no idea how the hell she was supposed to make it through this day, let alone survive an entire weekend of this.

“What the hell was that?” Graysen muttered as Elain turned in his arms, once again plastering on a smile in a last ditch effort to rectify the mess she’d just made of that introduction.

“Nothing,” She shook her head, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “That was nothing.”

… 

When Azriel walked into Rhys and Feyre’s house earlier and caught a glimpse of Elain for the first time in four months, she was wearing another one of those dresses that threatened to send him to his knees. 

He loved each and every one of her dresses but the one she wore today was a pale blue with delicate straps that tied at her shoulders and draped elegantly over her frame in a way that just about teased at each dip and curve concealed by the lightweight, silky material. It was perfectly demure for a children’s birthday party but something about that dress on her was downright sinful. 

Maybe if the circumstances were different, he’d be able to steal a glance every now and then and attempt to carry on with his life, but the circumstances were not different and Azriel was cursed to get through this afternoon looking at Elain in that dress with some other guy’s arm around her waist. 

He hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. Even if he had no right to think of her in that way. Not when she’d made it abundantly clear not once but twice now, that she didn’t want him like that. Still, he couldn’t help that the memory of her kneeling on his bed and tracing a path across his hips with that pretty mouth of hers came rushing back to the forefront of his mind in the ten or so seconds that she’d been on her knees in front of him, patting his dog and looking up at him with those big, brown eyes. 

Any satisfaction that he’d gotten from that memory or simply from seeing her and having her in his arms again, disappeared the second she stepped back and he’d been introduced to her boyfriend.

He knew there was something off with the way they interacted within the first few minutes of watching them together that afternoon. Azriel knew that the smiles she gave him weren’t genuine because they never quite reached her eyes. Elain evaded Graysen’s touch, swiveling out of his grasp each and every time he went to put his hand on her hip, ducking her head so the kiss he intended to give her landed on her forehead instead of her lips. 

He wondered how no one else seemed to notice it when he could see it so clearly. He was in tune with her every emotion, knew her better than he knew the back of his own hand. He’d had time to hone that skill and right now, the piece of his brain that was dedicated solely to her was screaming that something wasn’t right. 

Azriel hated the way she acted around him. Hated the way Graysen acted towards her. Actually, Azriel just outright despised Graysen.

He’d come into this day wanting the best. He genuinely wanted to see Elain happy even if the notion of her being with anyone else made his chest constrict in a way that couldn’t possibly be healthy. But he knew she wasn’t happy and one handshake was all it took for Azriel to know exactly what kind of guy Graysen was.

His grip had been firm but his hands bore no evidence of ever doing anything more difficult than swinging a heavy golf club. Graysen had a smile befitting of a politician’s son - charming but edged with insincerity, like he’d do or say whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. He carried himself with the ease of someone that had had things handed to him on a silver platter for his whole life and there was a certain arrogance to him that had Azriel wondering what Elain could possibly see in him. He knew her well enough to know that it wouldn’t have been the expensive clothing or the twenty thousand dollar watch on his wrist that had piqued her interest just like he knew that the glittering diamond tennis bracelet circling her wrist was for Graysen’s benefit and not hers.

He’d endeavored to try and find out if the guy had any redeeming qualities at all to help Azriel come to terms with them being together but he’d been stopped every time he’d tried to approach Graysen.

Azriel almost found it amusing the way Elain had been running what could be considered award winning interference between himself and her boyfriend all day, somehow managing to keep them well away from each other in and amongst entertaining her nephew and his flock of tiny friends. But now that all Nyx’s friends and their parents had gone home and the sun was beginning to set, there was very little Elain could do to keep them from speaking. 

Graysen had started the conversation as they sat on the couch next to each other, just behind where Elain was sitting on the floor helping Nyx unwrap the copious amounts of presents he’d received today. Graysen asked Azriel about how he had met Rhys and Azriel explained that they’d met when they were kids and Rhys’ family had all but adopted him as one of their own. The topic had turned to Velaris and Azriel had sat through mind-numbing comments about how the river looked nicer in pictures, how things closed too early, and how there was no real potential for growth. 

He’d just nodded and shrugged wherever he thought appropriate and he’d failed to get more than a sentence in but then Cassian had asked if Azriel was still planning on staying at their place after dinner with everyone the next night and when Azriel had answered that he would as long as he managed to finish the ring he’d been working on, Graysen had suddenly had a lot of questions. 

“So you set up a little stall at what? … Weekend farmers markets? Sell jewelry to old ladies and teenage girls?”  Graysen asked after Azriel patiently explained exactly why he was making jewelry. “And you make money from that?”

Azriel noticed the way Elain stiffened at the condescending tone of Graysen’s voice. The snide way he laughed as he reduced Azriel’s work to the equivalent of a children’s roadside lemonade stand. She set down the toy she’d been unboxing for Nyx and swiveled around to face them.

“He’s not making jewelry with dollar store plastic beads, Gray.” It was maybe the most fed up Azriel had ever heard her sound. He’d always known her to stay quiet and avoid confrontation. He didn’t even need one hand to count all the times he’d seen her snap and each of those times had been at Feyre or Nesta so he didn’t really count them. “It’s his business and he’s done really well.”

“It’s fine, Lain.” Azriel said softly, his heart swelling in his chest at the way she defended him even if he was unbothered by Graysen’s comments. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before from his own father or brothers. He continued to speak, confidently taking Graysen’s questions in stride in a way that Elain hadn’t quite been able to.“I actually work in data security but I make jewelry in my spare time and sell custom pieces online. Although, I did have some pretty successful mornings at farmer’s markets when I was just starting out and -”

“I thought you didn’t like being called that.” Graysen interrupted him, calculating eyes shifting from Azriel to Elain.

“What?” Elain asked, eyebrows furrowed in a way that Azriel would’ve found endearing in any other circumstance.

“He calls you ‘Lain.’” Graysen replied. “You told me you hated when I called you that.”

“I just prefer ‘El,’” She shrugged, picking at the sleeve of the cream cardigan she’d thrown on over her dress. “And he isn’t the only one. Nyx has called me that all day today, as well.” 

Azriel stayed silent. He knew exactly where Nyx had picked that nickname up from but he wasn’t about to expose himself for cornering his friend’s kid into multiple conversations with the secret agenda of trying to siphon information about what Nyx’s Auntie was up to these days. 

Graysen huffed, crossing his arms like an overgrown child as he sat back. He’d dropped his line of inquisition for now but Azriel had a feeling that wasn’t the last Elain would hear of this topic and the thought made him sick.

He’d been carefully watching all afternoon - noticing the way Graysen spoke about Elain and the possessive way he touched her as if she was something to have or to own. It had turned his stomach, memories of the way he’d seen his father treat his mother seeping into his mind despite his best efforts to keep them at bay.

Azriel paid extra attention to him now, picking up the way Graysen acted towards Elain as he continued to answer questions about his jewelry. He cringed at the scowl that found a home on Graysen’s lips each time her attention was pulled away from him and the way that scowl only deepened at each passing remark that hinted that maybe Azriel and Elain had, in fact, been closer than what she might’ve alluded to earlier. 

He wasn’t sure exactly what she’d told Graysen about him. He had a feeling she hadn’t told him much at all. But he saw the wheels turning in Graysen’s head when Azriel’s craft came up again and Azriel explained exactly what type of jewelry he made and Graysen’s eyes had drifted to the chain that had faithfully stayed clasped around Elain’s neck year after year. 

His suspicions were confirmed an hour or so later when Azriel rounded a corner, making his way towards the powder room at the foot of the stairs only to stop halfway there when he was distracted by a pair of low voices coming from Rhysand’s office across the hallway. 

It was just a simple hushed whisper but his ears perked up at the voice he’d come to find grating over this very long, very tortuous day. 

He could hear his mother’s voice in his head telling him that it wasn’t polite to eavesdrop, that nothing good every came from it, but he couldn’t help himself as he stood there - still as night, locking in on the hushed conversation and blocking out the raucous laughter coming from the kitchen. 

“You know what I find most interesting about all of this?” Azriel heard Graysen ask. “In four months, I’ve heard about your sisters and their husbands but you haven’t even mentioned his name once.”

“He’s just a friend,” Elain answered quietly. “I swear.”

“Right,” Graysen scoffed. “And I suppose he’s the friend that gave you that necklace?”

Azriel swallowed,  his eyes pinching closed at the animosity - the clear jealousy - that laced Graysen’s question. He could hear the malice in the way he spat out the word ‘friend’. He could only imagine the way he’d be glaring at the little gold oval that Azriel knew Elain would be clutching in between her thumb and index finger.

Graysen had asked her about the necklace, that thin gold chain Azriel had gifted her all those years ago that sat faithfully around her neck every day since. It was his only sign, as delusional as it might’ve made him, that she still thought of him. After everything that had happened the year prior, Elain still wore that small, handmade pendant and even if they didn’t speak, even if his messages had gone unanswered… Maybe her continuing to wear that necklace meant that she didn’t completely despise him. 

Azriel kept moving, not allowing himself to so much as breathe until he was safely behind the closed door of the powder room. He had wanted to keep listening but he knew he shouldn’t. He didn’t think he could stand to hear her answers to Graysen’s questions. Didn’t want to know if she’d attempt to explain to Graysen whatever this thing was between them or if she’d continue to insist that he was nothing more than a friend. 

But Azriel wanted an answer. He deserved an answer. He just didn’t want to get it by eavesdropping on a conversation he wasn’t a part of. He needed to hear it directly from her. He needed to talk to her.

[midnights-dragon]

til our fingers decompose // i’ll keep my hand in yours

[lynxindisguise]

i can’t stop thinking about asexual wolfstar since your last post. they are inside my brain now. i love them dearly.

honestly same. they are just so!! laslasjdflkjsdf.

and there's so many potential variations...

wolfstar deciding they don't care about sex at all.

wolfstar only getting off on kink and roleplay.

wolfstar who enjoy sex, but it's more like a fun thing to do together than an essential part of the relationship.

wolfstar who enjoy intimacy and romance and the emotional aspects of sex but don't care much about the physical sensations.

asexual sirius who sees sex as a cool skill/talent and really likes turning remus on but doesn't want to be touched.

graysexual remus who sometimes desires sex and sometimes has intense periods of sex repulsion.

some combination of these is how I see the dynamic of og wolfstar in everywhere, everything and I don't when/how I'm going to be able to explore that more deeply/explicitly given their unique Situation, but I absolutely plan to at some point.

[getshimback]

oh hey btw everywhere everything i wanna love you til we’re food for the worms to eat til our fingers decompose keep my hand in yours. if you even care.

[eyluvu]

Everywhere, everything. Wanna love you 'til we're food for the worms to eat. 'Til our fingers decompose, keep my hand in yours.

Everywhere, Everything by Noah Kahan is my favourite song rn and it's so percabeth coded.

[torturedbitchesdepartment]

how’s everyone enjoying stick season (we’ll all be here forever)

[lheautontimoroumenos]

Would we survive in a horror movie? I doubt it we’re too slow moving.

Tai & Van in YELLOWJACKETS (2021-) / Noah Kahan, Everywhere, Everything

[enjoy-the-butterf1ies]

Everywhere, Everything-

CL16 (Chapter 3/?)

Pairing: Charles Leclerc × female!reader

Series Summary: In which a rising singer gets her biggest break yet; opening at the Austin Grand Prix. All record companies would have their eyes on her- along with a certain monegasque driver.

Trope: Slow burn with a mix of other tropes in there (He fell first, one bed, roommates, all the good ones!)

Chapter Summary: An early morning with Charles almost makes you forget you had to go back home later that day. Or did you?

Warnings: Cussing, Y/N is oblivious, probably typos 🫣

The sun peaking through the hotel window agonizingly awoke you from your slumber. How cruel of the sun it is to rise so early every morning, you thought. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you attempted to sit up with blurry vision, but failed.

You were never a morning person.

You could recall all the times your friends would wake you up at sleepovers- at lunchtime. They knew better than to speak to you before noon, at the very least. Groaning, you turned to check the time on your phone. Yep. 10 am. Just as you thought, way too early. At least for a night owl such as yourself.

Flashbacks from the night before quickly flooded your head. “Holy shit,” You mumbled to yourself. Yesterday felt like a dream, one you never wanted to awake from. Everything from playing in front of thousands of people to sleeping in a strangers hotel room seemed like a cruel drug induced vision. Luckily for you (and probably your health) it was a very real experience. The nearby couch with discarded blankets and pillows confirmed that for you.

Only thing missing was Charles; where could he be at a time like this?

You wiped your eyes once again, still groggy and longing for a nap. Surely you could sleep for another 30 minutes… or 2 hours…

That pleasant thought was soon interrupted by Charles unpleasantly walking into the hotel room. You could tell he tried to be quiet by opening the door slowly, but your blood still boiled at the sound of his footsteps. You turned to glare at him. You couldn’t help it.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t wake you up did I?” He said, frantically setting down all of his bags. His eyebrows furrowed together in guilt.

“Mm-mm.” You muttered, shaking your head. Well, barely. You were too lazy to shake completely.

Charles sighed. “Good, I got breakfast,” He offered, holding up a white bag with a delicious aroma radiating from it. The scent surrounded you, even from your position on the bed. Your stomach growled in protest. “I had interviews all morning, barely made it to the bakery before they closed for breakfast. Damn, I really rushed.”

You pushed yourself to sit up. You knew looked a mess but you couldn’t possibly care about that when you were so hungry. “Mm food,” Was all you mumbled. You weakly held out your hand, squinting your blurry eyes. Charles exploded into laugher. He tried to stop it, but the sight of you with bed head and exhausted expression was too much. You pouted. “What’s your issue frenchie?” Your morning voice cracked. Charles cackled harder at that.

“Not a morning person, huh?” He chuckled out, setting the food on the bed next to you. You dived directly into it, not even answering his question. Charles watched in admiration as you hungrily found a buttery pastry and smiled at the sight. Just what you needed. You tapped the spot on the bed next to you, motioning for him to sit down. He hesitantly sat down on the bed making sure to keep a respectable distance; he didn’t want to risk making you even slightly uncomfortable. You handed him a croissant in silence. “Thank you,” He said. You nodded, taking a bite of your pastry. You gave a thumbs up to him, a signal that it was very good.

Charles was sure he had died and went to heaven. To the normal eye this would seem like a very strange scenario- Sitting in silence with a grumpy girl who would rather focus on shoving a croissant in her mouth than have a conversation with him. But to Charles, it was the most perfect scenario. You looked so cute in your sleepy state and he would rather spend years in silence with you than to have never met you at all.

Or maybe he was going insane.

“Not a morning person,” You finally mumbled, popping the last bite of food into your mouth. You took a swig of coffee Charles had picked up as well. “I get very grumpy when the sun comes up… Thank you for breakfast.” You felt a little sheepish at the way you acted when he first arrived this morning.

Charles smiled softly. “No worries,” He said. “Reminds me of your song ‘Sunrise’ and the line about hating mornings- didn’t know how honest that was.”

Your eyes widened, taken aback. “You listened to that song??” You stuttered. And he remembered that line too? What is with this guy? He nodded happily to your question. “Wow- I- That’s so awesome.”

“I really think you’re meant to be a star, Y/N.” He stated confidently.

“Thank you Charles, it’s been a really long road. I still remember making songs in my moms closet as a 7 year old, hopefully one day I can make songs in my own record studio.” You laughed at the memory. You were a big dreamer. Always had been.

“You’re gonna get there one day, mark my words.” He said. You smiled at him, hands tightening around the cup. You were a little nervous under his gaze but didn’t know why. You pushed the feeling down.

“I’m not sure about that, after today I don’t have much going for me,” You said regretfully. He lifted a brow in confusion. “I’m just returning home to play the same old gigs in the same old bars. I would love nothing more than to continue playing in front of thousands of people- but that’s not realistic.”

Charles was in shock. “What??” He stood up from the bed. He honestly hadn’t even thought about you leaving soon. He hated it. “No, that’s not the kickass ‘follow your dreams’ Y/N I talked to last night. You’re gonna go far. You set your sights on your dreams and complete them, remember?”

You blinked at him. “Charles-“

He cut you off. “I have an idea,” He said, a wide smile spreading across his face. “It’s a long shot, but promise me you won’t leave until I get it sorted out.”

You were so confused. You checked your phone. “Charles, my plane leaves in 5 hours.” You protested. He nodded.

“That’s all I need,”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You had one hour to get to your plane in time. And in normal Y/N fashion, you were running late. You pressed your phone in between your ear and shoulder as you hurriedly packed your suitcase.

“There’s a ton of chatter about you on F1 media, but other than that… I’m sorry Y/N.” Diana said through the line. “I know you were hoping to get discovered.”

“Yeah, I set my expectations really high didn’t I?” You chuckled sadly. The thought of returning home empty handed tore at your heart. “And it wasn’t all bad, gained a few more fans, some confidence, and an experience I’ll never forget. Oh, and a new friend.”

“New friend?” Diana smirked. “It wouldn’t happen to be that hunk Leclerc you stayed with last night, would it?”

You rolled your eyes, even though she couldn’t see you. “It’s not like that Di,” You said, very matter of fact. You knew what she was getting at. “Nothing happened, and after today, he’s probably never gonna talk to me again. It was just a really nice thing he did, and very much a one time thing.”

Diana hummed. “Tell that to all of the streaming platforms he followed you on,” She pointed out.

“So, he likes my music? You like my music, doesn’t mean you wanna get in my pants.”

“Yeah well I’m also not a hot ass F1 driver either so-“

“GOODBYE Diana,” You hung up on her, but you knew that wouldn’t be the last time she talked about him. You checked your watch. You definitely had to leave soon if you wanted to get your flight. But the thought of leaving without saying goodbye to Charles felt wrong, especially after how kind he’s been.

He disappeared a few hours ago and hasn’t returned since. You were running out of time to wait. Sighing, you packed up the last of your items and picked up your guitar. Maybe you could DM him over insta to say goodbye, or ask around for his number-

Just then, the door slammed wide open. It almost hit you in the face. “WHOA!” You jumped back in shock. Charles came rushing in, heart beating in his chest but a huge grin on his face. “That’s the second time you almost knocked me out frenchie!!” You yelped. Hidden below your annoyance, you were glad he came back in time.

“Drop your bags,” He said, nearly shaking from excitement. “You don’t have to go home today.”

You were so confused. A million questions went through your mind at once. “What do you mean??” Is the one you decided on. “Charles, I have a plane in 45 minutes!”

He shook his head in a frenzy. “I talked around, got with some big guys and long story short, they said you can continue at playing at Grand Prix for us for the rest of the season,” His smile was miles wide. “I’m talking Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi, Y/N. This is your chance to be discovered. A chance to live your dreams.”

Your mouth hung agape. He had to have been joking. There was no way this was happening. You silently swore to kill him if he was pulling your leg. “Charles-“

“I promise you this is very real,” He nodded, almost as if reading your thoughts. You felt emotions you had no idea existed. It was as if a tornado was swirling inside your brain.

“I- I don’t have the money-“

“Not an issue, I will provide you with everything you need,” He said.

You shook your head no. “I can’t ask you to do that, that’s- that’s crazy-“

“Y/N, listen to me. I want to do this. I want you to do this.” He met your gaze with the most honest eyes. Your heart caught in your throat. “You don’t have to take the offer, but if you leave today and get on that plane home-“

“I wouldn’t be following my dreams,” You whispered, looking down. It was all hitting you. Holy shit. This means everything. This could be everything for you. Your entire future, and Charles was holding it in the palm of his hand.

“Please, Y/N,” He nearly begged. It was almost a selfish act, part of him did this so he wouldn’t have to depart from you so soon. But if he could see you achieve your dream, he would die a happy man.

“Charles, are you sure?” You fidgeted, meeting his eyes once again. You gave him a soft smile.

At the sight of the smile, he had never been more sure of anything in his life. “I’m positive,” He nodded.

You covered your mouth with your hands and let out a muffled squeal. You couldn’t help but jump up and down in excitement. “Mexico, here we come!!” You shouted, unable to stop the laughter. Charles joined in chuckling, clapping and grinning wider than you had ever seen. “Can I give you a hug??” You asked, caught up in the moment. For a second your mouth went dry, regretting it. But Charles quickly muttered a small “Of course” and pulled you in for a tight hug. Your heartbeat sped up. “Thank you so much, Charles,” You whispered into his shoulder.

“No, thank you Y/N,” He said with the widest smile you thankfully couldn’t see.

[orionfalling]

when noah kahan said "drive slowly. i know every route in this county. maybe that ain't such a bad thing? i'll tell you where not to speed." and when he said "why am i so obsessive? hangin on to every sentence? this town's the same as u left it; your page was blank but i read it!" and when he said "honey come over, the party's gone slower n no one will tempt you - we know you got sober. there's orange juice in the kitchen, bought for the children. it's yours if you want it. we're just glad you could visit." and when he said "oh, this town's for the record now! the intersection got a target and they're calling it downtown." and when he said "i got dreams but i can't make myself believe them, spend the rest of my life with what could have been, and i will die in the house that i grew up in."

[svnflowermoon]

everywhere, everything ft. gracie abrams actually needs to be engraved into my brain

[duskandcobalt]

Everywhere, Everything: Chapter Three

Chapter Summary: In the aftermath of sleeping with Azriel, Elain finds herself a distraction in the form of a new boyfriend. Only, that distraction isn't working out quite as planned.

Word Count: 3.9k

Missed the first two chapters? You can find the masterlist for this fic here 🥰

A/N: Thank you so much for all the love and support on this fic. It means everything to me 💕 Please accept my apologies in advance for this chapter lol but repeat after me - fuck! graysen!

ENJOY XX

Read on AO3

“Your mom hates me.” Elain tipped her head back against the passenger seat headrest and closed her eyes against the bright light of the full moon. Graysen’s foot pressed down on the gas pedal, sending them flying faster down the freeway towards his apartment. She couldn’t bear to look at him. Couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in his eyes, the tension in his jaw. She had one job tonight and she’d failed miserably.

“I told you to make sure you cleaned yourself up after work.” Graysen’s voice was low, barely audible over the sound of the road. His gaze stayed fixed straight ahead - as if he couldn’t stand to even glance in her direction. 

Hot tears pricked at the corner of Elain’s eyes, threatening to spill. She didn’t know why she’d bothered to hope that maybe he’d try to reassure her, that he’d say something to make her feel better or to let her know that it didn’t matter to him whether or not his parents approved of his new girlfriend. It shouldn’t have surprised her that all she got was blame even if she had spent an hour in the bathroom after work, carefully pinning her hair into place and making sure her makeup was done just right. 

She didn’t know how she’d failed to notice the smear of dark crimson juice that had dried on the side of her hand or how she’d forgotten to scrub off the smudge of dirt that had somehow made its way onto the side of her neck but Graysen and his mother had both certainly noticed. 

It had been the first two things he had pointed out seconds after Elain slid into his car earlier,  foolishly expecting a compliment on her dress - one of his favourites -  only for her faults to be pointed out instead. 

He’d found those things endearing once upon a time, in the early days of their relationship, back when he’d come by the apothecary after closing and crowd her up against the door or the counter. It used to be a game between them - kisses pressed along her wrists, shoulders, and neck until he could correctly guess which fruits or herbs she’d been working with that day.

She didn’t know when it had all changed but she supposed it was only to be expected given just how quickly things had progressed between them in the first place. 

…

Elain had met Graysen a couple months after she’d moved to Meadowview. 

She’d sworn off boys and deleted all her apps. The intention had been to take some time for herself for the first time in her entire adult life and figure out what the hell she was doing. But the universe seemingly had other plans because one week before Thanksgiving, Graysen approached Elain in the wine aisle of her local grocery store.

She’d seen him for the first time a few weeks before that. He’d been studying the bottles of wine on the top shelf and she’d caught him sneaking glances in her direction as she half heartedly scanned the lower shelves looking for something good and cheap. They’d exchanged a few coy smiles, a casual wave in greeting or farewell, but never anything more. It wasn’t until they’d ended up in the same aisle at the same time for the third week in a row that Graysen finally decided to make his move.

Elain had seen it coming from a mile away. She’d caught that initial spark of interest the very first time their eyes had met two weeks prior and she’d seen the determination in the set of his shoulders when he turned the corner that night and saw her crouched down as she tried to decide between two bottles of wine.  She wasn’t even a little bit surprised when she shifted her gaze from the wine in her hands to see the supple leather shoes that had stepped into place beside her, standing in stark contrast to her own dirt streaked, worn white sneakers.

She’d slowly dragged her eyes up to see him looking down at her with a confident and obviously practiced smile - one that Elain figured he’d used on countless women over the years, easily charming them into a date or into his bed.

Graysen was tall and lean with sandy hair cropped close to his scalp and bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce straight through her. He was impeccably dressed - always in a well tailored shirt and pants with cufflinks neatly pinned to his sleeves and an expensive, probably designer, belt wrapped around his waist.

He’d introduced himself to her after she stood up on wobbly legs and Elain had found herself falling victim to that easy charm. She’d said yes to a drink with him - yes to a drink with this complete stranger - perhaps out of boredom, perhaps as a way to distract herself from the memories that continued to haunt her of her life back home, of the loss of her father, and the friend that had been there for her in the weeks after - the one that hadn’t so much as batted an eye as she ruined his t-shirts with the salt from her tears. 

She’d gone out with Graysen for a drink that Saturday night and it had been… fine. 

Graysen was wonderfully vanilla. Perfectly predictable. He had a routine and he stuck to it. He was just like all the other guys she tended to date - guys that were so far removed from her actual type. Which when she really thought about it, came down to just one particular man with broad shoulders and hazel eyes flecked with green if you only got close enough to notice. 

She’d felt so neutral about Graysen that she hadn’t been particularly interested in seeing him again after that first night. Their date had lasted a few hours. He’d showed off by ordering an extensive bottle of wine and then explaining the various notes and flavours to her in extensive detail. He told her about his job but hadn’t really asked about hers. He hadn’t really asked her much at all that night, when she thought about it. She’d given him a kiss on the cheek and sent him on his way at the end of the night, telling him that she’d be going out of town soon but maybe they could catch up for another drink or dinner when she got back. 

She had no intention of actually following through on that until she’d gone back home and royally fucked everything up by acting on a long suppressed impulse and ending her Christmas tangled in the sheets of her best friend’s bed.

What happened with Azriel was the exact reminder Elain needed that she’d been right to avoid being alone with him in the months leading up to Christmas. It was also the reminder she needed that she’d gone from relationship to relationship when she lived back home for a reason. Because even then, before the idea of Azriel being anything more than a friend had taken root in her mind, she’d somehow subconsciously known that dating someone else was the only way to keep her from falling hard and fast for him.

She’d called upon that go-to tactic once again when she’d returned back to Meadowview and decided that a distraction was extremely necessary and long overdue because just a few months of being single had sent her running into Azriel’s arms not once, but twice.

Graysen had been the obvious option. One quick text and Elain was on the road to moving forward. At least that’s what she tried to tell herself. 

Elain had taken it upon herself to figure out exactly what Graysen was looking for in a girl quite early into knowing him and she’d adjusted herself accordingly - quickly and easily falling into an all too familiar routine of molding herself to be whatever someone wanted or expected her to be. She’d done it for her parents, for her sister, for her friends. And she most certainly did it for the men she dated. 

She’d always excelled at it. She knew exactly how to tailor herself to be what a man desired and she’d been fine tuning her skills from a young age, leaning into the covertness of being just a pretty face. She knew how to stay quiet and be demure. She knew to let them take the spotlight, knew when to laugh at their jokes. To let them kiss her but to hold back on sex just long enough to keep them wanting more. 

She’d done it all with Graysen - knew that he would love the idea of taking a pretty girl who was just a little bit rough around the edges and putting her in a sophisticated dress and expensive jewelry. Knew he’d like that she was  quiet with only a few friends so that she could dedicate all her spare time to him. She’d leaned into the bit of her personality that she knew he’d love and shoved every other part of her to the side until even she forgot that they’d ever existed. She’d done it so effectively and efficiently that he’d wanted to parade her around his friends and high flying colleagues mere weeks after she’d sent him that first text.

It was supposed to be casual. It was supposed to be like all her other previous relationships that were really nothing more than just the occasional dinner and sex a few times a week until they inevitably saw through her lack of commitment and called it off. It certainly wasn’t supposed to go as far as meeting his parents and she definitely hadn’t thought that she’d ever agree to introducing him - or anyone else she’d dated - to her family. 

But here they were, three months and one disastrous dinner later.

Elain had never met Graysen’s parents before but she’d heard stories and she’d seen the photos that dotted his swanky apartment in the heart of the city. She’d known just from the look of them - the severe posture and those clinical smiles - that she could expect them to be just like their son.

She’d been nervous to meet them but she’d been somewhat confident that she could charm them in the same way that she’d charmed Graysen and all the other men before him. She’d been wrong, so very wrong.

Graysen’s father had been alright. He hadn’t said much to her other than a hello and a murmured  interesting that dripped in condescension after she’d informed them that she worked at an apothecary running soap making workshops and lecturing patrons on the many intricacies of herbal teas. His mother, however, hadn’t even tried to hide her distaste. Elain wondered if it wasn’t so much a personal vendetta against her specifically or something broader - a preordained disdain for any girl her only son might’ve brought to meet her. 

Veronica had stared daggers at Elain for the better part of two hours - the same piercing blue eyes as her son shamelessly cataloging Elain’s black dress, one she’d spent a good chunk of her paycheck on when she’d clued into the types of restaurants and venues that Graysen liked to frequent and realised that her thrifted flowy skirts and dresses wouldn’t suffice. She’d noticed the tight frown on the woman’s thin lips as she marked the chipped red nail polish on Elain’s index finger along with that smear of cherry juice along the side of her palm. That frown had only increased each time she spoke and Veronica realised that her perfect, accomplished only son had brought a girl with two dead parents and an unfinished college degree to meet her.

Elain ran her thumb along the chain of her necklace, pressing the pad of her finger into the engraved rose as she tried to figure out how she could possibly salvage this evening but with each mile marker they passed, she only found herself withdrawing further and further into herself until all the light had left Graysen’s eyes and the grip of the hand he had on the steering wheel had turned his knuckles white. 

For twenty minutes, she sat in the car and rehashed every second, trying to figure out what she could’ve done better. Had she talked too much? Too little? Laughed too loud like she had a tendency to do when she got nervous?

They were almost back to his apartment when she felt his attention on her again. Elain raised her eyes to his just as his hand fell to her thigh, fingers pressing in lightly through the satin of her dress. 

“Lain,” Graysen started. 

“I told you not to call me that.” Elain interrupted him.  Only one person had ever used that nickname for her and she couldn’t stand the sound of it from anyone else, but especially not from another man. She’d made that clear to Graysen in their first few weeks together.

“El,” Graysen corrected himself, sighing in frustration before he continued. “My mom can be extremely critical but she’ll come around.” 

“You didn’t even try, Gray. You didn’t even try to defend me or anything.”

“I know. I should have said something but I was just frustrated because I told you to clean up and I thought you’d answer their questions -” 

“You’re turning it on me again,” Elain pinched the bridge of her nose. “What did you want me to do? Lie about my career? Tell them that I grew up like you did?”. 

“No, I just… fuck, I just wanted them to like you because I… I love you.” Graysen paused, reaching for her hand. “You know I love you. Don’t you, El?”

Elain’s heart dropped and she tensed under his grip as a flood of indecipherable feelings hit her. 

This wasn’t the first time she’d received a halfhearted apology from him after he’d hurt her feelings and she suspected it wouldn’t be the last. At least this time the apology had come directly from him in a timely manner instead of being delivered as a note written by someone else and attached to an overpriced bouquet of flowers or yet another necklace that would sit on her dresser untouched for months to come. 

“I know, it’s fine.” She finally said, bringing his hand up to her lips and pressing a kiss to the back of his palm. He’d told her he loved her a few times now but she’d never said it back. Not when she couldn’t quite return the sentiment. Instead, she waited for him to pull into the driveway and put the car in park before she leant over the center console and slid her hand up his neck to tilt his face towards hers for a slow, deep kiss. 

Once he pulled away, forehead against hers, chest rising and falling unsteadily, Elain laughed under her breath and gently tapped the sliver of skin visible where he’d undone the first couple of buttons on his crisp, white shirt. “Maybe my sisters will hate you and then we can call it even.”

A small part of her regretted the pettiness of the words but she couldn’t help but allow herself to make the joke, not after the night they’d had. Luckily for her, it seemed that her kiss had done enough to diffuse the situation because he didn’t come back with a sharp retort of his own. Just a huff of breath and a small shake of his head as he turned the engine off. 

Two weeks. She had two weeks until she had to make good on her panicked decision to go home for Nyx’s fifth birthday and then the accompanying panicked agreement she’d made when Graysen suggested accompanying her on the trip in front of his parents.

Elain pushed the thought from her mind. She couldn't think about all that would entail. What going back home would now look like. How much more anxious she felt about it now compared to her last trip back home because now she had an actual reason to be nervous. 

It wasn’t enough to be faced with the predicament of potentially seeing Azriel again but this time she had to do it while pretending that they hadn’t done what they’d done… and she’d have to do it all with her new boyfriend watching as a front row spectator. 

She’d never once introduced any of the guys she’d dated to her family. Never once had they stepped foot into her house or shaken her father’s hand. Not a single one of them had ever been subjected to the scrutiny of Nesta’s menacing gaze. 

But she couldn’t very well say anything to deter him now. She’d gotten herself into this hole and now there was no way out. 

She knew it was a stupid decision to take him back home with her but a small, reckless part of her wondered if this wasn’t for the best because even after months of establishing a relationship with Graysen in the hopes of erasing what she’d done with Azriel, it was a lost cause.

 It wasn’t even the memory of his skin under her palms that hurt the most, it was everything else she’d lost as a result of crossing that line. 

It felt like she was missing a huge chunk of herself. There were empty spaces in her life where Azriel used to be and as much as she’d tried to fill in those gaps with someone else, it just wasn’t the same. She still found herself checking her phone first thing in the morning to see if he’d texted her. She missed seeing his picture pop up on her phone when he called. The random photos of Shadow he used to send her and the constant stream of conversation between them. All their inside jokes. She found reminders of him everywhere and it was hell to keep pretending like she was fine with it all. To keep pretending that anyone else would ever be able to understand her the way Azriel had.

But she’d done this. She’d made that first move and ruined something that had been so natural and easy. 

Maybe it was best to take Graysen back home and put the final nail in the coffin because with any luck,  introducing someone to her family - to Azriel - would make this all real and would force her to move on once and for all.

… 

Azriel sat at Feyre and Rhys’s kitchen counter, woefully tossing MnMs at their toddler who was trying - and failing - to catch them in his mouth. 

He’d been spending the last few weeks like this, trailing Rhysand’s family like a lost puppy because he simply had nothing better to do with his life. 

It’d been just over three months since he’d woken up to an empty bed after what he might’ve deemed to be the best night of his life had it not all gone to hell and while he thought it would get easier with time, it most certainly hadn’t. 

Every day was the same. Wake up, walk Shadow, work out with Cassian, log in to work and stare at a screen for hours on end, walk Shadow again, go to bed. Rinse. Repeat. 

He’d tried all his old tactics of distractions but no amount of drinking in his local bar or aimlessly flirting with whatever girl inevitably sauntered up to him could ease the ache that had taken root in his chest. He hadn’t been able to be with anyone else since that night. He’d tried - just once - a couple weeks after Christmas, and it had ended with him abruptly pulling away from a half naked, very confused girl just as she’d reached for his belt. He’d apologised profusely and left her apartment promptly to go back to his own house and contemplate how he’d gone from a regular rotation of casual hookups to not even being able to kiss a girl without thinking about Elain.

Really, he shouldn’t have been surprised because Elain was all he ever thought about. Every day. Every night. Each time he flipped over his phone just to check if maybe she’d decided to break her silence. He’d been torturing himself endlessly like this for months now to no avail. 

It’s why - when he heard Feyre mention Elain’s name in passing as she spoke to Rhys- he found himself speaking before he could even think to stop himself. 

“How’s she been?” He asked, trying desperately to keep his voice level as he reminded himself that there was nothing unusual about asking after a friend. 

Still, Rhys gave him one of those looks that he’d been giving him for years at the slightest mention of his wife’s older sister. He wondered if Rhys would go into cardiac arrest if he ever found out exactly what Azriel had done with his friend’s beloved sister-in-law.

“She’s good!” Feyre gave him a bright smile. “I actually spoke to her yesterday for the first time in weeks.”

There was nothing on her face to hint that she knew exactly why he was asking. He certainly hadn’t said anything to her after Christmas. He’d kept what happened to himself. Had only casually asked Nesta about her sister’s whereabouts just to be told that Elain had needed to leave because of an emergency at work.

“Oh, that’s good.” Azriel returned her smile with a small one of his own.

“She’s coming back for a visit in a couple weeks.” Feyre continued, her smile faltering ever so slightly.

Azriel stilled. 

“For Nyx’s birthday,” Rhys chimed in, once again carefully studying Azriel before he continued. “And she’s bringing… what’s his name, again?” 

“Graysen.” Feyre nodded, raising up onto her tiptoes and then back down again. It was a nervous habit of hers that Azriel had picked up on by the second or third time he’d hung out with her because she’d done it constantly around Rhys in those early days.

Graysen.

He could pretend that he’d never heard that name before but he’d be lying if he didn’t say he’d scrolled through Elain’s social media to find a picture of him the first time he’d heard Feyre and Nesta gossiping about some new guy Elain had been seeing back in January. He hadn’t found much, just a glimpse of blonde hair and an expensive watch in the background of a picture she’d taken while out to dinner..

He’d seen no sign of a man in any of her limited posts since then and he’d selfishly hoped that that had meant it hadn’t gone anywhere.

“He’s coming back with her? Here?” Azriel asked slowly, staring straight at Feyre while refusing to look at Rhys. He knew his friend’s eyes would be narrowed in suspicion.

A soft ringing filled Azriel’s ears as his heart slammed against his chest. He didn’t let any of it show on the outside, going out of his way to maintain that calm and collected mask he was known for. But it was dread that coursed through him. Dread that extinguished any hope and excitement he might have once felt at the prospect of Elain returning home.

“Yeah. It must be serious,” Feyre swallowed as she once again raised up onto her tiptoes and then back down again before she met Azriel’s eyes. He was usually so good at reading people but for the first time ever, he couldn’t quite put his thumb on what he saw in Feyre’s gaze as she looked at him. “If she’s actually willing to let us meet him.” 

[backhurtyy]

everywhere everything i wanna love you til we’re food for the worms to eat til our fingers decompose keep my hand in yours btw. if you even care.

[lynxindisguise]

Universe 668x: Vampires

The one-room shack is cramped and cluttered, filled with books, plants, a dusty piano, and of course, a coffin. One coffin.

“There’s no people for miles, and you’ll not be bringing any back here, so it’s goats and rabbits or nothing.” Remus raises his glass pointedly and takes a sip.  

“You’ve no curtains,” he observes.

“My plants like light.” Leave it to Remus to prioritise the happiness of some plants over his own.

Sirius cocks his chin towards the singular coffin, waiting for him to catch on. His dismayed expression does not disappoint.

“It looks roomy enough,” he offers innocently.  

“I’d prefer the sun,” Remus grumbles, looking rather petulant. They both know full well that they’ll be sharing that coffin come dawn.

“It’s adorable when you pretend to be repulsed by me.”

“I’m not pretending. And don’t call me that.”  

“What, adorable?” he smirks, creeping forward. “But you are adorable.”

“Yes because I’m trapped in the body of a child,” he snaps.

Oh. Chastised, Sirius wavers in place. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”  

Remus drains the remaining contents of his mug, blood staining the inner portion of his colourless lips. A single drop pools in the corner, and he can’t shake the urge to lick it away. It’s something he’s done before, he’d guess, something done regularly.

What happened between them? For once, they’re the same sort of monster; shouldn’t that have made things easier?

But then, sometimes it’s easier to love a different monster than a mirror reflection. Neither of them have ever particularly liked their reflections.

start from the beginning

multiverse jump!

[kaaaaaaarf]

Have you read the good word first chapter of @lynxindisguise's multiverse wolfstar fic yet??? It's called everywhere, everything and I am fully obsessed. I made a little playlist for it, which I will likely update with every chapter!

[teathattast]

i wanna love you

til we're food for the worms to eat

til our fingers decompose

keep my hand in yours

[actual-sleeping-beauty]

hey besties, not to add to the chaos unnecessarily, but i did just want to remind everyone that everywhere, everything by noah kahan featuring gracie abrams just came out at midnight