#they can make a Lucien sandwich

[whitegoldtower]

I have uhhhh a new Skyrim OC again. Probably the strongest mage I’ve ever made (I love Severin but he’s a lickle necromancer and everything he summons kills the enemies for him. He persuaded Ancano not to be a dick… this guy would wipe the floor with him). His name is Gwalchmai, an altmer mage specialising in everything EXCEPT conjuration. He doesn’t like conjuring things to do all the work for him. He likes being creative, the fucken psychopath.

He gets on extremely well with Taliesin (maybe a bit too well if you catch my drift) and for some reason he also enjoys Lucien’s company (although Lucien refers to him as ‘Bran’ because Gwalchmai told him to - Gwalchmai witnessed Lucien pronounce his name once with the kiki ‘ch’ instead of the bouba ‘ch’ and was mortified). He lives in Morthal, has a slightly more than friendly rivalry with Sybille Stentor 🥴 and plays court wizard to Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone, because who better to keep the vampires in check in Morthal than another territorial vampire with the spellcasting equivalent of nukes for hands?

Gwalchmai wants Taliesin almost as much as Lucien wants Gwalchmai. He also has a horse named Annwn.

Anyway. Have some aesthetic screenshots of him.

His context? He came to Skyrim as a follower of Julianos, seeking to learn more about his deity by living in the rectory in the temple of the divines. He soon fucked around and found out with Sybille Stentor, however, and hopped out of Solitude and into Morthal - out of her territory - to become Court Wizard to Idgrod. He worries he’s stepped on Falion’s toes, but Falion doesn’t give a fuck; at least with Gwalchmai as the Court Wizard now, the townsfolk don’t hound him as much.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, though, because now Gwalchmai has to assert himself over Movarth Piquine, and unlike Alva, I don’t think he’s going to be able to fuck his way out of this one.

[gasolinerainbowpuddles]

On The Verge of a Usual Mistake ║ ⓞⓝⓔ๏ⓞⓕⓕⓢ

On the Verge of a Usual Mistake | main masterlist | PAIRING(s): ex!Lucien x actress!reader x ex!Dieter

| RATING: explicit material | 18+ | WORD COUNT:  2.3k | CONTENT: this is truly just porn with minimal plot (I'm so proud of myself lol), Dieter and Lucien are messy exes, threesome activities, Twister but with genitalia, Daddy and Papi kinks

| SYNOPSIS: You've been avoiding your exes Dieter Bravo and Lucien Flores all night at this event, but you're forced to come to terms with how things ended in both relationships when they seek to right their wrongs.

“My publicist is gonna kill me!” you hiss into the dampened light of the small room Lucien unceremoniously ushered you into.

“Baby, come on. The tabloids loved us together, remember?” he coos.

“The two of you can’t just be pulling this shit! Not when I’m trying to talk to Wayne from A24 about—”

“The fuck’re you two doing in here?” Dieter whispers loudly as he closes and locks the door behind him. “You seriously going back to him after turning me down?”

“Dee, this is not the time,” you snap. “And I’m not doing a fucking thing with this asshole. He practically herded me in here.” You’re grateful neither of them are aware of the pooling slick between your legs you’ve been dutifully ignoring all night with them both chasing you around and begging for a moment alone.

“Well, three makes a party then,” Dieter decides.

“We’re not interested in that sort of partying,” Lucien cuts in.

“Oh, cut the sober lifestyle bullshit. I’m not the one you’re gonna fool with those bogus rehab claims,” Dieter scoffs.

“Well I guess if anybody knows about stints in rehab, it’s you,” Lucien snipes back.

“Okay, I’m leaving,” you huff. You push past Lucien who grabs for you, but it’s ultimately Dieter’s gentle but firm hold that keeps you from exiting. “Dee, let go of me. The two of you can have at each other all you want. Besides, you don’t need me here when neither one of you is gonna listen to me anyway.”

“Don’t be like that,” Lucien pleads. “I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me all night.”

“Yeah, exactly,” you laugh without a hint of amusement. “You want me to listen to you. Never the other way around. It’s the same with both of you. Always has been. Neither of you know how to put anybody else first. Why do you think I ended things? You’re just two peas in a fucking pod.”

“You really feel that way?” Dieter’s hold on you has slackened to a weak grip. Your head whirls back around to look him in the eye. He looks hurt. Dammit. “You think I don’t want to put you first?”

“I never knew that,” Lucien admits quietly. He edges in closer until you’re practically sandwiched between your exes.

“It’s not like I didn’t tell you,” you grumble, aggrieved at their past mistakes and kicking yourself for not just bolting out the door before they mess with your head like they always do.

Some quiet exchange happens between Dieter and Lucien, and you recognize the silent conversation just as it appears to end. Lucien’s hand creeps along your lower back while Dieter’s hands crawl back up your sides and arms.

“You’re right, baby. I never did things how I should’ve when it came to you. I blew it. Messed up the best thing I ever had. S’why I’ve been on your heels all night just trying to get a word with you,” Lucien says softly into your hair. You shiver at his warm breath fanning across your skin.

“I miss you so much,” Dieter confesses in a hush. “Let me show you how much I miss you. Please.”

“Let us both show you,” Lucien adds. “Let us show you we can listen. Let us show you we can put you first.”

You’re going to give yourself a stern talking to in the mirror tomorrow morning, but right now all the reasons why this is a terrible idea are like wisps of smoke catching to the wind. When Dieter nuzzles against the crook of your neck and Lucien is already down on the ground and underneath your dress, your resolve shatters into a million pieces. “Okay. Yeah, I–oh fuck, Lucien–”

The fat wet line of his tongue between your folds jolts you forward into Dieter who busies himself with lifting and tucking your dress aside so he doesn’t miss the show. He’s already got the top of your dress shoved down so he can suckle on your tightening nipples. “Dee,” you gasp.

“I got you,” he groans, nipping and teasing your nubs. “God you look so good. Missed this so fucking much. Missed these tits so fucking much.” He gropes them in appreciation, and his eyes go wide in that wondrous sort of way that they always seemed to whenever the two of you fucked. Every time was like he’d never seen a woman before, not with the way he’d shower you with compliments and superlatives.

Your legs are already shaky with Lucien working between them, and you don’t even bother feeling ashamed at the orgasm that’s already building. It’s been a long time since you’d been with an attentive partner, and nothing quite compared to the likes of Dieter or Lucien. They’d ruined other sexual partners for you forever, but you wouldn’t be caught dead telling them as much. Their egos were inflated enough as it was. Besides, they’d just hear that and not the other side of the coin which was how they were stingy, selfish companions when it came to the emotional aspect of a relationship.

“You want to be Mommy tonight? Or do you want me to be Daddy?” Dieter asks a little breathlessly.

Throwing all dignity out the window, you reply, “I want Daddy tonight.”

He almost sounds pained as his eyes clamp shut at your answer. “Fuck yeah, I can do that. I can be Daddy. You need your Daddy?”

You nod so loose and frantic it feels like your head isn’t attached to your neck. Lucien never stops but inches forward until he’s looking up at you from between the cradle of your thighs. “Tell Papi what you want,” he husks.

“I-I want you to make me come, Papi,” you whine with a roll of your hips. 

He suctions onto your clit, and you’re gone. Dieter seems absolutely giddy to watch another man make you come, but something about it is comforting and endearing. You hate how familiar and heady this all feels, knowing full well that come tomorrow morning it’ll be another fading memory to lump in with all the others. You push away the painful acknowledgement before it ruins your orgasm entirely.

Dieter’s fingers slip inside you with no resistance, and you both moan in unison at the way you part for him. Lucien’s wet mouth and chin leave a sloppy trail across your neck where he lays even sloppier kisses. “Can I take this off?” he asks. You nod, and he unzips and unfastens your dress before tossing it onto a nearby table. “I fuckin knew you wouldn’t be wearing panties,” he says low and needy into your ear.

The rhythmic plunge of Dieter’s fingers has you hurtling towards another climax. “Been a while since somebody gave you what you needed, baby?”

You bite your lip and dip your head. You hate how easily they could both read you. It made you feel laid bare, and not in the fun sort of way.

“Let Papi and Daddy make you feel good, okay? Don’t think about anything except letting us make you feel good,” Lucien whispers against your temple from behind. You feel the hard curve of his clothed cock pressing against your ass. You push back against it and stifle a grin when he moans. The grin slips away the moment Lucien’s fingers slide down your body to rub your clit in time with Dieter’s fingering. You aren’t sure whose hand comes to cover your mouth while you come, but you’re glad somebody has enough sense right now to think about other partygoers overhearing.

“You were always so pretty when you fell apart,” Dieter reminisces with a goofy, tender smile. He slips his fingers from you and licks them clean. “Better than I remembered.”

The sound of Lucien’s belt and zipper draw your attention backward. “You gonna let me fuck you wide open, baby? Think you can take all of me? It’s been a long time.”

“I can take it,” you breathe, arching your back for him to enter you from behind.

“Good girl for Papi,” he praises. He jerks himself a few times with a slip of spit and lines his cock up to your entrance. “Always such a good girl for your Papi, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes, Papi. I’ll be good,” you choke out.

He inches inside you with an agonizing, languid pace. Your breath catches when he finally bottoms out. He’s so much bigger than you remember, but you still want more. Dieter captures your mouth in a heated kiss just as Lucien starts thrusting, and your high pitched cries of pleasure are caught between his lips. “Daddy,” you whine as you latch onto his shoulders for support. Lucien’s pace picks up quickly, and for a few minutes the small room is only filled with panting and the squelching sounds of him splitting you open.

“You’re taking his cock so good, baby,” Dieter says against your teeth. “You like taking raw cock, don’t you? You always begged Daddy to fuck you raw.”

“Fuck! Yes, I like it when Papi and Daddy fuck me raw,” you cry. “I want Daddy to fuck me raw, too.”

“Yeah?” he goads with a smile. “You want Daddy’s cock after Papi fills you up?”

Lucien grunts and whimpers as he struggles to keep his pace with all the back and forth filth.

“N-No, Daddy. Want you and Papi to fuck me raw together,” you beg. “Please, Daddy. Please Papi?”

Dieter rushes to free his cock and wet it with spit as Lucien starts chanting yes yes yes. He stills for Dieter to push against his own length and fight for the tight space of your cunt. They work together to hoist you higher until Dieter is notched at your entrance and finally pushing inside. The stretch burns and makes you feel present in your own body in such an overwhelming way for the first time in a long time. The first few thrusts are experimental and slow, but it doesn’t matter. You’re already crying and coming and losing yourself in the intoxicating sting of both their cocks wedged inside the fist of your cunt.

“Christ,” Dieter hisses. “Fuck, this is gonna make me come too fast.”

“Tell us what you want,” Lucien urges, sounding close to the edge himself.

Your pussy throbs and clenches around them both as you try to make your brain and mouth cooperate. “I want you to come in me, Papi,” you whine. “Want you and Daddy to fuck me and make me come again. Make me come and then fuck me ‘til you come inside me.”

“Anything for my girl – Papi’s good girl,” he assents.

“Daddy’ll give you whatever you want, baby,” Dieter adds in a hoarse sounding wheeze. “Gonna milk my cock in this tight little pussy. Gonna give you whatever you want.”

Despite never really caring much for one another, Dieter and Lucien seem to sync up with the common goal of giving you another mind numbing orgasm. The feel of their thick cocks crowding your insides, sliding against each other so that each push and pull is a constant punch of a cockhead against your cervix. “Fuck I’m gonna come again,” you blurt out as your climax surges and swells without warning.

You’re sandwiched between two sweaty and breathy men who now seek their own release. Dieter comes first with a pitiful little stuttering whine. His mouth rounds out in a messy kiss as he pulses inside you. Lucien is just behind him with a gravelly moan as he fucks you nonstop. There’s so much of them spilling inside you and being pushed out, and the warmth of it makes you feel sated and soothed.

You’re a boneless bag of flesh when they both catch their breath and ease you off the spear of their cocks. You sigh at the feeling of them drooling out of your pussy. With their concentrated, streamlined focus, your dress is put back on and properly closed back up. Lucien turns you to face him for the first time since you tried to leave earlier. “Can I kiss you?”

You want to laugh at his request given the fact that he’s currently leaking out of you alongside the efforts of your other ex, but you know why he’s asking. He knows certain types of intimacy are something that mean more to you and have to be earned back in trust. “Yeah, Lucien. You can kiss me.”

His body nudges yours against Dieter’s, hands coming up to cradle your face as he tenderly presses his lips to yours. It’s slow and soft and damn near perfect, especially considering Dieter is dotting the curve of your neck with his own kisses. You aren’t sure how long you and Lucien are lost in each other, but it’s blowing your mind to see Dieter be patient for once. Maybe they both really meant it when they said they wanted to do better by you.

You pull back with red, puffy lips and heavy eyes. Lucien looks down at you with a soft smile. “I miss you.”

Your eyes flutter shut at the unspoken words laced within: I love you.

“I miss you every day,” Dieter agrees quietly.

“Look, I–I miss you both, too, but I can’t promise anything,” you warn them. “You both really hurt me before. But, tonight was… nice. It felt nice.” You wonder why it never occurred to you to do this before. The two best lovers you ever had, at the same time. It was a no brainer, really. Probably all that pesky broken heart stuff clouding your mind that kept you from realizing what a good time it could be.

“You don’t have to make promises anymore. That’s not your job anymore.”

“No, baby. We’re the one who need to make promises so we can show you that we can keep them,” Dieter adds.

It might be the dumbest mistake of your life, but you can’t fight it anymore. You can’t fight how good it feels to be with them both. Despite all the pain and heartache they’ve caused you over the years, they both always felt like home in a way. “I think I might be willing to let you try.”

Okay the Lucien Flores brainrot got to me. As far as exes go in the celebrity world, you could do a lot worse than Lucien and Dieter. Also, reader clearly has a type haha.

[pit-and-the-pen]

Spring Meadow

I have not been able to get soft Lucien out of my head all morning so heres a super fluffy fic about our boy being absolutely in love with you.

Lucien X Spring court!reader

Lucien deserves the absolute world, boy has been through enough. 

Warnings: None

WC: 1.6k

Lucien never regretted his decision to come to the spring court. The cruelty of the Autumn court gave way to something sweeter. Autumn always reminded him of death. He saw it in the trees that constantly shed their leaves, in the terror of everyone in the court. Worst of all, he saw it in his brothers. Fear seemed to permeate the air wherever you went and his family wore it the most. Cloaked in gripping fear of their own father. When he arrived in spring, it was like he could breathe for the first time in his life. Flowers bloomed and birds sang cheerful songs. The lords and ladies of the court would smile at each other as they passed. Spring reminded him that he wanted to be alive. 

Of course, he also had you. He had never intended to fall in love. Heart still in tatters over Jesminda, love was the last thing on his mind. But there you were. One of the ladies of Tamlins court. He found you in the meadow he frequently hid away in. Weaving flowers into a makeshift crown, basking in the first few hours of sunlight as it crested the horizon. The willow wisps seemed to sing a special song just for you. 

He can still feel the shock run through him, blinking hard as if he might wake up from a dream. Lucien decided that if it was a dream, he would happily never wake up. You startled as he cleared his throat. Hands pausing your work as he introduced himself. He swore he felt his heart stop dead when you smiled at him, giving him your name. 

That’s when it all started. It wasn’t an all consuming fire but a slow ember that he nursed into something roaring. You were patient with him as he figured out how to let his guard down. A comforting shoulder when days got too heavy for him to get out of bed. Those were days you would curl up next to him, hands deftly braiding his hair or reading him one of your favorite books. Those were the days that Lucien knew he was falling in love with you. 

Today was one of those days. You managed to pull him out of bed and the two of you stood in the kitchen. Flour streaked across your face as you kneaded the dough ball in front of you. Giving it a small smack, you put it in the bowl next to you and draped a wet towel over it. 

“There, I have an hour before I can bake it.” You washed off your hands and walked over to where Lucien sat on a stool at the counter. You patted his thighs and he parted them enough for you to squeeze yourself between them. With care, you wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the cheek. “What would you like to do today, Lu?” He wanted nothing more than to just crawl back into bed. Hold you in his arms until his thoughts could do anything but swirl around angrily in his head. But you had told him you wanted to get out of the house today so he instead said. 

“What about a picnic in the meadow?” He suggested. He wished he could bottle that look in your eyes, pure wonder and excitement. 

“Absolutely. Once the bread is done I’ll make us sandwiches. Oh and I’ll cut up some of that fruit from last night.” You chirped. He gave you another tight squeeze as you started gathering all the things you needed to bring. Lucien sat and stared at you. His heart squeezing in the best way possible. He pushed himself off the stool and went to your side, helping you pull out the fruit sent from the summer court. You instructed him on how to peel and chop the chosen fruit. His rough chunks were almost laughable in comparison to the shapes you cut into the fruit. He never understood how you made the various patterns you were able to cut them into, deftly cutting hearts and flowers. He helped you string them onto wooden skewers and squeezed the lemon juice on them so they wouldn’t brown, a trick you had taught him the last time you went on a picnic. You wrapped them up in a small towel and he went to grab your wicker basket from your room. 

Even your room made him smile. Organized chaos as you called it. Flowers covered as many surfaces as they could. You had used your powers to make honeysuckle creep up the walls, covering the wall by the window and swirling up to the ceiling. The white blooms fill the room with their sweet scent. He used to complain about the pollen dropping over everything but he learned to appreciate it over time. He even went as far as cleaning it up on days you were too busy to do it yourself. You always thanked him by peppering his face with small kisses when he did. 

He quickly located the basket he had been sent to find. He also grabbed one of your favorite blankets and the book you had been slowly reading to him. Both of you could have easily finished it on your own by now but he loved listening to your voice as you read it out loud, your voice wrapping around the words brought the story to life. 

When he walked back into the kitchen, you were bent towards the oven, pushing in the bread pan. Standing back up, you adjusted the top to your flowy sundress and untied the now dirty apron from your waist. You smiled at him as he held up the basket like it was a trophy. He was rewarded by the peel of your laughter. He wanted to wrap himself in the sound so he did just that, practically sprinting across the kitchen to embrace you. Hugging you so tightly he lifted you off the ground. He was rewarded with another string of giggles and when he sat you back on your feet your cheeks had a glowing blush to them. You stretched up onto your tiptoes and kissed him passionately. 

He let out a surprised noise as your teeth found his lower lip. You smiled into the kiss as he swept you off your feet, placing you on the kitchen counter so he wouldn’t have to bend down. Your hands found their way to his hair and the two of you got lost in each other. Eventually, you both need to pull away for air. Your chest was heaving as you tried to catch your breath and he tried to ignore the way your tongue swept over your lips before he was tempted to forgo the picnic and drag you to bed for other reasons. 

He joined you, pulling himself up onto the counter. So close to you his thighs were pressed against yours. You picked up his hand and started drawing random patterns and swirls. The conversation flowed easily out of the two of you while you were waiting for the bread to finish baking. Its smell filled the room and made his stomach grumble. Luckily, before he could even think of making a joke about his stomach eating itself, the timer you had set dinged loudly. You grabbed a dish towel and pulled the perfect loaf from the oven. After letting it cool for a few minutes, you started assembling the sandwiches, cutting them into perfect triangles. Wrapping them in their own towel and adding them to the basket. You looked up at him, “All ready to go!” 

You all but pulled him to the meadow, a childlike sort of excitement as you babbled on about the newest gossip in the court. He didn’t really follow your words too much, too many names he didn’t recognize, but he held to every word you uttered. Savoring the sound of your voice. 

When you finally decided on a spot, he laid out the blanket on the dew covered grass. You sat crossed legged in the middle and started unpacking the basket. 

After the food was eaten, you laid down, arms holding your top half off the ground. Lucien placed his head on your thighs using you as his personal pillow and handed you the book before you could even reach for it. That action earned him a kiss to his forehead, your hair draping around him as you leaned down. You flipped to the page you had left off on the night before. 

Sitting out in this field, your free hand playing absentmindedly with his hair. Lucien knew that this was true happiness. Happiness that he had never felt before meeting you. Happiness he was terrified of losing but allowed himself to feel anyways. He would go to the ends of the earth to protect you and he knows you would do the same for him. His emotions suddenly welled up inside of his chest and he lifted his head off your lap. Your reading stopped as you went to ask him what was wrong, reading the tears in his eyes as something other than pure joy. He spoke before you could. 

“Can we stay like this forever.” He said, leaning closer into you. You kissed him, soft and gentle. 

“Of course my love.” You cuddled tighter to his side and pulled him into a deep kiss. He rolled you on top of him, and you pulled away to say, “We can stay like this for as long as you want.”

[ideasarestuckinmyhead]

Hello, I hope your having a great day! If you can I was wondering if you can write about Lucien turning into a child for a day, and angel is gushing over him and trying to figure out what happened at the same time?

thank you! :3

Oh my big baby!

You must be wondering, Lucien....how the hell did you get turned into a kid? Well as most humans put it I 'Fucked around and found out.' Or that's what Angel said as they gushed over my child form....

"So, you got summoned by a witch and told her you wouldn't kill someone for her....Causing you to get cursed with only having a kid form?" Asking if they got it right, Angel looked Lucien over. He was currently on their lap, being pampered like a king and the, now small, demon nodded.

"That would be correct dove. I don't know why she was mad. Just summon someone else, I did promise you I wouldn't kill anyone." Huffing out, Lucien's child cheeks puffed and Angel cooed at him. Kissing the chubby cheeks and rocking him back and forth, causing the demon to grumble a bit.

Since turned into this form he got more love, but he also wasn't fully taken seriously. The red skinned demon wants this curse gone, because he's not even allowed to kiss Angel's lips anymore!

"I still can't think of why I can't kiss you...just one?" Pleading, Lucien gave big puppy eyes. Angel gave a blank face and kissed his forehead, right between his now frowned brows.

"Because, your a kid now. That's just wrong, I'd actually throw up." Explaining Angel then placed their...boyfriend? They don't know what to call him right now. On the couch to go get food for him since his stomach growled.

"Awwweee! Angeell this isn't faaaiirr! I demand a kiss!!" Shouting slightly, Lucien raised his arms and was about to hip off the couch. But two hands held him and placed him back down, like he weighed nothing.

Well, right now he weighed less than what he usually did. It still caught him off guard since he's use to not being pushed easily or held for a long time. Angel smiled at him as they reset him on the couch and patted his head.

"Don't be grumpy I'm going to get you food. Maybe the curse wears off? No way a witch curses a demon forever..." Mumbling the last part Angel walked in to the kitchen. On the couch Lucien tried scouring through his mind for what spell that witch used.

Being around for eons Lucien should have found which it was. But every spell has a different tweak to make it whoever casted it their's. So even if he did find what spell it was, he needed to know the variety it was. Grumbling again, Lucien crossed his arms and looked at he TV.

"Stupid witch....I should ask my siblings- WAIT! DUH?" Realizing he could just call up one of his siblings. The demon got off the couch and went to the bedroom, running fast.

Angel in the kitchen peaked down the hallway and quirked a brow. Wonder what he figured out? Drying their hands and grabbing the sandwich and chips they went to the bedroom. Opening the door they gasped seeing Lucien summoning something.

"Lucien! Is that black paint on my fucking floor?!?! THAT DOESN'T COME OUT?!?!" Frustrated Angel yelled at their boyfriend. Who looked at them and gave a guilty smile, but before trying to explain the summoning circle lot up.

"WHO DARES CALL- Oh by fucking dad...Lulu?" A siluete of a woman was shown. A tall maroon demon stepped forward with a confused look. Then turning blinking at the mortal that was giving her younger brother an angry look.

"Hey, Pandora...So, uh, remember in 1692 I helped you hide one of the moral women you liked? From those trials? Yeah I need to cash in that favor." Explaining quickly the small demon turned to his lover. Giving them a 'I'm sorry' look and was about to speak again but Angel beat him to it.

"That paint better come out. But, hi....um I'm (Y/N) you can call me Angel though." Greeting the woman who towered over them. The maroon colored woman was 6'3" a bit shorter than Lucien at his normal height. Her sharp eyes looked over Angel's person and even soul.

"Oh...That's where you've been? Good to know." Giggling out, Pandora then looked over Lucien. Snorting again then touched his head messing with his hair. "The spell wears off in a few hours. So I'll take it you dont want to cash in that favor. I'll leave now."

Lucien then smacked his head, of course Pandora could see when the spell ended. That lover she had taught the she demon how to figure it out. Waving at his older sister, Pandora smiled and then looked at Angel.

"I approve of you." Stating, Pandora then cackle as the fire covered her again. Teleporting her back to hell, where she was going to gossip about her brothers mortal lover. Took him a while to get with one, but they all end up like that.

Turning to Lucien, Angel glared at him. The red skinned demon then started summoning cleaning products.

"That floor better look better then when I first got here." Scowling at the small demon. Getting a nod, Angel sighed rubbing their head as they think of Lucien's sister. She approved of them so quickly? Wonder why....

[lanitalay]

Before I Say Goodnight Chapter 11

a/n: Things are picking uppppp

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: Angst! canon typical mentions of violence. some fluff

Other Chapters

You spent an hour showing Azriel all the photos on your phone and telling him the stories behind the really silly ones. He’s fascinated by all of it: your life, your world. It’s all so foreign yet so similar to his own. You turn it off and turn to him “I feel like I talked too much” you smile sheepishly. “Not at all, I love listening to your stories” he looks around and then says “want to do something fun?” 

“I don’t think this was a good idea” you are stiff as a board as Azriel leads you around the frozen Sidra. “Do they not have ice skating in your world?” One foot slides in front of the other and you almost fall flat but he keeps you upright. “Yes we do but where I lived it didn’t snow so I never did it” you shiver. “You need a thicker coat, this one won’t do” he holds your hands and skates in front of you. He spreads his wings to block out most of the wind. “Bend your knees a little” you do as he says and feel a bit more stable. “Az, I don’t mean to be a downer but can we do something else?” He chuckles, “sure” and changes course. 

You’re walking up the path to the River House and linger a few steps behind Azriel, spotting a fire pit. “Let's make smores!” he doesn’t know what they are, you realize as he stares at you with no recognition in his eyes. “Come on” and drag him to the kitchen. 

“Ok so you put the marshmallow on the stick and roast it until it gets melty, then you make a little sandwich with the chocolate and the crackers” you explain as you hand him a marshmallow on a stick. You involuntarily giggle as you watch him methodically twirl the stick so the marshmallow is evenly roasted. “What?” He asks “nothing”, you look back to your own marshmallow and curse when you realize it caught on fire, now it’s him who laughs. 

“Try it” he looks comically large with the tiny smore in his hands “I’m sure I’ll like it”. You insist “try it!” He smiles and bites down and his eyes go wide “it’s good isn’t it?” He nods “it’s really good” you do a little dance, excited that he enjoyed it. You moan when you bite down on yours “I missed these”. 

Your head is on his shoulder and his wing is wrapped around you as you watch the sun come up. “Are you going to go back with Lucien?” You suppose the bubble had to burst at some point. Reality sets in as the first rays of sunlight hit your face. “Yes” he doesn’t say anything for a while “I’ve missed you at the house” you focus on the sunrise “I’ve missed you too, but I’m doing better now” his wings shift. “What was so bad about being here?” The ice on the Sidra is sparkling now. You lift your head from his shoulder “nothing was bad. But I felt isolated and the days in the library were driving me crazy. My life revolved around the portal and getting back. I loved spending time with you and the others… but I felt like I was caged in. And in the Human Lands I’ve been able to move forward. I really like what I’m doing at the Apothecary and can see a future for myself” he nods. “You don’t see a future here? With us?” You shrug “not really. I really appreciate your friendship and all of your help but my life will be much shorter than yours… and I can’t imagine aging and withering away while all of you remain intact” his face hardens. “So what? You’ll build a life in the human lands and forget that we exist?” You knew he wouldn’t be happy with your answer but couldn’t bring yourself to lie. “I’ll never forget you, but I would like to have a regular life, similar to the one I used to have”. You can hear the house start to wake up behind you “if I asked you to stay with me, would that change anything?” You stay quiet for a moment. There was something between you, more than friendship. “No. You wouldn’t have a full life with me”. He grabs your hand “that’s not true”. A breeze ruffled the barren branches  on the trees around you “yes it is, I have sixty years left if I’m lucky. We wouldn’t be able to have kids and soon enough I’d just be a burden” he turns his head to face you and you remain looking ahead. “You’d never be a burden. Not to me” taking a steadying breath you look at him “let’s just enjoy the rest of the holiday, yeah?” He thinks about it, clearly not happy about the outcome of the conversation “alright”. 

“I think this is a bit excessive” you turn away from the mirror and look at Azriel. He is doing a terrible job of concealing his amusement “you need a coat”. You scowl “yes, a coat. This is more of a collection of pillows sewn together. I can barely move my arms in this, how am I supposed to ride a horse?” He can’t contain his laughter as you strain to move your arms. The coat was made for someone much taller and bigger than you but Azriel insisted you try it on. “Oh, I’m glad you are enjoying this. Help me take it off” he lifts the heavy coat from your shoulders and you wipe sweat from your brow. “That thing is like a sauna” he hands you one that looks more wearable “try this one”. It was much better than the last, lilac colored and lined with high quality wool, the outside was a flexible waterproof material “I like it”. He was smiling when you turn to him “that color suits you”. 

“We’re leaving in the morning,” Lucien tells you. You knew your visit would be brief, God knows what Jurian and Vassa have gotten up to while the two of you were away, but it still stung. “Alright” Lucien walks over to where you’re sitting “you can stay if you want”. You shake your head “no, I told Muriel I wouldn’t be gone long”. He nods. “We should probably go have dinner with everyone” you stand and link your arm with his.

When you returned to the Manor you quickly rode down to the Apothecary. Not willing to sit idly as your thoughts spiraled. Muriel was happy to see you. “Hi, darlin’. How was your Solstice?” You take off your coat and go to hug her “it was really nice. How about yours?” She lets out a long breath “It was very hectic, let me tell you. The whole family got together at my little house and my niece’s baby would not stop cryin’. Poor thing had a fever the whole day”. You frown, I’m sorry to hear that '' she shrugs “he’s teethin’, not much can be done about it. That’s a pretty coat” you grin “it was a present”. Her eyebrows raise “is he handsome?” You blush “yes, very”.  Who is he? Is he from the village?” You shake your head, “he lives further North”. Muriel didn’t know about your situation. She knew you lived in one of the big houses in the countryside but she did not know that your roommates were a Mortal Queen, a resurrected male and an heir of Autumn. “That’s a shame, I would’ve loved to tease you” at which you laugh and begin to work “I’m sure you’ll find other things to tease me about”. 

The weather was brutal after the Solstice. Everyday got colder and colder. You had started to leave the Apothecary after lunch because the road to the Manor would become treacherous with afternoon snow and ice, some days you couldn’t go at all.  

You left the shop when it had started to snow, wanting to avoid getting trapped in the small space. You weren’t expecting to be caught in a blizzard.  But twenty minutes after leaving you could not see more than a foot in front of you. Panic. Fear. Cold. You did not know what to do in this situation. The only thing that did not seem completely suicidal was to stay in place and hope the blizzard passes quickly, then you could find your way home. 

You never found out how long the storm lasted. 

Never made your way home. 

A cold blunt object struck the back of your head and the world went black before you hit the ground. 

It felt like an elephant was stomping on you. You take a few breaths before attempting to open your eyes. Each movement sent a wave of pain up your spine and to your head. When you peak through half closed eyes. It was dark. Eyes open fully now and you can barely see your hand in front of your face. You’re lying on your side on cold stone floors. What the fuck. When you lift yourself on all fours the world spins and you empty your stomach immediately. Concussion. The last thing you remember is the sound of metal against something hard. My head. Your heart starts to beat faster. Reality setting in. Crawling around the room, you find that three walls are pure stone and one is a metal grate. You feel for any other injuries and sigh in relief as you realize you are fully clothed and unscathed. Your stomach drops as you hear wood creaking. Light flooding the chamber you were trapped in. Slow steps approach. Low voices murmuring. There’s more than one.  You crawl to one corner and make yourself as small as you can. If you can’t run then you might as well try to hide. 

“You say a new one was captured yesterday?” an authoritative voice echoes. “Yes, sir. Her capture was executed during the blizzard. The men took extra care to leave no traces” no response. “Which cell is she in?” The steps stopped “Number ten, sir”. “Very well, go prepare the horses, I’ll be done here shortly” steps fade away as whoever was there leaves. Heavy steps near the cell. You try to breathe normally but your heart is beating too fast. Even crouched on the floor you’re lightheaded. “What do we have here?” you don’t dare look up, keeping your head tightly between your arms. The voice is laced with the promise of violence. They strike against the grates of your cell. The sound makes you jump, your head lifting as your arms come out in front of you, trying to block the impact. Your eyes are shut and a few seconds pass before you open them. You clam up, recognizing the male on the other side. 

“Y/n?” the male asks, genuinely confused. 

Lucien had winnowed to the Manor after visiting Tamlin. Each visit was worse than the last, this time Tamlin only grunted at him, still in his beast form. It was light out when it started to snow. “Where’s y/n?” He asked Jurian “at the Apothecary”, Lucien frowned. The weather was bound to get worse and the Manor was about an hour on horseback from the shop. “I’m going to get her before she gets stuck in the blizzard” Jurian nodded, and said teasingly “I should go with you, humans are still uneasy around your kind”. It was the truth, there were humans that still feared the fae. Lucien couldn’t blame them. Generations of fearing his kind and the recent war gave them more than enough reason to harbor animosity towards them. 

He waited down the street from the shop while Jurian went to tell y/n they had to leave. “Muriel said she already left” his shoulders sagged in relief, “she must be home by now” and winnowed back to the Manor. 

Lucien suspected that something was off when the horse, his horse, was missing from the stables. He decided to wait half an hour before going out to look for her himself. 

He knew that something went wrong when the horse showed up in the middle of the blizzard. Without a rider. 

Vassa confirmed that something had happened when the sun set. “It was a convoy, they knocked her out before she knew what was happening. I followed them until they reached one of the tunnels”. 

“Why am I here?” Your voice is uneven. Eris’s eyes are wide “my father ordered that you be captured”. 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know, but you won’t be here for long” his voice was gentle now, you had never heard him speak like that. Most of your interactions were sarcastic retorts. The door opens again “Sir?” 

“I’ll be up in a minute” he shouts to the same voice from before then looks at you again “are you hurt?” You nod “I think I have a concussion”. His nostrils flare “anything else?” You shake your head. He looks towards the door again then back at you “come closer”. You manage to get up and walk towards him, leaning on the grates as the world spins. He whispers “I’ll be back later. Do not speak to anyone. Don’t react if someone comes in. You being here must be a mistake, so just lay low and I’ll get you out soon” you nod “where am I?” He sighs “this is the Autumn Court dungeons. I’ll be back soon. Remember what I told you”. He steps away from the cell and walks towards the exit.  You have no choice but to huddle in the corner and wait. 

Eris was utterly terrified when he saw that she was his father’s new project. She is just a human girl, he thought as he walked up the stairs and out of the dungeons. What business could Beron want with her? She won’t survive a week down there, let alone torture at the experienced hands of his father. He did not want to think of what would have happened to her if it had been one of his brothers that had made the round today. Eris cut his routine patrol of the Forest House grounds short and made his way to his fathers study. 

Three firm knocks on the mahogany door “enter”, his father commanded. Closing the door behind him he waited to be addressed. “Sit” Beron was reading over some papers, only after he was finished did he look up. “What is it?” Eris remained still, his posture perfectly straight, his face poised in an unreadable mask. “I saw the human girl in the dungeons” Beron leaned back in his chair, relaxed “and?” Eris continues “she seems irrelevant, why waste the time and resources to retrieve her?” The low chuckle that escapes Beron’s lips makes him nauseous. “She seems to be the Night Court’s newest pet. I thought I’d have some fun”. “How is she involved with the Night Court?” He shrugs “I’ll find out when she and I get the chance to talk” it takes more effort that Eris would like to keep his rage unnoticed. He stands and before he is able to leave his father’s voice stops him “when you see Lucien again tell him his choice of company is utterly disappointing” he nods and takes his leave, winnowing to his private wing on the Forest House.

Once he is alone he runs his hands through his hair and lets out the string of curses he had been holding in. The thought of his father being alone with her for even a second makes him sick. He knows she lives with Lucien and he knows she has ties with Night. How long has he been watching her?  He needs to get her food and water, Beron would let his political hostages starve for less. Being associated with Rhysand would be enough to have her flogged.

It's after midnight and the house is dead quiet. Eris winnows from the kitchen to the dungeons without making a sound. He creates a fireball that hovers in front of him for light. The dungeons are pitch black without it. When he makes it to her cell he is relieved to see that she remains untouched. He needs to get her out soon. “Hi” her soft voice brings him out of his thoughts. “I’m sorry I took so long, but here” he hands her a bowl of warm stew through the grates. “Thank you” she reaches for it and immediately digs in “here is some water as well” he says and places the bottle on the floor. “My father knows about your ties to the Night Court” she stops eating and looks straight at him “he has plans to… question you” she gulps. “I need you to tell me everything. He won't tell me why he’s keeping you here and I need to know what he knows so I can get you out” he can see her thinking about what to say. Weighing her options. 

She takes a breath and tells him everything. 

The next day, Eris winnows to the Manor of Exiles. He knocks on the door and is disappointed to see Lucien on the other side. He knows where y/n is but a part of him hoped it had been a hallucination, some sort of roundabout fever dream. “What is it?” His brother has clearly not slept. “Y/n is in the Autumn Court dungeons awaiting questioning” Lucien pales and Eris goes on “Beron has been spying on her for a while, he is aware of her, and your, ties to the Night Court and is going to use her as leverage”. He follows his brother to the sitting room and is forced to repeat what he said to Jurian. “How do we get her out?” Eris explains the situation: Beron’s special interest in you, the guard outside of the dungeons and the grates that only open if his father wills it. “You have to tell Rhysand” that wasn’t a conversation Lucien wanted to have. He didn’t want to see the Shadosinger’s face when he heard the news, he didn’t want to face his wrath. There was no way around it though, so as soon as Eris left he winnowed to Velaris. 

Knocking on the River House door felt like a waste of time, so he just walked in and b-lined for the adjoined studies. He cursed internally when he saw two sets of wings and a shadowy mist. “Rhysand, something happened” the High Lord scrapes his talons along his mental shields and Lucien lets him in. “Gods above” he mutters and looks to the Shadowsinger “what?”. Rhysand sighs “Az, sit down for this” Azriel does not. “Tell me” Lucien speaks first. “Y/n was kidnapped by Beron”. 

Azriel must’ve blacked out “what?” he repeats. Rhysand shows him what Lucien had shown him. The horse without a rider, Vassa telling what he saw from the skies and Eris informing him that their friend’s disappearance was not an accident. He’s going to be sick. He’s going to kill Beron. Siphons flare, cobalt lights the room. “Eris said that they haven’t touched her, if we act soon we can get her out unharmed” Lucien’s voice brings him back. He has to think clearly and they need to come up with a plan, fast. 

Eris winnowed back to the dungeons. It was mid afternoon. He thought that she would probably be hungry by now so he stuffed an apple and a bread roll in his pockets. It was all he could sneak out of the kitchens without raising suspicions. Everyone in this house had sworn loyalty to the High Lord of Autumn and helping feed one of his prisoners was punishable in many ways. He lit a fireball and walked over to the tenth cell, hopefully hearing that the Night Court would be helping in getting her out would keep her spirits high. He hated the fear that had settled on her face. He was used to seeing her in the sunlight, her eyes glittering and cheeky smile always fighting to be seen. His heart sank when he saw her on the floor, in a fetal position, breath shallow.  “Y/n?” he lets out a breath when she stirs. “Y/n, wake up” his stomach drops when her head lifts to look at him. A bright purple bruise covered her left eye. It was swollen but not shut. She had a gash from where his father’s ring had made contact, just below her brow. “Shit, what did he do to you?” She sits up and winces when she puts pressure on her arm to crawl closer to him “I stayed quiet like you said, but I think that made him angrier” he scanned her face and it looked like it had only been one punch, which was tame for his father. He looked over at the rest of her and scowled when he noticed dried blood on her dress “where did the blood come from?” The gash on her eye was not deep enough to have trailed that much blood. She took her right arm out of her jacket and showed him a thin but deep slice down her forearm. That was new, his father was never careful about the cuts he made. His only goal was to inflict pain. This was a precise incision, it showed intention. “I passed out from the punch and when I woke up my arm hurt like hell”. This was worse than he thought. “Here” he hands her the apple and bread “I’ll bring you more later tonight when the house is empty” she takes the food and immediately bites into the bread. A small moan escapes her. “I spoke with Lucien, he is informing the Night Court right now, you’ll be out soon”. She doesn’t respond, he wouldn't believe himself either. “Hey” he reaches into the cell and lifts her chin “I promise” he feels a tingle down his back and he knows that she’ll have a matching mark on hers “what was that?” She looks worried “It’s just a bargain mark, when I get you out, which I will, the mark will disappear”. He hadn’t noticed how pale she was, how much blood had she lost? “Eris?” he hummed “promise me that I won’t die here” he nods “I promise”. 

“You called for me,” Beron motioned for Eris to sit. “Keir has invited us to his Court for a ball. I accepted his invitation on behalf of all of us. You’ll be escorting the girl” odd. “Why would we bring her?” he asks with an arrogant flare. “In order to the destabilize Night Court we must weaken them and I have a feeling that when the Shadowsinger sees her by your side he will take himself out of my way”.  Eris nodded “when is the ball?” His father picked up the invitation and read “Two weeks from today”.

Shit. 

“Very well”.

taglist: @luvmoo

[morpheus-somnium]

isekai!dragonborn who isn't a master chef, who literally only could make instant noodles, but tries to remember every single recipe that they can think of to make food for their friends.

isekai!dragonborn who is sitting next to the fire with a dagger and a bucket of potatoes, because they want to make french fries for their friends.

isekai!dragonborn who packs sandwiches for their followers every day before they start their journey again.

isekai!dragonborn who has been gathering so many food and metal, so they make a huge pot and personally craving out chopsticks from bone to make a hotpot party with their friends, because they deserve to have a hotpot party.

isekai! dragonborn who is arguing with a merchant to make them grounded beef so later they can make hamburgers for their friends.

isekai!dragonborn who loved to eat a certain snack or meal but has no idea how to make it by themselves, alone.

isekai!dragonborn who is begging the smartest one in the team (shoutout to lucien flavius who i personally imagine to be the smartest friend) to help them get corn scratch from somewhere because the team HAS TO try boba tea

isekai! dragonborn making a makeshift oven in the middle of nowhere because they craved pizza.

isekai!dragonborn who will steal eggs from a nearby farm or village in the middle of the night because a follower is having their birthday tomorrow and the dragonborn has to make them a cake.

isekai!dragonborn who is a master chef by tamriel standards.

[acourtofthought]

Whenever I see an Elriel say: SJM told us the mating bond could be rejected for a reason! Elain is going to reject Lucien to be happy with Azriel!

The only thing I can think is: Yes, she did tell us that, but she also told us the consequences of that, and that's the part Elriels always seem to forget or ignore.

Even if Elain does reject the bond, she will never be able to be fully happy with Azriel because she will always feel the remnants of the bond lingering deep inside her chest. Even if she loves Azriel and wants to give him her heart, mind, body, and soul, a piece of her will always be tied to Lucien. There's no getting away from that. It's a simple fact, and as interesting as a rejected bond could be, it doesn't seem fair or right to have Elain end up with Azriel when they will both be eternally haunted by the shadow of Lucien.

And it doesn't seem fair or right for Lucien to suffer a rejected bond, even if somehow the Vassien shippers are right and he ends up in love with Vassa, he too will forever feel the lingering bond and then what? Vassa is human and will die much sooner than Lucien. So I guess they want him to be "happy" only for a few decades, then just go on living the rest of his life alone, haunted by the loss of Jesminda, Elain, and Vassa.

You're so right! If you ask me for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I take away the peanut butter and jelly, I'm just feeding you bread. Sarah has given us a ton of information regarding the bond yet E/riels cling to the random snippets of information that suit their narrative while acting like the rest doesn't matter.

"You said your mother and father were wrong for each other." "What if - that is what she needs?" They love that line and it's used exhaustively in arguments. But they don't bother to think on why Rhys's parents were a poor matched. Bonds do not make poor matches. Personalities make poor matches. Rhys's father was vicious and cold, his mother was soft and fiery. We KNOW Lucien is not vicious or cold. Az is the one with a temper, an icy rage, a hatred of many people, a torturer. Rhys's mother managed to have two children with her husband and we're not given hints that she was forced against her will, it says she eventually grew to resent him. Why don't they focus on that part? That their downfall came about from their personalities? And with that awareness, how they can they claim the same won't happen to Elain and Az? She might be fine with him for a bit but what if she eventually grew to resent him too? You don't need a mating bond for that to happen, it happens all the time in the real world without bonds. They focus on how Sarah mentioned she has turned the idea of bonds over in her head, is there choice? Once again, proof for E/riels that Elain's choice has been taken away and she's decide to be with Az instead! But they ignore how she goes on to say "or is it both?". For every character so far, it's been both and she even tells us she's not saying whether she'll explore a rejected bond or not which is not a confirmation that it's what we're going to see for Elain. As always, they ignore how Elain and Lucien will always feel a tug to one another even if they reject the bond. They pretend that one doesn't exist but what that means is that no matter how long Elain and Az are together, no matter how happy they might seem, they are BOTH going to know that Fate chose Lucien for her and she'll have a connection to him that she'll never have with Az. That sounds depressing to me and will prevent many readers from ever feeling confident that it's not going to become an issue for them at some point. It raises too many questions, how often will Az be jealous because of it? How many fights will they have where Elain needs to reassure him that she's not thinking of Lucien? That she didn't sense him through the bond? What will E/riel do if Az comes across his own mate some day?

[dez78]

Dragonborn: I want a sandwich. Lucien: What kind of sandwich? Dragonborn *Smirking*: The Ru and Tally kind. Taliesin: Well, that can be arranged, sweetheart. Rumarin: That doesn't make any...Oh...Wait. Okay I get it now. Dragonborn: *Blushing* Lucien: I'm sorry I asked.

[dawneternal]

Take the World in Your Hands Eris x Elain | pt. 3

Summary: Eris's brothers catch wind of his proposal to Nesta. They plan to find and deliver her to their father as a gift, surely winning his favor. Their plan takes a turn when they kidnap the wrong Archeron sister and Eris finds her in the Autumn Court dungeon.

all aboard the crack ship???

Warnings: None

Notes: This part is not the best but we're building up to things!! I am trying to turn their handful of days together into a slow burn

Word Count: 1.8k

Ao3 Link / Masterlist

While Elain slept, Eris rummaged through the cabin and managed to find a balm that helped combat the effects of faebane. It was not as good as the updated antidote that the Dawn Court had created, but it would speed things up. Enough that he insisted he was capable of cooking dinner, though he still dragged a chair to the stove to sit on while he stirred.

Elain had slept most of the day, waking in the late afternoon as the sun became more gentle, filling the cabin with golden light instead of a harsh glare off the snow. Eris tried not to be too endeared by her sleepy eyes and messy braid, but a small part of him wanted her to be his. To wrap the sleepy girl in his arms and press a kiss to her forehead.

Everything that made her adorable had faded into a darker, more sinful shade as she had bandaged his ribs. Eris was never one to feel shameful of any form of debauchery. But her touch, so light it could almost be construed as innocent, had set him ablaze with a strange shame he had never felt. Like he didn't deserve it. He had assumed from her shy nature that any touching and teasing from her was a rare gift.

Now, sitting on a chair in front of the stove, he shook his head free of his thoughts. But not before feeling a bit of pity for his little brother, who he knew had not yet won her heart. If he had Lucien as enamored as he felt, he must be suffering.

Elain had begrudgingly agreed to let him cook, as long as he stayed sitting. But she was waiting until the morning to decide if he was ready for a trip into town.

"You take your shopping very seriously," She said when he protested, "you'd fit into the Night Court well, in that way."

"You can make your own dinner if you compare me to them again," Eris grumbled.

"I would have made it myself, but you insisted." She sat on the floor of the kitchen, back against a counter cabinet. She had pulled her knees up to her chest and tucked her legs under the fabric of her skirt.

"Yes, because you made the last two." He had found sandwiches pre-made in the fridge when he grew hungry around lunch time. Another thing she had probably done to pass the time while she couldn't sleep.

"It's supposed to be a lady's job, anyways." Elain said, tossing her braid over her shoulder. Even though she really believe that.

"How very archaic for the Night Court," Eris smirked.

"But not the for the Autumn Court, I suppose." Elain regretted the words as soon as they had come out. She wasn't sure where the indignation had come from it. It had been almost like an instinct.

She watched as Eris face twitched, and then a calm mask of detachment slipped into place. One she had not seen since he had come to her cell. By the mother, was that only yesterday?

"Not for Beron, you mean." Eris said quietly, his voice far away and icy to match the mask.

"I'm sorry," Elain whispered, shrinking into herself, "I didn't mean-"

"It's ready," He interrupted. He spooned stew into a bowl and held it out to her, keeping his eyes on the stove. Then he filled his own and winnowed the few feet to the kitchen table, sitting with his back to her.

Elain stood still for a moment, watching the steam curling up from her bowl. Apologizing again would do no good. She knew he didn't want to be pitied. He wore his pride around him like a solid shield.

Standing in the silence, her eyes drifted toward the curve of his neck and the small sliver of muscle that was visible above the collar of his shirt. His red hair fell in soft waves against his neck. He may be leaner than the Night Court warriors, but his sleeves were still snug around his biceps.

Eris sighed, pulling Elain from her thoughts. As insistent as she may be about propriety, Elain was not above admiring beautiful things.

"Come and sit," He said, though the warmth had not returned to his voice yet.

"Thank you for the soup," Elain scurried to sit behind him.

Then it was quiet again. Only the sounds of the crackling fire and the still-bubbling pot on the stove, mixing with the clink of spoons against ceramic bowls.

"Thought for a thought?" Elain asked, tentative. The thing Feyre always said when Elain was quiet. Eris said nothing for a moment, but he did seem to be considering.

"There are a lot of things about the Autumn Court that I wish were different," He sighed. Elain had a feeling that this was the Eris that most other people saw. Closed off, moping. An impenetrable wall of gloom around him.

"But there are things you love about it," Elain prodded.

"It is beautiful," He relented after another pause, voice finally beginning to soften, "And peaceful - in some parts. And I do love my hounds."

"Hounds?" Elain's eyes lit up.

Eris looked at her for a moment, more ice thawing by the second. He stepped across the room and grabbed a photo frame from the desk. He placed the frame on the table in front of her and sat back down.

Elain picked it up gingerly. A weathered, sepia photo of a dozen sleek, beautiful hounds sitting in a row, in a frame of carved maple leaves. Foliage of all colors piled up on the ground around them, dappled light across the whole image. Elain looked back at him, beaming.

"What was your thought?" He asked, his eyes smiling back at her. She liked this Eris more. The one who was tender and not ashamed of loving things. The one who teased her and talked to her almost like a friend.

"I'm thinking it's a shame how much pretending you do," She said, setting the frame on the table. Her boldness could push him right back into his fortress, but she took the risk.

"Maybe so, but that's a thought about me, not about you." Eris shrugged.

"There's not supposed to be rules to it. But ask me a question, if you want to know something about me."

"What was the falling out in the night court?" He eyed her as he said it, watching the hint of a scowl pass over her face.

Indeed, she was struggling not to let hypocrisy win and close in on herself in response.

"It's embarrassing," Elain protested.

"You know plenty of embarrassing things about me," Eris countered, gaze still on her as he sipped another spoonful of soup.

"I do not. I barely know you."

"Fine, then I'll tell you something embarrassing about myself next."

"You're a busy body and a gossip," Elain rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair, arms crossed. She kept her eyes on the table as she spoke. "I heard of something Rhysand had done. Something that changed the course of things for me a great deal. It happened quite a while ago, so I probably shouldn't care. But I do, anyways. Especially because he never would have told me himself. No one would have. Nesta let it slip because she had too much to drink, and she probably only knew because she squeezed it out of Cassian."

"What did he do?" Eris asked, engrossed.

"He forbid someone I cared for from seeing me," Elain gritted out between her teeth. She flashed him a look, warning him not to ask any follow up questions.

But he asked, anyways, "The shadowsinger?"

"How did you know?" Elain cried, blush creeping up her neck and the points of her ears.

"Well he wouldn't forbid a man from seeing his mate, so it couldn't be Lucien. Unless it's a stranger to me, that leaves Azriel. Everyone else is mated."

"Azriel is mated too," She said, voice full of bitter longing, "But he wasn't back then. They're on a honeymoon, now. Rhysand was furious with Nesta, though they're always furious with each other over something. She and Cassian have been visiting Illyrian camps since then, and Rhysand is back and forth between the Hewn City and Velaris, basically hiding from me."

"So you were alone," Eris finished softly.

"You can see how I might prefer to be here," Elain offered a weak smile.

"Stuck in a tiny cabin with a grumpy Autumn heir, hiding from his barbaric brothers and the overbearing High Lord of Night. I'm flattered."

"Tell me something embarrassing," Elain demanded.

"I tend to snore," He confessed, the corners of his mouth creeping up into a smile.

"I know that already!" She cried.

"My point stands, lady. You already know many embarrassing things about me." Such a crooning tone and teasing grin. A little part of her wanted to smack it off his face. He would probably enjoy it, the deviant.

"You do not play fair," Elain snatched her dish and brought it to the sink.

"But I thought there weren't any rules," Eris followed, standing far too close once again. How he loved to pin her, this way.

"Must everything always be a game?" Elain tried to pretend he was not so close, desperately pushing down the heat in her body.

"Something tells me you're not as averse to games as you try to seem," He answered, his breath hot against her ear. He was close enough to see the goosebumps that spread over her skin.

They were still for a moment, Eris waiting to see what she would do. Elain trying to make a decision as her heart thundered in her chest.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, turning her head enough to catch a glimpse of him in her peripheral.

Eris's smirk faded as if her words had woken him from a trance. He stepped back and opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again and leave her there in the kitchen. He grabbed a book and settled on the sofa, beginning to read with rapt attention.

As soon as he stepped away, the air around Elain felt cold and empty. It brought her back to that Solstice night, standing by herself in the hallway. Lonely and rejected. A mistake.

Overcome by a blend of unpleasant feelings, Elain sat down by the fire and rested her chin on her knees, basking in the warmth of the fire to replace Eris's closeness.

At some point, she had laid on her side and fallen asleep. When she woke again, in the middle of the night, she was back on the comfortable sofa, quilt tucked in tightly around her. Eris's soft breathing across the room lulled her back to sleep. She dreamt of autumn sunshine, the smell of fallen leaves, and of hot cider on a cold fall night.

[tilseptemberends]

"you only ship Elucien because you like Lucien"

WRONG

I like Lucien AND Elain.

I want to be sandwiched between them at any given point in time.

I want to give Elain cute little kisses while we bake in the kitchen

I wanna make a cuddle pile in the evening

I want to read in the garden with Lucien

And go horse riding with both of them.

I wanna start a braid chain while we gossip about the day

I wanna dance in circles with them just because we can

And have tea in the afternoons, and evening picnics, and did I mention cuddle pile?!

I would be such a good partner to both of them.

[redbleedingrose]

Lucien x Fem!Reader NSFW Alphabet

Warnings: NSFW 18+ only, MDNI!!!!! Minors look away frl!!! This is pure filth!

Masterlist

A/N: What a huge sigh of relief that my tags are officially working again. The stress of it all was insane and like I mentioned before, it was super disheartening. I appreciate every single one of you who has been patient and so kind throughout this whole process of me getting to know/explore/post on tumblr. As always, I appreciate all the likes, comments, and reblogs! The interaction means so much to me, and I absolutely adore each and every one of you! Remember to take a sip of water, eat something nutritious, and take your meds! My asks are always open if you ever need someone to talk to! 🥰

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Lucien and you are such cuddlers after sex, practically clinging to each other, and pressing soft kisses into each others skin wherever you can reach. 

You both kind of just like to take some time together in the silence of the night, with the trees rustling in the wind, and come down from your highs in peace. 

You both don’t say much, but honestly, not much needs to be said. Your love for each other, your appreciation for each other, your adoration for one another is felt in the moments you share during sex and after sex as you press against each other in a tight embrace. 

Lucien just likes to take time and admire you in the moonlight, taking in every dip and curve that is your body, thumbing the stretch marks, and brushing his hand from your hip to waist and back down again. 

You fall asleep holding each other, and part of the aftercare process continues in the morning when he brings you pastries and breakfast sandwiches from your favorite bakery that is nearby, and runs you a bath while you eat. 

Usually the bath is where you discuss anything you really liked or disliked from the night prior, and if there are any changes that you want to make and also listen to any of his input (though it's usually just him telling you how perfect you are) 

If it is a morning after you were dominant, then of course, you are making him homemade breakfast followed with a warm bath and some cuddles. Making sure the male is hydrated and asking him for his feedback.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

I think Lucien loves your face, the way it is structured, your smile “Gods your lips, honey, your fucking lips”, the shape and color of your eyes, the small wrinkles that appear at the corner of your eyes as you beam at him, the way your entire face lights up when you laugh, the way your eyebrows arch in indignation at his teasing, the way your lips lift up into a smug smirk whenever you tease him, the way the apples of your cheek flush at his compliments. Lucien can and will stare at you with any chance that he gets, and is often teased by everyone around him because he makes it so painfully obvious how smitten he is. 

Lucien’s back muscles are so fucking defined, you have no words. Any time his shirt comes off, so do your panties tbh. I think you realize that Lucien is an extremely powerful male, but chooses diplomacy and kindness as a weapon compared to strength and anger, and maybe that is something that he grew to learn with Beron as a father. It is a major turn on that he is just a good male at heart. Someone who values peace and choice, rather than any sort of force or anger. And lets be honest, his back muscles showcase the youngest Vanserra is fucking ripped, and he could lift you up and carry you with ease. (and then toss you into bed before ravishing you)

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Mother above, when Lucien cums, he is spilling out a hot thick load fast, and it is almost never ending. The male will cum on you, in you, wherever you want he is not too picky. But let me just say, when he cums in you, Gods, your orgasm just keeps going because of the sensation of his hot load filling you. 

Also Lucien loves when you cum on his tongue, you are either cuming on his tongue or cock. Rarely does he let you finish on his fingers, and when he does, his fingers jump straight into his mouth where he can suck and lick off your juices. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

You and Lucien are filthy for each other mother above help you cuz you both are going to hell

He really loves when you spit into his mouth, especially when you are riding him and you grip his jaw forcing it open staring into his eyes as you spit.

Once… you were sitting across from Morr discussing gods know what because you don’t even remember now… this male… this fucking male walks up behind you all smooth and easy with a dirty smirk and eyes glinting with lust… he doesn’t say a single word… he just slides his hand around your throat and tilts your head up, one finger sliding up to pull your chin open… in the middle of your conversation with Morr mind you… and fuCKING SPITS INTO YOUR MOUTH… AND THEN WINKS AT YOU BEFORE SAUNTERING AWAY WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING… 

Poor Morr, the woman was too stunned to speak 

And so were you 

Like you literally just brought your head down to face Morr again and it was beet red… AND THEN YOU SWALLOWED IT 

Anyways, it was a spiritual journey for you and Lucien that night, you both saw the heavens during your climaxes. 

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Lucien is a very experienced male, he definitely has had sex with both men and women. He knows what he is doing, and he knows what he likes and dislikes, and he is not afraid to be open about it. 

Given he is experienced… Lucien once made you cum on his tongue in 23 seconds… he counted… 

Safe to say, you never walk away from the male with no less than 6 orgasms…

mother save your pussy 

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Lucien really likes to take you against the wall with your legs wrapped around his waist. There is just a deep penetration there that allows for him to hit all the right spots with every thrust, and for him, the look on your face as your eyes glaze over, cheeks flush, lips part with your tongue slipping out looking a bit cockdrunk is a major turn on for him. 

And yes he does spit on your tongue and into your mouth… “Swallow f’me honey.” he whispers in such a soft smug filthy voice…

And yes he does put a hand around your throat to feel it bob as you swallow

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

I think Lucien tends to be pretty goofy during sex unlike our Illyrian males or autumn heir. Lucien, at his heart and very core, is a good, kind, easy going male. 

And that translates into his love making. He is obviously serious in some moments, especially when it comes to teasing you and the foreplay, but he is not afraid to share a giggle with you here and there if you break character

And it makes things so easy going in your relationship and during sex, because it reminds you that at the end of the day, this is for both of you to enjoy and find intimacy in each other. 

All in all, he is not afraid to tell a joke while he is pounding into you… his raspy laugh is… well… lets just say it is the sexiest sound you have ever heard and yes you have absolutely cum to the sound alone. 

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Lucien does trim, but he does not shave down there. He likes his happy trail and so do you. 

The carpet does match the drapes ;)

Lucien is also the kind of male to prefer you all natural baby, but he does not care whether you choose to shave or not, he will always be willing to go to town with you. 

Hair is just not a big concern for him, and it isn’t for you either. 

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Man… Lucien is a fucking romantic. 

One moment, he is railing into you trying to break your back on his cock, and the next he is moving into a slow sensual rhythm, grinding into you and whispering how much he loves you. 

I like to think that Lucien gets extremely emotional at the thought of you, at the thought of having you, at the thought of loving you, and at the thought of you reciprocating any feelings towards him. 

The poor male suffered enough with Jesminda’s death, and sometimes, it is overwhelming for him to think that he was able to move on. I think it is terrifying for him because he comes to the realization whenever you are with him, and whenever you are so close to him, that you could be taken away at a moments notice… and he doesn’t think he would survive it 

So he is making sure you know, at the end of every orgasm between you, “I love you and I can’t live without you. I just can’t,” while tears begin to brim his reddened eyes, “Please. Please honey. Don’t ever leave me.” It comes out in a heartbreaking whisper as you pull him closer to you, wrapping your legs tightly around his waist as he continues to gyrate into you, and sliding your arms around his neck to bring his head down to yours, “I promise Luc, I am never leaving you.” 

Def one of his subby moments

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

I think it depends on where you are to be honest. Lucien is constantly craving you, your body, your orgasms and if he isn’t around you, then he will absolutely be fisting his cock thinking about tonguing your cunt. 

You also really enjoy mutual masturbation, it is an amazing method of foreplay and the thought of Lucien watching you with hunger in his eyes, unable to touch you as you finger yourself… it's unmatched. 

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Lucien is a switch and you cannot convince me otherwise. He is dominant most of the time, but there are times when he just needs you to take control and show him how much you adore and need him. 

Spitting… I have nothing else to say your honor… except… 

Once he was eating you out and he spit on your pussy and you immediately came, crossing your shaking thighs and trapping his head between them so fast… in which he proceeded to overstimulate you. 

Anyway, overstimulation is another kink of his

Choking - this comes pretty hand in hand with the spitting kink to be honest, he just loves the sensation of feeling your throat bob as you swallow, and your panties are soaked from the control this male has over you. 

Hair pulling… this male has the longest most luscious locks, you can’t tell me he doesn’t like the occasional tug in his hair that is trying to pull his head closer to your cunt as he is eating you out. 

Begging and edging!!! He loves having you all desperate and crying out for him to touch you in any way. I think it is definitely a confidence booster for him, but also this huge reassurance that you crave him just as much as he craves and desires you. So it absolutely goes both ways.

Sprinkling in a little humiliation and degradation… that time he spit into your mouth while Morr was sitting right across from you… while you were in the middle of a conversation… say less. 

But it's also the way he croaks out a laugh at you begging for his spit while he fucks you into oblivion, “What a cockdrunk slut you are begging for my spit, huh honey? My cockdrunk slut.” 

Instant orgasm 

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

I think Lucien likes to take you anywhere where you can find privacy: the bar bathroom bent over the sink, the sauna in the spa he took you to for vacation, on every surface of your house, literally anywhere where there are no prying eyes. 

What I mean to say is there is no specific favorite place because he just wants you whenever he can have you. 

This male is feral for you, but is also willing to protect you with his life. And is also very possessive, and is also prone to getting jealous of both males and females that turn their gaze towards you. maybe in slight part because he fears that one day you will leave him for another (though he would never admit it). 

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

You are a tease. An absolute menace when it comes to Lucien. The poor male is constantly dealing with your games, but oh do you love to play them. Because the reward is always worth it. 

And so is the punishment

You only need to whisper some dirty remark into his ear, and the male is done for. 

Now sometimes, you get him going completely unintentionally, and these are the times where he is desperate to prove himself to you. Anytime you unintentionally make him jealous by laughing at something Cassian says or giving any male the slightest bit of attention, poor baby Lucien is trying to drag you away to make you forget about any other male. 

These are the nights he needs you to take over… the nights he needs you to control him and tell him what to do. The nights you edge him and make him beg to cum. The nights that you overstimulate him, and leave him basking in a warm afterglow from all your need and love for him being poured into his soul. 

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Lucien is not willing to share you in any capacity. Your body is his and his body is yours. He is also not willing to share himself in any capacity. 

Lucien does like to beg, but I think he has a limit there. There is a fine line for him in what is an acceptable amount of teasing and what is too much for him… what would leave him overstimulated and not in the good way… what would leave him feeling desperate and undeserving of you. It is not a line either of you want to cross, and so you make sure to maintain good reassurance throughout with check ins during playtime. 

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

I don’t know if I have already mentioned this, but both of you are givers in nature. I think it does depend on the mood whether or not you are on your knees for him or he is on his knees for you, but to remediate that, you use the 69 position a TON. 

It is absolutely the perfect way for you both to give and receive at the same time, and the moans/groans/whimpers that both of you are making vibrates throughout your entire body and into each other's sexes. 

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

I think it starts off fast for you both… you tend to be desperate for each other at the beginning of the night 

As you both continue throughout the evening, the urgency of it all decreases, but the want and need is still there and you will continue with soft, slow, and sensual sex. 

Both of you take control at different points throughout the night, only reaffirming your love and want for the other. 

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

I think when Lucien is feeling desperate for you, then you cannot do quickies because once he starts, he won't stop until you are pushing him away from the ache in your cunt. 

However… you are always pushing Lucien into the other room and pulling his pants down to suck on his cock, hissing at him to “Shut your mouth Luc, only I get to hear your moans.” 

The way he whimpers in response as he presses his lips together, flush rising up his neck spreading to his face and ears… 

So I would like to think that you love quickies and he is impartial to them

(poor male is shaky by the time you are done with him and everyone knows what you two were up to)

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? Do they take risks? etc.)

Lucien is always game to experiment as long as they land within both of your boundaries. He never wants to make you feel uncomfortable, nor does he want to cross any boundaries for himself. 

I mentioned how Lucien tends to be private in terms of having sex… the male is not private with his foreplay as evidence with his stunt in front of Morr. 

Which he did spend the night dominating you… but I guarantee…

He was punished the next morning 

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Lucien can go 5-6 rounds in a night before he needs a break, maybe a quick nap, before waking up and continuing 

He can last for a while when it is foreplay and he is not inside you, but the second your warm silk walls envelope his cock, the male is done for and is rutting into you trying to find his peak. 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Yes absolutely, for both you and him.

His favorite for himself is a butt plug → you would say you were surprised but are you really? 

His favorite for you are nipple clamps… idk he loves your nipples…

Mommy kink??? It is possible… 

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

You both tease each other an insane amount to be honest. 

It truly depends on whether he is feeling dominant or submissive in the moment, because that will determine his level and way of teasing

If he is dominant, he is openly teasing you and trying to get you aroused. He doesn’t care if you are sitting at the dinner table in front of the inner circle, he is rubbing circles into your inner thighs inching up… 

If Luc is feeling subby… well he is trying to get a rise out of you so that you will drag him away to whatever corner you deem fit to punish him.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Lucien in private tends to be very vocal with his whimpers and moans. He has this characteristic roar whenever he cums in you, and gods does it have your cunt clenching down hard when he does 

But he can also be very quiet for whenever you are feeling particularly risky and are dragging him into empty conference rooms to have your way with him. 

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Lucien has definitely had sex with Tamlin, but he always mentions to you how he didn’t really enjoy himself because he didn’t get to cum that night. 

It was a one time thing, but idk… whenever Lucien brings it up (which is very rarely in all fairness) it doesn’t sit well with you 

So the next time you were in spring, you pulled him into the library and sucked on his cock, and demanded he be loud (the only time you have allowed him to be loud) so that Tamlin could hear what it sounds like to actually pleasure a male. 

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Lucien is a good 9 inches, and he is fucking thick. 

He is thicker than any male mentioned in the ACOTAR series… don’t argue with me on this… yes, even thicker than Cassian 

You can feel every ridge, every vein, every dip, every curve of his cock within you. 

It is always an adjustment to accommodate the fullness of him, always a slight stretch at your core. It is the most delicious sensation, and gods when he starts pumping in and out, in and out, in and out????

RIP your pussy 

No wonder you get cockdrunk on him 

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Its pretty high, you guys will have sex and love making sessions multiple times a day. I think both of you do a good job of equally initiating sex. 

Like it's not only Lucien, it is also you… it makes it very easy for him to believe you when you tell him how much you actually need him and want him. 

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

The warmth and cuddling after sex knocks poor baby Lucien out. He is usually exhausted after all is said and done, and after the aftercare portion, he is absolutely the first to fall asleep.

You continue to rub his chest or arms or back, wherever you have access to, and continue to whisper words of affirmations as he sleeps

His breathing and warmth is usually what sends you into sleep after a while of just being with his sleeping form.

[goforth-ladymidnight]

Ch. 8

@praetorqueenreyna @thrumbolt @taymartiart @northern-star-polaris (Would anyone else like to be added to the tag list? Or removed? Let me know!)

Pairing: Tamlin x Lucien

Word Count. 4.1k

Summary: Lucien meets someone from Tamlin's past, and the tree decorating party begins

Note: Content warning - mild homophobia

Read now on AO3, or keep reading below the cut:

--

Even though it was the middle of December, there were still plenty of Christmas trees to choose from, at least in this particular lot. The owners had chosen the ideal location; it was across the street from an outdoor ice skating rink, where tinny but jolly Christmas music was playing through loudspeakers. On a crisp winter morning like this one, with fresh snow and nowhere important to be, it was the sort of place where couples and families could spend hours skating and drinking coffee and hot chocolate, and then sample anything from muffins to pretzels to sandwiches from the nearby food vendors before taking home a fresh Christmas tree as a souvenir.

Lucien hadn’t been able to convince Tamlin to try skating—yet—but as soon as they were done shopping, he had his eye on a hot coffee and a fresh grilled cheese.

But first, the tree.

There was one he kept circling back to, a large, rounded Illyrian Pine with the perfect point on top. It wasn’t the biggest tree on the lot, but he liked it just the same. To check it, he rubbed a pine bough between his fingers. The needles were fragrant and spicy, and the twigs supple.

“What do you think of this one?” he asked Tamlin, who was looking over a smaller tree on the next row.

Tamlin glanced up, and then up again, and he frowned. “I don’t know. It’s kind of big…” He nodded to Lucien’s convertible. “How do you expect us to get it home?”

Home. The word sent a little thrill through him, even though nothing was official between them. Yet. Lucien smiled. “I was thinking of having it delivered,” he remarked, then asked the tree lot attendant hovering nearby. “You do deliver, don’t you?”

“For a price, but yes,” the attendant agreed in an Illyrian accent. “And only at the end of the day.”

“That’s okay,” Lucien said. “We have some more shopping to do anyway.”

Tamlin stopped circling the tree to look up in surprise. “We do?” he asked.

“Sure we do,” Lucien said as the attendant took the tag off the tree and left to go get the paperwork. “I still have to buy you a gift.”

Tamlin gave him a shy smile. “You don’t have to get me anything. You’re already buying a tree…”

“Saying that only makes me want to buy you something more,” Lucien teased in a sing-song voice. “‘Tis the season to be spend-y. What do you say?”

“I’ll be damned,” a deep voice said behind them.

Lucien turned in time to see Tamlin’s expression change from mild curiosity to something like fear.

“What…? Arth-hnn—!” was all Tamlin said before someone pulled him into a headlock.

Lucien fell back a step, startled. “Whoa. Hey,” he told the stranger with some reproach.

To his surprise, the stranger grinned at him, and Lucien gawked as he realized he recognized the man. It was Tamlin, but with blue eyes and short hair and a stockier build.

“Relax. It’s just my kid brother,” the man said, keeping his beefy arm around Tamlin’s neck.

Tamlin for his part, was red in the face, and grimacing as he tapped his brother’s arm to no avail.

Lucien winced. “You can let him go now,” he said firmly.

“Yeah, sure. Okay,” the man agreed lightly, but ruffled Tamlin’s hair first before letting him go.

Tamlin wheezed as he fell back and massaged his throat. “Shit,” he rasped.

Lucien reached out and patted his back in a soothing way. “You okay?” he asked softly.

Tamlin took a deep breath and nodded.

“Sorry to sneak up on you like that,” the man said, though his smile made it seem like he wasn’t sorry at all. “I just noticed you across the street, and I thought…” He paused and gestured between the two of them. “How exactly do you two know each other?”

To spare Tamlin’s voice—among other things—Lucien answered for him. “We were roommates back in college,” he said evenly. “You do the math.”

“Ah. Roommates,” the man said with an exaggerated wink. “Got it.”

Lucien didn’t even pretend to smile. If he didn’t like this guy before, he liked him even less now.

Tamlin cleared his throat and smoothed back his hair. “Lu, this is my older brother Arthur.” He coughed again. “Arthur, this is Lucien.”

Lucien reluctantly shook Arthur’s outstretched hand. “Hey,” was all he could muster in greeting.

“Hey,” Arthur said back. “Just so you know, my dad calls me Arthur. My friends call me Wart.”

Lucien dropped his hand and mustered a tight smile. “Just your friends?”

“Ha. Funny,” Arthur said wryly, then turned his attention to Tamlin. “Hey, so… Sorry, again, for the sneak attack,” he said with a shameless grin. “But once I knew it was you, I just couldn’t help myself. Just like old times. Right, Tampon?” he asked, then playfully punched his brother’s arm.

Lucien frowned as Tamlin rubbed his arm and looked away. “Excuse me? Tampon?”

“It was stupid kid stuff,” Tamlin cut in, blushing.

“You know how kids are,” Arthur said playfully, then asked Lucien, “You got brothers?”

“Yeah,” Lucien said slowly.

“Yeah, so you get it,” Arthur began, ignoring Lucien’s glare. “So, our mom was really into classic literature, and we ended up with a Peter Pan, a King Arthur, and a Tam Lin in the same family. The jokes just write themselves. Don’t they, Tampon?” he said with another ‘friendly’ punch in the arm.

Tamlin winced and hugged his arm, and kept his gaze averted. “I guess,” he said quietly.

Lucien frowned. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Arthur,” he lied politely, “but Tamlin and I have plans, so…”

Arthur’s easy grin faded. “Don’t you want to meet the wife and kids?” he asked Tamlin.

Tamlin straightened up and stared at him. “You’re married?”

“Yeah. Maybe if you called once in a while, you’d know that.”

Tamlin’s jaw tightened as he slowly shook his head. “I couldn’t.”

“Why not? Did you break your fingers, or—Wait. Wait one goddamn second.” Arthur slowly wagged his finger. “Is this because of the funeral?”

Tamlin’s face flushed, and Lucien thought he could see tears in his eyes. “Partly.”

Arthur scoffed, then held up his hand in Lucien’s direction. “Excuse us for a second,” he said with a strained, cold smile, then turned his frown on Tamlin. “You’re the one who insisted on playing that stupid song when you know damn well that’s not what she wanted,” he hissed.

“You mean that’s not what Dad wanted,” Tamlin hissed back. “It was Mom’s favorite song. I was just trying to do something nice—”

“By making her funeral all about yourself,” Arthur sneered. “Real nice.”

“I wasn’t…” Tamlin’s throat bobbed, and as he looked away, Lucien decided to intervene.

“Hey,” he told Arthur coolly. “It’s not showing off if he was playing for her. Maybe you should back off on the guilt trip, huh?”

“Maybe you should mind your own business.”

“Leave him alone, Arthur,” Tamlin said sternly, then sniffed. “How did you find me, anyway?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Arthur scoffed. “I wasn’t looking. It’s not my fault you happened to show up where I take my kids ice skating every year.”

Tamlin’s eyes widened, then he glanced across the street, as if searching for them.

“Mom used to take us ice skating,” he said softly. Lucien’s heart went out to him.

“Yeah,” Arthur muttered. “Some of us still like to honor her memory by upholding her family traditions. Imagine that.”

Tamlin looked like he was on the verge of tears. Each of his brother’s blows was lower than the last. This wasn’t as bad as when he admitted he had been raped by the dean, but it was damn close.

Lucien bristled on his behalf. “Hey. Maybe he’s making his own traditions,” he told Arthur coolly.

Arthur scoffed. “Like what? Picking out a tree with his little boyfriend?” he said with a sneer.

Lucien knew he meant it as an insult, but before he could think of a safe retort, Tamlin spoke up.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, then nodded firmly. “Like picking out a tree with my boyfriend.”

Lucien’s heart grew three sizes in an instant.

“You know Dad would whip your ass for joking around like that,” Arthur warned.

“Dad’s not here,” Tamlin said coldly, “and I’m not joking.” His voice only quivered a little bit. Lucien had never felt so proud in his entire life.

Arthur snorted, then looked between the two of them with a skeptical sneer. Jerking his thumb at Lucien, he asked, “Him? Your boyfriend? Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Tamlin said more confidently, crossing his arms. “We are serious. What of it?”

Lucien smirked at Arthur, almost too proud to speak.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed as his gaze flicked between the two of them. “This is a prank,” he said with a vague, disbelieving smile.

“Oh, no,” Lucien said lightly. “This is no prank.”

He took advantage of Arthur’s stunned silence to reach out and lay his hand on Tamlin’s bicep. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, he carefully stepped behind him to wrap his other arm around Tamlin’s shoulders. It was a much gentler version of the same headlock Arthur had used.

Resting his chin on Tamlin’s shoulder, he remarked, “I know it may be difficult to comprehend, but some men actually enjoy wrestling other men.” He smiled and patted Tamlin’s chest. “And then cuddling afterwards.”

He couldn’t see the look on Tamlin’s face, but the look on Arthur’s face was priceless: It was halfway between disgust and incredulity.

“Ha,” Arthur said weakly, then blinked hard as he looked away. “Oh my god…”

While he was distracted, Lucien took a moment to whisper in Tamlin’s ear, “You okay?”

Tamlin reached up and covered Lucien’s hand with his own. “Yeah,” he whispered back. “Thanks.”

Lucien gave him a gentle squeeze in answer, then realized that Arthur was staring at them.

“Hey.” Arthur jerked his thumb across the street. “You know there are kids present, right?”

As far as Lucien could tell, the only one paying them any mind was Arthur.

“Relax,” Lucien said, mimicking his earlier tone. “We’re hugging, not demonstrating. You should try it sometime.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Arthur spread his hands wide and took a step back. “Hey. I’m straight as an arrow. Thanks.”

Lucien narrowly resisted the urge to roll his eyes. That wasn’t what he meant—at all—but it gave him the chance to annoy Arthur further. “Your loss,” he said, then lightly kissed Tamlin’s shoulder.

Arthur made a noise of disgust.

Before anyone could speak again, the tree lot attendant returned with a clipboard. “Can I help you?” he asked Arthur.

Arthur shook his head and waved dismissively in their direction. “I don’t need any. But they do.”

That was—unfortunately—true, because Lucien had to fill out the paperwork to have their tree delivered later that afternoon. So, it was with some reluctance that he released his hold on Tamlin to accept the proffered clipboard.

As he quickly filled out the necessary information, Arthur took advantage of his distraction to take Tamlin aside.

“I can’t believe you’re okay with this.”

Tamlin shrugged off his brother’s hand on his shoulder. “I’d say I can’t believe you, either, but I’d be lying. You’re just like Dad.”

“Hey.” Arthur pointed at him. “Dad did the best he could to straighten us out after Mom died. She let us get away with a lot of shit, you know?” He shook his head in disgust. “I don’t even know what I’m going to tell Dad about you and Red over there—”

Lucien looked up and glared, but Tamlin said what he was already thinking.

“So, don’t. It’s none of his business. Lu and I are dating. Get over it.”

Arthur scoffed, then crossed his arms. “Wow. I guess Pete wasn’t wrong when he decided to call you Tampon, Tampon.”

Lucien growled in the back of his throat, but the only one who heard him was the poor tree lot attendant, who looked like he would prefer to be anywhere else.

“Knock it off, Arthur,” Tamlin said coldly. “You hated your nickname as much as I hated mine. Pete was an ass, but now you’re just being a dick.”

Lucien bit his lips to smother his laugh. When he looked up again, Arthur was staring at Tamlin. Hard.

“Yeah, well, at least I know what to do with mine,” Arthur said coolly. “And it doesn’t involve shoving it up another man’s shithole for fun.”

Lucien clicked the pen closed and handed the clipboard back. “We’re done,” he told the attendant loudly. “We’re done,” he repeated, stepping closer to touch Tamlin’s arm. “Come on, Tam.”

Tamlin, however, stayed where he was.

Arthur chuckled rudely. “Aren’t you going to listen to your little boyfriend?” he said mockingly. “Or maybe you’re going to try to put me in my place like a real man.” He assumed a wrestler’s stance. “Huh? Huh? What’s it gonna be, Tampon?”

Tamlin’s face was flushed, and his jaw was tight as he stared his older brother down. “Goodbye, Arthur,” was all he said before he took Lucien’s arm and led him away.

Arthur snorted, but did not try to follow. “Wow. That’s it?” he called after them. “Seriously?”

Lucien would have gladly turned around and told him off, but instead he looked to Tamlin for guidance.

Tamlin closed his eyes and whispered under his breath, in rapid succession, “Let it go. Let it go. Let it go.”

Lucien gently squeezed his arm. “You did great,” he murmured. “I’ve never been so turned on in my entire life.”

Tamlin breathed a laugh, then swallowed hard, looking pale. “I think—I think I’m gonna pass out.”

“Wait until we get to the car,” Lucien urged. Luckily they had snagged a parking spot right next to the Christmas tree lot, so he didn’t have to call someone else for help in case Tamlin actually did faint.

When Tamlin was safely lowered into the passenger seat and holding his head between his knees, Lucien dared a look back to where Arthur had been standing. There was no sign of him.

“Is he gone?” Tamlin asked weakly.

“Yeah,” Lucien muttered, looking around. “And good riddance.”

Tamlin only sighed in answer, and ran a hand over his hair.

Lucien knelt in front of Tamlin and said gently, “I’m really proud of you, you know.”

“For what?” Tamlin looked up and slowly rubbed the back of his neck. “Not fainting?”

Lucien let out an incredulous laugh. “For standing up to that absolute asshole,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re amazing. I have an amazing boyfriend.”

Some of the color returned to Tamlin’s cheeks as he smiled shyly. “You heard that, huh?”

“Are you kidding? How could I miss it?”

Tamlin chuckled and slowly rubbed his neck. “I don’t know. Everything’s kind of a blur, so…”

Lucien was seized with a sudden thought. “Maybe this will help,” he said, then took Tamlin’s face between his hands and kissed him.

When they parted, Tamlin’s eyes were so wide the whites were showing.

Lucien slowly licked his lips, tasting Tamlin’s kiss. “Did that help?” he asked slowly.

Tamlin blinked and let out an amazed chuckle. “I don’t know,” he said softly, then slowly grinned. “Maybe we should try again.”

Lucien matched his grin, then leaned in and kissed him fiercely.

* * *

The penthouse doorbell had a pleasant, musical quality as it chimed promptly at seven o’clock.

Tamlin stayed by the tree, unraveling a package of white string lights while Lucien went to the door.

“Hey,” Jurian told Lucien in greeting. “I have a, uh… poinsettia. For you. Here.”

“Oh… Thanks,” Lucien said politely, accepting the potted holiday plant. “We were just getting started, so come on in. Make yourself at home,” he added, closing the door behind him.

Jurian whistled as he stepped inside and looked around. “Nice place you’ve got,” he remarked, shrugging off his coat. “I bet you can see every…” He stopped and stared at Tamlin. “What in God’s Name are you wearing.”

Tamlin gave him a shy smile and shrugged. It made the tiny bells jingle on his reindeer antlers. “Lu’s idea,” he explained, then nodded at the gift bags lined up on the couch. “There’s a Santa hat for you in there somewhere.”

Jurian smiled tightly and draped his long coat over the arm of the couch. “No, thanks,” he said politely. “I don’t do dress-up.”

Vassa came out of the bathroom then, rubbing lotion on her hands. She was wearing a striped elfin stocking cap with a bright green jagged brim and a bell on the tail. When she caught sight of Jurian, she grinned. “Oh, Juri!” she exclaimed, then jingled as she trotted forward to greet him.

Jurian startled as he looked her over, but managed nothing more than a: ‘Oh, hey… you,’ before she threw her arms around his neck and made him fall back a step.

Tamlin exchanged an embarrassed smile with Lucien as they glanced away from Vassa’s enthusiastic, and rather amorous, greeting.

“Cider?” Lucien asked politely, already turning for the kitchen.

“Yes, please,” Tamlin said desperately.

There was a faint smudge of lipstick on Jurian’s mouth when Vassa finally lowered herself down from tiptoe. She smiled as she rubbed at it with her thumb, then fondly tweaked his chin, murmuring some kind of sweet-nothing in Scythian, no doubt.

Jurian’s answering smile was surprisingly genuine, though. “Yeah. Me, too,” he murmured fondly, then cleared his throat when he noticed Tamlin looking. “So,” he said loudly to no one in particular. “What’s first?”

Vassa answered by pulling the Santa hat out from its bag. “Here. You wear this,” she declared happily.

Jurian stared at it with a wincing smile, then reluctantly accepted it. “All right. Sure.”

“It was that or an ugly sweater,” Tamlin called out.

Jurian tried to straighten the fluffy brim as Vassa smoothed back his hair. “How ugly?” he asked as Lucien walked out of the kitchen.

As he looked over Lucien’s candy cane-striped sweater with a Christmas tree in the center, he let out a simple, understanding: “Oh.”

Lucien paused, his hands full with mugs of steaming cider. “You like it?” he asked with a smirk. “Tam’s idea.”

“I mean, I wasn’t going to say anything,” Jurian muttered, then turned pink as Vassa tickled his nose with the fluffy end of his hat.

Tamlin chuckled as Lucien drew near. “I didn’t think you’d actually go for it,” he remarked, and draped the unraveled lights over his shoulder to accept the proffered mug. “We could have been matching reindeer.”

Lucien smirked. “I don’t know about that. You make a very handsome Rudolph,” he said, reaching up to straighten the headband. His fingers trailed down Tamlin’s hair as he sang softly under his breath, “Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” He was still smirking as he raised his eyebrows in a meaningful way and took a slow sip of cider.

Tamlin felt his face turn as red as Rudolph’s nose, especially when he noticed Jurian watching them.

“So,” Tamlin said loudly. “Jurian. How’s the weather out there, anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Jurian said with a shrug. “It was getting pretty foggy when I last checked. Rudolph.”

Tamlin blushed again.

Lucien chuckled and set his mug down on the coffee table. “Okay. We’ve got lights, ribbons, and ornaments. Who wants what?”

“Ooh! Ribbons for me,” Vassa said eagerly, and rushed forward to claim the first roll of golden, sparkling, wired ribbon.

“I’ll help Tam with the lights,” Jurian offered, much to Tamlin’s surprise.

“Oh. Okay,” Lucien said, hiding his disappointment well. “I’ll unbox the ornaments, then.”

As Jurian picked up a box of string lights to examine it, he remarked, “Say, Lu—” which earned him a raised eyebrow, “—could I get a mug of, uh, whatever that stuff is, from the kitchen?”

“Oh… Yeah, of course,” Lucien said slowly, then asked Vassa, “Would you like something?”

She nodded, already unspooling yards of ribbon. “The same as Juri.”

When Lucien had gone, Jurian stepped closer to Tamlin.

“So…” he began in a low voice, pretending to examine the box of lights. “I couldn’t help but notice that your friend back there is getting a little flirty with you…”

Tamlin’s eyebrows shot up.

“Are you comfortable with that?” Jurian looked at him sidelong. “I mean, do you want me to tell him to back off? Because I can.”

Tamlin breathed a shy laugh. “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to do that…”

“I mean it. I know he’s your friend, but if you’re not comfortable, I’ll tell him.”

Tamlin searched Jurian’s expression for a glimmer of disapproval, a hint of disgust, or a sign of disdain… Unlike his brother’s contemptuous sneer that morning, there was nothing in Jurian’s eyes but genuine concern.

Tamlin sighed. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but it’s fine,” he insisted, lifting his mug for a warm, cinnamon-y sip. “We… have an understanding.”

Jurian cocked an eyebrow. “An understanding? About what?”

Tamlin licked his lips and considered his answer carefully. He and Lucien had discussed it after their confrontation with Arthur, and they had both agreed that Tamlin didn’t have to come out to anyone else unless he felt safe enough to do so.

Tamlin took a deep breath as he came to a decision. “We’re… going out. Actually.”

“Going out?” Jurian repeated, straightening up. “Really.”

“Who is going out?” Vassa repeated in her strong accent. She paused her unspooling, then looked between the two of them. “You are leaving? So soon?” she asked, sounding disappointed.

Tamlin chuckled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to explain. Jurian was his friend, but Vassa was almost a stranger. And their mark, besides. This was getting complicated.

Thankfully, Jurian stepped in. He said something in Scythian, then translated, “In Prythian, to go out means to date. Tamlin and Lucien are dating now.” As Vassa gasped, he turned to Tamlin. “Is that right?”

Tamlin lowered his hand to cradle his mug. His hands were almost shaking. “Yeah…” He swallowed. “Is that… okay?”

Jurian gave him a kind half-smile. “Of course it’s okay. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Tamlin’s throat was too tight with emotion to answer, so he just smiled.

Lucien walked back into the living room carrying two more steaming mugs. “Here we are…” He paused and looked between them. “What did I miss?”

Vassa clapped her hands. “You and Tam-leen,” she declared happily. “You are going now, yes?”

Lucien’s brow furrowed. “Going…?” He trailed off, then met Tamlin’s gaze with sudden understanding. “Oh, you told them?”

“It sort of… came out,” Tamlin said shyly, almost weak with relief.

Lucien smirked, but not unkindly. “Was it easier the second time?”

Tamlin blushed and dropped his gaze. “A little bit, yeah,” he said, smiling shyly as his antlers jingled.

Lucien’s eyes sparkled as he met his gaze. “Well, I’m sorry I missed it.”

“You can be there for the next one.”

Lucien chuckled, then stepped closer to brush a kiss against Tamlin’s cheek. “At least now I can kiss you whenever I feel like it,” he teased, then turned to give Vassa and Jurian their mugs of cider.

Tamlin touched the warm spot on his cheek. It seemed like a dream. But the best kind of dream. The kind he never wanted to wake from.

As Vassa accepted her drink, she thanked Lucien in Scythian, or at least that’s what it sounded like to Tamlin’s untrained ears. After Jurian accepted his mug, Vassa slipped her free hand around Jurian’s waist. “We are going, too, yes?” she asked him with a smile.

Tamlin and Jurian exchanged brief, but concerned, glances.

Are you going to end it with her? Tamlin had asked him that morning.

I don’t know yet, was Jurian’s answer.

The crease between Jurian’s brow softened as he smiled at her. “We are going together. Da,” he agreed by clinking his mug against hers, then said something else in Scythian before brushing a kiss against her forehead. She beamed.

Not wanting to spoil their little moment, Tamlin waited for Lucien to step closer. “What did he say to her?” he asked Lucien softly.

Lucien looked thoughtful as he smiled. “I think he said: ‘As long as you wish, my Princess’. That’s kind of sweet, huh?”

“Yeah,” Tamlin murmured as he watched Jurian slide his arm around her shoulders before taking a sip from his mug.

“He really cares for her, doesn’t he?”

Jurian noticed Tamlin watching, then gave him a soft, understanding nod.

Tamlin smiled. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “He really does.”

[rainbowdolphinrealm]

Last But Not Least Part 2

Thank you to everyone that left me likes and comments on Part 1. I don't know if I'm just not good at writing this pairing or what. Maybe I'm trying to rush it too much. Honestly, I do better with family fics and I'm trying to get to that "good stuff" for all our couples. This is primarily an Elucien submission with references to Feysand, Nessian, and Azris. Thanks in advance for reading and please feel free to leave feedback!

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Elain was enjoying herself immensely on her outing in the city with Lucien. He had returned in 45 minutes, just as promised.  He was dressed casually, but more put together than how he’d arrived at the River House initially.  His forest green trousers and matching coat were like deep green of summer, just before the leaves started to turn.  It was a beautiful contrast to his red hair that he still had pulled half back by a leather thong.

As they wandered aimlessly through Velaris, they clearly didn’t have a destination in mind.  They were just walking and talking.  She learned that he liked to read history.  She asked him questions about the type of history he studied, and he explained how he was learning more about human history since living with Queen Vassa and Jurian.  He said he wanted to understand more about the culture she’d been raised in.

She told him about all the things she’d discovered since becoming Fae.  He seemed to find her analysis of things like food and drinks and animals amusing because he chuckled often.  He also promised to show her other new things if she was interested.  As an emissary he’d been to all of the courts and knew about many of their particular wonders.  He also knew where their best gardens were located.

As they sat in a small café, finishing a delightful lunch of sandwiches and fresh salads, they watched as the people of Velaris passed by. 

“I still can’t get over how normal life is here,” Lucien said with a shake of his head.  “They weren’t untouched by the war, but they’re so resilient, you’d almost never know.”

“Maybe that’s why Feyre does so well here,” Elain suggested.  “She’s resilient.”

Lucien nodded.  “Then no wonder you’re doing so well here too.”

Elain blushed and looked at the napkin in her lap.  “I feel better today than I have in awhile,” she confessed.

“I’m glad,” he said.  “I only want to bring you happiness.”

“What about you?” she asked.  “What would make you happy?”

Lucien was quiet for a moment which surprised Elain.  She half expected him to proclaim being in her presence was all he needed to be happy.  But instead he said, “I’d be happy to have everyone that matters to me find peace and a purpose that fulfills them.”

Elain blinked, processing that answer.  “Your happiness is truly tied to others,” she said.  “It’s so selfless.”

“Well not quite,” Lucien admitted with a soft chuckle.  “It’s all in an effort to have peace of mind.”

Elain laughed lightly and then they paused in their discussion as a little family of fairies passed by, a little boy holding each of his parents by the hand, face lit up like it was the best day of his life.  Elain couldn’t help but smile at that image.  Just like with Feyre and Nyx earlier that morning, though, she was struck by a chord of longing.

“You’d like to have that one day?” Lucien said softly, nodding to the family.

Elain looked at her napkin again, self-conscious that he could detect things like that down the bond.  “Yes,” she answered softly before looking up at him.

He smiled at her.  “I’m glad we’re on the same page about that.”

“Do you have any experience being around children?” she asked, still curious about what kind of father Lucien would be.

Lucien shook his head.  “Honestly, no.  There aren’t many children in the Spring Court, and I was the youngest in my family.”

Elain nodded, listening.

“But I’d like to try.  I have to believe that I can,” and then he stopped himself short.

“Can what?” Elain prodded gently.

Lucien shook his head.  “It’s been such a nice day.  I don’t want to spoil it.”

Elain frowned.  “You won’t,” she promised and then, without thinking about it, she reached across the table and laid a hand on Lucien’s.  “I understand if you don’t feel like talking about your family in general, but you don’t need to shield me from it.”

“I feel like I want to protect you from the ugliness that is the Autumn Court,” he told her.

“You really don’t have to,” she said.  “Even as your friend I want to support you in navigating that part of your life.  You don’t – I mean I don’t want you to hide it.  Heck, we’ve subjected you to Nesta,” she said with a little dry humor.

Lucien let himself laugh as he turned his hand over just enough to gently clasp her fingers.  “She’s got enough fire in her to rival any of the females of the Autumn Court.”

“Maybe we’d better hope for a boy then,” Elain suggested with a broad smile of her own.  “Between both our backgrounds, we might end up with a spitfire of a little girl.”

Lucien shrugged.  “There are worse things.”

They locked eyes for a long moment before Elain smiled nervously and gently took her hand back.

Lucien cleared his throat, also seeming a bit nervous and motioned to the café hostess that they were ready to pay.

As they resumed their walk through the city, Elain reached down and took Lucien’s hand in her own.  He looked down at their hands and then to her face in surprise.  She smiled at him.  “I think we can skip ahead a little,” she said softly.  “You’ve proven yourself to be respectful and patient with me.  I’ve already made you wait so long.”

“That doesn’t mean that we have to skip ahead,” Lucien assured her.  “We’re fae.  We have all the time in the world.”

Elain had to smile at that.  “I’m comfortable with this, though.  I promise.”

Lucien seemed to read her for a moment and then nodded.  He brought her hand up to his lips and gave it a firm kiss on the back.  “Now,” he said with a sigh as they continue to walk, “What else can I tell you about myself?

Elain smiled.  “Are you a morning person or a night owl?”

“Ooh!  Good question,” he replied.  “I’m definitely a night owl.  I can be up early if I need to, but I prefer to work late than get an early start.  You?”

“I’m afraid I’m more of a morning person,” she confessed apologetically.

Lucien shook his head.  “Maybe that works out for the better,” he said.  “When we have a little one, I mean.  I can handle late nights and you can handle the early mornings.  I’ve heard babies tend to be around the clock little creatures.”

Elain laughed.  “If Nyx is any indication, yes,” she agreed.  “I wasn’t sure if Fae babies were going to be any different than human babies.”

“And?” he asked, clearly curious about a verdict.

“They seem the same,” she said.  “Feyre said that fairy children mature more slowly though?”

Lucien shook his head.  “Some species of fairies do,” he explained.  “The High Fae mature like humans, though.”

Elain frowned.  “I had hoped that maybe being Fae meant I would get to have little ones a bit longer.”

“Well technically you can,” Lucien assured her.  “You’ll be healthy and young enough to bear children far longer than you would as a human so you’ll be able to have more, if you want, but you won’t have to have them all at once.  There are decades between my eldest brother, Eris, and myself.”

Elain hadn’t thought of it that way.  There was a certain appeal to the flexibility of raising a family like that.

They fell into a companionable quiet for a few minutes until they passed a jewelry store and Elain found herself drawn to the front display window.

“What kind of jewelry do you like?” Lucien asked quietly in her ear.

She looked back at him with a wry smile.  “I’m not going to tell you that right now.”

He feigned offense.  “Why not?”

“Because these are plenty for the time being,” she said, touching the pearls at her ears.

Lucien pursed his lips.  “They’re old news.  I’ll need something to give you in a few days.”

Elain frowned in confusion.  “You will?”

“The Autumn Equinox is coming and in my court, it’s a gift-giving occasion,” he explained.

“Oh!” she replied in surprise.  “I had no idea.  I was merely thinking that it was a festival to celebrate the harvest and drink warm things like cider and mulled wine.”

Lucien laughed lightly.  “Well that too,” he agreed.  “But just as we give thanks for the gifts the Mother provided through the year, such as crops and good weather, we honor her by giving gifts as well.”

“That’s a nice way of thinking about it,” Elain replied with a smile.

Lucien nodded slightly.  “So my question stands.  What kind of jewelry do you like?”

“Absolutely not,” Elain replied with a smile.  “You can get me something more reasonable, if you really feel compelled to get a gift.”  At the same time she was beginning to wrack her brain for something she could get for him.  She’d neglected him the last two solstices.  It needed to be very special.

Lucien sighed dramatically.  “Alright.  You’re forcing me to guess and I might guess wrong,” he threatened in a teasing sort of way.

“You did just fine last time,” she told him with a smile and looped her arm in his before guiding him away from the window.

They were on their way back to the River House when Cassian suddenly landed in front of them.  “Lucien, you should hurry.  It’s your mother.”

Elain felt him tense beside her and he let go of her arm.  She grasped him by the hand, though, instinctively wanting to maintain contact with him.”

“What’s happened?” Lucien demanded urgently.

“Eris brought her to us,” Cassian explained.  “She’s in bad shape.  Feyre is doing what she can, but Az has gone to get Madja.”

Lucien looked to Elain and then across the river towards the house.  He was clearly pained at the decision before him.  Elain didn’t think twice, though, and made the decision for him.  “Go, Lucien,” she said, finally releasing his hand.  “I’ll be right behind you.”

“I’ll fly her back to the house myself,” Cassian promised.

Lucien nodded, stooped to kiss Elain on the cheek, and then winnowed away.

Cassian turned to Elain.  His look of worry momentarily replaced by curiosity.  “You two seem a lot friendlier than the last time I saw you together.”

“We are,” Elain answered simply.  She realized that she’d moved quite a bit further along down the affection spectrum in just one day.  Maybe she’d been on the cusp of accepting Lucien before and spending some time together was making the bond stronger, easier to obey.  Regardless, she had a feeling that she needed to get to the River House as quickly as possible.

“Ready?” Cassian asked as he took a step closer to her.

She nodded and let him lift her into his arms before taking off into the sky.  Cassian flew them directly to the River House and landed on the front steps.  They hurried inside and found the doors to the sitting room closed.  In the hall, Nesta was bouncing Nyx in her arms as he cried.

“I don’t know if he can sense all the angst in this house, but he’s absolutely inconsolable,” she said over the crying baby.

“What’s happened?” Elain asked urgently.

“Beron,” Nesta answered simply.  “Eris just said Beron was to blame.  He’s in there with them.”

Elain turned and looked at the closed doors.

“C’mere, little guy,” Cassian said as he gently lifted the baby out of Nesta’s arms.  “Give your aunt a break.”

“Thanks,” Nesta replied gratefully.  She walked over and put an arm around Elain’s waist.  “How was it going?”

Elain nodded.  “We were having a good time,” she said quietly. 

Suddenly the doors opened and Feyre, Rhys, Eris, and Madja emerged. 

Eris looked murderous.  “Rhys,” he said simply.

“Tell me what you want us to do,” Rhys replied solemnly as Feyre took Nyx from Cassian.  “Agreement or no, this can’t be allowed to stand.  Not in the Prythian we’re trying to build.”

Eris scrubbed at this face.  “I’d like to say that my personal armies, along with my brothers', are enough.  I just . . . I need to know you’ll support me in case disposing of my father turns into a civil war in Autumn.  I don’t want the entire court to fall into chaos.”

Rhys nodded.  “We’ve got your back,” he promised.

Azriel walked out of the shadows stone-faced.  “He’s fortifying the Forest House against an attack,” he reported.

Eris nodded.  “I expected as much.”

“I’m going with you,” Azriel said firmly, making it abundantly clear that he wasn’t up for debating the issue, with Rhys or with Eris.

Eris looked like he wanted to argue but then a look of gratitude washed over his face and he merely nodded.  He reached out a hand to Azriel who took it and squeezed.  Elain had almost forgotten that the two of them were mates.  They had been keeping it a secret from everyone but the Court of Dreams’ inner circle and one of Eris’ loyal brothers. Beron would have had Eris and Azriel murdered, or at least tried.  To keep the peace in Autumn, Eris had decided secrecy was best for the time being.

“He won’t get away with this,” Azriel promised.

“Cassian, get a legion ready and start heading south,” Rhys ordered in his High Lord tone of voice.

Cassian nodded, kissed Nesta on the cheek, and then headed out the front door.  Elain was surprised that Nesta wasn’t running after him, insisting the Valkyries be included.  She didn’t spend much time dwelling on that, though, her eyes drawn back to those closed double doors into the sitting room.

After several long minutes, the door opened a crack.  Eris rushed for it and went in urgently, closing it behind him.

Elain stood next to Azriel as they both waited.

Unfortunately it was a short vigil.  The door opened again and Eris stormed out.  “Let’s go,” he said to Azriel in a low, deadly voice.

Azriel gave Elain’s hand a quick squeeze before he joined Eris and they winnowed out.

Lucien was moving much more slowly, staring at the ground.  He looked like he was in shock. 

Elain would never know exactly what happened in her heart that day.  It wasn’t as if she was still waiting for the bond to snap and yet it was like it did, but for real this time.  She took one look at Lucien and all she could see was that her mate was in pain and that she felt compelled to comfort him anyway she could.  She rushed to him, arms outstretched, and enveloped him in a tight embrace.

Lucien wrapped one arm around her waist, as if he didn’t have the strength for anything more, put his forehead on her shoulder, and wept quietly.

She reached up and caressed his head soothingly as she held him.  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered in his hear.  “So very sorry.

“He always had a temper,” Lucien said hoarsely.  “He always took it out on us to varying degrees.  But I never thought . . .” He finally wrapped both arms around Elain and held on tightly.

Elain just stood there, fighting to keep her temper under control.  She was so angry at Beron Vanserra for murdering his wife and for making her mate feel like this.

Surprisingly, though, Lucien lifted his head after only a minute or two.  Now it was his turn to look murderous.  “Did Eris already go?”

“Yes,” Rhys said taking a step forward.

“Lucien you don’t have to . . .” Feyre started gently.

Elain glared daggers at her sister.  “If that’s what he wants, he can go too,” Elain snapped.  Feyre and Rhys both looked at Elain in shock, but Elain ignored them, and turned back to her mate.  “Whatever you need,” she said softly to him.

Lucien looked in her eyes and nodded.

“Just make sure you come home to me.”

He bent his head close to her, gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, and then winnowed out.

Elain turned to see her sister and brother-in-law still staring at her.  “How long will something like this take?” she asked Rhys.

He recovered before Feyre and put his hands in his pockets.  “It depends,” he said.  “Beron is powerful, but I don’t know if he can withstand the combined power of his sons.  Then of course is the secondary conflict.  Eris and his third brother, Gerod, will be allies, but the remaining brothers might try to fight Eris for power.  In that event, this could be come a long, bloody conflict.”

Elain swallowed hard.  “So it’ll be Eris, Gerod, and Lucien against the other two?”

Rhys nodded.  “Hopefully Finn and Isak will accept Eris as the new High Lord and spare everyone the fight.”

“Alright then,” Elain decided with a firm nod.  “Then I’d better get to work.”

Feyre stepped forward and reached out a hand to Elain.  “Doing what?”

“Practicing a meal to serve him when he comes home,” she said simply and headed for the kitchen.  She had wanted to love her mate.  What she hadn’t realized was that she already did.  She cared deeply for him because of the bond.  But through Feyre’s stories and his own actions of love and respect, she’d actually fallen in love with him.  Seeing him heartbroken had somehow made her realize that and she couldn’t think about anything else besides accepting the bond and declaring to all the world that Lucien Vanserra was hers and she was irrevocably his.

[mystacoceti]

contrast between foreground and background in a novel has become maybe the most interesting thing about a novel at this point for me. like Balzac's use of Lucien Chardon in Lost Illusions as a way to, like, show a cross section of not just French intellectual society but all the material bullshit that makes that society possible, from the petty dinner parties to the actual printing presses which make possible the transmission of all the intellectualizing while at the same time using an entire subplot to allegorically suggest the ambivalence between the decaying aristocracy and the rising bourgeoisie. it makes it feel like even though Lucien is the protagonist of the novel he truly is just some guy within a society, like both the society and the guy are interesting even if narrative would have us value the guy over the society. and even a flatter novel like A Sentimental Education uses that flatness as an effect of its depiction of its protagonist. other novels that eschew this feel like they're just wasting one of the great formal advantages of the novel, something that is by nature so subtle and evocative even when done only half thoughtfully; ever since I've read Gideon the Ninth I've wondered who produces the trashy men's interest magazines Gideon reads and how did it come about that there would be porn perfectly in line with the hierarchical needs of the setting's military.

but it's not so much that novels eschew this possibility as they just misuse or underutilize. technically there is a background in a book like Beautiful World Where Are You, but that background is wholly limited to the characters' ignorance, so it's up to the reader to supply the irony when a character sits in a convenience store in Ireland and imagines that the ingredients for a shrinkwrapped sandwich come from some distant unimaginable while in fact Ireland exports millions of dollars of lettuce to the UK and imports millions of dollars worth back from the same or from Spain. another character works in an Amazon-type warehouse sending nondescript packages to god knows where, and of course the reader has to again supply the banality and irony of this mystery: the packages would be the material odds and ends which fill the warehouse worker's and the other characters' lives.

I can think of plenty of contemporary novels that feel like this — for instance, the way Fake Accounts brings up the theme of the Cold War's End, and America and Americans' bemusement at their place in that post-something world, but then can't or won't develop that theme — but it's not so much a contemporary flaw as it is just an inherent difficulty of creating complex art. to write interestingly about supply chains and minimum wage workers you would have to actually be interested in those things and then stoke that interest long enough to research its objects and think through the problems of depiction

[ideasarestuckinmyhead]

Lil HC/blurb of reverse au Lucien and angel? Angel as the demon and Lucien as a regular ol' human<3

A demon named Angel, how ironic.

Reverse au Lucien would probably be be the son of a very rich CEO. Bc he's dad's like king of hell when he's demon I think?

Bc he has so many siblings taking over multiple business his dads owns he got like this run down bakery. But he loved it, happy to get away from his high status life.

Lucien didn't love being known as 'the last kid'. People didn't try to get to know him for him, it was for his dad.

Doesn't have a lot of friends and usually keeps to himself.

But after making one friend with a which who didn't know him, he got a summoning book to look at.

And here comes Angel, who is a demon of gluttony looking at Lucien and the. At the sandwich, grabbing it and eating the whole thing.

"Y....your a demon? Like an actual demon?"

"Yup, and one of gluttony so. Mortal that summoned me, what do you want?"

I-I didn't think the ritual would work actually? So uh, what CAN you give me?"

"Hhmm, from the looks of this small house...you like cooking yes?"

"Uh, yeah it's something my mom and I would do."

"I can make your food so desirable that people would kill themselves to eat it."

"Woah! That's crazy, let's not do that. How about you help me perfect my cooking? By being a taste tester!"

"A what now-"

"I'll cool food, give it to you, and you'll tell me what I need to do! Since your of gluttony it should be easy!"

"Sure, mortal why not. Got nothing else to do in hell."

"What's your name?"

"....I can't tell you, mortal."

"Oh, uh I'll give you a nickname then!"

"Go ahead."

.

.

.

.

"I'll call you Angel."

"....A demon called Angel, how ironic that is."

[lanitalay]

Before I Say Goodnight

Chapter 2

a/n: heyyy new chapter wooo.

Other chapters

"Come on, I'll show you to one of the spare rooms" Vassa says, gently guiding you up the stairs and into a cozy looking room. It was lit by a few soft lamps glowing from the ceiling. Tonight was a new moon and as you looked out the window you could only distinguish the black mass that was the forest and the night sky littered with stars that seemed to go on for forever. The skies back home never looked like this. The stars seemed to dance. What a joke. "Oh, you'll probably want to change into something more comfortable and... clean" you come out of your trance and look down at the clothes that were covered in mud, grass and tears. "I'll go fetch something from my rooms" you nod and look around, this doesn't feel real, the bed is made with simple gray linen sheets and what feels like a feather pillow. Nice. There is a dresser in the wall opposite the bed and you see yourself in the mirror that's hanging from the wall. Jesus. Your eyes are almost swollen shut, the lump on your forehead is a bright red color, your hair looks like you were sucked up and spit out by a tornado. But your clothes... the light jacket you wore was ripped at the sleeve of your right arm and the leggings were covered in crusted up dirt. Your boots had held up, the only sign of wear was the sole that was caked in mud. You look to where you had stepped and see the trail of dirt left behind in your wake. Oh god. You feel too gross to go anywhere near the bed so you entertain yourself by looking through the drawers. They are all empty. How boring. "Here we are, I got you this tunic for tonight and you can wear this dress tomorrow, if you want to bathe I'll have Lucien bring up some water" she places the neat stack of clothes on the bed and waits for your answer. "I should take a bath before bed, I feel gross" you try to tame your hair but it looks just messy. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow" she smiled lightly and pats your shoulder goodbye. A few moments later Lucien shows up with the buckets and goes to the bathing room "Everything you need is here, soap, towels..." he looks at your hair "hairbrush". You nod "Thank you". "Tomorrow after breakfast we'll go to the clearing, try to sleep" you nod and he closes the door as he leaves. Deep breaths, deep breaths. If a portal was open in my world, then it should be open here too. Tomorrow this will all be like a fever dream. You proceed to bathe and scrub every inch of your body, and wash and wash your hair until the water finally comes out clean. This is better. You put the tunic on and brush and braid your hair. Pull the sheets back and step into the bed. Oh this is nice. Maybe it's the exhaustion but this is the most comfortable bed you've been in. Tomorrow I'll be home. Tomorrow I'll be home. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. You chant the words like a prayer as sleep envelops you.

The following morning you wake to a sun beam in your face and sounds of chattering from down the stairs. Oh god. This was real. You had half hoped and half prayed that yesterday was just a bad dream. Ok, today I'll find the portal and go home, simple. Easy. Your stomach grumbles and you try to remember the last meal you had. It was a cold sandwich on your hike. You had a bunch of snacks in your bag... Where the hell is my bag? You try to remember the last time you saw it and can't remember losing it. It's not like you can drop a backpack. Maybe Lucien has it. You quickly freshen up and change into the dress Vassa had given you. It was rather simple, the fabric was thick and sturdy and it was a bit big on you. I look like my great-grandmother. It was clean and comfortable though. You make your way downstairs and follow the voices to the kitchen. Jurian and Lucien stop their conversation as they see you entering. "Good morning, realm traveler" Jurian says with a giddiness that would be contagious had you not just had your entire world thrown up in flames. "Good morning" you reply with a slight smile. "Eat up, we have to leave soon" Lucien says as he hands you a plate of warm bread and cheese. You thank him and dig in, then pause, "Lucien, when you found me did I have my backpack on?" he thought for a moment "Backpack?" "Yeah, like a bag strapped to my back" you look expectantly "Oh yes, but I believe it stayed by the fire, we left in a hurry". You frown remembering the way he took off running "Was something out there last night, is that why you ran?" he shifts on his feet "Yes, there was a creature there that meant you harm, I apologize grabbing you like that. As for your bag, we are going in the same direction today, we can see if it is still there" you said a little "Yes please, I have a few things there that I can't lose". Namely my passport. "I understand," Lucien says. "Is there any coffee here?" they look at you then at each other and Jurian says "Coffee?" no way there's no coffee here. "Yeah, coffee. Caffeine?" a pause "We have tea". Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. "Alright".

The ride to the clearing was a bit uncomfortable as you had to ride with Jurian. It's not that he was making it uncomfortable but the saddle had been made for one person and because of the dress you had to ride facing sideways. "We're coming up on the fire, keep a lookout for the bag" you scour the whole forest floor and then you spot it. Your bright red bag and point excitedly "There it is!" Jurian stops the horse and helps you off. You pick it up and check that everything is still inside. My phone. Would it even work here? "Let's go, we have to get to the clearing before the others do" Lucien says in an impatient tone . Others? 

It’s about an hour until you make it to the clearing. The three of you dismount the horses and Jurian ties their reins to a nearby tree. You look around at the sheer nothingness of the space. It looks as if someone lit a perfect circle on fire in the middle of this forest. The clearing doesn’t even have any grass, it’s just plain dirt. No rocks, no roots, no branches. Perfectly leveled dirt. Lucien and Jurian are looking around as well. From the looks on their faces they seem unimpressed. You are too, the boulders and rocks made the circle way more intimidating than this. A flapping sound followed by boots on dirt startles you. You look up to see an extremely tall man with large black wings. “The Band of Exiles in all its glory” the stranger says with a smirk. Lucien walks towards him “Hello, Cassian. Always nice to see you, I thought Rhysand would make an appearance.” Cassian looks at you “They are rather busy today but since you made this sound urgent he sent me. Sorry to disappoint”. Lucien nods, “Did he fill you in on the situation?” you shift under his gaze and look anywhere but him as he speaks “Yes, something about a portal to this realm and a mortal intruder, I’m guessing that’s her?” he points, Lucien nods and continues “She said she just stepped through it and was brought here, to this clearing. I don’t know much about other realms but the fact that it was left unguarded for anyone to slip through seems like a disaster waiting to happen” you kick nothing and wrap your arms around yourself trying to comfort yourself. “And what’s your name?” “y/n”, your voice comes out defeated There's nothing here. “Well Lucien, I hate to agree with you but if what you’re saying is true then I think that is something to worry about. Is there anything else I should know?” Jurian replies “Now you know as much as we do, y/n is just as lost. She says magic doesn’t exist in her world and that what happened should be impossible” Cassian nods “and you believe her?” Inhale and say as calmly as you can “Why would I lie? I have nothing in this world and I’m at the mercy of strangers. Be serious.” There’s nothing here. There’s no way back. Tears begin to well up and you turn around and walk towards the edge of the clearing. Cassian’s face drops and he turns to Lucien again “I apologize, that was insensitive. I’ll bring all of this to Rhys and Feyre and let you know what they say. Any updates on Koschei?” “No” Jurian answers curtly. Cassian nods and without any preamble he takes to the skies. 

Cassian lands in the River House a few hours later and walks into Rhys’ study. “I think we have a problem” he says as he takes the chair in front of Rhysand’s massive desk. “Where is the problem?” his brother responds as he signs some paperwork. “Well, I’m not sure, but that’s part of it. The portal Lucien was talking about seems to be closed from our side but open and unguarded on the other. There was no trace of any magic where the mortal girl showed up. Even her, she doesn't feel like she’s from this realm. She looks like any other mortal but her scent is… strange” Rhysand looks up from his desk and asks “Can you show me?” Cassian nods. “You're right, I didn’t get the sense of any magic. You didn’t speak to the girl?” Cassian shakes his head “No, she looked like she had a rough night and I kind of upset her”. Rhysand rolls his eyes, “Bring her here tomorrow, I’d like to see what she saw in her realm before arriving here. Tell Az, to be here for the meeting” Cassian stands at the dismissal. “Sure thing, brother”. 

The ride back to the manor was quiet. There was nothing there. There’s no way back. You feel numb, unwilling to accept the possibility that you might not be able to return. Lucien and Jurian sense this and let you be. When you arrive you walk to your room and collapse in bed. It’s dark out by the time Vassa knocks on your door. “Y/n, you should eat something” There’s no point. She opens the door and you see she brought you a bowl of stew. You sit up and sniffle, the tears have been flowing on and off for the last few hours. She smiles at you softly and places the bowl in your hands. “The boys filled me in on what happened. I know this must be very scary but I promise we will do whatever we can to help. You know, we call ourselves the exiles because each of us has been rejected by our own. We can’t return to our homes but along the way we found each other and I’m very happy we did. I say all this because I don’t want you to feel like you’re intruding. This is the perfect place for someone with your… situation. Anyways, Lucien heard back from Rhysand-” you interrupt “Who’s Rhysand? I heard his name a few times today” she continues “He’s the High Lord of the Night Court, a very powerful male, who has a lot of knowledge and resources. He’d like to speak with you tomorrow if that’s ok” you nod. Maybe he knows how to send me back. 

“Great, Cassian will pick you up in the morning”.