Mel is Here

Gwynriel:

"She's Everything To Me" - Short modern au oneshot 🌶️

"Azriel and Gwyn's Domestic Adventures" - Modern au in which Azriel and Gwyn move in together, play animal crossing, and have domestic bliss 🌶️

"Azriel and Gwyn's Domestic Adventures Pt. 2" - Continuation of the modern au, the couple sees whose going to cave first after banning sex for a week 🌶️

"Keep It Down" - 200 years after the end of ACOSF, Azriel and Gwyn have been indulging in their breeding kink; part 1 in the "Keep It Down" series 🌶️

"The Private Agony" - Azriel returns from the Hewn City with a sore back and wings, Gwyn helps him recover; part 3 in the "Girls and Their Wings" series 🌶️

"Shout It To The Clouds" - Azriel jumps in front of one of his sons, preventing a spell from hitting him, but causing interesting side effects; part 2 in the "Keep It Down" series 🌶️

"Chained To You" - Vampire AU, in which Gwyn is the Vampire and Azriel is the sacrificial virgin 🌶️

"What We Need To Hear" - Part of SJM Romance Week 2023, exploring the love languages between Gwyn and Az at the beginning of their relationship

"Someone Is Going to Die...Of Fun!" - Part of SJM Romance Week 2023, Cassian walks in on grumpy Az and sunshine Gwyn making bracelets

"Whispers In My Ear" - Azriel and Gwyn's schedules keep them apart for far too long where Gwyn is concerned; part 3 in the "Keep It Down" series 🌶️

Nessian:

"The Private Pain" - Cassian returns from Illyria with sore wings, and Nesta is there to help take care of him; part 2 of "Girls and Their Wings" series 🌶️

Elucien:

"Heir of Sunlight and Fire" - Multi-Chapter in which Lucien is ordered to leave the Night Court with Elain and go to Day 🔫🌶️ (eventually)

"To Choose Our Own Way" - Part of SJM Romance Week 2023, Elain realizes she has feelings for Lucien when he announces he's never returning

"Honey That Dick Was 11"" - Short Valentine's Day gift, Elain is at Ladies Night, and the topic shifts towards the males in their lives 🌶️

Azris:

"Care Less More" - Multi-Chapter in which Azriel and Eris have known they were mates for 500 years, spending the entire time antagonizing each other until they don't 🔫🌶️

"Escapism. Vol. 1" - Multi-Chapter modern au in which Azriel and Eris have a fight, leading to an entire family apology tour; part 1 of the "Escapism." series 🌶️

"To Stay In Bed Or To Not Stay In Bed" - Part of SJM Romance Week 2023, Azriel and Eris are on their honeymoon. Azriel wants to explore while Eris just wants to stay in bed 🌶️

"Escapism. Vol. 2" - Multi-Chapter modern au in which Azriel and Eris have a fight, Azriel gets drunk, calls Eris, and they make up; part 2 of the "Escapism." series 🌶️

"Escapism. Vol. 3" - Multi-Chapter modern au in which Eris finds out something unsavory about Azriel's past, and he doesn't react well; part 3 of the "Escapism." series 🌶️

"And I Know I Should Stop...But I Can't" - One Shot modern au where they aren't anything...but Azriel can't stop running back to Eris 🌶️

"My Immortal" - Azriel and Eris are immortals who come face to face with each other after a century apart 🌶️

Cazriel:

"His Hands On Me" - During their youths, Cassian helps Azriel overcome his ultra sensitivity to touch; part 1 of the "Touching Azriel" series 🌶️

"People We Meet at the Gym" - A meet-cute AU part of SJM Romance Week 2023 where Cassian owns a gym that Azriel frequents

"Did I Mistake You For A Sign From God" - A heavy-metal band au where Cassian is going to die if Azriel doesn't stop touching him on stage 🌶️

Emorie:

"I Want Everything With You" - Part of SJM Romance Week 2023, a series of firsts between Emerie and Mor 🌶️

Multis:

"Everybody Knows" - Azriel/literally everyone. The Inner Circle (minus Mor and Amren) discover that Azriel has been a third to all the mates and decide to do something about it; part 1 of the "Everybody Knows" series 🌶️

"He Likes To Watch Me" - Cassian/Azriel/Rhysand, Rhysand watches and eventually joins in with Cassian helping Azriel overcome his sensitivity to touch; part 2 of the "Touching Azriel" series 🌶️

"The Private Lesson" - Nessian and Gwynriel, Cassian uses Azriel to demonstrate how to touch Illyrian wings to Gwyn and Nesta; part 1 of "Girls and Their Wings" series 🌶️

"He Likes To Push Me" - Cassian/Azriel/Rhysand, Rhysand forces Cassian to stop treating Azriel like glass; part 3 of the "Touching Azriel" series 🌶️

"Nobody Knows" - Cassian/Nesta/Azriel, in which the mates invite Azriel to their bed to help him relax; part 2 of the "Everybody Knows" series 🌶️

"Servants of the Night Court" - Cassian/Azriel/Rhysand/Feyre, in which Cassian and Azriel are faithful servants to their High Lord and Lady, even if they would like some space every now and then 🌶️

"He Fights for Me" - Cassian/Azriel/Rhysand, in which Cassian gets jealous of Azriel flirting with another man at a tavern, and reminds him who he's going home with; part 4 of the "Touching Azriel" series 🌶️

"Somebody Knows" - Azriel/Elain/Lucien, in which Lucien invites Azriel to join him and Elain to cheer him up; part 3 of the "Everybody Knows" series 🌶️

"More Hands Mean Less Work" - Multi-Chapter Nessian and Gwynriel, with chapters dedicated to just Gwynriel; Cassian and Nesta help Azriel and Gwyn overcome their personal hesitancies about sex 🌶️

“Gwyneth, how have you been?” Azriel asks.

“Hmm, busy. Repairing this, finding that. Same as always,” Gwyn answers vaguely, giving Azriel a hug before he enters the house.

“And your sister?” Azriel inquires, glancing around to the new art pieces decorating her walls from the last time he visited.

“She’s found something pretty interesting in the middle of Juniper City so she’ll be out a few weeks.”

Azriel only nods, letting Gwyn guide him to her office. She’s rattling off about the new books she’s found, and some repair work she’s had to do that was more difficult than usual. Azriel listens dutifully but as she opens her office door, her voice is replaced with a buzzing sound in his ears.

Standing at one of the packed shelves is the man, no the immortal, that Azriel curses the name of just about every night. Shoulder length scarlet hair, sharp cheekbones that fit the natural sneer of his full lips, eyebrows constantly peaked up in judgement, piercings up his ears that only highlight his amber eyes. Azriel almost turns and walks out the door when the face of Eris Vanserra of the Vanserra family turns to look him dead in the eye.

“Oh Azriel, this is Eris. Eris, this is Azriel.” Gwyn gestures between the two of them, seemingly oblivious to the way Azriel’s heart is going to pound out of his chest when those sharp eyes run the length of his body before snapping back up to his face. Their prolonged silence must capture Gwyn’s attention.

“Do you two know each other?” She inquires, her tone intrigued.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Azriel glares at Eris before turning to Gwyn.

“We must’ve met at a charity fundraiser for your archive, though I’m loathe to admit I’ve forgotten which. They all blend together.” He says sheepishly, though it’s all a front. Leave it to Eris to force him to cover their blunder, even though they agreed centuries ago they would deny knowing each other.

“Sure.” Gwyn doesn’t sound convinced but Azriel doesn’t worry too much. In her line of work she sees and hears oddities often enough that this flimsy excuse doesn’t makes it into the top of fifty of obvious lies she’s heard.

“Anyways, I have the letters you both requested from the archive, though there seems to be some missing. Also, no one’s asked for these letters, like, ever, so I was just wondering if you could tell me a little more about them.”

Azriel’s sure he’ll be the first immortal to die of a heart attack. He wants to scream out in protest, curse out Gwyn for dragging him in front of Eris with those letters in hand. More pressing, he’s dying to know why Eris also wanted to see those letters now.

Eris ducks as another ball of green fire shoots by his head. A few feet away from him, Gwyn screams in frustration.

“You need to control your anger, it makes your powers irrational,” Eris says calmly. Gwyn only huffs in frustration, and Eris can tell that today is not the day Gwyn will take this lesson to heart.

“I was calm, I am calm, and yet I cannot make the fire do anything I command. It’s not working,” Gwyn proclaims.

“It’s not working because you don’t believe it will.”

“That’s not true.” Eris does his best to control his expression, though all he wants to do is roll his eyes at Gwyn’s petulant tone.

“You have powerful magic inside of you that you have been denying for various concerns. The only reason that your powers are not controllable are because you believe they are uncontrollable.”

“I do believe I can control them. Perhaps your teaching is just not satisfactory, given we’ve been at this for two weeks now,” Gwyn instantly responds. Eris stares at her flatly, wondering why the Mother had thought it a good idea to mix the stubborn of Spring and Autumn together in this whirlwind of a being. He looks at the sky and prays for strength.

“Perhaps you do not wish to learn. Feel free to leave and learn your powers yourself if you feel that would be more efficient.” Eris quirks an eyebrow up at her, knowing a challenge is written all over his face. Gwyn glares back, her pride warring with her desire to train her powers. He watches as she closes her eyes, most likely mind-stilling like the Valkyries of old once did.

Nodding his head at the resolve in her eyes to stay for their lesson, Eris holds out his hand again. Gwyn mimics the gesture.

“As heir to a High Lord and daughter of the Vanserra family, you have power beyond the ordinary High Fae. Some describe it as a well, imagining taking a bucket of water out of the well when they use their power. Others describe it as a muscle, an extension of yourself that can be strengthened and honed over time, but fatigues with overuse. Both have some merit to them. For now, find where your power is beneath the surface. Whether it feels like water or muscle, pull it to the surface. Ignite a flame in the palm of your hand.”

A small orange flame ignites in Eris’s palm at the same time that a green flame ignites on Gwyn’s hand. This part of the lesson is one Gwyn had mastered quickly, but Eris knew it was best to start at the beginning.

“The fire is yours, responding to your anger, fear, joy, and every strong emotion you may feel. You will need to learn to control your emotions when handling your fire, lest you burn something you love. Losing control means potentially burning those you love.”

Gwyn nods, her eyes flitting between Eris and the small flame in her hand.

“Good. You have the power to decide if the fire will burn or not. Hold out your other hand.” Gwyn does as commanded, and Eris puts his fire onto her palm.

“The fire does not burn you because I command it not to. It does not travel your palm because I command it not to. I am the master of this flame, and I will not let it control me.”

“I can feel it.” Gwyn says with wonder. Eris knows she doesn’t mean the physical attributes of the fire, but instead Eris’s control over the fire.

“Yes. With practice, you can learn how to feel another fire user’s hold over their flames. The most powerful of them can wrest control away.”

“Can you do that?” Gwyn asks. Instead of verbally answering, Eris stares at her until she gasps in pain, her green flame becoming warmer in her hand. He gives the control back to her but Gwyn stares at her hand in wonder.

“Similar to how daemati can look into someone’s mind and control their actions, we have the power to steal fire from others, controlling their power. As you can block a daemati with a mental shield, you can do the same with your fire. But that is a lesson for after you learn control. You need to learn how to use your powers before you can properly protect them.

Now, imagine your fire as not a flame, but as a bird. Watch.” Eris takes back his flame that was resting on Gwyn’s palm, transforming it into a bird that flies around the training ring before resting on his shoulder.

“Your flame responds to your command, but you need to be intentional. Vague commands lead to reckless responses from your power. See the bird in your head, and imagine instead if it was flames. But do not imagine a bird on fire, lest you harm a poor creature.” Eris instructs. He can visibly see Gwyn sorting out the difference between a flame in the shape of a bird and a bird on fire.

In her hand, the green flames jump a few times, appearing to form different shapes before wings appear, then a body, and finally a beak. Gwyn opens her eyes and smiles.

Now, they are on their national tour, and Cassian has fallen completely in love with Azriel.

He can’t help it, not with Balthazar pushing for all of them to be a little more flirty.

It’s part of our brand, Cassian. Haven’t you heard? We make baby-making music, Cassian. Just toss a wink, Cassian.

Cassian listened, adopting a signature smirk and wink combo to anyone with a phone in the audience. He got on his knees when the camera angle was just right. And he even practiced holding and playing the base a certain way to make it more suggestive.

But Azriel had gone a different route. A more difficult route, for Cassian at least. He took flirting as to mean flirt with his bandmates. While Cassian played with the audience, Azriel played with him. Technically he also flirted with Rhysand, though not nearly as much in Cassian’s opinion. Azriel loved to lean over the drum set to swipe a finger under Rhysand’s chin, but that was the furthest he ever went. With Cassian, Azriel went above and beyond what Balthazar required.

The first time he felt Azriel flush behind him, singing into his ear, Cassian nearly stopped playing. His breath caught and his whole body tensed, hyperaware of every spot he and Azriel touched. The crowd had gone crazy, but Cassian couldn’t hear more than the echo of Azriel’s voice in his ear or feel anything but the whisper of breath that brushed the back of his neck. As quick as it came, Azriel walked away, singing once more to the audience.

Then the touching started. The swipe of a hand across his neck, an arm wrapped around his waist, fingers tangling through his hair. Their audience loved it every time, cheering louder whenever Azriel played with Cassian. He knew that those videos were the most popular online, and he knew that’s why Azriel continued to do it.

One night Azriel’s hand dipped low down Cassian’s front, low enough to make his stomach clench and head fall back on Azriel’s shoulder. A fan got a particularly good photo out of that exchange, skyrocketing them in the trending categories on most social medias. Azriel and Cassian had laughed it off, but Cassian couldn’t shake the feeling of Azriel’s hands on his body. He saved the photo on his phone, constantly reminding himself of the possessive touch and look in Azriel’s eyes.

Because while Cassian had completely fallen in love with Azriel, they had never been anything more than friends. Azriel had never looked interested, and Cassian was content enough not to push him. Granted, Cassian had never really asked explicitly or implicitly whether Azriel would be interested in something more with him, but he wasn’t going to ruin a good thing by being selfish. Cassian knew that one day a lucky person would see just how wonderful Azriel is and sweep him off his feet, taking him away. But to date, nobody had been able to accomplish more than a single repeat night with Azriel, never able to convince him to stay longer. Azriel would always come up with some excuse about how they weren’t quite right for him, and Cassian would good-naturally pat him on the back in sympathy while privately reveling in the fact that Azriel was his for a little longer.

“Gwyn!” Nesta yells, snapping the red head back to the present before Emerie can successfully land a punch on her abdomen. The dodged blow doesn’t make a difference, as Emerie still ends up pinning Gwyn a few moves later.

“Distracted?” Emerie smirks from above her before letting Gwyn’s wrists go. Gwyn only growls, unable to produce a less feral response.

“Mother Gwyn, you have six children with the male, the cauldron knows how many attempts to produce such a number. Are a few weeks really such a problem?” The Illyrian female asks, offering a hand to pull Gwyn up.

“It’s been longer than a few weeks.” Gwyn mutters. Nesta snorts.

“Cassian and I were here a few days ago to have dinner with both of you.” She points out, unwrapping her own hands as the three Valkyries prepare to cool down.

“I had just returned from inspecting the new troops in Autumn.” Gwyn points out. “I was too tired after dinner for anything else. He left the next morning.”

“Is it really so bad?” Emerie asks. Gwyn levels a glare at her.

“When was the last time you were without the Morrigan for over a month?”

“Alright, alright.” Emerie puts her hands up in surrender. “You two are still going through your honeymoon phase almost three hundred years later. I get it.”

Gwyn huffs but remains silent for the rest of her cool down. The three department with a hug and promises to catch up another time with a girl's night. Then Mor arrives to collect Emerie while Nesta winnows to her house in Velaris. Left alone again, Gwyn makes her way to her and Azriel’s room, still scowling.

In their shower, Gwyn can’t help but think of Azriel. It’s too easy to let her mind slip away and imagine a large, firm body behind hers, pressing against her so nicely. His scarred hands would caress her skin so gently, causing it to pebble. As the water hit Gwyn’s front, he would graze every so lightly across her nipples with his fingertips before dipping down lower onto her stomach. He’d probably tease her more, bringing his fingers just above where she wanted, before starting the trek back up again. Gwyn’s neck tingled where he’d smile against it, pressing kisses to her skin while whispering about how beautiful she is, how he can hardly control herself.

“You have a soft spot for the Priestess.” Eris notes from next to Azriel, the rest of their entourage having already made their way inside.

“She was the first priestess to join Nesta’s training.” Azriel swallows, before continuing, “I was the first to find her in Sangravah, during the sack by Hybern.”

Eris says nothing, but brings Azriel in for a tight hug as the Illyrian breathes deep, forcing the gruesome images away.

“Nothing is going to happen to her here. Hybern’s men are dead, and any other man who thinks to commit the same atrocities to any female shall learn our fire’s fury.” Eris says it with such conviction, Azriel almost feels sorry for said hypothetical males. Almost, as he would be right beside Eris delivering his own dark punishments.

Azriel nods into Eris’s chest, taking a deep breath before standing tall.

“Our people await us, High Lord.”

“Our people can wait for us a moment longer, High Lord. Have you ever seen the leaves from your back? It’s a beautiful sight.” Eris purrs.

Azriel snorts. “Such poetry for a quick fuck in the woods.”

“Believe it or not, the lands fare better when the High Lord interacts with them. And you love my poetry.” Eris gives Azriel one of his most irritating smirks, so Azriel gives him one of his most shit-eating grins.

“I’ve never had to resort to poetry.”

“Fuck off.” Eris scoffs, before grabbing the Shadowsinger and winnowing them to a particularly empty field far away from anyone.