im shit for azriel and dorian

Dex: Alright, I gave up Andi to the authorities and she'll probably die in their hands, and by probably I mean she will die by their hand, so I know she'll be mad. But what's the worse she could do?

Andi: *stabs him in the chest*

Dex: *bleeding out and a little flustered* alright, alright, fair. this treatment was fair and I deserved that one.

Andi: *proceeds to steal the Marauder*

As darkness enclosed the Illyrian camps, every warrior soon let their eyelids fall. The light on top of the mountains began to extinguish one by one, leaving Nesta to sit in the communal bathroom, staring at the largest bathtub with shaking hands. She blinked rapidly, trying to rid her mind of the terror that flooded it daily. The hard planes of her face were slicked with sweat, and her steel eyes were locked on that gods-damned tub. She decided to take a step forward, wrapping her thick bathrobe around her thin body. Her mind was stepping into overdrive, imagining the Cauldron swallowing her whole along with Elain-

“No,” she snapped at herself angrily, marching up to the tub to turn it on. Her muscles were extremely sore from training, and she needed this bath. She could have really used a drink, but Cassian hid all of the alcohol in the tallest shelf in the cabin. She cursed him for it (not to mention locking him out of the house for 2 days), but deep down she knew why he did it: she had a problem, and it needed to be fixed. “It’s just a fucking bathtub,” she muttered, feeling the warm water and splashing it around. She made sure the water was warm enough for her standards, which was usually scalding because the Cauldron was so cold, and undid her robe. 

Her body was no longer slim, feminine body she once had. No, now her body was a skeleton with skin. Her body was hard angles, with her spine easily visible, and her ribs for display for all to see. Cassian had always left out food for her, and while it was cooked well and looked appetizing, Nesta could barely eat. He never pressured her into eating, though anyone with eyes could see how worried he was about her. Though he sometimes wanted to force food down her throat, he knew it took time to heal. While the camps were the catalyst in her healing, she was just beginning to eat more. 

She stepped into the bath, and instantly, her sore muscles were soothed. Though her mind was beginning to panic, she ignored her thoughts and started to scrub her body down gently. It was the only she could from having a full-on panic attack. “It’s just a bath,” she chanted, quickly rubbing her body. However, as the smell of lavender flooded into her nose, the training seemed to catch up with her, because in an instant, her eyes were shut as well, and small snores were escaping her mouth. 

*

Elain looked to Nesta helplessly as she was thrown into the Cauldron, the King of Hybern looking on with an amused expression. Nesta thrashed against the guards, her entire being wanting to rip Elain from this. She knew that no matter how it ended, Elain would never be truly happy. If she died or if she became Fae, she would lose Greyson. She wouldn’t get her happy ending, and it was because Nesta couldn’t protect her. 

As Elain emerged from the Cauldron, her wet body spilling over the edge, she didn’t move. Not until the red-headed demon spoke, claiming her as his own. Nesta growled at him, which unintentionally drew the King of Hybern’s attention to her. “Put her in,” he ordered, smiling cruelly at Nesta. She fought the guards as much as she could, pushing and shoving as much as her human body could. However, her attempts were futile as they carelessly placed her in, surrounding her in black. In nothing. And, it petrified Nesta to no end.

*

“NO! NO!” Nesta screeched, her eyes slamming open and examining the black and cold water beneath her. Tears began pouring from her eyes as her body convulsed, her heart beating erratically. She didn’t realize the warm hand on her back and underneath her legs, pulling her out of the tub and placing her on the floor. The warm body ignored the punching and kicking of Nesta, wrapping her back into her robe and holding her head against their chest. 

“You’re not there, you’re okay, you’re safe, you’re alright,” the voice was stupidly calming, though Nesta couldn’t place a bet on who’s voice it was. All she knew was that it was slowing her heart rate, and helping her head level out. As the voice soothed her, her vision slowly came back, which aided in figuring out who the mysterious body was. 

Her body stopped shaking, though the man (she now figured out) was still holding her. Only when she looked up to the long hair, and the sleep-deprived face of the Commander himself, was when she backed away from him. “Why were you in the women’s bath?” she snapped, wiping her tears away angrily. Her eyes were roaming his body, and soon she understood by his bright red pajama pants and white shirt that he was asleep. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were surrounded by dark circles. 

“I heard screaming, and thought that someone was being...taken advantage of,” he answered, though his hesitance on the last part didn’t fully convince Nesta. “I was sleeping in my bed, not beside you, so you can stop looking at me like that.” 

“Looking at you like what?” she prodded, her face harsh once more. Cassian, though, didn’t match her harsh face with his own, and instead looked to her with sincerity in his eyes.

“I have those dreams, too, you know,” he said after a while. “That I couldn’t protect you, or your sister. That I was too late, and if I could’ve been a bit stronger, I would’ve been able to save you. That my wings..that my wings were a burden, and that if I didn’t have them, if I was just a normal Fae, I could’ve gotten you out. They happen more often than you think. So, don’t think you’re alone in them.” He stood up, wiping off dust from his shirt before tucking in his wings and walking out of the communal bathroom. Nesta watched his movements carefully, observing his bare feet and his back muscles rippling through his shirt as he shut the door. Only then did she realize that she wanted him to stay. That she wanted him to hold her, and to talk to her, to give her everything that she knew, deep down, she deserved. That they both deserved

She slammed open the large door of the bathroom, and looked to Cassian. He was halfway to the cabin when she yelled his name. He spun around, looking surprised that she called after him. However, he was even more surprised when she marched up to him and slammed her lips onto his. Not missing a beat, he wrapped his arms around her gently, making sure not to be too constraining. 

Nesta’s head was spinning once she pulled away, taking in a deep breath of the ice cold air. Cassian was breathless for once as well, and his heart was beating erratically. “What was that for?” he asked, though he was definitely not complaining. He has been wishing for that kiss since he met her. One where it took his breath away as well. 

Elide stared at the tree in the middle of the living room, her eyes scanning around for any sparce parts. Her hand was mindlessly rubbing her stomach, which held her third child, and a small smile subconsciously made its way onto her doe-like features. Her firstborn, a bright and bubbly young girl, was currently reading her favorite book for the 50th time, laughing at every excruciating pun. Her legs were crossed on the floor, and her nose was practically touching the pages as she read each line over and over again. Elide never expected her child to be such a reader, but it made Elide overjoyed to see how smart she was. 

The gravel crunched outside, indicating that Lorcan was home after his relentless search for Christmas decorations and gingerbread houses. Elide quickly grabbed the leather-bound journal from her daughter’s hands, replacing it with a simple children’s book and shoving the journal into the bookshelf. She knew that Lorcan would be mortified and enraged to know his daughter read his very self-loathing diary. 50 times. 

“Remember, sweetie, no telling Daddy. Okay?” Elide spoke, once again observing the tree. Her daughter giggled, and mumbled a ‘yes’. While her firstborn was extremely bright, she rarely spoke. Elide knew she was very shy around others, except for her family, for which she was thankful.

The door squeaked open, causing Elide’s eyes to snap to the doorway. There stood her husband and son, her son lighting up at the sight of his mommy. “Mommy! Mommy, Daddy took me to the meadow where I got to shoot Rowan in the head! It was really funny!” he shouted, jumping into Elide’s arm. He was only three years old, so holding him wasn’t a problem. However, what shocked Elide was his sentence. 

“Shot?” she asked accusingly to Lorcan, who was taking off his jacket it the foyer. She adjusted her son so his weight was on her hip, and he kissed her cheek. As he snuggled into his mother, Lorcan took off his shoes and walked over to her.

“With a snowball,” he corrected, kissing Elide lightly. Both of their children gagged at the affection, causing them both to laugh. “How’s my princess?” Lorcan asked loudly, a wide smile morphing onto his face as he spun around and swept his daughter into his arms. She giggled manically, her smile matching Lorcan’s exactly. Her thick, dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her gold eyes were alight with glee at seeing her dad. 

“I’m great, Daddy,” she answered amongst her giggles, and Lorcan kissed her forehead. Elide smiled, turning around once again and facing the tree. Her son looked at the tree too, mocking Elide’s seriousness. 

“You’re going to get wrinkles from looking at the tree so harshly, Elide,” Lorcan warned his wife, setting down his daughter on the couch and walking up to Elide. His son jumped out of Elide’s arms, and pulled their daughter out of the room, saying they were going to sleep. However, both Elide and Lorcan knew they were going to stay up in their room and giggle all night about what they want for Christmas. 

“The tree is missing something,” she spoke, leaning her head back onto Lorcan’s chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “But what is it missing?” Lorcan looked at the tree closely, and laughed. 

“Elide, you’re missing the star,” he pointed out, slightly proud of his keen eyes. Elide smacked her head, a laugh escaping her pouty lips. She escaped her husband’s arms and reached into the large plastic box, pulling out the star. 

Lorcan’s lips turned to a frown, already missing the warmth that Elide provided. It threw him off his guard when he felt Elide jump on his back, and work her way up so that her legs were situated on his shoulders. “Holy fuck, Elide, you scared the shit out of me,” he mumbled, walking towards the tree. Elide smiled at him, and placed the star on the tree. 

“I needed to reach up there, but I’m too short. Now, back up,” she ordered goofily, causing Lorcan to roll his eyes. He obeyed her, backing up a couple steps so she could see the tree. Once he saw the whole tree, he smiled. It was beautiful. “Do you think it looks good?” 

Lorcan nodded his head, saying “yes.” Elide felt proud of her works, and as she was relishing in her accomplishment, Lorcan inexplicably had her in his arms in a second. She yelped, though it was quickly replaced with a laugh. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss, a gentle smile on her lips. Lorcan smiled to her as well, setting her down and placing a hand on her stomach. 

“I love you, Lorcan,” she said unexpectedly, causing a slight blush to form on Lorcan’s cheeks. 

Lorcan sat with Rowan’s baby in his arms, the fluffy couch making him sink in slightly. He didn’t dare move an inch, scared of hurting the very tiny creature snuggling into him. His body continued to stay rigid, and Elide laughed at him as she walked into the room. She had a basket of laundry under her right arm, and Rowan’s toddler in her left. The child was sleeping soundly, even as Elide started to put away the towels and fold her and Lorcan’s clothes with one hand. Lorcan looked with awe at his beautiful wife, who was currently humming her country’s anthem. 

“How are you doing that?” Lorcan asked, and Elide turned to face him. Her face turned bright once again at Lorcan’s rigidness, and anyone with eyes could see was holding in a laugh. He jutted out his body lip, and was about to say something, when the tiny creature in his arms started to cry. Actually, wailing was a more appropriate term for what it was doing. Lorcan’s eyes practically bulged out of his head, just now realizing that this child was also Aelin’s. 

Elide walked over her husband, setting down the sleeping toddler on the other side of the couch, and kneeling next to Lorcan. She touched his hands, which caused Lorcan to throw her a questioning stare. “You’re not very soft, and you’re holding the baby wrong,” Elide explained, helping Lorcan position the baby into a more comfortable position. Lorcan stiffened again as the baby cried louder, and all he wanted to do was to shove a bottle into its mouth and not have to hear its pain anymore. Though he thought he was feeling annoyance, a part of him knew he didn’t like to hear the child upset.

“Lorcan, stop flexing for the baby. We both know that she doesn’t care if you’re ripped or not.” Elide told him with a small smile on her face, slapping his arm. Lorcan rolled his eyes, and reluctantly loosened up. Almost instantly, the baby smile and giggled, looking directly into Lorcan’s eyes. Its blue green eyes dazzled Lorcan, displaying a perfect amount of Aelin and Rowan. A part of him wished to see a different child in his hands, one with dark hair, dark eyes, with round cheeks, and a button nose, just like his wife. 

“Why is she laughing at me, Elide?” he asked, his voice slightly intimidated. Elide laughed, her heart swelling at the biggest man she knows being scared of a baby. She could only hope he’d be a better parent than he was a babysitter. He was going to be a father soon (about 8 months to be precise), and she needed to know how good he would be at being a parent, so she convinced Aelin to let her and Lorcan babysit. Rowan and Aelin agreed once she told both about her pregnancy. Aelin gave her a large hug, and basically made herself a godmother, and Rowan just smiled slyly. Elide could only assume what he was thinking.

“Elide? Are you alright?” Lorcan asked, dragging Elide out of her mind. Without thinking, Elide turned to her husband. 

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted, causing Lorcan’s back to go ramrod straight. The baby instantly started crying, making Lorcan stiffen even further.

“Y-you’re what?” he blubbered, and Elide instantly took his reaction the worst way possible. She took Aelin’s baby out of Lorcan’s hands, and cradled her to her chest. 

“I’m going to go put her to sleep,” Elide rushed out, her voice shaking slightly. She was on the verge of tears, assuming Lorcan didn’t want the child. She walked out of the room quickly, and by the thumping behind her, she knew that Lorcan was following her. 

“Elide,” he warned, though she didn’t listen to him. She merely walked into the babies’ room, and set the infant into her crib. “Elide,” he spoke again, his voice a tad more desperate. She spun around to face her, and she couldn’t help the tears that spilled down her full cheeks. He didn’t want to be a father, she could sense it. He obviously didn’t like kids, and it broke Elide more. 

“You know, if you don’t want the baby, just say so,” she snapped quietly, so she didn’t wake the baby. Lorcan’s face contorted out of frustration, and Elide’s face turned angry. 

“Elide,” he whispered fiercely, and was about to say more when Elide interrupted him. 

“I knew you wouldn’t want the baby.Why did I expect anything else?” she whisper-yelled, causing Lorcan to give up. He grabbed Elide by her waist and took her out of the room, placing her in the hallway so he could talk normally. He shut the door to the babies’ room, and looked Elide in her beautiful deep brown eyes. 

“Elide, I’m so fucking excited that we get to be parents, okay? You just didn’t give me any time to say anything,” Lorcan yelled. Elide looked at him with wide eyes, not expecting his response. Tears still flooded her cheeks, and Lorcan’s face softened as he wiped away her tears. “Elide, I married you so I could be with you. I love you, okay? I really fucking love you, and I’m so excited to be the father of your child.” 

“Our child, but okay,” Elide corrected, making Lorcan smirk. A smile formed on her face as she hugged him, and Lorcan hugged back tightly. He loosened his grip as he didn’t want to hurt the baby. Their baby. 

“It’s a cold day in hell when the girl who just learned to read corrects me on my grammar,” he laughed, pulling her away to see her gorgeous features. 

“Oh, just promise me you’ll protect them and kiss me,” she laughed, and a serious look crossed his features. 

The lush grass was soft as Elain’s ran her fingers through it. Her eyes were focused on the stars, tracing the constellations with a faint smile on her full lips. During the summer, she enjoyed watching the sky at night, as it calmed her, especially on the highest hill in Velaris. Everything looked prettier from a small meadow. 

Elain leaned her head on the large willow tree, her ears focusing in on the padding of feet walking up the hill. “Hello, Azriel,” she spoke quietly, though Azriel heard every word. In a matter of seconds, the shadow-singer appeared, a small smile appearing on his face. In his hands he held a bouquet of flowers, ranging from sunflowers to peach roses. Elain’s heart swelled at Azriel’s gift, as she stood and hugged him lightly. “These are beautiful flowers.”

“I knew these were your favorite, and the florist said these were the freshest,” he spoke, handing her the flowers. Elain smiled warmly, kissing his cheek and grabbing his hand. She led him over to the willow tree, sitting down against the trunk. Azriel cautiously sat down next to her, to which she quickly tucked herself into his side. 

“I have to ask you a question,” Elain stated after a while, looking up at him. He looked down at her, a smile subconsciously forming on his face when he looked at his little flower. Az nodded his head encouragingly, wondering what type of question she could ask. He would only pray it wasn’t to end their relationship. Though they’ve been together for more years than he could count, he always was scared that he wasn’t good enough. Elain was perfect, and he was just..Azriel.

“Don’t underestimate yourself, my love,” Elain spoke, grabbing his hands gently and turning around in his lap. She faced him with a soft smile, before kissing his scars gently. He cringed softly, not wanting Elain to have to see what he experienced. “Az, I want to marry you.” 

Azriel’s mouth dropped, his eyes alight in confusion. Elain couldn’t help but laugh at his expression, and she kissed his cheek to pull him out of his trance. Her kiss did exactly what it was meant to, as Azriel looked to Elain seriously. “Elain, are you..sure?”

“Azriel, my shadow, I’ve been with you for 2 decades. You helped me when no one else understood what I was going through. You gardened with me, even though you got dirt all over your clothes. You stayed up with me those nights where I couldn’t sleep, telling me that G-Greyson was behind me, and that I didn’t need him. You held me together when not even my sisters could. My love, I don’t think I could live without you, and I want that to show by me, in a white dress, vowing to you, in a very nice suit, that I’ll be yours forever. I want to buy our own house, and grow our own garden, and maybe you finally won’t get dirt on your clothes. Because, by the Cauldron, I love you,” Elain rambled, sitting up directly in his lap and wiping away his tears. 

“Elain, I would love to marry you. I would love to own a house with you, and grow a garden, and maybe even have children with you. Not only would I love to marry you, I love you. I love you all more than I could even describe in words. So, my little flower, the answer to your question is yes. If you’ll have me as your husband, that is,” Azriel spoke, his voice restrained with tears. He gently touched Elain’s face, studying the planes of her glorious face quietly. “I really love you, Elain. Thank you.” 

“I love you more than my flowers, Azriel.”

“Are you sure you want to make that claim, my little flower?” Azriel asked, a crooked smile gracing his features. He wrapped his hands around Elain’s waist, effectively pulling her closer. She smiled, wrapping her hands around his shoulders. She kissed him softly, slowly moving her hands up into his hair. She pulled away slowly, kissing his nose before looking into his eyes. 

Chaol tightened his sapphire blue tie while standing in front of the mirror. He was overconscientious of his appearance today, seeing as in about 15 minutes he would be leaving the comfort of his room to go pick up his date, Dorian. Though they only lived two rooms apart from each other, Chaol wanted to be as traditional as possible. It was what a hopeless romantic would dream of: a walk in the park, surrounded by fairy lights, soft violin playing in the background as they danced, the whole ordeal. Of course, Chaol didn’t think of his first date like this, in fact he didn’t even know where to start after Dorian said yes to this date. Aelin obviously wanted to help, as reading too many romance novels started to affect her idea of romance. And, since Rowan was the opposite of a hopeless romantic, Aelin forced her fantastical ideas of romance on both Chaol and Dorian. When she found out that Chaol asked Dorian on a date, she actually squealed (which is a sound that Chaol would prefer to never hear again). She set up the entire date, leaving Chaol to only follow the plan. 

Chaol knocked on Dorian’s door, his heart practically pounding in his chest due to nervousness. Chaol and Dorian’s relationship was very casual, with a lot of flirting and very little action, so when Chaol took a leap and asked Dorian out, he was beyond shocked at Dorian’s reaction. “Damn, I thought I was going to have to ask soon,” were the exact words Dorian said after nodding his head. Chaol felt a huge weight being lifted from his chest when Dorian agreed to the whole “let’s make it official”, and now Chaol could actually smile. Though, it was only around Dorian.

“You clean up extremely well,” Dorian greeted, his large door opening to reveal him in his...pajamas? 

“Are you..?” Chaol didn’t know how to finish his sentence without sounding rude or in some way cruel, but he was utterly confused on why his date looked completely under-dressed. 

“I know all about Aelin’s ‘perfect date’, Chaol, and I think it’s overrated,” he stated matter-of-factly, causing Chaol’s heart to sink. Did Dorian not want to be romantic with him anymore? Was he backing out of the date before it even began? 

Dorian handed a wrapped box to Chaol, causing his confusion to skyrocket. His eyebrows scrunched together as he took in the “gift”, with its blue bow taunting him. Dorian laughed slightly, and lifted Chaol’s face to meet his sapphire eyes. “It’s a set of clothes I want you to change into. It’ll better..fit with what I’m planning to do tonight. Now, go and change, and then come back when you’re done.” 

“Oh, ok..um..” Chaol stumbled through his thoughts, trying to piece together what A) might be in the box and B) if Dorian was just trying to push Chaol away. 

“Go, I’ll be waiting for you. And I’d suggest you hurry up.” Dorian winked, closing the door behind him and leaving Chaol blushing and curious. Almost instantly, Chaol was in his room and tearing apart the wrapping paper and daunting bow with ease, and what was in the box surprised him, to say the least. 

“Gods above,” he cursed quietly, though he couldn’t help but laugh. For, in the box was just a pair of pajama pants, covered with mini Dorians. A part of Chaol didn’t want to wear them, for the sake of his pride, but the majority of him just wanted to put them on to appease his date. Besides, it would be a hilarious story to tell later down the line. 

Chaol quickly changed into the pants, and threw on a black shirt to cover his bare chest. He felt oddly exposed when being shirtless around Dorian, as if Dorian would judge him. He knew that it was only in his head, but it didn’t stop him from covering up when he could. 

Chaol once again knocked on the door, and when Dorian answered, his laugh boomed down the corridor. Chaol blushed as Dorian pulled him into his suite, and Chaol was both surprised and honored to be in his room. Not as his Second, but as his..date. It was still weird to think about for Chaol. 

In the room, his normal couch was covered head to toe in pillows, blankets, and books. Little lanterns hung from the walls, alight with blue flame and giving the room a cool hue. Food and drinks were scattered on the coffee table, things like finger foods and hot chocolate taking up the majority of the space. The room was also slightly colder, which was probably due to Dorian’s ice magic. “You like?” Dorian asked, plopping down on one of the heaps of pillows with a smug smile. Chaol nodded, a true smile forming on his face as he sat down next to Dorian. He smelt of freshly fallen snow and chocolate, two of Chaol’s favorite things, which caused an unnatural amount of butterflies to erupt in Chaol’s stomach. He didn’t know he could feel so attracted to one person until now. 

*****

“Okay, okay, to be fair, Aelin was the one that licked the pole in the first place, I just made it really, really cold,” Dorian tried to defend himself, though Chaol couldn’t help but laugh. It was two hours after their date should’ve ended, but they were having way too much fun reminiscing and enjoying each other’s company. Surprisingly, they hadn’t done anything sexual, which was what Dorian usually loved to do. Chaol was liking the attention, and the unusual feeling of being wanted by someone. “I’m getting really tired,” Dorian admitted to Chaol, causing his heart to sink. All Chaol wanted to do was be near Dorian, and to just talk to him and understand more and more about him. 

“Okay, I’ll..um..see you later?” Chaol stated, though his tone made it sound like a question. Dorian rolled his eyes before wrapping his arms around Chaol’s waist and leaning his head in between Chaol’s shoulder and neck, breathing deeply. He was taking in Chaol’s cologne and natural smell, which was muted. He smelt of the outdoors, which was exactly how Dorian predicted he’d smell. Chaol’s breath hitched, his body going stiff with indecision. “You want me to stay with you?” he whispered, his voice shocked. Dorian laughed onto Chaol’s neck, nodding before tucking his head back into its designated spot. Chaol’s face lit up in a dazzling smile before wrapping his arms around Dorian and intertwining their legs. “By the way, where did you find these pants?” 

“My fan club made a bunch of them, and since you’re my biggest fan, I decided to get you a pair,” Dorian explained, though his voice was muffled slightly. “Now, shush, we have a meeting with Terrasen in six hours, and I have a feeling a particular Queen is going to be very angry for us standing her up. I’d like to be decently rested before my funeral.”

As Dorian lay on his bed, his mind enveloped into the fantastical world of the book he was reading, Chaol leaned on the wall. He watched his husband’s emotions with a jovial smile, until Dorian’s eyes filled with rage-filled tears. Chaol’s heart sunk as Dorian slammed the book shut, those few tears slowly turning into streams of rage. “No! That is not how the book is supposed to end! They’re supposed to live happily ever after, not this absolute bullshit!” Dorian curled into a ball, pulling the covers around his ruffled hair and angrily wiped his tears away. 

“Aelin recommend you another book?” Chaol asked quietly, though a little smile couldn’t help but grace his features. To look at how emotionally invested his husband was with such small things like books made him grateful to be in Dorian’s..good graces. To know Dorian cared most about him, a person as unmemorable as Chaol (though Dorian told Chaol everyday how much of a memorable person he truly was), well, it made Chaol feel more loved than he’s ever been in his mortal life. 

“Maybe..” Dorian huffed, falling back onto the massive amount of pillows with an melodramatic sigh. Chaol laughed quietly, causing Dorian’s head to snap up with a scowl. However, his scowl softened slightly when he realized how melodramatic he was truly being. And, maybe Chaol’s eyes bright with amusement and his smile that could light up the entire castle helped take his mind off of the awful ending he just read. Even though Aelin has had a rough life, there is absolutely no need to give Dorian these books that make Chaol question Dorian’s mental stability. 

“Do you need to talk about it?” Chaol prodded, walking towards Dorian and their bed and trying to look compassionate. Though Chaol was the exact opposite of compassionate, he was really trying for Dorian. He wanted to make sure Dorian had someone to rely on, even if it was for minuscule things like a book ending gone horribly wrong. If Dorian relied on his husband for the little things, then he could most definitely rely on Chaol for any big obstacle that stumbled on their path. 

“No..no, I think I’m good. We’ll just have to stop by Terrasen so I can personally smack Aelin upside the head with her gods-forsaken book,” Dorian took a deep breath in, before sitting completely up in his very large, four-poster bed. Chaol stood awkwardly on the edge of the bed, not knowing if Dorian would mind him climbing in and sitting beside him. Chaol was still scared to push Dorian too far, feeling that (even though they’ve been married for 2 years) Dorian doesn’t want him in the domestic way that Chaol occasionally craves. Though Dorian tries to push away the doubt, Chaol always makes sure that Dorian is the one that initiates any sort of domestic activity. 

Chaol let out a small laugh, nodding his head to Dorian’s request. He would fulfill any request his husband, his King, made. It was a promise he intended to keep until his dying breath, though even in death he would make sure that Dorian was safe. It was the only thing he could do, considering Dorian gave him the one thing he wanted since he understood what it was to love. Dorian gave him companionship, and the privilege to call Dorian his husband. His everything, his soulmate, call it what you will, but Chaol could never repay what gift Dorian gave him. 

Dorian rolled his eyes at his husband, who was once again living in his mind. Dorian grabbed Chaol’s hand, successfully pulling him onto the bed with a soft thunk. This snatched Chaol out of his inner dialogue, causing a hearty laugh to escape Dorian’s mouth. His husband automatically smiled at Dorian, feeling butterflies bloom in his stomach and Dorian wrapped his arms around Chaol and kissed him lightly. “That book tired me out. Too much emotion was put into those characters, and when they died, it hurt so damn bad,” Dorian admitted tiredly, his eyelids beginning to droop. Chaol smiled, stroking his black hair aimlessly. He let his lips linger on his husband’s forehead as light snores began to erupt from Dorian’s mouth. His face turned peaceful, fluttering those butterflies buried deep in Chaol’s stomach. 

Cassian: Don't fuck with me I have the power of God and anime on my side!

Azriel: *raises an eyebrow*

Rhys: What?

Cassian: *has an egg in hand* Hey, Az, do you think I can get this egg into that cup?

Azriel: Definitely not.

Cassian: *chucks the egg at Rhys's head* Guess you're right.

Azriel: *goes into a coughing fit trying not to laugh*

Feyre: *is doing her makeup*

Rhys: Can I lip your stick?

Feyre: *blushes profusely*

••

Nesta: *is doing her makeup*

Cassian: Can I lip your stick?

Jingle Bells,

Fenrys smells,

Rowan laid an egg,

Tamlin: I made a new game!

Feyre: What's it called?

Tamlin: Tamlin: the Game!

Rhys: It should be called Trash: the Game.