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#Long Train Of Feathers
subbalakshmisastry · 15 days
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Splendid Peacock's Dance Karanji Lake / Karanji Kere Karanji Nature P...
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gogmstuff · 2 months
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1908 (December) Les Modes - Robe de visites par Margaine-Lacroix - Photo by Reutlinger. From gallica.bnf.fr; fixed spots & flaws w Pshop 1292X2100.
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raynavan · 1 year
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guys im.
im.
help.
i made an au.
keep in mind its been literally years since i watched the show but. uh.
so Ingo and Emmet are the joint conductors of the train
if you haven't watched the show, the train can go back in time. so Ingo and Emmet travel through time to see and battle other dinosaurs (like. playful battles)
they sometimes see a family of Pteranodons and a t-rex, who they very happily teach whatever they last learned about to. its often just like. wow [insert dino here] is really strong! they can do this thing-"
they love teaching. mostly its battle tactics and trains and whatever else they are inventing at that time.
just generally having fun as train-driving time-hopping Troodons
but like, i cant just end it there.
so. like i mentioned, the train can go back in time
im sure you understand what im getting at =]
one day Ingo falls off the train while its in between time gates- attempting to fix up the connectors of one of the cars that housed the children the two of them loved oh so much- and falls in
(he doesn't see it, but that special little t-rex tries to reach out and save him- only to get sucked out as well.)
he gets spat out in the middle of nowhere in a time zone he does not recognize.
mostly because the time gate kinda messed up his head.
he gets accepted into this strange group called the pearl herd, and vibes for a while
he takes are of this huge sloth (Megatherium) as a warden for a while
one day a tiny t-rex falls out of nowhere and ingo is like "hey i know you! ... i think."
the t-rex is verrry confused.
gonna stop rambling there i think. im. oh boy i am rotating this so much for absolutely no reason- this is a plea for help.
oh, for reading this far, here's the boys without the background.
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lunss-couture · 1 month
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Gold and Black Glitter African American Feather Prom Gown 
This luxury gold and black African American mermaid prom dress features an Illusion high neck appliqued with golden embroidery lace on a fitted back velvet bodice, with illusion side cutouts. A sheer glitter mermaid long train trimmed with feathers.
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hopeinthebox · 11 months
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i was tagged by the effervescent @cordiallyfuturedwight and i bow to her selections once again. magnificent stuff. somewhat delayed but tagging some favs @aprylynn @thvinyl @banghwa @yooboobies @pauls-mccharmly @kimchokejin @kithtaehyung 💜
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toxic-yuri-stims · 29 days
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Chihiro x Yubaba (Spirited Away) Stimboard
x x x / x / x x x
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wedding-affair · 2 years
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Lihi Hod | Bridal Spring 2023
Collection: Mystic Flower Gown: Ella
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theweirderofthetwo · 10 months
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A collection of doodles - i don’t have them completely figured out yet
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girlscience · 7 months
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alien be upon ye
#I FINALLY think I figured out what Zaz looks like#(I think I've talked about them once or twice on here)#you guys do not understand how many different iterations they have gone through in my attempts to get them on paper#but I think I've got it and I'm happy with it#but drawing them more is making me think more about their people and planet and I have IDEAS#so I was having allllll the people on their planet be nomadic. but I have concluded that's a little difficult to believe#~100 million nomads. that's a lot.#so I am thinking about having some of them build semi floating cities#lashing boats together to make floating platforms.#finding naturally occurring sandbanks (this would be easy because the ocean is so shallow) and making them larger with baskets of sand#taking seeds and saplings from the mangroves that grow around the islands and planting them around/on the sandbank and baskets#and between the rafts to hold things together and prevent erosion#(kind of think of tenochtitlan)#and then around the city they could have huge coral reef gardens that they manage and care for as their food source#they could grow mussels and clams and such on the supports on stilts under their homes#they could keep flocks of birds for food and feathers and train them for hunting and long distance communication#the trees would be used for building new structures and stability of the city and to make fabrics/textiles#the cities could be stopping points for the nomadic people's for trade and parties/celebrations/holidays#or maybe some of them could be for religious purposes and have temples#aaaaaaaa I am having so many thoughts THIS WOULD BE SO COOL
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subbalakshmisastry · 8 months
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Beautiful Nature | Peacocks & Peahens In Wilderness
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gogmstuff · 2 months
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1908 (December) Les Modes - Manteau d'hermine garni de zibeline - Photo by Reutlinger. From gallica.bnf.fr; fixed spots & flaws w Pshop 1478X2078.
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bunny584 · 2 months
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OBSESSED: YUTA (PT. II)
A/N: Special grade lover boy finally has you, his dream girl, in his hands. Surely he’ll be able to handle it…right?
S/N: This one is for the anon(s), the Yuuta girlies. I hope this means I get to rush Yuta Phi Alpha next year!! 🤭 (you can read part I here )
C/W: Yandere themes, aged up characters (21+), Mature, 18+
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Any minute now.
You should be calling, any minute now.
Yuuta rolls his favorite pair of your underwear into a cylinder.
Even. Perfect.
He tucks it next to the 14 other perfectly even cylinders he’s taken from you.
An impressive collection, considering that it’s been only 3 months since he’s been back from Morocco.
3 months since you eviscerated the barrier between fantasy and reality.
You touched him. You kissed him. His building blocks came crashing down at your feet.
And yet, you still don’t see him.
It’s been torture.
Purgatory.
Falling back into the platonic, easy insteps of friendship. Breathy giggles. Air tight hugs. Feather light kisses.
On his cheek.
Friendly gestures as thin as the air on the summit of Mount Everest.
Leaving Yuuta the same way, every time.
Desperately tugging his cock.
Filling your stolen lingerie with his seed. Marking you. Branding you as his over and over again. In the confines of his quiet, sterile apartment.
Sullied by his lewd coping mechanisms. Babbling your praises day in and day out. The paintings on his walls know you by name.
Because you’re his.
Yuuta has chosen to love you every minute between sunrise and sunset and sunrise again. Ever since his cold met your warmth.
From afar. In the dark. Meticulously crafting the blueprint of your future together. Where you love him, freely. Openly. Without input from your friends or exes.
You need him.
Why else would he be the first person you call after every date?
Agonizing about whether you said the right thing. Or wore the right thing. Leaving a long list of people Yuuta has to take care of.
Not that he minds. He loves helping you.
Beautiful, silly girl.
Can’t you see?
He’s already created a gorgeous life for you two. He’ll give you the stars. The moon. A whole galaxy if you want it.
True, mutual love.
He just has to make you see it.
See him.
“There you are.” Your ringtone is his personal call bell.
Yuuta was starting to think you were going to use your girlfriend’s shoulder to cry on instead of him.
You were supposed to be out on a third date tonight. But you’re not. When it comes to picking up the pieces after your frivolous little flings — Yuuta is always your go to.
“Hey you.”
His palm caresses the heavy bulge in his pants. Tone is steady. Unassuming.
“Yuuta?” Soft sobs intertwine with his name, and it’s decadent.
“Hey. Hey.” Yuuta’s fingers impatiently tug down his zipper. Adams Apple sliding down the column of his neck, swallowing a moan.
You sound so pretty like this.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?”
“Can I…can I just come over?”
“Yes..of course you can.” Each word rolls off his tongue carefully. A stark contrast to the storm winds rattling his heart around its cage.
Broken, teary whines kiss his ears and glide down his spine. Yuuta pulls his cock free. Smearing pearly beads of pre cum around his swollen head. His body is so well trained for you. Primed to your voice. Your touch. Your gaze.
“You’re the best, Yuu.”
A satisfied grin blooms across Yuuta’s face. He uncurls his long fingers from around his base.
No more self indulgence. Not yet.
Tonight is about you.
“See you soon.”
—-
Is this wrong?
This is wrong.
…right?
Your fingers plait together. Shifting weight between your feet.
Staring at Yuuta’s door, knowing your dark-haired, sleepy-eyed friend is probably watching the clock. Anticipating your arrival.
Maybe you shouldn’t vent to him about other guys.
Maybe you shouldn’t use him to soothe your broken heart.
But he’s so soft with you.
Patient. With open ears, open arms. His capacity for you seems limitless.
Always peering at you with those deep set, graphite eyes. Opaque, winter fog. Quick to muddle your sense of direction if you look into them long enough.
Kind, but so, so unsettling.
Before you can reason yourself away from his apartment, Yuuta pulls open his front door.
“Hey pretty,” his mellow greeting is a warm weighted blanket around your shoulders.
“Hi Yuu,” your arms snake around his neck. Because it’s comfortable. He’s comfortable.
His toned arms sink into your lower back. As if your waist was tailored to the contour of his muscle. A low sigh breezes against your neck.
“Come in.”
Yuuta is hushed. He always is. Perpetually whispering secrets for your ears only.
You follow the gentle sorcerer into his apartment. Low lit. Shadows from the candle wicks dancing along his walls. Beckoning you into his lair.
“I made you some tea, is that okay?”
Yuuta’s lithe fingers fidget against his thighs. Almost 4 years of friendship and he still hasn’t shaken his nervous ticks around you.
Sweet boy.
“Yes please,” your smile is already less gloomy.
Yuuta mirrors you with a lopsided smile of his own. Small dimples dusting a boyish charm over his otherwise haunting features. He shuffles to the kitchen. And you take in his broad shoulders. Lean, muscular physique.
He really is handsome.
Eerily beautiful.
Effervescent porcelain skin, deepened from the Moroccan sun. Acute, angular jaw line. High cheekbones. Thick, raven hair that’s always a little storm-tossed.
A crescent moon against a clear night sky. Watching over souls trapped in their own personal graveyards.
There’s something about him that always seems…heavy.
Constantly balancing the weight of the world on his back.
Or something.
You settle in the couch just as Yuuta materializes into the living room. Stealthy, quiet footsteps. If he wasn’t the one who let you in you could be convinced that you’re alone in his apartment.
“Be careful, it’s still hot.” Yuuta warns. His eyes linger on your lips. Memorizing each pucker.
He’s so close.
Sweet steam kisses his face with each blow. And he sits there. Perfectly opposite of your mug.
Unphased. Unblinking. Still.
Close enough to take a sip of his own.
“Thank you for letting me come over on short notice, Yuu.”
Your thighs startle beneath his wintry touch. Both palms, larger than you remember, knead the fleshiest part of your hips.
“Don’t thank me. I’m here for you.” His tone descends. A deep drawl laced with conviction.
“I’ll always be here for you.” Yuuta repeats, pads of his fingers indent into your skin.
Your eyes metronome between his.
Slowly evanescing into his firm, glacial touch. Hazy from his half lidded gaze. There’s no time space continuum between you two.
“Yuuta—“
“Tell me what happened.” Shards of glass rain down his dry windpipe. Willing with every cell in his body to remain neutral.
The gates open.
You’re so animated. It’s captivating. How you feel so many things.
The way your eyes flutter while telling him about how you were stood up. A call came out of the blue. A short, unsatisfying cancellation of your dinner date.
And Yuuta leans in. Nodding. Petting your mouth-fucking-watering thighs. Forcing himself to remember to move his eyebrows. And blink. And look away from Aphrodite every so often.
He knows the story.
He wrote the story.
And for the record, gorgeous. Your crush sounds pathetic when he’s begging for mercy.
Weak.
A man like that is beneath you.
Yuuta’s jaw loses tone.
Pretty crystals line your eyes. Your bottom lip is swollen. Red like Merlot stains on a bottle cork. Your mini skirt rides up a quarter inch higher by the second. Mostly from his fingers. Every time you gesticulate he caresses just a bit higher.
White noise fills the space between Yuuta’s ears. He’s inebriated. Incapacitated by the honey that seeps from your mouth every time you speak.
And he can’t keep ignoring the way his cock is thrashing against its barrier. Begging. Pleading for reprieve.
The Apple in the Garden of Eden.
And the consequences of his inevitable bite mean nothing to him.
“Please,” Yuuta interrupts. Barely above a whisper.
Your eyebrows crawl together at the center of your barbie doll face. So oblivious. Blissfully unaware of how you fuck his brain to nothing but smooth, empty, mush.
“I’m sorry I’m rambling—“
“No. No.”
Yuuta’s body moves before his mind can catch up. He slides off the couch to his knees. Nudging his hips between your legs. His muscular arms hook beneath your legs at lightening speed.
You have no time to gather words when he pulls you to the edge of the couch.
“Yuuta?” Delicate hands fly to his shoulders. Steadying yourself in this new, sudden position.
You’re heady. Shocked. Glassy eyed. Fully flushed from your button nose to ears.
You have no idea how addicting you are. Working sticky heat out of Yuuta’s needy length without even touching him.
He presses his lips into your inner thigh. Instinctively gripping your hips forward when you reflexively jump back.
“So perfect,” Goosebumps cascade along where his moist mouth traces.
“Y-yuuta, we...we’re friends.”
Yuuta drags his drunken gaze to meet yours. Resting his head in your lap. Feathering his icy hands up your butter soft skin.
“You’re so pretty.” He murmurs. Purposefully evading your observations.
He has some observations of his own.
Yuuta doesn’t miss the way his praise affects you. How your breath hitches. And your nails dig into his shoulders. Pupils blown to a full moon.
And the slow growing damp spot at the apex of your pink cotton panties. Yuuta can’t bring himself to stare at your precious rose. Not yet. He’ll cum in his pants if he looks now.
His slender nose traces up your quivering leg. And you bloom. Thighs drifting further apart. Making space for him. Inviting him in. Rewarding him.
“I can make you feel better.”
You gift him a pitiful little whine in response. Timid fingers travel into his nape. Yuuta’s heavy eyelids curtain his vision.
The room is spinning.
And Yuuta is kneeling at the only alter he will worship at. The only alter that will ever receive his devotion.
Those years of waiting. Wanting. Watching. Unsent love letters. Saved texts. Practiced conversations in the mirror. Stolen trinkets. Pieces of you he’s kept along the way.
It was all worth it.
Because the love of his life is spread open for him. Vulnerable. Needy. Melting beneath his touch like your body knows it belongs to him.
Yuuta couldn’t hold back if he wanted to.
“D..do you know how perfect you are?” Yuuta asks the warm, sore flesh beneath his lips. Admiring the trail of bruises he’s left up your inner thigh.
“Yuu, you don’t mean that.” You mewl and squirm like a brand new kitten. Mousing his hair between your fingers.
“I mean it. Y..you’re so…” his voice trails off when his trembling, pale digits finally press into your wet heat.
“S-soft. You’re so soft.” Drool pooling in his mouth chips away at his coherence.
Yuuta’s stormy eyes find the meeting point of his hand and your sex. The sight alone bucks his diamond hard shaft off of his leg. The friction from his damp boxers and rigid jean blurs his vision.
“Oh pretty girl.”
“Mmghhhh Y-Yuu..ah god.”
Both of your husky musings collide. Yuuta drives his long two fingers into your accepting, driveling opening.
He immediately curls up into your pleasure point. Eliciting the most dreamy, listless curve to your back. Tossing your head into the pillows behind you. Gripping his roots into your hand.
“Y-yuu, I need…please.”
Whimpers wrap around Yuuta’s cock and jerks him out of his fucked out state.
He didn’t realize he was open-mouth staring at how your cunt squeezes and tugs on his fingers. Leaking your dew onto your thighs. His fingers. His couch. Saliva streams down the corner of his mouth like he’s a starved animal.
He blinks up at you. Debauched. Lusty. Filthy in the way your hips are undulating against him. Taking your pleasure right out of his hands.
“I need…I need to hear you say it baby.”
Yuuta swipes his tongue against your clothed pussy. And you nearly buck off the couch.
“Please, y-yuu,” diamonds line your eyes again. So much pleasure in the pain of being teased.
“Say it, baby.” His breath kisses your swollen clit. “T-tell me what you need.”
“Lick..please, suck…Yuu,” He’s never heard a more beautiful plea. And his restraint was already teetering on a hair string.
Yuuta’s other free hand rips your panties away from your dewy folds. And his spine is set on fire.
The dull ache in his pelvis crashes into him like he’s at the deadly meeting point of the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern oceans.
“So..so pre..god.” Nonsensical words. Unintelligible noises.
Then his tongue circles your bud and he is gifted a taste of your elixir.
Somewhere between his pathetic sobs into your pussy, your gorgeous melody filling the room and how you grind your pretty petals along the length of his tongue — Yuuta isn’t sure he’ll be able to survive this.
At some point he pulled his cock free from its restraint. Spearing high and heavy in the air. Constant needy dribbles of pre cum staining his shirt, rolling down the length of his shaft. One or two drops even escaping to the floor between his knees.
He hasn’t stroked his length once. And he is this close to release.
And it is infuriating.
Yuuta hates how closely he is riding his peak right now.
Because he is not nearly done with you yet.
He wants you on his tongue. On his cock. For hours. He needs to coax orgasm after orgasm out of his one true love.
“Y-yuuta,” your right hand pulls at his head with all your strength. Yuuta has to bite back a whine.
His murky gaze meets your darkened one.
“Inside.” A clear, high-pitched command.
And Yuuta couldn’t dream of denying you. Of saying no to you, ever.
“O-okay, yes baby.”
He stumbles to his feet. Shakily working his jeans and boxers into a pile around his feet.
Your wide eyes and oh shaped mouth stains his face cherry red.
Why are you looking at him like that?
Is he not enough?
Were your other lovers bigger?
He’ll get rid of them if—
“Yuuta…will it fit?”
You shatter his spiral to stardust. He can breathe again for the first time since you came over.
Yuuta eagerly chases you up the length of the couch. Until he’s nestled comfortably in your legs. Your heat kissing along his drenched rod. Mixing your arousal with his.
“It’ll fit, because you’re made for me”
Yuuta rasps through tight lips. Burying his head into the gentle slope of your neck.
How is everything going exactly right and completely wrong at the same time?
He is more disciplined than this.
He is supposed to be in control.
But your warm, sweet petals sheath his length.
And you begin to circle your hips underneath him. Rubbing your nectar along his cock like you are marking him as yours.
Yuuta loses his sense of reality.
Unrelenting waves of heat ram into his groin. His cock stutters and beats against your precious cunt. He can’t bring himself to look you in the eye. Because everything dampens.
“No…n—no no wait!”
Yuuta smears protests into your neck. Hips rutting against your opening. Pressing you deep within the cushions. Rabid, uncontrolled movements. Ascending in pace faster than you can keep up.
“Fuck, fuck..”
“Yuuta? Are you cu—“
You have your answer the moment his hips hover over yours. Cupping his thick, blushing tip.
He fails to contain his explosion. Yuuta is mortified when stark white globs contrast your black mini skirt.
Air settles thick between you.
Circulating breaths between his clipped and your shocked ones. Decades pass between you before silence is broken.
“Don’t worry, Yuu! This doesn’t change anything.” Your smile is light and playful. Kind in the way that makes him fall in love with you again.
But…what do you mean?
Of course this changes everything.
He can please you.
He knows that.
This was just…
This was just one time.
The first time.
Amidst the cyclone of thoughts decimating Yuuta's brain, you’ve managed to wiggle around him. Currently lacing up your strappy heels.
Yuuta’s mouth lolls open but words fail to materialize.
Once you’re satisfied with your appearance, you prance over to his side. Still frozen on the couch with a handful of his cum. In the messy remnants of his unwanted peak.
Your lips meet his cheek. And your next words run his blood subzero.
“We’re still friends! We’ll always be friends, Yuu.”
Yuuta’s steely eyes laser into your retreating figure with sniper precision.
Beautiful, silly girl.
You two will never be just friends.
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lunss-couture · 21 days
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Geometric Black Sheer Sequin African American Prom Dress 
Abstractly geometric pattern black sheer sequin unique mermaid feather train African American prom dress. Halter V neckline with a low back. Sheer long train with feather trim.
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kakashisbabymama218 · 8 months
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Seven days a week: day 1
Kakashi x fem!reader.
smut, oral (fem!rec) mulitple orgasms, overstimulation, cervix fucking, squirting, creampie, unprotected sex, crying, mentions of crack (lmfao nobody smokes crack in this i promise)
*okay so this is my first time writing in almost a year, so hopefully im not too outta wack and this doesnt suck assholes.
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“K-Kashiii— it’s too much… too deep” you cry out, hands pushing at Kakashi's toned stomach in a futile attempt to get him to slow down.
Kakashi ignores your cries, still pressing feather light kisses against your neck before sucking down on one of the hickeys that already cover the expanse of your neck. his pace never falters as he slams into you with so much speed and force your pushed up further and further on the bed each time his hips meet yours.
after a particularly rough mission that ended with Kakashi being hurt, lady Tsunade ordered the copy ninja to take a week off to recover and Kakashi planned to spend the entire week fucking you so good the only thought left in that pretty little head of yours was about how good his dick feels as it drags along your gummy walls.
“Shh, shh… you can take it." he murmured against your ear. "you gonna be my good girl and take every inch daddy has to offer, right?" he questions as his tip kisses your cervix over and over again, voice deep and low.
you're so fucked out at the point you don't know whether to nod or shake your head. you want to be good, you really do but you're already on your third orgasm of the night and you can barely keep your eyes open at this point. Kakashi looks like he's barely broken a sweat, damn him and his years of ninja training, his stamina being one of the things you love and hate the most about him.
“But it’s too much” you whine loudly, your walls clenching tightly around his fat cock, and he groans against your ear, hips stilling as he attempts holds himself back, wanting to drag the feeling of you walls fluttering around his dick for as long as he can, never knowing when he's going to be called away for another long mission.
he might have to go without the feeling of your tight cunt clenching down on him for days, weeks, maybe even months, so he's going to get his fill now and he doesnt care how hard you cry or how much you beg.
"just a little bit longer princess then we can take a break, just let me fuck you for a little while longer"
Kakashi pulls out until nothing but his tip his being swallowed by your greedy cunt, slamming his hips against yours and swallowing down the screams that fall from your lips.
"even after taking my dick over and over again, you're still so. fucking. tight" he grunts out the last three words, accompanying them with a sharp slam of his hips.
you're eyes flutter shut as your pushed over the edge once again, your body shaking and convulsing as your fourth orgasm rips through you. your legs wrap around Kakashi's waist, grinding clit against him as you ride out your orgasm.
"mmmpf—fuckkkk" Kakashi groans, pulling out at the very last second and wrapping his hand tightly around his dick, stopping the orgasm he knew was coming. he pushes your legs up, your feet dangling by your ears and gathers spit in his mouth.
he spits directly on your cunt, smirking to himself as he hears the guttural moan that slips past your lips. he watches as his spit drips from your clit down your slit and pools at your gaping entrance. he takes your swollen, sensitive clit into his mouth and sucks down... hard
your hands fly to his long silver strands as you push and pull at his hair, so high off the pleasure you're not sure if you want him to stop or keep going.
"K-kas...Kashi...Kashiiii" you slur, his name falling off of your lips over and over again like a mantra. Kakashi lets his tongue circle around your hole before pushing it in as deep as it'll go, his nose rubbing against your clit.
Kakashi slurps and sucks at your cunt, moaning against your puffy folds, the sweet taste of your slick on his tonuge is addictive, like crack in the 80s. (im so unserious its crazy)
he has to force his face away from your cunt when your cries get louder, more high pitched, and your grip on his hair tightens almost painfully, the telltale signs that you're close and Kakashi wants you to the two of you to cum together.
he strokes himself once, then twice before he's pushing his way past your entrance and into your gummy walls once again. it doesnt take long for his orgasm to approach once again. he brings one of his hands down and uses two of his fingers to rub fast, hard circles on your sticky clit.
a few more thrusts and you're crying out, toes curling, back arching off the bed as you cum for the fifth time, except this time your squirting on Kakashi's dick. the feeling of your slick flowing from you and onto Kakashi's length is what finally makes him cum. his thick, sticky seed paints your walls a delicious shade of white and when he eventually pulls out it drips from your pussy down to your ass and onto the soft, light blue sheets below you.
"shit" he hisses quietly, letting his forehead rest against yours, eyes glued to where the two of you connect, pushing his entire length back inside of you ignoring how sensitive he is, waiting to feel your walls wrapped around him just a little while longer.
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I WROTE THIS, ME MYSELF AND I!!! dont steal my shit!!!!!
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shadowdaddies · 6 months
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Omgomg-
Can you do an Az x Summer Court reader with soft, white, feathered wings where she's like cleaning her feathers(a very intimate act) and Az walks in, there's some flustered blushing and whatnot, and then he offers to help and they clean their wings together??
OMG this is so cute I'm cryin 😭 I had so much fun with this, you're the best and ily thank you for the request angel!!!💜
Wings of Desire
Azriel x Reader
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Sent on mission by Tarquin to work with the Night Court on joining your armies with the Illyrians, Rhysand had allowed you to visit the camps with his spymaster. After a long day of observing training, the both of you flew to where you would be staying while in Illyria. You followed Azriel, landing in front of a small cabin on the far northern border of Prythian. You weren’t even sure if you were still on the continent anymore, shivering at the cold unlike that which you’d ever experienced.
Born in the Summer Court, the heavy snow during Night Court winters was unfamiliar to you, and made flying difficult. Unlike the Illyrians’ wings, which were bare and ideal for flight in freezing temperatures, the delicate feathers of your bone white wings abhorred the cold. 
The stiffness in your wings spread throughout your body, teeth chattering as you forced your legs through the snow to the open door Azriel held for you, an amused smile playing on his lips. Cauldron, those beautiful lips. Your eyes trailed from those lips, down his body as the spymaster heaved in breaths. You were glad to see you weren’t the only one tired from the flight.
As soon as you made it through the doorway, heat seeped into you, a deep comfort settling over your bones. You turned to Azriel, that same smile tugging at his mouth as he seemingly read your thoughts. “Magic. Rhys keeps the place a comfortable temperature, so it’s warm even in the winter.” Enchanted by the unexpected comforts of the cozy cabin, you walked into the kitchen area, taking in the surroundings. 
All of the walls of the cabin were painted, five sets of eyes lining the hallway at the top of the stairs. You scowled at the silvery eyes that seemed to follow you, wings twitching behind you at the uncomfortable feeling, until you reached a familiar set of hazel eyes at the end. A soft smile graced your features, suddenly feeling safe under the watchful eye of Azriel. 
You turned to question the spymaster about the artwork when a cup of hot chocolate appeared on the counter in front of you. Gasping, you jumped back and collided with the shadowsinger. A rare, soft laugh escaped his lips, and you felt as though you might melt at the sound. Scarred hands gently grabbed your arms, helping stand you upright as he leaned over you and grabbed the cup to place in your hands. “The cabin is sentient, so it will supply you with whatever you ask, within reason. Or whatever it thinks you need... In this case, hot chocolate.” 
You blushed, taking a sip of the warm drink and moaned at the rich taste. Azriel’s eyes were dark as he watched you lick the chocolate from your lips, the spymaster clearing his throat as he quickly looked away from you. Your wings shuddered at his attention, and a wince left you at the movement of the sore muscles beneath. 
Shadows curled around Azriel’s own wings, smokey wisps circling his ear as he studied your feathers. “The house will run a bath for you, so you can clean and warm your wings if you wish. Second door on the left.” Almost too distracted by the alluring darkness swirling in front of you, it took a moment to register what Azriel was saying. “Oh, yes. Thank you, Az,” you murmured, setting down the cup as you turned to make your way upstairs for a much needed bath. 
Entering the room, you found a spacious bed - something unusual in your court, as most there did not have wings. But you supposed it was a necessity with the large Illyrians who often stayed here - Azriel in particular had the largest set of wings you had seen on anyone. 
Stripping down, you padded into the bathroom where dim faelights lit the area. A bath was already filled, lavender aromas drifting from the steamy waters of the tub. You giggled, feeling gleeful as you skipped over to the tub and sank beneath the surface. You let out a quiet moan at the feeling, your tired muscles finally rewarded after a long day.
You looked around the tub, searching for anything to use to clean your wings. Because they were feathers, you had to use a long handle to brush between them when you bathed. As Illyrians had bare wings, you should have assumed that they would not have such difficulty washing their own wings. You huffed out a frustrated breath, attempting to reach over your shoulder in awkward angles to find the remaining dirt and snow that had worked its way in your wings.
A knock sounded on the bathroom door, Azriel calling out to you. “Hey, I felt a tu- I felt like you might need something. Is everything okay in there?” Your eyes welled with frustrated tears, humiliated that the Night Court spymaster should find you like this. “Everything is fine, Az. I’ll be okay.” You choked on the last word, and Azriel swore under his breath as he kicked the door open. 
“Something is wrong. Please tell me how I can help, or I won’t be able to sleep,” he said, looking everywhere around the room except at you. A small laugh escaped you at his attempt at chivalry. “You can look at me, Az. I’m not shy. I just can’t reach the dirt on my wings.” A sniffle sounded through the air as you looked at the shadowsinger, whose gaze was only fixed on your dirty, crumpled wings as you trembled in the tub. He swallowed, more nervous than you had ever seen him as Azriel whispered, “I can help you. If- if that is okay.”
You nodded without hesitation. The social taboos of how intimate touching wings was didn’t matter to you in that moment, as you were desperate for Azriel’s healing touch. The shadowsinger nodded, moving behind the tub as he awkwardly reached towards your wings. “Um, how should I-?” 
You turned around, unable to stop your laughter at the Night Court’s spymaster hunched over the edge of a bathtub. “You can get in, Azriel. No offense, but you could use a bath too,” you teased, wrinkling your nose for dramatic effect. He scoffed, his weight shifting between his feet as he considered. “Okay,” Az murmured, looking at you to turn around before he undressed.
You rolled your eyes at the nearly six hundred year old male’s shyness, but turned around anyway, scooting towards the other end of the tub to make room for him. You silently marveled at how large the bathtub was as well, another luxury you were not used to. Your thoughts were interrupted by the water moving as Azriel silently entered the bath. 
Clearing his throat, he asked, “so, how is the best way to wash them?” You smiled to yourself before handing him a rag. “Just anywhere that you see dirt, if you could use the washcloth or your hands - whatever is easiest - to wipe it away. It usually gets stuck higher up and between feathers.” 
You heard his deep inhale from behind as he brought the washcloth over your wings, biting your lip to keep from moaning at the feeling. After awhile of Azriel using the washcloth, he whispered in a shaky voice, “I think I need to use my hands to get the rest.” You nodded your consent, peeking over your shoulder to see the focused male with his brow furrowed as he lathered soap on his scarred hands. This time when his hands made contact with your wings, you couldn’t help the gasp that escaped you. 
He pulled back quickly, eyes and shadows wildly searching for any sign of harm. “Are you okay? I’m so sor-“ You cut him off with a breathy laugh. “No, Az, it’s fine. They’re just... sensitive. I’m not hurt.” You promised, looking into those hazel eyes as you swore to him. Azriel nodded, continuing his work with even softer care now, you biting your li until it bled to keep your moans from frightening him away. 
“Okay, they’re looking beautiful and pristine as ever,” Azriel announced after awhile, one finger skirting the outside of your right wing as he spoke. You huffed a thank you, both relieved and heartbroken that it was over, when it dawned on you. “Do... you need help with your wings, Azriel?”
It was quiet for a moment, the question weighing heavy in the air before Azriel responded, “yes, I would greatly appreciate that.” The both of you turned around, his broad wings on display for you in the tub as he now faced the other edge. You gently washed his wings - admittedly much easier and faster than your own. He was silent the whole time - except for when you brushed a large vein on his left wing - one groan sounding from him that you kindly ignored. It was an unspoken understanding that neither of you would admit, that Azriel did not need help washing his wings. But something in your chest called you to him, to care for him in the most intimate of ways.
While you dragged it out for as long as you could, the bathwater eventually grew colder and Azriel’s wings could not be much cleaner. The two of you accepted that the moment was over, exiting the bath as you donned your towels. Azriel picked up his leathers, slowly making his way towards the door when you blurted out, “stop.” 
He slowly turned, eyeing you cautiously while you scrambled to find a reason for him to stay. “I - um, I don’t know the area as well as you, obviously... Would you mind staying in here tonight? The bed has plenty of room.” With a deep breath, you admitted, “I would feel safer with you.” Azriel smiled at you, a glowing feeling tugging in your chest at the sight as he made his way towards your bed, settling under the covers.
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florencemtrash · 3 months
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The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Chapter Eleven
Azriel x Day Court Librarian Reader
Summary: Y/n's clairvoyance is a gift from the Mother, but it feels more like a curse. With the power to gain knowledge through touch alone, Y/n holes herself up in The Alcove and hopes her powers and parentage will remain a secret. But things will change after the Summer Solstice ball and a chance encounter with a certain Shadowsinger.
Warnings: None. Gwyn and Y/n bond over books. Azriel and Y/n get even closer — this had me kicking my feet and screaming internally and externally
The Shadowsinger & The Inkbird: Masterlist
Masterlist of Masterlists
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Rhysand’s training sessions always started with him sliding over ten objects: a book, a piece of jewelry, an article of clothing — anything he could find with meaning for you to discern.
“This one is Mor’s.” You held the red satin box in your hands. Two months ago you would have only been able to tell him who it belonged to. Maybe nothing at all. The meaning held by the object was weak. The jewelry too new. Unworn. But now you could harness your power with more precision, like you’d finally been handed an image of the puzzle you were trying to complete so you knew what to look for. “You bought it two months ago at Cizero’s as a Winter Solstice gift.” 
“And what is it exactly?” 
The box was still closed. 
You pushed your power forward, imagining light slipping in through the seam of the box. An image flashed in your mind. It was blurry, but held onto its form long enough for you to make it out. 
“Drop earrings. Rubies,” you said with a straight back before dropping the box into Rhysand’s open palm.
He smirked and clicked it open. Gold banded rubies hung from the backing like bloody tears, each drop separated by a diamond that flashed brighter than the stars in the ever darkening sky. 
You dared to smile, staring at the jewelry with a level of satisfaction you hadn’t felt since being handed top marks as an apprentice. 
“Very nicely done.” 
The box disappeared back into his desk beside a glimmering gemstone the size of your fist wrapped in tissue paper. 
It’s probably for Amren. You thought to yourself. Azriel told you she loved shiny things and hoarded her treasures like a crow. Hence why she’d yet to return from Summer with Varian. 
You moved on to the next portion of your exercises. With a feather light touch, Rhysand laid his hands on your palms, your wrists, your forearm, your shoulders. He moved up and down your body, waiting a minute for you to control yourself before touching the next flash of exposed skin. It was still difficult to completely contain your power, but you were getting better at moving it around your body. When he reached for your hands, you slid the magic up to your chest. When he reached for your knees, it moved down to your ankles. It was a delicate dance, like the curling of ocean water away from the shore or the splitting of a river around a stone. 
You did what you could to experience the touches with a clinical detachment and Rhysand did as well. He was careful. He stopped the moment you let out a gasp of surprise at the feeling of warm skin pressed against your own and there wasn’t an ounce of judgement written in his beautiful features when you trembled beneath his touch. 
“Take your time,” he said encouragingly.
For him, touch was a necessary part of life. He always had an arm slung over Cassian’s shoulders or wrapped around Feyre’s waist. He fell asleep with his mate pressed against him and he walked around the River House with Nyx on his shoulders and Velaria curled up in his arms. But there were also mornings when he’d wake up in a cold sweat, the feeling of Amarantha’s red-tipped nails dragging down his chest like she wanted to take more from him than just his body. Those were the days Feyre knew to give him his space. 
“Take all the time that you need.”
Rhys stepped away. You steadied your breath and took time to record your progress in the journal you kept close by. Although there was no true way to quantify your learning, your Day Court training never left you and you wrote down what little could be put into words — for posterity’s sake. Then maybe the next Clairvoyant the Mother willed into existence would have an easier time navigating this than you. 
Gwyn found you squirreled away in your usual reading room, back bowed over a flurry of books and note pages like a reed in the wind. You reached for the mug on the desk only to find it disappointingly empty. Unlike the River House, the Library did not fuel your caffeine addiction with reckless abandon. 
She floated over, abandoning the cart of books she’d been tasked with returning that night. Her legs were throbbing from the split squats Cassian had coached her through that evening, and she was desperate for a break. 
“Some light reading, I see?” she teased, sinking into the seat across from you. 
You looked up, eyes red-rimmed and swollen. It took a few moments for Gwyn’s shape to come into focus. 
“What?” The word slurred coming out of your mouth.
She tapped the ever growing pile of papers beside you. Your manuscript: 120 hand-written pages and counting. When the book became too frustrating to handle, you abandoned it in exchange for another productive task. Even if the 120 pages you’d reproduced were utter garbage.
You groaned, forehead slamming against the wood with a clatter. Thoughts of white blood cells, lymphatic vessels, and innate and acquired immunity knotted in your brain like the world’s worst game of cat’s cradle.
Gwyn would have found it amusing if she didn’t know just how much time you spent within the mountain. You’d effectively been adopted by the priestesses. Lurking here and there like a cat coming in from the cold. And you were just as disapproving as a stray. Gwyn would often catch you among the stacks, mumbling about the disorganization and how you couldn’t work in such paltry conditions. 
“Cauldron boil me, I’m sorry for asking.” Gwyn raised her hands in surrender. 
You let out a great, heaving sigh. “It’s not you.” 
“Oh I know it’s not me. You look like you’ve been dragged through a gutter.” 
You blinked wearily at the lovely priestess.
“A very clean, well-managed gutter.” She grinned. Her skin shone, reflecting the pale, fuzzy moonlight that filtered through the window above and doused the library in a silver sheen. 
“Thank you, Gwyn.” 
“Anytime.” She drummed her nails against the table, the beat of it almost sending you to sleep. “How long have you been here today?” she asked with concern.
“I don’t know. What time is it?”
“After midnight.” 
“Oh.” 
“How long?” Gwyn repeated and you dragged a hand down your face. 
“Seven hours? Give or take?” Your stomach growled. 
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” 
Gwyn grabbed you by the end of your robes, tugging you up several floors and down an unfamiliar hallway until you stopped in front of a teal-blue tapestry. Selkies, sirens, and water nymphs dove in and out of rippling waters highlighted by iridescent beads. She flung it to the side and pressed her hand against the bare stone. The slab sank into the wall and then slid open to reveal a cream-colored room adorned with bundles of babies' breath. 
“Sit,” she commanded, pointing to the neatly made bed. You swayed dangerously on your feet. 
“I’m really fine. I didn’t mean to bother you.” 
“Sit. Down.” She cut you with a lethal gaze Nesta would be proud of. 
You snapped your mouth shut, shuffled across the carpeted floor, and sank into the queen-sized bed. You played with the ties of your robe wrapping them around your finger, then unwrapping them, then wrapping them again.
King Tiberion, third of the Nachmanian line, born Aschieron Cambria Nostrus Tiberion Dalgna to Effel Taul and foreign-born…
Found dead at a young three-hundred-and-ninety-two years of age at the hands of her brother. Spell cleaver or not, Ingrid…
Something like a lock and a key. Magic that’s perfectly complementary might be afforded the unique ability to seal… and break… gods I’m tired… 
There have only been seven recorded Shadowsingers in history: Lovania Vallant born 895 in the age of Alders (see ref. 18992HBG Carstairs), Gherald Dashiv born 1459 in the age of — 
Gwyn snapped her fingers in front of you, pulling your mind out of the hurricane of thoughts. You were a strange creature. You spoke little, moved about the Library as quiet as a mouse, and you had an interesting habit of running your fingers along every book on the shelf. Back and forth, back and forth you’d run along before jerking to a stop like one of the books had caught you at the end of a fishing lure. 
“Are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” you repeated. 
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“Some would say that’s a good thing. It would make me incredibly trustworthy, at least when it comes to responding to things. I’d be terrible at keeping secrets, unless I was very careful about how I went about things. You know how it is. With the things.” 
Gwyn huffed with silent laughter and opened one of the cabinets in her small, makeshift kitchen. “Eat.” She commanded again and you were too slow to catch the sleeve of biscuits she tossed in your direction. It bounced off your forehead and landed in your lap. “I’ll be right back with something more substantial.” 
The door shut with a puff of air and you were left to chew on the chocolate and orange biscuits in silence. 
Gwyn’s room faced the city and you saw the lamplights burning through the windows that had been cut into the mountain rock, mimicking the stars that twinkled overhead like salt poured onto black glass. 
Cream satin sheets caught the moonlight until it glowed and you had the sudden urge to tip back and fall into oblivion. You could work for a long while, so long as you didn’t sit still long enough for the exhaustion to catch up to you — which you were doing now. 
You shoved another biscuit in your mouth, now almost halfway through the sleeve. It helped settle the hollowness in your stomach so you could pick yourself up and move over to the bookshelf. 
Bodice ripper, bodice ripper, murder mystery, bodice ripper, romantic comedy, found family adventure, spy thriller, bod—
Your face went red. Damn.
The priestess chose that moment to return to her room carrying a tray laden with bread, orange slices, and a thick mushroom stew leftover from dinner. She froze, pale cheeks turning a dusty rose as you silently pushed the book back onto the shelf. 
“Dragon-born? Really?” You shoved a burning spoonful of stew in your mouth and drowned the stale crust of bread, waiting for it to get sufficiently soggy enough you could chew it.
Gwyn groaned and buried her face in her pillows. “It was a phase.”
“Must have been a very long phase. You have the whole series and I know it took her thirty years to write them all.” 
Her head shot up. “How do you know?” 
“I read the first book.”
You sat up straighter, back pressed up against the closet that housed her daily robes, ceremonial garb, training gear, and Valkyrie armour. 
“So how can you judge me?!” 
“It makes no anatomical sense, Gwyn!” You threw your hands up in the air. “She’s four feet shorter than him. He’d sooner tear her in half before giving her any pleasure, and I’m not talking about his claws.”
The priestess scoffed. “Have some imagination, Y/n.” 
You huffed and pulled out a notebook from your ample pockets. You both spent the next thirty minutes going through hastily drawn sketches that would have disappointed Feyre to no end testing out your imaginative capabilities. Gwyn couldn’t stop smiling at you as you moved your hands through the air with animated fervor. Half of what you said didn’t make sense, but she would blame it on your sleep deprivation. 
You had Gwyn in stitches. The female hung off the bed, red-brown hair brushing the ground as she gasped for breath. You looked like you were sitting on the ceiling, black robes pooled around your knees like shadows. 
That sobered Gwyn up a bit. It was a real shame she liked you as much as she did. It made it harder for her to stay mad at Azriel.
And as if you read her mind, you asked, “Why don’t you come around to the River House?”
“What?” She wasn’t laughing anymore. 
“Why don’t you come to the River House?” You asked again. “You’re close friends with Nesta. You’re part of the Inner Circle. You have a guest room there, but I haven’t seen you at the house.” 
“Do you even spend enough time at the River House to know?”
“Yes.” 
Gwyn sighed and straightened up, folding her legs neatly beneath her on the bed. “Some… Some things happened a couple years ago. I won’t bore you with the details and I don’t know if I even have the right to tell you everything, but it’s colored the way the Inner Circle works now.”
“The details are the most important part,” you murmured, “I wish I had more details. Then maybe I wouldn’t feel like such a stranger in that house.”
“You’re not a stranger,” Gwyn reassured you. “Is that why you spend so much time here?” she asked with genuine curiosity. 
“Yes and no. It feels closer to home here. Even if your lack of organization has made my job ten times more difficult. I don’t see why you haven’t adopted any kind of classification system. It’s a small library. It would be very easy to implement.” You sighed and rubbed your eyes. Gods, you were tired. The feeling came and went in waves. “I shouldn’t complain though, everyone has been incredibly kind and welcoming. Especially Azriel.” 
You wrapped your arms around yourself, fingers fluttering against your shoulders. You tucked your chin into your elbows and tried not to think about that glorious night of sleep with only Azriel and his shadows. Waking up with his chest rising and falling on the floor beside you.
You were falling for him and you knew it. Gods did you know it. Or maybe you could convince yourself you weren’t falling yet, but it was a steady march to the cliff’s edge and you weren’t stopping anytime soon.
Gwyn felt her heart stutter. “Oh? He’s usually so… quiet and… reserved.”
You thought about it for a long while. 
“I don’t think he’s nearly as quiet as everyone believes him to be,” you said thoughtfully, “I think he just speaks in his own way.” 
 You were right about Godswood and The Gallows. 
The letter arrived on your desk early in the morning. 
The Bookkeeper, Taunum Hyst, was found trying to burn books in the western greenwoods along with some texts from Argot’s. He fought back against the guards sent to retrieve him, but he didn’t know what he was doing. Even now he’s confused and adamant that the last three weeks have been a blur. There’s a daemati at work here. Someone other than Henna. Rhysand knows, if he hasn’t already told you.
I’ve sent a translated folktale in old Bauldish and Common, and another in Demnyon along with the others you asked for. They might be worth looking into to help with the book. I hope you’re enjoying your stay at the Night Court. Happy hunting and stay safe. 
~ Helion 
You were right. 
You dropped the letter, hands coming up to your mouth as you took in a deep, shaky breath. You knew Taunum Hyst. You could picture his salt-grey braids and coal-black skin. He’d helped perform the funeral rites for your mother. Hell he’d managed to make you laugh that terrible day. 
 Your stomach turned. If there truly was another daemati left in the Day Court that could help explain the killings. Either the Librarians could have died trying to keep the knowledge in their minds safe, or the daemati had made them kill themselves before moving onto their next victim. You didn’t know which was more tragic. 
The clock rang eleven bells and you hastily folded up the paper, dropping it into the box along with the rest of your father’s letters.  
“I think this might be the first time you’ve ever been late,” Rhysand said with an amused smirk. He leaned against the doorway to his office, ankles crossed over one another. Did that male ever stand normally? 
“It is the first time.”
“Of course you would know that.” 
You smirked, pushing open the door to find—
“Azriel?” 
The Shadowsinger stood with his hands neatly folded behind his back. “Y/n?”
“Cassian!” The Lord of Bloodshed leapt in front of his brother, arms spread wide. “I’m also here. Nesta couldn’t make it with Valkyrie training.” 
Feyre rolled her eyes with affection. She reached for Rhysand’s hand without thinking and he accepted with barely a glance. They were two magnets, always pulled towards one another in space.
“What’s going on?” You glanced back and forth between them all. It had always been just you and Rhysand during these lessons. 
“I thought it would be good to start practicing with other people when it comes to physical touch,” Rhysand explained. Azriel’s nostrils flared. “You’re getting comfortable with me, which I’m happy about. But I want you to get comfortable with everyone else too.” 
You told me you wanted another debrief about the Mortal Lands. Azriel was loath to admit that just the thought of touching your hand was making his heart race like a schoolboy. 
And I do. Rhysand said rather smugly, as if he already knew Azriel was freaking out inside. But I also know you wouldn’t have agreed to this if I asked you ahead of time. It’s amusing to see you like this, brother. Have you forgotten how to touch a female? His violet eyes glittered with mischief.
Azriel swallowed, eyes trained on you as you mulled over Rhysand’s comment and nodded. You wanted to be comfortable too. Comfortable in your body. Comfortable with other people touching you.   
You thought of what it might feel like to have Azriel’s hand tucked beneath your chin, not just his shadows, and shivered. 
Azriel nearly choked when you started undoing the ties of your robes. The gold embroidered fabric slipped off your shoulders in a soft hush that had Azriel going rigid. You wore traditional Night Court fashion beneath your Librarian robes — a tight black shirt revealed the gentle curves of your arms, the cut of your collarbones against your chest, the thin band of flesh around your stomach; a breezy skirt with slits cut into the sides that revealed flashes of your thighs with every movement you made. 
Feyre, Rhysand, and Cassian all shared looks, nearly bursting out laughing at the way Azriel’s shadows were in flight around him. A swarm of bees buzzing and murmuring about how beautiful you looked. 
Azriel had seen many fae in his time in various states of undress. He’d seen males and females in the Court of Nightmares parade about in scraps of silk and lace. He’d taken countless lovers to bed. Bodies were something he knew well. Something he knew intimately. But he had never felt so flustered as he did looking at you like this. He thought his heart might just burst in his chest.
Cassian elbowed Azriel in the ribs when you weren’t looking and one of Azriel’s shadows looped around his ponytail and pulled. 
“Ow.” Cassian rubbed the back of his head with a grin. “Rude.”
You felt rather ridiculous standing in the center of the room with your arms and legs stretched out to the side. 
“Right arm,” Rhysand called out. 
Cassian bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet, fists held loose by his sides with the lightness of a male a quarter of his size.
You squinted. Is he… is he about to punch me? 
Cassian read the alarm on your face and grinned, hitting you with a tap gentler than rainfall. 
You snorted, but felt nothing. Perfect.
You had to be grateful for Cassian’s light-heartedness. He had the worry melting off your shoulders. With every limb that Rhys called out, Cassian would do a little dance before punching you or kicking you. At one point he even faked a blow to your face, spinning up to you before leaping into the air and shooting out his right leg. You didn’t flinch as his boot swung an inch away from your face. You could smell the rubber soles of his boots. 
“You missed,” you teased. 
Cassian pouted, turning around to walk back to the wall now that he was finished with his piece. Azriel looked ready to tear his head off his body. 
You’re lucky you missed. Azriel’s eyes screamed across the room. You’d be a dead man if you hurt her.
Cassian winked and blew him a kiss.
Feyre was next. You practiced brushing against her like you would do in a crowded street complete with the obligatory fumbling of apologies. 
“Oh good heavens.” Feyre fanned her face like the old, upper-class women in her village used to do and laid on that sickly sweet accent they all had. “I’m so dreadfully sorry.” — They never were. 
She shook your hand and touched your shoulders and looped her arm around your waist. That was the part that had you worried. You slid your power away from every inch of your skin, wrapped it up like a secret, and held it deepin your chest. 
“Good.” Rhysand smiled and Cassian punched the air. 
You breathed deeply and gave a small bow like you’d just finished a performance. But there was still one person you were meant to touch today, and they made you the most nervous of all.
Azriel stepped forward, a picture of calm. Inside, he was raging like a storm. He kept his hands firmly grasped behind his back, wings pressed so tightly he felt his shoulders start to ache. 
You took a step forward as well, tilting your head back to look at him. You felt the grip on your power falter when he held out his hand palm up like he was asking you for a dance. Months ago at the Summer Solstice ball you’d been approached by a number of males hoping for a song with their hands at your waist and at your shoulder. The prospect of that kind of touch had terrified you then, and it still terrified you now but for different reasons. Because this time, you wanted it. 
You wanted him.
You gently slid your hand into his, feeling the scars roll beneath your soft skin like the mountains that surrounded Velaris. Your breath caught in your throat, but before Azriel could rip his hand away you held on and squeezed reassuringly. 
You’d read hundreds, if not thousands, of romance novels in your time. You’d consumed them with a ravenous hunger, surviving on them when real touch felt like a hopeless dream and the loneliness became too much to bear. And in nearly every single one of them, the first touch between lovers was described as an explosion of color. A dangerous shaking of the world down to its foundations. A cataclysmic event. 
But you were surprised to find that they were wrong. They were all wrong. Azriel wasn’t destroying anything. He was mending. 
It felt like a re-centering. The shifting of a leaning tower so it stood upright again. 
A blissful silence. 
Azriel cradled your hand in his, thumbs smoothing over your knuckles. He couldn’t help what he did next, couldn’t have stopped himself even if Helion stood at his back with murder in his eyes. 
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of your hand with such reverence, such tenderness, that you swore your heart was glowing in your chest.
“Why don’t you try a hug, Y/n?” Rhysand suggested when Azriel had straightened. “If you want.” 
You looked down at your feet where shadows swarmed, and then up at Azriel.
“What do you say, Y/n?” Azriel murmured softly. His words were for you and you only. “Where would you have me touch you?” His hazel eyes caught the light before scattering into a thousand brilliant colors. 
Wordlessly you ran your fingers down his arms, tracing the shape of the muscle beneath the leather. You held his hands and gently led them up to your waist, gasping when he made contact. His warm fingers brushed the exposed skin of your waist before sliding around to your back. 
You balanced on the tips of your toes, looping your arms around his neck before resting your face in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. He smelled like leather and the mountains. Wind and rain and nightfall coalescing into something so uniquely him you could pick him out in a room of thousands with your eyes closed.
It started out as a loose, misshapen thing, your hands and his arms searching for the right grip to hold your bodies together. But once you found it, you were lost.
Azriel wrapped his arms around your back and waist, hands splayed out like he was absorbing you into him. And you were no better. You buried your face in his neck, lips pressed up against the curve of his throat so you could feel the rhythmic rush of blood through his veins. 
He refused to be the first to let go. The roof could cave in. The floor could drop out from beneath your feet. He would not let you go. 
Your tears started out slow, coupled by ragged, shallow breaths. 
“I’ve got you, Y/n,” Azriel whispered. “I’ve got you.”
How long had it been since you’d been held like this? A hundred years? Two hundred? You thought you’d learned to live without it, but now that it was yours you didn’t think you’d ever, ever be able to give it up. You were at the cliff’s edge now and without an ounce of hesitation you flung yourself over and into the abyss.
With Azriel, controlling your powers didn’t seem like such a difficult thing. Later that evening when you lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, you realized you hadn’t been thinking of control at all.
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Author's Note:
Y'all... THEY FINALLY TOUCHED EACH OTHER! And not only that, BUT HE KISSED HER HAND!!! And! They fucking HUGGED!!!!
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