#house of galathynius fic

[house-of-galathynius]

The Long Road Home

Chapter Sixteen 

Chapter Fifteen - Chapter Seventeen

Word Count: 6k 

Warnings: NSFW, implied SA

~

Aelin had felt like things had been too quiet. Things had been going too well with Rowan and that scared her. She knew this time was going to be different, but she didn’t know how and it had her on edge. So when her and Rowan had been walking home and her stomach had turned itself into knots, she knew that something was about to happen. She wasn’t sure she would ever be prepared for whatever fate had in store for her.

They turned the corner onto her street, their hands entwined and Rowan mid-story, and when she looked to her building she wasn’t sure she was seeing correctly. Sure, she had just finished off a bottle of wine with Rowan at dinner, and then had graciously accepted the shot of limoncello that had been offered to them after dessert. But she didn’t think that she was imagining this.

Elena.

The woman was distinct as she stood at the entrance to Aelin’s flat. Rowan hadn’t seemed to notice her yet, but Aelin couldn’t take her eyes off of her. Elena looked the same— not that that should have been a surprise. The only difference was she was wearing clothes that matched the century—  a linen dress and her hair was let down in long waves. Her eyes were gleaming as she smiled at Aelin.

“Who’s that?” Rowan asked curiously, finally noticing the mysterious woman loitering by her door.

Aelin wasn’t sure what to tell him. Even with his admission the other week; she wasn’t one hundred percent certain that he would be ready for the conversation. But Elena was still looking at them and smiling, beckoning them to her.

So Aelin gripped his hand tighter and led them to her. “An old friend.”

Aelin was surprised when Elena pulled her in and hugged her hard. It was so unlike the woman that Aelin had known and she was startled for a second before she stood back to take in her old companion. Elena was exactly the same, and Aelin almost sagged in relief at the familiarity of her. A portion of the weight lifted from her shoulders— knowing that there was someone else here who knew her story.

“It’s been a long time, Aelin.” Elena said gently. “We have much to catch up on.”

Aelin nodded. Rowan was behind her, silent. He didn’t speak as Aelin unlocked the door to her building and led them up the stairs and into her flat. She flicked the lights on and hung her coat up. Unsure what to do in this situation. She was aware that Elena would most likely take the lead at some point… but until then, Aelin was left with nervously pouring herself a glass of water and waiting for whatever this conversation was going to be.

“Should we sit?” Elena suggested. She had already perched on the desk chair, Rowan opting instead to lean against the wall.

He hadn’t said a word since entering. Although he had not been explicitly introduced to Elena, Aelin had a sneaky feeling that he was aware of his involvement somehow.

“How have you been?” Elena asked as Aelin found her seat on the sofa.

She could have laughed at the question. Where should she begin?

“I’ve been fine.” She decided to reply. Then, “what are you doing here?”

Elena smiled knowingly. Then tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and stood. “I think it’s time I owe you an explanation.”

Aelin felt her heart speed up. She had been waiting so long for this. To have answers about why she had been handed this fate— why Rowan had not been granted the same. She had searched for Elena everywhere too, hoping to receive the information she had so desperately wanted for all these years. And now she was finally here and Elena was offering the explanation freely.

“First, I have to ask… have you seen him?”

Aelin furrowed her brows and shook her head slightly in confusion. “Seen who?”

Elena’s eyes widened in fear then in a second she had schooled her features back into neutrality. “Arobynn.”

The room started to spin. She gripped the side of the sofa, her knuckles turning white as she did. There was nothing on earth that had prepared her for that— to hear his name. She had never looked for him over these years. She hadn’t even considered he might have been in the same position and searching for Aelin all this time too.

“You didn’t know then.”

Aelin shook her head.

“What is he doing here?” She asked quietly before glancing to Rowan who was focused on Elena, too focused that he didn’t see the fear in her eyes.

“I think I should start at the beginning then. If you do not know why he is here.”

Aelin slid her gaze back to Rowan. He seemed fixated on Elena, who did seem to capture the attention of people wherever she was. Aelin subtly pointed her head towards Rowan, Elena just nodding— a confirmation that he was allowed to hear the conversation.

“Rowan maybe you should sit for this too.” Aelin said eventually. He was still leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and a serious expression on his face. But he did what she suggested and came to take a seat beside her on the sofa. There was a distance between them as he did and Aelin felt like this revelation would either break them entirely or reinforce their feelings for each other.

“How much does he know?” Elena asked gently.

Aelin glanced to him and then back to Elena. “Nothing.”

“So I shall start at the very beginning.”

Elena took a deep breath, her hands folded in her lap as she began.

“When I was a young girl I was forced into a marriage that I didn’t want. The man— much like Arobynn— was cruel and hateful. It was a loveless marriage and I begged anyone I could to save me. But no one did. I suffered for a long time in that relationship and it took too long for me to be rescued from it.

We had been married for two years when I met Gavin. He was a farmer in the village we lived in and he showed me great kindness, and we fell in love. Of course, like you and Rowan, the love was forbidden by the laws of the time and we would both have been executed if we had been caught. So one night, I prayed to all the Gods I knew and begged them to save me from this life, to let me live the rest of my years with the man I knew was my soulmate.

That night in my dream— what I thought was an angel— came to me. She told me that in exchange for my soul and a place in the afterlife, she would ensure I could live the rest of my life with Gavin and be happy. Of course, I agreed and when I woke everything was the same— except it wasn’t. It wasn’t my cruel husband who was waiting for me in the kitchen, but Gavin. My life was the same, but completely changed and I vowed that whatever they had waiting for me in whatever afterlife I had, I would do my best to pay for what they had gifted me.

But I started to get greedy. I wanted children and I wanted a life that I simply did not deserve. But the Gods kept giving it to me. Every little thing I got. I was selfish and too wrapped up in my own love story that I didn’t think about how much I would have to pay back to them for everything they’d given me. And when I died— when my human life was over—  I was given to the Gods. I spent millennia trying to repay them for my greediness, doing the dirty work for the Gods, never stopping or changing or able to see Gavin or my children. It was my punishment for taking too much.”

Aelin interrupted, “but why me? Why did you interfere with my life?”

Elena looked sad for a moment. “Part of my punishment was to do oversee and conduct work of other Gods— some wanted me to gain the souls of others, some wanted sadness and pain… one thrived on the happiness of humans. When I was looking for lives to better, I found you. And you reminded me of myself. You had been dealt a hand so awful and I couldn’t bear to watch you break under him. So I began to help you on behalf of the other Gods. But they saw the similarities between what my life had been, and yours, and they collectively decided that I would be on my own and they wouldn’t part with their own power. If they had, it would have changed your life right then and there, you and Rowan able to be together. It meant I had to use whatever power I carried from myself. It was mostly the power left over after doing their tasks, the remnants of each God. But all magic comes with a price and I had to make you give something up in return.”

Aelin shook her head, then looked to Rowan who was sat so still. She knew what her price had been. All this time she had been paying the Gods back. Elena had tried to make her life happier again. She had tried to give Aelin a happy ending, but with that happiness came a price.

“I know that you are probably angry, Aelin. But I saw so much of me in you and I saw the love you had for Rowan— the love he had for you. I knew that you were soulmates and I wanted to give you both time together, even if it was fleeting. But my power was limited and the price for it all was the life of one of you. There was a strength inside you, Aelin. I knew that even though you would suffer, you would also endure. So I made the decision to make Rowan pay the price, and so he would be reborn over and over, ageing like normal.” Elena sighed.

“You didn’t even give me a choice,” Aelin said angrily, “you made it so that I have spent almost three hundred years wandering this world, constantly looking for him, with no information or guidance. I have been hurting and grieving the entire time, all the while you have been using us like puppets to repay Gods for a debt that is yours. Not mine.” Aelin rose from the sofa and stood by the windows, looking down at the street below. “You have been punishing me for so long and I am tired, Elena. I want to have a life. I want to fall in love with Rowan and know that there isn’t a looming deadline over us. I want to go to sleep at night knowing that in the morning he will still be there, that I will age with him and we can have a family and children and grow old.”

Aelin knew that Rowan was probably confused and maybe slightly overwhelmed by all this information that was being given. But she didn’t care that she was being this honest. She had spent too long trying to pretend and hide who she really was— she wanted Rowan to know all of her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Aelin finally asked quietly.

“Because like I mentioned before, some of the Gods… their powers thrive on the pain of others. In return for their approval, I was not allowed to inform you of the plan. Their existence was to be kept a secret from you as well as who I was and my plan for you. Each time you lost Rowan and you grieved, they would get stronger. Each time Rowan died, his death would fuel them…”

She understood. Aelin didn’t necessarily like it, but she understood what Elena was saying.

“Why was he someone different every time he came back? And why did we not always get to be together?” She asked.

“I was still having to pay for my debts in other ways. I was spending my power on more than just you. Sometimes I wouldn’t have the strength to give you more than a day or two with him— sometimes I would merely be able to let you see him in passing before my power was depleted. Other times, I was able to give you more time. As for his names… I had to save my magic as much as possible, which meant I didn’t use it to influence what his parents would call him.”

“And now?”

“And now… we are at the end.”

Aelin let out a shaky breath. “The proper end?”

Elena hesitated before nodding slowly. “After we have dealt with Arobynn.”

She had forgotten about him. Forgotten that Elena had said he had made his way here too.

“He made a deal with a God named Hellas,” Elena started to explain again. “Hellas is unforgiving. He likes to play games and only grows stronger with the more evil and death and hurt there is.”

Aelin quickly glanced to Rowan who was studying Elena intently.

Elena followed Aelin’s gaze and then looked back to her, “I asked for his help when I needed to get rid of Arobynn for you the first time. He was reluctant, but I promised him the souls and resulting power from the other humans I was dealing with— instead of sharing it between all the Gods. So he orchestrated the murder of Arobynn and that was that,” Elena looked sad for a second, “except, Arobynn made his own deal with Hellas. The two of them schemed together for centuries, making it harder for me. When Hellas knew it was coming to the end, Arobynn gave him his soul in exchange for returning to earth… to find you.”

Her hands were shaking. She could feel the tremors throughout her entire body and Aelin had to turn away from the window— almost fearing that Arobynn was down there looking up at her.

“He is in London.”

Aelin nodded because that’s all she could do. Her body was numb and she had nothing to say, no words to express the anger, the fear, the sadness that she felt right now. She glanced to Rowan who seemed to be thinking, digesting, what he had just heard.

“What happens now?” Aelin finally asked.

“I leave you be. I owed you an explanation and I have given it.”

“But what about my ageing, what about Rowan? And Arobynn? How will it end?”

Elena smiled. “I will try my best to fix the problem with Arobynn. As far as the two of you are concerned… I still have some things I need to work out, but all will be right soon enough.”

Aelin wanted to fall down in relief, but she was still preoccupied with the thoughts that Arobynn was here and he was looking for her. And then she saw Rowan shift in his seat and knew that she owed him explanations too. She turned back to Elena who was retreating to the front door and Aelin had the question on the tip of her tongue, the final puzzle piece she was missing.

It was like Elena knew what Aelin was thinking. “Elias?”

Aelin nodded.

“I made sure he was looked after. He grew up in a loving home, married a wonderful girl and had a beautiful family. He lived a long and happy life. I figured you wouldn’t mind me spending my power on that.”

So he hadn’t been killed. Despite all the signs, all the hints that Arobynn had given. Her son had lived a good life. It was enough to make her sag in relief.

“I must go.”

Aelin nodded in understanding. “Will I see you again?”

Elena nodded. “Most definitely.”

Aelin waved to Elena as she exited her flat, disappearing around the corner and then out of sight. It took a moment for Aelin to eventually move back inside. When she did, she slowly made her way back into the living room where Rowan was still sat, exactly where he had been moments ago.

“Rowan—“

He interrupted her. “My dream… wasn’t a dream, was it?”

She stood so very still. Afraid that if she moved he would run away or he would look at her and realise what a mistake he was making. She couldn’t meet his eyes, not as she shook her head ever so slightly.

“I can explain.” She whispered.

“You’re going to have to. Because I have just sat here listening to a woman tell you that she is over a thousand years old and has been controlling our lives for hundreds of years. I have been having vivd dreams for the past four months that I’m now starting to think were memories. And that some guy who I am guessing is not good, is back here and wants to find you.” He ran his hands through his hair and stood abruptly from the sofa. “What the hell is going on, Aelin?”

Her heart was beating so fast in her chest. In all her years of meeting Rowan and falling in love with him, she had never got to this point— the point where she could finally tell him the truth. And now that it was happening, the words were stuck in her mouth. She had rehearsed what she would say so many times, in so many ways… and yet nothing seemed to be good enough.

Rowan seemed to sense her turmoil and walked towards her. He was gentle as he took her hands in his and brought them to his lips and kissed her palm. “Just start at the beginning.”

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”

Rowan squeezed her hands. “Tell me everything and then I can decide.”

There was a moment of silence, where Aelin was trying to decide how to go about telling him what had happened. There were a million different ways she could tell their story, but at the beginning would have to do.

“I was born in seventeen-sixty. My parents were Rhoe and Evalin Galathynius. When I was eighteen years old I was forced into marriage with a man called Arobynn Hamel. He was an awful person who treated me like nothing, I was abused and assaulted but because of the time we were in, nothing would be done.

We moved to London immediately after we were married and a couple of months into living there, I met you,” Aelin smiled to herself at the memory. “Your smile drew me in at first and then we started to have these brief conversations and I couldn’t stop thinking about you, my head was consumed with wanting to know who you were and what you did. So over the course of a few months we started to become friends… and then more. We fell in love and we snuck around behind Arobynn’s back. I had never felt such passion and intense feelings for someone and I couldn’t be parted from you, but it was illegal for us to be doing what we did and we knew that. Eventually Arobynn found out and had you arrested and I was taken to Cornwall.

I was pregnant when he took me away and I never got to tell you. I was at my breaking point, ready to give up when I met Elena— now I know that she had been waiting for me to come to her. She helped me to survive the toughest months of my life and was there for me when Arobynn took away my baby because he was yours. I begged her to help me and she did… except I didn’t realise she had until a while later.

What I now understand is that she gifted me with long life. I would not age or grow old, I never got sick. I wandered the world for years and years, unsure of what my purpose was. Arobynn had killed you, he had taken my child. I couldn’t stay with my parents or people I knew as it would be too suspicious. So I travelled,” she brushed some hair away from her face, “on these travels, I met you.”

“My dreams…” He trailed off.

She nodded. “There was no pattern to it. Sometimes it would take thirty years to find you, sometimes sixty. This time it was twenty-six. Sometimes you would already be married to someone else and all I’d get was a fleeting hello or glance at you. On two occasions we got married. But every single time, without fail, you would get taken from me. I couldn’t stop it, I couldn’t predict it. I just had to hold onto you for as long as possible and cherish our time together. And those brief moments of you were what got me through these tortuous, lonely years. I loved you through every second, every hour, every decade. It didn’t matter what your name was or where we were, my heart belonged to you every single time.”

“I wasn’t me every time?” He asked curiously.

“You were always you. But you weren’t always… Rowan.”

“This is… a lot.”

She nodded. “I wanted to tell you. The moment I saw you at the cafe and you said your name was Rowan, I wanted to tell you. But I didn’t know how. You still didn’t remember anything and I didn’t want to scare you off. Then when you told me you had been having those dreams, I thought maybe there was a chance that you were starting to remember. And now with Elena here,” she shrugged, exasperated and tired. “I’ve been waiting so long to share this with someone. But I’m scared you’ll think I’m crazy and leave.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy. But everything I’ve just heard, is.”

“I don’t know how much more I can take, Rowan. I am so exhausted. All I ever wanted was to be with you, all I wanted was to love you until we were old and grey. I wanted to hold your hand and kiss you whenever. I wanted children and a house with a big garden.” She wiped her face, “In every lifetime I wanted you to remember me. But all I got was the same heartbreak.”

“Aelin,” he said her name as if it was the most precious thing. “I wish I could remember you.”

She sniffed and shook her head. “I wish you did too.”

He stroked a hand down her hair and then came forward to kiss her forehead. “I may not remember it all but it doesn’t matter. Because I love you right now, in this life. And I don’t need hundreds of lifetimes to know that every single part of me is yours.”

Aelin rested her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating and she relished in it. Her head was spinning, her mind full of information that she didn’t know what to do with. How Elena came to be, what she did to Aelin… Arobynn being here.

“I’m scared.” She whispered into him.

Rowan hugged her tighter against him. He kissed her head and stroked her back. Perhaps he couldn’t find the words to comfort her either, so he held her close.

“Aelin?” He finally said after a few minutes.

She peeled herself away from where she had buried her head and looked up to him.

“What will Arobynn do if he finds you?”

She didn’t know. He had no control over her in this world. Their marriage was essentially null and void at this point, no court or person would uphold something from over two hundred years ago. But… it was Arobynn. He would lay claim on her regardless of what era they were in.

“I don’t know.”

Rowan just nodded. Then, “we had a child?”

The question surprised her. It had been a passing comment earlier, just a part of their story. She had assumed he would have had more questions about the lack of ageing or how they fell in love in other lives.

But she merely replied, “yes.”

He looked sad for a second, but the emotion was wiped off his face soon after. “Did we… did I get to meet them?”

Aelin remembered the moment she heard the cries of their baby. The joy she felt when she got to hold their son for the first time. Then the crushing sadness when she realised how Rowan would never get to meet their child. She remembered holding Elias close and closing her eyes— imagining Rowan was there beside her, that Arobynn didn’t come swooping in moments later and take her baby away. No time would ever erase the scars.

Rowan took her silence as answer. “What happened?”

She wasn’t sure she could bear to talk about it. But it was Rowan. The father of their child. So she wiped her eyes again and quietly recalled the story, trying to remember as much detail as possible. And when she had finished her story, Rowan pulled her in close again and whispered his love into her hair, then kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her chin… before finally settling on her lips.

The kiss started off sweet. Their lips brushing against each others so gently, barely touching. Then the weight of the day hit Aelin and she needed release. She needed to feel Rowan against her, on top of her. She wanted to taste him and lick him and have him inside her. There was a desperation as she deepened their kiss, her mouth rough against his own, her tongue playing with his. She groaned as his hands went to her ass and grabbed it, squeezing.

“Aelin,” her name on his lips awoke something in her again. She framed his face, letting her hands then slip into his hair.

She didn’t want to waste time with finding the bedroom. She kept kissing him hard as her hands touched down his body, sliding up his t-shirt to feel the smooth skin of his chest. His own hands were exploring her body too. Grazing over her breasts, his fingers pinching her nipples beneath her dress and she moaned in pleasure before pushing Rowan to the wall. He pulled her in closer as their kiss turned frantic, tongues and teeth and moans mixed together and she was aflame under his touch.

He gripped her thigh and she let him bring it up around his waist. Only seconds later was he pulling her other one up so she was wrapped around his waist entirely and he turned them around roughly so she was pressed against the wall. His fingers dug into her skin hard, but she didn’t care. Her only thoughts were the feel of him against her and the heat in his kisses. Her hands gripped his neck as he ground against her and gods she was on fire.

“Bedroom?” Rowan asked breathlessly. But she just shook her head and kissed him again.

She released one hand from around his neck and went down to fumble with the button on his jeans, managing to pop it open and then unzip them. She was more than thankful she had chosen to wear a dress— which was now bunched up around her waist. Rowan shifted, letting her down to the floor again. His hand went to her thigh and pushed her legs apart and then the other came down to her centre and he trailed his finger along her underwear, sending shivers down her spine. Her head tipped back, her eyes squeezing shut as she felt every nerve in her body come alive with his touch. She was begging him breathlessly to touch her, to pull her underwear aside and let his fingers send her to heaven.

He obliged happily. Rowan kissed down her neck as he did what she asked, and he so slowly swiped his finger down her core, the wetness between her legs growing as he played. Aelin was squirming in his arms as he teased her.

“Please.” She begged.

Rowan chuckled darkly and finally slid one finger into her. She squeezed around him and let out a breathy sigh as he moved it out of her then ever so slowly slipped it back in, his thumb going to her clit and rubbing circles as she was becoming putty in his arms. Every movement sending pulses of bliss through her and she was bringing her own hand to her breast, squeezing and tugging.

“I need more,” she pleaded, her free hand sliding into his boxers and gripping his rock hard length and beginning her own conquest of pleasure. He groaned as she moved her hand and then she was joining with the moans as he added another finger to her. She couldn’t stand it anymore, she needed more of him— all of him. She let go of him to try to hastily pull his boxers and trousers down, all the while Rowan worked faster and harder inside her, her legs turning to jelly as he pleasured her thoroughly, his fingers gliding in and out of her and when he pulled them out just before she could climax, he brought them up to his mouth, her pleasure glistening on them. He locked eyes with her as he took one, and then two of his fingers into his mouth, sucking them clean. When his trousers lay around his ankles she kissed him hard again, tasting herself on his lips and though it pained her— she stepped out of his grasp, enough that she could pull her own underwear down properly and kick them to the side.

She looked at him and his eyes were dark, hungry.

Aelin smiled seductively and then slid down onto her knees before taking his cock into her mouth. It was utter deliciousness as her mouth slid down him, warm and slick. Her tongue slid up the length of him and then she sucked the tip, saltiness coating her lips as she took him in once more before standing back and giving him another searing kiss.

“I want you to fuck me.” She whispered against his lips, “hard.”

Rowan did not need to be told again. He had her by the waist, lifting her up against the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist again. She could feel his cock brush against her folds and she groaned out in anticipation. He held her up, kissing down her neck. He sucked the skin and nipped at it before glancing down between them and holding his length in his hand.

“I don’t have protection.” He ground out.

Aelin just shook her head. “I don’t care.”

He hesitated but she could only feel the ache between her legs. He paused his kissing and asked, “Are you sure?”

She nodded and kissed him hard. “Fuck me, Rowan.”

There was a tantalising few seconds where he lined himself up with her centre and teased her entrance with his tip. The feeling of him brushing against her was sending her to hell— because heaven was him filling her up, his cock buried deep inside her. Rowan laughed and then with one swift movement, entered her.

She cried out as he filled her completely. He began to slide out of her with agonising slowness. Aelin was gripping his shoulders, her nails digging into the skin, her head rolled forward to rest by his neck as he paused a second before pushing back inside of her. His movements were hard and precise as he found a rhythm. The feel of him was ecstasy. He filled her up and hit her in the right spot with every single thrust. Her eyes rolled back as she moaned his name and gripped him tighter as he found more speed. The sound of their skin hitting together filled the room and he was groaning now too.

“I love the feel of you inside of me.” Aelin ground out, just as Rowan slammed into her again. He was buried deep in her and she was in utter heaven at the feel of him. She loved his power, the way his muscles flexed as he held her and moved. She loved his strong thighs and oh gods.

“I’m going to come.” His movements sped and he was pounding into her and she was crying out at the feel of him. Her core was throbbing, her walls clenching around him as her legs began to shake at the force of her orgasm. Rowan was still moving in her, his breathing heavy, groans of enjoyment spilling from his lips and Aelin kissed him each time.

“You feel so fucking good.” And then he was spilling into her. Warmth spread inside her and they were both moaning together as their bodies collapsed into one another. Their chests rising and falling as they tried to catch their breath.

Rowan didn’t remove himself from her. Her walls pulsed around him with the remnants of her release and she tried not to whimper as a second later he ever so slowly pulled out— leaving her empty. She could feel him dripping down her thighs as she stood there. The fire in her veins was still thrumming and she needed him again, she wanted him— softer this time. But he was already moving away from her and retrieving a towel from the bathroom and handing it to her.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked carefully.

Aelin took the towel that he was offering her and wiped herself clean. She met his eyes and then shook her head. “No. You didn’t.”

There was silence as the two of them put their clothes back on and then in an almost awkward manner, settled into the sofa. They sat at opposite ends and Aelin tried not to think too much of it. She glanced towards him and he was staring out the window.

“Rowan?” She asked carefully.

He turned towards her again. She wasn’t really sure what she wanted to say to him. Maybe that she was sorry. That she wished things could have been different and that their lives could have been easier and there weren’t Gods and magic and Arobynn hanging over them. Or maybe she wanted to apologise because Elena still hadn’t fixed everything and Rowan’s time was still running out with every second they were together— that at some point in the future, he would be dust in the wind and Aelin would be alone again.

She just shook her head.

“Maybe I should go.” He finally murmured.

Her heart was aching.

“Please don’t.” Aelin swallowed, “I know this is all a lot. But I need you here, Rowan.” She was crying again, the tears sliding down her cheeks and she was wiping them away furiously. Her chest tight, her body riddled with fear.

“Do you not think we both need some time to… digest?”

“If you leave, I’m scared you won’t come back.”

Rowan’s own face fell when she said the words and then he was coming to kneel down in front of her. He took her hands in his and kissed them gently. “I’m not leaving you.”

Aelin sniffed.

“We’ve both just had some really crazy news and I just thought… maybe you needed some more time to think about everything.”

Aelin gave a hollow laugh and wiped her eyes. “I’ve been thinking and contemplating for so many years, Rowan. I just want you. Forever. I don’t want to think about Elena or Arobynn or what might happen tomorrow. I just want to be with you and love you whilst I still can.”

“Then let’s do that.” He kissed her hands. “Until the end.”

~

Tag List: 

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[live-the-fangirl-life]

Trust Me, it'll be Fun

Aelin Galathynius x Rowan Whitethorn

“It’s just a spooky clock chiming at the incorrect time while all the lights are off and strange footsteps are creeping up the stairs, in a house that won’t let us leave.”

Masterlist | Read on Ao3 | Halloween Collection

Halloween Prompts

2053 words

*****

Whoever had the brilliant idea of sneaking into the decrepit, supposedly haunted house the weekend before Halloween needed some serious help. Aelin. 

Whoever forgot to give out snack instructions that resulted in no one bringing any food or drinks with them needed to get it together. Rowan

Whoever raided the cabinets and found an old bottle of Crème de Menthe and thought it would be a good idea to pass it around needed to find something better to do with their time than cause chaos. Fenrys. 

Whoever complained the entire time that they needed new friends needed to suck it. Lorcan.

And somehow, that was how they ended up separated – Aedion and Lysandra off to the kitchen, Fenrys gods-know-where, and Elide and Lorcan finally joining Aelin and Rowan in the foyer, arguing about leaving or staying. The front door was open and she could see the steps leading down to the path outside.

“Fireheart, c’mon, can we just call it a night?” Rowan sighed, crossing his arms. “We’ve been here for hours now, it's just an old house. There’s nothing spooky about it other than the fact that it's falling apart.”

“Rowan, we said we would spend the night here.” She argued half-heartedly.

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “How are we supposed to stay here all night with no food or water?”

Laughing, Aelin stepped closer and rested her hands on his crossed arms. “You say that like we're stranded on some desert island.”

“At least on an island, we wouldn’t have to hear your cousin and Lysandra making out in the next room.”

“My cousin,” she scoffed, “your friend is only ‘my cousin’ he annoys you.”

The sounds from the next room came again and she winced as Rowan’s brows shot up in vindication.  

“I’m with Rowan,” Elide spoke up, walking toward the couple with her fiancé a step behind her. “Let’s just go.”

“Really?” Aelin spun towards her friend who shrugged. “You too?”

“I didn’t even really want to come.”

“What? Why did you then?” the blonde asked curiously.

“Because you’re my friend,” Elide laughed and bumped her shoulder with Aelin’s. “And I thought you might die otherwise and I needed to see you in your last moments to give you a passable eulogy.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” Aelin smiled, ignoring the sound of Lorcan scoffing. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I did.” Elide snorted. “And you said trust me, it’ll be fun!”

“Famous last words,” Rowan muttered, rolling his eyes and leaning against the wall next to Lorcan.

“I’m sorry El,” she really did look it. “I get ramped up with Halloween.”

“I know, babes,” her friend patted her arm with a small smile, “I know.”

“Are we leaving or not?” Lorcan cut it, earning a glare form Aelin and an eyeroll for Elide.

“Fine,” Aelin huffed. “But I’m doing this for Elide, not for you Salvaterre.”

“Goody,” he deadpanned.

She went to walk out the door but paused at the top of the stairs. There was something that she couldn’t put her finger on…

“Something’s blocking the porch,” Aelin said.

Elide stared at her. “What do you mean something’s blocking the porch?”

A gust of wind blew the door shut behind her and Aelin whipped around at the sound, backing up until her back hit Rowan’s chest.  

“I mean,” she explained, wrapping her arms around herself and glancing warily around the old house. “I tried to walk down the porch steps and I couldn’t.”

“What? You suddenly forgot how to walk down stairs, Galathynius?” Lorcan laughed and rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall and letting his head hit the wood.

“No, you little shit—” she whirled on him, pointing a finger.

Rowan stepped in between them before they could get any closer to each other. Aelin shook off her boyfriend’s exasperated stare and tried explaining again.

“What I mean is that I tried to leave this house, and something stopped me,” she looked around at her friends and stressed, “like I physically couldn’t get to the bottom of the stairs.”

Elide forced out a weak laugh. “Ha ha, okay, very funny. You got me. Now can we cut it out and leave?” She stepped closer to Lorcan.

Aelin met her gaze and repeated, “I’m not kidding.”

“I may be a wimp when it comes to Halloween, but I’m not an idiot.” The smaller girl huffed. “You’re really playing up the whole haunted house thing, and you know what? Props to you. You did good.” She began a slow clap that brought a smirk to Lorcan’s face. “Now drop it.”

Rowan walked past them straight for the door and pulled on the door handle. The wood creaked against the effort.

“Cut it out, Whitethorn,” Lorcan griped when the door didn’t budge.

“Uh…” Rowan tried again, this time visibly straining as he pulled on the old door. “It’s not me.”

“Fucking hell.” Lorcan gritted out, slotting Elide next to Aelin as he took Rowan’s place and pulled. And pulled. And pulled. He gripped the handle and used his entire body weight, but it didn’t move.

“What the fuck?”

*****

“’Let’s go to a haunted house’ they said, ‘It's Halloween’ they said,” Aelin began pacing around the hall. “’It’ll be fun’, they said.”

“Don’t you dare pretend like you weren’t the one saying those things,” Aedion barked at her. He and Lysandra found their way back to the front hall when they heard their friends’ yelling.

“Oh, shut up,” she waved off her cousin and tried to think.

“Has anyone tried any of the other doors?” Lysandra asked. “Or windows, or whatever?”

“Okay,” Aelin perked up. “Lys and Aedion take the second floor, Rowan and I will search this floor, and Ellie, you and your guard dog take the attic.”

“Oh fuck no!” Elide protested. “You take the creepy attic, Lorcan and I will take the ground floor.”

“Not gonna correct the guard dog thing?” Rowan smirked at his friend. All he got back was a deadpan glare.

“Fine!” Aelin threw her hands up. “You two take this floor; Rowan and I have the attic.”

“Why are we looking in the attic at all?” Rowan asked, crossing his arms. “Even if there is a window, and even if we can get it open, it would still be three stories up and way too dangerous to escape from.”

Everyone stared at him, blinking, while he tried to find someone to see his point. Finally, Aelin huffed, “This is no time for common sense, Ro.”

He scrubbed a hand down his face and grumbled, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Okay!” Elide chirped, looking a little manic. “We each take a floor, look for anything that can help, and we meet back here in twenty minutes, yeah?”

A chorus of yeahs and okays and I’m going to kill you when we get out of here, Galathynius echoed throughout the group.

“And for the love of god,” Rowan pleaded, “somebody fucking find Moonbeam.”

They all split up, taking a different section of the house. Aelin and Rowan took their time walking up the stairs to the attic, each shift in the wood sending nerves rocketing through them. When they got to the top, they shared a look before Aelin pressed her hand to the door and pushed, letting in swing in and immediately outlining the silhouette of a figure staring right at them.

Three different screams echoed in the small hallway, each higher pitched than the last.

“Stop hitting me!” Fenrys shrieked under the barrage of Aelin’s fists. At the sound of his voice, Aelin pulled back, heart racing and chest heaving, finally shining the flashlight they’d grabbed in her friend’s face.

“Fenrys?!” she hissed, “You almost gave me a heart attack! What are you doing up here?”

She could feel Rowan’s erratic heart beating from where her back met his chest, as Fenrys stared at the pair like they were the crazy ones.

“Looking for these,” he lifted his hands and she saw the two bottles he was holding. “I knew a place like this would have more booze hidden around.”

“And you thought they’d be in the attic?” Rowan asked incredulously.

“Obviously,” Fenrys rolled his eyes. “And they were, so,” he shrugged.

“Gods, whatever,” Aelin pushed passed the blond and walked further into the dark and dusty room. A single swinging light bulb illuminated the space as the three of them looked around.

“What are you two doing up here?” Fenrys shot back.

“Looking for a way out,” Rowan didn’t elaborate.

Snorting, Fenrys mimicked, “And you thought you’d find it in the attic?”

Before either of them could reply, a loud chime sounded from the dilapidated grandfather clock that was pushed against a far wall. They whirled around. Aelin ended up in front of both guys, her fists raised while Rowan reached for the closest weapon he could find and Fenrys cradled the bottle of whiskey to his chest.

They had barely had a chance to wonder how a broken clock was chiming when they heard the stairs begin to creak.

“What are you gonna do, Whitethorn?” Fenrys hissed, “Sweep a ghost to death?”

Risking a glance behind her, Aelin saw Rowan clutching a broom between his hands and gripping it like a baseball bat. She elbowed Fenrys and hissed, “A ghost is already dead, dumbass.”

“Hey,” he hissed back. “Don’t call me a dumbass what it was your dumb ass that got all of our dumb asses here in the first place, dumbass.”

“Will you please stop saying dumbass?” Rowan hissed.

Aelin shot a triumphant look at Fenrys. “Yeah, dumbass.”

“For fucks sake…”

The lone lightbulb began flickering, immediately shutting all of them up. They could still hear the stairs creaking, the sound getting closer and closer every second.

“We’re going to die,” Fenrys breathed.

“It’s fine,” Aelin’s voice came out tinny and shaking.

“The fuck you mean it's fine?!”

“It’s fine,” she said again in that same choked squeak. “It’s just a spooky clock chiming at the incorrect time while all the lights are off and strange footsteps are creeping up the stairs, in a house that won’t let us leave.”

She felt both sets of eyes land on her and knew that if she looked at either man they would be looking at her as if she had lost her mind.

“How. Are. You. So. Calm?”

She forced a laugh, but it sounded more like a strained grunt. “Oh, because, none of this is real.”

“Uh,” Rowan’s voice came from her right, “It’s very real.”

“No,” she repeated, clearing her through and drawing in a breath. “You see, if it were real then you would see a Me-shaped hole in that door. But we can’t leave this house, which means I can’t escape, which means that it isn’t real.”

There was a beat of silence before Fenrys said, “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and I’ve been listening to myself speak for twenty-five years.”

Rowan breathed, “Your denial both impresses and astounds me.”

“Thank you,” she breathed just as quietly. Glancing quickly between them, she asked, “Run?”

“Run.” Rowan nodded.

Another best passed and the three of them raced down the steps, screaming at whoever was coming towards them. They made it to the main floor before realizing they hadn’t run into anyone on their way down.

*****

The twenty-four-hour diner’s fluorescent lights lit up the group of seven friends who were huddled together in a booth, silently replaying the night's events in their heads.

“So,” Elide’s voice cracked, and she cleared her throat before continuing, her soft voice sounding almost obscenely loud in the near-empty diner, “What did we learn tonight?”

Groans echoed around the table.

Aedion spoke up first, “Run if you ever hear Aelin say, ‘Trust me, it’ll be fun.’”

A quiet fuck you followed but was drowned out by Lysandra who added, trailing a finger down the side of her water glass following a drop of condensation as it hit the table. “Crème de Menthe and Absinthe look way too similar. Way. Too. Similar.”

“When a door won’t open it's probably a Push, and not being supernaturally barricaded by ghosts,” Rowan groaned.

“That next time we do this, we better have snacks,” Aelin mumbled, staring a hole into the table.

“Next time?!”

*******

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[mariaofdoranelle]

Look at Us Now - ch. 18

Fic masterlist

A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Warnings: very light nsfw?

Words: 2,6k

“Do my boobs look too big in this?”

Aelin snapped her head back to Lysandra, that question unexpected given the birthday party they were in. She was pretty sure her friend was only being that vocal because they were alone at the table, the kids letting loose nearby with the entertainer. “What?”

Lys showed her phone—the photoshop app, to be more precise—and insisted, “Do my boobs still look freakish?”

She rolled her eyes and analyzed the picture, zooming in Lys’ boobs. Lysandra Ennar, the only person Aelin knew that made her breasts look smaller with photoshop. “They look amazing, just as they do in person. Remind me why you use those apps again?”

“Aelin Galathynius, this is a judgment-free zone,” she chastised in a low tone, the poorly-concealed crinkle in her eyes giving away that her offense was nothing but a joke. “This is an illusion, just like that pink bikini you bought with me.”

She took a sip of her milkshake, squinting her eyes at Lys. That bikini did work as a real-life photoshop, pushing up what needed to be pushed up and hugging her body like it had been made exclusively for her body. Too bad Rowan was too busy ignoring her to notice.

“Leave the pink bikini out of it.”

“Fine.” Lysandra blocked her phone and left it with the screen facing the table. “But will you ever tell me what happened on that trip?”

“Nothing happened on the trip,” Aelin lied.

“I don’t believe you.”

“You shouldn’t,” Aelin said before busying her mouth with chocolate milkshake.

Lysandra gasped. “Did you guys do it?”

Aelin wrinkled her nose, disappointed with herself. “No.”

“Boo!” Her friend leaned back on her chair, wearing a vacant stare. “Don’t you miss it when people were just like, ‘Hey, wanna do it or not?’ and that was it?“

Aelin choked on her milkshake. “Are you talking about college?”

“What? No!” Lys chuckled, her eyes filled with mirth. “Like, thousands of years ago when everyone was gay and poly, and people drew themselves having big orgies in vases or something.”

Aelin threw her head back, laughing. “I think they were drawing because they didn’t have cameras, Lys.”

“Still.” Her friend’s eyes narrowed, not happy to have her theory debunked. “I doubt that Ancient Aelin would be in the same situation you’re now.”

She waved Lysandra off, mostly because a godsend server approached their table with more fries and mini hot-dogs. The amount of food at children’s parties made her resent adult ones a little. When did people decide that a bunch of different cheese is proper food?

She posted the picture after Lysandra edited it completely, but her mind was going a mile a minute.

Maybe Aelin should channel Ancient Aelin.

Not literally, but after so much talking and waiting and looking for clues, maybe she should just drop a blunt question and see how much of her relationship with Rowan was salvageable. If all that waiting was leaving them somewhere or not.

And after Aelin decided to put an end to this blind anticipation, it was like nothing existed besides her goal. Every person there wasn’t Rowan, the one she needed to talk to. Every stretch of time was too long before she found him. The space between this venue and his house felt twice as long.

“You’re antsy,” Lysandra said without taking her eyes off the phone.

“I’m watching the kids.”

“Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

Aelin frowned, her food tapping. “There’s this thing I have to do. Do you mind watching Maisie? I can pick her up at your place. Or you drop her at mine. I’ll owe you this one.”

Lysandra raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Are you making me babysit to get laid?”

“No.” Aelin felt her cheeks heating. It wasn’t a lie because she had no guarantee of getting laid, but it was part of her intention.

“Pity.” Lys picked on her nails, a nonchalant expression on her face. “Because Maisie’s a little terror, I’m only watching her for a good reason.”

“Fine,” she said through clenched teeth, resigned. “I need to see Rowan, but I’m not sure what’s gonna happen. Happy?”

“Very.” Her smile was nothing short of devilish. “Auntie Lys is happy to take over.”

˜˜

Turns out Maisie wasn’t excited about that. Instead, she decided to come with Aelin.

“We should play freeze tag,” her little girl said at the same time her phone pinged.

Aedion: who’s the chick you posted a pic with

“Not now, honey. What about some TV, and we play freeze tag later?” She suggested while typing.

Aelin: wouldn’t you like to know

Aedion: tell me

“No!” Maisie shouted inside the car. “The TV is there forever, I want to play with you and Daddy.”

Aelin held back a flinch. Even if their family was a lot closer these days, they still had separate lives. Playing all three together was a frequent occurrence now, but not enough for Maisie to discard the opportunity.

This was one of the things she was hoping to change today.

“What about the drums, Mais?”

She typed while waiting for her daughter’s response.

Aelin: she’s my soccer mom bestie

Aelin: we bond over motherhood and my cursed love life

“I do like my drums,” Maisie agreed in that stubborn way of hers, making Aelin fist pump inside her mind when her phone pinged again.

Aedion: can her husband fight

She snorted, affectionately rolling her eyes before opening Rowan’s garden gate. She wouldn’t give Aedion the satisfaction of knowing that her friend’s a single mom, especially since Lys is too good for her manwhore cousin.

After setting Maisie in the garage and making sure she was safe there, Aelin rounded the house towards the backyard and knocked on the kitchen’s back door.

It was an odd sight. Rowan’s kitchen was a mess, his sink overflowing with dirty dishes while the utensils were scrambled over the counter, looking no better than Maisie’s play kitchen. He was already leaving through the other door when he turned around and let her in.

“Hey.“ Rowan gave her a small smile. ”I heard Maisie’s drums and thought it was a ghost. The party’s over already?”

Indeed, the kid’s drums were loud and clear two rooms over. She wondered why Rowan’s parents bought the chaotic ones instead of the ones with headphones.

Aelin shook her head. Not the time to think about drums.

She took a step deeper inside the kitchen heart thrumming as his expectant eyes watched her.

“We need to talk.”

“We do,” he said before taking off his apron and hanging it near him, his movements stiff. “Do you want me to start?”

“I’ll do it.” She tapped the side of her head. “I’m ready.”

When she said it, Aelin didn’t know she was, in fact, not ready.

She watched his open—if not a little uneasy—face, recalling some rules of non-violent communication inside her head. They hadn’t needed to strictly follow it in a while, but Aelin didn’t want to risk it. She wasn’t above making a scandal, but she wanted to show Rowan that he didn’t need to hide. No matter what happened, they could still be civil. No need to run away from her or shout.

She opened her mouth, but the words didn’t come. Step 1: communicate everything that happened without blaming your partner. Since this conversation was a last-minute decision, she didn’t know how to explain everything that was happening, or even what part of the last six years to explain. She didn’t want to say a huge monologue and overwhelm his brain either.

Then she thought of step two. Telling how she felt.

Ever since they met? That whole bloody emotion wheel.

Rowan hadn’t said a word while she struggled to articulate hers, and the way he was struggling to not let her know he was struggling made her mind race even more. His face would look neutral, if it wasn’t for that mildly-veiled worry in his eyes, his lips pinched. His body would look composed, if it wasn’t for that tension in his shoulders, or the way he discreetly fiddled with his fingers, his feet silently jiggling.

Aelin cleared her throat. “I know this goes against what we learned in therapy about healthy relationships, and respecting your partner’s autonomy, and…” she trailed, then stopped and squared her shoulders. Her eyes were determined and intent on him. “I know you can do whatever you want. But, in this conversation, I’m not giving you an option where you don’t end up with me. Together. Romantically, to be loud and clear.”

Rowan blinked. One, two, too many times for her poor, agitated heart. Then he took a step back while letting out something that was between a shaky smile and a wheezy puff of breath… and gave his back to her.

Aelin’s limbs slackened as she watched him open an oven and retrieve a cake. Without even properly rejecting her.

She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, her heart aching from the weight of his rejection. All that effort, her blunt declaration. It was all in vain.

After placing the half-decorated chocolate cake—he never baked those. What’s going on?—in the counter, he ran to the living room and came back with a bouquet so big Aelin could barely see his face behind it. Kingsflower was the main feature of the bouquet.

Aelin took a step back, feeling like she's lost control of her own jaw. Her favorite cake and her favorite flowers.

Rowan tried to fix some edges of the unfinished chocolate frosting with a butter knife. Frowning at his incomplete work, he asked, “Have you ever felt like it’d be easier to die for someone than to hire a band and perform a cheesy love song for them?”

Her chuckle was watery, a little confused. “Why would you do that?”

“The whole story is a bit long, but I brainstormed a very extensive list with ways to convince you to be with me. Together. Romantically, to be loud and clear,” he replicated the last part of her inarticulate speech around a sheepish smile.

Aelin flung herself at him, her arms squeezing his middle and her forehead leaning against his collarbone when she whispered, “You never lost me, Rowan.”

“Yes, I did, and it was my fault.” His tone was just as low as he caressed Aelin’s hair against him. “I hurt you. I wasn’t there for you. I lost you.” His voice broke in the last sentence, his eyes glossy. ”I lost half of Maisie’s days too.”

“It’s on me, too.” Aelin stroked his cheek, small but reassuring. “There’s so many things I wish I’d done differently back then, but—“

“You can’t do the right choices when you’re not in the right state of mind,” Rowan quoted their therapist.

She gave him a weak smile. “Exactly.” She whispered, “I’m so sorry. For the delay, for every angry phone call, for—“

“Shh.” Rowan tangled his fingers on the back of her head, tilting her face to his as his gaze roamed over her face, searching. “I’m sorry too.”

Aelin licked her parted lips, eyes intent on Rowan’s as she felt her body temperature rise. He dipped his head, closing the distance—

“MOMMY!” Maisie screamed, shooting through the hallway as fast as a bullet. “GOTTA POO.”

Aelin startled, detangling herself from Rowan on instinct.

“Okay, honey,” she shouted, despite her breathlessness, after her daughter went to the bathroom that was right next to the kitchen. “Tell me when you’re done,”

Aelin laid her eyes on Rowan’s lips, distracted with the way his tongue licked them, and mumbled, “We must have from two to five minutes until she finishes.”

His lips closed to accommodate his snort. “Are you sure you want more kids?”

She swapped his chest, then left her hands there. God, those were nice to grope. “You’re not funny.”

“Not my strong suit, indeed.”

Without warning, Rowan pulled her face toward his, stopping for a second when the tip of their noses brushed to give her time to pull back. None of that. Aelin slid her hand to the back of his hair and pressed their lips together.

It was absolute heaven.

She opened up for him, letting his tongue in as he touched her face and hair with tender caresses. Aelin was already melting into his touch, but when she pushed her full body against his and grabbed a chunk of his hair, the mood shifted. Now, the way Rowan’s tongue massaged Aelin’s was as sinful as the way she pressed her full body against his.

Tasting her mouth like it was his, Rowan held her waist and hips like they were his lifeline. She took it was a cue to press herself against him until she left his cock bulging behind his pants, the friction making him hiss.

Rowan nipped her neck in retaliation, until it became a full ministration against her pulse point. Her moan against his ear was low, but enough to make him squeeze her waist harder. Aelin squirmed against him—

“Mom?” Maisie called from the bathroom.

Aelin took a step back, thanking Mala that Rowan looked a little amused by it, instead of annoyed like any other man would. “You done?” she shouted in Maisie’s direction.

“No.” A pause. “Have you ever had a clogged butt?”

Aelin grimaced. Not her favorite conversation topic while making out with her baby daddy for the first time in years. “Every now and then, Mais. Must run in the family, huh?”

“This sucks!”

“It never happens to me!” Rowan cut in. “My poop moves like my stomach’s a water slide because I eat green stuff that aren’t M&M’s.”

Her dad’s snark made Maisie groan. Loudly. Like a tiny teenager. “MOM! I need to unclog my butt.”

Aelin’s sigh against Rowan’s chest quickly became a chuckle. “I’ll be right back.”

He gave her a small kiss. “Go.”

~~

“And when she left the house to meet the prince—“

“No!” Maisie shouted, interrupting her bedtime story. She was dragging her eyelids open, clearly struggling to stay awake. “She’ll meet with the witch.”

Aelin frowned. “Honey, the witch is evil. We have to run away from her, remember?”

She leaned on her elbow. “But the evil witch deserves love, too.”

“Fine,” Aelin said while Rowan put Maisie back into a sleeping position. He was never good at coming up with stories, so he just sat by their daughter’s bed while Aelin struggled to think of a tale Maisie liked. “And when she left the house to—“

“But why does she want to live with the prince? Her dad is nice.”

Aelin gave a strained smile, her patience wearing thin. “Because that’s what happens when you grow up, love. At some point, you’ll want to move out—“

“No.” Maisie crossed her arms, pouting. “We’ll live together forever, and travel together to all the places, because we’re friends and we love each other.”

That was enough to melt Aelin’s impatience. She grinned, pecking all over Maisie’s face and laying next to her in her bed. Rowan’s eyes were crinkled with joy next to them, but Aelin’s only focus was on making Maisie sleep.

“Okay, Maisy Daisy. You’re right about that.” Aelin caressed the girl’s pale blonde hair, not caring to explain that her opinion would change the second she became a teenager. Maisie started to let herself drift because of Aelin’s cuddles, they hugged until it was sure the little girl wouldn’t wake up anymore.

Aelin got up and rounded the bed until she was next to Rowan. She lightly scraped her nails against his shoulders and neck, making him shiver, and whispered, “Come on.”

Their day consisted of freeze tag, family meals, and clandestine kisses when Maisie couldn’t see. They would tell her when it felt right.

Rowan took a last peak at Maisie and adjusted her night lights, before sending Aelin a heated look that told her it was time to move to another bedroom.

When they stepped out of Maisie’s room and were out of earshot, Rowan threw Aelin against the hallway wall and captured her lips with his.

A/N: my main plot line ends here and now I’m just stretching things with lots of fluff and minor conflict just to keep things going. I’m emotional.

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[writtenonreceipts]

Rowaelin Month Day Three: Rowaelin as Teens @rowaelinscourt

This is a prologue of sorts, the rest of the fic will come closer to the holidays, hopefully—unfortunately my fic writing will be slowing down massively here in the next little bit.  But, I’ve had this idea on the brain for a year now, so here we are!  I’m hoping this’ll only be 3 parts total, depending on how part two goes…

Rowaelin Month Masterlist Main Masterlist

Warnings: mild (teenage) angst, references to parental death. 

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Like Best Friends Do—Part One

It was December eighteenth and the first snowfall had finally come to Terrasen.

Usually, the snow was a perpetual problem for the city beginning in late October and not slowing down until mid-April, at least.  This year was different.  And Rowan didn’t know how he felt about that.

He’d never been one for change if he were being honest with himself.  Even at eighteen years old (his birthday only occurring a few weeks ago) Rowan had learned that change incited problems.  Problems led to conflict.  And conflict made way for misery.  He knew the path quite well and was not welcome to any sort of change.  Ever.

Which was why he sat in his beat-up Honda just outside of his best-friend’s house.  Tradition demanded it.

He wasn’t waiting long when a shape dashed across the sidewalk toward him.  With far too much energy and fervor, Aelin Galathynius threw open the passenger door.

“Sorry, sorry!” she said as she tossed a grocery bag across the console at him. “I know I’m late.”

Rowan caught the bag easily and shook his head. He couldn’t be mad, not at her.

Aelin stuck her head in the car and scowled.  She wore a ridiculous winter hat with ear flaps, her blonde hair in a wild mess of waves beneath it.   “I couldn’t find any marshmallows because I live with a bunch of heathens apparently.”

She then eased into the car taking care to balance two steaming thermoses in her hands.  With her blonde hair flying about her face and the pink tint to her nose and cheeks, she looked far more angelic than he knew she felt.  Though, Rowan wouldn’t say anything of course.  He couldn’t.

As Aelin settled the thermoses between her legs, she closed the car door and buckled up.  Then she grinned at him with that reckless abandon he was so accustomed to seeing.

“I am ready.”

For as long as Rowan could remember, he and Aelin had spent their Christmases looking at the lights.  At first, their parents would make a carpool even of it.  Holiday music blaring from the stereo, hot cocoa freshly made, and windows rolled down for the best view.  For the young, impressionable kid in the prime of childhood: it was magic.

Then of course, Rowan’s dad died.  That had taken some magic out of things.  He’d been twelve and an only child.  His mother, brilliant woman that she was, persevered.  She ran the small family farm with grace and dignity, never once thinking about letting it go.  She always insisted that change was just an opportunity to grow and she would grow right where she was, thank-you very much.

Still, Rowan had always hated change.

But even as Rowan struggled with grief over his dad—some things remained the same.

Ever since he’d gotten his license at the tick of his sixteenth birthday, he and Aelin often escaped on adventures of their own.  During the holidays it meant it was just him and Aelin going around to look at the lights.  It was always at her insistence and Rowan found it impossible to say no to her.  The music and cocoa remained even when their parents no longer took them out themselves.

“What is all this?” Rowan asked.  He poked at the plastic bag and sighed.  Sitting on top was a giant bag of chocolate.  Below he could see a baggie of baby carrots.  Just for him.  “Seriously?”

“Snacks!”

“I don’t like food in my car!” He knew it was a weak argument, the weakest of all arguments that could possibly be made.

She blinked at him with her big blue eyes and pouted.  The streetlamps filtered through the windows creating a halo around her.  It was impossible that one person could be so beautiful.  

“Please?  It’s Christmas!”

And Rowan, being in love with his best friend, sighed. “You’re insufferable.”

Aelin beamed at him and leaned across the center console to smack a kiss to his cheek. “I won’t make a mess, I promise.”

It was a lie and they both knew it.  Aelin wasn’t the best at remaining organized even when she did try her best.  To be honest, that combination was one of her most endearing attributes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rowan said, though he couldn’t help the small smile that escaped him.

He pulled the car out onto the road and headed down the street to the first neighborhood.  

They were seniors in high school and had spent the last two weeks busy with finals and essays.  This was going to be a fun, easy way for them to relax before Christmas.  And Rowan, knowing Aelin was also stressed out over basketball, wanted to make this the best round of Christmas lights possible.

He’d already done some scouting earlier in the week.  He didn’t care as much about the lights himself, but there was something about watching the joy and wonder on Aelin’s face that sent flutters to his gut and brought a smile to his lips.  

She always found joy in everything.  She was someone who wanted to see good, to be good.  He’d admired it about her for ages now and was on the list of reasons why he loved his best friend.

Not that he actually wrote anything on that list down.  He wasn’t an idiot, anyone could come across it.  But he kept a mental tally of all the things.

“How’s your mom?” Aelin asked as they drove.  She sipped her cocoa and hummed happily. “Is she making it through alright?”

“Yeah,” Rowan sighed. “Summer was a good season, so we’ve got hoards of lavender and honey stored up to sell, so she’s happy about that.”

The farm had a few acres of lavender plants and three beehives which kept them busy during the summer months.  Winter, however, was where the Whitethorn homestead made its money.  Starting in mid-November the farm turned into a certified Christmas Wonderland.  For the last fifty years it had been dedicated to growing Christmas trees.  Something Rowan did not understand, but his mother loved it.  Tradition.  And Rowan was not one to step on tradition.

“You know, it’s kinda funny that you hate Christmas as much as you do,” Aelin mused.

Rowan rolled his eyes. “I don’t hate Christmas. I hate snow.”

“Which is even more funny, you were born on the coldest day of November, Buzzard, you should be thriving in this weather,” Aelin reminded him, as she so loved to do.

There was no arguing with her so Rowan only rolled his eyes and kept driving.  His phone lit up with a text message but he ignored it.  For just a little bit, he wanted to remain in this moment with his best friend.  And maybe then it would imprint upon his mind for years to come.

“Oh, I love this song,” Aelin said suddenly.  She turned the volume on high as Michael Buble began singing one of his famous Christmas songs.  

“You say that about all the songs,” Rowan pointed out.

Aelin grinned at him. “Because it’s true.  All the songs are the best.”

Rowan couldn’t help but return the smile.  

As Aelin hummed along to the music, Rowan turned into the first neighborhood he’d found the other night.

Immediately, they were flooded with bright lights and inflatable machines.  Aelin squealed and rolled down her window so she could lean out and get closer.  She pointed everything out to Rowan as though he couldn’t already see it himself.

But he didn’t care.  Not as she was singing along and laughing as she was.

They continued for over an hour going to as many different neighborhoods as they could.  As it crept closer to ten and some houses began shutting off their lights, Rowan pulled them off in front of Aelin’s house, knowing that her dad would be watching for them.  Best friends or not, the man had firm rules of where his daughter was and who she was with.

“What happens next year?” Aelin asked as a Nat King Cole song came on.  She turned the volume down so it was a low rumble in the background.

“Next year?” Rowan frowned.  Why would next year be any different?

“I’m going to Adarlan, you're going to Doranelle,” she reminded him.

Rowan sighed.  He’d forgotten that.  Different colleges practically at opposite ends of the continent.

“We’ll figure something out,” he said with a shrug. 

Aelin sighed and hunkered down in her seat.  She held onto her thermos, though Rowan was certain she’d finished her cocoa ten minutes into their drive.

“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I don’t like it when things change so much.”

Rowan reached over and took her hand, twining their fingers together. “I know.”

“You’re my best friend, Rowan,” she said looking up at him.  There was panic in her eyes, Rowan could see.  It was strange seeing something so out of control in a gaze that was usually so calm and confident. “And I don’t want to lose you.”

Rowan’s chest gave a painful tug.  “Aelin--”

He cut himself off before he could say what he wanted.  Because really, he knew that he’d never be able to tell her how he really felt about her.  Though, maybe that was for the best.  After all, if it came to having Aelin in his life versus not--he’d always chose the first.  

His phone went off then with an incoming call before he had a chance to debate his inner thoughts further.  Before Rowan could reach for it, Aelin snatched the phone up.  They always shared their phones that it shouldn’t have been an issue.  But Rowan knew who was calling him.

“Cairn?” Aelin asked, looking up.  Her face was illuminated by the pale glow of the screen as the call continued to ring through and the dim green and red that bounced off from the lights on her house. “Why would he be calling you?”

Rowan turned away, out toward the street where snow was beginning to accumulate.  The truth burned like acid in the back of his throat.

“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered, “he needs help in history.”

“Finals ended last week.” Aelin practically threw his phone at him.  He could hear the displeasure dripping from her voice. “Seriously, Rowan?  He’s an asshole.  You can’t be friends with him.”

“We’re not!” Rowan dropped his hands from the car wheel and slouched in his seat. “C’mon Aelin, you know I don’t like the guy.”

“Then why’s he calling you?  You know what he and Erawan said about Elide, what Cairn tried with her.”  Aelin leaned back in her seat, simply staring at him.

“Which is why we’re not friends,” Rowan insisted.

The only reason Cairn was trying to call him was for something stupid, Rowan knew.  They played basketball together which supposedly curated comradery between them.  But Cairn wasn’t a nice kid.  They way he talked about the girls in their class and they had tried to spike Elide’s drink at a party a few weeks ago.  If Chaol Westfell hadn’t been the only sober one that night no one would have known…

But then Rowan had helped Cairn cheat on an exam so he could pass.  If he’d flunked, he wouldn’t have been able to play in the state finals…and…well.  Rowan never said he was a good person.

“Aelin,” he began.

But she was already throwing open the door, grabbing the empty thermoses and stuffing them into the now empty grocery bag.

“I gotta go, Rowan,” she said, not bothering to look at him.

“Aelin!” he yelled after her.  She slammed the door and trudged back up to her house.  

Rowan could only watch.  He waited until she was inside and he saw the shadow of her silhouette pass the front window, followed by the outline of Rhoe rising from the living couch.

Only then did he start up his car and drive away.

It wasn’t thirty seconds later when Cairn called him again.

“What do you want?” Rowan growled.

“Easy Whitethorn,” Cairn said on the other end.  He chuckled lowly and Rowan felt his hackles rise. “I just need a favor.”

“No.”

Another laugh followed by a shout from another person in the background.  Probably Erawan.

“What else are you doing tonight, Whitethorn?” Cairn asked. “Damn, boy.  You just wanna sit at home with your mama?”

The voice in the background spoke up louder. “Punkassbitch!”

Definitely Erawan.  Another, cruder, stream of expletives trailed after.

“It’s almost Christmas, man,” Rowan said.  He pulled his car over again, not wanting to drive and have this conversation.  His ma would kill him if he got into an accident. “So, yeah, I wanna be at home.”

“I’ll bring you a blankie to practice,” Cairn said.  Something clinked in the background; metal against metal that grated just a bit.  “You owe me.”

Rowan cursed to himself.  He wanted nothing more than to go back to Aelin’s, to pound on her door and beg her to let him in.

“Mr. Clark don’t like cheaters very much,” Cairn continued, “be a shame if someone told him what happened.”

“You’d be in as much trouble as me,” Rowan said.  He shut off the radio as his skin grew hot and panic began to swirl in his stomach.

“You wanna bet?”

It took too much effort for Rowan to ease his breathing.  Too much effort for him to calm down.  Hell.

“What do you want, Cairn?”

…

The warehouse seemed familiar to Rowan but he couldn’t quite place it.  They were in the cheaper side of the city, the side where everything was in disrepair and the video cameras were just for show.  The cops didn’t care what happened and the citizens knew their voices wouldn’t actually be heard.

Only recently a few local politicians had been making an effort of improving the area.  A few businesses had even tried moving in to give the lonely streets new life.

Hence the warehouse.

Why was it so familiar?

“Let’s go!” Cairn hissed.  He prodded Rowan sharply in the back.

They snuck down a shadowed alleyway around the back of the warehouse.  There was only one singular lamppost in the distance, but it kept flickering as though it would die at any moment.  Snow fell from the sky in lazy flurries, barely coating the ground.  The one time he would have actually been grateful for a snow storm.  Maybe that would have driven Cairn and Erawan back home.

Rowan gripped a flashlight in one hand and a pair of heavy bolt cutters in the others.  This was not going to end well.  He already knew it.  A chill swept through him in a mix of the actual cold weather and trepidation. 

Erawan led the way to a chain link fence, cutting along one of the poles and yanking the metal back.  Cairn ducked through the opening first, his own flashlight bobbing along.  The two had come prepared for this.  They’d planned it well too given how they moved.  Rowan was just a random extra body.  Someone to potentially blame this on if it all went sideways.

Erawan shoved him through the fence hole when he hesitated.

“Get off me,” Rowan hissed. 

“Then move!” Erawan snapped.  The stench of cigarettes and stale coffee wafted off of him.

Knowing better than to ignore the order, Rowan took off after Cairn.

“What’re we even doing?  You can’t think breaking into a warehouse is a good idea.” Rowan tightened his grip on his flashlight and wondered how much trouble he’d actually get in if he decided to whack Cairn over the head with the bolt cutters.  He was pretty sure he could out run Erawan if it came down to it.

Cairn didn’t answer, only led them to the side of the warehouse.  When Erawan reached them, he dropped the bag he was holding, it rattled with a messy noise of battered abuse.

“Just having fun.”

Which was how Rowan found himself gang tagging the side of a warehouse at one in the morning.  He shouldn’t have come, he knew.  The reality of the situation was beating relentlessly against the side of his skull with each pass he made of the green spray paint.  He should have told his mom what happened.  Should have gone to Coach Brullo who trusted him.  Should have—should have—

Erawan muttered under his breath as he spelled out a curse word in red paint, the c-u bleeding against the wall like a wound.  Cairn was practicing his anatomy skills and doing a terrible job.  And Rowan…Rowan just made splashes and slashes where he could.  That didn’t seem to offend the others, just as long as he did something.

“We should go,” he said after nearly half an hour.  A car drove by on the streets, slow and deliberate.  In the darkness he couldn’t tell the make or model and it only added to his panic.

While this side of the city was sketchy at best—people still talked and eventually the cops would show up.

Cairn scoffed and was about to say something—likely a mockery of Rowan’s want to get the hell out of there—when a burst of red and blue lights erupted across the street.

Rowan dropped the spray paint he was holding.  His mother was going to kill him.  He looked around, desperate for an escape while Cairn and Erawan were already halfway across the abandoned lot.  They didn’t get much further when a few uniformed officers flashed lights and their guns yelling for them to stop.

“On your knees!” One officer shouted.  It took Rowan a moment to realize the order was directed at him.  Coming up on his left was an officer, perfectly poised to take any necessary action.  

Falling to his knees, Rowan’s mind blanked out.  He did everything he was told to do, barely registering anything other than a muffled curse and an exclamation from one of the officers.

“They’re just kids.”

“Damn.  Just get ‘um cuffed.”

It wasn’t until Rowan was hauled to his feet that he managed to catch a look at the messy display of vandalism they’d created.  Only…Rowan finally latched onto the logo he’d noticed etched onto the metal door of the warehouse bay and his heart froze before his entire body seized up.  He knew that logo and he knew the name attached to it.

Galacorp.

Aelin’s father’s company.  That he’d just helped to vandalize.

“Let’s go kid,” the officer next to him said, guiding Rowan to his feet as he began to recite Rowan’s rights.

Rowan hardly listened.  Couldn’t.  Because in just the span of an hour his entire life turned over on its head.  He let the officer guide him to the police cruiser only tripping up when he caught sight of a familiar black SUV with tinted windows and sleek specially ordered rims.

Rhoe Galathynius leaned casually against the back of the car, arms crossed over his wool coat.  He watched Rowan closely with an unreadable expression.  And Rowan knew that nothing would ever be the same after this.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

will reblog with tags. Please consider reblogging so others see it! <3

thanks for reading.

#rowaelin #aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn #rowan x aelin #rowaelin month #throne of glass #tog

[leiawritesstories]

LEIA CONGRATS ON 500 🥳🎉🎉💓❤️💘❤️💖🩷💓🩷💞❤️💖

you know what my prompt is 🤭

THANK YOU SO MUCH MARIA MY LOVE 🥰💕❤️😁😍

context: maria and my dm's are insanely chaotic. somehow we were talking about almond milk? and one of the things she sent me went like this: "now i need a fic where rowan's a foreigner learning the common tongue and he asks aelin for some nut milk." that's the prompt hehehehehe

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: inappropriate jokes, swearing, innuendo, badly concealed horniness

Enjoy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Romance books were horrible liars, it turned out.

Not a single one of the many, many romances Aelin had read in her lifetime had prepared her to meet the love of her life in a random aisle in a grocery store. No, all the books she read either involved small town meet-cutes, dreamy historical romances, arranged marriages that became love matches, and the occasional toe-curling bodice ripper. Love In Aisle 24B? She was convinced that would never happen.

Yet here she was, hand in hand with a man who was every single one of her dreams brought to life, leading him into her house.

But she was getting ahead of herself. Where to begin....?

~

Rice, flour, spinach, carrots, hot cocoa mix, espresso pods, almond milk. That was Aelin's list for her quick stop at the grocery store on her way home from work. She loathed shopping at five PM, knowing that the place would be overrun with harried parents, just-off-the-clock workers, and every single person in the vicinity who'd opened their fridge and realized they needed food for dinner.

Luckily, a parking spot opened up just as Aelin pulled into the parking lot, and she waved gratefully at the mom in the minivan who'd just vacated a spot that wasn't terribly far from the store entrance. She parked, got out, locked the car, and steeled herself for the chaos of dinner-crowd shoppers. It's just a quick trip, she reassured herself as she strode through the parking lot. Fifteen minutes, tops.

Entering the crowded store, she grabbed a basket and headed for the produce section, easily finding the spinach and carrots. Check, check. She wove through the maze of people and carts, muffling more than one curse, and ducked down an aisle to grab a bag of rice. Check. The baking supplies aisle was mercifully much emptier, and she found the brand of flour she liked and placed the familiar paper sack into her basket. Check. Hot cocoa mix was only a few paces away--and no, she didn't care that it was impractical for the late spring. It was always hot cocoa weather at Aelin Galathynius's house.

She braced herself as she stepped into the coffee and tea aisle and found it far too heavily occupied for her liking. Rolling her eyes, she decided to go grab almond milk and loop back to pick up espresso pods on her way to the checkout lines. Those would probably be their own nightmare, but she'd deal with that when the time came.

Aelin dodged shoppers pushing overfull carts and mothers desperately trying to keep a hand on their rambunctious children and made her way to the aisle with the non-dairy milk. Blessedly, it was empty, and she strode over to the almond milk section, found her favorite brand, and placed three cartons in her basket because it was on sale. She paused for a moment at the end of the aisle, sighed, and trudged back towards the coffee.

Just as she was about to turn into the coffee aisle, a hand tapped politely at her shoulder. "Excuse me?"

She turned, finding herself face to face--well, almost, since he was a good six inches taller than her--with a mouthwateringly gorgeous man wearing a shy half-smile. "Yes?"

"I do not mean rude, but you have the..." The man pronounced the words carefully, his voice bearing a distinctly foreign accent. Clearly he was still learning the language of Terrasen. "The...meelk? The milk! Milk of the nut."

Aelin spluttered a cough, stuffing down the lewd comment she immediately wanted to make. "I--um...I'm so sorry, I have the what?"

The man blushed, only making him more endearing. He pointed to the almond milk in her basket. "The nut meelk."

Understanding clicked in her brain. "Oh! The almond milk." She enunciated the words carefully.

"Al-mond meelk," he repeated, smiling in earnest. "Thank you, ma'am." He gave her an eccentric little dip of his head. "Please, show me where to find?"

"Of course!" Smiling back at him, she led him to the non-dairy milk aisle. "Here it is." She showed him the brand she bought. "I like this brand, but there are more options here."

The man picked up a carton of the same brand she bought; it looked comically small in his large hand. "Thank you," he said again, relief coating his accented words.

She grinned. "You're welcome..." She let the pause trail on, hoping he would give her his name.

"Pardon!" he exclaimed, then mumbled a few words in his native tongue. "I am such rude. I am Rowan."

"So rude," Aelin instinctively corrected. "We say so rude." She shook his offered hand. "My name is Aelin."

"Aelin," Rowan repeated, the syllables of her name turning thick and sweet as honey on his accented tongue.

Her blood turned to fire at the sound of his voice.

"Gods," she gasped, glancing at her watch. "I really need to get home, this was just supposed to be a quick trip."

Rowan stepped aside so she had a clear path. "Do not let me stop you," he grinned. "Thank you again, Aelin."

"You're very welcome, Rowan." Flashing him another grin, she headed towards the checkout counters, pausing briefly to grab espresso pods. The checkout lines were unbearably long, so she joined the much shorter line for self-checkout, waited for a few minutes, and went up to the machine when it was her turn. Efficiently, she scanned her items, placed them in her shopping bag, paid, and tore the receipt from the printer.

She was nearly out of the store when a commotion at the self-checkout caught her attention.

"I--I not understand!" Oh gods, that was Rowan's unmistakable accent. "No money?"

"Sir," the store employee all but snapped, "the sign says 'card only.' Can you even read?"

Rowan faltered. "I--"

"Show some decency," Aelin drawled, calmly stepping between Rowan and the irritated teenage employee who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. "You should be able to tell from the man's accent that he's not from here."

"Well--um--" The teenager floundered. "Look, I'm not--"

"Capable? That much is clear," Aelin scoffed. "I'll help Rowan here finish checking out, and you can run along back to restocking ketchup or whatever the hell else you do." Turning to Rowan, she explained, "This machine only has a card reader. Do you have a credit card?"

Softly, he murmured, "No, not in wallet."

"It's all right," she reassured him. "I'll pay."

"You no need--"

"Don't worry about it." Aelin tapped her credit card on the card reader, took the receipt, and handed it to Rowan. "There. Quick and easy."

He picked up his almond milk--the only thing he'd had to buy--and followed her out of the store. As soon as they stepped into the parking lot, he swiped her bag of groceries from her, laughing at her shocked protest. "Let me, let me," he said. "As thank you."

"Such a gentleman," she teased. "All right then, you can carry my groceries to my car." He walked beside her through the parking lot, waited for her to unlock her car, and then carefully deposited her groceries on the back seat. "Thanks, Rowan," she smiled, truly meaning it. A thought flashed through her head. "I'm sorry if this is rude, but...do you have a car? Or how else are you getting home?"

He shook his head. "My..." He spoke a word in his language. "Not know how to say. Like brother, but...of father's brother?"

"Your cousin?"

"Aye, my cousin. He has the car. I took bus from apartment to store."

"Can I drive you home?" she asked.

Color splashed across his cheeks. "No need, please, I will take--"

"The bus is never on time during evening rush hour, and you'll get stuck in traffic when it does show up," she snorted. "I promise I'm a safe driver, Rowan, and before you pull your stupid chivalrous act, no, it's not too much trouble." She leaned against her car. "I live here. I can drive you home without getting stuck in terrible amounts of traffic."

He folded. "Okay. I will drive with you."

His oddly formal language made her smile. "You're rather cute with your blush and your accent, y'know, Rowan," she teased.

"Cute?" Impossibly, Rowan blushed harder. "If I am cute, Aelin, then you are perfect beauty."

That fire in her blood burned brighter. "I'll show you beauty," she murmured, more to herself than to him.

Buckling his seatbelt with ease, he leaned over and whispered in his language into her ear. Though she couldn't understand him, she knew the thickness of his voice had nothing to do with the words he was saying. "Was that a promise, Rowan?"

His emerald eyes deepened to smoky pine. "Yes." As she started the car and reversed out of her parking spot, his hand drifted casually--naturally--to her thigh, its weight warm, welcome, and teasing.

She was in such deep shit.

~

Instead of asking Rowan for his address, Aelin asked if he was okay coming to her house, and when he breathed another Yes into her ear, this time pairing it with the faintest brush of a kiss on the side of her neck, she shivered and headed home as fast as she legally could. She parked, got out, grabbed her groceries before he could insist on carrying them into the house, and took the bag inside, placing it on the counter.

Rowan hadn't followed.

So she went back out to the car, walking around to the passenger side. "Rowan? Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "So okay," he promised. "I...I needed a breath."

The corners of her lips quirked up. "Can I show you my house?" Feeling bold, she linked her fingers with his. "The kitchen, the living room..." A pause. "My bedroom."

That got him out of the car and on his feet, a smirk tinged with desire curling his lips. "Please do."

She led him up the front steps and into her house, kicking off her shoes in the entryway. "The kitchen is right here, if you wanted to know." She gestured to her left. "You can put your almond milk on the counter." And put your rowillymilk in me, she added under her breath.

He left the carton on the counter, slid his arm around her waist, and leaned down to kiss her. Aelin rose onto her tiptoes to meet his lips, the kiss starting soft and quickly turning deeper, passionate, filled with the inexplicable desire that crackled between them. Effortlessly, Rowan lifted her into his arms, not breaking the kiss as he took a couple of steps and stopped, remembering he didn't know where anything was. He pulled away, breathless.

"Aelin--"

"Upstairs," she panted, her chest heaving. "Come here."

And she led him up the stairs and into her room and kicked the door shut behind them.

~~~

TAGS:

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@morganofthewildfire

@backtobl4ck

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@chronicchthonic14

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@darling-im-the-queen-of-hell

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

#my writing #answered prompt #leia's 500 followers thing #rowaelin #rowan x aelin #aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fanfiction #throne of glass fanfic #throne of glass fanfiction #rowaelin spicy times

[aelinschild]

ONE

Holding Me Like Water In Your Hands

Main Masterlist | HMLWIYH Masterlist

Its time for the story to begin! Welcome to chapter one of HMLWIYH. The beginning of this story might be heavy with worldbuilding, but I hope it comes together in due time. I've seen lots of fics take certain stances on characters, and I've decided to switch some of them up. Hopefully its surprising, or shocking, or moving, or somehow emotionally dynamic.

SYNOPSIS:A cross continental move forces Aelin Galathynius to open her eyes wider than before, and at the doors of Terrasen's most exclusive and expensive private high school, she realizes her life is flowing through her. And if she wants to make the most of her life, she needs to grab onto something. Or maybe someone. WORDCOUNT: 1.5k GENERAL WARNINGS: Language, Drug use, Alcohol, Allusion to sex/intimacy, Brief descriptions of sexual assault, Domestic violence, Very severe angst, Messy Divorces (More to be added)

“The house came with two master bedrooms, which is a really strange notion, but I'm sure it adds the charm of this city. Maybe it's a new trend, like the people here now like multiple master bedrooms? Who knows! It's been so long since I was last here, I really missed Orynth, my love, but you know your father…” Mom has been talking for three minutes about bedrooms, and I'm beginning to wonder if she's running out of oxygen. “-But, of course, part of the reason I decided to get this house, I mean, me and your father decided to get this house, was that it meant you would have more privacy! Isn't that just the most thoughtful idea?! Now this one will be yours…” 

She makes a grand sweeping gesture to the room down the hall from the stairs we just climbed. 

It's a large room, larger than anything I've ever had the privilege of calling my bedroom. I poke my head through the door that we stand at. There's another door, leading probably to a washroom. At the far end of the room sits a gorgeous bay window, already fitted with a cushion and throw pillows. The windows look like they can open, as well. 

Mom and I stand at the threshold of my ‘new bedroom’. Neither of us make a move to enter.

It's like we’re both held back by some force. Going into the bedroom is somehow going to tip some scale on a quantum level, and subconsciously were both aware of how we proceed forward. 

“I…” I breathe out. 

Mom sighs. 

The four-poster bed in the centre of the room is something straight out of my dreams, and to the left of the bay window sits an antique wood desk. A green glass reading lamp perched in its corner. I can imagine myself doing homework there. Or to the right of the window, bookshelves ascend to the ceiling, waiting to be filled. The wood of the shelves matches the desk, which matches the wrought iron bed, which probably matches something else in this room, and I'm suddenly out of breath. 

This room feels like it belongs to someone else like I'm stepping into someone else’s life. Which pretty accurately sums up what's happening at this moment. 

“Mom.” I turn to look at her, finding her blue-gold eyes already on me. They look pained. “Why?”

“Why what, my love?” 

The air that left me rushes back in at full force. I feel the weight of our seven-hour journey wrapping around me like a boa constrictor. 

“‘Why what?’ Mom! Why are we here? Why are we in Orynth! Why are we here without Dad?!” My arms flail wildly, attempting to emphasize the conflicting emotions I feel beginning to rise in me. 

Her pained expression morphs to one of steel, the same look I've been getting from both my parents for the last few months. 

“Aelin, my love, there are things that your father and I cannot control, and job opportunities are one of them. I told you that this move was necessary, and I don't need your ceaseless questioning about this” She says. She straightens, gearing up for a fight. “Your father will be moving here with us shortly, now get settled, I have things that I need to tend to.” And with that, she turns and walks down the hall, down the stairs, and back into the bubble she has lived in for months, while I stand still, waiting for someone to pop it, and wake me back up. 

-

It's dark out by the time I've finished putting my things away. Through my ensuite bathroom, there's a full walk-in closet. And maybe if I didn't feel so lifeless, I would have been over the moon excited about all the new real estate for my clothes. 

After Mom’s ghost, as I have now dubbed her, ran away from my questions, I stepped through the door and into my new bedroom. Prior to us leaving Ardalan, I had been packing up my things for a week. My life was carefully folded or wrapped up and tucked away into cardboard boxes before being dutifully shoved into Moms Audi. Ghost mom’s Audi. 

I could lie and say it came as a shock when Mom stormed into our townhouse back in Rifthold, Dad hot on her heels, both shouting their heads off when she told me we were going back to Orynth. I was in the middle of a novel when that happened. Mom looked drained, like the life was sucked out of her, Dad was furious. And when I replay that moment in my head, my brain smoothes over the fact that his finely pressed suit was disheveled, and the red blotch on his collar was the farthest shade from anything I've seen my mother wear. 

The week following passed in a blur. 

I hardly saw the two in the same room, and evenings were no longer punctuated with slamming doors, or screaming in the luxury kitchen of the townhouse. Rather, it was silent. Which was more alarming than anything else. 

It was summer break, and so I really had nowhere else to be but the townhouse. I had graduated from my elementary years at school, and was spending the summer reading. But all the books in the world couldn't distract me from the suffocating feeling of that stupid townhouse. 

It almost makes me regret not taking a summer class to fill the void. 

My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven't eaten since the gas station pringles. Which were godawful. I roll over to face my clock, a brass analog piece that Dad gifted me years ago. Quarter to ten. I can hear Ghost mom banging around in the kitchen, maybe cooking, maybe smashing all of our kitchenware. I imagine that would feel cathartic. Rather than sulking over something I'm not quite sure of. 

I can't confirm that Dad was cheating on Mom. 

Which isn't something I ever thought I’d have to speculate about, but here I am. Wondering if the grand move across the continent was about another woman. My body curls up tighter under the covers. The silk pillow beneath my head lets the droplets of moisture roll right off. The tears come fast. I don't know why I'm sad. My parents have never been overly affectionate to each other. Maybe in the early days, before their careers took off, and they had a child. Or maybe never. And so this deep sadness feels unreasonable. Sure, I might have been dragged across the entire continent because my Dad was fucking another woman, and that was the final straw for my Mother. Not the years of verbal abuse or anything like that. 

A knock sounds at my door. 

I jump up, harshly wiping the tears off my face, and when the handle is tried the door doesn't open. A plus to my new master bedroom. 

“Aelin.” My mother warns. 

“What,” I croak out. Throat tight from the crying. 

I can hear her sigh through the door. 

“I was going to order takeout since we haven't had the time to go shopping. What would you like?” She asks, voice muffled by the locked door. 

I move to the edge of the bed, putting on my slippers. “Nothing,” I say. 

“That’s not on the menu, my love.” 

“I don't want anything, okay?”

“Aelin.”

“Mom.”

The sigh is louder this time, like the fight left her. 

“Im going to shower and go to bed. Goodnight.” I say, as I walk to my new ensuite washroom, and shut and lock that door too for good measure. 

-

The shower was hot, and I draw out my routine. Taking time to smooth my expensive lotion into my skin. Beginning my extensive skincare routine. Maybe a seaweed facemask as well. The vast majority of my toiletries are luxury items, bought by Daddy dearest after a night filled with drunken yelling and shattered crystal glasses. 

Rhoe Galathynius is a larger-than-life corporate lawyer with a raging drinking problem and an affinity for blowing money. 

And so when he fucks up, like telling his fourteen-year-old daughter that she’s a slut for spending an afternoon at the bakery comparing notes with her boy-best friend, he apologizes with a gift. 

Dorian was thoroughly entertained by the flashy three-hundred-dollar creams and gels. If only he knew why these ‘gifts’ manifested. 

Peeling the seaweed mask off my face and tossing it into the little trash can, I smooth the serum into my skin and reach for my moisturizer. 

I avoid the mirror when I can. Especially in moments like this when stress breakouts permeate my usually clear skin. But, unfortunately, I need a mirror for the eye cream I smooth onto the disproportionately large bags. It's comical almost, how much Evalin Galathynius’ fourteen-year-old daughter looks like her. An apparition. Slowly withering away under the hand of Rhoe Galathynius. 

I finish with my routine and turn the bathroom light off. 

I'm dressed in a cotton dressing gown, and I feel like the loose fabric is suffocating me. I slide into my new bed, pull the covers up to my ears, and flick the gold lamp off. The bay window lights my room with a perfect view of the moon, and I can't help but wish I was anywhere else. 

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #throne of glass #aelin x rowan #evalin galathynius #celeana sardothien #rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin au #high school #aelin ashryver galathynius #aelin galathynius #aelin galythinius #HMLWIYH

[shyvioletcat]

Hi @house-of-galathynius​! Am I late? Happy Holidays! I’m your secret Santa and I wrote this little over 11 000 word fic for you. I hope you like it. And yes, there’s a part 2. That’s important information you’ll need for later.

Rowan was nervous.

It had been a good two years since he’d been this committed to a date. Yeah, there had been a few here and there, firsts with no seconds, nothing that wanted to make him look for something meaningful or long term or just  more. And this date… he was very serious about this one.

Meeting Aelin had been by pure chance. He was browsing his local bookstore when she walked in, and the flash of golden hair between the shelves had caught his attention immediately. Then she had come down his aisle and seeing all of her had nearly knocked the breath out of him. Putting it simply she was stunning. If he was going to elaborate he would say she was beautiful, from the unusual hue of her eyes to the delicate features of her face, and the curves of her body that were tastefully shown off in the slacks and blouse she wore were eye catching to say the least. But it was the small polite smile that she gave him that had him enchanted. Rowan had been so distracted by it, by her, that he’d forgotten to return that smile and must have looked like a right bastard with his scowl that seemed to be his deflated expression. He’d brushed it off through his disappointment, he had more important things to worry about whether or not he’d been polite to a stranger. It wasn’t until he got to the register that he had the opportunity to rectify his indirect callousness.

When he had lined up a the register Aelin and been a few people in front of him. He hadn’t paid her any mind and just read of the blurb of the book he had chosen. A commotion had caught his attention when she approached the counter. It turned out that she had forgotten her wallet back at the office, and she was fumbling and flustered and Rowan’s feet were moving before he even had the chance to think things through. He’s offered to pay, she had declined, then he had insisted even though there were five books in her pile. When he added his book to the stack her cheeks had flushed prettily and he’d tapped his card. The person on the counter hadn’t cared less what had happened and just bagged the books and handed them over, but Rowan hd felt like it was a moment of fate.

They didn’t speak again until they were outside, the bag of books swinging from Aelin’s hand.

“Thanks,” she’d said and offered him her hand. “Aelin.”

He’d shaken it. “Rowan.”

“If you can give me your number I can venmo you the money for these. Those were hardbacks, they’re not cheap,” Aelin had said.

Rowan had agreed, put his number in her phone, and walked away without even realising that he’s left his book in the bag. Hell, he didn’t even notice until he got a text from an unknown number with a picture of the book saying I think this belongs to you.

That’s what started it all. Within about half an hour and at least twenty texts later Aelin had suggested they meet up so he could get his book back. Of course Rowan had agreed and over coffee a few days later Rowan decided that he’d very much like to take her out on a date. He didn’t ask her then though, it took him about another week to muster up the courage. She’d said yes.

They texted constantly, Rowan felt like he was a teenager again waiting and hoping that everytime his phone went of that it would be her. A friendship was forming and that first date couldn’t come quick enough. It went just as perfectly as it could have, Aelin’s sharp wit and teasing even better in person. He’d wanted to kiss her that first date, there had been a moment when it seemed like they would. Rowan had been the one to pull back and break the tension of the moment. Because there was one thing Rowan hadn’t told her, and from his experience it was a deal breaker. Because Rowan was a single father, he had a five month old daugher who was the centre of his universe. And there were rules that preventing him from saying anything, at least not yet.

Ivy had been an unexpected joy in Rowan’s life and her safety and comfort became his sole priority. Rowan and his ex had come to agree upon three rules when it came to their situation and dating. At first there had been none, but then Lyria had chosen some not great guys to introduce to Ivy, and they’d set some boundaries. So Rowan would have to wait.

After that first date they had been texting, the frequency picking up and turning more flirtaous. Aelin had asked him to come out with her a few times, on a Saturday or Friday night. Every time it had been when Ivy was with him and he had politely declined and said maybe he’d come next time. What had nearly killed him was those times she had sent him photos of her outfit for the night. Holy gods, she was a sight to behold. He was very quickly running out of patience. So when the stars aligned and they managed to lock in an evening they were both free Rowan had to keep himself from audibly cheering.

Tonight was the night and he was in the process of getting ready. Rowan had just stepped out of the shower when his phone rang, the abrupt and sudden noise almost made him drop his towel. He didn’t need to check the ID to know who it was, the specific tone filled him with trepidation and questions.

“Hi, Lyria,” Rowan said, the phone pressed to his ear as he flicked through the shirts in the wardrobe.

“Hello, I’m going to get straight to the point. I need you to take Ivy tonight,” his ex-girlfriend explained very quickly.

Rowan’s hands froze, hanging over a dove grey button up. “It’s your night.”

“I know, but one of my friend needs me to cover their shift so I’ve swapped with next week,” Lyria said.

“You can’t…” Rowan sighed. “I have plans.”

“What kind of plans?” Lyria almost demanded.

Rowan tried to keep his exasperation to himself. “Does the kind matter?”

“I would say it does, because then we can decide if it’s more important than my job,” Lyria said.

This time Rowan withheld his sigh, knowing it would only piss Lyria off and ruin his chances. “It’s a date.”

She had the audacity to laugh. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be by in 10 to drop her off.”

“I've put this off multiple times, delayed it and rearranged. This isn't fair,” Rowan said, not quite believing the speed in which she had dismissed him. “I’m meant to be there in half an hour.”

“What’s not fair is that you want me to compromise my job just so you can get your dick wet. Which I hope you don't plan to do, because if I haven’t heard about this woman I doubt you've been dating long,” Lyria shot back.

That was true. They’d only had the one date, but they had been texting constantly and she was alluding to their rules. There were three: no mention of Ivy until the second date, the other parent needs to meet the potential partner, and no less than three official dates before the person gets to meet Ivy.

“It’s the second date, and not that it's any of your business but I really like her and this isn’t some fling,” Rowan offered.

He knew Lyria had caught the unspoken insult. A fling, like they had been. Which had resulted in them being tied together forever. They started out casual then convenience had won out. Rowan would never regret Ivy, he loved her too much for that and he had loved her mother for a time. It was just a fact of their situation that Lyria was not the easiest person to co-parent with.

“I guess you’ll just have to reschedule again, if shes as wonderful as you’re making out I’m sure she’ll understand,” Lyria’s voice was dripping with thinly veiled sarcasm.

“Fine,” Rowan said, for the thousandth time putting his daughter first.

“See you soon then,” she replied flatly.

Lyria hung up after that, not bothering with a goodbye. She’d got what she wanted, what more did she need to say. Annoyed and a little sad, Rowan abandoned his nicer clothes and headed to his drawers instead and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and whatever t-shirt his hand landed on. He was checking the state of Ivy’s bedroom when his front door opened. Lyria had a key, of course, but sometimes he wished that she would knock. It always felt like an invasion of his privacy when she let herself in. Hey hadn’t shared a home as a couple since before their Ivy was born, this was his and Ivy’s space, not her’s.

Rowan walked down to where Lyria was waiting for him. She was talking to Ivy and she gave her mother a smile. At least Lyria was dressed for work so he knew she wasn’t lying.

“Thanks for this, I’ll owe you one.” Lyria said.

“Time with our daughter isn’t currency,” Rowan replied.

Lyria’s lips tightened and she looked down at the infant in her arms. “You make it sound like I’m a bad mother.”

“I never said that.”

He never had and never would. Lyria was a good mother, she just knew her own boundaries. Rowan was Ivy’s primary caregiver but he had never begrudged that or the choices Lyria had made for that to happen. It hadn’t been an easy decision for Lyria to come to, Rowan had watched her every step of the way, ready to do what was needed. When Ivy reached about two months old Lyria had come to the realisation that the best home for Ivy wasn’t with her. Rowan had helped as much as he could, he’d all but moved in those first few months. Despite their complicated relationship status, he’d made a promise to be there for his child no matter what. And then due to circumstances beyond her control Lyria knew that Ivy was best off living with her father. It had been a brave thing for her to do.

An awkward silence developed and Rowan took the initiative and apologised. “Sorry, I’m just frustrated.”

“I just have to pay the rent somehow,” Lyria said. “I’m sure if she’s as wonderful as you’re hoping she is she’ll be fine and won’t care if you have to cancel tonight.”

Rowan chose to ignore the sarcasm with a slight edge of bitterness that accompanied the words.

“You’ll be late,” he reminded her, careful not to let any inflection into his voice lest to give away any hint of his irritation.

“You’re right,” Lyria said and lifted Ivy a little higher so that she could see her face. “You have fun with Dad and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Ivy smiled and cooed, little voice dipping in a wordless musical pattern. Rowan stepped forward and Lyria kissed their daughter before handing her over. She was delighted, her fists waving in excitement as Rowan held her close to his chest. It made him smile, he couldn’t help it. Ivy was everything to him, it was impossible not to light up when she was with him. The only other person who made him feel anything close to that was Aelin and he was about to cancel on her—again.

“I’ll be by in the morning to pick her up and then I can resume my weekend,” Lyria said, readjusting her handbag.

Because that’s what it was, every second weekend. It was what Rowan had been relying on.

“See you then,” Rowan waved Ivy’s hand goodbye as Lyria left the apartment,

Rowan stared into space for a while, just disappointed and putting off the inevitable task of telling Aelin that he wouldn’t be making it tonight. Blissfully unaware of the wrench that she had thrown into his evening plans Ivy just pulled at the hemmed collar of his t-shirt. He was running out of time, he’d hate himself if Aelin was on her way to the restaurant and he wasn’t. That was one short step away from him standing her up.

He pulled out his phone and saw the time, cursing under his breath. Time to text Aelin was running out fast, there was a high likelihood that she had already left. Hating himself Rowan opened their text thread mentally wording the perfect apology. He’d typed out three words when a text message from Aelin came in.

Aelin ❤️‍🔥: Hey, I swear I’m on my way I just had an outfit mishap and you’ll laugh when I tell you but I’ll be 5 mins maybe 10 late. But I’m coming, I’m not going to miss this.

The message that would ruin both their nights was right on the tip of Rowan’s finger, but then he stopped. Plausibly he could make it. He could still beat Aelin there, he was closer to the restaurant than she was. If he could get himself and Ivy ready in ten minutes that was. Yes, he could do it. He always had a change bag packed and ready to go, he’d just need to get them both dressed and make up a bottle.

Rowan: I had a minor setback myself. I’ll see you there.

Aelin ❤️‍🔥: I’m looking forward to it.

With his determination renewed Rowan went to his bedroom and picked out his outfit in record time. He put Ivy down on the bed, she wasn’t quite able to sit up by herself yet so he laid her down. She was quick to find her feet pulling them up to her chest, trying to bite her toes. Once Rowan was dressed in his jeans and button down shirt he picked Ivy up again and took her to her room. This time he looked in her wardrobe picking out an outfit he knew was cute.

“We want to impress her,” Rowan told his daughter and he laid her down on the change table. “We have to look our best. Because Da is about to break a very important rule, but Aelin is definitely worth it and your mother kind of forced my hand here. I really like her, and I haven’t liked someone like this in a very long time so I need you not only looking your best, but I need your best behaviour. Alright little love?”

Ivy replied with something that sounded like bah, Rowan wasn’t going to hold her to it. Dressed in a little floral onesie and frilly socks Ivy was ready. And they were about to walk out of the room when Rowan saw the basket of bows. He filtered through a couple and chose a simple white one with a lacy band.

“We really have to impress her,” Rowan reaffirmed.

Rowan checked his phone once more before he ran through the final preparations. He prepped a bottle, made one last cheek of the bag making sure there were extra diapers and a change of clothes just in case of emergency. Then he was grabbing his keys, locking the door of his townhouse and packed up the car. Ivy babbled the whole way, watching her own reflection in the mirror he’d attached to the back headrest. This was going well, sometimes Ivy hated the car and screamed and cried te entire trip, making Rowan pull over before they’d reached their destination. But it seemed, despite the rocky beginning, the evening was going well.

Fifteen minutes later Rowan was walking into the restaurant and the waiter sat them down at an empty table. He sat Ivy on his knee, her hands slapping on the table. The rush out the door had kept him distracted and now the nervousness was creeping in. He was taking a big chance here, Aelin could very likely see the baby and turn the other way. He just hoped that she would give him the chance to explain. Ivy blew out a raspberry and Rowan quickly grabbed a burp cloth from the bag and wiped her mouth. She gave a small protest but in the end she grabbed the cloth.

“Alright, I need you to not vomit on this outfit for like another twenty minutes. I know that might be hard but we need to look our best,” Rowan said softly. “This might just be the most important first impression of your life.”

~~~~~

Aelin was late and she hated that she was late. She’d been looking forward to this all week. And she had been ready to go, the door had been right there and she was ready to walk through it. But then she had been touching up her mascara and she’d dropped the applicator brush and it dragged down the front of her dress. The red fabric marred by a smear of black.

Dashing back to her wardrobe she had frantically looked for something that needed the least amount of prep. She settled on an outfit that was probably too dressy for where they were going but she was going for a quick outfit change and she had no doubts about how good this outfit looked. It was a green, satiny number, it went to her mid thigh but was tight enough to tastefully show off the contours of her body. She loved this dress, even more so when she realised it matched Rowan’s eyes.

Aelin stepped into the restaurant and it didn’t take her long to spot Rowan with his unique silvery hair. She gave a quick nod and point to the waiter at the reception and they waved her through. With a deep breath Aelin walked as confidently as she could towards the table as her stomach fluttered with butterflies. She was nervous, the delay making the nerves spike even higher. This thing that was between her and Rowan could really be more than just a passing fling. Sure, most of their relationship was built over phone messages, but what relationship wasn’t theses days? The chemistry that they had on the first date was insane, and they almost had kissed at the end of the night. It had been so close, they’d lent in and given half a heartbeat more Aelin would have close the distance. But then Rowan had kissed her on the cheek and said goodnight, and that was it. She would be lying to say she wasn’t disappointed, and then again she understood. This wasn’t something to be rushed.

Aelin turned the last corner, rounding the table and ready to take her seat across from Rowan. “Sorry I’m late. Wait until I—”

Her feet nearly stumbled over each other with how abruptly she stopped. It was Rowan at the table, but he wasn’t alone. There was a little girl sitting in his lap, she couldn’t be more than six months old. She was a tiny thing, with round chubby cheeks and a headband on her nearly bald head. Aelin had to tear her eyes away from the sheer adorableness of that sight to look at Rowan, who was already looking at her with panic in his eyes.

“Before you say or do anything, please let me explain.” He was begging.

Aelin swallowed, her movements slow as she pulled her chair out and sat down. She was in a trance almost, like the speed and volume of the thoughts in her head were slowing the rest of her down. Rowan looked relieved as she tucked her chair in, hanging her bag on the back of the chair. This was going to be interesting.

“Okay, can I just get this out and then you can ask as many questions as you want?” Rowan asked and Aelin nodded, her fingers twisting themselves in knots under the table. “This Ivy and she’s my daughter. She’s five months old and I’m her primary carer. When my ex found out she was pregnant we’d already broken up and we didn’t get back together when she told me.”

“I see,” Aelin said, ready to ask a thousand other questions but Rowan gave her a look that said just hold on a little longer.

“The reason that I haven’t told you about her yet is that we have some rules around Ivy. Obviously, with the single co-parenting situation we’re free to date other people and we’ve just put some rules around what and when we tell those people about Ivy. It’s usually the third date, I was going to tell you tonight regardless of that because… just because I couldn’t keep it from you anymore. But then this was meant to be my weekend off but Ivy’s mother had to work and she was desperate and so here we are.”

Aelin had to sit there for a moment and just think through what Rowan had said. It was a lot to take in. When she had started pursuing a relationship with Rowan a baby hadn’t been in the picture, that kind of thing was in the imagined future. If Aelin decided Rowan was who she wanted he was going to come with baggage, which was an awful way to describe it. Especially considering the little girl who was now staring up at her, her eyes green eyes wide as they took Aelin in. It was impossible not to smile, and when Aelin did Ivy mirrored it.

“I’m so sorry,” Rowan said, his voicediamyed. “This is not how I wanted this to happen and I understand if you want to go.” There was a pause where he just looked down at Ivy. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Those words sent a spark of anger through Aelin. How many other women had dismissed Rowan just because he had taken responsibility for his daughter? Looking at him and the way he seemed to be deflated Aelin could tell this had to be something that troubled him. He was doing the right thing by his daughter, that was obvious even from the limited information that Aelin had right now. And he was kind and funny, he’d made Aelin laugh out loud in the dark as their messages went back and forth late at night when they both should have been sleeping. Aelin had never found it so easy to flirt with a man before, everything with Rowan just came so naturally. How could Aelin judge him and dismiss him after all of that?

“So,” Aelin started but that little world got jumbled in her throat, the look of resignation Rowan gave her might have broken her heart. “You’re a dad?”

Rowan’s demeanour perked up a bit. “Yeah, I am.”

“And Ivy is five months old?” she asked.

“She is,” Rowan replied with a nod.

Aelin reached her hand out over the table, curious about the gesture Ivy wrapped her whole hand around two of Aelin’s fingers.

“Pleased to meet you, Ivy,” Aelin said. “I understand you’ll be gatecrashing our date. I will admit it’s a surprising development, but I am very much looking forward to getting to know you better.”

Withdrawing her hand Aelin looked up at Rowan, who was looking utterly relieved and beyond hopeful. Aelin gave him a coy smile, just wishing she was closer so that she could touch him and reassure him that, for the moment, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Are you sure about this?” Rowan asked anyway.

Aelin nodded. “Let’s order shall we?”

They made light conversation while they both glanced over the menu, interrupted every now and then by Ivy babbling something, often getting a soft smile from her father in return. Aelin spent more time watching them instead of looking at her menu so when a waiter came to take their order she told Rowan to order his first so she could speed read her options and pick something she hoped she would like. After that a comfortable silence occurred, Rowan looking at her expectantly knowing there were more questions.

“So you and Ivy’s mother weren’t together when…’’ Aelin nodded at Ivy.

“No, it must have happened one of the last times. Things were never strong between us so we didn’t even consider getting back together, but she wanted to keep the baby and I wanted to support her through it,” Rowan said. “Ivy’s become the most precious thing in the world to me.”

That was easy enough to see from the way his face lit up whenever Ivy caught his attention or the way he was so gentle with her.

“And you have custody?” Aelin asked.

This time Rowan took a second to answer. “I don’t have full custody, but Ivy does live with me except for every second weekend. Lyria, my ex, made some difficult decisions and came to the conclusion that the best thing was for Ivy to live with me most of the time. It’s been hard but I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”

“That’s the sweetest,” Aelin said before she could stop herself and she saw the slight hint of pink flush into Rowan’s cheeks. Who knew a little complement like that could get Rowan Whitethorn blushing.

“I feel bad about not telling you about Ivy, honestly it’s been very hard not to,” Rowan admitted. “I’ve been lying to you and I despise liars.”

“You have to protect your daughter. I’m sure you saw the shock on my face and yeah I am still reeling a little, but you did the right thing and have been honest since,” Aelin said with a shrug.

“I thought you might just turn around and walk away,” Rowan said.

Aelin laughed, albeit a little nervously because that had been one of the many ideas that had run through her mind. “I do love a bit of drama and there was clearly a story behind this.”

“I’m glad it was enough to get you to stay,” Rowan admitted.

“There was that and the fact Ivy is the most adorable child I’ve ever seen,” Aelin teased.

This time the smile Rowangave her was confident. “No need to lay it on, I’m already convinced.”

Aelin cocked her head in question. “Convinced of what?”

Rowan opened his answer but just then Ivy whimpered and as quick as anything Rowan’s attention was diverted. He tapped his phone that was on the table and nodded to himself.

“She’s getting hungry,” he said and reached into the change bag on the chair beside him. One strong hand stayed on Ivy’s tummy to keep her steady as his focus went to the bag. He searched for a while, his brow lowering as time stretched on and Ivy got more irritated. “I think I left her bottle in the car, it must have fallen out of the bag when it tipped or something. I’ll have to run out and get it.”

Just then Ivy… Aelin couldn’t really describe the sound. It was a wail, crossed with a squeak and maybe a hiccup. It made Rowan cringe and he glanced around nervously, conscious of his daughter disrupting other diners. He glanced out once of the windows and then down to Ivy.

“Aelin,” Rowan said her name with a touch of apprehension. “It's cold out and I don’t want to take her out.”

“Hmm?” But then it dawned on her what he was asking. “Oh. Oh, yes. Gimme.”

Rowan's mouth tilted into a poorly concealed smile. “You sure? I don’t want to make you—”

“Rowan, give me the baby. I’ve been waiting for you to offer for the past half hour,” Aelin told him.

“We’ve only been here twenty minutes,” Rowan said.

Aelin reached out across the table, she withheld the grabby gestures with her hands. “Doesn’t matter at this point. I want to hold her.”

“Here, I’ll be as quick as I can,” Rowan said, handing over the baby and leaving the table.

Ivy’s eyes followed him for a while and she looked a little shocked when he disappeared from sight. Then she realised someone else was holding her and her attention shifted. Aelin had her sitting on the edge of the table and at this level they were nearly face to face. This close Aelin could see that the infant’s eyes were green with a small hint of blue. Once Aelin had heard something about baby’s eyes changing colour when they were little and she wondered if Ivy’s eyes might settle on green like her father’s. That would just add to her sheer adorableness.

“Hey there,” Aelin said. “Just so you know, I like your dad. A lot. So you might be seeing me a bit. So, maybe we can be friends. What do you think about that?”

Ivy smiled and cooed, her little hands waving around.

“How dare you be so adorable, because that’s what you are.” Aelin was smiling so hard that her cheeks were hurting. Ivy managed to get hold of a fork, and prongs end up, and it was slowly making its way to her mouth. “Ma’am that’s my fork and I don’t think your father will appreciate you stabbing your gums with it.”

Aelin had said the words softly and sweetly, and had gently pried the fork from her grasp. Despite all that it was enough to make Ivy’s lip pout out and quiver, her eyes were getting glassy.

“Oh no, no no no. Ivy It’s okay,” Aelin tried to sooth her but it didn’t work.

Ivy whimpered and Aelin panicked. She’d been left alone with the baby for five minutes and she was already losing it.

“What did you do to my baby?”

Rowan's voice actually startled her, she had been so focused on figuring out how to make Ivy stop crying that she didn’t know he had snuck up behind her. Aelin looked up to see him smirking playfully at her. How could he be smiling at a time like this?

“I took my fork back and she lost it,” Aelin explained. “I swear that was all of it, I didn’t know it would be such a disaster.”

Rowan put the bottle on the table and picked Ivy back up. “It’s fine, she just gets hangry.”

Aelin laughed and watched as Rowan easily placated his daughter. He kissed her cheeks and whispered things Aelin couldn’t hear. It made her heart flip, if she was attracted to this man before it just skyrocketed to another level.

Rowan sat down again and when Ivy spotted the bottle her limbs kicked out. Her entire focus went to the blue lidded bottle and she was trying her hardest to reach for it. A canister of water appeared next to the bottle and Rowan tried to open it but Ivy’s excitement was just too much.

“Here, I’ll do it.” Aelin offered. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Fill the water up to the 210 line, then shake it up,” Rowan explained.

Aelin did it, tipping the water in and then screwing the lid back on the bottle before shaking it up. Ivy watched the whole thing, her lips working like she was chewing on something.

“Good?” Aelin held up the bottle so Rowan could inspect it.

“Fantastic work, you’re a natural,” Rowan said, holding his hand out to take the bottle.

“My skills with mixing cocktails has come in handy.” The formula was mixed but Aelin didn’t hand it over. “I… can I do it?”

Rowan nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

Once again the baby was handed over the table. Aelin barely had a grip on her before Ivy was grabbing the bottle and trying to put it in her mouth. She got frustrated when she tried to put the tip of the bottle in her mouth but the cap was still.

“Hold on a second, little lady,” Aelin was laughing as she said the words. She managed to wrangle the bottle out of Ivy’s hands enough to pop the cap off and then the bottle was pulled from her hand by a set of much smaller ones. After that Aelin didn’t have to do anything except cradle Ivy in her arms.

“From here on out she’s pretty self sufficient from here on out,” Rowan said.

Aelin smiled and then looked down at Ivy who was more than content with her dinner. Feeling eyes on her, Aelin looked up and saw Rowan with a soft expression on his face.

“What?” she asked, finding herself rocking a little with the weight of the baby in her arms.

Rowan sighed. “I don’t know how many more times you want to hear me apologise.”

“Rowan,” Aelin chewed over her words for a while. “I understand why you didn’t tell me, I have to accept what this is and I am still getting used to it. But I like you, Rowan. I don’t want to just throw this away before we’ve really had time to think about it. The way I’m seeing it, Ivy is just a bonus.”

The words flew out of her mouth before Aelin gave them permission to leave. She meant them, of course, but she was still in the process of processing that the guy she was likely going to fall in love with was more complicated than she was expecting. There was another thought that was threatening her composure. Aelin kept a tight lid on it, for everyone’s benefit. She could freak out later when her hands weren’t full and Rowan wasn’t looking at her like she was the greatest thing to walk the earth. He could do that later when she wasn’t feeling so self conscious.

Ivy nearly threw her bottle when she was done with it and Aelin helped her sit up. The little girl was so happy, beaming up with Aelin with a two teeth smile.

“Here, I’ll take her,” Rowan said. “She might throw up a little.”

Rowan said it so casually and while Aelin tried not to recoil, she supposed that he’d been dealing with that kind of thing like it was second nature for months. He whipped out a cloth and strategically placed it on Ivy’s lap just in case. It was clear that Rowan was a natural at this, and that he loved his daughter so much. Fear gripped Aelin’s gut when she realised that if she wasn’t a good fit for Rowan’s daughter… she wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I’ll be right back,” Aelin said, taking her bag with her. Rowan nodded but didn’t give her more than a passing glance.

Aelin bolted for the bathroom, pushing the door open with her hip and dropping her bag onto the counter. It was clean, so that was a relief. What she really wanted to do was splash water on her face, but that would ruin her make-up and what she had in her bag was not going to be enough to fix it. She settled for her hands instead, methodically lathering them up and rinsing them, then drying them until there wasn’t a speck of water left. It was clear she was now officially freaking out. A man, with a baby. Was that her future?

If she kept that question and just this general situation to herself, she would get nowhere. So instead she desperately reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. Moments later she was calling the one person who already knew every little detail of her burgeoning relationship.

“Hello, hello,” a female voice said. “Wait, you’re on your date. Why are you calling me?”

“Lys, there’s been a development,” Aelin blurted out.

“What kind of development?” Lysandra asked. “Did you… meet up before the dinner? Is the sex that bad?”

“What, no!” Aelin replied. “I’m at the restaurant calling you from the bathroom.”

“Food poisoning?” Her friend suggested.

“No, I—”

Lysandra cut her off. “Does he chew with his mouth open? I know that’s a thing for you,”

“No, it’s not that,” Aelin sighed.

“Is it—”

“I need  you to just listen,” the seriousness in Aelin’s voice finally shut her friend up. “He has a kid.”

There were a few beats of stunned silence. “He what?”

“He has a kid,” Aelin sighed then dove into the story. “I walked into the restaurant and he was sitting there with a baby on his knee. It’s his, he’s not with the baby’s mother and hasn’t been since before the baby was born. She’s so cute, Lys. absolutely adorable.”

“So, you’re telling me that over the past few months that you’ve been talking to this man and the one singular but fantastic date he’s not mentioned that he’s a dad?” Lysandra sounded sceptical.

“He hasn’t,” Aelin said, feeling more than a little deflated.

“Not even a little hint?”

“None at all,” Aelin confrimed.

Lysandra laughed awkwardly. “That’s weird.”

“But is it? He had his reasons and he told me that he was going to tell me tonight,” Aelin said, coming to Rowan’s defence.

“That sounds awfully convenient,” Lysandra countered.

“I think he means it though,” Aelin said. “It sounds like something went down and there’s rules that they put in place to protect Ivy”

“Ivy?” Lysandra asked

“Yeah that’s his daughter’s name.”

“That is adorable,” her friend said.

“Right? Lys you have no idea, she’s in this little floral onesie and has a headband on. And Rowan would have dressed her himself because he’s the primary caregiver.” Aelin was definitely gushing over a baby she’d known for about half an hour.

“Holy shit, he’s not,” Lysandra sounded stunned.

“He is, and I’m freaking out,” Aelin hissed into the phone. “This wasn’t what I had in mind when I sent that first flirty text. The stakes just got so much higher.”

Aelin wasn’t too lost in her panic to realise that she was about to be gone for a suspiciously long time.

“What do I do? I really like him, but adding a kid to the mix is full on.” Any advice would be helpful in this situation and Aelin was ready to beg for it.

“Well, it’s not like he’s proposing and the fact that he was willing to introduce his daughter to you means something,” her friend rationally explained. “And, if this was to go nowhere you’re not crazy enough to leave a lasting impact on the kid. She’s little enough that she won’t remember who you are after a week or so.”

“That is true,” Aelin agreed.

“So, just focus on the relationship with him for now. If it’s going to work then you can figure the rest out later.”

“But…” Aelin took a second, remembering what Rowan had implied about people running when Ivy came into the picture. She didn’t want to be like them, but still it kept pushing itself into her mind as something that needed to be addressed. “Shouldn't I be contemplating what would happen if I chose to pursue this with Rowan? This could potentially be an instant family situation. Am I ready for that?”

Lysandra was quiet and Aelin was about to prompt her for some kind of answer when she said. “Are you?”

Aelin sighed as her gut knotted. Yes, she had always wanted a family, she was 24, she was young and incredibly naive to many of the realities of life just because she hadn’t experienced them yet. Rowan had been thrown in deep end and wading through circumstances Aelin had assumed were years away for her. It was a scary thought to be committed to both Rowan and Ivy like that… but it wasn’t exactly unpleasant.

“I’m going to do it,” Aelin said with renewed conviction. “I want to give this a try.”

“There we go. Update me later, okay? Now go have fun,” Lysandra said.

“Bye Lys, and thanks.”

Aelin hung up after that. Looking up she gave herself a morale boosting nod before she picked up her bag and went back to the table. Rowan was still there with Ivy sitting on the table, just like Aelin had her sitting before. Father and daughter were having some kind of conversation that included a lot of smiling. It was too precious.

She sat back down and Rowan turned that smile on her, loosening that tension in her gut. One step at a time, the first of them was just accepting and getting to know the man in front of her. The man who was her friend and clearly a wonderful father. He’d taken a chance tonight, so now it was her turn.

~~~~~

When Aelin had disappeared to the bathroom for a fair deal longer than usual Rowan had been worried. Some bitter part of him thought that maybe she had just left. That the excuses and explanations that he had offered weren’t enough and Aelin had decided he was too much. But then she reappeared and he had whispered his profound relief to Ivy, who looked excited even though she had no idea what he was talking about.

She sat down, returning the smile he had offered and the evening had gone well from there. The conversation seemed a bit easier after that, more like what they shared over their messages—the easy banter that came with a fair amount of teasing on Aelin’s part. They were about to order dessert when things went awry.

Ivy began to fuss, it started as displeased whimpering but had quickly escalated into dissatisfied squawking. Rowan knew he was about five minutes away from a meltdown. Aelin had admitted her need for dessert, something he wasn’t particularly fussed on which had shocked her into a stunned silence when he had shrugged off the importance of double chocolate mousse. Rowan wanted Aelin to get her dessert, he didn’t want this date to be over just yet, but he also didn’t want his daughter to completely crack it in a public setting.

“We have to go, don’t we?” Aelin said before he got the chance to admit it.

“Yeah, sorry,” Rowan said, disappointed and a little embarrassed. “She’s just… well you can see.”

Aelin nodded with a sympathetic smile. “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

“Dessert—“

Rowan didn’t get to say anything else because Ivy yelled at him, a clear demonstration of why she needed to get to bed.

“I’ll pay, you look after her.”

Aelin was gone in a moment, leaving Rowan to pick up the few toys left behind. He was moving fast because Ivy was about to ruin the dining experience of every other person in the restaurant and he just wanted to get out of there before the cutting looks started. Before shouldering the bag he pulled out a small blanket to help combat the coolness of outside. Then he was up, Ivy protesting against his chest with the blanket thrown over her. Aelin was paying when he rushed through the front door and he decided to wait for her out on the street.

Bouncing to try and soothe Ivy, he watched the door of the restaurant. One handed he fished a pacifier out of the bag. “I know, love. Just a little more and then I’ll get you in the car, okay?”

Aelin was out a few minutes later. “I would have understood if you left.”

“I wouldn’t without saying goodbye,” Rowan said. “I had a great time, and thank you for not walking out on me.”

“Rowan,” Aelin chided with a soft shake of her head. “Come here.”

Her hand was on his elbow and he took her direction and lent down a little. Aelin pressed a kiss to his cheek. When he pulled back enough to look her in the eyes if his hands hadn’t been full nothing would have stopped her from kissing her at that moment. Because he could see that Ivy hadn’t scared her away, the understanding that Aelin had for him was a rare thing.

“I hadn’t planned on this evening ending so early,” Aelin said.

“Me neither.” Then Rowan took a chance. “It doesn’t have to. I mean if you wanted… I can put Ivy to bed and then I can get you that dessert I promised.”

Aelin’s face lit up. “Send me your address.”

~~~~~

Aelin parked on the curb outside a tidy little townhouse. It was nothing fancy, just modest and efficient and very practical for a single father she supposed. That was a shift in perspective that she was still getting used to. The front porch light was on so Rowan had beat her here. With the way Ivy was fussing she wasn’t surprised. Rowan had been desperate to get out of there, the date had probably disrupted whatever Ivy’s routine was. Hopefully the entire evening wasn’t lost and Ivy would recover enough to not cause her father too much trouble.

Locking her car with a press of a button Aelin walked up in path and stairs to the front door. She considered knocking but worried that it might disturb Ivy so instead she let herself in. The house was quiet except for the sound of soft singing. Aelin followed the sound to the living room where Rowan was gently swaying, a dozing Ivy in his arms as she drank her bottle. And good Gods, he stopped her in her tracks for the second time that night.

For a few very long heartbeats her ovaries took full control over her body. That part of her that hearkened back to a time when humans chose partners for their capabilities as providers rose to the surface and told her this man was the one that could really, really look after her. Rowan noticing her broke the spell and Aelin stopped herself from literally shaking herself out of it.

“Take a seat, I’ll only be a few more minutes,” he told her softly.

Aelin nodded and let Rowan pass. Ivy was so little in his arms and they made for a perfect picture. He was still singing when the two of them disappeared upstairs and Aelin wandered into the living room. She didn’t sit on the couch, instead she glanced along the bookshelf in the corner of the room. There was hardly any space left and usually reading the spines would have taken up Aelin’s focus, but it was the photos that caught her attention. They were all of Ivy. Some had people in them Aelin didn’t recognise and a few had Rowan in them. Her eyes stopped on one where Ivy was tiny, newborn kind of tiny, and Rowan was looking at her with tears in his eyes and the most adoring smile on his face. It was a beautiful moment.

“That was the first time I held her,” Rowan said and Aelin nearly jumped. “I was scared shitless but I loved her so much instantly.”

Aelin turned to face Rowan, he was only a few feet away from her, now baby-less but still just as handsome. He looked nervous, the same kind of nervousness that had come and gone all night. A hand ran through his hair and he took a step closer, then another. Aelin stayed right where she was, waiting for whatever declaration he was about to make. She was expecting another apology.

“Thank you,” he said instead. “It means a lot to me that you didn’t run. That you’re willing to give this a chance.”

“Just so you know, you with a baby is incredibly hot,” Aelin chose to say, successfully diffusing the tension that threatened to envelope them again. “In fact I would say that it’s taken you up a notch.”

Rowan took another step forward. If he got any closer Aelin would be stuck in between him and the bookcase—not a terribly place to be. “Oh?”

Aelin grinned, knowing she was going to cause a stir with this one. “Yeah, there’s a neat little acronym for it.” Rowan’s lips twitched like he was following along. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Rowan. But you are undoubtedly a DILF.”

Rowan laughed, a deep rich sound. “You know what, I don’t think that’s been brought to my attention before.”

“Really? Because I’d definitely go there. Wouldn’t need to ask me twice.”

That made Rowan laugh again, a little softer this time. Then he said, “Aelin.”

“Yes?” He’d moved closer now, half a step back and Aelin would have the shelves digging into her shoulders.

“I’d like to kiss you now, if that’s alright,” Rowan said, a hand brushing against her cheek.

“Well considering what I just said I think you have more than enough permission,” Aelin all but breathed.

“Just wanted to make sure.”

There was no time to reply because Rowan lips were pressed to hers, silencing whatever snarky remark she could come up with to hide her own nervousness. Aelin let the kiss consume her, sighing and letting Rowan take the lead. She had been waiting for this for a long time and it was even better than she imagined. Rowan’s hand landed on her hip, but it was Aelin who tugged him closer with her arms around his neck. That made him groan, his hands travelling higher to grip her waist. That pressure made her gasp and Rowan swept his tongue into her, making her knees go weak as he licked at the roof of her mouth. Not to be outdone, Aelin fingers tightened in his hair, a move he approved of if the way his hand drifted dangerously high.

“You can touch me,” Aelin breathed against his lips. “Please.”

“What about dessert,” he teased with a kiss pressed to her neck.

Aelin’s eyelids fluttered closed at the sensation of his lips on her skin. “Doesn’t matter now.”

That was all the permission Rowan needed and his hand was covering her breast. Even though the layers of her dress and her bra, he was teasing her nipple making her whimper into his mouth.

“Gods, Aelin,” he groaned and then they were moving backward—blindly for Aelin but Rowan knew exactly where they were going.

He dropped onto the couch, bringing Aelin with him. With a hand behind each knee he arranged them so she was straddling his lap. The fabric of her dress rode up, but Aelin didn’t care. All she cared about was the man beneath her who was kissing and touching her like he would never ever be done with her.

They made out for a while, the tension building with each pass of Rowan’s hand’s over her body. When Aelin was burning and desperate enough to ask him for more Rowan slowed down, his kisses getting gentler and less urgent. Somewhere is the dizzy reaches of her brain Aelin wanted to protest, but through the haze rationality was sneaking in.

Rowan pressed a brief kiss to Aelin’s lips, once then twice. “I know what you said… but not tonight.”

He was right. There was a lot more they needed to all about before this went any further, so Aelin agreed. “Not tonight.”

She crawled off his lap and settled next to Rowan with a head on his chest. He was still tense, and when he had to pull at the front of his jeans Aelin snorted into his shirt.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m so mean.”

There was a faint blush on Rowan’s cheeks when he said, “It’s been a while?”

“A while?” Aelin asked, her face no longer hidden.

“Yeah, a while,” Rowan admitted.

Aelin was doing some quick calculations in her head. “Are we talking like… conception ‘a while’? Because that’s like a year.”

Thankfully Rowan laughed instead of taking offence. “No, it’s not been that long. Just, apparently having a child can be a bit of a turn off. Not for everyone, obviously.”

This time Aelin blushed, but gave Rowan a poke in his ribs for teasing. “I feel like there’s more to the story there.”

Rowan sighed. “There’s a lot to my story.”

“Then start from the beginning, I want to hear it,” Aelin said. “I know we’ve gotten to know a lot about each other, but now I feel like I only know half of you. I want to know all of you.”

“I’ve been dying to tell you,” Rowan said, looking down at her with utter sincerity. “But even that’s all part of it.”

“From the beginning, Rowan,” Aelin prompted, giving him a kiss on the cheek to sweeten the deal.

He kissed the top of her head in return. “Right. From the beginning. Lyria and I were dating for nearly a year when we broke up, and like I said Ivy must have happened right towards the very end. We weren’t a good match, but we liked each other enough and then it was convenient and—“

Rowan cut himself off but Aelin got the gist. “And the sex was good.”

“Is that and awfully shallow reason to stay in a relationship?” Rowan asked.

Aelin shrugged. “Sometimes companionship is more than enough.”

“Anyway,” Rowan picked his story back up. “We woke up to ourselves, called it off and a month later Lyria’s called me to tell me she was pregnant and that she wanted to keep it. I told her I wanted to be part of the baby’s life and we’d maintained enough of a friendship that we were both comfortable with that. I went to all the appointments, helped buy everything and semi moved in a few weeks before the due date. Everything was textbook book, no complications or anything, and we had our little Ivy.”

There was a softness that took ove Rowan’s face as he must have got lost in those early memories.

“We kept living together for the first two months and I ended up taking on most of the responsibilities. I didn’t think much of it then, I was just doing the best I could and I loved taking care Ivy, but looking back I think it was the first indicator. To me I was just doing the hard yards while Lyria recovered. Then I moved back out and I was the one taking Ivy on the weekends.” Rowan sighed and he looked down at Aelin with an odd kind of intensity. “I need you to know that Lyria isn’t a bad mother or a terrible person. There were just circumstances that were beyond her control that had her reevaluating what was best for Ivy.”

“I can do that,” Aelin told him.

“Lyria was young, she was 22 when she had Ivy, and an unexpected baby wasn’t exactly in her plans and she was struggling to reconcile with the loss of the life she had for herself. I could see she struggled when it came to taking care of Ivy and I did what I could. That included getting her to see and doctor. She had postpartum depression and anxiety, it made her feel like being a full tome mother wasn’t for her. We had a very serious talk about it and she wanted me to have primary custody.”

“That’s…” Aelin was searching for the right words. It must have been a difficult decision to come to. “That was very brave of her.”

Rowan nodded his head once. “It was. Things have become strained between us since then, I think she stuggles with guilt of it and all that. But Ivy is our priority. That’s why we have the rules.”

“Ah, the rules,” Aelin echoed. “Let’s hear them.”

“These rules came from…” Rowan physically cringed, “some questionable partners that Lyria entertained a relationship with. Rule one is that there is not mention of Ivy until the second date. Rule two is that it’s three dates before the potential partner can meet Ivy, and rule three is we have to meet each other’s dates before they meet Ivy.”

Aelin swallowed, suddenly feeling very nervous. “So, you pretty much broke all of the rules.”

Rowan turned her head so she had to look at him. “Because I knew you’d be so worth it.”

Then he was kissing her again, and it was so easy to get willingly lost in it again. So easy to let him lay her back on the couch, his strong body hovering over her’s and their hands made lazy, idle passes. Then Rowan groaned, resting their foreheads together.

“But because I broke those rules, I don’t want to take this any further before I rectify that,” Rowan said.

“I understand,” Aelin kissed away the frown on his face. “Why don’t we watch something then?”

Rowan looked at her like she something wonderous, it made her heart do funny things in her chest. “You have no idea how much your understanding means to me.”

The sincerity in his voice made Aelin want to ask why but she let it be. There would be time for that later.

~~~~~

It had been Aelin’s idea to watch something, but she had also been the one to ignore that entirely and just talk the whole way through the movie. Sometimes it was about what was going on the screen, mostly it was just her asking Rowan personal questions. Seven out of ten times they revolved around Ivy and Rowan found it hard to deny the effect that Aelin’s inquisitiveness had on him. Knowing Ivy existed opened up and whole new avenue for them, they had done the all the get to know you questions weeks ago and now there was something entirely new to explore. For Aelin, Ivy was embraced not avoided. She wanted to know more, every new question reaffirming how right this relationship felt.

It was getting late and Rowan was getting tired. It wasn’t until Aelin started drifting off mid story that Rowan realised she was tired too.

He chuckled softly, waking Aelin up from her dozing. “What… no keep going.”

“You’re falling asleep,” Rowan chided.

Aelin huffed, like she was disappointed. “I like the sound of your voice.”

“You should go home,” Rowan told her, but Aelin’s arms just tightened around him.

“No.”

Decision made then. Despite’s Aelin’s protests her untangled himself from her grip and helped her stand.

“This is not where I saw my evening going,” Rowan said. “You can stay if you want.”

“Mmm, yes please,” Aelin yawned. “I don’t think I can get myself home.”

“Come on then.” Rowan led Aelin upstairs to his room and sat her on the edge of the bed as he pulled some clothes out for her and for himself. “Put these on, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Rowan got himself ready for bed in the bathroom and when he came out Aelin had already tucked herself in. She’s taken his shirt but left the sweatpants on the foot of the bed. That was going to be tortuous for him.

“The pants were too big,” Aelin mumbled. “Sorry.”

She certainly didn’t sound it.

“I’ll be on the couch if you need anything,” Rowan said.

“Here with me is where I need you,” Aelin replied. “Don’t be silly, Rowan. We can control oursleves.”

There was a slight challenge in Aelin’s voice, a taunt that maybe it would be absolutely fine if they lost a little bit of that control. But he would have to be the one to make the first move. Smirking at the woman in his bed even though she had her back to him, Rowan pulled back the sheet and slipped in beside her. He kept his distance—not wanting to tempt fate. But after lying there for a while he found he couldn’t sleep until he’d wrapped his arms around Aelin, kissing her golden hair once before drifting off to sleep.

When he was up the next morning Aelin was still right there next to him. At some point Rowan had rolled onto his back and she’d come with him, torso half over him and arm banded around his chest. It was still very early, but it was what his body had become accustomed to caring for an infant. Very carefully he eased himself out of Aelin’s grasp and pulled the blanket up to her chin, leaving her cozy in bed. On his way downstairs he stopped by Ivy’s room, peeking into the dim space to find his daughter still asleep as well. Rowan let her be, closing the door as softly as he could.

Rowan tidied the bottle mess from last night and set the coffee brewing. He was hoping there was something in his fridge he could rustle up for breakfast. Yawning and stretching, he padded over to the fridge and investigated. He was just pulling out some eggs when he heard his front door open and he froze.

“Shit,” he muttered to himself, giving up on the eggs and nearly slamming the fridge shut.

Lyria walked into the kitchen, making Rowan even angrier than yesterday about her disregard for her privacy.

“Good morning, Rowan,” Lyria said looking him over. “Ivy got you early up too I see.”

“Habit,” was all Rowan said. This was not how he envisioned his morning going. He and Aelin were going to have breakfast, chat some more, then he was going to call Lyria and have her come get Ivy and they could talk about his new relationship. With her dropping in like this he was on the back foot, he was half hoping Aelin would sleep through it all and then he wouldn’t have to scramble for an explanation.

Lyria just look at him. “Okay. So, yeah. Sorry about last night. I hope your date understood.”

“She did,” just not in the way Lyria was referring to.

Guilt started to build in his gut. He was lying to Lyria, all for his own benefit, and was making Aelin complicit in his lies. This was not the right way to start things. Rowan had messed up, he shouldn’t have listened to his own anger. He should have done things right because everything he’d worked hard for was about to blow up in his face. Even if Aelin didn’t appear, the real beginning of their relationship had started with him being deceitful. Not to Aelin, but the mother of his child, who no matter what would always be a crucial part of his life.

“If you had of told me you were coming I would have had Ivy ready to go,” Rowan said.

Lyria shrugged. “I thought she’d be up by now and I wanted to get our weekend started.”

“How do I not factor into anything?” Rowan asked. “What if I had of of been sleeping? You can’t just walk in here Lyria.”

Lyria’s chestnut eyes widened at his words. “You gave me a key.”

“For emergencies, not to just walk in when you felt like it.” Rowan had been withholding this argument for a long while, now cornered and desperate it had slipped out. “It’s disrespectful.”

“Rowan, we have a kid together,” Lyria said, provoked and looking ready for an argument. “I need access to your apartment for about fifty different reasons.”

“I’m just asking that if it’s not an emergency, you knock first,” Rowan grit out, keeping a tight hold on his anger. “It’s the same curtesy I give you.”

“I don’t care what you do,” Lyria threw back at him.

“That’s an outright lie.” His anger slipped a little and he needed to get out of there before it went any further. “I’ll get Ivy for you.”

“There’s no need.”

Both he and Lyria turned to the voice that came from the entry way, where Aelin stood, Ivy on her hip, dressed in nothing but his shirt. At any other time that sight would have been a vision. But right now, it was the worst thing in the world. Because when Lyria turned back to him that was pure anger on her face.

~~~~~

It was soft babbling that woke Aelin up, it was muffled and a little scratchy sounding, and it took Aelin a moment to figure out why it sounded so weird. Blearily she looked up, looking for the source of the sound and spotted the baby monitor on Rowan’s bedside table.

“Ah, that’s why,” Aelin said to herself, because she’d been left alone on Rowan’s bed.

She stretched out, letting herself wake up properly before she made a decision on what to do next. The door to the ensuite was open and she could see that Rowan wasn’t in there or the rest of the bedroom. And from the way that Ivy’s babbling got a little more insistent it didn’t sound like he was in her room either. He must be downstairs then.

Aelin rolled to the edge of the bed and pushed herself up, heading to where she supposed Ivy’s room was. A sweet little voice led her way and soon enough Aelin found herself in a quaint bedroom with green walls and a woodland theme. Ivy was in her cot, kicking as best she could with the zip up sleeping bag she was trapped in.

“Hey there, little bug,” Aelin said as she approached the bed. “You want out?”

A gurgling laugh was her answer.

“Alright, I don’t exactly know what to deal it so I’ll release you and let Dad figure out the rest.” Aelin unzipped the bag and lifted Ivy out of it. In a little gesture that warmed her heart, Ivy cuddled up to her, fingers weaving into Aelin’s tangled hair.

Mindful that she was carrying an infant, Aelin used the banister to help her down the stairs. She was too busy chatting with Ivy to take any real notice of the other voices in the house, her inattentive brain just assumed it was the TV or something. Then when she stepped into the entry way of the kitchen Aelin discovered that their party had increased by one.

The woman with brown hair and and chestnut coloured eyes was unquestioningly Ivy’s mother. There were enough similarities between her and the infant that it was recognisable. The tension in the room was tense, and when Lyria looked over at Aelin with anger flashing in her eyes, it only thickened.

“You weren’t so much worried about you sleeping in than me interrupting something else then?” She accused at Rowan. “Looks like you were worried about me walking in and finding you two fucking on the couch.”

“Don’t swear in front of Ivy,” Rowan snapped.

Lyria let out a short, bitter laugh. “Oh, please. She’s five months old she has no idea.”

Rowan stood his ground. “I don’t care, I’m asking you not to swear in front of her in my house.”

Aelin could only watch with mild horror as this argument unfolding in front of her. Because of her. She was feeling deeply uncomfortable but didn’t know what to do.

“You accuse me of being disrespectful. Knock before you come in, don’t swear. All these rules, Rowan. But what about our rules,” Lyria took a single step towards Rowan, hand cutting through the air. “The rules don’t apply to you then? Just me. Why is that?”

Oh, gods. Rowan had broken or twisted every rule last night with her. And Aelin had been so caught up in the thrill and surprise of it all to not realise how wrong it was. This woman was the mother of his child, and they had betrayed her and gone behind her back, breaking whatever strenuous peace Rowan had worked towards.

Aelin had caused this rift and had even brought Ivy in to witness it.

As if echoing the distaster of her thoughts Ivy whimpered, little face burying into Aelin’s shoulder. It was hardly a mirror image that her parents presented, Rowan’s features softened while Lyria’s only hardened with more anger.

Moving Ivy into her hands Aelin rushed forward. “Here.”

She passed the baby to Rowan and then fled, ignoring the voices behind her. Her main goal was to get out of the house and leave this poor family alone. It was selfish of her to inflict this kind of pain on them, and her own anger was building because Rowan had led her right into it. He’d professed that those gods-damned rules were there to protect Ivy. They hadn’t, just confirmed by the sharp wail that cut through the house.

Aelin snatched up her clothes and the sweatpants that she had forgone last night. Changing wasn’t a priority, getting out was. She pulled on the pants and got her car keys out of her hand bag. The shoes she had worn last night were somewhere in the living room but she could live without those.

She nearly ran down the stairs, stumbling over the last one. Rowan and Lyria were still going at it in the kitchen, but she ignored them and made for the front door.

“Aelin, wait!” Rowan called to her but she didn’t.

The morning air still held a chill and the wooden slats of the front porch were cold on her bare feet. Aelin was down the stairs of the porch when Rowan called out again, babyless and rushing through the door.

“Aelin, please.”

Stopping, Aelin turned around and shook her head. “I have to go, Rowan.”

“No, please stay,” he was barefoot on the concrete path too, moving closer.

When Aelin took a step back, he stopped. “I can’t. You need to fix this. I’m sorry I caused this, we shouldn’t have…”

Her voice faded out as tears clawed at her throat.

“This was me,” Rowan said. “I… I messed up.”

“Go and fix it then.” Without another word Aelin left him standing there, no more hesitating as he headed to her car.

Aelin refused to look, but she knew Rowan was there watching everything as she threw her clothes onto the passenger seat and started the car. This hurt, because Aelin knew that this could have been something special, and now because they both had been stupid and reckless and selfish it was burning to nothing but ash. She should have gone home like her common sense had urged her to do, after hearing everything she should have respected what Lyria had wanted for Ivy. The poor tiny thing, Aelin had just caused her so much pain. One solitary glance in the rearview mirror showed Rowan standing right where she’d left him, still watching her go.

Aelin was just grateful that he coulddn’t see the tears rolling down her cheeks, soaking the t-shirt of his she still wore.

~~~~~

Like I said. I’m promising you a part 2. Maybe a happy new year gift?

[tswaney17]

Across the Hallway - Epilogue

The happiest of happy birthdays goes out to the wonderful, amazing, gorgeous, sweet @offtorivendell! You are an incredible person and I am lucky to call you my friend. I know you love this fic, so here's a little epilogue to conclude the series. Thank you for inspiring this final part. I hope you picked out the pieces I put in specifically for you. All my love. 💜

I hope you have a truly wonderful day, my love! 💕

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​​​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💜💙💚

Catch up here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4**

Credit to @featherymalignancy for Cassian’s nickname, Cash. 😘

Trigger warnings: lots of fluff🥰

Word Count: 1,580

Even after eight months of being together, Elain still got butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw Azriel. A wave of utter happiness would wash over her just in his presence. He was everything she dreamed of wanting—even went as far as believing that she had too high of expectations until she met him. But after everything Graysen had put her through, Elain felt like she owed it to herself to find someone who truly cared for her.

And care for her he did. Azriel was attentive, affectionate, kind, loyal, considerate, and indescribably good in bed. The love, the pleasure she received from him was beyond her imagination.

After just six months, they moved in together, buying their first home. It wasn’t fancy—a small cottage-like house with a garden in the back and planters around the front. Sitting on just the outskirts of Velaris, it gave them the privacy they enjoyed while still not being too far from their jobs.

Elain maintained the garden, bringing it back to life and flourishing practically every kind of flower one could think of, while Azriel worked on the house in the areas that needed a little TLC. She helped him where she could and he always made a point to assist her in the garden when he was able to.

They truly made the perfect team in building their life, their home, together.

Shadow was growing out of his kitten stage, though he was still as loveable as he was when he was young. He had taken to Azriel exceptionally well—to the point that Elain sometimes became jealous of the attention Az received from her baby.

By the time she arrived at their home that night, it was close to seven. Cerridwen was out sick and since the wedding of the Whitethorn-Galathynius’s, her bakery had taken off. Elain was in the process of finding more help, but had yet to hire anybody; so, she was responsible for taking on the extra work when one of her two employees was ill. She was bone-tired and looking for some much-needed R&R with her boyfriend and little furball.

Opening the front door, she called out, “I’m home!”

“Living room,” Azriel grunted back.

Tossing her keys into the ceramic bowl by the door, she kicked off her shoes and went in search of her man, wondering why he sounded like he did.

What Elain didn’t expect to see was Azriel in the middle of their living room doing pushups, Shadow curled up on his bare back dozing despite the movements. Her brows shot into her hairline. Pursing her lips in an attempt not to laugh at the little show, Elain asked, “What exactly is going on here?”

Azriel dropped onto his stomach, breathing heavily as he looked up at her with his chin propped on his wrist. “I was trying to work out, but somebody was incredibly needy today.” He glanced over his shoulder at the cat still lying on his back. “It started when I was doing sit-ups. He leaped onto my chest and stayed tucked there until I finished. Then I put him on the floor and he jumped onto my back when I switched to pushups.”

Elain giggled, walking further into the room, and plucked the black ball of fur from his back.

Shadow peeked open an eye at her, meowing once before he snuggled into her chest.

“Hi, my sweet boy. Were you bothering daddy when he was trying to work out?” she cooed, kissing his little head.

Azriel rolled onto his back and sat up, resting his arms around his knees. “Thank God. I would’ve been stuck there until he got off or you removed him.”

Laughing, she bent at the waist and dropped a kiss onto his lips. “You could’ve just rolled to the side and made him slide off.”

He huffed, standing up. “And what kind of a father would I be if I just pushed him off me?”

She raised a single brow, shooting him a sly grin. “You’re going to spoil our future children rotten, aren’t you?”

Azriel laughed, the sound deep and joyful. “Oh, absolutely.”

Elain shook her head, sighing to herself but still amused. “At least they will be thoroughly loved.”

Wrapping her and Shadow into his arms, Az kissed the side of her head. “The most loved children the world will ever see.”

She hummed in contentment.

“I’m going to shower. Dinner is in the oven if you want to take a peek at it before feeding Shadow.” Tilting his head forward, he kissed her again.

“Sounds good. I’ll be in in a few to change.” Elain twisted on her heel, making her way to the kitchen.

* * *

Azriel waited until Elain was in the kitchen before he headed for their bedroom. Going to his dresser, he opened the top drawer with all his socks and rooted around to the back corner where a small, black box was currently being stored. Pulling it out, he flicked open the lid to look at the engagement ring he had picked out a month earlier.

It was beautiful—rose-gold colored with a band of leaves at the top, centering on the middle diamond. Azriel picked it because it looked like a flower and knew that Elain would love the simplicity of the style, but resonate with it at the same time. It was so perfectly her, he was enamored by the ring when he first saw it.

Too absorbed by his thoughts, Azriel didn’t hear Elain until she asked him, “What is that?”

He whipped around, snapping the ring box closed, and found her standing in the doorway of their bedroom, face slack with shock. Her eyes were glued to the black container in his palm.

His panic had him stumbling back a step. He hadn’t meant for her to see the ring yet. Had a whole plan for them to have dinner in the garden she created. He was going to string up some twinkling lights, have soft music playing from their portable speaker, cook her a delicious dinner of steak and roasted potatoes paired with an expensive bottle of wine. But all of those plans came crashing down. “Uhh, this isn’t—it’s not what it looks like…”

Her eyes widened at the blatant lie. “Do you want to try that again when you don’t still have the box in my line of sight?”

Azriel didn’t move. Didn’t try and hide the box. He swore lowly. “This isn’t how I wanted to ask you.”

Elain took a small step farther into the room. Swallowing, she questioned him, “How did you want to ask me?”

He sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I had everything all planned out. If I don’t tell you, I can still keep a minuscule amount of the romance in it.” His dry chuckle felt self-deprecating.

She took another step. “Ask me now.”

If Azriel was unexpecting anything today, this would by far be at the top of the list. “I wanted to ask you in the garden. I have twinkly lights hidden in the garage that I was going to put up. I was going to cook you dinner and buy a bottle of wine and tell you how much I loved you.” He shook his head, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “Being half-naked, sweaty from a workout was not what I intended for.”

Moving around the bed so he was directly in front of her, he dropped down to one knee. “Elain Violet Archeron—you have captured my heart since the first day you burst into my apartment chasing after Shadow. I never knew what I wanted out of somebody that I planned to share my life with until I met you.”

She choked up at that, eyes lined with silver.

“When we met, I was struck stupid not just by how beautiful you were, but by how kind and generous you were. How loving and so full of life you were even when you were still dealing with your past. I knew instantly that one day, you would be my wife. The mother of my children. So, the only thing left for me to do is ask you.” He popped open the black box, relishing in her gasp at the ring inside. “Elain, would you do me the greatest honor of marrying me?”

Tear tracks stained her cheeks as she reined in her sobs. “Yes, Azriel. A thousand times yes.”

He rose, hauling her into his chest, and kissed her fiercely. Her soft lips molded to his, sighing into his mouth and granting him access to deepen it with his tongue.

Elain wrapped her arms around his neck, clutching him closely. “I love you so much, Azriel,” she breathed, the words marking his soul and shining like golden rays of sunshine.

With his arms still around her, he flipped the box back open and pulled the ring from its velvet cushion. Releasing her, Az took her left hand and slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly and he prayed to the mother that he managed to get the size right with all his attempts while she slept. His amber gaze met her bright eyes and he told her, “I love you, Elain. Now and forever.”

When he kissed her again, Azriel sent up a thank you to whoever was listening for letting him move into the apartment across the hallway.

~~~~~~

Remember, sharing is caring! Please reblog if you liked the fic. It helps spread my work and I truly appreciate it. 💕

I’m not doing a tag list anymore because they’re really more trouble than they’re worth. For notifications, you can follow and subscribe to my fanfic account where I will be reblogging updates and snippets only. You can also find me on ao3.

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

#across the hallway #ATH #elriel #elriel fic #elriel fanfic #elriel fanfiction #pro elriel #elriel forever #elain #elain archeron #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #shadow the kitten #tswaney17 #tswaney17 fics #tay writes #my writing #elain x az #elain x azriel #azriel x elain #elain and azriel #azriel and elain #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf

[morganofthewildfire]

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The Best Things Always Are

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@shyvioletcat and @house-of-galathynius you guys have put me in the baby fic mood 😂 so enjoy this little oneshot, i wrote it in like an hour

~1.7k words

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Aelin stared at the test in front of her, not believing what was right in front of her eyes. She knew it was a possibility, knew she and Rowan had had a few times where their passion had made them a little less careful, but it was still a shock to see those two lines staring back at her.

She’d started feeling nauseous a few days before, and had been unusually tired and snappy. She’d thought it was just her period, as she always felt it badly, but when she checked her tracker and realized she was already two weeks late, she’d gone to the convenience store nearby.

Taking a pregnancy test in a communal bathroom hadn’t been ideal, and she’d debated between staying in the stall or going back to her dorm room to wait for the results, but in the end she’d stayed there. Her roommate was due to get home at any time, and she hadn’t wanted to deal with that at the same time.

Especially with who it was. 

After moving thousands of miles away from her hometown for college, having gotten a crazy difficult acceptance to the prestigious University of Doranelle, she’d had to pick a random roommate. Leaving her with Remelle LaFleur. 

She hated the girl, and the feeling was clearly mutual. From move in day to now, their relationship had never been anything less than tense. 

In fact, Rowan had been the only good thing to come out of college so far. Sure the education was great, and she didn’t regret choosing here over the University of Terrasen, but she hadn’t exactly found her place socially yet. 

She and Rowan had met at the beginning of the summer semester. It’d been a requirement of her acceptance, that she started early in the summer instead of in the fall with everyone else. It essentially meant her academics were good, but not quite good enough for regular acceptance. Aelin just took what she could get.

Rowan Whitethorn was a sophomore already, and they’d met in one of her classes: Survey of Doranellian Literature. It was an introduction class for her major, and one for his minor, and they’d ended up sitting next to each other. It’d been a whirlwind of a summer, starting from rivals, to rivals with benefits, to weirdly friends with benefits, to finally admitting feelings by the start of the fall semester. Gods she read too much.

They’d really only been officially dating for two months. What the hell was she going to say?

Aelin let out a shaky sigh, curling her legs under herself as she sat on her bed and stared down at the test. A stray tear slipped out of her eye and she wiped it away before it fell down her cheek. Her heart was already beating fast, but the more she sat there the more panicky she began to feel.

Gods. How the hell was she supposed to do this? What the hell was she supposed to do? 

She shoved herself off her bed, pacing back and forth across the pink rug Remelle had bought. Most of the decor in the room was hers; Aelin had been confined to just her bed and her desk, which was just a tiny corner of the room. 

Whatever, she spent most of her time at Rowan’s apartment anyway. 

Rowan. 

How in Hellas was she going to tell him? She scrubbed at her face with her hands, her head aching horribly. 

The distinct sound of the door unlocking reached her ears and Aelin straightened immediately, shoving the test in the pocket of her sweatpants. Remelle sauntered into the room, throwing her bag on her bed without even acknowledging her. 

Aelin didn’t say anything either. 

She’d luckily been able to room on her own for the summer, but these two months she’d been dealing with Remelle had been pure hell. She always had a gaggle of friends with her, caring little to none about Aelin’s personal space and her input on the decorum in their room. 

There’d been multiple times already this semester that Remelle had brought guys back to the room, not caring that Aelin was there. Aelin took those opportunities to go over to Rowan’s place, which led to their own activities. Which led to now.

Remelle had pulled out her phone and was already chatting with someone on facetime, so Aelin just grabbed her keys and slid on her shoes, heading out of the dorm. 

It didn’t take long to get outside, and once she was she was glad she had on her University of Doranelle sweatshirt. Well, Rowan’s University of Doranelle sweatshirt. They were well into fall, and it was already cold outside.

The cold air made her eyes water even more, and she wiped her face with the sleeve to stop the tears from spilling once again. She barely even registered the walk before she was at the main campus plaza, tucked on a bench away from the main lawn. Crowds of people were gathered in various places, laughing and chatting, or even studying, laptops and textbooks scattered across the place.

Aelin just curled up on the bench, staring blankly until her phone rang.

She felt disconnected from her body as she reached for it, not even looking at the screen as she answered it.

“Hey baby,” Rowan’s voice came warmly, and Aelin felt tears gathering again. “I just wanted to see what you were up to, if you wanted to grab some coffee.” 

Coffee sounded wonderful, but at the sharp realization that she couldn’t even have real coffee anymore - a sob escaped her. 

She covered her mouth quickly, trying to hide the sound, but it was too late.

“Aelin?” her boyfriend asked, concerned. “Are you alright?” 

“No,” she croaked out, shaking her head. She couldn’t lie to him. “I’m not.” 

She could hear shuffling on his end, like he was getting up, and the distinct sound of a door opening and closing. Aelin couldn’t stop her tears.

“Hey, where are you?” He asked, his keys jingling in the background. “Are you at your dorm?” 

She sniffed, croaking out another no. “I’m at the plaza,” she answered weakly. 

“Okay, I’m on my way,” Rowan said, “I’ll be there soon.” 

Aelin hung up after that, wiping her face with both sleeves of his sweatshirt in a pointless attempt to stop the tears. Well, at this point she was just trying not to draw stares. She was in a more secluded part of the plaza, under some trees and off to the side, but she still didn’t want to draw too much attention.

She rested her hand on the front of the sweatshirt, clutching the dark blue material, as she waited for him. She didn’t know how much time passed, but soon enough Rowan was sliding onto the bench next to her, his silvery brows furrowed.

All he needed to do was look at her like that, with so much love, and she collapsed into his arms, crying a bit hysterically. She couldn’t quite catch a breath, but she tried to calm herself down, relaxing into his grip. Rowan was running a hand up and down her back soothingly, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. 

Eventually her tears slowed and she took a few deep breaths, head burrowed in Rowan’s neck. 

“What’s wrong, love?” He asked quietly, and Aelin slowly pulled back, wiping at the mascara streaks undoubtedly on her face. A quick glance around showed no one was paying attention, and with a thump of her heart she reached into her pocket, emerging with the pregnancy test.

She handed it to him and tucked her knees into her chest as she waited for him to process the revelation. All he was doing was staring down at the piece of plastic, his face unreadable. And the longer it took, the more nerves fluttered through her. 

“I took it this morning,” she said weakly. “I don’t know how long it’s been.” 

Her lips started to tremble again as he loosed a breath, nodding his head before looking up at her. 

“You’re pregnant,” Rowan said simply, and she nodded back, wiping at her face again. 

“I’m pregnant.”

Silence fell over them again and she tucked her chin onto her knees, looking at him warily. But then he smiled softly.

“There’s a little us in there,” he said, and it was so unexpected a small laugh escaped her. 

“I suppose there is,” Aelin said, sniffing. He was looking at her so lovingly that she felt warmth spread throughout her whole body, but she couldn’t fight the fear. “What are we going to do?” She whispered, and he sighed, turning to face her properly. 

He reached out a hand, grabbing hers on the bench gently.

“Whatever you choose to do,” he said softly. “I will be right there by your side.” He shrugged, looking confident and strong, and she sought out that strength. “I have savings, I’ll get a job, you can move in with me or stay in your dorm for however long you want. We can kick Remelle out and live there,” he said with a smile, making her chuckle. “But just know that I will help you through this. I’m not going to abandon either of you.” 

He gripped her hand tightly when he said that, looking at her intently, and she nodded, breathing in shakily. She believed him. 

“I’m scared,’ she admitted quietly, and he pulled her into his arms again, brushing a hand through her golden locks. 

“I am too,” he said just as quietly, and somehow the admission made her feel better. “But hey,” he said, pulling back and smiling down at her. “You’re going to be an amazing mother.” 

Aelin smiled back at him, a watery smile. But - “It’s not supposed to happen like this,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re in college, Rowan. I’m eighteen years old. I can’t be a mother. I don’t know how.” 

Rowan just grabbed her hand again, pressing a kiss to the back of it. 

“It’s certainly unexpected,” he said, and she nearly chuckled again at the sheer understatement. “But the best things always are.”

Aelin sighed heavily, resting her forehead against his. Their hands were still interlocked, but his other one went to rest on her stomach through his sweatshirt. 

“I love you,” she whispered, the words foreign yet so familiar. She’d never said them to him before. But it was true.

Rowan smiled, saying “I love you,” before leaning in to kiss her softly. “And I love our baby, too.”

-------

taglist:

@wordsafterhours

@romancinghollywood

@superspiritfestival

@wishfulimaginings

@larisssss

@punkassbookjockey26

@shyvioletcat

@aelinchocolatelover

@s-uppertime

@leiawritesstories

@elentiyawhitethorn

@backtobl4ck

@goddess-aelin

@fromthelibraryofemilyj

@justreadertings

@rowaelinismyotp

@live-the-fangirl-life

@swankii-art-teacher

@tomtenadia

@highqueenofelfhame

@firestarsandseneschals

@thegreyj

@mariamuses

@house-of-galathynius

@rowanaelinn

@llyncooljones

@story-scribbler

@charlizeed

@bookcide

@elizarikaallen

@slytherhys

@booknerdproblems

@earthtolinds

@rowaelinrambling

@courtofjurdan

@peppermint-fae

#rowaelin fic #rowaelin #rowaelin au #throne of glass #throne of glass fanficiton #throne of glass au

[rowaelinprompts]

PROMPT MASTERLIST!!

All the open prompts will be listed here! Also, any that have been filled will be marked with a *, but please feel free to fill as many prompts as you like as many times as you want! We love seeing all the different takes!

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ART: QUEEN OF SHADOWS ROOFTOP SCENE via @house-of-galathynius

ART: ROWAN/DAUGHTER via @thegreyj

ART: "I claim you too" scene via @thegreyj

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*FIC: "I don't know what to do"//"we'll figure it out" via @morganofthewildfire

FIC: College AU with athlete/trainer via anonymous

FIC: "Research" via anonymous

FIC: Crime scene cleaner via @backtobl4ck

*FIC: Proposal emergency via @thegreyj

*FIC: Finding out the teenage pregnancy via @thegreyj

*FIC: Rowaelin with their toddler via anonymous

*FIC: Rowan takes care of Aelin during her cycle via anonymous

*FIC: "I kept this for you while you were away"//"It's been two years"//"I know" via anonymous

FIC: First date pumpkin via @thegreyj

FIC: "if it fits, it fits" via @thegreyj and @leiawritesstories

*FIC: Clingy Rowan via anonymous (could totally be an art prompt also!!)

FIC: Rowan decorating a pumpkin for Aelin via anonymous

FIC: "The pain served as a reminder" via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowan comforting Aelin postpartum via @thegreyj

FIC: Aelin playing breakup songs via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowan POV when he's skinning Cairn via @autumnbabylon

FIC: Rowaelin vows from EOS via @autumnbabylon

FIC: "Are you coming?" 👀 via @thegreyj

FIC: this Instagram reel via @backtobl4ck

FIC: Pajama party via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowaelin's child telling this joke via @thegreyj

*FIC: "Geriatric pregnancy" via @thegreyj

FIC: "Is that a candy cane or are you just happy to see me?" via @thegreyj

FIC: Aelin gets pregnant because of an orange via @backtobl4ck

FIC: "Fuck you" // "No, you fuck me" 👀 via @mariamuses

FIC: "She'd been waiting to hear that voice.." via anonymous

FIC: Rowaelin in the theater Rowan gifted Aelin (canon) via @autumnbabylon

FIC: Rowan washing Aelin's hair via @autumnbabylon

FIC: "Married At First Sight" via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowan and son and dress-up via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowan and son going shopping via @thegreyj

FIC: "Midlife crisis/Ongoing crisis" via @thegreyj

FIC: Aelin's clothing parades to Rowan via @autumnbabylon

FIC: Twitter feud AU via anonymous

FIC: Terrasen High School camping trip via anonymous

FIC: Drunk and clingy Aelin via anonymous

FIC: this TikTok via anonymous

FIC: Chef's knife via @thegreyj

FIC/ART: this cartoon via @thegreyj

FIC: "You're my favorite pillow" via @thegreyj

FIC: "That was not how I imagined my first kiss" via @thegreyj

FIC: 20 questions via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowan's sexy accent via @thegreyj

FIC/ART: Rowan simping over Aelin via @thegreyj

FIC/ART: Aelin wearing Rowan's reading glasses via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowan quoting classic movie lines via @thegreyj

FIC/ART: nose kiss via @thegreyj

FIC: "Stop doing that!" / "What?" / "Smiling!" via @thegreyj

FIC: Rowan is bad at flirting via @thegreyj

FIC/ART: renfaire via @thegreyj

FIC: Interrupted proposal via @thegreyj

FIC: "I'm a big kid now!" via anonymous

FIC: Secret spies/Mr. & Mrs. Smith AU via anonymous

*FIC: "Is he your boyfriend?" via anonymous

FIC: Selection AU via anonymous

FIC: "Books" via @thegreyj

FIC/ART: Throne of Glass x Avengers via anonymous

#rowaelin #rowaelin prompts #rowaelinprompts #open prompts #fic ideas #art ideas

[tomtenadia]

A Little Braver - Epilogue

So, while I am writing this, iTunes decided to pass the SONG that inspired the title of this fic. I am not crying... So here we are, the epilogue and I am seriously ready to cry. This fic has been a huge part of a year and a half. 458k words, 76 chapters, a lot of pain and tears and laughter too. I will miss it so badly that you all have no idea.  I want to thank all of the people who have read this fic, commented and went through this journey with me. Thank you. I love you all ❤️

So, the epilogue is a tad different. I decided to have Aelin tell us the story in first person. Is set 5 yrs later. I did try in third person but it did not have the same vibe and was far too flat. In first person I did manage to add a bit of Aelin’s touch. She just tells us what had happened. The second part.... well It’s just a scene and... the fluff reigns..

So here we are... my last banner and... enjoy the epilogue... I'll be in a corner in tears.

5 years later

My name is Aelin Whitethorn Galathynius and we left mine and Rowan’s story on our wedding day with also the news that I was pregnant, making my husband the happiest man on this planet.

Since that day, five years have gone by and our lives have evolved. Married life had its ups and downs but after we have gone through to reach this point, we are not scared anymore. Learning to be parents had been elating and frightening at the same time and let’s not forget exhausting.

The biggest piece of news is that I am no longer a captain at east station. My first shift back after the wedding I had a meeting with Dorian and confessed him the reason why I could no longer be a firefighter on active duty. It was time for my own plan B so I gave Chief O’Neill the great news that quite soon he would be able to finally retire and that I was happy to take over.

Three months later I became Chief Galathynius, the first woman to run the academy. Another first to add to my list. Take that Havilliard snr. People often ask me if I regret stepping down. No, I have the life I wanted, I have a daughter and honestly I adore being at the academy.

My beloved husband is still loving being a paramedic and he and Elide have formed an amazing pair. I know he loved flying but it seems like he was born to work in an ambulance. On the side, he has started helping out with the air ambulance when they are in need of a pilot paramedic. He loves it and it cures the itch when he feels the need to be in the sky. Any chance to have him in a jumpsuit…

As you remember, on our wedding day I announced that I was pregnant. Well, our daughter came to this world during an horrendous winter storm. Rowan had begged me to go join him at east station where they were sure to have generators. My beloved daughter must have inherited the flare for the dramatic from be because she decided to come to this world on a very inopportune night and Rowan ended up delivering her. Oh yes, our Iceman cried. Dramatics aside, she is Rowan through and through, my tiny buzzard and also the official mascot of the firehouse.

Since my appointment at the fire academy, Manon had gradually stepped up and was acting captain until it was time for her to take her captain test. I personally trained her at the academy and I am positive she will grow into a super capable captain. Brullo is still a lieutenant on engine while Asterin has officially become a lieutenant on truck, taking over from Manon. Luca left us for hazmat no longer after his appointment and according to Alex, he is doing wonderfully. The rest of the team hasn’t changed much. Brullo is still with us and he is officially the man with the longest serving record in the whole of the TFD. He is a legend and still a lieutenant. When Dorian opened new houses he offered one to him but Brullo refused with the same stubbornness he rejected my offer a long time ago. I asked Dorian if the day he retires he can be appointed as captain ad honorem at east station. The man is the dad of that station, its beating heart and its soul and he deserves to be its captain even if just in a ceremonial way.

After Luca left us for the guys in funny suites I tried and get them a new candidates but apparently they were not as lucky as we had been with Borte. East went through a few bad apples before I sent Hasar. She had been super at the academy and is now doing really well and blends in very well with the team. 

And now the juicy gossips. Ress got married to Lizzie, yes the captain at north. I had no idea they were even dating. We just discovered it when he came in and gave us the invitations. You can imagine the shock, and Ansel had complained that the gossip channel had broken down and we missed such an important piece of information. The two have been married now a few years and they make a cute couple. Nox tied the knot too with a paramedic at central station, but this one we knew all about it. Elide and Rowan had been the ones in charge of the snooping and were the one feeding us the juicy details since Nox refused to spill the beans. Yes, my dearest husband has been caught in the gossip madness. Now he is my main source of juicy news from east station. Our Borte and Luca have finally moved in together and Ansel and Fen are still house buddies with benefits. They did not put a label on their relationship, they are exclusive, but they are happy. Fenrys, the troublesome pilot has grown into an amazing firefighter. Not long ago he made lieutenant after Aedion’s second got his own firehouse when a few more houses opened up. Moon Moon has proven to be an asset for the TFD. They all had reservations on him when he started, but I am glad he proved them all wrong. I am thinking on making him the poster boy for the TFD. They certainly love him at the academy when he come to help with training when either Aedion, Marcus or Lizzie cannot come out. He is a very popular instructor.

The biggest piece of gossip is Elide and Lorcan getting married. I know, right? Can you believe it?She just came back on shift one day and announced that she and Lorcan eloped. Imagine the madness that ensued in the firehouse at the news. Lysandra and I were of course super proud of Elide. But the funniest part in all of this is Lorcan took Elide’s surname. Yes, he is Lorcan Lochan. The mocking is endless believe me, but Elide explained that it was a way for him to close with his past and celebrate a new him. Still, I laughed so hard when Elide told me. So, the taming of the grump has happened and now we are just waiting for them to start popping out kids.

With regards to the children subject, Lys and Aedion had a girl two years after Aidan and now there is another baby on the way. We joke that they are trying to create their own hockey team.

Lysandra is still at the academy and had been promoted to senior instructor. We all think that she will be chief of paramedics once Chief Harker retires. I can totally see her doing that. Aedion is thriving at camp Ashryver. With a vet association, he has started a project to offer veterans new skills after they retire and now we have a few ex military men and women who had joined the ranks. It’s an incredible project and Dorian was super supportive. Aedion roped in Fen too who is very happy to help. I have been told that they try to keep the inter forces mockery at bay. I have my doubts.

Speaking of Dorian… he became the Commissioner. Darrow retired a few years back and he got promoted and Ilias became the new chief. Dorian is the friggin commissioner of the TFD and I can’t tell you of the progress we made in a short time under his rule. He and Ilias have been a driving force towards the changes we desperately needed. Dorian gave us five more houses and now we have a total of ten and I am super busy training firefighters to man them all properly. It’s such a difference from nine years ago when we had two houses and three vehicles to cover the whole of the city. Darrow was a good commission but Dorian put so much pressure on the politicians that they had to find the funds. He jokes that now his name is banned from the train company and from politics too. Speaking of projects, my outreach programme for girls is going swimmingly. Manon, Asterin, Ansel, Borte and Lizzie help me out and we have open days at the station, at the academy and we also attend job fairs at high schools to show that girls can be firefighter if they want to. It’s slowly gaining momentum and I have seen a nice rise in female applicants at the academy. Some of the regional teams have started to accept more females too and a while ago regional fifteen finally celebrated its first female captain. There is definitely wind of change and the Perringtons of the TFD are finally disappearing. Oh yes, the bastard has been kicked out after he messed up big team and got two of his men killed. It’s always heartbreaking when two more badges end up in the hall of heroes, but the man got what it deserved. Dying because your captain is incompetent it’s the worst way to go. It created a massive uproar.

Outside the firehouse we have the rest of Rowan’s old friends. The flight school is doing really well and now the guys have also added an helicopter for tours for tourists. That had become popular overnight. Connall finished his year without any more deployment and retired as soon as he was able. 

And then we have the rest of the Whitethorn clan. Sellene finally achieved her goal of opening her small law firm with some of her old colleagues from the big corporate job. She is much happier and both Rowan and I feel better. She still helps at the restaurant as a baker. Believe me, her baking classes have paid off. Sellene has created for me the perfect chocolate hazelnut cake. Rowan just scoffs and begs his cousin not to fuel my obsession with chocolate, but Sellene loves me and ignores him.

Enda and Micheal’s restaurant has become incredibly popular and a sort of firefighter favourite. The news spread fast among the smoke eaters clan and the two have now also started a delivery option and firehouses and police too are the worst offenders. Enda also offers us a good discount but yeah, the success spread like a wildfire. No pun intended.

To remain in clan Whitethorn’s subject, Rowan and I finally went to Wendlyn for our honey moon. My dearest husband made me take the ferry because we all know how paranoid he is with commercial flights. His excuse was that since I was five months pregnant, that was the most comfortable option. A drive to Rifthold, an overnight ferry to Varese and then another few hours drive to his uncle’s estate in the countryside outside Doranelle. It took us three days. We all know the truth, right? The whole honey moon we stayed at uncle Ellys’ farm and gallivanted around the country like two tourist.

Now, I love the Whitethorns. First of all, silver hair is definitely a trait in the family, some of them verge in very light blonde, but silver is the main feature. Green eyes are almost quite popular but not as much. Enda’s parents are absolutely adorable and the entire clan is a bunch of huggers. Rowan really must have popped out wrong. Anyway, the highlight of the trip was meeting grandma Ciara, the lady with the stew. She is over ninety years old. But if uncle Ellys is the head of the clan, she is its heart and soul. The woman in incredible and her stew is just as legendary and the cousins said. Also she took the challenge of keeping me fed in her stride. I swear, I am glad I was fat because I was pregnant, because I am positive I gained a few kilos while there. Rowan and I bought a cottage outside Doranelle in the countryside. Rowan had the idea while we were there and his uncle helped us to buy and fix it up nicely. Now it has become our vacation home and Maya loves it too and she enjoys getting all the attention from her family.

It has been five interesting years and I know that Rowan and I are the happiest we have ever been in our lives. It was all worth it in the end.

***

 Aelin was running late. After her last class she had stayed behind to answer some of the questions from her students, but now was late from picking up Maya from school. Rowan was on shift so on that day it was her turn. She parked quickly in front of the school and ran inside the building and reached the class. Her daughter was sitting on her table colouring silently “sorry I am late.”

Maya looked up at her and gave her mother a grin and dropped her pastels “mama,”

Aelin moved to her and crouched “hello, my love. Sorry mum is late,” a kiss on her silver hair “ready to go and see dad?” At the same time she put away her daughter’s pencils and colouring book in her backpack and lifted her in her arms.

They reached the car and Aelin placed Maya in the car seat “we are going at the station to dad.”

“Meoooo, meoooo,” Maya loved being at the firehouse and sometimes when she was off and Rowan was on shift she would go and spend the day with him. Their daughter had quickly gained a vast array of uncles and aunties but the little girl had a soft spot for Brullo who would sneak her biscuits and Fenrys who would take her on the truck and pretended to go on a call with her. She still could not pronounce his name properly so the man had quickly become uncle Moo Moo. For his promotion Aedion had given him a bunker jacket reading Lieutenant uncle Moo Moo and Fenrys wears it with pride. 

The kids were now a permanent fixture in both firehouses

They arrived ten minutes later and Aelin grabbed her daughter in her arms. All the vehicles were in, good.

She walked the familiar path to the common room and saw the team relaxing. It was evening. Manon had probably finished her rounds of drills and allowed her team to finally stand down.

Maya wiggled in Aelin’s arms and she put her down “Dada!” The little girl ran for her father and Rowan picked her up in a swift motion.

“Your favourite fan is here.” The team went to greet the little girl who was taken from Rowan’s arms and passed around while she giggled happily.

Her husband walked to her and stooped for a kiss “hey you,” then his hand went down to her stomach to the bump that was just starting to show “and hello to you as well,�� he looked at her “how are you two doing?”

“Better, nausea seems to have gone now that I am in my second trimester but I feel tired.”

Aelin caressed his face “how has shift been so far?”

Rowan chuckled “the puke count has only been two. Elide and I are calling it a good day.”

“Are you staying for dinner?” Asked Ress in the background from the cooking station “ I have dinosaur nuggets for the little one.”

Maya’s grinned while in the man’s arms “dino.”

“Yes, dino,” Ress grabbed one of the frozen animals and pretended to attack her with a roar. Maya laughed brightly.

“Ress, we need to tell Lizzie to start popping out kids. You are definitely brooding.” Ansel joined him in the kitchen and the man nodded “ah, we will get there eventually.”

“I love firehouse babies.”

“Ansel, we have a lot already,” added Ren.

“Yes, but not enough,” she complained grabbing an apple.

“Well, you and Fen can get busy in that department if you want one.” This time the joke had come from Brullo sitting on the sofa as usual.

Ansel almost chocked “No, Fen and I will play uncle and auntie.”

Aelin, still in Rowan’s arms watched the scene with fondness. Some days she missed being at the station, but luckily she spent enough time there to enjoy such scenes quite regularly.

In that instant dispatch alarm went off and the ambulance was called. Rowan ran to his daughter and kissed her quickly and then went to Aelin “I’ll see you when I am back.”

Ress walked with Maya in his arms and they both walked off to the apron to wave off the ambulance.

“Bye bye dada,” the little girl waved at the two paramedics then Ress brought her back to the rest of the team.

Aelin plopped heavily on the sofa.

“Cap, you okay?”

Even if she was not their captain anymore, the nickname was still there just as she still called Rowan captain.

“Yeah, the wee one is making sure I know he is there.”

Ansel joined her “how can Lys do it a third time I have no idea. For me it was enough to see the ones I delivered in my ambulance runs. Yuck.”

“Yes, but look at the result,” both women turned to the little girl who was sitting on the main table and Asterin was playing with her “she is the most precious thing.”

“She is cute.”

Maya started fussing so Asterin brought her back to Aelin and the little girl snuggled against her mother “she is tired,”

“Her nuggets are almost ready,” called Ress from the kitchen counter.

Ten minutes later Ress placed a plate on the table and Aelin carried her daughter to it.

Brullo sat at her side waving a bottle of ketchup “ketchup?”

Maya extended her tiny arms “ketup”

“We are not telling dad, okay?” Brullo squeezed a bit of tomato sauce on the nuggets and cut a few for her.

Aelin brushed her long hair and the girl giggled. Her mouth now smeared with the red sauce.

Rowan decided that moment to come back from his run with Elide and gasped at seeing his daughter dipping her food in ketchup. He was the healthy eater of the family and made sure Maya ate properly too, but Aelin from time to time sneaked her some non Rowan approved food.

“Dino!” Pipped the girl showing her father the animal shaped chicken.

“Did you give Maya ketchup?”

“Rowan, you know I can’t say no to your little girl.”

 Rowan relaxed and kissed his daughter’s head then went to the fridge and grabbed some of the mini carrots and passed two to Maya.

“No, buzzard.”

Rowan looked at his daughter in shock and then at his wife. Aelin in response just shrugged.

“Maya?”

“No.” Aelin giggled in silence at the scene.

Rowan ate a carrot and looked at her “you are in trouble young lady,”

His wife stood and stole the carrot from his hand and ate it then kissed him “how was the run?”

Elide was the one who answered “just the usual early Friday night drunkard.”

Later on while the adults dined, Maya had fallen asleep on the sofa, covered by the blanket that they kept at the station for her.

“I think I need to take her home,” Aelin gently picker the girl in her arms and Rowan walked to her and hugged his girls “Yes, go home and rest,” his hand brushed her stomach 

“and look after peanut too.”

Aelin kissed him “I love you.”

“I love you all three.”

-

It was later in the afternoon the following day when Rowan finally managed to go home from his shift. His girls should be already at home and he was looking forward to spend some time with them.

“Dad is home,” he called from the door as he got rid of his jacket and shoes.

No one answered so he walked to the living room “girls?”

“Dada shhhh.”

As he walked to the sofa he saw Aelin laying down and Maya was on her side and her face was on her mother’s exposed baby bump “peanut” she added while caressing the belly.

He walked to his two girls and kneeled at the side of the sofa and added his hand on the stomach and that’s when he felt a faint kick.

“He started this morning, the first few kicks.” Aelin’s soft and still sleepy voice reached him. She had opened her eyes as soon as she felt his presence at her side.

Rowan grabbed his daughter’s hand and moved it to the spot where he felt it “Say hi to your baby brother.”

“Hi peanut” and went back with her head on her mother’s stomach.

He spotted bird Rowan at Aelin’s side and made it walk to Maya and the girl grabbed it quickly squeezing it tightly.

Maya had fallen in love with the toy from the start and it became very quickly her favourite “bird Rowan is mine.”

“Of course he is yours.”

“Are you ladies hungry?”

“Rowan and I want food,” she pushed the toy in her father’s face.

Rowan lifted her in his arms and the girl squealed as he carried her to the kitchen like a potato sack.

Aelin trailed behind them and stared at the image in front of her. She loved her life, her family and the future that she and Rowan were creating day by day. She patted her bump “let’s go to dad and your sister before they leave us without dinner.”

In the kitchen she saw Maya on her high chair chewing a few carrots, while Bird Rowan sat on the table at her side. 

Rowan was at the counter making food and Aelin walked to him and her hands landed on his hips “What are you making to your two starving girls?’

“Fancy mac and cheese tonight?”

Aelin kissed his neck “you really are the man of my dreams.”

“Maya, dad is making mac and cheese.”

“Food!” She shouted, banging her fists on the table “Food!”

Maya was a little bottomless pit like her mother and he had soon learned that she would turn hangry just like Aelin if not fed within a certain time limit.

While Rowan cooked, Aelin went to grab Maya’s chocolate milk and poured a glass for her “drink this, my love.”

Rowan looked at his two girls playing at the table and smiled when Maya had chocolate moustaches but his laughter grew louder when Aelin turned and saw she had the same. Gods he loved them so much.

“Clean that moustache and eat,” he said to Aelin placing a big plate in front of her, then with a napkin cleaned Maya’s face “you are just as messy as your mum.”

“Dada, I want food.”

Rowan sat at the table and filled a plastic spoon with food for Maya “just this one then you try okay?”

Between the two of them they had been teaching her to use cutlery. Maya could use a spoon grabbing it with the full hand and was learning to spear food with a fork. Cutting food was still far too early.

“Good food.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

The meal over, Aelin helped clean the kitchen and while they did, Maya sat happily in the living room on her carpet playing with bird Rowan and her lego bricks.

She loved the colourful blocks and she and her father loved to build all sort of constructions. From the kitchen they heard her babbling away, usually telling stories to the toy.

“I wonder what she is telling him now.”

“Oh, maybe she is telling him all the wonderful adventures about the firehouse.”

“Go with her, we are done here, I just put away the last few things and I will join you,” Aelin kissed him and swayed away.

The three of them spent the evening on the sofa until Maya fell asleep across her parent’s laps.

Rowan took her upstairs and when he got back down in the living room he found his wife in front of the fireplace staring at the box with the piece of hangar. She was brushing her bump and telling their unborn son the story of how his parents met.

Rowan joined her and folded his arms around her, hand with her on her stomach.

“Your mum was amazing, little one. She was fierce and stole my heart quickly,” he kissed her neck softly “she is the best mum you can have.”

Aelin chuckled “dad is a grumpy buzzard sometimes but he will love you to no end.”

They stood in that position for a while with Rowan swaying gently and caressing her bump and eliciting a kick from their son.

“Over eight years from that January morning…”

Rowan kissed the back of her head “I would not change a single thing. All that we have been through led us here. No matter the separations, the pain and all of our fears if it led to this. I’d do it all over again.”

Aelin sniffled “Little one, you need to know that your dad is a sappy old man.”

Rowan roared with laughter “And your mum is a menace.”

“Your menace.”

She turned and buried her face in his chest and her husband hugged her tightly.

“Thank you for being a little braver with me, paramedic Rowan Whitethorn-Galathynius.”

TAGS

@rowaelinismyotp​ @swankii-art-teacher​ @whimsicallyreading​ @elentiyawhitethorn​ @aelin-bitch-queen​ @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity  @mis-lil-red @thegreyj​ @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories​ @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire​ @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck​ @susumaus98  @gracie-rosee​ @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love  @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee

#rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin x rowan #rowan x aelin #aelin galathynius #alittlebraver #a little braver

[house-of-galathynius]

The Long Road Home

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Thirteen - Chapter Fifteen

Word Count: 2.3k 

~ 

London, England. April 2022: Two Hundred and Forty One Years Later

Spring in London was her favourite time. It always had been— although it was starkly different now than it had been when she had lived in the city over two hundred years ago. Although the trees still lined the streets and the parks were just as lovely as before, much had changed. The streets she had wandered all those years ago were now covered with concrete, towering skyscrapers were sat where wooden stalls of the market had been. There were still some familiar places that transported her back, like the the domed roof of St. Pauls Cathedral, the Tower of London and even some of the taverns that she had frequented as Arobynn’s wife. She’d searched for the place her parents had owned, but had been disappointed to find it demolished.

She had wanted to come back to London for some time. Her urge grew stronger after each loss of Rowan… but she had never been able to make the trip. But this time she had felt compelled more than ever. Despite the compulsion to return, she had still felt like she needed to build up her eventual return. A hundred years ago she might have been able to spend two or three weeks on a boat sailing here— enough time to prepare her for coming back to her home. But today, a plane journey was so quick that it would not give her ample time to prepare. So she had eased herself back.

After leaving Madrid she had gone to Ireland. Then after a few years or travelling through there, she had hopped on a plane to Scotland and finally explored the highlands, living in cabins and inns— meeting the greatest people. Scotland had been wonderful, but she felt unsettled, so she made the final push into England. She stayed in York for a while, but when she grew restless— so close to being home, yet so far— she had gone to Brighton.

If she thought London had changed, Brighton was a completely different city. It was dirtier and so much busier than when she had been there with Rowan. But it was a good thing. She liked that there was little familiarity there. She could walk around without being constantly reminded of him— of them. The sour taste that she had been left with as she was dragged away from the city, away from him.

Her eventual decision to return to London had been more of an impulse thing. She had thought about getting a train to Cornwall to see if she could find any remnants of Elena— honestly she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t thought about going back there before. Then she had been tempted to find where Rowan had grown up before his parents had died… but none of it seemed to feel right.

Then, when she was least expecting it, she received an email from one of the estate agents informing her that they needed to discuss some things about the property she owned. Aelin wasn’t sure what property that was. All her money— the little that she did have left— was secure in various banks. She had no idea how they had found her email, but she supposed Elena had been hard at work again. Either way, it had spurred her to pack her things and return.

The city was blooming all over, not just the trees and the flowers, but the people too. Every corner there were crowds chatting and laughing, drinking pints of beer and enjoying the warmth of the spring sunshine.

It was still her city, the city she had loved and hated and cried in.

The tube was busy when she finally entered onto the platform. She wasn’t sure where she was going… or maybe she did. She moved with the flow of the people and into the carriage, grabbing hold of the yellow rail and nervously watching the world go past.

“The next station is Turnham Green. Change for the District Line to Ealing Broadway.”

Exiting the tube she followed the small hoard of people to the exit and then she turned left and found herself on the busier high street. Buses roared past her, cars honking their horns at people running across the road. People walking their dogs smiled at each other before having to yank their pet away to continue. This wasn’t new to Aelin, she had seen this in every city, but it felt different in London.

She thought about the flat that had been sitting here for her. Rent being paid into an account in her name for years and years. She had acted knowledgeable the entire meeting, as if she was completely aware of the fact that she had six hundred thousand pounds sitting in a bank account, building interest over the last fifty or so years.

The flat itself was only down the road in Richmond. A small one bedroom place with a Juliet balcony from the kitchen and a little terrace off the living room in the back. It was nicely decorated, as if someone had been keeping it modern and looked after until she finally decided to come back. Aelin had been given a set of keys by the estate agents and then she had informed them she would be living there now. Although she was still staying in the rental place she had got, partly afraid of what she might find when she went to the flat in Richmond.

Aelin spotted a cafe across the road and made her way towards it. There was a table outside, enough room for five people, but it was the only one available. So she grabbed it quickly, getting comfortable whilst she looked through the menu. Moments later a waiter had appeared and she was ordering a slice of cake and a coffee.

For a while she just observed. The children giggling, swinging their school bags around. Teenagers strolling along holding hands, elderly people pulling shopping trolleys behind them. She loved the diversity of the city now. People from all walks of life just… living.

She heard him before she saw him.

Aelin didn’t move her head, she didn’t glance over even though she wanted nothing more than to do so. Distracting herself for a moment she brought the fork to her mouth and chewed and swallowed a bite of the cake.

“… I’m sorry, but we don’t have any tables free at the moment.”

Aelin finally looked.

He was wearing dark jeans and a dark green shirt that was unbuttoned, a white t-shirt stretched across his muscular chest underneath. He had a thick silver ring on the thumb of his right hand and a leather watch on the same wrist. His clothes were the only thing that ever changed, but his face would remain the same throughout time.

“Is there a chance you can move the tables? Or I can move them if you want.” Rowan said kindly.

Aelin watched him intently. She noticed the twitch of his jaw as he stood there waiting, the length of his eyelashes as he blinked. Those small things had faded from her memory. Things that sometimes she had never been able to relearn about him.

“I’m really sorry, but if you come back in half an hour I can make sure there’s something for you here.” The waiter said again.

No, don’t leave. Aelin thought. She was still watching him, and like he could hear her thoughts his own gaze found hers. It was only a second, but it was enough.

Aelin got up from her chair and waved to the waiter. “I’ve got enough room for more people here… you can move my table or,” she looked at Rowan, “or you can just join me. I’ll be going soon.” She pointed to the table she had just been at, “you can say no. But I thought I’d offer.” She smiled.

The waiter seemed to relax a fraction. Rowan thought for a second then nodded. “That’s kind of you, thanks.” His accent was almost identical to what it had been when she had first met him. The subtle northern lilt mixed in with a hint of southern English. She could remember making fun of him for the way he said things, giggling as he would repeat the words over, making a point to say them in a more stupid way each time.

She led them to the table, moving her things across making some space for him. She hadn’t been lying about leaving soon. She hadn’t really decided what she was going to do this time. After Madrid, she had told herself that enough was enough. But there was something nagging at her, a tug of a thread that was telling to just wait a little longer.

“… filter coffee.” She turned to Rowan who had finished ordering. She was a little unsure whether to strike up conversation. She was intrigued to see what name he’d have in this life— what he did, who his friends were. She would be lying if she wasn’t a little hopeful about the fact she had met him again in London, where they’d met the first time. That his voice was the same as before too. But she knew not to let that hope seep into her too much. Fate had a funny way of taking those pieces of happiness from her.

“Thanks again for letting me sit here. I could’ve gone down the road to somewhere else, but they have the best cinnamon rolls here.” As he spoke the waiter placed his pastry down in front of him and then the coffee before leaving. Rowan grinned down at the food and then to Aelin, “I mean look at how good this looks.”

Aelin laughed lightly. “It does look good.”

Rowan cut off a piece and carefully placed it on her now empty plate. “Try some.”

She widened her eyes and shook her head. “It’s yours. I’ve already had mine.”

He rolled his eyes playfully and took a bite of what was on his plate, groaning in an exaggerated way as he chewed the pastry and swallowed. “So good.” He mumbled, mouth still half full.

Aelin laughed then, finally taking a bite and nodding her agreement as she chewed. Putting her hand up to her mouth to cover her eating. Rowan watched her with a kind of curiosity, the look gone in an instant, returning to a neutral smile.

“Sorry, I’m told I can be a little forward at times. Feel free to ignore me from now on.” He chuckled.

Aelin never wanted to ignore him. She could listen to him talk for hours, even if it was just about how good food was. She would listen to him read out his shopping list or recite equations. If it meant she could listen to his voice.

She wanted to ask him. Aelin wanted to know his name. But she was terrified that it was going to be the same as before. It was harder and harder every time to let him go, to know that she could love him for a while but never long enough. She didn’t want to think about how in a blink of an eye he could be gone and she would have to continue on like she was fine.

But there was something about this time.

Something… different.

“Do you come here often?” Rowan asked eventually.

“It’s my first time, actually.” She rolled up the sleeves on her top and leant on the table, “I’ve just moved back to London, so I’m trying to find the best spots again.”

“Do you live locally?” He asked.

“Richmond. Not far really, but I used to live in Chiswick when I was younger.”

Rowan pondered for a second. “That can’t have been too long ago…?” His question trailing off, but she knew what he was implying.

“It was a while ago. At least long enough that I’ve forgotten a lot.” She didn’t know what to tell him. Her fake passport and drivers license said she was twenty-two. But she still looked like a nineteen year old— even with some make-up and nice clothes.

“Where did you go whilst you were away?” More digging.

She shrugged. “I’ve studied, travelled, worked a little.”

He relaxed a little and smiled again. “Did you study anything interesting?”

Well… she’d studied medicine, law, psychology, literature. And the rest. Although, she couldn’t exactly tell him she had studied half these things, if not because there was no possible way she could have had the time, but because she was technically twenty-two and medicine would have kept her at university until at least twenty-five.

“I graduated with a degree in psychology.” Close enough.

Rowan’s brow rose, impressed. “Do you think you’ll specialise in anything?”

She’d thought about it of course. Going to do a masters, but she changed her mind— like always. “I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll go back and getting a teaching degree or do a conversion. Who knows. I’m young, I’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.” Not a lie. “What about you?”

“I finished my masters a year ago in cyber security. I moved to London to start a new job at a bank.”

Aelin scrunched her face, “at a bank?” That isn’t very you.

He stilled and looked at her confused. Like he had heard her again. But he shook it off and nodded. “Making sure their systems are secure and whatever. Not very glamorous but I enjoy it.” He laughed and sipped his coffee before placing it down. “I never got your name.”

Aelin swallowed. She couldn’t leave now. If she got up and left now she could feel in her bones that it wouldn’t happen again. That this was the moment, the opportunity.

“Aelin.” She replied eventually.

She swore she saw recognition flash across his face, but it was gone in a second. Her heart was beating faster as she waited for him to reveal his name in this life of his. She prayed it was something nice.

And then he said the words she had been dreaming of for hundreds of years. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Aelin. I’m Rowan.”

~

Tag List: 

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#rowaelin #rowan x aelin #aelin x rowan #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #aelin ashryver #aelin ashryver galathynius #aelin #rowan #rowaelin fanfiction #rowaelin fanfic #tog au #tog fanfic #throne of glass #the long road home #the long road home fic #house of galathynius fic #house of galathynius

[live-the-fangirl-life]

How to Wreck a Sleigh

Aelin Galathynius x Rowan Whitethorn

Rowan Whitethorn, an elf, reluctantly finds himself in league with Aelin Galathynius, a human, when she appears at the North Pole. Because nothing ever goes to plan.

* Written for 12 Days of Rowaelin: How to Destroy a Sleigh in 3 Steps

Main Masterlist | Fic Masterlist | Read on Ao3 | Wintery Collection | 12 Days of Rowaelin

2438 words

*******

Rowan Whitethorn’s day had not gone how he planned.

With only a week before Christmas, the whole of Santa’s Village was bustling with elves on their way to the Workshops or the Bakery as others headed towards Wishlist Watch or the Stables. He could barely cross Saint Nicholas Square without spilling his hot chocolate.

They were in crunch-mode, and there was still so much to get done.

He was going to go to his station in the Gift-Wrapping Emporium, where he would spend his morning wrapping as many toy swords and stuffed animals as he could. Then, he was going to go listen to the Solstice Singers caroling group perform in the Square.

He was going to end his day by sitting in the Snow Globe Sanctuary to watch the northern lights streak across the sky through the high, glass-paned walls.

What he was absolutely, indisputably not going to do, was find a human wandering around in the Elvish Aisle, agree to help them despite neither having a clue of how she'd gotten there in the first place, steal a sleigh, and crash-land said sleigh into some human’s roof.

That was not his plan.

But, if the Great Figgy Pudding Fiasco taught him anything, it was that things rarely went to plan. And that Polar bears really, really like figgy pudding.

The wind whipped through his hair, and he blinked hard against the cold gusts as the sleigh dipped in disjointed jerks. Clouds became fog; fog became rows of houses lined up beneath them, getting closer with every impending second.

“No! No, up, up!” Rowan tugged hard on the reigns, the muscles in his arms straining with the effort, but he was no match for a team of trained reindeer determined to land. “Wait! Stop!”

The crash was inevitable.

Squeezing his eyes shut, his teeth slammed together as every bone in his body was jarred and ringing. Plumes of displaced snow fell around him in the wake of the collision as Rowan reopened his eyes. His heart was beating nearly out of his chest, his breathing coming heavy; the adrenaline, panic, and physical ache had him in a stunned stupor.

With a mental check over himself, he decided that could’ve been a lot worse. Dropping the reigns, he turned around and peered over the seat to look in the back of the sleigh.

“Still alive back there?”

A head of golden hair popped up from beneath a candy-cane patterned blanket that must've fallen loose during their landing. The woman was breathing harder than he was and met his gaze with wide, incredulous eyes.

“Who taught you how to drive this thing?” she groaned with an almost delirious laugh and rubbed a spot on the back of her head. “That. Was. Awful.”

Rowan rolled his eyes, huffing, before getting out of the sleigh to find his footing on the roof. “Don’t be dramatic, it wasn’t that bad.”

He leaned against the side and crossed his arms as Aelin heaved herself out to stand next to him. Then she pointed sharply down to the ground below where half a dozen shingles lay fallen in the snow.

“You crash-landed us.” She said irritatingly slowly as if he hadn’t been in the sleigh with her and kept pointing. “Those are part of the roof; they should be up here,” she stomped her foot which sent another puff of snow up before gesturing to herself. “And I should be down there.”

“You want to go down there? Be my guest.” He interrupted dryly. “I’m pretty sure you’re still a long way from home. Good luck with that.”

She glared and kept talking like he hadn’t said anything. “On the ground. Where I won't be killed by any insane elves who never, ever should be allowed to drive – fly – ever.

The man boredly looking down at her was the furthest thing from a Christmas elf as Aelin could have ever pictured. She always thought of elves as short, cheerful, fantastical creatures who spent their days making toys. She had a bone to pick with whoever designed the whole elf persona in movies and television shows.

The several inches he had over her meant she had to crane her neck back to look him in the eye, not exactly one of Santa’s little helpers. And the knitted green fabric that stretched across his arms, pulled taught as he crossed them over his chest, made her wonder what sort of workout regimen elves committed themselves to. Or if that was just him and she lucked out on which elf she stumbled into that morning.

Rolling his eyes again – they would get stuck like that if he did it some more – Rowan spun around and didn’t pay her a second look as he told her, “You’re fine.”

Oh, and he was absolutely not the nice, cheerful personality she was prepared for.

He ducked between the two lines of reindeer to look at the damage to the front of the sleigh. Part of the landing gear was splintered and the shiny red paint was chipped and scratched from where it first nosedived into the roof. He walked around the opposite side of the sleigh and prodded with the controls before climbing back out to stand next to her.

Aelin had been silently watching his inspection and waiting for him to say something. Her breath was coming out in white puffs of air, and it annoyed her that Rowan looked completely unperturbed by the chill. She supposed he would be used to it at the North Pole, but his lack of discomfort did not make her feel better.

He still hadn’t said anything. When she opened her mouth to question him, Rowan grumbled, “The directional calibrators are jammed, It's not going to be telling us where to fly anytime soon.”

“Huh.” Aelin wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but she did have one method for fixing broken things. She swung her leg back and kicked the side of the sleigh.

“What are you doing?” Rowan whirled on her in disbelief. “Don’t hit it, that never works.”

She didn’t say her method was effective. Arching a brow, she asked, “Have you ever fixed a damaged sleigh?”

There was a pause before he reluctantly admitted, “No.”

“Then how do you know it won’t work?”

She lifted her foot to kick it again, but Rowan grabbed her arm and pulled out of leg’s reach. “Oh, for fiddlesticks,” he cursed. “Stop that!”

Aelin wrenched her arm from his grasp but nodded. “Okay, okay, okay,” she muttered to herself, barely able to keep her head straight through the day’s events.

She had woken up in the snow without any idea of how or why. Her first thought was that she’d had one too many cups of eggnog the night before, but when she sat up and looked around, instead of being on someone’s lawn, she had woken up in the middle of a forest filled with pine and fir trees. Her day had gotten a million times weirder when the first person she had seen had snowy silver hair and pointed ears and then had looked at her like she was the crazy one when she'd asked him where she was.

Aelin still wasn’t sure how he had convinced her it was all real.

She took a long, slow breath. “Someone will come to find us and help once they notice you haven’t come back.”

The elf’s wince didn’t go unnoticed. It was the first reaction she’d seen that wasn’t coated in annoyance or disdain.

“What?” She asked, her voice filled with dread.

“Well,” Rowan drew out the word and leaned against the sleigh. “I’m not exactly…authorized…to use the sleigh—”

“Gee, I wonder why.”

“—so, I snuck it out. I didn’t log my departure into the system.”

Aelin blinked. “The system?”

“Frosty Flying. It’s the latest in reindeer-based flight operations. It was actually a pretty big deal when we first got it.”

She stopped him and tried pulling him back on track before she had a nervous breakdown. Correction: another nervous breakdown. The first had come when Rowan snuck her through the Gingerbread Gallery and she saw the candied houses magically building themselves. She was convinced it was all an elaborate dream.

“Rowan.”

“Oh, right. It keeps meticulous records of all sleigh riding and flying maneuvers.” At her blank stare, he continued. “We make sure all sleighs are in perfect flying condition, it is one of the most crucial parts of the Christmas delivery.”

Aelin blinked at him again, and for the first time, Rowan had an inkling of concern about her mental stability.

“Right.” She repeated slowly. “You snuck it out. But back up, ‘all’ sleighs? As in more than one? As in, no one will notice this one’s missing?”

Rowan shrugged with a nonchalance that wasn’t helping. “Doubt they’d notice soon enough to be of any help. We have an entire warehouse of sleighs on stand-by. You’d be surprised how many are decommissioned after trial runs. Weather, collisions, faulty controls – they’re not as easy to operate as it looks.”

“So…no one knows the sleigh is gone or that you’ve even left the Pole at all.”

Earlier, when he had left her hiding behind the stables and told her to wait because he would handle it, Aelin went along with it because why not?

He rolled his eyes at her again and loosed a long-suffering sigh which she thought was entirely unfair. “That is what I just said.”

“Fiddlesticks.”

***

“What about the reindeer?”

Rowan had been digging around in the back of the sleigh in search of some food or tools that would help when Aelin’s voice cut through the night air.

“What?” He asked, seeing her standing next to the reindeer nearest the sleigh. He was about to warn her of the animal’s temperament, but it simply turned its head to the side and let her pet it, nudging her shoulder with its nose affectionately. Rowan never got that reaction from the reindeer. He pulled himself over the seat and leaned over the front of the sleigh.

“The reindeer,” she said again, sounding hopeful as she kept petting the animal between them. “What about Dasher and Dancer and Prancer?”

“These aren’t Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer.” He told her flatly. “And if they were, which they aren’t, they’d be up at the front.”

Aelin nodded as if she understood her mistake and quietly hummed to herself On Dasher and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen...

“But these guys are not them. That’s Gingerbread, Sugarplum,” he pointed to each and finally patted the back of the one nuzzling her face, “and Tinsel.”

“Let me guess,” she sighed as her shoulder slumped. “Backup reindeer for backup sleighs.”

Rowan sprung forward and clamped his hands over Tinsel’s ears. “No. We don’t use ‘backup’ it makes them feel bad. They get temperamental about that. They’re part of our reserve team.”

Tinsel only tried shaking off his hands to munch on his fingers twice, which Rowan counted as a win.

“Should I even ask how many reindeer are on the reserve team?” A question Aelin never thought she would ask.

Rowan straightened with only a small glare at Aelin, to which she raised her hands placatingly and hoped he would explain.

“Around forty or so.”

“Forty?” She gaped.

The flat look he shot her screamed that she should know that was a stupid question.

“What happens when December 23rd comes around, and Vixen catches a cold?” He implored, not expecting an answer as he crossed his arms and brushed some freshly fallen snow off his sleeve. “He’s very friendly. Too friendly. Before you know it, the whole team is sick. They can’t be responsible for pulling the sleigh when they aren’t on their A-game. Not that we would ever push them into flying when they’re sick, that’s just rude. That’s why we have so many reindeer in reserve.”

“Plus, they’re cute,” she added helpfully. Then she nodded, “You have reserves for your reserves.”

“…for our reserves.” An involuntary shudder coursed through him as he remembered when they needed to use them. “Do not ask me about the Candycane Cough of ’99.”

“The…” Aelin shook her head and sat on the edge of the sleigh. Rowan saw the look on her face and felt a pang of guilt for dousing her hope that someone would come to save them. He lowered himself down to sit next to her and found the press of her shoulder to his made him feel the same warmth as a steaming cup of hot chocolate after being out in the snow for hours.

“How is this not some sugar-induced nightmare?” Aelin whispered.

Rowan wasn’t sure if she meant to say it out loud, but he responded anyway, arching a brow and bumping her elbow with his. “Do magical reindeer pop up a lot in your nightmares?”

She huffed a laugh. “No.”

“Flying sleighs? Elves?”

“No and no.” She glanced sideways at him with a small smile.

“Then I’m pretty sure you’re not having a nightmare.”

“A normal dream, then?” She tried again, and this time she sounded more like herself.

Leaning back, Rowan fully faced her and smirked. “Am I something you would dream about?”

She laughed, and Rowan’s grin grew as the spark in her eye returned.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged airily. “We’ll have to see if you show back up.”

With a wink, Aelin stood up and reached her hand down to him, pulling him to his feet to stand beside her.

“I want to try one more thing.” That was all the warning he got before she swung her leg back again and aimed a final kick at the sleigh.

She was rewarded as it miraculously shuddered back to life. It was so unexpected that both Aelin and Rowan stumbled back, arms instinctively wrapping around the other as they regained their footing on the roof’s tiles.

They both stood, opened-mouthed, as they looked at the sleigh

“Did that seriously just work?” Rowan muttered incredulously.

As Aelin laughed and flashed him a bright smile, he accepted that it had worked.

“Come on! Let’s get this baby back in the air and to the Pole so we can figure out how to get me home without getting stranded again.” She was still grinning, waving him in, “and so you can hide the evidence, Mr. Reindeer Thief.”

Maybe his day hadn’t gone to plan, but it was certainly one he wouldn’t forget. He, decidedly, did not want to.

“But this time,” Aelin insisted excitedly, “I get to sit up front.”

*****

Taglist:

@acourtofsnakes @a-frog-with-a-laptop @astra-ad-mare @autumnbabylon @backtobl4ck @bankerfrog @becarefuloflove @camerooonchiu @captain-swan-is-endgame @charlizeed @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @doubt-less @earthtolinds @elentiyawhitethorn @feyretales @goddess-aelin @highqueenofelfhame @jorjy-jo @julemmaes @leiawritesstories @lemonade-coolattas @llyncooljones @mariamuses @moodymelanist @morganofthewildfire @nerdperson524 @rhysiedarling @rowaelinismyotp @rowaelinrambling @rowanaelinn @shyvioletcat @stardelia @superspiritfestival @sv0430 @swankii-art-teacher @thegreyj @the-lonelybarricade @the-regal-warrior @tomtenadia @westofmoon @whimsicallyreading @rowaelinscourt

#rowaelin #aelin x rowan #rowan x aelin #aelin #Rowan #rowan and aelin #aelin and rowan #rowaelin fluff #rowaelin au #wintery #aelin galathynius x rowan whitethorn #throne of glass #rowaelin fic #tog #aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn #12daysofrowaelin

[mariaofdoranelle]

Look at Us Now - ch. 13

Fic masterlist

Thank you for your patience ❤️

This chapter is my baby. I know I say this every time, but some of the scenes took me longer to write than entire chapters. So *cracks knuckles* if you don’t like it… just kidding I won’t do anything 😂 but please don’t let me know if that’s the case lmaoo

Words: 4,9k

Warnings: language, postpartum depression

The yet to be named Galathynius-Whitethorn firstborn came into the world on October 19th, after 13 hours of labor.

Rowan almost lost his mind with worry. It was the best day of his life.

Aedion was holding the baby, his eyes darting between Rowan and the little bundle on his arms. “Holy rutting Mala, the baby is Rowan’s.”

Aelin gave him an unamused look from the hospital bed. “You just figured that one out?”

“You don’t get it.” He lifted the baby so her face would be side by side with Rowan’s from Aedion’s point of view. “It’s like he made a girl clone of himself. It’s day one, and she’s already frowning like Whitethorn.”

To be honest, Rowan was more focused on the way Aelin’s cousin was carrying the baby than on his words. Aedion Ashryver wasn’t exactly a graceful person, and watching him carry that very fragile baby made Rowan a little tense.

”Enough of that.” Orlon took the baby from Aedion’s arms, making Rowan’s shoulders drop an inch. “Do you have no clue about what to name her?”

Aelin and Rowan exchanged a look, then she said, “Our favorite so far is Maisie.”

“It’s beautiful!” Philippa beamed, studying Aelin with a fond look while Orlon agreed with her.

Darrow came closer to his husband and cooed at the little one. “It suits her.”

“I don’t know.” Aedion wrinkled his nose. “I like Aedinna better.”

“Aedion,” Philippa cautioned.

Aelin was shooting daggers at him, jaw tight as she grabbed the tissue box from the bedside table.

Rowan went stiff. “That’s enough—“

Smirking, Aedion added, “Or Wiggly Jiggly—“

“Shut up!” Aelin aimed the tissue box at her cousin and sent it flying across the room. “You’re such a fucking loser!”

“Aw.” Aelin’s cousin beamed. “Is it the first time you curse in front of the baby?”

Instead of the usual glaring that was expected, Aelin’s face faltered. She clamped her lips together and blinked, but at the same time the baby started fussing on Orlon’s arms, then he immediately gave her back to Aelin, not knowing what to do.

Enough of visitors. Rowan’s blood was beginning to boil under his skin, so he looked at his watch. His online sources said the visits shouldn’t be longer than 30 minutes, and they’ve been here for 32 already. It was time to kick everyone out.

“Aedion. Out,” Rowan said through gritted teeth, low but stern. He didn’t give a fuck that Aelin’s cousin was raised as her brother or how they’d tease each other. She got upset, and Rowan only had one job. He gave Orlon, Darrow and Philippa something that could at least resemble a smile. “Please.”

The elder ones of the family were good sports about being kicked out, just taking a second to say their goodbyes before leaving.

Except that when Rowan was holding the door for them to leave, Darrow asked to talk outside and led him a few steps away from everyone, enough to give them some privacy.

“I won’t apologize for putting you in jail.”

Rowan gave him a stiff nod. “I don’t expect you to, sir.”

“Good.” Colonel Darrow gave him a guarded look. “But I was upset, and I put Military Law before my family’s trust. That’s not something I’m proud of. It put me in enough trouble at home.”

Rowan would never know what happened in his house besides Aelin moving out, and he might not want to. Whatever his intentions were, Rowan broke the law, and his sentence for improper sexual conduct was fair. The only person to blame was himself.

“Because you are family now, Rowan, and I want you to feel welcome with Orlon and I.”

Rowan’s breath hitched until his body restarted so he could swallow a lump in his throat. “Thank you, sir.”

“But don’t fuck up again. I’m still your superior at work.”

There was not a chance Rowan would have sex inside base again. Not after going to the guardhouse for it, not after Aelin.

“There’ll be nothing but teaching at the Training Center, Colonel.” Rowan did his best to bite back a smile. “I have everything I could ask for at home.”

Darrow gave one last tap on Rowan’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, kid.”

He watched Aelin’s family leave—his family too now, not his words—but not for long. He quickly went back to the room, his eyes meeting Aelin’s as soon as he entered the room again.

She looked nothing short of heavenly today in the Air Force’s maternity ward.

Aelin moved to the side a little, silently telling him to join her in the bed. She didn’t need to ask twice. There was a lot of paperwork waiting for Rowan, but it wouldn’t be done until they decided the baby’s name.

They just stayed there for a moment, watching their baby’s rosy cheeks—she was all bundled up, so it was all they could see—the loudest thing in the room being the AC running.

Rowan chewed on his lip, thinking about her telling her uncle she liked ‘Maisie’ best. “You don’t mind naming her after a junkie’s song?”

“What? No.” Aelin gave him a confused look. “The name is so cute, and my dad was a fan. I thought you were the one who didn’t want it.”

”You know…” a gentle kiss on the crown of Aelin’s head. “I have really good memories attached to that song.”

“So?”

Rowan caressed his daughter’s chubby cheeks. “I think Maisie is ready for another nap.”

Aelin smiled against his chest. ”So is Maisie’s mother.”

He brushed her hair back with his fingers and said, “Me too. Maybe I should teach Maisie’s first lesson on adulthood and make her fill her own paperwork.”

Aelin mentioned to pinch his side, but Rowan grabbed her hand before the minor assault. He restrained his hug as much as he could, careful with her tired postpartum body, and cuddled Aelin to sleep.

Of all the pain Rowan had to endure in his life, his favorite so far was feeling his cheeks hurt from grinning so much. All because of his girls.

He was living with Aelin, the mother of his child. Rowan had the whole package already, he just needed to convince Aelin of one thing.

Rowan held her tightly, and there was something in his mind as he did, repeating itself like a broken record while he felt it take over his body and soul.

He loved her

He loved her

He loved her

˜˜

Turns out pursuing Aelin while having a newborn was harder than Rowan thought.

Between tending Maisie and giving Aelin space to recover from giving birth, the last thing on Rowan’s mind was his own dick. Actually, pursuing the woman he loved in hopes to become an official family with her went beyond ‘thinking with his dick’, but that’s how Rowan felt when he considered asking her that when she looked so… Aelin was far from fragile, but she still seemed to be overwhelmed by postpartum hormones, or whatever made new moms sad.

Rowan opened the fridge and ran a hand through his face, not missing the sharpness of his unshaved cheek. Did Maisie drink all those bottles already? They were prioritizing breastfeeding, but Rowan would do anything to let Aelin rest as much as she could.

He was so sure her insomnia would end with the pregnancy, but she seemed to sleep even less now that Maisie was here.

“Rowan!”

He blinked, jerking towards the stove, where his mom was. “What?”

At first, they dismissed his mother when she first offered to spend a few weeks with them until things were settled, but now Rowan thanked her every night for insisting to stay. He had just realized how demanding a two-week-old can be.

“Were you listening to me?”

Rowan grimaced. “Can’t say I was, sorry.”

Rory’s shoulders dropped, nothing but fondness in her gaze. “Did you talk to Aelin?”

Rowan settled close to his mother to wash a few dirty bottles. “She told me she’s fine.”

His mother had her I-know-it-all look, the same one she gave him when Rowan was a teenager grew like a tree, but wouldn’t admit he was taking workout supplements.

“Could you not?” Rowan gave her a look to rival her Mom Look. He failed miserably.

She was turning the beef around on the pan, frowning at the half-cooked meat. “I’ve seen a lot of new moms, Rowan. I know what a happy one looks like.”

He flexed his jaw, scrubbing the bottle harder than necessary. “If you’ve seen a lot of new moms, you know they get overwhelmed after birth.”

Rory turned back to work on dinner. “It’d be a lot easier on her if she had an actual partner, you know?”

His neck stiffened, his pulse faster in a heartbeat. Rory’s hints about him marrying Aelin had gotten less and less subtle as the months passed. As much as Rowan wanted to do that, those comments still irked him.

“You���re telling me she won’t be happy until we’re married and I put a white picket fence around the house?”

“I’m not telling you to marry her because of whatever people my age say a family should look like.” Rory gave him a dagger-sharp look. “I’m telling you to marry Aelin because you’re in love, but you two don’t seem to know what to do with that.”

His chest tightened, and Rowan wouldn’t look Rory in the eye. “It’s complicated.”

Her posture relaxed, and her eyes and tone were a lot softer when she said, “It’s not. You see what you want, and you seize it.”

Rowan felt his throat closing, and he just rushed with the rest of the dishes before leaving to check on Aelin and Maisie. For Mala’s sake, was his mother this desperate for a daughter-in-law?

He stood by the open door, watching them before announcing his arrival. Aelin’s hand was gentle but restless as she patted Maisie’s back, her eyes distant as she tried to burp the little girl.

Rowan would act on his feelings when the time was right, he was happy to just watch his family in the meanwhile.

And Aelin… she was recovering from giving birth. That’s the reason she wouldn’t get out of bed.

He sat beside her on the bed. “She’s done feeding?”

“Not quite.”

Rowan extended both hands. “Can I try?”

Since the usual technique wasn’t working, Rowan decided to try something he saw online. He held Maisie against his chest and shoulder as usual, but gently swiveled her bottom instead of patting her back.

Until the cutest little burp echoed through Aelin’s room. A completely different experience from the ones he’s used to hearing at the Air Force’s mess hall.

”There she is.” He kissed Maisie’s belly and held her in front of him, father and daughter staring at each other with the same pine green eyes. “Did you like Mommy’s dinner?”

“She better enjoy it while she can, that’s the only dinner I can make.”

Rowan squeezed her hand. “I’ll take care of that once she grows some teeth.”

She leaned against the bedpost, lips flat. “Of course you will.”

His breath caught inside his chest. Did he say something wrong?

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Aelin bowed her head and grimaced. “I didn’t mean to snap, it’s just—“ she ran both hands through her hair. “I feel like I’m always messing up with Maisie.”

Rowan hummed, moving himself and the baby closer to Aelin. “I think Maisie disagrees, since you’re very clearly her favorite person.”

This line was supposed to make Aelin smile, but it completely backfired now that she was staring at the ceiling and blinking back tears.

“Wanting me is just her instinct. She’s biologically inclined to do that.”

He caressed her shoulder, trying to comfort her in any way he could. “Instinct or not, I still think you’re a great mom.”

“And you’re like a dream dad that came straight from a diaper ad.“ She gave him a weak smile. “It’s annoying sometimes. I love it.”

Aelin leaned her head against his shoulder and they stayed there, savoring the moment until Maisie decided it was enough.

It wouldn’t be long until the time to act on his fluttering stomach came. Rowan would pour his heart out, put a ring on her finger, and have as many children as she wanted.

He’d do it when the time was right.

˜˜

“Who’s ready for some beach-themed therapy?” Yrene greeted them into her office with a huge grin, holding a beach ball with emotions written on it.

Aelin threw her head back, laughing. “What’s that?”

That made Rowan’s chest fill with warmth, and it was a well-known fact that he could live his whole life gravitating around that laughter alone. He flexed his hands, then gave in to the ache in his fingers and fondly brushed them against the middle of her back. Aelin gave him a quick smile and turned back to their therapist.

Yrene gave them space to walk inside while explaining, “We use this activity mostly with teenagers, but I thought it’d be nice to get you in the mood for your trip.”

After they discussed last week’s homework, she explained that it consisted of passing the ball around, reading the first word that pops in and telling one time they felt that way. Easy.

“Furious.” Aelin gaped at the ball, and then at Yrene. “That’s a way to start.”

“Now you tell us a time when your family made you furious,” their therapist said.

Aelin squinted her eyes at him. “When you cut Maisie’s hair without telling me.”

Rowan grimaced. Fatherhood was hard, but nothing could prepare him for dealing with his daughter’s hair. There were so many different creams, he always got the hairstyles wrong, and she’d scream bloody murder while getting her hair rinsed.

So Rowan did the logical thing and cut his toddler’s hair around the chin.

Maisie liked it, but Aelin yelled so much at him she nearly ruptured his eardrums.

She had one arm holding the ball against her, the other on her hip. “You have nothing to say for yourself?”

“It grew back.”

Aelin threw the ball at him a little harsher than necessary. “Your turn.”

By the looks of it, there was a reason therapists chose a beach ball, and not something heavier and therefore deadlier to do this dynamic with.

“Thankful.” Rowan twirled the ball in his hands, smiling inwardly. “When Maisie trashed my house while I took a nap and you helped me clean it up.”

His memory broke her angry stance, making Aelin’s shoulders relax. “You could’ve pressed charges against Maisie for what she did to your house.”

“Technically, I could arrest her myself, but I don’t think the Brigadier would approve.”

Aelin rolled her eyes, like she always did when someone joked about her being the Air Force’s nepo baby, and he passed her the beach ball.

“Appreciated.” Aelin had a wistful smile on, and looked as if it was a crystal glass showing her past. “When I was pregnant, you’d leave the house in the middle of the night to buy something I was craving.”

Rowan’s heart constricted with the memory, but he knew he’d do it all over again. Getting to know her, living with her while they watched Maisie grow made those some of the best days of his life.

Flooded with memories, he almost missed the beach ball when Aelin passed it to him. It was like time stopped when Rowan grabbed it and read the first word his eyes settled in, his chest caving and the floor falling beneath his feet. Should he lie? There was only one time he felt—

“What’s the word, Rowan?” Yrene asked when silence stretched for too long.

He swallowed. “Betrayed.”

“What?” Aelin let out a low, shaky laugh. “I never betrayed—“

“When you asked me to leave.”

Aelin was rooted to her spot, gaping until she blurted, “How was that a betrayal?”

Yrene cleared her throat. “Let’s remember this should be a safe space to share our—“

“You want me to be petty now?” Rowan shook his head and started finger-counting everything he barely remembered now, but weighted on him six years ago. “You were my student. You had a boyfriend. I went against every rule I had for you.” Rowan’s mouth opened and closed, his breathing ragged as he voiced every feeling he ditched over the last six years, like weed growing from small cracks in an old road he buried with asphalt day after day. “I went to *jail* for you. I fixed your entire house for you—“

“I didn’t force you to do any of that—“

“But you forced me to leave!“ Rowan sat on the couch and scraped his palms against his face, trying to think of the right words. ”I know things were shitty, but you were clutching Maisie to your chest when you told me to pack my things and leave!” He held one finger up while holding his head down and took one deep breath. And another. And another. Until the boiling in his blood calmed down.

He continued after a moment, “I didn’t mean to snap. I know that wasn’t exactly a betrayal, but emotions don’t always align with facts, or whatever Yrene has been telling us.”

Aelin sat by his side, reading every line of his wretched expression with her own, and said, “I wish I’d done things differently, but I couldn’t make the right choices because my mind wasn’t in the right place.” She playfully elbowed his side with a small, tentative smile. “Or whatever Yrene has been telling us.”

Rowan slowly nodded, knowing he’d mull this words over and over after this session ended. “I wish I’d done things differently too. I can’t stop thinking about every time I messed up that year since…” Since Ansel suggested that he was the reason Aelin kicked him out, but he wouldn’t open this Pandora‘s box now. Rowan sighed, all the weight of these six years heavy on his shoulders. “I‘ve been trying to puzzle things together, and the only conclusion I get to is that I failed you and Maisie.”

Aelin squeezed his hand. “You never did.”

She meant well, but hearing that she regretted her decision and that it wasn’t his fault wasn’t reassuring at all. It only sent him back to square one, even more confused.

Aelin took a deep, pained breath and closed her eyes, then fiddled with his fingers. She must’ve read something on his face, because she added, “I wish I could give you a better answer and explain those last few days to you, but I don’t remember Maisie’s first months very well.”

Rowan caressed her wrist with his thumb, not knowing what to say. It was odd that she didn’t remember, but—

Yrene cleared her throat. “And remember that if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your own thoughts, I’ll be happy to help you with that.”

Beating himself up for every little thing he did six years ago was a natural response for losing the love of his life. Rowan had no idea why his therapist was so obsessed with him starting individual sessions.

He looked back at Aelin, noticing her unguarded expression and how the touch of her hand covering his wired and soothed him at the same time.

Right now, he just needed one thing.

˜˜

“Why is this taking so long?” Maisie whined from the backseat of the car they just rented.

Rowan had an ‘I told you so’ ready, but it wouldn’t help with anything now. With a plane trip to Southeastern Doranelle and a long drive to his parents’ house on the same day, he knew getting into the long drive-thru line would only make Maisie stressed. The problem is that his daughter was as stubborn as she was impatient.

“I don’t know, honey.” Aelin gasped from the passenger, eyes wide in a display of theatrics she only did to entertain Maisie. “Maybe they’re ordering the whole menu.”

“They’re taking forever.” The little girl crossed her arms, unamused. “Why did everyone’s daddy have to grab lunch today?” Maisie was doing distressed, dramatic gestures with her arms. “Where’s all the mommies?”

Rowan’s spine went rigid and he frowned at his daughter. “What do you mean?”

“Rowan…” Aelin grimaced and bit back her laughter at the same time. “You’re a slow driver. I thought you knew that already.”

His eyes widened. “I’m not!”

Aelin threw her head back, laughing. “You are! And Maisie has your road rage.”

He shook his head, but swallowed his retort when the car in front of them got their bag. He hit the brake pedal, hands clutching the steering wheel as he leaned forwards, breathlessly waiting… but the car wouldn’t move.

“Ugh!” Maisie looked up and sighed. “Daddy, do you want me to get out and push so they’ll move?”

Her “threat” worked like a charm, now that the car moved and they were one step closer to getting a meal. Rowan’s lips were pinched together, restrained, but when he saw Aelin’s shoulders shaking with her head between her hands, he silently rested his head on the steering wheel and did the same.

It should be illegal to feel this amused at his own daughter’s frustration, but Maisie was too cute with road rage.

After they got their food and went back to the road, Aelin put on the Little Mermaid soundtrack again. The girls were singing at the top of their lungs, and Rowan could finally agree that this was better than having the GPS on and not taking a wrong turn every fifteen minutes. He didn’t remember how many times he listened to Under the Sea today, but he remembered getting warm, funny feelings in his chest every time their voices got louder than the song.

Before the trip really began, Rowan already accepted that the vacation was theirs, and he was just the chauffeur.

He wasn’t supposed to love this idea this much.

However, his mind was half there, half on the last therapy session they had. It hadn’t left his mind ever since he stepped out of Yrene’s office.

Aelin told him very clearly she wished she’d done things differently.

Restless nights, charged pauses when they spoke, fingers hovering over his phone’s keyboard. Rowan felt like he was on the edge of a cliff, on the verge of jumping and asking a detailed explanation of what she meant, in whatever way that would answer all the questions in his head. Or at least the most important one.

“Use your words, boy and ask her!” They sang in the background of Rowan’s anxiety. “If the time is right and the time is tonight, go on and kiss the girl!”

Rowan paused the song with a heartbeat faster than it should, but not without groans of protest. “What’s that?”

“Kiss the Girl!” Maisie whined. “Daddy, I want the song back.”

“Okay, okay.” He put the song back, feeling a tad guilty for disrupting an already stressed Maisie. “Sorry, kiddo.”

Rowan only relaxed when the song ended, though, and half of the weight of his shoulders left his body later, when they finally got to their destination.

Maisie burst into his parents’ beach house as soon as her door unlocked like the little cannonball she was.

“Go on.” Rowan nudged Aelin forward. “I got the bags.”

Stubborn as the day she was born, Aelin took her bag from his hand. “I’m not gonna barge into your parent’s house like I’m their five-year-old granddaughter.”

This was ridiculous, considering how much Rory and Owen loved her, but he understood why she was a little guarded now. Rowan came here with Maisie once or twice a year, but it was Aelin’s first time visiting.

“Knowing my parents, they might even like it.” Rowan snorted, shaking his head. “They already act like you’re the daughter they never had, anyway.”

He took two steps towards the house, but Aelin didn’t follow. She was staring, frozen with an indecipherable look aimed at him, and the realization of what he’d just said rooted him to the ground, his body so heavy it expanded to his core.

This week at therapy. If she was looking at him like this, it meant that being part of the family to his mother meant something to her. Every single interaction now led him back to therapy.

She dumped him, but she wished she’d done things differently.

Of all the reactions Rowan thought she’d have if he ever voiced the thoughts that made him pace in the middle of the night, holding his hand and apologizing wasn’t one of them.

Maybe he held back for being still used to the explosive reactions he got from her before family therapy, or maybe he knew he’d never say it out loud only to have his fears confirmed.

That he focused on the baby and didn’t pay her enough attention. That he was working too long hours. That his fussiness made him micromanage her mothering—which Rowan was actively trying to stop. That she got trapped with him, then decided she could have more.

But whatever happened that year, she wishes she’d done things differently.

“Aelin!” His mother shouted from the front door, stepping out their way. “I couldn’t believe my ears when Rowan told me you’d come!”

She hugged Rory, finally out of that trance. “Your house is so beautiful.”

His father showed up with Maisie while pleasantries were being exchanged. “About time,” the old man mock-complained.

“Sorry we’re late.” Rowan gave his dad a man hug and got the usual two pats on the back. “Maisie and Aelin turned off the GPS. The voice directions were disturbing their Disney sing-along.”

“Oh, that’s understandable.” Owen picked his granddaughter up, grinning. “I didn’t know you like singing with your mom that much, Maisy Daisy.”

She nodded with all the earnestness a five-year-old could muster. “The songs are fun, and Mommy is really brave.”

“Maisie!” Aelin chastised, her lips somewhere between a gape and a smile. “Why am I ‘brave’ for singing?”

The little girl just giggled and hid her face on her grandpa’s shoulder.

Rowan slowly shook his head, never failing to be amused at his daughter. He was ready to defend Aelin‘s skills, but that was her own sass biting her in the ass. Maisie might’ve gotten the Whitethorn looks, but that fiery personality was all Aelin’s.

On the second floor, Rowan got his usual guest room, but his mother was still showing everything because of Aelin.

“This one I prepared for you.” She was pointing everything around, assuming everyone was catching up. “There’s Sellene’s room, the other is Enda’s. Their kids have a room for themselves, they just asked me to put on a show about a boy and dogs.”

Maisie’s eyes brightened. “Pawtrols.”

“That one!” Rory crouched down enough to be eye to eye with Maisie. “Well, the kids’ room I prepared has a TV and lots of toys.” She pointed at a door down the hall. “You could sleep there with your cousins and leave the other room just to your mom and dad.”

Rowan didn’t know why he was surprised.

Maisie crossed her arms. “No.”

Rory’s face fell. “What.”

The little girl put her foot down, dramatically shaking her head. “I wanna stay with Mommy and Daddy.”

His mother didn’t agree or protest, knowing she was already bordering the line between scheming and being pushy.

“We don’t have to decide now.” Rowan crouched to talk to Maisie, ready to get rid of that weird tension. “You can stay with us for as long as you want, and play during the day or have sleepovers with your cousins when you feel like it.”

Aelin wiggled her eyebrows. “You could have both rooms, Mais.”

The little girl’s eyes lit up with the idea. “Can I have both rooms, Grandma?”

“Of course you can, honey.” Rory grinned at her granddaughter, all the distress from her failed plan vanished already. “You three get settled, everyone’s downstairs.”

When they set the bags on the room, Maisie threw herself on the bed while Aelin excused herself to the bedroom.

Rowan laid on the bed next to his little girl, where the three of them would sleep squashed together. It’d be nice to have some alone time with Aelin, but he was also incapable of saying no to Maisie.

Besides, his mother didn’t need to trap him into anything with Aelin, he’d do it this time. Forget about reading her cues and waiting for the perfect time, he was tired of feeling like his soul was being ripped into threads every time he watched her eyes light up while her lips arch into a smile.

Rowan wished he’d done things differently too, but that had to stop somewhere.

And if he didn’t have a shot with Aelin, he’d at least fight for what he wanted this time.

She walked back into the room, smiled, and laid on the other side of the bed, hugging Maisie as well.

He’d make a move and do everything on his mind in the near future. Right now, he had a family hug to attend.

“Mom? Dad?”

Aelin hummed.

“You’re a slice of bread.”

Rowan frowned. ”I don’t get it.”

Their daughter beamed. “I’m the cheese!”

That earned her a chuckle. Indeed, Maisie was sandwiched between them in a hug.

Aelin smacked a kiss on her cheek. “You’re our Mayomaisie.”

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[leiawritesstories]

Happy 500 followers!!!

Rowaelin prompt: Rowan and Aelin are neighbors who are VERY competitive over everything. They both think the other hates them (of course) until something semi-bad (nothing angsty, you angst gremlin!!) happens to one of them and all of a sudden the other is being super nice and helping them out.

I cannot wait for all these amazing Leia fics 😍😍😍

Love, goddess-aelin, because tumblr is dumb and I still can’t send messages from a sideblog 😘

thank you so so much @goddess-aelin 💕💕💕 i'll try to keep Frederick away but the endless fluff just makes him meaner, yk 😈

Word count: 900

Warnings: mentions of injury

Enjoyyyyyyy!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of all the people Aelin Galathynius wanted to witness her stumbling awkwardly up to her front porch and trying to figure out how the hell to balance on crutches and unlock her front door, Rowan Whitethorn was decidedly not one of them.

Her next-door neighbor might be attractive, and she might enjoy ogling watching him work on his front yard when it was hot and he was shirtless, and she might leave her bedroom curtains only half-drawn at night knowing his bedroom faces hers, but she sure as hell did not want him to watch her fail at getting into her own damn house. She just knew he would tease her mercilessly about it and point out that he'd never had such trouble opening his front door.

One more point for him in their never-ending friendly neighborhood competition.

Unfortunately for her, no amount of wishing could have drowned out the unmistakable sound of Rowan's footsteps crunching in the gravel of her front yard landscaping. "Aelin? Do you need a hand?" To her surprise, he sounded...genuine?

"Yeah, if you could not stomp your huge man boots through the gravel that took me about fifty hours to rake into place, that would be great!" She beamed at him.

"Um..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I meant with your door, but if you're being serious, I can just--I mean--"

She'd never seen Rowan so lost for words, so she gave in and laughed. "I was mostly teasing, Whitethorn." She wobbled on her crutches and caught herself, swearing under her breath. "I...yeah," she sighed. "Can you unlock my stupid door so I can get inside and put my stupid foot up?"

"Sure." He took her house key, unlocked the front door, and even held it open for her as she hobbled inside, heading straight for the living room so she could prop her foot up on the ottoman.

"Thanks." She exhaled a relieved sigh as the pressure eased off of her injured foot. "Wait. What are you doing?"

Rowan backed slowly away from the kitchen. "I was just going to see if there was anything in your fridge, but knowing you, it's probably empty."

"Rude!" she gasped, throwing a small pillow at him. He batted it away easily. "My fridge and pantry are perfectly well stocked, thank you."

He smirked. "I wouldn't call wine, cheese, and chocolate well stocked, Galathynius."

"Oh yeah? What about wine, cheese, chocolate, dry goods, cooking ingredients, canned food, fresh produce, and leftovers, because I actually cook?" she challenged. "I dare you to check."

Wearing a knowing smirk, Rowan disappeared into the kitchen, opened and closed a few doors, and emerged with that smirk wiped clean off his face. "You must be a damn good cook if your leftovers smell that good."

Aelin's jaw dropped. "Whitethorn, did I actually die and go to heaven or are you giving me a compliment?"

"Don't get used to it," he sighed. "Yeah, I am."

"How sweet," she crooned. "Wait. Next question. Why the hell are you in my house?"

"You, uh, I had to unlock the door for you and I guess I just followed you inside to make sure you didn't fall over?" The faint stain of pink on his cheeks was far too endearing for Aelin's own good. Oh, she knew what her dreams that night would be featuring, she did.

"Well, I haven't fallen over, so you can head home now." She cleared her throat. "Um...thanks for helping me with the door."

It was Rowan's turn to gasp dramatically. "Am I dreaming, or did Aelin Galathynius actually thank me?"

"Don't get used to it," she griped.

He snickered. "Don't worry, I won't. Before I leave, though, do you want something to eat?"

"Hell yes," she groaned. "Shit, I hadn't thought about that and now I'm stuck on this couch until the painkillers kick in."

"You've got leftovers, I can just heat something up." He shrugged. "What do you want?"

She thought for a moment. "I'm 90% sure there's lasagna in the fridge, can you get me some of that?"

"Sure." He headed into her kitchen and rustled around for several minutes before reappearing with a whole Tupperware of leftover lasagna and a small bowl of salad. "Here you are, milady," he announced.

She rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose at the salad. "I said lasagna, Whitethorn, not leaves."

He rolled his eyes right back. "And I thought you'd appreciate having a full meal, Galathynius." With a smug smirk, he added, "Eat it all up and I'll even get you ice cream."

Fork halfway to her mouth, Aelin paused. "That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, Ae." He beamed, the portrait of innocence. "Deal?"

"You suck," she grumbled. "Fine. But you're getting me the entire container of ice cream, got it?"

"Anything for you when you're a good patient," he joked.

The lighthearted sentence suddenly brought a whole new line of fantasies featuring a certain gorgeous neighbor in a doctor's coat to life in Aelin's far-too-active imagination. Cheeks flushing, she tucked into her food, determined not to let Rowan sense the sudden change in her heartbeat.

She knew he'd immediately know where her thoughts had turned. She'd dreamed of what would happen next.

And she knew neither of them could return to their friendly neighborhood rivalry if they gave in to the tension crackling between them.

~~~

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[aelinschild]

PROLOGUE

Holding Me Like Water In Your Hands

Main Masterlist | HMLWIYH Masterlist

Hello and welcome to my first-ever fic! My idea for this is extensive and full of feels, featuring all the best ToG characters (AKA all of them) but mainly centering on Rowaelin. I really have no idea what I'm doing, but I have ideas, and I want to bring them to life, so yeah!

SYNOPSIS:A cross continental move forces Aelin Galathynius to open her eyes wider than before, and at the doors of Terrasen's most exclusive and expensive private high school, she realizes her life is flowing through her. And if she wants to make the most of her life, she needs to grab onto something. Or maybe someone. WORDCOUNT: 421 GENERAL WARNINGS: Language, Drug use, Alcohol, Allusion to sex/intimacy, Brief descriptions of sexual assault, Domestic violence, Very severe angst, Messy Divorces (More to be added)

The Audi glided into the gas station, rolling to a stop at the pump. 

“You have five minutes, Linny, and don't forget my pringles!” Evalin Galathynius trilled, before sliding out of the car and towards the pump. 

I rolled out my shoulders and stretched my legs in the limited space of the SUV. Google Maps was recalculating after our stop, alerting me that I only had two more hours of my mother's anxious ramblings before we would arrive at the Galathynius’ newest purchase. 

A house. 

Back in Terrasen. 

Orynth to be specific. 

My mother and I had set out at nine this morning to begin our journey to Orynth, northward of Rifthold, and my entire life. Dad wasn't even home this morning when we left. 

I prop open the door and step out of the Audi. I can smell the cigarette smoke from the other side of the car where my mother is filling the tank. Its smell is a constant reminder of the current state of my life. Swallowing my comment about the safety of fire-bearing items and gasoline, I secure my slippers to my feet and wander over to the convenience store attached to the gas pumps. 

The bell dings when I walk through the door, and I beeline for the washroom before I begin my stockpiling of snacks. The floors are sticky, and I can’t help but sigh at what will become of my slippers after this journey. When I make it to the obviously neglected washroom, I quickly shut and lock the door before I turn to the mirror. 

The girl that stands in the reflection looks hollow. 

Her golden blonde hair that reaches her elbows doesn't shine anymore, it simply hangs limp, void of the beautiful soft curls that once elevated it. The bags beneath her eyes are sunken, darker even than they were last week. There’s a breakout on her forehead that rose to the surface of her once sunkissed skin. And her eyes, those she can barely look at. The blue is dull, and the golden circle that kiss her pupil are barely visible anymore. 

That girl is me, Aelin. 

And after driving for the last five hours, I feel like shit and my bladder is on the verge of explosion from the four black coffees I've put down. 

I let out a defeated snort, one that slowly merges into maniacal laughter. The girl in the mirror laughs with me, but there's no joy in this bathroom. 

There’s no joy in the girl either. 

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