#i had this convo with my dad the other day | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gallavichsreddie1128 · 1 month

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Older (Dean Winchester)

Description: Y/N has a crush on Dean but they have a 20 year age gap. How does Dean react when she finally tells him?

Warning: Smut, Age Gap

Word Count: 1,743k

Y/N watched Dean as he washed Baby. His big muscular arms on display with the tight white shirt that had dirt on it. Baby was soapy and wet as Dean wiped her down. Y/N was trying not to drool as he went in circular motions cleaning the car. She was too into the scene in front of her; she didn’t notice Sam coming up to her side. “Stare any longer he might just notice your obvious crush on him.” He said to me, making her snap out of it. She turned towards him and rolled her eyes. He chuckled and handed her a beer. She took it from him and took a drink. “Ya think maybe he’s too old for you.” He said. Y/N pushed him and they both laughed. She sighed and looked at Dean again. He was pouring water on the soapy car. She sighed and got up from her spot and walked into the house. She needed a cold shower to erase the dirty thoughts from her mind.

It was days later that she’d be staring at the older man as he made breakfast. They had just come back from a hunt and Y/N was hungry so Dean offered to cook for her. Sam was getting some sleep but the other two were wide awake. “How do you like your eggs?” He asked her as he got them out of the fridge. “Over easy.” She said and he cracked the two eggs on the pan. She watched as he put the bread in the toaster. “You really didn’t have to make me anything.” She said as Dean put the eggs on the plate. “But I wanted to. You deserve it putting up with us.” She laughed as he set the eggs and toast in front of her. She thanked him. “Well I like putting up with you guys.” She said. He got his plate and sat across from her. “What, you got a crush on one of us?” He joked but she didn’t laugh. “Nah we’re probably too old for you anyway.” He said. She stared at him without saying anything. She shook her head and went back to eating her food. “Yeah totally.” She said.

She woke up 7 hours later in bed and yawned. She remembered the cringey things Dean asked her this morning and she sighed. She thought for a second when he asked her that she was caught. Luckily Dean was oblivious.She got out of bed and stretched. She walked out of her room and noticed Dean at the table on the computer. “Where’s Sam?” She asked. “Grocery Shopping.” He said and nodded and sat down across from him. He looked up from the computer at her. “So back to early convo you probably like Jack don’t you?” He asked. She looked at him confused. “No, not the antichrist.” She laughed. “Do you even like anybody?” He asked. “Dean, can we not talk about this?” She asked not wanting to expose herself. “Yeah sure.” He said and went back to research. The silence now,awkward and unwanted.

Why was Dean so curious about who she had feelings for or if she did? She honestly thought that Dean was too old for her but that’s how she liked it. They were eating dinner and she had a glass of wine. Dean sat across from her and Sam sat next to Dean. Jack and Cas sat next to her. Everyone was in a conversation except her. She never talked much while eating. She sometimes butted in with Jack and Cas but other than that kept quiet. Dean noticed her silence and wondered if it was about his question earlier. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. After dinner was over she helped him clean up.

She didn’t say anything to him so he figured he thought correct. “I’m sorry about the question earlier. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” He said. She looked at him. “You didn’t.” She said and poured herself some more wine. “If I did I would completely understand-” “Dean.” She interrupted him. He looked over at her and she was holding the wine and her upper body on the table a little. Her boobs are perfectly on display. “What are you-” She took a sip of wine and smirked. “I told myself I’d never fuck anyone old enough to be my dad.” She states. He stares at her in shock. She stood up and walked closer to him. “That was until I met you.” She said seductively. “Wait you like me?” He asked her confused but kinda turned on.

She nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And before you give me any of that age bullshit. I’m 22 i’m an adult.” He stared at her as her hands ran over his chest. “You have no idea what you do to me Dean.” She says and her hands lower themselves to the bottom of his shirt. She tugs on it and he looks down seeing what she was doing. “Y/N are you sure?” He asked her. She looked up at him with lustful eyes. “Are you sure Dean? Think you can handle me, old man?” He chuckled and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.She laughed as he took her to his room. He threw her on the bed and smirked. “I’m 42 sweetheart not 72.” He said and took off his shirt revealing his amazing body. She was almost drooling at the sight. He crawled onto the bed and hovered over her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down in a kiss. He moved his lips against hers as his hands traveled her body. He lifts her tank top up a bit and she pulls away from the kiss. She sits up and removes it showing her white bra. He looks down at her boobs and cups them. “Wow you’re so sexy.” He says and moves his hands to her back. He unclips the bra and she lets it fall freeing her boobs. He smirks at the sight and leans down to put one of her nipples in his mouth. She gasps his name and her hands go to his head as he licks and sucks. Her hands moved to his jeans and she cupped his growing erection. He moans against her nipple. “Dean take these off.” She breathes out. He pulls away from her nipple and gets up to remove his jeans. He pulls them down along with his boxers. She moves herself to the end of the bed and pulls him closer to her. “I didn’t know if I want you in my mouth or inside of me.” She says and he chuckles. Her eyes staring at his long hard cock. “Both would be ideal but right now I really need to be inside of you.” He tells her and pushes her back on the bed.

She smiles as he pulls down her panties. He gets back on her and kisses her again. She runs her hands up and down his muscular back. He pulls away and sighs into her mouth as he lines himself up with her entrance. He pushes in slowly and she gives a sharp gasp. “Are you okay?” He asked. She nods. He pushes in deeper and her noises fill his ear. She hadn’t had sex with many people and certainly not with a guy this big before. Once he was in her all the way he let her adjust to him. They stare at each other as she adjusts to him. He got lost in her eyes not believing that this was happening right now. She pulled him out of his thoughts when she thrusted up. She moaned as the pain was gone and she was full of pleasure. He started moving his hips and she let out little moans. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened. He didn’t let his eyes close as he watched her facial expressions. He groaned as her hips started matching his. She grabs his neck and moans his name. “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He breathes out and she opens her eyes to look at him. “You feel so good inside of me.” She whimpers. He leans down and starts kissing her neck. She gasped and pulled him closer if that was possible. “Dean, go faster.” She begged and he moved as fast as he could.His hips pounding into her hard and fast making the bed screech. His lips left marks on her neck. Neither of them cared at the moment.

He pulled out of her some and angled his hips. He slammed back in her and hit her g spot making her scream. He covered her mouth with his hand. “Gotta remember sweetheart we aren’t the only ones here.” He groans in her ear. She tried to keep her sounds to a minimum but with him pounding at her g spot that didn’t work. “Dean, you feel too good.” She mumbles in his hand. He nods. “Fuck I know baby. You feel amazing.” He moans. She felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge. He was twitching inside of her signaling that he was close too. “Baby I'm close.” She moaned and he groaned out a me too. She gasped out feeling him fill her up which triggered her orgasm. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her orgasm hit her. She bit her lip trying to hold back the loud noises that threatened to spill from her. Her hips moved up as she rode out her high. Dean watched her and almost became hard again. Her hips slowed and she opened her eyes seeing Dean already looking at her. “That was hot.” He smirked. She rolled her eyes. “Yeah well thanks to you.” She smirked back. He pulled out of her causing her to moan.

He got up and went to the bathroom and got a wet towel. He came back and cleaned her and him up. “Such a gentleman.” She teased. He laughed and threw the towel in the laundry bin. He collapsed next to her and yawned. “Tired old man?” He turned to look at her. “Baby I could go another 5 rounds.” He said. She turned towards him and smirked. “Prove it.” She said and he smirked. Sam couldn’t sleep that night but Dean and Y/N weren’t complaining.

#dean winchester #supernatural #spn #sam winchester #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester smut #jensen ackles #jared padalecki

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apollos-boyfriend · 7 months

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a transcription of bagi and cellbit's conversation - 10/15/23

their convo starts at approximately 03:03:00 in cellbit's vod. there's a lot of screaming and yelling, so to save on being repetitive, anything after (screaming) continues the sentiment until i note their voices returning to normal.

C: What’s up?

B: Look deep into my eyes.

C: (long pause) . . . I’m looking.

B: Well? Nothing? (punches him, yelling) You asshole!

C: What? Wh-

B: (screaming) I looked for you for 15 years! And you forgot about me! You asshole!

C: (yelling) You abandoned me!

B: (crosstalk) You asshole!

C: You have no idea what I went through! You don’t know what I-what I lived through before this place! I don’t even know-

B: I spent the past few days in that stupid fucking house trying to remember your face!

C: I spent the last 15 years alone! In a war, in a jail, in a prison! I had to kill-I had to eat other people to stay alive! To be respected! Where were you? You were being coddled by mommy and daddy while I was out there, alone, bathed in blood! Half-dead! I never had a sister!

B: (pause, no longer screaming) You think mommy and daddy are still alive? What do you think I’ve been doing for the last 15, 20 years?

C: (pause, no longer screaming) I don’t know. And it doesn’t-

B: (raising her voice) What do you think I’ve been doing for the last 15 years of my life? Why do you think I’m on this shitty fucking island, you bastard?

C: (raising his voice) I don’t know! I just want to get out of here!

B: (voice cracking) You abandoned me, bastard! I spent the last 15 years chasing after you!

C: I don’t even remember this place. I don’t remember you! I don’t remember anything! How could I-how could I have abandoned you? (pause) You can believe whatever you want, but the place that I went to—the one far from here—I didn’t want to go there. The places I was taken to, I definitely never wanted to be taken there.

B: (softer) I found Roberto!

C: What is that? A worm . . .

B: It’s your worm, you dick! It was thanks to Roberto that I remembered you. (she tosses Roberto to him)

C: (he analyzes Roberto for a second) He’s-

B: (interrupting) You don’t remember Roberto?

C: No, but he’s cool.

B: You always wanted to have a pet worm.

C: He’s really cool.

B: You thought they were fucking sick.

C: No, genuinely, he’s really cool. I can’t deny that. (raising voice) But that doesn’t negate the fact that it doesn’t matter-wait, what do you mean, didn’t you have-what do you mean I have a sister, that makes absolutely no sense, where have you been all my life?

B: I was chasing after you! Looking for you! I located you in that shitty prison and you fucking ran away, damnit!

C: (screaming) Of course I did! You don’t have the slightest clue of what happened in that place! I had to do everything in my power to manage to get out of there! And yeah, I did-I did terrible stuff! But it’s what I-it-after you’ve spent 10 years in a fucking warzone needing to kill dozens of people a day to survive, that’s the least of what you have to do to survive!

B: Wait, what happened to you? I didn’t-I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I-I spent the last-I spent the last 15 years looking for you.

C: (solemn) And I spent the last 15 years trying to survive.

B: (long pause) You really didn’t remember me?

C: I didn’t remember anything. I just know that my-my first memory is me holding a fucking knife and a dead body right in front of me. And it was the only food I had. And it was like that for a long time. So, if you ask me, I’ve never had a family.

B: (crouching, crosstalk) You don’t remember us?

C: (increasingly more angry) I’ve never had a mom, or dad, or sister. I only had myself.

B: (broken) Seriously? You really don’t remember me?

C: I’m sorry, but no. I don’t remember you.

B: (long pause, stepping away) It’s okay.

C: (tossing her diary) This is yours.

B: What’s this? (long pause as she reads it) Looks like we’re no longer joined at the hip after all.

C: For me-

B: (interrupts, punching him) No, go fuck yourself, man! No, I’m not going to accept this! (screaming) I came to this shitty island, I’m stuck here with you, because I came searching for you! So now you’re going to accept me, damnit!

C: (screaming) You were already here before I got here!

B: (crosstalk) I’m your family! I’m your family, you fucker! Do you hear me? I’m stuck in this shit because of you, and I’m not leaving without you!

C: Well then, are you stupid? Because if you came here looking for me, I wasn’t even here! You got here before I did!

B: (speaking normally) I didn’t get here before you did, are you nuts?

C: How did you get on this fucking island, then?

B: (screaming) We lived on this island, dude!

C: (crosstalk) I never lived in this fucking hellhole! You think I would-are you-

B: (crosstalk) You were born here!

C: (squeaks) Huh? You’re nuts. Now you’re-now you’re in a whole new dimension. How was I born in this fucking place? What I want is to get out of here. I want to blow this place up.

B: (crosstalk, solemn) Do you want to see the house we grew up in? Maybe it’ll trigger some memories. I’m being serious.

C: (speaking normally) You have a-you know where-you have a-a-

B: (interrupting) I know where we grew up, yes. You don’t remember it, it’s okay, it happens. But . . . our house is here.

C: Uh-

B: Do you want to go there? Here, come with me. Let’s go to my house.

(They teleport to Bagi’s)

B: (breaking rp, laughing) [Your voice] is fucked to shit.

C: (not understanding what she means) What about yours?

B: (still laughing)

C: (breaking rp) Oh, I get it, you’re talking about my voice. (laughing) That I’m losing my voice, shit.

B: Mine is also fucked to shit. It feels like you have a boat stuck in there.

C: I do, I do, I do.

B: Put a boat down for me, please. Hold up, let me drive, let me drive. There.

(They get in the boat. Bagi starts driving)

C: (back in rp) We don’t even look similar, it doesn’t make any sense. Are you sure that that’s true?

B: (yelling) We don’t even look similar? You’re my fucking clone!

C: (yelling) Shut up, obviously not! The only thing-what man, you fucking dyed your hair to look like mine? It’s the only-wow, the only two people in the world-

B: I don’t even know why my hair looks like this! C: Neither do I! Maybe it’s-it has to be that fucking bear trying to get into our heads!

B: (speaking normally) Okay, look. Let me tell you something. Someone helped me get back my memories. I don’t know who.

C: (speaking normally) But-

B: (interrupting) Someone wanted me to remember you. And wait, where did you even find my fucking book? Were you spying on me?

C: No, it was in my castle!

B: What do you mean, it was in your castle?

C: I-I woke up—actually, that reminds me of something else, oh my god—I woke up, and then I went-I ate my breakfast, with my cake, in my beautiful dining room with my marvelous portraits, and there was a fucking mysterious black box (immitates thunder) pow! It starts raining, there’s lightning, and I’m like “Fuck, what’s going on?” and I went to check-

B: (interrupting) But it wasn’t from the Federation, was it?

C: I don’t think so, because usually the Federation is-is-when they reach out, it’s not with black boxes and lightning.

B: It happened to you too, then. There’s someone helping us find our missing memories! Why, I have no clue. I mean, I’m thankful, I’m really grateful, but . . . I don’t know why [they’re helping us]. (pause) Okay, hold on, let me see what the best route is to get there.

C: (long pause) How do you know about who was born on this island?

B: I don’t know who was born on this island, I just know that we were born here.

C: Is this-

B: (interrupting) Well, I don’t know if we were born here, I know that we grew up here.

C: There are houses here.

B: So. When we were younger, everyone always said that the island was the safest and most perfect place to live. Now. How you disappeared in the safest and most perfect place to live, I don’t know. Hold up, let me see if we can go through here. No, it’s better to go in farther ahead.

C: (long pause) Why have I wound up back in this place, then?

B: We’re here.

(They get out of the boat and begin approaching the house)

B: You don’t actually remember anything? Nothing?

C: No.

B: There’s someone-there’s someone helping me recover my memories. I-I didn’t remember why I was here. But now I do. I’ve spent the last few days [in our old home].

C: Honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve lost my memories that I stopped thinking about where I came from. I just kept moving forward. Because if I looked back, I may have seen things I’d rather have forgotten. (observing their house) What is this? Shit.

B: Things you’d rather have forgotten? You were the only good part of my childhood, why would you not want to remember that?

C: (long pause) Because . . . because between my childhood and now . . . there’s something much worse. (he enters the house) What is this-it looks like a cozy house.

B: It’s a bit dusty now.

C: (crosstalk) It looks-it feels very familiar, actually.

B: (excitedly) Come here! Do you remember our TV? That we needed to keep fiddling with the antenna that mom would make us put Bom Bril on? (Bom Bril is a Brazilian cleaning product made of steel wool.) Here! The TV!

C: (muttering, crosstalk) Bread with eggs. Bread with eggs. I once liked bread with eggs.

B: Um. When I got here—when something sent me here—all of your missing posters were all in the trash can. And . . . one book about the police investigation being dismissed because they didn’t have enough evidence to keep looking for you. You apparently left without leaving a single trace. Now, if you ran away because you wanted-or if because something-I don’t know.

C: (crosstalk, serious) I didn’t want to go where I went. I didn’t want to end up where I went. I didn’t want to be where I went.

B: (distressed) If this palace was supposed to be safe, then how come they kidnapped you?

C: Whoever took me-did you stay here?

B: I stayed here a little longer.

C: Was this the parents’ rooms?

B: Yeah.

C: And there was nothing of theirs left behind?

B: No. I don’t know how they are. I don’t know where they are. I don’t know if they’re still alive.

(Long pause as Cellbit enters their bedroom)

B: Roberto was here, in the thing you were always messing with, oops, sorry.

(Cellbit examines the small coffee mug on the table, then the brewing stand she was referring to)

C: What does this mean, Gabi? Why couldn’t I have a family?

B: Come here.

(Cellbit takes the coffee mug)

B: (raising her voice) You have a family, fucker! I came all this way just for you! Of course you have a family. You’re my brother! And you know that we’re fucked now, right? Because I was gonna let you fuck yourself over, because there’s someone trying to fuck you up, but now I can’t, because you’re my brother, and I won’t let go of your hand!

C: We’re-I give up.

B: (speaking normally) Come here. You left this in here.

C: My mystery novels. This one’s really good, actually, have you read it? (he tosses her And Then There Were None)

B: Which one? I read all of them, damnit. I read all of them. You left them behind. Obviously I read them. But this one’s really good, you’re right. You left something else here. Oh, hold on, there’s too much in my inventory. You left a cipher book. You taught me ciphers when we were kids. And whoever it was that’s been giving me clues gave me them all in ciphers. And I knew how to solve them, somehow, because you (punches him) taught me about them when we were kids.

C: (long pause) I’m not following. Who did this to me?

B: I’m going to find that fucker, and I’ll end him! Do you hear me?

C: But what . . . why . . . . what horrible atrocity could I have done as a kid to-to receive the penance I did, Bagi? I had a home. I had a family. (voice breaking) What did I do? Why was this all stolen from me?

B: (pause) It wasn’t stolen. I’m right here.

C: Why did-

B: (interrupting, firm) Do you hear me?

C: Why did they turn me into a monster?

B: (voice breaking) Get back here, I’m going to give you a hug! (Bagi raises her arms for a hug. Cellbit doesn’t reciprocate) You get back here, you asshole! I’ve missed you! You don’t remember, but I spent the past 15 years looking for you! When I finally found you in prison, what did you do? You ran away! You were a fugitive! You bastard! I’m never going to let you go again, do you hear me? I’m stuck on this fucking island, with-with a psychopathic killer bear that keeps coming after you, and I did it willingly. I’d do it all again if it was up to me.

C: I’m not the same person that you-that you grew up with.

B: (crosstalk) I don’t care!

C: (crosstalk) I’m not the same person.

B: (crosstalk) I don’t care! You’re my-we’re joined at the hip! A bit redundant, but we’re joined at the hip! (she finally steps away)

C: Maybe if I’d never left here, I’d still be your brother. But . . . I don’t-I’ve done things that I can never take back. And there’s broken parts of me that can never be fixed. I don’t-I don’t-I’ve never said this to anyone, Gabi. But I killed a Federation worker yesterday. And I liked it.

B: If you did it, there was a reason. There’s always a reason.

C: It felt good to kill someone again . . . .after so long. I’m not the same person you knew.

B: (pause) Fuck off. You’re my brother. I don’t know what I-what you went through. I have no idea. But you don’t know what I went through, either! And now I’m here. And we’ll get out of this place together. Even if you don’t want to.

C: At this point, I don’t know if leaving is my end goal anymore.

B: Your goal is to end them?

C: I want to make them feel what I felt. I want to make them understand what they did to me. Now that I know that they stole me from the life I could’ve had, I will do the same to them.

B: You won’t do it alone. You hear me? You don’t have to be alone anymore. You’ve been alone for too long. As have I.

C: So you better prepare yourself.

B: I was born ready.

C: To bathe yourself in blood.

B: Alright.

C: I need-I’m going-I need some time in my castle alone.

B: Me too.

C: Can I keep [Roberto]?

B: Obviously! Roberto was always yours. Actually, Roberto was [in the loft], I don’t know how he survived for this long. I got here and he was alive and kicking.

C: It’s because he kicks ass.

B: I don’t know where you got him, but be careful. He seems a little dangerous.

C: That’s what makes him so cool.

B: See you, Roberto.

C: Okay.

B: Roberto’s a little cute.

C: I need some time to process things, I can’t-I can’t-

B: It’s okay.

C: We’ll see each other-

B: (interrupting) When you need me, you know where to find me. When you don’t need me, too. At any time.

C: See you around.

#icarus speaks #qsmp translation #this took. an hour and a half to translate #i have a midterm due tomorrow but fuck that. i havev more important things clearly #this is 10 pages long btw

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nikethestatue · 8 months

Text

Princess Tea Party (Part 2)

A Walk in the Park

Elain Archeron Week 'Free Day' @elainarcheronweek

Warning: Explicit

Part 1 Azriel and Darius Night

Elain Archeron, Nesta Archeron, Feyre Archeron

“He said that?” Nesta’s normally cool, composed voice was sounding semi-hysterical.

“Yep,” Elain popped the ‘P’.

“He literally said ‘I am gonna fuck all your holes’?” Nesta demanded. “Just like that?”

“Yep.”

“That’s some next level dirty talk right out of the gate,” Nesta muttered, sighing with what Elain had assumed was admiration. “Do you even understand what that means?”

“What does it mean?” Elain asked weakly, throwing her legs up on the back of the sofa.

Once she was able to process what had transpired–and that was a bit of an exaggeration that she ‘processed’ it, because truthfully, she sure as fuck didn’t process anything that Azriel had said to her–she went to call her sister. She had to share this crazy ass day with someone. She needed to share Azriel with someone!

“And what did you say?” Nesta inquired like they were discussing what to get for lunch.

“Ummm, I certainly didn’t tell me ‘please fuck all my holes, Darius’s dad, whose last name I don’t know!”

“You don’t need a last name to have a guy all up in your business,” Nesta noted.

“Your moral compass is all skewed,” Elain replied, wondering how they were even sisters.

“What does he look like again?” Suddenly Feyre’s voice popped on the line and Elain groaned, having not noticed that Nesta got their younger sister on the three-way call.

“Apparently, he is an Armani-model-biker-gang-leader-mafia-pornstar,” Nesta reported unhelpfully.

“He is not a pornstar!” Elain objected nervously.

“He talks like one,” Feyre argued reasonably.

“He told her he is gonna fuck her ass,” Nesta piped in, and Elain begged, “ohmagod, please stop!”

“Wow, first convo butt sex…the gentleman does not believe in wasting time,” Feyre laughed obnoxiously, adding a low whistle to the mix.

“Oh and he told her he was gonna finger her too,” Nesta added, while Elain was glad that she wasn’t facetiming with them, because her face was burning up.

“Is that before or after the butt stuff?” Feyre inquired.

“That was a whole separate conversation,”

“Ellie, you sure you are still a virgin?” Feyre teased. “After this much dirty talk, you might have naturally de-virginised yourself! Or he,”

“Screw you both!” Elain hissed. “I am not a virgin. I got a kid!”

“Still kind of a virgin,” Nesta said decisively. “And imagine his skills in the bedroom if he can dirty talk you up like that? He can probably hammer your pussy to the point where you don’t know which way is up or down,”

“Are you kidding me now?”

“Not at all. This is one confident man!”

“So,” Feyre interrupted, “do we have a pic of this studly dirty-mouthed baby daddy?”

Elain sighed dramatically and then said prissily,

“Okay. I took a pic. Before the party started.”

“Ahhh you did!”

“I want it. I need it!” Feyre begged like a needy teenager.

“Oh god. I’ll send it, but I don’t want you to make a fuss,” Elain warned, but Nesta immediately shot that down.

“If he is worth making a fuss over, we’ll make a fuss!”

Wincing, Elain sent the photo to her nutty sisters.

It was a really cute photo–seven girls, all dressed up as princesses and holding plaques with their names on them–Isabella, Tay, Karo, Nell, Tee, Caroline, Cassie and then, there was Darius, who held a sign that said ‘Dari’ because when Elain made it, she didn’t know he was a boy. She and Azriel stood in the background.

“Sweet baby Moses,” Feyre gushed breathlessly.

“Let him do the butt stuff with you!” Nesta encouraged immediately.

“I knew this was gonna happen,” Elain moaned.

“And Oh. My. God. His kid!” Feyre’s voice became screechy on the other side.

“He looks like a cartoon character,” Nesta laughed. “This is the cutest darn kid in history. He looks like a little paperboy from ‘Peaky Blinders’,”

“He is wearing suspenders,” Feyre cooed softly. “I wanna pinch him and his fat cheeks!!!”

“But look at this prime piece of male real estate,” Nesta commented. “Oh-la-la. I’d ride him up and down the highway of all this very black, and very expensive clothing,”

“You are sick,” Elain muttered.

“No sweetheart,” Nesta interrupted, “this is a hella hot man.”

“He looks like a Pinterest model,” Feyre agreed. “All broody and tattoo-ty.”

There was a pause, and Nesta added, her tone more serious than before, “As I look at this, I can say that you two honestly look really good together.”

“What?” Elain wasn’t sure if her sister was joking, but it didn’t sound like it.

“Yes, I agree,” Feyre said. “You look like you…belong. Even though it’s obviously ridiculous because he is this tattooed hunk of burnin’ love and you are a fairy tale princess,”

“I am not!”

“You are. And yet, you two look really good together.”

After her sisters were done ogling the photo, Elain asked,

“What do I do with him?”

“You go for it!” Feyre said immediately.

“Surprisingly, I agree with her,” Nesta added. “This is a not-to-be missed experience. Besides, he is hot for you. You don’t need to work for it. I mean, you could be sitting on Tinder, swiping up and down, right and left, but you got this gorgeous man primed and ready for you–pop quiz, what do you do?”

“I take it I should go for it?” Elain asked quietly.

“That’s a resounding ‘yes!’,” Feyre boomed.

“But like…he is so big…”

“That’s your excuse? He is ‘big’?” Nesta challenged.

“But he is! He is like 9 feet tall!”

“Okay, well then, you know he is hung. At least you’ve got that going for you,”

“I don’t want hung,” Elain muttered feebly.

“No, you definitely do want hung. Trust me,” Feyre assured her. “You don’t want a guy like that rocking a decapitated mushroom down there. You pray he is hung.”

Groaning loudly, Elain didn’t answer.

“Pray tell, what does the young gent do for a living?” Nesta asked. “Considering the state of his wardrobe and the fact that he puts his son in Burberry pants, I’d say he is pretty well off.”

“I think he is a photographer,” Elain answered lamely.

“A photographer?!” Feyre was laughing. “I think he is a drug dealer,”

“What does he drive?” Nesta piped in.

“He is not a drug dealer,” Elain snapped. “A Maybach.”

“I am sorry. WHAT? A Maybach??”

“Yeah, I was surprised as well.”

“Where does he live?”

“I don’t know, but they brought cookies from the Cherry Creek Whole Foods and they walk around Wash park, so I guess somewhere around there?”

“Shit,” Feyre whistled again. “The dude is loaded! Forget what I said about the decapitated mushroom for a penis. Even if he has that, that’s okay. At least you can cry about it in your Maybach.”

“You are so gross,” Elain was shaking her head.

“Practical, babe, I am practical. Not gross,” Feyre insisted. “Also, I vote for ‘drug dealer’. Or, or–maybe he is in the mafia?!?! That would be cool!”

“Yeah. So cool.”

“Final question,” Nesta interrupted them.

“Thank the lord,” Elain muttered.

“Does he have a brother?”

“In fact he does. His name is Cass.”

“Feel free to hook me up with this Cass character,” Nesta suggested.

“What happened to Tomas?” Elain asked in confusion, though her older sister wasn’t exactly known for high rates of fidelity. She went from man to man like it was her god-given right.

“Keeping my options open,” Nesta said breezily.

“Well, y’all have fun with your hookups. I am 20,” Feyre announced. “I am going to Barcelona. That’s what I care about.”

“Oh, Ellie,” Nesta cooed. “Make sure to wax everything. Most guys are not into…forestation.”

“I don’t have any forestation!” Elain screamed.

“Good for you, girl. Keep it that way.”

Azriel and Darius Night

When Darius was in the bathtub, it resembled a baby elephant splashing in a kiddie pool. Messy, wet and hilarious.

Azriel was absolutely drenched by now, as he tried to wrestle Darius into the towel and dry him.

“Go potty before bed,” Azriel ordered him, while he went to get Darius’s PJs, which he’d have to lasso onto him the moment his son was off the toilet.

Darius didn’t know how to pee standing up yet, so he sat on the toilet, kicking his legs, pontificating.

“Dada.”

“Yeah,” Azriel returned to the bathroom and pulled off his soaking wet t-shirt, before putting Darius’s pyjama top on him.

“Why you don’t talk to me today, da?”

“What do you mean? Of course I am talking to you,”

“No,” Darius shook his head. “We talk a lot. Today after party, we don’t talk so much.”

Azriel couldn't argue. He was surprised that Darius noticed it, but his boy was correct.

Azriel’s head was filled with something else–namely, Elain Archeron.

That woman took him completely by surprise–it’s not that he even had a type, but he certainly didn’t think that she would be his type. And yet, here he was. He found her blindingly beautiful, but there was more to it than just basic sexual attraction. There was a warmth about her, and something so genuine that she seemed tailor made for him, for his needs and wants. The fact that she seemed to really like his son didn’t hurt either. She was inviting, and had an incredible combination of steely strength and delicate fragility in her, which made the inner Neanderthal in him roar with protective urges, and the man in him wanted to dominate and take her as his. He equally hated and liked that Elain kind of blew him off. That she was innocent was obvious, but she also stood her ground, despite the onslaught of him. Normally, he wasn’t that pushy and mouthy, but fuck if she didn’t make him lose his cool. The need in him for her was rabid. Yet his girl was all ‘nope. You ain’t getting a piece of this any time soon’. And as frustrating as that was, he respected her and her wishes. Though he also very much hoped that she’d change her mind.

“Sorry, Dari,” Azriel helped him into his pyjama pants and then Darius climbed into his bed.

He yawned and admitted, “I tired, dada. This party was fun, but I tired.”

“It was a fun party,” Azriel agreed. “You don’t want me to read you a book?”

Darius shook his head and said, “no, no book today. I wanna sleep.”

He clutched his stuffed bat Brute to his chest–Brute the Bat was Cassian’s present, obviously, because it was totally normal to give babies toy bats–and reached to turn off the light on his nightstand.

Azriel stooped and kissed his son’s forehead.

“Good night then, Dar. Sleep well.”

Just before Azriel exited the bedroom, Darius said quietly,

“Dada, you know I don’t have mama.”

At that, Azriel turned abruptly and stared at the tiny mound under the blanket. Darius had never mentioned not having a mother before. He always just kind of accepted that it was him and his dad. And now, it was he, his dad and his uncle. But he never complained about not having a mother, or even acknowledged the fact.

“You have me,” Azriel said firmly.

“Yes. I know. I love you, da,” Darius nodded calmly. “But if Lain wanna be mama, then I am happy.”

“What?” Azriel murmured, his palms suddenly feeling clammy. This wasn't what he was expecting his son to tell him.

“Yeah, I like Lain,” Darius decided. “She is pretty and nice. And if she wanna be family with me, then this is good and I want it.”

“Okay,” was all Azriel managed. It wasn’t much, but he was literally lost for words.

“If you want to ask her, dada, you do it. I can ask too. And then Isa is gonna be family too.”

“I’ll try, Dari. I promise. But I don’t know…”

Darius yawned again and muttered, “she like me, dada. And she like you too much.”

At that, Azriel gawked at his strange child and asked, feeling both foolish and hopeful, “why do you think so?”

“She wanted to give you hugs and kisses,” Darius told him with utmost confidence.

Azriel chuckled, “nah, big guy, I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, she did,” Darius nodded. “You just don’t know it.”

Sunday.

Monday.

Tuesday.

Wednesday.

On Wednesday, at 5:30pm Azriel perked up, when he saw a woman in shorts and with a ponytail appear near the start of the trail at the pond. She was holding a little girl’s hand too.

But it wasn’t Elain.

And that realisation smacked him in the chest like a ton of bricks.

He wanted it to be Elain.

Thursday.

Friday.

He didn’t have her phone number.

He considered accosting her at the preschool, but he also promised her that he wouldn’t bother her. That the next steps would be up to her. And he wanted to keep his promise. But he was also desperately depressed by now. A whole week passed and Azriel still thought of Elain. Craved Elain. Wanted Elain. Fantasised about Elain. Spoke to Elain in his head. He relieved all the small details of their afternoon together. The jokes. The confessions. The stories. He recalled her sweet blushes and how she got so flustered with his come-ons. He just loved the way that she was–her beautiful golden skin, her freckles which clung stubbornly only to her cute nose, her absolutely lush brown hair and the dark brown eyes the colour of chocolate. Those soft rosy lips that resembled a tulip and her small, scarred hands, with neat square nails, which he dreamt of and wished to feel on his skin. She wore simple leather sandals with her white dress, and she had the prettiest toes, her nails varnished with the same pale pearl colour as is on her hands. He loved everything–he loved her thick lashes, her toes, the birthmark on her neck, the tiny tattoo on her wrist with an ‘I’ and a marigold flower wrapped around the letter, the simple gold chain around her throat, the way her plump breasts created the most tempting cleavage in the cut of her dress.

He imagined what it would be like to wake next to her in the morning–to watch her sleepy and satiated and not on her guard, because she was comfortable with him and trusted him. He imagined her padding barefoot to wake the kids and then he’d make breakfast for everyone and she’d kiss his neck when she finally came to the kitchen, wearing only his t-shirt.

He imagined many things.

Only none would come to pass. Because it was Friday.

And Elain certainly hasn’t been thinking about him.

Until…

This wasn’t his proudest moment, but he’d spent hours searching for Elain’s Instagram page. Who knew that there were like 300 million cooking pages out there? But he was determined to find hers, so he spent hours every evening typing everything from ‘Elain Archeron’ to ‘healthy cooking’ to ‘salad recipe’ to ‘Denver cooking’ and on and on. Nothing. Yes, he’s gotten a 1000 more salad recipes, but no Elain.

That was the frustrating failure on his part, until last night, when something struck him–the marigold flower on her wrist. So he typed ‘Marigold Catering Denver’ and lo and behold, there she was. He found her cooking blog page, and there, a link to her Insta. And then he proceeded to watch videos of her cooking, moving, smiling, dicing, slicing, expertly flipping pancakes and steaks and omelettes and looking luscious and gorgeous in the manner of Nigella Lawson. She had a similar aura–unpretentious, unfussy, attractive, effortlessly trustworthy and watchable. It was a bit of a con, of course–no one was that polished, while looking beguiling, yet adorably inept. It was a front that seduced the audience into thinking that they could also do this–look like a slightly dishevelled model with a messy braid, sumptuous breasts and a tiny waist, preparing healthy, yet delicious looking dishes, while assuring everyone that it was ‘simple and easy’.

The last two videos were recent–one from last week, the other, from Tuesday.

He clicked on the one from last week which was called…The Princess Tea Party. There, Elain was giving the blow-by-blow of how to make a ‘healthy’ afternoon tea. All those cakes and pastries that the toddlers were gorging on were apparently sugarless, mostly gluten free and full of healthy ingredients. Could’ve fooled him!

And then finally, he clicked on the most recent video.

It felt voyeuristic. He was observing something private, which was of course ridiculous, but at the same time, this was the only video where they’d already been acquainted. He already knew her and wanted her. She shot it after he’d touched her and for whatever reason, it felt intimate. He held those small delicate fingers in his hand, and the pearly nail polish was the same as at the tea party.

I made a new friend over the weekend, Elain was saying into the camera. She was smiling, her hair artfully tossed over her shoulder, her voluptuous figure cinched into a silk cobalt-blue blouse with fluttering sleeves. And on her wrist, a silver bracelet. Azriel’s heart jolted in his chest when he saw it–she didn’t take it off and it dangled over her wrist like his own personal brand. She continued saying and he made us this incredible salad! I should’ve been paying more attention to what he was doing and what he put into it, but we were having a good time and there was white wine involved…

A cute, but sexy giggle escaped her pink lips, while she began listing out the ingredients.

He was a miracle worker with this salad. So I hope that I can recreate it and do him justice.

So…maybe she was thinking about him after all?

He watched the video four times, back to back.

He studied every smile, every flirtatious movement of her shoulders, the innocent expression of her big brown doe eyes. He watched her chomp on lettuce, pop tomatoes into her mouth, crunch on a cucumber slice. It was perfect.

“You forgot the radishes, baby,” he whispered in the end. Smiling at last.

“Dada, let’s go already!” Darius demanded, loitering by the door, being super dramatic about waiting for five minutes.

“The park is not going to go anywhere,” Azriel told him, looking at his phone.

Darius pouted and muttered, “you be mean, dada.”

“I am not being mean,” Azriel argued. He wasn’t. But he was in a foul mood.

He couldn’t believe that a week later, Elain didn’t show up, and he was still absolutely desperate for her. He was not a desperate guy. He could probably have most if not all women that he wanted. The problem was that he didn’t want any women. Not until he’d met Elain. For the past year, back in NYC, he hardly even got laid, mostly because he didn’t want to leave Darius with a sitter and because it all just seemed like a tedious production. He couldn't take a woman to his house, not with his baby son there, so it either had to be her place or a hotel, and then it all seemed too complicated somehow, and he just lost interest.

Elain was different though. She already saw him with Darius, she knew who he was and what mattered to him. Nothing with her would be a production. It would be natural and organic.

“Alright, let’s go,” Azriel took Darius’s puffy hand in his and they left the penthouse.

“Is Lain and Isa gonna come?” Darius asked hopefully.

It came harsher than he intended to, but Azriel all but barked ‘no’.

Darius gave him an accusing look, pursing his lips.

In the elevator, he pressed the button and then said, “I think maybe they gonna come, da.”

“I doubt it. They have their own lives, Darius. They are busy.”

“Hmmm,” Darius only offered a doubtful hum and didn’t say anything further.

In the vast lobby of the building, the three concierge guys waved to them.

“Hey Darius!” they greeted him.

He was a popular staple around here, and he immediately veered off and went to the reception desk.

“Hi!” he said. “You have good day?”

“We are having a pretty good day. You going on your daily walk, buddy?”

“Yeah, with dada,” he nodded.

“You want a sticker?” one of them offered.

“Your shoes are cool!” said another.

“When I die and come back in another life, I want to be Darius,” muttered the third.

“Can I have two stickers?” Darius requested.

“Dari, you don't need two,” Azriel scolded him lightly, nodding to the guys in greeting.

“Yeah I need it, dada,” Darius insisted. “If Isa come, I have to give her one.”

“She is not coming,” Azriel said abruptly, but Darius ignored him and extended his hand for the stickers.

“Who is Isa, Dari? Your girlfriend?” the concierge asked, as he gave up two stickers.

“Yeah, she is my good friend,” Darius confirmed, taking the stickers and then politely thanking everyone.

“Whatever you did with this kid, man, you did it right,” one of the guys said to Azriel.

And Azriel smiled. Because if nothing else, he had an amazing son.

It was a decent half a mile walk to the park, so Azriel usually carried Darius, so he didn’t get too tired and could still run in the park. Darius was clutching his two stickers in his hand, loudly contemplating which one he wanted more.

Suddenly, he yelled ‘dada, see! Lain and Isa! Lain! And Isa!’

And then he nearly fell out of Azriel’s arms, startling him to a near heart attack.

“Darius!”

But Darius was running at full speed, waving and yelling ‘Isa! Lain! I come!’

That’s when Azriel saw them.

His girls.

Elain glowed like the sun at dawn, her hair lit up with streaks of bronze and gold. She was wearing a maxi skirt, flat sandals and a form fitting white shirt which reminded Azriel of a corset or something. Whatever it was, it did wonders to her breasts.

Darius and Isabella were hugging like they hadn’t seen each other in months, when it’s only been a few hours since they parted in school.

Azriel approached slowly, taking his time and taking in Elain’s beauty.

At last, he reached her and said, keeping his voice oh-so-casual, “Well, took you long enough.”

She huffed a shy laugh, and he watched her blush prettily under his scrutiny.

“Maybe I missed you,” she said at last.

“Maybe you did.”

“Did you miss me?” she asked softly.

“Desperately,” he confessed heatedly, all teasing and joking leaving his tone.

There was a moment when they stood there, looking at each other. And then Azriel asked, his voice quiet, and somehow broken,

“Why did you come, Elain?”

“You told me to come…” she reminded him breathlessly.

He put his heavy hands on her shoulders and then threaded his fingers behind her neck, keeping her in place.

“What if I didn’t tell you? Would you have come otherwise?”

She licked her lips and murmured in response,

“I’ve been dreaming of you every night since we’ve met. And last night, I dreamt that I was happy. With you. You made me so happy. So I figured, why not try it outside of the dreams? I want to try to be happy with you, Azriel.”

“Okay then. You will come to my home and I will feed you and your daughter.”

She smirked.

“That’s a thing with you. Feeding.”

“What can I say,” he shrugged.

“Also, I missed Darius,” she admitted. “A lot. He is someone who leaves an impression.”

“He certainly does.”

Releasing her neck, Azriel took her hand firmly in his, and tugged her alongside him.

The sun was barely beginning to set and the park was full of joggers, people with their dogs and with their babies, families and couples.

“How do we do this?” Elain asked, her voice timid and uncertain.

“Together,” he answered. “We do it together. I make you fall in love with me and then you are mine.”

She barked a laugh.

“Is that the plan then?”

“That’s it.”

Elain Archeron

The building where Azriel lived was one of the best in Denver. Elain had passed by it a few times before, but it was exclusive and tucked back behind a vast courtyard. She never really paid attention to it, seeing as that she was never going to step foot into it. How wrong she was.

The lobby was huge, with plush couches, a grand piano!, armchairs, two reception desks, lots of glass and steel and wood and artwork. There was even a coffee station that made all kinds of drinks, and Darius demanded ‘I want hot chocolate!’ to which Azriel told him that he’d get it after dinner. Unsurprisingly, Isabella also asked for hot chocolate immediately after.

“Is that Captain Sandy from ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’?” Elain whisper-shouted and Azriel smiled at her and nodded.

“Yeah, she lives here. A bunch of football and basketball players too. From the Broncos and the Nuggets.”

“That’s wild! I’ve never even seen a celebrity,” she confessed.

“You are in the right place to spot them.”

They took the elevator to the top floor, while Darius pressed the button with one finger, and grabbed Elain’s hand with his other hand, holding onto her. Azriel noticed it, but didn’t comment.

To get inside Azriel’s apartment, you needed fobs and codes and passes of all kinds and when they entered, Elain understood why.

It was massive. A glass cube, perched on top of the building, with a wrap around terrace and 365 degree views from every side.

She just stood there, gawking, while Darius grabbed Isa’s hand and said, ‘wanna see my room?’

They disappeared at once, talking loudly, laughing and saying stuff only they understood, while Elain just stood there and took it all in. One side of the apartment overlooked downtown Denver, the other, Wash Park, the third looked out at the mountains in the distance, and the fourth had a sprawling view of the city.

“Are you a drug dealer?” she asked quietly.

At that, Azriel burst out laughing, as he shook his head, and moved towards the incredible kitchen which was far beyond anything seen on HGTV or Insta. This was something else–with expensive appliances, stunning cabinetry, designer lighting, chrome and marble–this was an Architectural Digest kind of a kitchen.

“No. Not a drug dealer. I am a photographer,” he reminded her.

“Yeah, it’s like saying that Martha Stewart is a ‘caterer’. What do you photograph, exactly?”

She did notice really impressive black and white photos scattered strategically on the walls. They were artsy and sharp, some completely abstract, others of cityscapes, and even faceless people.

“I used to be a fashion photographer,” he explained, as he tied an apron around his slim waist. It only emphasised the breadth of her massive shoulders and Elain swallowed discreetly, very taken with the very presence of him. She was reminded yet again of how truly devastatingly handsome he was.

“Like models?” Elain inquired, as she made a slow circle around the vast open space that was the apartment. Azriel watched her, while he washed his hands, before nodding.

“Yes. Editorials for various magazines–Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire. It was a fluke really. When I was in the Marines, I liked to take photos of just random things.”

“You are a Marine?” she whirled and looked at him in shock.

“I am. So is my brother Cassian. But we are retired. Anyway, I took some nice photos, and my buddies put on a little exhibition. From there, word spread and the next thing I know, I am being invited to photograph barely dressed girls. It was a strange transition, but I spent about 7 years doing shoots all over the world. Not a bad job.”

“Apparently,” Elain frowned at him, and then asked, “and Darius’s mother? Was she one of the models?”

“She was,” he confirmed, as he began pulling things out of the refrigerator. “You probably know her,”

“She is famous?”

“She is. She goes by The Morrigan. I always told her that the ‘the’ is dumb,” he rolled his eyes, but Elain was gawking at him. The Morrigan was one of the biggest models in the world–even those who didn’t know anything about fashion, knew who she was. She was equally famous for her unruly behaviour, as she was for her bombshell beauty. And Azriel was in a relationship with her.

Elain didn’t respond, but only continued her slow perusal of the apartment. The bedrooms were in the back, and she heard the kids’ voices coming from a corridor.

She didn’t want to think about the fucking Morrigan, or was it the fucking The Morrigan? She wasn’t sure, but she didn't want to imagine Azriel with her. Didn’t want to imagine him with any models, frankly.

Suddenly, while her brain was working in overdrive, conjuring wild images of passionate embraces between Azriel and faceless naked models, Azriel’s muscular arm slipped around her shoulders from behind, and he rested his chin on top of her head, whispering ‘come here’. Elain wrapped her hands over his thick forearm and he kissed her temple.

“Don’t think about them, beautiful. I am not a player like that, and truthfully, that part of my life is over. Seven years was enough. I am not a drug dealer or a coke head. I’ve made a name for myself and a shit ton of money and that’s all that matters.”

“And now?”

“And now, I still photograph, but I specialise in celebs now–their private photos, or their editorials. That’s what pays the bills–the money is very good.”

“I can see that,” she noted dryly and he laughed.

“I like action photography–sports, nature, cities. That’s what I do for myself and for sales. That’s where my heart is at. Not celebrities and their weirdly named babies like Lucky Charms, and Huggie Lovie, or Baby Mr. T, and Antarctica.”

Elain was shaking in his arms with laughter.

“Rich coming from a man who named his son Darius!”

Pretending outrage, he cried out, “Excuse me?! What the hell is wrong with Darius?”

“It’s a hella name for a baby.”

“He is fine. He carries it well.”

“I love Darius, actually,” she admitted.

He said nothing, but only nosed into her head, holding her against his massive chest, the steel bands of his arms wrapped tightly around her chest.

“I am scared, Azriel,” Elain breathed.

“Of what, baby?”

“Of not doing this right. Of losing you before I even got you,”

“You got me, beautiful,” he insisted. “Don't worry.”

“But what if I am just not good enough? You dated The Morrigan,”

“You mean the chick who got pregnant, dumped her newborn with a guy who fucked her a couple of times, and then walked away never to even inquire about her son again? Yeah, she is a real prize!”

Elain chewed on her lower lip, thinking.

When he put it like that…

…”Stay with me,” Azriel murmured, his voice pleading, verging on desperate.

“I have to go home,” Elain argued feebly.

It was just the two of them.

They had dinner, and it felt like a family, the four of them seated around the table, not at the counter, like usual, but a proper table. They ate amazing lobster ravioli, which Azriel had admitted he didn’t make, but got freshly made from his favourite Italian place. He did cook an incredible fresh tomato and light cream sauce, which was truly mouthwatering. Elain had helped him, by making a simple salad, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil–he had the good, expensive Italian stuff, which wasn’t exactly a surprise. The kids drank mineral water and Azriel had opened a bottle of Chablis, which went surprisingly well with the ravioli. He had cloth napkins and nice, white dishes. And as she ate, Elain thought that truly, they were a different kind of pair. They were not…usual. Neither she nor Azriel liked to rush. They enjoyed the nicer things in life. She had less money than he did, but it didn’t mean that she didn’t strive for the best for herself and for her daughter. They liked conversation. They liked involving their children in everything, and they treated them with respect and understanding. There were no phones at the table, nothing to disturb the connection. And not for the first time this week, Elain thought that perhaps she could build something with this strange man. They matched. Maybe too much, which was both a little scary, but also extremely exciting.

“No, you don’t,” he insisted.

His big palms cupped her face and he looked down at her.

“You don’t have to go,” he repeated. “It’s Friday night. There is no school or work tomorrow. I am sure both Isa and Darius would love to have a sleepover.”

Elain’s throat bobbed.

He smelled good. He felt even better. His massive hands felt heavenly on her skin. His eyes were warm and his voice urgent.

“I would say that I’d be a gentleman and not try anything,” he continued, “but that would be a lie. Because all I want is to make love to you. Let me. Let me make love to you and be your first.”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” she whispered, her heart beating wildly in her chest and she was considering whether he should call 911, because she might be suffering from some kind of cardiac emergency. Was it normal to be so hot? Was 25 too early for hot flashes? Because that’s how it felt–she was engulfed in heat.

He huffed an indignant huff.

“Come on, we both know that that one time was just to make Isa. He was just a sperm donor, nothing else. The only reason for him to have existed in your life is to make your gorgeous daughter, and she eventually brought us together. You and I, beautiful, were written in the stars. There is no denying it. You know this in your gut. Everything led us here, and it’s up to you to take the bull by the horns.

“It’s all pipes,” he concluded.

“All pipes?” she laughed a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, the universe is working really hard to bring the two of us together. All pipes.”

“What happens after?” she managed to ask, doubt still rearing its ugly head inside of her.

“After? After we live,” he pressed his lips to her brow. “We do our best, the way we always have. Only we do it together.”

“You are relentless.”

“You have no idea.”

She nervously fingered the hem of her shirt and then whispered, “will you stop…if I don’t want it?”

“Well, I am not going to rape you, if that’s what you are asking.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” she argued instantly, blushing profusely.

He didn’t answer, but instead, called ‘Darius, Isa! Come here!”

They ran into the room a few minutes later and stopped, watching him expectantly.

“Mama and I wanted to see if you guys wanted to have a sleepover?” Azriel asked, his arm casually draped over Elain’s shoulders. When he said ‘mama and I’ it did something to her–something warm and amazing and needy in her belly.

“Yes!” Darius declared immediately. Then asked, “what this be sleepover?”

Elain attempted to hide her smile, and buried her face in Azriel’s shoulder.

Azriel handled it perfectly, simply explaining, “you and Isa are going to sleep in your room.”

“Oh, that’s fun!” Isa exclaimed.

“Yes, I want it so much!” Darius agreed, bouncing on his toes.

And just like that, it was all decided and settled.

Isa was dressed in Darius’s PJs which were in fact big on her. There was a convertible armchair in Darius’s bedroom, which they made into Isa’s bed, and she was thrilled to be sleeping in a new place.

“I love sleepover!” Darius concluded, as soon as he was in bed and tucked in, Brute the Bat next to him. As any good host he offered Brute to Isa, who politely declined, and instead, opted for a stuffed rabbit.

“Good night you two,” Elain told them and then went to kiss them both.

“Night, ma! You gonna have a sleepover too?” Isa asked.

“I think that I will,” Elain admitted.

“You have fun Lain!” Darius recommended and kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll take care of her,” Azriel wrapped his arm possessively around Elain’s waist and tugged her to him.

“Dada is nice,” Darius informed Elain seriously. “You can have sleepover with him, Lain.”

The moment the door was closed behind them and they took two steps into the hallway, Azriel turned to face Elain. His face was beautiful, but intense. He watched her without blinking, and then stated, ‘you are nervous'.

“I am,” she confirmed, her voice hoarse and weird.

God, she was sweating again. Her back was dripping with nervous sweat and she felt like she was about to faint.

“Don’t be,” he whispered.

Suddenly, his big hand threaded into her bun and he wrapped her hair around his hand, pulling her face back for a moment and looking down at her from his massive height.

“Tell me to kiss you,” he urged her, his voice even rougher than hers.

She loved the gesture of dominance, him holding her like that, but she also loved that he was asking her so politely.

“Kiss me then,” she said at last and without missing a beat, he crushed his lips to hers.

His was a hungry, needy kiss, the kind Elain always wanted to experience, but never had the chance. The kiss no one ever offered her before.

Azriel’s lips were soft, and there was gentleness about them, about how he enveloped her mouth with his, but at the same time, he took what he wanted from her. Her lips parted for his tongue without any prompting and she leaned into him, momentarily forgetting her nervousness. It didn’t matter somehow–it felt too good. The nearness of him, the hold of his warm hands on her body, the way he clasped the back of her head so he could keep her the way he wanted her–it felt incredible.

“So beautiful,” he whispered into her mouth, holding her close, while she wrapped her arms around his torso, unwilling to let him go. Now, if he wanted to stop this, she probably wouldn’t let him.

“Ahhh, now you want it, my beautiful girl,” he teased, his hot, wet tongue swiping over her lips, her teeth, learning of her and her taste. “But if you want me to stop,”

“Okay, don’t stop,” she panted, kissing him endlessly, feverishly. Azriel barked a laugh at her words and returned to kissing her.

Good god it felt good. So good to be wanted, to be genuinely liked. Under her shirt, Elain’s breasts felt achy, swollen, and her nipples were so hard, they’d probably rip right through her bra. However, she and Azriel haven't even made it to the bedroom yet!

As if reading her mind, Azriel’s hand fell down the small of her back and he grabbed a handful of her ass, squeezing it appreciatively.

“God I can’t wait to be inside of you,” he moaned. “You are so incredibly delicious…Every bit of you is just so fine.”

Half-dragging her next to him, they stumbled down the corridor, ambling towards the bedroom. Thankfully, it was at the end of the hallway, quite removed from Darius’s room.

If she were being entirely honest with herself, Elain didn’t care right now. He could probably fuck her right on the floor here, and she wouldn’t bat an eye. They bumped into walls as they pawed at each other, kissing and biting and licking. He kissed her neck hungirly, tasting her skin, his warm lips gliding up and down, from her clavicle to her jaw. Elain whimpered when he dragged his tongue over the pulsating vein of her neck and he chuckled, “My eager girl,” as he returned to her mouth, kissing her savagely and deeply.

Shouldering the bedroom door he opened it swiftly, and then kicked it back to close it behind them.

He dropped Elain on the bed and then stepped back.

“On your knees, sweetheart. Hands on your lap,” he instructed, and Elain followed his command at once. She could barely even understand what he was telling her, and moved to the sound of his voice instinctively, as opposed to actually listening to his commands. But she liked it–innately, she liked it when he told her what to do and she didn’t know why.

“Beautiful,” he approved, as he stroked her cheek and moved surprisingly slowly towards her, watching her with endless fascination. No one’s ever looked at her like that and saw her. She wasn’t just a pretty girl, or someone he wanted to fuck–she was desirable to him. The emotional connection was unsettling, crossing into intimacy, but perhaps that’s what Elain craved deep down. Her hands were shaking on her lap. But she wanted him to continue looking at her like that. It was a combination of possessiveness, need, curiosity, and some strange protectiveness, as if in the end, he wanted to keep her safe and whole.

“Do you trust me, baby?” he asked, his tone soft.

Elain nodded. She did. Again, instinctively. She trusted him to do right by her–whatever that looked like for the two of them.

With one hand, he pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it on the floor without ever taking his eyes off Elain. Seeing his body made her jaw go slack. His muscles were lean and perfectly defined, his skin decorated with tattoos, his arms scarred to the elbow, the V leading into his jeans so prominent, it was almost indecent. Elain’s never seen such definition on any actual human (Olympic athletes notwithstanding).

“Lie down, pretty girl,” he told her and she did, her heart beating like a hummingbird’s wings. She couldn’t concentrate on anything, other than Azriel’s stunning body and his face, and she was only vaguely aware that his bed was huge and that the city was twinkling with lights somewhere outside the enormous windows. “Spread your legs for me, baby,” he requested and Elain slowly did as she was told, her long silk skirt falling down her thighs and pooling on her stomach. She was barefoot already, having taken her sandals off after dinner, when they played with the kids.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said, and sat on the edge of the bed, placing his hand on her belly and quickly unbuttoning the two buttons at the waist. He pulled the skirt off her hips then, and flung it on the floor, where it joined his shirt. Elain could feel herself soaking through her cotton panties–she didn’t have the fancy kind, so she went with her usual plain cotton and lace ones. Now, she was getting so hot and bothered that she felt herself leaking for him. And he saw it. He looked right between her thighs and smiled, running her thumb straight down the centre of her. Elain jerked on the bed, a jittery, pathetic moan escaping her parted lips. Azriel leaned over her, and kissed her again, his tongue gently sweeping inside her mouth, sucking her own, making her delirious with his kisses, while he gingerly worked her panties down her legs.

“That’s my pretty girl,” he murmured, once she was laying half naked in front of him. “So gorgeous and all mine,” he added, lightly, but firmly pushing her thighs further apart, spreading her widely.

“Az,” she groaned loudly,

“Yeah, beautiful?”

“I need more.”

“And you will get more,” he kissed her bare knees, “I just want to look at your pretty pink pussy right now…Remember what I told you I wanted to do to you?”

She licked her lips, feeling exposed, but also so, so sexy, lying like that in front of him. No man’s ever seen her like this, certainly not in such explicit detail, but she liked it. So she opened her thighs even wider, eliciting a muffled groan of appreciation from him.

“Finger me,” she recalled, blushing from the words, which made it real somehow. The words were crude, but her position didn’t bother her–she was tense as fuck, but from arousal, and not fear or discomfort.

“What else?” he pressed, and then carefully pinched her folds and pulled them apart, while she moaned and arched her back for him, grabbing the bed covers violently and wrenching them in her hands.

“You wanted to eat my pussy,” she choked out, closing her eyes and feeling like she was losing her mind.

“Is your pussy sweet?” he asked rhetorically, kissing the inside of her thigh.

“I don’t know,”

“Well, let’s find out, shall we?” With that, he dropped to his knees in front of her by the bed and pulled her roughly forward, pressing her feet into his shoulders. He leaned forward, pushing her legs to her chest, his massive shoulders immobilising her, while he picked up her ass in his large palms and brought her closer to his mouth.

Elain stilled. She really hoped that she wouldn’t have a massive coronary right then and there. This was a man she hardly knew, who was not just staring at her bare pussy, but who was…oh lordy lord…yep, he licked it.

Her pained inhale was so loud, it sounded like a moan.

“Azriel…” she wept. He kissed her. Kissed her slit, the way he kissed her mouth. He kissed her opening. He kissed her folds. He kissed her firmly, deeply over her clit, making her buckle and wail, while he held her down and close to his mouth. He was unperturbed by how she strained against him, but only stroked her legs up from her feet all the way to her upper thighs, as he gently, but insistently sucked on her swollen bud.

“Az, Az,” she whimpered desperately, but he only swirled his tongue around the clit, and sucked on it insistently, his mouth so warm, and so wonderful that it was turning her inside out. He licked and he sucked, steadily, with rhythmic slurping around her dripping slit, caressing her body as he went at it with a blissed out expression on his face.

She hardly dared to look down between her legs, for seeing his hazel eyes watching her and her reactions was almost painfully intimate. But the noises of satisfaction, and his grunts of pleasure told her everything that she needed to know–Azriel was enjoying tasting her just as much as she enjoyed being sucked and licked. It was wet and sensual and she loved it when his tongue swirled inside her hole, but she never ever imagined that this could feel as good as he was making it.

Her legs were shaking, but he kept stroking them soothingly, as if knew that she was experiencing things that she’d never felt before, and she needed extra support from him. But he wasn’t gentle. He bit the wet folds of her pussy with little nips, before clamping his teeth over her clit and holding it hostage, while he licked on it fervently with the flat pad of his tongue. Her toes curled on his shoulders and she tried to hold back the scream that was building inside her chest from the delicious, sublime pleasure-pain that he was offering her so willingly.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod,” she chanted brokenly and he gave her a stern look over her heaving belly, though he didn’t interrupt his sucking of her clit, and shook his head.

“Azriel,” she corrected herself, and he smiled into her pussy, nodding his approval.

Pressing his teeth tighter over her swollen, painfully engorged clit, which felt like it was buzzing from the inside, he slowly eased one finger into her, pushing bluntly inside her hole.

“Oh fuuuuck,” she cried pitifully, because he slipped a second finger, and then a third, in quick succession. It hurt. She was sloppily wet, but she was tight and his long, thick fingers stretched her to a painful point. But a cry of ‘more, more, please,’ tore from her, as she pushed her slit into his face. What if she killed him? Suffocated him with her pussy? But considering how hard his hand was working inside of her, fingering her with brutal, stunning determination, she figured that he was far from death. His hand battered into her, merciless and wonderful, and she moaned loudly and endlessly.

It was too much. All of it was too much.

She should’ve taken him on his offer a week ago and let him finger her in the kitchen. Because this…

This was insane. Astounding.

His hot, harsh-skinned hand snaked up her stomach and he pulled her bra cup down without any preliminaries, baring her aching tit to the cool air. He squeezed it roughly, and Elain loved it–how he was able to hold her whole breast in his hand, and how he pinched her nipple in his fingers. This man was like a damn octopus–he had 40 hands and 20 suction cups in his mouth, because he managed to overstimulate every part of her body.

And the fingering…oh god…the fingering was beyond fantastic. It was beyond anything Elain ever dreamed of. The feeling of that massive penetrating hand, how he pushed the walls of her pussy apart, how he stretched and moulded her over his hand was so pornographically erotic that she’d lost all inhibitions. There were no inhibitions for her to even think about. He’d stripped her down to her core and forced her to let go and enjoy every moment of this.

When he removed his hand from her breast, she whined from the loss, but also watched him unbutton the top two buttons of his jeans, exposing the most delicious-looking trail of hair, which she yearned to lick. She could see the huge bulge in his jeans and the size of him made her feverishly excited, and nervous. She understood why he was fingering her so hard–he needed to prepare her for his massive-looking dick.

“More…” she begged desperately, her body arcing so hard off the bed, she was almost sitting up by now. And then he bit her. He bit her clit hard, and rammed his fingers deeper, which made her lose her mind and she screamed a loud, trembling cry, which filled the space between them. Hot and sweaty and shaking uncontrollably, Elain came and came and came. She orgasmed so hard, her ears popped.

Azriel tore his face from her pussy, giving her clit one parting lick and then she watched him, almost in slow motion, release his cock from his jeans.

The moment of clarity made her gasp and hiss ‘Jesus fuck’ at the sight of him.

That’s what happened when you dated a guy who was over 6”5. He had an ‘over 6”5’ dick.

He looked at her and then cupped her flushed cheek in his hand.

“You want me inside, baby?” he asked hoarsely, and Elain reared upwards and licked his wet face, tasting herself on his skin.

“Yes,” she breathed. “More than anything,”

He gave himself a few hearty rugs, which Elain found mesmerising.

“Funny how this happened,” he chuckled.

“What?”

“Well, I wanted to taste you, finger you and watch you come–and just like that, I’ve accomplished it all!”

Before she could respond, he grunted,

“Take that dick then, beautiful,” hefting her back up on the bed and then propping himself on his hands and knees above her. Elain knew that she looked a mess, with her shirt still on, falling off one shoulder and hastily unbuttoned, her breast bare, her bra askew, but he also looked dishevelled, still wearing his jeans, his thick, perfect cock bobbing at his navel. Yes, his cock was perfect–straight, thick, long, smooth. He propped her legs on his forearms and then slowly, but steadily eased the thick head of his dick inside of her.

The push of his shaft was unwaveringly firm, solid and the thickness of him made Elain’s eyes roll back in her head. She didn’t even know if it was pleasure or pain–some unholy combination of both–but she convulsed wildly around him and the heft of his burning hot dick.

“Laney, my baby, you feel like melted butter,” he smiled at her, while the progression of his shaft continued inside of her. “How does it feel?”

“Please never stop,” she begged, as tears slipped from her eyes. She wasn’t even sure why she was crying. Because it felt incredibly good? Because he cared about her? Because she was falling in love? She didn’t know, but she was being honest–she never wanted it to stop.

And then he was thrusting into her, deep and hard, his hips steady and powerful, as he filled and emptied her again and again. Elain couldn’t keep her eyes open, and she panted heavily, unconcerned about the crazed sounds that she emitted. She was just feeling him. She felt overstuffed, wet, hot, exhausted, pumped up, desperately horny, and massively overstimulated. Her clit rubbed into that fabulous patch of hair and against his stomach, and with every pump of his hips, Elain rose higher and higher, crying like a madwoman, shaking and thrashing beneath him. His rough hands roamed about her body, feeling her, stroking her, squeezing her, while he pounded into her savagely, building her up with every shove of his dick.

“Azriel, it’s…how…what is…what is this?” she babbled mindlessly.

“That’s your dick, beautiful. Use it and come all over it.” he ordered her, and increased the speed of his thrusts.

“It feels too good,” she whispered weakly. “I can’t…”

“It feels just right,” he insisted, kissing her voraciously, and licking her tongue with impatient swipes of his tongue.

She ran her hands over his tattooed skin, burning with warmth and misted with sweat beneath her palms. And then she was orgasming again, over and over, all around his relentless cock. He watched her from his position, smiling at her and whispering words of encouragement and praise, while she screamed his name into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. In some feat of astonishing athleticism, he held her up, as she hung onto him like a needy koala, his cock still firmly buried in her, moving rapidly inside.

Elain was so beyond understanding what was going on, she didn’t even comprehend their ridiculous position. But Azriel held her up, as she clenched around him, her ankles wrapped tightly around his back, her mouth starved for his tongue.

“Come for me,” he murmured, “let me have this perfect pussy…”

“It’s yours,” she wept breathlessly.

She was floating somewhere in her head, her body still rocked by the aftershocks of the earth shattering orgasms that he offered her so easily and freely. Her core was stretch to the limit, and yet he still rode her, his arms tense, his powerful body coiled from strain of fucking her and holding her up.

“Let me come in you, my beautiful girl,” he muttered, kissing her head, her face, her lips.

“I want it, Az. It’s yours,” she panted, her pussy pulsing and milking him, “it’s for you.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he kissed her and gently laid her back on the mattress, holding her knees apart, as he pumped hard and fast into her.

He came deeply and voluptuously, the hot seed painting her womb, a guttural moan of pure pleasure tearing from his throat.

It felt…magical. Everything about him was raw and hard and passionate, and Elain took all of it. Everything that he gave her.

He tweaked her nipple in his fingers, and then stroked her face with his knuckles, looking down at her with complete adoration.

“You are perfect,” he whispered. “And mine.”

“I think that I am,” she nodded, chasing his fingertips with her lips. He let her kiss them and pushed hard into her, keeping his cock and his cum deep inside of her.

“Do you want to taste me, baby?”

Elain licked her lips, looking him up and down, his stunning torso and his pleasure-tinted expression.

Before she could answer, he pulled her up and said, “open up” as he withdrew his cock from her and then thrust it firmly in her mouth, easing between her lips.

“Good girl,” he approved and patted her head, while she looked at him, trying to acquaint herself with the girth and heaviness of him in her mouth. He was covered in her wetness and his cum, but for some reason, it didn’t bother her.

“Have you ever sucked dick before?” he asked, massaging the back of her neck slowly, wiping her sweaty brow with his knuckles.

She was barely able to move her head, but she shook it ‘no’.

He smiled and ordered, “you’ll suck me off, pretty girl.”

Elain was nervous because she’s never done this before, but it didn’t mean that she didn’t want to. He placed his hand on her head, keeping her in place and his cock nudged forward, sliding in carefully, but firmly. The head of him bumped into the back of her throat and she gasped, but seeing the tremble that her involuntary suck caused, she held onto him, opening wider. His eyes closed and he began slowly, pushing in and out of her wet mouth, allowing her to acclimate to the feel of him. But he was firm as always, holding her head motionless and thrusting slightly deeper with each push.

“That’s my good girl,” he approved. “Take me deeper, sweetheart.”

He gained speed and set a brisk pace, using her for his pleasure, just like she used him before.

She cleaned him completely with her tongue and now just used it to swirl over the head and the underside of his shaft, sucking noisily, breathing through her nose. He gagged her a few times, but she didn’t mind it and he didn’t change his rhythm.

“I want to come in your mouth,” he grunted, his breathing heavier, and his movements becoming jerkier. “Shake your head if you don’t want me to.”

Elain looked up at him with her tear-stained eyes, and didn’t move her head.

“Oh thank god,” he panted, holding her head between his palms and pushing his cock harder into her mouth. “Choke on it,” he muttered, when she did. “You are so beautiful.”

Elain dug her fingers into his iron-hard ass, slipping them beneath his jeans, while he fucked her mouth hard. Maybe she was beautiful to him? By the look of his deeply pleased expression, it seemed like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

“Swallow everything, baby,” he trembled with exertion and exploded in her throat. Elain swallowed greedily, wanting every drop of him. He was hot and salty and heady, and maybe it was strange, but she found him absolutely delicious.

He came long and hard, and she swallowed everything, stroking his thighs, his hands, watching him. His breathing was shallow, and when he finally took his cock out of her mouth, he dipped down and kissed her.

“You are everything I’ve ever wanted, Ellie,” he admitted, finally pulling his jeans off and sliding next to her on the bed. Elain rolled on her side and watched him, while he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Maybe he was everything that she wanted as well.

…It was later in the night, when she was sleeping in his arms, both of them naked and comfortable, that she wondered if history was about to repeat itself.

Epilogue

9 months later

Azriel opened the door and entered the lounge. It was like the Sleeping Kingdom from Sleeping Beauty.

Darius and Isabella were asleep next to each other on the love seat, a pink blanket draped over them. In an armchair opposite of them, Feyre was curled into a ball, dead to the world, snoring lightly. Finally, on the larger couch, Cassian sat with his head thrown back, his posture relaxed, his legs spread comfortably. Nesta’s head rested on his thigh, which she was using as a pillow. It didn’t escape Azriel that even in their sleep, their hands were clasped and fingers threaded together.

Gone was his brother the Mountain Man. Cassian Night cleaned up his act for his woman.

On the floor, there was an array of toys–dragons, princesses, finger puppets, books and whatever else Cassian chose to entertain his niece and nephew with. He always went overboard and the kids loved it.

Cassian’s eyes fluttered and then opened, as he straightened immediately and peered at Azriel.

“You were supposed to be babysitting,” Azriel chuckled, shaking his head.

“We technically are!”

“Yeah, three adults in the room and everyone is asleep.”

‘I am not asleep. I am just resting my eyes.”

Then, Cassian paused and finally asked, a smile on his face.

“So, what do I owe you, brother? A bottle of Glenfiddich or a bottle of Cristal?”

“Glenfiddich,” Azriel whispered, smiling broadly, his eyes moist with tears. And then he clapped his hands and announced, “we have a boy! My gorgeous stunner of a wife just gave us a son. Our baby Lance was born at 3:14 am. He is 10 lb 4 oz. and 23 inches.”

“A boy?” they heard Nesta’s awed whisper, as she raised her head from Cassian’s lap.

“Congrats to us, Nessie. We are an aunt and an uncle. AGAIN. Which means we are next, Nes!” Cassian announced jovially.

She gave him ‘the look’ and muttered, “Excuse me?”

“Yep. We should have a little girl. We’ll name her Sutton,”

“EXCUSE ME?”

“Yeah, Sutton Night.”

“I am not having Sutton!” Nesta protested.

Cassian cupped the back of her head in his enormous hand and planted a hearty kiss on her lips.

“Yeah, you are,” he insisted. “They,” he jerked his shoulder at Azriel, “have three! We have none. It’s time, sweetheart.”

“Okay, but we are not naming her Sutton,”

He kissed her again and said,

“Whatever my lady prefers is fine by me.”

“Let’s go look at that baby,” Nesta decided.

Lance Night was born exactly nine months and a week after the Princess Tea Party where his parents met, and started a new family.

#elriel #elainarcheronweek2023 #elainarcheronweek #princess tea party #elain archeron #azriel #azriel and elain #elain #pro elriel #elain x azriel #Elriel fanfiction #my writing #my fanfiction

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12pt-times-new-roman · 5 months

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c3e79

They have some convos in Morri's manor, and Orym does not seem happy that they've decided to run away into the Feywild. But he's rolling with having been mostly silent, brooding, and working out over the past day.

Fearne goes to talk to Birdie. She and Ollie were able to escape to the Feywild gateway, but Hondir took off toward Ashanadoor instead to reconvene with his allies.

Upon mentioning Tevon, Fearne -- apparently the party's lie detector -- can tell that Birdie isn't lying about not having had dealings with devils or demons, but she's still being guarded about something. "Fearne, you may not know how your father and I met, but know that he is a good man in his morals, and I've met no man greater than him. We met because we were both briefly entangled with the Unseelie Court; Ollie was a prisoner of theirs, and I was once enthralled by the wiles of one among them. This gentleman of whom I was romantically entangled with promised much, and delighted in my darker impulses... I was whisked away into the arms of this dark lover who danced with me, he waxed poetic about taking the moon from the Moonweaver herself, and he was beautiful as he was terrifying... I was in an odd place, and I do not like who I was then... my Unseelie suitor talked of the importance of our union, and when it was time for me to give birth to you, he brought me to a hilltop on Exandria beneath the red moon Ruidus, as he had planned and we had discussed."

Fearne's biological father is Atheon Zathuda, the Sorrow Lord of the Unseelie Court -- the person who chased them from the Malleus Key, who Morri fought for them as they fled. He had dealings with Otohan and Ludinus, who promised him that he'd be freed from the Moonweaver's imprisonment if he helped them make the key. Birdie notes specifically that Zathuda spoke with an "Exandrian high magus" to plan Fearne's birth so that she would be Ruidusborn.

Once Fearne was born, Zathuda stopped giving attention to Birdie and treated her badly, so she fled, taking Fearne and Ollie with her. When Ollie had his vision years later, they did what any parents would do: they kept Fearne safe. They knew that the Unseelie and Zathuda would be looking for Fearne, so they left her with Morri. "I don't ever want you to think that I'm asking for forgiveness, I know you can't give me that, but I'll try to make it up to you in time."

While that happens, Orym goes to talk to Ashton. "I realize that I didn't say a lot yesterday. I've just been thinking. To be honest, Ash, I was as freaked out as everybody else by what happened, but that's not what I want to say to you right now. I just want you to feel what you're gonna feel -- be angry, sad, confused, questioning, guilty, shameful, whatever. But we do care about you. I care about you. [Yeah. I think I believe that now.] Well, time, right? Whatever you're gonna feel, we're all going through it, and I get it, I do. You and your dad, Imogen and her mom, and me with everything I carry around -- it's hard not to let it be personal, and of course it's personal, but we can't let this be about our every little hidden heartbreak right now. [No. I mean, I'll admit that the positive reinforcement after jumping into a pool of lava may have been... I can see the escalation, the more I think about it.] I listened to everyone lay into you yesterday, and that's not what this is about. I care about you, and with everything that's coming, feel what you're gonna feel but also don't let perfect be the enemy of good. This group, as fucked as it is, this is the play. This is the angle, there are no legends coming in to save us -- it's just us, and we gotta pick up and do. When we leave, it's gonna be hard, but try not to spend all your time grappling with your demons, because I need your hands free so you can pick up that hammer and fight." Orym gives him a kiss on the forehead.

Allura assures them that every group of people who cares about each other falls out from time to time, sometimes drastically.

Imogen takes off the circlet because if she hadn't been wearing it, she would've known what Ashton was planning. Which is a massive fucking invasion of privacy and such an overstep that the people around her definitely need to interrogate her on

They start putting the pieces together between Zathuda, Otohan, and Ludinus, and decide to ask Allura about Sammanar (the leader of the Unseelie Court). "Sammanar is one of the five major archfey of the Fey Realm, Keeper of the Sun's Shadow (a region), master of the Unseelie Court. They are a moody entity, a rare sight out amongst the rest of the realms; they are the watcher of the twilight, the stiller of violent emotions, a bit of a prick." Archfey collect titles like rotten fruit. Zathuda himself is a brutal warlord who finds poetry in violence, and he has no other children; and he is the wielder of the Dusk Hunger, Blade of the Black Flame.

They show Morri the fire shard, and Laudna has to walk away into another room. (There's a point to be made here, I just don't have the bandwidth to make it.)

Allura speculates on why the Unseelie Court might want to depose the Moonweaver. It could be that they want to create a power vacuum, because the Moonweaver has significant influence in the Fey Realm — being generally good-aligned, she's definitely not a favorite of the Unseelie.

The leaders of the Fey Courts control who can and can't pass through fey gates, but some powerful archfey can mess with that "permission" — including Morri.

From what Allura knows of Morri, she is a "stalker of dreams, a voyeur of insecurity, a promiser of many things and a robber of others. There are stories that say she is an entity of balance, and others that say she is a reaper of sadness... in scholarly circles, she is a dubious and dangerous entity, in the sense that there are few that can even attempt to ascertain her true nature."

And thus, we begin the scavenger hunt. Morri gives them drinks, and says she has chosen three items from her collection, and has devised three different adventures for them: communciation, truth, and honesty. For each adventure they succeed, they gain an item. For each they fail, they "know what they have to work on."

They choose Honesty. Smoke fills the entire chamber, the temperature drops, and they feel a breeze — they're no longer inside the Manor, and instead find themselves in a dense fey jungle. In front of them is a massive cliff with no visible bottom, with broken stone and ruins across it. Morri gathers them and procures a brass monocle with a deep viridian lens — a veilscatter lens. "This, my friends, is the first item: the monocle of true essence. It will be your job to find this." She throws it into the ravine, and it disappears. "You all must work together to find it. The chasm is unclimbable, but it listens, and as our agreement, it only listens to honesty. Speak of your secrets, speak of your truth about each other, reveal something about yourself, and the land may show you a path forward." She puts all of them into a giant fucking hamster ball and tosses them into the chasm, like those levels of Super Mario Galaxy, and we go to break!

As they hit the bottom of the chasm, the magical shield dissipates, and they land in a muddy bog.

FCG is the first one to try "honesty," and admits that they like eating silver more than copper. Stone platforms move into place for about 15 feet — the bigger the truth, the bigger the gain.

Imogen's turn: she's genuinely scared to meet Liliana again. More steps appear.

Chetney attempts to argue that wood is fundamentally better than metal. Leeches start eating them.

Laudna: "Deep down inside, both Delilah and I kind of want the shard!" A jut of stone forms a 30-foot spike up to a vantage point.

Imogen: "I love Laudna deeply, but I'm disgusted at the idea of Delilah watching us all the time." A crumbled city begins to push out of the mud at the bottom of the chasm.

Orym: "I'm super lonely, even at night, and it doesn't matter if I'm bunking with one of you guys."

FCG: "Sometimes I pity some of you, because you have beating hearts and opportunities and you don't do enough with them." (bonus 4th-wall breaking Travis: "We're still in the game, right?!")

I actually fucking love this so much, because it's the fact that the Bells Hells fundamentally want to be honest with each other and to trust each other, but they've never done that outside of dire consequences, and this is giving them an opportunity to be honest without direct consequence.

Also Orym: "I guess I've always laughed it off, but I do kind of wonder if Chetney is my dad!" Laudna's vantage point that she climbed up to extends another 30 feet.

Ashton: "Oh, fuck it. I am the reason that the Jiana Hexum robbery went wrong, and the reason I got thrown out of that window!" Remnants of this ruined city's culture continue to emerge. This truth is the reason Ashton believed the Nobodies were right to leave them.

Fearne: "I feel like we are very ill-equipped for this job and we're gonna fail at saving the world."

Chetney: "I do fear that children will find my toys and thereby myself obsolete with every year that I grow older."

FCG: "Every time I hurt or kill something, it feels really good. It makes me relax a little bit, and some of my stress goes away." (hold up do we have BG3 dark urge characters in BOTH ongoing CR campaigns right now??)

Imogen: "I know we're supposed to save the gods, but none of them will ever respond, so I think I'm tainted. I don't know if I want to save gods that don't love me." *sigh*

Laudna: "You know we could all ripcord right out of this whole 'saving the world' thing any time, right? And I fantasize about it all the time."

Amidst the rain, Orym spots the lens and points it out. He leaps toward it, Laudna gives him a feather fall, and he lands on the roof where it is. He retrieves it and tucks it away, but they still need to get up to the top of the chasm.

Fearne: "Sometimes I do stuff to you guys while you're sleeping. Not weird stuff! I just look at you. You're so content and comfortable, and I can look at your faces real close and twiddle your hair."

Ashton: "Any time it's too quiet, I start worrying that one of us is going to end up killing another of us accidentally. Except for Orym, you're the one I worry about the least." Orym, in response: "I have all the faith in the world, all of you. And I have also thought about how to neutralize each of you."

FCG: "I kinda worry that I put all my eggs in the Changebringer basket and that she might betray us all. I had a weird conversation with her and she seems out for herself, and she might not really care about me, but she might and I'm saying awful things, and I'm sorry!"

Imogen: "Fearne, I was disappointed in you for running away from your power! You should take the shard!" (This one isn't enough of a truth.)

Orym: "I really miss Dorian, and sometimes I think that's okay but sometimes I think it isn't!"

Pate, out of left field: "I'm barely alive! What do you want from me?! I don't have feelings!"

Ashton: "I feel worse because I just fucked up Fearne's live way more than mine, and I should've died instead of that happening!"

Chetney: "I grew up in the Bramblewood, and when I was a kid, I came back and realized my whole family had left. All they left behind were toys. They left because oft he Rimelord, so I'm afraid of dragons — I had five siblings, and I was so angry I never looked for them so now I think they're dead, and I'm afraid that any family I have will leave me, so that's why I don't get attached to anybody."

Chetney's last confession bridges the gap. Zebra-striped manta rays, flying, with hands where their head would be, grab the Bells Hells and drops them at the top of the chasm. Morri waits for them there. "Well! It looks like you succeeded. Congratulations on your first team building exercise. I hope you got a lot out of it."

The monocle they got can cast detect magic once per day, arcane eye once per day, and see invisibility once per day, and gives advantage on insight and perception checks. It also doesn't require attunement.

They choose the Communication trial next. Morri brings them to a barely-lit, underground chamber with a tall rock ceiling that goes endlessly in all directions. There's a glowing yellow orb in the middle of a round platform; it's textured and odd, almost organic. There are three thin walkways that curl away from the platform. "Welcome, friends. This is a thunderwasp hive. Be mindful not to panic or speak too loudly; they get riled." She asks for three volunteers: Chetney, Ashton, and Imogen. The three of them are blind as the skin grows over their eyelids, and Matt has them put blindfolds on. The three of them vanish, and are placed on the ends of the three winding platforms.

OHHHHH I SEE

Each of the blindfolded players has a small map with a path drawn on it, and a mini they must guide along that path. The non-blindfolded players must guide their hand using instruction alone along that path. If they get too close to the edge, that player rolls a dex save to avoid falling into the pit below. Then, if the instructions get too loud, the wasps create an obstacle.

I honestly love that Orym/Liam is taking the lead here. It makes so much sense — Orym was a soldier. He knows how to command, knows how to communicate, knows how to make sense to people. In challenges like this, a leader will always emerge, and here it's Orym.

Chetney succeeds, and the two major contributors — FCG and Orym — are silenced for Imogen's trial, while Chetney is able to contribute. And yes, the interplay between Travis directing Laura as her husband and Laudna directing Imogen as her in-game girlfriend is exactly as entertaining as you'd think, but it's also working far better than I thought it would

Imogen succeeds, and Chetney and Laudna are silenced because they were the two major contributors. Only Imogen and Fearne are left to communicate with Ashton. Somehow, this is the calmest group so far, but because a single failed saving throw that had absolutely nothing to do with either Ashton or his directions, they fail the trial — a planned outcome.

Morri gives them an ultimatum. They can try one more time, all-or-nothing: if they fall, they die, but they get to choose who is being directed and who gives direction. Orym volunteers to go, and chooses Chetney and Imogen to give directions. (This is, objectively, the correct choice. Orym has the best dexterity, giving him an advantage on every check associated with this test; and Travis and Laura proved themselves to be the best direction-givers in the previous trials. I'm honestly amazed at Travis here, because he's giving directions like "lift up your 3 fingers" because he knows that makes it easier to maneuver.)

"Go, go, straight line, put your arms out to Nana Morri, you are there honey!"

Morri claps, congratulates them, and gives them their prize: the scarf of intrusive intent. The bearer can cast suggestion twice per day, magic mouth twice per day, and fear once per day.

Lastly, trust. The cold gives way to warmth, and the sound of birds, insects. They find themselves standing in a deep fey forest. Above is an enclosed canopy, and they are surrounded by runes, archways partially crumbled, extremely sharp thorns. In the center is a large well, filled with mirror-like water.

"Well, friends. We're here at your final test. Here, in this interesting site of lost fey history, you all learn to trust one another. There are three altars somewhere in these surrounding ruins, and upon each of these altars lays a section of a blanched ivory branch. I need you all to work together to bring all three of those back here and lay them into the water. Do you think you can do that?" "What's the catch?" "Let me introduce to you some friends." Two figures step out, humanoid but not, elongated and gray. "These are two doppelganer friends of mine, and they've been studying all of you, in and out. Two of you will be removed, and doppelganer taking their place, but you have to figure out who that is before they ruin this for you."

It's a literal game of werewolf! Two of them will get doppenganer cards, their objectives, and clues to the map.

Matt is out here playing mini games within mini games within mini games, I swear to god–

#critical role #note watches c3 #critical role spoilers #critical role liveblog #how many times are we going to have to have the 'just because the gods don't love you doesn't mean they deserve to be genodiced' talk?#at this point half these motherfuckers have parasocial relationships with the gods #and if they all keep projecting their parental issues onto them it is NOT going to end well

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