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nightsandrewrites · 3 months

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Autumn Court's Visit

Pairing: Cassian x Azriel

Summary: Cassian found himself in a dark corner of Rita’s nursing his third drink. It wasn’t enough to even give him a buzz yet thanks to his Illyrian heritage but the night was still young. A tall fae male approached his table, slightly shorter than Azr-, nope he wasn’t thinking about that.

Word count: 3.2k

Warnings: Angst, jealousy, mentions of burns a/n: much jealousy, much fluff. OC from Autumn Court. Enjoy!

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Eight days. Eight days the Autumn court guests had resided in The House of Wind and Cassian was this close to losing it. Six months ago Eris had finally succeeded his father as High Lord of the Autumn Court. His accession to the title was messy, but was it ever not when it came to ruling lands and courts? Eris had employed a couple of skilled Daemati in his court to ensure that anyone who wished to be in his inner circle had honourable intentions and no Beron supporters remained. A wise first move as High Lord Cassian thought.

He couldn’t say the same of his own High Lords decisions as of late. As soon as the thought passed through his mind he regretted it. It wasn’t true. It wasn’t Rhysand’s fault he was now laying into a training dummy on the roof, picturing it as another certain Illyrian. He threw a couple more jabs into the sack, appreciating the distraction of slicing pain as his bare skin split from the force of contact.

Rhysand had reached out to Eris and offered for the Autumn Court to come visit Velaris. He wanted to begin mending the friction between their courts, to start fresh now that Eris was High Lord. He hoped that their previous tentative understandings could be strengthened to allegiance, if it was ever required again. Rhys was quick to organise the meeting, assigning the visiting court to stay at the House of Wind. Cassian only grumbled a little when finding out, given it was his and Azriel’s home. But as Rhys explained, it made the most sense. It kept them from roaming Velaris at will, they were free to visit but it didn't mean Rhys didn’t want to keep an eye on them. They would be comfortable there once they had inspected the wards and realised no one could winnow in or out. And finally it gave reason for Cassian and Azriel to be hanging around, built in guards.

When Eris arrived he had brought only four of his court with him. It appeared their roles were an advisor, an emissary and a couple of warriors. One of the warriors, Cassian quickly discovered, was a fire wielder like Eris. The first two days had gone rather smoothly, the two courts had sat down for both formal talks and informal drinks. Everyone seemed rather open to a fresh start and a new path between their two peoples. Azriel had missed those early days, off on a reconnaissance to the continent, and Cassian had missed the Illyrian.

The War Lord and The Shadowsinger had long ago fallen into each other's beds. Seeking comfort in entwined bodies and shared breaths. They never attempted to stick a label on it, they were as they had always been, Cassian and Azriel. Cassian knew their family must suspect something by now but no one ever brought it up, so they left it at that. Days as loyal servants to the Night Court and nights in eachothers arms, The House of Wind all to themselves.

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It was day three when Azriel returned. Both courts were spread through the dining room enjoying post dinner drinks, conversations flowing. “Sorry for interrupting” Azriel nodded to the new guests as he entered the room. “Not at all, it’s good to see you back Az.” Rhysand’s smile was wide, glad to have his family all back in one place again. He began introducing Azriel to the new members of Eris’ court. Azriel greeted them all with a nod and a small smile.

Cassian subconsciously ran his tongue along his bottom lip as he took in the Spymaster. His eyes flicked over him as if he would be able to see any new scars through Azriel’s leathers. He would find them later if they were there, he knew every inch of the Illyrian off by heart. He combed over the strong leathery wings behind him, unmarked. He moved on to his deep hazel eyes, tired but bright. Once he concluded that Azriel was unhurt in any serious matter, he moved on to more unsavory thoughts. About how he was going to stroke those wings later tonight, how he was going to run kisses along those broad shoulders, how he would run his hand down the muscled planes of his stomach an- Okay Cassian needed to get it together before the scent of arousal gave him away. Azriel excused himself to go bathe and change and suddenly Cassian wasn’t interested in the conversations that continued around the table. His mind following the Shadowsinger down the hall. He turned back to the drink in front of him only to find Rhys raising an eyebrow from across the table. Cassian's only response was to pick up his glass and drink deeply.

Azriel returned once everyone had moved to the lounge, procuring a plate of food and a drink of his own. He quickly fell into conversation with one of Eris’ warriors Maril. The night wore on and Cassian’s patience wore thin. Individuals began excusing themselves for the night but Azriel didn’t budge from near the fire and his deep conversation with the Autumn Court fae. Cassian eventually decided to retire for the night and wait for Azriel from the comfort of his bed. They had separate rooms next door to each other in one of the wings, even after all these years, they had still kept their own spaces. But more often than not they found themselves falling into Cassian’s sheets as he had claimed the room with the biggest bed. As he bid the room goodnight, Azriel didn’t even look up, instead murmuring something that had Maril roaring with laughter.

Cassian huffed as he flung himself into his bed. He just wanted to welcome home his Shadowsinger but now this dumb Autumn Court was here cockblocking him. Eventually he drifted into an uneasy sleep as he waited for Azriel to arrive.

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He woke the next morning to realise that Azriel hadn’t arrived at all. That for the first time in Cauldron knows how long Azriel hadn’t sought out Cassian when returning from a mission. Was something wrong? Had they trusted the Autumn Court too soon and they had turned on Azriel last night when he was left with them in the lounge? Cassian quickly dressed and paced down the hall to the kitchen only to find Azriel sitting at the table with their guests, freshed face and enjoying breakfast. Cassian waited all day for a chance to corner Azriel, to see where his head was at after returning from the continent. But the opportunity never came. The house was packed as they trained, had meals or sat and discussed court business. Once he thought he might have finally had a moment alone with the Shadowsinger as he approached the doors to the balcony Azriel had just entered. Only to find him there marveling at the fire Maril had conjured around his hand. At night Cassian would sit until his eyes drooped, until he had no choice but to retire to his room.

One night, he decided he was done waiting. He’d opened the door to Azriel’s room and made himself comfortable under the covers. Rhysand had sent Azriel to check in with his other court contacts and he wouldn’t return until late. Try to avoid me now Cassian thought as he’d rolled over and waited for the Spymaster to return.

Voices had woken Cassian from his sleep. He’d opened his eyes to see it was still dark outside, he must have only nodded off for a couple of hours. He’d frozen as he’d realised it was Azriel walking down the hall talking with Maril.

“I can show you if you’d like.” Azriel offered to the male as they’d approached. “That would be great yeah.” Maril seemed enthusiastic about whatever he’d just agreed to. “I’ll jus-” Azriel’s voice froze as he reached the doorway. Obviously taking in the large form of the War Lord in his bed. Cassian didn’t move, pretending to be asleep as Azriel took a step into the room. “Must’ve had too much to drink and missed his room by one.” He heard the Shadowsinger chuckle as he’d begun closing the door. “Guess you're swapping tonight!” Maril had laughed as their voices retreated back down the hall.

Cassian’s chest ached and tears pricked the corner of his eyes and a sob caught in the back of his throat. Was Azriel bringing that male to his bed? Would he have even said anything to Cassian if he did? In all the time they had been together, neither Illyrian had sought out other company, but should Cassian take the hint Azriel was clearly giving him this week?

------------------------------------ The final straw was when Cassian had walked on to the roof this morning ready to train, only to find Azriel and Maril sitting knee to knee on the ground. Both of them had their hands out, half a foot between them. Azriel’s shadows twisted and spun around his left hand and extended over Maril’s right. In Maril’s left hand his own flames and Cassian almost choked as he realised Marils flames were swirling around Azriel’s right. Cassian turned on his heel and left before he could fall to his knees, his legs almost giving out on him. He paced back and forth once he returned to his room.

Azriel hated flames. It took years for him just to sit still in the same room as an open fire. Cassian knew because he had worshiped the burn scars that lingered on the Shadowsinger’s body, and knew the mental scars that went along with them. He had convinced the Illyrian that it didn’t make Cassian see him any differently, that he still wanted him all the same. Not to mention he had always thought of Azriel’s shadows as an extension of the Illyrian himself. They rarely left his side, would only brush against the cheeks of family and, Cassian thought until now, had only curled around him. But did he even know Azriel anymore? This past week felt like he was a stranger. And fine if Azriel was moving on, had finally become bored of the Illyrian warrior with no extra fancy fae powers then he wouldn’t get in his way.

—---------------------- That’s how Cassian wound up taking his anger out on the training dummy in the warmth of the afternoon sun. He couldn’t stand to be inside on the last day of Eris’ visit, hearing the promises of an equivalent visit to the Autumn Court. Just Cassian’s fucking luck that he’d have to do this all over again sometime soon. He swung a right hook to the head as more skin split and beads of red appeared at his knuckles. He dropped his hands and decided he needed a better way to let off steam.

After quickly bathing and changing Cassian found himself breathing a little easier now he soared above Velaris in the first moments of twilight. He’d have to apologise to Rhys later for missing the formal goodbye to the visiting court but he couldn’t stand to watch any more interactions between Azriel and Maril. He knew he would stand their reading into every word, every flicker of emotion, wondering where he went wrong. Wondering why he was no longer enough to hold the Shadowsinger’s affections.

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Cassian found himself in a dark corner of Rita’s nursing his third drink. It wasn’t enough to even give him a buzz yet thanks to his Illyrian heritage but the night was still young. A tall fae male approached his table, slightly shorter than Azr-, nope he wasn’t thinking about that.

“Mind if I sit?” he motioned to the chair next to Cassian. “Sure.” Cassian nodded. The male had soft brown hair and his matching eyes flashed with pure lust as he took in the Illyrian. Cassian found that he didn’t quite mind the newfound attention. “Are you here with friends?” The male cast a look around the room. “Not tonight, you?” Cassian flexed his wings a little behind him in a small show of dominance. The male tracked the movement with a look of determination. “A few, but I don’t mind going home with someone else.” He smirked. Cassian felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand before he saw the male's face drop.

“He’s already got plans tonight.” Azriel’s gravelly voice sent chills down Cassian’s spine, but he mastered himself and spun in his seat to face the Shadowsinger. “I didn’t realise there was somewhere I needed to be?” Cassian professed, but it was too late. The male had already jumped up and disappeared into the crowd. Cassian didn’t blame him as he took in Azriel’s face. The lethal stare of the Night Courts Spymaster was focused upon him.

Azriel didn’t say any more as he reached out for Cassian’s arm and winnowed them away. It wasn’t a particularly polite exit from the bar, but Azriel had disappeared at a moment's notice enough times that most patrons didn’t bat an eye. They reappeared above the House of Wind and Cassian tore his arm from Azriel’s grip as they glided to the roof.

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“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Azriel growled as they reached the ground.

“Enjoying a night out, what does it look like?” Cassian snapped. He turned to leave but a wall of dark shadows blocked his way. “How did you know where I was anyway?”

“I’ve had shadows tailing you since the night you fell asleep in my bed, if you’d bothered to notice.” Azriel huffed and folded his arms across his chest. And fuck, Cassian should have noticed that. Azriel had trained him to look for tails and spies, and had versed him in all the methods Azriel employed himself.

“Right,” Cassian chuckled darkly, turning to watch Azriel’s reaction. “Wouldn’t want to have your new fuck buddy accidently running into your old one.” Azriel’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw you with him, with Maril” he spat the name. “Were you even going to say anything or was a heads up just too much effort?” “Cass..” Azriel’s arms dropped to his side “Maril was just a way in, a way to gather information for Rhys about the Autumn Court’s intentions, but then we got talking and found we had more in common than we thought.”

“Yeah, then when you tried to take him to bed I was in the way!” Cassian snarled. “You were awake?” Azriel looked surprised. He’d heard enough. He didn’t want to hear about Azriel’s new love story. He turned to the house brushing through Azriel’s shadows. “Cassian, wait let me explain.” Azriel’s steps traced Cassians but he kept striding for the door. Suddenly Azriel’s shadows were cutting in front of him forcing him to stop. “Don’t make me restrain you.” Azriel warned. Cassian turned on him then. “I’d like to see you try.” He seethed. Only two paces separated them as shadows continued to twirl and spin behind Cassian.

“Baby,” Azriel started softly, Cassian flinched at the regular pet name. “I didn’t try to take anyone to bed. Rhys was returning Maril to the house after a night out as I was coming back.” Cassian watched Azriel carefully as he explained, searching for the deception in his words. “He was happy to keep the evening going, we chatted as we walked and I was about to leave him at the door to change when we found you.” He took a step closer and Cassian held his ground.

“That morning, your shadows were..” Cassian's eyes fell to the centre of the roof, he couldn’t bring himself to repeat what he saw. “I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out. Maril noticed my scars.” Azriel held up his hands, palms turned down. “He told me about his own, also given to him by his brothers before he was old enough to master his abilities. They covered his arms. He told me it took years for him to not be afraid of what his own mind could conjure. He said that he could show me how to get over the fear. Use my own abilities to offset the sensation of flames on my skin. That’s what we were training to do that morning.”

“You didn’t tell me.” Cassian kept his eyes on the roof, he could feel the tears swelling in the back of his throat “You never came to me when you returned from the continent.” “Fuck Cass.” Azriel closed the distance between them then. Pulling Cassian's chin up so he could meet his eyes. “When I came back, an enemy was in our home. Not a real enemy, but a foreign court, a threat.” Azriel rubbed a thumb along Cassian’s jawline. “I shut down. I didn’t come to you because I couldn’t risk them finding out about you.” His voice dropped then, lowering to an almost whisper ”I can withstand a lot Cassian, Hel I’ve got enough scars to prove it. But I couldn’t let them figure out the one thing that could break me. The one thing they could use to get me to do anything. You.”

Cassian’s heart ached at the confession. The two of them had always been physical, yes, but so much had been left unsaid. Silent understandings in the night.

“I had to keep my distance, I couldn’t let anything slip. I was watching them while they were here, yes. But they were also watching us.” Azriel dropped his forehead to Cassian’s. “I made a joke that you were drunk as an excuse for you being in my bed that night, hoping Maril would buy it. I had some of my shadows trailing you after that just in case he saw through it.” He sighed. “They told me when that male sat down with you tonight.” Azriel pulled back then, hurt briefly flashed in his eyes and in that moment Cassian would have done anything to chase it away.

“I thought you were done, with us” Cassian’s mouth pulled down at the corners. “I thought you’d found someone more worthy of your time, a match to your extra abilities.” Cassian feebly waved his hand around mimicking Azriel’s shadow casting. “I just… I thought I had realized too late that what we had between us, it was never just about the physical release for me.” Cassian confessed, dropping his hand back to his side.

Azriel took up Cassian’s hand in his own and interlaced their fingers.

“It isn’t for me either. There will never be a better match for me than the Illyrian Warrior with seven red siphons, twins to my own.” He leaned in and nipped softly at Cassian’s lips. Azriel began trailing kisses down the War Lord’s jaw and started down his neck. Cassian almost let out a whine as the Shadowsinger pulled back. Eyes now dark and full of his own shadows. “You are mine." Azriel growled. "You don’t look at, touch or fuck anyone without my say so.” He rubbed his thumb along Cassian’s bottom lip. Cassian almost went to his knees right then and there. “And I am yours.” He dipped his head down and kissed Cassian fully.

#acotar #acotar fic #cazriel #cassianpov #cassian #azriel #cassian x azriel #azriel x cassian #bat boys

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nightsandrewrites · 3 months

Text

500 Years

Pairing: Cassian x Azriel

Summary: How was he meant to reanalyse years, decades worth, of interactions in a moment. How long had he been blind to the Shadowsinger's intentions?

Word count: 4.6k

Warnings: Angst, jealousy

a/n: My first Acotar fic, hope you enjoy it!

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The silence had stretched on for too long. Snow crunched under Cassians boot as he shifted to his left, moving ever so slightly into Keirs peripheral.

“And what will you give me in return?” Keir sneered at his daughter.

Mor had organised this little rendezvous in the hopes of making a trade with him. There was an artifact, locked away in the Hewn City, that Rhysand thought might be a connection to the Cauldron. With a small smile, Mor had offered to deal with her father and take just one task off the High Lord's overflowing plate.

“We could just take it from you.” Cassian said as he stepped forward but Mor grabbed his forearm and gave him a look that said she came prepared for this.

He stepped back beside her and the wind that picked up around them had him glancing amongst the trees. Azriel was there somewhere, deep in the shadows. When Mor had come to them for assistance with meeting her father, Cassian and Azriel had not hesitated in agreeing to help. They didn’t think Keir was dumb enough to attempt an ambush here in the snow covered forest clearing, but Azriel stayed hidden out there in the branches just in case.

Mor stepped forward and pulled a small cloth from her pocket. She unfolded it to reveal a ring, a bright gold thick band with a jet black stone embedded in it. The stone was flat on top and Cassian could make out something engraved on the top.

“A family heirloom.” Mor said simply. Huh, she must have snatched it long ago during one of their visits under the mountain.

Keirs eyes darkened.

“You filthy whore, stealing from your own blood!” he spat. Cassian watched as Keir’s hands balled into fists.

“Get your dirty hands away from it!” Blood had rushed to his face as he leapt forward to snatch the ring from Mor. She jumped back and Cassian easily slid between them.

“You bastard, you son of a-“ Keir went to lunge for Cassian but in a flash Azriel had him grappled from behind. One muscular arm around Keirs chest, pinning his arms down, the other holding a knife against his throat.

“I think that’s enough from you.” Azriel growled into his ear.

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“Well that went well” Mor exhaled twenty minutes later as they walked down a quiet street of Velaris.

“We’ll figure out another way to get it.” Cassian clamped a hand on Mor’s shoulder in reassurance. “We can always send Az in.” he smirked over his shoulder at the Shadowsinger trailing close behind.

Azriel gave him a small smile and nod. They all knew they could have already had the artifact in hand. Rhysand was almost certain about where it was being stored and it would only take a day of reconnaissance for Azriel to locate and pocket it. But Rhys insisted on keeping in good faith with the Court of Nightmares and stealing would surely jeopardise the rocky truce they stood upon.

“How about we hit up Rita’s, we’ll come up with a new plan in the morning.” Cassian bumped Mor lightly with his wing trying to get her to cheer up. “Sure” she sighed but she smiled up at him “I could use a good night out.”

The trio took their regular table at Rita’s and kicked off the night with their usual round of drinks. It wasn’t long before Cassian was feeling that familiar haze in the back of his mind, he didn’t want to let it go. The freedom of releasing today's problems and making them tomorrows, so he lifted the glass in front of him and downed it to the bottom.

A few drinks later, he made his way to the floor of flowing bodies. He noticed Mor across the room already there twirling around with a group of regulars. Cassian kept to the outside of the crowd as he swayed, making sure to keep his wings in tight, avoiding knocking anyone to the ground. A small dark haired female approached him, her golden eyes flashing in the dim lights and he instinctively curled his arms around her waist as they danced together. She had a soft kind of beauty, her movements light and swaying, like smoke curling away from flames. Cassian decided he wouldn’t mind taking her home tonight, to be lost in that smoke for a little while. He lost track of how many songs they danced to when he glanced back at their table and caught Azriel's eye. He was brooding in his shadows, almost completely covered and Cassian scanned the crowd around him looking for the cause. Mor was a few groups away, wrists locked around the neck of a tall blonde fae he didn’t recognise. Based on the brief interaction he witnessed, he knew she had found her target for tonight.

Cassian sighed and turned back to his own dance partner. “I need to go help out a friend, maybe we can pick up where we left off next time.” He lifted her hand and placed a kiss to the back of her palm. She gave him a smile as she twirled back to her friends. He watched her go and damn Azriel was going to have to really make up for this. Cassian headed back to the table, Azriel still shrouded in his own shadows. He purposefully brushed his wing against Mors back as he passed. He knew that's all the communication she needed, one of the perks of being friends for centuries.

“How about one last round?” Cassian said as he leaned on the chair across from Azriel. “Sure” he replied as tendrils of shadow already began slipping away from him. Mor must have already stepped away from the blonde fae.

Cassian collected three drinks for them and returned to find Azriel and Mor sitting together, quietly chatting and chuckling away. He wished these two could just sort things out so he could stop playing mediator. He placed the drinks on the table and raised his glass. “To Velaris” he smiled. “To Velaris” his friends chorused and drank deeply.

“Hey, we’re heading up the hill for some more drinks if you want to join us?” The blonde fae from earlier now stood beside Mor, wearing what Cassian was sure was his most charming smile.

He interjected before the Shadowsinger could make a scene. “Trying to steal away our girl here?” Cassian said to him. The blonde turned as if noticing Cassian’s presence for the first time. “You’re welcome to join pretty boy, three is not too much of a crowd for me.” The blonde winked and his grin got impossibly wider. Cassian blinked, then smirked. He was used to propositions like these, hell didn’t Helion want this exact pairing? He just wasn’t expecting it from the fae male who had been drooling over Mor all night. Suddenly Azriel was on his feet. “How about you fuck off.” he snarled across the table. Cassian quickly jumped up and grasped his shoulder. The blonde turned his smirk to Azriel and raised an eyebrow at him, Azriel was then three seconds away from tearing his head off. “Okay we’re heading out.” he began tugging Azriel to the exit. “We’ll catch you in the morning.” he nodded to Mor. She just smiled and waved, completely unfazed by the confrontation.

Once outside Cassian dropped his grip on Azriel and didn’t even bother looking back as he launched into the air. A moment later the beat of a second pair of wings joined his. He cut through the sky, welcoming the cool night's touch on his skin and then landed with a soft thud on the roof of the House of Wind. A second, much quieter scuff of feet indicated Azriel’s landing behind him and Cassian whirled.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he growled as Azriel dropped his face to the ground refusing to meet Cassian’s eye. “You can’t just lash out like that!”. He ran his hand through his dishevelled hair which had come loose from its binding earlier in the night.

“I know you’ve been carrying this thing for her, but she’s not yours Az, so you can’t be pulling that kind of shit.” Cassian made to step closer to him, but Azriel turned and walked over to the edge of the roof.

“I don’t have a thing for Mor” Azriel murmured quietly, Cassian had to strain even his Illyrian hearing to pick it up. “Oh please” Cassian threw up his arms “I don’t need to talk about the last centuries worth of incidents, just look at today!” “Today?” Azriel turned then and met Cassian with the steel stare of a true spymaster. Cassian brought up his hand to start counting off his fingers. “You jumped in when Keir was threatening Mor, when I clearly had it under control! You’re brooding at Rita’s because she’s dancing with some male! And let’s not forget how you were going to rip his head off just now!”

“You fucking think I did those things for Mor?” Azriel was now shouting back at Cassian and took one step toward him “I did them fo-” he seemed to catch himself before he finished. He straightened up and stretched out his wings. “It doesn’t matter.” He spoke quietly again, defeated.

“For what Azriel?” Cassian pushed. This was the most he had got out of him for the last decade or so, he wasn’t backing down now. Azriel simply glanced up at the sky, sadness written across his face and pushed off from the roof with one powerful sweep of his wings. Cassian watched him breach the wards and winnow away.

Cassian sighed and turned to the house. He needed a long bath and an even longer sleep. ---------------------------------------

As the hot water soaked into his stiff muscles, he mulled over his argument with Azriel. The Shadowsinger really needed to learn to control his emotions, to figure out better ways of coping with his Mor situation. But Azriel said it wasn’t about Mor, it was about… Cassian sunk further into the water, letting the ripples lap at his mostly submerged wings. He seemed to be telling the truth during their standoff on the roof, so what was it about? Azriel had jumped in with Kier, brooded in his shadows at Rita’s and then snapped when the blonde fae had propositioned Mor and hi- Cassian quickly sat up, sending water sloshing over the edge and onto the floor next to the sunken bath.

Azriel had intervened not when Keir had threatened Mor but when he had turned on Cassian. This afternoon's confrontation came swirling back to him, Keir beginning to lunge and “You bastard, you son of a-“.

Azriel had been almost completely lost to his shadows at Rita’s but hadn’t reappeared as Mor walked away from her partner but when Cassian had begun approaching the table again.

And Azriel hadn’t snarled at the blond fae's attempts at wooing Mor, only lashing out after his ministrations had turned to Cassian.

No, it definitely wasn’t about Mor.

Cassian pushed out of the tub and quickly dried himself off. He needed to think and if needed to think, he needed to pace. He returned to his room and threw on a pair of soft long pants and started his trail back and forth across the room.

How was he meant to reanalyse years, decades worth of interactions in a moment. Was every action that Cassian thought Azriel took for Mor actually for hi-, he couldn’t even bring himself to think it. To hope for it. How long had he been blind to the Shadowsinger's intentions? They had spent so many centuries together. He remembers teaching Azriel to fly from a small mountainside clearing over the water. How the wind had pulled through dark strands when they were able to take to the skies together for the first time. He remembers sitting in their shared Illyrian war tent, tending to his wounds waiting for Azriel to walk off the battlefield and through those flaps. When he eventually arrived something would loosen in his chest, his breathing becoming a little easier. He remembers all the times he paced across Rhy’s office waiting for the Spymaster to return from a mission. His pace becoming frantic when Azriel was running late, until Rhys would push him into the nearest armchair.

And he remembers when Azriel’s attention had started lingering on Mor and Cassian had pushed all those memories, those feelings, away. Cassian had always enjoyed the affections of males and females but Azriel quickly became forbidden. He couldn’t be selfish enough to jeopardise the close knit weave of the inner circle, on the tiny insignificant chance that the shadowsinger had any interest in him. But what if that small chance just became so much greater?

He needed to talk to Az. Cassian turned to the door, his heartbeat quickening and then froze. He should probably wait until he was sober, until they were both clear headed, to pull the truth from him. He’d need his full mental capacity to read Azriel clearly. He pivoted instead to his bed and flopped down on top of the covers. Thanks to his many drinks at Rita’s it was only moments until sleep found him. -----------------------------------------

Cassian awoke stiffly, popping limbs as he sat up. Maybe he should have had a few less drinks last night. Last night's confrontation and subsequent conclusions flooded back to him and had him moving swiftly to the bathroom. He splashed water over his face, pulled on a shirt from the armoire and paced down the hall to Azriel's room before he could talk himself out of it.

He gave one sharp exhale before bringing his fist up to knock. A moment passed with no response. He knocked again. When there was no answer, he pushed open the door only to find Azriel's bed empty. He moved toward the bed, sparing a glance for the bathroom which also stood empty, and felt along the sheets. Cold. So he hadn’t come back last night? Cassian returned to his room, dressed for the day in his usual Illyrian blacks and made his way to the roof. Maybe Az had fared better after last night's outing and decided to get in an early workout? When he found the roof empty as well, he leapt into the skies and set a straight course through Velaris. The morning sun glinted off the Sidra and warmed the span of Cassian's leathery wings.

A few minutes later he was knocking on the door to Rhysands study. “Come in Cassian.” Rhys called from inside. The High Lord was alone at his desk, flipping through papers and making small scratching notes. “Azriel, did you call for him last night? This morning?” Cassian tilted his head in question. “No” Rhysand sighed, “I didn't call for him.” He slouched back in his chair, not meeting Cassian’s eye. “But you know where he is.” It wasn’t a question, Cassian could tell he knew more than he was saying. “Cass, I-” he met Cassian's stare now, sorrow swimming in his violet eyes, “I don't know where he is, but he’s gone.” He nodded to a folded letter on the corner of his desk.

Cassian stepped forward and flicked open the note to a familiar scrawl.

My resilience isn’t what I thought it was, I’m sorry too have let you down. I’ll be gone by morning, give my love to our family. - Azriel.

He bawled up the letter in his fist and threw it into the fire that burnt in the hearth. He watched it curl and ignite before turning on his heel for the door.

“Cass.” Rhys called after him. Cassian half turned, not wanting to waste a second going after Azriel. Rhysand picked up an object from his desk and threw it to Cassians awaiting hands with ease. “Bring him home.” he nodded his dismissal.

Moments later Cassian’s wings beat hard, propelling him across the city. Azriel’s note said he would be gone by morning which meant he hadn’t left last night. He would have tied up loose ends, there would have been places he would want to see before disappearing for Cauldron knows how long. If he had already left the Night Court… he didn’t think anyone had a chance of tracking the spymaster down. That thought had him pushing his wings harder and he hoped he knew Azriel as well as he thought he did.

As he approached the mountainside clearing he could make out a mass of shadows already beginning to thin out. He snapped his wings in and shot downward, wind whipping his hair behind him. “Azriel!” he bellowed from the sky. The shadows slowed and darkened ever so slightly as Cassian slammed into the ground sending snow spraying around him.

Azriel stood stiffly before him, but he looked empty, drained, as if life had been sucked from him and Cassian could feel his heart crack ever so slightly.

“Going somewhere?” Cassian huffed, all of a sudden furious as Hel with the Shadowsinger before him. Azriel stared at him bleakly “Cassian I-” he began but Cassian quickly interrupted “Was going to leave without so much as a goodbye? Rhys got a note and what do I get? An empty room and cold sheets? What were you going to do Az? Disappear for fifty years? Five hundred? Return when you're old and grey and I’m nothing but ash?” Cassian lashed out, the hurt of being abandoned manifesting as anger. “Don’t say that!” Azriel snarled, his eyes now lit with that familiar burning life. “You could have told me Az! That you were l-” he tripped over the next word “leaving. You could have told me” he swallowed hard, willing his voice not to break “how you felt.” It was Azriel’s turn to fly into a rage, but unlike Cassian's quick fire and brash words, Azriel’s was cold and slicing like steel. “I’ve been trying to tell you! For years Cassian! Decades! You never looked twice at me, not like that.” Azreil’s breaths were coming great heaves now. “So I wasn’t going to mess everything up. And I don’t need your pity!” His warm breaths became mist in the cold air before him. “Pity?” Cassain's face softened at Azriel’s words. “I loved you for over 500 years Cassian. I watched you take home every fae in Velaris and beyond! And now..” he puffed out a breath he seemed to be holding “I’m done.” Azriel turned in dismissal, his shadows gathering around him again. “Please.” Cassian managed to get out as he dropped to his knees, wings drooping into the snow. Azriel hesitated, glancing over his shoulder and it was all the time Cassian needed to pull out the object he had stuffed in a small bag strapped across his chest and toss it to Azriel. Azriel caught it in a raised palm, taking in Cassian’s defeated form with a sweeping glance before his eyes fell upon the Veritas orb.

Azriel’s own face swam into view and it took only a moment to recognise the scene from hundreds of years ago. When Azriel lay shirtless receiving some of his first Illyrian tattoos. But this memory was from Cassian's perspective, as all the memories currently contained in the orb would be. Azriel's brows knitted together as he watched as Cassian’s eyes caught and lingered on his body stretched out on the table before him. Images started flashing through rapidly then. Wind tussled Azriel's hair as they flew together for the first time, after leaping from the cliff face they now stood on. Cassian’s grip on his shoulder, spinning him as his eyes flicked over him looking for signs of injury when Azriel had returned from a mission. What must have been a hundred moments of Cassian entering a room and his eyes seeking out Azriel first. Azriel laughing prone in the snow after one of their annual snowball fights. Azriel's throat as he downed a glass of whiskey at Rita’s. Azriel’s arms as they fought on the roof of the House of Wind. Azriel's golden eyes. Azriel’s scarred hands. Azriel. Azriel. Azriel.

Silver lined Azriel's eyes as he lifted them to Cassian now standing again. “500 years Az” Cassian barely whispered.

Suddenly Azriel disappeared and then reappeared before crashing into Cassian, their lips meeting in an instant. Cassian fell back into the snow, taking Azriel with him. They let their mouths, their trailing touch and heavy breaths say everything they didn’t dare say in the last centuries. But Cassian needed to say it, he needed to lay all the cards on the table to avoid ever facing a fleeing shadowsinger again. He pushed against Azriel’s chest, already missing his warm lips as Azriel pulled away with a hesitant look. “I love you, Azriel.” Cassian's voice was steady, he’d never been more sure of something in his life. “I’m sorry you had to go to such lengths for me to say it.” A tear slid down Azriel's cheek as he leant down and gently kissed him. Darkness flooded behind Cassian’s lids before the light returned and they were falling. Azriel had winnowed them above the House of Wind and Cassian reluctantly twisted out of Azriel’s grasp so he could glide down to the roof. Azriel had barely touched down when Cassian gripped the front of his Illyrian leathers and slammed him against the closest wall. He lowered his mouth to Azriel’s throat, kissing along that stubbled jaw line that drove him crazy. Azriel groaned, lifting his head to give him better access and Cassian smiled against his skin. They stumbled their way to Azriel’s bedroom, he had claimed the room with the biggest bed after a particularly long hand to hand combat, leaving a trail of clothing behind them. Once they made it through the door Azriel pushed Cassian backward until the back of his knees hit the bed and he sat before him. He didn’t need to utter a word for Cassian to understand the intent behind those dark hazel eyes, that tonight, their first night, Azriel would lay claim to Cassian’s body. Cassian was more than willing to oblige. He reached for the band of Azriel’s underwear and finally released the hard length trapped within. He found himself only the tiniest bit disappointed that Azriel’s rumoured “wingspan” was in fact longer than his own but swallowed hard as he thought about it filling him.

He leant forward and tasted the smooth skin, running his tongue under the length of him. Azriel’s hand tangled into Cassian’s hair at the back of his head and gripped tightly. He guided Cassian’s mouth down onto him and groaned as Cassian hollowed out his cheeks. “The number of times I came thinking about you just like this Cass, you take me so good baby.” Azriel’s voice was fried from bliss and Cassian hummed at the encouragement, sending vibrations straight through Azriel’s body. Cassian slid down further, feeling Azriel pushing down his throat, his nose brushing against Azriel’s stomach. Cassian began swallowing and Azriel pulled back with a hiss, leaving his mouth with a small pop. “Lay back, I want to see you.” Azriel commanded and Cassian ever the loyal soldier fell back and slid up the bed. Azriel gripped the sides of his underwear and removed them in one swift motion. Cassian felt himself flush as Azriel’s eyes raked over his body. He couldn’t remember the last time he squirmed under someone's eye in bed. He was usually the cocky Illyrian warrior between the sheets but with Azriel’s deep-cut muscles and considerable length hovering above him, he’d finally found his match.

“You’re beautiful.” Azriel murmured mostly to himself and Cassian thought his heart might swell out of his chest. “Only second to you” Cassian winked at him, finding his usual confidence again. Azriel rolled his eyes but even in the darkness of the room Cassian was sure the Shadowsingers cheeks flushed with red.

As if in retaliation for knocking him off step, Azriel moved between Cassian’s legs guiding his knees apart and abruptly pushed a finger into him without warning. Cassian arched backwards and gasped at the sudden intrusion. Azriel’s long practiced strokes pulled moans from Cassian’s lips, his brow scrunched in pleasure. He slid his other hand up Cassian's muscular thigh and wrapped it tightly around his member. Tightly gliding up and down matching pace with the hand pushing in beneath him. As Azriel pushed a second finger in next to the first, Cassian realised they were smooth gliding strokes. His eyes fell upon the bottle of lubrication next to his leg, Azriel’s shadows had delivered it right to him while Cassian was distracted. Azriel’s shadows were pooled underneath him, swirling and tumbling as Azriel continued his assault on Cassian. Azriel seemed to be keeping those shadows at bay as he purposely flitted over that one spot inside Cassian, sharply pulling his focus back towards him. But Cassian was determined to take everything Azriel had to give him, so he reached out to feel the cool caress of the shadows creeping up the bed next to him. Azriel read his movements, groaned and finally released his hold on them. Dark swirling shadows flooded Cassian’s chest, lightly tickling every sensitive area, gliding over a nipple and curling around an ear, exploring every inch of skin. Despite their cool touch Cassian felt like he was on fire. He’d never been brought to the edge like this, with every nerve pulled tight. He quickly jolted up, gripping Azriel’s wrist beneath him and guiding his hand away. Cassian kissed him then, sliding his tongue across Azriel’s bottom lip. He slipped a hand around his neck and pulled the Shadowsinger down on top of him. He curled his legs up around Azriel’s waist, angling his hips, leaving just enough space between them for Azriel to line himself up. And with one strong thrust Azriel buried himself in Cassian. Their pace was rushed and needy, desperate to make up for lost years of pleasure. Cassian let his hands explore Azriel’s body, first brushing up his arms then along his chest, as if he could read the stories the scars left on pale skin. Then he moved on to Azriel’s wings. He hadn’t laid with many Illyrians, none that meant enough that allowed for their wings to be touched, but Cassian knew every sensitive spot thanks to his own. He focused his soft strokes there until Azriel was vibrating above him, moaning incoherently. Azriel reached down between them and took Cassian into his hand again. “Please.” was all Cassian had to whisper for Azriel’s eyes to become fully blown out, completely lost to Cassian's body. A few more strokes had them both exploding, Cassian gripping Azriel’s shoulders, Azriel pulling the last long strokes down Cassian’s length. They laid together for a few hours, exploring each other, trading lingering kisses, until Cassian told Azriel he would die of dehydration if he didn’t get some water. Azriel reluctantly let him go and as Cassian stepped into the kitchen past their fallen clothes, he noticed a slip of paper on the table next to the Veritas orb Azriel had deposited there.

He recognised Rhysand’s elegant script as he read, He’s back?Cassian quickly located a pen and scribbled his response. Yeah, he’s back.

He put the pen down and watched as the note and the Vertis orb silently disappeared. Cassian rubbed at his chest as he collected his water and a glass for Azriel. Yeah he was back and Cassian wasn’t letting him go anytime soon.

#acotar fic #azriel #azriel imagine #azriel x cassian #cazriel #cassian fanfic #cassian #cassian imagine #cassian pov #500 Years

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