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nymphhazel5 · 26 days

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Guilty Pleasure

Wrote this a few weeks ago and thought I would write more but never did so here <3 Very slight hofas spoilers in the beginning so be warned.

2.3k words

Summary: Gwyn finds Az in the training ring to ask him a favor. He's taken by surprise, but obviously he can't deny her anything.

***

“I thought I might find you here,” Gwyn said, leaning against the archway that led into the training ring. Azriel spun around, seemingly surprised at her ability to sneak up on him. Twin daggers glinted in his hands, reflecting the moonlight that shone above them. Truth-Teller, safely returned to this world, was securely strapped to his thigh.

Gwyn fought a smirk at the thought of how moody he’d been in the days without his favorite dagger to keep him company. As badly as she felt for him, it was simply too easy to tease him about having to sleep without his comfort weapon.

“Berdara,” Azriel said, turning to throw the daggers at a target he’d set up at the other end of the ring. Of course, both landed dead center, the tips of the blades grazing each other in their proximity. Show-off. He turned back around with a slight twitch of his lips and made his way to the archway where Gwyn stood. “What can I do for you?”

Azriel’s shadows brought him a towel, one of them darting to graze Gwyn’s cheek before returning to lounge above the Shadowsinger’s wings. Azriel wiped the towel across the back of his neck, muscles flexing in his arm as he did so. Gwyn watched a bead of sweat slide down his forehead and temporarily forgot what she came here for. It was unfair, really, that she had never seen the male across from her have a bad day in the looks department. She’d seen him bloodied up and wincing in pain, yet that unnatural beauty never seemed to leave him.

“Gwyneth?” Azriel hedged, still waiting for an answer to his question. She blinked a few times to clear her mind and scolded herself for getting so distracted. She straightened her spine and crossed her arms, still leaning against the archway and hoping she looked effortlessly confident instead of embarrassingly desperate to appear that way.

“I have a proposition for you.” At his raised eyebrows, she amended, “Well, not a proposition exactly. A favor. Something I’d like you to help me with.”

“A favor, huh? And what makes you so sure I’m the best person to ask? I’m sure Nesta or Emerie would be more than happy to help.”

“This isn’t the sort of thing they can help me with, I’m afraid. Not something I want them to help me with, at least.”

Azriel scanned her face, clearly intrigued but trying to hide it. He swiped that damned towel behind his neck once more before letting his shadows take it someplace else. With two steps, he was leaning against the opposite side of the archway with his back to the wall, mimicking her stance and forcing her to shift so she could look at him.

“All right, I’ll bite. Though I make no promises that I’ll be of any help.”

Swallowing her nerve—and pride and embarrassment and fear—Gwyn stared into the shadowsinger’s hazel eyes and said “I wish to go to a pleasure hall. And I’d like you to take me.”

Based on the endless silence that now stretched between them, Gwyn was sure she’d broken Azriel. He stood unblinking for so long that she was tempted to reach out a finger and see if he would tip over like a statue. Cauldron, how would she explain to Rhysand why his infamous spymaster had malfunctioned?

“Shadowsinger?” Nothing. “Hello?” Nope. “Azriel?” Finally, a blink of recognition.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly,” he said, still frozen in place save for the muscles needed to blink and move his lips.

Gwyn couldn’t help the pang of satisfaction running through her at having taken him by surprise. It was her favorite pastime.

“I said, I’d like you to take me to a pleasure hall.”

“No. What? Why?”

“I’m going to ignore that first part, and as I believe I’ve answered the second part twice now, I’ll move straight to the third. I’m sick of being stuck in this house and wondering what I’m missing out on. I read all these fascinating books about how pleasurable sex can be, and I’m ready to experience it for myself.”

Azriel finally seemed to shake himself out of his stupor, wings rustling slightly as he took in her words.

“I admire your honesty, Gwyn, but this isn’t the way you should venture into exploring your sexuality. Not with the kind of people who go to pleasure halls looking for nothing more than a quick fuck.”

“You visit them quite frequently, don’t you? So what does that say about you, then?”

“That’s different.”

“Why, because you’re male and feel some sort of moral superiority when it comes to sex? You’re allowed to seek it out if you wish but females can’t? Who are you having sex with then, Azriel, if not for the females visiting pleasure halls?”

A feral smile took over Azriel’s face.

“If you must know, I’m not opposed to the occasional male partner, though I do much prefer the company of females.” She tried not to blush at that, though she knew she wasn’t succeeding. “And I’m not saying it’s different because I’m male. I’m saying it’s different because I have experience and it’s not anything special for me. It should be something special for you.”

Gwyn was sure her cheeks had turned even redder at this point, but they were now flushed with anger. He had no right to tell her what to do, and she deserved to make her own decisions.

“And who are you to decide that? I didn’t have a say in how my first sexual encounter happened, and I will not apologize for wanting to have a say in how future encounters happen.” The shadows thickened around him at the mention of Sangravah, but he showed no reaction beyond that. “You males aren’t the only ones with needs and urges, Shadowsinger, and seeing how I don’t exactly have suitors lining up at my door to have sex with me, I’ve taken it upon myself to seek them out.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but Gwyn held up a hand.

“I’m not finished. I appreciate that you care about my feelings, I really do. But I’m an adult who can take her own feelings into consideration. I came to you because I know you frequent the pleasure halls in Velaris and I trust you—and, quite frankly, because I don’t think sex is worth walking down 10,000 steps for.”

“That’s entirely dependent on who you’re having sex with, Berdara,” he drawled. Gwyn rolled her eyes at his arrogance, ignoring the twisting in her gut at the sound of his voice. Was it just her imagination, or had it dropped even lower than usual?

“That’s the part of my grand speech that you’re choosing to focus on?”

Azriel ran a hand through his hair and leaned his head back against the archway. She hadn’t exactly expected an enthusiastic yes, but he was putting up more resistance than expected. Maybe she’d completely misread their relationship. Shame slithered up her spine.

Of course this was a mistake. He was likely debating how to let her down easy because he was far too considerate to be blunt with her and hurt her feelings in the process. She might as well save him the effort.

Gwyn pushed away from the archway, smoothing her hands over her robes to keep them from shaking.

“You know what, forget I asked. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I’ll leave you to your training.”

Before Gwyn could dwell on the fact that this conversation would haunt her for the foreseeable future, Az called her name and a scarred hand wrapped around her wrist. Her eyes shot up to meet his, and he immediately let go as if she’d burned him. His voice was soft as he said, “Wait.”

She absolutely could not deal with a pity party right now. Those were reserved for the comfort of her bedroom with a slice of cake and a smutty book by her side.

“Shadowsinger, it’s okay—”

“You don't even know what I was going to say.”

“It’s written all over your face.”

“I’ve spent centuries making sure emotions don’t show on my face.”

“Well you’ve got a few more centuries of training ahead of you then because it’s always clear to me what you’re thinking. Especially when you’re trying to hide it.”

At this point it would just be easier to swallow her tongue entirely. Why did she have such a big mouth? She could never filter her words around the male in front of her, and it bothered her to no end.

Something sparkled in Azriel’s eyes, though, and he barked out a laugh. It seemed to take him by surprise as much as it did her, and he ran a hand down his face. Shadows twirled at the sound. He shook his head slowly.

“You’re something else, Berdara,” he said. “Look, do I think it’s a little crazy that you want to visit a pleasure hall of all places? Yes, I do. But I agree that it would be good for you to get back out into the world, and I think you’re brave for wanting to do it.” Azriel took a step closer to her, studying her face.

“Thank you?” she whispered.

His lips tipped up at the corners ever so slightly.

“I’ll take you.” Gwyn wasn’t sure if she was breathing at that point. Sure, this was always the goal, but now that it was within reach it scared the hell out of her. She wouldn’t deny her attraction to Azriel, but it wasn’t something she’d ever allowed herself to act on for fear of damaging their friendship. He was too important to her. She’d thought that convincing him to take her to a pleasure hall would help her get over him and, well, under someone else, but the prospect of being in a room that promised sin and sex with the male she needed to get over suddenly didn’t sound so appealing. And she was realizing that this might have been a massive mistake.

“Azriel—”

“I’ll take you,” he repeated, then walked towards the target at the end of the training ring. He pulled out the daggers still lodged perfectly in the center and twirled them in his hands. “If you can make this throw.”

Despite her doubts, Gwyn couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her. If there was one thing she’d never be able to pass up, it was a challenge. Part of her wanted to be a coward and miss the target deliberately so she could take the easy way out and forget this night ever happened, but the bigger part of her knew she’d never forgive herself for the self sabotage. There was a reason she’d come to him in the first place, and she refused to question her choice any further.

With a smirk that adorned her face often in the Shadowsinger’s company, Gwyn strode towards him. He was still twirling the blades when she held out her hand expectantly. Amusement sparked in his eyes, and he presented the daggers to her with a dramatic bow.

“You are the most insufferable male I have ever met,” she said, taking the blades from his outstretched hands. He gave her a wink, and her stomach fluttered. “Where would you like me to throw from?”

His reply was a look that said What do you think? She groaned internally but straightened her shoulders and made her way to the opposite end of the ring where he’d been standing when she first came up here. Azriel positioned himself back in front of the archway, halfway between the target and where Gwyn now stood.

He gestured a hand toward the target, giving her the go-ahead whenever she was ready.

“Both blades?” she asked.

“Both blades,” he replied.

Humph. Worth a shot.

She took a deep breath and drew back her arm, then exhaled with the release of the first dagger. It flew in a flawless arc towards the target, embedding itself dead-center. She glanced to her left to gauge Azriel’s reaction, but he tried hard to remain stone faced. A gleam in his eyes gave him away. His shadows swirled around his wings and over his crossed arms.

Azriel glared pointedly at the dagger still in her other hand, indicating the battle was only half won. She copied his little blade-spinning trick from earlier before moving the knife to her throwing hand. Another glance in the Shadowsinger’s direction revealed a small smile blooming on his face. He’d taught her that maneuver when she’d asked him to go over dagger-handling with her in private. Definitely useless in battle but extremely fun to do.

She was waiting for him to scold her for using the same hand for both throws instead of proving that she’d worked on learning to use her left arm for throwing in case of injury to her right arm, but he either didn’t notice or decided to give her this small advantage. Likely the latter, given his title as spymaster. There was little the male didn’t notice.

Gwyn didn’t let herself overthink as she drew her arm back once more and hurled the dagger down the same path as its twin.

Now, she knew she was good. She’d trained tirelessly to get to where she was today, and she was proud of her progress. She knew that she could trust in muscle memory and skill at this point in her training to do what needed to be done.

Still, she couldn’t help the way her jaw dropped slightly as that dagger sank into the target next to the one already embedded there, positioned perfectly side by side.

A shadow darted over to the blades, dancing around them.

The breath knocked out of her at the sight of the pure pride shining from Azriel. He held her stare and gave a slight nod, lips tugging up on one side.

“Just tell me when, Berdara, and I’ll be there.”

After one last look at the daggers, Gwyn strode over to the archway. She clapped Azriel on the shoulder and said, “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger.”

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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Let Me Be Your Wings : A Gwynriel Circus!AU

[X]

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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Little Traitors

"Oh, hello."

Gwyn's soft delight pulled Azriel's attention from wiping the sweat out of his eyes. It appeared a faction of his shadows abandoned their duties in favor of interrupting Gwyn while she restrung her bow, basking in her attention. Those that remained loyal alerted him of the defection entirely too late.

Little traitors. It was then he noticed the pattern they traced on her leathers with their shadowed forms - the shape of Illyrian tattoos. His tattoos. The cheeky things painted her with his ink and he'd be damned before he'd admit how much pride and longing that caused... he was swift to crush it.

Luckily, she hadn't noticed. He had to admire the sheer audacity of the little shades as the looked back at him, as if he'd approve of their choice. They swirled and their dance teased a giggle out of her that sounded like sunlight.

He approved. Damn and double damn it.

------

A thing I started for @gwynrielweeksofficial but ended up a little late. oops.

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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An enchanting Gwynriel art by @/luxury_banshee and commissioned by @/ofshadowsanddreams on Instagram!

Please ask permission from commissioner if you wish to repost!

Link to post

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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Found this comment on Reddit. Couldn’t explain it better than this.

“It’s clear from Mist and Fury that the original ships were: Feysand, Nessian, Elucien, and Mor/Azriel. Like it’s so obvious the way she wrote Mor and Azriel; Mor even seems vaguely interested/torn about Az. Looking at interviews, SJM even talks about Elucien as a couple (eg where would they like to travel together, etc).

Flash forward to ACOWAR. For whatever reason (lack of chemistry with Az, wanting more diversity) SJM has Mor say that she prefers women. This time the Az-pining-for-Mor is more desperate/feels like a zero chance of being requited. SJM also introduces Az as a potential love interest for Elain because she loves throwing a wrench. Just because Elucien are mates doesn’t mean they’ll have it easy; SJM’s whole thing is angst. She had to throw in a love triangle to make it uncertain. This is the first couple where mate status is confirmed upon meeting.

But there’s a problem now. If Az and Mor are no longer endgame, who will they end up with? is it not suspicious that the two new characters introduced in SF (Gwyn and Emerie) just HAPPEN to be potentially be good partners for Az and Mor? Like it’s not a coincidence that Emerie looks at Mor and blushes, remarking how pretty she is. It’s not a coincidence that Az and Gwyn have so many interactions in the text. It’s not a coincidence that a “random side character” shows up in a bonus chapter.

When SJM created Gwyn and Emerie, it wasn’t just to give Nesta friends. These characters clearly didn’t exist when she wrote MAF. SJM wanted new characters that would solve her retcon of ending Az/Mor. She wanted to solve the Mor/Az retcon so bad that she created a NEW RETCON of Az going to Sangravah. Like why bother to add that detail if it’s not important.

Also: poor Lucien. His endgame heroine was supposed to be Nesta until SJM realized they would be terrible together and that Nessian had better chemistry. So she gives Elucien the mating bond. Like is she really going to fuck Lucien over TWICE? She loves him as a character and has put him through the wringer. Yes, I agree that SJM can change her mind and maybe is open to mate rejection, but Lucien has already switched love interests from Nesta to Elain! Who else is he going to switch to, considering that Jurian and Vassa are “at each other’s throats?”

Finally, please think about the number of books left. Ignoring novellas (which are probably gonna be fluffy ones like ACOFAS where nothing happens), there are two main books left. Two couples.

Option A:

• ⁠Gwynriel (Valkyrie growth, Illyrian rebellion, exploring Ramiel, Gwyn’s autumn heritage and maybe lightsinger?? powers)

• ⁠Elucien (Helion secret baby, defeating Koschei, freeing Vassa, fixing spring court)

Option B

• ⁠Elriel (mate rejection storyline, potentially some stuff above)

• ⁠?????

Literally WHO is the second book in this equation? Lucien and Vassa?? We barely know Vassa and there’s barely any connection to Night Court. And Lucien’s book is going to be depressing as fuck dealing with mate rejection; does anyone want to read two heavy books of rejection? Jurian and Vassa: again, we barely know them! At least with Tower of Dawn, Chaol had been a main character for a long time with POV. SJM will not do a full-length Emerie/Mor book as much as I would love for one. She’s very cognizant of criticism re: Mor bi rep in the past; she doesn’t want to open a can of worms and be accused of writing bad sapphic rep. If anything, I can see a fluffy Emerie/Mor novella with little angst (or them getting together in the background of other books).

So from a meta structural level, I don’t understand who the second couple will be if Elriel is endgame. Lucien/Vassa is the most plausible answer, but 1) we barely know Vassa, 2) she’s human and Lucien is immortal. So are we going to toss her into the Cauldron to make her immortal? Serious question, and 3) I don’t want TWO books about mate rejection, it’s depressing as hell. I can see one but not two.

But with Gwynriel and Elucien, you have enormous fan and audience interest in ALL FOUR CHARACTERS. They’re directly tied to Night Court and SJM so far has no intention of staying away from the core group.”

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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Ooof motorcycle Az with THE HAND ON THE THIGH

By @/meepsdraws on Instagram

See the post here!

Visit and follow meepsdraws here!

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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not tfota content but I wanted to show you that illustration of gwynriel 🌙✨ it was for the last day of gwynriel weeks and there is more to come 🫡

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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Gwynriel Weeks 2024|| Day 14 Free Day

Gwyn *standing with her back turned*: I've been expecting you, Shadowsinger.

Azriel: How did you know it was me without turning around?

Gwyn: I have always been burdened with innate sensing skills.

Azriel:

Gwyn:

Azriel: The shadows told you, didn't they?

@gwynrielweeksofficial

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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@gwynrielweeksofficial - Day 14: Free Day

For the last day of #gwynrielweeks2024 I would like to share this incredible piece of art made by @/leticiavazlart (ig) and commissioned by me 🩵✨

Gwyn and Azriel got lost in the waterfall... I guess that’s a good thing for them? 😏😏😏

I was really inspired by seeing one of @/zarory_ch (ig) zutara art and I thought this scenario suited #gwynriel perfectly 🥰

Characters belong to @/sarahjmaas

Reposts are allowed with credits.

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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Gwynriel Weeks Day 7: Free Day

For the final day of Gwynriel Weeks, I’m thrilled to show you guys the commission that my Instagram followers me build! It was so fun running the polls and working with @tropicoola on this piece was a pleasure as always! Sarah smashed it as always and brought the vision to life in such a flawless way!

This Gwynriel Weeks has been so so fun and I hope you all enjoyed the event! I love you all so much!

Link to post here!

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nymphhazel5 · 1 month

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@gwynrielweeksofficial Day 14 - Free Day

Aaand it's the end of Gwynriel Weeks 2024. Kudos to everyone who has managed this event ❤️. It was amazing to see all this love for my favourite ship and also to be able to participate in it. Thank you!! ❤️

Today's fic is a gift to @avabrynne (my little love letter to you is on Ao3 😉)

Synopsis: Catrin finds a baby in their backyard and tries to convince Azriel and Gwyn to keep it.

Word Count: 1.7k

Read on Ao3 or below the cut

≽^•⩊•^≼

Azriel’s head whipped around so fast his neck almost cracked. If he told his wife that, the only thing she would hear would be the cracking part and make a joke about him getting old.

“Daddy. I found an orphan.”

“What?”

He placed his knife on the kitchen countertop and looked towards the back door, to the little girl walking in with a few leaves in her pigtails and her lavender sweater balled up in her tiny arms. He removed the kitchen towel that was thrown over his left shoulder and wiped his hands before placing it down next to the knife and chopping board.

“I found an orphan in our garden.”

Azriel approached his daughter, mouth opening to ask what on earth she was talking about, when a little noise coming from the sweater made him stop. The little noise sounded a lot like it belonged to something with claws and fur. As if to confirm what it was, the little thing decided to poke its little head – after struggling for a few seconds– out of the sweater.

“Look daddy, look. She’s a baby,” Catrin exclaimed as though he wasn’t seeing the fluffy black kitten too.

The tiny creature looked around with bright yellow, almost gold, eyes. It seemed more curious than afraid despite being in the arms of an excited child. Cat beamed at the kitten in her arms. She jumped on the spot, causing the kitten’s head to move this way and that while its body remained trapped in its prison made of wool.

“Ok honey, calm down,” Azriel said and reached out his hands to take the kitten from his daughter’s arms before its head flew off.

Cat pointed at the door leading to their garden. “She was alone in that bush,” she explained, leaving Azriel to guess in which of the several bushes in their backyard she could be referring to.

Azriel held the sweater in the crook of his arm and extricated the kitten from it with his right hand. He handed the sweater back to Cat when he was done and took a closer look at the black ball of fur. It looked quite thin to him but showed no sign of injuries.

“How do you know it’s an orphan?”

“She told me,” Cat replied with a shrug.

The kitten meowed. Azriel had no idea whether it was to confirm or deny what Cat had said. He looked down at his daughter but decided against questioning her supposed ability to talk to animals.

“She?” he asked instead.

“The baby,” Cat pointed to the kitten that was busy trying to climb on Azriel’s shoulder.

He pulled the little thing away, removing its claws from his t-shirt when it tried to hold on, and turned it around.

“It’s a he.”

“He who?” Cat furrowed her brows.

“The baby,” Azriel explained as he brought the kitten closer to Cat’s face. “It’s a male.”

Cat giggled at the paw that reached out to boop her nose. There was dirt on her knees, on her bare feet and forearms. The blue jumper she wore was in a barely better state than the rest of her. Azriel smiled at her dishevelled state but sighed internally for the fact that he had thought of changing her clothes before letting her play outside. Gwyn would have been pissed if Cat had ruined yet another one of her school clothes.

“You’re my baby brother now,” Cat announced to the kitten while she petted its head.

Azriel laughed. “Hold up honey. What if his mommy comes back for him?”

Cat wrapped her arms around one of her father’s legs. “But he was alone,” she reminded Azriel, looking up at him with her big blue eyes and a pout on her lips. Not for the first time in 4 years, Azriel noticed Cat’s striking resemblance with Gwyn whenever she used the puppy eyes on him in a desperate attempt to get him to agree with something he had said no to. Apart from having her father’s black hair, everyone who knew Gwyn could see that Cat, on the outside, was a pretty good copy of her.

“Mommy can be his mommy too.”

Azriel’s eyes darted from his daughter to the kitten nipping at his finger with his sharp teeth. He knew that it was common for cats to adopt their humans instead of the opposite and this one did not seem to be an exception to this rule. The longer he took to reply, the tighter Cat wrapped her arms around his leg.

“Daddy pleeease.” She threw her head back and dragged the last word until Azriel sighed and stopped her with an, “Ok fine.” Cat gasped and looked at him with hope in her eyes.

Azriel hadn’t had a pet since he was a child. He had always been fond of cats. His daughter had also been asking for a pet for a while now – well, either that or a sibling. Azriel had been on Cat’s side the whole time in trying to convince Gwyn to agree to either of those. With the way this little thing here was purring and scratching at his shirt, he thought perhaps it was a trick of fate that had sent him here.

“OK listen. We will give him back to his mommy if she comes back,” he stated as firmly as he could to Cat as she gripped the fabric of his pants and nodded with a widening smile. “And we’ll have to ask your own mommy if she agrees with this.”

Her messy pigtails moved when she nodded again and started jumping. “If she says yes, then we can keep the baby,” Azriel added.

The squeal that Cat let out was so loud that even the kitten jumped in surprise. She released his legs and started running excitedly around the kitchen while waving her dirty sweater. Azriel lifted the kitten up to his face. “You still got time to run buddy.”

The little thing meowed, and tried again to climb on his shoulder.

ฅ^•⩊•^ฅ

“Mommy, mommy. I found an orphan. Can we keep it mommy?”

Gwyn stopped at the threshold with one foot still outside. She didn’t have the time to put the other one in before her daughter was hugging her leg. It wasn’t the first time that Cat greeted her at door when she came back home. Though usually Gwyn was greeted with a “hi mommy” before the babbles started.

“Can we keep it mommy please?” Cat asked very loudly while jumping on the spot.

Gwyn placed her bag on the small bench near the front door. She picked Cat up and smooched her cheek. Her daughter smelled like the bubble-gum shower gel she liked so much. Judging by Cat’s clean matching yellow t-shirt and shorts, she guessed that her daughter must have had her bath not long before her arrival. Even her hair was styled in the twin French braids that Azriel was so skilled at doing now.

“Hello to you too, my darling.”

Cat wrapped her arms around Gwyn’s neck and returned her mother’s kiss with another one of her own.

“Now, what was it you were saying?” She asked as she walked them further inside the house.

Cat beamed at her and placed her hands on Gwyn’s cheeks. “Can we keep the little orphan, mommy?”

Gwyn’s brows furrowed. “What orphan?”

“The baby.”

“What baby?”

“The orphan,” Cat said like it should be obvious.

She had had many interesting conversations with her daughter before but this one felt particular strange.

“What on earth are you –”

Gwyn stopped abruptly when she reached the living area.

“Can we keep it mommy pleeease,” Cat kept going, shaking her mother’s face, while Gwyn took in what her eyes were seeing.

Azriel was lying down on his back, shirtless, on the carpet beside the coffee table, with a little black kitten on his chest. The kitten was hitting and biting the finger that Azriel kept waving at it.

“Hello, my love,” he greeted her but didn’t look away from the kitten. There was no doubt his smile was more for the little thing than for Gwyn. Azriel laughed every time the kitten missed his finger when he removed his hand faster than it could hit it.

“What is this?” Gwyn whispered to no one in particular. Her body was still frozen and her eyes glued on the scene before her.

“It’s a baby,” Cat replied.

The kitten attacked Azriel’s hand again, wrapping its tiny paws around his wrist and turned on itself but it only managed to slide off his chest and fall down clumsily on its back. Gwyn gasped and let out a shriek louder than when the enemies in the enemies-to-lovers book she was currently reading finally became lovers. She placed an equally excited Catrin on the ground before she ran towards a stunned Azriel. Gwyn sat on the floor beside him and picked up the kitten.

“Hi little baby,” she cooed while petting it. “Aren’t you the cutest little kitty.”

Cat reached her mother and leaned over her shoulder to watch. Azriel rose from the floor and stretched out his legs before filling Gwyn in on everything that she had missed before she came back. He rested his back against their grey couch and pulled Gwyn by the waist until she sat on one of his legs. Though his wife wasn’t paying him any attention, he still kissed her cheek and lips. It only took a second before Cat felt left out and moved to sit on his other one. The little girl brought her face close to Azriel’s until he kissed her on the cheek too. And another one on the tip of her nose where it always made her smile the most. Azriel wrapped his arms around them both and they all snuggled against him. Meanwhile the kitten between them was only interested in playing with whatever moved in front of its face.

“So, we are keeping it?” Azriel asked unnecessarily.

“Of course we are.”

The kitten stopped and stared at Catrin when she squealed from her mother’s answer. But then it went back to what it was doing, as though the little thing was already used to all this.

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