Aelinweek - Tumblr Posts

Short Story for Aelin's Week!

I had to write this quick, so sorry if I missed any couples! Hope you enjoy! :)

_

“Happy Birthday!!”

Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius gasped, staring at the crowd of her friends surrounding her. She dropped the dagger she had drawn at the unnerving stillness of the room and covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh my Gods!”

Grinning, Aedion Ashryver stood at the front of the crowd with his hands on his hips. “Did we surprise you?” Aelin nodded emphatically, and hugged her cousin. 

“Come sit down! We got you some chocolates from Adarlan,” Elide Lochan said warmly, leading Aelin to a large table decked with desserts. Aelin gasped again, squealing with excitement as she spotted her favorite sweet. “How did you know what to get?” she asked. 

“That would be us,” Dorian Havillard and Chaol Westfall shouted from across the room. Aelin screamed and ran toward her best friends. They grinned and opened their arms to her as she swallowed them in a hug. “Hey, Aelin,” Dorian laughed, kissing her cheek. Aelin beamed at them, tears falling down her cheeks. She hadn’t seen these two in months since they’d left for their kingdom. 

And that had to mean - she turned to Chaol, hardly daring to believe it, before her gaze fell on Yrene, and the small bundle in her arms. Aelin let out a happy, disbelieving sob. 

“Meet Alavara, our daughter,” Chaol said thickly through tears. Aelin hugged him tight without taking her eyes off of the small bundle of blankets. The baby peeked out of her through the swaddle, her big brown eyes framed with luscious lashes. That and her curls and light brown skin made Alavara the cutest baby for miles. 

Yrene was crying happily too as she moved toward her husband, radiant with happiness.

After an hour of cooing over the baby and devouring the sweets, Aelin still couldn’t wrap her head around what her friends - no, her family - had done for her. “I still don’t understand - how did you all arrange this?”

Lysandra smiled, and pointed to the corner. Aelin turned and looked, the crowd parting to make way to who was there. Aelin smiled softly at her mate, standing there, his piercing green eyes pinned on her. 

She crossed the room and hugged him, inhaling his pine-and-snow scent. The party continued on around them, but as Rowan’s arms pulled her close to him, it felt like they were in their own bubble. “Thank you,” she murmured into his ear. Rowan stared at her, his normally harsh face softened with love for her. 

Aelin was so overcome with happiness in that moment that she felt tears prick at the back of her eyes, and she leaned in and kissed her husband. His lips were soft and gentle against hers, and she felt at home. 

Two hours later, Aelin was blowing out her candles, surrounded by her friends. Lysandra, Aedion and Evangeline, a small but happy family. Lorcan and Elide, the tough male lit up with love. Yrene and Chaol, glowing with pride and love for Alavara. Manon and Dorian, holding hands, the witch smiling up at him. Finally, Rowan and Fleetfoot, her family. She smiled through blurred tears at her family as they all cheered; “Happy 20th birthday, Aelin!”

_

thanks for reading! :)

Short Story for Aelin's Month Again!

I started at Day 3 so I didn't want to say Day 2 lol

It is Day 4 and the prompt is Aelin's family! Thank you for all the love on the first one! Enjoy! :)

Aelin stared at the soldiers sparring in the arena below her. She sat in the Royal Box, watching in awe at their strength. Turning to her father, she exclaimed; “I want to be like them! I want to be big and strong too!” She was six years old and already was a bundle of promises and excitement. 

Rhoe looked fondly at his daughter and ruffled her golden hair, cut to her shoulders. “Being big and strong like those men takes a long time. It isn’t as easy as you’d like, my daughter,” he said. Aelin pouted, unhappy with this response, and Rhoe smiled. He pointed down to the arena, Aelin’s gaze following. 

“Look past their strength. Look at the patience they have, waiting and waiting to defeat their opponent. Look at their grace, balancing on those small beams. Look at their mental and physical stamina, how they have been sparring for over an hour and they haven’t tired. There are many things that go into being strong, Aelin. Not just muscle.”

Aelin nodded slowly, understanding. “I promise, Father. I will be strong for Terrasen.” Rhoe smiled gently down at her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes, you will need to be strong for Terrasen. But be strong for yourself as well, Fireheart.”

_____

Aelin watched her mother carefully, noting her tells that only she could see. Her sharp jaw was clenched, her Ashryvr eyes narrowed, her hands gripping tightly together in her lap, were all tells that Evalin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, was very angry. At eight years old Aelin knew that when her mother was angry, a storm was about to break. At least she wasn’t unhappy at Aelin - instead, her fury was directed toward the men sitting around her at the table. Some of the court of Terrasen, old nobles who did nothing but complain. 

Evalin said through gritted teeth, “I apologize, Lord Werloth, that you were unhappy with the battalion sent your way, but-”

“Damn right I’m unhappy! You promise a strong set of troops to protect my lands from opposing forces, yet a band of pathetic soldiers appear at my doorstep, asking for shelter,” Lord Werloth barked.  “A good battalion should have tents. I don’t think you understand the threat my lands are on. Maybe your husband should handle this?” 

Evalin drew in a sharp, angry breath, and Aelin smiled. She never liked Lord Werloth anyway.

Thirty minutes and some Werloth-flavored tears later, Evalin was storming down the corridor, Aelin’s small hand gripped firmly in hers. The Queen’s angry pace and sharp clacking of her heels made all those who passed immediately part to make room. 

“Werloth is a pathetic baby,” Evalin fumed. “Who does he think he is? Saying my husband should do it.” She scoffed at this. “I’ve been Queen for fifteen years. I don’t need my husband's help handling Werloth’s meager lands. That battalion was all I could spare, given the threat from-” 

At this, Evalin froze and looked down at Aelin, as if suddenly realizing it was her daughter next to her, not her friends. She crouched down and cupped Aelin’s face in her hands, kissing Aelin’s forehead. “I’m sorry, Fireheart,” she said softly. “I got carried away.”

Aelin smiled at her mother. “It’s okay, Mother.” She was never mad at her mother. Evalin was so strong and beautiful, and Aelin knew that she loved her fiercely. Evalin’s red lips curved into a grin, and she straightened up again. 

“You know what I’m craving?” she asked. Aelin shook her head, hanging on to her hand. “Ice cream. Chocolate. Extra chocolate.” 

Aelin squealed, and Evalin laughed. The Queen picked up her Princess and they raced down the hall toward the kitchens. 

_____

Aelin woke up with a start. The morning light streamed in from the huge window next to the bed, and she panted, bringing her hand up to her forehead. Rowan was awake and surveying her anxiously. 

“Not a nightmare,” she reassured him. “I’m okay. Go back to sleep.” Rowan’s green eyes analyzed her face, before kissing her softly and immediately falling back asleep against the pillows. 

Aelin stared straight ahead as she ran her fingers absentmindedly through Rowan’s hair, thinking of her dream. It was an odd dream - most nights she had vicious nightmares of her traumas or happy, sweet dreams about her life and friends. But - tonight she had dreamed of her parents. 

Even though they had died when she was just ten years old, Aelin still remembers the faces of her parents, her mother especially. They had both been beautiful and adored each other, and had been nurturing and sweet parents to her. They had raised her to be the queen that she was. 

But this dream, the happy memories in it, had only evoked a feeling of deep sadness she hadn’t felt since the War. Aelin wished her parents were still on this earth, to see Terrasen thriving, to see the kingsflame that still carpeted the ground. 

She wished they could have met Rowan. Her father would have been protective but Rhoe would have liked Rowan, his gentle nature agreeing with her mate’s quiet loyalty. Evalin would have loved him but would have kicked his ass if he so much as looked at Aelin wrong. 

But what made Aelin want to cry was that her parents wouldn’t be there for her future children. She wouldn’t have her mother by her side as she went through the pain of birthing a child, and Rhoe and Evalin would never meet their grandchildren. The last time Aelin had felt her mother’s invisible touch was at her coronation five months ago. 

Aelin felt a tear sliding down her cheek, and she wiped it off angrily. She wasn’t going to start the morning off crying. She eased herself out of the bed and padded into the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror. She had slight dark circles under her eyes and her face was red. Perfect. 

Aelin showered and then changed into a tight white dress and black heels that made her feel confident. She had a meeting with Darrow in a couple hours, but until then she was free - the one day she didn’t want to be. 

She walked Fleetfoot on the castle grounds before letting her run wild in the fields, and then ate a quick breakfast of oats and fruit. Bored, she paced back and forth through the corridor from her room to the kitchens, going over her presentation for the meeting - proposing a community garden for the castle. She didn’t realize how loud and frantic she had become until a bleary-eyed Rowan stepped out of their room - in his pajamas(shorts) - and walked over to her.

“Fireheart, what’s wrong?” he asked, concerned. He held her hands in his, calming her pacing. Aelin stared into his beautiful eyes and blew out a breath. 

“I…had a dream,” she began. “It wasn’t a nightmare. In fact, it was kind of nice. It was about…my parents.” Rowan’s eyes turned understanding, and he squeezed her hands. “It was two memories, one for each. My father was teaching me about what it meant to be strong, and my mother standing up for herself against the dirtbag men in her court. It just..shook me up, I suppose. Plus,” she managed a smile as tears streamed down her face, “I miss them like hell.” 

Rowan wiped the tears from her cheeks away. “I understand what you mean. I had a good thirty years with my parents before they were killed in battle, and they never got to meet…well, Lyria. And they weren’t with us throughout the pregnancy, or..what happened after.” Rowan leaned forward so their foreheads were touching, and Aelin closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. “But the biggest regret of my parents being gone is that they never got to meet my Fireheart. My heart.” Aelin looked up at him, his face full of love, and placed her hand on his cheek. 

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his mouth. She pulled away as he hugged her to him. “I wish I could have met your parents. I wish you could have met mine. They would have loved you. But…,” Aelin smiled up at her mate and said the words she’d known all along, “..you are my family. No matter what. I’m not alone, because you will be with me.” 

Rowan kissed her once, twice, three times. “And I you,” he breathed. 

“Now,” Rowan said as he led her back to their bedroom, “tell me about your parents.” ____

LOVE IT

Where Do We Stand?

A oneshot inside the Look At Us Now AU

Written for Rowaelin Month day 6: Rowaelin

This happens around a year and a half before where the current story starts! I wrote it for this event so it can be read even if you don’t know the AU 🫶

Also I wrote half of this in bed on my phone because I’m having a labyrinthitis crisis please be nice to me and my fic with very little editing

Warnings: mild (?) smut, language, a destroyed house, a toddler (Maisie’s on FIRE)

Word count: 3,8k

In and out. In and out.

Sam’s face was scrunched up in concentration, holding Aelin’s hip as he rode her.

It was not the best sex she’d ever had, but it was some sex, which was better than nothing.

He was panting. “How do you like that, babe?”

“Oh… yes. So good,” Aelin praised. Her chest felt a little tight as she not lied, but emphasized her enthusiasm. Sam was trying, but sex with him was… well, it was vanilla.

He fucked her gently, choked her weirdly, had thin moans, and spanked her a little too softly. At least she came every time. Even if it wasn’t mind-blowing, it was still a win.

Sam stopped when Aelin’s phone started ringing.

She grabbed it from his nightstand with one swift motion and—

Rowan.

Sam ground his teeth together. “Are you going to take it?”

“It could be anything from a lost toy to a house fire,” she explained while swiping to answer the phone.

“Hey. Are you busy?”

She quickly glanced at Sam, phone tightly clutched to her ear. “Kinda.”

She could hear his sigh from the other side of the phone. “Lorcan’s busy, and Sellene’s out of town—”

“Spill, Rowan.”

When he hurriedly told her what happened, Aelin’s only reaction was to tell him she’d be there in a few and hang up the phone.

Sam didn’t protest, but he didn’t look happy either. Aelin winced when he pulled out. Gods, she didn’t even remember he was still inside her.

“Is she alright?”

“Not a house fire, thank Mala.”

“Are you sure you need to go?” He asked with a cautious, uncertain tone.

Aelin sighed. “She’s a toddler, Sam. I can be needed for a lot of things that aren’t life-threatening.”

He nodded. “I could go with you. Be an extra set of hands.”

She suppressed a grimace. “In the middle of a toddler crisis?”

“You told me it wasn’t an emergency.”

Aelin knew what he was tiptoeing around, and she didn’t have time for this conversation again. The one about taking the next step in their relationship and introducing him to Maisie.

Sam was a good guy. He was kind, and had a stable career as a heart doctor. Everyone at the hospital liked him—including pediatric patients.

Aelin didn’t know why she balked every time Sam asked to become official. 

It was the next step for them. And Aelin wanted to take it, but she wouldn’t do it until that weird feeling on her chest eased when she considered it. She wouldn’t introduce anyone into Maisie’s life until being completely certain of it.

“Are you coming back after?” He whispered on her ear, hands on her hips after they got dressed.

“I don’t know. Probably not,” Aelin said, and she meant it.

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and hurried to Rowan’s place.

Earlier that day

It was a bit past 5 am when Rowan came to terms with the fact that Maisie would not fall asleep again.

His daughter’s last molar teeth were coming out, and he didn’t know if he felt more frustrated or relieved.

They were late, and Rowan didn’t know why. He searched online, talked about it with Aelin, took Maisie to the dentist, and the only answer we got was that he was supposed to wait.

Was it a vitamin thing? Lack of calcium? What would happen if she grew up without molar teeth? What if her teeth came out, but something was wrong with it? Couldn’t they check them with a X-ray? What if they wouldn’t come out until something else was fixed? Was this a sign of some bigger disease?

Rowan was almost losing his mind until Maisie’s gums got way too swollen to not be teething. He finally relaxed, getting this weight off his shoulders, until he remembered in the worst way the nightmare that teething was.

More specifically in her case, the irritability and sleepless nights that led to more irritability.

“I DON’T LIKE GIRLED CHEESE,” his daughter screamed at the top of her lungs, crying when he told her he’d make grilled cheese for breakfast.

Maisie loved grilled cheese.

Rowan returned the bread to its container and sighed.

“Cereal, then?”

“My tummy hurts.” She eyed him warily. “I need to go to the pool to feel better.”

Rowan forced the corners of his lips to not tug up. If Maisie sees him smile at this, she’d remember she has him wrapped around her little finger, and Rowan would lose his chance of bargaining with her.

“We can’t leave the house if you don’t eat breakfast, Mais.”

When his daughter’s lips started wobbling, Rowan knew he needed to think fast. He already had a headache from not sleeping, he’d do anything to avoid a tantrum now.

None of his offers worked, though. She trashed and screamed and cried, only stopping when he said he’d take her to the pool and buy her a popsicle there if she ate her breakfast.

After making Maisie’s grilled cheese and an unholy amount of coffee for himself, he called Lorcan.

“What,” his friend greeted, cheerful as ever.

“I’m taking Maisie to the pool. Wanna come with Charlie?”

Rowan and Lorcan weren’t the most talkative duo, but they hung out a lot because they were neighbors with kids around the same age. Well, they used to be friends before the kids too, but now it seemed like the only thing they talked about was potty training and tricks to minimize picky eating.

“Sorry man, we have a thing with Ellie’s parents. Next week?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He hung up the phone and made a mental note to pack more pool toys, since they were going alone this time.

“Daddy…”

Rowan turned to Maisie, rubbing his face to focus on her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I do like girled cheese.”

“That’s great, Mais.” He put a smile on, but it came out faint. Even the muscles on his face were feeling heavy.

The pool was actually a great idea. His goal was to get his daughter worked up so she’d feel tired enough to sleep the whole night through. He had no idea why he didn’t think of that before.

Rowan got the table closest to the children’s pool and bought her promised popsicle. She was eating it next to him when she saw a man with low stature pass by them, holding a girl’s hand.

“OH NO!” Maisie boomed and pointed, voice ringing. “That little girl only has a tiny little daddy!”

Rowan’s eyes widened, his blood rushing into his cheeks. Gods, he had no words for his daughter sometimes.

The man hurried his steps, not giving them a chance to apologize.

“Maisie Whitethorn,” he chastised, tone low and firm. “You cannot call other people tiny, you hear me?”

He regretted the way he’d said it the moment her eyes watered and she started weeping.

Rowan sighed, running a hand through his hair. He placed Maisie on his lap and hang his head low while he soothed her. He was so fucking tired. He didn’t mean to make her cry. Again.

Rowan stayed at the table when Maisie decided it was time to jump into the pool. Sellene once told him Aelin’s great at introducing herself to people so their daughter could make quick friends to play with, and watching Maisie play alone in the pool sent a pang through his chest.

Rowan wasn’t very sociable or charismatic, and he never missed those things either, except when it came to his daughter. Truth was, he didn’t even know how to do that. Should he introduce himself to the kids? That would be creepy. Ask the parents if his daughter could play? Better than the first option, but it sounded awkward.

Maisie seemed happy with the water toys, though. He’d do the awkward thing if she starts to look bored.

The head that rested on his hand began to feel a little too heavy, as much as his eyes. He could feel his eyelids closing, slowly—

Rowan jerked upright. What the fuck? He shouldn’t blink an eye while his daughter was surrounded by strangers like this.

He got up, splashed a handful of water from the pool on his face, and tried to keep himself awake by reading a book about potty training he bought yesterday. The worst part had gone by, but Maisie still struggled—

“DADDY!” His daughter called him, grinning.

Rowan smiled back. It was good to see his daughter this happy after the morning they had.

“What, Mais?”

She giggled before shouting, “MY POO IS SWIMMING!”

Following the direction she pointed, indeed, there was a blob of poop floating around the pool.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

In the blink of an eye, Rowan grabbed the plastic bag that came with the book he bought, jumped at the children’s pool and seized his daughter’s poop.

He held the plastic bag with one hand and Maisie’s with another while he went away, but his daughter would not leave the pool without a fight. As if the horrified looks from everyone weren’t enough. God, had they never seen a toddler being gross before?

“We’re leaving, Mais.”

“But why?” She whined.

“Come on.” He tugged at her hand.

Maisie whimpered. “Is it because of my poo?”

“Yes,” he gritted out.

She cried harder.

And on the way home. And when they were arriving home and she calmed down, they went back to square one because of fucking bath time.

“Why do I need a bath?”

Rowan took a deep breath. “Why do you think you need a bath?”

“NO!” His toddler shouted. “I DON’T WANNA THINK!”

He crouched so he’d be around Maisie’s height. “You need to shower because you went to the pool. And pooped in it.”

“I didn’t want to leave the pool!” She argued, lips wobbling while the first tears started to shed.

Rowan loved his daughter. So, so much. He would not snap at Maisie. He would not snap at Maisie. He took a deep breath.

“I know, honey, but we had to.”

“YOU’RE MEAN!” His daughter yelled. “I was happy, and you made all my happy feelings go kaboom!”

After many, many attempts of him trying to reason with a three-year-old, Rowan managed to give his daughter a shower. Maisie did cry because she wanted her mother and screamed bloody murder when it was time to rinse her hair, but they made it out alive.

Bath time had been an issue lately. Aelin liked to make a fucking show while bathing Maisie, with singing and stories and practically performing a puppet show with her toys, and their daughter loved it. The only problem was when she expected Rowan to do the same. No matter how hard he tried, he’d never get the voices or the story—or anything, really—right.

Lunch was as bad as the rest of the day. She cried because the meatballs were too big. Then she cried because she couldn’t cut them herself. So Rowan cut them for her, and she cried more because she decided she wanted the meatballs whole, not cut.

Rowan really wanted to call Aelin and ask her if Maisie was this moody yesterday too, but stopped himself. He didn’t have the mental strength to deal with Aelin Galathynius now.

And you know what? Fuck limited screen time. After lunch, Rowan turned the TV on a low-stimulating show, set Maisie on her little play mat with all the closest toys he could find and decided he’d rest on the couch until he felt like himself again.

He would do whatever the hell Maisie wanted now. Happy toddler means happy dad, and that would be enough for the rest of the day.

This children’s show… it’s really soothing, isn’t it? Rowan could feel his eyes dropping, his limbs relaxing…

Nope. No lying on the couch for him. Bad, bad idea. He got into a seating position and rolled his shoulders back. What was up with him today? Rowan was a drill instructor. He not only knew how to live under the hardest situations, he taught people how to do that.

If he survived the military, he could survive a toddler.

~~

Rowan jolted awake with his daughter’s screams.

He jumped from the couch and followed the sound of her voice, barely registering that his living room was completely covered in paint—floors, furniture, everything.

He entered the kitchen, immediately slipped on the unusually slippery tiles, and busted his hip. It was definitely going to bruise, but his focus now was sliding on the floor until he could get to Maisie.

His daughter was crying because she tried to climb on a drawer as if she were a house cat. And it obviously fell down with her weight.

He sat on the floor, hushing the little girl and repeating over and over that it’s okay.

He didn’t know if he was soothing Maisie or himself.

It was like a tornado had stormed through his kitchen.

The floor was a mix of soap, flour and cereal. Maisie had opened every singled bottom cabinet he owned and thrown its contents on the floor. She drew a sketch all over her face, and looked so dirty it looked like she had gone through an idiotic Youtube prank. And there also was the drawer she just broke, of course.

Rowan breathed in.

He would not scream at his daughter.

Breathed out.

He shouldn’t have slept.

Breathed in.

It was his fault. She was just a toddler.

Breathed out.

He would not scream at his daughter.

He didn’t want to ask her for help, but he needed someone to keep Maisie on a fucking leash so he could finish cleaning this mess today. Aelin was needed, even if her reaction would be somewhere between her shouting at him and… her shouting at him.

Rowan slowly, very slowly dialed her, resigned to his fate even before the shock passed.

“Hey,” he said when she picked up. “Are you busy?”

˜˜

Rowan was greeted with a loud cackle when Aelin came in. She immediately picked Maisie up and smacked their daughter with a kiss, not caring that it’d mess her clothes.

He looked around his trashed living room and sighed. “Don’t worry, the kitchen’s worse.”

Aelin’s eyes widened. You are so fucked, she mouthed when their daughter couldn’t see. “And what happened to your face?”

His phone was out of his pocket in a second, and Rowan groaned when he saw the sketch that had become his nose and cheeks. Very close to the dot on the nose and black lines on the cheeks that Maisie had on.

“Tigers!” The little girl giggled, pointing between her face and Rowan’s.

Aelin was trying to look serious now, but she still bumped her kid’s little nose, or the black paint in it. “You did a big mess, you know that, Maisy Daisy? Are you going to help your dad clean that up?”

Maisie frowned.

“Well, we need to,” Aelin continued, already walking into his house with Maisie in her arms to give her a bath. “If we don’t help your dad clean the kitchen, how are we going to have dinner?” She talked to her daughter until the bathroom door was closed, and Rowan couldn’t hear it anymore.

He resumed his work, thanking Mala that Maisie used the washable paint on the living room’s wooden floor. The back porch’s water hose was long enough to reach a bit of the kitchen, which would help him too.

The damage was done, now he just had to scrub. In fact, now that Aelin could look after Maisie, he felt a lot calmer about the situation.

Aelin. The light mood she was in surprised him, and Rowan hoped he hadn’t crashed her plans, given the light-blue sundress—

Rowan stopped, his jaw suddenly tight. The only thing that brought him back was the realization the water coming in a higher speed because he was squeezing the hose too much, making a bit of a mess.

He went back to work, but not without shaking off the fact that he had a good idea where she was at. With whom, actually.

Rowan couldn’t even ask her because he wasn’t supposed to know shit. Their deal was that they only needed to tell before the other introduced their partner to Maisie. But Aelin told Elide, who told Lorcan, who told Rowan about a month ago about this new boy toy of hers.

Just be prepared, Lorcan told him. And Rowan did. He prepared himself for days.

He paced around his house, thinking of the right questions to ask when the time came, and the right way to ask them. Sellene helped him find the guy’s social media. He seemed okay, but would be good enough for Maisie? He doubted it.

Rowan just knew he’d be a shitty step parent.

He posts Live, Laugh, Love Facebook captions. With the wrong capitalization. Is that the kind of example she wants to set for Maisie?

And Rowan wouldn’t even mention that horrendous yellow filter on his pictures.

Those were just facts. As someone who’s Maisie’s parent and close to nothing to Aelin, his opinion was completely unbiased.

He wanted Aelin to be happy. She was his child’s mother, of course he wanted her to be happy.

But not with Cortland.

When the girls came to the kitchen, Aelin decided to reorganize the cabinets and wash the food containers Maisie threw on the floor. They gave the little girl a cloth to wipe a thing or another, but making her ‘clean her own mess’ was more like a moral lesson than anything else. They couldn’t expect much cleaning from a three-year-old.

“You didn’t give your mom a hard time during bath time, right, Mais?”

“We played sumbarine!” The little girl giggled like she hadn’t turned bath time into a nightmare earlier today. Hell, she was lucky she was cute.

Aelin snorted. “She was fine.” A pause. “Rowan, I need to talk to you about something.”

Now?

Aelin was going to tell him about Cortland now?

His blood turned to ice, and Rowan’s stomach was rioting against her next words. He ignored it and swallowed down whatever that was, burying it as deep as he could. “Go on.”

“Rowan…” she sighed. “You don’t need to wait until after the worst was happened to ask me to come, you know?”

“No, I don’t.” He frowned, confused. What was she talking about?

Turning to him from the sink, she wiped her hands on her dress and rest her hip against the counter. “Look, I know we have the whole 50/50 schedule figured out, but the timetables aren’t that rigid even in the military.”

Rowan opened his mouth to speak, but Aelin lifted her finger, letting him know she wasn’t done.

“You didn’t sleep a wink the whole night, and you didn’t think of asking me too look after my own daughter while you take a break? Seriously?” She took a deep breath, calming herself, and ran a hand through her hair. “I swear to God, Rowan, you’ll call me literally anytime, except when you actually need me.”

His posture slumped, but he didn’t stop scrubbing. He’d get defensive any other day, but Rowan felt so fucking tired. He didn’t have anything in him to have this conversation now, so he opted for changing the subject.

“Thanks for coming, by the way.”

Her posture relaxed, eyes slowly softening. “Yeah. I saved your—“

Aelin stopped herself before she could say an improper word in front of Maisie. But she did, indeed, save his sorry ass.

“You saved me,” he rephrased her thoughts in a proper way.

“You bet I did,” she quietly said around a small smile.

It took a long time to finish cleaning up, but sooner than he thought, thanks to Aelin. She spent half the time helping him, the other wrangling Maisie so she wouldn’t get in his way. It was exactly what he needed. Besides, something about having his house in perfect order was incredibly soothing. He was still exhausted, but scrubbing his kitchen clean with little to no disturbance helped him calm down.

Now the three of them were eating popcorn while watching a TV because it was the best they could do after this day.

Aelin tapped his shoulder from the other side of the couch.

After being awake the majority of last night, one morning at the pool, one trashed house and trying to interrupt a deep-cleaning session, Maisie Galathynius Whitethorn had finally fallen asleep.

The score was still four to one to teething, but at this exact moment, Rowan felt like he won.

Aelin picked Maisie up from the couch, but apparently her daughter’s sleep wasn’t that deep yet.

“No,” she protested. “More movies.”

Aelin chuckled and whispered, “We can’t watch another movie, Mais.”

Maisie’s head was falling to the side with drowsiness, but she was stubborn as ever. “Can I watch the same movie again?”

“No…” Aelin bumped the little girl’s nose. “But you’re a very smart cookie.”

Maisie frowned. “I’m not a cookie.”

She chuckled. “Sorry, kiddo.”

“Not a kiddo,” the little girl mumbled.

Aelin walked toward their daughter’s bedroom and Rowan sighed, relieved that she didn’t protest. This time.

“You’re not a cookie. You’re not a kiddo,” Aelin said on her way. “What are you, then?”

“I’m a Maisie.”

Rowan couldn’t see them, but he could still hear his daughter’s answer, spoken as softly as the kiss Aelin smacked on the little girl.

His whole body relaxed when he heard quiet footsteps coming back. It’s not like he didn’t want Maisie awake and here with them, he was just exhausted from the day. From the week, actually.

“Is she out?”

Aelin snorted. “Like the dead.” She looked around, not really knowing what do with herself and the weird silence that settled. “Don’t you wanna sleep some too? I can make myself scarce.”

Rowan’s body was, indeed, screaming for some rest. He didn’t know what happened when his mouth blurted the opposite thing.

”I was thinking about another movie.” He scratched the back of his head. “Preferably one that doesn’t involve ballerinas and talking animals.”

That seemed to perk Aelin’s interest up. “Like something with assassins?”

“Or spies.”

“Wars.”

“Blood.” He gave a pointed glance to the half-empty popcorn bowl. “And I can make more of these.”

“Good.” She grinned and sat back on the couch, turning the TV on. “I’ll find out what our options are.”

Aelin’s glaze darted back between Rowan and the bowl, silently telling him to rush with the popcorn.

God, how long did he stand there, staring at her?

That day kept getting weirder and weirder. Rowan didn’t want to complain more than he already did, though.

TAG LIST (let me know if you want in or out!)

@rowaelinscourt

@aelinchocolatelover

@autumnbabylon

@bookcide

@cookiemonsterwholovesbooks

@courtofjurdan

@dreamer-133

@elentiyawhitethorn

@elizarikaallen

@fangirlprincess09

@goddess-aelin

@gracie-rose

@leiawritesstories

@rowanaelinn

@superspiritfestival

@swankii-art-teacher

@s-uppertime

@thegreyj

@violet-mermaid7

@wishfulimaginings

So I heard it was aelinweek over at @rowaelinscourt and while I'm still technically not done reading ToG (currently on ToD), I still wanted to draw Aelin for the day 3 promt ❤️