Chapter Text
CHAPTER 18
Elain sat in her bed with her knees pulled tightly to her chest, staring at the band’s official account. She had been playing the snippet on loop for ten minutes, Azriel’s voice filling the silence of her room, and every single time the verse “Will you cleanse me with pleasure?” appeared a shiver traveled down her spine.
She saw the entire stadium went black, a single light illuminating the lone microphone in the middle of the stage. Azriel stepped into the light and she stopped breathing, leaning closer to her laptop’s screen, and Az started singing.
He had his eyes closed, and he was not just singing, he was pouring his entire soul on the microphone, making Elain’s heart hammer against her chest, but then, something caught her attention, in his hands there was a pick exactly the same as the one she was wearing over her collarbone, she gasped, he had done a duplicate. And, as he had sensed her attention he opened his eyes, looking directly at the camera, at her. He slowly, deliberately, without breaking eye contact with the camera, brought the pick to his lips and left a soft kiss on it.
A single tear slipped down Elain’s cheek, with the overwhelming feeling of being loved out loud.
—
Elain picked up her phone when the screen went to black and started scrolling through the comments that the fans had left on the snippet, and it was utter chaos.
@gwyn_vibe: IT’S ABOUT GWYN, you guys, she has teased a tracklist and there’s a song called “Shadows”!!!!!
@cassian_azriel_lover: NO WAY!, THE LYRICS!, “The moment you smiled at me”???? Cassian is literally the only one who makes Azriel smile on stage!!! And how Cassian nodded at him before he went out???? IT'S SO OBVIOUS.
@vinyl_heart: What about the girl from the record store? Did everyone just forget about her?
↳ @cassian_azriel_lover: Bisexuality exists, you dumbass, have you seen Azriel? He gives all the bi vibes.
↳ @shadow_drummer: Please, that girl was obviously a distraction to throw us off the Cassian track lol.
↳ @gwyns_lights: Nah, record store girl was probably just bait. This song is way too deep for a random hookup.
@az_bby: Could it be about his ex from two years ago? The lyrics feel like a throwback.
A nervous laugh escaped Elain’s lips, half relief at the absurdities that she was reading, they were building a story that only made sense in their heads, there were edits of Az and Cass sharing the microphone on the stage, posts of Gwyn’s upcoming schedule and mentions of names of the past, but the most important part was that they were doing everything except looking at her.
—
Azriel had not slept, the folder the vice president had given him the night before had been a heavy weight on his shoulders all night, but now, it was just an ache in his jaw.
He stepped into the rehearsal studio, Cassian and Rhysand were already there, the former was finishing preparing the drum kits for the rehearsal of their next concert, and the latter was glued to his phone, reading an email.
Az did not even say good morning, he just walked straight to the wooden table in the middle of the room and dropped the folder there, startling both of his brothers.
“Jesus, Az.” Cass exclaimed.
“What is that?” Rhysand said, lifting his gaze from his phone to the folder.
“An exclusive recording agreement.” Azriel said, with no emotion in his voice. “The vice president handed it to me in the corridor last night after the show, he said that the snippet had had twelve million streams in less than three hours, and that is why they want a solo project, they offered me more money than the band’s next three albums combined.”
Cass and Rhys went dead silent.
“A solo deal?” Rhysand asked coldly.
“They said it was the only way to protect Elain, they told me the paparazzi would never leave her alone if I stayed in the band, but, if I signed this? they would control the narrative, I would do intimate venues with no press, and the only thing I had to do would be leaving the band behind.”
Cassian looked at the folder, and then up at him again, his eyes were scared as if fearing the answer of the Shadowsinger, remembering the years the three of them had been together.
Azriel saw the fear in his brothers’ eyes, and it made his decision even more clear than it already had been. He did not say a word, he just took the heavy folder on his hands and with a single, violent snap of his wrists, he ripped the contract in front of them, and he did not stop there, he tore the pages over and over again until the contract was nothing more than confetti on the wooden table.
“I told him last night that I am in a band.” he said. “And I meant it, I am not leaving the band, and I am sure as hell that I am not letting them breaking us up.”
Cassian let out a breath that was half a laugh and half a sigh of relief. “Fucking hell, Shadowsinger, you really know how to make a dramatic entrance.”
Rhysand stared at the ruined contract on the table, for weeks he had been trying to keep the label happy, but hearing what they had suggested to Az, and seeing the multi-million solo deal broken he realised that he had been a complete idiot.
“I am an idiot.” Rhys said, letting out a chuckle and cappling Azriel’s shoulder. “But you know what, Az? if they want war, we will give them one, together.”
“Damn right,” Cassian laughed. “Besides, you can’t leave the band now, the internet has spoken, brother.”
Azriel raised his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
Cass pulled out his phone, with a massive wicked smile on his lips. “Have you seen the comments on the snippet and the live stream from the concert? The fans completely missed the point of your love letter.”
“What?”
“Look, there is a massive, highly detailed theory that the song is a secret declaration of love… to me.”
Azriel blinked two times without registering what Cassian had just said. “A secret declaration of love to you?”
Cassian laughed loudly. “Yeah, yeah, don’t play innocent now, I know you love me.” he joked.
He blinked two times again.
“Apparently, ” he continued, reading the comments at the same time. “the way I nodded at you was pure romantic tension. Look, they are even making video edits of us sharing the microphone from the last tour. Someone had called it the “ultimate bi awakening anthem” and said that Elain was a distraction to cover up our tragic, forbidden romance.” He had not stopped laughing as he was saying it.
Rhysand could not help him to chuckle, while Az just closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in pure disbelief.
“So sorry, Az.” Cass said again. “You are stuck with me, and if you leave the band, you will break the hearts of our shippers, our…” he scrolled through the thread again and laughed even harder. “Cazriels.”
“Oh my god.” Azriel said, letting out a laugh, unable to stop himself.