#Song: Rollercoaster | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

justporo · 8 months

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A Night of Song and Laughter (Big Part 9!)

So, this is it - the main idea I had in mind when starting this story. You might've noticed it has taken me eight parts to get there, but yeah... There's just so much to explore. This is a really long part and I really poured my heart into this one and finished it in the middle of the night. So I really really hope you will love it (trying hard not to be desperate here, tbh). It's really quite a lot of romance for this part - Astarion deserves it and Tav too. There's seductive music casting a spell, Tav and Astarion dance, their hearts might feel closer than they've ever felt before - but they might be changed when they stop spinning around each other.

You can read this and the parts after it on AO3!

This was the song that inspired the idea: Satyros - Faun And the song that gave me the right mood for the end (only vibes, not the lyrics): Viva La Vida - Coldplay And just for the hell of it, take one of my all time favourite love songs: Muse - Neutron Star Collision

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Astarion/Fem!Tav (You)

Phew, here we go - hope you'll enjoy!

(Gif from here!)

After that you all turned into a giggling mess from there on out. All the liquor you’d drunk was really making you light-headed. Even Astarion seemed a bit out of it even though you weren’t even sure if vampires could get drunk. But frankly – you really didn’t care.

You’d taken to tell Astarion about some of your collective memories of your adventures as thieves – but only ones that made you scream laughing when you thought about them. Like the time Eodin (“this goddamn prick”, Daegin offered) had hidden in someone’s closet and had only gotten off the hook as a thief because he had pretended to be the lover of the lady of the house – who had been 80 years old, seemingly senile and almost blind. Or the time Daegin and Lira had posed as a noble couple at a party to get to their target although they were the most terrible actors Faerun had ever seen and the dwarf didn’t seem to be able to shake the terrible practiced accent after that for months!

Astarion laughed openly at all your silly stories, asked questions about details, enjoying himself so much making friends with Lira and Daegin that your heart felt like it might burst any second. After another story about how Miyena (“Bitch”, Lira whispered, getting praised by Astarion for her efforts) had almost burned all her hair and her eyebrows off in a failed attempt to use explosives to get into a vault, you were just done wiping tears from your eyes while trying to avoid dying from laughter again, Astarion asked: “Now, come on, my friends, there must be a story about Tav completely embarrassing herself. I truly can’t believe she would never get herself into trouble. At least from my short time of enjoying her company my experience is that you can’t leave her for half an hour before she’ll run off to save some puppy or getting herself thrown into the deep end – always ending up in dire need of saving.” You pinched his side to which he reacted with a dramatic yelp. “You’re one to talk. Like it wasn’t always you having your hands in someone’s pocket who looked at you funny, trying to steal from then and then getting caught”, you spat back at him and stuck your tongue out at him making fart noises. Astarion grabbed your nose and softly shook your face. “Not you trying to sneak up on someone and knocking over the tallest candelabra around!”, he countered, his silly act making you break into giggles again. You pinched one of his pointy ears so he’d let go of your nose.

“Alright, you silly geese, rear it in”, Daegin began, rolling his eyes at the two of you. “There actually is a story.” “Oh, colour me intrigued!”, Astarion exclaimed and turned his attention towards the dwarf.

You drew your brows together because you actually had no memory of what that story could be. Then the dwarf began telling the story while Lira was already giggling: “One time, we actually hadn’t gotten lucky enough to talk ourselves out of a hairy situation. We were actually captured by the city guard and thrown into a cell, awaiting trial the next day. And we were all really panicking because we were sure that – for once – we’d all run out of luck. But” – and here he threw you a secretive glance – “Tav had a genius plan to get us out of there.” The dwarf kept smirking at you and that was, when you remembered how that story went down. Oh shit – just to be prepared you grabbed the almost empty bottle of liquor and poured yourself another generous shot. Astarion leaned back as if to signify how taken aback and interested he was in how the story would continue.

“The one thing we were actually lucky about, was, that we were guarded by a greenhorn. And so, Tav ruffled her hair a little bit, opened up the front of her shirt a little and went to press herself against the bars of the prison cell and started cooing at this boy guard. Telling him that she was actually a nymph, only captured by accident and promising him that she would gift him the most unforgettable night of his life if he let her and us others free.” You buried your face in your hands but this bastard elf grabbed your hands and held them tightly while already starting to laugh. “Don’t you dare cover your face, darling, I need to see your face for this”, Astarion laughed and raised his eyebrow at you – and was that a glint of mischief in his eyes? You were basically burning up with shame in the meantime.

Daegin continued: “Well, the boy was hesitant at first saying how he couldn’t do that since he was only a cadet and stuff but Tav layed it on so thick, sweet-talking him, telling him in incredible detail what she would do to him if only he let us free.” You tried to bury your face in your hands again, now remembering the whole scene in incredible detail as well. But Astarion just shook his head and pulled you close to his chest while holding your hands in his iron grip and raising his eyebrows at Daegin in anticipation.

“So, he finally let us free”, the dwarf continued ignoring you struggling with Astarion so he would just let you sink in the ground “and he made big happy puppy eyes at her when she was standing in front of him – absolutely bewitched by her. And Tav”, now Daegin started struggling with holding it together “just stepped close to him and told him to close his eyes to which he happily obliged and then”, Daegin and Lira could barely stop chuckeling, you winced “she kicked him so hard in the balls you could hear him howl through half the city probably. And dare I say it probably was the end for this young man’s family plans.” Lira started howling with laughter, Daegin had to bury his face in his hands and you could feel Astarion’s chest shake with hearty laughter. And then you couldn’t help but join in, your body shaking with fits of laughter although you couldn’t quite tell if it weren’t sobs after all. You felt delirious from the alcohol, from actually being alive and being so lucky to make memories with your friends again and of course with him – this elven vampire that might just had gone as insane as your two other friends.

“Oh, my little siren”, Astarion laughed while finally letting go of your wrists “please, never do that to me!” He kept chuckling: “If you ever feel the need to kick me in the balls, please just do it fair and square.” He lost it once more, his head lolling back while laughing. You didn’t think you ever saw him this relaxed before – never had he opened that much before with anyone else but you.

You hugged him and pursed your lips while everyone’s laughter was slowly reclining. “Don’t worry, darling, I will”, you promised him sweetly but mischievously to which he put a finger under your chin to make you meet his gaze. His chest was still shaking with silent laughter. You thought he was about to say something, but he just shook his head, kissed your forehead, and then leaned his own forehead to it.

You kept hugging him while the other two of your band of thieves recalled even more stories. Breathing deeply you could feel yourself getting a little tired. Your vampire rubbed circles on your back, listening to your companion’s stories but sometimes throwing a caring glance at you to check if you were still alright. He could seriously be so thoughtful and sweet – you’d never would have thought when he’d first held a knife at your throat upon meeting you.

As you were just resting your eyes a bit while leaning onto Astarion you heard a soft, seductive melody drifting up from downstairs. Single notes plucked on a lute, a deep, pleasant voice humming to it. It should have been impossible to make this out over the crowd, all the chatter and laughter, over couples snickering in the dark corners of the tavern, glasses and goblets being clinked, between threats being made and dice being rolled. But you heard it. The melody enchanting you and reminding you of more memories that had been buried deep down in your mind.

You untangled yourself from Astarion and slowly walked through the crowd to the railing of the gallery, ignoring your soulmate's and friends' questioning looks. You looked down at the band of elves. The drow bard had his head thrown back, his eyes closed while plucking on his lute and humming. You could see the sheen of sweat on his face and body – he was shirtless now. He was softly swaying from side to side while continuing his tune, his brows drawing together seemingly concentrating hard on his task. The female bard had put down her violin for the moment, putting her hands on his bare body from behind, openly touching him everywhere, her eyes also closed. Were they simply two artists bound by the magic of the moment or eternal, unyielding lovers? Who knew? The rest of their band just seemed as enchanted: slowly, almost silently playing their instruments.

It was like a spell started to work its sly magic on the crowd – not imprisoning it nor silencing it but making everyone hearing this wistful melody sway with its highs and lows. You felt your heart react to the song. You knew it, you’d heard it once before and had never forgotten about it – and you knew exactly what was about to happen. Your hands gripped the wood of the railing hard, your heart beating with anticipation.

Astarion stared at your back while you watched the band. He thought the song started to sound familiar – wasn’t it… elven? His brows furrowed, there was something about the tune but it was evading his mind. His eyes flicked from the back of your head to your two friends. Daegin seemed oblivious to what was happening around him, not yet captured by the spell that was being woven around everyone else. But Lira was looking at the vampire, a knowing glint in her eyes. “If I’m right about what’s happening, you’ll be in for the surprise of your life, Astarion.” His brows furrowed even more deeply. Where did he remember this tune from? It seemed impossible to wrap his head around it. Could it be… he read and heard about it from legends? He turned back to where you were still standing at the rim of the gallery.

You knew exactly what was going on and what would happen. You had seen it happen once already in your life, in what had felt a lifetime ago and on an entirely different plane of existence. Your hands clawed at the railing still, while the tune started to rise more and more.

Finally, the drow opened his eyes again, breathing deeply. He threw a soft, longing glance at his partner who continued to hug her body to his and letting her hands wander over his form. “For this next song”, he then spoke, his somber and seductive voice carrying easily through the space as if it had been amplified by magic “I will need all your help for it is not only a song, but a ritual.” He enunciated every word with care, the crowd hanging on his lips for every word. “An old elven ritual and a trial to test the strength of your earthly bonds – as old as legends, maybe as old as the Gods themselves.” The song became more intoxicating by the second, making your hairs stand on end, as you felt it’s hypnotizing pull.

“To those of you here, tonight, brave enough to undertake the ritual, I say, come and be tried”, the bard spoke, his voice rising and his eyes wandering over the crowd. “And to the rest, I say, make way for those fearless enough to put what they think of as undying love on trial.” While he spoke the last words, the drow’s eyes landed on yours. On his lips was a knowing smile when he looked up at you and you felt a shiver running down your spine. You knew what you had to do. This might just be a show, the drow’s pathos only a party trick and the ambience merely a collective delirium but you could feel somehow that there was more at work. A kind of primal and untamable sort of magic had found its way into this hellhole of a city. And as it was being summoned it demanded to be paid its due.

You threw a glance back at Astarion who looked confused and unsure about what was happening, but your decision was made. And somehow you felt it hadn’t been your choice at all; rather that it had been made for you, long before anything else, by powers beyond your understanding.

The space in front of the stage cleared slowly as being pushed back by invisible hands. You were still looking at Astarion, then mouthed “trust me” at him before you darted for the stairs to make your way to the front of the stage.

Astarion was suddenly very much on edge, the whole situation feeling unbearably and torturingly similar to one not so long ago. Although he could feel that this time around it wasn’t the same deep, dark and threatening magic at work but something much more benevolent, he couldn’t stop the freezing feeling of dread clawing its way up his spine. He started to run after you, when he felt Lira’s hand grab hold of his wrist. Her eyes were shining with anticipation and warmth. “Don’t worry, Astarion. Tav will be fine and so will you – maybe even more so”, the half-elf said ominously and knowingly. Surprisingly your friend’s words and reaction did calm him although they didn’t soothe all of his fear. Lira motioned for Astarion to walk over to the railing and watch what might happen next. The vampire stood at the railing of the gallery impatiently awaiting what would transpire.

The crowd was just as tense with anticipation. You made your way to the round space now cleared in front of the stage. You stepped past the line of the crowd, steeling yourself with a deep breath and throwing another glance over your shoulder to see Astarion stand on the gallery watching you with deep worry in his eyes. Lira was beside him, a hand on his arm in a soothing gesture. On his other side even Daegin had made his way over to watch the spectacle, climbing onto the stool he had moved over. You smiled at your lover, then turned around. Your heart had never been so sure.

With you there had been three others stepping up to take this seemingly ancient test of love: three other women, two elves and one half-elf. Of course, this all had appealed to draw those with elven heritage out of the crowd. The magic in your blood connected the four of you for as far as you might be in any other moment in your lives. The same was true for the elven musicians. The four of you eyed each other, then you looked at the drow bard who had started humming again while waiting for you to come down to the open space. The wood elf bard had picked up her violin again and begun to play slow soft chords on it.

“So, four of you, delightful”, the drow bard spoke, already speeding up the tune on his lute. “Let us begin!”, he exclaimed and threw his head back. And then they began to really play.

The four of you stepped closer to each other. You had only seen and heard the happenings of all this once, but you knew exactly what to do. And so did the others. An ancient form of magic guiding you.

The four of you grabbed each other’s elbows to start and slowly began to dance in a circle – first to your right side, then to the other. You started singing in elvish, not even remotely sure what words it were that left your mouth. Then you let go of each other and started twirling each on your own while singing and clapping your hands.

Slowly, one by one the bards and the rest of the elven musicians took up your chant and so did the crowd. As you turned and turned you could see Astarion whenever he came into your view. His eyes widening with every second, not in fear it seemed but in wonder.

You closed your eyes for a second, while still singing and dancing, magic steadying your feet. Then the first of you four women disappeared into the crowd and returning with a tiefling man in her arms. They twirled together for a few rounds while you others kept dancing and chanting. The pace and volume of the song slowly picking up speed. Then the tiefling man was twirled from his lover’s arms to each of you in turn until he was in his original lover’s arms once more.

That was the point for you and the other two lone dancers to break off into the crowd in search of your own soulmates. You threw a quick glance up to the gallery. You felt all flushed from the hypnotic dance and song. You smirked at Astarion and curled your fingers at him in a “come hither” motion before you sped towards the staircase up to the gallery. Pushing past a very confused Kirin you met Astarion, who had also rushed towards you, halfway up the stairs. He grabbed your face with both his hands, anger, worry, wonder and fear all battling in his eyes. “What the fuck are you doing? What the fuck is happening?”, he asked you desperately.

“Showing the whole world and the Gods that our love is unbreakable and that you’ll always belong to me and I to you”, you broke out breathlessly then grabbed his hands from your face and dragged him down the stairs, past a very confused Kirin – again. “Ye goddamn weirdo elves”, he shouted after you but you couldn’t care less right now.

You were the last to return with your partner to the circle of brave dancers. One other had grabbed another male elf and was already dancing and only mere moments before you the half-elf had dragged a human woman with her into the circle. As you entered the circular space you saw that Astarion could suddenly feel the pull as well of whatever it was exactly that was happening. His pupils widened, his mouth opened. You moved in close to him, grabbing his one hand and placing the other on his shoulder while he placed his other hand on the small part of your back pulling you even closer.

A slight moan left his lips when you started to move together. Not only had you never danced together – not that you even knew how to (although Astarion most certainly did) – but this suddenly felt incredibly intimate. The crowd had picked up the elvish chant even more enthusiastically than before. You heard them clapping and stomping which made everything even more ecstatic than before.

“Are you passing me on to the others as well or am I allowed to stay with you?”, Astarion asked breathlessly while twirling you, turning and turning. You let your head fall back for a moment while you laughed and shook your head no. “No, never! Now it is a competition, only one pair is actually chosen”, you explained quickly while taking quick gasps of fresh air in between. “Oh”, Astarion simply mouthed back at you.

You could feel sweat running down your face as you kept moving and turning around in circles at break-neck speed. Not sure how long it was physically possible to keep going without perishing on the spot you noticed how animated the vampire looked in your arms. All his fear was gone now, he had only eyes for you, making you almost forget that you were on display in front of a huge audience right now. If he had been able to flush and sweat you were sure he’d been just as agitated as you but even now it seemed a certain shimmer of liveliness had crept into the vampire’s face and body. Then you heard a scream coming from the crowd – it seemed one of the other couples had fallen. Shortly after you heard another shout of disappointment by the audience.

You concentrated only on Astarion now, on his piercing but soft red eyes, his loving smile, the way the wrinkles around his eyes creased when he laughed with you. How he held you steady against him to make sure you would never fall.

And he saw only you. How your face filled with warmth when you looked at him, how your eyes always openly showed your love for him, how your body felt against his, like you were made solely for him, to hold only you. How you were always the right thing he needed.

In this moment you were both completely sure of each other and each other’s love: that you would always walk by each other’s side and that no matter what might happen in this plane of existence, your souls would always find their way back to each other.

And as you were about to forget completely where you were, the world just rushing by in drifts of colours and snippets of sounds, you heard another scream coming from the crowd. The last other couple had not made it.

Realization only slowly dawned on the two of you. Astarion kept twirling you for a few more rounds but slowing down. When the vampire finally slowed you down completely, he suddenly dipped you impossibly deep down to give you the most pure kiss he’d ever given you, while the female bard dragged out one long and final note on her violin.

The spell was over, the crowd erupted, impossibly loud, stomping and cheering and clapping. People rushed to you to touch you and cheer you. You felt tears stream down your face and laughter bubble up your throat and you saw Astarion felt very much the same. Whatever had happened it had brought you together even closer. As Astarion lifted you up again, eyes blazing with love and passion, you let your eyes wander over the crowd. You saw that the wood elf had her arms around the drow again, standing behind him. And you were pretty sure now they were lovers by the knowing and appreciative smiles and nods they offered you. You saw Daegin and Lira cheer and clap up on the gallery.

Then you looked at Astarion again, tears still leaving wet trails down your face. He leaned in to kiss you again and you let him, wanting to be as close as possible to him.

The crowd broke into jubilant cries once more. But you didn't care, for you, there was only Astarion. And for him, there was only you.

#astarion #astarion x tav #baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #astarion x reader #astarion x mc #baldurs gate astarion #astarion x oc #astarion x you #fanfic #fanfiction #astarion ancunin #bg3 spoilers #a night of song and laughter #most romantic shit Ive ever written #this is not the end yet tho #I still have plans to keep you on this rollercoaster ride

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