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wheretheharekissesthefox · 5 days

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Lavender and Starflower (Mobster AU) - Chapter 3

The Dekarios Clan reigns over Waterdeep as the city’s protector for centuries. Suddenly, the Clan gets challenged by Cazador, the head of the Szarr Clan that rules over Baldur’s Gate. Of course, such an attack won’t be tolerated and the intruder must be forced back and out of the City of Splendors. While fixing destroyed protection sigils, Gale, wizard prodigy and heir of the Dekarios Clan, meets a charming stranger called Astarion. And Gale makes the biggest mistake of his life; he invites the pale elf into his home.

Trigger warning (18+): graphic description of sex, graphic description of violence, non-con/rape, smut, angst, emotional rollercoaster, mobster AU

I was inspired to start writing this fic when I saw this artwork by @arczism

The poems are my own, but inspired by "The Heart of the Night" and "The Starry Midnight Whispers" by Bliss Carman. The names of the fictional poets are parodies of the aforementioned author.

This is obviously an AU that isn't related to my other work.

When Gale woke up the next morning, Astarion's gone. He had expected it in a way, but he still couldn't help but feel bitterly disappointed. Grumpily, the wizard left the bed, running his fingers through his hair. He felt sticky and gross and in dire need of a bath. Just as he reached the bathroom door, it was opened and Gale was face-to-face with Astarion.

"Good morning, darling. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your things," lilted the vampire spawn.

"Not at all," muttered the wizard. He was pleasantly surprised that Astarion was still here.

"Is it alright if I take a bath now?" he asked.

"Of course, darling. Go on."

The elf waved his hand elegantly towards the bathroom and indicated to walk away, before he seemed to remember something and turned towards Gale again.

"I almost forgot," he purred and locked lips with the wizard. The latter sighed into the kiss, savouring every second of it, but at the same time, he noticed that Astarion was on his tiptoes and thus, a bit shorter than him. The vampire spawn was the first to take a step back and vanish into the bedroom with a smirk and a flirty wink. Gale felt dizzy as he entered the steam-filled bathroom to get clean. With a snap of his fingers, the tub started to fill up by itself while Gale used the latrine and, afterwards, added some lavender oil to the bathwater. He sunk into the tub with a deep sigh and tried to relax, but his thoughts were orbiting around his last night’s playmate too much to find peace. Thus, Gale started to wash himself and shampooed his hair. He rinsed off quickly, wrapped himself in a towel, and tidied up the bathroom with a muttered spell. The wizard went back to the bedroom to grab some fresh clothes. He paused when he saw Astarion lounging in the bed, lolling around like Tara in front of the fireplace during the colder months. The vampire spawn smirked at him.

"Do you like what you see, darling? Just say 'please' and you'll get another taste."

Gale considered it. On the one hand, it was tempting to go back to bed, but on the other hand, they needed to talk.

Why must you always be boring? rebuked his mind. Astarion will leave soon and he doesn't seem like the type who comes back for seconds. This is your last chance to have sex with him again.

"Shut up," grumbled Gale moodily. Astarion raised an eyebrow.

"Are you talking to me?"

"No, my brain. It's thinking too loudly."

At that, the elf snickered amused.

"You're one of a kind, Gale of Waterdeep. I've never met anyone like you before."

"Same goes for you," smiled the addressed.

"Naturally," teased Astarion and winked again.

Gale took a deep breath and licked his lips nervously.

"Would you... would you like a repetition of last night?" he asked shyly and the vampire spawn grinned widely.

"Darling, nothing would bring me more pleasure." Astarion spread his long, skinny legs to put himself on display again. He teased himself with his elegant fingers and purred: "Come and take what you want."

"I only take what's offered," replied Gale, but moved closer nonetheless. He gazed at the elf for a moment, running his hand along Astarion's leg. "Gods, you're beautiful."

"Thank you. So are you, darling. Now, come here."

The vampire spawn pulled the wizard into a passionate kiss and hooked a leg around the latter's waist. Gale started to leave a trail of kisses down Astarion's neck and collarbone. Carefully, he guided the elf onto his back, his lips never leaving Astarion's cool skin.

"I want to worship you," Gale revealed. "I want to give you what you deserve."

"I – What I deserve is –"

"Everything. You deserve everything, Astarion."

The addressed opened his mouth to object, but he stayed silent when Gale bent down to kiss his sternum.

"You are... one of a kind, Gale of Waterdeep," mumbled the vampire spawn again and sighed when the wizard's hot tongue lapped across his hipbone.

Gale hummed and instead of a verbal reply, he started worshipping Astarion's body. Kissing and licking every part of it. Showing him how precious he was and how much he meant to the wizard. The vampire spawn smelled like Gale's lavender soap, his own perfume long gone. The human wizard blew him while fingering him open, and Astarion moaned blissfully, his fingers digging into the pillow his head was resting on.

It was too much. Too gentle. Too... loving. Astarion started to squirm as his vision blurred with tears. With a sharp cry, his body betrayed him and he climaxed, spilling down Gale's willing throat who swallowed eagerly.

"Off," Astarion groaned. "Please. No more."

Gale complied immediately, letting go of him and lying down next to him. Why was the wizard so considerate? Why did he treat him so gently, like something valuable? Astarion screwed his eyes shut, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. He panted, even though it was unnecessary, and by doing so, he inhaled the wizard's scent. Lavender, cedarwood, and sandalwood. Gods... how intoxicating... Astarion turned slightly to kiss Gale. The latter rolled on top of him and lifted up the elf's legs to make himself comfortable between them. Astarion tensed. Gale detected a mixture of panic and fear crossing the vampire spawn's face, thus, he simply leaned over him to place a kiss on his forehead. Then, the wizard got off of him again and lay down instead. With a small smile, Gale patted his own thigh as an invitation. Astarion blinked, visibly confused about the wizard's choice, but then, he moved, climbing into Gale's lap. The haughty, self-assured smirk was back in place as Astarion took a hold of the wizard's erection and sat down on it. The latter sighed happily. As Gale pulled the elf into another passionate kiss, his hands wrapped around his partner's back. He felt raised skin there. Scars. Covering Astarion's entire back. Carefully, the wizard started to trace them with his fingers. Were those letters?

"No!" Astarion shot up, grabbing Gale's wrists tightly. "Don't touch me there!"

The addressed nodded silently and settled his hands on the vampire spawn's thighs instead. The latter seemed tense and there was that panic and fear in his eyes again. Astarion straightened up, closed his eyes, and started to move. He lifted his hips up, then down, then added that wicked slow pointed roll. Up, down, roll. Up, down, roll. Gale groaned as his eyes rolled back in his head. Meanwhile, Astarion was moaning lewdly, but he seemed miles away. The wizard planted his feet on the mattress and thrusted upwards into the vampire spawn, causing the latter to lose his balance and fall forwards. Gasping, Astarion's eyes flew open and he caught himself on Gale's chest. He gazed at the wizard from beneath heavy eyelids while Gale took control of their coupling.

"Talk to me," implored Astarion suddenly. "I want to hear your voice. Please, anything. Just… talk."

So, Gale did. He cited the first poem that came to his mind as he watched the elf's pale skin, silver-white curls, and ruby-red eyes.

"'Pale is the moon, bright are the stars in the sky.

I stand in speechless awe, while beauty marches by.

And even though beauty is in the beholder's eye,

the night's eternal beauty almost makes me cry.'"

"Triss Carmen, Elven poet, propensity to melancholy," panted Astarion. "Beautifully recited, darling." He moaned as Gale changed the angle slightly to hit his prostate dead on. "Don't stop. Keep... keep going."

"'In the face of the universe and the creation's blast,

I am insignificant in all that world-sown vast,

no matter my impact, not matter what spell I cast,

I can only hope and dream that my dream will last.'"

"Keep talking... Gods, please... Gale..."

The addressed could hear Astarion's voice break.

Gale had no idea what the vampire spawn had gone through - who'd hurt him - but it was nothing pleasant, that's for sure. If it had been up to him, they would have stopped immediately, but Astarion was in charge, thus, Gale kept moving – and talking.

"'Again, I muse before the fire

about the embers of desire

and life's logic and meaning

and emotions, love and feeling.

But explanations; there's none to see,

thus, I will follow where love leads me.'"

Mewling, Astarion climaxed and shook apart, and Gale caught him as he collapsed onto him, wrapping his arms around him. The wizard placed a gentle kiss on top of the white curls and held the trembling vampire spawn close, and even though he felt the wetness on his bare chest, he didn't mention it.

"Blyth Cutter, philosophical and talented, but died too young," muttered Astarion after a while, and Gale chuckled at the elf's stubborn replies.

"I hope you'll keep doing that."

"Keep doing what, darling?"

"Telling me who wrote the poems I quote. It shows your knowledge and interest and I... well, I like that."

Now, it was Astarion's turn to chuckle.

"Of course, that aroused you. I should have known." He stroke a hand over Gale's hairy chest before he added: "I'll keep doing it, I promise."

"Thank you," said the wizard and kissed the vampire spawn's hair again. After a long pause, he asked: "Why do you have Infernal written on your back?"

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #fanfic #lavender and starflower #mobster au #astarion x gale #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #mind the trigger warning #mobster monday

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 12 days

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Lavender and Starflower (Mobster AU) - Chapter 2

Trigger warning (18+): graphic description of sex, graphic description of violence, non-con/rape, smut, angst, emotional rollercoaster, mobster AU

I was inspired to start writing this fic when I saw this artwork by @arczism

The poem's my own, but is inspired by 'The Starry Night' by Anne Sexton

Also, I named the poet after her, lol.

This is obviously an AU that isn't related to my other work.

Gale's suite was probably the cosiest part of the entire Dekarios Estate – even though his mother had a love for homeliness too. Still, nothing compared to Gale's rooms. The walls were panelled with wood and mostly covered in overflowing bookshelves, the creaking floorboards were warmed and cushioned by knotted carpets from Halruaa, there were potted plants on every windowsill, and the ever-crackling fireplaces added to the cosiness.

Astarion turned around his own axis and whistled.

"Gale of Waterdeep, what a luxurious home you have! I'm impressed." With that haughty smirk, he added: "Is your bedroom as lavishly decorated? With a canopy bed and dozens of pillows and a romantic swing in the corner?"

The addressed gave a little embarrassed cough.

"My bedroom's rather plain, but I do have a canopy bed."

At that, Astarion grinned wider, but still didn't show his teeth.

"My, my, you sure are full of surprises," he purred, slinking closer. He wrapped his arms around Gale's neck, gazing at him through long, white eye lashes. "Why don't you show me some more?"

Gale swallowed nervously and licked his lips.

He realised three things at once; one, Astarion was even more beautiful in the light than in the dark, two, Astarion's eyes were ruby-red, not brown like he'd thought they were, and three, Gale was truly and utterly fucked.

He'd never desired a person so carnally before. Gale hadn't thought that was even possible for him. But now, that he stood in his living room, lulled in by the pale elf's bedroom eyes and his intoxicating smell, he wanted. He wanted Astarion. To have him. To devour him. That unfamiliar feeling burned so hot in his chest that it almost physically hurt, and Gale felt like he'd die if he didn't give in to the urge. He swallowed again.

"Astarion... may I kiss you?" he whispered into the silence of the room. The addressed blinked at him as if he was surprised to be asked such a question. Then, his eyes softened and he smiled as he leaned in.

"You may," Astarion answered and their lips crashed together instantly.

It felt... Gods... It felt like nothing Gale had ever felt before.

Of course, he'd traded his fair share of kisses – he was almost forty, thank you very much –, but it had never felt so intense and all-consuming before.

Unintentionally, the wizard moaned into the kiss and allowed Astarion to take the lead and explore his mouth. The elf's tongue was surprisingly cool, but Gale didn't care. It caused him a pleasant little shiver that he enjoyed almost a bit too much.

Way too soon, Astarion drew back, reminding the wizard: "You need to breathe, darling."

The addressed gulped in lungfuls of air. The elf smirked, then, he spoke: "And before you think I just pretended to like poetry to get into your bed, here's the proof;

'But eventually the stars dim at the sky,

and even the moon is swallowed up by the light,

and the next morning comes, new and bright,

oh, starry night, this is how I want to die.'"

Gale couldn't help himself but smile fondly at the other man. He leaned closer until their foreheads touched and muttered: "Thank you for finishing the poem, Astarion, but I believed you the second you said Annelore Nixton's name."

"Don't mention other people's name when you're trying to seduce me, darling," the addressed teased lightly.

"Is it working?" Gale asked breathlessly. "The seducing, I mean?"

Astarion paused, frowning a tad.

"It is," he answered, sounding almost surprised.

The wizard chuckled and pulled him into another kiss.

"Bed, darling," the elf murmured, but it ended in a moan when Gale kissed his neck. There was a scar there and the wizard was curious of its origin, but he thought it would be rude to ask about it now. Instead, he took Astarion's hand and guided him to the bedroom. It was the tidiest and most modest room in the suite. With a snap of the wizard's fingers, the candles ignited, illuminating the room.

"Mmh, handy," Astarion muttered against Gale's ear. He nosed along the wizard's throat and licked across the junction where neck meets shoulder.

"You smell delectable," the elf whispered. "I want to taste you."

"Please," Gale groaned and buried his hand in Astarion's silky-soft hair. The latter drew back before he dropped to his knees and Gale stared.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" asked the elf.

"No, it's just... You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"What gives you the impression that I don't want to do this?"

There was a small frown between Astarion's brows.

"Nothing. I'm just... just checking in on you," explained Gale, suddenly self-conscious.

"Oh..." The elf blinked. He seemed confused. "Thank you, but I'm quite alright. How do you want me?"

"Any way you take me," the addressed answered truthfully and blushed furiously when Astarion shot him a dirty grin.

"Well then, Gale of Waterdeep, strip and lay down. I want to ride you."

Oh. Oh, Gods. Gale couldn't hold back a whimper at the image his mind so helpfully conjured up for him. Hastily, he did as he was told, stumbled to the bed, and all but crashed onto his back in the most inelegant way possible. He heard Astarion chuckle and when he lifted his head, he saw the pale elf kneeling at the foot end of the bed. Completely naked. Holy Mother of – Gale quickly swallowed the saliva that was suddenly pooling viciously in his mouth. Again, Astarion smirked knowingly.

"Do you have lube, darling?"

The elf wasn't even done asking when Gale's hands already started rummaging through the lowest drawer of his bedside table. The wizard quickly handed his partner a vial of oil and Astarion set to work, fingering himself open. He put himself on full display, Gale noticed. Making a show, just for him. Somehow, Gale didn't like it. It seemed too forced, to unnatural, too... rehearsed. The wizard sat up and looked at the elf.

"Can I touch you?" he asked.

"Of course," Astarion moaned, rocking back on his fingers.

Gale crawled over and ran his hand over the other man's shoulder while he observed him. Even though Astarion seemed aroused and rather into it, he wasn't panting. Gale moved his hand across the elf’s chest and belly, and stroke his trim waist.

"You're beautiful," he said reverently.

"Thank you. Not enough people mention that," replied the addressed and gave a little groan when he successfully hit his own prostate.

Gale stroke Astarion's hair tenderly and asked: "May I taste you?"

"Yes."

As soon as Gale got his answer, he bent down and took the elf's cock in his mouth. With a gasp, the latter's hips bucked up, almost choking the wizard.

"Oh, Gods! It has been so long since the last time anyone –"

Astarion didn't finish the sentence. Instead, he moaned, loud and blissful, and for the first time, it sounded genuine. Gale liked that, thus, he doubled his effort, paying extra attention to the sensitive glans. Astarion threw his head back and moaned again. His unoccupied hand slipped into the wizard's shoulder-length wavy hair. Not to push, only to hold. To ground himself, probably.

"Gale," Astarion whined. "Gale!"

The addressed noticed the tension of the elf's stomach muscles, the twitch of his inner thigh, and braced himself. With a noise, that landed somewhere between a moan, a sob, and a scream, Astarion came. And Gale swallowed it all eagerly.

"Oh, f– Oh, f-uck!"

The elf collapsed onto the bed, landing on his rear, with his legs folded on his sides like a baby deer's. Gale sat up, swallowed again, wiped his mouth, and asked: "Was that... alright?"

"'Alright'?" Astarion barked a laugh. "Gods... you almost killed me with that wicked mouth of yours."

The addressed turned crimson, but still had the wits to reply: "Well, my mouth can do more than cite poetry."

"I'm aware now," snickered the elf.

For a moment, they just sat there in comfortable silence and let Astarion recover. Still, Gale noticed how painfully hard he was, and couldn't help but give himself a few strokes to relieve some of the pressure.

"Oh, darling, you poor thing," Astarion cooed. "Let me make it up to you."

And with that, he pushed Gale backwards into the mattress. The wizard was surprised by the lithe elf's strength who seemed almost malnourished with the way his abs were showing. But he forgot to think straight as soon as Astarion sunk down on him. Gale groaned as the elf's body engulfed him. It felt heavenly. It was so tight. So... cool? The wizard frowned a bit. That was weird. He didn't remember a person's body ever being – And in this moment, Gale's brain got scrabbled as Astarion rolled his hips in such a way that had the wizard's eyes rolling.

"Ooh! Oh, Gods! Astarion..."

Gale found hold on the elf's pale thighs.

"Yes, darling. Call my name," the latter spoke. "The only thing you remember shall be my name, and you shall shout it when you come inside me."

He did that things with his hips again and Gale bucked up into him with a desperate whine.

"Gods, Astarion, please... Please, kiss me."

The addressed hesitated even though he kept his hips moving. Then, he bent down and complied to the wizard's wish who moaned wantonly. He was addicted to kissing, Gale decided. He loved kissing the elf. This stranger he'd just met tonight and who he'd let into his home, into his bed, and into his heart.

Astarion drew back, sat up, placed his hands on Gale's chest, and started to bounce in the wizard's lap. The latter's brain almost short-circuited which... was new. That had never happened before. Not with anyone. Not even with Mys–

"Say my name, Gale of Waterdeep. Say my name."

"Astarion..."

"Again."

"Astarion."

"Louder!"

"Astarion!"

"Again!"

"Astarion!"

"Yes!"

The elf, who kept rolling his hips, finally started to pant, and when he threw back his head and his spine arched beautifully, his pearly-white teeth glinted in the candlelight. His fangs glinted. Fangs. Ah. That explained everything. Gale heard a choked-off sob.

"Astarion," he panted pleadingly. "Kiss me again. Please."

This time, the addressed didn't hesitate and complied immediately. Gale climaxed with a long and loud moan, clutching Astarion's thighs, while the latter whined into the kiss and started to shake apart too. Then, the elf collapsed onto the wizard, his head buried in the latter's shoulder, still trembling slightly while coming down from his high.

Gale sighed deeply and opened his eyes. He felt truly and thoroughly fucked out – and his mind was still blissfully quiet.

"Why didn't you just tell me that you're a vampire?"

The sudden question hung in the air like a heavy spell and Astarion tensed. Just as a precaution, Gale held onto the elf's thighs a little tighter. He didn't want him to run away.

"I –" Astarion hesitated. "I didn't want to scare you off, nor did I wanted to end up with a stake between my ribs. Vampire's aren't exactly liked – for good reasons, I must add. I'm a mere spawn though, not a fully-fledged vampire. None of the benefits, but all of the inconveniences."

"Hm, I see," mumbled Gale. "Are you hungry?"

The elf's head shot up from where it had laid on the wizard's shoulder.

"I beg you pardon!"

"I didn't mean to offend you," Gale explained hastily, "but before... when we started... you asked if you could taste me, and it just appeared to me that you maybe meant it more literally than figuratively. So, I ask you again; are you hungry? Because if you are, I'd gladly donate some of my blood to you."

Astarion stared at him, long and intensely, as if he was looking for the catch or the lie. The wizard waited patiently. Finally, the elf dropped his tense shoulders and sighed.

"Well, that's an unexpected offer... and I'm – I'm always hungry, really. But usually, I – Well, it's not important."

Astarion gave him a beaming smile, finally showing all of his beautiful teeth, but Gale looked at him, frowning.

"Why are you always hungry?"

"Well, usually I – Hm... My master prohibited me from drinking the blood of thinking creatures. I don't know how much you know about the effects of a vampire lord's words on their spawns, but when he gives you an order, you must follow said order, no matter if you want to or not. It's literally not in your power to refuse your master's words. Your body's being puppeteered against your will. Your own body doesn't belong to you anymore. You're a thrall, through and through."

"So... your master... his orders still apply to you? Does that mean he's still alive, or does his orders still take effect even after his death?"

Astarion kept quiet for a moment, then, he answered: "I'm a free vampire spawn. I have no master anymore. But his words still echo in my mind, even though they don't actually apply anymore. Thus, I still only consume the blood of animals."

"Your master's dead then?" Gale probed. "How did that happen? Did monster hunters kill him, another vampire, or you?"

The addressed pressed his lips into a thin line. He obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"It doesn't matter," he finally muttered. "I'm free now."

Gale was itching to ask more questions, but he did what he usually never did; he dropped the subject. Instead of pressing on, he simply nodded and kept silent. It was the right thing to do since Astarion's handsome features smoothed out and he rested his head on Gale's shoulder again, relaxed.

"Just let me stay like this a little longer, darling."

A unfamiliar, weird kind of panic got hold of Gale and he pleaded: "Please stay with me."

He felt Astarion smile against his collarbone.

"Alright, darling."

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 18 days

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OMG, I'm so happy you like it!! I suddenly got kissed by the muse today and binge-wrote around 7 more chapters😁

Lavender and Starflower (Mobster AU) - Chapter 1

Trigger warning (18+): graphic description on sex, graphic description of violence, non-con/rape, smut, angst, emotional rollercoaster, mobster AU

I have no idea where I'm going with this one yet, but I was inspired to start writing it when I saw this artwork by @arczism (I hope you like this mobster AU, Arczi <3)

The poem's my own, but is inspired by 'The Starry Night' by Anne Sexton. Also, I named the poet after her, lol.

This is obviously an AU that isn't related to my other work.

Ah, yes, Waterdeep. The City of Splendors. It was especially beautiful at this time of the year: autumn.

Gale Dekarios, wizard prodigy and heir of the Dekarios Clan, watched the pigeons on the balcony's parapet as he drank his cup of lavender tea. When he caught a motion in his peripheral vision, he smiled and said: "Not today, Tara. Leave the pigeons be."

The calico tressym – it's a tressym, not a cat, mind you – huffed.

"Can't a lady have hobbies?" she asked, miffed.

"You can hunt as many pigeons as you want, my dear Tara, but not the ones on my balcony because some of them are carrier pigeons and I need them."

The addressed sighed deeply, but walked back to the fluffy pillows in front of the crackling fireplace.

"Alright, I'll leave them be – for you. Because I love you oh-so much, Mr. Dekarios,"she said, long-sufferingly.

"Thanks, Tara," chuckled Gale and finished his tea.

Right on time, as always, there were three quick knocks at the door.

"Come in!" the wizard prodigy shouted while he stood up and took the jacket from the back of his chair.

A massive half-orc entered, long, black hair in a messy bun and a pair of glasses on his big nose.

"Good evening, Murk. How are you?"

"'m good, Gale, Sir. Are ya ready to go? The boss wants to see ya."

The addressed sighed, but nodded. While he followed his quasi-bodyguard across the halls of the Dekarios Estate, Gale straightened the collar of his black jacket. Modern formal wear. That's all the boss got today. Gale wasn't in the mood to don the traditional robes for the visit.

Murk knocked at the office door, opened it, and stuck his head in.

"Uhm, boss? Your son's here."

"Excellent. Come in – both of you."

Murk held the door open and Gale took a deep breath before he entered the spacious office.

Morena Dekarios, head of the Dekarios Clan and Archmage of Waterdeep, stood in front of the window and watched the vespertine hustle and bustle of the harbour. Her long, brown hair flowed over her shoulders and her back, spilling and curling like the sea. The dark purple robe she wore – she demanded to call it a robe even though it was more of a dress in Gale's opinion – hugged her curvy body and looked absolutely stunning. Morena was a gorgeous woman and anyone who claims that women over forty are unattractive has no idea what they're talking about.

Gale indicated a small bow.

"Hello, mum, how can I help?"

His mother smiled, closed the short distance between them, and stroke Gale's cheek tenderly.

"My darling boy," Morena said, "you look dashing tonight – even without the family robe."

She kissed his cheek – she was a rather tall woman – and hugged him tightly. Gale returned the warm embrace happily, but muttered: "What's wrong, mum?"

The addressed sighed.

"It's that pretentious prick of Baldur's Gate. That greedy bastard of a clan leader. Cazador." Morena spat his name like it was putrid. Then, she finally let go of her son, with furrowed brows and visibly enraged. "He already reigns over all of Baldur's Gate, but no, that's not enough for that utter prick! Now, he's waltzing into our city and thinks he can take it too! How dare he!"

"But," Gale furrowed his brows, "what's he doing here? The Szarr Clan never tried to expand their territory before. Why now?"

"I don't know, and that's what worries me," replied Morena. "As Waterdeep's Archmage family, it is our duty to keep the city safe. Szarr's lackeys already tried to break multiple protection sigils in the city. And for some reason, they're attacking brothels first." Morena frowned. "I don't know what Cazador's goal is exactly, but I won't let him run around in our city and frighten our prostitutes! They're very important for our business and the best unconventional way to receive certain information. I won't tolerate Cazador's behaviour and we will show him where he belongs and with whom he's messing with." She sighed and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. She looked at Gale and continued in a much softer tone. "Dear, I'd like you to check on the brothels and fix the broken protection sigils. Meanwhile, I'll have some meetings to attend to calm down certain politicians, nobles, clerics, and other people in power who act like scared chicken."

"But, mum, it's Friday night. Everybody's out partying with their friends," Gale objected.

"Dear," Morena look at him with raised eyebrows, "you neither have friends, nor do you like partying."

"Ouch."

"Well, don't try to fool your mother. See you later, my darling boy."

"See you later, mum."

Chuckling, Gale kissed his mother goodbye and left the Dekarios Estate with Murk. Together, they made their way through the city, from brothel to brothel, and took a look at the damage.

Gale was confused about Cazador's attempts to break the protection sigils of brothels. It would make much more sense to do this to spells cast on the bank, government buildings, or the homes of nobles instead.

Maybe, it's some kind of reverse psychology trick, pondered Gale. What else would the Szarr Clan want to achieve with unsafe brothels?

After repairing the last protection spell, Murk fidgeted around, slightly bashful.

"Uhm, Gale, Sir? Since we're done with work, could I stay here and order a drink or two? And maybe a girl?"

"Of course, Murk. I'll find home by myself," Gale answered with a chuckle. He waved everyone goodbye and left through the back door. Sighing deeply, Gale looked up at the small strip of the night sky that was visible between the buildings' roofs.

"Lovely night, isn't it?"

Startled, Gale turned to find the man who'd spoken the words - and the sight took his breath away.

There were silver-white curls, striking eyes, pale skin, and black leather. So much black leather.

The man, an elf, smirked. A haughty little thing that didn't show his teeth (which were probably perfect too, Gale imagined).

"Cat got your tongue?" the stranger teased.

"No." Gale cleared his throat. "I simply didn't expect company for my stargazing.

'And the day drowns in the darkness of the sky,

while the night boils with sparkling stars.

Painted with fae dust and magic in jars,

oh, starry night, this is how I want to die.'"

"Hmm... Annelore Nixton. I love her poems," the elf mused. "They always have a certain inclination towards the macabre."

Gale beamed at him, asking: "You know her poems? You have no idea how rare it is to meet someone who knows her. I mean, sure, Elven poets aren't popular with most humans, but -"

He paused when he heard the stranger chuckle.

"An admirer of Elven poetry. How droll." The handsome stranger smirked again and held out his hand. "My name's Astarion and with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

"Gale. Gale of Waterdeep," replied the wizard and shook the offered hand. It was cool to the touch and Gale wondered for how long Astarion had been standing out here.

"Well then, Gale of Waterdeep, how about a drink? Or something else?" the pale elf asked.

"Something else?"

"Mh, yes, darling." Astarion placed a hand on Gale's upper arm and stepped closer. A wave of rosemary, bergamot, and brandy wafted over, and Gale inhaled deeply. Goods, Astarion smelled so good. Smirking knowingly, the latter leaned in, purring: "You could recite more poetry to me. Or, we could have some fun."

Gale swallowed thickly.

"Fun?" he squeaked.

"Sex, darling. Only if you want to, of course."

Gale paused, looking Astarion up and down.

"Are you a prostitute? I mean nothing against said profession, I'm very openminded. You're just very blunt about your approach and –"

"Even if I would be a prostitute, I wouldn't charge you," interrupted Astarion. "You caught my eye and I think you're endearing and sweet. I can even imagine that you have a library at home."

"I do, in fact," Gale said proudly. After a moment of hesitation, he asked the one thing his mother forbade him to ask. "Would you like to see it?"

The elf's smirk widened.

"I'd loved to, darling. Take me home."

And Gale opened a portal and, for the very first time, invited a stranger into his home.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #fanfic #lavender and starflower #mobster au #astarion x gale #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #reblog because I'm screaming about the positive feedback thank you so much I'm living off it for the rest of the week lol #mobster monday

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 19 days

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Lavender and Starflower (Mobster AU) - Chapter 1

Trigger warning (18+): graphic description of sex, graphic description of violence, non-con/rape, smut, angst, emotional rollercoaster, mobster AU

I have no idea where I'm going with this one yet, but I was inspired to start writing it when I saw this artwork by @arczism (I hope you like this mobster AU, Arczi <3)

The poem's my own, but is inspired by 'The Starry Night' by Anne Sexton. Also, I named the poet after her, lol.

This is obviously an AU that isn't related to my other work.

Ah, yes, Waterdeep. The City of Splendors. It was especially beautiful at this time of the year: autumn.

The calico tressym – it's a tressym, not a cat, mind you – huffed.

"Can't a lady have hobbies?" she asked, miffed.

"You can hunt as many pigeons as you want, my dear Tara, but not the ones on my balcony because some of them are carrier pigeons and I need them."

The addressed sighed deeply, but walked back to the fluffy pillows in front of the crackling fireplace.

"Alright, I'll leave them be – for you. Because I love you oh-so much, Mr. Dekarios,"she said, long-sufferingly.

"Thanks, Tara," chuckled Gale and finished his tea.

Right on time, as always, there were three quick knocks at the door.

"Come in!" the wizard prodigy shouted while he stood up and took the jacket from the back of his chair.

A massive half-orc entered, long, black hair in a messy bun and a pair of glasses on his big nose.

"Good evening, Murk. How are you?"

"'m good, Gale, Sir. Are ya ready to go? The boss wants to see ya."

Murk knocked at the office door, opened it, and stuck his head in.

"Uhm, boss? Your son's here."

"Excellent. Come in – both of you."

Murk held the door open and Gale took a deep breath before he entered the spacious office.

Gale indicated a small bow.

"Hello, mum, how can I help?"

His mother smiled, closed the short distance between them, and stroke Gale's cheek tenderly.

"My darling boy," Morena said, "you look dashing tonight – even without the family robe."

She kissed his cheek – she was a rather tall woman – and hugged him tightly. Gale returned the warm embrace happily, but muttered: "What's wrong, mum?"

The addressed sighed.

"But," Gale furrowed his brows, "what's he doing here? The Szarr Clan never tried to expand their territory before. Why now?"

"But, mum, it's Friday night. Everybody's out partying with their friends," Gale objected.

"Dear," Morena look at him with raised eyebrows, "you neither have friends, nor do you like partying."

"Ouch."

"Well, don't try to fool your mother. See you later, my darling boy."

"See you later, mum."

Chuckling, Gale kissed his mother goodbye and left the Dekarios Estate with Murk. Together, they made their way through the city, from brothel to brothel, and took a look at the damage.

Maybe, it's some kind of reverse psychology trick, pondered Gale. What else would the Szarr Clan want to achieve with unsafe brothels?

After repairing the last protection spell, Murk fidgeted around, slightly bashful.

"Uhm, Gale, Sir? Since we're done with work, could I stay here and order a drink or two? And maybe a girl?"

"Lovely night, isn't it?"

Startled, Gale turned to find the man who'd spoken the words - and the sight took his breath away.

There were silver-white curls, striking eyes, pale skin, and black leather. So much black leather.

The man, an elf, smirked. A haughty little thing that didn't show his teeth (which were probably perfect too, Gale imagined).

"Cat got your tongue?" the stranger teased.

"No." Gale cleared his throat. "I simply didn't expect company for my stargazing.

'And the day drowns in the darkness of the sky,

while the night boils with sparkling stars.

Painted with fae dust and magic in jars,

oh, starry night, this is how I want to die.'"

"Hmm... Annelore Nixton. I love her poems," the elf mused. "They always have a certain inclination towards the macabre."

Gale beamed at him, asking: "You know her poems? You have no idea how rare it is to meet someone who knows her. I mean, sure, Elven poets aren't popular with most humans, but -"

He paused when he heard the stranger chuckle.

"An admirer of Elven poetry. How droll." The handsome stranger smirked again and held out his hand. "My name's Astarion and with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

"Gale. Gale of Waterdeep," replied the wizard and shook the offered hand. It was cool to the touch and Gale wondered for how long Astarion had been standing out here.

"Well then, Gale of Waterdeep, how about a drink? Or something else?" the pale elf asked.

"Something else?"

"Mh, yes, darling." Astarion placed a hand on Gale's upper arm and stepped closer. A wave of rosemary, bergamot, and brandy wafted over, and Gale inhaled deeply. Gods, Astarion smelled so good. Smirking knowingly, the latter leaned in, purring: "You could recite more poetry to me. Or, we could have some fun."

Gale swallowed thickly.

"Fun?" he squeaked.

"Sex, darling. Only if you want to, of course."

Gale paused, looking Astarion up and down.

"Are you a prostitute? I mean nothing against said profession, I'm very openminded. You're just very blunt about your approach and –"

"Even if I would be a prostitute, I wouldn't charge you," interrupted Astarion. "You caught my eye and I think you're endearing and sweet. I can even imagine that you have a library at home."

"I do, in fact," Gale said proudly. After a moment of hesitation, he asked the one thing his mother forbade him to ask. "Would you like to see it?"

The elf's smirk widened.

"I'd loved to, darling. Take me home."

And Gale opened a portal and, for the very first time, invited a stranger into his home.

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 22 days

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A bard and a tiefling walk into a bar...

During a game of spin the bottle, Tav reveals that the best dick she ever had was a tiefling's. Gale gets an unconventional idea and Tav agrees to it enthusiastically. Thus, the human bard sings in a tavern and meets a tiefling wizard at the bar...

Gale x fem!Tav

(Trigger warning (18+): graphic description of sex, smut, coitus a tergo, cunnilingus, fellatio, roleplaying (tiefling!gale), (in)appropriate use of polymorph spell, Gale's kinky af change my mind)

Notes:

Is this inspired by the High Rollers DnD One-shot with the BG3 cast? Maaaybe :D

Tieflings have forked tongues and ridges on the base of their penises, change my mind.

The Ravengard twins are named after Karlach’s father (Pluck) and Wyll’s mother (Francesca).

"The best dick I ever had? The tiefling who was a fellow bard student. He ruined me for anyone else for a while," answered Tav and chuckled at the memory.

"Tiefling, eh?" Grinning, Astarion leaned forwards. "It's those lovely ridges on the base of their cocks, isn't it?"

Snickering, the bard nodded and added: "And the long, forked tongues."

The vampire spawn guffawed and watched as Tav spun the wine bottle on the floor. It landed on Karlach.

"Oh, hello!" grinned the bard, making her way over to the tiefling on all fours.

Smirking, the latter leaned forward until their faces were almost touching and they both went cross-eyed to look at each other.

"Hey, soldier."

"Hey to you too."

Tav closed the distance and connected their lips tenderly, but kissing deeply. Shadowheart cooed and Wyll whistled.

"You almost make a husband jealous, Tav," he said, but smiled with soft eyes.

Giggling, the women sat back and Karlach was beaming.

"That was great! I still can't get enough of kissing. Physical touch is the best."

"I agree."

"One more for the road?" asked the tiefling, grinning.

"Anything for our Mama K," replied Tav and kissed her again. Karlach hummed into it happily.

"Alright, time to go!" Wyll clapped his hands and stood up, almost falling over. Thankfully, Shadowheart was there to catch him. Laughing gleefully, she teased: "You still can't hold your liquor, noble boy."

"You meanie," muttered the addressed without any heat behind the words.

Meanwhile, Gale conjured a portal to Karlach's and Wyll's home near Baldur's Gate. Tav hugged them goodbye and reminded them: "Say hi to Francesca and Pluck."

"Promise," smiled the tiefling and walked over to bid goodbye to Astarion, Gale, and Shadowheart. Waving her hand, grinning widely and with her drunk husband slung halfway over her shoulder, Karlach vanished through the portal. Suddenly, it was very quiet in the tower.

"I already miss them," sighed Tav, grinning from ear to ear.

"There's always a touch of nostalgia when we meet," mused Gale.

"Yes, it's always fun to see them again," agreed Shadowheart while collecting the wine bottles and glasses scattered across the living room floor.

"They're never short on good stories," chimed Astarion in, throwing all the pillows onto a pile. "Especially since the twins were born."

"True," grinned Tav. "Those kids are sly dogs – and they're only six months old!"

They laughed and continued to clean up the evidence of their fun evening.

When they're finally bundled up in bed, Gale scooted closer to Tav and swung an arm around her. With a giggle, she turned her head and they messily locked lips.

"I have an idea," mumbled Gale into her ear, still slightly buzzed. The bard smirked.

"Yeah? Tell me about it."

Giddy with excitement, the wizard leaned closer to whisper into her ear and the more she heard, the wider she grinned.

Tav finished her last song and bowed in front of the cheering audience in the tavern. A few coins were thrown towards her and she picked them up quickly before sauntering over to the bar. There, she sat down to order a drink.

"Your voice is ethereal, songbird. You could even convert demons to become angels."

Tav laughed at the compliment and turned to look at the man who'd spoken the words. She was faced by a red-skinned tiefling with long brown hair, golden eyes, and impressive, black horns. The bard smirked at him.

"Well, well, who do we have here? An admirer of the arts, I see," she chuckled. "What's your name, handsome?"

"I'm Gale and you?"

"Tav. Nice to meet you."

They shook hands, eyeing each other up and down heatedly. Then, Tav leaned over to him to whisper in his ear.

"Will you waste your time with buying me a drink, or do you want to take this lovely conversation somewhere else?"

"Cheeky," chuckled Gale, but nodded towards the stairs.

They quickly made their way to the rented room and as soon as the door was closed, the tiefling pushed the human up against it to press a heated kiss onto her lips.

"Mmh, eager, are we?" she purred.

The addressed scraped his sharp teeth over her earlobe.

"Take your close off, songbird," he all but growled, and an excited shiver ran down Tav's spine.

She complied immediately and started to strip hastily, throwing her clothes into a heap on the floor. Gale moved slower, careful to not get his horns tangled in his shirt. Without a word, he kneeled to pleasure her with his forked tongue. Tav moaned and whined while grinding down on his face and holding onto one of his horns and his shoulder. Her hips stuttered as she came, head thrown back in a silent cry.

"Gods, I need you in me," she panted and Gale groaned, utterly aroused.

He got up and tried to guide the bard towards the bed, but she dropped to the floor to lick his erection, paying special attention to the ridges. Gale moaned, scraping his sharp nails through her hair which was too short to grab.

"Gods!" he groaned, throwing his head back. "It feels –"

He whined and shuddered when Tav rubbed her fingers along the ridges on the sides of his cock. She grinned like the cat that got the canary.

"You have even more ridges than my fellow student. I'll enjoy this," she revealed, almost purring.

That's when Gale's patience broke.

"Up!" he commanded and before Tav could comply, he'd yanked her off the floor and bent over the small dresser next to the bed.

"Demanding," the bard snickered, but it ended in a loud moan when the tiefling entered her in a single thrust. Her eyes rolled back as she felt the ridges along her walls and the nubs at the base of the cock press against her sensitive lips.

"Oh, fuck!" she whined.

Gale grabbed her hips and started a fast, deep rhythm. The dresser rattled against the wall and Tav was sure that everyone in the tavern could hear them. With a low growl, her partner bit down on her shoulder with his sharp teeth and she came with a cry of pure bliss.

"Fuck! Gods... Gale..." the bard moaned witlessly, all of her usual verbosity failing her.

The addressed panted into her ear, keeping up his thrusts until his hips stuttered and he climaxed too. Groaning, he collapsed onto her and Tav realised, with utter delight, that Gale was still hard. She squeezed around him, making him moan, and asked: "A spell?"

"Yes," the tiefling panted.

"On the bed. Please," Tav whispered and her partner nodded.

He carefully slid out of her, all those ridges made her tremble as they delightfully rubbed along her soft walls on their way out. Tav stumbled towards the bed, landing on her back and spreading her legs invitingly. Gale followed her, laying between the V of her thighs and kissing her passionately. He looked at her with half-lidded eyes, sweat beading along his hairline and down his neck.

"Ready?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," nodded Tav and kissed him again.

This time, Gale entered her more gently, rubbing soothing circles into her strong thigh. He rocked slowly into her as they traded kisses. Tav wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbed onto his horns which made him moan in surprise.

"Fuck me. Hard," she told him. "I want to feel it for the rest of the week."

Gale made an undignified noise and complied to her wishes. Tav's grip on his horns tightened as she was being railed and came screaming. Gale fucked her through it until his own climax hit him and he spilled into his lover's body. Panting and drenched in sweat, they lay in the tavern's bed.

"Gods, that was fantastic, love," giggled the bard, stroking Gale's hair. "What a ferocious beast you are."

The addressed chuckled, slightly embarrassed, and kissed her lazily.

"May I drop the spell now, my dear?"

"Of course."

Sighing deeply, the polymorph spell dissolved and instead of the red tiefling, good old Gale Dekarios appeared. Tav kept stroking his hair affectionately.

"My love... this was the best idea you ever had."

"I doubt that," snickered the wizard, "but I'm happy I was able to entertain you."

"You did," she smiled. "But I take you in any form."

"Hm, good to know," muttered Gale against her shoulder. "The horns are rather heavy and require quite some time to get used to."

"Mh. That lovely dick though..." hummed Tav, smirking.

It took a moment for Gale to understand that she was teasing him and when he did, he rolled his eyes with a snort.

"Let's go home," he said then.

"Sure. Are you ready for the walk of shame?" Tav snickered.

Gale furrowed his brows, asking: "Why?"

"Because I know for a fact that everyone downstairs has heard us."

At that, the wizard turned crimson.

"Oh, Gods," he groaned, hiding his face in his hands while his wife laughed gleefully.

They got up and dressed. When they were ready, Gale opened a portal which led directly to their tower. When Tav's raised an eyebrow, he explained: "I'm not doing the walk of shame, dear."

"You're so cute," the bard smirked, giving him a nose boop. "You act like a blushing virgin even though you just railed me while using a polymorph spell. It's endearing, love."

Gale coughed embarrassed, but since he had no comeback to said statement, he simply forced Tav and himself through the portal. They landed directly in front of their home's door.

"Handy," Tav remarked. "Come on, love. Let's take a bath."

With a wave of Gale's wrist, the portal closed behind them, and they entered the tower, already looking forward to a lavender-scented bath.

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 2 months

Photo

Commission for @theashenphoenix of Eskel from the Witcher series!! Thanks so much for commissioning me!

#witcher #eskel #witcher 3 #wild hunt #other people's art #fan art #this is stunning #one of my favourite pieces of fan art #i love this man

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 2 months

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I'm dead. I'll never recover from my gigantic crush on Gale. Why is he made of pixels? Why is he not real? I need a Gale in my life. This man single-handedly destroyed real-life men for me. Ffs, I'll never be able to date men again...

The Wizard of Waterdeep

Explicit Version [NSFW]

using the book as censorship is up there with my top 10 ideas imo

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #fan art #other people's art #LOOK AT IT #I'm a puddle on the fucking floor #also... absolutely stunning pieces of art I have no words

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 2 months

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#lucky cats

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 2 months

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Is it just me or...

Am I the only one who sees the similarities? I hope not.

Also, why am I always rooting for the queer twinks with trauma?

(I always feel so protective over them, and I know what that means, but I don't wanna go down that rabbit hole tbh)

Ok, that's all, folks. Thanks for coming to my TED talk :)

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #hazbin hotel #astarion #astarion ancunin #angel dust #my ramblings

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 2 months

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They are already selling data to midjourney, and it's very likely your work is already being used to train their models because you have to OPT OUT of this, not opt in. Very scummy of them to roll this out unannounced.

#tumblr bullshit #data selling #fuck ai

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 2 months

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Hear my pleas

This one’s different from my usual fics and set in an alternative universe where all the worst-case scenario outcomes had happened (set post BG3):

Astarion has ascended, his vampire spawn lover Tav, a Bhaalspawn, is dead, Gale reached godhood, Shadowheart was killed by her Sharran kin, Karlach's beheaded for the sword of Tyr, Wyll and Halsin are dead along with the tieflings and the grove, Lae'zel and Minthara had been killed in the last battle against the Netherbrain.

Astarion's lonely and tired. He has no one. Thus, in his desperation, he builds an altar for the God of Ambition and prays to him despite not expecting an answer. – His prayers are heard though.

Astarion x Gale

(Trigger warning (18+): graphic description of sex, smut, angst, anilingus, anal sex, nonconsensual blood drinking, blood, biting, cum-eating, choking, dom/sub power dynamic, derogatory language, dubious consent, fellatio, face-fucking, violence, vomiting, spanking, sprinkle of praise kink, these men have trauma, character study, emotional rollercoaster, happy ending (I wouldn't stand it otherwise), unnamed Tav, they/them pronounce for Tav, original character, OC, post-canon)

Notes:

I finally forced myself to play the Dark Urge and to choose all the worst options 'for fun'. It wasn't fun. It hurt. Badly. Now, you all gonna suffer with me for a bit.

Also, just so that it's said: I do NOT support romanticising and/or defending violent behaviours, especially when it comes to sex!

In this fic, Astarion and Gale both know that what's happening is wrong.

The Netherbrain was defeated, but at what cost?

The Emerald Grove was dead and with it dozens of tieflings and druids, as well as Halsin the Archdruid and Wyll, the Blade of Frontiers. They had exchanged Zariel's attack dog, Karlach, for a sword blessed by Tyr – which hadn't been worth it at all. Shadowheart had been killed by her Sharran kin because of a betrayal the cleric couldn't even remember. Lae'zel and Minthara had been killed in the last battle against the Netherbrain, both of them fighting 'till the end. Gale had become the God of Ambition, now dwelling in the Outer Planes. Astarion had finished Cazador's Infernal ritual and had ascended to an all-powerful vampire lord. He had turned his lover Tav, a Bhaalspawn, into his first and only vampire spawn, granting them one single drop of his own blood to make them his spouse.

Everything had been perfect until Withers had gathered the three remaining members of the heroic group for a night of celebration. There, Tav had lost themself completely, giving themself over to Bhaal instead of Astarion, and attacked their lover, Gale, and Withers. The God of Ambition had killed them, incinerated them to a heap of ash, and the vampire lord had wept for the loss of his first true love.

Seven years had passed since then, but Astarion still couldn't find any joy in his immortal life. With his mad love dead, Astarion was alone again and once more at the brink of forgetting how to love. The Szarr palace had never felt like home and it still didn't, but Astarion had nowhere else to go. He hated the place, hated the servants who only bent to all his wishes because they hoped to be turned into spawns and gifted with immortality. He hated to host parties for the nobles, politicians, and other people in power because it forced him to put his mask back on and slip into a character that wasn't fully true to himself. He hated to be pleasant company and to show interest in people and things he didn't care about the slightest to secure his place in the city. He hated his life, his existence, and the worst of it all; he had to face it all by himself. Once again, Astarion was alone to survive the hells of eternity.

It was a breezy spring morning and Astarion decided to go for a stroll through the bustling city. His mindless wandering led him to the tabernacle near Basilisk Gate. He entered it, not knowing why he did so exactly, and came face to face with the statue of the God of Ambition. With a blank mind, Astarion stared at it, taking it all in. The long hair, the knowing eyes, the warm smile, the flowy robes. Gale Dekarios of Waterdeep, the God of Ambition. No deity had ever answered Astarion's prayers in the two hundred years of torture under Cazador. No deity had ever deemed the high elf turned vampire spawn worthy of their attention or their help. Astarion despised them for it. Would Gale answer to his prayers, he suddenly wondered. Would the God of Ambition, his former tadpole-infected companion, listen to his pleas?

"Start praying or get out," one of the clerics told him angrily - and Astarion laughed maniacally.

The huge marble statue dominated the room, chiselled by the most talented artist of Baldur's Gate. On its round base, purple candles, sweet buns, a couple of books, and a silver chalice with high-quality red wine were placed. Only one last thing was missing.

At the reunion party, Astarion had noticed how much Tara had detested Gale all of a sudden, hissing at him whenever he'd gotten too close to her. Gale had seemed utterly crushed about it. Thus, Astarion had planned to summon a tressym for Gale to lure the God of Ambition to him – or so he told himself.

The vampire lord checked his ritual again. The runes and the circle were right, the candles placed around it, the incantation was in his hand and its pronunciation perfected over the last two months. The potion that allowed him to understand tressym speak had already settled in his stomach. Astarion remembered what Gale had told Tav when he'd showed them how to access the Weave (no, Astarion hadn't been eavesdropping. He'd just been nearby accidentally). He hoped his plan worked.

Astarion lit the candles, tried his best to connect to the Weave, and uttered the spell. The runes started glowing and a breeze wafted through the room.

Please work, the vampire pleaded and repeated the ancient words that sounded foreign even to his old elven ears. Suddenly, a ball of fur popped into existence, dropping right into Astarion's arms.

"Oof, apologies. I'm usually much more graceful," spoke the tressym with a feminine, warm, young-sounding voice.

The vampire laughed and hugged the creature tightly. He'd done it. It had worked! The tressym let out a sound of distress and he finally gave her space to breathe again.

"Apologies, I'm just very excited. I wasn't sure if the ritual would work. I'm not too well-versed in higher magic, you see. My name's Astarion, by the way, and who have I the pleasure to meet?"

The tressym looked up at him and the vampire was met with the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. The long, fluffy coat was snow-white and her nose adorably pastel pink. She was stunningly beautiful.

"I'm Kalina. Nice to meet you Astarion. Why did you summon me? Forgive my question, but I'm still young and was never called upon before."

"Oh... well, you see, I –" Astarion paused, suddenly embarrassed and unsure how to phrase his request. The tressym awaited his answer patiently. He sighed deeply. "Look, there are two reasons why I summoned you. Firstly, I'm a vampire lord and I have no desire to create any spawns. I'm alone in this palace and have no one to share it with and I crave intelligent conversations. Secondly, I have - had a friend who was a talented wizard. He lived with a tressym that he adored, but then, he ascended to godhood and his tressym started to hate him for it. Gale seemed sad about it and I.... well, we both are lonely, I suppose. I'll try to call for him, pray to him to meet me once again, and I thought he might be persuade if... you know, if I had someone like you by my side to sweeten the deal a bit."

Astarion hated how he stumbled over his words like a bumbling amateur, but Kalina didn't seem to mind.

"I understand," she snickered amused. "You need me to wrap him around your little finger. To lure your lover back."

"He's not my –"

"Mhm." The tressym smirked as much as a cat can smirked and hopped onto the stone floor. "How about you offer me a nice meal, hm? I'm your guest after all."

At that, Astarion snorted an amused laugh, but guided Kalina towards the staff's kitchen in which he'd already stored a bunch of tressym-friendly food. Just in case.

Kalina decided to stay for a while and help him with his plan to get Gale down to the mortal realms. She turned out to be excellent company and Astarion started to understand why Gale had loved his 'dear old' Tara so much.

Finally, it was time. Astarion kneeled in front of Gale's statue, folded his hands, and closed his eyes reverently.

"Uhm, hello Gale, God of Ambition. It's me, your old friend Astarion. You're probably wondering why I'm praying to you. Funny story actually... If you could spare a moment, I'd like to talk to you after all these years. I'm... well... I'd like to see you again. – Please."

Astarion huffed, irritated about laying his heart bare. He hated it. He opened his eyes and stood up. His prayers were neither heard nor answered, and if they were heard, they were masterfully ignored. Bloody typical. Astarion couldn't prevent an angry snarl forming on his face. With another huff he turned around, stomping towards the door.

"Hello Astarion."

The addressed froze dead in his step, then, he whirled around with a gasp, eyes wide in disbelief. Behind him stood the God of Ambition. His skin shimmering silvery blue, wrapped in a dark purple toga. His eyes glowing with white light. He looked exactly as Astarion remembered him, not having aged a single day.

"Gale," the latter croaked out. He wanted to rush across the room and hug the other man, but his pride stopped him from doing so. Astarion didn't want to seem desperate, weak, and pathetic. Thankfully, Gale acted instead, embracing the vampire warmly. The latter was barely able to keep from sobbing.

"You came," he whispered. "You answered my prayer."

"Of course." The God of Ambition smiled. "It's an honour to be remembered by an old friend who went through the same horrors as I did."

"There's no one else left," Astarion spoke, close to tears. "We're the last ones standing."

Gale sighed, looking sad.

"I'm aware," he nodded. Then he turned around to look at the altar Astarion had made for him. "Impressive. And put up in your home... that's – I'm speechless, really."

Astarion snorted, replying: "I don't think it's possible for you to ever be speechless."

Gale chuckled at that and tasted some of the wine that served as an offering.

"Mmh, what a lovely vintage. Velvety, with a hint of blackberries. Wonderful choice."

The vampire preened. To him, all drinks tasted like vinegar and all foods like ash, thus, he was happy he'd picked the right wine.

"I got something else for you. Well, not something you can own, but... Kalina?"

"Yes?" purred the tressym, slinking through the door.

"Oh!"

Gale's eyes went wide in delight and surprise, a huge smile spreading over his face. Kalina looked at him.

"Ah, the God of Ambition has heard your pleas, I see," she spoke, the amusement audible in her voice. She moved closer to him. "Gale, wasn't it?"

"A tressym," the addressed breathed, ignoring the creature's question. "Oh, and what a beautiful specimen."

He bent down to sweep Kalina off the floor, cradling her close to his chest. She purred happily and rubbed her head against his shoulder.

"Your friend's delightful," said the tressym. "He knows exactly how to scratch my chin just right. You could learn something from him."

Astarion laughed.

"You cheeky thing!"

"Huh?" Gale looked at him confused and seemed flustered. Only now, the vampire realised that the other man thought he'd addressed him. Frowning, he asked: "I used a potion to understand Kalina. I thought you're well-versed in tressym speak."

"Uhm, no," muttered Gale, lowering his gaze. "I enchanted Tara's collar to give her the ability to be understood by everyone. I don't speak tressym."

"Oh..." Astarion was dumbstruck. He hadn't known and had just assumed. "Well, she says she likes you and you have talented hands, darling."

He winked suggestively at the last sentence and swore he could see Gale blush despite his silvery skin. The latter cleared his throat and asked: "Why did you call for me, Astarion?"

"Am I not allowed to wish to speak to an old friend?"

"Of course you are. It's just... unusual. I didn't expect you to call for me. We got along fine, but you never seemed that fond of me. If I remember correctly, you called me annoying at every occasion."

"Tsk, tsk, Astarion," tut-tutted Kalina and the addressed started fidgeting.

"I just -" Words were lost on him. It was so difficult to say the truth. Gale looked at him. Those intelligent eyes boring themselves into Astarion's ruby-red ones and straight down into his soul.

"You're lonely," the God of Ambition stated matter-of-factly.

"So are you," Astarion snapped back, angry that Gale saw right through his façade. "Don't tell me there are parties up there in the Astral Planes? Or did you reunite with your beloved Mystra? Fucking her again, now, that you're finally deemed her equal?"

Gale narrowed his eyes, the air around him suddenly crackled with purple magic. Kalina hissed in surprise and a flare of fear, jumping out of his arms and fleeing the room.

"You're just trying to rile me up because you're mad I struck a nerve," the God of Ambition spoke calmly. Of course, he was right and gods, did Astarion despise it. The latter bristle, putting up his defences.

"Why?" growled the vampire.

"Why what?"

"Why did you answer my prayers?"

"Because it's my duty."

"Ha! Fuck off!" Astarion cackled uglily. "There's not a single god that answers their devotees' prayers! Don't be ridiculous, Gale."

The addressed frowned, his mouth a thin line, visibly miffed.

"Would you prefer it if I say that I came because you deserve to be heard?" he asked then.

Astarion glared at him, his ruby-red eyes full of fiery rage. Baring his fangs, he roared: "Don't you dare! Don't you dare pitying me!"

"I'm not."

"Of course, you are! You always thought you're above me, above everyone else, because you were Mystra's Chosen! You were always haughty, but now that you've reached godhood, you're so much worse! You scolded me for being power-hungry and for ascending, but you did the exact same thing, Gale Dekarios!"

The addressed inhaled sharply, the air around him crackled again. The electricity of the magic made Astarion's hair stand on end.

"Vampire ascension changes a person," Gale replied. "It kills all your feelings. Your soul. You're not yourself anymore, Astarion."

"You know nothing about me!" roared the vampire lord. "I'm no longer a pathetic, scared spawn. I'm finally strong enough to force anyone to their knees and ensure my safety. I no longer have to run and hide."

"But at what cost? Your siblings and seven thousand innocent victims are dead. And so is Tav."

"Don't speak their name! You have no right! They were mine and you kill them!"

"They were a Bhaalspawn, Astarion. They attacked us at the reunion party. I had to save us."

Astarion screamed. His bat wings split the skin and shirt on his back and unfurled to their full glory. Usually, he had himself under control, but apparently not today.

"They were mine! They were my perfect vampire spawn spouse. Mine, forever!" Astarion heaved a breath he technically didn't need to breathe. He felt dizzy and nauseous all of a sudden. With another scream, he collapsed onto the floor. "They were my mad love."

"Astarion..." Gale moved closer, kneeled down beside him and pulled him into an embrace. The vampire sobbed, not remembering when he'd started to cry.

"I'm sorry," whispered the God of Ambition and kissed Astarion's temple.

The latter went very still under him. They had never really touched each other before today and the quick, mindless kiss was definitely unexpected. Something bitter and ugly coiled in Astarion's stomach at the gentle affection he received. He wanted to hurt Gale, to punish him for what he'd done to him and to his beloved spawn.

"I should kill you," Astarion growled viciously. "I should make you pay for what you’ve done."

"Then do it."

The words made the vampire's thoughts come to a screeching halt and he stared up at Gale.

"What?" he whispered.

"Punish me, Astarion."

"No, that was just –"

"Do it. Make me pay for killing Tav. For berating you for your choices. For not being able to save the grove from Tav's bloodlust. For not being able to save Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and Minthara. If you believe I deserve it, then, punish me for failing you and everyone else."

Gale's words stoke the fire of hatred in Astarion again. He felt violent and the wish to hurt the other man grew with every second. The vampire gave in to his urges and grabbed a handful of Gale's hair, yanking his head back painfully, gleeful to see the other man wince.

"You'll regret your words soon enough," sneered Astarion. "You'll wish you haven't left your cosy little spot in the Divine Planes."

He saw Gale swallow thickly, eyes big and nervous, and felt a sick kind of satisfaction. Astarion tugged on the other man's hair again, ordering: "Stay where you are. Don't you dare move."

The vampire stood up and retracted his wings, sneering down at Gale.

"You're exactly where you belong; on your knees. Soon, you'll beg for mercy. – Now, take your clothes off."

The addressed squirmed, but snapped his fingers and his clothes disappeared. Grinning, Astarion traced the branding of the Netherese Orb on Gale's chest with his fingers. The dangerous fracture of ancient Weave was still stuck there, emitting a subtle purple light under the vampire's pale fingers. Now though, with Karsus' Crown and Gale's godhood status, the Orb was permanently stabilised and had become a part of Gale, just like the rest of the ancient magic.

Astarion dug his fingers deep into the silvery blue skin, feeling its warmth and the chest hair. Gale grimaced and hissed at the pain. The vampire revelled in it.

"Look at you," he mocked. "At my feet. What would the other gods say if they knew, eh?"

"I don't care," answered Gale, and strangely enough Astarion believed him.

Suddenly, the vampire smacked him across the cheek with an open palm. The God of Ambition gasped, looking up at him. Shock and surprise written all over his face. Astarion laughed and hit his other side. The sound of skin hitting skin echoed loudly through the room.

"That's not enough," Astarion voiced his sick thoughts. "You need real punishment."

With that, he took a step back to open his belt and free it from his trousers. Gale's eyes widen in realisation. Astarion sneered. He was ill in the head and he knew it. Still, he ordered: "Get up, hold onto the base of your statue, and bend over."

The addressed trembled slightly when he obeyed and hid his face behind his hair as he lowered his head between his shoulders. Astarion stalked closer, sliding his fingers along the leather belt.

"Good," he praised and Gale shuddered slightly.

Interesting... The vampire cracked the belt over Gale's right butt cheek with force, revelling in the sharp cry of pain he coaxed out of the other man.

"Yes. Sing for me, pet."

Another hit, another cry. Astarion grinned, lost in a mixture of rage, arousal, and sick fantasies. Drunk on power. He landed another two blows on each butt cheek before he stopped. Gale was panting elaborately now, arms and legs shaking slightly. Astarion leant forwards and licked up a rivulet of black blood that welled from where Gale's skin had broken. The vampire made a face at the taste. It didn't reek of bile anymore like it had before, but there was something sharp and acrid about Gale's blood.

"You still taste disgusting."

At that, the God of Ambition chuckled lightly.

"Apologies. My body contains even more Netherese magic than before, thus, I'm sure it –"

Gale's reply ended in a yell when Astarion racked his sharp fingernails down his back, leaving bloody trails behind.

"You're still talking too much," the vampire said coldly. "I guess it needs more drastic measures to shut you up."

Astarion pushed Gale back down on his knees again and forced his jaw open with one hand, pressing his thumb into his mouth to pry it open. With the other hand, he freed his dick from his trousers skilfully. Gale's eyes widened in fear, but Astarion couldn't hear his pulse quickening. Actually, he couldn't hear a heartbeat at all.

Right. Gale's a god now. Immortal like me, the vampire realised, slightly bitter about it.

"What? Never sucked a cock before?" he taunted, releasing his grip on Gale's jaw to let him speak.

"Mystra liked to change her form sometimes. Thus, I know how to –"

"Don't speak that bitch's name ever again!" spat Astarion, riled up. "That bitch doesn't deserve to be worshipped nor anything else! Least your attention. She's the reason for your folly."

Surprised, the God of Ambition looked up at him. Oh, how Astarion wished the other's eyes were still as brown and expressive as they’d been before his ascension to godhood.

"I – Apologies. I didn't know it would upset you so much, but you've asked if I had any exp-"

"Shut up and suck me off, pet," Astarion interrupted him harshly, grabbed Gale's jaw again, and shoved his member into the other man's mouth and down his throat. The latter made a choking noise.

"Don't be dramatic. You don't need to breathe anymore," Astarion taunted and the addressed glared up at him. An ugly grin split the vampire's face. "How does it feel, God of Ambition? On your knees and used like a toy by a mere vampire lord. Where are your godly powers now?"

At that, Gale slightly bit down on Astarion's cock as a warning. The latter gripped the god's hair tighter, hissing: "Don't you dare."

To Astarion's surprise, Gale obeyed and his jaw went slack again, letting himself be face-fucked by the vampire who moaned blissfully. Astarion's eyes rolled back in his head as he pushed as deep as he could and spilled down Gale's throat.

"That's it, darling," he groaned. "Take it."

And the God of Ambition moaned as he swallowed the vampire lord's cold seeds. Astarion bit his lip to hold back a whimper. It felt so good. So loving.

He'd tried to find joy in sex again ever since Tav had been killed, but nothing and no one excited him anymore. Everything felt fake and wrong. Either because Astarion forced himself to enjoy it, or because whoever joined him in bed only did so because they were terrified of him or wanted something from him.

It didn't feel fake or wrong now. The only thing that felt wrong was forcing Gale to go along with what he wanted, but Astarion didn't particularly care about that right now. He still panted as he stared at the ceiling of the Szarr palace. The place that once had been his prison, had become his unwelcoming, cold home. Astarion hated it. He blinked slowly before looking down at Gale. A genuine soft smile appeared on the vampire's beautiful face.

"So good for me," he praised and couldn't keep himself from gently running his fingers through Gale's hair. "You can release me now."

That he did. Gasping for air and coughing, Gale looked positively wrecked and Astarion felt smug and almost satisfied, but when the God of Ambition initiated to stand up, the vampire spoke sharply: "I'm not done with you, pet."

The addressed froze.

"Astarion, I think that's quite enough. You had your revenge."

"I decide when it's enough! As I said, I'm not done with you, God of Ambition!"

In a sudden outburst of anger, Astarion backhanded him across the face, sending Gale onto the floor again. Sneering, Astarion placed a foot on the other man's chest and pushed him backwards onto the cold marble floor.

"You took everything from me," growled the vampire lord.

At that, Gale bristled.

"That's not true! You did this to yourself, Astarion! I warned you. I warned you that the ritual would change you and it had. It took away all of your humanity."

"Humanity?!" roared Astarion and cackled. "I'm an elf! I never had any humanity in me in the first place!"

"You know what I mean! Look how cold you're acting now. No more empathy. No more feelings. No more heart. No more love."

Snarling, Astarion bent over Gale, bringing their faces so close together that they felt each other's breaths on their skins when they spoke.

"My heart stopped beating over two hundred years ago when I was turned into a spawn. My heart's long dead – and so is yours now."

Astarion grabbed the other man's thighs and pushed them upwards, purring: "You better use that grease spell on your rear or I'll take you dry."

Gale's shocked, almost terrified, expression wasn't as satisfying as the vampire lord had hoped for.

"Astarion... please..."

"Any time now, Gale!" the addressed snarled, baring his fangs.

The God of Ambition looked hurt now, and even though he was trembling in fear, he muttered the spell.

"What an obedient pet," praised Astarion and pushed all the way into him until he bottomed out.

Gale screamed hoarsely, tears running down his face as he dug his nails into the vampire's shoulders. The latter set a violent pace, revelling in the other man's cries, and started to choke him just for fun. Gale wheezed, gasping for air. He obviously didn't need to breathe anymore, but his brain apparently hadn't gotten the memo yet.

"Astarion... please..." the God of Ambition begged, gulping in ragged breaths and the addressed squeezed his neck just a little tighter for a second to taunt him before releasing him. Gale's eyes rolled for a second as he gulped in lungful’s of air in a panic.

"We're not so different, you and I," sneered Astarion. "We both ascended, became something far more powerful than others could ever dream of. We're both immortals and can inflict terror in anyone. You're as power-hungry and greedy as me, Gale."

"If I... if I could turn back time," the addressed sobbed. "I'd stop you from ascending and I'd return the crown to Mystra. We both lost our humanity, our hearts, and ourselves. We sought power to prove ourselves, but we lost everything dear to us in the process. Now, there's only loneliness for us."

"Shut up!" yelled Astarion and buried his fangs in Gale's neck. His blood was vile and insulting, but also held power, so much power. Pure magic. The vampire wondered briefly if he'd become even more powerful if he'd drain the other man dry, or if the Netherese magic would kill him instead. He didn't care either way.

Gale choked on a sob, but continued talking.

"I'm sorry I failed to save us. I'm sorry I couldn't save you from yourself. I regret it. Forgive me... please."

His body went limp under Astarion, his hands losing their grip on the vampire's shoulders. Almost panicked, the latter, stopped drinking from him to stare at the other man instead. Astarion grabbed Gale's face with both hands, slightly shaking him.

"Don't die! You're a God, you can't die! Don't you dare leave me alone!"

Groaning, the God of Ambition opened his eyes.

" 'm not dying. Just... tired... can't...."

Suddenly, Astarion felt vile and it finally hit him what he'd done. He let go of Gale as if the touch had burned him and slipped his softening dick out of him. The vampire scooted back on his bare arse, horrified of his actions, before bending sideways and retching onto the floor. Gale's black blood was a stark contrast to the white-grey marble floor.

"Ugh..." Astarion groaned miserably and dry-heaved again. "I'm - I'm a monster. Just - just like - Cazador."

His eyes flitted back to Gale who winced as he sat up. All the fight had left the vampire and he trembled now.

"Why?" His eyes spilled over, an ugly sob escaping his throat. "Why did you let me hurt you like this? You're a god, you could have easily overpowered me."

"Because -" Gale wheezed. "Because it seemed like you needed it. You're lonely, sad, and hurt. Let me help you. Let me ease your suffering."

"Gods, you're the worst," Astarion cried and, before he could get cold feet, he crawled back to kiss the God of Ambition. He didn't expect the thrum of magic that zapped through him like lightning, even though he should have. Gale was glowing with old Netherese magic after all. It wasn't unpleasant though, thus, Astarion didn't pull away. Gale moaned – loudly, desperately, wantonly, needy – and deepened their kiss as he wrapped his arms around the vampire's neck. The Orb in his chest started to pulse with purple light, illuminating the cold marbled room. Astonished, Astarion gently stroke the mark with his fingers, hissing at the crackling magic there.

“It - it glows?”

“When - when I’m excited, yes,” Gale panted, slightly bashfully. Then, he added: "I'm - I am too."

"You're what, darling?"

"I'm lonely, sad, and hurt too. I no longer want to be alone. I miss having company I can trust."

"Yes," sobbed Astarion, desperately clinging to Gale's shoulders. "I miss it too. Please, Gale, please don't leave me. Don't go back to the Astral Planes."

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to stay in the mortal realm, but I want to."

"You're a god. Can't gods do whatever they please?"

Gale sighed, answering: "Not always. It's complicated. But I stay as long as I can and if I must go, I'll come back as soon and for as long as I'm allowed. – If that's what you want."

Astarion nodded hastily.

"Yes, yes, I want that. Please, Gale."

"Yes," answered the God of Ambition simply and the vampire lord kept weeping.

3 months later

Astarion awoke from his reverie to the chirping of sparrows and screeching of seagulls. He stretched lazily under the white sheets, sleepily gazing at the sun-dappled room in Gale's tower in Waterdeep. Next to him, his lover stirred and Astarion turned to look at him. Gale looked ethereal as always. Like Astarion, he didn't need to sleep anymore, but he loved the sentiment of it.

"Good morning, darling."

Smiling softly, the ascended vampire lord stroke the God of Ambition's cheek, marvelling at his soft, long mane and silvery-blue, warm skin yet again.

"Good morning, dear," said Gale, voice husky from sleep.

Astarion leaned over to kiss him gently and Gale hummed happily. The vampire rolled on top of him easily, deepening their kiss while stroking his lover's hair out of his face. For a while they simply kissed, entangling their tongues, while rubbing against each other. When it wasn't enough anymore, Astarion asked: "Darling... may I?"

And Gale nodded, easily parting his legs around the vampire after the latter had pushed away the blankets.

"So gorgeous," praised Astarion before engulfing his lover's erection with his mouth.

Gale sighed blissfully, running his fingers through the vampire's white curls while closing his eyes. The latter stretched out his hand and, with a flick of Gale's wrist, a bottle of oil flew over to him. Astarion caught it easily, pouring some of the oil directly onto his lover's perineum and coating his fingers with it. Then, he started to carefully prepare Gale. Fingers pumping in and out of his hole while sucking him off. The God of Ambition panted and moaned beautifully as the Orb in his chest started pulsating with purple light. It was music to Astarion's ears.

"I'm ready," Gale panted and the vampire looked up at him, mirth sparkling in his ruby-red eyes.

"I don't deem you ready yet, darling," he retorted, basically bent his lover in half, and dove his tongue into him.

Gale almost yelled, clawing the sheets as he let out a string of moans.

"Astarion... Astarion..."

He repeated the name like a prayer and the vampire revelled in it. Gale's fingers tightened in the sheets, his hips spasming.

"Astarion!" he warned, sobbing.

The Orb in his chest started to glow brighter and brighter. The vampire knew his lover was close, thus, he kept going. Gale climaxed with a hoarse shout, spilling his seeds over his own belly and torso, and the light of the Orb exploded, making the god's entire body glow purple, almost as bright as the sun. When the light diminished, Astarion finally let go of Gale, placing one last kiss on his hole. Then, he bent forward and licked up his lover's still warm spent. When he was done, he wiggled his tongue into Gale's mouth to let him taste himself. The latter moaned and kissed back eagerly. Finally, the vampire entered his lover, slowly and carefully.

"You're so beautiful," he praised, gazing at the man beneath him through half-lidded eyes.

The God of Ambition blushed, intertwining their fingers.

"So are you," he whispered.

They kissed again, deeply but tenderly, as they made love (yes, love. They weren't fucking). Gale moaned blissfully and Astarion let out a harsh breath every time he bottomed out and his eyes threatened to roll back in his head. The vampire licked his lover's sweaty neck before biting down gently and drinking his vile but oh-so addictive blood.

"I love you," mewled Gale, throwing his head back on the pillow, and, with a loud moan, Astarion reached his high, spilling into his lover. Even through his closed eyelids, he could see how Gale emanated purple light once more. The vampire collapsed onto the God of Ambition, removed his fangs and licked the wounds until they stopped bleeding. With a deep sigh, he placed his head on Gale's shoulder.

"I love you too," he whispered.

He's content when the other man wrapped an arm around him and held him close. They dwelled like this for a while, recharging.

"I want to stay like this forever," revealed Astarion, slightly bashful.

Gale smiled, tenderly stroking the scars on his lover's back.

"Well, technically, we can," he answered teasingly and the vampire snickered.

"Yoo-hoo, Astarion, Gale!" lilted Kalina as she scuttled through the doorway and jumped up onto the bed. "Good morning, lovebirds. May I remind you that I am neither a god nor a vampire and need real substance to survive. It's already elven o'clock!"

The men chuckled amused and Astarion replied: "Of course, Kalina. We're very sorry that we forgot the time. I'll feed you right away."

With a happy purr, the tressym hopped off the bed and rushed towards the door.

"Ah, one more thing." She turned around to look at the pair with her pretty blue eyes. "I've spoken to Mrs. Dekarios and Tara and they've both agreed to visit you tomorrow."

"Really?"

Gale smiled broadly and happily. These were the moments Astarion missed his lover's human form. He'd always had such beautiful, expressive, warm, brown eyes. Now, they were simply two pools of bright, white light.

Kalina nodded.

"They're compliant on the condition that you'll meet up regularly and behave decently. No ascended, godlike behaviour and such."

"That can be arranged," Gale replied, smiling fondly.

Astarion simply nodded.

"Wonderful," the tressym purred. "And now that that's settled, I'd like my very plentiful brunch, if you'd be so kind."

Barking an amused laugh, Astarion swung out of bed, put on one of Gale's robes, and followed Kalina to the kitchen. The God of Ambition got up too, walking to the window in his birthday suit, and watched how the wheels of time and life spun.

'Fate spins along as it should' Withers had said, and he'd been right.

With a deep sigh, Gale gazed at the sea.

If I could turn back time, I would, and I'd change so many things, he thought woefully. But it's impossible and we must live with our decisions.

He smiled when Astarion wrapped his arms around his middle from behind, kissed his shoulder, and muttered: "Come back to bed, darling. I want to ride you until the sun goes down."

Even though our fates seemed dark, we've found the few specks of light in the darkness, the God of Ambition thought as he was led back to bed by his ascended vampiric lover.

Over the past three months, they'd realised that they both were still capable to feel and to love. Their true selves still existed, underneath all the power and ascension. The men clung to them more consciously now, not willing to let go of their humanity, hearts, and souls. It was a wonderful revelation.

Astarion and Gale would live forever, but they'd also love each other forever.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #fanfic #astarion x gale #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #oc #original character #Kalina the tressym #smut #non con #mind the trigger warning

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 3 months

Text

Open up your loving arms - Chapter 3: A new flow

Astarion asks Gale about cleaning out the unused spaces of their tower house to give Tav and Shadowheart some personal space. The wizard agrees and the vampire spawn sets to work. Shenanigans occur and plans are made.

Notes:

This is self-indulgent domestic fluff. I want this little bunch of weirdos to be happy. They deserve it. This fic mostly drives my post-canon headcanon forwards regarding character study/development.

Astarion's origin fic is mentioned.

Also, long story short; Tav’s married to Astarion, Gale and Shadowheart. Astarion and Gale are married. Halsin’s Tav’s and Shadowheart’s additional lover. They’re in a closed polyamorous relationship, except for Halsin who apparently sleeps his way through all of Faerûn.

One week later, Gale finally found the time to go through the huge pile of random stuff that Astarion had put aside for him when decluttering and cleaning the two upper floors. As promised, the vampire spawn hadn't thrown out anything, but had piled them up for Gale to look through it before parting ways with all the useless knickknacks. Originally, Gale had been convinced that he only owned important, useful things that couldn't been thrown away, but reality proved him wrong. The wizard was rather miffed at the sheer amount of clutter and rubbish that he'd collected over the years. Astarion was very happy to assist him in throwing almost three quarters of it away.

"What use has a pair of nice boots if you don't wear them?" grumbled Gale and threw the mentioned footwear into the donation bin.

"Well, if you'd still host the Orb, you could feed it with it," grinned Astarion.

Gale groaned, replying: "You're aware these are normal boots with no magic applied? They wouldn't do a mite."

"I know, darling. I'm just teasing," snickered Astarion and kissed his husband's cheek.

They made fast progress and soon, the first upper floor looked much more like liveable space instead of an antique store or a storage unit. Only the books were still to be looked through. Together, Astarion and Gale carried them upstairs to the library where Gale spent the rest of the weekend weeded out all the books he never needed and the ones he had multiple copies of (naturally, he always kept the first editions).

Shadowheart made good use of her new room. She invited some of the other priestesses over to discuss the upcoming holidays, workshops they planned to install for the children, and prepared for other ceremonies. Astarion served the ladies tea and cake with his usual flattery and left them brood over their projects. He found Tav in his basement room, composing her newest piece.

"What are you doing down here, darling?" the vampire spawn asked confused.

"Oh... I just don't want to harass Shadowheart and her friends with my unfinished song. I know it's annoying when I play the same part over and over again for hours," the bard explained bashfully. "Would you like to be alone? I could go to the park instead."

"No, no. It's alright," Astarion answered hastily. "I was just wondering why you're down here. By all means, continue."

He gestured with a hand movement for her to keep going and she chuckled. While Astarion made himself comfortable and slowly drifted into reverie because he had nothing else to do, Tav worked her magic. Smiling softly, the vampire spawn listened to the bard's gentle humming while she strummed the lute and scribbled down notes on a piece of paper. Tav always created such hauntingly beautiful music that touched one's soul. Astarion's heart may have been cold and dead in his chest, but his soul danced and wept to his wife's songs.

They decided to turn the second room in the first upper floor into a guest room for either Halsin, Lae'zel, or Karlach, Wyll, and the twins. The nook next to the stairs was remodelled into Gale's alchemy laboratory and he had finally the space to brew potions again. Tav made herself cosy in the second upper floor where the library and observatory were located. There, between shelves upon shelves filled with books and hanging models of planets, stars, suns, and moons, the bard set up her instruments and started to compose. Gale got all sappy and babbled something about the mingling of two different kinds of magic and how books are able to feel the vibrations around them. Astarion called bullshit on it all, but let his husband be.

The vampire spawn used the extra room that was basically the spacious hallway of the first upper floor as a creative space. He finally tried his hands at some sewing projects. Astarion had been rather nervous about it because he hadn't really sewn anything since he'd been turned into a spawn. He'd spent the last two hundred years simply fixing his clothes, but hadn't been allowed to create anything. Now, he made his own patterns and used the beautiful fabrics he'd found between Gale's junk to makes some clothes.

After two weeks, Astarion nervously gifted his creations to his family. He'd sewn a robe for each of them because it was one of the easiest patterns and he'd wanted to start lightly. Awestruck, Shadowheart put her light blue robe on and it flowed around her silhouette like water.

"Astarion... it's beautiful," she breathed. "Thank you!"

She hugged and kissed him.

"I'll wear this at the next holiday ceremony at the temple. I'll be the most beautiful and stylish person there!"

"You're always the most beautiful person," replied Tav without thinking.

"Ahem!" Astarion gave a little cough, accusingly.

Smirking, the bard announced: "You're always the most beautiful person, Shadowheart, but you share first place with Astarion and Gale."

The cleric snickered while the vampire spawn was pleased. The wizard, on the other hand, seemed honestly confused.

"Share the first place with me? Are you sure? I mean I understand why with Astarion, but me?"

"Of course you too, silly," smiled Tav and kissed him. "You're beautiful."

"Hm," muttered Gale, blushing slightly.

He slipped into the dark blue, star-littered robe that fit him like a glove and ran his hand across the material.

"If I remember correctly, I bought this fabric in Cormyr when I attended a seminar about local poetry twelve years ago. Fascinating topic really. I always intended to give it my mother so that she can turn it into something, but I never got around to it. You outdid yourself, Astarion. It's wonderful. I knew you have an eye and a talent for sewing."

"Thank you," said the addressed, feeling bashful for the first time in a long while.

"It's damn pretty, I feel so fabulous!" cheered Tav and whirled around to show off the dramatic swoosh of her dark green robe.

The vampire spawn preened, not really used to receiving compliments about anything else but his looks. It felt incredibly nice though.

"What about you?" asked the bard now. "Where's your robe?"

Astarion blinked dumbly.

"I didn't even think about that," he answered then. "I was so focused on giving you all a gift that it didn't even cross my mind to make something for myself."

"Awww," cooed Shadowheart and smooched his cheek.

"I'm honoured, but you mustn't forget about your own comfort," Gale told him sincerely, stroking the vampire spawn's cheek.

"Here, try it on," urged Tav and held out her robe to Astarion who pulled it over his shoulders without complaint.

"Lovely," she remarked. "It compliments your pale complexion and is a nice contrast to your eyes."

Once more, the vampire spawn was frustrated to not be able to see his reflection. He still walked over to the mirror to take a look at how the robe fell around his body. He nodded, satisfied with what he saw.

"But it needs to be a tad longer for me," he noticed. "Or otherwise, I show off my scandalous calves."

Tav laughed and kissed him, hyped-up.

"You know, I thought about what you said, Gale, and you're right." Astarion turned around to face his husband. "I'd like to become a tailor. It's one of the things I enjoy most."

"That's good to hear," smiled the wizard. "When you're happy, I'm happy. And when you find your life's purpose on the way, well, then that's all the better."

"You have such a way with words, darling," chuckled the vampire spawn and sauntered over to kiss him. "The little greenhouse on the rooftop looks rather sad, our druid would be mortified. Is it alright if I’ll polish it up and bring it back to life? Some herbs for your cooking and flowers to look pretty in a vase. What do you think, eh?"

"Sounds lovely," replied Gale and kissed him again.

Astarion fussed about his husband's hair before adding: "You know, a very long time ago, when I lived as a magistrate in Baldur's Gate, I shared a house with my better half, Solaria. We had a little balcony where we loved to eat breakfast, brunch, and dinner, and it was covered in flowers. Morning glories, forget-me-nots, ivy, violets, rosemary, and even a little bush of roses. I remember how we spent our late afternoons there, when I was back from work, and we had tea. When it was the season, Solaria always bought peaches for me and we ate them while judging the poor clothing choices of the people who walked by on the street below. – Ha! It's been more than two centuries since then."

Astarion averted his gaze staring out of the window. Gale's heart was leaping in his throat and his hands were shaking when he touched his husband's face. The latter had never revealed this much about his past before.

"Astarion," the wizard murmured. "I'm so sorry, my dear."

The addressed finally turned to look at him again, smiling pained.

"There's no need to apologise. You weren't there. At that point, you weren't even born yet. But I'm glad that the one good thing that came out of the shitshow that calls itself my life is that I met you."

Gale pulled Astarion closer, squeezed his eyes shut, and leaned their foreheads together.

"I love you," whispered the wizard thickly.

"I love you too," replied the vampire spawn, at the verge of crying.

They kissed softly and the tears spilled over after all. When they finally parted, they were both weeping and Gale brushed Astarion's tears away with his thumbs.

"I'm here now," he told his husband. "We all are."

The vampire spawn swallowed and nodded. The wizard kissed him again before embracing him. Astarion went willingly and wept on his shoulder. When Gale finally looked up from his sobbing husband, he realised that Tav was crying too. Shadowheart, who was also teary-eyed, held the bard in her arms and made soothing little shushing noises.

"Gods, look at us! We're absolute messes!" sniffed Astarion.

Chuckling slightly, Gale rubbed the vampire spawn's shoulders before letting him go with another kiss. The vampire spawn moved over and embraced Tav who was still sobbing.

"Don't cry for me, darling. I'm not dead yet. – Well, you know what I mean."

The addressed snickered despite the tears still running down her cheeks. Astarion kissed her tenderly before wrapping his arms around her again. He beckoned Shadowheart closer again and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Alright, that's enough tears and misery for today," Astarion decided. "Let's go downstairs and brew some lavender tea to soothe the nerves and eat some vanilla cake to soothe the soul, hm?"

"Splendid idea," nodded Gale.

"I can use a tea," admitted Shadowheart with a sigh.

Smiling, the wizard wrapped an arm around the cleric's waist and made his way downstairs with her while Astarion and Tav followed them, arm in arm. They made themselves comfortable in the living room and talked about more pleasant topics while enjoying their tea and cake. Astarion snuggled in-between Tav and Gale, daydreaming about how to organise the greenhouse. Later, he got more kisses and was allowed to drink from his spouses, moaning at their blood's unmistakable bouquets, and if that led to spend some passionate time in the bedroom afterwards... well, Astarion wasn't about to complain.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #fanfic #character study #author's self-indulgent fluff and headcanons #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #shadowheart #tav

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 3 months

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Open up your loving arms - Chapter 2: Ridding stagnation

(Trigger warning (18+): character study, the feels, author's self-indulgent domestic fluff, graphic description of sex, smut, anilingus, anal sex, body worship, coitus a tergo, dirty talking (sort of), fingering, gentle sex, hand job, missionary, smidge of praise kink, vaginal sex)

Notes:

This is self-indulgent domestic fluff. I want this little bunch of weirdos to be happy. They deserve it. This fic mostly drives my post-canon headcanon forwards regarding character study/development.

Two other fics (The sight of spring & Of demons and monsters) are mentioned.

To avoid confusion: In one of my other fanfics, Halsin and Tav had named the owlbear cup Naïlo, which means 'night breeze' in the Elven language.)

My OC Monty first appeared in Gale's origin fanfic.

"Darling, why is that insufferable, utterly annoying man in our living room again?" asked Astarion when he'd caught Tav in the kitchen as she was brewing more tea.

"Because we're colleagues," the bard replied. "And he helps me."

The vampire spawn made a face.

"How can someone who's much less talented than you be of help?"

His wife shot him an amused look.

"First of all, thank you for the compliment, love. Secondly, I might be more talented than Volo, but he's the one who's famous and is in contact with publishers and printing companies."

"Oh, you sly dog," Astarion grinned and Tav snickered. "I just fell a little harder for you."

He kissed her passionately, turned on by her competence and cunning.

"Now, let me entertain our guest a bit more," she whispered teasingly, and with one last kiss, she vanished into the living room where Volo kept bragging about his newest work about owlbears.

Astarion didn't listen very long, too annoyed about all the incorrect statements. Tav, on the other hand, was far too kind-hearted, as always, and tried to gently correct and educate the insufferable artist. Meanwhile, Astarion went back to decluttering the upper floors.

Tav moaned blissfully as she made love with Gale. The wizard leisurely rolled his hips into her while kissing her and holding her hand. The bard had her legs wrapped around his waist and now, she placed a foot under her husband's buttcheek to push him closer. Gale panted against her shoulder, thrusting harder to comply to her wishes, and snaked a hand between them to get her off.

"Mmh, yes!" mewled Tav, arching up into him.

Gale spilled into her with a low moan, his fingers continued to rub circles over her clitoris. The bard whined and came with a sob. Panting, they kissed lazily and the bard stroke the wizard's chest-length hair.

"You're so beautiful," she told him sincerely. "I love you."

"I love you too," smiled Gale, still floating in post-orgasmic bliss. He rested on top of her, knowing that Tav didn't mind it and didn't get squished under his weight. Her strength and width were rather impressive.

Gale knew that Astarion liked being manhandled and held up by her, and he wondered if he'd like it too. Most probably, the wizard concluded. He liked everything his wife did. He adored her, nay, worshipped her.

Gale lifted his head to look at Tav and ran his hand through her very short hair. At least, she didn't sport the ugliest haircut in all of Faerûn anymore since Shadowheart helped her cut it evenly. But even before, when they'd met after the nautiloid crash, the bard had been beautiful. – Well, at least in his eyes. It was no secret that Tav had a type of unconventional beauty that wasn't desired by the masses, but she wasn't meant to be adored by the masses anyway.

Smiling, Gale leaned down to kiss her broad, freckled shoulder and she hummed approvingly. They finally moved apart and the wizard lay down on his stomach with his head on his arms to let the bard work her other kind of magic. Tav was a rather talented masseuse. Gale groaned in appreciation when his wife started to work on an especially stubborn knot on his shoulder. Her hands were always so clever, no matter if with instruments, pickpocketing, or otherwise.

"You're way too tense, love," she told him. "You work too much."

Gale hummed non-committally.

"I know you love teaching, but you tend to spread yourself too thin. We admire that you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it, but your weakness is to be too ambitious. You don't have to prove that you're worthy all the time, we know you are."

Tav moved further down, rubbing circles into the skin on both sides of Gale's spine. The latter hissed at the pain.

"You're so stressed that you've stopped eating again, and don't deny it, love, I'm not dense."

The wizard grunted, but kept silent otherwise.

"You're working on too many projects at once," Tav continued. "You have a full-time job at the academy, at the same time, we're finishing the book about our travels, and you're writing your own research papers on the side. You must slow down or otherwise you'll burn out."

"But there's so much I want to do," Gale defended his actions. "It feels like I'm running out of time."

At that, the bard barked a laugh.

"You're a wizard, love. I'm sure you'll find plenty of ways to prolong your lifespan. You'll definitely live longer than me."

Gale wanted to protest, but Tav scooted further down to press her thumbs into his buttcheeks, and he yelped. He turned his head to glare at his wife, but she nonchalantly shrugged, explaining: "You're terribly tense. That's what you get from sitting and standing around all day."

The wizard sighed deeply and pillowed his forehead onto his arms again. It was fruitless to argue with her. Tav moved on to his legs, relentlessly massaging his muscles.

"How's the knee?" she asked caringly.

"It's fine," answered Gale.

Back when they'd fought in the goblin camp, one of the little creatures had snuck up on him when he'd been distracted by casting a spell, and had shattered his kneecap with the iron handle of a broken axe. After the battle, Shadowheart and Halsin had done their best to heal the damage. With the help of his mother's potent salve recipe, Gale had nursed his knee further. Nonetheless, it still troubled him sometimes, especially after kneeling for a while.

"Maybe, you need a change," Tav told him now. "You talk about becoming a private tutor often enough and I think it'll do you good. That way, you'd have more free time for all your other projects."

Gale pondered about it silently.

It was true that he complained about his students on a weekly basis. Especially dear old Tara had to listen to his rants.

"Maybe, you're right," he muttered.

"Of course I'm right, I'm your wife," snickered Tav.

She took his foot into her hands and pressed her thumbs into the sole, making Gale groan. He appreciated her pampering.

At the beginning of their relationship, he'd always felt bad for being taken care of. Mystra had taught him to always serve instead of take, and for a long time, Gale had felt guilty when he'd received affection without doing anything in return. But he'd gotten better about it over the past six years. It helped that Tav loved to shower her lovers with affection and that she happily pleased them without expecting a quid pro quo.

Finally, the bard seemed to be satisfied with her work and let go of her husband's foot. She placed a gentle kiss on each of his buttcheeks.

"At least, promise me to eat regularly. You've gotten awfully skinny again and it just doesn't suit you."

"I promise," Gale answered with a sigh.

"Good," she smiled.

A shiver ran down the wizard's spine at the praise and he blushed slightly. Tav noticed it with a grin and kissed his spine.

"You're so good for me, Gale," she whispered and goosebumps spread over the addressed's skin.

Tav licked a stripe up his crack, making him gasp.

"Get on your knees for me, love."

A bit anxiously, Gale looked over his shoulder. He knew she wouldn't be mad if he'd say no. But, as it was so often the case, curiosity and academic studiousness got the better of him. Thus, the wizard brought his knees under him with his head and shoulders still on the mattress, ass in the air. Gale felt embarrassed and turned his face into the pillow. Tav spread his cheeks apart and started to eat him out enthusiastically, pushing her talented tongue into him. Gale couldn't hold back a guttural moan. The bard kissed his rim before carefully sliding two well-oiled fingers into him and stroking his prostate. Her husband mewled, eyes rolling back in his head.

"That's it love. Let loose, enjoy it. You're doing so well," praised Tav and went back to licking into him between her fingers.

Trembling, Gale wrapped a hand around himself and started to stroke. He came with a high-pitched moan, vision whitening due to the intensity, and spilling over his hand and abdomen. The wizard collapsed onto the mattress, panting elaborately. The bard placed one last kiss on his buttcheek before kissing Gale's shoulder.

"You're wonderful," she murmured, lay down next to him, and pulled him into her arms.

Gale sighed happily, placing his head on her broad shoulder, and linked their fingers together. She had surprisingly small hands for such a strong frame, but since she was shorter than him, it probably made sense.

"Did you enjoy it?" Tav wanted to know.

"Yes," muttered Gale, hiding his face in the crook of her neck, and she smiled amused.

"Good. I wasn't sure if you would. Astarion told me about your little... hm... 'discord'. But he was also the one to encourage me to try it. He said you might prefer it if I eat you out instead of him. He's still a bit scared, you see. He thinks he'll lose control again as soon as he buries his tongue in you."

Gale blushed even harder and wanted to hide somewhere. Why must his spouses always be so blunt when it came to bedroom activities? He doubted that he'd ever get used to it.

"I trust Astarion's judgement," the wizard replied then. "He's come a long way."

Tav nodded.

"He's such a sweetheart, isn't he? Even though he often hides his true self behind his mask of sass and sarcasm. But he'd opened up around us and I'm very proud of him."

"Mhm, me too," muttered Gale smiling.

Now, the bard turned a bit to look at him.

"I'm proud of you too, Gale. You also went through so much and you do well."

The addressed blushed again.

"Thank you. You can't imagine how much your words mean to me."

"I do," said his wife and attempted to kiss him.

But Gale held her back to mutter a spell first, cleaning her mouth, before leaning over. Happily, Gale sighed into the kiss and deepened it while caressing Tav's cheek. Somehow, it was so easy to be with her, she was always understanding, caring, and a ride or die. He loved her for it. Gale wrapped a hand around the bard's shoulder to pull her closer.

On Friday afternoon, Gale was visited by his childhood friend Monty who'd been (and still sometimes was) Elminster's assistant. Together, they'd gotten into loads of shenanigans in Shadowdale during the time Gale had been tutored by Elminster as a teenager.

Now, they were both in their thirties, and sitting in the cozy living room of Gale's tower house, a purring Tara on their lap, a snoring Scratch and Naïlo at their feet, a cup of tea in hand and a piece of vanilla cake balanced on their knees. They chatted about all kinds of topics, talked shop, and reminisced about the past.

"I'm relieved that everything turned out alright," said Monty with a sigh. "So many unfortunate things happened to you; Mystra, the Orb, the Mind Flayer parasite... I'm glad you found happiness and people you love. Your spouses and Shadowheart are lovely. I was so excited to finally meet them at the wedding. You've told me so much about them and I couldn't wait to meet the saviours of Baldur's Gate and all of Faerûn. You're basically famous, legendary almost."

Chuckling, Gale replied: "Now, you're exaggerating. We saved the world, sure, but most of our deeds are already forgotten. There are always new horrors waiting on the horizon one has to worry about. And to be completely honest with you, I'm relieved people don't treat us like heroes. It would be incredibly awkward."

At that, the tiefling laughed.

"You're probably right. If you'd be famous, we couldn't meet up on a random Friday, but must schedule it at least three months beforehand."

Gale joined in his laughter.

"You should visit me and Linard in Shadowdale," Monty told him now. "We built a house with an attached smithy and a laboratory. I'm trying out some new distilled fruit brandy at the moment and Linard's working on some handy daggers."

"I'll swing by," Gale promised, smiling. "Your partner made a lovely first impression at the wedding and the kitchen knives were a very thoughtful gift."

Monty chuckled.

"Linard prefers to make knives and daggers instead of swords and other weapons. That's why some people say he's a useless smith, but I disagree. Knives and tableware as well as shovels and axes are way more important on a daily basis than weapons."

Gale nodded agreeingly with a hum.

Monty stayed for dinner and he thoroughly enjoyed the passionate discussions with Gale and his family. It warmed his heart that his old friend had finally found a place where he belonged, with people who loved him and cared about him.

Around midnight, they said their goodbyes and Monty opened a portal to Shadowdale. As soon as he stepped through, the tiefling was surrounded by the sound of the nightly woods, his hometown quiet and asleep. Monty unlocked the front door of his home as quietly as possible, shutting the heavy oak wood behind him, and toeing of his boots. The smell of metal, fire, and herbal concoctions hung in the air. They complimented each other perfectly, the alchemist-wizard and the smith. The only light source was the low-burning fireplace.

"Ah, you're back."

Linard's deep, husky voice came from the rocking chair in the corner as the tall, broad, blond human stood up and made himself known. Monty smiled.

"Hello, love."

He sighed happily when his partner kissed him. The latter stroke the tiefling's cheek.

"It seems like you had a lot of fun with Gale," Linard remarked, smiling softly. "You must tell me all about it tomorrow. I'd love to hear the newest gossip regarding the saviours of Baldur's Gate and your first crush."

With a heated face, Monty snorted a laugh, grateful that his red skin prevented him from blushing.

"You're an idiot."

"You love me."

"Never said I don't."

They kissed again and things got heated quickly. They hurried upstairs, leaving a trail of clothes behind them. Linard pressed Monty up against the windowsill, kissing him breathless.

"I missed you, sweetling," said the smith. "Now, turn around and let me greet you properly. "

Grinning widely, the addressed complied, leaned forward, and put his hands up against the windowsill. Linard grabbed the oil and started to open his partner up with his thick fingers. Monty squirmed and moaned, widening his stand. He gazed out the window while Linard started to rim him and the tiefling cried out into the silent night in pleasure. When Linard finally deemed him ready and stood up, the tiefling asked teasingly: "Are you jealous for some reason?"

The human snorted a laugh.

"No."

He pressed himself closer to his partner, rubbing his erection against his buttcheeks.

"There's no need for jealousy," replied Linard, grinning, "because I know I'm the one who wakes up next to you every day, makes love to you, and knows exactly what you like."

And with the last sentence, the smith grabbed the base of Monty's tail and tucked it upwards. The tiefling moaned, eyes rolling back in his head, cock drooling precum onto the wooden floor. He arched his back more and tightened his hold on the windowsill.

"Gods, Lin, fuck me already!"

"Today's youth has no patience," tut-tutted the smith teasingly, but he finally pushed in and bottomed out.

Monty threw his head back with a cry, loving the way he was stuffed full by his partner. Linard set a fast pace, almost pulling all the way out before slamming back into the tiefling and hitting his prostate with every thrust. The smith revelled in his lover's cries of pleasure. He ran a hand down Monty's front, caressing the ridges along his sides. Finally, he wrapped his hand around the tiefling's dick and rubbed his fingers along the ridges at the base of it.

"I'm not jealous because we fucked so many times that I know your body better than anyone else."

He flicked a finger against his partner's straining erection, making him moan gutturally.

"I'm not jealous because I know you love me and you are mine."

Linard sheathed himself deep in his lover and came, filling him, while he kept stroking him. With a loud moan, Monty climax too, spilling all over himself, the hand around him, and the floor. His ass flexed, trying to milk his lover dry. Linard leaned over him and placed a tender kiss on Monty's shoulder.

"You're right," panted the latter. "I love you and I'm yours."

At that, the smith hummed pleased and kissed his neck.

"Let's clean up and go to bed, hm?"

"Yeah," said Monty and chuckled.

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 3 months

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The Witcher (2007) loading screens you guys

#the witcher #the witcher 1 #always in my heart #still playing this on a regular basis because the atmosphere and music are so damn good

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 3 months

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Open up your loving arms - Chapter 1: A necessary change

Notes:

This is self-indulgent domestic fluff. I want this little bunch of weirdos to be happy. They deserve it. This fic mostly drives my post-canon headcanon forwards regarding character study/development.

Three other fics (Tav’s gift, The sight of spring & Of demons and monsters) are mentioned.

"I've been thinking, darling, and I got to the conclusion that we need some changes."

Perplexed, Gale looked up from the pile of papers he was marking to look at his husband.

"Uhm, alright. What do you have in mind, dear?"

"Well..." Astarion sat down on the edge of the desk. "We all live in your tower for six years now, but it's still mostly your home. You stuff's everywhere and the rest of us don't really have any space for ourselves. I mean sure, I have the basement bedroom, but that started out as a necessity before Tav gifted me the Ring of the Sun-Walker. Our darling bard composes in the living room and Shadowheart stores all her belongings under her bed because there's no other option. They have no room for themselves even though we have two upper floors, but those are filled with your knickknacks. Thus, I think we must clean out the clutter to make room, don't you agree?"

Gale kept silent for a second, too stunned to speak. Then, he finally replied: "You're right. It would be unfair of me to take up so much space as if you're merely guests. I have to admit that I accumulated a rather impressive collection of items. I have no time to go through it all though. Teaching takes up all my time."

"I'm aware," said Astarion, tenderly running a hair through the wizard's long hair. "That's why I volunteer to do it instead. I'll set aside all the things that you might like to keep so that you can look at it later. What do you think, hm?"

"Alright," answered Gale tentatively. "But don't throw anything important away."

"I promise," smiled the vampire spawn and stole a kiss from him.

With a deep sigh, the wizard went back to his work while Astarion made his way upstairs. The first upper floor was overstuffed with unused furniture, paintings, sculptures, taxidermied animals, dozens of boxes, and a thick layer of dust. Astarion sneezed dramatically.

"Gale, darling? Can you come upstairs for a moment and get rid of all the dust?" he shouted.

It didn't take long for the wizard to appear on the tread and utter a spell to comply to his husband's wishes. Smiling, Astarion kissed him.

"Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome. Do you need anything else, or can I go back to finish marking my students' papers?"

"That's all for now. Take care."

"Mhm. You too."

While Gale walked downstairs, Astarion set to work. He decided to pile everything that Gale had to look through in one corner and everything they'd keep on the opposite side. Determined, he started to sort out all of Gale's stuff – of which there was a lot. Astarion wondered how a single person could accumulate so much stuff over the span of only two decades. Wrinkling his nose, he placed all the taxidermied creatures in the pile that he considered garbage. They were creeping him out and he hated the stare of their dead glass eyes. The vampire spawn worked his way through piles and piles of old clothing, the wizard's huge collection of fancy boots, all types of knickknacks, and hundreds of books that had neither made it onto the shelves in the living room, Gale's study, nor the library upstairs. Who needs this many books anyway? Astarion had mercy though and stacked them all on the spiral staircase that led to the second upper floor which contained an observatory with the mentioned library. On the rooftop was an abandoned greenhouse. He was pleasantly surprised when he found multiple, high-quality fabrics in the dusty chests, boxes, and drawers, putting them all aside for later use. Then, the vampire spawn discovered the chests that they'd filled with all their belongings and souvenirs from their journey that had started everything. Smiling, Astarion opened them, reminiscing about their tadpole-caused adventure. Shadowheart had kept her armour, some blue-silver tableware that she'd collected in Shar's temple, and, of course, the Astral Prism. The vampire spawn took the spiky artefact into his hand to look at it closely. It had been such an important item back then, decisive of life and death. Now, it was just a useless piece of junk that held memories. Carefully, he put it back and closed Shadowheart's chest. Tav's contained multiple instruments as well as some weird souvenirs she'd collected wherever they'd ended up. Astarion snickered at his wife's eccentric taste, examining the small Selûne statue the bard had nicked from the secret room underneath the Last Light Inn. To nobody’s surprise, Gale's chest was stuffed full with even more books, alchemistic ingredients, and some glowing crystals he'd found in the Underdark. None of Astarion's belongings were stored up here since he kept his few possessions in his basement room. He was the only one other than Gale who actually had his own space to do so.

There were two rooms on the first upper floor and the vampire spawn was determined to clean them out for Tav and Shadowheart so that they also had some personal space in the tower house.

Astarion kept working without a break. As a vampire, in combination with his Elven heritage, he could go an entire week without sleep or reverie before feeling any side effects. When he rested every day, he albeit seemed more alive and less undead, according to his spouses. Thus, Astarion usually joined them in bed, even if it was just for show and snuggles. Over the two decades under Cazador, he'd forgotten that he was a cuddler, but now, he'd rediscovered that about himself. It made him happy because it meant that he was another step closer to his true self again.

When Astarion finally broke out of his trance-like focus on cleaning because he was hungry, it was the next day already. Noon, according to the sun. The vampire spawn stretched and yawn before making his way downstairs. To his surprise, he found Tav in the living room with Volo, chatting over tea and biscuits.

"Ah, my friend!" exclaimed Volo jolly. "It's splendid to see you."

Astarion bristled, but smiled politely, replying: "The pleasure's mine. But you must excuse me, I have to fetch a meal."

"Glory," uttered Volo, looking a tad uncomfortable, and the vampire spawn grinned in victory.

Tav hid her amused smile behind her teacup. While Astarion went to the kitchen to heat up a jug of blood from the butcher, the bard and the writer continued their conversation. The vampire spawn curiously eavesdropped, but was quickly bored by the topic of different writing styles, and the pros and cons of flowery language instead of sticking to the truth. He drank the blood, grumpy due to its animalistic taste, and went back to his project.

Two days later, Astarion guided Shadowheart upstairs, giddy with excitement. He pushed open the door to the room right across the staircase and pulled the cleric inside by her hand.

"We live here for six years now and you never had a space for yourself," he explained to her. "Gale and I decided that this room's yours. Here, you can keep all your things, work on your speeches for the temple, hold meetings with the other priestesses, and so on. This is yours now."

Shadowheart was speechless, looking around the empty room in awe.

"Really? Are you sure?" she finally got out. "You know I'm content the way it is, but this... this is amazing!"

"Yes, this is yours. We all deserve some privacy. You can decorated it however you want. I just kept the bureau and inherent shelves in here because they fit perfectly into the nook here, but you can change it if you want ," smiled Astarion.

"No, no, it's perfect," replied Shadowheart. She twirled around her own axis with a bubbly laugh. "All it needs is some fresh white paint. I'll set up a small altar for Selûne in the corner over there and I'll need a table and some seating possibilities too. – Oh! And here –" Shadowheart gestured at the wall with the door. "– is the perfect place to hang all my pressed flowers I got from Halsin. Just give me a moment!"

Giddy with childlike excitement, she rushed out of the room and downstairs. Astarion chuckled to himself, incredibly pleased about the cleric's reaction. He'd never admit it, but it made him happy to make her happy. Shadowheart returned quickly, carrying a wooden crate which was filled with Halsin's gifts. Each perfectly pressed dry flower was preserved and kept save behind a double-sided delicate glass frame. Flowers from all over Faerûn, thoughtfully collected by the druid on his journeys. It was something special, something Shadowheart cherished, and every time, she received another one, she blushed in excitement and joy, kissing Halsin passionately. It warmed Astarion's undead heart to see her this way. Finally free from Shar's torments. She deserved happiness and peace. They all did. Smiling softly, Astarion listened to Shadowheart's rambling and helped her figuring out the perfect composition of the frames on the wall.

When Gale arrived at home after a long day of teaching, Shadowheart couldn't contain her excitement and gratitude. She hugged the wizard and showed him what she'd planned to do with the room. With one sweeping arm movement, Gale freshened up the paint in the room and got rid of the dust that had been hiding under all the stored items.

The next day, Astarion helped Shadowheart furnish her room and hang up the pressed flowers in a pretty arrangement. The cleric decided to use a low table and fitting chairs from Gale's unused furniture collection in her room. All that was missing now, was a bed that could also been used as a sofa. They planned to go on the hunt for it on the weekends. Astarion and Shadowheart looked around the cosy room, pleased with their hard work.

"Thank you," smiled the latter. "Thank you for this. For everything."

She pulled Astarion into a hug and he wrapped his arms around her happily. When they finally let go of each other, the cleric got up on her tiptoes and kissed the vampire spawn.

"Thank you, Astarion," she repeated.

He smiled at her softly.

"Always."

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #fanfic #character study #author's self-indulgent fluff and headcanons #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #shadowheart #tav #gale's nice boots

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 3 months

Text

Of demons and monsters - Chapter 2: Accommodate

Astarion can't stop fantasising about finally taking Gale. But, to his utter frustration, the wizard isn't willing. Thus, the vampire spawn's faced with his inner demons and monsters from the past.

(Trigger warning (18+): graphic description of sex, smut, anilingus, anal sex, cunnilingus, consensual blood drinking, body worship, biting, ear kink (kinda), fellatio, fingering, frottage, deepthroating, face-fucking, hand job, thigh fucking, vomiting, watersports, wax play, mentioning of past non-con/rape, character study, talking lots of talking, emotional rollercoaster, respecting boundaries is sexy)

Notes:

To avoid confusion: In one of my other fanfics, Halsin and Tav had named the owlbear cup Naïlo, which means 'night breeze' in the Elven language.)

The rest of the week, Gale was busy with work. Meanwhile, Astarion tried to be useful and productive. He was still unsure what he wanted to do with his newfound freedom. As a former magistrate, he had very specific knowledge, but it was outdated and didn't fit today's politics anymore. Thus, the vampire spawn pondered what else he could do and was talented at. It angered and frustrated him that the only other thing he was good at was seducing people. Astarion was disgusted, he'd never take a job in that line of work. For far too long, he'd been treated like a courtesan by Cazador. The vampire spawn felt like punching something – or causing a bloodbath.

Good-humoured, Shadowheart was walking home from the Selûnite temple. Today had been a calm day without a sudden surge of devotees visiting. Thus, Shadowheart went home earlier than usual. She was humming one of Tav's songs, her long braid swinging behind her back. Her silvery staff with a dark blue sphere on the top didn't just mark her as an authority figure, but could also serve as a trusty weapon. It made a clicking sound every time it connected with the cobblestones as the cleric walked through the streets. When she arrived at home and unlocked the front door, a pungent smell and Astarion's raised voice welcomed her.

"What do you mean 'two cloves are not two bulbs'? I don't see the difference!"

"That's a beginner’s mistake, Mister Ancunin," Tara replied calmly but sternly. "The recipe asks for two cloves of garlic, not two entire bulbs of it."

"How was I supposed to know that?" yelled the addressed.

Shadowheart heard some awful clattering noise and an obscene swearword.

"Please, Mister Ancunin, kicking the kitchen cabinet won't help you," tsked the tressym, unimpressed.

The cleric threw her shoes off and rushed into the kitchen. Astarion stood next to the stove, looking murderous, while Tara sat on a chair nearby like a tired mother who watched her child's temper tantrum. The countertop was a mess. Shadowheart took it all in, stunned.

"First, put the knife down, Astarion, and then tell me what's going on," she greeted him.

The addressed jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around.

"Oh... uhm, hello Shadowheart. I didn't hear you," he replied bashfully and finally let go of the knife. "I was trying to cook, but this stupid recipe isn't telling me the right things!"

He glared at the mentioned book, seconds away from throwing it into the fire, but controlled himself since it belonged to Gale. Shadowheart moved closer.

"What's the problem? Something with the amount of garlic, I heard?"

"Yes," nodded Tara. "Mister Ancunin added two bulbs of garlic instead of two cloves. The soup's ruined and burns my nostrils! Phew!"

"I didn't know the difference," Astarion gritted out. "I've never cooked before. I never had to and now... well.... It's not necessary anymore. I can't even taste test the soup to try and fix it because I'd vomit immediately."

He looked crushed and Shadowheart had mercy on him. With a deep sigh, she grabbed a spoon and moved to the stove.

"Let me try it for you."

Astarion looked at her, surprised and wide-eyed.

"It – It might be really bad," he warned.

Shadowheart shrugged nonchalantly.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

She dunked the spoon into the simmering dish that smelled truly pungently of garlic, and put it in her mouth. Astarion and Tara watched her with bathed breath. Shadowheart grimaced and started coughing.

"Damn, Astarion! You could kill an entire legion of vampires with this thing!"

"Is it that bad?" he asked saddened.

"I told you to toss it out," Tara scolded him.

"No! No, we can fix it," intervened the cleric. "Just let me think for a second."

Excitedly, Astarion grabbed her arm, eyes sparkling with joy.

"Really? You think so?"

She nodded and a wide, happy smile spread over the vampire spawn's face. Tara, on the other hand, sighed deeply.

"What do you have in mind, Miss Hollowleaf?"

"Well... I'm not the best at cooking, but... we could use cream to mellow the strong garlic flavour and then, instead of making a soup, we could boil it down to a sauce in which we can toss some noodles."

"That sounds amazing!" cheered Astarion. "You're a lifesaver."

He hugged the cleric who was surprised about the vampire spawn's affectionate touch. He rarely did it. Smiling, she leaned into it and, because it felt right, even kissed his cheek. Astarion blinked at her dumbstruck. Shadowheart grinned at him.

"Come on, let's fix your dish."

With a groan, Gale closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He was tired. His pupils had been awful today: forgot their homework, talked during the lectures, almost burned the class room down because they'd ignored his warnings...

Why am I doing this to myself? Gale wondered. I should be a private tutor instead.

"Mister Dekarios!" Tara came running happily. "It's so good to see you. I've missed you."

The addressed chuckled and bent down to lift her up for snuggles.

"I saw you just this morning, my dearest Tara, and you've praised my cooking. – Apropos cooking, why do I smell garlic? It's rather pungent."

Tara sighed, long-sufferingly.

"Your lover cooked for you and made a terrible mistake."

"Tav? But she's rather good at cooking. Did she try garlic bread, or something?"

The tressym placed her front paws on his chest and looked up at the wizard.

"No, my dear Gale, it's Mister Ancunin."

The addressed's eyes widened, surprised and in disbelief.

"But... he doesn't know how to cook and doesn't need to. Why would he go to such lengths –"

"For you, silly," Tara snickered. "He wants to please you desperately."

"Oh..."

Gale was speechless. His heart thumped in his chest and he welled up a bit. His oldest friend rubbed her head against his clean-shaven chin, purring.

"Say hello to him. Shadowheart helped him save the mess."

The wizard huffed a laugh, placed Tara on the floor, and walked into the kitchen. Astarion, Shadowheart and Tav stood next to the stove, staring into the pot. Gale observed them quietly before making himself known.

"Hello, my dears. It smells delicious. A little tressym told me that a certain vampire spawn cooked his first meal and that a lovely cleric helped him."

The other three turned around and smiled at him.

"That's correct, darling. I wanted to do something nice for you," Astarion replied.

"It smells so damn good!" sighed Tav, salivating.

"You're in luck," snickered Shadowheart. "Dinner's ready."

She handed them their plates and they sat down to eat. Astarion fed Tara, Scratch and Naïlo before joining and observing the others anxiously. Gale rolled the thick noodles around his fork and elegantly brought them to his mouth. He closed his eyes as he chewed, savouring the flavours.

"Holy shit! It's so good!" exclaimed Tav. "You outdid yourself. That's so incredibly tasty!"

"Really?" asked Astarion, still anxious.

Shadowheart nodded and answered, with her mouth full: "It was a great idea to add cream. It mellowed everything out and the noodles soak up the flavours perfectly. We've created a masterpiece."

Now, everyone turned towards Gale who was still chewing his first mouthful. He finally swallowed and licked his lips.

"It's delicious," he said and the vampire spawn and the cleric breathed a sigh of relief. "The garlic flavour's strong, but pairs perfectly well with the cream, the pepper, and the pork belly chunks. Do I also taste a hint of nutmeg? And I believe there's chives."

Astarion nodded and the wizard smiled at him. When he rolled up his fork again, he added teasingly: "Whoever made the noodles needs more practice though. They're awfully thick."

Astarion grinned devilishly.

"It told you to let me do it. My knife skills are much better than yours."

"Shut up," grumbled Shadowheart, no heat behind her words, and shovelled more food into her mouth.

"I'm impressed," remarked Tav. " For this being your first time, you cooked incredibly well. Thank you, loves, for this absolutely tasty meal."

She kissed Astarion and Shadowheart.

"You smell like garlic," grumbled the latter.

"That's the point of a garlic sauce, and by the way, so do you, you silly goose," snickered the bard.

After dinner and when he was ready for bed, Gale pulled Astarion into a passionate kiss.

"Thank you for cooking. I appreciate it. It was delicious. One question though... Isn't it uhm... 'counterproductive' when I smell like garlic? I mean you're a vampire and all that."

Astarion chuckled, replying: "The garlic thing's a myth and holds no power over me."

He leaned up to kiss the wizard again. Then, he whispered against his lips: "Also, I don't mind when you smell like garlic. I'm fine with that."

"Hm, good to know," smiled Gale. "That means I can kiss you some more."

"You've already brushed your teeth, darling."

"That's not the point. I was seriously concerned when Tav kissed you during dinner. I thought you're going to melt or burst into flames or something to that effect. But I'm glad I was wrong."

He connected their lips again softly.

"Let's go to bed. I'm exhausted."

"Mhm, you do that, darling. Meanwhile, I'll go find a lovely meal on the streets. I'll join you later."

With one last kiss, Astarion left the house and Gale made his way to the bedroom. Tav already lay in their big, spacious bed, waving him closer.

One year into their relationship, Shadowheart, amid tears, had confessed that she couldn't sleep well when sharing a bed. Instead of judgement, she'd received sympathy. They'd bought a single bed for her and had moved it into the corner between the wall and some of their chest of drawers. Shadowheart didn't mind sleeping in the same room as others, but she needed space to get a refreshing good night's sleep. Which she required as a high priestess of Selûne who should radiate calmness and patience. Shadowheart still snuggled with the others in the big bed, but moved over to her own to sleep through the night.

Tonight, she already rested in her bed, dog-tired. Gale felt as worn-out as the cleric looked and face-planted into the bed.

"My students will be the death of me," he groaned. "It's exhausting to look after them so that they don't accidentally kill themselves."

Tav snickered and smooched him.

"Well then, goodnight and sleep well, love," she smiled.

With a hum, Gale kissed her forehead before collapsing onto the mattress and falling asleep shortly after. He didn't even register when Astarion joined them in bed.

Gale had the Fridays and weekends off, but they were often occupied by marking his pupils' essays and homework, or by preparing lectures and papers. Thus, the wizard was happy when he'd finished everything on Friday night. Contently, he leaned back in his chair and stretched his stiff limbs. He'd definitely overworked himself this week, not just because of his students but also because he'd done some private research.

Gale couldn't forget his conversation with Astarion regarding the latter's bedroom activity fantasies. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he could do it, the thought of being taken that way, filled him with so much discomfort, anxiety, and actual fear that he couldn't bring himself to do it. But there were other ways to accommodate his lover. Hopefully, it was enough.

Gale stood up, mind set on his mission, and took a bath. He washed himself thoroughly, dried off, and dressed in his favourite robe. Then, he went looking for his lover. He found Astarion in the living room, surrounded by the animals, reading a cookbook.

"So... 'simmering' means cooking something at a very low temperature, right?"

"Exactly, Mister Ancunin," purred Tara.

"I know what 'season to taste' means, but how should I do that without being able to actually taste the food?"

"Hmm... maybe follow every step except this one, and then let someone else taste and additionally season the dish for you, like Shadowheart did."

"That's probably the best idea," nodded the vampire spawn.

"Busy learning new things I see," smiled Gale and entered the room.

Scratch wagged his tail sleepily and Naïlo hooted as a greeting. Gale gave them some well-deserved affection.

"One's never too old to learn new things," replied Astarion. "I'm still figuring out what I'll do with myself now. I can't just vegetate in our home for the rest of my life. I want to pull my weight and do something useful with which I can earn some money. I can't work as a magistrate anymore though... The job was rather tedious anyway and it led up to the entire tragedy that is my life."

"You're rather talented at sewing and you have a very tasteful sense of fashion," Gale told him. "You'd make an excellent tailor."

"Maybe," muttered Astarion, lost in thought.

The wizard observed him for a bit before he said: "You seem busy and in a brooding state. I'll leave you be and come by later."

"No, it's fine," retorted the vampire spawn and looked up at him. "You're here, that means you'd like to tell me something. Go on, darling."

Gale licked his lips, confidence wavering.

"I uhm... I thought you might like to take this elsewhere. Your bedroom for example."

It immediately clicked in his lover's head and a grin spread over his face.

"I'd love to, darling," purred the vampire spawn. "I was waiting all week to have you. You always sleep like a log nowadays, because of your bratty students."

He pulled the wizard into a passionate kiss and then led him downstairs to his room. They immediately started to strip while Gale revealed: "I did some research and made some interesting discoveries."

"And you'd like to try them out? Oh, darling, I like that kind of research. You should do it more often," smirked Astarion.

Gale blushed a bit, cleared his throat, and smiled bashfully. They kissed, running their hands over each other's skin, and blindly stumbled towards the bed. Astarion brought the wizard under him, leaving biting kisses on his neck, and rubbed up against him. The wizard sighed and stroke his lover's pointy ears who shivered and moaned at the touch. Astarion bit down on his neck, not even drinking his blood, just burying his fangs in him. Gale groaned, his eyelids fluttered. There was something so intimate and erotic about being bitten – and fed on. He rolled his hips up into the vampire spawn, almost bucking the latter off. Astarion chuckled.

"Eager, are we?" He licked Gale's Adam's apple. "Let me taste you."

The wizard was surprised when his lover started kissing a trail down his torso instead of biting him again to feed. It seemed like he wanted to taste something else than blood.

"You should be the one on the receiving end," Gale panted. "I have some interesting things to share with you."

"Later," the vampire spawn told him and started to suck him off.

The wizard bit his lips and moaned lowly, running his fingers through his lover's hair. The latter pulled back with an obscene slurp and sat up. The hungry look on his face made Gale swallow nervously. Suddenly, something seemed to snap in Astarion.

"Turn around. Now," he growled and before the wizard had the chance to do anything, he was flipped onto his stomach. Astarion was immediately on him, kissing his back, licking down his spine, and biting his left buttcheek. Gale let out a little undignified squeak of shock at the uncharacteristic rough treatment and manhandling.

"Up on your knees."

The wizard was so shocked and confused about the situation that he complied. Astarion growled again, then, he spread his lover's cheeks and licked across his hole. Gale gasped, gripped by sudden fear.

"No."

He whined when the vampire spawn buried his tongue in him demandingly, opening him up.

"Astarion..."

The addressed grunted and drew back, only to push two well-oiled fingers into him and plunge his tongue right back in between them. Gale cried out when the vampire spawn stroke his prostate. It felt good, but the undoubtably soon-coming next step made him tremble in fear.

"No, Astarion, please stop."

The wizard sobbed. His mind unhelpfully already providing images of the further events. The tears spilled over and he turned his face into the bedsheets to stifle another sob.

"Astarion!" he cried in a panic. "No! Please stop! Please..."

The addressed suddenly drew back with a gasp and Gale dropped onto the bed with another sob. All his strength had suddenly left him.

"Shit," he heard Astarion pant. "Shit!"

The vampire spawn moved and rolled Gale onto his side to look at him. The latter's vision was blurry with tears as he gazed up at his lover who seemed almost as shocked and anxious as him.

"I can't, I'm sorry," Gale cried. "I really want to give this to you, but I can't."

"No, don't apologise. I pushed you despite knowing I shouldn't. I - I ignored your boundaries, your words. I'm truly sorry. I'll never do it again, I promise." Astarion looked angry. Not at him, Gale realised, but at himself. "Can I... can I touch you?"

The wizard nodded and utter relief showed on his lover's face. The vampire spawn lay down next to him and pulled him into a hug. Gale went willingly, with a deep sigh. Astarion kissed his forehead, holding him tight.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again. "I behaved like a monster."

"No. You stopped."

"Yes, but too late."

"It's – it's alright. You didn't go any further."

"But I thought about it." Now, Astarion tensed, angrily screwing his eyes shut and turning his head away. "I heard your pleas and despite of it, I seriously thought about shoving my dick into you and fucking you without your consent. – I'm so disgusting."

Astarion pressed the heels of his palms into his eye sockets and made an angry noise.

"I hate myself for it. – Gods, I'm acting like the monster I swore never to become!"

He gulped in some air, trembling.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

And before Gale could say or do anything, Astarion shot up from the bed, stumbled over to his washbasin and vomited into the porcelain bowl. His retching almost turned Gale's stomach as well. He quickly placed a hand on his queasy belly and mumbled a spell to ease the rising nausea . Then, he got up and rushed over to his lover who was still panting and dry heaving. He was hyperventilating, Gale realised. He placed a hand on Astarion's back and muttered a spell to calm him down and ease the nausea. The reaction was immediate. The vampire spawn relaxed, stopped gagging, and his breathing slowed.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Gale hummed and recited another spell to clean up the literal bloody mess. Then, he wrapped his arms around his lover.

"Sh, sh, it's alright, dear. I'm here and I won't leave," the wizard promised.

Astarion sobbed and pressed his face into Gale's shoulder, digging his fingers into him.

"I'm sorry. Please, forgive me, I beg you."

Gale kissed his temple and answered: "You don't have to beg. I'm still here, aren't I, and I promise you that I won't go as long as you want me around."

Astarion nodded, pressing himself even closer to the wizard, and the latter remembered what Astarion had told him.

'I want to crawl inside of you.'

Such simple words with such a heavy implication.

"I think it's best if we go to bed and rest," Gale said softly, and Astarion nodded again silently.

They lay down on the bed, tightly entangled. The wizard extinguished all the candles except for one and closed his eyes. He was almost asleep when he heard Astarion whisper pleadingly: "Please, don't hate me for what I've done."

"I could never hate you," mumbled Gale before sleep overpowered him for real.

When Gale awoke the next morning and blearily opened his eyes, Astarion was watching him with an unreadable expression.

"Morning, dear," mumbled the wizard. "May I kiss you?"

Relief showed on the vampire spawn's face and he nodded eagerly. Smiling sleepily, Gale placed a hand on his lover's cheek and his lips on his.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

The addressed shrugged.

"I'm still disgusted with myself."

"Don't be," Gale told him and kissed him again.

Astarion drew back and wanted to know: "How can you still love me?"

"Because I do," answered the wizard simply. "It's not like I can get rid of my feelings for you just because you've done something I don't approve of."

The vampire spawn chewed on his lower lip, asking: "Do you want to get rid of them? Your feelings I mean."

"No. I love you and nothing can changed that. I told you before."

Astarion bit his lip harder, frowning, until a small rivulet of blood dripped down his chin. Gale wiped it off gently, but his lover shied away from his touch.

"You said you'd still love me if I hurt you, but I don't want you to. If I'll ever hurt you in any shape or form, draw too much blood or force myself onto you, I want you to hate me. I want you to kill me. Show me no mercy if I'll become a monster like Cazador. Obliterate me like the grand wizard you are."

Gale's eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently.

"No! I could never." He gripped Astarion's arm to hold him closer as the latter tried to lean away further. "Please don't ask me to do such an unspeakable thing."

Astarion glared at him, baring his fangs.

"You all respect my boundaries. You never touch me without asking first. For years, you didn't touch my scars because it made me uncomfortable. I have so many boundaries, so many no-goes, and you just accept them. You, on the other hand, have one simple wish: to not be taken anally. And I am disgustingly upset about it. I tried to push your limit multiple times without taking into consideration how you feel about it! Like a selfish, wretched monster! What if I lose control for real? What if I rape you? What if I seriously hurt you, Tav, Shadowheart, or Halsin? What if I drain them dry, eh? Would you still love me?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Astarion," Gale snapped back. "I know who you are and what you are and I trust you. I know my lovers, my spouses. Bloody hells, I know my husband!"

At that, the vampire spawn stilled.

"Your husband," he mumbled, absentmindedly touching the silvery family sigil ring. A four-pointed star: Dekarios. His wedding ring.

"Yes," Gale said softly and stroke his cheek. "My husband Astarion Ancunin Dekarios. And my wife, Tav Sionnach Ancunin Dekarios. The loves of my life."

The vampire spawn blinked away tears, huffing a watery laugh.

"We're married," he sniffed, still in disbelief, and Gale smiled at him.

"We are, my dear."

He kissed him softly, left hand straying upwards to caress the pale elf's pointy ear. Astarion sighed and leaned into the touch.

"I still can't believe that not one but two people decided to love and marry me. I come with so much baggage. Why would you want someone who's broken like me?"

"Stop it. You're not broken," the wizard told him sternly. "You're traumatised and working your way through it. And I'm proud of you. We all are."

Astarion closed his eyes, leaning his head against Gale's shoulder. An ugly sob clawed its way out of his throat.

"I love you," he whispered, clinging to his lover.

The latter kissed his ear and stroke his back.

"I love you too. – Now, stop hurting yourself. Please."

Astarion nodded silently and Gale placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. The vampire spawn sighed, wrapping his arms around his husband, and breathed in the calming scent of lavender that lingered on the wizard's skin, hair, and clothes. Some things would never change. Astarion smiled softly. He drew back to look at Gale and leaned in to ravish his mouth. The latter moaned lowly and gave him a demonstration of his talented tongue. Gods, it made Astarion weak in the knees to think about what that tongue was capable of. The vampire spawn sunk his fingers into Gale's chest-length mane, marvelling at its softness once more. While moaning into his lover's mouth, the vampire spawn moved into his lap, searching for friction. The wizard gasped and wrapped a hand around them both.

"Yes," panted Astarion, bucking into the offered grip.

But Gale eased him back with his other hand against his chest and looked at him.

"Wait," he panted. "I have something better to offer. As I told you, I read up on some things."

"You're a walking, talking cyclopaedia. I don't think you'd need to read more," Astarion teased lightly.

Gale didn't take the bait and chuckled instead.

"Well, this wasn't my usual topic. I had to dig a little until I found what I've been looking for."

Now, the vampire spawn's curiosity got the better of him.

"Really? On what exactly did you read up on?"

Instead of answering, Gale lifted his hand, uttered a spell, and slid his glowing hand down his own throat. Astarion raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think you need a spell to be more talkative. You're annoying enough as you are, darling."

Gale shook his head with an amused snort.

"It's not for talking. I can't give you what you want, but there might be something I can do that feels similarly good."

"And what's that?" asked Astarion curiously.

Gale blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"The spell... It uhm... It completely removes one's gag reflex – and more."

Astarion's eyes widened in surprise.

"You want me to fuck your face?" he blurted out.

"No, my throat," muttered the wizard.

The vampire spawn suddenly felt dizzy.

"Oh... Oh, darling, I'd love that. If you're willing."

Gale swallowed thickly but nodded. He lay down on the bed and Astarion straddled his chest.

"You should - You should face the other way," the wizard told him, shyly. "I read that it feels better that way because –" He had to lower his gaze. "– because you can go deeper. It'll feel more like you're taking my uhm... you know."

Gale was incredibly uncomfortable to spell it out and Astarion had mercy on him. He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his lover's lips.

"I'd love to try it."

He turned around, facing the foot of the bed instead of the headboard and slowly lowered himself down.

"Tap my leg if it's too much," he instructed the wizard who hummed.

Astarion took a deep breath, positioned his arms on the mattress at Gale's sides and bent his knees further. He bit his lips and moaned lowly when Gale took him in his mouth. Carefully, the vampire spawn rolled his hips forwards, sliding his cock down his lover's throat. When he went pass his uvula, Gale moaned instead of gagged, and Astarion's eyes rolled back.

"Oh, shit!" he groaned. "It feels so good."

Gale seemed pleased, gently stroking his thighs. The vampire spawn kept pushing forward and down the willing throat until Gale's lips touched his pubic bone. He moaned loudly, hips stuttering. The wizard's throat was tight, hot and soft – just like Astarion pictured his ass to be.

"Fuck," he groaned. "Oh, fuck... Gale…"

The addressed hummed around him, the vibration zapping through the vampire spawn like lightning. He whined and something snapped in him. He drew back, only to thrust in again, desperate to feel that tight clutch around him. Blissfully, Astarion threw his head back and started to fuck Gale's throat for real. He shoved his hips into him over and over again until he moaned with every exhale. His eyes rolled back in his head again and he closed his eyes.

"Yes," he groaned and climaxed with a blissful cry.

Gale's throat worked around him, swallowing his load. Astarion moaned and lost another flood. Slowly, he pulled out and gasped when his member slipped past his lover's soft lips. He had just enough strength left to turn around before he collapsed.

"Gods, darling... That was... I've never experienced anything like this before."

"Hmm." Gale smiled pleased, stroking Astarion's hair. "According to your reaction, my research was a success. – There's more by the way."

"Really?" The vampire spawn gazed at him, still drunk on his orgasm and terribly aroused. "Care to share?"

The wizard smirked smugly.

"But, you know, listening to my garrulous explanations and monologues is rather tedious. I wouldn't want to bore you."

Astarion snickered.

"Truer words have never been spoken. But still; tell me everything you learned while doing research, darling."

"Well..." Gale turned a bit to make better eye contact. "As you can probably imagine, there's endless literature on sexual practices, but I obviously looked for specific things that might please you. One starting point was your affinity for the differences in our body temperatures and I found some rather uhm... 'unconventional' methods. The first involves candles, or better said melted candle wax. It's easily explained and very forward: Light a candle, let the wax melt and drip onto your partner's body. It'll bring them excitement and pleasure."

"Sounds... interesting."

"Would you like to try it?"

When Astarion nodded, Gale stretched out his hand with a whispered spell and the candle on the nightstand flew over. He lit it with another spell and Astarion watched the calm flame with bated breath. There was some undiagnosable anxiety stirring in his belly, but he ignored it. Gale locked eyes with him.

"Are you ready?"

Astarion nodded.

"Are you sure you want to try this? You don't have to."

"I want to," replied the vampire spawn determinedly.

The wizard nodded, shifted his attention to the candle, and tilted it sideways. A small dollop of melted wax dropped onto Astarion's solar plexus and he gasped in shock. It was hot on his cold, undead skin, but didn't truly hurt. When the wax first hit his skin, there was a quick moment of pain which immediately fizzled out into a prickling feeling.

"Alright?" Gale asked, always checking in on him.

Astarion was almost at the verge of tears again. His lovers were always so attentive and respectful, and he'd almost screwed it up.

"Yes," he whispered. "Do it again."

Gale moved the candle slightly upwards and the next puddle of wax hit Astarion's sternum. The vampire spawn gasped again, shivering at the heat of it. He moaned when the wax hit his skin for the third time.

"Do you want me to keep going?"

"Yes. Gods, just... give me more," panted Astarion.

The wizard hummed and carefully continued his work. The vampire spawn trembled beneath him, gasping or moaning each time the hot, melted wax hit his skin. Gale painted a random pattern, dripping the white wax all over his lover's torso. He left out certain areas, like the areolas and the belly button because they're too sensitive for it. Astarion revelled under the attention even though it wasn't his favourite thing. Suddenly, a stupid idea popped into his head, he still voiced it.

"Drip it on my dick."

"That's a terrible idea. That'll seriously burn you."

"Just do it. You can heal me afterwards."

"If you wish," muttered Gale and did as he was told.

When the hot wax hit the tip of Astarion's penis and started flowing down along his length, his mouth fell open in a guttural moan and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Mmmh...oh, fuck..."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" the wizard stated worried.

"Yes, but no. In a way, but it also feels... good," groaned the vampire spawn, his member twitching as the wax started to cool and harden. "It - it's difficult to describe. Do it again."

"Astarion, I don't think that's –"

"Again. Please."

With a sigh, Gale complied. A string of hot wax drizzled over the tip of the penis again, slightly pooling in the slit before running down. The vampire spawn whined and bucked up. It felt so painfully good. Gale stared at him.

"You're getting... hard?" he asked in disbelief.

All Astarion could do was whimper and his member twitched in excitement. His eyes rolled back in his head again when wax hit his erection a third time.

"Oooh Gods!"

He trembled, surprised about teetering at the edge already again.

"I'm going to –"

His sentence ended in a shout as more hot wax dribbled over his length. His mouth fell open in a silent cry and his seeds spilled over, pushing the hardening wax away from the tip. The feeling had him moaning again.

"Most fascinating," mumbled Gale. "I didn't think you could come from this."

"Me neither," panted Astarion with a chuckle.

Gale's unfocused gaze wandered over his lover's wax-littered torso, lost in thought.

"Since your body's colder than a living being’s, you're more sensitive to heat, but only when it's in contact with your skin, not the temperature around you. You don't react this way to the summer heat."

"You're a genius," teased the vampire spawn. "I'm undead, darling. The weather conditions don't bother me, I neither sweat nor freeze."

"I know, but it's a rather peculiar phenomenon," muttered the wizard.

Astarion smirked, petting his husband's hair.

"Can you please focus on our bedroom activities again, darling?"

The addressed blinked and looked up.

"Of course. Apologies."

Gale kissed him gently, then, the vampire spawn smirked.

"Has your research provided you with more methods?"

"Yes, but..." The wizard blushed, averting his gaze. "I doubt you'll enjoy it. It's a rather unconventional, disgusting practice. I don't even want to tell you about it."

Astarion was intrigued by the mysteriousness.

"Do tell."

Gale swallowed and licked his lips.

"Well... it's uh... You like it when I... you know."

The vampire spawn raised an eyebrow questioningly and the wizard wanted to hide somewhere in embarrassment.

"You like it when I spill into you," he finally got out, turning crimson. "But no matter if I use a spell or not, the amount will never be enough to satisfy you. The method I found is... well... one empties one's bladder into one's partner."

Astarion's eyes widened.

"What?" he whispered.

Gale ducked and tried to hide in the sheets.

"It's disgusting, I know. I didn't want to tell you anyway."

"Wait, wait..." The vampire spawn's head was spinning. "You're telling me people pee into their partners?!"

"Yes," mumbled Gale into the blanket.

Astarion blinked, staring at the ceiling. How would that feel like? Being filled with a gush of hot urine. Disgusting, no question, but also... Astarion licked his lips. It would be incredibly warm and much more than a load of semen. He was surprised when a shiver ran down his spine and his member twitched at the thought.

"We could try it," he said lowly.

Gale stared at him in disbelief and suddenly, Astarion felt self-conscious and embarrassed.

"Are you sure? Do you really want to try?"

Biting his lip, the vampire spawn nodded. He would have blushed if that had been physical possible.

"If it's your wish, we can try," Gale told him. "Do you want to do it now?"

Astarion nodded hastily and pulled him into a sloppy kiss. Then, he asked: "Can you though?"

The wizard huffed a laugh, flustered.

"Well, it's morning and I haven't used the privy yet, so... my bladder's rather full."

"Let's do it then," the vampire spawn told him, sounding more confident than he was.

To his utter relief, Gale nodded and replied: "We better do this on the floor. It'll be messy."

Astarion attempted to stumble out of bed, but his lover held him back.

"Let me prepare you first," he said and placed a kiss on his cheek.

The wizard uttered a spell and the candle wax vanished from Astarion's body. The latter was thankful for it because the hardening wax was starting to tug uncomfortably on his skin when he moved. The vampire spawn handed him the lubricant and Gale carefully but efficiently opened him up with his fingers. The vampire spawn sighed and moaned at the gentle treatment. When the wizard finally deemed him ready, he retracted his fingers and placed a kiss on Astarion's erection. The latter rolled out of bed and got down on all fourth. He was so aroused and needy that he didn't feel ashamed anymore. Gale moved closer, pumping himself to full hardness, and positioned himself behind his lover. He bent down and kissed Astarion's tailbone.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," breathed the addressed.

"Ready?"

The vampire spawn nodded, biting his lips in anticipation. Gale kissed his scars first and only then pulled back to push into him. Astarion moaned lowly, closing his eyes blissfully. He loved to be filled by the wizard's cock who had the perfect length and girth. Gale started to move, leisurely thrusting into his partner, hitting his prostate every time. Other than usual, he didn't lean over the vampire spawn but kneeled with a straight back, watching how his member moved in and out of his lover's cold, greedy hole. Moaning lowly, the wizard grabbed onto Astarion's hips to hold him tight.

"Do you – Do you really want this?" he panted. "You have to tell me now, I can't stop later."

"Do it," moaned the vampire spawn. "I want to feel your heat inside me, please."

With a grunt, Gale bottomed out and climaxed, spilling into him, with his head thrown back. Astarion moaned, glutes flexing and trying to milk him dry. The wizard took a deep breath, let go, and started to pee into his lover. Astarion's eyes went wide when the hot urine flooded his cold body. His mouth dropped open in a loud, guttural cry, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he spilled his release onto the floor while the stream of liquid didn't seem to end. His body shook at the sudden warm rush, and he moaned and moaned, as he ass pulsed around Gale's cock.

"Yes... fuck..."

He felt his insides fill up for the first time in over two centuries (from the wrong end, but still), all hot, and so, so much. His eyes rolled again as he kept moaning and drooling onto the floor. Gale slowly rocked into him even though he wasn't hard anymore. Astarion felt the liquid slush around inside him and slightly trickle out and down his thighs, leaving hot traces behind. Whining, he flexed his glutes, hoping to keep as much as possible inside him. Gale moaned lowly at the movement and slowly pulled out. More urine gushed out and down Astarion legs who moaned at the feeling. He hadn't even known that such an act was possible – or practiced. For the first time in centuries, his body felt warm. He could die happy now.

Gale tenderly caressed his buttocks and asked: "How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic," slurred the vampire spawn. "It’s so warm and I'm so... full. Gods..."

"So... it's... good?"

"More than," Astarion moaned.

The wizard brought a hand around him, running it over his belly. Then, he gently pulled Astarion backwards until he was kneeling. The vampire spawn whined when more of the urine gushed out of him and soaked the floor under him, warm and wet.

"Oooh... shit..." he sobbed and trembled.

With a hum, Gale wrapped his arms around him and kissed his husband's neck while he stroke his gaunt belly.

"Are you warm now, Astarion?" he whispered. "Do you feel alive?"

"Yes," the addressed groaned, leaning more into his lover.

Gale chuckled and littered his neck with kisses. Astarion sighed, happy and sated. He had never felt this way before. They dwelled like this for a while, kneeling and embracing, with Gale kissing the vampire spawn's neck and caressing his abdomen while the latter rested his head against the wizard's shoulder. When the liquids started to cool and feel itchy on his skin, Astarion started to wiggle around uncomfortably. Gale cleaned them up with a spell, including the floor, and, instead of sex and urine, the room smelled faintly of lavender. Astarion sighed, turned his head and met Gale for a sweet kiss.

"Thank you for indulging me and my perversions."

"Anything for you."

They kissed again, then, they got up to move back to the bed.

"Oof, my knees are killing me," groaned the wizard and the vampire spawn snickered.

They lay down and cuddled close together. Smiling, Astarion brushed his fingers along Gale's clean-shaven jaw.

"You're getting old, my love."

The wizard stared at him wide-eyed.

"You never call me that before," he whispered and the vampire spawn frowned, concerned.

"I never called you what? Old?"

"My love."

"Oh..." Astarion blinked, surprised. "But, you are. You are my love."

"Astarion..." Gale was at the verge of tears and he hugged his husband.

"You know..." The vampire spawn looked at him. "For almost two centuries, I had to lure young, pretty things back to my master. What I wanted and felt never mattered. And now that I finally have a choice, I realised that I don't like young, pretty things. – Don't get me wrong, I am vain." He smirked a bit. "But my definition of beauty is different than Cazador's. The eye of the beholder and all that."

Astarion stroke Gale's hair, smiling softly.

"You're beautiful. The crow's feet and the lines on your forehead that get deeper with each year that passes. Your majestic hair that's turning more and more grey. Your body that finally gets softer again. I can't wait until you have a pudgy little belly and love handles."

At that, Gale snorted a laugh, but kept quiet otherwise.

"I love that you're growing out your hair. It suits you."

"Well, it's better than a beard," the wizard replied and, with a chuckle, he added: "Tara would be furious if I'd stop shaving again."

"And rightfully so," grinned the vampire spawn and kissed him again. "You know, you do look like your mother."

At that, Gale smiled brightly. Proudly, Astarion realised. He kept caressing his husband's face.

"Since we've met, you've aged and it's beautiful. Because it means that you survived and are alive. I'll never age, but I'm not into youth. I'm attracted to people who show signs of aging, and I can finally choose who I take to bed. – The same goes for Tav, you know? She's not a beauty, obviously, but I love the way her eyes sparkle when she's happy and how her beaming smile lights up a room. I love the freckles on her broad shoulders and her tiny, little breasts, and that she can pick me up with ease and carry me around like a princess. I love her and I love you, and I love that I can be by your sides while both of you age."

"You might change your mind in forty years when we'll be all saggy skin and wrinkles and smell like old people," said Gale softly, but the vampire spawn shook his head.

"No," he replied with a serious expression on his face. "No, I'll always love you, just the way you are."

Smiling, the wizard pulled him in for a kiss, pouring all his feelings into it.

"I love you too," he muttered against his husband's lips. "As long as I live, you won't get rid of me."

Astarion snickered, replying: "I never want to get rid of you, my love."

They stayed in bed, warm and cosy, lying in each other's arms, and trading kisses. For once, time went by without their contribution. Astarion and Gale simply dwelled in each other's company without a care in the world.

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wheretheharekissesthefox · 3 months

Text

Of demons and monsters - Chapter 1: Respect

Astarion can't stop fantasising about finally taking Gale. But, to his utter frustration, the wizard isn't willing. Thus, the vampire spawn's faced with his inner demons and monsters from the past.

(Trigger warning (18+): graphic description of sex, smut, anilingus, anal sex, cunnilingus, consensual blood drinking, body worship, biting, ear kink (kinda), fellatio, fingering, frottage, deepthroating, face-fucking, hand job, thigh fucking, watersports, wax play, mentioning of past non-con/rape, character study, talking lots of talking, emotional rollercoaster, respecting boundaries is sexy)

Notes:

To avoid confusion: In one of my other fanfics, Halsin and Tav had named the owlbear cup Naïlo, which means 'night breeze' in the Elven language.)

Another fic is mentioned in which Tav gifts Astarion a Ring of the Sun-Walker to keep him from burning in the sunlight.

It’s canon that Gale boops Tav’s nose when they’re in a relationship, and I decided that’s a character trait now. :D

Astarion rocked into the soft, pliant body beneath him. Heavy-lidded, his lover panted open-mouthed, looking up at him with those eyes, dark like pools of polished mahogany wood. His greying hair framed his head like a halo, sweat ran down his neck and mixed with the blood on his collarbone. His body felt heavenly around the vampire spawn's prick.

"Astarion," Gale moaned.

With a gasp, the high elf roused from his reverie. He was panting and painfully hard.

"Was it a nightmare?" mumbled Gale sleepily who lay next to him.

Astarion ran a hand through his hair, huffing a laugh.

"No."

His gaze wandered to the wizard whose body was soft, pliant, and relaxed. Just like in his dream. Astarion swallowed and liked his lips. Gale frowned slightly.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, voice still raspy from sleep.

"Yes, in a way," the vampire spawn admitted and leaned down to kiss his lover. Gale sighed into it happily. Astarion rolled on top of him, rubbing his erection against his lover's stomach, and lining them up. Gale gasped into the kiss when Astarion wrapped a hand around the both of them.

"I assume - aah - this has something to do with your - mmh... dream?"

"Yes, very," the vampire spawn growled. The image of a thoroughly fucked-out Gale appeared in his mind again and he groaned in anticipation.

"I need to go to work," the wizard panted and, in contradiction to his words, leaned up into another messy kiss. Astarion growled frustrated.

"Your students can wait. They're usually hungover on Monday anyway."

"I'll get in trouble. I must – mmmh!"

Blissfully, Gale closed his eyes, frowning as he moaned lowly and bucked up into his lover's hand.

"Make it quick, alright?" he told Astarion, and the latter ran his thumb over their glandes. Then, the vampire spawn slightly pulled down his lover's foreskin and rubbed the exposed tip again. The wizard's breath hitched and he mewled beautifully. Astarion felt drunk on his arousal and the still lingering dream. He connected their lips again, demandingly pushing his tongue into Gale's mouth until he climaxed. Panting desperately, the wizard rolled up into his touch and Astarion moaned. He wanted, no, needed to taste his lover. Now. Without further ado, he scooted downwards and took Gale in his mouth. The latter stifled a moan, petting Astarion's hair. With another gasp, he spilled down his lover's throat. Moaning, Astarion swallowed it all while humping against the bedsheets despite being spent. They met for another kiss before Gale got up on shaky legs. Astarion observed him with a smirk, sprawled out on his bed.

"Tonight, I'll run you a bath and you'll wash yourself thoroughly. And then, darling, we'll continue where we left off," he told the wizard in his most sultry voice.

The addressed shuddered, pulled his robe over his shoulders, and walked towards the door. He turned around to smile at his lover before leaving the room.

"I'm looking forward to it, dear."

Astarion reclined his head with a moan, sliding his fingers through the sticky mess on his abdomen. He was still maddeningly aroused and he needed to flush it out of him, or he'd lose his mind. He toyed with himself until he was hard again. Then, he rushed upstairs, looking for Tav who still lolled around in bed. Astarion let his gaze wander over her broad, androgynous, freckled body and he licked his lips hungrily. The bard smirked at him.

"Good morning, love. What a lovely sight to wake up to. Come here."

Astarion complied immediately, crawling onto the bed to kiss her breathless. He ran his fingers down her belly, over the public mound and across her womanhood until he reached her hole.

"May I?" he asked.

It was unusual for them to do this. It was more Shadowheart's thing than his. Tav looked surprised but nodded. Hastily, Astarion grabbed the lubricant, coated his fingers generously and let some of it flow down her crack. Carefully, he pushed his middle finger into the bard, making her moan. He wiggled it around a bit before retracting and wiping it on a towel. Then, he lubed it up again and enter her anew, adding a second finger. Tav moaned and met him halfway. Astarion bent down to slurp at her labia and clitoris. He worked her open, quickly and efficiently, before spreading more lube onto his erection.

"Turn around, darling."

She complied, got up on her knees, and spread her legs. Astarion growled at the sight.

"Yes," he hissed, grabbed onto her buttcheeks to spread them and steadily but carefully pushed into her.

Tav moaned gutturally, arching her back more, and Astarion kept going until he bottomed out with a moan. He threw his head back blissfully, surrounded by tight, pulsating heat.

"You're perfect as always, my love," he told her earnestly. Then, he started to move. In and out, in and out. Sheathing himself inside her as deep as he could. Tav mewled blissfully, eyes rolling back into her head and drooling onto the pillow. Astarion was in heaven, steadily thrusting into her, more forceful each time. In his mind's eye, he saw Gale beneath him. Just like that. Moaning beautifully, greying hair fanning out over his shoulders, his long back sweaty and arched as the vampire spawn pounded him to completion and into oblivion. Astarion moaned, loudly and shamelessly, and with one last thrust, he spilled deep into his lover. Tav groaned and whined, glutes flexing. Astarion pulled out, watching with satisfaction how his seeds spilled out of her winking hole. He flipped her over, eating her out until she came all over his face, then, he bit down on her inner thigh and drank from her. Tav moaned, wrapping her leg around him. Astarion finally let go of her, licking the wound and his lips clean.

"Thank you," he smiled and the bard kissed him.

"That was lovely," she said, sighing contently.

"Mhm," mumbled Astarion. His hunger still wasn't sated.

He waited impatiently until Gale finally returned from work. Tav had cooked dinner and the vampire spawn tapped his foot short-temperedly while Gale, Tav, and Shadowheart were eating. Afterwards, the torturous waiting wasn't over, because the wizard excused himself to mark his pupils' papers before hopping into the bathtub. Astarion paced around in his room like a caged animal, half-mad with arousal.

Finally, Gale walked through the door, wrapped in his favourite blue-purple velvet robe. Astarion's hands were immediately on him, pushing the clothing away to reveal his skin.

"Strip and on the bed. Now," he demanded.

The wizard was taken aback by the harsh tone.

"Is everything alright?" he asked concerned. "What's wrong?"

"All day, I was thinking about this. I can't wait any longer," Astarion told him.

He kissed him desperately, licking into his lover's mouth. Gale sighed and when they parted, he lay down on Astarion's comfortable bed. The latter pounced on him immediately, kissing and mouthing at the wizard's neck.

"I want you. You're mine."

Gale's breath hitched at these words, goosebumps spreading over his delicate skin. Astarion bit down, drinking a bit of his lover's blood. The wizard hummed and stroke the vampire spawn's pointy ears who whined at the touch.

Ever since Gale had figured out how sensitive Astarion's ear were and how significant touching them was in Elven culture, he caressed them daily. He'd been able to get the vampire spawn off this way multiple times.

Astarion left biting kisses along Gale's entire front until he reached his erection. He mouthed at it before starting to suck the wizard off. When he'd gathered enough spit and precum in his mouth, he let go of his lover's dick, hoisted his legs over his shoulders, and licked along the perineum. Gale tensed immediately, like always.

"Astarion," he warned lowly.

For the first time, the addressed ignored him, emptying his mouth right onto the wizard's hole and wiggling his tongue pass the tight ring of muscles. Gale wailed, throwing his head back, and the vampire spawn felt smug. The wizard always attached great importance to the fact that he wasn't loud in the bedroom. Astarion had tried to prove him wrong dozens of times over the past five years. Now, he’d finally succeeded. Complacently, Astarion rolled his tongue around while fumbling for the lube. He coated his fingers, and only now drew back to immediately replace his tongue with his middle finger. Then, he plunged his tongue in next to it. Gale was a mewling mess.

"Astarion, please... I can't..."

The vampire spawn knew the difference between ashamed refusal, healthy discomfort, and real fear. Thus, even though his entire body screamed for him to take, take, take, he drew back and dropped Gale's legs back onto the bed. The wizard was teary-eyed and shaky.

"I can't give you what you want. I'm sorry," he whispered and covered his face with his hands to stifle a sob.

"Now, now. None of that, darling," Astarion pacified. "I won't take nor enjoy what's not given to me freely."

"But I should let you do this. After all, I'm allowed to do it to you," Gale said, voice thick with tears.

"Come here, darling."

Astarion leaned over him in an attempt to kiss him, but the wizard turned his face away. For a second, the vampire spawn's undead heart dropped in fear, but then, he heard a whispered spell. Immediately, the taste of his lover vanished from his tongue and he mourned the loss slightly. That was until Gale finally pulled him into a kiss.

"You don't need to offer yourself to me in the same way I offer myself to you," Astarion told him sincerely. With a slight grin, he added: "If you don't want to be fucked, just say so."

The wizard turned crimson.

"It's just... I don't - I'm scared. And slightly turned off by the thought. I - It makes me uncomfortable."

"It's alright. You don't need to justify yourself," Astarion told him, even though a small, mean part of his brain screamed in utter frustration and wanted to fuck the wizard into oblivion. The vampire spawn was appalled and disgusted by his own thoughts. Thankfully, Gale kissed him again, tangling his fingers in Astarion's curls and the latter's brain stopped screaming so loudly. He moved against Gale's stomach and wrapped his hands around both their members. The wizard's breath hitched and he arched up into the touch.

"Astarion," he whispered blissfully.

The addressed growled and smashed their lips together, fastening his strokes, and pushing his pelvis into his lover who whimpered. Astarion bit down on Gale's neck again, gulping down mouthfuls of his slightly sweet blood. The wizard choked on air, tightening his grip in the vampire spawn's hair, and the latter moaned. Half-crazy with arousal and lust, Astarion kissed Gale again, smearing his blood around. Panting, the wizard licked along his lover's lips, tasting his own blood, and caressed his pointy ears. The vampire spawn moaned loudly, hips stuttering, and Gale threw his head back.

"I love you," he sobbed and rolled upwards into his lover as he reached his high.

A raspy, almost animalistic sound escaped Astarion as he buried his face in the crook of Gale's neck. He brushed his thumb over his glans and painted both their stomachs with his release. He collapsed onto the wizard, pressing their sweaty, sticky bodies together. They kissed messily, all spit, blood, and tongue. They rested silently for a while. Gale fell asleep quickly, almost as if he'd lost consciousness. Astarion lay his ear against his lover's chest, listening to the regular, slightly slowed heartbeat.

The next morning, Astarion woke from his reverie. Gale had turned to his side, facing the wall, still fast asleep. He was warm and soft, his breathing relaxed and his blood circulating slowly. Astarion scooted up against the wizard's back and kissed the delicate neck. He licked and nibbled on it, but didn't bite.

"Mmh..." Gale sighed, slowly stirring from his sleep. He lifted his right arm up to bring it behind him and tangle his fingers in Astarion's hair. The latter sucked a hickey into the junction between neck and shoulder. The wizard moaned quietly, lowered his arm, gripped his lover's buttcheek, and pressed him against his lower back. Astarion growled, rolling his hips up. He was hard and wanting, and Gale's presence drove him mad. Thankful that they were still naked, Astarion moved slightly downwards and let his cock slide between the wizard's cheeks and up his crack. The latter gasped and tensed.

"Astarion," he warned weakly.

The thundering of the wizard's heart and the sudden upsurge of his blood in his veins, made the vampire spawn moan.

"I want to take you so badly," he confessed. "I want to be inside you, feel your heat around me. I want to spill into your body and mark you as mine."

Gale swallowed audibly and trembled. Not in excitement but fear, Astarion realised and his heart sunk.

"I can't. Please, Astarion, anything but this," the wizard whispered. His hand grabbed the back of the vampire's spawn's head again. Distraught. "I thought I could give you anything you want because I love you so much, but my body doesn't listen to my heart. I'm so sorry, Astarion. Please forgive me."

The addressed closed his eyes and growled unhappily. He wanted to feel the tight clutch of his lover's hot body around his prick so badly. Astarion kicked off the blankets, turned around and grabbed the pot of lubricant from the bedside table. He generously coated his erection with it and then, Gale's thighs. The later gasped again when Astarion dragged his fingers up his gluteal cleft and over his hole. After quickly wiping his fingers on his discarded shirt, the vampire spawn gripped Gale's hips and slid his member between his thighs. The wizard panted, his pulse roaring in his ears. Astarion thrusted forwards again and ordered: "Tighten your legs."

His lover complied, pressing his thighs together and the vampire spawn drove his cock between the tight space. But it wasn't enough and he growled in utter frustration. A bit roughly, he turned Gale onto his back who looked up at him wide-eyed and slightly scared. Astarion forced the wizard's legs up and together, closing the gap between his thighs almost entirely. He thrusted forward, sliding between the slick, hot skin and along his lover's slowly forming erection. The vampire spawn threw his head back, baring his teeth.

"Yes!" he hissed.

With a growl, he smacked his pelvis flush against the wizard's thighs. Eyelids fluttering, fangs exposed, feral. Gale gazed up at him, still slightly worried. Panting, he tried to get his hands on his lover, but the latter was too far away.

"Astarion," he pleaded.

The vampire spawn growled again and gritted his bared teeth. Gale shuddered at the unfamiliar look on his lover's face. Astarion moved at a frenzied pace, almost like a man possessed. With his eyes screwed shut, he imagined that the pressure around his cock was the wizard's tight channel. How that trembling body would suck him in greedily until he spilled deep inside of it. Astarion moaned, hips stuttering. He opened his eyes to look at his lover who's skin was flushed, covered in a sheen of sweat. The wizard observed him, panting and with eyes at half-mast. He looked even more beautiful than in Astarion's dream.

"Gale," the vampire spawn groaned and spilled all over the wizard.

The addressed shuddered with a moan, tightening his legs around him.

"Aah... Gods..."

Astarion didn't even registered the small aborted thrusts his hips were still making, desperate for more. He went cross-eyed for a second and closed his lids. Gale twitched and trembled beneath him, skin hot and slick with lube and sweat. The vampire spawn groaned again, baring his teeth. The wizard reached for him and was finally able to pull him into a messy kiss. They moaned into it and Astarion rolled his hips forward when Gale stroke his pointy ears.

"Gods, I want to crawl inside of you," the vampire spawn groaned and the wizard whimpered lowly.

Astarion grabbed the pod of slick again and rolled onto his knees. Impatiently, he opened himself up, pushing past the discomfort of overstimulation caused by his orgasm. If he couldn't fuck Gale, he at least could be fucked. He took a hold of the wizard's hard-on, stroke it a few time, and sunk down on it. He groaned as he was filled by the familiar cock. A very good cock, he had to admit. Astarion splayed his hands over Gale's hairy chest and circled his hips when he was flush with his pelvis. Then, he started to move, moaning as his prostate was stimulated with every thrust. Gale met every one of them, rolling his hips up. Panting, he stroked Astarion's thighs and gazed at him heavy-lidded.

"I'm going to –"

"Yes! In me! Gods, please!" Astarion whined, desperate to feel the heat inside his cold, undead body. It made him feel alive again.

With a bitten-off moan, Gale climaxed and the vampire spawn dropped down onto his lap in the hope of being filled as deeply as possible while his own spent member drooled with precum.

"I don't just want to fill you up, I also want to be full myself," Astarion revealed. "I always feel so alive when you spill your hot seeds in me. I wish you could fill me up until I burst."

The wizard turned crimson and wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. It still shocked him how directly and bluntly Astarion voiced his desires.

The vampire spawn got off him, moaning lowly as his lover's member slipped out of him. He felt less in a frenzy now, and was almost sated. With a heavy sigh, he collapsed next to Gale and the latter, absentmindedly, started to trace the scars on his back gently. They recovered like this for a while, surrounded by comfortable silence.

"I'm truly sorry I can't get over my issues and offer myself to you," the wizard muttered, disappointed in himself. "I wish I could."

The vampire spawn sighed deeply.

"I told you it's fine. I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't frustrate me, but I won't pressure you into doing it. I don't want you to hate me."

"I could never hate you." Gale smiled softly and caressed his lover's ears. "Even if you would take me by force, I couldn't hate you."

Astarion tensed at those words and shot up from the bed.

"I'm not like him! I'm not like Cazador! I'd never force myself onto you or anyone else! I'd never rape you!"

The wizard's eyes went wide in shock.

"I - That's not what I was trying to say. I'd never imply that you –"

"No matter how desperately I want to fuck you, I'd never just take it from you – even though I could!" interrupted Astarion, hissing. "I'm not a monster!"

"Of course not!" replied Gale miserably. He sat up, grasped his lover's chin and kissed him. "You're wonderful, Astarion, and I love you so much. I know you'd never hurt me on purpose."

"But you were afraid. I could smell it," the addressed got out between gritted teeth.

"I - Yes. Yes, I was," admitted Gale with a sigh, "despite knowing that I'm safe with you. I'm sorry, the mind's a fickle thing."

The vampire spawn turned his head away, glowering. Gale's heart broke a little. He hugged his lover tightly and Astarion sniffled a bit.

"I'm sorry," the wizard whispered again. He was desperately searching for the right words, but his verbosity didn't help him this time.

"So am I," muttered Astarion into his shoulder. "I should be able to simply accept your choice and move on without being frustrated, but I can't."

Gale swallowed thickly, squeezing his eyes shut in shame. He was at the verge of tears, angry at himself for being uncooperative and such a scaredy-cat.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me," he whispered again.

The vampire spawn hummed, stroke his back, and replied: "There's nothing to forgive. I'm not angry at you. – Well, maybe a bit. But that's not your fault. – I... I remember it clearly, you know? How much I hated to lure people into Cazador's palace with my body. How dirty and disgusted I felt. And how scary it was whenever he – Anyway, it was always the same: forcing myself through it, a moment of disgust, and moving on. Back then, I thought I can just push through and move forward without a problem, but the memories still hunt me to this day. Thus, even though I might not like it, I'd never force you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Gale's tears spilled over and he kissed his lover's neck, holding him tight.

"I love you," he whispered, crying silently. "I wish I could erase all those memories from your mind without hurting you further. I want you to be happy, but even I can't give you everything you want. I'm so sorry."

Astarion squeezed his eyes shut, his heart ached, and there was a lump in his throat. He held the wizard tighter.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he murmured.

Gale sobbed, chest heaving and shoulders trembling, and the vampire spawn turned his face into his lover's hair.

"I doubt you're in shape to teach your classes today. You're an utter mess, darling," he remarked to lighten the mood.

The addressed huffed a watery laugh, his hot breath ghosting over Astarion's neck and making the latter shudder. Gale mumbled a spell and conjured forth a piece of paper on which text appeared. Then, with a snap of the wizard's fingers, the letter vanished into thin air.

"I informed the academy of my absence," muttered Gale. "I wish to spend the day with you."

"So do I."

Astarion smiled and hugged his lover closer. They stayed like this for a while, then, Astarion asked: "Would you like to go upstairs and eat breakfast?"

"No, I'm not hungry yet."

Frowning, the vampire spawn ran his hands over Gale's flanks.

"You're eating too little, you've lost weight," he told him. "Your hipbones are as prominent as mine now, and I can feel your ribs through your skin. I prefer it when your body has a nice layer of fat and is all soft and squishy. It's so much more comfortable and nice to touch than my skinny, pointy one."

"I like your body," replied Gale, caressing his lover's lower back. "Don't talk bad about yourself, you're beautiful."

"I know that, darling." Astarion rolled his eyes in amusement. "What I'm saying is that softness fits you better."

The wizard sighed and explained: "I'm very busy at the academy at the moment, and when I'm stressed, I lose my appetite. When I first got struck with the Netherese Orb, I was in a bad place mentally, plus, I obviously didn't wish to level myself nor the city. Thus, I pretty much stopped eating." He huffed a laugh with a small smile. "Dear old Tara tried to force food into me daily, and later, when I finally let my mother see me again, she regularly dropped by to cook for me. – After getting infected with our unwanted passengers and meeting our merry little bunch, I started to eat regularly again. After all, the journey and battles were strenuous and... the way to people's hearts is through their stomachs. Thus, I cooked for everyone in camp, hoping I could make friends."

"Your strategy worked. Everyone loves you." The vampire spawn winked. "Come on, darling, let's go upstairs and I make you some tea. There should be some of your bread rolls left – except if Tav and Shadowheart already ate them all."

At that, Gale laughed delighted.

"I'm surprised how much they like my baking. It isn't my strong suit, I'm better at cooking."

Astarion tsked at him playfully, waging his finger.

"Give yourself more credit. Judging by the smell wafting through the house when the buns are in the oven, they must taste delicious." He placed a kiss on his lover's lips. "Come on now. I'm very good at brewing tea."

Gale chuckled and kissed him again.

"You are," he said, booping the vampire spawn's nose.

They got dressed and walked to the kitchen. According to the position of the sun, it was around noon already. The women weren't around, but they'd left their traces. The last two bread rolls laid on a plate with some butter, honey, and Tav's home-made quince jelly. Next to it was a note with the bard's unmistakable scribbly handwriting.

They're heavenly, I almost ate them all, but Shadowheart told me to leave you some because otherwise you'd be sad. She's right of course, and I love to share anyway. We wish you a wonderful day. Enjoy your breakfast, love.

At the other end of the table lay the newest erotic novel by S. Mutty. There was a note on it too, with Shadowheart's neat handwriting.

Astarion, I bought this yesterday at the bookshop. It's finally out! I read it already, obviously. It's about a pirate captain and a young noble woman. Good trash this time: hot, well-written, porn with plot. Have a nice day. - S.

The men cooed at the thoughtful gestures.

"Shadowheart has really opened up to you," said the wizard. "It's lovely that you found a common interest and you're sharing it with each other."

"She can be sweet when she wants to be," agreed Astarion while placing the pot with water on the stove. Then he made a flamboyant hand gesture towards it. "Could you, darling?"

Gale immediately lit the fire in the stove with a flick of his wrist. Then, he smirked bashfully, remarking: "When you've read it, could I borrow it?"

The vampire spawn snickered delighted.

"Of course. Anything for you. I'm well aware of your own impressive collection on the uppermost bookshelves. I'm sure you're aware Shadowheart steals them regularly before bedtime."

"I am," chuckled the wizard, slightly flushed. "It seems the three of us have found common ground."

"Well... sex brings people together, and we're not only sharing our lovely bard, but also our passion for erotic novels," grinned Astarion. "Maybe that's the secret of our family's dynamic."

"Maybe," smiled Gale.

Astarion brewed some lavender tea, kissed his lover until it was ready, and then filled a cup for him. He sat down opposite Gale and watched him eat. The vampire spawn's fingers twitched, he couldn't contain himself any longer and opened the novel. The Swallowing Sea. What an awful pun. Still, Astarion was intrigued.

"You can start reading, dear," the wizard told him amused. "I do have a request though."

Astarion frowned at him and Gale, blushing again, muttered: "Read it aloud."

The vampire spawn grinned widely, fangs glinting in the sunlight, and he purred: "You filthy, little thing."

Gale turned crimson. Meanwhile, Astarion flipped over the front page to look at the first chapter.

"Life in nobility is dreary. Men are expected to step into their father's shoes and keep the family's reputation clean. Women are expected to behave ladylike, stay beautiful forever, and bear heirs for their husbands. Lady Esmeralda Whitestone of Waterdeep is rather unhappy about it. Thus, she decided to flee the night before her arranged wedding to Duke Gerd Tash. Our beautiful, kind-hearted, busty heroine ran to the harbour and hid on a ship. What she didn't know is that said ship belongs to the infamous pirate captain Omar Blackstone. The scullion found Esmeralda below deck when he's grabbed turnips for the soup. Our heroine has been brought to Captain Blackstone's chamber for punishment. The tall, muscular, bearded pirate looks her up and down, eyes dwelling on her heaving bosom. 'You were very naughty, Lady Esme,' he tells her smiling, voice like a bellowing wave rolling over a gravel beach. 'You deserve punishment for sneaking onto my ship. And said punishment is to be a courtesan. First, I'll have my way with you until you're thoroughly wet and soaked, screaming, with my name on your sweet lips. Then, I'll let my crew take you until all my men are satisfied. I think that's a suitable punishment for a little noble lady who didn't behave very ladylike. You get treated the way you act, sweetheart.' Esmeralda's eyes widen in shock – but also excitement. She has been kept pure for her soon-to-be husband, and the thought of being deflowered by the rough-looking Captain Blackstone makes her weak in the knees. 'Do whatever you want to me,' she breathes, cheeks flushed. 'But be gentle. It's my first time.' Captain Blackstone steps towards her and says: 'Don't you worry, sweetheart, I will be. I'll bestow you a night of passion you'll never forget. I'll ruin you for everyone else. I'll be the only one who can make you sing.' And then, he kisses her breathless, their tongues dancing and tangling like seaweed in the current.'"

With bated breath, Gale listened to Astarion's calm voice as he read the trashy, smutty novel to him. They forgot about time and space, dwelling at the kitchen table, while the sun wandered and the tea got cold.

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