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He frowned. "What question?" |
you have in mind? For right now?" She traced her fingertip over the curve of his ear, tugging lightly at the sharp point. |
, my darling..." He trailed off, covering her hand with his. "I had... That is..." He trailed off, struggling to find the right way to explain it. |
have been easy. He wanted her, he wanted to be close to her. He craved her nearness, not sensually, just to be close. He wanted to crawl into her skin, he wanted to be held so tightly by her that they would never be parted. |
He was quickly learning that it was much easier to |
, and so much harder to give those feelings form with his words. |
Aspen remained quiet as he mulled over what he wanted to say. She ran her hands up and down his arms, reaching up to play with his hair, twisting curls around and around her fingers, dragging her fingers across his scalp like a massage. |
Finally the words came to him, falling from his lips like a confession. "I just want to be close to you. I want to stay like this, in your arms." He hesitated, feeling helpless as she watched him, with nothing but the shine of the stars to illuminate her face. "For as long as you’ll allow me." |
"Then we can stay like this, my love." Her arms wrapped around his neck, hands pressing against the back of his head as she gently drew him close. "We can stay just like this for as long as you’d like." |
"Really?" He could scarcely believe it, even as she tucked his head beneath her chin. His cheek was cushioned against her breast, the steady pulse of her heart echoing through him. |
." She rubbed circles against his back, her hand gliding up to tangle in his hair before sliding back down along his spine. "I love being close to you, too." |
A familiar wave of uncertainty made his belly clench, and he couldn’t help but hazard a look back at her. "Are you sure? There is nothing else you want?" |
Her fingertips drummed against his back as she hummed, face scrunching up as she feigned contemplation. "It’s been a while since I’ve had a nice pastry and a coffee. I hear there are some delightful places in the city." |
He snorted. "That’s it?" |
"I wouldn’t mind a new book when all this is over. I think I’m going to need a few quiet days to recover." |
Astarion scraped his teeth against her skin, earning a yelp. |
"You asked!" She hissed. "I was only telling you of some things I wanted." |
"Forgive me, love," he murmured, pressing a chaste kiss to the bite. "I’d meant are you sure there is nothing else you want in this moment?" |
"If it’s not too much |
," she began, fingers dancing along the nape of his neck. "Can I kiss you?" |
The tension that had been clutching his stomach with an iron-grip fell away, replaced by the feeling of a thousand gauzy wings fluttering within his stomach and his chest. They flitted idly between his ribs, perching on his bones, sending ripples through the oceans in his veins, like waves and tides. |
Aspen brought her lips to his brow, smoothing his hair back as she kissed him. Gentle, soft as a feather brushed against his skin. Her breath fanned across his brow, her lashes tickling him as her eyes fell closed. |
He reached up, his hand cupping the back of her head. "Wait." |
"What’s wrong?" |
"Nothing’s wrong, only..." His words came out in a breathless rush. "Could you do that again?" |
Another kiss to his forehead, just as soft and sweet as the first. "Like this?" |
"Perhaps you should try that again, darling," he drawled, smiling against her skin. "I’m not sure if you got it quite right." |
softly, but she kissed him again. And again. And then her hands were reaching up to grasp his face, to tip it up towards her as she pressed kisses all over his face, from his brow to his cheeks to the tip of his nose, no part of him was safe from her affections. |
She kissed him until he was quivering with laughter, struggling to keep it in, lest they wake their companions. |
," he hissed, although he was smiling so widely his face hurt, bubbles of laughter nearly choking out his words. |
"I can’t help it!" She sighed, giving him her best pout as she tucked him back against her chest. "I just love you, and I just get overwhelmed by it. I want you to know that I love you." |
As his laughter slowly melted away he began to relax in her arms once more, a small smile still lingering on his lips. He rolled his hips in revenge for her making him laugh, earning a sharp gasp. "I know you do. Everything you do shows me how much you |
me, my darling." |
He expected a stuttering response, her words to turn to nonsense as they were prone to do when he teased her. But she only smiled at him wickedly, her touch still gentle as a breeze rustling through his hair. "I do. And I know just as well how you, my beloved, love me dearly." |
who ended up struggling to find a response, his tongue heavy in his mouth, his words nothing but stammering nonsense. He opened his mouth, floundering like a beached fish. |
"Am I wrong?" She teased, mussing his hair. "Have I assumed incorrectly?" |
"No, my darling," he gasped, his words spilling like a flood. In the back of his mind he questioned who he was becoming, this soft-hearted, blathering, lovesick fool who could not even string together a coherent sentence as she held his gaze. Surely he could not be the same person as he was when they had first met, roguish and clever and sharp-tongued. |
Although then again, maybe he didn’t want to be that person anymore. Maybe he wanted to be someone different, maybe he wanted to be himself, whoever that person was. |
It would take him a long while to figure that out, and perhaps it would change every day, but he did know one thing that would forever be unchanging, one thing he wanted to be more than anything. He wanted to be cared for and loved, he wanted to be hers. |
"I care for you, more than anything," he admitted, the words still falling free before he could think them through. "I love you more than I thought I could ever love. That’s the truth, I swear it." |
He was holding her so tightly his fingers had dug into the soft skin at her waist. He loosened his grip, smoothing his palms over the crescent moon indents he had left in his wake. "I know I’ve lied when I’ve said those words before, but I mean it. I feel like I am |
, truly, in a way I never was, even before." |
She remained quiet, playing with his hair, watching him with a little smile. Starlight shone in her eyes, or maybe it wasn’t starlight. Maybe the stars were only reflecting her light back from the skies. |
The final words he spoke were little more than a breath, stolen away by the quiet keen of the midnight wind. "I love you." |
Aspen’s eyes glowed all the brighter, silver pooling at their edges. "I didn’t know you were such a romantic." |
He scoffed, although his heart wasn’t in it. |
She didn’t seem to mind, her touch so loving as she slid her hands from his hair, stroking his neck and back. "I’ll try to be worthy of your love." |
He held her tighter, burying his face in the valley between her breasts once more so she could not see his blush. "Just keep holding me. Keep holding me and don’t let go." |
"I can definitely do that." He felt her cheek pressing against the top of his head, her breath tangling in his hair. "I’ll hold you for as long as you want." |
Although he could not sleep, not the way Aspen did, Astarion still closed his eyes. Nestled safely against her, he let his mind wander. He no longer bothered to look at the stars, did not even think of them. He knew that even if he were cursed to live amongst the shadows once more, there would still be light. Aspen would be there with him, brighter than any star, brighter than even the sun. |
She would keep him close, hold him tight whenever he needed it, and whenever she wanted to be close too. And in her arms, he was finally free, he was finally home. |
Wyll glances across the embers of a campfire and at the druid sitting across from him. "So Halsin, now that we're nearing Baldur's Gate, how do you feel?" He asks, taking a sip of his water. |
Halsin smiled, a jovial huff leaving his nostrils not unlike a bear or an elk emoting with its breath. "As the city grows on the horizon, so do my spirits." |
Wyll raises his cup, its contents sloshing back and forth. "Well said, my friend." |
"But if I must be so picky, there is one memory I can't seem to shake from my mind." |
"Oh? Do tell. I assure you, there is no thought too disturbing or gruesome for me." |
"It's just-- ah... hm... last night, I ran into a friend of ours." |
"Ah. Was it Volo by any chance?" |
"I believe he goes by His Majesty." |
"... like the cat from the inn?" |
"Yes! He's a fine gentleman, albeit demanding at times." |
"... mm." Wyll remembers for a moment that animals are, indeed, dear friends to the druid. |
"I didn't notice -- I was so preoccupied with seeing an old friend -- that he was nestled securely in Astarion's embrace. He looked quite upset with me when His Majesty leapt from his arms and into mine." |
"One must always respect the bond between a vampire and his cats." |
Halsin laughs. "Indeed. I wish to speak to him properly, but he seems to avoid me whenever I approach." |
Wyll gives him a handsome, reassuring smile. "He'll get over it when the time comes. Something tells me he hasn't learnt the grown up way to handle his feelings over the last two centuries." |
Halsin frowned. "Perhaps." |
The druid did not anticipate this being their welcome into the city. |
Their group had found a ship from the docks at Moonrise curiously sitting just off the Chionthar River. Tav, in all their impulsivity, went to investigate before a fight broke out between two groups bickering about a "Stone Lord". |
In the chaos, Astarion took a near fatal arrow to the side that sliced through him unexpectedly. With everyone else occupied in the madness, Halsin carried him with ease and took cover behind a rustic wooden structure by the beach. |
"Dammit, Astarion, come back to us!" Halsin barks. He paws around the surface of an old desk next to them before finding a tall vial of red, shimmering liquid. He pops the cork and pinches Astarion’s jaw open before pouring its contents between his lips. |
It’s risky to jam some random fluid down his throat, but an old saying about ports in a storm came to Halsin's mind and he brushed aside any hesitation he might have had. |
Astarion gulps it down obediently. His throat might be the only muscle he can muster any strength into right now. |
The slashing of iron and the roar of battle resonate behind them as Halsin holds his breath. Nothing happens. He’s certain it went down, yet Astarion lies there wordlessly with sweat running down his face and his chest pumping quickly. The wound in Astarion’s side is leaking faster despite Halsin’s efforts to squeeze it shut. |
Halsin grits his teeth and conjures words of healing, trying to remember the incantation he uses so rarely. It's an excruciating wait, but with a pleasant blue glow he watches as the healing energy courses through Astarion's body and lets him take a deep breath of air. Halsin sighs in relief. |
"I'm up, I'm up!" Astarion grunts as he slowly makes his way to his feet. The grogginess of near-death clouds his muscle memory -- he can barely tell which way is up as he grabs the table leg and the sandy wooden floor underneath him. Luckily, the druid pulls him up (which Astarion almost refuses before remembering to be nice for Tav's sake) and together they jump back into the fight. |
" Gasp! What in the hells could have happened so close to the city?" Gale coos and dotes over Tav, all but clutching his pearls at the sight of their bloodied bodies. Tav squirms shyly and tries to escape Gale's onslaught but can't help himself once the wizard had dragged him over to a water barrel and started splashing his face clean. |
"Don't worry, it's not our blood. We're patched up as far as I know. We met an odd group talking about a "Stone Lord" before a battle broke out. We'd do well to investigate it once we get to the city. Of course, we'll need to look out for any Sharrans as well..." Shadowheart trails off. |
"I'm just glad you're all okay," Karlach smiles. |
Tav, thoroughly polished and patted dry thanks to Gale, asks Halsin very kindly if he can stay at camp. |
"Of course. May Silvanus guide you," he smiles, secretly relieved that he gets a moment to rest and recover his druidic magic. |
Astarion, on the other hand, is not so happy to be asked the same. |
"Ugh. Fine. I suppose I'll just lounge around while you do all the hard work," the vampire sneers, already pulling a book out to keep him company. |
Of course , he's upset. They had just been reaching the gate when all of a sudden Tav decides to move him to the back of the queue? Gods forbid a man live out his dreams of walking Wyrm's Crossing in broad daylight again. |
Tav heads back out with Wyll, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel in tow. Surprisingly, the wizard and the tiefling follow suit. |
"Wha-- where are you two going?" Astarion asks, peering at the two from his throw pillows. |
Halsin, on the other hand, is too busy emptying the bloodied water out in the lake to notice. |
"Gale and I are heading out to see if there's any infernal iron in the town nearby! This engine is reaal greedy," Karlach pounds her chest for emphasis. |
"And I most certainly understand that feeling," Gale nods. |
"Tsk. Alright, you two lovebirds have fun," Astarion waves them off nonchalantly, already sick of their little comedy routine. |
"What was that?" |
"Yup! Thanks, Astarion!" Karlach waves joyfully and drags the little wizard out of camp before he can open his verbose mouth. |
Astarion chuckles in amusement. He watches them get smaller, smaller, and smaller, then eventually become tiny specks on the path towards Rivington. They walk past some foliage and officially disappear from his sight. |
He tries to focus on the book in his lap -- a supposedly "thrilling romance" with an "epic twist" -- but finds himself with an inexplicable tremor. He shakes his head, as if trying to snap himself out of some sort of nervous spell. His heart beats faster and he continues to tremble under the weight of his own body. Growing more frustrated by the second, he squeezes himself deeper into his pillows and tries to slow his breathing. No such luck. |
He lifts his fingers from the pages and finds damp spots of sweat from where they were. What in the hells? The sun is suddenly burning a hundred times hotter than when the day started. |
Immediately, Astarion's eyes shoot open in realization. Fuck . The tadpole's powers must be fading somehow. He throws the book to the side (a crime most foul if Gale were to see it) and clambers into his tent, pulling the flap down behind him. |
Astarion lies on his back and curses all the Gods he could think of. Why him? Why now? And on top of that, Halsin was the only one who could help him now. |
Halsin... yes... the rotten thief who took His Majesty away from him. |
Astarion groans and throws an arm over his eyes to get some relief. There is no way he’s asking Halsin for help. He'd sooner give birth to a hook horror than face the idiotic druid again. |
His billowy shirt suddenly weighs ten more pounds on him. Eager to breathe normally, he peels it off of his skin and folds it carefully before setting it down in the corner. The book, he could toss aside. But his favourite shirt? Not so easily. |
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