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[noisycroissant]

Our Sweet Wife (Bonus chapter)

Nanami Kento x F!Reader x Toji Fushiguro

Prologue

********

Your head felt hazy. Breaths coming in small pants, you felt sweat bead and roll down your spine. You felt your hair sticking to your forehead, you think your legs will give away soon.

But Toji doesn't relent.

He keeps his pace. His hard cock driving into you at a staccato, his strong arms holding you up against the wall.

"You have the most perfect pussy, princess," he drawls in your ear, each word punctuated by a thrust and snap of his hips. You cling onto him, wrapping your legs around his waist, two people so impossibly close together that it was a miracle there was space for him to pull his cock out before driving it back in.

"Are you in here, my love?"

Your head snaps towards the door as Kento opens it, taking in the debauched scene happening in the bathing chamber of your shared quarters.

"Fucking hell, Kento. You wouldn't believe how she tightened up when she heard your voice," Toji says continuing to fuck his cock into you.

Kento holds your gaze as he asks, "Is that true, my love? Do I have that effect on you even though it's his cock giving you pleasure?"

You nod dumbly as Kento moves and kisses you deeply. Toji chooses that exact moment to swipe circles around your clit, leaving you undone in their arms.

"My turn, darling," Kento whispers against your lips before turning and leaving towards the bedroom. You can feel Toji's smirk against your neck as he says, "Let's get you cleaned up, princess."

*******

Twenty minutes later Toji carries you to your bedroom.

"Toji, sit back against the headboard and hold our sweetheart to your chest," Kento instructs.

"Oh you're in for fun, princess," Toji teases as he sets the both of you up as told.

"Now hold her open."

Toji hooks each of your legs over each of his and holds you open. You blush fiercely as you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror on the wall opposite your bed.

Spread open, your folds clearly seen, body held flush by strong arms with wandering fingers. You could feel yourself getting wetter.

Kento moves onto the bed, taking you by surprise as he kisses you fiercely. His hand moves to your pussy, thumb gently stroking along your folds, collecting your sweet juices. He breaks the kiss and holding your gaze, licks his thumb clean.

"Sweetest thing in our life," he murmurs before he dives down to devour your pussy. His tongue moves up and along the inner fold before licking a circle around your clit and following down to your opening.

You mean wantonly and arch into Toji's chest. Toji cups your plush tits, his fingers start rolling your puckered nipples expertly.

The room comes alive with the wet sounds of Kento eating you out, broken intermittently by the sounds of your moaning and pleading.

"Kento...I'm going to cum...Please I'm going to cum," you beg. Kento simply moves to suck your clit hard and you fill his mouth with your release, shuddering in Toji's arms.

You open your eyes to see Kento wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "She's all yours, brother," says Toji as he moves to sit on the armchair near your bed.

In one move, Kento has you flipped onto your hands and knees. "You're ready for me, aren't you, princess?" You hum in approval as you feel Kento's cock, hot and thick, push into your wetness.

"So fucking tight, my love," Kento whispers in your ear, then moves to grip your hips tightly as he fucks you. You take each pounding thrust as it brings you closer and closer to another orgasm, when your eyes fall on Toji.

Toji, sitting spread out on the armchair, watching you get fucked. While his hand works his cock, his eyes never leave yours.

"You're right, Toji. She tightens up if she's being watched," Kento chuckles.

"C'mere sweetheart," Kento says as he moves to sit on the edge of the bed. He seats you onto his cock and holding your legs up, starts fucking into you.

All the while facing Toji who'd started stroking his cock faster.

"You like being watched? You like us taking turns to use this sweet cun?" Answer me, princess, or you don't get to cum," Kento warns as his bounces get sloppier and sloppier.

"Yes YES PLEASE... Kento, I love it... Please I need you to use me," you beg incoherently as you feel the coil snap, body trembling as the orgasm takes you.

You feel Kento's pants get harsher as he spills himself inside you and open your eyes just in time to see Toji standing in front of you, ropes of cum spurting from his cockhead to splash onto your chest.

"If you wish to be used by us, princess, all you had to do was ask," says the green-eyed man, the scar across his lips stretching with his smile.

*******

[noisycroissant]

The Ascendant's Bride

Part 2

Summary: That's not a tear in the bride's eye.

Catch up on part 1 here

*******

As Tav and the others sit down at the back of the pews, the many-chambered pipe organ in the corner of the hall starts up.

Karlach slips her hand into Tav's and squeezes once. Tav squeezes back, turning to the sound of the heavy doors opening to the left of the hall.

A petite figure enters, wearing a black gown cuffed and hemmed with beautiful, intricate lacework. Strands of pearls loop around her neck while a blood red veil covers her hair and face.

Lady Eirene Maximilian. Dhampir daughter of Count Maximilian of Greyhawk.

All eyes follow the figure as she slow marches to the altar. Astarion's smile turns positively Cheshire the closer she gets to him. As he gently lifts the veil off her face, the party sees him waver for a second before the smile is plastered back on.

"Tch... I suppose Astarion's bride will not be the obedient little pet he'd thought she'd be," Lae'zel says, her voice laced with amusement and venom.

Eirene was looking at her future husband right in the face as he lifted her veil. The candlelight glinting off her dark eyes showed one thing very clearly to Astarion.

Defiance.

*******

"You will marry him. That is what I order you to do, Eirene. Defy me and you will learn that being 500 years old means I know ways of inflicting pain that you'd never dreamt of," yells the Count, his fingers digging into Eirene's cheeks.

"Then be prepared to welcome me home as a widow, Father, for I am not cattle to be bargained and sold!" Eirene yells back, her threat falling on deaf ears as the Count stalks out of her room, fury coming off him in waves.

"If this Lord Ancunín thinks I will be the perfect wife that stands in his shadow supporting his climb to power...he has another fucking thing coming to him," she mutters as she walks to the palace library to find books about Baldur's Gate.

*******

[Short update chapter, I know. Been a bit busy lately. I'll be back with a longer chapter soon, darlings]

[noisycroissant]

The Ascendant's Bride

Part 1

Summary: A vampire wedding to consolidate power. The companions see just how wretched an ascendant can be.

Here's part 2

*******

The invitations had reached them just a week ago. It had landed in letterboxes in Waterdeep, a Selúnite post near Candlekeep, it even reached Karlach and Wyll in Avernus via an imp.

The wedding of Astarion Ancunín, Vampire Ascendant...

....with Lady Eirene Maximilian of the esteemed Vampire Court of the city of Greyhawk...

*******

"Tav, what do you make of this?" Gale asked. He'd been the first one to gather his wits and use a sending stone to try and contact the others.

"Always knew he was power hungry. Didn't think he'd go this far," Shadowheart said, rolling her eyes.

Tav was quiet. She knew all eyes would always be on her when it came to talk about Astarion.

He had been so sweet to her. So eager to find freedom and happiness. Till she'd refused to help him finish the Ritual of Profane Ascension. He'd turned his back on them all that night.

"I hope you die screaming."

That was the last thing any of them had heard from him. Of course they knew where he was and what he was upto. His gathering of power was an open secret. Everyone in Baldur's Gate knew that the new lord of Szarr's Palace was three things:

Handsome. Charming. Ruthless.

People who crossed him were few and far. There were never any witnesses or evidence to nail him to the stocks but people knew as they always have.

The lord in the high castle was not of the realm of men.

"Say what you will about Astarion, I know in my bones that this wedding will be something people will talk about for centuries," Karlach adds with a grin, "We should go and add to the story."

And so it was decided.

*******

To the party's surprise, they were the only mortals at the wedding. The grand hall was filled with people adorning the richest fabrics and plushest furs. Rubies and diamonds winked and twinkled off ears and throats. And the hall itself? Polished and decorated with the finest crystal and teakwood furniture this side of Faerûn.

A thousand crimson eyes watch the party as they walk in and make their way to the hall.

And they see Astarion for the first time in ten years.

He looks absolutely the same, down to the curl in his hair. But the aura of power and strength radiating from him was hard to miss. There was a glint in his eye, but it wasn't mischievous anymore. It looked dangerous. Cruel. Unforgiving.

"There you are, my dearest comrades!" He gestures to the rest of the guests, "Everyone to me!! Meet the saviours of Baldur's Gate. In the flesh!"

The same haughty tone in his voice but laced with something evil now.

Tav felt something drop in her belly. She feels Shadowheart grab her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I feel it too. The...evil emanating off him. I think I might shed a tear after all."

"Fan-Astarion! Good to see you too, buddy," says Karlach good-naturedly, "Seems the years have been uh..kind to you."

"Wish I could say the same for you, dear Karlach. The reek of brimstone was evident before you stepped inside the gate. And Wyll Ravengard! How goes your life as a monster hunter in Avernus?" Astarion simpers.

"I'm on the clock, if that matters to you. So watch yourself," Wyll replies meeting Astarion's eye.

"Oh my! Threatening the groom on his big day? Plan to make off with my bride too, Baby Duke?" Astarion mocks.

"Your bride...who is she? Why do this, Astarion?" Tav asks, finally finding her voice.

"Oh my sweet Tav," he says, tone honeyed just like Tav remembers, but this time it scratches her spine with dread, "For power of course. Eirene is a dhampir, born of a fullblood father and an elven mother. Marrying her makes my reach grow. Maybe I'll even be blessed enough to hear the flutter of little bat wings of my own."

"A lamb to a slaughter. For shame, Astarion, I'd assumed you less cowardly than this," Lae'zel spits.

In less than a blink of an eye, Lae'zel had a dagger at her throat. "Spilling blood at a vampire wedding is not unheard of, Lae'zel. I'd advise you to ensure its not yours," he whispers in her ear.

"To your seats, my friends. The ceremony is about to begin."

*******

[noisycroissant]

Imagine being Mafia Head! Nanami's P.A. (Part 3)

Nanami sends his personal tailor to your little apartment to dress you up for the event. The man tutted at the state of your nails and your eyebrows while he took measurements, yelling out to his assistant all the things they'd have to do to make you look like someone Nanami would actually date.

Having a Princess Diaries montage has always been on your bucket list anyways.

When Nanami sees you in the cool interior lighting of the limo that came to pick him up, he worried for a split second that you'd see his jaw drop. (What actually happened was that he raised an eyebrow and said, "You look...nice" in his usual brusque tone.)

Nanami tells you to stay by his side throughout the event, not to drink more than two flutes of champagne, and to definitely not talk to any man other than him. There's dangerous people at the event, and he was not risking anything.

You do as you're told, but the grandeur and glitz of the whole thing...it's like a dream. Such shiny, happy people, polished to perfection and you look like one of them.

Nanami grabs your arm suddenly, pulling you with him towards the exit. "We're going. Now!"

You're confused but go along. He helps you into the limo, and you can almost see the anger rolling off him in waves, his fists clenched tight.

"Nanami-san, is there something I can do? Would you like to tell me what happened?" you offer helpfully.

Nanami looks at you for a long minute. You feel the blood rushing to your cheeks, face heating up under his sharp gaze. Did you do something offensive at the event?

He cups your face, strong fingers against your cheekbones, and draws you closer to him. You hold his eyes and he says,

"Tell me to stop."

He waits a beat before his lips take yours. His hands move to your waist and easily picks you up to move to his lap. You kiss back when you feel his tongue impatiently seeking yours, licking at the seams of your mouth to open up. You can feel him getting hard under you as he moves to suck on the soft skin of your neck.

"I'll ask again. Tell me to stop," he murmurs in your ear before he sucks another mark onto your neck. You whine and move your hips against his growing erection.

"I was hoping you wouldn't," he says. The limo stops and you're jerked back to reality. Embarrassment floods you as you realise what happened.

"I'm going to take you upstairs now. We'll talk in the morning when we get up eventually," he says placing a small kiss to your cheek, and opening the door for you.

[noisycroissant]

Imagine being Mafia Head! Nanami's P.A. (pt. 2)

Nanami keeps his eye on you after your little late night pick-up incident. You don't notice, of course. He didn't become the head of a crime organization by letting people know his moves.

Nanami watches you the entire time at the end of the year get-together. He watches you laugh and drink, watching that flush spread across your face, eyes sparkling from laughing at some story one of his men keep entertaining the table with.

Something tugs inside Nanami watching you laugh like that. He wonders what. Jealousy? Unlikely. He's never had to pursue after anything, especially women. Then what the fuck is this feeling?

Nanami walks to his room, leaving the revelry to go on into the wee hours of the morning. He stumbles into you, grabbing your arm to steady you from falling.

"Nanami-san!! I'm so sorry!" you blurt out and then break into giggles. "I'm always apologizing around you, Nanami-san."

Seeing as you're in no state to drive yourself home, he gets one of his staff to help you to a room in the house to sleep it off.

Of course you're apologetic as hell the next morning! The thought that your boss, of all people, had to deal with your drunken ass self?! You'd rather have died.

"It's alright. Consider it a holiday perk for a year of good work," he says, not bothering to look up from his laptop. "However...you could repay me."

Everything you'd know about the mafia comes from movies. It's always a favour for a favour, why would things be any different in your case?

"I need a date for a...thing...next week. None of my regulars are available and I cannot show up alone. I assume you understand what I'm asking?"

<pt 3 here>

[noisycroissant]

Imagine being Mafia Head! Nanami's new personal assistant (P.A.).

It's your first job, yet the placement company thought you'd be a good fit to be the personal assistant to one of the most high-profile "business" men in the city. Maybe your unattached personal life made you a prime candidate for someone who needs a P.A. at their beck and call.

Your routine is simple enough. Wake up call at 7 AM on the dot (not a minute too soon or too late), bring him coffee and three different publications of newspapers of the day, and his iPad so he can check his schedule.

Handle the phones and emails and shuffle around his appointments while he gets ready for "work".

Make sure his household is run like a machine while he's out. Even a spoon goes missing and it's your job to replace it ASA-fucking-P.

You're off the clock around 8 PM. But expect your phone to go off anytime at night because the "Boss" wants a car sent to some coordinates he's texted you.

Apparently Uber doesn't send cars to "unmapped locations at 4 AM" due to "safety policies". And the two cab drivers you managed to flag down looked at you funny.

You drive your beat up car to the location (much to Nanami's chagrin) and, apologising furiously the entire way, drive him back to his penthouse.

It amuses Nanami to no end. The spunk you had to show up somewhere off the map, in a car with no safety measures, not even a taser in your dashboard...maybe you're just slow?

That's when Nanami starts to notice. How smooth his days have been since you started working for him. How nothing about his house has managed to cross his desk in months. How everything manages to be crossed and dotted before it reaches him.

Maybe there's more to the P.A. the agency sent this time.

< Pt.2 here >

[noisycroissant]

💗Happy Valentine's Day💗

What movie are you watching with your beloved?

🩷×🩷×🩷×🩷×🩷×🩷×🩷×🩷×🩷×🩷

Gale: 🧙🏼💜

Pride and Prejudice

Before Sunrise

Titanic

Wyll: 🤺💙

The Princess Bride

Roman Holiday

Mulan

Karlach: 😽🩵

Love, Simon

You've Got Mail

Sleepless in Seattle

Astarion: 🧛🏻❤️

The Great Gatsby

Romeo + Juliet

Howl's Moving Castle

Shadowheart: 🌝💛

When Harry Met Sally

Ten Things I Hate About You

The Holiday

Lae'zel: ⚔️🧡

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Baby Driver

The Mummy

Halsin: 🐻💚

Stardust

Casper

Tuck Everlasting

[noisycroissant]

As You Wish

Astarion x Female Tav

It had been six months of domesticity. Six months spent setting up a home in the Underdark, teaching wayward, borderline feral vampire spawn to be "human" again. Six months of organising books and scrolls and knick-knacks pilfered along your travels.

The first six months of peace Astarion had known in two centuries.

And then the letter had come and everything changed.

********

He'd sensed something was wrong on their journey back from the get-together. He could feel Tav's brain churning, the cogs and wheels that made her brain so brilliant turning and spinning with anxiety.

The dread in his belly bloomed the longer she said nothing was wrong.

Of course everything was wrong. It was him, wasn't it? Six months she'd been cloistered away and now she'd seen the others and he'd bet his best set of lock-picking tools that that wizard had somehow succeeded in charming his way into her heart.

He hated himself for thinking the last part. Tav wouldn't. Not his beloved Tav. Tav promised to love him and be loved by him forever. He shouldn't think so lowly about her.

But then why in god's name does she seem miles away from him?

*******

Astarion knew that she wasn't reading. Sure the book was open, her fingers held the next page ready, but she'd been staring at the same paragraph for the last ten minutes.

She'd been holed up in her study since they'd returned. It was the first time in the two days since they'd been back that he'd been able to coax her into coming to bed with him.

This had to end. So he decided to do something he'd promised himself he'd never do again.

He gently kissed her shoulder, "Tav?"

Another kiss. And another, moving to her neck. "Taav..." he whispers, grazing the shell of her ear with a sharp fang, "Sweetheart, I've been so lonely..."

"Mmhm, yes dear, give me a moment, I'll be right with you," says Tav as she moves to sit up.

And the dam fucking burst in his chest.

He jumps up and kneels in front of Tav, grabbing her hands, tears filling his deep-set eyes, anger stopping them from spilling over.

"What did I do?! Tell me what I did! Please!! I'm sorry. Whatever it was that I did, I'm so sorry."

Tav's face changes from surprise to confusion to realisation.

"Oh? OH! Oh sweetheart," she says, hugging him, bringing his head to her chest, "You've done nothing wrong. Oh my dearest, I'm so sorry... I've been mulling over something, I never knew I was hurting you! Astarion, my darling, I'm sorry I let you think you did something to hurt me. Won't you forgive me?" Tav presses kisses into his soft hair while hugging him tighter.

The relief that washed over him was indescribable. He hadn't done anything. Of course Tav would tell him if he had. They'd promised each other no more secrets. This is what trust is. He had to trust her to tell him whatever it was that was bothering her; he could take it.

"Tell me what's been bothering you. Please, Tav... I..need to know," he asks, holding her face and looking into her eyes.

*******

"So you miss travelling?"

"Not just that, Astarion. I miss it all! Not knowing where tomorrow will take us, who we're going to meet, where we'd be bunking for the night...And all the new things to learn out there. The books, the scrolls, the secret chambers under some shady tavern!"

"Next you'll tell me you miss eating four apples and stale toast for dinner," Astarion deadpans, moving to hold Tav closer under the quilts.

"I sort of do actually," Tav replies sheepishly.

"What I cannot understand is why? Look what we have, Tav. A home. A spawn family of sorts."

Tav strokes his cheek as she replies, "Before the tadpole...before you...my life was so.. plain. Just reading and taking notes and helping with experiments in that stuffy tower. The occassional trip to Candlekeep. And then everything happened. You happened. I cannot stop thinking how it would be if it were just us going on our own adventure. What would we find? Who would we help? What would we learn?"

"What shiny things would we steal?" Astarion offers helpfully.

"Of course! I mean...we do need to get by. Can't carry all our money around and risk getting mugged," Tav shoots back, a glint in her eye.

"As if anyone could mug us," Astarion scoffs.

"Do you remember our first time? Down by that clearing near the Grove?"

"You mean your first time," Astarion corrects you saucily.

"Oh hush! I remember looking up at you, you hair contrasted with the dark sky, all those stars like a child had flung sugar. And your face. I remember thinking how beautiful the view was. How a mediocre sorcerer ended up seeing something so beautiful was beyond me."

Astarion moves to straddle Tav, his face inches away from hers, "You are anything but mediocre. You're brilliant, amazing, a genius even, dare I say it. You saved us all. You saved...me." He kisses her fiercely as if to prove his point.

******* A month later *******

Astarion watches as Tav moves above him. Sweet moans bubble up her throat as she chases her release, her hands gripping his shoulders harder the closer she gets. He sucks a finger and moves it to her clit, gently circling it, and watches as his beloved comes undone.

Her beautiful face in contrast to the dark sky and sugar-flung stars.

"That is a sight to remember," he murmurs to himself as he holds Tav closely, listening to her heart beat for him.

[noisycroissant]

Astarion x Named Tav

"Thank you for today," he says as he towels her hair dry, "Today was rather fun. Gale still has a whiff about him though."

Y'ris lets out a huff of annoyance. Today had been anything but fun for her — swindled by a djinn who managed to turn Gale into a wheel of cheese, magicked into some goddamn forest overrun by beasts and to top that all off, they'd had to fight a shapeshifter posing as a clown (of all the things it could shapeshift into)!

Oh yes, come to the circus! Fun for the whole family!!

Astarion puts the towel down and presses his forehead into her shoulder.

"Y'ris? Can I ask you something?"

"Mm? Did something happen when I'd gone to clean up?" she asks.

"No, it's about earlier in the day. At the circus...when we uh...met that dryad," Astarion says as he moves over on the bed and motions at her to lie down.

They lie down facing each other, her hand moving on its own to hold his, entwining their fingers. She presses a small kiss to his knuckles, "Tell me, my love. What's bothering you?"

"Why did you lie, Y'ris?"

"I didn't lie, Astarion. The dryad said all the answers were true, and what did she say...'a bond impenetrable as a shield'...yes, that's what she said,"

His hand cups her cheek and their eyes meet. She see the tears gathering in his deep red eyes.

"You knew each answer was a lie. We literally have something that lets us see into each others' heads."

"Then you'd know why I lied," she answers quietly, "I've known you for a short time, Astarion, but the person I've come to know and love would not like a random dryad, at a circus of all places, to know what his worst fear and greatest regret is."

The tears spill over as he closes the small gap to press his lips to hers. He presses his forehead against hers, his tears wetting her cheek.

"Why must you care for me so? I do not have anything to give back but this wretched life of mine," he whispers.

"You don't have to give me anything. I give you my love freely, and I want you to take as much and as greedily as you may want," Y'ris tells him as she wipes his cheek with her thumb.

Astarion moves down to bury his face in her chest. Outbursts of emotion are rare for him. Y'ris kisses his hair and gently rubs his back as his tears slowly end in gasps and shudders.

"It's alright, my love. I'll be here for you, always," she tells him.

******

[noisycroissant]

Latecomers

Astarion x Reader

He walked in just as the lady's-maid put in the final hairpin in your simple updo. She turns to meet Astarion's stern eyes, and scurries out the room, not daring to wait around to be told she was dismissed.

"Be a darling and help me with my shoes," you say as you turn around on your dressing table chair and lock eyes with your husband, a sly smirk on your face.

Astarion has the same smirk on his face as he kneels, "As my lady commands."

As he lifts your foot onto his lap, your dress falls open at the thigh-high slit. You feel his gaze move over the revealed skin knowing exactly what got his attention.

The fading bruise from a bite on the inside of your thigh.

You watch Astarion as his eyes linger on the mark, and nudge him with your toe to bring him out of whatever train of thought he's on.

"See something you like?" you tease.

"Maybe I do," he responds, trailing his pale fingers up your ankle, "Maybe I don't."

"You wound me, my dearest," you feign dramatically, hands clutching the elegant ruby choker, which coincidentally was hiding another fading bite mark.

"Maybe what I need is a reminder," Astarion flirts back, his burgundy eyes meeting yours.

At this point in your lives you don't need to say out loud what you're both thinking. However, it helps a lot when one of you remembers to exercise self-control.

Astarion presses a kiss to your ankle before saying, "If all our friends were not waiting for us a floor below right now..."

"...which they, unfortunately, are," you add.

"Unfortunate indeed," he sighs as he reaches for your shoes and slips them onto your feet.

"The night is still young, Lord Ancunín. Maybe your fortune might change for the better," you suggest as he pulls you to your feet.

Astarion lifts your chin up, his mouth seeking yours. You can taste his impatient hunger working it's way to the surface.

"Trust me, darling, it will."

[noisycroissant]

Meus Amor (Part 2)

Read part 1 here

SoftDom! Ascended Astarion x Reader

"The Master has sent a note, my lady," the servant girl says holding out a folded piece of parchment, "He informs that he will be joining you an hour after dusk."

You wait for her to leave before you open the note. As you open it, your heartbeat goes up a notch as you take in the two words written in Astarion's slanting handwriting:

Meus amor

It had been a week since you'd agreed to wear the circlet he'd made for you; and you hadn't seen him since. He'd been away, travelling to find some rare tome, one of those journeys you don't make together.

But he's back.

An hour after dusk...

*******

You hear him enter the chamber, the heavy door closing with a loud thud.

"My darling, you would not believe the kind of journey I've had. I honestly believe I can no longer slum it on the road like we used to all those years back," he says, his voice getting closer and closer to your canopied bed.

He draws the canopy's curtains open and the soft candlelight illuminates you.

Bare and kneeling in the centre of the bed with only the circlet on, firelight glinting off the locket.

You look up through your lashes, body growing warm as you feel Astarion's eyes take you in. A beat passes, then two, you were ready to combust from embarrassment when Astarion says in a low voice, "You're always so perfect for me, my love."

You smile, still too bashful to look him properly in the eyes. "Were you hiding? I never thought you'd hide from little old me," he feigns dramatically.

"I was just too..."

"Too what?"

"...shy," you admit, finally looking him in the eyes. Your heart beats harder as you see the unbridled lust and hunger in his eyes.

Astarion lifts your face upto his, his lips a breath away from yours, "I swear you will drive me to lunacy, and I'll thank you for it." He gently licks the seam of your lips, coaxing you to open up. His kiss is hungry and depraved, you feel the longing in his heart and the restraint he's using to hold himself back.

"Turn around for me, love."

You do as told and face away from him. He moves your hair over to one shoulder and gently kisses up and over your shoulder, moving to your neck, before gently tugging the lobe of your ear.

You feel your skin tingle. "Do you have any idea what I can sense right now?" Astarion whispers to you, "Your heart is rocketing to the sky, I can smell your blood heating with desire, and I can almost taste the sweetness you have hidden between your legs."

You gasp at the words, desire tightening the coil in your belly. He moves to cup your breasts and toys with your nipples, pinching and rolling them to the point of sweet pain. As you loll your head back to his chest, he moves and kisses you again. All tongue and teeth, you hear him groan as you move your ass slowly over his erection.

His hand leaves and snakes it way down between your thighs, finding you embarrassingly drenched. He simply slides his fingers between your folds and plays with your clit. You moan and toss your head back, but he holds you tightly to his body while he continues to rub circles faster and faster at your clit.

The sounds of your wetness and the soft clinking of the locket fill the chamber.

"Give in to me, my love," Astarion says, pressing kisses into your hair, "Give in, sweet girl."

Your pleasure crests over and you go stiff in his arms as you cum around his fingers. He holds you till you get your breath back and slowly moves you onto your back.

"Look at you. Such a vision. My vision," he says taking in your wild hair, flushed cheeks, and soft pants.

"Astarion, please ... I need you. I've missed you so," you plead.

"Where do you need me, my amor? Tell me. I need to hear you say it."

You spread your legs and gently part yourself, slick sticking to the lips, "Here. Inside me. Please Astarion, I need you so badly."

Like a man possessed, Astarion wordlessly moves to push his cock into you. Both of you groan in ecstasy as he stretches you out, pushing himself to the hilt.

His eyes never leave yours the entire time.

He lifts one of your legs onto his shoulder, opening you up, and starts moving deep inside you.

You are lost to the pleasure. You can feel his cock deep inside you, stretching and filling you up.

"You're always so good to me, my precious. My good girl," he tells you as he pumps into you, "The sweetest thing I've ever had. I'm never ever letting you go."

He pulls out abruptly and your pussy gapes at the loss. Quickly moving you onto your chest, he enters you again, groaning at the way you take him.

"Missed you so fucking much. Must have been mad to leave behind such a good girl," he mutters to himself as he thrusts into you.

"Astarion, please ...please let me cum..please I need to cum so bad," you cry out, tears welling up in your eyes.

His body covers yours as he moves your head to access your neck. He gives a warning lick to your jugular before his fangs sink into your soft flesh.

Ambrosia. Food of the gods.

No.

No god would ever get to taste what is his.

Primal need takes over as he continues to pound into you while your sweet blood fills his mouth. You cum with a cry, black gathering at the edges of your vision, pussy tightening around his cock.

You hear the locket jingle as it hits against the circlet, a lone metronome in the dim light.

"I'm going to cum, sweetheart. Going to cum so deep inside you," he says, your blood dripping out the corners of his mouth.

You feel him throb inside you as his cum flows into you. His tongue lazily lapping at the stray drops of blood on your neck.

You're so ...tired. Sated. Your bones feel liquid and your heart beats slow and steady.

You hazily see Astarion laying you back against the plush pillows and cleaning you up with warm wash cloths. You feel him pull you to his chest, kissing your hair, whispering how much he loves you.

"I love you too, Astarion, so so much," you mumble as sleep pulls you down finally.

[noisycroissant]

Meus Amor (Part 1)

Read part 2 here

SoftDom!Ascended Astarion x Reader

(This was previously called Amica Mea till a dear reader corrected me. Also, I cannot write him as an asshole. I tried, it simply will not materialise 😔)

You could hear his footsteps getting closer and closer to the grand oak door of your bed chamber. The long hallway outside was mostly empty save for a few candelabra and paintings, the entire bed chamber was in a separate wing of the castle.

He'd designed it that way for privacy.

"I don't want anyone else to hear those pretty moans you sing for me, pet," he'd cooed when you'd asked about the odd placement of your chambers, "For my ears and eyes only."

The doors swing open as Astarion strides in. "Come to me, my sweet. I have a gift for you. Took forever for the jeweller to deliver, but I am rather pleased with how it turned out," he says as he walks towards the bed, stripping off his clothes along the way.

He sits on the bed, shirtless, pale skin glowing in the candlelight. Placing a jewellery box on the bed, he takes your hand and pulls you to sit beside him.

"Another piece of jewellery, Astarion? Gods, you do realise I only have one neck. I cannot possibly wear every necklace you've gotten me already!" you tease.

"I thought you'd prefer the sparkling rocks cover up all the ways I've marked that lovely neck, darling," he teases back, "I know you're not an exhibitionist."

Your cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink at his comment. All this time, and you'd think you'd run out of shame but no, his teasing will always have the blood rushing to your face.

"Open the box, I want to see how it looks on you."

You open the box to see a simple circlet of gold on a velvet cushion. There's a clasp at the back. And a simple locket dangling from it.

"I have to admit, this is one of the more tamer pieces you've gotten me," you say, picking up the circlet, confusion on your face.

"You're so going to regret your choice of words, my love," he laughs out as he takes the circlet from your hands and moves behind you to help you put it on.

You hold up your hair as he clasps it into place. The locket is against your throat. The circlet is a tighter fit than you'd thought it would be.

Almost like a collar.

He wouldn't...

"Oh yes I would, because I did," he whispers in your ear, "My gorgeous pet, would you wear this for me? Only when it's just us?"

"What does the locket say?"

"Take a look in the mirror. See for yourself," he passes you a handmirror.

Meus Amor

My beloved

Astarion lifts the locket with his fingers, his face close to yours, "Meus amor, would you wear this for me?"

You take a moment to look at his face. Anticipation, love...and hunger reflect in his eyes. For you.

Your heart flutters as you hear yourself say, "Yes, Astarion, for you, I would."

His lips are on yours the second you finish speaking. A hungry depraved kiss, his tongue stroking yours, his fangs catching your lower lip. You moan into his mouth and he leans you to your back, his knee moving to spread your legs as you lie down.

"You never stop surprising me, my love," he confesses quietly, moving to your shoulder. You feel his fangs prick the tender skin as he says, "I'm going to make you sing till dawn, sweetheart. I hope you're ready."

[noisycroissant]

A New Dawn, A New Day

Astarion x Reader

Astarion notices you're stirring awake. You're stretching your legs under the blanket, limbs sore from the walking and fighting.

He sees your sleepy smile and heavy lidded eyes and he can't resist himself.

He gently kisses your lips, a peck at first, then deepening it till it's all tongue and wet lips. He kisses down your jaw, scraping last night's bite marks on your neck with his teeth, kissing the bruises better. His hands move to your breasts, nipples puckering in the cold morning air, and he toys with them. Groping the soft flesh, moving his hands to your waist as he kisses down your shoulder to take a pebbled nipple in his mouth.

He hears you mewling and feels your legs squeezing together to get some friction.

"Hush darling, you don't want to wake the others now. It's too early in the morning," he whispers looking you in the eyes, a finger on his lips.

He's right, the first rays of the sun are peeking through the crack in his tent flaps, you can feel the morning mist in the air.

You're brought back by the feel of his silky curls moving past your belly as his kisses head south.

He whips off the blanket and takes your lips in his. His fingers, meanwhile, gently cup your pussy, wet and soft, waiting for him.

His fingers slowly move up and down your slit, collecting the wetness, spreading it to your clit. He oh so softly rubs your clit. So gently like it's a rose petal.

You moan into his kiss and move to bury your face in his neck. "That's right, my love, you're doing so well being quiet," he whispers in your ear.

In one move, he's between your legs, spreading your legs and opening your pussy lips with his fingers.

"I want you to look at me, hold my gaze, while I kiss you down here," he tells you.

You nod, your throat dry and a coil tightening in your lower belly. You watch him as he takes kitten licks at your clit, slowly sucking and teasing you. Your back arches and you cover your mouth with the back of your hand to avoid moaning out loud.

"Such a good girl for me. My good, sweet girl," he praises, the words blowing soft air into your wetness.

He pumps two fingers inside you, slowly working you towards the edge as he continues to tease your clit with his tongue.

"I can feel you, darling, you're close, aren't you?" he asks, "Give me a taste, sweetheart."

The first wave of your orgasm hits you and your cumming, all you can hear is Astarion's moans as you feel the wetness grow between your legs, drenching your thighs.

You watch as he sits up, wiping his mouth and chin on a towel lying nearby. You see his cock, hard and shiny with precum leaking at the tip. You don't think, simply moving towards him to push him down and straddle him.

"You have no idea how unbelievably arousing it is when you take charge like this," he teases you, as you rub his cock against your drenched pussy. You put a finger against his lips and whisper, "Not a sound, my love, it's too early like you said."

"Fucking minx," he groans as you take him in, his cock stretching you out. You bite back your moans, grabbing his shoulders to steady yourself, "Do you want to bite me, Astarion?"

"If I ever say no to that question, just stake me then and there," he retorts.

You ride him chasing your release as you feel his breath against your neck. Goosebumps break out on your arms as his fangs sink into your neck. The first suck of your blood is ambrosia to both of you: it makes him buck up into you, while you move that much closer to your orgasm suddenly.

Your moves get sloppier as both of you chase your highs, "I'm going to cum...fuck...I can't hold on, Astarion...please please..."

He knows how close you are to falling off the edge when you start pleading with him. He moves a hand between your bodies and rubs your clit with his calloused fingers.

And you simply come apart.

You pussy squeezing his cock like a glove, your sweet blood on his tongue, your ragged breath in his ear...delicious things like this combined together is enough for him peak, filling you with his cum.

He licks the pinpricks on your neck to heal faster and gives a soft kiss on your neck.

"We have time, my love, let's rest for a bit before we see what new horrors await us today," he says quietly, "but for now, we're safe, just like this."

[noisycroissant]

Our Sweet Wife

Nanami × Reader × Toji

Bonus chapter

You had been promised to the prince of the kingdom before you were even born. You knew this day would come, it was inevitable. You'd been trained how to be a consort from the minute you could walk in a straight line. Classes upon classes on etiquette, history, diction, even on how to walk and dress worthy of a royal consort.

What you didn't know was that the kingdom was ruled by not one, but two princes.

Born to different mothers, they were as different as night and day. Toji was as dark as a moonless night: pitch black hair, jade green eyes, scars to commemorate every ruthless battle he'd been in. Kento was fair as a summer's day: light blonde hair, erudite, there was no one in the kingdom who could win against him in a battle of wits.

Everyone expected the half-siblings to fight it out for their birthright, possibly ending in one's death. But surprising everyone, even their own late father, the brothers had joined forces. Brawn and brains, together their kingdom prospered. They shared every victory, every decision.

And now they're going to share you.

Their promised bride.

*******

"Relax Kento, this is not the first time we've been with a woman," Toji drawled lazily from the couch he was lounging on.

"Of course not. But you have to admit this is different. In all aspects. She's a princess. She was literally raised to be a consort to a king. A king, singular," Kento's voice rose a pitch as he got his thoughts out, "We do not know how she will accept us."

"She knows what she's getting into, Kento," Toji responds, his voice low and comforting, "Just be ourselves, that's all we need to do."

"But..." Kento's protest was cut short by the guard announcing your arrival.

"The Lady Consort, your graces," announces the guard, as you're ushered into the grand bed chamber. You keep your head low, the cloak covering your head and most of your body. Not that you were wearing much, a simple lace nightgown was what your handmaidens dressed you in.

An outfit designed and selected to confirm a consummation.

The guard turns on his heel and leaves, and you're left standing there, goosebumps rising on your arms as you feel eyes on you. You slowly raise your head to see them.

Your husbands. Plural.

*******

Toji moved first. For a man his size, he was extremely light on his feet. He flips the hood off your head and snaps the cloak off your body in seconds.

You stare at his face, taking in his green eyes, the sinful smirk, that slight scar across his lips.

"She's certainly a feast for the eyes, Kento," he says to the blonde man behind him.

Kento moves behind you, a reassuring hand at your lower back, trying to stare down the wolfish grin that grows on Toji's face as he drinks you in, "I apologize for my brother. Restraint is not one of his virtues."

"He's right, but the things I can give you while restraining you..." Toji responds suggestively.

You swallow, your mouth suddenly dry. But you feel a warmth bloom in you belly in the position you find yourself in.

Between two strong men, their scent and voices making your senses heady.

You know what's going to happen tonight. You'd fought a silent dread for years now, wondering how you'd muster courage on your consummation night.

Maybe you wouldn't have to. Your husbands look like they know just what to do with you.

"Maybe a bath first?" Kento suggests, breaking you out of your thoughts.

"Wonderful idea, as always, brother," Toji says as he walks towards the bath chamber, stripping off his clothes along the way.

Your face heats up as you catch a glimpse of his toned back muscles.

"He's a bit of an exhibitionist. Don't let it get to you," Kento says, trying to ease your mind. "We've been so looking forward to seeing you since the ceremony last month. Our lovely bride. I hope you'll be happy in our kingdom."

Kento's smooth voice quiets your nerves and you let him lead you towards the bath chamber.

Where Toji already sits in the giant tub of warm, sudsy water.

"How about Kento gets in, and then you take your time to disrobe and join us?" Toji suggests, his eyes glinting with mischief, "Would that be easier for you, princess?"

You did not miss the teasing tone stroking the way he called you princess. You'd been called that your entire life, but never in that tone.

You dart behind the changing screen and peek through the gaps to see Kento undress and enter the bath.

"Any time now, princess, we're waiting!"

You slowly emerge from behind the screen, the skin of your face and chest blooming colour as heat and shyness shoot through you. You remember your lessons and walk perfectly poised right into the bath, where the men promptly move towards either side of you.

The warm water, the desire rising through your body, the heat radiating off your husbands' skin....you were close to passing out.

"Take a sip. It'll cool you down," Kento passes you a goblet of chilled wine which you gratefully drink.

The alcohol flows through you, calming your nerves, you lean back and let the warm water soothe your muscles.

*******

Toji's thumb touches your chin and he gently moves your face closer to his. "May I kiss the bride now, princess?" You nod and his lips press against yours, his warm tongue licking the seams of your mouth seeking entry. You open and moan deliciously as Toji kisses you like he's tasting you.

You feel his hand move towards your stomach, your hands shoot out and grab Kento's for support.

"Skittish little thing," Toji whispers against your lips. Kento takes your hand and kisses his way to your neck. You turn to him, a moan caught in your throat, let out when he kisses you just as deeply if not more.

Kento tastes like the sweet wine he gave you. You try to mimic the movement of his tongue and he hums in approval. He moves down, kissing your jaw and your neck, grazing his teeth along the lobe of your ear. You let out a small whine as you feel Toji's breath on the other side of your neck before his teeth gently grazed the skin.

"Princess, are you getting all hot and bothered?" Toji whispers in your ear.

You feel your cheeks redden as you realise that you need more. More hands touching you. More of their lips against your skin.

Kento takes your lips in his again while Toji gently tells you, "I'm going to touch you now. I'll be gentle, sweetheart."

You moan as you feel his rough, calloused fingers slowly flit across your thighs, higher and higher, till they reach your pussy.

"You're soaking down here, dearest," he says as his finger slowly move into your pussy and stroke your clit. You jolt, breaking Kento's kiss.

"Touch her with me, Kento. Let's give our wife her first taste of pleasure," Toji says, not breaking eye contact with you.

"Anything for our sweet wife," says Kento as his fingers easily finds Toji's, but moves lower towards your opening. He gently eases in a finger, making you buck up.

The sensations were too much, wave after wave of pleasure washing over you, making your legs weak. Toji kept rubbing slow circles on your clit, increasing the pressure every now and again, whispering the dirtiest things you'd ever heard and moving his tongue along the shell of your ear. Kento's finger touched places inside you that you'd never dreamed could bring you such pleasure.

You lean back, their voices and touch going to your head, making you dizzy with want. "I--- I'm going to cum..please I..I can't," you gasp out.

"What lovely first words to hear from our wife, eh?" Toji snickers teasingly as he rubs your clit faster and faster. He wraps a strong arm around your waist to ground you as Kento slips in another finger and moves it in a come hither motion, touching that perfect bundle of nerves inside you.

You come apart as your orgasm hits. Your body goes stiff as your moan wantonly, burying your head against Toji's shoulder.

He holds you as you come down from your high. You lift your head to see Kento licking his fingers clean of your slick. Your eyes widen in embarrassment as Toji tells you, "The night's only beginning, sweet thing."

[noisycroissant]

It'll Be Better in the Morning

Nanami x Reader

TW: mentions of blood

Nanami has, and will always be, a patient man. A calm man. Even when his thoughts are running a mile a minute, his face would never betray it.

His thoughts were certainly galloping right now. It kept getting in the way of him trying to navigate the lanes to your house.

The gash above his eyebrow, bleeding into his eye, certainly did not help either.

He finally saw your house. The soft light filtering in from the purple curtains in your front room. You were home.

Maybe his luck was finally changing.

He dragged himself up the two flights of stairs, rang the bell and leaned against the wall while waiting for you to open up.

"Who is it at this ti--," your words died as you took in the tall man, crumpled against your door, bleeding and soaked in rain water.

"Nanami!! Nana- KENTO CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"I didn't know where else to go," he whispers before passing out completely.

*******

Nanami woke up because of the light in his face. It irritated him. He was finally at peace, a black sea of nothingness, where he was nothing, no thoughts, no pain, just floating, so calm...till this wretched beam of light smacked him in the face and pulled him out of all that.

Turns out it was sunlight filtering through a gap in the curtains.

Purple curtains.

Purple curtains?

He had dark blue ones at home.

Where the hell was he?

And then it all came back, hitting his mind like a freight train.

Shibuya, curses, the domain, Toji, Mahito, Maki, the old Zenin guy...Gojo...

Pain, blood, rain, walking, the cold seeping into his fingers, passing out at your door.

Your door.

He jumps up from the bed and groans loudly. His ribs hurt like hell. His arm is numb. His right eye is swollen shut.

"If you ever scare me like that again, just know that I can easily kill a man without leaving evidence. I did go to medical school, y'know?"

He hears your rant as you walk up to him and set a tray down on the side table next to the bed.

"How did I get here? What happened?" Nanami asks, trying to take in your expression of worry and concern.

"Shibuya happened. It's all over the news. I've called Shoko; she'll update the school on your whereabouts."

"As for you: broken ribs, 6 stitches on your head, 4 on your arm, a twisted ankle, multiple strained muscles. You'll survive...with proper rest and food," you listed out his injuries on your fingers. "Do you remember what you said before you passed out?"

"No, it's all a blur. Everything hurts," Nanami says as you help him lean back onto soft pillows.

"I have painkillers for that. But you need to eat something first. Got you some hot soup and rice," you say, putting the tray on his lap. "Need me to help you eat?"

Nanami tries to gather a spoonful of rice, but his hands shake slightly, devoid of any strength.

He sighs deeply and drops the spoon into the bowl.

"It's alright. I got you," you whisper as you pick up the bowl to help.

When you look up, what you see are tears slowly running down Nanami's face. He looks out the window while he cries silently.

You quickly move the tray out of the way and move in to hold him.

Nanami does something he thought he'd never do.

Breakdown into someone's hug.

You hold him as he shudders, tears wetting your tshirt. You slowly stroke his blonde hair and press kisses into his head, whispering, "It's okay Kento, I got you. You did well. You must have been scared for your friends. It's going to be alright now."

You hold him till the tears stop and he falls asleep on your lap. You hold him as he sleeps. You might not be able to fight curses, but you can ease a broken heart.

[noisycroissant]

I Will Find You

Astarion x Reader (Soulmate AU)

Based on that aquarium scene from Romeo + Juliet (1996)

*******

She hated the costume. It was a sick twisted joke on her Mistress' part to make her wear this to the damned ball at the Szarr Palace.

A vampire ball on Hallow's Eve. How tasteless.

An ankle length white gown, plain and unadorned except for trimmings of lace at the hem and scooped out neckline. Of course her mistress would never let any of the spawn wear high-necked outfits or wear necklaces when they were taken out to mingle in high vampire society. The bite marks must be visible to everyone. The ownership must be acknowledged.

It was the wings that sealed the pantomime of it all. Stiff lacquered wings, covered in soft goose feathers, tied on to her shoulders with string. With the pale skin, she could pass easily for an angel should anyone see her flitting about in the darkness.

But one flash of her smile or a second look at her eyes and they would know that she was just another monster in sheep's clothing.

*******

Over the decades, Cazador had done several tasteless things to seal his status as the patriarch of the Szarr clan. From using his spawn as "entertainment" to holding lavish balls were his spawn waited hand and foot on drunken patriars of Baldur's Gate, there was no level Cazador would not stoop to to ascertain power.

But this? This took the cake.

A high vampire society ball on Hallow's Eve. Complete with costumes and candles and music.

Pathetic.

The armour and chainmail looked heavy but was actually just made of paste and cleverly dyed. As one of the prized spawn in the palace, it was imperative that he "mingled with anyone who looks important, if he knew what was good for him".

The threats didn't register anymore. After all, how different could this night's ending be from all the other times there was a ball in this wretched place? Some drunk and out-of-it duke or duchess would fancy him, he'd have to sweet talk and charm them into a chamber, do what was expected, make the necessary sounds and words, and it would be over.

And another piece would be added to the mosaic of power Cazador was building.

The hatred made bile rise in Astarion's throat and he retched into a nearby vase. It was better his stomach remain empty for what was inevitably to come.

******

It was not as bad as she'd imagined. There was a certain flair and theatre to seeing vampires of all classes costumed and swanning about.

Like they were normal people at a Hallow's Eve party.

Her mistress had let her "loose" for the night. Which meant she could walk around with the rare gift of turning down propositions. A small mercy, but after a century of servitude, she would take what she could get.

She walked along the edges of the great hall, trying to stay out of sight and in the shadows, trying to avoid anyone's eye. Just one night to herself. That's all she wanted after a century of turning.

******

Astarion saw the person with wings in a plain white gown seeking the edges of the room from the moment the Eastern Vampire Court's Mistress and her brood had arrived.

He'd been following her, unnoticed, since. He didn't know why but he had to see her face. It wasn't mere curiosity. It was an unexplainable pull he couldn't fight.

He followed and followed and finally had her alone in his sight. She was watching the ornamental fish in the aquarium near the archway to the garden. Her pale fingers following the path of a bejeweled looking fish. He moved to the other side of the glass and slowly walked into the faint light emitting from the aquarium.

Her smile was the first thing he saw on her face. The warmth, the soft creases at the ends of a generous mouth. The way her cheeks rose to her eyes.

His eyes were what she saw first. A warm burgundy, like aged wine, surrounded by soft lashes and sharp cheekbones. The curiosity pooling in those eyes as they took her in.

Astarion didn't believe in gods anymore. He didn't believe in love anymore. He didn't believe in fate anymore either.

But for one moment, he believed the goddess Sune had touched his heart.

The angel smiled at him and he knew. He'd heard of fated mates but he'd never dreamed he'd find his while living a life shackled to Cazador. But now he knew.

That fate spins along as it should. No point in fighting or denying it.

******

The spell was broken as another spawn of her brood appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "You must come immediately. The mistress requires you," says the spawn as he grabs her elbow and pulls her towards the dance floor.

Astarion did not think twice before dashing after her. He deftly moved between people, watching as she was pulled away further and further into the crowd.

Their eyes never left each other.

The curiosity and subtle longing in her eyes was enough for Astarion to know that she had felt what he'd felt too.

That damned, inescapable pull.

He'd found the one thing that was going to be his, and come hell or rapture, he was going to claim it.

[noisycroissant]

"It's you..."

Astarion x Reader

She was one of those marks that broke his chipped heart. The trusting ones, the doe-eyed ones who looked at him like he hung the stars in the sky. It hurt every minute he spent with her knowing that he was simply leading her to a fate worse than death.

He remembered the look in her eyes when they took her away with the others at the party where they lured all their marks to once a month. He dreamed of that look for years only to wake up to find himself shaking, face wet with tears. He didn't want to keep doing this, but another year of being confined and tortured and starved with no hopes of escape, freedom or otherwise...no, he couldn't survive that. Not again.

But then, he saw her again. He was sure it was his fragile mind playing tricks on him. Constant torture can do that you, y'know. But then he saw her again. The same hair. Skin paler though. And then he heard her voice.

"Astarion?"

When he heard his name in that voice again, his heart dropped to the pits of his stomach. He'd do anything, beg at her feet, grovel for forgiveness, anything to not hear that tone in her voice.

"I am angry for what you did to me. To my life. But I also understand why... I've had to do it myself."

I've had to do it myself.

If he ever had thoughts of murdering Cazador in the darkest ways possible, those thoughts just became a million times darker.

"Where you here all these years? I never saw you. I thought I knew every turned spawn in the palace."

"I was locked up for "lack of respect" and "till I learnt what was good for me "."

He knew what that meant. Lashes, pliers, blood, pain, hunger, tears.

Desperate prayers falling on deaf ears.

"I'm.. I don't deserve to say sorry. You'd have been... anywhere but here..if it weren't for me."

"I know. But you did what you did to survive. I don't begrudge you for that. I had enough time in that cell to know that choice does not live in these walls."

*******

And that's how it began. That was how hope came back into two people's lives. How it grew and bloomed with each passing look, each time fingers brushed while walking across hallways, each time a secret letter was found under a pillow.

After 150 years, Astarion dared to dream.

He would always curse himself when he remembered that night. It had taken them almost a year to plan, another year to talk courage into themselves to go through with it.

He remembered how soft her hands were when he held them as they ran through shadows.

Freedom. It was so close. Just a breath away.

And in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

Of course. What had he been thinking? They'd never be free. Not as long as that monster had a leash on them.

"Don't let them see each other, Godey. But make sure they hear."

Astarion remembers the day his heart finally crumbled to ash.

*******

Decades later, when he was finally let out again, the very first night he goes to the highest roof he could find in Baldur's Gate. And he sat there. Waiting for the sun. The only way he could be free of this hellish life. The only way he could forget the sins.

His skin prickled and he cried as the sky turned pink.

The next thing he remembers is waking up on a beach with a unholy squirming in his eye. A crashed ship, fire and smoke bellowing. Intellect devourers running amok. But he was out in the sun and it didn't burn. It didn't hurt.

The confusion was enough to drive him mad. 200 years of rage and pain, and he finally had a chance to end it. But even that was taken from him.

He heard footsteps and chatter. Hand goes to his dagger naturally. But then he hears a voice.

Her voice.

This must be the tenth circle of hell, he tells himself. This is where depraved sinners like him go to. Where they're tortured for eternity with the things they'll never see again.

Like the sun.

Or her.

But hope survives in the darkest of hells.

And it had found him again.

"Astarion?"