#astarion being astarion

[berryless]

"What, want me to ruffle your feathers?" Tav asked with a smirk when she caught him staring, as if she didn't ruffle enough of his feathers prior to this moment—figuratively speaking, most unfortunately.

The owlbear's cub sprawled on its stomach beside her, head on her lap as it was cooing something. Given how eagerly it butted into her hand, rather obvious what it was after.

He took a step back, arms raised as he refused, "I'll abstain for tonight. Afraid the competition's too fierce for me to win this fight without any losses. Tomorrow, though…"

He let some hope into his voice, tone laced thick with promise.

Astarion looked at Tav, waiting for her answer, and she nodded to him with a smile on her lips.

"Wonderful. I'll be awaiting then. Most eagerly."

So easy.

Too easy.

He should've known better, but perhaps he was momentarily blinded that she'd finally given up keeping her distance.

Tav played with his hair for a good part of the evening, and Astarion tolerated it—the experience was quite enjoyable, if he was to be honest, but those weren't headpats that he was after. Finally the time came to take the heavy weapons against her, those that he was most proficient at using. Those that hardly ever betrayed him. And he needed Tav to not betray him either. To protect him, when hardly anyone in the camp was terribly happy about having a vampire in their midst. If Cazador… When Cazador… Even though Astarion didn't need to breathe anymore, the air staled in lungs when he thought about this. He needed Tav—and everyone else she have eating out of the palm of her adorable little hand—to stay on his side when that happens. Because as convenient as it may've been, out of many advantages the worm gave him, making his master forget about his existence wasn't one of them.

Her fingers raked his hair and scratched his scalp, sending him into shivers as Astarion couldn't help but lower his guard a notch. He wasn't an inexperienced youngling, still wet behind his ears. He wouldn't miss the change in her touch when it was most familiar to him. It would be rather convenient for Tav to hold his neck or slide her fingers under the lacing of his shirt, so Astarion expected that. Ears too were a good starting point… Lips, perhaps, if she was feeling adventurous for a sharp touch of his fangs…

He turned to the side, forehead pressed against Tav's stomach to let her get to the back of his head. Then turned again, face buried in her lap.

As tedious the pointless waiting went, this kind of foreplay was not without its pleasures. If she were to continue fondling the rest of him in same manner, Astarion wouldn't mind much. If anything, the thought was getting him rather excited, albeit weary in a similar way any kind of sex did. But it was familiar kind of wear he was most used to, so Astarion was slipping into it with ease like one would into old boots they've long been donning. Perhaps the heels were stooped a bit from years of use, and the laces were frayed and brittle, but those were the boots he'd worn for as long as he could remember. He didn't have a spare, if there even existed a spare the likes of him could afford.

Finally Tav's hand stopped, resting on his neck as she barely moved her big finger against the edge of his hairline.

He knew it was coming, and yet a part of him was strangely disappointed.

Well, no point dwelling on it.

Finally it was his turn to…

"Think I'm spent for the evening. My hand's cramping. Want to lie down for a little while longer, or you'd prefer to rest on something more comfortable than my lap?"

Her question came most unexpectedly. At first Astarion thought he heard it wrong. But when he raised his head to check Tav's face, there was nothing special on it, like she was asking something mundane, barely worth of notice. And it was a rather mundane thing to ask. If you weren't expecting anything else to follow.

She wasn't.

It stunned him when Astarion realized that.

Thankfully it lasted barely a moment, and then his instincts kicked in.

"Why? I find your lap a rather enjoyable place to rest my head on."

'It would be even better if you were to let me put it between your legs, but I suppose I wouldn't get much rest then,' was supposed to follow, but somehow it got stuck in his throat. He couldn't even say why at first.

Because she wasn't flirting. Because it wasn't foreplay. Because she just offered to ruffle his feathers in a most simple, primitive, childish way possible, and never planned to stretch the invitation to something more salacious and titillating.

Ruffled his feathers she did.

With much too fervor.

Astarion hardly remembered the way he traveled back into his tent and what he said in the process. Surely it was something appropriate for the occasion, he could trust the habits beaten into his skull by years of use.

No wonder she agreed so easily. He must've been blind not to notice.

He laid down, curled into a ball, sulking—for what, Astarion couldn't tell.

Perhaps it irked him that his plans fell through, and the cooked duck flew away from his mouth when he was so close to biting into it. What else could've been the issue otherwise?

But most strangely, a tightness in his stomach loosened as soon as he was left alone. He breathed with ease, warm ticklish touch of Tav's fingers lingering on his skin.

Safe.

From what..?

He didn't know.

[carooosa]

Kindred Hearts: Valentine's Gift

Word count: 2.1k Rating: Fluff Pairing: Astarion x Named Tav (Auri) Warnings: None AO3 link: Kindred Hearts: Valentine's Gift

Summary: After realizing that Auri is the type to probably enjoy holidays, Astarion scrambles to try and figure out the perfect gift to give her.

A/N: This is a Valentine's gift as a part of a Discord server's writing exchange for @aevallare's Kindred. I know it's well past Valentine's day, but publicly posting it just got put on the back burner lol. I've only read up to Chapter 32 of Kindred so that's about where this takes place character story wise.

The camp is unusually rowdy around the campfire after a grueling day of traveling. Astarion pinches the bridge of his nose as he makes his way over to the fire. Auri and Viv are weaving a fantastical tale about one of their numerous shows, obviously adding embellishments to the story. Astarion stays on the outskirts of the group, watching Auri from the shadows. Viv was a creature of beauty, no doubt, but Auri had a way of captivating anyone. Or maybe it was just him that was engulfed in her theatrics.

Wyll gets up from where he sits to begin cleaning up the dishes from dinner and Gale helps, the two of them making their way to the river, passing Astarion as they go. Wyll nods to Astarion before looking at Auri and says in a hushed tone, “Have you thought about what to get her for Midsummer?”

Astarion lets out a forced laugh. Did anyone really celebrate those stupid holidays? Surely Auri, a very logical and sensible person wouldn’t partake in such a trivial, childlike…

Shit.

Why wouldn’t Auri celebrate a holiday about music and love? She’s practically the definition of music and love wrapped up in sunshine. And Astarion was not . What would he even get someone for a holiday like this? He hasn’t courted anyone in centuries, and while it may be too soon to call whatever he’s feeling love, it’s definitely different from anything he’s felt in a while.

Wyll clasps a hand around Astarion’s back, forcing him out of his frantic mind and into the present. Astarion stumbles forward as Gale shoves some dirty dishes into his hand and the three continue down to the river.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t planned anything for Auri,” Wyll chides.

Astarion responds with a half-hearted glare, his mind occupied with raking his brain for any kind of idea on what to get Auri.

Gale has moved a couple of paces ahead of the other two men and doesn’t look back when he says, “I know that I would certainly ensure Auri knows her worth if she was seeing me.”

Astarion snarls at the back of Gale’s head, willing himself to shoot fire rays through the wizard’s head. “Well, since she isn’t , it’s not something that you need to worry about.”

Gale stops and briskly turns around to face Astarion head-on, pushing a dirty wooden spoon into his shirt. “You don’t appreciate her enough, Astarion ,” he spits out the vampire’s name, “and sooner or later she’ll realize that she doesn’t need to put up with your meltdowns.”

“I don’t need to put up with this,” Astarion says while pushing the dishes he’s carrying into Gale’s hand. He turns around and slinks off to another corner of the woods, the sound of Wyll berating Gale not bringing him as much joy as it normally would.

As Astarion walks through the woods trying to scratch off the bit of food that got smeared on his shirt from the altercation with Gale , he stumbles upon Viv and Halsin sharing a few words. Well, it’s more like Viv staring starstruck at the druid as he talks about some life lesson that involves nature and kindness, or whatever.

Astarion clears his throat as he enters the clearing. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything here.”

Halsin turns towards him and grins, oblivious to the slight glare Viv sends toward Astarion. “It’s no bother at all. Is there something on your mind?”

Astarion shifts the weight between his legs as he tries to figure out how to word all the thoughts racing through his head, not blind to the impatient stance Viv has taken up. Of course , Viv is the perfect being to ask for help with this. She knows Auri better than anyone else, and if her previous comments are anything to go by, she at least approves of Astarion somewhat .

“Uhm, yes, actually. I had a question for Viv,” Astarion stumbles out, “But I suppose I could ask you both for advice on this.”

Suddenly, Viv’s face lights up with excitement and she rushes over to grab onto Astarion’s shoulders and looks down at him. “Don’t tell me: it’s something to do with Auri and it’s something to do with Midsummer coming up. Am I right? ” she asks with a squeal. Astarion barely shakes his head before Viv embraces him in a tight hug, slightly picking him up off of the ground as she spins around. He pries himself from her grasp and readjusts his clothes as Viv starts to ramble about what Astarion could get Auri. “It doesn’t need to be anything extravagant . As long as it’s from your heart, Auri will love it!”

Ah, his un- beating heart. Halsin notices the slight squint of Astarion’s eyes at Viv’s comment and offers his own advice. “Why don’t you make her something with your hands?” he suggests, at the same time procuring a carved duck from his pockets.

“Ooh! Why don’t you make her something from your heart, like a poem!” Viv interjects. “I could help you if you’d like. We would just need to decide on what kind of poem you’d want to perform. Something short, like a haiku? Or perhaps a sonnet to express your-”

Astarion takes a brisk step back, straightening his back as he excuses himself before Viv says a word he isn’t quite ready to use. “Well, you both have certainly given me a lot to think about. If you’ll excuse me, I best start working on this gift.”

As Astarion starts to walk off, Viv begins to follow. “Oh, I could help you with-”

Without looking back, Astarion denies her help with a simple word.

“ Alone. ”

For the next couple of hours, Astarion tries (and fails) to carve something out of wood. He was skilled with daggers, no doubt, but for whatever reason he was unable to get his dagger to cut into the wood correctly. Broken chunks of wood lay scattered around him, his hands covered in splinters. He gets some leverage on a knot on the piece of wood he has and he’s just about to finally make some progress when his hand slips and he cuts a gnash in his hand instead. With a yell of frustration, he hurls the dagger into a nearby tree, missing Shadowheart’s head by a few inches.

“I thought I heard a wild animal rummaging through the woods. It appears I was half correct,” she says with a scoff while removing the dagger from the trunk.

Unamused and with little patience, Astarion spats at Shadowheart, “What do you want?” The moon is directly above them, and his time is running out to come up with a gift for Auri. He tried to write a small poem, but thinking of and putting words to his feelings was far too intimate far too soon. 

Pulling him out of his thoughts, Shadowheart teases Astarion again. “Like I said, I thought I heard a wild animal and thought it might make for a good morning feast. Auri and Viv couldn’t stop going on and on about the different Midsummer celebrations they’ve had over the years, and while I certainly can’t cook, I can help in some sort of way. It’s not a holiday I’ve ever acknowledged but… I don’t know, the way they talked about it made it seem like it was the most magical occasion.”

Well, shit. Even Shadowheart is doing something for Auri – and Viv – on this stupid holiday. Next thing he’d know, Lae’zel would be making friendship bracelets for everyone. Was Astarion really so useless that he couldn’t get something for his… for Auri?

Trying to hide his insecurities with a smirk, Astarion pushes himself off the ground and holds his wounded hand out to Shadowheart in a silent attempt to get her to heal it.

She crosses her arms at his piteous attempt to ask for help, and instead of healing him asks him a question instead. “What are you doing out in the woods? I’m the one on watch, and,” she nods towards the broken pieces of wood on the ground, “by the looks of it, your little arts and crafts session hasn’t been the most productive.”

Astarion pulls his hand back with a snarl. “It’s none of your business how I spend my time.”

Now Shadowheart is the one smirking as she turns around and heads back toward the camp. “Why don’t you just give her a night of pleasure like you usually do? I’m sure Auri would be perfectly happy with that as a present,” she says nonchalantly.

Astarion coughs at the bluntness of her response. Before he can think of a witty response, Shadowheart disappears into the trees, but not before whispering a healing spell to heal his hand.

When morning comes, the camp is even more rowdy than the previous night, this time in celebration of Midsummer. Everyone except Lae’zel and Astarion is dancing with each other even though no music plays. Even Rocky is jumping about while weaving through the legs of everyone. The owlbear runs towards Astarion as he sulks against a tree, Auri bounding after him.

With a smile as bright as the sun, she asks “What are you doing over here by yourself? Why don’t you join us in the fun?”

She starts to reach for his hands before Astarion puts them up in front of himself. “I’m sorry, darling, but I’ve never had the chance to partake in these sorts of things. I’m afraid I would just put a damper on the whole thing.”

Hurt spreads across her face before Auri shakes her head and looks at Astarion determined. “That’s right, I almost forgot! I got you a gift.”

Well, shit. Here comes the end of whatever it was between him and Auri. She’d find out that he got her nothing and realize that she didn’t want to put up with his problems anymore. It was good while it lasted, at least. It’s a shame that all of this would have to end on a holiday for love, but Astarion always did enjoy a little irony.

“Close your eyes!” Auri says with a mischievous look on her face and he begrudgingly agrees. 

Of course Auri would want to surprise him, he thought to himself, what else was he expecting? She probably got him some meaningful, well-thought-out gift that showed how much she cared. Something that probably took days, no, at least a tenday to think of. Was it handmade? Or did she buy it? She probably didn’t buy anything, because he would have noticed it. Unless she got one of the others to buy it for her, of course. Maybe she–

His thoughts halt as Auri’s lips press a chaste kiss against his cheek. Astarion opens his eyes, his shock clearly showing from the way she laughs at him. Auri looks quite pleased with herself with how she caught him off guard, and Astarion can’t help but chuckle at the simplicity of the gift.

“I know we haven’t really defined whatever this is,” she says while gesturing between the two of them, “but I still wanted to get you something. I know it’s nothing out of the ordinary, and now that I’m thinking back on it this was honestly quite embarrassing, but nevertheless, I hope you liked it,” Auri says quickly, finishing the sentence in a question-like manner as she looks up expectedly at Astarion.

With his signature smug look, Astarion places a hand on her cheek and says, “It was quite a surprise.” Speaking before he’s thought it through, he continues, “You know, I have a gift for you, too. Close your eyes, darling.”

Auri’s eyes flash with excitement before she hurriedly closes them and waits in anticipation.

Astarion’s about to go in for a kiss when he pauses. He’s always been quick to kiss people to show a false sense of desire; it became automatic for him to secure a kiss before leading his conquests to their deaths at one point. Of course, it’s different with Auri – they’ve kissed multiple times by now to prove that fact. But would a kiss really be meaningful? After all, Auri just kissed him. He would just be stealing her gift idea, and Astarion knew enough about relationships to know that was never a good thing to do.

Auri jumps beneath his touch as Astarion tentatively wraps his arms around her. He makes sure that his chin is resting on her shoulder to ensure that she can’t turn her head lest she sees the uncertainty on his face. After a few seconds, she reciprocates the hug. And hells does it feel nice. Her arms are snuggly wrapped around him but not too tight to leave him feeling claustrophobic. Her touch was gentle and warm, just like Auri. In his own opinion, she fit quite perfectly into his arms, like a missing piece he never knew was missing.

With a tight squeeze, Auri whispers into Astarion’s ear, “Happy Midsummer, sweetheart.”

[everchased]

hahahahaaaa get safe and cared for, idiot

[yamstrange]

Selfie~~~

[sparklingthedas]

Astarion lectures of disappointment >>>

[quelfabulous]

"We don't need to do anything. We can just be."

Happy bi/pan visibility day (it's everyday for me). Also a sprinkle of ace and a dash of survivor and to top it all off- other expressions of intimacy, affection & connection taken seriously. I'm doing an Astarion origin playthrough and I ship him with Karlach like FedEx, your honor.

[lazylittledragon]

more domestics to warm the soul <33

[theoldkyokodied]

The Allegiance of the Ascended Vampire and the New God of Magic

[frankensteined]

casting spike growth during the cadazor fight resulted in a visual that i could write essays about

[ruushes]

been playing more than drawing but made a quick exception for the game's most important character (his majesty)

[bunniehornz]

😐

[tskva]

playing an evil character but u keep helping ppl anyway

[corviiids]

got into bg3 a few months ago and it's about time i inflicted my astarion posts on tumblr. i sure post about him a lot. you'll never guess who my favourite character is. that's right! it's gale

[k-k-armadillo]

i think they are friends 👌

[sajirah]

Everybody else is making silly relatable comics so I decided to join the fun.

[densitywell]

spent like an hour trying to find a post abt the disparity of origin companion's content in bg3 and couldn't so, hey, this fucking sucks