Chapter Text
Astarion wasn’t sure if his shirt would ever be fully clean again at this rate. Between the blood, dirt, and myriad other varieties of muck his party tended to trudge through on a seemingly daily basis, he was shocked they were still allowed to walk into any reasonably respectable establishment these days.
Then again, he wasn’t sure if he would call the current establishment respectable, so to speak. The tavern was, by general societal standards, quite seedy. The air was thick with pipe smoke and the smell of stale ale. More than one instance of an almost-brawl (stopped only by a shout from the bartender) had occurred in the half hour they had been sitting on their worn wooden benches at a booth in a dimly lit corner. The patrons were all various flavors of rough-and-tumble, and the barmaids…well. They were clearly shooting for ample tips if their low-cut bodies and short ruffled skirts were anything to go by.
Their waitress was one such woman, sauntering back to their corner frequently to bring fresh trays of stout and spirits. She was young, clearly. Astarion had a hard time judging the age of humans by their looks alone (their lives were so short!), but he had to guess she was no more than 25. Her long auburn hair flowed in pretty waves around her shoulders and she had painted her delicately peaked lips a lovely deep shade of rouge. Astarion couldn’t help but smirk as he watched nearly all of his party members sneak glances at her cleavage as she leaned forward to pass mugs to those farthest away from the front edge of the booth seats. How pent up they all must be, he mused, to be so brazen in their ogling. If any one of them were to ask him about the furtive glance he got in himself of her dramatically swaying hips as she walked back across the bar he would have vehemently denied the accusation, however.
“I think we should leave immediately,” Lae'zel asserted, empty shot glass clutched in her hand. “Every hour that passes here is another we waste in our pursuit of ending the ghaik threat.”
“Aw, calm down, Lae,” Karlach laughed, her mug of beer sloshing as she clasped an arm around the githyanki, “It’s already dark out. We should at least wait ‘til morning. ‘Sides, aren’t you having fun?”
Lae’zel furrowed her brow and huffed, clearly annoyed. It didn’t stop her from picking up another shot of whiskey from the lineup in front of her and throwing it back all at once.
“Perhaps we should inquire about a room, if we are staying,” Shadowheart added. She took a delicate sip from her wine cup and hummed, “Tav, would you perhaps talk to the barkeep, dear? Sleeping under the stars has its charms but my back is beginning to ache.”
Tav nodded, slipping from their seat to walk over to the bar counter. It left Gale the closest one to the edge of the table on his side. He scooted over immediately to fill the space and to be less squished against Will. Their booth was really not meant for so many people, but it was the largest one that had been free. Astarion was grateful that he was on the outermost edge of his side so that he could swing one leg out a bit and give himself a semblance of personal space.
“I agree, those cots do not provide much in the way of support,” the wizard mused, “It really does make me miss my tower in Waterdeep and its lovely provisions. In particular I miss this lovely silk duvet that I acquired from–oh! Hello.”
The barmaid was back, her tray nowhere in sight this time. She laughed and placed a hand on Gale’s shoulder.
“I apologize, sir! I didn’t mean to interrupt you” she said. Her voice was high and bright and, if Astarion was not mistaken, somewhat flirtatious. He arched an eyebrow as he watched Gale’s cheeks start to redden from the attention. The barmaid leaned down a bit towards the wizard and continued, “I just came over to check if you all needed anything, but please, sir, do finish what you were saying! I think I heard something about a silk duvet and I admit I am most curious. It sounds positively heavenly.”
She was now positioned so that her prominent chest was perfectly level with Gale’s face and Astarion was delighted to see his blush had deepened to an all-out flush. Gale started to stammer some response about rare Cormyr merchant stock but was cut off by Karlach.
“Oy! I could use another pint, actually, miss. Ta!” she said, holding her now-empty mug for the barmaid to grab. The woman leaned forward to reach for the outstretched mug, her tits now practically grazing Gale’s cheek. He let out an odd sort of choking sound and Astarion had to hold back laughter.
Suddenly there was a noise close by as yet another fight began to break out. A half-orc had stood up from his seat and was yelling at a rakish-looking drow about some “godsdamned wench”. His words were slurred from alcohol and as the drow went to take a swing the much larger man simply shoved him backwards. The drow caught himself against a chair and spun in a smooth motion to grab it in both hands and attempt to fling it at the half-orc. The taller man caught the chair mid-swing and threw it back towards the drow, who expertly sidestepped the projectile and lunged forward again, dagger drawn this time.
Astarion then lost track of the play-by-play of the fight because the chair the half-orc threw happened to land square in the back of the barmaid. She cried out and fell forward across Gale’s lap. The wizard’s hands flew up into the air by his shoulders, clearly not sure what he should do with them. He stared down silently, mouth agape.
“By the Gods!,” Will cried, reaching down to his side to help the woman up. Astarion estimated her face had probably planted itself squarely into the warlock’s thigh. Unlike Gale, who looked like he might be experiencing some form of shock, Will had not lost his composure in any way. Ever the gentleman, he offered the woman his arm for leverage as she righted herself.
“Are you okay?” Shadowheart asked, “If you are hurt I don’t mind healing you.”
“Kind of you to offer!” she replied, smiling, “But no, I think I’m okay. I think it mainly just startled me.”
Another chair came to a crash next to her and she flinched. The fight had grown now and several other tavern patrons had gotten involved. The barmaid took a moment to assess the state of the brawl before turning back to the group. “If you would not mind though, maybe I could sit here for a moment? I do not want to get up in the mix on my way back to the bar counter. It might be best to just wait it out here.”
“Of course!” Astarion declared, gesturing to the small slice of open bench next to Gale. There was no way he would turn down an opportunity to both embarrass the wizard further and sit across from such a scrumptious morsel of a woman, “Have a seat, darling.”
Gale’s eyes shot to his, wide and panicked. Astarion simply smiled and waved his hand again for the woman to sit.
“Thank you kindly, sir,” she responded and lowered herself. The second she did, Gale tried to scoot back towards Will but did not have time to fully move before the woman had put all of her weight on his thigh and adjusted to that she was sitting directly in the man’s lap. She laughed when Gale began to stutter in response and threw an arm around his shoulder. “I don’t mean to impose, sir. Your bench is just very full, and I figure I was already on your lap once only a moment ago, so there seems to be no harm in being here again? My name is April, by the way.”
Gale looked like he might have a stroke at any moment.
Several minutes passed of the group carrying on a conversation with the young woman. She seemed very interested in the life of an adventurer and freely absorbed Will’s summary of his feats and Karlach’s recap of a recent bloody battle in the Hells. More than once she leaned forward towards whoever was speaking to graze someone’s arm with her fingers or leaned back to laugh. The woman was clearly a shameless flirt and between her antics, her position, and her constant rocking back and forth, Gale was clearly trying very, very hard to remain composed. Despite this all starting as a jest, Astarion found something deep inside him stirred as he observed how flustered the other man was becoming. He wondered what it might be like to make the man so flustered himself.
Eventually the fight began to break up. The barkeep had managed after much effort to throw some of the offenders out of the tavern and those remaining had moved apart from each other to cool off. Astarion could see Tav beginning their return to the table now that the way was safe and clear.
“Well I supposed that’s my cue to get back to work!” April laughed, “You have all been so lovely to speak with. And…if any of you are interested in my further company…” she reached into her bodice to produce a small card covered in looping script, “you can find me later a few doors down.”
Karlach immediately plucked the card from her fingers and read it aloud, clearly overcome with raw curiosity untamped by the burden of sobriety. “Sune’s Seduction: Here to meet all your most pleasurable worldly needs…oh! April, you’re…”
“A paid consort? Only when I like someone,” April laughed, “And I do like you all. I get plenty of tips from Tavern patrons, of course, but I like the extra budget for lavish things.”
Just when Astarion thought Gale couldn’t possibly sustain the psychic damage of any more sexual frustration, April leaned down to say something directly into his ear. Most people might not have been able to hear, but Astarion has spent two centuries training his elvish hearing to catch useful information in crowded places such as this.
“And I like you especially,” April murmured as she twirled a silver strand of Gale’s hair between her lacquered fingers, “I’ve always loved the ones with a bit of salt and pepper. Why don’t you find me later and we’ll have some fun… daddy .”
Several things happened at once.
Gale, the poor, poor soul, could no longer contain himself and moaned–actually moaned in front of the Gods and everyone sat at the table. April giggled and stood with a swish of her hair. The rest of the party’s eyes shot to Gale. Astarion barely registered their various reactions as he himself suddenly felt a wash of warmth in his groin.
Despite the earlier pang of curiosity, before this exact moment Astarion’s reaction to Gale’s plight had been one of mostly amusement. However, as he watched Gale swallow thickly and avert his eyes from the group he began to realize with a dawning sense of horror that he appeared to be turned on by Gale being turned on. No, that couldn’t be it, could it? Maybe he was simply reacting to the word she used. Although…Astarion had bedded thousands of lovers in his life. People used all sorts of pet names and honorifics in the throes of sex but he had never found himself particularly moved by any of them. But this? Whatever it was it was sending all the borrowed blood he had to a very specific place. No, he realized. It was, in fact, Gale that was doing this to him.
Well shit.
The wizard in question stood as soon as April walked away. He pivoted a few times in place, arms straight by his sides, clearly wanting to flee but unsure which direction to go in. Just then Tav finished their approach and dropped a handful of keys onto the table.
“There weren’t enough rooms for everyone separately so we’ll have to share,” The explained, “Luckily everyone has their own bed but there is only one key per room so we’ll have to coordinate people to keep track of those. Who wants to bunk with–”
“I don’t care!” Gale cried out, grabbing a key at random, “But I need to go on up right now. I, um. I need to…I have to–”
“Go on, darling,” Astarion cooed. Gale turned and practically sprinted towards the staircase. The vampire laughed and stood as well, “I believe I will retire now as well, actually. Clearly our dear wizard has some pressing business to take care of but I myself simply need to wash all this grime off of me as soon as possible.”
“Go on then,” Tav agreed, passing keys out, “Are you okay bunking with Gale though? Since you two are going up first it makes sense that you stay together. It means no one will disturb either of you later on when we all go up for the night.”
Will started to protest but Astarion cut him off.
“It’s fine,” he said, waving the group off and grabbing his pack from the floor, “I always take my time bathing. Given the state of him I’m sure he will be plenty finished with the task at hand, so to speak, by the time I need to enter our room.”
Tav tilted their head. “What are you–”
“Goodnight!” Astarion called over his shoulder. Behind him he heard the group begin to fill their fearless leader in on what had transpired while they were gone.
Astarion hadn’t lied, surprisingly. He really did need to bathe. Yet when he reached the boarding hallway he saw only a series of numbered doors. None were either blank or specifically marked as bathing chambers, communal or otherwise. He frowned, deciding if walking all the way back down to ask an employee was worth the effort, when an older halfling woman emerged with a small cart of rags from one of the rooms.
“Excuse me,” Astarion said. The woman looked up and wiped her hands on her apron.
“Yes, dearie?”
“Is there some place I can perhaps take a bath?” he asked, gesturing to his soiled shirt. The woman raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on the dreadful state it was in. She nodded her head towards the room she just left.
“Tubs, soap, and towels are all in the rooms. You can rent ‘em for the night from the barkeep if ya needs one.”
“No, no I have a room already, thank you,” he answered. The realization of what that meant relative to the current condition of his assigned room hit him with a wave of both annoyance and arousal. “One other question though–did you see a human man run up here just now? Dark hair, stupid earring? I am meant to be bunking with him but I did not get a chance to see our room number.”
“Well I’m not meant to give out guest information, really, but…” the woman glanced around and pointed towards one of the doors down the hall, “Your friend was in a right hurry, he was. Maybe best you go check on him.”
Yes. Check on him.
“Thank you,” Astarion said as he walked down the hall, the woman already moving on to clean another boarding room.
The door was locked, obviously. Astarion sighed and knocked twice. There was a pause and then Gale’s voice came through, muffled but clearly ragged and breathy.
“Please come back later! I am, um. Just…Please come back later!”
“It’s Astarion and I need to come in now, Gale!” he shouted, “Tav assigned us as roommates and I cannot wait a single second longer to bathe and change into something less blood-soaked. I don’t really care what you are doing in there, I assure you my interests are quite singular at the moment.”
“Well I…fine! Come in, then! Just, um, close the door quickly please,” Gale called out. Another short pause and Astarion heard the lock click. He entered the room to see Gale on one of the beds curled up on his side, covers pulled up to his neck. The wispy blue glow of a mage hand was fading next to the door handle where it had been floating to open the lock.
“Thank you!” the vampire chirped, resisting the urge to smirk at Gale’s obvious attempt to hide his erection from view. He promptly shut the door as asked and walked over to the hammered metal tub in the corner. He was delighted to see a hot water spigot and turned it on immediately.
“You know I thought this place was rather a dive at first but they have plumbing!” Astarion mused as he began to peel his clothes off, “What a modern marvel for a tavern such as this to have.”
Gale made a vague affirmative noise. Astarion glanced sideways to see the wizard staring at him intently, eyes flicking slightly up and down. The party had all seen each other in various states of undress in their camp but the wizard had never inspected his naked body so closely before. Astarion took it as a compliment and lowered himself into the tub slowly, groaning as his sore muscles were enveloped in the steaming water. He made a show of soaping himself up before dunking his head below the water to wet his hair. When he emerged he caught another glimpse of Gale staring intently, his eyes clearly following the rivulets of water flowing from Astarion’s hair down over his pecs.
“Oh! Gale, darling,” He said, “I seem to have forgotten to grab my special hair tonic from my pack. Would you mind handing it to me? This bar soap will absolutely strip my curls dry and I am far too pretty for such a thing.”
Astarion watched a few lumps (presumably Gale’s hands) move below his blanket in quick motions as he spoke a few words. Another mage hand materialized above the vampire’s backpack and undid the cording at the top. The hand then froze midair as Gale clearly realized there was no way for him to see what was inside the pack to hand the right thing to Astarion.
“Are you really so lazy?” Astarion mused, “Surely you can walk a few feet across the room.”
“W-Well I…I’m not feeling well,” Gale stammered. He inched the blanket higher until it was covering his chin.
“Cold, I take it?”
“Yes?”
“You sound unsure, Mr. Dekarios.”
The name caused a flash of something across Gale’s eyes. Astarion assumed it was more from the “Mr.” than from his last name, if his reaction from earlier was any clue.
“Look, Astarion. I just simply can not stand up at the present moment,” Gale deadpanned. He offered no more explanation. Astarion rolled his eyes and stood up. As he reached for one of the towels folded neatly on a stool beside the tub he caught Gale’s eye roving over his body again. The man was truly shameless, apparently. Astarion wrapped the towel around his hips and took a few steps towards the wizard.
“Might the reason why you suddenly cannot bring yourself to your feet have anything to do with how that lovely little minx from downstairs decided to drape herself all over you?” he asked. He kept his tone light and playful so as to not spook the wizard too much. Gale’s eyes grew wide.
“W-what?”
“April. The barmaid? The one who decided to sit down right on top of you and whisper lewd things in your ear?” Astarion purred. He took one step towards the bed.
“You heard that?” Gale gasped. He was sweating–-whether it from the thick blanket or arousal was unclear.
“Oh I heard,” Astarion murmured, now even closer, “Yes I heard what she called you. And I heard you moan for her.”
“Astarion! ” Gale retorted, his tone offended, “You heard nothing of the sort. Now please, leave me be. I will not endure your mocking.”
Astarion shook his head and clicked his cheek in disappointment. He stopped his slow approach and placed a hand on a toweled hip.
“Gale,” he started, “I will speak plainly. It is incredibly obvious that you were in the middle of masturbating when I came into this room and it is also incredibly obvious why. Now, normally in a situation such as this I would of course give you your privacy. And I still will if you really want me too. Gods know that I know what it is like to not have my bodily autonomy respected.”
Gale’s face had twisted in a moment of panic at the mention of him masturbating but had softened at the last part.
“However ,” Astarion continued, lowering his voice, “I suspect that you may just be okay with someone other than Ms. April referring to you the way that she did. And luckily for you, I am more than game. I can only assume this would be amenable to you seeing as I could not help but notice you watching me in the bath just now.”
“Wait,” Gale said, the heat in his eyes betraying his confused expression, “What are you saying, Astarion?”
“I am saying I would like to call you what she did and hear you moan when I say it to you,” Astarion purred, “And I would very much like you to fuck me.”
There was a flurry of movement as Gale threw off the covers and stood. He was naked, as suspected, and quickly closed the distance to crush his lips into the other man’s. Astarion immediately wrapped his arms around Gale to grab at his ass. He smirked into the kiss, feeling victorious. Gale must have sensed it because he broke the connection to glare at him. Astarion laughed and moved to the bed Gale had just vacated, positioning himself comfortably with his head on the pillow. Gale was quickly on top of him, straddling his hips and staring down at him. He reached for Astarion’s wrists and pinned them on either side of the elf’s head. The pressure was firm but nothing Astarion couldn’t break out of if he wanted to.
“Is this okay?” Gale murmured.
“Yes, daddy.”
Gale let out a ragged groan and rolled his hips down to rub his hard cock against Astarion’s, ripping a similar groan from the vampire. He leaned forward to whisper against the shell of Astarion’s pointed ear.
“Say that again.”
“Yes, daddy.”
Gale’s lips were back on his in an instant, sucking his tongue into his mouth and nipping at his lips. He released one wrist to reach down and ghost his fingers up the length of Astarion’s cock. When Astarion tried to buck into his hand he pulled it away and shook his head.
“Be still.”
Astarion moaned and nodded. Gale pressed again with a bit more pressure and Astarion dug his nails into his palm with the effort of not humping the wizard’s palm. With a smirk of his own Gale seemed satisfied and moved down to lick along the ridge where Astarion’s cockhead met the shaft.
“You can move now,” Gale whispered against his sensitive tip, “show me what you want.”
Astarion reached down with a newly freed hand to thread his fingers through Gale’s graying hair. He tightened his grip slightly to test the waters and was met with a moan from the other man. When Gale sank down until his lips were grazing the base of his dick he pulled at the strands again just to feel the vibrations running along his shaft.
Gale lavished him with his tongue for several moments before coming up for air and gasping at Astarion to turn over. He did so, pushing himself up onto his knees and then leaning his head down to rest on his crossed forearms. Gale took a moment to run his hands over Astarion’s raised ass before he heard the wizard mumble a spell and then slick fingers were pressing into him, twisting and scissoring to open him up thoroughly.
“Fuck, daddy. That feels so good.” the elf moaned. He pushed back against Gale’s hand and felt the other one come to rest on the swell of one of his ass cheeks.
“You know you were rather naughty, barging in here and disturbing me like that,” Gale said, his tone low and soft, “Naughty enough to deserve some punishment, I think. A spanking, perhaps?”
Astarion simply moaned and nodded.
“I need more assertation than that, Astarion,” Gale murmured. He stilled the motion of his fingers and Astarion groaned in frustration, “If you want it then ask me. Both so that I know it is okay and because it will sound so sweet hearing you beg.”
Astarion, in a shocking turn of events, found himself blushing. He had never had a partner ask for his consent so directly and that turned him on more than any specific sex acts they had done so far. He craned his neck to be able to meet Gale’s eyes and bit his lip. He saw Gale’s eyes flash down to the tips of his fangs.
“Please,” he moaned, emphasizing the word with a roll of his hips back against Gale’s hand, “Please, daddy. Finger me. Spank me. Fuck me.”
That was enough for Gale.
The fingers resumed their steady motion just as a sharp slap came down beside them. Astarion keened and turned his head back to bury his face in his folded arms. Another spank came a few seconds later, and then another, and then another. Gale stopped after about ten and ran his hand lightly over the reddening skin.
“Gorgeous,” the man whispered, “Your skin is so pale, so pristine, and yet it marks just the same as anyones. I am almost surprised it can blush so beautifully like this. I did not know a vampire’s skin could hold such sanguine color, but then again I do suppose your veins carry blood, even if it was made by another.”
Astarion rolled his eyes and huffed against his arm at the wizard’s academic interlude. “Gale, while I appreciate the compliment, I need you to refocus on taking action,” he grumbled.
Gale laughed and gave Astarion’s ass one more slap in response. He pulled his fingers away and moved his hips to line his cock up with Astarion’s entrance. The vampire felt the head push into him ever so slightly before Gale paused again.
“Ask me again.”
Astarion closed his eyes and panted at the demand.
“Please fuck me.”
“Please fuck me, what?”
Astarion groaned and tried to push back onto Gale’s cock but the other man’s hands came up to hold his hips still.
“Please fuck me daddy.”
And with that Gale sunk himself to the hilt. Astarion could feel the wizard’s hands trembling with the sensation. Gale held himself there for a moment before beginning to thrust slowly. After a moment Astarion felt the sting of another firm slap to his ass.
“Fuck, you feel so good, Astarion. So good for me.”
Astarion moaned and enthusiastically shook his head at the praise. Gale must have noticed because he continued immediately.
“So good at taking my cock. Look at you, coming undone for me,” Gale quickened his pace and dug his fingers into the vampire’s hips. With the added leverage he was able to put more power into his thrusts. With every slap of his hips against Astarion’s ass the vampire released a soft grunt, breathing sharply between each despite his lack of need for air.
“Your cock feels so good in my ass,,” Astarion groaned. He looked back over his shoulder. “Can I turn over? I want to see you.”
“Of course, pet.”
Astarion froze halfway through his turn to look up at Gale. “Pet?”
Gale blushed and gently pulled his cock from Astarion so he could finish his flip. “Is that okay? I said it without thinking.” Astarion’s answer came before Gale had even finished his sentence.
“Yes.”
Apparently, context is important. That name might have set him on edge coming from the wrong person, but in this moment, with Gale, it sent a wave of electricity through his groin. He settled back and looped his legs around Gale’s hips, pulling him closer.
“Please fuck me more, daddy.”
“Fuck yes.”
Gale sank back in and started a punishing pace. He braced himself with one hand beside Astarion’s bicep while the other came down to stroke Astarion’s cock, his hand still slick from his earlier spell. The thought that those fingers were inside him only moments ago served to push the vampire that much closer to the edge.
“Gods you are so beautiful, pet,” Gale continued, his words punctuated by the slap of his hips against the other man, “And so witty, and so cunning, and fuck your ass is so warm and tight and–”
Without much warning Astarion felt himself stark to peak. He reached up and pulled Gale down into a sloppy kiss just as he tipped over the edge. His orgasm lasted longer than normal as Gale fucked and stroked him through it and when he was done he broke the kiss to gasp up at the man above him. The wizard’s pupils were blown wide and wild strands of loose hair fell around his face as he continued to pump his hips. The vampire reached out to gather some of the silver strands in his fingers before cupping his hand behind Gale’s head and holding it there.
“I’m close,” Gale groaned. He pushed his head back into the pressure of Astarion’s hand.
“Come for me,” Astarion murmured, “Please, daddy, come for me.”
Gale’s eyes practically rolled into the back of head as he came. Astarion felt the rush of wetness in him and made sure to squeeze around the man until he was finished. There was a moment where Gale simply looked down at him, panting and blinking. Astarion released his hold on the back of the wizard's head and the man flopped down beside him, groaning in contentment. Astarion turned to push himself against up Gale’s side and placed his head on the other man’s chest.
“How are you feeling?” Gale asked after he had caught his breath. He brought a hand up to stroke at Astarion’s hair, still damp from his earlier bath.
“Fantastic,” Astarion sighed. And he meant it. He tilted his head up to meet Gale’s gaze and smiled, “What about you?”
“The same,” Gale replied with a smile of his own. They sat for a moment in comfortable silence before Astarion sat up with a stretch.
“Well that was fun but I still need to wash my hair,” he declared as he stood and walked across the room, “And now I have to rinse myself out as well thanks to you.”
Gale laughed and waved his hand. A strange sensation rushed through Astarion’s backside and he turned to glare at the wizard.
“Did you just use Prestidigitation on my asshole?” he gasped. Gale raised an eyebrow and shrugged. The bastard.
“Well that’s useful,” Astarion muttered to himself as he grabbed his hair tonic from his pack. It would certainly make future endeavors easier.
Later that night as the party finally decided to stumble to bed, drunk and dumb, most would not put two and two together right away about the lack of a public washroom and Astarion’s lack of return downstairs that night. Perhaps when the morning came and hangovers were cured one after the other by a clever wave of Shadowheart’s hands they would all realize what must have occurred the night before, but for now it did not matter. As Astarion drifted to sleep in Gale’s arms he was not worried about how he would explain this to his friends. He was not worried about his new lover using him or hurting him. And most of all he was not worried that when they finally reached Baldur’s Gate and killed his former master he would have a glorious life of freedom awaiting him with friends at his side.