#but in-character angst is what makes the comfort especially delicious sooo

[erme-aeterna-arts]

thinking about post-canon potentialities for miscommunication for durgestarion like a normal person and basically

durge would definitely struggle with expressing their feelings of anger and annoyance because as far as they know they might kill someone if they don’t reign in their emotions, it would be a very hard to lose habit even after denying bhaal. so i think whenever there is a conflict or something bothers them, they just become very silent and avoidant.

as for astarion, he doesn’t seem to particularly hold back on his anger, he complains about the smallest of things, and it’s quite cathartic for him to be able to do so. vulnerability is harder for him though, and he tends to get defensive/argumentative when something hits too close home.

he would worry a lot after a fight, what if he became “too much”, and with durge avoiding conversations until they are sure they won’t lose their head, it would be one of the points in their relationship they would have to work on but also a likely source of angst.

like durge doesn’t share for the fear of getting too emotional and hurting astarion, and astarion for the fear of a punishment (literal in the past and in the form of the partner leaving/some negative reaction in the canon and post-canon timeline) for being too weak or too annoying.