#cazador wins au

[converse-luke]

WIP Wednesday

Yeah I’m back with more of my Cazador Wins au because I’m dying to share some more of it. Tagging @acestarion-panic so you see it because your tags on the older sections I’ve shared made me really excited to work on this fic.

If anyone has questions about this wip feel free to message me or send me an ask!

The falsity he constructed is still there. It’s been waiting ever since he first left. “You,” Gale begins, stalking towards it. “Did you honestly believe that I lied about loving you?” He wishes this could be a fight. “I meant it then and I mean it now. I love you!” There is no response. There can’t be a response. “Damn you Astarion! I would have told you a thousand times over if given the chance! You can’t have died thinking you weren’t loved.” Tears hit the Weave. “Damn you for making me want to live again and then dying. I love you. I always will. I don’t know if I can save you but I’m going to try.” Mystra’s presence grows in the back of his mind and the image of Astarion disappears. What once was a comforting weight upon his shoulders is now a tight noose. Gale flees the Weave.

He’s still sitting on the floor but his cheeks are now wet. Gale wipes at them and neatly tucks the empty box and note back in the hollowed out book. The book he was looking for, The Hells Unleashed, is under at least ten different copies of A Pleasurable Deal. Still sitting on the floor, Gale cracks it open, flipping to the chapter on Cania.

There isn’t much in there that Gale doesn’t already know from light reading as a student. He snaps the book shut and discards it, raking a hand through his hair. Maybe it’s his frustration manifesting, or grief tricking him, but Gale is certain that he feels the orb pulling his attention towards his pack.

His pack, where the Annals of Karsus sits, unread. Like so many things, there had been no time to look into it. But now, while they are taking the time to heal and grieve, the book is as alluring as a harpy’s song. Gale rises from the floor with creaking knees, pulling his pack to him. The red and gold book is tucked behind one of his extra robes, the orb practically sings at the sight of it. Gale pulls it out, fingers reverently tracing over the rebound spine.

Astarion hadn’t wanted to give it to him. He’d been ready to push back even more until Gale held out a hand expectantly. Gale hadn’t been kind about asking for the book a second time. If he had known it was one of Astarion’s final hours…

If he had known he would have done so many things differently.

But he didn’t and the regret is eating at him faster than the orb ever could. Gale opens the tome. The magic that pours from it is like being hit with a gust of wind. It is so different from the magic he knows, there is no safety in it, only power and opportunity. But the crown, oh the crown. With that not only could he bring Astarion back, but he could give him the ability to walk in the sun again.

Gale could make them both gods.

[world-of-shadows-and-music]

Just One Look

Here is a Soulmate!AU for Astarion where when you meet each other you see in color for the first time. He ended up winning the poll I posted with more than 50% of the vote! I do plan on posting a soulmate!AU for the other companions in the poll as well but I don’t have a timeframe for that. Not beta'ed, we die like men.

Summary: Astarion has spent over 200 years living in this grey colorless world, he didn’t think getting a tadpole shoved into his brain would lead to him meeting his alleged soulmate.

Pairing: Astarion x GN!Tav / Astarion x GN!Reader

Warnings: Typical violence, Astarion being Astarion, no use of Y/N

Word count: 348

Over 200 years. That is how long Astarion has been living in this cold, grey, colorless world. When he was young, he had heard the stories, how the world would blossom into unimaginable colors. He had even been hopeful once about meeting this alleged soulmate but once he was captured and turned into a spawn of Cazador he could not even dare to dream of hope.

Now it also was not in his plans to be kidnapped by illithids and have a tadpole implanted inside his skull but the for the first time since he could recall, he was able to feel the warmth of the sun on his chilled skin. He would take that as a win. After the Nautiloid crashed into the ground his only goal was finding out if there were any other survivors and keep himself alive through all this.

It did not take long, hearing voices carried on the wind coming from the wreckage. As they got closer Astarion called out asking for their assistance. The fall of footsteps approaching almost made him grin until his eyes met the approaching survivor. Suddenly, the world seemed to melt away and the only thing he could hear was static filling his ears. Colors came slowly; their eyes first, second their skin glowing in the sun light, the colors of their stained and singed clothes. Soon they were a cutout of color against the world of grey. Then the color started to bleed into the world around them, turning the sky blue and the grass green. It was wonderful and terrifying and if Astarion was still a living, breathing being he swears his heart would have exploded out of his chest.

Astarion’s soulmate seemed to be just as shocked as he was, just staring at him with wide eyes and their mouth stuck open as if saying ‘o’. He couldn’t deny they were pleasing to look at, Astarion felt as if he could stare at them all day but he could not handle the silence that grew between them, so he broke it.

“Well… Hello, Pet.”

[skeptical-lynx]

I am curious about your headcanon Batstarion. You headcanon him being able to transform into bat as spawn? Did Tav not know that he could shapeshift into bat? Is she knew...did she show him pity in your comic/panels?

Hi! I draw Batstarion in two versions. one of them is set in bg3 universe and I headcanon that Astarion gains part of the classic vampire abilities after the events of the game once he starts to drink enough blood regularly. because tadpole was blocking much of his vampiric powers, it’s fun to headcanon that he, even as Spawn, can have some superior abilities in time

And the other Batstarions [from 3 comic panels] are an AU I call “you saved a fluffy bat and got yourself a sassy vampire comic”. This plot is completely alternative and there are no specific spawn rules there. Astarion is just a Vampire [I am not even sure all the Cazador subplot is there, I haven’t built the full story around it]. Vapula found him injured as a bat and thought it was a normal bat, all while he fell for her and now wants to win her heart. technically, he is quite carefree in those comics and probably stays mostly in bat form, because he shows signs of acting like a bat would without thinking how a “human” should. so, this is just a fun AU romcom story

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

Hey! For the trope mashup, how about 9 and 53? 🤩

Dance AU + Mutual Pining

send me two (2) prompts + a pairing

A/N: You didn’t give me a pairing so I’m going with Astarion and Evie. If you had another pairing in mind, feel free to send me this again. 😁

Okay in this AU Astarion and Evie are both dancers but from different expertise

Evie does ballroom competitions, mostly west coast swing but a few others while Astarion worked more as a solo artist (maybe ballet?)

But Astarion has recently broken off from his extremely abusive coach Cazador and is looking to move on to different things

He really only knows about the dance world and is looking to make a new name for himself

Enter Evie who also happens to be looking for a new partner herself

It’s a running gag in the community of Evie being a lucky charm; one season with her and you’ll win the second, provided you switch partners of course

Astarion so enters the ballroom dance scene looking for a teacher and partner to help launch his career

He approaches Evie due to her reputation and smooth talks his way into an audition

Evie is skeptical, but it’s obvious the second they start dancing together that there is instant chemistry on stage

Astarion still needs major training to get used to the new medium and rules, but there is no denying his natural grace and showmanship

He’s taken aback by Evie’s teaching style, slowly unclenching even when he makes a mistake; she’s not going to berate and beat him, just correct him and move on

He’s safe with her

Evie meanwhile has a hard time denying his charms, even when she knows it will land her in trouble

She’s aware of this pattern by now; she mistakes dancing chemistry with the real thing and falls fast for somebody who doesn’t want her, but damn her if it’s not happening all over again

She keeps it close to the chest though, ignoring the pangs every time he smiles her way, or worse when he stands up for her among the other competitors placing a hand on her waist as if to keep her close and coincidentally keep his hand occupied with something besides strangling the person in front of them

She’s not about to admit her feelings, especially after he starts to open up about Cazador and the abuse he suffered, she doesn’t want him to feeler pressured into a relationship. Besides chances are he’ll move on after the season ends, everybody does

Astarion meanwhile is actively denying his growing feelings. Falling for Evie is 100% not what he signed up for

He was going to break in, make a name for himself and not make the mistake of being tied down again!

But no! She had to go and be kind, and funny, and beautiful, and why God did she have to care about him?!

She was supposed to just see him as a means to an end, like everybody else. But she didn’t, and now neither can he.

And who is he anyway? He knows Evie’s history and how she’s been burned before. He’s never been in a stable relationship in his life. He doesn’t even know what it looks like. How can he presume to give her that when it’s the one thing she seems to want?

It’s a mess

I’m not sure what finally breaks them, but Astarion is the one to finally crack and say something first

He’s not used to this pining thing while Evie is a certified gold mentalist

Also can’t forget at least one performance where they dance to “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” by Doris Day

[slusheeduck]

Casual Banter Masterpost

aka my Fictober 2023 drabbles! I figure I might as well get them all in one place on Tumblr, since I have them in one AO3 fic. Using the titles and descriptions from AO3.

Featuring my named Tav (Falerin), Tav/Astarion, a lot of Gale, and most importantly INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE COMPANIONS.

Day 1: Smart - Astarion asks for a magic lesson. Day 2: Prize - Karlach wins a prize at the circus. Day 3: Fireside - One last campfire chat before the Shadowlands. Day 4: Cooking Lesson - Lae'zel learns to cook. Day 5: Mask - Astarion tries on a mask for funsies. It goes badly. Day 6: Sick - Gale and Falerin chat about friendship and illnesses Day 7: Anchor - Astarion regrettably holds Halsin's hand. Day 8: Good Taste - Gale shares a treat, and a good time is had by all. Day 9: A Talk - Just a little chat, in regards to some campsite romance. Day 10: Drizzt Do'Urden - Wyll, Karlach, and Astarion find some common ground. Day 11: Temporary - The campsite romance hits a snag. Day 12: Mirror - Gale makes good on teaching Astarion magic. Day 13: Lost Wizard: If Found, Contact Tara - Tara despairs over the state of her runaway pet wizard. Day 14: Clowning Around - Falerin uses a disguise kit. Astarion wants a divorce. Day 15: Proper Horn Care - There's no possible way to write this summary without it looking horny. Day 16: A Token - Halsin carves a little gift for Astarion. Day 17: One Nice Thing - Karlach shows Shadowheart something nice, when she really needs it. Day 18: 90% Evil - Why WOULDN'T the rogue be the one to talk to the death cultist? Day 19: Seamstress - No one in camp but Astarion would have survived Home Ec. Day 20: The Selfless Choice - Or, How To Be A Confidant To Both Halves Of A Couple In The Face Of World-Ending Catastrophe, By Gale Dekarios Day 21: Taste Test - Falerin is...kind of a fucking weirdo. This is Gale's burden to bear. Day 22: Curl-based Despair - Astarion experiences #curlygirlproblems. Falerin helps. Day 23: Hunger - Someone gets a little hangry. Day 24: Pact, Pt. 1 - Astarion finds out about Fal's illness. Day 25: Pact, Pt. 2 - Astarion finds out about Fal's illness. Day 26: The Cuddliest Foe - Lae'zel does some research. Clive assists. Day 27: Homecoming - Two resident Baldurians discuss coming home. Day 28: Date - Astarion gets some new clothes. Day 29: A Healthy Dose of Theatrics - Are you really best friends if you've never been tempted to throttle each other? Day 30: Starfall -The newly formed party takes a moment to enjoy a magical sight. Day 31: Epilogue - A quiet moment after saving the world. Post-Fictober Drabbles:

Stars in His Eyes - Fal learns about naming ceremonies--and why Astarion has the name he does.

Slumber Party - Astarion and Gale have a fun night of kicking their feet, giggling, and discussing the all-consuming power they both intend on taking for themselves. Kidnapped - Astarion's siblings succeed in getting him back to the manor - but he's stronger now. Plus he has a very, very pissed-off partner. Rewriting The Story - After defeating Cazador and a tryst in the graveyard, it's time for some relationship reflection. Happy - Surely being the lover of an ascended vampire is the happiest ending one could hope for. (Ascended Astarion AU)

Wild Heart - A brief moment, the morning after the almost ascension, where two early risers have a chat.

Matters of Balance - Withers performs a resurrection. Breathe Deep, and Move - You can never really go home.

Side-Tracked - As they're embroiled in a murder mystery, Fal decides to take Astarion out for some enrichment.

Late Night Thoughts - Astarion has some thoughts on Falerin's lie from earlier in the day. (Bonus chapter for Side-Tracked)

New Tricks - Astarion discovers a new trick while trying to herd a cat.

Party Favors - The ultra-self-indulgent take on the ever popular tiefling party.

Meet-Cute - Every couple starts somewhere. And sometimes that's on the ground, with a knife.

Five Good Nights - Four good nights shared before the tiefling party, and one shared after.

The Brink - Falerin reaches his breaking point in the House of Hope. Luckily, Gale knows exactly what he's going through--and he's more than glad to help.

~

Rewinding the Thread - CB adjacent 3-shot

A chance conversation in Baldur's Gate leads to an unlikely visitor to Falerin and Astarion's home a year after the Netherbrain's defeat. She pleads for just one thing: that Astarion pays a visit to his family - his true family, the one that's mourned him for two centuries.

In The Weeds - Astarion decides to take in the sights of Baldur's Gate during the day, and has a nice conversation with a local.

The Invitation - A surprise visitor leads to a bit of arguing, an invitation home, and quite possibly Faerûn's most awkward tea.

[thatfreshi]

"Matters of the Heart" (Uni AU P. 14)

tw - mentions of abuse, athletic injuries

Another week passes, and things slowly return to normal. Halsin texts you every morning and night, always saying sweet things, as if his words are coated in sugar and honey. Astarion has started to perk up again, but he has stopped telling you anything about work, especially anything about Cazador. He takes all of his phone calls privately, and hides any accumulated wounds carefully. After that morning, seeing you cry over him, he can't give you another reason to be upset. At some point, he must have talked to Gale, because the two seem to have a silent understanding, although the artist never approaches you about the subject. This Saturday, Karlach has her first meet of the year, and your little ragtag group of friends has been invited.

"Oh Goddess, she needs to wear those shorts more. I can't! I just can't, she's too much!"

Of course, Shadowheart can't go one second around Karlach without thirsting.

"Oh, that's her girlfriend?"

Halsin came too, a great excuse for the two of you to see each other again. Not much has occurred, and he's obviously very charismatic, but you haven't been getting that butterflies in your stomach feeling. Despite this, you try your best to give him a solid chance, knowing it's very possible the recent stress has gotten the better of you.

"Yeah, they're quite cute together."

You're short with him, not on purpose, but because you're focused on other things: your project presentation coming up soon, an upcoming Halloween party, and the fact that Astarion has seemed quite fidgety all day. You move to whisper to him.

"You alright? You seem anxious."

He doesn't respond, instead giving a small thumbs up, not making eye contact with you.

"I think they're about to start."

Gale gets everyone focused back on the match that's about to start. Karlach is going against another tall buff woman from an opposing school, and the fight begins slowly, the two trying to figure out the other's plan. At some point, they get repositioned for going out of bounds, but Coach Zariel takes Karlach aside before the match continues again.

"That's weird. They already talked everything through beforehand, she was texting me about it."

Shadow picks up on the weird feeling that arises, and the rest of you follow suit. While watching the two of them talk, it's clear that tempers are rising, until your friend backs down, and goes back to the match. Things continue normally, until the two begin grappling. In between grabs and attempted chokes, it's hard to see exactly what's going on. That is, until the opposing woman yelps in pain, and the ref separates the two. The ref then proceeds to fight with your school's coach.

"What in the hell is going on?"

Wyll is just as confused as the rest of you, unsure as to why things ended so fast, or why there's now an argument going on. Unlike Karlach usually is, she seems cold, and doesn't go to check on her opponent. Instead, the ref ends up giving her the point, and eventually the win, because the other woman can't fight due to severe pain. When you all meet up with her afterward, Karlach is distraught.

"What happened out there babe?"

Shadowheart is immediately at her side.

"I don't know. Coach, she pulled me aside, said I should for a spinal twist. I told her I thought that was an illegal move, but she just kept pushing it, so I did it. I guess the ref couldn't prove it though. Feels terrible, I hope she's alright."

"Why would Zariel even tell you to do that?"

"I don't know... but I don't like it."

The rest of you leave the two new lovebirds to talk about it alone. You turn your attention to Astarion.

"Did you still want to study later?"

"I would, but something came up. I have to leave soon actually."

You don't realize it, but a wave of sadness covers your face, apparent to both him and Halsin.

"I might see you tonight though?"

"Oh, Halsin and I actually have another date planned."

"Right, of course."

"Actually Tav, can we talk about that?"

You nod as Astarion takes his leave, silently reprimanding himself for being so pathetic over you and this thing with Halsin. He's like a hoarder when it comes to your time, obsessed with taking every moment of yours that can be shared, and Halsin has gotten in the way of that. Between how much he's had to work, it's hard to find time to see each other.

"What is it?"

Halsin has taken you aside.

"Listen, I've been having a wonderful time-"

"Me too! It's been great getting to know you."

You try to smile at him, but it fades when you realize he isn't saying it in a good way.

"I... I think your heart may be elsewhere though."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe you don't see it yet, but that 'best friend' of yours?"

"Oh, Astarion? No, it's not like that at all."

"Maybe not now, but the way he looks at you? Something will come of it soon, and I won't be in the middle of it. It pains me, because you're so incredible, but I just can't get between other people."

"Halsin, are you breaking this off over some petty jealousy? Because, even if Astarion were into me like that, which he isn't, that doesn't mean I'm into him."

"Would you be though? If he was interested?"

You hesitate.

"My point has been made. Perhaps we can be good friends Tav? But in the meantime, take care."

Just like that, he's gone, and you're unsure what to do. You don't feel like crying, but you definitely don't feel good either.

"You alright Tav?"

Gale comes to your side.

"No... no, I'm not."

"Did the nature fanatic break things off? Thought he was too much of a sweetheart for that."

"He said he doesn't want to get between me and Astarion."

"Oh, is that so? Are you interested in our albino friend?"

"I... I don't know."

No one had presented the concept to you before. After that first encounter with him and the night at the diner, you assumed friendship was all it could ever be. You blocked off that possibility in your head. Besides, does he even have the space for a relationship? He of course, had sex with you that evening at the party, but you didn't even know each other. He wasn't present either, which makes things more complicated. Is that even the kind of thing he's looking for, a lover?

"Well, I'd figure that out then. Matters of the heart are better when resolved."

"Yeah, I guess you're right Gale."

The events of last week paint across your mind again, his drunken stupor, how quiet he's been since. You remember sobbing at the side of his bed, clawing in your mind for any way to get him out of this situation. Before you go too far into the memory, you come back to reality.

"Gale?"

"Hm?"

"You haven't told anyone about last week right? You know."

"Right, that evening. No. Although. Astarion didn't tell me much, just that he had it handled at it wasn't my business to share. Suppose he's right. You though, you know way more than I do."

"What makes you say that?"

"You eyes. They're full of concern every time you look at him, like something is permanently wrong. Of course, it's not my place to pry, but we've all started to become rather fond of him. I'd hate to see something bad happen all because he wants to keep his secrets."

"Trust me Gale, me too."

[asidian]

AU where instead of Dalyria and Petras being sent to straight up capture Astarion once the group is back in the city, Cazador sends them to grab Wyll instead to use as bait for Astarion to attend the Ritual.

FIVE FUN FACTS about this AU:

Assuming for this to work, Wyll has got to be alone, because otherwise I imagine it would go about as well as it did when they tried to take Astarion. So from everyone else's pov, Wyll just doesn't show up at the tavern where they're meant to be having an evening to decompress. Instead they go to look for him and find a note from Cazador

Astarion is some volatile, feral cat mix of rage and fear and indignation and oh-gods-Cazador-is-probably-torturing-him-right-now-isn't-he

They aren't properly prepared to face Cazador yet. It's early Act 3, and our heroes are a touch underleveled for a vampire lord

Astarion wants to go to Cazador's palace right NOW. He knows better than anyone what a difference a day can make, when all of Cazador's attention is focused on you

It's a fight they can't win. Cazador ascends; Astarion gets to see his friends lying dead on the ritual circle before his soul is ripped out of him. Wyll, who's in one of those hanging cages, dangling from the ceiling, does not get the mercy of a quick death. Cazador just leaves him there. Bad end :(

[autistichalsin]

bg3 hunger games au please show me the headcannons if ur up for it <3

HELL YEAH!

So here's my headcanons for each of the characters, including my Dark Urge. I haven't put either of my Tavs in here yet, but I might later! I haven't really worked out where Jaheira and Minsc are, other than that they're older and beloved mentors.

Baldur's Gate functions like the Capitol, while Menzoberranzan is more like District 13- with an even darker twist, since they want to outright conquer the nation instead. (As opposed to in the books, where Coin was just being duplicitous about wanting power for herself.)

Baldur's Gate residents:

Cazador is very wealthy, even by capitolite standards. Keeping with the THG books' notes about victors being forced into prostitution, he primarily uses this wealth to buy out victors with Gortash's permission, all the better if he can be the first. But no matter how many he takes, Astarion is his favorite.

Halsin's Drow captors, much the same as Cazador, love to buy out victors, and they took a liking to Halsin in particular. They were from Menzoberranzan, but happened to be in Baldur's Gate the day the first war was lost, forcing them to stay and adapt. They don't mind terribly, though.

Gortash is the Grand Duke after forcing the Ravengards to leave in effectively a coup. He let Zariel, who ruled the nearby nation of Avernus, draft Karlach as a soldier before letting her return to her district.

Orin is, of course, behind most of the murders in the city. After discovering Minthara's attempt to investigate a series of defectors from Menzoberranzan, she took her and kept her prisoner.

Menzoberranzan residents:

Minthara, of course, aspires to be the one in power, especially if they take over Baldur's Gate. She has an intense dislike, but begrudging respect, for her mother. However, her plans to take over are ended when she discovered a group of Drow defected from Menzoberranzan and into Baldur's Gate. She tracked them down and was captured by Orin.

District 1 (luxury goods) residents:

Astarion couldn't be from anywhere else but the luxury District. He volunteered for his Games, thinking a lifetime of riches would be well-worth a few weeks of suffering, not knowing that Cazador was part of the package. He regrets volunteering every day after, especially as Cazador paid extra to Gortash to not let doctors heal his scars.

District 2 (masonry and peacekeepers):

Lae'zel volunteered the first Reaping she was eligible, despite another Githyanki being the one meant to volunteer. She rubbed it in their faces when she won, being one of the only ones that young to ever win.

District 3 (technology):

Gale managed to win despite his orb by attuning its magical energies to the blast mines, wiping out everyone who was at the bloodbath (mostly the strongest ones left) when he was a safe distance away. The others, he killed with advanced magic. After winning, he is so overcome with shame that he locks himself away, letting only Tara see him.

District 4 (fishing):

Wyll used to be from Baldur's Gate until Gortash engineered an 'accident' (poisoning that left Ulder mentally unfit to rule) and then had him and his son 'sent to 4 to recover' (exiled). To show that he wasn't playing favorites, he added Wyll's name to the pool of possible Tributes. Without the finances they once had to be able to manage Ulder's condition, Wyll volunteered for the games to save his father's life. And then afterwards discovered a patron from Avernus willing to help in exchange for Wyll serving her army.

District 7 (lumber):

Halsin is miserable in a district that primarily exists to fell trees. Before being reaped into the games, he managed to get himself a job planting new trees- until he became big and strong enough that the higher-ups said he had no choice. Then he got reaped for the Games and won by using his bear form to, put bluntly, maul the shit out of everyone there, which made it one of the highest-rated Games ever, him an adored figure in the Capitol (catching the attention of a Drow noble couple), and leaving him trauma that still persists into his middle age.

Kiaran is a happy volunteer for his Games, finding that his Urge to murder is starting to overwhelm him, and fearing what will happen if he gets caught committing murder outside of the one place he's allowed to do it. He killed so many other Tributes, most notably Alfira, in such brutal ways that most of the footage from his Games is never allowed to be broadcast again without heavy editing. However, he starts trying to fight the impulses after, when he sees Halsin, who treated him warmly before the Games, become horrified at him.

District 8 (textiles)

Shadowheart was kidnapped from her parents, who were attempting to flee to another nation now that she was old enough to run, and turned over to the local orphanage while her parents were captured and tortured in Baldur's Gate. The orphanage had been taken over by undercover Sharrans, who used it as a scheme to indoctrinate new followers into their cult.

District 12 (mining)

Karlach grew up objectively better than most in 12, but still poorer than most of everyone else in the country. To help her parents, she took a bodyguard job Gortash posted, open to all but based in the city, not knowing this would get her drafted into serving Zariel.

[melkyt]

Writing a medieval Durge/Astarion au where Durge is a warlord who is gaining territory for his fathers kingdom.

Bhaal putting all his spawn to a contest for the throne. The one who can gain the most territory with their slaughter will inherit the throne.

Durge is obviously winning, with the largest ruled lands within the continent

Cazador is a lordling vamp that has a sizeable city he controls behind the scenes. When Durge sets his eyes on spreading his reach that far and the 'leaders' dont try to bargain but get ready for a siege. He invites Durge to negotiate.

Durge humors the man and goes to his mansion and is wholly unimpressed with anything the man has to offer and decides to kill them all before he leaves, then take the city.

Cazador, as a last-ditch attempt, offers one of his 'staff' as he puts it to Durge. He brings forth seven of them dressed in white and adorned in gold. They are all beautiful in their own way.

Durge at first does not give them a second look. He has no need for slaves but then curly white hair catches his eye. He agrees to march past the city in exchange for the elf.

When the city wakes, ready for battle, they find the army gone.

Durge throws a large amount of coin to buy a mansion to stay in as his base of operations. This city is the center of this area and it will be great to cordinate its conquest from within the walls

Cazador gives Astarion to seduce and kill the Bhaalspawn. The man is a danger to the entire land and, more importantly, Cazadors' plans.

Astarion knows he is just trading one Master for another and is thinking how to best spin the situation on their way to the mansion. He expects to be put in a cell or something worse. There are stories of how cruel the bhaalspawn is even among its siblings. The corpses he leaves are always horribly mutilated and those that survive with severe mental or physical damage.

So when they arrive and Durge leads him through the mansion, Astarion is ready to kill as soon as the guards leave them, and they do. He does not want to know what happens at the end of this path.

This attempt fails as the durge just stops him by catching his wrist. "You could not kill me even if I let you." It's a matter of fact statement. The gods would not allow his death.

Astarion knew it wouldn't be that easy, but he wanted to see the reaction. It's mild by all standards. He laughs it off, a slightly nervous tilt to his voice.

The durge kicks open the door. "This is your room. Throne Room and my quarters are off limits." He guides Astarion in eith a strong grip." The servants will give you anything you want." With that statement, Durge leaves a very dumbfounded vampire who expected something to happen. It's not a lavish room and free reign of the mansion for the most part.

So begins his adventure trying to seduce Durge, who is having none of it.

Durge is focused on the war effort but finds his eyes straying to that pale skin framed by white curls and those eyes that hide fear behind the flirting. Fear always fascinates him in those he kills, but this is different. Astarion is not quite afraid of him. There is someone he is afraid of more, and Durge decides that he will find out what or who inspires a bigger fear than him and kill it.

(Sidenote, I am giggling at the idea of Durge acting like he is the worst thing ever while giving Astarion room, board, and more kindness with his disinterest than anyone has in a long time. *and also lets Astarion drink his blood eventually*. Like durge boi, ur smitten not scary xd)

[xalygatorx]

"Loser, Baby" - [an Unbound crack!fic]

Summary: Astarion is on a half-hearted prowl through Baldur’s Gate for someone to take back to his “boss.” An emotional interaction with a bard just done with her set at the Blushing Mermaid gives him a new perspective.

Warnings: contains Unbound main story spoilers; language; brief mentions of Astarion’s sexual abuse; a goofy comfort/hurt; born of Hazbin Hotel brainrot; Áine is one helluva bard; they’re not together in this one; they’re also both a little drunk; Astarion almost gets drugged (mirrors the show scene); this is going to be caricature-ish but cute; Astarion POV; he's a bit OOC, at least for how I usually write him; a modernized Faerûn AU; lightly proofread

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: This obviously isn’t part of the main Unbound story. But I had feelings and needed them out.

I highly recommend checking out the song and the linked scene if you're not already familiar. (Or if you are. It's a banger regardless.)

S/O to @velcyrptr for sending me "Poison" from Hazbin when it reminded them of Astarion. :') That eventually led to this, for better or for worse.

Inspiration: “Loser, Baby” on Spotify; show scene on YouTube

Even when the phone in his pocket wasn’t buzzing off the hook with text after call after voicemail after text, he could feel it. Quick, chirpy phantom shakes all from the monster who owned him. The sire who’d made him. The man who used him.

Astarion adjusted in his seat in the Blushing Mermaid to displace the device in his pocket, but he knew it wouldn’t matter. Even when he didn’t have the infernal thing pressed between his pants and his thigh, that sensation would still creep up. If he was lucky, it was only that one.

“We borin’ ya, sweetheart?”

That jarred him back to his mission. As if he could forget it in the first place. It was the same one every night, after all. Be Cazador’s little takeout delivery boy and bring him something scrumptious to eat, all costs dashed. Astarion speculatively scraped a glance over the men still lingering with him in the booth—none of these would win him points from that bastard, these were all late-night leftover trash. Unfortunately for him, the handful of potential targets he’d eyed on arrival were long gone. He was off his game tonight.

Blood was blood though and he’d suffer worse if he showed up empty-handed. “Impossible, handsome,” he cooed, plucking his empty martini glass off the table. “I’m just a li’l low on juice… Mind getting me a refill, Daddy?” 

He already had the orc next to him sorted for kinks, it was just a matter of talking him off into the dark and doing what was needed to get him back to his master before sun-up. Astarion was already dreading the trek back—it was a bit of a walk from here to the castle and he was still a bit battered from the night before. Not that there were any better alternatives.

Astarion’s butter-smooth voice did just as it always had and teased a hungry smirk from the orc that snatched up his empty glass. Under the table, the orc’s hand that was pressed against Astarion’s thigh swept up and palmed just as hungrily at his groin. Astarion swallowed against the bile that rose in his throat, wrenching his tense features into a coy grin up at the man’s retreating figure.    

It figured he would only get a moment of reprieve before he was sandwiched back in by the same orc returning with his drink. The night’s entertainment had wrapped up about twenty minutes ago and pickings were slim for patrons still lingering inside the tavern. 

“There you go, sugar,” the orc sneered, pressing the glass into Astarion’s hand. It was a little much when he could’ve just set it on the table, Astarion thought, but he supposed maybe it was a hint that the guy wanted to get out of there soon. He supposed he was just putting off the inevitable at this point, so he might as well—

“Honey, he dosed your drink.”

Astarion paused in raising the rosy pink martini to his lips, glancing up toward the new but oddly familiar voice that had risen above the men’s grumbling, gritty murmurs. A gorgeous drow—no, half-drow—woman stood near the table, her chestnut stare slanted down at him and the glass in his hand with some measure of concern. Why hadn’t he noticed her in all the scoping out he’d done throughout the place tonight?

An instrument case almost as big as she was hung strapped across her body, which was when he realized where he’d recognized her voice from. She’d been performing all night. Apparently, the bard now lingering like a self-ordained guardian angel hadn’t ducked out after her set was done.

The table shook as the orc stood up to tower over her. Something lurched in Astarion’s chest at the idea that she was about to get hurt on his behalf. No, wait, he hadn’t asked her to. This was her fault for interfering! So why did he feel the urge to run interference? 

The orc glared down at her, dwarfing her without even trying. “The fuck did you just say, bitch?”

The bard glanced up at him and, to Astarion’s inexplicable horror, she just sniffed in the orc’s direction. Gods, she was going to get herself killed! 

Suddenly a smirk found its way to her lips. “I said—,” she began before snatching the martini from Astarion’s hand and dumping it up into the orc’s dumbly slack jaw, catching that hanging mandible with the heel of her other hand and shoving it upward to force him to swallow, “Honey, you dosed your drink.”

Whatever it was that he’d put in that martini was potent, Astarion realized as the orc choked initially, a gob of slobber flopping onto the bard’s hand, and then immediately went to the floor. His friends lurched out of the other side of the booth, one turning tail before they could get banned for whatever fight was about to break out and the other going to see if his now-convulsing comrade was going to survive his own concoction. 

Astarion’s body shot back to life when he felt a hand wrap around his elbow and tug him out of the booth. Wide red eyes shot up to the bard the hand belonged to, something brewing in his chest when he realized he’d been saved but lost his quarry in the process. Anger and gratitude. Terror and relief. They were outside by the time he’d made enough sense of it to say anything.

Down on the city street curb adjacent to the tavern, Astarion violently shoved her hand from his arm. “What the fuck?!” he shouted at her, too confused to even try to swing this in favor of still having prey to take back to Cazador. His guard was down. She’d saved him, but why? What did she want with him?

The bard blinked at her wide doe-eyes at him, her own confusion manifesting. “...What? What the fuck, me?” she asked, pointing at herself as she tried to read his reaction. “I just saved your ass back there, that’s what!”

“I didn’t ask you to!” Astarion retorted, the outpour of emotions not entirely her fault. So much he’d crushed down and shelved was bubbling up. He was wowed by his own brokenness in that moment—that kindness was more triggering to him than being beaten and violated now. “You think I’m stupid? That I don’t know when someone drugs my drink?!”

Her jaw dropped slightly. “What, were you just going to drink it anyway?!” she demanded, shocked and on the edge of a hysterical laugh. “You just let people drug you?!”

“It’s not like I ask for it!” Astarion shouted, his jaw clenching when tears beaded at the corners of his eyes. No matter what he did to try and pull his proverbial mask back up with all his years of prowess, nothing was working now. He was crumbling under the weight of someone looking at him and seeing him. She had no idea what he’d been through. What he would go through the moment he got back. “And you have no right to judge me!”

Astarion rounded on his heel and started to stalk away from her, running his hands against his eyes. The phantom vibrations from his phone were back and tracing the black fabric of his skinny jeans. Or maybe his phone actually was blowing up this time. He couldn’t bring himself to check.

“I’m not judging you, but gods! You’ve been here the last four times I’ve performed and I’ve seen the same bullshit every time, sweetie!”

His eyes narrowed and a snarl crept up his throat. “Stalking much?” he barked over his shoulder.

The bard laughed. “You’re hard to miss, I’ll give you that,” she said, keeping pace a short distance behind him. Why was she following him? “Now are you good? You’re not too drunk to find your way home, are you?”

“Oh fuck off,” Astarion snapped. “You just gonna tail me all night and treat me like a fuckin’ kid?”

“Maybe I wouldn’t treat you like a fuckin’ kid if you seemed to give a shit about yourself.” That made Astarion’s spine go ramrod-straight with indignance. But she wasn’t done. “Just cut the act, you know y—”

“IT’S NOT AN ACT!”

Astarion had whirled on her and stopped in his tracks, his lips curled in a scowl and the tears that had formerly been beading now full-on streaks down his face. The bard stopped too, her eyes widening when she took in his expression and the way his voice cracked. 

The dam was broken and Astarion kept talking, filling the space between him and this somehow consequential stranger. “It’s who I need to be. And this?” He gestured a wide arm toward the neon-lined city street made more luminescent by remnants of the night’s rainfall. “This is my escape! Where I can forget about it all and how much I hate…” 

His voice cracked again, realizing what he was going to say halfway through saying it with brutal honesty. “...everything. A place where I can get drunk and not think about how much it all hurts. And maybe if I can ruin myself enough in the process, if I end up broken…” Astarion drew in a shuddering breath, hot tears pouring from his eyes as he slumped down to sit on the curb. “Maybe then I won’t be his favorite toy anymore. And…maybe he’ll let me go.”

Astarion could feel the bard’s eyes on him and it made him want to be sick right into the street with every other drunk’s sick from the night. He was just another spot of filth on the heart of Faerûn. If he didn’t remind himself, Cazador would. He always did. 

The vampire spawn waited to hear the bard’s retort, her receding footsteps when she gave up on trying to get to him, whatever it was that would come next. He didn’t expect her to sit down on the nasty bit of pavement with him. He cast his gaze away from her as she found a seat a few feet away from him, giving him space. The action that could’ve been seen as compassionate made him want to throttle her. 

She sighed. “I was a paladin once, you know.”

Well, that was unexpected. Astarion glanced her way and their eyes met. She smiled and gave him a small shrug. “Yeah, I know,” she said in response to his surprised expression, only reminding him yet again how unmasked he was in his current emotional state. “And, um… Well, I guess it was nice to have the power that came with it, but an oath like that ties you to some shithouse people. Whatever’s keeping you where you are… When you’re dealing in these sorts of things, the stakes are pretty high.”

She took a deep breath and sighed it out through her nose as if to clear her head, her gaze becoming distant as memories procured it. “So I know what it’s like to regret the choices made and…,” she paused, her brow scrunching as she measured her words. “...and to know you can’t take any of it back.”

Her gaze dropped to the pavement and so did Astarion’s as the silence stretched between them, only occasionally interrupted by the bustling of nightlife back up toward the tavern they’d left behind. Had his head not still been partially angled toward her, he may not have caught the moment she glanced at him again and smiled in his periphery. It was his only clue as to what might be coming as a few conjured piano notes peppered the air between them.

Astarion groaned inwardly. Fucking bards.

“So things look bad, and your back's against the wall,” she sang silkenly, her voice a balm to the musty city air. “Your whole existence seems fuckin' hopeless.”

Astarion rolled his eyes and turned his face toward the ground as she rose back to her feet and began pacing a lazy circle around him. He studied the puddle around his shoes just to ignore her, the rippling surface devoid of any reflection as ever. He heard the door to the flophouse behind them open as someone stumbled out. 

Undeterred, the bard continued singing. “You're feelin' filthy as a dive bar bathroom stall,” he heard what sounded like an umbrella pop open behind him and he glanced back just in time to see her shielding him from the wayward flophouse patron’s spew. Her nose wrinkled as she shook the sick off and watched the patron stumble into the nearby alley. It was like the universe was buckling to being part of her little musical number. As if his night couldn’t get any worse. “Can't face the world sober and dope-less…”

The peppering of piano notes swirled around them, a faint glowing outline forming around her instrument case as she invoked her magic. For what? A pep talk? To make him “feel better”? As if that’d solve anything for him! Even if some part of his aching soul ached to hear anything close to a reassurance. Even shallow praise would do just fine.

Astarion glanced away, continuing to feign that he was ignoring her little performance for his dignity’s sake, assuming he had any left. “You've lost your way, you think your life is wrecked,” she crooned. Ugh, here it comes, Astarion thought, halfway between gearing up to tell her to shove it and accept whatever cliche inspiration she felt like giving him.

“Well, let me just say you're correct~!”

He was so shocked that his thoughts tumbled free of his lips this time as he glanced up to find the strange bard bending down to look at him face-to-face. “Wait, what?”

She gave him a cheeky smile, twirling her finger in the air like she was going to boop his nose. “You're a…,” and then she flicked him in it instead, “...loser, baby, a loser, goddamn baby! You're a fucked-up little whiny bitch—”

“Hey!”

Her eyes grew unexpectedly tender as she kept going. “You're a loser, just like me.”

Astarion scoffed. “Thanks, asshole.”

Still undeterred, the bard shimmied in a cutely choreographed strut, using the tattered umbrella she’d shielded him with as a baton like she was in some classical dance number. What the fuck was with this chick? “You're a screws-loose boozer, an only one-star reviews-er, you're a power-bottom at rock bottom!” She glanced over her shoulder and winked at him. “But you got company.”

“This supposed to make me feel better?” Astarion groused, refusing to even look slightly amused at her subversion of his expectations. He’d realized by this point that she wasn’t insulting him, but instead commiserating with him. Which he still found a bit insulting.

“There was a time I thought that no one could relate,” she sang with a silly grin on her face. Even so, her eyes still held some pain when she opened them. How was she just moseying through that? “To the gruesome ways in which I'm damaged. But lettin' walls down, it can sometimes set you straight~! We're all livin' in the same shit sandwich.”

She’d settled herself down right next to him this time, glancing up at him expectantly with that pretty smile lingering on her lips. Astarion grumbled something about being a sucker for a pretty face and half-heartedly found himself singing back, wrapped in the glow of her magic. “I sold my soul to a psychopathic freak,” he said in a singsongy voice, gesturing toward the looming outline of the Szarr castle in the distance.

The bard’s mouth curved in a lopsided grin at his indulging her and hopped back up. From thin air, an image of a rolled projector screen appeared and she hooked her fingertip through the pull cord. “Ha-ha!” she laughed in time with the melody, pulling down the screen and gesturing to a portrait of Ketheric Thorm emblazoned on the inside. “And you think that makes you unique~? Get outta here, man!”

Before he could blink, she’d snapped the screen shut and the image had disappeared, that same hand now tugging him to his feet and into a dance. “We're both losers, baby! We're losers, it's okay to be a…?”

Experimentally, Astarion suggested, “Undead, dick-suckin' ho?”

The bard giggled. “Baby, that's fine by me.”

Her amusement was admittedly infectious and he finally sighed with a watery smile and shook his head as he vogued along to her song in his own way. “I'm a loser, honey, a schmoozer and a dummy,” he rolled his eyes as he allowed, “but at least I know I'm not alone!”

“You're a loser,” she sang, her eyes alight at his mood shifting and positively sparkling when he joined her on the next line. “Just like me!” Her excitement took the form of magically conjured neon signs mirroring the lyrics appearing around them as their own personal backdrops.

He had to admit there was something freeing to this sort of self-depreciation. It wasn’t the toxic, abusive angle he was used to, it just felt almost funny now, even if it wouldn’t at all later. For this singular moment, on this empty street with this pain-in-the-ass bard, nothing else existed. 

Astarion smirked as little magic raindrops mirroring the neon signs around them began to drop down and the bard popped the umbrella open again as if to shield them both from the conjured “downpour.” He slanted a teasing smile at her. “You're a loser, baby.”

She grinned back, shrugging in acceptance. “A loser, but just maybe if we,” she sang, tilting her head toward his as she scooted closer. Astarion chuckled and joined in again in agreement with what she’d not yet said, “Eat shit together, things will end up differently.”

With a wild twirl, she shot back to her feet and he followed her like they were attached at the hip, catching her in his arms for one more dance as she rounded them out. “It's time to lose your self-loathin',” she lilted, letting him lead their impromptu ballroom dance down the line of the dirty sidewalk. “Excuse yourself, let hope in, baby! Play your card, be who you are~!”

In unison, both a little breathless and laughing, they sang softly and just to each other, “A loser, just like me…” 

Astarion had sunk her into a dip at the end of their number, admiring her up close before he leaned back and let her up, not quite yet ready to let go of her hands if she was willing to let him keep them a moment longer. “I’m Astarion, by the way. What’s your name?”

The strange sort of bard gave him a warm smile that took the edge off the chilly night. “Áine.”

A/N: I'm sorry, Hazbin has ruined my life and consumed my thoughts. I'll be back to Unbound soon(ish).

[saradika]

J! Happy Halloween 🎃👻🦇 Thank you so much for doing this Tick or Treat celebration. It's so cute 💖

So, idk if you want to stay in the SW universe or not for characters, so I'll give you an option. Either Maul or Astarion (I love both, so I'm happy with whomever you pick 💕)

As for the movie—I'm thinking Constantine. It's one of my absolute favorites! But in case that's too difficult, I'll also throw out Bram Stoker's Dracula. Both films have amazing aesthetics. Oh and Keanu Reeves! So it's a win win either way for me 😂

Tess! Happy Halloween!! 💖🎃💖 Thank you so much for sending this in!! It’s been a little bit since I’ve seen Constantine, but I remember loving it! You’ve inspired me to do a rewatch 💕

I was thinking that in this AU, Astarion still sells his soul - only Lucifer gets to him first, instead of Cazador. I had so much fun making this!! Such a great aesthetic for both! Thank you, again. 🦇💖

baldur’s gate x constantine

———

[saradika’s trick or treat celebration]

[converse-luke]

Hey fellow Astarion whump writers fun ideas for you to consider:

1. Spawn Astarion being forced to drink holy water

Next one is also a treat for the bloodweave writers bc I’m obsessed with it.

2. Astarion being so hungry he drinks from Gale, knowing he tastes awful, and continuing to drink anyways from how much he needs blood.

[kalmiaphlox]

Masterlist

Kalmiaphlox - Ao3

i am here for Astarion, and Astarion only. I lub him.

My Works:

I'm Better Now, I Know My Faults (Completed) - Masterlist / Ao3 - Dadstarion post game journey of finding love and family when all feels lost.

Till Lies Break Our Hearts (Ongoing) - Masterlist / Ao3 - Arranged Marriage AU set before the events of Baldur's Gate. Can Astarion win the hearts of his new wife and her family so they might save him from Cazador's iron grip?

Fic Recs:

Completed Fic Recs

[swordmaid]

which is also why I think - in a vengeance shri’iia au where she ends up as astarion’s spawn and he inevitably gets tired of her bc he has all the power in the world and he can have anything and anyone he wants and everything is his for the taking - when she inevitably turns from his ‘eternal lover’ to just his ‘first spawn’ - she will be sooo amy gone girl about it.

like she’s devoting her oath and her entire life to him, he doesn’t get to change that. he’s not allowed to change even. she will do everything in her power and she will even set fire to them both if he tried to change. like he’s making a mistake that she’s rectifying! she lives to serve, and if he doesn’t want her servitude that means there’s something that’s not right and she will personally correct that. like he doesn’t need to worry about anything ofc - worrying doesn’t look good on him let her fix what needs to be fixed. she is such a good lover after all. it doesn’t compute to her that she’s going to be replaced. like it literally doesn’t make sense, not when he promised her eternity. so when he starts looking at someone else, when he starts to favor someone else and lavish them with his attentions and praise she will get rid of them because he’s getting distracted! and he doesn’t need distractions! and when he gets mad at her she will forgive his transgressions and soothe that anger away - he doesn’t need anymore wrinkles. and she will know about every little lie he says and hold them close to her chest then recite it back to him when she gets rid of another one of his new favourites. and when he tries to kill her she’ll do the same thinking it’s some game or courtship - this is how it was back in menzoberranzan after all! the fact that he was willing to learn her traditional courtship is so sweet 🥰. and maybe she’ll scare him even, so he can learn what fear is again. it’s a good kind of fear bc she’s showing what kind of person she could be so it would be dumb of him to throw her away.

but the thing is! she’s operating out of love and devotion! and they have eternity together! and there’s something sooo sicko yes about how ascended astarion’s first spawn - his first creation - being something that he will eventually resent and fears. bc it would be so much easier if she hated him like how he hated cazador. but she doesn’t. she’s deranged and in love and so obsessive about that love to the point where it literally can not be changed - and he can’t change it or manipulate it. what was once useful to him became a detriment. their love turning so sick and rotten, like a leftover apple, and she becomes a nuisance that he can’t get rid of, and he’s stuck with that nuisance for eternity. he eventually realises what a mistake it was seducing her back then when they had those tadpoles in their heads, when they had that strange freedom. like if he knew things would turn out like this, and she was actually this kind of person, maybe he would’ve done things differently but instead he’s stuck with her for eternity.

and I do think he’ll try to kill her lmfao I mean he’s a vampire lord and she���s just a fucking spawn so he’ll get rid of her once he gets bored and annoyed, but she thinks it’s some game between them so she’ll try to get him too - not kill him ofc but just close enough to scare him and remind him that she does bite even before the vampire teeth. I mean before him, she was literally a drow high priestess’/matron mother’s trained hound.

anyway I really love the idea of them being miserable with each other lmfaoo and I think she will be so miserable as a spawn actually and the moment when she potentially gets replaced something is gonna break inside of her bc it’ll just like before when she broke her oath. but she won’t be that bewildered and confused girl again, nope. she’s not going to accept it this time, she refuses! she doesn’t get to be the only miserable one, he doesn’t get to win..!!!

[maruichio]

Little Random Imagine

Ok, so I got dragged into the Astarion obsession and I can’t seem to get out (guys he lives rent free in my head help-) and started to come up with scenarios. I don’t if it’s just me but I love Sports AUs. Maybe it’s because I was on a team in highschool, but I love them. But like. Imagine Astarion on a sports team (I think he would do like fencing or volleyball) and your Tav would be on another sports team in the school or from another rival school. The potential my dudes! I came up with something inspired by my OC that I ship with Astarion. Be free to insert you Tav if you would like.

• Start of the tournament is today and everyone is a little stressed. But of course not Astarion. Why should he? He was the star setter, known for his clever plays and unexpected setter dumps that get the blockers fuming.

• Why would he be freaking out that this was a chance to show off his skills? That he didn’t get on the team because of connections but that he earned this spot? That he didn’t need to use underhanded methods to win?

• That if they did well this first game they would keep advancing? That he could show his old coach he wasn’t a pawn to shove around and use?

• That if Astarion’s team won these two games they would most likely end up facing against his old team?

• Astarion would eventually have to face his old abusive coach Cazador and his old teammates. He would show Cazador he was better off without him.

• Of course Astarion wasn’t nervous.

• He was brought out of his thoughts when he spies his favorite little basketball player along with the others from her team.

• “Well, if it is not our darling Tav. Come to watch me play did you?”

• “Shadowheart and Lae’zel got into another fight over who would get the ball and Karlach accidentally broke the rim when making a slam dunk. Coach decided it would be better if practice ended early.”

• Karlach informed them she would be the loudest one on the bleachers cheering for them. Shadowheart wished them to do their best. Lae’zel glared, saying if they lost it would be an embarrassment to the school.

• Gale said that their words of encouragement are all greatly appreciated.

• Astarion looked over to Tav. “And what about you, Darling? You have yet to give any inspiring words to spur us on to victory. Or you could at least give me a good luck charm.” He taps his cheek and turns it toward her, giving a teasing smile.

• Tav just tilts her head, confused.

• “Why would I give you a good luck charm?”

• And Astarion laughs it off, assuring it’s just a joke. He knows she didn’t mean for the comment to come off as rude, but the refusal still stung. They only had just become friends after all. He couldn’t expect them to be close despite the amount of time they spent together.

• But Tav wasn’t finished speaking. “I mean, luck doesn’t really exist. And even if it did, you would be the last person that needs it.”

•She remembers how she first saw Astarion, surrounded by fans fawning for his attention. Seemingly arrogant and full of himself. He was someone Tav thought she would never interact with.

•Then she saw him play. She saw how he became fully immersed in the game, watching the ball with a hunger and ready to strike.

•While staying late to clean up the gym, she caught him practicing alone. Perfecting his sets to make sure each one was accurate for Halsin and Wyll to spike. Countless hours spent to make sure his jump serve would be impossible to return.

•Tav leaves a water bottle for him and goes back to cleaning.

•A week later she tosses balls for him to set. He in turn helps her with her layups. They end up talking outside of their practices, and they end up forming a hesitant friendship.

• “You have practiced harder than anyone I’ve seen. I have watched you toss that volleyball for hours on end. If anyone deserves to be on that court, it’s you. No doubt about it. And when you win, because you guys will win this game, and the next, I’ll be standing in the bleachers right next to Karlach applauding your victory.”

• Tav then reaches for her ponytail and slips off her hairtie. She holds out her hand, silently asking for Astarion’s arm.

•He wordlessly lays it against her palms.

•”But since you asked,” She slips her hairtie onto his wrist. “Here. Not a charm, but a reminder, that you are an amazing player. And no one is allowed to say otherwise.” She gives a warm grin, rare for her to do, and the erratic thumping of Astarion’s heart slowed, calmed by the assurance her words gave him.

• The girls then leave for the gym. But Astarion is stuck in place, staring at his left wrist. Years of blood and tears spent into this sport, of being told he was lucky to even be touching the ball, of showing everyone that what he lacked in natural talent he more than made up for it with hard work- He hid the struggles behind a mask, the walls he built to hide the cracks his false confidence held together.

• And then this seemingly unimportant stranger comes along with her straightforward sincerity to start knocking those walls down. She saw through his mask of bravado, recognized all the hard work he had done. He felt seen.

• The purple band around his wrist was a stark contrast to his pale skin, Tav’s scent faintly clinging to the gift. His heart started pounding again, but not because of nerves. Oh dear. He is in trouble.

• His team was also shocked with what transpired. The silence being broken by Wyll.

• “You are one lucky bastard.”

~Bonus~

• While watching the team warmup, Tav thought back to the earlier exchange, thinking how cute Astarion was to ask for a charm. Though she still wondered why he tapped his cheek and expressed her confusion to her friends.

• Lae’zel just sighed and shook her head while Karlach laughed at Tav’s obliviousness. Shadowheart decided to take pity on her friend and leaned over, explaining to Tav what kind of “good luck charm” Astarion was actually asking for.

• “Oh. That’s what he meant?”

• Karlach laughed even harder while Shadowheart chuckled at Tav’s cluelessness.

• Turning her attention back to the team she happened to lock eyes with Astarion.

• He lifted up his arm, proudly showing off the purple hairtie on his wrist, and gave a flirtatious wink to her before turning around and getting ready for the game.

• She could feel he ears getting warm, and her heart started to pick up in pace. Tav knew it wasn’t from the anticipation of the game ahead.

•She was in trouble.

It is so late and I have class in a few hours why did I do this to myself why won’t this man let me SLEEP-

[thatfreshi]

Muscle Memory (Uni AU P. 12)

tw - abuse, sexual trauma, drinking, slight mention of homophobia

That evening, after all of your friends have dispersed, after getting absolutely nothing done, you end up in Astarion's dorm. You're both sitting on his bed while he does your makeup, which he insisted upon. He complains every time you accidentally move or your eyelids twitch, but you know he doesn't actually care all that much.

"You know, you're the only person I've ever let in here."

You back away from his makeup brush.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Don't really like sharing my space with people. It's one of the only things I have that's truly mine, but I don't mind sharing it with you."

"Are you sure? Because we could always hang out in my dorm, or somewhere else."

"No, really, you're one of the only people I trust to be in here. You don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, you don't ask too many questions, you just exist here, like I do."

"I mean I'd never just look through your stuff. I feel like that's the bare minimum."

"You'd think so, but it gets to a point in a career like mine where nothing is really yours anymore."

At this point, Astarion has started on your face again, mindlessly talking.

"You said you started at sixteen right? Must've been hard, losing all that control so young."

"Well, I mean I didn't really have a choice. After all, I did get kicked out, and jobs for normal teenagers don't really cover the expenses of someone trying to be an adult already. Besides, I got in with a lot of disgusting agents, people who shouldn't have been involved with someone my age anyways."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Like I said, I did it to myself."

"You were just a kid though."

"Yeah, I guess I was."

The conversation goes silent for a moment as he grabs something else from his cosmetics bag.

"Why did you get kicked out, if you don't mind me asking?"

He raises an eyebrow slightly.

"Hm, no one ever actually asks me that. Then again, I guess I don't really tell anyone."

"I mean you don't have to tell me."

"No, no I don't mind. I came out, that's pretty much it. Funny when you're the star only child until you talk about liking men. I was miserable about it at the time, but I don't really care anymore. Besides, I have far too many other things to concern myself with."

He makes one more pass with a highlight, and then backs up to admire his work.

"There, you look wonderful my darling Tav. Perhaps you'll look more beautiful than all the exotic flowers you'll get to see tonight."

"You're sweet. Thank you, for all of this, for opening up to me. I know it hasn't been all that long, but you really are the best friend I've been looking for."

Astarion goes to respond, but is interrupted by his ringtone going off, interrupting the nice music he had playing. It's Cazador calling, Szarr's first name as he had told you a couple days ago. Apparently he thought his last name would sound better for the brand, and has everyone call him by it at all times, unless you're in his private inner circle. To your surprise, your pale friend declines the call.

"Did you just-"

"Yep. Not letting him ruin my night, I just can't right now. Besides, I have to make sure you're ready for this date."

"You can't-"

"What, just not pick up his call? I guess you're right. I've done it before though, and he'll simply send me some nasty voicemail. I'll get punished for it later I'm sure, but if he didn't do it to me, it would just be one of the other six. Better that I take the brunt of it."

"But why?"

"I've been working with him longest, I'm the most used to it. If I can deal with it, it's better that way. Being the scapegoat, it gives me some small way to protect the rest of them."

"You shouldn't have to though."

"Of course not, none of us should have to, but I'm just playing the hand I got dealt Tav. That's all any of us can do, especially when the house always wins."

"So what will you do, until you have to see him again I mean?"

"Oh, there's a fitting tomorrow morning. In the meantime? I'll probably go find a cheap place to get drunk, have sex with a stranger and try to forget. At least until tomorrow."

You nervously stare at your hands.

"Is that why you had sex with me that night? To forget?"

He looks off into the distance, trying to find that evening in his mind.

"I can't even remember. Maybe? Or maybe I was just scared. It's hard to say. It becomes easy after a while, to just offer up your body to strangers. Easier than other options at least. It's like muscle memory."

He then stands up, and offers you a hand to do the same.

"But anyways, enough about me. You have a suitor to go see, and I think he'll find you just ravishing."

Your eyes meet his, that reddish-brown not fully present with you.

"Just stay safe tonight, okay?"

"Oh darling, as if I'm ever truly safe. I'll try though, since you asked so nicely. Now, go on and get downstairs, or else you'll be late. Don't want to keep the handsome nature man waiting."

You thank him again for helping you get ready, giving him a tender hug, the kind that secretly makes him melt. And soon enough, you're out the door and downstairs, met with Halsin and a box of chocolates.

~~~

Astarion doesn't even have the energy at that point to clean up the scattered cosmetics across his sheets. He almost plays Cazador's voicemail, but instead turns his phone off and leaves it on the nightstand. Just like he said, he finds some bar that won't hurt his wallet too much, and drinks the night away, thinking about the possible strangers he could lose himself in. He tries to justify it, knowing that rolling around in the sheets with someone would make the thoughts go away, give him a break from the constant nagging in his head, but for some reason he just can't do it. In fact, he hasn't been able to force himself to sleep with anyone since that night in the diner parking lot. He'd never admit it, but he's been thinking about what you said that evening, how he was just someone trying to survive. And he secretly hopes you're right, that he hasn't truly tainted his soul, that somewhere deep down there's a good piece of him left. After all, he's pining after someone like you, someone who gave him the benefit of the doubt when he didn't deserve it, someone who is far better than him. At least that's what he believes, that even if he did tell you like Gale suggested, it wouldn't be enough. He wouldn't be enough for you, but maybe this Halsin character could be, and there's no way he'd deprive you of that chance.