#gale/oc

[gale-dekarios]

good company.

[gothastarion]

[imperator-titus]

Ghost from the Past [Master Post]

[I always wanted to use this gif because I love the line and it's semi-relevant. Gif by vanilkaplays]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12]

Eletha Nighstar intro post

PLEASE feel free to interact with me in any way, likes, reblogs, comments, asks, whatever. It keeps me going!

Story Synopsis: Eletha Nightstar has been wandering Faerun for over 200 years hunting, making strange friends, and occasionally getting in (and out) of trouble. Now she faces her biggest adventure yet: avoiding ceremorphosis, becoming friends with a bunch of weirdos, and, oh yeah, dealing with her ex who has no idea who she is.

Mainstay Characters: Eletha (female elf Tav), Astarion, Gale

Main Pairings: Astarion/Female Elf Tav (past and sorta present), Astarion/Gale (Bloodweave), Gale/Female Elf Tav (It's a poly thing, not a 'love angle')

Tags: Reunited Lovers, Vampirism (obviously), allusions to PTSD-like symptoms, bad coping mechanisms (alcohol/drugs/etc), the Author has made shit up, Tav is Not Immune to Big Trauma, Story filled with Author's Triggers for Tragedy, non-canon-compliant ethical polygamy, possibly Inappropriate use of Magic

Content Warnings (Now with all the tags cause the bit is out!): Allusions to and Descriptions of Sex, Vampirism Stuff (biting, blood, etc), Depictions of Mental Illness/Breakdown, Descriptions of Magical Imprisonment, Abandonment Issues, Pregnancy/Tokophobia, Minor Suicidal Ideation, probably Violence, harsh languages, etc consistent with the game

Tagging with all the relevant tags I use for the stories so readers will see this!

[kiraras-universe]

HAIII ABOUT LINDA & HER NERD MALEWIFE🤍🤍🤍

🦀: How did they handle realizing they were in love? Embarrassed? Nervous? Mad?

🫣: Who stumbled the most with their feelings around the other? How much did the other person notice?

💕: Who confessed first and how? Did it go as planned or did shenanigans ensue?

🕊️: Give just a general domestic tidbit for em (things they like about each other, routines, habits, and just overall sweet stuff)

HAIIII BESTIE

Boss Lady/Loser Nerd lets gooo

🦀: Their relationship developed pretty slowly actually. Strangers - Friends - Lovers type of thing. They both kinda have this natural dynamic when talking but it took multiple vulnerable and calm moments together for them to realize that there's something more. Their liking for each other was always mutual but their own issues would put a pause on acting on these feelings for a while, making them stay in this silent, mutual pining. They were basically friends who obviously had a thing for each other and would try to act on it in a way that won't scream "we're together", kinda trying to balance on that line.

🫣: Gale stumbled a bit more, mostly because of the unresolved issues with Mystra. They were both pretty obvious with their feelings but Gale was often the one "There's no way she likes me" while Linda knew that he liked her and was even proud of it. Linda will often make Gale flustered on purpose. But when Gale manages to fluster her it's a special moment.

💕: They didn't really confess in an obvious sense. It was more like a stressful moment that ended with a kiss, out of fear of loosing each other and never having another chance to do that.

🕊️: - They're both nerds, Linda is just more lowkey about it. With Gale, however, she can completely go loose. They can talk for hours about the arcane, the world and people that annoy them. They walk into an art gallery and are that couple that stares at a painting for an hour only to say "I don't like it" "Yeah, me too" and move on. - Despite them both working Gale is absolutely housewife coded. He cannot trust Linda in the kitchen he HAS to be the one cooking if he doesn't want their house to light on fire. Linda does try to cook like "surprise" dinners once in a while but she's obviously the worse cook in the relationship.

[inkberrry]

Do Your Worst

The road to Baldur's Gate was long, and all Vehnrix wanted was a few moments alone with Gale. Taking matters into his own hands, Gale found a way to give Vehnrix the pleasure he sought without the need for full privacy.

Read below or on ao3. Smut below!

Vehnrix made the mistake of telling Gale to do his worst. 

It started off in Gale’s tent, the two of them interrupted by the sound of the others waking outside. Vehnrix groaned as he rolled to his back, his arm wrapped around Gale’s middle. A few more minutes , he’d whined. That’s all he wanted. Gale chuckled and pushed himself to an elbow, the shadow of desire behind his eyes when he looked down at Vehnrix. 

“No time for us this morning, it seems,” he said, utterly cheerful in spite of the situation.

“There’s never any time for us,” Vehnrix countered with a sigh. He let his hand trail across the soft of Gale’s stomach, through the thick patches of hair. With the little privacy their camp provided and the ever present threat of danger, it wasn’t often the two of them could indulge. 

“And what if we stole some time during our day?” Something in Gale’s expression piqued Vehnrix’s interest, and he pushed himself up to sit. “Oh, nothing as extravagant as I’ve done before — no rushing away to our own private pocket plane. Something we can enjoy while we travel?”

Vehnrix narrowed his eyes, both curious and just a bit apprehensive. “And what’s that, Gale?”

Gale sat, too, and began to move his hands in a familiar motion, the light of his magic filling the tent. Nothing happened, though, and Vehnrix raised his brows in question when Gale gave him a satisfied smirk. 

“What did —“ Vehnrix started, but his words cut off, turned into a surprised groan when he felt the warm grip of a hand wrap around his cock and give a quick tug. He looked down to see nothing , then back up to Gale looking incredibly similar to a smug cat. 

“A little trick of mine,” Gale explained, and the grip around Vehnrix’s shaft loosened while it slowly stroked the length of him. “A really very clever use of mage hand . Invisible to everyone, but with no loss in dexterity and maneuverability.”

Vehnrix groaned again, leaning back on his elbows as the hand worked him to full stiffness. “So, what,” he said, resisting the urge to push his hips up into the unseen motion. “You’re just going to tease me all day with this?”

“Precisely,” Gale answered, his eyes locked on Vehnrix and the way he was certain his skin flushed in pleasure. “If, of course, you’re amenable to this little treat?”

“Oh, I am. Do your worst, Gale.”

And, it turned out, Gale’s worst was much more devious than Vehnrix had thought the wizard capable of. 

Not at first, though. The two of them dressed and donned their weapons. They broke down the tent and helped to repack supplies. Gale prepared breakfast for everyone, his attention focused away from Vehnrix. It was enough to make the memory of the morning fade into the background, other matters taking its place. 

They set off on the road sometime before mid-morning. Baldur’s Gate was still days ahead of them, but at least the way was mostly clear. Whether that was a good sign or an ill one, Vehnrix wasn’t certain. He walked ahead with Astarion, the two of them bickering over which one of them got the good dagger today, after it had mysteriously gone missing from Astarion’s hip the night before. 

“I know it was you, you little wretch,” Astarion complained. “No one else in our merry band has the skill or the audacity .”

“You have no proof, and why would I —“ Vehnrix nearly stumbled, his words again cut off by the surprise pressure of a hand pressing against his cock. He cursed, and forced back a soft moan as the pressure increased and started to rub.

“Are you dying ?” Astarion asked, eying Vehnrix gleefully. “Because, dear, that is what you get for stealing my dagger.” 

Vehnrix took a breath, centering himself. His eyes darted to Gale, in the midst of a conversation with Wyll. Going on about something, not even sparing Vehnrix a sidelong glance. 

“I’m not dying,” Vehnrix said, turning back to Astarion. The mage hand still rubbed at him, the friction of fabric between him and the magic curling his toes inside his boots. “And like I said — if you want your dagger back just be better at keeping it.”

It only got worse from there. Gale seemed intent on rising to Vehnrix’s challenge, and getting him to rise, too. At the worst possible moments. Each time was more intense than the one before, the mage hand not limited to between his legs but brushing back his hair, trailing ghost-light touches down his neck and over his ears. Vehnrix stopped trying to suppress the shudders it caused him, and Karlach asked more than once if he was catching a fever. 

And Gale, Gale , with his easy smile for Vehnrix whenever he looked at him, his cheery current of conversation with no hint of misdeeds. Vehnrix more than once imagined pulling him off the road and behind a copse of trees or bushes and showing him just what he was doing. But that would be giving in — that would be letting Gale win , and Vehnrix was too stubborn by far.

It was only when mid-afternoon rolled around that Vehnrix started to think this was a mistake. Gale was being particularly relentless, mage hand cupped tight around the bulge between Vehnrix’s legs. It squeezed and stroked, the pace and pressure exactly how Vehnrix liked, thanks to Gale’s intimate knowledge. The heat in his body rose, a tingling starting at his core and racing down, pulsing through him.

“Shit ,” he murmured, pausing by a tree and bracing his arm against it. His breathing grew ragged as he tried to control his pleasure. His cock twitched and swelled, heralding Gale going too far . 

He must have noticed, as the pressure vanished not a second too soon. Gale walked up next to him and placed a fully solid and visible hand on his shoulder. He was smiling again, eyes alight, and Vehnrix had the distinct realization that this is what he must look like when he was in the middle of teasing the wizard until he was clay in his hands. It was wonderful.  

“You’re having fun, aren’t you?” He accused, swallowing back the remainder of heat. Slowly, he stepped away from the tree.

“Oh I most certainly am,”Gale said. “Watching you get flustered all day is quite the experience. I can’t deny it has gotten me a tad worked up, too.”

Vehnrix shook his head, half a laugh on his lips. He leaned in close to Gale, conscious of the rest of their group watching from a distance. “Gale, I am going to fuck all that arrogance out of you tonight.” 

“Oh?” Gale raised his brows, undaunted. “Do you think you’ll make it that long, Vehn? I really am rather curious to see how you’ll continue to hold up.” 

And there was the pressure again, the tingle of magic working its way through Vehnrix’s pants and down into his skin. He let out a surprised whine, the sound carrying too well. 

“Fucking Selune’s tits,” he groaned. “You are awful.” 

“But you love me anyway, don’t you?” 

“Yes .” Vehnrix admitted, eagerly, willingly. “Nine hells , I do.” 

By the time they made camp for the night Vehnrix was certain one more touch would set him off for good. Gale had kept him on the edge for the last jaunt of their day, never pushing too far, but never letting him rest either. It was a new side to him, one that was more cunning and sly than Gale often let on. Vehnrix loved it, loved that Gale was showing him more of himself, that he was comfortable enough to tease and play. 

But now, their tent set up and the two of them blissfully alone for the first time since they’d woken this morning, Vehnrix had other things on his mind than telling Gale how happy he was. 

He pressed himself against Gale the instant the tent flap closed behind them. His hands wrapped around, pulling Gale tight. The heat of his body spread, and he opened his mouth to speak when he felt the mage hand return.

“Still?” He whined, his hips bucking into the invisible hand, into Gale’s body pressed close. His breath caught, his body taut. All the tension wound up in him from the day uncoiling too rapidly to stall, too weighty to stop. “Gale, fuck , you have — shit.”

Vehnrix buried his face into Gale’s shoulder as he shuddered, finally, finally releasing all the built up pleasure. He bit down on the fabric of Gale’s robe, muffling the low, long moan that tore from his throat. Sticky warmth coated his cock, seeping through the clothes he still wore. 

“Oh, I may have overdone it, haven’t I?” Gale’s voice was light, laughter hiding just beneath his words. His arms slipped around Vehnrix, holding him just as tight. He kissed the tip of his ear, then his cheek. “Lesson thoroughly learned.”

Vehnrix just huffed out a weak laugh and lifted his face to look at Gale. “No, no, your lesson is just starting,” he teased. “Because now it’s my turn.”

[heyitsjaki]

Pictured: Gale rolling a nat 1 on his insight check

[sashthesloth]

I’ve got the BG3 gang goes to a gala quest tadpole wriggling around in my head

[wwraithsart]

yay grand fest

[ejoym]

This is my Act 3 experience in a nutshell.

[necromosss]

wish i could just ask Gale everytime there's a puzzle thing hhhHHHHH

[grimpyr]

Please Larian it would be so fucking funny

[gale-dekarios]

little tiefling boy in drag, why are you crying? (the wizard's too beautiful.)

[gothastarion]

[imperator-titus]

Ghost from the Past [Part 12]

(Prev)[Part 11] (Next)[Part 13] [Master Post]

This one is for the horny fuckers reading this story. If you don't want to read smut (very valid of you), you can probably stop after Eletha and Astarion talk to the mirror image. If you want to read right up to the point of explicit descriptions of sex, stop after Gale gets Eletha to join them on the bed. You can come back after the last linebreak. (I tried to put in content warning tags and the post didn't show up in the tags, I apologize to people who have those tags blocked.)

Honestly, this might be my magnum opus of smut, I don't think I've ever written something this complex before. I even had a friend read it over to make sure it can be followed, which is not something I normally do.

Please enjoy!

“You good?” Eletha asked Gale as they sat around the fire the next morning. “You don’t have to come if you’re not feeling so hot.”

“With you, I feel most hot,” Gale responded, unknowingly smirking as he expertly flipped their morning sausage. Then it occurred to him what he just said. “I mean- That is to say- I feel fine. Thank you. I think it would be prudent of me to accompany you.”

She gave him a little smile. “I appreciate it.”

“You look like hell,” Astarion said to Gale as he walked up, taking the seat next to him opposite Eletha.

“Not as bad as you,” Eletha spat back defensively. Gale merely shook his head, not dignifying the insult with a response.

Astarion crossed his arms and pouted. “Well, there’s nothing to eat out here. And you have been stingy with your neck.”

A look crossed her face that said she didn’t think about that. Her demeanor became apologetic. “Oh. Right. I have some time.”

In the privacy of his tent, Eletha took off her shirt and neatly set it aside. 

The wind was knocked out of her chest as Astarion’s body collided with hers and slammed her forward onto the hard ground. She opened her mouth to complain, only to grunt as Astarion’s fangs sank into her neck. He wrestled her a bit, like an animal dominating a rival or immobilizing its prey.

It wasn’t the pain that surprised her, but the ferocity with which he feasted on her. The sounds echoing her ears weren’t his normal pleased sighs. When his teeth left her flesh, she half-expected them to come down somewhere else to rip her apart.

“Hells, I-” Astarion stammered, shaking with the realization of what he’d just done.

Eletha remained face-down, a soft sound escaping her lips as she tried to speak.

“Stop. Stop. Don’t try to talk,” he pleaded in a panicked whisper as he dug through his things for a potion. Potions he’d been stealing from her. Potions she’d let him take.

Astarion flipped her over, the sight of her blood tantalizing yet horrifying. The two large punctures on her neck were accompanied by two smaller ones where his lower canines had sunk in too, as well as indentations of his other teeth. Desperately, he pulled out the potion’s stopper with those same teeth and, holding her head up, he slowly tipped the contents into her mouth.

The bleeding stopped. The wounds started to knit back together. After a moment, her eyes fluttered open and she looked around, disoriented.

Holding her tightly to him, he cried into her hair, “I am so sorry.”

“Can’t breathe,” she mumbled into his shoulder. Quickly, he let go. Eletha rubbed the healing bite wound. “I’m fine. Just achy.”

“I… I don’t know what came over me…” Astarion tried to explain, distraught. “I couldn’t stop… I could have killed you.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I nearly did.”

Eletha leaned forward.

Astarion licked the blood off his lips.

Smack! Her head met his in a swift strike.

“Let’s get out of this fucking place so it doesn’t happen again,” Eletha grumbled as she put on her shirt and Astarion rubbed the pain out of his forehead.

“You okay?” Shadowheart asked, clearly spying all the dried blood stuck to Eletha’s neck and chest.

“He always was a messy eater.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

With Halsin’s little spirit friend taken care of and after Astarion’s slip of feral hunger, Eletha suggested that they split up to deal with things more quickly. The next morning, Eletha, Karlach, Gale, and Astarion would investigate Moonrise while the others tied up loose ends and investigated the Sharran Temple further for Shadowheart’s sake.

Eletha’s cold-hearted mask really helped them infiltrate the Absolute’s stronghold with little effort required.

After satisfying their curiosity and freeing the prisoners, Gale excused himself shortly after they arrived at Last Light Inn. While they made sure the Harpers would allow the freed prisoners to stay, he wanted to rush back to camp and make sure dinner would be ready for everyone. They would need their strength in the next few days if they were going to deal with Ketheric Thorm and the Absolute’s army.

“He’s been actin’ weird, yeah?” Karlach asked the others once he was out of earshot.

“Gale’s always been weird, no?” Astarion answered, hands on his hips.

“Mystra did tell him to find the heart of the Absolute and-” Eletha made a sound like a bomb detonating while making a hand gesture that simulated Gale’s magic orb exploding out of his chest.

“We’re not going to let him do that, right?” Karlach pleaded, her eyes big and wet, her hands clasped, her knees bent in supplication.

“Of course not. If we can help it.”

On the way back, Eletha and Astarion talked about the feelings the blood merchant dug up.

“If it makes you feel any better, refusing was pretty in-line with how you used to be,” she told him as he expressed a small amount of remorse for giving up power for just a moment of discomfort. “You’re much too precious to do such a thing.”

“Hm. I don’t always want to remember who I was. But I like the way you speak about it sometimes. Even when you’re angry with him, there is a fondness in your voice.” If only the sky was clear and there were stars in the sky. If only their surroundings weren’t so twisted and dreary. This would be a nice little walk together. “If I called you ‘Lori’, what did you call me?”

“Oh, silly things. Like ‘Princeling’ or ‘Your Highness.’” Astarion smiled to himself. “But you were always my ‘Star,’ even when we were small. It’s hard to say it angrily.”

“It’s odd, thinking you took care of me once.”

“Once? I took care of you for thirty years, now I’m taking care of you again. I used to pick you up and carry you across puddles. I had to be your sparring partner because I wouldn’t hit you too hard.”

“I get the idea.” A moment passed in silence as they walked. “I don’t want to go back. To the Dales, I mean. Not unless it’s to slaughter the lot of them.”

Eletha let out a big sigh. “It’s fine if you want to go back. I don’t have to see them, just find them.”

“They tortured you. Stop making excuses for them,” he growled at her. “Imagine if I said ‘let’s leave Cazador alone, he wasn’t that bad.’ You’d think I lost my mind!”

“I just don’t want you to regret passing up the chance because of me.”

“Our families imprisoned you in your own body and none of the others did anything about it. Good riddance.” More gently he added, “You are the only family I need now.”

“And Gale?”

“What about him?” Her knowing gaze made him roll his eyes. “Fine. I suppose we can have a pet.”

“Speaking of… Where is Gale?” Eletha asked, noting that he wasn’t by the fire with the others.

“Maybe he’s in his tent. Crying.” He said it flippantly, but Astarion immediately made a beeline for Gale’s tent. Not hungry, Eletha followed.

“Good evening! I am here on behalf of Gale of Waterdeep. He wishes to extend you an invitation for a private conversation in a more suitable locale,” the projection outside the wizard’s tent told them genially.

“The hells is this?” Astarion asked Eletha, indicating the projection with a confused little sneer.

“You are speaking to a mere projection of Gale. His appearance, his voice, and a certain measure of his personality-” the projection did a little pose, crossing his body with one curled hand while raising up the elbow of the other, “reconstituted in this case to play as emissary and usher.

“Would you care to join him? What little I could glean from the portion of his mind that is open to me, it is a matter most urgent.”

“Both of us?” Eletha asked while Astarion held back giggles behind his hand.

“This message was meant for the both of you. I even have instructions for if only one of you was present,” the projection explained. “Simply follow yonder path and soon you will find him.”

“We shouldn’t keep him waiting,” Astarion told her with a cheeky little grin.

“Yes, Your Highness,” she answered with a good-natured shake of her head.

“I do like that. Could you do it some more?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

As they followed the glowing path, their surroundings changed into something much more pleasant.

“Someone fancies his illusions,” Eletha said quietly, admiring Gale’s handiwork. 

“I love this time of night,” Gale said wistfully as they approached, staring up at the sky. “There’s an almost reverent silence that accompanies the peak of darkness, when you’d almost believe the dawn will never break.

“The cradle of eternity. The timelessness of lovers. That most beautiful of fantasies.”

“Are you quite all right? Do you have a fever or something?” Astarion asked in annoyance, not really impressed with Gale’s undoubtedly carefully-chosen words. Eletha placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him before sitting down beside Gale.

“I will be, soon. I am perhaps just one hard day away from being without any troubles at all.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Astarion commanded, warning Gale with a stern finger and a furrowed brow.

“This may be my last night alive. I wanted it to be under a canopy of beauty and wonder…” Gale continued without dignifying Astarion’s threat with a response. His eyes, open and honest, regarded him and then Eletha in turn. “... And with company to match.”

“Stop talking like that!” Astarion’s voice had venom in it, but because they knew him so well, they could hear the emotional wobble in it. “Throwing your life away for Mystra is the daftest thing you’ve ever done. I won’t let you do it.”

Gale rose to his feet. “Death is assured. Mystra’s forgiveness is not.”

“Didn’t you hear her when Lae’zel was ready to die for a lie?” Astarion asked, waving a hand at Eletha, who stood again in case she needed to break the two apart. “Gods don’t care about us. Mystra threw you away, even before your little Karsite experiment. She should be asking for your forgiveness.”

“Astarion, leave him alone,” Eletha pleaded, touching him on the shoulder. He rolled it out of her touch and shot her a glare.

“Tell him. Tell him he shouldn’t do it!”

“I…” Eletha looked from Astarion to Gale, whose glower softened just a bit to meet her eyes. “I don’t want you to…”

“It wasn’t my intention to upset you,” Gale told them both quite earnestly, a self-chastising tone in his voice. Their reactions hurt. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

“Then what did you intend, Gale?” Astarion asked cattily, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“This is all so difficult to navigate… Harder than any game of chess…” Astarion stopped pouting and started nervously playing with his hands. His eyes went from angry to… scared. “If things were different, if we were home, I’d have taken the time to do things properly. And maybe I’d understand a little better what properly means, in this case…

“That is to say… I’ve grown very fond of you. Both of you. This has been so very complicated, but-”

Astarion grabbed Gale’s head and smashed their lips together. While they were in their heated kiss, Eletha tried to sneak away, a cheekily little smile on her face. Astarion’s hand shot out and grabbed her by the tip of her ear.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, Gale’s arms loosely wrapped around him.

“I really appreciate being a witness to your union, but maybe I don’t need to be here for the whole thing?”

“What part of both did you not understand?”

“No, I understood it.” Gale’s face fell and Eletha stammered, her cheeks turning red. “It’s just- I’m very fond of you too, sweetling, it’s just-”

“I understand,” Gale said, resigning himself to her answer. Astarion gave him an admonishing soft smack on the face.

“No,” he told him, like a master telling his dog to drop something disgusting. Then he turned to Eletha and jabbed a finger at her face. “No. We had this talk. You deserve this. Just say yes like you want to.”

“I…” Her eyes flicked between their faces and she had to look at her feet in embarrassment. “If this is going where I think it’s going…”

“A hedonistic pile of limbs, I’m hoping,” Astarion said devilishly, raising a leg coquettishly.

“Hush. Let her speak,” Gale admonished, sparing him a playful smirk. 

“It’s just that… The last time I crawled into bed with someone, I broke down crying in the middle and went on a three-month bender,” she eventually admitted. “You two should get to have fun. I’m fine. I promise.”

“If there’s any crying, we stop. At least, if that isn’t the game we’re playing. Right, darling?” Astarion looked to Gale, who was giving Eletha his sympathetic puppy eyes, and with a touch of his finger to his jaw, turned his face to him. 

“Of course,” Gale answered quizzically, as if the question was so ludicrous that the thought never entered his mind. Detaching himself from Astarion, Gale took Eletha’s hand in his and gazed deeply into her eyes. “I'm scared too. I don't really know how to do this. But I want to try. With you.”

How could she say no?

She could, of course. If she really wanted to, she could walk away. If it started to go poorly, she could stop.

“We deserve some fun,” Eletha said to herself as much as them. Gale leaned down and met her lips in a kiss, one hand supporting the small of her back. This time he was much more sure of himself.

Astarion huffed playfully. “Now, now, don't hog her all to yourself.”

“I'm afraid I got carried away,” Gale said with a blushing grin. “It's just as well. I wanted to change the illusion to something much more impressive.”

“Oh, Bhin, you don't need to impress us,” Eletha reassured him. Quietly Astarion disagreed with a little “yes he does.”

“We’re not gods.” Once more Astarion argued, muttering, “Speak for yourself.”

The way Gale looked at her made Eletha’s breath catch. Astarion just believed that finally, someone worshiped him the way he deserved. 

“I beg to differ.”

“So we’ve moved on to begging now? I can work with that.” Eletha glared at Astarion, willing him to shut up, but Gale only laughed.

“Maybe another time, when we’ve figured out how this works.”

“Don't encourage him,” she whispered.

“Just summon us a nice comfy bed.”

As Gale focused on setting the stage, Astarion sauntered up to Eletha with a thirsty smirk on his lips. Her heartbeat quickened as he started undoing her armor with expert dexterity. Needing something to do, she offered him the same help.

“Don't be shy,” he cooed, amused by her inability to look at him and the bright flush blooming on her cheeks.

“I'm not,” she insisted petulantly. He palmed the slight heft of her breast through her shirt. When she stepped away from his touch, he chuckled darkly. “You’re not a good liar.”

Annoyed with him, which wasn't new for her at all, Eletha approached Gale, who'd been watching them for a moment with keen interest. As if it was the most interesting thing she’d ever seen, she ran her hands over the sumptuous velvet of his shirt before trying to take it off. He laughed as their height difference became a problem and he had to remove it the rest of the way. 

“It's okay to be nervous. I’m nervous too,” Gale told her sweetly before leaning down for another kiss. 

Astarion came up behind her and placed kisses and playful bites on her shoulder and neck before pushing them both onto the bed. Eletha glared at him over her shoulder. “You're such a brat.”

As if to prove her point, he flicked her away so he could work on undoing Gale’s trousers. Gale rose up on his elbows and the two exchanged passionate kisses while Eletha removed the rest of her clothes by herself. 

Astarion moved from Gale’s lips to his neck, marking his way with kisses and nips while his hands combed through his chest hair, gently squeezing the plush swell of his pecs. Astarion traveled down the wizard’s torso, lavishing it with his mouth and fingers. 

Gale managed to come to his senses and held out a hand to Eletha, beckoning her onto the bed with a smile. “What are you doing over there by yourself?”

“Looked like you two were having fun, I didn’t want to interrupt.” Despite her protestations, she knelt on the edge of the bed within his reach. 

His fingers touched her skin softly, so softly she had to refrain from twitching away as it tickled. Tracing the scars that littered her body, he was enamored by her. In return, she ran her fingers all along his arm and through his hair, gazing into his eyes deeply.

A shocked little moan escaped his lips as Astarion stopped teasing him and finally wrapped his cold wet mouth around his cock. Under his tongue, he could feel a rush of blood make it that much harder.

Astarion had to find some way to not shut off, just like how Eletha had to find a way to not psyche herself out or Gale needed to figure out how to not treat them like Mystra. It would creep in from time to time, their little internal battles. 

Astarion pictured the look on Eletha’s face as she’d sucked the life out of him, how proud and interested she was in making him feel so good. So he focused on that. 

When Gale’s other hand tangled itself in his curls, he smirked around the hot throbbing cock in his mouth, knowing that he was doing a good job.

Of course, Astarion always took pride in his work. He was very good, after all. He readily boasted about it. But it would occur to him that he never really took pride in it as he was working. 

This was different. This was real. He wanted to do this over and over again, to learn exactly what drove them insane, how much he could tease before they had no choice but to cry out his name in ecstacy.

Red eyes flicked up to see if Gale was watching his performance, only to have Eletha’s ass take up most of the view as she straddled the wizard’s face.

“Come here,” he’d whispered without Astarion noticing, his voice husky with desire. A deft flick of his fingers summoned a mage hand that helped him guide her while his other hand was busy reassuring Astarion that he was appreciating his attention.

New to this sort of thing, even after all the years she’d lived, Eletha gingerly swung her leg over his body and knelt above him so she could see only his eyes when she looked down between her breasts and over the slight bump at the bottom of her stomach. 

As the mage hand caressed her neck, Gale placed his free hand on her thigh. It traveled up slowly, tracing the peak of her hip bone before rounding back to the curve of her backside. He gave it a few gentle squeezes while the mage hand came down over her breasts, mimicking the same motion.

Then he moved his hand so that he could lightly run a finger up the inside of her thigh, causing her to tremble. Delicately, he found the start of her slit and pressed his middle finger against it, not so insistent as to part it, but enough that he could feel her body react to his touch.

Gale’s mouth fell open in a soft moan and he could feel her shudder as his hot breath washed over her skin. His fingertip brushed up and down a few times. He watched as his mage hand ran trails down her stomach and when it paid special attention to her lower belly, she broke through the haze of pleasure his fingers were creating to smack the magical hand aside.

“Don’t be like that,” Astarion chided, his slicked hand giving Gale’s cock a few more languid strokes as he approached the head of the bed. “I think it’s delicious.”

Kneeling in front of her, he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Gale’s finger finally pressed into her folds and became slick as it tested how receptive she'd become from his light caresses. 

Eletha’s mouth opened with a surprised gasp and Astarion took this opportunity to slip in his tongue. The thought of mixing their spit and the taste of Gale’s cock sent a thrill up all their spines.

Eletha found balance by holding on to Astarion’s shoulder as her other hand trailed down his torso. He let out a soft little whimper of pleasure against her lips as her fingers wrapped around his half-hard cock.

Meanwhile, Gale slid his finger slowly in and out of her, pressing against different points to find the right spot to focus his attention. As a second finger joined the war effort, Eletha’s mouth pressed into a tight line against Astarion’s lips as she emitted a strained hum. He almost asked if she was okay when she rolled her hips down into the source of pleasure again. 

Using his nose to reveal her clit, Gale breathed in her scent with a satisfied groan before swiping the swollen bundle of nerves with his hot wet tongue. He knew that he was doing a good job as she tightened around his fingers and her juices filled his mouth. 

All the while, she stroked Astarion’s needy cock with one hand and clung to him with the other as his attention on her neck threatened to leave bruises. After a few minutes, Eletha had to lift herself up on shuddering thighs.

“Is he that good, my love?” Astarion asked her teasingly with a smug curl to his words, holding her up so Gale could slip out from underneath her. 

Eletha came back to her senses and pushed Astarion back to fall amongst the pillows that Gale had conjured. Eyes full of desire, voice hoarse from restraining her own pleasure, she said, “Why don't you try for yourself?”

“I would enjoy returning the favor.” Gale wiped his face clean with the back of his arm, gazing at Astarion with the same hungry longing that he offered Eletha.

“I wouldn't dream of saying no,” Astarion replied with a smirk, parting his knees as an invitation. 

Gale slid between his legs, crawling like a panther stalking its prey. Starting at the knee, he kissed and bit a trail up his inner thigh until he found his still-hard cock. 

Astarion’s spindly fingers wove into the gentle waves of Gale’s hair as his head bobbed up and down. Letting his own head fall back, giving his neck a chance to relax, he focused on the sensation of Gale’s masterful tongue swirling and flicking and swiping. 

His sensitive ears twitched at the guttural sounds of him throating his cock. Gale gasped for air and groaned hungrily as Eletha joined in the fun. 

Rolling his hips to be perpendicular to the bed, she enthusiastically lapped-up the mix of juices leaking from his cock. His tongue and fingers had pushed away her uncertainties and now she felt almost drunk. 

Every shift of her legs and every pulse of his cock in her mouth made her whine and shudder. Gale spared a hand to place on her head, play with her ears, while she clawed at his soft peachy ass.

Astarion lifted Gale’s head up with a gentle tug of his hair and the blissful look on the wizard’s face made his cock twitch with excitement. “You’re doing a marvelous job, beautiful, but I’d like to try something else.”

“Whatever you desire,” Gale responded in a husky voice.

Arranging them like furniture, Astarion set the next scene. 

Sitting up, Eletha was able to more easily swallow Gale’s cock. Kneeling in front of her, he had no choice but to cry out in a needy groan as he felt himself slide into her throat. His hands stroked her face, running along the line of her jaw, or holding the back of her head. Eventually, he was rolling his hips forward, very slightly at first and then picking up the pace, fucking her mouth.

Meanwhile, Astarion was between her legs, slipping two fingers into her greedy cunt without resistance while his tongue attacked her clit. He could feel her squeeze involuntarily as his lips sucked and his tongue lapped. 

When she spread her legs, giving him better access, he managed to add a third finger. Even in his position, even with the slutty sounds Gale was making, Astarion could hear Eletha moan. Gale’s legs shuddered as the sound undoubtedly sent pulses of pleasure up his cock, lodged in her throat.

Astarion was definitely excited, this was definitely fun, but he seemed to be the only one capable of a coherent thought at the moment. For now, this would have to be his show.

Ceasing his ministrations, he encouraged the two of them to decouple. “Sorry to ruin the mood, but this next bit is going to require some… consideration.”

“Y-yes… That is probably wise…” Gale agreed, trying to catch his breath. Eletha, collapsed into the pillows, only managed a weak nod.

“Being the god that I am, I could do this well into the morning. I am assuming you” he pointed to Gale with a finger after licking it clean “have some sort of magical stamina.”

“Oh yes.” Gale smirked confidently. “I built up a well of endurance that allows me to climax multiple times, with only a short refractory period, allowing me to-”

“Yes, yes, we get it,” Astarion interrupted hastily, even though that was some tantalizing information… “That leaves us with the princess over there.”

Eletha managed to open her eyes. Slightly embarrassed, she said, “I’ve always been sort of… one-and-done.”

“You poor thing,” Astarion cooed sympathetically, offering her a cheeky pout. Pretending to give it some thought, he asked, “So, why don’t you two have a little moment, hm?”

“I’m surprised, I assumed that you would want to go first…” Gale said, not exactly arguing, but he had thought about this at some length.

“I’m actually being very selfish. If this goes sideways, I don’t want to be the one to start it,” he explained flippantly, adding in a little shrug.

Actually, he was a bit scared, but he wouldn’t admit that. Scared of what it might do to him, or to her, to be wrapped around each other again.

Gale chuckled softly in the back of his throat, a knowing half-cocked smile on his lips as he looked from Astarion to Eletha. With gentle but strong hands, he grabbed her by the waist and brought her down out of the pillows so Astarion could have a better view.

Kneeling between her legs, he kissed his way up her body. Finding her breasts with his mouth, he gave a nipple a few experimenting sucks and flicks of his tongue. Her rough hands wandered over his sides, his back, his arms. 

Gale took a moment to gaze into her eyes, shrinking the world to just the two of them. Eletha’s breath hitched. To be looked at in such a way…

As if understanding her thoughts, he lightly kissed her lips. She responded with more insistence. Gale lowered himself so that his impatient cock could rest against her wet cunt. With gentle rolls of his hips, he rubbed against her clit while they kissed sloppily, slicking his cock in the process.

Cock poised to enter her, he broke away to gaze down at her once more. Clearly, but sweetly, he told her, “I love you.”

This seemed to shock her a little. Gale was thankful he said it, made it obvious, and that her response was, “I love you, too.”

Locking their lips together, Gale finally slid into her, interlocking their bodies. His moan intermingled with her gasp as he felt her tighten and she felt the sudden fullness that his cock brought her. They stayed like that for a few heartbeats, kissing passionately as they gave themselves and each other a moment for their hearts to calm down.

Astarion watched with an equal mix of curiosity, hunger, and jealousy. The sickly-sweet way Gale made sure his partner was ready, the longing looks in their eyes, the honesty of their words… It was more than he ever could have imagined for himself. Would they do that for him, when it was his turn? Was he truly more than just a thing to be used?

On the other hand… Despite the fact that he’d insisted Gale go first, Astarion still felt a flare of anger to see someone else enjoy and please his former love. Eletha belonged to him.

His hand slipped down to his cock and started stroking it with a languid pace, ghosting over the shaft and tightening his grip as he passed over the head. Self-pleasuring had never been of interest to him, he was always too busy pleasing others to keep them distracted. But watching the two created a rare mood in him. Speeding up to keep time with Gale’s thrusts, he imagined how it would feel when it was his turn. Gale certainly seemed to be enjoying himself.

Gale lifted his head and sat back on his haunches as Astarion approached. The vampire took hold of his bearded face by the chin and smashed their lips together in a mess of open-mouthed kisses. He pulled away with a hungry smirk on his face before leaning down to playfully bite at Eletha’s pale breast, leaving a slight mark that claimed her. 

“Perhaps we should give our princess a little rest?” he suggested, giving her clit a little stroke that made both Gale and Eletha shudder, thus proving his point.

Eletha sat up on one elbow to bring her mouth around Astarion’s cock. While she eagerly licked and swallowed, her other hand worked Gale’s shaft, slick and thick from pounding her throbbing cunt. 

Kneeling on either side of her, Gale and Astarion battled for dominance with their mouths. Gale intertwined their fingers, reassuring him with light strokes of his thumb. Eletha switched between their cocks, one gripped in each hand.

The two broke away, Gale panting. He smirked. “I would offer you my neck, but I’m afraid the taste of my blood would sour the mood.”

“I appreciate the sentiment.” Leaning back, Astarion released Eletha from her duties. He swept back what little hair she managed to let grow and with a gentle smile that would have surprised him if he could see it, he asked, “Would you like to be lost in one another again, my love?”

When this all started, Eletha was worried that just being around them would bring her to tears. She felt reassured when nervousness was replaced with elation, lust and desire warming her whole body. But the ultimate test was always this moment, when the really old memories would replay themselves in real time.

Eletha looked up at Astarion and, at the sound of his loving words so honest and open, she could feel her chest tighten.

“I want to be lost with you,” she answered, forcing back the involuntary rise of fear.

With him. Him, not the young man she lost.

Gale graciously sat back to observe, admiring the way the two looked at each other. He couldn’t decide if it was the unsureness of new love or the deep connection of something old and true. Either way, it was enviable in its beauty and passion.

Astarion first buried his face in her neck, taking in the scent of her sweat mixed with Gale’s. Feeling her quickened pulse just below the skin, he wanted to bite into her, not only to drink, but to make them as whole as possible.

Eletha wove her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck and whispered against his ear, “I love you, my precious Star.”

Astarion’s voice wavered as he whispered back, “I love you too.”

With one smooth stroke, he entered her, eliciting a small gasp from her lips. Despite just accommodating someone of Gale’s size, she felt like a perfect fit.

He expected to employ his usual suave moves. Instead, he rutted and groaned, clawing and clutching at her, desperate to crawl inside her and die all over again. The effort of resisting the urge to either sob or go blank almost drove him crazy. It finally hit him that this wasn’t about Cazador or survival. This was a give-and-take, not just give.

It was a little too much and, after a few minutes of kissing and thrusting, he had to remove himself. 

When he leaned back, Gale was behind him, his strong arms grabbing his waist before snaking up to his chest, peppering his neck with bites and kisses all the while. 

A light chuckle brushed against Astarion’s ear before the wizard asked, “Might I make a suggestion?”

“Do tell,” Astarion answered sumptuously, slipping his protective sex-god mask on for just a little bit. Just long enough to come down from the emotional overcharge. 

Gale offered the instructions with his deep resonant voice, his cock pressed into the cleft of Astarion’s ass. 

Astarion laughed suggestively, spying Eletha out of the corner of his eye as he stroked Gale’s beard idly. “Do you think our little pet can handle any more?”

“Surely she has more strength than that?” Gale answered, sending her a smoldering smirk as his hands wandered over Astarion’s pale, lean body.

Eletha looked to the sky like a dying man resigning himself to his fate before closing her eyes. After offering up a silent prayer and strengthening her resolve, she said, “I am yours.”

“Oooh,” Astarion purred. “Our fearless leader at our mercy? What a treat.”

With Eletha kneeling on the bed, her hands on its edge, Gale stood in front of her while Astarion took position behind her. 

Taking hold of her slim backside, Astarion spread her glistening cunt with his thumbs. Placing his cock in the space he made, he bucked his hips, rubbing against her and slicking himself again at the same time.

At the side of the bed, Eletha opened her mouth to accept Gale’s cock once more. With gentle strokes, he pet her head and offered her his admiration with his wide smile. “You’re doing a marvelous job. You look so beautiful.”

Gale slid a hand over her back towards Astarion. After slipping into her once more and giving her a few good thrusts to establish a rhythm, he held her ass with one hand while the other met Gale’s, the tips of their fingers playing with each other. If they could have managed to lean toward one another without awkwardness, they would’ve interlocked their lips instead.

Saliva coated Gale’s cock so thickly that it dripped down his balls only to be lapped up by her tongue when she took him down to the base. Being wedged between them, Gale’s reassuring words in her ears, Astarion’s hand occasionally giving her ass a light smack of encouragement, her cunt was so wet that it squelched and gushed with every thrust.

An unrestrained moan rose up from Astarion’s chest and out his throat as he desperately increased his pace. A similar sound, with a little more base, came from Gale. 

Later, Eletha would be impressed at their timing, but in the moment, all she felt was the pulse of their cocks as Astarion filled her cunt and Gale her throat. Her breath came out in ragged gasps as they pulled out. 

“Stay there,” Gale bid her. Astarion sat to the side, panting, and watched as Gale took his place behind her. Sitting with his knees pressed into the bed, he spread her open and watched, nearly breathless, as Astarion’s cum started to drip out. 

Not letting a drop go to waste, he wrapped his lips around the entire mess, fucking her with his tongue to lap up the precious liquid. Eletha shuddered and mewed and tried to get away, but his strong hands on her backside kept them connected. 

When he could find no more of his prize, he let her go, and she collapsed onto her side.

“You’re not done yet, are you, sweetheart?” Astarion asked, pulling playfully on her ankle.

“I need a minute,” she answered, breathless, closing her eyes to keep the world from spinning.

“I suppose I can allow you to rest a moment,” he said with a roll of his eyes and a little scoff. More devilishly, he added, “But don’t think you’re getting out of here before the grand finale.”

“Don’t tease her so much,” Gale chided him with a smile and a tap on the nose.

Eletha had to vacate the bed as the two started to play-wrestle and curled up on a comfortable sofa that Gale had, at some point, thought it prudent to summon out of thin air. There she watched them fight and bicker, all in good fun, until Gale was on his stomach and Astarion’s face was pressed in between the wizard’s plump ass-cheeks.

Kneading them like dough, he worked his tongue around the quivering ring of nerves nestled there and occasionally gave the sensitive skin behind his balls a firm, wet swipe. It wasn’t long before Gale was whimpering, hiding his face in a pillow and rutting a little into the bed.

“P-please,” he begged pathetically, his toes curling to ease some of the tension coursing through his body.

“If you insist.” Astarion stuck a finger in his mouth to coat it with his spit when a jar poofed into existence next to him. 

He picked it up and unscrewed the lid to find a semi-liquid substance. It was odorless, tasteless, and had a consistency much like the juices he’d just wiped off his cock. No matter how much he rubbed it between his finger and thumb, this lubricant kept its slick nature instead of becoming tacky and irritating. 

“Wizards. What else are they hiding?”

“Are you going to fuck me or not?” Gale called out in annoyance, wiggling his ass insistently, rubbing his impatient cock against the bed.. 

He was so fun when he was annoying. Probably how Eletha looked at him for all those years.

Astarion coated his fingers in the magical stuff and carefully pressed one into Gale’s needy hole. He watched as the wizard shuddered from his touch and his cock pulsed with a sudden orgasm. Gale was so lost in bliss that he didn’t care that he was rutting around in his own cum. Groaning with wild abandon, working on instinct, he came again as Astarion worked a second finger into his ass.

“What a delightful magic trick. Come for me some more, my sweet. You make such lovely sounds,” Astarion commanded sweetly, excited by Gale’s pliance under his touch. The poor man’s cock pumped out two more loads before he decided that he was ready for his turn.

While Astarion readied himself, Gale broke through the haze and reached out a bidding hand to Eletha. Astarion had assumed she was comatose on the sofa, exhausted from being worked by their tireless bodies. But she attentively got to her feet and approached the bed. 

Gently, Gale took hold of her wrist and tugged her forward. With a little guidance, and a magic word to clean up the mess he’d made, Gale had her lie underneath him in such a way that he could easily kiss her.

“I missed you,” he told her with a fond smile, his voice husky and deep.

“How could you miss me with everything going on over here?” Eletha asked, chuckling softly, shy from his little touches. Even Astarion getting her feet out of the way felt intimate. Gale lingered over her, like a brave protector shielding her from harm with his body.

“I’m quite capable of thinking of you both.”

Gale’s head snapped back with an animalistic growl of pleasure as Astarion’s cock finally slid into him. Even the rocking of their bodies from the vampire’s precise thrusts sent shivers of excitement up Eletha’s body.

Gale’s mouth attacked every part of her he could reach as if it might be the only thing standing between him and death. As he panted in ecstasy over her body, his saliva dripped down onto her face and into her awaiting mouth. 

She could feel his hot cum coat her stomach and before it could cool, Gale guided her hand to collect it on her fingers and then brought the hand to his mouth so he could clean it with his tongue. Eletha could feel her cunt throb at the sight and he didn’t need to ask her again to feed him his own cum.

Astarion grabbed Gale by his hair and pulled him back a little. Then he held him by the throat and pulled him back further, until Astarion could press his forehead into the wizard’s sweat-slicked back. Feeling his own intense climax approach, he took hold of Gale’s cock and stroked it in time to his thrusts. 

Gale placed a gentle hand on his forearm and the simple intimate touch drove Astarion over the edge. He groaned like a feral animal as he filled Gale’s ass with his cum. With an orgasm much more powerful than the last few, Gale released his own on Eletha’s stomach. Thick strings of hot white cum even made it as far as her breasts and throat. As soon as Astarion released him from his grip and cock, Gale got on his hands and knees once more to lick her skin clean. Cum-drunk, he collapsed on top of her, covering her with his sweaty bulk.

Astarion wanted to say something witty, but he was still coming down from a high he didn’t know he was capable of achieving. And after watching Gale work, he had to come to terms with the fact that maybe he did have some things to learn…

“I want you to ride me,” Gale told Eletha when he could manage the words. His hand slipped down between her legs and ran over her swollen clit before sinking into her sloppy cunt. In her ear, he explained the fantasy he’d been playing out in his head for a while now. “Use me. I want to see how beautiful you are when you come on my cock.”

She had to come up with an answer, but she was too distracted to come up with something a little sexier than just, “Okay.”

That was enough for Gale and with one deft movement, he swapped their positions. He teased her with the head of his cock, gathering her juices as he ran it through her slit, rubbing her clit, just barely pressing it into her waiting entrance. 

Feeling left out, Astarion knelt behind her. Having cleaned himself off, he pressed his chest against her back, his dexterous hands wandering her body. Her pulse thrummed like a war drum under the skin of her neck, calling out to him. With his nose behind her ear, he whispered, “May I taste you? Please?”

Eletha managed a hum and a nod, trying to fight back her orgasm just a little longer. Much more gently, more sensually, Astarion pierced the delicate flesh of her neck and let her blood flow into his mouth. Its vitalic zest washed over his tongue and he moaned in the back of his throat, making Eletha shudder. 

Finally lowering herself onto Gale’s eager cock, she whined as it spread her open. Appreciably thicker from his heightened excitement, it stretched her cunt even further than before. Ignoring his own instructions for just a moment, Gale thrust up into her, eliciting a cry of pleasure.

As she started fucking herself, bouncing on Gale’s lap and rolling her hips, Astarion settled one hand on her hip and the other over her clit. Once he understood her rhythm, he slipped his fingers to either side of the bundle of nerves, pressing it between them, and started stroking, fingers curling and straightening in time with her thrusts.

Eletha flung her head back, making beautiful music as her cunt squeezed Gale’s cock so hard that he was briefly concerned that she might actually do some damage. He groaned in abject pleasure anyway. 

After all the teasing, cock-sucking, and thrusting, she couldn’t last long. Astarion’s voice in her ear didn’t help one bit.

“Show us how much you love us. Come for us, my love,” he commanded her sweetly, eyeing Gale from over her shoulder.

Astarion’s hand slipped from her clit as she pitched forward. Hands clutching Gale’s strong shoulders, Eletha ground her hips into his with all her strength, rubbing her throbbing clit against him while his cock stroked a very sensitive spot inside her. Gale forced himself to keep his eyes open so he could watch her face as she climaxed and he filled her cunt with a seemingly endless supply of cum. There was so much of it that it gushed out with his thrusts, even with how closely they were joined.

On shaky legs, she let him slip out and rolled to the side, collapsing on her back, covered in sweat, unable to control her breathing. As Gale found her hand with his own, Astarion decided to take this opportunity to move between her legs. With a hungry look and a lick of his lips, he purred, “My, what a mess we’ve made of you, my sweet.”

Without further ado, he swiped his tongue through her cunt, catching the cum dripping out. She shuddered and whimpered as he feasted on the delicious stuff, fucking her with his skilled tongue in the process. With one last twitch, she pleaded, “I can’t take it anymore.”

“You did wonderfully,” Gale reassured her as Astarion honored her request and moved on to licking Gale’s cock clean. The wizard pressed a kiss to the back of her hand before sitting up. Running a dry hand through the vampire’s curls, he chided playfully, “Haven’t had enough, hm?”

“That looked fun. I want my turn,” Astarion replied, lips curled into a smirk as Gale’s cock managed to come to life in his lubricated hand once more.

Without any arguments, Astarion sat in Gale’s lap, draping his arms over each shoulder as he started a battle of lips and tongues. Feeling ready, Astarion lowered himself onto Gale’s slick cock and felt his own twitch as he moaned against the other’s mouth.

Gale wrapped one arm around Astarion’s waist and snaked the other up his back to hold on to his shoulder, helping set the pace. His ego set aside, Astarion buried his face in Gale’s shoulder as his hips bucked and rolled, finding the perfect stroke to hit just the right places.

“That’s right,” Gale whispered in his ear, so calm and collected for someone who just came so hard that, if Mystra hadn’t stabilized the magic bomb in his chest, they and everything within several miles would’ve been turned to dust. “That’s a good boy. You’re doing so well.”

“Mmm, Gale,” he whimpered, biting off the urge to tell him to shut up. His words of encouragement actually made him feel even better, despite thinking it would distract him. 

Mewling, he bounced on Gale’s cock harder, desperate for a final release. Tears slipped from his eyes as he cried out, clutching Gale for dear life as he painted his lover’s torso with cum. Gale grunted softly as he spent his final orgasm in the fluttering comfort of the vampire’s insides.

“Oh no,” Gale breathed in shock, suddenly aware that Astarion was trying to not outright weep. Then he noticed Eletha clutching a pillow over her face to muffle the sounds she was making. Gale made gentle shushing noises as he started to take charge of the situation. “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re alright.”

With a flick of his hand and a few practiced words, everything and everyone was made clean and fresh. Lying between them on his back, Gale gathered Astarion to one side and Eletha to the other, cradling their heads in the dip between his shoulder and chest. A warm, soft blanket materialized and floated down, covering them with a reassuring weight.

“I’m sorry,” Eletha managed to say eventually. “I got overwhelmed.”

“You needn’t worry about that,” Gale told her gently, placing a kiss on top of her head. Astarion said nothing, but he could feel his cold hand rest on Eletha’s arm, both of them lying across Gale��s stomach. “What matters is that we all enjoyed ourselves.”

In response, the two of them nuzzled his chest.

That was good, because if either of them had expressed regret, it would be Gale’s turn to break down into tears. For now, smothered in their collective embrace, he could rest easy.

After a few minutes, Eletha’s stomach growled. It was honestly monstrous in its tone and intensity.

She flushed and buried her face in Gale’s armpit.

“You forgot to eat, didn’t you?” Gale asked with a chuckle, amused but a little annoyed, but only because he didn’t like it when people neglected their basic needs.

“How could I?” Eletha argued, removing herself from the pile of limbs so she could find her clothes. “With your cute little mirror image telling me you had something urgent to talk about.”

“I suppose I should have added an instruction to advise you to at least have a snack…” Gale scratched his beard, mulling the oversight.

Gale tried to sit up, only to be pressed back into the bed. Astarion put more of his body on top of Gale’s, trapping him. “Just a little longer.”

“If that’s what you want,” Gale answered, letting the tension out of his body. 

Eletha got dressed and gave them both a kiss before rushing off back towards camp. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

No one was around when she got there, so she settled by the fire and served herself. Ravenous, she took a few quick bites before slowing down to appreciate Gale’s good work.

“We were a little worried about you,” Halsin remarked with a smile as he approached. Eletha blushed and looked away, embarrassed. “I could not help but hear some of your more unrestrained sounds.”

“Corellon strike me dead, I don’t know if I can face the others if they heard. It’s one thing if they think they know what was going on…” She stuffed some of the stew in her mouth and regretted it as her sore throat had trouble swallowing it down.

“You were gone for quite a while, but you have returned alone…”

“I was starving.” Her voice was hoarse and she chuckled, which didn’t help. “I’m afraid of what tomorrow brings. I might not be able to walk.”

Halsin beamed, one of his genial laughs making her stomach flip. “Satisfaction suits you. You are practically glowing.”

“Satisfied? I suppose I am.”

“It is okay to admit that you are not, if that is the case.”

“It’s just… a lot. And I have a lot of questions. Like, will that ever happen again? How often can it happen without it killing me?” Halsin placed a hand on her shoulder and muttered some healing words. She sighed in relief.

“I can imagine that it’s a difficult situation, given your past and future. I regret to say that I do not have any good advice. My fancies have always been… fleeting.”

“It’s kind of you to try. I’m sure we’ll figure it out, if we don’t die in some spectacular fashion…”

“Oak Father preserve us.” Adding to his prayer, he said teasingly, “Including your poor insides.”

“Yeah. I think we might have to give ourselves tomorrow off.” 

She glanced up at the sky, considering its impenetrable darkness. 

“Besides, I’m feeling a little… hot under the collar, so to speak.”

[moonbunecho]

Act 1 Gale be like

Here’s the original image

[inkberrry]

The Absolute has been defeated and Baldur's Gate saved. The future stretches out before Gale and Vehnrix, free and uncertain. They must navigate how to live their new lives, treading roads that neither have walked before. Big changes and true healing are hard, but they will face them united.

-

It was morning again.

Another day, another dawn. Light shone through the sheer curtains of the tavern room, soft in its start. A warm, golden hue over discarded blankets, over pillows bunched against the headboard. Sunlight kissed freckles, dawn-soaked curls and highlighted strands of grey. The morning was kind and quiet, as if it understood the peace it could bestow with its lingering, languid passing.

“Gods, what a beautiful sight to start the day.”

Vehnrix made a sound halfway between a laugh and a yawn. He rolled to his side, coming face to face with Gale. Hair tousled, just a hint of shadows beneath his eyes, he was watching Vehnrix with the same smile he fell asleep with only hours before.

“You won’t still be saying that a year from now,” Vehnrix replied, though his heart skipped at the word, at the memory of the question Gale had asked and the promise he’d made.

“Oh, but I certainly will.” Gale’s hand lifted, fingertips tracing Vehnrix’s lips. “And a year after that. All the years, in fact, until there are no more left to us.”

More words were said, more promises made with skin and motion. The sunbeams shifted, moving across tangled legs and firmly clutching hands. Slowly, it passed beyond the reach of the windows, turning from dappled light to a steady glow. The magic of the morning waned, leaving Vehnrix and Gale to create their own.

Eventually they left their bed, knowing there would be countless other mornings just like this one. Breakfast was served in the common room of the Elfsong — miraculously still intact — accompanied by a healthy dose of strong scented tea.

Vehnrix wrinkled his nose at it, steam wafting up and bringing with it the odor of mushrooms and brine.

“Ah, that’ll wake you right up,” Gale said, utterly cheerful in the face of such a dubious concoction. “Nilhogg’s Nose brewed in seawater, if I’m not mistaken. A bit of an acquired taste, but it does the job quite well.”

Gale brought his own mug to his lips and took a sip, only to immediately choke on the tea. He sputtered, covering his mouth with a hand while he made the effort of swallowing. Setting the mug down, he gave Vehnrix a sheepish grin. “Ah, I must have unacquired the taste.”

Vehnrix laughed as he nudged his tea to the side of the table. It was an easy sound, as it always was, but this morning, safe with Gale and the future bright, it resounded even further.

“You have normal tea back in Waterdeep, right?” He eyed Gale, and his tail flicked with playful intent behind him. “Your pantry’s not just full of mushrooms and jars of saltwater? Because, Gale, I love you, but I might have to reconsider my future living arrangements.”

“Oh, no, don’t you worry. I’ll serve you only the finest teas, should you want them. And maybe a little mushroom, hidden in for good measure.”

Another laugh, joined this time by Gale’s. They started in on their meal, simple fare but filling. Enough to bolster the strength of the many patrons of the tavern, many misplaced and in need of whatever help they could get. Vehnrix looked around the room while he ate, taking note of the groups clustered together, and those alone in their grief. Healing a city would take time, but even today it had started.  

“Speaking of your future living arguments,” Gale’s voice drew Vehnrix back, and he turned to the human to show he was listening. “What is the plan, moving ahead? You agreeing to come to Waterdeep with me is a dream . But I hardly think you’re ready to leave Baldur’s Gate behind just yet? This was your home, in whatever loose way it could be.”

Vehnrix knew the question was coming. Following the aftermath of the battle with the Elder Brain, so many things had been left undone. Things left unsaid, grief and relief both so strong that thoughts of the immediate future had to wait. And then Gale’s proposal, pushing the thoughts even further away. Now, though, with the events of yesterday behind them and the future beckoning, choices had to be made.

“No, you’re right.” Vehnrix pushed a piece of meat around his plate, soaking up the last of the eggs. He took his time eating it before returning his focus to Gale. The other man knew what the city meant to Vehnrix, and loosely home was a good way to put it. He had no aching desire to stay here, and yet — “There are a few loose ends I need to tie up, if you’ll wait for me?”

“Vehnrix, I would wait eternity for you. That is no question that needs asked.”

A soft smile took over Vehnrix’s expression, his heart still getting used to Gale’s devotion. Still learning to accept it, despite his own mirrored so strongly back. “Tomorrow, maybe. Today I want to check on the kids. I wouldn’t feel right leaving without making sure they’ll be okay here. If Mol’ll even speak to me yet.”

“Give her time. Despite her, ah… clever tongue, she’s still a child. And she’s got it into her head that you’ve hurt her. It may take a while for her to sort out the truth of the matter.”

“I know.” Vehnrix sighed, nodding along. Mol’s lashing out had hurt, but he was the adult here, and as much as he hated to hear I know what’s best for you , breaking a deal with a devil was objectionably better than not. Even for self-assured tiefling children. Like Gale said, in time Mol might understand. For now, though, all Vehnrix could do was give her space — she was safe with the Guild, if she was safe anywhere.

“But Mattis and the others, then,” he added, the image of the rest of the tiefling children flashing to his mind. They’d been through too much, the same as he’d been through too much at their age. Vehnrix couldn’t leave the city behind without doing at least something to help them along.

“Of course.” Gale’s acceptance was immediate, like he’d been waiting for Vehnrix to propose the idea all along. Then his eyes grew shadowed, his fingers fidgeting with the empty fork he held. Vehnrix waited, not pressing, knowing whatever it was Gale was working through how to phrase would come soon enough. And then it did, in a rush of apologetic determination, voice carrying only across the table and no further.

“There is something I think I need to do as well, before we leave. And I understand if you disagree, and I try as I might — and I’ve tried, Vehnrix — I cannot think of a way around this, and I cannot leave —“

“It’s okay, Gale,” Vehnrix interrupted, sensing the spiral reaching its critical point. He reached across the space between them and gently moved the fork from Gale’s hand, replacing it with his palm. He curled his fingers around Gale’s hand, squeezing tight. “We can look for the pieces of the Crown.”

Gale blinked at the interruption, words halted sooner than anticipated. He squeezed Vehnrix’s hand back, almost instinctively. “Oh. Well, I was ready to put up more of a fight than that.”

“No fights.” Vehnrix was quick to reply, shaking his head enough that a curl loosed and flipped past his horns. He held Gale’s eyes, willing sincerity to shine through. “I trust you. We’ll figure this out together. Again.”

“Dear gods, I do not deserve you.”

Vehnrix laughed and gave Gale’s hand one more quick clench before letting go. He narrowed his eyes and motioned towards the two, now cold, undrunk mugs of tea.

“You take that back or I’m ordering you another mushroom tea.”

-

They found Silfy by the docks, still peddling the most recent newspaper. Large type reading Heroes of Baldur’s Gate: Saviors or Destroyers? Filled the front page, alongside a hastily rendered portrait of the ruined High City halls.

Vehnrix rolled his eyes at the headline, Gale giving an affronted snort to match. But Silfy wasn’t deterred, still calling out in her small voice for passerbys to buy a copy. Vehnrix slipped her a small bag of coins in exchange for one — much, much more than the paper was worth. He left her with a fond pat on the head and a promise that he’d see her again.

The walk through the lower city and  Wrym’s  Crossing took longer than usual, the streets still half filled with corpses of mindflayers and unafflicted residents alike. It was impossible to ignore the damage done, and Vehnrix had to repeatedly remind himself it could have been worse. Baulder’s Gate had seen tragedy before, and was certain to see it again — it would rise up stronger, in time. But for now each lifeless gaze that greeted him was a stab in the chest.

Rivington fared better, by a degree. There was less carnage here, fewer buildings burned or broken. Most citizens went about their days as if nothing more spectacular than a distant fireworks display had occurred the day before. Stalls and shops stood open, music drifted from windows, and the further they got from the the Crossing, the less weight Vehnrix felt on his shoulders.

Mattis and Mirkon were right where Vehnrix had last seen them. The refugee camps had grown around them, and the young tieflings were just two among many.

“There you are,” Mattis called out as Vehnrix approached. He pressed up from where he was leaning against a stack of crates and waved them over. Somehow he looked older than just a week or so ago; a thought that had Vehnrix furrowing his brow in consternation.

When he and Gale reached the kids, Mattis looked them over, then grinned. “Someone told me you’d got yourself killed yesterday. But that didn’t sound like the Vehn I know.”

“Worried about me, Mattis?” Vehnrix mirrored Mattis’s expression, and another weight fell from his shoulders. “I’m touched.”

“I wasn’t worried. I just didn’t want to lose my best customer.”

“Sure, sure.” The same way he’d pat Silfy’s head earlier, Vehnrix reached down and ruffled the hair between Mattis’s horns. The young tiefling groaned and pushed his hand away, but his smile remained. “How’s business, then?”

The two of them spent a while going over Mattis’s recent dealings and his loose plans before Vehnrix leaned closer in and raised his brows “And how’s business going?” He asked again, his hand emerging from a pocket with a tarnished ring rolling along his knuckles. The same one he’d bought the first time they’d met, after spotting Mattis’s tricks in an instant.

“Oh, that business?” Mattis tried to snatch the ring, but Vehnrix was faster; it disappeared back beneath his sleeve, gone from sight. Unperturbed, Mattis’s eyes gleamed. “Better than ever. Thanks to some of those tricks you taught me. I’ve been practicing .”

“That’s the spirit,” Vehnrix laughed. Then, straightening back up, he glanced over to where Gale was sharing a small book with Mirkon. A spot deep in his chest pinged , and by the time he turned back to Mattis the boy was staring at him like he was some lovesick fool. Which, Vehnrix reasoned, wasn’t far from the truth.

“Hey, listen,” he started, shoving his hands into his pockets as he spoke. “I’m not going to be sticking around here much longer. I’ll be headed to Waterdeep, with Gale.”

“You two are going to get married, aren’t you?” Mirkon and Gale rejoined the conversation, the former’s voice a squeak of curiosity. Before Vehnrix could answer, Gale slid to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“I am both delighted and astounded to say yes, that is in fact the case.” Gale’s smile was radiant, warmth flowing from it so strongly it was almost tangible. Vehnrix watched him consider the tieflings, the force of his happiness now directed at them. “And I suppose Vehn here wants to make sure you cheeky little devils know you’re always welcome at our home, should you need it.”

If Vehnrix didn’t already love him, this would surely be the moment he fell. Or maybe he was still falling, every day and every moment. Gale knew how much these tiefling children meant to him — he knew the comparisons Vehnrix made between them and himself. Gale had been there when he’d broken down at the Last Light Inn, when Mol and the children had been taken. To hear him say now that they were welcome in his home, a safe place, meant more to Vehnrix than he knew how to say.

So instead he brushed his tail along Gale’s back, a small touch of gratitude, for now.

“Huh, we’ve never been to Waterdeep.” Mattis’s voice interrupted Vehnrix’s heavily beating heart, and forced his eyes away from Gale and back to the kids. “Maybe when we get bored here, we’ll come by.”

“I’ll lock up all Gale’s good wine before then,” Vehnrix winked. Then, softer, he pulled the two young boys into a tight hug. While they were close he slipped a heavy bag of coin into Mattis’s pocket — more than enough to keep them sheltered and fed for weeks. “Stay out of too much trouble, okay? Take care of each other. And tell Mol — well, look out for her, too.”

He released them from his hug, and goodbyes were said. They’d be okay, Vehnrix told himself. Assured himself, before a new wave of grief could take over. There wasn’t anything else he could do for the young tieflings, now. Except be a waiting shelter for them, if they ever needed it.

Gale must have sensed his weighty introspection, as he always did. He didn’t comment on the few soft sniffles Vehnrix made when they left Rivington, or the way he looked back until the town was out of view.

They took the long way back into the city, hands clasped together, a solid anchor.

-

“Well. One loose end tied up.”

Vehnrix had long since kicked his boots off and collapsed on the bed. His eyes moved from the ceiling to the window, then back. The mattress shifted when Gale sat next to him, causing him to roll to his side.

“And tomorrow?” Gale looked behind Vehnrix, to where his tail was lashing over the blankets, creating uneven waves of fabric. “You’re stressed already. I’ve become quite adept at reading the motion of your tail. It gives you away, you know.”

“Or do I let it give me away?” Vehnrix countered, pushing up to an elbow and stilling his tail. It was short lived, as Gale reached out and ran his hand along it, causing Vehnrix to shiver from his toes up. A long breath left his lips, and he shifted closer to Gale’s body.

“I’m not going to be stressed much longer if you keep doing that,” he purred. Already the anxiety of his decision was bleeding away, Gale’s touch banishing it from his mind. But before he let himself fully succumb, he met Gale’s eyes and sighed. “Tomorrow…. I want to go back to the High City. I want to see my mom.”

There was a beat of pause, a silence full of memories of conversations, of Gale recalling all the things Vehnrix had told him. “Ah, a rough day ahead, then,” he said finally, gently. “Let me make tonight one of bliss for you then, Vehnrix.”

The hand on his tail moved to his face, cupping his cheek and guiding him forward. Vehnrix went eagerly into the kiss, and to everything else Gale provided.