🔮 exsanguinated (with @sangwhine)

[mystracal]

tfln | invitations | and there was only one bed | undermountain alurlyath | what could be | blood bond | the price of freedom
it wore his face | dinner with morena dekarios | rediscovery

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[sangwhine]

If it's all the same to you, my love, perhaps save it for another night. I think I've had enough unpleasant tastes in my mouth for the day.

[He does seem a little more heartened by the promise of strenuous activity to come.]

[mystracal]

As you wish.

[Unfurling Astarion's hair from his fingers, Gale lets one hand trail to grasp his partner's, giving it a gentle squeeze.]

What would you like, then? An illusory field, the sun shining down upon us as we bask in one another's company? A massage in the tub, the water reflecting the stars above us as I remind you of all you mean to me? Something simple and carnal, embracing our physical bodies and all that entails? Tell me, and it will be yours.

[sangwhine]

[Gods, Astarion loves this man. He trails his fingertips along Gale's jaw, considering.]

Perhaps the first and second together? Followed by the third. A lovely soak in the water with a sunrise of your making stretching over us sounds lovely.

[mystracal]

[He leans into that touch, a smile unfurling across him.]

Allow me, then.

[With his hand still clasped around Astarion's, he leads them to the adjacent washroom, mage hands forming before them to gather towels and fill the recessed bath with warm, welcoming water. Gathering the Weave at his fingertips, Gale gestures broadly to the room, painting an illusion strong enough to fool even the most hardy of minds. Beneath their feet, the stone floor becomes plush grass kissed by the morning dew; the ceiling shifts and expands to give way to a vast sky, the stars still visible as the first rays of the sun haven't yet breached the horizon. What bottles once sat before the mirror - potions, lotions, antitoxins, and oils - now rest atop of a nearby boulder, well within reach in case they're needed, but not so obtrusive as to ruin the image he crafts around them.

The cool air prickles at Gale's skin, and though he knows it all to be unreal, he feels goosebumps all the same. Gale Dekarios never does anything in half-measures, certainly not when he aims to impress.]

[sangwhine]

[For as many times as Astarion's seen Gale work with the Weave, he's still impressed when the man pulls off something so grand like it's nothing. As easy as breathing.

Astarion closes his eyes and takes a breath so he can smell the fresh dirt and grass, feel the moisture in the air. The faint tickling of warmth on his skin from the illusory sun on the horizon feels so real that he can believe it, just for this moment.

He would never be allowed something like this under Cazador. He has this because he's safe, because he's free, because he's loved. His hand tightens on Gale's in a pulse, reassuring himself of the man's presence at his side.

His eyes only open once they've neared the edge of the tub, the faint steam rising from the top of the water a welcome promise of things to come. He draws Gale's hand in, kissing the back of his knuckles before guiding him to the fastenings of Astarion's shirt.]

I think that I'm overdressed, don't you?

[mystracal]

As am I.

[His fingers slide across the fastenings, undoing them one by one - he makes a show of it, going slowly, gently. It allows his mind time to turn.]

One day, hopefully soon, you'll see the sun again. The true sun. I will give it back to you, Astarion.

[sangwhine]

[Astarion savors the touch. Not yet skin to skin, but the warmth of Gale's hands still spreads through the cloth. Once Gale's got all the buttons and ties undone, he guides him under the fabric, he wants Gale to do the work, to be gentle with him.]

I have no doubt of it, my dearest. I know no mind more brilliant than yours. If it can be done, you will find a way to do it.

[mystracal]

[Guided by Astarion, Gale slips his hands under the shirt, pushing the fabric off his shoulders and down his arms. As Astarion's pale skin comes into view, Gale brings his lips to his collarbone in a soft kiss; his eyes remain low, hiding both his adoration and a moment of private shame.]

Were I truly brilliant, I'd have had it done already.

[An even softer kiss, his lips barely brushing against Astarion's jaw as he pulls at his own shirt, preparing to bring it up and over his head.]

I think sometimes about the Crown. About what I could have given you with it.

[sangwhine]

[Astarion moves to assist Gale in pulling his shirt off, casting it aside into the illusory grass surrounding them. He catches Gale's chin in his hand before Gale can return to his worship of Astarion's body, though, guiding him up to meet Astarion's gaze. His gaze has a firmness to it, a cool certainty despite the adoration held there.]

You are brilliant. I won't hear you doubting it. And as much as I must admit that I'd adore the sight of you in that crown, the choice we made was the right one.

[He pauses, lips pursed into a tight line.]

This night would have been quite different if we didn't stand as equals.

[mystracal]

[That sentiment puts some contrition in him; Gale smiles, his brow easing with an apologetic wrinkle]

I don't imagine we'd be here at all had things gone differently. I doubt Gale the God would have wanted to return to Waterdeep, to introduce his lover to his mother. I don't think there'd be a greater disappointment to her or Tara than if I'd chosen divinity over my heart.

[sangwhine]

[None of that. Astarion leans in to kiss that wrinkle, stroking his fingers along the rough line of Gale's jaw.]

All the more reason why it's for the best that you denied the crown. I would never have had the pleasure of meeting your mother if you didn't.

[mystracal]

[Gods, he loves those little touches, unable to keep himself from leaning into the cool sensation of Astarion's fingers against him.]

She clearly approved of you. I don't think she'd have done the same for a vampire lord.

[He slides out of his trousers before letting his hands linger at the top of Astarion's, awaiting permission.]

[sangwhine]

No, I don't think she would have been fond of me if that were the case.

[He gives a slight nod, he likes having Gale at his beck and call like this.]

[mystracal]

[Permission granted, Gale leans a little closer as he carefully undoes the buttons of Astarion's pants, his fingers ghosting just past the waist to the bare skin beneath; he refrains from kissing Astarion again just yet as he pushes the garment past his hips, keeping himself barely a breath away.]

Mmm. So while I might think on the Crown and what I could do for you with it, I agree that the choices we made were for the best, for both of us. But that won't stop me from wanting to give you more. To give you everything.

[sangwhine]

[Astarion lets out a soft breath, threading his hand through Gale's hair as he puts one hand to his hip. Those are the only two points of contact, but it somehow feels all the more intimate because of that.]

Gale, dearest, the only way you could give me more would be to let me own you completely.

[mystracal]

I can't say I'd be entirely opposed to that.

[That confession slips from him before he realizes it, words escaping through the desirous haze; his brow tightens not a second later, his eyes finding their way back to Astarion's face as earnest sincerity replaces any playfulness upon him. He puts a hand on the one at his hip, bringing it up to the side of his jaw, then to his ear, to the shining silver hanging there.

He'd once devoted his entire self to Mystra. He felt he might never recover from the heartbreak when she cast him out, ignored his prayers, allowed the silence left in her wake to be filled by the agonizing, ravenous howl of the orb. As he considered her offer for 'forgiveness,' he knew she'd always own some part of him - not just because she was the embodiment of the very magic he commands, but because so much of himself was a reflection of her long influence upon him.

Even as he reddens, hands hovering over the symbol of her that has adorned that ear for years now, Gale wonders if he can give everything he is to Astarion. Gods, does he ever want to.]

[sangwhine]

[Astarion understands the weight of the gesture without the need for words. Even before the night's discussion, the mark of Mystra still left on Gale was something he'd prefer to see done away with. Gale owes nothing to her except his magic. Everything about him that is mortal, that makes him the man he is, has no right to bear her symbol.

With deft fingers, Astarion slips the earring free, his touch a whisper against Gale's skin. Once it's loose, he holds it for a moment, sharp star points pressing into the pads of his fingers, before letting it drop to the pile of clothes gathered at their feet.

When he speaks it's in a low voice, thick with desire and a small tremor of trepidation.]

Be careful what you offer, Gale Dekarios. You know what power can do to a man.

[mystracal]

[There's a moment where Gale feels too bare, as though a vital piece of himself were missing and its loss were something to be ashamed of; he swallows the heaviness in his throat as he watches the earring fall to the floor, vanishing into the creases of the garments lying in the illusory grass beneath them, discarded just as they were.

His eyes flick back to Astarion, the weight in his chest subsiding as the vampire's voice draws him him. He can't help himself, leaning forward to place a kiss to the corner of Astarion's lips, then upon them in earnest; his smiles into the kiss, his skin warm enough to rival the bath.]

I trust you with my body, mortal and frail and fallible as it is. I trust you with my heart, a once-broken thing I believed beyond repair. I trust you, Astarion, the future Mr. Dekarios. Perhaps that power is what I want to see. A momentary imbalance in your favor.

[sangwhine]

[With the warmth of Gale's lips on his and the illusory sun at his back, Astarion feels nearly alive again. The things this man, his man, does to him, says to him are more intoxicating than the strongest drug. He chases the kiss, curling his hand around the back of Gale's neck to hold him in.

When it breaks he meets Gale's gaze, that warmth stoking to a fire in his red eyes. He runs a tongue across his lips, tasting the lingering heat.]

I--like the sound of that. Tipping the scales in my favor.

[The hand at Gale's ear moves back along his jaw, catching his chin in a firm grip.]

I have your trust then, hm?

[mystracal]

[Gale's hazel eyes lock onto the ruby ones before him, his smile wider as Astarion takes his chin; within his chest, his heart beats just a little faster with excitement.]

Always. Anything I can give you is yours, including my very self.

[sangwhine]

[Oh, now that is heady. Astarion can taste Gale's excitement on the air. It's near overwhelming, freezing him in place for a moment as he soaks it in. Gale is his in a way few things have been for the past centuries.

Lust surges in him and he leans in to crush his lips to Gale's, bruising and possessive, as if he can stake his claim with lips and teeth alone.]

[mystracal]

[In previous relationships — particularly with Mystra — Gale never thought too hard on what he liked, what he wanted; so long as he was pleasing his partner, servicing them in some way, he felt he was useful, wanted. That was what made him happy.

Oh, but the heated, passionate kiss Astarion places upon him, so hungry, bruising, aggressive in a way he's unaccustomed to - Gale undeniably likes that. He's wanted not because he's useful, but because he's treasured, possessed. He's loved, too loved to be discarded.

Of course, he'd thought that with Mystra; however, Mystra never kissed him like this. It's almost too much.

The emotional want combined with the physical thrill of Astarion pushing against him is a potent combination; Gale lights up, his cheeks flush as he feels his pulse race. He returns the kiss in kind, his fingers threading through Astarion's curls as he breathes him in before the breaking dawn.]

[sangwhine]

[Astarion is greedy in this kiss in a way he hasn't been in recent memory. His grip on Gale's jaw tightens as he angles his lips to deepen it, devouring all of Gale that he can. That racing pulse thunders in his ears loud enough that it could be his own, but it is his own, in a way. He kisses until he knows that Gale must be breathless, then lingers a moment longer before pulling away with a drag of teeth against his lips.

His eyes open to take in the effect it must have on Gale, to watch the flush rise in his face, to see the bright red of his kiss-bruised lips. He commits each one to memory before lifting his gaze to meet Gale's eyes, a smoldering heat burning in his eyes.]

Now—on your knees.

[mystracal]

[Gale's not sure he's ever seen Astarion like this, the look in his eyes a far cry from the earlier days of their relationship, when intimacy had been a distant dream. The wizard recalls the haze that would come over those gorgeous ruby eyes as he struggled to reconcile his desires through his trauma; the years of abuse and torture, his body being used by Cazador had plagued Astarion no matter how badly he wished otherwise. He'd offered himself to Gale once — to be used — falling into old habits because he thought that was what his lover wanted from him.

Gale hadn't, of course - he couldn't imagine forcing anything upon Astarion, not without his clear consent. Now, they're reveling in his freedom, both of them finding new ways to express their longing for one another. There's no haze as Astarion commands him: only a fire burning in his red eyes, one that Gale is all too eager to embrace.

His gaze remains on Astarion, eyes taking in that flame as he kneels; he bites his lip in anticipation, wishing it were Astarion's teeth biting him still.]

[sangwhine]

[Perish the thought of looking away, Astarion doesn't want to miss a moment of seeing Gale like this. The devotion, the love in his eyes is entrancing, and knowing it's his to have, to savor, just makes it better. It soothes something within him in a way that sends a warm shiver curling up his spine. To think that only hours ago he had been worried that Gale might hurt him, might punish him, only to have Gale kneeling before him now in devotion. How could he doubt a man so wholly devoted to him?

He curls his hand to cup Gale's chin, sweeping his thumb across Gale's lower lip to coax it open. His wizard does have a clever mouth, and that mouth is his to use as he sees fit.]

Open for me.