Astarion x M!Reader

Thirty-Five

"What is this?", Astarion asked as he lifted the glass to his nose to take a deep breath.

His thirst was quenched and now came curiosity.

Smiling with amusement, you cut a piece of your meat. Some blood dripped out of it, onto the vegetables and potatoes. It smelled of iron, mixed with the smoothness of butter.

"Hare.", you said and chewed.

Astarion snorted before taking a sip.

"He should have hopped faster.", he said in a purring voice, smiling at you.

He was quite lovely. The way he sat, leaning slightly in your direction across the table, one hand tucked under his chin, seemed like a spectacle to you. He smiled sweetly, if warmly, and met almost every word you said with a clever quip or charm.

Now you could see what Cazador appreciated about him. He was a man anyone could like. Or desire. You refused to ask which of the two you did and swallowed another piece of meat.

It was warm, mingling with the flavours of butter and vegetables in your mouth. It had been a long time since you had tasted something so strong. Something other than blood.

"Tell me, Astarion.", you had your eyes fixed on the plate in front of you, but the shadows around you were your eyes. "What is your favourite prey?"

Something twitched across his face.

Was it disgust?

Or was it excitement?

Eyes narrowed to slits. Red flashed, accompanied by a smile that bared his pointed canines.

Seductive, you thought, wondering what his lips would feel like. Soft, probably. Besides his hair, his lips and face were well groomed. It was probably his strongest weapon.

"I love...", his tongue ran over his teeth, two rows of perfect white. "What do you think? Do you think I hunt the pretty ones?"

A snort escaped you immediately.

"No, but I do.", you took another bite.

The fork still in your mouth, you glanced up at him, your gazes met and you let your tongue lick the cutlery clean. Red eyes followed his every move. His lips were parted to let out a long breath. You smirked at him.

"You should drink.", you gestured to his almost full glass with the tip of the knife.

As if torn from his trance, he blinked, straightened his back and raised the glass to his lips. His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed. Somehow the sound had a strangely intimate tone.

Suddenly his mouth slipped off the edge and a thin thread of red dripped down his chin, down his slender neck to his white shirt where it darkened the neckline.

Almost casually, he lifted two fingers to wipe the blood from his skin and licked it off.

Something twitched in the back of your head. Or between your legs. You weren't quite sure.

"Does it suite you?", you asked, trying to tame this strange desire inside you.

He licked his lips. His tongue was a rosy colour.

"I would have preferred it inside me.", he said bluntly and looked down at himself. "How pleasing for you. It seems now I have a reason to bathe."

One of your eyebrows lifted, that smirk twitching at the corners of your mouth again. You just couldn't help it.

His bait was just too good not to bite, too charming, almost entertaining. Deep down, you even felt flattered.

Really remarkable, you thought to yourself and lowered your eyes to the plate in front of you again.

Most of the food had already been eaten, the rest was getting cold. Even though it wasn't a good idea, you put down your cutlery and stood up.

Shadows wrapped themselves around your shoulders. They made your steps faster than Astarion could blink. No sooner had he breathed than you stood in front of him and offered him a hand.

"If I may.", you asked.

He looked up at you. For a second there was that alertness again. Nevertheless. A smile played around his lips.

"If you insist.", he pretended it meant nothing to him, but you could feel his fingers closing around your hand.

It was as if he wanted to hold on to you. Not because he had to. But because he wanted to. After all he must have been through, it was more than just proof of his trust. It was a peace offering.

"Where will you take me?", he asked, bowing his head.

White strands fell across his face. White and red merged. Your fingers twitched involuntarily. You thought for a moment.

Who would stop you but him?

Inhaling deeply, you raised your hand and took hold of the white, playing with it, letting it dance between your fingers. It was exactly as you had imagined.

"Soft as silk...", you murmured and a strange contentment spread through your chest.

Silence. Suddenly there was this pleasant silence. Bliss, perhaps.

How were you supposed to know?

You had never felt anything like it before. Nothing that could be compared.

Astarion's chin reached out towards you. He had to stand on tiptoe to be at eye level. A slit let a breath pass his lips.

What did he expect?

It was so hard to read his eyes. Sometimes there was gentleness and sometimes he needed a place to retreat. Sometimes he wanted to bite and sometimes it seemed like he wanted to be bitten.

You knew what you wanted, even if it wasn't honourable. Eventually your eyes closed and a deep breath escaped you.

Darkness drowned the world.

Surprised by the sudden weightlessness, Astarion sagged. His head returned to the level of your shoulder. The house bent.

Then there was the soft kiss of vapour on your (S/C) skin. It smelled of rosemary and mint. Water splashed. You were in the bath now.

So the shadows still had a mind of their own.

Of course, how could you have thought otherwise?

In the end, only their respect for your leadership had grown. That didn't mean they were your mindless puppets.

And it seemed as if they wanted to remind you not to forget.

Astarion sighed as he held a hand in the warm water.

"It's really nice.", he said, looking up at you. "Are you bathing with me?"

Your eyes jumped to him.

"I thought you didn't bathe with men.", you teased.

"Not without payment."