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The sun was starting to make its way down in the sky, so the group decided to call it a day to set up camp. Lae'zel was insisting that they should continue pushing forward, as she was sure the Crèche she was seeking was nearby, but after a surprise fight with some undead, even the Githyanki wasn't going to be able to continue without rest, despite her protests.
Gale was on dinner duty, which was a role he took often and with delight every night. He hadn't thought of himself as a great chef by any means, but supposed he had more experience than the others had due to dabbling in some alchemical arts.
Alchemy, cooking, they were basically the same thing if you tilted your head and squinted.
After the wizard had pulled some logs together and ignited it with a Firebolt, Karlach and Wyll made their way over with their feast of the night - a boar that the tiefling had struck down earlier in the day, alongside some various fruits and veggies the warlock and Halsin had gathered on their trek.
It wasn't a lot to go off of, but he figured he could make it work.
Gale was caught by surprise when he found Astarion standing beside him, seemingly from no where.
“Gods-” the wizard jumped slightly, moving a hand to his chest.
The rogue smirked at the action and went to take the knife Gale was holding, to assist him with preparing the meal, getting to work on butchering.
“Did you, mm, already find dinner yourself?” Gale asked after a minute of working beside the other quietly, idly tossing a raspberry in his mouth as he worked.
“Yes, thank you for your concern, darling.” Astarion answered. “There's lots of wildlife out here that are easy prey.”
There was a short moment of quiet, and Gale directed his attention back to the spawn curiously, noticing that he was watching his mouth intently.
“Is something the matter?”
“I… hmm.” Astarion went to speak, then stopped himself. “Nothing aside from the usual matters.” He said instead, causing Gale to raise an eyebrow at his words. “You've just got a…” Astarion reached a hand out to Gale and rubbed a thumb under the corner of his lips.
Gale's face immediately flushed at the action, eyes widening.
“Just a bit of berry juice, love.” Astarion said, pulling his hand back all too soon as he showed his finger to the wizard as proof. “Can't have our chef making a mess of himself, can we?”
Gale stayed quiet as he saw Astarion's gaze fall to his hand, and watched him bring it up to his mouth to lick it clean, which just placed an ugly grimace on the vampire's face at the action.
“Don't like it?”
“I can't like it.” Astarion corrected, opting instead to wipe his hand on his pants to clean it off. “I haven't been able to taste real food in over two hundred years.”
The wizard thought back to any books he'd read about Astarion's condition. He knew they drank blood, obviously, but he couldn't remember if they were still able to consume other things.
Judging by Astarion's answer, it seemed unlikely.
“So the reason you don't eat my cooking isn't because you think I'm going to poison you?” Gale laughed, breaking the tension a bit.
He knew it wasn't often that Astarion revealed something about himself or his previous life, and he didn't want to make a big deal of it to scare him off.
“I mean, with your cooking, I'm sure you wouldn't even do it intentionally, love.” Astarion gave a bark of a laugh, grabbing Gale’s shoulder and squeezing it before releasing him again and resuming his cutting of the meat from the boar. “I wouldn't trust it even if I could taste it.”
“Do you think about it?” Gale found himself asking.
Astarion directed his grimace in his direction now. “No. Blood gives me what I need, so why would I need anything else?”
Gale met his gaze and tried to search his eyes for proof that he was lying. Proof that he had missed enjoying a hearty meal with friends. The joy of cooking to create something of nothing. Surely, even as a vampire spawn, his humanity still held memories of a time like that, even if distantly in the past.
It was then that the wizard felt the unfortunately familiar feeling of that worm wriggling in his head, reaching out to its kin beside him.
Using the tadpole was something Gale hadn't done often, nor planned to. There was a curiosity inside of him that was well-sated the first time he'd done so and found he could easily command that goblin to stand down that had threatened their party, back in that Blighted Village when they'd entered. The power felt unnatural, and even for someone as obsessed with gaining power and control as he was, it felt wrong.
But here, it was as if he could feel the worm in Astarion reaching out as well. Like the two had to make a connection, somehow, for some reason.
He noticed Astarion's face twist with a tinge of discomfort at the feeling, just as his own had done.
But maybe this could be a good thing, Gale thought. Not to delve into the others' secrets and memories, but to bring a connection to him that they wouldn't ordinarily be able to have.
And it was with that thought that the tadpoles seemed to finally link, which thankfully brought that pain away.
“Why- what are you-” Astarion sputtered after a moment of realizing what had happened, and Gale hushed him, earning a huff of defiance from the other. “I thought we were on the same page of this worm book about not invading our personal…”
The vampire's voice trailed off as Gale bit down into another raspberry.
Gale watched as Astarion's face seemed to soften slightly from what was sure to be oncoming rage.
“… It's sweet.”
Gale couldn't help the smirk that came across his face as he watched Astarion. “Want to try–”
“Yeah, yes.” Astarion nodded quickly, looking at the food assortment in front of them and pushing a red apple towards the wizard.
Gale picked it up and bit into it, and if he wasn't standing right next to him, Gale would've missed the sound of delight that came from the vampire at the action.
Gale had taken the things Astarion shoved in his arms with a laugh.
A lemon. Sour, oh so sour.
A potato. Earthy and robust.
A pepper. Hot and powerful.
Gale looked at the garlic that was beside the pile and, unsure of how much power this connection really had, decided against it.
Just to be safe.
“This too.” Astarion said, having reached into their supplies and producing a bottle of Rosymorn Firewine that he had stashed away from earlier on their journey that day.
Gale took the bottle from him somewhat apprehensively. It wasn't that he didn't drink, but it was this drink in particular. It had a history of being notoriously strong. And nasty.
Nonetheless, though, not one to deny someone's search for knowledge, he uncorked the bottle and took a long drink from it.
The taste caused both men to cough and sputter, and Gale quickly put the bottle down with a groan.
“Gods!” Astarion hissed. “It's like it's still in my throat.”
“I guess that's why the monks left it behind.” Gale said, coughing once again from the taste and power of it.
The two grew quiet once again for a moment afterwards, until Gale spoke up. “So, did you enjoy tasting–”
Astarion rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Fuck you, wizard. Don't ask questions you already know the answer to.”
Gale laughed a bit. “And what about you?”
“Mm?”
“What is it that you taste?”
Knowledge was a two way street, afterall. If he could give Astarion a first hand taste of all the meals he was missing, surely the vampire could return the favor.
“Mm.” Astarion responded again, tilting his head in thought. “I suppose it's only fair.”
Astarion reached out and grabbed a raspberry from the pile Gale was snacking on prior and bit down into it.
Gale could taste a faint hint of its usual sweetness, but all too quickly it was replaced by an overwhelming ashy dirt taste that made him want to wash his mouth out in some water.
“Gods, that is horrid.” Gale frowned.
“Well, that isn't all I could taste.” Astarion reminded him, flashing him a fanged grin.
The words rang in Gale's mind, immediately understanding what he meant, but unsure if he wanted to go that far.
But, well, he was a curious man. And with his Orb now stabilized…
The tadpole in his head seemed to squirm as the thought traveled to the other, which kept that grin stuck on his face.
“After everyone's turned in, love,” Astarion purred, reaching a hand to Gale's neck and gently brushing his fingers against it. “You'll know where to find me.”
And with that, Astarion severed the connection between their tadpoles as he turned on his heel, walking away from the wizard.
Gale exhaled a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, feeling his cheeks remain hot.
He blamed it on the fire he was cooking over.
Definitely not on Astarion's invitation.
Nope, definitely not.
~☆~☆~☆~
Dinner came and went without much excitement. Astarion hadn't joined them, having ventured out to the surrounding wilderness as the rest of them ate.
Shadowheart had offered to clean up on Gale's behalf afterwards, and the wizard gladly allowed her to do so, wanting to finally relax for the night.
He made his way back to his tent, pulling out one of the many books he'd found during their journey.
It was nice to think that back home in Waterdeep, his tower contained any and all books he would ever want to indulge in. But being out on an adventure like this, he was quick to learn that there was other kinds of knowledge outside of his bubble of a tower. Books he hadn't even known existed about topics he knew very little on.
Finally, Gale heard the sounds of Wyll and Karlach snuffing out the fire they were talking beside, deciding to turn in for the night themselves.
With that, everyone has retreated to their bedrolls for the night.
Astarion's invitation pulsed in Gale's mind again.
For anyone else, it would've been an absolutely wild request. The idea of knowing what his own blood could taste like to a vampire. He had half a mind to just call it a night like everyone else had so he could be fresh come sunrise.
But, maybe unfortunately, the stronger half of his mind craved an answer to that question.
With a heaved sigh, Gale set a bookmark into the book and set it aside before making his way out of the safety of his own tent, approaching one of a bloodthirsty predator.
This was dumb, right? He had told Astarion on more than one occasion that the blood within him was tainted by magic and wouldn't taste good to the vampire.
To be honest, he wasn't sure how true that was. But when it had come out that Shadowheart had awoken to a pair of sharp fangs in her neck one night, it felt like the best answer to give so he wouldn't befall the same fate.
And even if it was the case before, with their meeting of Elminster the other day and the Orb in his chest no longer threatening his life (unless he so desired it to, which isn't something he wanted to dwell on at the moment), maybe it also made his blood… more appetizing?
He shook his head to try and dispel the waves of uncertainty about the situation. Not many people would be able to be in a position such as his own. Able to taste what a vampire does, without truly being one.
“Are you going to stand there all night, wizard?”
Gale jumped at realizing Astarion was standing in front of him, in front of his tent. “Oh, uh-”
“Yeah, you were thinking, normal excuse.” Astarion rolled his eyes as he filled in the blank, cutting him off, and moved aside, gesturing for Gale to walk in.
Gale took his offer, not letting himself dwell on how obviously stupid he was being for putting his well-being into a vampire's hands.
Realizing this was the first time Astarion had allowed him in his tent, Gale took a moment to take in his surroundings. There were surprisingly a lot of books around, similar to how Gale kept his. Maybe it wasn't as surprising as he thought though. The man used to be a magistrate, after all. Books were likely a comfort to him as well.
After all, he doubted Cazador had let Astarion indulge in things such as reading. He probably had a lot to catch up on.
His bedroll seemed to be pristine and unmessed, save for some sort of rag across it. A well used blanket, he finally figured out after studying it for a second.
Then came the most obvious thing about Astarion’s tent: the smell.
Gale could smell the bergamot cologne the other used to cover the undead scent he carried. And usually that alone would be overpowering anything else in the area, aside from the 3 goblets that sat on a crate in the middle of his tent, which were absolutely potent with a strong metallic scent that overwhelmed much else.
“That's…”
Astarion cleared his throat and gestured to the three goblets. “Some of the finest vintage we have to offer.” He said with a smirk.
He motioned to the one on the left. “A kobold, drunk from overindulging in the local spirits.”
The middle, “a goblin who survived the attack on the camp and thought she could get a jump on us”.
And the right, “a githyanki special, courtesy of those folk who destroyed the bridge earlier today”.
Gale inhaled as Astarion seemed to be awaiting some sort of reaction. “That's, uh, quite a selection.” He finally answered, taking a step closer and looking inside the cups.
It all looked the same to him. Just dark shades of red and a smell that pervaded all of his senses.
“Then, of course, dessert.” Astarion reached a hand to Gale, lightly touching his cheek before withdrawing it quickly. “That is, if you're still in your pursuit of knowledge.”
The wizard met the vampire's gaze then, knowing it was his last chance to back out. To just call it a night like he knew he should and put this little experiment far behind them.
But that damned quest for knowing, for learning, it wouldn't let him leave it alone.
He had to know.
“Okay.”
The confirmation was all it took for Gale to feel his tadpole wriggle in excitement as it connected to Astarion’s, sharing their senses and experiences once more.
“Where would you like to start?” Astarion asked, circling a finger around the rim of one of the goblets, a smirk still plastered across his face.
“Dealer's choice.” Gale insisted.
“Mm.” Astarion thought for a moment and reached for the leftmost one - the kobold. He raised the goblet and gave a toasting motion towards Gale before upending it in his mouth.
The first thing Gale could taste from their link was that metallic blood. It was unpleasant, to put it lightly. He'd of course tasted his own blood on occasion, from wounds of battle as well as wounds from cooking.
But it didn't take long for the taste to take another form. It had a sharp taste reminiscent of the alcohol they'd shared earlier. And just when he thought he was getting used to that, he tasted the underlying, yet still overpowering sour taste.
Astarion waited a moment before finally swallowing it down, raising an eyebrow at Gale. “Honestly, it's probably the closest I could get to getting truly drunk.” He said, placing the goblet back down. “If someone drinks enough of it, the alcohol taints their blood.”
“So…” Gale tried to gather his thoughts before continuing. “The alcohol. That… was familiar.” He agreed with a nod, putting a hand to his mouth as he tried to remember the taste. “And the rest was… kobold?”
“Yes.” Astarion nodded. “Not the best of meals, I must admit. But I can't always be picky.”
Gale nodded in understanding as Astarion moved to the next goblet in the row, the goblin.
“I've had a lot of this lately.” Astarion laughed as he swirled the contents around in the cup like one would a fine wine. “Nothing special, or good if we're being honest, but very accessible.” He went ahead to drink down this one as well.
The second time now, it somehow felt easier to ignore that metal taste that came with the experience. This time it tasted of some sort of earthy nature. As if it was something that had been growing in the dirt, only gently brushed off before consuming.
As Astarion set the goblet down, Gale gave a “hmm” as he thought on the taste again. Going into this, he hadn't expected there to be any sort of taste other than what he'd smelled. The idea that all vampires (and spawn) had to survive off of a metallic and rusty source of food had admittedly given him a bit of pity towards Astarion. But learning that, just as other food, these too can contain different tastes, was absolutely intriguing.
Even if Astarion was right in saying that this one definitely wasn't winning any awards on taste.
“Holding up alright?” Astarion checked in as he finally reached for the last. “If I had known this was one way to shut off your mouth, I would have offered sooner.”
“I'm fine.” Gale answered, waving his hand for Astarion to continue. “Mental notes.”
“Of course.” Astarion sighed. “Always the scholar.”
Without other warning, he drank down the final goblet.
The taste hit Gale immediately. It was spicy. Not spices, like clove or cinnamon that he would use for cooking. But in a sense he could almost feel it burning. But also, not unpleasantly so.
“And there we have it.” Astarion said finally, moving his wrist across his mouth to wipe away any blood that could've been left behind.
“Fascinating.” Gale found himself saying. This was a lot. The fact the tadpoles could connect in this way, to share each other's senses like this was a lot to learn on its own. But added with the fact he knows now that different sources of blood have distinctly different flavors? Truly fascinating. Once their journey comes to an end, he'll have a lot to write about.
Well, provided he's still around by the end of their journey.
He may need to get started now and hope one of his companions can finish it for him–
“Gale.” Astarion gripped the other's shoulders tight, bringing him back to reality. “Stop thinking so much, you're going to give me a headache.”
Gale blinked at the vampire blankly before remembering their tadpoles were still connected. “Oh-”
“I know a lot has happened to you recently.” Astarion said, squeezing Gale's shoulders tight. “But let's see if I can take your mind away from it.”
With that, Gale felt Astarion push him until he was sitting on the wooden crate that the goblets were presented on.
He knew he agreed to this. And he was curious if his blood truly was considered tainted and disgusting. But with this, as Astarion moved to straddle his lap, Gale's mind was swimming. He thinks he was thinking thoughts, but couldn't remember what any of them were.
“You're okay still?” Astarion asked quietly, moving his face over to the left side of Gale's neck.
Gale stammered as he tried to sort his thoughts and come up with proper words. This was the closest someone had been to him since Mystra, and even then she wouldn't deign to grace him with her physical presence in this way.
As the thought went through his mind, he could hear Astarion give a sort of quiet growl in response to it, the tadpole’s connection making the other aware of his thoughts still.
“Not her. Not here.” Astarion said, moving a hand to the back of Gale's head and pushing it away so he could better access his neck. “Just me, and now.”
Gale went to respond but was quieted by feeling the fangs prod at his neck, not yet breaking skin.
Tell me.
Gale exhaled, hearing Astarion's request through their link.
He was right. There was no reason to be thinking of her now.
The wizard let his arms fall around the vampire's waist, keeping him close.
“Yes, just you.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the fangs finally embedded into his neck, causing him to hiss in pain at the initial contact of it. Gale's hands gripped at Astarion's waist as he felt the blood being slowly taken from him.
Despite what he'd thought would happen, Astarion didn't reel back at the taste of it. In fact, Gale could swear he heard a sound of delight come from the other, and he drank more greedily.
Also despite what he thought, the experience wasn't as painful as that first bite. His neck quickly grew numb where his fangs struck and the sensation of the blood being drawn from him wasn't bad.
And then that's when their link hit him.
He could tell now why Astarion had made that sound at the first drop – it tasted divine. It was sweet, but not overly so. He could taste his blood still brimming with magic, giving it a slight tart kick as well.
If Gale had to compare it to anything, it reminded him of the apple that Astarion had had him try earlier.
Which, compared to the other samplings Astarion had provided, was leagues better than those.
Gale moved a hand to Astarion’s head, fingers gripping into his white curls as he kept him there so he could keep experiencing the feeling that Astarion was as well.
With that motion, Astarion pressed more against him, as if trying to take more than he could.
But, as he did, he ended up pushing too far against Gale and sent him over the edge of the crate they were sitting on, causing both to fall onto the ground, Astarion on top of him.
Astarion dislodged his fangs as Gale groaned in response to what had occurred, licking at the blood that was still coming from the wizard's neck.
As the wound finally closed, the two remained quiet aside from their heavy breathing, still remaining on top of one another.
“G-Gods–” Gale began after a moment, only to be quieted once again by feeling Astarion's lips crash hard against his own.
Gale returned the gesture, moving his hands back to Astarion’s head. He moved his head a bit and nicked himself against one of Astarion's fangs, causing his lip to begin bleeding.
The vampire gladly sucked at the offering, causing that delicious liquid to fill both of their senses again.
It was when Gale's grip started to lessen that Astarion finally pulled away, sitting upright against Gale as he licked any excess mess from his lips, unable to look away from him.
Gale was still breathing heavy, his mind wobbly and foggy. Any thought he tried to make quickly disappeared, and all he could focus on was Astarion staring down at him with still hungry eyes.
“I…” Astarion started, being the first to sort out his thoughts. “And to think you thought you'd be nasty.”
Gale gave a laugh in response. “I guess I've been wrong before, as loathe as I am to admit.”
“Mm.” Astarion leaned forward once more and pressed a kiss to the still tender bite mark in the human’s neck. “I could stand you being wrong more often if this is what happens when you are.”
“I don't think I have much left to give you.” Gale sighed, feeling Astarion's fangs gently scrape his neck again.
“Doesn't mean I can't still think about it.” He responded, kissing the spot once more before finally rolling off of him and sitting up properly. “Here.” Astarion stood up and moved to rummage through his pack, procuring a carafe of water before returning. He reached a hand to Gale's back to help him sit upright before handing him the water, guiding it to his mouth for him to drink.
Gale finished off the water before sighing and leaning his weight against Astarion. “I don't think I'll make it back to my tent on my own.” As memorable as that experience was, his body felt drained, both literally and figuratively. It was sore from the bite, from having fallen over, from exhaustion.
“Stay here then.” Astarion offered. “Enough room for two.”
Gale couldn't find any reason to protest, so he just nodded as Astarion guided him over to the bedroll. He laid down immediately, his eyes feeling heavy already.
At feeling Astarion lay beside him, he opened his eyes despite his dreariness.
“You're warm.” He remarked, moving his arms around him.
“You can thank your delicious blood.” Astarion smirked, adjusting to get comfortable in his grasp. “I may have overindulged.”
“Mm.” was all Gale could manage as an answer as his eyes fell heavy again.
As he drifted off with the warm vampire in his arms, he finally felt the tadpole in his head rest as well.
Maybe there was a plus to indulging in those worms.
Just a bit.