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This is it. The end. All of them have a hard beleving it. Even still, they’re only a few moments away from possibly dying. Being erased forever. Astarion’s heart clenches in his chest, and he takes a long, deep breath. His thoughts are cut short as he feels a gentle tap on his shoulder, and he spins around, immediately on edge. Gale. It’s only Gale. As his blood red eyes meet the wizards soft brown ones, he frowns ever so softly. Astarion shifts on his feet slightly, fear shooting through his veins. He recognizes that look. It’s the same one he had for days after Elminster delivered Mystra’s command.
“Gale, no. You can’t possibly tell me you’re thinking of listening to what Mystra is asking of you?”
He’s silent, unable to meet his boyfriend’s gaze. “It’s the only way, Astarion.”
“Bullshit!” He spits out, his hands darting out, gripping Gale’s shoulder.
“What happened to all that nonsense you said about us only needing each other?”
Gale shakes his head, meeting Astarion’s eyes. They’re wild, wide and panicked. He can feel Astarion’s nails digging into his skin through his robes with how tight his grip is.
“I thought you loved me.” Astarion whispers, stepping closer to him.
“I do. I love you so, so much. And that’s why I have to do this.” Gale sees Astarion’s mouth open again, ready to protest. So his head darts out, pressing his lips to Astarion’s in a bittersweet kiss.
“This is the one way to guarantee that at least one of us makes it out of this alive, dear. I’m not all that important, really. Not in the grand scheme of things.”
“Not important?” Astarion’s question comes out strained, his voice trembling. He can feel his throat start to tighten, his chest beginning to constrict. A forced, nervous laugh spills from his lips. He’s shaking in Gale’s arms now, and he doesn’t even notice.
“Of course, not important at all. You’re only the first person I’ve loved in centuries.” Gale chuckles humorlessly, his hand cupping Astarion’s jaw.
“You’ll find someone else. Someone better. Someone who deserves this all much more than myself.”
Astarion shakes his head violently, the tears that have been welling up in his eyes spilling over as he pulls Gale into his arms.
“Stop that! Stop talking as if you’re going to die!”
Gale says nothing, his arms coming up to gently wrap around Astarion’s torso. His head rests on the vampire’s shoulder, yet he stays completely silent. Astarion bites on his lip, trying to hold back his cries as the full reality of the situation sets in.
“Damn you!” He screams, his arms tightening around the wizard further as he wails. “Damn you! Damn Mystra! Damn it all!”
Astarion’s face is tucked into Gale’s neck now as he cries out, wracked with full-body sobs. Gale’s only response is a soft “I love you too.”
He stands there for a few moments, allowing Astarion to sob into his shoulder. Once he pulls away, looking up to look into Gale’s eyes, his heart only breaks more. Tears are streaming down his cheeks, his eyes swollen and red. And yet, he’s smiling. He reaches out, his thumb gently running along Astarion’s cheek.
“You know…. I was quite lucky. To meet such a man as you. To be able to love you, Astarion…. It was truly an honor. I’m not scared of dying. Not when I had the chance to spend my time, however fleeting it ended up being, with you.” He pulls a small envelope out of his pocket, shoving it into Astarion’s hand.
“Here. Whenever you find yourself missing me, open this.” He spends a few more moments standing there, staring into his piercing red eyes. And he reaches up, slowly taking his earrings out, sliding them into his boyfriend’s pocket.
“Something to remember me bye.” Despite the tears still running down his face, he’s smiling. And then, he pulls himself away from Astarion’s grasp, and turns away.
“I’ll never forget you. I hope you know that.” Aatarion calls out as Gale begins walking away. He smiles, looking back over his shoulder. A nod.
“Our time together may have been brief, my star. But it was truly precious to me.” And then, he continues walking away. Climbing. Towards the netherbrain. Towards his own self-afflicted death.
It only takes fifteen minutes for it to happen. Fifteen minutes, a loud explosion, and that’s it. Astarion is all alone, yet again.