Archive of Our Own

The dark polished wood gleams in the dimming candlelight and the weak flames twist and dance within the breeze from the window sat ajar. The flames reflect in the shining wood, casting an orange hue around the room, the perfect image of comfort as Alessia slowly plods towards the shared sitting area.

She takes a moment to look around, the silence causes a small knot to form in her throat. 

Silence was an oddity for their group, one that usually spelt chaos for them all and their room at The Elfsong was surprisingly quiet. The usual chatter between friends had since been replaced with the faint chords of a violin, courtesy of the bard hired for the inn’s patrons below.

As she continues to look around, concern and curiosity warring within her mind, she spots a familiar sight. Her resident rogue stood near his bed with a book in hand.

A mischievous giggle was the only warning Astarion had before he felt a sudden weight on his back, sending him crashing into the soft mattress below him. He lets out a small groan as he looks up at Alessia, who sits proudly on top of him.

Before she has a chance to savour her victory, he grabs her wrists and flips them over. He has her hands above her head, secured within his grip.

"Nice try, darling." Moonlight pours in through the crack in the curtains as he gazes down at her. The tips of his white hair seem to glow in the light, making him look ethereal.

Time seems to slow as Alessia gazes back up at him in admiration. She slowly takes in each detail of his face, carefully mapping them out. A small habit she had found herself doing since her redemption, one bout of memory loss was enough.

They simply stare at one another, a single moment in time where there are no worries or stress, only them. She wishes she could freeze time, content to live within that moment with him forever.

“Where is everyone?”

“Really, love? You have a shockingly beautiful vampire above you, only to ask about the others ?” His voice rises in pitch the more he speaks, his eyebrows creasing with mock outrage as he glares at her. 

“Oh, sorry. Hello Astarion, the love of my life. How was your evening? Mind telling me where you hid the others?”

Her mouth twitches into a small smirk as he lets out a dramatic sigh, one he had clearly been practising while she was gone.

“I gave them away to the nearest shopkeep who would take them. It was a horrible trade, I practically had to pay him to take Gale. I did get a loaf of bread for the Gith, so I guess you should be the one to do the honours of eating my hard-earned bread.”

“Ha ha.” Her voice is dry as she rolls her eyes at his antics, doing her best not to show her amusement and in doing so, letting him win. “Very funny. Don’t let Lae’zel hear that you would be content to give her away for some bread. If we get any more blood on these floors, we are never getting our downpayment for the room back.”

“Why darling, how bold of you to assume that you wouldn’t use that silver tongue of yours to get me back in her good graces.” He leans down to brush his lips against her pointed ear, she can feel his breath dance along her neck, leaving tingles in its wake. “We all know how well you can use that tongue of yours, both on and off the battlefield.”

Before she can retort, he captures her lips with his own. A small and gentle kiss, despite their playful bickering. He clings onto her, one hand making its way to her hip while his other hand gently cups the back of her head. His fingers tangle within her long, pinkish-blonde hair, the strands wrapping around his curled fingers, desperate to hold as much of her as he can.

He reluctantly pulls apart to let her breathe, only to steal her breath away once more by trailing gentle kisses along her jaw, slowly journeying down to her neck.

“Hungry?” She rolls her head to the side, giving him better access to her throat. She giggles slightly when she feels his kisses transform into small nips instead.

Astarion pauses for a moment, considering her words as he looks down at her below him. His eyes are half-lidded as he gazes down at her as if she was his world. She certainly feels like it to him.

“No. At least, not for that charming neck of yours this time, my love.”

He captures her lips again, carefully teasing her lip with a fang before she grants him access, his tongue colliding with hers with their familiar dance. 

Alessia brings a slender hand to rest on his cheek, softly caressing his cheekbone with her thumb as he deepens the kiss.

Astarion lets out a small sigh as he breaks the kiss, resting his cool forehead against her now feverish one. He chuckles slightly as he nuzzles his nose against Alessia’s, revelling in the way her previous spark of mischief had melted away into content bliss as she lets out a small sigh of her own.

“Okay, but where are the others, Astarion?”

Or so he had thought, mentally kicking himself for doubting her capability for mischief once more.

“I convinced them to go waste our money downstairs, so we could have the night to ourselves for once, without their unwelcomed and unneeded commentary. I figured that one night without stress or aggression in our lives wouldn’t kill us…” 

He pauses for a moment, considering the number of times they have had to evict intruders from their camp, the memory of the recent incident still fresh in his mind. 

His siblings’ unwelcomed intrusion in the dead of night, the way his frantic voice rose her from her much-needed slumber. Despite the fear that coursed through his veins at the time, he will never forget taking pride and glee in the way her face twisted into a display of delicious aggression on his behalf. 

“...Hopefully.” He adds fairly quickly, not willing to test their already failing luck.

He is pulled out of his thoughts as he feels tender, warm lips pressed against his cheek.

“Thank you, for thinking about me.” Her voice is as soft as her expression, pure adoration displayed on her face for him and him alone to see.

“Oh my sweet, don’t you know? I find it hard to not think about you now.” He waves off her gratitude with a small smile, still unused to being thanked so easily.

He takes her hand, leading her to their shared bed in the corner of the inn. He takes his time fluffing up the pillows behind her and covering her in numerous blankets to fight off the chill of their cuddles before slipping in beside her, book in hand once more. He tenderly brushes a lock of her colourful hair out of her face, his eyes lingering momentarily as he allows himself to settle.

“Right, I have a book here that I think you will enjoy,” He makes an effort to exaggerate his actions as he brings the worn book before them, speaking over her attempted sass, “and no, it's nothing inappropriate, thank you. ” 

Ignoring her giggles, he clears his throat and begins to read aloud for the smaller woman held within his arms. He had never felt the feeling of ‘home’ before, but for a moment, he thinks he has found it.

Alessia had gifted him so many wonderful moments, many of which Astarion never believed he deserved, let alone could experience in his long life. Love, friendship, safety, family: a few of the numerous trinkets she granted him that he would hold close to his heart. 

“Once upon a time…”

“Oh come on Astarion, please tell me you didn’t risk stealing a fairytale of all things?” 

“ No , I did not. Now, who’s the one that's supposed to be speaking and who is the one that’s supposed to be silent, hmm?” 

He doesn’t miss the way she snarkily sticks out her tongue at him, nor does she miss the way the corners of his mouth quirk with a badly concealed smile.

“...Okay, there is no way that’s realistic, this book is riddled with plot holes. Go reverse pickpocket it back to the person you stole it from.”

“It’s a story, love, realism probably isn’t the exact goal the author had in mind, now hush.”

After a few hours of reading, his eyes flick down to roam over her face. Alessia’s eyes are shut tight as she dreams, hopefully not of the emperor, he thinks bitterly. She deserves one night without stress or chaos being inflicted upon her after all. 

He strokes a finger across her cheek before brushing away some of the hair that had fallen over her face, her eyelids flutter in response yet she thankfully doesn’t rise.

His ears pick up the gentle beating of her heart, the slow rise and fall of her chest following each beat. No sound has ever brought him more comfort than the sound of her life, the constant reassurance of her presence by his side, even when he can’t see her.

Astarion slowly manoeuvres her further into his arms, the book all but forgotten due to her slumber. He carefully rests her head against his shoulder, her slow breaths tickling his neck as she sleepily nuzzles closer to him on instinct. Her warmth seeps into his frozen flesh, igniting a stronger warmth within his chest.

He had never felt more alive than in these private moments by Alessia’s side.

“Thank you,” he murmurs to the night, unable to stop himself. “I…I never knew how much I craved this sort of thing, this gentle and domestic type of intimacy. For the longest of times, any form of intimacy would make my skin crawl and yet with you… With you everything is different. I now crave your touch, I crave each laugh that I manage to drag out from you, which isn’t hard, I must confess.”

He pauses for a moment, composing himself as he continues to spill secrets to her sleeping form.

“You have made me a better man, I know you would interrupt this awfully long confession to say something like: ‘ I didn’t do anything, I just gave you a helping hand. ’” His voice rises in pitch, doing a poor imitation of Alessia’s voice, smirking at his own antics in the process. “But the truth is, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I could have been strong enough to resist that power.”

“If the person I was months ago met the person I am today, well…I don’t think I would recognise myself, I don’t think I mind that at all either. In all honesty, he would most likely have some quip prepared at my expense. I… I prefer the man I am when I’m by your side.”

He idly plays with the ends of her hair as he thinks of the time spent by her side, the ups and downs, the boring and the amusing. 

Adventuring with Alessa and their little band of misfortunates had never had him wanting for amusements, not with her slightly concerning levels of charisma. Despite being a sorceress, her words had their own type of magic intertwined in them.

“I feel happier than ever and for the first time in my life, I feel hope. Hope for the future. You know, it’s really not fair. It’s not fair how much I love you, only to have limited knowledge on how to show you that.”

His heart stops and his body grows rigid as he feels her shift in his hold, a slender hand coming up to rest on his firm bicep. He lets out a small sigh of relief as she stills once more, only for her to continue to surprise him.

“You are always welcome, I love you Astarion.”

He can feel her smile pressed against his throat, her fingers lazily drawing shapes across his flesh as he slowly relaxes once more.

“You were supposed to be resting.”

“And you were pouring your heart out, it would have been rude of me to ignore you. Besides, I did tell you that we can’t risk getting this room all bloody again…cause you’re pouring your heart-”

“Yes yes, that was a terrible joke, go back to sleep before you torment me further.” Her cackle is loud as it worms its way deeper into his heart, if only he could tempt that sound out of her more. “You’re lucky I love you.”

Her laugh dies down to soft, giddy giggles at the way the words fell from his lips with such ease.

“I really am lucky, aren’t I? I love you too.”