Little Shadow (Astarion x OC)
There was one person missing, I realized as I gazed around the faces slumped around the small camp. Wyll was leaning back against the crumbling stone wall of a cottage, meticulously polishing his blade. Karlach sat as close as she could to the warlock without scorching him, her head tilted back and eyes shut. Sometimes I swore I could see the heat moving off her, the engine in her chest churning to keep her alive. And then of course Gale already had his nose in a book, long legs stretched out in front of him as he sat in the shade of a tall tree.
For once, it was quiet. Instead of feeling like I could finally relax, the silence just made my muscles tense. It always felt like the quiet before a storm. The calm just existing to lull us into putting our guard down until it was too late. Realistically, I knew we were as safe as we could be for the moment. Yet a life of always looking over my shoulder had taken away my ability to easily find peace.
Perhaps I wasn’t the only one since our Vampiric companion was unsurprisingly missing. For a man who had no trouble making himself the center of attention, he could so easily slip away with anyone batting an eye.
“Taking a walk,” I murmured before pushing myself to my feet and sheathing my dagger into the holster at my thigh.
“Don’t go too far, it’ll be dark soon,” Wyll called after my retreating back.
“And I’m making supper!” Gale’s voice chimed in, causing a small, amused smile to tug at my lips. It was uncomfortable still, but…nice. Having people who seemed to care what happened to me.
I wandered further into the abandoned village, walking down the cobblestone street that was now barely noticeable. Grass had grown between the stones, weeds and other plant life retaking its place. It was hard to imagine this place had once been full of life. Shops filled with bolts of colorful fabric or flaky pastries. Families, children, merchants making a life here. Now, there was nothing but the skeletal remains of the buildings and homes belonging to that life.
It was at the opposite end of the village that I caught sight of a glint of silver curls. Astarion had his back to me, sitting on a low stone wall. One of his legs was propped up, elbow resting on his knee as he watched the sun lower in the sky. I slowed to a stop, the sky a gorgeous canvas of pinks, yellows, and dusky purples. For me, the sunset was a consistency I could count on. For Astarion, it was something else that had been stolen from him.
He looked so at ease here. The sunlight glinting off his pale skin, reflecting off the buckles on his boots and the hilt of the dagger at his side. I couldn’t see his face, but I imagined his eyes were closed as he relished the last warmth of the day.
“How long are you planning on standing there and staring, darling?”
I jumped at the familiar drawl of his voice and my mouth dropped open, searching for an answer or an excuse or…anything really to explain why I’d been standing here staring at him.
He finally turned to look at me over his shoulder, a lazy smile on his handsome face. “And what a delectable little treat you look like, cheeks all flushed.”
Gods damn it. Of course he’d notice I was blushing. Of course.
“You could have said something a little sooner,” I grumbled, hesitating only a moment before hopping up onto the wall next to him. “I was just watching the sunset.”
“Hmm.” Astarion didn’t sound even slightly convinced. “I was waiting to see how long it took for you to announce yourself. Although even a deaf man could have heard you stomping over here.”
My eyebrows rose and he grinned at me, those pointed incisors a teasing reminder of the way he had curled up next to me just the other night to feed.
“I do not stomp! I’ll have you know, I’m very sneaky when I want to be.”
I was rewarded with a jolt of annoyance as Astarion threw his head back, laughing. And my annoyance was only tempered slightly by the fact that he was so….so pretty.
Hells, there was something wrong with me.
“My sweet, you truly are so adorable when you’re wrong. Think of who you’re speaking to. I live in the shadows.”
Begrudgingly, I had to admit he was right. Yes, he was right. But I was stubborn. “This sounds like a challenge then.”
Astarion’s answering smile was almost cat like. A predator sizing up his prey. “Does it?” His crimson eyes skimmed over me before standing to his feet. “Well, let’s see what you’ve got. I’ll even give you a head start.”
“Wait—“ The word barely escaped me before he stepped back around the corner of the nearest building, obscuring himself in the shadows of the village. “Shit.” I was seconds behind him but Astarion was already gone by the time I turned the corner. “Shit,” I repeated. I hadn’t actually wanted to turn this into a game. I think.
Light on my feet, I thought, as I scampered in the opposite direction. I found an alcove between two buildings and crouched. As much as I tried to boast, I knew my chances of finding him before he found me were lower than low. Avernus low.
I evened out my breathing and tried to allow my training to kick in. Ears strained. Muting the threads of sound that were expected. Birds and other animals, faint conversation from the others, the rustle of leaves in the trees. Finally, I stood and pressed my back to the building’s wall as I crept along the side of it. I made my way through the graveyard of crumbling buildings, looking and listening for any sign of the silver haired elf.
A yelp escaped me as a velvety voice suddenly whispered right next to my ear. “Caught you.”
I had no time to react before my back was pressed against the nearest wall, Astarion’s lithe, muscular form pinning me there. He had both my wrists pinned over my head in one hand, his other lightly at my throat. My stomach fluttered without my permission, heat akin to Karlach’s engine spreading through my chest.
“If this was a blade at your throat, you’d be dead already,” he purred in a low voice, his eyes glinting playfully.
“Are you always so cocky?” I shot back, struggling halfheartedly to free myself which only had him pressing against me harder. I could feel the blush in my cheeks again and considered maybe it would be better to actually just die right here to avoid him noticing.
His grin grew as his slender fingers loosened and his palm slid a fraction lower to just above my sternum. “Are you always so easily flustered?” he asked, and I knew he meant the erratic rhythm of my heart. “Or is it just me that has that effect?” He leaned in and I inhaled sharply as he playfully pretended to nip at my neck.
“Maybe I just don’t like losing.”
His laughter was intoxicating as he straightened up again and stared down at me. “Shall we try again? Or are you quite content to stay trapped like a little fly in my web?”
I rolled my eyes and his grip finally loosened enough for me to lightly push him back. I hated the way I missed the press of his body immediately. “That was a practice round. Again.”
His answer was a challenging smile.
The sun had disappeared beneath the horizon completely as our game continued. The darkness did nothing to help me, and everything to assist Astarion. I knew realistically he had a great advantage over me. Not to mention over 200 years of extra practice. But I hadn’t made a living sneaking in and out of well-guarded places for nothing.
Maybe it was my racing pulse that kept giving me away. It hadn’t slowed since the first time he caught me.
I was getting increasingly frustrated each time he found me. I kept finding my back pressed against walls, or my wrists trapped behind my back. The most recent time, his arms around me with my back to his chest. His breath tickling my ear, which was something to be said for a creature who didn’t even need to breathe. “Give up, darling?”
He disappeared again and I dashed in the opposite direction. New plan. Not stopping to reconsider, I slipped my boots and socks off so I was barefoot in the cool grass. I assessed the nearest building in front of me before taking hold of the mess of vines growing up the side and climbed my way to the top. Silent as a wraith. I laid on my belly and thanked the gods I at least had the same elven eyesight as Astarion. When I saw no movement, I crouched and made my way to the edge of the building before leaping across to the next roof. I peered into the shadows of the streets below, waiting. And it felt like an eon before I finally caught the slightest movement at the corner of another building. A slow smile crept onto my face. Finally.
It was hard not to stop to admire him, though. The way he moved, it was almost as if he were made of shadows himself. Fluid, graceful, and silent. I was grateful he was on our side because he wasn’t wrong. I’d be dead over a dozen times over if this game had been real. I searched the roof top before finding a broken piece of clay shingle. I gripped it in my hand before throwing it. Hoping the sound would be enough to give me time to slip from the roof unnoticed.
Knowing I finally had the upperhand was a thrill near intoxicating. I had to fight to keep the grin off my face as I crept noiselessly through the streets. Without my boots, I was soundless. And I held my breath as I finally got close enough to the vampire spawn to pounce. I leaped onto his back and laughed as he stumbled in surprise.
“Losing your touch, Astarion,” I said, my legs wrapped around his torso and one hand at his throat. “If this was a blade, you’d be dead.” I could hear the smirk in his tone as I used his own words against him.
Quicker than he had any right to be, his hands gripped my thighs and before my brain could process what was happening, I was on my back in the dirt. Astarion hovered over top of me, his forearms on either side of my head caging me in.
“Now what to do with you? Reward you for your skill, or remind you how dangerous it is to sneak up on something far more dangerous than yourself?”
There was a glint in his eyes that was both predatory and teasing. I was finding it almost impossible to think straight with the weight of him on top of me. I had to fight the urge to squeeze my thighs, my imagination conjuring up a dozen other scenarios where I found him pressed against me like this but with far less clothing.
“Maybe I like danger,” I answered with a challenge.
His answering smile was slow and full of promises that made my belly fill with heat. “Then you’ll love me, pet.”
His gaze flickered to my lips. It was that moment, I realized with a startle that I wasn’t the only one affected by whatever this was. This heady, intoxicating tension between us was far from in my head.
“You sound quite sure of yourself. Do these lines just come to you or is this what you do all night while everyone else sleeps?”
He lowered himself even closer, resting all his weight on one elbow as I felt one hand trailing up my side, over my neck before he tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I couldn’t suppress the delighted shiver the rolled through me. Nor could I stop my hands from sliding up his back to his broad shoulders.
Our lips were so close, there was just a mere breath between us. He settled himself even further between my thighs and a hum of want escaped me. “Gods, you’re going to get us in trouble.” I whispered.
“I like trouble,” was his answering purr.
His lips had just barely brushed mine, the ache inside me agonizing, when a voice calling my name made us both freeze.
Astarion swore under his breath. My eyes fluttered open and I was surprised to see the look on his face. Irritation, yes. But something else. Disappointment? Desire?
He groaned and rolled off me as I recognized it was Gale. He straightened, brushing dirt from his pristine clothing before offering a hand to me. “We’re not dead, Gale. You can call off the search,” Astarion answered as he pulled me to my feet.
“Saved by the wizard,” I teased, though my voice was laced with disappointment. Astarion didn’t let me go right away, much to my surprised. Instead, he tugged me closer until I was flush against him.
“Don’t think this is over, little shadow.” His drawl, and the smile on his lips, held a promise that made me want to melt on the spot. “Go to the wizard. I need to hunt. I’m suddenly ravenous.”
Then he was gone, melding into the shadows once again. Leaving me standing alone in the dark, wondering just what the hells I’d gotten myself into.
