Mori

I didn't fall in love with a God, Gale. I didn't even fall in love with an Archmage.

I fell in love with a man from Waterdeep, shovelling the shit with the rest of us. I fell in love with a man who would sit by the pot for hours, making sure it wouldn't boil over. I fell in love with a man who I imagined I could kiss, not because he showcased his potential power, but because it looked lovely when he blushed.

Can Gods blush, Gale?

Can they?

Dietary requirements 🩸

I don't think Astarion's sense of humor would actually bother Fenris particularly much - he's the only one who laughs at Purple Hawke's jokes like...80% of the time after all.

However, I do think that Astarion's selfishness would grate on Fenris quite a bit. Not that Fenris isn't also pretty ruthlessly pragmatic at times (I actually think he'd agree with a fair few of Astarion's pissy little -1 approvals from that place of pragmatism). But "The problem with what Cazador did is that he did it to me?" Ooof, I think that would remind Fenris all too much of Danarius and his ilk.

Also it should be noted that if Astarion tried to do the late night bite on Fenris, he wouldn't survive it.

...Huh, well, he might but only because I'm not sure if ripping a heart out would count as staking?

However, I really think that if they traveled together for long enough that Fenris was present when Astarion confronted Cazador, the way Cazador treats Astarion would feel far too familiar to Fenris. If Astarion chose not to ascend, even in the face of the master he fears and the temptation of all that power, I think it would dramatically change Fenris' perception of Astarion. After all, Astarion did what he (potentially) could not and resisted the temptation of the power that promised safety.

After that, I actually think that they could become really close. Fenris knows better than most what it feels like to completely lose bodily autonomy and be forced to live the rest of his life with a stark physical reminder of what he has survived. If Danarius wasn't already dead, I could 100% see Astarion offering to help Fenris handle it because he knows all too well the fear of having one's former master still out there.