#creative corner

KISS BANG PRIDE!

Day 1) Coming Out | Bicurious | Rarepair

Day 2) Love Wins | Gay Bar | Pride was a Riot

Day 3) Drag Ball | Queer Awakenings | Gender Euphoria

Day 4) Queer Longing | Pride Parade | Polyamory

Day 5) Closet Case | Love is Love | Pride Flags

Day 6) Gaydar | We're Here, We're Queer, Get Used to It | Kinksters

Day 7) Crossdressing | Rainbows | First Time

Alternates (Quote Prompts):

"Single gayest thing you've ever done."

"Don't quit your gay job!"

"He doesn't know he's gay."

"I thought it was like a gay thing."

Three months. Three months of what felt like near-bliss since defeating the netherbrain. Without the looming threat of ceremorphosis looming over you both, it felt like you and Astarion could finally breath. Yes, maybe you had been pressured a bit by any of the dukes still left standing into helping restore the city and help clear some of the rubble but you didn’t mind overly much (though Astarion complained grumpily about how your kind nature always led him along with you into these situations since he was your partner). This period of assisting with the rebuilding was relaxing in its own way and gave you both the opportunity to spend time together without the pressures of your adventures weighing you down.

You were already easily distracted enough on the best of days and it was nice to get to know Astarion better as you spent your nights together without the ultimate distraction of death being an ever-present shadow in your mind.

You found out that he was a lot harder to get up from his bed after a trance than he had been on the road, always grabbing at you with demanding fingers that tried to roll you underneath him like the world’s most squawking and squirming body pillow in an attempt to stop you from trying to get him out from under his massive pile of blankets.

You discovered that he was fond of embroidering whimsical designs into your clothing any time that you were apart; sprawling little cats across the collars of your shirts or fluttering moths edging the ankles of your breeches. It was true that he had stolen the thread from some oblivious merchant but you didn’t do much more about it than roll your eyes since you had no interest in changing his ways. Your love for him was true and unwavering even with his more criminal pastimes and at least he wasn’t actively stabbing someone so… you had to be grateful for small favors, at least. It was a sweet gesture on Astarion’s part all the same.

Since this was one of the few occasions that you were able to make your apologetic excuses to those temporarily running the city to get a break from the restoration efforts and have some time to yourselves, somehow you had both arrived on the idea of a nice, peaceful date at the summer street carnival. Astarion had never been able to enjoy one before since it was always a prime time where Cazador would expect his spawn to nab as many drunken victims as possible so this would be fun for him to actually experience it without any expectations, right? Maybe spend some time walking hand in hand, watch some fireworks…

Or it would have been peaceful if the vampire spawn hadn’t spotted a ramshackle display soon upon entering the block cordoned off for the event, the kobold barker perched on crates behind the counter proclaiming in a loud bray, “Come on, come on, don’t be shy, win your sweetheart a prize! Get the ball in the cup one time, couldn’t be easier, right? Three balls for a gold piece! It’s prize time, play now!”

Curious, you peered over to the display of possible rewards, a collection of stuffed animals stacked high behind the employee in a haphazard way that fortunately didn’t take away from their cuteness.

“Oh, adorable! They have one that looks like a cat!” You chirped with enthusiasm, rocking back on your heels as your eyes landed on a round, squishy ball with ears towards the front of the pile that did resemble a feline, if you squinted. Considering that it was probably constructed by the clumsy hands of the kobold running the game, you half expected Astarion to just pull you along and tell you that he’d sew you something better later on at home. But when you glanced over at him, his face was studying yours and there was something soft in his eyes before it darted away like a startled rabbit.

Astarion scoffed, rolling his eyes as he looked at you, a confident smirk stretching across his lips and showing a tip of fang that gleamed under the moonlight. His more sarcastic and airy demeanor back like someone yanking a curtain shut. “Easy. I’ll win you that toy in a few moments flat, you can shower me with praise and we can carry on with our quaint night about town.”

…Something else that you soon learned about your beloved was that he was absolutely dogshit at carnival games. You watched with a pained but encouraging smile as Astarion tried to throw the leather wrapped ball into the ceramic cup about ten feet away for about the thirtieth time, the ball bouncing cheerfully off the rim of the cup and spinning off onto the ground. The kobold wisely didn’t comment and didn’t make eye contact as Astarion hurriedly dug through his coin purse and slammed yet another gold piece down on the aged wood, snatching more balls out of the barker’s clawed grip.

“By the Nine Hells, this game is rigged,” Astarion hissed, rolling up the sleeves of his doublet in pure rage and consternation. A few silvery-white curls clung to his forehead where it shone with a damp sweat and his ear tips were pink where they poked out of his hair with both irritation and embarrassment. “I am the best rogue in the Gate, we saved the bloody world and you’re telling me that I can’t get a ball in a cup?! Impossible-“

Astarion paused in his tirade to try again to toss a ball, as if trying to catch the game off-guard in a sneak attack. It went wide and landed about a foot away from the cup, not touching it at all.

Your tail twitched behind you in secondhand embarrassment as the silence stretched on as you, Astarion and the kobold all stared at where it had landed for a few beats.

“…There is something illegal going on here and you will pay for it. I could kill a fly with an arrow with my eyes closed and I can’t make this shot with a hunk of animal skin? I don’t believe it,” Astarion threatened the carnival employee through gritted teeth, the remaining balls rubbing against each other hard enough in his vice grip that they squeaked.

Sighing, you gently put your palm on his forearm and pulled Astarion away, hopefully out of earshot of anyone else.

“I don’t care that much about the silly prize, I’d rather we just go on with our date,” You told him quietly, eyes as beseeching as could be. “I can’t stand seeing you this worked up on my account.”

“I’m not worked up, darling, it’s just…” Astarion hesitated, his tone softened and some of the irritable defensiveness leeched out of the hard set of his shoulders. “You do so much for everyone else, this whole damn city… for me. I wanted to do something for you, even if it was simply making sure that you get the world’s most hideous cat toy if you wanted it.”

Your heart felt like it might burst. Astarion always found some new way to surprise you and this was no exception. It’s not that you didn’t think he cared for you! He did show his love for you in his own way at every opportunity that he could. But rather, sometimes it was enough to make you cry that someone cared enough about what you wanted at all that they would inconvenience themselves to make sure you got it. You were so used to putting others first your whole life that any instance of someone doing the same for you was enough to nearly make you choke up to think about it.

After a few barely concealed sniffles, a thought occurred to you. Perking up, you said, “Wait, so you want me to get the prize but you don’t care how I get it, right? As long as I get what I wanted?”

Raising one of his perfectly manicured eyebrows, Astarion drawled out, “Yes, Tav, though I do think it’s a bit far away to steal without some effort.”

You shook your head at Astarion in fond exasperation, taking the balls out of his cool hands without another word. Stepping over to the counter, your hand as quick and certain as a monk’s fist in an unarmed strike, you lobbed one of the leather orbs towards the cup. It flew in without even touching the sides, as if it was guided in with divine intervention. Astarion started to sputter at your side but you still had one left to throw, landing it with the same easy precision as the first.

The kobold operating the stand let out a deafening sigh of relief, scrambling to grab two of the cat plushes and shoving them into your hands, beyond eager to get rid of you both before Astarion had another volatile outburst in his direction. The scaly creature rattled off at you, “Yes, yes, you won, two balls in cup, two prizes. Take your person out of here! Please and thank you, good bye.”

Taking the cue to leave, you grabbed your rewards cheerfully and pressed one into Astarion’s arms as you cradled your own.

“There! Now both of us should be happy! And look, they match!” You beamed at Astarion as you walked along once more, badly sewn cats in hand.

You saw his still baffled and borderline sore-loser pout still marring his lips so you nudged him playfully with your shoulder, explaining, “When I was a kid, I used to go wild at those games. I’d clear them out of their prizes to the point that they’d have posters up barring me from playing. I guess I still haven’t lost my touch.”

After a few more seconds of broody contemplation, Astarion chuckled and looked down at the plush in his grasp, his formerly bad mood breaking away under the light of your better one. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” He murmured as he leaned forward to land a kiss where your jaw curved towards your ear, a spot that never failed to make you shiver. Victorious in accomplishing getting a reaction out of you even if he couldn’t win at a game, Astarion was ready to continue his outing with you.