#reader tav

‘’The red one’s a bit too on the nose, don’t you think?’’ Astarion smiles as turns to you for a moment. His attention once more set on the remaining light in the sky.

You smirk, amused that you’ve caught him off guard.

‘’...I’m not judging, yet, but I don’t exactly see how you can be so fixated on wallpaper when the construction crew hasn’t even begun working on building a roof.’’ It’s just wood, materials, everything’s scattered about. A few lines drawn in the sand, a few holes dug. The crew itself is currently sharing a meal around a campfire.

‘’I’ve been mapping the layout in my mind, you can’t get a feel for it unless you’re walking here.’’ He gestures as he begins to trail around the markers. ‘’A nice long hallway, fitted.. Long glass windows, to let in light, but not too much.’’ He trails back towards you. ‘’Over there, a courtyard that leads to several sections of the palace itself.’’ He pauses, taking notes in his documents. ‘’Hmm, a fountain would fit the aesthetic.. But some guests might disagree with having running water so close to… Well, not that my spawn have to worry about that, it’s our estate.’’ He begins to mumble, returning to his thoughts before turning to you.

You ponder about it yourself for a moment, he keeps calling it a palace. A palace… You certainly had enough land for it to be a palace, Not a manor, not a mansion. The estate was a palace. The servants would call it their home, but its true owners would be you and Astarion. Heroes, nobility. Saviours of Baldur’s gate. Vampires.

‘’There’s a lot of land marked.. A lot more than I remember.’’

‘’Well, my treasure.. The duke was so kind as to reward us with some extra, seeing as the netherbrain blew up large portions of the city, including.. The.. Szarr estate.’’ Astarion briefly shudders at the mention of that name. ‘’Saves the trouble of taking it down myself, but now I get to be expensively creative.’’

He steps on what remains of the old office space. The elevator has been locked down and hidden with protective glamour. He traces the broken walls as he walks up to a very dusty desk. ‘’What a waste of all the champagne he had laying about.’’ 

He stress tests the wood before sitting down on it. The chair itself rests on the floor, missing a leg. Astarion’s fingers then glide towards the drawers as he peeks inside and pulls out a tiny bottle of alcohol. ‘’Unopened, too.’’ With a giddy expression he rips off the bottle’s lid and takes a whiff. ‘’My love, I think you might like this one.’’

You walk up to the desk, eyeing it with some concerns. It’s sturdy, but you don’t want to sit down and potentially ruin the moment in the event it breaks. The vampire lord gives you a playful look as you take the bottle and bring it to your lips.

‘’There’s blood in it.’’ The irony sweet flavour surprises you. You peer at the bottle, all it says is the name of what you assume is one of Cazador’s victims.. Or someone he had blood taken from. ‘’..Elven? It’s been well preserved with something..’’ You take another sip before you hand it back to Astarion. 

‘’Not familiar at all? Hmm. Interesting.’’

It takes a moment for you to realise the bottle says ‘’ancuinin’’ Which is Astarion’s last name.

‘’..Did you just feed me your 200 year old own blood?’’ 

The vampire lord bursts out laughing.

‘’..I’ve always liked your wicked side, but this is a little..’’

‘’Oh darling, if anything, I’d want you to have the last reminder of my mortal days.. I drained you myself, it’s only fair.’’ He begins to stare off in the distance, possibly possessed by some old memory. His eyes lower to the ground, he lets out a sigh.

‘’He just kept yours..?’’

‘’I figure he kept it for a special occasion, one long since passed. It’s odd, the scent is different. Out of everything, you’d think I’d recognise my own perfume? But my taste changed.’’

You casually take a swig from the bottle. Astarion grins.

‘’It is two hundred years old.. Preserved like wine.’’ You reach out with it towards him. ‘’It may be the past, still, it is part of you.’’

He looks hesitant, The earlier comfort and confidence he bore on his pale face fades as the sun goes down. His red eyes glow with unclear intent. His fingers trace your hand as he takes it.

The silence is earth shattering, he rolls the bottle in his hand. ‘’First time I saw it was when we.. Went to take my revenge.’’ The tips of his fingers trace the writing on the label.

‘’Out of all the cruel things he’s done.. This one simply.. Strikes me as odd. It could’ve been for magic purposes, or.. The blood of a family member, but no.’’

‘’When could he have taken it? Before I was gutted..? Did he scrape it off the cold stone floor, or did he take it before..’’ Astarion sighs.

‘’He possibly tried to preserve the memory, the reason for his fixation on me. And with this gone, I’ll bury that too.’’ He pauses before taking a small sip. A smile comes over his face.

‘’..I can even taste the arrogance I once had. Curious.’’

‘’Luckily it’s been replaced by this bigger, better ego.’’ You chime in, placing a hand on his cheek. 

Astarion turns his attention back to you, leaning in onto your touch, despite your reluctance to sit on the desk he pulls you onto his lap dexterously.

You audibly gasp, as the wood shakes and creaks for a moment.

Astarion doesn’t mind it though, he puts the bottle to your lips, and you take another swig.. Savoring every drop as it pours down your throat.

‘’Handsome little consort.’’ Astarion speaks in a cheeky tone, enjoying the expression on your face.

You picture the night he turned you again, climbing over you, draining you empty.. It’s almost as if your minds collide in that shared fantasy, your hands reach out to grab hold of his shoulders, he falls down with you as the table collapses under the shared weight.

He doesn’t cry out in pain, he welcomes the floor. Your lips are touching and he moans in harmony with you.

‘’..Tav..’’ He heaves, arms locking you in by the hips. He licks the blood off your lips.

You can hear the sound of the construction crew nearby, their chattering breaks you out of the moment.

Astarion lets you go and gets up on his own.

‘’Oh, no marble floors.’’ 

‘’..What?’’

‘’No marble floors, you heard me. Slippery, it stains, too.’’ You point to the blood on the carpet. ‘’It’s going to cost more to make servants clean it up or to replace it..’’

‘’What about black marble..?’’

‘’No! And I saw the note about white curtains.. That’s a no too.’’

‘’..Darling..’’

‘’Being rich doesn’t mean we should be wasteful. We should be resourceful! That’s the deal.’’

‘’A little waste is just what nobles do! And flaunt the wealth.. Like we’re-’’

‘’We’re better than that.’’

‘’What about a summer estate..? It would be-’’

‘’Astarion.’’

‘’Fine.. I’ll cut out the plans for being a spoiled nuisance for now, but you’ll change your mind soon enough.’’

You fold your arm into his as you begin to walk back towards the inn together. ‘’The silken sheets are an exception.’’ You stick out your tongue as he scoffs.

‘’Of course they are! What’s the point of them otherwise?’’ He begins to rant about different fabrics as your mind drifts towards the dusky night sky.