Astarion x M!Reader

Twenty-Five

Your eyes lingered on Astarion as he walked the thin line that was between the edge of the cliff and a fall so deep that a spawn couldn't survive it.

He'd fall, break his neck and shatter all his bones. His blood would soak the white of the roses and turn them red.

No, you quickly squeezed your eyes shut and shook off those dark thoughts. You wouldn't want to see him fall. Not ever.

It felt like he wanted to challenge all the luck between the heavens and hell. If he'd slip his misery would end with a crash. But if he kept balancing, kept his guard up he'd survive.

Your head tilted to the side, his red eyes found yours.

For some reason, be it a curse or a blessing, your heart skipped a beat. A sharp breath filled your lungs with air. It felt so soothing, so much like freedom.

"Astarion.", you wanted to call him thousand times and wished he'd listen every single time.

His gaze left you. Then he let his head fall back and tilted to the side.

A shiver chased across your spine. Your feet flinched, ready to jump.

He fell. His body was taken by gravity, his eyes passed the edge of the cliff.

Panic tied your throat as the red chased up to your eyes and drove away the (E/C). Your feet jumped across the ground, cold stone, dirty mud.

Wind chased through your (H/C) hair as you reached out to wrap your arms around Astarion's body. He welcomed you with open arms, closed his eyes as your weight pressed against his chest.

His arms wrapped around your neck, pulled you so close that it felt like he needed to hold on, hold onto you.

"Platinum.", he whispered into your ear, a smile in his voice. "Will you keep me from falling?"

A few tears were taken by gravity, fell off his cheeks and sailed up into the sky where the light of the stars made them shimmer like mother-of-pearl.

Red burned in your eyes, hate and bliss fought for the upper hand, made your undead heart race. You had never felt this alive before, never so close to the sweet, sweet end.

His name chased through your mind, corrupted the darkness. It tore the image of Cazador's smiling face to pieces until it was nothing but a faint pinch.

How was he so powerful?

Goosebumps chased up and down your limbs as the ground came closer.

"Halt!", your voice trembled with power as your bodies suddenly stopped only a hands-width away from the buds of the white roses.

Shadows shivered under the strain of your weight.

Your eyes were glued to Astarion's. A hint of anger burner in you. But it wasn't that you were angry with him. You were angered that he had risked his life like this, so headless.

As if it wasn't worth anything.

But as soon as his lips curled, those sweetly formed lips, that anger died down and instead there was this feeling. You could quite put your finger on it but it made you feel...

What was it?

Warmth?

Roses bend and broke below your bodies as you ordered the shadows to gently lower him to the ground. Soft buds hugged his form.

A soft breath escaped his lips as your weight pushed down on him.

White kissed white. But his hair had a pinch of silver. Or rather platinum.

"Perfection...", you breathed to yourself, swallowing hard to fight back the urge to bend down and breathe kisses along his neck.

Suddenly he threw his head back and started to laugh. It was such a loud, throaty laugh that it chased away the cold of the wind and brightened the night.

But with that laugh came tears. They filled his eyes, rolled down his cheeks and messed up the paleness of his skin with blemishes.

Struck by surprise you leaned back but his arms forced you closer again. He needed to hold onto you, pressed his face into the curve of your neck.

"I hate it!", he laughed and cried, so relieved yet heavier than a stone in water. "I hate how he sends me to bring him men! I hate how he feasts on them, how I'm always thirsty! Platinum, I am begging you, I never want to go back! I'd rather die..."

And once more he managed to make your undead heart jump. This was more than just a token of his trust, it felt so much more yet it burdened your heart with another kind of guilt.

Even though you couldn't promise him, you wanted to. Even though Cazador might demand him back you would have fought him for this spawn.

A sad smile brightened your face as you stretched your neck and breathed a kiss to his forehead.

"Don't cry, my darling.", you whispered and kissed his cheeks, tasting the salt of his tears on your lips. "I will teach you how to fall. You won't need me."

Again, he laughed but his embrace on you only tightened. He trembled, shivered. But at the same time there was so much relief.

You could feel it. He showed it.

He felt better. Not okay but better. And once time went on he'd be okay one day. Not tomorrow, not the next Monday.

But at some point.

And you'd help him. The only thing you needed to do was to save him from Cazador.

Once more the thought of his name chased icy splinters down your spine. But it was different. Now there was no fear of him, no sweetness of the past.

Just plain hate. Disgust.

"Astarion.", you breathed his name so carefully that it could have shattered at the slightest touch.

The roses shivered. And the wind howled.

Strands of your (H/C) hair mingled with the platinum of Astarion's. It felt like your bodies tried to sink into each others.

Why did it feel like you wanted to be close to him?

Closer than you had ever been to Cazador. Closer than you ever wanted to be with Cazador.

"Platinum.", he breathed your name, sweet, soft.

You smiled. His lips were so close.

"Would you help me... kill your master?"