Chapter Text
The feeling of fatigue seemed to drag Celosia down more and more as night carried on. She yawned, snuggling down more into her bedroll. As weird as it was, considering she was an elf, some sleep sounded like a great idea. Though she recalled that the last time she felt this sleepy, her tadpole had decided to gift her with a rather interesting dream: a dream of her closest friend in a silly purple robe. She smiled slightly, thinking of how Zaelen wouldn't even be caught dead wearing such a ridiculous outfit.
Her eyes fluttered closed, slumber pulling her into its embrace once again. When her eyes opened, she saw him again, an all too familiar blue tiefling in a wondrous lavender robe. She watched as he began to saunter over to her, a sweet smile gracing his face. It was amusing how this tadpole tried to tempt her using a poor mimicry of her dear friend. It looked all too unnatural. Though it made sense why the tadpole chose Zaelen; he was the person she felt the most emotionally connected to.
His lips parted as if to say something when a look of anger contorted his face.
"Wake!!" He roared.
In an instant, Celosia awoken with a jerk. Immediately, she spotted a shadow looming over her. She swiftly rolled away to face her attacker, hand darting for the dagger on her belt.
"No, no- wait!" Astarion pleaded in a panic, words tumbling out quickly. "It's not what it looks like, I swear."
He backed away slightly, hands up slightly in defense. Celosia examined his expression, searching for signs of danger.
"I wasn't going to hurt you! I just needed- well, blood," Astarion admitted pathetically, his expression matching that of a kicked puppy.
There. It finally clicked. The fangs. The paleness. The red eyes. The coldness of his skin. Never eating. Refusal to cross rivers. Gods, he's a vampire.
"And you decided that the party member who disliked blood was the best choice for a meal?" Celosia said incredulously.
"Well, you weren't supposed to wake up!" Astarion said, exasperated. That sounded bad. Very bad. He fought the urge to fidget nervously. He was digging himself into a deeper hole. "Look, I'm not some sort of monster! I feed on animals! Boars, deer, kobolds- whatever I can get-"
Celosia interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I count as an animal," she quipped.
If the situation were any different, Astarion would have laughed, but the mask Celosia always wore put him on edge. He had no way of reading her expression. She sounded friendly enough, but the hand she still kept on the hilt of her dagger said otherwise, signalling quite clearly that she wasn't convinced yet.
"Well," Astarion continued. "I'm just too slow right now. Too weak. If I just had a little blood, I could think clearer. Fight better. Please." He seemed to deflate with each word.
His eyes bore into hers, pleading, hoping that she trusted him. Amusement flashed in her eyes.
She smiled under her mask."Well, clearly you weren't thinking clearly, seeing that you chose me."
"Must you make a joke out of everything," Astarion sighed. "I still can't tell if you're ready to drive a stake through my ribs."
"I believe you," she reassured him, moving her hand away from the dagger. "And I trust you."
His eyes widened in surprise. "What- you trust me?" Astarion regained his composure. "Of course, you trust me."
He fiddled with his fingers, deciding to push a little further. "Perhaps you could trust me a little further? I only need a taste, I swear."
Celosia tilted her head slightly, contemplating. While the two have no known each other for very long, she admits that she has enjoyed their time together. They meshed well together, both in and out of of battle. Out of battle they flung banter back and forth, never leaving a dull moment. In battle the two flung spells and daggers side by side. They had each other's backs, saving each other's lives on multiple occasions already. If he wanted her dead, he would have let her die ages ago. Her life has already been in his hands, why not entrust her life in them again? "Mm, I suppose. But only what you need- I better not see any blood," Celosia finally said.
Relief washed over him. "Of course. You won't see a single drop."
Astarion dropped to his knees, moving to hold her before being stopped by Celosia placing a finger on his lips. "And?" she inquired.
He contemplated over whether to nip her finger, but decided against. He'd rather not push his luck. "And I won't take a single drop more than I need."
"Good," she said, moving her mask slightly to the side, revealing half of her face. The corner of her lips curled upward in an amused smile. "A secret for a secret," she said before adjusting her mask back in place.
Astarion eyes softened. This was progress. "Thank you," he whispered.
He placed his hands on her shoulders, gently gripping her to turn her around to face her away from him. Celosia felt him move in closer. Heat bloomed in her cheeks. She was not quite used to physical contact. A cold finger glided across the back of her neck as he brushes pink locks over to one shoulder. Astarion let out a soft chuckle at noticing the reddened tips of her ears and racing heartbeat. This shyness was new to him. He was so used to the everso charming and easy-going persona, and seeing Celosia act so shy and flustered, well... It certainly was a side of her that he would love to entertain in the future. He watched her as she squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself for pain.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through Celosia's neck. A strangled cry of pain escapes from her. Her hand moves to grip something, anything. Her fingers dig into the bedroll under her.
Pain quickly subsided into numbness, her grip on the bedroll loosening. She relaxed into him. Astarion, too, began to lose himself, finally being able to taste the sweet blood of a sentient creature after so many centuries of torment.
It's a strange feeling, really. It almost felt like they were connected. She doesn't hate it. But before she could relax further, her head throbs. Her tadpole. Her tadpole was warning her.
"Enough," she breathed out, gripping Astarion's thigh tightly.
This jolted Astarion out of his reverie. "Mhm? Oh, of course."
He released her, but before he moved away, he leaned in to lick the droplets of blood sliding down her neck with a quick swipe of his tongue.
"Astarion!" Celosia exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing-"
"I'm just cleaning up!" Astarion laughed. "You said it yourself; You didn't want to see a single drop."
Astarion spots more beads of blood forming. A devilish smirk forming as he leans in. It wouldn't hurt to play with this new side of Celosia, would it?
"No! It's okay!" Celosia quickly said, covering the bite marks. "I changed my mind! A little blood is fine!" The tips of her ears were glowing in embarrassment.
"Adorable," Astarion commented, all but purring. But this was enough teasing for now. "Now if you would excuse me, as delicious as you are, I need something a little more filling."
"Yes, of course. Go ahead." She quickly mumbled out. She let out a sigh, pulling her hood back on and situating herself to trance. She attempted to calm her racing heart, unaware of the creeping feelings of fondness that had begun to take took root.
Astarion stalked away to the forest, pleased with himself. Celosia heard the sound of retreating footsteps pause. Astarion's voice follows soon after.
"This is a gift, you know. I won't forget it."
Joy radiated throughout Astarion as he prepared for easy hunt. Everything had turned out for the better. Celosia trusted him as a vampire, trusted him to feed, and trusted him to reveal a bit of her face. Perhaps he could truly have a semblance of an ally after all.
Celosia swore she could hear a slight skip in his walk. It was almost cute. If only the soreness in her neck wasn't a constant reminder of what just transpired. His words echoed in her head. How would he repay her? Afterall, he still owed her wine and flowers for attempting to murder her when they first met.