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Astarion had been too preoccupied with staring into a hand mirror he had found to notice Celosia coming up behind him. He didn’t know what came over him to decide to pluck this mirror out of the rubble of a ruined house. It’s not like a mirror had any use for him, perhaps beating a goblin to death with it.
Even without a reflection, she already knew he was upset from how tense his shoulders were. "If you keep scowling like that, you'll get more wrinkles," Celosia said, placing her hands on his shoulders.
He whipped around to shoot her a glare. "What do you mean more wrinkles?" His scowl only deepened, though he relaxed under her touch. His expression softened as Celosia began to gently knead his shoulders.
He pulled away from her, and for a moment, Celosia worried that she had upset him.
He sighed. "It's just… it's occurred to me that I don't even remember what I look like." He stood from the rock he was sitting on, turning to face her. "I haven't seen this face in over 200 years."
Celosia took Astarion's face into her hands, gently angling him down to better suit her shorter height. Even with the dim glow of the bioluminescent mushrooms nearby, the myriad of emotions in his crimson eyes was clear as day to her.
"What?" Astarion huffed. Celosia stifled a laugh. His pouty face was adorable. But there was no way she could say that out loud without him trying to throttle her.
She smiled under her mask. "I can be your mirror, ya know?"
Astarion closed his eyes, mulling over what to say next. Finally, his eyes opened to meet her gaze. "...I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. What you see."
"I see you," she said all too softly for her liking. She had meant it to be more of a joke. There was a flicker in his eyes. Before she could say more, Astarion interrupted her.
He sighed, "Yes, but I also would like to see you, too." Astarion's fingers grazed the edge of her mask. He knew he was pushing his luck considering she had only just revealed her face a few days ago, but he was a greedy man. He wanted to see her again. He expected Celosia to slap his hand away, but she made no move to stop him. Instead, she nodded slightly, giving him permission.
Immediately, he sensed her heart rate picking up. Before, Astarion had attributed this to be a fear of him, but now he knows better that this anxiety and fear stemmed from being without the security of her mask. When he removed her mask, he was taken aback by the sheer love and adoration in her eyes and the soft smile that painted on her lips. Part of him itched to run, to shy away from her, but the warmness blooming in his chest kept him grounded. But he was glad also, glad that she didn't see him as a monster. She was a fool, but he was relieved. Overjoyed, even. At least there was one person in this wretched world who didn't feel contempt at the sheer thought of him. His gaze flickered down to her lips.
Before Astarion even realizes, his lips descended onto hers, earning himself a surprised squeak from her. He relished in the moment, savoring the little time he ever gets to fully see her. He knew he didn't fully have her trust yet, seeing how she had yet to reveal her true reasons for donning a mask, but at least he had her affections. The others hadn't seen her face yet, and part of him selfishly wished that they never would. It was a foolish desire, but what did it matter?
When he pulled away he was met with the sight of her wide-eyed and completely scarlet. He smirked. Tempting.
Meanwhile, Celosia's mind was racing a mile a minute. She never really anticipated for him to kiss her or at all really. She didn't expect him to see her in that light, or rather she didn't want to believe he did. After all, he didn't even know what she looked like until a few days ago.
"Are you there, darling?" Astarion chuckled, snapping Celosia out of her thoughts.
"Ah, yes! I just, uh, it's, um, uh-" Celosia stammered. Curse her brain. Just form a sentence! C'mon tadpole help out a little.
He let out a laugh. Too cute. He dove in for another kiss, not being able to help himself. Unlike before, Celosia melted into the kiss. Astarion deepened the kiss, a hand now gripping the back of her head.
Celosia gripped his shirt in an attempt to keep her knees from buckling under her. His other arm tightened around her waist, pressing her flush against him. He smirked against the kiss when she let out a soft, quiet moan. For a moment, he considered using tongue but decided against the idea as to not overwhelm her.
He pulled away, taking in the sight of Celosia, breathless and flushed in his arms. "Now, tell me, darling, what do you actually see?"
She took a deep breath, attempting to compose herself. After a moment, she made some space between them. As her hands gently cupped his face, his arms moved to loosely rest around her waist. Her thumb caressed his cheek. "Well, you have these strong, piercing eyes. Usually."
Astarion raised a brow. "Usually?"
"Well, right now, they're, well, soft,"
Astarion scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I am absolutely not soft."
Celosia giggled. "Yes, yes, I know. You're a terrifying vampire. A very scary vampire who always ends up cuddling me at night."
Ever since her death experience with the minotaurs, Astarion hardly left her side. It all happened so fast. One moment the party was carrying along through the Underdark, and the next they were knocked down by a bulette and then Celosia set flying by a charging minotaur. Astarion weaved through the two minotaurs, dodging blows, searching for where one of the minotaurs had thrown her. She nearly bled out while he carried her to safety, where he basically shoved a health potion down her throat trying to stabilize her. Ever since then, he had spent every night with her in her tent, even before she revealed her face to him. Part of her believed that he truly cared for her at least a bit. After all, he did risk his life to save her before he knew what was underneath the mask.
Astarion narrowed his eyes. "Hush, and tell me what else you see, before I decide to throttle you." Despite his words, he couldn't help but break out into a smile. It was already rare to see her maskless, and even rarer to see her smile.
"You have this…" Celosia trailed off, trying to find the right words. Astarion noticed a playful glint in her eyes.
"No more of the sickening sweet poetry," Astarion interjected.
"...dangerous smile." Celosia finished.
At that moment, Astarion flashed his fangs and jerked forward as if to attack her. To his surprise, Celosia made no effort to stop him or even flinch, even though his fangs were mere millimeters away from her throat.
He pulled away, tsking. "And it appears you have no survival instincts, darling."
She rolled her eyes. "I think I can tell when you're joking around," Celosia pinched his cheek, smiling. "I think we've been through enough together to have some trust that we won't suddenly murder each other."
She scooped up her mask that had fallen to the ground at some point before leaning in to give him a chaste kiss.
"One more thing," Astarion stopped her as she turned to leave. "Perhaps, you leave the mask off for tonight?"
"And risk Shadowheart sneaking into our tent just to get a glimpse of the 'mystery beneath the mask?'" Celosia scoffed. "You know about her habit of eavesdropping."
"Perhaps, we should do something to make her regret being so nosy?" Astarion purred.
Celosia simply shook her head, putting on her mask to conceal her growing smile. "Another time."