Work Text:
"There's a little town up ahead, I think!" Barry calls out to Astarion, pointing through the white hell they've been trudging through for the better part of an hour.
Astarion would be lying if he said he wasn't happy about the fact that they'll soon get out of this white hell. Travelling and adventuring are one thing, getting caught in a snowstorm quite another. He hasn't been able to feel his nose in what seems like forever. Since the snowstorm caught them off guard on the road between Neverwinter and Luskan.
"Gods, yes," he grumbles and tries to move his lethargic limbs a little faster, tightening his hold on Barry's hand further and pulling them along.
"I hope they have vacancies in the Inn," he muses, his voice getting carried away by the wind.
"Even if they don't," Barry answers. "At least we'll get to warm up over a hot bowl of stew."
Astarion turns and smiles at his lover, nodding slowly. Putting up his feet in front of a hot fireplace sounds like just the thing. Looking around, though, the place might as well have been a ghost town, windows barricaded, with only the faintest glow hinting at life behind the wooden panels.
Thankfully, the tavern is easily spotted. The center of most places like these, a sign swaying in the howling winds proclaims it as "The Drunken Bugbear". The name doesn't really spark confidence in what this establishment can offer them, but beggars, choosers, and all that.
Heads turn when Astarion pushes the doors open, allowing a gust of freezing wind inside as Barry and he clean their boots of snow.
He quickly closes the door again, shooting an apologetic smile into the taproom.
People turn back to what they were doing, and a bit of his anxiety eases off his shoulders.
"Come on," Barry smiles. "Let's see if they have a room for us."
"Yes," Astarion nods, and together the two of them approach the bar, where a dwarf wipes down the counter before stepping off the stool he used to reach it, moves it, and steps on it again to do the next part of it.
"What can I get'cha?" he asks, eyeing the newcomers with a bit of curiosity. His gaze is warm, though, welcoming. Probably better for business if he's not openly hostile to people passing through.
"Would you have a room for us?" Barry asks, putting on their sunniest smile.
"Aye," the dwarf nods. "One big bed comes with its own little tub so you can warm up."
"That sounds wonderful," Barry agrees. "How much?"
Astarion quickly haggles the price down a little, and soon the dwarf hands them a key and a big bowl of stew for them to eat.
Best not let the folk here know that Astarion will not be eating any of it.
"For an inn in a small village in the middle of nowhere, this room is pretty put together," Barry smiles as they sit on the bed, bouncing a little, testing the mattress.
"True," Astarion nods, leaning down to fetch a quick kiss, his fingertips trailing over Barry's frozen cheek. "You eat your stew, alright? I'll go fix us a bath."
"Thanks, babe," Barry answers and reaches for the bowl they put on the bedside table.
Between the soft scraping of a wooden spoon against a wooden bowl and the gentle crackle of the small fireplace, Astarion's thoughts quieten. Anxieties about people finding out he's a vampire and having to fend off a small army, fears about freezing to death in the storm outside.
Now all he has to focus on is getting Barry in some hot water, warming them both up, and getting some rest. Sit out the snowstorm in here and continue their travels once it's passed.
A spell of Create Water fills the tub, and he digs through their supplies to find the bathing oil he loves so much.
"Lavender or cedar wood, darling?" he asks Barry first, though, glancing back at them as they happily chow down on their stew.
"Lavender?" Barry suggests after swallowing their bite.
Astarion nods and pours the oil inside, raking his fingers through the water to disperse it a little. Steam curls up into the air, the scent of citrus and lavender caressing his nose and making him smile.
"Bath is ready whenever you are," Astarion says and stands, starting to tug off his clothes. It's a new set he got for their adventures, a little bigger too, now that he's no longer trapped in a starving body but actually getting to have some flesh on his bones.
The shirt flutters to the ground, and he reaches for the string that keeps his pants up, untying it with dexterous fingers.
That's when he notices that Barry has stopped eating.
He glances up, seeing them eye his bare skin with a blush on their cheeks. And this one has nothing to do with the snowstorm outside.
"Like what you see?" he asks.
Barry nods, putting the bowl of food aside and standing up. They hug him, pressing their bodies flush together for a sensual kiss.
Astarion can still taste the stew on their tongue, flavorful and full of homely spices, but underneath, there's the unmistakable taste of Barry, something he'll never tire of.
He traces his tongue along their bottom lip, licking into their mouth as they open up on a soft sigh.
Indulging for a few moments, Astarion pulls Barry's shirt out of their trousers, parting from their lips to pull it over their head.
When Barry moves to dive in for another kiss, he stops them, pushing his index finger toward their lips.
"Bath first, let's get you warmed up, hm?"
Barry chuckles but nods. "Alright."
They strip down the rest of their clothes and hop into the hot water. Barry groans as they finally feel their limbs warm up, dipping under until the water is almost up to their nose and staying there for a while.
Astarion simply smiles, pulling them against his chest and gently caressing their arm as they soak, relaxing for a moment.
"Do your feet still hurt?" Astarion asks.
Barry nods, with a small blush on their cheeks. "You don't have to—" they start, but Astarion kisses them to stop them halfway through the sentence.
"I want to," he says. "Come on, turn around, let me put my fingers to good use."
The tone he's using hints at something completely different, and Barry feels their cheeks glow even more. Gods, even their ears are heating up. They move to the other end of the tub, watching as Astarion's fingers trail down one of their calves and tickling over their heel.
A little giggle escapes them when Astarion touches the sole of their foot.
"Sorry," Astarion smiles.
"It's alright," Barry replies.
And then Astarion starts to massage their feet.
Barry leans back, sighing softly with a groan as they prop their arms on the edge of the tub, simply enjoying the care their lover shows them.
"This feels wonderful," they whisper, content in letting Astarion continue.
And continue he does, massaging both feet, before slowly working his way up their calf, and once his long fingers reach Barry's thighs, there's no mistaking where Astarion is going with this.
"You can stop me anytime, love," the vampire spawn smiles.
Barry doesn't stop him, just smiles at him encouragingly.
Once Astarion's fingers brush against their sex, Barry moans softly, the heat of desire slowly working its way through their body, sparking up their spine and causing that delicious dizziness that comes along with it.
"Do you like that?" Astarion asks, leaning over them as he slowly circles their clit, his free hand cupping one breast and playing his thumb over a pebbling nipple.
"Yes," Barry breathes out, the water sloshing softly, hips jerking, trying to feel more, to make Astarion's fingers touch the center of their need directly.
"I love it when you get all breathless like that," Astarion smirks, sliding two of his fingers deep into Barry's core, his thumb pressing onto their clit just so, softly, not too hard, still teasing.
And—gods—it is good.
"A—" Barry tries to talk, but their breath hitches, their back arches into Astarion's expert hands, and when he leans forward to kiss their forehead, they think they might just explode from the feeling of love and tenderness warming their chest.
"What is it, pup?" Astarion asks, voice husky and teasing. "Do you want something? You'll have to tell me if you do."
"T-Touch me, please," Berry whimpers.
"But, my love, I am touching you, am I not?" Astarion replies with that wicked glint in his ruby eyes.
"You know ex—AH!—actly what I mean!" Barry gasps, hips twitching again, trying to ride those fingers, get a harder press on their clit. "P-Please," they eventually moan, and Astarion rewards their plea by finally moving his fingers, thrusting them in and out of Barry's core while his thumb rubs their clit properly now.
"Such a good pet you are," he whispers, kissing down their neck, fangs grazing the skin just slightly, just enough to draw a few droplets of blood that the vampire quickly licks up.
The rhythmic movements of his fingers, the teasing of their nipple, and the almost-bite drive Barry closer and closer to their first climax, and they're not even trying to hold back. Allowing pleasure to take them away, they let out a keening cry, back arching into Astarion's hands as they fall apart for him.
And that's when Astarion properly bites down, feeding from his lover in slow, unhurried sips while easing Barry down from their peak with gentle movements and presses of his fingers.
"Hmmm," Barry softly moans, feeling like goo in Astarion's expert hands.
"Do you want more, pup?" Astarion asks as he pulls back, gently licking over the pinprick wounds until they stop weeping blood.
Barry nods, cupping Astarion's cheeks and drawing him to look at them.
"P-Please, Star. I want it all," Barry smiles, sealing their demand with a kiss.
Astarion won't let them tell him twice, slotting himself between Barry's legs, he aligns his cock and slides home, starting up a gentle rhythm that pleases them both.
"I love you," he groans against their lips, holding onto their hips to keep them from causing the water to spill over. "I love you so much."
"L-ove you too," Barry replies, hugging him close to them, holding on as pleasure takes them away once more.
Soon, Astarion starts to move faster and harder, nearing his own peak as Barry writhes against his body, their hardened nipples tickling over his chest. He presses closer, wanting to feel their body against his as he takes them to the peak.
And as soon as Barry's voice rings out once more in climax, Astarion joins them, hiding his face in their shoulder with a guttural moan.
He can hear Barry's thundering heartbeat and labored breath, smiling in delight that he gets to share that with them now. He may not need to breathe, but the feeling of breathlessness is one he loves to mimic after a climax like this, and with their bodies pressed together as they are, Barry's heartbeat almost feels like his own.
And that's one of the greatest gifts they've given him since killing Cazador.
Written by a human in Ellipsus.