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These days, waiting wasn’t so bad for Astarion.
The sound of birds shuffling in the hedges and the cloying scent of hollyhock and cornflower washed over him. He took a deep breath, savoring each quiet moment in the Dekarios estate’s garden while he waited for his darling to meet him by the main fountain. The sun warming his skin would never get old to Astarion, after years kept trapped inside with tasks and obligations.
Soon enough, he would have all the time in the world to enjoy these little things without Master Cazador breathing down his neck. Sometimes being Cazador’s servant made him feel like he’d lived several lifetimes of torture rather than his meager few decades.
Lily pads quivered in the pool, disrupted by the splashes and flowing currents from the fountain. Small bees flitted between the pink flowers nestled in their greenery. Such small creatures - unaware of the complexities of love and romance. Being part of a colony underneath a ruler was fine for an insect, but not for a man. He’d washed enough floors, “entertained” enough guests, and endured far too much torture from Cazador. He’d had enough of that sick man.
“Dearest Astarion!” Gale called from across the green, pulling Astarion out from his brooding.
Astarion looked up, catching the gaze of Gale as he waved at him and hurried along the path towards the fountain. He was handsome as usual - clad in a long plum frock coat with gilded trimmings and a cream cravat over a handsome pair of pants, with his long, uncontrollable hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. Stray hairs bounced along Gale forehead as he jogged over and his cheeks flushed a tempting pink from the exercise.
What did a man like Gale see in him? Astarion wasn’t certain, but he wasn’t going to question it.
“Well hello darling, I’m surprised a gentleman such as yourself would keep me waiting,” Astarion teased, “should I be concerned that you’re getting cold feet?”
Gale sputtered indignantly and pushed some wayward strands of hair behind his ear in an attempt to regain composure. “Not at all, my love! I merely got caught up in a conversation with my mother - you know how she can get sometimes. I love her dearly but her affection for planning is as thorough as it is unbridled.”
Astarion gave him a warm smile and offered his arm to Gale, who took it with a playful bow. The roles and gestures and clothing associated with Gale’s class were still overwhelmingly unfamiliar to Astarion. His only knowledge was from overhearing hushed conversations between the maids and watching the handsome men and beautiful women at events when Cazador deemed him worthy of helping.
Being on the receiving end of such courtship made him feel like a prince. Someone worth impressing with every secret gift, every opened door, and every chaste kiss to his knuckles.
“Your mother Morena is quite indomitable,” Astarion agreed, letting Gale direct him towards the garden’s colonnade. “What has her ire today?”
Gale sighed, staring out past the columns towards the well-manicured lawn. “She is still insistent that our marriage is unwise, but accepts that she cannot change my mind. And I won’t - I don’t care that you don’t have money, nor land, nor status.”
“Maybe you should care.”
“Don’t you dare say such a thing,” Gale gasped, stopping in his tracks and jostling Astarion’s arm. “I love you most ardently, and if elopement is our only choice I will spend the rest of my days penniless in your arms as the happiest man alive.”
Astarion stared at him, swallowing down feelings that threatened to crawl out of his throat.
“And besides,” Gale started, sheepishly looking towards the cobblestones, “I have a place for us to live. An old family friend by the name of Elminster recently passed and bequeathed his cottage to me. It’s an old, tower-like thing that I visited often in my youth - quite charming, really. It’s in desperate need of some repairs but we can have a home, just the two of us.”
Soft hands gripped Astarion’s own calloused ones. A lifeline keeping Astarion stable and afloat while the world swam around his eyes, wet with unshed tears.
“I don’t know what to say,” Astarion whispered, overwhelmed by the sheer, unimaginable prospects of the future Gale was offering him.
“You don’t need to say anything now,” Gale returned, gently pulling Astarion in closer and cupping his cheek. “We have our whole lives to talk.”
Overcome with emotion, Astarion rushed into Gale and pressed their lips together. Gale’s back hit a marble column and he gasped at the impact, not expecting such a passionate kiss in public. Love, adoration, and desire pulsed through them, mingling on their tongues.
Small noises fell from Gale’s mouth and Astarion was overwhelmed at the realization that he would have the rest of his life to savor each delicate sound Gale made. A lifetime to see how Gale’s body responded to his touch, how he sounded in ecstasy, and how he looked on his knees. In between those moments he would cherish every smile, tedious ramble, and laugh that Gale gave so easily.
Boldened by lust, Astarion slid his hands into Gale’s frock coat. He needed to get closer to Gale, needed to feel each rough inhalation against his palms and each fluttering heartbeat on his fingertips. Gale whined into Astarion’s mouth at the touch, back arching into the other’s chest. He could taste the strawberry jam from Gale’s breakfast on his tongue and wanted to nibble at his chapped lips until he tasted blood. He wanted to know every inch of Gale, wanted to memorize each -
“Tara! Tara, did you get outside again?”
They pulled apart quickly at the sound of Morena shouting across the garden. The bright blush coating Gale’s face as he straightened his jacket sent Astarion into a fit of high-pitched cackling, giddy with embarrassment and happiness. He brought a hand up to straighten out Gale’s messy hair, his fingers lingering against the other’s warm cheek.
Gale cleared his throat and offered his arm to Astarion again, continuing their walk down the colonnade. “Well, I suppose what my mother doesn’t know can’t hurt her.”
“... She still believes we’re simply friends?” Astarion tried to hide the hurt in his voice.
“Oh no, she’s under no misconception of that. She hasn’t missed the way I look at you. In fact, she was the immense force that led me to confessing to you last spring - said she wouldn’t let me back in the house until I bared my heart. Apparently my moping and musing was getting bothersome. Morena is just a tad old-fashioned when it comes to the more… physical elements of love.”
“Ahh, so that’s why your mother was so scandalized when I was straddling your lap in the drawing room last weekend.”
That delicious flush crept down Gale’s collar again and Astarion couldn’t resist playfully knocking his shoulder into the other’s. Morena’s offended gasp and expeditious heel-turn escape had worried him; it was a relief to hear that it was only her delicate sensibilities that had been offended. He could live with that.
“I got a rather scathing talking-to from her after you left. However, I… do agree with her sentiments. If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer for us to wait until we have bands on our fingers before we approach some of the more intimate elements of our relationship.”
Astarion looked thoughtfully into the hedges as they walked. Gale was aware he wasn’t virginal - Astarion’s years before and during his employment at Cazador’s estate had involved extensive bedroom escapades, ranging from joyous haystack romps to obligatory dalliances in four-poster beds. The differences between the two of them felt vast and overwhelming, even if Gale was politely ignorant of them.
“I understand,” Astarion replied after ruminating on his thoughts, “but I do have to ask - you’re not as chaste as your mother believes, are you?”
Gale sputtered indignantly before responding in a hushed voice, “I- I- Astarion! Manners, please!”
“Well? Surely your time at the academy wasn't solely spent with your nose in books, hm?” Astarion’s wide, cheeky smile sent butterflies into Gale’s stomach.
“If you must know, yes, I did have a few romantic and, erm, physical interactions. Nothing too interesting, I assure you.”
“Now, no need to be demure with your husband-to-be! Do tell, darling!” That delighted glimmer was still in Astarion’s lovely eyes.
“Well, if you must know, I’m no stranger to kissing - don’t look so shocked Astarion, you’ve kissed me before - and I had a few intimate relations involving, let’s say, lower regions, while at university.”
“So you’ve sucked cock?”
Gale huffed, embarrassed, “Yes, I have, although I wouldn’t phrase it so crudely myself. I have also orally satisfied several women, if it makes any difference. All were quite enjoyable, and while you may lack that variety of parts I look forward to sharing my experience with you when we get the chance.”
They turned a corner along the garden’s wandering path, finding themselves underneath a sprawling canopy of lush green trees. Dappled sunlight covered the cobblestones underneath their feet, giving a sense of privacy and solitude to their walk. The distant chatter from groundskeepers became softer and softer as they continued their meandering stroll.
“Enjoyable, you say? We’ll turn you into a proper whore in no time,” Astarion chuckled, squeezing playfully at Gale’s arm. “Indulge my impatience. What do you enjoy the most?”
“In my dalliances I never got the opportunity to receive, but -”
“What?” Astarion interrupted, “they never returned the favor?”
Gale ignored Astarion’s incredulous gaze. “A moment of free time was rather rare, and leisure that coincided with privacy was even sparser. I simply thought it a better use of time to indulge my partner.”
“You don’t like to receive?”
“No, I… I’ve just never had the opportunity. But I’ve read many salacious novels on the subject, which has given me ample inspiration and guidance on my own excursions. Both with a partner, and in the privacy of my bedroom.”
Astarion let out a high, tinny laugh. “You’ve taken yourself in hand while reading? Naughty man, I knew your extensive library wasn’t all for academic pursuits.”
“I’ll have you know I have better fantasies than what’s contained in my novels. It’s simply inspiration for whatever private thoughts haunt my mind when I think of you at night.”
Astarion gasped, stopping in place.
“You think of me? When you touch yourself?”
Suddenly put on the spot, Gale looked away in embarrassment. “Should it be such a surprise? You know the depths of my heart for you. I want to devote myself to you. You have bewitched my mind and soul, and I am eager to promise my body to you as well.”
Love and lust surged through Astarion, overwhelming him and squeezing a low groan out from his throat.
“Oh darling, don’t be such a tease. I want nothing more than to teach you how wonderful a tongue on your prick can be.”
“You do?” Gale replied, breathless. “Heavens, it’s rather ungentlemanly of me to admit how much I’ve thought of that.”
“Is my little blushing bride feeling impatient? Changing your mind about saving yourself for marriage?”
“I just - I just told you I’ve had sex before, you little menace! I’d just like to save…” Gale cleared his throat, “I’d like penetration to be something we save for later. What we have is important to me, it’s so much more than what I’ve had with others. I want that first experience to be special… with you.”
Something raw and emotional threatened to crawl out of Astarion’s throat and he struggled to swallow it down. He’d never been something special before, and a sad, hurt part of him thought that he didn’t deserve to hear such honeyed praise.
Deflection was easier and he could deal with the rest later. Besides, he had an eager husband-to-be in his presence and many unfulfilled desires between the two of them.
“So buggery is off the table… but would you deny my sinful tongue this afternoon?” Astarion leaned in closer to Gale as they walked, eyebrow raised salaciously.
A small squeak escaped the man beside him. “I, well, I- I suppose I couldn’t turn down such a generous offer. But not here, it’s far too public. Father had an old greenhouse on the edge of the grounds; I don’t think anyone’s been there in years.”
Neither of them acknowledged how quickly they walked, hand in hand.
✽ ✾ ✽ ✾ ✽
The greenhouse Gale remembered had been in much better condition than what was in front of them. Its cast iron frame was rusting and moss had made a home along the brick exterior. Ivy sprawled along the glass, sneaking inside where cracks had formed. Its dilapidated appearance was undoubtedly due to disuse - the much nicer, newer greenhouse they built several years prior was both bigger and closer to the main grounds. As is, it had taken them far too long to wander through a barely-manicured forest path to get here… but they undoubtedly would find privacy in its walls.
“Not the worst place I’ve bedded a lover,” Astarion hummed as he tried to open the rusted door. It groaned and squeaked in protest, hinges clearly unhappy to be reopened after seasons of stagnance. He was able to open it just enough for them to squeeze through, although they had to be careful to not sully their clothes on the exposed metal edges.
“I’m hoping the company will make up for the subpar location,” Gale grunted as he slipped inside, pulling the door shut behind him. The door had been much kinder on Astarion’s slender frame in comparison to his own.
The greenhouse’s interior wasn’t in better shape than the exterior. Half-dead plants wallowed in large pots and haphazard potting dirt covered the floor in sporadic patches. The air was stiflingly humid, filling their lungs with the scent of musty earth. But the space was brightly lit and blissfully quiet, the sounds of the outside world muffled by the old half-opaque glass.
“Come here darling,” Astarion murmured as he took Gale’s hand and directed him to an old wooden bench. “Sit down and I’ll show you just how badly I’ve wanted you.”
Gale let out a shaky exhale as he settled into the bench, old wood creaking under his weight. He stared up at Astarion, eyes wide and awaiting instruction. At Astarion’s pointed knock of shoe against calf he spread his thighs, swallowing down his nerves. His jaw went slack at the sight of Astarion dropping to his knees and the greenhouse’s heat became even more unbearable as he flushed in excitement.
“If your tongue is just as wicked on a prick as it is in conversation, I believe I am about to be a very lucky man,” Gale sighed, shifting his thighs apart further to give Astarion space between them.
Talented fingers trailed up from Gale’s clothed ankle to his legs, cupping the soft swell of his calves. Astarion rested his head against Gale’s thigh, breathing in the smell of clean fabric and the tempting, cloying scent of body and sweat and Gale underneath it. His hands traveled further up between Gale’s jacket and pants, squeezing the man’s thighs and relishing in the gentle noises his touch pulled from Gale’s plump, kiss-bruised lips.
Teasing kisses got peppered along Gale’s soft stomach while Astarion undid the buttons of his pants. Gale, overwhelmed by his own excitement and Astarion’s touch, tried his hardest to focus on how the sweat dripping down the back of his neck felt. No use finishing in his trousers when the promise of his lover’s talented mouth was about to be fulfilled.
Gale lifted his hips up to help Astarion shift his pants down past his thighs. His cock tented the cotton underwear and a small wet spot had formed from his leaking tip. Astarion sighed happily at the sight before leaning in to kiss along the length, chuckling when Gale’s hand flew up to cover his mouth.
“Heavens, Astarion, please don’t tease me,” Gale groaned from between his fingertips, “I want you so badly, I can’t wait a minute longer.”
“I suppose an expeditious first time can be excused,” Astarion teased as he slid Gale’s underwear down. Gale’s now-freed length slapped against his clothed stomach, achingly hard and flushed a delicious pink at the tip. Astarion’s mouth watered at the sight.
Gale gasped as Astarion leaned in close, trailing open-mouthed kisses from his wet cockhead down his warm shaft to the mess of hair by his base. He buried his nose in the curls, moaning as he savored the smell of Gale’s essence - the scent of parchment, sandalwood, and musk settling contentedly in his nose. Mouth drooling in anticipation, he leaned back and took Gale’s cockhead into his mouth with a satisfied groan.
Broken gasps spilled from Gale’s lips at the contact. Astarion let Gale’s shaft rest against his warm tongue for a moment, savoring the salt-sweet fluid that leaked into his mouth. He enjoyed how Gale’s soft foreskin shifted as he swirled his tongue in a gentle, teasingly slow dance against Gale’s frenulum. Each moan and whimper sent a throb of desire to Astarion’s as-of-yet untouched cock.
Above him, Gale worried his lip as overwhelming lust and love surged through his gut and ran up his spine. He’d never anticipated how incredible this would feel after years of providing to his prior lovers without the urge to receive. Astarion’s wicked tongue traced poems into his skin in a language he could not wait to become fluent in.
Astarion continued to cockwarm Gale, slowly sliding his mouth down the shaft and letting his mouth fill with saliva. He breathed slowly, eyes fluttering shut. It felt incredible to have his lover’s prick in his mouth after wanting it so badly for so long. A tongue heavy with delicious, salt-sweat cock was nothing short of bliss.
Deciding he’d made Gale wait enough, Astarion pulled his mouth back up Gale’s length before sliding down again with a pleased moan. Gale’s hips jumped forward sending his cock too deep too fast. Astarion choked, gagging around the unexpected intrusion and sitting back for a moment to cough and control the spasm in his throat.
“Sorry, a-apologies, didn’t mean to make you gag,” Gale murmured in apology, eyes half-lidded as he stared down at Astarion. “You j-just felt so sumptuous.”
Astarion’s voice was rough when he replied, “If you think this is nice, I’m about to absolutely spoil you rotten.”
Those talented lips wrapped around Gale’s cock again. Astarion swirled his tongue in an intoxicating pattern along the bottom of his shaft before he began to bob his head, taking Gale deeper and deeper. He suppressed another gag, squeezing his eyes shut to hold back involuntary tears. One final steady breath taking another deep breath and trying again.
This time, his lips made it to the base. His throat flexed around Gale’s warm cockhead, shivering at the satisfying stretch and flex of his muscles. It had been far too long since he’d been filled in this way and gotten to show off his many talents. He rubbed his tongue along Gale’s balls before swallowing, feeling the channel of his throat tighten along each thick inch.
From the corner of his eyes Astarion noticed Gale’s hands were trembling in balled-up fists against the bench. That won’t do. Astarion carefully pulled his head off Gale’s prick and glanced up at him through sultry lidded lashes. With a broken, raw voice he purred, “Put your hand in my hair, darling. Direct me. I can handle it, take your pleasure from my throat.”
“I’ll mess up your hair,” Gale whined, voice tight and high. His face and neck were flushed an adorable red and Astarion briefly regretted not sucking a few love bites into the skin beforehand.
“I want you to mess me up, and despite my vanity I can fix my hair. Devil knows you’ve messed it up before, you’re rather handsy when I kiss you.”
“But I don’t want to hurt you,” Gale replied, “taking a lover in your throat isn’t easy.”
“It isn’t easy for newcomers, no, but fortunately for you I am rather well-versed in this manner of sex,” Astarion murmured after clearing his throat, “and in time we can catch you up to speed.”
Huffing at the jab, Gale slid a hand into Astarion’s soft, flowing hair and gripped. His lover sighed at the pressure, eyes fluttering shut and spit-slick lips falling open in slacked bliss. With his other hand Gale gripped at the base of his shaft and fed the tip of his cock into Astarion’s eager mouth.
The sweltering heat of the greenhouse was easily forgotten and the outside world became blurred behind their veil of glass and rusting iron.
Astarion let his jaw relax, swallowing as Gale pulled him closer and breached the tight channel of his throat again. He sighed as Gale’s intimate grip in his hair directed him deeper down the length. Gale often played with his hair while they read together or shared sweet kisses late at night, and the intimacy of the gesture never failed to make Gale’s heart flutter in his chest. To caress his hair in this new, unfamiliar context was overwhelming.
It was almost too much for Gale to handle when Astarion moaned happily around his length and stared up at Gale, eyes watery and contented.
Gale groaned and pulled Astarion off his length quickly in an attempt to stave off his orgasm. Eyes squeezed shut tight and panting, he took several moments to regain his composure by mentally listing off all the plants in the Violaceae family. When he reopened his eyes he saw Astarion staring at his cock, his lover panting in desire with a hand wantonly palming at his own clothed erection.
The hand in Astarion’s hair tightened at the sight and he moaned at the pressure, trying in vain to lean forward and take Gale in his mouth again.
“Patience, my love, I won’t last long if you keep that up,” Gale groaned, embarrassed at his lack of stamina.
“A whole lifetime of my mouth on your prick is ahead of you, and you’re making me wait to taste your seed? Darling, you wound me.”
“You have such a way with words,” Gale sighed sardonically before indulging in his lover’s request.
He loosened his grip on Astarion’s hair to hold the back of his head and gently cupped Astarion’s chin with his other hand. A finger slid against Astarion’s slick lips which eagerly parted to take Gale’s thumb, pressing and prodding against his sensitive tongue. The hot wet expanse of Astarion’s mouth against his fingertip sent a throb to Gale’s cock and Astarion moaned at the sight, clearly frustrated at having to wait.
“You really want me to fuck your face?”
Astarion nodded, impatient and not caring that the motion jostled Gale’s thumb in his mouth. Drool pooled along Gale’s palm and he pulled his thumb out, cradling Astarion’s jaw as he slipped his length back into Astarion’s mouth and began a controlled thrust.
“You’re so, so good for me Astarion, everyday I reflect onn-, nnh, yes, keep doing that with your tongue yes yes - I reflect on how lucky I am to have you,” Gale moaned.
The hand in Astarion’s hair was loose enough that Astarion began to set the pace. Drool coated his chin and gag-spurred tears pooled against his eyelashes. On the upstroke he moaned happily and fluttered his tongue at Gale’s frenulum, then swallowed around his length when he dipped his nose down to Gale’s stomach. Their restrained dance built up until Gale was moaning and babbling uncontrollably, hips canting up into Astarion’s eager and talented mouth.
A small motion caught Gale’s eyes. Astarion had undone the clasp of his pants and was rapidly stroking his prick, pleasured moans vibrating down Gale’s cock. The knowledge that Astarion was getting off on this just as much as Gale was sent a shock of pleasure through Gale and he bent forward with a shout, climax hitting him without warning.
He gripped Astarion’s hair, pulling his nose close against Gale’s pubic hair as his length throbbed and pulsed into the other’s hot, tight throat. Shivers of satisfaction and pleasure radiated through his body, overwhelmed at the feeling of releasing into a lover’s throat for the first time.
Gale leaned back against the wall with a contented sigh, hand in Astarion’s hair going lax while he gently pulled him off. Astarion swallowed and bowed forward to rest his forehead against Gale’s thigh as his hand furiously pumped at his own cock. A shivering moan escaped his drool-slick lips as his own climax hit, painting the stone floor with his release while Gale caught his breath.
Quietly, they radiated in the blissful, feverish afterglow together.
Astarion leaned upright again and pulled out a small handkerchief, wiping at the drool and cum along his chin before folding it up and putting it away in his back pocket. Throat raw from use, he broke the silence with a short cough.
“Was that as good to receive as it is to give?”
Gale laughed deliriously for a moment. “Yes, dearheart, that was quite wonderful. It seems I’ve missed out on some rather incredible things… thank you for expanding my horizons. But heavens, it’s positively boiling in here.”
“Indeed,” Astarion returned, getting back on his feet and dusting off potting dirt from his knees. “Next time, let’s bring a cushion for my knees.”
“Ah, yes - very sorry, I’m unaccustomed to receiving such attention, next time I’ll be more considerate,” Gale stuttered as he pulled his pants back up. He took Astarion’s offered hand, pointedly ignoring the creaks from his knees as he stood.
As soon as Gale was upright he pulled Astarion into a warm hug, forehead resting against Astarion’s collar. It took Astarion several shocked moments before he returned the embrace, hands awkwardly resting along Gale’s hips as if he was unsure of where they should go.
“Thank you, dearest Astarion, for such a wonderful experience this afternoon. I eagerly await the opportunity to provide the same to you.”
Astarion chuckled, hands gripping more confidently at Gale’s hips to help keep him steady as his legs wobbled. “Perhaps in our new tower cottage, then. We can get proper rugs that will be kinder on my knees, and put them in every room so you’ll be at the mercy of my marital urges whenever. And please, promise me that the cottage is less sweltering than this.“
“Oh, indeed it is. It will require at least a season’s worth of repairs to fix up all the drafty windows and replace Elminster’s threadbare furniture before we invite Morena for tea, but until then we’ll have a space all for ourselves. I intend to appreciate you on every surface I can.”
Gale pulled Astarion in for another deep kiss, savoring the way their tongues melted together. Someday soon this would be a daily joy. Until then, he would appreciate every secret moment they could sneak in.