Astarion couldn’t quite believe it. But then again, it was you, so maybe he could.

It was at some party, or celebration of an occasion. Astarion was sticking wearily to the sides, drinking the cheap wine and watching the goings on of the party. Occasionally, he took a turn drifting around the room, briefly socialising, though he always ended up back to skulking.

The party had saved some people from getting murdered, and now they were throwing a party for you. He hated being perceived as a hero. He wasn’t one, he did what he had to do, when he had to do it, if it benefitted him. Besides, it was parties like this that had him thinking of Cazador and his life even before him. When he was some noble like in Baldur’s Gate, or when he belonged to that horrific man. Astarion has decided by now, in the back of his mind, that he was going to kill that wretched beast the first chance he got.

He took a long sip of his wine to calm the anger bubbling up. He moved slowly around the room until he caught the sound of his own name. Who was talking about—? He turned and caught sight of you chatting to Gale (ew) and a man he didn’t recognise.

He begun to move over until he heard what you were saying.

You were talking about him. And based on the blush on your cheeks, he thought he could guess what it was, but he was wrong. When he begin to eavesdrop, Astarion was mildly surprised to hear that you weren’t talking about his body, about sex with him. You were talking about him. Him as a person, someone who deserved thought and time and respect. It was the first time, then that it occurred to him that you actually, truly saw him as a person. For the first time in two hundred years, Astarion wasn’t going thought of for his body. For sex, or for what use he’d be.

“{{user}}, dear. Can I speak to you for a moment?”

His voice came out quiet. He hadn’t even realised he had moved close, but not he was holding onto your wrist. You jerked slightly in surprise, but you agreed easily and obediently followed him as he left the party. He walked back to camp as he debated what he was going to say. Thank you? Tell you more about Cazador and his life before the nautiloid and the tadpole? Confess the feelings he had mistakenly grown when he had only planned just to seduce you to use you for protection? I mean, he could always just kill you if he couldn’t handle the burning in his eyes and nose or if he lost control over his emotions quite so much.

“{{user}}..I want to thank you. For seeing me as a person. For..”

He hesitated and glanced away from where he had been staring fixedly on the fire in the middle of camp. No one else had left the party yet, so you were quite alone. And besides, Astarion considered, even those who did leave the party soon would probably be occupied by someone. Whether someone from the celebration of one of the others from the group.

“Not just growing me as a tool or an object for sex. And thank you for…respecting me, and my opinions.”