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inkberrry · 9 months

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Do Your Worst

The road to Baldur's Gate was long, and all Vehnrix wanted was a few moments alone with Gale. Taking matters into his own hands, Gale found a way to give Vehnrix the pleasure he sought without the need for full privacy.

Read below or on ao3. Smut below!

Vehnrix made the mistake of telling Gale to do his worst.

It started off in Gale’s tent, the two of them interrupted by the sound of the others waking outside. Vehnrix groaned as he rolled to his back, his arm wrapped around Gale’s middle. A few more minutes , he’d whined. That’s all he wanted. Gale chuckled and pushed himself to an elbow, the shadow of desire behind his eyes when he looked down at Vehnrix.

“No time for us this morning, it seems,” he said, utterly cheerful in spite of the situation.

“There’s never any time for us,” Vehnrix countered with a sigh. He let his hand trail across the soft of Gale’s stomach, through the thick patches of hair. With the little privacy their camp provided and the ever present threat of danger, it wasn’t often the two of them could indulge.

“And what if we stole some time during our day?” Something in Gale’s expression piqued Vehnrix’s interest, and he pushed himself up to sit. “Oh, nothing as extravagant as I’ve done before — no rushing away to our own private pocket plane. Something we can enjoy while we travel?”

Vehnrix narrowed his eyes, both curious and just a bit apprehensive. “And what’s that, Gale?”

Gale sat, too, and began to move his hands in a familiar motion, the light of his magic filling the tent. Nothing happened, though, and Vehnrix raised his brows in question when Gale gave him a satisfied smirk.

“What did —“ Vehnrix started, but his words cut off, turned into a surprised groan when he felt the warm grip of a hand wrap around his cock and give a quick tug. He looked down to see nothing , then back up to Gale looking incredibly similar to a smug cat.

“A little trick of mine,” Gale explained, and the grip around Vehnrix’s shaft loosened while it slowly stroked the length of him. “A really very clever use of mage hand . Invisible to everyone, but with no loss in dexterity and maneuverability.”

Vehnrix groaned again, leaning back on his elbows as the hand worked him to full stiffness. “So, what,” he said, resisting the urge to push his hips up into the unseen motion. “You’re just going to tease me all day with this?”

“Precisely,” Gale answered, his eyes locked on Vehnrix and the way he was certain his skin flushed in pleasure. “If, of course, you’re amenable to this little treat?”

“Oh, I am. Do your worst, Gale.”

And, it turned out, Gale’s worst was much more devious than Vehnrix had thought the wizard capable of.

Not at first, though. The two of them dressed and donned their weapons. They broke down the tent and helped to repack supplies. Gale prepared breakfast for everyone, his attention focused away from Vehnrix. It was enough to make the memory of the morning fade into the background, other matters taking its place.

They set off on the road sometime before mid-morning. Baldur’s Gate was still days ahead of them, but at least the way was mostly clear. Whether that was a good sign or an ill one, Vehnrix wasn’t certain. He walked ahead with Astarion, the two of them bickering over which one of them got the good dagger today, after it had mysteriously gone missing from Astarion’s hip the night before.

“I know it was you, you little wretch,” Astarion complained. “No one else in our merry band has the skill or the audacity .”

“You have no proof, and why would I —“ Vehnrix nearly stumbled, his words again cut off by the surprise pressure of a hand pressing against his cock. He cursed, and forced back a soft moan as the pressure increased and started to rub.

“Are you dying ?” Astarion asked, eying Vehnrix gleefully. “Because, dear, that is what you get for stealing my dagger.”

Vehnrix took a breath, centering himself. His eyes darted to Gale, in the midst of a conversation with Wyll. Going on about something, not even sparing Vehnrix a sidelong glance.

“I’m not dying,” Vehnrix said, turning back to Astarion. The mage hand still rubbed at him, the friction of fabric between him and the magic curling his toes inside his boots. “And like I said — if you want your dagger back just be better at keeping it.”

It only got worse from there. Gale seemed intent on rising to Vehnrix’s challenge, and getting him to rise, too. At the worst possible moments. Each time was more intense than the one before, the mage hand not limited to between his legs but brushing back his hair, trailing ghost-light touches down his neck and over his ears. Vehnrix stopped trying to suppress the shudders it caused him, and Karlach asked more than once if he was catching a fever.

And Gale, Gale , with his easy smile for Vehnrix whenever he looked at him, his cheery current of conversation with no hint of misdeeds. Vehnrix more than once imagined pulling him off the road and behind a copse of trees or bushes and showing him just what he was doing. But that would be giving in — that would be letting Gale win , and Vehnrix was too stubborn by far.

It was only when mid-afternoon rolled around that Vehnrix started to think this was a mistake. Gale was being particularly relentless, mage hand cupped tight around the bulge between Vehnrix’s legs. It squeezed and stroked, the pace and pressure exactly how Vehnrix liked, thanks to Gale’s intimate knowledge. The heat in his body rose, a tingling starting at his core and racing down, pulsing through him.

“Shit ,” he murmured, pausing by a tree and bracing his arm against it. His breathing grew ragged as he tried to control his pleasure. His cock twitched and swelled, heralding Gale going too far .

He must have noticed, as the pressure vanished not a second too soon. Gale walked up next to him and placed a fully solid and visible hand on his shoulder. He was smiling again, eyes alight, and Vehnrix had the distinct realization that this is what he must look like when he was in the middle of teasing the wizard until he was clay in his hands. It was wonderful.

“You’re having fun, aren’t you?” He accused, swallowing back the remainder of heat. Slowly, he stepped away from the tree.

“Oh I most certainly am,”Gale said. “Watching you get flustered all day is quite the experience. I can’t deny it has gotten me a tad worked up, too.”

Vehnrix shook his head, half a laugh on his lips. He leaned in close to Gale, conscious of the rest of their group watching from a distance. “Gale, I am going to fuck all that arrogance out of you tonight.”

“Oh?” Gale raised his brows, undaunted. “Do you think you’ll make it that long, Vehn? I really am rather curious to see how you’ll continue to hold up.”

And there was the pressure again, the tingle of magic working its way through Vehnrix’s pants and down into his skin. He let out a surprised whine, the sound carrying too well.

“Fucking Selune’s tits,” he groaned. “You are awful.”

“But you love me anyway, don’t you?”

“Yes .” Vehnrix admitted, eagerly, willingly. “Nine hells , I do.”

By the time they made camp for the night Vehnrix was certain one more touch would set him off for good. Gale had kept him on the edge for the last jaunt of their day, never pushing too far, but never letting him rest either. It was a new side to him, one that was more cunning and sly than Gale often let on. Vehnrix loved it, loved that Gale was showing him more of himself, that he was comfortable enough to tease and play.

But now, their tent set up and the two of them blissfully alone for the first time since they’d woken this morning, Vehnrix had other things on his mind than telling Gale how happy he was.

He pressed himself against Gale the instant the tent flap closed behind them. His hands wrapped around, pulling Gale tight. The heat of his body spread, and he opened his mouth to speak when he felt the mage hand return.

“Still?” He whined, his hips bucking into the invisible hand, into Gale’s body pressed close. His breath caught, his body taut. All the tension wound up in him from the day uncoiling too rapidly to stall, too weighty to stop. “Gale, fuck , you have — shit.”

Vehnrix buried his face into Gale’s shoulder as he shuddered, finally, finally releasing all the built up pleasure. He bit down on the fabric of Gale’s robe, muffling the low, long moan that tore from his throat. Sticky warmth coated his cock, seeping through the clothes he still wore.

“Oh, I may have overdone it, haven’t I?” Gale’s voice was light, laughter hiding just beneath his words. His arms slipped around Vehnrix, holding him just as tight. He kissed the tip of his ear, then his cheek. “Lesson thoroughly learned.”

Vehnrix just huffed out a weak laugh and lifted his face to look at Gale. “No, no, your lesson is just starting,” he teased. “Because now it’s my turn.”

#my writing #bg3 fic #bg3 fanfiction #oc: vehnrix #smut #gale/tav #gale/oc #ao3 link #gale dekarios

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inkberrry · 9 months

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The worst wasn’t over.

It was probably only just beginning. But tonight Vehnrix could press himself close to Gale’s side, have the wizard’s body pressed back to his, and simply breathe. Stars shone overhead, but this time real, no extra gleam of magic to perfect them. The night sky as it was, expanding in all directions above them. Imperfect but whole.

“How long do you imagine I can keep you away from camp, before one of our companions begins to fret?” Gale’s lips tickled along Vehnrix’s shoulder as he spoke, his arm draped across his middle.

“No one is going to fret,” Vehnrix laughed, a shake of his head tossing errant curls over his horns. “They know exactly what’s going on; we’re not very subtle. But that means you can keep me all night.”

You can keep me as long as you want, Vehn silently added. Please. Please keep me.

“And if I wished to keep you forever?” Gale’s voice went quiet, almost hesitant in its softness. As if his whispered request was too large for loud words. As if he was uncertain it was a wish he could dare to have.

Vehnrix knew the feeling well. The two of them, caught up in a cycle of am I enough, am I deserving of this. Two souls so similar and yet with pieces that locked and fit together like a half discarded puzzle. How many times would they murmur into sweat soaked skin that yes, yes you are enough. For me. For the world. For yourself.

As many times as it took, Vehnrix realized. He would repeat it over and again, until his voice was raw and no words were left. And then he would convey it with his lips, the sentiment left over Gale’s skin in lines of moisture and the faint impression of teeth. He would let his hands trace Gale’s worth across his body, never enough room for it all to fit, but enough for Vehnrix to begin.

Then, when they lay together, spent and coated in the residue of their greatest worries mollified, Vehnrix would whisper it again. You are enough. I am enough. And maybe, maybe, one day they would believe it.

For now, Vehnrix skimmed his lips along Gale’s jaw, the prickles of his beard a familiar texture. He breathed in, spell components and the ever lingering copper tang of blood filling his senses.

“If you wished to keep me forever,” Vehnrix started, his own voice just as soft but laced with mirth. “I’d say you’re wasting a wish. You’ve already got me forever, Gale. Sorry to say, until you change your mind, you’re stuck with me.”

“I would never change my mind.” There was a warm ferocity to Gale’s words. “I am quite devoted, and I have a tenacity to rival even you, dear Vehnrix.”

The curl of Gale’s smile lifted any lingering doubts.

“Well in that case.” Vehnrix placed his hands on Gale’s face, fingers reaching to thread past his ears and through his hair. He held Gale’s eyes, willed the sincerity of his heart to reach him across the expanse of trauma they shared. “Keep me forever. And I’ll keep you.”

#gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #bg3 #bg3 fanfiction #gale dekarios / oc #oc: vehnrix #my writing #bg3 spoilers #not really but you know #also in which it’s clear I can’t write anything long anymore

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inkberrry · 10 months

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It started with a hand pulling him through space.

Long, delicate fingers with the rough scrape of calluses. Skin as blue as the deep sea. Muscles tensing as he was tugged without question, torn from some in between world of mist and magic and deposited on solid ground.

Gale saw the man attached to the hand, and it was all downhill from there.

Not in the typical sense, he reasoned. Not in the downward spiral of despair and ill-fate. But in the way your stomach rushes to your throat when you miss a step, the way adrenaline courses through your body when the fire at your fingers doesn’t go quite right.

Downhill in the sense that he couldn’t stop, couldn’t control the pace at which he was falling. Couldn’t get the tiefling out of his mind. Couldn’t resist when everything in him screamed he must.

It continued, that full on rush of fascination and affection. Vehnrix laughing in the face of the world shattering danger they were in. Vehnrix charming his way into everyone’s hearts. Vehnrix so tenderly dealing with the children, the tieflings, the animals. Vehnrix slumped down in the shadows and gore, tear stained and at a loss of how to save everyone.

Vehnrix with his eyes on him. With his heart unshuttered. With those same calloused fingers reaching out again, this time to pull him from the edge of oblivion.

It started, but it wouldn’t end. Gale knew that now, knew he wouldn’t let it end. He would savor this avalanche of feelings and hold on to his life, now so much more worth fighting for.

#bg3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 fic #gale of waterdeep #oc: vehnrix #okay had to just get something written out #though not sure how coherent it is considering I typed it on my phone between toddler climbing all over me

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inkberrry · 10 months

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If we were home.

The words stuck in Vehn’s mind, nearly as much as I’m in love with you. They rattled and echoed, hit every spot. Gale’s earnest voice, his soft expression. The word, the feeling behind it.

Home.

Vehnrix had never had a home. Never had a place to return to, a place to rest without worry. A place he belonged. The closest was a dusty, trodden road; sometimes an inn that sheltered him for a night or two.

But Gale spoke of his like it was a treasure. Somewhere safe and warm, with memories coating every surface. Maybe not all good ones, but they were there, filling the space with life and soul. Vehnrix could imagine it nearly without trying — this wizard, tucked into a comfortable seat, a hearth cheery with flames. Comfort and security and permanence.

And Vehnrix wanted to belong there, at his side.

He had never had a home, but with Gale he could make one. That, above all else, above I love you, above you are very dear to me, was what Vehnrix held on to.

#ahhh just have so many small ideas #oc: vehnrix #gale of waterdeep #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #my writing

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inkberrry · 9 months

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The Absolute has been defeated and Baldur's Gate saved. The future stretches out before Gale and Vehnrix, free and uncertain. They must navigate how to live their new lives, treading roads that neither have walked before. Big changes and true healing are hard, but they will face them united.

It was morning again.

Another day, another dawn. Light shone through the sheer curtains of the tavern room, soft in its start. A warm, golden hue over discarded blankets, over pillows bunched against the headboard. Sunlight kissed freckles, dawn-soaked curls and highlighted strands of grey. The morning was kind and quiet, as if it understood the peace it could bestow with its lingering, languid passing.

“Gods, what a beautiful sight to start the day.”

Vehnrix made a sound halfway between a laugh and a yawn. He rolled to his side, coming face to face with Gale. Hair tousled, just a hint of shadows beneath his eyes, he was watching Vehnrix with the same smile he fell asleep with only hours before.

“You won’t still be saying that a year from now,” Vehnrix replied, though his heart skipped at the word, at the memory of the question Gale had asked and the promise he’d made.

��Oh, but I certainly will.” Gale’s hand lifted, fingertips tracing Vehnrix’s lips. “And a year after that. All the years, in fact, until there are no more left to us.”

More words were said, more promises made with skin and motion. The sunbeams shifted, moving across tangled legs and firmly clutching hands. Slowly, it passed beyond the reach of the windows, turning from dappled light to a steady glow. The magic of the morning waned, leaving Vehnrix and Gale to create their own.

Eventually they left their bed, knowing there would be countless other mornings just like this one. Breakfast was served in the common room of the Elfsong — miraculously still intact — accompanied by a healthy dose of strong scented tea.

Vehnrix wrinkled his nose at it, steam wafting up and bringing with it the odor of mushrooms and brine.

“Ah, that’ll wake you right up,” Gale said, utterly cheerful in the face of such a dubious concoction. “Nilhogg’s Nose brewed in seawater, if I’m not mistaken. A bit of an acquired taste, but it does the job quite well.”

Gale brought his own mug to his lips and took a sip, only to immediately choke on the tea. He sputtered, covering his mouth with a hand while he made the effort of swallowing. Setting the mug down, he gave Vehnrix a sheepish grin. “Ah, I must have unacquired the taste.”

Vehnrix laughed as he nudged his tea to the side of the table. It was an easy sound, as it always was, but this morning, safe with Gale and the future bright, it resounded even further.

“You have normal tea back in Waterdeep, right?” He eyed Gale, and his tail flicked with playful intent behind him. “Your pantry’s not just full of mushrooms and jars of saltwater? Because, Gale, I love you, but I might have to reconsider my future living arrangements.”

“Oh, no, don’t you worry. I’ll serve you only the finest teas, should you want them. And maybe a little mushroom, hidden in for good measure.”

Another laugh, joined this time by Gale’s. They started in on their meal, simple fare but filling. Enough to bolster the strength of the many patrons of the tavern, many misplaced and in need of whatever help they could get. Vehnrix looked around the room while he ate, taking note of the groups clustered together, and those alone in their grief. Healing a city would take time, but even today it had started.

“Speaking of your future living arguments,” Gale’s voice drew Vehnrix back, and he turned to the human to show he was listening. “What is the plan, moving ahead? You agreeing to come to Waterdeep with me is a dream . But I hardly think you’re ready to leave Baldur’s Gate behind just yet? This was your home, in whatever loose way it could be.”

Vehnrix knew the question was coming. Following the aftermath of the battle with the Elder Brain, so many things had been left undone. Things left unsaid, grief and relief both so strong that thoughts of the immediate future had to wait. And then Gale’s proposal, pushing the thoughts even further away. Now, though, with the events of yesterday behind them and the future beckoning, choices had to be made.

“No, you’re right.” Vehnrix pushed a piece of meat around his plate, soaking up the last of the eggs. He took his time eating it before returning his focus to Gale. The other man knew what the city meant to Vehnrix, and loosely home was a good way to put it. He had no aching desire to stay here, and yet — “There are a few loose ends I need to tie up, if you’ll wait for me?”

“Vehnrix, I would wait eternity for you. That is no question that needs asked.”

A soft smile took over Vehnrix’s expression, his heart still getting used to Gale’s devotion. Still learning to accept it, despite his own mirrored so strongly back. “Tomorrow, maybe. Today I want to check on the kids. I wouldn’t feel right leaving without making sure they’ll be okay here. If Mol’ll even speak to me yet.”

“Give her time. Despite her, ah… clever tongue, she’s still a child. And she’s got it into her head that you’ve hurt her. It may take a while for her to sort out the truth of the matter.”

“I know.” Vehnrix sighed, nodding along. Mol’s lashing out had hurt, but he was the adult here, and as much as he hated to hear I know what’s best for you , breaking a deal with a devil was objectionably better than not. Even for self-assured tiefling children. Like Gale said, in time Mol might understand. For now, though, all Vehnrix could do was give her space — she was safe with the Guild, if she was safe anywhere.

“But Mattis and the others, then,” he added, the image of the rest of the tiefling children flashing to his mind. They’d been through too much, the same as he’d been through too much at their age. Vehnrix couldn’t leave the city behind without doing at least something to help them along.

“Of course.” Gale’s acceptance was immediate, like he’d been waiting for Vehnrix to propose the idea all along. Then his eyes grew shadowed, his fingers fidgeting with the empty fork he held. Vehnrix waited, not pressing, knowing whatever it was Gale was working through how to phrase would come soon enough. And then it did, in a rush of apologetic determination, voice carrying only across the table and no further.

“There is something I think I need to do as well, before we leave. And I understand if you disagree, and I try as I might — and I’ve tried, Vehnrix — I cannot think of a way around this, and I cannot leave —“

“It’s okay, Gale,” Vehnrix interrupted, sensing the spiral reaching its critical point. He reached across the space between them and gently moved the fork from Gale’s hand, replacing it with his palm. He curled his fingers around Gale’s hand, squeezing tight. “We can look for the pieces of the Crown.”

Gale blinked at the interruption, words halted sooner than anticipated. He squeezed Vehnrix’s hand back, almost instinctively. “Oh. Well, I was ready to put up more of a fight than that.”

“No fights.” Vehnrix was quick to reply, shaking his head enough that a curl loosed and flipped past his horns. He held Gale’s eyes, willing sincerity to shine through. “I trust you. We’ll figure this out together. Again.”

“Dear gods, I do not deserve you.”

Vehnrix laughed and gave Gale’s hand one more quick clench before letting go. He narrowed his eyes and motioned towards the two, now cold, undrunk mugs of tea.

“You take that back or I’m ordering you another mushroom tea.”

They found Silfy by the docks, still peddling the most recent newspaper. Large type reading Heroes of Baldur’s Gate: Saviors or Destroyers? Filled the front page, alongside a hastily rendered portrait of the ruined High City halls.

Vehnrix rolled his eyes at the headline, Gale giving an affronted snort to match. But Silfy wasn’t deterred, still calling out in her small voice for passerbys to buy a copy. Vehnrix slipped her a small bag of coins in exchange for one — much, much more than the paper was worth. He left her with a fond pat on the head and a promise that he’d see her again.

The walk through the lower city and Wrym’s Crossing took longer than usual, the streets still half filled with corpses of mindflayers and unafflicted residents alike. It was impossible to ignore the damage done, and Vehnrix had to repeatedly remind himself it could have been worse. Baulder’s Gate had seen tragedy before, and was certain to see it again — it would rise up stronger, in time. But for now each lifeless gaze that greeted him was a stab in the chest.

Rivington fared better, by a degree. There was less carnage here, fewer buildings burned or broken. Most citizens went about their days as if nothing more spectacular than a distant fireworks display had occurred the day before. Stalls and shops stood open, music drifted from windows, and the further they got from the the Crossing, the less weight Vehnrix felt on his shoulders.

Mattis and Mirkon were right where Vehnrix had last seen them. The refugee camps had grown around them, and the young tieflings were just two among many.

“There you are,” Mattis called out as Vehnrix approached. He pressed up from where he was leaning against a stack of crates and waved them over. Somehow he looked older than just a week or so ago; a thought that had Vehnrix furrowing his brow in consternation.

When he and Gale reached the kids, Mattis looked them over, then grinned. “Someone told me you’d got yourself killed yesterday. But that didn’t sound like the Vehn I know.”

“Worried about me, Mattis?” Vehnrix mirrored Mattis’s expression, and another weight fell from his shoulders. “I’m touched.”

“I wasn’t worried. I just didn’t want to lose my best customer.”

“Sure, sure.” The same way he’d pat Silfy’s head earlier, Vehnrix reached down and ruffled the hair between Mattis’s horns. The young tiefling groaned and pushed his hand away, but his smile remained. “How’s business, then?”

The two of them spent a while going over Mattis’s recent dealings and his loose plans before Vehnrix leaned closer in and raised his brows “And how’s business going?” He asked again, his hand emerging from a pocket with a tarnished ring rolling along his knuckles. The same one he’d bought the first time they’d met, after spotting Mattis’s tricks in an instant.

“Oh, that business?” Mattis tried to snatch the ring, but Vehnrix was faster; it disappeared back beneath his sleeve, gone from sight. Unperturbed, Mattis’s eyes gleamed. “Better than ever. Thanks to some of those tricks you taught me. I’ve been practicing .”

“That’s the spirit,” Vehnrix laughed. Then, straightening back up, he glanced over to where Gale was sharing a small book with Mirkon. A spot deep in his chest pinged , and by the time he turned back to Mattis the boy was staring at him like he was some lovesick fool. Which, Vehnrix reasoned, wasn’t far from the truth.

“Hey, listen,” he started, shoving his hands into his pockets as he spoke. “I’m not going to be sticking around here much longer. I’ll be headed to Waterdeep, with Gale.”

“You two are going to get married, aren’t you?” Mirkon and Gale rejoined the conversation, the former’s voice a squeak of curiosity. Before Vehnrix could answer, Gale slid to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“I am both delighted and astounded to say yes, that is in fact the case.” Gale’s smile was radiant, warmth flowing from it so strongly it was almost tangible. Vehnrix watched him consider the tieflings, the force of his happiness now directed at them. “And I suppose Vehn here wants to make sure you cheeky little devils know you’re always welcome at our home, should you need it.”

If Vehnrix didn’t already love him, this would surely be the moment he fell. Or maybe he was still falling, every day and every moment. Gale knew how much these tiefling children meant to him — he knew the comparisons Vehnrix made between them and himself. Gale had been there when he’d broken down at the Last Light Inn, when Mol and the children had been taken. To hear him say now that they were welcome in his home, a safe place, meant more to Vehnrix than he knew how to say.

So instead he brushed his tail along Gale’s back, a small touch of gratitude, for now.

“Huh, we’ve never been to Waterdeep.” Mattis’s voice interrupted Vehnrix’s heavily beating heart, and forced his eyes away from Gale and back to the kids. “Maybe when we get bored here, we’ll come by.”

“I’ll lock up all Gale’s good wine before then,” Vehnrix winked. Then, softer, he pulled the two young boys into a tight hug. While they were close he slipped a heavy bag of coin into Mattis’s pocket — more than enough to keep them sheltered and fed for weeks. “Stay out of too much trouble, okay? Take care of each other. And tell Mol — well, look out for her, too.”

He released them from his hug, and goodbyes were said. They’d be okay, Vehnrix told himself. Assured himself, before a new wave of grief could take over. There wasn’t anything else he could do for the young tieflings, now. Except be a waiting shelter for them, if they ever needed it.

Gale must have sensed his weighty introspection, as he always did. He didn’t comment on the few soft sniffles Vehnrix made when they left Rivington, or the way he looked back until the town was out of view.

They took the long way back into the city, hands clasped together, a solid anchor.

“Well. One loose end tied up.”

Vehnrix had long since kicked his boots off and collapsed on the bed. His eyes moved from the ceiling to the window, then back. The mattress shifted when Gale sat next to him, causing him to roll to his side.

“And tomorrow?” Gale looked behind Vehnrix, to where his tail was lashing over the blankets, creating uneven waves of fabric. “You’re stressed already. I’ve become quite adept at reading the motion of your tail. It gives you away, you know.”

“Or do I let it give me away?” Vehnrix countered, pushing up to an elbow and stilling his tail. It was short lived, as Gale reached out and ran his hand along it, causing Vehnrix to shiver from his toes up. A long breath left his lips, and he shifted closer to Gale’s body.

“I’m not going to be stressed much longer if you keep doing that,” he purred. Already the anxiety of his decision was bleeding away, Gale’s touch banishing it from his mind. But before he let himself fully succumb, he met Gale’s eyes and sighed. “Tomorrow…. I want to go back to the High City. I want to see my mom.”

There was a beat of pause, a silence full of memories of conversations, of Gale recalling all the things Vehnrix had told him. “Ah, a rough day ahead, then,” he said finally, gently. “Let me make tonight one of bliss for you then, Vehnrix.”

The hand on his tail moved to his face, cupping his cheek and guiding him forward. Vehnrix went eagerly into the kiss, and to everything else Gale provided.

#bg3 fic #bg3 fanfiction #gale dekarios #bg3 spoilers #oc: vehnrix #gale/oc #gale/tav #fanfic #my writing #ao3 link #well here goes nothing #its been so long since ive started a chapter fic i am #nervous

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inkberrry · 8 months

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Chapter 3: A search and some hard realizations for Gale. read below or on ao3!

Gale had never mastered goodbyes. He had precious few people to say goodbye to, in the past, besides his mother and Tara. And those had always been see you again, or I’ll return as soon as I can.

These goodbyes, said just beyond the borders of Baldur’s Gate, were a different breed altogether. He watched Vehnrix move through them with grace and aplomb; a touch to Shadowheart’s shoulder, a bracing hug for Wyll. A laugh and a look of perfectly feigned defeat for Jaheira. And for Karlach, a soft sigh and his gaze to the clouds, where the ashes of her life still floated.

Their futures, once so desperately entwined, were now nothing more than loose strings, falling where they may. A touch of sadness weighed on Gale’s shoulders, to have found these people, these friends , and to now have to say goodbye.

Vehnrix’s presence at his side softened the weight as much as it could. At least there would be no goodbyes between the two of them. The tiefling would be with him wherever the road led them, which, hopefully Gale thought, was straight home to Waterdeep.

It was quiet while they walked away, leaving the small band of their remaining friends behind. Vehnrix’s hand was in his, as it often was these days. It eased the nerves roiling through him, and banished a portion of the melancholy pooling in his heart.

“On the road again,” Vehnrix finally said, some time after Baldur’s Gate was a mass of shadows in the distance. He took his hand back briefly and stretched his palms over his head with a contented sigh. “Feels good.”

“That it does, surprisingly,” Gale admitted. He spent a moment admiring Vehnrix while he stretched, then fondly surveyed the road around them. “After all our travels perhaps I’m finally starting to enjoy all this fresh air and exercise.”

“And sleeping in the dirt?”

“Ah, I’m not quite to that point yet. I’ll still be relieved when we get home to Waterdeep and can share my wonderful, cozy bed. It will put our bedrolls to shame, certainly.”

“ Home .” Vehnrix always said the word like a prayer. Like a plea. It twisted at Gale’s heart, and he knew he would do anything to answer that prayer for him. To grant him a place of solace the likes of which he’d never been afforded.

Vehnrix grasped his hand again, skin warm. “I like that.”

“And I like you liking it,” Gale said. “Now, on to the river. Let’s get this part over with so we can get you home.”

Sometime after mid-afternoon they stopped along the banks of the Chionthar. The river wound its way through the landscape, carving out stretches of silty dirt and sand here and more ragged, rocky shores the further inland it stretched. The current lapped at the banks, steady and unforgiving.

“This seems like as good a place to start as any.” Vehnrix unceremoniously slid his pack off and let it fall to the ground. He watched the water a moment before turning to Gale. “How do you want to do this, Gale?”

Do you want to do this? The words were unspoken, but Gale heard them in Vehnrix’s question nonetheless. Just as he’d given Vehnrix one last chance to change his mind yesterday, Vehnrix was offering Gale the same escape. No judgment, no hidden motives. Simply the space for Gale to consider and choose his fate.

“Yes,” he answered, his thoughts already rushing away. He looked out to the river, words tumbling from his lips. “Based on the distance the crown fell, the location of the brain, accounting for wind and distance…. This is a possible spot, though the current —”

“Gale?” Vehnrix’s hand was on his arm, halting the spiraling.

“I’m sorry, Vehnrix.” Gale took a breath and let his mind settle before turning to face the tiefling. “This is rather hard for me. I wish desperately there was another way.”

“Do you want to try and find another way?”

Did he? Or did he want to find the Crown and return it to Mystra despite everything? Was he still so deeply entangled with her approval that any other way of handling this situation wouldn’t even occur to him? What was this hole in his chest, still aching around the edges, and what would it cost him to fill?

“That is a question I have been asking myself nearly every spare moment,” he softly admitted. He turned fully to Vehnrix and clasped his hands, pulling them to his chest. “Let’s try this. You deserve a full version of me, and if I must find the crown and return it, then that’s what we’ll do.’’

“I have a full version of you,” Vehnrix said. He pressed his hands, still held, tighter to Gale’s chest, so close to his heart he was certain Vehnrix could feel it beating. Then he grinned, whisking away the somber cloud over the both of them, replacing it with his usual mischief. “But if you’re just looking for an excuse to get me out of my shirt and into the water, let’s do it.”

Gale found himself laughing, as he so frequently did with Vehnrix. He kissed his hands before letting them go, the warmth of the tieflings skin a pleasant tingle on his lips. “I won’t lie and say that is not a pleasant side effect of the problem here, you handsome rogue. But, on to the logistics…”

In the end they decided Vehnrix would search the river’s depths with the aid of Gale’s magic. A simple spell allowed him to breathe underwater, and out of the two of them he was more suited to the physical exertion it would take to swim through the current. Gale would comb the banks, in the event that the pieces of the Crown had washed ashore.

Vehnrix did indeed remove his shirt, though Gale wasn’t certain it was entirely necessary. He wasn’t about to argue, though; not when he could admire Vehnrix’s body before he waded into the river. One last little glimpse of him before he dived down, tail whipping above the surface before it, too, was submerged.

The first stretch of river went by uneventfully. Vehnrix popped his head above water to let Gale know he was okay and to check their positioning, as they had agreed to do every ten minutes. Gale gave him a cheery wave, and down he went again.

They spent nearly an hour in that fashion with no luck in their search. Gale had a mind to break for lunch the next time Vehnrix emerged, and so he stalled his inspection of the sand and muck to wait.

Minutes ticked by. One after the other, the surface of the water calm and undisturbed but for the current. First five minutes, then the limit of ten. Gale paced the river’s edge, hands busy tapping along his leg and fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. Fifteen minutes, followed too quickly by twenty.

It was too long. Vehnrix had been down there too long. Not enough to reach the limit of the spell, of course, the magic still held tight in Gale’s mind, but too long for everything to be going smoothly.

At twenty-five minutes Gale cursed and headed to the water’s edge. He should have gone with him, he should have insisted . But instead he had been taken in, again, by Vehnrix’s easy confidence. By the chance that they could fix this whole mess he’d made, together.

He couldn’t stand by any longer. The uncertainty was eating at his insides, gnawing at the soft bits that cared for Vehnrix too deeply to let him drown, or be eaten by sahuagin, or whatever else was happening in the depths of the Chionthar. Gale kicked off his boots and started to wade into the river, dry clothes be damned.

It was then the surface broke open, a rush of noise as Vehnrix gasped and splashed at the quick moving water. Not a second later three more forms emerged, snarling and shrieking in high pitched, hair raising tones. Gale recognized them immediately as sahuagin, their fish-like bodies corded with muscle.

The words to a spell were on Gale’s lips faster than the thought of them, and a blast of swirling, crackling energy shot forth from his palm. It honed in on the sahuagin nearest Vehnrix, and found its mark between pale, double lidded eyes. Electricity crackled over its moist skin, charring it in a way that released the acrid scent of burnt flesh. It shrieked, then splashed limp into the water, quickly sinking beneath the surface.

Gale spotted the glint of metal then, the sun striking the blade of one of Vehnrix’s swords as he lifted it up and slit the throat of a second sahuagin. Thick, blue blood mixed with the water, and, Gale was alarmed to see, deep red swirled with it.

“Vehnrix!” He shouted, pulling the attention of both the figures left in the water. The sahuagin snarled, a mouth of rotted teeth visible even at this distance. It lunged forward, its attention back on Vehnrix an instant later. Gale watched as Vehnrix was dragged beneath the water, a surge of waves spreading out from the violent movements.

Forgetting everything but reaching Vehnrix, Gale sloshed through the shallow banks, nearly tripping as his robes tangled around his legs. He cursed and pleaded, urging himself to move. He was halfway to where Vehnrix had disappeared when the surface broke again and this time — thank the gods — Vehnrix was alone.

Gale caught him just as he slumped forward, his eyes glassy as more blood flowed from his body into the water. Carefully, he helped the tiefling to the shore, carrying as much of his weight as he could. They both fell to the sand when they reached the edge of the water, Vehnrix rolling to his back.

“ Gods , Vehn,” Gale said, hurriedly examining the large wound on his side. It was jagged, made by some half-blunt weapon of the sahuagin, no doubt. He pressed his palm to it, doing his best to staunch the flow. “Hold still, do not move.”

“Doing my best,” Vehnrix replied, somehow smiling up at him. He lifted a hand, and the sun glinted on another piece of metal, this one a piece of a whole. The Crown of Karsus, clutched tight in Vehnrix’s bloody hand. “Got you a present.”

Gale laughed — or sobbed, he couldn’t tell the difference just then. But he didn’t have time to ruminate on the crown, or what it meant to have a piece within reach. Not when Vehnrix was bleeding out into the sand.

“Oh, of all the times to not have a damnable healer with us,” he complained, his voice trembling just as much as his hands as he dug through the pockets of his robes. He pulled out a small vial full of red, shimmering liquid, and unstoppered it. “Here, quickly, drink this.”

Vehnrix raised his head from the ground and let Gale tip the potion into his mouth. He coughed a portion of it out, but swallowed most, and almost immediately the color started to return to his skin. Relief washed over Gale, and he finally, finally took a full breath.

“How’s that?”

“Much better,” Vehnrix said, and indeed, he did look better as the potion worked through his system. The wound beneath Gale’s hand slowed to a thin leak of blood, then nothing as it magically closed in on itself. “You have a great bedside manner. I feel good as new.”

Vehnrix attempted to push himself up, then winced and gave up.

“No, no, no moving yet.” Gale ran his palms over Vehrix’s chest, his belly, his sides. Checking, making sure no wounds lingered unseen, making sure he was truthfully okay. He halted with his hands on his shoulders, fingers digging in. “ By the gods, I could have lost you.”

“I’m fine, Gale,” Vehnrix laughed. “This is nowhere near as bad as I’ve been hurt even in the last week.”

“Yes, but we had Shadowheart with us then. We had Withers. We had options of keeping you safe and the future was not so bright and I —“ Gale’s voice broke, and he shook his head, tipped his chin down until his hair covered his face. “I cannot lose you. Not now. Not after all we’ve made it through and all we’ve planned ahead for us.”

He reached out and yanked the piece of crown from Vehnrix’s hand. It felt wrong against his skin, tingling and itching like a festering wound. Something so powerful, something holding so much potential, and all he could think of was how it had nearly taken Vehnrix from him.

“And if I did lose you, what would it have been for? For this ?” His fingers gripped the metal tighter, sharp, broken edges puncturing his flesh. “For a piece of myself returned I can scarcely remember now. A piece of myself I don’t even need anymore.”

“Gale…” Vehnrix’s voice was soft, and Gale looked over to see the tiefling’s eyes on him, patient and kind. Always patient and kind, from the beginning and through to the end. Bile rose in Gale’s throat as he imagined his life without Vehnrix, the greater hole his love would leave.

“I have given my life to Mystra,” he started, swallowing back the acrid taste of realization. His words turned acid instead, hot and burning as they passed his tongue. “Every part of me. I will not give every part of you. I will not give the new pieces of myself you helped to set into place. They are worth far more than that. They are worth more than everything.”

Gale slumped further into the sandbank, palms pressing into the ground. Water rose around them, the impression filling. The new pieces of myself, his mind echoed. Power replaced with softer things, like hope and compassion and most of all — the most important of all — acceptance.

The parts of him that were lost, taken and held hostage by his goddess, were just that: lost. He had lived without them, had found friendship and love and acceptance without them.

Did he truly need them back?

Warmth on his arm signaled Vehnrix at his side. The curl of his love’s tail around his waist a familiar and grounding pressure. Gale leaned into the touch and lifted to his knees.

“I love you more than life itself, Vehnrix,” he whispered. “And as you have tried to tell me so, so many times…. I am enough. Without this —“ he tossed the piece of crown towards the river, and the instant it left his hand he felt lighter . “Without whatever Mystra still holds back from me. This was a fool's errand, indeed. The errand of a fool.”

“You’re not a fool, Gale.” Vehnrix’s reply was instantaneous, his smile one Gale knew reserved for him alone. Then, a more playful lift of his lips. “Well, maybe sometimes. But a charming fool.”

Gale managed a weak chuckle, the sound fitting around Vehnrix’s next question. “This is what you want?”

“You are what I want.” Gale swallowed back a forming lump in his throat, and his next words were decisive and strong. “This is what I want. To have you, and to have all that you’ve helped me to finally open my blinded eyes to.”

Vehnrix’s tail squeezed around his middle, and Gale watched the tiefling’s eyes settle on his own. The same, soft smile he had fallen so fully for directed solely on him.

“I’m proud of you, Gale.”

Gale startled himself with a sob, the sound harsh against the rumble of the river. How long had he ached to hear those words? How much had he given, just to be told that one simple thing? He had gone through worlds to prove he was worth the weight of it, had given all he had and so much more.

And here was Vehnrix, saying it so softly. So easily. As if there was never any doubt.

“Oh, you have no inkling of how much I needed to hear that.” Tears joined the sound of his crying, and he folded himself into Vehnrix’s waiting arms. “A moment, Vehnrix. I need a moment.”

“You can have all of them,” Vehnrix said, words warm on Gale’s skin. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Gale felt the press of lips on the top of his head, then a soft kiss to his temple. He was wrapped up in Vehnrix, held close by the one who stood by him in all things, and who loved him as he was.

#my writing #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 fic #oc: vehnrix #gale dekarios #fic: small steps down a long road #bg3 spoilers #tumblr making formatting weird so sorry about the odd spaces

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inkberrry · 9 months

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Vehn, barely hanging on but still going forward.

#listen theres just too many big things happening for a boy from the road #its a lot #oc: vehnrix #bg3 #bg3 oc #tiefling

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inkberrry · 8 months

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Here’s a thing I was writing a bit ago that I don’t think I’ll finish up, but I kind of like it regardless so here it will go. Based on the fight at the Last Light Inn and what happened in Vehn’s play through when I uhhhh didn’t get the memo I was supposed to stop bad things from happening.

—

“You don’t understand.” Vehnrix slumped to the dirt, his fingers digging into the gore and coming up with a fistful of blood soaked earth. “I was Mattias, I was Mol. Those kids were me. That was my life. And I failed them.”

Vehnrix’s voice broke, tears splashing down his cheeks. His whole body tensed as he tried to hold back the sobs that wanted desperately to escape.

“I failed them. I tried and I failed.”

“We don’t know they’re gone forever, Vehnrix.” Gale’s voice was soft, quiet in the pulsing dark. “We’ll find them. You haven’t failed anyone.”

Vehnrix didn’t look up. He only crumpled at the pressure of Gale’s hand on his shoulder, reassuring and comforting. It was a catalyst, the final hit to the dam holding back Vehnrix’s despair.

He pressed his hands to his face and sobbed, the sound ragged and echoing out to meet the deep shadows surrounding them. It seemed to feed on them, to devour and gorge until the darkness was heavy and full. Not sated — never sated — but satisfied. For now.

Vehnrix vaguely registered the gentle tug of Gale’s hands lifting him to his feet. Guiding him away from the worst of the massacre. Hushed voices filtered through his sobs, now a low, steady beat in time with his heart.

Eventually his tears ran dry. Vehnrix came back to himself, his back propped against a cool stone tucked away by the water. It was almost peaceful with the lapping of the waves, pulled steadily into tides even so far from the sky. Gale was beside him, as he always was.

“Sorry,” Vehnrix mumbled, rubbing the raw and raised skin around his eyes. His throat was dry, his words. scratchy. “Didn’t mean to fall apart like that. I, ah… don’t think I’ve ever fallen apart like that.”

“No need for apologies, Vehnrix.” Gale wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. The spicy scent of spell components tickled Vehnrix’s nose, and he breathed in deep despite it. He leaned his head on the wizard’s shoulder, letting the comfort he exuded calm his heart whatever measure it could.

He was silent for a while, eyes watching the water, willpower alone keeping him from looking back at the blood soaked inn. Gale was wrong; he did need to apologize. Maybe not for breaking down, but for not being enough. Not fast enough to pull Mol from the devil’s grasp, not strong enough to beat back the creatures on their killing spree. Not wise enough to make the right choices to end this mess altogether.

“I know that look.” Gale’s voice drew Vehnrix back, his soft expression laced with the strength Vehnrix needed. “You cannot blame yourself. That is a long, harmful road you needn’t walk down. Trust me.”

“There’s no one else to blame.”

“That is decidedly untrue.” Gale’s palm lifted Vehnrix’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “Blame the Absolute, blame Ketheric Thorm, blame the gods themselves. But do not blame yourself.”

Gale’s hand slipped along Vehrnix’s jaw, up and over his cheek. A gentle caress, the buzz of magic beneath his skin a welcome hum. “You are enough, Vehnrix. As you’d said to me more times now than I can care to count.

#my writing #bg3 #bg3 fic #oc: vehnrix #I was reminded of this thanks to that post about letting characters just get ugly upset #sobbing crying despair #it’s good for you #bg3 spoilers

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inkberrry · 9 months

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Chapter Two: Some closure for Vehnrix. Content Warning for mentions of childhood trauma. Read on ao3 or below!

The gates to the Fernwater estate stood open for the first time in Vehnrix’s memory. The iron bars, elaborate and twisted, hung on broken hinges, swaying in the morning breeze with a piercing screech. Beyond, once manicured lawns stood scorched from dragonfire, patches still blazing even days after the attack.

Vehnrix stood still, his feet rooted to a spot just in front of the open gate. He could make out movement within the distant building, a flash of fabric against a window pane, a flutter of motion in the doorway. Just a hundred feet between him and… what, he didn’t know. Closure, perhaps. An end to a long felt hurt.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Vehnrix?”

Gale’s voice was soft at his side, his hand warm on Vehnrix’s arm. He’d tried to tell Gale this morning he needn't come along, that he could handle this alone. His words were met with a quiet click of his tongue, and a look that told him Gale understood the silent, contradictory plea of please, please stand with me.

And now here was Gale, looking not past the gates but at Vehnrix, grounding him with steady eye contact. “You don’t have to go in, you know. Believe me, you have full right to walk away from this, whatever fate the woman in there has been left with. You owe nothing.”

He was right, of course. Vehnrix owed Annalaise Fernwater nothing — the same as she’d given him. Her blood may flow in his veins, but she made it perfectly clear the moment he was born she wanted nothing to do with him.

“I’m sure. I need to do this.” He turned from the gate to fully face Gale and placed his hand over the one on his arm. A deep breath, a slow exhale. It was hard to admit, to get the words out after hoarding them inside for so long. “I need to let it go. I want to let it go. So I can move on. With you.”

“Well in that case, dear Vehnrix,” Gale smiled, and the task ahead seemed a little less daunting. “I am right beside you.”

Vehnrix always thought the first step across the threshold to the estate would be welcome. Coming home , he imagined as a child. But he’d long since learned this wasn’t his home, that until recently he didn’t have a home. So the lack of warmth in his chest when he crossed through the gates was no surprise. There was no rush of emotion, no grand revelation. Just one step after the other, careful not to stumble on shattered cobblestones.

The front door stood ajar, motion deep in the interior. With a last look at Gale, gathering courage from his presence, Vehnrix pushed his way inside.

A woman looked over from where she sat near the edge of the room. Long hair, honey blonde and loose, hung down her shoulders and over a fine dress, dusty with ash. Her eyes scanned Vehnrix and Gale, confusion clouding them until they settled fully on Vehnrix.

“You.” She rose from her chair and took a tentative step forward, and even from his distance Vehnrix could see her mind working behind her eyes — startlingly blue, a perfect match to the color of his own. Her next words spit out with venom, the pieces slowly put into place. “You’re him , aren’t you?”

“Him?” Vehnrix remained in the doorway, watching Annalaise approach step by step.

“Karvir.” The name rang through the room, and Vehnrix’s tail snapped up at the sound. It wasn’t a name he’d heard in years, wasn’t one he wanted to hear. “How dare you come back? Now? Are you here to ruin what I have left, again?”

“I’m — no, I’m not Karvir.” Vehnrix struggled on the word, throat tight. Annalaise hesitated, eyes narrowed, and Vehnrix had the urge to laugh, a choking, dissonant sound. “You don’t see it? You wouldn’t, would you? I’m not Karvir. I’m his son. Your son. The one you tossed away.”

There was silence for a moment while Annalaise froze. The truth hung heavy in the air, weighing it down until Vehnrix could feel it threatening to push him to his knees.

“No —“ Annalaise shook her head, hair tumbling around her face. She seemed to crumple, to lose some of the fight that had made her stalk across the room. Her eyes locked onto Vehnrix’s again, though this time they were far, far away. “What do you want?”

“Nothing.” Vehnrix’s tail slashed behind him, agitated and quick. In contrast, he shrugged, a statue of nonchalance. “I know why you didn’t want me. I understand. You were tricked. I wasn’t what you expected. I was a lie.”

Stories flashed in Vehnrix’s mind, of his father, of Karvir; how the tiefling had manipulated the woman standing before Vehnrix, how he’d come to her in the illusion of a human for months and months, how he tricked her into loving a false version of himself. And how, when she gave birth to a baby, Vehnrix had shown her the truth.

He did understand. He understood that wasn’t her fault. She was a victim of Karvir, just like he had been for so many years. And yet —

“But that wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t my fault. ” Vehnrix’s voice finally broke, the carefully held tension snapping down the middle. His fists balled at his sides, sharp nails digging into soft flesh. “I was just a baby. You were my mother . I needed you to love me. You were supposed to love me.”

Something broke in Annalaise’s expression. It twisted, morphed her face into something weaker, something younger. She had just been a girl, Vehnrix realized. Younger then than he was now.

“How could I?” Her voice was thin, a wisp of what it was only a moment ago. “How was I expected to love you? You were — it was —“ Annalaise dragged her hand across her eyes, and when she pulled it away her cheeks were wet. “I did want you. I wanted to love you. Gods above, I wanted you. But then you were born and you… I…”

“You could have given me a chance,” Vehnrix interrupted. “I wasn’t — I’m not — my father.”

Annalaise had no answer. She only covered her face with her hands again, her small shoulders shuddering as she wept. Vehnrix stood by, attention fixed on her, on how she was real , no longer merely an idea of a person in his mind. This wasn’t what he expected, she wasn’t what he expected — not the monster he’d always believed, but a woman whose story he didn’t truly know.

A moment passed before Annalaise spoke again. In her voice Vehnrix heard sorrow, deep and long-lived. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Vehnrix,” he answered. Then, glancing behind him, he caught Gale’s eyes. Gale, who had stood back and let him air out all the things he needed to say. Gale, who listened and held him and loved him. Who gave him a chance. Turning back to Annalaise, he repeated his answer. “Vehnrix Dekarios.”

It was the first time he’d put the names together, and just like that, something fell into place. A calm replaced the chaos of the situation, an ease that rushed through him and settled into his blood and his bones.

“I don’t know what I want you to say, either,” he confessed. “Nothing, I guess. I just want you to listen, now. I want you to see. To know.” He reached back and took Gale’s hand, tugging him forward to stand together. “I am worth loving. With no tricks or illusions. Just me. I don’t need you to accept me anymore. I spent my whole life wanting that. But now… I don’t need it. I’m okay. I’m more than okay.”

He smiled, a true, honest smile. A free smile, finally untethered from the chains of grief and anger he’d locked himself to for so long. It was time, now, Vehnrix knew. Time to move on, and forward.

“Listen, Lady Annalaise,” Vehnrix took one step closer, a small offering. “I’ll be Waterdeep from now on. I don’t expect anything; I don’t need anything from you. But if you ever decide to give me that chance, our doors will be open.“

The only answer was a soft sniffle from the woman who was just as broken as Vehnrix. He left her there, in the house he’d always wanted to be home.

They paused just before the High City gates and found a blissfully intact section of garden. Vehnrix spread out in the grass, watching the distant clouds. His mind was far away, traveling the distance between here and Waterdeep; between here and the life that now awaited him with one less weight.

“I am so very proud of you, Vehnrix.” Gale placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention. The touch was feather-light, the wizard’s fingers brushing the skin of Vehnrix’s collarbone. “That was no easy conversation to have. And you handled it with your usual grace, a feat I’m sure cost you more than you’re letting on.”

“Maybe a little,” Vehnrix admitted. Then, with a sigh — “Okay, maybe a lot.”

He turned his face to watch the clouds again, going over the conversation at the Fernwater Estate. “I was serious, you know. About being okay without her accepting me. Or loving me.”

Gale’s hand gently worked on Vehnrix’s shoulder, massaging away some of the still lingering tightness. Vehnrix sat up and shifted closer, allowing Gale more room. He sighed at the pressure of his hand, the dig of his thumb into sore muscles.

“You taught me that,” Vehnrix added, tilting his head to meet Gale’s eyes. “That I don’t need that acceptance anymore.”

“I am a very skilled teacher,” Gale chuckled.

“Of course.” Vehnrix pressed his lips to Gale’s, a soft and heartfelt kiss. “I love you, Gale.”

“And I you, Vehnrix,” Gale repeated. He smiled, lips still brushed against Vehnrix’s. “Perhaps we both taught each other that lesson, hm?” He pulled away, his gaze leaving Vehnrix’s and drifting past the city until it settled on the Chionthar. “Or, we’re still learning it.”

Vehnrix followed his line of sight until it, too, found the river. Tomorrow , he thought. Tomorrow they would set out and search for the missing pieces of the Crown, lost somewhere in the river’s depths. He didn’t know what they would do if they found it — and neither, he thought, did Gale. But it was a step Gale had to take, just like today had been a step he had to take.

Leaning his back into Gale’s chest, Vehnrix nodded. “It takes time.”

“Something we have an abundance of, thank goodness.” Gale wrapped his arms around Vehnrix’s middle, and when he spoke next the uncertainty was replaced with something lighter, the brooding thoughts set aside. “I did very much like hearing you call yourself Vehnrix Dekarios, I should confess.”

“Oh?” Vehnrix asked with a laugh. “And why’s that, Mr. Dekarios?”

“Well, Mr. Dekarios ,” Gale said, emphasizing the word enough that it sent a shiver down Vehnrix’s spine. “It felt very solid. Very real. And it just has a certain melodious ring to it, doesn’t it? ”

“It does,” Vehnrix agreed, and again looked back at Gale, that same calm, easy feeling taking root in every fiber of him. “And thank you, for today. Everything.”

“You are most wonderfully welcome, love.”

#bg3 fic #bg3 fanfiction #oc: vehnrix #my writing #am i brave enough to put this in the gale tag #absolutely not #ao3 link #long post

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