Chapter Text
Halsin exhaled as he finished getting groceries into the house. He’d made the mistake of going to the store hungry and gotten more than he felt in the mood to carry. It was only when he finished putting things in the fridge that he noticed Astarion hadn’t come to greet him.
“Astarion?” he called.
He abandoned the groceries that didn’t need to be refrigerated and went up to the bedroom “Astarion?” He was about to look outside when he heard what sounded like panting coming from the closet. He was greeted by a gasp when he opened the door.
Astarion was cowering on the floor, shaking and hyperventilating.
Halsin dropped to his knees “What is it? What happened?”
Astarion pushed his phone over to the other elf, a news article was on the screen. It was explaining that adangerous vampire named Cazador Szarr had escaped from prison and was still being searched for.
Halsin’s brow furrowed “I think I saw something about the things he did, it’s a scary thing to read but-“
“H-He’s my ex, I’m the reason he got put in prison.” Astarion could barely get the words out “He’s coming for me.”
“You’ve moved out here. He wouldn’t even know where you live anymore.”
“You don’t know him!!” Astarion snapped “He could’ve had me followed!”
“Do you want to come out of there?” Halsin asked, gently reaching for him.
“NO!” Astarion screamed, swatting at Halsin, almost scratching his cheek before retreating further into the closet and curling up into a tight ball.
Halsin sighed “Alright, I’ll go lock everything up, then I’ll come back and sit with you until they apprehend him again.”
“If they can find him..” Astarion was still breathing worryingly fast.
“Could I cast something on you?” Halsin asked tentatively “It’ll calm you down a little, just so you can actually get a breath in.”
Astarion nodded after a moment.
Halsin gingerly put one of his hands on Astarion’s shoulder, his hand glowing with golden light as he spoke words Astarion didn’t recognize.
The smaller elf felt a wave of forced calm wash over him, enough that he could catch his breath and shake less intensely.
They sat there for eight hours. Halsin on the floor in front of the closet, he’d taken on his bear form to make Astarion feel extra protected. Though he felt guilty for falling asleep a few times as Astarion couldn’t relax at all.
Astarion set his phone to send notifications about the situation, including key words that’d be in news stories if Cazador was captured. Finally one came, he opened it hesitantly. It was a video instead of an article this time.
Halsin changed back into his elfish form when he heard the noise “Do you want me to watch it and then tell you-“
“I can do it.” Astarion pressed play and the pretty dwarf behind the desk on the screen began speaking.
“The prolific vampire Cazador Szarr was recaptured just an hour ago and is being moved to a facility with higher security as it was discovered multiple prison staff members assisted him in his escape, those parties are currently in custody, though it isn’t known at this time just how many were involved. Szarr was found hiding in this residence-“ an image of Astarion’s old home came onto the screen, crime scene tape and Flaming Fists all around it.
Halsin watched as the other elf’s hand flew to cover his mouth before he sprinted to the bathroom, the sound of retching soon followed. The news anchor continued “The house was recently purchased by a young family who were found-“ Halsin turned the video off and went to the bathroom.
Astarion was breathing rapidly again, leaned over the toilet. He dry heaved, if there’d been enough in his stomach he’d have thrown up again, but the day’s interruption had kept him from eating anything besides a small breakfast. “The people that moved there, I killed them.”
“Astarion.” Halsin got on the floor beside him.
“It’s my fault, I should’ve been there.” Astarion looked like he was a million miles away.
Halsin reached for the other elf’s hand and Astarion snapped back into the moment. He crashed into Halsin, breaking down into wailing sobs, clinging to Halsin’s shirt and burying his face in the druid’s chest.
Halsin just held him and rocked him gently.
After a warm bath together, and getting some food and fluids in, Astarion was feeling as better as he could. He was snuggled against Halsin in bed. They were both just in underwear, enjoying the skin to skin contact.
Astarion traced Halsin’s chest hair “I want to.. talk about what happened to me.”
“You were scared, you don’t need to explain.”
“I mean why I was scared.”
“Alright. As long as you want to share.”
Astarion bit his lip “When I was beaten nearly to death, Cazador was the one that found me and brought me to the hospital. He stayed the whole night until I woke up. I mean we were strangers and he sat up all night with me.” Astarion paused “He was nice. He was charming. Mature older elf come to save me..” he averted his gaze from Halsin awkwardly “We started dating I guess. I was a put off when he told me he was a vampire, but he said he only drank from animals or willing donors. And that whole time…” Astarion shuddered “Things were great until he asked to turn me. He got so angry when I said no. I’d never seen him like that before.. I didn’t like it, I-I broke up with him.” He was shaking a little again “I thought I’d be spending that night crying a bit, maybe finding a rebound hook-up. Then he showed up and he wasn’t even that- I don’t know, angry sounding, on the other side of the door. B-But something about the way he talked, I knew he was going to kill me.” Astarion squeezed his eyes shut.
Halsin stroked his arm “It’s alright, my heart, you’re safe now.”
Astarion exhaled shakily “I ran upstairs and hid in one of the closets. I remember the whole time I was on the phone with the emergency number, waiting for the Fists to show up, hearing him search the rooms, yelling threats the whole time. I just saw him finding me and ripping my throat out so clearly. So much I couldn’t tell if it’d actually happened or not. Until he was being dragged away.” He held himself “For a few days I thought I might be dead and didn’t realize it yet, a ghost. I couldn’t believe it was actually over. Then after they searched his house.. Gods..”
The investigation of Cazador’s palace uncovered thousands of vampire spawn in dungeons underneath the premises, turned over hundreds of years.
Astarion shook his head “And I-I noticed when I watched testimonies from the victims that were rescued, they were mostly humans.. races with shorter life spans, no other elves. They all said he told them he needed to turn them because he couldn’t bear watching their mortal life end while his continued. And there were interviews with people who turned him down too, he never bothered them again.” Astarion said bitterly “I was so.. I don’t fit with his pattern for whatever he was doing. H-He’d gotten away with this for centuries, a man like that doesn’t take unnecessary risks. He pursued me even though he couldn’t use the mortality sob story and he risked everything, lost everything for me.” His voice shook “I just find myself wondering what’s so terribly wrong with me to attract someone like that.” He burst into sobs again, retreating to Halsin’s chest once more.
Halsin embraced him “None of this is your fault. He was an evil monster, his actions and motivations were his own. You did nothing wrong.”
“And all the time I think, how long would I have been in one of those cages if I didn’t say no?? I almost said yes!”
“You didn’t. You’re here now. That will never ever happen.” Halsin stroked his hair “And those thousands of poor souls ended up free because of you.”
“I never thought of it that way before..” Astarion didn’t realize it, but his hand had moved to gently squeeze the soft fat on the underside of Halsin’s belly, trying to regulate and comfort himself.
Internally Halsin chuckled, whatever would give his boyfriend’s mind some reprieve was welcome. Though outwardly his face turned serious “Cazador also killed people at times if I recall correctly, didn’t just turn them.”
“He did.”
Halsin took a deep breath “I feel I must confess, though it wasn’t at all the same circumstance, I have also taken lives..” he looked at Astarion, searching his face for shock or horror, he didn’t find any but continued his explanation anyways “It was a long time ago, in those days there weren’t widespread laws and communication as there is now. If you lived in a little grove in the wilderness and bugbears, goblins, whatever.. decided they were going to take what you had. You had to.. had to stop them. There wasn’t anyone to call for help. You either stopped them or they killed you, hopefully before they made you watch whatever they did to the vulnerable in your community.”
“I understand.” Astarion said.
“Not a lot of people who’ve only experienced this convenient age do. I didn’t want it to be a secret.”
“I trust you.” Astarion cupped his soft cheek “Now you won’t even kill the rats living in our wall.”
“I still think I can reason with them.” Halsin said defensively.
Astarion rubbed Halsin’s belly more purposefully now “You’re a good stress toy.” He said “Cazador was very boney, cold. Terrible to even attempt cuddling with.”
Halsin smiled, thinking it a good sign that Astarion was already joking about it “Perhaps we should work harder to make me bigger then. So you’ll be as relaxed as possible.”
Astarion’s brow furrowed “Speaking of things not being secret. You never told me what you moved out into the middle of the woods for, when you were a biologist?”
Halsin grimaced “Since you must know, though it is highly classified, we were dissecting mindflayers.”
Astarion laughed “If you’re not going to tell me don’t bother with making up a ridiculous story.”
“I’m not.”
Astarion faltered “But mindflayers aren’t real.” He paled “They are??”
“Very.”
“No! Don’t tell me that! I thought they were made up for shitty horror movies.”
“I’ve seen them up close and personal, I can confirm they’re not just silly prosthetic masks.” Halsin chuckled wryly.
“You’ve just ruined my life with that information, thank you. One of said horror movies scared me so badly as a kid that I couldn’t fall asleep without my nanny in the room for almost a month.” Astarion rubbed his arm anxiously “Why were you researching them..?”
“Best not to dwell on all of that, they’re long dissected now.” Halsin said with some bite in his voice “But being the head of a team working on somewhat dire matters was a bit too much stress for me by the time it was over. That’s why I switched to being a vet.”
“Still taking care of others though, I don’t think you can shake that habit.” Astarion smiled.
“I was first druid in my grove, hated that too. I have wonderful leadership skills, I just hate having to use them.”
Astarion cuddled close to Halsin “At least now I’ll have nightmares about my brain being eaten rather than Cazador.” He then frowned “Oh, um- speaking of jobs. I don’t think I ever intended to go back to mine. I didn’t know for sure until now.”
“I suspected your already fragile tolerance of being a magistrate would be tested by almost two months of blissful countryside sabbatical with me.”
“So it’s alright?”
“You don’t need my permission to quit a job that makes you miserable. You wouldn’t need it for quitting any job, but especially not that one.”
Astarion sighed with relief and melted into the larger elf, despite the events of the day, sleep came easily in Halsin’s arms.