Chapter Text
Astarion started awake, jostling Gale slightly on his chest and eliciting a little whimper of protest. It was fully light out now and he could hear low voices towards the front of the bus, so the rest of the band must already be up. Gale shifted a bit, looking as stiff as Astarion felt. A frown creased his brow, but it loosened when he tipped his head up and met Astarion's eyes.
"Hello," he whispered.
"Hi," Astarion whispered back, smiling softly as he ran a hand through Gale's hair.
Gale rolled over onto his back with a soft groan. "Mother fucker. I feel like shit."
Astarion sat up and stretched, then patted Gale's arm. "Emotional hangover, my dear. Let me get you some aspirin."
"Thanks," Gale mumbled, scrubbing his hands over his face.
Astarion got out of bed and went into the bathroom. When he came back and handed over the medicine and a glass of water, Gale was sitting up with a slightly stricken look on his face. He swallowed the aspirin, then looked at Astarion with kicked-puppy-dog eyes.
"I'm sorry I ruined our time together last night, " he said quietly, toying with the empty water glass.
Astarion scoffed and rolled his eyes, taking the glass from him and putting it in the sink. He sat back down on the bunk next to Gale. "Don't be an idiot."
"But—"
Astarion put a finger to Gale's lips to silence him. "Stop," he said sternly. "Just stop." He cupped Gale's face in his hand. "Life's messy, darling," he said in a softer tone. "That's not your fault."
Gale heaved a deep sigh. "Yeah," he murmured. "You're right."
Astarion tucked a wayward piece of hair behind Gale's ear. "Of course I'm right. Now, if you'd just remember that, things would go a lot more smoothly for you." He flashed a grin.
Gale laughed, shaking his head. "Right. How dare I forget."
"Don't worry, sweetness. I'll remind you as often as I need to," Astarion said, leaning in to give him a kiss.
Gale smiled against Astarion's lips, then pulled him into a tight hug. He buried his face in Astarion's curls and took in a deep breath, letting it out in a contented sigh.
"Fuck," he said abruptly, making a frustrated noise. "I forgot we're the first ones driving this morning." He kissed the top of Astarion's head and rubbed a gentle circle on his back. "We'd better get up."
Astarion whined just a little and let out an exaggerated sigh as he broke away. "If we must." He slid out of the bunk. "I'll go get dressed."
Gale nodded and got up after him. "I need to take another look at the map." He yawned widely. "But I'm going to need coffee before I can do much of anything," he said.
Astarion wound his arms around Gale's neck. "Okay," he said, nuzzling his cheek against Gale's beard. God, he loved feeling the drag of it on his skin; soft, yet just scratchy enough.
Gale smiled and took Astarion's waist in his hands. "Were you a cat in a past life, by chance?" he teased.
In response, Astarion butted his head against Gale's, rubbing his face all over his beard much like Snowbelle loved to do. Gale snickered as he tried to squirm away. "I don't know what you mean," Astarion said innocently, trailing little kitten licks down Gale's neck and listening in delight as his laugh turned into a soft whine.
"Astarion," he breathed, his tone somewhere between warning and begging, and Astarion was just about to slide his thigh between Gale's legs and yank him into the bathroom when a yowl sounded from underfoot.
Astarion pulled back and grinned at Gale, then bent down and picked up Snowbelle. He put her on his shoulder and she immediately leaned forward and started scratching her face on Gale's beard, making both men laugh.
Gale slowly moved away from Snowbelle and settled her back on Astarion's shoulder. Then, he gently cupped the kitten's whole body with one hand and Astarion's cheek with the other before pressing matching soft little kisses to both of their foreheads. With another smile, he turned around and headed for the coffeepot.
Astarion remained rooted to the spot, because that was quite possibly the cutest fucking thing that had ever happened to him and it had kind of broken his brain a little, until Snowbelle swatted him on the nose with her paw (claws in, of course). He laughed and took her little foot in his hand.
"All right, already. I'll feed you. Menace," he said indulgently. She just gave him a plaintive mew in response.
As Snowbelle happily munched away on her kibble, Astarion quickly got dressed and did three lines of coke (it was four lines that had been too much). He dumped his duffel on his bunk before heading up to the front of the bus, the aluminum foil packet of Tara's cookies in one hand and her note in the other.
The smell of fresh coffee permeated the air, and his bandmates were chatting together amicably. "I brought breakfast," Astarion interrupted them, setting the packet down onto the table.
Karlach, seated at the table, immediately opened the foil. "Cookies?!" she asked excitedly as she grabbed one.
Gale was looking at Astarion in surprise. "Decided not to keep them to yourself?"
Astarion just shrugged and handed Tara's note to Gale, who put it in his pocket.
Karlach grunted in delight and Astarion turned to her, a laugh threatening to escape him at the look on her face. "This is the best cookie I've ever eaten in my fucking life," she moaned through a mouthful of crumbs.
"Jesus, Karlach, chew your food and then talk, would you?" Shadowheart said good-naturedly as she reached for a cookie. After taking a bite, her eyes widened. "Okay, you might be on to something, here. Where did you get these, Astarion?" She took another huge bite. "And why are they so good?!"
"I met Gale's sort-of aunt yesterday and wheedled them out of her with my bottomless font of charm."
"So you stole them," Shadowheart deadpanned. Astarion rolled his eyes.
"What exactly is a 'sort-of aunt'?" Halsin asked as he finally got up from the couch and grabbed a cookie. His eyes lit up when he bit into it and he instantly grabbed another.
Gale took a cookie as he started to explain, and Astarion tuned him out to look at each member of the band in turn, suppressing a smile at the childlike glee they all had on their faces. Okay, fine, whatever; he was glad he'd decided to share the stupid cookies. Ugh, Gale was making him soft.
"She should have opened a bakery, not a record store," Karlach was saying in response to Gale, taking another cookie and eating it in almost one bite.
"I've been telling her that my whole life," Gale said. He turned to Astarion. "You'd better grab one before they're all gone."
Astarion shook his head. "I ate enough of them yesterday." He went to the coffeemaker to pour himself a cup, but stopped when he saw a steaming mug already sitting there waiting for him. He picked it up with a little grin and went back to Gale.
"Thank you, darling," he said softly, pressing a kiss to Gale's cheek. Gale smiled one of his bright, beaming smiles. Astarion set his mug down to light a smoke, and when he picked it up again, Gale slipped an arm around his waist. Astarion leaned back into him, content.
Astarion finished his coffee and his smoke while the rest of them finished the cookies, then he made his way up to the passenger seat. He was happy to see that his rose was exactly where he'd left it last night: in a plastic cup full of water in one of the cupholders.
He picked up the cup to smell the rose, its delicate scent still as beautiful as it was yesterday. He touched one of the rose's petals, the poem Gale had recited for him bouncing around in his brain.
Gale came up front looking at the map, but he smiled when he saw Astarion touching the rose. "Why, what a very classy vase you've got there," he teased.
Astarion haughtily tossed his curls. "Red Solo cups are part of the Ancunín family china, I'll have you know," he retorted as he set the cup back in the cupholder. Gale laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek as he walked by to drop in the driver's seat, unfolding the map.
"Gale?" Astarion asked, moving closer to him.
"Yes?" Gale asked, slightly distracted as he traced a finger along their route.
"I had an idea."
"Uh huh," Gale said, more distracted now as he turned the map sideways.
Astarion narrowed his eyes. "I thought it would be a good idea for me to do our next show entirely naked," he said, no trace of sarcasm in his voice.
"Okay, that sounds—" Gale froze and looked up at Astarion. "Wait, what?!"
Astarion bent over and tilted Gale's head up with a finger under his chin. "Oh, we're paying attention now, are we?" he teased with a grin.
Gale took Astarion's hand in his and squeezed it as he huffed a laugh. "I'm listening," he affirmed.
Astarion linked his fingers with Gale's. "Do we have time for me to make a quick stop before we get on the road?"
"Maybe? Where?"
"Well, I thought we could all sign a few albums for Miss Tara to sell in her shop, and I can run them over to her while you're finalizing our route."
Gale visibly softened. "She'd love that," he said quietly. He pulled Astarion down to him and gave him a kiss. "You're sweet."
Astarion wrinkled his nose as he straightened and dropped Gale's hand. "Gross. Don't tell anyone." He headed back towards their storage as Gale's laugh followed him, and he smiled.
A short time later, with three signed albums under his arm, Astarion hurried to Tara's shop. He realized as he got up to the door that he had no idea if she was there this early, and his heart sank when he saw that the store didn't open for another hour. He tried the door, but it was locked. Hadn't Gale said she lived upstairs? Pressing his hands and face against the glass, he peered inside.
He could see light streaming through the beaded curtain, so he pounded loudly on the door. Tara pushed through the beads looking ready to spit fire and brimstone, but she smiled when she saw Astarion. And then her face fell, and she hurried to open the door.
"What is it? Is everything all right?" she asked quickly, ushering Astarion inside.
"Oh, yes! I'm sorry. Everything's fine." He thrust the albums towards her. "I—we thought you might want these. To sell."
Tara looked down in surprise, then took the albums from him with a huge smile. "That's very thoughtful of you. All of you," she said, giving Astarion a knowing look.
"Yes. Well," Astarion shuffled his feet. "I can't stay. We've got to get on the road."
Tara took Astarion's elbow, her smile turning into a slight frown. "Just one thing, before you go? Humor an old woman?"
Astarion scoffed. "You're not an old woman. But, of course."
"Flatterer," Tara chuckled. She sighed, then met Astarion's eyes, her green ones overflowing with concern. "Is he honestly doing okay? I never dreamed he'd actually get away from that awful woman." She shook her head. "I try not to hold hate in my heart, I really do. But I will hate that bitch till the day I die."
Astarion tried so hard not to laugh, but a snort escaped and soon he and Tara were both laughing hysterically. "You're definitely not alone," he reassured her, wiping away a tear. Once he caught his breath, he rested his hand on Tara's arm. "But he is doing okay, Miss Tara. He really is. I promise."
Did Gale still have some baggage, some scars both visible and invisible? Of course he did. But he could be a hell of a lot worse. And his worst day without Mystra was still probably better than most of the days he'd spent in her company.
A weight seemed to lift from Tara's shoulders and she was all smiles again. She patted Astarion's hand on her arm. "Don't let me keep you any longer. If I know Mr. Dekarios, he has you on a tight schedule."
Astarion grinned. "As always." He pointed at the albums in Tara's hands. "Mark those up high, hmm? Three, four times the price?"
Tara giggled, which was an adorable noise coming from her. "Please, you're worth at least five." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Astarion," she said sincerely.
"Of course. I'll make sure Gale calls you. And hopefully we can come back to visit soon, after the tour's over."
"I'd love that." Tara hugged him, then ushered him out the door, locking it behind him. He waved to her one more time through the glass, then hurried back to the bus.
He was slightly out of breath when he climbed on, having practically run all the way back. He slid into the passenger seat. "Fast enough?" he asked Gale as he reached over and grabbed the map from the seat pocket.
Gale let out a strangled noise, and Astarion turned to him in surprise to see that his face was pink and he was staring at him with pupils wide.
Gale leaned forward to kiss his cheek, then murmured into his ear. "Sorry; it's just that the last time I saw you out of breath and flushed like this was because you'd just fucked the hell out of me."
Astarion bit his lip so as not to let out any noises of his own. Gale pulled back towards the driver's seat, but Astarion caught his face in both hands first, planting a light, teasing kiss on his lips before letting him go. Gale just stared at him for a moment, then shook his head hard.
"Please just tell me where I need to drive," he said, his voice dripping with desire, and Astarion laughed breathlessly.
"Take a right out of the parking lot, sexy," he purred, laughing again when Gale shot him a dark look. "Okay, okay. You repulse me. Is that better?"
Gale turned on the bus, then gave Astarion the most pitiful, over-the-top puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen. "No!" he whined sadly, and even though Astarion knew he was teasing, it still tore into his heart.
"Stop. Stop! Just fucking drive already," he said, shaking his head with another laugh. "Jesus. Those eyes are unfair."
Gale shot him a devious smile and turned right out of the parking lot.
~*~
As they drove, Astarion thought about the next few days with excitement. They were currently on their way to Florida, due in Jacksonville this afternoon. A smaller national magazine wanted to do a spread of them to promote the tour, so they had a photo shoot scheduled. Astarion could take or leave that, though he did like being fussed over by professional hair and makeup artists. Plus, he was often able to charm his way into taking home some of the clothes.
But then they were off to Miami, to an outdoor music festival on the beach. It spanned the next three days, and they were scheduled to play a set each day. Festivals were always so much fun, but he did hope they'd be able to slip away at some point and spend some time just relaxing on the beach. He liked the beach as long as he could be somewhere in the shade, preferably sipping a piña colada. He couldn't be out in the direct sun for very long, as his pale skin was much too sensitive for sunbathing. But Gale, with his beautiful olive-toned skin, was made for the sun. He could enjoy it enough for both of them.
Astarion's mouth went dry as he thought about Gale clad only in short, tight swim trunks, lying in the sun, the light picking out the gray streaks in his hair and making them sparkle silver, the smell of his sun-warmed skin as it glistened with a thin sheen of sweat that just begged Astarion to lick it off—
"Astarion?"
Astarion coughed, coming back to himself. "What's that, darling?"
"I asked which exit I'm supposed to be taking next." Gale had raised an eyebrow at him with a smile.
"Oh, right. Um," he looked down at the map in his hands. "Fifty-seven." Gale nodded and Astarion tried his best to ignore how his jeans had suddenly gotten too tight. Christ. His desire for this man simply had no ceiling. It was a good thing they were going to have a hotel room—
Holy fuck, he hadn't truly thought about that until just now. Gale had booked them into a hotel for the festival, adamant that he didn't want them tracking three days' worth of sand into the bus. So, Astarion and Gale would have their own hotel room again for three nights.
Astarion shifted in his seat. This line of thought was not conducive to getting rid of the erection pushing uncomfortably against his jeans. He felt like a teenager again, overwhelming need constantly thrumming under his skin and making it difficult to think about anything else. It was distracting. It was ridiculous…he was almost forty, for fuck's sake.
It was wonderful.
He turned to Gale, just watching the man for a moment, his eyes tracing over his face. Then he leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hi," Astarion purred, his voice husky.
Gale shot him a suspicious glance. "Astarion…" he said in a warning tone even as he broke out into a grin.
Astarion slid back to his seat and put his hands up. "I know, I know. I'll behave. I'll wait till later to tell you what I was just thinking about," he said, his voice low.
"Same," Gale said, shooting Astarion a mischievous look that sent a jolt right to his cock.
"Fuck," Astarion muttered under his breath. Gale gave him another look, and they both started laughing.
"Hey, down in front!" Shadowheart called from the table.
Astarion turned around to face her. "Oh, Gale?" he asked, loud enough for everyone to hear, his eyes trained on Shadowheart.
"Yes, dear?" he responded with a smile.
"I'd like to make an addition to our set list for tomorrow night."
"I don't know why I'm playing along, but okay: what do you want to add?" Gale responded.
"I've always thought we could do a great cover of Randy Newman's 'Short People'. Don't you think so, darling?"
Gale made a choked noise in response as Shadowheart narrowed her eyes at Astarion. Karlach had turned positively red-faced as she was trying desperately not to laugh.
Astarion started singing, and Shadowheart stood and started creeping towards him like a cat stalking its prey.
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
Well I
Don't want no short people
Don't want no short people
Don't want no short people
'Round—
"I'm not even that much shorter than you, you dick!" Shadowheart interrupted as she threw herself at Astarion and clapped a hand over his mouth.
In response, Astarion licked her hand with the entire flat of his tongue.
"Gross!" she complained with a giggle, trying to wipe it off on his face as he dodged her, laughing.
"If you two are going to roughhouse, could you please not do it inches away from my elbow while I'm driving?" Gale asked in good-natured exasperation.
"Sorry, Gale," Shadowheart sing-songed with a grin. She pinched the top of Astarion's ear as she walked back to the table, making him yelp.
"Hey, speaking of making updates to our set list," Gale began. He tapped his fingers on the wheel and shot a glance at Astarion before he went on. "I'd like to play 'Rescued' during one of our sets at the festival."
Ugh, really? Astarion made a face. That was the first song he'd heard Gale play, the one that reflected how destroyed he'd been over Mystra. "Why?" he asked.
"No real reason," Gale said, giving him a look that told him there was definitely a reason, but not one that he was going to discuss with everyone.
Astarion studied him for a moment. "Fine with me. But you should sing it. I'll do backup vocals for you."
Gale turned his head fully to face Astarion. "What?! Seriously?"
"Watch the road, pet," Astarion drawled, and Gale snapped his eyes forward again. "Yes, seriously." He shrugged. "It's your song. You should sing it."
"Oh, so I have to sleep with you in order to sing lead on a song, is that the deal?" Shadowheart huffed.
"...No? Do you want to sing lead on a song?" Astarion asked, confused.
"Maybe!"
Astarion turned to face her again. "And have you ever said that you wanted to?"
Shadowheart paused. "No. I guess not."
Astarion waved his hand. "Well, there you go. That's not my fault." He sighed. "None of you have ever brought this up until now. I have no problem with someone else singing lead on occasion."
"Would you let us record a song where 'Heart sings lead?" Karlach asked excitedly.
Astarion shook his head, annoyed. "What the fuck is this 'let you' bullshit?! This isn't my band; it's our band. If you want to record a song, then let us hear it and we'll put it to a vote just like we've done with every other song we've ever recorded. Do you have a song in mind?"
Karlach was bouncing in her seat. "We wrote a song together once, a long time ago. I think it'd sound awesome with 'Heart singing it."
Astarion glanced at the map. "Well, we've got time to hear it before we stop for gas."
Karlach leapt up out of her seat. "Oh, rad!" She trotted back to grab her guitar.
Astarion got up and headed to the fridge for a drink, resting a hand on Halsin's shoulder as he passed. "What about you, teddy bear? Are you secretly harboring a deep desire to sing lead?" he asked, grabbing a bottle of water and starting back to his seat.
The big man laughed outright. "No, I'm perfectly content to stay behind my drums."
"Just checking, since everyone else appears to be under the mistaken impression that they need my permission," Astarion said, sitting back down with a huff.
Karlach returned, settling in with her guitar, and Astarion turned to face the girls. He crossed one leg over the other. "All right, 'Heart," he said, waving a hand. "Wow us."
She tried to give him a dirty look, but Karlach nudged her with a huge grin on her face, so she smiled instead before she began to sing while Karlach played.
All the world's your ashtray
I'm just your Marlboro
Light me up and butt me
You're sick and beautiful
Hey hey hey
You're sick and you're beautiful
Hey hey hey
It's Bambi meets Godzilla
A 3D free-for-all
Set me up then stomp me
You're sick and beautiful
You're sick and you're beautiful
Squeeze me like your lemon
Then mix with alcohol
Shake me hard then down me
You're sick and beautiful
You're gravy with gasoline
And wicked with whipping cream
As the song went on, Astarion found his mind drifting. He'd already decided after the first verse that he liked it and that Shadowheart sounded great singing it. What he wanted to know was why Gale suddenly wanted to play "Rescued" again.
They'd recorded it for their first album, but once their second album came out, they'd stopped playing it at shows. Not necessarily on purpose, but more because they had other songs that they'd wanted to play instead. Astarion didn't like the implications of Gale wanting to add it back in now, after seeing Mystra yesterday.
Shadowheart and Karlach finished the song, Karlach practically vibrating with energy. "Well?" she asked impatiently.
Astarion smiled at them both. "It's great. I say we do it." Karlach let out a high-pitched squeal and he winced. Shadowheart smiled broadly at him, and, struck by sudden and uncharacteristic sentimentality, he got up and gave her a big hug. She froze for a moment, obviously surprised, but then she put her arms around him in return.
"I do love you, you know," he said quietly into her hair as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. God, Gale really was making him soft. Disgusting.
She squeezed him. "I know. I love you, too."
Karlach was beaming at him, so he came around and gave her a hug, too. "And I love you, you big excitable golden retriever, you."
She snorted a laugh and hugged him back. "I guess if the dog collar fits…" The choked noise that Shadowheart uttered and the wide-eyed look she gave Karlach was enough to send both her and Astarion into fits of giggles.
"Guess you may need to explore that a little further," Astarion said to Karlach in a stage whisper, laughing harder when Shadowheart's cheeks turned pink. He turned to her. "Remember, I owe you one."
She flushed a deeper pink and closed her eyes. "Please shut up," she said and Astarion chortled again as he went back to his seat.
"So," he said, changing the subject before 'Heart turned entirely red, "Gale? Halsin?"
"I like it a lot," Gale said, shooting a smile at Astarion.
"Me, too," Halsin said, nodding.
"Well, there you go, 'Heart. Was that so difficult?" Astarion teased.
Shadowheart rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling again.
~*~
A short time later, Gale pulled into a truck stop for gas and everyone got ready to hop out and stretch their legs. Astarion quickly checked on Snowbelle, who was practically snoring on his pillow, turned over on her back with her feet in the air. Yeah, she was just fine. Lucky little shit.
He got off the bus and nonchalantly made his way over to Gale at the gas pump. Gale looked up at him and smiled as he approached, and Astarion's heart did a little flip. He didn't think he'd ever stop reacting that way when Gale pointed that beautiful smile at him.
"Hey," Gale said softly.
"Hey," Astarion returned. He looked around, noting that the others were wandering around at the opposite end of the bus, and leaned against the pump. "We're alone. Tell me why," he said abruptly.
Gale frowned. "Tell you why what?"
Astarion rolled his eyes. "You obviously have a reason for wanting to put 'Rescued' on the set list tomorrow. I don't know if it's got something to do with seeing Mystra yesterday, or what, but—"
"Astarion," Gale interrupted with a smile, his eyes soft. "I wrote that song about her, yes. But then, I was playing it one night in what I thought was an empty building, when a stunningly attractive man came out of the shadows like a goddamn vampire and scared the shit out of me." He chuckled, then he met Astarion's eyes, his own turning serious. "And told me how good it was. How good I was. The first person who'd ever said something like that to me.
"I played that song for you the night that we met. I want to think about us when I hear it, not…" He sighed deeply and rubbed a hand on his chest, closing his eyes. "I'm just so damn sick of her tainting everything," he said quietly.
Astarion didn't care that they were in public. He couldn't stop himself from taking a step forward and sliding his hand under Gale's against his chest. He laced their fingers together as Gale's eyes flew open. "Then we won't let her," he said in the same quiet tone. He squeezed Gale's hand once, then reluctantly let go.
What Astarion desperately wanted to do was thread his fingers through that wonderfully thick hair and pull Gale in for a lip-bruising kiss. Instead, he stared into Gale's eyes and hoped that his own would convey enough.
The pump clicked off and Astarion jumped, startled. Gale gave him a small smile. "I'll go pay," he said as he replaced the nozzle, then he turned and headed into the store.
Astarion heaved a relieved sigh as he headed for the bus. That was possibly the best reason for Gale to want to add that damn song back in. His mind had been spinning all kinds of possibilities, but knowing that Gale just wanted to reclaim the song made him feel better about it all.
He climbed onto the bus and went to his duffel to grab his songwriting notebook. He wanted to get down some of the songs he'd been writing in his head, and a long stretch of highway driving was as good a time as any. He settled in to the passenger seat and opened it to the first blank page.
He was concentrating so hard on getting his ideas down on paper that he barely noticed when Gale came back to the bus until he came up to the front. Astarion glanced up at Gale with a smile and Gale returned it, looking down at him for a moment. Then he took Astarion's face in both hands and kissed him, the type of kiss that made his insides swoop and fall like a hawk diving out of the sky for prey. When Gale pulled back after a moment, he rubbed his thumbs over Astarion's cheekbones and flashed one of his beaming smiles, and Astarion thought he might lose himself entirely in those warm brown eyes.
Gale pressed their foreheads together briefly before pulling back and sitting in the driver's seat again. "Where to, boss?" he asked lightly.
Astarion had to shake his head a few times to clear it before he could look down at the map and actually register what it said. "Um…if you go left out of here, you can get back on the highway."
"You got it." Gale nodded. He followed Astarion's directions and then they were back on the road again.