Chapter Text
Really, it was inevitable she was going to slip up at some point. When you’re travelling with a group of people who are psychically connected by mind-flayer tadpoles, somewhere along the line, someone is going to accidentally read someone’s mind.
But did it have to be him? And did it have to be that?
---
It is late in the evening, and most of the party is busy drinking, talking, and making merry. Tav is pottering around, minding her business, when Gale hails her over, a nervous glint in his eye, wringing his hands together. He clearly has a Very Big Thing to say.
Tav takes him in as she walks over, trying not to let her eyes linger on the veins in his forearms, his absurdly broad shoulders, and his plump lips. It’s bad enough that she had always been a bit tongue tied around handsome men with dark brown eyes, but this one is also immensely intelligent and can make her laugh out loud without even trying. It’s almost annoying, really, how off balance he can put her. Luckily, however, he hadn’t seemed to notice (or had been much too polite to mention) the way she flushed at his gentle teasing, or the way she stuttered her words after he caught her in his arms when she’d fallen that one time.
And thank the gods, he definitely hadn’t noticed that she wakes up most mornings now hot, sweating, and trembling after yet another bawdy dream about him. So what if you’re attracted to him? He doesn’t have to know how many times you’ve had your hand between your legs, shivering and panting as you wished it was his fingers there instead of your own.
However, now, he seems wholly preoccupied with something, almost itching to talk, so she drives any lewd thoughts out of her mind.
“Ah, thank you, I was hoping we could have a… talk about something. I hope I’m not interrupting your night?”
Tav smiles widely at him. Always so polite.
“I wasn’t doing anything important – what’s bothering you? Astarion sneak bugs into your trousers again? You seem awfully jumpy.”
At this, Gale visibly relaxes, glad that Tav is in a good mood.
“Thank the gods, no. I think the threat of evisceration might hold that particular prank at bay for the time being. No, I wanted to talk to you about something vitally important – something I haven’t been forthcoming with so far. I need to tell you about my history, as there is information that impacts everybody in our group.”
Tav keeps her face neutral, but anxiety rears its head deep in her belly. This sounds serious.
“Now… I’m what one might call a wizard prodigy, who from an early age could not only control the Weave, but compose it, much like a musician or a poet.”
“Alright Gale, no need to brag, we’ve all seen you in battle now and we’re all very impressed.”
He stares at her with his lips pressed together, but one side is quirked up and there is a gleam of amusement in his eye as he waits patiently for her to finish her jokes.
“Sorry sorry, go on, I won’t interrupt!”
“Thank you. Such was my skill that it earned me the attention of the mother of magic herself. The Lady of Mysteries. The goddess Mystra. She revealed herself to me and she became my teacher. In time, she became my muse, and later, even my lover.”
Tav’s eyes widen and her lips part as she listens. They had never spoken even so much of romance, and here he was telling her… telling her that he had –
“Are you telling me you made love to a goddess?”
He smiles wryly.
“Oh yes. We enjoyed each other’s company – body, mind, and soul. But even so, I desired more.”
Tav’s imagination explodes. Not that she believed she had any chance of seducing Gale before (Not that she would even try, she would hate for something to come in the way of their blossoming friendship), but she would have been competing with a literal goddess? How does that even work? How do you have sex with a goddess? Could they do the same positions as mortals?
This last thought sets her mind racing with images of Gale, entwined with Tav’s imagining of what a goddess would look like to a mortal (which funnily enough, in her daydream, looks a lot like Tav herself…). She could feel the familiar flush creeping up her neck, so hastily steeled her mind to listen to the wizard’s tale about the fracturing of the weave, his desire to impress his lover, his learning of a Netherese tome which he sought, found, and took back to Waterdeep.
“As for what happened next… here – place your hand over my heart, let me show you.”
Tav’s stomach lurches as Gale kneels down in front of her and holds out his hand. The erotic imagery comes back to her in full force as she ponders what else he could do from this kneeling position. No, no, no – stop! This man is baring his past to you, and all you can think about is what his tongue might feel like… oh no.
She reaches out to take Gale’s waiting hand, trying to ignore the electricity she feels at the touch of his fingers to hers, and he places her hand over what Tav had thought was an intricate tattoo above his heart. She feels the tadpole in her mind quiver as she realises Gale is letting her in. Into the dark. She sees though Gales eyes: A book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. It’s teeth, it’s claws, unstoppable as it digs through and becomes part of him. The hunger overtakes him and –
Suddenly the connection shifts, ricocheting back into Tav’s brain and she knows Gale can now see through her eyes.
He sees himself, kneeling as he is now in front of her. He is naked, and so is she. Her right leg is slung over his left shoulder, and her hands are clutching at his hair as his head is buried between her thighs, devouring her most sensitive place. She is crying out in ecstasy, his name tumbling from her lips over and over again, struggling to hold herself upright as she climaxes against his tongue…
Tav rips her hand from his chest in horror and severs the connection. She stumbles back a few steps, stammering, and she can feel her entire body pulsing with desire and embarrassment. Gale remains kneeling, staring at her with his mouth agape, eyes wider and darker than she has ever seen them.
“I’m… fuck, I’m so so sorry,” She stammers. “I didn’t mean for you to… I didn’t think you could… it was just a dream I had, I’m sorry!”
She turns tail and practically sprints away, face scorching. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
She makes it all the way to the campfire where Astarion and Shadowheart are lounging, both staring at her now with their eyes narrowed, waiting for her to tell them what the fuss is about. She begins to faux-casually bid them goodnight when Astarion interrupts:
“Ah, no no no, darling. You’re going to tell us what the hell you came scurrying away from our resident wizard for, with your blood pumping so deliciously.”
“Yes, Tav, please!” Shadowheart grins. “Gale just went into his tent like he’d seen a ghost! There’s clearly some gossip here that I’m desperate for!”
Tav stares at her two friends for a second, before her shoulders sag in defeat. What’s one more embarrassment? She slumps down and tells them the whole story, only a bit annoyed that they already seemed painfully aware of her burgeoning attraction to Gale of Waterdeep.
“Well of course,” Astarion drawls. “The way you look at him is similar to the way I look at a particularly energetic boar! Darling, he may be well read but the man is clearly a dunce if he hasn’t noticed your staring after him and swooning by now.”
“Alright, alright, shut it – I’m only telling you both this for emotional support, and neither of you are being helpful right now!”
She finishes her tale, leaving out the specific details of what Gale had seen in her mind (“But my dear, how can we offer advice if you don’t tell us the full details!” Astarion had protested, eyes shining wickedly with glee), and finally falls silent, looking at them both balefully.
“So… just to clarify:” Shadowheart says, “You didn’t want to proposition Gale because you were worried of scaring him away, or ruining your friendship, so instead you gave him almost a full demonstration of exactly how you want him to eat you out?”
“…yes. I guess that’s accurate.”
They stare at each other for a second in silence, before all three of them burst into cackling laughter, Tav so overwhelmed with the absurdity of the situation that she almost doesn’t feel embarrassed anymore.
Eventually, she stands.
“Okay, that’s more than enough for one evening, I’m going to…go hold a pillow over my face so I don’t wake up in the morning, I guess.”
She walks away to her tent, leaving the other two still in howls of mirth.
“Try not to have any more dreams you wouldn’t want the rest of us seeing darling!” Astarion crows after her.
Horrendous as it was to tell them, Tav’s heart feels a bit lighter at having shared, and laughed about the situation with her friends. As a bard, she could always appreciate a good story, even when it was at her own expense.
She crawls into her bedroll, mind turning to Gale. His tent was far too far away from the campfire to have heard the conversation, thank the gods, but she was worried that he hadn’t emerged since she’d left him there. She hadn’t even given him the chance to speak. Her cheeks flushed again as she thought of the prospect of seeing him tomorrow.
She desperately hopes that he wasn’t made too uncomfortable by the vision, she would feel awful having made someone feel like she only saw them as a piece of meat.
She would have to apologise properly, take him aside while the others were eating breakfast, and tell him that it had just been a silly dream she’d had, and that there was no need for this to get in the way of their friendship.
She tosses and turns that night, waking often, dreaming of deep, intense, dark eyes.
--
In the morning, she puts her leather armour on quickly. She wants to get this smoothed out before they all set out again for the ‘Blighted Village’ they had been heading towards for a tenday now. Leaving her tent, she sees Gale sat at the campfire, brows furrowed, putting some meagre breakfast together for everyone. Hurrying over to him, she calls out his name:
“Gale!”
He looks round, meets her eye, and springs out of his seat.
“Tav, I was hoping we could-“
“Could we have a chat, I want to-“
They both smile sheepishly at each other, and Gale gestures for her to sit down next to him.
Tav jumps in before he can start again.
“Gale, I want to sincerely apologise for last night. I had a silly dream, I didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable, and I’m so so sorry if I have. Please believe me when I say it was just a silly one off – I value our friendship and would never want anything to get in the way of that.”
She hopes her expertise in persuasion and performance skills are enough to throw him off the scent of how much she’s downplaying the strength of her attraction.
He looks at her for a second with an expression she can’t quite place before beginning.
“I see… I was going to… Tav: You would never make me feel uncomfortable. I’m sorry if my reaction wasn’t ideal, I was in a bit of shock. Please don’t feel embarrassed, if it was just a one off like you say, we can forget it ever happened, if that’s what you’d like.”
Her whole body relaxes with relief.
“Thank you, Gale, I really appreciate that. I’ll finish making breakfast for everyone if you’d like?”
“No no, please – I enjoy the ritual, you carry on. I’m already packed up for the journey ahead anyway.”
She gives him one last smile, then rises and begins putting together her pack. The others start to rise, and the camp becomes a hive of activity as the party readies themselves.
Tav can’t help but notice that Gale’s eyes linger on her more than usual, but she pushes any possible untoward thought to the back of her mind. He is clearly keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t come too close.
Shadowheart and Astarion, thankfully, don’t say anything, but both seem to be in higher spirits than usual. Tav can’t blame them, if this had happened to one of them instead of her, she would absolutely be taking the piss as much as possible.
--
The group head out west, and Tav does her best to avoid walking in line with Gale. Yes, they’d talked it out, but she was hyper aware now of not letting him see or perceive anything he shouldn’t in her demeanour around him. When they finally stop for a midday meal, she positions herself on the opposite side from him of the rough circle they’d all sat themselves in.
Unfortunately, this ends up leaving multiple opportunities for unintended eye contact. Every time his dark eyes meet hers, her stomach flips as she unwittingly remembers the fantasy he’s seen, how he knows she wants him to make her fall apart. He knows exactly how she wants him to make her fall apart. She feels herself starting to blush as heat tingles from her lower stomach to between her thighs. Looking up from her food, she once more locks eyes with Gale, but this time…he holds her gaze, staring back at her with an intensity that has her squeezing her thighs together before she’s realised what she’s doing. His eyes flick down to her legs, and her face burns as she knows he noticed. She sees a hint of red creep up from the orb at his chest.
That fucking orb. Never mind the possibility of total destruction of the sword coast he’d told her about last night in his tale, if that fucking orb didn’t exist, she wouldn’t be in this horrendous situation now. Which is the real tragedy here. Of course.
She leaps out of her seat to distract herself, pulling out her lute that never leaves her side, and calls round for a song request to rouse the group before they must head off again. She indulges the requests for “Old Time Battles”, and before long everyone is singing along, any intense eye contact forgotten for the moment.
--
It’s later in the afternoon, on the road again, when the inevitable happens. Tav has idled to the back of the group, lost in thought, trying to figure out the lyrics to a new song she’s composing. She’s running through potential rhymes for “Goblin Arse” when she realises Gale has fallen into step beside her. The rest of the party are far ahead on the path, and Tav swallows. Looking to the wizard by her side, she sees his gaze is fixed on the party ahead.
“I wanted to speak to you. I’ve been wanting to speak to you all day.” His words are measured, his voice low and steady.
Tav swallows again. “Oh really?” She feigns brightness. “What about?”
His eyes flick over to her, then back to the path.
“You said…what I saw last night, you said that was a one off? A silly dream, I think was the phrase?”
Tav’s mouth goes dry, and her stomach flips. Fuck.
“Yep, just a one off. You know how these things go!”
How do these things go? What does that even mean? How does WHAT go??
“Is that true?”
“Is what true?”
“Is it true it was a one off?”
“Is it true what was a one off?”
“Tav!”
But he’s laughing. He’s not going to let her shit-talk her way out of this conversation, but at least she’s made him laugh.
They fall into a comfortable silence for a second, her thinking, him allowing her time to think. He already knows the answer, she knows he knows by the way he looked at her over lunch, he knows she knows he knows so… what’s the point?
She sighs.
“No, it wasn’t a one off. It wasn’t even one of the dreams, if we’re being honest, it was just something that popped into my mind when you knelt down.”
Glancing over at him, she sees his gaze once again fixed on their friends on the road. She can see a pretty pink flush peeking over the top of his collar.
“I had no idea you thought about me like that.”
“I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, I never intended you to see that… obviously.”
Silence for another second.
“I told you before, it didn’t. If anything… oh fuck this.”
Quite a few things happen at once, then. Tav’s stomach lurches at his change in tone, Gale stops walking, grabs her arm, and whirls her round to face him.
The voices of the rest of the party get quieter and quieter as they stand there, staring at each other. Tav feels like her heart could beat right out of her chest, and she can see Gale’s chest rising and falling heavily too. His eyes are locked on hers, and he steps closer, crowding her personal space. Their faces are inches apart.
“What is it you want, Tav?”
“I… what do you mean? I don’t know.”
Her brain feels foggy and thick, the intensity of his stare is making coils of heat start to form in her lower belly.
“What. Is. It. You. Want?”
He is whispering now, his nose almost touching hers. She feels like she can’t breathe.
Fuck this. It’s now or never.
“I thought it was quite clear what I want, wouldn’t you say?” She leans in slowly to close the gap between them, ghosting her lips over his, not quite kissing. Both want the other the break first. Her breath stutters as his hand brushes up her arm, fingers trailing over her collarbone, leaving a line of fire as he goes.
“What you showed me,” he whispers. “I couldn’t get it out of my head. I’ve pictured you… like that, for weeks, and then you go and show me what you did?”
She gasps into his mouth, reeling at his admittance. Her lips find his, gently, finally. At this tender touch, something seems to come over Gale, the dam seems to burst. He growls, both of his hands find her hips, and he walks her backwards till her back hits one of the large trees on the side of the path. He kisses her back then, with passion. Her mouth falls open to invite him to deepen the kiss, and she mewls desperately into him as his tongue finds hers. Her hands are scrambling for any purchase, running over his chest, up his back, his neck, into his hair. His body is pressed against hers. She can feel the wetness between her legs as he groans into her mouth, a beautiful sound she knows she will remember as long as she lives.
They stop only at the last second, as they are about to run out of air, and he stumbles back, panting. His eyes look even darker than usual, somehow.
“I’m sorry, I… forgot myself a bit there.”
“Do you want to forget yourself again?”
He laughs lowly at that, looking at her with another expression that she can’t seem to place.
“Tav… I need to tell you something else about the orb. To be honest, I didn’t think it would come up, but seeing as,” he gestures at her, still up against the tree, still panting, hair ruined. “Well, seeing as this has happened, I think I need to give a bit more details.”
Tav looks back at him, trying to read his face. This doesn’t feel like it’s going to be good.
“The power within me is volatile. Unstable and awesome.”
Tav opens her mouth to make a bawdy joke about how much she hoped so, but it dies in her throat as she saw how serious he is.
“Any… excitement could be fatal.” A flush creeps up his cheeks as he looks down at the ground. “I can’t… do the things with you I would like to do, lest the control I have over the orb disintegrates at the moment of… moments.”
As funny as Tav would usually find Gale’s uncharacteristic lack of verbosity, the context meant that no witty comment was forthcoming.
“Gale, I just want to make sure I’m understanding. Are you saying you can’t have an orgasm, or you might literally die?”
Gale looks up at her sadly, and nods.
“How long did you say you’ve had this orb within you?”
“Over a year.”
“Gale… you haven’t had an orgasm in over a year?”
He nods again.
“Forgive me… how have you managed?”
At this, he gives her a wry smile.
“I have exceptional self-control. Present company excepted; it seems. Plus, I can conjure a bucket of ice whenever I need to. Which also helps.”
They both laugh at this, but Tav feels disappointment and sadness twist in her heart. Poor Gale. And poor me. She thinks, selfishly.
Gale is looking up the road now after their companions, they are completely lost from sight.
“Come on, we should catch up with the others.”
And so they do.