Astarion x GN!Reader | Short Story

Part 1

Prompt: You notice the vampire perched up on a tree by the river, flipping through a book in his hands. Without watching your step, a branch cracks underneath your boot and his head snaps back to your location.

"Oh, it's you. Are you so bored with the rest of our mutual company that you decided to stalk me?" There's a venom to his tone, agitated from being disturbed, but he's made no further movements to suggest hostility - if anything, it seems like he's trying to rile you up for some friendly banter.

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You flinch slightly at the sound of the branch cracking under your foot. 

"Ha" I laugh, "no, I came to train quickly" you say, gesturing to the bow in your hand as you continue walking and stop a few feet from the tree Astarion was sitting in. 

"I didn't realise you'd be here" you add, craning your neck to speak. 

He was sat, legs stretched out along a thick branch, leaning forward slightly as he spoke.

"Oh, you didn't come here looking for me. Of course not, nobody would ever want anything from me besides some cheap thrill." He leans back in the tree.

"Now, are you here to practice archery or to flirt?" he asks, still keeping that sardonic edge.

Your expression flashes from polite to dumbfounded, taken aback by the sheer audacity. "If you think I'm flirting with you, you need a reality check" you quip, irritated by his tone. 

"Shut up and read your book" you add, turning away from him to face a thick tree some 30 meters away. You had carved a rough target into its rugged bark earlier.

"Ooh, did I hit a nerve?" Astarion asks, in that tone that suggests he has done exactly that. "How adorable. You know, I'm not that bad."

"At least, not all the time. Maybe a quarter of the time." He laughs. "But you know what they say, all attention is good attention."

You huff a laugh, humming absentmindedly at his response but otherwise ignoring him. You reach into your back quiver for an arrow and nock it on the bowstring before looking back towards the target tree.

Astarion lets out a sharp whistle, the kind you use to get somebody's attention, with that edge of condescension you'd expect from a vampire.

"Oh, look at you," he teases, "being so focused". He shifts his position a little bit, leaning back against the tree while he reads, as if he had never been disturbed.

"It's almost like you're flirting with me." He snickers.

"Shut. Up." you mumble, getting into position. It takes everything in you not to whip around and aim the arrow at him, the arrogant bastard.

You draw the bow, aim, and release the string. A satisfying thud indicates it's hit the target, and closer inspection shows its hit just below centre. Not bad you think, reaching for another arrow.

"Good shot," he admits, after your bowstring has stopped vibrating. "You know your way around a bow. How long have you been training with such weapons?"

"A few years" you answer, as you nock another arrow and aim at the target. You steady your breathing before releasing, watching it hit the target next to your previous arrow. 

"So far it's just the bow I can use... I want to get skilled at this before I learn with any other weapons" you explain, deciding to entertain his conversation - it makes a change from his usual snide comments.