faderift | [CLOSED] You hate my bad behavior

A wave of relief washed over Dante as the horde of undead seemed to melt back into the earth as though they'd never been. So, the demon was the epicenter of the disruption and taking it out had been the right call after all. Good, because he couldn't maintain his Devil Trigger much longer and feeling somewhat reassured at this point, he dropped the transformation.

He'd only used his Devil Trigger in distant, isolated training just to see what he could do here and it was a punishing experience. He was fighting for his own footing now doing his level best not to put his weight down on Astarion, but finding it unavoidable not to lean on him a little bit. Once he'd relinquished his power, he felt his entire body sag, he couldn't see it but his skin was ashen, the color drained from the amount of blood required to fuel the ability.

That was new.

There were unprovoked cuts all over his body and each one percolating with his blood, power in exchange for pain. Power for a price.

Vergil would hate it...granted Dante wasn't having much fun to be entirely fair. He was also dealing with an arrowhead lodged in his shoulder and anticipating the good time he'd have digging that out unless he could sweettalk Astarion into doing it for him. Something to sort out later. Immediate-to-soon, or before he passed out completely.

"Yeah?" Dante said, the lingering visteges of humor on the edge of his voice as he looked at Astarion the a curtain of silver hair matted to his face, "I love a good wake-up bitch slap, it's kinky."

Jutting contours melt away into battered skin and tacky fabric, and where Dante tries to keep from dropping his weight entirely against Astarion, Astarion himself is more than content to reach high and drag the wearied man forward, using that shift as a means to wrap his arm beneath Dante's own around the curvature of his back, shouldering the whole of his exhaustion.

He is, if nothing else, shockingly strong.

Their footsteps back inside are slow, Astarion's voice uniquely light.

"I somehow doubt that demon shared your affinity. A shame." Mild, almost distractingly so— which might very well be the point, given the care shown when he helps Dante ease down onto the bedroll he'd abandoned earlier.

"You two might've made a cute couple."

When drawn in to use Astarion as a crutch, Dante didn't fight it, it was foreign to be the one leaning on someone else and it's been a long time since he's had to rely on anyone in this way. Going with it He curls an arm around Astarion's shoulders as they hobble their way back to the shanty and while he doesn't deliberately bear down on his companion, he's still surprised that Astarion could shoulder him all the way...but thinking back on it he'd picked up the Sparda and lobbed it in Dante's direction and he hld his own in close combat for an impressive amount of time.

Astarion was deceptively strong, and Dante was, decidedly, impressed.

"My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. First the mop, then ass-face, my love life is cursed," Dante attempted to match the tone of the conversation but his voice was strained, and every gesture took monumental effort, even though he was being guided. Laying down, however, was something he did easily enough finally releasing his sword and letting it fall to the floor with a thud.

Now that he was still the injuries were more vibrant to him than they were when his adrenaline was still pumping through him and he was more concerned about their survival, but it brough him back to the arrow. His transformation had snapped the body of it off and left the head inside of his shoulder. It wouldn't heal effectively if left alone, "ah...speaking of kinky, I need to ask a favor...well guess there's no way to gracefully ask someone to go digging around their injuries to pull out an arrowhead. Do you mind?"

He's so graceful.

"Well. Since you asked nicely." Astarion gently huffs, a breathy noise only vaguely related to something of a laugh. He's busy looking over those injuries with his eyes as much as his own hands, noting the deepest, the most likely to fester before they have a chance to mend naturally by way of Dante's own regeneration, or a visit to a healer.

At last he settles on the gash in Dante's shoulder, studying it for a lengthy, drawn-out beat.

And then he pulls out one of his own glassy daggers, tucking it between sharp teeth while plucking up the alcohol from the night before, still half-laid on its side by cooling embers: the blade's washed first, bathed in a splash of spirits until its edge is clear and slick. The fact that he opts to straddle Dante is a practical choice, despite— well, despite Astarion being precisely who he is.

Without a roaring fire, the house is dark, even to Astarion's hawkish eyes. The more leverage he has, the more access to the wound, the clearer his line of sight, the better this will go.

More importantly, the less painful it will be overall.

The blade hovers in midair as Astarion leans in, voice almost thready when he asks, "Should I get you something to bite down on, darling?"

Dante watched Astarion set about working a mixture of curiosity and appreciation etched into a face that clearly wanted little more than to fall asleep knowing there was still work to be done. He knew Astarion wasn't a healer, but he seemed to have some idea of what he was doing, more than Dante anyway who simply would have gone ham with a knife until he managed to dig the thing out. If the injury had been in a better place, somewhere he could actually see what he was doing, he might have done it. Probably best all-around that this was a shoulder wound, and it was Astarion's clever fingers doing the work rather than his own shovel hands.

When Astarion straddles him, Dante didn't think anything of it, who he is or what that entailed has very little bearing on the favor that's being done for the half-demon currently. It might not be a big deal but taking someone's help especially when he's injured is a huge ask for Dante and while the view is nothing to complain about the service being granted to him is worthy of the respect it is owed.

When the subject of biting down on something came up, Dante considered that for a moment, it was probably a good idea, better than potentially biting down on his tongue...always a possibility.

"Pretty please?" Hey, he's asking nicely, but he's also looking around for something that would be suitable his eyes dropping to his waist. Belt, he has one of those, it's not currently buckled so he moves with his uninjured side to attempt to yank it free, "this should work, right?"

“So long as you don’t somehow have the natural jaw strength of a dire tiger.” Astarion murmurs absently, not bothering to look as Dante does what he has to for the sake of precaution; he’s still studying the injury, relieved it hasn’t begun closing yet.

It’d only make this worse, after all.

Blade flat against the outer edge of the wound, Astarion uses it as a guideline to sink the flattened tip of his dagger in deep, waiting until he feels harsh weight scrape along its side when shifting it, rather than the open give of flesh. Blood wells, strong enough to dilate his eyes on instinct—

But he doesn’t need it anymore. The lack of craving doing wonders to keep the whole of him focused on the task at hand.

His mind stays clear when he twists the knife, forcing an opening broad enough for his own fingertips to slip just inside, easily catching the brittle end of that arrow— and pulling it free with a single, fluid motion. Yanking against the grain to keep it from slipping.

He only exhales when it’s done. When he can set to work flushing the wound with a dash more alcohol, cloth quickly pressed down to stem any livid bleeding in the aftermath.

“There— it’s over. You’re all right.”

The way he says it, it isn’t teasing. Or joking. Just...low. Sincere, as much as it is hushed.

"Well, I like this belt so let's hope not," and because he liked it that Dante folded it with the interior of the belt taking the belt taking the damage should his bite become aggressive. It was pain, he's endured worse, but he's also not as durable as he once was, he felt closer to his humanity that way, but it did have its disadvantages.

Fortunately for the both of them this place was inconsistent when it came to his healing factor, small injuries Dante noticed could mend quite easily, multiple small injuries took longer to heal, and he suspected that the worse the injury was the longer it would take to heal. The shoulder injury compounded with other small injuries and the penalty of his Devil Trigger had taken its toll on Dante's ability to heal himself.

He would require more time than he had when they experimented with the knife in the tavern.

He inhaled, trying to keep his breathing even, telling himself he needed nothing more than to endure it, that it was pain and pain would pass, that there were worse things. That didn't stop him from throwing his head back and unleashing his displeasure in howl that was choked by the belt he was bearing down on. Blood quickly became mingled with sweat as the moments ticked down too slowly for Dante's liking even though he knew Astarion was doing his best. It took every ounce of what he had left not to move a single muscle even though raw nerves and exposed tissue were searing from the incision of the blade.

It was hardly more pleasant when Astarion's fingers penetrated his shoulder to retrieve the arrowhead eliciting another noise that was part shock and something very raw and guttural. There was a mild sensation of relief when it was over only to feel the shock of pain once again as the wound was cleaned with alcohol. If he'd been burned worse by anything else in his life, he had no memory of it but apparently, he was too exhausted from fighting, pain, and the struggle not to move a muscle that his only protestation was a tired groan while Astarion administered the final touches.

Finally, it's just breathing, slow breathing, body collapsed and muscles finally loosening now that he could move without causing more damage. He looked up at Astarion blinking owlishly as if trying to clear the fog brought on by the livewire of pain.

"Thank you," his voice is hoarse and brittle, but he manages enough strength to find it, and enough strength to reach up and smooth Astarion's hair out of his face before letting his hand drop back to his side, "and if I forget to tell you later, you're first-class."

He's punch-drunk for sure, but he can manage the compliment before unconsciousness overwhelms him, Astarion's earned that much.

Rough fingers brush the curls from his face, pressing them aside with care, and Astarion in turn...freezes. Goes utterly still in the seconds between its start and Dante's own withdrawal, red eyes gone slightly wide, as though waiting for something to sour. Or sharpen. Or—

Funny, that for all his wicked games when it comes to touch and teasing, it's those genuine offerings that overwhelm.

But once refocused, binding the wound is a tedious process, particularly with the supplies they have on hand. Sparing, to say the least; the mission was meant to be far simpler a thing in theory than in practice, and once Dante slips away into slumber, Astarion finishes the lengthier process of wrapping it— alongside any other deeper injuries— before rising to (first) retrieve Dante’s battered jacket from where he’d been forced to shed it in the fight, pressing on in search of that lost cargo.

When he finds it, he wastes no time in sinking it deep into the mire by force, rescuing only a few scraps of recognizably patterned cloth beforehand (and ensuring they’re dirtied enough to be rendered nigh unusable).

It doesn’t feel as satisfying as he’d hoped, his sabotage. And not because it comes easily. Just—

He doesn’t know.

It can’t be guilt, but maybe— maybe just a touch of something bordering on thinking it a shame that Dante had fought so hard for something he’s now decisively undone. But the world is cruel, and life is unfair, and if nothing else they’ve slain the demon plaguing this stretch, acquiring proof of effort in the process. It’s not as if they’ll be going home empty-handed, after all.

When he returns, he tucks the ruined fabric within their pack, and lays Dante’s coat overtop of him. A stand in for a blanket when they have none.

Like so much else, it’s not the worst substitute.

The disbelief on his companion's face is the last thing etched into mind before Dante slips into unconsciousness. He's out before Astarion even begins dressing his wounds, his body slipping into full recovery mode, sleep being the greatest healer but also the most time consuming. For Astarion that was likely a blessing in disguise, it would give him all the time he needed to sink the cargo and then some.

Blissfully unaware, he wouldn't know what to mage of the sabotage if it was a factor in his mind, considering they'd come all this way for it together. Sticking it to the man? Upset that their lives had been endangered because of some paltry items they'd only be getting scraps off of? The reality was that Dante could sympathize with the sentiment and a part of him ached at Astarion being out here so close to getting hurt because of his own stubborn and competitive nature. Dante's self-awareness was the reason he often worked alone, he didn't even like the thought of bringing Trish or Lady with him on missions and they were the most badass women he knew.

He cared too much, and he'd lost to much in front of his own eyes to put himself through it.

Fortunately, his thoughts were plagued by nothing, just emptiness a black void of nothing for an extended period of time that the half-demon couldn't even begin to wonder at. It was probably the best kind of healing sleep, within hours the smaller injuries had closed, stitching themselves back together as though they'd never been there. Like perfectly polished alabaster, impervious and untouchable. The deeper wounds took much longer to heal, was he there for a day, was he there longer, he didn't know, but when he finally opened his eyes those injuries, while not completely healed, were raw and pink and still ached.

It was enough to move, to stretch his arms and scrub his face and finally roll himself up into a sitting position. He wasn't fully aware of where he was, if he was alone or not, he was aware of the weight of his jacket falling into his lap, the heavy, well-worn material as faithful to him as it had ever been, "damn...how long have I been out..."

Spoken mostly to himself.

“Long enough that I had to check to make sure you weren’t dead on more than one occasion.” Astarion hums with a mellow sort of cheer. The kind that chases an exceedingly long day— or in this case, a particularly long stretch of them.

From where he’s settled at Dante’s side, Astarion lifts one hand to pat gently along the midpoint of that coat where it rests across his ribs. Good morning.

Well. Good morning despite the hour, which— between a lit fire and the dismal blanketing of pitch-dark rain outside, seems to indicate it’s the dead of night.

“Feeling better?”

It was Dante's turn to be surprised, that Astarion had kept watch over him for this long, that he'd stayed was really more than anyone could ask. It's more than what Dante would have asked, there were a dozen other things Astarion could have done that didn't involve tending to a temporarily comatose Dante.

"My hero. I'd be lost without you," it was meant to be playful, but the reality of it wasn't too far off. There was appreciation there as well and an understanding that Astarion must have been on guard and doing the lion's share of the work to tend to the fire and make sure they weren't disturbed by anything untoward.

"Much better and all I needed was a nap," hooking an arm around Astarion's shoulder he dragged him in for a playful head nudge before pulling back with a pat to the shoulder that expressed his gratitude, "I owe you one."

Of course, how he'd repay the debt was another question entirely and one he could square up another day.

"Have you slept at all; you look a little beat?"

That grasp (and its accompanying rough-edged, affectionate scuff) earns a faint hiss from Astarion, who wasn’t ever really built for such adoring, teasing engagements— though it’s all bark and no literal bite, given that he doesn’t do anything more than huff and snarl. Quick to bloom, quicker to vanish.

“You do owe me,” he presses, the words easily mistaken for humor if it wasn’t Astarion himself breathing them.

Astarion, who’d been aided at a detrimental cost by the man at his side not one full day prior. Astarion, who just finished sabotaging those efforts without so much as a moment of hesitation.

And still, he tries to level the scales in his favor.

“But you’re right. I spent most of my time scouting for our missing cargo while you were out, trusting that with the threat removed you’d be more than safe.”

He reaches for the pack nearby, pulling out those patches of tattered cloth, and offering them to his own companion.

“...I’m afraid this is all that was left.”

Unfortunately for Astarion, Dante's playful affections were on the roughhousing side, something that tends to happen when growing up with a brother he'd spent most of his formative years playfighting with. A gentle head butting and a light cuffing around the shoulder was tender compared to what he'd grown up with, but it took time for Dante to learn his own strength and he managed it well when playing with others.

"Whatever you want," Dante began, pausing thoughtfully to consider before adding an addendum, "within reason."

He left it open, but not too open, even Dante's ability to redeem on favors was limited especially if satisfaction was meant to be immediate. Why he felt the need to owe anyone anything was something deeply rooted into his conscience and his own peculiar code of honor. If he felt a debt was great enough then there was never really an end to the repayment maybe it was a flaw on his part, but he didn't see it that way as long as he had what he needed then he wanted very little else.

When the subject shifted to their objective Dante took the tattered cloth from Astarion, turning it over in his hands. His expression was unfathomable and for several moments he just looked at the cloth as though it had any capacity to tell him anything, it didn't, so he just exhaled, it was a dispirited sound verging on just a touch of frustration.

"All that for nothing huh?" He moved from his spot to stand his coat pooling on the floor along with anything else not attached to him. As for the fabric, he dropped it unceremoniously onto the pack, "well I guess there's nothing for it, is what it is."

He grabbed his shirt it was still hanging near the fire, warm, and stuffed himself into it heedless of his own state, but there didn't seem to be any pain. He couldn't quite look at Astarion, not for the moment anyway, the guilt he felt for being out here and the danger Astarion had been in etching its way into the trusty old Dante conscience.

Once he was mostly put together, he wound his way back to his companion, snatching up his coat to wrap around the other man he managed to half-way find his gaze, "we'll leave in the morning so get some rest."

“Not going back to sleep?” He asks, studying Dante’s silhouette as it slips beneath the surface of his shirt.

As the man refuses to face him directly, even as that coat settles heavily across his shoulders. So deliberate a choice, that Astarion can’t stop the rise of welling—

Something.

Something he can’t quite place.

"Heh not sure I could sleep anymore even if I wanted to," Dante did sit back down scooting up against a wall for support, it seemed stable enough, "besides, it's your turn to take a break and my turn to keep watch."

More than true considering Astarion offered to keep watch first beore the storm of undead, granted he dozed off but that didn't change the fact. Coupled with him doing more than his share of work when Dante had been out of commission. That didn't include tending to his injuries and finding the cargo or lack thereof.

"Hey," he gave Astarion a gentle nudge, "I'm not going anywhere so if you want...well I'm not exactly pillowy, but it's better than nothing."

Dante was offering his uninjured side to Astarion if he wanted to rest against something that wasn't the tarped floor.

It'll keep him here, he thinks. The first notion that comes slithering to mind in the moments between Dante's offer and the subsequent nudge that chases it. Because if Dante decides to press further out into the mire, inhuman as he is, Astarion wonders if there might be some trace to be picked up on. The supplies would still be ruined of course, but what of scent? Footprints? What if, despite the ease of his entire appearance, he managed to unravel Astarion's act?

Disappointment, maybe. Or...nothing. At times there seems to be so little capable of fazing him.

Still, though, the thought twists in the back of Astarion's skull, uncomfortable. He doesn't want it, the possibility of transparency in this deception, tame or not.

So he sinks without hesitation into that offer, winding near and close like a wounded animal seeking out warmth. Comfort. Heavy in his posture, arms curling around Dante's own, fingers twisting in thin fabric. A slow, docile descent into rest, anchored by contact. The scent of lilac oil clinging just as much.

"You'll do just fine," Astarion promises, his eyes shut. Breathing slowed with each passing second.

"So long as you stay."

Making room as Astarion curled up at his side Dante took note of all of the things he already knew about him but stood out in stark contrast anyway Dante ran warmer than normal and Astarion naturally ran a bit cooler than most. It was probably due to the riddle of his being, but the half-demon was no less inclined to bundle him closer anyway. He detected the scent of something floral, though Dante was not up to specs on his ability to scent out different kinds of flora. This amused him for a few moments because how this scent could still cling to him after everything else...well it wasn't a complain...it was almost soothing.

"I promise, I'm not going anywhere," he murmured as Astarion began drifting off and while he might have been mildly curious about the site of the cargo, it wasn't enough to break his promise or to leave Astarion without his protection. True they defeated a demon prowling the area and there'd been no corpses shambling about sense, but it was also about repaying Astarion for taking care of his injuries and for the danger he'd been in. So here he remained wide awake and still entertaining his thoughts with every bit of vampire lore, both good and bad, he could think of while every now and then reaching over to stoke the fire or checking on Astarion.

It used to be that sleep was restorative. Necessary. More of a ritual than something truly restful. Here in Thedas, gnawed at by paranoia and nightmare as part of his own regular nightly routine, it’s far more difficult for him to find it in any substantial amount. But relaxed and unspokenly exhausted at present, Astarion doesn’t seem plagued by much of anything, strangely enough. No twitching, no snapping or snarling, only deep drawn breaths and lowered defenses.

Of course for Dante, who hasn’t been party to the vampire’s alternative sleep patterns, it likely just seems normal.

When he wakes, he truly does feel better. Free of pent-up strain, body heavier for warmth— even the bitter resentment he’s nursed along like wine is duller now. Something he’ll have to press himself to stoke later, when urging maliciousness wells the way it always inevitably does.

Having slipped down closer to Dante’s lap, his eyes chase the tarps overhead, meandering for a silent beat. Two.

“....how long was I...”

It wasn't the most entertainment he's had in his life, but Dante managed to stay rooted the entire time Astarion was asleep. Once he'd fallen into a deep sleep it was less about keeping himself physically occupied a more about keeping himself mentally occupied than physically occupied and there was very little mental stimulation to be had. He would even read a book right now if he'd had the access to one, but with enough fortitude he was able to maintain himself. There were no stars for him to count with the rain to hide them, no moon for him to watch roll across the sky to track the time.

At some point he took to observing Astarion, he might not have stars to count, but the man had a spattering of freckles? Beauty marks? Not very noticeable but if you had the time and the effort to stare at his face log and hard enough then you'd become acquainted with some of the features. He counted them and, worse yet, he named them, each and every one that he could see and that was a time-consuming task because he didn't have the best handle on naming anything let alone aspects of someone else that had no bearing on him whatsoever. Once he'd completed that task, he stroked Astarion's hair for a while listening to him breathe and watching him sink slowly into a more comfortable position. Dante shifted occasionally so they were both comfortable.

At some point after the sun had risen, he wasn't sure how long because the sky was still so dull and there was nothing to verify the time for him, Dante sang to himself, softly. He was often musically inclined but had no instruments on hand and certainly nothing that would be quite so controlled or soothing. Somewhere during a mid-song, he felt Astarion stir and open his eyes and Dante didn't move him letting Astarion sit up when he was ready to.

"Mmmm? You slept throughout the night and the sun came up a while ago...I think, it's hard to tell," Dante tilted his head back a bit looking through the cracks to see if he could gauge the situation outiside...daytime, that was all he could tell...late morning, early afternoon maybe, "feeling better?"

"Mmhm. Much." Concise, that confirmation. Mostly painted by drowsiness more than anything else, and chased by the back of his knuckles as they run slow over the span of one still-very-exhaustedly-dry eye, coaxing it back into focus along with the rest of him.

From there, he scrapes his nails back along his own scalp, attempting to right curls that— don't. Between the humidity and the heat, the mess of the last few days, there's no salvaging it in the slightest.

Fine.

He sits up in his own time. Stretches his spine with all the prolonged effort of a stirring cat.

"Didn't know you sang."

Once Astarion begins to move Dante takes that as his cue to push himself up onto his feet and stretch out his own unused muscles. He'd been idle for so long that his body was protesting against the very audacity of even moving, but he knew he couldn't stay on the floor either, not if they wanted to rendezvous and get back to report their mission.

He'll just have to choke on this loss.

"Yeah, I can croon out a tune when the mood strikes, I can dance, play musical instruments...it's expression and I guess I've always enjoyed the freedom of that kind of expression."

"Aren't you just full of surprises." Said as he slips onto his side, the stilling of rainfall outside drawing his attention.

A good omen.

"Once we get back, remind me to introduce you to some of our other resident bards, then." This, finally, manages to reach the usual level of lilting cheer that Astarion typically invokes. A sign he's shaken off the last throes of oddly blissful sleep, replacing it instead with a keen awareness of just how long this assignment's taken in total— prompting him to slowly begin scooping up the smallest amount of scattered supplies.

"I'm sure they'd appreciate another talent among their number. Though do mind the Orlesians, won't you? The term has its own meaning in their very tumultuous world."

"Hm, singing and dancing nobility right out of their unearned gains to fund a lifestyle for myself does sound appealing," muse a little harder why don't you? But it has occurred to him that he could use his other talents to his own benefit if he really wanted to.

"Benefits outweigh the risks, I hurt no one but myself, and I do enjoy it," he thought out loud as he began pulling down tarp and folding it up haphazardly.

"And what does bard mean to Orlesians? If it's too offensive then entertainer works for me as a title," he is that.

“Assassin. Spy. Informant.” He corrects mildly, working a grin over his own shoulder. “Musician still, in addition to the rest, but— definitely all of the above.”

A job that hardly seems to suit Dante, much as Astarion struggles to picture even the vaguest possibility of the man going undercover within gilded halls.

"Hmmm...let's see the last time I assassinated anyone it was a vicar giving a sermon in front of a pew full of people," it could be considered an assassination, even though there was very little ceremony or subtlety to it, "I was about as stealthy as a bull in an antique shop."

Crashing through windows and dropping down on a demon disguised as a holy man was hardly the stuff of assassins, spies, and informants, "I mean they could put me on the payroll if they want less orthodox."

But the reality was Dante would not be inclined to assassinate a person, he was already doing is best just to disable on the battlefield.

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cw: gross injury stuff

cw: we love to see it!

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