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Tav could feel the familiar tightness in her chest, like coiled chains were being pulled taught around her lungs. Their shared room at the Elfsong Tavern felt sweltering. The air felt heavy, like she couldn’t breathe it in no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes darted around amongst the warped sounds of all her companions. Their voices came to her muffled and distantly like her head was underwater. A layer of sweat formed on her skin, she could feel her palms get clammy and her camp shirt begin to stick to her back uncomfortably. Her heart raced along, while her stomach plummeted like the very ground beneath her would swallow her whole. Cramps in her stomach made her feel like she’d bring up lunch at any moment.
Looking around at the busy and very full “encampment” they’d set up on the top floor of the Tavern, she couldn’t help but feel worse. Minsc, Boo, and Wyll’s father had joined the camp just as Dame Aylin and Isobel had set off — nearly every bed was full and all of them needed something. They’d faced Orin and had two of the Netherstones in hand. She couldn’t help but be keenly aware that they were closer than ever to facing Gortash and the Elder Brain. Truthfully, she’d never been more scared in her life but her companions needed her to be strong.
Then something hit her. That last thought stretched too long, like time had slowed to a halt. Suddenly the entire room swam before her eyes. It was all wrong. Before she knew it, the floor had rushed up to meet her body — hard.
While she’d thought she had been standing just a moment before, she came to again on the ground looking at the ceiling and a crowd of familiar faces above her.
She groaned.
“Out. Out. All of you out. Now.” Came the commanding tone of the recent and only bright spot in her life, the mountain of an elf and Archdruid, Halsin. He was kneeling next to where she’d landed on the ground, checking her over for injury.
“Go spend the night at the circus or in the tavern. It’s a big city and Tav needs rest,” He added to the retreating backs of their camp companions as they filed out the doors. She could have sworn she heard some grumbles of discontent but in short order the room had emptied and fallen silent.
“Unsurprising,” She thought to herself. While the face that looked her over was full of love and concern, no one in their right mind would mess with the bear that lurked just beneath his handsome exterior.
Her limbs felt heavy, like she couldn’t move and a fresh jolt of pungent fear ran through her. Tears filled her eyes immediately, her breath tight in her chest once more.
“My heart, you’re having a panic attack,” Halsin says as he reaches out for her but he stops just before he gets too close.
“If you’ll allow me, I’d like to help soothe you but I’d like your permission to touch you Tav, only if you’re comfortable,” He whispers gently to her. His words don’t necessarily ease the panic but they allow her mind to latch on to one important fact — she is not alone.
“Please,” comes her murmur as the tears start their run down her face. She can feel how they slow and change course on her cheek, around a new scar — one of many.
“First a quick healing spell to ease the physical wounds from your fall, heart,” He says as his hands run over her gently, finding and soothing what he can. Silent tears continue to run down the sides of her face and to the ground she finds herself laying on.
Once he’s applied his healing magic, he gently scoops her up from the ground with ease and deposits her on an empty bed by a window. He throws open the shutters to allow the breeze to waft in. The calming smells of lavender and chamomile soothe the frayed edges of her mind. She could swear he’s used some unknown Druidic magic to make the air sweeter — for the city air of Baldur’s Gate had never relieved her so.
He stays with her and walks her through meditations to ease her panic. The minutes stretch on and after some time she feels the panic ebb away, like a storm that finally loses strength when it comes ashore. The calming circles he rubs on her back while she lays in the fetal position in bed and the soothing sounds he makes help to ground her during the worst of it. She finds a deeper love for this man even in this darkness, he is a blessing.
Eventually, a dreamless sleep claims her. It’s a welcome respite from the nightmares she’s been experiencing lately.
After a few hours she jolts awake in bed. Confused and bleary eyed, she looks around in a flurry of movement to find Halsin relaxing on the ground next to her bed.
“I’m right here, Tav. You’re not alone” He says in a dulcet tone that never fails to warm her.
She nods, orienting herself to the world around her once more. The nap helped wonders but she still feels weighed down, still a just a little anxious from before. Her eyes take in every part of the Druid while avoiding eye contact. One thing is for sure, she’s not ready to talk about it all. Not yet.
“You don’t have to talk about it right now, or even to me, my heart,” He said as if he’d read her mind, “But you do need to talk about it eventually.”
Her eyes snap to his and she nods, giving her bottom lip a bite.
“Having established that, I’ll ask, would you like to talk about it?” He says as he reaches up and runs a hand over hers in a soothing way that still manages to make her skin heat with desire.
She shakes her head no.
“Not yet.” She says softly. His face is warm and kind in response. Be it magic or madness, the smile he gives her chases away some of her anxieties. Like his presence is a guide in the darkness. Then her eyes are roaming his form again, taking in the way he’s stretched out on the rug next to the bed. His muscular chest is broad and bare, it rises and falls slightly with each breath he takes.
She chides herself for the need she feels creep up inside her. They hadn’t had time to be alone together since their first night in the woods just a few weeks ago. Sure, they’d stolen kisses and moments together since, but as the pressures and stresses around them had mounted those had become fewer. Heat flushes her face when she lifts her eyes to meet his once more. In them she finds devotion and a hint of desire she wants to seize upon.
Gently, she lowers herself off the bed to straddle his waist. His hands immediately grab her thighs — ever so softly.
“What would you like to do then?” He asks with a faux innocence that consumes her. In response she gently grinds herself on him and drinks in the little growl she can feel rumble in his chest.
“There are other ways to relieve stress” Tav says as she places both hands on his broad chest and lowers her face down to his.
“Are you sure?” He asks with a look in her eye.
She nods, her heart is too full for words that the gods have delivered this man before her.
With her consent given, she finds herself on her back on the floor once more. This time Halsin is above her and kneeling between her legs, he leans down to claim her lips in a deep kiss. One of his hands holds her face, the other is placed next to her head for support. Her back arches into the kiss as she reaches up to wrap her arms around the back of his neck to pull him closer.
She can feel him half-hard already as he grinds against her core. She moans into his mouth as his tongue explores hers. Their kisses grow sloppier as their desperation for each other becomes clear. Pants and moans fill the air as he works off her camp clothes, leaving her bare beneath him. He breaks away only to sit back on his knees to take her in for a moment.
She looked up at him through her eyelashes. The cool air from the window left her skin sensitive and her nipples peaked. Her body and mind consumed with need, she rubs her thighs together for friction.
“You are a wonder of nature, Oakfather be praised, you are perfection, Tav” His eyes had been devouring her naked body but snapped up to hers when he said her name.
“I need you, Halsin, please,” she says in response, leaving so many words unspoken. She wants to say how much she loves him and that one of the things that scares her most is the potential to lose him. While they had only known each other a few short months, he had quickly become one of the most important people in her life. He was kind and loving. Her heart felt safe in his embrace, all of her felt safe with him.
She pushes the fear down for later when she knows she’ll tell Halsin everything. For right now she just wants to be present in the moment with him, to cherish him.
She sits up and begins to untie his leathers, all the while maintaining eye contact. His eyes are blown wide with lust now and she doesn’t need a mirror to know she looks the same. He reaches down and strokes her hair. Only breaking eye contact when his hard cock springs out as she frees it. Heavy and thick, it never fails to amaze her just how… proportional… he is. She pushes his leathers down and he helps her get them off.
Her eyes dart back to his as she licks a stripe up his shaft without warning. The hand stroking her hair tightens into a firmer grasp. The look of adoration and pleasure on his face combined with the groan he makes travel straight to her core, she is already so wet for him. She takes his entire head in her mouth with a hum of joy, relaxing her jaw into the stretch.
“I should be relieving your stress,” He manages to force out. She pulls off him with an obscene sound.
“You are,” She says taking him in her mouth deeper this time. She hollows her cheeks and forces him down his throat. Her hand wraps around the base of him that she isn’t able to reach with her mouth. Both of his hands are on her head now as he throws his head back with a growl and enjoys. He rocks his hips into her slightly as he holds her steady on his cock. The sounds he makes fuel the need in her to a burning inferno. By the time he pulls her off of him before he could get too close, she is desperate for him.
“Please,” She whimpers hoarsely, her throat still recovering from his size.
“Let me, my heart,” He says as he lays her back down on the ground before him. He kneels over her, caging her body with his massive form. His hand is warm and rugged as it runs up and down her side. His lips are on hers again, tasting himself before kissing down her jaw and to her neck. Little pants and whines seem to escape her mouth despite her best efforts and she can feel his smile against her skin at her sounds. When he reaches the point where her neck and shoulder meet, a favorite of hers, he sucks hard eliciting a sound of pain and pleasure from her. His hand rubs gentle motions on her sides as a counterbalance to the love bite.
Downwards he continues, kissing down her chest and stopping to worship each breast and with his mouth. She squeals when he flicks his tongue over each nipple. Before long he is kissing down her stomach as he settles to rest with his face between her legs.
“So wet for me,” He says as he runs a finger down her folds. She lets out a hiss and arches her back at the touch. His tongue pushes into her and the hiss becomes a full throated scream. Halsin was by far the most generous lover she’d ever had and that went doubly so for his mouth. At first he focuses on her clit, but takes quick breaks to nip and lick her thighs gently before ravishing her core once more. Drenched as she is, he is able to work two fingers into her and begins to thrust them in and out. Her hands move to hold his head, lightly carding through his messy locks as she grinds shamelessly against his tongue.
The sounds she makes are debauched, she begs for him, crying his name over and over until she comes undone against his mouth in a wordless scream. He sits back and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Halsin,” she whimpers desperately.
“I’m here, love” he answers softly as he guides himself to her entrance. She wraps her legs around his hips to invite him forward. He leans over her again and begins to push inside her.
Her back arches to take him as he fills her slowly, a throaty moan ripping through her already. She says his name again when he bottoms out and he leans down to give her a gentle kiss. He leaves soft kisses on her forehead as he gives her time to adjust to his size. When she gives him a nod, he kisses her hard before starting to fuck her with an easy pace. She can feel him so deep that she can’t help but scream in pleasure.
He grabs her legs and holds them up so he can go deeper, pulling back father and snapping his hips forward harder on each thrust. Her moans of ecstasy are constant, only interrupted by punctuations of her chanting his name.
“More?” He asks through gritted teeth, a layer of sweat making his beautiful body shine.
She can only nod in response. He motions for her to hold her legs up and open for him as he grabs her around the waist. He sets a brutal pace, using her body as leverage to fuck into her deeper with each thrust.
At this angle he seems to hit the spot which makes her scream with every inward thrust. She can feel how close she is.
“You feel so good. Want to feel you clench around me Tav,” his gentle tone is at odds with the pounding he is giving her, “cum for me” he coaxes.
She does, screaming his name so loud that every fishmonger and Flaming Fist in the city could surely hear. Her eyes are rolled back, she can feel the rush through every cell of her body. All she can feel is pleasure and Halsin, in this moment it is bliss. He fucks her through the orgasm, his pace growing quicker with is own need.
“Inside me.” She says, sensing his end is near. The words are enough to send him right over the edge. With a groan as he fills her deep with his spend, a feeling they both love. He rests his forehead against hers as he catches his breath, still deep within her. She puffs and pants, between brushing gentle kisses on his nose and cheeks.
They look into each others eyes and know they will make it through what comes next together. And in that moment, it’s enough.