Fic: Heat & Frost
Sep. 1st, 2025 05:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitteringstarsTitle: Heat and Frost
Author: glitteringstars/heart hotel (ao3)
Table, Prompt: Kiss; #8 Heated from![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
10prompts
Fandom: Baldur's Gate
Pairing / Character: Shadowheart/Karlach; Shadowheart, Karlach, & Astarion
Summary:
Warnings: N/A
AO3 Link Here
Notes: Can read as part of my Premonitions in Past Tense series (mostly pre-series, if you know, you know), but this also works as a standalone humorous fluff fest. This was inspired by my Shadowheart Origins run while romancing Karlach, down to using Astarion's Ray of Frost cantrip. Shadowheart can be a bit desperate and dumb, as a treat.
According to Sharran customs, a cloister member can partake in seduction, in fact, it’s encouraged for their goals. To taste the more base human needs, at least when they occur, is to understand how fleeting those so-called needs are. Romance, on the other hand, was a whole different situation. Relationships were fleeting. To love is to lose, and those who cling to that something are to forsake their goddess for a hurt only worsened by her absence when all was said and done.
Surely, Shadowheart tells herself, her Dark Lady wouldn’t begrudge her a dalliance with a woman who has only known loss?
So why was it so hard to give another woman a godsdamn kiss?
Karlach burns in so many ways. Her skin scorches if her emotions run too high, and there’s not a day when her passions don’t get the best of her. Flames lick at where moisture touches her. And, just as visibly, her desperation for touch and connection burns away thought. With such startling ease, Karlach makes friends with the flippant vampire spawn, the murderous githyanki warrior, and the devil-struck warlock alike. Given all that, it shouldn’t have startled Shadowheart when Karlach had returned her flirtations. Shadowheart had only meant for it to be casual and nothing more, but the way Karlach’s attitude shifts from base friendliness to straightforward excitement was as infectious as a match to a candle wick.
Gone was her training in subterfuge, now replaced by tantalizing desperation that would have been embarrassing if Shadowheart was in her right mind.
“I wonder what it would be like to kiss you,” Shadowheart says one morning before the group heads into the Underdark. She says it in a flippant tone, but the obvious intent makes the pulsing light in Karlach’s chest quicken. The tiefling licks her lips, but reality makes her hiss in annoyance.
“Amazing, hopefully,” Karlach says, “for the second before I melt your face off.”
“That doesn’t sound like the worst outcome.”
“Gods, you’re a masochist. Can’t decide if that’s sexy or stupid.”
The desperation writ on Karlach aborted movements for closeness throughout the day frays Shadowheart’s control. There had to be a way to cool her down for at least a moment.
“Your attempts at seduction are very…questionable,” Astarion comments, grimacing at Shadowheart.
“Think of it as a favor for me not staking you when you tried for some of my blood,” she mutters back.
It would have been threatening if her voice hadn’t squeaked. Astarion sneers and says that this may be more fun than he first thought. If this works, Shadowheart would live down whatever the vampire spawn may throw at her in the future.
If not, may her Lady prepare her for whatever nonsense was to follow.
“You have an idea?” Karlach asks.
“It’s not anything permanent,” Shadowheart hedges, “and it might not work at all, but—“
“Leave it to Shadowheart to think so something.” Karlach bounces on the balls of her feet as steam billows from her shoulder vents. As if catching herself, Karlach takes a few deep breaths, and the pulsing heat behind her mismatched eyes cools into a smolder.
“So, what is the—?”
Astarion doesn’t wait for Shadowheart’s signal. A bolt of ice magic knocks square into Karlach’s back, and the force is barely enough to send her stumbling a few steps.
Both women spin to find Astarion looking away innocently. Karlach’s jaw works as if she’s going to chew the spawn a new asshole, but she stops as Shadowheart grabs the tielfling’s too warm leathers and pulls her down into a kiss. It clicks for Karlach, and their lips touch for a blissful moment.
Something literally sparks between them. Karlach pulls away just as fire vaporizes the air where they had touched. “You alright, soldier?” asks Karlach, hands hovering in an aborted attempt to touch Shadowheart.
Shadowheart steps back, disappointed. Her lips tingle from where the spark licked her. “I’m fine. Just got my hopes a bit too high.”
“Thank you for trying.” The tiefling smiles, chuckling. It almost hurts to look at. “We’ll try again once my engine is cooled. And maybe a third and a fourth time, just for extra measure.”
The way Karlach says that last bit, low and sultry, does funny things to Shadowheart’s brain. She nods, not trusting her mouth to say anything coherent. Karlach’s lingering heat is a promise of more to come, and it stays with Shadowheart as she breaks down her tent and on to the march back to the remains of the goblin camp.
Astarion joins her side at some point during their travels. His pretty face splitting open with a shit-eating smile. “Well, darling, was it worth the first-degree burns?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” responds Shadowheart, pressing a bit of healing magic to her sensitive lips.
Author: glitteringstars/heart hotel (ao3)
Table, Prompt: Kiss; #8 Heated from
10prompts Fandom: Baldur's Gate
Pairing / Character: Shadowheart/Karlach; Shadowheart, Karlach, & Astarion
Summary:
Shadowheart desperate to kiss her new girlfriend, but she's too hot to touch. Shadowheart has an idea. Cue Astarion laughing his ass off.
Rating: General AudeincesWarnings: N/A
AO3 Link Here
Notes: Can read as part of my Premonitions in Past Tense series (mostly pre-series, if you know, you know), but this also works as a standalone humorous fluff fest. This was inspired by my Shadowheart Origins run while romancing Karlach, down to using Astarion's Ray of Frost cantrip. Shadowheart can be a bit desperate and dumb, as a treat.
According to Sharran customs, a cloister member can partake in seduction, in fact, it’s encouraged for their goals. To taste the more base human needs, at least when they occur, is to understand how fleeting those so-called needs are. Romance, on the other hand, was a whole different situation. Relationships were fleeting. To love is to lose, and those who cling to that something are to forsake their goddess for a hurt only worsened by her absence when all was said and done.
Surely, Shadowheart tells herself, her Dark Lady wouldn’t begrudge her a dalliance with a woman who has only known loss?
So why was it so hard to give another woman a godsdamn kiss?
Karlach burns in so many ways. Her skin scorches if her emotions run too high, and there’s not a day when her passions don’t get the best of her. Flames lick at where moisture touches her. And, just as visibly, her desperation for touch and connection burns away thought. With such startling ease, Karlach makes friends with the flippant vampire spawn, the murderous githyanki warrior, and the devil-struck warlock alike. Given all that, it shouldn’t have startled Shadowheart when Karlach had returned her flirtations. Shadowheart had only meant for it to be casual and nothing more, but the way Karlach’s attitude shifts from base friendliness to straightforward excitement was as infectious as a match to a candle wick.
Gone was her training in subterfuge, now replaced by tantalizing desperation that would have been embarrassing if Shadowheart was in her right mind.
“I wonder what it would be like to kiss you,” Shadowheart says one morning before the group heads into the Underdark. She says it in a flippant tone, but the obvious intent makes the pulsing light in Karlach’s chest quicken. The tiefling licks her lips, but reality makes her hiss in annoyance.
“Amazing, hopefully,” Karlach says, “for the second before I melt your face off.”
“That doesn’t sound like the worst outcome.”
“Gods, you’re a masochist. Can’t decide if that’s sexy or stupid.”
The desperation writ on Karlach aborted movements for closeness throughout the day frays Shadowheart’s control. There had to be a way to cool her down for at least a moment.
“Your attempts at seduction are very…questionable,” Astarion comments, grimacing at Shadowheart.
“Think of it as a favor for me not staking you when you tried for some of my blood,” she mutters back.
It would have been threatening if her voice hadn’t squeaked. Astarion sneers and says that this may be more fun than he first thought. If this works, Shadowheart would live down whatever the vampire spawn may throw at her in the future.
If not, may her Lady prepare her for whatever nonsense was to follow.
“You have an idea?” Karlach asks.
“It’s not anything permanent,” Shadowheart hedges, “and it might not work at all, but—“
“Leave it to Shadowheart to think so something.” Karlach bounces on the balls of her feet as steam billows from her shoulder vents. As if catching herself, Karlach takes a few deep breaths, and the pulsing heat behind her mismatched eyes cools into a smolder.
“So, what is the—?”
Astarion doesn’t wait for Shadowheart’s signal. A bolt of ice magic knocks square into Karlach’s back, and the force is barely enough to send her stumbling a few steps.
Both women spin to find Astarion looking away innocently. Karlach’s jaw works as if she’s going to chew the spawn a new asshole, but she stops as Shadowheart grabs the tielfling’s too warm leathers and pulls her down into a kiss. It clicks for Karlach, and their lips touch for a blissful moment.
Something literally sparks between them. Karlach pulls away just as fire vaporizes the air where they had touched. “You alright, soldier?” asks Karlach, hands hovering in an aborted attempt to touch Shadowheart.
Shadowheart steps back, disappointed. Her lips tingle from where the spark licked her. “I’m fine. Just got my hopes a bit too high.”
“Thank you for trying.” The tiefling smiles, chuckling. It almost hurts to look at. “We’ll try again once my engine is cooled. And maybe a third and a fourth time, just for extra measure.”
The way Karlach says that last bit, low and sultry, does funny things to Shadowheart’s brain. She nods, not trusting her mouth to say anything coherent. Karlach’s lingering heat is a promise of more to come, and it stays with Shadowheart as she breaks down her tent and on to the march back to the remains of the goblin camp.
Astarion joins her side at some point during their travels. His pretty face splitting open with a shit-eating smile. “Well, darling, was it worth the first-degree burns?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” responds Shadowheart, pressing a bit of healing magic to her sensitive lips.
