She stumbled, dizzy with a sudden and overpowering wave of emotion. She threw her hands out to steady herself, and they landed palm first on the nearest wall. “What-what’s…” Tav didn’t even register that her towel had fallen to the floor, and she braced herself against the torrent of sensations. Balduran trilled, deep and pur-like, as he filled her with his own restlessness. He didn’t touch her physically, but he filled her to the brim mentally. She sagged against the wall and clumsily turned against it to look through hooded eyes at Balduran. He oozed authority and power as he crooked a finger towards her. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. It was finally time to strike.

I can give you what you need, Tav. I have taken care of you and your needs since the beginning of our partnership. He crooked his finger again, and Tav’s body lifted away from the false safety of the wall at her back. Balduran levitated them both up in the air, shimmering with a purple outline, and brought her so close that Tav could feel the heat of his body. I have fueled your thirst for power and knowledge. I have armed you against your enemies and stood as your shield to protect you from harm. Bal leaned closer, and their breaths mixed together. I have been with you since the beginning, and no one knows you better than I do. No one cares for you like I do. No one can satisfy your urges like I can.

“What…are you trying to tell me?” Tav felt the sting of frayed hope within her. She wasn’t an idiot. Even the air seemed to be sexually charged around them. He wasn’t talking about just her dark urges right now. Yet, Tav was apprehensive. Balduran was the only person she had left to hold onto. Losing Astarion had hurt, but if she lost the Emperor, she wasn’t sure how she’d recover. 

You can’t lose me, Tav. Her pupils dilated further, and she inhaled deeply. It felt like desire was slithering down her throat and spreading out to every pore. Balduran was doing this to her. Stoking her arousal and making her body hum with more need than she knew she was capable of feeling. This is but a fraction of what I feel for you.

“It is?” Tav couldn’t fathom there being more to this euphoric feeling pulsing through her. 

Yes. His tentacles spread, and she turned her head to track them. The lower set stroked her waist and sides towards her lower back. The upper set slid up her shoulders to her neck, twisting and caressing between her shoulder blades. The upper right tentacle curved back around and teased at her lips. She gasped as he teased the end between her lips. We have been travelling towards this moment for a long time. You know this as much as I do. Don’t hold back. Balduran pushed the end of his tentacle past her lips and into her mouth. This is one urge you can indulge in whenever you want, and I will do the same. He moved his hands to cup her backside, and she whimpered in surrender. We are partners in all things, Tav. Including each other’s pleasure. Take, and be taken. I better not regret this, Bal. She thought as she shut her eyes and started to lick and suck on his tentacle. He trilled deeply, pleased with this sensation and the arousal it kindled in Tav. The only regret you will have is how long it took for us to reach this moment. Now relax and join me in true ecstasy. 

He felt her surrender in her mind, and in her body. Her mind held no resistance to his presence, delving even deeper, and she did her best to climb into his arms. It was not an easy task, as he was using his telekinesis to suspend her in the air. Thankfully, Balduran realised what she wanted and held her flush to his chest. Her legs found purchase around his narrow waist, and she moaned at the increased physical contact. You better not leave me after this, Bal. I’ll fucking kill you if you try. He felt her anxiety souring her passion, and he pulled his tentacle from her mouth with a wet pop. 

I lost my chance to transcend our partnership once. He snarled in her mind, and she realised he was talking about Astarion. Their minds were so deeply connected at this moment that she saw several dark fantasies Balduran had regarding her ex-lover. Most involved his tentacles throttling his pale neck, and his skull cracked between the Ilithid’s teeth. You were happy, and the mission was important. The Absolute is no more, and now I shall be the one to make you feel far more than simply ‘happy’. Balduran swung them over in the air so they floated down to the bed with a soft landing. He was on his back and settled Tav comfortably on top of him and in his arms and tentacles. 

“Will you love me?” She cursed herself the moment the words left her lips. Why would she say something so stupid? Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she turned her face away from him. That was what she truly wanted, after all. To be loved so much that she would never be alone again. 

You tell me. Balduran cupped her cheek and thumbed away her tears. Feel my mind pressing against yours. Feel the truth you already know, and don’t hold back. Not anymore. I certainly won’t. He held the back of her head, and pressed her brow between her horns to his bulbous brow. They both closed their eyes, and connected on a level deeper than words could ever convey. 

Tav gasped and gripped his shoulders. She forgot to breathe and became dizzy under the pressure of his mind. It was unpleasant and smothering at first, but something snapped into place in a familiar part of her mind. A part she thought she’d never feel again. She felt connected to him in every way. His hopes and dreams for Baldur’s Gate. His plans for the city, and for Tav. She saw an image of her sat on a throne as the Empress, the public ruler, and behind the throne in shadows stood Balduran. The Emperor of the shadows The fantasy changed to one of the two of them standing side by side and slaying their enemies down with true dominance. Then, tumbling together in ecstasy to celebrate their victory. There was even a fantasy of her undergoing ceromorphesis one day. When her mortal body became too weak to support her, he would convince her to make the change so they could continue their partnership forever in the shadows. 

Balduran didn’t just see her as an asset. He didn’t just want to use her to further his own means. He wanted to work with her, and he wanted her. Always. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Balduran hoping to make her Mindflayer one day, but she wasn’t as opposed to it ‘one day’ when she was old, as she thought she should be. He also viewed her as an equal, when he considered the rest of Ferune as lesser. Only she would be good enough to be with him, and he was the only one good enough for her too. I love you like only an Ilithid could. Like you deserve to be. What do you say, Tav? Partners in all ways? 

Tav sat up on his lap, her hands on his chest and her smirk devilish. 

“Ask me again once you’ve fucked me senseless. Partner.”