[sandbox]

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair surprises himself: he adapts to the Basin a lot quicker than he expected.

The camps feel -- snug, he decides. In a good way. Trees overhead, a limited number of egress points, a vantage point so high it puts every night by the ladder to shame: they're not the stone walls of Skyhold, but maybe they're the next best thing. After an initial restless night or two, he sleeps soundly.

(Knowing he's surrounded by lots of people with sharp, pointy weapons? Also helpful.)

Joining the patrol rotations seems like a decent next step. No point in being in the field, especially after all that training with Bull, if he's just going to twiddle his thumbs all day.

Comments

[howtoactfereldan]

Once down, Cullen stretches all the way to his toes before turning on his side to hook an arm around Alistair's middle.

It's comforting to hear the sounds of the camp outside, slightly muffled as they are. Voices, footsteps, metal on metal. Fires, crackling. And, farther away, birds.

(Like Haven, in the early days.)

He presses an idle kiss to the back of Alistair's neck and sighs, content.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair smiles, faintly. He settles a hand over Cullen's. Soon enough, he winds their fingers together for a little extra security.

He even manages to stay quiet for a good five minutes.







"It's not as if things went badly today," he murmurs, when the thought circles around one time too many. Like if he gives voice to it, it'll run off like a dog spying an open gate.

[howtoactfereldan]

No louder:

"It sounds as though things went well, even."

[bringspeopletogether]

"They did." He closes his eyes. "As well as you could expect, I guess."

A beat.

Quieter: "I hesitated, though. I -- " He blows out a breath. "Right, I'll call it what it was -- I was scared. Of a damn spider. Not for long, but...long enough."

[howtoactfereldan]

"This is going to sound as though I'm not taking this seriously, and I want to reassure you that I am."

Thoughtful.

"It speaks well of your self-preservation to be scared of a spider. They're quite large. And more venomous than most, according to everything I've read."

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair's shoulders hitch on a wry breath of laughter. "True," he allows. "But hardly the worst thing I've faced."

[howtoactfereldan]

"But the first you've faced in quite some time," Cullen reminds him gently. "And it took your patrol by surprise. It wasn't like it was sunning itself in front of all and sundry."

[bringspeopletogether]

"Would've been more fun if it had."

He sounds like he's starting to smile.

"We could've had a contest with the new recruits. Ten sovereigns to whoever hits it with a rock from the furthest off."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Most unkind of you." He kisses the back of Alistair's neck again. "There's a spider in the middle of the river, minding its own business, not trying to kill anything for once, and here come a bunch of strangers pelting it with rocks. No wonder spiders are always in such a bad mood."

[bringspeopletogether]

"You know for a fact," says Alistair, squeezing Cullen's hand lightly for emphasis, "that were our positions reversed with the spider, it would've gathered up all its spider friends and pounced with just as little warning."

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen laughs in Alistair's ear, a low, warm rumble, and doesn't reply.

[bringspeopletogether]

There's no other word for it: Alistair melts against Cullen, leaning back as he goes nearly boneless.

(Few sounds get that reliable a reaction out of him. It's become one of Alistair's favorites over the past few months.)

[howtoactfereldan]

That just makes Cullen do it again. (He's noticed.)

He tightens his hold on Alistair, just for a moment, before settling his arm around him more snugly.

[bringspeopletogether]

You're safe, murmurs a new thought.

Maybe that's the best way he can explain I like knowing you're around. Today might not have been awful, but...being on patrol meant giving up safety, in a way he hasn't in a while.

He can return to it at the end of the day, though. To Cullen. To this.

I'm glad you're here.

Alistair raises their clasped hands so he can kiss Cullen's knuckles, and subsides into quiet.

[howtoactfereldan]

"Have you eaten?" Suspicious.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair's eyes snap open.









"Um."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Aha!"

This is said as though Cullen just uncovered and foiled a vast conspiracy simultaneously.

[bringspeopletogether]

"Noooooo," Alistair groans, freeing one hand to cover his face. (Ostensibly in shame.) "I've been so good!"

[howtoactfereldan]

"Always." He squeezes Alistair's hand. "But you're eating something before we turn in for good."

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair twists to look over his shoulder, peeking out from between his fingers.

"You won't demote me to Half Commander, then?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"Now, why would I do that?" Warm, amused. "By that logic I'd be less than a recruit, wouldn't I."

[bringspeopletogether]

"Fair point, I suppose."

He rolls over to face Cullen; as he takes his hand away, it reveals that he's grinning.

"Right then. The sooner I eat, the sooner we can get back to..." A considering pause. "Caboodling."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Ugh."

Cullen, in contrast, rolls onto his back. Away. Pointedly.

"That's what I get for being nice."

[bringspeopletogether]

"What?" says Alistair, laughing. "You don't want to caboodle?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"Bad enough that you made me snuggle." He points at Alistair. "I refuse to do the other thing."