[sandbox]

[bringspeopletogether]

Skyhold gets quieter and quieter as the days move on. It's not a complete stand-down; there's cleanup to do, stragglers to round up, the same sort of business Alistair remembers from the months after the Blight. The Thaw, as Wardens call it. Thedas is thawing again, but the fortress only grows colder for it.

He won't lie: he'd feel warmer if Kieran and Morrigan were still there.

When Cullen suggests a vacation, Alistair lights up, only to deflate slightly when he realizes they'll be "vacationing" in Orlais. There's business to attend in Val Royeaux -- not the sort of business that'll keep Cullen occupied from sunup to sundown, but enough to require an in-person visit for a week or so. On the one hand: Orlais. On the other: he can't argue that time away from Skyhold, especially in Cullen's company, will help.

...So will the cheese, probably.

(Look, as Alistair has said many a time, he is a very predictable man.)

They room at a small place in the university quarter that's downright plain for Val Royeaux. Libraries for Cullen, a cafe around the corner for both of them, limited contact with people trilling about whatever stupid, petty scandal's hit the court this week -- it could be far worse. Alistair takes to writing his letters at the cafe, usually accompanied by some flaky pastry or another.

Today, they're cheese-filled. It's hard to descend too far into a personal funk when you've got a cheese-filled pastry.

Comments

[howtoactfereldan]

"Not talking about it helps." That, at last, is a little dry. "Talking about it less is almost as good."

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair huffs another near-soundless laugh.

"It's something, at least," he agrees, and kisses Cullen's hair.

[howtoactfereldan]

"Alistair?"

Bewildered.

"Why are you naked?"

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair sputters out a much louder laugh.

"Too lazy to get a robe after my bath," he manages. "That's all."

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen's mouth twitches; he looks at Alistair with one red-rimmed eye. "It would have added five steps to your journey, Theirin."

[bringspeopletogether]

"No, no." Lofty. "That's much too far. Especially when the alternative is this."

He punctuates that with a gentle squeeze.

[howtoactfereldan]

"...which you often do while clothed anyhow."

[bringspeopletogether]

"At every available opportunity." Peaceable. "Though to be fair, we're often in much colder climes than this one, too."

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen rests his head against Alistair's chest with a soft sigh.

After a moment, he murmurs, "The correct answer, by the way, was 'to awe and delight.'"

[bringspeopletogether]

He chuckles; resumes running his hand along Cullen's spine.

Thoughtfully, "That might involve more posing. Maybe some flexing. Just as a nice bonus."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Always so thoughtful." He presses against Alistair's hand.

[bringspeopletogether]

"Anything for the love of my life," he murmurs.

Once he reaches Cullen's upper back, he kneads the heel of his palm into the spot, searching for any knotted places.

[howtoactfereldan]

(There are plenty to choose from.)

Cullen sighs softly. He's also turned a robust shade of pink.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair might be a little smug over turning Cullen pink. Just a little.

Rather than say anything to that effect, though, he works his fingers along Cullen's shoulders, slow and methodical. Each knot gets his full attention for a few minutes before he moves on to the next.

[howtoactfereldan]

"Might be easier if I turned over," he mumbles. "You don't have to do this, you know."

[bringspeopletogether]

"I want to," he answers, not much louder. "Though...hm."

He pauses in his work.

"I think I ought to follow that strategy, coming from the master tactician as it does." Alistair kisses Cullen's brow. "Roll over for me?"

[howtoactfereldan]

He swallows a protest -- something along the lines of I don't want to be any trouble, don't give me things I haven't earned -- and does as he's told. For just a moment, Cullen's eyes are too bright again.

Then he rests his head on his folded arms, turning his head away.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair's hand smooths over Cullen's hair; rests there a moment in silent reassurance. Then he returns to kneading a particularly stubborn knot at the base of Cullen's neck, thumbs working small circles over the spot.




"Did I ever tell you about the time Cousland's mabari brought us a slice of cake?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"...no," Cullen mumbles, perplexed.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair smiles.

"That dog...Maker bless him, but I think there was a reason he ended up with a noble family and not a proper regiment." Fond. "Very well-meaning, would bite the hand off a hurlock without hesitating, but not always the sharpest sword in the armory. We'd made camp one night -- all the way out in the Brecilian Forest, mind -- and while I was playing fetch with the beast, Lel started singing some song or another. Don't remember what it was about, but I know the word ache was in there once or twice."

He moves to a spot near Cullen's left shoulder blade.

"Would've forgotten that bit too if it weren't for Ruff. -- His name was Ruffian, but it was funnier to call him over by pretending to bark at him. Anyway, I throw the stick, off he goes, and...he doesn't come back right away. All right, I think, he's wandered off before, probably spotted a rat and thought it'd be more fun to chase that than a stick. By fifteen minutes I'm getting a bit worried, but figure I'll give it a smidge longer before I try to find him.

"Twenty minutes after I throw the stick, he barrels out of the bushes, makes a beeline for Leliana, and drops something at her feet like he's handing over a golden goblet from the Queen's personal stores. He was so pleased. And to this day I couldn't tell you where or how he found it, but...it was cake. A great big drooled-on slice of it. All for Lel."

[howtoactfereldan]

Silence.






"If she didn't eat it," Cullen mumbles, "she must have hurt his feelings very badly."

[bringspeopletogether]

"It's true." Solemn. "She praised him, distracted him with a belly rub, and threw the cake in the fire, but he figured it out. For a few magical days, I was the one he liked best. Well, second best," he amends. "After Cousland."

[howtoactfereldan]

"And how did you celebrate your promotion?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"By cooing, 'Whoosa good boy?!' at least six times an hour," he says. "And getting a lapful of dog half the time I sat down."

A blissful sigh.

"It was the best three days of the whole Blight."

[howtoactfereldan]

"...low bar to clear."