[sandbox]

[bringspeopletogether]

No Orlesian nobles pounded down their door to demand their hound back, so when Alistair and Cullen left Halamshiral, the newly-dubbed Gruyere happily trotted alongside their horses.

A few weeks after -- which included some quiet conversation, a few orders placed with a few merchants, and almost an entire extra pack of gifts slung over one of their mounts -- Gru just as happily trotted along as they turned for South Reach.

Years of correspondence led Alistair to build an elaborate image of Cullen's family in his mind; Mia, perhaps, more fully realized than the others, but everyone with a name and a voice to match their letters. They're...not wholly inaccurate? But Mia's definitely shorter than he expected, and one or two of the children a little louder.

(Mia's voice, however, adopts exactly the pitch he imagined it would when Alistair brings up the whole I'm-your-brother-in-law-now thing.)

It's a nice place. Just the right kind of rambunctious, with all the kids running around; just the right kind of homey.

If only Cullen weren't -- well, reacting more or less precisely how Alistair worried he'd react to the reunion.

Comments

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen gives him a small, bright smile.

"Better than that. Much."

[bringspeopletogether]

It might be the happiest he's seen Cullen since they arrived at South Reach. Alistair exhales a tiny laugh; says, not much louder, "Good."

Once they're off their horses, Cullen is getting the biggest hug.

[howtoactfereldan]

It's not like it's a long ride. At the small stable in the back -- three stalls, that's all -- Cullen dismounts, immediately starting to detach his pack.

He does, however, spare a moment to thoroughly ruffle Gru's ears, murmuring that they've got a good place for him, right next to the fire.

[bringspeopletogether]

Gru rumbles his approval, tail wagging furiously. A spot by the fire AND his favorite stick?? This is going to be awesome!

Alistair, being nothing if not polite, waits until Cullen's done fiddling with his pack before sneaking his arms around him in a quick, fierce embrace.

[howtoactfereldan]

Immediately Cullen drops his pack, sinking into Alistair.

He murmurs into Alistair's ear, "What's this for?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"No reason," he whispers.

Alistair kisses Cullen's cheek.

"I'm just glad you're happy. And I love you. That's all."

[howtoactfereldan]

He slips his arms around Alistair with a soft sigh.

"You're a marvel." No louder.

[bringspeopletogether]

The tips of Alistair's ears redden; his smile grows.

"Not an incurable sap?"

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen shakes his head. "Lots of things. Never that."

He gently tugs at Alistair. "Let's go. Then we can do this for the rest of the day."

[bringspeopletogether]

He laughs softly. "An excellent plan."

Alistair steals one more kiss before going to untie his own pack. The first thing out of his bag once they're indoors is Gru's stick; the mabari is so delighted to see it that he spins in circles like a puppy half his age. Soon enough he's settled into his bedroll in front of the hearth, gnawing contentedly at the thickest part of the branch.

(Alistair gives it four hours before he has to go find a replacement stick, to be honest.)

Smiling, he hooks a fingertip into the collar of Cullen's shirt, lightly tugging him toward the bedroom. "Shall we?"

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen trails after him, content. "Anywhere you lead, Theirin."

[bringspeopletogether]

"I like the sound of that," he murmurs.

Other favorite sounds of Alistair's: the quiet, decisive click as he closes the door behind them. No intrusive interruptions; nobody else but a well-trained dog in the whole house. Even if Gru gets bored of his stick, he knows better than to bother the humans when their door closes in the middle of the day.

True privacy at last.

He gathers Cullen close. One hand slides into his hair; the other cradles his cheek as he kisses him, slow and thorough.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen melts into him. He slips his hands up Alistair's sides, trying to find bare skin.

It shouldn't feel like it's been years since they were really alone. It shouldn't feel like such a relief.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair shivers as Cullen's fingertips graze his skin. He helps him along, struggling out of his shirt to discard it on the floor.

"Bed," he manages the next time they come up for air. His palm flattens against Cullen's chest, pushing gently in that direction.

[howtoactfereldan]

A quiet sigh -- near a shudder -- as he takes a step back, and then another. Cullen lets go, then, and turns toward the bed.

"Slow?" he asks, tentative. "Please?"

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair breathes out.

"Slow," he agrees, soft. He smooths his hand down Cullen's arm as he joins him on the bed; links their fingers once he reaches Cullen's palm. As gentle as before, Alistair presses a kiss to Cullen's knuckles. "You have my word."

[howtoactfereldan]

His lips curl in a small smile, gaze lingering on their hands.

"You're a marvel," he says again.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair huffs a tiny laugh. He leans to kiss Cullen again; it's easier than tossing off a glib deflection that might get him in trouble.

(I've a big enough ego already, perhaps. Or a simple no; you.)

As the kiss deepens, he slips his hand free to run it along Cullen's side, delving beneath his shirt.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen hums, soft, and breaks it just long enough to comfortably straddle Alistair's lap.

That, and pull his own shirt over his head, with something approaching a smirk.

[bringspeopletogether]

Much better.

Both hands explore Cullen's bare skin now, as slow and deliberate as if Alistair were learning him for the first time. Whenever they have to break apart, Alistair picks up with another long kiss the instant he's caught his breath.

For the longest time, their intimacy felt like a collection of stolen moments: quick respites between the next battle, the next interruption, the next time something more important came along. But -- this can be the most important thing now. There's nothing Alistair has to worry about except how Cullen feels under his hands, and the warm weight of him on his lap, and the soft hum of desire rising like the tide.

[howtoactfereldan]

To be clear: Cullen isn't thinking about his sister.

But in that brief conversation -- it's as though she granted him permission to stop worrying about how they regard him. And now that he and Alistair don't have to worry about interruptions --

(And he's doing a fair job at not thinking about the impending certainty of Alistair's death.)

-- he's free to feel every part of what's going on, with no straying thought to give him pause. Cullen runs his hands over Alistair's back and shoulders as though to study the topography of his musculature, lingering on the small ridges and hollows that his scars create.

It's closer to prayer than anything Cullen's done in weeks. It brings peace.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair shivers. Time seems to stretch, marked out by Cullen's touch rather than the path of the sun. It hardly matters what might come next; it's pleasure without anticipation, Alistair so fully present that even his breath, each slow rise and fall pressing him into Cullen's hands, sends a thrill through him.

He wraps his arms around Cullen's waist, listing backward without breaking the latest kiss.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen is the one being pulled; he notices, and breaks it just in time to prevent clashing teeth or worse as they land on the bed.

And before he resumes, he takes just a moment, propping himself on his elbows, to look at Alistair under him. Really look.

Cullen's smile broadens for just a moment. Then he kisses Alistair again.

[bringspeopletogether]

An appreciative mmm, as Alistair tangles his fingers in Cullen's hair.

When the kiss breaks: "Enjoying the view?" he asks with a soft laugh.

[howtoactfereldan]

"Always." Low, and a little rough -- but still smiling. Not looking away. "Always."