(no subject)

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen sets a brisk pace on their way back to Skyhold. He's been away long enough; he's ready to relieve Briony; he's ready to go about receiving full intelligence reports from Leliana instead of the truncated, heavily coded ones he receives in the field.

He is also ready to personally see to the laundering of his coat.

And Cullen is also ready to take at least half a day, and preferably more, to revel in solid walls and doors that lock.

As they ride through the sally port, Cullen glances over at Alistair. "I'll need to see Briony, and then I'll likely be called to the war room -- you're going to see Kieran?"

Comments

[bringspeopletogether]

"Yes," he confirms as he steers his horse along. The air of Skyhold's thinner, but clearer -- cleaner -- than the sea level air they've breathed for most of the journey home. Alistair fills his lungs, exhales, contented -- and then shoots a mischievous grin Cullen's way. "I'll quiz him on some of those new vocabulary words, perhaps."

Once Morrigan's out of earshot.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen dismounts as a stablehand runs up, turning his attention to detaching his saddlebags.

And raises his eyebrows. "Did you memorize them, then?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"Every one of them." Cheerfully.

He swings out of his saddle, taking a moment to stretch his back with a tiny grunt. Maker, he's getting old.

"And I made up another five or six for fun."

[howtoactfereldan]

"He'll catch you," Cullen warns.

[bringspeopletogether]

"Of course he will," says Alistair, fond. "That's half the quiz. He's a smart lad."

Once he's gathered his own bags off the horse, he hands off the reins to another stablehand.

[howtoactfereldan]

"See you soon?" He leans in to kiss Alistair's cheek.

[bringspeopletogether]

His smile warms further; he catches Cullen's hand, briefly, and squeezes. "I look forward to it," he murmurs. "Go do your commander things."

[howtoactfereldan]

"...'my commander things,'" Cullen repeats, stifling laughter. "Yes. Of course."

He hands the reins to the stablehand, and turns for the great hall.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair watches him go; the fond smile never abates.

It is so good to be home.

A little part of him worries that Kieran will be indifferent to seeing him again -- that he hardly missed Alistair at all in his weeks away. (It would be reasonable. What they share in blood, they haven't shared in life: Kieran's only known him a few months, and known Alistair was his father for even less than that.) Turns out he needn't have concerned himself. Kieran brightens the instant he sees him, and within seconds, he's peppering Alistair with questions about everything from the Basin's vegetation to what the Avvar are really like.

(Kieran lowers his voice conspiratorially when he reaches their, ahem, vocabulary lesson. Morrigan studiously pretends she can't hear, but Alistair catches her mouth quirking in amusement before she breezes past them to head for the war room.)

And while Alistair does not share the details of Storvacker as they relate to Cullen, he does tell Kieran that they now have a real live bear as an agent of the Inquisition. Kieran's uncontrollable giggling in response is one of the best things he's ever heard.

[howtoactfereldan]

The Inquisitor, having been occupied with the one large angry dragon in the Basin, has not turned her attention to where the other large angry dragon is living when it's not babysitting Corypheus. In fact, there has been no sighting of said dragon. No reports of missing livestock that can't be attributed to other beasts. Which means there's very little to indicate what Corypheus is planning next.

A cabal of Orlesian troops loyal to Gaspard has formally accused a detachment of chevaliers working for the Inquisition of war crimes without evidence, but with a true gift for gossip, and it's not the kind of thing Cullen can foist off on Josephine.

All told, by the time he leaves the war room, he's got another headache coming. With nothing else on his schedule for the day, Cullen makes a beeline for the hot springs: if he's going to spend the evening in a bad mood, he should at least do it while clean.

[bringspeopletogether]

When Morrigan returns, Alistair takes his leave.

To his mild surprise, Cullen's office is empty when he arrives. No rest for the wicked, he supposes, and stifles a twinge of disappointment as he sets to unpacking his bags. Probably got held up by more commander things after the meeting.

...That does leave Alistair more time to grab a few things that aren't trail rations, though. Like celebratory things. Hm.

Satisfied, he heads to the kitchens, making a detour to Herald's Rest en route.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen doesn't spend long in the springs: long enough to get clean, long enough to soak just a little of the travel stiffness out of his bones. He doesn't bother putting his coat back on, either, as he heads to his office.

When he can carve out a spare moment, he figures, he'll see to it.

He tosses it on the chaise (his desk being covered in paper), and calls up, "Alistair?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"Up here," Alistair calls back.

Basket of food obtained -- and set at the foot of the bed -- he's sprawled over the whole mattress, arms and legs splayed to better luxuriate in being in an actual bed again.

And not just any bed. Their bed.

(So good to be home.)

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair's smile -- doesn't dim, really, but it turns more thoughtful. He shifts his weight to one hand so he can card the other through Cullen's hair; settle his palm against Cullen's cheek.

"You don't have to shower me in big, flowery speeches all the time," he says, not much louder. "I'd never ask that. But I like hearing you say you love me. If that could...happen a little more, I suppose..."

The awkwardness seems to be catching.

(It's fine, he should have said; I don't mind. But he subsisted on scraps in the Basin. He doesn't want to keep saying it's fine.)

[howtoactfereldan]

Easy enough. Or, well. Not easy. (If it was, he'd be doing it already.)

Cullen nods without looking away, covering Alistair's hand with his. "Of course."

Pause.

More quietly: "I do love you, very much."

[bringspeopletogether]

His smile steadies itself; warms.

"And I love you," he murmurs, before leaning down to kiss Cullen, gentle and heartfelt.

[howtoactfereldan]

He winds both arms around Alistair, content. Easier to lose himself in this one.








"What about one big flowery speech?" he says into Alistair's ear.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair laughs, very softly.

"I'll allow it," he says. "I'll welcome it, in fact."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Perhaps I'll find some time to draft something tomorrow." Another kiss.

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair hums, sinking into the kiss. When it breaks: "I look forward to it, whenever it may arrive."

[howtoactfereldan]

"...in front of an audience?" Cullen hazards, full of innocence.

[bringspeopletogether]

He snorts out a laugh.

"If you're so inclined, I won't object."

(Alistair totally expects the audience to consist of a random bird and one of the feral barn cats.)

[howtoactfereldan]

They're only feral if they don't like you!

"Really."

[bringspeopletogether]

"Really." Cheerful, and matching Cullen on innocence. "You might make me blush, ser, but I won't object."

[howtoactfereldan]

"So that's... yes on Dorian and Bull, then."