(no subject)

[howtoactfereldan]

You'll have to make a decision quickly. Either don't come home and meet me in Halamshiral, or come home and have a day or two before turning for Orlais. They've called an Exalted Council. Josephine, Lavellan, and I must speak for the Inquisition in front of Orlais, Ferelden, and Divine Victoria. Two of those parties appear to be hostile to our continued existence. I will leave it to you to contemplate which two.

Be safe, Alistair, and go with my love.

Cullen doesn't bother signing it.

The library is silent. No one is in the rotunda -- Solas's rotunda, he thinks, even after all this time. There are always people in the yard, but many fewer than before.

(It's downright lonely, when Alistair travels. Cullen will never complain to him. Not after the last few years.)

Comments

[bringspeopletogether]

"You do?"

The urge to get back into bed? Not subsiding. Alistair compromises: he sets a knee on the mattress, bracing himself over Cullen with a smirk.

"Are you hiding a math treatise in your coat?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"What coat?" Cullen inquires, trailing his fingertips down Alistair's chest. "I'm not wearing a coat. If you hadn't noticed."

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair arches his back slightly, with a soft hum of pleasure.

"You'll need it when we're on our walk." Beat. "Assuming we ever make it out of bed."

[howtoactfereldan]

Idly Cullen hooks two fingers in the laces of Alistair's trousers. "Why wouldn't we?"

[bringspeopletogether]

With a dryness that doesn't quite cover a trace of laughter: "I can't imagine."

Alistair lets Cullen tug him closer.

"Perhaps if someone were distracting me enough..."

[howtoactfereldan]

"That wouldn't be a very nice thing to do." He tucks his free hand behind his head again.

This has the unfortunate side effect of making him flex. Just a little bit.

[bringspeopletogether]

"It wouldn't," he agrees. "It'd be terribly cruel of the person, in fact."

He can't resist sliding a hand up Cullen's chest to rest on his shoulder.

"Luring me out of the sunshine and back under the blankets."

[howtoactfereldan]

"To be fair," Cullen says -- and pauses long enough to kiss Alistair's fingers. "There's sunshine right there. There's some in this room.:

[bringspeopletogether]

"Hmm."

He brushes the backs of his fingers over Cullen's cheek; leans down so their faces are mere inches apart.

In a low murmur: "So there is. An astute observation."

[howtoactfereldan]

It won't be that easy!

Cullen smiles up at Alistair, beatific.

"Your decision," is all he says.

[bringspeopletogether]

Ugh. Cruelty.

...The sun will be there later, Alistair decides. (If Solas brings down the sky on them, it won't happen just yet.)

"You're terrible," he says, with all due fondness, and closes the gap to kiss him deeply.