Chapter Text
When Cullen asks him if he’d like to bring Krem to a baseball game in Redcliffe, Bull mostly agrees out of pity. Dorian would sooner wear plaidweave in public than go to a baseball game, or almost any kind of sporting event, and he’s sure Cullen doesn’t want to go on his own. Bull himself is fairly ambivalent to baseball, which doesn’t have nearly enough physical contact or risk of injury to really hold his attention, but he likes to give Krem new experiences. Plus he loves a good stadium hot dog or five.
Krem is excited to go to a new place, and even more excited to eat ludicrously overpriced garlic fries, one of the few foods with flavor that Fereldans have actually embraced. The stadium is so new it’s practically shiny, one of Bann Teagan’s major projects to attract more people and money to the city. It’s built high up on the eponymous cliff, with amazing views of Lake Calenhad, so even if the game is boring he can admire the scenery. They get to the stadium early enough to let Krem explore before they settle into their seats. When his son (and isn’t that a crazy thought - three months after the official adoption and Bull is still reeling) admires a Redcliffe Lions baseball cap, Bull buys one for him on the spot and plops it down on his shiny brown hair. Krem’s pleased grin is enough to make the trip worth it for Bull.
He expects that once the initial excitement wears off, Krem will probably get bored with the game, but he’s a well behaved kid, so he won’t complain. Bull figures he can take him for breaks to wander around if he gets antsy, so that Cullen can enjoy the game. To his surprise, the exact opposite happens - Krem forgets about his fries, his cracker jack, and the giant soda he got because it’s a special occasion, and watches the game with the kind of focus Bull has only ever seen him give to live cooking demonstrations. Cullen had given him a basic rundown of the rules, but Krem starts asking questions almost immediately, wanting to know about the players, and their positions, and what they’re doing. Cullen is obviously delighted to have someone to talk to about the game, and even Bull finds himself drawn in with renewed interest, seeing the game through Krem’s eyes.
His little dude makes it through the whole game, cheering excitedly whenever the Lions score, which is seven times total, a tidy win over the Ostagar Ospreys, who barely avoid a shut-out with a single run. On the way out they snag a team pennant for Krem’s wall, and his brown eyes get so bright it makes Bull’s chest ache. Cullen and Krem keep up a steady stream of chatter as they wind their way through the milling crowds back to Bull’s truck. Once they’re on the road though, not even the excitement of the afternoon can keep the kid awake. He falls asleep against Cullen, his cap askew, his pennant clutched in his small hands. He’s so cute Bull can barely look at him.
He and Cullen drive along in comfortable silence, making good time once they finally reach the outskirts of the city and get on the freeway back toward Haven.
“You know,” Cullen interjects into the silence after a while, “Haven has a pretty robust Little League division. Krem will be old enough to play soon. And didn’t Mari play tee ball for a while?”
“Ha, yeah, right up until Herah head butted the coach for making her cry. Gave the guy a concussion.”
Cullen lets out a sharp laugh. “I forgot about that. He’s just lucky Josephine didn’t have him assassinated.”
“That’s for sure.” They fall back into silence as Bull considers the possibility. He’s not entirely sure how Krem might take to team sports. He’s made quite a few friends over the past couple years, but there are still a lot of prejudices they both deal with. Finding the right team might be a challenge, and it’s probably a pretty big time commitment, but if his interest in baseball lasts it could be fun for him. Bull’s at least willing to check it out and see if Krem likes the idea. Adaar might be willing to let Mari give it a chance, and maybe they can be on a team together. Krem loves spending time with Mari, so that would be an added bonus.
“Little League,” he says out loud after a few more minutes of consideration. “Gotta say, that’s sure as shit not something I ever expected to be thinking about as part of my life. I couldn’t have even told you what it was a decade ago.”
“I know what you mean.” Cullen says with a rueful chuckle. If any of Bull’s friends have an inkling of just how fucking weird the transition from a life of military service to a life of suburban mundanity is, it’s the ex-Templar.
“Could be fun though. I’ll give it some thought.” He glances down at Krem and his small baseball cap and smiles. Whatever his little dude wants, Bull intends to make sure he gets, even if he has to build the right team himself.