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Cullen made you clumsy. Not to the extent that you couldn’t make it two feet without running into, or tripping over something; but you were certainly prone to little ‘accidents’ around him. Really it was staring at him that did you in.
How could you not though?
He was handsome, strong, and certain with every move and every breath. There was no man alive who could put you more at ease or make you quite so anxious. He caused so many problems for your state of mind, especially when he looked at you. As soon as he saw you he would smile as if he could not have been happier; as if your presence alone made his day.
That was usually when you would lose focus with your surroundings and that was what caused the problems. His smile knocked all of the sense and training right out of you. It was dangerous for someone to be able to reduce you to little more than a clumsy, blushing girl. You were the Herald of Andraste and while plenty worshiped the ground you walked on, more still wanted your head.
It would have been wiser to stay away from him out in the open where someone might pray upon your weakness. Yet you were drawn to him. Doubly so after having been away for weeks.
The moment you returned and saw him training his men out beyond the gate all you could think about was being close to him. You made straight for him never once looking back to see if anyone had noticed. The thought of Varric or Bull teasing you for your little crush didn’t even cross your mind until after you’d already headed off.
You stopped just outside the gate to watch him as he walked between the men, correcting them or spurring them on. He held himself so proudly and yet without the arrogance you would expect from such a man. Nothing about him was what you had expected frankly. He was so kind and graceful, so understanding and loyal. You doubted there was ever someone so utterly wonderful as Cullen. It made you yearn for him, yet you were afraid of making a move.
Even as a ‘Herald’ you had a hard time seeing yourself as worthy of someone so perfect. Really, you didn’t see anyone as worthy of him though.
Almost as if sensing himself in your thoughts he looked up and the moment he caught your eye he smiled that wonderful grin that made you feel weak in the knees. You started moving towards him with nary a thought, side stepping a harried looking messenger as they rushed by. He never took his eyes off of you either, which only made it harder to maintain your awareness—not to mention your balance.
Cullen’s eyes were piercing and lovely. They made even the most terrible of days better and your state of mind terribly worse. He was your greatest love and your greatest weakness all rolled into one. Not that you had any immediate plans of telling him as much.
As you neared him it became harder to breathe, mostly because he was still holding your gaze and still smiling. The things that smile of his did to you were both woeful and wonderful. They thrilled you, made you happy, and were steadily turning you into the world’s biggest klutz.
You made the mistake of getting a little too close to one of the training soldiers as you made your way to beloved Commander. As they leapt back in the midst of practice they slammed back into you, propelling you forward with such speed and suddenty that you couldn’t catch your balance in time.
You put your hands out to catch yourself from landing face first in the dirt, but your hands never hit the ground. Rather they wound up pressed against Cullen’s chest as he swept you up into his arms to prevent the fall altogether.
You’d never been quite so close to him before and being in his arms was maddening. It left you with this terrible urge to kiss him, though you were much too embarrassed by your mistake to truly entertain the thought.
Cullen looked relieved, bemused, and to your intense pleasure even a little flustered. Better yet he did not immediately let go once you had your balance. He kept you pressed up against him and you found yourself unable to look anywhere but directly into those beautiful, bewitching eyes.
“I’ve been pondering my chances of ending up in your arms.” You admitted with a blush and a timid smile. “Guess they were higher than I thought.”
The sight of him blushing while simultaneously looking pleased was worth a lifetime of embarrassment. So really, the teasing you had to endure from Bull and Varric was nothing.