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Soft, reverent touches against the stubble on his cheek pulled Cullen out of the light slumber he had been drifting in and out of for the past several hours. He should have been worried to realize that someone had snuck past the men stationed by his door, crept through his office, and made their way up the creaky old ladder into his room without being detected. He should have been horrified that he hadn’t so much as stirred while someone wandered close to his bed. He should have been concerned, but he found that he was quite the opposite. He didn't even have to open his eyes to know who the intruder was, to recognize the sounds of those shallow breaths, the touch of those callused hands. His heart already knew, beating quicker in his chest at the knowledge that it was finally reuniting with its missing half. "Alistair," he murmured sleepily.
“Cullen,” Alistair breathed as he raised a hand to briefly cup Cullen’s chin before moving it up into his golden hair, gently scratching at his scalp, combing through his soft curls, his familiar touch easing some of the headache that had been steadily building in Cullen’s temples for days now. “Cullen,” he repeated, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as they formed two of the most important syllables he had ever spoken. Cullen. My love.
Cullen’s pulse quickened and a small sigh escaped his lips. He hadn’t realized how much he missed something as simple as the sound of Alistair saying his name. “You’ve come back.”
“I’ll always find my way back to you. Never forget that.” Alistair’s other hand moved to cup Cullen’s cheek tenderly, thumb brushing gently over his cheekbone as he bent down to press their foreheads together. Silence hung between them for several breaths, a comfortable absence of words as each basked in, revelled in, the presence of the other. They didn’t need words in moments such as this. Actions had always been more important between them.
Cullen took one of Alistair’s hands in his own, twining their fingers together, bringing them up to brush his lips across his knuckles and the back of his hand. “I’ve missed you. More than I could ever express in words. Almost more than I could bear.” His voice was soft and slightly deeper than normal, tendrils of sleep still clinging to him, bits of the Fade lurking in his half-hooded amber eyes.
Alistair brought their joined hands to his own lips and copied the gesture. “I’ve missed you as well. The only thing that kept me going was the thought, the hope, that I would finally be able to see you once it was all over. We have spent too much of our lives apart, drifting and alone. It should never have been this way.”
“Yes, we’ve spent far too much time apart. It’s one of my biggest regrets. Somehow, though, we always find our way back to each other, despite the obstacles that block the path.” Cullen tilted his head to press a soft kiss to Alistair’s lips, a bare whisper of contact against his skin.
Tangling a hand in the curls at the nape of Cullen’s neck, Alistair brought their faces closer together, angling his head for a deeper kiss. It had been far too long. Their lips moved together slowly, tenderly, re-exploring old territory, reclaiming it as their own. Their kiss conveyed everything they weren’t able to put into words. I’ve spent so many nights alone, staring at the empty space beside me. Wishing I could fall asleep to the soft sounds of your breathing, the steady beating of your heart beneath my ear. Your presence calms my mind, eases my body, soothes my soul. I’ve been so lost without you.
Cullen’s hands slipped down to work at the clasps of Alistair’s coat, content to take his time as their mouths continued to move together. When Cullen was finished with the clasps Alistair eased the coat off of his shoulders with a heavy shrug, allowing it to fall to the floor beside the bed. His tunic soon followed, although somehow it tangled around his head and he found himself struggling to pull it off. Cullen chuckled as he tried to help, pulling at the sleeves and only ending up making it worse. Alistair laughed along with him, for once not self-conscious or doubtful of himself. He never was, not anymore, not when it was just the two of them.
Alistair let go of Cullen long enough to unlace his boots and kick them off, his pants following soon after, and then he was crawling under the furs and pulling Cullen close. Fingers and lips explored as they re-learned each other’s bodies, committing to memory each new scar accumulated since the last time they had been together. It had been far too long.
Cullen sighed again as their warm, muscled bodies slid leisurely against each other. His body was partially aroused from the touching and kissing, but he wasn’t overly interested in sexual activities just yet. For now he was more than content to just melt into Alistair’s arms, trading whispered declarations of love and affection between tender kisses.
After a time they simply curled up together, bodies intertwined, touching as much of each other as they could as sleep began to pull at them. They floated between wakefulness and slumber. A sudden thought stirred Cullen into movement, and their noses brushed as he nuzzled Alistair’s face to get his attention. Alistair’s eyes fluttered open and he made a sleepy questioning sound in reply.
“How long are you staying this time?”
“Forever. I’m not leaving again, unless you have begun to tire of this, or unless the Inquisition has no use for an old Warden like myself.”
Cullen smiled, heart fluttering wildly in his chest. He’s staying. He’s actually, finally staying. “I could never tire of you, Alistair. And I’m sure we could find something for you to do here.”
“Good. I happen to quite like it here.”
“Good, because I happen to quite like having you here.”
“Even after all this time?”
“Always.”