Work Text:
Ellana found Dorian precisely where she expected him to be - standing in front of a shelf in the library, browsing through a small, cloth-bound book which lay open in his hands.
Dramatically, she threw herself down in Dorian’s favorite chair, her arms sagging over the padded armrests.
“Dorian.”
“Inquisitor.” He replied, looking up from his book.
“Dorian, I need to tell you something personal, but I also need you to refrain from making asinine comments, since I may have done something questionable and I need a second opinion.”
He snapped his book shut, his interest piqued. “Excellent. This day could use a bit of livening up.”
Ellana distractedly traced her fingers along the red padded armrests of the chair, looking away.
“Cullen and I …” Her voice cracked, so she started again. “We might have just …uh… fucked?” She said the last word like she wasn’t quite sure if that was the right expression for it.
Dorian’s eyes lit up like it was his name day.
“Fasta vass! …Just like that! I was beginning to think the two of you would dance forever.” He narrowed his eyes conspiratorially. “So. How was our dear Commander?”
Ellana let her head fall back against the chair, her eyes sliding shut as she managed a low, appreciative “Hnhhg”.
Dorian laughed, a joyous ringing sound that carried well beyond the library. “That relieves me, for some reason.”
“Oh, me too.” Ellana quipped, her eyes still shut.
She could practically hear him grin in response. “Have I told you lately how appreciative I am that you fell out of the Fade rather than some pious old chantry biddy?”
Ellana cracked an eye open and looked at him with a grin. “Feel free to keep telling me.” She leaned forward in the chair, her forearms resting on her knees.
“So what do I do? During the… process it was all delicious…” She waved her hand as she tried to think of the right words. “… heat, muscles, and noise… ”
“Noise?” Dorian asked, his expression wary.
She paused. “He made these wonderfully distracting groans in my ear…” She trailed off, her expression far away. "He was very enthusiastic."
“Ah. …” Dorian muttered, his own expression distant. He stared dreamily for a minute, then dismissively tossed his book onto a nearby pile. “Thank you very much. I think you’ve just stymied my ability to research today.” He moved to lean against the wall beside the window. “So, where are you now?” He asked, calling her attention back to her original request.
“That’s the thing. When we …finished… it was sort of awkward.” She unconsciously scratched the back of her head. “But…it was good. Amazing, actually. I don’t want it to stop. Now that we’ve started.”
Dorian made an inelegant noise in his throat. “For fear of sounding obvious, you really should be talking with him. As much as I absolutely appreciate that you’ve chosen me instead. ”
Ellana nudged the stone floor with the toe of her boot. “It’s just going to be such a clumsy conversation.”
“One which you’ll undoubtedly tell me all about. But first, you need to have it.” Dorian’s expression softened. “If I know anything about the Commander - and trust me, I do – it’s that he pines for you in an almost cloyingly noble way. Combined with his infuriating goodness and the painfully obvious sexual tension between you too, I can almost guarantee you that you’ll have a happy ending. Puns quite intended.”
Ellana huffed a laugh. “That’s reassuring to hear, even if you don’t actually know for certain.” She paused to run a hand roughly over her cheek, then stood as if she had made up her mind. “Thank you, Dorian. I’ll leave you to your research.”
“My pleasure. And remember… Details are the lifeblood of any good story. I’ll be in the tavern tonight.”
Ellana rolled her eyes as she turned to walk down the stairs. It was time to pay Cullen a visit.