go back five crowns
media: dragon age: inquisition
ship: dorian/(orion) lavellan
originally published: on tumblr, february 2015
word count: 1023
notes: a bet between sera and varric gets orion ruminating on his relationship with a certain mage from tevinter. (the prompt for this piece was provided by this text post.)
“Hey, have you done it yet?”
Orion stares icily at Sera. “I seem to recall you barging in on it taking place a few days ago.”
“Don’t get your bloomers in a bunch, Ser Lordybloomers!” Sera cackles. “And I don’t mean that. I didn’t want to see that at all. Yuck. Needed to scrub my eyes after that one —”
“That’s quite enough.”
“You saw them going at it, Buttercup?” Varric laughs. “Thorn and Sparkler?!”
“Yeah. In the war room. Real wild.” Sera takes a sip of her ale and glances over at Varric. “I can draw it for you, if you’d like. Got the positions memorized and –”
“I said that was enough!” Orion frowns. “What were you even doing in the war room at three in the morning?! Wait, no, what were you doing in the war room at all?”
Sera shrugs. “That big map, yeah? It needs some more arrows in it. Too many daggers, not enough arrows.”
“And here I thought Thorn was above such indecent acts.Tsk, tsk.” Varric shakes his head.
“It was Pavus’ idea,” Orion grumbles. No one’s listening.
“What I’m asking is…” Sera puts her ale back down on the counter. “Have you told him that you’re all in love and shite?”
Orion almost chokes on his wine.
“What?!” He splutters. “I’m not –“
“Ugh! That’s right typical, that!” Sera shakes her head.
“That’s five crowns, Buttercup,” Varric says.
“You’re making bets now?!” Orion scoffs.
“I should’ve known that you’re too frigging stony to tell him any of that mushy crap!”
“I’m not stony!”
Varric and Sera stare at him. “You’re stony,” Varric says.
“What does that even mean?!”
“It means that I have to give Varric five crowns. Five! I don’t even have five crowns.” Sera pouts. Then her face brightens. “Hey, Quizzy…”
“And now you’re making me pay the bet that you lost. Right.” Orion sighs.
“Well, it’s technically your fault.” Varric shrugs.
“How is it my fault?!”
“Because you’ve been with Dorian for years and you still haven’t told him!”
“It’s been a few months,” Orion retorts.
“So, Thorn… Not quite there yet, huh? Not at the love level.” Varric smirks.
“I –” Orion’s voice breaks.
Shit.
He meant to confirm that.
That they’re not at the love level.
Of course, that would be a lie… At least on Orion’s part.
He’s a good liar, usually.
Sera howls with laughter.
Dorian’s very… Academic. It’s something that Orion likes about him.
He stays up late, reading all of these books that he carried over, straight from the library.
He joked that he’s slowly converting Orion’s chambers (their chambers?) into a new library… A relocation, if you will.
“Filtering out all of the rubbish,” or something.
It made Orion laugh.
But, now? Now they’re in bed together.
Dorian’s back is to Orion – he’s propped up over a particularly dusty old book (he keeps sneezing. It’s endearing, somehow).
Orion groans and buries his face in Dorian’s back.
“Amatus?” Dorian peeks over his shoulder and sniffles.
“It’s nothing,” Orion replies.
“Hmm.” Dorian goes back to reading.
Orion knows that he’s bad with words, sometimes.
Good at the Game.
Good at ordering people around.
He has to be. He can’t afford to show weakness… Not with the entirety of Thedas watching him.
But when it comes to this?
He’s awful.
He’s stony.
And it’s rubbish.
Dorian smells like books and spices. And Orion loves that.
Orion loves everything about him, really.
He loves how Dorian has stayed true himself, despite everything. How he makes the right choices - not the easy ones.
He loves the way Dorian’s voice rises and falls. How he goes on tangents about politics, about history, about people.
He loves that passion.
Also, his face. He has a very nice face.
But how do you tell someone that?!
Varric and Sera were merciless, earlier. Bull got in on it, too. As if they’d be any better at this!
Varric has so many relationship issues, he could literally write a book about them.
Maybe he has.
Maybe Orion should bring that up later.
In the name of vengeance and all.
He groans.
Dorian doesn’t question it this time. Thank the Creators.
It’s just frustrating. They’re both new to this.
And Orion doesn’t know how these things work.
He could tell you about a dozen different ways to slit someone’s throat, but he knows absolutely nothing about love confessions.
Wonderful.
“The Blood Lotuses that you let Cole plant in the garden are starting to take over virtually everything else,” Dorian says. Randomly.
“I know. I need Blood Lotuses for the healers.” Orion starts tracing circles, lazily, slowly, on Dorian’s back. “And Cole wanted to try planting something, so…”
“You’re always such a people pleaser,” Dorian says. There’s affection laced in those words – along with some sarcasm.
“Naturally,” Orion replies. “I’m very sociable. Very likeable.” Not stony at all.
Dorian laughs.
And then there’s silence.
A comfortable silence.
Orion’s used to silence. He likes it. He’d stray from his clan all the time – he’d stand, deep in the woods, listening to nothing, feeling at peace. At home.
He feels the same way when he’s lying next to Dorian.
He feels at home with him.
It makes his chest hurt, but in a good way, and it makes the words even harder to say.
His fingers are still lightly tracing over Dorian’s back.
I love you. I love you. I love you.
He forms each letter slowly. Deliberately.
Dorian’s too busy reading. He wouldn’t know. And it helps, in a way.
Orion’s fingers move so effortlessly. The motions are so natural.
Would saying it be this easy? Probably not.
Orion loses track of time; he doesn’t count how many times he forms those words on Dorian’s back.
As Orion gives his back a final, gentle touch, his amatus is still engrossed in his book.
Orion backs down into the covers, curling up. He feels warm. Content. At home.
Significantly less… Stony.
He’s on the very cusp of sleep when he feels Dorian shift over to him, lightly pressing his lips against Orion’s forehead.
“I love you, too.”