Title: What alcohol can do

Chapter: Oneshot

Series: Dragon Age: Inquisition

Pairing: Samson/Inquisitor

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Kissing, Cuteness (OOC Samson possibly?)

Summary: AU where Samson is recruited by Leliana and he's the 4th advisor. Birthdays and cupcakes.


No one really cared. I mean, who cares about birthdays right? At a certain age birthdays don't matter anymore. You're either too old to get gifts or you don't have a good group of friends to celebrate it with. Unless you're the inquisitor of course. With Cullen and his troops finally freed of the terror that lingered after Corypheus' death, Josephine's meet and greets with various nobles and Leliana's amount of secrets you could say there was barely any time to rest. Funny how everything got resolved yet the paper work still build up, as if Corypheus wasn't stopped.

The group of friends was enormous, more than she could ask for, yet somehow an empty void still grasped at her heart. She knew where it was coming from, she knew exactly who was making her feel like this. Yet with all the power in the world she could not control certain events from ever happening. If only she could, for this one time-

„Inquisitor, can I help you with something?"

Gasping a little at the sight of the young man she sighed. „You shouldn't be listening to my thoughts Cole… It'd only make you sad." Feeling quite ashamed and looking down she could not even face the half spirit, not even now. „I want to help you." She looked up at him, his face pale as the moon, yet healthy looking, for a spirit controlled body that is. She didn't need to speak the words for him to understand how much he meant to her. Cole had kept her bad thoughts at bay throughout the Corypheus chapter of her life. He had helped her forget, or put memories in place. And even now he'd still give anything for her.

„There's a party tonight, for Leliana's birthday, you should come, I know she'd like that." The spymaster was close to the inquisitor, and it felt as if they had known each other for ages. So not going to the party would be be unacceptable. Even though she dreaded parties. „Good, it's been a wile since we celebrated something. I'll be there Cole." The spirit smiled and vanished within the next seconds. The inquisitor sighed, thinking about her own birthday, which was two weeks ago, yet nothing happened that day, or that week, the date just was forgotten. She wasn't the kind of person to run around screaming how it was her birthday, nor the one who wanted a big party. She just wanted a certain commander to- „Ack, what does it matter? Birthdays are stupid anyway."

Surely enough night fell and the festivities were commencing. The inquisitor herself arrived later to the party than she had planned, as both Iron Bull and Varric already had downed a large amount of alcoholic beverages and were shouting obscenities at each other, and Dorian, of course. The mage more than enjoyed it somehow. Probably being intoxicated himself already. Who knows what's was in those wine bottles that were found in Skyhold when they first arrived. Whatever it was it's no longer there.

„Here, thought you might need this"

Took him long enough to find her. „T-Thank you, Commander."

„These parties, bullshit. Leliana's my friend but aren't we a little bit too old to cut a cake and sing for the birthday girl? Or is that just me." He smirked while drinking from an almost empty cup of wine. „Drink, you'll need it". She listened to his wise words, as she herself was already getting annoyed at the party, for various reasons. „Call me Samson, I always feel like you're talking to Cullen when you say Commander." She gulped a little bit more wine than she anticipated and felt the alcoholic beverage hit her throat, son enough she would start to feel the effects of it. It couldn't come soon enough. „Samson." She raised her cup towards the older man and he mimicked.

„So, what are you going to do when this all dies down, the meet and greets I mean." She honestly didn't know, she had no plans after the inquisition marked its final chapter of stopping Corypheus. „I-Haven't given it thought honestly, there's no where I can go besides Skyhold, which is my second home after all." Samson tilted his head. „No one… to go back to? Family? Friends? … A lover?" She noticed the last word was almost whispered at her, as if he wasn't sure how to ask her about relationships. „My family died during the last blight, I was lucky enough to survive it all, and my friends are all here, … and I'm not in any relationship so don't worry, I'm not leaving anytime soon." Before she knew it she had put her hand on his shoulder and smiled deeply at him. This was the alcohol talking. He didn't seem to mind though.

„…Good then, we're in the same boat" He stared at her face as he took another sip from his cup. The alcohol also making its way into his blood. „SAMSON! OOOOH SAMSOOOOON." The templar turned his head only to face a raging bull, literally. Iron Bull was making his way over to him, in an aggressive yet playful manner. Probably forgetting him much power the Qunari had Samson played along, only to get hit by a massive force and flung towards the opposing wall. They had become great friends over the last few months, weirdly so, as Iron Bull hated his guts at the beginning. The inquisitor laughed even though she was concerned for the templar's health. Not many can tell stories of having survived a Qunari stampede. Laughter roared from the halls as they both broke their contact.

Having drank a somewhat large amount of alcohol the inquisitor found herself wanting to leave the party, maybe go read a little bit to keep her thoughts off of the templar, or just to not try to vomit. Either way she made her way to the library, glad to see it was deserted, leave for the crows on the upper floor, who were mostly asleep. She looked through the books and scanned her eyes for something lightweight. Reading a book about time altering magic wouldn't be the best thing right now, not being able to focus on normal things at the moment. She placed herself in the chair Dorian usually sat in, with a book about nugs, How that book made its way into the library she didn't know, maybe it was a prank Sera placed there to enrage the intelligent mage who usually spends his days there.

She started reading the book while snuggling into the chair, as she could hear the faint noises of the party in the hall downstairs, she became very focussed on the stories about the nugs, as if it were tales of ferocious beasts. She finally was able to take her mind off of things, off of him. She was so distracted she hadn't even heard the door opening downstairs and the footsteps on the stairs. Or the stare that was given to her by the templar only a step away from her. He coughed a small puff of air and she nearly flung the book across the room, surprised and frightened for a second. „MAKER'S BREATH!"

Samson smiled at her, almost grinning like an idiot, his eyes dark and the faint light of the candles shining on his cheekbones. „I didn't know nugs could be such subjects of horror, as you almost jumped out of your own skin. Or was that just me that frightened you." Smirking even harder now, knowing exactly what he said. And what it meant. „No-I, You just, came out of nowhere and I guess I was too into this… book" She looked down, almost ashamed, not knowing why. Maybe she gave too much away from her look. She saw him move from the corner of her eye, coming towards her, but he was holding something in his left hand. „Cole told me an interesting story just now. It involved you."

That's it, she thought, this is how I die. Mentally then. Cole must've told him how she felt, he didn't know any boundaries yet, he became more spirit than human and must've just tried to help. „Oh?" She couldn't say more than that, already forcing her word through her throat as if it was closed off. Samson revealed the hand he was hiding, only to show he was holding what looked like a cupcake. Confusion covered the inquisitor's face as she stared at the baked good in awe. „Two weeks ago right? I hope I can make it up to you." She turned to face the templar who was now crouched down, face close to hers and his hand holding onto the arm rest as the other held the cupcake. „Here let me help" taking the book from her hands and placing it across from her on the tiny table, putting the cupcake in her hands as she kept looking down at it. „I-don't know what to say Samson. Also I was reading that."

„Trying to change the subject are we, how smooth." She finally looked up at him, or more so, down, as he sat there crouching, admiring her almost. „What did Cole… tell you." She didn't want to know, yet was too curious not to ask. Damn my curiosity. „He told me… how he found you in thought this morning. And apparently he also wanted to give your a birthday present but didn't know how to arrange such a thing. That's where I come in." He stared up at her, almost afraid to say anything else. „Are you going to eat that" he finally muttered. „Are you going to watch me eat this?" She retorted. Almost smiling at him when his face lit up, pleasantly surprised by her quick wit. „No, but I am going to try the cupcake if you don't". The alcohol had finally settled in his blood and there was nothing stopping him. Grabbing her hand he pulled towards his mouth only to find her hand pulling away from him. As quick as she could be she took a bite from the cupcake and tried to keep the remaining away from the older templar.

„It's mine, go get your own-„ she was cut off by what she felt were his lips. Her mouth covered in cupcake and now a handsome and slightly drunk templar, she didn't break away. This was the birthday gift she wanted. Bless the Maker, bless Andraste. He was making his tongue do all the work and she just had to undergo the power that was Samson. The kiss started sloppy but strong and ended very soft and sweet, much like the cupcake itself. When he finally broke away she could barely believe what had just happened. „I'm-I shouldn't have- I'm sorry, inquisitor." He was still holding her hand that held a now half-eaten cupcake, and he couldn't seem to let go of it. „…How was it?" She asked him, knowing she now had the upper hand in this conversation. „How was… what, inquisitor?" He couldn't look up at her, almost completely ashamed of what he just did, the alcohol making his blood boil. She turned to him and lifted his chin, „The cupcake." He stared into her eyes, dark and somehow he always looked quite annoyed or angry, even though that was just his usual expression. „Better than I expected…" A blush formed on her face, mainly because of the amount of alcohol she had consumed but Samson likes to think otherwise.

„Sorry I forgot about your birthday. I should have inquired Leliana or Josephine before-„ now the templar got cut off. The inquisitor's kiss wasn't sloppy, she knew exactly what she was doing. As a leader of a great amount of people she finally found what she really wanted to do. Even if that involved being slightly drunk. Her lips felt so warm and good on his and he let his hand move up to her cheek to cup it a little bit. While she made her way into his hair and the back of his neck, they deepened the kiss ever so slightly and his free hand slipped onto her knee and up to her thigh and stopping at her hip. Samson stood up while keeping the contact of their lips and was now above her, the alcohol was really doing its job. She sat up straight a bit more and allowed the templar to envelope here with his grasp. Both completely lost in each other, nothing could keep them apart now-

„Guess I'm not the only one who can make people breathless with a flick of my tongue." Dorian had been standing there for the past 30 seconds, now crudely smiling at both of them looking ashamed and the templar a bit more angry than usual. „Dorian, I uh-„ „Unless you're going to invite me to this party I don't want to hear it. I assumed you had your own quarters but everyone prefers my comfortable chair, as do I." The mage, clearly drunk beyond measure, yet still being able to spit out his wit, stumbled across the library and went to stand next to Samson who had now fully straightened his body to face the younger man. „Inquisitor, I think your templar wants to punch me in the face, please tell him I mean no harm. Unless that is one of his kinks, then I'll gladly comply." Now winking and testing his boundaries Dorian found himself most amused with the angry templar. „I'm sorry Dorian, we didn't mean to… defile your chair." She tried not to laugh at her own words as it was quite a funny sight to see the drunken templar flushed. She stood up and tugged Samson's hand away „Come". Dorian shouted some heartfelt obscenities at the two before they left the library through the door that led to the ramparts.

This was the best birthday present ever, she thought as they walked away.