As Neria returned from the hallway, an expectant grin spread across her face before she could stop it. Flashing a coy glance back at Alistair, she watched his eyebrow raise and jaw drop in an expression of such unabashed realization, Neria knew he hadn't suspected anything was afoot until now.
She swayed her hips in what she hoped was an alluring manner as she crossed the bed chambers of the Circle Tower, but her leather boot caught an edge in the cobbled stone floor, and she nearly tripped over her robes. How did Morrigan always make it look so easy?
Over-correcting herself with a loud stomp, Neria felt her face getting hot, but she was determined to keep the hungry look in her eyes as she joined Alistair's side by her old bunk in the Student Quarters.
"You...didn't actually bring me here to show me your old room, did you?" Alistair asked, eyebrow still raised.
Neria's shoulders dropped in ever-so-slight defeat. "Well, the first time I brought you here, it wasn't really an appropriate time for nostalgia."
"Yes, what with all the blood mages and Fade demons about." Alistair touched her chin and tilted her head back up to meet his eyes, cracking his half-smile to let her know he was just joking. "So this is where you grew up, eh?"
She plopped down on the creaking bed, unable to keep up the seductive temptress act any longer.
"I guess I didn't get to spend much time in the nicer Mage Quarters after the Harrowing, but, yeah," she said, shrugging. "Before that, this was home for as far back as I can remember."
The silence that followed seemed deafening, and Neria kicked herself for always making things serious. It was hard enough convincing herself she was allowed at least one night of relaxation in this cheerful Blight. Resigned to fill the void with something, she awkwardly busied herself in her backpack as Alistair wandered back to the doorway himself.
"So, when you told Wynne and Leliana to stand guard downstairs, you weren't actually worried about leftover demons up here, were you?"
Neria hoisted the backpack to her lap, her coyness quickly turning to confidence once her aptitude in battle was the topic of conversation.
"I think I can handle a few rogue demons myself. I saved you from the Fade, didn't I?"
Now it was Alistair's turn to stride seductively toward her, although she could tell he wasn't even doing it on purpose. Neria knew he respected her competence on the battlefield, and perhaps that certainty was all she needed to turn him on; girly temptress act be damned. For all her planning and eagerness for a moment alone with him, seeing Alistair's manly gait and yearning expression towards her was all it took to get that flutter in her heart she loved feeling so much.
"I don't know if I ever properly thanked you for that," he said, finally reaching the bed. He stroked his sandy-blonde stubble in thought. "Hmm...what would be a proper thanks for the stunningly beautiful woman who saved my life?"
"Actually, I have a gift for you." Neria pulled a bottle of wine from the folds of her pack, and he joined her on the small bed to examine the bottle. It had been a few weeks since the first night they shared a tent, and although she had quite enjoyed the experience, his reluctance to mention it since or ask to join her again had concerned her. She tried to remember he was just as new to all of this as she was, so she hoped to grease the wheels the only way she could think how.
"For me?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "This is Redcliffe Burgundy, the Arl's signature stock. I grew up on this stuff. I mean - I didn't grow up on it or I would have had a problem, but this is really good wine! Did you pick it up at Redcliffe Tavern?"
"Yes, while you were in the chantry." Neria began turning what she imagined to be the same color as the spirits. "I thought it might be nice the next time we had some time alone together."
Alistair's voice suddenly dropped to deep, rich smoothness. "Well, if you think you needed this to get me thinking about what's beneath those robes, you're mistaken."
Now in danger of actually becoming feverish, Neria doubled over once again to scrounge in the trunk below her old bed for some glassware. Alistair cleared his throat awkwardly and leaned back on his arms. She was amazed how he seemed to go from oblivious to sensual in the blink of an eye, and she cursed her fair skin and shyness for betraying her true desires. Do people ever get better at this? she wondered.
"Here we are." Neria popped back up, gesturing to two small - thankfully clean - glasses. "For the wine."
"Ah, yes. And what I meant to say was: thank you ever so much. And I probably do need some wine - FOR my bumbling manners! Not for...what's beneath your robes. Which I would very much like to, um, experience. Again. Yes." He cleared his throat again, and Neria swore she heard him mutter "Maker's Breath" to himself. She smiled as she poured the burgundy liquid into each glass. At least his awkwardness took a bit of the edge off hers.
The two of them sat for a few moments, sipping the smooth wine and allowing it to take the relieve some of the tension from battles and politics, day in and day out. They were actually back at the Circle Tower on a social call - asking the First Enchanter if he would consider allowing a dwarf named Dagna to study with the mages. He had quickly been persuaded, and seeing the opportunity for a night in a bed instead of a tent, the group jumped at the chance to stay the night. Wynne and Leliana, ever the romantics, truly were on guard duty, although it was less for Fade demons and more for keeping a voyeuristic Zevran or judging Sten from prematurely interrupting the Wardens' evening.
Neria refilled their small glasses; a little fuller this time. When she set the bottle on the floor and leaned back, she could have sworn Alistair was a lot closer to her than he had been a moment earlier.
"It's interesting," Alistair said eventually. "We were both what people would consider a kind of prisoner: you here in the Circle of Magi, and me in the Chantry. I'll bet you were like me when you were younger. We knew we didn't have it easy, and yet there was a pride in having skills or powers that no one else our age had."
"Huh," Neria chuckled. She'd never put it into words before, but that's exactly how she had always felt. "Everyone assumes my time here was horrific, and, sure, there were some dark moments. But you're right." She cupped the glass in her hands and leaned back into the arm he'd stationed behind her back. "I am proud of my powers. And I couldn't be more grateful that they led me to the Grey Wardens. And to you."
Alistair dipped his head and raised his glass to her. She clinked hers against his, and they both drank deeply. After another moment of smooth reflection, Alistair took Neria's glass in his hand, set both tumblers on the stone floor, and blinked at the bright room around them.
"So, do these torches just...burn away all night?" he asked. With a playful grin, Neria flicked her wrist, and every torch on the floor extinguished, leaving them in pitch blackness.
"Uh, I guess that does the trick."
"Sorry, sorry," she said. "Didn't think that one through." With another flick, a tiny fireball pierced the air to a torch across the room, leaving them in a dim, romantic glow.
As if the light had been the only thing keeping Alistair in respectable check, he seemed to have newfound confidence now that the lights were low. He grasped the mage's tiny shoulders in a grip that was firm but gentle and gazed deep into her eyes.
"I want you to know I've yearned to be alone with you again for quite some time," he said. "I can't stop thinking about that one night in the tent, and - I don't know. It never seemed gentlemanly in the midst of a Blight to bring it up to you around the campfire. To ask to sleep by your side again."
The flutter returned to Neria's heart and started making its way to her stomach. She was grateful for the semi-darkness, but something told her Alistair didn't mind watching her blush.
He brought his forehead inches away from hers and gazed longingly into her eyes. "I would be honored if you would allow me to sleep by your side again. And...if you would partake in the other bits with me as well, well then, I'd...be very grateful indeed."
Neria blinked up at him and giggled softly, but in this moment, she wanted nothing more than to partake in the other bits with him. Fueled a bit by the wine but mostly the adorable half-smile on his face, Neria leaned forward and parted her lips on his, kissing him deeply. Needing no other answer, Alistair took her head in his hands and returned with gentle strength, pressing her softly back into the wall.
A bit surprised by his advances, Neria scrunched the sheets up into her fists, and Alistair gently slid his hands down her slim arms, finally grasping her hands in his. Then, with surprising speed, he pinned them to the wall on the sides of her head. It was all she could do to not let out a squeal that would echo through the entire chamber, as Alistair gently nibbled down her neck and across her collarbone. If two glasses of wine was all it took to get this, she thought, I might have to stock up for more campfire dinners.
Alistair slowly slid Neria's body down the wall and onto the bed, letting go of her hands. She used her newfound freedom to quickly unlace the robes he seemed so eager to see underneath. The sudden pressure she felt against her thigh confirmed his eagerness.
Alistair broke apart for a moment to remove the light mail he was wearing, but when his field of vision was clear again, he caught a glimpse of Neria in her smallclothes and pounced on her again, forgetting to remove his own. She giggled underneath him and squirmed with a bit of insecurity, but he rested a warm hand on her waist to show her she had nothing to be ashamed of.
Neria wrapped her arms around Alistair's strong torso and, fueled by his soft moans, she slid her hands down to his backside and slid off his shorts, flinging them to the ground.
Alistair flashed a ravenous smile at her, appreciative that she was as eager as he clearly was. He lowered himself onto her, enveloping her with his body, but staying partially on all fours to keep his full weight off her tiny frame. Neria pushed down on the small of his back, feeling him slip through her thighs and brushing up against the warmth emanating from her own smallclothes. Having waited this long to feel him again and yet keeping him just at the cusp of her ecstasy was almost exquisite torture. He squinted at her in the darkness to show that he could feel the tension, too, and she wasn't sure how long she could endure it.
After biting his lip and taking one long look at her body beneath him, Alistair began again kissing her collarbone, this time slowly - very slowly - working his way back up her neck. Holding most of his weight on one hand, he ventured his other up her waist, almost meekly brushing against the side of Neria's breast, as if he weren't sure he was permitted. As he began nipping lightly at her earlobe, she felt as if she would melt into a puddle right there. Her shudder must have given him the signal he was looking for, and he cupped her breast fully with his hand and massaged gently.
"Miss Surana," he whispered into her ear, "would you do me the honor of allowing me to make love to you?"
Neria couldn't contain a small squeal of excitement and anticipation, punctuated by a gasp caused by Alistair grinding a bit more hungrily against her hips.
Alistair gave a small chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Yes, Alistair, yes," she gushed. "And let's not wait weeks before we do this again. I've barely been able to sleep just thinking of you."
Alistair's face lit up with a mixture of pride and relief that she felt the same way, and he nodded obligingly. "As you wish, my lady."
He leaned back for a moment as Neria wiggled out of her smallclothes and, taking a glimpse of her figure once again, he shook his head with almost bashful disbelief. He lowered himself down again slowly. Neria grasped his torso to feel the oblique muscles taut on his sides, and she slowly inched her thighs apart to allow Alistair room.
In a moment's hesitation, Alistair seemed reluctant to move his hips further down, and Neria sensed it was because of the initial pain at the beginning of their first encounter. She slid her hand down his body and pushed ever so slightly on the small of Alistair's back to let him know it was okay.
Alistair slipped between her folds, slick with anticipation, and as she felt him fill her up entirely, Neria arched her back and gasped with pleasure. Shaking with pleasure of his own, Alistair pulled back slightly and, grasping her shoulders so as not ride her right off the bed, he thrusted forward again, and again, until Neria fervently wrapped her legs around his back.
Now it was her turn to take his face in her hands and kiss him passionately. She weaved her hands through his always-tousled sandy hair and pushed her mouth against his soft lips as he continued grinding an increasingly urgent rhythm into her body.
The elation became too much for Neria, and she unfurled her legs, letting them drop to the bed in near exhaustion. Alistair eagerly lowered himself to meet her and continued pumping with every ounce of his desire, eliciting an impassioned squeal from his mage at every peak. Her rough breathing seemed to turn him on more than she thought possible at this point, and he arched his own back, curling upwards inside Neria and ramming against her most sensitive spot, sending her into an exhaustive fit of arousal.
Neria gripped the sides of the bed to hold on for dear life as she rode out wave after wave of frenzied release - all at once relaxed, satiated, and eager for more. Unable to contain himself any longer, Alistair allowed himself to let go of the surge of pleasure he'd been holding inside for so long. His breathing was ragged, but he continued planting soft kisses along the top of Neria's chest. With one last playful urge, he kissed one of her nipples and flicked his tongue slightly over it, making Neria giggle with pleasure even more.
With a lustfully exhausted sigh of relief, Alistair all but collapsed next to his mage on the tiny bed. He draped his arm across her body and scooped her tighter into him, nuzzling his face in her neck.
"Yes, I think we're definitely going to have to do this more often," Alistair whispered sleepily into her ear.
Neria hugged the arm enveloping her and curled onto her side. She scooted her backside into Alistair's body, trying to keep contact with as much of him as possible. All she could do in response was let out a sighing "Mmhmm" with the biggest smile she'd had in recent memory lingering on her face as she slowly drifted off to the Fade.