Dellis woke abruptly as he heard the door open. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but when he did he swore under his breath. "Sorry, I fell sleep," he told Cassandra, who stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. "Maker, I'm bad at this."
"What are you doing?" she asked with a slight smile, closing the door behind her.
"Well, you've been gone," Dellis explained, getting up from the bed, "so I thought I'd surprise you."
"By falling asleep in my quarters?" she asked with a smirk.
"You're late," he complained as he stepped toward her. He pointed toward the writing desk beside the bed. "There was tea, but it's probably cold now."
"A shame you're not a mage then," Cassandra smirked, moving to inspect the now lukewarm pot of tea.
"I get the feeling you wouldn't like me so well if I were a mage," Dellis suggested, reached around her to pick up the book sitting next to the tea pot. He held it out in front of her. "I figured you'd probably be exhausted, so I thought maybe you'd finally let me read you Hard in Hightown."
"Maker's breath, Dellis," Cassandra said with a laugh. "You really want me to sit through Varric's crime serial?"
"We could always switch back to Swords and Shields if you really hate it," he told her with a grin, smiling wider as she rolled her eyes. With his free hand he took her by the shoulder and sat her down on the bed.
"What are you doing?" Cassandra asked with a sigh.
"That chivalry thing men are supposed to do," Dellis answered, tossing the book next to her. He kneeled down and began unlacing her boots, removing them each in turn. He tossed them into the corner before picking the book back up. "I'm glad you took your armor off in the barracks."
"After the last time, I would never ask for your help with that again," she chuckled as he crawled onto the bed behind her. Dellis opened the book and motioned for her to join him. Cassandra sighed softly before moving to sit next to him. He opened the book to the first page, putting his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"They say coin never sleeps, but anyone who's walked the patrol of Hightown market at midnight might disagree," Dellis read, smiling as he felt Cassandra's arm wrap itself around his chest. "The pickpockets and confidence men head to the taverns at dusk, the dwarven businessmen and nobles go back to their tiny palaces to fret over the ways they got cheated, and the market falls silent."
"You really enjoy this?" Cassandra asked, looking up at him tiredly.
"It was the first book I didn't steal," Dellis reminded her with a chuckle. He turned his attention back to the book. "Donnen Brennokovic knew every angle of the market with his eyes closed. Twenty years of patrols had etched it into him so that he walked that beat even in his dreams. The recruit, Jevlan, was another story."
"Sweet Andraste, he didn't even try with these names," Cassandra complained, yawning softly.
"You're bad at being read to, Cass," Dellis laughed. She made a quiet grunting sound and allowed him to continue. "The ring of steel striking stone told Donnen that the kid had stumbled into a column again. His new armor would be full of dents by sunrise." A light laugh was Cassandra's only reaction. "'Torches would make this easier.' The sound of Jevlan hauling himself off the pavement was like a tinker's cart crashing."
Dellis was about to continue to the next paragraph when he realized Cassandra's eyes were closed. He could feel her heart beat, slow and steady, against his chest as she snored ever so softly.
"Well, I guess we won't be reading this again," Dellis said to himself quietly, smiling and setting the book down on the nightstand. He leaned over the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb Cassandra, and blew out the candle. Dellis placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head before yawning and closing his own eyes. There would always be tomorrow.