Many thanks to mudbloodedslytherin's help in making this look presentable.

Some information that might be useful to know ahead of time.

- Svelia Surana is dating Alistair Therin. Ketoja "Ketket" Adaar (MBS's Inquisitor) is dating Iron Bull.

- This is post Fire Alarm, but (obviously) Cullen and Nyra are not dating. You do not need to have read that to keep up with this one.

- In this modern universe, all the distinct races do exist, with their features. So our characters do look like their normal counterparts (minus most of the physical scarring).

It was two weeks after Satinalia had ended. All the decorations were down and gifts had been given. Even Antiva was done with their annual celebration (and Creators know how long those go on for; Josie had shown up the first day back with the most spectacular hangover).

So who the hell had put up mistletoe in front of the cafeteria?

And why did she have to be walking next to Cullen when this had happened? Worse yet, why did Bull, Sera, Varric, and Dorian all have to be walking with them?

Nyra hadn't even noticed it at first. She had simply be walking along with Cullen, chatting about the insanely difficult kinetic sculpture she had been designing, when Varric had said, "Hey Curly! You've got something on your head."

Nyra and Cullen had looked up to see that a piece of mistletoe was tickling the top of his head. Both of them colored as Sera added, "Now you've gotta kiss her! Get smacking!"

Nyra clutched her sketch book in front of her, as though it could shield her from the prickly embarrassment currently working its way across her entire face, down her neck. "Sera," she hissed, giving her idiot roommate a pointed look.

"Look, we're all tired of the longing looks, just grow a set or something and kiss each other!" Varric chided. "You're holding up lunch."

Nyra shook her head in frustration. It was hardly… she couldn't… Cullen didn't even want to, probably! She was an elf, pointed ears sticking out prominently, and he was a human. It was acceptable for them to be friends. Anything more…

Impossible.

She glanced at Cullen for a second, before turning away and pretending she hadn't. Her boots were suddenly very fascinating, all the intricate stitch work that went into them; she had never quite appreciated how pretty they were. She needed to wear those boots more often.

Bull coughed. "Come on, you guys, I want to eat today."

Nyra's blush had been receding, but it came back in full force again. She rolled her eyes in frustration before glaring at Bull for a second. Then she steeled herself, grabbed Cullen's collar, and quickly pecked him on the cheek.

"There," she said, before marching into the cafeteria. She quickly grabbed whatever prepared plate was already out (ugh, chicken) and rushed to a table. She whipped out one of her pencils and started sketching more details into her sculpture. She barely concentrated on what she was eating and poured all her focus into the sketch. After all, it was due the next day and she would barely have enough time with all her other homework.

It wasn't because she was trying to avoid Cullen's eyes (or his entire person in general).

Not at all.

…

Being Dalish, Nyra obviously did not know every human ritual and tradition coming into college. Hell, she could barely remember most of her own culture's!

However, she was still pretty sure Sera was yanking her chain about this one.

"I am supposed to do what?" she asked incredulously.

"You found the toy, you gotta smack the first guy you see," Sera said, frustrated that she hadn't caught on more quickly.

Nyra looked rather confused and slightly terrified. "I see… I'm supposed to smack him?"

"Yep, right quick," she said. Leliana and Josie were watching the two of them with thinly veiled amusement. "Get in, get out. You know… unless he likes it; then keep doing it."

Nyra shook her head. "I don't know…" she said, eyeing the little plastic baby she had recovered from the Satinalia pie Sera had made for them. "That sounds like a terrible idea."

"Oh, go on, be adventurous!" Leliana said.

"Come on, don't be such a stick in the mud," Sera chided.

"All right, is anyone coming?" Nyra asked with a small groan. She was probably going to regret this. And potentially be arrested, that could also happen. Creators, why did she hang out with such terrible influences?

Sera peeked her head down the dorm hallway. She cackled for a moment, before stifling her laughter (Nyra didn't even know she had the self control to do that). "Look who came for a visit!"

Nyra popped her head out above the elf and nearly swore as she saw Cullen, Dorian, and Bull all coming to their dorm. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at the top of Sera's head. "You little -"

"Too late, you gotta do it!" she crowed, falling on her back as she couldn't contain her laughter anymore.

"Why does Sera sound like a deranged parakeet?" Dorian asked as the guys all reached their dorm.

"I can't speak for the parakeet part, but I'll vouch for the deranged bit," Nyra muttered, still glaring at the elf girl.

"What's going on," Bull asked, looking thoroughly nonplussed.

"Satinalia pie!" Josie said cheerfully, holding up her plate. Bull eyed the pie tray, but the Antivan smacked his hand before it could move two inches. "No! Not until everyone else has gotten a slice, otherwise there will be none for the rest of the guys!"

Bull groaned. "You're worse than Ketket. She never lets me eat first either."

"She's a smart girlfriend," Nyra said dryly.

Sera poked her with her foot. "You're just stalling," she chided.

"Stalling what?" Cullen asked.

Nyra sighed. "Fine," she said. "But I still don't understand your stupid Ferelden customs." Before anyone could say anything else, she was on her feet and was standing across from Cullen. He cocked an eyebrow at her, before she raised her hand and smacked him hard on his arm. Almost everyone in the room let out an audible gasp.

"What was that for?" he asked, shocked, his hand rubbing the injury.

At the same time, Sera shouted, "What'd you hit him for? You were supposed to kiss him, you idiot!"

Nyra turned on her roommate. "You told me to smack the first person I saw!"

"Smack him on the lips! With yours! Honestly, do you Dalish take everything so literally?" Sera groaned.

Nyra swore several times in Elvish and rubbed her temples in frustration. "Speak Common Tongue next time, Sera, for Creators' sake. Honestly, it was a stupid tradition either way," she added.

"What tradition are you talking about?" Cullen asked, still thoroughly confused.

"The one about the… baby… in the Satinalia pie…" Nyra trailed off, then turned to glare daggers at her roommate. "Sera."

"I might… have made it up…" Sera muttered, her fingers twisting together in knots. "But it doesn't matter, you didn't even do it right!" she added.

Nyra grabbed the object closest to her (which happen to be Sera's pillow) and threw it at Sera. The elf girl grinned unapologetically as she pulled it off her face.

…

"You know, that was probably the smartest idea you've ever had on making a graceful exit," Nyra said to Cullen. "Though they're probably going to guess we bailed when we don't come back from the bathroom." Or think they were doing something else, but Nyra decided to keep her mouth shut on that account.

"Josie was whipping me," he said. "At that rate, I would have lost my clothes by the end of the evening."

"Never bet against an Antivan," she told him. She shivered in the bitterly cold evening air, rubbing her arms together. She was wearing her heaviest coat, but it still wasn't enough.

Cullen must have seen her, as he suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. He was like a furnace and she unwittingly turned into him, wrapping an arm around his waist (as it was about as high as she could get; damn humans were so much taller). "Thanks," she murmured. "I'll have to ask Mom to send me another coat, or I might not last the winter," she joked.

Cullen chuckled. "I'm guessing the Dales are not quite as cold as Ferelden?"

Nyra shivered again. "Not even close," she muttered. "How do you people stand it?"

"Thick blood and thicker socks," he replied. Nyra laughed.

"I've only got half the equation, unfortunately," she said. "Suppose something else will have to supply the rest of the body heat I lack." Him… Cullen could definitely do it. But that would be much too forward and again she was elvhen and he was human and she really shouldn't care this much, but he was kind and funny and why hadn't she kissed him when she had the chance? All right, someone must have slipped her some sort of alcohol because these thoughts were not sane.

He smirked at her. "Such as Varric? I'm sure after that rather passionate kiss he'd be more than happy to help."

She blushed as she remembered her hubris. "Creators above, don't remind me. I won't be able to look at him in the eyes ever again, I swear. I don't care if we all go into debt, we are never playing Wicked Grace again unless money is on the table."

"I second that," Cullen said with a groan. "I bet Josie will too, after that stunt I pulled."

"I swear, could no one come up with more creative bets?" Nyra asked. "It's like they weren't even trying to be subtle. At this point, I think we're both aware that they are trying their hardest to get us to kiss."

"Thank the Maker," Cullen said. "I thought I was the only one who noticed."

"Well, since I had the Satinalia pie disaster, I'd have to be an idiot not to have figured it out. Thank goodness that Sera loves speaking in her jargon, or I'd have a harder time getting away with that one."

"Wait," Cullen said, stopping in his tracks. "You understood what she wanted the whole time?"

Nyra nodded. "Please, subtlety is not one of Sera's strong suits. And it is fun to vex her to the point of tearing her hair out; Creators know, she does it to me more often than not."

"Do you think they'll eventually run out of ideas?" Cullen asked.

"Not a chance," Nyra said with a laugh. "They've got Varric on their side. They're too stubborn; they won't stop until we kiss, I'm sure."

"Do you even want to?" Cullen asked. "Look, Nyra, I don't want them to make you uncomfortable, so if you want them to stop…. If you don't want to kiss me, I'll talk to Dorian, convince him to make Sera and the others stop."

Nyra blushed. "It's not that I don't… want to…" she murmured.

"What?" he asked, his voice almost quieter than hers.

The words tumbled out before she could stop them. "I mean…. It's just… everyone else and what will they say and I don't know if you know what it'll be like if you date someone like me and…." She realized exactly what she had said. "And I've said too much, probably."

He faced her, his hands resting securely on both her shoulders. She shouldn't feel so safe and comfortable near him, but she did and damn herself. "I don't care what other people think," he murmured. "What do you want?"

"I… want…" She couldn't say it, couldn't find the words, didn't know how to make her lips move right, but he was close and could see her eyes say the words for her and suddenly he was much closer than a second ago.

It wasn't like how she heard kisses described. There were no sparks, no fireworks, but he was solid and warm and it was him. He was tentative at first, giving her the chance to back away in case he had read her wrong, but she hopped forward to close the remaining gap between their bodies and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down closer to her height. Nyra had never really been kissed before and she knew it was probably bad, but it was Cullen kissing her and she didn't care.

Sooner than she would have preferred, but probably still long enough to thoroughly annoy any passersby, he broke it off, though he still held her tightly in his arms (which was very much ok with her). "That was… um… really nice," he said. She chuckled, relieved she wasn't the only one nervous beyond belief.

"That was what I wanted," she admitted.

He laughed. "Well, I'm glad then."

"So what now?" she asked, suddenly anxious. "I mean, you did kiss me, but is this what you want, Cullen? I'm an elf and you're a human. You know how mixed relationships are looked at; look at Alistair and Svelia! Is that really what you want?"

"What I want," Cullen said seriously, "is to be with you. I realize some people may never understand us, no matter what we do, and I don't care what they think. You're more important than some idiots who might disapprove. I understand if you don't want to, but please know, Nyra, what everyone else thinks doesn't matter to me. I promise."

"I do want to," she said. "I was worried about you, really. I get the stares and talk every day, I'm used to it. But you're not."

"I've heard some things from Alistair, so I'm not entirely unaware of what could happen," he said. "It's a little different to actually experience it, but if the opinions of other people were enough to stop me from dating you, I wouldn't deserve you."

"Are you sure? About this, I mean?" she asked, one of her hands caressing his cheek.

"I've been sure for a while," he admitted. "But after that fiasco the last time I asked you out on a date, I was too embarrassed to ask you again! And then you seemed comfortable with just staying friends and, until recently, I thought that's how you want to stay. It wasn't until I saw how you reacted to the mistletoe that I thought there might be hope."

Nyra stared at him for a moment, then howled with laughter. "You should have asked Sera weeks ago," she said, once she managed to control herself. "She would have told you exactly what I was thinking."

"Not friendship?" he asked.

"Not a chance," she replied. "But when you never asked me out again, I thought you just meant that date as a thank you for giving you my jacket and nothing more, so I never pursued the issue."

He shook his head, chuckling. "I think our communication skills need some work."

"I agree," she said, as they started to walk towards their dorm again. She leaned her head against his shoulder, their arms linked together. "Something worth working towards, yes?"

"Yes," he said, leaning down over and kissing the top of her head. He unlinked his arm to wrap it around her again and she snuggled into his coat.

…

"For Andraste's sake, tell me the plan worked this time."

"The two idiots finally kissed."

"So are they dating now?"

"Andraste's flaming tits, I hope so. Her mooning around was getting dull, let me tell you."

"Based on the conversation they were having, let's say it's a safe bet."

"So, wait, was this entire game of Wicked Grace a ploy to get those two together?"

"More make them realize what they've been skirting around this whole time, Tiny, but yeah, that was the idea."

"Then can I get back the money I lost to Josephine?"

"Not a chance, Bull, not a chance."

If you want to know what Nyra looks like, you can search for her on tumblr. Since no one else has named their Lavellan that (as of this posting), she's easy to find.

The aforementioned Wicked Grace debacle was supposed to be included, but writers block eventually forced me to shove it to another doc and move on to the last scene. I'll probably add it as an extra later, should the words come. Hopefully the situation makes enough sense (or at least not distract from the important bits).