This was originally posted on ao3 (i'm there as Neffa as well) back in 2015, but I didn't actually LIKE it enough to bother posting it here. I've since changed my mind.

It was obvious to just about everyone with eyes: Cullen and Vex were perfect for one another. They stumbled around each other with this mutual attraction, mutual ignorance sort of thing, as well as a complete lack of courage or reason to do anything in regards to some form or relationship. They'd become good friends in the time they'd been in the Inquisition, and it wasn't difficult to tell that they cared deeply for one another. They were both just too damn shy about it. Not in a traditional sense, but instead focusing on the betterment of the Inquisition rather than their personal lives. Of course, this meant that they needed a little push, and Varric was more than happy to do some shoving.

Within just a few days, everyone from the Inquisitors inner circle (even Vivienne) save for Cullen and the Inquisitor herself were involved in a grand plot to finally bring together the pair. Most were sick of the rumors, but some were genuinely looking out for the sanity of their leaders. If they didn't stop this dancing around each other, it seemed that everyone would go mad.

This plot, however, probably wasn't the best idea. It wasn't smart and it definitely wasn't a good plan. But it would work, and that's all they were really concerned about.

"Let's just get them lost." Someone had finally suggested, during a heated meeting of the Cupid Club. (A name everyone hated but Varric refused to stop using since he and Sera thought it was hilarious.) The idea was terrible. Absolutely awful, so irresponsible, unsafe, and brutal that it was immediately deemed perfect, thus becoming the main focus of the next three meetings. They someone collectively came up with a ridiculous scouting mission that the Inquisitor would accompany Cullen on, and from there, Leliana's agents would set up various schemes and traps in hopes of somehow shoving the two together in some awkward predicament and it would just fall into place from there. It wasn't a good plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. Ultimately most of the plan would end up backfiring, but it was still worth a shot. Nothing ever really goes according to plan though.

...

After a small (but heated) debate with Leliana, Cullen finally relented and agreed to lead a scouting band to a newly discovered cave just south of the Emprise. It was supposedly a treasure trove, full of both precious and desperately needed metals and herbs, as well as packed with dangerous creatures and possibly a high dragon nest nearby. (That part, at least, wasn't true. Luckily there were no dragons on this mission, but Bull thought it was a good idea to include that part, so they did.) Of course the dangerous creatures part meant that they needed an experienced warrior to lead, and somehow Cullen was selected - seemingly out of a hat - to be that warrior. He was at a loss as to why he couldn't just send one of his more experienced men, but there was no winning an argument with Leliana. She was the master of getting her way, and there was no possible way to change her mind when she was dead set on something.

Vex had business in the area as well, so she opted to join the scouting mission rather than drag her entire party out for just a few small tasks. (Actually this was Josephine's decision, Vex just didn't have it in her to argue when she knew they were right.)

They didn't find exactly what they were expecting, of course. Instead of a simple cave, as they'd been told, they stumbled upon a vast and incredibly unstable system of old tunnels and mines, filled with creatures, plentiful herbs and metals, and several... surprises.

Vex had a fairly well kept secret that decided it would come to light during an exploration of one seemingly quiet part of the cave. She, along with Cullen and an elven woman named Laren, were the three assigned to this area. They'd split up from the original two dozen so that three people were in each section. Laren was nimble and quick, quickly outpacing the other two - Cullen with his heavy armor, and Vex with her pack full of goods and a bandaged left arm from an earlier fight with a deepstalker that jumped at her. Cullen had been mostly silent, listening to Vex and Laren talk about old Dalish lore, occasionally letting out a chuckle from the terrible jokes that were being told. They were in a comfortable quiet, once Laren was up ahead. It was dark, so the torch Vex carried was vital. When they reached the cavern, however, it wasn't as needed, as there were several gaps in the rocks that let in light from outside.

Laren signaled them to a large deposit of Bloodstone, and at Cullens order, quickly jogged back to camp in order to find a cart and men to come retrieve it all. Of course, not five minutes had passed when Vex froze, the tips of her ears twitching as she picked up a shuffling sound. It wasn't a manmade sound, and she knew the men hadn't arrived yet. Standing as quietly as she could from her previous crouch near a deep mushroom, she waved to Cullen to silence him. His eyes flashed and he stilled, waiting to hear or see any movement.

Vex glanced around. It was getting darker, still light enough to see, but just barely. The walls were sound and sturdy, but there was a large group of rocks just above the entrance they'd came through, and that definitely didn't look quite as stable. That wasn't her concern though. Another scuffling sound, and her daggers were drawn and ready. She waited just a few seconds, then turned her gaze to Cullen and nodded. He drew his sword and waited.

Vex had failed to notice the gap in the corner. It wasn't a very large gap, but it was a sign of much more troublesome things. The gap wasn't just bare. It was white and...

She didn't dare look up.

Seconds later they were moving. If they hadn't, they'd be dead. There were at least a dozen of the damned things, descending from the ceiling and making Vex nearly drop her daggers. Giant cave spiders, each bigger and nastier than the last. Killable, yes, but still triggering panic within her.

The fight itself didn't last long. The pair were more than capable of killing whatever was thrown at them. Then again, the fight wasn't the problem. Vex could kill spiders. She hated them, but as long as she could get away from the sight of them after they were dead, she was fine. 14 giant spiders lay dead around them, and Vex shook. Not from the effort but from the absolute disgust and terror that grasped at her insides.

She surveyed the mess and took a step toward the exit with a shake of her head, but almost immediately was stopped as Cullen grabbed her arm to keep her back. The rocks had shifted from the movement of the creatures, and then she saw it. The bottommost rock was sliding, trembling and threatening to fall.

"Shit." She muttered, and then the rocks came down.

Vex choked. This was the most inopportune time for a lung crushingly painful panic attack. (But since when does anxiety listen to rationality?) She fled, flinging herself away from the mess and into a corner that was free of the webs and other grossness, collapsing to her knees and clutching her face, praying that she wouldn't start crying or be sick.

"Inquisitor-" Cullen began, but his tone quickly changed when he realized it wasn't the rocks that frightened her, but the spiders. "Vex. Hey. Look at me."

She did, and he sat down in front of her, blocking her view of the dead spiders. She blinked, not really seeing or understanding but still listening.

"Ignore them. Don't think about it. Tell me what I can do to help you. Laren will be back soon and she'll make sure someone will clear away the rocks." His voice was soft, because he understood. He'd rescued Mia from spiders several times when he was younger. They came up from the forest and crept around by the river, where Mia often played. They terrified his sisters, and once, Mia was nearly attacked by one before Cullen struck the thing down. Perhaps the situation was different, but the fear was the same.

"Just... talk to me. Please." Vex whispers, eyes finally snapping to his as she tried to reign in the wild anxiety that was threatening to boil over. So Cullen talked. He spoke of stories he remembered from childhood, of Sera's antics he'd tried to hard to stop, of his many reports and of the times he had to stop drunken men in the tavern from killing each other. She relaxed a bit after a while, and Cullen even managed to get a small laugh out of her when he mentioned how Jim kept appearing in his office after dark to deliver reports and tell him pointless information about the men (or sometimes about Bull and his men, who often came up in discussions about training).

It was about an hour after the collapse that they heard the first shout through the rubble, and Cullen, without leaving her side, yelled back what had occurred. It was getting late now, and the last of the natural light had faded, so Cullen dug through his pack to find some flint and lit the wall torch that was just above them.

Another half hour and Vex finally began talking, responding to his idea that Varric and Cassandra were secretly best friends, putting on a show for everyone else while they actually conspired about world domination and such in the background. Vex snorted, disagreeing with him, as she firmly believed Varric and Cassandra were actually sleeping together but since he was a dwarf, they'd told no one for fear of scandal (and potentially being the subject of many jokes). (This would eventually become a rumor around Skyhold, but no one dared spill where it had come from out of fear for invoking the wrath of the Seeker and the Inquisitor.)

When it was late enough, the men shouted through that they were quitting for the night, as it was too dark to see what they were doing. Cullen quickly began telling Vex a story about his brother, Branson, and how he got caught with the local bakers daughter - they weren't doing anything inappropriate, they were just playing in the mud behind the local chantry, but they'd given everyone quite a scare since no one knew where they'd went.

So they continued talking, asking one another silly questions like what their favorite color was, or if the last book they'd read was any good. It was very late, judging by how cold it was. When Vex started to shiver, Cullen hesitated for only a moment before deciding to risk getting slapped, and offered her his heavy fur mantle. She scoffed, declaring that she could handle the cold (she was Dalish after all), and ignored his smirk and raised eyebrow. She eventually gave in, in her sleepy state and lack of good judgement, but instead of accepting it from him, she just scooted closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder.

The action surprised him, certainly, and he flushed when he took note of how warm she was against him, but he still took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her, making her hum in approval. Her silence told him she was probably falling asleep, but she wasn't. Not yet, at least.

"Thank you." She said quietly, when the air was still. "I know it's a stupid fear and I know it was really stupid to react this way but, thank you... for not judging me."

"I know what it's like to be afraid of something." He said, squeezing his arm around her in a comforting way. She smiled, and soon, sleep took her. Cullen followed suit shortly after, wondering if it was bad of him to think that she looked beautiful in the soft glow of the torch above them.

...

Morning came with the sound of rubble being moved, a wonderful sound of renewed effort. Vex felt strangely at peace when she awoke to Cullen shifting slightly. She thought that perhaps she should be embarrassed, having just woken up in the arms of a man she wasn't romantically involved with, but she felt no shame. Rather, she was warm and comfortable in his presence, which surprised her. It wasn't a feeling she was used to, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He was warm and sturdy and he smelled nice and... it was too much to think about. She'd always thought he was attractive, but this was just odd. She certainly shouldn't have been thinking these things about her Commander, and she doubted he would be thinking the same about her. It wasn't out of self doubt or anything, she just assumed he wasn't interested because they were friends. That and because he didn't seem the type to get involved with someone he worked with.

She was wrong, of course. Cullen woke to the sounds of rubble before she did, but his first thought had nothing to do with them. No, the first thing that came to his mind was how perfectly she fit in his arms, tucked against him, safe and happy. He took in the way her hair curled at the bottom, and how long it had gotten in the year it had been since the Conclave. She had long eyelashes, and her tattoo was actually more purple than grey, as he'd previously thought. Being able to see it this close was almost maddening. His heart raced when he thought of it, and he shifted a bit in his awkward thought process. He shouldn't be thinking about her in this manner, she was the Inquisitor, his superior, and it was inappropriate of him. They were friends, she trusted him, and he wouldn't do anything to endanger that.

She was awake a moment later, yawning and stretching to relieve the stiffness in her muscles.

"Inquisitor," He greeted, and she smiled.

"You're still allowed to call me by my name, you know." She said, and Cullen wracked his brain for something to say that wouldn't make him sound like a creep. When he'd finally formulated a reply and started to speak, he was cut off by a crash and a scout bursting through the rock wall, having finally cleared a path for them to return to the surface. Cullen and Vex glanced at each other briefly before scrambling to escape, somehow both thankful and disappointed that they were finally able to leave this damned cave.

Once out, the cafe was declared unsafe and they began their journey back to Skyhold, thoughts of what had occurred clouding both their minds.

...

Vex couldn't sleep. They'd gotten back to Skyhold only a few hours earlier, around sundown, tired and cold. After a quick rundown of the events that had been experienced, (and a questioning look at Josephine, who seemed quite disappointed by the tale), Vex headed to her quarters for a night of well deserved rest.

Sleep didn't want to come to her, it seemed, and so she laid awake, thinking. Her mind was full of circles, and all of them lead back to Cullen. She felt strange, almost lonely, despite how many people she knew were around. The journey had taken nearly a week, and she'd had a tent to herself, so it wasn't as though she couldn't sleep by herself. Still, even as the rational part of her brain tried to make a point, the apparently delusional side was countering every argument, and winning. She couldn't get Cullen out of her mind.

Eventually she sighed and got up, going out to her balcony to get some air in hopes that it would clear things up. Most of Skyhold was dark, with the exception of the tavern and Cullens office.

Without really thinking about what she was doing, Vex was padding down her stairs, through the painted room where Solas usually was (Vex thought he must have been in the library or something), and out to the walkway that led to Cullens quarters. She didn't pause before knocking on his door, nor when he called for her to enter. She paused when she was finally there, standing before him with a mind full of circles, watching the surprise on his face and then the expression he made trying to hide the way he looked at her. His eyes sparkled in the candlelight and she could tell he was just as confused as she was, but she needed to do something lest she go entirely mad.

"I couldn't sleep." She said, though her simple words spoke volumes. He hadn't said anything yet, just let her try to work out whatever she was attempting to say. "I suppose I have a lot on my mind."

"Anything you'd like to discuss?" He asked, curious. It was late and she seemed distracted. He wasn't sure if she was upset or just... no, he was sure the reason she came wasn't because of the night in the cave. Perhaps she just couldn't sleep and she saw that he was awake. Or perhaps she just wanted someone to talk to.

"I... yes." Vex blinked and turned her full attention to him. His hair was slightly mussed, he looked tired, and there was ink on his hand from writing. "I'm not really sure how to phrase this, but. Do you ever think about... me? Maybe not in a work or friendship kind of way, but something else?"

Cullen didn't quite know how to respond. Was she truly suggesting what he thought she was? He didn't have a chance to actually reply, though, as she continued.

"I seem to be thinking about. A lot. Probably more than I should be, actually. I just need to know if I'm going crazy or if I should abandon the idea or if maybe you'd be open to... something."

"Vex, I -" He began, but she cut him off again, rambling in her sudden nervousness.

"I'm probably being stupid and I probably shouldn't be here and I just. I can't sleep." She was red in the face and (in Cullens opinion) adorable, rubbing the pointed tip of one of her ears in the same way he might rub the back of his neck. He couldn't suppress the goofy grin that came to his face as he walked around his desk to stand in front of her.

"I think you're beautiful, for starters." He said, startling her. She froze, watching him. "And I can't say I haven't wondered what it'd be like. I honestly didn't think you'd ever... I just didn't think it was possible."

"Oh!" She let out a surprised noise, clearly not expecting such a reply. "I, um, I don't really know where to go from here. I didn't actually plan this far ahead."

She flushed again, and Cullen laughed. He reached out to brush a curl back behind her ear from where it had fallen, out of place.

"I guess we'll just have to make it up as we go, then." And before she could say a word, he tilted her chin up, dipped his head, and pressed a kiss to her lips.