The Inquisition was over. Varric didn't have the slightest idea what that might mean, now that he was no longer a prisoner of the Chantry, and specifically of the Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast. Now that Corypheus had been defeated—hopefully for good this time—there was nothing tying him to the fortress of Skyhold. Returning to his home in Kirkwall was of course an obvious choice, but when he imagined the life he'd led there, Varric found it lacked luster. Sitting in a tavern all day telling people stories about the Inquisition would be boring after actually participating in it. And besides, no story, no matter how well-crafted, could come close to describing the Seeker's fiery glance.
Cassandra Pentaghast. That woman was intoxicating. From the first moment he laid eyes on her, his life had been in her hands, and it turned him on. She was so powerful, so completely in control. None of his lies fooled her. He had no idea how she did it, but he loved it. It made him want to spin more stories for her, just to watch her pick them apart with that incredible mind of hers, and to see that explosive temper flash behind her eyes when she found him out. But her days of questioning him were over. Neither of them had any reason to have anything further to do with each other.
And that just wouldn't do.
Across the hall, Cassandra was uncomfortably shifting in her armor. She really wasn't fond of parties, and she couldn't get through the crowd to the Inquisitor, who was the only person she really cared to speak to at this event. Even Leliana was surrounded by people who knew she would be the new Divine. As the head of the Chantry, Leliana was now very powerful, and a very popular figure, with no time for old friends like her. The warrior felt awkward standing alone, and scanned the room for a familiar face that she could approach for shelter. However, the face she landed on was of very little comfort to her. A dwarf with excessive chest hair, sucking down another pint of mead.
Varric Tethras. That dwarf was infuriating. His arrogant sarcasm knew no bounds, ever since the moment she had captured him for questioning. Even in the midst of the apocalypse he never seemed to take anything seriously. The way he smirked up at her, even when she was glowering over him with blade in hand, it was like he knew she couldn't strike him. Like he knew he was perfectly safe. He didn't fear her, the way everyone else did, and it kept her awake at night. Or at least she told herself that was the reason his face kept appearing unbidden in her mind. She felt powerless against him, and she hated that. Now that the Inquisition was completed, Varric would leave Skyhold and she would finally be free of his overconfident swagger.
But…why did that thought make her feel so empty?
When the party finally ended, Cassandra gratefully hurried upstairs to her room, only to find a certain dwarf leaning against her doorframe, casually twirling a crossbow bolt between his fingers, and smirking that maddening smirk. She didn't even bother glaring at him; she was too tired. Tired from the party, and tired from the last six months of defending Thedas from the greatest threat it had ever faced. So she just put one hand to her head and muttered, "What are you doing here, Varric?"
Varric chuckled. "Well, don't look so happy to see me, Seeker," he cooed, making sure to keep his voice soft and his words slow. Talking to Cassandra—she was Cassie in his head, although out loud he never called her anything but Seeker—was a bit like talking to a cornered animal. If he moved too quickly he could set her off. Just that comment had her curling her lips away from her teeth. Those strong, expressive lips. He wondered what they tasted like.
The presumptuous dwarf just made Cassandra's head pound harder. His riddles always swam circles around her mind, teasing her with just enough information to keep her asking, only to receive another riddle in return. The way his words danced around her, sometimes she suspected he could talk her into anything without her even knowing he wanted something from her. He had been on her mind even before she walked upstairs, but now that he was before her, she had no idea how to behave. "What do you want?" She had no gift for diplomacy, and her awkwardness usually came across as impatience.
But Varric had no intention of letting her brusqueness scare him away this time. "I just figured, that unless you're going to clap me in irons again, this might be the last you see of me."
Oh, how he loved to remind her of when she had had him arrested. As if the threat of open war wasn't enough of a reason to bring someone in for questioning. "And?" she said aloud, wishing he would get to the point so she could hide in her room and push down the conflicting feelings that ran rampant in her mind at the thought of Varric's departure.
With a low chuckle, Varric replied, "And, since I know how much you're going to miss me—,"
At this, the Seeker scoffed aloud, if only to convince herself that she wouldn't miss him. In the back of her mind, though, she feared he might be right. Varric paid her objections no mind and continued. "I thought I might offer you a proper goodbye."
The bolt in his fingers disappeared as he flicked it down the stairs. Since she was still a step below him on the staircase, the dwarf was almost eye level with his human counterpart. He could look her right in the face, and see the uncontainable power behind her eyes as she stared defensively back at him. With one hand, he reached forward to touch her cheek, when Cassandra finally realized what he meant by a 'proper goodbye.'
Her face flushing all shades of red, Cassandra batted his hand away and roughly pushed past him, trying to hide her embarrassment and escape into her bedroom. But he caught her hand in one of his own, his strong dwarven fingers encapsulating hers with ease. "Oh, now, Seeker, is that any way to bid farewell to an old friend? And after all we've been through together!" Since the Inquisitor usually brought both of them along with him on his adventures, the two had spent quite a bit of time together, including countless battles, far too much camping, and even a few near-death experiences. Even when he wasn't her prisoner, he couldn't see her as just a stranger.
More flustered than ever, the Seeker tried to jerk her hand away from him, but only succeeded in pulling both of them through the doorway and into her bedroom, the door naturally swinging shut behind them. They were well and truly alone now. When finally she succeeded in freeing herself from his grasp, Cassandra found she no longer had anywhere to retreat. Even cornered, she was perfectly capable of defending herself, but she stayed her hand, daring to wonder if he was actually serious. If he really wanted to…
"Varric, if this is some kind of practical joke," Cassandra warned.
The dwarf had to smile a little, remembering some of his previous pranks on the Seeker. "Not this time. Cross my heart." He drew one gloved finger over his chest in an X, then grinned when she sneered at him. "Of course, you're perfectly welcome to throw me out if you want, but," he took a single step forward. "Something tells me that isn't what you want."
Turning her head, Cassandra glared at the floor, mortified and confused. She had no earthly idea why she didn't just grab him by the collar and fling him down the stairs. But something in her wanted to believe he really meant it. Something about the way he looked at her…it was different than before, and it was driving her insane trying to understand it. Her head spun as she looked back at him, feeling more powerless than ever against him.
Varric watched her internal struggle with a soft grin on his face. Taking the fact that he hadn't been roughly ejected from her room as a positive sign, he took another step forward, and another. Pausing while there was still a significant gap between them, the dwarf started to pull off the leather gloves that protected his hands from his crossbow. As always, he kept his motions slow and deliberate, giving her plenty of time to speak up, tell him to back off, if that's what she really wanted. But when both gloves hit the floor and she didn't object, he figured he was safe, and held out one bare hand to her.
"Seeker?"
For what seemed like an eternity to both of them, the warrior stared at his hand, motionless. Varric held his breath, waiting for her to react. Cassandra hesitated, trying to find a way to know for sure that he was serious. Then suddenly, as if struck by an idea, her eyes flickered up to his face, with something indistinguishable in her gaze. "You know my name," she murmured, her voice low.
Her words set the dwarf's whole chest aglow, and his smirk softened into a genuine smile. With two steps he closed the distance between them, letting his hand come to rest on her waist. "Cassandra," he whispered, as if it were the most beautiful name in the world.
The second he touched her, the Seeker's skin started to tingle, even under her armor. It was overwhelming, the way he felt, the way he looked at her, the way he said her name. It made her feel like she was a heroine in one of his stories. She wanted so badly to believe his whisper, to let this be real. Then, for one wild second, she didn't care if he was laughing at her.
Her last bit of resolve gave way just as her knees started to weaken. Slowly, she started to close the six inches between them, but she hesitated, pausing less than an inch from his face. With one swift motion, Varric rocked up onto his toes, and his lips crashed into hers.
When they collided, both of them initially thought they were going to die. Cassandra's heart beat so hard she was positive she could hear it thudding against her breastplate. His kiss was dizzying, and she gently leaned her elbows on his broad shoulders to support herself.
As for Varric, not even his dwarven lover Bianca had ever turned him on like this. He wrapped both arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against him, relishing the passion with which Cassandra kissed him back. Just knowing how badly she wanted him set him on fire, and he rolled his hips against her thigh, letting her feel just how strong own his desire was.
She felt him against her and suddenly her entire body reacted at once; she knew there was no way he would be that hard if he had been making fun of her. Completely convinced now, the Seeker reached one hand up and loosened the leather strip that held Varric's hair back from his face.
The dwarven archer smiled into the kiss when he felt the strawberry blond strands fall onto his shoulders. It seemed as though she was finally beginning to trust him. Running his hands along her waist, he was disappointed to find that he couldn't feel her through her armor. In between kisses, he murmured, "Feel safe enough to maybe lower your defenses?"
"Hm?" Cassandra's head was too foggy to grasp his request.
"Your armor."
The Seeker flushed at her stupidity. "O-of course." Standing upright again, she began to undo the metal clasps that secured her breastplate. While she was thus occupied, Varric took the chance to pull his own tunic over his head, tossing it next to his gloves, and kicked off his boots as well.
The sight of Varric shirtless made Cassandra fumble with her armor, too busy staring at him to undress. She had imagined what he might look like under that red tunic, but reality was better than any of those fantasies she had been so ashamed to have.
By the time Varric had tossed his other boot over into his growing pile of clothing, Cassandra had managed to undo only one of the clasps that held her armor around her. He raised an eyebrow, and smirked at her. "Need a hand there, Seeker?" he asked, catching the way her eyes strayed over his bare chest.
Cassandra blushed again, mentally cursing her armor for not being easier to slip out of. "I am perfectly capable of handling my own armor, Varric." As usual, her embarrassment made her sound angry.
The dwarf just rolled his eyes affectionately and stepped forward to help her, anyway.
Finally, the armor fell away and Cassandra stood rather awkwardly before him in just her light muslin underclothes. With an eager grin, the dwarf stood back up onto his toes to kiss her again, letting his hands roam over her hips and waist. Her skin felt every bit as incredible as he had hoped, and he could feel her battle-trained muscles just underneath. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the rest of her. Gently, Varric leaned down to kiss her neck and began to back her toward the bed.
"B-but you're a dwarf…" she wondered aloud as the bedframe hit the back of her legs. "How-?"
Varric just chuckled, "Cassandra, hasn't anyone ever told you that everyone is the same height," he pushed her softly backward onto the mattress, "When they're lying down?"
Even in lovemaking, his attitude was impertinent as ever. With a roll of her eyes, Cassandra sat up as Varric crawled onto the bed beside her. He leaned over and kissed her again, his hands sliding up under her thin undershirt, relishing the sensation of her skin on his. His touch slid another inch upward, however, and he paused, pulling back from the kiss to look at her.
"What's this?" He deftly yanked her undershirt over her head, to reveal a long white bandage wrapped tightly around her chest, holding her breasts down and keeping them in place. Varric cocked his head to one side. "You bind your chest?"
Cassandra blushed and looked away. "It…keeps them out of the way."
With a huge grin, Varric replied, "Oh, they won't be in the way now. Don't you worry." He slid his arm around her until he found the knot holding the bandage up, untied it and eagerly unwound her bindings. When her round, white breasts finally bounced free, Varric's eyes widened.
"Maker's breath, Cass, you've been hiding those under that armor this whole time?" He unceremoniously shoved his face in between them, causing Cassandra to squeal and blush, guiltily reveling in the way his stubble tickled the sensitive skin of her chest. In some ways, it felt the same as reading his romance serials—she knew she shouldn't, but it felt too good to stop. And she had no plans to stop tonight. She would let him sweep her up in his romantic fairy tale, and she would love every second of it.
Face still firmly buried in her cleavage, Varric left one hand on her hip to keep them both balanced, then reached up with the other to grab a handful of Cassandra's ample chest. This time the Seeker cried out aloud as the intensity sensation took her by surprise. The rogue's skilled lockpick's fingers toyed with her soft, pink nipple, eliciting another series of noises from his partner. Varric snickered.
"You like that, Seeker?"
Biting her lip and flushing dark red, Cassandra nodded emphatically.
"Good," he replied, finally emerging from her chest. "It only gets better from here." Turning his head, Varric closed his mouth around her other nipple. Cassandra tossed her head back with another groan of pleasure, whimpering as his tongue flicked back and forth across her hardening nipples. When he was satisfied with her right breast, he switched to suckle on the left one, making sure to give both of her beautiful tits equal attention.
When he finally leaned back up to meet her eyes, he took one of her hands in his. "Do you wanna see," he pressed her hand against the bulge in his pants, causing her to gasp but not pull away, "What you're doing to me?"
He watched her face carefully, trying not to get too distracted by the heat radiating from her hand, or the way it seemed to be tightening around him. Eventually Cassandra gave a little half-smile and nodded dumbly, leaning forward to kiss him again to cover up the fact that her brain didn't seem to be able to form words anymore. She ran her hand along his length through the fabric while Varric unbuttoned his pants, but when those were out of the way, Cassandra paused a moment, looking insecure.
Varric raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
The warrior blinked. "Yes, I just…it's been a long time, and—what?" Cassandra stopped halfway through her embarrassed explanation because Varric had started laughing. She didn't think her inexperience was that funny.
Varric, on the other hand, thought it was absolutely adorable to see the invincible Seeker Pentaghast look so unsure. "Don't worry about that, okay?" he said, cupping her face in one hand, still smiling. "Just follow your instincts."
His touch soothed her fears as much as his words. With a soft smile, Cassandra leaned forward to kiss him again, while one hand smoothly slid up to grasp Varric's rock-hard length, gently stroking him, familiarizing herself with every part of him. His dwarven cock may have been slightly shorter than a human's, but it was thicker, and every inch of it was throbbingly erect. It twitched under her touch, and Varric sighed and flicked his tongue into her mouth, responding to the pleasure she was giving him.
In a surge of bravery, Cassandra broke the kiss and dropped forward onto the bed so she was eye level with Varric's stiff cock. With one glance up at his face, she swallowed, and took him into her mouth, tentatively sucking up and down his length. Fighting off spasms of pleasure, Varric groaned in response, egging her on further. Maker, her mouth felt incredible.
Cassandra's cheeks still burned bright red, and in the back of her mind she prayed that the Maker wasn't looking while she dragged her tongue in sloppy circles around the head of Varric's penis. It was horribly embarrassing, wanting him this badly, but being with him like this tonight was too wonderful to resist, even for the Right Hand of the Divine.
Placing one hand on top of her head, Varric gently guided her movements, groaning as she bobbed her head along his length, letting her lips catch on the pronounced ridge on the head, and suckling there for a moment before sliding down as far as she could without gagging. Any lack of experience was easily made up for with enthusiasm, and Varric could think of no hotter view in all of Thedas than Cassandra with his dick in her mouth. And he could think of only one thing that would feel better than his dick in her mouth, and he would have that next.
Reaching down, Varric hooked his fingers under Cassandra's chin and lifted her head until they were once more face to face. Leaning up to kiss her again, the dwarf wrapped one arm around her waist and smoothly lowered her down into the mattress, where they stayed for a moment, arms tangled around each other, kissing madly, as if they were thralls of a powerful desire demon. Neither wanted anything more in that moment than just to be together.
With one hand, his face still glued to hers, Varric slid the last of Cassandra's underclothes off her legs and tossed them aside. She moaned quietly as he trailed his fingers up her thigh and pressed them against her slit, feeling just how soaked she was. He grinned as her lust dripped over his fingers. Oh, she wanted him so bad. With one knee, he gently nudged her legs apart, while one hand stayed on her sex, rubbing her clitoris and spreading her juices around.
With his hand thoroughly soaked and without breaking the kiss, Varric gently worked one finger into her dripping pussy. Her muscles clenched around him, and he gently sunk his teeth into her bottom lip. She was tight, so tight that the dwarf worried his cock might hurt her. He would need to take more time to prepare her. Subtly flicking his finger around inside of her, he leaned down to suckle her breasts again. After a while he slid in a second finger, and slowly bid her muscles to unclench. Cassandra responded to each movement with little cries and moans, and slowly her body's tightness began to dissipate.
Finally, Varric could wait no longer and reached up to kiss her again, withdrawing his hand from her slit. Cassandra's breath caught in her throat when she felt the hot tip of his cock pressing at her entrance. But before making another move, Varric broke the kiss again and stopped to look at her, a tiny smile on his face. "Give the order, Cassandra." He was dying to take her, but he wasn't about to let her have this without admitting how much she wanted it.
Staring up at him, Cassandra's heart thudded in her chest. Half-terrified, half-thrilled, she knew this was the point of no return, but she also knew she had already decided. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes for one instant. "Maker forgive me," she whispered, then leaned up to kiss him again, hard. "Do it," she gasped into his lips. "Varric, please!"
The dwarf was taken by surprise when she suddenly shoved her face into his, but he smiled into the kiss and returned it hungrily. In the gentlest of motions, Varric slowly slid his cock into her tight, hot depths. He moaned lowly into her mouth as Cassandra dug her nails into his shoulders with a whimper. Varric paused and lifted his head to look at her. "Do I need to slow down?"
But the Seeker shook her head. "No, don't stop." A little pain was nothing new; she went through far worse on a practically daily basis by just doing her job. Besides, he felt so good inside of her that she wouldn't ask him to stop no matter how much it hurt. When his hips started moving again, Cassandra bit her lip and looked up at him, and Varric felt his cock throb inside of her. That woman was so damn hot.
The dwarven archer kept steadily penetrating her until his hips sat flush against hers, and for a moment the two of them stayed there, as close to each other as they could get. Her powerful muscles clenched around his shaft, and he moaned aloud. "Oh, fuck, Cass…" Moving one hand down to anchor himself on her hip, the dwarf withdrew until only the head remained inside her, then pushed all the way back into her in one smooth motion.
Cassandra gasped, her eyes widening in wonder. Even her fondest memories didn't compare to the way he made her feel. She had never experienced anything like this. His thickness filled her entirely, stretching her tight muscles apart, encouraging them to relax. She could feel the head contacting her most sensitive spots, sending waves of pleasure up her torso. The things he was doing to her body were incredible.
Gradually, Varric settled into a slow rhythm, rocking his hips into hers as he leaned down to kiss her again. He teased her with his tongue, and nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth. Every time their hips collided he would grind himself into her, and Cassandra moaned gently into his mouth with every stroke. Her hands slid up his arms and over his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin every time he brushed her sweet spot, as thrills of pleasure shot through her entire body.
Without slowing down, Varric broke the kiss so he could sit up on his knees. Hooking one hand under each of her legs, the dwarf pushed up on her thighs, giving himself a handhold while also changing his angle of penetration. At first Cassandra blinked up at him as though she didn't understand, but when Varric started to thrust harder and faster, her eyes rolled closed and she groaned loudly. Where he had been nudging her g-spot before, now he was drilling into it at full force. The intensity of the sensation was maddening. "Maker, yes!"
Her ecstasy drove him on even more, and he pounded his hips into hers, slamming his cock into her with all his strength, holding her legs in the air so he could fuck her even harder. Her tight, hot pussy felt phenomenal around his cock, and the feeling was only compounded by seeing how much Cassandra enjoyed it. She started rocking her hips up to meet his, increasing the impact between them. Her moans turned to screams, and Varric could feel her clenching around him, her body so close to climax that it nearly drove him insane.
Their eyes met for one instant, their hips came together, and Cassandra's vision blurred with pleasure as he pushed her over the edge. She let out a long wail as every muscle in her powerful body contracted, holding Varric's cock in a hot, wet vise grip. He didn't let up his rhythm, letting her ride out her orgasm for as long as possible. His body could only hold back for so long, however, as he felt his own climax drawing near, and with a few more heavy thrusts, Varric pushed away from her.
"Fuck!" he grunted as he turned to splatter the floor with thick semen, making sure to keep it off the bed. Now totally spent, Varric collapsed into her waiting embrace, and they stayed there, clinging to each other as they caught their breath. After a moment the dwarf pulled his human lover closer until she was practically on top of him, so he could lean down and rest his lips on the top of her head. "Wow," he whispered into her hair. "That was…"
"...incredible," Cassandra finished, turning her head so she could reach up and catch his lips in hers again, sharing a few soft kisses with him before dropping her head back down onto his chest. She was too worn out from the way Varric had pounded her to hold her head up like that. All she wanted now was to be near him.
"You know," Varric murmured after some time, as Cassandra nestled her face into his chest hair, "I think it's about time to come up with a new nickname for you."
"Calling me by my title isn't a true nickname anyway," she replied sleepily. If she were honest, it had always bothered her that Varric insisted on calling her Seeker instead of coming up with something creative and endearing, like he had for everyone else. The thought of a proper nickname delighted her.
He smiled down at her. "How about Princess?"
Opening her eyes for a moment, Cassandra paused. That wasn't at all what she had had in mind. "I am no princess," she said finally.
Leaning down to kiss her forehead, Varric whispered, "You could be my Princess."
The Seeker could not respond for a moment, fighting back the swarm of butterflies in her stomach. Instead she just buried her face in his chest.
"Besides," Varric continued. "You're more of a real Pentaghast than anyone else in your family has been for generations."
"How do you mean?" Cassandra didn't relish the idea of comparing herself to her kinsfolk, most of whom she despised.
Varric held her closer. "Well, your family used to be dragon slayers, right? How many dragons did you help to fell while we were out with the Inquisitor?"
In all honesty Cassandra hadn't even thought about it. Killing dangerous beasts was just part of her job, and she performed it out of duty, not in pursuit of accomplishment. "I...don't know. I didn't count."
"Well, I did. You've slain ten high dragons, plus at least a hundred drakes and countless dragonlings. You're a truer Pentaghast than any of those fat, pampered nobles." He ran his thick fingers through her cropped hair, making it even messier than it already was.
Cassandra was silent, considering the truth of his words. It didn't make her royalty, but it felt good to think that she had restored some of her family's heritage. Maybe she could be a heroine like the ones in his stories.
"Aside from the fact that you pretty much saved all of Thedas from total annihilation," he reminded her.
"The Inquisitor did that."
"There wouldn't have been an Inquisition for him to lead without you, Princess."
The warrior grimaced. "I'm still not sure I like being called 'Princess'."
Varric chuckled. "Would you rather I start calling you baby?"
"No."
"That's what I thought."