"Did we get Sera's second toothbrush? She always loses her first."
"Yes."
"What about Cullen's favourite jacket?"
"I made sure of everything three times."
"Cole's sunscreen? Remember, he burns really easily."
"I have five bottles in the bag. What part of 'made sure three times' did you not get?"
"What about the lube?"
Dorian snapped.
"For god's sake Bull can you trust me when I say I remembered everything?!"
Bulls hands flew up in a defensive position.
"Hey I'm just making sure. Last time you said that we forgot one of Vivienne's suitcases and she made the entire trip hell. I'm just making sure that never happens again."
Bull stuffs the last of his oversized t-shirts into a small travel sized suitcase.
"Fair enough. That ordeal made me sure to stick to the van she wasn't in this year."
Before Dorian could jam the last of the toothpaste into the toiletry bag, he felt large hands close around his waist.
"Can you believe it's come around again? The annual summer road trip?"
A small smirk fell onto Dorian's face.
"Do I detect sentiment from the Iron Bull? The one person in the group who insists he has no feelings?"
Dorian gets playfully shoved aside.
"This one's special. We'll all be college seniors next year so this is probably our last one where everyone can come."
He offers his hand in support. Dorian takes it.
"Fair enough, now let's get the last of the suitcases in the car before Sera shows up at our door and destroys our welcome mat again."
"For someone so disorganised she sure hates being kept waiting."
Dorian grabbed the handles of four fairly large suitcases in excitement.
"Alright my amatus let's get these suitcases down to the van, I got Cullen, Cole, Sera and Varric's stuff that They dropped off yesterday, do you have ours?"
The comedic sight of Bull nearly suffocating under about seven bags nearly made Dorian chuckle. Bulls face a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
"And you say Vivienne's the one who overpacks."
Once the last suitcase was shoved into the oversized rental vans trunk, a sigh of relief escaped both Bull and Dorian.
"I'm so glad Cullen's driving this year. Its torture not being able to doze off."
Dorian nudged Bull in the ribs.
"Yea, at the cost of us paying for the van."
The ground began to look further away from Dorian as he was lifted off the ground and pulled into a fierce hug. Bull overly happy.
"But this year we're a couple, I've heard car sex is amazing."
A hand connected with Bulls face in a playful slap mixed with a giggle.
"There's going to be four people with us, you know that?"
A wicked smirk fell onto Bulls face.
"The tents and motels mean we'll get it to ourselves at least once during this trip."
A final playful push encourages Bull to let go and both pile into the van, bull driving for the moment.
"Sera first. For all I know she's already on her way to destroy our new welcome mat. You better floor it. This one was expensive."
"You got it kadan."
Three stops and one stop for breakfast later, everyone planned to be in car A was squished into the rental van. Cullen driving, Sera in shotgun, Dorian and Bull in the passenger seats, Varric and Cole in the very back. The potent scent of fresh leather and cologne from the last renter being overly prominent, Making both Dorian and Cullen gag after about twenty minutes of exposure.
"Sera do you have some perfume or something?"
Bull asked mildly.
"I cut my own hair and shower once a week what the hell do you think?"
"Point taken, and remind me to hurl you into a pool any chance I get"
Seconds later A loud aerosol trigger sound was heard from the back of the car. A smug look of satisfaction on Varric's face.
"One look through the first one of Sparklers bag and it was the first thing I saw."
The look faded quickly though as everyone in the car started violently coughing due to the overwhelming scent.
"Varric you dumbass! That was my hairspray."
"It had flowers on it. How was I supposed to know!"
Cullen had to pull the car over as everyone piled out onto the side of the road. All doors of the van open to let it air out. Sera punched Varric as soon as they were both out of the
Car.
"You Seriously still use our high school freshman nicknames? Everyone stopped that sophomore year."
Varric shrugged.
"It reminds me of our origins. A geeky high school dungeons and dragons Live action role play group. Who can forget Buttercup the sweet village flower picking elf or Curly, the serious, broody dragonborn, Sparkler the flamboyant orc and my personal favourite, Tiny the rock gnome who never shut up."
Everyone let off a small shiver, Sera being the worst as her voice held audible disgust.
"Ugh! Cringe. Why does anyone want to remember that?"
Varric shrugged.
"Meh, I had enough fun with it. And everyone is still friends so some good came out of it."
Bulls eyes shifted to the gassed up van.
"That's questionable at this moment."
The extremely loud blare of a car's horn scared everyone enough to turn their heads around in curiosity.
"What's the problem guys?"
Josephine's head sticking out of a second large van, all the windows of the car rolled down revealed the rest of the party, clearly curious as to why the first car was pulled over.
"Varric gassed the van with hairspray, we're waiting for it to air out."
The exasperation in Sera's voice matched everyone's feelings of mutual annoyance.
"I brought a portable fan if you guys want to borrow it."
"Of course the always prepared Solas saves the day."
Bull grabs the fan Solas offered through the window and sets it on the middle seat.
"With this we should be good in five minutes."
A united sigh of relief came from everyone within van A as van B drove off. A glint in Dorian's eyes suggested a memory almost lost.
"You know, no matter how bad this was, nothings ever gonna be worse than when Sera's stink bomb went off prematurely in the van. It was so bad that the rental company made us pay double on the security deposit. I don't even know if that's legal."
Sera attempted a punch on Dorian, but Bull caught her.
"I've told you guys a million times, it was meant for the stuffy art exhibit Josephine was going to drag us all to. It was for the greater good!"
Everyone's eyes rolled. Varric piped up.
"Didn't feel like the greater good when the car company nearly banned us from future rentals. They were pissed."
With the accusing eyes all on Sera, she tried desperately to change the subject.
"Hey, Varric was the one to spill Shirley temple on the fabric seats last year."
"You know damn well you knocked the glass out of my hand."
"Did not."
"You did though."
"No I didn't."
"ENOUGH."
Bulls loud voice ripped through the air, frustration totally present.
"We aren't even two hours into this trip and bickering is already happening. This is most likely our last trip where everyone is able to come so everyone get back into the car and chill or so help me I will turn this car around!"
The entire group fell silent for ten whole seconds before Cole broke the silence with his first words of the trip.
"But The Iron Bull, Cullen is driving us. Wouldn't he have to say that, not you?"
Everyone but Cole flinched, expecting bull to get mad again, throw a fit and punch something, but no one expected roaring laughter to escape the bull.
"Fair enough point Cole, I can't argue with that, now everyone, get your asses back in the van before I punch something, or someone."
There was no hesitation by anyone. It almost looked like a race to jam into the van, Varric and Dorian getting stuck in the door in the process.
"I got in first Sparkler, back off."
"As if. I was two steps ahead of you. You're four foot eleven, there's no way you were faster than me."
A large hand grabbed Dorians wrist and yanked him across the seats.
"What did I just say about arguing you two?"
A devilish grin spread across The Iron Bulls face.
"Looks like I'll have to punish you, kadan."
In a swift movement, bull had sat Dorian on his lap. Completely immobilized by Bulls large, muscly arms. Of course Dorian struggled against his strength to no avail.
"Ugh, Bull please, this is uncomfortable. I want my own seat."
A kiss was planted on Dorian's cheek before Bull answered.
"This is your new seat until our first stop. which, update, is in three hours kadan."
Light chuckles could be heard throughout the van. Exempt from Sera.
"Ugh, save the sweetness until I'm asleep, it's bad enough Varric still uses our freshman nicknames but you guys using those geeky fantasy languages for affection? Open the window, I'm about to hurl."
To make a point, she rolled down her window to stick her head out for a solid ten minutes.
Bull using those precious ten minutes to kiss Dorian all over his face and neck. An act Sera had made clear she hated, and would resort to physical violence to stop.
Varric let out a mutter that was only picked up by Cole, who was sitting four inches away from him.
"God almighty. If this was the first two hours, I can only imagine what the next month will be like."