"Gwyn?" Cullen knocked on her door, waiting a few minutes for some kind of response. All he could hear on the other side of the door was music blaring. Awkwardly shifting the two cups from the coffee house in his hands, he pressed his ear against the door. On the other side, Gwyn's voice seemed faint, but a small smile crept on his lips when he heard her singing along. Suddenly it became interrupted by a loud THUD, followed by a shriek.
"FUCK. ANDRASTE'S FLAMING SWORD—FUCK." He knocked on the door again.
"Gwyn?" Another knock. "Are you okay?" There was shuffling behind the door as the volume of the music lowered and the door swung open to reveal Gwyn bent over and massaging her foot.
"What are you doing here?" She hissed, taking a seat on the couch.
"Tour of the campus..." He held out one of the coffee cups for her, trying to hide his smile. "Are you alright?" She eyed the cup in his hands, her teeth pulling at her bottom lip.
"Thanks Cullen, but you know I don't—"
"Did I say it was coffee?" Her cheeks flushed as she took the cup from him. "Now—my first question. Are you okay?"
"I hit my foot on my desk when I was…."
"Dancing?" Cullen smirked. A deeper shade of red washed over her face.
"Could we possibly go back to that time where I looked less like a fool?" She forced a small, but hopeful laugh.
"So….before we met?" He joked. Gwyn opened her mouth to fire back, but frowned. Her lips twitched before she looked back up at him. "I didn't…I mean…" Cullen squeezed the back of his neck. Maker, that was awful. "I'm sorry."
"I suppose I shouldn't make it so easy," Gwyn said quietly. Shit, Cullen thought.
"I didn't mean—" He stammered out. This was why he didn't want to be in charge of orientation in the first place—he was constantly saying the wrong things. Especially to the wrong people. He didn't have the patience Josephine or Leliana had.
"You're fine, Cullen." She smiled, reaching out to pat his arm. Alarmed at her touch, he stared at her arm—small and freckled, decorated by a silver bracelet with a single, green gem in the middle. The moment was fleeting. Her hand had barely touched his forearm before she took a sip of her drink. Hot cocoa. The idea had come to Cullen on a whim while he stood in line that morning.
"Give me a moment to get ready and we can head out to experience all the beauty of Skyhold University that Cullen Rutherford can offer me," she joked, flashing a wide smile. She disappeared behind an open door, soft music still playing.
Aside from the faint singing, there was an agonizing quiet that left Cullen looking around the room. Their apartment was smaller than his and Dorian's—their living room nothing but a simple couch, desk, television, and miniature fridge. The walls were still bare—Gwyn and Cassandra probably haven't gotten the chance to do much decorating yet. Cassandra's bedroom door was shut—a dry erase board on the outside of it with her familiar scrawl: Out with Josephine for the day! Underneath, her cell number was posted. Gwyn's door, on the other hand, was cracked open just enough for him to catch sight of a dark poster with a multitude of stars. He leaned forward, hoping to get a better look.
"Who's Colon?" Gwyn asked, closing the door behind her and causing him to snap to attention.
"Excuse me?" Colon? Gwyn held up her cup of hot cocoa and pointed to the shaky scrawl of the barista. Sure enough, Colon was written on the side. He looked at his own cup and sighed—Colon. "Honestly, I wish I could say I was surprised."
"I thought you spent a lot of your time there," she said, holding the front door to the apartment open for him. He could see a small smile growing in the corner of her lips.
"Not enough, clearly," he chuckled.
"Well, we'll have to remedy that. Won't we?" She said with a grin. One that caused her to tilt her head and her eyes to crinkle at the sides. Cullen felt paralyzed as he questioned this simple action. Was she….was she flirting? With him? He rubbed his neck, hoping to rub away any ounce of embarrassment that might have crept onto his face.
"Shall we?" He asked, walking out in the hallway.
"Lead the way, Master Rutherford."
Gwyn tried to hold her surprise when he walked alongside her. She was used to having to trail behind others. She was shorter than most, and often five steps behind them. But not with Cullen. In fact, she noticed that if he took strides that were too long, he'd adjust within seconds. He walked with one hand on the leather strap of his messenger bag, another onto his coffee. She noticed that he took sips of it only when his eyes happened upon hers. He paused in front of a large tower and a nearby gazebo.
"This is where a lot of the parties take place," he gestured to the patches of grass that surrounded them. "Welcome week, homecoming—I don't think I've gone a semester without seeing someone vomit in the plants by the bell tower."
"The vomit adds character, I'm sure," Gwyn smiled. Cullen chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. Talking with Gwyn was growing surprisingly easy, or, at least, she was trying to make it so. He liked the way she used her hands whenever she spoke, using gesture after gesture in attempt to draw attention away from her face and the way she avoided eye contact.
"You're not a traditional student are you?" Her question surprised him. He opened his mouth to speak, but brought his cup of coffee to his lips instead. "That's a no, right?" A small smile spread across her face, but she looked down when he started walking again. He shoved a hand in his pocket, his fingers idling with the items that often got lost there—a paperclip for some work he turned in that morning, his keys, and a large gold coin among the rest of his loose change. He fisted his hand around the coin, his jaw becoming tight.
"I was in the military for five years before I started university," Cullen said softly.
"Oh, older and a soldier." Gwyn grinned only to realize Cullen didn't return her smile. "Sorry, that was…stupid of me. I didn't mean—"
"It's fine. You're fine." The words came out quickly. "What about you? Ostwick University is an expensive school in comparison to Skyhold. How did you manage that?"
"Did you forget my last name? The 'great' Trevelyan Empire?" Cullen stared blankly at her. "Oh thank the Maker. My father breeds horses. Racing, farming….the Trevelyans birth and raise them all."
"Horses?" Cullen stopped hold the door to the Union open for her. "That's what your family built its fortune off of?"
"I worked three years in the company as a trainer before I could afford one year at Ostwick. Eventually my father secretly helped me out for the second year there, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up. After all, what the Trevelyans don't tell you is that mothers don't approve of her husband's bastard children," she smiled grimly. Cullen stared, mouth dropped open, and heat filled Gwyn's cheeks. "Sorry! Shit. I shouldn't have said anything." He loosened his grip on the coin in his pocket.
"I don't think I've met a single person who didn't have troubles that weighed on their mind in some way. I don't think I'd enjoy your company very much if you weren't honest about it." Gwyn looked up at his words and her face softened at the way Cullen smiled at her. His mouth was crooked, the scar on his lip wrinkling the more teeth he exposed. It was genuine and it was hard to ignore the butterflies it produced. Finally, he turned to gesture to the room around them. High ceilings, stained windows. "This is Warden Union. When the semester is in full-swing, you won't be able to find a place to sit, let alone peace and quiet to hold a pleasant conversation."
"So, this is one-time thing?" She walked around the main entrance, a large dome with windows that gave a view to the sky above. She looked up at decorated windows, a slow whistle echoing in the somewhat vacant room. He ears burned at the possibility of what she was implying.
"I…" he searched for the words, his hand instinctively flying to his neck the longer he grasped for anything. Circling around to face him, she grinned from ear-to-ear.
"I was thinking we should spend more time together." It came out much more casually than Gwyn expected it to, and it surprised even her. Did she sound too forward? She hadn't known him terribly long, but he was the first person she'd met. "I mean, if you want. If you have time, I don't want to put you out—"
"I'd like that." She blinked. She wasn't expecting that.
"Me too," she spluttered, beaming up at him. He stared, caught off guard by her enthusiasm.
"You said that." He said softly, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"I did?" She blushed, covering her mouth in embarrassment. He could already tell she was cursing herself.
"Listen—would you…" He took a breath. "Would you want to meet with some of the others for dinner tonight? Dorian and Leliana usually have everyone get together at her apartment for dinner so we don't go completely crazy during welcome week." With the way she focused on him, he felt like he was talking too quickly, or maybe stammering a little too much. He reached for his neck, wishing this were easier. "It'd be a chance for you to get to know some of the other members of the Union."
"Is this some grand ploy to get me drunk?" Gwyn raised her brow and Cullen's eyes grew wide.
"What? No! You don't even have to—" Suddenly she was laughing.
"I'm only joking. Besides, I can already tell I'd drink you under the table," she winked. "Look at you—reading glasses, muscles from doing Maker knows what, that cute thing you do with your neck? You're a lush." She was walking ahead of him, her eyes still studying the high ceilings. He felt his throat go dry. This woman. There was something about her. He followed after her.
"So, was that a yes?"
They had lunch together where they talked about family—Gwyn's brother and how he was already texting her about Dorian. Cullen told her about Mia, Branson, and Rosalie—how Mia texted him practically every day to check on him, how Branson already a son. He found himself talking with her with an ease he still wasn't used to. Maybe it was the way she wore her insecurities on her sleeve, how she seemed to fidget when they were entering territory she wasn't comfortable exploring quite yet. Maybe it was how she looked at him in a way that made him feel good, like she understood there were parts of him she might never see, but how he was now mattered. Or maybe he was just being a fool.
On the way to Leliana's, she walked ahead of him with Dorian chattering about the cost of books. When he had knocked on her door moments earlier, he had sucked in a breath at the sight of her in a blue dress that ended just before her knees.
"Too much? I can go change really quick." She asked him, fidgeting with a bracelet on her left hand. He stared at how she had pulled her hair back into a ponytail, wisps of hair already falling at the base of her neck. Dorian peeked over his shoulder.
"Oh, you look lovely. No wonder he's speechless." She smiled at Cullen, blue eyes sparking as Dorian offered her his arm. Cullen continued to trail behind them, catching Gwyn's gaze every time she turned to smile in his direction.
"What are you studying?" Dorian asked as they walked the steps to Leliana's building.
"Astronomy," Gwyn grinned.
"A Trevelyan studying to be an astronomer, hm." Dorian considered the idea.
"I doubt your parents were overly fond of the idea," Cullen murmured, holding the door open for her. Dorian moved ahead, summoning the elevator.
"Not quite. My mother never cared for my interest. My father, on the other hand, I think he grew on the idea." She smiled wistfully. They followed Dorian into the elevator where Gwyn glanced over him. "What about you, Cullen?"
"Oh, he's the noble sort. He wants to be counselor," Dorian sighed, pressing a button.
"Psychology," Cullen interjected. The doors shut behind them.
"Wow…" she let out a slow whistle. "That's a lot of school."
"I received a scholarship," Cullen admitted, fisting his hands in his pockets. "I used to attend the University of Dumat before I came here, actually."
"Then he realized where the good people reside," Dorian grinned.
"Dumat's a prestigious school," Gwyn shrugged, clearly impressed.
"Full of ignorant Red Templars that don't even seem human," Dorian hissed.
"We always face off against the Red Templars during homecoming. They always pull this ridiculous prank and every year it's more awful than the last," Cullen explained. "Last year, it…it got a little ugly when they took one of our students—Meri Hawke."
"Took?"
"A nicer way of saying 'kidnapped,'" Dorian spat. The doors opened and the three entered the hallway with Dorian leading the way.
"What'd they do?"
"She was fine—she managed to escape before anything happened. Her boyfriend, on the other, was far from pleased. She, uh, she moved north," Cullen sighed. He stopped at Leliana's door. "Ready to meet everyone?" She sucked in a breath, hissing through her teeth.
"I haven't made a very good first impression, have I?" She winced.
"Does it matter? You're leading them whether they like you or not," Dorian snorted.
"Dorian," Cullen warned gently.
"I just mean, be genuine and they'll notice. Hang them all if they hate you! We're all a bunch of drunken students getting through school to begin with anyway," Dorian grinned. Gwyn returned the smile, nodding her head.
"Thanks," she whispered, knocking on the door.
"Just don't touch the good wine and we'll be right as rain," Dorian countered.
When the door opened, Leliana grinned at the very sight of her.
"I was hoping you'd come! And you brought Cullen—he barely comes to these things! Cass and Josie are on their way with more food—I'll introduce you to everyone!" Cullen watched as Gwyn was led away and Leliana glanced back in his direction. "Don't worry, Cullen. I'll take good care of her," she whispered, casting a wink over her shoulder. She guided Gwyn into a corner where the rest of crowd talked amongst each other.
Despite her trepidation about getting to know the others, Gwyn seemed to fit in. She drank with Bull and Dorian, cracking jokes with them until she started up a conversation with Sera.
"You're going to be in the same advanced chemistry course as me?" Gwyn coughed on her drink. "You're…Leliana told me you're a freshman."
"And that means I can't mix things up?" Sera pressed, arching her brow.
"Oh no! I didn't mean…"
"I think, if anything, she's right to be a little worried about the safety of everyone on campus," Cullen grinned, leaning against the counter of the kitchen. Sera's tongue darted out before she turned her attention back to Gwyn.
"It'd be boring if there weren't an explosion every now and then, right? Anyway, some old git took notice of my abilities and offered me a scholarship," she shrugged. "They said I showed some 'potential,' or whatever. I'm just here so I can get a bit of coin at the end of all this."
"Well, at least there'll be a familiar face in one of my classes this week," Gwyn smiled.
"I'm sure she won't be the only one," Cassandra interjected, taking a seat beside Gwyn. "Astronomy major, right?"
"With a minor in a creative writing," Gwyn admitted, blushing.
"Another one?" Cassandra grinned, taking a swig of her beer. "Varric—another starving artist in our midst!"
"Seeker, have you seen me? I'm hardly starving," he called from across the room. "Besides, you still need to give me back my manuscript," he raised a beer bottle in her direction only for her to scoff.
"Only when you're finished with the next one," Cassandra replied. A small smile appeared on her lips as she took another drink. "I take a few literature courses," she explained.
Across the room, Cullen couldn't help but watch the way she relaxed the longer she talked. She laughed with Varric-a loud howl that made her throw back her head and snort- and part of him wanted to be the cause. She glanced at him from time to time, her eyes eventually finding his and her lips twitching upwards.
"I didn't take you for a walking cliché." The sound of Leliana's voice startled him. She stood at the sink, rinsing out dishes.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cullen asked, turning to face her.
"Her," Leliana grinned, gesturing in Gwyn's direction. Confused, he walked to the sink and helped her rinse.
"Leliana, I know you. What are you playing at?" Leliana smirked, looking back at Gwyn.
"Well," she sighed. "I think it's sweet."
"I'm being kind," Cullen said flatly. "Besides, we've only just met a few days ago. It's not as if—"
"As if you've been watching her almost all night?"
The question made heat rise to Cullen's cheeks and he nearly dropped the bowl in his hands.
"I have not," he argued.
"What's going on here?" Gwyn leaned against the counter. Cullen felt his heart pound wildly—how much had she heard?
"Nothing," Leliana hummed, drying her hands. She cast a look towards Cullen before walking away. Talk to her, she mouthed over her shoulder. His palms felt sweaty against the counter as Gwyn took a step towards him. She fidgeted with her hands, twisting and knotting her fingers until she took a breath.
"I should probably head back to the apartment."
"So soon? I mean, of course," Cullen stammered. "Would you…I mean, do you want someone to go with you?"
"Cassandra's coming with me," she explained. She must have caught his crest-fallen look because she offered a small smile. "I just…I really wanted to thank you for inviting me. I had a great time getting to know everyone."
"I'm glad." He meant it. It was clear the awkward air around her arrival and sudden rise to director had shifted. Cassandra suddenly called for her across the room and Gwyn bit her lower lip.
"That's my cue," she winced, smiling awkwardly. Cullen considered going with her, making up some excuse to Dorian so he could talk with her a little longer. She was turning to leave when Cullen reached for her arm.
"Listen," he sucked in a breath, casting a quick glance around them. "Could I…I mean, would you mind if I got your number?" He didn't have time to worry if she said no, because she was suddenly beaming. "So I can get ahold of you for welcome week," he coughed.
"Of course," she nodded. He pulled out his phone, fumbling with the screen as he tried to input her name and number. His hand shook when he realized she was leaning over his arm to watch him type.
"Gwyn with a y," she said lightly, looking up at him. And there it was. Her phone number was there, the black letters of her name beaming up at him. She left the party saying goodbye to everyone as a group, but looked only at him when she spoke.
And half an hour later, as Cullen unlocked the door to his apartment, his phone chimed.
[ Gwyn Trevelyan ] Lunch tomorrow?
He stared at the bright text, his heart pounding the longer he looked at it. He glanced across the hall at her apartment door, a grin breaking out on his face. His hand shook for a moment as he typed out a reply. The bar at the top loading at top speed for what seemed like the first time in his life.
When and where?
