Prompt: I choose you

"It has to be right!"

Elanor Trevelyan overheard Cullen's voice, tight with anxiety as she opened the door to his office. Blinking, as her eyes adjusted to the darker interior, she saw Cullen straighten up, his eyes wide with surprise. Opposite him in front of his desk was Leliana.

She looked from one to the other. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Cullen said quickly. "Just going over some reports." His face softened into his usual smile as he looked at her, and her suspicions melted away.

Leliana unsuccessfully hid a smile. "I will see to the matter we discussed, Commander," she said, backing gracefully out of the office. "Send a runner if you need anything else."

"Mm," Cullen said, not taking his eyes of the Inquisitor. Only when the door closed did he move from around the desk to take her in his arms, kissing her with a warm tenderness that brought a flush to her face.

"You're back early," he said, pulling away. "Everything alright?"

"Yes. The rift was a small one," she said. "Didn't take as much time as some of the others have." She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I thought maybe we could... spend the afternoon together? Since I'd planned to be out all day, Josie didn't have anything lined up for me, and she doesn't know I'm back yet."

Cullen's eyes shifted away from hers, and his hand reached up to rub the back of his neck. Elanor's suspicions returned in a rush.

"Alright, what's going on?"

His hand dropped. "Nothing," he said a shade too quickly. "I just... um... have a lot of paperwork..."

"Oh?" She raised one eyebrow. "And paperwork is more important than one unexpected afternoon away with me?"

"Yes, I mean, no, of course not!" he stammered. She waited and eventually he sighed, running a hand down his face. "I had a... surprise planned," he admitted, his ears going pink.

She chuckled. "And I've ruined your plans by being in unexpectedly?"

"Afraid so," he laughed.

"What's the surprise?"

He looked a little flustered, which made her even more curious. "I can't tell you—not yet. It's not... ready."

Elanor reached up to the buttons on her tunic and began to undo them slowly, deliberately.

"Are you sure?" she asked, fingers poised on the button between her breasts.

Cullen swallowed. "Yes. Quite sure."

She regarded him for a moment, surprised at the adamant tone, then shrugged and quickly unbuttoned the rest, tossing the shirt to the side.

Cullen frowned in confusion as she pulled him close. "But I'm not going to tell you..."

"I was already halfway there," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his collarbone, eliciting a hum of pleasure from his throat. "Might as well go all the way while I'm waiting for your surprise."

"Hmm," he said in agreement, his fingers winding into her hair. "But I just replaced the inkwell on my desk. Let's... um... clear it... gently... this time. I don't want to explain to Josephine why my reports had ink all over them again."

#

Some hours later, Elanor woke in Cullen's bed to find him nowhere in sight. Frowning, she rubbed her eyes, only to hear a clamor below that sounded like muffled oaths and... bleating?

She pulled her clothes on and opened the trap door that led to his office. Then she frowned, rubbed her eyes again, and shook her head a little to clear the cobwebs of sleep. But the goats were still there. Five goats and a bale of hay. Two of the goats were at the bale of hay. Three others were roaming about the office. As she watched in bewilderment, one snagged a piece of paper from Cullen's desk and began to chew.

"No, blast you," Cullen snapped, coming into view, shirtless and snarling, his hair standing up on end as if he'd run his hands through it too many times to count. He wrested the paper away and swore again as another goat begin to nibble on the furry paldrons draped over the back of the office chair.

"Get away from that!"Elanor couldn't hold back a snort of laughter as he made shooing motions with his hands. He looked up, alarm on his face.

She climbed down the ladder. A goat waddled up to sniff hopefully at the hem of her shirt. Moving past it, she walked up to Cullen, grinning, and waited.

"Maker preserve me," he sighed. "It was supposed to be three. Three goats and a sheaf of wheat. Not five goats and bale of hay. If this is Leliana's idea of a joke..."

Elanor's eyes widened. "Cullen! This was the surprise? Are you...?" She couldn't get the words out. They seemed to have gotten lodged in her throat.

"I heard... it was a tradition in the Free Marches," he said, grimacing.

Elanor's shoulders began to shake with laughter. "From my grandparents' generation, yes."

Cullen muttered something under his breath that might have been "Damn you, Varric."

He looked at her then, and she had to lock her knees so she wouldn't fall over at the tenderness in his gaze. "Elanor," he said. "I... I wanted to do this right. But everything conspired against me today, it seems. And perhaps it will never be a perfect moment. But no matter what, I choose you in spite of my failings, in spite of chaos, in spite of... everything really. I will always choose you. That is... if you'll choose me too?" He sucked in a deep breath. "Elanor, will you—"

"Yes!" she squeaked, flinging herself into his arms.

His arms wrapped tight around her and for a long while they stayed like that. Until the goats discovered that Elanor's shirt was much better tasting than the bale of hay, that is.