Cullen sat at his desk, surrounded by pieces of paper. He furrowed his brow as he tried to get through them all, reading one after another, sometimes jumping back to one he had read previously.
He was so preoccupied that he barely noticed Dorian standing in the now opened doorway until an unfortunate gust of air swept in, forcing the so-called neat piles to become a mess again.
Cullen let out a groan of frustration, banging his fists on the desk. "I had just organised these!"
"If that's organised, I'd hate to see what you feel is messy," Dorian quipped, a haughty expression on his face. "Anyway, enough of the pleasantries, I am here to whisk you away."
Cullen glared at him, "whisk me away where exactly?"
"Only to the garden and just for a little break. Far be it for me to keep the great Commander away from his, well, organised mess."
Cullen exhaled gently, realising that Dorian was right. He probably did need a break, having been up since dawn. "Very well."
A smirk formed on Dorian's lips. He had hardly spent any time with Cullen, and, with Skyhold renovations underway, it felt it was a perfect time to press the stone-faced Commander regarding matters of the heart.
Mainly his heart.
"I must say, you have not exactly chosen the best place to set up an office. You can barely see her balcony from here."
"I know." Cullen stopped, realising that he had fallen into Dorian's trap. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Dorian moved from the door and leaned his hands on his desk. "Oh please, lying is not your strong suit."
"How dare you accuse me of lying!"
"I've seen the way you look at her, the smile that appears, how red you go. I could go on, truly I could."
"Don't." Cullen hissed through gritted teeth, now standing and staring Dorian directly in the eyes. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
This greatly irritated Dorian, especially because he was right. He proceeded to get into Cullen's face, pointing his finger accusingly.
"Listen here Commander, I am a fully-ranked Enchanter in the Minrathous Circle. Infuriating me is a massive mistake. I have the ability to reduce your sorry form to a pile of ash."
"I'd like to see you try," Cullen leaned ever closer, his face flushed with wrath.
"Well, I would, but that would upset the fair lady and far be it from me to break the heart of such a wonderful woman."
Cullen pulled back, his face softening at the mere mention of her. Dorian smirked, "oh, that's adorable. I just need to mention Eostre, and you turn into an enamoured mess."
Cullen sighed, defeated. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not many people know about this, in fact, only one other person knows about this. I would there politely request that you keep this to yourself.
"My lips are sealed."
"Also, Lady Trevelyan has gracious accepted the role of Inquisitor and refer to her as such."
"She despises it when friends call her by her title. And as much as you may not like it, I am her friend. As are you. Now, all of that is finally out in the open, what say you to a harmless game of chess?"
Sometime later
The midday sun hung in the sky, illuminating the garden around them. It had been a few hours since their heated confrontation but now they were settling the score with chess.
"Gloat all you like. I have this one"
"Are you sassing me commander? I didn't know you had it in you."
"Why do I even-" Cullen could feel eyes upon him and became startled by the sight of Eostre walking towards them. With the midday sun shining upon her face, she was ever more radiant to him.
"Inquisitor." He rose from his seat to greet her, only for Dorian to enquire "leaving, are you? does this mean I win?" Cullen promptly sat back down, annoyed by Dorian's continued arrogance.
Eostre followed her arms and raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Are you two playing nice?"
Dorian smirked, turning his attentions away from Eostre and back to Cullen. "I'm always nice."
"My my, this is even more delectable than I thought." Dorian thought to himself.
"You need to come to terms with my inevitable victory. you'll feel much better."
"Really? because I just won. And I feel fine."
"Don't get smug. There will be no living with you." Dorian almost huffed as he stood to leave. "He's all yours, my fair lady Inquisitor." Dorian gave Eostre a coy wink then slowly walked away.
Captivated by the tension building between them; Dorian hid within earshot, determined not to miss a single word.
Cullen's smile of triumph slowly began to fade as he realised that he better get back to work.
"I should return to my duties as well," he began before motioning to the now vacant chair opposite him, "unless you would care for a game?" A hint of hopefulness in his question.
"Prepare the board commander." Eostre moved to take her place in the now vacant chair. It was the first time that Cullen had the chance to fully take in Eostre's figure.
"As a child, I played this with my sister. She would get this stuck-up grin whenever she won-which was all the time." He smirked as memories of his past victories returned.
"My brother and I practised together for weeks, and the look on her face the day I finally won."
Cullen relaxed back in the chair, and the smirk dropped slightly from his face as he began to think of his family. "Between serving the Templars and the Inquisition I haven't seen them in years. I wonder if she still plays."
"You have siblings?" Eostre inquired, eager to learn more about the man she was trying (albeit in her mind failing) to woo.
"Two sisters and a brother."
"Where are they now?"
"They moved to South Reach after the Blight. I do not write to them as often as I should." The conversation had slightly distracted Cullen as well as Eostre. "Ah, it's my turn."
"All right," Eostre leaned forward slightly, an almost devilish look crossed her face. "Let's see what you've got …. Commander." "You're on Inquis- Eostre" Cullen replied, smirking
Her mouth hung open slightly, before turning into a flirtatious grin. "And here I thought you didn't know my name, seeing as you never call me by it."
"How could I forget a name as unique as yours."
"BY THE MAKER! WILL YOU TWO JUST KISS ALREADY!" screamed Dorian in his mind. He loved sexual tension as much as the next man, but this was honestly too much for his handle.
Time Passes
"This may be the longest we've gone without discussing the Inquisition-or related matters, to be honest. I appreciate the distraction." Dorian, who was still sitting nearby, sluggishly arose from his nap as he heard those words. "Are you still playing?"
They locked eyes and Cullen couldn't help but notice how pale Eostre's eyes were at that moment. For almost a second, he saw a glint of hopefulness, followed by doubt and fear. He then refocused on the game.
She rolled her shoulders back, causing her to sit up straight. She gently licked her lips then swallowed hard, summoning up the courage to speak.
"We should …. We should spend more time together." Dorian's eyes widened. Cullen quickly looked up his heart in his mouth. "Did she just say that?" he thought, his lips beginning to turn into a smile.
He then realised that he was staring at Eostre, who was secretly awaiting a response.
"I would like that." Eostre tilted her head downwards, a gentle smile across her face. She began to blush, her entire body becoming warm. She glanced back up to meet Cullen's gaze. He felt his heartbeat a little faster.
Dorian clamped his hand, trying to stifle the scream of excitement.
"Me too." Cullen felt his cheeks begin to turn red as he heard her response. Although he had seen her face many times, he had never truly noticed how beautiful she was when she smiled, and that she often smiled whenever she spoke or even looked at him.
"You said that." He leaned in closer to her, and she did the same. Her breathing started to get a little faster at the anticipation of a kiss which, unfortunately, did not come.
"We should … finish our game. Right. My turn?"
More time passes. Dorian is still trying to get over what just happened
"I believe this one is yours, well played." Cullen casual reclined in his chair, fully accepting his defeat. "We shall have to try again sometime, Eostre."