Varric was searching for Hawke. Everyone had wanted to meet her as soon as it became common knowledge that she was in Skyhold. He had scarcely had time to talk to her once without someone interrupting. No one seemed to understand or respect that he might want to spend some time with his best friend that he hadn't seen in months. And now he was running around the entire fort of Skyhold to try to find her. He thought it was time he abducted her from all her admirers and sat her down to have a pint and play some wicked grace, for old times' sake.
Varric swore as he worked his way up yet another steep flight of stairs. He did not like hiking, running, or climbing, and yet it seemed it was all he was doing today. He reached the top of the stairs and stopped to catch his breath. His head jerked up as he thought he heard a voice coming from the tower ahead of him. And it had sounded like Hawke. He frowned. Why would she be in the abandoned tower? It was still just rubble in there. He knew this because Bull had tried to convince the inquisitor to make it the 'Tower of the Chargers' the other day. It had not worked.
Varric got his breathing under control and then walked quietly up to the door and put his ear against it to listen. Varric couldn't tell what she was saying through the door, but there was no mistaking her voice. Hawke was in there. And she wasn't alone; a male voice answered her. Varric pressed his ear more firmly to the door to try to hear who the man was. And more importantly, why were they meeting in this abandoned tower, of all places? Varric could smell a story from a mile away, and this felt like the start of one. A mystery meeting in a dark abandoned tower. It sounded just like the kind of thing Hawke and he used to get up to in Kirkwall. He wondered why Hawke hadn't asked him to come this time.
There was something familiar about the male voice but he couldn't quite place it. It had gotten quiet on the other side of the door and Varric wondered if he would dare to look inside. Maybe they had left from the other entrance? Just as he started to feel sure that they weren't in there anymore, he heard a muffled sound through the door, like a groan.
He decided to risk it. Varric very carefully opened the door inch by inch and angled his head to be able to look inside. It was quite dark in there and his eyes needed a moment to adjust. He froze when he realized that there was movement right in front of him. A few more moments and then he suddenly needed to squeeze his lips tightly shut to suppress a surprised exclamation. There was Hawke alright, and also the commander, Cullen. They were also very naked.
The fact that they hadn't noticed the beam of light that had entered the room when he started opening the door said something about how oblivious to the world around them they were. They were kissing furiously, and Hawke had Cullen backed up against the wall. Hands were moving all over each other's bodies and their ragged breaths filled the otherwise silent room. Hawke moaned and Varric's face went warm. This was not something he should watch. He very carefully closed the door, and the last thing he saw was Cullen turning them around and pressing Hawke up against the wall.
Varric took two steps away from the door and sat down on the stairs. Hawke and Curly? He quickly thought back to their times together in Kirkwall, trying to remember if there was anything in the past that should have made him see this coming. He drew a blank. Sure, Hawke had always flirted with the poor templar whenever they met, but to be fair, Hawke flirted with almost everybody. Except for very annoying people, like Sebastian.
The Knight-Captain had always been a bit embarrassed and started stammering whenever Hawke said something dirty or suggestive to him in the past though. Maybe there had been something there all along?
Cullen certainly hadn't looked unsure or embarrassed in there, pressing Hawke up against that wall. Well, Varric thought, maybe that was the point. He had changed. From a shy templar to a bold commander of the inquisition's forces. And Hawke had always had a thing for strong, strapping men.
Varric got up and shot one last, somewhat confused, look at the door. He shrugged and started making his way down all the damnable stairs again. He guessed he wasn't the only old friend who had wanted some alone time with Hawke. He was just going to have to wait his turn. And have a cold shower.