In a house of intrigue
"Fucking assholes... The lot of them! Is this what it feels like to be the enemy of the Inquisition? Lie after lie. Not one soul that I can trust. This shit is worse than one of Varric's tragedy novels. Shit!"
"For your sake I hope you aren't referring to my beer" The tavern keep observed Trevelyan dishevelled appearance with a wary eye.
"For the truth's sake, because somebody around here needs to be honest, your beer has always tasted like shit. But it was a good sort of shit. Unchanging, undemanding. So it's good."
"By the stone, why did I ever come here?" With a cheeky smile from Trevelyan, the bar keep shook his head and left him alone with his second mug. That happened very often these days; Trevelyan and a mug of ale. Alone and intimate, sitting on a bar stool with only a wall to accompany them. Once he had been the Inquisitor and the Herald of Andraste, a master rift mage and the unfolding -albeit slightly unwilling leader of all; now he was no better than the uncomfortable bar stool he had been sitting on. Maker, even the stool had more uses than him at that point.
"Finally somebody with the sense to start drinking themselves into a stupor at such a perfect hour."
"Dorian. How surprising to see you here before the sunset" he retorted back at the young mage's unwelcomed initiative to start a conversation. And here he was having such a lovely date with the wall.
"My apologies if I have interrupted your self-pitying session. I simply couldn't resist seeing you all alone while drinking your problems away. How is that working out for you by the way? I know that when I drink enough to start arguing with the wall, like in this instance, I usually attempt to find another miserable soul to listen to me rant. It is important to appear sane in this corner of the world"
"I bet"
"Now, don't be snappy. An argument is improved tenfold when there is an actual trade of full sentences." Trevelyan snorted loudly and dunked the rest of his ale in one go in hopes to keep his mouth busy and shut. Despite him giving the cold shoulder, that little act acted to impress Dorian who chuckled at his antics. The young mage sipped his own drink and waited patiently for his moody fellow to say something but Trevelyan was too busy frowning at his empty mug.
It was almost a companionable silence. If he wished so, Trevelyan could imagine this to be one of their better nights where him and Dorian used to share after a tiring day in the wild; With drinks flowing, smiles shining brightly and more than a few shared glances. The two of them would sit with their friends and share a laugh while their hands and thighs would brush each other. The longing would fill what little air that was left between their breaths and they would be ushered out to their quarters to find warm pleasures in the cold nights.
Lips on hot skin, a combination of excitement and fear of getting caught at the bottom of his stairs would sent shivers down his spine. While Dorian's expert hands guided them to their bed, they would barely have the sense or patience to wait until all doors where closed. The desperation to feel every inch of Dorian would make him loose his mind and they would come undone together as the sun rose up.
In another time, where Trevelyan and Dorian were still together, this is how their night would have ended. Yet, here they were, sitting side by side, tipsy with the ale on his tongue and he has never been this far away from Dorian. The pain in his heart flared as he noticed the serene gaze boring into him from his side. The young mage looked so content to be without their relationship, happy even. And Trevelyan hated him for it.
"Alright, I'll bite." he bit out, fingers tightly wrapping around his empty mug while willing it to stop shaking "You came to pester me because you couldn't find yourself a Bull to ride?" He tried to ignore the pain crossing Dorian's delicate face and the tears forming in his own eyes. He had left the young mage speechless, yet again. Bravo, him.
Disgusted with his own harsh words, Trevelyan slammed his mug down and practically ran out of the tavern.
He had to stop doing this. Retorting one liners to anyone who pissed him off momentarily and then bolting out of their side because he was too afraid to the see the hurt and the disappointment reflected in them. He was very good at it though. Once upon a time, he would stay after such outbursts and continue arguing until it developed into a full-fledged creative insult based fights. It had never bothered him to have a verbal battle. The problem here was that these battles were against people he hold dearly, albeit one-sidedly.
These people didn't know that he was all harmless bark and no bite. They took his outbursts with the utmost worst case scenarios in mind and they responded accordingly. It was a cruel reminder that these people were not his friends. His friends were gone, worse than dead, they had been erased and all that was left of them was what remained in his feeble memories.
It was unfair. They didn't deserve that. He did. Not them. He should have been the one to disappear from existence. It was his own pride that had driven him to ignore their advice and drink from the bloody well.
Maybe this was his punishment. Hiding behind the illusion of a second chance, Trevelyan had only been sent to this nightmare to suffer for his sins. And suffer, he did.
"You really shouldn't have run off like that if you were only planning to end up at my doorstep in this cold weather. You'll catch a cold and suddenly I'll be the one blamed for getting you sick." Trevelyan's head shot up and his arms which have been hugging his knees went slack with the shock of hearing Dorian's tender voice. He hadn't realized how badly he had been trembling until Dorian dropped to his knees and put a warm hand on his neck. "Come now, let's get you into your quarters. It is behind one of these doors, yes?"
"I... I-" Trevelyan stammered, unable to form words from his jumbled thoughts. Dorian shushed him with a kind smile and a gentle tug on his neck. And that was all it needed to break him down. With an undignified howl, Trevelyan fall forward, into the arms of the surprised mage. He grasped the fine material of Dorian's top with shaky fingers and let his tears fall freely.
"I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I am sorry that I am such a mess and you deserve so much more. I am sorry, so sorry..."
Frozen on spot, all Dorian could do was to wrap his arms around the shaking figure and pet Trevelyan's head with soft strokes. The mumbling apologies turned into heavy sobs and Dorian found it impossible to not to respond with kind endearments in return. He told the sobbing man that he forgave him, too but it fell on deaf ears. Trevelyan was lost in his own misery and although Dorian knew that misery liked company, he felt more like that pillar of strength Trevelyan had mentioned him to be.
Dorian never imagined this sort of an outcome when he started to tease the strange man with the glowy hand. Yet, here they were, a fully grown man, a mage no less, crying uncontrollably in his arms while he tried to warp his head around at both of their actions. Had they been flirting? Certainly. Did Dorian think that anything would come out of it? Certainly not. Did he ever expect to find him in such a broken state? Most certainly not. So, what in the Maker's name was going on?
After, what felt like a very short time, Trevelyan's sobs subsided and Dorian took a good look at his swollen but handsome face. Holding him at an arm's length, the young and confused mage cleared the rest of the tears from his cheeks and lend him a handkerchief to clean himself up. Trevelyan's eyes darted between him and everywhere else. The man had a hard time focusing but when he finally spoke, there was no trace of alcohol or uncertainty in his tone.
"I am truly sorry, Dorian. That was both rude and unfair of me."
"Apology accepted," Dorian replied with great ease "I must admit I have never had quite the wet and sincere apology before. It was exhilarating." The chuckled that got him was worth every snot droplets on his shoulder bindings. "Are you... alright?"
"Yes, I- I needed that. Thank you and sorry that I ruined your shirt.
"Oh, don't you worry about it. The shirt survived much worse conditions than that. Now let's get you up and about." With one swift motion, Dorian grabbed the slouched man by his sides and together they rose on their feet. When Trevelyan swayed dangerously, Dorian steadied him with putting his back to the wall. Trevelyan seemed dizzy, he had the aura of a man whom was lost and didn't quite know how to accept a helping hand to guide him out of darkness. Dorian remember what that felt like. He tried not to take pity on him. His sympathies, on the other hand were fair game.
Even on his feet, Trevelyan's shoulder's were slouched. It wasn't a look that Dorian liked on him. "Ready to move on?"
"No" came the definitive answer and Dorian was forced to gaze into two beautiful orbs as his head was grabbed and pulled towards the other man. Suddenly, between one breath and the next, warm lips were on his, moving chastely but with an ease that was gained after long practises. Strong arms were wrapped around his neck and the mouth kept on moving and licking his own chapped lips. It was such a strange motion to him. To be kissed with such gentleness, undemanding and slow. He responded because Dorian Pavus was a weak man when it came to enjoying the company of strong, determined men. He opened his lips a fraction so that he could capture Trevelyan's lower lip with his teeth. That elicited a low moan and he felt Trevelyan's arms tightening around him, bringing their bodies even closer.
With similar built and height, they fit into each other beautifully. A leg was thrown over his own when he dipped his head to one side and pried open Trevelyan's lips. The eagerness of which he accepted Dorian's tongue into his mouth, caused a bead of sweat to occur on his forehead. Both of their trousers were getting tighter by the second but Dorian couldn't get enough of this strange man who kissed him like there was no tomorrow. Mouth as wide open as possible Trevelyan kissed him deeply with no remorse and no rush. He wasn't used to being kissed like he was the centre of the universe. He liked to believe that he was while Trevelyan's tongue was messaging his, their crotches grinding beautifully and his hands moving up and down on his back.
He felt his own knees buckle and he had to support his body with Trevelyan's strong grip.
"Dorian" Trevelyan whispered as he started dropping kisses down his neck. He continued to sing his name like a mantra which pleased Dorian greatly "I have missed this so much. Ah, Dorian..."
Trapped between a sweet dream and the hard surface of the door, all Trevelyan wanted to do was to push pass into the room closest to them and continue his devouring of the young mage on a more comfortable surface.
Dorian's hair felt like silk and his body grew hot beneath his fingers. The shallow breaths and the glazed looks he was getting was proof enough that he was doing something right. He kissed all of the smooth skin he could reach without easing his hold. Dorian seemed to melt under his ministrations and he had to recall that for him this was their first kiss.
He had half a mind to slow down and appreciate the swollen lips. Dorian still tasted like old books and quality wine. A taste Trevelyan was not prepared to forget. He couldn't help but smile when Dorian reached behind him and opened his door. He quickly hold on to the bare shoulder to avoid falling and was rewarded by the swipe of a moustache on his neck.
They stumbled into the dark room but didn't bother with any lights. Trevelyan's anchor glowing with a green light was all the help they needed to find the bed. He had never been more grateful to be living in such small quarters.
With the familiar, heavy weight of his Dorian's above him, Trevelyan lost all his remaining senses. Suddenly clever fingers were pushing through his tunic, revealing his toned stomach while his own was lost in the locks of dark hair. He wrapped his legs around Dorian's hips and arched his back. The delicious friction making both men growl with impatience. Trevelyan nipped at an earlobe as his fingers almost ripped open Dorian's buckles and shirt.
"It is refreshing to meet someone who can pry open my buckles with such talent" he whispered with a laugh. As a silent response Trevelyan was ghosting his finger tips over Dorian's sides gently like he was holding a fragile thing. It sent a different kind of pleasure down his spine.
If Dorian was ever going to reciprocate any of that, it was made impossible the moment Trevelyan held his hips. Something between a soft cry and a muffled scream tore from Dorian's throat and Trevelyan stilled like he had been hit by an ice spell.
"It is alright" Dorian said quickly and he rose on his elbows with a pained expression, as if emphasising on the unimportance of his discomfort with putting pressure on his sore muscles.
"No, it isn't" was the emotionless reply he received before being promptly flipped over to lay beneath Trevelyan and on his back. Trevelyan's unsteady fingers pushed his shirt apart and big ugly bruises became apparent under the anchor's light. A sharp intake was all he needed to hear that the magic was broken. "You are hurt"
"And you sound like Cole" chirped back Dorian. He really didn't need to be reminded of those bruises on his otherwise perfect skin.
"For a moment there, I had forgotten that you and him were together..."
"If it is such an issue to you that I enjoy the company of many kinds of men, then you shouldn't have touched me" snapped Dorian as his body grew cold. Embarrassment was evident in his shaky voice.
"I don't have an issue with that" Trevelyan explained "I just don't understand why you are here with me when he is only a few hours away and why in the Maker's name would you let him harm you this way. The bruises are hurting you and you don't even see a healer to mend them"
"As for the latter question; he said, he was marking me so that I wouldn't miss him while he was gone. Qunari logic. I didn't really question it at the time nor I had any way to do so. As for the former me and Bull, we are not exactly at the commitment part of our thing so no strings attached?" Trevelyan's brows knitted together and Dorian expected him to bolt out as he liked to do every so often.
"Do you not miss him then? The way you were kissing me indicated a desire for more than just a simple tryst."
"I was simply responding to an amazing kiss."
"So you simply got carried away?" asked Trevelyan with a broken tone. Dorian shook his head and reached out to brush his fingers on the mage's lips.
"There is something about you that draws me to you. I don't know what it is or why I feel it but I couldn't help but give it all I have got." After a second, to Dorian's surprise, Trevelyan draw back and got up from the bed completely. "Was my answer unsatisfactory?" He saw a glint of thirst and wildness in Trevelyan's eyes as the anchor's glow grew in its intensity and reached his eyes. Without breaking eye contact he buttoned his tunic and when he spoke next, Trevelyan's voice was dark and heavy like a well aged wine.
"I want you, Dorian" he said without blinking "Do not misunderstand my retreat. I want to take you like there is no tomorrow and make you quiver until you forgot your own name. But I don't do relationships half-heartedly. If I commit myself to someone, I expect the same in return. At this point, I am in no position to demand your loyalty or anything more than that. If you wish anything more to happen between us then you'll have to settle all your issues with Bull. Once you reach a decision, you know where I'll be"
"So it's all on me then?" Dorian replied, as he straightened and fixed his hair. As nonchalant as he was trying to appear, he knew that if he dared to get up his legs would definitely give out under Trevelyan's undivided attention.
"I have had my say. What's important here is what you want. I should also tell you that whatever your decision is you are an irreplaceable person in my life and I value your friendship. So if you prefer to keep the things as they are I will back down."
"Is this the part where you insinuate that Iron Bull wouldn't back down just as gentlemanly and you are a better person than him?"
"No, I know the Bull. He was a close friend of mine back in my timeline. I know he cares for the people he chooses to be with. This is exactly why I can't do anything more. It is unfair to him and his trust."
"The things you say... very well I shall consider your proposal. Although I am uncertain as to what you mean by a relationship but we'll see how this plays out. You can show yourself to the door" Dorian's flat tone and purse of lips halted Trevelyan but he quickly regained his composure.
"Good night, Dorian" he said as he reached for the door and a muffled, half hearted response was all Trevelyan heard before stepping back into the cold.