I Dreamed a Dream (of banana pancakes) - A Dragon Age Inquistion Fan Fiction by Foxfire79 (Cullen/Inquisitor)

Disclaimer: I don't work for Bioware, nor have I ever been involved with the creation of any of the characters within the Dragon Age universe. I'm just playing with them (as we were meant to). The only original characters are the ones I created in-game, and have brought over to the fanfic universe: Ceridwen Cousland, my human female rogue Grey Warden from DA:O, Rhiannon Hawke, my female rogue from DAII, and most importantly Lilah Trevelyan, my human female rogue Inquisitor who is currently breaking heads and taking names while tearing around Thedas. Apparently I like being a rogue, human and female. Who knew?

I had to add this bit. Pretty much just for Rae, hehehe :-)

Previously...

He awoke a few hours later, shivering as the near dawn light filtered in through the hole in the roof. He didn't usually get this cold... Ah, there was the answer. Lilah had stolen all the blankets and cocooned herself in the middle of them, leaving him nothing with which to fend off the elements. She was sound asleep. He gently found the edge of the blanket and unfurled it, but in so doing also pulled her closer towards him. He wrapped his arms around the sleeping girl and encased them both under the warm pile of blankets. As he looked down at the alabaster angel in his arms, he couldn't help himself and placed a reverent kiss on her forehead. She shuffled in his grip a little then settled against the firm plains of his chest.

"Hmmm... Cullen... Behave yourself..."

Even in her sleep... Cullen stifled a laugh, finally warm again, and very happy that he wasn't in bed alone. He could learn to like this.

Now...

The sun was brighter now, and it picked out the deep red highlights in Lilah's hair as it splayed out across his chest. Cullen looked down at her and felt the now familiar smug grin coming across his face. She was his. The Inquisitor was his. Well, mostly. She hadn't said she loved him, but she'd said she liked him a lot, so that was progress. And she'd agreed to spend the night, which had been a significant win in Cullen's book. Even though they hadn't actually 'slept together', they had slept together in the same bed. He'd held her in his arms most of the night, after he'd realised that if he didn't she'd steal all of the blankets. He'd really have to get his roof fixed...

He sighed, and she stirred in his arms, rolling onto her side... Maker's breath! He could see right down her corset. For having such a small, lithe body she was very well endowed. If he lowered the corset another couple of centimetres, he may be able to free her breasts entirely. Completely by accident of course. He sneaked one finger into her cleavage and gently started to tug the garment lower. His ploy seemed to be working until he realised her eyes were open and she was gazing at his finger in a slightly bemused fashion.

"I'd ask you what you were doing, Cullen, but it seems fairly obvious..."

He looked away, slightly embarrassed but not apologetic in the least.

"I just assumed that since you got to see my chest, I should get to see yours. It's only fair. I was only going to take a little peek..."

Lilah sighed, then smiled wickedly, straddling his hips and leaning over him so he had an even better view down her corset. He could feel himself starting to stir and he knew she'd be able to feel him as well, seeing as she was seated right atop him. That thought excited him even more, and he felt more blood surging south and himself growing harder against her. Lilah looked down where their bodies were almost joined, still each clad in their small clothes, and looked back up at his face.

"I take it you're enjoying the view, then?"

Cullen's hands slid to her waist, working their way under the now slightly loosened corset. Her skin was velvet smooth, and warm from being under the blankets with him. She felt... Maker, he couldn't even think of any words. He could feel his member straining through his small clothes, and knew she could definitely feel it from the small movements she had begun making against him. She leaned forward again, her hair surrounding his face like a black waterfall. She sighed and rolled her neck back, and the view down her corset... He could see everything. She was the loveliest creature he'd ever seen. He studied the restrictive garment a little more closely and noticed that it was held together with tiny hooks-and-eyes. He raised his hands to the top of the corset, fingers brushing across the tops of her breasts, causing her to draw in a shuddering breath before throwing him a dark look.

"What are you doing?"

He stubbornly refused to let go of the fabric, even as she tried to sit back up. In doing so, he managed to pull the blasted thing down her body another couple of centimetres, but she still wasn't free of it. He was closer to his goal, though. She tried to hold on to her angry look, but the feel of him pressed so hard against her nether region combined with his hands on her bosom all but broke her. Her movements against him started to grow faster still, and her own hands joined his at the top of her corset. She was about to make short work of the ridiculous garment, when one of the doors opening below them made them both freeze. They looked at each other in shock.

"Commander? It's just me, checking in on you. It's been twenty four hours. I assume you're upstairs...?"

It was Solas, just being a good physician. Cullen sighed and dragged his eyes away from Lilah's perfect form. He had to answer the elven mage before he decided to climb up the ladder.

"I'm fine, Solas. Just woke up actually. So far, the day has gone surprisingly well, seeing as I haven't left my bed yet. Thank you for your concern though."

He heard the mage laugh softly at his answer.

"Very well then, Commander. I shall leave you to your morning rituals."

They heard the door closing softly behind him, looked at each other and started giggling. Cullen rolled her onto her back, and started assaulting her neck with his lips. She squealed and wrapped her legs around him, drawing herself up to his still hard manhood. When she made contact with him she gasped his name, and he almost growled as he felt her warmth press up against him once more. Maker, she felt so good... He could only imagine how much better she would feel sans clothes. He reached one hand around her body, and pulled her even closer, thrusting himself even harder against her still clad womanhood. She shivered beneath him, her blunt fingernails scraping down the skin on his back. Her head fell back against the pillows and her neck arched as she whispered his name, finding her release once again.

"Maker's Breath, Cullen... How do you keep doing that to me? We haven't even... I mean, you still haven't... Uh, now I owe you two..."

She sounded entirely put out. He leaned forward and kissed her hard, tangling his fingers through her hair. She sighed into his mouth and ran her hands up and down his back, still pressed hard against him. He moved back far enough to look her in the eyes, and recognised that same look of satisfaction from the previous time. She smiled up at him, cheeks growing pink as she took the entire situation into consideration.

"Ummm... Good morning?"

He looked back down at her, studying her, memorising her.

"Very good morning. Best morning ever, as far as I'm concerned."

She gazed up at him, her eyes seeming to fixate on his scar as she had been the previous night.

"We weren't supposed to do this, you know. We were supposed to be responsible and adult, getting to know each other before we went back into the... physical things. What happened?"

She reached up and ran one finger down his scar, her mouth unconsciously dropping open as he traced small patterns on the bare flesh of her stomach. Cullen continued staring down at her, drinking in her blushing flesh, her curves, the way her lips always quirked up like she was about to smile at some secret joke.

"I forgot..."

He leant down and kissed her softly again, this time her hands reaching up to curl into his hair. She whispered his name as they broke the kiss, then looked deeply into his eyes, smiling again.

"I think I've figured a way around us being physical and developing a proper relationship. We just have to have a meaningful conversation each time before we indulge ourselves."

Cullen continued gazing down at her.

"Does this count?"

Her brow furrowed.

"Does this count as what?"

He leaned closer and nipped at her earlobe with his teeth, remembering she'd liked that before. Her legs re-tightened around his waist, and she gasped into his neck. The smug grin resurfaced. Victory was his, again.

"Does this count as a conversation? I'd say it would..."

He nuzzled the side of her neck with his nose, then gave it a quick lick, eliciting another moan from her.

"Ah, yes..."

She looked up at him, and he could feel himself beginning to drown in those dark green eyes of hers again. She'd be the death of him, she truly would. Then she seemed to gain a moment of clarity. She pushed back against his chest, looking up at the bright sunlight pouring through the hole in his roof.

"Oh, no... No, no, no, no..."

She rolled out of his bed and started pulling on the clothes she'd shed last night, which were lying haphazardly on the floor of his bedroom. She raked her fingers through her hair, pulling it back into a loose, messy ponytail, then threw him an annoyed look.

"We'll finish this conversation at another time. I'm supposed to be on my way to the Hinterlands with Dorian, Sera and Iron Bull. Hopefully I'm not running too late. No thanks to your... distraction techniques."

She slid down the ladder and hurried to the door which led through Solas' chambers and back through the Main hall to her own quarters. Cullen pulled on the creased black trousers from the previous night, and climbed down the ladder, pursuing her. He grabbed her arm just before she tried to open the door, pressing her back against the hard wood. He hooked a finger under her chin, angling her face upward so she was looking up at him.

"Wait, Lilah... When will you be back?"

She glanced down quickly, noticing his still bare chest, and a spark of heat came back into her eyes.

"Two days, three at most."

Her hands rested against his chest, tracing the lines of his muscles down to the waistband of his pants. She was completely distracted for the moment, and Cullen took full advantage, ducking his head down to capture her lips in a sweet goodbye kiss. She kissed him back with just as much fervour, still tracing the hard lines of his muscles with her fingers. Lilah eventually broke the kiss, looking up at him, eyes slightly unfocused.

"Now I really have to go. We'll finish this, the talking part I mean, after I return."

Cullen ran a hand through his hair, leaning against the door-frame as she put her clothing to rights and tried to smooth her hair one more time before heading out. She looked at him expectantly and he sighed and opened the magically sealed door, once more letting the outside world into his sanctuary. She gave his chest one last heated look, before dragging her gaze back up to his face.

"Sorry. I'm a weak woman when it comes to strong, handsome ex-Templars. Don't get into trouble while I'm gone."

Cullen chuckled, crossing his arms and grinning once again. Her eyes fell to his scar once more and she sighed, backing out of the doorway.

"I'll try not to. You be careful out there... Delilah."

Her cheeks turned bright red, and she all but turned and ran away from his office. She wasn't the only one that was weak. He wanted to chase after her and drag her back up to his bed for the rest of the day, but he knew she was right. They had to let the relationship progress at a slower rate, or they could lose everything before it even began. Cullen was startled back into reality by the door to his left opening.

"Cullen, I was just coming up to check on... Oh my, and you're half naked. Please excuse me for barging in."

Josephine, polite to a fault. She was currently fanning herself and trying not to stare too long at his naked chest. Without much success.

"I'm fine, thank you Josephine. Just getting ready to start my day. I'm feeling much better today, I think all I needed was a good night's sleep."

Josephine smiled coyly, still fanning herself, and leaned against the door-frame.

"A good night's sleep, was it? I was fairly certain I just saw Trevelyan running out of your office at full pelt, wearing the same outfit as yesterday and nursing a bad case of bed-hair."

Cullen looked at Josephine, a carefully schooled look of calm on his face. She was grasping. Then he looked at the Ambassador more closely, noticing something stuck in her hair. He moved closer, plucking the foreign object from her side braid and studying it closely.

"Josephine, why do you have straw in your hair, at this time of the day?"

The Ambassador turned bright red, yanking the piece of straw from between his fingers and hiding it in one of her skirt's pockets.

"I was never here, you didn't see me, and we didn't have this conversation."

She turned on her heel and walked quickly out of his office without a backwards glance. Cullen stared out after her retreating figure, shaking his head. Women were certainly odd sometimes. He took a deep breath of fresh air, and climbed back up the ladder to retrieve the blue shirt. He would have to put his armour back on today, and return to business as usual. But he would be going about his day with a much lighter heart. And he'd be counting down the days until Delilah Temperance Trevelyan returned to him.

END

Aaaand, now it's done! Read, review and enjoy! :-)

Foxfire out!