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Title: lights go out
Fandom: Dragon Age
Pairing: Cullen/Iron Bull
Prompt: 044. Speak
Words:
lights go out
There’s barely enough room in Cullen’s tiny quarters for a cot, much less Bull.
For once in his life, Cullen doesn’t care about etiquette or any other shit like that. The first thing he does once he’s through the door is strip off his armour, his tunic, and turn to examine his ribs in the cracked glass above his tiny wash basin.
He ignores Bull, who blocks out the entire door, who shifts a little awkwardly when Cullen strips down right then and there.
“Y’know, usually I buy a person dinner before anyone gets naked,” Bull comments.
Cullen flushes, but doesn’t shy away and pick his clothes up.
No, he’s too distracted by his mark. His completed mark.
There’s a name, now, right under the body of the dragon as it curves around his ribs.
He can’t read the name, though, but he gets the feeling that Bull can – judging by the way he sees his eye trace along the mark in the mirror.
Cullen turns, “Show me.”
“Hey now–”
“Bull, Maker help me, but I will strip you myself if I have to. Show. Me.”
“Fine.”
There’s nothing dramatic about it. Bull simply undoes the buckles of his harness, drops it to the ground, and turns so that Cullen can see his shoulder.
It’s a lion. And there’s a bubble of laughter in his throat because of course it’s a lion. And there, curling around the bottom of the mark is his name.
Cullen sags back against the wash basin stand, pinches the bridge of his nose, and tries to will down the nausea and… and excitement that’s at war inside of him. After so long, he hadn’t – he’d convinced himself it was for the best that he’d never found his soulmarked.
It’s harder to tell himself that now when they’re standing right in front of him.
More like towering, but Cullen’s too shocked to really care.
“Huh, didn’t peg you for soulmarked. That why you turned down the Herald?”
“I – of course you heard about that. Yes, it had something to do with it. A lot, actually.” Better that than the niggling fear that he’s not worth enough to be that to someone else.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
Cullen blinks, “What am – this isn’t just about me, Bull.”
“Where I’m standing, it’s all about you,” Bull replies, grinning. “I’m up for whatever you’ve got in mind.”
Cullen hesitates, because soulmarked they might be, but that doesn’t change the fact that Bull is still a qunari spy. But he’s heard whispers of what happens to those who reject the bond and that’s not a fate he’d wish on anyone – especially not Bull.
And, well, he’s… curious. He wants to know where this goes. Despite his own fears, his own insecurities, there’s that part of him that’s desperate to be loved, to be desired – he’s been yearning for this his entire life, ever since his mother told him what the mark he bore meant.
“I’d like to see where this goes,” Cullen says, finally. He swallows, hard, throat still sore from earlier. “That is, if you’re willing.”
“Oh, I assure you, commander,” Bull says, smirking. “I’m more than willing.”
Fandom: Dragon Age
Pairing: Cullen/Iron Bull
Prompt: 044. Speak
Words:
There’s barely enough room in Cullen’s tiny quarters for a cot, much less Bull.
For once in his life, Cullen doesn’t care about etiquette or any other shit like that. The first thing he does once he’s through the door is strip off his armour, his tunic, and turn to examine his ribs in the cracked glass above his tiny wash basin.
He ignores Bull, who blocks out the entire door, who shifts a little awkwardly when Cullen strips down right then and there.
“Y’know, usually I buy a person dinner before anyone gets naked,” Bull comments.
Cullen flushes, but doesn’t shy away and pick his clothes up.
No, he’s too distracted by his mark. His completed mark.
There’s a name, now, right under the body of the dragon as it curves around his ribs.
He can’t read the name, though, but he gets the feeling that Bull can – judging by the way he sees his eye trace along the mark in the mirror.
Cullen turns, “Show me.”
“Hey now–”
“Bull, Maker help me, but I will strip you myself if I have to. Show. Me.”
“Fine.”
There’s nothing dramatic about it. Bull simply undoes the buckles of his harness, drops it to the ground, and turns so that Cullen can see his shoulder.
It’s a lion. And there’s a bubble of laughter in his throat because of course it’s a lion. And there, curling around the bottom of the mark is his name.
Cullen sags back against the wash basin stand, pinches the bridge of his nose, and tries to will down the nausea and… and excitement that’s at war inside of him. After so long, he hadn’t – he’d convinced himself it was for the best that he’d never found his soulmarked.
It’s harder to tell himself that now when they’re standing right in front of him.
More like towering, but Cullen’s too shocked to really care.
“Huh, didn’t peg you for soulmarked. That why you turned down the Herald?”
“I – of course you heard about that. Yes, it had something to do with it. A lot, actually.” Better that than the niggling fear that he’s not worth enough to be that to someone else.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
Cullen blinks, “What am – this isn’t just about me, Bull.”
“Where I’m standing, it’s all about you,” Bull replies, grinning. “I’m up for whatever you’ve got in mind.”
Cullen hesitates, because soulmarked they might be, but that doesn’t change the fact that Bull is still a qunari spy. But he’s heard whispers of what happens to those who reject the bond and that’s not a fate he’d wish on anyone – especially not Bull.
And, well, he’s… curious. He wants to know where this goes. Despite his own fears, his own insecurities, there’s that part of him that’s desperate to be loved, to be desired – he’s been yearning for this his entire life, ever since his mother told him what the mark he bore meant.
“I’d like to see where this goes,” Cullen says, finally. He swallows, hard, throat still sore from earlier. “That is, if you’re willing.”
“Oh, I assure you, commander,” Bull says, smirking. “I’m more than willing.”