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tellmevarricTitle: Exercise Is Good For The Soul
Fandom: Dragon Age
Pairing(s): Dorian Pavus/Cullen Rutherford, background Evelyn Trevelyan/Blackwall
Rating: PG
Warnings: Some mentions of nudity
Summary: A modern AU based on the following prompt: “I see you jogging around my block every morning so I guess it’s my fault I accidentally left my curtains open when changing while you passed by” au. Cullen jogs, Dorian watches, Dorian is naked, Cullen notices. Shenanigans ensue.
Dorian hated everything about his new home and yet he also didn’t. He’d chosen to run away from home. He’d known the consequences he would face both if he did and if he didn’t and he didn’t regret his choice but it was something of a come down. His family were practically nobility at home and he’d never really wanted for anything (except love… his father being proud of him… his mother not spending her life at the bottom of a bottle… and love… did he mention love… he’s always wanted that) and having to rely on just his salary now was a bit of a letdown.
He had a job though and he knew he should be thankful for that. Not many places in Fereldan would take a chance on a Tevinter mage but Skyhold had. He had a good job with a decent wage and he’d even been able to afford to rent a house and not a pokey little apartment.
But he still hated it.
The house was (lovely) small and beige and being pre-furnished, it was full of (decent) boring furniture that made him shudder when he wondered what might have happened on it or to it with past tenants. The view was (pleasant) dull and utterly suburbia and he would have (smiled) screamed if he had the energy.
Then he saw him.
Blond, curly hair flopping with every step. Pale muscled toned body crammed into the tiniest shorts and the flimsiest singlet top Dorian had ever seen. Lovely long muscled legs. Handsome face lost in whatever music was playing through the earphones stuck in his ears.
A vision.
A vision so lovely, so delicious that Dorian entirely forgot about the cup of coffee in his hand as he stared out his front window, his eyes wide.
The vision, the god, the Adonis jogged on, oblivious to Dorian’s stares and Dorian might have been ashamed at the forlorn whimper that escaped him when the blond god jogged out of sight if he’d even realised he’d made it. He stumbled over to the front door and walked out, looking in the direction the vision had gone.
“Dreamy, isn’t he?”
Dorian gave a start that sloshed lukewarm coffee over his hand and realised he’d walked out his front door in nothing more than a flimsy silk robe and worse… with his hair and moustache a mess. However, the young woman next door had certainly hit the nail on the head and Dorian wanted to know.
“Quite,” he managed.
“His name’s Cullen,” she said with a sigh, holding her newspaper tightly to her chest. “He jogs past here every morning, rain, hail or shine. I get up early just so I can watch.”
“Uhuh.” Dorian made a mental note to set his alarm clock. He loathed mornings but getting to watch Cullen jog past would be worth it.
“Sometimes I even wait until he comes past before I go and get the paper,” she said with a wistful look. “Just so I can say good morning to him.” She looked over at Dorian and smiled dreamily. “He always says good morning back but he never stops. He smiles though.” She sighed. “It’s a lovely smile.”
The young woman sighed again then waved at Dorian with her free hand. “Have a good day. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She shot him an impish grin before disappearing inside her house. Dorian might have felt miffed by the whole thing but really she had been terribly helpful.
********
His next door neighbour had been right. Cullen really did jog past their houses every morning. It had become part of Dorian’s morning ritual. Wake up to the alarm, make coffee, stand in the window drinking said coffee, stare at the handsome blond running past in almost nothing, wander out to do some mutual drooling with his neighbour, who he’d found out was called Evelyn and who worked at Skyhold as well, go back inside, go back to bed, entertain himself with thoughts of the gorgeous blond, get up again and have a shower, finally get dressed and go to work, grabbing breakfast on the way. It was, quite honestly, his favourite part of the day.
Apart from lunch, which was shared with Evelyn. She had introduced him to a number of people who worked at Skyhold and they joined the two of them when they could. Dorian lived for the days when Blackwall joined them. Not that he really got along with Blackwall. The two of them got their mutual hackles up with each other on a regular basis and the taciturn man had never really explained which department he worked in, which made Dorian terribly curious… but that wasn’t why Dorian enjoyed it when he joined them for lunch. It was simply entertaining to watch Evelyn trip over her words and moon after the burly man.
“You should just sit in his lap,” he said, watching Evelyn stare after Blackwall after the man had finished his lunch and returned to work.
She gave him an exasperated look. “I can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“It wouldn’t be appropriate at work.”
“Oh well, if you’re going to be that way,” Dorian said with a roll of his eyes. “Ask him out. Then sit in his lap.”
“I’ve tried asking him out. He always says no,” Evelyn moped.
“Keep asking then. He’ll eventually say yes.”
“Or take out a restraining order.”
Dorian snickered and sipped at his tea. “What’s he interested in then? Maybe you could ask him out to something he likes.”
Evelyn considered that and began to smile. “Oooh, why didn’t I think of that? I’ll bet Sera knows what he likes. They’re friends. Thank you, Dorian.”
“All part of the service,” Dorian said with a wave of his hand.
“So now that we’ve solved my problem, let’s sort yours out.” Evelyn arched her eyebrow at him.
“Me?” Dorian mocked a surprised look. “I don’t have any problems.” Evelyn snorted and he was forced to do the same. “Alright, I have many problems, none of which you can solve.”
Evelyn looked smug. “Cullen.”
Dorian stared at her and actually blushed a little. He didn’t think he’d been that obvious about his interest in the blond. He’d been berating himself about that for days now. He didn’t know the man. All he’d done was the creepy stalker thing of drooling over him as he jogged past the house every morning.
The smug look on Evelyn’s face deepened at his silence. “You could… conveniently be outside the house one morning. You know, say hello to him.”
Dorian scoffed. “Do I look like the kind of man who goes out of the house before he’s had coffee?”
“Live a little,” Evelyn replied dryly. “Go wild.”
“Perish the thought,” Dorain said with a wave of his hand.
“Or, you know, just pine after the man.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Actually, do that. I like the idea of someone whose love life is even more pathetic than mine.”
“You are a horrible woman and I hate you,” Dorian said, pouting.
“You adore me,” Evelyn replied with a grin.
“True,” Dorian said as he got to his feet. “And now, I must love you and leave you. Maker forbid I leave Solas alone in the lab. He’ll get everything wrong.”
Evelyn snickered as she also got to her feet. The rivalry between the two mages was already legendary around Skyhold but despite all their bickering and occasional book throwing on Dorian’s part, Evelyn had seen the two of them geek out about magical theory together too often to take it terribly seriously.
“Just don’t throw any more books at his head,” she said as they headed for the door. “You’ll have Cassandra down there giving you her best disappointed look.”
“A fate worse than death,” Dorian said, affecting a shudder. The steely head of Human Resources was legendary for her disappointed looks. They were worse than being yelled at. They separated in the hall to head off to their respective jobs. Dorian got in the elevator at the end of the corridor and waved at Evelyn.
“And talk to Cullen!” she bellowed just as the doors closed.
Dorian groaned and then laughed. The woman was going to be the death of him.
******
He could not find his shirt. He was sure he’d left it on the bed but it wasn’t there. Dorian growled under his breath as he stormed out of his bedroom and into the living room. It had been a horrible morning all round. His alarm hadn’t gone off and thus he’d slept through his morning dose of Cullen and Evelyn and now he couldn’t find his damned shirt and he was going to be late to work.
He stopped in the living room and glared around the room with his hands on his hips. It didn’t occur to him that he was buck naked and standing in front of the large window, thus giving a great view to anyone passing by, until he heard a muffled shout and a crash. He looked out the window to see Cullen half-buried in the low bushes that ran along the front of his yard in lieu of a fence and just starting to extricate himself. As he watched, the blond looked up and their eyes met. For a second anyway. Then Cullen’s eyes drifted down and Dorian saw the other man blush a brilliant crimson.
That was the moment when Dorian became aware of his current state of undress. He blushed and stared at Cullen, who was still trying to pull himself out of the bushes. Their eyes met for a moment then Dorian beat a hasty retreat back to his bedroom. However by the time he’d shrugged on his robe and got back to the living room, the blond was gone, leaving only a Cullen-sized indentation in the bushes.
Dorian stared at the half-crushed bushes and chewed on his bottom lip. As he did, he heard a knock on the door. He hurried over and threw it open then deflated a little when he saw it was Evelyn.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Well, good morning to you too, Dorian. And why did Cullen trip over his feet and fall into your front garden?”
“He was late,” Dorian said with a frown.
Evelyn blinked at the non sequitur then nodded. “Oh, yeah, he is sometimes. He hasn’t been lately but it’s happened before.” She poked his shoulder. “Why did he fall over?”
“Ow!” Dorian rubbed his shoulder. “Do you sit around sharpening your fingers?”
“Dorian!”
“How should I know why he fell over? Maybe he’s clumsy?”
Not that Dorian believed that for a moment. Weeks of Cullen jogging past and never a trip and today it happens? Oh yes, Dorian knew exactly why Cullen had tripped.
“Pshht,” Evelyn said rudely. “Spill, mage boy.”
“I may… may… have been standing in the window… naked,” Dorian admitted.
Evelyn stared at him for a long moment then she grinned and squealed, clapping her hands together in glee.
“He tripped over his own feet because he saw you naked? That’s great, Dorian!”
“He was probably appalled and I’ll get a grumpy call from whatever neighbourhood group exists around here,” Dorian pouted.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Did he look appalled or angry?”
Dorian shifted. Now that he ran the scene back through his mind, Cullen had looked shocked and then appreciative and then…
Dorian shook his head. No, he was fooling himself because he was in the middle of an extended dry spell. There was no way Cullen could have looked at him with… with hunger and want and desire in his eyes. Not that it would have been the first time a man had looked at him like that but Dorian was over that. It was shallow and tawdry and he always felt awful when they rejected him in the morning. He had no reason to think Cullen would be any different from the men back home.
“No,” he said slowly. “But he didn’t look thrilled either.”
That was the truth. He thought maybe he’d seen many things on Cullen’s face but being thrilled wasn’t one of them. So he wasn’t lying to Evelyn.
“He’s gone anyway so I think that speaks volumes,” he said, a hint of bitterness entering his voice.
Evelyn gave him a sympathetic look. “He’ll be back tomorrow.”
“We’ll see.” He sighed and relented, more of his usual manner coming back. “Now go away, irritating woman. I have to get dressed.”
Evelyn grinned. “I’ll give you a lift in. We’ll even stop for those ridiculously expensive breakfast pastries you like so much.”
“You’re a gem, my dear,” Dorian said as he hurried back to his bedroom to get ready for work.
*******
The next morning Dorian broke his normal habits. Instead of standing in the window to wait for the delicious Cullen to jog past, he hung back, almost hiding at the edge of the window as he waited. It had only been when he’d been getting his coffee that it hit him that neither he nor Cullen could deny that yesterday had happened. How did you react to something like that? With a man you’d never actually met but just seen through a window.
Dorian pondered this as he waited for Cullen to appear. And waited. And waited. And waited. No Cullen. Eventually it got late enough that he had to get dressed and head into work. He tried not to acknowledge the disappointment and nerves that sat heavy in his stomach and was actually moderately successful until he met Evelyn for lunch.
“So,” Evelyn said, tapping her fingers on the table nervously.
“Yes. So,” Dorian replied. He sighed and poked at his lunch. He knew he was practically moping but he couldn’t stop himself. “What were you saying about Cullen being back?”
“Uh…” Evelyn shifted in her seat. “Maybe… maybe he’s sick?”
“Right,” Dorian huffed. “Conveniently sick the day after he sees me naked. That makes me feel so much better, Evie.”
Evelyn looked rather glum herself. “Maybe he injured himself? He did fall over into your garden. He might have… I don’t know, twisted his ankle or something.”
That actually made Dorian feel a little better. It was certainly a possibility and it made the disappointment and apprehension in his gut settle down just a little. He knew he’d been off the mark all day. Even Solas had remarked on it and that was proof positive right there. The elven mage generally seemed completely oblivious to Dorian’s fits and starts. Other than the book throwing but that had only happened once. So if Solas was noting his mood, it had to be remarkable. He wasn’t sure he liked being remarkable to the elf. Solas tended to pick at remarkable things to get to the bottom of them.
“I guess we’ll find out,” he said with a sigh.
Evelyn nodded and patted his hand. “It’ll be fine, Dorian.”
******
Except it wasn’t. The next day there was still no sign of Cullen nor the day after or the day after that. In fact, the whole week went by without any sign of the handsome blond jogging past. Dorian’s moping increased and even Evelyn could no longer jolly him out of his mood. Solas had indeed started picking at him about his sour mood until Dorian finally snapped and yelled at the other mage and threw a book at him (he missed), thus bringing down the Look of Disappointed Doom™ from Cassandra. By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, Dorian was quite looking forward to just burying himself in his bed for the weekend and having a good old pity party. Maybe if he did that he’d feel more like himself by the time Monday rolled around again.
He barely noticed when Solas bid him farewell on Friday afternoon, sparing the elf only the most disinterested of grunts. It wasn’t that his work was particularly engrossing but more that he didn’t want any further questions directed at him. He’d already fobbed off Evelyn when she’d asked whether he’d come out to their usual drinks because he was sure that if he did go, he’d get drunk and do something completely stupid.
All in all, he was in a less than stellar mood when the knock came at the door.
“Go away! I’m busy!” he snapped, not even bothering to turn around to see who it was.
There was no response and he assumed that whoever was there had gone away then the person cleared their throat.
“Er… it’s… Dorian, isn’t it?”
“I don’t want to be…” Dorian began with some irritation as he whirled around then his words were lost as he looked straight into the eyes of his blond jogging Adonis.
“Uhhh,” was all he could manage as he stared at Cullen.
For his part, Cullen was slowly beginning to blush. The red flush spread across his cheeks and down his neck and Dorian had a moment of clarity to wonder how far down it actually went before the thought got lost in the general befuddlement in his mind.
“You work here?” Dorian squeaked… actually squeaked… in surprise.
“Uh, yes,” Cullen replied, rubbing the back of his neck in what seemed to be an almost unconscious gesture. “I’m… in charge of security.”
Of course he was because that was just Dorian’s luck. He’d exposed himself to someone who could actually bring about some sort of official consequences. It didn’t occur to him in his befuddlement that Cullen was the Head of Security for the company and thus had no jurisdiction outside the building. He wasn’t thinking that clearly.
“Oh,” was all he managed to say.
Cullen licked his lips and ducked his head a little. “Anyway, I was wondering… if you’re not busy, that is… if you’d like to have a drink. With me.”
Dorian stared at the man, dumbfounded. Was he being asked out? Cullen seemed to take his extended silence as rejection as his expression became quite downcast and he started to turn away.
“I… uh, sorry,” he muttered. “I’ll just…”
“Don’t go!” Dorian blurted out, desperately trying to recapture some his usual suavity. He was suave, after all. He was stylish and cocky and confident. He was. “I, uh… I’d like that.”
The smile Cullen rewarded him with was everything Evelyn had said it was. It was a little shy and a lot gorgeous and it emphasised in the very best way the very interesting scar that bisected one side of Cullen’s upper lip. It would have rendered Dorian speechless again except he was determined to stop acting like an idiot in front of his man.
He quickly locked away the notes he’d been working on. (His time travel research from his apprenticeship with Alexius. It wasn’t going anywhere but he couldn’t figure out why…) He grabbed his jacket and gave Cullen his best smile.
“So do you ask out everyone whose front garden you fall into?”
The blush returned and Dorian couldn’t help but feel utterly charmed by it. He’d never met a man who blushed so readily before. Far too many men were far too jaded in Tevinter to bother with blushing anymore.
“Only those who are standing naked in their windows,” Cullen replied with a bit of sass and a smirk that Dorian liked even more than the blush.
“Liked what you saw, did you?” Dorian asked with a coy arch of his eyebrows.
Oh, that blush. It was a wonder that Cullen didn’t keel over with the amount of blood that must be rushing to his head right now. But it didn’t stop him from replying.
“Yes.”
Dorian grinned. “Can’t wait to see me naked again?”
“Yes.” Cullen’s eye widened and he gave Dorian an earnest look. “I mean, yes, I do but… I’d like to… take you out to dinner first. And maybe a movie? I don’t know what you’re interested in. I don’t want to just rush…” He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. “That sounded much better in my head.”
Dorian felt utterly charmed again and just a touch apprehensive. He’d never dated before, never been wooed or courted or anything like that. He’d done his best over the last few days to convince himself that Cullen was probably just like all those men from home, who just wanted a quick tumble and nothing more.
“I think it sounded just fine,” he said, laying a hand on Cullen’s arm and enjoying the far lighter blush that got. He was going to have a ridiculously good time exploring the many ways he could make Cullen blush, he just knew it.
Cullen ducked his head and smiled. “I… that’s good.”
Dorian returned the smile. “Shall we go then?”
Cullen nodded and held the door for him. As Dorian walked through, he reflected that maybe Fereldan wasn’t so bad after all.
Fandom: Dragon Age
Pairing(s): Dorian Pavus/Cullen Rutherford, background Evelyn Trevelyan/Blackwall
Rating: PG
Warnings: Some mentions of nudity
Summary: A modern AU based on the following prompt: “I see you jogging around my block every morning so I guess it’s my fault I accidentally left my curtains open when changing while you passed by” au. Cullen jogs, Dorian watches, Dorian is naked, Cullen notices. Shenanigans ensue.
Dorian hated everything about his new home and yet he also didn’t. He’d chosen to run away from home. He’d known the consequences he would face both if he did and if he didn’t and he didn’t regret his choice but it was something of a come down. His family were practically nobility at home and he’d never really wanted for anything (except love… his father being proud of him… his mother not spending her life at the bottom of a bottle… and love… did he mention love… he’s always wanted that) and having to rely on just his salary now was a bit of a letdown.
He had a job though and he knew he should be thankful for that. Not many places in Fereldan would take a chance on a Tevinter mage but Skyhold had. He had a good job with a decent wage and he’d even been able to afford to rent a house and not a pokey little apartment.
But he still hated it.
The house was (lovely) small and beige and being pre-furnished, it was full of (decent) boring furniture that made him shudder when he wondered what might have happened on it or to it with past tenants. The view was (pleasant) dull and utterly suburbia and he would have (smiled) screamed if he had the energy.
Then he saw him.
Blond, curly hair flopping with every step. Pale muscled toned body crammed into the tiniest shorts and the flimsiest singlet top Dorian had ever seen. Lovely long muscled legs. Handsome face lost in whatever music was playing through the earphones stuck in his ears.
A vision.
A vision so lovely, so delicious that Dorian entirely forgot about the cup of coffee in his hand as he stared out his front window, his eyes wide.
The vision, the god, the Adonis jogged on, oblivious to Dorian’s stares and Dorian might have been ashamed at the forlorn whimper that escaped him when the blond god jogged out of sight if he’d even realised he’d made it. He stumbled over to the front door and walked out, looking in the direction the vision had gone.
“Dreamy, isn’t he?”
Dorian gave a start that sloshed lukewarm coffee over his hand and realised he’d walked out his front door in nothing more than a flimsy silk robe and worse… with his hair and moustache a mess. However, the young woman next door had certainly hit the nail on the head and Dorian wanted to know.
“Quite,” he managed.
“His name’s Cullen,” she said with a sigh, holding her newspaper tightly to her chest. “He jogs past here every morning, rain, hail or shine. I get up early just so I can watch.”
“Uhuh.” Dorian made a mental note to set his alarm clock. He loathed mornings but getting to watch Cullen jog past would be worth it.
“Sometimes I even wait until he comes past before I go and get the paper,” she said with a wistful look. “Just so I can say good morning to him.” She looked over at Dorian and smiled dreamily. “He always says good morning back but he never stops. He smiles though.” She sighed. “It’s a lovely smile.”
The young woman sighed again then waved at Dorian with her free hand. “Have a good day. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She shot him an impish grin before disappearing inside her house. Dorian might have felt miffed by the whole thing but really she had been terribly helpful.
His next door neighbour had been right. Cullen really did jog past their houses every morning. It had become part of Dorian’s morning ritual. Wake up to the alarm, make coffee, stand in the window drinking said coffee, stare at the handsome blond running past in almost nothing, wander out to do some mutual drooling with his neighbour, who he’d found out was called Evelyn and who worked at Skyhold as well, go back inside, go back to bed, entertain himself with thoughts of the gorgeous blond, get up again and have a shower, finally get dressed and go to work, grabbing breakfast on the way. It was, quite honestly, his favourite part of the day.
Apart from lunch, which was shared with Evelyn. She had introduced him to a number of people who worked at Skyhold and they joined the two of them when they could. Dorian lived for the days when Blackwall joined them. Not that he really got along with Blackwall. The two of them got their mutual hackles up with each other on a regular basis and the taciturn man had never really explained which department he worked in, which made Dorian terribly curious… but that wasn’t why Dorian enjoyed it when he joined them for lunch. It was simply entertaining to watch Evelyn trip over her words and moon after the burly man.
“You should just sit in his lap,” he said, watching Evelyn stare after Blackwall after the man had finished his lunch and returned to work.
She gave him an exasperated look. “I can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“It wouldn’t be appropriate at work.”
“Oh well, if you’re going to be that way,” Dorian said with a roll of his eyes. “Ask him out. Then sit in his lap.”
“I’ve tried asking him out. He always says no,” Evelyn moped.
“Keep asking then. He’ll eventually say yes.”
“Or take out a restraining order.”
Dorian snickered and sipped at his tea. “What’s he interested in then? Maybe you could ask him out to something he likes.”
Evelyn considered that and began to smile. “Oooh, why didn’t I think of that? I’ll bet Sera knows what he likes. They’re friends. Thank you, Dorian.”
“All part of the service,” Dorian said with a wave of his hand.
“So now that we’ve solved my problem, let’s sort yours out.” Evelyn arched her eyebrow at him.
“Me?” Dorian mocked a surprised look. “I don’t have any problems.” Evelyn snorted and he was forced to do the same. “Alright, I have many problems, none of which you can solve.”
Evelyn looked smug. “Cullen.”
Dorian stared at her and actually blushed a little. He didn’t think he’d been that obvious about his interest in the blond. He’d been berating himself about that for days now. He didn’t know the man. All he’d done was the creepy stalker thing of drooling over him as he jogged past the house every morning.
The smug look on Evelyn’s face deepened at his silence. “You could… conveniently be outside the house one morning. You know, say hello to him.”
Dorian scoffed. “Do I look like the kind of man who goes out of the house before he’s had coffee?”
“Live a little,” Evelyn replied dryly. “Go wild.”
“Perish the thought,” Dorain said with a wave of his hand.
“Or, you know, just pine after the man.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Actually, do that. I like the idea of someone whose love life is even more pathetic than mine.”
“You are a horrible woman and I hate you,” Dorian said, pouting.
“You adore me,” Evelyn replied with a grin.
“True,” Dorian said as he got to his feet. “And now, I must love you and leave you. Maker forbid I leave Solas alone in the lab. He’ll get everything wrong.”
Evelyn snickered as she also got to her feet. The rivalry between the two mages was already legendary around Skyhold but despite all their bickering and occasional book throwing on Dorian’s part, Evelyn had seen the two of them geek out about magical theory together too often to take it terribly seriously.
“Just don’t throw any more books at his head,” she said as they headed for the door. “You’ll have Cassandra down there giving you her best disappointed look.”
“A fate worse than death,” Dorian said, affecting a shudder. The steely head of Human Resources was legendary for her disappointed looks. They were worse than being yelled at. They separated in the hall to head off to their respective jobs. Dorian got in the elevator at the end of the corridor and waved at Evelyn.
“And talk to Cullen!” she bellowed just as the doors closed.
Dorian groaned and then laughed. The woman was going to be the death of him.
He could not find his shirt. He was sure he’d left it on the bed but it wasn’t there. Dorian growled under his breath as he stormed out of his bedroom and into the living room. It had been a horrible morning all round. His alarm hadn’t gone off and thus he’d slept through his morning dose of Cullen and Evelyn and now he couldn’t find his damned shirt and he was going to be late to work.
He stopped in the living room and glared around the room with his hands on his hips. It didn’t occur to him that he was buck naked and standing in front of the large window, thus giving a great view to anyone passing by, until he heard a muffled shout and a crash. He looked out the window to see Cullen half-buried in the low bushes that ran along the front of his yard in lieu of a fence and just starting to extricate himself. As he watched, the blond looked up and their eyes met. For a second anyway. Then Cullen’s eyes drifted down and Dorian saw the other man blush a brilliant crimson.
That was the moment when Dorian became aware of his current state of undress. He blushed and stared at Cullen, who was still trying to pull himself out of the bushes. Their eyes met for a moment then Dorian beat a hasty retreat back to his bedroom. However by the time he’d shrugged on his robe and got back to the living room, the blond was gone, leaving only a Cullen-sized indentation in the bushes.
Dorian stared at the half-crushed bushes and chewed on his bottom lip. As he did, he heard a knock on the door. He hurried over and threw it open then deflated a little when he saw it was Evelyn.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Well, good morning to you too, Dorian. And why did Cullen trip over his feet and fall into your front garden?”
“He was late,” Dorian said with a frown.
Evelyn blinked at the non sequitur then nodded. “Oh, yeah, he is sometimes. He hasn’t been lately but it’s happened before.” She poked his shoulder. “Why did he fall over?”
“Ow!” Dorian rubbed his shoulder. “Do you sit around sharpening your fingers?”
“Dorian!”
“How should I know why he fell over? Maybe he’s clumsy?”
Not that Dorian believed that for a moment. Weeks of Cullen jogging past and never a trip and today it happens? Oh yes, Dorian knew exactly why Cullen had tripped.
“Pshht,” Evelyn said rudely. “Spill, mage boy.”
“I may… may… have been standing in the window… naked,” Dorian admitted.
Evelyn stared at him for a long moment then she grinned and squealed, clapping her hands together in glee.
“He tripped over his own feet because he saw you naked? That’s great, Dorian!”
“He was probably appalled and I’ll get a grumpy call from whatever neighbourhood group exists around here,” Dorian pouted.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Did he look appalled or angry?”
Dorian shifted. Now that he ran the scene back through his mind, Cullen had looked shocked and then appreciative and then…
Dorian shook his head. No, he was fooling himself because he was in the middle of an extended dry spell. There was no way Cullen could have looked at him with… with hunger and want and desire in his eyes. Not that it would have been the first time a man had looked at him like that but Dorian was over that. It was shallow and tawdry and he always felt awful when they rejected him in the morning. He had no reason to think Cullen would be any different from the men back home.
“No,” he said slowly. “But he didn’t look thrilled either.”
That was the truth. He thought maybe he’d seen many things on Cullen’s face but being thrilled wasn’t one of them. So he wasn’t lying to Evelyn.
“He’s gone anyway so I think that speaks volumes,” he said, a hint of bitterness entering his voice.
Evelyn gave him a sympathetic look. “He’ll be back tomorrow.”
“We’ll see.” He sighed and relented, more of his usual manner coming back. “Now go away, irritating woman. I have to get dressed.”
Evelyn grinned. “I’ll give you a lift in. We’ll even stop for those ridiculously expensive breakfast pastries you like so much.”
“You’re a gem, my dear,” Dorian said as he hurried back to his bedroom to get ready for work.
The next morning Dorian broke his normal habits. Instead of standing in the window to wait for the delicious Cullen to jog past, he hung back, almost hiding at the edge of the window as he waited. It had only been when he’d been getting his coffee that it hit him that neither he nor Cullen could deny that yesterday had happened. How did you react to something like that? With a man you’d never actually met but just seen through a window.
Dorian pondered this as he waited for Cullen to appear. And waited. And waited. And waited. No Cullen. Eventually it got late enough that he had to get dressed and head into work. He tried not to acknowledge the disappointment and nerves that sat heavy in his stomach and was actually moderately successful until he met Evelyn for lunch.
“So,” Evelyn said, tapping her fingers on the table nervously.
“Yes. So,” Dorian replied. He sighed and poked at his lunch. He knew he was practically moping but he couldn’t stop himself. “What were you saying about Cullen being back?”
“Uh…” Evelyn shifted in her seat. “Maybe… maybe he’s sick?”
“Right,” Dorian huffed. “Conveniently sick the day after he sees me naked. That makes me feel so much better, Evie.”
Evelyn looked rather glum herself. “Maybe he injured himself? He did fall over into your garden. He might have… I don’t know, twisted his ankle or something.”
That actually made Dorian feel a little better. It was certainly a possibility and it made the disappointment and apprehension in his gut settle down just a little. He knew he’d been off the mark all day. Even Solas had remarked on it and that was proof positive right there. The elven mage generally seemed completely oblivious to Dorian’s fits and starts. Other than the book throwing but that had only happened once. So if Solas was noting his mood, it had to be remarkable. He wasn’t sure he liked being remarkable to the elf. Solas tended to pick at remarkable things to get to the bottom of them.
“I guess we’ll find out,” he said with a sigh.
Evelyn nodded and patted his hand. “It’ll be fine, Dorian.”
Except it wasn’t. The next day there was still no sign of Cullen nor the day after or the day after that. In fact, the whole week went by without any sign of the handsome blond jogging past. Dorian’s moping increased and even Evelyn could no longer jolly him out of his mood. Solas had indeed started picking at him about his sour mood until Dorian finally snapped and yelled at the other mage and threw a book at him (he missed), thus bringing down the Look of Disappointed Doom™ from Cassandra. By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, Dorian was quite looking forward to just burying himself in his bed for the weekend and having a good old pity party. Maybe if he did that he’d feel more like himself by the time Monday rolled around again.
He barely noticed when Solas bid him farewell on Friday afternoon, sparing the elf only the most disinterested of grunts. It wasn’t that his work was particularly engrossing but more that he didn’t want any further questions directed at him. He’d already fobbed off Evelyn when she’d asked whether he’d come out to their usual drinks because he was sure that if he did go, he’d get drunk and do something completely stupid.
All in all, he was in a less than stellar mood when the knock came at the door.
“Go away! I’m busy!” he snapped, not even bothering to turn around to see who it was.
There was no response and he assumed that whoever was there had gone away then the person cleared their throat.
“Er… it’s… Dorian, isn’t it?”
“I don’t want to be…” Dorian began with some irritation as he whirled around then his words were lost as he looked straight into the eyes of his blond jogging Adonis.
“Uhhh,” was all he could manage as he stared at Cullen.
For his part, Cullen was slowly beginning to blush. The red flush spread across his cheeks and down his neck and Dorian had a moment of clarity to wonder how far down it actually went before the thought got lost in the general befuddlement in his mind.
“You work here?” Dorian squeaked… actually squeaked… in surprise.
“Uh, yes,” Cullen replied, rubbing the back of his neck in what seemed to be an almost unconscious gesture. “I’m… in charge of security.”
Of course he was because that was just Dorian’s luck. He’d exposed himself to someone who could actually bring about some sort of official consequences. It didn’t occur to him in his befuddlement that Cullen was the Head of Security for the company and thus had no jurisdiction outside the building. He wasn’t thinking that clearly.
“Oh,” was all he managed to say.
Cullen licked his lips and ducked his head a little. “Anyway, I was wondering… if you’re not busy, that is… if you’d like to have a drink. With me.”
Dorian stared at the man, dumbfounded. Was he being asked out? Cullen seemed to take his extended silence as rejection as his expression became quite downcast and he started to turn away.
“I… uh, sorry,” he muttered. “I’ll just…”
“Don’t go!” Dorian blurted out, desperately trying to recapture some his usual suavity. He was suave, after all. He was stylish and cocky and confident. He was. “I, uh… I’d like that.”
The smile Cullen rewarded him with was everything Evelyn had said it was. It was a little shy and a lot gorgeous and it emphasised in the very best way the very interesting scar that bisected one side of Cullen’s upper lip. It would have rendered Dorian speechless again except he was determined to stop acting like an idiot in front of his man.
He quickly locked away the notes he’d been working on. (His time travel research from his apprenticeship with Alexius. It wasn’t going anywhere but he couldn’t figure out why…) He grabbed his jacket and gave Cullen his best smile.
“So do you ask out everyone whose front garden you fall into?”
The blush returned and Dorian couldn’t help but feel utterly charmed by it. He’d never met a man who blushed so readily before. Far too many men were far too jaded in Tevinter to bother with blushing anymore.
“Only those who are standing naked in their windows,” Cullen replied with a bit of sass and a smirk that Dorian liked even more than the blush.
“Liked what you saw, did you?” Dorian asked with a coy arch of his eyebrows.
Oh, that blush. It was a wonder that Cullen didn’t keel over with the amount of blood that must be rushing to his head right now. But it didn’t stop him from replying.
“Yes.”
Dorian grinned. “Can’t wait to see me naked again?”
“Yes.” Cullen’s eye widened and he gave Dorian an earnest look. “I mean, yes, I do but… I’d like to… take you out to dinner first. And maybe a movie? I don’t know what you’re interested in. I don’t want to just rush…” He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. “That sounded much better in my head.”
Dorian felt utterly charmed again and just a touch apprehensive. He’d never dated before, never been wooed or courted or anything like that. He’d done his best over the last few days to convince himself that Cullen was probably just like all those men from home, who just wanted a quick tumble and nothing more.
“I think it sounded just fine,” he said, laying a hand on Cullen’s arm and enjoying the far lighter blush that got. He was going to have a ridiculously good time exploring the many ways he could make Cullen blush, he just knew it.
Cullen ducked his head and smiled. “I… that’s good.”
Dorian returned the smile. “Shall we go then?”
Cullen nodded and held the door for him. As Dorian walked through, he reflected that maybe Fereldan wasn’t so bad after all.
