@commonevilmastermind asked: For your prompt! Solavellan, T!
An obscure AU. So it was inspired by something i’m a little looked on at the moment. I believe in the US, Strictly Come Dancing is known as Dancing with the Stars. Hope you enjoy.
It seemed like half of Orlais tuned in to watch Strictly Come Dancing, whenever the series started. It was a reality competition show that somehow managed to show real skill, the artistry of the dances drawing viewers every week, people getting hooked by the improvements of the competitors through the series. Every series, people got to know the professional dancers as well as their celebrity partners, and there was one who didn’t exactly appear as a dancer. That was until he hit the dance floor.
Solas. The only male elf professional they had on the line up. He was also, intriguingly, not the shortest man there, so he had been partnered with both human and elf celebrities.
Solas always appeared completely supportive of his partner and it was clear that he pushed her to her limits to get the best dance routines. His dances were complicated, technically advanced and looked stunning but his more withheld attitude often meant he lost the public vote. His quiet sense of humour was lost behind the extroverted nature of some of the other candidates. Viewers preferred the stories of close partnerships formed with the other professionals and their partners. Solas acted just like that, as a professional. As such, it was often viewed as a curse to be partnered with the talented elf.
Thins changed when the ‘Herald of Andraste’, Aeda Lavellan, became one of the contestants on the show. Unsurprisingly, it seemed, she was partnered with Solas, both being the only elves there. Casual racism at its finest. However it seemed they were just the right height. The perfect fit.
Thanks to a few dance lessons when Aeda was young, they managed to perform surprisingly well together. Solas’ routines were still just as perfect but now, it was clear to everyone there was a story being told. A chemistry seen in their routines, rehearsals and interviews. It didn’t take long for rumours to start.
Aeda was asked in every interview, sometimes tactfully, often not so tactfully, whether she was sleeping with him but every time she said no. That he’s the perfect professional. So they were the couple on everyone’s lips. Rumours and questions, all of them false. But every week it seemed there was more evidence to support them. The power of their Paso Doble. The fluid grace of their Argentine Tango. The fervour of their Charleston and sensuality of their Rumba.
Constant refusals only shot fire into the rumour mills and people needed to watch their obvious chemistry. Because somehow, the quiet elven Herald and the reserved dancer brought something out in each other. No one denied the connection between them.
Popularity feeds ratings, and unsurprisingly, Aeda and Solas battled through to the final. They stood nervously as the announcer dragged out the announcement of the winner. They held each other tensely, each glancing at different times, and managing to completely miss eye contact.
Then their names were called. They had won Strictly.
Solas lifted Aeda in a full twirl and she hugged him tightly. The crowd were cheering wildly as Aeda landed back on her feet and delicately leaned up to press a small, almost hesitant kiss to his lips.
Their eyes met and Solas was seen shaking his head. In one swift move, almost as smooth as if it was practised, he pulled her towards him, she curved back in his arms and their lips crashed together. Somehow the noise from the crowd became even louder, a deafening thunder of encouragement and whooping at the hottest news in Orlais happening before their eyes.
If it weren’t for their microphones, Aeda’s breathy “Now will you go out with me?” would have been lost completely.