Brewed to Perfection
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Lucanis Dellamorte/Aldric LaPointe Word Count: 899
Summary: Aldric didn't remember telling Lucanis how he liked his coffee in the mornings, yet he found it brewed to perfection.
Written as a treat for @givemeunicorns as part of the @aromanceforthedragonages exchange!
Aldric liked waking up early. He treasured his lazy breakfasts by himself, where he could ease into consciousness without the demands of other people around and no one to ask why he was up at strange hours of the morning… not that his fellow Grey Wardens often needed to ask.
Lucanis clearly had the same ideas about mornings, considering how frequently he was awake before even Aldric. Under other circumstances, with another person, Aldric would feel put-out by this, but over the months he’d spent in the Lighthouse, he’d grown to find these lazy breakfasts with Lucanis a comforting addition, rather than intrusion, to his routine. Most mornings, they didn’t say much; the companionable silence was broken only by the clink of coffee mugs and silverware or the sizzle of a frying pan. It was nice. Peaceful.
This morning, Aldric woke later than usual after an unusually dreamless night, which left him feeling uneasy for the day to come. He wandered into the kitchen, still bleary with sleep, and was hit with the welcoming aroma of coffee, and hazelnut, and chocolate.
“Ah, you’re awake,” Lucanis said from the stove.
Aldric hummed in lieu of a proper greeting. It was far too early for him to form sentences yet without his coffee… his hazelnut-and-chocolate coffee. Antivan roast, heavy on the frothed milk, heavier on the sugar, in his extra-large mug.
He blinked the sleep from his eyes and looked around the kitchen worktop with a puzzled frown. The sack of his favorite hazelnut-infused coffee beans was already sitting open next to the coffee pot. The jar of milk and a whisk were already next to the stove, alongside a greatly-diminished block of baking chocolate. And a gorgeous Antivan man was standing in front of him, holding out Aldric’s extra-large mug for him to take.
“Oh,” Aldric said eloquently.
As Lucanis passed it to Aldric, wrapping their hands around the steaming mug, their fingers brushed for a moment longer than necessary. A warmth blossomed in Aldric’s chest that had very little to do with the heat from the coffee.
“I don’t remember telling you how I take my coffee,” Aldric said, smiling softly. He breathed the scent of it in deep and let out a happy sigh.
“You make it the same way every morning. It was easy enough to remember,” Lucanis said with a shrug, as if this was nothing. “Besides, you’re the only one who came to the Lighthouse knowing how to properly brew Antivan coffee already. I was bound to take notice.”
“Funnily enough, I learned it from another Crow,” Aldric said. “The Hero of Ferelden’s—”
Lucanis drowned out the rest of his sentence with a loud groan. “Don’t tell me.”
Aldric laughed. “He brought some with him once when he visited the Keep. Before long, the entire Fereldan Order was addicted. Solona had to import whole tons of it every month.”
Predictably, Lucanis furrowed his brow in that adorably grumpy way he always did when Aldric mentioned his acquaintance with Zevran Arainai, but instead of muttering a few choice words in Antivan as expected, he continued to stare at the coffee in Aldric’s hands. Lucanis’ tongue darted out and licked nervously at his lips. Aldric, with his self-restraint eroded by sleep, couldn't help but stare dreamily at him, imagining those lips wrapped around his—
“You, ah, haven’t tried the coffee yet,” Lucanis said, shaking Aldric from his reverie.
“What? Oh. If you wanted me to tell you it turned out well, you could just ask,” he teased lightly.
He brought the mug up to his own lips, conscious of Lucanis’ eyes on him, and took a small sip. He immediately took a larger sip. An almost obscene moan escaped his lips.
“Oh, Maker’s mercy, that’s perfect.”
“Good. Though, you may want to quiet down, or Davrin may get jealous,” Lucanis said with a jittery chuckle.
Aldric looked up, bewildered. “Why would he be jealous? Davrin and I aren’t together.”
“Right, I know. I wasn’t sure… You and he are both wardens; you share a bond. You…”
“We flirt,” Aldric laughed. “It’s fun, nothing more. It isn’t…” His laughter quieted, and his grin faded into something softer. He looked into his steaming mug, and he looked into Lucanis’ wide, chocolate-brown eyes, lit by the dancing fire and flickering hope. Aldric’s heart ached in the most wonderful way. “It isn’t coffee in the morning, brewed to perfection,” he said quietly, his own eyes twinkling with understanding.
Lucanis let out his held breath, a big, relieved smile lighting up his face. “I didn't know if you would still be… interested, after…” He gestured to the pantry and the night he left Aldric hanging after Spite took over. “I’m sorry.”
“Lucanis… Don’t be.” Aldric shook his head fondly. He reached behind him and set the coffee down on the counter, then took a slow, deliberate step forward, watching Lucanis’ eyes track the curve of his mouth. “I’m still here. I’ll always be here, whenever you’re ready.”
Lucanis swayed closer. His breath hitched. “You really like the coffee?” he whispered.
“I love the coffee.”
He leaned in, slowly, then all the way. His lips were soft against Aldric’s. They tasted like coffee, brewed to perfection. He brushed his hands up Aldric’s sides, feather-light and searching, and something in Aldric’s throat swelled with emotion.
“I love you, too,” Aldric murmured into his lips.
