Ages upon ages ago, I commissioned the amazingly talented @hellenys to draw My Briar Lavellan and Blackwall together for a romantic moment in the opening scene of the following fic before she trimmed his beard to look more like his concept art picture:
Blackwall reconciles his past and future as Blackwall becomes a title, something to aspire to, Thom Rainier no longer lost in the lie and merging the two identities. This is after his trial with his heart laid bare...AO3
Briar jumped as she felt gentle lips against the back of her neck, his whiskers teasing her and making her giggle. She placed a marker in her book as she scooted forward so he could slide in behind her on the settee, his hand settling over her ribcage, just below her breasts as he pulled her against him, his chest pressed against her back and his lips brushing her cheek. She turned her head to catch his lips, her hand grasping the back of his neck, fingers twining in his sopping black hair making Thom's grip tighten, grasping at the fabric of her top, the fingers of his other hand caressing the skin of her upper arm as his lips firmly but gently crashed against hers. His tongue slipped between her parted lips, and teased hers in a hungry circle, tasting her, their bodies melting into one. Her lips were soft as he claimed them again, Briar cupping the back of his head, a half-moan, half-sigh falling from his lips.
"Where do you want me, milady?" He rasped as Briar caught his lower lip between her teeth and drew a low rumbling growl from his throat.
"In my bed, for one." She teased as she turned in his arms, running her hand through his wet chest hair and gently pushing him against the back of the settee. "But for now, right here is fine."
Tossing her leg over both of his, she settled her knees on either side of his hips, straddling his lap. His rough, calloused hands traipsed down her sides and lower to cup her bottom, giving it a gentle squeeze. After running a comb through his wet hair to keep it off his face and out of her way, she reached over and plucked a delicate pair of silver scissors off the end table, part of her wondering if she shouldn't do this over a basin, but she liked the intimacy of this position. He eyed the small instrument--knowing he didn't need to hide anymore, though he'd grown so used to the beard, nevertheless, she'd done this thing with her tongue that had gotten him to cave so easily. Her nails scraped the skin under his beard, tugging gently before holding the strands between her fingers, a metallic snip ringing through the air, small pieces of hair falling into her exposed cleavage. A small part of him was entertaining the idea of another bath, this time with her joining him. She worked methodically, running the fine-toothed comb and her fingers through his beard and trimming the scraggly whiskers with the scissors, gasping as she got closer to his right ear.
In all honesty, he'd completely forgotten about it, having gotten it when he was young and foolish, part of his past he'd tried to leave behind. But now there was nothing left to hide--she knew everything. Briar smirked, intending to do something with it once she finished. There was a clatter as she placed the scissors back on the nightstand, picking up a small bowl and a very small, thick-bristled brush. She cupped his chin in her hand, easing his head back against the cushions and leaned forward--close enough that he could smell the scent of the soap she used. Her lips and tongue teased the hollow of his throat, gently sucking the skin there, Thom groaning under her attentions, his hands grasping at her hips and fingers digging into her soft flesh. She rocked her hips--back and forth--creating a delicious friction between them as she trailed kisses up and down the column of his neck. All too soon she pulled away, using the brush to work the contents of the bowl into a thick lather and applying it to his neck.
For one brief moment of panic he thought she was going to shave away the whole beard, and leave him bare-faced but she went no further.
Setting the bowl aside, she picked up the razor, deftly flicking out the straight blade, shifting herself over him and bracing the ball of her foot against the cushion next to him. Thom lifted his head and brushed his lips against the inside of her knee, Briar smiling down at him, her hand on his forehead and tilting his head back again, so she could see what she was doing. Cool metal touched his neck and he inhaled sharply through his nose as Briar leaned closer, her long blonde hair tickling him as she tidied his scruff, the blade gliding smoothly and slowly up his neck, before she pulled it away, submerged it in a bowl of water and stirred it around, cleaning the coarse hairs off it and starting again. The room was quiet, except for their breathing, deep and steady. Putting the razor aside, she dipped a grey towel into yet another bowl of water and he wondered how long she had been planning this. The towel was soft against his skin as she wiped the stray hairs and shaving cream off him, her lips as she pulled him into a passionate kiss, softer still.
"Close your eyes." She breathed as she pulled away, teasing fingers dipping below the waist of his towel.
"Milady, what are you planning?"
Briar laughed and placed her hands over his eyes. "Just do it...and keep them closed."
"Minx." Blackwall chuckled, not hesitating to do as he was told, making Briar smirk to herself.
Using his crotch to push herself off his lap, she stood, a huff of indignation escaping him. Her footsteps retreated, Blackwall mourning the loss of her body heat as cool air licked across his skin. He heard the scrape of wood on wood as she opened the drawer, rummaging through the nightstand by her bed letting out a whoop of a triumph when she found what she was looking for. As badly as he wanted to peek for the exquisite "punishment" sure to be had later, Thom kept his eyes screwed shut. The heavy wooden door to her--their--room scraped open across the floor; when the sound didn't come again, he realized she'd left it open and he briefly hoped no one came up looking for the Inquisitor and found him wearing nothing but a towel.
Seconds stretched into minutes, the silence deafening. Blackwall didn't hear her return, Briar leaning against the railing and drinking him in, her blue eyes roving up and down his body, before making her way over to where he sat patiently, quietly setting a bowl of ice on the table. He jumped as she trailed her hand up his chest, fingers teasing his chest hair for what wouldn't be the last time tossing one leg over his lap, straddling him and pressing her chest to his, her arms draped about his neck. Blackwall startled as she pressed an ice cube to his right earlobe, holding it there to numb the area, even as she picked a needle off the end table. He didn't even flinch as she re-pierced his ear only feeling a slight pressure, Briar putting a tiny gold hoop in his ear and leaning back to examine her handiwork as she went to her knees and picked a small hand mirror up, holding it to her chest.
"Perfect...open your eyes."
Blackwall could hear the satisfaction in her voice, and he smiled softly to himself, eyes opening to his reflection and seeing Thom Rainier staring back at him, but different: more mature and sure of his place--no longer hiding behind a bushy beard and a name that wasn't his.
He ran his hand across the neatly trimmed whiskers on his chin, and taking in the small gold hoop in his ear. "I love it."
Briar smiled blissfully down at him, reaching out and pushing a lock of black hair behind his ear before running her fingers through his neatly trimmed beard, nails gently scraping the skin underneath. "Come on, my love, I think it's only fair you help me get cleaned up."
They'd confessed their feelings in the throne room after his trial, but actually hearing the word 'love' on her lips had Blackwall's heart trying to beat out of his chest; she loved him. She knew who he was, what he'd done, what he'd spent a good chunk of his life hiding from, and thinking that it would be best for everyone if he was forgotten--and yet she still accepted him...loved him. He was the luckiest man in all Thedas, and couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. Briar set the mirror aside, Blackwall's breath catching, eyes glued to the swell of her breasts, her chest at his eye level because of her perch over his lap. He growled, grabbing her hips and bringing them down to meet his as he surged up towards her, catching her lips in a rough and needy kiss.
He slipped his arm under her, supporting her body as he stood, carrying her over to the large four poster bed, eager to rid her of her bustier and smalls, while subsequently helping to clean up all those stray, itchy beard hairs. Laying her in the center of the mattress, he padded over towards the wash basin, Briar pouting as he selected a cloth, dipping it into the standing water and returning to her side, using the damp towel to clean his whiskers from her skin. He ran the washcloth lovingly down her sternum, taking special care when he came to her breasts, drawing the soft fabric across the swell and circling her nipples agonizingly slowly as he leaned over her, his lips capturing hers in a searing kiss.
"So beautiful…" He muttered almost to himself, as he drank in the sight of her.
He drew his fingers up her leg, from ankle to hip before tracing patterns on the planes of her stomach and up the valley between her breasts. His touch ghosted over her breasts--her curves molding to his hands as he palmed them and gave them a gentle squeeze before he ran his thumb over her nipples and watching them pebble under his caress. She hummed softly, crystal blue eyes fluttering closed at the sensation, head falling back against the pillows as her back arched and hips canted invitingly, sending a shiver through her body as it rubbed her clit against his shaft. Her hips shifted, trying to alleviate the friction, Blackwall growling and pressing harder against her, rolling his hips again, a breathy moan escaping her lips.
The candlelight glinted off her naked body, her skin glowing under his gaze, eyes simmering with heat as they skimmed her every curve. She was temptation incarnate. Crawling up towards her, he nestled himself between her thighs, hips rocking into hers. His lips crashed against hers as impatient fingers tugged at the laces of her corset, Thom having her bare underneath him in mere moments, groaning at the feeling of her chest brushing his. She hooked her fingers into his towel and whipped it off him, tossing it over the edge of the mattress to the floor, matching him skin for skin. Blackwall braced himself on his knees and one elbow, rocking his hips up and bringing the underside of his shaft flush against her slick folds, rubbing up and down and coating his erection in her wetness.
Maker, after years of being someone he wasn't, he had never expected to hear his name again, and to have this amazing and beautiful woman moaning it in the throes of passion, did things to him.
Blackwall smiled as he tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind a pointed ear and leaned down to kiss her neck, dragging his teeth across the hollow of her throat. "As milady wishes."
One at a time, he took her hands in his, kissing the inside of each wrist and sliding them around his back as he entered her. She gasped, her nails digging crescents into his shoulder blades as she rocked her hips up to meet his. Her curves molded to his hands as he explored her body by touch, fingertips digging into the soft flesh of her hips, the two of them melting together. Dipping his head, he kissed her neck, tongue pressing into the hollow of her throat before his mouth drifted lower, pressing his lips against her sternum, as he thrust forward, pumping into her deeper and harder in a slow and steady rhythm. Briar groaned, her back arching of its own accord and her hips rolling up into his, aching to have him closer, deeper. Her toes curled, thigh muscles tightening around his hips, her breathing ragged and fingers twisting in the sheets making Blackwall shiver above her and thrust harder into her.
He slipped one hand between them, calloused hands caressing her skin, the rough texture gliding across her body and disappearing between her legs, thumbing her clit in a circle, faster, as she felt herself teetering at the edge of ecstasy. The need was on him as well, thrusts erratic, control wavering as he drove deeper into her, the swirling of his finger around her clit getting faster. Thom bent his head, his mouth found hers in a searing kiss, as he pulled her close, her chest pillowed against his and swallowing her cry of completion as she came undone underneath him, the edges of her vision getting fuzzy, a tremor racking her slender frame and her walls clamping tightly around his cock. Blackwall pulled out of her slowly, gazing at her, blue eyes darkened with desire as he took his cock in hand and pumped it once, twice, her name dropping from his lips on a low growl as he came, seed spilling across her stomach.
She was glad he had been willing to give them this chance; ready to reconcile his past while facing his future and blend his two identities--his heart laid bare...for her.
