For @dragonagesapphicweek
Ashara Tabris/Leliana
Word Count: 1084
On ao3 here
Ashara grunted, a hand pressed firmly to her side, putting pressure on the gash. The shriek had gotten lucky, sliced her as she was scurrying for a dagger. Stupid, stupid, stupid. They'd gotten too complacent. Months of travel without incident and they'd begun to drop their guard at camp. She wouldn't make that mistake again, that's how you get dead.
Her eyes drifted around the area, where Sten, Alistair, and Penelope were dragging the dead shrieks away from the camp. Zevran had taken up watch, Penelope's war hound Griffon patrolling with him. And Morrigan had returned to her own tent, though when Ashara looked in her direction, she found the witch's eyes focused intensely on...
Lanala, standing at the edge of the forest talking to the ghoul she'd called Tamlen. Wynne was at her side, attempting some sort of healing spell, but they were all well aware that there was no coming back from becoming a ghoul. Ashara didn't envy Lanala one bit for what she would have to do.
Glancing back down at her wound, her shirt staining red around it, she carefully pulled the torn fabric back to get a better look. Large and bloody, but not life-threatening. She could handle it since Wynne was busy.
A hand curled around her wrist, and she tensed for the briefest moment, her other hand tightening around her dagger before she met Leliana's gaze. Inhaling sharply, she slowly relaxed, allowing the other woman to study the gash.
"That needs stitches," Leliana murmured, before gently tugging on Ashara's wrist. "Come Ash."
Ashara almost wanted to fight, to snap at being ordered about like a dog, but she fought down the urge. That wasn't what Leliana was doing, she was just trying to help. Not all humans were bad, especially not her human. So, with another deep breath, she followed along, letting Leliana lead her over to their tent, positioned at a safe distance from the others.
Leliana had her sit down on the log beside the fire, then went to retrieve a bag from the tent. She returned a moment later, sitting on her knees beside Ashara and shooting her an expectant look.
Grumbling, Ashara set her dagger down and tugged the shirt over her head, wincing as the wound pulled uncomfortably, then dropped it beside her. "Good girl," Leliana said softly, and Ashara's face flushed to the tips of her ears, grey eyes darting away in embarrassment when Leliana giggled in response.
"Stop that," she muttered, leaning back to give Leliana more room to work.
"I've no idea what you mean, chérie," Leliana replied innocently, pulling a health potion from the bag and offering it to her. With a grimace, Ashara took the bottle and uncorked it, downing half of it before popping the cork back in and tossing it back in the bag. It wouldn't work a miracle, but it would speed up her body's natural healing.
Meanwhile, Leliana had pulled out another bottle and popped it open. Ashara sighed, closing her eyes. She tensed as Leliana poured it over the wound, a mix of saltwater and vinegar that burned. It only lasted a moment, but it left her lightheaded.
Blinking rapidly to clear her blurry vision, Ashara returned her gaze to Leliana as the bard prepared a needle and thread. The firelight lit her orange hair as if it were a blaze all it's own. So very lovely. She blinked again. Maybe she'd lost more blood than she thought.
"Do you want my belt?" Leliana asked, looking up at her. Belt? The blush returned to Ashara's face, mind flashing immediately back to her own wrists bound together by the aforementioned belt, Leliana smiling up at her from between her legs and...
To bite down on while she does the stitches, idiot! She realizes, clearing her throat. "No, I'm good," she croaks, forcing herself to look away from the amused grin on her lover's face.
"As you wish," Leliana replied, leaning down, eyes level with Ashara's navel. Ashara grimaced, teeth clenching at the first bite of the needle. She keeps her focus on Leliana's face, the way her tongue pokes out in concentration, blue eyes focused intently on her work. Why is she so fuckin' pretty? Leliana pulls the needle through the other side, deftly winding the suture around her pinky, pulling it tight, then repeating the process.
Ashara ignores the pain for the most part, continuing to study the bard, her head tilting lazily. "We'll having matching scars," she says thoughtlessly, and Leliana pauses. Briefly, Ashara wonders if she shouldn't have said that, but Leliana had never shied away from the attention she tended to lavish upon that scar before.
She needn't have worried, Leliana's head tilting up enough that Ashara could see the affection in her eyes, the soft smile on her face. "I suppose we will," she replied, soft and loving. Then, eyes glinting playfully, she purred, "I'll be sure to give it the same attention you give mine," before returning to her stiches.
Should have expected that, Ashara thought, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "I wouldn't mind that," she murmured, enjoying the way her lover's smile widened in response.
The process goes a lot quicker than she expected. Probably because she was too busy staring at Leliana like a lovesick moron, but before she knows it, Leliana has finished the last stitch, snapping the thread loose. Ashara glances down at the suture, nodding to herself. Expertly done, though she expected nothing less.
Once Leliana has wrapped a bandage around her and begun to pack everything back into her bag, Ashara clears her throat. "Songbird," she murmurs, her hand cupping Leliana's cheek when the bard looked up. Leaning down, she presses their lips together, whisper soft, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
For a moment, Leliana freezes, too surprised to react. That's fair, she's always been the one to initiate affection like this in the past. Ashara tended to ask first, not that her lover seemed to mind. In fact, Leliana always got this adoring look in her eyes when Ashara asked to kiss her, or touch her, or...
Leliana pressed into the kiss, her own hands cupping Ashara's face, tugging her closer, something low humming in her throat. When they break apart, they're both breathing a little heavier, staring into each other's eyes. "Thank you," Ashara murmurs, thumb stroking gently along her songbird's cheek.
"De rien," Leliana replied with a smile, eyes soft and warm. "Anything you need, dearest."
