Prompt: Lavellan serving Solas some special tea she made&brewed herself ?
Sorry this took a while anon but here, have some fluff ;)
Solas had known she was up to something. The woman was a lot of things but subtle was not one of them. At least not in this case. She had been watching him closer than normal. Specifically every time he ate, or drank, anything at all. It became so obvious, and consistent, that he wondered briefly she had decided to poison him. A notion dismissed when she caught him one night as he left his rotunda to pepper him with stolen kisses. Something he tried not to encourage but had quickly found his resolve falter on when her lips brushed soft and warm against him.
Then he thought perhaps she still fretted over his feelings after Wisdom’s passing. That it was some residual concern leftover from when he had gone off on his own for a while to mourn in solitude. Perhaps she feared he would stop eating from his despair, but the truth was, while he missed his dear friend, would always miss her, he had accepted. Even if he had wished to fall into despair, his life was not his own.
Which was what made the whole thing all the more foolish really. He should have been annoyed. Should have chafed at being watched so closely. Instead, he enjoyed it. The simple act of her being near, catching her eyes peeking at him over a book she wasn’t actually reading, it made him feel lighter. It made him hotter. Warmed him so that he could feel all the areas inside him start to thaw despite himself.
He was in love. Undeniably. Irrevocably. Head over heels like some young fool. He was too old for such things, had too much for both of them to lose, he should have better control over it. There was no more ability for him to deny that which filled him so completely.
It was part of the reason he felt her absence today acutely. Why, when she came in late that afternoon, his heart beat a quick rhythm in his throat and he had to work to keep his eyes on the papers in front of him.
Then he heard the soft clunk of a mug next to him and allowed himself to look at her for the first time. Eyes going from the mug to trace a path up slender wrists, lean muscled arms, and finally to the face he had come to know so well. A soft blush bloomed high on her cheeks and the tip of her ears. It made his heart skip.
“Vhenan?” An endearment that felt both dangerous and sweet on his lips.
“I made you something.” She pushed the mug closer to him with her fingers, smiling as she pulled back her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind one ear.
He couldn’t help the slight pinching of his brows as he looked from her eager expression to the mug, “You… made me tea?”
She shifted and then spoke in a rush, “Yes. I know you don’t like tea normally but I think it will help you clear your head. I mean I hope nothing like that ever happens again but if something were to happen or you just…” She swallowed, “I don’t know I just thought maybe you hadn’t found the right tea.”
Then it dawned on him, “That is why you were watching me so much?”
“I… you caught that huh?”
A soft smile, “Yes, vhenan.”
“I’m usually better at this kind of thing.”
“You have a habit of sneaking about and watching men while they eat?”
She laughed, “Just try the tea, Solas.”
Solas looked to the mug, steam swirling up from the top of the amber liquid. He detested tea, but she had made it for him. In that, at least, was one redeeming quality to the stuff.
He reached forward to take the mug. Then he looked away from her, preparing himself to hide his grimace at the taste of the first sip. He would not wish to hurt her feelings, make her think he did not appreciate the effort.
When he sipped it the taste was… unexpected. His brows furrowed, eyes going to look at her over the mug. He took another sip. A variety of flavors played along his tongue, lavender, rose, among others. Then something sweet chasing away the bitterness tea usually carried, honey and something else. Something unfamiliar to him.
It tasted like…
He paused, looked at her intently as he set the mug down and then closed the space between them. It did not matter to him then that anyone could look down to see them there. It was just him and her. His hand came up to stroke her throat, move down to her shoulder, and then he buried his face where his hand had been. The little curve between shoulder and slender neck.
He inhaled deeply, nuzzled to her and let his lips press feather light to her skin. He felt her tremble beneath him, a soft exhale of air brushing the tip of his ear.
Then he spoke against her skin, “It tastes like you. How did you manage that?”
He felt her slight jerk as she said, “It… what?”
He chuckled with his lips still pressed to her neck. Then he kissed his way up, stopping at her jaw before he straightened away from her.
He held his hand to her, “Come with me, vhenan.”
She hesitated for a beat before she placed her hand in his, “Ok but… you like it alright?”
He smiled, “I love it. Which is why I want you to go to the gardens with me and show me how you made it.”She beamed at him and it made his heart thud once more in his chest. They spent the rest of the day together, collecting the herbs in the fading light before she went over how to mix them with him. Then they went up to her quarters and curled up in front of the fire, each with a mug and a book until they fell asleep against each other.