bakerstreet | ( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

Nursed Back to Health
shipping meme

Comment with your character, preferences, preferred role, and any information you'd like to include.
Your character has either been injured/sick and had to be taken in (possibly against their will) or has been the one to help somebody like the former. Through the mending process, the two characters in a thread have fallen in love - or at least grown closer and more affectionate.
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[Either role, more likely to fuss.]

[How about helping a Cullen through withdrawals? Or I also have Lavellans and Adaars of various genders if you'd rather have that!]

[I'm all about helping Cullen out with his withdrawals. Any particular point in the timeline you're leaning toward? Also whether they've been involved up to Cullen going cold turkey.]

[Probably no real preference re: timeline, except, obviously, pre-Trespasser and post-Haven. I feel like maybe they'd been fooling around, but nothing serious? IDK, I'm not picky, so if you are we can roll with whatever you were thinking lol]

Generally, Dorian kept himself out of the Commander's private affairs. What he chose to do with himself in between ordering people to be soundly punched in the mouth, it didn't involve him the majority of the time. But when Cullen lost three games of chess in a row while Dorian was playing fairly because of what he could only assume were migraines? Then it became his business. The man was the only one that would put up with him being smug for more than a single game, after all.

In fact, Cullen put up with him better than most other Fereldens or Marchers or really anyone here. Even when he was barking his distaste for mages. Dorian might even confess to being slightly enamored of the man (under pain of torture at least). So it was the least he could do to put their latest match on hold and head around the table to block out the garden and the sunlight streaming in over their game, a muted healing spell primed in one hand, to be used to dull the pain somewhat.

"You know, if you weren't up for this you could have turned down the invitation," he admonished gently, his free hand resting lightly against the back of the man's head, fingers laced into the curls that, frankly, could use a wash.

Honestly, when they'd started, he hadn't had a headache. But it wasn't Dorian's fault, and it wasn't the game's fault. "It was get a headache here, or a headache in my office," he says, tipping his into Dorian's touch. His hand was cool, and his fingers are long and strong against the back of his head.

"And if I go back, then somebody's going to stop me with a report." He didn't want to shirk his duty, and honestly, this time he had with Dorian was all he could ever spare out of his week to take a break.

Cullen brings his hands up to cover his face - his eyes, mostly. "This is the highlight of my week, to be honest."

Dorian pumped up the intensity of the spell a bit further, but he knew that anything stronger would end up hurting more than it helped, given the nature of lyrium withdrawals. The most he could do was mild pain relief.

"Commander, there is no rule against you coming up to the library to play instead. As long as you refrain from tracking mud in, I'm sure the sisters will pay you no mind." He kept his tone light, but it was clear that he was worried. Keeping the man outside in the sun obviously wasn't doing him any good, after all. So he offered a hand up, hoping to bring Cullen along with him up to the much dimmer, quieter alcove that he had long since claimed.

Cullen allowed Dorian to help him up without fussing, but once they were in the shade of the building, he pulled away. The spell applied to the back of his neck was helping with the pain, and he was glad Dorian didn't make it so strong that the pain went away completely.

The last thing he wanted was to go from a lyrium addiction to a magic addiction. "Thank you, Dorian." A spare handful of years ago, the idea that he would be glad for a mage using magic on him would be incomprehensible.

He managed to get into the library but collapsed into Dorian's chair as soon as he could, breathing out a sigh of relief. He shoves off his boots, then brought his hands up to his face again. "This migraine... It's worse than usual." Being outside for so long likely had not helped anything at all

Dorian let him settle in, grumbling 'my chair' without any real fire behind it as he waved a hand to draw over one of the tables that would allow them to continue their game as soon as the pieces were set back up. He was settled on the edge of it, keeping an eye on Cullen as he moved the pieces.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" he asked quietly. "You had to know what would happen to you."

"Well, in the first place, as soon as the Inquisitor found out I stopped, they ordered me not to go back to it. But also... I can't keep doing that to myself. How can I... lead my men effectively, when I am an addict? How can I be trusted with lives when a part of me is going to always be wanting my next dose. Templars are kept just on the hair's edge of sliding down into wasting away, and that... As I am now is a liability, but I am more of one when I am taking lyrium."

Cullen cradled his head in his hands as he watched Dorian set the board back up. "I'm sick of being leashed by Lyrium."

Dorian nodded slowly. It was easy enough to understand, and honestly he did feel for the man. No matter what he'd been or done before, addict or not, he was doing some real good for himself now. But that didn't change how it was obviously hurting him in the meantime.

"Point taken, Commander. But trust when I say that you are no more a liability like this than I am when I'm hung over." He offered a kind, but sharp little smirk. He wanted to do more, to take Cullen's hand and offer more by way of comfort, but this wasn't really the place for it. Flirting was one thing; he flirted with everyone, from the Inquisitor to the mercenaries, to the Commander himself. But it would damage the man irreparably to do more, he was sure. No matter how he might have liked to.

Cullen laughed dryly. "Believe me, there are days when I should not be making decisions, but I still had to at least sit behind my desk and play nice for the fucking Orlesians." He reaches out to move a piece, stretching out his legs under the table.

"If they weren't somewhat integral to the Inquisition's survival as it is, I'd say hang the entire Orlesian court." Dorian shook his head and crossed his legs as he leaned his weight back on his free hand. He moved a piece into position to take one of Cullen's in the next move.

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( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

Dorian Pavus | DA: Inquisition | Castmates

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Let me know if this needs edited. Phone tagging from work. :'>

Works great! Sorry about the delay!!

No worries!

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sorry i'm watching a drinking D&D livestream so if my tags get wonky this is why

That sounds like fun ngl. I'm just catching up on a show x3