Protect Your Magic.

Drunken giggles bubble up from Riley’s throat because she definitely has had too much wine. “You’re such a liar,” she says with delight, “You have to tell me why or I’ll tell everyone you’re a blushing liar!”

She laughs again behind her hand, trying to stifle the sound. It’s not just the wine. And she didn’t overindulge so she could grit her teeth and bear the night. This has been nice, actually. No death threats, for one. No nefarious plots. Just fancy clothes with fancy people, many of whom are quite convinced of their own importance. Music and dancing and conversation.

And Caleb. Always Caleb.

Her cheeks are rather flushed, too, and she rubs one idly, as though it will make the color go away. “I’m glad it’s with you, too,” she confides, leaning in close so she can say it quietly. Just as an excuse to be closer.

“I’m not lying!” Caleb protests, indignation belied by the laughter in his voice. he feels more lighthearted than he has in ages. “Besides, you don’t have any room to talk! You’re blushing even more than I am.”

Her laugh makes his smile wider, his own laughter easier. Everything feels so simple like this. When it’s just the two of them like this, the rest of the world feels far away.

He leans back against the railing, arms folded over his chest and head tipped back to study the cold, clear sky. If life could be this, just these good, simple little moments with the people he cares for, it wouldn’t be so bad. In this moment, he lets himself want that. He admits he wants that more than anything.

      Caleb’s never had the best relationship with sleep. Even before the Inquisition, he’d been a light and restless sleep. Now, after the Inquisition, after Eden, he has good nights and bad ones. He has nights where he sleeps easily and comfortably with Riley. He has nights where he can just lay in bed and count Riley’s breaths, hear Eden’s soft noises. He has nights like this too, when his skin’s crawling and the shadows leave him restless and anxious.

      He is, but Caleb doesn’t think he can be blamed. Riley is always beautiful, but tonight, she is the most radiant woman in all of Skyhold. He can’t look at her without that realization striking him, without realizing how out of his depth he truly is with her. He can’t say any of that anymore than he can admit to why he’s blushing in the first place.

      Caleb doesn’t know what to say to that. In all the stories he’s heard, the heroes fight their fight and go home to a happy ending. They get to live the rest of their lives, and no one ever mentioned the rest of it: coming home traumatized, marked by the horror of everything they’ve seen and done. No stories talk about what it’s like to have to put the pieces of their lives together.

      “Fuck!” Caleb hisses as his heel catches on the edge of a patch of ice. One leg goes sprawling, and it sends him backwards on his ass. He hears his sword clattering from his numb grasp, and he scrambles for it even as he glares at the pair of Venatori closing in on him.

And this is it. This is how he’ll die. And it’s so stupid, so infuriating, so pointless, but they’re moving too fast, and he’s too slow, too drained to use any magic. All he can think is fuck them and fuck me and Riley---

      Niall has never been in love before. There are people he loves, of course. He loves Mei more than life itself, and he loves Allie and Caleb just as much as the rest of his family. Those are indisputable facts of who he is. But loving someone is different than being in love with someone, and he’s never felt this way with anyone else, not even Mei’s mother.

But if he has to fall for anyone, he’s desperately grateful it’s Greed, Niall thinks, studying that profile. Greed seems --- content. Happy. As if this impossible man doesn’t want to be anywhere but here with Niall, walking hom after dropping Mei off at the Hughes’ for a play date.

Riley’s heart does something in her chest when Caleb lays down next to her, and she doesn’t know what it is. It feels big like a storm cloud on the horizon, but it’s somehow quiet, too. It’s scary, but it’s safe. Being tucked between him and the wall feels safe.

Here, it’s just them. Them and the crackling fire and the bed that’s slightly too small for two people to lay down with comfortable space between them. Tension that has knotted her shoulders for months eases out of her muscles, and she sinks deeper into the mattress.

Somehow, it feels normal to find one of his hands, turn onto her side, and tug him close, threading her fingers through his and letting their clasped hands rest against her stomach. She closes her eyes.

“You can always come here, you know,” she tells him softly. “Out there, you’re the Inquisitor and the Herald and all that, but you can come here and it can be just us.”

      Caleb keeps his face downcast with his chin against his chest, but he looks at Riley through his eyelashes. The way she relaxes, as if she’s completely at ease with him, as if she trusts him, means a lot. Especially since he knows that trust is in such short supply for people like them.

He squeezes her hand gently, cautiously, as he relaxes in increments. Curling around her like this feels like standing at the edge of a precipice, a boundary of some sort, but there’s no fear. Riley is inviting him across this line with her warm smile and her hand in his. He leans forward cautiously, resting his forehead against her shoulder.

    “baba knows what he is saying kiddo.  He is a great teacher so trust him.”  he promised.  He didn’t know how she felt but he did know that Niall always had her best interests first.  It took forever for Niall to trust him because of that.  He understood it fully now.  When it came to this girl there was nothing in this world he would not do for her.  “When you and baba fall asleep like that I have to carry him to bed.”  a chuckle came from the sin as he got on the floor looking around for the book.  There were a few under the bed so he put them up on the mattress for Mei to examine.  “I don’t think these are either squirt.”

She hates what her words do to him, how those careless words have brought back the shadows of his burdens to his eyes when she wants to brush that weight from his shoulders, at least for as long as she can. She takes his hand when he drops it from his face, squeezing gently in apology.

“No politics allowed,” she decides with a smile. “Just friends. And good food. And I’ll get to wear something that’s not designed to fight in.” She’s far too excited already. Talking about fun isn’t something they get to do much.

“I don’t think we could escape without needing to say goodbyes,” she says, “but this is a pretty good spot to hide for a while. Here.” She steps to the left and tugs him closer until they’re both safely hidden from easy view of the ballroom. “I noticed this spot earlier. It’s the only balcony with a decent blind spot. This isn’t the first place people would look for you, so I think we have some time to plan our great escape.”

She’s not perfect. It’s a convenient excuse to stay close to him, close enough to hear him breathing.

“You need to be more careful,” she says, these words finally unsticking from her throat. “And I need to train more. I was slowing down at the end. I was almost not able to watch your back. Wouldn’t ever forgive myself if I couldn’t and –”

She clamps her jaw shut and swiftly shoves all of that selfishness down. “Try to be more careful,” she finally says.

      He smiles back at her and squeezes her hand just as gently. It’s no harm done. He knows everything that’s happened will weigh heavily on him for the next few months, if not longer. It’s just how his brain works, so it’s not like he can hold anything Riley’s said against her. He wouldn’t even if he wasn’t like this.

Caleb can feel himself smiling too, caught up with her infectious excitement. “You have no idea how amazing that sounds, even if it means dressing up. I don’t think I ever realized how exhausting being famous is.” Point in case. He misses being able to disappear without anyone noticing or caring.

He follows Riley easily enough, and a slow, grateful smile tugs the corner of his mouth. “Oh, thank Andraste. You are an absolute gift, Riley. If I have to deal with one more Orlesian noble giving me some weird, back handed compliment or marriage proposal, I will not be held responsible for my actions.” It would be a serious threat if it isn’t for a relieved smile on his face. “Really. Not responsible.”

“I don’t. I like it when you’re there.” It feels a little bit too much like she’s admitting something, so she leaves it at that.

But she can’t help herself. She cards fingers through his hair and leans down to press a kiss to his forehead. Because she can. Because he might let her. Because it soothes something fragile and frightened in her to care for him.

“Go, get comfortable. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Oh.” He’s not sure what to do with this strange warm, fluttering feeling in his chest, so he ignores it for now. There will be time for that later.

Riley is very careful not to examine the rush of her reaction to the way Caleb kneels to remove his boots. He’s her friend. He deserves better.

She shrugs her outer coat off, leaving her in a shirt and her close fitting trousers. She sits on the edge of her bed, and the exhaustion hits her all at once, and tears burn at her eyes, and she’s desperately glad his back is turned. She’s so tired. And he’s there with her, he wants to be there, and it’s enough to soothe away some of the storm in her head.

“Come on,” she says as she slips under the covers, scooting close to the wall so there’s room for him.

      Caleb hesitates but reaches out for his magic, lets it spark between his fingers and catch in the tinder. It’s such a small thing, but he’s proud at that small show of control.

Caleb shrugs off his over shirt and drops it at the edge of the bed but hesitates before following her beneath the covers. This is--- intimate. Sharing a bed like this, with no expectation of anything happening, means something, doesn’t it? He’s not sure what, exactly, but it definitely means something.

      It was completely understandable.  She knew Mei came first.  She would have been more upset if he wasn’t doing that.  It was good.  he was the most wonderful father.  She was always happy to see them together or spend time with the girl.  Still, sometimes it was just nice to get some time with Niall for herself.  That was why she was there trying to steal him away for a bit anyways.  “good!  I’m sure you could use it too.”

“Stop.”  she put her hand up.  “Don’t ever apologize for bein’ a good dad.  I’m sure you are ready for some adult time though.”  she nodded holding up the picnic basket.  “Maybe an ambush date would be good?”  She teased as she walked over to him.  “I hope that’s okay?  I made a nice lil lunch and brought some wine.”  She knew they couldn’t have much.  “Then I could help with the books if ya wanted.”  Anything to spend more time with him.

      Niall’s smile is unbearably fond as he crosses the distance to reach out and grip her hand loosely. “I’m not apologizing for being a dad. I’m apologizing because I’ve realized I’ve been blowing you off. Not intentionally, but it’s gotten to the point where you have to ambush me just to go on a date. And I am sorry for that.” He presses a kiss to her palm before releasing her hand with a laugh. “I’m so down for some adult time, you have no idea. My life has turned into nothing but work, eight-year-olds, and tutus.”