#afreedomdragon

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Thank youuuuuuuu I will keep up the good good work ;)

For this, I picked “A touch to say goodnight.” I also paired it with not one, but two other prompts I’ve had sitting around! It’s a combination kind of night, so many of these work well together!

This also includes “I can’t sleep, can I stay here?” requested by @dreadhobo with the Aravae x Solas pairing

and one that was from my old account, but I had the prompt saved. I can’t fully remember who asked for it (I think it might have been @sasshole-for-rent? I’m so sorry if it wasn’t! ;_;), but it was a combo prompt also for Aravae x Solas and it was “Can I kiss you?” / “You didn’t have to ask.”

Thank you so much for the prompts! These new ones are helping to spark some creative twists for ones I’ve had for a whillle. Please enjoy!

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Insomnia

Words: 1229

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Aravae twisted and turned for several hours, forcibly keeping her eyes shut to the point where they were beginning to ache from not resting naturally. Each time she rolled over, she inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to force her body to relax. But any time she started to get close to the edge of sleep, images would flash in her head of her torture at the hands of Viddathari and she would jerk back awake with a strangled gasp. Banal’ras stirred at the foot of the bed and crawled on, trying to comfort her with his body heat and touch, but she couldn’t get her mind to rest.

She sat up and lit her bedside candles - manually, because she was too hesitant to try using magic when she was so unsteady. She grabbed a book with more force than was necessary and opened it, beginning to read. Rather, trying to. Her eyes refused to focus on the words. They shook before her gaze and she tried to blink it away, but it didn’t stop. With an annoyed grunt, she tossed the book across the room. She rubbed her eyes and hung her head. Should she go to the healing tent and see if they would give her a sleeping draught? She’d already gone so long without sleeping...partially because she was afraid to, partially because she just couldn’t. Insomnia wouldn’t let her rest, no matter how exhausted her body was.

There was one thing missing that might help. Solas was not in her room that night. He said that he had a lot of research to do for something that Leliana needed and he didn’t want to keep her awake, so he was going to stay in his own room. But the emptiness on that side of the bed made her feel lonely and incomplete. She sighed and looked at the panther as she stroked his head. “Ir abelas, ma falon. I don’t mean to keep waking you up. Would you accompany me to Solas’s room? Maybe then we can both get some rest.”

He didn’t seem pleased, but he at least stood and stretched when she moved about. She remained in her sleeping clothes, but she found her cloak and threw it on, drawing it closed with her hands so that she wouldn’t get stared at by the patrol. She didn’t bother with grabbing her staff, but she made sure to blow the candles out before leaving.

The night was dark, not illuminated by any moon or starlight. Banal’ras could hardly be seen walking at her side, blending in perfectly with the shadows of the battlements. Aravae walked as quickly as she could, though her steps wobbled somewhat due to her weariness. She passed by one patrol that happened to be two elven men. They saluted as she walked by, murmuring quickly, “Era’tarasyl’nin.”

She didn’t have the energy to tell them that they didn’t need to call her that. She barely managed to nod at them as she pressed on. Once she entered the line of doors that led to Solas’s, she began to feel some immediate relief. She was ready to be out of sight. She wasn’t sure if she looked like it, but she felt as though she appeared weak and worn down. Even her hand trembled with exhaustion as she raised it to knock on his door. It took several long moments for Solas to open it and when he did, his brows were raised with surprise. “Vhenan?”

“I can’t sleep,” she murmured, blinking heavily. “Can I stay here?”

“Of course.” He stepped out of the doorway and let her in. A fire crackled in the hearth and many candles were lit all across the room. Books and papers were strewn about, even on the bed. She immediately walked to a clear space on the bed and sank down on it. Banal’ras curled up by the fire and promptly watched them.

Solas closed the door and went to Aravae, kneeling before her. “What’s wrong? Is it the dreams again?”

“The ones with Viddathari,” she confirmed, her voice sounding far away to her own ears. “I just can’t...fall or stay asleep.”

“You have shadows under your eyes,” he observed aloud, his face contorted with worry. “I’ve been busy with this research, but- How long has this been going on?”

“A few days, I suppose?”

He frowned. “You should have come to me sooner.”

She tried to look at him and see his face, but in an instant, all she could see was Viddathari reaching out towards her and touching her arm. She inhaled sharply and flinched away, but when she blinked, all that was there was Solas reeling back. She immediately buried her face in her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m so tired, I can’t even see straight…”

“Should I help? Would you like me to help you in the Fade and guard your dreams?”

“No, I know it’s important that you finish your task as soon as possible… If I could just...fall asleep and...stay there, it would help. Even just a little…”

“I think I know what could help. Here, stand up and take off your cloak.” She did as he asked and he tossed the article of clothing off to rest on a chair. “Lay down on your stomach.” She scooted a few things around and all but melted into the bed, her face resting against his pillow. She inhaled his scent and instantly felt better, but that wasn’t what he had in mind. He hovered over her and wrapped his hands with a heating spell. He slowly lowered his hands onto her shoulders and began to rub methodically.

Aravae sighed and let her eyes try to slide closed. She could practically feel him burning the tension off of her, though the heat was not that strong. He worked at her shoulders for a time, then he moved lower, rubbing with just enough pressure on her back, making sure to cover every inch. By time the heat of his hands left her back, she wasn’t sure if she was in a dream anymore or not. Everything felt hazy and like she wasn’t really there in Solas’s room. She felt as though she were far away from so much, even herself.

But his voice whispered in her ear, “Aravae? Is that better?”

“Mm? Mmhmm,” she hummed, not feeling able to even form coherent words.

It sounded like he chuckled. “Come, let’s get you under the covers.” It stirred her a little, having to shift about in order to slide under the thick blankets. When she did, she rolled over to be on her side, facing Solas. Her eyes were simply too heavy to open anymore, but she could tell that he was still there, just at the bedside. She felt the warmth of his body as he must have leaned closer. “Can I kiss you, Vhenan?”

She just barely managed to curve the corners of her lips upward and murmur sleepily, “You didn’t have to ask.”

His soft lips pressed against hers and she hummed pleasantly. As he pulled away and just before she was pulled into the deep comfort of sleep, she felt his hand brush hair away from her face and cup her cheek. His thumb gently caressed the skin of her cheek and that was the last thing she remembered.

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Alrighty you caught me..

1. My friends: @afreedomdragon, @da-fluffles, Juice, Bobah, Josephine and Trin; I’m an attention whore and they deal with me

2. Concerts (Connection Fest 08/26 come with me!)

3. My job, it’s soo stressful but ngl I do love what I do 

4.Girls, in general, I’m very gay

5.The color yellow, everything i’m lov