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himluv · 3 months ago

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Together

Chapter 47 of Say My Name (Say it Twice) is here! This time, Spite has some questions, and the Crows finally have a lead on Treviso's traitor.

As usual, you can read it below, or on AO3!

Enjoy!

Sniiiiiffffffff. Smoke and berries. Salt and sweat. Sexxxxxx.

Rook and Lucanis. Sleep. Warm and dreaming. Hair between. Our fingers. Silky. Skin so soft. Want to feel.

“Hmm. Lucanis?”

“Rook.”

“Oh.” Blinks at us. Banishes sleep. “Hey, Spite.”

Smile makes him warm. Makes US warm. Inside. Likes when. We brush. Her hair. Back.

“Mmm. Feels nice.”

“Spite. Can make. Rook. Feel good. Too!”

“Does it upset you that Lucanis and I are together more now?”

“No! Want that. Want Rook happy… Grrrrrrr. Lucanis, too.”

“Do you have questions?”

“Yes.” How to ask? What to ask? “Sex. Is. Messy.”

“… yes.”

“Why?”

“Oh. Well…”

Heat. Blood rushing. PINK. “Rook is. Embarrassed?”

“No.”

Lyinggggggg. Doesn’t want Spite to know. Doesn’t want. To hurt Spite!

“Sex is messy because that’s how we reproduce.”

“Re. Pro. Duce...?”

“How we make more mortals. Babies.”

Babies. Have seen babies. Soft. Small. Screaming! “ROOK AND LUCANIS MAKE BABIES?!”

“No! No, Spite. We haven’t… done that, yet.”

“Done. What?”

“… mortal bodies have to have sex a certain way to make babies. Lucanis and I haven’t done that, yet.”

Ahhhhhhhh. “He dreams. About that. About you!”

“You shouldn’t tell me that.” Hand on our chest. Fingers in our hair. “But, I dream about him, too.”

Close now. So close. And warm. Warm and soft and close.

“Do you… do you have any interest? In sex?”

“BAH! No! Mortal bodies squish and stink and sweat. No, no, no!”

Rook laughs! Makes Spite warm. Happy. Makes Spite purrrrrrrrrr.

“That’s okay. Lucanis and I can have our gross mortal time, then we can talk.”

“Rook and Spite. Talk. Together!”

Warm hands. Soft skin. Sink together in the sheets.

“Yes. Now, let Lucanis sleep.”

Lucanis woke alone in a bed far too comfortable to be his cot in the Lighthouse. Slowly, the memory of the previous night surfaced, along with the smells of sweat, cedar, garlic, and wine. Mierda, what a night.

But, why wasn’t Rook in bed?

Wanted you. To sleeeeeep, Spite said.

He climbed out from under the sheets, found his shorts on top of the clothes piled at the foot of the bed and pulled them on. Then he made his way out into the main room.

Rook lounged on his sofa, under one of the blankets he’d – mostly – finished knitting. She had a cup of coffee in one hand and a book lay open on her lap. It was so casually domestic. She looked so at ease, so comfortable in his home. Like she belonged there. Like he’d purchased that sofa solely so she could grace it with her body.

“Good morning,” she said once she noticed him.

“Good morning.” He didn’t even try to keep the smile off his face.

“I hope you’ll forgive me,” she said. “But, I made coffee.”

He hummed as he stepped closer to her. “Let me have a taste.”

She raised her mug for him to take, but he ignored it. Instead, he swooped down and pressed his mouth to hers. Rook let out a surprised little mewl, but opened her mouth to him so he could taste the coffee on her tongue.

Lucanis hummed, savoring the strong, roasty flavor for a moment before he let the kiss end. Then he raised a brow at her. “You’re getting better at making coffee.”

She smirked up at him. “I’ve been taking notes,” she said.

He kissed her again, a quick peck, and then moved off to pour a cup for himself. He could feel her eyes on him, and was surprised at how good that made him feel. Only a couple of weeks ago he’d been nervous about taking off his shirt in front of her, but now he strode through his apartment in his smallclothes after sleeping by her side in the nude.

It felt right. Comfortable and easy. She made everything seem so easy.

He returned to the sofa with his coffee, and she made room for him to sit. Once he was settled, she rested her blanket-covered legs across his lap. He inhaled sharply at the smooth warmth of her bare skin against his thighs. He glanced at her just in time to catch her smirk before she refocused on her book.

Lucanis snorted, but said nothing as they sat and enjoyed the morning peace. They drank their coffee, Rook cradling her cup as she peered down at her book, while Lucanis snuck one hand under the blankets to rub her leg in soothing strokes.

She hummed, but didn’t look up. A part of him – this new, eager and hungry part – wanted to trail his hand higher, to see what it would take to break her composure. But he decided against it. All he really wanted was to sit with her. Enjoy the quiet. Drink coffee she had made for them (and that was perfectly drinkable) and imagine a life where this was a common occurrence. Where there were no gods, no cultists, maybe even no Crows.

Just him and her and this peace they’d made.

…And Spite. The demon sat on the floor, his back to the sofa just below Rook’s knees.

Lucanis sighed. And Spite.

“Do we need to get back to the Lighthouse soon?” He asked.

She shook her head. “I told Bellara to meet us at the Diamond this evening.”

He raised a brow at her and finished his coffee.

She winced. “Viago sent word,” she said. “He and Teia have news about Treviso’s traitor.”

He took a deep breath. This was what the Crows had been searching for. The hand that held Treviso’s leash. If Viago had requested their presence, then he had something big. Something actionable. Treviso would be free – perhaps as soon as tonight.

But, there was nothing to be done before nightfall. Any action the Crows might take would happen under cover of darkness.

He smiled at her. “So, what I’m hearing is that we have time.”

She raised a brow at him. “What did you have in mind?” Her tone made it clear she expected something salacious. The way her legs rubbed together on top of his almost made him change what he was about to say.

But, no. There were other needs they ought to see to. “First,” he purred. “Breakfast.”

Embria blinked at him, then gave him the brightest smile. “Breakfast sounds wonderful.”

By the time Lucanis and Rook entered the Cantori Diamond, he almost dreaded meeting with the Crows. The day had been… perfect. Coffee and books on his sofa, breakfast at a nearby café that made the best pastries, and then a walk around the Coin and Financials district, taking in the views.

They’d then gone back to his apartment and they’d cleaned up the dishes from dinner. It felt just like it had when she’d helped him clean the kitchen in the Lighthouse – easy and soothing. She moved around his space as if she’d been there dozens of times, humming to herself as she worked.

Then they’d returned to the sofa to spend the remainder of the day tangled up in one another, kissing and reading and dozing in turns. The last thing Lucanis wanted was to leave his apartment. But, he was First Talon and his city was in need of freeing. That was reason enough to follow Rook into the Diamond.

When they approached the Talons’ usual alcove, he was surprised to find Bellara and Viago deep in a lively discussion about spices and flavors.

“What about elfroot?” She asked.

Viago shook his head. “Too medicinal,” he said. “The target would know right away that something was off.”

“Unless–” she grinned. “You poisoned their medicine!”

Viago stared at her, his expression puzzled, and Illario snorted from where he stood leaning against the wall on the far side of the table.

Lucanis looked at his cousin, expecting his usual look of haughty derision. But, Illario’s gaze, while guarded, seemed genuinely amused. It also seemed locked on Bellara. Then Illario glanced at Lucanis, and they both scowled.

“Ah,” Teia said, turning to look at Rook. “Good. You’re here.” Her eyes gleamed with a hint of humor as Viago still looked a little stunned. She was about to continue when the Governor skulked into the alcove.

Suddenly every face bore a frown – even Bellara’s. It seemed Ivenci just had the effect on people. And, when their voice hit an unprofessional volume, Jacobus joined the argument and made matters worse.

Lucanis saw much of himself in the boy. Gifted, yes. But also angry and so, so alone. Lucanis had at least had Illario at that age. But, he’d also had the weight of Caterina’s expectations. He wondered, what burdens would Jacobus carry?

“Rook’s at least doing something!” The boy shouted. “She’s a real hero!”

Embria blushed. “Jacobus,” she said, her voice too soft to quell the boy’s fury. He was beyond soothing, even from her. Perhaps especially from her. He glared at Ivenci, and then at Viago, before storming off.

There was a beat of tense silence as everyone watched Jacobus go. Even Illario managed to look concerned for the boy, before he remembered to school his features back into his typical, bored scowl.

Then the Talons and Ivenci squabbled for awhile about the usual grievances. The Governor resented the Crows. They thought the assassins hobbled Antiva, while Teia and Viago – and Lucanis – believed they defended the nation and its people from the Antaam.

It was the same circular argument they’d been having since before Lucanis was captured.

“Rook,” Viago said, cutting off Ivenci’s tirade. “The contact asked for you, specifically.”

“Me?” She said. “I’m not a Crow.”

Lucanis did not like this. Why had she been singled out? Beyond her efforts against the gods, her only connection to Treviso was him.

“You saved the city during the dragon attack,” Teia said. “You are well known in Treviso.”

Rook didn’t look thrilled about that.

Sounds. Like. A trap! Spite seethed. He paced circles around Illario, glaring and hissing at his cousin. Lucanis might one day forgive Illario for all he’d done to him, but he doubted that Spite ever would.

He hurt. You! Hurt. US! Spite glowered at Illario. He. Hurt. Rook!

Yes, he had. His cousin’s debts were massive, indeed. But, so far he’d been quiet and respectful, just as Lucanis had demanded. It was eerie. It seemed almost wrong, how quiet Illario had been.

“It sounds like I’m walking into a trap,” Rook said.

“I’d be prepared for one,” Viago said.

Spite growled at that while Lucanis and Bellara shared a look and a nod. They’d have Rook’s back, no matter what.

Lucanis had not expected Café Pietra to be the meeting place. The Crows owned the café, so whoever their contact was, they wanted to talk to Rook badly enough they’d given the Crows the advantage of territory.

“Okay,” Rook said, standing before the café’s ornate door with her hands on her hips. “We all agree this is a trap, right?”

Bellara nodded. “Right.”

“Definitely,” he said.

“So,” Rook said. “You two will be right here, just in case?”

“We’ve got your back, Rook,” Bellara said.

“Always,” he said.

Embria looked back at him, her mouth lifting just slightly at one corner. Then she shook out her arms and rolled her neck. “All right,” she murmured, then stepped through the door and out of sight.

“So,” Bellara said after a tense moment of silence.

Lucanis sighed and prepared for whatever inappropriate questions she was about to ask.

“You and Illario haven’t talked yet, have you?”

Lucanis snorted. “No.” He doubted his threat the other week would count as ‘talking’.

“Why not?”

Because, Lucanis could hardly stomach looking at his idiot cousin. Every time he did, his guts churned, and he wasn’t sure if it was the anger or the pain that caused it. Perhaps it was both. Either way, he was more likely to punch Illario than he was to talk to him.

“I’m not ready,” he said. He tried to keep his voice calm. Even. But still, it sliced through the air between him and Bellara.

“Oh,” she said. “Right.” She looked down at the ground, twisting the toe of her boot against the stone-tiled entryway. “It’s just…”

Lucanis sighed again.

“We’re facing the gods. And Treviso has the Antaam. You never know when you might see him for the last time,” she said. She looked at Lucanis, and her eyes gleamed with unshed tears in the lantern light.

She shrugged. “He’s your brother,” she whispered.

Mierda. He was an idiot. Cyrian had died in her arms not even four days ago, and he was staunchly holding his grudge in the face of her grief?

“Bellara–”

“Just, think about it, Lucanis,” she said.

“I will,” he said.

“Thank you.”

That seemed wrong. Surely, he should be thanking her. But, before he could say anything more, a great crash came from behind the door.

ROOK! Spite howled, just as the café door slammed open and a Qunari the size of a mountain came barreling through.

Lucanis shoved Bellara away from the door, and it was only thanks to Spite’s wings that Lucanis was able to dodge back out of the behemoth’s path. He landed on one knee, a palm to the stone floor and his other hand reaching for his rapier.

“Rook?!” He shouted.

“I could use some help!” She called back. The distinct crackle of lightning filled the air as Lucanis sprinted into the café, Bellara close on his heels.

He’d barely taken in the scene – a flipped table, one overturned chair, another upright, and two hulking Qunari trying to pin Rook to the canal railing – before Spite launched him at the closest Antaam.

“What happened?” Bellara shouted as she launched electrified arrows at their opponents.

“It’s the Butcher,” Rook called. “He was the contact!”

“What?!” That walking mountain had been Butcher Daathrata?

“He’s blighted,” she continued, sweeping an arc of fiery daggers at the antaam barreling toward her. “The gods are trying to get control of him.”

Mierda. If Ghilan’nain and Elgar’nan got the Butcher, Treviso would fall. Lucanis slid past the antaam he was facing, swiped his blades across the back of the Qunari’s knees, then plunged his dagger into the man’s back as he fell.

Rook unleashed another powerful arc of lightning, and the last Antaam fell. She stood panting with her hands on her knees for a moment, then shook her head and stood upright. “He doesn’t want to lose Treviso,” she said. “But he can’t fight off the corruption.”

“So,” Bellara said as she slung her bow over her shoulder. “What did he want?”

“He’s giving in to the blight,” Rook said. “So he can learn where the gods are going to perform their ritual to make the Red Lyrium dagger.”

“But, he’ll die!” Bellara said.

Lucanis blinked at Rook. “But, Treviso will be safe.”

She nodded. “As twisted as it is, he really does seem to love the city.” She shrugged. “In his own way.”

“Now, what?” Bellara asked.

Rook took a deep breath, let it out slow. “We have to follow him and get the location out of him before his mind is completely gone.”

Lucanis scowled. “And then we put him down.”

Rook gave him a shaky smile, her breath still wild with adrenaline. “Then Treviso will be free.” She tilted her head toward the doorway. “Come on!” She said, then took off running.

Lucanis kept his ire under wraps until they were back in the Lighthouse. He ignored Rook’s worried glance, or the way she and Bellara gave each other meaningful looks when they thought he wouldn’t notice. He made it to the pantry without incident, closed the door behind him, and then grabbed the first thing within reach and hurled it at the wall.

“Ivenci?!”

The mug shattered against the stone, dust and shards cascading onto his cot. The pieces were purple and silver and…

“Fuck!” That’d been one of the mugs Embria had given him. He took several deep breaths, pinching the bridge of his nose and counting down from ten, and then twenty, and then thirty, before he felt somewhat under control once more.

“Fuck,” he sighed as he stared at the mess he’d made. Then he stepped into the dining hall to find the broom and dustpan. And, of course, Rook was there. Waiting for him.

She opened her mouth, but his glare and raised hand stopped her from voicing whatever comforting thing she’d been about to say. He was not ready for that yet. Right now, he just wanted to be angry.

So, she perched on the edge of the dining table and watched him grab the broom and dustpan. Watched him walk past the fireplace and retreat back to his room. He didn’t close the door, but she didn’t follow after him. So, he cleaned up the mess and muttered all the terrible things he would do to the Governor when they found them.

They’d sold Treviso to the Antaam and in their arrogance, they’d thought they could rule Antiva after the dust settled. They’d thought they could outmaneuver the Crows, that they could outplay the Talons and the Merchant Princes, and make themselves de facto ruler of the nation. What little remained of it after years of Antaam occupation.

Instead, all they’d done was sign the contract on their own life.

The First, Fifth, and Seventh Talons would not stop until the hand that held Treviso’s leash was severed. Until the head that had vied for a crown instead rolled down the streets of the Coin and Financials. They would not stop until the truth tolled louder than any Chantry’s bells:

The Crows rule Antiva, and Treviso will be free.

Lucanis ran his hands over the blankets of his cot, searching for any ceramic shards he might have missed. Satisfied he’d gotten them all, he returned to the kitchen to throw out the mess. He put away the broom and dustpan, then joined Rook at the table.

He leaned against the table, his hip brushing her knee as they stared at the fire. He crossed his arms and avoided her gaze. He didn’t have anything to say. She knew him better than anyone else, could read him like one of his mother’s books. And he knew her just as well. She would break the silence long before he did.

“So,” she drawled. “Did smashing that mug help?”

He glared at her.

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

Lucanis sighed. “No,” he said. “It actually made me feel worse.” He winced at her. “It was one of the mugs you gave me.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “Well. I’m sure we can get a replacement.” She took his hand, held it in her lap and squeezed. “Teia and Viago will find Ivenci,” she said. “And when they do, we’ll stop them.”

He looked at her, the firelight lending her pale skin a warmth that made him want to melt into her. She was warmth and kindness, a soft place for him to land. Always. There was no one else he trusted to keep their word like he did Rook.

If she said they would stop Ivenci, then they would. As simple as that. And even though he’d already vowed to do so, to free Treviso from the traitor’s grasp, he felt better knowing Embria would be by his side each step of the way. That her hand was his to hold, when he needed an anchor.

He smiled at her, enchanted by the fire’s glow in her crystal grace eyes. In that moment, in the dim quiet, it really did feel as if they could accomplish anything. So long as he was with her. As long as they were together.

#lucanis dellamorte #spite dellamorte #rookanis #lucanis x rook #rook x lucanis #embria aldwir #antivan crows #bellara lutare #illario dellamorte #fic: say my name (say it twice)#long fic #dragon age

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