Title; Checkmate

Pairing; Cullen x Inquisitor

Summary; He lets her win three times; she only notices once.

Disclaimer; I own nothing, and all rights go where and when they are due

Checkmate

Cullen x Inquisitor

"This is perhaps the longest chess match I've ever seen you play."

Cullen felt his lips curl. "You are over exaggerating. Chess isn't the quickest of games after all."

"Oh, you know what I mean. I've seen you play against Dorian. You demolish him in moments." Elanna said, her eyes never leaving the board.

Meanwhile his eyes never left her.

"Perhaps you're just a better player, Inquisitor," he said softly.

Which was true. Anyone was better than Dorian really. The man tried to cheat, and he still managed to lose.

Inquisitor Elanna Levallan was a formidable adversary, but nowhere near a master. Or more plainly a true match for him.

Cullen snapped out of his reverie when he heard a soft shuffle on the board, dropping his head before she caught him staring.

His brows furrowed. He could beat her in about about three moves. All he had to do was maneuver past that one knight, and the game would be over.

Truth be told, he could have beaten her about five moves ago.

If he was playing against anyone else – Dorian and Leliana come to mind – he would take any and every opportunity that arose to defeat them. Then again such ruthless instincts arose when he was playing against anyone that wasn't Elanna.

His hand floated to a different piece and moved it forward, feeling himself grin when she enthusiastically overtook the piece.

All he wanted was to spend time alone with her like this. Thinking of it now, such a desire seemed silly. Juvenile even.

He rationalized it was founded though. She was always surrounded by people, someone looking to pay their respects to the Herald, someone needing guidance from the Inquisitor, or someone simply wanting her company. He felt he had enough competition as it was, but even Josephine and Leliana managed to beat him and get to her first.

The fact that he was spending time with her now was a miracle, one that he wasn't about the squander.

So he managed to make the game last as long as it could. He was skilled enough player to do so. He just prayed to the Maker that she didn't notice. He would die of embarrassment if she did.

But all those fears would disappear when he looked at her.

Cullen leaned back into his seat and watched her. She was leaning forward now, her eyes narrowed as she studied the board, her shoulders at ease, her face softer, more relaxed. One finger tapped lightly against her full lip as she considered her moves while she absently tried to brush an errant lock away from her forehead with her other hand

And he found his eyes fixated on that strand. He swallowed and felt his finger twitch, resisting an urge to lean forward and brush it away…

"And I believe that's checkmate." Cullen blinked and shook his head of his silly impulses away. He glanced down at the board and then back up to her. She released a sigh of relief and leaned back into her own triumphant smile ghosting his lips.

"It appears so. The game is yours."

And seeing her beaming so widely, eyes glittering at her accomplishment, it made him forget this was a loss all in itself.

"We should play again some time," he blurted out and immediately regretted it.

Maker's Breath, there goes playing it cool. He immediately shut his mouth, wishing his chair could just swallow him up. She had more important things to do than to play a game with him, and had his own work to deal with.

And he still said it. He prayed to the Maker and hoped it didn't sound too overly eager.

He steeled himself, bracing for the very worst as she opened her mouth. "Yes, I would like that very much."

He paused a moment and processed her words, almost pinching himself to make sure he heard her correctly. Seeing the sincerity in her face, he felt his mouth curve into a wide smile, wondering a moment at the dust of red on her pale cheek.

"Commander, my scouts returned with a report that would be of interest to–"

The words died at her lips. Cullen felt something within himself die too. He swallowed and slowly turned his head towards the doorway, mentally cursing when he saw Leliana there holding paperwork in her arms.

At first, she did not say a word. She merely stood there for a few long moments, glancing first at Cullen, then Elanna, then back at Cullen again. His heart dropped down to his stomach when he saw a sly smile curl at the corners of her lips.

"My apologies, Inquisitor. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important," she said, bowing her head slightly, that damned smile never leaving her face.

"Oh no. We finished our game and were just chatting," Elanna replied cheerfully.

"Yes, I can see that." Cullen steeled himself when Leliana drew closer, eying the display with raised brow. "And by the smell of it you are having your favorite tea as well."

"Yes, it is actually! The commander happened to have a pot ready before I came in," said the inquisitor, taking a dainty sip. "I didn't realize you liked this blend too, Commander."

"Oh, I just consider myself a man of wide variety of tastes and interested in trying different things."

"Of course you are."

He shot Leliana a firm glare while she responded with nothing more than a smile, glancing momentarily to side with an air of aloofness.

She knew the truth. Of course, she did. She knew he had indulged Dorian in several rounds of chess just to find out Elanna's favorite kind of tea.

And endured his obvious cheating and annoying teasing over and over and over again.

He would never admit it, and he knew that Leliana would not banter him over such details either, at least right now. Though that knowing gleam in her eyes did little to put him at ease.

The spymaster looked down at the board. "So who won?"

"I did."

She snapped her head towards Elanna in surprise. "You won? Against Cullen? Really?"

"It wasn't an easy game. Inquisitor Levallan is quite skilled," he added quickly though he found himself inordinately interested in the steam rising from the tea when Leliana glanced over to him.

"And it was a long one. I still can't believe that you best Dorian in moments, but our games last so much longer."

"It was a long game, hmm?" The tone of voice made him flush. He downed his cup, concentrating on the heat searing down his throat then on the one building up his ears.

"Well I'm not surprised. Templars are renown for their endurance… Both for activities in the mental and physical nature. Isn't that right, Cullen?"

Cullen nearly choked on his tea. He coughed furiously, pounding his fist on his chest to clear out his throat. Maker's Breath, what in the world was she trying to say. Implying such things…

Though gratefully nuances was lost on Elanna. "That's why he's commander. He's a great strategist and warrior."

"That is true. I suppose he is those things as well." She smiled at his glare before looking back at the inquisitor. "Still congrats. I have yet to beat him myself."

She stared at Leliana in wide-eyed surprise. "You haven't?"

"No, I have not. Perhaps we should play a round, and you can teach me a few tricks to finally be close to winning."

Cullen snorted. As if that was possible.

"Though I must remind you, Inquisitor, you do have have a meeting to attend to soon."

Elanna frowned and released an exasperated breath. "Oh yes. Of course. How I wish I could forget…"

She slowly rose to her feet, paused, and turned to face Cullen. "So I will see you some other time to play another round?"

"Of course, Inquisitor. This chess board will be ready and waiting for you."

She nodded her head, and with a bright smile, she rushed off. His gaze lingered at the doorway, sighing at the mere thought of her smile before realizing Leliana was still standing right there.

"So. The Inquisitor…"

His smile melted from his face. "Please not another word."

" I don't understand what you mean."

"Just not another word. Please."

Leliana's lips quirked, and she casually placed the paperwork down into his hands. "Alright, if you say so. I will leave you alone now. I have much to discuss with Josephine anyways."

"Wait, Leliana. I'm serious. Please–"

And before he knew it, she was gone. He collapsed back in his chair and rubbed his face, resisting the urge to just slam his head straight down onto the table. Maker, he was never going to hear the end of this…

When she moved her piece forward, Cullen felt his lips quirk up into a smile. "That there is checkmate. Excellent game as always–"

And when he raised his face to look at her, felt himself falter. There wasn't any signs of joy or contentment, or a flicker of a smile or a light in her eyes. Instead Elanna remained focused on the board, lips pursed together.

He felt a strange anxious twist in his stomach. Why was she looking like that? What could she be thinking about? His mind was in a whirlwind, knotting up in a dread. It couldn't be that she…

"You let me win."

Cullen's body tensed at the statement.

Elanna raised her gaze to look at him, her eyes clear and sharp. "You've been letting me win these passed few games, haven't you?"

"W-w-where did you get such a strange idea?"

"I've played against Leliana in chess a few times, and I lost. Badly. Though I beat Dorian so that was comforting."

"Well Leliana is a pretty skilled cheater in comparison to Dorian…"

Still her face revealed nothing more. He steeled himself, fighting the desire to squirm underneath her gaze.

"Despite that, I've noticed how vastly different her games are in comparison to ours. When you played, it was like you were… being soft on me." Her brow quirked up. "Now is that true?"

Cullen swallowed. A droplet of sweat ra down his temple. His mouth failed to function, futilely to form coherent words.

"Um, it's not… no, I just wanted… Well to be honest I…"

And he felt his face grow hotter with each failed attempt at explaining himself.

He shut his mouth when he noticed her face soften. "Relax. It's not like I'm mad. These games did give me an excuse to spend time with you after all."

'What.'

Cullen was left speechless, dumbly watching her as she stood up to pat him on the shoulder.

"I would appreciate it if we played a real game one time though. I need to see how much more I need to practice." She took a few steps towards the door, paused, and turned around to face him with wicked grin. "But if you ever want to play other kinds of games… Well, I'd be more than happy to oblige."

She winked. Cullen swallowed and felt his face burst into flames at the mere implication. He gave an awkward nod and watched as she sauntered off, finding himself a bit too engrossed in the swing of her hips.

He leaned back into his chair and let out a sharp exhale.

'Maker's Breath. Checkmate, my dear. Checkmate indeed.'

A/N: I'm a huge fan of Dragon Age, and while I do love all the characters there def is a soft spot for Cullen in my heart. And headcanon that I think many others share with me - Cullen lets you win when you play fairly. Real reasons are up to interpretation, but I sincerely think he does let you win.