Relief

Pairing: F!Mage!Adaar / The Iron Bull

Rating: NSFW

Kinks: biting, control, fingering, very light d/s

Summary: Everyone needs a bit of 'alone time' once in a while. Inquisitor Adaar is no different. But things take a surprising turn when The Iron Bull proves that you don't actually have to spend this time alone.

This was not the first time. Definitely not the first, and most likely won't be the last.

Herah sat on the edge of the small lake, wishing there was someone here with her. But, at the same time, relieved that she was finally alone, if only for a moment. So maybe sneaking out of Caer Bronach in the middle of the night was extreme, but she really needed… some alone time.

They killed a Wyvern today.

Not just one of the small ones. This one was a true beast… and it was glorious. Her blood still sang from the way the beast screeched when she struck it with her magic, again and again, until it fell. That fight… it would have been worth it, to kill the beast, even if there was no reward for it. But there was and she really had nothing to complain about.

Unless you counted the fact that killing it made her horny and she had no one to relieve that ache with.

She internally snorted at her own bad pun, then slowly released her long white hair from the tight bun she usually kept it in. She laid the string gently next to her bag and looked around the Wyrm Hole as she started slowly undoing the clasps of her robes.

The night was pleasantly cool, the sky was clear without a single cloud obscuring her view of the stars and the small waterfall made soothing background noise. This was a beautiful place, one she was determined not to waste. Not waste the opportunity. She would not rush this rare moment of privacy, the ache between her legs notwithstanding.

She laid her robes down next to her bag and pulled out the sweet smelling soap she couldn't help but buy when she last visited Val Royeaux. Then she made her way over to the beautiful, clear water of the small lake, grateful that her people already dragged the carcasses away.

While she had no doubt someone would at least consider a roll in the hay with her if she asked, she did not want to sleep with the people under her command. Mostly because she could never be certain whether they truly wished to have some fun, or whether they were too intimidated or, Maker forbid, they thought they had to obey her 'orders' in this. Unfortunately, there were not many people who found grey giantesses attractive. Even less people liked mages. So it was safe to err on the side of caution and assume no one around wanted her.

With a small sigh she thought of the irony. The more power she had, the less men wanted her… and something always happened that gave her even more power than she had before. It was hard enough to find men willing to sleep with her when she was a mercenary, harder still when she became their unofficial leader. All but impossible since she fell out of the Fade.

She soaped up her hands and started gently washing away the day's sweat and grime as she thought of her options. Now the only people she could safely consider were here companions and friends. Dangerous, that. If something happened and they had to break up, she might loose a friend and ally. Something she could ill afford at the moment.

Not that most of them wanted her anyway. She put her head under the falling water to wash her hair and remembered the kind refusal from Cullen, Blackwall's evasiveness… and the brusque rebuttal from Iron Bull.

Ironically, the Iron Bull hurt the least.

She could understand not wanting to get involved with your mark, because that's what she was to the Ben-Hassrath spy. A Tal-Vashoth, like the people he spent most of his life hunting, no less. No matter if he was now one himself. If anything, that only made it worse. Now she was the person who took the Qun from him.

No matter what, though, he remained professional. And if she spent more time than was healthy remembering how he stood between her and the beasts today, how his muscles rippled as he swung his battleaxe and the excited grin he threw at her when the wyvern fell, well, that was perfectly natural.

But this was not the time for heavy thoughts. She refused to waste this beautiful night on self-pity when she could finally indulge herself.

She finished her wash and walked back to her bag. There was a soft blanket inside, together with some linen cloth and even a bottle of oil. Strangely soft habits for a mercenary captain, perhaps, but she found pleasure wherever she could. A beast they might think her, but she refused to act like one.

Herah laid down on the blanket, enjoying the soft breeze on her naked skin. The moon shone brightly and the sound of falling water was strangely calming. She closed her eyes and sighed, releasing the tension that gathered over the span of several days. Or was it weeks? Months?

She stretched her hands above her head, momentarily happy that the wyvern chose such a beautiful location for its nest. Thinking of the wyvern made her think of today's fight again. She felt the sweet ache settle in her lower abdomen and reached for the bottle of scented oil she brought with her.

She spread the oil over her fingers, enjoying the feeling of slickness. Just how she liked it.

One of her hands reached to play with her right nipple, the other travelled lower still. The first touch sent a spark along her nerves and brought a soft sigh of relief on her lips. It's been… so long.

Her legs spread wider as she pinched one nipple. No matter how many times she did this, it never got old. Neither was it completely satisfying, but you take what you can get. Then Herah forcibly turned her mind to more pleasant thoughts.

Fingers playing with the little bundle of nerves, spreading slick oil over her lower lips, she thought about the men of the Inquisition. Cullen and his wind-blown golden hair as a smirk pulled the delicious little scar on his upper lip tight. Varric as he strutted through the keep with his bare chest, charming every passing noble with his roguish, but still kind grin. The mysterious eyes of Solas, as he described the wonders of Fade in smooth, steady voice full of quiet confidence. And, of course, Bull's rippling muscle, incredible strength and huge, impressive dragon horns, always pointing up as he bravely faced all their enemies.

She moaned and reached lower, one of her fingers slipping inside.

The fact that she would never have any of them did not matter at this moment. They were real in her mind. And it was such a rare pleasure to so much as dream of one of her own kind. Her mind settled more firmly on Iron Bull and her lower belly quivered in excitement.

Her fingers working faster, she remembered the roar as he charged the Wyvern, unafraid of its poisonous bite. The way the ground shook as he slammed his battleaxe down hard enough to break the beast's leg. The little hitch in his breath as he prepared his fierce battle cry. His chest and muscular arms straining, covered in so much Wyvern blood she couldn't even see his tattoos. She bit her lip to stifle her moans, then realized that she was alone here and let them all out, as she added another finger.

Herah threw her head back, tips of her horns stabbing into the ground. It almost felt as if someone grabbed them and held her down, she thought as her moans grew even louder.

"Ungh."

That… wasn't her. Her eyes flew open in shock.

She ripped her fingers out, threw herself on her side and grabbed the staff she never left too far away. A fact that saved her life more than once. Crouching on one knee, she clutched the staff harder. Her eyes skipped all over the small clearing, searching for the intruder.

She didn't have to search long.

The Iron Bull stood at the cave's entrance, arms crossed as he stared at her, eyes unreadable. Herah's shoulders relaxed a fraction as she realized she was not, in fact, under attack. Then she realized she kneeled there naked, putting herself on display.

She let go of her staff, hurriedly pulled herself up and grabbed the still wet linen cloth nearby to cover her nudity. Not that it would help much, at this point. Bull already saw, well, everything. She looked away, grateful that her blush wasn't visible in the soft moonlight.

Bull spoke before she could get her bearings, "Easy, Boss." He raised his hands, palms up and took a single step towards her.

Herah had to fight the urge to step back. She told herself firmly that this was a trusted companion, that she had nothing to fear. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a trembling voice, then swallowed to hide her sudden nerves.

Iron Bull took another step closer, palms still raised. "Saw you leave the keep, thought I'd give you backup on your secret mission." He looked her over, horns to toes. "But it seems you had it well in hand." He smirked.

That was… She couldn't help it and chuckled. Alright, maybe not the best reaction, but she always found Bull's inappropriate jokes amusing. In fact, the more inappropriate, the more she wanted to laugh.

"Well, as you can see, my hands are up to the task," she commented nonchalantly.

His smirk turned mischievous, "Not the only thing up right now."

Her eyes skipped down to see an impressive bulge in the cloth… thing he insisted on wearing. "Bull?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked him in the eye again, "Are you flirting with me?"

"I am," he lowered his hands and started slowly walking towards her. Her heart skipped a beat as she involuntarily took half a step back. He continued, voice full of promise, "Are you interested?"

Her eyes narrowed. She flirted with him back at Haven, but he never showed any interest in her aside from concern for her welfare when she got injured. The feelings of a teammate, not a lover. Not even a casual fling.

"I might be. But… you never responded before. What changed?" Herah did not like how her voice trembled when she said it.

He stopped barely a step away from her and looked in her eyes with an unreadable expression. "I'm not bound by the demands of the Qun anymore. I am free to choose what I want," he stepped even closed, leaned in and said in a low, tempting, sexy voice, "And I. Want. You."

Her breath hitched and her eyes closed of their own accord. She tried unsuccessfully to slow her ragged breathing, but gave it up, when he set his big, strong but gentle hands on her arms.

He gently pulled her closer to him, until she felt the heat of his body, "Do you want me, too?"

Herah looked up at him. She still could not read much in his expression, but she saw the play of emotion in his eye. Passionate hunger. "Yes," she replied breathlessly, leaning in.

Their lips met and Herah had to fight to stay upright. Her body still trembled from her previous play and she was not sure she could remain standing for much longer. Bull must have sensed this too, for he grabbed her waist and pulled her flush to his body. Herah felt the incredible heat radiating from his skin and the hardness between his legs and moaned. Her fingers let go of the linen cloth she clutched to herself as her last defense. It slipped to the ground, leaving her to stand naked in his arms. She heard his answering groan and smiled into their kiss.

Her smile was replaced with open mouthed look of shock when one of his hands let go of her hips and dove right into her cleft, searching and finding her intimate parts more than ready for his fingers. He obviously wasn't messing around anymore and plunged his tongue in her mouth as his fingers played with her.

Standing naked in his arms, she surprisingly wasn't feeling the least bit vulnerable. That said something about the level of trust she had in Bull. She'd normally never allow a man this much power over her, she thought bewildered, then decided to stop thinking and enjoy the ride. When his hand briefly left her center, Herah all but mewled in disappointment, but had no time to regret the loss.

Bull grabbed her hips with both hands, turned her around, then picked her up as if she weighted nothing and… sat down on her blanket, making Herah sit in his lap. Almost sitting on his cock. She couldn't have stopped her surprised and excited gasp if she tried. His dark chuckle only made it that much harder for her to breathe.

He pulled her flush against his chest and his hardness settled snuggly against the cleft of her buttocks, felt clearly through his cloth pants.

Herah wriggled and heard his soft groan in her ear. But, as much as she liked this position, she needed to stop this. Her horns were simply too long and sharp, and in this position, at exactly his eye level. She did not want to take out his remaining eye if she lost control and moved her head at the wrong angle.

Before she could move, Bull grabbed one of her horns and pulled it so that her face was half-turned towards him. Pointing her horns away from his face. "Bull…" She moaned. This was… dangerous and…

"Trust me," he purred into her ear and before she knew it, she relaxed in his hold. She felt more than saw his satisfied grin. One of his hands settled on her thigh, the other still holding her horn as he whispered in a dangerous voice, "Spread your legs."

Herah moaned and obeyed his command without thinking, spreading wide so that each of her legs lay over one his thighs, baring her to the cool night air. His answering groan only made her more excited than she already was.

This was new. No one ever dared command the great Herah Adaar. Not for a long time. Not since she rose to be a mercenary group leader, and definitely not since she became the Herald of Andraste. She relished the feeling of someone else finally taking control.

"Put your hands on my sides. And don't. Let. Go." He muttered in a low voice, punctuating his words with small biting kisses along her neck.

With a moan, she reached back to set her hands on his hips and leaned more fully against his big, strong chest. In this position, with this man, she felt… small. The feeling was amazing. Comforting and exciting. She wriggled against Bull's hardness again.

Bull growled against her throat, but his other hand caressed her thigh gently. She expected him to 'dive right in' so to speak, but he surprised her. While she felt the hardness against her back, he made no move to align them for penetration, or even to open his pants. He started slowly kissing and nibbling her neck, all the while holding her horn in a tight grip that was far more exciting that it had any right to be.

His free hand rose to gently rest over her heart and Herah took a shaking breath to steady herself. This… She expected him to take her the same way he fought – hard, fast, passionate, with skill gained from a lot of practice. This felt more like friendly lovemaking than a quick fuck. But then, Bull always managed to surprise her.

The hand on her chest slowly moved, fingers caressing skin until they reached a nipple, and Herah forgot how to breathe. The pads of his fingers were rough and dry, strong but comforting. The hands of a warrior, one who handled her the same way he would his beloved axe. She gulped, loudly and felt a soft exhale of warm breath on her neck, which sent another wave of excited shivers down her spine.

Bull took his time exploring her breasts, alternating between pinching and caressing, until Herah felt she would come from this alone. Just when it was becoming too much, he lifted his head from her neck and started gently biting her ear. That evil, tempting hand made its way from her breast, to first rest against her belly, then slowly slip lower. Almost touching where she wanted it the most. Almost.

"More! Please!" Herah moaned, loudly, and Bull gave her ear an approving bite as he finally touched her where she needed.

She was still slick with the oil she used on herself earlier, but also wet from the incredible turn on of being held and touched like this. By this man. When his fingers found the little bundle of nerves, she almost flew out of her skin, and it was only the tight grip Bull had on her horns that prevented her from hurting one of them. He clutched her horn tighter and growled approvingly against her skin.

An embarrassingly loud moan ripped itself out of her throat. She tried to stifle it, but before she could gain control over her voice, Bull spoke against her throat, "Let it all out, Herah. There is no shame here."

The sound of her name on his lips aroused her more than it had any right to. She moaned loudly again. A few moments of those scalding caresses and Herah felt her orgasm building incredibly fast, climbing to the top faster than ever before, from the touch of his fingers alone.

Just before she could reach her peak, Bull slowed down almost to a stop and she keened in disappointment, digging her nails into the thick skin under her hands.

"Not yet," he whispered sweetly into her ear. "Not until I have at least a finger inside you."

She opened her eyes with great effort and tried to turn her head towards him. The grip on her horn lessened only enough to allow the movement, then tightened again when their eyes met. She looked at him, pupils blown wide and saw his eye almost as dark as hers. It was a relief to know he was just as influenced by what was happening.

Herah closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss him. Their lips met and they both groaned at the contact. The moment his tongue slipped inside her mouth, his fingers started moving again, this time parting her folds to slip inside her. She twitched involuntarily on the thick digit, clutching him inside her. The touch sent sparks along her nerves and brought a feeling of fullness that made her both satisfied and wishing for more.

Bull worked his finger as deep inside her as he could get, then started to move. Herah wildly thought that his one finger gave her more pleasure than most of her past lovers combined. Lost in a lustful haze, she wondered if she'll ever be able to get Bull to do this to her, with her again. She hoped so.

He added a second finger and his thumb moved to tease her on the outside, pressing against the little nub. Herah gave up on keeping herself back and started moaning nonstop. When he crooked his fingers and found the sensitive spot inside her, she dove back for his lips and bit him again and again, panting. She felt him smirk against her, then he started moving his fingers faster. Harder. Stronger.

The grip on her horn tightened, adding to the pleasure as he pulled her head closer to plunge his tongue inside her mouth again. She felt on the verge of tears from excitement and felt she wouldn't forgive him if he stopped now.

Stopping was not his goal this time. The pressure built and built until it exploded inside her with a wave of pleasure so strong she ripped her mouth from his and…

Screamed.

Wave after wave of blinding pleasure passed through her body, shaking her to the core while Bull only prolonged the pleasurable torment with his strong, sure moves and bites along her neck and shoulder. She rode the waves as best she could, digging her nails into his skin and clutching his fingers deep inside her.

Just when it was becoming too much, Bull slowed down. Herah fell apart in his arms, trembling from the aftershocks and heard him whisper raggedly, "Taarsidath-an Halsaam," as he gently kissed the horn near his mouth.

The next moments were hazy, lost in the sheer relief she felt. When she finally came to herself, she realized her cheeks were wet from tears. She never even realized when she started crying, she thought with a heavy swallow, trying to slow her wildly beating heart. With shock, she realized her nails dug into the skin of his sides so hard she left welts visible even in the pale moonlight.

She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. On his harness.

That startled her. She almost forgot that Bull was still fully dressed. And hard. She felt his manhood through the cloth pants and wondered how she'll manage to, well, return the favor, exhausted like this.

"…B-Bull," she started and was shocked to hear the stutter in her voice. She hadn't stuttered since… since she was a child. What did this man do to her?

"Yes, Boss?" he asked her sweetly. Innocently.

Herah groaned and tried to turn herself so she could reach for his pants. Before her trembling fingers could so much as reach for his belt, Bull gently caught her wrist in his large hand.

"Rest, Herah," he spoke gently and lifted her hand to place a small kiss on her fingers.

Herah shivered and relaxed back against him. "But… don't you want to…" She'd be damned if she didn't return at least a fraction of the mind-shattering pleasure he gave her.

He only smiled, closed his eye and turned his face up towards the moon with a deep inhale. "This night is about you. About what you need." He spoke softly. Then he added with a smirk, "But if you still need more, I think I can oblige."

Herah huffed out a laugh and fell back down against him, "Honestly, I don't think I'd manage if I tried. You wore me out completely."

His only answer was a happy chuckle.

Herah thought about what happened. Did… this, whatever it was, mean that they were together now? As in dating? Or was this just a friendly 'service' to help her work out the tension from today's fight? She had no idea and that… worried her.

Thankfully the man who could help her make sense of this was right here. "Bull?"

"Yes?"

"What is… this? What are we…? Where do we go from here?" She asked him, too tired to try and mask her uncertainty. Probably wouldn't have helped anyway.

"This is whatever you need it to be." He looked down at her, splayed over his chest, then reached and gently grabbed her chin to make her look at him. "If you want it light and casual, that's fine by me. It could also end here, no questions asked. Or we can see how far you want take this."

She closed her eyes with relief. So Bull would be open to a… relationship, of a sort, after all. She worried he would not want to continue.

The thought of ending it never even crossed her mind.

"I want more. Definitely more," she answered in an exhausted, but certain voice.

Bull only looked at her enigmatically. "See, you say that, but I'm not sure if you know what you're asking. If you are ready for this."

"Why don't we try and see?" She gave him a weak grin full of challenge.

He only chuckled, "Rest first. We can talk about all this later."

Herah smiled back and relaxed against him.

This was a really beautiful night, in more ways than one. Bull has been a good friend to her for a long time now. Well, long in the understanding of a mercenary captain who lived on the road almost her whole life. And while there might be several things they still needed to discuss, she'll be damned if she let the man get away from her now. After experiencing such mind-blowing pleasure in his arms, she couldn't wait to have him again, completely.

It was a long time before she finaly felt ready to try and stand up. Her legs still shook a little, yet Herah couldn't help but smile. Bull definitely noticed, as a smug little grin appeared on his face.

They packed in silence, then slowly made their way back to the keep. But once Caer Bronach came into view, Bull started throwing looks her way. Looks so obvious that she noticed almost immediately.

"Yes, Bull?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow. It was not like him to hesitate.

"Red has a lot of people in there. If we come inside together like this, all of them will immediately guess that something happened between us." He looked at her sideways. "I will understand, if you want to enter separately…"

"No." Herah deadpanned as she didn't even let him finish that sentence.

His answering snort put a smile on her face. She grabbed his hand, just to make it completely obvious, and walked in the direction of the main gate, in full view of all the guards, spies, merchants and passing visitors. Unknown to them, one thought flashed through both their minds at the same time…

This will be interesting.

— The End —

A/N: Soooo, turns out I *can* write sex scenes after all. I hope. Now I'm kind of sorry I chickened out while writing Meeting Halfway, but… I think that one turned out fine even without it. Please tell me what you think about this one - I can't tell if it's good (still feels unnatural for me to write it).

Also, who else misses the way Qunari say 'No'? I know I do. It's like a pre-requisite. If you don't say 'No' at least once, you're not a real Qunari.