Work Text:
Bringing in parts of animals and enemies of the inquisition really wasn't his favourite job. First of all, he had to lug around red crystals, blue lyrium, pieces of swords, even dead tissue oh fucking creators, and secondly, today was so, so much worse. Two days ago, they'd been hacking away at all manners of animals, but Helisma had asked him to bring back the heart of a Varghest. The memory of cutting it out still made him shiver. He killed things with magic, he almost never touched a blade. He'd very kindly asked Sera, but she'd basically retreated saying a string of curse words and a lot of repeating "No, fucking hell with that, fuck." He knew better than to ask Dorian, really. He still couldn't quite fathom why Helisma would want a Varghest's heart, as the thing is big as can be, apparently, as told by the evidence now sitting in a sack in between his supplies. Creators, he'd have to wash the blood out of his stuff later. Another thing to look forward to.
He swung the sack forward just as he'd reached Helisma's table of study, and it landed with a sickening quelch. Oh fuck... He was going to throw up soon. He turned himself away from the ghastly sight and looked around for Helisma, but she was nowhere to be found. On top of asking him very weird things to bring back, she was often gone from the rotunda. Really.
Picking up the bundle of sick, he smoothed the hair he had still left out of his eyes. He wasn't squeamish, not at all, but this is pushing it. He threw it over his back and took the stairs two at a time down towards the floor, which meant he was going too fast to still be able to stop at all. That's why he didn't see the elven woman coming.
They ran into each other at what seemed like full speed and knocked hips, elbows, heads and chins together until they both went sprawling back on the stairs. The elven woman - Minaeve, he could see now - looked up drearily, immediately going into a volley of excuse-me's and Ir abelas's and basically, being an utter broken down mess. He was sitting up gingerly since he had taken the brunt of the force, but a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Minaeve, you really only have to apologize once, you know. Not that you have to apologize at all,..." This made the woman pause and blush, another "My apologies" mumbled out to him. He'd known she was timid, but he also knew she could be quite fierce over the things she believed in. The guilt streaming over him to make her apologize bubbled up, until he stood up straight and took her by her shoulders, coming to eye level with her. His face was only inches from hers to make sure she listened to him well. A pang went through him, though he didn't know why. "It's okay, Minaeve."
The woman looked up into his eyes and he couldn't quite catch his breath. Her mouth had stopped forming apologies, but nevertheless, they were visible in her blue eyes. Quite a nice shade of blue, too, he realized. Her short hair cut to her nape was mussed, likely from the fall, and he had the odd desire to touch the wayward strands coming just short of her eyes. Bull must have given him quite the strong drink back in the tavern...
"Inquisitor?"
Her soft voice managed to break through his reverie and made him realize he was... still holding on to her. With both hands. Creators. He sputtered and let go of her shoulders as if burned, retreating back slightly. "I- I'm sorry...I don't know..." It was her turn to smile encouragingly at him, however. She placed a hand on his forearm, saying "I believe it is my turn to say it is alright, inquisitor." She inclined her head encouragingly. He felt warmth creeping to his cheeks, and he really hoped she wouldn't be able to tell. What had gotten into him? He thought he'd buried his crush for her a year ago, when they were still in Haven. But then Helisma took over her job, and he really didn't speak much to her anymore. He smiled apologetically, one corner of his mouth going up. "Alright. Now that we're here, I- um... wanted to ask how you where doing. Now that you're not our leading researcher anymore." The woman smiled bashfully. "I really enjoy the time I can put into my studies, now that Helisma has taken over." He smiled.
"I'm glad you can do something you like." Minaeve made to say something, but thought better of it. Next she spoke, it was even softer.
"All thanks you, inquisitor."
"Luca is fine, though. Or Lavellan. Being called inquisitor all the time makes me forget I'm a person as well, sometimes." He ducked his head, fiddling with the bands securing the leather armour on his arms. She grinned, a happy sight he would like to see more often. "Luca, then."
Hearing her choose his given name over his clan name made him feel even more uncomfortable and hotter than before. He really shouldn't have done that. Minaeve struggles to find words for a minute until she came up again, gesturing up the stairs. "It was nice seeing you again... Luca. But I have to take over Helisma's duties for a moment, since the herbalist of the gardens asked her for her insight this afternoon." He twitched at the name, starting to speak but before he could, Minaeve had already gone up the stairs. The only option was to follow her, though he couldn't say he minded. Just when she'd reached the table, he touched her arm to guide her back to him. She visibly shot up, going rigid. She looked at him with wide eyes and a faint blush dusting her cheeks as he struggled for words.
"Ah. I... hm, Helisma asked- uh, she asked me to retrieve the heart of a Varghest, and bring it to her as soon as I could, which I did, but she wasn't here, so I guess I should give this thing to you... I think?" He held up the bag that was slowly being seeped through with blood. Creators, it must've looked horrible, a mage handing another mage a bloodied bag with a mushy weight in it, and all he could think of was what Minaeve must think of him. Not that he hadn't brought her the gory things she had asked for back in the day, but it didn't really fit in with all the awkwardness and the feeling of wanting to touch her face at any given moment.
"Thank you, inquisitor! I had actually asked Helisma to ask you, since I knew you were going to the Western Approach..."
Again, she looked decidedly uncomfortable and picked at a loose thread in her sleeve. Was her blush getting fiercer, or was he imagining it? He really hoped he wasn't.
"If you knew, why didn't you come up to me then?" This made her look up, and he could only describe her expression as embarrassed. She opened her mouth, shut it again. Then opened her mouth once more. Really now, the action was making him look at her lips all the more. He couldn't really be blamed for getting lost a bit, right? She inhaled. "You were busy."
It was the strangest thing he had ever heard. He was often laying about drinking with Bull, the chargers, Dorian, or even Cassandra and Varric. He didn't have heaps of free time, but surely...
"I wouldn't have minded you interrupting me while I was busy." Oh. Oh Creators, no. He did not just say that. Let the breach come back from the skies and open up right back under his feet. The void was such a nice place to think of in moments like these.
She gulped. Actually gulped. He saw her neck move with the motion, making him think of other things he could do, and he steeled himself for her gracious refusal to come. Only it didn't.
"Then I will, when I need you again." She refused to look him in the eye. It made him want to reach for her jaw, tilting it up just so...
"Ah, I- I uh, I have the heart still, should I put it... ah, on the desk?" She looked as if someone had just smacked her. He felt awful.
"Yes, that would be great, thank you, Luca." Her using his name again. How something so simple could make him want to have a very, very cold bath was beyond him. He straightened up his bloodied bags and watched her squirm and feeling his face get hot as he blurted out something he really shouldn't have. "Minaeve, would you like to go with me for some drinks later?"
Fuck another breach. He wanted to scream for a high dragon to swallow him and take him away before he didn't anything worse than this. He was scum, he shouldn't be asking her all this, his mouth was running away from him again and what if she says-
"Yes." She smoothed out her robes and looked up at him, with a hunted look in her eye and something akin to desperation, expectance. He couldn't put his finger on it. He understood that she actually said yes instead of no, and he decided to do another stupid thing before this conversation blew up in his face. He reached for her, taking her chin with two fingers and kissing her on the cheek. "It's a date."
How he went from delivering an animal heart to arranging dates, he really didn't know and didn't care as he hightailed it out of the rotunda, a flush down to his neck and his heart beating as if he was about to fight a dragon. He couldn't help the grin from appearing on his face, however.