cave of confusion

Tavaris yawned, stretching lazily in bed and reaching to his side to search for his partners. Zevran’s side of bed was slowly cooling — he couldn’t have left long ago — but Spawn was still here, chuckling at Tav’s sleepy face.

“Hello, love,” he said softly, wrapping his arms around Tav’s waist and pulling him closer. “Happy whatever-you-call-it vallaslin day.”

Tavaris hummed quietly, nuzzling his face into the crook of Spawn’s shoulder.

“It’s vallas’vun’in, not whateveryoucallit,” he grumbled. “Where’s Zev?”

“He should be back in a moment,” Spawn promised, lifting Tav’s chin for a kiss. Tavaris winced, his ears jerking comically.

“Morning breath,” he huffed, turning away. “’m not gonna kiss anyone until I get a brush and some assinthe.”

Spawn laughed, kissing Tav’s temple.

“Does my breath offend you? If not, then you know I am a shem barbarian and I’m always happy to kiss your morning breath away.”

Tav looked up at him, still rather bleary, but gave a small smile.

“Shem barbarian,” he said, but the insult lacked any bite. “I might take you up on your offer, but I need to get up. I still haven’t reviewed all the correspondence from the last week and Varel surely has something he wants me to handle.”

Spawn’s arms around his waist tightened.

“Nope,” he said, grinning widely. “You’re not reviewing any correspondence today. And Varel will wait till tomorrow. He knows already that nobody can bother us today.”

“Spawn,” Tavaris tone turned tired. “Lath, I can’t just slack of. I am the arl, I have responsibilities…”

“Tav,” Spawn kissed the crown of his head, smiling. “You can and you will. Varel already knows that he’s to give you some space today and that you’re not having any responsibilities today. The arling will survive one day without you overseeing every single thing.”

Tavaris furrowed his brows, already opening his mouth to protest when there was a dull knock on the door.

“Spawn, hermoso mio, would you please help me with that?” Came Zevran’s muffled voice. “I cannot seem to grow a third arm so far.”

The mage smiled, kissed Tav’s brow and stood up quickly, not bothering to cover himself.

“Stay here, alright?” He asked, hurrying to the door to let Zevran in.

Their third lover came in in a thin shirt and soft silk trousers he liked to wear in the comfort of the keep. His hands were busy with a heavy looking tray, full of divine smelling food.

“So, did he try to escape already?” He asked, standing on his tiptoes to steal a kiss from Spawn. Spawn smiled, returning the chaste peck and picked an apple piece from the tray.

“He did, but I told him that there are no responsibilities today. He doesn’t seem to agree.” He plopped the piece of fruit in his mouth and chewed, a blissful expression on his face.

“It’s perfect,” he said. “I don’t know where Mistress Dana gets the fruits from, but they must grow on lyrium veins to taste like that.”

Tavaris sat up, finally completely awake.

“What’s that?” He asked.

“Ah, that is a breakfast in bed,” Zevran answered. “A concept you might not be completely unfamiliar with, given the fact that you brought it to both of us more than once.”

Spawn shrugged, still distractingly naked.

“Now it’s your turn.” He smiled, sitting back on the bed. “We thought that since you don’t celebrate your namesday like a normal person, then we need to have a celebration on your vallaslin-day.”

“Starting with the breakfast,” Zevran added, sitting down on the other edge of the bed and laying the tray in Tavaris’ lap. “Mistress Dana was very excited to prepare some of your favourites.”

Tavaris blinked, staring at the choice of food with a dumbfounded expression.

“I am not sick,” he said. “I shouldn’t…” He spotted something among the plates and his eyes widened. “Are these halliman cookies? How?”

“Mistress Dana employed Velanna to help her. Velanna brought some recipes and contacted one of the clans passing in the area to buy some halla milk and other Dalish ingredients for you.”

Tavaris blinked, cleared his throat and stopped his undignified attempt to sniff the cookie.

“Velanna, Mistress Dana… Who else?”

“Oh, it would be easier to say who did not participate. Ambassador Cera, to be precise.”

“She said it would be improper of her to condone whatever disgusting intemperance I have planned,” Spawn grinned. “In the hindsight it might have gone better if Zevran was the one who’d done the asking.”

Tavaris shrugged. “I despise that woman anyway. I truly believe Greagoir had send her here as a thinly veiled insult.”

He finally bit on the cookie, closing his eyes in deep pleasure at the familiar taste.

“I do not know about you, amor, but for the first time in my life I am jealous of a cookie,” Zevran remarked with a smile. “I haven’t seen him doing this face without someone doing unspeakable things to him.”

“I wonder what face he would make if we did unspeakable things to him now,” Spawn winked at Zevran and moved to crawl under the cover. Tavaris stopped him with a raised hand.

“Don’ yoo dere,” he said around the cookie, then swallowed and repeated. “Don’t you dare. I hadn’t had those since the Blight. I had a blowjob last evening.”

“Now I am definitely jealous of the cookies,” Spawn complained. Zevran chuckled, hugging him from behind.

“At least it seems that the surprise was well received,” he said, kissing Spawn’s neck. Spawn purred, leaning against Zevran and looking at Tavaris softly.

“Well, it’s a good thing demons aren’t very interested in people who don’t wield magic,” he commented. “I imagine a desire demon would have a terribly easy job with this one.”

“A plate of cookies and the soul is sold?” Zevran chuckled. “I can see that.”

Tavaris swallowed.

“Not just a plate,” he corrected. “I’m not stupid. I’d demand a lifetime supply of tasty things.”

Spawn smiled, feeling affection welling in his chest.

“You know, you can have it here, without any desire demons.”

Tavaris looked at him with warmth in his eyes.

“And with much more attractive tempters,” he noted. “I could never understand why all the desire demons I met had worn feminine forms.” He pushed the tray towards his lovers. “I don’t believe any of you ate already?”

Spawn attacked the fruit bowl with ferocious intensity, finally failing to hide how hungry he woke up — not that it was anything special. Warden appetites were something that couldn’t be easily dismissed.

Zevran picked at the cheese in a much more restrained manner.

“So, now that we have established that you are not working today, what would you like to do?” He asked after he swallowed a bite. “We want you to have fun today.”

Tavaris grinned.

“I have two most handsome men in Ferelden in my bed,” he said cheerfully. “I can think of number of fun things to do together.”

Zevran laughed quietly.

“Of course, that is on the table, without doubt. However, I was thinking that maybe you’d like to do something else. Apart of sex, I don’t think I ever saw you do anything just for pleasure.”

Tavaris frowned.

“I am not sure what you have in mind,” he said. “I don’t usually have any time for frivolities.”

Spawn sighed.

“Everyone needs something frivolous now and then,” he said quietly. “We’re worried a bit, seeing that you’re always working. You need your rest, Tav, just like the rest of us, mortals.”

“I do rest,” Tavaris was frowning, but Spawn could easily tell it was more confusion than anger. “I get enough sleep, I drink and sleep enough, I try to pace my trainings…”

“And I thank the Maker every single day for that,” Zevran answered — while at the very same time Spawn was saying: “yes, after you have collapsed in the middle of throne room and Anders had to yell at you stuff that is basic common sense for the rest of us.”

Tavaris sighed.

“Alright, alright, I can see your point. But I still don’t really know what you are expecting now.”

Zevran rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“You know, you should take care of your mental health as well. The Blight is over, the talking Darkspawn are a thing of the past and the arling is running smoothly — yet I still see you as high strung as you were when you had the weight of the whole world on your shoulders.”

“People are still relying on me, Zevran,” Tavaris said tiredly. “Why won’t we just have a mindblowing sex and then I get back to my work?”

“Mindblowing sex is something I am always happy to provide, and I believe that Zevran agrees,” Spawn said, licking his fingers of juice. “But, I am curious — what you used to do for fun when you lived with your clan?”

“I didn’t have much time for frivolities as well. There was always something to do.”

“When you were a kid as well?” Zevran asked. “I always liked to go out and see some street theaters when I could spare some time and energy from my training. If even the Crows allowed occasional idling, I have trouble imagining that your family would keep you too busy to do something pleasurable from time to time.”

“I had no street theaters to go to,” Tavaris answered slowly. “But I always liked when we would gather together and tell the stories, and sing. Other than that, I hunted, I shot things, swam with Tamlen and Merrill…”

Spawn grinned.

“Stories and singing you say? It seems we have a good starting point.” He leaned over the tray, giving Tavaris a sticky kiss. “Have you ever tried reading anything that wasn’t a dry history account or a handbook you thought necessary to know? Like a novel, for example?”

Tavaris rolled his eyes.

“I have no time for…”

“…frivolities, yes, we have heard that, amor,” Zevran interrupted. “You also have Varel and Misstress Woolsey and a whole army of clerks trained in varied skills. You don’t have to do everything by yourself, you can spare some time for yourself.”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’, love.” Spawn reached for a meat roll that he knew was on the tray mostly for him, as Tavaris wasn’t a big fan of those. “Only butts you should be interested in are mine and Zevran’s.”

“…I am responsible for the people living here. I still don’t understand why, but they do rely on me.” Tav’s ears drooped a bit. “And I am the worst person for the job anyone could find. The least I can do…”

“You are a great person for the job, carissimo. You are smart and responsible and you care.” Zevran kissed his fingers. “But delegating tasks is something every smart and responsible leader does, because otherwise you spread yourself too thin and end up mad or dead while you’re still needed.”

“So, you two nagging me a way of ensuring I don’t get mad?” Tavaris gave them a crooked smile, reaching for the honey jar and scooping some of it with a cookie. Spawn felt sugar high just from looking at him.

“Yes, love, that’s exactly what it is.” Spawn smiled, getting another roll, while Zevran apparently was already done with his cheese. “So, what would you like to do today?”

“Reading feels like a pretty solitary activity and if you force me to play hooky for today, then I want you both with me. We could start with this mindblowing sex we were talking about. And later, maybe, we can go for a ride?”

Zevran looked at Spawn with one brow raised.

“I do not think we will get him out of the bed today. Especially not for a ride. “

“As long as he’s happy. It’s his vallaslin-day after all.”