#and elluin being a little shit xD

[noire-pandora]

You drive me crazy

For @14daysdalovers also on my AO3

Words:  2159

Pairing: Solavellan

Warning: brief mentions of blood and pain.

A pungent smell of healing potions and bitter tinctures shrouded the barely lit room. There, Elluin sat on a chair, her back on the wooden backrest, her eyes examining the surroundings. A bed with linen sheets stood next to the left wall, a bed she spent many nights in. She moved her gaze from it to the white, tall, long table, its whole surface occupied by numerous bottles, bandages and instruments she didn't understand. Healing magic was a curious craft, one she never fully comprehended. 

A sneeze suddenly tickled her nose, but she forced herself to hold it in, a high-pitched noise ringing in her ears. The shake of the sneeze would have reopened her barely closed wounds, a risk she wouldn't take.

Her left hand reached for her abdomen, delicately patting and probing for any blood staining the silky wrappings. Her fingers met a warm, sticky liquid, and she sighed, disappointed with her body. The short walk from her horse to the Skyhold's healing quarters ruined Dorian's handy work.

An annoyed grimace crossed her face. The healers always scolded her for jumping in front of the danger, huffing and puffing with disappointment. But, the only healer who could make her feel like a misbehaving child was Solas. And right now, she crossed her fingers, hoping anyone but him would come to heal her. She assumed he slept, as it was the middle of the night. Surely no one would dare to wake him up and announce him the Inquisitor and her party are back. 

As if summoned by her thoughts, Solas entered the room, closing the door with a loud thud. He said nothing and crossed the room to the worktable, firmly avoiding her gaze. The black circles under his eyes and his tensed jaw made her sigh profoundly.

'This won't go peacefully' she thought, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Elluin watched him as his hands opened and closed three bottles, pouring their content on a few bandages, mixing them with impressive confidence. His fingers sparked, healing magic sneaking in the silky bandages.

"Solas," Elluin warned him.

An annoyed huff left his nose. 

"No healing magic for me, please," she patiently explained once again. 

"As you wish", he grumbled through gritted teeth.

He turned to face her, one hand holding the bandages and one clenching the mysterious bottles. He stared at her wound, a dangerous frown knitting his eyebrows. 

"Sit on the bed," he instructed her. 

She slowly moved from the chair, hissing as a pang of pain quickly crossed her wound. 

"Take off your shirt," he continued as she eventually reached the bed.

"Oh, without kissing me first?" she said, looking up at him and grinning. "And here I was, thinking you're a gentleman."

Her cheeky grin melted immediately as he fixed her with a cold stare, the purple flecks in his eyes sparkling dangerously.

She quickly unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her pale shoulders, sprinkled with freckles that travelled down on her neck and chest. There, they disappear under her breast-band only to continue towards her abdomen where they disappear again, hidden by the hem of her pants.

She whimpered as she tried to slide the shirt down her arms, pain crossing her body again. "Can you help me, please? I don't think I can do it," she asked him, eyes closed to hide the anguish residing there. 

Quickly, Solas abandoned the healing materials on the bed next to her, and carefully slipped her shirt down her arms. Goosebumps sprang up all over her bare arms, as his fingers accidentally brushed her skin. She glanced up to meet his eyes, only to find a discrete blush dusting his cheeks. Her smirk returned, please to notice the effect she had on him. 

"I will take off the wrappings now. Try not to move."

She nodded and peered up at the ceiling of the room, allowing him to take care of her in silence. She winced and hissed a few times, the dried up blood peeling off from her skin. The cold air soon reached her wounds, the painful sensation pushing her to bury her nails into the wooden frame of the bed. 

"It will hurt less if you lie down in bed. Can you do that by yourself?" he asked, voice thick with concern. 

She shook her head. "No, I think I might need help for that too."

The coldness in his eyes disappeared altogether, only to be replaced with worry as he helped her get into the bed. After a few more painful seconds, relief washed over her, the pain subduing. 

While Solas left her side to burn the wrappings with his magic, she dared to take a glance at the wound, as the bleeding stopped. Her armour and the enchantment Dorian put on her took most of the damage, but the Venatori's sword still found a way to leave a mark on her flesh. She could clearly see a deep cut, a few centimetres long, stretching from the right side of her abdomen and stopping at her bellybutton. It was deep enough to cause impressive bleeding, but not enough to end her life. She closed her eyes again and made a mental note to properly thank Dorian for his assistance. 

Solas' hands touching her skin made her aware of his return. She opened her eyes to look at him, wondering if his cold demeanour melted away. The frown was still there, but she suspected it was the result of his deep concentration. She challenged his skill with her insistent refusal to use any magic to heal, thus forcing him to utilize the standard, non-magical means to help her. She closed her eyes again, the fatigue finally catching up with her, and she dozed off in less than three minutes. 

A loud huff woke her up again. She looked up at Solas with curiosity, raising an eyebrow. "If you have something to say, I'll happily listen."

"I'm finished," he said, ignoring her words, the coldness returning in his voice.

"Already? No wrapping?"

"No, not yet," he replied, gathering his stuff to put them back on the table, his back at her. "I will have to change the bandages again, in two hours. I do hope you will stay put for a few hours, without feeling the insistent need to jump in front of a sword." 

`Oh, here we go again.` she thought, half amused and half worried. She patiently waited for him to continue, already knowing where this discussion would lead. 

A few bottles clicked against each other as he sorted them, throwing away the empty ones. "I have the suspicion you do not understand an important fact, and I will be quite happy to enlighten you about it if you do not mind it." he continued. 

"Not at all, go on, enlighten me," she articulated, wondering if he caught the cheekiness in her words. 

"In the last year, I have been the witness of your choices and decisions, and all of them had a logic, a well-thought move behind them. I have fallen in love with that intelligence. And yet, I am confused. Are you unable to understand your importance at this moment, Inquisitor?"

`Oh no, I'm in trouble now. He just called me Inquisitor in private.`

As if hearing her thought, he turned to look at her, his lips pursed into a thin line, his nostrils flaring. He reminded her of a dragon ready to attack his prey. A wide, mischievous grin grew on her lips. 

"Oh, my current importance?" she replied, feigning ignorance.

"Yes. Do you not understand what it means to be the bearer of the magic on your left hand?" he continued, almost growling. 

She hummed questionably, raising her left hand to look at the Mark. The green light twisted and slithered against her palm.

"The magic on your hand," he continued, moving closer to her. He reached her bed, his tall silhouette hovering above her. "That Mark, Inquisitor, is the key to the survival of this world. To our survival. And I have the impression you do not understand the importance of that fact." 

"Oh, is that so?" she replied and slowly rose up from the bed, careful not to open her wound again. Solas moved back a few steps  to stare at her face. "What makes you believe I am so ignorant?" she looked up at him, the grin still on her lips. 

"This is the fifth time you do this. You used your body as a shield to protect someone who did not need your protection. Varric told me how you protected Blackwall with your body when a Venatori attacked him. Why? He has an armour! He trained all his life to withstand moments like that. You are a mage, you should run away from a sword, not jump in front of it!" he spoke, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed them into fists.

 "Did Varric tell you Blackwall had his back turned at the Venatori and didn't see the attack coming?" Elluin calmly asked. 

"No, he did not. And even so, Blackwall can endure such an attack. You cannot!"

"Well, it seemed I endured it quite well," she shrugged, pointing at her wound. "Dorian helped me, and you finished the work. I see no hard done."

"No harm is done?" he asked incredulously. "You could have died. What if Dorian's charm failed? What if the Venatori had a poisoned weapon? What would you have done then?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure you would have saved me."

"You cannot do that. You have to stop risking your life. Stop jumping in front of the attacks, Inquisitor!" 

"And what, let others die in front of my eyes?" she asked. 

"Yes. If that means staying alive and protecting the Mark on your hand, then yes!" 

"Hm, so I should try to stay alive just to protect the Mark. My life is important only because of that?" she asked, closing the distance between them. 

"No, that is not what I said. I would--- "he stopped, his eyes widened with surprise, as Elluin lips smacked against his. She kissed him, no, she devoured him, her tongue urgently searching for an opening to slip into his mouth. With a frustrated moan, he allowed it. One hand grabbed her butt to pull her closer to him, the other slipped into her hair, gently tugging at her locks.

After a few heated minutes, the imperative need to breathe made Solas break the kiss. "Why did you do that?" he asked Elluin, who licked her lips.

"To stop you from sounding like an ass."

He opened his mouth a few times to speak but closed it back. He sighed and spoke again. "I apologize. You are right, I went too far," he closed his eyes and bent down to rest his forehead against hers. "You are important to me, more than you can imagine. The thought of you being hurt beyond healing petrifies me. I cannot bring you back if you die. The Mark on your hand is essential, but your safety holds more importance to me.

"Oh, I know that. And I am aware of everything you told me just now," she nonchalantly said. 

He quickly straightened his back to look into her eyes. "Then why did you…."

"Well," she started, biting her lower lip to contain her smile. "I think you're hot when you get angry. But since you rarely get angry, I took advantage of this situation. The way your eyes darken when you're pissed off is quite delicious. And I enjoy teasing you."

"Oh, for…" he groaned, hiding his face behind his hands, a crimson blush covering his cheeks to continue up to the pointy tips of his ears. "You drive me crazy."

She laughed, holding a hand on her belly, in an attempt to protect her wound. "Yes, I know that. But that's exactly why you love me, right?" 

"Yes," he acknowledged, dropping his hands in defeat. But you truly need to stop jumping in front of swords, Vhenan. If you die, my soul will die with you." 

"Fine, I will try to stop doing that," she replied, sitting back on the bed, wincing. 

He blinked in confusion. "All I have to do is say I will be hurt and you will stop doing dangerous things?"

"Yes. Much easier than being a smart-ass with me, huh?" 

"You truly are confusing sometimes, my love." 

She laughed again. "Will you stay with me tonight? I doubt I can climb all those stairs to my room without undoing your handy work." 

"I will, Vhenan." 

He joined her on the bed, pulling her in his arms and kissing her hair. Elluin nestled on his chest, breathing in his scent. A thought quickly crossed her mind, breaking the sweet moment for a second: What would she sacrifice to keep him alive? Would she jump in front of certain death to keep him alive?

'Yes'