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britcision · 1 year ago

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Friends I come with a gift! More Cole POV of him and our dear Herald Lavellan being creepy little horrors of the night together!

Once again this was a concept spawned and almost entirely written at about 4am, which is coincidentally also when the action takes place! A direct sequel to the original Sleepers, which featured Solas as our victim of record

link to the masterpost is at the bottom

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Sleepers 2 Josephine

Lavellan wasn’t a good sleeper either. He very rarely slept in his bed, just whatever odd corners he found for himself. And he slept at odd hours too.

This meant that he and Cole had rather a lot of time together to go and watch the other sleepers of Skyhold.

It was nice, really, having something to do with someone else. Cole liked the company of other people, asleep or awake, but awake was best.

Awake and aware and wanting him with them.

He sometimes followed Lluciano now even if the elf wasn’t sleepwalking or in his seizures. They could get into all the rooms, past any guards.

And they could watch over the people of Skyhold together. Keeping away the noises, the dangers. Watching the way the faces twitched and moved.

It was nice. Something they could do each night. Something to give a purpose to the quiet hours when the day was done.

So Cole had gotten quite used to looking for Lluciano, or coming across him already in someone else’s room. Even if he was still in his body, Cole knew he was still welcome.

When Lavellan wasn’t in his body, Cole was Needed, to keep him safe and keep his body from walking where it shouldn’t or into trouble. Being needed was nice, but… a secret little part of Cole preferred being wanted.

Being needed, Cole could always do something to help, and even if his help went wrong once or twice he could work it out. Being needed was easy, gave him the shape of purpose to fit himself into.

Being wanted, all he had to be was himself. He could help without having to do anything but exist.

Tonight he was in Josephine’s room, and Lluciano was beside her bed, all aware and himself. He wasn’t standing though, just sat cross legged on the floor, at the level where he could just stare into her face on the pillows.

He was worried about something.

Cole’s brows furrowed and he crossed the room silently, sinking carefully to sit beside Lluciano. It meant he couldn’t see Josephine so well, but she didn’t need him tonight.

She was asleep, blissfully unaware of their company. But Luci was worried.

Right up until he turned and caught sight of Cole, and a beaming smile spread across his face.

Cole smiled back, then noticed he’d done it and curled a little more into himself. Leaned a little more in the elf’s direction.

It was coming more easily now. More often, and that puzzled him sometimes. Varric said it was because he had friends, and people could see him to know when he smiled.

Trevelyan said he was picking up bad habits. But Trevelyan smiled a lot at the other heralds, so if it was a bad habit it couldn’t be too bad.

It was just… strange, still. When his body responded in ways he hadn’t specifically told it to. It did things on its own more now, the smiling and the leaning.

Cole hadn’t really felt the touching hunger in his own skin before, but he did now. Maybe because he hadn’t had many people touch him in kind ways?

Lavellan always touched him in kind ways. Soft, swift and fleeting little strokes. Hand on shoulder, hand in hand. Shoulder to shoulder, back to back.

He had leaned in too, and now they were touching from shoulder to hip as they sat at Josie’s bedside, watching her sleep.

The worry was gone too, like it had never been there.

Once upon a time, Cole would have thought that was a good thing. He still felt the lovely warm glow, that his company had healed that hurt.

But he was learning now, and now he knew better.

If Lluciano just forgot about the worrying, it would come back later, and sometimes it would be worse. His mind didn’t behave the way he wanted it to, and sometimes it kept secrets from itself.

It also sometimes wanted to do things that Lavellan didn’t want to, and tried to make him do them. It tried to make Cole do them too, shouting the little thoughts until he got confused.

Cadash called them “impulsive thoughts”, and said he should always ask before following them. Often they could lead to a lot more hurting, even when it felt like he could help.

He didn’t like those, but that was okay because their owners didn’t like them either. The only thing to do was ignore them until they went away, or look for distractions.

Cole had distracted Lluciano tonight, and now the worry had been hidden away. He felt a little bit bad about that, but it couldn’t penetrate the happy cloud.

He was here. He was helping. Lavellan felt better because he was here, even if he didn’t remember why they were in Josie’s room.

If it was important though, the worry would come back and then Cole could help with that too. He couldn’t ask about it; not when Josephine was sleeping.

He was getting much better at not being rude and talking when people slept, Varric said.

Cadash had been teaching him to draw little scenes and stories to share his thoughts in the ground with sticks instead. They liked stories, and liked drawing with him.

Cole liked the drawn stories. He could make a world where everyone was happy and safe.

There was nothing to draw with on Josephine’s floor.

That was alright too though. If they waited too long for the worry to come back, Josephine would wake up, and everyone in Skyhold knew that if you had a worry to solve, Josephine could solve it.

She didn’t usually want to, unless it was a big worry. She had a lot of worries of her own, so many that her head sometimes filled up with noise and buzzing.

Cole used to try and take her papers away when that happened. To stop her from thinking about them, and make her worry less.

But then she worried more, sharp and hot and angry, and Varric had told him that he should take her away from the papers instead.

That way she knew where they were, and that she could go back to them if she needed to. It was… a little strange, and a little scary, taking her away instead.

It meant she had to see him, and he had to try and explain. She asked him questions when she saw him, and didn’t like being told her head was too full of buzzing.

Most of the time Cole would just show himself, now. Stand in front of her desk and wait for her to notice him. Sometimes that took a while, even if he was traditionally visible.

But she would look up eventually, and look at him, and ask what he needed. And he could take her out onto the battlements to look at the sky, or to where someone else was full of the buzzing.

Josephine was very clever. She knew what he was doing, now. She didn’t ask so many questions, and the last time she had even thanked him.

Said that she knew she had needed a break, and thank you for taking her away from her desk.

Being thanked was nice. It was like knowing he had helped, and that the other person also knew he was helping, and that him helping also helped, and sometimes it was too much and confusing.

But a good confusing. He didn’t need to be thanked, but he also didn’t need his hat. Or to smile. And he liked those things anyway.

Lluciano always thanked him whenever he helped him. He always tried to help Cole too, even if sometimes they confused each other or went in circles.

There was a lot of compassion in Lluciano. And sometimes Cadash said he would like a little more, and they grinned at him, and Lluciano would blush and argue.

They didn’t mean compassion, they meant him specifically since Solas called him that, but Cole felt it was generally true even if they meant it differently.

He couldn’t imagine how people coped without it; seeing the hurting and not wanting to help. To make it better.

He had made Lavellan feel better by chasing the worry away, but Cole now worried that it might have been important. He couldn’t ask either, because whispering might wake Josephine.

It was a dilemma, and he found himself enjoying the time spent together in the quiet much less than usual. Usually things were much nicer when they just watched people sleep.

Unless those people woke up. Then it was usually loud.

Josephine made a soft noise, snapping Cole’s attention back to her, and rolled over.

Cole frowned.

Now they couldn’t see her face at all.

He went to stand up, but Lluciano caught him by the wrist, a sudden confusion on his face.

He’d realised he didn’t know why there were there anymore. But probably that they weren’t just watching, otherwise he would stand again too.

They could watch Josephine sleep much better from standing beside her bed. Although if Luci needed to sit, there were always the rafters.

Cole didn’t like that quite so much, since it meant they were further away and couldn’t enjoy all the little noises, movements, and of course couldn’t touch people from the rafters.

But he could get down instantly if he needed to, whenever he felt like it, and sometimes it was more important to be hidden from the people below.

Usually while they were awake, usually while they were with someone else. Pressing together, touching and tasting, pushed inside and torment turning tender…

Oh.

Inside.

That was probably what Cadash meant about him and Lluciano.

Cole knew Lluciano liked to think about having lots of people inside; it wasn’t the kind of hurt that normally drew him, but the elf longed and ached for it and the mark in his hand made him so loud.

Cole was vaguely aware that he’d been thought of in that same way before. Usually in passing, when he was being visible to everyone, because Josie said it was polite.

Sometimes it was someone he was helping, but that was even less often and only if things went very well, or he hadn’t started yet and then they immediately stopped.

It was… he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it. It was like being wanted, but that wasn’t the word.

Desire.

Lavellan desired him.

All the mages seemed to think that was a very dangerous word when applied to demons like him. Cole had never seen just a spirit of desire.

They all thought it was something scary, bad and harmful, and Cole didn’t like that. But the feeling, the shape of the longing in Lavellan’s head, wasn’t any of those things.

It was soft and fleeting and usually only when they were very close. Lluciano had those thoughts about a lot of people, though, and none of them became dangerous.

Well.

He had some of those thoughts about people specifically when they were being dangerous, like the Iron Bull.

This was going to take some much more serious consideration.

Later though, because Luci needed his help now, and not in the too hot-too tight-inside way.

Cole shuffled closer on the floor instead of standing, trying to ask a question with his eyes. They weren’t good at speaking though; it was the mouth’s job.

Josephine could speak whole sentences with a single look, or raised eyebrow. Cole wished she was awake now, even if she might be angry with them for being in her room.

They weren’t watching her sleep right now though, so maybe she wouldn’t mind.

Maybe she’d woken up.

A quick glance to check showed only the back of her head, blankets tucked up to her ears. Was she cold?

Cole glanced to the fire, side tracked for a moment, but no. The room was warm enough.

But Josephine was Antivan, and it was hotter there than here. He could find her another blanket, except…

Lavellan was still holding his wrist, his grip warm and grounding, and Cole looked back to him again. He just looked confused, and Cole didn’t know how to ask face questions like Josephine could.

Lavellan glanced cautiously at Josephine too.

She was turned away. Ears covered in the blankets. The fire was crackling.

Maybe they could risk a whisper?

Lluciano clearly thought they could, leaning in until each word was a little puff of air, his lips brushing the shell of Cole’s ear.

“I’m not sure why I’m here.”

Yes, Cole knew that part. He nodded, and his hair must have tickled Lluciano’s face as his hat bopped off his head, because the elf giggled suddenly and shoved both hands over his mouth.

Cole frowned at him for a moment, confused.

Oh.

Whispering went in the ears. His hat also went to the ears.

With great solemnity Cole took his hat off and placed it carefully on the ground behind him, far away enough that even if they had to move, it wouldn’t be stepped on.

Then he leaned back in so he could whisper back.

“You were here when I found you.” It wasn’t helpful, but it was all Cole had, and the worries had all run away before they could tell him what they were.

Lluciano frowned and turned back to Josephine’s sleeping form. Or where she probably was; it was hard to see her, from down below the level of the bed.

She wouldn’t know why they were there either. Would she? Josephine did know most things that were going on in Skyhold.

Not all of the smallest things, the little secrets in little places, but everything else. The little wants and needs, and who was blocking them and how to fix it.

Almost as if the power of their combined stares pulled her over, Josephine flopped back towards them. Her brows crunkled and Cole perked up hopefully.

Maybe she would wake up. Then she could make everything better.

As if propelled by his wish, her lashes fluttered slowly open, brows drawing into a deeper frown as she recognised them and sleep cleared from her eyes.

A hand reached slowly up as if to rub her eyes and check they were really there. Cole’s brows furrowed about a second before she instead grabbed her pillow and swung it at the pair of them hard.

She was lightning fast, adrenaline pushing the sleep from her system and being pushed out in turn by exasperated irritation.

“Cole! Lluciano! What have I told you!” She demanded, punctuating each of their names with a strike of the pillow that both took with mild confusion.

When it seemed the attack had ended for now, Luci raised both hands in a careful, placating gesture. He felt confused, and honestly Cole was too.

A lot of people got cross when they woke up if they saw him there. It was why he usually didn’t let himself be seen.

But Josephine had asked him to always be seen when he was with her, but now she was upset to see him. It was very complicated and he hoped Lluciano understood a little more.

“You said not to stand over you while you’re sleeping?” The elf offered carefully, feeling out the question.

Well, at least they were on the same page. It explained why Lavellan had pulled him back down to the floor too; they couldn’t see Josephine as well, but they would be doing what she wanted.

“We aren’t standing over you,” Cole agreed with a nod, feeling a little more sure. They were doing something right, at least. They listened to Josephine.

Who stared at them both a long moment, her mouth opening and closing a few times like she was about to speak, but couldn’t get the words sorted out.

Cole had that problem a lot. Things liked to come out wrong, and if people remembered him it all became much harder to fix. It made him more careful.

Josephine did not like when he spoke her thoughts aloud to try and sort them for her. Not many people did, even if they felt better after.

Cole was trying to get better at doing what people liked.

Finally Josephine gave up on trying to sort the words, and instead gave each of them another firm smack with her pillow.

“Do not come into my room while I am sleeping,” she told them both firmly, shaking the pillow as emphasis.

Cole frowned a bit at that; he liked watching Josephine.

Almost everyone in Skyhold agreed she was very beautiful, and he could kind of understand that on a surface level.

He couldn’t always see her outsides, though. Her insides were just too loud, always thinking and wanting and needing a hundred different things.

She held all of Skyhold in her head and her heart, kept things moving, kept them safe, doing things Cole couldn’t begin to understand but always helping.

He more than admired Josephine. She was wonderful, but he never fully knew what help to give her. Often when he tried, the path that seemed simple made things harder.

Helping Josephine was very complicated, and her insides only really went quiet when she was asleep. When she was at peace, all the world’s problems locked and sealed away.

It settled pieces of him that he didn’t know the names for, seeing her be able to put the helping down.

It was the closest he could come to helping her, guarding that sleep, making sure her peace was undisturbed for as long as he could.

It was… like knowing that he could stop too. Like he was also allowed to rest, and find peace, because if Josephine held it all together and still took her rest then surely he could too.

He would miss watching her sleep, but he could still stand guard at her door, and make sure no one disturbed her. That would have to do.

So Cole nodded, just as Lavellan opened his mouth to argue.

“But I need your help, Josephine,” the elf said plaintively, and suddenly Cole was all full of confusion again.

If he couldn’t go in the room, he couldn’t get to Josephine. He couldn’t ask her for help. What if something happened that really did need her?

Josephine seemed to have much firmer opinions, fixing Lluciano with a stern stare.

“Then you may knock on my door, or wait until morning. Unless it is something so urgent we will all die before then?” She asked sharply, tone clipped and almost resigned as she glanced to her window.

Because that kind of thing also happened a lot around Skyhold. Around the Inquisition; Cole hadn’t been at Haven long, but it had definitely happened there.

Lluciano looked sheepish all of a sudden, staring down at his fingers, but Cole felt much better with someone else in charge.

And a little guilty for that; since Josephine was awake, her insides were beginning to get loud again. Thoughts and needs and wants, buzzing, building, burrowing in.

But Josephine made everything better.

“He doesn’t remember what it was,” Cole explained simply, since he also didn’t know if it was something urgent that might kill them all.

He hoped not. That wouldn’t be nice.

And he’d done something wrong again, because Lluciano squeaked a protest and Josephine narrowed her eyes at him, but Cole wasn’t sure what.

He missed his hat.

His hand found it for him all on its own, pulling the hat up and onto his head so he could hide from their eyes under the brim. His hand was clever sometimes.

It was safe under the hat. He couldn’t see them being disappointed.

But then Josie sighed, softened, settled back into her pillows, and Cole dared to peek out.

“Well, if it is that important we will all know sooner rather than later. Come back in the morning, Lluciano. With breakfast.” She paused, looking them both over. “Cooked breakfast. Not cooked by either of you.”

That was fair. Cole still wasn’t exactly clear on what counted as food and what was rubbish. He didn’t really eat enough to know the tastes either.

Cadash made cooking look easy; the dwarf barely seemed to pay attention to what they had in the fire, especially compared to the rigorous attention they paid their forge.

Cole had tried cooking like them once, but it had all burned into a sticky black mess that wouldn’t come clean.

That pot was still under the rock he’d hidden it with in the wastes.

Corin would help them cook for Josephine, though. Everyone liked Josephine, and liked when she was pleased with them. And Corin liked them both very much.

They would be happy to help. It would be alright, and Lluciano would have until morning to work out why he needed Josephine’s help.

Perhaps they could go and watch the other members of the inner circle and try to work out if it was to do with them. That would definitely help.

And if they were careful, no one else would wake up, but if they did they might be able to help.

Happy in his plan, Cole still waited for Lavellan to stand before following suit. He would tell the elf after they got going, so Josephine wouldn’t worry.

They could go and see the Iron Bull first. Lavellan liked watching the Iron Bull, awake or asleep, and he should be asleep by now. The tavern girl was probably gone.

They had actually reached the door before Lluciano startled, turning back to the bed with a happy squeak.

“Josie! I remembered! Dorian’s upset, and I wanted to make him feel better, and-” but then he was stopped as one of Josephine’s pillows hit him in the face.

“In the morning!” Josephine told them both firmly, sitting with another pillow held at the ready in case they resisted. “Come back in the morning!”

Cole picked up the thrown pillow and carefully carried it back to the bed. Josephine always had more pillows than she really needed to sleep, but she liked them so much.

She liked being able to burrow in and surround herself in a soft, pillowy fortress. She gave him a gentle smack with the other pillow as he set it on the bed, but she was smiling. Just a bit.

“Thank you, Cole. Now go and stay out of trouble so I can get some sleep.”

Cole’s brows furrowed under his hat.

Out of trouble. That probably meant no Iron Bull. But Lavellan had remembered what he needed help with, so they could just go watch Dorian sleep instead and see if they could think of anything together that might help.

Maybe Dorian would say something in his sleep or Cole could read his dreams and see what had upset him.

Maybe they should leave it until the morning. Josephine couldn’t actually read other peoples’ feelings the way Cole could, but she was much better at knowing how to help.

He nodded solemnly to Josephine and hurried back to the door when she raised the pillow again.

“Sleep well, Josie!” Lluciano called cheerfully as he pulled the door closed behind them, not quite covering the sound of Josephine’s hearty sigh and flop back into the sheets.

“Go sleep yourselves!” She called after them.

Outside in the hall, Cole and Lluciano exchanged looks.

Sleeping was… well, probably an option for Lavellan. Cole didn’t particularly like it, the few times he’d tried. Nothing seemed to happen for him.

He could watch Lavellan sleep, if he actually managed to.

Lluciano did not feel like he would be able to sleep for a while. The tired was there, but it didn’t really turn into sleep properly, and he’d usually wander around and get frustrated first.

Cole knew how that felt. And he knew what would help.

“Shall we go watch Dorian?” He asked patiently, and waited while Lluciano thought.

There were a lot more considerations than Cole had thought of, apparently, and it took a while for him to work through it.

Dorian might not want to see them. But that wouldn’t matter if they didn’t wake him up.

Dorian didn’t like anyone watching him while he sleeps. But if he didn’t wake up, he wouldn’t know to worry.

Dorian was already upset with Lavellan. But again, he had to be awake to be upset.

It all felt much simpler to Cole, but eventually Lluciano got to the same place. He nodded, a smile spreading across his face as he held out his hand to Cole.

“Okay. But we have to be extra quiet.”

Cole looked at the hand for just a moment, until something soft and light bloomed inside.

The hand was for him. Lluciano wanted to hold his hand. Have the touch, the reminder that someone else was there.

They could hold hands and walk through Skyhold, and no one else would ever know they were there.

Lluciano’s hands had familiar callouses, the marks of a man who fought with daggers like Cole’s own. They fit together just so, warm and strong and alive.

Cole let Lavellan pull him through the halls towards Dorian’s rooms, his heart light and content.

True, he himself had not done all that much, but he had helped. Lluciano knew what his trouble was, and in the morning they would go to Cadash, and then back to Josephine, and she would solve it.

For now, just his presence was all Lavellan needed. Cole could help just by being there, and enjoy the warmth of someone else’s hand in his.

It was his most favourite way to help of all. No struggles. No puzzles. Just being there helped all on its own.

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Listen. I just love two good little gremlins. And Cole’s POV is extremely soothing for me to write for reasons I genuinely don’t understand? He’s just a good simple lad who doesn’t quite click with the world the same way everyone else does… and a creepy little raccoon down to his soul

Link to the Four Heralds masterpost:

#Dragon age inquisition #dai #Dai cole #dragon age cole #Inquisitor lavellan #herald cadash #Herald trevelyan #Lavellan is the inquisitor cuz the others said NOT IT faster #The four heralds au #four heralds au #josephine montilyet #Sleepers 2: josephine #Tbh they need to fix the roofs in skyhold or these two raccoons will keep walking in #My writing

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