#sloth's satinalia shenanigans

[slothquisitor]

24. Silent Night For Mara x Cullen teacher au :O

So with your prompt I immediately started thinking about those quiet school night evenings before Christmas break, and so I thought I’d give us a quiet evening with Mara and Cullen, post Class Act, but pre-engagement/wedding. I hope you like it, and thank you for the prompt! 600 words, Mara’s POV. 

Silent Night

Also on AO3. 

Snow was steadily falling outside, and Mara was glad to be home and in her warm pajamas and fuzzy socks. She had a mug of hot cocoa beside her and she was curled up on the couch with her latest read. The Satinalia tree stood in the front window of the living room, glowing warm and welcoming.

They still had one more day left until Satinalia break and all of the festivities began, but Mara liked this time of year best. The quiet evenings laced with anticipation for the holiday to come. The closer it got to Satinalia the more the space under their tree filled up, and while presents certainly didn’t equal love, the thoughtfulness of friends and family and students was perfectly tangible in the growing pile.

The student gifts were the most humbling of all, and mostly because they could not be reciprocated. Mara must have been looking a little haggard because a student had walked in last Monday morning, set a twelve pack of her favorite caffeinated drink on her desk, and informed her it was to help her make it to Christmas break. She didn’t want to admit how little of the pack was left.

Cullen emerged from the office, rubbing his eyes and running a hand down his face before sinking down next to her. “I think that’s the last of them.”

Mara melted into him, draping her feet over his waist. “All the finals done?”

Cullen nodded. “All done.”

Mara kissed his cheek. “And this is why you don’t assign a final right before Satinalia break.”

Cullen yawned. “And what was I supposed to do instead? Have them write First Day toasts?”

She scowled up at him. “That was a brilliant idea for a writing assignment, and you know it. Plus we got to drink pop in plastic champagne glasses.”

Cullen pulled her closer. “And tomorrow?”

“A movie, like any smart teacher would on the last day. Classes are like twenty-five minutes, what else do they expect us to do?” Mara asked. The school day was shortened, and then there was the annual assembly. As student council co-advisor, she’d made sure she wasn’t getting pies thrown at her this year, but she was apparently going to be racing Cassandra in one of those plastic hamster balls. Bull had volunteered, but they weren’t sure they’d be able to ensure one of his horns didn’t pop the thing.

Cullen sighed. “I’ll probably finalize grades with the kids while a movie plays.”

“Good. You can’t be a grinch while just across the hall my kids have a great time,” Mara said.

“Yes, I think my poor kids had about enough of that today,” Cullen replied with a smirk.

Mara shrugged, settling back down against him.

They sat there for a while, watching the snow fall silently outside the window. Mara still sometimes marveled at how easy it was to be with Cullen. It had been easy to move in with him, and it often caught her off guard how well their lives fit together.

“It’s sure pretty, but it’s going to make the drive tomorrow horrendous,” Mara whispered.

Cullen gave her side a squeeze right where he knew she was ticklish. “Yeah, because you always do so much driving in the snow?”

She laughed. “Why do you think I moved in with you, Rutherford?”

“You only want me for my snow driving skills!” Cullen said, eyes bright but voice dripping with mock indignation.

She kissed him then, whispering against his lips. “And don’t you forget it.”

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[slothquisitor]

Those Who Share Our Broken Hearts

This is my half of the Satinalia collaboration with @lechatrouge673​. Her brilliant half, We Choose Each Other, is definitely required reading. Chat was also kind enough to edit Thea for me, and not hate me too much as I tried to do Thea justice. This takes place in @lechatrouge673​‘s Songs Forgotten and Remembered AU, and occurs after the events of Faults and Falling. Because this is a companion piece, I totally borrowed Chat’s formatting and titling from song lyrics in hopes it would tie everything in just a bit more. 4k words. 

Also on AO3.

Like the petals in our pockets May we remember who we are Unconditionally cared for By those who share our broken hearts.

- “Snow” by Sleeping at Last

Mara had never been to a city quite like Denerim. Downtown Wycome didn’t even count, and Kirkwall was far too sprawling. Denerim was compact, everything had sprung up along the shoreline and the river, and when they arrived it was gray and perfect.

Cullen had whisked her away as soon as the bell rang on the last day before school break. It had been a weird half day schedule, and school had gone right up to two days before the holiday. At least she had two blessed weeks off.

Satinalia was a much bigger deal in Ferelden, and she’d sort of celebrated the holiday in her youth, more because other folks were than any real conviction on her parent’s part. She made sure that her father received a package of chocolate covered orange sticks and she always called, but it was not a holiday that necessitated more than that. It was different for Cullen, and she didn’t mind that at all.

Cullen had made sure that Elevate House was decked out and festive. They’d had a big holiday party and despite their trip to Denerim, Cullen had made sure that there was plenty going on at Elevate House over the holiday. The holidays could be a particularly difficult time, and after the main festivities at Mia’s she and Cullen planned to spend the evening there. But for now, they were in Denerim.

Their hotel was in the heart of downtown, and she could see the winding river heading out to the sea from the window. It hadn’t snowed yet, but the clouds were dark enough to threaten it. In the gray day, the river was a deep teal color, and Mara could see people and cars moving below her. The whole place just emitted this sense of life and movement. It wasn’t very late, but the trees were all lit up, glowing from their boxes in the middle of the sidewalks.

Cullen came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her as he pressed a kiss to her hair. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” she replied.

“There’s no place quite like Denerim during Satinalia,” Cullen said.

She believed it, and was still a little taken back at how much Cullen had wanted to bring her here. She suspected part of it was also that there was a Satinalia party at Thea’s tomorrow too, and he’d get the chance to see his friends. She wasn’t exactly nervous for it, but she did feel a little bit anxious. She’d met everyone already, and she liked them all. She just wanted them to continue to like her, Thea especially.

“Do you want to go exploring?” Cullen asked.

Mara nodded. “Yes, please.”

They both bundled up because the breeze coming off the sea was brutal, and in just a few minutes they were out braving the cold. Their gloved hands were clutched together, and Mara was grateful that Cullen knew his way around. Most of the time, her head was tilted up staring up at the towering buildings they passed. One of them looked like a giant champagne bottle peeking up out of ice, the spire glinted gold even in the low light. Other buildings were pieces of art, designs carved out of their stone faces, and still others were gleaming towers of steel and glass. Mara had this absurd notion that if she wasn’t looking at everything as they walked, she might somehow miss something incredible.

“It’s a good thing I’m here,” Cullen chuckled, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Why do you say that?”

She seemed to be floating back down to the sidewalk level as she turned to look at him. His golden eyes bright were bright with amusement, and the scar on his lip pulled as he smiled. “Because you’d walk right into the road or people if it meant you could stare up at the buildings the whole time.”

Ahead of them, a train roared by on the elevated. “It just seems to go on forever.”

She knew it wasn’t true, of course, but it seemed that way standing on that street corner and staring down the road that was bordered by skyscrapers as far as she could see. It made her feel incredibly small and insignificant, but not in a foreboding ominous sort of way. No, it was more out of a sense of awe. That the world could be so big, and so full of people and life, and that she was just one person within it.

“Look,” Cullen pointed across the street. There was a small square in the shadow of an enormous building. There were wooden booths all arranged in long rows. The edges of the booths were lined with green garlands and the roofs were covered in red and white canvas. People were perusing the shops and the air was thick with the smell of cinnamon and vanilla.

“What is that?” Mara asked.

“It’s an annual Satinalia market. Do you want to check it out?”

“Yes, please.” They waited for the signal to change before they crossed the street, and found themselves moving along in the ebb and swell of people through the booths. Most of the booths seemed to be selling glass ornaments, and they glinted in the light. Some of them were Denerim specific, the skyline covered in snow. Some booths had beautiful woodcarvings too, Mara was eyeing a particularly intricate wooden dragon when Cullen whispered he’d be right back.

She was looking into a booth of beautiful wooden cuckoo clocks when Cullen reappeared, handing her a steaming stoneware mug. “What is this?”

“Ferelden hot cocoa,” Cullen replied.

The mug was red and yellow with stars and snowflakes around the whole thing. “Thank you.”

She took a tentative sip, worried it might be too hot, but it was the perfect temperature, and also the richest hot cocoa she had ever had. No wonder the mug was as small as it was.

“The mug is yours to keep too,” Cullen said.

She laughed. “My first Denerim souvenir!”

Cullen joined her, wrapping an arm around her. “Sure, unless there’s something you have to have here at the market.”

“I think I’m okay,” Mara replied. It was all lovely, but she definitely didn’t need anything.

“Shall we continue on then?” Cullen asked.

Mara linked her arm with his. “Where to next, Mr. Tour Guide?”

Surprisingly, Cullen didn’t roll his eyes. “This way.”

***

Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby: “It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment.” Cullen couldn’t get that quote out of his head as they had traveled to Denerim, worried that somehow everything he loved there might not be the same in bringing Mara to see it. He worried that she might not find that same magic he had, but then they’d entered the city. Mara’s green eyes had been wide open ever since, taking in everything, a look a supreme awe gracing her lovely features. It was like looking back into his own years. Fitzgerald had been wrong.

Cullen still remembered that first Satinalia in Denerim. He was still fresh out of the SFU, and he’d signed on to work most of the holiday. Someone had to, and he figured it ought not to be someone who actually wanted to be home for the holiday. His withdrawals had been hitting him hard, and it certainly wasn’t the first Satinalia he’d missed. He’d promised to go out for a weekend around First Day to appease Mia, and he hadn’t regretted it at first. He still remembered working late on Satinalia Eve, and finally being able to call it a day. The trains were running an abbreviated schedule, and the next wasn’t for a full half hour. He’d decided to walk instead. Denerim was frigid at best in the winter, but there was a storm moving in, promising a white Satinalia, so it’d been a bit warmer.

He hadn’t been in the city long, and that was the first time he’d really taken a moment to look around him. Denerim had been a place to land, and the distance from his siblings had been welcome at first. But Cullen remembered that evening had been one of the loneliest he’d ever felt. There must have been some degree of magic in the air because he remembered that it had started to snow, and he’d turned the corner to find one of the older chantries in the city, it’s sprawling gardens a glowing rainbow. Each tree had been wrapped all the way out to the tiniest branches, and the whole place looked exactly like Satinalia should. That was the moment he’d found the beauty in Denerim, and he wasn’t sure how to put that into words, how to explain all of those complicated feelings to the woman whose hand he currently held.

It was much colder that night than it had been all those years ago, and the awe had worn off a bit. Mara was pointing out different buildings and architecture that had caught her eye. He’d been half listening, caught in memories.

They were walking along the river as the sun set, and above them the skyscrapers were blinking to life. There weren’t many on the river due to the cold, and Mara stopped walking. “Hey, you with me?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Sorry, I was…” He didn’t have words to explain where he was, or what he’d been thinking about.

Mara waited, always patient, never pushing.

“I was thinking about my first Satinalia in Denerim,” he explained. It wasn’t quite the full explanation, but it was perhaps a start.

They started walking again. “That would have been not long after you moved here?”

“About a month and a half. I didn’t go to South Reach that year, stuck around here alone.”

Mara gave his hand a squeeze. “And now I know why Mia was so adamant we be there for Satinalia. You’ve got a bad track record.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “You have no idea.”

“Off topic. You were alone in the city on Satinalia,” Mara offered.

“Satinalia Eve,” Cullen corrected. “I had plenty of invitations, but none of them really felt right. I should have been in South Reach, but part of me was convinced that I wasn’t the brother my siblings needed at that point.”

Mara nodded in understanding, blonde hair bouncing from under the hat she wore to shield her ears from the cold. “They just needed you, regardless, you know that, right?”

He brought her hand up to his lips, pressed a kiss across her gloved knuckles. “I know that now, but then…”

He’d wandered the city looking for meaning. He hadn’t found it, not exactly, but he had discovered some beauty, some magic in the cold Satinalia air. That was why he’d wanted to bring Mara here, show her some of what he’d found. And he’d worried that somehow, none of it would actually be in the air.

They’d reached the end of the riverwalk, and having crested the stairs he knew exactly where they were. He hadn’t planned it, hadn’t walked the river in so long he didn’t remember where it let out. Across the street stood that same chantry he’d come across, and the gardens were somehow brighter, more beautiful than he remembered.

“Whoa,” Mara said. “They really know how to go all out, don’t they?”

“They certainly do.”

There were people walking around the garden square, snapping pictures and looking at the gorgeous trees. “Can we walk around it?”

There was enough excitement in her voice that surprised him. He found himself loving her more and more as he watched her wander the city he’d called his home. “Of course.”

***

Mara shifted the presents she was carrying from one hand to the other as she adjusted her black dress. She’d taken a bit longer to get ready than she usual, and she was sure that Cullen had noticed, especially since they’d been sharing a rather small hotel bathroom. She was feeling woefully unprepared for the evening. More so now that she was now looking at Thea’s house, and at the place Cullen had called home for two years.

The place was massive, and utterly secluded. Mara could hear the crash of the ocean in the background too. The large picture windows glowed invitingly, and the the place was lit from top to bottom for Satinalia.

“This is...you lived here?” she turned to Cullen.

He nodded. “Yes.” The fact was as casual a thing to him as her tiny apartment back in South Reach, her mostly empty apartment. They hadn’t officially moved in together, but they were slowly migrating the things of hers they wanted to keep to his apartment. Her lease was up in a week, and so it had made sense.

But Mara stared at the house. “And there’s a loft too?”

“Yes,” Cullen replied pointing down the road. “Just that way, and where we’re staying tonight.”

“Is Thea accepting applications for sisterwives? Because I’m in,” Mara said as they walked toward the house. Her voice came out a little shakier than she’d intended, and Cullen wound his free arm around her waist.

“You look great, by the way,” he whispered.

He’d said as much before they’d left the hotel as he’d done up the last bit of her zipper, but not before kissing his way up her neck. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you for agreeing to come to my ex-wife’s Satinalia Eve party,” Cullen said, chuckling at the ridiculousness of the words.

Mara had to admit the whole thing was just a tad ridiculous for anyone who didn’t understand, and she’d gotten her fair share of odd looks when she’d told acquaintances what they were doing in Denerim.

The front door was open, and Sera and Dagna were out in the snow, and probably up to no good. Cullen offered them a quick hello before ushering Mara inside. “Sera’s got wicked good aim, but she wouldn’t dare track snow through the house.”

Mara laughed. “So you’re saying we’re safe in here?”

“From snow at least,” Cullen smiled.

Mara brushed a few flakes of snow off the shoulders of his navy sweater, and they added their presents to the growing pile under the tree.

“I think our best bet is the kitchen,” Cullen said, leading her through the house. She wasn’t sure what it must be like for him, to be in the place that was his home, but wasn’t any longer. If he was bothered by it, he wasn’t saying.

Mara shook her head, this was ridiculous, wasn’t it? Then she was sure she could hear voices in the kitchen talking about coffee, and Cullen chuckled quietly from the doorway. “Alright, I have to ask. How exactly are you still alive? She takes her coffee very seriously.”

“You say that as if it were a bad thing?” Mara shot Cullen a playfully distrustful look, but smiled as she caught sight of Thea and Loghain in the kitchen. “Hey Thea, they cutting you off?”

“Apparently.” Thea looked more amused than truly annoyed, and Mara realized that she looked just the tiniest bit frazzled. Maybe she hadn’t been the only one a little nervous for the party? “I swear, you go through a few pots and they act as though you need a stint in rehab.”

Mara nodded while Loghain and Cullen exchanged a knowing look. “Utterly unfair.”

She hid her surprise when Thea pulled her into a hug, and thanked whatever Gods might be listening that things had never been anything but easy for her with Thea and Loghain.

“Come on.” Thea linked their arms. “I’ve been banished from the kitchen so we may as well go see if there are any other last minute tasks I can finish elsewhere-”

“Don’t you dare, woman,” came Loghain’s response. It was so automatic she had to stifle a laugh. “Mara, would you kindly see that she actually sits down? And would you care for some tea?”

Like she would be able to keep Thea from doing anything she absolutely didn’t want to do. “Please. I mean it’s not coffee, but I guess it will have to do.”

***

Cullen had spent the better part of the last hour catching up with Cassandra and Bull, but keeping an eye on Mara just in case. She had spent plenty of time with Dorian, and was now talking Varric, and he supposed he shouldn’t really be surprised. He didn’t want to have brought Mara along only to abandon her, but she was definitely holding her own.

It still astounded him how easily everyone from his life had just welcomed her in, and made her part of everything. He shouldn’t be surprised; they’d welcomed him, and Mara was a void of a lot easier to like.

Cullen thought that it might be difficult to be back in the house he’d once called home, but it wasn’t. It sort of felt like returning to his parent’s home after he’d moved out. There was some nostalgia connected to it, but it wasn’t his anymore. And maybe it never had been quite his anyway because it had always been Thea’s: she had built it before they even met. He missed the space, and was pretty sure he’d found the perfect lot to build on in South Reach. He was still waiting to hear back from his real estate agent.

Thea came over, offering him an easy smile. Her smiles were far more frequent these days, and he didn’t even have to see her often to know that. “Haven’t had much of a chance to chat, have we?”

“Not really, but I see congratulations are in order,” Cullen gave a subtle nod toward the ring on her left hand. She couldn’t have been married long, he’d only seen her a month ago and no one else had mentioned it, meaning they didn’t know. Thea was good at keeping secrets, but she wasn’t exactly hiding this. “How long? A few days?”

She studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Finally, she just shook her head with a small smile and looked at her phone.  “Let’s see… about ten hours.”

Cullen laughed then, not surprised in the least. “Not even a full day. Congratulations!” He meant it too. He was happy for her, and happy that she was so happy. There was a measure of relief there too. It wasn’t a competition, and they certainly didn’t need each other’s permission to move on with their lives, but it did feel a little bit like he was now free to take the next step with Mara. They hadn’t told anyone about their plans to move in together, and it was in some effort to be sensitive to their situation. But Thea had gone and gotten married in the morning on Satinalia Eve, and wasn’t that just fitting?

“Thank you,” Thea said. “We did not want to make a big deal out of it, or make any sort of big announcement, but neither are we terribly inclined to hide it.”

“And you shouldn’t. I’m happy for you. Every time I see you you’re even happier,” Cullen said.

He thought it might sting, knowing he’d never been able to make her quite this happy. It didn’t.

Thea made a good show of looking annoyed. “It’s ruining my damn reputation is what it is. And what about you? You know there’s a pool right?”

Cullen laughed. “And you’re trying to get insider information?”

“Now kitten,” she gave him a half smile, “That would be cheating.”

Cullen laughed. “She’s moving in. Her lease is up, and it made sense. I worried it was a little fast or that we should keep it quiet, but I think it’s a nonissue.”

Thea crossed her arms and looked slightly exasperated. “Why would you think you needed to keep that quiet?”

She had to know, had to understand. There were probably a myriad of reasons that she and Loghain hadn’t made an announcement, and he was sure that there was some concern for him tangled up in there. They were moving so carefully around each other, and Cullen wondered if that might end up doing more damage.

“I know you’ve got all your own reasons for not having announced your impromptu wedding, but can you honestly tell me that not a single one of them had to do with being sensitive to Mara and I?” Cullen asked.

She glared at him for a moment, then sighed. “You’ve got a point,” Thea replied reluctantly.

Cullen rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s kind of odd isn’t it, how much we worry about wounding the other, when it’s unnecessary.”

Thea gazed out at the friends and family gathered together. “A year ago, did you think we’d ever be here?”

Cullen’s eyes fell on Mara, who was smiling and laughing with Varric, and he was pretty sure Thea’s eyes had fallen on her husband. Cullen smiled. “No, but it’s much better than anything I could have imagined.”

“Me either, but I’m so glad.” Thea touched his arm softly as she moved away from him, and over to where Loghain stood talking with Nate. Cullen wasn’t alone long; Dorian was there in a moment arms crossed.

“I understand from Mara that you’ve been in Denerim for two whole days, and I’m just now seeing you,” Dorian said.

Cullen had come to understand the indignation was Dorian’s way of expressing affection. “I wanted to show Mara the city.”

“This is her first time in Denerim?” Dorian asked, suddenly catching on.

Cullen nodded. “Yes, so don’t feel put out, we didn’t see anyone until this evening.”

“I’m going to have to come visit South Reach to get any quality time in, won’t I?” Dorian asked, sipping from his drink.

“Our spare room is always open to you,” Cullen replied.

Dorian’s mouth turned to a smirk. “‘Our’ you say? Do you have something to share?”

What the void. “We moved in together. Well, in the process anyway. There’s a few things we’re probably going to just store for the time being.”

Dorian shook his head. “You’re going to marry her?”

If he was lucky enough, he definitely was. “You’ll be the first to know.”

Dorian huffed a bit. “I better be. And Mara and I will design the invitations. You’re not invited.”

Cullen laughed. “I’ll let you bond over the typography.”

***

The snow was falling quickly and in big white clumps of flakes, as if they’d collided in the air on their way down and found themselves stuck together. Mara was glad to be staying the night and not worrying about travelling in the weather.

Their flight back to South Reach was at an ungodly hour the next morning, but for now, they were alone in the quiet fall of snow and a comfortably warm loft. Thea must have made sure the heat had been running through the evening because Mara had been very grateful for the warmth that had greeted them when they stepped inside.

They set their bags down, and Mara pushed the door closed, a few errant snowflakes finding their way in as she did. She’d just turned the lock when Cullen’s arms wound around her.

“Thank you for coming,” he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m glad we came. It was good to see everyone.”

Cullen’s golden eyes blinked in surprise. “Really?”

She pushed onto her tiptoes to brush her nose against his. “Yes. They’re your family, and it’s always wonderful to see them.”

“They love you, you know,” Cullen said, words sure.

She thought of the mountains Thea had inked into her skin, and the way everyone had found time to talk to her, to make sure she felt welcome. “I know.”

“So my dragging you to Denerim was a success then?” Cullen asked.

She smiled. “Let’s come back next year.”

His kiss was his reply, lips soft but hands holding her tightly. She reached for him too, made sure he felt just as wanted as she did. Somehow she found herself loving him even more than before, for the simplicity of sharing these holiday traditions with the people he cared about. She was surprised at the ease of it too, surprised at how welcome she found herself. All of these people and all of this love, all came into her life because of him.

That was the best Satinalia gift of all.

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[slothquisitor]

The Last Satinalia

So six years ago my grandmother was in the hospital with a life threatening infection. The whole thing was especially difficult because I was planning my wedding, and there were days where we just didn't know if we'd be planning a wedding and a funeral. Grandma ended up pulling through, and is still kicking it today at 89, but I still remember the Christmas we spent in the hospital as a family. It was a different sort of Christmas, but very important. A neighbor had baked an incredible cheesecake, and my grandfather grabbed me and we walked around the specialty hospital grabbing anyone and everyone who could leave their posts to come eat some cheesecake with us. It was a weird little collection of people: cafeteria workers, janitors, nurses, and staff. But honestly, it's one of the best memories, especially as we considered that this might just be the last Christmas we were all together. Anyway, as I was considering Satinalia prompts I thought of this and wanted to write it all out. I know it's a bit angsty, but I hope you enjoy it. 1100 words, Cullen is 17 here. Class Act AU. 

Also on AO3. 

It was the inevitability of it all that had crushed Cullen the most. That no matter what he did, or the doctors did, his mother was still dying. There had been long stretches of time when Cullen had hope. That he’d believed that somehow she’d pull out of it, but as time wore on the the disease ravaging her body made her more and more weak. He came to the reluctant realization that he was going to lose his mother, and it was going to be sooner rather than later.

As a family, they had begun to collect lasts, and they piled up in his heart, heavy and weighing down things that should have been celebrations. The last Summerday, the last Kissing Day, and now the last Satinalia. It didn’t escape him that all of these lasts would soon turn to firsts as they tried to navigate the new landscape that his mother’s illness had left them with.

Cullen’s mother had entered the hospital unexpectedly a few days ago. Mia had taken her after Cullen, Branson, and Rosie were already gone to school. She’d of course waited until they were all gone before asking Mia to take her to the hospital. Mia hadn’t called him until the afternoon, at the request of their mother, but it hadn’t stopped him from rushing from school straight to the hospital. Mia, his father, and Cullen had taken shifts, sleeping on the chair in the cramped hospital room, and trying to ignore the whirs and beeps of the machines. The room only had a tiny window, but his mother always craned to look through it as it snowed.

When it became clear that their mother wasn’t going to be able to go home before Satinalia, Mia had found a small tree and set it up in the room. It stayed plugged in all night, casting strange shadows on the wall.

His mother was currently sleeping, and Cullen was curled up under a scratchy hospital blanket on the reclining chair. Cullen couldn’t sleep. He’d spent his day awaiting the grades for his finals, and it seemed silly to be worried about what grade he got on his history exam or his English paper when everything else in his life was slowly falling apart.

He shifted in the chair so he could see his mother. Her hospital gown hung off her thin frame. She’d uncovered her head to sleep, but she usually kept it covered in a hat or a scarf, something. She looked so much more sick when she was asleep.

Cullen wished that there was something to be done, some way to make this all better. There wasn’t. He’d heard the word hospice whispered low to his father today by one of the doctors. He knew what that meant, but who knew? Maybe his mother would rally again. She’d done it before, defied odds and expectations. Cullen had to believe it was possible.

That was the hope he sent up the Maker as the Fade finally claimed him.

***

Satinalia usually went like this: if there was snow, there was skiing to be had. But Cullen’s family always left early enough on Satinalia Eve to be home for the big dinner. The dinner was always sheer perfection of his mother’s making. She always made his favorite green bean casserole, and then after dinner the family sat down to watch a movie. And it was usually A Satinalia Story, much to the chagrin of his mother.

The family would find their way to bed, and then in the morning it was presents under the tree. They’d spend the day lazing about, and then his mother would work magic once more in the kitchen. It was always perfect. All the more precious for the tradition of it all.

And Cullen didn’t realize how much he’d miss it until it wasn’t a reality anymore. Their family was crowded around a table in the empty hospital cafeteria. Cullen was sure that the cafeteria workers had tried, but the turkey was bone dry and none of it felt like it should have.

His mother had been wheeled down by one of her nurses, and sat at the head of the table wearing a red hat in order to be festive.

Cullen didn’t feel like being festive.

The presents under the tree had gone untouched this year, and they’d spent the day cramped up in the hospital room, talking and playing games, and watching whatever happened to be on tv.

Cullen was pushing the soggy mashed potatoes on his plate around when their Aunt Lena arrived. Lena wasn’t really their aunt, but she may as well have been. She was his mother’s best friend from college, and having no children of her own she’d declared shared custody of him and his siblings years ago.

Lena came bearing her famous cheesecake. “Happy Satinalia!”

She set the cake down and gave his mother a hug before greeting the rest of them. Mia stood up. “I’ll go see if I can get some clean plates for all of us.”

Lena shook her head. “Get lots, Mia. This is not very festive. Come on, Cullen. Let’s see what we can do about that.”

Cullen didn’t want to keep picking at his dinner anyway, so he stood and followed Lena out of the cafeteria.

“This place is full of people who are working on Satinalia. Let’s go see if we can track them down, and make their holiday a bit better with cheesecake,” Lena said.

“You could have made your cheesecake out of cardboard and it would still beat anything coming out of that cafeteria,” Cullen said, voice quiet.

Lena wrapped an arm around his shoulders, her short blonde hair brushing his face. “Why do you think I came when I did? I got to skip the cafeteria food.”

They laughed together, and were fairly successful in rounding up nurses and staff that could leave their posts for a bit of cheesecake.

By the time Cullen got his slice, their little corner of the cafeteria was crowded with people. He chanced a glance over at his mother, and she was smiling as she talked to Lena and a few of the nurses.

And then it hit him. This was the point of Satinalia. Not the dinner, or the gifts, or the decorations. It was being together, and it was taking care of each other. Satinalia was about so much more than everything he was missing that year.

His father held his mother’s hand in his, and beside him Mia looked more relaxed than she had in months. “It’s not perfect, but it’s something, isn’t it?”

Cullen nodded. “It’s Satinalia.”

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[slothquisitor]

I want to request all of the festive prompt list for the Class Act AU, but I've narrowed it down to two or three which you can choose from or combine; 28, 31, and 40

Thank you so much for the prompt! I managed to fit two of them in here, and I hope you like it! Cullen’s POV, 600 words. If I’d been planning better I’d have realized that this comes just before Silent Night, and I’d have posted them in order. 

Satinalia Sweaters

Also on AO3.

Cullen was working on grading finals in the office when he was sure he heard Mara rummaging around upstairs in their bedroom. He was still questioning his own judgement giving a final on the second to last day before the end of the term, but he wanted to use up every single day. A final was a good way to keep the kids engaged all the way up to the break. It was usually needed because somehow their teenagers turned into kindergartners three weeks before the actual holiday.

If only Cullen had a dollar for everytime a student asked him if they were going to have a “fun day” in class that day, he’d be a very rich man. So he hadn’t felt bad about giving the final, even if he was pretty sure he was the one actually paying for it.

Normally, he wouldn’t go upstairs to see what Mara was doing, but she sounded frustrated. He finished the test he was on and walked upstairs to find her basically buried in the closet. Argos was on the bed, his tail wagging when he saw Cullen.

“Please tell me you are not searching our room for where I’ve hidden your presents,” Cullen commented, leaning against the doorframe. He highly doubted she was, but if she was, she’d be very disappointed. He used her height against her, and always had hidden her gifts on the very top shelf of the closet under the stairs. Mara wasn’t even tall enough to see if there was something on the shelf much less what was up there. It was a stroke of brilliance on his part, and he’d hidden a very special small box up there as well. He was waiting for the right moment, for some sort of inspiration to strike. It hadn’t yet, but then he didn’t think there was any real rush.

Mara scowled at him. “Just how many Satinalia sweaters do you own?”

There were three very ugly and very awful sweaters laid out on the bed, and all three of them were his. “Um….” He rubbed his neck.

“There are more?” Mara asked incredulously.

“Maker, no. I did sort of forget I owned one, two years in a row?” Cullen explained sheepishly.

Mara held up the blue one with awful looking applique snowmen. “You forgot you owned this? I’m traumatized just looking at it.”

Cullen laughed. “Isn’t that the point of ugly Satinalia sweaters?”

Mara smiled before turning back to the closet. “I know I have a red sloth one somewhere, but I can’t find it.”

“A sloth sweater?” Cullen asked.

“The sloths are holding onto the tree, it’s ugly and adorable, and I need it for tomorrow,” Mara explained. Her hair was getting longer, and it was braided back. Cullen brushed it off her neck and pressed a kiss there.

“Do you remember seeing it when you moved in?” he asked.

She leaned against him. “Maybe?”

“Then it’s got to be here somewhere,” Cullen said wrapping an arm around her waist.

Mara nodded. “Don’t you have finals to grade?”

He sighed. He still had at least two class hour worths to get through. “Yes.”

Mara stepped away from him. “You should get those done.”

“And you should keep looking,” Cullen replied. He didn’t want to go, but he needed to get the finals graded before tomorrow. Argos jumped off the bed, and followed him into the office, curling up on the soft chair in the corner.

He hadn’t even gotten through another test before he heard Mara calling. “Found it!”

Cullen smiled. Last Satinalia had been wonderful, but he was pretty sure this one was going to be even better.

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[slothquisitor]

How about for the Advant prompt list number 14 for Mara and Cullen. Pretty please!!!

Thank you so much for the prompt! You didn’t specify the AU, so I picked @lechatrouge673‘s Songs Forgotten and Remembered AU. This is set in Faults and Falling, about a week and a half before the Denerim trip. 500 words, Mara’s POV. 

Twinkling piano notes played in the background of the kitchen at Elevate House. Mara had turned on some Satinalia music to keep things fun as they spent the night wrapping presents. Elevate House was strangely quiet that night. They’d been counting on it, but still waited until the last therapy session had finished to pull out all of the gifts they’d spend the month buying.

Rosie had laid out at least five different rolls of wrapping paper, and plenty of tape and bows and ribbon. Cullen was finishing up some work in his office while she, Barris, and Rosie organized the gift piles for each kid.

There was a Satinalia tree in the great room, tall and bright. It was decorated with artwork from the art therapy sessions in addition to red and green balls and paper chains Mara had helped the kids make. It was the second Satinalia for Elevate House, and Cullen was set on it being bigger than last year. The holidays could be especially difficult for those in recovery, and they wanted to ease that in any way they could. Part of that came with helping take care of the kids. Most of the families had very little to spare, and so they’d gathered lists: two needs and a want. There were coats and shoes piled up right along with art supplies and toys.

“It really looks like we’ve got a good haul,” Barris said.

Rosie bounded over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It really does. Going to look even better when we get it all wrapped up and under the tree.”

It was late, so outside the world was dark and white. It hadn’t snowed in a few days, and so the snow they did have was iced over. An inversion had settled in bringing temperatures that were even colder than usual. Elevate house didn’t have central heating or cooling, and so Mara decided she’d wrap her presents on the floor next to the radiator.

“Alright, so do we just pick a kiddo and get started?” Mara asked.

Rosie nodded. “Yes, but try to use different wrapping paper on each gift. Makes it seem like there’s more. Don’t forget the tags!”

Barris laughed. “Made that mistake last year. I had to unwrap a few to figure out who they belonged to.”

“At least you’re still allowed to wrap,” Cullen said, walking into the kitchen. “Rosie had to ban Mia from helping.”

“My sister is good at a lot of things, but wrapping gifts isn’t one of them. Matthew is the one that does it all,” Rosie replied.

“At this point we might need her. We’ve got so much we might well be here all night,” Mara teased. Rosie had insisted that the gift wrapping wouldn’t take too long.

Rosie shook her head. “I bet Barris and I can wrap faster than you and Cullen.”

Mara glanced to Cullen, and he smiled. “You’re on.”

“One rule: they still have to look nice!” Rosie said.

Barris laughed. “Yeah, that means I’m out.”

Mara nudged Cullen and whispered. “Joke is on Rosie, I worked retail in college. I got so fast at the gift wrapping.”

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[slothquisitor]

From the Festive Holiday print list, either 11 or 12 with Rosalie/Barris from Reparations, if you could?

Okay, so I totally love you for asking about Rosalie and Barris. They are my rarest of pairs! It's been too damn long since I've written something for these two, and they so deserved a bit of fluff, so I hope you like it. Barris's POV, 750 words.

What Was Gained

Also on AO3.

For Delrin Barris, Satinalia was complicated. When he was younger, it had been quite the production, as those sort of things always were among the nobles. He’d hated it. It was one of the few times a year he was expected to dress up and play nice with all the “important people”. It had been strange going from the opulent celebrations to the simple, and often absence of celebration once he joined the Templars.

The simple celebrations had always suited him best, but he did find when there was no celebration that he missed it. That had been rectified with the Inquisition. There had been a feast, a party, a tree, and plenty of alcohol. Still, Barris found he preferred the quiet togetherness of the Rutherfords. It also helped that Rosie was dozing on his shoulder.

They were one of the last in the dining room, and Cullen and Mara had slipped out just a few minutes before.

He pressed a kiss to her mess of curls. “Rose?”

She glanced up at him groggily. “Hmmm?”

“Shall we get you somewhere you can actually sleep?” he asked.

She rubbed at her eyes, and then sat up suddenly as if remembering something. “Not yet. I have a surprise for you!”

“You do?”

Rosie nodded, hand finding his. “Come with me.”

They made their way upstairs silently, and despite it not being the first time, Barris was very aware of everyone else in the house. They shut the door to his room, and he noticed a few presents, wrapped and beautiful sitting on his bed. Barris had gifted Rosie a sketchbook earlier in the evening, but this, this was all for him?

He must have looked a little unsure because Rosie gave his hand a squeeze. “They’re for you.”

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble, you know,” he said.

Rosie’s golden eyes were determined. “Yes, I did. You said you haven’t celebrated Satinalia like this for a long time. I thought I’d try to make up for those years you didn’t.”

And that was precisely why he loved her. He pulled her closer. “I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

She smiled up at him. “You haven’t even opened them yet!”

He kissed her. “Doesn’t matter. Still true.”

She pulled him down to the bed, sat beside him, and passed him the smaller of the two gifts. “Open this one first.”

So he did. As soon as he opened the box he could smell the caramelized sugar. “Toffee.” She had asked him about his favorite Satinalia memories, and he didn’t have many worth holding onto, but the toffee he grew up with? That was one of the good ones.

Rosie kissed his cheek. “Made it all last night.”

He wrapped his arm around her. “That was why you didn’t spend the night.”

She nodded. “Hope it’s worth it.”

The other parcel on the bed was much larger, wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string. It had some heft to it as well. “What in Maker’s name is this?”

Rosie just smiled. “Another something I’ve been working on.”

Barris opened the package to find a beautiful and soft quilt inside. The fabric pieces had been sewn together in star patterns. It was soft, and just the right weight. “You made this for me?”

Rosie’s watched him with earnest intensity. “Do you like it?”

“I….” he was feeling like he had somehow failed in giving her just a sketchbook. She had done all of this for him, and he’d done what felt like so little. “I love it.”

“My mum made one for all of us when we were born. After….Mia kept up the tradition with Clara, Liam, and Henry. But we talked, and we think it’s something that comes with being part of the family. So I made this one, and Mia is working on one for Mara,” Rosie explained.

Barris cleared his throat, as if he could banish the emotion building there. “Thank you.”

He’d come to the clinic trying to cast off his dependency to lyrium, but he never realized what he stood to gain. A family. Rosalie.

“I love you,” he said, words soft, promising.

Rosalie grinned. “I love you too.”

Then he wrapped them both in the quilt she had made, and he held her as they watched the snow fall outside the window.

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[slothquisitor]

Sloth’s Satinalia 2017 Masterpost

Put together especially for @thesecondsealwrites :) 

The Last Satinalia - A fictionalized tidbit from my own life, Satinalia in the hospital. Class Act AU. Cullen’s POV, 1100 words. 

Satinalia Sweaters - Mara discovers Cullen owns several Satinalia sweaters. Class Act AU. Cullen’s POV, 600 words. 

Silent Night - Cullen and Mara have a quiet night ahead of Satinalia. Class Act AU. Mara’s POV 600 words. 

Gift Wrapping - A gift wrapping competition at Elevate House. Songs/Faults AU. Mara’s POV, 500 words.

Remind me why I can’t kill the carolers? - A game night at Mia keeps getting interrupted by carolers. Cullen is not amused. Songs/Faults AU. Cullen’s POV, 500 words. 

We Choose Each Other by @lechatrouge673 - The first half of a collaboration in Chat’s Songs Forgotten and Remembered AU. Theadosia Trevelyan and Loghain Mac Tir. 

Those Who Share Our Broken Hearts - Second half of the collaboration in the Songs/Faults AU. Cullen Rutherford and Mara Lavellan. 4k words.

What Was Gained - Rosalie and Barris spend their first Satinalia together. Reparation AU. Barris’s POV, 750 words. 

Brightness of Hope - Set in @thesecondsealwrites‘s Noir AU. Branson reflects on everything that brought him to Seaside, and hopes for the future too. 2k words.

Thanks so much to everyone who sent me prompts and those who just plain support my work. You folks are just the best. <3

[slothquisitor]

Sloth’s Holiday Prompts

My grades are officially in, and the novel is done, so that means holiday prompts! I’m so excited! 

Here’s the deal, I’m going to reblog some prompt lists in a bit, and you’re welcome to choose from those or if you have something totally different, I’m game! I’m thinking I’m going to cap prompts at five though? Or if I get more than that I may just combine them? My husband is reminding me that I am supposed to be relaxing or something. @lechatrouge673 and I collaborated and I’ve got some shenanigans to share on the 21st there. And I’m working on another that’s just one I really wanted to write. 

So pairings!

Cullen x Mara: Canon, Reparation AU, A Class Act AU, and @lechatrouge673‘s Songs/Faults AU

Rosalie x Barris: Reparation AU and Songs/Faults AU

Mara x Branson: @thesecondsealwrites‘s Noir AU. 

I’ll reblog the prompt lists here in a bit. Be sure to specify pairing and AU if you would. Especially since some pairings show up in four universes….I don’t have a problem, I swear!