Work Text:
Remy was exhausted. She had spent the day in Arlathan Forest with Neve and Bellara exploring ruins and fixing artifacts. They stepped through the Eluvian into the Lighthouse and trudged slowly up the stairs, their muscles aching from overuse.
“Normally, I stay awake for way too long because I keep thinking about the artifacts and how the stories in the newspapers end. Oh! And the gods. And the blight. But I might actually sleep tonight!” Bellara let out a big yawn and Remy couldn’t help but let out a yawn of her own.
“I’m going straight to bed after a long, hot bath,” Neve drawled out as they rounded the corner and continued up the stairs. They could hear the voices of their other companions, but something was different… were they singing?!
The trio exchanged glances as they hurried up the rest of the stairs to see what was going on. Nothing could have prepared them for the situation they stepped into.
Emmrich was draped across the couch with his arm thrown across his brow while Lucanis sat in the high-backed wooden chair normally reserved for Emmrich.
Davrin was sprawled on the floor between them and Harding was slumped in another chair near the bookcase. They were all singing what sounded like the same song, but each at different tempos and keys. Several empty bottles of wine littered the table along with a larger clear bottle half filled with a blue liquid.
Taash was the only one who was fully upright in the room and they turned their head towards the trio that had just returned.
“Hey, welcome back. They’re all fine, just a little drunk. I’m also a little drunk.” They gave Remy a little half smile and she saw the glossy eyed gaze Taash gave her.
“They look more than a little drunk, Taash. What did you all get up to while we were out?” Neve queried mirthfully. Bellara had wandered over to Harding and poked her on the forehead with a giggle as Harding smiled at the realization her friends had returned.
“ROOOOOOK! You’re here!” Lucanis shouted and tried to stand from his chair but immediately had to sit back down and muttered under his breath. Davrin stopped singing at Lucanis’s exclamation and lifted his head.
“So, you finally decided to -“ hiccup! “join the party.” Davrin managed to say and Bellara snickered into her hand. Emmrich was still singing and had seemingly not realized the arrival of Remy and the others. His voice rang out clearly, beautifully and Remy finally recognized the song as a Rivaini shanty the Lords of Fortune sang on expeditions.
“We had dinner and had wine with dinner. I told them about this booze stuff Isabela makes from these flowers in Rivain that have some kind of shit that makes them get you drunk when you…do something.” Taash trailed off and spaced out staring blankly ahead.
Remy whistled to Taash and waved a hand in front of their face while Emmrich continued to sing.
“Oh hey Remy!” Taash exclaimed as if it were the first time seeing her.
“Ok, so Isabela’s special booze?” Remy encouraged Taash to continue.
“Yeah it’s strong and they won’t remember anything tomorrow. I told them they couldn’t handle it, but they insisted. And now this.” They gestured towards the very drunk team members sprawled across the room. Emmrich finally stopped singing and opened his eyes. Remy watched him search the room and he let out a smile and small sigh of relief as he caught Remy watching him. He said nothing but kept the smile on his face as he closed his eyes again.
“Alright, I think it’s time we all got to bed, yeah?” Remy suggested to the group. They all agreed in various ways and the sober companions dispersed to help their drunken counterparts. Neve helped Lucanis out of the chair and Remy caught the purple glow of Spite’s eyes looking longingly at Neve for just a moment before Lucanis came back to consciousness. Neve linked arms with the assassin and guided him to the kitchens while they whispered softly to each other.
Bellara used a surprising amount of strength to get Davrin off the floor and the two shuffled out of the Lighthouse with Bellara holding Davrin up using a bit of magic to help keep them both upright. Davrin was waxing about how he definitely could handle Isabela’s brew no matter what Taash said. Taash was sober enough to help Harding to her room, but suspiciously never returned to their own room for the night.
That left Remy and Emmrich alone in the Lighthouse. Emmrich was humming to himself with his eyes closed and Remy walked up to the couch and looked down at him with a smile. He was just so beautiful. His perfectly crafted jawline and that delicious nose she wanted nuzzled into her neck were just right there begging for her touch. Her eyes trailed down the column of his throat and her annoyance at his very high collar shone through as her smile turned into pursed lips. She rolled her eyes at herself and cleared her throat.
“Ready to go to bed, Emmrich?” It really was an innocent question, but the connotations it could have made her heart beat out of rhythm.
“Mmmm that’s probably for the best.” He held out an arm for her and she grabbed it, helping him sit upright. He gave her a lazy drunken grin and her body tightened low in her belly.
“Roooooooook.” He elongated her nickname and dragged his eyes to hers as she helped him stand. He was taller than she was and he towered over her in a way that made her feel like she would always be safe with him. He draped an arm across her shoulders and stumbled momentarily before catching himself. Remy grabbed his other hand to steady him and gripped her hand tightly and they headed towards the stairs up to his room.
“Bishop, I could call you bishop. Or Pawn. No no, not pawn, that’s a terrible nickname for one so lovely as you.” Remy blushed at the compliment and stayed silent as he continued to mutter about various nicknames. “King! No, the king is weak, vulnerable to attack. Not like the queen.”
Remy finally figured out what he was doing, “are you trying to decide a new nickname for me based on other chess pieces?”
“Queen, you are as perspicacious as ever.” Emmrich tried out the new nickname for her, but crinkled his nose and shook his head. “No, that doesn’t quite work either.”
“I have no idea what that means, but it is very cute you still have such a vast vocabulary even when you’re drunk off you’re ass.” Remy laughed and continued up the stairs slowly.
They had made it to his room and Manfred let out a happy hiss as they entered, but hovered close as the skeleton realized Emmrich was not in his normal state.
“Manfred, can you go get a glass of water for him, please?” Manfred hissed again and nodded enthusiastically as he made his way out of the room. Still holding onto Emmrich, Remy fumbled with the books on the bookcase until she found the right book to pull that opened the secret bedchamber in Emmrich’s room. She maneuvered him so he was sitting on the edge of the bed and turned to leave, but Emmrich’s voice stopped her.
“Varric was right in giving you the nickname of Rook.”
She turned back around and cocked her head to the side, “How so?” He had swiped his hand through his hair and the top piece fell forward into his forehead. He was just so devastatingly handsome in this disheveled state. She thought so when he was put together, but seeing this mildly undone Emmrich had Remy licking her lips and squeezing her thighs together as the heat between her legs grew.
He lifted a foot to try and get his boot off but in that moment he lacked the coordination to keep balanced and tipped over onto his bed. Remy rushed to help him upright and nearly died as he looked up at her with big, glossy hazel eyes. “Could I trouble you for some help with my boots?”
Remy was in trouble because she realized she would never say no to this man.
“Of course, Emmrich”
She moved towards him and kneeled in front of him to remove his boots and he watched her with half-lidded eyes and a head full of unspoken confessions.
“Strength, stability, advantageous for both offense and defense.”
“Come again?” She looked at him with a curious look on her face and Emmrich closed his eyes once more, exhaling softly as she pulled off a boot and started on the next one.
“It’s what a rook is best at in a chess match. Varric was right to give you the nickname, it suits you most perfectly.” Emmrich’s hand fumbled with his skull pin, but he finally managed to get it off. He handed it to Remy as she pulled off his other boot and placed them neatly by the doorway.
“Although when you say things like ‘come again’ while on your knees before me I can think of a few more ways to describe you.” The bootleg brew had apparently lessened his inhibitions and Remy snapped her head in his direction. Her pining and flirting with him had only resulted in his flushed cheeks and a quick dismissal, but hope bloomed in her chest that he maybe did feel something more for her. Remembering that he wouldn’t remember what he said in the morning, Remy chose to skirt around what he said.
“That is so nice of you to say even though I don’t think of myself as any of those things… about the rook I mean, not the… And it’s technically short for “Rookie” - the new kid, the one with no strength or stability.” She placed the pin on his bedside table and watched as he unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt. The collar hung open and Remy swallowed as she caught sight of the hollow of his throat. The way the veins in his neck parted to create the shallow dip in his neck made her mouth water. She wanted to glide her tongue across that dip and taste his skin, feel the softness of him in her mouth. Had he been sober she may have reached out and touched him.
He scoffed at her self-deprecating remark and waved a hand dismissively, “that is utter nonsense, dearest. You are all of those things and so much more. You may have been the rookie to Varric, but you’re the rook to us. To me.”
He swung his legs around and got into bed properly still fully clothed save for his boots and skull pin. Remy was in a bit of shock at his words that he had expressed with such ease and she wasn’t sure how to respond. She pulled the blankets up and watched as he adjusted and got into a comfortable position.
“You’re so lovely, dearest. You have such a kind heart and your hair smells like roses.” Emmrich said softly as sleep finally started to take over. Remy smiled and moved the hair that had fallen off his brow. He was warm under her hand and he smiled that soft, lazy grin that made her melt.
“Goodnight, Emmrich.” She whispered to him, she left the bedchamber and was headed towards the door when she heard him call out back to her.
“Goodnight, my Rook.”