Archive of Our Own

Bull slowly opened his eyes, the sun brightening up his room. He patted around the bed looking for his kadans, his head dropping back into the pillow though a moment later when he remembered both were gone.

Groaning, Bull sat up and looked at his empty room. Saturday morning and there were no kadans to mess with. Looking down at his lap, Bull let out another groan and decided to go take a shower. It wasn’t fun anymore without one of his kadans.

A few minutes later found Bull in his kitchen thumbing through his messages. He thought about texting Dorian or Orion but couldn’t bring himself to do it yet.

Dorian was at another conference. His work on theoretical time travel was becoming quite the popular topic among the universities. Felix had left Dorian some important clues right before he had passed. Once it had clicked for Dorian, the man had been off and running, chasing the theory down like a rabid dog. Orion had watched in horror and fascination as he observed Dorian spend hours and hours hiding in his corner of the office mumbling, pinning papers to the wall and scribbling notes between books. The young elf had to forcefully sit in Dorian’s lap and shove food in his face to make the human eat. Dorian had laughed at the antics.

Orion was out on a business trip with Varric. The dwarf had wanted a second pair of eyes and ears at a meeting with his publisher. Apparently his books were best sellers in Orlais, unbeknownst to Varric, who had been told his books weren’t popular. The dwarf had been miffed when he had gone to Val Royeaux and had found his books in the best selling section. He had been promptly flooded with fans. The man had lied and Varric needed help catching him in those lies. Orion had been nervous, knowing the type of situations the dwarf could get himself into.

Which left Bull home alone for almost 4 full days. Friday hadn’t been too bad. Going to work and then out to the bar with the Chargers, he had gotten home late enough that he crawled straight into bed and had promptly fallen asleep. Today was going to be different though. This was his first Saturday alone in a long time.

Heading to the kitchen, he threw some bacon and eggs into a skillet. Frying himself up some breakfast, he was already regretting telling his elf that he didn’t have to cook any meals for him. He missed the good food.

Once the food was done, he planted himself in front of the tv, when his phone chimed a poppy little jig, signaling that Orion was texting him.

How do you tell when someone is lying? Also how do you tell someone that if they don’t stop hitting on me, I will call my very large, very protective qunari boyfriend and he will break their hands?

Bull blinked at the message, not sure which emotion was rising to the surface: rage or pride. Orion was always self conscious about flirting. All the times he would fidget when Dorian and himself had flirted with the elf and been a mix of adorable and slow because neither of them had wanted to overwhelm him. The young elf was extremely self conscious about such behavior. Neither Dorian nor Bull looked kindly at people who were pushy with their flirting towards Orion. Normally Orion would have a hard time saying that he was uncomfortable with someone’s behavior, which is why Bull was proud of his elf for saying something now and asking for help. On the other hand, Bull was ready to get in his truck and head towards the publishing company in Cumberland to see who was messing with his kadan.

Before he could formulate his answer to help Orion, his phone made a whoop noise, alerting him to another message.

Nevermind about the threat. Varric pulled up an image of you and promptly informed the jackass lawyer that if he didn’t stop, this would be the person at his door demanding answers. He is now avoiding me all together. Not even an hour into this mess and I want to punch the publisher and the lawyer and I am sure Hawke is thinking about inviting Fenris in to “help” explain the situation.

Bull stared at the message for a moment, rereading it and then bursting out with laughter. His arms fell against his chest as his laughter roared out of him. Once he calmed down enough, he screenshotted the message and sent it to Dorian.

Who do you think is lying? Should I still show up in the next day or so to scare the lawyer? 😆

He quickly added a follow up text of, Hawke is with you? I thought you and Varric were the only ones going?

Setting his phone done, Bull started to eat, thinking about how best to help Orion and figuring out who was lying. Bull was half way done with his food when his food did its little poppy jig again. Looking down he read Orion’s reply.

Hawke decided he and Fenris would join us at the last minute incase “muscle” was needed. I don’t even want to think why muscle would be needed. Bull huffed at that comment, his sweet kadan clearly not putting together that he had wanted muscles a moment ago. Both are lying. I feel confident about that. The publisher must have heard about Varric’s trip before we arrived in town, because the lawyer was already sitting with him when we showed up at the publishing house. I am wondering if both are in on this. The publisher is cagey and acting all weird,clearly up to something, but I get the feeling that the lawyer knows more than letting on. And yes I know he is a lawyer and should know everything about his client, but something still seems off. He almost feels a little too jittery. And you are more than welcome to drive out. I’ll sit on your lap and glare at the lawyer. That would make my day. 😘

Bull smiled at the last comment. Oh yes, his little kadan was starting to show his backbone more and more. Bull took a moment to imagine the scene. Everyone surrounding the table. The lawyer looked slimy and the publisher anxiously moving in his chair. Directly across the way, Bull sits, sprawled, looking comfortable, his little elf perched on his hips, legs crossed atop his own, a frown pulling his lips down as he glares at the lawyer. The image made Bull laugh. Oh yes, definitely showing his backbone. It made Bull fall in love just a bit more with Orion.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Bull started to type his reply. Your best bet is to crack the publisher, but here are just a few signs to look for from either of them : they smile after someone agrees with him. That makes them think they have gotten away with a lie, delays in answering a question, weird body gestures that don’t match their voice or if either of them are covering their eyes or mouths as they talk or not looking at any of you, a lot of throat-clearing, or if they are constantly grooming themselves or rearranging things in front of them. And if you want me there, I’ll be there.

Bull put his phone down and finished his meal, lamenting that his eggs had gotten very cold.

Finishing his food, he wandered into the kitchen, cleaning his mess. Some time passed before his phone made another musical noise, something that sounded like it was from Antiva. Looking down he noticed Dorian’s name and some swearing. A second text came through following the swearing.

Kaffas.
Do we need to have a discussion with a lawyer?!? I am more than happy to place a complaint.

Bull smirked as he moved through the house chuckling at Dorian.

I don’t think that will be necessary. Sounds like Varric has everything handled.

Hmph. Was Dorian's only immediate reply. A second text quickly followed. Well I don’t have a problem going to Cumberland and knocking a few heads together.

Again, Bull chuckled and then sent his reply. I’ve offered. Sounds like they have it all taken care of.

Hmph, was all Bull got in return. A few minutes later a little musical riff went off. Btw hope you are having a good day. I missed you this morning. The bed was too cold.

Bull smiled, lifted his phone up, opened the camera and took a picture of himself winking. Dorian’s favorite look. Sending him the picture he sent a caption of missed you too kadan. Have fun.

Immediately he got a reply back. I love you, but you are a ridiculous man.

After that Bull’s phone went silent. He puttered around the house, getting some work that he had ignored, in favor of his kadans normally, done. Guest toilet was fixed, the back gate lock repaired, and the light in the garage changed. He was sitting in his unused basement, when he heard his front door open.

“Chief!” He heard Krem call.

“In the basement,” he answered back. Bull heard multiple feet come tromping towards him. Raising an eyebrow, he turned towards the stairs to see the Chargers come stomping down the stairs. He internally rolled his eye. It always amazed him how much noise they could make.

“What’cha doin’ down here, Chief?” Krem asked, looking around the unfinished basement.

“Just thinking about what I could do down here. I don’t know which color floor I want to do or wall color. I also don’t quite know how I want to use this space.” He did have some ideas, mainly working it to fit Dorian so he had a place to work.

“Sounds like it is time to sketch,” Skinner said as she walked back up the stairs, pulling out her notebook. Bull grinned and followed her up. Leave it to Skinner to figure out the touching details. Dalish could help “archery” prove the basement for Dorian.

The day passed, 6 pizzas between everyone and a solid plan for the basement, Bull and his Chargers decided to pick a movie for the night. Finding some action movie that looked terrible but seemed hilarious, the Bull and his Chargers settled in for the night.

Forty five minutes or so later, Bull’s phone went. A call from Orion. Smiling, he hit the accept button as he tried to move away from Chargers who were catcalling. Bull shook his head as he lifted the phone to his ear.

“Hey kadan, are you settling in for the night?” Bull asked, walking into the hallway.

“Shit,” a deep male voice rumbled, the voice sounded distant for a moment as if he had moved away from the phone. “Kaaras, pull the kid away from the opening.” Bull’s stomach dropped. He turned to look at Krem, panic covering his face. The voice was now closer to the phone. “Hello, is this Bull?” The Chargers paused the movie and looked up at him.

“This is. Who are you?” Bull tried to put some steel in his voice. His eye never left Krem, who was standing up and moving towards Bull. Bull brought the phone away from his face to hit the speaker button.

“This is Asaara. Your boy has just been attacked. We got him and he is safe, but he is having a hard time calming down. Do you know the name Rike?”

Bull saw red at the mention of the name. Rike. He had been Orion’s previous boyfriend. Abusive and controlling, he had done unspeakable things to Orion. Bull was fully aware he only knew a few things about what had happened between the two. The mere mention of the man’s name normally had Orion panicking.

Before Bull could stop himself, he let out a growl. “You keep that abusive asshole away from my elf.” Bull could hear the man suck in air. The man must have moved the phone away from his face again, because his voice sounded distant.

“Herah, Vess, if that asshole moves, gut him.” Footsteps could be heard. “It’s okay sweetheart, here is your Bull.”

“Cosain,” Orion’s voice could barely be heard. He was clearly shaking and Bull could hear the tears about to fall.

Taking a deep breath, Bull steadied himself. “Hey little kadan. Take a deep breath for me.”

There wasn’t a breath, but words began to tumble out of Orion. “I remembered to use my knee, and I didn’t let him get me into the car and I hid my phone in my chest pocket, I tried so hard cosain, so hard.” Orion’s voice broke and everyone could hear him start to sob. A gentle “there, there, deep breaths” could be heard from Asaara.

Bull was moving towards the door, keys suddenly in his hands. Krem grabbed him hard enough to stop him for a moment, ripping the phone out of his hand. Bull stopped, growling at Krem as the man dashed from Bull.

“Orion, it’s me, Krem. Remember to breathe. Has anyone called the guards? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Krem eyed Bull as the qunari moved back into the room, following Krem and more importantly the only device that connected him to his kadan.

They heard a shaky breath and then Orion’s voice followed. “I don’t know.” The calm sound only lasted a moment, before he started crying again. Asaara must have taken the phone back, his voice was clear and loud.

“Guards have been called. They’re about 3 minutes away, yes he probably is going to need to go. He has bruises, cuts and scrapes. What do you want us to do? I honestly don’t feel right leaving him.”

“Can you stay with him? We are in Kirkwall.” Krem said. Almost five hours away, Bull thought to himself. Too much time for things to go further south. “He should have some friends with him as well. A dwarf, a human and another elf. Call Varric.”

“Got it. I’ll stay with him until his other friends show up. He doesn’t seem to be with anyone now. The guards are almost here. I’ll text when I know the name of the hospital. Let me call this Varric real quick.” With that the line went dead.

Bull and Krem stared at each other for a moment, before Krem looked down at the phone and pushed a few buttons. Before Bull’s temper could snap, the phone started ringing. Two rings in and Dorian’s voice could be heard.

“Hello Amatus. Are you bored without us?” A smile could be heard. Bull’s eye started to tear up with pent up rage. Krem spoke for him.

“It’s me. There’s been an emergency.”

*****

Dorian stared out the window, watching the city lights go past him. Bull and him had barely talked since the Qunari and picked him up from the airport. Luck has been with them so far. There had been an available flight from Orlais to Cumberland. Bull was going to have to pass the airport to get into the city and was able to pick him up on the way.

Dorian had been barely able to breath the entire time. Asaara and Varric had been texting Bull regularly, keeping the both of them in the loop. Dorian wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep having the updates or not. With each text, his heart would skip a beat while his stomach did somersaults. The latest one, the one that had popped up an hour ago, had said that Orion had finally been able to get into the back to see a doctor. Everyone was at the hospital, both Varric’s group and Asaara's group.

Apparently Orion had run into a Qunari biker group. Not Qunari, but a Vashoth biker group. Bull had somehow gathered that they were not from Par Vollen. The group had stood between the Shit and Orion. They had refused to leave the elf’s side. Dorian was going to personally burn the next fool who said qunaris were just beast of burdens or some other stupid remark. Ferociously protective was more like it.

What felt like hours instead of minutes, the pair was finally in the parking structure. Bull threw his truck into the first open spot, Dorian was out of the car before Bull could pull his keys out of the ignition. Once Bull got out of the truck both rushed for the emergency wait room.

Entering the building, Dorian spotted the group of qunari and a furious silvered hair elf. Pivoting on his toes, Dorian rushed to the group. Fenris’s head whipped towards them, moving to meet Dorian half way.

“We have been told that we have to wait here, but from the look of the injuries, he is going to need stitches across his arm and head, he has a good bruise forming on his face and his knuckles and knees are scruffed. Other than that, he is physically going to be okay.” Taking a deep breath, Fenris looked at the ground. “I’m sorry. We were all so exhausted after today’s meeting that we hadn’t been paying attention. He left to get food across the street. Varric had been in Hawke’s and my room so we hadn’t realized that he hadn’t come back in a timely manner. We tried to find him, but failed.”

Bull and Dorian shared a look, then Dorian did something he had never done before to Fenris; he hugged him. Fenris looked up in shock. Tears lined his eyes but they didn’t fall. He did wrap his arms around Dorian. Everyone else had moved closer, listening to the words and watching the couple. Hawke and Varric stepped forward.

Bull raised a hand before either could speak. “This isn’t your fault. Orion is an adult and can’t have 24 hour protection. Besides this all lands squarely on this asshole and now that he has popped his head up, he gets to deal with Dorian and I. We don’t play nicely either.” Bull pushed his words out, growling the last few words as he thought about what he was going to do to Rike. He had always wanted to meet the fool.

A large qunari moving towards Bull, catching Dorian’s attention.

“Asaara Adaar,” the large man said as he held out his hand. The man was probably an inch or two shorter than Bull, but had large horns that spiraled tight against his head, like a ram, making him seem taller. They were a grayish black color. Several short, grey braids ran between the spiraling horns. He was dressed in all leathers, patches running up and down his jacket. Deep brown eyes stared at the pair. His voice was deep and pleasant. Three other qunaris filed in behind him. The other male was taller than Bull by a few inches. He too had spiraling horns. His hair was black and he had the same deep brown eyes. If Dorian was a betting man, he would say the younger male was the son of Asaara. He dressed similar to Asaara.

The two females also shared similar looks to the younger male and Asaara, but both had hazel eyes and both of their horns curved out and up. Solid black hair colored the top of their heads. One had a long braid that reached her shoulder, the other was short and slightly spiked between her horns. Both wear leather vests with some of the same patches, but the one with short spiky hair wore a white t-shirt under her vest, while the one with the braid wore a pink long sleeve shirt under hers.

Asaara turned towards the three behind him. Raising his hand, he gestured and each one. “These are my children, Kaaras,” this was the male qunari, “Vess and Herah.” Vess was the one in the pink shirt and Herah was in the t-shirt. Bull stepped up to the man.

“I’m the Iron Bull and this is my other partner Dorian. Thank you for your help.” Asaara shook his head.

“No problem. The little thing came flying out of the parking structure so fast. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone trust me so quickly. I can see why he didn’t have the usual prejudices.” The man gave Bull a small smile. Bull could only nod his head.

“Do you know what happened?” Dorian asked as he moved closer to Bull. The qunari wrapped an arm around the human, tucking him close.

“A little bit. I heard that Rike had found Orion at a restaurant. He managed to convince Orion to leave with him, but when they got to his vehicle,” Dorian’s stomach dropped at the words, “Orion started to fight back. He broke the fool’s nose and had clearly nailed him in the balls. We had parked outside the parking structure for a moment deciding what to do next, when we heard him yell. Next thing we knew, Orion was flying out of the structure, ran head first into me. He was babbling that he needed to get away, that Rike was coming. I scooped him up and moved him around the corner. Kaaras followed me. The rest of our group stayed in between him and the structure. He was trying to pull his phone out, frantically trying to call you,” Asaara pointed at Bull. “Rike appeared at that moment, yelling that they had been attacked and he needed to find his boyfriend. Orion dropped his phone, and started to panic even more. Kaaras noticed and blocked the entrance. Vass and Herah moved towards Rike. I grabbed the phone and went to go check on my girls for a moment. That’s when I called you. When Rike saw me come out of the alley he darted for us. Vess saw her brother dive for Orion and on instinct grabbed Rike and slammed him to the ground. You heard the rest from there.” Asaara paused in his telling. No one had moved the whole time.

Through clenched teeth, Dorian said, “where is the asshole now?”

“The guards took him. We found a knife on him, the guards found restraints, gags and a gun in his car, though the gun apparently wasn’t loaded.” Asaara pointed at Kaaras. “He was close enough to hear some of the guards talking to each other. It didn’t sound like he was going to be getting out of jail tonight.”

Dorian was going to make sure he never saw the light of day again.

“He’s been back for about an hour and half, officially. They had had a few people check him out why we were waiting, but the doctors got slammed suddenly. Apparently there was a huge accident and the hospital got swamped,” Varric said, moving closer.

“Do you know what happened before?” Dorian asked Varric now, wanting to see if the dwarf would add anything else to Fenris’s part.

“Not much. We got done talking to the lawyer and publisher. Got back to the hotel. Hawke and I were done and wanted to have a few drinks, Fenris hadn’t been directly in the meeting, but had been walking around the town. He had made a comment that across the street had been a crepe shop that served all sorts of different types of crepes. Orion had been full of energy. He had done excellent against my publisher. Batted his eyes, made an off handed comment and had the publisher spilling some much needed secrets. It all went much faster after that. Orion was feeling very proud of himself. So while we were drinking, he wandered across the street to the crepe shop. It was 45 minutes to an hour before we realized he wasn’t back. We knew the shop had been busy but it shouldn’t have been that busy.” Taking a breath, Varric looked up at Hawke. The normally sturdy dwarf was clearly shaken. He loved Orion like a younger brother and had been part of his life for a few years before Dorian and Bull had showed up.

Hawke picked up the rest of the tale. “We headed out there. A worker had seen him, had taken his order but he had not come forward to claim his food. We spread out from there trying to find any clue. We shortly got a phone call from Asaara here and met him and Orion at the hospital.”

“So now we just need to know what happened in the middle,” Dorian said, looking towards the doors that led further into the hospital. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Outside of the babbling that Bull had gotten on the phone, no one knew what had happened. Orion had gone quiet and still after he had been taken away from the scene.

Shortly after the catch up, Asaara and his kids said their goodbyes, stating that the rest of the biker group was outside with their motorcycles. They gave the family their space, but asked to get an update, if it didn’t offend anyone. Dorian laughed at the comment. It sounded a little hysterical.

Bull squeezed his leg, but answered for both of them. “You’ll get your message, please if you ever find yourself in Kirkwall, look us up. You will have a roof over your head and some damn good food in your belly.” Asaara and the others grinned.

“Be careful, we’re a large group and can eat a man out of house and home,” the older qunari said with a wink and a smile. Bull smiled back.

“You haven’t seen how much Orion can cook for my boys. I’m sure we can handle it.” Bull replied back. Asaara laughed, waved and led his children out the door.

“What are the odds that we run into more qunari that are similar to yourself?” Dorian asked out loud. Bull turned, wrapped an arm around Dorian and kissed the top of his head. Everyone settled back and waited.

A few minutes later, Dorian saw the doors open up and a dwarven nurse came out, pushing Orion out in a wheelchair. Dorian jumped from his set and ran for the elf. An eye was black and blue, there was dried blood in his hair, and he wore a shirt that Dorian had never seen. The elf looked blank. He looked drugged.

“Mr. Pavus?” The nurse asked as Dorian approached. Dorian slowed his stride, but never stopped.

“Yes, I am. Is he okay?” Dorian said. The nurse nodded her head.

“He’s fine. We gave him a sedative and some pain killers. He was having panic attacks while in the back. We needed to sedate him, so we could clean out the wounds and see what needed to be done. It should help tide him over until you are able to get him back to the hotel and he can rest properly.” Dorian kneeled down and took Orion’s hands into his. They were ice cold.

“He’s freezing.” Dorian stated, slightly panicking.

“Totally normal,” the nurse replied with a smile. She held out a small bag. “He is going to be cold and loopy for the next couple of hours. Tomorrow he is going to be very sore. We had a healer clean up and heal both cuts.” She pointed towards the top of his head and a long pink line on his forearm. “Everything healed properly, so there shouldn’t be any concern about a wound reopening, but the body is still going to feel those aches and pains for a few days. Have him take it easy. If you have any questions over the next several days, here is the number to call.” She pulled a card out of the bag and showed it to Dorian. She looked up at Bull and gave him a small smile. “You must be Bull. Again he will be fine, just sore. He needs to take it easy.”

“Is it going to be safe for him to travel home tomorrow? We live in Kirkwall.” The nurse paused for a moment thinking.

“Yes,” she said hesitantly, “but I would call the guards first before you leave. They may need to talk to Orion again.” Bull nodded his head. Dorian would let him take care of that. He didn’t need to lose his temper and make things more difficult. “Are there any other questions?”

The pair shook their heads. “We will call if anything pops up.” The nurse gave a curt nod and a smile.

“Then take him and go get him settled.” She turned and left the group. Dorian rubbed Orion’s thigh. As he looked at the closed eyes of his amatus, he felt tears start to swell. Orion jolted and then his eyes opened a little bit.

“Murin,” Orion’s voice sounded raw, the word coming out as a whisper.

“You’re alright amatus. Just rest, Bull and I are here.” As Dorian spoke the words, some tears began to fall. He moved to lean over to give Orion a gentle kiss on the forehead. Orion made a small noise and then promptly fell back asleep. Bull grabbed the handles on the chair and led the group out to the truck.

Gentle Bull lifted Orion into the center seat up front, while Hawke, Fenris and Varric filled up the back. They had taken a taxi over to the hospital, since they had decided to take the train out of Kirkwall to Cumberland. Once Orion was comfortable and safely buckled in, Dorian crawled in next to him. Buckling himself in, he then nudged Orion to cuddle closer into his side. The elf gave a small whimper, but then cuddled as close as he could to Dorian.

Dorian moved his arms around the small man gently, trying to warm him up. Bull got in, started the truck up and blasted the heat.

The drive to the hotel was silent.

Arriving at the hotel, Hawke jumped out of the truck and rushed into the building, deciding to see if they could get a wheelchair to move Orion up. The rest of the group only had to wait a few moments, before Hawke arrived with a chair. Moving Orion, caused the elf to stir for a moment. He attempted to right himself in the chair, but found it was difficult for his arms to move his weight. Bull helped him get comfortable. Settling the elf’s eyes closed again. Bull and Dorian grabbed their bags.

“Do we need to talk to anyone at the front desk?” Bull asked as they pushed Orion into the elevator.

“No,” Hawke answered. “The staff is aware of what is going on. They said to get settled and they will talk to someone in the morning.” The group relaxed, glad that no one had to go argue with the front.

With a ding, the elevator informed the group that they had reached their floor. Varric led the group down the hallway, stopping in front of his and Orion’s room.

“I’ll bunk with Hawke and Fenris. If you need anything, tap on the wall,” Varric said as slide his card into the lock. Pushing the door open, he held it open until the small group was inside.

“Thank you Varric,” Dorian replied as he passed the dwarf. The man gave him a sombered nod and allowed the door to close.

With the door closed, Dorian followed Bull and Orion into the room. Stepping around the chair, Dorian looked at the sleeping elf.

“Should we give him a bath?” Dorian asked. Bull shrugged his shoulders. Kneeling down, he gently rubbed Orion’s leg. The elf slowly blinked, his head leaving the back of the chair.

“Hey kadan,” Bull’s voice soft and low, any other time it would have had Dorian quivering, “you want a bath?” The elf stared at the large male for a moment. Blinking a few times, the elf started to look around. Dorian could see panic rising in Orion’s eyes as he started to look around. “Easy kadan. It’s just us.” Another look around the room had Orion taking a couple of deep breaths. Relaxing into the chair, he looked back at the Iron Bull, the elf focusing on his face once more.

“A bath?” He asked weakly.

“Yes, a bath. We can get the…” Bull paused for a moment, choosing his words, “we can get you cleaned up. You like being clean.” The elf looked towards the bathroom for a moment, then nodded his head.

Bull lifted the elf and headed towards the bathroom. It quickly became apparent though, that there was going to be a problem.

Looking at the bathroom, Dorian could see Bull realizing that he was not going to safely fit in the bathroom, while taking care of Orion. There was a pained look in his eye as he came to the realization.

“Here,” Dorian said, quickly moving up to Bull. He held out his arms and waited for the elf to be passed over. Gently putting Orion in his arms, Dorian turned and walked into the bathroom, sliding Orion to sit on the toilet seat. The elf leaned for a moment, but then righted himself. He was woozy but seemed to be holding in there.

Starting the bath, Dorian undressed the elf, tossing the clothes towards the door so Bull could handle them. As the water filled the tub, Dorian rolled up his sleeves and found Orion’s travel bag by the sink. He pulled out the elf’s favorite shampoo and conditioner, plus his container of soap that smelled like orange and sandalwood. Once the tub was half full and the water was warm, Dorian placed Orion in the tub.

Getting to work, Dorian moved gently but efficiently. Orion watch, eyes half closed. Once Dorian reached his head, he loosened up Orion's braid. Blood was caked along his hairline and a bit past. Dorian allowed the water to drain, as he grabbed the shower hose. Adjusting the water, he ran it through Orion’s reddish-brown hair. When the mass of hair was wet, Dorian got to work cleaning it. It took a bit of time as Dorian tried to be as thorough as possible.

Through the whole thing, Orion didn’t say a word. He sat, staring at his toes. Occasionally, he would lean towards Dorian, but would then right himself. Dorian could hear Bull leaning against the door, watching.

After rinsing out Orion’s long hair, Dorian helped the elf get out of the tub. Dorian wouldn’t say the elf looked better exactly, but he did seem to be a bit more aware of where he was. He dried Orion off, grabbing a second towel to handle his hair. Bull had put the elf’s pajamas on the counter. Reaching for them, Dorian got Orion dressed, before tackling his long hair.

Deciding that they didn’t need to stay in the bathroom any longer, Dorian pulled Orion up and got him heading towards Bull. Looking into the room real quick, Dorian saw the chaise chair that was underneath the large window that graced one of the walls in the room. He pointed the spot out to Bull.

Bull picked Orion up, cradling the elf to his chest. Getting them situated in the chair, they cuddled while Dorian got a third towel, Orion’s comb and a clean hair tie.

Dorian pulled a chair behind the pair and got to work drying and braiding Orion’s hair. Dorian had started the braid, when suddenly Orion made a noise. Both paused to look at the young elf. For the first time in while it seemed, Orion looked up, eyes focusing on Bull, when tears started running down his eyes.

“You’re safe, little kadan. We’ve got you,” Bull said as he slightly tightened his grip on the small body in his arms. Orion started to cry harder. Burying his head in Bull’s chest, he began to sob.

Tears welled in Dorian’s eyes, his heartbreaking listening to Orion sob. He did the only thing that he thought would help and leaned down to cover the top half of Orion, effectively squishing him between human and qunari.

The three sat for some time, listening to Orion cry and the traffic down below as the city started to wake up. Checking the time, Dorian found it was about 5 in the morning.

Dorian’s back started to protest the position. Sitting up to stretch for a moment, Orion followed him, one hand bracing on himself on Bull’s chest, so he could twist around. Dorian reached for the tissues that were on the table next to them. Giving Orion a moment to clean his face, Dorian was about to suggest that they move to the bed, when Orion spoke up for the first time in hours.

“I,” he started, but was cut off by Bull.

“If you say you're sorry, little kadan, I’m going to force you to lay back down and I am going to smother you.” Orion gave the large qunari a nervous look, before relaxing. Bull pushed himself up, so he was upright, allowing Orion to sit in his lap and lean against him. The elf looked at Dorian for a moment, a smile almost there, but then gone.

“Apparently he saw me when I got off the train. He was there picking something up and saw me with Fenris. He decided to follow me and the others to the hotel. He was going to see if I was ever going to be by myself.” Orion shivered, tears welling back up into his eyes. Dorian placed his hand on Orion’s knee.

“You don’t have to talk about this,” he whispered. He had to swallow hard to make sure he didn’t start crying. Seeing the fear that still lingered in Orion’s eyes, made him want to cry in rage.

Orion took a deep breath, but nodded his head, turning to look at Bull. “I want to. It helps. I’m tired of being stuck in my head.” Bull made a sound of agreement. He rubbed the elf’s back, soothing and encouraging him. Dorian sat back, giving Orion some space, but his hand never left his knee.

Taking another big breath, Orion started talking.

“We had gotten back from dealing with the publisher. I felt pretty good. I had taken your advice,” he looked back at Bull, “and had tricked the publisher into talking. My gut was right by the way. The lawyer and the publisher were both in on it. They had been pocketing the extra money for the last two years. Apparently the lawyer’s sister is the publisher’s wife and they had decided to steal Varric’s money, since he really gets a chance to look at some of the house’s finances or something like that. Anyways we were able to get enough information and Varric can go to the head publisher about the whole thing now.

“Once we had gotten back, I realized how hungry I was. We hadn’t had a chance to eat lunch, not wanting to let those two have a chance to regroup. Fenris had been walking around and told me about the crepe shop that’s across the street from the front of the hotel. You know how much I love crepes. So while everyone else was drinking and settling into their room, I went across the street to grab as many crepes as I wanted.” Bull and Dorian both chuckled at that. It wasn’t often that Orion liked going out for food. He enjoyed cooking too much, but he did have a weak spot for crepes. Celebratory crepes sound right up their elf’s alley. Orion managed to give them a small smile.

“Anyways, the place was packed. I stood behind the elderly couple, who struck up a conversation with me. It took awhile to get through the line, but once we did the couple saw an open table and went to grab it. I was left standing by the wall waiting for my food,” Orion paused for a moment, taking a few breaths. He almost sounded panicky again. Bull kissed the top of his head, while Dorian squeezed his knee. After a moment, Orion was able to continue with his story.

“While I was waiting, Rike was next to me suddenly. He grabbed my arm and told me I had to leave with him or I was going to get hurt. I,” another pause as Orion started to rub his chest, a clear sign that he was starting to panic.

“You’re safe,” Dorian said, forcing the elf to look him in the eyes. “He can’t hurt you anymore. Bull and I won’t allow it. Take your time. We are here.” Orion nodded. Take more deep breaths. Orion rolled his shoulders and tried to relax himself.

“I didn’t know what to do. I froze. I was so shocked to see him and I just automatically followed him out the door. He was talking excitedly, so glad that he had finally found me, that we were going to just start over again. As we were talking, he grabbed my butt twice. I thought he was feeling me up, but then he started mumbling about how he was glad I didn’t have my phone on me. That I wasn’t going to be able to call Sera anymore.” Sera had been the one to finally convince Orion to leave the bastard, and had helped the young man get out of the relationship. Dorian and Bull had heard that there had been a lot of animosity between the two. “He must not have seen the pocket inside of my jacket. We were almost at this diner, when he suddenly pushed me into this alleyway and slammed me up against the wall. He got real close to my face and started asking me if I had been,” Orion paused, a snarl starting to appear on his face. The look made Bull proud. Here was his elf’s backbone. “Fucking,” Orion spat the word out, “any of them,” I hand gesture towards the wall, suggested the three he had been traveling with, “I told him no and he told me good, because if I had been he was going to tan my hide. I felt my insides roll and tighten at the comment.” The snarl that had been on Orion’s face disappeared, he crumbled a little bit. “I was terrified. I was still too scared to do anything.” Dorian had to stop his own snarl from leaving him. Making the noise now would stop Orion from finishing his tale. The human could see that his qunari partner was feeling the same thing.

“We left the alley after that and walked towards the restaurant. Getting in, he took us to a corner, trapped me in. When the waitress came over, he ordered himself a burger and told her that I was only going to have a small salad. She looked a little concerned but I didn’t argue. She got us our meal fairly quickly. The whole time he kept talking about our future, how I was never going to leave him again. That we were going far away from the city. That he was going to make my life easy. I wanted to cry, but was terrified that he would get angry. He ate his food fast, and was almost glad that I had barely touched my food. He made a comment that I had gotten fat.” Dorian noticed Bull rolling his eye, his body almost shaking. It had taken Dorian and Bull a long time to help Orion feel okay about eating. Their little elf used to eat about a quarter of a plate of food, making excuses that he was never that hungry. The pair had gotten into the habit of eating a lot of snacks throughout the day to convince Orion to eat.

“After that we went to his truck. Once I saw his truck, I started to panic. All I could think was that I couldn’t get into the truck. If I did, I was going to die. That no one would be able to find me. I started to struggle. He,” Orion paused trying to get his breathing under control. “He hit me hard enough that I fell and hit my head on the concrete. I think I blacked out for a moment, because the next thing I knew we were by the truck, the door was open and he was starting to lift me.” He looked at Bull, “I remembered yours and Krem’s words, knees or elbows. I was close enough to his nose that I threw my elbow out and caught him. He dropped me and I was able to get up for a moment. I started to move but he tackled me back down. I was able to get on my back and just started to scratch his face and chest. Somehow in our fighting I was able to get enough momentum in my leg to hit his crotch hard. He started to collapse, I pushed him, got up, kicked him once in the gut to make sure he didn’t have any air and then ran right out. I think I started yelling. All l remember at that point is that I hit someone large and with horns. I honestly thought it was you. I think I hugged the guy.”

“You ran into a group of biker qunari, if you can believe it,” Dorian said with a smile. Orion blinked.

“Really?” He quietly asked. “I only recall the one man.”

“Yeah, the asshole didn’t have much of a chance at that point. They were pretty pissed with him after Asaar and I talked.” Bull said.

“That’s oddly lucky. Is there any way I could talk to them? I would like to thank them.” Both Dorian and Bull nodded.

“We have Asaar’s number. We also invited them to dinner if they were ever in Kirkwall.” Bull continued. Orion nodded, like that was the only acceptable answer. Leaning against Bull’s chest, he yawned. It was clear that everything was catching back up with the young elf. Dorian and Bull shared a look.

“Alright, I think it’s bedtime now. We can talk more later if you need it,” Bull said, turning and lifting the elf up. Orion was tired enough that he didn’t argue, only cuddled closer to Bull. Dorian got to the bed first, pulling down the covers. He piled some pillows together to support Bull’s head and horns. Grabbing some more blankets and pillows, he created a little nest for Orion. Bull settled Orion in the pile, standing up to take off his clothes. He and Dorian quickly swapped into sleeping pants. Orion watched the whole time, eyes lidded as he pulled a blanket up to his chin. Once everyone was ready, the two crawled into the queen size bed. It was a good thing Orion liked being squished. Bull took up a lot of space. It took a moment for everyone to get settled, but once it was accomplished, the little group quickly nodded off, feeling safe and secure.

*****
A week later…

Dorian sat in their living room, grading papers and keeping an eye on his partners outside. Bull and Orion were outside filling up the garden planters that Bull had built for the elf, this last week. Not having anything that he could hit, (i.e. the scumbag that had somehow been able to get out while the court got ready for the trial. They had been considerate enough to put a temporary restraining order against the bastard. Not that the group actually needed one. If the fool was stupid enough to come around Orion again, he was going to get a face full of fire and would not be leaving the encounter alive. Dorian did still know people that would help him bury a body after all,) Bull had channeled all of his anger into creating some more garden beds for Orion and finishing the basement that the Chargers had been so kind to start while they had been gone. Dorian had been touched to come home and see the pack of people arranging the basement into an area for him to do his work. He had given Bull a look and had asked, very sarcastically he would add, if the qunari was tired of sharing his office. The man had actually given him a confused look, not understanding for a moment. He had then laughed and said Dorian had the office whenever he wanted, just thought he would want a space to work with people since he was becoming such a prominent figure in the mage community. A huge arm around his waist and a kiss on top of his head, actually had Dorian choking back tears. All he could do was kiss Bull, a chaste, but long kiss and a softly whispered thank you.

Watching the two, Dorian smiled. Orion was clearly explaining what the plants were to Bull and probably why they were good for the garden. Orion always had reason for adding anything to the garden. Not that he needed a reason, but they were still working through that. While watching them, Dorian’s phone started to ring. Looking at the number, it was not one that he knew.

“Hello,” Dorian said as he answered the phone. A male voice answered him.

“Hello Dorian, this is Rin, we haven’t had a chance to talk yet.” Dorian stuttered to a stop. Butterflies suddenly filled his stomach. Rin was Orion’s father, his very protective father.

Rike, when he had first got with Orion had managed to twist the relationship between father and son. Apparently there had been some issues in the family and Rike had seen how he could pull Orion away from his father and family, leaving the young man isolated and alone. After Orion had left Rike, Sera had helped father and son reconnect. The relationship had been slowly healing. In the two years that the three of them had been together, Bull and Dorian had not had a chance to meet the man yet. Apparently Rin had some reservation about Bull and Dorian since they were both from the North. Being from there himself, Rin had stood for caution. Bull and Dorian often left Orion to speak with his father in private when they did have their weekly conversation. Which left Dorian feeling confused about why the man was suddenly calling him.

“I know you are probably wondering why I am calling you,” Rin continued to speak. “Sera called me and told me what had happened. I wanted to talk to you and Bull directly to ask if I had permission to stay at your place. I know I haven’t tried to get to know either of you well the last two years, directly. I’ve been trying hard not to step on my son’s toes after everything that has happened, but I would like to be there now.” The man spoke quickly but direct. Dorian sensed that the man wasn’t just cautious about them, but had some reservations about being in front of his son again. Rin had been trying to not lose his son again, but also not scare Orion away. Dorian could understand the delicate balance the man had been trying to maintain, having issues with his own father.

Looking back out the window at Bull and Orion playing in the dirt, Dorian smiled again. Dorian was sure Rin would enjoy the sight as well. “I think for the moment, I can speak for both Bull and myself, when I say that you are more than welcome in our home. When will you be here? Will any of Orion’s brothers be joining us?” Dorian had been told that there were three older brothers. Sera was fond of the three older brothers. They were some characters with strong opinions and streak of dishing out their own type of justice. Orion was definitely the quietest of the four brothers.

Dorian could hear the man take a deep breath. Dorian imagined him relaxing the tiniest bit. “No, I haven’t told his brothers what has happened. I,” Rin paused, clearly thinking about what he was going to say next, “didn’t want them getting into trouble.” He finally decided to say. Dorian chuckled.

“I’ve been told they have their own way of handling things. Sera has been vague about details, but strongly suggests that I be careful.” This time Rin laughed out loud.

“They get that from their mother. It was a great trait to have in a wife, but it gives me a heart attack as a father.” Another chuckle.

“I bet. No wonder you try to keep a close eye on Orion. Poor thing probably doesn’t have a chance against his brothers.”

“Are you kidding?” Rin said incredulously, “he’s the worst. He might not do it as much as his brothers, but if he feels like someone has transgressed on someone he loves, he would burn a building down.”

Dorian frowned, looking out back at the elf in the garden, trying to imagine his sweet little elf burning a building down for him.

“You haven’t seen that side of his temperament, have you?” Rin asked.

“No,” Dorian said slowly, thinking if he had ever got a glimpse of that side of Orion. “I don’t believe I have. Though I will say I have seen more and more of his backbone in the last year. He is quite crafty.” Another laugh from Rin.

“That he is. He sees more than his brothers. He’s naturally quieter than the other three so most people forget that he is in a room and talk about all sorts of stuff around him. His mother and I always had to check to make sure he wasn’t anywhere near us if we were going to have a private conversation.”

“That I have seen. The little fox has heard about a few surprises that he wasn’t supposed to know about yet.”

“I bet. That was half of our problem when he and Rike got together.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow at the comment. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Rike was his first serious crush. Being a few years older than Orion, he had seemed enchanting. Orion had just finished school when they had met. At first the human couldn’t seem to do anything wrong, but when I started to notice a few things I wasn’t fond of, Orion thought I was attacking their relationship. You know how it is with your first love.” Dorian could imagine what he would have done to be with his first love. “He would say that I was just prejudiced because he was a human and I had some issues with them. It didn’t help that everyone was dealing with the stress of their mother getting sick. And I was constantly fighting with human healers on how best to treat her.” A heavy sigh escaped the man. “After she died, Rike really started to play on Orion’s sense of justice and would twist our interactions. The family was a mess and it worked to his advantage. The breaking point was when I said I didn’t want the man at the funeral and he twisted it saying that I was letting my distrust of humans paint him as the bad guy, that he was just like the healers that let his mother die and that I wanted my sons to be with elves only. He got Orion so worked up, that he refused to show up to the funeral.” Rin went quiet for a moment. Dorian could hear the man getting choked up. “That was the night I lost my son. I was so focused on grieving for my wife that I didn’t notice what was going on. Carwyn, my eldest, was the first one to realize something was amiss. He had tried to talk to Orion, but it was too late.”

Dorian had silently, staring at the wall the whole time Rin spoke. So many things fell into place for Dorian, the behaviors, the way Rin and Orion were trying to fix their relationship, why he and Bull hadn’t been formally introduced yet to the rest of Orion’s family, Orion’s nervousness. It wasn't just the abuse that he had suffered, but his own actions during a trying time. Looking back out the door, his two loves were moving on to a new planter box, Bull was bringing another box of flowers over. It was definitely time to water a few flowers that were struggling to grow again.

“Thank you,” Dorian said.

“For what?” Rin asked softly, confused by the statement.

“This conversation has explained so many things for me. It’s nice to see me and my father aren’t the only ones with a,” he paused for a moment, looking for the best word, “complicated relationship.”

Rin made a sound of acknowledgment. “Am I still allowed to come over?” That made Dorian laugh.

“Yes, I look forward to meeting you in person. I also think you will be pleased how happy your son is and how much stronger he has become.” Rin hummed a pleased note.

“Would tomorrow evening be too early? I have a few things I have to take care of, but then I can catch a train from Starkhaven to Kirkwall.”

“Tomorrow would be fine. Would you like us to pick you up at the station?”

“If it isn’t inconvenient, that would be nice, but I understand if you are busy.”

“It’s no trouble. Bull or I will come get you, that way Orion has more time to fret if everything is put together or finish dinner, since I suspect he will want to do something about that.”

“Yes, that does sound about right. Another thing he picked up from his mother. A perfectionist.” Dorian laughed at the comment.

“If there is anything else you need between now and tomorrow, please don’t hesitate to call or text.”

“I will. Thank you for listening, Dorian, I appreciated this conversation.”

“Me as well. It was very insightful. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

“Same. Well, have a good night.”

“You too,” Dorian said, then ended the call. He let his head drop back against the couch. That went much better than he ever expected. Turning his head, a heavy sigh left him as he decided to get up and head outside to inform his partners what plans he had put into motion.

*****

Bull stood outside of the train station. He leaned against his truck waiting for the group. A sigh escaped him as he thought about what was going to hit his home. It seemed Sera hadn’t stopped at just calling Rin, she had made sure to ring up every brother. Dorian had gotten a text a few hours after his call, asking if there was a hotel nearby that he would recommend. Without thinking about it, he said there was room for all of them at the house, considering the Chargers would frequently crash at the house. Rin seemed surprised, but happy. Rin changed the time, so he and the brothers would arrive in the morning in two days.

Orion, on the other hand, took three shots rapidly and promptly told his two partners that they could finish dinner, he was going to go crawl into bed and ignore the world. Dorian had tried to talk to Orion, to see if he was comfortable with his family staying with them. He felt terrible that he hadn’t asked. Orion had just mumbled that wasn’t the problem. Bull figured it was probably just nerves. Orion hadn’t seen his family since his mother passed away.

The next morning Dorian and Bull had found Orion, puttering around the main floor, cleaning and prepping food. He was a ball of nervous energy. The living room, kitchen and downstairs bathroom was cleaned to the point that everything shined. The two guest rooms and guest bathroom had also gotten the same treatment. Bull’s office was dusted (not that there was much dust), all blankets and pillows were cleaned and fluffed. What felt like a week’s worth of food was being prepped. Bull and Dorian had tried to intervene, but their little elf actually snarled at them and promptly told them to get out of his way. If that snarl hadn’t been aimed at him as a threat of violence, Bull would have been aroused by the sound. Filing away that noise for a later date, Bull and Dorian had stood back and kept an eye on the elf.

The cleaning continued the next day. Bull was sure some of the tables were going to disappear by being polished too much. About thirty minutes before Bull had left for the station, Sera had shown up unannounced. She had taken one look at Orion and promptly started to just slightly move all of the furniture. Orion managed to hit every table in the living room and kitchen. Turning on Sera, the two immediately went into a screaming match. Bull was about to separate the two, when Sera started name calling, which prompted Orion into name calling. The two became so creative in their name calling that they could not keep a straight face to save their lives. They fell onto the floor laughing. Dorian and Bull shared a look. Bull had left the two in Dorian’s care.

Here he now stood, outside of the train station, waiting for 4 more elves and wondering if he was going to be able to handle the whole thing. He didn’t have to wait long.

He had been looking up at the sky, enjoying the puffy clouds that passed overhead, when he heard someone yell for him, or maybe it was at him.

“The Iron Bull!” Turning his attention to the doors he saw four males walk out. An older gentleman was surrounded by three younger ones. Bull marveled on how much Orion looked like his father. The same reddish-brown hair, copper gold eyes, the same slim build, though this man looked a bit softer with age. Carwyn, stood at his father’s right side, his hand held high, clearly this was the one that had called his name. His hair was short and brown, completely disheveled. Bull thought he had been running his hands through his hair a lot. His eyes were green. The way he carried himself and the build of his body, one word jumped to Bull’s mind; fighter. Carwyn wouldn’t have a problem wading into a fight and putting someone’s face into the ground. As the group moved closer, Bull could see a few scars on his face, Bull suspected he would find some on the male’s hands as well.

Quickly he scanned over the other two. Twins. Branok and Taran. Orion had told Dorian and Bull that the best way to describe the twins was that they were two sides of the same coin. Branok was loud and brash, high energy. An adrenaline junkie. From the very few stories that Bull and Dorian had heard, this kid loved to jump out of planes, do high risk stunts and other such things. Apparently he was the stunt man on a few shows. His twin though, Taran, was much more reserved. A heavy reader, who liked to solve puzzles and write stories. He was a teacher in Starkhaven, from what Bull had heard. Both had brown hair like their older brother, one was cut buzzed short of the sides with long loose curls on top, the other was shoulder length and neat looking but they both had the copper gold eyes of their father.

Reaching the truck, Rin held out his hand. “Hello The Iron Bull. It is nice to finally meet you.” He said, he gave the qunari a pleasant smile. Bull couldn’t help but compare Orion’s and Rin’s smile. Orion definitely got a lot of his looks from his father.

Returning the handshake, Bull replied. “Likewise. Nice to put some faces with the names.”

“This is Carwyn,” he pointed to the son on his right, “Branok,” the one on his left “and this is Taran.” The young male that stood slightly behind, but close to Branok. All three waved at him. Bull pointed to the back of his truck.

“You can throw your gear in there.” The four nodded and got moving. Getting their bags in the back, Bull opened the front passenger door for Rin. The man gave him a small smile and lifted himself into his seat. The three brothers looked at the back seats, then looked at each other. Bull and Rin shared a look as they listened to the three bicker about who was going to sit where. After a moment it was decided that Taran would sit in the middle, that way Carwyn and Branok wouldn’t get into trouble with each other. Apparently some behaviors never died.

Once everyone was settled, Bull started the vehicle and headed towards home.

“So,” Taran said, leaning forward to stick his head between his father and Bull, “what do you do for a living?”

Bull side-eyed him. “I own a construction business. I fix homes up or build brand new ones.”

The brothers hummed at him. “Why?” Bull side-eyed the elf again. He heard Rin quietly chuckle.

“Why what?” Bull decided to ask. He decided he was going to make the brother work for an answer.

“Why construction?” Branok butted in, moving himself to look at Bull as well. He sat directly behind the large qunari.

“I like building things. It generally makes people happy. I also have a great crew that works well with each other, so there isn’t any drama that follows us everywhere.”

Another hum from the brothers. Carwyn leaned forward this time. “What about the Qun?”

“Boys,” Rin said, a tone of warning coloring the word. Bull watched all three shrink back in their seats, looking at their father. Bull silently laughed. “You will remember your manners.”

“It’s fine. What do you mean ‘what about the Qun?’” Bull interjected. He suspected he was going to get these questions, he just hadn’t expected them so quickly.

Carwyn leaned forward again, taking the permission, “Thoughts, feelings, still talking to anyone?” Bull wasn’t quite sure where this was going, but he figured he would follow for a bit.

“There are days that I miss the structure. I miss some of my friends. There are other things that I don’t miss. I am happy with the life that I have built here. I have my Chargers and I have my partners, and a job that I like. The only person that I still talk to is my Tama. I was fairly close to her growing up, she is practically my mother and we connected again after I spent several years in Seheron. She’s happy for me and the life that I have built here.”

Bull could see Rin turning to look at him.

“Orion never said you were in the Seheron. Military?”

“Yes sir. Little over 10 years.” A low whistle came from Rin. Bull wasn’t surprised. Rin was from the southern border of Tevinter. “It was my job to gather information and protect the people, while finding Tal Vashoths and Tevinter spies. I cracked one day when one of my friends was killed. That’s why I am here in Kirkwall now. It was decided that I should travel for a while. Gather information on people and places. They wanted me here after the whole mess with the last Arishok.”

“What sort of information were you gathering?” Taran asked.

“General public opinion and if the Free Marches were going to launch a counterattack against the Qun. The last Arishok had messed up and the heads of the Qun wanted to know if there was a chance to stop a war from breaking out, before it happened. Once it was clear that nothing serious was going to happen, I was left here to keep an eye and an ear out. Few years passed though, I met the Chargers wandering around between the Free Marches, Orlais and Ferelden. We settled back in at Kirkwall, started a business together, and made a home. Meeting Dorian was sort of the tipping point of me leaving the Qun. They weren’t fond of my relationship with him.”

The group grew silent digesting the words. Branok finally spoke up. “That was not the story I was expecting,” he said quietly.

That made Bull laugh. “What were you expecting? Me down here trying to recruit people for the Qun?”

Branok made a guilty face. “Maybe?” He looked out his window avoiding Bull. Bull laughed again.

“Nah, that isn’t my thing. People are people, best to let them make their own choices as best they can in this life.” All four men looked at Bull, quietly studying him. It made Bull silently chuckle again. Orion looked at him a lot like that, particularly at the beginning of their relationship.

Taran leaned forward again, getting Bull’s attention. “Okay, time for a serious question.” Bull raised an eyebrow. That hadn’t been a serious question? “What’s your favorite dish that Orion cooks?” The whole group laughed at the question.

The rest of the ride had Bull laughing at the brothers’ antics. He could see why Sera enjoyed hanging out with the three. Rin sat silently, watching and listening to the four.

As they pulled down the street where his house was, Carwyn spoke louder than his brothers. “That’s a lot of bikes. Do you live next to a biker group?” Bull frowned as he looked at where the bikes were.

“No we don’t and considering those bikes are surrounding my house, I don’t know what’s going on.” The group in the truck started looking around to see what was going on. Getting closer they could see several qunari sitting next to their bikes. There were a few more qunari that were close to the front door. Bull suddenly groaned.

“Is everything alright?” Rin asked. The man looked anxious.

“Yeah, but I’m sure my little kadan is probably losing his mind right now,” Bull said. “More guests just landed on the doorstep and he is probably fretting that he doesn’t have enough cookies.” Rin gave him a confused look.

Pulling into the driveway, Bull nodded at the qunari who were outside. They waved and smiled at the group in the truck.

Getting out of the truck, everyone grabbed their bags and headed into the house, nodding and greeting the qunaris that stood by the door. The qunaris waved and got out of their way. Walking into the house, Bull found Asaar in the kitchen talking to Orion, Dorian and Sera.

Sera was the first to notice the new group.

“Papa Rin,” she yelled as she rushed the older elf. He gave her a smile and hugged her tight. A smacking kiss landed on her head, before she could move back. Leaving the older man, she turned on the other three. She threw herself at them, making all of them laugh as limbs became tangled together.

Rin rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the group in front of him. Bull noticed Orion take a deep breath before he moved towards his father. The older man smiled and held his arms out. Tears started to fall from Orion’s eyes as he rushed to hug his father. Everyone turned away to give the two a moment. Rin moved away from his son for a moment, encouraging him to move towards the empty living room. Sera started to speak loudly about something outside that the brothers needed to see.

Bull looked at Asaar. “Glad to see you again,” Bull said as he moved to shake Asaar’s hand.

“Likewise. Sorry to drop by unannounced,” Dorian chuckled at the comment, “but we were in the area and wanted to check in on the little guy.”

Bull looked at Dorian for a moment. Dorian looked back, a big smile on his face. “Yes he lost his mind for about 3 minutes and immediately started to make more cookies. He even sent Asaar’s children to go get more supplies, so now everyone has to wait until all of the cookies are done before they are allowed to leave. Luckily, qunaris are generally a patient lot it seems and everyone is eagerly waiting for cookies.” Bull groaned and shook his head. “Oh, it gets better.” Dorian stated. Bull looked at the human, concerned. “Your Chargers are on their way. Someone, I’m assuming Sera, but she is refusing to admit to anything, told someone that there was a large group of qunaris outside of our house and now they are on their way over to ‘check-out’ the situation. I suspect that they are on their way for cookies.”

Asaar chuckled and looked at Bull. “Sorry.” Was all that the man could say. Bull wanted to slam his head against a wall.

“They do know that Orion’s family is here, right.” Bull asked. Dorian leveled a hard stare at his partner. His arms were crossed against his chest, bunchin his grey shirt and blue sweater tight across his arms. He had his right leg crossed over his left. He looked boardline sinister if Bull didn’t know him.

“Oh yes, but your children,” there was a lot of emphasis on those words, “have decided that Orion should have the rest of his family here, just in case.” Again, more emphasis. Bull really wanted to slam his head against a wall now.

“Did anyone tell them that we aren’t dealing with your father?” Bull asked. Dorian just continued to stare. Bull was going to slam his head against a wall. Asaar sat between them quietly chuckling. A heavy sigh, left Bull “Okay, I’ll go outside and wait for them. I’ll make sure nothing stupid happens.” Dorian made a pleased sound.

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll make sure the cookies don’t burn.” Was all Dorian said. Bull turned to leave the house, internally groaning. This day was not going the way he expected it to.

*****
Several hours later, Dorian found himself outside lounging against Bull’s chest, who In turn lounged on a chair built by said man so he could do such a thing. Bull hated how most outdoor chairs couldn’t handle his weight plus that of his kadans. So one lovely summer afternoon, Bull and the Chargers built several chairs. Dorian at that point had to go out and supply the cushioning. They now had three chairs that could comfortably handle the weight of a qunari plus a human and a small elf.

The chairs were getting a workout tonight. It was unofficially announced that they were having a party. Surprisingly, or maybe not now that Dorian had gotten to know Rin a bit, Rin asked if Asaar and his group could stay for a bit. Orion had nodded his head in agreement. The young elf seemed to have calmed down immensely after being able to privately talk with his father. After that he was swamped by his brothers. The impromptu family reunion seemed to have done everyone some good.

So now about fifteen qunari, all six Chargers, Sera, Varric, Cassandra, Merrill, Hawke and Fenris (again, Dorian was sure this was Sera’s doing, but she still wasn’t confessing to anything. Though that being said it could have been Krem,) were sitting either in the backyard or the main room, playing games or talking. A few neighbors had even stuck their head in to say hi and to see what was going on. The brothers had eagerly started to mingle with everyone. Branok and a few of the qunari were even out front talking about bikes and stuff. The stunt man was regaling the group with some of the crazier things that he had done. Taran and Varric were deep in conversation about some literature talks that they had seen.

Carwyn had disappeared with Hawke and Fenris. Varric had made a comment that at least one brain cell (Fenris) was with them. Dorian and Rin and both hemmed at the comment. They weren’t sure one brain cell would be enough.

Rin on the other hand had stayed close to Orion most of the night. They had shared quiet words as Orion introduced his father to his friends. Dorian was amazed that Orion was handling having so many people in and round the house well. He normally had a hard time with a lot of people around in the house. The chaos seemed to be giving the pair the peace that they needed to talk face to face. For the last hour though Asaar had joined the pair. Dorian and Bull had stayed close in case they needed to shoo the man off. Rin and Orion seemed to welcome Asaar though.

Orion suddenly stood up and walked away from his father and Asaar, a confused look on his face.

“Everything okay kadan?” Bull asked. Orion shrugged and then looked back at his father.

“I think my dad is flirting with Asaar.” He said.

“Oh,” Dorian said as leaned to look around Orion and back at the pair that sat on the grass under the tree. Both seemed to be laughing at something.

“That a problem?” Bull asked, confused.

Orion tilted his head, looking for the words to get his point across. “Not a problem, it’s just,” a pause, “weird. As far as I can remember he has never even looked at another person let alone another man.”

“You didn’t know dad was bi?” Carwyn said as he walked into the backyard. Orion looked up at his older brother.

“He is?” He said crediously. Carwyn laughed.

“Yeah.” Carwyn said in between his chuckling. Orion grabbed Bull’s drink to take a sip.“Though I will say I never thought he would be flirting with qunari. I honestly believe he is a little intimidated by their size. The idea of being picked up and manhandled doesn’t seem to do anything for him.” Orion choked on the ale, nearly spitting up on himself. “Do you like being manhandled, brother?” Carwyn asked innocently, batting his eyes at his baby brother. Orion turned bright red. He refused to look at anyone. Carwyn laughed again and wandered off, leaving to go bug his other brother.

“So it runs in the family.” Bull stated with a smirk. Orion turned even redder and walked away from the pair. “Hey you’re taking my ale,” Bull hollered after the elf. Orion didn’t stop, just kept walking into the house, clutching the drink tight. Bull sighed and let his head drop back. Dorian laughed, looked over his shoulder and gave his qunari a kiss on the cheek.

“Dont worry amatus,” Dorian said sultrily, “I liked being manhandled.” Bull chuckled, wrapped his arms around Dorian and slightly squeezed the man.

“Good to hear. Maybe later we can see how much you like being manhandled.” Bull whispered hotly in his ear. Dorian winked and licked his lips. The large man was wondering how best to clear out his house and soon.

*****

The next few days went by fast. Rin and the brothers weren’t able to stay long. Only about 4 days. After the mayhem that had been their first day, it had drastically quieted down. Orion and his family had been able to spend some time reconnecting. The only time their father wasn’t around was when the man was talking to Asaar. It seemed that the older qunari and elf had connected. Orion found the idea of his father dating weird, but overall didn’t mind. His brothers teased their father about the sudden interest. Carwyn couldn’t stop himself from making manhandling jokes. Rin’s looks were amazing and would frequently send Dorian and Bull into laughing fits.

The day everyone had to leave was bittersweet. Bull watched Orion as he followed his father around the house like a puppy. The two had spent the morning cooking in the kitchen, making a big breakfast for everyone. Dorian had lamented that he wouldn’t be able to stay for said breakfast. He had a class to get to. Rin had taken a moment to grab the human and have a private conversation with the man. Bull wasn’t sure what was said, but when both returned Dorian had looked like he had been crying, but had a huge smile on his face. A few kisses, hugs, waves and promises of visiting soon, Dorian left.

The rest spent some more time with each other, before piling into Bull’s massive truck and heading out.

The ride to the station was lively. The brothers were bickering with each other, while their father would give Bull this look and shrug his shoulders. As long as no one was being rude to each other, Rin was happy to keep his nose out of it.

Getting to the train station the brothers shared a group hug, making noises at each other and just generally being rowdy. It made Bull laugh to see his little kadan acting so silly. Bull felt a nudge on his arm. Looking down, Rin was next to him smiling at his children.

“I’m glad my son met you, The Iron Bull. And I am glad that my caution was not founded on anything, but past experiences. You and Dorian are good people.” The elf put his hand on Bull’s shoulder, looking up at the taller qunari. “I know the qun does not put much into familial ties, but in this family we stick together and have each other’s back and as the patriarch of this family I protect each and everyone of my children as best as I can.” Bull was wondering where this was going, when a slight blush colored Rin’s cheek. “I would like to call you son and offer you everything this family has.”

Bull stood flabbergasted. He never expected to hear those words. He could feel tears start to sting his eye. No wonder Dorian had left crying. Bull wasn’t too sure what to say. Looking down at his feet, he thought for a moment.

Clearing his throat, he looked back up at Rin, who had been patiently waiting. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to call you dad,” Rin laughed and waved his hand, Bull smiled, “but I would like that.”

“And so we are perfectly clear, I am adopting your Chargers and the rest of the ragtag bunch, so if anyone starts causing trouble, you can always call and tattle on them,” Rin said, winking at Bull. Bull threw his head back and laughed.

“I’ll make sure everyone knows that there is a parental figure watching,” Bull replied between his laughter. The brothers had stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the pair. Rin gave his boys a pleasant little smile as he moved closer to them.

“Alright children, group hug and then we have to get moving.” The boys rushed to their father. Rin looked over his shoulder. Once all the elves had wrapped their arms around each other, Bull threw his arms over all of them, making Branok and Taran moan and groan.

“Don’t tell us you have adopted more children,” they groaned as they reached around to pat Bull’s arms. Rin was able to lift his head above his children, minus the horned one, to reply.

“Be nice to the oldest. I don’t want to hear any sass,” he said. The brothers laughed as everyone separated. Rin grabbed Orion before he could move too far.

“Now I better see all of you for Santalia, you understand. I don’t care who you have to drag with you, but I expect all of you at my house for the holidays,” Rin said forcefully, he even brought a finger up to point at his youngest. Orion gave Rin a boyish smile and nodded his head enthusiastically.

“We won’t miss it, I promise.”

“Good, cause I will send Carwyn after you if I have to.” He raised an eyebrow, giving Orion a look. Orion laughed and nodded at his father. Rin smiled and kissed the top of his son’s head. “Until next time, my joy. I look forward to our phone call in a week.” The man gave Bull a big hug before heading off with the other brothers. More waves and goodbyes followed them into the station.

Once the group was gone, Orion looked up at Bull, reaching for the large qunari. Bull leaned down to kiss his little kadan.

“You good?” Bull asked when they separated.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Orion replied, giving his cosain a soft smile.

Hand in hand the pair turned and headed back to the truck, climbed in and headed for home, discussing what they wanted to do for dinner and what they planned on doing to their human once he got home, now that the house was once again theirs.

*****

Two weeks later…

It was almost a month after the attack when Orion got a call while he sat in Varric’s office, looking up some obscure Avaar legends.

He answered the phone, not looking to see who it was.

“Hello,” he said, still more focused on the work in front of him than the call.

“Hello, is this Orion Lavellan?” a woman’s voice asked. The question finally forced Orion to stop. He checked the number before answering. He didn’t know the number.

“This is. Who is this?”

“My name is Guard Captain Cora Nevar from Guard District in Cumberland. I’m calling about your court case that was supposed to be in a week.”

“Supposed to be?” Orion said, panic rising within. His stomach dropped and he could feel his heart pounding through his chest. Eyes darted around the room, landing on the dwarf that sat across from him, who had been typing. Varric moved towards Orion, hearing the panic in the young elf’s voice.

“Yes, it has been postponed for now.” Orion could feel tears starting to fill his eyes. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Mr. Veer has gone missing.” Orion’s heart stopped. He started to shake so bad that he almost dropped his phone. Varric managed to grab it and put the call on speaker. “Mr. Lavellan?” Guard Captain Nevar said.

“I’m still here,” Orion replied back, voice shaking. He hid his face in his hands.

“Mr. Lavellan, I want you to know that we are trying to find him. I have already reached out to your Guard Captain Vallen of Kirkwall.” He heard Varric make a noise at the mention of Aveline. “She is aware of the situation. Unfortunately there isn’t much we can do until he shows himself. If he is found before the scheduled court date, nothing will change, but if he is found afterwards, Guard Captain Vallen and I have already put into place a petition to get you both in as quickly as possible. Your restraining order will also stay in place.”

“Okay.” Orion didn’t move, could barely breathe. He vaguely thought he heard Varric rush to his own desk, but he wasn’t sure of anything at this moment.

“I know this is a lot to handle at this moment, but you can reach out to me or Guard Captain Vallen and we will help guide you as best we can. You are not alone in this, alright Orion.” Guard Captain Nevar said softly.

“Alright,” Orion whispered. He must have been loud enough for the Guard Captain.

“Okay, I am going to let you go for the moment. I’m going to give you time to digest what has happened. I am going to send you a message, to let you know what your rights are and what is going on. I will be calling back tomorrow to check on you and to see if you have any questions, alright?”

“Alright, thank you.”

“Of course. I will talk to you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” The phone call ended. Orion looked and saw Varric standing back in front of him. The fear was eating at him. All the memories of his time with Rike came crashing back. He didn’t know if he was going to survive this time. It was all just too much.

With those thoughts slamming around in his head, Orion crumbled in his seat and cried.

*****

Dorian walked out of their bedroom, wanting to cry. Orion was finally asleep, having curled up against Bull’s chest and cried out all of his frustrations and fears. After having a stern talk with Bull, the young elf was able to let go of some of his feelings. He was loudly reminded that he was not alone and Rike wasn’t going to be able to get to him without a fight, a fight that he was more than capable of taking on. Feeling more encouraged, Orion had snuggled against Bull and drifted off to sleep. Dorian and Bull had continued the conversation. They weren’t sure what they could do at the moment, but they did both agree that Rin needed to be told and after meeting the man, it was decided that they weren’t going to let Sera make this call.

Which found Dorian walking into the hallway outside of their bedroom, down the stairs into the livingroom to stare at his phone for a moment, unsure about how to approach this situation. Deciding that nothing was going to be done, he took a big breath and dialed the older elf’s number.

Three rings later and he heard Rin’s voice on the other end. “Hello Dorian. How are you doing today?” Rin said cheerfully. Dorian was momentarily surprised to hear his name, of course Rin would have saved his number, but for some reason this fact surprised him.

“Ah, hello Rin. I’m calling because there has been a problem.”

“Is Orion alright? Bull?” Rin said with concern. Dorian could hear him dropping something. Dorian couldn’t help himself and smiled. Bull would be touched at the concern.

“Both are physically fine. I’m calling because Rike has gone missing.” Rin was quiet for a moment.

“Oh,” the older elf said softly. The tone made Dorian pause. No emotion. Rin was suddenly flat, which was odd. The elf might not be loud like his older sons, but he was still expressive in his words and tones. This made the hair on the back of Dorian’s head stand up. He didn’t ever want that tone directed at him.

“Ye-ah,” Dorian stammered. “Orion got a call earlier. Apparently the Guard Captain of Cumberland called and informed Orion that he had gone missing and that they were attempting to find him, but there wasn’t much that could be done right now.”

The silence continued. Dorian looked at his phone to make sure the call hadn’t ended. This was not what he was expecting. “What a shame,” Rin finally spoke, but it was still flat, almost monotone. “What does Orion need?” A bit more expression.

“Nothing much at the moment. Bull and I have him settled. He is feeling vulnerable at the moment. Varric is allowing him to work from home as long as he wants. Bull suggested he take a few days, but then we would work out a schedule so he didn’t have to go anywhere alone if that’s what he wanted.”

“Well I can come back to Kirkwall if it’s needed, but you should tell Orion that he doesn’t have anything to worry about. I doubt Rike is going to be showing up anywhere anytime here soon.” Rin said, still monotone. Fear had Dorian looking at his phone. The mage was suddenly doubtful that the boys’ temperament came strictly from their mother. He suddenly suspected that there was more to this father than what meets the eye.

Swallowing his fear, Dorian attempted to ask a question without asking that question. “Are you positive that Orion doesn’t have anything to worry about?”

Another pause, he could almost see Rin weighing his words. “I guarantee that nothing is going to touch my boy,” the man whispered.

Dorian sat back on the couch and stared at the tv in front of him. Though there was a bit of fear, but at the same time, something within him settled. This was no different from home. Not completely true, there was one difference. This time he was okay with it.

“Dorian?” Rin whispered still. Dorian shook his head and focused back on the conversation.

“I’m still here,” Dorian said. “Well I will be glad to Orion that he doesn’t have to panic, though I think I will keep some suspicions private.”

“Appreciated. No point in making anyone think that you know anything, which you don’t. By the creators, the guards don’t know anything. If they don’t know anything, well then I guess the man is in the wind and we won’t bother holding our breaths to see if he ever shows back up,” Rin said, closer to his normally expressive tone.

“Yes I see that is how it is going to be. I’ll let Bull and Orion know that if we need anything, to give you a call. I suspect that your son is going to want to call you once he wakes up from his nap. The poor thing was exhausted.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Asaar and myself might come down this weekend, if that is okay. Just to check in on him.”

“Asaar?” Dorian asked. “I didn’t know that he went to Starkhaven with you.”

“Yes, he has been a lovely companion the last couple of weeks. Wonderful man, full of amazing ideas.” Dorian suddenly had a feeling that whatever happened to Rike was not a single-person job. “He even got me on that big bike of his. Scared me to death at first, but after a while it was rather exhilarating. We now go for rides regularly. He says he is going to turn me into a motorcycle junkie before long, but I don’t think I’ll make it quite there.”

Dorian laughed. “That is certainly a surprise. We would be happy to have the both of you come to visit.”

“This time, I’ll make sure his brothers stay home. No point in getting everyone wound up.” So definitely a two-person job.

“Agreed. They can pester their brother in a few weeks. We will be having another BBQ, they can join us then.”

“Sounds lovely. I’ll let them know when I get back.”

“Do we need to pick you up at the station again?” Dorian asked. He had a feeling he knew the answer, but wanted to double check.

“No, Asaar will drive us over. Just let us know what time you want us there and we will be there.”

“Alright. Well let me go talk to the other two and we tell you later.”

“That works. Goodnight Dorian. I will talk to you later.”

“Goodnight Rin.” With that the phone line went dead. Dorian stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes. He wasn’t sure what he was going to tell Bull, but he knew for certain that he was glad that Rin liked him. He knew what his own father would have done for the family, but that was always more to protect their reputation. Rin moved to protect his family and this was not a man who was chained by grief anymore. Yes, best to make sure they stayed on that man’s good side.

Though it was late spring, there was still a chill in the air occasionally. Dorian decided that he was tired of sitting downstairs alone, almost in the dark, the cool air wafting through the house. Orion had opened the back windows in the morning, to air out the house. No one had yet closed them. Mumbling as he got up, he walked up the stairs heading back into their bedroom to go cuddle with amatuses. Though he was worried about how Orion was going to handle the next couple of weeks, he was glad to know that they were safe. Grateful to know that there was a father out there who didn’t mind getting his hands dirty to protect his children. Grateful to know that he was now one of those children.

Dorian paused before he walked in the bedroom, that thought echoing through his head. A grimace covering his face. He wondered how his own father and Rin got along. Probably best to keep them separate for a bit longer. At least they didn’t have to worry about Bull’s tama. She sounded like a sensible person. He hoped.

Shaking off the idea of suddenly having so many parents, he walked back into the bedroom, quickly stripping his clothes and diving into the bed to cuddle with his two loves. Feeling Bull wrap an arm around him, Dorian snuggled close, slowly drifting off to sleep as he listened to Bull and Orion breathing, knowing that all would be well.