The door shut with a soft thunk behind them. She leaned against it for a second, pressing her palms flat to the cool wood, just to steady herself. Not that she was drunk. She wasn't, not really. Tipsy, sure, but barely. Her thoughts were clear, maybe clearer than they'd been in weeks. Just loud. Loud in that way where everything felt more vivid than it should have. The victory. The music. The fact that everyone she loved was still here. Except Solas, but at least he was alive.
And the boy now standing in her room. Cole looked the same way he always did, tousled blond hair, soft eyes, coat a little too big for him.
The memory of before the battle - before everything - rose up behind her eyes. The nest of blankets. The warmth between them. The way his hands had touched her. She wondered if he would be keen to pick up where they'd left off.
She saw the shift in him then. A different kind of stillness. Right. Psychic boyfriend. He'd probably gotten wind of her thoughts.
She took a step closer. Then another. He didn't move, he didn't speak. Just watched her, calm and waiting.
She tilted her head, biting her lower lip. Her gaze found his, steady and kind, and she let her expression shift into something soft, searching, quietly asking Is this still okay?
And without a single word, he answered. Cole leaned in and kissed her.
It was gentle at first, all lips and breath and the warm press of familiarity. But then it deepened, and she felt that little hitch in her heartbeat, the way the world tilted when she touched him like this. His hands found her hips, slow and reverent, like she was something sacred, and she let herself melt into the feeling.
Because tonight, there was no mark flaring, no world-ending sky rending open. No demons. No gods. Just him and her and now.
She toed off her shoes, nudging them to the side with her foot. Cole followed suit, setting his boots neatly beside hers and slipping off that ever-present coat he wore like a second skin. He looked a little lighter without it. More like a boy than a spirit, more like the person she'd come to know and trust, and maybe even love, in the quiet spaces between chaos.
And then they were together again. Kissing, touching. Not rushed or urgent, just exploring.
They sank down into the nest of blankets she'd kept on the floor for months now. Her strange little comfort zone in this strange little world. Cole's fingers brushed her cheek, tucking hair behind her ear.
He was gentle. Always. Cole picked up on every flutter of nerves, every hesitation. He never asked for reassurance, never pushed - just listened. With his eyes. With his hands. With whatever strange, wonderful part of him always knew. And she, in turn, remembered that this was new for him too. That for all his knowing, he was figuring this out right alongside her. She kissed him again, a little deeper this time, and murmured something soft and grateful against his mouth.
Clothes came off slowly. Not in some practised, sultry way, but in the slightly clumsy, vulnerable way that comes with doing something monumental for the first time. When she tugged her shirt off and paused, self-conscious, he didn't look at her—he saw her. And the warmth in his expression, the quiet awe, made something inside her loosen.
"You're beautiful," he murmured, like it was a fact. Like it had always been true.
The words caught her off guard. Not because she hadn't heard them before - catcalls in her world mostly - but because maybe it was Cole saying them. Maybe it just meant more coming from him.
There was awkwardness and a bit of laughter muffled against skin. But also gentleness. Heat. Her body didn't quite know what to do with everything she was feeling, and yes, there was pain. A bright sting that made her flinch. But Cole knew - of course he knew - and he was already stilling, already brushing his fingers through her hair, murmuring apologies and tenderness she hadn't even known she needed.
He waited, held her. Kissed her jaw, her shoulder, her mouth until the tension bled away and she felt safe again, felt ready. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't like movies she'd seen. But it was theirs.
And once her body adjusted, once the first ripple of discomfort passed, what bloomed in its place was warmth. A pleasure that caught her off guard, not sharp or overwhelming, but slow, like sunlight spreading under skin. It built in waves, small at first, then stronger, fuller. Her fingers clutched at his shoulders, her breath hitching against his neck, and Cole was right there. Every time she arched or gasped or stilled, he followed, adjusted, and anchored her.
He had her. And she had him too. She wanted that. To hold him, to make this good for him. For it to be something they could carry forward, not fumble through and forget. It was clumsy in places - how could it not be? - but there was something undeniably good in that too. That all the sharp edges between them had softened. That nothing else mattered right now except the way they were wrapped around each other, sharing the same breath, the same rhythm.
When the crest came, it was like a wave crashing, her whole body tensing and then trembling apart, her breath catching and her hand in his. He was right there with her, his face tucked into her shoulder, and it didn't matter who reached what first. It just mattered that they were in it, holding each other through it.
Afterwards, their bodies still humming and tangled together, she gave a soft, stunned laugh against his skin. Her chest rose and fell in time with his, and the room felt warmer than it had in days. Maybe ever.
He brushed his nose against hers and let out a soft, pleased hum.
"Yeah," she breathed.
They didn't talk much more. But even as she curled into him and her eyes began to flutter shut, she knew - they were definitely going to do that again. Maybe not tonight. But soon. Because that had been pretty awesome.
And there was so much she wanted to try with him.
--
She woke slowly, blinking into the pale morning light slanting through the high window. The warmth beside her wasn't just blankets. It was Cole.
And he was asleep.
For a long, breathless moment, she just stared at him. His face was softer like this, completely relaxed, the furrow between his brows gone. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. His skin was warm against hers, his arm draped loosely across her waist. He looked so… normal. So human.
Had he ever done this before? Could he?
She reached out carefully, brushing a strand of his hair away from his forehead. He didn't stir. Was he dreaming? Did spirits dream like people did? Or was he just mimicking what he thought sleeping should be?
Her thoughts were still tumbling over themselves when his eyes fluttered open. They stared up at the ceiling for a beat, unfocused, before shifting toward her.
She grinned. "Did you actually sleep?"
Cole blinked. His mouth opened, then closed again. "I think so."
She squinted, mock suspicious. "How did it feel? Good, right?"
He tilted his head slightly, considering. "Like I closed my eyes, and time passed."
"Okay," she said flatly. "So did you actually sleep, or did you just lie there all night with your eyes closed?"
His lips twitched - twitched - and he turned his face toward hers. "What's the difference?"
Her jaw dropped in mock horror. "Holy shit. Was that sarcasm? Are you making jokes now?"
"I didn't sleep," he admitted, with a little smile. "Not like you do."
She laughed softly and tucked herself closer, resting her head on his shoulder. His arm tightened around her. They fit like puzzle pieces now, warm skin and slow breath and something unspoken humming between them.
Holli tilted her head, cheek still resting on his shoulder, and looked at him. "What do you think happens now?"
Cole didn't answer right away. His eyes were on the ceiling again, like he might find the answer in the stonework.
"I don't know," he said softly.
Neither did she.
And now that the immediate rush of survival was over, now that Corypheus was dust and the Breach was gone and no one she loved had died, Holli was left staring into the wide open silence of after. She'd spent so long bracing for the next disaster, the next nightmare. She hadn't really let herself think about what came next. Now she couldn't stop thinking about it.
The Inquisition had been built to fight Corypheus. So… what happened now? Sure, there were still rifts. Probably. Unless killing him or breaking that weird orb had magically patched all the holes in reality. That seemed unlikely. Things didn't tend to resolve that neatly around here.
And her?
She wasn't going home. She was basically here now. For good. The thought made her stomach twist, not with fear, exactly, but with that disoriented feeling you get when you realise your life has changed in a way you can't undo.
What was she even going to do with herself?
She still wanted to be a doctor. That hadn't changed. But how did that work here? Did they have medical schools? Would anyone even teach her? How old did you have to be? And where would she live? How did people make money in this world without, like, college degrees or driver's licences or the internet to apply for jobs and uni?
If she left Skyhold, would she end up snatched up by Templars and tossed into a Circle because of her magic?
She really needed to talk to someone about all this. Somebody had to know what the hell came next.
She let out a breath and closed her eyes, just for a second. Cole's thumb was brushing soft circles into her upper arm, grounding her.
It wasn't the worst thing, being stuck here. She had people who cared. She had options. She just… needed to find them. And if she couldn't find them, then she'd make them.
Whatever came next, they'd figure it out.
------------------------
So that's the last chapter. I was going to go into Tresspasser and the two years between, but if I'm being honest I feel kind of done with Holli and Cole now. I did start writing the intervening years to lead into Tresspasser, but got ideas for other stories and want to pursue those. Those extra Holli/Cole chapters are up on my Patreon if anyone wants to read them. They could be read as standalone little low stakes after stories maybe. They're open to the public, you don't have to pay or be a member or anything. Though my account is R18, so I don't know if that means you have to sign up to Patreon to prove your age. But if anyone's interested, they're here - patreon.com/TrixieStix Thanks for reading, guys. :)