The Ghost boy and the Elven mage

A/N. Hello everyone, Yurosoku here and this is a request by The Grinning Psychopath, who requested a one-short story that focuses on our favourite ghost and our adorable elf. The following is set in a different universe of the Dragon Age world where Cole joins Hawke before the Inquisition so yeah…

Hope you enjoy it.

I do not own Dragon Age or any other form, it belongs to Bioware!

Ahh the Wounded Coast, a fine place to visit on a nice sunny day. The beach, the smell of the ocean and of course, bandits!

'Just once I want to go somewhere without killing somebody!', Hawke said as she blasted a bandit off the cliff and into the ocean below. 'Maybe you should visit somewhere else outside the Free Marches? I hear Ferelden's nice this time of year!', Varric the ever cheery dwarf chimed as he shot another bolt through a bandit's chest.

Hawke turned around to face down her next target but he was already slain by Merrill, stabbing him in the stomach with the blade part of her staff. Then to her left, two bandits fell to ground, their killer above them with bloody daggers.

'Looks like that's all of them', Varric said, slinging Bianca back on his back, patting the girl with approval and subtly whispering appreciations to her. Cole looked at Varric oddly with innocent confusion on his face, her grey eyes watched the dwarf pat his crossbow fondly like a kitten or when Hawke plays with her Mabari Chomp.

It was one of the things he found puzzling about him, the fact he treated his weapon like a real person. Then again when compared to himself, what Varric does is normal and what he does is often considered demonic and fear inducing.

'Well if we're done bandit stabbing and blasting, let's grab that flower and head back home to Kirkwall', Hawke said, rubbing her arms from the straining of using her staff as a club earlier, how it didn't bother Merrill was beyond her.

'Arms ache, limbs tired, wish I brought Fenris or Aveline, they'd at least keep the bandits back while we just blasted them', Cole hummed, his calm voice sent a shiver down the elf's spine. 'Cole…', Hawke warned, giving him a look of disapproval. The boy quickly closed his mouth and bowed his head, like a child being scolded by his mother.

'Come on Hawke, Kid was only saying what was everyone's mind', Varric defended, a smile placed on his lips. 'Merrill was thinking of what cookies to try tonight', Cole mumbled, but the elf in question heard him through her superior ears and a tiny hue of pink appeared on her cheeks. It was no secret that Merrill had a very dangerous sweet tooth, if it has sugar it was hers. Isabela would often playfully tease the elf for being such a small girl she certainly has quite the amount of sugar in her belly.

'…Chocolate chip', she replied quietly, folding her arms and giving Cole a shy smile. The boy in turn, gave her a warm one. 'Righto, back to work', Hawke said, a smirk plastering on her face when she saw the smiles between the two youngest members of her merry band.

The rest of the day turned uneventful no sooner did Merrill find the herb Anders was looking for. The walk back was quiet but Hawke being the liveliest person the trio had ever met, was up in telling horrible jokes Varric himself said "even Broody has a better sense of humour", which made Hawke nearly faint in response.

This was one those rare moments Cole could just watch them. The bond between the human and dwarf was something he had seen before but… There was also another feeling he was slowly starting to develop, something that clenched his heart each time he saw them, the friendly smiles the witty banter and of course playful strikes at one another.

Jealousy.

He didn't like this feeling, it was as if he saw that glorious feeling everyone described to him as a pain to bare. Hawke and Varric were like mentors, parents to him in a sense. They found him when they went after the Magisters' son. He had placed them in a room where they spent hours fighting demon after demon until he appeared and showed them a way out and showed the path to the mage.

He wanted to kill him. He hurt people, he was a bad man. It was only when Hawke cut his throat himself did he feel the confidence to show himself to her and reveal what he is. He expected her to attack him because she was a mage, and if he was a spirit, or a demon at the time, she wouldn't want him to possess her.

Yet when he introduced himself and wanted to help her, she openly welcomed him as if he was an old friend. She was bright and warm as the sun, she made him feel welcomed in the group, taught him things he wished he had learned years ago. She treated him like a little brother, then became a motherly figure to him, teaching him right and wrong.

Her inner circle was unlike anything he had seen. They were different to each other, light and dark within them all, scars from the past in their hearts, minds and on their bodies yet many wore a mask to hid their pain, hid their unease and some do that very well.

Aveline was like a statue to him, unmoving and fierce in battle yet she was a woman who had lost much since the Blight and does everything in her power to protect the people and her own guards. She didn't like him at first but as he became more human and started to allow her men remember him, she warmed up to him, maker she even took his help when he had to find out where certain criminals were located.

Anders was probably the one he didn't like. He was always containing his anger, his passion and determination was like a burning star, bright and full of power. Cole saw many mages suffer in his memory, he wanted to help. But Anders is slowly becoming a monster, a bad thing. The day he almost killed that girl, Cole wanted to kill him. Hawke persuaded him to leave Anders be, though he wanted to stop the hurting he was creating for others but he cared about Hawke's opinion and her love for her friends swayed him.

Fenris is always angry, and he made it clear Cole was his least favourite person in Hawke's circle. Cole would try and help him, offering kind words to sooth the elf's rage but every time he spoke to him the elf would tear at him and leave him feeling worse then before. Hawke would try and break that barrier between the two but Cole saw enough of the elf's misery in his memories to understand his hate for mages…

Isabela was fun, she keeps him feeling smiling and laughing with her tales of piracy and high sea adventures, while also drawing blushes to everyone about the raunchy tales of pleasure and the strange things she does in bed. Do women bend like that?

Sebastian was…too blind. Cole wouldn't focus on the flaws of a person but Sebastian didn't help people, the chantry does nothing but take more from people and leave them in the dust…Cole sees him as a good person but he is nothing like Hawke.

Merrill…

He can't help himself sometimes when she was listening to Isabela's stories, her eyes growing wide with each exclamation the pirate would do, waving her arms as she exaggerates. Her smiles when she listens to the banter between the group share with each other warmed his own heart, her innocence was so, beautiful to look at it.

Her thoughts were always scrambled and scattered so much it was hard for him to keep track or even keep up with her. When he does, it's often lidded with blood magic and the mirror she kept in her home. He hated the mirror, the evil and bad magic behind it scared him but it was minor compared to his hate that it was slowly stealing her life from her.

That's why he wanted to focus on the good memories she had, ones of innocence and the time with her clan.

'…Cole?', she asked, looking at the boy. He jumped slightly when he heard his name from her lips. He calmly turned to her and saw her smiling again and that feeling of butterflies Varric told him was back. 'Yes?', he asked, his throat suddenly dried up. 'Would you like to come over tonight? I was hoping to finish something with you', she asked.

'Yes, thank you', he said, trying his best to hold back the "stupid" grin he had when Merrill spoke to him as kindly nicknamed by Isabela. He got a larger smile from the small elf as resumed her long walk with Hawke.

Darkness had fallen upon the city of Kirkwall but Cole preferred the darkness, makes it easier to go places without being notice. He arrived at Merrill's home, or shack Varric dubbed. Cole didn't like it, it wasn't a home to smile at when you had a tired day and just wanted to sit down and be at ease.

He could help her find a nicer home, there are a lot of bad people in Hightown he could kill and give her the house. Then he remembered Aveline's words and remove the thought from his mind, remembering killing only the really bad people, not the snobbish people Isabela makes fun of.

He knocked on her door gently but he may as well blow on the door, she'll hear him regardless. She opened the door and welcomed him with a kind smile that could quell the darkness in his mind. Entering, he saw a small plate of the cookies she bought a day ago and like she told him, chocolate chipped.

This was sort've a ritual between the two they developed ever since he became more human, they indulge in their sugary addiction. While Cole wasn't a sugar person, as such he barely eats to begin with but he discovered his own sweet tooth with her. She and he took a seat upon the couch near the hearth with the plate of cookies in her lap.

Thus they begun to eat.

Sweet and crumbly broken pieces of taste buds dancing on their tongues. Soft and warm, sweetness tickling down their throats. Merrill laid her head on his shoulder, he heard her heart beat gently like a bard's lute, inviting and putting the darkness of the world away in a corner. Finally, they slowly reached for another until Cole's hand came in contact with something soft, very soft.

He looked down and saw his hand overlapping hers above the final cookie, the softness of her hand was unlike anything he had felt. She looked at him, her emerald eyes glowed in the fire with a sparkle within. He felt himself frozen, unable to move or even blink. Slowly, she reached up and took off his large hat and gently placed it on the table. He felt his arm moving, his right hand gently placed upon her cheek, the warmth was too nice to touch yet he was unable to remove his hand.

They touched each other's foreheads and slowly leaned in, till their lips touched. Warm soft wet lips against his, she tasted sweet and sugary like he thought but with a hint of apples. He wrapped his arm around her as she climbed up onto his lap, deepening the kiss between them as she pressed her body against his.

The single cookie left untouched…

A/N. And that my friends is the end. I dunno how to feel about the end though, I seemed to have nothing really for it and just went with a simple ending.

Well regardless, if you all liked it then that's enough for me. I might do more on these two if people want or if you have any other requests, feel free to ask. Also I'm currently working on chapter 3 of Reunion, so I'll try and get that out as soon as possible.