"Ow!" Anders yelped as he burned his hand on the fire. "Andraste's knickerweasles!" Had he realized he was going to have to "blend in" when moving into Melanna Hawke's estate, he would have rethought the whole thing.
He let out a deep breath, and remembered why he was doing this. He was so tempted to use just a little magic, just to get the pot out of the fireplace, but he had promised to try.
"Anders, I love you, and I want you to stay here with me," Melanna had said to him, "but if you're going to fix everything with magic, and not even try to blend in here in Hightown, you're going to get the Templars after you faster than Varric orders ale."
He remembered the half smile he gave her at her attempt at humor, and how he'd cradled her face in his hand, looking her straight in the eye. "I will make the effort, because I love you, and I want to be with you."
Sucking in his breath again, he reached into the fireplace to pull the pot out. When he managed to set it on the table without burning himself or spilling anything, he smiled triumphantly. He turned his attention to the meat on the spit, making sure to turn it a little more. He swore under his breath when he saw the slightly blackened side of meat he'd created by ignoring the spit completely.
Anders turned his attention to the bread he'd purchased at the market that day. Melanna talked one day about this bread that she had tried during her midday meal, and she just raved about it. He'd sneaked out early that morning to make sure he was able to get some as soon as the market opened. It turns out, she'd been there several times since trying the bread, but the baker had always been sold out. When Anders had gone in to ask about the bread, all he had to mention was that someone he knew adored this bread, and the baker took care of the rest.
He sliced the bread, using extra caution as so not to cut any part of himself with the knife. He placed it carefully on a plate, and put the plate in the center of the table. He spooned some of the vegetables he'd cooked in the pot onto individual plates, but then looked around, confused. "Where do I put this now that I've used it?" He set it on the floor.
He went back to the spit, and decided that the meat had to be done. He wasn't sure how long he'd cooked it for, but it had to have been long enough. He was getting hungry. He sliced the meat carefully and placed it on the plates with the vegetables. He turned and placed those plates on the table as well. Since he had no clue what to do with the spit, he placed it back over the fire.
Anders lit two candles on the table (without magic, though it caused some more cursing under his breath), and went outside to gather a few flowers from Melanna's garden to help him set the mood for dinner.
It was a matter of moments after he finished arranging the flowers that Melanna waltzed through the door. She'd been visiting with Varric, and was in a good mood. Anders greeted her at the entryway with a kiss.
"Oh there you are!" She said, "I stopped by the clinic, but, obviously, you weren't there."
"No, I've been here most of the day, actually. But, I have a surprise! Come." He grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen, with the food, candles and flowers on the table.
"Anders!" Melanna shrieked. "Did you cook dinner?"
"I did. And, I did it myself. No magic." He stood in the kitchen looking as proud as a boy who'd just learned to buckle his boots.
Melanna wrapped her arms around him. "That was so sweet of you!" She kissed him, long and hard. When she finally pulled away from him, she studied his face. "Anders, I'm so proud of you for making an effort to blend in. I'm sure that having magic makes things so much easier for things like this, but it really means a lot to me that you did this for me."
"I had to make sure you knew that I meant what I said. That I love you, and I want to make sure you know it."
"Well, shall we dine, then?" Melanna sat at her usual seat. "Oh! You got my bread! You got my bread? How did you-" Anders stuck a piece of bread in her mouth.
"I just did, now eat some!"
She happily munched her bread while Anders poured the wine. She took a look at the food on her plate, and couldn't believe he'd made dinner. She took a bite of her vegetables, followed by a bite of her beef. Anders followed suit, and the chewed quietly for a few minutes.
"Anders?"
"Hmm?"
"I really appreciate that you made dinner tonight..."
"I never realized how hard cooking is without using magic!"
"Love?"
"Yes?"
"You're a terrible cook."
-FIN-