A/N: From a Tumblr prompt. Archery information taken from a very basic search on Google.

Aeric had only mentioned it in passing. Yet soon after he told Dorian about Dalish marriage customs, that suitors must prove themselves as capable hunters, the mage started watching Aeric's archery practice with great interest.

At first, Aeric thought Dorian watched him because he found it enticing or exciting, as was often the case on the rare occasion Aeric practiced his dagger-work, with his shirt off on hot days. This time, however, Aeric noticed Dorian's thoughtful stance, with one arm folded over his chest and the other resting atop the first, knuckles pressed against his lips. It was the same stance he had when faced with a difficult theory in one of his thaumaturgy books.

"Amatus," Dorian said one day after watching Aeric practice, stepping down from his usual perch on the stairs. "Do you think you could show me how you do… this?" He gestured vaguely over Aeric's bow.

Aeric frowned. "You want to learn archery? You already know how to fight, ma'nehn. Quite well, in fact."

"I am the epitome of magical might and prowess, I know," Dorian said with a wink. "Still, better to expand one's horizons and all that. If I can't use my magic for some reason, I should have a few other tricks up my sleeve, yes?"

"I suppose," Aeric conceded slowly. "But you're already good with a bo staff. I saw it myself when we first met." Aeric couldn't help the slight blush that crept over his cheeks and ears. The sight of Dorian beating back that demon was one of the first things that drew him to the mage.

Dorian pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Can I hunt with a bo staff?"

"Hunt?" Aeric repeated. "For food? No, hitting the animal like that would bruise the meat too much."

"I thought not." Dorian sounded disappointed. He huffed out a breath, setting his shoulders. "Well, you'll just have to teach me how to use that blasted thing, then," he said, pointing again at the bow. "We can go out to the woods tomorrow and give it a try."

Aeric's brow furrowed. "You wouldn't want to start out here? That is what the targets are for, after all."

Dorian shook his head. "Too many people about," he said. "I'd hate to make a spectacle of myself."

"You're always a spectacle, ma'nehn," Aeric told him with a small smile.

"Yes," Dorian agreed, "but I prefer being the kind of spectacle that results in awe and wonder, not jeers and ridicule. This evil Tevinter has an image to maintain, you see."

"I wouldn't let anyone ridicule you."

Dorian's cheeks turned just a bit pink, and he cleared his throat. "Well. Regardless. The woods tomorrow?"

Aeric nodded. "Yes, all right. We can head out first thing in the morning."

"Excellent!" Dorian said with a smile. "I'll be certain to wake you bright and early." He then walked off with a wave, presumably back to the library, leaving Aeric to finish his practice alone.

The following morning, they rode out early to the edge of the Dales, just a few hours' ride from Skyhold. As soon as they dismounted at the edge of a treeline, Dorian seemed eager to get started. "Right, let's get hunting. I'm hoping to get at least a nug by the end of the day."

"No," Aeric said, frowning. "You don't even know how to hold a bow yet. You need target practice first."

"Fine," Dorian said with a dramatic sigh. "But if I don't get to kill something and grunt over its remains by nightfall, I'll be highly disappointed."

Aeric laughed as he approached Dorian with his bow. "What exactly do you think we hunters do?"

"Chest beating, communing with nature, that sort of thing." Dorian grinned as he took the bow and an arrow from Aeric. "Or am I thinking of something else?"

Aeric only chuckled again in reply, thinking that if Dorian talked this much when they tried some actual hunting later, he would scare all the animals away. Instead of saying so, however, he sidled up behind Dorian, moving his arms and legs into position. The both of them blushed red as Aeric drew close, covering Dorian's hands with his own as he shifted the larger man into the correct posture. "Shoulders down, ma'nehn," he said softly. "Try to relax."

"How can I, with your hands on me like that?" Dorian said in his rumbling voice.

Aeric smiled. "Focus, Dorian," he said, though he found his own mind wandering as well.

After showing Dorian how to hold himself, Aeric let Dorian loose a few arrows toward a tree, instructing him only to try to hit the tree anywhere, no matter how the arrow might stray. The arrows Dorian shot skewed wildly. No matter how many times Aeric reminded Dorian to relax, the mage always held the bow too tight, or raised his shoulders too high. His bow hand, held too rigidly, never followed through each release, and Dorian chatted nervously, despite Aeric's warnings that he needed to keep his teeth together. ("I need to position my teeth?" Dorian had replied incredulously.)And as most of the morning passed with the tree unscathed, Dorian grew more and more agitated, making his aim even more erratic. By the time they stopped for lunch, Dorian was in a foul mood.

"Perhaps that's enough for today," Aeric offered, as he passed Dorian a pork-filled roll he had made the night before. "We can make camp, if you'd like. Maybe try again tomorrow."

"No," Dorian insisted, biting into the roll as if it had insulted him personally. "I said I'd learn to hunt, and I will."

"It's only the first day," Aeric reminded him. "Nobody actually kills anything on the first day."

Dorian grunted. "That may be true, but I'm fairly certain even beginners can hit a bloody tree."

Frowning, Aeric hesitated before answering. "You'll get it with practice. You can hardly expect to pick up a bow and be exceptional at it right away." When Dorian didn't reply, only chomping on his food with angry bites, Aeric cocked his head to one side as he considered the other man curiously. "You did expect to pick it up quickly, didn't you?"

Dorian shrugged. "I've never been particularly bad at anything before. It's not a pleasant experience, let me tell you."

"As I said, you only need practice," Aeric assured him. He paused for a moment as he chewed on a mouthful of bread and pork. "Why are you in such a hurry to learn, though? Becoming a skilled hunter takes years of training." Again, Dorian was uncharacteristically quiet. "Is it because of what I told you?" Aeric asked him. "About suitors proving their hunting skills?"

With a sigh, Dorian nodded. "I… I adore you, amatus," he began, seeming to choose his words carefully. Aeric knew he was avoiding one word in particular. "And I know your clan does not approve of our… relationship." He gave a sour laugh. "How could they? My people are responsible for the destruction of your people's entire history and culture. It's fine if they hate me. Most people do." He shrugged, staring down at his hands and his half-eaten roll. "But somehow it seems important that they think I'm worthy of you. And if our relationship progresses as it has been, I may need to prove myself to them sooner rather than later."

Aeric gave a soft smile, the smallest curl of his lips. He shifted to sit closer and put an arm around Dorian's shoulders. "You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, ma'nehn. You are more than worthy just as you are."

"I'm glad you think so," Dorian murmured, a tiny smile gracing his face as well.

Aeric stretched to reach Dorian's lips, meeting them with his own in a gentle caress. Lifting his hand to cup the back of Dorian's head, Aeric pulled him down just slightly to deepen the kiss, lingering for as long as Dorian would let him.

When they finally parted, Dorian sighed again, this time with seeming contentment. "I think I'm relaxing quite a bit now," he said in a low voice. "I'm willing to bet I'll get that tree this time."

Aeric smiled. "You want to try again?"

"Absolutely," Dorian replied, returning the smile. "Worthy or no, I have my pride. Dorian Pavus does not give up so easily."

"No, he doesn't," Aeric agreed. "I love you."

Dorian kissed him again. "I know."