one love, two mouths, a dragon age fanfic

Title: one love, two mouths
Author: texaswatermelon
Fandom: Dragon Age
Pairing: F!Hawke/Bethany Hawke
Rating: M
Summary: a collection of ficlets and drabbles, all pertaining to a kiss meme. All chapters are F!Hawke/Bethany Hawke, which is incest, obviously, though not all of them are explicitly shippy. Each chapter will have individual warnings and notes when applicable.
Disclaimer: Dragon Age belongs to Bioware and EA. Title taken from "Sweater Weather" by The Neighborhood. No infringement intended.
Word Count: 7,643
Warnings: Contains incest, depictions of sex and violence, and instances of major character death. Sections will be marked with warnings as necessary.
A/N: I asked people on tumblr to send me Hawkecest prompts for the kiss meme, but I ended up just doing them all haha whoops. These are all unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own.

I made a concerted effort not to refer to F!Hawke as anything other than Hawke, or define any of her physical features, so that readers could hopefully imagine whatever Hawke they wanted. I was successful in all but one section, which is section 4, underwater kiss.

Most chapters are unrelated to the others, unless noted differently at the beginning.

kiss in the rain

When the smoke clears and there is nothing left of Meredith's insanity but a statue and a group of Templars that look at her as if she's the incarnation of evil itself, Hawke does not feel accomplished or fulfilled. She feels empty.

Isabela offers her a spot on her ship, a place in her crew, but she refuses. Her memories of sailing are not fond, and she knows that living on a ship will not be any better, even if she will have Isabela and Varric for company.

Bethany meets her gaze, and there is an unspoken request there, one that Hawke recognizes and is grateful for. Come back with me. There is a place in the Wardens for all of the Maker's unwanted children.

Hawke accepts. She will go with Bethany to Ferelden, to Amaranthine. Home.

(Home has never been a place. It has always been soft, pale skin and a lilting voice, wide copper eyes and the tingle of mana sparking under a familiar touch.)

It rains on their first night back in Ferelden, and if she's honest, she's missed the squish of mud under her boots and the smell of wet dog. It's a right sight better than the choking dust of Kirkwall clogging her lungs, the weight of the City of Chains on her shoulders. They purchase a room at an inn in the city of Amaranthine, but Hawke stands outside and lets the water soak through her clothes and trace the scars on her skin in heavy rivulets, hopes it will wash away the filth of the past seven years. Her mabari rolls around in a puddle nearby.

The door to the inn opens and Bethany settles against the wall beside her. She looks beautiful in her Warden regalia, the proud griffon emblazoned across her chest. Hawke doesn't tell her that. Bethany is not the soft, happy girl she remembers from Lothering so many years ago. She is not the worried, cautious young woman from their first year in Kirkwall. She is thinner, more sinewy. The lines of her cheekbones cut more sharply across her face. When she speaks, there is a hard edge to her voice that smacks of someone forced into a life they were never meant for, and when Hawke meets her eyes, they are dark and dangerous.

"Do you think I'll like it?" Hawke asks. "Being a Grey Warden?"

When Bethany shrugs, Hawke feels it against her upper arm.

"You'll learn to live with it if you don't. You won't have much of a choice."

"We never do," Hawke says, echoing words she heard from a dragon's mouth seven years ago, in a different lifetime, or maybe in a dream.

They watch the dog bark and pounce at his own muddy reflection for a few minutes.

"I blamed you, you know," Bethany says. "For sending me here. For giving me over to this life instead of just letting me be at peace with Carver and Father."

Hawke turns her head, and if Bethany blames her now, there is no trace of it in her eyes. Her lips are blue, her curls wet, and she shivers slightly in the rain.

"I'm too selfish. I couldn't let you go, even if it meant having you hate me for the rest of your life," Hawke explains.

"I could never hate you, Sister. That's the part that I blamed you for the most."

It is only when Bethany's hands find her face that Hawke realizes that she's shivering too, and when Bethany presses her against the wall of the inn and kisses her with her cold, blue lips, Hawke feels like she's come home for the first time in years.

firm kiss

Meredith allows Bethany to come to the funeral, and whether it's out of the kindness of her heart or because she hopes to gain something from it, Hawke doesn't know or care.

It's a proper Andrastian service, with a pyre and everything. Elthina speaks, and she is tactful enough to make it about the devastating loss of Leandra, and not about the perils of blood magic and apostates, like some other Chantry officials would. Hawke only wishes she would have thought to burn the body before Bethany got the chance to see what the monster had done to their mother. She hasn't been able to protect Bethany from nearly as much as she would have liked.

But Bethany is stronger than Hawke has ever given her credit for. She cries, but it is a composed, silent sort of weeping that Hawke herself isn't able to manage. Bethany holds her hand, and Hawke takes what little comfort from it she can.

Afterwards, they are left alone to place Leandra's ashes beside the other Amell remains in the Chantry crypt.

"At least she's at peace now," Hawke says weakly, and she doesn't know if she's trying to convince herself or Bethany more. "At lest she gets to be with Father and Carver."

The force of Bethany colliding with her knocks her back a few steps, and the pressure of Bethany's lips on hers makes her dizzy.

"Don't leave me," Bethany orders, and the crack in her voice breaks Hawke's heart. "Don't you ever leave me."

Hawke strokes her face, holds her as close as she possibly can.

"Never," she promises, and kisses her firmly to seal the deal.

eyelid kiss

They say that being a mage means that you're always aware when you dream. Hawke doesn't really understand what this means, specifically. She is not a mage, and when she dreams, she never realizes it until after she's woken up. Most times she doesn't even remember what her dreams entail.

What she does know is that Bethany dreams differently than Hawke or Carver or Mother do. Hawke first notices it when Bethany is five. They've shared a room for as long as Hawke can remember, and one night she awakens to find Bethany tossing and turning in bed, muttering in her sleep, eyelids twitching rapidly. She pads across the room and tries to shake her awake, fearing that her little sister is having a nightmare, and knowing that it's her job to protect Bethany from all the scary things in the world, even dreams. But Bethany won't wake, and Hawke eventually decides to crawl into bed with her and hold her close.

"Don't worry, Bethy," she whispers, and drops a kiss on Bethany's tiny eyelid, "I'll keep you safe."

As soon as her lips meet Bethany's skin, her sister stills and snuggles in closer to Hawke's body.

It becomes a ritual then. Bethany doesn't dream every night, but when she does, Hawke climbs into bed with her, kisses her eyelids to still them, and holds her close the rest of the night while they sleep. Hawke asks their mother one day several years later, once it's abundantly clear that Bethany takes after their father in more ways than one, why Bethany doesn't seem to sleep soundly like she and Carver do.

"That's how mages dream, dear," Leandra says. "Your father is the same way. He usually settles down if I kiss him and hold him close."

Hawke doesn't tell her mother that Bethany settles down if she does the same. It's her own private way of keeping Bethany safe, and she is secretly proud that she's discovered it all on her own.

Bethany dreams a lot more after the blight, after Father and Carver's deaths. Most of the time, they are nightmares. It's been fourteen years, but Hawke's response remains mostly the same. Bethany asks once when they're teenagers why she sometimes wakes to find Hawke in her bed, and Hawke tells her then about her little ritual. Bethany blushes and apologizes for disturbing her sleep, but Hawke shrugs.

"We both sleep better when I do it, so I don't see a problem."

"But why do you kiss my eyelid?" Bethany asks.

"Would you prefer I kiss you elsewhere?"

Bethany doesn't answer, but when she wakes from a dream later that night to find Hawke's lips placed gently on her own, she smiles prettily.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was still dreaming," she whispers.

"Me too," Hawke grins.

Things change after that, but Hawke thinks there is some merit in updating certain rituals. And even if she doesn't understand it, she is glad for the way that mages dream.

underwater kiss

Summers in Lothering are hot and sticky. The humidity rolls in from the Wilds as early as mid-Bloomingtide and sticks around until early Kingsway.

When they're younger, the Hawkes burst out of their house at about midday, after all of the morning chores have been tended to, and dash through old Barlin's field until they reach the beach, where Carver and Marian proceed to strip down to their smalls and dive into the water to cool off. Bethany is always much more modest, and she rolls her trouser legs up and sits on the dock, letting her feet hang off into the water while her siblings splash and wrestle about like idiots.

"Come in, Bethy!" Marian calls, flashing Bethany a bright smile. "No one will look, I promise."

"Yeah, no one wants to see you naked anyway!" Carver says, and then Marian yells at him and dunks his head under the water in punishment.

As they grow older, they have more responsibilities piled on top of them that prevent them from playing as frequently as they used to. Marian spends all of her time trying to bring in extra coin wherever she can to support them after Father dies. Carver grows moody as the years roll by, refusing to indulge his sisters in such childish things. Bethany becomes more secluded and nervous, worried that the Templars will show up on their doorstep at any moment. They spend less and less time by the beach, until eventually they only visit one or two days out of the summer.

When the blight comes, Marian and Carver jump at the chance to join the King's army and help beat it back. They train all summer in the front yard, and Bethany sits on the porch and watches them spar, watches the sweat trail down Marian's face as she meets Carver blow for blow. They will leave in two weeks time, and Bethany will be alone. If she joined the Circle, maybe they would let her fight and she could go with them, but she doesn't feel brave enough for such things.

Marian ends it when Carver starts to grow tired. He's far too stubborn to ever give in of his own volition, so she lets him think it's because she needs a rest instead. He takes their swords in the house and Marian comes up on the porch to stand next to Bethany.

"I could really use a swim," she says, wiping the sweat from her brow, and Bethany tries not to focus too hard on the way her muscles play beneath her skin at the action. "We haven't been down to the beach in ages. You'll come with me, won't you, Bethy?"

"Of course, Sister," Bethany agrees, and stands from her rocking chair to follow Marian out across the fields.

Marian strips without hesitation and leaves her clothes lying in a crumpled pile on the rocky ground. She has never been shy about her body, never had a reason to be. She is beautiful—perfect. Bethany has always thought as much.

"Won't you come in, Bethany?" she pleads once she's waded out a few feet. "You never come in. Indulge me, just this once."

Maybe it's because she knows that this may very well be the last chance she has to give her sister what she asks, should the worst come to pass when they leave for the army, but Bethany feels herself nodding, and soon she's wearing next to nothing and slipping into the cool water.

"See, it's not so bad, is it?" Marian asks with a grin, and Bethany finds her breath catching at the way the water makes her eyes look impossibly blue.

She's not a very good swimmer, hasn't had nearly as much practice as her siblings, and the momentary distraction is all she needs to lose her focus. She starts floundering a bit and fears that she might drown, but a pair of strong arms quickly wrap around her waist, and Marian holds her steady above the water. She should say thank you, but all she can do is listen to the sound of her heart beating wildly in her chest, feel the steady rhythm of Marian's on the opposite side.

"I don't want you to go," Bethany says quietly. "I'm scared I'll never see you again."

Marian smiles softly and pulls Bethany just a little bit closer.

"Close your eyes and hold your breath," she says. "We're going under. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

Bethany doesn't worry. She has always known that in Marian's arms she has nothing to fear. She does as instructed, and feels herself being pulled under the water until she's fully submerged. Marian holds her tightly and doesn't let go. The pressure of the water all around her, the muffled drone of it in her ears, and the weightlessness of her body are comforting.

She feels a light press of lips against hers, an unspoken promise between sisters who love too deeply, and she knows that if Marian has to singlehandedly kill every last Darkspawn by herself, she'll do it to make sure that she comes back home. Back to Bethany.

When her head breaks the surface, she takes a huge gulp of air, and opens her eyes.

kiss with a fist

Dying feels a bit like being drunk. Everything is fuzzy and muddled, and she can only focus on certain things, like the stickiness of blood on her skin and the way that Bethany's fingers buzz with an undercurrent of magic while they're wrapped tightly around her own. She doesn't notice Merrill's incessant, worried chatter or Isabela's muttered curses or the way that Varric nervously fiddles with Bianca's trigger mechanism. Anders hovers over her with his hands outstretched and a look of intense concentration on his face, but she doesn't notice that either.

She wakes up sometime later, and she doesn't even remember losing consciousness, but she is in the bottom bunk at Gamlen's house and the wound at her abdomen is completely healed. Her head feels heavy when she sits up, but aside from that, she's fine. She stands up, and only then does she notice Bethany slumped over the table in the corner, sleeping next to the old wheel of cheese. She shakes Bethany's shoulder gently and smiles when her sister blinks up at her sleepily.

Bethany is out of her chair so fast that Hawke doesn't even have a chance to take a step away from her, and she just barely registers the furious look on Bethany's face before her cheek is stinging from a heavy-handed slap.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Bethany says angrily, and then her hands are on Hawke's cheeks again, pulling her into a kiss that turns out to be more desperate than anything.

"Okay," Hawke says quietly, stroking Bethany's face with her thumb when they finally pull away. "Okay."

hot, steamy kiss

Bethany burns hot like magma when they kiss—so hot that Hawke sometimes fears that she will burst into flames and consume them both—and Hawke is completely okay with that. She likes it best when Bethany sits on her lap, legs wrapped around Hawke's waist and hands tangled into her hair, surrounding her completely with that delicious, magical heat, sucking slowly on Hawke's bottom lip and licking into her mouth, teasing moans and whimpers out of her throat until Hawke's temperature rises to match Bethany's and she feels like she might be the one to combust instead.

cheek kiss

When the twins are six, one of the other local children whips a hard ball right at Bethany's head and hits her square on the cheekbone. Hawke is ten at the time and Bethany had only just begun to present signs of magic last year. Her parents have impressed upon her the importance of keeping Bethany safe. If she doesn't, the scary Templars in their shiny armor will come and take her away forever.

So when Hawke sees Bethany crumple to the ground with her hands covering her face, she immediately runs over and kneels beside her little sister.

"Show me where it hurts, Bethy," Hawke demands gently, but Bethany turns to bury her face in Hawke's shoulder instead. Hawke can feel hot tears against her neck as Bethany cries, and she wraps her arms around Bethany and holds her close.

"Hey!" Carver yells, pushing the kid who threw the ball. He's at least two years older than Carver and a lot bigger, but Carver has always thought himself much tougher than he actually is. And though he gladly teases and tortures Bethany on a regular basis, he doesn't allow anyone else to hurt his twin sister. "Say sorry!"

"I didn't mean to," the kid says indignantly. Hawke shoots a glare at him.

"Get out of here," she growls. The kid huffs and stomps off. She turns back to Bethany and strokes her messy, curly hair. "Let me see, Beth."

It takes a few moments, but Bethany finally pulls away from Hawke's shoulder to show her red, swollen cheek. Hawke tucks a piece of hair behind Bethany's ear and wipes at the fat tears rolling down Bethany's face.

"It's not too bad," Hawke promises, and Bethany sniffles. She leans forward to press a gentle kiss on Bethany's cheek and pulls back with a grin. "All better." Bethany finally cracks a small smile and throws her arms back around Hawke's neck. "Let's go home," Hawke says.

She stands up with Bethany perched on one hip, stretches her other hand out for Carver to take, and the three of them walk home together.

nose kiss

The dragon witch leads them through the Wilds to get to Gwaren. (Hawke knows that her name is not "dragon witch", that she prefers to be called Flemeth or Asha'bellanar by the elves, but privately she can think of her as nothing else, and only hopes that the woman cannot read minds.)

"Will the Darkspawn not attack us here?" Aveline asks, and the dragon witch laughs that horribly disconcerting laugh of hers.

"I've lived in these Wilds for many years, child. I'd be long dead if I didn't have ways of keeping creatures like the Darkspawn at bay. We will be safe here for the night."

Hawke knows she must be talking about magic, and her suspicions are confirmed when Bethany shivers beside her and watches the witch with awe.

"I've never met anyone as powerful as her. The Veil shifts with her every step," Bethany whispers. Hawke doesn't know what that means, but it's probably not good.

They set up a makeshift camp with what little supplies they have, which mainly consists of laying some leaves down so that they don't have to sleep on the dirt. The dragon witch wanders off into the woods for a short time and returns dragging a deer carcass behind her, which Hawke and Aveline butcher together.

When night falls, Hawke tries her hardest to sleep, but it's futile. The memories of Carver's body, broken and bloody, and her home burning to the ground haunt her. She sits up to find Bethany huddled by the fire, shivering, and goes to sit next to her. She's crying, Bethany, which is not surprising given all that's happened to them during the past few weeks. If she hadn't learned early on that she has to be strong for the rest of her family, Hawke would be crying, too.

"I can't stop thinking about Carver," Bethany says after a time, her voice thick with tears. "He was so stupid and brave, charging off to protect Mother, and that…that thing just—"

Hawke puts her arm around her little sister when Bethany breaks off with a sob and draws her close.

"He was my twin—my other half—and now he's just gone."

"He's not gone, Beth. He's with Father now, watching over us all. He's probably scoffing at how emotional we're being right now."

Bethany chokes out a laugh and sighs. "I wish Father were here."

Hawke wishes he were, too. She wishes they all were back in their little farmhouse in Lothering, safe and warm and perfectly boring.

"You have his nose, you know," she tells Bethany. "That same button nose that crinkles up when you're thinking about something too hard. Carver had the same one, too." Hawke leans forward and leaves a soft kiss on Bethany's nose, wipes the tears from her cheeks when she pulls away. "You keep them both with you all the time."

Bethany rests her head on Hawke's shoulder, and they sit staring into the fire together until they both fall asleep.

forehead kiss

One would think that the mighty Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall and defender of mages, would be able to handle a little bit of choppy sea travel. Instead, she lies on Isabela's bed below deck with the duvet pulled all the way up to her chin, groaning unpleasantly.

Of course, Bethany knew this was going to happen; Hawke spent almost the entirety of their trip from Gwaren to Kirkwall looking green and retching into a bucket. She sits in a chair beside the bed, smoothing Hawke's hair away from her face and humming an old tune that their father used to sing to them when they were children. Hawke cracks one eye open and looks up at Bethany, reaching out to grab her hand.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Bethy," she croaks.

Bethany smiles softly and leans forward to kiss Hawke's forehead.

"Let's pray that you never have to find out."

kiss along the hips (continued from kiss in the rain)

The bed in their shared room at the Crown and Lion is small, but they make it work. Their kisses are sloppy and rough and they stumble around with a complete lack of coordination, fighting for dominance. In the end, Bethany wins, shoving Hawke onto the bed and pausing only long enough to pull her Warden robes over her head before she crawls over top of her sister.

Everything about this is heady and gritty. Bethany pours years of frustration, years of anger and self-loathing into every kiss, every bite and scrape of her nails. Hawke feels powerless under her little sister, writhing as Bethany sinks lower, the wet tendrils of her hair trailing over Hawke's stomach. Her fingers are impossibly long, reaching deep inside of Hawke and pulsing with energy, fucking her hard and fast, relentlessly, in a way only a little sister who is so angry and disappointed in her older sibling can be.

It is in great contrast to the way that Bethany peppers slow, soft kisses across Hawke's hips, caring and attentive in a way only a little sister who loves and reveres her older sibling can be.

Hawke comes with a long groan, Bethany's dexterous fingers coaxing shudders out of her for minutes afterwards. She pulls Bethany back up her body, kisses her deeply, slips her fingers inside and feels a resounding ache in her chest at Bethany's moan.

"I love you," she breathes as she helps Bethany ride her fingers into oblivion. "I've always loved you."

If those are the words that send Bethany over the edge, neither of them addresses it afterwards.

goofy kiss (continued from forehead kiss)

Their first stop is Antiva, and if Hawke thought the nobles of Hightown were extravagant, they don't come close to even the seedier parts of Antiva City. Isabela leads them down unfamiliar streets and straight into a brothel (of course).

"We should be safe in here for the time being," she promises, and directs them to sit on a couple of fluffy pillows while she goes to get them drinks.

"Why do we keep ending up in these places?" Bethany asks with a sigh, though Hawke can tell she's more amused than anything.

"Because we insist on spending so much of our time with Isabela," Hawke replies.

"Hey, you two would be burning at the Chantry's stakes by now if it weren't for me," Isabela says as she returns.

"We really do appreciate all of your help, Bela," Bethany says sincerely, taking the clay mug that Isabela hands her.

"I know, Sweetness," Isabela replies with a smile, handing Hawke another mug. "Try that. It's an Antivan specialty."

Hawke eyes the drink suspiciously, but Bethany takes a small sip without question. Her eyes widen and she looks up at Isabela with surprise.

"Is that…chocolate?"

Isabela grins. "You bet your cute little arse it is, Sweetness."

"You have to try it, Sister," Bethany says with a bright smile. "It's delicious."

For as much as she doesn't trust anything that Isabela gives her to drink, Hawke can't refuse her sister anything. She takes a cautious sip of the dark liquid and nearly moans at the taste. She has had chocolate a few times before; when they were children their father would sometimes bring it home as a treat on namedays and annums. But Fereldan chocolate is cloyingly sweet and slightly brittle. This chocolate is deep, rich, warm and smooth. Hawke takes another, longer pull from her mug and hums appreciatively.

"That's impressive," she says. Bethany giggles and Hawke turns to her with a confused frown. "What is it, Beth?"

"You've got," she stops to laugh again, "you've got chocolate on your lip."

Hawke pokes her tongue out and runs it along her upper lip to find that she does indeed have chocolate there. Bethany is still chuckling, Isabela's smirking, and Hawke flashes a wicked grin.

"Oh yeah?" she says, and dips her thumb into her cup. "Well so do you!"

She reaches over and swipes her chocolate-covered thumb across Bethany's lip. Her sister squawks indignantly before bursting into a fit of giggles. The sight of her, eyes sparkling with mirth and voice tinkling with delight after so many years of pain and anguish makes something warm and giddy explode in Hawke's chest. She leans in without warning and kisses Bethany's upper lip, licking away the chocolate there.

She surprises herself with the action almost as much as she does Bethany, and when she pulls away, they both sort of stare at each other with bewilderment until Isabela clears her throat and startles them out of it.

"All gone," Hawke says hoarsely, and when Bethany blushes prettily and glances away, she can't help the smile that tugs at her lips.

neck kiss (warning: major character death)

How did this happen? It's all she can think, the only words that cross her mind. How did I let this happen? This can't be happening.

"Bethy, just hold on, okay? We'll get you a healer. You're going to be fine," she says frantically.

Isabela and Varric stand on either side of her, each looking as pained as if Bethany were their own sister. Bethany's skin is ashen, her eyes bloodshot and greying at the edges. Her dear, sweet, beautiful Bethany.

"It's too late for me, Sister," Bethany says with a tight smile.

"No!" Hawke yells, and there are tears streaking their way angrily across her face. "No, I won't lose you, too!"

"Shh," Bethany shushes her softly, taking Hawke's face in her hands. "It's okay. I'm going to be with Carver and Father now."

Hawke is positively sobbing by now, gripping at Bethany's hips tightly, as if she can keep her from slipping away a little longer with the bruising press of her fingers.

"I can't do this without you, Beth."

"Yes you can," Bethany assures her. "You're the strongest person I know. I need you to be strong enough to end this for me now." Hawke shakes her head vehemently and Bethany smiles again, stroking Hawke's cheek with her thumb. "Take care of Mother."

She wraps her arms around Hawke's neck and Hawke sobs even harder, pulling Bethany close with one arm. With the other, she reaches down to pull the dagger from her belt, her hand shaking so hard she fears she may drop it.

"You've always been my hero," Bethany whispers in her ear, and presses a hot kiss to Hawke's neck.

Hawke closes her eyes tightly, committing the sensation to memory, takes a shuddering breath, and stabs.

upside down kiss (mass effect crossover)

The worst thing about having one of the most powerful and sought-after human biotics as a sister isn't that they spend most of their time being chased around the galaxy by Cerberus, or that they've somehow managed to pick up the most ragtag group of criminals, runaways, and self-righteous jackasses along the way. It's the fact that Hawke has a smart mouth, can't seem to resist being cheeky and teasing her little sister whenever the opportunity presents itself, and with the flick of her wrist Bethany can throw Hawke across a room or paralyze her in a stasis bubble.

Her favorite thing to do, when Hawke is being particularly awful, is to lift Hawke straight up into the air, flip her upside down, and force her to hang there until all of the blood rushes to Hawke's head and she apologizes and begs to be let down. Which is exactly what's happening right now.

"Ugh, please let me down, Beth. You know this makes me nauseous."

"What do you say?" Bethany insists with a raised eyebrow, which just looks weird when you're upside down.

"I'm sorry I poured salt in your coffee. I swear I'll never do it again!" Hawke promises, feeling her stomach roil.

"And?" Bethany demands.

"And you're the prettiest and most amazing sister in the entire galaxy," Hawke says in a rush. "Beth, please—"

Bethany chuckles and walks over to plant a quick kiss on Hawke's lips.

"Apology accepted," she says, and flips Hawke back around, letting her drop down onto her arse with a dull thud as she walks away.

"Ow," Hawke complains with a frown, rubbing the area where she'll probably have a small bruise that Bethany will kiss away later that night. She hears a hearty chuckle come in over the ship's comm system and huffs. "Fuck off, Tethras!"

chest kiss

Bethany's chest is littered with tiny hidden freckles that only emerge after she spends a great deal of time in the sun.

Hawke loves discovering each one, loves laying Bethany down on a soft blanket in a deserted field on the outskirts of Lothering, kissing her way across every freckle, listening to Bethany's sighs when she dips her tongue out to taste the sweat beading on them in the prickling heat of summer.

gentle peck (continued from kiss along the hips) (warning: major character death)

Hawke does not feel fear when she stands in front of Bethany and the Warden-Commander, ready to undergo her Joining. There are others there: a dwarf Warden with a red beard, another dwarf with casteless markings all over her face, and an irritated looking Dalish whose expression only softens when she looks upon the Warden-Commander. Hawke knows him. His name is Nathaniel Howe; she helped him and Bethany escape the Deep Roads less than a year ago. He welcomed Hawke to the Order with open arms. She is the only recruit for the day.

She doesn't know if it's customary for anyone other than Nathaniel to conduct the ceremony or if he's just making an exception because they're sisters, but he hands Bethany the Joining chalice and asks her to speak the words that have been spoken since the beginning. Bethany meets Hawke's eyes with an unwavering gaze and speaks with her soft, scratchy voice.

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be foresworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you."

Bethany extends the chalice towards her. Their fingers brush as Hawke reaches out to take it from her. The blood inside of it is dark and thick. It smells of the taint, foul and pungent. It forces her to recall memories from years and years ago. Hawke raises the chalice to her lips to drink, but she does not feel fear. She feels only peace. In this moment, her fate will be decided forever. She will either perish, like most of her family before her, or she will live out the rest of her days with Bethany and the others, doing good, honorable work. The rank taste of Darkspawn blood slides over her tongue, down the back of her throat. Her stomach twists violently at the intrusion. Her head explodes with pain. She doesn't know if this means she's going to die or survive.

Either way, the last thing she sees is Bethany's face.

It is also the first thing she sees when she wakes. She finds herself in a bed, and she doesn't know how long she's been out for, but her head is still throbbing a bit and she tastes bile in the back of her throat. Bethany is sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing down at her.

"I survived then," Hawke croaks, and tries to clear her throat.

"Disappointed, Sister?" Bethany asks with a grim smirk, but there is a hint of relief hidden in her eyes.

"I get to stay with you and fight by your side. How could I be disappointed about that?"

Bethany's eyes soften and she actually allows herself a real smile, slight as it may be. Her fingers smooth across Hawke's forehead and over her cheek, and she bends down to place a chaste kiss on Hawke's lips.

"I'm glad you're here," she says, and Hawke smiles.

Twenty years from now, when Bethany begins to feel the tug of the calling, Hawke will venture into the Deep Roads with her. They will battle Darkspawn for weeks before they run out of food and water and grow too exhausted to fight. The Darkspawn will ambush their camp while they rest. Bethany will take two arrows to the chest, Hawke a blade to the gut. They'll collapse against a wall together, breath ragged, and share one last, blood-laced kiss. Bethany will grasp Hawke's hand, nod and smile, and Hawke will pull an explosive from her belt and detonate it.

They'll arrive in the Fade together, still holding hands, meeting Malcolm and Caver and Leandra for the first time in years with relieved smiles.

romantic kiss

It's a rare night that finds Bethany and Hawke sitting home at Gamlen's house rather than at the Hanged Man with Isabela and Varric, or on patrol with Aveline, or getting ambushed by some gang or another. Hawke sits at the table in their room, sharpening her daggers and testing their edges on the old wheel of cheese. Bethany is sprawled out on the bed, reading a book. She sighs heavily and Hawke looks up from her blades to see what's wrong, but Bethany is still staring at her book.

"What's the matter, Beth?" she asks.

"Hmm?" Bethany glances away from her book to see Hawke's concerned expression. "Oh, it's nothing, Sister. Don't worry."

Hawke lets her daggers rest on the table and stands, stretching her tired muscles as she walks over to the bed.

"I always worry about you, Bethy," she says, sitting down on the edge of Bethany's bed. Bethany smiles and her cheeks flush.

"It's stupid," she mutters self-consciously.

"I'm sure it's not," Hawke assures her. "You know you can tell me anything."

Bethany bites the corner of her lip while she considers, and Hawke feels her eyes linger there for a moment too long.

"It's just…I'm reading this book, and the main character was just kissed by her love interest for the first time, and it's so romantic and passionate. And I want that. I want someone to look at me like I'm the only other person in this world and I want them to kiss me like they can't stop themselves, like it's the only thing they've ever wanted. Like they were born for it."

Hawke feels her throat go dry as she listens to her sister, feels her heart pound in her chest and her brain scream at the inappropriate thoughts that flash through her mind.

"I just don't think I'll ever get that chance," Bethany finishes sadly.

"Can I look at that for a minute?" Hawke asks, managing to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

Bethany hands over the book and Hawke scans the pages, taking in the flat, clichéd descriptions of the male hero sweeping the princess off of her feet and kissing her breathless. She lets the book drop to the floor with a thud. Bethany frowns.

"What are you…"

Hawke's hand glides up Bethany's arm, across her shoulder, over her neck, and fits against her cheek. Bethany's question dies in the back of her throat. Her pupils dilate and her breath quickens as Hawke leans closer. Her eyes flit across Hawke's face, settling on her lips for a moment before returning to Hawke's eyes. Bethany licks her lips unconsciously just before Hawke claims them.

She kisses Bethany softly at first, allowing her to get used to the sensation before her instincts and desires take over. She completely invades Bethany's space, drawing her close, surrounding her, kissing her like her life depends on the contact of their lips. When she finally pulls away, she tugs gently at Bethany's bottom lip with her teeth. Bethany whimpers quietly in the back of her throat, opening her eyes to look at Hawke hazily. Hawke feels a bit dazed herself.

"That," Bethany starts, and her voice cracks a bit, "that was much better than any book."

Hawke feels a slow smile stretch across her face and leans in to kiss Bethany again.

forceful kiss (elder scrolls dark brotherhood crossover)

When Bethany returns to the sanctuary, hands still tingling with leftover magic and face flecked with blood, she's greeted by her Speaker. Her sister. Hawke shoves her against the nearest wall and kisses her hard, forcing Bethany's mouth open with teeth and tongue.

"Sithis is pleased, Sister," she says, slipping her hands under Bethany's robe and sinking her teeth into the juncture at Bethany's neck and shoulder. "And so am I."

As Hawke's fingers slide into her and their lips crash together again to swallow Bethany's moan, Bethany knows that this is the only reward she'll ever need.

stomach kiss (implied Bethany/Sebastian)

It's not exactly easy getting Sebastian to agree to father their child, but they go to the Starkhaven court and appeal to him. Hawke tells him that there's no one else they would rather have as the father, and Bethany fervently agrees. It's Sebastian's wife who finally convinces him, though—a wonderful woman named Catelyn with whom Sebastian fell in love on sight. She is calm and fair, and just cheeky enough for Hawke to relate to her very easily. She tells Sebastian that this is his chance to finally have a child, after so many years of he and Catelyn trying without success. Sebastian relents under the condition that he and Catelyn see the child often and are allowed to be part of its life. Hawke and Bethany gladly agree.

It's probably an awkward affair, the actual conception. Hawke doesn't ask, and Bethany is grateful. And eight months later, Bethany's belly is swollen with child, a feisty little thing that insists on kicking its mother's insides until she begins quietly humming a lullaby.

Hawke is ecstatic. She kneels before Bethany and kisses her stomach reverently, delighting when she feels the baby shift under her lips. Bethany smiles and strokes Hawke's hair.

When the baby is born a month later (a strong, healthy boy with bright blue eyes whom they name Carver), both Hawke and Sebastian shed tears uncontrollably as they gaze down at their son nestled safely in Bethany's arms.

jawline kiss

There's something about Hawke's jaw. Bethany doesn't know what it is or why she's so attracted to it, but it's one of her favorite things on Hawke's body. She takes great pleasure in trailing slow, hot kisses along it in the pale morning light and sucking just on the corner where it meets Hawke's ear until Hawke's eyes flutter open with a happy sigh and she pulls Bethany into her body, strong and warm and safe.

then there's tongue (continued from goofy kiss)

Sailing away from the Circle's persecution with Isabela doesn't come without a price. Isabela insists that they make a pit stop at Orzammar so that she can pick something up, and asks Hawke and Bethany to provide a distraction. It's not like they haven't done this plenty of times before back when they were working their way to freedom with Athenril, but Isabela's last attempt at stealing something ended with a Qunari rampage and a beheading.

"This isn't another sacred artifact you're taking, is it?" Hawke asks warily.

"No," Isabela laughs. "Just a very valuable gem."

But of course it's never easy, and Isabela leads them to the royal palace, of all places.

"Their court or whatever they call it is in session right now, so most of the guards will be over there instead of here," Isabela explains. "So I just need you two to distract the guard that hangs about the king's bedroom while I slip in and grab what I came for."

She disappears into the shadows before either of them can protest, and Hawke sighs with exasperation. Bethany rolls her eyes.

"Maker's blood, what are we supposed to do now?" she asks. Hawke eyes the stone door in front of them for a few moments and grins.

"I have an idea," she says, and then pulls Bethany in by the shoulders and kisses her.

Bethany squeaks in surprise, but when Hawke deepens the kiss, she melts right into it. Hawke backs her gently against the bedroom door and runs her tongue along the seam of Bethany's lips. They part for her almost immediately and she licks inside of Bethany's mouth, massaging her tongue until Bethany moans and Hawke feels a burning low in her own belly. Then she reaches out and twists the doorknob open.

They stumble into the room together, and Bethany shrieks as she nearly loses her balance. Hawke catches her in time to steady her.

"Hey!" a heavily armed dwarf yells. "You two can't be in here!"

"I'm sorry," Hawke says breathlessly, and her cheeks are perfectly flushed from the kiss. She looks down at him sheepishly. "We were just looking for a bit of…privacy."

"Well you're not going to find it here, so get moving," the dwarf says grumpily.

"I understand, but, uh…" Hawke scratches the back of her head and looks around with bewilderment. "We're a little lost. Could you show us out?"

The dwarf huffs, but beckons for them to follow him. Hawke grabs Bethany's wrist and tugs her along.

They meet Isabela outside of Orzammar sometime later. She grins at them lasciviously.

"That was quite a show you ladies put on," she says. Bethany blushes furiously and Hawke clears her throat.

"Did you get it or not?"

"Of course I did. Though now I feel the need to visit a brothel. Stealing always gets me so hot and bothered. Know what I mean?"

She raises her eyebrows at them and Hawke scoffs, stomping off ahead of them. Isabela turns to smirk at Bethany, who is still bright red.

"I think she knows what I mean."

collarbone kiss (continued from then there's tongue)

The stars shine brighter out on the open sea in a way that they never did in Kirkwall.

"I thought I'd never see them again," Bethany says.

They're lying on the deck of Isabela's ship, looking up at the night sky. Bethany's head rests on Hawke's shoulder and Hawke has her arm wrapped around Bethany's waist.

"See what?" Hawke asks her, thumb grazing back and forth across Bethany's hip.

"The stars," Bethany replies. "Remember when we were younger and Father would lie out in the fields with us and look up at the stars? He'd point them out and tells us their names. Carver always made up his own."

"I remember," Hawke says quietly. "He always called that one cluster 'the smelly fish head'."

"I think it was that one there," Bethany laughs, pointing up at it.

"It does sort of look like one," Hawke agrees.

Bethany's smile fades and her arm falls back to her side. "I thought I would spend the rest of my life in that tower. I used to look up at the ceiling and close my eyes really tightly, pretend the spots behind my eyelids were stars."

"I never would have let you stay there forever," Hawke says, turning her head to look at Bethany. "I would have gotten you out one way or another."

"Do you truly not mind being on the run again?" Bethany asks. She's still gazing at the sky. Hawke can see the moon reflected in her eyes.

"Of course not. Isabela keeps things interesting, and I've actually learned to enjoy life at sea," she says playfully, before quickly turning serious. "I'd do anything to keep you safe, Bethany."

Bethany finally turns to look at Hawke. Her eyes shine with something unfathomable and it makes Hawke's breath catch in her throat.

"I love you," Bethany says, and places a small kiss on Hawke's collarbone.

As more than just a sister goes unspoken, but they both understand it.

"I love you too, Beth."