This was a kmeme fill. The idea was not mine, so to give credit where it's due, here's the prompt:
"Established relationship, one of them thinks the other is cheating on them (whether they really are or its just their imagination doesn't really matter). Big fight ensues until the accused realizes the only way to convince his lover that he's faithful is through sex."
Prompt mentioned a fondness for Nanders, which made it twice as desirable.
oooooooo
Nate picked up his pint of ale and surveyed the room. The Great Hall was crammed with soldiers, Wardens, and guards. Based on the laughing faces around him, the Warden-Commander's monthly ale nights were certainly improving morale. Nate would not have chosen to attend the ale nights, but the Commander had required it. As her second-in-command, he was to support her efforts to make the Wardens part of the community. And so, here he was.
The first few ale nights had been made bearable only by Anders' company. The mage would stand by his side, guiding him from group to group, doing most of the talking for the two of them. Nate liked watching his mage float effortlessly into a conversation, flirting and laughing with total strangers. The rogue could never fake the jovial merriment these events required, and he only seemed to genuinely enjoy them when he was with Anders.
Tonight would be tedious. Nate's presence was required like usual, but Anders had bowed out. The mage had been kept on his toes all week by injuries and accidents, and he stated that he wanted a night to himself. Nate tried to respect his lover's wishes, but he was disappointed.
Left on his own, Nate took his pint to a corner and allowed himself to disappear into the shadows. The three soldiers playing cards at the table next to him did not even notice his arrival.
Nate quietly observed the soldiers and quickly understood their dynamic. Two of the men were older with weathered faces. They were enjoying jokes at the expense of the third.
The third was young and wide eyed. His cheeks were flushed from drink and his sandy blond hair was messy. He was drunk enough to make a grand show of defensiveness each time his older comrades mocked him. At the moment, they were teasing him about a relationship of his in which he had clearly been dropped against his will. One of the men was telling the other how desperate and needy the blond had become when his lover abandoned him.
"...he kept trying to get the same shifts. Every time he would trade to get Colin's shift, Colin would trade to get a new one." The two older men exploded into laughter and the blond sulked. "He became so annoying, now no one will touch him! I'll bet he hasn't gotten ass in months!"
"That's not true!" the blond asserted.
"Oh really?" Both men cocked their eyebrows in disbelief. "Not another soldier, that's for sure!"
"No, it was a Grey Warden!" Nate's ears pricked up as he began listening to the blond soldier more intently. "I had that mage, Anders, last week."
Nate choked on his ale.
He stared at the blond soldier, but the ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing any more of the conversation. He studied the young man and noted how different he was from himself. The soldier had boyish features with a ruddy complexion, fair hair, and green eyes. He was years younger than Nate. Nate felt his heart clench.
If Anders were bored of Nate, this man was a perfect change.
Was that why Anders did not want to come tonight? Did he worry this soldier would be here? And was this soldier the only one? Nate's mind began racing faster and faster.
Was Anders not there because he was with someone else that very moment? With all the bustle in the Great Hall, no one would notice if someone slipped off to a bedroom upstairs. Nate left his ale and strolled quickly to the stairs.
Upstairs, he crept to the door of the room he shared with Anders. He held his breath and listened.
Nothing.
He opened the door and looked inside. Anders was not there. In fact, there was no sign that anyone had been in the room all evening.
He tried not to think where Anders might be, but at the same time he was already walking down the hall glancing into each room he passed. He reached the top of the stairs before he saw the dark blond hair of the mage.
Anders gave him a cheeky grin as he walked up the stairs. Nate could tell the mage was formulating a quip. If Anders began his usual flirtation and banter, Nate might lose his will. This was too important to be forgotten in the haze of Anders' seduction.
"Where have you been?" There was more anger and accusation in his voice than he meant.
The grin faded from Anders' face. "I took a long bath, and then I was in the library. Why? What's wrong?"
"Were you alone?" He had tried to soften his tone, but it was still harsh and the mage bristled.
"No," Anders said curtly, "Ser Pounce-a-lot joined me in the library. Do you want to interrogate him too?"
"Don't!" Nate could not handle joking. His head was spinning. He did not know what to say.
"How could you?" He blurted out. "I trusted you!"
Anders eyes when wide before narrowing coldly. "How could I what? You haven't even told me what this is all about."
"I overheard a soldier downstairs talking about...being with you. Last week!"
"And it didn't occur to you," Anders tone was low and cold, "to doubt the word of a soldier bragging to his drinking buddies? Or was it just so easy to believe about a dirty slut like me?"
The mage's eyes were burning with anger as he advanced on the bowman. "How dare you talk about trust, Nate? You don't trust me, and this proves it. You overhear gossip and don't even consider doubting it!
Anders face was was almost touching Nate's, his eyes boring into the larger man. "You didn't even ask me if it were true; you assumed it must be."
"I...I..." Nate struggled to find words but none would come. The mage stood with arms folded defensively.
"Why are you even with me, Nate? Why are you with someone you can't, no, won't trust?"
Nate's mind emptied of everything except that question: why was he with Anders? An answer came to him and he hated it. He hated it because it was weakness.
"Because being without you hurt too much," he admitted. "I wanted you so badly that I was willing to risk the pain of you betraying me just to get to be with you...even if only for a while." They stood in silence. Nate was staring at the detail of Anders' robe, unable to meet the mage's eyes.
"And part of me hoped" Nate continued "that maybe...I would be...enough. I know I'm not the most handsome or exciting man. I know you deserve better and you think I'm stuffy and grumpy...And I know I can be boring and I -"
"Nate." The mage's tone was surprisingly calm, and Nate looked up.
Anders was staring at him with a thoughtful expression. The anger had left his eyes. Finally he spoke.
"Do you think I can't be faithful," Anders asked, "or that I can't be faithful to you?"
Nate's head hurt. His mind and body ached as if he had been running for days without rest. He tried to think clearly, but his thoughts would not stay still.
"What does that even mean? Anders, I don't -" He could not speak any more, as the mage's lips were pressed hard to his own.
Nate tried to resist. There was still so much to say! But the mage would not let him go and his tongue was insistently trying to part Nate's lips. When Nate refuse, the hot mouth moved swiftly to his neck.
"Ah!" The pain of the mage's teeth biting the tender flesh was quickly replaced by the warm sensation of the mage sucking firmly against his neck. Blood rushed to the surface and Nate felt his mind cloud.
He knew he had been resisting, but he could no longer remember why. When those delightful lips were back against his own, he forgot everything but the sensation of the inviting mouth and the fingers in his hair.
He parted his lips and the mage pushed inside his mouth. Their tongues stroked and wrestled as their bodies flushed and their breath grew heavier. He was dizzy by the time the mage broke the kiss. Hands left his hair and he was vaguely aware of the mage pulling him back down the hallway to their room.
The instant the door was closed, they were kissing again. Nate knew nothing other than the sensations of the other man's hair and skin and tongue.
The mage was fumbling at something between their bodies before he pulled away and there was a flash of coloured fabric. Suddenly Anders was standing before him, completely naked.
The sight of the mage's beautiful form, flush with his arousal, caused Nate's stomach to contract. He knew that he was mirroring his lover's hungry smile. As his eyes devoured the man's youthful figure, his eyes fell on the growing erection. Nate did not think before he was on his knees, hands roughly grasping the hips in front of him.
He gasped hot air against Anders' cock, delighting in the way it twitched in response. A little murmur escaped the mage's lips. Nate kissed the tip before parting his lips and taking it into his mouth. Anders gave a sigh. Nate's tongue swirled around the head, before he slowly took more of the mage into his mouth.
Anders groaned his name as his legs trembled. Nate's large, strong hands held the mage's hips against the wall as he savoured his lover in his mouth. He sucked hard, delighting in the feel of the pulsing flesh against his tongue. He moaned and felt Anders body react to the vibrations that ran through him.
He began moving his head, letting his mouth run over his lover's length. He could feel Anders' body tense and his breathing change. Nate was bringing happy muttering sounds from the mage. He hollowed his cheeks and swirled his tongue before Anders finally released into his mouth. Nate pulled away slowly as he swallowed.
Still on his knees, he embraced Anders' hips, pressing his cheek to the other man's groin and running his hands up firm thighs, buttocks and back. He kissed his way up his mage's stomach and slowly rose to his feet.
Anders was still weak from his release and did not resist when Nate scooped him up in his arms. He carried him to the bed and gently laid him out. He admired the mage's prone form before he stretched out next to him, kissing and stroking his skin. Their lips met and they fell into a passionate kiss.
Nate quickly stripped out of his clothes, retrieved a vial of oil, and began coating his fingers. He caressed Anders's body with his lips and dry hand, as his slick fingers massaged the tight entrance. Carefully, he pressed one finger inside. He waited for Anders to adjust before stroking gently and adding a second finger. He felt for the spot within the other man, and his lover's happy gasp let him know he had found it. He pumped his fingers, finding the same spot time and again.
There was a small sound of disappointment as he removed his fingers. He coated his erection with oil and helped Anders lift his knees to his chest. He kissed the mage's leg as he positioned himself against his entrance. Anders' hands reached for him, inviting him inside.
Nate gently pressed forward, pausing before pushing all the way in. Fully seated, he waited for his mage's body to relax around him. He ran his hands along his lover's body, stroking and caressing. They shared a sigh that became a moan as they began to move.
Nate's muscles tightened and strained as he drove himself deeper with each hard, firm thrust. Anders was moaning and gasping beneath him as their bodies moved together. Nate reached between them, wrapping his hand around the mage's throbbing erection and joining the movement of their hips. Anders began to tremble and it was not long before he was contracting around Nate, spilling seed over the bowman's large hand and onto his own stomach.
Nate needed only a few more thrusts before he too was seeing flashes of light and shaking with his release. He collapsed forward against his lover, gasping and trembling. Finally, he found the strength to gently separate himself from his lover. He wiped his hand on a cloth and then turned his attention to his mage.
Anders was stretched out languidly on his back. His eyes were closed and a grin spread across his face.
"Look at me," his lover instructed, opening his dark amber eyes and holding Nate's gaze. "Look at me. What do you see?"
Nate gave a slightly baffled smile. "I see a very handsome man," he laughed as he wiped his lover's stomach.
Anders shook his head. His face was briefly serious. "Do I look unhappy? Do I look unsatisfied?"
Understanding dawned on Nate, and he forced himself to look, really look, at the man before him.
Laughter and fire danced in the mage's eyes. His face was relaxed, except for a satisfied smile on his lips. His body was flush but at ease. He was completely spent.
Nate allowed himself a little smile, and Anders' own smile deepened.
"Do you see now?" his mage asked tenderly. "Can you believe that you alone are enough?"
Nate gave a little nod before long fingers ran through his hair and pulled him into a deep kiss. He opened his eyes and saw Anders' were still closed, still focused on the kiss. Nate closed his eyes again and let his mind focus solely on the feel of the other man's lips.
When they broke the kiss, Nate stretched out on his back. He smiled at the feel of a warm cheek and soft hair settling on his chest. He stroked his lover's back.
"There's only you, Nate," came a sleepy voice before both of them went into the Fade.
oooooooo
I liked the double-meaning of "unfaithful." Nate thinks Anders is being unfaithful by cheating, but it is Nate who is unfaithful in the sense of not having faith in his lover. Okay, that meaning of unfaithful is pretty much obsolete and was used to mean religious faith, but I get to claim artistic license, right?