"Come on, Anders!" Archer Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall groaned out as he thrust deep inside of his lover. The warrior had the other man pinned against the Orlesian rug in front of their large fireplace in the master bedchamber of the Amell Estate. It was a familiar scene for these two, something they shared on a near-nightly basis. But the mage was finding himself more annoyed than overcome with the erotic pleasure that usually consumed him.

"Fucking say you want it," the dark-haired man demanded as he plunged in with considerable force. He stared straight into Anders' eyes, blue on amber, desperate to hear him say the words.

"Enough, Archer!" Anders grunted as he unwrapped his legs from around his lover's waist. "I said 'no.'"

The warrior leaned down and pressed their bodies together and then their lips hard against each other. He snaked his tongue deep within the other man's mouth and ravished every reach as he started to increase his pace. After a breathless minute had passed, he pulled away with a single biting kiss and smirked. "You're a fucking liar, Anders. You want it just as badly as I do."

Anders frowned and balled his left hand into a fist. "You've fucking ruined the mood, you arsehole," he said as he punched his lover's right shoulder.

Hawke stopped his movements completely and sat up to rest on his knees. He looked down at the blonde and sighed. "I'm right though," he said softly.

"You're not."

The warrior's heart sank as he pulled his cock out of his lover. He laid down on the floor and curled up next to Anders, nestling his head in the crook of his neck. "I know you want it like I do."

"It's not the right time, Archer. I'm sorry." The mage turned his head to kiss the top of his lover's head, and he sighed regretfully as he felt a heavily muscled arm wrap around his middle.

Hawke couldn't help but whine. "Bullshit. Why the fuck won't you have my babies?"

"Well to start, I'm physically incapable of having them," the mage said with a smile. "I know you never received a formal education, but I had assumed that your father would have told you that the process of actually creating new life in this way involves a woman."

"Surely there's some spell or bloodmagi-"

"Don't even," Anders barked.

He gently pushed the other man away and got up from his place on the floor. Hawke got up as well and made his way over to their four-poster bed, wiggling his way under the covers. He watched as his lover cast a small fire spell, rekindling the flames needed to heat the room. The warrior loved this time of year when snow actually started to fall, gently blanketing the stone buildings of Kirkwall. It never lasted more than a few days, but it reminded him of home, of family. And it stirred thoughts and desires of having a family of his own.

"I'm sorry," Hawke said. "You know sometimes when I make light of a situation, I just end up sounding like an arse."

"I'll say," Anders said with a smile. "I'm not aware of any spells – ones that use bloodmagic or not – which would allow a man to carry a child. But even if I did, I wouldn't want to do that. I can't begin to fathom how terrible that would be."

"And you might lose your beautiful figure."

The mage chuckled. "Yes, and that." He made his way over to their bed and climbed in next to his lover and snuggled against him. "I just don't see children in our future, Love."

"But you love kids."

"Says who?"

Hawke smiled. "Says me. I've seen you with them, Anders. I've seen you deliver babies. Disgusting, goo-covered babies with their misshapen heads. They're screaming and their mothers are screaming too, and it's just completely nauseating. And yet, the smile on your face could light up Darktown."

"Nonsense," the mage said sternly. "I smile because I was able to help a woman and an infant survive the horrors of childbirth. That's no small task. I'm both relieved and a little proud."

"That would explain the smiling, but it doesn't explain why the mothers always seem to have to beg for the child back. You don't ever want to let go."

"I'm a healer," Anders explained. "I need to make sure everything is fine before the little thing goes to its mother."

"It just seems like you're having fun in addition to examining them," Hawke said as he ran his fingertips over his lover's arm.

"Is it wrong to be a bit fascinated by new life?" the mage asked. "I can be curious and amazed by the wonders of creating an entire person out of essentially nothing. That doesn't mean I like children."

"Then why is it that you keep a secret jar full of sweets hidden in your medicine cabinet just for the kids who come in to see you?"

"Because…" Anders started. "Because it keeps them quiet when I have to treat them."

"Whatever," Hawke scoffed. "You like kids just as much as I do. You're just being stubborn."

The mage was silent. Really what more was there to say after having this conversation nearly a dozen times in the past year? Their relationship was certainly not a perfect one, and typically any problems they did have were exacerbated by the fact that they were both so horribly stubborn. As many times as Hawke begged and pleaded with him, Anders would always put his foot down and not budge on the subject. And each time he thought he'd finally gotten through to him, the warrior would just ask again.

"We can adopt," the dark-haired man said to break the silence. There are so many kids in Darktown with nowhere to go.

"Once we let one in, they'll all come running. And besides, they all band together and are weary of being snatched away."

"Well I'm not going to lurk in a dark corner with offerings of candy and Mabari puppies for whatever kid I can find," Hawke assured him. "I would find a kid who really wanted a home. The estate is huge, and I have so much love to give."

Anders turned onto his side and wrapped his left arm around his lover. "Just give me all your love then because I'm not changing my mind. I know how much you want children, but you need to think about this logically. We would not be model parents. I know that we would both love a child and raise him or her to the best of our abilities. But we also put ourselves in harm's way on a daily basis. It's a miracle that we've survived this long doing what we do. And I have the Templars to worry about. There is just no good way that we could do this and also be fair to a child."

"But-"

"No, Archie," the mage said softly. "I'm sorry. I know how badly you want this, but I also know that you know, deep down, that this isn't the right time. Maybe in the future if we truly settle down, and if I don't have to worry about the mages and Templars…maybe then. But unless that happens, we just can't."

"I don't like it when you're right," Hawke groaned. "Usually you're so radical and ridiculous. It throws me off when you're the voice of reason."

"You're a dick."

"I feel I have the right to be," the warrior said with a small smile. "I don't get to have children and you totally left me with blue balls."

"I'm sorry, Love, but you were killing it for me," Anders chuckled. "But you do know that you are already a father, right? Dog and Guard Captain Mittens need you just like a child needs a parent."

"This is true," Hawke said. "I care for them and teach them valuable lessons they can take with them throughout life such as not chewing on the furniture and that quadrupeds must go outside to do their business."

"See, the animals make great pseudo-children," the mage said, slightly encouraged that this may finally end the great debate once and for all. "In fact, I think that we may even have room for one more if you wanted another ca-"

"Another Mabari?"

"Maybe," Anders said, unhappy by the prospect. "But I'd be fine with you getting another pet if it would make you happier."

"I think it might," Hawke said with a smile. "We can stop by the Lowtown market tomorrow night once we return from the Bone Pit. They might have something good there. Or perhaps something rather exotic."