Written for fat-mabari for the prompt "Please come get me." It's a modern AU, but I really have no idea the exact AU tbh. Hope you like it!
"Please come get me."
Four words. That's all it took to make Maric turn the car around. He pulled an illegal U-turn and set the tires screeching in the act. He didn't care. He had somewhere to be.
The sky was dark. An approaching storm, maybe. Or maybe it was late in the year. Had the year really gone that fast that it was getting dark so quickly? Maric seemed to miss everything around him…everything, whether it was the weather or the needs of the ones he loved.
It took too long to get to the bar. He'd been leaving, driving away, going somewhere as long as it was away from there. He couldn't remember what the fight had been about (that was a lie, he could, he always could), only that he needed to leave, needed to get away, if even just for a minute.
"He fought some guy," said the bartender as Maric rushed in. "He was harassing the waitress. The guy pulled a knife, but your man wouldn't back down."
"How do you know he's my man?"
"He's drunk," said the bartender simply, stepping aside to let Maric past. "Drunk people say a lot of things."
Loghain was finishing off a beer as they spoke, fingers trembling as he put the money to pay for it on the table.
'Where are you hurt?" said Maric.
"It doesn't matter," said Loghain blearily, staring at a point slightly to the left of Maric.
Maric pulled his chin towards Loghain, pressing a kiss to his lips. The man was unshaven and smelled strongly of the alcohol he'd clearly been guzzling.
"Where are you hurt?"
Loghain shook his head. "Doesn't matter."
"Then what does matter?"
Loghain looked down for so long that Maric was about to ask if he was still awake before he finally answered. "Are you going to leave me?" he mumbled.
Maric had ran, and he'd left someone just as hurt as he was behind him. He always did this, always neglected the people he cared about when he was upset. He should have been looking out for both of them, not just himself.
"I'm not going to leave you, Loghain," he said. "I'm never going to leave you. I'm in it for the long haul."
"You mean that?" grunted Loghain, bloodshot eyes finally focusing on Maric's face.
"I mean it," said Maric, reaching a hand out. "Come on, let me get you home. I'll get you bandaged up."
Loghain took his hand, collapsing into Maric's shoulder. Maric helped him out the door, arm wrapped around his boyfriend's thick chest, trying not to think about the blood still seeping into his shirt.
"When I'm all better…" said Loghain, words slurred. "Can we…?"
"Can we?"
"You know, snuggle?" said Maric's stabbed, drunken, stoic partner.
"Yeah," said Maric. "We can. And I'll be there with you the whole time." Even if that meant holding Loghain's hair back while he threw up (and it would).
"Cool," said Loghain, letting Maric help him into the car. "Really cool."
There was a pause, and Loghain let out a sob. Maric gripped the side of the car and asked what was wrong.
"We're really okay?"
"Yeah," said Maric, running his hand up and down Loghain's arm. "We are."
Loghain smiled. Maric was glad he came back.