((Firstly, still owning nothing Dragon Age related, with the exception of Zaph's name and personality, though I think she's only passing mentioned in this one. A sequel to "Price of another's sin," someone requested my taking Nate and Anders' relationship a little further and thus, I obliged. Didn't want one huge story, so I divided it up. It's kind of...SFW and NSFW chapters *laughs* Enjoy!))

"What if she's right?"

The words barely passed his lips. He didn't want to believe them, but somehow they managed to form in his mind anyway. And now he'd given voice to them. It might not have been so bad if he'd simply been thinking out loud, but Nathaniel was sitting beside him. The rogue had followed him after Anders had fled the dining hall and nothing short of blasting him with magic would have gotten him to leave him alone.

"She has no idea what it means to be a slave."

Anders gasped. "But, the elves-"

"She's Dalish," Nate interrupted. "They may not have a home, they may be antagonized by humans, but she's too willful. She's never been a slave. Never been through what you told me you've endured. No one deserves to be a slave, Anders." Nate's fingers combed lightly through his hair, much as his own were stroking through the fur of the kitten in his lap.

He swallowed. "And yet, the conditions in the Tower persist. We don't do anything to change it." He chuckled. "Uldred tried, and that's what started it all."

Fingers seized his chin, jerking it to the side, forcing him to meet a pained gaze. Nathaniel's eyes looked almost silver from the liquid quality of his unshed tears. "I refuse to believe that you, that anyone, should be made to go through what I put an end to when I killed Rylock."

Anders flinched at those words. A sick feeling coiled in his stomach as he thought back to when the lady templar had gotten hold of him again. She'd made very good on her promise to pay him back for what she and the others perceived as his role in the death of their fellows.

"What of the others you haven't saved yet, then?"

"For now, I'm leaving that to the Commander's skill at diplomacy." He blinked and the shine disappeared, replaced by determination. "I've already got my hands full with one that still needs convinced." The hand on his chin shifted, coming now to cup his cheek instead. "No matter what I seem to tell him."

"Can you blame me, Nathaniel?" Anders' eyes turned down for a moment, blinking back up to look the other man in the eyes again. He let out a wry chuckle. "You make it easy for me to willingly serve you."

"You don't have to serve me, Anders. I don't want a slave. Never did. If it wasn't obvious the first night Zaphyre threw us together, I'm not sure how much more blatant I could have been."

"You actually seemed amused at the notion, if I recall correctly." One blonde brow arched.

"I wasn't amused. I was trying to understand it. I still don't." He shook his head. "You'd truly have done anything I would have asked you to?"

Hesitating a moment, Anders slowly nodded his head. "Yes."

"Slept on the floor?" A nod. "Stood holding my armor all night?" Another nod, followed by a swallow. "And if I'd wanted more than just ordering you into bed?"

"It...It would have been within your right to ask for it." His gaze lowered to a spot in the rogue's chest.

"No, it wouldn't have. No one has the right to...lay claim to your body unless you allow it, Anders. That's something I hope that I've made clear. Anything we do, I want it to be what you want."

A little grin played at the corner of his mouth. "You don't think I haven't wanted all I've given you so far?"

"You never let me give back."

He shook his head. "You don't have to. It's not something you want. I can tell."

"How can you think that? Especially after what I just said?"

"I told you, I can tell." Anders reached up, brushing a bit of hair back behind Nate's ear. "I'm content to give. It's what I want. Making you happy is what makes me happy."

Nate drew him closer, allowing him to lean into his embrace. Light scratches began combing through his hair again, the sensation of them seeming to slide all the way down through him, always able to relax him. He could feel the deep breath and the slow exhale.

"I'm afraid."

His hand slid around the other man's waist, hugging him as best as he was able. "I know. Which is why I don't ask you for anything."

"No. No, I'm afraid of...of hurting you. Of doing something wrong. I'm not afraid of being with you. I gave up on that a long time ago." He laughed gently.

A hand at his cheek again and slow, lazy kisses began warming somewhere in his chest. Drawing back just long enough to deposit a protesting Pounce onto the floor, he smiled crookedly at Nate, leaning back further, to have him follow him into lying stretched out together on their bed. The kisses that he'd met were slowly turning into nibbles as lips made their way from his mouth to his jaw, moving down to his neck and then up close to his ear.

"I want to learn what it is that you like, Anders," murmured that quiet rasp. "What makes you happiest."

The laugh that he let out was gentle, but he still felt a slight flinch. "I suppose saying 'This' isn't going to satisfy you, is it?" He trailed a finger along Nate's hairline, letting it curl along the shell of his ear.

"Not this time." He turned his head to lay a kiss in the center of Anders' palm.

Anders found himself biting his bottom lip at the gesture. Little things like that were all that it took to set his heart fluttering. Tenderness. Someone gentle. That had been something that had been sorely lacking in his life and Nathaniel...Nathaniel filled that void as if that were his Maker-given purpose.

"Well, if you don't want to hurt me, we'll need something. Oil. Grease." He shuddered at the memory of when even the slightest bit of spit had been welcome. "Something that will make it easier. For both of us."

He could feel the other man nibbling on his lip in thought. "Ah." He drew back, laying a kiss or two on his lips before he pushed himself off the bed. "I think I know what we can use."

Going over to his pack, he dug around until he came out with one of the vials of balm that they used to protect themselves. He could smell it when Nate opened it, testing to see how liquid it was over his fingers. "Will this do?"

"It should be fine."

Nathaniel joined him on the bed again, setting the vial near the pillows for the time being. He'd shifted, sitting with his knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them, just watching the other man. When he felt a hand skim along his calf, he twitched a little, eyes flicking up to Nate.

"You're looking about as nervous as I feel," he said with a soft chuckle. His expression softened. "Anders, you'd tell me if you didn't want to do this, wouldn't you?"

He bowed his head, nodding slowly. "And I know you'd stop if I'd ask." Picking his gaze up, he managed a little smile. "I suppose...I'm just a little afraid myself. But not of you. Never of you." He reached out, taking hold of Nate's hand and tugging him a little closer. "I've just never...this is..."

Nathaniel moved so he could gather him into his arms again. "I know," he murmured softly, his hand rubbing gentle circles over his back. "I'm honored that you trust me, Anders."

At that, he pinched his eyes shut, not wanting to let his already brimming emotions spill over and worry Nate even more. Reaching up, he turned his face to his and began laying gentle kisses on his lips, slowly deepening them to encourage the roam of his hands again. Maker, it felt so good to be touched like that instead of groped or struck.

Drawing back for breath, he watched out of the corner of his eye as the bottom of his robe dragged slowly up his legs to his knees. The brush of Nate's hand was relaxing and he took things slow. No tearing him out of his robes-when they bothered with that at all-or just pushing him into position. He thought he'd remember other hands on him, ones that weren't gentle, but the rogue's-his rogue's, his Nathaniel's-chased them all away.

A tug drew him out of his thoughts and he realized Nate had urged his robes closer to his waist. Planting his hands on the bed, he raised his body up, allowing them to be hiked up further. After that, Nate began picking at the ties that secured it shut, his attention more on Anders' face than the intricate little knots that held the garment together. He couldn't help but smile as he watched him, reaching out to begin to tug his shirt over his head.

"You're going to distract me, Mage." There was a faint chuckle in his voice.

"No, I..." Anders swallowed. "I just want us to...be even."

Another chuckle and his hands drew back, his body twisting just a little and the mage found himself tugging at more of the fabric, winding up with the garment in his hands. "Hmm, now it seems I'm a bit ahead." He returned to his previous task.

Instead of immediately casting the shirt away, Anders actually brought it close. It was still warm and bore a scent that was distinctly Nathaniel: leather from his armor, the herbs he mixed together for his poisons, the soap scented like wildflowers that Zaphyre had jokingly gifted him with on Satinalia, and something that couldn't be described. Something that was just simply him. It was the same scent he'd grown used to breathing in each evening before they fell asleep, tucked into the arms of the man he knew could be trusted to keep him safe.

The brush of fingertips against his chest drew him back from memory. Nate had slid his hands up his chest, rubbing at his shoulders before sliding his robes down to his elbows. Finally releasing the shirt to the floor, he slid his arms out of his robe and pushed that off of the bed as well. Staring at the pile of clothing for a moment, he turned back, finding himself thoroughly pinned under Nate's stare.

It seemed strange. He and Nathaniel shared their room, the bathing chamber, even their own tent in camp, but there was something about this moment that made him feel incredibly shy. It could be because he'd never really seen Nate look at him the way he was now. There was no denying the want in his eyes-he knew that all too well-but there was more to it than lust. He felt no need to shrink away when the other man moved closer, reaching out to lightly trace his fingers along the lines of his muscles. Something like that would have made him tense before, put him a step away from trying to run, but now, it relaxed him, had him leaning into the rogue's touch.

Nate moved even closer, allowing Anders to scoot into his arms, wrapping his own around the brunette's chest. It brought them close enough for him to hear Nathaniel's heartbeat, soft and steady. Letting out a sigh, he let his eyes close, resting there until he felt the dusting of lips against his skin.

Drawing back with a soft "Ah?" he realized the two of them were about eye to eye. Nate kissed his shoulder again, his hands gently urging him to lean back, following with a rather slow crawl that left him stretched out over top of the mage. Wrapping his arms around him didn't keep him still for long, the trail of his kisses moving from lips to throat, across his collar bone, and down his chest.

Feeling the warmth of Nate's mouth around his nipple, he gasped, his back arching slightly. His fingers slid through the other man's hair, giving him something to grip as the pleasant sensations began to grow. As Nate started to draw back, though, he quickly let go.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just-"

"Shhh." The word trailed down his stomach, following Nate's lips. "I just wanted to move, that's all."

"I still shouldn't have-"

Nate pushed himself up again, hands framing his shoulders. "Anders, when have I ever told you that you couldn't touch me?" He smiled down at him. "I just hope that I'm returning the favor well enough."

His hands wrapped around him once again. "Oh, Maker, you are. You are," he whispered as he drew him close. "I've never felt more content or...safer than I have with you." He swallowed back the knot that was starting to catch his throat. "You're the only one that's ever worried about what I want."

A finger came up, brushing along his jaw. "Maker willing, and," a soft chuckle, "more importantly, if you're willing, I'll continue to be."

Drawing him closer, he let his arms wrap tighter around the other man. He didn't trust his voice, only letting him feel the nod that brushed between his neck and shoulder. He was certain Nathaniel would feel him trembling but he didn't care. It wasn't because he was scared, not this time. It was...Maker, if felt like his soul. It was too full and it left him shaking in the other's arms. And Nathaniel seemed to feel it, too, just holding him until he was calm again.

"I," his own voice sounded too quiet in his ears. He almost thought he hadn't spoke, but for the slight tilt of the rogue's head closer to his lips. "Nathaniel, I want-" His voice betrayed him again. Letting his hand brush down his partner's side, he pressed, urging him closer.

His response was a nod and a kiss laid against the mage's ear. "Let me finish undressing. Then you can help me, all right?"