Hikari: So… almost a month since I posted my last short. Oops. Sorry about that. I have four different stories that I'm working on right now, but I keep writing on different ones. Finally finished this one, but I've been reading The Hunger games, so I've been doing other things. Hopefully I'll get to work on some more during my break. Anyways, this short is based on number 23, "Cat". Hm… I wonder who this story involves?
Anders thought it was just another ordinary day in Kirkwall, but there was quite the commotion in the house. He opened the door tentatively, the commotion getting louder.
"For the love of Andraste, keep still!" a voice yelled from the balcony of the inner room.
Anders froze in the doorway, raising one of his eye brows. That sure sounded like Artemis, but who was she yelling at? She normally didn't care about Harree, unless he'd gotten on the bed again. The mage strolled into the main part of the house, realizing that the enchantment boy and his father weren't there. He really was late if they'd already gone to bed, "Art?" he called, heading up the stairs.
"Hold on, Anders! I'll be down in a second!" she yelled back, her voice sounding extra strained and even slightly scared, "Don't come up! It's a surprise!"
Anders stopped mid-way up the stairs, sighing to himself. If she'd gotten him a templar to kill, he was going to give her a talking to. Killing templars was fun, but only if it was outside. They couldn't have the stupid "guards" blood traced back to them. He stood there for a few moments, listening to his girlfriend cursing at some unforeseen force before he finally gave into curiosity and walked up the rest of the steps.
He found her with a small ball of fluff in her arms, struggling against it. Anders stood there for a while, watching the adorable display. Artemis, the strong willed dual blade wielder, was being scratched into submission by something that probably weighed a couple pounds. Scratched. The mage jumped into action, quickly taking the cat from the girl, "Are you alright, sweetheart?" he said, concern furrowing his brow.
Artemis sighed, a sad expression on her scratched up face, "It was supposed to be a surprise. I was trying to get her into the bed so when you came up to go to sleep you'd be surprised by her…" she trailed off, her eyes down cast. "It was silly, wasn't it?"
Anders shook his head, wrapping the arm that didn't have a kitten attached to it around her shoulders, kissing her on the forehead, "No, it wasn't silly. It was incredibly sweet. I'm touched that you went to the trouble. If you could lock Harree out of the room for the night, I'll be even more touched."
She auburn haired girl smiled slightly, but it disappeared quickly. She called her mabari to her, locking him in the library. He whined as she walked away, but he was getting used to it. After all, Anders had been living in the house for almost three years. The dog just needed to adjust.
Artemis made her way back to their room, where she was met with Anders laying on the bed, playing with the kitten. She leaned against the doorframe, smiling at the picture. Maybe the scratches really were worth it, "Come here, love," the mage said, gesturing to her with his free hand, his other hand tickling the kitten's belly. The last surviving Hawke had never really been around a kitten before. Harree had been a rarity; the other refugees from Lothering normally didn't have pets. She watched her lover and the kitten playing for a bit, her smile growing slightly. He'd been so upset recently that it was good to see him happy again.
"Let me heal your wounds," Anders said, snapping the rogue's attention back to the reality. She obliged him, pulling the top of her house dress off so he could get at the scratches cover her arms, chest, neck and face. He openly laughed at her, causing her to pulling her dress back on, a dark blush on her cheeks, "Hey now, it's only funny that the kitten got you so bad," he said, resting the free hand on the side of her face, a slight blue glow sealing the scratches. He was able to heal most of the angry red marks, but soon he realized he needed his other hand, and the kitten was chewing on his thumb.
The kitten was soon hoisted in the air and deposited into the girl's lap. At first, Artemis tried to push the small thing away, but she quickly froze and set a calm hand on the creature. Instead of attacking her recently healed hand, the kitten simply started purring as the woman's chest was healed. Anders made short work of her surprising numerous wounds, but he quickly learned that he wasn't getting his present back anytime soon. The mistress of the house was far too engrossed in playing with her. She even presented the newest member of the household with a small brown object- "The merchant said it was a special treat for cats"- as Anders watched. He laid back down on the bed, his honey colored eyes watching her with joy. It took her a few more minutes of playing with the kitten to see the look on his face. "What?" she asked, not used to being stared at. Normally he wanted something when he fixed her with such a gaze.
"Isn't she my gift?" he asked, causing the girl to jump. She quickly picked the kitten up and handed her to him, but the kitten only whined in response, "No, she likes you. Don't worry about it. I'll have plenty of time to play with her when you're not here. Someone needs to stay with her for the first few weeks."
Artemis laid next to Anders after pulling her dress back on, placing the kitten between him and resting her forehead on his. She closed her eyes, mindlessly stroking the soft fur she'd never felt before that day, "So, what are you going to name her?"
It only took him a moment before he whispered, "Silk."
She opened her eyes, fixing him with a confused look, "The Hero of Fereldan? The Hero of Kirkwall is going to name her kitten after the Hero of Fereldan? Have you gone mad?" she asked, laughing quietly before she stopped, noticing the deadpan stare fixed on her.
"She was one of the first friends I had outside of the circle, sweetheart," he said, his hand running up and down her side. The hand stilled at her waist for a moment before pulling her to him, their hips meshing together. Their newest pet was all that kept their chests apart, "I find it appropriate. She had a kitten in her home before it was destroyed. She'd enjoy the compliment."
Art, slightly flustered by the contact and what she was feeling of her lover, forced out, "King Alistair has requested an audience with me. Would you please come with me and introduce me? You met him, right?"
Anders was slightly started by the question, but he finally got his composure, "Anything for you, love. Now, will you let me name my cat Silk?"
She shrugged, not really able to form proper words. He saw just what he was doing to her and smirked, "What, is this bothering you?" he asked, readjusting his hips ever so slightly so that they ground against her's for a moment or two before stopping. She whimpered, training her eyes on "Silk" to distract herself from the growing heat pooling in her lower regions, "Should we feed her?"
In an instant, he was on her, his legs straddling her hips, her wrists pinned to the bed, "She's young. She won't understand what's going on. We can feed her after. You were just on a two week mission in Sundermount and you expect me not to jump you?"
It took all of Artemis' strength (because no matter what she did, Anders would never admit she was stronger. He always used magic to help him, though. She could sense it), but she finally freed one of her wrists, gently pushing Silk away from the couple. The kitten, apparently exhausted from attacking her owner, curled up on the other pillow, yawned widely once, and then fell asleep. Anders grinned slightly. It took Artemis a moment to realize it was because of how cute the kitten was, not because of how he finally had Artemis where he wanted her. His hold released, giving Artemis enough time to flip him onto his back without any magic hindering her. She grinned down at him, sitting back on her heels, "What did I tell you about shoes on the bed? You haven't listened since the first time I let you in this place," she said, smiling devilishly as she slowly and painfully unlaced his boots and took them off.
Later, Artemis lay on Anders' bare chest, watching Silk snooze peacefully, "Harree is never coming in this room again," she stated bluntly, causing a laugh to emit from Anders, "I'm serious!" she continued, turning her head to face him.
"If Ser Pounce-A-Lot could stand up to a darkspawn, I'm sure Silk can stand up to a mabari," he reassured her.
"It's not Silk I'm worried about," she snorted, "It's Harree. He'll be worse off than before you got to me."
The pair dissolved into a fit of laughter before finally closing their eyes and going to sleep. It was the first peaceful night the pair had shared in a long time. And it would probably be their last.
Hikari: I am seriously loving this couple. I mean, Luna and Anders are great to write for, but Art and Anders make me go "D'aaaaaaaawwwwww! D8"