Fenris woke the next morning alone in her bed. He sat up slowly wondering where she'd gone until he heard her arguing outside the door. "No, Mother!" She protested.
"You are going." Her mother said firmly.
"No, I'm not."
"Young lady, you have a duty to the family name now. You are going. That's final."
"My family name? Or the one you're going by again?" Hawke snapped angrily.
"Do not pull that with me, Ashlyn! You know that I loved your father very much. I'm trying to make a better place for us."
"By selling me off to the highest bidder?" Hawke demanded angrily.
"I'm not selling you off. It's simply for you to meet them. I wouldn't force a man on you that you hadn't met first." Leandra insisted. Fenris stiffened at this. He knew Hawke had mentioned that her mother had suggested finding her a husband, but he had no idea it was serious.
"You aren't going to force a man on me at all. This is my house, Mother. The money that supports us, I've earned. I will find my own man if and when I want one."
"Ashlyn…" Leandra started, but trailed off in shock as Fenris opened Hawke's bedroom door.
"Sorry to interrupt, Mistress Amell. Are you coming back to bed?" Fenris asked turning to Hawke.
Hawke was trying to decided if she was angry with Fenris or thought this hilarious. It was going to send her mother through the roof. Fenris leaned all sorts of casual like in her doorway, only in his skin hugging leggings. Yes, she loved him right then as her mother stammered and stuttered. Her cheeks flushing as she eyed the handsome elf.
Leandra had always thought her daughter and the elf had something special. Ashlyn had insisted they didn't. That he was just her best friend. Hawke had been horrified one day when her mother had suggested she might want the house to herself at night so she could play with the handsome elf. She had then said she would love to have green eyed grandbabies. Leandra turned to eye Hawke who was smiling at Fenris with an arched brow.
"I didn't realize you had company. I'll leave you alone for now. But darling, I already said you were coming. You won't have to stay long, but please, for me, make an appearance." Leandra begged.
Hawke hung her shoulders in defeat. "Fine." She said drawing it out into a sigh. "But just for a bit and I'm not wearing a damn dress."
"Ashlyn…" Leandra started, but Hawke moved into her room, drug Fenris into it, and slammed the door shut behind them. She turned to Fenris who was looking down at the ground.
"I…uh, shouldn't have done that, but I thought you might need a hand." He looked up to find Hawke smiling at him.
"I could kiss you right now, you beautiful man." Hawke said happily. She made her way over to the armoire and pulled out her armor.
"Okay…" Fenris said slowly thankful but confused as to why she was happy about his interruption that hadn't seemed to work. He watched her as she stripped off the tunic and pulled on the armor. Damn her, but he was only a man and there was just so much he could take. He leaned against the bedpost and enjoyed the view as she dressed.
"She caved a lot faster than I would have thought possible."
"But you still have to go." He said.
"Yes, but just an appearance. And she thinks I'm messing around with you. I won't have to deal with anymore surprise suitors for a bit now." She moved over and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You're the best." She said and then stopped. "Oh, no! I promised to do what you wanted today!"
"You don't have to do something with me." He said though he was slightly disappointed.
"But I want to." She chewed her lip. "How about tomorrow? I'll spread the word that I'm yours for the day. And then we'll get out of the city for a bit. Sound good?"
More than, he thought, but nodded to her. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yep. We're going to get dressed and go eat something. Orana's been cooking up a storm. Poor girl has a bit of a crush on you. Although I can't blame her, you did rescue her." Hawke said as she tossed Fenris his leather tunic. "Get dressed, man. Cinnamon rolls." She said wiggling her eyebrows at him. He sighed and hurried to pull on his armor. So much for his day with Hawke.
-0-
"Well?" Isabela asked entering Fenris' house.
"Don't you ever knock?" He scowled at her.
"Where would be the fun of that?" She asked with a laugh and plopped down in the chair, kicking her legs up onto the table. She was still disappointed when he didn't even glance at them a little. He'd become so wrapped up in Hawke that he couldn't see anything else.
"Thanks for just leaving Hawke to all those men." He said scowling at her before resuming polishing his new blade.
"As if she needed me. Hawke doesn't need anyone, but even less when her big strong protector is watching over her. Bartender asked us to come back again tonight and he'd be able to redo the whole place with the coin Hawke keeps paying him for you breaking things up."
"They asked for it." He shrugged.
"They always do." She said with a laugh. "So, rumor has it that you didn't come home last night." She said as she plucked a grape out of the bowl on the table and popped it into her mouth.
"What of it?"
"Well, she did pick out that corset because it matched your eyes." Isabela said and leaned forward.
She knew that Fenris liked Hawke and that Hawke thought Fenris was gay. She had been the one who had inadvertently put the idea into Hawke's mind. When she'd realized it, she'd thought it was too funny to correct and instead loved to toy with them. She wanted to see which would break first. She was leaning more towards Fenris eventually just taking Hawke. Anders, the only other one who knew, thought Hawke would do something to give away that she thought he was gay first.
Anders had continued to push the thought that he was gay with Hawke simply so Fenris wouldn't be competition while he won her over. They also had a bet going between them. If he won, she would help him win Hawke over. If she won, he would perform that lightning trick he did on her again.
Fenris paused in his polishing. "She did?" He asked. Could she really be toying with him like that, he wondered. Maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move.
"She's decided it's her new favorite color." Isabela grinned as he put down the sword and poured her a glass of wine. "So?"
"So what? Nothing happened. Hawke was drunk and I was injured. She tended me and then we went to sleep." He shrugged.
"Fenris, Fenris, Fenris." Isabela said shaking her head. "You are really going to have to up your flirting if you want to win her. She doesn't know that you like her."
"How is this your concern again?" He asked frowning at her.
"Oh, please! We're all having to watch you dance around each other. Just screw and get it over with already. Spare us the drama." She stood up and tossed him a book. Fenris had learned to read under Hawke's careful tutelage. It was his new secret passion. "Maybe that will help you get some ideas."
He tossed the book aside, refusing to let her think that he cared to read it. She saw through him though. "I do not need ideas."
"Right. Because what you're doing is working just fine." She smirked at him and then left. Fenris waited until he was sure she was gone before snatching up the book and hurrying to his room. He climbed into his bed and began reading it.
-0-
Hawke managed to slip her mother and the more eager of the suitors in question and raced to Fenris' house. It was closer than hers and her mother would never come for her there. Now fearing that she'd find them up to something. Hawke moved through the house, calling his name, but he never answered her.
She finally found him curled in his bed, intently reading a book. She grinned about the fact she'd finally been able to sneak up on him and the look on his face as he read. She snuck to the bed and leapt on it, snatching the book as she did.
Fenris snatched the book back from her and shoved her to the bed. She froze as she saw that he was glowing. Fenris paused just short of hurting her.
"Hawke? What are you doing here?"
She gave him a small smile. "Right now? Hoping you don't kill me."
He leaned back releasing his powers and her. "I didn't realize it was you."
She sat up slowly and nodded. "I know. I never manage to sneak up on you." She said and shifted so she could sit next to him against the pillows. "So what are you reading that has you so enthralled?"
He clutched the book to his chest. "Nothing." He answered quickly. She gave him an impish smile and lunged for the book. He held it up out of her reach and shoved her back.
"Oh, it's something if it has you this riled." She laughed and tried again. Finally she managed to snatch it from him and darted off the bed. He sprang after her and shoved her back onto the bed. She laughed and twisted trying to get away from him, but he pinned her. He leaned closer to her, wondering what she would do if he just kissed her. He released her hand and pushed her hair back from her face. He'd fantasized about this often. Her in his bed, her cheeks flushed, her eyes smiling up at him, her long hair spilled across his bed. He shifted slightly as she lightly wrapped her arm around his neck. He was moving closer to kiss her when he realized she was looking over his shoulder. He turned his head and saw her looking at the book. She arched a brow at him as she read the title.
"Well, well, well. Seems my books were too tame for you." She teased as he actually blushed a bit and pulled away from her quickly.
"Isabela left it here. I was bored and…" He said trying to explain it away.
"It's my favorite of hers as well." She reassured him and handed the book back to him. "Read it to me?" She asked.
"NO!" He said horrified.
"Please?" She begged.
"No. Absolutely not."
"But I like to hear your voice and it's a really good story. You can skip the naughty parts. That's what I do."
"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" He asked wishing he'd been paying more attention to his surroundings rather than being so engrossed in the story.
She looked upset and turned to him with the big sad eyes he was a sucker for. "You want me to go?"
He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "No."
She curled into his side and snatched the book back from him. "Then read to me."
"No. If you're going to be a pain, go back to your man hunting event."
"Now that's just cruel." She said tossing the book back to him and climbed off the bed.
He caught her wrist stopping her from leaving. "Sorry." He said quickly. She shrugged and wouldn't look at him. "Fine. I'll read one chapter. But absolutely no naughty parts."
She beamed at him and climbed back into his bed and laid her head in his lap as he began reading. He lightly ran his hand through her hair as he did. Before too long she was drifting off to sleep. Fenris put the book down, knowing to keep reading would cause a reaction in his pants. As it was he was having a hard enough time keeping himself at bay. Did this woman plan on frustrating him to death, he wondered.
