Usual Disclaimer: Dragon Age: Origins does not belong to me.

Slash Alert: This story contains a M/M pairing, so if it's not your kind of thing, look away now.

Pairing: M!Amell / Alistair, past one-sided M!Amell / Jowan

Summary: As Alistair comforts his friend, some things come to light, and the nature of their friendship changes.

Notes: And here's the second part.

Unexpected Comfort

PART II

The third night, the party reached a small town, and they opted to stay at the inn instead of camping out. It was a chance for slightly better sleeping conditions as well as proper bathing facilities, and all of them did not want to miss the opportunity.

Darius found himself sharing a room with Alistair.

Only the Maker could have planned it this well. The mage thought to himself wryly, having finally decided to talk to Alistair that night about some of the things that had been bothering him.

Having already eaten, bathed and changed, all Darius could do was to wait for the other Warden to return from the bathhouse, which he did, several minutes later, and the younger Warden could barely stop himself from staring.

Alistair had come in without wearing a shirt, and his chest muscles gleamed with the remaining drops of bathwater in the lamplight.

That's not going to help very much. Darius swallowed as he tried to keep his mind clear of all the improper thoughts that seemed to pop into his head every time he saw his friend shirtless.

Alistair ruffled through his belongings for a moment before sitting down on the edge of his bed facing his friend.

"So," The man started, "Are you ready to tell me about what's been bothering you for the past week or so?"

Darius was a little surprised at how perceptive his friend was. It must have showed in his expression, as the blond Warden grinned a little.

"I know I may not be the brightest person around" He said, "But that doesn't mean that I can't read people in other ways."

"You surprise us all sometimes, Alistair," Darius responded, "But don't think too lowly of your own intelligence either."

"Well, as long as you don't listen to the things Morrigan says about me," Alistair shrugged.

"But we're not here to discuss about me." The warrior continued after a moment. "We're here to talk about you. What has been making you upset?"

"There are a few things." Darius sighed. "Jowan, for one."

"The blood mage?" Alistair cocked an eyebrow, "What about him?"

"There's more to Jowan than the blood magic, Alistair," Darius sighed again. "I don't know if I did the right thing when I sent him back to the Circle. I don't know what they'd do to him. I just hope that he's alright."

"Aren't you being overly concerned?"

"I guess you won't understand it unless I told you everything," The young mage said, shifting a little and looking directly at his companion.

And so Darius told him the story; of how he had first come to the Circle of Magi, and how when most of the other apprentices kept away from him or bullied him, how Jowan, being a few years older, had befriended and taken care of him. He told him of how their friendship had grown, of how they had always helped each other out as they grew up. Then he told Alistair of the unrequited love that had sprung up within him, about how he felt when he had found out about Lily, and about Jowan's escape from the tower.

"You know pretty much about the rest," Darius concluded, "Though I certainly didn't expect him to turn up in Redcliffe, working for Loghain."

Alistair was silent for a long moment as the man digested the information that he had just been told.

"So," The blond ex-templar spoke then, "You like men?"

Darius looked down, afraid of what he would see in his friend's face, "Yes, I do."

"Oh."

When Alistair did not continue, the younger Warden could not help but look up once more in curiosity. The other man had an unreadable expression, though he did not look angry or disappointed. Instead, he was blushing a little, and looking more than a little nervous.

Darius was not sure of what to make of his companion's reaction.

"Alistair?" He asked quietly, "You don't approve, do you?"

"No, of course not!" Alistair replied at once, though his blushed deepened, "I mean Yes. No? I- I mean, I- I don't thinking there's anything wrong with l-liking m-men."

While this should have reassured the young mage, Darius saw it as his friend just trying to be nice, seeing how uncomfortable the other man seemed to be. He sighed, looking away.

"You don't have to be nice to me if my preferences make you uncomfortable, Alistair", Darius said plaintively, feeling even more depressed suddenly. "Maybe I should just go and get another room."

"What? No!" Alistair stood up immediately as he saw his friend starting to stand up. The ex-templar crossed to the other bed and sat down next to Darius, putting an arm around the younger man's shoulders to prevent him from leaving.

"I'm – It's, Oh Maker," Alistair sighed, "It's not your preferences that's making me uncomfortable or nervous, Darius,"

"I- I-," The blond Warden gulped, swallowing nervously, "I l-like men too."

"What?" Darius turned to face his companion in complete surprise. This was definitely not what he had expected at all. Alistair likes men?

"Y-yeah." Alistair was blushing furiously now. "A-And I think I'm in l-love with y-you."

Darius thought that he was already sufficiently surprised for that day, but Alistair's stammered statement threw his previous admission into insignificance. It was as if his wildest dreams had come true. Or perhaps it had. Oh Maker, Alistair likes me!

The younger Warden could not keep the sudden surge of joy from welling up within him, and impulsively, he leaned over to Alistair, hands going around the other man's head to pull him close, and kissed him.

Alistair's eyes widened in surprise at that unexpected move, and he sat there, stunned for a moment before finally responding in kind to the kiss.

"Well," Alistair panted, still blushing, after they had parted. "I did not expect that. Especially since I came in expecting to comfort you of your sadness."

"You comforted me all right," Darius laughed, embracing his friend in a hug. "I didn't expect this either. I was afraid that you'd hate me, with your Chantry upbringing and all."

"How could I hate you when I'm in love with you?" the blond Warden asked, his arms going around his friend as well, pulling the two of them closer.

"Fortunate then, that I'm in love with you too, Alistair", the mage replied, causing the other man to flush even further.

"I never thought that I'd be able to hear that from you, Darius," Alistair told him, his voice quiet.

"Me neither, Alistair" Darius looked right into his friend's amber eyes. "The thought of having fallen in love with another straight man was one of the things that were making me depressed. Having you tell me that you liked men, and that you loved me makes me happier than I could ever describe."

Alistair smiled at that, tightening his embrace slightly.

"You're such an excellent comforter," Darius added, smiling.

"Well, that's what I'm here for," Alistair chuckled, "In addition to delivering unpleasant news and witty one-liners, of course."

The younger Warden laughed, and kissed the other man once more, relishing in the warm feeling of a newly formed relationship.

END

Notes: Please review, everyone! Thanks :)