The developing couple cooled on the bedroll as the sun dipped in and out of wispy clouds, the light shifting pink and gray before shining yellow again. Anders looked up toward the clouds, content to let his mind float along with them. Fenris raised himself onto one elbow to look Anders over with an appraising eye. It was as if he saw for the first time, his eyes darting over Anders' face and body, always returning to gaze deeply into glazed amber eyes, seeking verification to an unspoken question.
Finally, Fenris nodded to himself. He pulled himself up to a seated position and wrapped a hand around Anders' arm. "Get up." It was less a stern command than a no nonsense expectation.
"Mrmmmmrahrlghrg," Anders protested. The pale arm responded limply to Fenris' pull.
Fenris tried a more soothing tactic, appealing to the blonde's hedonism. "Anders, it's time for a bath."
Anders waved a hand dismissively. "Too tired." The hand flopped down to rest on his pale stomach.
"Come on," Fenris said more sternly. Then he nudged with his foot. "I want to show you something."
"Nah," Anders sighed with affection, not bothering to shift his eyes. "I'm pretty sure I've seen it all now."
Fenris smirked. "You have not," he said with equal affection. "Come." The elf stood up. He walked to the horses just long enough to remove their soap and the towel from Anders' pack. After a moment lying there alone, Anders looked over and sulked. He reluctantly stood and let himself be led forward.
"Fine," he acceded. "But only because you're smiling." The blonde looked terribly pleased with himself.
"Am I?" Fenris raised his free hand to his face to be sure. He had not been conscious of his expression.
"Mmm," Anders confirmed contentedly. "It's a good look on you. You should do it more often."
Fenris harrumphed, not wanting Anders to take too much pleasure in an inadvertent slip. Still, he could feel the smile sliding back into place the moment Anders spied the lake they were approaching. The mage's feet tried to skid them to a halt, but Fenris pulled him forward by the arm. As Anders had feared, Fenris pulled Anders in front of him as they reached the water, forcing him to gaze at his own reflection.
"There," he said. "The last time we met the water's edge, I introduced you to a foolish object worthy only of ridicule. I held an intervention. Showed you something worth saving. You rejoined the living, but still you were like a starved beast. Now look. A few weeks with me, and you are almost human again."
"Almost human?" Anders chided. "Fenris, I look like a hot mess." He lifted a hand to his hair, tousled into a bird's nest full of twigs and pine needles, hopelessly tangled. Half his face was smeared with dirt.
"Yes, well. Perhaps that is my doing," Fenris admitted. "So I am rather proud of my hot mess. Come."
Fenris walked back to the water's edge and held out his hand. Anders noted as their reflections stood side-by-side that he felt overshadowed by Fenris, even though he stood the taller of the two. The elf seemed an otherworldly creature, perfect movement performed by a perfect body, swirling metal brands reflecting the water's sheen. Taking the offered hand, Anders spoke against his better judgment.
"Fenris, I appreciate this. I do." Anders looked forlorn, feet holding him back from the water's edge. It was as if he declined to merge with his own reflection. "But you must know that I don't deserve you."
Fenris smirked. "Does anyone?" Anders looked over and laughed, impressed. Even a week ago, Fenris would not have been capable of such a statement, even in jest. Anders was getting through to him.
Fenris looked wistful, as he always did when about to voice some profound sentiment or another. "Sometimes trust must be given before it can be earned." He gave Anders' hand a squeeze before pulling him forward again. This time Anders followed. Fenris led him into the lake, figures and reflections merging, wiry legs making silent ripples in the cool lake water as Anders' clumsy splashes tread behind.
"That said," Fenris added in a darker tone, "there will be a price to pay if you betray my trust." The sarcasm dripping from his voice promised that the penalty would be delicious for at least one of them.
Anders shivered, imagining both potential punishments and rewards. As they stood thigh deep in the lake, Fenris turned and whispered into Anders ear. "If you wish me to give back to you in equal measure, you must be more than very good. More than human. More than perfectly obedient." Anders shuddered again. Fenris smirked, whispering. "To meet my standards, nothing less than a minor saint will do."
Fenris turned as though the matter were settled. Anders' brow furrowed. "I… I don't know if that's a fair expectation." Anders reluctantly let go of the hand that led him. Unfazed, Fenris waded forward until he was chest deep in the water. Expression unreadable, he turned to face Anders and methodically washed himself with the soap, motions economical and brief. Anders watched him with a nervous expression. The blonde finally waded in until his waist was covered, stopping a few yards away, watching warily.
Fenris smiled openly. "Perhaps not fair. But you like a challenge. I would expect nothing less from the crazed apostate who overturned my naïve view of the world." Fenris dipped his hair below the waterline and scrubbed it with soap. He thought to himself while rinsing. "You are the one good and powerful mage who proves the exception to every rule I learned to keep myself safe." Fenris raised his head from the water and shook his hair out into wayward spikes. "It would be easier if I hated you. But I cannot. So instead, I will help you in whatever way I can. With luck, you will lead the way for others of your kind."
"It's funny," Anders quipped. "Because you're the only one with any sense of direction. I can't tell north from left. And when I'm not just following your lead, it's all I can do to just react to my surroundings." Anders lifted one foot up to examine the rounded stone held between his toes. "Is the bottom of the lake supposed to be this rocky?" Fenris laughed, giving up on seriousness. Anders continued. "Oh, well. When you're in the middle of nowhere, who cares how things are supposed to be?" The blonde grinned.
Fenris waded back over and bent to pull Anders' legs out from under him. After Anders half-heartedly attempted to splash the elf away, Fenris ending with him cradled in his arms. Fenris waded back out until he stood shoulder high in the water. Anders' hair floated in gentle eddies on the surface. Fenris turned the blonde around in a lazy circle, the mage falling into a state of bliss. Anders sighed, smiling.
Anders lifted his eyes to gaze back up at the clouds, the streaks now painted pink and purple from the setting sun. Fenris did not ask what Anders was thinking, suspecting there was no answer. He simply washed him, taking his time. His palms and fingers followed every curve and hollow of the blonde's body, memorizing scars along the way. Anders began humming with each outward going breath like a contented cat. After taking care with his face, Fenris turned to Anders' hair. He nimbly pulled out the twigs and leaves and needles and burrs before applying soap and scrubbing slowly with his nails along Anders' scalp. The pleased hums threatened to turn into moans. Fenris shook his head, rolling his eyes.
Anders mused. "You sure you don't want to take advantage of me in this vulnerable state?"
"You're exhausting," Fenris admitted ruefully. "Another day. Though I have never seen you so relaxed." Fenris began walking back towards shore, content to keep Anders in his arms up to the edge of the lake.
"I don't think I've ever been so relaxed," Anders agreed. "I've spent my whole life running. Running from Templars. From responsibility. Or towards freedom. Or adventure. A better world. For the first time, at this moment, I'm exactly where I want to be. The word is imperfect, but I don't care. My only worry right now is whether you plan to take full advantage of me tomorrow morning. Fully rested, of course."
"Tomorrow," Fenris bargained, "you may wake me however you like." Fenris finally released Anders' legs, letting them drift back down. Anders reluctantly stood, his wet hair cascading water as it rose.
Anders gave an intrigued hum. "And what if I decide to wake you with cold water on your face?"
"Then I will punish you," Fenris laughed. "And it will still be a good morning for one of us."
Anders pouted, but mostly he was put out at having to walk on his own two feet to exit the lake. The two painted a lovely pair of figures, wet bodies dripping as they lent their shadows over the setting sun's reflection on the water. They held hands until they returned to the bedroll, Anders forming the inner spook as Fenris pulled the covers around them. They snuggled together, not even bothering to dry off.
The pine trees creaked and swayed in the wind that night. Each of them woke to the sounds well after dark. Each was content to watch the other sleeping until they drifted back to dreams of tomorrow.