The trip to Hightown didn't go as smooth as Hawke had originally anticipated. It turned out Nero had been sitting down for quite some time and when he stood up he quickly found out that he was still pretty drunk. Nero apologized repeatedly as he leaned on Hawke, only stopping when he started to get a headache - to which Hawke was thankful.
When they made it to the front door of the mansion Hawke thanked Andraste and the Maker repeatedly for keeping the streets empty before dragging Nero through the door and to his room. Hawke toed the door open and then paused as he took in the wreckage.
"I forgot." he heard Nero mumble before he separated himself from Hawke and leaned against the wall.
"Um..."Hawke rubbed the back of his neck, looking around, "I'm going to go get Fenris, stay here, okay?"
When Nero didn't respond he shrugged his shoulders and headed down the hall to the entryway, where he met a bedraggled Fenris coming out of his room.
"I take it you found him?" Fenris asked with a yawn as he climbed down the stairs.
Hawke nodded and explained what Nero had told him at the Hanged Man, "apparently he was quite drunk too, although he seems to be over the worst of it now. I still haven't been able to decide who was more intoxicated, him or Isabella. Probably him, he did let her cut his hair." he chuckled.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Fenris' mouth but he didn't say anything. The smile disappeared as the silence stretched, becoming more uncomfortable by the second. Fenris forced himself to ask if Nero had mentioned what happened to his room.
Hawke frowned, "no, I didn't even know about it till just now. It almost looks like an angry tiger got loose in there."
Silence descended upon them again and Fenris shifted uneasily under the other man's gaze. Hawke smiled as he stepped forward, "sorry to have woken you when I brought him in, you must have been sleeping for some time. You're adorable when your hair is a mess and you have indents from your pillows on your face." he said huskily as he gently trailed a finger down one of the indents on the elf's cheek.
Fenris started at the touch, but did not push it away, instead bringing his eyes to meet the other man's gaze. He only held it for a moment before looking away and stammering "I-I thank you, Hawke."
Hawke sighed in faint frustration before stepping past the elf and asking "will you be able to handle him on your own? I should probably head back home before Bethany or Mother have a hernia over how late I am." he smiled crookedly as the elf nodded and headed out the door.
Fenris suppressed a shiver, as usual he was both unnerved and intrigued by his interactions with the man. And confused, terribly confused. He was not the same man he was when he was a slave, and he did not react to things now the way he would have years ago. When Hawke complimented him, touched him he did not know what he was feeling, and he could not tell if he enjoyed it. He only knew he was not disgusted or insulted by it. And despite his confusion he couldn't stop himself from being thrilled. He was feeling something, a new emotion that he could not remember feeling before; this was why he could not stop himself from exploring it, even if he wasn't sure how.
He shook his head to disperse the thoughts. His feet softly padding against the stone tile as he made his way to Nero's room. When he got there he found Nero sitting on the floor with his legs splayed out in front of him, his head bowed and his hands in his lap, palm up, as though to prove he had nothing. The only light in the room came from the embers dieing slowly in the fireplace.
Fenris sighed as he realized that he couldn't leave Nero to sleep off the liqueur here, and that it would take him most of the rest of the night to make a fire in any of the other rooms. Flint and Fenris did not get along well, he would never admit it to the others but there was a reason he left some sort of flame in his own fireplace at all times.
Thinking Nero was dozing, if not entirely asleep, Fenris reached towards him with the intention of nudging him awake, "Nero-"
"Fenris," Nero's eyes met Fenris' as he raised his head, causing Fenris to freeze in shock at the agonizing sadness that he saw there. "How do I stop the past from defining me, and make it nothing more than something that I have lived through?"
Slowly Fenris retracted his hand and stood straight, his brow furrowed as he tried desperately to think of an answer. He grew irritated with himself when he found he had nothing to offer the seemingly hopeless man before him. "I do not know." He said as he turned his gaze to the floor between them.
A few moments passed before Nero nodded and forced himself to stand. He rubbed his face hard with the palms of his hand and forced a small smile to his face before turning to the elf.
"That's okay, I will figure it out."
Fenris cocked his head as though he didn't quite understand, choosing not to respond he delved back into the reason he was there in the first place. "You need to sleep, but you cannot do it here. Speaking of - what did you do in here?"
Nero smirked as he looked at the mess before him, "ah, well the chair was angry at the bed, you see. Something about the table that I couldn't quite understand. When I tried to stop the fight things got a little hectic."
Before he could stop himself Fenris snorted and smiled. Shaking his head he turned back to the hall and headed to his room, motioning for Nero to follow him. Nero followed, barely stumbling now, privately pleased that he got a sort-of-laugh out of the broody bastard. This feeling was soon replaced by apprehension and confusion as he realized where Fenris was leading him. Unsure what to say, he decided to stand silently in the center of the room while Fenris shut the door.
"You can sleep in my bed," Fenris explained, "I will sleep in a chair."
Nero shook his head, "I appreciate the offer, but I will not take your bed from you."
Fenris scowled, "what do you propose then" he asked as he crossed his arms across his chest.
After glancing around Nero replied "I am more than okay with sleeping on the floor."
Fenris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "that is unacceptable. Take the bed, chances are I wont even sleep again tonight."
"Why are you even going this far for me? I expected you to be more furious than ...accommodating."
Fenris blankly looked at Nero. Strange, he thought, he is right, I should be angry, were this to happen with anyone else, I'm sure I would be. Instead I only feel...understanding. How unnerving.
"I do not know." He replied as Nero yawned, his jaw cracking. "Go to bed, Nero."
Nero scowled at the elf, "only if you give me your word that you'll use the bed if you want to go back to sleep. Wake me up or push me out of it if you want to, I don't care. But I won't be responsible for you not partaking in a comfort that I'm sure you never had in the Imperium, even for one night."
At first Fenris was too stunned to reply. He did not expect that the other man would have such consideration towards his comfort. But he knew he should not be surprised, Nero would be more aware of what he was used to than his other companions. But still he found himself appreciating the gesture and agreeing to give his word despite knowing that he would not be going back bed.
And so Nero took his shirt off as he made his way into the shadowed corner where the bed was. Silently he slipped between the sheets and quietly moaned at both the comfort of the mattress and the slight warmth left from when Fenris had been sleeping. Despite this, or because of it, he wasn't sure, he had a difficult time falling asleep and was rewarded when he heard Fenris mutter from near the fire. When he finally fell asleep it was with a small smile on his face.
"I do like the new haircut."