After downing a pitcher's worth of water and using another healing spell on himself, Anders had managed to get rid of the headache. Although it was always twilight in Darktown, he could usually judge what time it was by his own internal clock and the sounds. The stillness told him it was probably still the wee hours of the morning, so it was unlikely any patients would show up soon. He was debating whether to take a bath or a nap first when Varric wandered into the clinic, looking a little worse for wear himself.

Before Anders could ask what he was doing in the clinic so early two more dwarves entered the clinic, carrying a long box held on poles between them. Varric waved them toward the pile of broken crates, saying,

"He said they were wrapped in fabric under a pile of broken crates, so I'm guessing that's the one."

Anders watched in bemusement as the dwarves dug through the crates to pull out a large, bundle of fabric and…metal, judging by the noise. He turned to the dwarf in puzzlement.

"What in Maker's name is going on? You haven't been hiding contraband in my clinic, have you?"

Varric gave him a superior look,

"Now why would you think I would ever have anything to do with contraband? And if I did have something to do with it, don't you think I would have a thousand hidey-holes that are better than your highly-visited clinic?"

"Then what are you doing? And at such a Maker-forsaken hour? Really Varric, I've never seen you up and around this early."

The rogue's voice took on an exasperated tone.

"Well, blondie, I wouldn't be up this early except for the fact that your boyfriend dragged me out of bed, insisting that I had to help him clean up the mess he made last night on your behalf."

Nothing that the dwarf was saying made any sense, and Anders could feel his recently banished headache struggling to come back.

"Varric, what mess are you talking about? And I don't have a boyfriend."

The dwarf barked a short laugh and raised one brow at the healer,

"Well, I wouldn't want to be around a certain broody elf when you tell him that. No, scratch that, I want to be around but I want to be behind a brick wall with a peephole in it."

"Broody elf…Fenris? My boyfriend…that's crazy."

He knew he cheeks were burning but he tried to ignore it…everyone had obviously gone mad. Fenris might have been giving him some hot-eyed looks earlier, but that was it. Why the dwarf would think otherwise was beyond him.

"What mess?"

Varric shook his head, muttering something about "both so damn stubborn" under his breath before he replied.

"Well, it seems that last night while doing the gentlemanly thing and escorting your drunk ass home, Fenris had to kill three templars who were waiting here to catch you. So this morning he came to ask me for help disposing of the evidence, as it were, so that it doesn't just lead more templars to your door. I thought it was kinda…sweet. In a twisted sort of way, of course."

Anders took a moment to let that sink in. Fenris…killing templars…for him? Well, he told himself, it didn't really mean the elf had done it for him. After all, they would have attacked Fenris just for being with an apostate. Unless he had handed him over to them, which obviously he hadn't…so then, he really had killed templars for him.

That was…astonishing. But it explained a lot about the white-haired elf's overly-protective attitude this morning. He quickly squashed the warm feelings bubbling up in his chest. It didn't mean anything, necessarily. He wasn't going to get all moony-eyed just at the idea of a ferocious, glowing Fenris singlehandedly facing down three templars. Varric was waiting for his reply with a smirk of amusement on his face. When he spoke he thought his own voice sounded weak and unconvincing.

"I'm grateful that he did, of course, but it was just…circumstances. It doesn't mean he's my…well, anything."

The smirk on the dwarf's face turned into an open grin.

"Circumstances, huh? He was also very insistent that I help you find a new spot for the clinic. The templars are bound to wonder what happened to those recruits, and even if we get rid of the evidence it doesn't mean a whole company of them won't be showing up down here eventually. Sounds like our broody friend is interested in your long-term well-being to me."

Varric gave Anders a pat on the arm.

"I've got a few ideas on where we could move the clinic to; we'll talk later once you get your personal life sorted out."

Chuckling to himself, the dwarf took his leave. Anders ran a hand along his stubbled jaw and tried to regroup. For some reason, the idea of a Fenris who wanted to take care of him was slightly more nerve-wracking than a Fenris who just wanted to have sex with him. He knew how he felt about the sex thing, assuming iyes, please/i counted as a feeling. He had no idea how to feel about this other, alarming new thing.

The dwarf must be mad. That was really the simplest explanation, and until he heard otherwise from Fenris himself, he was just going to go on that assumption. That having been decided, he set about warming some water for the hip-bath.

He'd had just enough time to bathe before his patients started trickling in for the day. Nothing major, just the average scrapes and sicknesses that were always to be found in Darktown. Which was a good thing, because he was too distracted to concentrate on anything challenging today.

Sometime in the early afternoon he was surprised to see Hawke walk through his door for the first time since their ill-fated night together. His first thought upon seeing him was disappointment that it wasn't Fenris. What a strange turn the world had taken, when he would much rather see the broody elf than the warrior he had yearned after for so long.

Hawke was wearing his most deliberately charming, I-am-after-something look, and he walked up to Anders and stopped right in front of him, just a tiny bit too close. The healer felt a wave of weariness, and suddenly wished he had opted for the nap instead of the bath.

"Anders! Let's go chat in your office."

Without waiting for a reply he went back to the tiny room that contained Anders cot and the small table he used as a desk. The healer followed him, but stopped in the doorway since he had no desire to be trapped in such a small space with Hawke. He really wanted this conversation to end as quickly as possible, but he couldn't help but say sarcastically,

"It's been so long since you've been down here, I thought you'd forgotten where the clinic was."

He regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth, because from the self-satisfied expression on Hawke's face he knew it was interpreted the wrong way. Sure enough, the big warrior plopped down to sit on his cot while saying smugly,

"Oh, I knew you missed me. In fact, it occurred to me last night that now that we're past our misunderstanding there really isn't any reason we can't still have fun together."

Anders stared at the warrior's handsome profile for a long moment, trying to remember what it had felt like to look at him and think he was in love. To think there was something deep and profound moving beneath the charming mask he always wore. But now he knew better. Hawke was for Hawke; he was the center of his own attention and expected it to be that way for everyone else. Even though he knew it was pointless, he couldn't help but say a little angrily,

"Past our misunderstanding? I said that I loved you and you threw it back in my face. That's not so much a misunderstanding as it was bad judgment on my part."

Looking no less smug, Hawke patted the cot as if he expected Anders to sit next to him.

"It was a misunderstanding. You said you loved me, which is great for you, but I'm not ready to commit to anyone. I'm expected to court a noble woman and carry on the name; I can't do that if I've got some apostate hanging all over me. How would it look? Besides, you used to have all sorts of affairs, right? You understand how it is. So there's really no reason we can't enjoy each other's company from time to time."

Anders didn't bother to point out that the reason for all the affairs was that mages weren't allowed to fall in love. Really, he was almost impressed by the absolute gall of this man, and he pointedly didn't move from his spot in the doorway.

"So you don't think there's anything wrong with me being in love with you and you just using me for sex?"

Hawke looked genuinely puzzled by that.

"Why would it be wrong? If I tell you I'm not in love and you adjust your expectations, then where is the harm?"

Reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose, Anders took a deep breath and gave up. Hawke was incapable of putting himself in another's shoes, or of considering someone else feelings.

"Look Hawke, if I were still in love with you, which I am not, then it would be cruel to string me along as if there were hope that your feelings would change. Since I don't think I am in love with you any longer and I don't want to sleep with you any more, there really isn't anything left to say."

Hawke got to his feet as he said the last words, looking at first confused and then smug again.

"You're still smarting because I said you weren't that good aren't you? You know, I only said that because, what with Isabella talking about your electricity trick, I expected more excitement and less…cuddling."

At that moment, Anders couldn't believe he had ever found Hawke charming. Abruptly he was glad that Hawke had visited, because he knew for certain that he was as far over him as he could be. Still, in spite of his irritation, Anders would forever swear that his next words, and how Hawke interpreted them, were entirely accidental.

"Look, it is probably better if you just go. I have been trying to get a nap in since Fenris left this morning and it's been a long day."

Intentional or not, the look of outrage that flashed over the warrior's face was…delicious. He knew at once what Hawke thought he was implying, and while he wouldn't tell a deliberate lie, he wasn't going to correct that misassumption either.

"Fenris! Fenris…spent the night with you? I thought you hated him because he wanted all mages to be made Tranquil?"

"Oh, you see that was a misunderstanding. Once we'd gotten that worked out it turned out we had more in common than we thought."

Ok, none of that was technically a lie either. He really shouldn't be enjoying this so much.

"Oh I see. Now you've seen Fenris' greatsword and suddenly I'm just a…a not-so-great-sword?"

Anders almost laughed at the indignation in the warrior's voice.

"Hawke, you should just avoid innuendo. You're just not that good at it."

He barely had time to step back when Hawke stomped past him with a glare. The warrior didn't even look back at him as he stormed out of the clinic. Once he was gone Anders finally let loose with the laughter he had been holding back. That was really rotten of him, but Maker that felt good.