Author's Note:

Smut, ahoy!

The halls of the Keep were silent, as much of the staff had gone away with the Viscount on his trip to Tantervale, one of the Free Marches' more populous city-states. Saemus had refused the invitation to join him, on the grounds that he wished to continue his studies. The truth of course was that he didn't want to be involved in the meeting that would take place. His father was seeking allies in the event of a Qunari invasion, and since he couldn't guarantee his ability to stay silent in such matters, he had elected to stay behind.

Saemus lay awake, turning in his sheets with much on his mind. He envied the certainty the Qunari had, their honor, and their way of judging people based on their merits, rather than who a person's father was. He loved their culture, and their religion. He wanted to convert to the Qun.

In a rage he threw back the sheets, and headed for the door. It opened before he reached it.

He froze, and a shadowy figure entered.

"Who's there." He called out, his voice stern.

"A concerned friend." A sister of the Chantry stepped into the pale light that filtered through the window.

"A priestess?" He raised a brow, "You can't just come in here." Remembering his scant attire he added, "This is severely inappropriate."

Going to the wardrobe he withdrew a robe and pulled it on hastily.

"Why have you come here?" He asked her, holding a match to the oil lamp on his desk.

Light flooded the room, finally allowing him a good look at her. She looked prude, the face of a fox with short blonde hair, and dressed in the robes of the Chantry. Something in his gut told him she wasn't to be trusted.

"My name is Sister Petrice," She introduced herself, "And a rather unfortunate piece of gossip has been floating about as of late."

He may as well have turned to stone, because the cold that consumed him was unlike anything he'd ever felt.

"You need to leave." He warned her.

"Do you even regret the sins you've committed?" Petrice said, reversing his order to the point that she actually stepped closer.

"I have done nothing!" Saemus snapped, his voice raising.

"You have defiled the Maker! And now you are lost to him!" The sister argued, her voice heightening as well.

"If I am lost to the Maker for refusing to hate someone, for finding beauty in the 'other', then perhaps the Maker is the one who is not worthy of me." With his words, a look of shock crossed the sister's face, "There are other ways to see the world. The Qunari have shown me that." Then added, "Now get out of my house before I call the guard."

The woman stormed off more violently than a bull with a hornet's nest up its arse. Shaking his head, he muttered to himself, "Good riddance."

He exhaled heavily, knowing that his involvement with the Qunari was no longer a secret. He was certain that Hawke hadn't told anyone. Perhaps his elven lover had said something? He'd never heard the elf speak to anyone, so that was unlikely as well. Which meant someone had overheard them at the Hanged Man, or perhaps someone at the compound? It didn't matter now.

Saemus was just about to remove his robe when there was a knock at the door. Flames of rage sparked inside him, and he went to the threshold fully expecting to see the Sister come to argue again. He jerked the door open, full of anger, and all at once it dissipated.

A hooded figure stood before him, and he saw immediately that horns were visible beneath the cloth.

"Ashaad" He said breathlessly.

"May I come in?" The Qunari asked, stoic as always.

"Of course." Saemus stepped back, allowing him to enter.

"I made sure I was not seen." Ashaad declared, removing his cloak.

"Thank you, but it matters little." Saemus sighed, "Everyone knows about what happened."

"It matters much." Ashaad corrected him, "Had they seen me, they would have stopped me from coming to you."

The boy gazed up at him, and saw something unfamiliar in his eyes. What was it? Pain?

"I have not returned to the coast." He said flatly, and then his voice lowered, "I was afraid…" he hesitated, but met Saemus' gaze, "I am glad you are well."

"You told me to leave." Saemus reminded him.

"I did not ask that you never return." Ashaad said, and there was pain in his voice as well.

There was a moment of silence between them.

"You… missed me." Saemus said, unsure if the words were for Ashaad or himself.

The Qunari looked away, "Yes"

Saemus gently placed a hand on the giant's cheek. He tilted his head to look at him, and for a moment, their gaze was locked. His eyes moved upward, studying his horns.

"May I… touch them?" Seamus asked.

"You must know it is an act of intimacy." Ashaad warned him, then said, "You may."

Seamus reached up carefully, letting his palm stroke the crest. Ashaad inhaled sharply, closing his eyes at the touch. He'd made it clear that this was something only a mate was permitted to do, and now he knew why. This was sensual, and as he massaged them, Ashaad's breathing slowed.

When he stopped, there was a moment of quiet and Ashaad's eyes fluttered open. Suddenly the Qunari surged forward, closing the space between them. Their lips crashed together, breaking and reconnecting recklessly. The giant's arms encircled him, gripping him tightly. His strength was immense, and Saemus reveled in it.

As the Qunari stepped closer, he moved away, and they danced like that for a moment until Saemus felt the edge of the desk in his back. His hands ran over the giant's chest, stopping once they were entwined in his hair. He grabbed one of Ashaad's horns, gripping it.

The reaction was violent. He slammed Saemus back, sliding him onto the desk and knocking over its contents in the process. Papers crunched against the wall, and the oil lamp broke when it hit the floor. He straddled Ashaad, welcoming the sudden darkness.

The Qunari's lips moved lower to his neck, nuzzling and kissing softly. A great hand worked its way into his robe, it was cold against his chest, and Saemus gasped. He ground his hips into Ashaad's waist, and was shocked to feel something hard there.

"Is that your-"

"Yes." Ashaad answered, "I suppose it is… different than yours."

"It's big." Saemus commented, "And… hard."

"Does that… displease you?" Ashaad furrowed his brow.

"No" Saemus chuckled, "I like it."

With his encouragement, Ashaad pushed harder, and Saemus cursed in the people's tongue. The Qunari smirked at that.

They continued like that for a moment, writhing against each other with their lips locked together.

Saemus leaned up, kissing his ear and the gold-metal lining felt cool against his mouth. He whispered, "I want you inside me." He pressed a hand to Ashaad's chest, and the Qunari stepped back. "Give me a moment to get ready," Saemus told him, "You can wait in my father's room." Ashaad furrowed his brow, and the boy added, "He isn't home, and I don't want us having to step around the broken glass." He gestured to the busted lamp, and Ashaad nodded.

He went to the door, and Saemus handed him his cloak.

A few minutes later Saemus entered his father's chamber and closed the door behind him. Ashaad was waiting on the bed, shirtless but still clothed. Once his lover's eyes were on him, he dropped his robe, revealing that there was no longer anything beneath it.

He held his breath and scarlet tinged his cheeks, feeling the Qunari's eyes on him. His eyes were shut, and he heard the giant stand, crossing the room to meet him. He felt a large hand rest on his hip, then another trailed under his arm to the back of his shoulder. Saemus stood perfectly still, then the Qunari's nose traced against his jawline, tilting his head back.

A soft kiss was placed just beneath his ear, and their bodies pressed together. Saemus inhaled sharply at the feel of contact between their bare skin. The Qunari moved upward letting their lips meet again it was if they wanted to drink each other in.

Suddenly he felt himself be lifted and his eyes flared open. Ashaad slung him into his arms, carrying him to the bed. He was laid on his back and Ashaad settled next to him, resting on his side. They kissed again, and as they did so Saemus slipped his hands lower, carefully untying the strings on his mate's breeches. They came undone easily, and the bulge pushed through.

The Qunari's member stood erect, as long as the measure from Saemus' wrist to the bend in his elbow, and as thick as the hilt of a sword- massive compared to his own. He took a moment to admire it, not just the shaft, but everything: His curled horns and broad shoulders, a chest that could keep him safe, and a heart beneath it that was his.

He saw now that, aside from their size, they were not so different. Each had the same number of fingers and toes, eyes that saw and ears to hear. In shape Saemus was more slender, graced with slight curves that seemed to pair his broad chest and gentle hips. He noticed then that Ashaad had a thin trail of hair that traveled down his stomach and grew into dense curls just above his shaft. Where his were black, Ashaad's were white.

He pressed their bodies closer and kissed the Qunari's jaw.

"I have never done this before." Ashaad remarked.

"What?" Saemus smiled, "Bed a human? Or a man?"

"No, I have never been intimate with anyone." The Qunari told him, "Have you?"

Saemus shook his head, and remarked, "You are my first." Touching his face he added, "And I'm glad it's you."

The two stared for a moment, then Saemus seemed shy, and he rolled onto his stomach beside the Qunari.

"Will this hurt you?" Ashaad asked, his expression was concerned and he traced a finger down Saemus' back until it had reached his tailbone.

"I used some oil but… honestly I don't know." He confessed, propping himself up on his elbows.

"I do not want you to suffer." Ashaad said.

"I won't." Saemus said, "Even if it does hurt, I'll welcome the pain." He was smiling now, "It will mean that we are connected."

Ashaad moved over him, and he felt the giant position himself between his legs. Saemus rose to his knees, gripping the headboard in preparation for what was to come. The Qunari closed the space between them, pressing against the boy's entrance.

There was fluid there, and after a second of hesitation Saemus slid his hips back slightly, feeling the tip press into him. A sharp intake of breath proved that it was larger than he'd guessed. But he didn't ask for it to stop. Ashaad pushed forward gently, and he felt more of it come into him. Saemus bit his lip.

After several minutes of easing back and forth, he'd gotten more than half of it in, and a few labored strokes later, he felt the scout's thighs against his flesh.

It hurt like hell, there was no denying that, but finding the hilt of it brought a smile to his face. His own member was hard as a rock, and when he pushed back again he moved more quickly. Ashaad drew in a ragged breath, and that was all the encouragement he needed. After two more sets of to and fro, he'd started to relax.

He pushed off of the headboard, letting Ashaad's hands encircle his rib cage. The giant rested his chin on the boy's shoulder, and Saemus craned his neck to lay a kiss on his cheek.

"Take me." He whispered.

At his word the Qunari thrust upward cautiously, then continued at a steady, controlled pace. As he closed his eyes, Saemus reached back, taking one of his horns into his grasp. He let his fingers glide against it, and when Ashaad quickened his pace he grasped it more firmly, pulling the ox-man's head nearer to his own. He felt the giant's hands travel down his chest, and while one stopped just over his stomach, the other continued lower until he cradled the boy's crotch in his palm. As Saemus moaned his thrusts were grew harder, and faster still.

He writhed in his grasp, twisted in such a way that would allow their lips to come together. Saemus pressed tongue into the Qunari's mouth eagerly, only to be met with the creature's own tongue, wrestling his into submission.

At some point, the thrusts began to ache, but the boy didn't call for him to stop. He spoke the people's tongue, pushing him to let go, to show him how a Qunari would take his mate, and as the creature's bated breaths grew heavier, he obeyed.

Saemus broke their embrace and lowered himself so that his stomach was flat against the bed. He balled up the sheets with his fists as Ashaad thrust wildly into his end. It was erratic, and reckless, and the pain was nearly unbearable, but Saemus cherished it, cursing his lover's name between each gasp. His knuckles were white from squeezing so hard and just when he thought he could take no more, he came into the sheets, his back tightening around Ashaad's length, and a heated cry escaped him. It drove the Qunari wild, eliciting a roughish moan that he'd never heard, and a moment later, his seed spilled deep inside the boy.

The quiet drowned them; Both covered in beads of sweat, trying to catch their breath.

When the giant's flesh went soft he withdrew it carefully, only to find Saemus covered in blood. Ashaad cursed, his tone ridden with worry. Saemus touched himself, and withdrew a hand coated in crimson.

"I have hurt you." The Qunari was breathless.

"I'm alright, Ashaad." Saemus comforted him, "I thought this might happen… It will heal."

The scout placed a hand on his lower back, still displeased with the sight. Saemus turned in his grasp and sat upright, leaning forward to kiss the Qunari's forehead softly.

"You have to go." He told him, "The servants will be around in the morning, and as much as I wish for you to stay, I can't let them see you."

"I do not wish to leave you this way." Ashaad argued, but the feel of Saemus' palm against his jaw quieted him.

"I will see you tomorrow, on the coast." The boy told him, "I promise."

Ashaad nodded, retrieving his pants and cloak before going to the door. He gave one last glance to his mate, then opened the door and disappeared through the dark hallway.