Tongue-Tied

Olivia couldn't focus on Wicked Grace at all. She was too distracted by the blond mage beside her.

It had been three days since they'd first been together, and Maker it was all she could think about. She wanted to drag him back home, rip his clothes off, and have her way with him. They did have three years to catch up on, after all.

She blankly stared at the cards in her hand, trying—and failing—to focus back on the game. She was imagining the pleasant feeling of Anders' hands sliding over her skin when one of those hands found its way onto her thigh under the table. She froze, not daring to even look at him. If he was giving her that look, the one that made her stomach flip… Andraste have mercy on her, she wouldn't be able to get out of there fast enough before pouncing on him.

His fingers aimlessly traced shapes on her inner thigh, sending pleasurable tingles down her spine. Out of nowhere, he sparked her, the sudden burst of electricity making her yelp in surprise.

"Everything all right, Hawke?" Varric asked from across the table, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Everything's fine!" she replied, her voice higher-pitched than usual. Olivia cleared her throat, chancing a glance at Anders. The damned man met her gaze, mischief dancing in his eyes. She needed to get out of there now. "Actually no, everything's not fine," she said, turning her attention back to their friends. "I don't think I'm feeling too well. I should probably go lie down somewhere."

"There's something going around the Alienage," Merrill stated. "I hear it makes you throw up for days."

"I don't think that's what it is, Kitten," Isabela said, smirking as she took a sip of her drink. Fenris frowned and Aveline raised a curious eyebrow.

Anders reached over and felt Olivia's forehead with the back of his hand. "Merrill might be right," he said, furrowing his brows and feigning concern. "You're getting warm."

"That settles it, then. You guys just keep playing without me." She stood up, Anders standing after her.

"I should examine you," he pointed out. "To make sure this isn't serious."

"You can use my room," Isabela offered, an amused look on her face. "I'm sure you'll need some privacy for that examination."

"Yes, I intend to be thorough," Anders said, his eyes boring into Olivia's. She swallowed hard, tearing her gaze from his.

"Let's go," she muttered before dragging him out of Varric's suite. As soon as they made it through the door, she pulled him into a secluded part of the hallway.

"We're not making it to Isabela's room, are we?" Anders asked, hands on her hips as she tugged him close.

"Maker, no," she breathed, threading her fingers through his hair and pulling him into a heated kiss. He pressed himself against her, and she found herself delightfully squeezed between his warm body and the wall at her back. His hands left her hips and moved along her curves, electricity flowing from his fingertips, leaving her at the mercy of his touch. Olivia was putty in his hands.

Anders pulled back, flashing her a quick grin before he buried his face in her neck, kissing and nipping at her sensitive skin. He sent another jolt of electricity through her, this one stronger than the little pinpricks from before. She moaned and arched her back against him, fisting her hand in his hair and digging her fingers into his arm. It made her lose control of her own magic, and a wave of unrestrained electricity surged from her hands. Anders tensed, bowing his head against her and gripping her almost painfully.

"I'm sorry," Olivia breathed, panting, and he chuckled, bringing his face up to meet her worried gaze. He cupped her face with his hand, resting his forehead on hers as he gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek.

"Don't be," he replied, his heaving chest pressing up against hers. "No holding back, remember?"

"I don't want to accidentally hurt you," she mumbled.

Anders smirked at her. "Sweetheart, it'll take a lot more than that to hurt me." Olivia huffed in relief, smiling back at him. "Besides, I like it when you lose control," he said, his voice huskier than normal. With a low growl, his lips crashed down on hers, devouring her in a hungry kiss. He ground his hips against hers, and Maker, he did like it when she lost control.

They restrained from using more magic, only because their hands were busy ripping open the clasps and buckles keeping their more essential pieces of clothing on. Olivia's hand had just weaseled its way into his pants when a loud voice alerted them to the fact that they weren't alone anymore.

"I knew it!" Isabela shouted. The two mages jerked their lips apart, pulling their hands back from the inappropriate places they'd been. Olivia looked towards the sound of the pirate's voice, her stomach dropping when she saw that she wasn't alone—Varric was standing right next to her.

"All right, Rivaini," the dwarf started. "I'll admit that I lost, just this once." Varric reluctantly handed Isabela a coin purse, and she weighed it in her hand victoriously before turning her attention back to the flustered mages before her.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about you two?" she asked, and Olivia just stared at her, at a loss for words. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue? Mage got your tongue?" Isabela waggled her eyebrows and Anders shook his head.

"You two actually bet on whether we were… together?" Varric and Isabela exchanged a glance and nodded. "How did you know?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"That doesn't matter," Isabela said, stepping up to her and looping her arm through hers as she started to lead her away. "What matters is that you didn't tell me right away. Three years of hopeless pining, and when you finally get him, you don't say a word!"

"We just wanted—"

"So how was it?" Isabela looked back over her shoulder at Anders and grinned before leaning in close to Olivia. "Did he do the electricity thing?" She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling herself blush, while Anders tried not to laugh. The pirate's eyes widened in excitement, and Varric pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "He did, didn't he!?"

Varric, Maker bless him, convinced Isabela to give the mages their privacy again, and the two rogues returned to the rest of their friends.

"You know, she's probably telling them about us right now," Anders mused, lacing his fingers with hers as he came to stand beside her.

"We'll never hear the end of it."

"Once you give her what she wants, the excitement will die down."

Olivia quirked an eyebrow at him. "Give her what she wants?"

"Tell her all about the electricity thing," he said with a smirk.

She gasped, her free hand quickly coming up to cover her mouth. "Andraste's tits, if she only knew!" They both started laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. She really was a fool if she thought they could hide their relationship forever. Especially when all she wanted to do was jump his bones. "Well, they were going to find out sooner or later. I would have preferred later, but there's no changing it now," Olivia said. "I'll just threaten to electrify them if they make any smart comments about us."

"As long as you save some sparks for me, sweetheart," Anders replied, and she shot him a wry smile.

"Speaking of that," she started, calling on her magic, electricity jumping between her fingertips. "We should get home and finish what we started."

Conjuring up his own sparks, Anders grinned mischievously at her. "We'd better run."

Olivia giggled, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before they scurried out of The Hanged Man, determined to get back to the estate as quickly as possible.

They barely made it through the front door.