Dance

Anders knew Olivia had returned home by the sound of her stomping up the stairs. Leandra had forced her to dress up and go to some fancy party with the other nobles, so Anders stayed home and furiously worked on his manifesto. He'd come up with the most brilliant argument, and was eager to get Olivia's feedback on it, so he left the library to seek her out.

He found her in the hallway, grumbling under her breath as she marched towards their room. Both mages stopped dead in their tracks when they saw each other, but for two entirely different reasons.

Her hair wasn't in its usual ponytail, the brown tresses hanging loose over her shoulders. She was wearing a dress—intricate, gold patterns sewn into deep maroon fabric that hugged her body in all the right ways. She'd even put on makeup, her red-painted lips just begging to be kissed. Despite the… un-gracefulness… in which she had carried herself, Anders couldn't take his eyes off her. She was stunning.

Olivia stared back at him, blue eyes wide as a blush crept up onto her freckled cheeks. She shifted on her feet, uncomfortable under his gaze, until she snapped.

"Andraste's ass, stop staring at me like that!" she barked, clearly agitated. She was rarely flustered, always confident in what she did, blazing through any obstacles she faced with fire, lightning, and a shit-eating grin. Anders was amused at her sudden self-consciousness, chuckling as he approached her.

He smirked, taking her hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand as he bowed before her. "Lady Hawke… you look beautiful," he said, his gaze never leaving hers. Olivia rolled her eyes and frowned, annoyed by his mocking tone. "You are but a vision of exquisite beauty, my lady. I have never before laid eyes on such a ravishing creature."

"Maker's breath, Anders, you did not just call me a creature," she grumbled, swatting him away as he rose from his bow.

"But you are, my lady," he continued, reaching for her. "You have bewitched me, Lady Hawke—I only wish to bask in your ethereal presence for the rest of my days." She smacked his hands away with an irritated groan, pushing past him and into their bedroom. Anders burst into laughter, cackling in the hallway until the sound of the door slamming behind her startled him out of it. He tried to follow her into their room, but she'd locked the door. "Come on, sweetheart, let me in," he called out.

"No."

"I promise I'll stop." He waited for an answer and heard nothing so he added, "Please, love. I mean it."

The door opened a crack, revealing an angry Olivia, her hand threateningly crackling with electricity as she glared at him. "I swear to the Maker, if you try any of that again, I will electrocute your balls off." He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean it, Anders, I won't hold back."

"You never do," he quipped, instantly regretting it when she tried to shut the door in his face. He got his foot past the doorframe so she couldn't close it, and she huffed, walking away and giving up on keeping him out of the room. Anders cautiously approached her as she stood in front of the mirror stuffed into the corner of the room, furiously wiping the makeup from her face. He stepped up behind her and pressed his chest against her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. "What's wrong, love?" he murmured, tenderly pressing his lips to her neck.

Olivia let out a deep breath and sagged back against him, resting her arms over his. "The party was horrible," she whined. "I felt like everyone was staring at me the whole time, like I didn't belong—which I don't. And I had to dance with a bunch of smelly, old men who ogledme the whole time. They couldn't tear their eyes away from my breasts and I just wanted toburn them all."

"To be fair, you have marvelous breasts," Anders pointed out.

"No I don't," she mumbled. "They're too small."

"They're the perfect size," he said, gently nibbling on her neck. "And that dress makes them look fantastic."

"The only reason they look this good is because of the damn corset my mother made me wear. I can't even breathe right in this thing."

"I could help you get out of that corset."

She huffed a laugh before shaking her head and sighing. Anders met her gaze in the mirror, finding her brows knit together.

"I want to be able to go to these parties," Olivia began. "If I can secure my position within the nobility, I can use that power to keep us safe. But I hate going to them." She looked away before meeting his gaze again, her expression softening. "The entire time I was there, dancing with those gross men, I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that the only person I would everwant to dance with is you."

Anders smiled at her, whirling her around so she faced him directly. "Well, lucky for you, I know how to dance."

"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up.

"Not exactly," he said. "But it can't be too hard to figure out."

Olivia giggled. "Actually, it is quite hard… and I'm not very good at it."

"Then we'll figure it out together." Anders released her and stepped back, bowing and holding out his hand. "May I have this dance, Lady Hawke?"

She bit back a smile and shot him a playful glare as she took his hand. He led her into the middle of their bedroom before tugging her close, placing his hand at the small of her back, hers resting on his shoulder. He laced the fingers of their other hands together, smirking at her as they started to dance.

They were a whirlwind of disaster, haphazardly spinning around the room and stepping on each other's toes. They laughed so hard they could barely focus on what they were doing, almost tripping over each other on more than one occasion. For their own safety—and that of their bedroom—they settling for simply holding each other close as they swayed back and forth. It was nice having her in his arms like that, their bodies pressed together with her head nestled in the crook of his neck.

"Anders?" she whispered, her breath tickling the sensitive skin of his neck.

"Yes?" he muttered, nuzzling her face with his.

Olivia pulled her head back and met his gaze, a smile on her lips. "I'd like to take you up on your offer to get me out of this corset."

Anders laughed, smiling back at her. "It would be my pleasure, sweetheart."