faderift | [Closed] The best part of leaving

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[Closed] The best part of leaving

WHO: Anders, Nathaniel Howe
WHAT: Coming back to Skyhold from Halamshiral
WHEN: Nowish
WHERE: Kestral House
NOTES: Probably sap, possibly heavier themes, probably adult content WTG TORI.

There'd been a few things to drop off at the healing tents, a couple of reports to make, but as soon as those are done Anders is headed straight for the Kestral house. He's missed Nate. And while missing someone is nothing new, there is now a hope every time they're parted. He'll see Nate again.... like right now, as he ducks back into the sleeping are and finds the curtained portion that's theirs.

"Where's Purrelden? I've missed her." The mischief in his smile says a lot, but the fact that he's reaching for the archer instead of the cat that's currently sitting on Lady says the rest.

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Nathaniel's entire face lights up. He stands up and wraps his arms around Anders to draw him in for a long, passionate kiss.

"You were gone a long time," he murmurs against those lips. One more kiss, and he pulls back to have a look at him. Anders arrived in something bright and well-fitted, and the earring is back oh Maker he didn't realized he's been missing that earring for eleven years until just now. The peacock feathers on the shoulders of his coat are the perfect color for him, as well.

"I'm very attracted to you right now," he admits quietly, eyes going up and down, taking in the whole look. "When did you have your ear re-pierced?"

This is what having a home is - safety, love, warmth.

Anders returns the kisses happily, just smiling like an idiot while Nate looks him over. The absence doesn't matter now because he can come back to this, come back to feeling the stress leave him.

"Very attracted, mm? I did it shortly after getting to Halamshiral. Isabela and I were talking in the shops, she knows how to pierce things, and I decided I wanted it back." Anders reaches up to toy with the earring, still not entirely used to the weight again. "The reason I took it out originally isn't relevant anymore, and..."

He shrugs. He likes it, but even more importantly, going off the way Nate keeps looking at it, Nate really likes it.

"And clearly you missed it almost as much as I missed you. I like how you look at me all the time, but especially right now." Anders leans in to kiss Nate's nose. "Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Lady looks up glumly from her position as a cushion for the Cat. Her tail starts thumping against the floor upon seeing Anders. Otherwise, she doesn't move.

"I am very much enjoying looking at you right now as well," Nathaniel purrs, hands going to Anders' waist. "I trained Lady to slip through dungeon bars, finally. She no longer believes they're going to bite her if she comes close."

This time he has the chance to slip his arms around Nate in return and lean close, resting his face against the man's neck. Nate smells as fantastic as usual, leather and a little smoke likely from the fires keeping this place warm. Anders could relax here forever.

"Considering our histories, that may be a rather important skill to have. Especially considering the Architect still running about. Being locked up by him once was more than enough, thank you." He hadn't really considered the use of a mabari when getting her for Nate, but now he's glad he chose what he had. Nate's happy, she's learning, Purrelden's got a seat... Anders turns his face so he can see the animals, chuckling quietly.

"Purrelden, please let Lady up." The cat looks up and stretches, not budging. Pounce had been so much better behaved. Then again, Mr. Wiggums hadn't responded to much of what Anders said - she's more obedient than him. "Purrelden, off." That's at least a command, one he's been working on, and she finally shifts so that she's only got one paw resting on Lady. It's as good as he can ask for.

"Good girl, thank you." Then he's turning his attention back to Nate. "The very good news about your dog being tiny is that she can't get up here and drool on my feathers the way Jonas or Hawke's mabaris could."

"You've gone back to feathers." Nathaniel gingerly smooths over those beautiful feathers. "They're very fetching on you. You always liked wearing bold colors, before. I remember you being quite particular about your appearance."

It had been a big red flag when they'd met in the Deep Roads several years ago.

"I like it. I like that you're doing that for yourself." He returns one hand to Anders' waist and cups his cheek with the other. "And it gives me an idea or two about Satinalia gifts. I'd like to spoil you a bit."

If he's caught up in the moment and not thinking, it's easy (and perhaps too easy) to go for something pretty. The prospect of being spoiled is instead a little daunting. Anders' gaze flickers down for a moment before he's relaxing into the gentle hold, trying to figure out what to say.

"You don't have to do anything, you know. I've got you, and Purrelden, and a bed... All I'm lacking is the freedom to give idiots a very magical experience." He turns his head to place a kiss to Nate's palm. So many don't have better lives yet, while he's so far better off than he was in the Circles or Kirkwall and he feels a little guilty there.

Nathaniel knows that look. He leans in and tries to kiss it away.

"Relax," he sighs. "Go easy on yourself, love. Find things you like. Let yourself accept gifts. You're learning who you are without Justice now. A task like that needs fuel, and experimentation."

His thumb grazes Anders' lower lip and he smiles. "Be as kind to yourself as you would be to me. All right?"

Nate's the one that deserves the kindness, but they've had that discussion before. He kisses Nate's thumb rather than say anything that would hurt his lover. Anders is working on being kinder to himself; it's a process.

"I did accept Bela's help in buying the coat." It's definitely far too nice for him to have afforded, especially considering they're cut off from official Grey Warden coffers and wages. "It matters to you, and I'm working on it. And I have determined there's something I'd like to do. I'd like to resume writing."

It's not something he'd done before Justice. But seeing how accessible books were in Skyhold, seeing how there were people giving groups chances, makes him feel it might be more worthwhile.

"I'd need a penname, and I could probably use help with that considering my... gift... with pseudonyms. But I could use some help with editing, too. Keeping it from getting too personal, too vicious, too extreme."

Nathaniel's brows lift a bit. The man who blew up a Chantry is worried about being too extreme. Payoff for getting rid of Justice is already happening. Turns out Anders does have a sense of temperance. Anyone who knew him before Justice might...not have believed that either, but still.

"Are you thinking of running things by Adelaide, then?" Adelaide is a moderate, and she writes, doesn't she? It never occurs to him that Anders could be talking about him. Nathaniel doesn't know the politics of mages well, and his writing ability is mostly limited to bad poetry that nobody will ever see.

He gives Nate a fond smile and a gentle kiss.

"No. She's a lot of projects to work on, and she's not a part of my target audience, love. The main audience would be people who fear mages, but I'm not going to find one of them to read something by me. Which means I need someone who is one," he taps a finger on Nate's side, "not a mage, two," a second, "doesn't harbor a grudge against me, and three," he rests three fingers there, "able to be honest with me."

Anders meets Nate's eyes. "I don't suppose you know somewhere I could find someone like that, do you?"

Nathaniel's brow furrows.

"Anders. My writing experience is limited to boring reports and bad poetr--" He stops and glances beyond the curtain to see if anyone else is here. Nobody. "You-know-what," he finishes. "I'm not sure I'm fit to critique anyone's writing."

There's another kiss just for that.

"I don't need you to give me a grammatical going-over, despite how I do recall you correcting me after fucking me quite thoroughly." He lets that comment linger for just a moment, mischief returned to his eyes. "What I need is someone to tell me if it's gone too angry, or hurt, or boring, or if it's gone into things that would make non-mage eyes glaze over, things like that. This is something I care a great deal about and I want it to help, not to alienate or be ignored. I'm not asking for you to add you-know-what to its pages."

Now Nate looks a touch embarrassed.

"I'd...be honored. And happy to do it." It will give him something to do, at least. And a way to help Anders that's more direct, more measurable, less abstract. He leans in for a soft kiss.

"We have the room to ourselves," he points out.

"Do we?" he asks, closing the small gap between them and pressing his body to Nate's. "Are you hinting at something? We could talk more about writing, and how I'm thankful that you'll help me, about Halamshiral... but if you've other ideas, I'm open to suggestions."

There's a deliberate pause, and his smile so clearly says that he knows what Nate's suggesting.

"Or are you requesting advance payment for your assistance?"

"I'm suggesting I express to you exactly how much I missed you and how glad I am that you have returned by throwing you down and ravishing you thoroughly."

Which is what they proceed to do.

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[Closed] The best part of leaving

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