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Varric tapped his fingers on the table and dipped his quill again. He’d been staring at the same blank piece of parchment for the last hour at least. Cullen had finally shooed him away from staring out the front gate as he had been the last two days and now he was trying to force himself to write. Luckily, he didn’t have to keep staring as the horn announcing new arrivals blared across the courtyard. He jumped out of his seat, and quickly made his way down the stairs from his room. He had been waiting for this even before Skyhold, since Haven.
And there he was on the battlements, the Champion of Kirkwall, known to his friends as Hawke, and to Varric as someone even more.
“Hawke! Broody!” Varric called out as he climbed the stairs. The pair turned to face him, “Varric!” Hawke replied, sweeping the shorter man into a long hug and an even longer kiss.
Fenris gave him a nod and a hint of a smile once Hawke was finished, which might as well have been him jumping into Varric’s arms.
“Broody, decided to join up did you?” Varric asked as Hawke finally released him.
“I was bored,” Fenris replied deadpan.
“Well there’s plenty of Tevinter cultists that need killing, so I don’t think you’ll be bored for long” Varric grinned.
“I also figured it might make our whole “thing” easier” Hawke gestured to his hand.
Oh right, the plan, Varric suddenly remembered, he’d left the part about him and Hawke out of Tale of The Champion and had added Fenris in his place. They rarely needed to actually act out the plan or say anything about it, but you couldn’t be too careful. Especially around new people.
“You better enjoy these few moments Hawke, Cassandra might actually murder me later” Varric replied.
“Varric—?” Hawke asked warily.
“So remember how I told you the Seeker wanted to know all about you for some reason?” “And she was interrogating you to do it?”
“I mayyyyy have left out the fact that I knew where you were the whole time” Varric rubbed his neck and sighed.
“And now she doesn’t know I’m here?”
“Of course”
“Ahem” came a voice from the stairs and Varric tried not to jump again. It was just the Inquisitor, patiently waiting for Varric to finish his story.
“Inquisitor! Let me introduce Hawke and his—husband Fenris, Fenris, Hawke Inquisitor Addar” Varric tried to keep the wince out of his voice on the word husband, he hadn’t planned for how much it would sting to say it out loud. For a man that lied constantly, he was surprised to find how much he longed for the truth.
“I have heard much about you both” she smiled at them.
“I wouldn’t trust anything Varric has said or written about us” Hawke replied, winking.
Fenris shook his head, “Ataas shokra Inquisitor, Addar is a fitting name”
“Vidatharri?” she questioned.
“No, I lived for a time on Seheron, not by choice”
She nodded knowingly, “Ah, then you will be glad to hear I myself am Tal-Vashoth”
Fenris nodded in return, and the Inquisitor continued, “I should introduce you to my advisors, this way please” she guestred down the stairs and the group followed her through the castle to the War Room. Varric treasured the brief look of surprise on Cullen’s face as they approached the middle of the room.
“Our Commander, Cullen Rutherford” Addar started the introductions.
“Oh Knight-Captain Cullen, how nice to see you again!” Hawke said with an abundance of saccharine sarcasm.
Cullen coughed, “it's just Commander now, I’ve—left the order”
“Good for you! No really I mean it” Hawke replied earnestly
“I’m glad you could join us Hawke—and Fenris,” Cullen nodded, avoiding Fenris' eyes. Varric wanted to tell him that he had nothing to fear from Fenris, but also Cullen had seen him in that final battle for Kirkwall and Varric knew nothing could erase that memory. It was one thing to hear a rumor Fenris could kill with his bare hands, it was another to see it, in the flesh as it were. Varric and Hawke had become desensitized to it at some point, which was a terrifying thought in itself.
“And this is Josephine, our ambassador, and Lelianna, our spymaster,” Addar continued on.
“Hawke and this is my—husband Fenris”
Varric felt a cold dagger through his heart as Lelianna raised one eyebrow at him. Of course she knew, she knew everything, she was the Left Hand of the Divine for Maker’s sake. Though why she hadn’t said anything yet was a mystery. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was toying with him through her gaze. That she would wait for the most opportune time to use this information against him.
“It is nice to see you again Champion, Fenris, though I wish it had been sooner. That is the last time I let Cassandra interrogate anyone” Lelianna replied smoothly, glancing again over at Varric.
Hawke laughed, “just call me Hawke please”
“We are pleased to have you both” Josephine smiled brightly, shaking each man's hand in turn. “I hope you find Skyhold most accommodating, I’ve arranged you a room next to Varric’s”
“You have our thanks Lady Josephine” Hawke replied.
“Varric can show you to your rooms, and the rest of Skyhold. I do expect to see you in the morning Hawke, we have much to discuss” Addar said as she dismissed them.
In the way that Varric had come to expect when Hawke was around, their time together was cut short by Hawke being called away on an increasing number of errands for everyone possible. First it was Crestwood then it was the Western Approach and now scouting out Adamant Fortress.
Varric shivered in his thin shirt as he waited for Hawke to reappear from giving his report. He couldn’t deny the hole in this hallway had a beautiful view but so did the rest of the castle so why couldn’t they patch this one up? It was on the way to the War Room for Maker’s sake, they could at least make a good impression.
He looked up as Hawke came out of the War Room, looking exhausted but not any less handsome because of it.
“Well I’ve given my report, we’ll be headed to Adamant Fortress as soon as the Inquisitor says we’re ready” Hawke said.
Varric sighed, “Hawke, you know this isn’t your fight”
Hawke started pacing across the hall, pausing to look out the broken wall. “Varric, I’m the one that let Corypheus go, I have to make this right”
“And if the Grey Wardens hadn’t just buried him in the desert with blood magic we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now”
“Stroud is a good man Varric” Hawke said quietly.
Varric shook his head and threw up his hands, pacing in his own small circle, “I don’t care about Stroud, I care about you! Haven’t you done enough Hawke!?”
“No, it’ll never be enough!” Hawke raised his voice in response.
“You weren’t responsible for Anders, and you’re not responsible for this!”
“I could have—” Hawke started.
“Bullshit, you couldn’t have! Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Varric’s voice cracked a little as he stood next to Hawke and stared at the mountain.
Hawke stood silent, and that was an answer enough for Varric. Hawke was never silent.
Varric tugged at Hawke’s shirt insistently, “Hawke look at me, you don’t have to do this”
Hawke turned obediently and Varric could see the glisten of tears in his eyes, and he was sure it was reflected in his.
“This situation is shit, complete shit, but Hawke you killing yourself isn’t going to turn back time, isn’t going to change Corypheus. You’re much more useful to us here, alive. And if you don’t care about any of that, Hawke, remember that I fucking love you.”
Hawke surged down to kiss Varric, gripping his hands in his shirt, salty tears falling between them.
“I missed you Varric, I missed you so fucking much” Hawke whispered, still with a death grip on Varric’s shirt.
“I missed you too, and I don’t want you leaving my sight until that damned hole in the sky goes away, promise?”
“Promise” Hawke kissed him again desperately.
“Is Fenris not being a very good husband out there?” Varric joked as they broke apart for air.
“He’s terrible” Hawke rolled his eyes.
“Good thing you’ve got me as a backup then” Varric kissed him again.
Varric’s concentration was broken by a familiar voice drifting from Josephine’s office.
“Shit” Varric muttered, pushing Hawke off him, “look natural” he hissed.
Varric tried to lean against the pillar casually as Hawke tried desperately to fix his hair where Varric had been running his fingers through it.
“Sooo templars, crazy gods, and powerful mages, just like home huh?” Varric said as the Inquisitor opened the door.
“Yeah, just like home” Hawke replied, still a little dazed. Addar seemed to not give them a second thought as she headed towards the war room, exchanging a few words with Hawke at the door.
Of course it all had to come crashing down at some point.
Adamant was a goddamned disaster and that was even before Varric heard the whole story from Addar. Fenris and Varric had been forced into the second siege group, and they both knew it was at Hawke’s request. He wasn’t able to convince Cullen to leave them behind at Skyhold entirely, so he did the next best thing, which was keep them as far away from him as possible.
Which is why currently, a day after finally getting back to Skyhold, Hawke was sitting in the middle of Varric’s room looking like a child who broke a prized family vase.
“You could have died” Fenris seethed pacing in the front of the fire, “And we were not there to protect you”
“That was the point! Then one of you would have died” Hawke tried to argue.
“We were not given the choice!” Fenris turned on him.
“We talked about this Hawke! Not everything is your fight!” Varric added.
“And I took your advice Varric, I’m alive! Are we happy?”
“No” Varric and Fenris answered in unison, glancing at each other.
“Fine” Hawke left, slamming the door behind him. He headed towards what he hoped was the garden and not the dusty library he’d found last time. This castle was a goddamn twisted maze.
Hawke breathed a sigh of relief as he opened a door to the garden. It was blessedly quiet and mostly empty. He had been staring at the bush of Crystal Grace for no more than five minutes when someone started speaking to him. Of course he could never get a moment of peace anymore.
“Lover’s quarrel?” the voice asked and Hawke glanced over, ah the Tevinter mage his name was—Dorian yes it was Dorian.
“Heh, I suppose you could call it that, nothing like your best friend and your lover ganging up on you” Hawke sat down on a bench and gestured for Dorian to join him.
“And you are being quite coy about which is which” Dorian replied as he sat down.
Hawke opened his mouth to make a snarky comment and then closed it in realization.
“Don’t worry your secret's safe with me” Dorian continued, smiling at Hawke.
“How—did you?” Hawke asked suspiciously.
“You haven’t done anything obvious if that is your concern, though perhaps writing an entire book about your lover in great detail could be considered obvious”
“Yet you are apparently our first fan,” Hawke replied.
“I am quite skilled at—hmm reading between the lines as it were” Dorian said as his fingers smoothed out his mustache.
Hawke regarded him again in a new light, he was a Tevinter noble no doubt, a powerful mage. Here in Ferelden of all places. The pieces were slowly coming together.
“You understand hiding in plain sight, I take it?” Hawke gave him a meaningful glance.
“I wouldn’t say I was ever hiding exactly , which is how I ended up here, but that is a story for another time. Your story is much more interesting” Dorian replied, affirming Hawke’s suspicion.
Hawke laughed, “after all the things that happened to me in Kirkwall, you’re interested in my love life?”
“I mean I can ask you all the same questions everyone else has asked you thousands of times over if you prefer?” Dorian suggested.
“Maker no, please ask me about my love life, though you may be disappointed by the details”
“Ah, how close is it to the book?”
“All the parts where I’m handsome and charming are completely correct, everything else you should take up with Varric” Hawke grinned.
“Do you really smell like cinnamon?” Dorian wondered.
“What do you think?” Hawke batted his eyelashes at Dorian making the other man chuckle, “honestly I forgot he put that in there, I think he was just trying to distract people from the fact that Kirkwall is an awful smelling shit hole”
“There is one thing Varric left out, for good reason I assume, how did you get together?”
“Ah well when one is stuck in the Deep Roads for a long time the mind tends to go to interesting places, you get a little bored walking around all the time and—”
Dorian gasped, “you did not!”
Hawke laughed, “oh Maker no, it's disgusting down there, but when we came back—”
Dorian rolled his eyes, clearly seeing through Hawke now, “no please, I do want to hear what really happened”
“Fiiiiine, don’t hate me because it’s boring though. It did happen after we came back from the Deep Roads, and I wanted to cheer Varric up because you know his brother had just tried to murder us, so I started checking up on him and one thing led to another”
“And now you’re here” Dorian finished.
“And now we’re here” Hawke agreed, “he’s always had my back, even before the Deep Roads. He was probably my first real friend in Kirkwall, which meant a lot being a dirty Ferelden”
Dorian nodded in understanding and stared out into the garden for a moment, “I can see why you asked the Inquisitor to leave them behind—at Adamant” he said.
“Was it really that obvious?” Hawke sighed.
“Seeing the way that Varric managed to outright lie to a Seeker of Truth for you, and the way Fenris defends you when you’re not around I would hate to see what it looks like when you are in actual mortal peril”
“Ah—uh—Fenris didn’t put his hand through your chest did he?” Hawke cringed.
Dorian laughed, thank the Maker, he actually laughed, “he almost did, he had me against a wall and he was glowing quite spectacularly but Bull managed to talk him down. I don’t think he was going to actually hurt me I think it was more a warning but nonetheless”
“You’ll have to remind me to buy Bull several rounds then as my thanks”
“He will be delighted to hear that” Dorian said with a certain note of pride in his voice that made Hawke pause.
“Oh? Will he?” Hawke raised his eyebrows at Dorian, until Dorain coughed awkwardly, “good for you” Hawke continued, patting Dorian on the back.
“Thank you, it is quite—new for me, but not unwelcome”
“I’m sure that has a story behind it”
“Several” Dorain laughed as he got up and walked away, leaving Hawke to imagine those stories all on his own.
Things were going well at Skyhold, Fenris had made friends with The Chargers, Hawke friends with everyone, and Varric was just enjoying their company back in his life again. It was almost perfect which meant sooner or later there had to be another crisis.
“The Inquisitor has requested our presence at Halamshiral for the Empress’ ball” Varric announced one afternoon, “well mostly Hawke’s presence, but that strongly implied you as well Fenris”
“A ball?!” Fenris repeated in disbelief.
“Yes, one of those huge parties where people dance and kill each other on occasion” Hawke answered.
“Are you going to end up imprisoned again? Maybe kill another duke?” Fenris asked.
“If I’m lucky” Hakwe winked.
“Not funny” Fenris narrowed his eyes, “I’m not going”
“Fenris please” Hawke tried to plead, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.
“I do not need to be a part of this any longer”
“Aw come on Broody”
“Varric this is not Kirkwall” Fenris glared at him.
“I can see that, and what about it?”
“We are relatively—safe here, I think. I am not happy with all of our present company—”
“Dorian” Hawke and Varric said in unison.
“The magister” Fenris huffed, “And Solas, but it doesn’t seem they mean you any harm Hawke”
“So you don’t think we should hide anymore?” Varric asked.
“I was never—happy with this arrangement, but I understood its necessity for— all of us” he twirled the ring on his finger, “but now that we are no longer in Kirkwall, and everyone believes your tale Varric, I see no reason why within these walls we have to go on with this, also I detest parties”
“But the ham that tastes like despair, Fenris!”
“Not worth being called a dirty knife ear all night” Fenris scoffed.
“You got me there Fenris” Hawke admitted.
“Now the bigger question, how do we tell everyone in a way that doesn’t end with Cassandra choking me out again?” Varric asked.
“Aw you didn’t enjoy that Varric? Not even a little?” Hawke teased.
“I’ll choke you out,” Varric muttered.
“You know what Varric that sounds like a question for future us to solve because it’s getting late and I’m thirsty” Hawke declared.
It’s not that Varric didn’t care if they got caught, it was more that Hawke was a little too hands on to really hide. Which is why Fenris was currently giving him nasty glares from across the table. It was late, the drinks had been flowing and the money was exchanging hands. Fenris had at some point been pushed out of the seat he previously held separating Hawke and Varric and was clearly regretting letting that happen. Hawke was laughing and was slowly inching his hand up Varric’s shirt from its spot on Varric’s thigh. Varric was trying to ignore that along with the knowing glances Dorian was shooting him from over the top of his cards.
“Varric, you’re my best friend, you know that?” Hawke proclaimed as he nuzzled into Varric’s neck. Varric was struggling not to gasp under the sensation of Hawke’s hot breath on his neck.
“And as—your—best friend and business partner, I think it’s time we called it a night” Varric managed to stand up and sling Hawke’s arm around his shoulders like he had done hundreds of times in Kirkwall.
There was a screech of a chair as Fenris stood up to support Hawke’s other side just like old times. They managed to make it outside into the cool night air before Hawke tried to wave Fenris off.
“Fen, go back inside” Hawke mumbled, “have some fun, take all their gold”
“And abandon my husband?” Fenris replied dryly.
“I think the gig is up, I’m pretty sure everyone in there knows already,” Varric admitted.
Fenris snorted, “so much for trying to lay low”
“It’s not my fault Varric described my rippling muscles and perfect cheekbones in his book, multiple times I might add” Hawke replied.
“Did you skip those parts when you were reading it out loud to me? ” Fenris started laughing.
“I’m offended you left those out Hawke! That was some of my best work” Varric complained.
“I’ll show you some of my best work” Hawke murmured in Varric’s ear.
“I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it then” Fenris smirked as he walked back towards Herald’s Rest, waving goodbye.
Everyone cheered knowingly as Fenris walked back inside to the table shaking his head, The Iron Bull clapped him on the back and handed him a mug of some questionable alcohol.
“Finally!” The Iron Bull raised his glass in a toast that Fenris returned enthusiastically.
“Finally” he sighed as he drank deeply and threw his money in for another round of Wicked Grace.
It was Cassandra who caught them because of course it had to be. Varric had given into Hawke’s pleading about halfway to their room, and now they were in a darkened stairwell completely absorbed in one another, missing the tell tale footsteps that were quickly approaching.
“Varric?! Hawke!?” her voice rang out in the silence.
They both turned towards her instinctively, their drunken minds not catching up to the gravity of the situation they found themselves in.
“Hey Cassandra” Hawke tried to wave without hitting Varric in the face.
“I am disgusted with you two! Varric! That is a married man!” She turned away and walked off quickly.
“What was her problem? Aren’t we married?” Hawke slurred.
“Beats me” Varric answered, “Let's get upstairs before anyone else decides to cut in”
Fenris barely looked up when the Seeker slammed the door going into the tavern. It was quite late and he was still trying to concentrate on his hand of cards, despite his drunkenness. He was sure Skinner had stolen one of his cards but he was still trying to figure out how.
“Fenris” she said urgently as she stopped in front of their table. Fenris still didn’t hear her, until Iron Bull nudged him and he looked up.
“Yes?” Fenris asked.
“I must speak to you privately, now” she said with all of her usual authority.
The table went silent, and Fenris felt it was too late for any kind of important conversation but still he stood and followed Cassandra out the front door.
“Are you going to arrest me?” he slurred, leaning against the wall of the tavern.
“No?” she squinted at him in the dark.
“Then it can wait until the morning,” Fenris said as he turned and tried to walk away without stumbling back into the wall.
“Fenris, wait!” she called, nerves running through her voice and that is what stopped him. He had never heard her so unnerved. “Just now I saw Varric and Hawke—kissing passionately in the stairwell. And I thought you may want to know” she finished sadly.
Fenris stood still for a moment, gracious Cassandra could not see his face. He could not trust his expression to not give the game away. Of course this is the way it would happen. He started to laugh but all the drinks caught up to him and he found himself retching on the wall instead while Cassandra rubbed his back awkwardly.
“I—think I should go,” he said solemnly.
“At least let me get Bull to help you back to your room” Cassandra replied. Fenris managed a nod, and she disappeared into the tavern.
Bull reappeared at his side, a reassuring bulk as they headed up the many staircases to Fenris’ room.
“Let me guess, Cassandra is the only person in this castle that doesn’t know?” Bull asked finally as they were out of earshot of the tavern.
Fenris managed to nod slowly.
“Oh tomorrow is going to be funnnnn,” Bull replied, not hiding the glee in his voice.
Varric woke first and made his way down the Great Hall. It was already late morning moving into lunch, not many people milling about but the ones that did whispered as he passed. That was definitely strange. He found Fenris sitting at the end of a table and sat down across from him.
“Morning Broody” Varric groaned through his hangover, putting his head down on the table.
Fenris smirked, “don’t know if I should be having lunch with the man that’s breaking up my marriage”
“Wait what?!” Varric asked, his head jerking up, suddenly much more awake then he had been 10 minutes ago.
Fenris ran his hand through his hair, “you don’t remember do you?” he sighed.
“Nope” “And Hawke is still asleep?”
“Yep, Broody what exactly did—” Varric didn’t finish his sentence before he felt a hand on the back of his shirt lifting him out of his chair.
“Varric Tethras” said a voice filled with contempt behind him.
“Seeker” he said as he looked down at Fenris in a desperate plea for help, but Fenris suddenly seemed very absorbed in his soup.
“Will you explain why I saw you and the Champion—kissing—in a stairwell last night”
“Is it not obvious?” Varric answered, “I can’t believe the woman that reads my romance serials can’t see it—”
“They’re married,” Fenris interrupted.
Cassandra looked between them, “you knew!?” she shouted, turning her full force on Fenris,
“And you didn’t say anything last night?”
“I couldn’t even stand up straight last night” Fenris shrugged.
“You could have said something! Avoided this—embarrassment!”
“Would you have believed me?” Fenris stared at her.
“Well—perhaps not seeing the state you were in” Cassandra replied a little quieter. By this point the whole of the Great Hall had fallen into silence. Before Cassandra could speak again, a shout was heard as Hawke made his grand entrance by almost falling down the stairs. Varric tried to take advantage of the distraction to wiggle out of Cassandra’s grip but had no luck.
“Varric what did you do?” Hawke asked in mock horror as he approached Cassandra.
“More like what we did, can you put me down now Seeker? I think you’ve made your point”
Cassandra unceremoniously let go of Varric’s shirt, dropping him to the ground, while she addressed Hawke.
“Varric informs me you are married to him, is this true?”
“Yep” Hawke grunted as helped Varric up off the ground. “See the rings?” he held up his hand and Varric’s.
The silence continued as Cassandra looked at Hawke’s hand, looked at Varric and back again several times, her face turning into something between disbelief and disgust.
“The Champion is married to you?!” she finally decided on turning on Varric.
“Cassandra you wound me, and here I thought you were a fan” Varric put his hand over his chest.
“Of your writing” she sneered.
“It’s been oh what six years now?” Hawke added gleefully.
“Six years?!” Cassandra answered in shock, “your book—was a lie?!”
“You just now realized that? After all that interrogating?” Varric asked.
“He’s the Champion!” she pointed at Hawke.
“Yes?” Hawke asked in confusion, only to be ignored.
“And you’re—” she pointed at Varric.
“I’m what? Cassandra?” Varric crossed his arms.
“A scoundrel!” she declared.
“I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has called me all week, I’m touched” Varric replied.
Cassandra made a noise of absolute disgust and walked straight out of the Great Hall, silence following in her wake. A few seconds later the whispers started up again, and Varric could have swore he heard Dorian’s laugh from some dark corner.
“Why do I get the feeling she’s not mad about us lying?” Hawke finally said, stunned.
“I think she’s mad that I’ve apparently corrupted you in some way?” Varric answered.
“Oh you’ve done that and more Varric” Hawke winked.
Fenris snorted, “so much for avoiding her wrath”
Someone clapping filled in the void of Cassandra leaving and Varric turned to see Lelianna with a barely concealed smile on her face.
“Bravo, bravo, I don’t think I could have written that any better, Varric” she laughed.
“I mean I guess I’m still alive so that’s a bonus” Varric shrugged.
“I wouldn’t have let her actually kill you” Lelianna reassured him.
“Just rough me up a bit?”
“Only a little bit,” Lelianna laughed.
No one saw Cassandra for the rest of the day but rumor had it that the muffled sounds of screaming could be heard from above the blacksmith’s workshop well into the evening.
Varric and Hawke were lazing in the courtyard, the chess board between them mostly forgotten. Neither of them had ever been much into the game but attempted to play every now and then. Mostly, it was a good place to see the comings and goings of Skyhold.
There was Cullen and Dorian actually playing chess a few tables over, a sight that made Varric thought he was hallucinating when he first came upon it. Sera and Fenris were sitting on the roof of the tavern, now that was a strange pair. Fenris had tried to scare her off with his brooding act when they first arrived, but much like the rest of Hawke’s friends and the barnacles covering Kirkwall, Sera had stuck to Fenris once she realized he wasn’t an “elfy elf” just like her. Once he learned about her work for the little people, he stopped trying and could now be found with her on the tavern roof, probably plotting the death of some minor noble. Sera also realized Fenris could play the best pranks with his abilities, and surprisingly to Varric, he was into doing so.
It sure wasn’t Kirkwall but it was as close to a second home as Varric could have ever hoped to have. And here in front of him dozing in his chair was the most important piece. His hair stuck up in all directions, the sun was glaring down making his cheeks red, he definitely didn’t smell like cinnamon and he gave out a little snore as Varric admired him. And yet in every way he was still perfect.
“Hawke” Varric said as he nudged Hawke’s leg with the toe of his boot.
“Mmmm is it my turn?” Hawke asked sleepily.
“Don’t know, lost track about 15 minutes ago”
“Is that when I fell asleep?”
“Yeah, probably” Varric paused, “Hawke, thanks for coming”
“Wouldn’t want to miss all the fun now would I?” Hawke teased.
“No I mean it, thank you” Varric replied sincerely.
Hawke sighed contentedly as he looked around, “You’re welcome Varric”
Three weeks later in Herald’s Rest
“There’s one thing I still don’t get, Fenris, if that ring on your finger isn’t actually Hawke’s why are you still wearing it?” Dalish asked innocently.
“I’m divorced,” Fenris replied, downing the rest of his drink and walking out the front door.
The table went dead silent as Fenris walked away.
“Was that a—joke?” Dorian asked in astonishment.
“Maybe” Hawke shrugged, “I think the ring is just stuck on his finger and he can’t get it off” he whispered conspiratorially.
Varric punched Hawke lightly in the arm, “it’s not, he still cares it’s just—complicated”
“Complicated? What do you mean—”
Dorian was interrupted by the sound of a sword hitting a dummy and shouting outside, it sounded suspiciously like a name everyone knew
“Oh—oh no—Andraste's tits, really?” Dorian put his head in his hands.
“You’ve got to be shitting me” even Iron Bull sounded surprised, and Varric thought nothing could get past him.
“Yeahhhh, like we said, it’s complicated” Hawke said as he and Varric shared the look of the long suffering.
“Complicated seems like an understatement,” Iron Bull said.
“Try not to think too hard about it Tiny, we sure as hell never have” Varric replied.
“I thought they hated each other, that’s how you made it seem Varric” Dorian added.
“And I also said Hawke and I weren’t together” Varric shrugged, “it was good drama”
“And keeps everyone out of the eyes of certain interested parties” Iron Bull added.
“Exactly!” Varric pointed at him, “they really are—together, they’re just—difficult people” he sighed.
Hawke snorted, “you could say that again”
The table went silent again as Fenris walked back inside, retrieved a wine bottle from the bar and sat down like he had never left. He opened it and started drinking straight from the bottle, much to Cabot’s annoyance, as everyone stared in awkward silence.
“Are we playing Diamondback or not?” he asked.