PSL in which Justice goes off with Velanna

[justice_is_blond]

He's not that surprised the morning he wakes up to hear Velanna and Justice have disappeared. Truth be told, he's been thinking about doing much the same himself. There are more and more Templars running around, and while they've joined in body, he knows they haven't in spirit.

"Apostate," another hisses as he walks past Anders in the hall. That makes seven this week, and it's only Tuesday.

Anders reaches Nate's door and raps twice before opening it and looming in the doorway. It's not like the archer will have company.

"You're missing the warm exuberance of our newest Templars," he informs Nate. "They're almost being as affectionate as you. You should offer to show them your grip. They seem like they could use some help with their... grip." Maybe if they learn how to jerk off they could turn their inner jerk off. He feels very clever for thinking of that, and makes a mental note to share that gem with Oghren later. "Though you don't have to worry about your 'dourest face ' title being taken any time soon. Velanna left sometime last night."

Comments

[pinprick]

The door opens. Nathaniel looks puzzled and irritated, though he pretty much always looks irritated.

"What do you mean, Velanna left?" he asks, trying to look more irritated than hurt. He had tried so hard to make friends with Velanna, and if she's really gone? If she's gone, it means he never once got through to her.

The talk of Templars flies right by. Anders has always been paranoid about Templars--at least since Rylock, who had actually been as crazy as Anders had said. Nathaniel didn't particularly blame him for being paranoid, but it didn't mean the recent Warden-recruits were as bad as he suspected. They had given no reason to be suspected, as far as Nathaniel could tell.

[justice_is_blond]

One day, one day, Anders is going to walk in on Nate shirtless, and what a sight that will be. He imagines. Unless Nathaniel has a shirt underneath his shirt at all times. Anders wouldn't put it past the archer. One shirt alone might be just too salacious for the Howe.

"I mean, she and Justice gathered all few of her belongings and all two of his and headed off. No word of where they're headed, and they're not on any official business. They're gone. Probably off to rain condemnation and branches on the unworthy. They've certainly talked about it enough."

Truth be told, he's a little disappointed the spirit hadn't said goodbye to him. They hadn't seen eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but he'd felt like they had an understanding. And Velanna... Well, maybe he shouldn't have complimented Velanna's tattoos as much as he had. But they were sexy. He couldn't be blamed. Just like he can't be blamed for wanting to see Howe Nate looked without his shirt.

[pinprick]

"Wait, no." Velanna is distant and cold, and disdainful of most living things, but she wouldn't just leave. At least, she wouldn't just leave Nathaniel, after how hard he tried to make friends. All their conversations, all the hisses back and forth as he tried to wrangle her softer side out of her, he began to see glimpses of results, and she's gone?

His face pinches with disbelief and hurt, heart rate picking up as he starts to doubt his own perceptions. "You're mistaken. She wouldn't just leave."

[justice_is_blond]

Nate is frowning.

Then again, Nate is always frowning. Non-stop. Especially at Anders. Sometimes Anders thinks it's some sort of allergic reaction to anything fun or appealing, and then reminds himself that he's a healer so he could also be the cure to that reaction. Nate would frown harder if Anders said that.

"We could go look at her room, but I'm going to take what I'm hearing for truth, especially when I didn't see Justice doing his usual judgmental stare over breakfast. You know, it made the oats actually taste sweet this morning." Miss someone? Not him. He's a mage. Everyone comes and goes. ...Except Templars, they're always coming. He glares at one who is passing by the door, already glaring at him.

"Who can really blame her? This isn't exactly a mage-friendly atmosphere, and she has a sibling missing." A beat. "Come on. Let's go look. You'll doubt me otherwise, and there are going to be more bucketheads strolling by here soon now that they know where I am."

[pinprick]

"You're being paranoid." They'd already dealt with the worst of the Templars, that fanatic Rylock. Nathaniel follows Anders' lead, walking briskly toward Velanna's section of the barracks. "And more than a little egotistical. People are allowed to join the Wardens after having been Templars. Nobody would take the risk of the Joining just to get to you."

[justice_is_blond]

"You're being paranoid,'" Anders echoes. "There's no way Templars would go rogue to try to kill you, to the point of attacking the Warden Commander, Hero of Ferelden!"

He snorts. Standing alone is nothing new. Being ignored is nothing new. Honestly, he's a hair away from taking off himself. He'd taken a few months to himself before feeling guilty, but as the number of Templars increases and the number of possible allies decreases, the guilt is lessening.

They're at Velanna's rooms now, and Anders pushes open the door. Sure enough, it's devoid of everything personal. Gear, books, quill, everything.

"You're mistaken, Anders, Velanna wouldn't have just left." A beat. "I know, I know, who would listen to me? I'm just so pretty, you'd prefer to look over listening. If you apologize nicely, I'll let you look."

He won't get an apology or looked at, but maybe if he's lucky he'll get a roll of Nate's eyes.

[pinprick]

She really is gone. Nathaniel goes quiet for a moment. All that time, watching each others' backs, him opening up to her to try to make her feel more comfortable, and she just leaves?

"That bitch," he mutters under his breath.

Then Anders babbles his thing. Oh, Anders. Nathaniel does give him a roll of his eyes.

"One of these days," he says dryly, "I will accept your offer. Just to see you freeze."

[justice_is_blond]

Anders leans dramatically against the doorframe and bats his eyes.

"Promises, promises, Nathaniel. I look forward to that one day, when your taut bowstring of stern aloofness snaps. It can't be good to hold yourself so distant all the time. What's an archer who doesn't... release?"

He wonders if asking to be pierced with Nate's arrows is taking it too far. No, he doesn't wonder it. He knows it. Maybe he'll just almost say it.

"I've seen how accurate you are when you fire, but never up close and personal."

[pinprick]

Anders is always teasing. Nathaniel is sure he does it to deflect from more serious things, like Velanna leaving. If he chose something else to mock besides Nate's attractiveness, or lack thereof, Nate might not be brushing past him in the door now, scowling and determined to say nothing.

[justice_is_blond]

Anders sighs, disappointed but not surprised. He wonders if he'll ever get the reaction he wants from the archer. Probably not. Pushing off the doorframe, Anders falls into step just slightly behind Nate.

"And here I was, certain that blonds were your type." Before he can continue his attempts or go toward something more serious, a messenger walks up to them with sealed notes. Anders frowns as he opens his, frowns even more as he reads it.

"Worries of a Darkspawn nest, of course. But why alongside Rolan and his favorites?" He sighs before realizing he's showing far more than he wants to. Nate's going to mock his worries. "Right, right, I know, if I only flirted with them the way I did you, they'd love me in no time."

He's standing alongside company, and yet feels so alone.

[pinprick]

Nathaniel takes the note from him to skim it, but what he hears from Anders takes priority over the orders in his hand. He gives Anders a baffled look. Because this isn't deflection. It's one of the rare times Anders seems to be saying what he feels.

"Is that what you think?" His eyes narrow. Maybe Rolan and the others haven't deliberately infiltrated the Wardens as a conspiracy against Anders, but they can sure as hell harass him out of habit. "Have they said something to you?"

[justice_is_blond]

Is someone... actually listening to him? No one's done that before, not Jonas, not Velanna, not Nate. Maybe Justice from time to time, but now Justice is gone and Anders doesn't miss the spirit at all.

He studies Nate, trying to figure out if this is a trap. But Nathaniel is never subtle or cruel like that.

"They stop me in the halls." The words come very slowly, as if Anders is ready to be stopped or talked over at any time. "They tell me my time will come, that they'll have revenge for what I did to Rylock and the Templars who died in the attack on Vigil's Keep. You know, the ones who were obviously killed by Darkspawn. They still call me apostate, never use my name. They hate me."

His arms cross a little defensively in front of him. Never has he had the opportunity to say this much before. No one would listen. Nate might still shut him down. "It's not paranoia when they legitimately all want me dead."

[pinprick]

There's a long pause, during which Nathaniel starts cursing himself for brushing off Anders' concerns every time. This is far, far worse than he thought. One hand almost touches Anders to reassure him, then aborts the motion and rubs his own bottom lip instead.

"Why didn't you say this before?" he asks, hushed. Though he knows the answer, really. If he'd brushed off the small concerns, how could he be trusted with the big ones?

After the Deep Roads

[pinprick]

Nathaniel sets his bag down in the clinic and wastes no time flopping into bed. He's too tired even to wonder about how many pests might be in the bedding. It doesn't matter. The moment he's had a bath, he's going to go buy a flat.

"You take the first bath," he mumbles into his sheets. "I'm going to rest a bit first."

It had been even more of a trial than Kal'hirol. Trapped in a thaig not even the Shapers could have known about. Weeks spent looking for a way back to the surface. There is no telling whether Bethany is alive. Nathaniel is never going back to the Deep Roads again.

[justice_is_blond]

"What, no sharing?" The teasing is light. He's not healed yet, especially not after being trapped underground and possibly losing someone who was becoming a friend, but he's not feeling like lying down and giving up. Anders touches Nate's shoulder lightly in passing before he heads toward the tub.

Thank the Maker for magic; Anders never has to haul water. He strips while turning ice into hot water, shaking his clothes out as best he can in the meantime. They've the funds to buy new, at least, because some of the stains are never coming out. But then it's time to ignore everything else and sink into the heat and relax. It's perfect.

"I'm never coming out of here," he calls back, even as the water darkens. Anders starts working on scrubbing spider gunk out of his hair. In the end, it takes draining the tub and refilling it before he feels clean again, and he drains it a second time, filling and warming it for Nate and stumbling out.

"It's all yours." He needs a nap now. Then... Then it will be time to let Lirene know he's back. He has resources now, and the tunnels have given him ideas.

[pinprick]

Nathaniel snores softly. And when Anders speaks, it takes a bleary moment for him to rouse himself.

"What? We can share all you want. I blef mif vass az vlab blif--"

Those aren't words. He tries shaking his head. It's not working. Forcibly, he shoves himself to his feet and stumbles to the tub.

The next thing he knows, he is waking up, clean, drooling on his pillow, The tub is full of cold, dirty water and he is entirely disinterested in draining it as he ought. Right now, he is warm and comfortable and clean. There is no immediate need to get up. But where is Anders? If Anders is also asleep, Nathaniel can stare and pine for a bit before he gets up. If not, he will have to get up and stare and pine instead. Ugh. Getting up. Had Anders finally flirted with him again, before they crashed? Does he remember that right, or is it just wishing?

[justice_is_blond]

Anders hadn't been able to resist the urge to crawl in next to Nate. The blankets are warm, dusty but clean enough considering Darktown, and Nate's warm too. He stirs as Nate does, with a regretful sigh. There's so much to do but he's comfortable. After so long, he almost feels like himself again.

"Tell me it's night and everyone's asleep so there's no point in starting to get things done?" It's muttered. "Lirene is up early every morning, so she can't stay up late." It's not night. It's not even late enough justify pretending it is, he can see the light in the hole in the wall that serves as the clock down here. "Or tell me you need a healer to see to you and stay with you for... some reason. I don't know."

He's just being lazy. No doubt Nate will shove him out of bed and they'll get to work. But he's going to enjoy the cuddling for as long as Nate tolerates it.

[pinprick]

Nathaniel can't shove him out of bed. His arms circle him because he can't help it. He just slept with Anders in a literal sense, but it takes very little to remember when it happened in another sense. Twice.

He loves this man. It's the first time he has used that word in his mind, but he could spend his whole life waking up with Anders in his arms. He could spend his whole life as it is right now, their heartbeats colliding, the scent of golden hair in his nostrils.

"I might need a healer for a very specific reason," he mutters as those thoughts lead things to warm in places, in ways they have warmed without Anders' knowledge these past few months. In this haze, there is no judgment, only feeling.

[justice_is_blond]

Oh, hello. Now there's a surprise, and an entirely pleasant one too. Anders has always been the one to flirt, and even the one to initiate both times before. Nate doing it is new, which means Anders wants to be careful to make sure he's not misreading things.

"Is there an ache you need seeing to?" The innuendo is clear, he thinks, but he follows it up anyway with a slow and careful touch - hand on Nate's lower back moving to rub his ass a little. The last time he had sex was a happier time, and it was also with this man. This could be exactly what he needs right now.

"You've just worked so very hard. Maybe an exam is exactly what you need. ...Or not, I could be entirely missing your meaning." He turns his face so he can look at Nate, smiling. He wants Nate to know it's entirely fine if Anders is mistaken in what's being said, just so there's no pressure. All the same, it's nice to feel the rush of heat to his groin again, to know that he can want this again without an undue amount of guilt.

[pinprick]

Nathaniel has never been certain how much time Anders has needed, or whether he himself can bear being touched and kissed by a man who does not love him back. But now...now? He think he will die without it. He thinks that whatever affection he can get, he had better take and cherish and remember. That one night was so beautiful, he cannot keep replaying only it in his memory when he wants Anders.

His hand begins to slide up Anders' thigh, as many layers of fabric as there are between him and skin. He turns his face against one temple, barely nuzzling.

"I need a healer," he murmurs. "I need you to see to some swelling."

He shifts closer, rolling his hips toward Anders'.

[justice_is_blond]

There's absolutely no question now. Apparently being cut free of the Wardens' leash was good for Nate, or maybe it's just Anders' influence. He doesn't know and he's not worried about what's the reason because he can't see anything unhealthy in it.

Anders makes a pleased noise, pulling the robe he'd exhaustedly yanked on up out of the way so that Nate can touch his skin. But then it's time to focus on his patient, of course.

"I can hardly ignore a patient's plea for assistance." He smooths his hands over Nate's bare chest, feeling the muscles there before his hands make their way to Nate's nipples. One gets a pinch, followed by him quickly bending his head and licking it. "Mm. I don't think that's the swelling."

His expression is mock seriousness, eyes sparkling as he fights a mischievous smile. "Perhaps it's the other?" He leans forward to suck on that one, nice and slow. He hadn't taken the time to tease and play with Nate last time, though Nate had taken his time with him. Now he wants to make up for that, just a little, before he gets Nate buried inside him again.

[pinprick]

Those beautiful hands touch, tease, and then there is the hot, slick flash of tongue. Nathaniel gives a soft moan. Maker help him, this man is wicked and corrupting. Then there is a circle of lips, suction, Nathaniel's back arches and he can no longer consider whether this is a good idea. Maybe it will be unfair to Anders, but that is going to be something he winds up regretting later rather than stopping now. Nathaniel will be sure to guilt himself over it, for certain.

"You have...unusual methods, for a healer," he says breathlessly, hands fumbling to untie Anders' hair and bury themselves in it.

[justice_is_blond]

He sucks a little harder before just barely grazing Nate's nipple with his teeth and then pulling back enough to give Nate a wicked grin, but not enough to lose the hands in his hair. There's a bizarre sweetness to the way Nate seems to enjoy his hair so much, and Anders treasures it.

"Some patients take a little more... thoroughness... than others." The word is emphasized by his hand smoothing down Nate's stomach and coming to rest just above the waistband of his leggings. "Most, in fact, come to me with specific symptoms."

He gets close again, starting to kiss down Nate's neck and chest between sentences. "My throat swollen. My arm hurts. There's a rash between my toes." He pauses just below Nate's breastbone. "You've been so terribly vague, Ser." Another kiss, just above the belly button. "Which means I must be all the more attentive." The next kiss replaces where his hand had been and he pauses, giving time for anticipation to blossom before he kisses the cloth over Nate's erection.

"Mm. Is this, perhaps, the issue?" He palms Nate's cock through the leggings, looking up at the archer's face with a raised eyebrow.

[pinprick]

Maker, the man is gorgeous when he's being slutty. Nathaniel cradles the back of his head in one hand to tilt his head back as he looks up at him, and smiles down at him, lips parting, face flushed.

"You always know where to look to find the problem." He clears his throat, somehow feeling a touch inappropriate when a friend is touching his cock. Before, it was Nathaniel doing the touching. There never had to be any uncomfortable questions about why he was allowing things to happen when he was in the active role--he could simply be active, knowing what he was doing and having a good time. Being passive means there are a lot of things his mind is doing besides having sex. Well. Let's continue the roleplay, then, and see where it leads. Maybe that will take the edge off.

"Do you have a cure?"

[justice_is_blond]

"Do I have a cure?" Anders echoes, voice pure amusement. "Do I have a cure, he asks, having come to the best healer in Kirkwall, nay, Thedas, the best healer there is, as if he can possibly doubt my skill."

Tonight is full of surprises, among them being that Nate's going to play along. Anders has learned plenty about the archer since he'd been betrayed by the Warden-Templars, but a playful side isn't one he's seen much of. At all. As time goes by, more of Nate's shell slips off and Anders likes that. His own had been a bit shattered right from the start. It's nice to see trust and openness being returned.

And it's nice to feel Nate's cock in his hand.

"You'll be glad to know that you've not got a fatal case here. If you'd waited much longer before bringing this to me... but you didn't." He strokes along the shaft idly as he talks, memorizing the rare smile on Nate's face. "What you need is something warm wrapped around it, snugly, until the swelling goes down. Luckily, I've two options for you."

Nate's cock gets released so that Anders can start urging his leggings down. His gaze moves from face to groin as he exposes his friend, feeling himself harden the rest of the way at the sight.

"We'll start with the first choice, hm?" He kisses the side of the cock before flicking out his tongue to brush it. "And if you find the cure isn't working exactly as desired, you're welcome to... seek the other. A good healer does anything for their patient." With that, he takes the head of Nate's cock into his mouth and sucks, gently, just to emphasize his words. The taste of Nate floods his senses and Anders makes a satisfied noise; while the months of hitting on Nate and trying to get him into bed are long distant, he still remembers how much he'd wanted this.