Chapter Text
Anders and Fenris left Varric’s suite after a pair of angry Carta dwarves had stormed in to confront him about bribes that were going unpaid. “Sorry to leave you two to each other’s company. Just don’t kill each other,” Varric had said before he had shut the door in their faces.
Fenris’ limp had not been suitably numbed by the liberal internal application of cold ale, but Anders held to his offer to buy the elf a drink. Or five if the situation demanded.
They dropped into a corner table and Anders signaled to Norah for more. After having a blood mage stab him in the head, Justice did not complain too loudly in Anders’ head when he did not water his ale when Norah brought a fresh pitcher.
“Why?” Fenris picked up the thread of the conversation they had been not-having around Varric’s distractions. “Why did you tell me I could leave you down there?”
Anders refilled Fenris’ mug before filling his own. “I was feeling all noble and self-sacrificing. The better question is why you didn’t leave me.”
Fenris raised his mug to his lips and drank until he set it down empty and muffled a belch against his forearm.
Anders waited through the display until Fenris was done before raising his eyebrows pointedly at him. “Well?”
Fenris shrugged a shoulder and reached for the pitcher. “It was a brief lapse of reason. It won’t happen again.”
Anders snorted before taking a long swig of bad ale. “Oh. In that case I don’t have to…”
“What?” Fenris paused in filling his mug to pin Anders with a hard stare. “You don’t have to what?”
The response was muffled when Anders spoke into his mug, leaving Fenris uncertain whether to acknowledge it or not.
“Idon’thavetosaythankyou.”
Fenris snorted and shoved the pitcher back at Anders. “Don’t. Then I won’t have to lie and say you are welcome.”