literature

Act IV: a present - part 2

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It took a little less than a day, actually.

She remembered when he had turned down a cat back in Kirkwall. ("Too dangerous for a cat here." "You had a cat in the DEEP ROADS, Anders!" "I… it's more dangerous here!")

She'd thought then that he was afraid of something happening to him and leaving the cat to starve, or worse. No amount of reassurance would change his mind, either. Now, she thought it had been fear: he was afraid of having something to love. Well, she'd worn him down with sheer persistence before, and she had a huge advantage this time: the tan, spotted bundle of fur was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.

She'd grown up with dogs, mostly. Puppies were certainly cute, but in a different way. And it was so tiny, hardly bigger than her hand! It wanted down after its nap, and she took a simple, uncomplicated joy in watching it explore. It was totally fearless, attacking flowers and lizards with equal abandon.

Bethany and Merrill made disgusting cooing noises over it; Anders very obviously was keeping his distance, but she saw him watching when he thought no one was looking. And of course she had to ask his advice about feeding and care, because she didn't know anything about taking care of kittens.

He almost had a heart attack when Sandy discovered the kitten. Kaja had to physically restrain him from dashing over and snatching it away when the mabari approached it warily. They sniffed noses cautiously, the kitten no bigger than one of the dog's paws. Kaja stifled a laugh at Sandy's stub of a tail, quivering excitedly. Finally the dog swiped his huge tongue from the kitten's nose to its tail, almost knocking it down. It complained loudly and Sandy promptly picked it up carefully by the scruff of its neck. He padded over to Kaja and gently deposited it in her lap.  

That night at dinner, they watched in astonishment as the kitten walked calmly over to Sandy where he was eating his rabbit. Kaja got ready to grab it; she wasn't sure how the dog would react to his meal being threatened. The kitten stared Sandy down until he whined and backed up. Grandly the insolent bit of fluff laid claim to the carcass, worrying at the soft parts until his belly was full. Only when it toddled off did Sandy finish eating.

"That was… I wouldn't have believed that if I hadn't seen it," Anders said, grinning. Kaja was trying very hard not to laugh; she didn't want to embarrass Sandy. Bethany didn't bother trying.

"He's as brave as a dragonslayer!" Merrill giggled. "Oh! That's his name!"

Anders started to protest, "We're not keeping-" Kaja elbowed his ribs, hard.

Merrill jumped up, drawing her dagger. She knelt in front of the kitten where it sat washing itself. It looked at her curiously as she solemnly touched the dagger to each shoulder in turn. "I dub thee, Ser Percival!" It seemed unimpressed. She looked up at the others. "He was a famous dragonslayer from Nevarra. Varric told me stories about him, I thought…."

Kaja had to say it. "Ser Purr-cival?" She giggled.

Anders groaned, burying his face in his hands, but she thought he was smiling.

Merrill's mouth dropped. "Oh… I didn't even… oh my." She gave an embarrassed laugh. "That's sort of cute, actually. I can't believe I came up with that; it was an accident, really. But you don't have to call him that; you should have named him, not me. I'm so sorry-"

Kaja cut across the elf's babbling. "No, no, Merrill… it's purr-fect!" She collapsed, laughing so hard she couldn't continue, and Bethany, quiet reserved Bethany, was howling.

It took quite a while before they had themselves under control again, and still spurts of giggles would pop out sporadically. A thought struck her. "Uh… it is a boy, isn't it?

The kitten protested loudly as Anders picked it up to check. "Indeed he is." He put him back down, reluctantly Kaja thought.

Merrill insisted on telling them the epic tale of Ser Percival of Nevarra, champion dragonslayer. Her imitation of Varric's storytelling had them all in stitches. All in all, a good evening.

When it was time for bed, she arranged a little nest for the kitten in a corner of the tent, using one of her shirts. He was sound asleep already and didn't even budge as she settled him into the folds of cloth. By the time she had done that, Anders was asleep, or pretending to be, in his own blankets. She hesitated. They hadn't made love since Kirkwall. Part of it was the lack of privacy, but they could have found opportunities. There was still a distance between them, a distance she was at a loss for how to dispel. Sighing, she slid into her bedroll. It had been a long day, and even worrying about Anders couldn't keep her awake long.

She woke to birdsong, and a loud, buzzing hum that seemed to be coming from nearby. She propped up on her elbows, looking for the source of the noise. Ser Purrcival was perched on Anders' chest, purring loudly as the mage gently fondled the soft fur. At her movement, he glanced up and quickly dropped his gaze guiltily.

She sidled over next to him, reaching out to pet the kitten. "You may as well give up, you know," she said softly, not looking at him. She waited for him to reply, but he only took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Finally she met his eyes. It was hard not to wince at the pain she saw there. She touched his face gently and he flinched.

"Kaja, I can't… you shouldn't-"

She cut him off. "I'm not giving up on you, I'm not letting you go, I'm not leaving you. Get used to it." Her voice was harsh with unshed tears. "I love you, you idiot. Right here, right now, that's all that matters. That we love each other."

"But-"

She pounced forward, crushing his lips with hers to thwart his protest. He resisted at first, but he had nowhere to go. She softened the kiss, gently nipping his lips until they parted, flicking her tongue in to find his. He made a muffled groan and kissed her back fiercely, burying his hands in the stark white of her hair to hold her even more tightly to him.

She gloried in it, reveled in the physical sensations and the emotions that accompanied them. Finally she raised her head, noting with no small satisfaction his eyelids fluttering as he tried to focus on her. He was breathing hard and she smiled slightly, trying to get her own breath back. "So… you were saying?"

His voice was unsteady but there was a small answering grin on his face. "You… are a bad, bad woman."

She kissed him, lightly this time. "Yes, that's why you love me."

His hand tightened in her hair. "I love your smile, I love your courage, your determination, your loyalty…."

He paused and she nipped his nose. "Ooh, continue, please!"

He chuckled. "It would take me all day." He grew serious again, warm brown eyes searching her silver ones as he smoothed her hair away from her face. "I don't have the words to tell you how much I love you."

She blinked, her eyes stinging. "I think you just did."

He pulled her down to him again, to a kiss so gentle and soft… she melted against him. And jumped as he yelped, eyes wide. "Damned cat!"

They both looked down his chest at Ser Purrcival, who stared back innocently from half-lidded eyes as he methodically flexed his claws in and out, purring loudly.

Anders growled and then sucked in a sharp breath. "Ow, ow, ow."

Kaja couldn't help a giggle as she sat up and extracted the tiny claws from Anders' shirt. "You big baby." She nuzzled the kitten's head and he licked her nose. "I think he's trying to tell us he's hungry."

Anders sighed loudly. "Upstaged by a smirking ball of fur." He sat up and took her free hand in his, twining their fingers together. "Thank you, love, for…." He stopped.

She leaned in. "Always, and forever." She could kiss him like this forever, she thought, until sharp teeth began worrying at her fingers. They broke apart, laughing. "Come on, let's feed this little monster before he eats my hand." They rose together, to start the new day.
I finally got this done. i thought about putting it behind a filter for the horrible pun; blame my husband for that. :D

Part 1: [link]

Dragon Age 2 characters, etc. property of Bioware, anything they get up to in these stories is entirely my fault.
© 2011 - 2024 kitiaramajere
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kitiaramajere's avatar
hehe, who doesn't? i'd have a dozen if i could!