Maker take the wheel!

spicyshimmy:

When Anders explained on their way into the Deep Roads that Nathaniel could brood but also smolder, Varric was interested—from a purely literary standpoint, of course. So was Isabela—not from a ‘pure’ anything. 

Hawke, on the other hand, was skeptical. 

‘It’s either one or the other,’ he insisted. ‘And never both at the same time. Anders, it was probably the glow from the lyrium taking you by surprise or all the darkspawn guts making him look romantically quizzical.’

‘No, I’m pretty sure it was that his eyes were so marvelously—’ Anders began.

Then Varric had a coughing fit, suddenly in need of a healer’s attention, and Isabela shrugged. Hawke shrugged back. They descended into the oppressive deep without going into Nathaniel Howe’s marvelously something eyes or his apparently epic smolder, and when he turned in the darkness to face them, bow at the ready, flames and etched stone at his back, there was only the brooding bit to contend with. 

Even if it came with luxurious locks, which Anders had neglected to mention up front. 

Maybe it would’ve come after ‘marvelously.’ 

One or the other, Hawke told himself. It couldn’t possibly be both.

Except the smolder appeared after Hawke let his guard down—twisted corpses at their feet, weapons lowered at last—when Nathaniel glanced Anders’s way, brow raised just so, a depth to his eyes that was, admittedly, somewhat marvelous.

‘Well that isn’t fair,’ Hawke said. 

Fenris was going to have to teach him how to brood.