Fenris scanned the receipt of their last trip to the grocery store. He and Anders were about to host a small pre-Christmas dinner for their friends and he wanted to make sure, they had everything they needed.
“Why is there so much Ben & Jerry’s on here?” Fenris frowned in confusion.
Anders stuck his head through the door. “You called?” he smiled. How could he not. This was their first Christmas together in their new flat. He was busy taping fairy lights in every window and Fenris had grudgingly accepted even some stars and candles as indoor decoration.
The man in question waved with the receipt and wore an irritated frown. “Why is there so much ice cream? Who buys ice cream in winter?”
“The important question is: who doesn’t!” Still trying to detangle another chain of fairy lights, Anders entered the kitchen. His boyfriend didn’t seem impressed with the snarky come back.
“Me”, Fenris deadpanned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Anders replied with a pout. “Oh come on… you know we’ll probably end up watching “A Christmas Carol” and I can’t see that film without crying. And when I cry I need ice cream.” Anders’ explanation was as illogically logical as it would get and Fenris resigned with a sigh. “Fine! I hope that you at least got everything for dinner as well. Not just ice cream.” He looked back at the piece of paper, to check it once again. He wanted this evening to be perfect. The perfect first time when Anders and he played host to their friends. Together. Fenris almost smiled, but then the frown returned instantly as he tried to remember how many eggs he would need for the omelette and if they had calculated enough for everyone.
“Love…” Anders had come over to where Fenris was standing, his hands and arms wrapped in fairy lights, that he failed to detangle. “Are you ok?” The taller man raised a questioning eyebrow and fixed his gaze on Fenris. “Is this dinner too much? Should we have waited a year? I’m sorry if my excitement gets on your nerves…” He reached forward, lights dangling from his outstretched hand to carefully stroke Fenris’ cheek.
Fenris snapped out of his calculations at the light touch and looked up into Anders’ worried eyes. Golden eyes. Tinted with a hint of sadness, but still so warm and beautiful. He couldn’t help himself. He smiled. “It’s alright! We both wanted to do this. Instead of a moving-in party, remember?” With a sigh, Fenris leaned into the touch. “I just want everything to be perfect”, he whispered, “For you.”
At that a soft smile appeared on Anders’ face. He bent down until his face was barely an inch away from Fenris’. “Even if the food gets burned and we have no electricity and Hawke’s dog pees on the carpet AND we have to order take-away and sit here in the dark and cold it would be perfect… because we’re together…” Anders closed the gap between them and placed a tender kiss on Fenris’ lips. “This makes me happier than anything, Fenris”. He barely moved away from his boyfriend, their noses brushing against each other before he kissed him again. Longer this time. His hand on Fenris’ cheek slid towards the back of his head to pull Fenris deeper into the kiss.
As they parted, Fenris face was flushed a bright pink. “Stop teasing me like that!” Fenris’ voice sounded strained, but Anders knew him too well to be offended by that. He was quite sure that Fenris was suffering under a serious case of “too much cuteness” and he couldn’t handle sudden endearments too well. So, Anders took a step back, still smiling softly and held out his arms. “Could you help me with these, before you go on planning the perfect dinner party?”
The blush on Fenris’ cheeks got deeper for a moment, then faded and Fenris started to work on the entangled fairy lights. Fenris knew Anders changed the topic on his behalf. That his sappy boyfriend tried to give him space enough to come to terms with his feelings on his own. And Fenris knew, that Anders knew. Which made it even harder for him, not to blush again. Why and when had he ever fallen for him again? Fenris looked up from trying to separate the lights from one another to Anders’ face. Anders beamed down at him as if it was Christmas already.
Well right. That was why!
The next day all plans were made, dinner cooked – three courses of extravagant vegetarian dishes so Merrill could eat everything as well – and the DVD of “A Christmas Carol” placed next to the TV.
“Let them come!” Anders sat nervously on a chair. Slightly bouncing back and forth, his gaze fixed on the window for any signs of people walking by or an arriving car. “Would you… could you stop that please. You’re making me nervous.” Fenris already was nervous, but that his boyfriend showed it openly made his nervousness only increase. “Oh! Sorry!” Anders sat still instantly, lowering his gaze. “I guess I’m just a little bit too excited, love.” He smiled and Fenris walked over, placing his hands on Anders’ shoulders. He tried to smile reassuringly, despite his inner turmoil. “Me too!” He placed a soft kiss on Anders’ forehead. “Me too…”
Shortly after Hawke had arrived, his dog pushing through the small space between his owner’s legs and into the flat. Varric and Bethany were with him, Carver excused himself with a sincere apology but his football team had an unexpected game that night. Isabela and Merrill rang the door only shortly after, the smaller of the pair almost squeeing in delight at Anders’ and Fenris’ dinner choices. “For me?! Oh you guys, I could kiss you! You needn’t have troubled yourself!” Isabela had coughed and slung her arm around her girlfriend with a smirk. “You can’t kiss everyone, honey!”
Dinner went by smoothly. Varric entertained them with the latest rumours of the town – that man definitely knew everything! And despite all Fenris’ worst fears everything was perfect.
As Anders had predicted, after everyone was done eating they settled down on the couch and placed the film in the DVD player. Apparently watching “A Christmas Carol” even before Christmas was some kind of tradition between Anders and Isabela and the rest of their friends had adopted the custom eagerly.
After everyone was settled, Merrill on the floor with Hawke’s enormous dog on her lap, blankets distributed, drinks placed on the table, snacks ready, Fenris suddenly jumped up. “We forgot the ice cream!”
He was met with a confused silence by their guests. “Ice cream, Fenris?” Varric eyed him with suspicion. “Am I talking to the same snow-is-overrated-and-winter’s-too-cold Fenris? Why ice cream?” Fenris’ puzzled gaze met Anders, who seemed to fight against the urge to laugh and cry simultaneously. “Anders said he needs ice cream when he watches a sad film… I assumed…” He broke off. Isabela looked from Fenris to Anders and back. “If Blondie’s having ice cream, I want some too.” She stood up from her spot behind Merrill. “Let me help you with the bowls. Anyone else?” After almost everyone demanded their share of the ice cream, Isabela walked over to the kitchen with Fenris.
Fenris’ face was bright red. Had he understood something wrong about Anders yesterday?
When they returned with the ice cream and Fenris settled down next to Anders as the film started, he noticed the watery look in his boyfriend’s eyes. “Hey…” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Everything ok?” Fenris was confused. Anders turned towards him, a fond smile on his face. “Fine… just…” He bit his lower lip. “You don’t eat ice cream in winter! I thought maybe that was just me. Didn’t want to bother you or the others with my weird cravings…” He smiled. “That you remembered… and looked so serious about it just now… that was so cute.” Fenris realized that Anders seemed close to tears. Impulsively Fenris grabbed a spoon of ice cream and offered it to his boyfriend, a lopsided grin on his face. “You said, you need ice cream when you cry.”
Anders eyed the offered spoon for a split second, then almost started laughing which gained him a “Ssssh” from their friends. Somehow Fenris knew that his weird emotional reaction was not about the ice cream. It was so much more about the fact that Anders was not used to people doing something just for him. Listening to his wishes and making them their number one priority.
But Fenris did. Even with something as trivial as ice cream. Fenris cared. And that fact still left Anders speechless. Speechless and undeniably happy.