My absolute favourite thing about Fenris romance in DA2 is that he walks away from it.
It’s so unusual and unexpected. You don’t think an NPC would have this kind of agency, especially after you did all the right things and pressed all the right buttons and got into their pants. This is where romance storylines tend to end: they boned, and lived happily ever after.
But… no. Hawke does nothing wrong, as far as we know. The sex was, at the very least, ‘fine’. But Fenris doesn’t want to risk another flashback, or just too upset by the first one, or simply feels this is all too much and too soon, as he says. And he leaves. There’s no discussion. He apologises, he knows this will hurt Hawke, but he’s not letting Hawke talk him into anything. He doesn’t even explain all that much, and frankly he doesn’t need to. Of course he’s free to walk away from a relationship he doesn’t want, or isn’t ready to have.
And that’s Hawke! Fenris’ first and, at the time, still only friend. The only person Fenris can count on to have his back if the hunters come for him again. (And this scene happens after A Bitter Pill, so hey they just did) By then Fenris is getting closer to Aveline, Varric and Isabela at least, but he probably knows that if they’re forced to pick a side they’ll choose Hawke. So Fenris risks severing all the connections he’s made in Kirkwall, if Hawke is hurt and offended enough to throw away their friendship.
Fenris really thinks that’s a possibility. He’s relieved and happy when Hawke takes him on a mission again, there’s a banter about that. But he still leaves, even if it’s the hardest thing he’s ever done, because that’s what’s right for him at the time.
It’s just. So good. I’m so proud of him.
That had been one of the parts that impressed me the most in DA2. That NPCs had their own agenda. Fenris leaving Hawke after their night together, Aveline refusing them even if she is not able to be close to Donnic. Isabela leaving with the Tome, even if she comes back later eventually. That was such a rich and impressive thing to me as a gamer.
All of this.
I still can’t believe the things I read about da2 before playing - the people who were angry at Fenris for leaving, who moved on to other LIs and even chose to sell Fenris to Danarius as some kind of punishment for breaking their precious Hawkes’ hearts.
Fenris taking the time he needs is one of the things that makes this relationship so important to me. I feel like it makes their bond so much stronger for the fact that they can remain friends, that they still care about each other, that Fenris *isn’t* punished for seeing to his own needs before the wants of the player character. It’s such a rare dynamic and it means so much to me I can’t even begin to explain it.
