#fem!tabris

"Would it offend you if I told you I fancied you?," Zevran practically purred.

Sierra Tabris frowned. It didn't offend exactly, but it made her... uncomfortable. Zevran was great in a fight, with amazing conversational skills and vivid stories, and she never regretted showing him mercy; he just didn't have anything to offer her. She briefly remembered Alistair's eagerness at spending time training with her and teaching her new things and cursed inwardly. She knew she needed to tell them, at least, but she'd never told anyone but her cousin Shianni. And that didnt help either. She could think the words, scream them in her head, but when she tried saying them, they got caught on her tongue.

Zevran's brow furrowed in concern; he must have noticed she looked like she was in pain.

"My apologies," he began, "did I offend you? I meant no disrespect-"

"N-no, ya got it wrong, Zev, it ain't you," Sierra interrupted, cursing herself silently as she remembered Wynne's grammar lessons. "It's just...," she trailed off, eyes darting unconciously in Leliana's direction. It was night, just after dinner, and most were at their own tents by now; but Leliana was standing just far away enough so she couldn't see Sierra and Zevran talking. She was sharpening her arrows and singing softly under her breath. Sierra sighed longingly; whenever she had watch duty, she'd listen to Leliana sing herself to sleep, imagining what it'd be like to be sung to by her.

Zevran's eyebrows nearly shot off his face. "You fancy Leliana then?"

Sierra turned to him abruptly, blushing furiously to the tip of her eyes. "N-no! Wh-whaddya mean, 'fancy'?! Th-that'd be unnatural! I-it couldn't happen..."

Zevran, who had been grinning sheepishly up until her last words, grabbed her chin so she'd face him and looked her dead in her eyes. "Sierra. I have told you many stories of my adventures with other men. Would you call those 'unnatural'? Is it something that disgusts you?"

Sierra was shaking her head before he finished. "No, it ain't! Really. But I.. if my family knew, I'd never live it down, I'd be the family embarrassment, I can't -- an' Leliana, there ain't no way she'd ever look twice at someone like me --"

Zevran tutted impatiently. "My dear Warden, there is nothing wrong with you. You are not an embarrassment. And I'm sure Leliana looks at you more often than you think."

Sierra looked between him and Leliana.

"Really?"

"Yes," he responded, unable to hide his amusement.

"An' there ain't nothing wrong with me? You swear it?"

"Cross my heart," he promised.

She smiled gratefully; maybe he was just trying to reassure her, but there was some part of her that wanted to believe him. Some part that said, You know he could be right.

She hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Zevran."

He hugged her back. "Of course --"

"But if ya ever grab my face like that again, I'll stab ya. Got it?"

He chuckled nervously. "Understood."

She wanted to go for Leliana immediately, but she knew she other matters to attend to.

"Hey Alistair!," she called out as she ran across camp and jumped onto the table she built a few weeks ago.

Alistair glanced up from his bowl of soup and smiled at her. It was one of those lovesick smiles Nelaros had given her when they first met. She wanted it to stop.

"Guess what!?"

He continued smiling, as patient as ever. She took a deep breath; this was the first step, then she could move on. She cupped her hands around her mouth.

"I'M GAY!!!," she shouted, watching as he choked on his soup. "I LIKE GIRLS!! I CAN'T BE WITH YOU!!"

From her vantage point, she could hear Zevran chuckling behind her, and Morrigan laughing in the distance; she could see Sten and Shale standing impassively as they watched what was going on, and Wynne shaking her head affectionately.

~Till Death~

Seeing him like this is a shock.

After his coronation she'd left the country, unable to bear the sight of him any longer. They'd seen each other only rarely, but promised each time that when the Calling came, they would face it together - if they could not have each other, they could have this at least.

Yet for all his vows he stands before her now, pale and gaunt, the taint crawling up his neck, and knows that had she not heard the rumours, he would have left without her. She doesn't ask him why he kept it secret. She suspects it might be for the same reason she hasn't told him about the way the Old Gods whisper in her dreams.

He pulls her close and sobs quietly into her hair. It seems unfair how it is only now, so close to death, that he finally allows her to touch him. So long has it been that she's forgotten the feel of warmth at her back, or the roughness of his hands. She's forgotten what it is to be loved, and it is so achingly bittersweet she wants to cry.

---

The heroes in their pyjamas, because why not?

On the right: Heylin the ever graceful city elf Warden, and her faithful hound Barkspawn

On the left: Hawke the definitely-not-a-morning-person Champion of Kirkwall and her mutt, Mathi.

I have a lot of headcannon for these two, but I won't bore you with it now :)

---

Commission for *TigerCloudz of her pretty Warden Tymethia Tabris and Zevran. 

She was just about to take a nap and rest for a moment since she didn't feel any lingering darkspawn for the moment and then Zev took the opportunity to distract her. That was the scene I had in mind here.  It was so much fun to draw and color this (even though my back hurts now... re-inking was kind of exhausting XD) But I did a traditionally colored piece for a change again 8D And I hope *TigerCloudz will like it ^^