A hush fell over Villa Dellamorte as Thedas' two moons neared the height of their passage across the darkened night sky. The stars shone like precious jewels set carefully across the heavens, sparkling brightly as the rain clouds which had plagued the coast of Antiva for the past week finally cleared from view. The breeze that swept through the gardens below her balcony felt heavy with the final remnants of the storms.

The stillness that slowly blanketed the estate as the lights were snuffed out room by room was to be expected. Viviana had spent enough time here to know that. During these particular hours of the night, there was a muted calm that followed as the visitors and inhabitants took to their beds. Most of them would be fast asleep as midnight drew nearer.

And yet, she couldn't seem to stifle the sense of restlessness which only continued to grow within her; the pit in her stomach keeping her awake with uneasy apprehension.

She carefully perched herself on the edge of the chaise lounge that rested near the crackling fire in the hearth that warmed her oversized suite. She made a halfhearted attempt to silence the thoughts that raced through her mind as she scanned the words plainly printed on the parchment of the book in her hands. It had kept her entertained since she'd departed from Salle.

She sighed heavily as she reached the final paragraph on the page and realized she hadn't retained a single word; the distraction wasn't working. She closed the book and tossed it carelessly onto the cushion beside her.

Perhaps the journey from Salle to Treviso had taken more of a toll on her than it usually did, despite its relative brevity and how frequently she and Viago made the trip.

At first, he'd thought he must've left in the laundry or to dry but it was at neither of those places.

Then, he thought he might've tucked it in some corner of his wardrobe. Although that was highly unlikely since that hoodie always clung to him like a second skin.

He blew out an exasperated breath as he failed to recall where he might've left it.

At last, he ventured out of his room into the living room to find you, in hopes that you might have some idea about his beloved hoodie's whereabouts.

"Darling have you seen my -" the words died on his tongue as his gaze fell on you.

He looked at you, eyes wide open, mouth agape .

You were curled up on the couch, coffee in one hand and your phone in the other.

But it wasn't what you were doing that had caused him to be taken off guard.

 You were wearing his hoodie, the very hoodie he'd turned the entire watchtower upside down trying to find.

And he was in love with how it looked on you.

 It was, of course, far too big for you. The sleeves were pushed way up and bunched up around your elbows, and the hoodie practically reached up to your legs.

But seeing you in his hoodie, made him feel a sudden warmth in his chest. And suddenly, he didn't even need the hoodie anymore.

“Hmm?” you asked, l00king up from your phone.

You quickly set it down as you saw the look on his, "is something wrong, love? " you asked, concern washing over your features. "are you okay?"

"Y-yeah" Bob gulped. "Yeah I'm great!" he nodded.

“Okay that’s good” your features relaxed. “What were you gonna ask me?" you pouted.

"Oh it's just-" Bob took in the sight of you. "You're wearing my hoodie," he pointed out.

You blinked, "Oh" .

You looked down at the hoodie, "Yeah I got up this morning and it was kind of cold so I saw it and I just put it on," you explained.

"but really, I had been looking for an excuse to wear this for a while now," you chuckled.

A smile tugged at the corners of Bob's lips.

"it's so warm and fluffy, it's like i could sink it" you shifted in your seat to make space for Bob, who was heading your direction.

"it is, yeah" he smiled as he sat down next to you and wrapped his arm around you.

"oh and I can just pull the-" you set down your cup and pulled the cap of the hoodie over your head. "the cap's so big for me, it covers half my face, so I look like the main character from assassin's creed" you grinned as you explained.

Bob chuckled before slowly moving the cap away from your face and planting a kiss to your lips.

"You know," he began. "I was actually going crazy looking for this" he brushed his hand across the sleeve of the hoodie.

"my room is a complete mess, " he let out a slow, breathy laugh.

Your lips curled into a frown, "Oh no I didn't want to make you worry I'll help you clean up your room".

"Oh no don't apologise" Bob held your hand in his. "I love seeing you in this..." he slowly lifted a shoulder. "in my clothes".

You smiled.

"Okay good cuz I've been eyeing one of your flannels.." you began.

Bob laughed again, louder this time. "You can take whatever you like darling," he mumbled against your lips before kissing you once again.

You'd gone to a park, where you'd delightfully fed the flock of ducks, and had talked Bob’s ear off about a new album you'd been listening to. 

And Bob had listened to every word you said with great interest.

“We should head back now,” You said, as you glanced at your watch.

“Yeah,” Bob nodded. 

He then offered you his hand, which you gladly took. And the two of you began to walk back to the tower.

Nearly five minutes into the walk, you felt it. The first drop that fell on your cheek.

You looked up at the sky, brows furrowed.

“It's starting to rain,” Bob said, as he held out his free hand and looked up at the sky.

The rain picked up its pace, the moment Bob finished his sentence.

“Woah!” you exclaimed as the rain began to pour.

“We should get back fast or we'll be soaked” Bob said in a hurried tone.

“We could” you clicked your tongue. “Orrrr” you leaned your head in his direction.

Bob blinked, “Or?” 

“We could dance in the rain!” You held out both your hands in excitement.

“What!?” Bob asked, shock clearly registered on his face.

“Yeah!” You giggled. “Come on, it'll be so fun!” you held his hands, practically shaking him as you jumped in excitement.

Bob smiled upon seeing enthusiasm. 

“We could, but you might catch a cold darling” he frowned.

“Oh I’ll be fine” you waved a hand. “Come on!” you tugged at his hands.

You quickly moved away from him. “You can dance!” you pointed a hand in Bob’s direction. “You can jive!” you began screaming the lyrics.

“Having the time of your life!”.

Bob rushed in your direction, taking your hands in his. “See that girl!” he moved his shoulders as he sang.

“Watch that scene!” both of you sang.

“Diggin’ the dancing queen!” 

a laugh escaped your lips as he twirled you.

“Isn't this the best thing to ever happen to you?” you asked loudly over the sound of the rain.

Bob leaned in your direction, “You're the best thing that's ever happened to me” he said, as he held your face in his hands.

You chuckled quietly before pulling him by the collar of his shirt and kissing him.

When you pulled away, he quickly grabbed your waist and lifted you off your feet.

Your laughter echoed as he spun you around.

The next morning, you sat on the couch, blanket draped around you as you sneezed uncontrollably.

“Told you you'd get sick, darling” Bob frowned as he handed you a cup of tea.

“Yeah you did” you said hoarsely. “But it was still worth it,” you smiled.

Bob chuckled, slowly shaking his head, “Yeah it was”.

Bob quietly dipped his head, nodded along as you read the list out loud.

"Did you not add carrots?" He pouted.

You gave him a puzzled look, “carrots?”

"Yeah for the carrot cake," Bob shrugged.

You pouted, "You sure you wanna make it again?".

"Yeah" he lifted his shoulders briefly.

"It's cuz last time...." you winced, upon remembering the memory. " when it didn't turn out so well, you spent the entire sunday crying over it" .

"Wha-pff I wasn't crying" Bob scoffed.

You gave him a blank stare, "I literally had to get you to stop crying by having a teenage mutant ninja turtles marathon”.

"That was-" he chuckled nervously. "it was- you know it was actually a tactic" he bobbed his head sideways.

You raised an eyebrow as you let out an amused chuckle, "Oh really?".

"Yeah" he nodded. "So that I could get you to watch it,"

You laughed, slowly shaking your head.

***

The farmer's market was a place full of lively chatter of sellers and customers.

There were more people than usual today since it was the weekend. 

You spent the better part of the day visiting countless stalls getting far more things than you actually needed.

In less than two hours, you'd ended up with multiple bags filled to the point where things were threatening to spill out.

And of course, Bob insisted on carrying as much of the bags as he could, until he ran out of space in his hands and you took some of them from him.

Bob then spent the better part of an hour deciding on what carrots to pick for his cake.

”Bob it doesn’t matter they’re all the same” You groaned as you sat down on the ground, too tired to care how dirty it might be.

But he only continued to turn over every carrot like an expensive artifact and examine them with a crease between his brows, “Oh no it absolutely matters” he said without peeling his gaze away from the carrot. “it will factor into the entire flavour”.

“really hope you don’t end up crying again love” you muttered under your breath, slightly wincing.

”Hmm what?” Bob asked.

”nothing!” you squeaked.

After what felt like an eternity, Bob finally picked out his carrots and you headed forward.

”Would you like a sample, mam?” A seller offered you a tray of…juice?

You and Bob stopped as you looked at the drink. “What is it?” you asked curiously.

”Juice” The man shrugged.

”Yeah…” You slowly nodded. “But of what..?”

“All organic things mam, give it a try” and before you could deny, the man handed you both two cups.

 By the time you’d finished up, the sun was no longer overhead and it was far less crowded at the market.

The two of you headed towards your car, hands entirely full of bags.

“Oh” your gaze fell on the glasses of juice. “You wanna try this juice sample love?” You asked Bob who was in the process of making space in the trunk.

”Yeah sure” he called out.

After setting all your bags inside the car, Bob settled in the driver's seat and you beside him.

“I'd say today was a success” he smiled as you handed him the glass of juice sample.

“Agreed” you nodded smiling.

He gently bumped his drink into yours before you drank it.

Your eyes widened comically as the taste hit your mouth.

“Ugh absolutely not!” you gagged.

You looked over to Bob who had a similar look on his face.

You grabbed his glass and quickly headed out of the car to dispose of it .

"Hey you're up" he smiled before pulling the door fully open and stepping inside.

Comfort spread through your chest like warmth as you saw him.

His hair was still messy, loose curls going every way. He was dressed in a pair of trousers and a shirt whose colours were fading from being washed one too many times.

He had his coffee mug in one hand and a small towel on one shoulder.

"Good morning" he placed his cup on the bedside table before planting a kiss on your forehead.

"Morning," you smiled."What were you up to?" you asked as you passed a glance at the towel.

"Hmm?" he looked over at his shoulder. "Oh I was just doing last night's dishes,".

You winced as you remembered it was your turn to them, but you had forgotten. "Oh no I'm sorry, I completely forgot about it last night," you apologised.

"Oh no don't worry," he reassured you. "I don’t mind doing the dishes, " he shrugged. “Besides, you needed some rest.”

You moved sideways to make space for him as he settled beside you on the bed. 

"You had a bad dream last night?" a crease formed between his brows.

Your expression  softened, "Yeah, did I wake you?" you asked.

"Oh no I couldn't sleep honestly," Ben admitted. "You were talking in your sleep."

You sighed, as you fiddled with the rings on your fingers.

Despite having left the Lot weeks ago, the memories hadn't left either of you. They'd woven themselves to the lines on your palms.

And no matter how hard you tried to run away, tried not to remember them, they always caught up to you. 

Both of you.

But it was easier with Ben by your side.

He quietly reached for your hand and brushed his thumb over your skin. 

"It's not easy," he spoke, his voice merely a quiet murmur, intertwining like a melody with the sound of the rain.

"It's not easy to forget something like that, to move past it,".

He wrapped his hand around yours, "But I'm here".

You looked up to meet his gaze.

"I'm here by your side," he said again, with much more certainty. "And I always will be"

A smile crept onto your features, "I love you so much," you whispered, as if you were afraid that your own voice might shatter the peace if you spoke too fast, too loud.

He smiled before slowly wrapping an arm around you and pulling you closer to him.

"I love you too," he murmured, before placing a kiss on your knuckles.

You rested your head on his shoulders. 

"Always will" he said, as he rested his head against your head.

His hand moved up and down your arm, gently caressing it as you held onto his other hand.

For a moment, there was only the sound of the rain gently pouring outside and the sound of your own breathing.

And you finally felt like you didn’t need to stay alarmed, to not need to have your guard up, to be searching for some form of danger.

For the first time in a long while, you felt safe. Because you were in the arms of the man in whose company you’d found your solace, in whose company you'd found the quiet, gentle, peaceful form of love.

On the bedside table, Ben's coffee had long gone cold, but he didn’t care. 

Bonus

It was just the two of you, quietly wrapped in each other's arms, wanting for the moment to never end.

And of course, Mark.

He called out your name before barging into your room, "Hey have you seen my blue shirt that I-".

"Ugh ewww" he rolled his eyes in disgust as soon as he saw the two of you.

You and Ben quickly moved away from each other.

You sighed before pointing at a bag on the chair, "It's in there,".

Mark shook his head like a very disappointed parent before walking over to the chair.

You tapped to the beat of the song playing on the radio as Rhett drove through the empty roads.

A crease appeared between your brows when you noticed how slow the car was moving.

“Is the car slowing down?” you asked Rhett.

Rhett, who'd also noticed the same, frowned as he tried to press the accelerator.

But the car gave no response and eventually crawled to a stop.

You blinked, "What's going on?" you asked, panic rising .

"Shit" Rhett cursed under his breath before trying to get the car to start again.

But the engine only sputtered and gave low dying sounds before it stopped making sounds altogether.

"Wait, did your car just break down!?" You asked him, panic very clear in your tone.

He winced, "I think so".

"Oh no no no way” you started spiralling.

 You looked out the window and there was nothing but trees and the open road for as long as eyes could see.

You checked your phone but there wasn't any signal.

“We’re in the middle of fuckin' nowhere!" you said. “With nothing near us for miles and no cell service,” you ran a hand through your hair.

"Well we're gonna be stranded," you nodded furiously. "We're gonna be stranded until a bear or something comes and tears us apart. and-"

"Woah woah woah calm down" Rhett held you by your shoulders. "Calm down, calm down" he gently shook you. 

“We’re not stranded and no bear will tear us,”.

You nervously fidgeted with your hands.

"I'll just check the engine, I'm sure it can be fixed" he reassured you before stepping out the car.

You went out along with him. 

“Can it be fixed?" you asked as you approached him.

Rhett ran a hand through his hair "Uh I don't think so,” he winced.

“the engine’s fried” 

Your eyes widened, "What!?" .

"Oh my god we would not have had this problem had we just taken my car instead" you groaned.

Rhett rolled his eyes, "If we had taken your car, it would've taken us five to six business days to get there,".

"Uh probably but it would not have broken down in the middle of fuckin' nowhere" you threw up your hands in frustration.

"Oh my god-" he bit his lips.

"Okay look there's no use fightin' over my very well maintained ride-"

You groaned

"and your dumpster truck," he continued. "There's a town not far from here, we should be able to call a tow truck from there," he pointed in the direction of the woods.

"Yeah well how're we gonna get there genius," You planted a hand on your hip.

"By walking, genius" Rhett countered.

“You wanna walk through the damn woods when it just rained last night?” you parted your lips in disbelief.

"Yeah well do you have a better idea?"  he gruffed.

You ran your hands through your hair, "Well this is it the bears are just waitin’ for their lunch to just march over to them." you started  talking to yourself.

"Why are there bears in plural now!?" Rhett raised his hand in question. "Doesn't matter," he shook his head.

"And calm down, ain't no bear gonna eat us, these woods are harmless, and it won't take us long to get there," he reassured.

“Why can’t we just wait here until someone passes by?” you raised a hand in question.

“Because we don’t know if someone’s gonna come anytime soon and it’ll be dark soon’” Rhett crossed his arms infront on him.

You sighed, finally accepting your fate, “Fine, woods it is then,”.

***

The ground was still damp from last night's rain and mud clung onto your shoes as you walked.

”See? this isn't so bad now is it?" Rhett asked, as a smile crept on to his lips.

"Oh it absolutely is" you huffed. 

You moved a branch away from your face as you walked ahead. “There are insects following us the whole way and my hand's covered in insect bites," you grimaced as you examined your hand that was turning an angry red.

Rhett winced as he saw your hand, "Oh no" he winced.

"Well atleast there are no bears..?" he offered weakly.

"not yet,” you pointed a finger. 

"Could've easily avoided somethin' like this i we just took my car," you huffed.

"Your car makes noises worse like breeding cattle," Rhett countered.

You grimaced, "You go round listening to cattle breeding?" you looked up at him, eyebrows raised.

"Wha- no!" he exclaimed. "I live on a ranch!,"

You rolled your eyes, “whatever" you said.

"And no matter what noises my car makes at least it doesn't break down in the middle of nowhere," You huffed.

"Yeah if I'm remembering correctly, that very car drove you all the way over to the other side of town cuz you wanted to ice cream from your favourite place,” Rhett pointed out.

You bit your lip and averted your gaze down to your feet.

You remembered exactly how that day had gone. 

Your so- called friends had all gone out together and didn’t bother even asking you. 

And it was Rhett who had found you, crawled into a corner, crying behind the bleachers.

So he'd taken you all the way to the other side of the town to get you the ice cream you liked, so as to cheer you up.

You stayed silent, gave him no response, no snarky remark and quietly walked ahead.

"Didn't even get why you wanted to be friends with those girls so bad," Rhett shook his head slowly. 

"They were just talking to you cuz you helped them with homework and let them cheat off your tests,”.

Your response came quietly, "Just wanted to have people who wanted to be around me,".

It was Rhett who didn't say anything then.

You were too wrapped in your own thoughts to see where you were going, and suddenly you lost your balance as your feet slipped into the mud.

And before you realised it, you were falling down.

You heard Rhett's voice call out your name in panic.

You yelped as you crashed against a tree. "I’m okay" you offered weakly as he ran over to you.

He quickly slid his arm around you, helping you back to your feet. "You should watch where you're going," he said, but you could see the fear in his eyes.

"Will try when I'm stranded in the woods with angry cowboy hat again," you spat back, but didn't move away as he helped you walk.

There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, "Why do we do this?" he asked, there was an unfamiliar hit of seriousness in his tone.

"Do what?" you looked up at him.

"Bickerin' all the time," he muttered.

You sighed looking down at your feet, "I don't know...I guess it's always been easier this way" you slowly lifted a shoulder.

"to make snide remarks instead of actually saying what we think of each other".

Rhett's expression softened, "And what do you think of me?" .

You  met his gaze, "That...you're not bad to be around." you admitted quietly.

A smile tugged at the corners of Rhett's mouth. 

"And that your car isn't so bad" you added.

He beamed as soon as those words left your lips.

"Told ya" he chuckled.

“I like it, you know?” he said quietly.

“Like what?” you looked up at him.

“I like being around you,” he admitted.

You smiled, “I like being around you too, Rhett”.

“I never would’ve thought you’d confess your undyin’ love for me in the woods,” Rhett grinned.

“Shut up, angry cowboy hat,” you rolled your eyes before lightly smacking his arm.

You groaned and stirred, the blanket clinging to you like it was your safe haven. You extended one arm, eyes only half open and gently nudged Bob.

"Bobby, wake up," You called out to him hoarsely.

"Hmm?" He hummed in his sleep before slowly opening his eyes.

"Huh? What time is it?" He quickly got up and put on his glasses.

"Six," you mumbled.

"We have to be up by six in order to get breakfast by eight and leave at ten," Bob read out the planner you had so thoroughly crafted.

"Yeah," you sighed. You tried to peel your eyes open, but your eyelids seemed to have planned a mutiny against you.

"Five more minutes," you grumbled before pulling the blanket over you.

"Yeah," Bob took off his glasses before slipping back into the bed and wrapping an arm around you.

You jolted awake, sitting upright as your eyes flung open.

You looked at the clock

8 am 

"Shit," you cursed.

"Bobby," you gently nudged Bob once again. "Love, wake up,".

"Huh? what time is it?" Bob blinked rapidly as he got up. 

He squinted at the clock before pulling his glasses on.

"Oh no, the schedule's all messed up," you groaned.

"It's okay," Bob reassured you. "Let's have a look, " he pulled out your planner once again. "We can still make it out of the house by eleven if we cut down shower and breakfast to fifteen and thirty minutes each,".

"Yeah," You nodded slowly but when you tried to get up, your limbs wouldn't quite obey.

You sat up with a heavy sigh, "I know we planned this whole thing for today..but it's just like-" You groaned. "I'm so tired”.

Bob pressed his lips into a thin line, "Me too,".

"What do we do then?" you asked.

Bob thought to himself for a moment before turning to you, "How about this? We just stay at home you know? do nothing," he shrugged.

"Do nothing as in nothing at all...or nothing as in light cleaning," You pouted.

"Doing nothing…" Bob reached out for your hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "as in absolutely nothing".

"Besides, your 'light cleaning' always ends with me finding you crouched beneath the skin covered in sweat, and cursing at yourself for not cleaning it properly." he gave a shake of his head.

You winced, "yeah that's also true,".

"But doing nothing...I've never done that before," you realised. "sounds interesting." you nodded curiously.

"How do we start?" You turned to Bob.

He slowly nodded, "By doing...nothing." he shrugged.

And that's exactly pretty much what you did the entire day.

You had undercooked ramen for breakfast, and then spent the rest of the morning sprawled out on the couch, watching “10 Things I hate about you.”

For lunch, you decided on getting takeout and spent pretty much the entire afternoon binging old romcoms and singing off-key to your favourite songs.

"I found these," Bob said as he padded out of the bedroom.

"Hmm.. what?" you asked as you shoved chips in your mouth.

You turned around to see him holding two face packs.

"Oh I remember buying those last month." You recalled."Never got a chance to use them,".

You suddenly sat up on the couch, "You know we can use them now," you lifted a shoulder.

Bob blinked, "We?" 

You pouted, "Yeah you and me,".

"Come on, it'll be fun!" you motioned with your hands.

"Uh...okay," Bob nodded.

You exhaled, "This is nice isn't it?" You turned to Bob with minimal expression on your face as the coolness of the face pack spread through your skin.

"It is actually," Bob nodded, a crease forming on his face mask as he smiled.

"You know if you'd told me two days ago that the entire schedule I crafted so thoroughly would crash and burn down," You began, as you extended your legs onto the coffee table.

"I would've had a heart attack," .

"But I'm pretty satisfied with how the day turned out to be," You shrugged.

"Me too," Bob leaned in your direction. "I don't need a special event to make a day special."

"Everyday I spend with you is special," He leaned forward to kiss you, and so did you.

But at the last second, you remembered.

"Face pack, love," You reminded him.

"Right," He clicked his tongue and moved away. "After this is done,".