Im sorry im really fascinated by Leopold. Its just interesting to see a serious hawk rather then a care free hawke for fen hawke. Im just curious what Leopold loves about fenris and how is there relationship different than say purple hawke?
Oh, thank you! No need to apologize for that! I love talking about my Leo. (I hope you donāt mind if I answer this publicly. If you do, let me know and Iāll delete it right away.)
The things that attract Leo to Fenris are probably a little unusual. Iām not going to deny that the way he looks and that voiceĀ have some bearing on it, but more than that Leo really appreciates how strong and how capable Fenris is. Here is someone who clawed his way to freedom, who survived despite all odds, and who didnāt let his circumstances break him. If you think about the life he must have had with Danarius versus a life on the run, taking care of himself for the first time and learning the hard way who to trust, heās really an amazing and resilient person. He acknowledges that he carries this anger he needs to deal with, he apologizes when heās in the wrong - from the very beginning Leo has felt incredible respect and admiration for him. These are unusual things for him to feel for someone who has yet to prove themselves to him, and of course, they only grow stronger with time.
Another aspect of it all has more to do with Leo himself than with Fenris. Malcolm put a lot of responsibility on his sonās shoulders, drilling it into his head that there could be nothing more important in his life than control. If he slipped and failed for even a moment he could doom everyone he loved. He grew into such a good copy of his father that when Malcolm passed it was only natural for Leandra, Carver, and Bethany to turn to him as the head of the family, to begin to depend on him to provide for and protect them, and, unfortunately, to blame him when things went wrong.Ā
So, in Fenris, here is a person who, for the most part, doesnāt needĀ him to take care of him. He can let down his burden a little, be more than the rock everyone else depends on, remember how to smile. Hawke canāt doom Fenris because Fenris can take care of himself. Of course, Leo likes being there for Fenris, helping him, and there are times when Fenris does need him, but itās a partnership, not a dependency.
Most important of all, Leo knows that if he ever does slip up, if he falls to temptation, or wrath, and becomes possessed, or even if he just becomes too hard and loses his humanity, Fenris will stop him.
Of course there are other things he loves about Fenris. His smile, his sense of humor, his intelligence. He loves how chatty he gets when he drinks, and the way he hogs the blankets, and the faces he makes when eating something sweet. Heās completely and utterly head over heels in love with Fenris, and has been since nearly the first moment they met.
As for how the relationship differs from purple Hawke - I donāt read a lot of fanfiction these days, so Iām only making assumptions, but I like the way Leo and Fenris can share their darkness, pull one another out of it because they have it in common. Instead of one partner being the light happy careless one causing the other to soften, they get to have that effect mutually. They can be in a room together without talking and be perfectly content. For purple Hawkes, sometimes itās hard to know when Hawke is being serious, and what Hawke is really feeling. I know a lot of purple Hawkes use their humor to cover up deeper feelings, whereas a red Hawke is more blunt about it. If Leo is angry, heās going to tell you. If Leo saysĀ āI love you,ā then you know thereās no joke, no teasing, heās completely and utterly sincere.
Wow, this got long and Iām not even sure it makes sense, haha. Thanks for the question!!