Dragon Age Fic: Familiar Feelings (R) F!Hawke/Isabela
Title: Familiar Feelings
Fandom: Dragon Age
Rating: R
Character/Pairing: F!Hawke/Isabela
Spoilers: Second act of Dragon Age 2
Warnings: Talk of sex.
Summary: Isabela can pinpoint the exact moment she realises she’s in love with Hawke.
Notes: First foray in Dragon Age fic. I can’t help it. 681 words.
Isabela knows she’s in love with Hawke when they spend the night together but don’t have sex.
It really is that simple.
That clear.
She realises when she wakes up on her side, Marian Hawke curled around her breathing heavily into the back of her neck. It should’ve been annoying - and it was a little - but not enough to stir her out of the other woman’s hold. And surely Hawke was annoyed by Isabela’s long black hair covering her face as she slept. Isabela would certainly it annoying but Hawke she was fast asleep against her, body relaxed and pliant and wonderful.
She didn’t find Hawke annoying though, not at all really, and all that soft skin and lean muscle wrapped around her just made her feel more comfortable in her own body than she’d felt for a long time. And she loved her body.
Everyone loved her body.
Sex was good. With Hawke is was amazing but this was something else, something familiar that she couldn’t quite identity.
Love - definitely - but love was usually fleeting. Love was for children. Not pirate whores.
Perhaps.
Not.
She wasn’t sure. That’s what annoyed her.
Hawke shifted against her, breathing changing and that should’ve been another big clue to her feelings she supposed; Isabela noticed the different sounds of Hawke’s breathing. Everything from the snores to the weird murmuring noises she made when she was dreaming.
She turned over to face her and saw Hawke smiling at her, eyes half closed still but awake enough and Isabela smiled back. The other woman hadn’t been smiling much lately, with Bethany’s letters from the Gallows dwindling and her mother in the grave. It made the uncertainty worth it to have her smile like that again.
“Good morning,”
“How are you feeling?”
Hawke shifted slowly, feeling out her injuries. Isabela was aware they would’ve had sex if she hadn’t been so badly injured the day before - she hadn’t even tried to seduce her, tried anything.
Hadn’t even considered it.
The sex wasn’t the point, she was well aware of that. She’d crawled into bed with the woman when Hawke had been half high on healing magic and health poultices and had gone to sleep holding her like the lovesick fools she had become.
Love.
Usually a dirty word but Hawke made it bearable.
“Better,” Hawke said, “another round with Anders should set me right. If he’s up for it.”
“Of course he is,” Isabela said with a grin, “he’s always up for you sweetheart.”
The innuendo came as easy as the endearment and the sly smile but she couldn’t quite meet her eyes. She was afraid Hawke didn’t feel the same for a moment. She may not be thrilled about being in love - Maker knew it was going to get used to - but none of it mattered if Hawke didn’t feel the same.
“Thanks you for staying,” Hawke said, bringing a hand up to tip Isabela’s chin up but she darted her eyes to the side, looking at the faint line a sword had cut into her cheek instead and wishing it was gone or on her cheek instead or just the flush of her skin or anything.
“I wanted to,” she said, when the other woman let go, brushing her fingers over Isabela’s dark skin. She forced a smile through the annoying anxiety. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m well enough ‘Bela,” she said, “thanks to you.”
“Thanks to Anders.”
Hawke kissed her softly on the lips, and of that felt better, that she understood. Lips and limbs and lust but Hawk didn’t push forward, didn’t press for more.
Neither did Isabela but she wasn’t sure why at that moment. She would happily have sex with anyone at anytime.
Usually.
“It’s alright you know,” Hawke said instead, smiling, eyes closed as she started to fall asleep again, it was still early after all. “Take your time.”
Hawke knew. Of course Hawke knew. She understood and it was annoying.
Isabela loved her all the more for it.