The Lunch Date, Hawke/Sebastian
Title: The Lunch Date
Rating: G
Pairing: Hawke/Sebastian
Summary: Hawke has the day off and is armed with a picnic basket. Sebastian didn’t know what hit him.
Note: There’s not an exact timeline for this, so I’m putting it somewhere in the years between Acts II and III.
Note the Second: This story spawned several more plot bunnies for these two. As of now, Sebastian is my third favorite LI in DA2. mostly because I've been ZOMGFENRIS for my other playthroughs and have ignored everyone else I'm waffling between friendship and rivalmancing Sebastian for Elsa. So far, the rivalry path is winning out.
When the lay sister had directed Hawke to Lowtown, she hadn’t expected to find Sebastian in plain shirtsleeves on his hands and knees with children climbing over him. Times like these, Elsa was glad that she had the ability to sneak up on people - it gave her an opportunity to stand back and watch with amusement as Sebastian roared and held his hands out like claws, making the kids shriek in mock terror. One little girl launched herself at him and began to tickle his sides. The others got the hint and soon the usually reserved archer was sent to the ground.
“I am slain! I yield!” he shouted dramatically, laughing heartily in a way that made Elsa’s heart flip dangerously in her chest. She knew that it was foolish of her to fall for the one man out of her - well, actually anyone’s - reach, but she couldn’t help being drawn to his kind nature.
The fact that he was absolutely gorgeous and had a voice that made her knees melt was a bonus. Pushing off the wall, she made her way to him.
“I knew I should have come here sooner,” she said with a smile. “Now whatever shall I do without my favorite companion?” She held out her hand and couldn’t help the blush that she could feel spread over her cheeks when he took it, his fingers wrapping around her wrist as he let her help him to his feet.
“What can I say? I’m easily defeated by a pretty face.” The lopsided grin and way that he looked at her made Elsa’s pulse pound in her ears. Then he looked away and put his free hand on the shoulder of the little girl who had led the tickle-fight. “Isn’t that right, Sophie?”
Sophie beamed up at him, completely enchanted. “Uh huh! Messere Sebastian declared me the prettiest girl for the day!”
Elsa’s smile widened. “Well, he certainly has good judgment. Would you mind terribly if I borrowed your admirer for a little while?”
“Just for a little bit. He promised to read us all a story later!”
“You have quite the demanding crowd,” Elsa teased as they walked away.
“They are a handful at times,” he agreed. “Yet it makes it worthwhile to be able to get them to finally act as children. They normally have very little to smile about.”
Elsa had recognized several of the children from the time she had lived in Lowtown. Life was hard for everyone, especially for children forced to grow up faster than they should. “You look different without your armor,” she blurted.
He shrugged. “Well, one can’t serve soup or crawl about with heavy mail on. Speaking of, what brings you here today? Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Actually, I was hoping that I could help you out today.” For the first time in weeks, there wasn’t anything going on. Elsa had found herself sitting at home with nothing to do and had an urge to visit Sebastian. Upon arriving at the Chantry, one of the sisters had mentioned that he was out at the soup kitchen the Chantry had established and instead of walking back home, she found that she wanted to spend the day with him.
She might not be able to hold his heart in the same way that he had hers, but if friendship was all that could ever be between them, she would gladly take it.
“Oh?”
Without thinking, she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Does it surprise you so much that I want to help out? I can ladle soup with the best of them; I wasn’t always born a noble, you know.” She winked up at him to let him know she wasn’t offended. “My offer does come with one condition though.”
“And what would that be?” Sebastian laid his right hand over hers; pretending for one moment that they weren’t the Champion and a Chantry brother, but a young couple out for an afternoon stroll. Why couldn’t I have met you before, he wondered, looking down at her. Because I didn’t deserve her then, he answered. Recently, he was finding it harder and harder to remain platonic friends with Elsa. She made it far too easy to momentarily forget his place with her graciousness and inherent sweet nature as well as the way she had of smiling at him that made him feel as if he were the only man in Kirkwall to receive such a boon.
She was completely guileless and seemingly unaware of her own beauty, which only added to her charm.
“Sister Margaret told me that you were down here late into the evening yesterday and you were back before dawn today.”
“Sister Margaret acts like a mother hen at times.” He said it fondly, but he still felt a minor annoyance that she would worry Elsa enough that she felt the need to help. “She tends to cluck over the littlest thing.”
“When was the last time you ate?” He must have taken too long to answer, because she sighed and leaned against his arm. “Honestly, Sebastian. Between you and Anders, I don’t know who to worry about more sometimes.”
“You needn’t fash yourself over me. I’m fine, Hawke, really.” Wanting to change the topic, he went back to something she said. “Now, what’s this condition of yours?”
“I’m yours for the rest of the day if you give me an hour of your time. Have lunch with me, Sebastian.”
His mind froze at I’m yours, but he cleared his throat. “Well, we’re close to the Hanged Man. Whatever they’re cooking smells…”
“Better than it tastes, trust me. Varric happened to find out what today’s mystery meat was. You don’t want to know. No, I had something else in mind.” She slipped her hand out from his arm and reached for his hand instead, her fingers lacing with his as she tugged him towards Hightown. “I have some things I need to donate to the Chantry at home; we can pick up something from the kitchen and have lunch in the garden.”
***
“Why do I get the distinct impression that you had this planned all along?” Sebastian teased, hefting the wicker basket they found on the kitchen table. It was surprisingly heavy for something that only carried enough lunch for two people.
“Because I did plan it beforehand,” she replied, an impish glint in her eyes as she opened the back kitchen door, a thick blanket slung over one arm. “It’s too pretty of a day to eat indoors; let’s enjoy some sunshine while it lasts.”
And that was how Sebastian found himself in the Hawke estate’s private gardens, sitting underneath a tree with a hearty sandwich in his hand and a pretty girl at his side. Elsa was filling him in on the events of her trip to the Wounded Coast to scout out any new elfroot patches and he couldn’t help but notice the way that she cautiously omitted certain things, like any injuries she might have sustained in his absence. She dug into the basket and came back with a metal cylinder. Unscrewing the cap, she poured a healthy measure of some yellowish liquid and offered it to him.
“Ah, that’s tart,” he said, making a face.
Elsa laughed at his expression. “There was a fresh shipment of lemons from Antiva in the market this morning.” She took the cup from him and took a sip. “I guess I should have added more sugar to this batch.”
“You made it? Did you make all of this?”
She arched an eyebrow. “It doesn’t take a culinary genius to cobble together a few sandwiches or squeeze fresh lemonade, Sebastian. Besides, I enjoy cooking for others.” Now that she was the only Hawke living in the estate, she had taken to running the kitchens. Back in Lothering, one of the older women who had lived next door had taken Elsa under her wing, teaching her the ins and outs of the art of cooking. It was a blessing for the family; even after so many years, Leandra had still kept with the tried and true basics. It wasn’t long before Elsa took over their kitchen, much to the delight of everyone.
“You’re miles away,” Sebastian said softly, dusting bread crumbs off the front of his shirt.
“Sorry,” she said, blinking away tears that had suddenly sprung up from nowhere. “I was just thinking about how my father used to love packing up a lunch like this and spending the day by the river. The twins and I would often cut across Old Man Barlin’s fields while Mother and Father took the longer path. By the time that they made it to us, Carver would have already had his shoes off and his pants rolled up past his knees as he looked for frogs. Bethany always plucked flowers and begged me to make wreaths for our hair so we could pretend to be princesses, even when I thought I had grown too old for make-believe.”
“You miss them, don’t you?”
“More than anything. Carver was such a boy; I’d give anything in order to hear him belch out the alphabet right now. And Bethany…” She keenly missed her sister. Even with the age gap, the two of them were extremely close, almost as if they had been twins instead of Bethany and Carver. Elsa curled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Now with Mother gone, I feel so alone.” She laughed to try to lighten the mood and swiped at her cheek with her palm. “I’m sorry; we’re supposed to be having a nice lunch and here I go throwing a cloud over an otherwise beautiful day.” She froze when Sebastian reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand.
“Hawke…Elsa,” he said, his thumb wiping away a tear she had missed. “You are not alone. You have your friends. They would follow you to the ends of the world if you asked it of them.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “And you have me.”
Elsa’s lips parted and he was lost to her unguarded expression, her dark blue eyes pulling him down as if they were lodestone and he iron. Luckily for him, she broke the spell before he gave into the temptation to kiss her, ducking her head and wrapping her arms around him for a friendly hug.
“Thank you, Sebastian,” she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. “You have no idea how much I value your friendship.”
He held her close and pressed his lips against the crown of her head - a chaste kiss shared between friends, he reminded himself, savoring the feel of her in his arms a little more than he probably should. “As I value yours,” he murmured, his cheek against the inky black softness of her hair. “As I value yours.”
Rating: G
Pairing: Hawke/Sebastian
Summary: Hawke has the day off and is armed with a picnic basket. Sebastian didn’t know what hit him.
Note: There’s not an exact timeline for this, so I’m putting it somewhere in the years between Acts II and III.
Note the Second: This story spawned several more plot bunnies for these two. As of now, Sebastian is my third favorite LI in DA2. mostly because I've been ZOMGFENRIS for my other playthroughs and have ignored everyone else I'm waffling between friendship and rivalmancing Sebastian for Elsa. So far, the rivalry path is winning out.
When the lay sister had directed Hawke to Lowtown, she hadn’t expected to find Sebastian in plain shirtsleeves on his hands and knees with children climbing over him. Times like these, Elsa was glad that she had the ability to sneak up on people - it gave her an opportunity to stand back and watch with amusement as Sebastian roared and held his hands out like claws, making the kids shriek in mock terror. One little girl launched herself at him and began to tickle his sides. The others got the hint and soon the usually reserved archer was sent to the ground.
“I am slain! I yield!” he shouted dramatically, laughing heartily in a way that made Elsa’s heart flip dangerously in her chest. She knew that it was foolish of her to fall for the one man out of her - well, actually anyone’s - reach, but she couldn’t help being drawn to his kind nature.
The fact that he was absolutely gorgeous and had a voice that made her knees melt was a bonus. Pushing off the wall, she made her way to him.
“I knew I should have come here sooner,” she said with a smile. “Now whatever shall I do without my favorite companion?” She held out her hand and couldn’t help the blush that she could feel spread over her cheeks when he took it, his fingers wrapping around her wrist as he let her help him to his feet.
“What can I say? I’m easily defeated by a pretty face.” The lopsided grin and way that he looked at her made Elsa’s pulse pound in her ears. Then he looked away and put his free hand on the shoulder of the little girl who had led the tickle-fight. “Isn’t that right, Sophie?”
Sophie beamed up at him, completely enchanted. “Uh huh! Messere Sebastian declared me the prettiest girl for the day!”
Elsa’s smile widened. “Well, he certainly has good judgment. Would you mind terribly if I borrowed your admirer for a little while?”
“Just for a little bit. He promised to read us all a story later!”
“You have quite the demanding crowd,” Elsa teased as they walked away.
“They are a handful at times,” he agreed. “Yet it makes it worthwhile to be able to get them to finally act as children. They normally have very little to smile about.”
Elsa had recognized several of the children from the time she had lived in Lowtown. Life was hard for everyone, especially for children forced to grow up faster than they should. “You look different without your armor,” she blurted.
He shrugged. “Well, one can’t serve soup or crawl about with heavy mail on. Speaking of, what brings you here today? Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Actually, I was hoping that I could help you out today.” For the first time in weeks, there wasn’t anything going on. Elsa had found herself sitting at home with nothing to do and had an urge to visit Sebastian. Upon arriving at the Chantry, one of the sisters had mentioned that he was out at the soup kitchen the Chantry had established and instead of walking back home, she found that she wanted to spend the day with him.
She might not be able to hold his heart in the same way that he had hers, but if friendship was all that could ever be between them, she would gladly take it.
“Oh?”
Without thinking, she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Does it surprise you so much that I want to help out? I can ladle soup with the best of them; I wasn’t always born a noble, you know.” She winked up at him to let him know she wasn’t offended. “My offer does come with one condition though.”
“And what would that be?” Sebastian laid his right hand over hers; pretending for one moment that they weren’t the Champion and a Chantry brother, but a young couple out for an afternoon stroll. Why couldn’t I have met you before, he wondered, looking down at her. Because I didn’t deserve her then, he answered. Recently, he was finding it harder and harder to remain platonic friends with Elsa. She made it far too easy to momentarily forget his place with her graciousness and inherent sweet nature as well as the way she had of smiling at him that made him feel as if he were the only man in Kirkwall to receive such a boon.
She was completely guileless and seemingly unaware of her own beauty, which only added to her charm.
“Sister Margaret told me that you were down here late into the evening yesterday and you were back before dawn today.”
“Sister Margaret acts like a mother hen at times.” He said it fondly, but he still felt a minor annoyance that she would worry Elsa enough that she felt the need to help. “She tends to cluck over the littlest thing.”
“When was the last time you ate?” He must have taken too long to answer, because she sighed and leaned against his arm. “Honestly, Sebastian. Between you and Anders, I don’t know who to worry about more sometimes.”
“You needn’t fash yourself over me. I’m fine, Hawke, really.” Wanting to change the topic, he went back to something she said. “Now, what’s this condition of yours?”
“I’m yours for the rest of the day if you give me an hour of your time. Have lunch with me, Sebastian.”
His mind froze at I’m yours, but he cleared his throat. “Well, we’re close to the Hanged Man. Whatever they’re cooking smells…”
“Better than it tastes, trust me. Varric happened to find out what today’s mystery meat was. You don’t want to know. No, I had something else in mind.” She slipped her hand out from his arm and reached for his hand instead, her fingers lacing with his as she tugged him towards Hightown. “I have some things I need to donate to the Chantry at home; we can pick up something from the kitchen and have lunch in the garden.”
***
“Why do I get the distinct impression that you had this planned all along?” Sebastian teased, hefting the wicker basket they found on the kitchen table. It was surprisingly heavy for something that only carried enough lunch for two people.
“Because I did plan it beforehand,” she replied, an impish glint in her eyes as she opened the back kitchen door, a thick blanket slung over one arm. “It’s too pretty of a day to eat indoors; let’s enjoy some sunshine while it lasts.”
And that was how Sebastian found himself in the Hawke estate’s private gardens, sitting underneath a tree with a hearty sandwich in his hand and a pretty girl at his side. Elsa was filling him in on the events of her trip to the Wounded Coast to scout out any new elfroot patches and he couldn’t help but notice the way that she cautiously omitted certain things, like any injuries she might have sustained in his absence. She dug into the basket and came back with a metal cylinder. Unscrewing the cap, she poured a healthy measure of some yellowish liquid and offered it to him.
“Ah, that’s tart,” he said, making a face.
Elsa laughed at his expression. “There was a fresh shipment of lemons from Antiva in the market this morning.” She took the cup from him and took a sip. “I guess I should have added more sugar to this batch.”
“You made it? Did you make all of this?”
She arched an eyebrow. “It doesn’t take a culinary genius to cobble together a few sandwiches or squeeze fresh lemonade, Sebastian. Besides, I enjoy cooking for others.” Now that she was the only Hawke living in the estate, she had taken to running the kitchens. Back in Lothering, one of the older women who had lived next door had taken Elsa under her wing, teaching her the ins and outs of the art of cooking. It was a blessing for the family; even after so many years, Leandra had still kept with the tried and true basics. It wasn’t long before Elsa took over their kitchen, much to the delight of everyone.
“You’re miles away,” Sebastian said softly, dusting bread crumbs off the front of his shirt.
“Sorry,” she said, blinking away tears that had suddenly sprung up from nowhere. “I was just thinking about how my father used to love packing up a lunch like this and spending the day by the river. The twins and I would often cut across Old Man Barlin’s fields while Mother and Father took the longer path. By the time that they made it to us, Carver would have already had his shoes off and his pants rolled up past his knees as he looked for frogs. Bethany always plucked flowers and begged me to make wreaths for our hair so we could pretend to be princesses, even when I thought I had grown too old for make-believe.”
“You miss them, don’t you?”
“More than anything. Carver was such a boy; I’d give anything in order to hear him belch out the alphabet right now. And Bethany…” She keenly missed her sister. Even with the age gap, the two of them were extremely close, almost as if they had been twins instead of Bethany and Carver. Elsa curled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Now with Mother gone, I feel so alone.” She laughed to try to lighten the mood and swiped at her cheek with her palm. “I’m sorry; we’re supposed to be having a nice lunch and here I go throwing a cloud over an otherwise beautiful day.” She froze when Sebastian reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand.
“Hawke…Elsa,” he said, his thumb wiping away a tear she had missed. “You are not alone. You have your friends. They would follow you to the ends of the world if you asked it of them.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “And you have me.”
Elsa’s lips parted and he was lost to her unguarded expression, her dark blue eyes pulling him down as if they were lodestone and he iron. Luckily for him, she broke the spell before he gave into the temptation to kiss her, ducking her head and wrapping her arms around him for a friendly hug.
“Thank you, Sebastian,” she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. “You have no idea how much I value your friendship.”
He held her close and pressed his lips against the crown of her head - a chaste kiss shared between friends, he reminded himself, savoring the feel of her in his arms a little more than he probably should. “As I value yours,” he murmured, his cheek against the inky black softness of her hair. “As I value yours.”