Men are Like Wine - A Dragon Age Fanfiction

Chapter Two: Literature Brings People Together

     January 26th, 11:14 am

--This was a bit of a rare occasion for Aywin, walking into a library to find something for pleasure reading. He'd never truly read much after passing grade school, where they would constantly give you books to read and write about.

--But the library back then was particularly dull. Not much to choose from, lame titles and such. It was only local, so it had only been taking not much except for donations and such.

--This library, however, in Santa Ana, looked quite promising, to say the least. Books as far as the eye could see, shelves from one wall to the next. Mid morning sun poured in through the windows at the front of the facility, making everything cast a profound shadow. He felt it warm on his tan skin that was exposed by the short sleeves of his dark t-shirt.

--Aywin ceased his gawking and proceeded into the labyrinth of shelves that lied ahead, his eyes glazing over the arrays of options that sat erect upon each plank of wood as he casually sauntered across the carpet in his white Vans.

--Little did our young redhead know, was that he was going to be in for quite the surprise.

--As he plucked a small book from its place on the shelf, looking at the back to see what it held in store, a large gap was there, giving him a perfect view of what was beyond in the next aisle. This is where that little surprise comes in.

--"Well, fancy meeting you here." Aywin nearly had the daylights scared out of him as he heard a smooth, velvety voice from straight in front of him, catching him off guard and triggering a high pitched squeal that he had to muffle with his hand, jumping backward with the book still in his hand as he looked up from it.

--There stood Dorian Pavus, his fine mustached face plastered with an amused grin that definitely gave away who the culprit was that startled him so.

--Instead of a, "Oh! Dorian! How wonderful to see you again!", Aywin gave Dorian a glare and narrowed his amber eyes at him. His hands firmly planed themselves upon his hips.

--"Don't do that!" he hissed softly through gritted teeth as the human was unaffected by his reaction to him.

--"I don't see why I shouldn't. It was rather amusing, to be frank." he spoke lowly as his hazel eyes looked into Aywin's amber orbs. They shut as he combed his dark red hair with his fingers to the left.

--"Well, here and now really isn't the place to be scaring people." he sighed as he looked at Dorian again, placing the book back onto the shelf. "Now, if you want to talk to me, you're going to have to come here to do so." he clarified softly.

--"Say no more." Dorian chuckled before he made his way around the long shelf to join Aywin at his side. Then the elf went to comparing one another based upon appearance again.

--Dorian wore something a tad more casual than the night they first met, however it was much more dressy compared to Aywin's current attire. Upon his torso he wore a crisp bleach white button up with the sleeves rolled tidily up to his elbows. Over that was a buttoned up jet black vest that one hundred percent contrasted the shirt. Down below on his legs he wore neatly creased dress pants that perfectly matched the vest, and dark brown leather shoes that fit snuggly on his feet.

--Aywin, on the other hand, wore nothing but a dark navy blue t-shirt that fit quite nice on his thin torso and a pair of denim jeans, along with those white Vans that were previously mentioned.

--Both of them had to admit, the other looked a bit different in broad daylight than in the dim light the lamp in Dorian's car lamp had given off. And quite more appealing.

--"Now that I'm on your side, was there something you wanted to talk about?" Dorian questioned as the two looked at one another. This honestly caught Aywin a bit off guard. He cleared his throat and began down the aisle again.

--"Well, there, er, wasn't anything specific in mind, but..." Aywin's mind wandered to try and find a conversation starter. "Tell me more about you and your family." he smiled up at the human, who arched a brow.

--"My family, you ask? It's rather dull if you ask me." Dorian shrugged as he followed Aywin across the carpet. "I've already told you about my parents and the family business. But I'm an only child, so unless my father chooses someone else to be his heir within the company, I'll be taking over when the time comes." he explained as he folded his arms over his chest. "I was hoping to hear a bit about yours. You never told me a single thing."

--Aywin blinked in surprise as he looked up to the tan human, obviously not ready for what he had just requested to hear about.

--"M-my family..." he breathed before he looked down at the floor a bit. Dorian's expression softened before he let his arms fall to his sides.

--"Aywin, we don't have to discuss this if you-" He was cut off by Aywin's hand raising itself in a gesture for him to stop.

--"No, no. It's alright. I suppose since you told me about yours, I should return the favor." Aywin retorted lightheartedly as his shoulders slumped down a bit. "My mother passed on about three years ago. Tragic, really. But it was for the best. She'd been battling a fatal illness for months and we didn't want to let her suffer anymore, so we let her do that 'Die with Dignity' deal. You take a pill, and you're dead in minutes. Not long after that, the court decided that I should be in my father's care until I move out to be on my own. So my father took me into his custody, and for three years I've been living with him. Three weeks ago, he found that if he moved here, he'd be making ten more dollars an hour for doing the same damn thing he'd been doing for seven years. And now I'm here. With you."

--Dorian was astounded. He'd never guessed that a fellow such as him could have such a back story. He felt lucky to still have his own mother, now that he knew just how it was in the redhead's life.

--"Well. I... Didn't exactly expect that. I apologize, if it's worth anything." His eyes landed on the golden eyes of the elf before him.

--"It's alright, Dorian. Not many people do expect such a story." Aywin suddenly smiled slightly and looked up at the human. "But thank you. It is worth something, in my mind."

--Their minds raced with all of the topics they could cover in one measly conversation, going on and on about their lives for hours until the sun started going down. It seemed like it was never meant to be, their meeting the way it happened. But, it just happened.

--But suddenly, a thought came to the front of Dorian's mind and took a hold of his voice, making it into its own.

--"How about we get out of here. Do something... Fun, so to speak?" he whispered lowly as he looked down into the eyes of the ruby haired boy before him, his voice as smooth and flowing as ever.

--"It all depends. What's your idea of fun?" Aywin asked as he folded his arms, giving Dorian a bit of an adorable smirk.

--"I say we go out to a driving range, take a few swings, and then go to one of those quaint little outdoor cafés you find lining the streets for lunch." Dorian suggested with a grin.

--"I've never been golfing before, but I suppose I could give it a try." Aywin shrugged in agreement with slightly shut eyes for a second.

--"Excellent!" Dorian lightly clapped his hands together and erected his posture. "But I warn you, I'm good with a golf club in more ways than one."

--Aywin wasn't sure whether that was an innuendo or a hint to violent tendencies with sports equipment.

--"Come, I'm parked right outside." The human placed a hand gently on Aywin's back and started leading him out the door to the outside.

--This was about to an interesting afternoon.