Red String of Fate (Dragon Age FanFic)

Are you stupid?

You cannot be serious. Luca stood frozen in front of the doorway, his hands balled in frustration and his heart pounding in his chest. There was Blackwood, sitting menacingly behind his desk, and Luca could not care less.

"Who does she think she is?" he demanded.

Blackwood’s eyes narrowed even further, if that was possible. “Excuse me?”

Luca continued as though he had not heard him. “We spend weeks bickering with each other, and you know what? It was fun! It was comfortable. But then these last few days, she starts acting like it bothers her! Like she doesn’t enjoy hating me, doesn’t want to anymore. And I start to believe it! I start playing along, saying kind things to her. And that may not sound like much, but that’s a huge deal for us!”

"Hawke," Blackwood interrupted with an almost warning tone.

But Luca was too heated, too wrapped up in his words, to stop now. “And then she goes and does this. She knows very well that I can’t stand you, and yet she goes out of her way to leave me alone with you! She’s so… frustrating! What does she want from me?”

"Hawke, if you continue with this incessant prattle, I will take you off this case."

"Do I look as though I care?" The words tumbled out of Luca’s mouth.

Blackwood’s expression darkened. Maker, Luca wanted to turn and run from the room, but that man’s gaze kept him rooted in his spot, holding his breath and praying that the Maker be merciful and strike him down now.

"Your contract is being terminated," Blackwood said, his voice so cool that it made Luca squirm. "I once had high hopes for you, Hawke. But it seems that I misjudged you. You are incompetent, irresponsible, and foolish. You take days to complete a simple task, all because of some woman-“

At this, Luca’s body stiffened. He stood taller and fixed a hard gaze on Blackwood. “She’s not some woman.”

"That is hardly the point-“

"I don’t care what your point is,” Luca snapped, heat rising to his face. “Insult me all you’d like, but don’t you dare bring Neria into it.”

There was a moment of silence. For the first time, Luca did not drop the man’s gaze, did not back down in defeat. Blackwood was the one to break the silence. “You are a disappointment,” he said.

"I can live with that." Luca tightened the fastenings on his cloak, gave Blackwood one last heated stare, and then left the room.

Neria shouldn’t have stayed, shouldn’t have heard what he had said to Blackwood. Now he was leaving and Blackwood had kicked him out of the Collective because he had defended her. She stepped free from the shadows and grabbed him by the elbow.

"Are you stupid?" She hissed glaring at him. "He just kicked you out of the Collective, Luca."

Neria decided against mentioning anything else he had said.. Better safe than sorry.

Luca practically jumped out of his skin when Neria grabbed his arm. He stared at her for a second. Had she been standing there listening the entire time? Hoping to hear him be sick all over the room? Maker, she was terrible.

"It was going to happen eventually," he said, glancing down at her hand on his arm. "He’s had it out for me since I screwed up that delivery in Redcliffe."

Neria shook her head and pinned him with a glare. How could he be.so nonchalant about this when he showed before that this was a big deal to him.

"You are such an idiot." She snapped. "I left you there to face your fears, not get your ass kicked out."

Luca yanked his arm out of her grasp. Maker, she sounded like his mother. Scolding him for not doing what she expected of him. It made heat rise to his face.

"Well, I managed to do both," he said, glaring back at her. "You should be proud."

Neria shook her head. “You’re hopeless.” She groaned softly. “Utterly hopeless.”

She stared at him, trying to read his face but he was trying his hardest to be expressionless. She wasn’t going to stand here and lecturing him, there was no point in that especially if it didn’t get through his stubborn skull.

"By the way, I like the way you smile more than that scowl of yours, I like how it lightens your face." The words spilled out, leaving her breathless. "I don’t want to hate you."

Luca’s jaw fell into the Deep Roads. He had heard her words perfectly well, and yet when he tried to make sense of them in his mind, it felt as though his brain was going to explode.

She was absolutely awful to him. And he was awful to her. It was like a law of the universe. And here she was, trying to change that. Here he was, wanting her to.

He wanted to scream at her. He wanted to walk away.

Instead, he grabbed her face and kissed her.

Neria's heart skipped painfully against her chest when his mouth crushed against hers. She thought of pulling away, tried to will her legs to move but instead of heeding her command, they stepped closer to him. She hesitated a moment before reaching up to touch his shoulders, holding on to him.

What in the world were they doing?

And why did she like it so much?