Isabela & Athos
G | COMPLETE
Discussing their child and their relationship.
In all of her years of wild adventures and crazy shenanigans, Isabela was confident she’d never had a day quite like this one. Her heart had raced for most of it, when it wasn’t at a standstill. She felt like she’d been sucked into a whirlwind -- one of wonderful, shocking, beautiful things -- and couldn’t quite pull himself out of it. She wasn’t ready to pull herself out of it, either.
The arrival of Grace was a dazzling surprise, one that made a bizarre amount of sense in spite of its novelty. Isabela adored Hawke and Fenris more than just about anyone on this world or any other, and she’d have done anything to give them a family. Clearly, she’d done exactly that. It was a strange feeling, but a beautiful one.
Liam’s arrival, though, offered something completely different. He not only was a gorgeous, accomplished, precious young man, but he was proof of a future she’d not known was truly possible. It was overwhelming, really, and the distraction of meeting her children had carried her through the day. There was certainly a lot to be discussed, though.
After saying goodnight to Liam, and fighting the urge to continue staring at him, she’d gone in search of Athos. Thankfully, given that Liam was staying with his father, this wasn’t a difficult trek. “Well,” she said, upon finding him. “I think it’s safe to say that he got the best of both sets of genes.”
Athos was, surprisingly, stone sober. Ten, even five years ago, this probably would have had him drunk within twenty minutes of the news, because there was no way he would've been ready to handle it. Now, at this point in his life, he was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected anything to ever be resolved between Isabela and himself. She wasn't the type to settle for one person and he wasn't the type to expect her to change herself to suit him. Just like he wasn't the type for a non-monogamous relationship and she wasn't the type to want to change him for her benefit.
So a strange pair they made. But this. Liam. He was everything Athos could have possibly hoped for in a child, even though from his perspective the boy wouldn't even be born yet, and if the timeline was correct it'd be a few years until he would. But even now, Athos was determined to be the best kind of father he could be to the boy. Maybe this was the event in his life that told him he was ready. Or maybe this was always going to happen and helped ensure he'd know to raise Liam the right way. Or maybe this was all just plain happenstance.
Any way he looked at it, this wasn't a chance he'd get often, so he was going to make sure he took it seriously (like he did in all things). He smiled over at Isabela and responded to her observation with a nod. "He's perfect."
Isabela had very similar thoughts coursing through her. She’d spent her entire life focusing on the present, and now had a very tangible reason to look at the future. Athos had been a surprise for her from early in their friendship, the pair unexpectedly growing closer against their efforts before mutually distancing themselves from anything but friendship. But their connection had sparked some unusual changes in Isabela, and those changes made the existence of this extraordinary young man even more fascinating to her.
She met his words with a warm smile, because it was very true, and entered the room further, taking a seat near him. “Isn’t he? I don’t think there’s ever been a more perfect young man,” she gushed, unable to keep from doing so. “He’s his own person, Athos. A beautiful adult person with his own skills and interests and ways of viewing the world.” She shook her head a bit, laughing lightly. “I’ve never in my life felt anything like this.”
"I think that's a common reaction for a great deal of people in Atlantis," mused Athos, gesturing to one of the seats near him, if she wanted to sit down and gush a bit - which he got the impression she did. "Did he tell you about his art?" asked Athos, smiling again. He'd wanted to be an artist when he was younger, but his father had told him it could never be more than an idle hobby if he was going to inherit their lands and be a proper Comte. And therefore he'd never really been able to practice and improve before his life turned upside down. The first upside down, at least.
Deep down he knew that this was probably one of many different futures they could have in Atlantis, but honestly they couldn't have picked a better one to show them. He'd spent many nights wondering if he'd end up an old hermit that was looked at as some old soldier who didn't know what to do with his life when there were no more wars to fight, no royalty to protect. This filled him with a bit of hope.
“Mm, you’re probably right,” she responded, laughing a bit as she took the seat beside him. “He did! He must get that from you. I can tell a story, but my drawings are usually limited to crude little sketches meant to make Aveline blush.” She shrugged a shoulder, then was off grinning again over their child. “He’s so clever, using those skills to make a proper story. I think he’s going to create a mural.”
She cast an arm over the back of her chair, turning a bit in it to face him more directly. “He’s got so much of you in him, Athos. It’s so lovely,” she said. “What’s running through your mind?”
"Right now, wondering if we could encourage him to paint a mural in our time that will still be there when Atlantis makes him return to his own," answered Athos, thinking of the lasting impact of art and how much he'd enjoy both watching the creation and knowing it was there every day, even after Liam had gone 'home.' If not murals, hopefully at least some portraits for his bare walls.
"But I'm mostly just impressed at how well he's grown up," he added, smirking over at Isabela. "He kept up his education and his swordsmanship, took classes on his art, maybe learned some storytelling tricks from your friend Varric. All in all, he's such a wonderful young man. I'm proud to call him son."
“That was my thought as well! I’d originally suggested he do one in the room he’s staying in. He mentioned something about this still being his -- our, actually -- house in the future, so it seemed the best place for it so that we could watch it as time passed.” There was an unspoken understanding that he may only be here temporarily, but Isabela didn’t really want to speak that out loud just now.
The words brought tears to prick at her eyes, the very proud sort. “Isn’t he just-- Maker, he’s perfect,” she said again, not above repeating herself. She shook her head, laughing at herself. “Who’d have ever thought I’d find myself emotional over children, let alone my own children.” Her smile lingered, unshakeable, as she looked back at him. “You know… there’s some pretty compelling evidence that our… us goes through a bit of evolution.”
Just watching her reactions brought some level of amusement to Athos, knowing that Isabela was a great deal more emotional about things that she let on. The aloof and charming pirate that would go into lengthy discussions about not wanting to wear pants was now coming to grips with the idea of that she could be a mother. Not only that, but that she was a good mother and even now was already latched onto these kids.
He nodded, smiling back at her. "It's certainly compelling that there's not only evolution, but some worthwhile results as well." But, he told himself inwardly, it shouldn't be a reason to rush into anything they weren't ready for, based off assumptions that they'd have the ideal child. Could this change their future? Would it risk Liam's very existence? He wasn't sure, there were so many questions now. "I like seeing you happy like this," he noted, reaching up to smooth away the pricks of tears at the edges of her eyes. "I didn't think it was possible for you to be more lovely than you already were."
That really was the beauty of of it -- Isabela had so consistently put such a great deal of effort into staying superficial, and only focusing on surface-area issues. There weren’t many who knew just how much there was beneath that surface, and it was not entirely surprising that three of those select few were the ones with whom she’d made these beautiful future children. As wild and unexpected as it was, it actually didn’t seem so far out of the scope of her reality. It made sense to her, and that made it a lot easier to accept. Latching on to her children, therefore, had been second nature.
“Incredibly worthwhile.” Isabela’s thoughts were that same whirlwind, in a variety of directions. She also wondered if it were possible for them to be so stubborn about it that they pushed his existence off timeline too much. There was a lot to consider. Mostly, though, she couldn’t contain the bewildered joy she felt over his existence, and the warmth she felt at Athos’ gesture and words. “You charmer,” she laughed, leaning a bit against his touch. “I’d apologize for clearly being unable to keep my hands to myself after all, as I’d promised before, but I can’t bring myself to do so. I blame you, though. Endlessly dashing, you know.”
"It's the thought that matters," he answered, giving her a slight grin. While he'd never thought of himself as particularly dashing, he was glad that she appreciated him for who he was. If that was indeed the case, at least. He never had to act different from himself in order to try and get her attention (or chase her away). This new situation, he was happily able to support Liam and try to be a good father on the outside. The same for Isabela, honestly.
Meanwhile, on the inside, his thoughts were still all over the place. He'd made peace with a lot of them as the day wore on, but he had started out worrying if he'd been like his own father or some other type of man for most of Liam's life. That the boy seemed so well-adjusted and generally warm and receptive - was that his doing? Isabela's? Both? He'd resolved himself to not dwell on that too much, at least. The here and now was more important, honestly, and letting that worry him too much would be the very thing that could cause problems for their future.
"This isn't too much all at once for you, is it? Do I understand right, there's two children that you call your own?"
“That seems like you’re letting me off a little easy, but I’ll take it happily,” she responded, laughing again. “It’s been challenging.” For her faults, Isabela was certainly the type to love people for exactly who they were. The fact that he’d not changed to lure her or push her away was fascinating to her, something that’d made her so much more thoughtful about her own actions.
It was that openness and self-reflection that likely made her both more open to accepting this new state of affairs while also inwardly panicking over her own parental deficits. Liam had reassured her that she’d been present and that she’d been a good mother. She knew he was kind, but she did not think he’d have lied for her sake. Still, there was a lot of worry there. She was trying to allow her enthusiasm for her children surpass it, though.
“Yes! A little girl named Grace, for Fenris and Hawke. It’s overwhelming,” she admitted. “Had I learned this even a year ago, I’m sure I’d have been a lot less open.” That pained her to confess, but it was true. “I’ve never considered the idea of having a family of my own, though. Not like this. I’d have never thought of myself as capable of being a good mother, or a good, stable partner, or… anything like that.” She chewed a bit on her lip for a moment, then continued. “I live so decisively in the present, and now I’ve been presented with the most beautiful future. Suddenly, I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than what’s been shown to me today, even with the inward swirl of chaos that’s come with it.”
"Atlantis is the living embodiment of finding ourselves doing different things with our lives than we expected," offered Athos, though he knew it was kind of a hollow reinforcement. Where you ended up had really nothing to do with who you are as a person. So he immediately followed up with "What I mean is that we're all experiencing new things and meeting new people that we never would have otherwise. It stands to reason that we'll grow different from that as well. Maybe this is the next step to being something more than you were, and from what I can tell, in a good way."
The fact that she'd casually noted that she'd, in the future obviously, also carried a child for two of her dear friends wasn't lost on him, either. He knew how much she cared for her appearance and her free time, so volunteering a large portion of an entire year to carry a child for someone you weren't with was a significant showing of her character. If anything, he respected her even more knowing that was a decision she would make, even if she hadn't yet. The idea didn't seem to cause her any concern or self-doubt, though, so he didn't foresee it becoming something of a hitch for her later.
Isabela nodded as he spoke, because it perfectly explained the way she felt. “That’s exactly it. That growth, it’s not something I’d have pictured for myself and it’s likely not something I’d have put myself through back home, without this place. Here, though, it’s been a work in progress even before now. Probably since the moment I arrived.” She smiled. “It’s the realization that I can be myself without having to keep others at a distance, perhaps.”
She looked at him thoughtfully for a quiet moment. “For the life of me, I cannot understand how it is that you managed to sneak up on me the way that you did. Without even trying,” she admitted, not unlike what she’d said some time ago on the boat when they’d come to their agreement to only be friends. “I say that not entirely because of Liam’s arrival, mind you,” she added, pausing a moment longer before exhaling. “I just… I’m not sure your thoughts on it, and I’d love for you to share them. But I wouldn’t mind beginning to tiptoe past that agreement of ‘only friendship’ we set before. To test the waters, so to speak, of what made him possible in our future. I don’t want to rush into anything, obviously. That benefits no one. But… I suspect we can both be stubborn in looking out for one another, and… in truth, I honestly have a lot of trouble keeping you off of my mind.”
With a soft smile, Athos made a show of thinking back and knuckled his chin. "If I recall, I believe I compared you to a magical creature, perhaps not much in the way of sneaking at all. Treated you like the lady you are, but ultimately just tried to be myself." He leaned forward in his chair and reached to take her hands into his own.
"My thoughts haven't changed, Isabela. I will not lie to you and tell you that I would be fine sharing a woman with others, because I know it would slowly destroy me inside. Nor would I tell you that you must change who you are because of my preferences. I am selfish in some ways, I know, but not completely." He made sure to keep his eyes locked on hers as he spoke. "I would be only too willing to these these waters with you, firmly and completely. But I do not know what to do from there, other than hope that it's the right first step for us to lead towards Liam."
“Then that must be the key, then. It must just be you, a someone who does not exist at all where I’m from. It’s no wonder it’s taken until Atlantis for me to become this person who discusses her feelings,” she responded, warm but playful to match his words. She leaned forward as well when he took her hands, listening intently to his response.
Her heart was beating a little quicker in anticipation -- this was a novelty for her, after all. She did not share these feelings because she’d never really had them before now. His words didn’t do much to lessen that quickened heartbeat, but it definitely shifted her smile to a more hopeful one. “This is all outside of my experience and what I’ve long believed to be my very nature, but I would very much like to make a true effort for it. If you will promise to be selfish enough to tell me if I misstep in my conversations with others, I will do my very best not to do so in the first place. And I can promise you I will not ask you to share me with anyone else, even as we’re tip-toeing. I would never wish to destroy you, in any capacity,” she said. “Liam is the most perfect goal, but I am also very keen to explore the pathway to him with you.”
"This all sounds better than I could have hoped for, as long as you promise you're not going against your nature. I couldn't live with knowing that you'd slowly come to resent me for that." He rubbed his thumb gently across the back of her hand and gave her the warmest smile he could muster. "I won't police your words, though. Your flirting is who you are and I would have no intentions of making you some sort of kept woman, doing whatever her man told her to. So that's a promise I won't make."
"As long as your follow-through is with me alone, I would certainly have no complaints?" he offered, meeting her half-way, so to speak. Part of him wondered if they'd have this discussion if it weren't for Liam, or at least not anytime soon, but at the same time, maybe this exact situation is what led to Liam existing in the first place. Thinking of time made his head hurt. Thinking of Isabela, at least, did not. So that felt right.
“Please, you know me better than many. I would never go against my nature for anything,” she said, smiling still. She nodded as he continued, because it was exactly the kind of reassurance she needed to hear from him to not feel overwhelmed by the idea of accidentally messing up this thing she’d come to want rather badly.
“You’ve a deal, serah,” she responded, her smile blooming further. Liam definitely had served as a driving force for this conversation, but Isabela didn’t let herself wonder that same thought for long -- it felt like an inevitability, one they’d just pushed up perhaps a little sooner. Either way, her eyebrows lifted, the relief of this conversation doing wonders for her in a way she’d not expected. “I assure you, my follow-through is far better than my words anyway.”
"Is that right?" chuckled Athos. "I'm afraid so far you're just all talk from my perspective." He shifted his face into thin smirk to show that was both a taunt and a challenge. Perhaps the time for talking was done. After all, he'd done more talking today alone that he'd probably done over the course of the last month.
“I like to build anticipation,” she responded, returning the smirk with one of her own before shifting closer to him to finally close the distance between them.