Chapter Text
Garrett Hawke had always known, from the time he was very small, that his destiny was to fall in love; that he was going to meet The One right when he least expected it and they would be inseparable for the rest of their days. He knew this because he had a legacy that promised him true love did indeed exist. Also he had probably read one too many over the top teen romance novels in his adolescence.
He had heard the story of his parents’ meeting many times. His father Malcolm Hawke had been a troubled teenager, always restless, always getting into trouble. His small southern hometown wasn’t enough to contain his big dreams, and so he skipped out of it not too long after graduating high school. He bounced around the country, technically homeless and definitely directionless.
Then he met Leandra. The seedy bar he found her hanging around was not the kind of place a girl of her high class upbringing would usually frequent. He was immediately infatuated with her. The two spent several weeks attached at the hip, the longest Malcolm had ever stayed in one place since leaving home, and it wasn’t long before they learned a little surprise was on the way. That surprise was of course, Garrett. Baby Garrett was the catalyst that made Malcolm turn his life around. The two eloped and he settled down with Leandra in the same kind of town he had hoped to escape from. Together the young couple planted their roots in some farmland right smack in the middle of the country.
And that’s where Garrett’s own memories start. Growing up on the farm with his mother and father and twin siblings had been tough at times. They certainly weren’t wealthy and the children were expected to help out around the fields when they grew old enough. However it had been a good life, a happy childhood full of love and warmth.
When Garrett’s father passed away, it was as if a hole had been punched out of their close family. And it left jagged edges. They noticed his absence in the little things. In the large work shoes left by the back door indefinitely and the lingering smell of his cologne on his jacket hanging over the back of the recliner. Dinner was always just a little more somber from then on. The family all habitually averted their gazes from the achingly empty fifth chair and prayed for somebody else - anybody else - to break the silence that had fallen over the entire household.
Garrett had just started high school, and suddenly all of his father’s responsibilities were passed on to him. Leandra tried to stay strong for her children, but he could see how Malcolm’s untimely death and the day-to-day rigor of life on the farm took its toll on her. Still, she never stopped loving her husband. It didn’t slip past Garrett’s attention. This was a love he always hoped to have for himself one day when he met the right person.
Moving out for college had been his first step toward a life of his own. With Garrett out of the house, Leandra had chosen to sell the old farm despite the memories, and move into the suburbs, which also put the family closer to Garrett’s university. Neither she nor Malcolm had gotten the chance to receive a degree and Leandra was extremely proud of her oldest. College life seemed to suit him. He had worked his ass off to get a scholarship and was not planning on squandering his opportunity. His best friend Varric managed to sign them up to room in a dorm together as undergrads and Garrett was thankful for having a familiar face around.
Varric was a Literature major and spent much of his free time shoving his unfinished manuscripts under Garrett’s nose for approval. Garrett wasn’t exactly sure why, as his critiques usually sounded something like “Well at least this wasn’t as trashy as the last one.” Garrett’s major was still undeclared. He felt like he needed a taste of everything before settling on one life path, although he envied others who seemed so sure of their life goals.
It was during the end of his sophomore year that Garrett first caught a glimpse of his future -- and it came in the form of a scruffy pre-Med student sitting across the classroom from him in an intro to Anthropology course. The professor decided to pull the tired “give us your name, major, and one interesting thing about you” ice breaker for the first class and that’s how he learned his name was Anders, he wished to be a doctor, and he could tie a knot in a cherry stem using only his tongue. Garrett swore Anders glanced his way when he said that last bit, a sly grin on his face, but he was probably just imagining it.
The rest of the class tittered amongst themselves and then it was the next person’s turn for introductions and then the class was over. As everyone filed out of the room and down the hall, Garrett had caught up to Anders and introduced himself, technically for the second time given the awkward first-day-of-class ritual. He gave Anders what he hoped was a confident and easygoing grin. Anders smiled in return and said, “Yeah. You’re the one with the twin siblings. Funny how you think the most interesting thing about you is the existence of other people in your life.”
Garrett had faltered, not knowing how to respond, but Anders laughed it off easily and all at once it seemed they were regularly going out for coffee and studying together and chatting between classes. He learned Anders was actually a couple years older than him, having started his college career a little later than usual after what he calls a wild rebellious phase that he hadn’t quite grown out of. He was definitely not like most stereotypical students bound for doctoral glory. His right ear was pierced, his blond hair long enough to tie back in a ponytail (although Garrett preferred his occasional buns), and he frequently wore cat slippers to class. Okay so maybe he was exactly like every other poor college undergrad, but at the same time there was something unique and magnetic about him. Garrett set aside much of his free time just to be around Anders and listen to him speak about his passions and share in his dreams. Garrett had never been in love before, but he felt like he could fall for this man, with the warm aura and open heart.
The idea quickly died when it was revealed Anders already had a boyfriend, an even older man named Karl. Garrett had suddenly felt rather like a child when he made this discovery, but he liked Karl well enough and tried to tamp down his crush on Anders for all their sakes.
However Karl lived in a far off city, one Anders didn’t have any plans to move back to, and their long distance relationship became strained. When the inevitable break up occurred, Garrett was there for Anders with cliché ice cream, romcoms, and plenty of tissues. They spent the rest of their undergraduate careers forming a close friendship.
Varric eventually moved away to take part in a distant graduate program and promote his manuscripts to publishers. Being unable to stay in the dorms any longer, Garrett rented an apartment near the university and he invited Anders to room with him while they both officially started graduate school. Anders was continuing in their university’s rather well-known medical program. For his part, Garrett had finally chosen a path for himself. Interested in the diversity of the human experience, he aimed to begin a graduate study in Anthropology which was also coincidentally the intro course in which he first met Anders. Garrett would later consider that day to be one of the most important in his life. For now, he was a humble TA, doing research, grading tests, and editing power points, and living with a man who Garrett was slowly beginning to think might be The One he had hoped to find since he was a young child listening to the tale of his parents’ whirlwind romance.
Garrett was content with where his life was headed, until he was given another reason to be unsure of himself; another complication, another frustration. Another wonderful drop of sunshine. But, he was getting ahead of himself as usual.
It all started on a grey Tuesday morning with the clanging of an ancient door and Garrett stumbling over a worn doormat.