Green
(Anders/Hawke)
When they first met, Anders remembers being struck by Hawke's green eyes. It seemed as though he'd never seen eyes so bright and clear, like sea water in a thick glass bottle. It wasn't until later, when they'd had many opportunities to look into each other's eyes, that he'd noticed all the other colors hidden in them, the flecks of blue and gold and gray. That's what made this so hard to do now, when he knew he ought to tell his lover the truth. Hawke was worried for him, but angry too; angry that he wouldn't be honest, angry that he hadn't been honest for weeks now, working all night on things he couldn't tell Hawke about, stumbling into bed in the wee hours only to drag himself back out in the early morning to go to the clinic. And now he was asking yet another favor, without explaining why. The clear green eyes had turned a muddy brown, the sparkle in them nearly drowned in it, and it was his fault. If there were anything he could do to bring that clear green back—No, spake Justice, This is what must be done. Do not allow yourself to grow distracted by the temporary effects on one person when what you are doing will ensure justice for thousands. And so he does the only thing he can do; he looks away so he cannot see how his love has polluted those clear green waters.