Painted Mirrors

Bluest-of-Jayys

It started with a reflection in the mirror that wasn't his. An unknown young man dressed in the most archaic of clothes, regarding him curiously with eyes as dark as the night sky before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Mathias's curiosity was piqued instantly. A haunted house wasn't so ridiculous, considering the fact that the house he lived in had been in the family since colonial times. It should be teeming with ghosts and such; an exciting prospect for someone as eccentric as he. Besides, nobody else lived in the house Mathias had inherited from his uncle, and he was starting to get lonely.

Since that day, Mathias kept a watchful eye on every mirror in his house, but when he finally met the mysterious young man again, it was not in a mirror but in an old picture book he had left on the coffee table.

Kartusch, it was called, written by Stephen Cosgrove. One of Mathias's favorites as a child, but it had been lost to the passage of time and clutter of his uncle's attic. He had only recently found it and intended to reread it.

It was a sweet story about a group of small creatures called the Furry Eyefuls, who were small and furry and never closed their eyes nor slept because they wanted to take in the beauty of the world. This made them very grumpy, and only upon meeting a blind snake named Kartusch were they able to appreciate the true beauty of the world, both visual and not.

Mathias's favorite illustration was the one where the Furry Eyefuls met the emerald green snake Kartusch, but when he turned to the page, it wasn't only Kartusch who sat on a bright red flower but a young man, clad in the most archaic of clothes, curled up next to the snake. Mathias did a double take, rubbed his eyes, flipped the page back and forth, but the man remained, rather than disappearing as he had before. He was sleeping serenely against Kartusch's painted form, his legs dangling off the side of the illustrated flower. His skin was fair and his hair was the color of spun gold, offsetting gray trousers and a waistcoat of the deepest blue. In the picture, he looked no taller than a Furry Eyeful. He almost could have been part of the illustration if not for the fact that his chest rose and fell slowly with each sleepy breath he drew.

"Hello?" whispered Mathias. He gasped when the man sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes. As fluid as an animation, he dropped from the flower and landed among the Furry Eyefuls, then gasped and ran behind the flower, only peeking at Mathias from the shadows under the petals.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt ya," said Mathias, peering at the figure, "Just want to know who ya are."

The man shook his head, rustling gold locks, and retreated further into the shadows.

"Wait, don't go," Mathias pleaded, "I see ya around all the time and I just want to know. Please?"

Slowly, the man stepped out from underneath the flower, regarding Mathias with stoic curiosity.

"Can you understand me?" asked Mathias.

The tiny man nodded.

"Can you speak back?"

The tiny man shook his head before grabbing a stick lying in the grass and writing, Not like this, in the dirt beneath the flower. Mathias had to squint to make out the words.

"Can I meet you somewhere else?"

The tiny man snorted and rolled his eyes. Not now, he wrote, maybe later.

"Well, then, can I know your name? I'm Mathias."

Sighing, the tiny man rubbed out his last statement in the dirt beneath the flower before writing, you ask too many questions. He scrubbed that out too and wrote, Lukas.

Mathias couldn't help but chuckle. "Nice ta meet ya, Lukas. Mind if I shake your hand?" He extended his pinkie finger towards the paper, only touching it after Lukas decided that Mathias meant no harm and reaching out himself. The spot on the paper where their hands met grew warm to the touch, and they politely receded. Lukas turned away to leave when Mathias stopped him with one last question.

"Will I see you again?"

Lukas smiled knowingly before fading away. We'll see.

XxX

From then on, Lukas felt more and more at ease showing himself to Mathias. Mathias would catch glimpses of him sneaking bites out of a still life fruit bowl, sleeping beneath a painted tree, or walking down a dusty road. Each time he was silent, unable to speak from a painting, yet he acknowledged Mathias with eyes like the depths of the ocean: lonely and omniscient.

Mathias fell in love with those eyes, for they told him that he did not have to be lonely anymore. They were in every painting he passed by, every mirror he looked into, and every picture book he read. His new friend Lukas, he found, lived in a world of pictures: separate from his own, yet somehow attached. He lived alone in the oldest oil painting Mathias's uncle owned: a painting of a large house sitting on a sunny and windswept hill, done by Mathias's own great-grandfather. It was his pride and joy, and it hung peacefully in the living room above the fireplace. It was where Mathias often saw Lukas, tilling the fields in the background by himself. There was an entire world behind canvas, paper, and glass, and Mathias was more than intrigued.

Three weeks after the book incident, while Mathias was shaving in front of his bathroom mirror, a sly Lukas appeared next to his own reflection, leaning against the mirror frame and admiring Mathias's naked torso so openly that the former blushed and turned away.

"Seriously, quit starin'," Mathias scolded gently. His skin prickled with goosebumps knowing that the silent little smirk gracing rosy lips was fixed towards him. "Do ya ever talk? Just lookin' at me in silence is a little creepy."

Lukas's smirk disappeared, replaced by a look of exasperation. His lips moved, yet barely any sound came out. Mathias leaned in towards the mirror, straining to hear.

A voice dampened and hollowed by the glass barrier reached his ear: deep, cool, and tinged with a brogue that Mathias placed as coming from somewhere in Northern Europe: You can barely hear me, you silly man.

"Hey, whoa," Mathias retorted, "then, there's gotta be a better way to talk to ya. What works?"

Lukas looked up in thought for a few moments, then said, come back when the sun goes down.

"Can I talk to ya then?"

Lukas nodded shyly before fading away.

I'll see you tonight.

XxX

The moment the sun disappeared below the horizon, Mathias rushed to his bathroom and planted himself in front of the mirror. Lukas was already waiting for him, his form overlapping Mathias's reflection.

I'm glad you made it, his lips read.

"I'm a man who keeps his word," Mathias stated proudly. Lukas allowed himself a small smile before reaching out towards Mathias.

Earlier, the glass of the mirror would have blocked him from reaching out, yet this time, Lukas's fingers slipped through the crystal surface as if he were moving through water. He groped around, seeking something to hold onto. Mathias offered his hand.

The mirror rippled as Lukas's arm was followed by his head, his neck, his torso, and the rest of him. He was warm to the touch and radiated a faint glow, pleasing to bask in. Mathias couldn't help but smile in reverence; he had never seen someone so beautiful.

With one last push, Lukas climbed through the mirror and landed softly in Mathias's arms. He wore a white nightgown, dipped at the collar and flowing around his ankles. Mathias thought he looked like an angel.

"Good evening," he said dumbly.

Lukas recomposed himself, standing on the bathroom floor. He was about half a head shorter than Mathias. "Likewise," he answered. His voice was light and clear, like the air on a mountaintop. "How do you do?" he asked politely.

"I'm good. Wow. How did you do that?"

Lukas shrugged. "Amazing things can happen under cover of night," he said lightly.

"Are you magic?" breathed Mathias.

"No more than you are," replied Lukas.

Mathias stroked Lukas's hair, slightly curly and held back by a cross-shaped clip. "But you're glowing," he revered.

Lukas's glow pulsed slightly as he bit his lip sheepishly. "I guess."

The bathroom tile was beginning to freeze their feet, so Mathias offered to make Lukas some tea and continue their conversation in the parlor.

This time, Lukas begrudgingly answered every annoying question Mathias had. Most notably, about who he was: a man who lived in a painting by himself, spending all day tilling fields of golden oil. He was confined to his own world by day, but as soon as the sun went down, he was allowed to travel into Mathias's world through the reflective surface of a mirror.

"But ya have everythin' you need where ya live… food, water, anything," asked Mathias, "why'd ya need to come here?"

Lukas simply shrugged, "I live alone in the paintings and do nothing but care for the fields, you know. I have yet to find someone like me."

"But you must have a mother or a father,"Mathias said, "otherwise how did ya come to be?"

"I do not know how I came to be," replied Lukas, "only that I am. I'm a little lonely," he gave a small smile, "I've seen people come and go from this house for centuries, but you're the only one who has actively pursued me."

Mathias grinned proudly. "Sounds like me," he said. They spoke well into the night, enjoying each other's company. For Mathias, this was the culmination of his pursuit of Lukas: he was so very real and beautiful, sitting politely with his legs tucked under him barely a foot away. His laughs were breathy and quiet, his smiles small, and the golden light radiating from his skin pulsed to the beat of Mathias's words. He was ethereal, as if made of air, yet here he was, creating a dip in the couch cushions and drinking from Mathias's favorite teacup. Oh, and the gentleness in Lukas's eyes… Mathias was more than captivated. He had barely touched his own tea in favor of hanging onto every bit of Lukas that he saw or heard.

Morning was well on its way by the time Mathias found the courage to ask his most important question.

"I've got something to ask ya," he said timidly. Would it work? Would Lukas accept?

"The sun is almost up. Make it quick," Lukas urged gently, setting down his now-empty teacup and giving Mathias his full attention.

That only seemed to make Mathias more tongue-tied. "Well, uh," he began, "and this is just a random question, totally unrelated to real life now…"

"Spit it out."

Mathias sighed. "What if, and this is a huge what if, what if someone from this world was to fall in love with someone from yours?"

"It can't happen," Lukas answered brusquely, rising from his seat. The warm light he emitted suddenly turned cold and dim, ceasing its pulsing and bathing the room in shadow.

"Why?" asked Mathias, taken aback by Lukas's sudden change in demeanor.

"It just can't!" Lukas snapped, turning away, "We are of different worlds, Mathias. I cannot set foot into yours as long as the sun is up, and you cannot enter mine at all. It can't work."

Mathias leapt to his feet. "But we can make it work! I love you, Lukas. I'll never sleep again. I'll–"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, idiot," Lukas sighed. The first rays of the sun rose through the treetops and streamed into the parlor. An uneasy look crossed Lukas's face, and he turned to leave. "I must go. I've already been out for too long." His form grew hazy and indistinct, and without another word, he sped off in the direction of the bathroom. Mathias rushed after him, but it was too late. Lukas had disappeared into the bathroom and had returned to being a two-dimensional image, receding into the glass infinity of the mirror, leaving Mathias to press his hands against the barrier he could never cross and look forlornly after the man he wanted to love.

XxX

They didn't speak for a month after that. Lukas had gone back to hiding from Mathias, barely showing his back in a painting or a mirror. That didn't deter Mathias, though. He always kept his eyes peeled for a shock of golden hair or a flash of blue eyes, hoping that Lukas would at least be willing to remain his friend.

He tried standing in front of the old oil painting on his mantle and apologizing, begging Lukas for his company, romance be damned. It made him happy to know that someone else was sharing his house with him, but when that other person tried to hide his existence from Mathias and pretend that their friendship had never happened, it was beyond painful. It was worse than being lonely, for at least he knew he was alone.

One particularly silent day, it was just too much.

I can't live here like this, fumed Mathias, but I can't forget someone like Lukas. I'm sure he loves me too, at least a little bit. He wouldn't be spying on me if I didn't, he glanced behind him at the painting above the mantle. Lukas was barely visible, but Mathias could see the young man hiding among the tall grass, his golden hair almost blending into the stalks. Mathias grinned and waved, and the golden hair sunk deeper into the grass.

What a cutie, he observed with a chuckle. Suddenly, an idea struck him. What if he could somehow lure Lukas out and convince him to talk? He considered himself a decent enough artist; he was sure that the talent had been passed down through his family after all.

They say that a picture's worth a thousand words, Mathias donned his coat and picked up his wallet and keys, delighted by his own string of logic. I wonder what time the crafts store closes?

XxX

He returned about two hours later with a two-pack of 18-by-24 inch canvases and a bag of oil paints and brushes. This had been Mathias's first time touching any sort of art supplies since he was in high school, but he'd won an award for one of his paintings back then, so how bad could his painting skills have gotten? He covered the living room floor with newspapers, set his canvas down (easels were too expensive), and took off his shirt. If he remembered anything from painting in high school, it was how many shirts he'd ruined by always forgetting his smock. He figured that his jeans were pretty old anyway, and could do with a splash of color, so he left them on.

Now, what to paint… he pondered. Most of the paintings in his house were of inanimate things: landscapes, still lifes, nature… et cetera. Maybe a portrait would be nice. Yeah, a portrait! Mathias realized, Not just any stuffy ol' 1800's portrait either... He could see the image materialize in front of him: Lukas, beautiful Lukas, sitting on the couch with his legs tucked up under him, smiling into a cup of tea as his skin radiated peaceful light. It was perfect. He started immediately, mapping out the composition and carefully choosing his colors.

It was finished within a week and a half. Mathias hung it over the TV, directly across the room from Lukas's home painting. He stood back and admired his work proudly.

His painting skills were a little rusty, but he felt that he had done well in capturing the essence of Lukas's form: the happiness in his lonely eyes that betrayed his hidden smile, the minute curl of his toes peeking out from underneath his nightgown, and the light. It radiated from Lukas's skin, pale yellow mixed with resin gel and turpenoid for transparency, making him glow like an angel.

He was so caught up in looking over his work that he didn't notice that the sun had set, bathing his entire house in dark red. Footsteps coming down the stairs startled him out of his reverie, followed by a soft glow breaking the dark.

"Lukas?" He turned to face the intruder, "what are you doing here?"

Lukas bit his lip, shying away. Despite his guarded countenance, Mathias could see that his light pulsed, a sure sign that Lukas was beyond elated. "The painting," he mumbled, "it's me?"

"Who else but you?" answered Mathias, tentatively moving towards the sprite. He suddenly stopped himself in his movements. "I-I mean," he sputtered, "I wanted to do something nice for ya, and maybe talk a little bit, like a peace offering…"

Lukas smirked. "You lack finesse, as always." He moved to stand next to Mathias, admiring the painting. "It does quite look like me. Your family has always had an eye for art." His light pulsed quicker now, mirroring the excitement of his heartbeat. "To answer your question," he added, a hint of sheepishness in his voice, "I'm here to apologize."

"For what?"

"Are you this dense?" the sprite bristled, glancing away, "I'm sorry for the way I treated you that night. I was a little too harsh."

Mathias shook his head. "No, no, no. Don't worry about it. You had every right to reject me. It was wrong of me to force you into something like that. You don't have to love me back," he placed a hand on Lukas's shoulder in an unobtrusive gesture of friendship. Despite the platonic nature of the motion, Lukas couldn't help but blush. Mathias's hand was large and warm, just like his heart.

They stood side-by-side in peace, admiring the painting. The only movement between them was the soft rise and fall of Mathias's chest as he drew breaths from between parted lips. The object of his affections was close enough to take by the hand and spin into his arms, and his fingers itched to do so.

A small sniffle drew him back to reality, and he realized that Lukas was stifling a sob. Tears dripped from long lashes, glittering in the light of his skin, and it near broke Mathias's heart to see him holding back his feelings. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" he prodded gently, leaning down to try and catch Lukas's eye.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong," Lukas choked. Something was definitely wrong. Mathias shook his head, tossed his self-restraint to the wind, and folded the shorter man in his arms. It only served to make Lukas cry harder. His light pulsed erratically from bright to dark and back again. Mathias wasn't so dense as to not understand why, and the past several weeks finally began to make sense to him. All the spying, hiding under painted fruits and tall grasses, checking in on him, apologizing to him… they came together like the pieces of a puzzle. Lukas cared for him!

A couple gentle rubs to the back seemed to calm Lukas. While Mathias wanted to know how the sprite really felt, he decided to hold his tongue for fear of alienating Lukas again. Instead, he asked if everything was alright, and received a small shake of the head in reply.

"Why do you have to love me?" Lukas blubbered, "You could have gone on and lived a normal life, Mathias. Gotten married to a nice, normal girl, have some nice, normal kids… Do you realize what you're getting yourself into, going after me?"

Mathias nodded. "I know, and I don't care." His voice was set; he was ready to follow Lukas to the end of the world and beyond.

"I live in two worlds, Mathias. On top of that, I'm a man. I can't even bear you children." Lukas's eyes burned with tears and he cast his gaze downwards, refusing to show them to the man who stood before him.

"Those two worlds aren't entirely separated and we can adopt," countered Mathias, gently placing his hands on Lukas's shoulders, " I've got a friend who works for child services, I've been meaning to adopt a kid at some point anyway. Too many poor babies without a permanent home," he smiled, "any more reasons?"

Realizing that he had none, Lukas leaned into Mathias's embrace. "You kind, foolish man. I never expected you to fall in love with me," he muttered, "or I to fall in love with you."

"Life is funny like that, isn't it?" Mathias smiled bittersweetly. He wrapped his arms around Lukas, leaning in to place a delicate kiss in his hair.

"But this," Lukas's voice was quiet, almost a whimper. "I can't touch you in the day. I can't be there to hug our kids when they come home from school. I can't fall asleep by your side with a guarantee that I'll be there in the morning. I'm here, but I'm also far away. Are you sure we can live like that?"

"We just spent an entire month like that," Mathias pointed out, "I'm ready to bear the pain for both of us."

"Again with the dumb promises," sighed Lukas, snaking his arms around Mathias's waist and sighing happily into his shoulder. "Just promise me that you'll do your best to keep them, okay?"

Mathias grinned. "Love always finds a way."

XxX

Mathias's life changed from then on. While he had to remain diurnal to fulfill his responsibilities to the world, he looked forward to when the sun set and another pair of feet would join his, padding around the too-quiet house. They would dine together, talk quietly, kiss some, and fall asleep with their arms wrapped around each other. The only disappointments were small compared to the happiness they shared: waking up alone in the mornings, being unable to communicate while the sun was up, and the increasing lack of sleep he was experiencing from wanting to spend as much time conscious with his Lukas as possible. The biggest disappointment, however, was that Lukas was left alone during much of the day. Mathias spent his weekends painting pictures for his lover to admire and explore in an attempt to give him something to do. This was as far from a normal relationship as he could have gotten, but Mathias wouldn't have had it any other way. He even changed his relationship status on Facebook from "single" to "in a relationship" and kept it that way, even though Lukas had rolled his eyes when he'd shown him.

They continued like this for several months, living an odd sort of domestic existence. It was comfortable, and the sheer love that Mathias and Lukas held for each other made up for what it lacked.

One night, Mathias lay awake in bed. He'd had a little too much coffee a little too late and by consequence he was having a little trouble sleeping, so he let his thoughts wander. What he'd do tomorrow, what he'd done today… He'd seen Lukas relaxing in the shade of a painted tree in the dining room and had half a mind to disturb him but his better judgement prevented that. The sprite could be very grouchy if he wanted to be.

It was then he heard footsteps. Light ones, like a child tiptoeing in the night, but footsteps nonetheless. He wondered if he should call his local emergency number before his bedroom door slowly opened.

In the doorway stood Lukas, shorter than Mathias but taller than most, wearing his white nightgown and a halo of soft light. Mathias instantly relaxed; Lukas's very presence made him feel secure.

He tiptoed, almost glided, to Mathias's bedside and kneeled. "You're awake tonight," he whispered, ghosting a hand down the side of Mathias's cheek.

"Too much coffee," Mathias chuckled tiredly.

"Shouldn't drink too much of the stuff," Lukas replied, resting his head on Mathias's chest, "caffeine sounds bad for you." He felt Mathias's free hand reach up to card through his hair and sighed into the touch.

"Are ya cold?" asked Mathias. The halo of light pulsed dimly, as if expressing delight at being caressed by gentle hands.

"I don't feel cold as you do," answered Lukas, peeling back a bit of the blanket to shuffle into bed and curl up against Mathias. "Only when you are distant, do I feel cold." And dark, he added to himself.

Mathias's hand dropped to cradle Lukas against him. "You'll never have to be cold again. You can follow me wherever you want. I'll keep a hand mirror in my pocket."

"You foolish man," sighed Lukas, leaning up to press a kiss to Mathias's jaw. The light seemed to emanate from his entire body now, a pleasant glow bright enough to see each other by yet dim enough to be comfortable. "Are you sleepy?"

"Not at all," answered Mathias, "I don't think I want to be, either," he grinned.

Lukas sighed, tickling Mathias's neck. "Sleep is important, Mathias. I'll be here. Don't worry."

Mathias whined. "I'm not tired, though…" Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and his hand slid along Lukas's thigh. The sprite flinched, startled, before settling into the touch and gracing his hand along Mathias's jaw.

"May I?" Mathias whispered, pressing kisses to Lukas's fingertips as they crossed his lips.

Lukas locked eyes with Mathias, gaze hooded by the lust and affection he felt towards the man who had lured him from his hiding places and embraced him across the barrier that divided them. He latched his lips to Mathias's, light pulsing excitedly as he hauled his body flush with his lover's and tangled his fingers in Mathias's hair. They broke apart after a few moments, breathless and flushed. "I'll take that as a yes, then?" chuckled Mathias. Lukas nodded, a small smile curling his kiss-stained lips before slotting them sloppily with Mathias's once again.

The lovemaking was excellent, but the best part was what happened the morning after:

Mathias awoke to a soft glow from behind his eyelids, making him see shades of red and gold. Assuming it was the sun, he screwed his eyes shut and rolled into the pillow he clung to. His pillow, however, shifted and whacked Mathias on the shoulder, forcing the man to wake up. He blinked into awareness, only to see Lukas propped up on his elbows, as naked as the day he was born, and surrounded by the most beautiful light coming from the sun outside.

"I'm here," he breathed, looking directly at Mathias, "I'm still here."

Mathias began to cry.

AN: Kartusch was my favorite book growing up as a child. The moral of the story was to take time to appreciate the things around you that you can't see, or something along those lines. The art is really bright and cute, and the Furry Eyefuls look ridiculously adorable. I recommend that you check it out if you have the time or if you can find it… I'm not even sure where my parents got the book in the first place. o_o

I've been craving some cheesy supernatural-ish romance lately, hee. It's gooey and cheesy like pizza. Don't underestimate the power of love!