Inspired by a picture on fuckyeahukcan on Tumblr: /post/32540343344/iggysbunny-old-pixiv-id-9161833-member
(just put fuckyeahukcan "dot" tumblr "dot" com into your adress bar and then paste the above url after it)
The first thing Matthew noticed, before he could take in the black space around him or the lack of sound, was that for the first time in years, he didn't feel sick. His breathing was natural, not shaky and rattling like it had been for so long, and his limbs had recovered the strength and stability they had lost.
He wasn't afraid, and he didn't feel like he should have been. This place, wherever it was, was dark and open, but it didn't frighten him. It was soothing almost, compared to the white walls and crowded electronic monitors that had made up his room for most of his life. It was like the only things that existed in the world were him, his bear, and the hospital pajamas he still wore.
There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, an expectation of some sort, like he was waiting for something. Not anything bad, or even good, just… something.
So he sat on his knees in the darkness, little white bear propped up in his lap, and waited patiently.
The something came, but Matthew could not say if it had been only a few seconds or hours before it arrived. It didn't matter to him anyway, he was just happy to see someone. The something started as a white light, either very small or very far away, and grew bigger and brighter until it formed another young man, clad in a short toga and sandals, standing before Matthew with a polite smile on his face. The light that formed his body shifted and condensed to the top of his head, forming a golden ring above his messy sand-blond hair.
Matthew smiled back, somehow knowing this was someone he could trust, and feeling like this was someone he'd been waiting to meet for a long time.
"Are you ready to go, love?" the man asked, his green eyes sparkling almost as bright as his halo.
"Mm-hmm," Matthew answered, shifting to stand up, but the man held a hand up to stop him.
"Just one more thing we need to take care of, first," he said, crouching down to Matthew's level. He produced from somewhere in the folds of his toga a bright, golden ring, identical to the one which adorned his own head. He lifted it up, over Matthew's head, and then let it go. Matthew could feel it above him, giving off a gentle, radial warmth from where it hovered. It spread through him, making him feel soft and calm all over, like hot chocolate but a hundred times better.
"There we are," the man said, brushing his hands. "Suits you rather well, I think."
"Thank you." Matthew felt his cheeks heat up a little.
"Now then," the man said as he stood up and offered a hand down to Matthew. "Shall we get going?"
"Okay," Matthew responded, taking the hand and standing as well, bear tucked under his other arm.
His smile as bright as his eyes and his halo, the man kept his hold on Matthew's hand as he led him through the darkness, towards something better, something beautiful. Matthew, his legs strong and his stride sure for the first time since he could remember, followed gladly.