Hello! We are Cat and Bee from RusCanWonderland on Tumblr.
Disclaimers, Notes & Warnings:
We do not own Hetalia or any characters within.
Warnings: crossdressing , N/A
Notes: Based off of the idea by ShaShaShakinBakin on Tumblr that was submitted to us. This is also the first in a three part story arc.
Matthew was raised in the hall's of the palace, but he was not even close to being of noble blood. His father was estranged, and Matthew didn't know much of him other than he had the greenest eyes east of the emerald isle and that was what his mother had fallen for. She had done her best to provide for he and his brother, though the three of them were nothing more than servants and stable hands for the royal family.
But because of Matthew's fair looks, his mother had found it necessary to dress him in long skirts and tied aprons, and pinned his curls back into little buns and braids to keep up the entirely feminine appearance. Over the years, most people forgot she had two sons, and instead remembered her for having a boy who lifted heavy bags of potatoes into the kitchens and brushed the royal guards horses late in the evenings, and a daughter who breezed the halls of the palace, quiet and shy as a mouse that cleaned the floors and shined each pane of glass in every window.
Her death was quiet and mourned over by her children. Their fate was decided by the king who, upon discovering that indeed both children were male, found it in his heart to keep one and to spare the other.
It was with heavy hearts that Matthew and his brother Alfred hugged and kissed each other goodbye, for to protect the younger of the two, the king thought it necessary to send Matthew away. For his safety, Matthew was to live with the land's most powerful wizard that had ever been known. He would care for the man, keep him company and lend his talents of order and cleanliness to the powerful wizard who lived deep in the woods, with the blessing of the king to be cared for until his death.
Matthew was nervous, he didn't do well with people he did not know, and to be forced to live with a man he knew nothing of who was rumored to possess great power, made him sick with nerves. The guard that had escorted him in the carriage said nothing and Matthew supposed it was for the best.
For what was there to really say?
"We're here," the man sighed, standing and opening the carriage door before offering a hand to help Matthew out. The glen the house sat in the center of was surrounded in thick trees full of bright vegetation that shielded the sun and cast the area in cold shade. All around little creatures skittered and chirped unseen, and Matthew slowly followed the guard with his small trunk of belongings along a rotting wooden walkway that rested over a small babbling brook.
The guard sighed and set down the trunk before knocking on the thick wooden door which opened with a low creek. The house was dark and quiet save for the minute crackling of a dying fire that provided a little bit of light. Upon further inspection, the body of a man could be seen lying face down on the dirty ground and Matthew gasped.
"Is…is he dead?"
The guard shook his head. "Not likely. "Hey…you,…wake up," the man barked, the toe of his boot nudging at the lying man's shoulder.
Ivan groaned and swatted at the guards boot, shifting and peering at the two blearily, yawning as he stared at them before beginning to paw across the ground for a bottle of vodka that hadn't been drained or spilled across the floor. "I just fell asleep six hours ago." The wizard stood, stumbling slightly as he towered over the guard and young servant, bending slightly to squint down at the little blonde, dust and sleep clinging to his ashen eyelashes. "Why did you bring me a woman? I don't take virgin sacrifices as payment." The wizard swayed as he moved about the room, opening cupboards and spilling vials and scattering bowls and other items until he found a full bottle of vodka, opening it and taking a long drink.
He was completely filthy, having not bathed for several days, his beard covering his entire chin and most of his neck as it had gone untrimmed. His eyes were a bright violet despite their sleepy squint and no doubt were quite the sight to behold when they were more awake. There was a long pale violet scarf that hung from his throat, the ends lapping at the man's bare feet as he wandered about in his tunic and pants.
"This is your new ward, by order of the king he's been assigned you as a servant."
Ivan spewed the mouthful of vodka he had swallowed. "Now listen here!"
"Orders. From the king." The guard gave the wizard a look as he sputtered and made to protest, the guard kicking Matthew's trunk into the cottage before slamming the door closed behind him.
Ivan was silent for a long moment, rubbing his eyes in a distinctly childish fashion before he turned to peer down at Matthew. "You're… Small." He murmured, eyes sweeping over the thin frame. "And… young?" His fingers reached down without preface to lift the skirts of the blonde's gown. "Why are you wearing a dress?"
Matthew instantly swat at Ivan's hand before he took a step back. "Because I do not know how to properly wear trousers….and it seems you and I share that talent," the blonde huffed softly as he pointed at the wizard's dropping pants that were clearly not tied properly.
Ivan pouted at the blonde. "Don't sass me, I'll turn you into a toad." The wizard blinked before he mumbled. "As soon as I remember the spell." Bright violet eyes drooped sleepily for a moment before Ivan seemed to remember that he was indeed in the presence of another. "Oh! Bed, you need a bed."
The wizard looked around and opened the door, walking around the side of the cottage to find one of the geese that waddled around the building, plucking a feather with a shriek from the animal, racing back inside before the enraged goose could catch him. Taking the feather, a twig that rested on the floor and tearing a scrap of fabric from a bolt that resided atop a cupboard, the wizard paused for a minute, obviously taking a moment to remember the proper spell before he spoke up in a thick language that the little blonde couldn't understand.
When nothing happened after a full minute Ivan frowned. "No, wait… That wasn't right…"
"….you are the great wizard?" Matthew asked softly, eyebrows knitting on his forehead as he took a little step away from the man. The blonde was confused and slightly concerned; this wizard looked frazzled and unkempt and so tired. It looked almost like a miracle that he was still standing and somewhat functioning…though it seemed the powerful spell of alcohol was aiding in that.
"I…do not mind sleeping on the floor," Matthew mumbled, his fingers wringing together as he peered about the cluttered and distressed home before looking at the wizard's face.
"Ah! That's it, not pedogie, philigree!"
There was an explosion of feathers and an enormous four poster bed appeared atop Ivan, the wizard disappearing beneath the frame as the goose down mattress was covered in sheets and a thick down comforter, four fluffy pillows appearing like cotton blooms on the surface of the bed.
"It worked!" Ivan's muffled voice called from beneath the bed, rather excited for such a simple spell.
Matthew gasped and forgot how to move before he fell to his knees and peered underneath the bed's frame. "Are you mad? You could've hurt yourself," Matthew sighed, genuine concern knitting his features before he shifted forward to push at the side of the bed so he could more easily help the older male out from under it. "Do you not…realize the full power of your own spells?"
Ivan scrambled out from beneath the bed. "This is nothing, you should have seen the time I dropped my house on myself when I was moving it." The wizard held out his hands and made a sweeping gesture, sending the bed sliding slowly across the floor until it settled in a corner nearest the fireplace, the man scratching at his chin through his beard as he wandered over to the cupboards, holding out his arms to the width of the cupboard, eyeballing the height before he walked over to Matthew's trunk, pushing it beside the bed, wedged between the enormous frame and the fireplace, before he pulled his hands up to the height of the cupboard he had used as reference, stretching the trunk itself before several small drawers and doors appeared on the front.
"There, a dresser!" The wizard grinned back at the boy behind him. "Would you like a couple of walls?"
Matthew was silent for a moment before he peered away from the wizard's face, before he slowly moved across to the bed. He carefully reached forward to brush his fingers over the comforter and sheets before he glanced back at the man. "This…this bed is really for me? But….but it's so large," Matthew mumbled as he pulled his hand back.
Ivan hummed before he turned to the bed, staring at it for a moment before he held out his hands, slowly pulling them together, watching as the bed shrank slowly, the bedposts shortening until the bed was at a more manageable size, the wizard turning back to the boy with a wide smile. "Better?"
"…yes it's…it's wonderful," Matthew mumbled shyly as his fingers reached forward to brush along the edge of a pillow. It was the nicest bed Matthew would ever have the pleasure of sleeping in. Sure he had seen huge beds in the palace and felt the silk sheets and embroidered pillows, but not even they compared to the little rectangle of a bed Ivan had given to him. "Thank you.."
Ivan smiled brightly, as if the approval of the little blonde was worth more than the greatest kings in the world. "You're welcome." The sleepy expression that the wizard had possessed when Matthew first arrived returned again and the man yawned loudly. "I think I'm going to nap." He murmured, that being the only warning that Matthew received before the enormous man collapsed on the floor.
Matthew gasped as he peered at Ivan. The blonde stood still and listened to the deep, rhythmic breaths of the man on the floor before he moved to grasp one of the pillows on his new bed. He knelt beside the sleeping wizard before gently gathering his head up so he could place the pillow beneath it.
Sighing, Matthew peered around the home and its many oddities, but most of all at its extensive amount of dust. Standing, Matthew wandered to a window and unlatched the shutters to open it wide to let in fresh air before he found a bucket and made to wander outside to fill it. He gathered new fire wood to place in the hearth before he nosed into the pantry and meat box for something to make.
Lips pursing, Matthew washed and dried a few pots and pans and eating utensils before he set to work on making some type of food with the few good eggs, strips of bacon and half a loaf of bread he had found. The wizard looked like he needed a good nights rest and a decent meal, but until Matthew could figure out what to make him, this would do.
Ivan was half awake when the bacon started to really cook, the wizard peeling his eyes open as he all but crawled across the floor, collapsing with his head on Matthew's shoes and his arms around thin calves. "You're cooking for me. I like you." The wizard murmured, using the cabinets and Matthew's skirts to pull himself upright, leaning against the counter to peer at the bacon cooking on the stove, his nose only a couple inches from the cooking pan. "We have bacon?"
"…please don't stand so close….you'll burn your lashes or your whiskers," Matthew mumbled urgently before gently swatting at Ivan's shoulder with a wooden spoon. "It isn't very much…but..yes, I found some good bacon," the blonde declared softly as he pushed the meat around the thick skillet.
"It's better than cheese and bread." Ivan murmured, slumped against the counter as he watched the flame beneath the skillet. He stuck his finger into the flame, breathing out slowly as he removed the digit, letting the flame dance over his finger before he flicked it back beneath the skillet with the rest of the flame.
"I don't know how to make much but…it's my job to care for you now…so I will make sure you eat more than just bread and cheese," Matthew told the older male softly before he hung a small black kettle on a hook above the fire.
Ivan peered at the kettle before he hummed and laid his arms and head on the counter once more. "You aren't going to make me kill my chicken are you?" Ivan asked after a moment. "I like my chicken, she gives me eggs."
"Of course not….if you want to eat chicken..I'll walk to bring you one already slain," Matthew told the wizard softly before grabbing a now clean plate to dish out the bacon, eggs and bread on. He set it gently next to Ivan's stretched out arms before using the length of his apron to grasp the handle of the kettle to pull it out of the heat as it began to whistle. Matthew mixed in a few tea leaves he had found in a small box before pouring some into a cup for the wizard. "There…do you not have your own bed to sleep in?"
Ivan drank the hot tea without a care for the scalding heat, shaking his head as he picked up a piece of bacon and used it to grasp some of the scrambled eggs, munching happily in what was probably his first real meal in a good century. "Why would I need a bed?" He asked as he continued to eat without a care for the utensils laid out beside him, still kneeling beside the counter as he ate before he rested his head on his arm contentedly.
"Because you need rest…," Matthew mumbled softly before he carefully reached to touch the man's arm. "You could…you could use mine…and while you sleep, I can make something for you for dinner," the blonde suggested softly, drawing back his hand and placing it in his lap.
"But I don't like beds. They're big and lonely." Ivan mumbled sleepily, his eyes drooping as he drifted between waking and sleep. "I'll just go sleep in front of the fire…"
"But…my bed is not big at all,…and I am here…you will not be so lonely," Matthew sighed softly before he reached for Ivan's arm and then tentatively moved his fingers to brush through the man's hair. "You will feel better.."
Ivan allowed himself to be led to Matthew's small bed, curling up in it and sighing as he fell asleep, his breathing deep and heavy as he all but collapsed into sleep.