Hello! We are Cat and Bee from RusCanWonderland on Tumblr.

Disclaimers, Notes & Warnings:

We do not own Hetalia or any characters within.

Warnings: Witchcraft, Tarots, death, mild body horror, implied witch trials

Notes: This is mostly for us warping the perception of religious society. In this story witches have been part of polite society for centuries and certain Christian denominations of the church, instead of condemning them, protect them. Based loosely off of Practical Magic.

It was a very bad idea to surprise a Witch, much less a coven. Which was why Pastor Lars always made it a point to announce a meeting and the reason for the gathering whenever there would be a change within their community. The pastor was a tall man and as he looked through his living room, where the gathering or fifteen or so witches, those who were still young and not bedridden with age, and sighed through his nostrils as he braced himself for the outcry that would no doubt result.

"I know that you are all aware of the reason for this meeting." The man swept his silver eyes over the group before he continued. "I have taken in an application for an acolyte, and you are all aware of the duties he would perform not only within my church, but within your community. He is a good young man, with a very strong heart that has remained pure and good-intentioned for years. I respect him and I am sure that he will earn your respect as well." The pastor turned to the doorway into the kitchen. "Ivan, come introduce yourself."

Ivan stood tall in his new uniform, a pure white jacket and pants with a black shirt beneath, the high collar buttoned completely up to his neck, with a silver pentagram hanging from a chain about his neck. His silver hair was in a vague semblance of order, but a few stray hairs that refused to stay down brushed along his forehead and ears, his bright violet eyes sweeping over the small crowd of Witches as he gave an uncertain smile, shy and quiet even as he stood before the men and women.

"I… I'm Ivan Braginski… My family owns the sheep farm at the edge of town… I… I applied for this job a month ago… And I hope to be welcomed into your community… I am here to serve you just as much as I am here to serve the pastor… If not more for you…"

There was a rustle of robes and soft murmurs as the Witches glanced between one another while assessing the newcomer standing before them. There was no doubt in a single mind that he wasn't as kind and genteel as he made himself seen. The innocence and kindness radiated off of him potently and it made a few of the younger Witches suspicious.

An older woman that sat beside a fiercely green eyed man, nodded her head knowingly, her soft blue eyes traveling along his form and along every inch. "…he will need our blessing," she declared, her voice as ancient as she looked.

"Let him prove himself at least," another voice clipped in which belonged to a woman, a fierce redhead with stunning features that most normal humans warned their boys about. "Just because the river looks shallow…-

"…doesn't mean it is. Yes, yes," the older woman finished, earning a haughty glare that she didn't seem to notice and if she did, she couldn't be bothered to care. "Ivan…have you even ever met a Witch?" The old woman asked, her head tilting down knowingly but gentle as she observed his face and expressions. "What is it….that brought you to this life path?"

"I met one about a week ago at the fair." Ivan explained, honest and not letting his gaze move from the older woman. "As for what brought me on this life path… I don't know." Ivan stated simply. "I could say many things to convince you that I am perfect for this task. I could say a good many pretty words or rehearsed lines… But I won't, because I know that you aren't that stupid." The man flicked his gaze to the redhead that had spoken earlier. "But I feel that this is the right path, that this is my path… And I will walk it until it changes."

The old woman smiled after a moment and nodded her head, gray hair brushing long down her back as it rested uncoiled from the typical bun. A lot of the older witches didn't feel the need to keep their hair as tidy and uniform, there service upon the earth and humankind granting them the right to be a little bit more free.

"A good answer, Mr. Braginski." Gesturing to the green eyed man beside her, she stood, her robes pooling gracefully around her feet. "This is Arthur. He oversees a few of our younger Witches, one might you have come across while at the fair. It is his division of the Coven that deals a lot with affairs with humans," she explained as Arthur nodded, curt but polite.

"We will have someone show you around, escort you through our town and then they will bring you back here, and by then it will be up to you should you wish to stay with us. We are lenient enough to give a new acolyte the choice to stay or go should he find the work and lifestyle here not to his favor."

Ivan gave a small smile and nodded. "Thank you. I'm sure that there will be little that could sway my decision." The older male turned his gaze to the younger witches present before he looked back at the green eyed witch. "Should I wait in the other room for you to select my guide?"

"I don't suppose you've already selected one, yourself?" Arthur asked, head tilted in an inquisitive manner as he gestured to the young witches, clumped together like a pack of little bats. Matthew had been silently watching the entire time, not surprised too much to see Ivan here.

He had had a feeling for weeks.

Ivan pursed his lips and tilted his head. "Am I allowed to?" He asked slowly, the first sign of uncertainty he had shown, and rightly so. It was common knowledge that to ask the wrong question or to make an assumption about the ways of a coven could have disastrous consequences. The question that Arthur had asked felt like a test of itself, like the question of why he had chosen such a path.

Arthur watched Ivan quietly for a moment before a little smile spread on his mouth. "I don't assume you believe in fate, Mr. Braginski?" he asked, gesturing to his little gathering of young Witches that he cared for deeply. Matthew stood, eyes lingering on Ivan's form as he stepped lightly around the others near him. "If you don't, I believe it wise for you to start."

Ivan tilted his eyes to Matthew and a bright smile lit up his face at recognition. "Matthew." He murmured and the other witches watched as a warm aura poured off the human without his knowledge or volition. Whether Ivan knew or not, it was obvious to the coven that he was already quite taken with the young witch, despite only having met once.

"Ivan," Matthew echoed back, gentle as ever, a fond smile lighting up his features. "I take it you are well?" he asked, as Arthur stepped aside and Matthew led the taller male out of the room and outside. He ducked his face shyly as he drew in a breath, head straightening a little. "You hold yourself together quite well….were you nervous?" Unbeknownst to them, they left an entire room of Witches quietly watching after them before a round of silent looks and knowing smiles filled the space.

"I've never been so terrified in my life." Ivan whispered with a smile, pausing before he offered his arm to Matthew. "I'm… Not sure what your traditions dictate… But I was told to offer my arm?" It was amusing how he could project such confidence to a room full of witches, but when it came to one young fledgling he was a stumbling mess.

"That's very kind," Matthew told him, gently lacing his arm with Ivan's. "Witches, as stubborn and independent as they sometimes might seem, love to feel protected, but I suppose that goes for everyone in a way," Matthew hummed, leading Ivan away from the building where hushed chatter had already started again. "I'm…sure you'll like it here. It is very nice once you get used to it," he offered, speaking mostly of the seclusion. "Your sisters….are they well?"

"They are." Ivan nodded. "Natalia has enjoyed riding the sheep while they wore their winter coats… She was very disappointed by us shearing them two weeks ago." Ivan smiled. "She's determined to try and ride them again." Ivan looked down at Matthew and tilted his head. "Is everyone in your family part of the coven?"

Smiling gently, Matthew shook his head. "I have a brother…but he is quite successful and has made my parents quite rich," he told the other male, walking him past houses and gardens full of healing herbs and spices. A Witch knew how to work the earth, and everywhere things flowered and took root, making the space green and fruitful and fragrant. "This is where I live with Arthur and the other young Witches, we don't have parents with us…so Arthur has raised us all mostly since children," Matthew explained before showing him a blacksmith and the path that led down to a river that ran beside an open patch of land with crops and cattle. "I'm sure they'll love you here, Ivan….you are very honest and kind."

"I was under the impression that those were good traits for an acolyte to have?" Ivan asked with a smile. "And I think that your coven is very open… They feel less frightening than everyone makes them out to be." The older male tilted his head to Matthew. "I have a question…" He murmured, pulling Matthew to a gentle halt and tilting his head to stare at bright blue eyes. "Did you… Did you know? When you read my cards… That I would be coming here?"

Matthew searched Ivan's face for a moment before smiling warmly and shaking his head. "No…I had no idea I would ever see you again, Ivan. But would you like to know something?" he asked, starting to walk and gently tugging Ivan with him towards a large barn where tools and grains were kept. "…I am glad you are here. I have dreamt about you."

Ivan tilted his head curiously, innocent violet eyes staring at the blonde as he followed. "You've dreamt of me? Why?"

"Witches dream of things that will be, of riddled futures that have become an art to try and figure and decipher," Matthew explained, sliding his arm from from Ivan's. "For me having dreamt of you..of different forms of you…it ensured me we were destined to meet again," he covered, brushing at slightly reddened cheeks with his fingertips. "Why? Well…not even I have the answer to that."

Ivan smiled brightly at that before he took Matthew's hand gently, following the blonde slowly, matching his pace to Matthew's so that he was side by side with the blonde. "I'm glad… Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts."

"I don't believe I even had the choice if I wanted to or not," Matthew told him with a shy smile as he led him towards where they had started. "….after your blessing, if you decided to stay…," Matthew started carefully as he listened to the warm wind of the dying summer rustle the high tops of trees, "..I will make you something. But Ivan…you should know," he mumbled, stopping to turn and face Ivan, "…that once part of this Coven, you will be loved, and you will be cared for. Your loyalty and ours will be strong….never will you want for anything and I am certain it will be a pleasure….to care for you, acolyte."Matthew gave him a warm smile, hands coming to cup one of Ivan's. "I didn't lie to you when I told you that you deserved every happiness…and I will do my part to personally ensure it."

Ivan smiled down at Matthew, tilting his head to press his forehead to Matthew's carefully in a gesture that he had seen the witches display to one another, unaware of how intimate it was. "Thank you." He murmured, pulling back and smiling. "I'll do my best to deserve your protection and help."

Matthew's face reddened deeply as he drew in a little breath, his eyes wide as they searched Ivan's face. It cannot be as it seems, his mind raced, his heart hammering lightly in his ears. He plastered on a little smile, before nodding, his head tilting down for a moment. "You are certain you wish to stay? After accepting that…your fate is out of my hands," he breathed, gesturing ever so slightly to the building that they had first started at.

"Is there a reason you seem like you're trying to convince me out of this?" Ivan teased, looking at the building with a contemplative gaze before he turned back to Matthew and nodded. "I want this… I think… I'm meant to be here." He turned and smiled down at Matthew. "And like I said. I'll walk this path until it ceases to be the right one."

"I'm not trying to convince you out of this…I'm trying to make sure that this is what you want. I want you to be happy…I want you to…want to be here," Matthew mumbled, releasing Ivan's hands in order to worry his own fingers. "Ivan….for what it is worth…I am happy our paths crossed even for a moment," he admitted to him shyly before glancing up with a gentle smile.

Ivan smiled. "I am too… And I look forward to having our paths stay close to one another for as long as they may."

When they returned the coven had already prepared for the blessing and Ivan glanced around curiously. There was a carving in the floor, once hidden by a throw rug that had been lifted out of the way. There was a small table present with a narrow but deep hole in the middle, a thin duct carved into the wood allowing for whatever substance that filled it to drip onto the carving in the floor. A knife rested beside it and Ivan looked at the circle of witches before he stepped directly onto the carving.

The old woman smiled, her face gentle and crinkling charmingly as she pat at Ivan's arm. "I am pleased to see that you'll be staying," she told him, before gesturing for Arthur to step forward. The blonde witch took hold of Ivan's hand and the dagger in the other, a firm but gentle look on his face as he gave the other male the knife.

"…you must be the one to direct the knife's blade, not one of us. It is symbolic to you making this decision on your own," Arthur instructed as he held Ivan's hands over the table. "When you do this, your blessing will commence and you will be bound to this Coven."

Ivan nodded his understanding, looking down at the knife in his hand. It was a simple thing, thin and featureless and for a moment Ivan worried that the blade was too dull to cut his hand. He jumped when after a moment in his hand the metal warmed and shifted slowly. It turned into a broken half of a set of shears, like the kind that he might have used to cut a sheep's wool. He stared at the blade for a moment before he glanced up at the witches before him. It was a few moments before Ivan steeled himself, placing the shear's blade over his left palm, closing his hand around the blade and gritting his teeth. He dragged the blade roughly over his palm, a low breath escaping him as he opened his palm, letting the blood trickle from his flesh and onto the table, into the cup and duct until it dripped steadily onto the floor, the fluid filling the carving completely in a matter of minutes.

Ivan gasped as a blaze of heat consumed him and his lungs compressed, his mouth filled with a frigid liquid sensation the contradicted the burn of his flesh. Breathing was hard and a sharp pain encircled his throat as his body crumpled on the ground, tensing and convulsing as the blessing tore at his very core before mending it, binding the human to the coven as surely as thread might bind two pieces of fabric together.

The older witches were murmuring in Theban, their words overlapping and echoing and creating a soft cacophany of noise as they watched Ivan slowly still and his breathing return to normal. The eldest of the witches present turned to Matthew and smiled at him. "Matthew, dear, hold him, he seems very fond of you, it would be best for him to come to around you when the blessing is done." She nodded to the coven, to the priest who had been overseeing silently, before she turned and walked from the room, the others slowly trickling out.

Arthur smiled and gave Matthew's shoulder a gentle squeeze before he too left, his small flock of fledglings flitting behind him as he left, leaving Matthew alone with Ivan on the floor.

Matthew knelt beside Ivan's form, his fingers hesitating before reaching out to thread in his hair. It felt so soft..the color of beautiful moonlight…the color of stars. Tenderly, he gathered the other male into his arms, and held him close, his body shifting fully onto the floor as he cradled Ivan like a child. The man's shoulders and upper back lay in his lap, while Matthew's left arm coddled his head. His right hand gently brushed at Ivan's chest, avoiding the new marks around his neck as he hummed to him softly, rocking and swaying like a mother would.

He was lovely…so very sweet and gentle…Matthew would not deny his fondness for Ivan. He had seen the man in his dreams every night since the carnival….appearing as himself..or as a white bear…or a white bird, always around and always protecting Matthew from harm. It spoke volumes to the blonde witch that Ivan was here, in his arms, unconscious but here….it made Matthew believe that fate had much more in store for him. He sang softly, carefully as he waited, never once getting tired of his stead or wanting to move in the first place.

It was nightfall by the time that Ivan woke, aching and stiff, but strangely calm and settled. His eyes opened slowly and after a few moments the acolyte turned his violet eyes to look at Matthew. "Did I not do well?" The man asked, frowning slightly at the empty room, almost instantly collapsing back against the blonde in exhaustion despite having spent several hours doing nothing but recover from the blessing.

"You did beautifully," Matthew told him,voice soft and sweet. The blonde ran his fingers through Ivan's hair as he shook his head. "You'd do well to stay down and rest…a blessing by an entire Coven is quite a hefty pill to swallow. They left to give you time to recover…with me," he told him with a smile, Matthew tilting his head down to where his elbow was suddenly nudged by a soft black head. "Oh…and Bageshri of course. It seems she has taken quite the liking to you." Matthew was quiet for a moment before he smoothed his fingers over Ivan's chest once more, careful and inquisitive. "How do you feel…? Do you hurt too badly? I could perhaps find something to help.."

Ivan's fingers grasped Matthew's clumsily when the blonde suggested that he go elsewhere. "I'd… I'd feel better if you remained." Ivan murmured, hating how weak he sounded. He ached, yes, and his neck burned with pain, but he refused to let Matthew leave him. It felt disturbingly nice to be so close to the young witch, like he was surrounded with nothing but soft warmth and gentleness. He could easily fall deep into that sensation and never worry about leaving. Tilting his head the man sighed as he pressed his head to Matthew's stomach, listening to the faint sound of his body as he grasped at slim, smooth fingers. Instinctively his thumb rubbed over Matthew's knuckles, the callouses from picking burrs out of sheep's wool and being clumsy with shears and needles decorated his fingers, but Matthew's were soft and smooth and perfect against his own.

"I'd remain with you for as long as you wanted me to," Matthew told the man softly, eyes soft as they watched Ivan slowly fall asleep again. In another hour or so the priest came to help Matthew take Ivan to the room he'd be staying in. Even with Ivan settled in the plush bed surrounded in hand stitched pillows and quilts, completely safe and warm, Matthew refused to leave him. He stayed with him long into the night and only moved in the morning to go make him something to eat. He figured Ivan would want something familiar to eat and ended up taking his time to make him pancakes. Bringing it back to Ivan's bedside, Matthew settled to wait for him to wake, his hand slipping back into the calloused digits that he was startlingly fond of.

Ivan woke some time later, eyes flickering in confusion as he looked around before his gaze landed on Matthew. Relief flooded his expression and a warm sense of security settled like a blanket over his chest. "How long have I been out?" The older male asked, the afternoon sun streaming into the room through the windows. He didn't feel as sore or pained as he thought he would be, and as he rubbed his hand over his neck he was surprised at the rough texture that greeted him. Frowning, the man straightened, feeling the scarring around his throat, his hands slowly dropping as he traced the thick bands of tissue that encircled his entire neck from just beneath jaw to just above collarbones.

"Almost a day," Matthew supplied softly, watching Ivan carefully. The pancakes had turned into soup and that had turned into tea that he simply kept re-warming every hour or so. "…your scars. They…they are the worst part of the blessing," Matthew told him, eyes dropping down to peer at the marred flesh. "They represent our ancestors…and the hangings that took place against innocent witches." Shifting, the blonde reached forward to gently pat Ivan's arm. "Do they hurt you?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, they are just something to get used to…" The man smiled as he looked up at Matthew. He turned his head when he smelled the soup and his eyes widened. "You made Borsch?" He asked, his accent thick on the word as he peered at the bowl curiously. "It smells delicious."

"You are hungry?" Matthew asked, slightly breathless as he leaned forward with a little smile. "I had hoped you would be…you need to gather back your strength," he hummed with a deeper smile as he leaned to get the soup and gently place it into Ivan's hands. "It's the first time I've made it."

Ivan lifted the edge of the bowl to his lips, blowing at the fluid and taking a sip of it. The expression that crossed his face as he lowered the bowl once more could only be described as bliss. Eyes closed and throat swallowing slowly, the older male let out a soft sigh. "It's delicious." He murmured, turning his gaze to smile at the blonde. "This can't be your first time making it." He murmured. "It's amazing."

"I promise, it is," Matthew breathed, eyes watching Ivan fondly. It made him feel intensely happy that the man like the soup, seemed to be feeling better…it was like everything was falling perfectly into place. He ducked his head humbly, shaking his head a little. "I can improve it…if perhaps you could one day show me how?" The idea made Matthew's stomach twist with nerves as he smoothed at the wrinkles in the quilt over Ivan's legs.

"Improve on something perfectly done?" Ivan asked as he drained the last of the fluid from the bowl before using the spoon to eat the potatoes and chunks of meat within. "I doubt I'd be a good mentor for that." The man smiled as he finished eating. After that he drank the tea that he bad been given, blinking curiously at the taste. Rose hips and some sort of green tea mixed together in the hot water. "This is all very delicious." He murmured with a smile at the blonde. "Thank you."

Matthew's heart warmed as he watched Ivan. "Please, it's my pleasure." Matthew stood after a moment, gathering the dishes onto a small,round wooden tray. "This place is yours now….you don't have to stay hidden or away from us or the priest…when you are well, I'm sure they'll start to seek you out for help," the blonde hummed with a playful smile. "If you need anything else?" he asked softly, a little reluctant to actually leave the man but knowing he didn't want to be an influence on him this early.

"Would you… Come back tomorrow?" Ivan asked softly, looking conflicted. "That's… That's allowed right?"

Blinking, Matthew watched Ivan's face for a moment before he smiled, nodding his head. "Yes…I will. After my lessons," he smiled, watching him for a few more minutes, breath held and words he wanted to say disappearing on his lips before he nodded his head. "…rest well, Ivan." Matthew left the house quietly, the fading light of day being brightened by lanterns all along the routes of the town as he made his way home. The Witches did not fear the dark, but valued the light, and with their acolyte still a little too weak to aid in protecting them physically, the lanterns seemed to burn brighter.