Matthew awoke slowly, like he was struggling to break free from the deep blackness of sleep. The blonde sat up, his head light though he touched his hand to his forehead as if expecting it to hurt, or for there to be blood.
But there was nothing.
The blonde realized that he was in the woods, in a familiar spot surrounded by thick brush and fall leaves. Beside him was a lantern, though it was daylight, and behind that a pointed hat that Matthew recognized as his from Samhain.
Standing, Matthew carefully moved through piles of brightly colored leaves and sweet wrapped candies, finding it strange but only because candies did not fall from dying trees.
At least, Matthew remembered it as such.
There was a figure wandering through the woods, wrapped in black and tall and familiar. He had a high Roman collar about his neck and his silver hair was windswept and messy. The man walked right past Matthew, as if he didn't see him, his motions rushed as he moved.
Ivan was in a hurry, he needed to get everything done. The children's dormitory had a broken window, Elise's roof needed to be tarred, Grandmamma Adam had a broken fence and he needed to chop wood for all the fires before sundown.
He rushed towards the community, smiling to various people as he went about his work.
Matthew felt his throat clench as he recognized Ivan instantly and he tried to call out to him, but it didn't seem the other male had even heard him.
The blonde moved, kicking up leaves, candies and wrappers as he moved out of the woods and into the town that was all too familiar. He wondered briefly, if Arthur or Grace or Bella could see him like they had all seen Ivan, but that wasn't important as he followed the tall male dressed in black.
When the figure had stopped to repair a window, Matthew hovered beside the ladder, his fingers twisting with worry as he peered up at the other spirit.
"Ivan? Do...do you have a moment?" He didn't want to upset Ivan; spirit's were delicate and he last thing Ivan needed was to be upset.
"Only for a moment!" Ivan called as he finished repairing the window, opening and closing it to test that it still worked. Once he was sure he climbed down the ladder, folding the item and tilting his head to Matthew. "I need to hurry, I have big plans tonight."
"Yes...yes I know. A wedding," Matthew stated, feeling his chest ache as he peered up at Ivan's face. The blonde swallowed as he lost his voice; he didn't know what to say. What could he say?
"Ivan...do...do you know who I am?"
Ivan stared at the blonde for a moment, as if searching for something. "You're... You're Matthew. You're a fledgling... You're my responsibility." The man was quiet before he moved around Matthew. "I have to hurry." He called, moving on to the next task.
And the next.
And soon it was night time and the man was in their yard, in their garden, cutting down the thick stems of sunflowers. All the while whispering about how he wasn't going to make it, how he had to be on time.
But when the sun set the man stopped what he was doing, slowly moving into the street, walking through the darkness, the sunflowers in his hand falling from his grip as he moved.
He was in the street now, staring down the road, at the bend where traffic became most dangerous, watching and waiting for something, he didn't know what.
And Matthew had followed Ivan relentlessly, calling for the man, trying to get him to talk again, but nothing worked.
The blonde hovered on the side of the road, full of fear of stepping onto the black asphalt.
"Ivan! Ivan get out of the road! It's dangerous! If you were hit again, I don't know what I'd do!"
And then there were lights, the roar of an engine and the blare of a horn. The light was the last thing that the two saw before there was darkness.
Matthew awoke slowly, like he was struggling to break free from the deep blackness of sleep. The blonde sat up, his head light though he touched his hand to his forehead as if expecting it to hurt, or for there to be blood.
But there was nothing.
The blonde realized that he was in the woods, in a familiar spot surrounded by thick brush and fall leaves. Beside him was a lantern, though it was daylight, and behind that a pointed hat that Matthew recognized as his from Samhain.
Standing, Matthew carefully moved through piles of brightly colored leaves and sweet wrapped candies, finding it strange but only because candies did not fall from dying trees.
At least, Matthew remembered it as such.
There was a figure wandering through the woods, wrapped in black and tall and familiar. He had a high Roman collar about his neck and his silver hair was windswept and messy. The man walked right past Matthew, as if he didn't see him, his motions rushed as he moved.
Ivan was in a hurry, he needed to get everything done. The children's dormitory had a broken window, Elise's roof needed to be tarred, Grandmamma Adam had a broken fence and he needed to chop wood for all the fires before sundown.
He rushed towards the community, smiling to various people as he went about his work.
Matthew felt his throat clench as he recognized Ivan instantly and he tried to call out to him, but it didn't seem the other male had even heard him.
The blonde moved, kicking up leaves, candies and wrappers as he moved out of the woods and into the town that was all too familiar. He wondered briefly, if Arthur or Grace or Bella could see him like they had all seen Ivan, but that wasn't important as he followed the tall male dressed in black.
When the figure had stopped to repair a window, Matthew hovered beside the ladder, his fingers twisting with worry as he peered up at the other spirit.
"Ivan? Do...do you have a moment?" He didn't want to upset Ivan; spirit's were delicate and he last thing Ivan needed was to be upset.
"Only for a moment!" Ivan called as he finished repairing the window, opening and closing it to test that it still worked. Once he was sure he climbed down the ladder, folding the item and tilting his head to Matthew. "I need to hurry, I have big plans tonight."
"Yes...yes I know. A wedding," Matthew stated, feeling his chest ache as he peered up at Ivan's face. The blonde swallowed as he lost his voice; he didn't know what to say. What could he say?
"Ivan...it's me...it's Matthew...the wedding tonight..."
Ivan stared at the blonde for a moment, as if searching for something. "Wedding? Oh! Yes, I have to perform your wedding!" The man was quiet before he moved around Matthew. "I have to hurry." He called, moving on to the next task.
And the next.
And soon it was night time and the man was in their yard, in their garden, cutting down the thick stems of sunflowers. All the while whispering about how he wasn't going to make it, how he had to be on time.
But when the sun set the man stopped what he was doing, slowly moving into the street, walking through the darkness, the sunflowers in his hand falling from his grip as he moved.
He was in the street now, staring down the road, at the bend where traffic became most dangerous, watching and waiting for something, he didn't know what.
And Matthew had followed Ivan relentlessly, calling for the man, trying to get him to talk again, but nothing worked.
The blonde hovered on the side of the road, full of fear of stepping onto the black asphalt.
"Ivan! Ivan you have to get out of the road! The car...Ivan please!"
And then there were lights, the roar of an engine and the blare of a horn. The light was the last thing that the two saw before there was darkness.
Matthew awoke slowly, like he was struggling to break free from the deep blackness of sleep. The blonde sat up, his head light though he touched his hand to his forehead as if expecting it to hurt, or for there to be blood.
But there was nothing.
The blonde realized that he was in the woods, in a familiar spot surrounded by thick brush and fall leaves. Beside him was a lantern, though it was daylight, and behind that a pointed hat that Matthew recognized as his from Samhain.
Standing, Matthew carefully moved through piles of brightly colored leaves and sweet wrapped candies, finding it strange but only because candies did not fall from dying trees.
At least, Matthew remembered it as such.
There was a figure wandering through the woods, wrapped in black and tall and familiar. He had a high Roman collar about his neck and his silver hair was windswept and messy. The man walked right past Matthew, as if he didn't see him, his motions rushed as he moved.
Ivan was in a hurry, he needed to get everything done. The children's dormitory had a broken window, Elise's roof needed to be tarred, Grandmamma Adam had a broken fence and he needed to chop wood for all the fires before sundown.
He rushed towards the community, smiling to various people as he went about his work.
Matthew felt his throat clench as he recognized Ivan instantly and he tried to call out to him, but it didn't seem the other male had even heard him.
The blonde moved, kicking up leaves, candies and wrappers as he moved out of the woods and into the town that was all too familiar. He wondered briefly, if Arthur or Grace or Bella could see him like they had all seen Ivan, but that wasn't important as he followed the tall male dressed in black.
When the figure had stopped to repair a window, Matthew hovered beside the ladder, his fingers twisting with worry as he peered up at the other spirit.
"Ivan? Do...do you have a moment?" He didn't want to upset Ivan; spirit's were delicate and he last thing Ivan needed was to be upset.
"Only for a moment!" Ivan called as he finished repairing the window, opening and closing it to test that it still worked. Once he was sure he climbed down the ladder, folding the item and tilting his head to Matthew. "I need to hurry, I have big plans tonight."
"Yes...yes I know. A wedding," Matthew stated for what felt like the hundredth time and feeling his chest ache as he peered up at Ivan's face. The blonde swallowed as he lost his voice; he didn't know what to say. What could he say?
"Ivan...please...please listen to me...we don't have much time...it's me...it's Matthew….our wedding is tonight...and I have to ask something of you...please, Ivan..."
Ivan stared at the blonde for a moment, as if searching for something. "I'm sorry, I'm too busy to talk right now, I'll come by your home tomorrow." The man was quiet before he moved around Matthew. "I have to hurry." He called, moving on to the next task.
And the next.
And soon it was night time and the man was in their yard, in their garden, cutting down the thick stems of sunflowers. All the while whispering about how he wasn't going to make it, how he had to be on time.
But when the sun set the man stopped what he was doing, slowly moving into the street, walking through the darkness, the sunflowers in his hand falling from his grip as he moved.
He was in the street now, staring down the road, at the bend where traffic became most dangerous, watching and waiting for something, he didn't know what.
And Matthew had followed Ivan relentlessly, calling for the man, trying to get him to talk again, but nothing worked.
The blonde hovered on the side of the road, full of fear of stepping onto the black asphalt, before he darted across the road and curled his arms around Ivan's middle.
"Ivan...please...I can't lose you, not like this...not now...I love you," Matthew swallowed, his face pressed to Ivan's shoulder. "Please, Ivan...I'm begging you...I can't..," the blonde whimpered, trying to think of something, anything to gain Ivan's attention.
He was running out of time and Matthew knew that this was it, this was his last chance to have Ivan back.
Whimpering, Matthew's arms loosened, and he tilted his head to peer up at Ivan's face, his hand lifting to cup the older male's cheek.
"For the boy thou were, for the man thee art, and for the husband thou shalt be to me...I do choose you to be mine own," Matthew swallowed, his hand shaking as he traced Ivan's cheek bone. "I shall from...f-from this day forth, 'till beyond the end of time...take thee to be mine own…"
Matthew could think of nothing else to say to Ivan but the vows they had rehearsed long through the winter. If nothing else worked, at least Matthew knew he had the chance to exchange them, at least his own, to Ivan, if he failed; at least Ivan was his.
At least they could still be together.
Ivan blinked at that, at hearing the words. Something rang in the back of his mind, memories of something real and warm...
Ivan slowly turned his head and just as he heard the blare of the horn once more he grabbed Matthew and shoved the blonde out of the road. The light was the last thing that the two saw before there was darkness.