Memento Mori (MxM)

Chapter 5

Calael's reaction to the dead boy in his windowsill was very much a human one; he let out an almost primal scream, and threw himself back away from the apparition, crawling backwards until he smacked his head on his desk. "Oh god! Shit! Shit! I didn't- shit, I didn't expect you to actually-"

"Appear? You did ask me to," Artemus stated bluntly, his head on one side, and Calael couldn't help but think about how pleasant and borderline musical that voice was. It was soft and comforting to hear, with no rough or harsh quality, every syllable articulate and well rounded.

Calael swallowed hard and took a moment to adjust to the sight of him. The man was, as his photo would suggest, absolutely striking. He was the closest living representation he was sure he'd ever seen of the fictional Dorian Grey, or of the ancient artwork depicting the god Apollo, and the emperors lover Adonis. He'd always pictured the ghosts in books and television as transparent, hideous things, bearing the ghastly marks of their tragic lives, but Artemus looked well enough to be another living person passing him on the street; with the exception of his porcelain quality. A cascade of blonde hair surrounded his elegant face, curls tied loosely with a red ribbon over his shoulder, and his blue eyes framed with pale, girlish lashes. The man was watching him through them, but Calael couldn't quite meet his gaze. Seeing him in technicolour like this was too much, made him too real. 

"I don't understand," the artist whispered shakily, his hands gradually coming to a halt in their incessant trembling. "Why the hell can I see you now? Why didn't you show yourself sooner?"

"There are two factors to that, as far as I know," Artemus began softly, folding one long, slender leg over his other in an almost leisurely manner. "I believe that you need to acknowledge my existence to see me. Hence why I have fought so hard for you to notice me.. I had to do it in subtle ways. I have scared away so many, you see, whilst trying to be noticed. I left you that key because I wanted to be found; the human side of me to be found.. That is the other factor - I also need to choose to show myself to you."

"And why did you? So many have already owned this house so I hear, so why me?"

"I thought you'd listen, and trust. Because you aren't afraid of me. You know who I am. You're the first in decades to uncover my story, or at least, the story that was told of me," Artemus continued, turning his head to gaze down at the roses beside him, running one pale finger across the crimson petals. He grew quieter, far less bold, as the cold tendrils of reality took root in his mind once more. "You brought me flowers.. You mourned me. You remembered me. It has been so long since my name has even been spoken.. I have so missed hearing it."

Calael steadily composed himself, placing a hand on the edge of the desk to pull himself up from the wooden floor. Impulsively, he took the smallest of steps forward, and reached out to prod at the blondes shoulder experimentally. "So, I can-"

"Touch me? Yes. But I'd hope you'd at least buy me dinner first."

Calael wasn't in a laughing mood, and couldn't grasp why Artemus would even try to be. "I.. still don't understand. Is the afterlife like this for everyone? Why are you still here all by yourself?"

"So many questions.. Mister Black, I haven't spoken to another human being in.. What year is it? 2017? Oh god - 78 years! Do you realise quite how that feels? I've been alone. Do I seem the sort to enjoy seclusion?" he whispered, leaning forward with a meaningful stare. Calael thought that he did not. He looked the sort to be the life of every party, the one with so many dance partners he'd quickly forget the name of the first. The one who'd command every room he chose to enter, and the one sitting posed like a fine Greek delicatus for the artists he went to university with. He also thought, however, that first impressions could be completely toxic. Underneath that, it was apparent to him this man was struggling to maintain his composure. After that explanation, he could certainly understand why.