[Au? Possible future chapter?]
“Just smile, I really need to see you smile right now,” Apollo said, gazing into the vision of Moonlight Falls. Where he was, he could watch his family go about their daily lives. But he hardly ever turned the channel anymore. At first, he’d watch his great grand kids. They were always smiling and getting into ridiculous predicaments. That always made him smile. Despite not having a physical body anymore, he still felt things. Mostly, an emptiness. That was because every time he turned the dial to Ethan’s day, his heart was shattered. His husband could not move on. All Apollo wanted to see from Ethan, was a smile, to let him know that he was okay. That things had gotten better. But there was never any signs of improvement. Still, he kept the channel on the man just in case he’d see a glimmer of something, anything.
“He can’t actually hear you, you know that right?” Apollo looked up at the man who had just walked into the room.
“Leave me be, Asher,” Apollo mumbled. “I’m watching my husband.”
“I’m here to ask if you’re ready to move on, you’ve been here for quite some while,” Asher said. “We’re ready to absolve your last wish and send you on your way to a happier place.”
Apollo shook his head. “I’m not ready yet.”
“When will you be ready?”
“When I know that my family is safe,” Apollo replied. “I’ll wander forever until I know that Ethan has moved on, and forgiven himself. He couldn’t stop this…I just want to talk to him again, and feel his arms around me. He needs me, he-” Apollo dropped his voice. He was dead, there was no going back. He had made his choice and chose to die peacefully. But he couldn’t move on. Ethan was holding him there.
“I’ll tell you what,” Asher said. “If you’re willing to wait as long as it takes, I think I can help you.”
A Graying World 