Forming Trust- An Ela X Reader Fanfiction

Tying the Knot

"Keep on living your life in such a way that love doesn't fade away. I shall work... so that love may shine brightly, even today."

– Yoshino Yusuke ~ Clannad

June 11th, 2025

0800

Outside Vladivostok, Russia

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I walked off the bus, carefully cuddling the flowers to my chest, hunkered over to protect them from the strong breeze that chilled the air. Walking slowly down the beaten dirt path, I trekked. Passing a sheep farm, a doghouse, and a few small houses, I finally made it to my location.

A sign in Russian hung over the small chain link fence. I couldn't read it, but I knew what it said. Glazkov.

Gently opening the rusted steel gate with a small creak, I closed it behind me, walking to the sole building on the rocky property, a mid-sized house, small bits of smoke rising from the chimney. Walking towards the house, I passed a beaten up truck and a small convertible, both well weathered and older models.

Finally making it to the house, I slowly stepped up the creaky wooden stairs leading to the patio before lightly rasping on the door. I stood there, a breeze blowing for a quick moment, before an older woman opened the door, wrapped tightly in a purple scarf.

At first she seemed angered, but once she took a quick look, realizing I was a foreigner and carrying a bouquet of anemone, her face turned to a gentle smile. It was obvious neither of us spoke each others languages, but she slowly stepped out the house and down the small porch, pointing me towards the far left of the property. I nodded my head and bowed a quick thanks before continuing.

The rocky dirt crunched as I stepped, leaving an imprint of my tracks as I walked towards my destination. Seeing where I was headed off in the distance, I sped up ever so slightly, determined.

Finally arriving, I crouched down. I could not read the headstone, but I knew it was his. Timur loved his family, and so he was buried on his family's property, in the back by his favorite aspen trees. Elena had told me how much he loved painting them; every time I visited her back in Hereford I made sure to look at them.

Carefully laying the flowers down after giving a gentle cleaning sweep, I began gently weeping. I knew he wouldn't want me to cry, especially with my wedding being the next day, but... I couldn't keep the tears in. I owed all my happiness, these last 3 years, to Timur. His friendship had guided me, but more importantly, he had sacrificed his life to keep me alive.

After a few moments of reminiscing, telling Timur all that I had done thanks to him, and how thankful I was, I stood up and began my walk back to the bus stop.

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I looked out the window of the plane, saying goodbye to Russia as I rocklily climbed into the stratosphere.

Every day I told myself I needed to visit Timur, but I did not want to visit him until I had fulfilled myself. Until I used that ring he gave me, I felt I was not worthy to visit him. I would have visited him as soon as I put the engagement ring on Ela, but I felt like that would have been rushing things, and almost like an insult to Timur. Instead, I went to visit him the day before my wedding, hoping that some of my flowers and words may have reached him, but also so that I might be guided by his angel in the near future.

Although I might have cried at the grave, I was happy. I knew Timur would want me to be. It had taken a long time, but I think I was finally at peace with his death. I shouldn't be depressed over the loss of a man who wanted me to be happy; I should embrace the happiness he spread and try to share it with others.