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☀︎☽
Our story begins long ago, much too long ago for any being but the Gods and the young cosmos to really remember. It was a time where the universe was still young, where the planets were mere children and stars were accountable with only the feeble eye.
The universe was large - yes, it always was beautifully infinite. But at this moment, it was dim and its contents were sparse.
It was a time where the day was all that the many curious creatures of the Earth knew. A time where the Sun reigned all day, never ceasing, never stopping to take rest. An eternally powerful and bright star in the sky, a protector that shielded them from the dark, the cold and hunger.
Those on Earth prospered because of the Sun’s gifts: their crops grew endlessly, the bright light guided them when they were lost and the heat that forever graced their skin was like that of the hand of a caring mother.
For the Sun’s kindness, the people were eternally grateful. They praised him, worshipped him.
And yet, while the Sun had the smiles and the thanks of the creatures below him, he was lonely and tired. Working continuously, always present to take care of the many children below him was exhausting- it would have been for anyone.
Slowly and smally, the Sun’s beams began to dim.
But the Sun ambitiously (or perhaps, stubbornly) persisted, even as his great tasks weighed on him.
It wasn’t long before the Gods began to take notice of the Sun and his efforts; how hard he worked with very little reward. The Gods, regretfully, had neglected to think of the stress they had placed on the sun. They had given him an impossible task, passed great sacrifice on his shoulders and as such, the Sun, their beloved Sun, had become lonely and tired.
And so, the Gods decided that the Sun needed a gift. Something to take off part of his stress, to relieve him of his anguish.
So the Gods created the Night. It was a time of darkness (but not completely so, as the stars were still there to shine), of coolness and it would take over so that the Sun could rest, could take pause before returning to his many duties. And for the Gods’ many children on Earth, it was a time for them too, to sleep and reminisce.
But the Night did not help.
For the poor creatures of the Earth were not always the most intelligent or calm. Without the light, they could not see, they were cold and their distress lead them to a fitful bought of fear: the fear of the unknown.
The Sun could feel their despair, overwhelming him from deep within. And like any protector, he was compelled to return to them; now, during both the night and day. His time of rest became a time of work, one where he had to try even harder to scare away the dangers that were creeping slowly, dangerously close to those that he loves.
And yet again, the Sun, ever brave and compassionate, was even more tired and still oh, so lonely.
The Gods were upset with themselves; having failed to make the Sun happy and instead, only causing him more hardship.
A group of spirits - twelve beautiful beings, each given a new constellation to shine with their own beauty and light - were gathered. They were chosen to assist the Sun with his work, to accompany him, to comfort him. But even with friends, even with portions of his work taken from him, the Sun still suffered. His tiredness lessened and he could take short breaks, but his twelve friends were still young and could only do so much.
It simply wasn’t enough.
It was then, that the Gods realized what the sun truly needed: love. Someone to love, someone to love him.
They began their search for the perfect being, the perfect spirit to love their beloved Sun.
It certainly was no easy task.
But finally, far into their search and within the depths of the Universe, beyond the stars and many planets, the Gods found a calm, caring spirit: a rock, with a soul full of wisdom and humility, of compassion and kindness.
They gave this spirit a new purpose: to be a bright beacon of light in the dark, something to guide the humans, to show them that the Night was nothing to fear.
However, perhaps most importantly, this spirit was a gift to the Sun, the gift of a friend. And as this spirit would never need sleep, never need rest, he could always be there for the Sun- their beautiful, kind Sun.
To celebrate this spirit, they renamed him Moon .
But the Gods, as smart, clever and all-knowing as they are, could never have predicted what happened next.
The Sun and the Moon were introduced one lovely day, when the Sun was quietly gazing out the window with his bright crown slowly dimming. His eyes were heavy, but his mind even more so.
When the Moon stepped forward, the Sun was shocked. He knew that a time where he could no longer be the sole protector of the Earth and its creatures would come. But this solution sounded absurd! Share his duties, and more importantly his children , his loved ones with another? How could he do so with such lack of knowledge about the Moon?
He did not know this spirit nor of his intentions. So could the Moon truly be of assistance, truly be worthy of trust?
The Sun, ever stubborn, refused the Moon at first, wary of him. He danced around the Moon, observed him, his actions, his impact on the creatures that the Sun cared so deeply for with sharp, focused eyes.
The Gods did not know what would happen. If the Sun rejected the Moon, someone there to help and guide him, what else could they do?
Their concern grew. This was their final chance; they couldn’t fail.
And their patience soon rewarded them.
The Sun over-worked himself one day; when his tiredness from his many duties of the Earth’s care, tending to the Zodiac and now, his probation of the Moon came crashing down onto him in one single moment. Everything was manageable before, but then became too much all at once.
The Sun collapsed.
Immediately, the Moon came to tend to the Sun, but he was pushed away - albeit weakly. But despite this, even with the Sun’s light flickering with overwhelmed exhaustion, the Moon began to try and quell the Sun’s stubbornness.
With kind words, he explained how the Sun was right to be cautious of him, of a new spirit that was born to help protect the planet, the creatures that he loved so much. But that no matter what he did or who he cared for, the Sun needed to take care of himself just as much so. Surely, if he was capable of loving something, of loving anything, then he was capable and worthy of loving himself.
After his speech, the Moon picked up the Sun with gentle hands and held him in his own lap, cradled against his chest and kept him in a soft embrace. Quietly, calmly, he pulled the two of them to the wall and soothed the Sun to sleep, brushing back his beautiful, golden hairs.
Later, when the Sun awoke, he was startled at the position and the two’s closeness and intimacy at first, but he then leaned into the cool, inviting touch of the Moon.
From there, the two continued to grow closer; closer than what the Gods had thought or planned. The Moon took great care of the Sun, constantly reminding him of himself, his health and his needs with gentle touches and kind words.
And most importantly: passion.
The Moon was there to catch the Sun, that was his initial purpose.
But of their own volition, the Sun and Moon’s relationship grew deeper and deeper, more and more with each meeting. Their bond began to span friendship, soon becoming something more intimate. A new type of love, one not yet seen between such spirits.
It was love not of friends, but of lifelong partners.
☀︎☽
The Moon gazes out of the window, the epitome of calm as he watches and admires the humans of the Earth. They were returning to their homes now, along with those dearest to them, all of them preparing to rest their eyes and bodies, with many eager for the next day.
It was a lovely sight, an even more beautiful one from the window of the castle, where he could see the long, outstretched fingers of the universe; where he could look over the brilliant cosmos, watch as the stars grew, where the planets could dance.
Suddenly, eager chatter and rushed footsteps echoed down the hall. The Moon didn’t shift, the stars much too captivating and beautiful to divert his attention to such a feeble occurrence.
The Moon only looked up when he heard the Sun speak, an unmistakable voice like the brightest twinkling stars, as he addressed the spirits (likely the Zodiac) from behind the door.
Finally, after a few too many moments, the Sun stepped in gracefully in with a heavy exhale, his round, plush cheeks flush with a red, nearly-feverish tint. He was visibly exhausted, but nevertheless, when he looked at the Moon, he smiled widely, as if forgetting his troubles.
“Hello,” The Sun said with a warm voice.
The Moon grinned softly back, returning the greeting, as he came forward to embrace the Sun. The two met in the middle, pulling one another against their chest with tight arms.
And oh , how the Moon loved this, these beautifully tender moments where the Sun, ever petite, fit smoothly against him, warm but still so powerful in his arms.
“Are you well?” The Moon asked lovingly as he buried his nose in the Sun’s hair, though truly, he already knew the answer. The Sun’s thoughts and the Gods’ plans have always been known to him.
“I am alright,” The Sun replied, “The humans are being silly with their foolish hatred of one another- again . Virgo is growing concerned and Libra is rather moody because of it. I wish they would stop, but the conflict will last, unfortunately.”
The Moon sighed, bringing the Sun closer to him. “Will it get better?”
“Eventually. A long time from now, though. According to the Gods, this will span a long time from now. It’s to teach them a lesson on equality and honesty, but I don’t believe this is the proper way to teach such a thing.”
The Moon hummed, wished longingly that he could just make all of the Sun’s troubles disappear. He held him tighter. “I can feel that you are tired.”
The Sun made a noise of agreement, his eyes fluttering close. Slowly, gently, the Moon brought them both to the ground. The Moon rested his back against the wall, pulling the Sun into his lap.
“And you?” The Sun placed his chin on the Moon’s shoulder.
“What about me?” The Moon asked playfully, attempting to amuse the Sun, even just a little bit.
The Sun giggled against the Moon’s chest. “I mean, how are-”
“Hush, love,” The Moon kissed the Sun, quieting him.
The Sun accepted the kiss, but pursed his lips when the Moon pulled away. He was nearly about to retort something to the Moon, likely about him needing to be taken care of too, but the Moon spoke first. “You are the one who needs someone right now, not me.”
The Sun huffed, unable to truly argue with that statement. “You are still important, though. Do not forget that, yes?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t disagree with me!” The Sun pulled away to say, pursing his lips and pointing an accusatory finger to the Moon’s chest.
The Moon laughed, throwing his head back. “I’m not. Simply teasing, I promise.”
The Sun gave a hum, satisfied with the answer he received and then settled back into his position, again melting into the Moon’s arms. “You best,” He said powerfully, “You taught me self-love, remember?”
“And how to make wonderful sandwiches.”
The Sun laughed again.
Yes, it was true, making sandwiches was one of the great things of their life. The Sun grinned nostalgically, recalling the time the Moon had once come back from a trip to the Earth. He was tasked with the journey of simply visiting the humans for a day but silly enough, the Moon brought back a handful of the unique curios of the Earth.
Among said trinkets was a group of quirkily adorable plushies, a postcard of a popular painting (which still hung above their shared bed), a few CD’s and various chocolate items and bananas.
The chocolate, needless to say, was finished within a matter of days. Between eaten plain, coating strawberries and sandwiched with banana slices, the chocolate was delicious and addictive.
“Yes, thank the cosmos for chocolate,” The Sun said happily, but he then playfully swatted the Moon. “But I’m trying to make a point! You taught me self-love, so I had best expect my teacher to know it too. Cannot be an educator with no knowledge and understanding, hmm?”
The Moon smiled smally, leaning forward to rub his nose with the Sun’s own. “Yes, I suppose you are right. Thank you.”
The Moon gave the Sun a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.
“And if not,” The Sun begins, resting his chin on the Moon’s shoulder, “Then I guess I will just have to love you a lot , until you do.”
The Moon laughs endearingly, holds the Sun tighter and grins. “And what if I asked you to, anyways?”
“You know I love you-”
“More than chocolate?” The Moon giggles.
“That is a tough decision, but most definitely yes,” The Sun nuzzled into the Moon’s chest, “More than chocolate.”
The Moon sighed lovingly when he feels the Sun come closer into him, knowing in the far corners of his mind that the Sun would soon fall to slumber. “Shall we go to our chambers?”
The Sun made a noise of disagreement. “It is comfortable here, though. And the window…” The Sun drawled, snuggling impossibly deeper into the Moon’s robes and chest.
The Moon hums endearingly at the Sun’s antics, amused by the lack of logic behind them.
Yes, the two were in a lovely spot within the castle; the large window gracing the front of the castle that faced the infinite cosmos was beautiful to gaze out of. But, true as that may be, it certainly was no place to sleep. Rest was crucial for a job like that of the Sun’s and comfort while doing so was an important factor.
The Moon readjusted the two of them so that the Sun, with his head laid against the Moon’s chest, could look out the window comfortably. The stars were especially beautiful tonight; what better sight to fall asleep to?
“If you choose to rest here, then I shall carry you to bed later, alright?”
The Moon merely got a hum in response, the Sun having begun to drift off already.
The Moon held the Sun for a long while after that, simply combing through his hair with his hands, soothing and massaging him as he closed his eyes and tried to find sleep. Soon, the Sun’s breathing became consistent and calm and so, with careful hands, the Moon picked him up and carried him to their chambers.
The Moon placed the Sun down onto their bed and pulled the covers over him, securing him in the warmth and comfort of their bed. Then, he climbed into the bed himself, careful to not wake the Sun.
Once adjusted, the Sun, as if he were gravitating towards the Moon, came closer to him and wrapped his arms around the Moon’s chest.
“You know?” He murmured tiredly.
The Moon smiled. “I know.”
And as the two fell asleep, wrapped in one another, it was then that the Moon, just like he does every time he lays the Sun to sleep, cares for him, kisses him, thinks that this was what he was put in this universe for: to love and to be loved by the Sun.
☀︎☽