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Whenever they met it was as if time stopped. As if everything faded away, the world, their responsibilities, and titles, none of those things existed anymore when they met eyes.
It was always in the Sun Palace, it was Ash that came to him in their favourite meeting place, a balcony overlooking the edge of the world. Sometimes he brought gifts, sometimes he brought only himself, but every time Eiji was grateful.
“I brought you something,” Ash said one day while they stole an hour away for each other.
“I told you, you don’t need to give me anything,” Eiji said, smiling fondly. He had been leaning against the balustrade, watching the clouds move over the earth, and turned when Ash spoke. He was surprised to see that Ash was presenting him with a plant. It was still a small sapling, but Eiji, who ruled over everything that thrived under the sun, knew almost all plants, and yet he didn’t recognize this one. “What is it?” Eiji asked in a mixture of curiosity and excitement.
He accepted the little plant, cradling it gently between two hands. It seemed almost like foxglove but the shape of the leaves was decidedly different. The young plant had been grown in a beautifully decorated silver pot that softly reflected the brilliant light of the Sun Palace.
“Wait until it blooms, then you’ll see.” As replied, smiling. He must have known how the curiosity was eating Eiji up because his eyes sparkled with amusement. “And, I know I don’t need to get you anything, I like to. When it blooms, you’ll see why I wanted you to have it.”
“So, when’s the wedding?”
Eiji, who was smiling absently at his gift on the way to drop it off in his rooms, jumped slightly at the question from a very familiar voice.
“Oh, you’re blushing.”
“I - no, what are you - I’m not!” Eiji sputtered, embarrassed and indignant, stopping in his tracks to glare at Shorter who had come to visit him. “Don’t you have things to attend to?” Eiji asked, hoping to distract him.
“Not at all!” Shorter said brightly. “Sing is keeping an eye on the seas for me, I’m completely free.” Shorter grinned and bumped his shoulder into Eiji’s. “So, may I invite a guest to the wedding?”
“Stop,” Eiji said as he resumed walking. He had meant to sound stern, but it had come out a little shaky. As much as Eiji wanted to deny it, when Shorter mentioned a wedding, thoughts of what a union between the Sun and Moon gods might look like had sprung fully formed into his mind.
They walked together in silence for a moment, Shorter’s presence easy and amused by Eiji’s side. The god of the seas often teased him about Ash, and even still, it flustered Eiji every time. It still seemed to Eiji like the whole thing might be a dream, Ash was beautiful and fearless, he could be stubborn, snarky, and childish, but he was kind, and the way he looked at Eiji sometimes made him feel like he was the only thing Ash saw. There was a wonderful and irresistible pull between them, an affinity Eiji didn’t know how to nor cared to explain. What mattered was that it was there, and he knew that Ash felt it too.
They arrived at Eiji’s quarters, and Shorter followed him in without hesitation, still without saying a word. It felt almost as if he were waiting for something, and Eiji felt that pressure in him, maybe he was right to wait, because it seemed only a matter of time until the words he said next spilled from him.
Eiji placed the plant in a corner of his study, where it wouldn’t get full sunlight, as Ash instructed, and then turned to face Shorter abruptly. “How should I do it?” Eiji demanded, since Shorter had provoked him, he may as well take responsibility for the fact that his thoughts were stuck on this idea. “How should I propose?”
Shorter, who was leaning against Eiji’s desk, only looked mildly surprised at Eiji’s outburst, and then he smiled, obviously amused. “Well, Eiji,” Shorter said, and he had clearly been waiting for this, though how he had known Eiji would ask it, Eiji had no idea. “I’m glad you’ve finally asked.”
Ash walked through the halls of his castle, his pace was steady, but not as quick as usual because his mind was occupied. He had only managed to steal an hour to see Eiji the other day, and since then he couldn’t stop picturing the way Eiji had smiled at him when Ash had given him his gift. Eiji could be stubborn, and prickly, but he could also be incredibly sweet. He had no sense of artifice, he wore his heart on his sleeve, everything he felt and thought was plain as day on his face, and Ash marveled at what he saw there every time.
“Do you realize you’ve sighed perhaps five times in the last two minutes?”
Ash didn’t startle at the voice, while he hadn’t paid Shorter much attention, his presence hadn’t completely escaped Ash’s notice.
“Hello, Shorter,” Ash said dryly, ignoring his comment.
“Hello,” Shorter said, easily falling into step beside Ash.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Shorter was grinning, it was a grin that Ash recognized after years of friendship. He was up to something, but even if Ash asked, or guessed, he knew Shorter wouldn’t say a word about whatever it was.
“You went to see Eiji, yes?”
Ash looked at his friend sidelong. He decided to stop and sit on a bench under one of the windows. The window frame was worked with silver, silver vines and flowers twined and bloomed around the edge of the window, glowing softly in the moonlight.
Shorter sat next to him, arranging his robes of varying hues of blue around himself, and then leaned back, apparently completely at his ease.
“You know very well I did, is that why you’re here? Have you come to gossip?”
Shorter laughed, “Gossip? Me? Never.” Ash gave him a look, but Shorter only laughed again. “Can a friend not come by and ask about the god you’re obviously smitten with?”
Ash rolled his eyes, but he could feel himself flush. He looked away from Shorter, he couldn’t deny Shorter’s words, and Shorter would be able to hear the lie in them if he tried.
“You’ve come to make yourself a pest, then?” Ash asked, mostly succeeding at sounding annoyed.
“Not at all,” Shorter replied, his smile softening, “I’ve come to make myself available, in case you’d like to talk.”
Ash snorted, and crossed his arms over his chest. It was rather undignified for a god, but Ash didn’t care, there was no use posturing in front of Shorter, not after all their years of friendship, and not when they knew each other as well as they did.
They sat in silence for a long moment, and then Ash eventually sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and turned so he could look properly out the window, “I miss him,” Ash started, not sure where he was going with this, but feeling like he needed to say the words aloud, and the solution he was looking for would inevitably follow. “I miss his smile and his laugh. I miss the way he glares at me when we argue, and the way he frowns when he’s thinking. I miss the sound of his voice.” Ash sighed again, “I miss him. I’m tired of spending all this time apart and finding only an hour here and there to be together, I want to be together always. I want - “ Ash broke off, it had suddenly occurred to him, an obvious and elegant solution. “We should be married,” Ash said, slowly, almost hushed, a soft kind of awe in his voice. He finally looked back at Shorter who was not grinning at him as Ash thought he might be, but smiling kindly, encouragingly.
“Yes.” Shorter said simply.
Ash smiled slowly, and then reached out to gently push on Shorter’s arm, laughing lightly. “You knew, didn’t you?”
Shorter shrugged, allowing himself to be pushed back slightly, “Of course.”
Ash shook his head, but he was still smiling. “How should I do it, do you think?”
In the next few weeks Eiji found himself busy with all the planning he had taken upon himself to do. It wasn’t as if he had never had to organize anything like this before, but it had never been for such personal reasons, and just thinking about an event had never made his stomach twist with nerves the way it was doing now.
He looked over the confirmed guest list he had just been given one last time and went to confirm the menu for the event. A ball was not unheard of amongst the gods, there were always reasons to celebrate in the heavens, but this one seemed to come apropos of nothing. Eiji’s excuse was he missed seeing his friends, and he simply wanted to have them all in the same place at the same time. No one had, as yet, given him too much trouble about this explanation, so Eiji could plan as he wished under this ruse.
Eiji hadn’t been able to see Ash since he had last visited weeks ago, when he had given Eiji that mysterious plant. It sat in his room, growing wonderfully, it was a flower, Eiji now realized, there was a hint of a bud forming, though Eiji still didn’t recognize it.
Going over the checklist of things he still needed to do, Eiji made his way to the greenhouse. There he found his friend Ibe who bowed his head briefly to Eiji before smiling at him in welcome.
“How is it coming along, Ibe?”
Ibe gestured to the small potted sapling sitting at his feet. “As you can see, it’s going well.”
Eiji smiled down at the young plant and nodded his head, “Thank you, Ibe, I know you worked hard, I appreciate all your effort.”
Ibe waved away his thanks, “It was a pleasure to work on this, I’m glad you asked me. And, I think you’ll be happy with the results.”
When that was settled, Eiji made his way to the blacksmith, then he had to speak to the cooks, and then to his personal attendant who was helping him organize. He had to confirm the decor and make sure everything was in order, he was running out of time, which made Eiji both nervous and excited.
Later that evening Eiji went into his study, he sat at his desk and wrote to Ash. He told him about all the planning he had been doing, and all that was yet left.
But, I know it will all be worth it on the day of the ball. I cannot wait to see all our friends together again, and, I think you know I look forward to seeing you the most, Ash.
Until then, I miss you.
Yours,
Eiji
The day of the ball was full of last minute preparations, and when those were finally done, or at least done to the extent where Eiji felt comfortable letting someone else handle them, he went to get changed. He dressed carefully, picking out his best clothes, a flowing robe that looked as if it was spun from pure gold, matching neck and wrist cuffs, and sat looking in the mirror of his vanity for a long moment. His thoughts were racing with a million possibilities, he felt sure and confident as much as he felt uncertain, and almost like he wanted to call the whole thing off. He looked into the eyes of his own reflection, and gave himself a stern look.
“You can do this,” he muttered to himself. “You know what you feel, you must trust that.” He nodded to himself, picked up his crown, which sat on his head like the rays of the sun, and then stood up. Taking one last deep breath, he made his way out.
Arriving in the dance hall of his palace, Eiji found that most of his guests had already arrived. He took a moment to pause in the entryway and admire the fruit of his labour.
The hall was beautifully decorated with crystal which refracted colourful light throughout the hall, along the walls sat tables laden with food and drink, and cushioned chairs for Eiji’s guests. A band played music on the far end of the hall on a small raised platform, and Eiji saw his guests already swaying to the beat of the music. He put his hand in the pocket of his robe and felt the small square box he had put in there before leaving his room, clutching it like a lucky talisman, Eiji walked into the hall.
He greeted his guests, all of whom were also his friends. Gods of every kind had come at his call, more than willing to use any excuse to reunite. Eiji saw Shorter and Sing already there, both of them dressed in robes of different hues of blue, they smiled when they saw him, Shorter raised his glass to Eiji, as if to toast him.
“Great party, Eiji,” Shorter said, by way of greeting when Eiji made his way over to them.
“Thank you,” Eiji said, “Hello Sing. Have either of you seen Ash?”
Shorter chuckled. “Eager for the main event? No more time for your dear friends?” Eiji opened his mouth to protest that, but Shorter lifted a hand to forestall him. “I’m joking. Ash should be here soon, I think he’s simply running late, you know how he can be.”
Eiji bit his lip, turning to scan the crowd again.
“Relax. Here,” Shorter offered him a glass, “Have some of your own champagne, and really, don’t worry, he’ll be here soon.”
Eiji nodded, taking the glass and looking over the crowd again. Sing began speaking, but Eiji was only partly listening, most of his attention was on the door, and he felt his heart almost stop every time he caught sight of blonde hair.
He had gone over the plan with Shorter, though there wasn’t much to it. The ball was the first and most important step, then later into the night after food, drink, and dancing, Eiji would request music, call Ash to the dance floor, and propose. He had gone over it a hundred times in his mind, and pictured it every night before bed since he had planned it.
Finally, Eiji saw him. Ash looked -- well -- he looked divine . He was dressed in robes that were inky black at his shoulders and transitioned to a silvery blue at the hem, they were shot through with silver thread, and the circlet he wore on his forehead, which Eiji almost never saw him wear, showed two crescent moons, points facing each other.
Ash looked as if he were also scanning the crowd, and a second later their gazes met. He watched the smile form on Ash’s lips, Eiji felt his knees lose strength.
Sing cleared his throat and Shorter nudged him. Eiji didn’t even look back at them, he just put down his glass and began walking toward Ash, as if drawn to him like a magnet.
“Hi,” Eiji said, when he finally stood in front of Ash.
“Hi,” Ash replied.
They simply smiled at each other for a moment, and then, although neither of them had said anything, they both laughed a little.
“This looks great,” Ash said, gesturing to the hall around them. “You did an amazing job.”
“Thank you,” Eiji said, unable to help beaming a little. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?”
“No, thank you, I - “ Ash scratched his cheek, glancing away and then back at Eiji. “I was actually hoping to ask you for a dance.”
Surprised and delighted, Eiji said eagerly. “Oh, yes!”
Ash smiled and held out his hand, which Eiji took without hesitation.
Ash’s hands were always a little cool, and Eiji’s were warm, it felt as if together they balanced each other out. They said the moon reflected the light of the sun, but Eiji thought that might not be entirely true, the light Ash gave off was something entirely his own, his own beautiful radiance.
The music played as they clasped hands and moved together, turning, swaying, stepping to one side, and then the other. Eiji had a vague impression of being watched, but he didn’t pay it much attention, he wished he had thought of doing something like this sooner, dancing with Ash was like a dream.
“Did you do anything to your hair?” Ash asked as he gracefully spun Eiji.
Eiji thought back to the time he spent sitting in front of his mirror. “Not particularly,” he said.
“Well, it looks good.”
Eiji couldn’t help his smile, “Thank you.”
They moved through the steps of the dance as if they had done it a hundred, a thousand times, it was strange and wondrous how in sync they managed to be. As if Ash could read his thoughts, know his movements before he made them. It had always been this way with Ash, as if he knew Eiji’s very soul.
When the dance ended, there was the sound of applause, and Eiji realized almost everyone had been watching them. He felt his face warm, and laughing, waved at his guests.
“I should go and welcome everyone.” Eiji said, reluctant to part from Ash
Ash just nodded in understanding. “I’ll be here when you’ve finished.”
So, Eiji went. The music paused and Eiji welcomed and thanked his guests, his friends. The hall was awash with colour not just from the crystals, but with the multitude of colour that his friends adorned themselves with, it was a beautiful sight, and Eiji had no trouble telling them sincerely that he hoped they enjoyed their evening.
When he went back into the crowd, he found Ash waiting for him.
“Do you mind if I steal you away for a moment?”
“Not at all.”
Taking his hand, Ash led the way out of the hall.
He brought them to their favourite meeting place. Once there, Ash turned to face him. The expression on his face was difficult to read, Eiji wasn’t sure what to make of it, he almost looked - nervous.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to say for some time now. I thought - I thought maybe I should wait. But, I think that was just the fear talking.” Ash took a breath, he was holding Eiji’s hand in an almost shaking grasp, and he swallowed audibly before continuing. “I love you, Eiji. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?” Eiji watched as Ash pulled a simple silver ring from his pocket.
Eiji stared at him. He felt his heart beat hard in his chest, and emotion well in his heart. He blinked back tears. Letting go of Ash’s hand, he pulled the small box from his own pocket, he opened it and presented it to Ash.
“Yes.” He said.
Ash was clearly just as surprised, they looked at each other for a moment, and then started laughing. Eiji let Ash put his ring on him first, and then put the gold band he had made for Ash on his ring finger.
Ash gently cupped Eiji’s face, carefully wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, and smiling, kissed him.
Later, after the party had mostly died down, they sat together.
“You mean you talked to Shorter about this too?” Eiji was too tired to muster up as much indignation as he wanted to.
“That jerk, he played us like a fiddle.” Ash shot a glare in the general direction of the guest quarters, which Shorter had already retreated to for the night.
“Yes,” Eiji agreed, and then added, “But, he did give us a push.”
“I’ll give him a push.”
Eiji laughed.
The moon and sun lived in a place that was beyond magical. It was the melding of night and day, opposites that complimented each other like no one had ever imagined they could. They lived together in harmony and love, their affection for each other blooming like the two flowers they had made for each other, one like the sun in the sky, and the other a crescent moon.