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When Andrew had asked for leave to visit Neil, he had not expected them to spend the entire day roaming the Dark Woods collecting branches, greenery, holly, nuts, and rocks. He had assumed they would spend the day and night tucked away in Neil’s cave, eating, cuddling in the surprisingly comfortable nest of furs, and playing with Sir and King, Neil’s domesticated foxes. Neil had assured him that all of that was still on the menu but that first he needed to prepare for his annual Solstice rituals.
“Wouldn’t Dark wizards want the sun to stay away?” Andrew asked.
Neil was bent over, examining some river rocks, and Andrew was unabashedly checking him out. Neil turned to answer and flushed when he noticed that Andrew had been staring. Not that Andrew was really getting the full picture, what with Neil’s incredibly unsexy wizard robes.
“For the millionth time,” Neil answered with a sigh, “I’m not a Dark wizard! I’m an independent wizard.” He selected one of the smooth stones and added it to the over-burdened cart that Andrew had been tasked with pushing. “I celebrate all the turns of the seasons, each full moon, and any other event that I find to be significant.”
Andrew stepped closer and took Neil’s cold hands in his, raising them up to his lips for a courtly kiss. “I know you’re not a Dark wizard,” he said. “I was just teasing.”
“Hmph,” Neil snorted but he gave Andrew a small smile and a swift kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, I’m still prickly on the subject. If you hadn’t stuck up for me after that epic disaster with Sam of Wilds then I might have been imprisoned or worse.” Neil shuddered.
“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” Andrew replied. “Besides, that was far from an epic disaster where Sam is concerned. Did you ever hear about how he got married to a fairy?”
Neil snickered and pulled away from Andrew, leading him farther down the forest path. “Unfortunately, I have heard that story many times from Dmitri. I’m not sure if he’s worse than Gary or not? Let’s just say if I could make a spell for verbal filters I would bewitch half the beings in this kingdom.”
Andrew laughed. It was true – Gary, Sam, and Kevin the dragon were all prone to excessively lewd commentary. Andrew had threatened them with extreme bodily harm if they ever harassed him, Neil, his brother, or Kevin the knight. His cousin, Nicky, regrettably shared Sam, Gary, and Kevin the dragon’s fondness for the inappropriate and had also been given the ‘shut up or I’ll stab you’ speech.
Neil shared more stories about his dealings with Dmitri and the other residents of the Dark Woods. Neil was still technically in hiding and living that hermit life, but recently he’d started to come out of his cave, as it were, and was making connections. He had even been befriended by a neighboring hedge witch named Renee and her runaway princess of a wife, Allison. They were also in hiding because princesses were not allowed to run off and live in the Dark Woods with hedge witches.
Andrew in turn told Neil about the latest gossip from Lockes, including his suspicions that Kevin the knight and Prince Justin might be secretly dating. The rest of the castle seemed to be utterly oblivious but Andrew had accidentally witnessed them in multiple suspicious encounters and had caught them eye fucking more times than he wanted to remember. Of course, with Sam of Wilds and Captain Ryan Foxheart around being extra as fuck, it wasn’t surprising that Justin and Kevin’s secret courting wasn't drawing any attention.
“Did I tell you that Nicky has been going to Ryan Foxheart fan club meetups?” Andrew asked. He was waiting patiently while Neil added armfuls of pinecones to the cart.
“Pfft, he would,” Neil laughed. “What does his husband think of that?”
“I have it on good authority that Erik has been attending the Sam of Wilds fan club.” He shook his head. “They both think they’re so sneaky but honestly, where are all the baked goods going, huh?” He tapped the side of his nose. “Always follow the pastries.”
Neil flashed him a brilliant smile. “Sage advice. Speaking of, I made a lot of Solstice treats.” He finished depositing the pinecones in the cart and returned to Andrew’s side as they started their long trek back to the cave.
“Oh yeah?” Andrew asked. “What did you make?” He couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice. Despite living in a cave and lacking a proper kitchen, Neil was an amazing cook. Andrew assumed it was due to magic.
“Solstice stew, honey cakes, winter berry tarts, moon cookies, mulled wine, and, if you really want to make it special, Solstice cocktails!” Neil grinned wickedly. While Neil wasn’t much of a drinker, he didn’t mind indulging on special occasions.
“Honey cakes,” Andrew sighed happily. “I knew I liked you.”
Neil rolled his eyes and started collecting more fallen limbs. “It’s all about the sweets with you, Minyard.”
Andrew gave Neil a slow once over and agreed. “Yep, all about the sweets.”
Neil blushed. “You’re ridiculous.”
Back at the cave, Neil went into Solstice prep overdrive. He already had the food prepared, the stew and wine simmering over the banked coals in the hearth, sweets arranged on covered dishes on the wooden worktable. Neil sent Andrew out to arrange the logs for the bonfire while he hung greenery and berries in the cave and set up an altar with the treasures he had collected in the forest.
Sir and King returned just as the light was failing. They ran up to Andrew, barking and leaping and rubbing against him. They were so big now that they nearly bowled him over. He laughed and knelt down to wrestle with them. They panted and whined and growled, play fighting with him. Andrew had always loved cats but the foxes were a close second. They were a cunning and chaotic blend of the best traits of cats and dogs, and these two were absolutely devoted to Neil.
Hearing the tumult, Neil came out to check on them. Sir and King jumped up and Neil caught them, spinning them around in a circle and laughing as they licked his face and emitted high-pitched happy yelps.
“Who are my good babes?” Neil asked them. “You are! You’re my good babes. Were you helping Andrew? Hmm? You were?”
The foxes yipped and barked in response to Neil’s questions before squirming so much that he had to set them down. They immediately started racing around Andrew’s carefully assembled logs and tried to steal pinecones from the cart.
Neil watched them with a fond expression. “Pests,” he said with a laugh. He caught Andrew’s eye and smiled. “That looks good. Wanna see some magic?” He raised his eyebrows, about the closest Neil got to outright flirting.
“Show me what you got,” Andrew replied.
Neil summoned his magic and the logs caught. But instead of burning with the usual orange and yellow flames, the fire was a brilliant rainbow of colors – blue, green, pink, purple, red, yellow, and orange. The logs popped, giving off a shower of golden sparks. It was dazzling.
“Pretty cool, right?” Neil grinned.
“Yeah.” Andrew felt strangely breathless. He couldn’t look away from Neil. “Pretty cool.”
Sir took that moment of distraction to charge into Andrew’s shins, knocking him to the ground. Neil burst out laughing and offered Andrew a hand, helping him to his feet. They stood close together, hands clasped, the fire warming them, the stars sparkling overhead, . Andrew looked into Neil’s blue, blue eyes and wondered how he got so lucky.
“Are there any Solstice traditions for kissing?” he asked quietly.
Neil bit his lower lip, smiling. “There could be.”
Andrew leaned in and Neil met him, their lips touching. Andrew felt a thrill run through him, something clicking into place inside him.
Neil gasped, his eyes wide. “Did you feel that?” he whispered. There was a quaver to his voice. He squeezed Andrew’s hands and again Andrew felt a jolt of rightness zing through him.
“I felt it.”
Andrew kissed Neil again, tasting honey and spices and sweet wine, and feeling again and again the connection washing over them.
“Holy shit,” Neil breathed. He was gazing at Andrew with wonder, his reddened lips curling into the most gorgeous smile. “I mean, I thought, I guessed but… holy shit.”
“More words, Neil, less expletives,” Andrew prompted. His heart was racing and he didn’t know what he wanted more – to hear what Neil had to say or to kiss him again.
“I think you’re my Cornerstone,” Neil said. He pulled Andrew’s hands to his chest, holding them over his pounding heart. There were tears in Neil’s eyes.
Andrew knew enough about Cornerstones from listening to Sam talk about them ad nauseam but he was still stunned. Overwhelmed, but in a good way, a profound way.
“Holy shit,” he echoed Neil. “HOLY SHIT!”
“I KNOW!” Neil jumped up and down, smiling like he’d just won the best prize of all time.
Andrew caught him up in his arms and spun him around and around while Sir and King yipped and jumped at them. When he got too dizzy he stopped and they clutched at one another, laughing and crying.
When the initial shock settled into a pleasant buzz, they retreated into the cave for the wine and food, bringing it out before the roaring fire for a truly magical midwinter picnic. Neil sat right next to Andrew, their thighs and arms pressed together, a heavy bear skin draped over their shoulders for warmth.
Andrew asked question after question and Neil explained as best as he could, sometimes frustrated by his own lack of knowledge and training. They ate their weight in treats and then Neil made them a special cocktail to share, mixed with powerful fairy spirits and a dash of Neil’s joie de vivre potion.
They stayed outside until the fire started to dwindle and Neil couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. Andrew helped Neil gather up their things and they retreated to the cave.
The cave, always cozy, was lovingly decorated with fresh holly, ivy, and evergreen boughs, giving it a resinous scent. Neil had lit a host of white candles which lent the dark space a warm, golden glow. It was incredibly homey, a hundred times better than Andrew’s small room back in the barracks.
They kicked off their boots and stripped out of their clothes. Neil donned a large, shapeless sleep shirt and Andrew wore his black undershirt and leggings. Together, they curled up in the nest of blankets and furs, holding each other and sharing sleepy, tipsy kisses. Once they had settled down the foxes joined them, tucking themselves in around Neil.
Andrew watched Neil blink and blink as he tried to stay awake. His cheeks were flushed from the wine and his mouth was red from kissing. His long, dyed black hair spilled over the blankets and fell across his shoulder. He was rumpled and lovely and Andrew felt the surge of connection rush through him again. Longing and happiness squeezed his heart and he found himself blinking, chasing away tears.
Neil touched his face, his calloused fingertips capturing a single tear.
“My Cornerstone,” Neil murmured, the look in his eyes uncharacteristically tender.
Andrew touched his forehead to Neil’s. “My wizard.”
They smiled and snuggled in closer, falling asleep together on the longest night of the year, with their hearts full of hope for the days to come.