Work Text:
“How do you think it got that way?”
Neptune looks over to Sun. He's staring up at the sky with those sharp eyes he has. Sometimes Neptune’s jealous of them, other times he's content just staring. He follows his gaze.
It's a painting, the way the color streaks across the sky. An unblended color palette of purples and blues and blacks. A few flecks of stars are starting to emerge and the moon becomes the brightest thing in the heavens as he stares. The silhouettes of the trees around their camp’s clearing made a nice frame for the art in the sky.
“What do you mean?” He finally asks.
Sun's eyes narrow. “The moon.”
Neptune looks up to the shattered sphere hanging above them again. He thinks of all the different theories he'd read and discussed with others, all of them a motley of uncertainty. Neptune keeps them to himself for fear of being called a nerd - which happens frequently enough. “Not sure.”
Sun hums, not contented by his answer. Neptune doesn't think he ever will be unless he figures it out himself. That's what he likes about Sun. Always curious. Maybe that’s why they’re friends in the first place.
Neptune hears Sun shuffling out of his recline and takes a deep breath. He has to admit, he's worried about their mission tomorrow. The fact that they’re doing this by themselves, no Scarlet or Sage, is terrifying. No back up, no “just-in-case”. Neptune continues to stare at the sky. There's nothing he can do about it now except make sure Sun doesn't get himself killed.
“Hey,” Sun interrupts his idle thoughts. They always seem to be about him nowadays. Neptune turns back to see Sun sitting in the tall grass of the field with a swarm of fireflies surrounding him. The grin on his face is larger than life itself. Sun chuckles out, “They like me.”
Neptune sits up and scoots next to him. The small beetles glow and fizzle out at regular intervals. A few land on Sun's (for once) still body. One crawls on Sun's arm before it flits off to join the rest in the now glowing field and Neptune smiles after it.
Sun gasps, frightening off the few lightning bugs left on him. He gets an even bigger grin if that’s possible. Neptune recognizes it as his “I-have-an-idea” idea.
“Watch, watch, Neptune–” Sun makes sure Neptune’s eyes are on him before activating his aura. It's warm and as comforting as a blanket. Neptune can feel it like it’s in his body instead of the Faunus’s. Sun's hair and tail begin to give off a soft yellow glow. Neptune thinks he looks almost too proud of himself when he giggles, “I'm one of them now, Nep!”
“I see. Are you trying to attract a mate, Sun?” Neptune smirks. Sun’s fun always becomes contagious.
Sun smirks back. In a single move, Neptune's on his back with Sun straddling him, “Maybe. I'm on the market for a dork who knows shitty bug facts.”
Sun begins to pepper his face with playful pecks and Neptune can't help but relax. The added benefit of his aura doesn't help either, being cuddled by a literal ray of sunshine has that effect on people. He lets out a breathy giggle, “Sun, stop, someone might see!”
“Who, the lightning bugs?” Sun nuzzles his neck, buries himself in like he's trying to meld with Neptune. Sun purrs, “I don't think they mind.”
“You know what I mean, Sun! Just because we're on a mission doesn't mean we won't see people we know,” Neptune laughs as Sun's hair tickles his neck. Despite his protests, Neptune wraps his arms around him. Sun’s tail coils around his left arm and Neptune can feel the heat radiating from it.
Sun leans back and gives him a convincing pout as the waves of his aura wash over him. Neptune is tempted to tell him to conserve his energy for tomorrow but he likes how the glow of his hair lights him up, bringing light to those dark, sharp eyes he loves so much. Sun leans down and bumps their noses together. “You embarrassed of me ‘cause I'm a lightning bug?”
Neptune tilts his head up and catches his lips briefly. Sweet, reassuring. At least Neptune hopes so. They pull back before Sun gives him a firmer kiss, one that maybe they both needed after such a long trek to their makeshift camp. Neptune relaxes against the ground and smiles. “You know that's not true.”
“Yeah.” His smile is returned tenfold. Sun's grin is one of the ones that reaches his eyes. Gorgeous. “I know. You just need to relax once in a while, dude. Let me love you before a big scary mission, for example.”
“I'm very relaxed,” Neptune quips, “I've never been stressed out a day in my life.”
“Now I know you're lying.” Sun starts to kiss him all over again but Neptune doesn't try to intervene this time. It’s been hectic since they got scheduled for the two-man mission. Prep work is always something to be worried over in Neptune's eyes. He isn't like Sun, who can pick up his staff and go. Maybe Neptune does need to relax. The kisses turn into light nips as Sun gets to his jaw.
“Ah, ah,” Neptune chides, “You know better.”
“You suck,” Sun grumbles and continues to kiss down the column of his neck. Neptune sighs in contentment. This is exactly what love feels like to Neptune. Love is laying in a field on a summer night while being kissed up by his boyfriend who’s shining like a warm dawn.
Neptune presses a brief kiss to Sun’s head. “No, I think you were trying to, though.”
“Whatever, man.” Sun stops pecking when he reaches clothing. He looks up and waggles his eyebrows with a hint of a smile.
Neptune raises a judgmental eyebrow, “You're still wasting your aura. None of that.”
Sun deflates and the glow of his hair dims, but he continues to kiss what he can of Neptune’s bare skin. Neptune pulls him into another kiss with a nudge of his chin. Sun whispers, “I love you, Neptune.”
Neptune's throat catches on air. He's already heard it so many times and yet he still gets the wind knocked out of him. “I love you too.”
They kiss for a while after that. It's nice, just the two of them out with only the moon and lightning bugs to see them. Neptune does eventually have to be the voice of reason and herd Sun back to their shitty tent, but neither of them minds too much. Sun only gives a quip about Neptune being a spoil-sport before falling onto his makeshift bed of blankets and pillows. Neptune follows suit by crawling into his sleeping bag, but he doesn't find himself falling asleep.
Instead, he thinks idle thoughts as he stares at the mound of comfort that is Sun.
How do you think we got this way?
Neptune smirks at his mind’s ability to mimic Sun.
He thinks of the different theories he'd thought of during their little secret affair, how they'd become so close, all of them a motley of uncertainty. Not sure.
All Neptune knows is that he doesn't regret a second of it.