Chapter Text
In the beginning there was only Her light, illuminating our little planet. She brought warmth, warmth and energy, fuel for the life that was yet to be so. Collections and collections of dust would soon make Her a sibling star, and the world was brighter than ever before. The Sisters of the Suns watched over the world, but even as bright as it was, barren it was still. From far away in the cosmos, another goddess floated near. She was beautiful beyond compare, and the First Sister was enraptured by her grace. The Goddess from Beyond saw the Sun Sisters’ planet and saw that it was good land for creation, and gifted it with water to help life sprout up. The Suns’ light and the Moon’s water brought forth the first life, the first plants, and it was good. And it was for many many eternities that they all watched their little planet and their fondness for each other grow, forming their own holy family.
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Prince Oso was the first born prince of the Kingdom of the Sun. The Solar people were quickly won over by the young prince’s charm, even as a baby. Though he truly did care for his people, above all else he was reckless and fun-loving, a trait he never grew out of. As the first born, he was to inherit the kingdom when he was of age, and all hoped he would learn to take this great responsibility seriously by the time he took the throne.
Prince Choro, born four years later, was something different. As the second born of the royal family, it was customary to clothe him in green for all his days, an honored tradition to celebrate the tale of the Second Sun that once was but now is no more. It was said that Her Radiance blessed all second born children especially, gifting them with grace and wisdom and beauty beyond compare. To some it was just a story, but to the royal family, it was truth. Choro did not grow up as wise or as graceful as the kingdom expected, but he was so in his own way, and he was indeed beautiful, though he would never admit it.
Oso and Choro were the only children born to the royal family, and for many, many years, they were together like glue, quite literally each other’s best friends. They spent every waking moment together, the younger brother mimicking his elder as best he could, seeking approval and acceptance. But eventually, Oso was around to play less and less, having to learn about running their kingdom, leaving Choro completely alone after some time. Though soon he figured that was for the best; he was the second born, he was supposed to be a symbol of all things good and perfect for his people, and instead he’d been terrorizing the servants with his older brother, who really should have known better. Choro began pouring into his studies, and tried not to think about how much he really missed playing with Oso.
Actually, it was Oso who’d taken their separation the hardest, and the stress of learning to run an entire kingdom without fucking up once lest all his people be led into ruin was killing him. At night he’d taken to checking on Choro in his room before bed, sometimes finding him slumped at his table or reading by his window seat or already asleep, and he’d make sure he was comfortable and that he’d had a good day and kiss him goodnight. This went on for years, every night of their lives (much to the younger brother’s disdain but secret enjoyment), as the only time they could find to spent together outside of festivals they performed in and the occasional political meeting Choro was allowed to attend- though he had a habit of sneaking out of those to do other things, as he wasn't ever actively participating in them. And thus was their lives, for several years.
It was at one such meeting that Choro met the third friend he had ever made, including Oso, and the second friend he’d ever made that was his age, excluding Oso, who was four years his senior. And he looked ridiculously hot; and not in the metaphorical sense, like, ‘Oh, he’s really attractive, I sure would love to sleep with him or however flirting works.’ It was in the literal sense, as in, the poor guy had sweat through his clothes and his makeup was running down his face, and he was doing a poor job of fanning himself with his hand to try and alleviate some of the discomfort, to no avail. It was clear from everything about him that he was from the Lunar Kingdom, given his layers of fur-lined clothing, boots and gloves, also lined with fur, and his blue-grey skin, shimmering and reflecting light around him in a glistening halo of sweat. The guy looked fucking miserable, and Choro couldn’t help but wonder why he was dressed for cold weather when the coldest it had ever been in the Solar kingdom was a light breeze.
Choro had come into the meeting a little bit late, and gave a pretty shitty excuse for his lateness to his brother (who wouldn't stop giving him a stupid look because they both knew he was lying) as he took his seat next to their foreign visitor. This guy… Really did look terrible. He looked like someone had pushed him into a late, only a lot more miserable. He would definitely die of heatstroke in that. The Solar prince sighed and leaned over a little, speaking under his breath.
“Did no one tell you that it would be hot here?” he asked, hoping that he wouldn’t come off as rude but mostly concerned for this sweaty asshole.
The Lunar prince jumped,apparently unaware that Choro had even slid in next to him. He murmured an “Uhm,” shifted a bit, and lowered his voice to speak again. “I was warned, yes, but my wardrobe does not consist of anything lighter than cotton. My choice of attire was limited, unfortunately.” A smirk followed, and the prince turned away. “Such is life, I have learned.”
Good Radiance, Choro had only asked a simple question. What did this guy do, write poetry? Bad poetry at that. But then again, he had no idea what it was the Lunar royal family did in their free time, so maybe he did. Whatever.
“Well, you look miserable. And wet.” This guy really needed a clothing change, he looked close to passing out, despite his false confident smile trying to literally save him face. Choro took a quick glance around the room, assessing the importance of the meeting he was totally paying attention to, and decided he could probably manage a sneak from this one, if they were quiet. “We have a lot of extra clothes here in the palace. I could get you a change, if you want it. We’d have to sneak out of here, though.”
The Lunar prince seemed hesitant, and actually, maybe Choro shouldn’t have said anything. One one hand, he didn’t want the poor asshole to die, but on the other, it also probably wasn’t a good idea to suggest leaving a very important meeting, was it? They didn’t have any active role, sure, but now that the words had already left his mouth, he’d regretted speaking them. But then the prince smiled, a genuine and not smirk-y smile. That was a good sign.
"That's very kind of you, dear prince. I think I'll take you up on your offer, if you don't mind. I'd rather enjoy all your kingdom has to offer in retaliative comfort than what I'm currently experiencing it through." The prince lifted his hand to card through his bangs, closing his eyes after. Which roughly translated into a yes, Choro assumed. So he nodded and tried not to smile again, taking another look around for security.
"Alright, then. Better grab anything you wanna take with you now. Don't worry, I do this all the time." With impressive speed Choro hauled the second prince to his feet, and snuck them out the side door into a hallway. For such a lithe young man, he was pretty decently strong, when he needed to be. Once he was certain they were clear he spoke again, more naturally, hoping to strike up idle conversation that wasn’t completely awkward. More awkward than walking in silence would be, at least. "I've only ever heard about how cold it is where you're from. But it must be absolutely freezing, with all that fur you're wearing. Can't imagine ever living someplace that cold, but I guess you're used to it, huh?" And speaking of clothing, he couldn’t even imagine that they had any clothes that would fit the prince. The Solar people weren’t exactly built to be all that big, that would just be more weight to lug around in the heat. Not that the Lunar prince was overweight. He was just so… Broad. Across the shoulders. And the chest. Maybe, hopefully, they’d have a vest of something open that would fit him without causing embarrassment.
A rumble of a laugh left the second prince and Choro had to wonder if he’d even said anything that funny. "Of course. It snows more often than it rains, and rains more often than the sun shines. Both of the latter tend to only happen in the later spring and summer, so being without a layer of fur is just asking for frostbite." He lifted his hands to his chest, very dramatically. "I'm Kara, prince and high priest of the Kingdom of the Moon. Your name is Choro, correct?"
So Prince Asshole had a name, then. And apparently knew his. How had he known that? They’d probably exchanged everyone’s names when the meeting began, he figured. “Yes, that's right. Prince Choro, second born prince of the Kingdom of the Sun. I don't have any special titles or jobs, though. All I do is stand around and look good, for the most part." He shrugged a little, though his quip about frostbite made him smile a little bit more, involuntary as it was. Yeah, he looked very concerned about frostbite, with his lack of fingers on his gloves. He wouldn't comment about it, though. That'd just be rude beyond reason, even if it was practical. "I'm definitely biased, though I have to say, that sounds... Certainly interesting, but far too cold. I doubt I'd ever be able to live there. I couldn't imagine living someplace where I couldn't see the sun." Pretty soon the two princes came up on the spare room, and Choro lead Kara in, shutting the door after them and dropping his hand. He’d forgotten he’d been holding Prince Kara’s arm the whole time. Oops. "Here, let me see if I can find a shirt for you. And some sandals... Those boots can't possibly be comfortable. I don't know about the rest of your clothes, though, they seem fine enough."
Kara nodded and pulled his bag off, setting it down in a chair with a kind smile. "Alright. Thank you, Prince Choro." Then he started to undo his decorative waist wrap and his gloves and coat. Oh, okay, he was just going to undress right now, with no shame, huh? Choro just turned away and didn’t look, focusing on finding some weather-suitable clothes instead. How fucking rude would that be, though, to just stare at Kara as he undressed? He was a visiting foreign prince, he needed privacy to change in peace.
"Is it alright if I leave my clothes in here for now?” Kara asked suddenly. “My bag isn't large enough for anything other than maybe my gloves."
Choro nodded but didn’t turn away from his task. "That's alright. Just remember to take them when you leave, yeah?"
He could hear a hum of agreement from the other prince, so Choro went back to searching through the closet for something that would fit. But... Well, damn. Not too many options in that regard, everything looked too small. Hm... Oh, here was something; a blue vest, larger than the other contents of this closet. Probably something meant to be large for fashion purposes. The fact that it was blue was a great bonus, and he hoped it would please the prince. It might even close all the way. That would be nice. He gathered that vest and a few pairs of sandals, and he came back out, trying to avoid looking at Kara directly for courtesy's sake. "Here, I think this might fit. And here's some sandals, too. I have..." He paused and looked down at the lunar prince's booted feet. "... No idea what your shoe size is, but I think one of these should fit."
Well, Kara wasn’t shirtless, but he was mostly occupying his time at the vanity, removing his makeup and pulling out tools to reapply it. Why? That was so pointless, it would just melt off again with his sweat. A change of clothes probably wouldn’t change how uncomfortably hot it must be for him. Kara stood and smiled anyway, taking the vest from Choro. "Thank you, my dear prince." He spoke, then turned back to swap his undershirt for the much more breathable vest.
Choro nodded and turned away again. "Ah, you're welcome. You can keep that, by the way. For the next time you come here. I doubt cooking in your clothes is any fun." Trying to occupy himself, he took a seat on the bed nearby (really, mostly just a mattress with a thin sheet and a lot of pillows) and started to fuss with his wrap, making sure it was properly tied, and desperately needing something to do with his hands. "Besides that, though, I hope you're liking it here so far. I know it's different than what you're used to."
He hears Kara humming. “From what I've seen in passing and experiences in the palace thus far, I'd say I'm very much enjoying my visit." Choro looked up and found the prince smiling at him. "You're a very kind host. I appreciate you going out of your way for me as much as you have." Kara chuckled softly, seating himself at the vanity again, beginning to undo his boots, and Choro realized he’d been staring and turned away again. "I apologize for being such a bother. I'll have to prepare properly for the next visit. Maybe I'll take a look around the town for some better suited attire for this temperature."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all,” Choro assured him, fingering his wrap. “I'd rather not have the prince of our greatest allying kingdom die of heatstroke on our soil, anyway." A little smile wormed it's way onto his face, and he feels much safer about looking up at Kara now. Hopefully he wouldn't make a damn fool of himself, and subsequently the rest of the kingdom. "I'm certainly glad you're enjoying it here, though. And if you want to see what the city looks like, I'd be more than happy to show you around. I know a lot of shops where you could buy something to wear, it wouldn't be a problem." Choro was trying to look a lot more confident that he was, but really, he was a nervous wreck. Though the idea of having a friend his age that he could actually talk to was enticing. Even if they could only talk a few times a month at most, assuming that either of them were ever relevant enough to be invited to visit with their older siblings.
He watched, almost a little awed, as Kara quickly and expertly reapplied his makeup. He must have been doing this forever, to be so good at it. His eyeliner was already on before he’d finished speaking. "It would be great to have a guide, and even better to have such a lovely one." He looked back to Choro with a smile, who’s face had started to flush a dusty glowing orange, then looked away after a second to switch out his eyeliner for mascara, turning back towards the mirror to apply it. "I must return your kindness if you're to visit our kingdom. I'd love to show you my Lady's cathedral, the Moon Shrine. It's an absolutely beautiful sight. I'd say unmatched, but I have yet to see what your kingdom has to offer." Looking satisfied, Kara put his beauty tools down and looked himself over, like he hadn’t just dropped an embarrassing compliment just like that, the prick.
"Well,” Choro started, “I would certainly love to give you a tour, in that case. I'll be holding you to that." He tried to smile to play himself off, then paused a little, kind of tilting his head to one side. "A cathedral? I've heard of those before. It's a big building for worship, right? I... I think you might be unmatched. We don't have anything like that here. We do have a city square for big celebrations, but nothing like a cathedral."
Kara watched Choro speak, then made a little ‘heh’ noise- ew, gross-, standing from his stool with his eyes closed, then lifting his hand up to flip the fringe with a flourish. "Beauty comes in many forms, my darling prince." Kara opened his eyes, his hands moving as he speaks to emphasize his words. "Her Luminance's cathedral is a pale blue dusted with a coat of snow more often than not, icicles dangle from the overhangs, and winterwood trees hug its sides. Snowdrops bloom along the pathways to and around the Moon Shrine, and the stained glass depicting the Lady's image watches over all those that enter." Kara looked with a smile, resting his hands on his hips now, his eyes lidded halfway. "I would doubt your kingdom has something like it, but that does not mean it does not have sights that would take away one's breath. And it would be an honor," he walked towards the prince, reaching out for his hand and lifting it up, tucking his free arm behind his back and leaning over, pressing a kiss to Choro's knuckles, watching his face all the while, "to be shown such things by a sight as beautiful as you."
That was an assault on his fucking life, wasn’t it? Who did this guy think he was, being such a fucking charmer and being so disgusting at the same time? His face was glowing bright now, and he couldn't make any direct eye contact, lest his entire heart implode. He was sure it could, actually. He was a descendant of the Goddess of the Sun, technically, so maybe his heart would overheat and explode in his chest and kill him. If it did then he wouldn't have to be here in this moment and death's sweet release would prevent him from having to hear the other prince's rambling. "O-oh..." Was all he could say at that moment, his brain trying to fire on all cylinders again but only working on maybe two or three. "I-I-I don't think I'm... All that beautiful... A-at all." Sure, that was his job, just being beautiful and graceful and a symbol of what a second born child should be in order to honor the memory of the passed goddess, and the blessing Her Radiance bestowed upon all of the second born children of the Kingdom of the Sun. But he wasn't actually that beautiful, just good at faking. "I-I thank you for your compliments, though. I hope our kingdom lives up to your expectations."
Kara chuckled lowly, and Choro had never wanted to strangle someone more than in that moment. “I’m sure it will,” he said, turning back around to retrieve his bag and put everything else away neatly by the bed, smiling warmly all the while. "I think it would be best for us to return to the meeting now, yeah? It's most likely almost finished, but I would like for my sister to know where I went and what my plans are for the rest of the day."
Oh, thank god. He liked the lunar prince well enough, but damn, he was embarrassing. Attractive, and kind, but embarrassing. Regardless. Choro nodded, standing up himself and trying to act like his heart wasn't still pounding in his chest and his brain wasn't still screaming at him. "Ah, yes, of course. Let's head back, then." He prayed to the Goddess that Oso wouldn't harass him about sneaking off with Prince Kara... But he wouldn't get his hopes up. He would probably definitely be teased, but whatever. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, hopefully. (Probably not but he could damn well dream). Choro lead the prince back outside, closing the door behind them and making their way to the meeting room. It looked like people were standing now, so the meeting was ending, which was good. Maybe no one would notice them coming back in.
More importantly, maybe nobody would notice that his face was radiating a soft glow, more than it usually did. Or the glances he kept giving Kara, or how happy they both looked as Kara’s sister gave them full permission to spend the rest of their day together.
Who was he kidding, someone probably noticed.