Moon and Sun

Every Solstice, Day and Night stop in their dance and look at each other. It was very much like that when Kurt and Blaine first saw each other.

The Snow Court, which lived in the Moon's province (as the Moon ruled the Night) would come to visit for the Summer Solstice and take the Year back to their home. The Wood Court, which lived in the Sun's land would travel to their mountains for the Winter Solstice to reclaim the Year. It was the Summer Solstice now, and Kurt, Snow courtier, was finally old enough and strong enough to make the trip down into the forest where the Wood Court lied.

Halfway through the journey, at the summit of the mountain, they were met by nymphs of the Wood Court who would escort them the rest of the way. Kurt wasn't paying attention to the nymphs; he had seen them just six months prior when they came to his court. He was looking at the plants.

Things were very, very different in the Snow Court, for Kurt had never seen anything alive that was truly stuck to the ground. He stepped onto the grass, a little wary, and felt the prickly stuff on the soles of his feet. It was warm.

"Would you like to mount?" a nymph asked.

Kurt looked up to see the Wood courtier: He could easily blend in with the moss-covered trees; his body seemed to be green in parts and brown in others, and his skin, unlike Kurt's pure white sinew, was tattooed in places – on his face, even!

"Mount what?" They had animals in the Snow Court, but all they needed was moonlight and the snow they stood on. Kurt had been told that plants were similar in the Wood Court, so of course he had disregarded the idea of the Wood Court having animals as well.

"My horse," the nymph said. He was smiling. It was almost as dazzling as the stars themselves – but what would a wood nymph know of the stars?

"Horse?"

Blaine patted the large brown thing beside him, and it made a noise Kurt was fairly familiar with since he took care of the unicorns at court. But this creature was not majestic nor beautiful like his lovely Bethabell and her brood. Still, it had its own rough attraction... much like Blaine.

Blaine took Kurt's hand as the snow nymph hoisted himself into the saddle.

"You're very cold," he said.

"You burn like the Sun itself," Kurt replied. His breath showed, and Kurt could feel the ice crystals melting in the air.

"Is that a problem? I know Snow nymphs are delicate." He pulled himself up to sit behind Kurt.

"No, it should be fine."

"You won't melt or anything?"

"If I start to melt, I have my magic to fix me." Kurt pursed his lips. He was not fragile.

Blaine's arms slid over his, hands cupping his to grasp the reins.

"Then let us ride," he said quietly in Kurt's ear.

Kurt's breath was icy again, but this time it was because he was blushing.

It was a long ride, and Kurt didn't have much time to think about the young nymph whose nearly bare chest rested against Kurt's back. He was far too busy drinking in the forest with his eyes.

"You know," Blaine teased, "if you don't shut your mouth, you'll swallow the flies."

"What are flies?"

"They are-" He stops to consider such a basic concept. "They are small insects, little flying animals."

"We don't have many small animals up the mountains."

"You don't?"

"You haven't been? But you're an escort..."

"I pulled some strings. My mother is head of the guard, so she let me come. Next Solstice will be my first traveling." His dark brown hair brushed against Kurt's neck. Even his hair was warm; was everything warm down here?

"It's my first Solstice traveling."

"I know. I would remember you."

Kurt's face flushed.

That night, when everyone was settled into their rooms, Blaine found Kurt walking in the gardens.

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asked.

"I'm a gardener, like my father. I knew you'd be here. You're obsessed with the plants."

"We don't have anything like them," Kurt explained. "They're so still, yet so alive..."

"The ice is still."

"Yes, but these flowers are warm."

"Here."

Kurt looked to Blaine, who had knelt. Between his hands was a green light hovering over the ground. It takes shape, and there's a beautiful flower, bright and shining.

"What color is this?" Kurt asked, pointing to the petals.

"Red." Blaine looked shocked. "Don't you know?"

"We don't have many colors up there."

"It's the color of our blood."

"Ours is blue, but it turns a sort of pink when we bleed."

"Right. Of course." Blaine picked the flower by the stem and hands it to Kurt. "Keep it."

"But – but won't it die when I take it back?"

"No." Blaine wrapped his hands around Kurt's. "It's made of pure magic, so it will live until the next Solstice."

"When you come to Snow Court."

"Yes."

"Bring this with you, then." Kurt held out a hand and conjured his own magic, growing the best snowflake he can think of. It was larger and sturdier of course, and it would last until the next Solstice when Kurt could renew its magic.

Blaine stared at it, eyes wide as saucers.

"We have nothing so refined here in Wood Court."

"We don't have as many things as you do."

"Do you still have kisses?"

Kurt didn't have time to react because Blaine reached up to kiss him. Blaine tasted like things Kurt had never heard of and couldn't properly describe (though he'd have a much larger vocabulary by the end of the week, he was sure), and when they finally separated, Blaine's breath iced in the air.

"Your lips are flavored like cold and soft ice."

"Snow, it's called."

"I would very much like to see it."

"I would like to kiss you." Icy breath.

Blaine stared at him as Kurt had often stared at the Moon in all Her glory, but when they kissed, their eyes were closed, and all Kurt could feel was green and warmth.