Tower of Thorns Tower of Fangs Volume 5 Chapter 18

 "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

- Corinthians 13

Chapter 18  Dandelions

Moon did not know the word for it. Not at first. He knew many things. He knew the names of stars hidden beyond mortal sight. He knew which flowers bloomed beneath moonlight and which opened only when dawn touched the world.

He knew the songs sung by rivers.

He knew stars. He knew flowers. He knew the names of every cloud drifting across the heavens. He knew the songs of birds. The language of fairies. The stories hidden inside moonlight.

But this? This strange feeling inside his chest? He did not understand it. At first he thought it was happiness. Then he thought it was friendship. Then perhaps loneliness. But none of those felt right. Because happiness did not ache. Friendship did not make his heart race. Loneliness did not vanish whenever blue eyes appeared. No. This was something else entirely. Something beautiful. Something terrifying. Something alive.

Summer continued. Days became precious. Moon found himself searching for Nico before he even realized he was doing it. Every morning his eyes drifted toward the forest path. Waiting. Listening. Hoping. The moment he spotted that familiar hood the entire world seemed brighter. The flowers prettier. The sky bluer. The wind sweeter. Everything improved. Because Nico was there. Moon never questioned why. Not at first. He simply accepted it. Accepted the joy. Accepted the warmth. Accepted the way his chest fluttered whenever Nico smiled. The celestial believed all beautiful things should simply be enjoyed. Like flowers. Or stars. Or sunsets. Or Nico. Especially Nico.

Yet sometimes when Moon lay awake beneath moonlit skies strange memories surfaced. Not his own. Old memories. Echoes. Fragments. The remnants of stories told long before he was born. Memories belonging to other celestials. To his brothers. His sisters. The beautiful Moon Gods. The immortals who ruled silver palaces beyond mortal sight. Moon remembered whispers. Conversations carried across endless moonlit halls. Warnings spoken softly.Almost sadly.

"Never love mortals."

"Never love anyone."

"Love always ends in grief."

He remembered a sister crying beneath silver stars. Though he could not remember her face. Only tears. Endless tears. A brother kneeling beside a battlefield. Holding someone who would never wake again. Moonlight stained red. Silver blood spilled across white flowers. An immortal god screaming. A sound so full of grief it seemed capable of breaking worlds. The memories never stayed long. Only fragments. Broken pieces. Yet the feeling remained. Love frightened the Moon Gods. Terrified them. Some whispered it was a curse. Others called it a weakness. A flaw. Something beautiful that inevitably became tragedy. Gods had died because of it. Immortals had fallen. Kingdoms had burned. Hearts had shattered. Moon never understood why. Not then. Not yet. Because every time he looked at Nico the feeling seemed worth it. No matter the cost.

One afternoon they wandered farther than usual. Beyond the lake. Beyond the ruined church. Beyond familiar paths. Into rolling hills covered entirely by white flowers. The field stretched endlessly. A sea of white beneath endless blue skies. Thousands upon thousands of delicate blossoms swayed beneath summer winds. Dandelions. Moon loved them immediately. Of course he did. Moon loved almost everything beautiful. The celestial ran laughing through the field. White robes billowed around him. Long black hair streamed behind him like flowing silk. The sunlight transformed him into something almost unreal. Tiny fairies of silver light chased after him. Dancing through the air. Spinning between floating seeds. Moon laughed. And the sound carried across the hills like music. He gathered armfuls of flowers. Blew seeds into the wind. Watched them drift skyward. Thousands of tiny white stars floating toward heaven. The sight delighted him. Everything delighted him. Especially because Nico was there to see it. Nico stood nearby watching. As always. The hood remained lowered. His blond hair glowed beneath sunlight. His blue eyes followed Moon everywhere. The expression on his face was soft. Gentle. Fond. Moon noticed. He always noticed. And suddenly something happened. The realization arrived all at once. Like lightning. Like sunrise. Like a flower blooming in spring. Moon liked making Nico smile. More than flowers. More than fairies. More than beautiful lakes. More than moonlit skies. More than almost anything. The thought stopped him cold. Moon froze in the middle of the field. His laughter vanished. The wind continued moving around him. White seeds drifted through sunlight. Yet everything felt strangely still. Because suddenly everything made sense. The waiting. The happiness. The warmth. The ache whenever Nico left. The way every day felt brighter beside him. The way his heart raced when blue eyes met his own. The way every goodbye hurt. The way every reunion felt like sunlight after winter. Moon understood. And immediately forgot how to breathe. Because the realization was enormous. Beautiful. Terrifying. Wonderful. Impossible. He was in love.

The celestial stood motionless among endless dandelions. Watching Nico approach. Watching sunlight catch golden hair. Watching blue eyes soften when they found him. And suddenly Moon felt more alive than he had ever felt before. Not because it hurt. Because it was beautiful. Too beautiful. Too much. The world seemed brighter. Sharper. More real. Colors deepened. Sounds carried music. The wind itself felt different. Everything seemed touched by wonder.

Moon understood. The realization was enormous. Beautiful. Terrifying. Wonderful. He was in love. So inlove. Drunk in the feeling of happiness and addicted to the flying feeling whenever their eyes met. The celestial stood motionless in the sea of dandelions. Watching Nico approach. Watching sunlight catch blond hair. Watching blue eyes soften when they found him.

And suddenly Moon felt so alive. The feeling overwhelmed him. Not because it was painful. Because it was too beautiful. Too much. The world seemed brighter. Sharper. More real. As though every color had suddenly deepened. As though every sound carried music. As though his very soul had awakened.

Love.

The word felt sacred. Precious. Moon had heard stories. Old gods spoke of it. Ancient spirits sang about it. Fairies whispered of it beneath moonlight. Yet none of them described this. None of them explained how alive it made you feel. How wonderful. How terrifying. Because suddenly someone else's happiness mattered more than your own.

The realization shocked him. If Nico smiled Moon smiled. If Nico laughed Moon felt lighter. If Nico hurt the thought alone made Moon's chest ache. And if Nico disappeared Moon couldn't finish the thought.Couldn't bear it.

Nico reached him moments later. Concern appeared immediately. Moon rarely stood still. The celestial looked strange. Overwhelmed.

"Nico." 

The name escaped softly.

The hooded boy tilted his head. Moon stared at him. For several moments he simply stared. Blue eyes. The most beautiful color Moon had ever seen. Not because they were blue. Because they were Nico's. The realization made his heart hurt. In the best possible way. The celestial suddenly stepped forward. Then wrapped his arms around him. Without warning. Without hesitation. Moon simply hugged him. Tightly. As though holding something precious. Something irreplaceable. Nico froze instantly.  His brain stopped functioning. Completely. Moon rested his forehead against his shoulder. Smiling. The celestial closed his eyes. Safe. Warm. Home.

The word appeared unexpectedly. Home. Not the heavens. Not moonlit palaces. Not celestial gardens. Nico.

The realization nearly made him cry. Because it was so beautiful. Because it was so frightening. Because he finally understood. Love. This was love. Not stories. Not songs. Not dreams. Real. Alive. And standing right here beside him.

The wind swept across the field. Thousands of dandelion seeds rose into the air. White stars drifting toward endless skies. Moon finally pulled away. His black eyes shone brightly. For a brief moment silver flickered within them. The celestial smiled. Not the smile he gave everyone. Not friendship. Not kindness. Something deeper. Something belonging only to Nico.

And though Moon never spoke the words because he wasn't brave enough yet his heart already knew. Every beat whispered the same truth.

I love you.

The dandelions carried the secret into the sky. And somewhere far away fate quietly sharpened the wooden stake that would one day pierce a god's heart. But today was still summer. Today they were still together. And for one perfect afternoon the world belonged only to them.

The dandelion seeds drifted higher and higher. Like tiny stars. Like wishes. Like promises. Like love.