When the Sun Loved the Night

[Lillybear]

xx

Relationship: Astraeus
(Owned by myself)

Former lovers

Username: Lillybear

Name: Jiyan

Gender: Goes by male
[he/him] pronouns

Shadow Name: William

[Lillybear]

→ Jiyan named his Shadow after the famous human playwright and poet, William Shakespeare.
He's very creative with his nicknames for his companion, often playfully calling him "William Shakesbird."


→ Jiyan and William like to have four-leaf clover finding competitions. William usually wins.


→ When doing having these competitions, as a result of digging around in the ground,
Jiyan will get grass stains all over himself, turning his hands and face green.


→ Jiyan is a wanderer─he dislikes being defined as a "traveler" because he does not
have a set destination for his journeys. He has no true home, no house, sleeping underneath
(and sometimes in) trees. He doesn't need one, for his home is in the wilderness.


→ Jiyan dislikes being seen by the public, but that doesn't mean he'll refuse a nice inn or
tavern to rest beneath a roof. He finds the lives of other Dolls to be far too noisy for his
taste, but he still enjoys meeting new people and learning their stories.


→ Jiyan's contribution to society is his poems. Ever since his creation, he's been fascinated
with life─with everything. Seeing the beauty, the mystery, the love and fear in it all. And
he captures it with words, so as it will never be forgotten, left behind, or ruined. Life lives
on in his poems, which, whenever he returns to civilization, he prints and distributes with
the world so they might have a hint to what life looks like though his eyes.

[Lillybear]

[Lillybear]

Jiyan frequently wrote about the moon.


He always had, always would. It had a tight hold on his fascination, refusing
to let go. But he didn't care, for he never got bored of it, never once looked
up to the sky at night and didn't see beauty, a plane of unimaginable
existence that was so large it could not have been charted in hundreds of
years.


There was a Doll up there, he knew.


He'd heard the stories, indulging himself in them with wide eyed wonder,
and the faintest air of jealously. He couldn't imagine what it must've felt
like, tending to the moon each night, making sure its glow was just right,
just perfect, perfectly precise.


So perhaps he'd been in love since the beginning without ever realizing it.


Oh, how Jiyan wanted to meet this Doll. He had so many questions, many
more questions, he realized, than there'd ever be answers for. But he wouldn't
mind, no, as poetry didn't always need answers.


One fateful sunrise, Jiyan got his wish.


The sun who was in love with the night met the moon who was in love with the day.

[Lillybear]

Jiyan had always thought sunrises were important.


The start of a new day, a new beginning, a clean slate. And what better way
to start something new than with an explosion of color? It was beautiful,
inspiring, something to push you forward to the next sunrise.


But it was when Jiyan met Astraeus that Jiyan truly felt how special a
sunrise could be.


Jiyan never stayed in one place. He didn't liked to be tied down, he always
had to move, to explore. He went to the places that prodded at his curiosity,
the places that the wind carried him, the places his heart showed him.


But this sunrise, he would make an exception.


He'd happened to pass through a small town while wandering one
evening, briefly engaging in conversation with the Dolls that lived
there, asking about their lives, curious what story this place had
to tell.


And what a story it had.


He learned that this was the town where the Doll that cared for the moon
would visit every day there was to be a full moon the following night. Jiyan
heard his name for the first time: Astraeus. Jiyan's breath nearly escaped
him. A full moon was to happen in just a couple days.


Perhaps he'd spend his next couple nights under a roof for once.


He'd never spent more than one night under a roof before, but every
possible inch of his curiosity and wonder wouldn't let him leave. It was
a strange experience, but his excitement grew with each sunrise.


What would be his first question? No, what would he say first? When they
first locked eyes, what would he do? He didn't want to frighten this Doll.
He'd heard many things about Astraeus, but most didn't even know his name.
His town, however, knew much more than the rest of the world.


This was his town.


Perhaps that wasn't quite right. He didn't own the town, but this was the
town─the only town─where he went, where he had a house that held
his scarce amount of belongings. The Dolls that lived here were the only
Dolls that really knew him. And they said that he was often wistful and far
away, mostly likely weary from his job. They told him that Astraeus was
quiet and sad, mysterious as the moon itself.


Jiyan instantly felt a connection, just from hearing the townsfolk's
personal stories. He assumed that Astraeus must see the world so
differently from them. He did, after all, have an entirely different
perspective from them. And so did Jiyan. He'd seen the world from
almost every corner, but never from above.


The waiting seemed to never end, but finally, the morning of the full
moon arrived. Jiyan didn't know how to feel─excited, nervous? Would
he be over or underwhelmed? Would Astraeus even want to talk to him?


Jiyan decided to wait on the outskirts of the town, as if a nostalgic ghost.
William was perched on his shoulder, pecking lightly at his hair. It was still
dark outside, but the sun slowly decided to part the darkness of night to
make way for a bath of pink.


It was then that Jiyan saw him for the first time, the Doll that haunted his
dreams, his beautiful moon, his inspiration. He was coming slowly towards
the town, using his Shadow, an enchanting staff, to help him walk.


They locked eyes.


And then everything changed.

[Lillybear]

Jiyan had never fallen in love with another Doll.


Jiyan had fallen in love with life, and he foolishly thought that would be
enough for him. Every day his burning passion for writing, for words, for
being in and of itself pushed him forward. It was the reason behind his
everything. He saw in life what others could not, and he thought
he saw all.


When he met Astraeus, he knew that he had been wrong.


Everything happened so fast on that fateful sunrise. Sometimes, it didn't even
feel real, but Jiyan would never forget it. He'd never forget they way he had to
catch his breath when their eyes met, never forget the way Astraeus approached
him cautiously, but also with curiosity. Their ethereal introductions. How Jiyan
explained who he was and what he did. How he asked if it was okay if they could
talk for the day, if Jiyan could learn his story. How Astraeus agreed.


The settled in a community resting area, which provided them with a
comfortable and quiet place to talk. Jiyan had learned so much during
his travels, but when hearing Astraeus's story, he felt like a child,
rediscovering the world for the first time. Falling in love with it all again.


Astraeus set something off within Jiyan, provoked some kind of unawakened
fire that now did more than burn─scald, seethe, dance. It was too much and
not enough all at once.


He'd never felt more alive before.


Never more inspired, enlightened. So full of everything he ever was, ever
could be.


He was in love.


He never believed it would happen. He was never opposed to the possibility,
but he was so sure that with his never ending wandering, with his aversion to
society, with his need to move, that it would never happen. And he was okay
with that. He never thought he'd need it.


But now he felt greedy, like he needed it all, and it was right there in front of
him. It was infuriating to Jiyan that there were thousands of words in thousands
of languages, yet sitting there, looking at Astraeus, listening to him, not a single
one would come to him.


Because there truly was no right word that described Jiyan's feelings for him,
what he looked like through his eyes. It was impossible as impossible could be.


He never thought it'd happen this fast. Everything in his life had been slow,
gentle, always in motion but never fast. This was different, so different.


Eventually, the sky dwindled back to dark, and Astraeus had to leave. They'd
spent the entire day talking, learning each other's stories, their pasts, their
presents,


and their futures.


Their futures together.


Well, not exactly.


They were going to write letters to one another.


Jiyan hadn't been sure what to expect when he learned he'd be meeting
Astraeus, but from the stories he'd heard, he thought he would've been
more closed in, unwilling to share so much with him. And he had been shy,
at first, unsure what to make of the Doll that unexpectedly appeared in his
life. But the more they talked, the more he lit up. Astraeus told him that
he'd never made a deep connection with another Doll before─his job wouldn't
allow it. They were kindred spirits, and there was an unspoken understanding
that they both wanted more now that they had met each other.


And then it wasn't unspoken.


They had made an agreement to write to each other, and their Shadows would
help deliver the messages. Astraeus seemed to have a peculiar fascination with
William, and Jiyan almost considered letting Astraeus touch him, but he knew
that was a practice only Dolls in relationships could do. Maybe it was stupid or
immature to think it, but Jiyan would've done anything to make Astraeus happy.

[Lillybear]

Jiyan and Astraeus wrote to each other constantly.


Jiyan had never felt more ready to write, to create. He had so many thoughts tumbling
around in his mind, so many ideas, so many new words and feelings he'd been exposed
to. He felt warm. Alight with love.


He almost exclusively wrote about Astraeus. He tried so desperately to describe the
amount of attachment he felt, how Astraeus made him feel, but it was impossible to
find the words. There weren't enough words. But still, feverishly, Jiyan wrote, trying
to paint something that could not be painted, trying to sing a song that had no words.


Astraeus never had the best life. His work was strenuous, lonely, and never ending.
But reading Jiyan's letter brought him an indescribable happiness, a feeling of
importance, of worth. It was the best feeling he'd ever felt.


Before he knew it, he, too, was in love.


He never imagined he would fall in love with the sun, but there was Jiyan, erasing
everything he thought he knew about the world and replacing it with beauty.


With meaning.


Astraeus loved every letter and every poem Jiyan sent to him. He knew Jiyan would
never be satisfied with his work, expressing to him that he could never explain how
much he truly loved him. But Astraeus thought Jiyan was silly─his writings had a
beauty that could not be explained. His way of telling stories─the way he saw the
world─it was like magic.


Astraeus was not a poet, and by no means the best writer in general, but he was
surprised how easily all of his thoughts and emotions spilled onto the page as he
wrote to Jiyan. What they had was truly something special


They would meet face to face every sunrise there was to be a full moon the
next day, the only time Astraeus came down from the moon and to the earth.
Jiyan would travel to the town, and wait for Astraeus to appear with the rising
rays of the sun. The first nights were slow, shy─but then became intimate
experiences, grand and perfect.


The feeling was incredible. They never wanted it to end.


And yet, as time went on, something changed.


Jiyan's life had become still.


Astraeus's life had become a state of constant motion.


They had switched.


That was never supposed to happen.

[Lillybear]

Jiyan was a wanderer.


He lived off of movement, of travel, of the experiences of life. If he stayed in one spot
for too long, he became stale. Nothing more than an empty shell of a Doll.


But now, every time there was to be a full moon, he'd return.


He'd never returned before.


He'd return to the same town, the same place. His love for Astraeus keep dragging him
back, holding him in place. During the beginning, it was bliss. Now, it was violent. He
couldn't stop coming back. And he could never wander too far from the town, or else
he would not be able to return in time. He was trapped, confined to a small circle of
earth. Over time, the colors became dull. It all blurred together. He'd seen it all before.


He'd lived it all before, and now that life was stagnant.


Astraeus was a guardian.


A keeper, a caretaker. His sole purpose was to watch over the moon, to fix its glow
each night, to keep the lunar phase correct, precise, ever rotating and continuing.


Always the same, each cycle. Never changing.


But now, he had other things occupying his time, filling his attention, pushing him
this way and that. Keeping him moving. Distracted. He'd have urges to stop, to leave,
to sneak away and abandon it all.


He had something else to care about.


And his relationship with Asteria, his Shadow, a brilliant staff, was being strained. He
could feel himself fading away from her, but still, in spite of everything, he persisted
anyway. Kept going, kept writing, kept leaving.


Leaving the moon behind to live out his fantasies in the sun.


Jiyan and Astraeus were growing tired.


Love remained.


But happiness did not.


The fire that danced within them once, that filled them with love and inspiration
and curiosity and belonging, it only burned now. It became unbearable. It hurt.


Badly. But they still felt love for each other. Still felt love, but no joy. No motivation.
So it all did was sting, drag them into an unhealthy state of want.


This could not continue.


There was one more sunrise.


Jiyan heaved himself back to the town, feeling heavy and withered and old. Astraeus
practically fell from the sky to the ground, feeling hurt and no longer like himself.


They locked eyes.


They felt like strangers. They didn't recognize each other.


They didn't recognize themselves, either. They'd become something entirely different.
They barely talked the entire day. It felt as if their throats hurt, their bodies stiff. They
avoided eye contact. But when they looked at each other, they knew.


Jiyan had to wander.


Astraeus had to remain.


Although it hurt, they had to face reality.


Perhaps they were never meant to last.




For the moon and the sun were always meant to be apart.

[Lillybear]

Jiyan frequently wrote about the moon.


He always had, always would.

[Lillybear]

When the Sun Loved the Night

Jiyan and Astraeus's relationship.


Prologue ─ Fascination

Chapter 1 ─ The Sunrise ─ The Beginning

Chapter 2 ─ Alive ─ The Middle [part 1]

Chapter 3 ─ Change ─ The Middle [part 2]

Chapter 4 ─ Apart ─ The End

Epilogue ─ Always


Story Total Words: 2,284


Wow I did not expect to end up writing that much!
I'm sorry if it's too long haha. But I had a lot of fun
developing their story, and I really hope you enjoyed
it. Best of luck to everyone entering this competition!

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