TWs: Sleep deprivation, threats/tension, worrying, brief snapping. Stay safe :)

"Uranus isn't in his orbit," Neptune noted as soon as he exited the Kuiper belt. Looking around, his eyes landed on another Giant, "Maybe Saturn's seen him?"

Saturn was writing something down, his fingers fiddling with the fountain pen in his grasp as he bit the end of it in contemplation, muttering to himself. Neptune noticed dark rings under his eyes, tilting his head at the sight.

"Perhaps something more... simple?" He frowned, scratching out whatever he wrote only to huff, "But it can't be too simple. I don't want Ju-"

"Heyyyyy, Satur-ino!~" Neptune yelled out, pirouetting in his orbit until he got close enough to hug the other, "Long time, no see!"

"Neptune!" Saturn beamed, "My dear friend- what brings you to the in-between?"

"Well, I was searching for a present to give to Nine," Saturn's expression nearly dropped, yet he forced his smile to stay, "But I found something for Uranus, and he wasn't in his orbit, so I was wondering if you've seen him?"

"Uranus...?" Saturn thought for a moment before snapping his fingers, "Oh, last I saw, he was talking to Jupiter. I'm pretty sure Uranus was looking for his 'journal,' but I know it's actually his diary..." Saturn trailed off, a yawn escaping his lips as he covered his mouth. Shaking his head, he blinked, "Sorry about that, uhm... he's probably over the asteroid... thingy."

"Asteroid thingy...?" Neptune quirked an eyebrow.

"Y'know, the thing that separates Mars and Jupi." Saturn gestured to the asteroid belt.

'Jupi...?' Neptune gave his friend a worried look, "Saturn, how much sleep did you get?"

Saturn hummed, skimming the pages of his notepad, "Ten..."

"...Hours?"

"Minutes."

Neptune's expression dropped, "As soon as I leave, you are going to rest."

Saturn held up his notepad, "But I still have-"

Neptune used his gravity to swipe the pad from the other's weak grasp, "No, you don't. I'm going to keep this until you get some rest, okay, Saturn?"

"You're not going to leave me alone unless I say yes, are you?"

"Yep."

Saturn huffed, "Fine, you win, Neptune."

"Great! I'll be seeing-" Before Neptune could fly away, Saturn grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"Wait."

"Yes, Satur-ino?~" Neptune peered over his shoulder, wondering how Saturn had a strong grip on him when the blue Celestial was comprised of mostly fluids.

"You should know that those notes are important to me..." He spoke, his tone deep as his eyes flashing with lightning, "Lose them and I won't hesitate to throw you farther than your brother- and don't even think about reading them. I will know..."

Neptune didn't normally feel threatened or dissuaded, yet he felt himself nodding shakily as he tried to free his wrist. His smile wavered as he chuckled timidly, "Understood, Saturn!"

Saturn perked up, a grin on his face. He promptly let go of Neptune, clasping his hands together, "I'll see you later then, dear friend! Take care now!"

The ringed Celestial floated away, leaving a dripping Neptune behind.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Neptune started toward the asteroid belt, 'I didn't think Saturn could be that scary... boy, was I wrong.'

« × »

"Everyone ready?" Triton asked, peering through the asteroids at the navy Celestial, "Sedna, you're up first."

"Right." The Red Dwarf Celestial nodded curtly, pushing herself forward to meet the navy Giant. She cleared her throat, "Hello, Nine!"

The Celestial jumped, his hands flailing with something as it slipped between the digits. He clasped his hands together, shielding it from sight. Turning around, he blinked, "Sedna... what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm visiting you!" Sedna beamed.

"Oh, well," Nine paused, analyzing the scarring on the smaller one's features, his eyebrows knitting with worry, "Are you positive?"

"Never been more positive." Sedna smiled, except more softly, trying to assure the other she was fine, "So, what have you been up to? I haven't seen you since..."

Nine averted his eyes, beads of water dripping from his chin, "I've mostly been here trying to find ways to pass the time... Neptune visits sometimes, which is nice, I guess."

"What about the others?"

"What about the others...?"

"Aren't they wondering where you are?"

Nine huffed, "Doubt it. All the Giants ever care about are themselves, except Neptune, but he's always been... different."

Sedna gave him a look.

"What? It's a compliment!"

"Agh- Quaoar, stop moving! You're deflecting asteroids my way."

Nine furrowed his eyebrows, turning his head to the side.

Sedna squeaked, flailing her arms as she exclaimed, "Hey!"

Luckily, the navy Celestial turned his attention back to her, raising an eyebrow, "Yes...?"

"What, uh- what's in your hands?" Sedna gestured, noticing the way his hands were holding.

Nine seemed to battle with himself as he debated whether to reveal what was between his palms. He bowed his head in defeat and raised his right hand to show what he was hiding.

Sedna tilted her head, eyeing the bunch of crystals curiously, "What... is that?"

"It was supposed to be a heart, but..." Nine sighed, "Crafting with ice can always be a challenge."

Sedna looked at the jangled mess, a small smile on her face, "Well, I think it's nice... hm? What does it say here?"

Nine flushed, biting his lip as he looked away, "Ah- nothing, don't worry about it."

"Really? Cause that looks like an L... and here's an O... is that a U or V?"

Water rapidly dropped from Nine's chin as he closed his eyes and clenched his fist, destroying the present he had created.

Sedna took a step back, eyes wide as she watched the fragments of ice crushing between the digits. Slowly, she looked up at Nine's scrunched features, speaking softly, "Nine...? You okay?"

"I'm..." Nine opened his palm, turning it sideways to clear the splinters of ice. He opened his eyes, a strangely calm expression on his face, "Fine."

Sedna creased her eyebrows, worry taking over her features, "You know I'm here for you, right?"

"...Why?" Nine uttered, "I'm the reason you're fractured."

Sedna shrugged, "It's only my surface that's broken. It's not a big deal."

"It's a big deal to me..." Nine shook his head, not understanding why the Dwarf Celestial hung around him still. He lowered his gaze, avoiding the other's, "After everything that's happened, why are you not afraid?"

There was a beat of silence.

Sedna opened her mouth, only for a laugh to escape her lips, "Pft- hahahaha!"

Nine's eyes widened, his frown deepening, "What- why are you laughing!?"

"Oh my-" Sedna coughed, clearing her throat as she pulled herself together, "You're still just as clueless as when we first met."

That only confused Nine even more as he scrunched his face, "What?"

"A mysterious planet ejected from their orbit with a delusional mindset... I saw right through you yet I still followed you." Sedna said, "I probably would've still followed you even if I died."

Nine opened his mouth, yet nothing came out. His features twitched.

"You make yourself out to be the villain, and sure, you almost became one... but that's just because you were forced to." Sedna looked at him, "Am I right?"

"...The others wouldn't have listened any other way." Nine muttered.

Sedna nodded, "Sometimes it takes one voice to speak up for others. That's how communication works anyway."

"I don't think the Sun will listen to me after what I did..."

"You never know, Nine. The Sun has his way of doing things, even if it's a little... counterintuitive."

"A little?"

Something flashed in the corner of Sedna's eyes. Glancing over, she gaped at the glowing object in Triton's hands.

Nine noticed the look on her face, peering over his shoulder to see nothing. Triton had managed to hide behind the asteroids, clutching the NovaStar to his chest, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing! I just remembered that I have to get ready for a get-together with some friends, that's all." Sedna smiled.

"Oh, you should go do that then. I'll be here... if you want to talk or something." Nine glanced away as he uttered the last sentence.

Sedna rushed forward, hugging the navy Celestial around his neck, "Thank you! I'll talk to you later then."

The Dwarf Celestial backed up before zipping away.

"You're welcome...?" Nine blinked, raising a hand to his jacket collar.

« NOTE »

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