TWs: Spiraling, saudades/missing someone(s), insecurities/self-deprecation, brief crying, tension/jealousy. Stay safe :)
"What are you looking at, my dear friend?"
Neptune hummed, peering over at Saturn. He smiled, yet it didn't reach his eyes, "Oh, I'm just reading this little section about other galaxies. The first galaxies were identified a looooong time ago by someone named Charles Messier. He had no idea what they were at the time, though."
"Messier...? Didn't one of the Novae come from that galaxy?"
Neptune nodded, "He came from Messier 87. I talked to one of the Earthlings here, and they said M87 is about 54 million lightyears away from our solar system and has a diameter of 120,000 lightyears. It's also been used to test techniques for measuring the masses of-"
"Neptune."
"Supermassive black holes, and it's also a super important object for studying black hole astrophysics-"
"Neptune."
"And testing general relativity. They also showed me a picture on this magic box thing- I think it was called goggles...? Googoo...? I don't know, but let me say, it looked amazing and-"
"My dearest Neptune!" Saturn placed a hand on his shoulder, "As much as I love hearing you ramble, I think you're getting off track here..."
Neptune tensed, "Right! Hahah, I can get a little carried away sometimes, I don't even know when I'm doing it! Nine said it's one of my many bad habits-"
"Dear..."
"Which makes me wonder about my other bad habits. Though, Uranus has said I get distracted easily, which I mean... he does have a point, but I can't help if I get sidetracked, there are so many things happening, and he expects me not to look? Hah, yeah, right!"
Neptune went quiet, prompting Saturn to clear his throat, "Are you done?"
"With what?"
Saturn stared at him blankly. He took a slow breath and said, "Neptune, my dear friend, may I speak with you?"
"But you're saying words to me already...?"
"Just- just come over here." Saturn guided him to a more secluded area of the exhibit, one with fewer Earthlings roaming about. He turned to look at Neptune, his expression softening, "Is something on your mind, dear?"
Neptune awkwardly laughed, crossing his arms to the point where it looked like he was hugging himself, "You're gonna have to be more specific, Saturino! A lot of things are on my mind right now!"
"I'm talking about Messier." Saturn noticed the way Neptune's fingers dug into his sweater, his eyes flashing with anxiety. He quickly composed himself, straightening up.
"What about Messier? He isn't even here."
"Exactly." Saturn replied smoothly, "He's not here, so...?"
Neptune tilted his head, "Soooo...?"
"How are you feeling?" Saturn continued.
"Hah, I'm-"
Saturn cut him off, "Don't lie. It will only make you feel worse. I would know..."
Neptune pursed his lips, thinking about what to do or say next.
He did miss Messier. He missed the Novae more than anything. Without Messier, Neptune felt... empty. He felt lonely beyond belief. Even if he was surrounded by all his friends, it didn't feel right to him.
His relationship with Messier was complicated. After all, his most cherished friend wasn't... alive. Messier didn't have a physical form other than his NovaStar. Neptune couldn't hug, touch, or feel him. The only times when he could were when Neptune was badly injured and trying to heal.
Subconsciously, he started fiddling with the beads on his pale blue, slate blue, and gold bracelet. Messier had a matching one, but it was Neptune's true color palette.
He inhaled before breathing out a soft sigh, "I guess I do miss him..."
"Oh, Neptune..." Saturn muttered.
"Hahah, it's silly, really... I mean it's only been a few hours since I've talked to him, how can I miss him already? We've been talking every day since we met each other, so it's probably for the best that we're separated-"
"Neptune."
"It's just like taking a break from your romantic partner, er- except we aren't together! Of course not, haha- he's literally dead, that would just be... weird... then again, I'm not against- oomf-!"
Neptune's continued rambling was interrupted when Saturn pulled him in for a hug. He froze, eyes widening as he slowly took in the moment. He noticed his body trembling uncontrollably and his breath shaking with every inhale and exhale.
"What's this for...?" He uttered.
"My dear friend... how long has it been since you talked to someone?"
"Wha...? I'm talking to you right now, though..."
Saturn chuckled softly, pulling away from the hug, "That's not what I meant. I mean, how long have you been bottling this up?"
"Bottling what?"
"Your true feelings, my dear." Saturn squeezed Neptune's shoulders, "You're seen as the comic relief in the solar system, making everyone smile and laugh. Your moons admire you even if you tend to forget things. You always try to help out when you can and we all love you for it, but... perhaps it's time for you to get the help you need."
His vision grew bleary, clouding with tears. He quickly blinked them away, "But..."
"You're not a burden for needing help. Everyone needs help sometimes, it's nothing to be ashamed of-"
Neptune shook his head, "Th-That's not it."
"Hm?"
"It's not that I'm afraid to ask for help, it's just... will anyone take me seriously?"
Saturn raised his eyebrows, surprised, "What do you mean?"
"It's just like you said- I'm the comic relief in everyone's story. I'm supposed to be funny, silly, and nonsensical! If I'm not any of those... what will everyone think?"
Saturn looked at him with a pain in his eyes, "Neptune..."
The taller one took the other's hands, squeezing gently.
"No one will think anything less of you." He spoke.
Neptune glanced down at their clasped hands, "...Promise?"
Saturn smiled, "I mean it from the bottom of my core, dear friend."
Before Neptune knew it, the tears started falling. With a light tug, he was pulled into an embrace.
"It's going to be fine, dear. Just let it all out..." Saturn murmured, running his fingers through the other's hair and untangling the knots, "Everything will be alright. We'll find a way through this mess, and you'll see your moons and Messier again."
Neptune sniffled, nodding into Saturn's blouse. The other didn't seem to mind the tears and snot staining into the fabric as he pulled him closer.
Neptune took a few moments to compose himself, stifling a cough as he tried to breathe steadily. With a shaky exhale, he pulled away from Saturn, wiping at his tear-stained face. He sniffled again, his voice cracking as he spoke, "Th-Thank you, Saturn..."
"It was no problem, Neptune! Besides," Saturn nudged the other, winking, "Us comic reliefs have to stick together, right?"
Neptune blinked one eye then the other, staring at Saturn in puzzlement, "What do you-?"
Saturn averted his gaze, cutting him off, "We should head back. The others are probably wondering where we went."
"Oh, alright!" Neptune effectively forgot what he was going to say prior, opting to follow Saturn as they returned to the room where most of the others were.
From a distance, Nine watched them with crossed arms, his eyes analyzing as he silently observed them. He leaned against the wall with a barely noticeable smile, 'Thank you, Saturn.'
...
"Ooh, this is neat!" Earth smiled as they entered the Rocky Planet section. His gaze immediately fell on the introduction sign, "Let's see... A Rocky Planet..."
Behind him, Mars and Uranus kept casting glances at each other in annoyance.
"'The planets closest to the Sun- Mars, Earth... Venus, and Mercury- are made mostly of rock. The rocky planets all formed in our inner solar system. Their geological history is preserved on their surfaces. Their landscapes reveal the processes that shaped them; impacts, crustal movements, volcanic activity, and erosion. Gravity, temperature, air, and water all play leading roles in their geological stories.'" Earth spoke slowly, trying to take it all in, "So, we all orbit the Sun...?"
"Exactly! You reside in what's called the 'Goldilocks Zone,' also known as the habitable zone. It's the region around a Star where conditions are ideal for liquid water and life." Mars explained.
Uranus coughed, "Nerd."
Mars huffed, crossing his arms.
Earth didn't seem to notice the tension behind him, raising a hand to his chin as he uttered to himself, "The Goldilocks Zone...? That name sounds... familiar."
"Earth!" A nasal voice called from a few feet away.
Earth perked up at the familiar voice, immediately turning. He smiled, "Luna...!"
Luna glanced at Mars and Uranus, his eyes curious, "Why is Uranus here?"
Mars answered for the other, shrugging, "He had nothing better to do."
Uranus clenched his hands into fists, scowling, "That is not..."
The Celestite eyed them before looking at Earth, who was distracted by one of the displays. He noticed how close they lingered to Earth, their hesitant glances at the lively Celestial, and how they seemed to want the other to leave by glaring or pushing each other.
Luna narrowed his eyes, 'Not on my watch...'
Without a second to lose, Luna wrapped his arm around Earth's arm, dragging him off. He yelped as he let himself be led over to a display. Mars and Uranus watched them leave, blinking owlishly, before running to catch up to them.
Luna promptly stopped, "I have to show you something, but first- ah, oh... they're still at it."
Looking up, Earth noticed two individuals bickering about something, well one was doing the bickering while the other was laughing.
"What's all that about?" Earth asked.
"Mercury found out he's slowly shrinking due to his interior contracting. Venus thinks it's hilarious."
"So... tectonic forces? I get those all the time, why is he freaking out about it?"
"Are you shrinking, Earth?"
"Well, no, but-"
"But, Mercury is. As his core cools down, his rocky and metal interior shrinks and as the interior shrinks, the surface area has less room to cover."
Earth looked down, "...Oh."
"Luna! Thank Stars, you're here, I cannot stand being around Venus for more than I have to." Mercury sped-walked up to the group, pausing upon spotting the odd one out, "Uh, why is Uranus here?"
Venus stifled a laugh.
Uranus' eye twitched as he gestured wildly, "Seriously? Is it that hard to comprehend I just want to have a look around?"
"I don't get it either..." Earth muttered, his eyes wandering until he noticed something, "Hey, is that...?"
He pulled himself from Luna's grip, walking toward a display featuring a blue and green world overcast with puffs of white. Earth tilted his head, looking at the satellite pictures in curiosity and wonder. He reached out, touching the midnight blue acrylic sign.
"Me...?"
« NOTE »
I'm not Portuguese, but I use the word Saudade whenever I miss one of my friends. It's a beautiful word.
Also, someone has been predicting how this story will go, and...
This is some A+ theorizing lmao
Is it that predictable? (say no so I can feel better about myself /j)
Comments are appreciated 3