Archive of Our Own ^beta

Triton was a lone wolf. 

Of course, the mo-... celestial body had no idea what a wolf was, never having had the chance to see one and all. But he liked how it sounded. It felt right. 

Right in a way that Neptunian Moon never had done. 

Which. Made no sense. At all. Because that's what he was, always had been, and always would be. The trident symbol that hung around his neck was the prove of that. 

"Wait! I'm not your moon..."

"Ohh yes you are...! You just... forgot about it!"

Even if he was different from the rest of the moons in the solar system. Like... very different. Different in ways Triton hadn't even thought about until he met a moon that wasn't from his own system. 

They had big moons. Much, much bigger than him. Much more energetic, too. They didn't babysit their minor moons. Or get overwhelmed by sound, light, and touch. Or make weird movements that Triton hadn't even known were not normal with their hands or wings or tails or whatever they had.

They liked being together, while Triton did not. 

And sure, their planets... uhm. Sucked from what Triton heard, so he supposed he was lucky on that front. Their planet didn't look weirdly at the minor moons, or forget their names-... even if Triton was pretty sure Neptune had no idea what his name was at the moment. 

But when the moons asked, the other planets answered.

The one luxury Triton did not have. 

"Miss Europa? I had a question!!"

"Aww!" The pink moon melted and kneeled to Proteus' level, either unaware of ignoring the way Triton watched her like a hawk. "Sure, Proteus! What did you want to ask?"

"Where do moons come from?" The small moon asked- missing the way Europa's expression faltered... and then, her eyes widened, as if realizing something. "Neptune always changes his answers when we ask!"

"He said a star gave us to him last time!" Nereid added, ending her sentence with a giggle. "He's so silly! That can't happen!"

"He probably forgot!" Another added, though Europa clearly hadn't been listening to them anymore. Instead, again, with that stupid, concerned face, she and Triton made eyecontact. "That's okay! I'm sure he will remember again!"

Was that... pity?

....Why did the other moons keep looking at him with pity?

"Don't be silly, Laomedia! Neptune doesn't forget anything about us!"

Why did the Jovian moons always look at him with pity?

It made Triton feel... wrong, more than he already did. 

Because why did he feel wrong? With Neptune, okay, fine, fair, his planet was... odd, Triton always felt wrong near him. The rest of the Neptunian moons were so different from him too.

But why did he feel wrong every time he got called a moon? It made no sense! Sure, he didn't like being one, but- but it had to be more than that. 

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Lone wolf.

He didn't belong. Triton never had. And Neptune knew it, too, based on the way he dodged Triton's questions every time. 

"Triton!!" The celestial held his breath at the unwanted touch of one of the small moons, clenching his fists to try and not lash out. It wasn't their fault. The kids were... innocent, in that sense. How were they supposed to know Triton was dealing with an extistancial crisis? "Triton, Triton, Triton!"

"I heard you, Sao." He hissed through his teeth, mentally counting his breaths. The little moon remained blissfully unaware, and instead tugged along Triton's sleeve. 

"It's those other moons again! Europa and Ga... Gany.. erhm..."

"Ganymede." Ew. What did he want this time? Last time they'd been dragged along by Callisto and Io and did absolutely nothing, as always.  

"Yeah!" Sao giggled. "Them! Neptune already said we can go! So let's go!"

"Do you think Phobos and... and.... erhm..." 

"Deimos!"

"-Deimos wanna play with us again? Thank you Galatea!"

"Of course, Psamathe!"

Phobos and Deimos. Moons of Mars. Those two had been the only moon system that had looked similar to their own... despite the fact they didn't have a major moon at all. 

It had kept him up at night. 

The Marsian twins had no big moon to look out for them. They only had their planet, who was significantly smaller than Neptune. They also orbited close to the asteroid belt, the same way they orbited close to the kuiper belt. 

So... if those moons could orbit like that and be fine...

...Logic suggested the Neptunian moons would be alright without Triton too, right?

"Triton!" Nereid happily called for him, her tail wagging nonstop to show off her happiness. Despite having noticed the odd looks they'd received whenever one of them had been caught stimming- and Triton knew the kids had noticed, they had asked Neptune about it- they didn't stop. They didn't care for the odd looks, or whispers, or feeling different or-

"Neptune?" Proteus asked the second their planet greeted them, cutting him off before he could go on to ramble. Neptune wasn't offended in the slightest, instead, patiently waited for him to continue. "You know when you wave your hands or tap your fingers and stuff?"

"Ohh, you mean stimming!" The planet giggled, playfully tapping Proteus' belly. The little moon shrieked, then happily wagged his tail in reply. "What about it?"

"The moons look weird at us whenever we do it." Naiad complained, crossing his arms with a huff. "They said their planets don't do such things!"

For just a second, Triton witnessed Neptune's smile falter. 

Only for it to come back, brighter, gentler, as he asked. "Weeeelllll, they're not me, are they?"

"..." Eugh. Triton winced as he saw Neptune's eyes glaze over in real time, signalling his planet disconnected from reality once again. Well, other panets certainly didn't do... that. "...Am I me? Is anyone anything?" He blinked slowly, one eye after the other. "I don't even know if I'm me all the time..."

Why did Triton have to get stuck with the weird planet?

But the kids, used to Neptune's nonsense, only giggled, and nuzzled into his fingers to bring him back. "Who else would you be? We like having a Neptune!"

Blink. 

And the glossed look was gone. 

The kids shrieked as Neptune suddenly cupped their bodies into his hands, lifted them to his face- and pressed kisses all over their faces. "Ahhhh! Neptune!!"

"Everyone has their own things they like doing." Neptune said between kisses- for some reason, giving Triton a look. "As long as you're not hurting anyone, everyone should do what makes them happy! Who caaaarrreeess about the rest?"

The kids had Neptune. 

They now had other moons too. 

So... if other moons could be fine without a major moon to protect them, then-

"Triton!" The celestial startled out of his thoughts at the planet's call, mentally cringing at the way his voice scratched Triton's mind all wrong. It was... loud. And he hadn't been prepared for it. 

It made him want to tap his fingers against each other. Made his hands itch to wave, to move, do something.

But instead of listening to that weird voice in his brain that was undoubtedly Neptune's doing, Triton squashed the need down by stuffing his hands into his pockets, mentally preparing himself... and finally looking up. 

Neptune's gaze was soft, gentle, loving, in that way it only was whenever he thought his moons weren't looking at him. One of the two faces he made whenever he thought no one would notice. 

But that soft smile became a playful grin the second they made eyecontact as he held something out for Triton to take. "Don't forget to drink water this time! It's close you drink a lot, being so close to the Sun!"

He wasn't a baby...

And he wasn't a moon.

...Wait, no, yes he was. What??

"...Thank you, Neptune." The smaller grumbled, accepting the painted bottle begrudgingly. It had a bunch of ocean-themed little doodles painted on it- something that was Uranus' doing, from what Titania had told him earlier. Because Uranus was a normal planet. And painted normal things.

He certainly didn't paint creepy faces onto asteroids, and look at them with tears in his eyes when everyone was asleep. He didn't mumble about not remembering what 'he' looks like or 'they' never even had faces or forget he was the one who painted said faces later on, name the asteroid, and keep talking to it as if it were a person. 

Triton shuddered to himself, not looking back even as the planet waved and told them to be safe and not accept candy from rogue planets. Whatever that meant... he had stopped complaining. He knew Neptune was acting from a place of love... in his own way. 

Seriously. Why was Neptune so weird?

...Why did the sense of wrong become larger and larger every time they left?

"Tag! You're it!"

"Why you-!" Deimos pouted, a face that was apparently hilarious to the moons he was currently playing with- Phobos, the rest of the Neptunian moons, and all the minor Uranian moons- considering they all giggled and laughed as they ran- or flew, in the case of the Uranian moons, away. Triton wasn't too worried about it. Titania was near if they should be. 

He still kept one eye on the kids, however. Hey, old habits die hard! 

With the other... he tried to pay attention to what the rest of the major moons were talking about. 

"-Dione, for the millionth time, he's trying."

"Trying isn't doing it." Dione huffed with crossed arms. Triton was pretty sure he actually witnessed a vein burst in her neck. "So he has a stupid name list, big deal- he shouldn't need one after so long! We're his moons!"

"We even gave him grace and tried your meet the moons idea!" Enceladus complained loudly. "And look where that got us! Nowhere!"

Poor Titan just stood in front of his drawing board with a marker in hand, their previous game of hangman completely forgotten behind him. It had been Titania's idea to start with a game before getting into the more serious topics, and it had been fine until now-

But the Saturanian moons had arrived quite... mad this time. Triton just wished they would stop yelling at each other. 

Titania seemed to share the sentiment, considering she had stopped paying attention a while ago, and was now instead stretching her wings. Following her example, Rhea quietly came to join, stretching her body the same way the other did. 

...Actually. Now that he looked... most of the moons had already fled, and were currently doing something else. The only ones still near the board were Titan, Dione, Enceladus, Mimas, Ganymede and Europa. 

...Even if Titan did look three seconds away from running away himself. 

"...We couldn't even finish our game first?"

"I vote we disown him!"

"...And where would you go, Mimas?" Titan asked in an exhausted manner, turning his back so he could rip away the paper containing their game. The one-eyed moon huffed. 

"You always take his side!"

"But I wasn't-... sure, whatever."

Sooo... what does one do in this situation? 

Everyone else had just left, one by one... does Triton do the same? Where does he go? He... didn't have friends, exactly, considering he hadn't known what to say to anyone. He was too weird. And different. 

Lone wolf.

There it was again. 

That feeling of different and wrong called in his mind- but what for? Sure, he didn't get along with the planet, and was different from the Neptunian moons- but what caused it now? He was surrounded by major moons, like him! They were all celestial bodies that orbited bigger celestial bodies, all had some sort of grudge against said celestial bodies, and- 

And the rest of the moons were afraid of their planets. 

Triton was not. 

He'd heard plenty about how Saturn's rings might have come from a torn apart moon, and about how Uranus joked about doing the same. He wasn't too sure what the fear against Jupiter was, but hey, the guy was big so maybe it was just that. 

But... he wasn't afraid of Neptune. 

Sure, Neptune annoyed Triton, greatly so- but he never made him feel like he couldn't speak up. Always let Triton do or say whatever he wanted. 

He just made Triton trapped. But the celestial was sure that was just something he was hallucinating at this point, because there was no reason for him to be different! 

"-For the love of- that's it!" Titan, who'd apparently gotten fed up with everything, just.... threw the marker at his feet. Turned around. And stomped away. "I give up! Go run away, see if I care!"

"Good!" Mimas turned around to do just that- only to be stopped when Dione yanked him back by his shirt.

"Titan-" Ganymede tried to run after him, but was wheezing too much to call effectively for him. Europa just stared at him with crossed arms, clearly disappointed. "C-come- pfft, don't go-"

"..." The kids paused their game, if only to watch Titan leave......

Before grins overtook each of their faces. And they quietly snuck after him. Ohh boy. 

Should. Should Triton do something? He... really didn't want to, he was getting an headache from the amount of thinking he was doing. Ohh there wasn't anyone he could hide behind either lovely.

Okay... okay. You got this, Triton. Avoiding social interactions is what he was made for. He'd been training for this his whole life! 

Just like how he avoided-

"Triton, shouldn't we wake up Neptune? What if he gets scared and doesn't know where we are?"

Triton was running away. 

The screams of wrong had grown too loud, too harsh for the celestial to ignore. The planet was insane, proper insane, he had no other explanation for what he had witnessed. The random tears, the hysterical laugher, forgetting his own name-

He could leave some moons who weren't paying attention....

Sooo.... back away slowly.... make no eye contaaaact..... awaywayway- ew now he was starting to sound like Neptune, ew no, did anyone notice, oh stars what does he-

-Aaaaand his back tapped against someone else. 

Triton yelped, absolutely mortified as he immediately backed away, preparing to apologize on the spot- but froze when he made eye contact with the huge, purple, Jovian moon, the one who Triton apparently ran into, who was looking down at him with a raised eyebrow. 

And. And Triton. He-...

Words. What are words.

The celestial stared at Callisto with... awe? Amazement?? Feeling his cheeks light up and core beat faster in that same way it always did whenever it was Callisto he was looking at. He. Didn't get it. It was stupid, and weird, and oh my stars Triton YOU ARE STILL STARING-

A noise slipped past his lips, undignified and embarassing- which made him immediately slam his hands over his mouth to try and keep some of his dignity. Even if he knew the damage was already done. 

Quick. Quick Triton. Say something cool. Be cool. You can do that. Cool.

"C-Callisto! Hi! You are... here!"

Oh my god what.

"I-I mean, you're- not.... destroyed yet?" He winced, pointing at her with fingerguns without even thinking about it- freezing again when his brain finally caught up with his speech. 

Oh my stars. Oh stars. Triton shut up shut up-

Although Callisto seemed slightly confused, she still gave him a look of amusement, tilting her head in a way that made the light of the Sun catch in her eyes. It stole Triton's breath away in ways he couldn't explain. What was happening?! "...Kinda wish I wasn't, considering those idiots." She ended up with her natural, deadpan expression when saying that final part, causing Triton to turn back too. Just in time, he witnessed the way Dione tackled Mimas to the ground, shouting something about something the author isn't creative enough to come up with it. 

...Ah. 

"...They seem... fun." 

"...Still better than Ganymede." 

That actually brought a grin to his face, allowing Triton to relax. You're fine. Okay. Stop being weird. "Ganymede starts random fights with other Jovian moons, Callisto?"

"He starts them with Titan." She grumbled, throwing her head back. Her hair fell behind her, giving Triton perfect view of her neck, her cheeks, her ears- oh my stars stop. "Now that Jupiter and Saturn keep meeting up again we're constantly seeing with the Jovian moons too.... as if Ganymede wasn't enough already."

"Y-y-y-you like being n-n-near them though!" Triton, unfortunately, let out an undignified yelp again when the yellow moon popped out of nowhere- something he probably did often, as Callisto didn't even look at him. She just blinked, slowly, and breathed out through her nose.

Io just grinned. "H-h-h-hello Triton!'

"...Hi, Io." He waved slowly, unsure what kind of social situation he currently found himself in. Even more so when a lot of other moons, too many for his liking, followed him, sitting all around the two. 

.....Wow most of them were bigger than him. Okay. Woah. "...Erm."

Apparently sensing his discomfort, Callisto turned towards the moons who joined them, leaned back on her arms, and sighed. "You got bored without me, Io."

"W-w-w-we thought Triton looked lonely!" That comment made him look away with embarrassment, face turning red once again.  Seriously? "We w-w-wanted to invite him, b--but-"

"We weren't sure how to, given he doesn't talk much." Luna finished for him with a gentle smile, setting back the weird... box things the moons had been playing with earlier. "Wanna play with us? Ohhh and do you think we could invite Titania and Rhea? I don't think I've shown her either." 

"...Like tag?" The celestial asked, trying to understa- the box lit up. 

Triton flinched back. His glasses slipped off his face, revealing his wide eyes. 

Luna giggled, holding out a smaller... non-box but box-looking thing towards him. "Yeah, I know. It's called a television! Though this is a small one. The Earthlings made it!"

......The livings could put the power of lightning into a box now? 

A musical tune played from the 'television', loud and unexpected and- Triton winced, shutting his eyes at the bright flash of light and covering his ears at the sound. Ohhh loud, loud, loud loud loud-

Stop. Normal moons don't act like this Triton.  Stop.

Lone wolf. Lone wolf. Lone wolf.

Shut up...

"Wanna play with us?" Either Luna wasn't aware of the way Triton froze up and acted weird, as always- or, the more probable option, pretended not to notice. Did that make them friends if that was the case? 

The white faded away, making way for bright colors that stopped flashing. But still. Triton had never been as grateful for his sunglasses as he had been now, he thought, as he hesitantly cracked open an eye.

"You said your eyes hurt!" Neptune said with a wide smile, holding out the sunglasses for Triton to take. He probbaly wouldn't have, if Nereid hadn't pushed his arm to do so. "So I... I hope this makes your adventuring easier, Triton."

Blues and greens and yellows filled the screen, shaping together in ways Triton had never even thought about to complete the picture. Mesmerized, he actually forgot his misery for a moment. 

Huh... he could see why Terra was so proud of his livi-

"But if any of you touch Tails I will shut the game so back off he's m i n e ."

Io snickered next to him, apparently already expecting such a comment. Callisto sighed, and shook her head. Luna pouted, turning to the television while gripping the tiny box in his hands tightly.

Triton... just blinked, trying to understand what Luna was talking about. 

Tails? But... Luna didn't have a tail. Triton had one, along with the fish fins on his arms and scales on his back, courtesy of being a Neptunian moon- even if his had always looked... dull, compared to the rest of the moons. Smaller. Less sharp. Less colorful. 

Just another way he was different from everyone else.

Lone wolf. 

Was this some sort of inside information Triton had to know? If he did, why did none of them explain? Was this one of those facts everyone magically knew? 

Which. Information Triton always missed... for some reason. Didn't understand. Just like the pitying looks, Neptune dodging answers, feeling so different from his own system... 

And feeling different from the rest of the moons. 

"I-i-i-is there a reason you l-l-like him, Luna?" Io asked, nudging himself closer to Callisto- who, without looking away, lifted an arm so he could snuggle into her side. The screen changed, displaying the word "loading"... and then displaying two... creatures? "You've b-b-been hogging him the e-e-e-entire game!"

They had eyes. So. They must be, right? Why would these creatures be trapped in the lightning box? And more importantly, why wasn't anyone doing anything to free them? Was it a punishment perhaps? 

Triton yelped when the music he had just gotten used to suddenly turned sharp, angry, to match the angry reds the backgrounds suddenly took. The two creatures from earlier were displayed once again, being put in front of a- 

A big, blue monster that didn't seem happy. 

Not at all.

"Earth told me I'm the Tails to his Sonic." Luna said in a softer tone despite the horrific scenes Triton had trouble understanding. Were they- were they being punished? Was that why everyone was so calm? 

Even Callisto started paying attention despite not having cared earlier, the reflection if the apparently prison making her eyes gleam in such a beautiful way- oh my god Triton stop.

"And those characters... mean a lot to me." Luna murmured, a smile touching his lips. He seemed... happy.

So clearly Triton was missing something, because last he remembered Luna wasn't one for violence.

First off, who was Earth? Terra didn't have any other moons as far as he knew, and neither did the rest of the rocky planets. Was it a nickname for Phobos or Deimos? Or was there another moon he hadn't meant yet? Why were Luna and Io suddenly shouting at the box but in an interested matter?

Why did no one try to save the creatures from the big blue monster who kept them trapped? 

Lone wolf. Lone wolf. Lone wolf. 

A thoughtless noise slipped before Triton even was aware of what he was doing- and stars, oh stars, everyone turned to him, why were they-

Pity.

"Triton?" Luna asked, pausing the slaughter to be able to look him in the eyes- even if clearly, they both struggled with it. "Are you okay?"

"He froze up a while ago." Callisto added, much to the smaller's horror- He did? When did he do that? And Callisto noticed?!

The pity turned to worry- that same gentleness Neptune always had with him, minus the overwhelming love and affection the planet never made any effort to hide. Triton clenched his fist, hoping it would stop the buzz from wanting him to flap his hands around like a bloody idiot. Be cool. Be nonchallant. Act like the other moons- you can do that. 

Can you?

"Oh! D-d-d-did we forget to exp-p-plain?" Io stuttered out, then turning his face before he could cough on any of them. Callisto quickly pulled away from how close she'd been to Triton to settle behind the yellow moon, and patted his back. The nonchalance remained...

Even if she did turn to him with that pitying glance. Again.

He couldn't.

Even if he had been disappointed by it at first, Triton was thankful Callisto had pulled away, as it allowed him to abruptly stand. The other three flinched back at him, mostly confused now. Great. Great, just... ugh. "I'm... I'm gonna..." he attempted, already slowly stepping back. Quick, quick, excuse. The kids were the first one he had, already on the tip of his tongue... but said moons were still playing, their game of tag having turned into hide and seek, based on the shrieks he heard behind him. 

...Well. He lost his cool guy persona anyway. 

"...Yeah, I'm. Bye." Triton turned around, quickly speeding off before anyone could ask. Thankfully, his unnatural speed aided him with that. Something good about the mo-... celestial. Maybe. Probably. 

The reason for his unnatural speed... not so much. 

"We... he doesn't need to know where we're going, Proteus. It's... a surprise."

"Really?!" The kids all errupted into chaos- one that made Triton panic, and try to shush them as quick as he possibly could. Neptune was a light sleeper, he would wake up, wouldn't let them leave-

And... Neptune. Didn't wake. Huh. He must have been lucky then. 

"We don't want him to find out, do we? So... hold onto me."

"Proteus is quicker than you are, Triton!"

He'd fixed it. 

Only once he was far enough (But still close enough to keep an eye on the kids) did Triton stop... and dramatically throw himself onto the first asteroid he found, grumbling to himself. His core was still pounding, and not just because of how unnaturally fast he had been going. 

His face turned bright red, Triton knew it did. Another displeased sound came out as he zipped up his jacket and pulled the hood over his face, fastening it until onlt his shades remained visible. This close to the Sun it was unbearably hot, but the celestial didn't care. 

Did he have to make a fool of himself like that? Seriously? At the one place he was supposed to fit!?

He didn't. He hadn't when Callisto and Io came to find them the first time, and he didn't now. 

...

...Would Triton ever fit anywhere?

Lone wolf.

...How did the other moons make it look so easy?

Ever since Triton had met them... he'd felt like he had entered a new world, with a new set of rules that everyone knew of, except him. As if everyone in the world had been given a manual on how to act or feel- but Triton had been forgotten, leaving him clueless on what to do on his own. He had thought that maybe, since the moon systems had been seperated before... it would be easier. They would all be awkward, yes, but it wouldn't be just him struggling with socializing. 

...This was because of Neptune, wasn't it?

The awkward, stupid, mess of a planet who had to be dragged out of his orbit by Uranus and Saturn- and why? He didn't want to leave? 

Probably not. Neptune preferred the isolation, Triton suspected with an annoyed scowl. He liked being alone, and talking to himself, and being weird- and making his moons weird because of it. An unwilling captive, forced to stay because the bigger celestial said so. 

And even with this, he was different from the rest of the moons because of Neptune! 

Triton turned to his side, slipping one hand out of his pocket to tap a finger against the asteroid, getting more and more angry by the minute. The rest of the moons had bad planets- one who destroyed them for rings, one who joked about doing the same, and one who couldn't care less about what happened to his moons. The other at least had that in common. 

Sure, they believed Neptune lost his moons. But Triton knew better. What, he was nice? He wasn't twisted, and wrong, and weird in ways Triton couldn't understand?

How would he even go about explaining-

"Hello?" A new voice he hadn't heard before called, startling him out of his thoughts. Thankfully, Triton managed not to look like an idiot this time, and barely reacted other than a blink. "You, uhm... You are Triton, right?" They hesitantly asked from behind him. Triton slowly sat up, pulling down his hood as he did as to look less insane (like a certain someone...) and focused on the being in front of him. "Neptune's biggest moon?"

Well... that title certaintly left a foul taste in his mouth. "Just Triton." He shrugged, looking them up and down. The smaller moon's wings fluttered nervously the moment she had his full attention. Shaky hands clasped together. Huh. "You are... Uranus' biggest moon?"

"Titania." Titania answered courtly, dipping her head down before they could make eye contact. But she didn't say anything else. 

The silence stretched... and stretched... and stretched, long enough for Triton of all people to become aware of it. But he remained perfectly still, attention focused, waiting. 

Titania made no move. Her wings flexed behind her, revealing her clear thoughts about something, something Triton almost asked. But instead he... thought.

What... what does one do in such a situation? Was... was this normal, or-

"May I sit?" Titania politely requested. Triton scooted without a word, and Titania sat down. A small distance remained, less than it had been earlier with Callisto earlier, and yet-

...Triton wasn't as uncomfortable as he had been earlier. 

That was new. 

Titania shuddered next to him- and her wings drooped. "...Forgive me, I- this is all new for me." 

Ah. He... certainly got that. "...It's not exactly a walk in the park for me either."

"I just." The smaller moon grumbled, her expression sharpening. But it softened just as fast. "...You seemed just as out of place as I did."

...Had it been that obvious? Triton would have died of embarassment, had it not been for the final part. Instead, it made him finally turn towards her. "...I doubt it, kid." He ended up muttering as he looked down. His shades slipped, just enough to reveal the tops of his eyes. "I've... never had anyone-"

Like me.

"-around my size to talk to. It's just the kids."

"You don't talk to your planet either?" Your planet made him feel all sorts of weird,  but Triton wasn't about to pay attention to that. Instead, he focused on what made his core jump.

Either.

"Uranus can't be as awful as Neptune, surely?"

"He joked about turning us into rings!" Titania cried out, her voice suddenly becoming so loud, it caught both of them off guard. The moon's face turned red, and she clasped both hands over her mouth in horror... and yet, she still added. "...But being here has made me realize I talk like him."

"..."

"...I. Sometimes." Triton started, so softly he barely heard himself. He wasn't even sure why he was saying this... but Titania seemed to get it. "...Do these things. Things that keep getting me weird looks from everyone else. Ticks I know I copied from Neptune." His face hardened. "I hate it."

Titania didn't seem judgemental, not even the slightest bit- had she not noticed the stims? Surely, she did, Triton hadn't masked at all when they had first met. "...The Jovian and Saturanian moons outnumber us." She whispered instead. And curled up. "They decide what the norm is..." 

She turned her face, just enough to look at Triton again. And this time, he didn't look back. "...I guess that is why we're here." He agreed, what was left unspoken clear as day to him. 

...Uranus and Neptune were the same? 

...

Then perhaps there was a moon like him out there after all.

Dwarf planet.

For all his life- Triton hadn't made sense. 

He didn't mean his life, or his surroundings, no no- Triton hadn't made sense. Not even a little bit. No matter how he had looked at it. No matter how many times he ran away and came back because he chickened out. No matter how many times Neptune changed the story in hopes of the smaller dropping it. Triton didn't make sense. 

He was the only major moon in this system despite the fact that, according to logic, Neptune should have more. He was the only moon in the system, and apparently the only major moon in the entire solar system to orbit a planet in a retrograde orbit. His composition, compared to Neptune and the rest of the moons, was all wrong.

And identical to Pluto.

Dwarf planet.

"I'm... not a moon."

The words, as painful as they were, had been absolutely euphoric to finally admit out loud. 

Lone wolf, lone wolf, lone wolf- 

Finally. Finally, Triton knew what was wrong with him. Why he didn't make sense. Why he never fit.

Why his core filled with absolute annoyance and disgust everytime he had to look at the big blue planet.

"But... you're going around Neptune with us!" Proteus tried with a hesitant smile that didn't reach his eyes, the same way Neptune's never did. Was this why? Because every time he called Triton a moon, one of his treasures, whispered about loving him- had been a lie?

It... didn't make it any easier to explain to the kids, still. Yes, they were annoying, and a handful, and a lot- but they were kids. How could one even begin to explain something like this? "He... must have captured me."

Triton winced to himself. Well that certainly wasn't the way. But it didn't stop him from adding, even if it was just to validate himself. "I used to be a dwarf planet, or something like a dwarf planet. I remember... fragments."

Pain. Pain. So much pain. 

Missing piece. Where did you go?

Debris, rocks, blood everywhere. His own? 

A scream.

A big, giant mass of blue. 

Well... he didn't remember everything. But Triton wasn't stupid. He could fill in the blanks. 

Except for the final part. 

"And I don't know how I got to that point!" Frustration bled into his voice as he shouted the final part, uncaringly clenching and unclenging his hands in hopes of all the bad jitters leaving his body. It confused him. Ever since meeting Pluto and Charon, ever since Pluto had uttered those words making him realize- Triton didn't get it. Why? Why had Neptune done this to him?! Why had the planet robbed him off his freedom, just like every other planet before him had always done!? Neptune- he never- why would he-

Triton didn't like Neptune. He wasn't comfortable with him, he hated that overwhelming look the larger always gave him, he resented that he had copied some of Neptune's habits- but he hadn't ever thought Neptune could do something as horrific as this.

"You're... not... one of us?" Nereid whispered, sounding so confused it made Triton hurt. Even if Neptune was confusing. At the very least, he had never made the kids sound like that.

No. Instead, he made Triton feel like this his entire life. "I never was, Nereid." He answered without softening his voice, missing the way the second-oldest flinched away. "And thanks to him, I wasn't a dwarf planet either!"

No. Instead, he had made Triton feel confused about himself for almost his entire life! And for what?! He had fifteen other moons, what did he do and kidnap Triton for?!

Clearly, the story didn't make sense to the kids either, considering Triton felt Proteus step forward from behind him. "Why did Neptune do that?" The child asked, clearly trying to understand what was happening. Any other moment, Triton would have kneeled to his level, quietly whisper in childish terms he would understand, and go on with his day.

This time... he hugged himself, lowered his head, and turned away. "...He's the only one who knows."

"Neptune, where did we come from?"

"I wished upon a star and they gave me you!"

But the tiredness was erased, replaced by... anger. "So tell me the truth for once." Triton almost pleaded as he turned, because please, please, he needed to know. Neptune has the answers. Only Neptune has the answers. "I brought all of your real moons back home to you, I deserve at least that."

Lone wolf, lone wolf, LONE WOLF LONE WOLF LONE-

"How did I get here? What happened?!"

"..."

The silence was loud.

Neptune hadn't said a word during Triton's rant, despite all the awful things he was saying about him- and that only confused Triton further. Because if Neptune captured him. If Neptune took him without warning, if Neptune  made Triton part of his system by force-

Why wasn't he like the other planets?

"I..." Neptune's voice was small, smaller than Triton had ever heard it being. It caught him off guard, just for a moment, almost making him hopeful about receiving the answers he had been craving for. "I-I..."

Pressing his fingers to his mouth, Neptune looked away. His eyes glazed over, as usual- and yet, he looked more coherent than he had ever done before.

That... that look of horror.

Did Neptune really-

"I... couldn't say." The planet ended up saying, oddly disconnected... and clearly lying again. "I... I must have forgotten." The excuse, the same excuse he always used, the same thing Triton was suspecting always had been a lie.

And the celestial couldn't help himself. 

"Sure you did." He sarcastically said, something he had heard the Saturanian moon use plenty of times, as he turned, away from the monstrous planet... and towards the Kuiper Belt.

Where he should have been.

"I should have never come back."

He really shouldn't have.

"I can't believe it Triton! You're a dwarf planet like us, but you got CAUGHT in a planetary orbit! That's unheard of!"

"Is that even possible...?"

"Well, there is no reason why not!"

Chaos. 

Fast winds, fast pull, much too fast for the little dwarf planet to keep up. 

Crash! Bam! 

Pain. So much pain.

Blue. A mass of blue in the dark abyss. 

A blood curdling scream.

"No... no no no!"

"Oh... I'm sorry if we stepped on your moments. Did you want us to do something else?"

Missing pieces. Triton was missing so many pieces. 

All the pieces, apparently, as he was painfully reminded of the less his surroundings got grounded. Never in his life had Triton rushed towards his planet- but he had no choice. He had to. He had to, he needed, he-

Lone wolf.

He needed answers. 

"Neptune!!"

He desperately shouted in attempt for attention- and as always, he got it the second he opened his mouth. 

"Triton!" Proteus called, causing the rest of the little moons to turn. All of them errupted into cheers the second the spotted the largest one of them, that same relief they had when Neptune returned decorating their features. 

Even Neptune smiled him. That relaxed, loopy, and possesive smile of his, as if this was an ordinary situation they found themselves in. Did Neptune forget again? He better not. He better not because-

"I remember!" Considering Neptune's smile fell the second he shouted those words, it was safe to say he didn't. "I remember what happened!" He repeated, more desperate- and stumbled forward, legs weak from how fast he had tried to get here. The celestial gasped for breath. In the back of his mind, he was confused as to why he hadn't felt large, cold hands help him sit the second he had shown up with unsteady knees... but considering he noticed the way Neptune had frozen, as well as turned a few shades paler... well. The dwarf planet understood why. 

He remembered his capture, yes. But there was still a lot of context he didn't have. Context that would distort and change the story as needed.

Context that would make Triton finally understand if his planet was a monster, just like the rest of the giants, or not.

"..." Neptune blinked, once, twice, to make the fuzziness in his head go away- replaced by that stoic, serious Triton had only seen once before- when he had shouted at him the last time. 

"..."

Neptune turned to the kids, his voice... shaky and soft. "...My darling treasures, could you go play in your orbits while Triton and I talk?" And... yeah, perhaps it was for the best the kids didn't hear. If the situation was what Triton suspected it being. 

The moons uneasily looked between the two of them, once, twice, as if they didn't trust their planet's judgement- and, yeah, that was Triton's fault, but he didn't care. "...Will you and Triton be alright, Neptune?" Despina, quiet as the wind, asked, her head tipped down. Neptune cooed as he quickly slipped his hands underneath them to lift the moons up, and kiss each of them gently. 

"Of course we will be, my dearest. Now go!" That fake cheerfulness was pushed back, horribly so, with the way it shook even now. But the kids at least seemed to understand it was serious as they didn't argue, and quietly left when Neptune opened his palms. 

Triton wasn't near patient enough to watch the kids leave, way too overcome with everything that came to his mind. Everything he'd uncovered. 

The bits and pieces he suddenly remembered.

Oh, the way he left the dwarf planets hadn't been the kindest way. First he makes himself look like a fool in front of the moons, and now the dwarf planets? He would have been embarassed about it, had he not been running on adrenaline right now. 

Neptune didn't turn to him immediately, instead first watching the youngest fifteen little bodies go to where they were supposed to be. Even once they were far enough, he took his time turning to the dwarf planet with a grim, grief-fallen (Grief?) expression, quiet as he spoke. "...I... I suppose you have questions?"

"I got captured." Neptune flinched. From the corner of his eye, Triton caught the planet starting to tap his fingers together as he always did. "You captured me." He repeated, unwilling to accept I don't remember as an excuse this time. "And you remember doing it."

"..." Neptune's eyes grew misty, body droopy as he turned to the side, and muttered under his breath. Triton almost excpected the same nonsense answer, the same delusional answer that would make him scream, but instead-

"...I did." The planet murmured, so soft it could barely be heard. 

But Triton did. 

The admittance made his core stop, because finally. Finally. "I was a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt." He highlighted, just to make sure, just to actually make sure there could be no confusion this time. 

And-

"You were." Neptune... actually hesitated before quietly adding. "...I think. I don't know what else you could have been."

The tapping increased, faster, harder, a stim Triton tried to ignore because he didn't want to get mad now. Not when he finally got Neptune to admit something was wrong. Not when he finally got to learn why. Not when he finally got the confirmation-

"I'm not your moon."

Neptune flinched. 

The tapping stopped. 

"...No." He whispered, sounding choked up. Triton watched, as tears welled up in his eyes... but then got blinked away. "You're not."

Lone wolf, lone wolf, lone wolf-

Because Triton didn't get it.

"You remember... everything?" Neptune quietly asked, barely sounding like himself at this point. His body had gone still, unnaturally so, safe for the nervous stimming of his hand. But at least he sounded coherent. Coherent enough to answer. To finally tell him why-

"Why did you leave your orbit to capture me?!"

"What?" Neptune's head whipped down so fast, Triton was pretty sure he heard something crack. But he didn't care. He needed it to make sense.

Did Neptune take him because he wanted a moon? But every giant had moons forming with them naturally- stars, some of the Neptunian moons had probably formed with Neptune. So why take Triton? Why take another? Did he, was this- "Did you take me because you wanted a bigger moon?!" Triton hysterically asked, tears burning his eyes.

"What are you- no!" The planet yelled back, suddenly looking sick, facing the smaller celestial once again. "Triton, what makes you think-"

"Every other planet has been obsessing over their biggest moons, one way or another!" It didn't make sense. Neptune had never shown any sign of favoring Triton over the smaller moons, and yet- it was the only explanation he could come up with. The only reason as to why a planet would willingly steal a moon.

Unless there was something else Triton didn't know off.

"I can't remember where I was taken from or why!" The celestial harshly grabbed his glasses to rip them off, revealing the absolutely heartbroken expression underneath. Neptune's own face crumbled, and a hand pressed against his mouth. "I have been feeling different and wrong my entire life and I don't know why!"

"Triton..." Neptune breathed. 

"So what was the reason?" Neptune's hand slipped from his mouth to his wrist, and just... rested there. Barely touching, as if it would burn. "Was I- was I just a trophy? Did you- did you want rings, or someone to look after your small moons, or did you just want to see if you could-"

"I didn't-"

"Then WHAT WAS IT?!"

"..."

The silence was loud. 

For once in both of their lives, neither looked away. The planet stared into Triton's furious, teary eyes, and the dwarf planet stared into Neptune's sad, tired ones. The small one was panting, trying to catch his breath, but didn't dare make a sound. Waiting. Waiting-

"...You don't remember." Neptune didn't ask. Instead, he... sounded sure of himself. For once. Sure that Neptune knew something. 

Something that... Triton, apparently, did not. 

And his own anger came to a pause. 

"...I don't?" No. No no no, he did, he had bits and pieces he had glued together, he-

Souring winds. 

CRASH! BAM!

A hysterical scream. 

Pain, pain, so much pain, as gentle, gigantic hands soothed him.

He had been ripped out of his orbit. Probably crashed against some asteroids on the way, which explained the pain, and screamed as big hands picked him up. Right? It had to be!

But instead of giving Triton the answers he had been begging for... Triton watched, as the planet's eyes got that glossy look again. The hand on his wrist suddenly wrapped around it while the other pressed on his mouth once more, harder, harder, to prevent any sound from coming out. His body started shaking, Neptune tilted his head away- "You don't- you don't remember." He repeated, more to himself than to the smaller. As if he had already forgotten Triton was there. 

The celestial's eye twitched. His hand came up, finally having stopped fighting it, clenching and unchlenching the limb over and over again to get rid of the jitters. "Then tell me!" He demanded, gaining the attention of the rest of the moons who had been trying to not look at all. 

But the planet's eyes closed painfully, a shuddering breath was taken in. 

As he shook his head no.

Lone wolf.

"What the- Neptune!" Triton tried again, raising his voice louder. The tapping increased, so fast the planet was often missing fingers. The disconnect between mind and body obvious as day, the same way Neptune always did before he stopped talking. Moments that had grown quite rare, ever since Triton had started his adventuring. But he recognized it nontheless. And finally realized. 

Neptune knew. 

Neptune had known, from the moment Triton opened his eyes.

He just refused to give him the answers. 

The only person who knew... refused to give him the answers.

...Of course he did. 

Instead of screaming, or exploding as he had been feeling like from the moment he ran away-

All the fight just... drained away. 

"...You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

Triton sounded so tired as he asked. 

And of course, right on cue, Neptune opened his mouth... and then closed it again. 

Clearly, he tried. Sounds kept slipping out, his body kept shifting and shifting to get comfortable again. But Triton didn't care to hear it. He was tired.

"...Wait, Triton-" Neptune whispered after him when he turned around. The dwarf planet scoffed, pushing his shades back up his face. 

"Don't bother." He grumbled. "I don't want to listen to lies anymore. But don't worry, you're not losing your treasure Neptune."

Because ecentially, that was what he was, wasn't he? A treasure Neptune had found. 

A bigger moon.

Had he ever even loved Triton at all, as he always said? Or did he just love the idea of a big moon?

"Triton, no, that is not-..." The planet started, only to get stuck once again. "I... I-I mean, I'm didn't..." His second attempt failed even worse.

But at least he didn't stop Triton from returning to his orbit. The one mercy he had given him, after taking him, lying to him, making Triton feel miserable and absolutely lost his whole life-

"I hate you." 

Neptune did not respond. 

Triton didn't want him to.

Sometimes... at rare moments, when Neptune didn't leave, when he thought no one was looking or everyone was asleep... Triton heard him cry.

The small celestial never saw his planet even close to upset otherwise. It felt wrong, to think that this happy of a planet actually could feel sad. And yet...

"Neptune?" Triton asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. At once, the planet straightened out. 

"Triton!" He smiled through the tears, rubbing away the wetness from his face. As if he wasn't even allowed to be upset... whatever it may be. "Go back to sleep, my treasure."

"...You're crying."

"I'll be okay."

Sometimes, more than once, the moon heard the planet cry, for seemingly no reason at all. He would be quiet, as to not take up space, clutch his wrist, and sob about how he didn't mean to. Until now, Triton had just assumed these were moments his orbit had gotten to him. He hadn't cared for a further explanation. and had let him be. He hadn't cared about Neptune.

But now... now, the dwarf planet bitterly thought, as they entered the asteroid belt. He couldn't help but wonder the reason behind those late night meltdowns. Had the guilt gotten to him, maybe? The terror of capturing someone against their will? If he had, why hadn't he let Triton go? Why had he given him his symbol, why had he pretended to love him, why-

"Proteus!" A bunch of little kids called the second they came into view, moons Triton quickly recognized as the Marsian and minor Uranian moons. The kids had become great friends with them from what he saw. But then again, they got along with literally anyone. 

"Phobos asked me what my stimmies were, so I explained it to him and he loved it!" Laomedia happily chirped, waving her hands up and down. "He tried to do it with me!"

"Neptune! Neptune!" Naiad pulled on his finger to gain his attention, beaming when she had his eyes on him. "Cordelia said Uranus also does stimmies! And- and they are also different, like us!"

Neptune smiled. It never quite reached his eyes. 

But this time... the kids barely reacted to the calls of their names, much to Triton's confusion. They'd been acting odd for... quite a while. Triton wasn't too sure why. He had rotting away in his own orbit, not responding to anyone or anything, instead pretending the world didn't exist. He didn't want it to.

The only reason he'd even gotten up now was because Triton would take any excuse to leave that liar of a planet of his. Neptune, who hadn't even looked their way when Nereid hesitantly called for him to tell him they were leaving for moon club. 

It had felt... odd. Triton had... gotten used to the goodbye kisses, reminders for water, and gentle pressing of his glasses onto his eyes. Against his will. Because he hated all of that, of course. But still...

Once he was sure the kids were dropped off with their friends, Triton looked around, uncertain. Did... did he have a right to be here? He... wasn't a moon, after all. And this was Moon Club.

Lone wolf.

"Essentially, a moon is defined as an object orbiting a bigger object! And you fit those criteria, Triton!"

"Guys, can we not focus so much on labels?"

But he wasn't a dwarf planet either. Not anymore. 

And even if he was, after the way he left them last time, did he have any right to try and join them again? Would they want him around?

Ugh. If only Neptune had been literally anyone else, and had managed to explain it to him like a normal person-

"Are you gonna remain standing there forever, or will you actually join us this time?" Callisto's voice suddenly sounded, making Triton blink back to reality. 

In all the time the celestial had gotten to spend with the moons... he had to admit, they weren't all that bad. Especially Callisto. Triton... liked spending time with her. 

Which is why hearing her made his shoulders relax in ways only she could do. And his signature, bored grin was plastered back onto his face. "Oh, I dunno... You missed me, Callisto?"

She playfully shoved his shoulders, clearly holding back- and the knowledge that she could just crush him without breaking a sweat that came with it made Triton's face turn red. "In your dreams." She winked, then grabbed his arm to effortlessly pull him along. Oh... oh wow. There was that loud beating of his core again. Triton felt dizzy. "We were waiting for you." Callisto murmured, voice softer. Her eyes sparkled when she gave him a quick glance, even if her voice gave nothing away. "...We haven't seen you since the moon revolution. And stuff. Glad Neptune didn't kill you yet."

The reminder of that planet soured his moons, chasing away all the pleasant feelings that had just started building up... but a strange ache came with it. Huh... 

...

What was "Kill him yet" supposed to mean-

"Triton!!" Luna and Io waved him over, this time, also acompanied by Titania holding one of the box things Triton hadn't seen in ages. Ah... were they going to be torturing the creatures again? He hoped not. 

Triton had been thinking about those two creatures a lot. He didn't know what they were, or what they possibly could have done to deserve such a cruel fate... maybe they hadn't done anything at all. Maybe... they were like him. Grabbed and locked up simply for existing, now forced to live with the big blue monster Triton had seen last time, with no way out. 

Did they know why they were there? Did they fit in?

"Do you want to try playing this time?" Luna held out his own box with a gentle, but Triton quickly refused. How was he supposed to explain he didn't get the purpose without looking weird?

"...I, uhm..."

"...Hey, Luna?" Titania carefully asked, looking quite a bit out of place herself. She'd... struggled, with all the socializing, just like Triton had done. But she had managed. "I... forgive me if you explained it before, but... what are these things?"

"Oh!" The moon blinked. "Did I not explain it before?"

Titania politely shook her head. With the quick glance she and Triton shared, and the way Callisto placed her hand on his back to lightly push him forward... ah. He supposed. "...I, uhm." He cleared his throat. "You... you never explained it to me either, Luna."

"Really?" Luna frowned, clearly not happy about this information, as he pulled his arm back. "Ah... I thought I did. Sorry."

"Y-y-y-you explained it to m-m-me!" Io helpfully added, rolling so he was on his stomach and close enough to pat Luna's knee. "You m-m-must have mixed us up!"

"It happens to anyone!" Titania tilted her head kindly. "Everyone can explain things wrong or not at all sometimes. And that is okay."

...Huh. 

Triton's awkward stance relaxed, turning more thoughtful, as their words suddenly got stuck in his mind. Everyone can explain things wrong. It doesn't mean they meant to.

"Neptune?" Sao tapped his nose to try and regain his attention, giggling when Neptune seemingly "recondected" to the world again. "Did your brain get confused again?"

Neptune sheepishly smiled, then kissed the side of his head. "Sorry, my pearl, I think I did! What did you ask again?"

Sao giggled and squirmed in his hand. "You're so silly Neptune!"

......Oh. 

The sudden memory made Triton feel... uneasy. But. No. That... that couldn't have been the case earlier, right? Because if it had been, Neptune would have clearified. He would have explained, and everything would be well again, and-

Callisto's arm wrapped around his shoulders to pull him more towards the group. And Triton's thoughts came to a complete halt. 

...Oh wow, her arm was so... strong-

"So! This in my hands is a switch console!" Luna enthusiastically started, showing the 'box' they'd seen plenty of times for all the moons around to observe. Gaining the attention of... someone else. "It's one of the Earthling's inventions! With this, they can play games they themselves designed! Including this one!"

"These... creatures aren't alive, I hope?"

"Oh no!" The bigger moon giggled. "Pft, I thought so too the first time, but they aren't! They're characters!" With a snicker, Luna first pointed at the blue character, and then the yellow... orange... whatever. "This one, Sonic, is based on one of Earth's creatures called a hedgehog. Though... they don't look like that at all, but anyways. And this one, Tails, is based on foxes! This one is more accurate, though I often get reminded of the wolves when I look at-"

"Wolf?" Triton, very rudely, cut him off, not even caring when everyone focused on him while his mind zeroed onto the new character on the screen-

Wolf? That's a wolf?

"You like wolves, Triton?" His eyes would have sparkled if they could. But instead, his tail started wagging when they were mentioned again. Oh stars. Oh my goodness. He finally gets to see something that looks close to a wolf, at least? The creature he had been thinking about? Wolves had tails? Two tails? Were they all yellow? Was this one a lone wolf, because it seemed to hang out with the 'hedgehog' a lot, and, and it had blue eyes, like him, and-

Oh my stars Triton no what are you doing no no no your tail is wagging against CALLISTO-

The second his mind processed that not only did he look stupid in front of all of them, but in fact, his tail was constantly hitting Callisto's back- Triton froze, then flinched back with a yelp, entire face turning red once more as he forced himself to freeze. "I- I uhm." Words weren't doing what they were supposed to do, and Triton was aware of how odd he looked right now. No words came. Not a single one.

His mind blanked. 

But before the spiral could start, he heard Callisto snicker, much to his surprise. Hesitantly, he risked a glance. 

The larger moon's cheeks had dusted a soft red, complimenting her already beautiful colors and bringing out that sparkle in her eyes- which, for once, didn't look as calm and cool as she tried to appear.

They made eyecontact. 

Callisto smiled, oh so softly. 

"Just act however you want, Triton." She said, the tone of her voice stealing his breath away. "We'll like you just the way you are."

Da-dun, da-dun, da-dun...

"...O-oh." Breaking away from her wonderous gaze hurt for reasons he didn't understand- but, alas, he had to. The shorter looked away with a cough, trying to gather his bearings back. "I... uhm. I-if you say so, Callisto."

"S-s-sure thing, T-Triton!" Well. Io certainly snapped him out of that oh so amazing haze. Looking down, he witnessed just in time as the yellow moon rolled away from Luna, and ended up  with his head in Callisto's lap. She didn't seem to mind, resting a hand in his hair. "You can like w-w-whatever you want!"

"Or whoever..." The dead glare sent her way only made Titania giggle, much to his dismay.

"Well!" Luna, either uncaring of the situation or just as dense as his planet- who, Triton finally learned later, was Earth and that Terra was just an old name-  cheerfully started the game, handing both Io and Callisto a controler. "How about we start, and we can explain to you two how to play as we go on?"

"Uhm... Hi?" For whatever reason, Luna stiffened. Triton had no clue why. It was just Titan. 

"H-h-hey Titan!!" Io cheerfully waved. Titania and Triton did the same, even if they were a lot calmer. "C-c-care to join us?"

"I... wanted to ask just that!" Titan awkwardly rocked on his feet, cringing as he looked back. "I... give up on the Saturanian moons."

"Join us!" Titania scooted over so there was room between her and Luna, completely missing the way the moon didn't react at all. "Luna was just about to show us how to play his game!"

"Ah... only if it's alright with him, of course."

"..."

"......Luna-"

"Titan!" Triton and Titania flinched away when Luna suddenly shouted, as if finally remembering he was supposed to react. "You- are here!" 

The nervous laugh that followed was so unlike anything Triton had heard from him before, it actually caught the smaller off guard. But before any of them could ask if he was okay, Luna was already reaching out- "Yes, yes you can! I mean! Yes! You just- share with me, and then we-"

-And accidentally wacked Titan in the face with his controller. 

And froze.

"..."

"..."

"...Oh my stars Titan I am SO SO SORRY-"

"It's okay!" Titan's smile was gentle, even when Luna suddenly got all up in his space to check. Grabbing his cheeks, twisting his head... and then realizing what he was doing, panickedly letting go, and apologizing over and over again while the blush grew worse. "Luna, Luna, it's good, all good!" Titan grabbed his hands before he could pull away, completely missing the helpless look Luna made-...

...

Titania scooted closer, just enough so she could whisper to him. "...When did that happen?"

"I... barely talk to them." Triton didn't look away,

"Sometime during the game of hide and seek." Callisto, who still sat between them, joined in, looking bored of the scene already. 

"Does..." Looking between the two... "...Does Titan know?"

"Ganymede, Europa, Hyperion, Enceladus and Dione placed bets on when he will notice."

"Ah."

"..."

"Does Earth know?"

"Let's hope not."

When the three of them snickered to themselves, Titan just looked at them like a lost puppy and Luna looked ready to murder them... Triton couldn't help the warm feeling in his chest that spread, the same way it had done the first time.

.....First time?

Ouchie. 

His everything hurt.

The little celestial didn't know what he had been doing, or how he had gotten to that point- just the rushing winds, a sudden pull-

CRASH! BOOM!

Ouchie...

"No!!" a loud voice screamed, horrified and filled with grief- if he hadn't been in such pain as he had been, he would have tried to figure out what was going on. His body burned, why did it burn, it was owie, owie owie-

Moon, a voice called to him, a new one he didn't have the energy to fight at the moment. Moon, find your planet, your planet, moon, moon, moon moon moon-

Pull. 

The screaming came to a halt.  

And before he could even cry out loud or open his eyes... large, gentle hands had lifted him, soft and comforting and so warm, they instantly soothed away the pain and the misery and the voice screaming in his head. The small celestial relaxed with a coo, going limp into the larger's hold.

Planet. Planet. Planet.

Caregiver. Protector. Parent. Papa. 

"...Oh, little one." An unfamiliar voice whispered as consciousness slipped away, into that blissful abyss the child craved. He could sleep now. He was safe. He had to be.

The final sensation he felt was a shaky hand wipe away his tears, the touch so soft... as if they were afraid."...I am so, so sorry."

"Triiiitooon." Titania regained his attention by waving the controler in front of his face, not even looking the slightest bit unimpressed. She had seen him lose track of his mind plenty of times after all. The two of them had often hid together. "Did you pay attention to the 'map' at all?" She huffed, handing Io his control back at the same time. Her voice was kinder when she quickly thanked him for letting him try.

Which. Nope. Triton hadn't paid attention in the slightest. 

"Sure I did." He said instead, like a liar. A lying liar. Boy did that remind him of someone. 

...Wait, no, stop it.

Lone wolf.

For some reason, focusing was hard. The celestial tried, he actually did. Blinking his eyes often to force the fuziness away, something his shades thankfully hid. Politely refusing the 'controller' when Callisto held it up to him. He didn't stim, no matter how much his fingers ached for it. He didn't even make himself look stupid this time!

But his mind kept... drifting away, like water slipping through his fingers. 

Water... 

...When was the last time he drank water again?

Triton made a face. It... was usually Neptune who reminded him to. Because, as he put it, water is important! But he hadn't this time. 

No. Neptune had been oddly quiet. Still forcing that cheer that didn't quite land- wait, stop it. You're with the moons. Be with the moons.

...Even though you aren't really one yourself.

"Neptune, why do the other moons care so much about labels?"

Halimede asked, catching Triton off guard. He had noticed? Triton... had kinda thought they wouldn't.

But no. A glance back behind him proved all the moons staring up at their planet, awaiting answers. 

Neptune had that confused but gentle expression he always had when he didn't understand as he leaned down, close enough so that his face was in front of them. "What kind of labels, Halimede? Do you mean who or what a celestial likes, like how I'm aroace?" The moons giggled, and shook their heads. Laughter getting louder when Neptune did that loud humming they always loved. "Hmm... is it where a celestial was born as one thing, but is actually another? It's super important to respect their wishes if that is the case!"

"Nooo!" Thalassa butted in with a grin, shaking her head. "Not THOSE labels! The ones that say we are moons, and you are a planet!"

Neptune's smile froze in its place. The kids were none the wiser, as Larissa thoughtfully added. "The ones that decided Pluto is a dwarf planet, and not a planet! They seemed to think that is super important!"

"Ganymede thought its super important we know HE is the biggest moon!" Naiad huffed, crossing his arms. "He called us pebbles..."

"BURRRNNNN HIM!!"

"Nope." Triton picked Galatea up before she could infect the rest of the moons with her bloodlust. 

The celestial could see the gears in Neptune's head running, slowly, as if he had never even given it a thought before. For just a second, his gaze shifted to Triton, full of pain and longing... but then the smile was back, a touch more hesitant than before. "...Ah, those. I don't really pay attention to those."

"What?" Now that actually made Triton turn to Neptune fully, quite confused at the statement. But. No. Sure, Neptune never showed any signs but... but from what he heard, everyone in the solar system thought labels were important. Stars, labels had been driving Triton crazy for as long as he had-... so that couldn't be the truth! "Seriously? You don't care if we call you an ice giant or a rocky planet?"

"What does it matter what you call me?" Neptune asked in a lighthearted tone, though thankfully, didn't poke him as he would have done if he were one of the kids. "Planet, dwarf planet, moon- I'm still me! Just like how you are still you!"

"..."

"Triton!" The celestial grumbled as he came back to reality, only to immediately get blinded by the colorful screen. Ah... when did his shades even slip off? He pushed them back up with a grumble, pointedly ignoring everyone's worried looks. "Alright, I'm back, sorry." It was still nice that they were waiting for him to pay attention, but... it just made him feel guilty. That he couldn't do it, no matter how much he tried. It was hard. 

...Just like how Neptune struggled sometimes. 

"..." Instead of restarting the game, as the dwarf planet had excpected them to, Luna hit pause. 

A confused sound slipped out when the moons shifted, carefully rearranging until they sat in a circle... with all their eyes on him. "Arlight, then." Titan took over, as he usually did at the start of the moon club meetings, completely missing the smitten look Luna gave him for a milli second. "I suppose this is my cue to starts today's- albeit smaller- wellness check!"

"...Wha-?" Triton blinked, genuinely confused, but Titan cut him off. 

"The point of these moon club meetings is for us moons to hang out and share our troubles." The largest said, completely missing the effect his wording had on Triton. There it was again. Moon. "And clearly, Triton, something is bothering you."

Before the celestial could protest, Titan was quick to add. "-I know you don't do well with crowds, Triton, which is why we're not calling anyone else over-"

"And you don't have to share if you don't want to!" Titania quickly spoke over him before Titan could start, sending him a glare. To which he quickly agreed. "Of course not!"

"..." Triton blinked. "...But... but you were... enjoying the game." He stuttered out, confused. "Luna, you really liked that... Tails character."

"It's a game, Triton." Luna didn't even look back as he put the controller down. "You are more important than a game!"

"Y-Y-Yeah! We can always p-play another time!" Io sat up straight. 

Without a word, Callisto's hand slipped onto his lap... and gently rested on top of his own, jittery hand. Triton gasped softly at the contact, even more so when turning his face showed just how close Callisto had gotten, her gaze intense. Neither of them said anything. And they didn't need to. 

"..." Until the more depressing thoughts took over... and he broke the eye contact. "Triton?" Callisto asked, sounding more worried this time. But the smaller didn't answer her. 

He didn't have to. They... all of them made it very clear that he didn't have to share, if he didn't wish to do so.

"Triton, what's wrong?" Proteus asked, tugging at his jacket, though the larger didn't answer. Neptune had asked him a question. One that shouldn't bother him so much. But... But Triton really, really didn't have the energy for him today. 

"...Nothing, Proteus." He weakly mumbled- missing the way the child's expression hardened. And then turned to Neptune with a huff. 

"Neptune! Triton is sad! Make him better!!"

"It's not nice to push, Proteus." The moon unconsciously relaxed. "Triton can share whatever he wants, whenever!"

"But how will he know we love him?" Ah... Proteus sounded close to crying. But behind him, Neptune cooed, probably picked him up, and nuzzled his body softly. 

"By respecting his wishes, my dear treasure."

...Just like how Neptune had always respected his boundaries, too. 

But... but not talking was what got him here in the first place, wasn't it? Triton never asked. Neptune never answered. Both had avoided the awkwardness they knew was there- because yes, Neptune could be crazy. But he wasn't stupid. Surely, he had known Triton knew something was off? That he didn't like him?

Lone wolf. 

Until that build up, more and more... and he had exploded. 

"..." Triton took a deep breath to brace himself... because he had to know. Not knowing had driven him insane, and now that he knew but didn't tell anyone- "I... found something out." He muttered despite the lump in his throat, suddenly feeling oddly sad. 

But why? This was what he had wanted, wasn't it? To know the truth? To be a lone wolf? Stars, he'd been complaining and complaining for ages about this, and now he was getting just that! They would know the truth... and Triton... 

Would be alone again. 

Without the moons. 

And... without Neptune. 

Just as he had wanted. 

"About... uhm." So... why was it so hard to admit out loud? He'd basically been training for this his entire life!

"I'm not your moon."

That look of absolute heartbreak on Neptune's face was unlike anything Triton had ever seen before. 

"...No. You're not."

Something inside him cracked as well. 

"..." The hand beneath Callisto's moved, a single finger repeatedly going tap tap tap, the same way Neptune always did. But instead of saying anything about it, or stopping him as she should have... Callisto nuzzled closer, gently moving her hand just enough so it wasn't blocking that finger anymore, but still rested there. Her thumb started gently rubbing circles on the center of his hand.

Deep breath in, deep breath out...

"...I'm..." He struggled, avoiding everyone's gazes. Here it goes. "...Not... a moon. I was a captured Kuiper Belt object. Probably- probably something more of a Dwarf Planet than a moon."

Triton squeezed his eyes shut. There. It was out. Now he would be asked to leave. And would be a lone wolf, just as he had always wanted to be. 

.....

Aaaaaany moment now. 

..........

"...That's it?" Triton opened his eyes, confused as to why none of them had started freaking out yet. But instead, they were all staring at him with that same lost look in their eyes... as if not seeing what the problem was. 

"...I was a dwarf planet." he repeated, just in case they'd misheard. But instead-

"Oh!" Io cheered up suddenly. "W-w-we knew that!"

........

What.

"Excuse me?" Triton's shades slipped from his eyes from shock, blinking a couple times to make sure he wasn't daydreaming. But no...

"Y-y-yeah!" Io didn't seem to see the issue. At all. Even as Callisto motioned at him to shut up."J-J-Jupiter warns us to not get c-c-captured like you all the t-time!"

"I- what-?" The smaller turned to Callisto, searching for answers- but the purple moon just shrugged... even if she did give him one of her looks. 

"I didn't know it was a secret..."

"It was?" Her little brother tilted his head in a confused manner. 

"..." Turning away from the Jovian moons, Triton focused on the other three, a slightly bit more desperate and annoyed. Because really? Really? Just how big was this rock he was living under? "And what about you three?"

"Well- no-" Titan held up his hands defensively. "But- I don't... see the issue...? Unless its the capturing part? Because yeah that is messed up."

"..." Luna smiled apologetically when it was his turn. "Sorry, dude. The Earthlings discovered you were a captured kuiper belt object in the 1980s." He cleared his throat, and in search of finding something else to look at- looked Titan in the eyes instead. With a yelp, Luna turned away. 

"..." The slow way he turned to Titania would have been hilarious if it were any other situation. But Titania just stared back at him, arms crossed. 

"And you figure this out now?"

"Did you know?"

"I don't care!"

"Titania!" Titan sounded shocked at how her sweet and gentle attitude switched when it came to Triton, but the icy moon didn't let him have it. 

"No!" She uncrossed her arms as she pointed. "Our planets are cousins- twins- whatever, that makes us family! I will speak to him however I damn well please!"

None of them noticed the way Triton absolutely froze in place, causing his shades to slip off all the way. No one except for Callisto, who caught them before they could hit the... whatever they had instead of a ground. He knew they were saying more, but he didn't care, completely focused on that one word-

"Family?"

The bickering stopped. 

"...Yeah." Titania's voice was softer, kinder, in that way she first had been before the two started talking, causing them to get more loose with each other. "If that's okay with you?"

But. But that didn't make sense. "...I'm not a Uranian moon, Titania." He wasn't a moon at all. Hadn't she heard what he said?

Clearly, she did. "And?" The smaller kindly asked, clearly trying to understand. "Family doesn't mean we have to come from the same chunk of rock, Triton."

"...Or smell as bad..." 

"At least my planet has artistic vision!" Callisto backed away the second Titania angrily turned to her. 

......Oh. 

Numbly, Triton turned around. 

He watched as the Marsian Moons and minor Uranian Moons pulled the kids with them- even when they didn't seem like they wanted to. The kids, who'd looked at him with pain when he said he wasn't one of them, and left. 

...Where he came from didn't matter? They- they still liked him?

...Was it the same for the Neptunian moons?

Callisto's hand moved away from his own, towards his shoulder to wrap around his upper body and pull him closer. "...Did you not know, Triton?" She softly asked- breath hitching when he shook his head, defeated. Usually, the smaller would have given a better answer, but he was really confused right now. 

Lone wolf. Lone wolf. Lone wolf. 

They still liked him despite the fact he didn't belong?

"...Neptune never told me." Triton whispered, feeling strangely vulnerable. The sad tone did get everyone to look at him again.

"...O-oh."

"Hm... that doesn't sound like Neptune..." Luna frowned, raising a hand to his mouth in thought. "At least, not when me and Earth met him during the orbit change..." He bit his finger without even realizing. Titan tenderly pulled his hand away from Luna's mouth. 

"I know!" And really, stupidly, that was what frustrated him the most. Because yes, not knowing what he was and feeling out of place sucked. And always having resented Neptune for no apparent reason felt even worse. 

But he had thought Neptune loved him.

...Why did it hurt to think he didn't?

"M-m-maybe he thought you knew already?" Io thought out loud, wincing when he shook his head no in response. "Oh... m-maybe he feels bad a-a-about it, then?"

"A planet feeling bad about his... gravity?"

"J-J-Jupiter certainly does!"

"...He has expressed feeling bad about how he influences the asteroid belt..." Callisto murmured to herself. But Triton heard it anyway. 

Triton cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, slightly awkward as he spoke next. "Uhm... Saturn... also feels bad about it. Turning one of us into... rings and all. Maybe Neptune was afraid you would think the same?"

"...I thought Saturn didn't do it on purpose?" Triton asked. Titan's face turned sad. 

"It didn't stop almost all the moons from being angry at him, Triton."

"..." Titania gained a guilty look herself, undoubtedly thinking about her own planet as well. "...Feeling sorry doesn't fix what has been done." She said, much quieter. The taller had a slight suspicion she wasn't talking about Uranus though. "What matters is how one reacts..." She sniffed, getting teary-eyed. Titan was hugging her before the first tear could fall. "I kept making them run away from Uranus every time he tried to apologize..."

"You didn't mean to hurt anyone, Titania." He squeezed her shoulders in comfort. The rest quickly voiced their agreements... except for Triton, who'd gone quiet. He... hadn't even considered that possibiltiy. 

"What matters is how you react, and what you do after." Luna nodded, placing a hand onto his planet symbol. He giggled weakly to himself. "Earth's been reminding me every day how much he loves me... and has gone out of his way to find new things about me he likes, every day." His head tipped lower. "I told him he doesn't have to. He didn't mean to insult us, after all."

Luna lifted his head back to Triton, a certainty that hadn't been there before seemingly making him appear more grand. 

"But even if he didn't mean to, he still did it. Which is why he's been working to fix it."

Had Neptune meant to capture him?

"How did I get here? What happened?!"

"...I." The obvious horror on his face, the way his voice lost its spark... Triton hadn't even thought about it, choosing to interpret it as guilt instead. "...couldn't say. I must have forgotten."

"Neptune, why are you crying?"

"Crying about what?" The amnesia act was put on within seconds, convincing enough with that dullness in his eyes. 

"Why won't the other planets ever visit you, Neptune?"

"What planets?" Neptune asked, wiping away at his eyes.

"Neptune, where did we come from?"

Freeze. 

Disconnect. 

Smile plastered back, acompanied by the trouble Triton only now realized was there. "I don't think I know that story!"

.....

Was Neptune forgetting things a fucking defense mechanism?!

Triton's eye twitched. 

But he couldn't be angry about it, not for long. Because Neptune struggled with talking, explaining, facing reality- and Triton knew that.  He didn't like hi- THE planet, sure, but he knew that. Neptune... struggled with staying in the moment. The same way Triton always did. Had done now. Had been doing ever since he had met the rest of the moons. 

"...Neptune?" Laomedia hesitantly shook her planet's finger. But the ice giant continued numbly staring ahead as if he hadn't even heard. 

He had been crying before, Triton knew he had, before Neptune had suddenly decided he was going to the kuiper belt... and came back looking like the death. Staring at the one star that was slightly closer than the rest. 

........

Alright then. 

Despite very much enjoying the seating arrangement, regretfully, Triton pushed Callisto's arm away. She let him, but not without voicing her confusion. "Triton?"

"Thank you." And he really was, not just because they'd helped open his eyes. "Could... could I..." He grumbled, face heating up again at the thought of asking for help. But thankfully, by now having known him quite well, Titania didn't let him finish. 

"Go." She nodded. "I'll take the rest of the Neptunian moons with me when we go back."

The rest. 

The rest of the moons held up their thumbs, smiled, and even encouraged him as he pushed himself up and turned to the edge of the asteroid belt. "Y-y-you got this, Triton!" Io yelled from behind me, sentiment echooed by the rest, getting softer and softer the further he got. 

It made Triton feel... 

Warm. 

A soft kiss was pressed into his hair. The soft, swaying motion of papa rocking him lulled the little moon even further, getting all cozy in his glove. Papa was so warm...

"...I'm sorry." The planet still said, much to his confusion. Why would he be? The little moon had never been so warm...

"Triton!" He stopped at the call. 

Callisto rushed after him, waving with his shades in her hand. Ah. He... hadn't even noticed. "Thanks, Callisto." 

"Can't have the other moons think you're not a lone wolf, huh." The wording, even though it was teasing, made him feel... weird. He was a lone wolf still... right?

Callisto brushed his hair away, her touch making him shudder, as the shades were gently pushed back in front of his eyes, were they belonged. But instead of pulling her hands away... they lingered, moving from his ears to his cheeks and... stayed. 

There was that beautiful shade of red again, dusting her cheeks oh so prettily. Triton couldn't help himself but stare, taking in all of her radiant features. Her sparkly surface, those jewel-like eyes... no, pearls. 

"Rest well, my dearest pearls." Neptune murmured when he thought everyone was asleep, taking his time to kiss each of his sixteen moon's head. Triton felt the ice giant's gaze... but thankfully, Neptune respected his anatomy, and didn't do the same for him. "My wonderful treasures."

Treasures. 

...Oops. 

His breath hitched when the larger moon's eyes slipped shut, and her head dipped down... but pressed his forehead against hers, and kept him there. The touch was... strangely nice, the dwarf planet thought, as his own pupils fluttered shut to get lost in the sensation. So very nice...

"Dwarf planet or moon, you are always welcome here." Callisto muttered.

"...I know now, Callisto." Triton mumbled back, a strange heat rising behind his eyes. He breathed in slowly, commiting the moment to memory and taking in her scent, the laughs behind... how both of them would probably pretend to not be so mushy on the inside later. "Thank you."

"Neptune, what are you doing?"

The kids giggled. Neptune's eyes remained shut, his hands on their tiny forms. 

"Making sure I don't forget."

"That's silly! You never forget us!"

Neptune wasn't in his orbit. 

Wasn't that a strange concept? The planet, who never, ever broke the Sun's rules and had gone mad staying in one place... wasn't in his orbit. 

Of course he wasn't. 

Triton grumbled to himself, trying to feel any kind of pull at all- but nope. See, this was so like him! He probably sensed someone was about to be nice to him for once and ran away before it could happen!

...

Neptune was never nice to himself. 

Triton didn't understand where all these sudden thoughts came from- and didn't care for them, either. He didn't like it. Triton was supposed to be angry at Neptune, not... care! Who does that?! It was simply unheard of! Who could ever care about such a dimwit of a planet?! Couldn't he just know his place for once?

Well. Complaining wasn't going to make him find hi- the planet any faster, sadly. Hopefully, now that he was more calm and collected, he could hold a conversation... if Neptune was willing to forgive him. 

Of course he would, Triton thought, no doubt in in mind. Neptune never got mad at his moons. 

...

Huh. 

A sudden spike in gravity made him pause. It wasn't Neptune, much too small for that. But whatever it was... it was approaching fast.

The celestial looked around left and right, quickly trying to find the source- and unfortunately, completelly missed the smallest dwarf planet crashing into him from behind, causing the both of them to topple over, collapse, fall-

"Woah!" Triton shouted as he fell, face forward. 

"Three!!!" Ceres cheered, still attached to Triton's back. The celestial was lucky Ceres announced his presence, he'd been about to have a meltdown at the unwanted, unknown contact. 

"...Hi, Ceres." He mumbled, letting his head drop. 

The little dwarf planet let out a pleased purr. Clearly, he wasn't as shy as the last time they'd met... hm. Had he been hanging out with the dwarf planets, perhaps? That would explain the kid finding his voice. 

The dwarf planets...

"Three..." Ceres happily rumbled into his hair, even as he lost his balance and slipped off Triton's back. Out of instinct, the bigger one caught him in his gravity. Hey, Ceres may be bigger than a Neptunian moon, but he was still small enough.

"Three?" Triton asked, sitting on his knees. 

With a grin, Ceres pointed at him, and repeated. "Three!!"

...Ah. 

His speech had sucked last time... maybe that was why? "No, kid. Triton."

"Three!!" Triton flinched back at the sudden, hysterical cackles that followed, along with the smallest clapping his hands together in what he recognized to be a happy stim. Uhm. Alright then...

"Ceres!! Where are you?!" Triton stiffened at the sound of Charon's voice, mentally cursing when the child responded by shouting back. "Cherry!!" Triton... hadn't exactly made the... best impression, last time they had met. And it made him sad to think about, because he had really liked being near them. The same way he did with the moons now. 

The same way he longed with Neptune to be.

He should... back away slowly... before he bothered them again. It had been a stupid thing to do, last time, even if it had helped him remember somewhat. Come on, Triton. Be invisible. Neptune does it all the time, so why can't you?

Back away... awaywayway-

"Triton?"

You are one with the winnddddd.

"Triton!" Ah. Guess not. 

Super fast winds. 

CRASH! BOOM!

The largest one between the three opened his eyes with a hiss. "Hey, erhm... Charon." He awkwardly waved. Hey, his poor social skills were courtesy of Neptune, leave him be. 

Charon, thankfully, was kind enough not to point those out. Instead, she beamed. "Triton! Hello!" The dwarf planet yelped when he was pulled into a sudden hug, and then let go just as fast. "I'm so happy to see you! We missed you!"

"...You did?" Triton confusedly asked. The moon, to her credit, only nodded. 

"We were so worried after the way you left!" She added, spinning in circles all around him- to check for injuries, he realized. "You looked awful last time! But we couldn't find you or Neptune anywhere! Are you alright now, Triton?"

"Neptune, I don't need you to fuss over me, I'm not a baby-"

"You went out exploring in the dangerous Kuiper Belt!" The planet was having none of it, lifting Triton's arm up, despite the protests, to check. "I want to make sure you're not hurt! That would make me really sad."

"...I will be." He ended up saying, shaking his head to snap out of it. At the worried look the little moon made, he swiftly apologized. "I'm sorry about the way I acted last time, that... wasn't nice."

Charon's face turned oh so sweet, so fast, it made Triton feel all those fuzzy and warm feelings from before again. "Aw." Her worry seemed to change into fondness, judging from that loving look he easily recognized. "You're sweet, Triton. It's okay."

"Just like that?" He raised an eyebrow. Charon snickered and nodded, at the same time picking up Ceres- who melted instantly- and cradling him close. 

"We all go through things sometimes." She said, holding out a hand for him to take. "You don't leave friends behind simply because they had a bad day!"

Blink blink. 

Why was everyone suddenly so nice?

Not knowing what he could possibly say to someone so kind, Triton took her hand. Charon brightened up once more, and happily dragged him along with her. "Aw!" She cooed, missing the way he blushed from embarassment. "I'm so glad I found you, Triton! We're not playing DnDP today, Makemake isn't feeling too well- but we were going to try something called a television Ceres heard about! Would you like to join us?"

The lightning box? "You... could say I've become an expert, recently." And he could explain that no one was trapped or being punished! 

It... actually... sounded fun.

A smile grew on his face, giddy and slightly childish, as his tail began to wag with excitement. He... he liked the dwarf planets. A lot. They didn't lie, they didn't care about any of their labels- they just had fun and existed however they wanted. It would be... amazing, to make up for last time.

But alas... his excited movements stopped. "...I need to find Neptune, Charon." He mumbled, resentment building up for only a second before it collapsed again. 

"He's lost?" She asked, becoming worried once more. "Did he run into the kuiper belt again?"

"...You know about that?"

"..." Charon stopped moving forward. Her face grew... uneasy. Bad. Which... it shouldn't be. "I... don't know if I should." She hesitantly admitted. 

Should what? He made a questioning sound, that at first went unanswered. The smaller moon started tugging him along again, her grip tighter than before, collecting her thoughts...

"...Me and Pluto can hear him cry sometimes." She spoke, making Triton's core stutter. "He always sounds so sad... we never interupt him though." Her face became somber. "We were afraid he would stop if we did."

"Who would stop what?" Pluto asked, having gotten into earshot at the same time. His eyes widened at the sight, though it wasn't a negative thing. "Oh- Hi Triton!"

"He came back?!"  Makemake's voice sounded awful. The moon winced at the sound of it. "Oh, that is wonderful! I was afraid we'd lost him after last time! Triton, do you think I could ask you some more questions, as I did give you a break last time-"

"Stop talking and drink your tea." Eris forcefully pushed him back into the blanket nest he'd apparently been trapped in. The red dwarf planet didn't protest, and accepted the tea Haumea handed him. "But yeah, good to see you Triton."

"Hi, Eris, Haumea." He nodded at them both. "I... came to apologize-"

"Whatever for?!" Makemake didn't seem to be able to shut up... reminding him of his idiot of a planet, who was apparently having mental breakdowns every time he claimed he wanted to explore the kuiper belt. Seriously? What was Triton supposed to do with this information? "You didn't do anything wrong, dear friend!"

"I think he means the running away...?" Haumea glanced at him for confirmation. Which Triton gave him with another nod. "O-oh. That's so sweet!"

"Aw, no need, Triton." The biggest dwarf planet patted his back, probably meant for comfort, while not-so-subtly reaching for Charon's hand to pull her against his side. His moon didn't fight it, letting Ceres go to nestle against him. The smallest dwarf planet wasted no time diving into Makemake's blankets, his giggles loud and just as unsettling as before. "I suppose it was a bit much at once."

"We're gonna do something easier now! Care to join us?!"

And he did, truly... but he had important matters to tend to, first. "Next time." He promised, once again met with understanding he wasn't supposed to be having. First the moons, now the dwarf planets... though, these guys were more like him, he thought, witnessing the way Haumea pulled a blanket over his head, Makemake's right hand hadn't stopped its tapping ever since he had spotted the moon, and Eris kept her cool distance, settling into one of the pillows. They were weird, sure... but good weird. Like him. "I need to find Neptune... he wasn't in his orbit."

"Oh." Charon quickly whispered something into Pluto's ear. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't good. "...Not again."

"Again what?" Clearly, he was missing something? He had to be. Because that look Pluto was giving him was no good. 

"We, uhm..." He clearly didn't know where to start, looking awkward. Just as helpless at talking as Triton himself, apparently. "...We hear him from our orbit, sometimes, yeah."

"Charon mentioned."

"You hear a planet from your orbit?" Eris leaned back fully, until she was laying down at Makemake's side, and scoffed. "Sorry to hear it, Pluto."

"Neptune is nice!" the larger one defended anyway... which was... a surprise. 

"You know Neptune-?"

"He was the first celestial we met when we woke up!" Charon brightened at the memory alone... features softening once more as she added. "Well... second..."

Pluto sighed dreamily, leaning more into Charon to gaze at her face... Triton felt like he was intruding, really. So he looked away. 

None of the dwarf planets looked impressed. Eris clearing her throat snapped them out of it. But unlike what one might excpect, neither of them looked exactly sorry about it. 

It wasn't even talked about. 

"-Anyways. He was the one who brought us out of the Kuiper Belt to meet the Sun!" Boy. Didn't that sound familiar... "He was always so nice! And looked out for us all the time!"

"And then his orbit got pushed furhter..." Pluto grimly added, dimming Charon's mood. It made Triton's stomach churn. 

...Neptune's orbit got... pushed?

"Just how old are you two?" Eris cut them off before they could continue, having gotten distracted by the fact that they certainly hadn't been around in the time Pluto and Charon were talking about. And... neither had Triton...

"Who cares? Age is just a number!"

"...Makemake that does not mean what you think it means."

Neptune's orbit got... pushed. 

Sudden fast winds. 

BOOM! CRASH!

He jolted. Triton's glasses slipped to his nose, which he fixed by quickly pressing them back. 

...Oh. 

So it was an accident, then. 

Had that been what had upset Neptune so much? That he wasn't as close to the Sun as he wanted to be? Did he get lost in the dark, and capture Triton on accident? But... his reaction had felt too extreme for it to be just that. 

"Hey, Triton?" Pluto tapped his back hesitantly. "Did... did something happen to him?"

"Can we help in any way?" Charon added, genuinely looking... worried.

...

Some moon he was. 

"I happened." Triton admitted... and promptly sat down, letting himself fall back- caught by a pillow Haumea shoved under his head. 

"How is that a bad thing?" The ringed one asked, curling up. "I thought you were nice..."

"And Neptune likes his moons from what I heard!" Makemake commented. 

That... certainly was true, as much as Triton had tried denying it earlier. The loving reminders to drink, letting him roam freely as he wanted, always respecting Triton's boundaries and letting himself be yelled at-

...What was this feeling?

"...I yelled at him." 

Eris hissed. "And you lived?"

"Neptune isn't like that." Triton was quick to defend, feeling strangely confused at how defensive he sounded. But he couldn't help himself... for some reason. "He really isn't."

The pink one held up her hands in surrender. 

"Whatever would you do that for?" The red one took a final sip of his tea, then set it aside. He scooted, just enough so he could lean his upper body into Haumea, and his feet ended in Eris' lap. Something neither of them complained about. 

It reminded him off the kids. Always in everyone's space and... enjoying it. 

Triton hadn't. He was a lone wolf, after all.

"...I asked him how he got me."

Eris hissed again.

"...Ah." Makemake adjusted his glasses. "And... that didn't go well?"

"I didn't let him speak." The moon shamefully admitted, pulling his glasses of his face and folding them into his shirt so he could lay more comfortably. "I didn't give him time to think."

"That's not nice." Pluto and Charon joined the pile, the two of them wasting no time basically getting into each other. Charon ended in Pluto's lap, kissing his neck as she got comfortable. Pluto nuzzled her head. "Neptune has always needed time to think... even more so after his orbit changed."

...What was that supposed to mean. "I know, I know." He buried his head into a pillow, shuddering when Haumea threw a blanket on top of him. "I was so... mad. I couldn't stop. And upset the kids too." Stars, the kids... as if his complicated feelings with Neptune weren't enough already!

"Was this after you left our game...?" Haumea patted his head, clearly unsure of what he should do. But the gesture was appreciated. 

That was a weird feeling. He never had before. 

Lone wolf.

"...It made me remember bits and pieces."

No one interupted him to ask this time. 

The usual, stoic Triton would have left it there. He would have shut up, and not continued at all. But the Triton from now...

"It's just." Why was he even doing this, bothering them and all? It was so... stupid. "I've always felt so... different. And I never knew why. But he does."

"That is a good reason to be upset." Eris agreed. The moon only grumbled, pulling the blanket more over his head. 

"But that is just the thing! He- he takes care of me, has always looked out for me no matter how rude I am to him- stars, he let me run away!" He suddenly burst out, at once getting suffocated and therefore sitting up. The blankets pooled around his hips, hand stims having pushed them off- but no one cared for that. "But- but if it was an accident, why didn't he let me go? Did he want to keep me? What does that make me?!"

"Triton-" 

"Am I a moon, or a dwarf planet?" his eyes burned, again, growing hotter and wet... and this time, Triton did nothing to stop the one tear that dripped down. His angry demeanor faded, becoming defeated, as he slumped. "...I don't fit in anywhere." He quietly admitted, finally saying what bothered him out loud. "Not with the moons, not here-..."

"...I can't even be a Neptunian moon properly." And that... hurt. That was new. "Not... not while he won't tell me."

"..." Doing that thing where they communicated without using words, Charon slid of Pluto's lap. 

When the dwarf planet's hands found his, Triton looked up, meeting a gentle smile that looked scarily familiar to one of a certain ice giant. "Listen." Pluto said, certain and confident. "It doesn't matter what label we can put on you, Triton. You can be a dwarf planet, or a moon, or- hell, be an asteroid for all we care- what matters is that you are happy with the situation you are in."

"Easy for you to say." Triton grumbled. Ugh. Why did he take his shades off? He wanted them back. "You still get to be some sort of planet, at least. I'm... just a moon."

"A cool moon." The dwarf planet corrected, squeezing his hand. At the questioning look he received, Pluto beamed. "Triton, there is no one else like us out there!"

"But I'm just-" Confused. Lost. Sad. Lone wolf- "-A captured kuiper belt object. You are still a-"

"Listen." His hands got let go so that Pluto could grab his face, forcing him to look at his eyes. "There are a hundred things about me that make me special, and the least of them is that I am a dwarf planet." The moon's breath hitched, eyes growing wide. Behind them, Charon grew teary eyed, clasping her hands. "Those labels are just something the other celestials, sadly, choose to focus on so much to make themselves feel important. But moon, dwarf planet, planet- you are still you, aren't you?"

"So you can choose to be miserable about what happened to you. Or." Pluto let go, got up, and stretched, sighing when his joints cracked. "You can accept it, and move on... and meet some awesome people along the way?" He sheepishly ended, stretching his arms to signal at the rest of the dwarf planets. Who all grinned at him, in their own ways. 

Triton blinked, once, twice... feeling that warmth from before settle over himself, posture relaxing the slightest bit as he let the words wash over him. "...Aren't you supposed to be depressed about being demoted, Pluto?"

"Nah." He plopped back next to Charon- who wasted no time pouncing on top of him, pinning him down onto his back- and pressing a kiss against his lips. Pluto's arms lifted, wrapped around her shoulders, and pulled her down, giggling as she went. "I'm good."

"Plu-Plu!" Ceres suddenly appeared from underneath the blankets, causing the larger one to yelp and roll away. Pluto was clearly trying not to curse... unlike Charon, who was cooing at the display. 

"Awww... hi Ceres!"

"Cherry!"

"Why do you guys get the cute nicknames... and he calls me Ham?" Haumea hid behind Makemake when the toddler zeroed on him. The red one patted his shoulder.

"There, there." He hummed. Getting more comfortable. "Are you sure you don't wanna join us, Tritonius? It could be a fun adventure!"

Ceres' head, unfortunately, snapped towards him. But Triton was used to the kids, at least. "...Next time, I promise, but I really need to-"

"Three!" The smallest cheered, clapping his hands and rocking himself. Not again... 

Pluto shuddered, clearly as uncomfortable as Triton felt. Makemake, although he found it endearing, gently correct. "Ah, ah! Almost, tiny friend! Triton!"

"T-Three!"

"Triiiittoooon."

"I would leave now, before he doesn't let you go." Eris leaned over to whisper, eyeing the way the other two interacted. Triton thanked her, moving as slowly as he possibly could to take his leave. The kids used to cry when he left... did Ceres too? Better not risk it. 

"No, Ceres." Charon giggled, patting his head. "Three is a number! That is Triton!"

The moon had already turned around, missing the warmth. But alas. He had a planet to fi-

"T-three became one!"

He stopped.

"...Uhm." Pluto hummed. "...No, Ceres, that is not-"

"T-Three became one!" The dwarf planet happily sang, cackling in between words... making Triton's shades slip from his grasp, eyes growing wide, as his hands started to shake. "Became NONE!"

"Ceres, stop it-"

"Three became one! Became NONE!"

Three. 

One.

Triton gasped.

"Triton!" Charon and Eris were at his side in an instant when his knees suddenly buckled- but Triton couldn't make out anything they were saying over the ringing of his ears. 

Da-dun da-dun da-dun

His limbs shook.

"Triton- Triton breathe!" Charon tried, even as Pluto joined to pat his back. But they didn't receive any response. "I... it's just like last time!"

"Well what triggered it then?!"

Tears dripped down his face, onto the shades, down his necklace, and onto the planet symbol that hung around his neck. 

Triton didn't feel it, didn't see it, taking heaving breath after heaving breath because of the sudden way the last puzzle piece had been handed to him.

Three. 

Became.

O n e . 

CRASH! BOOM!

"No!" Papa screamed, the most gutwrenching sound the child had ever heard. Ouchie, owie, ow ow ow his ears, his body, his everything, the crash had hurt, it had hurt, what could possible hurt so M U C H -

Papa sobbed in between screams, unaware of the creature he had pulled in... holding onto the bits and pieces the baby would remain unaware of for the many, many years to come.

Three became one.

"My... MY MOONS!"

Never had Triton gone so fast in his life before. 

"How did I get here?! What happened?!"

"I..." Neptune turned to the side with tears in his eyes, for apparently much more different reasons then he had thought. "...Couldn't say. I.... must have forgotten."

"Neptune!" Triton shouted, looking around like a madman- but he didn't care, he had to find him  now, Neptune, he-

Those had been moons. 

Those had been moons. 

Those debris that had poked his back and hurt his head and had been shooed away by Neptune had been moons.

"Neptune!!" He screamed, louder this time. How long? How long had Neptune been living with this? Why hadn't he, what hadn't he, why was he-

"-I don't know what to do, Ura." Triton stopped in his tracks at the sudden, grief-filled voice that sounded close, so close- accompanied by two different sets of gravity, pulling, tugging... the moon took a moment to catch his breath. "-He hates me, he can do that, but he's so upset all the time, I don't know how-"

"I know, mate." A less familiar voice shushed, followed by a series of soothing purrs and gaspy churrs. "He doesn't know." 

"And whose fault is that?!"

Neptune. 

And... Uranus, apparently. What were the two of them doing so far in the belt? 

You know what, no, Triton didn't care, he didn't care, he-

"Neptune!!" He pretty much screamed as he burst out of his hiding spot, startling the two ice giants who'd just been having a quiet moment. Immediately, the two pulled away from each other, turning to him with shock. There were tear tracks down both their faces. 

....what-?

"...Triton?" Neptune's voice was small.

Triton gasped, shakily leaning onto an asteroid without tearing his eyes away. His glasses remained clutched in his hand, finger going tap tap tap repeatedly-

"You had moons before me." He more gasped than stated, desperately looking at his planet for an answer. Just as he thought, Neptune stiffened, suddenly looking horrified. Oh stars. "Didn't you?"

Three became o n e .

Became N O N E . 

Past his screams of a voice he finally realized had been Neptune and not himself echooed in his mind, again and again, grating his ears and banging at his brain, again and again and again. Shaky hands played with his shades, left hand, right hand, to try and contain any of the adrenaline or bad or-

"..." Uranus tapped Neptune's cheek gently, hoping to gain a reaction.

But Neptune just stared at Triton with that disconnected look that looked like it hurt. Which one of them it hurt, however, the moon had no idea. 

"...Uri." Neptune ended up whispering without moving an inch. "Could you give us a moment?"

"Are you sure, Toon?" Uranus squeezed his hand, leaned down and nuzzled his cheek with a purr- much more caring that Triton had ever seen the other ice giant before. Did... did he know? How many people knew?! "If you can't I can..."

But the smaller ice giant was already shaking his head. "Uranus. Please."

"..." The taller ice giant kissed his cheek before he parted, unwillingly untangling their fingers. "...I'll be in my orbit if you need me, mate." He murmured, and took his leave. But not without giving Triton a final, pitying- no, sorry, look. 

Da-dun, da-dun, da-dun, his core beat, loud, hard, faster and faster as Neptune lowered the second Uranus left, wobly knees unable to support his weight any longer. For a moment, Triton only watched, unsure of what to do... 

Warm.

...But then made his choice, moving forward and sitting next to him. 

The distance between them felt cold. That in itself wasn't new, it always had been, but...

...When did that start bothering Triton so much?

"Neptune?" He was about to ask, wondering if the planet already forgot. Neptune shuddered. 

"Triton." He weakly repeated back, shaky fists resting in his lap. The moon watched them for a moment... watched the way the fingers on his left hand curled towards his right wrist... 

"...The truth, this time." He said slowly, focusing on the bandage that stuck from underneath that sleeve. "Please."

The ice giant took a shaky breath, obviously not looking forward to it... but nodded. "The truth." He agreed. Even if the shaking did take over his entire body, so much so that Triton felt the way his tail swayed uncomfortably. "I..."

This time, Triton didn't interupt. Instead, he took the moment to watch his planet's reactions. How he went stiff, opened and closed his mouth multiple times, flinched when he remembered something. Until, finally... "...Did have moons, yes." He admitted. A single tear slipped down his cheek, dripping onto his right wrist. The ice giant wouldn't look up. 

Triton couldn't breathe. "What... what happened?" He asked his earlier question, this time without any bite, or anger, or- any negative emotion at all. Perhaps dread... deep down, already having pieced it together. But he wanted to hear. He needed to. 

Neptune took a deep breath in, out...

Tap tap tap tap tap-

"My orbit got pushed out."

"Toony? Why are you so far? You're supposed to be closer to the Sun than I am, mate!"

Poseidon knew that. Of course he did. And he hadn't thought the switch would happen that fast... but what was he supposed to do? Let Ouranos get pushed out instead? "I'm still in my orbit, Ura! It must have changed again!"

"It's been doing that a lot lately." Ouranos complained, crossing his arms. With a bit of luck, Poseidon's heavier gravity would allow him to remain closer to their star... and that way, no one would get flung out or be left alone! It was the perfect plan! "Why can't everything just stay the same?"

"That's silly!" The ice giant giggled, rolling onto his back. "Things are always changing!"

"Are you sure you want to orbit so far from everyone else, mate?"

Of course not. Poseidon hated it here. But what choice did he have? "I'll be fine!" He chirped, keeping up that happy grin. He didn't have anything to complain about, because... "And Besides! I'll have you! Right?"

"I'll, uhm..." Ouranos started backing away, longingly looking back to Poseido-... no, Ouranos' orbit now, along to Cronus and Zeus, who were... occupied. The youngest made a face. Ew. "I'll... try to find a balance."

...Oh. 

"I got pushed away from the Sun... and super, super close to the Kuiper Belt." The ice giant mumbled, lifting his hand from his wrist to his bracelet, the one the little moons had made, where each beat was supposed to be one of his moons. Triton couldn't help but stare at it... and at the biggest marble, that was supposed to be him. 'And... and my moons got pushed out with me." 

"Besides, I already have moons! Take a look!" The ice giant proudly stepped aside.

Uranus... didn't seem as impressed. "...Those are just rocks, mate."

Well. Yeah. Neptune pouted. Give them a moment, they were still developing! They would look so much prettier once the three of the were done and decided to wake up! Ohhh, Neptune couldn't wait to hug them! "Aren't we all rocks, in a way?"

Although he had been sad to see Uranus leave after and already missed his twin dearly, Neptune, at the same time, was glad he didn't decide to follow the bigger ice giant to socialize more. His social battery was completely drained for the day. Besides, now he got to watch his moons! 

Something flashed behind him. Neptune turned, already on high alert. "Who goes there?!" He couldn't help but ask. The Kuiper Belt had been... strangely active lately. Asteroids weren't where they should be, moving around all wrong... "Pluto??"

"...I didn't know my gravity was pulling on the belt." Neptune whispered painfully, more and more tears building and building but never falling... never letting himself cry, the moon realized painfully. Breathing had become difficult, painfully being held back in his neck and remaining there, blowing up like a balloon. Not even once did he interupt, hanging onto every word. "Or... pulling on someone in the belt."

Triton sucked in a harsh breath. Neptune's eyes fluttered shut, for a moment, stuck in whatever memory he was reliving before he continued. 

"Asteroids and debris got stuck in my gravity all the time." He tried to reason, though the moon suspected it was more for himself than for Triton. "So when I... when you got stuck, I-..." Neptune held his breath. Another tear slipped through the cracks. "...Didn't notice." He admitted quietly, ashamed. "Until...until it was too late."

CRASH! BOOM!

"No! My... my moons!"

"...I. Killed your moo-"

"No!" Neptune denied so fast it actually startled him, making Triton flinch back. The intense, certain way he said it robbed Triton of his voice, leaving him unable to deny. The panic, how he switched  immediately. 

"...But." He still stuttered. "You... if you got pushed out. It means that you were in your orbit." The alarmbells that had been ringing in his mind intensified, dread slowly creeping in as he realized... "Which means that I... wasn't."

Triton had been the one to leave his orbit. Which meant that... if Triton had stayed-

"Triton, my dearest treasure." The pet name, which used to bring only misery and all other sorts of negative emotions, only brought warmth and this time, confusion, as Neptune didn't hesitate to let go of himself to cup Triton's face, and make him look at him. "You were a child." He said, oddly more lucid than he had been seconds before. "More importantly, you hadn't ever been close to a planet before. You couldn't have known."

...

Neptune didn't make sense.

Triton didn't even know when he had started crying. He only noticed when his planet gently started wiping the tears away with his thumb. "You don't make sense." The moon sobbed, selfishly leaning into Neptune's hand. The ice giant's face crumbled further, and was stiff as a board even when Triton leaned into his palm. "A normal person would have been angry. Why aren't you angry?"

Angry at the solar system. Angry at the unfairness of it all. 

At Triton.

"Why did you keep me? Pretend I'm your moon?" The sobs grew worse, more heartbreaking, going from soft sniffles to heaving gasps and ugly crying, because he didn't get it. "Why do you love me?"

Because Neptune loved him. Despite all the odds literally saying he shouldn't... Neptune loved him.

The same way he loved his fifteen moons.

Who... Triton only now realized with horror, certainly did look like pieces and bits and-

Neptune didn't let his mind wander that dark path, the little moon freezing when his planet kissed him between his eyes. "...I wasn't going to." He tearfully admitted, breathing the words into his hair. "You were so... small." He shuddered. "So tiny, so delicate... and hurt. I thought... I thought you would drift away, just like everything else."

Deep breath in. "But you... did your own thing."

The baby wouldn't stop crying. 

Neptune was covering his ears, trying not to cry himself as he looked away, away from the baby, away from his-

"Since when can a captured object become a moon?!" Uranus hysterically asked, not aiding in quieting the baby at all. Sure, he had been rocking the mo- planet in hopes of soothing the crying...

But doing so had brought his attention to the planet symbol hanging around his neck. And the two of them had been hysterical ever since. 

So that was why he hadn't left yet... "I don't know!" Neptune desperately shouted back, wincing at the increasing volume when he stepped back. "I thought they would leave eventually!"

"Well- let him go, mate!"

"I'm trying!"

Why did they get stuck? Since when can celestials get stuck in each others gravity?!

Uranus pulled them on one side. Neptune backed away from the other with all his might. 

And yet, despite their best efforts... just like how it was with newborn moons who couldn't leave their orbit, the little one wouldn't budge. And eventually started crying louder due to the continued pulling. So the two ice giants stopped. And stared.

"I couldn't get you out." Neptune regretfully whispered, his finger tips ghosting over the back of his head and sending those pleasant thingles down his spine. The other hand wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him in. And Triton let him. "I tried. You... you were already considered a moon by the time I realized."

His brain hurt, so much so- the little moon whined through his cries, softly shushed by his planet so he would calm down. "I thought... I thought you would know when you woke up." The planet sounded all choked up himself, "That since, hey, you were hurt so bad because of me. Then... then the least I could do was look after you until you woke up. And then- then you would leave on your own!"

"Wait! I'm not your moon..."

"Sure you are! You just... forgot about it!"

"But you didn't remember either." A distressed purr rumbled against his skull, the same way it had done in the first memory it had, grief and all. "And I started forgetting." The trembling limbs, sadly, pulled away from his body, completely withdrawing considering the moon wasn't bawling his eyes out that extremely anymore. Allowing Triton to see the red-rimmed, puffy eyes of the usually cheery ice giant. "And when I finally remembered..." He sucked in a breath, looking to the side in shame. "I fell in love with you already." He giggled through the tears, even if he didn't sound happy in the slightest. "Isn't that selfish?"

"Neptune, why are you crying?"

The ice planet wiped away the tears, smiling that adoring smile he always had when he looked at his moons, telling Triton there was nothing to worry about at all. "Nothing, my pearl. Just go back to sleep."

Triton... was speechless. 

The grip he had on his glasses loosened, just enough for them to slip out of his hand, and float around in Neptune's gravity. A shuddering breath was breathed out as he looked down. "...But why?" he weakly repeated, uncaring of how uncool he was sounding right now. He. He wasn't- he. Woah. "I killed your moons."

"You didn't." His planet shot back, curling up. "I did that. Just like how I pulled you in." Another rumble, louder this time, just to selfishly, soothe himself. "I didn't mean to. But you were so small, and my mind wouldn't stop it, and our connection felt just like it did with them."

"And I fell in love you with you." It only occured now to Triton that even though he had been crying... Neptune still held it together. Barely. Despite how much the guilt had obviously weighted him down. "And with Proteus, and Nereid, and Larissa, and all sixteen of you."

I know you do, Triton thought but didn't voice, gaze falling back onto the bracelet around Neptune's wrist. The constant reminders for water or anything else, the freedom he gave, the fact that he never forgot anything relating to his moons-

...Why had he twisted that truth in his mind?

"I didn't know how to tell you." Neptune didn't seem to know what to do in the quiet, so he went on rambling. Completely missing the way Triton looked at him. "You- you were too young first. And- and then their pieces-" A hand clutched over his mouth, but was lifted just as fast. "And you. I didn't know. How you would take it. And there was never a good moment- and you didn't like me anyway, and that is fine, so- I didn't think, I-"

Triton let his body drop on Neptune's knee. 

The planet went rigid, and shut up. As if even one wrong move would make him leave. 

Triton... instead of fighting it, just this once, let himself relax. A soft sound, a purr, much higher than Neptune's deep ones, rumbled quietly, the urge for once not held back along with the gentle swaying of his tail. 

Neptune had taken good care of him, hadn't he? Didn't treat him- or any of his moons, any different from one another. Made sure they were warm, and safe, and full and comfortable and happy. Which was a lot more than what the other planets had apparently done. 

Warm.

The celestial thought, as those gentle hands finally, finally stopped pulling, but instead picked him back up again. The toddler cooed, and nuzzled into the warmth, melting when papa started those deep rumbles that washed over his entire being. The ouchie and owie left him be, finally, defeated by the love. 

It was so warm. 

"..." Neptune's hand hesitantly rested on top of his body, but relaxed over time, cupping him more securely. "...If you want to leave." He numbly said. "I won't be mad." And yet, his hand curled around him protectively, revealing how he truly felt about the matter. "I'll... explain it to the kids. You can go."

Triton... hesitated. 

Lone wolf. 

...Did he want to be?

"..." Much to Neptune's shock, Triton shook his head against his knee. "No thanks." The moon mumbled, and he meant it. "I'm good."

He liked fitting in. Both with the moons, the dwarf planets... and with Neptune. Where else would he go?

"...Triton, if you don't want to-" The ice giant started, but the moon didn't let him. "I want to." He clarified, shutting him up effectively.

"..." A single tear dripped down into his hair, soaking into the curls, causing the little moon to look up at his planet again. His free hand was pressed back onto his mouth to keep any sound from slipping out... even if his eyes were so wide it looked like it hurt, tears steadily slipping down the cracks. "...Okay." The amount of relief in his voice actually caught Triton off guard. "O-okay." He breathed, physically relaxing. "If... if you're sure."

"I am." Triton turned around so he was laying on his back instead, and after a moment of hesitation... reached up. Neptune's face went through about a thousand different emotions, surprise, grief, guilt... but in the end, the joy won, making him smile and allowing him to reach down to pick up his moon... who did not protest, even as he was pressed close to Neptune's face. Even as he wiped away the new tears that had started, or purred and kissed his face. He... supposed he could deal with his planets weirdness... 

It wasn't like the two were that different, after all. 

"...Thank you, Neptune."

"I love you, treasure." His planet murmured with a kiss, bringing back the warm, the good fuzziness that made him melt against the older ones body. 

Maybe... maybe one day, he would be able to tell him the same. 

"Triton! Triton, we wanna come with you!"

"Please!! Please please PLEAASSSEEE!"

"I thought you kids had a playdate with the Uranian moons?"

"..."

"Neptune!!" the oldest of the Neptunian moons shouted suddenly, distracted by that one comment. "Where is Titania?! You said she was picking us up!!"

"I'm coming with, remember?" Neptune gently corrected, petting Proteus' head to soothe the nerves. His child let out a happy purr at the contact, leaning into the touch. "I wanna see Uranus!"

"Why isn't Triton coming?" Hippocamp complained, having perked up on Proteus' shoulders and stubborn to remain there. "It's not nice to leave family behind!"

"Because he's seeing his dwarf planet friends!" The planet reminded. "And then he will join us later, whenever he wants!" 

"I'll probably take them with me..." Triton quietly added, pulling his hood over his head in a weak attempt to hide the embarassment that was apparent on his face. "Pluto and Charon were talking about wanting to see you and Uranus... they missed you."

"Aww." Neptune flapped his hands happily at the comment, shifting in an instant so he was now floating upside down. "Good! I'm glad Pluto's feeling better... he looked so sad last time!"

"Apparently, you helped him feel better...?"

"Good!"

"Neptuneee." Laomedeia impatiently tugged at the planet's tail. "Let's go!! I wanna paint!!" The rest of the Neptunian moons voices their agreement, loud and clear. Neptune chuckled, and straightened back out. 

"Alright, alright!" He scooped all of them up in one go, relishing in the happy laughs and giggles he received in response. "Triton!" Triton fought back the warmth in his chest when his planet still made sure to remember him, pushing up his glasses to hide his eyes and pulling his hoodie back down again. "You have your water with you, right?"

"Yes, Neptune."

"And you have the asteroids I gave you? Don't think I didn't notice you skipping breakfast!"

"Neptuneeee." He whined, lightheartedly pushing the fingers away when they poked him. "I'm not a baby anymore."

"My treasure is what you are." The large hand quickly curled around his body to hold him in place, just long enough to quickly lean down and kiss his cheek. Triton swatted him away, embarrassed... but strangely loved. Hey, when it was just them and no one else... it was fine. "Have fun with your dwarf planet friends, Triton!" The planet waved, lifting the kids when they called out for him.

"Bye bye Triton!!"

"Set fires, choose violence!!"

"NO!!"

...The Marsian kids were a terrible influence. 

Triton snickered to himself, waiting until their voices faded out completely before he made his move, finally following up on his promise to spend some normal time with the dwarf planets for once. He wondered if Makemake had figured out the 'television' yet... if not, Luna's explanation (because he finally asked) should be more than enough to figure it out, right?

...

His hand curled around the moon symbol around his neck gently, letting the dull edges poke his palm. But this time... this time, instead of the resentment, the confusion, the grief of not knowing what he was...

Triton smiled. 

He was glad he wasn't a lone wolf.