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Ceres woke up with a sharp gasp.
Immediately his senses were attacked by everything he could feel; the strange softness under his fingers, the sounds of breathing all around him, the sharp light that was closer than it was supposed to be, the far too hot air-
The angry rumbles outside of the strange four walls.
With a shriek, the dwarf planet hid back under his covers, only to grow overwhelmed by the textures and rip it off again for some air. There was a strange beating in his chest, one he hadn't felt before until the other dwarf planets had dragged him to this unfamiliar surface, fast and loud and owie owie it hurt, it bothered him, why was it there?!
Maybe because of the usual monsters that had attacked him in his dreams again.
But they never caused that before.
Ceres tried to purr in attempt to calm himself, but his efforts were in vain; the instinct that allowed him to make the nice sound had been robbed, replaced by strange vocal cords that weren't his own, the same way he'd opened his eyes in a body that wasn't his.
The skies let out another boom.
Ceres cried out, and pushed his face into his pillow as much as he could.
Their star only did that when he was angry. And entropy always followed after, his old friends had found out the hard way. The smallest dwarf planet had accepted this truth long ago.
So why was he so terrified of it every time?
"Ceres?" That same, gentle voice he adored sleepily called, somewhat soothing his nerves. Not enough to abandon the darkness he'd discovered, but enough to ease his trembling. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Boom!
He grabbed the edges of the soft thing his head lay upon, and pushed it as much against his ears as he could. "...Oh!"
"A-aw..." The ringed dwarf planet cooed at him with a yawn, sounding somewhat shaky himself. "T-thunder sounds scary when you're this s-small, huh...?"
Thunder? He wondered, trying to remember who that was again. The big planet. The one he orbited next to. Destroyer of rocky planets and the cause of entropy.
The reason Ceres was so tiny.
Oh. Was it not the Sun who was rumbling this time?
"Wow!" The smartest dwarf, far too awake for the cursed time, called happily, without a doubt already trying to find the source. "Fascinating! And these fragile structures can withstand such powerful forces!"
"It's called a house, Makemake..." The biggest among them grumbled, very obviously not happy about having woken up. Neither was Ceres. He liked sleeping when the beasties didn't haunt him.
"House, fortress, who cares?! My way sounds more whimsical!"
"You are much too awake for... 4 A.M., Makemake."
But no one was screaming for their lives yet. Which was odd. Entropy always called for disorder and panic. Was this not entropy after all?
Hesitantly, Ceres dared a peak past the soft fabric. Thankfully, he was already used to dark orbits, so seeing his friends was no problem for him. Plu-plu and Cherry were curled up on a... big, fluffy thing that was raised above the ground, where Ceres and Ham had been sleeping in their blankets forth. Two, smaller fluffy thrones were on both sides of the big one, in one which Ears was hanging over dramatically, obviously displeased. The other, where Makky was suppsoed to be, was empty. "Wow!" Ceres could still hear him call, safely concluding that Thunder hadn't eaten him yet, the same way he'd done with his companions. "It looks so beautiful up close!"
"And scary..." Ham whined, leaning more into the throne Ears had been sitting on. The usually pink dwarf planet subtly lowered her hand into his soft hair, and simply rested it there. The ringed one smiled.
Boom, the skies screamed again, closer this time, prompting Ceres to squish his face back into the soft asteroid. His companions quieted down, all their eyes on him.
"Aw..." Cherry slipped from her throne, gently sliding down next to him without messing up his blankets. "Did the thunder scare you, Ceres? I promise it's harmless!"
"Unless this is a tornado!" Makky cheerfully called, far too excited about the prospect of danger. "In that case, we would need to seek shelter immediately! Of course it could also be a hurricane, the strongest storms there are, in which if thats what this is-"
"How about we don't talk about natural disasters and have nightmares?" Plu-plu complained, letting his head drop onto the side of his plush throne. "Ceres and Haumea are scared enough."
"I-I'm not scared..."
Ceres, without even looking, could already image the way Makky's face softened, mostly by guilt due to speaking too much but also with care. "Ah... I'm sorry, dearest Haumea." He mumbled, his voice sounding closer now that he was returning to their cuddle pile. Ham's face was probably already reddening in that way it always did whenever the felt embarassed. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"You didn't."
Ceres would have focused more on their lovely voices, but all his thoughts came to a halt when Cherry's soft hand suddenly buried itself into his hair. It was an odd thing she did, but not unpleasant. Never unpleasant. Ceres always loved her touch.
Despite already knowing it was coming, he couldn't help the pleased hum when her fingers curled, and lightly scratched against his scalp. Automatically, he leaned into her hand. Cherry giggled. "Awww!"
But soon enough, another loud boom made him yelp- but this time, he pressed into Cherry's hip instead. Why was the god of gods so angry today? He wasn't normally! Hadn't been for millenia. "Oh..." Cherry slipped her hands under his armpits slowly, letting the smallest among them decide wether or not he wanted to be picked up- and when he didn't pull away, she didn't hesitate to lift the toddler into her lap, and press his face into her chest. "Oh, poor thing..." She cooed at him, cupping the back of his head.
The moon had that same thing beating in her chest as the dwarf planet had.
But her melody was calmer, gentler. Much nicer to listen to, the toddler decided, pressing his ear more into her chest. "Aw, Ceres..." Cherry murmured, her voice a tip softer this time, in that special way that was only for him. Ceres would have purred if he could. But these flesh bodies didn't have the instruments needed to do so. So he settled on cuddling into her instead.
"..." Makky stepped away from window with a sigh. "...I am sorry for scaring you, friends. That was not my intention."
Why was he sorry? Fear came with entropy!
That knowledge didn't stop him from whimpering into Cherry's sleepshirt when the angry god struck again, louder than before. The bigger moon cupped the back of head, pressing it closer into that soothing beat, and scratched his scalp that always made Ceres melt. His tense form relaxed into her with a shudder. "Oh, Ceres..."
Somewhere above, he heard Ears sigh. "Oh, don't pout." She grumbled, probably coaxing the red dwarf to sit back down so he wasn't missing anymore. Which was weird, because Three was missing!
Three was upstairs, with the fifteen broken fragments and the Earth-Shaker, he who belonged to the Sea. Bringer of Entropy! "Makemake..."
"I'm fine, Eris." He very much did not, obviously upset. About the god of thunder too? It seemed to bother Ham, who was still quietly whimpering next to them.
They'd all been upset down here a lot. But Ceres couldn't understand why! It was soft, and warm, just like how the Kuiper Belt was! Minus the cold. And the sharp asteroids. Other than that, exactly the same!
BOOM!
And instantly, Ceres jumped into Charon's arms with a cry, his grip so tight it must be hurting her. "Ceres..."
"I-it's okay!" Ham slowly scooted over until he could drape himself over the smallest's back, a solid weight hugging him. "It's just thunder, Ceres."
Yes. Boom! Boom! All the booms! He liked booms. It sounded funny.
Why was it so scary this time?
"He... really doesn't like thunder, huh?" Plu-plu observed, his voice a touch softer than usual. Not as soft as Cherry's, but it still felt nice. Not nice enough to cure his misery, but oh well.
The baby sniffled, nudging his face against Cherry to wipe the tears away. His head was owie. And the god of gods was loud. Couldn't he be loud another time? After a nap? He was sleepy.
The reminder brought back the horrible visions in his dreams- the beasties trying to get him, the big bodies that had suddenly crowded his belt taking over and consuming his asteroid friends. Taking Hygiea, who couldn't defend themself because they hadn't woken up yet and needed Ceres to protect them while they continued to nap. And then the big yellow beastie, the purple beastie, and her new life came to get him too.
He liked entropy. Ceres had accepted entropy long ago. He loved the chaos and discord it would bring.
Why was it so scary?
"Oh, Ceres." Cherry lifted him into her lap properly, shushing softly into his hair while rocking him slowly back and forth. "Shhh, shh..."
His throat hurt. And his eyes. And his everything.
The toddler sobbed, shaking like a leaf. Another terrified shriek escaped him when the skies roared again, his anger clearly getting worse.
"Shhh..." Charon continued to soothe the poor dwarf tenderly, rocking him in her lap while patting his back. "Ceres..."
Her heart sank when the toddler's only response was to curl up tighter, his cries breaking something in her. She hadn't even known Ceres was capable of crying. Had the thunder really spooked him that badly?
"He was already awake before that," Eris informed her, sinking deeper and deeper onto the one-person couch she'd claimed for herself. It didn't look comfortable at all- sure, the pink dwarf had covered the couch in blankets and pillows, but her legs continued to dangle from the side. "He woke up crying."
"And why were you awake, Eris?" Makemake questioned with narrowed eyes, his earlier guilt already soothed by Haumea, who was now curling into his side instead. He crossed his arms, waiting.
Eris turned her back, waving him off. "He woke me up."
"Nonsense! I saw your eyes open!"
...Wha-
"And why were you awake, Makemake?"
"....I want a lawyer."
"I want those awful explosions to stop." Poor Haumea whined, having reached his limit for noise already as it seemed. His body trembled, overwhelmed by not only the rude awakening and the noise, but also the pure flashes of white. Thunder seemed extreme, down here. Extreme enough to even scare the adrenaline-fueled Ceres.
"Pluto will be back with your headphones soon, dear friend." Makemake soothed, softer than usual, patting Haumea's cheek. The bigger dwarf melted into him with a shudder as he held out a hand for Eris to take. Confused, she squeezed it.
Pluto had left a couple minutes ago to get some things to help, being the only one out of the group with some experience being down here. For Haumea it was headphones, some water for everyone, and for Ceres... well. He hadn't known yet. But Charon had full trust in her beloved.
"You're both crazy." Haumea complained, the sleep-deprivation causing him to turn somewhat snappy. It made all three of them giggle, but they were polite enough to hide it. "It's sleep time. Who is awake during sleep time."
Another crash of thunder shut him up instantly.
Ceres' wail brought her back to the little one in her arms, instantly redoubling her efforts to soothe him. Was it the sound he didn't like? But he orbited next to the rocky planets, and those were loud. The brightness? But shouldn't his orbit be-
"Kids don't always have a reason, Charon." Eris gently reminded her, ignoring the glaring Makemake next to her. Aw. The moon smiled at her in thanks as she gently bounced her knees up and down, hoping the motion would calm Ceres's crying. She supposed that was true. Even for a little oddball like the smallest dwarf amongst them, who enjoyed Call of Duty and giggled at the sight of clowns.
Ew. Clowns. Charon certainly hadn't missed those in the twenty years she and Pluto hadn't been on Earth's surface.
Twenty years...
"Lightning is formed from a charge seperation within the atmosphere." Rambled the smart one, his voice a tad softer, sleepier, probably because he hadn't been sleeping at all. Ugh. You would think that leaving the solar system would tire him out. "The base of the thundercloud builds up with negative charge, while the bottom on the surface builds up with positive charge. Between the clouds and surface, a voltage gets created."
"The atmosphere gets seperated?" Haumea whined, smushing his face into the back of Makemake's neck. The smaller dwarf relaxed himself so that the ringed one could lay down as he wanted. "Don't these... Earthlings need their atmosphere?"
"The atmosphere is fine, Haumea."
"You just said it was ripping!"
In a normal situation, Ceres would happily be chanting about disorder right about now.
Instead, he sobbed pitifully into her sleep shirt, tiny hands clinging for dear life. Shaking hard enough for Charon to tremble with him.
"Ceres, it's okay." She kissed his forehead, breathing out against it gently. "It's only rain. That's normal down here." Charon pulled her knees up just slightly so Ceres was laying more on her, stilling when the toddler cried out the second his legs shifted. Oh dear... Did he have growing pains again? He seemed to be having those a lot on Earth's surface. Probably because his chance to grow in the solar system had been rudely interupted by Jupiter.
"Oh yeah..." Haumea, with a yawn, twisted his body so he was facing the moon again. "You and Pluto have been here before, right?"
A lot had changed from what she remembered. But the rain was still the same.
Eris grumbled before she could answer, throwing her head over the edge of the couch. "How come you two don't have a room down here?" She complained, oblivious to Charon's wince. "Wasn't Pluto a planet too, once?"
"Don't..." Charon... really didn't want to talk about that. "Don't bring that up with Pluto, please?"
The duo had been beyond shocked when they'd headed to Pluto's old room, confused by Earth's panicked protests, before finding out that what used to be Pluto's bedroom had been turned into a storage closet.
Boxes and random items and disgarded clothing and whatever had been lithering the room, all covered in a layer of dust- nothing would be able to rest there anytime soon. Earth had apologized so many times. Charon had been too shocked to speak... and a bit afraid of how Pluto might react.
Pluto had breathed in. Had closed the door. And had been ready to leave.
It took so much pleading from Earth's end to convince him to stay.
Speaking off...
"Why is it so hard to see down here?" Pluto was loudly complaining, almost tripping over a disgarded pillow but managing to catch himself. He froze up for a moment, letting his gaze go over all of them.
And then he huffed. "It wasn't this dark before."
"Maybe because the blinds are covered, dumbass."
"Eris!"
"Here, Haumea." Her beloved's smile gentled out the second he got to the ringed one, who gratefully took the headphones from his hand. "Do you remember how to turn the noise cancelling on?"
"I do." Haumea nodded, sighing in relief when the softness touched his ears, and drowned out the noise. He mouthed a thank you before closing his eyes.
One friend taken care of, Pluto stumbled and climbed his way next to Charon through the softness, having a tight grip on the... cup? he was holding in his hands. Confused, Charon asked. "You, uh... what's that for, Pluto?"
"For him." Motioning with his head in Ceres' way, the biggest dwarf held out the little sippy cup for Charon to take. It felt hot. "It's milk and honey."
Oh.
...Oh, Pluto.
Charon felt her heart warm in that way it only could with him, fluttering happily in her chest despite the still-crying toddler in her arms. How had she gotten so lucky to be his moon? "You remembered."
"I didn't." He said, much to her confusion, as he settled properly. "I asked Earth."
...Oh.
Charon held back her surprise. "You... did?"
He nudged the sippy cup into her hands again, making sure she held it properly before he let go. "Earth never slept well." Pluto shrugged, stretching his legs. "He was awake."
"..." Charon made a mental note to ask how he was feeling later. For now, she focused her attention on Ceres, who's crying had softened, but hadn't stopped. "Pst, Ceres." Charon murmured against his skin, pushing the cup against his lips. "Look what Pluto got you."
Ceres turned his head away, fussing softly, but Charon wouldn't have it. She kept the cup at his mouth, and pushed it in the moment he was about to sob again.
Ceres drew in a shocked breath, accidentally drinking some of the milk. And not having expected it, he choked, accidentally spitting out most of the mouthful which Charon quickly wiped away. Clearly he was about to cry again due to the unfamiliar sensation. But then swallowed. And froze with a surprised noise, eyes zeroing in on the bottle in Charon's hands.
The moon smiled gently at him, nudging the little bottle back against his lips. "Yeah," She crooned into his hair, the fingers against his back tapping soothingly. "It's to drink!" Charon encouraged. "You'll like it."
Ceres continued to resist it for a little longer, weaker than before now that he'd gotten a taste. In the end, he gave in, and hesitantly took a sip- eyes widening in shock when warmth flooded his mind. Took another gulp slowly, testing the waters.
And then melted into her body, growing pliant and calmer, as his eyes drooped, and tiny hands held onto the small sippy cup she'd been holding for him.
Charon let out a breath she hadn't even been aware she'd been holding, her body slumping against the couch behind her. Good. Good. That fixed the problem of Ceres not eating too, she thought with a shaky breath, pulling the toddler more securily against her chest. "Good job." She mumbled, tangling her fingers into his hair, and scratching lightly in that way she knew he loved. And sure enough, Ceres shivered in her hands, pausing his drinking for a moment to lean into it, before he resumed the soft suckling.
Another round of thunder burst outside. And Ceres didn't react.
Succes.
"Thank you," She mouthed at her beloved, who smiled, and left a quick peck on her lips in return. She would have pulled him in for a proper kiss, but that meant letting go of Ceres' bottle, so for now this would do. His heart beat had slowed dramatically, settling to something calmer, enough to hopefully soothe him to sleep once he was full. Charon moved the hand from his hair to his stomach, rubbing soothing circles, hoping to rub away any aches he might feel before they even appeared.
Now that the worry was draining from her body, she became aware of the cold. Charon shivered, curling up out of reflex- and Pluto was already draping a blanket over her and Ceres before it could continue, smiling at her when they made eycontact. "Better?" He asked, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
Charon nodded thankfully, and caught sight of the dwarves behind him. Haumea had long passed out by now, head moved to Makemake's lap where he was absentmindedly scratching, while Eris held up a phone they'd been gifted, the two watching whatever silly thing they'd managed to find, mesmerized. Eugh. There goes their sleep schedule.
Charon shook her head lightheartedly. Ah. It's not like they knew.
A quick check on Ceres revealed he'd finished most of the bottle by now, his suckles having slowed and his eyes almost fully closed, breathing calmly against her. The little dwarf didn't protest when she gently took the cup away from his mouth and adjusted his position so they could snuggle, cooing softly when his head fell right into that spot between her head and shoulder. "Better?" She quietly asked, giggling when the toddler responded with a snore. She figured as much.
Boom!
"I forgot how these used to be..." Pluto mumbled, shaking his head, while wrapping both his arms around his moon and resting his head on the back of her head. "They're annoying."
"I disagree." Makemake's voice was thick with sleep, something he stubbornly used to admit. "They're fascinating..."
"Infpdump in the morning." Complained the largest of them, closing his eyes. "I've had enough knowledge for a while."
"Hmm." Eris was clearly barely there, the phone she'd been holding slipping out of her hands, and onto the matress below. The red dwarf didn't mention it, gently leaning his body onto her couch, and taking Haumea with him. "Goodnight."
"Night..."
"Hmmm..." Holding back a snort at her beloved's snore, Charon made sure he was properly tucked in, kissed Ceres' hair, and got comfortable herself. "Goodnight," She murmured, feeling oddly comforted as the familiar sound of rain and the snores, combined with the pressure from all around, soothed her into her dreams.
Perhaps it wasn't so bad to be back after all.