Archive of Our Own

Once upon a time, a big star whose name remained unclear, had gone super nova with only a dwarf to witness its demise. 

The star had been old. She must have been, because otherwise she wouldn't have been able to go supernova. She must have been in pain, because her voice still haunted the little star in his dreams. But this was not her story, because otherwise, we would have known her name. 

It was not the little star's story either. And yet, everything started with him anyway. 

Once upon a time, there was a poor little star called Sol. 

Sol was too small for the other stars, so they did not accept him amongst their own. They took advatage of their sizes and power, and used it to push him around. They were beasts, after all. 

It is the fate of a star to go power hungry, no matter how much one fights it. 

The poor little star known as Sol, after being seperated from the other beasts, was all alone. 

He cried into the darkness and burned as brightly as he could, but no star came to rescue him. I'm sorry, he'd cried to his little rocks, I can't leave without hurting you.

So he did not. 

And was rewarded with a planet.

One planet became four, and four became ten. Ten became nine, and then dropped back to eight again. 

Amongst those planets, the third did what others could fail to strive. 

He'd gained life.

Life, life, life! I want Life!!

That life, similarly to their planet, dropped dead and went extinct and was reborn from those ashes, until the current, intelligent species remained. 

Sol- Or Helios, Ra, Apollo, the Inti, Sun as he was known now because he never got to be a little star, was proud of everything his planet had achieved. 

Did not mean he couldn't be annoyed now though. 

"This seems like an evolutionary error to me."

"It's called a fever, Sun." Said planet grumbled out for the millionth time, forcing those white capsules between Sun's lips again. The star weakly gagged, pressing his hand as hard to his mouth as he could, hoping he could force himself to swallow this time. It made him feel bad. "You can get better without the meds, but they'll speed up the healing process. You wanna get better fast, don't you?"

He would not have been ill if he hadn't been on Earth's surface in the first place!

Sun shuddered when the pill finally managed to make its way down his throat, sliding down those tube things he apparently had in his body and settling in his stomach. Was Sol supposed to be hyperaware of it? How did these poor creatures live knowing how weak they were? "I feel fine."

"You feel hot."

"I'm the Sun." He didn't understand why he had to repeat that so often, either. Did their time outside of his light make them forget? "Of course I'm hot."

"Not in this body you're not." But they called him Sun? Or did Earth mean he was one of his other names now? Which one? Helios? Ra? Apollo? Inti?

He prefered his actual name.

But not like anyone would ever use it. 

"...Maybe we should just stay inside today..." Earth mumbled worriedly, pressing the wet cloth back against his cheek- Sun shuddered, and swatted his hand away. "Sun..." 

"I feel fine!" He did! Truly! He finally wasn't freezing down here! "You never told me these organic bodies could heat themselves up, Earth! The temperature is finally something tolerable!"

"Does your head not hurt? Your throat?" Earth continued to prod, crawling onto the star's lap to get a closer look at him. Sun, not one to deny physical contact, instantly wrapped his arms around that warm body and squeezed. Or tried to. Because Sun didn't have enough strenght in his arms to squeeze here. "...The bruises?"

Instantly, Earth's hair was kissed. Sun sighed, cupping the back of the planet's head, pressing those lovely curls closer to his lips. He was always hurt- he didn't understand why this had to be different! 

Sure, his planets hurt him, and sometimes the star still woke up to nightmares of them trying to crush him again and the mental toll hurt far more than the pulsing of the purples and blues across his body ever could- but this was good! Great, even!

His planets could fight back. Should Sun one day lose his mind again, or another star invade their system, or those stupid rogues came again- his planets could fight back. 

"I am well, Earth." He said instead- because Earth already felt guilty about a lot of things. He felt guilty about how arrogant he used to be (Which... yeah, Sun could certainly understand that one.) He felt guilty about having scared Sun, Luna and Mercury half to death when he attempted to... leave. (Was that all Sun was good for? A destructive lightbulb?) He felt guilty for having been born from Theia and Gaia's ashes. (...All the rockies were reborn from something?? And it wasn't like he chose to??) He felt guilty for having needed to stay behind when first the planets, then the Sun left. (.....Obviously?? Sun didn't want them leaving?)

He wasn't about to add onto the torment. "I am well."

"..." His small planet nudged his head against Sun's chest, probably to listen to his 'heartbeat' again. Sun didn't understand why that sound stuck out, because many organs in these bodies made sounds and all of them were vital in some way for survival- but if it calmed Earth, he wasn't about to ruin it. Besides... he got to hold him better now. 

Earth sighed, opening his eyes again. "...Maybe the warmth is good for you?" He guessed, sounding unsure. 

"Of course it is." So what if his heartbeat felt harder than it should be and the room's spinning worsened the longer he sat straight? That was simply because Sun wasn't used to being anywhere other than his orbit. And he was injured. 

His babies hurt him.

So of course he wasn't feeling all that wonderful yet! But that was okay! "I am the Sun."

Earth scoffed. "Be Sol for a change."

"Could you please help me? I'm scared..."

"Please help me, I'm scared! HAHAHA!!"

"Poor little star..."

Sun did not get to be Sol anymore. 

Sol was weak, and fragile, and emotional and dumb. Sol was easy to manipulate, to take over, to crush and injure and take from-

The Sun, Helios Ra Apollo the Inti, was the powerful center of the solar system. The strongest, and the most knowledgable, and scary and threatning and intimidating. A beast. 

He had to be a beast. Otherwise those rogue planets, or Sagittarius A forbid, other stars would come their way. 

Fingers curled into the planet's hair, pleasantly based on the way Earth pushed his head into Sun's hand. Sun smiled with a fond sigh. "You're kind, Earth."

"It's the least I can do." A tiny hand raised to press against his neck, getting a feel of the heat again- but thankfully, Earth dropped it. 

Sun tried not to be disappointed when the smaller slipped out of his arms, but alas. It was a miracle Earth hadn't ran away from him yet. "Sit tight, and I'll be back!" Earth gently pushed him back into the thick blankets and pillows, mindful of the bruises under his clothes. "I'll bring you breakfast! You'll love it!"

Sun doubted it. He'd gotten very ill the last time Earth had attempted to feed him cereal. Far too much sugar in the morning.

But Earth was already gone, off the fetch him whatever he'd had in mind this time. Sun hoped soup. He liked soup, especially the tarhana Earth had made for dinner once. It was orange, like him! 

"..." The star grumbled, turning to his side to stare out the window, into his own light. This was ridiculous. Until now, all he'd done was sit in his orbit, and wait endlessly. He was used to sitting for centuries at a time, with nothing to do but stargaze. 

But Sun was already bored out of his mind. 

...He could find something to do. He could get up, and leave, because down here he wasn't bound to his orbit and his planet's lives weren't bound to him. He could... move around. And no one would die. 

That was new. 

If he could get his legs to work. 

Earlier, Earth had the audacity to suggest he use something called a wheelchair. He would sit on a throne of wheels, and someone else would push him around. Sun had been quick to shoot that idea down, because he wasn't going to be pushed around! He was Helios! Ra! Apollo! The Inti! No one pushed him, HE did the pushing!

"I am the Sun. THE Sun! YOUR Sun. Your st-"

-Bad thoughts bad thoughts go away go away.

Sun forced out a shuddery breath, opening his eyes once he realized they were closed, and glaring into his light to distract himself. Dead inside, dead inside, he told himself, face smoothning out. You are dead inside. You can't be hurt if you are dead inside. Breathe.

Earthlings needed to breathe. 

So he inhaled. Then exhaled slowly.

Sun stared out the window until his eyes werw watering and dripping, his heart now calm, and his head lighter. No... he was... going to do things today! He was tired of laying in this cushiony throne all day long! 

Sun... was going to stand. And take some steps. And join his planets! Because he wanted to, and he could!

...

Any minute now! 

...

Sun allowed himself to lay, only for a moment longer, before he planted both his hands at each side of his hips. He could do this. Mercury had explained it to him. It was just like in space... only his gravity wasn't around to catch him. He had to use the strenght in his shaky arms to lift himself up. One... two-

Using all the strenght he had, Sun pushed his upper body up.

Instantly his vision swayed, stars dancing across his eyes while the bruises around his ribs flared, but Sun breathed a sharp breath through the pain. You are the Sun, you are the Sun, you are-

He sat up. 

Now... step two. His legs had to be down the bed. 

Normally, he used his arms to lift his limp legs around- but Sun did not allow himself to this time. If he wanted to walk, he would need to move these heavy things on their own. He'd done it a couple times... with Jupiter holding him up. Because Jupiter had the audacity to be taller than him down here, and- no!

One leg. Two legs.

The star was out of breath by the time he managed to have them dangling over the bed- but he did it! All on his own!

Feeling childishly giddy, Sun smiled to himself. A small victory, but it was one regardless. Gaining control of these organic bodies required effort. 

And now... the final part. 

Standing up. 

His arms shook from the effort, but that was okay. Because in this case, it wasn't weakness or fear that caused them to tremble. It was effort, and determination, and strength. 

Everything the planets needed him to be. 

Sun, inhaling and exhaling again, tried to brace himself. 

One. 

Two. 

Three.

Sun, practically throwing himself of the bed, forced his legs to catch his body-

And immediately lost his balance, tipping backwards. 

Sun, wide eyed, yelped when overpowered- but he wasn't one to give up! He was the Sun! The Sun! Helios Ra Apollo the Inti!

Caught himself back with his hands. Their shaking worsened. His chest felt strangely tight. 

Sun felt hot. 

Try again. Try again.

One, two-

Pushed himself back off. 

Swayed again, legs trembling like a leaf and almost dropping under the unfamiliar weight-

But the Sun managed to plant his hands onto the nightstand next to the bed before he fell again. 

He waited. Waited to be pushed back down, and be crushed as he was so used to now, bruises across his body evident of it. But it never came. 

Sun dared to open his eyes. And his light greeted him again.

".....Ha!" the star grinned gleefully, only himself witness to his celebration. Ha! Haha!! Take that, gravity! Sun bested you once again! 

His eyes teared back up from the light, so he tilted face down- smile falling as he faced the picture on top of the drawer he had missed countless times. 

Right. He was staying in Jupiter's room, after all. So of course, his belonings would be here too. 

"..." A small, softer smile graced his lips. Tenderly, a finger raised to rest on top of the ten, smiling faces, trying to imagine what would have had them be so happy. Had this been their first time on Earth's surface, perhaps?

...

Sun hoped Pluto could forgive him, someday. 

But there was no dwelling on that now. Stubbornly, Sun focused on the heavy bedroom door next. 

He had somewhere to be after all. 

Sun. 

Hated.

Stairs.

In Dutch, stairs were called traps. A fact he'd lovingly learned from Earth, and who had also told him that other words included escaleras, scala, escaliers, and so on. But this particular translation fit his opinions the best. 

These cursed things were designed like traps.

"Sun!" A small, panicked voice called from behind him- and the star, very annoyed to be disturbed mid-jail break, could only groan in reply. "What are you doing out of bed? You're supposed to be resting!"

"I'm tired of that fluffy casket." Was all he offered, smoothing his face out when Mercury stepped into his point of view. He couldn't be annoyed, or displeased, because then they would fight back. Crush him, perhaps. Leave. And Sun didn't want them to leave him. "I wanted to finally step out, so I did!"

"..." Although hesitant, Mercury obviously didn't seem all too displeased by the new development. If anything, he looked... relieved? "...You're not out of breath or anything?" He asked cautiously. "Hurt?"

Was this concern for Sun, or themselves? It was hard to tell... but the star still felt his heart soar happily when Mercury grabbed onto his arms to help balance him. He loved being touched. "Earth's gravity is no match for me!" He claimed proudly, barely tripping this time as he took his next step down. He was doing it! He was conquiring these traps! "I did help him nourish it."

"That is good news!" Mercury brightened up, melting the star a little from the inside. Aw. He liked seeing his smallest happy. "Earth was worried about you- but if you're okay it means we can still take our trip!"

"Worried?" Sun questioned, breathing a sigh of relief when the ground beneath them straightened out. "What for?"

"He said you were sick?" The fastest planet shrugged. Then stood on his tiptoes, arms reached up to his face. It took a moment to realize that Mercury was trying to reach his skin- holding back a fond laugh, the star bent down. Itty bitty hands patted his cheeks lovingly, bringing back that strange fuzinness that had bloomed in his mind before- but it was gone just as fast. "A little warm, but you seem okay!"

Finally! Someone who agreed with him! Sun puffed out his chest, laughing. "Thank you!" Because... that was a compliment right? He wasn't sure. Sun never heard compliments. 

"Wanna join us for breakfast?" That same hand entangled with his own, instantly quieting his mind. Mercury leaned into Sun's arm, looking strangely happy. "Earth made us something called Yorkshire Pudding! Its very soft and I think you'll like it!"

Pudding, pudding... that was a treat, wasn't it? "Is it sweet?" Sun questioned, already feeling his stomach flipping at the thought. Eugh... he didn't wanna disappoint Earth but...

The smaller, thankfully, instantly caught on. "Don't worry, he also made something called menemen." He comforted, patting his hands. "It's eggs with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and some other things- its not sweet at all!"

Hm... that was a lot of ingredients. But unfortunately, his stomach rumbled at the mention of food. And Sun raised a hand to hide the blush creeping up. "...I see."

"You'll like it!"

"I was about to take it to him!" Earth called, sounding surprised, when the duo appeared through the door. A plate filled with red, along with a big glass of water, in his hands. 

Inside, Sun found the rest of his system enjoying each other's company. Uranus, Neptune and Planet X were sitting at a small table in the corner, eating in complete silence, probably because they'd inherited his horrible communication skills. Venus and Mars could be heard from the living room- screaming nonsense about whatever Earth had put on the magic box now. And his oldest two were sitting at the counter, similar looks of surprise on their faces, clearly not having expected him there. 

...Ah. They didn't want him there. Of course. Sun didn't like being near the beasts either. 

"How did you get out of bed?" Earth asked, setting the plate and glass back down to help Sun instead- but the star waved him away. It was too late to turn back now, he'd already interupted them... but then he was going to do this on his own. He was the Sun. "I could have gotten you a cane!"

"I do not require your aid." The star, grumbling, pulled himself out of Mercury's grasp, leaning his weight onto a chair instead. He was getting the hang of this walking thing! He was stellar at it!

He giggled at the thought, but kept the pun to himself. "My gravity is more immense then yours! I can handle it!"

"Not down here it ain't." Earth pulled the chair back for him- and Sun had to admit, it was a little bit of a relief to be off his legs. "You're still healing, Sun. And you're sick!"

"I am not!"

"He seems better!" Mercury hopped onto the chair next to him. And then reached for Sun's fork and-

Took a bite himself instead. 

Mercury, humming happily, held the fork to Sun's mouth next, much to his confusion. "Try it!"

...That was an intimate act, from what Sun had understood. He'd only seen Saturn and Jupiter indulge in it, until now, so he understood this was something that required love, or trust, or something of the sort. 

...Mercury was willing to share with him? 

Sun opened his mouth, letting the strange and savoury taste flood his tongue. He hummed, chewing slowly, raising a hand to gently touch his lips. Huh... far nicer than the sweets Terra had shown him before. Not near as good as soup though. Sun loved soup. 

"Good, right?" Mercury grinned, thanking the taller planet when he was given a plate too. "Wait till you try chicken nuggets."

"Do not feed him that cheap monstrosity." Saturn cried out from the other end of the table, Jupiter all but forgotten. But his oldest didn't seem to mind, shaking his head in a lighthearted matter. "It's bad! Earth, give him that drink... uh, what was it called-?"

"I am not giving the Sun wine." That was a more familiar term. He remembered those fruity drinks despite never having tried it himself, back when Earth's Earthlings were interesting and made sacrifices for the gods- Helios being one of them. He hadn't been a fan of the blood sacrifices, why would he want a human?? Sacrifice a sunflower. He wanted to know why those were named after him.

But now he was also curious why he was always offered wine, too. After all... humans saw themselves as the mightiests beings on the Earth, so for them to sacrifice other things along side it could only mean these must be praised very highly also? "I wish to try it!" He claimed, watching Saturn's reaction. His golden planet lit up instantly, letting the star know this was the correct choice. 

"No!" Earth, Jupiter, Mercury - and surprisingly, all three of the icies shouted all once, startling the poor star and almost making him slip off his chair. Mercury placed a hand on his back, just in time. 

Saturn, clearly not having expected the backlash, only pouted. Then turned to his beloved in betrayal. "You're supposed to be on my side."

Jupiter only patted his back. "You wouldn't stop crying."

"It tasted gross." Neptune added, his eyes still on the mini screen in front. The little trapped Earthlings on the screen shouted something about honor and an avatar in the background. "I like apple juice."

"We have apple juice?" Mercury perked up again. Earth groaned loudly. 

"No-"

"I want coffee."

"You are not allowed coffee, Jupiter." 

All these new terms, spoken so fast and without any new explanation, made the star's head spin. Sun glanced Jupiter's way, hoping his child would explain- but Jupiter wouldn't even look at him. He had been doing that ever since Earth had dragged them down here, strangely. When Sun had been sickly and delirious from pain the big planet wouldn't leave his side, but then ever since he got coherent enough to form sentences he just... abandoned him.

It hurt. 

"We are still afraid of the dark, Sun. We just fear your light more."

Sun frantically waved away the whispered words in his mind, squeezing his eyes shut. Nope. He was not about to hallucinate Jupiter down here. Its okay. Jupiter wasn't obligated to talk to him- no one ever did anyway, so Sun didn't care! Dead inside, dead inside-

"-So what do you think, Sun?" Earth's voice cut through the fog, startling him back to the present. The oldest blinked a couple times to ground himself back, but found his legs and arms still were made of static. 

"H-hm- huh?" Was all he managed to hum out. Earth's face dropped, much to his horror. Oh no. He made Terra sad. Stupid, stupid- you're supposed to agree! Agree!! "O-of course, Earth." Sun found himself stuttering, praying it was the correct answer. "Whatever you wish."

"..." Jupiter put his glass down. "You weren't listening to him."

Sun swallowed past the lump in his throat. 

Earth, thankfully, didn't seem near as upset about it as he thought he was. "Oh boohoo." He shrugged, then glared his way. Huh. "Like you ever listen to anyone, Jupiter."

"Earth." Saturn intervined. Or tried to. Unfortunately, Jupiter's patience seemed thin that morning. Abprubtly standing, the giant snatched his cup from the counter, and stormed off. "Zeus!!" Saturn cried, sounding angrier than Sun was used from him. 

"I want fresh air!"

"Achad Acrettenus Olympios Xenios Ceraunius Sol!"

"Ohh!" All four of his rockies cooed at the same time, much to Sun's amusement. Mercury suddenly held onto Sun's arm probably for shelter, while Earth was giggling manically. 

"Y-you're in trouble."

"March your ass back into the kitchen this INSTANT." Saturn was shouting, storming  after his husband, shouting more... colourful words Sun winced at. Ah... he was used to a temper from Saturn. 

Not from Jupiter though. 

Was this because of... before? 

The thought was a sad one, but not one the star could blame the giant for. Sun... abandoned them after all. Let them lose themselves in the darkness, amongst other things. Abused his powers because what, he wasn't feeling well? He never felt well! His stomach was churning uncomfortably due to the food Mercury had made him take a couple more bites from right now! That was no excuse! 

Speaking of... ow. Hoping Earth didn't notice, Sun politely pushed his plate away from himself. He wasn't sure he could stomach more... it was delicious, but heavy, and Sun already wasn't feeling too well anymore. 

His planet didn't notice, much to his relief. "As I was saying." He started again, clearing his throat. "We are going out today!" 

And that glint appeared in his eyes. "And you are coming with us, Sun!"

Her glint. That excitment, the disappearance of logical thought because joy took over. It hurt to see. But it was exciting, too. 

Because Sun was about to hear ridiculous, and absolutely wonderful idea. He couldn't help but smile at it "Going where?"

"A bird sanctuary?"

"You don't have to sound so excited, Venus." Earth pouted, ahead of the rest of the group, just having returned from buying their tickets. And Sun tried to be excited about it, truly, but...

This place just looked like any other building Sun had encountered. "...Ah."

"Thats... nice Earth?" It was comforting to not be the only one lost, for once. Earth's pout deepened, only soothed when Luna patted his back. 

"I saw three different species of bird on the way here." 

"Jupiter." Saturn hissed, supportive mood instanty vaporized to glare. The two, sadly, hadn't been able to settle their fight- resulting in a very awkward and very cramped car ride. "Be supportive."

Its okay. Sun was used to the awkward air. His planets were forced to talk to him, after all. 

He wasn't too used to his planets being hostile to each other though. 

"It's cool inside!" Mars ran to the front of the group, behind Earth, hoping to hype everyone up. The blue planet clearly appreciated it, shoulders sagging. "Birds are awesome, dude."

"And they're the perfect first Earthlings to show to the Sun!" A bunch of humans surrounding them gave them weird looks as they walked inside, but Sun was used to ignoring those too. And he was too focused on one foot forward, then the next- feet wobly and hurting without any support. He almost opened his mouth to ask, but fortunately, did not. Don't bother them more. You are the Sun. You can walk. "He gets bored when nothing happens but he can't exactly run if something were to happen, either- and birds are cool."

"Birds are those flying creatures, correct?" Sun still questioned. The inside of the building was turning darker, darker... his heart speading up with nerves. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Dead inside, dead inside. "Like Uranus?"

"I'm not a not bird?" Uranus turned around- and really, it was still odd to see him without those beautiful wings... even if damaged. Sun still felt so guilty about those every single day. Another reason no one approached him. "I'm an ice giant."

"I think he meant your wings." X clarified, missing the scowl that took over the other's face. Ugh... even if they hated him, Sun wished his planets would get along, even if just for one day. Was that too much to ask for? No fighting or revolutions or running away or-

A set of doors opened.

A sudden, blinding light forced his eyes shut.

A loud screetch made his hands fly to his ears. His heart, skipping a beat, caused the rest of this faulty body to react. His chest got tight and his mind got alert. Where, where, be the Sun be the SUN-

"Now that is a White Bellbird!" Earth happily shouted over the sudden, chaotic chirps and calls- and it took Sun a moment to recognize what the sounds were. Uranus made similar sounds, after all.

But not that loud.

"It is one of the loudest bird species on my surface!" Earth continued his lecture while leading the group inside of the... other...

The absolute beauty of the place stole the Sun's breath way. 

This... room? It felt like a crime to call it room, was so full of... 

Life.

Wild trees of all kinds had sprouted and taken over in every corner Sol could see, surrounded by a wild range of flowers and grasses and moss. The inside of the room was humid, for once fighting back the subtle chill that had started creeping up Sun's skin, joined in by an earthy sent and the sound of water gushing from all around. But the largest source, as a given, was the beautiful, and new calls of the White Bellbirds that had apparently taken over the scene. 

Sun stared at their surroundings in shock, the hands on his ears lowering to his mouth. 

...It was absolutely wonderful.

Seeing the awe and wonder, Earth grinned again, puffing out his chest proudly. "Do you like it, Sunny?" he asked, clapping happily when all the star could do was breathlessly nod. "Of course you do, my surface is awesome."

"It smells... strong." Another call of life made the star twist his head to the side, witnessing two birds of that same species on two different trees. They were small, and had some weird... stick things hanging down their beaks. One was brown, and the other had beautiful white feathers. 

The brown one chirped again, that same, deafning call from before. 

The white one responded, even louder, before flying towards what Sun asumed was its mate. 

"Their chirps can reach up to a hundred and twenty five decibels." Sun... had no idea what a decibel was. But of course he nodded to show he was listening, suddenly finding himself absolutely focused. "White Bellbirds usually live in Brazil, eastern Venezuela and-... you don't know my continents." 

"In lowlands and slopes." Luna helped clarify, earning many oohhhs from their friends. "So the humans designed their habitat to look like their natural surroundings!"

"Why aren't they where they're supposed to be?" Mercury asked curiously, stepping towards one of the birds that had landed close to them- and freezing in place when it immediately flew away. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare them!"

"Eh. Birds are skittish." Earth said, giggling when one flew towards them again- and landed on his shoulder. So deep in his trance, Sun hadn't even realized the group of White Bellbirds approaching them cautiously... or approaching Earth, that is. "And there's many reasons! Maybe they needed rescue, or got hurt- one way or another ended up breeding, and boom! Group of White Bellbirds. Yes, you're so cute."

The living planet playfully tapped the birds beak, overjoyed when it chirped in return. There weren't many people inside, probably as to not scare them- but the ones who were were looking at Earth strangely. 

A warning glare from both the Sun and the moon made them flee. 

"When you said livings trust you so, I did not think it was to... this exctent." Jupiter?! Speaking!? As much as the star wanted to continue listening to the loud melody that he was getting used to, he also wanted to use any and all opportunities to get in Jupiter's good graces. Listen. Agree. Be the Sun. And then... then he could apologize. 

And maybe Jupiter would forgive him.

"They always seem to know who I am." Holding out another hand, those same white and brown birds from before took their chance to land there instead. Those beady little eyes looked around, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, X- Luna. 

And stayed. 

"Oh?" Luna made a questioning sound- crying out loudly when the white one suddenly jumped towards him, scaring the rest of the approaching birds away. "Earth?!" he screetched, tripping as those large wings covered his face. 

Earth was too busy laughing at him. "They like Luna too!"

"Does that mean they would like the Sun too?" Although the question was asked innocently, Sun couldn't help but flinch at it, mood souring. Ha. Right. Why would these magnificent beasts like him? His own planets didn't. 

The bruises hidden under his thick shirt were proof of that. 

The scoff that Jupiter failed to stiffle confirmed it, too. 

"Maybe?" Earth shrugged. He shook his shoulders a little so the birds flew away, then moved to help Luna, too. "There's many bird species here! Go explore as you want! I have a total of 11032 different kinds of birds on my surface!"

"WHAT."

So many? On Earth? His tiny planet?

......How did that fit!?

"There aren't that many here though." He seemed disappointed about that fact. Sun was impressed by the way life had evolved once again. 

Proto and Theia would have been proud. 

"..."

"..."

"Terra."

"Yes, Sun?"

"Why is this bird a tree?"

Earth snorted, twisting his head away so Sun... wouldn't see? Ah. The star knew he wasn't being laughed at... probably, so it was okay. "Its a Great Potoo, Sun." He giggled. 

Potoo? "Like a potato?" Earth wheezed. Sun did not understand what was so funny. "But they look like trees."

That seemed stupid. Why name a species after a potato when it looked nothing like one?

"T-thats- pfft-"

"It's their camouflage." Luna was kind enough to inform him instead, seeing as Earth for some reason was fighting to breathe. "They've evolved to look like that to hide!"

"From what? Enemies?" That... certainly was a useful skill. Sun hummed, leaning in closer to inspect the tree trunk, hoping to find the bird again. "Smart creatures."

"It's called n-natural- hehe- selection!" Earth, calming down from his laughing fit. Sun shook his head with a smile, because what else did he expect? As if Earth would miss a chance to talk. "The birds that hid the best continued to breed, while the ones who didn't got eaten!"

...He didn't have to sound so excited about murder though. Thankfully, Sun's face remained neutral, used to their crazy statements. "Until only the Potoos that hid the best remained!"

"...Potato." whispered the moon.

Both siblings burst out laughing again. 

Sun ignored them, far too busy trying to locate the beast-

And then those beady eyes opened. 

Startled, Sun tripped backwards- but managed to stand on his feet! Without any help! Or falling! Another victory!

His interest for the still creature triumphed the excitment. How did it manage to not move an inch? Surely it must be growing restless from standing so still?

Was the restlessness worth the survival?

"-No! I'm s-sorry!" The poor little star cried, instantly stepping back into his orbit when he saw the destruction he caused. "O-okay, okay! I'll... I'll stay put."

...Ah. 

Sun supposed their situations weren't all too different. 

HONNNKKKKKKK HONKKKKK HONKK-

"Those... geese are not happy, mate." Uranus, after reading the sign next to the pond, spoke in mild concern. This area Sun had stumbled upon was lighter, far brighter, and with way less trees, and a big pond in the middle. The area was actually outside, too! Fresh air felt so nice after all that heavy air inside. "I think they're fighting for their mate?"

"How do you know what geese are fighting about?" Planet X asked, far too curious for his own good. If he looked away from the two currently honking at each other, he would find Uranus glaring daggers into the back of his head. "Do you understand them, Uranus?"

"Are you calling me a goose?"

"You chirp too, don't you?"

"We all chirp!" Neptune giggled, cut off to wince when another one of the creatures made another angry sound. Ah... he supposed their visit today wasn't the best place for his sound-sensitive planet. "...They are loud though."

Sun could certainly respect their fight for dominance. 

They made themselves loud and as big as possible, frantically moving around in an attempt to beat the other. It didn't seem like an all too affective method... surely actual fighting would work more in their favor? Regardless, it was still impressive to see how their strange behavior communicated who was to be their leader.

But he wasn't sure if he was allowed to speak near the icy ones, so he settled on leaning his weight against the railing to watch instead. His feet ached and his legs felt like jelly. But alas, Sun endured. 

The Sun always endured. 

While trying to understand their behavior, Sun finally found the source of their distress. The smaller of the two was not moving from her position, honking and flapping her wings angrily the moment the male, probably not her mate as Uranus had guessed, kept approaching her nest. But the bigger one still dared, pushing her buttons, perhaps because her partner isn't near? Sun vaguely remembered Earth saying something about how male birds often fought for female mates. 

Quite a protective species, then. Sun certainly approved. 

"I thought these birds were swans?" Planet X came to stand next to the star, close enough to touch. Sun tensed up, holding his breath, as to not disturb the icy one next to him. Sun was quite hot, after all... even more so than he had been earlier. Probably due to the humid air. "Aren't they supposed to be elegant creatures?"

"That confused us first too!" Neptune spoke for the two of them, because Uranus was now refusing to talk with the largest ice giant among them. Ah... Sun might not be the best person to talk to him, but perhaps he could send Jupiter instead? After he apologized? "They look similar! But they're different! They're related, like me and Uranus!"

"...Fascinating."

"Uranus can be a swan." Neptune threw himself on top of the railing on Sun's other side. The metal bars shook lightly, and the smallest winced as the impact lightly bruised his middle. Sun had made the same mistake... far too reckless. "He would be a pretty swan."

"Why is Uranus the swan?" X raised an eyebrow. Around the same time, a swan who Sun assumed was the female's partner came in running, flapping its wings wildly and scaring the other male away.

HONKKKKK HOOOONKKKK

Surely there must be some other, more effective ways to scare of your prey? This only worsened the headache Sun already had.

"Uranus is not a swan, silly."

"But you just said-... nevermind."

"Why is everyone calling me a bird today?

Sun had been having difficulty breathing for the last half an hour now. 

His breaths came out in soft wheezes he struggled to soften, and standing on his legs only turned into a worser and worser torture. Exhaustion was starting to drag him down- but Sun didn't let himself. Wounds heal, wounds heal. Keep going.

This room was almost pitch-black, with already got on his nerves. Instinct screamed at him to burn, to fight back, to brighten the world and keep his planets safe- but the star couldn't burn down here. 

His power to do so had been stripped away. He would have to deal with it. 

Based on the familiar smell of air and the rustling of leaves, Sun assumed this must be another forest-based room. It was a shame he couldn't see it. The first jungle had been breathtaking. 

"Okay!" Saturn came back, a forced cheer in his voice- probably because from what Sun had managed to hear, he and Jupiter had been fighting all day. The three icies ended up taking their largest to see a species called eagles; a term Sun was much more familiar with. He knew those birds very well, knowing what god they were accociated with. Perhaps Planet X made that choice on purpose. "I asked another Earthling- apparently, we are in an owl enclosure!"

"Owl?" The star tried to see, but found none. "Are they like the potato birds?"

"The what?"

"I-" did he say something ridiculous again? Sun sighed. He blamed it on his headache, the geese had done it no favors. "...Nevermind." 

"There was supposed to be an information human somewhere, according to the lovely staff outside." Saturn continued to look, despite his vision being far worse than the star's. "They told me to take a seat!"

...Well. The rest of the humans around them seemed to be going a direction, so Sun supposed they were supposed to follow. "Shouldn't we wait for Earth?" He still asked, letting Saturn drag him along. "He likes his creatures."

"Sweet Earth is talking to Mars about peacocks." Saturn waved his concerns away, stopping when everyone else did. Sun stumbled unsteadily, accidentally slipping against someone else's back. He was barely given a chance to apologize, for the human women's friend pulled her to the side while giving the Sun a dirty look. Was that its partner? Were humans like geese, then? "Those are the blue birds with very big and colourful tails!" Saturn seemed proud of himself for knowing this fact. It warmed Sun to see, better than the mean heat that plagued his body like a smouldering blanket. "So they won't return for quite some time."

Saturn took both of his arms into his own. The contact was a shock to his system, instantly quieting again, and leaving him yearning for more when the ringed giant let go. His body screamed for more, for hugs, for care, for love, just like all the affection he'd received when his bruises had been new and his tears wouldn't dry. 

But Sun scolded himself for the thought.

Enough of that. He'd been weak long enough. No more Sol, be the Sun.

"...Hey, uhm. Sun?" Sun hummed in acknowledgment. Meanwhile, a paper was being passed around to all the guests, small and with a big picture of an owl on the cover. Sun, taking one, read the title. Barn Owls. "Listen, I uhm..."

It took him a lot of effort to open his mouth. Sun looked away from the paper to focus on his child, growing midly concerned. "...I know we don't say it a lot, but-"

The electronic sound of an owl hooting startled the poor giant out of whatever he was about to say. Saturn pressed his heart for dear life, eyes wide. "Stars!"

The sound was obviously not the real deal. Sun had grown used to their lovely songs all day, and this certainly wasn't it. Perhaps this information human was about to speak, finally?

...

Any minute now. 

Very impatient, as well as already bored out of his mind, the Sun flipped the little paper to see if there was anything interesting to read. "hm." he hummed, about to show Saturn- but then remembered he couldn't read the small letters. So he whispered it out loud instead. "So, uhm... a group of owls is called a parliament?"

"Wasn't that politics?"

"What is politics?"

"..." 

"..."

".....Ahem." Sun cleared his throat. A little desperate for a distraction, he dove back into the pamphlet, reading the first sentence he saw. "Uhh- oh! Owls having many hatchlings means that they've found a good mate. But when they don't have many young, they divorce-"

"WHAT!?"

All eyes turned on them. 

Saturn slapped a hand over his mouth in shock, mortified. "A-ah- sorry!" He squeaked, looking down at the floor. 

Sun wasn't bothered by the many eyes. He already had little eyes focused on him all the time, and had assumed Saturn was too. He had two hundred and ninety three moons after all. 

Apparently not. Saturn, blushing furiously, sank in his seat. But why? Sun screamed all the time as well. Was that not regular down here? 

Teary pairs of eyes closed and bowed, trembling in fear as the screaming star's rage and grief echoed across the solar system-

Sun tried not to tense up. His body hurt too much to do that.

"Good afternoon, explorers!" The guide human must have made her enterance while the two were in the middle of their meltdowns, taking away those judging eyes and replacing the awkward air with even more warmth. Suddenly realizing he had to be quiet, the star became hyperaware of his breathing. "Welcome to the wonderful kingdom of the Strigiformes!"

The screen behind her came to life, blinding in the pitch black room. Sun narrowed his eyes and averted his gaze, a little confused when he found them wet. Why? He liked the light! 

The human started her explanation- but Sun only managed to pay attention to the first part. There were two hundred and fifty four types of owls, that was almost as many moons as Saturn had! And they resided all over his little planet, the only exception being Antartica. He knew that place! On Earth's South Pole! 

Sun shuddered at the thought. A good thing, too. He didn't want to imagine the freezing weather, or the poor birds having to survive in such extreme conditions. 

"-For my presentation today, I have brought my little friend-" Just how Earth had done in the morning, the human held out her gloved hand. The audience clapped when what Sun could only describe to be a majestic beast came out of the darknes, large wings slowing its flapping to lower itself onto her arm. "-To join us! Meet Cronus!"

Ironic. Then again, Sun was convinced Earth had broken into the sanctuary either to play with the birds.

"Cronus is a Tyto Alba- or a Barn Owl." The guide explained, holding the little creature out for them to see. It looked different than the other birds Sun had witnessed today; its head was a heart shape, and its body was oddly formed and bigger than the other birds too. Unlike the other birds, this one seemed to be quiet. Calculating. And did not make a sound. 

A predator.

Sun could certainly respect a beast. 

"Barn owls are one of the most spread out owl species to be around." That strange bird call again, oohoo, oohoo, echoed throughout the room. But this time, Sun could tell it wasn't a recording. He looked around to try and locate one of the beasts- but they'd hidden themselves amongst the darkness well. "Including Europe, Asia and America!"

Far too well. 

He hadn't even felt them coming. 

Sun. Helios, Ra, Apollo, The Inti, who'd been able to feel when Ganymede and Europa left and returned with Planet X, had not felt an entire army of rogue planets heading his way. He looked around wildly, blinking away tears to try spot his eight children amongst the chaos. But he only found a burning hate meeting him instead. 

So many, far too many-

Where had they-?!

Caution made him sit straighter, despite his body protesting. "These little guys are known for their silent flight and their hunting skills, allowing them to go around unnoticed." Despite supposedly being dangerous creatures, the human scratched beneath the owl's beak. And the creature churred. "They're still sweethearts, of course. Despite being creatures that prefer solitude."

"Barn owls often search out dark and quiet places for nesting, such as abandoned houses or tree cavities. More often than not, they avoid human interactions." But this one had come to them on command? Was this owl an exception? 

...Was it forced to listen? Surely not? Earth wouldn't have brought them here if that were the case.

"They can fly silently thanks to their biology-" Carefully, the guide spread the little creatures wings. "-And their soft flight feathers.  The edges of their wing feathers are fringed, allowing for smooth airflow. This design reduces noise when they glide through the air."

That surely didn't hurt? The barn owl would have flown away if that were the case, Earth had said so. So why didn't it hide away into the darkness? Clearly the species was good at it. 

"Come back-!" The poor little star sobbed, even as the phantom gravity still pushed him down to his knees. "You can't leave me!" He could have pulled back. He could have gotten up, and demanded them back, however shaky his legs may be. He could step out, follow, and-

Broken rocks and horrified screams and death and rebirth. 

Once upon a time, there was a poor little star named Sol. 

Sol stayed put.

Sun did not like barn owls. 

The guide continued to ramble about its biology, strengthened hearing and low-light vision. Now she'd come back to their nesting behaviors, explaining what Sun had read before. Ah. Was his paper a guide for what she was saying?

"Typically, having multiple hatchlings signals a succesful courtship amongst two mates." The guide pointed to an image behind her, blindly white once again. It was a drawing of two, big barn owls, with a trail of hatchlings behind them. Those were the same species? How? They looked nothing like the gracious bigger ones. 

The guide pointed to another pair of barn owls beneath it, followed by only one hatchling. Not having as many young led to divorce. 

Sun turned to Saturn, hoping he wouldn't scream again, and break the silence. But Saturn had gone very quiet. 

And very pale. "Saturn?"

"More often than not, the owls will seperate to find new mates." Saturn turned a shade paler, swallowing a distressed sound that almost got out. "To maximize the amount of young they have. Otherwise, they're very loyal."

"...Excuse me," The ringed one quietly apologized to those around him, getting on his feet to gracefully flee. Sun panicked, because don't leave him here! Don't leave him alone with a bunch of predators! They were hunters! And it was dark! And-!

Why was Saturn so upset? Did he feel bad for the owls?

"A-ah, don't mind- woah!" Sun, not near as gentle as Saturn, fell the moment he got on those wobbly legs, back against the lady he'd ran into earlier. "Sorry!"

Far louder too. 

"You again?!" Her partner huffed loudly in his face, makign Sun scoff. Please. Don't insult him, the star had no interest in those feelings. 

"Good day!" Climbering through sheer force of will, Sun, without a care for the strange looks again, managed to get out of the dark room. 

Being greeted by his own light again was such a relief. The star took a moment just to breathe, head tilting upwards and eyes slipping shut. 

Breathe in, breathe out-

Wheeze. 

Sun coughed, this time as loud as he wanted to, and scaring a bunch of the small, singing birds away from him. Wounds heal, wounds heal.

You are the Sun. Be the Sun.

"Saturn?" He asked once his coughing fit subsidded, looking around. Unfortunately, his golden planet was nowhere in his sight- there were two halleways in front of him instead. 

Ugh. Sun wasn't a mindreader. "Dear Sagittarius A..." He grumbled unhappily, choosing to go in a random direction, and hoping he would run into one of his planets eventually. "You aren't proto planets anymore for star's sake." 

Must his planet make leaving him one of their favorite hobbies?

Sun's legs were on fire.

His whole body, actually. It was hot. And that, for once, was a bad thing. 

Sun had decided to take a break in one of the enclosures, sitting on a bench to try and catch his breath. His sore legs were spread as for as they could go to rest, and his heavy, pulsing head leaned onto the railing of whatever room he'd discovered now. He'd walked for ages! But he hadn't found any of them yet. 

Perhaps they didn't want to be found.

The star smacked his lips, grumbling. His mouth felt weird. It made his body feel worse. And his stomach kept making its strange noises, too. He must have looked bad, considering Earthlings kept stopping to look, and point. It made him feel self-concious. 

This habitat was a little warmer than the owl enclosure, but with less trees. That was a shame. Sun had grown to like the trees, as much as they were scary because of how many little eyes could hide in there. Trees had been the only plants he'd seen all day. And Sun liked plants. 

These birds were loud.

Not as loud as the White Birdbells, but still loud. 

Sun opened his eyes back up again, gazing over the population of white birds with yellow hairs on top of their head. He liked the pop of color. Yellow was a pretty color. 

Until now, none of the birds had attempted to get near him yet. Sun hadn't expected them to, not being Earth or Luna and knowing how celestials loved to avoid him. So he found himself a little surprised when he found one of the creatures staring right back at him, unmoving, despite many members of its species walking all around it. 

Sun didn't react when it suddenly flew up, and landed back right on the railing he'd been resting on. Far closer than Sun had seen any of the creatures attempted to come. 

He had to admit; it peaked his interest. "Well, hello." He greeted it, smiling when the creature squawked in reply. "You sure are a brave one." 

Okay. He could get up. Sun had done that before- he could do it again. Hands on both sides of his hips, and push-

Grunting, after some struggle, he sat straighter again. The not so tiny bird watched him curiously, head tilting to the side. Sun giggled. Those eyes again. "You there!" He pointed to a passing Earthling, thankfully not ignored. Missing the look send his way. "What is this creature called!"

"Ah! Let me-" The human leaned down to the sign. "...A cockatoo, ma'am!"

"I see." Sun observed their eyes, giggling again when they blinked. The other human, confused for some reason, walked away back to where they belonged. "What a strange creature you are." 

SCREETTTCCHH

A laugh. "Loud, too. You would be a worthy opponent against the owls." 

Sun raised his hand towards them, not thinking much of it. Surprised when the feathery creature headbutted into his palm. "Social creature, are you?" 

He lightly scratched along the feathers, happy to find out their wings felt somewhat similar to Uranus and Mercury's. His nails trailed lower, along the edge of a wing- and plucked out a molten feather that had been stuck in its casting.

The bird let out a happy shrill. Sun's smile brightened even more. "You're welcome." 

He stopped when the bird moved, hopping left- and then right onto his lap. So Sun resumed the scratches, taking the chance to inspect their body. "Perhaps not an opponent." He hummed. He hooked two fingers under its wing to stretch- yep, it was molting. Sol gently plucked, freeing the feathers trapped in keratin. "You are far too sweet to be a predator." 

Was it prey?

Something so big surely couldn't be prey? 

"And such beautiful colors you have." Sol cooed in awe, gently nudging Zeus' stomach to draw out a laugh. He continued to inspect his body until he was sure there were no deformities before he pulled the planet to his face, kissing all over it. Finally. A planet. A friend.

"..." He let go of one wing in favor of the other, and continued to preen there. "Are you prey?" He asked it, scratching lightly beneath the wing. The bird whistled at him that time, almost as if trying to repeat his words. 

Sun huffed out a stunned laugh. "Stubborn one." He decided, pleased. A feisty one, too. Good. "Maybe I should have been a bird also."

Another whistle. The bird hopped around in his lap, so Sun lifted his hands away to give it freedom. It continued to explore curiously, but in the end, those big black eyes innocently looked up at him again. 

Sun supposed the bird knew, to some extent, who he was. None of the birds he'd seen so far had gotten this close to a living who wasn't of the same species. It... was thrilling. A creature that didn't run away from his beastly self?

"...Is that why you left your species?" The Sun asked. The petting slowed. His smile slipped from his lips. "Why you left your home? Were you too brave?"

Didn't species have parents too? Mothers and fathers. Were they were too? Why did they come here?

Or...

"Anything is better than this."

"...You of course don't care about such matters."

The star ended up sighing. "But I do." He mumbled, voice small. "I care if my planets leave me." The admition was whispered, so super quietly- and bless its heart, it did not understand a thing Sun said. It tilted its head again, and whistled. Biting at his fingers when he held them out to play. His snicker was sad. "...I'm afraid of losing them again."

"But is anyone afraid of losing you?"

Startled, Sun pulled his hand back. "You... talk?" He asked in shock- but the bird gave him no response. 

"Yes they can!" Earth's voice scared him even further, his heart beating particularly loud against his chest. The bird did not share the sentiment, instantly abandoning the Sun to fly to Earth's waiting hand- joining a bunch of different species of bird the planet had attached to him all around. 

Stunned, the star was at a loss for words. "...They can?"

"Cockatoos can learn between twenty to thirdy words!" A bunch of people stared, probably because the animals weren't behaving naturally... but of course, Earth did not care about that. "They don't know what words mean though. They simply mimic humans."

Earth wasn't the only one they were staring at. It seemed Luna had found himself a feathery companion as well, a little, delicate-looking bird resting in his hair. Catching his gaze, the moon could only sigh. "A magpie. It won't leave me alone."

"Why would you want it to leave you?" Mercury sat down next to the star, strangely. Mercury had the most stamina out of all of them, so why would he sit?

His smallest had been about to say something else- but no sound came out. Turning back to the star, the oldest felt uncomfortable to see the frown appear in real time on his face. Now what did he do? "Mercury?"

"..." Wordlessly, Mercury raised a hand. Sun let his face be touched again, shuddering, and trying to commit the touch to memory. Because it was gone just as quick, just as always, much to his sadness. "You feel hot, Sun."

This again? "I'm the Sun."

"He does?" Earth was worried once again. Ugh. But why? It wasn't like his presence was desired. He'd been about to shoo his bird friends away to fret over him- but Jupiter, who'd apparently been with them, kept him from doing so. 

"Leave him be, Earth." Tears pricking again, Sun looked away guiltily. "He can handle it."

...Did Jupiter take him now? Is that why he acted so strange?

"Where is Saturn?" Mars sat down at his other side, and leant back against the railing as Sun had been doing. "The icies said he was with you. "

...Ah. Right. That's what Sun had been doing. 

The star cleared his throat. "He ran off." He sighed- not seeing the look of murder that passed Jupiter's face. "I don't think he liked the owls."

"You lost him!?" His oldest cried out, probably a little louder than he meant to- Sun was starting to get tired of all the eyes on them. He didn't like these nosy humans. 

The birds resting on Earth and Luna, with a bunch of chirps and squeals, flew away after being scared off. Earth panicked, "Hey- no its okay!" He cried, running after them. Everyone else remained frozen, a little shocked by the very out of character outburst. 

Sun found his voice quicker than he'd expected to. "...He's an adult, Zeus." He said slowly- and Jupiter's eye twitched at the name. "If Saturn wants to be alone, he can do so as he wishes."

"He ca- you don't know what happened last time he was left alone down here!" Something happened? Had Saturn been hurt?!

A little offended now, Sun couldn't help but bite back. He could never help himself. It was his nature to do so. "Am I suppose to chain him down and leash him, Zeus?"

"You're good at that."

The star clenched his fists. 

"Oh, come on, big guy." Venus grumbled unhappily. Which was confusing, because Venus loves drama. And drama loved Venus. "How was the Sun supposed to know that?"

"Exactly my point." Jupiter grumbled through clenched teeth, turning his back to go searching for his husband. "Sun never knows anything."

And the star, fed up, snapped.

"I don't know anything?!" Sun angrily asked. He even managed to get up on his feet without counting, or pushing himself up! But no proudness came. "Of course I don't! How am I supposed to?! You never tell me anything!"

These Earthling bodies were strange. Sun's heart beat, far louder than he thought should be possible, echoing in his ears. His arms shook despite not having used them yet, and his fingers kept twitching with this lingering energy. They never told him anything! Stars- Jupiter ran away twice without telling him why! While Sun had tried to tell them everything!

Don't be too much, be the Sun, be the Sun-

"It's not like you make it easy to talk to you!" Jupiter, angrily turning around, shouted back. Sol shrank instantly, breath knocked out of chest with the violent memory that flashed through his mind.

Stop crushing me, stop crushing me, I'm sorry I'm sorry it hurts I'll be good don't go don't crush-

His planets pressed down, down and down, sickning cracks and blues crackling from the star's broken body-

"No matter what we do, you're always mad!" Jupiter continued to rant, oblivious to the sudden terror that gripped the star's body like a vice. "You scream, and- and you do stupid things, such as with the orbit changes-"

"Jupiter." Mercury forced himself between the two, arms spreading wide as his wings would have in space. "You're blowing up over nothing- maybe we could talk about it somewhere else?"

"What is with all the bloody shouting, mates?" The ice giants appeared, right on cue- most likely having followed the sounds of their stupid argument. Sun tried to calm his nerves so he could respond, opened his mouth-

Saturn came with them, face puffy and eyes red-rimmed, clutching Neptune's hand like a lifeline. Neptune didn't seem to mind. Even he wasn't smiling anymore. 

And Sun. Was horrified by the sight. Had Saturn hated the owls that much?! Why hadn't he said something?! Sun would have been happy to look at other birds!

"...You look like shit."

"Venus."

"Saturn?" Jupiter's anger instantly went away, rushing to the group. The ringed giant sniffled, a pitiful look on his face. "What happened?"

"..." Neptune squeezed his hand in encouragment. Saturn took a deep breath to brace himself. "...Jupiter." He muttered. "I... we need to talk. About today."

"Today?" The tallest amongst them slumped a little in defeat. "Did something happen, love?"

"...After watching the owls with Sun today-" Jupiter's face darkened. "I realized that we-"

"What did he do?" Sun suddenly felt like this wouldn't end well for him. His heart picked up the pace again, faster, louder, harder. His breath hitched. "Did he hurt you Saturn?"

"Wha- no?" The smaller seemed taken aback. And then offended. "That is the first thing you ask me?!"

"I need to make sure you're safe and okay! Even if we've been fighting all day!"

"I am not a child!"

"He's DANGEROUS, Saturn!"

Once upon a time, there was a poor little star named Sol. 

Sol was sad. He'd done everything he was supposed to to keep his beloveds safe; he dimmed his light, made no sound, defended them from the evil stars and kept them warm. But in the end, all his celestials left him anyway. 

As much as it wasn't their fault they had to go, the poor little star hoped it wasn't his either.

He'd tried not to be a beast, he swore.

But just like the birds, one can't fight their true nature. 

And so, just as it was always meant to be, the poor little star named Sol had been muzzled, crushed, and chained down.

The old chains that had always been there being his only company.

Sun couldn't breathe.

His planets were still screaming, he knew they were he could hear their voices still. But he couldn't make out what they were saying over the ringing of his ears, slowly being deafened. Sun placed a shaky hand over his racing heart, begging silently, quiet, quiet, please go quiet. 

His core, stubborn as the rest of him, continued its distressed melody. 

...H-his. They. They were angry with him. They must be. Because Sun-

Sun made them mad.

He knew what happened when he made others mad-

Sun took a shaky step backwards. And then remembered he could walk. 

He could walk.

Sun... wasn't chained down. Down here... he was free to move as he wished. 

"-And you've been acting odd all day!" Saturn's voice echoed, loud and angry just like when- "Jove, please, just talk to me!"

"You're scaring my poor birds!" Earth screamed at both of them, sounding especially upset. His voice wobbled, just like how darling Gaia's used to when he was choking on tears. It worsened the star's headache, too. "Go scream somewhere else if you wanna ruin our day that badly!"

"Why is HE here?!" Jupiter's head was in his hands. "He shouldn't be here!"

"Jupiter-"

"I don't want him here!"

But is anyone afraid of losing you?

The bruises under his shirt pulsed and ached, a terrifying reminder of what the god of gods could do when angry-

Another step back. And another. 

Once upon a time, there was a poor little star named Sol. 

Sol was scared. Sol knew his power was limited, and knew the beasts wouldn't have hesitated to crush him if they so wished. Sol didn't want to be hurt again. 

And so, the poor little star ran.

It was mighty impressive what these Earthling bodies could endure under the influence of adrenaline, even for a star unused to using his legs. 

Sun wheezed, trying and failing to catch his breath. He could barely keep his eyes open, heavy and wet, and absolutely miserable. Swaying again, the star leant his weight onto the wall again. 

Those nosy humans kept questioning him. A couple approached him, "Are you alright ma'am?" "Have you had anyy water today?" "Do you need to sit down?" The chaos joining the loud screetching of birds and the blood rushing to his ears. Sun had snnapped at them, he was aware, with no clue what words were leaving his mouth. 

He needed to sit. 

He pressed a shaking hand back to his mouth when his stomach flipped again- he didn't understand the rising sensation at his throat, only that it was unpleasant. The star whimpered, blindly stumbling into whatever hall was the quietest. 

Bathrooms. Earth had told him about bathrooms. He'd explained the... gross use of it, but also the benefits. Silence.

Sun needed silence. 

"E-excus-" he tried to ask, ask and not demand from anyone, but not a single soul looked his way anymore. Ah. Of course. Why would anyone want to look at the Sun after all? He was... bad. 

Bad little star.

Sun needed to sit.

Painfully, and agonizingly slowly, the star continued to haunt through the slowly but surely quiet-turning hallways. He let his hand wander the wall, searching for a door, or a doorknob, anything that would lead him to a bathroom. Sighing in relief when his hand finally caught onto something, Sun, without looking, opened the already unlocked door, stepped inside. 

The door fell shut behind him with a click.

Sun was ready to march on forward- only to immediately run into some bars made of metal and filled to the brim with bags. Grumbling, the star stepped back, his back hitting the door again. 

Only now realizing this room was pitchblack. 

"...Hm." Was this not a bathroom? Sun wondered, stretching out his arms- but he couldn't straighten them from how little space there was inside. And it smelled, too, just like the bird cages had... and as much as the muffled sound was a blessing for his ears, Sun was starting to feel like he wasn't supposed to be here. 

...He wanted to take a break here. But his legs shook so bad, and there was nowhere to sit, so the star, by feeling the door behind him, managed to find the doorknob again. He twisted, and pushed, and-

Ran into the door. 

"Ow. Ugh." Sun softly complained, stepping back again to rub the soreness away from his face. He glared daggers at the door. Was it those push/pull things? Did he have to pull it to open? That was annoying, why wasn't there a sign? 

So he twisted it again, and pulled, and-

The door. Stayed. Shut. Huh.

"..." Annoyance softning, the celestial pushed the door again. There was a strange clicking sound from the knob. But it didn't open. 

....What? The star twisted it more frantically, the hammering in his chest growing even more frantic and the door-

It didn't-

Did Sun forget how doors worked? 

Sun let go of the door. His throat hurt, it hurt and the uneven breaths weren't doing any favors. No, no, he remembered correctly. You either had to push, or pull. Neither made the door open. Why didn't it open?!

"H-hello?!" He asked, growing panicked now- twisting and pulling and pushing but the door wouldn't budge. "Hello?! Hey!!" He called, pushing with all his might. "Open the door!" 

The knocking turned more frantic, scared, but Sun was starting to grow too fearful to think. It was dark in here, and he was hurt, and didn't have his power and-

He hadn't been able to spot those predator birds in th dark.

"Open the door!" His breaths came in short gasps, desprate- Sun threw his body against the wood, ignoring the white hot that struck through his body like lightning. "Open the door!! Jupiter!!'

A desperate thought, hoping his planets would hear him. But Sun only heard those dangerous and overwhelming chirps from the other side. 

"Earth! Saturn?!" He shouted desperately, tensing even further. He could feel their eyes on them, those dark and soulless eyes, but looking behind him, saw nothing. Of course he didn't. Those beasts were good at hiding. "Mercury! Venus!" He cried, banging the door with a fist. "Mars!"

They- they wouldn't leave without him, surely? They wouldn't! They needed him, so- so he was useful and they-

"Anything is better than this."

Sun stumbled back into the bars behind him.

Whatever his back hit couldn't take the weight, and tipped forward. 

Sun screamed when the entire thing came crashing down, iron bars hammering on his back and the open bags spilling all over him with seeds. His body, unable to take it anymore, collapsed under the weight with a thud. 

"A-ah-" He shuddered under its weight, trapped beneath the rubble. Trying to move he found that the structure was too heavy, pinning him down easily, crushing him- 

Sun sobbed. And cried. And wailed.

Loud, panicked cries that echoed throughout the tiny closet. 

He couldn't move, he couldn't move-

"O-ow," The poor star hiccuped miserably. He tried to find strenght in his arms, just enough to move the metal pipe that had struck the back of his neck- but he couldn't even reach behind himself. Couldn't stretch out his sore arms either, because the space was too small, forcing him to remained curled up. And Sun couldn't breathe.

Thousands of eyes stared at him down from the darkness above, cold and merciless, while the star struggled and fought to get out of their painful hold. He wanted out. He wanted out, get him out. "Please." 

His body shivered despite how hot it was. 

You are the Sun, the star cried into his hands, unable to pull it back together. This is ridiculous, you are the Sun, be the Sun, you are THE SUN-

Once upon a time, there was a poor little star named Sol.

Sol had known that endless space was dangerous. Itty bitty eyes could be staring at him without his knowledge, or a big, beastly thing could pop out of nowhere. It was cold, and very dark too, the reason so many beasts before him had lost their minds to space madness. Danger lurked in every corner of every empty space he had no control over, threatning his planets and threatning the star. 

And so, the poor little star known as Sol made a choice. 

To protect his beloved planets and moons and dwarf planets and comets, he made a choice. He shone as brightly as possible and took up as much space as he could, so that even his celestials stretched out so far could benefit from his light... and keep away the dangerous beasts, scaring them away with his possible size.

He kept his beloveds in that safety bubble, keeping an eye on the furthests belt, so that no monster may ever take them away. 

The poor little star named Sol had never thought he would end up being the reason his beloved planets would abandon him.

Sun did not know how long he'd cried in that closet for. 

Eventually, he gave up on trying to escape- he was weak. He was hurt from what his planets had done to him. He wasn't getting out on his own.

And obviously, no one would come for him. Not... not after today. 

He breaths eventually calmed and his agonized wails turned to soft hiccups. But his head pounded badly. He shivered, smacking his lips because his mouth was dry and his stomach was grumbling- and his body was sore and hot. And... sticky. A weird wetness that wasn't crying slid down his back and his knees, and it felt disgusting. But Sun couldn't do anything about that. Eventually, he became too tired to keep crying. 

Sun whimpered deliriously, heavy head slowly sinking into his arms. His eyes blinked once, twice, more tears dripping down his chin and soaking onto the fabric. And drooped. He just... wanted to close them. Just for a little. He'd been so exhausted all day. He was cooking in here. Just a little nap....

He'd almost managed to shut his eyes. 

But the sound of rustling woke him back up again. 

He twisted his face into his hands when his own light blinded him again.

"Sun!" Someone cried, voice drowned out by chirps. Sol grumbled, arms folding over his ears. Loud...

The heavy weights pinning him down were frantically moved away- and soon enough, the star felt himself beinig lifted against a strong body instead. Strong arms cradled him, rubbing the soreness from his back. 

"-How could you let this happen?! People shouldn't be able to lock themselves in closets!"

"Guests aren't supposed to enter non-restricted areas! There's a sign!"

"Not everyone can read!"

"H-hmmm..." Sun hiccuped wetly. His eyes barely managed to open a sliver, but all he could see was pink. "O-ow..."

"Shh," a deep voice instantly  soothed. The stranger's grip on him tightened, but still remained gentle, aware of where the bruises resided. "Shh, you're okay, Sol." 

"...Jupiter." The star weakly cried, not believing it. Had the hallucinations taken over again? Jupiter wouldn't come near him willingly, he didn't love the Sun anymore. "W-wha-"

The back of a hand touched his cheek, and the star's eyes fluttered closed. Jupiter cursed under his breath. "Stars- you're boiling, Sol." He worriedly muttered, gathering the bundle closer in his arms. 

Smaller hands reached into his hair, plucking out the bird seeds that had spilled over him. The star sighed contendly. He knew Mercury's hands. "m th' s'n..."

He must have made them mad again, because both planets groaned loudly. 

The loving touches remained anyway.

"-I told you you were sick." Earth loudly complained, watching to make sure Sun swallowed the bitter medicine before he finally resumed his pacing again. "I knew you were far too hot! But nooo, you had to make it difficult-"

"Perhaps now isn't the time, Earth?" Saturn softly reasoned, his hands burried in Sun's wet hair to braid it. He'd been given something called a shower. The thought of being submerged in water had originally terrified him, but once he'd felt how hot it was inside...

Sadly, he'd eventually been woken up and taken out to dress in his pjamas. His bedroom warmed and blankets refreshed. But Sun still felt cold. He couldn't stop shivering, even with the blankets and Mercury attempting to rub warmth back into his arms. 

"..." His living planet sighed tiredly, making him feel bad again. Could he ever do anything that wasn't upsetting his planets? Sun was tired of it. "How is your head, Sol?" He asked, getting back in his space to touch his face again. Sun weakly leaned into his hands with a hum. "The... bruises?"

"I applied the salve." Saturn answered for him. He must have finished the big braid, Sun could feel it, but he kept his hands tangled in the star's hair. Rubbing soothingly. "They didn't look as bad as... the old ones."

"Did he drink water?"

"Jupi went to get it for him." He explained while massaging his head. Sun would have melted right then and there, had he not been so thirsty. "He should be back soon." 

As if right on cue, the door creaked open. Sun flinched at the sound, panic creeping in- but his celestials were there instantly, shushing him, reminding him he wasn't in the closet. "Just Jupi, Sol."

Heavy footsteps approached the bed- and the next thing Sun knew, a glass was pressed to his lips. He gulped the water down greedily, some spilling down his chin and lovingly wiped away. He forced himself to look when a cloth dapped at his lips tenderly, trying to meet Jupiter's gaze. But his biggest planet wouldn't even look at him. "...Jupiter."

"..." His face darkened. Jupiter tried to leave- but Sun gripped his wrist before he could flee. "Zeus." 

Jupiter shuddered. "...I-I'm sor-"

"I forgive you." 

"........"

He closed his eyes when Jupiter leant down, and pressed a kiss onto his forehead.

Once upon a time, there was a yellow dwarf star named Sol. 

Sol had eight planets, nine if he counted his hypothethical, ten if he counted the recent dwarf planet, and who knows how many more if he counted his planets from before. 

Sol was not good at communication. But neither were his eight beloveds. They too made mistakes, even if they weren't as large as his own, and accidentally hurt their star even when they didn't mean to. Hurt each other, even when that wasn't their intention.

Later, the star named Sol and the planet named Zeus would talk about today. After Sun got better they would talk about their feelings, cry, and then head to the kitchen to eat soup together. 

For now, the little star named Sol was happy to remain cuddled in their arms, kissed lovingly and cared for while he napped in their embrace. 

The little star named Sol hadn't known it was possible to feel so loved.