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English
Series:
Part 5 of poly rocky planets
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Published:
2024-07-27
Words:
1,000
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1/1
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32
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set fire to the rain

Summary:

“They did,” Mars answered him, his eyes trailing down to his arms, where he stroked one fingertip as if remembering when his surface had been the same blue-and-green as Earth’s (all thanks to the Earthlings’s efforts). His surface had already returned to the iron-red he’d had for billions of years, water dried up from the Sun’s new proximity to the two of them; Earth’s own surface was covered in red-hot lava, lines etched into his skin like his oh-so-important water had before. “But it’s okay. I don’t really feel like playing any games today.” 

Or; A moment with Earth + Mars.

Notes:

Challenged myself to write 1k words for this and nothing more LOL

Hope you like it 😗

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Earth smoothed down his shirt, studying the glowing orange lines that branched over his skin. He tilted his arm left and right, the lines stretching all the way around - they’d appeared sometime after Venus… Earth worried at his lower lip  and pushed that thought away, instead trailing one fingertip down the longest line stretching from his wrist up to his shoulder. It was warm to the touch, but not irritatingly so, merely a comforting warmth that Earth had grown used to over the many years they’d developed.

He was drawn out of his trance by movement out of the corner of his eye - Earth turned, an easy smile on his lips when he spotted Mars approaching. “Mars!” He called out, grinning wider as Mars met his eyes and smiled in answer. When he was finally close enough to touch, Earth took in his appearance, his brow furrowing slightly.

Mars looked tired, his hair unkempt and messy, dark bags under his eyes that Earth almost wanted to reach out and sooth a warm touch onto. His jacket strayed open, sleeves pushed up past his elbows, and as Earth wrapped one arm around Mars’s neck and pulled him in close, the fabric of the jacket bunched underneath his fingertips.

“What do wanna do today?” Earth worried at his bottom lip again, the chapped skin tearing underneath the force of his teeth - he tasted blood a second later but ignored it, keeping his eyes focused on Mars. “I can try and remember more Earthling games,” he added, sending Mars a small, lopsided smile as his eyes lit up with a barely-there happiness. “You know they had plenty of those.”

“They did,” Mars answered him, his eyes trailing down to his arms, where he stroked one fingertip as if remembering when his surface had been the same blue-and-green as Earth’s (all thanks to the Earthlings’s efforts). His surface had already returned to the iron-red he’d had for billions of years, water dried up from the Sun’s new proximity to the two of them; Earth’s own surface was covered in red-hot lava, lines etched into his skin like his oh-so-important water had before. “But its’s okay. I don’t really feel like playing any games today.”

Earth’s smile dropped, and his brows drew together the tiniest bit. He pulled his arm from around Mars’s shoulder, instead dropping his hands into his own lap. “Really?”

“Yeah, I’m just not feeling it, Earth.” His fingertip trailed down his arm again, and finally Earth reached out and intertwined their hands together, pulling Mars’s hand towards him, settled in his lap. Mars looked up, meeting his eyes, and Earth reached up with his other hand, swiping one fingertip under Mars’s eye, directly on the dark bags he’d noticed earlier. Mars’s eye closed, his other eye focusing on Earth with a sad light in it.

“I feel like it’s ironic for me to be asking this,” Earth started, a small frown on his lips. “But are you getting enough sleep, Mars?” He stroked his fingertip under Mars’s eye one more time, his frown melting into a small smile when Mars leaned into the touch. He looked away, his hand flexing in Earth’s grasp as if trying to get away - but when Earth did try to release the grip, give Mars some space, he intertwined their hands again, squeezing even tighter.

“No,” He admitted, his eyes darting back to meet Earth’s. “I can’t…” His voice trailed off and he released a heavy sigh, leaning further into Earth, his head pressed against his shoulder. “Every time I go to sleep, I dream about… them,” and his voice became choked, almost as if he had to force the word out. “And I don’t-” He cut himself off, hand squeezing Earth’s tighter.

Earth bit at his bottom lip again, grief clenching his core tight, an old wound that never quite closed. “I know.” He looked down at Mars out of the corner of his eye, studying the dusty orange-red of his hair. “I know,” he repeated again, his voice quieter this time. He tilted his head, leaning it against Mars’s, and they just sat there for a while, staring into the asteroid belt in the distance. “I miss them too,” Earth finally admitted, squeezing Mars’s hand. “But you and I both know that… I feel like I’m channeling Mercury here,” he couldn’t resist joking, huffing a short laugh, a short sting of joy running through him as Mars’s lips tugged into a short smile. “You and I both know that they’d want you to be taking care of yourself.”

Mars’s hand finally untangled from his, but he just stroked one fingertip up and down the glowing orange lines on Earth’s arm, the motion automatic like he hadn’t even realized he’d done it. Earth shivered from the almost-ticklish touch, but he didn’t move away, content to let Mars touch. “They would,” Mars breathed out after another second, scratching with his nails before soothing the spot with a soft swipe. “I know.” He looked up at Earth again, his eyes sadder than before. “And I’m trying.”

“How about you just take a nap here, yeah?” Earth wrapped his arms around Mars’s shoulders again, pulling Mars closer to him. “I don’t mind. I think you need it.” Mars’s eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled, a genuine small smile that left Earth’s core clenching a little bit tighter. He laid his head against Earth’s shoulder again, his hair brushing against Earth’s jawline, a ticklish feeling that Earth ignored as best he could. It took mere seconds for Mars’s breathing to slow down, his hand on Earth’s arm relaxing, a testament to how tired he truly was.

Earth just watched him for a solid couple moments, a fond smile curling onto his lips as he blinked and pressed them together. “I love you,” he finally whispered, letting his head rest on Mars’s again, his own eyes closing as Mars’s deep, even breathing lulled him to sleep alongside him.

Notes:

COMMENT!!! pretty please 🥹🙏🏼

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