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Earth hated Earth Day.
In the past he loved it, finding his ego boosted and overall felt a little better as the pain of everything the Earthlings did lessened. It was a day that he always looked forward to, and everyone else in the solar system dreaded. Earth’s ego would go unchecked and wild for the day, (it was a day all about him, it was great!) annoying the surrounding celestials to death. April had so many fun holidays for Earth (less fun for the rest of the planets, but Earth didn’t recognize that for a while), April Fools was hilarious with all the fun pranks that he could pull on the others, and Earth Day revolved around him and his earthlings actually caring about him, what could be better than that!
But then the Moon Revolution happened.
And he…did stuff. Stuff he wasn’t proud of and is still working on.
Stuff that changed how he thought and acted.
Which included Earth Day.
Stupid Earth Day.
Earth adjusted the cards he held, trying so hard to pay attention to the game that was going on but his Earthlings were too distracting. Too caring. The twinges of pain from literally everything the humans do lessened, letting him think a little clearer. But then that pushed him down the rabbit hole of thinking about everything Mercury said about considering others, letting your ego lower, talking to others when it gets rough and not keeping everything bottled up until it explodes in your face.
And he was trying.
He had tried to stop bragging about his life, apologized to Titan again after the Moon Revolution ended, and he was going to therapy with Mercury! And Mercury said it was working, that he was changing for the better, but could Earth really believe that?
He felt the same.
In fact, because of Earth Day, he was feeling better than normal.
But he didn't want to feel better.
After everything he did, he did not deserve to feel this good.
"Earth?"
Earth looked up from his deck, his neighbor planet and best friend smiling at him. Mars tilted his head, "It's your turn. Of course, you can skip, but that would just make the chances of me winning higher, soooo…"
Earth smiled slightly, shoving Mars to the side playfully, "Alright, alright I'm going. Hold your horses." He glanced down at his deck, mentally planning out the next couple steps. He could win in a minimum of four moves, if everything went his way. Wait–should he try to win? Would that be too much? Earth leaned around Mercury, scanning the score on the chalkboard. He should be okay, he's only won a couple. Mars is in first, and Earth is tied with Venus for second place. Maybe he should just play his worst card. Or skip! He could always do that!
Venus coughed, not so subtly telling him to hurry up. Earth sighed, picking out his third–best card and playing it. Venus smiled, placing down his winning card and cheered as the others groaned. Earth pouted (in a funny way, and Mars laughed, so he did it correctly) as Venus added a tally mark to his score, putting Earth in third place. That was good! That meant Earth was doing something right! Even if he did kinda want to win, losing the game was better than losing his friends for being too arrogant.
And Earth never wanted to go through that again.
Mercury gathered the cards, shuffling them in the way Mars had shown him, and dealt out the cards again. Earth stared at his new deck, spacing out as he felt his Earthlings start doing something weird. He closed his eyes, turning his attention to his surface. He grimaced as he saw all the plastic floating in his oceans, and all the sea animals dying because of it. He turned his attention to his humans on land, finding a big group of important people gathering in…hm, where was that? There was that giant green lady statue so…New York City!
And… wow that is a lot of countryballs.
Earth's curiosity got the better of him, tuning into the conversation.
"...aking advantage of the Earth for far too long, and now, we have suffered the consequences." Oh great, another speech about climate change. He's heard enough of those to last a lifetime. "We have stood by and let the Earth rot and shrivel, destroying the natural climate, life, and state of everything." Hey! Watch your mouth, he's not rotting or shriveling! He's very much alive thank you!
"But now, we aim to fix these things. One of the first steps to doing so is by spreading information and education about our wonderful planet we call home." Ah, I see, not actually doing anything about global warming or climate change yet. Helios, humans are so lazy. "So, it is my pleasure to be the one to welcome you all to our grand opening of the biggest Earth Science Museum across the globe! Here, kids, adults, and seniors alike can learn all about the wonders of our planet, from the deepest trenches to the highest mountains, and learn what makes our planet so special and be able to sustain life!"
What?
No, no, no, this is the exact thing he's trying to avoid.
He's not special, he's not special, the other planets are as amazing as he is. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all amazing. Even more amazing than he is! Life doesn't mean you're special. It's just a…a cool thing to have. He's not special.
He's not special.
Earth didn't stay to listen to the rest of the speech, withdrawing back into his planetary form with a shaky gasp. Mars glanced sideways at him, concern crossing across the red planet's face. Earth smiled, mouthed Earthlings, and tried to focus back in on the game. Mars stared at him for a moment more, and Earth gave him a look that got the other planet to stop.
He didn't need anyone fussing over him.
…
But isn't that what Mercury said he should do? He should reach out for help when he needs it, and avoid keeping everything inside. Mercury had told him to stop masking and show his true emotions. It would be healthier for him, mentally and physically.
But maybe he didn't want to be healthy at the moment.
Earth barely remembered the rest of the game, too stuck in his own mind. But he socialized well! He took his turn when he was supposed to, congratulated his friends when they won, and made some good small talk with Mars.
When the game finally ended (it was a close game, but Mercury ended up coming from behind and overtaking everyone, winning. Earth lost, horribly, but it didn't matter) everyone went back to their respective orbits. Venus and Mercury headed back towards the sun, while Mars gathered his two tiny moons and headed back to the Asteroid Belt. Before he took off, Mars hesitated. He asked if Earth was feeling okay, if he wanted to talk about anything.
Earth just hummed a sort of response, Mars leaving with a promise to check in later.
Cool. Doesn't matter. He just wants to disappear. This day sucks.
Like, he doesn't want to die, doesn't want to go that far ever again. He just…wants this day to be over.
It would be so much easier if the day was over.
But time travel hasn't been invented yet, so Earth was stuck with his thoughts until the day ended. Sure, he could probably speed up the time it took for him to rotate on his axis, but that would cause his Earthlings to panic and hurt him even more in the process of panicking, and then Mars or Venus or literally anybody else would probably yell at him for being reckless and he didn't want to be yelled at because that would mean they would be mad at him and then that would mean he was doing everything wrong and he was a horrible planet.
So he stayed.
Luna came back eventually.
He had a Moon Club meeting with the other moons of the solar system, discussing whatever the moons liked to discuss. Earth should be proud of his moon. Proud that he was taking initiative and making a difference and making new friends. But Earth was too stuck in his own head to have a full conversation with his moon, Luna settling back into his orbit with a worried glance that was fully ignored by Earth.
Perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect.
He was not perfect.
He was the least perfect planet to ever exist!
All the other planets were perfect! They didn't have to worry about life. They were happy! They didn't have problems trying to kill themselves and have a mind (core?) that constantly hating on them and forcing them to think about things he did not want to think about and tried so hard to leave in the past. They weren't weak like him.
But he was always trying so hard!
Mercury said he was doing so good!
Luna was always super supportive and right by his side!
Mars would let Earth rant to him on his bad days! And be totally understanding!
Venus…Venus was Venus who called Earth out when he was being too much, which helped a lot to take his ego down a peg!
They all helped him so much, they were so perfect.
The most perfect friends for the most imperfect planet.
"Hey, Earth?"
Earth grumbled, glancing over at his moon. Luna softly smiled, but it was tinged with…nervousness? Why would Luna be nervous?
Luna adopted a searching expression, one that confused Earth because what was Earth doing that was suspicious? He was thinking in his orbit! "Are you…doing okay?"
Ugh, this.
Earth smiled (fakefakefakefakeimperfect), "Yes, Luna, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
Luna looked away for a moment, fidgeting with his hands. Why was he making Luna nervous? Did he do something wrong? Of course he did! He definitely did something wrong without even noticing! Stupid! Luna took a quick breath, "Well, you've been spacing out a lot and…looking at the sun." He was? No, no, no did Luna actually think– "I'm not making any assumptions, but you do seem a little agitated and tense. Do you want to talk about it? I'm here if you do, and if you decide not to, that's a–okay. I can get Mercury, and leave you two alone so you guys can talk together. Just tell me what you need, and I'll do it!"
"I–" Why was Luna being so nice? Is he usually this nice? No–Luna must want something from him. Luna wouldn't be nice to such a horrible planet like Earth. Earth shook his head, "I'm fine Luna. You don't have to be so nice to me. I know I don't deserve it."
Luna took a step back like he was slapped. Which was weird because Earth didn't even do anything! He was just talking! Oh, void, why did Luna look so scared? He needs to protect Luna, that's what planets with moons are supposed to do, and he failed at that too because why else would Luna look so horrified?
Luna stumbled back, "I–I'm getting Mercury. Stay here, Earth!" Okay? He wasn't planning on going anywhere? He was a little confused and worried why Luna looked so horrified, but hey, maybe talking to a perfect planet would help Earth!
…
Woah, Luna was back quick.
And with Mercury!
The two most perfect beings.
Mercury was suddenly very close to Earth's face, "Earth, Earth listen to me. You are deserving of love. You are wonderful and strong and have come so far and I am so proud of you. You deserve everything you have, say it."
Earth stared blankly at Mercury, very confused about what was happening. Yeah, he knew that he was deserving of love. But knowing something and believing in it are two very different things. So he stayed quiet, because that seemed like the easiest thing to do.
But for some reason that made the two celestials in front of him very worried.
Mercury turned to Luna, his voice seeming even higher than normal, "Luna, what's today's date. Anything that would set him off like this? Any anniversary, any event that would tank his mental health?"
Mental health? Was this what this was all about? Earth was fine! He didn't need this many people fussing over him! He wasn't going to kill himself or anything.
Luna rubbed his arms, nervously glancing from the Earth, to Mercury, and to the Sun. He ran a hand through his messy hair, focusing back on Mercury, "I–I don't think so. Today…um, today it's April. It's the 22nd, and…oh. Oh, Earth."
And then Luna was hugging him.
And Earth was very surprised, accepting the hug after a moment's hesitation but still really confused.
Luna mumbled, face squished against Earth's chest, "It's Earth Day."
Mercury sucked in a breath, "So that's what this is all about. Aren't you happy Earth? It's a day revolving all around you, and your Earthlings try to care about you more today."
Yeah, his Earthlings care about him. But he doesn't care about himself because he's a horrible planet and has made so many mistakes and hurt so many beings because of how horrible he was–is.
Why was everyone suddenly so quiet?
Oh, did he say that last part out loud?
Whoops!
Mercury looked horrified, Luna choking back tears as he held onto Earth desperately. The smallest planet gently approached Earth, hands up and palms out to signify he wasn't a threat. He floated forward until he was face to face with the Earth, his expression changing so fast Earth couldn't even try to read it.
And then Mercury hugged him, squishing Luna in between the two.
Earth moved to get out of the hug, but Mercury pulled him in closer. Why was Earth's neck wet–oh was Mercury crying? Dammit he made Mercury cry! And Luna too! Mercury's voice was muffled, and hiccupy, as he spoke, "Don't–don't you ever say that about yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, it's a natural part of–of life. You are not a horrible planet because of that, and you need to believe in that or else I am going to make you believe it." Earth chuckled slightly, his mood lifting just a bit.
Wait–no! Stop! No happy! You're a horrible planet and imperfect and will never–
Earth hugged Mercury back.
Helios, he needed this.
All the horrible, awful thoughts that had been circling through his mind seemed to fade away, Mercury acting like a protective shield against everything. The thoughts were still there, lurking in the back of his mind, but they weren't at the forefront of his mind anymore. He was free from the cycle of self deprecating thoughts that were so damaging, at least for now. But he knew that when the time came back around where he needed Mercury and Luna's support once again, they would be there, unwavering.
Earth didn't even realize how tense he was until the other planet was rubbing his tight back, encouraging him to relax. He tried to relax, really tried, but he just couldn't. Mercury mumbled something about breathing, and Earth hummed in response, matching his breathing with the smallest planet like how he taught him and wow it helped a lot Mercury was a genius! A soft, fluffy feeling filled Earth as he floated in his orbit, Luna and Mercury wrapped around him like they were his armor.
Which they were, because Earth would've never survived without either of them.
After a while Earth pulled away from the hug, Mercury letting him go but Luna clinging onto him still. He smiled softly, patted his moon's fluffy hair, "Thank you my little Luna. I didn't realize how much I needed this. I'm sorry for scaring you."
Mercury sighed, relieved and happy, "I'm just glad Luna came to get me before it could get any worse. Earth, we're going to have a long talk later about not bottling up your emotions. You can always talk to us about how you're feeling, even if it's just a small thing, you should not feel forced to keep it undercover."
Earth nodded, "I will, Mercury. I know you guys are there for me. I promise I'll try my best to tell you all what's going on, before it blows up in my face."
Mercury smiled, patting Earth on the back, "Alright! That's the communication I'm talking about! Now who's up for a movie night?"
Luna perked up, his face no longer squished against Earth's chest, "Movie night?"
Mercury nodded, "Yup! I'm sure the Sun won't mind, he hasn't yelled at me to get back to my orbit yet, and we could invite the others! Mars, his moons, and maybe Venus."
"Actually…" Earth glanced down to his hands, his voice getting a little quieter, "Could it just be us three?"
"Of course! What movie would you like to watch?"
"Despicable Me!" Luna shouted right in Earth's ear, "Or Over the Moon! I'm not picky!"
Earth chuckled, gently ruffling Luna's hair, "Don't both those movies have the moon playing an important role? Are you sure you're not biased?"
Luna scoffed playfully, "Almost all of the movies your Earthlings make are set on Earth or something Earth–adjacent! So forgive me if I take pride in the movies that center me!"
Mercury summoned a tv, remote, three beanbags, and as much popcorn as they needed to get to the end of the movie, "I'm with Luna on this one. I would love to rewatch Despicable Me, Vector is so goofy."
Earth plopped down in one of the beanbags, "Alright then, Despicable Me it is." Luna snuggled into his lap, Mercury taking the beanbag right beside him as he pressed play.
Earth was so happy he had such amazing friends.
And he…was also amazing.
But not because he had life. But because he was a good friend, made others laugh, and protected Luna because that's what brothers are supposed to do. He would forever remember that the planets surrounding him loved him unconditionally, and that it was okay to love himself back.
He never should've forgotten that.