Chapter Text
The knife brushed his neck like a vice…
It was sharp, cold, and it smelled like metal… It was looming-... practically begging to go all the way through.
He knew what he was doing was wrong, he should talk to Rhea, he should put all the weapons far, far away from himself so he couldn't reach it, he should just take some pain killer and go back to bed– but… stars…
He couldn't take it anymore…
He needed relief, didn’t care what kind, didn’t care how, he just needed– relax…
And–
“Iapetus, baby, what are you doing?”
Iapetus’ fingers locked around the blade… see– one thing he didn’t consider was the fact that he was in Saturn’s orbit, of course he was!! He was one of Saturn’s moons-!!! And, well, Saturn had nothing better to do than to watch his moons, even if he didn't remember half their names…
He had no where to hide it… he couldn't hide it under an asteroid near his orbit, couldn't hide it in his pocket, he couldn't drop it and pretend it was one of the other moons– no, his orbit was much to fat out, he was the only one that orbited anywhere near here-...
Saturn’s voice boomed again, softer and more coaxing this time…
“What’s wrong, baby? you're tearing up, tell me what’s wrong…”
It wasn't very often you’d hear Saturn talk to someone directly, except Titan of course, he always spoke to his 285 moons as a group, not individually…
And even then, if one of his moons did need to talk to him 1 on 1, he’d often call them ‘sweetheart’, ‘baby’, or ‘dear’... Someone could argue that this was terms of affection for his children, but Him, Dione, Mimas and Enceladus had all come to the agreement that he did this so it would be less noticeable that he couldn't remember all your names…
He suddenly pulled Iapetus with his gravity a bit, causing the knife to slip and–
Oh stars, oh gods… It was in his full view…
His gravity tightened around him a ton, pulling Iapetus away from it– almost like he was trying to keep him as far away from it as possible, like it was some sort of disease or parasite…
Iapetus watched helplessly as Saturn gently confiscated it before looking at him…
His planet was tearing up–
“Oh baby…”
He gently cradled him with his gravity as he brought Iapetus in enough to hold him…
Stars– why was this so embarrassing?
He’d always wanted this, He’d always yearned for his planet to rock and cradle him like a baby, to take care of him, get all of his attention, and–
Gods– he felt like such an attention hog…
What was wrong with h—
He didn’t even realize he where crying until Saturn started rocking and bouncing him like he was a baby and kept shushing him over and over…
Eventually, Iapetus melted into it…
It felt so good to get parental affection-...
He wasn’t one to let his guard down often, but stars, this? He couldn't care less at the moment…
Eventually, Saturn told him that he was gonna give Iapetus some sleeping medicine to help him calm down, and that he’d take care of everything else…
So, like the quiet, doormat of a moon he was, he accepted the medicine without fight…
They where cold purple tablets that Saturn gently popped into his mouth as he whimpered and trembled…
And eventually-... all Iapetus could hear was Saturn’s muffled voice as he gently hushed a lullaby to him…
“Days seem sometimes as if they'll never end
Sun digs its heels to taunt you
But after sunlit days, one thing stays the same
Rises the moon…~
Days fade into a watercolour blur
Memories swim and haunt you
But look into the lake, shimmering like smoke
Rises the moon-...~~
Oh-oh, close your weary eyes
I promise you that soon the autumn comes
To darken fading summer skies
Breathe, breathe, breathe…~”