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"Astro?- Woah!" The undignified yelp Rodger let out was a far cry from his usual stoic professionalism, as two sets of arms wrapped around his midsection protectively like snakes, looping around to lock him in an unescapable grasp; darn!
Rodger was about to audibly complain his predicament but paused as the ticklish feeling of Astro's silky fur brushed against his shoulders and neck, ghosting his skin and sending a shiver down his spine. "Astro? Mind telling me you're latching onto me buddy?" Astro's fur was coarse and cold to the touch, sending chills through him as Astro wormed his frostbitten arms underneath his nightshirt leeching warmth.
"Ah-" Rodger yelped as Astro mumbled something unintelligible, taking a hesitant glance over his shoulder he watched in amused awe as Astro's tail lashed back and fourth rhythmically, grazing the floor in a happy soothing motion.
"As much as i am flattered you appreciate my warmth, i think i'm rapidly starting to freeze over aswell."
Astro's arms receded, quickly and bashfully recoiling away. He watched with mild interest as Astro's tail shamefully brushed the floor and settled around his paws. "Right, apologies.." He murmured, a trace of a feline purr still below his voice.
The two of them stood facing each other for a long drawn out minute, Rodger could practically feel the cold pulsing around them, just standing in front of Astro was cold enough. He noticed how Astro was shivering in his pale blue rumpled nightshirt, sans his blanket which piqued Rodger's interest considering the toon was never caught without it obscuring his extra limbs.
It had taken one hell of an arduous journey to fish fourth enough trust so that Astro would shed that large mound of sherpa off his shoulders around Rodger, even then in public appearances he was never caught without that thing.
"Your blanket? Where- Did you misplace it?" He hummed, excitement dancing in his chest at the idea of picking apart a case, though this one was a long shot from a murder mystery with a near perfect serial killer; it would still prove enough to stimulate the detective part of him to leap with joy.
Astro huffed and hugged himself, looking across the room slowly as if watching for anyone eavesdropping. "I think? Last i saw it Pebble had gotten his little jaws on it.. And i couldn't really.. Chase him out there." He shot a narrow eyed look to the exit, Rodger could sympathize.
"I could go look-" Rodger abruptly stopped as the chilly hand of Astro's instantly latched onto his warmer one. "No- I'm cold and i don't want to wait, and honestly i could go without it, to be-"
"Okay, okay." Rodger's eye twinkled with amusement, scrunching up in a pseudo smile. Astro immediately shut his mouth with an audible click from his jaw and gave Rodger the most grateful look he's ever seen so far in the past year.
"Couch?" Rodger tilted his head, lazily gesturing at the beige couch propped up in the middle of the living quarters, Astro stared at it like a starving man staring at a fresh hamburger taken right of the grill, Rodger might've even believed Astro would suddenly develop teleportation powers lest he get easier access to that heavenly couch.
He was half dragged, half willingly jogged over to that mangy thing and basically pulled down onto the couch cushions in a messy heap of tangled limbs and icy cold fur, letting out a bark of laughter as Astro immediately curled up on him, savoring the fleeting body warmth radiating off of him like his own personal heat conductor.
Astro wasted not even a second to worm his arms under Rodger's shirtfront, intertwining his arms and burrowing his chilly face into the crook of Rodger's neck. "You really do feel like a brick of ice." Rodger cooed as he ran a hand through Astro's fur absentmindedly, only pausing as Astro placed an unexpected feathery kiss against his collarbone.
"And you're like a really really warm campfire." Astro mumbles, tired content echoing in his voice as he buries his face closer almost as if he's trying to desperately hang onto the warmth. "I'm not going anywhere." Rodger chuckles lightly, brushing his fingers against Astro's cheek in a rare show of affection.
The familiar ticklish feeling of Astro's tail appears as it winds around his ankle like a snake, he doesn't particularly like the feeling but he tolerates it enough for Astro. They stay like that for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling with half lidded eyes and Rodger's hand rhythmically and soothingly running through Astro's fur as the other toon tries desperately to press himself closer and closer as if being physically close wasn't enough.
Astro suddenly and abruptly shifts and maneuvers out from underneath Rodger and grabs ahold of his shoulders, pulling closer to plant a multitude of quick kisses on the glass adorning his face, slowly moving down to place slower more deliberate kisses down his neck. It's a rare occurrence for Astro to be so outgoing in his affections, the toon seemed for a lack of a better word, anxious about PDA, but as it may seem closed doors worked wonders to bring out the more endearing side that freely expressed his adoration.
As Astro planted a long drawn out kiss against his collarbone, he attempted not to squirm under the sudden attention, failing miserably as Astro lifted his chilly, albeit a little warmer, paw to gently graze his skin under his shirt. "Ticklish?" Astro's laugh was a tad too mischievous for his question not to be loaded, Rodger narrowed his eye skeptically, observing every little mannerism and the way Astro's hands twitched. "A little.."
Astro's hands immediately launched forwards to skitter across his stomach, bringing out a howl of unbridled laughter from him as he tried to kick Astro off, worse yet Astro had more limbs than usual gaining him quite the upper hand when it came to it, drat!
"Hey-! You said-!" He could barely speak through the giggling, rolling over onto his side to try to escape the ferocious hands that left him heaving for breath. "Sthhhooop-" One misplaced kick and a squeal as he feels the solid couch suddenly disappear from under him.
And he tumbled off the couch in one unceremonious heap, heaving for air and breathing through the lingering giggles escaping his throat, Astro peered from over the ledge of the couch down at him with glinting eyes full of playful mirth as his tail lashed amusedly behind him painting quite the funny picture.
Eventually Rodger tried to kick off the couch to right himself but ended up overestimating the strength of his kick and ending up falling face flat onto the floor, this incited hearty contagious laughter from the mischievous toon perched on the couch, Rodger couldn't help but join in and their voices merged as they laughed at the absurdity of it all.
As their laughter died down, Astro climbed down off the couch, his lanky limbs sliding to the floor. Reaching out, he aided Rodger to his feet and they shared a quiet longing look between each other.
Rodger wanted to say something to break it, but was interrupted as Astro's arms snaked around his midsection, pulling him closer. Astro was a good head taller so it made having to crane his head upward to lock eyes a bit tedious.
He wasn't as shocked this time as Astro planted a quick kiss on his glassy face, just an inch above the frame right where his mouth should be.
No mouth, no problem. He leaned in a clinked his glass against Astro's cheek in a quasi-kiss, pretending to peck it if only he had a mouth to actually peck it, Astro picked up on the humor and giggled lightly, his hands skirting up Rodger's back to wrap around his shoulders. "You know, you could always just ask for a mouth."
"Oh? How would they even go about that? Crack my head open like an egg?" Rodger hummed, the idea of it was as enticing as ever but he knew it was inevitably not possible. He involuntarily hiked up his shoulders as Astro's fur brushed against his neck, the feeling sending a shiver down his back. "Perhaps draw one on?"
Rodger placed a hand on his frame as he laughed, being around Astro had that eerie affect on him, everything was brighter, more lively. "I think i've had my fair share of people drawing crude images on my face with permanent sharpies not to want one anywhere near my face." Astro's smirk curved upwards, that devious little glint in his lone eye returned.
"Oh-ho-ho- My artistic talent would do wonders for you." Before he could reply, Astro's arms suddenly retracted and he had little time to prepare as Astro's hands immediately shot out towards his unprotected sides.
"Gah! Thwarted once more!" He let out a giggly shout, trying to twist away from Astro's nimble hands.
Eventually he manages to escape Astro's jittery grasp and he makes a run for the couch, vaulting over it and peeking over the horizon, narrowing his eye at Astro's looming form standing opposite trying to calculate the best way to catch the magnifying glass. "I'm putting the kibosh on this tomfoolery!"
"Drat! The opposing forces have thoroughly foiled my expert plans once again!" Astro exclaims, mimicking Rodger's purposefully silly vocabulary. "Aha, bested to none! I will not tolerate anymore buffoonery in this household, my castle walls will hold tall and strong in the face of this adversary." Rodger declares, patting the couch as one would pet a dog.
Astro pauses, that's a horrible sign, before launching himself towards the couch fully intending on climbing over it causing Rodger to shriek and backpedal away; eventually ending up on the floor as Astro took a dive towards him catching him effortlessly.
"Gosh- Gah!" Rodger let out loud barks of laughter as Astro immediately began worming his hands to Rodger's sides. "Caught again, victory is mine!" He laughs with a faux haughtiness, imitating some supervillain.
It took a minute of pure squirming and giggling before Astro finally gave in and fell atop of an exhausted Rodger, tangling his arms around the other toon to pull himself closer. "Really isn't fair when you have an extra set of arms." Rodger heaves for breath.
"Ha, yeah." Astro's smirk is all evil as he grins down at Rodger.
"Well, you're kind of warm now."
Astro's tail twitches, he takes note of how his chest seems a lot warmer than when he first began seeking Rodger out, his limbs no longer feel as though they're about to fall off due to frostbite even without that blanket he lugs around. "Yeah, i am actually." He hums, a content look flashing across his face as he pushes his face closer to the crook of Rodger's neck.
Rodger laughs, it's wheezy this time, still just as beautiful as before. "I think i might overheat now after all of that."
"Then i'll cool you down, i'm cold blooded, remember?"
"Two-point-seven kelvin right?"