Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“—If you breathe in my direction for the seventh time today–”

“—I’m trying to reach the bag of sugar, you stupid strawberry–!”

What was supposed to be a pair of best friends having a pleasing time baking together, the kitchen presents a pair of rivals going up against each other’s throats. Quite literally.

Flour and sugar dusted the counters and floor, butter and eggs (unfortunately) smeared across the walls; along with a few bowls and utensils scattered around.

During this ongoing rivalry of the two bickering with each other, at the other side of the counter stands Shelly and Vee, who are currently watching the scene unfold in their very eyes. Concern etched in her features whereas Vee… looks quite entertained and amused at the scenery, most likely recording it for future blackmail. Probably.

The ammonite turns her head to look at the tv toon beside her, lowering her voice into hushed whispers as she continues to spectate the bickering pair.

“Vee, it’s been months! These two are getting nowhere, I… honestly thought they’d click together.”

In the background, the two rivals continue to bicker and yap, giving each other a migraine that would most likely last the entire day.

“—And it is your fault that Goob choked on a piece of cookie–!”

“—my fault?? That was you shoving me and I ended up bumping into–”

Shelly wasn’t lying, it really had been months since the two originally met, with her having introduced the two toons in the first place. She initially thought the two were just a bit shy around one another, seeing as she was the one who had to plan and yank the two together every time, but she quickly found out this ‘shyness’ came with a hint of hatred. A rivalry had begun to form between the pair and with their friendship being completely fruitless, these hang outs had quickly turned into a recipe for disaster.

“Ahem. Hmn hmn.. cough. AHEM!!”

The ‘bickering couple’ quickly turned their attention towards the noise of a very angry toon clearing her throat, both staring in shock like deer in front of a set of headlights. Their fight had not only made a mess of the kitchen, but the two were also caked in flour and sugar (more so than the usual anyway for Cosmo…).

The two stared in confusion at one another before finally pulling away each of their respective grubby mitts away from their sworn nemesis, huffing and puffing all the while they turned away in a scoffing motion with their arms crossed on their chest. In between their stomping and loud scoffs, it became clear to Vee and Shelly that there was no universe where these two planned on apologizing to each other, preferring much rather to live in a world where they can ignore their fellow toon until it’s time to point the finger at someone else. Their shared spaces seemed to be sprinkled in a tense and sour atmosphere every single day, with others actively choosing to avoid anywhere the two are seen together.

Shelly’s had enough of this recipe. Glancing over at Vee, she receives a nod of approval from the TV toon, which prompts her to angrily stomp over to her friends and roughly yank their arms together, sporting a strained smile and an eye twitching in irritation.

“Sprout, Cosmo. Now, what will you two say to each other?”

The ‘deer in headlights’ metaphor quickly became relevant again as both Sprout and Cosmo began fearing for their lives, sweating profusely at the sight of Shelly dropping her friendliness for a moment, a terrifying prospect for any toon in Gardenview. Their trembling eyes turned to one another after a fearful pause, both radiating frustration in a sequence of groans and glances with their lips curling into a strained and obvious facsimile of a smile as they firmly shake hands before Shelly has a chance to wack either of them. They kept up their forced eye contact in order to satisfy Shelly’s whimsy, but it was almost as though the two were attempting to morph their facial expressions into rude gestures towards the compadre.

“...I’m sssssorry Sprout.”

“...I’m also very sssssorry, Cosmo.”

The toons slither their apologies in a sourly bitter tone and the two begrudgingly maintain that forced smile as though their faces had been glued as such, despite seeming to hate the sight that stared back at them. Shelly isn’t oblivious enough to fall for their charade parade, but decides that even this act they’ve put up in unison is good enough to call off any major consequences, choosing to pull her hand away from their arms; prompting the two to duet in unison a sigh of relief that the pained muscles they now massage desperately are free from Shelly’s infamously strong grip.

“Good! Now please don’t start a fight again. It greatly upsets me that you two aren’t even trying to get along!”

Cosmo once again sighs away his pain before turning himself to Shelly once again, changing his expression this time around to a more genuine and apologetic smile, one that told a different story from the one that unfolded moments prior.

“I’m sorry Shelly, I errr…”

Cosmo glances over at Sprout for a second, immediately gaining a migraine at the sight of a sour strawberry that would rival against a sour patch candy that Gigi occasionally snacks on, his smile straining for a moment before he quickly shifts his gaze back at the ammonite.

“...was just feeling a little sour, today.”

He could hear the quiet scoff from the sour strawberry next to him, which only made his blood boil even hotter. Cosmo cleared his throat and elbowed him in the side before quickly wrapping an arm around his in an attempt to disguise the two as ‘getting along’ causing Sprout to slightly double over with a set of wide eyes, coughing into his fist before glaring down at Cosmo.

“Isn’t that right, Sprout?”

“Haha, right. Totally right, Cosmo.”

Shelly squints at the two for a moment, skepticism written all over her face before letting out an exasperated sigh; shaking her head and glancing over at Vee with an unamused expression, her foot impatiently tapping on the kitchen tiles as she furrows her brows. Something that Shelly usually does when she’s in a deep thought, after a few moments, the tapping stops and she glances back at the two once more.

“Alright fine, but if I see you two—!”

Fearing for their lives, the pair immediately yanked their linked arms away from each other and frantically waved their hands at her dismissively, an apologetic and sheepish smile plastered in their desperate expressions. They were not looking forward to the possibility of being mushed together into a sort of strawberry cake recipe.

“Nonono we’ll be fine–!”

“We’ll be fine! We’ll be fine, right Sprout?”

“I– yeah! We’ll be fine.”

Disappointed by the sight before her, Shelly pouts at the two inevitable messes in front of her, letting out a deep sigh of what was bound to happen to this once peaceful environment. She turned away from the commotion to Vee, who decided it was about time the two girls took their leave from the scene, leaving the two partners in crime on their own once again. Sprout and Cosmo, for as much as they respected their friends, were mainly relieved over the fact nothing bad came from this, immediately turning over to glare angrily at one another, then back at the havoc the two had wreaked on this poor, poor kitchen.

“...do you think Tisha could—”

“We already asked her three times this week.”

Sprout’s expression is taken over by a disappointed look, similar to the pout Shelly had just a moment ago, and he decides to lean back against the nearest counter, turning his eyes somewhere else, away from him. Cosmo follows suit, with a similar deep sigh as he too leans back, but begins fidgeting with his hoodie’s strings. The kitchen’s absolved in a silence it hasn’t known since the toons’ arrival, with all parties present quickly realizing the guilt and regret that came with desecrating the space. Through a long groan, the shorter of the two straightened himself up, dusting flour off of his hands and gaining a hint of determination in his eyes (all whilst still avoiding any eye contact with him).

“Well, I’m gonna start cleaning. You can… help or leave, or whatever.”

In a calm silence, Sprout chose to simply watch as Cosmo picked up a nearby broom and began sweeping away at the various spills of flour and sugar that had adorned the floor, only taking a moment before he too sighed and, with sagged shoulders, got to work as well, grabbing a nearby rag and wiping the counters to the best of his ability. Both chose to be quiet for the rest of that evening…

After a long time and a heap of effort, the kitchen had once again become as spotless as it once was, so much so Tisha might’ve been able to shed a tear had she walked into the room. Both toons leaned back once again with exhaustion written all over their faces; that is until one of them managed to accidentally knock over a plate in their relaxation. The sound of the plate shattering into pieces on the floor interrupted the moment’s silence, being met only by the synchronized groan the toons replied with, once again in unison, followed by Sprout carelessly rushing to pick the ceramic shards off of the floor with his bare hands.

Despite the moment’s stillness, Cosmo overheard a quiet complaining hiss coming from Sprout’s direction, glancing over at the strawberry toon to view as he carefully stood up and (now carefully) disposed of what was left of that plate into the trash; a small grazing cut now featured on his worn out hand. He paused for a moment, his gaze unmoving from the injury, feeling as though he’d act out on a sort of ‘auto-pilot’. With a hand digging and rummaging into his shorts’ pocket, Cosmo pulled out a rainbow band aid and began making his move towards Sprout, or more specifically his cut.

Sprout’s brooding silence was suddenly interrupted by someone forcefully grabbing his hand, catching him completely off-guard.

“What are you–”

With careful precision, Cosmo quietly applied the band aid onto Sprout’s thumb, wrapping it carefully around the cut with all of his attention, helping to avoid any further messes. Sprout barely managed to catch a glimpse of it, but it seemed as though his helper had a huge pout on his face the entire time.

“You need to be careful, that was stupid.”

Both of them stood in front of each other, only allowing themselves to look at the band aid as to continue avoiding eye contact, Sprout’s hand still being held carefully by Cosmo’s. Silence crept into their evening once more, they had nothing but that quiet atmosphere left in each other’s presence, before Cosmo finally put an end to it by pulling his hands away and walking outside of a kitchen, neither of them exchanging any words as Sprout is left stunned on the spot.

Chapter Text

“—well, I can make better pancakes than you.”

“Okay and? Toodles constantly asks me for my cupcakes.”

“Don’t care, didn’t ask.”

Once again, Sprout and Cosmo are bickering their ears off… at 7 in the morning. But recently, their little bickerings and arguments have seemed to be more… lukewarm? Less heated. Behind the pair stands Shelly, who is currently rejoicing mentally at the sight of the two getting along! Somewhat, but getting there!

Currently, the two rivals are looking through the requested breakfast meals that the toons wrote down for today’s morning, exchanging opinions and occasionally agreeing with each other (albeit a little begrudgingly).

“Poppy is asking for… pop flavored pancakes?”

“You tell me, Yatta’s asking for candy flavored pancakes.”

They can’t help but to turn to one another, gears turning in both heads as they seemingly attempt to establish a psychic-link, which appears to be as unsuccessful as it usually is seeing as they’d hate to find any form of common ground with each other. For now, anyway.

As if on cue from their gazes squinting at each other with arched brows, an air of competition immediately started brewing as the two exchange strained smiles.

“Y’know Sprout, how about you sit back and relax while I cook today's breakfast?”

Sprout’s eye twitches with his smile stretching wider, folding his arms as he slightly leans down to Cosmo’s height; just a breath away with their glares intensifying.

“Actually, how about I do it instead? You can, y’know, sit back and relax.”

Shelly had an inkling of a suspicion when it came to where this was headed, but she trusted there’d at least be enough decency for it to not happen. She quickly paced over to the two with a sheepish laugh, throwing her arms around them to try to incite some friendliness.

“Heeeeey now! How about this, you two help each other on today’s breakfast. How about that? Hm?”

A look of pure disbelief was the only logical way for Cosmo and Sprout to retract this awful, horrifying, insulting, inhumane query; there was no other way to reply to such a request other than to stare back at Shelly in bewilderment. Attempting to at least process the possibility of such a thing coming true, their faces both scrunched in disgust after the mere thought of having to work together, which Shelly took an unfortunate notice of.

“C’mon! Just for today, without fighting, might I add. Just… set aside your differences?”

The pair of toons, currently very well-known for fighting each other, turn their gazes back to one another once again, straightened lips and furrowed brows as both maintain eye contact. A few moments went by before they simultaneously nodded in disappointment, sporting a pair of strained smiles that told Shelly they’re at least willing to tolerate each other’s presence for her sake, and probably attempt to maybe get along for once, just maybe.

“...Suuuuuure. Sure, just for today.”

“That’s fine by me, as long as he doesn’t get in the way.”

Cosmo already looks like he’s about to strangle Sprout on the spot.

The palm of Shelly’s hand quickly acquainted itself with the back of Sprout’s head, which it replied to with a resounding “OW!” in the strawberry’s usual tone. Shelly seemed pleased and what had been achieved, pulling away from her friends and folding her hands behind her back with a keen smile.

“Perfect! Who knows, maybe you two would actually get along if you just gave each other some time!”

Both looked at each other again, shaking their heads at such an awful thought, before casually turning back to Shelly.

“Ehhh…”, they said in unison, hiding their faces away from everyone in the room by looking away.

“I still stand by your… request, I can tolerate him today.”

“I agree with him, unfortunately.”

Notwithstanding all of the negativity, Shelly still managed to rejoice at her two friends finally tolerating each other, even if it’s just for a single day. She pumped her fist upwards and cheered, almost seeming to stop mid-air as if she’d been a part of a freeze-frame in a sitcom.

“That’s one step forward! Still, I’m really happy that you two are willing! Just for today though, but still–!”

Satisfied, she made her way out of the room with a pep in each step. Hurriedly waving the two goodbye in hopes she wouldn’t have to witness anything she wouldn’t like, she beelined her way towards Vee and Astro, who seemed to have already expected her to join their conversation.

Sprout and Cosmo relaxed themselves in relief for a moment, still staring at each other in exasperation of the tiring afternoon that seemed to await them in each other’s company, despite them both already feeling exhausted from having to stare at each other! Neither of them signed up for this, but they both decided to suck it up and work together.

“... … …DING!”

For what little time they’d spent together now, the atmosphere between both toons seemed rather peaceful and quiet as they worked through each breakfast request. Bowls of pancake batter being whipped and cooked pancakes flipped from pans to plates, the smell of freshly cooked pancakes wafted freshly through the kitchen.

This work environment had an unexpected peril to face though, as a little round ball of curiosity practically rolled her way into the kitchen, strolling in with a silent squeal at the sight of all sorts of delicious-looking pancakes. She dropped her quiet manners and ran right up to the two so she could peek at the nearby pancakes on her tiptoes.

Cosmo (and Sprout, but this isn’t about him) notices the young ecstatic 8-ball headed toon, his lips curling into an amused smile as his expression immediately brightens at the sight of her; arching a brow at her as he slightly leans over the counter to glance down (Sprout also waved at Toodles, but this still isn’t about him).

“Good morning Toodles! I’ve yet to start making your pancakes, could you wait a little longer?”

The little toon pouted, but she understood that the large pile of orders would keep any cook pretty busy until the time for breakfast finally graced them, choosing instead to walk around the counter and tug on Cosmo’s hoodie, causing Cosmo to hoist her up to a nearby empty counter and offer a few pats to her head.

A stray strawberry adorned with an evil grin suddenly snuck over to Toodles’ side and presented the innocent toon with a simple question.

“Psst, Toodles, who do you think makes the best pancakes between me and Cosmo?”

Cosmo overheard the poorly disguised scheming coming straight from the horse’s mouth, shooting him with a glare that at least tried to hide his distaste in front Toodles and following it up with a sarcastic chuckle that stopped himself from stirring the rest of the pancake batter, leaning over with an arm propped up against the counter.

“You absolutely suck at whispering.”

Cosmo then turns his head to look at Toodles, his expression suddenly morphing from that of an irritated but responsible individual, to one of a simple and immature curiosity.

Sprout scoffs with crossed arms, glancing away from Toodles to glare down at Cosmo with furrowed brows and a pout.

“Well, I’d like to think that she likes mine better. She likes fluffy pancakes.”

Cosmo had also glanced away from Toodles to glare back at Sprout, his lips quirked upwards into a strained smile and a raised brow.

“Really now? Well I think she likes mine better! She’s clearly into thin pancakes!”

“Now that’s just assuming things.”

“You’re assuming things too–!”

“I’m not–!”

This fight could’ve gone on for hours if need be, but it came to a sudden halt when a yell cut right throu—

The brawling toons put an end to their clash, effective immediately. Their wide-eyed, high alert faces failed to hide the on-the-spot guilt that soon overtook their very beings, the tinge of embarrassment crawling up their spines serving as an all too familiar reminder of the consequences for bickering with each other in the presence of others.

Before they got the chance to react to the sudden feeling of deja vu from Toodles’ reprimand, she yanked them by their scarf and hoodie strings respectively, cementing further that this scolding wasn’t done just yet.

With a huff and a puff, the pouting toon started, “I don’t care who’s better! I like everyone’s pancakes because I love pancakes!! I want to cook with both of you! Two is totally better than one!!”

The scoldees could’ve keeled over in shame by now had their hearts allowed them to; it clearly hit them in the gut that a much younger toon was having to teach them both that their arguing is not only meaningless, but also clearly irritating her. Neither toon was a fan of the mere idea of annoying the kid instead of teaching and entertaining her, even if their guilt nearly washed away once they both looked back at each other.

Both shared a sigh, “You’re right, Toodles. We shouldn’t worry you or waste your time with any of that dumb stuff, right Sprout?”

“I agree completely, it was selfish of us to do all of that. And it’s as you say - the more the merrier!”

The 8 ball-headed toon lit up so bright that you might’ve been able to mistake her for Brightney.

“Yeah, that’s right!! The more the merrier!”

Sprout suddenly scooped up the little toon off the counter, holding her up in the air with his long and extended arms.

She giggled and shook around in protest, “I’m not tiny!!!”

“Yeah you are, kiddo! Back me up here, will you Cosmo?”

Cosmo sighed, “...yeah yeah, alright you two little rascals. Let’s get to work!”

Thus the trio went on to work together, with the two grown-ups in the kitchen teaching Toodles the whole way through, with her helping to mix the pancake batter, carefully pouring it into a pan, and (under Sprout’s careful help/supervision) flicking the pan by its handle in order to make the pancake flip over. For some reason, that last part always brought out a roar of cheers and competitiveness between Sprout and Toodles, who’s excitement for pancake flipping only seemed to confuse (but endear) Cosmo.

After all three toons had spent their morning flipping pancakes, the two men watch with some degree of concern as Toodles decorates her own plate of pancakes with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and chocolate chip cookies. They thought it best to ignore their concern this time around, despite how unhealthy the meal looked, as payment for having made her upset that morning; they felt no need to bother her any further (just like how they felt no need to let Rodger know of how much sugar they were allowing her to stuff her face with).

The little rascal had already made her escape away from the kitchen before the two cooks could finish up every order, only after having perfectly enacted her master plan of acquiring a slightly early breakfast, so it was up to the two adults to clean up the mess they’d made of their neat kitchen.

That is, until Sprout glances over to Cosmo’s direction and notices him pausing from cleaning dishes, massaging his wrists and flicking the sore tension out of his muscles before resuming back on cleaning.

The strawberry could feel a strong flicker of irritation in his veins. That's stupid, straining and pushing yourself is stupid. Before he could think, his body had already gone to ‘auto-pilot’ mode; leaving the rag alone on the counter as he walked over to the infuriating chocolate roll cake, placing a hand over his wrist. Which catches Cosmo off guard as he turns his head to look at the tall sour strawberry in front of him, both toons gazes meeting as the atmosphere just sort of… pauses.

“Hey, your wrists have been shaking a lot lately. You need to take it easy, stop taking so many orders from everyone and pushing your limit.”

Cosmo could hear him mutter “It pisses me off.” under his breath before pulling his hand away, turning to focus on wiping the counters once more.

Chapter Text

"Have you seen Cosmo?"

"Hey, have you–"

"Do you know where–"

"Excuse me, could you let me know where–"

Nothing. Radio silence. Things were getting desperate at this point for Sprout, having asked anyone he happened to run by if they knew where his friendly nemesis had hidden himself this time around, but no one knew where he’d gone.

“You didn’t see him at all after this morning? Not even once?”

“Err… yeah, I’m pretty sure I haven’t, Sprout! I wish I had more to tell you…”

“I don’t get it, Boxten. I mean– did he say he was going somewhere later?”

“Not at all. But I do remember someth—”

“YES?”

“...He uh… didn’t seem like he was doing well. That’s all, really.”

Sprout scrunched his face as he held back every bone in his body from punching a hole in something nearby.

He ran around the lobby for hours, keeping notes of each and every toon that went into any elevator and asking them if they knew anything. He practically flipped the kitchen upside-down in his search, before flipping it back around in fear of getting an earful from Cosmo. He paced up and down the halls, completely lost in his thoughts:

“Where could he have gone? I checked every room I could, I ran around everywhere yelling out his name, asking everyone I came across, tracing my own steps to see if I could’ve ran into him, but there was nothing. I even knocked at his door, but I didn’t hear anything.”

Hours of biting his own lip in frustration had made the sinking of his teeth go well past his skin now, causing a noticeable wound he’d tried to hide. The weight on his consciousness made it feel as though his body were about to burst, starting right from his heart.

But that feeling came to a screeching halt when his thoughts got interrupted by a distant yell:

“He’s been in his room the whole day, berry boy! He’s still in bed. Make your way there while you still caaaan!”

The typical ‘Sprout Seedly’ would’ve met the little insult in that phrase with some sort of retort, but this current one had a clearly different goal in mind.

“...THANKS, VEE!!”

And so he ran off.

"Cosmo."

Sprout stands in the middle of a dark mahogany door, his knuckles occasionally knocking against the wood as the sound reverberates throughout the deserted hallway.

A few months had passed, the two have gotten slightly better at tolerating each other; most notable being their arguments and disagreements lessening at each passing day, their glares softening and tones being much more friendlier, but a lingering hint of exasperation and occasional frustration still evident.

Most important of all, they've gotten a little close.

Close enough for them to show a bit of care, like a little hidden red string.

"Cosmo, Boxten told me that you weren't feeling great today."

Still no response from the chocolate roll cake, prompting the strawberry to huff and glare at the door as if it were a disgrace to his presence.

"Cosm–"

"Sprout please, I'm... not in the mood right now."

Sprout's brows furrow with frustration, chewing the inside of his cheek as he pressed his forehead against the door with a soft thump.

"You've been in your room for nearly the entire day...!"

Silence.

"Cosmo, please can y—"

"Can you just go away?"

Sprout could feel the frustration boiling over as he straightened himself up, his arms crossed in his chest with his lips curling downwards into a frown.

"Well knowing that you're in a bad mood isn't going to shoo me away that easily, y'know."

With an unfortunate blessing to Sprout's persistent nagging, the door bursts open; almost practically getting ripped off its hinges with Cosmo standing in front of him looking furious and upset. His eyes glaring straight into Sprout's as if he's looking right through his very soul, he could almost feel a slight shiver going up his spine; he still hasn't gotten used to Cosmo's occasional genuine glares, but he'd never admit how it'd send his heart racing.

Cosmo practically hisses it out in an exasperated manner with an irritated expression plastered on his face, Sprout could see the white knuckled grip on the door handle.

"I'm just worried about you."

"Worried about me? How about you worry about yourself? I was perfectly fine inside this room until you bothered me!"

"I'm being genuine! I wanted to come visit you and—"

"—and what? Irritate me even more? Because that's totally what's happening right now!"

Sprout could feel his nerves going aflame from how aggressive Cosmo is getting, his brows furrowed and his lips curled into a straight line; despite his nerves about to pop on the spot, he is genuinely concerned about his... friend, he supposes.

"Cosmo."

"What?"

The two toons stare at each other for a moment in awkward tense silence, Cosmo could see the gears slowly working through Sprout's mind as he notices the subtle fidgeting of his hand gripping the soft fabric of his apron.

After a few more moments of what seemed like centuries, the slightly sour strawberry talks.

"Look, I'm sorry for bothering you. But I mean it when I say I'm being genuine with my intentions."

Cosmo, once more, noticed another subtle shift in Sprout's demeanor. His gaze and furrowed brows have softened, and he swore he felt the tension seeping out; like a fresh wave of... genuine warmth.

Subtle, but it's there. And Cosmo doesn't know how to feel about it.

"Are you okay? Genuinely asking."

Silence again.

"Cosmo."

"I hear you, I just—"

Don't know how to react.

Foreign, it's all too much. It’s too much, it feels overwhelming. Cosmo doesn't know where to start, what do you even say to someone whom you've been slowly getting along with? There's no manual to this, no instructions, no—

"That's okay, I– you just take it easy."

Infuriating is what he is, Cosmo thinks, he could feel himself getting vulnerable around him lately with how... soft he's been getting with him.

"Okay."

And Cosmo steps aside, a silent invitation.

And Sprout steps inside.

Cosmo feels small in this room, tiny, miniscule and... cold.

He doesn't remember when he started feeling cold today, he was just fine on his own earlier until it felt way too much for him to handle anything; it felt like there was a little red string tugging him.

Yearning for something that he can't quite grasp yet, confused and frustrated about it.

"Could you tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

Before he knows it, he's seated on the edge of his bed with Sprout seated on the floor, his head resting against the edge of his bed as well with his eyes focused onto him.

It’s a little warm now.

Cosmo always gets cold feet when someone stares at him for too long, he never said anything about it to anyone though; but he doesn't feel it when Sprout looks at him.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't–"

Exhaustion and frustration written all over his face, shaky hands fidgeting with his hoodie strings and his eyes are gazed somewhere else.

"It's confusing, I really don't know how to talk about it."

"So it's like... one of those days?"

And for some reason, Sprout gets Cosmo.

And the little red string tugs itself.

"Something like that, yeah. Just... suddenly felt like today was overwhelming."

"You know," Sprout starts as he glances upwards at the ceiling, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. "I heard that if you're feeling sad all of the sudden, you're mourning for someone somewhere."

Cosmo snorts as he glances upwards as well, he could feel the tension and frustration seeping out of him.

"That's kinda weird."

"I don't think so, I think it's like..."

"Like a sentimental connection thing?"

"Something like that."

Silence seeps inside between the two once more, staring at the ceiling without a word being exchanged.

That is, until Cosmo huffs and glances over at Sprout with furrowed brows.

"You know, you frustrate me."

Sprout is looking at Cosmo once more, intrigue etched into his features with an arched brow and an amused smirk.

"Really now? I do?"

"Yeah, you do. You always act like you know me, it's... frustrating."

The strawberry's expression softens as he glances away from the chocolate roll cake, looking elsewhere as he ponders on his reply.

Choosing his words carefully, he didn't want Cosmo to take this the wrong way; especially in such a vulnerable state.

"Well, I... errr..."

Clearing his throat, Sprout's gaze is back on Cosmo once more; their eyes meeting and he could feel his heart going thump, thump, thump.

"I do... want to get to know you more, genuinely."

Chapter Text

"Sprout wasn't here."

"What? Not even in the morning?"

Cosmo stands confused in front of Astro with furrowed brows, chewing the inside of his cheek as he taps his foot impatiently in a thought; a small little habit that Cosmo had picked up from Sprout.

Astro sighs as he shakes his head, adjusting the heavy weighted blankets draped around his form as he glances down at the short chocolate roll cake.

"I'm afraid so, even when I was passing by the kitchen for cookies."

The chocolate roll cake huffs as he stops tapping his foot, glancing down at the floor with a glare as if it were the bane of his existence and the problem of all of his predicaments.

"Well, thanks Astro. The jar of cookies is hidden at the left side of the shelf."

That was the last thing Cosmo said to Astro before turning heel, his main goal setting into searching the mildly-infuriating-but-tolerable-frenemy strawberry.

As Cosmo walks down along the hallways in relative silence, he ends up crossing paths into Finn with an arched brow, waving at him in greeting as he slows down his steps.

"Hey Finn, have you seen—"

"–Sprout?"

Cosmo stares at him in mild surprise, blinking as he had to mentally process what he said before clearing his throat.

"Yeah uh, Sprout. How'd you know?"

The fishbowl whistles as he shoves his hands into his pants pocket before smiling widely at the chocolate roll cake, slightly tilting his head to the side with crinkled eyes.

"Well y'know! I always see you two together a lot more now, so I'd assume that you were looking for him."

"Huh, well. Do you–?"

"Nope!"

Cosmo could feel a vein popping in his nerves, but held back on saying something snarky.

"Ah well, thanks! I guess! I'll see you later."

Before Finn could reciprocate a farewell back, Cosmo is already speed-walking away from him; huffing out an exasperated sigh the second he's on his own again.

Footsteps tapping along the polished wooden floorboards as each step echoes throughout the deserted hallway, Cosmo finds himself getting a little frustrated that he still hasn't seen his... friend yet.

Would he consider them as friends? Sort of? He supposes, but he's not sure if Sprout feels the same; maybe they are, do people talk about it? Where do they stand together?

Deep in his thoughts, he ends up almost bumping into Poppy with a surprised gasp; stumbling backwards and catching himself on the second step.

"Woah hey–! I'm sorry, Poppy!"

The bubble girl was also caught off guard as she practically jumps back in surprise with flailing arms, squeaking as she does so before huffing out a sigh of relief.

"Cosmo! You scared me there for a bit! Watch where you're going!"

Cosmo musters up a sheepish apologetic smile at Poppy, fidgeting with his hoodie strings as he bashfully glances away.

"My bad! My bad, sorry Poppy! Was just in a deep thought."

Poppy waves a hand at him dismissively with a brilliant smile, shaking her head.

"S'all good! Mind telling me what's going on in that head of yours?"

Cosmo could almost feel a pang of Deja Vu smacking him in the head, vividly remembering Sprout asking him the same thing a few months back when he was feeling down. He swore he felt his heart beating faster at the thought of him, which is... new.

Huh.

"Cosmo?"

"Oh! Uhh, yeah hey– do you know where Sprout is?"

"Hmm... I'm afraid I don't know where he is, sorry Cosmo! I haven't seen him all day!"

Poppy could see the way his expression and body language deflated at the news, which made her a little endeared with a hint of knowingness.

"Darn, well– it's nice seeing you, Poppy! I'll see you later!"

And right before Poppy could even say her goodbyes back, Cosmo is already speed-walking away yet again.

Well now he's more than frustrated.

Every toon he's passing by so far has given him the same answers! No Sprout here, no Sprout there- it's just upsetting.

Now that he's thought about it, why is he looking for Sprout? Did he have any business with him? Schedules?? Cosmo, get your shit togeth—

Before he knows it, he took an elevator ascending to the lobby floor; a sharp ding! interrupting his thoughts as he steps out into the lobby area with the large metal gate slamming down once more before descending.

Standing in the middle of the entrance of the elevator; he's greeted with the sight of a deserted lobby (everyone must've been hanging out in the projector room tonight, he totally forgot about the movie night).

Cosmo finds himself confused and upset with furrowed brows and clenched fists. Why is this so stupid? This is stupid.

Mentally cursing at himself with his time being wasted on searching for one damn strawberry has really soured his mood, debating on turning heel and walking back into his room.

That is, until he catches a glimpse of a certain leafy hair poking out behind the tree in the middle of the lobby's circular garden.

And the hidden little red string tugs itself.

silently walking over to the garden with careful steps as he approaches the strawberry (mind you, at least he's being respectful right now considering the entire time of his day being spent off searching for this damn strawberry), Cosmo clears his throat to catch his attention.

"Sprout," The chocolate roll called out as he strolled over to said infuriating strawberry with his arms folded behind his back, a pout painting his features as he peeked over. "Do you have any idea how long I've been searching for you toda– are you sulking?"

The way Cosmo's expression just sort of... softens at the sight of Sprout's somber expression nearly makes Sprout choke on air on the spot for a moment. But he doesn't, so it shouldn't matter.

Staring at each other in awkward silence, the strawberry in question finally finds some words as he clears his throat; brushing a few leaves back as he glances away from the chocolate roll cake.

"I uh, just needed some time for myself, that's all. Can't always be around others."

Glancing back at him, he could feel his heart thumping rhythmically, a thump, thump, thump.

"And you? Isn't everyone in the projector room right now? Do you... need help with something?"

Cosmo huffs and takes a seat next to Sprout on the lush grassy floor, pressing his legs up his chest as he rests his chin on his knees. Glancing over at the strawberry next to him, his expression softened even more with an arched brow.

Another tug.

"You know you don't have to do all of that, right? I'll just show up eventually, like always. Not a problem in sight."

"But that's the problem,"

Another tug, closer than ever.

"I wanted you near."

Sprout's heart nearly leaps out of his throat. What is happening? What is happening right now?

A few months ago, they were at each other's throats; bickering and squabbling with not an ounce of care in their eyes or friendliness in demeanor.

Yet here they are, closer than even with uncertainty and hesitance of... something lingering in the air; Sprout doesn't know how to feel about it.

But what he does know for certain is, admittedly, he doesn't want any of this to go away.

"That was—"

Sprout could see the embarrassment seeping into Cosmo's expression, and his heart nearly goes into cardiac arrest.

"No! No, you're fine. I just– just caught me off guard, a bit."

Frantically reassuring the embarrassed chocolate roll cake beside him, Sprout decided to glance away from him in an attempt to lessen the awkwardness between the two; if anything, he was already getting second-hand embarrassment to himself and Cosmo.

"Right, uhm. Yeah I just– I– it was just weird. Not seeing you the entire day, I meant."

Cosmo wants to smack himself in the back for his constant stuttering. Why is he stuttering so much now? It's just Sprout! It's just Sprout.

So why does he feel so damn embarrassed around him?

Awkward silence welcomes both of them once more with open arms, Cosmo feels regret crawling up his spine with how much he's been fumbling over his own words; maybe he should've turned heel and walked back straight into his room, he could've seen Sprout another time in another day just to spare him this embarrassingly awkward predicament.

Yet he didn't, because it feels weird not seeing him today. It was always going to be weird not seeing him, because Cosmo is cold and Sprout is warm.

Cosmo feels like pinching himself.

Sprout on the other hand... is currently experiencing a maelstrom of feelings.

Because first off, he did not expect Cosmo to find him today.

Second, he was purposely avoiding Cosmo today.

Third, the mentioned maelstrom of feelings that Sprout is currently in the trenches in.

He is confused beyond reason and he wants to tug the leaves out of his poor sour strawberry head because who decided to put him through a hurricane of foreign feelings that he does not have a manual to??

He did.

Avoiding Cosmo has been his number one goal the entire day, because he did not want to confront his feelings today; he would rather deal with it at a later time than going head straight first into the unknown. Because Sprout is terrified of confronting things that he doesn't know, he doesn't know how to approach this, nada, zilch.

Feelings are confusing, Sprout thinks. It makes you feel tingly and other times it painfully tugs your heartstrings at 2:30 in the morning; and other confusing things that Sprout finds himself experiencing.

One of which, a foreign one, is currently tormenting the poor strawberry with.

And he has exactly no idea what it is, other than knowing that he is cold and Cosmo is warm.

Cosmo is warm.

And Sprout is terrified of losing that warmth.

"Could you... tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

Deja Vu greets Sprout with the way it lingers in Cosmo's words, he swore he said the same thing to Cosmo a few months ago. Glancing over to the chocolate roll cake once more, he could feel his warmth radiating from just a single glance at him.

"Pardon—?"

"You have that look in your face when you're in deep thought."

"Oh."

Sprout did not know that Cosmo took notice of such a small detail, he's unsure about knowing that from him is making him giddy, flabbergasted or something else entirely.

Whichever comes first, he supposes.

"I'm just... confused about something? It's kinda stressing me out."

"Oh. Well uh, do you know what that something is?"

"Not really, I'm still figuring it out."

The two stare at each other in silence once more, greeting each other with awkwardness and hesitance until Cosmo decides to change things between the two; standing up and dusting himself off before offering a hand to Sprout.

"We could dance."

Cosmo does not believe in himself right now and he could feel regret and embarrassment creeping in as he cringes at himself.

"Excuse me—?"

"—When I'm stressed, I just... dance? It's weird, I know, but it just sorta comforts me. Think of it as like... shaking the stress out of your limbs."

Sprout is staring at him with an unreadable expression plastered on his face and Cosmo wants to leap off a cliff.

Until Sprout's expression shifts, an endeared softer expression now painting his features; Cosmo is warm and Sprout is warm.

"You're so weird."

And yet, he takes the hand anyways; hoisting himself up and dusting himself off.

Before both of them know it, they're both slowly swaying together in the garden with no one around; just them and Dandy's little radio playing a tune nearby.

Cosmo wonders about his predicament with his eyes trained on Sprout, but Sprout isn't looking at him.

Sometimes, he feels frustrated when he doesn't look his way on days when they're both together; he always catches himself feeling that way and he's confused about it.

This is one of those days, but Cosmo finds himself questioning these thoughts again. Don't lovers do this? He wonders about it, but so far he's enjoying this little dance with Sprout. He doesn't mind doing this again, but he thinks he'll get frustrated again if he doesn't look his way.

He doesn't understand Sprout sometimes. Recently, he's been confusing and Cosmo is confused.

But the hidden little red string that connects the two says otherwise.

It tugs them closer and closer, the strawberry's arm wrapped around the chocolate roll cake's waist with the other's wrapped around his neck; and their hands intertwining.

Cosmo could feel the lingering cold in Sprout's hand, he hopes that his hand is warm enough for him.

Sprout is terrified and elated.

He is cold, and Cosmo is warm.

He'll never admit this out loud, not a single peep. But he's terrified of himself lately.

He knows he's blunt, straightforward at times and maybe a little pushy. But it's just how he is, and for some reason; he finds himself uncertain and terrified of himself recently.

Especially around Cosmo, not wanting to look at him right now because if he does; he might just crumble on the spot.

Cosmo is much too warm, it's too warm. And Sprout is enamoured with that warmth, so much so that he's terrified of losing it.

Losing him.

Terrified that he'll do something dumb that frustrates Cosmo back to where they started, exchanging bickers and glares for days on end.

He's so warm, Sprout is cold and he is warm.

"You're getting tense, do you want to stop?"

His eyes are back on Cosmo again, his gaze has significantly softened when he's staring at him again.

Sprout's heart thumps again, and again, and again.

"No," A quiet murmur, his muscles loosening as he adjusts his grip around Cosmo; pulling him just a little closer. "We can keep dancing, I feel less stressed now."

The hidden little red string is thicker.

Sprout is warm, and Cosmo is warmer.

Chapter Text

Cosmo feels like he's gonna punch the nearest wall.

Currently faced down on the soft plush carpet floor of his room and splayed about, groaning to himself as he has come to accept his recent predicament that's been weighing over his thoughts for the past few... how long has it been?

Ever since he spent his evening dancing with Sprout that night, his heart has practically become a ball being thrown in a round of ping pong for days. And before he knew it, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and now it's been nearly a year now.

Nearly a year, scratch that actually, turning into a year tomorrow.

Cosmo is in love, and he feels like he's walking on eggshells.

Because good god are his standards low. Probably low, because he has only experienced one crush and one crush alone.

First things first, every time Sprout does something hilariously stupid within his vicinity, like instinctively cussing out while Toodles is in the room and having to frantically bribe her not to tell Rodger what she heard; he catches himself smiling wider that day, catching a glimpse of him in the mirror with that endeared smile painted on his face.

Second, Sprout is undoubtedly sweet because oh god if he asked him if he was okay for the fiftieth time that day just because he accidentally scraped his knee against the floorboards as he was delivering a tray of treats to the dining area; he might just give in and ask him to carry him at this point.

Third, that stupid last name that Sprout Seedly despises. Cosmo feels like he's about to faint if he ever ponders about taking his last name again for the hundredth time, it's so stupid and Cosmo is so endeared by it.

Fourth, the little quirks and habits that Sprout has whenever he's lost in his thoughts or busy with things; the way he starts impatiently tapping his foot when he's in a deep thought, or when he occasionally snaps his fingers with a loud "AHA!" following suit when an idea pops up in his brain, or those rare little moments of him following along a random tune or rhythm with his fingers drumming along the counter.

Fifth, good god he wants to kiss him.

Cosmo groans again as he rolls himself over and staring right back at the ceiling with wide eyes, glaring at it as if the ceiling had just cursed his entire nonexistent bloodline and existence.

"Sprout Seedly, look what you did to me."

After just a few moments of glaring at the ceiling in frustration and embarrassment, he suddenly hoists himself up and beelines towards his bed; throwing himself in the mattress and burying his face on the nearest pillow; muffling his screams and frantically kicking his feet. After maybe five minutes of screaming into the poor pillow and throwing a mini tantrum, he then starts thwacking the pillow onto the mattress a few times before throwing it at a wall; sitting at the edge of the bed with furrowed brows and reddened flushed cheeks.

What was the word that he heard Sprout say once? "Kinikilig?" Kinikilig, aka "my heart is fluttering", aka oh god I think I'm going to burst into flames on the spot if Sprout keeps acting like a cute strawberry.

Hopping off the bed and pacing around the room once more with his arms folded behind his back, Cosmo finds himself getting more and more flustered, embarrassed and frustrated. Because step one is realizing your feelings, that's where he is right now.

But what is the next step? What's the best course of action could he take? Because he's sure as hell that he does not want to ruin anything between them! They're already at such a comfortable point in their friendship, there's no need to move it further when everything is just right.

Yet here he is, unsatisfied and yearning for something more with Sprout, because clearly his heart screams a whole lot louder than his own mind.

Ceasing his mindless pacing around his room, the frustrated chocolate roll cake threw himself back onto the bed once more as he hid under the covers, groaning in defeat at his embarrassing predicament.

In another room however, a pacing strawberry going around in circles in his own room is occupied with the same dilemma that the chocolate roll cake was experiencing too.

His arms folded on his chest and glaring down at the floor as if he has beef with messing with his nonexistent fruity bloodline, Sprout finds himself embarrassed and irritated as he pauses in front of his mirror; unfolding his arms and adjusting his scarf.

It's almost a year at this point ever since he had realized about his... predicament with Cosmo, that evening of them dancing together alone in the garden never left Sprout's mind. Because in all honesty, Sprout admits that he wants to dance with Cosmo again; in his arms where he belongs and his eyes gazing back at him as if he were something worth cherishing and acknowledging for his entire life, Sprout is enamoured and Cosmo is the most gorgeous and handsome looking toon he has ever laid eyes on.

Sprout is in love, and he feels like combusting on the spot.

Because goodness gracious are his standards high. Probably high, only because he has only experienced one crush and one crush only, and the only toon that fits that sort of description is Cosmo.

First things first, Sprout feels like he's about to scream his heart out and frolic out into the fields whenever Cosmo smiles at his direction at any given moment; he feels his heart thumping widely and his lips curling upwards as he reciprocates a smile back, and he smiles wider at the sight of him smiling back and it sends Sprout into a near cardiac arrest.

Second, Cosmo is much too generous because Sprout feels like punching the nearest wall if he had to watch Cosmo give away his own dessert to Goob one more time; he might actually crash out because he's just too nice and he wants to spoil him so badly. Spoil him with treats, music discs filled with his favorite songs, matching bracelets and outfits, even lend him his own scarf because he deserves it.

Third, he's so endearing and dorky that Sprout would fall to his knees and thank whatever deity is out there for cursing and blessing him with such a lovely toon despite their rocky first meeting and rivalry; because who knew Cosmo loves talking about stars and astronomy?? He could not stop listening to his voice as he rambled on and on about the burning stars in the sky and pointing at each constellation with such excitement in his voice.

Fourth, oh god Sprout wants to spend his entire lifetime with Cosmo because he just can't seem to get over his own little quirks and habits that would slip by through everyone's radars but not him; the way Cosmo would stick his tongue out or chew the inside of his cheek when he's in a deep thought, or when he catches him dancing all by himself in the garden while he hums a melodious tune, or the rare little moments of him subtly hissing out an irritated or frustrated sigh at a pet peeve.

Fifth, he just wants to hold him in his arms for as long as he lets him.

Sprout stares at the mirror for a moment before groaning and nearly accidentally headbutting said mirror in front of him before catching himself and stepping back with furrowed brows and straightened lips, mentally cursing at himself as his shoulders sag in defeat.

"Cosmo Brownie, what are you doing to me?"

After glaring at himself for what seems to be a few minutes, he suddenly beelines towards his bed and yanks a random pillow before throwing it against a wall with a shout and reddened flushed cheeks (if that was even possible, considering he's already red all over). Impatiently tapping his foot on the plush carpet floor and crossing his arms with gritted teeth, Sprout feels like he might catch on fire if he keeps thinking about the chocolate roll cake for another second; he probably might, because he never leaves his mind.

What was the word that he heard Cosmo say once when he was cooing at Pebble? "Fofo?" Fofo, aka cute, aka oh my god he's so cute and endearing that I might pray and hope to be smited on the spot if Cosmo keeps pulling my heartstrings.

Staring at the poor pillow on the floor, he walks over and grabs it before throwing it at a different corner of his room with more strength as he grunts with furrowed brows and a pout. Sprout finds himself getting more and more smitten at the thought of Cosmo, because of course thinking about your crush is going to make you kilig-kilig and scream your heart out at the sky (or pillow).

Sprout feels stuck, because what more could they have when they have such a wonderful friendship together? There's no need to bring it even further because they're already happy and comfortable together like puzzle pieces clicking nicely. Everything is just enough for the both of them, and that was just fine.

But Sprout is yearning for more with Cosmo, because he doesn't think he can handle another day just admiring Cosmo up-close when he wants to do more than just admire.

Pinching himself in the cheek, the hopeless strawberry mumbles a curse as he turns heel and beelines towards his bed, collapsing face first on the soft mattress with a muffled groan; mentally cursing at his own pathetic behavior in defeat of his own frustrating predicament.

It's now the next day, the kitchen is bustling with multiple activities as the two toons busy themselves with their own respective stations; occasionally switching and passing each other's tasks as they juggle with each upcoming order for the evening's dinner, exchanging quick glances and shy smiles as they pass by each other. The chocolate cake roll in particular, could feel his energy slowly getting drained with how hectic the kitchen is getting from all the orders; slowing his steps as he sucks in a breath and wiping away a stray drop of sweat off his forehead with the back of his palm.

Sprout obviously takes notice of Cosmo's dwindling energy as he practically drops everything (not literally) and hurries over to the chocolate cake roll with concern written all over his face, grabbing a hold of Cosmo's hand and towering over him with their faces just a breath away. Cosmo should've expected this to happen, he just wished Sprout knew the concept of personal space; but admittedly, he's kinda endeared by this but he swore his heart is going to leap out of his throat if he leans in a little too close.

"Cos, you know that you can slow down, right?"

"Yeah, I know! I know, I'm taking things slow."

Sprout isn't satisfied with that answer, because he knows Cosmo and he knows damn well that he isn't gonna slow down the second Sprout is off him; so what would Sprout do in response to Cosmo's stubborn predicament?

Obviously hoist him over his shoulder, because that's a perfectly normal response to your best friend's frustrating and stubborn predicament.

"What the—?"

"Y'know! I think this calls for a break! We've been spending two hours in the kitchen, it's not really good for both of us, no?"

"Sprout Seedly, put me down!"

"Mmmmmnuh."

Not wasting a second, the infuriating strawberry strolls out of the kitchen with the most smug shit-eating grin plastered on his face while the chocolate cake roll continues to throw a temper tantrum; cursing at him with flailing arms and kicking his legs as they're both beelining towards the elevator, Sprout whistles a little tune as he taps a button to the lobby floor. Waiting for the elevator to ascend to the kitchen floor, one of the toons who goes by the name Glisten struts past them with a quick glance before taking a double take as he stares at Cosmo with wide eyes and an arched brow.

Cosmo takes notice of Glisten and he could feel his face burning up in embarrassment, his face scrunching with furrowed brows and creased eyes as he mentally prays that Glisten would just forget this moment ever happened and leave. Much to his manifesting, Glisten slips out a snort and Cosmo just knew his life was over; groaning as he dips his head down in embarrassment and shame. But bless Glisten for not saying anything, waving at Cosmo farewell before walking away with a knowing smile now plastered on his face.

"Sprout."

"Yes, Cos?"

"Eu juro que te vou estrangular. (I swear I’m going to strangle you.)"

Sprout nearly doubles over in laughter as he stifles a snort, quickly clearing his throat in an attempt to shove down his chuckles as they step inside the elevator the moment its large metal door rises; finally placing Cosmo back down after the metal door slams shut and they start ascending to the lobby floor, at the corner of Sprout's eye; he could see Cosmo glaring sharp daggers at him with his foot impatiently tapping on the cool tiled floor, filling the silence with his quiet fury.

Sprout is terrible and Cosmo knows it, so much so that he really wants to wipe that damn smug shit-eating grin off his face. But he'll admit, it's such a handsome look on him to see him smirking like that.

After a few moments of standing around in the elevator, it announces their destination with a sharp ding! as its large metal doors slowly ascend, prompting the two toons to step out and slamming down shut as it descends once more to lower floors; before Sprout could even say a word, Cosmo is already yanking him by the end of his scarf and dragging him towards the middle of the circular garden.

Reaching their usual spot in the garden, Cosmo lets go of Sprout's scarf before he playfully pushes him down to the grassy fields; bursting out laughing as he does so before his volume pitches higher when Sprout yanks him down as well, the two toons play fighting in the garden with wide smiles and crinkled eyes.

The two exchange snarky comments and teases as they poke and prod at each other with chuckles and giggles filling the atmosphere, and in just a few minutes, the two eventually settle down with their chest heaving and gasping for air after laughing together the entire time.

As the two lay in the grass, Cosmo rolls over and gently kicks Sprout in the shin with a smirk and furrowed brows.

"Don't do that again, that was so embarrassing!"

Sprout feigns a hurt expression, pouting as he rubs his shin that Cosmo had kicked at; he would attempt puppy eyes but he knows by now that Cosmo isn't that easy to convince.

"Awe c'mon Cos! But I really like carrying you around!"

"Well don't do it when there's toons around...!"

"I don't care about them seeing us! I like carrying you around regardless of the situation!"

Cosmo feels like he's about to combust on the spot with how stupidly sweet yet blunt Sprout is right now, who let him be so... endearing.

Sprout feels like his heart is about to leap out of his throat when he notices how Cosmo's gaze seems to soften the longer he's staring at him.

And Cosmo could feel his heart going thump, thump, thump.

He's staring at him like that, the way his eyes just sort of... crinkled and his lips curling upwards into such a small yet genuine smile. It's warm, he's warm and Sprout is warmer.

They can't take it anymore. The moments they've spent together have had flowers bloom in their garden so much so that it bursts with color every time they're together. There's no other choice, someone has to confess.

Eu vou admitir.

Aamin ako.

I will admit.

"Sprout?"

"Gusto kita. (I like you.)"

The chocolate cake roll stares at the strawberry in confusion with raised brows, his lips parting into an 'o' before he mutters a quiet "What?" with said strawberry's murmur; not hearing him quite properly.

Sprout stares at Cosmo with furrowed brows and reddened flushed cheeks, his heart frantically beating out of his chest as he gathers his thoughts and courage once more; clearing his throat as he rolls over, hesitantly trailing a hand over to his cheek and gently cupping, swiping a thumb along his starry freckles almost reverently.

"Cosmo," He gulps, chewing the inside of his cheek as he mentally balances in the middle of chickening out or taking the leap.

I will admit.

"I like you."

Thump, thump, thump.

"I really, really like you."

Thump, thump, thump.

"I want us to be something more than friends."

Before Sprout could continue with his confession, Cosmo is already on him with his hands cupping Sprout's face and staring at him with wide surprised eyes; flabbergasted beyond reason and with reddened flushed cheeks, not believing what he is hearing from the sweet strawberry's mouth.

"Do you mean it?"

He questions in hushed whispers, searching for any signs of false feelings; only to find none and presented with genuine feelings.

He could feel Sprout's arm snaking around his waist, leaning in closer with their foreheads bumping against each other; he could feel how warm Sprout was.

"I do," Sprout murmurs, tilting his head as he buries his face against Cosmo's shoulder; shifting his arms around to comfortably hold Cosmo in his arms, a firm reverent grip around the chocolate roll cake.

"I love you so much, I think you're drowning me."

Sprout is so warm and Cosmo is so loved.

With shaking hands, Cosmo chokes out a breathy laugh as he tilts Sprout's face towards him and starts peppering kisses all over his face; his lips murmuring sweet nothings and I love you's at each kiss being burned onto Sprout like a brand.

Sprout chuckles along with Cosmo with his eyes fluttering shut, soaking up the kisses as his face practically burns redder at how flustered he is from Cosmo's loving grip on him; his arms are trembling and clutching him so tightly, never wanting to let go of this burning star that pulls his heartstrings everyday at any given moment.

"I love you," He manages to croak out amidst the rain of kisses on his face, clearing his throat as he tries to cling onto whatever sanity he has left before he becomes a dizzy flushed mess in Cosmo's hands.

"I love you too," Cosmo murmurs against his skin before slowly trailing towards his lips, pausing for a moment as his heart thumps again, and again, and again.

Leaning forward, their lips click together like puzzle pieces fitting perfectly just right; it's not extravagant and the kiss went a little clumsy, but it's their kiss and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Sprout is loved, and Cosmo is love.

The two both share a tender kiss and the gaze that follows in a sea of murmuring giggles, the two lovebirds completely enthralled in a secret heart-to-heart that only they could ever hope to understand. The 'kilig' couple, as Sprout would put it, tumbles their dialogue over onto the lobby’s grass field in an exchange that somehow kept their gazes fixed onto each other. Just like any other busy night that the two had learnt to spend together, neither of them was about to let their best friend step away from what little free time they had together; although, their relationship had just turned into something more than just a friendship a few moments ago.

“It’s still hard to believe, being able to reach out into the stars on your cheeks and caressing them as if I always could. It feels like a dream.”

“I’m in the middle of processing it too… Say, Sprout, what if this was all just a dream? Would that mean you’d spend another one of your mornings smacking your alarm clock around the room?” Cosmo giggled softly as he asked.

“...I’d make sure that thing never worked again, so it couldn’t get in our way.”

Cosmo sighs with his expression stuck into a short smile and an unmoving gaze, “Arguing with inanimate objects… you’re a bit hopeless without me around, Mr. Seedly.”

“Heeeey. Kissing me doesn’t give you permission to call me that, y’know?”

“Oh, so like how you lost your permission to use the stand mixer by yourself after that little incident?”

“...Big talk from the guy who needs my help to get to the higher cupboards.”

“...You know I hate you, right?”

Before Sprout could shoot a playful snarky retort back, Cosmo pulls him in for another kiss; their lips clashing together once more and it sends Sprout spiraling on the spot with his heart going thump, thump, thump.

After a few moments of locking lips with the infuriating-but-endearing chocolate cake roll, the strawberry pulls away in a dizzied daze with reddened flushed cheeks; clearing his throat and manually gathering his thoughts before it could be thrown out the window if he's yanked back in for another kiss.

“Have I told you that I hate your stupid face?”

He could see Cosmo's lips curling upwards into a smug shit-eating grin, and Sprout is enamoured.

“I could say the same, I hate your stupid face too.”

Next thing he knew, he's being pulled back in for another kiss.

Oh well, he wouldn't mind kissing his stupid face once more.

Chapter Text