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Chapter Text

The moon is a glorious being.

So majestic, it's hard to believe they’re not alive.

No words can capture Astro’s adoration towards them. After all, such feelings are expected from someone whose very design was inspired by them.

He wished he could bask under their light forever—watching them work their quiet magic, feeling Mother Earth’s whispers, stars dancing across the velvet sky. He loved how the stardust seemed to illuminate their form, how the craters only made them more beautiful.

Yet, despite the everlasting magnificence, they’re slowly moving away.

He knows it’s because of the Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans… but he prefers the poetic version.

Maybe they feel hopeless as they are forced to watch something they are unable to stop. Perhaps they feel repulsed at earth, sick of the attention poured onto them. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦?—

Nevertheless, all he wants is to see them. That’s it. He wants—no, needs to—experience their divine presence in person.

Not behind the glass panels. Not portrayed on the screen. He needs to witness them, let his eyes comprehend the sight…

…if only he wasn’t stuck in this educational centre…

“(…𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰?)”

If only he wasn’t a main character…

“(……….𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰?)”

If only he wasn’t a toon…

He’d be able to do such a simple thing that humans are able to do—

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘱.

Astro’s head shot up at the sudden contact on his shoulder. He blinked once, twice, the book slipping off his lap. He looked left and right, trying to reorganise his memories.

He was sitting on a bean bag…and there were bookshelves enclosing him…Someone’s—wait no, Razzle was snoring next to him…along with a concerned look from Dazzle…

Oh right. Book club.

A star went to pick up the fallen book as the moon toon awkwardly looked at the tragedy mask, “Ah…yes?”

“(I just wanted to remind you that book club’s over…)” Dazzle replied, nudging his asleep brother to no avail.

Did three hours really go by that fast?

“…Did I sleep through the whole session again..?”

“(You did.)”

“Oh.”

The tragedy mask stood up from his position, causing the comedy mask to groan while the moon toon remained seated, staring at the book on his lap.

𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯

He remembered flipping through four pages of it before landing on a page with a picture of the moon, before getting hypnotised by their gradient between darkness and dawn…

Such a shame he couldn’t finish the book today.

Especially since he was so close towards the end…

Dazzle took a glance at Astro, “(I suppose I’ll be leaving then—)”

“W-wait, book club’s over?”

A sleepy voice broke the quiet atmosphere, Razzle seemingly bursting awake at the mention of the word ‘leave’, causing the other to sigh.

“(…yes Razzle.)”

“Oh finally!”

The comedy mask eagerly exclaimed, rushing towards the door, while the tragedy mask’s eyes lingered on the moon toon for a while before looking back, “Oh yeah, Astro, could we borrow your telescope? We really need it tonight— (Razzle, could you not be blunt…) Oh please, it’s just a question!”

The moon toon didn’t look up, gaze clinging onto the picture in front of him, “…Yeah, go on”

“See you soon, Dazzle…”

“Have fun, Astro! (…Farewell friend…and thank you)”

And just like that, silence was restored in the room. Astro continued looking at the picture, analysing it, admiring it…

He sat there and flipped the page.

And again.

And again.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to read a few more pages…

_______________

𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭.

𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳?

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴.

𝘖𝘹𝘺𝘨𝘦𝘯, 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴.

𝙏𝙝𝙪𝙙

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯. 𝘈𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘴, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮, 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.

𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮….

𝘕𝘰.

𝘈 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵.

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝘈 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵…𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺…

𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳.

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴.

𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳.

𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥.

𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳.

𝘏𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙧—

𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬—𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.

𝘕𝘰.

𝘕𝘰.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘦.

𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱?

𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱.

𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱.

“Stop!”

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥

Astro blankly stared at the wall, where he threw the book, before rubbing his eyes.

Did he fall asleep again? Right after he convinced himself to finish his book?

The moon toon sighed as he adjusted his blanket.

Why was he like this?

Imagine being the giver of dreams, yet still having nightmares about a simple desire…maybe his fears too.

Undeniably embarrassing.

He rose groggily from the bean bag, shuffling toward the library exit as he used his magic to gently return the book to its rightful place. He took a glance at the grandfather clock…7pm. Book club started at 3pm…that means he spent 4 hours asleep…How unproductive.

He walked down the hallway, dragging his feet in feather-light steps.

The silence pressed in around him, so loud it rang in his ears. Only the soft, faint sound of his footsteps disturbed the everlasting stillness. The other toons were either fast asleep or nowhere to be found. Overhead, the old lightbulb—one the handlers had long promised to fix—flickered with stubborn irregularity, barely clinging to its purpose.

Oh what to do now.

His eye caught onto a calendar on a drawer.

7th September.

He overheard from the handlers’ conversation that there was going to be a full red moon at 8pm on that day.

A full red moon.

He saw the pictures. They were magnificent. It was as if blood tainted the pure celestial body, its radiant tears shimmering down to the earth’s surface.

The only way he could see it was underneath the lobby windows though…unlike the mortals, who get to go to the seaside with their loved ones—oh how easy they have it.

He could use the telescope to have a better view of it…oh wait, the twins borrowed them.

Astro took a deep breath, slouching against the wall in resignation. At least he could vaguely see it…it’s better than nothing. He’ll take a short nap before going—no, he's going to oversleep and miss out on that sight. If that’s the case then…what can he distract himself with?

A snack from the kitchen?…but Cosmo and Sprout are probably exhausted by now.

Maybe he could watch Vee’s game show…but didn’t it end an hour ago?

Perhaps he could mindlessly listen to Shelly’s ramblings about dinosaurs…oh wait, she’s busy helping Tisha clearing out storage.

Dandy—maybe not…his friend probably has better things to do at this—

“Astro?”

A calm and soothing voice broke his train of thoughts. The moon toon immediately recognised it, tilting his head to the source slowly.

Teagan.

“…Is there something wrong, Teagan..?”

“Oh nothing really, dear, thank you for inquiring…though I do wonder why you’re sitting in the middle of the hallways so solemnly.”

A faint tint grew on Astro’s face as he realised his position, quickly getting onto his feet, avoiding the other’s confused and worried gaze, “A-ah…sorry…”

“Don’t fret over it,” The teacup reassured, their fingers interlocking and relaxed, “You seemed troubled, need a listening ear?”

The moon toon’s eyes remained on the ground, slowly trailing up to meet the other’s. Maybe he should talk out the swirling storm in his mind, “I guess…yes—that sounds good.”

“That’s pleasant to hear,” Teagan softly smiled, turning their back as she took slow concise steps down the hallway, “I’ll make tea for the two of us in my room, hopefully it’ll help to calm you down.”

“…Honey green tea?”

“Honey green tea.”

“..Thank you Teagan.”

Astro mumbled, silently following the other’s trail.

At least there’s something he could do till 8pm.

_______________

“So…” Teagan asked, mindful of the Astro’s potential response, “What seems to be the problem?”

A star carefully picked up the cup in front of Astro, bringing it to his lips gently. As he took a sip, a sensation washed over him as the taste of morning dew blessed his taste buds.

The table was covered in a white silky fabric, adorned in golden strips. Tarts were neatly placed on ceramic platters, along with the iconic teapot in the middle.

What a stark contrast to his half-awake mind.

“Well uh…there’s something—“

“Let me guess…Dandy?”

“Not really…I don’t really talk to him that much…”

“Goodness Astro, you really need to make up your mind—“

“T-that’s not the issue today…” the moon toon quickly spoke up, wanting to move on, “It’s something else…a desire I believe…”

The teacup nodded in understanding, folding their arms on the table, “Ah I see…Mind elaborating more about the subject, dear?”

“The moon.”

Astro awkwardly shifted in his seat, “I have this strong urge to see it…I know you can see it from the lobby but…I want to see it…in person…”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” Teagan hummed.

“You don’t find it weird…?”

“Well…I myself have been wanting to try out the dresses of humans, so I suppose wanting something from the outside world is an aspect we both can relate to.”

“Dresses?”

“Yes, dresses. I’ve seen how they look out there and I’m really impressed at their designs, but I’m pretty satisfied with the clothes I’m given.”

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵? 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭? 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵? The questions bubbled up within Astro as he tried not to blurt them out.

He couldn’t let the other see how something as simple as that was affecting him.

“That’s uh…”

“I assume you want to see the moon outside of Gardenview’s walls?”

“…Yeah…in fact…I don’t think I’m even suited for Gardenview’s fame…”

“Pardon?”

The teacup raised an eyebrow, causing the moon toon to avert his gaze, “Well it’s just…”

“It’s ok if you don’t want to say it Astro—“

“No—no it’s fine…it’s just that why am I…an introvert with stage fright…is a main character…”

“Have you considered that it might be part of your character?”

“In the show yes…but must it really affect me outside of the show?…I’d rather not be a main character—or anyone in general…”

“My my dear…” Teagan sighed, “You shouldn’t think negatively of your situation…think of all the friends you wouldn’t make if you weren’t a main character…”

Astro nodded, staring at the cup his stars were holding blankly. He took another sip, missing the refreshing taste of his first time.

He looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 7.45. Maybe he should leave to see the beauty awaiting him.

“Well Teagan…I need to go.”

“Really, that soon Astro? Why such a hurry dear?”

“Well…I really wanna see the red full moon tonight…”

“Ah, I see,” The teacup muttered, watching the moon toon rising from his seat.

Astro made his way to the exit, looking back at Teagan who was busy tidying up, “See you at the next tea party, Teagan…and thank you for the wonderful tea.”

“It’s my pleasure, dear, have fun in your little stargazing adventure!”

_______________

The lobby, once a place where children hustle together, was now an empty void filled with soft memories. The air seems to hum with quiet joy, as if laughter once danced here and left behind its echo.

The area was shrouded in complete darkness, if it weren’t for moonlight shining through the glass above, illuminating the lobby with a gentle glow. At the heart of it all, stands a grand old tree, its lush leaves brushing the glass ceiling, scattered like the stars that lie beyond.

Astro remembered. He remembered planting the tree with Dandy, to commemorate the opening of the Gardenview centre.

He remembered spending sleepless nights here with him, stargazing underneath the whispering leaves.

He remembered falling asleep on the soft patch of grass where the tree grew, forcing his friend to wake the handlers just to bring him back to his room.

He remembered how those moments came less and less.

He remembered how Dandy slowly distanced himself—basking in the fame and attention his fans threw at him.

He wished he could appreciate the fame like how his dear best friend does.

Maybe only then he’d learn to appreciate what he has…

Oh well, that doesn’t matter.

Step by step, the moon toon climbed to the platform where the tree rose peacefully, and onto the circle where nature grew.

He sat at the edge, wincing as he felt the sensation of cold stone against his body. Looking up, he caught sight of the glorious being. It was still pristine white and glowing, seems like the phenomenon hasn’t started yet—

“Chin up Dazzle! Didn’t you want to see it, why so glum?”

“(…I just have a feeling that we missed it)”

“Pft, it’s only 7.55, it starts at 8pm y'know!”

Two voices echoed through the calm, causing Astro to flinch in surprise, shattering the serene silence of the anticipated moment.

He..wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here—especially since Razzle and Dazzle slept around this time.

The moon toon peeked from behind the tree, noticing the twins carrying the telescope with them…so that’s why they needed it…

Honestly, why is he even surprised?

He knew Dazzle was into astronomy. After all, they’d read about it together during book club—he’d even borrowed those kinds of books from him more than once.

And then there was that time he called the moon beautiful… At first, he brushed it off as stating the obvious. But he hadn’t expected him to share that same quiet admiration.

That same ache for the moon.

Razzle…he wasn’t sure, but at least he doesn’t mind letting his brother see the glorious being—

“(Astro?)”

Astro jolted where he stood as his name echoed through the silent void. He looked at Dazzle, who called him out, and smiled awkwardly, “Oh…Hello you two…”

Razzle, only noticing the other’s presence, eagerly waved at him while Dazzle returned the smile, “Oh hey Astro, didn’t see you there! (It’s great to see you again, friend…)”

The heavy atmosphere of memories became more bearable as the twins greeted him. It was as if their words were able to lift up the crushing weight of guilt and loss, replacing it with something more…lighthearted.

“Why are you sitting there all by yourself? (…We don’t mind extra company.)”

“A-ah…right.”

The moon toon got up and quickly walked to where the twins sat as the two carefully set up the telescope. He watched from the side as they skilfully piece it together.

Deciding to not let the quietness overwhelm the mood, he spoke up, “Just wondering…why are you preparing such equipment? Especially since you can see the moon from here.”

Razzle looked up to the latter, while Dazzle was more focused at the task in hand, “Oh that? Well, the last time we went there to look at the blood moon, it was really cloudy and we couldn’t see anything.”

“Dazzle was inconsolable for two whole weeks—so I decided to bring the telescope to prevent the same situation from happening!”

“(Razzle, you’re just exaggerating…)” The tragedy mask huffed defensively, shifting all of his to the telescope, avoiding his brother’s teasing grin.

“Oh c'mon Dazzle, you didn’t talk for those two weeks. Heck, you were all sad and always behind my head—“ The comedy mask got cut off as he felt a hand tugging on his ribbon.

“Pft..” Astro let out a soft chuckle at the two’s shenanigans, “All of that over the moon?” 𝘖𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺?

𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮.

𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴….

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯.

“(Yeah…)” Dazzle muttered, reluctantly losing his grip on the ribbon connecting Razzle, “(..All because of the moon)”

“I don’t blame you Dazzle,” The moon toon softly replied, “The moon is a magnificent being after all…”

“(Mhm..)”

“You two, it’s starting!”

Everyone’s attention shifted to the glossed glass panels at the ceiling, Astro’s eyes glued to the sky above while Dazzle hurriedly set the telescope.

The blood moon bloomed slowly with indescribable elegance. Dimmed at first, they hid behind a gauze of shadow. Suddenly, a deep ember-red blush corrupted the shy being, as though a non-existent wound grew unbearable.

The stars blinked around it, trying to hush the inconsolable silent cries of the night sky, all while the world beneath them held their breath. It felt as though the moon was trying to replicate every sunset occured on earth, desperately trying to cover up its imperfections.

From where the trio sat, it felt like the night had slipped into a dream too deep to wake from.

𝘐𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳—𝘯𝘰, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥…𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵.

Awestruck by the sight nevertheless, words mindlessly slipped out of the moon toon’s mouth, “…It’s beautiful.”

“No..it’s more than that..” the tragedy mask mumbled back, examining the being through the lenses. He turned to the comedy mask at his side, only to find him half-asleep.

Astro, noticing that, quietly scoffed at the sight, “It’s impressive how he falls asleep easily, one moment he’s bustling with energy, the next he’s like this…”

A slight amused smile crept up onto Dazzle’s face, “(Well…It’s Razzle…what do you expect from him?)”

“Just asking…it’s strangely endearing of him…”

Silence settled over them as the trio—or perhaps just the duo—watched the moon weave its quiet magic. The moon toon leaned his back against the tragedy’s mask side, eyes glued to the being above.

They looked so lonely…all alone, only accompanied by the glistening fragments of the past.
And they’re going to move away in the near future…

Further and further till they become just like their twinkling companions…a memory of the past…
If only he could visit it…accompany it…appreciate it fully…it wasn’t a want at this point—it’s a need.
Maybe that’s what he could do.

“Hey Dazzle…” Astro murmured, turning his head to the other, “…How do you feel about the moon?”
“(Hm…the moon?)” Dazzle quipped, returning the gaze, “(…I don’t really know…The sight of it just hypnotizes me…)”

“So you do feel it…the beauty of them…” the moon toon mumbled, sight lingering on the being behind the tragedy mask, “Don’t you wonder how could they feel…up in the sky…all alone..”

Dazzle’s eyes trailed off as he felt the other’s immense staring, “(Well…you remind me of it.)”

“Pardon?”

“(…You give off the same magnificence as the moon…being a main character and all…but if you take a closer look at the moon, you’d notice the tiny imperfections…just like your insecurities…but yet, they’re still perfect.)”

Dazzle gently raised both hands in front of his face, shaping a soft square with his fingers, as if framing the moon through an invisible picture frame, “(I guess designs have symbolism after all…)”

Astro looked away, a faint flush dusting his cheeks. He didn’t really expect the latter to notice that—or notice the meaning behind his appearance—well maybe it isn’t that surprising since he’s quite observant.

Still…it’s rather embarrassing to have your features pointed out like that…

…but if Dazzle noticed that…does that mean he could see his longing for the celestial being..?

If he could then…he wouldn’t say no…right?

Right?

“Hey Dazzle,” Astro spoke up, a sudden surge of confidence coursing through his veins. This was the perfect opportunity.

“Let’s get out of Gardenview—to see the moon.”

Chapter Text

"(W-what—?!)"

Dazzle’s eyes widened as Astro grasped onto his hand.

"Dazzle... please... it's just a one time thing." Astro whispered. His grip on the other’s hand only became tighter.

The tragedy mask looked away, fingers trembling in the latter’s hold. It felt weird, under a gaze—no glare like that.

There was just something different within it.

Astro’s eyes held some unknown power over him. A mix of passion and desperation, tied together by despair…that was the closest he could describe it. Perhaps he could say that it sung a heartfelt tune with sorrow…if he could hear it that is.

Regardless, its magic was successfully luring him into a pit of unspoken desires.

"(…B-but Astro…)" Dazzle muttered, gaining enough courage to return the gaze. "What if we get caught? Wouldn't Delilah and Austin get mad at us? How would we even get out of Gardenview—“

The tragedy mask’s breath hitched as he felt the grip shift from his hands to his shoulders, the desperation becoming louder and louder. He wanted to move away, to say no, to say that it’s reckless, that it's impulsive—selfish even. Rationality was screaming into his ears, threatening to burst his eardrums.

Yet... he couldn’t.

His body couldn’t obey. It wouldn’t obey. It’ll never obey. They were trapped underneath the moon’s eyes. Those eyes of his...

They were beautiful.

Astro’s eyes were beautiful.

Why did he notice it now?

Once an intimidating glare swallowed with unshed sobs turned into a sight of a silent story. The moon’s pupils painted a scene of a solemn dark ocean. He could feel himself drowning in it, his cries for freedom muffled by waves of guilt.

Yet... the ethereal radiance of the moonlight illuminated a path of hope in his eyes, a breath of the world beyond. They glistened relentlessly, wanting to break free from the constraints known as emotions — the very thing trapping the other, the guiding light to his dreams.

Dazzle was mesmerized. It’s beautiful how an organ that enables one to see the world could tell a thousand tales.

Was this how his friend felt?

Trapped in Gardenview, a longing for the celestial being?

Was he the light the other needed?

"Dazzle, please.”

Astro pleaded, though it sounded demanding. "We’ll think of something, anything. Don’t worry about the others..." He paused for a bit, hesitation draining the light in his eyes, "We need to be out before the blood moon ends."

Dazzle snapped out of his trance, putting his hand on the other’s reassuringly, "(...I don’t mind escaping, I suppose... After all, I do want to see the moon...)"

He gave a small smile, though sloppy — he wasn’t used to smiling. It earned a soft chuckle from the other, the void in his eyes becoming clearer, "(We’ll find a way to escape…anything before that one hour ends—)”

"Did somebody say escape?"

The tragedy mask flinched at the sound, while the other pulled back, burying his arms back into his blanket. He looked around, eyes landing on the right before sighing.

It was just Razzle — why was he even surprised?

"(…How are you awake that fast—?)"

"That’s not the point!" The comedy mask grinned, looking at the two, "One word is enough to wake me up—say, are you two planning an escape?"

"N-nope!" The moon toon quickly blurted out, earning a surprised look from the tragic twin and a raised eyebrow from the comic twin. "I-I mean, yes, we are planning to escape... Just for a while to see the blood moon more clearly!—..."

Razzle snickered at the outburst, ruffling the other’s nightcap to calm him down, "Why do you sound panicked, Astro? If you two are going to escape, I’m technically forced to come along—so why not just help you?"

“Besides, the idea of leaving Gardenview sounded pretty fun! (Why aren’t you being the voice of rationality?) Aren’t you supposed to be the logical one here, Daz? (…oh.)"

Dazzle stole a glance at Astro—he seemed more at ease now, perhaps reassured at the promise of the moon. He could see his gentle, insistent fidgeting of his blanket, well, everyone had their own unique way of demonstrating excitement.

A warm, foreign surge of pleasure coursed through the tragedy mask’s heart. He was glad that his friend was happy. That was all that mattered..at least.

"So... Razzle,” The moon toon spoke up, a hint of a smile on his face, "How do you plan to help us...?"
"Well..." The comedy mask trailed off, pondering thoughtfully. "How much time do we have left? (40 minutes. We spent 20 minutes stargazing here.) Oh geez."

Both Astro and Dazzle looked at Razzle expectantly, the serene silence turning into a haze thick of eager tension.

That is until the comic twin snapped his fingers confidently.

"To the vents we go!”

“(…What.)”

"Pardon?"

The comedy mask visibly restrained himself from bursting into laughter at the duo’s confused looks. "...I may have learnt a thing or two from Yatta…heh”

The tragedy mask took a deep breath at his brother's words, “(And what— no. Why would Yatta even tell you something like that?)”

"It started when I asked her what's with the earthworms in her room. (...I see now.)"

"That's... interesting, Razzle..." the moon toon muttered, confusion slightly present, "But how could the vents lead—"

"Follow me!" Razzle exclaimed, rushing down the hallway, leaving the tragic twin startled at how his twin's excitement enabled him full control of their body.

"(W-wait Razzle, the telescope—)”

“Eh, we can dismantle it later!”

Before dashing down the hallway, however, the comic twin looked at Astro, offering a hand to him, "You coming or not, Astro?”

The moon toon looked between the sky and Razzle's hand, deep in thought, before accepting it slowly.

"Yeah...Let's go."

_______________

Surprisingly, the vents felt rather spacious—at least to Astro, he wasn’t sure about Razzle and Dazzle. They kept bumping their heads as they walked…though amusing, he can’t help but pity them. Razzle still held his hand softly, a rather sweet gesture in his opinion.

He glanced past the narrow lines stretching away from his current path as he let the twins guide him blindly.

Dust quivered softly in the shadowed corners, weaving delicate patterns like forgotten spiderwebs. It made him think of tiny bunnies, leaping weightlessly through a mist. Overhead, the engines murmured a mechanical lullaby, its melody echoing the familiar theme sung across the world.

Yet, beneath the merry notes, there was something unsettling—as if the song were trying to lure him into the darkness, never to return.

It’s hard to believe a desolate place like this is part of the center’s invisible rhythm—unnoticed by most, yet always there, breathing…watching every single move of his…

A shudder ran down the moon toon's spine as he remembered his nightmare from the book club—That invisible force that had dragged him away... from the moon, from freedom, from joy. Was that creature still waiting in the darkness beyond?—

“(Astro?)”

Astro swallowed hard, his gaze fixed firmly on the ground, unable to meet the twins' eyes, which seemed to pierce right through him, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure you’re fine? (…We’re here for you)” Razzle quipped, while Dazzle continued to look at him with that same familiar face of concern.

“…it’s ok…” The moon toon mumbled, “…I’m perfectly fine.” It sounded as though he was trying to convince himself more than anything.

The comic twin shrugged and continued heading forth, while the tragic twin took a deep breath and let his eyes fall back to the ground.

Astro’s heart thumped against his chest.

It’d be a lie to say he didn’t feel guilty of dragging the two along.

He knows he wanted this—he needed this—but is it worth it to risk Razzle and Dazzle along? Yes, he was excited to finally see the magnificent being, but what if they get caught? Those two will surely get punished, even though it’s all his fault.

They're going to get blamed for something they didn’t do, all the ridicules, everything—they’re going to go through all of that.

Just because…they’re a good friend.

A good friend who doesn’t mind his selfish desires.

Thoughts swirled through his mind as he scrambled hopelessly to catch them, to keep them from slipping into the farthest corners of his consciousness. It felt as though a thousand knives were shoved into his lungs.

𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵.

Those words went on in his head like a broken recorder—crooked, distorted, ruined.

He unknowingly gripped tighter.

𝘊𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵.

Tighter.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

Tighter—

“(…Astro, you’re clearly not fine.)”

The moon toon froze at those words, as if blood had halted its circulation within him. He hesitantly looked up, “Ha-ah…What makes you say that?”

The theatre twins looked at each other before returning the gaze, “(Well…) For starters, you’re gripping onto my hand rather tightly.”

A faint tint crept up onto Astro’s face as he loosened his grip. Of course, he got too carried away to notice that, “…Sorry.”

“(It’s no big deal…) Exactly! Mind telling us what’s up? (We won’t judge…)”

“…”

“…Astro? (It’s ok if you don’t want to—)”

“I’m just being paranoid.”

The moon toon bluntly confessed, “It’s just…what if we get caught?”

Razzle giggled softly at his words, while a small smile crossed Dazzle's face, “Pft, that’s what you’re worried about? (…We’re all into this together, Astro…there’s nothing worth worrying about.)”

“I’m aware…but that—it’s going to be my fault…and you two are going to get punished for—“

“I lead the way out (…and I want to see the moon too…willingly.) It’s safe to say that we all three are at fault here!”

“I…guess so.”

A cold heavy weight was lifted off him after the conversation, replaced with a fuzzy ball known as warmth. Air felt more manageable to take in, lungs void of the painful knives.

Those two…really do have a unique ability to calm him down. Even after everything.

“(Maybe you could try to think about the moon to distract your thoughts?)” Dazzle suggested softly.

The moon…

Maybe he could think of that.

“Thank you…” He whispered, not needing a reply. His mind ventured to the calming essence of the celestial being.

Their mystical craters that spoke generations, the serenity of the night sky, the compass of the seven seas…

Not under glass panels, not behind digital screens, he’s going to see it bare.

He’s going to see it tonight.

…

He’s actually going to see it tonight.

Why wasn’t this his first thought as he entered the vents? Not to mention he had the chance to see it stained with crimson.

Where was the excitement? Why was it only affecting him now?

Why was he foolish to even think of turning back? After making it so far?

And at that moment, memories of his endless yearning were thrown back at him. The sleepless nights, the late-night weeping, the pictures he examined…He could’ve finally ended that desire—but no, fear got a hold of him, forcing him away.

He glanced at the dark pathways, where he thought that…creature stood. It was never there, it was all in his mind…

“We’re here!”

Razzle proclaimed, kicking the vent with relative ease. Dazzle shook his head while Astro's eye lit up

It’s gorgeous.

_______________

Beyond Gardenview's deepest side was a scatter of trees home to sleepy wildlife.

Its serene, yet hollow, silence was disrupted by the thudding footsteps of the trio. They planned to head to the cliff for a better view of the scenery.

The forest breathed softly beneath the blanket of night. The leaves of the trees swayed in rhythm to the owls’ long whistles. The air was thick with the scent of moss and damp earth, a foreign scent of another realm. Time felt like a broken dream, a suspended world between the land of the awake and asleep.

Above it all laid the luminescent being.

It really is what they say.

The moon is divine.

Dazzle hummed, his mind wandered off into distant thoughts.

The way it sits amidst the dark, standing out beautifully….It has to be a gift from the above—the most wonderful blessing given to mankind.

Surely, nothing could be more worth treasuring...could it?

He paused, slowly looking at Astro next to him.

The way astonishment washed over him, how he subtly loosened his hold on his blanket, the shine in his eye sparkling like the memoirs of outer space, the soft gasp that escaped his lips…

Especially that small smile of contentment on his face…

His friend's happiness was the most beautiful thing he knew, outshining even the moon.

They give off the same radiance, the same tenderness, the same pride—Oh how similar counterparts are to one another.

Such a shame that moments like this came like the blood moon…

“It’s just that beautiful…”

Astro muttered under his breath, as though the words were meant only for himself, catching the tragedy mask’s attention. His twin was whistling as they went.

“Just imagine how much more it’d be above the ocean…it’s light reflecting in the waters…” his friend’s mindless rambling went on, and on, and on.

A small, involuntary smile appeared on the tragedy’s mask face, his focus lingering on the sight. For once, it didn’t feel sloppy, or weird…like it’s meant to be.

Even if moments like this were rare, they never fail to hold a special place in his heart.

Dazzle let out a content sigh, which caused Razzle to raise an eyebrow at his brother’s unusual happiness, “Woah Daz…you’re actually happy for once.”

The tragedy mask glanced at his side and gave a light huff, “(…I’m perfectly capable of being happy, Razzle.”

“Pfft, I know that,” The comedy mask grinned, "The thing is, your smile feels like a curse being lifted from—"

“(No need for the reminder of how…’rare’ it is for me to feel joy.)”

“Oh come on, I’m just saying!”

The comic twin lightly nudged his brother’s shoulder against his cheek, “Don’t need to take everything seriously Dazzle, besides, what are you smiling at—“

He paused, suddenly taking in the fact at how the tragic twin was staring affectionately at the moon toon, “Hmmm…”

“(…What’s with that tone)”

“…Didn’t take you for the type to have a soft spot for Astro.”

“(What does that supposed to mean?!—)”

Razzle snorted up a laugh as Dazzle’s face faintly flushed with embarrassment, “Look at you, getting all shy once I pointed it out—“

“(What-huh—It’s just a soft—It’s nothing!)”

“…Mhm.”

“(I swear—nothing more-I—Ha-ah…)”

The tragedy mask went silent, thoughts jumbled up in a tangled confused mess. Him having a soft spot—for Astro out of everyone else—was just….odd. Astro’s a main character, and he’s just a side character—the significance in position is palpable. Not to mention, someone as awkward and miserable as him, holding a soft spot?

That’s just…out of character…of him…

The comedy mask sighed, noticing how his teasing caused his brother’s distressed state, “Hey uh Dazzle…I didn’t mean to uh offend you or anything—it’s just some light teasing!”

“(…I know…it’s ok…)” The tragic twin mumbled, unsure of himself.

“…Still—Are you having a soft spot? Jolly, I didn’t know you had it in you, Daz!”

“(Pft…)” He let out a silent chuckle at his brother’s, rather unnecessary, enthusiasm, “(…Can’t I just be happy for my friend..?)”

“Well…you usually just keep your excitement internally, what makes Astro so different?”

“(…He’s probably the only one that I find foe.)”

“Oh really? What about Glisten?”

“(…I think he prefers you more—you do match his energy better…)”

“Oh don’t be like that, Daz! What about Looey? We always take part in his acts!”

“(…It’s only for the acts…)”

“…Brighteny?”

“(…it still feels awkward to approach her…as much as I enjoy her presence…)”

A frown came upon Dazzle’s face at his words—was he really that dependent on Astro for company…
A hand went onto his shoulder, giving him gentle pats. It felt warm, comforting, like the sensation of a fireplace in a blizzard, “(…Thank you Razzle.)”

An understanding look was plastered on the comedy’s mask face, “Y'know Dazzle…You should try to be more confident in yourself.”

“(…I’m trying)”

“Just know that people care for you, ok bud?” The comic twin suddenly grinned, “Especially me!”

The tragic twin only shook his head fondly, “(Especially you…)”

“That’s the spirit, Dazzle!” Razzle punched the air as he exclaimed, a bit too loudly for the night setting, causing a startled jolt from the moon toon behind them.

“…What’s worth the celebration?” Astro questioned, still dazed by the moon’s gaze, as the comedy mask maintained his smirk cheekily while Dazzle looked away sheepishly.

“Sorry Astro! (…Pardon us)”

“…Never a dull day with you two.”

The three continued to walk, the playful atmosphere becoming calmer like the nature surrounding them.

Eventually, they reached their destination: the cliff facing the moon and Gardenview, all above the ocean.

_______________

The moon hung low and luminous, casting a wide glowing path across the restless ocean. Waves churn and flow in unison, all under its soft ethereal glow. Their constant motion whispered stories of the celestial being to the stones far below, the moonlight travelling far into the void of the ocean.
The stars above, scattered in the velvet sky, watched the trio reside on the edge of the cliff, side by side.

Everything finally felt…completed.

The being he craved since his creation, the source of his endless daydreams, the one residing in the darkest depths of his mind…

They’re right in front of him.

Him.

As beautiful as ever, especially with the soothing waves that lay beneath.

He continued to mindlessly admire the being in front of him, he could vaguely hear the conversation between the twins next to him. After all, anything from the outside world had long been blurred in his mind.

In it, it’s only him and the moon.

The sight of it was just hypnotising…

Too hypnotising to the point he didn’t know what he was doing anymore.

He could faintly hear the conversation next to him come to an abrupt halt as he felt his eyelids become heavier, as though the luminous guardian placed a spell on him.

He felt a soft contact against his cheek, it was warm and comfortable…

“Uh Astro?”

The moon toon lazily tilted his head to meet eye contact with the one who spoke—Razzle, “…Hm?”
“You’re leaning against Dazzle’s shoulders, I don't think he’s taking it well.”

Confused, Astro looked to his side, only to find the sight of Dazzle looking away awkwardly while Razzle gave an innocent smile.

“O-oh…sorry—”

“(N-no…it’s ok!)”

The tragedy mask blurted out, much to the moon toon’s surprise. After all, the other isn’t particularly known for physical touch…”(Anything that makes you feel comfortable…)”

“(Besides, you look tired…we can’t have you lying down on the grass…)”

“…I guess so…”

Astro muttered as he continued to rest his head against Dazzle’s shoulder.

It made the night feel warmer, odd considering Mother Earth’s breath felt cold and chilling.

_______________

Three toons bonding at the cliff, near the peaceful ocean and the celestial goddess.

What an endearing sight to behold.

How wrong could things go at that moment?

…

…

…

“…𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮.”

𝘈 𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥.

“𝘖𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴.”

“𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥—𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮…”

𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

“𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦—“ 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱, “𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦!”

“𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.

“𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵…’𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘪ñ𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴’ 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭—𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.”

“𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 ‘𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘱𝘪ñ𝘢𝘵𝘢’ 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦…𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳…”

“𝘈 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴…𝘉𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩…”

…

…

…

Wrong in every possible way—you might say.

Chapter Text

Silence engulfed the three of them as they gazed into the abyss of the sea. Only the comic twin’s soft snoring broke the fragile hymn of silence. Astro’s head remained on Dazzle’s shoulder as he let his soul drown in the ethereal presence of the crying goddess.

The gentle breaths of the twins sang a rare lullaby of peace, a soft melody amidst the constant chatter of the entertainment industry.

For once, everything felt right—Not like he had not emphasized on this yet.

The pressure from the eyes that reside beneath the stage was non-existent, replaced by the gentle waves that swirled in unison. His curse known as exhaustion was not dragging his eyelids shut. The paranoia that gnawed his conscience at every breath had perished along with his worries.

It was…perfection.

Was ‘perfect’ even enough to describe a moment like this?

The moon toon sighed as he leaned in further into the embrace of tranquility. He knew all was bound to pass at some point…even ‘perfection’ like this…yet it felt miserable to savour fleeting minutes like this.

Was it due to the fear of the future, for the aftermath of peace is always despair, or just the overwhelming sensation of awe of having his desires finally fulfilled? Regardless, he shouldn't let matters like this bother him easily–

𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦.

…He must be hearing things. Of course his fear of getting caught overlaps his longing for 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. Of course he wants to retreat back to Gardenview’s walls despite being the one who chose to flee.

Why were the fears he thought he'd left behind still haunting him?

Was he just selfish or paranoid?

…

Still…it wouldn't hurt to entertain his curiosity—to know whether the sound behind him was real or a fraud of his imaginations.

Almost in an instance, Astro turned behind in need to clarify his thoughts…only to be greeted with the sight of sleeping trees.

Honestly, what was he expecting?

Why was he so desperate to make these moments pass so quickly?

He tried to steady his spiraling vision, but a sharp headache stung at the edges of his thoughts. The features of the bleeding celestial being slowly became more distraught, revealing a creature of inexplicable horror.

The craters that once told bedtime stories of the millennials now turned to shallow hollow eyes.

The radiance of their luminous reflections became identical to the blinding spotlights.

The glistening exterior of moondust was slowly reduced to the specks of debris in an old warehouse.

𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦

That sound.

It happened again.

The wind had stopped. The trees no longer danced. Even the sea held its breath.

Lord save him from the hurricane in his mind—

The moon toon froze as he felt something pressing against his head. He glanced to his right and felt the heat rushing to his cheeks.

How embarrassing…having your friend rest his head on yours ...Oh who was he to say, especially since he did the same to the tragedy mask.

Besides, could he blame him…it's way past their bedtime…

That piece of information only built up the inner turmoil within him. The way his desires had led them to sacrifice their sleep…

Maybe he’s just selfish.

Maybe he should just turn back right now—Just to spare them from fate’s impending doom.

Astro stood rooted in his spot, eyes lingering on the half-asleep Dazzle. He remembered the twins’ words while quietly marveling at how the moonlight, soft on his half-lidded eyes, managed to soothe him.

“𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 (…𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰…𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺.) 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦!”

…Perhaps it wouldn't be that bad to enjoy the sin of freedom.

They are all at fault. It wouldn't be that bad. It’ll never get that bad.

𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦

Just ignore it.

It's just paranoia.

Embrace the beauty of the hour. Ignore everything else. He wouldn't want to be labelled as ‘selfish’, would he?

A quiet smile tugged at the moon toon’s lips as relief surged warmly through his veins, satisfied he managed to clear the burden weighing his happiness down. He nestled against the tragedy mask’s side, the moon regaining its glory.

Just relax and enjoy. He told—no, convinced himself.

He took one last glance at the twins, before returning his gaze to the luminal goddess of the night sky.

Their tinted crimson hue began to bleed away, as though their past wounds were stitched up delicately by a higher being. Shadows which held the beauty in a chokehold began to loosen their grip, their silver light returning with a quiet gaze like forgiveness.

The sky exhaled. What was once a burning omen now softened into a familiar glow, as if the night was ready to dream again after being exposed to eternal flames of hell.

A natural phenomenon telling a tale of redemption.

Beautiful.

Astro remained in his position, staring at the pristine being in the sky, oblivious to everything. Everything. Even his surroundings. His surroundings. His–

It's time to leave, back to Gardenview.

With a resigned huff, he nudged the toon next to him, “You two…it's ended—”

He paused.

Nothing.

There was…nothing next to him?

“Dazzle…Razzle?”

He quickly turned behind, catching a glimpse of Dazzle’s widened eyes boring into his.

Why a glimpse?

It wasn't because he couldn't comprehend what was happening.

But rather he didn't have time to do so.

A blur of movement, a sack? — and then blackness.

Any form of protest was drowned by the object tossed over him.

He couldn't see.

He couldn't hear.

He couldn't breathe.

He—

He couldn't do anything.

But he could process one thing.

They were being held hostage.

_______________

“And we caught them, easy as hell”

A voice cracked and papery disrupted the soothing rhythm of waves from the nearby shore. Two men stood by the cliff, a spot that once held memories now turned into nightmares.

One looked like a slab of stone carved by sin, body thick and square hardened by decades of unspoken work. His crippled beard lingered on his chin like the crawling moss. A crooked nose bent from nature’s endless healing hung low.

The other was younger yet broad, a hunched posture leaning into threat. A face wide and wrinkled, threatening to crumble if he ever dared to smile. His long gray hair had seen better days, tied and coated with grease from years of sweat.

The younger man pulled on the rope sealing the sack, kicking it repeatedly till it was void of any movement, “That should do the trick–”

He let out a yelp as the elder roughly smacked the back of his junior, “Bitch, don't make it go unconscious, what if it dies huh???”

“Ugh, you're overreacting,” he groaned as he watched the latter loosened the rope on the sack, enough for air to seep into, yet not enough for the hope of escape.

“Well can you blame me? We dont fucking know how these things even work,” The senior scoffed, tossing the limp baggage over his shoulder, “Like who knows how Delilah made them? They could be weak, cheap shit for all we know!”

“...I hate how you have a point.”

“Too bad kiddo, now bring the other one–or two–along.”

“I'm pretty sure it’s a two–”

“Get. To. It. Shithead.”

“...Whatever.”

The younger one groaned, dragging his legs lazily to the twin masks as the other walked into the scatter of trees.

The junior of the duo stared at the theatre masks, gaze expectant and empty, “We're either going to do this the easy way or the hard way.”

The twins, or mainly the awake tragedy mask, simply shuffled backwards, its hand holding its brother’s asleep head.

The man shrugged, “Fine by me.”

Immediately, hands found their way to the ribbon neck of the tragic twin.

A soft whimper unwillingly escaped the toon's lips as its arms flailed weakly for freedom.

The man rolled his eyes.

Just what was it doing now?

“(W-wait…surely this—)”

The thing pleaded, begged, whatever is used to portray feeble desperation.
“Zip it. You’re coming with us, whether you like it or not.”

“(...We just wanted to see the—)”

“So what shithead?”

“(......Why us?)”

“I don't know, and I'm not going to care. Blame it on the fact that you…things aren't human.”

He pulled the tragedy mask closer to his face till their noses were touching, his grip on its neck growing tighter by the minute. He could feel the toon’s shuddering breath on his face. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦....

A grin pulled by malice was plastered on his face, “Oh don't look at me like that. You should’ve stayed behind those damn walls if you oh so regretted this.”

He watched as the tragic twin hopelessly tried to tug their hands off its neck, grip trembling as oxygen became scarce. Sweet pleasurable warmth bloomed in his chest, as though his heart was set ablaze—but it wasn't love, it wasn't passion.

It was thrilling, exhilarating even.

He’s never going to stop.

He squeezed the ribbon tighter.

Sobs are muffled.

Tighter.

Everything’s beginning to dull.

Tighter—

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥
A jolt, then heat—blood, maybe?—trickled down as his vision wavered and blackened at the edges

“What the fuck!?–”

The man groaned, hand loosening on the red ribbon neck as he clutched his head in agony. Through his blurry eyes, he looked at the cause of his dizziness in front of him.

The black thing’s brother woke up, and in its white hand held a rock stained with red.

Ugh, of course.

Those two seem to be talking, the comedy mask trying to calm its hyperventilating twin—utterly sickening. The pats on the back, the faint words of reassurance he could barely process, that damn soft understanding smile on its face…

Those actions hold a sense of ease…vulnerability…

Vulnerability. A term used to define the state of being open to harm, injury, or emotional hurt. All right in front of him.

Just what he needed.

What happened next went in a blur.

He found himself tackling the toon to the ground. The next thing he knew, the rock once smeared with red was now slick with black—thick, oozing goo spilling from the comic twin’s wounds like something rotten breaking open.

His hand continued its frenzied movements.

He hit. Bashed. Striked. All until he was certain that damned comedy mask would never breathe again.

Oh the adrenaline—

He paused, feeling a force pulling him back mid-assault.

“Bitch, I told you not to fucking kill it!”

The junior blinked, disoriented by the blow to his own head, before rolling his eyes.

Of course his elder HAD to disrupt his addictive rampage.

“It's not even dead, just unconscious. You're overreacting.” He spat out, voice laced with annoyance as he dropped the rock.

Immediately, the other grabbed a hold of his collar, staring into his junior’s empty eyes, “You bitch, you never listen, do you?”

“You know what, fuck that white thing, at least the black one is still alive—or in good condition to be researched on.”

With a scoff, he tossed the latter onto the ground, clearly frustrated.

The younger one landed with a thud, yet his expression never faltered. He looked at his senior with hidden disdain before looking back at the theatre twins—

Holy shit, maybe he did overdo it.

Swollen and misshapen, can it even be called a comedy mask anymore? Face split in half, strings of black goo barely keeping its face together. One eye was crushed shut, the other wide open, unfocused and lifeless.

Meanwhile, The tragedy mask didn’t move. Not from fear. From something deeper. Shock. Horror. Or maybe… it had broken too.

Whatever.

“(....R-Razzle?)”

That thing called out, its hand reaching out to its rather dead brother.

“Shut up.”

He pulled out a sack from his bag, kicking the two into it before sealing it. He tossed it over his shoulder, looking at his senior who was standing not so far away, tapping his foot impatiently.

“What?”

He questioned, raising a brow.

The older one took a deep breath, turning away as he headed forth.

“Put those two at the back of the van, we’re going now.”

_______________

He’s sorry.

So so sorry.

Is ‘sorry’ even enough?—

Astro sniffled, face buried in his blanket. His body ached on all sides, shivering uncontrollably. He remembered how Austin carefully sewed it…those little star patterns on the inside…how it was carefully made for him…

What would Austin do now? Dandy? ANYONE?

The sound of the rock bashing against the head of his friend, the cracks and all…it was all so loud, so deafening.

Dazzle’s pleads were basically screaming into his ears. It ached. Hurts. Even if he wasn't the one shouting.

He looked up from the hopeless comfort of his blanket, only to be greeted with the grinning taunting darkness. He brought out a trembling star, its faint light briefly illuminating his suffocating surroundings before it faded along with his resolve.

“I-Im so sorry…”

He croaked out to himself—no to everyone, everything. Forgiveness is a curse to him.

Tears streamed down his cheeks. He wanted them to stop. He isn't a victim, he never was.

He shouldn't have asked to see the moon—hell even think about asking. The pictures were enough, the videos were enough, the sight of it through the glass was enough.

Lord…he really is selfish.

𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.

The moon toon stared at the ichor stained blanket, feeling the black blood trailing down his chin.

“𝘐𝘧 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦—𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯…” 𝘏𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦.

His gaze lingered on the ichor—his ichor, before a storm of coughs overtook him, wracking his chest in violent spasms.

Once it ended, he took a deep trembling breath.

Calm.

He needs to calm down.

He closed his eyes, his mind drifting to its one and only comfort—the moon.

Their luminescent fragile surface that tells tales of the eras…𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺’𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.

Their gentle glow drapes the earth, a guiding light for lost sailors…𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴' 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥.

Their silent presence casting a dreamy spell over the daylight creatures… 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩—

He can’t.

The moon isn’t helping—It’s making it worse.

His fears, the horrors…they only got heightened….

Staring into the voidness of the sack, Astro could feel his vision spiralling. Everything was spinning. What was even happening? He could faintly hear the roar of a car engine coming to life, his ears ringing with the cries of regret.

At this rate, either his body or fate is going to kill him.

…

The endless false comfort fate offers…The cruel twists they brutally add with a smile…the pain of the aftermath of such tragic tales…

It’s clear his body is all in fate’s control…He’s doomed to fall into fate’s arms regardless…He might as well not wake up.

Astro could feel the overwhelming ichor spiralling in his head, feeling it growing heavier and heavier. His eyelids grew heavier as long seconds passed.

He’s tired of resisting.

He could see fate smiling, welcoming him with open arms, a false promise of a mother’s warmth.

Maybe…maybe it’s time to let go.

He told himself as he fell into fate’s arms, greeted by the painful flames of a scorching furnace instead.

_______________

Chapter Text

The sun rises to the sky, blessing the surface of the earth with its golden rays. The birds hummed a merry tune, complementing the light’s buzzes as they flickered on. The air felt cooling, fresh from the relentless cleaning from Gardenview’s personal maid.

Toons began to leave their rooms a little later than usual—it was the weekend, after all, so why the worry?

However, behind the rainbow walls of the sleeping educational centre lay an eager toon excited to start the day, as always.

Starring our main character…

“Good morning, world!”

Dandicus Dancifer!

The rainbow flower leapt out of bed, a grin practically plastered on his face. The morning would've been more fun if Pebble was at his side, but it seems like his beloved pet dog couldn't wait for breakfast.

He then flung open the curtains, inhaling the scent of morning dew. His gaze lingered on the lilies, more specifically lily of the valley, blooming beneath the window’s apron, admiring their beauty. Oh how much he adored flora’s blossoms— especially since he’s made after one!

After a good minute of enjoying nature’s presence, he took a good stretch that woke up his dazed muscles before bursting through the door of his room.

Immediately, his nose caught the whiff of the iconic warm cozy pancakes.

Dandy froze, feeling his mouth watering as his stomach growled. Lord, he could fantasize the soft fluffy texture in his mouth…

Well, he better hurry up before Shrimpo wrecks them all!

As quick as his excitement could fuel him, he dashed down the hallways, smiling as the smell got stronger. Along the way, he ran into some friends—could the day get any better?

“Good day to you, Boxten!” He greeted the half-asleep music box, who was rather startled to hear the other’s enthusiastic words.

“W-what–Hey Dandy!” He replied, trying to return the eagerness—oh well, at least he’s trying, that’s all the matters. After all, Devan taught him that effort is the most important thing in the world.

“Goooood Morning Looey!” He exclaimed once more waving excitedly at the balloon toon who was practicing his juggling skills.

“Oh-Hah! Good morning to you Dandy!” Looey perked up, returning the wave before suddenly tripping on the colourful balls he was using—Classic Looey!

“How is it going for you Scraps!”

“Wonderful!”

“Gorgeous as ever, hm Teagan?”

“...Why yes—wait Dandy!—”

Dandy continued his eager sprint to the kitchen, not noticing the worried face Teagan made as she reached a hand out to get his attention.

The rainbow flower toon continued to greet his friends along the way. Gigi, Glisten, Flutter, Finn, oh boy—how exciting! Maybe he’d already greeted everyone in his pancake-fueled dash…

Everyone…

Yet it didn't feel like it.

He didn’t remember greeting the twins—especially that blue moon toon… his closest friend.

Oh well, maybe he's still asleep! Astro usually wakes up at noon…typical of him…

Eventually, Dandy halted his movements right outside the dining area. On the centre table lay his desired prize…

Fluffy, warm, golden brown, they remind him of marshmallow clouds glistening in the morning glitter. Each layer looked like a pillow—tender and thick. The scent of vanilla and browned butter drifted through the air — warm, thick, and comforting. As the syrup flew down the edges of the delicacy, its shimmering amber texture sparkled underneath the kitchen life.

He stared at the food, meant for the whole centre, yet only calling to him. It felt as though hunger was toying with him, trying to tug him into a pit of satisfaction.

And he’s falling right into their arms.

With a step, the rainbow flower toon inched closer towards the pancakes. He looked to his left, to his right, surely no one would notice if he took a little more than usual—right?

He stepped closer.

And closer.

He slowly raised a hand, intending to get three just for himself.

𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺!—

“Dandy!”

Dandy’s heart jumped at the sudden mention of his name, causing him to stumble and tumble down, the pancakes in his hands landing on the floor with a splat. What a waste of perfectly edible pancakes…

He heard a laugh behind him followed by a cough to cover it up.

It was obvious who that mysterious person was.

“Vee…” He muttered, standing back up and facing the television toon, “...What is it now?”

He expected a quick scolding about taking ‘more than needed’, or maybe a small jab at how he’s grabbing more for himself—The usual arrogant things Vee would do.

Anything other than her grabbing his arm and forcefully dragging him away.

“Wha—HEY VEE, LET GO!”

He groaned, struggling against the robot’s firm grasp as the pancakes became a distant fantasy.

“Oh shut it Dancifer, this isn’t the time to be chomping down on pancakes.” Vee spat out, not loosening her grip on the other’s arm.

“What could possibly be a problem at 9am??” The rainbow flower scoffed, reluctantly letting himself be dragged, “The last time I checked, everything is fine and everyone is happy—”

“Astro’s missing.”

Astro… missing? That couldn’t be right. Astro always showed up — maybe late, maybe groggy, but… always.

All thoughts in Dandy’s mind went to a complete stop.

“EXCUSE ME?!”

“Along with Razzle and Dazzle,” the television stated bluntly, though her voice glitched as she spoke of the missing toons.

The floral toon merely looked at the other as though she grew another head, “W-What do you mean Astro’s missing? You’re probably overreacting—he’s maybe asleep at some random corner of this place!”

“That would be the case…if the twins weren’t missing too,” The technology toon sighed, looking at the latter with furrowed brows, “Get your act together, Dandy, this is serious.”

“I–But–Astro! You’re probably not looking hard enough—”

“Dandicus Dancifer.”

Dandy immediately went silent, muttering under his breath as Vee looked at him, shaking her head. They stopped in front of the executives’ office.

“Sorry to burst your little bubble of perfection—but you’re not on air now. Get that in your head that everything is NOT going your way…” She snapped, grabbing both of his shoulders tightly, “...even if the alternative is better…” she added softly.

“See! We just need to believe—”

The television toon turned sharply, “No.”

She retorted, jabbing a finger into the other’s chest.

“No. It’s not possible, Dandy. Me and Austin have been up since 6am looking for them. We checked every single corner of this hellhole for them. Sprout too helped around 7am but that still wasn't enough—And it's starting to piss the fuck!—”

“Language, Vee!” A familiar voice exclaimed the moment the tech toon swore.

“...Sorry, Veronica.”

Vee pulled away from Dandy, not bothering to look at her toon handler, Veronica, as the door of the executives’ room was opened, revealing a stressed Austin, confused Shelly, concerned Sprout and an annoyed Delilah.

“Oh good, the star’s here,” Austin blurted, gripping the flower’s shoulders, “You and Astro used to be very good friends, any idea what happened to him??”

𝘜𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴...Ouch. Where did they go wrong? When did the distance start?

“Uh…No?”

“When was the last time you saw him? Where did you last see him? What was he doing before—”

“Austin, calm down…”

Astro’s handler took a deep shuddering breath as Veronica placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, “Relax, Austin, we’ll find him as soon as possible—”

“You say that despite not doing anything,” Delilah sighed, rubbing her temples, “Pardon me for my harsh tone, I just pulled another all-nighter…Still, all you did so far was to relook at the same corners.”

“Delilah’s got a point…” Sprout spoke up, “We’ve spent the last two or three hours just searching for Astro, without even trying to figure out where he might be first—that’s like skipping a crucial step!”

“Maybe you should split yourself up,” the founder commented, sipping the coffee in her hand, “Austin and Veronica could search at the lobby, Shelly and Vee at the toons’ rooms, while Dandy and Sprout at Astro’s room.”

“Why two toons in his room?” The strawberry toon questioned.

“It’s pretty big, don't you remember?” Shelly piqued.

“Oh right…”

“Enough chattering and start searching once more. Report your findings to me as soon as possible—I don’t need Arthur to start panicking over this too.”

______________

Drip.

Drip.

The sound of water falling from the pipes was loud and deafening, filling up the room with its distorted rhythm.

Moss grew onto the side of the walls, crawling towards the rising sun peering through the cracks.

The scent of stale blood lingered in the air, metallic and bold, like past regrets haunting the present. Maybe because regret 𝘪𝘴 actively tormenting him, mocking him, ridiculing him….

Or at least, that was the story played out in his unconscious mind.

Dazzle’s eyes fluttered open, greeted by the everlasting scarring darkness, dimmed by the faint golden rays.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥…

It felt as though his head was bashed endlessly, the force of the impact gnawing his brain. His cheeks were wet, drenched in a pool of misery.

He couldn't see anything, he couldn't process anything. He doesn’t know what to do. Body’s limp, mind’s spiraling, throat’s sore.

He was no longer a toon. Just a breathless creature on Death’s doorstep

He can’t even feel anything.

Except for the rapid thuds in his chest…that was all he could feel.

His heartbeat was drums to the melody of the dripping water, composing a song to fear’s tango. The darkness, once lifeless, gained colour as the song reached its chorus, causing the air to feel heavier—a burden to breathe.

The tragedy mask clutched his chest, lungs pounding and oxygen burned, grooving to the rhythm of agony.

The chorus went on like a broken recorder, all falling apart as the peak grew louder.

He was helpless, truly, for his sanity was next on the line—doomed to crumble underneath terror’s lyrics.

“(R-Razzle…)”

He choked out, hand trembling as he reached for his brother’s shoulder, “(This is hopeless…we’re done for…please…)”

Despite his solemn words, he needed his brother’s optimism.

Surely Razzle would know how to mute this painful song.

To feel the warmth of hope, the comfort of positivity, the reassurance that everything is going to be fine—even if it's not—Razzle could make him feel all of that. Only him.

Why? Because it’s not him. He isn't capable of such optimistic acts, he isn’t designed for joy—thus it was out of character for him.

Razzle’s the voice that speaks of joy, while Dazzle’s the silence that falls when its malice is exposed. They were meant for each other, built for one another…

…So when Razzle didn’t respond to his quiet cry for comfort, the silence blurred more than necessary, eliminating the joy completely.

“(...Razzle?)”

The tragedy mask turned to his right—

A knot built up in his stomach, feeling like a punch to his gut.

Suddenly, at that moment, his body acknowledges the missing weight on his right shoulder.

𝘕𝘰.

He reached out to grasp the comedy mask’s cheek, only to be greeted by the touch of cold air.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴...𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵...𝘣𝘦…

He slouched against the wall behind him, burying his face into his hands. Everything started to lose its meaning. After all, without his dearest brother, he’s just a decaying pessimistic lump of ichor.

Nothing came out of his act of surrender, only shaky breaths and hoarse coughs. It felt as though his body had forgotten how to suffer. The torn wet ribbon poked his cheek, the same ribbon where a smiling comedy mask head used to exist.

It’s hopeless—he’s not even exaggerating

All he’s doing is to embrace his fate of being another name in the passage of time.

Dazzle remained in his position, unmoving. It’s easy to mistake him for the dead with how still he is. The tune of fear’s tango became another sound, lessened and quieter, just not in the way he wanted.

“(Razzle…)”

He called out, knowing a reply will never come, “(What should I—we…do now?)”

“𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦, 𝘋𝘢𝘻! 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦—𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴!”

He could imagine—no, hear his counterpart saying that, but decides not to comment on it. Typical Razzle, coming up with absurd solutions in a grave situation like this—
“How about instead of moping in that fucking corner, you get your ass up?”

Oh, another soul was in the room.

Without a flinch, the tragedy mask looked up, meeting a familiar gaze.

It’s him.

He remembers him. The same man who shoved Astro into the sack, the companion of his…brother’s killer. Instead of feeling anger, hatred, disgust at the man’s very existence…

He felt nothing. Could you blame him?

If he dies, he could join his brother in heaven, and that man has everything in his willpower to make that a reality—

He paused his train of thoughts, a sudden pang of guilt consuming his heart.

Astro…

“Bitch, I said stand up!”

“(....Right)”

Dazzle pushed himself off the ground, legs shaking from the prolonged period of sitting rooted. A hand was securely latched onto his wrist, dragging him along as the darkness swallowed them.

“What?” The senior raised an eyebrow, looking down at the tragic toon as they walked down the hallways, “Not gonna beg for an explanation on why you’re suddenly forced to come with me?”

“(...I’ve lost the instinct to care.)” The tragedy mask simply replied, eyes glued to the stone floor.

“Yeesh, that’s depressing as fuck,” The elder scoffed, “Aren’t yall supposed to be happy crappy like the educational creatures you are?”

“(No.)” Dazzle bluntly stated, “(I’m just the sad twin of the theatre twins, nothing more, nothing less.)”

The man stopped in his tracks for a moment, scratching the back of his head at the straightforward resigned tone before shrugging, “Ok y'know what, screw the questions, I can’t deal with this depressing bullshit.”

“(Ok.)”

“Anyways, the reason why you’re walking with me is because the higher-ups FINALLY used their brains and realised that experimenting with a fucking corpse—let alone a beheaded one, does NOTHING!”

“(Ok.)”

“So you’re next in line, the closest very much alive match to our previous rather dead experiment. We can’t risk that main character yet.”

“(Ok.)”

“...That’s your response to being a test subject?”

“(Mhm.)”

“Ok.”

The two continued to walk silently, no words needed to be exchanged after that.

The tragedy mask began taking note of his surroundings—a warehouse.

A run-down one at it.

The windows were loosely sealed up by planks, splotches of yellow mould visible. Dust filled up every nook and cranny of the area, hinting at a horrible ventilation system. The rough and scarred texture of the doors might as well be cardboard.

Dazzle sighed, ignoring the goosebumps on his skin and lump in his throat. It’s so obvious that he wants to just…end it all, so why was his body not at ease?

Was it because something was holding him back in the living realm?

Could it be…

𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦...

𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦?

𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮?

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧...𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝙝𝙚 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦?

Astro.

But he couldn’t leave Astro. Not just because he missed Razzle. Not now.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥

The tragedy mask stumbled forward as the man shoved him in an empty room—his destination maybe, “Now, you stay here and wait patiently for those shitheads to come.”

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬

The sound of the door locking boomed through the air.

"𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭...𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨"

“(It sure was…)” Dazzle muttered at ‘his brother’s’ comment.

The room he was in was no different from the previous area, only having an operating table in the middle.

Though there were barely any changes to his physical predicament, the cursed hopelessness from the first room wasn't there.

Then what was he feeling now?

Determination.

For what?

Astro.

______________

Though everything was moving fast-paced and dreadingly, Astro’s heart seemed to stop.

The sound of his captor’s and friends’ conversation reverberated down the hallways, reaching his ears easily. He looked through the cracks of his ‘cell’, seeing the figure of the theater twins being brutally shoved into an ominous room.

He quickly looked away, not wanting to see what would happen to his dear friends.

Lord.

A clothed hand was clasped onto his mouth as he desperately tried to muffle the sudden assault of coughs. He slowly pulled his hand away, noting how ichor stained his blanketed hand.

𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘥.

The moon toon sighed as he dusted his blanket as he felt a surge of tears welling up his eyes.

It’s his fault. All of it. And knowing what’s happening to them because of him…

He can’t stop it.

He wiped his mouth as he repeatedly hit his head against the wall, trying to think of something—anything—To distract himself from the guilt and ache in his heart.

Again and again he banged, each impact growing harder and faster.

The pain is not working.

With a defeated sob, he slumped against the wall, his bruised forehead resting against the moulding wall. He turned his head towards the side, noticing the faint rays of sunshine entering the forsaken room. He could vaguely see the dust jumping gleefully underneath the light.

The sight silently reminds him of Gardnerview in a way. Carefree, relaxing, joyful…never in his life would he expect to find nostalgia in little specks of dirt floating in the air.

In a way, it made him chuckle. The guilt lessened ever so slightly, yet it still went down…

Oh what could he and his friends do to feel that ease again…

He can’t possibly break down the door… The window’s not an option either… Was he really that helpless? Stuck in this room till all is lost from him?

In newfound frustration, Astro roughly threw his night cap against the wall—

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

The moon toon paused, eyes widening as a feeling he never thought he’d feel again enveloped his heart.

Hope.

He reached a hand out to the wall where the nightcap had landed, fingertips brushing cautiously over the rough surface.

Then—cold metal.

His breath hitched.

A smile— small and desperate—tugged at the corners of his mouth.

A vent.

______________

“Well…here we are.”

Sprout declared, opening the doors of the lunar-themed room.

Astro’s actually missing.

Dandy remained silent as they stepped into the area, a sense of foreignness enveloping him.

This…he shouldn’t be feeling this.

“So uh…” The flower spoke up, looking at the strawberry with an awkward chuckle, “...Where do we start, Sprout?”

“Aren’t you supposed to know that?” Sprout raised an eyebrow as he turned his body to face the other’s direction, “I mean—you’ve been in his room longer than any other toon, so maybe you have an idea on…y’know, how the room is.”

“Oh.”

Dandy blankly stared at the wide room, split into many different sections. Oh where to start in a place like this…Why is he asking himself this? It’s obvious that they should start at Astro’s favourite place…

But what was Astro’s favourite place?

Wasn’t HE supposed to know this??

“...Dandy?”

The rainbow flower snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed a hand swiping in front of his face. Oh right…better get back on track!

He quickly placed his hands on his hips, confidently proclaiming, “YOU Sprout s-should look at the…libary corner of Astro’s room!—I mean, he’s usually reading so…”

Sprout squinted his eyes at the flower, back at the room, then Dandy once more, “...There’s a library in Astro’s room??”

𝘖𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

“Yep!” the floral toon exclaimed, a smile beaming on his face as he vaguely recalled the days in Astro’s room, “It was really big and there were a lot of astronomy books—I really liked the space mural there!”

“That’s pretty neat…” The fruit toon muttered, subtle awe in his voice, “But if I'm going there, where are you going?”

“Uh–the area where Astro sleeps obviously, yeah!"

“...Noted?”

“Splendid! Let’s get going now, shall we?”

With that, he quickly ran into the room—

Only for Sprout to quickly grasp his hand, tugging him back.

“Not so fast!-”

Dandy huffed as he struggled to wiggle out of the other’s grasp, to no avail.

“I–Just what do you want again Sprout…” He groaned.

“...Nothing, actually,” The strawberry sighed, letting go of his hold.

The flower stumbled slightly, giving the latter a puzzled look as he regained his footing, “Then what’s the point of that? That’s just a waste of time, we might’ve found a clue about Astro’s whereabouts if you didn't—"

“I just wanted to ask how you’re doing.”

The flora toon paused in his small rant, “W-What?”

“You heard me.”

The fruit toon stepped forward, resting his hands on the other’s shoulder as he looked deep into his eyes, “I know you and Astro are very good friends—or used to.”

“Even so…It wouldn’t be surprising if his disappearance has an impact on you so—”

“Pft!-”

Sprout stared at Dandy, blinking repeatedly as the latter snickered.

“O-Oh typical Sprout…being concerned over everything!"

“Wha—”

“Ha-ah, what makes you think I’m not worried? Of course I am! I just-I…He’s probably fine and we’re just overreacting y’know! This is super pointless!…He’ll come back in no time…right…?”

“Dandy…” The strawberry sighed, letting go of his shoulders, “ Just trust me on this—We’re going to find him.”

“And if we don’t?”

“I…”

“Thought so,” The flora toon gave a small smile, entering the room.

As he went deeper into the area, he could hear the fruit toon calling out to him once more.

“If you need any help, just find the others!”

What makes him think he—THE Dandicus Dancifer—needs any help?

…

Maybe he does need a bit of help. Sorta.

In his defense, he could’ve sworn the bedroom was smaller in his memory

The bedroom was bathed with the soft glow of white light that mimicked moonlight, casting gentle shadows across the navy walls. A round bed, draped in pale liners that reflected the glimmers of the moon, sat in the middle beneath a domed ceiling painted with stars and phases of the lunar being.

How tiring it would be.

Dandy took a deep breath as he walked around the bed, searching hopelessly for anything related to the moon toon.

Oh well.

If he’s going to spend the next few hours here, he might as well have fun doing so.

So in today’s adventure…

It’s time to scavenge for clues in his best friend’s room!

Firstly, under the bed—Nope, there’s only tiny scraps of paper and the welcoming sensation of the carpet.

Onto the next, he supposed.

Secondly, the bookshelves—Same thing, just endless rows of books and maybe some paintings of space, they were nicely done though.

Next.

Thirdly, the closets next to the shelves—Nothing, there were only endless rows of Astro’s pajamas, along with some crumpled up posters at the corner.

Did Astro really just…vanished without a trace?

Why isn't there anything contributing to his search in his own room?

“Ugh…Astro please…where are you…”

Dandy grumbled, tossing himself onto the starry bed. The prolonged exposure to the dark atmosphere is starting to make him sleepy—

“OW-”

The rainbow flower winced, immediately sitting upright as he felt something sharp stabbing his head. He turned to his back, eyes furrowed as he looked at the source of the pain.

Just an opened book. Oh how annoying—

Wait.

A book?

Opened on Astro’s bed?

Finally, a clue–Why didn't he see this when he first entered the room?

Carefully, Dandy pulled the book onto his lap, examining it bit by bit. It was rather heavy and thick, each page filled with chunks of text. He would never read such material in his lifetime…

…Yet, he can’t help but find it familiar. Huh, how strange.

He flipped to the cover page of the book, his eyes widening.

Oh, he remembers now.

It was the same book he gifted Astro on one of his birthdays. He recalled writing a note along with the gift, "𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘴! :𝘋"

The two of them would spend countless nights reading the book in Astro’s rooms—despite his distaste for such lengthy texts. They would spend minutes, hours, on this bed, reading 5 pages per night.

It was…refreshing, to have those memories again.

Especially after everything.

Dandy laid his back flat on the bed, staring up at the space model hanging from the ceiling. His eyes were specifically fixed to the replica of the moon, gently twirling underneath the gust of the air conditioner, as his mind wandered through the memory lane.

“𝘏𝘦𝘺…𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺…”

𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳.

“𝘏𝘮?” 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘱𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, “𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 ‘𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰?”

𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴.

“𝘏𝘦𝘺, 𝘤𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰! 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘦?”

“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭…𝘶𝘩…”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥, “𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧…𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺…𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳—𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸…”

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥.

𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥—𝘕𝘰, 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴…𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮…

B𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵?

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳.

“𝘖𝘩 𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴!”

“𝘏𝘶𝘩–𝘏𝘢𝘩𝘢…𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩…𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰…𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬…𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵…”

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦.

“Dandy!”

Dandy sat upright, realisation drawing over him as Sprout barged into the room, concern etched all over his features.

“Sprout…”

“Are you okay? I've been calling for you for the past ten minutes!” The strawberry went on in his little reprimand, rubbing his temples, “I thought you fell unconscious—but nope, you were taking a nap. Lord was I stressed over nothing….:

The flower looked at the other, a blank look in his eyes as the obvious conclusion swirled in his mind.

Astro wouldn't do something like that.

There's no way he'd prioritise the moon over his safety, wouldn't he?

Yet…there's something within him gnawing his conscience that it was the truth.

Dandy opened his mouth to speak,

“I know where they went.”

Chapter Text

𝘛𝘶𝘨

Astro dug his fingers into the side of the metal hinges.

𝘛𝘶𝘨

He felt the cold sensation of iron pressing against his skin, tearing it open.

𝘛𝘶𝘨

Ichor started to bleed, a sign of his body's resignation, but an act of hope in his mind.

𝘛𝘶𝘨

The hatch felt looser, better, hopefully—

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥

His back crashed against the wall as ichor stained the edge of the vent, breaths entering and exiting rapidly out of his body.

This was…

Possible
𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴

If only he tugged it a bit more…
𝘛𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦.

He could finally do something right for once.
𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

Such as setting him and his friends free.
𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

All for the moon.
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯

The moon toon sighed, his back slumping against the wall as he stared at his hands—fingers bleeding, bruised and scratched. He blinked one, twice, as he zoned out at the leaking ichor.

What could he do now?

His eye travelled back up to the vent, still fixed to its spot unmoving. Though it was obvious that it'll never budge with his strength, he could faintly, vaguely see it loosening under the influence of his ichor.

Could it be that his blood acted as a lubricant for the vent?

Would freedom be achieved if he simply bled more?

𝘖𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭.

𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩? 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦?

𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥.

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵, 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳.

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦.

Pft.

Oh what are his thoughts on?

He could never rest, not when his sin of greed hasn't been forgiven by his friends. He still needs to clean this mess he made, he shouldn't rely on anyone else, not anymore.

Punishment's not enough—even if it's torture.

He needs more.

A reminder mayhap.

Astro took a deep shuddering breath as he knew what he had to do, for freedom, for his friends. Oh why can't freedom just be the moon.

He scanned the floor, looking for anything to rip his skin, to enable ichor to flow freely. Stone, debris, splinters, anything. Darkness devoured the area, he didn't know what options were there—even with the dull light from his star.

He was about to resort to his blunt nails…

…Till he spotted a glass shard that reflected the dull light of sunshine.

Finally!

With trembling hope and excitement, he reached out to the sharp transparent object and began.

Ichor splatter the walls, the floors, staining them with black. His arms continued its rushed desperate movements as determination fueled him. Slice after slice, skin brutally torn apart, ichor gushing out. He needs more—more lubricant for his desired freedom

The moon toon swallowed a spit in his throat with a widened eye as he stared at his finished product: an arm painted in sorrowful black. Immediately, before the ichor dries, he coats the edges of the vent with his wounds’ tears.

Fingers gripping onto the opening, he pulled once more, ignoring how his bleeding arm felt like it was going to tear in half. Whatever strength he had left was quickly applied.

𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬

It's loosening

𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬

Loosening

𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬

𝘉𝘢𝘮

Loosened.

It's loosened.

And it opened.

Astro stared at the vent opening in his hands, once heavy and tight from bolts, now just another scrap of metal.

“Ha-ah…”

He gasped out, not believing reality—for his mindset was dependent on fantasy.

He felt his eye welling up with pent-up tears from long ago. All of his built-up sorrow, frustration, desire threatened to come crashing out.

Yet, nothing came out.

No tears, no chuckles, not even a sigh of relief.

Only silence as he crawled into the vent.

______________

“Tch—Hurry up! Astro's not going to find himself if we're not faster enough!”

Dandy exclaimed as he dashed down the hallways, his grip on Sprout's hand not loosening one bit. Quickened breaths, thunderous heartbeats, insistent protests, all were dulled by the swirling storm in his mind. Thoughts clouded one another, overlapped each other, trying to appeal to logic and reality.

Yet, despite the endless voices that consumed his mind, one stood out significantly

One so clear, so obvious, it'd be a lie to believe otherwise.

Astro's NOT in Gardenview.

He definitely sought out for the moon, with the twins…maybe. Yet, even if he didn't, it wasn't his biggest concern. How, What, Why, such useless questions. It doesn't matter.

What matters despite everything, Astro would, no, SHOULD be back at Gardenview.

He isn't stupid to actually leave Gardenview…is he?

No.

He wouldn’t.

What does the outside world even have that's worth more than Gardenview?

Gardenview has his priceless friends, deliciously prepared food, lessons to be shared and learned, kids to play and teach on the weekdays...The outside? Pft! How could it compare to all of this? It only has the pretty sight of the moon, the calming melody of the bluebirds…the everlasting presence of the flowers…the…oh.

He wouldn't….would he?

“Hey Sprout.”

The flower toon halted in his tracks, staring at the ground with wide blank eyes. At that moment, his conscience snapped back into reality, acknowledging his surroundings, his body's states, the other’s ramblings of how he's being irrational—

Wait what.

Him, irrational? Impulsive?

Probably.

“Uh Dandy?”

Oh why must realisation hit like a brick?

The strawberry toon spoke up, noticing the odd silence from the usually cheerful toon and the tightened grip on his hand, “Are you okay over there…”

“You should calm down…you're probably overthinking about the whole Astro situation…I'm pretty sure he wouldn't escape like—”

“Sprout.”

Dandy muttered, looking up at the other with those wide eyes, not the ones that are usually sparkling with joy, but dull colourless ones distraught from reality.

“Have you ever yearn to leave Gardenview…?”

Sprout visibly looks taken aback by the question, evident by his stiffened stance at his words. He took a deep breath before talking,“So you're that insistent that Astro escaped Gardenview for good…”

“Just answer me Sprout, have you?”

“Well uh…”

The strawberry toon trailed off, “I just…Not really—To be honest, as long as everyone else is fine, then I guess I'm satisfied with my—”

“Do you think that desire could actually make one…leave?”

The flower toon stared at the other, awaiting his response, who simply scratched his head as he took a deep breath.

“Look here Dandy…”

He's going to try to convince him otherwise, is he?

Why do that if he can't even convince himself?

“If you were to ask me, I'm…sure that Astro would not leave Gardenview like that.”

Then where is he?

“Trust me…we'll find him soon.”

It's been a day, surely one could already scout the whole educational centre by now.

“I-I know you're worried about him, but try to have a bit more faith in him…’

Why should he?

“He'd…never leave that impulsively—”

“He would!”

Dandy grinned.

“He'd leave Gardenview for a matter of fact!”

“N-No he wouldn't—”

“Y'know Sprout…”

The smile on Dandy’s face remained on his face as he nudged the latter’s side, earning a jolt out of him. It made him chuckle, slightly, a little spark of amusement in a dark situation like this.

“For someone so overprotective, you don't seem to emphasise others’ perspectives! Face it bud, you KNOW Astro WOULD leave Gardenview.”

With that, he sprinted off, dashing down the hallways to meet with the others, leaving Sprout alone with his thoughts.

Oh well.

It seems like the berry's not coming.

______________

Thud.

Astro winced as his head hit the roof of the vent, that very same spot aching from getting hit once, twice, he forgot. The dust that coated the tight metal room bounced around as he went forth.

Some clogged up his nostrils, producing coughs he desperately tried to muffle, while the rest became an accessory to the eerie atmosphere.

This…was not what he was expecting.

To be honest, what was he even expecting?

What made him think that God—If there's even one—will bless him, HIM after what he did.

Still, he didn't expect the vent to be this small. It felt as though he was getting compressed from every side and angle. It made him realise how privileged he was—and how much he doesn't deserve it. Maybe.

Not his fault he was like…this.

He continued to crawl, his hands desperately clawing their way to no end. His body dragged his limp legs along, sore and tangled up from who knows how long in the vent.

His organs churned as he made countless turns, the idea of an exit becoming a fantasy.

Eventually, consumed by a desire no living being is immune to, exhaustion grabbed ahold of his body, causing him to lay flat on the floor of the suffocating area hopelessly.

He tried everything. Everything.

He tried to feel his way through, yet he was only welcomed by the same feeling of mossy metal.

He tried to smell his way through, yet he can only detect the smell of rust and dried blood.

He tried to hear his way though, yet only the machine buzzes were audible.

Does freedom even exist?

He thought it'd be easy to go through the vents, like how he did when…they escaped Gardenview. But this isn't Gardenview, they aren't here, no one's there to guide him.

Was he really that…dependent on others?

The moon toon shoved his face into the ground as he caught his breath, occasionally letting out some coughs. Some of those coughs were dry, some had ichor spitting out.

He closed his eyes in that position, wishing the darkness his eyelids brought was something more.

…

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦.

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘺.

𝘐𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧…𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴…𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸…

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳?

𝘖𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳—𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘈𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.

𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵…

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘮?

𝘞𝘩𝘺?

“𝘞-𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘰’ 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘢!”

𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘥𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯.

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺.

𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘵.

𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵, 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯.

“𝘞-𝘞𝘩𝘺…”

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘬𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨…

“𝘞𝘩-𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?”

𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵.

𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰’𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘉𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘳…

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴—

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥.

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘚𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥…𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭.

𝘠𝘦𝘵, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥.

𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺…𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦…𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦—

𝗡𝗼.

…

𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨

Astro jolted upwards, hitting his head at the ceiling of the vent. He blinked once, twice, accessing his surroundings before sighing miserably.

Another nightmare.

What's worse was that it's in a place like this—𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵, he fell asleep??

He shook his head as he rubbed his eye. Lord, how much time did he waste? Was he that useless—

“He's there, in that section of the vent!”

Oh.

“Then what is your stupid ass waiting for??? GET HIM.”

Wham

A crowbar head immediately smashed through the wall of the vent after those words were spoken.

The moon toon jolted and instinctively crawled forward with a pace he didn't know he was capable of.

He's been found.

______________

“Delilah? Austin…I–Anyone?”

Dandy called out as he swung the door to the main hallway open, taking rushed breaths as he did so.

“Oh, look who's finally arrived after two hours,” A voice bluntly spoke up the moment the door crashed against the wall.

Of course Vee would say that.

The flower toon would've rolled his eyes at that tone if it weren't for the panicked turmoil in his mind, “Pssht, what did you even expect? Astro's room is humongous!”

“Figured you'd have a greater sense of urgency then that,” The television toon spat out, folding her arms as she oh so smugly leaned against the wall.

“Says the one with the easier job!” Dandicus snapped back.

“Tch, you think this is a job?! Astro could be in danger and you think it's a job??”

“I—pft…of course it's serious, I know it! You d-don't have to remind me…”

“Then quickly spill your findings geez!”

“Then how about you stop distracting me—”

“Wait…Dandy?”

Shelly suddenly spoke up as she stood next to the technology toon, and the arguing duo immediately turned towards her, causing her to awkwardly scratch the back of her head.

“What do you want, Shelly,” Vee replied as she slowly turned to the ammonite, eye twitching yet soft.

“Oh uh…I was just wondering where was Sprout—”

“You have a point.”

The television toon quickly looked at Dandy with skeptical eyes, “Dandicus, where is he.”

“Hm, Sprout—?”

“Just answer it.”

“...He's busy accepting the truth.”

“What truth?”

“About…Astro’s disappearance, what else—”

Vee quickly gripped the other's shoulders with bone-crushing roughness. Yet, despite the physical hostility, her screen glitched, a hint of malfunction, with…sorrowful hope?

Since did that arrogant toon…cared?

“What about Astro's disappearance?” the television toon demanded as her grip tightened.

The flower toon winced at the sudden pressure, softly scoffing, “I-It's just a theory…though I swear it's the truth—”

“Which Is?!”

“Astro ran away from Gardenview.”

“...”

“...Vee?”

The television took a step back, heaving in and out. Mouth agape, screen glitching, pupils dilating, hands trembling—

𝘚𝘓𝘈𝘔

Immediately, a fist landed against the wall with brutal force next to Dandy's head.

“I fucking knew it.”

Vee whispered out softly. The extinguished flame in her eyes told resignation as she turned her back, walking away whilst mumbling to herself.

“He could've at least told me about it if they’re going to do it….”

The flower toon watched her back silently with widened eyes as she disappeared into the background.

Since when did she know?

Slowly, he turned his head to the ammonite toon, who had been standing there ignored. She was looking at Vee's direction with concern and a sigh

“What was that all about?”

“...”

“Shelly?”

“E-eh, you're asking me?”

“Well…”

Dandy softly chuckled, still slightly shaken by Vee’s outburst “You're the only one here, so I figured you'd know something about…that.”

“Oh that…”

The ammonite toon trailed off, guilt dusting her features as she gave a sorry smile, “Well uh, it was after our interview with Teagan and the opened vents the handlers found…”

“...”

“And Vee…didn't take the information that well…she tried to argue with Delilah that maybe Astro would come back.”

“And?”

“Delilah didn't buy it. Simply stated that Astro left Gardenview for good…though they did send a rescue team out and that's about it—”

“Then what about us?”

“Huh?”

“What do we get to do about Astro's disappearance?”

“I…”

Dandy rolled his eyes, looking at Shelly expectantly, “What, we're expected to not do anything???”

“...She simply said it's all under control—”

“And you believe her?!”

The flower toon took a deep breath, “I get that this is something only the ‘humans’ get to do…but can't we do something too—don't you want to do something too??”

“...Well I guess so…” the ammonite muttered, not used to speaking up about her opinions, “Astro’s really nice, maybe the one of the few who's actually close to me, even if I don't really know him…”

“Huh?”

“E-eh, ignore what I said!”

Shelly stumbled out, taking a few steps away from the other—oh well, that wasn't the most important thing right now.

Silence was palpable, no words being needed to fill the heavy void. Dandy slowly walked away, not bothering to lighten up the dull mood with his usual piques. It was unnecessary—the weight of the situation has crushed any ounce of hope of Astro coming back.

Yet…he knew what he needed to do—

“Wait, you're not going to find Astro on your own…right Dandy?”

The flower toon turned back to the ammonite, smiling softly. He then did what he always do in front of public eyes:

“Don't worry, I'm not.”

Lie.

Chapter Text

Time went by like wind—subtle, unrecognisable and silent. Dazzle stared at the stale pale wall, the peeling grey mocking his suffering. His eyes were dry, twitching relentlessly—yet despair threatened to spill through the lifeless sockets.. His body feels numb, empty, the only thing keeping it functioning was the euphoria of determination.

It looked like his soul was slowly turning to a state of a puppet as the adrenaline died down. Yet, his spirit burned with passion, desire, for his lost friend.

So why does he look like a victim of resignation?

It wasn’t because the spur of motivation had died down, but rather, it’s bottling up. Bit by bit as unknown seconds pass, whilst he sat there hopeless with uncertainty.

He simply doesn’t know what to do currently.

The tragedy mask didn’t budge from his spot when he first entered the room, resting near the entrance of hell, like a sinner embracing their inevitable destiny, not by choice however. It was his only option at the moment.

The door was sealed shut, the vents were too small for him to fit, the windows were nothing, existing in small cracks that led to more deep hallways.

He can’t escape, he can’t feel, oh what can a hopeless soul like him do…?

“(Razzle, do you have any ideas on what we can do?)” Dazzle spoke up, looking at the ceiling light.

So bright, so blinding, yet it was barely illuminating the operation table clearly. He wished the light could blur his eyes with white. At least then the truth would be concealed.

“Aren’t you the rational one, Dazzle?” The comedy mask shrugged.

“(…It’s just a question.)” the tragedy mask sighed, forcing his eyes to look at the empty spot next to his head.

“If so, why are you asking me? I’m just lil ol’ me!” The cold air resembled a grinning Razzle, yet it carried an atmosphere of dullness.

“(Reassurance, that maybe, I can think of something.)”

“Something you can never give yourself—not even in a voice like mine!”

“(…)”

“Silly Dazzle, always seeking the impossible! You know you must have me by your side. If not, look at you—useless and pathetic!”

“(…You’re more insufferable in my mind, something you’re clearly not in real life…)” The tragic twin buried his face into his knees, taking a deep breath, “(I guess that’s the scary thing about losing you—having a negative impression implanted in my head for the rest of my life….)”

“Well that’s too bad, you’re made to be negative, born to be negative—“

“(Better than being a grinning idiot.)”

Dazzle pinched his arm, trying to force ‘Razzle’ to stop talking. He’s gone, in a better place, no longer next to him. Why can’t he accept that fact—

Click.

The tragedy mask didn’t flinch as the sound of the door unlocking.

Slam.

“…Not a sound? That’s weird.”

He remained motionless, cheek pressing against his knees as an unknown person entered the room. He heard the mysterious person place a suitcase on the operation table. Footsteps approached his spot, yet he didn’t budge an inch.

“Are you alive?”

The voice spoke up from the person next to him. Now that he heard it again, the tone sounded professional—eerily calm however. A soft voice of a male perhaps, one carrying a heavy tone of authoritarianism

Dazzle stubbornly stayed still, not wanting to obey their demands just yet. He wanted to see what lengths they would go to force him into submission. To see what torture did his brother’s corpse had to endure—

Wham.

A bad mistake on his behalf.

The tragedy mask choked on his spit, feeling a foot coming into contact with his stomach harshly. Trembling hands clutched the aching area as he finally looked up to meet his assaulter’s gaze.

Just a man in a fancy white coat.

With a receding hairline he might add. 

His eyes were made of hard stone, cold and unwavering. His skin was of a pale yellow colour, covered in old drying scabs. What an odd contrast between his voice and appearance. 

A smirk crept up onto the person’s face, revealing his crooked teeth, as he witnessed his reaction.

“Good, you’re alive.”

The man turned away from him, going to the case next to the operation table instead. The sound of utensils cluttering filled the deafening silence of the room, with the unknown humming in a false soothing tune. Dazzle stared at his back blankly, eyeing the door every few seconds.

He probably left it unlocked.

Must be.

Perhaps he thinks he’s incapable of escaping. That fear has made him a statue.

Oh well, he could turn that mistake into an opportunity.

The tragedy mask took one last glance at the man, taking note of his distracted state. It’s time.

With that, he lunged towards the door.

Click

It’s actually unlocked…!

A warm feeling surged through his heart. It felt so foreign, so out of character, but he didn’t care—for he enjoyed the warmth. For the first time since joy’s passing, the world became brighter, their colours having meaning. Maybe he can do it, maybe he can save Astro, maybe he isn’t useless without his brother!—

Tug

Unfortunately.

“Ah ah ah, not so fast little one.”

Fate only follows the blueprint destiny sets within us.

In which to Dazzle: misfortune.

“(A-ack!)”

The tragedy mask winced, feeling a tight grip on his frail ribbon neck. In an instant, the warmth in his heart darkened, a thousand glass shards piercing the fragile organ. It became heavier, each heartbeat weighing like a burden. The name of the monster that swallowed the hope?

Dread.

His body flew to the operation table, landing with a painful thud. A hand was shoved down at his chest, pinning him in his place. His pupils darted everywhere, anywhere but the man above him.

A low chuckle escaped the unknown’s lips, taking in visible pleasure as he squirmed in his position. Eventually, as the hopelessness of the situation set in, he too stopped resisting.

“As expected,” the man grinned, satisfied with his compliance as he finally let go of him, “Now don’t do that again, or I’m going to make your death even more torturing.”

Dazzle tried to sit up, only to be pushed down once more, “Stay in that position, it’s easier to experiment when you’re like that.”

“(E-excuse me? Experiment me?)” The tragedy mask spoke up, slightly clenching his hands.

“Hm?” The person raised an eyebrow, picking up a scalpel from his suitcase, “Well, what else were you brought here for?”

“I’m pretty sure you heard how the previous experiment went horribly.”

“(…My brother?)”

“Yeah, that dead head. The only thing we found out from…that was that your species' blood dries.”

“(…Oh.)”

“And you’re the closest match to that. Additionally—“

“(I already know that, you don’t need to remind me.)”

“…You’re embracing your fate that easily? Tch, how disappointing. I expected more from Delilah’s creations.”

“(…!)”

Stab

The tragedy mask’s breath hitched, biting the inside of his mouth to muffle any sounds of pain. He could feel the scalpel tearing his flesh apart, precision and carefulness evident in the slow excruciating slices.

Bit by bit, his right arm started to twitch relentlessly under burning metal. He looked away from the sight, nausea building up in his stomach.

Soon, the pain numbed, lessened, but he couldn’t feel anything in his right arm.

He can’t wiggle his fingers, he couldn’t shake his fists.

What just happened…

“Is that all…this surpassed my expectations I might say.”

With great reluctance, he forced his eyes to meet the doctor’s finished product—

Oh lord.

A sour, burning pressure clawed up his throat. He clenched his jaw, preventing his stomach from throwing up at that spot.

In the man’s hand was a dangling white arm, one that belonged to him—no, Razzle. Ichor was leaking out of the open wound, staining the unmoving limb with its vile colour. It dripped onto the floor whilst the person chuckled.

“It seems like the ichor can take the shape of any organ its host needs to survive...such as a bone—Ow-“

The doctor snarled, dropping the arm as the ichor came into contact with his bare hands. He clutched his reddening fingers, muttering under his breath, “Tch, I forgot how poisonous…”

The man’s words died down, blending in with the atmosphere. He couldn’t care less about what he had to say.

How can one be so…so dismissive at that?

Dismembering the remains of his… loved one…

Oh Razzle, what would he do in a situation like this? 

Would he stay calm, try to beat up his assaulter, or continue smiling—acting everything is fine? Regardless, he’d act on his emotions immediately. He wishes he could do that too…acting upon his emotions…

This silent rage…

The determination to be free…

All without hesitation—

Clank.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“I’m trying to get him!”

An argument boomed from the other room, the sound of steel groaning under endless amounts of strikes audible. A harsh scraping screech was repeated as the voices got louder, all from the other side.

It sounded like activities that the underground people do. The internal rage he was feeling was about to blur the meaningless information…

“Get that bitch of a main character already, will you?!”

…Till he overheard those words.

Main character

.

Astro.

Was he in…danger?

“(…What’s that commotion about?)”

Dazzle spoke up, laying still in his position with white knuckles.

The doctor shrugged, putting on some gloves as he picked up the limp arm, “Beat’s me, probably one of the experiments trying to escape.”

“(…You’re calling him a thing—)”

“To be honest, it’s rather idiotic of him to try to flee”

“(Freedom isn’t—)”

“Still, it’s hilarious watching others try and fail so miserably, like that thing.”

The tragedy’s mask could feel his eyes blurring with hot tears, anger fuelling his soul. The way he spoke so lightly about others’ suffering, as if he weren’t the cause of it, filled him with disgust.

He can’t just say that…

‘Idiotic for one to flee’

‘It’s hilarious watching…’

At the corner of his eyes, he noticed an object glimmering underneath the operation light.

It gave him the same warm feeling as the freedom he almost achieved.

The world gained colour at the sight of that object. Not the way he expected however. 

All he saw was red. Punishing red. It burned his eyes. That glistening object…maybe it could put an end to this. Calm the burning rage suffocating him.

All he needs to do…

“Pft, what are you doing?—“

Is to fix that doctor’s mindset.

Stab.

“ARGH, what the heck is wrong—“

To prove him wrong.

Stab

The person reached his hands out—

Stab

“Pssht…y-you freak—“

“(Shut up.)”

Dazzle spat out, feeling his hand plunging something deep into the other’s chest.

Stab.

“(Just because we aren’t human…)”

Stab.

“(…Doesn’t mean we can’t feel...)”

The blinding rage in his heart died down as he spoke his needed words. His vision cleared as he took several shaky breaths. Eventually, reality was acknowledged as he took note of his position:

Him straddling the man’s lap, an autopsy knife buried deep into his chest.

Dazzle stared at his functioning hand, which was covered in red from his anger spree. Unlike his reaction to his brother’s arm, he felt…nothing. Maybe pride, but numbness was more evident.

Whatever.

Clank

The sound of metal hitting each other continued from the other room. The tragedy mask stood up from his spot, abandoning the bloodied body as he reached for the exit.

Astro’s his biggest priority right now.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Dandy stared at the gates, blinking blankly at the metal bars. A map of Gardenview was in his hand, all possible exits highlighted in pink. He squinted at the gap between the poles, deep in thought as he stuck a hand through them. He then sighed.

“Nope, too small.”

He turned his back to the futile exit, back slumped in resignation as he sank into the darkness of the hallways. The lights shone along with his determination, slowly faltering yet enough to illuminate the path. Footsteps echoed, soft thuds booming so vividly as he looked above, staring at a specific ceiling light. It was flickering relentlessly, the odd one out amidst the rest.

He eyed the light source, looking at it intently. All it did was to blink back at him innocently. His eyes twitched at the sight. Crumpling the paper in his hands, he threw it at it.

Thud

Only a soft, insignificant sound came out from that.

The flower toon groaned.

“Stupid. This is stupid.”

He picked up the crushed paper and staggered lazily to the hangout room. There, he saw a couch, his first instincts being to collapse at the soft cushions.

“This is so…stupid….Astro…why…”

He muttered once more, voice muffled against the sofa. He turned his head to the crumpled map in his hand, tearing it into pieces. Scattering the shredded paper onto the floor, he rubbed his eyes, gaze fixed to the ceiling.

…

Pssht, what was he worried about?

He’s the main character, of course the solution would come by…soon!

Oh dear.

That sounds utterly unconvincing.

Soon…

When will that soon come?

His fingers fidgeted with a piece of paper as he continued to glare at the ceiling, demanding an answer from the dull stone area. His mind went down the memory lane, looking back at past episodes of Gardenview.

Well, there was a time his beloved pet Pebble—be it dog or rock—went ‘missing’. He didn’t actually disappear, however, simply hiding in the cabinet as he secretly munched away on his favourite snack. That incident gave him a heart attack—

Focus, Dandicus!

The main lesson he learnt from that was to never overlook small details. Maybe he should do that, but what could he have overlooked? He swore he had checked every single way out of Gardenview.

The main gates are definitely not an option. They’re always closed on weekends.

The emergency exits aren’t an option either, they would set off the fire alarm if ever opened—which will no doubt create an even bigger ruckus than Astro’s  disappearance.

The side gates? Useless. They were all locked—all three of them—and he could barely fit his whole arm through the gaps between bars.

The vents might’ve been the optimal solution, but based on Yatta’s complaints, it seemed like they improved the vent’s security…ever since they escaped.

All of this led to the conclusion that leaving Gardenview might as well be impossible.

So why is he so insistent in finding Astro by himself?

It’s not like he’s mad at him…On why he ‘escaped’…On why he went with the twins instead of him…

It’s just…

Dandy raised his hands up, framing the ceiling above. The emptiness of the pale grey above, they gave out no meaning, yet still touched the depths of his heart.

He just misses him.

Ironic, coming from the man who prioritises the spotlight over everything.

Closing his eyes, he thought back to the moments he had spent with Astro. The garden, the bedroom, the…The…He’s starting to forget. When was the last time he’s actually had a proper conversation with the moon toon? 

That was one of the countless amounts of times he asked that question. Yet, despite the endless reminders, he did nothing about it.

Nothing.

Maybe if he did something about the doubt in his mind, Astro wouldn't feel the need to flee. He’d still be here, as his best friend who he claimed to cherish dearly—No, that wasn’t enough. He should have been thinking about this even before he went.

So why didn’t he?

Why is it only when he’s gone, he matters? Were the memories they made so weak that he has forgotten them already?

The darkness of his eyelids, once lulled him to peace known as sleep, now whisper memories—reminders of how he failed his role. He’s the main character, he’s a role model, teaching others how to be a good friend! So why was his own friendship failing?

The questions came, striking his porcelain heart like a hammer. It felt unbearable despite the minuscule damage. Clenching his fist till they turned white, his body slightly trembled as the reminders boomed in his mind.

Make it stop 

Stop.

Stop—

Instantly, he felt two warm arms envelop him, his chin resting on a familiar shoulder. The thunderous heartbeats in his chest lost their aggression. He felt the unknown patting his back, each thud a soothing rhythm of a…mother’s love…

The flower toon buried his face into the shoulder, a soft gasp escaping his lips. He took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of coffee and dried sweat.

“Delilah…”

He could feel her shaking her head as he muttered out her name.

“Hush Dandicus, it's already 11pm—you should be asleep by now.”

“Mmghhhh…”

The owner rubbed his back once more before carrying him away, to his room perhaps. Oh well, all this searching for Astro was making him tired. He let out a content hum, wrapping his arms around the other's neck.

It’s been a long time since Delilah put aside time for him—Like carrying him to his room.

She’s always working, making sure the education centre functions well…

The silence, once overwhelmed with doubt and weariness, was now replaced with blandness coated with serenity. Nothing was happening, just the gentle footsteps of a creator carrying her creation. The lights blinked as they guided them to their destination, the ventilation whispered the tune of clogged air, all felt so in place.

Yet, despite the perfection in the atmosphere, the thoughts still haunted him. 

Astro’s probably enjoying his life out there while he remains miserable.

A life without him.

What if he’s happier than he ever was with him?

He tightened his grip on the latter’s shoulders, praying deep in his heart for his worries to just…perish.

“Dandy?”

Dandy heard the other speaking up, probably noticing his increased hold on her. He stayed silent, however, only burying his face further into her shoulder. This action earned a sigh from her.

“You’re worried about Astro, aren’t you?”

Bullseye.

“There’s nothing to fret about, Dandy. The situation’s under control, I’ve sent a team to the nearby town. They shouldn’t have—“

“…That’s not what I’m uh…worried about.”

“Hm?”

Delilah’s steps slowed down as she opened the door to his room, raising an eyebrow. 

The room was just as he kept it—messy bedsheets, posters scattered across the wall, unorganised scripts and drawings covering the floor. His pet dog, Pebble, was already sleeping soundly next to his bed. Once bright and bubbly, the room now sat in dulled silence.

She brought him over to his bed, gently placing him down as she sat next to him. Her expressionless eyes, drained from hours of work, scanned his face for a reason for his distress.

“W-well…”

The flower toon explained, forcing his eyes away from the founder, “I just…”

“…Go on.”

“It’s just…Why would Astro leave us?”

“…”

“Am I not good enough for him—No, was I that terrible to him? I don’t know when was the last time I talked to…haha…Did he leave because of…M-me—“

“Dandicus.”

The floral toon felt his body stiffened as his creator pulled a blanket onto him, ruffling his petals as a tired attempt at comfort, “…Just calm down, you don’t want the ichor to ruin your system, do you?”

“…Mm…”

“Astro may have his own reasons to leave, but I doubt you were the main factor for it.”

“…What makes you say that?”

“If Astro had a problem with you, Dandy… he would’ve said something. You know him better than this.”

“…Oh.”

“Precisely, he’s the logical type, he’d probably talk it out with you.”

“So why hasn’t he done so—“

“Wait, the documents—I nearly forgot about them.”

Delilah quickly stood up, rushing to the door as she took one last glance at Dandy, “Goodnight, Dandy. I need to finish some things before midnight.”

“…Goodbye?—“

“We’ll…talk about this tomorrow.”

Slam

Just like that, he was alone, again.

He really hates being alone with his thoughts. Especially with how monstrous they could be.

The flower toon tossed and turned in bed, body still rigid from his mind, from that conversation, from Astro. He tried to seal his eyes and call it a day, but his bed seemed to not be corporating. His pillows felt warm on both sides, too warm and restless to lie in comfortably

With a huff, he looked out of his window from his spot, eyeing the moon as Astro came up in his mind again. Longing filled his heart as he stared at the lunar being, gaze begging a reason for his friend’s absence. Maybe he’d know why if the exits weren’t locked, no, if only there were alternatives for freedom…

Wait a minute.

Dandy shot up in his bed, squinting his eyes at the window. Alternatives for freedom…

He blinked.

Is a window considered to be an exit?

He carefully crept towards the windowsill, glancing down to the ground level. Now that he thinks about it, his room wasn't that high…meaning there was a possibility of him landing safely.

There’s a chance he might break a leg…or maybe just land in the garden normally…Oh well, anything is better than standing still.

Besides, this was an opportunity.

An opportunity for an answer!

With that in mind, he climbed the edge of the window. Devan did say that one shouldn’t let opportunities go to waste.

If that’s the case.

Here he goes!

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Astro brought his hands forth, desperately trying to climb through the tight metal pathway. He clawed forward, knees scraping the cold steel floor—but the sound of the vent walls tearing only grew louder.

He gripped the sides, pushing his body as far as he could. Sweat formed on his forehead, drizzling down at an agonising pace. His chest heaved, lungs aching from the sharp lack of air.

“There, I see his fuckass blanket!”

His eyes widened, heart banging against his ribcage aggressively.

“Why are you telling me that?! Pull it!”

Immediately, a force clutched onto his blanket, pulling it to the shredded holes of the vent walls, bringing it to a place known as doom. One of his hands clutched onto the piece of fabric with trembling arms.

He kicked his legs, the impact shoving his body backwards. His fingers began to grow sore, from the tight grip on the blanket, from the endless movements for freedom. He could feel it slowly slipping off from his shoulders, succumbing to the strength of the other party. 

His body slid against the ground as their power completely overwhelmed him, dragging his body along with the blanket. He could feel him getting closer to the hole, where that crowbar broke through. 

Yet, despite his obviously vivid failure, he only dug himself further into his grave. 

All hands went onto the blanket, no longer glued the wall, as he yanked the fabric backwards. The only thing keeping him miserably rooted to his spot was his shaking cramped legs.

This blanket was his. His blanket.

They’re not going to get it. 

Not when it’s the closest thing to him and Gardenview. To his home. To his friends. To…everything.

He’s had it since he was made. There was no way he’d—

The moon toon froze, feeling a rough hand brush against one of his. It was light, subtle and insignificant, but it was enough for that hand to lunge forward. He jolted in his spot, head violently hitting the roof of the vent, as he caught a glimpse of that hand searching for his. Pain shot through his skull, he winced, tears welled up in his eyes.

He lets go.

Crash.

The blanket flew out of the hole, yielding into the relentless force. That caused the person pulling it to fall.

Without wasting any time, he quickly fled.

His heart pounded so excruciatingly, from the fear of getting caught, but heavy with the sorrow of his lost blanket. He could’ve done something to hold it back, to extend his remaining moments with that…but prolonging an inevitable defeat is futile. He knows that but…

Was it wrong for one to hope for the impossible?

That blanket was his only memory of peace…

Astro continued his way blindly, making turns that seemed convincing. His knees started to bleed, ichor seeping through the scrapped wounds. His wrists were sore with healing cuts, dried ichor staining his skin.

Eventually, his surroundings grew more reliable, and he stopped crawling. He sat, bringing his knees to his chest due to the lack of space. Deep shallow breaths escaped his mouth, which was dry from the exhausting run.

The drum known as his heart set a steady tempo. The machinery in the vent hummed an ugly tune. He looked straight at the wall in front of him, gaze unmoving as the world around him got as quiet as it could be.

There was neither solace in that silence, however, nor threat that lingered. It was just him, and him. 

One thing was clear.

He was finally alone—

Screams burst through the air, burning the stale atmosphere with an overdose of spice. Shouts of mockery then cries, pleads of confusion, they all rang through his ear so brutally. They seemed to be coming where he previously was, that forsaken room…

It sounded like those assaulters who targeted him…

Was that a ploy to catch him off guard? So that he would go back and investigate, only to finally trap him then?

Nevertheless, it was odd of them to scream in order to do that.

Oh well.

The moon toon’s eyes remained fixated on the same spot, recovering his lost energy. His body shivered, goosebumps forming on his body. It felt so unusually cold…whether it’s due to his missing blanket, or the dread for the future…

His eyelids became heavier, sight turning hazy. Of course he’s going to feel sleepy if he stays still too long. It’s part of his character, as irritating it can get, he can’t escape it.

He might as well start moving then.

Gently, he lowered his knees—

CLANG-KRSSHH!

A sharp krang echoed as the steel wall bent and cracked, revealing the head of a crowbar. The moon toon flinched, snapping out of his dazed state.

That reaction time of his wasn’t enough.

The crowbar pulled back, revealing an old face. It was wrinkled, reminiscent of the younger cruel days. A smile so wide it might as well split his face apart, it revealed crooked yellow teeth. A shiver went down his spine, but he didn’t flee.

Not because he didn’t want to.

He simply couldn’t.

Fear had completely glued him to the ground.

“Found ya, you little shithead.”

Two sturdy hands held his sides, forcibly jerking him out of the suffocating prison, introducing him to hell. He felt his body hanging loosely as a hand held him up. He tried to wiggle, he shook his arms, swung his legs—

Wham.

His body crashed against a corner. 

He could’ve sworn something broke from the sheer force of that throw.

Astro lay limp, body slouching as ichor gushed out from new wounds. He weakly brought his head up, looking at his captor blankly.

No, not blankly.

His body performed a play of distraught and agony. Shuddering body, unmoving limbs, shaky breaths.

So why did he look at the other with such…emptiness?

Had he grown numb to fear?

“Psssht, look at this, that was so easy,” the man chirped, bringing one of his legs to the toon’s side, trapping him in.

He leaned in closer with a smirk. The moon toon simply moved backwards, occupying the remaining space.

“I knew I shouldn’t have followed those shouts, must be a prank done by the elders,” the man snickered, eyes boring into his own, “Who would’ve thought capturing an escapee could be pathetically easy.”

“You shouldn’t have escaped in the first place, it’s so utterly useless—ARGH!”

A metal pipe bashed down on the man’s head, and he collapsed to the ground.

The moon toon couldn’t see what was happening, the darkness hid the bloodied scene occurring in front of him. All he could do was to tremble quietly in the corner as it all unfolded.

Groans, grunts, they died down. One last yell of pain came out of the man  before nothing. He saw him reaching out a hand towards him, but it faltered, dropping to the floor as a puddle of red formed underneath it.

A dark silhouette approached him, yet despite the horrific action it had just done, Astro didn’t feel any sort of fear.

Instead, he felt calmer. His heartbeat became slower, his body shook less.

Why?

“…Dazzle?”

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

They say that the moon was a magnificent being.

They commanded oceans, inspired poets, guided wanderers. A timeless beacon casting its glow, with craters that reflected the scars of history…

So why was the moon toon in front of him looking at him like that?

With such clear…distress?

Astro sat curled in the corner, barely breathing—his eye, once a storyteller of sorrow and longing, now a black void overwhelmed by fear. Not to mention his sclera was tinted with pink…

Though, Dazzle could see a tiny glint, a soft sparkle, at his arrival.

Clank

A soft smile tugged his lips as the metal pipe stained with red hit the ground.

“(Astro.)”

He breathed out, not like a greeting. No, a prayer.

“I-I…” 

The moon toon gasped out, reaching out a hand towards the tragedy mask. 

He returned the action, carefully interlocking their fingers together—a sign that he was real. The fleeting warmth between their hands sparked something new—something soft, and achingly real.

“I-It’s actually you…I…” He clinged onto his arms, looking up at him as the light in his eye gained intensity, “W-wait…”

Just like that, that glimmer disappeared, replaced with a dark void. Though empty, it perfectly captured his emotions.

“Where’s Razzle…?”

Shock. Regret. Guilt.

The list goes on.

“(…)”

Dazzle didn’t dare to utter a word about his brother, letting the silence speak for himself. Astro’s breath hitched, the trembling in his arms increasing.

“…Oh.”

“(…It’s not your fault)”

“I—I’m so…so..sorry…”

The tragedy mask flinched as the other wrapped his arms around his waist, burying his face into his chest. He could feel his shirt getting wet as inaudible muffled sobs escaped the moon toon.

“I-I didn’t know…All I wanted to do was to see the moon…why must it end like this…?”

“(Astro…)”

He brought a hand up to the back of his head, giving gentle rubs. That, however, only made the latter tremble more in his grasp, tears and sniffles palpable.

“(It’s not your fault…I went out too willingly—)”

“But if I never asked, we all wouldn’t be here…Razzle would be—“

“(Astro.)”

Dazzle wrapped his remaining arm around the other tightly, finally returning the hug.

“(Everything will be fine.)”

He said it as if trying to convince himself instead.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Chapter Text

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

“Ow…”

Dandy groaned, laying sprawled across the grass. His back was stung by the sharp blades of grass, legs turning into jelly after the impact. He tried to sit upright, only for excruciating pain to shoot up his spine.

He sighed, staring at the stars glistening like specks of glitter scattered across a canvas. Each invisible chime they made sounded like a snicker, a mockery to his own foolish decision.

With a huff, he forced his body upwards, ignoring the throbbing in his arms. He sat against the building where he just leapt from. Wiggling his fingers, he looked at his hands blankly.

Surprisingly, his body was still functioning after that unceremonious fall.

He could’ve sworn to break a bone at that, if he was an ordinary human that is…Oh what is he saying, he’s the main character! Of course a simple unnecessary painful landing wouldn’t stop his journey in pursuing Astro…

Right.

Astro.

He scanned his surroundings left and right—only trees. Maybe he could follow the walls. That’ll surely lead to the main entrance and to the town where Astro probably fled—

Wait, no.

Delilah said that she already sent a team there, so it’s probably covered by them. Not to mention that town is probably bustling with all kinds of people, who knows what could happen to the star of a show like him?

Going by that logic, however, that would imply that Astro wouldn’t be there. He knows that moon toon wouldn’t be an idiot to flee there…Unless he actually was.

Nah.

Even if his knowledge of him was equivalent to a stranger, his heart was convinced Astro was not there.

So where did they go?

The floral toon hummed as he put his hands behind his head, body still recovering from the impact of the fall. He looked up to meet the gaze of the luminescent orb in the sky, eyes desperately begging for an answer.

“Astrooooo…” he quietly whined, brows furrowing as moonlight dusted his face, as though it was trying to downplay his stress “Was it necessary to make your disappearance be so…complicated?!”

If Rodger heard of this, he would have the time of his life. To be honest, he kinda wished they told the non-mains about the moon’s disappearance. Brighteny and Rodger would be of great help right now…

He forced his eyes away from the celestial object, teeth gritting at the sheer resemblance of his dear friend. Perhaps he shouldn’t have acted impulsively and jumped out like a hero…Still, he made this choice willingly. He had to do something about it.

Besides, Devan said to not give up. Good role models have the strongest resilience!

…But was he even a good role model to begin with?

Dandy looked around his surroundings, trying to find a clue to where to even start. There were a lot of trees. A lot. Geez, why was the outside of Gardenview so dull?

He squinted his eyes, trying to find something meaningful amidst the green. He turned to the left, to the right—

Wait….A vent!

With newfound excitement, he shoved his body upwards and dashed to the vent latched on the walls of Gardenview—the pain long forgotten. He nudged it, noticing how loose the hatch was.

This…

This must be the vent they escaped through!

He was sure. Extremely sure. There were even sprinkles of stardust from Astro’s magic tainting the metal walls. So if they went out there…

The flower toon turned to the forest beyond, heart thumping at the ominous darkness. If he recalled properly, Gardenview was built on a cliff…and that pathway probably led to the edge of it. A trail of faint stardust even followed that direction, clearly indicating the trio went there.

He scratched his head, blinking blankly at the trees, once a common pattern, now grew faces. 

Why on earth are they residing in a forest in the first place? Who would flee a perfectly fine educational centre just to camp in a place like that?

Oh well. He’s already proven he doesn’t really know Astro, hasn’t he?

Nevertheless, It was still odd. 

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and went into the scatter of trees. Maybe he’ll find his answers once he reaches that cliff…hopefully. Must he seriously go through that mess just to go there? Aren’t there other ways to get there—

No, Dandicus.

You must.

You have to.

You need to.

It’s the fastest and safest route possible. Besides, he’s the main character. The world practically orbits him, doesn’t it?

What was there for him to fear?

.

Everything about this hell.

“And lo and behold, ladies and gentlemen…” Dandy muttered under his breath irritably, dragging his feet across the coarse dirt. He twisted his body in a way to avoid the vines that threatened to crawl up his skin.

“…We have reached the climax of today’s episode of the Dandicus Dancifer trying to find his ‘best friend’ who he knowingly kinda ignored for months…hooray…”

The forest breathed with a pulse so still it felt lifeless and empty…too empty. The air was damp and cold, a smell of moss and moist wood suffocating him. Branches creaked by midnight’s wildlife sounded like bones crunching, loud and unnatural.

Why did he bother to find Astro again?

The flower toon wrapped his arms around himself, shivering as wind enveloped him. His eyes glued to the ground as he avoided making eye contact with the daunting surroundings. 

When he said he adored nature, he meant the beautiful floral fields where life glowed with radiance, not this.

Each step felt heavy and slow. He counted seconds in his head, wishing that time would breeze through like happier moments. Moonlight grew dimmer as he went deeper, the darkness slowly swallowing him. Sweat beads formed at his forehead as he took a deep shuddering breath.

Calm down Dandy.

You’ve faced worse than ominous looking trees.

Just count to five…

One…

A gust of wind tickled his back once more, as though Mother Earth was casting a curse on him.

Two…

His heart was practically slamming against his ribcage, trying to break free from its confines.

Three…

He can hardly see anything, traces of the outside world silenced by the shallow leaves.

Four…

Goosebumps shot up on his arms as he held his breath, making his presence silent.

Five…

Creak.

He can’t take it anymore.

The sound of a twig cracking made his body jump, shock electrocuting him. Something was definitely behind him, following him. Who cares if he’s being irrational.

He’s making a run for it. 

In an instance, the flower toon felt his legs carrying him at a pace he didn’t know he could handle. Short sharp gasps escaped his mouth as he tiredly tried to catch the fleeting oxygen. His feet pounded against the ground, producing a frantic rhythm to fear’s show.

“Please please pleaseee…” He pleaded to destiny, wanting mercy for his future, “How much further is that stupid cliff?!”

He shut his eyes, looked straight, kept his head low. All to avoid the potential monster behind him.

Which only led him to doom.

Thud 

Dandy’s eyes flew open as he felt his body flying forth. He looked down.

Oh.

He tripped. On the root of a tree.

Crash

His body went tumbling down a hill, the coarse dirt attacking him as friction. His vision went into the blur as his mind spinned.

Eventually, he found himself lying down at the base of said hill, clumps of soil clinging onto his petals. With a sigh, he rolled his body over, trying to push his body up and continue this never ending search—

He paused, feeling something subtle brushing against his leg.

“EW EW EW EW WHAT THE HECK JUST TOUCHED ME—“

The flower toon exclaimed, scooting backwards till his back hit against a tree. His head shot to the direction of the object.

He blinked once.

Twice.

“Pfffft—“

Relief overwhelmed his lungs as he clutched his chest, wheezing uncontrollably.

“…Did I seriously react that aggressively to some…flower…?”

With a chuckle, he leaned in closer to the flower, reaching out a hand to touch it. He suddenly stopped, finding their petals familiar in one of the books he read…

A Datura flower. 

Or in other words, a moonflower. One of the nine species in the nightshade family.

They’re incredibly poisonous to touch, but a small brush like just now wouldn’t really affect him.

Such a shame he couldn’t hold a flower he’s been yearning to see.

The moonflower velvety white petals bathed underneath the gentle moonlight, the light glimmering like a sacred whisper. It reflected the cracked grey surface of the lunar guardian, as though the moon themself grew the plant with the delicacy of an angel. A sweet scent of a jasmine strengthened by night’s presence was breathed out from the flora.

It’s just like what the textbooks said: Beautiful and radiant.

Dandy sighed, knowing he has to leave the flower—or destroy it. After all, he should be focusing on finding Astro, and these types of moonflowers were extremely invasive.

He stood up and looked up, preparing to stomp on it…till he saw another one. Then another, and another. 

They were all lined up in an oddly specific manner, as though they were calling out to him and him only. And he?

He took the bait and followed the trail of moonflowers. 

He pushed through the branches and leaves, mindlessly following the odd trail of flowers. Eventually, the little path of moonflowers stopped, and the flower toon raised an eyebrow. He went through one last bush—

His eyes widened.

Oh lord.

He stared at the area in front of him, awestruck by the magnificence of the sight in front of him. If one flower was able to take his breath away…

Who knows what a field of them could do?

The area in front of him bloomed like a dream on the verge of a nightmare. Hundreds of those moonflowers unfurled their pale trumpet petals, a silent melody to night’s calling. Pollinators like moths and beetles huddled near the flora, whilst tiny specks of light known as fireflies were cradling the night’s moisture.

Now this was the type of nature he adored.

All thoughts, stress, worries left his mind as he dashed into the open field with a childish grin. All caution was thrown out of the window as he dived into the flowers, deeply inhaling their scent as desire took over.

Does it matter if they were poisonous? He wasn’t even human to begin with—toons naturally have a higher tolerance to poison than mortals…

Even though that doesn’t mean they’re completely immune to such things.

Oh well.

If he was able to eat toast with paint, in which he mistaken the paint for jam, and end up with a minimal stomach ache, a field of nightshades couldn’t do any worse.

He quickly got up and skipped along the field. Fireflies were scattered across the field like a guiding light. Petals gracefully caressed his legs as he went forth. Though the night was quiet, the depths of his heart were filled with satisfaction. The flowers opened wider, consuming the path behind him.

It was a dream come true, even though datura flowers were nightmares to humans.

Ironic, isn’t it?

Inevitably, he reached the end of the field of moonflowers. He took one last glance at the field, waking up from a lucid dream, before reluctantly sinking into the trees once more.

The walk to the cliff was now laced with comfort, the fuzziness in his heart lightening up the mood. The branches he saw as arms were now a home to wildlife. The moss that breathed was now just an aesthetic to the logs. A smile crept up his face once more as he basked in the warm sensation of content desires.

Finally, not far off from the field of moonflowers, he reached his destination.

The cliff.

He finally reached it. 

Yet instead of answers, all he got was more questions.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Footsteps echoed down the lifeless hallway, giving the empty walls a heartbeat. It wore the silence of old screams, ears ringing with past tension. The gouges on the walls resembled open wounds, blood gushing out intensely. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, as if distraught overwhelmed them.

Corpses were thrown around like debris, blood staining their flesh like an abstract art piece. Their eyes, once burning with cruel life, were now blanks.

A shiver went down Astro’s spine as he glanced at Dazzle’s direction, who was walking in front of him with a straight face.

It was hard to believe the usually reserved twin did all of…this.

Without an ounce of regret.

Creak

The tragedy mask silently opened a door, entering it with a stiff back. He followed foot, tilting his head to see beyond the other’s back—

Instantly, he staggered backwards violently, unable to comprehend the sight.

Chests ripped apart, their still hearts were visibly on display. Deformed heads dented from brutal impact—Can they even be considered human? The walls might as well be painted red with how much blood splattered across the room.

He…really didn't hold back, did he? 

“...I'm going to…wait outside…” The moon toon practically gagged out, stumbling out of the area. He didn't wait for the other's reply, he simply couldn't. If he stayed there any longer, he might as well puke out his intestines.

With a deep breath, he let his body sink against a wall. The cold air attacked his body, His heart pumped a steady beat, calming down from the adrenaline of their earlier reunion. Yet, despite the reassurance of a promised future, his body trembled. He buried his face into his knees, quietly listening to the rapid drums in his chest that filled the haunted void.

And of course.

In a moment where peace is scarce, when it finally came as much as it could, his mind just had to ruin it.

All compressed emotions he didn’t know existed went crashing down. 

The fear he felt in the vents, the joy in seeing Dazzle once more, the guilt of Razzle…he never properly expressed them, but now, they simply came in the form of silent rivers streaming down his face. Nothing big.

They just flowed, slowly and quietly.

He didn’t even register anything from that ‘breakdown’, his feelings had gone numb a long time ago…He just wished he was thinking of something useful instead of…this…

Like a way to escape.

Or being on lookout.

Anything than a miserable mess.

“(Astro?)”

Astro blinked, trying to squeeze any remaining tears out of his eyes. He lifted his head up whilst trying to ignore the urge of returning to the sorrow before, “…Hm?—“

He paused, taking note of the object in Dazzle’s hand.

His…blanket.

“(I…just wanted to give this back to you,)” The tragedy mask explained, holding the piece of fabric towards the other gently, “(I assumed you were in that room from those loud metal noises but only found…that…I figured you’d want it back.)”

The moon toon stared at the blanket, taking note of its tattered appearance. A part of it has been ripped off, strings dangling unevenly. The edges of it were stained with the red of a dead frenzy. Nevertheless, he couldn’t deny that the small action made his insides fuzzy.

“(…Sorry for not being able to keep its pristine shape,)” the latter spoke up once more, looking away from him as the shadows hid his face. 

And he let out a soft chuckle.

Whether it was due to the amusement of the tragedy mask feeling sorry for his blanket instead of the lives he took, or the sobs that came out as giggles instead, all were a distraction from reality.

A bitter, warm one at that.

“It’s fine.”

He reassured, the dampness of his cheeks being replaced with a twitch of a smile, “It’s just a blanket, it can’t be that bad…Besides, your safety is more important.”

“(…I guess so…)” Dazzle muttered, quickly wrapping the piece of fabric around the other to hide his growing embarrassment.

As soon as he made sure the blanket was comfortably sitting on him, he looked back to the bloodshed room, “(…I’m going back in there for a moment.)

“What…why?” Astro questioned, adjusting the fabric on his shoulders. One of his arms was exposed, but it didn’t matter.

“(…To look for clues on the possible exit. Some of those bodies might have cards or keys we could use.)”

“Ah…I see…”

“(Do you want to come along?)”

The moon toon's body froze, feeling a familiar knot tying up in his guts. He couldn't possibly bear to see those hollow bodies that were once called human. Never again.

…But at the same time, this was an opportunity to make up for what went wrong, to mend his mistakes he foolishly made. Maybe then Dazzle would truly forgive him, even if he claimed to do so from the start. Besides, it was better than sitting outside with guilt torturing his soul. In fact, anything was better than that.

Even if…He had to see…

“(...Astro?)”

Immediately, the moon toon shook his head vigorously, desperately shoving the mental images of tangled flesh in a corner of his mind….

…With that action conveying another meaning to the tragedy mask.

“(I'm going to take that as a no—)”

“W-wait…I'm following!”

Astro sputtered out, shooting up from his seat and looking at the other dead in the eye.

“(...Really?)” Dazzle raised an eyebrow, “(You seemed completely against the idea just now—)

“That was just a…slip up…” Astro muttered through his teeth, a familiar shade dusting his cheeks at his own shameless display.

“(You know you don't really need to…I can do all the work…?)”

“I-Its fine, trust me…Besides wouldn't it be faster if we two worked together…?”

“(But didn't you reacted strongly just now—)”

“Dazzle.”

The moon toon grasped onto the latter’s remaining hand, grip tight with false persuasion, “It's the least I could do after…everything.”

The tragedy mask sighed, rubbing gentle circles on his hand. That action, however, only worsened the weight in his chest, “(Didn't we already establish that it isn’t your fault…it’s ours, equally.)”

“I’m still at fault nevertheless.”

“(Can you please stop that.)”

“…Just let me accompany you,” Astro insisted, squeezing his hand with even more desperation.

“(…If you say so)” 

Dazzle relented into his demands, though doubt lingered in his tone. It didn’t matter, at least he’s able to prove himself wrong…

Silence took place right after that conversation, with the moon toon fidgeting with the strings of his loose blanket, while the tragedy mask stared blankly at…him? His gaze didn’t falter one bit, just unmoving eyes on him. 

“Uh…Dazzle?”

“(…Hm?)”

“…You’re staring.”

“(Oh.)”

As soon as he brought that up, Dazzle turned his head away whilst biting his bottom lips, “(S-sorry…I got distracted…You just reminded me of…someone.)”

“…Who?—“

“(Just follow my lead.)”

The tragedy mask stated bluntly, turning his back as he stepped into the room once more. The moon toon followed foot with slower and hesitant movements, a pang of guilt crushing his heart.

He should probably keep his mouth shut.

It’s for the better.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

The moon hung low and luminous, its moonlight scattering across the ocean water like broken waves. It pulsed like a vague memory, a surreal sight to behold. Stars glistened as they danced to the night's hymn—

To be honest, he couldn’t care less about the scenery the cliff had to offer.

“Hey Mr Fancy White Orb!”

Dandy called out, grabbing a small stone from the edge and threw it directly at the celestial compass. It landed straight into the sea with a faint splash.

“You probably see everything from up there, so any clue on where Astro and the twins went??”

Of course there was no response—the overseer of the night couldn’t care less…

He walked along the edge of the cliff for the upteenth time, letting out a heavy yawn. He practically memorised the layout of the area, where the bumps were, the position of the rocks, the visible glitter known as stardust scattered at that specific centre of the cliff…

It's as though they just…vanished without a trace.

He flopped down onto a soft welcoming patch of grass, the one coated with that stardust. Eyelids felt heavy as they threatened to shut down on him. He tried to make connections with whatever evidence he was given, but his mind simply wouldn’t cooperate. It’s as though the information blurred whilst his mind spinned.

His stomach churned relentlessly as his acids gurgled. He placed a hand on that aching spot, lightly massaging it to no avail.

Maybe he shouldn’t have carelessly walked through that field of moonflowers.

A groan escaped his lips as he tossed and turned on that patch of grass. He rolled, he kicked, anything to distract himself from pain his body was causing. Inevitably, exhaustion kicked in as he finally laid still, crossing his arms as he glared at the lunar guardian above him.

“You.”

He grumbled, brows furrowing.

“This is your fault. You made those flowers bloom.”

He accused, knowing deep down that he is fully at fault for whatever his body was facing. 

His hands dug into the soil beneath him, grabbing a handful and angrily throwing it to the being beyond him…only for the dirt to fall back to his face with the same force.

Seriously, he needs to learn how to take fault.

Instead of blaming the closest thing to his friend….even though that friend was the reason—

Here he goes again. 

With a tired huff, he pushed himself upwards, wincing as his insides clenched tightly. He stared down at the ocean below, seeing how the water clashed against the shore in perfect harmony. They were all seamlessly under the gravitational pull of the moon, working together flawlessly to produce nature’s orchestra.

How do they know…what to do?

In the show, he had scripts. They tell him what he needs to do, and he, of course—being the ‘ultimate’ main character he is, executes it to the audience’s expectations. No, not his, the audience. He just needs to analyse what his fans enjoy, what they want to see.

But now? 

He doesn’t have scripts to read off, to perform, to know the next act.

No one’s watching the stage he had secretly set.

He can’t write his own story, he doesn’t know how to, he was never taught that.

‘Dandy’s World’, the show was called, but that world wasn’t even his.

So…what now?

He isn’t smart, he isn’t talented, he isn’t creative, that’s just what the show wants him to be.

Dandy glanced up, looking at the celestial body that he claimed to blame. He squints, noticing the small shallow craters and subtle cracks in the faraway orb. Those tiny fractures, mistakes….they only made the moon more…beautiful? 

Perfections in imperfections, that already sounds contradictory.

Strange.

The flower toon continued to admire the view from his spot. Normally, he’d get bored of sightseeing within a few minutes, yet here he was, looking at the moon of all things as though it was a sacred artifact.

He snickered.

Being ‘out of character’ was funny.

Regardless of the fact that the dreamy vision he’s seeing was probably because of those nightshades.

He laid back down to the ground, feeling the sleepiness overwhelming him. He raised his arms to the moon, stretching lightly as his body fought to stay awake. He continued to rest, savouring the night’s presence…

Until his mind registered a new emotion.

Nostalgia maybe? But nostalgia doesn’t feel like this, nostalgia doesn’t attack his heart with piercing stabs…So why did this feeling feel warm? Memorable? Just like nostalgia?

Was this…a reminder?

Oh. 

Dandy’s eyes furrowed. He remembered how Astro would always gush about the moon, how he treats the moon like a higher being. He’d always read about it and all…and he doesn’t blame him. He understood that feeling now.

That feeling of loving something closest to yourself.

It makes you feel understood, he couldn’t deny that.

Perhaps Astro saw himself in the moon itself, and went out of Gardenview just to feel…himself. To be himself.

After all…the stardust, the cliff, it proves all of that.

And then he, Astro, got too immersed in that feeling, wanted to feel more, and left for good. 

If that is what his friend probably wants, maybe he should let him have his own happiness.

With that in mind, Dandy stood up and stumbled back. His vision was in a haze, he could hardly see. Each step felt wobbly and uneven, oh well, he just needs to bear with this as he gets back into the forest—

Thud

The flower toon groaned as he felt dirt pressing against his face. To be honest, it wasn’t that surprising. He’s bound to fall sooner or later in his current state. He then glanced at the object that caused that—

He blinked. Once. Twice.

Was it normal for a rock to be…stained with red?

Sure, naturally occurring red rocks do exist, but the red on this rock was in…splatters.

Curiosity overtook his senses as he carefully grabbed ahold of it. He brought it closer to his face, inspecting it more closely as he took a whiff.

It smelt…metallic, definitely not the usual scent rocks carried.

Was it…blood?

Confusion infected his spinning mind, forcing rationality into his thoughts. Why was there a blood stained rock on this cliff?

He quickly looked around, trying to find a reason for this unusual thing. There he found a small splotch of familiar black.

He pressed a finger towards it and froze.

The texture…the stickiness…

Ichor.

There’s no doubt.

His own kinds’ blood.

What could have possibly happened in this seemingly serene place??

He noticed that the ichor led to the forests at the back, an unfamiliar path he didn’t take earlier. He quickly rushed to the trees, the bushes, and looked behind.

He froze.

The ichor trail ended there, but there was something to replace its absurdity. Trails of a car, truck, whatever. There were tire trails, old ones that carried the urgency of their leave.

Immediately, panic rises inside of him.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Maybe bloodied clumps of flesh weren’t that bad.

Astro shuddered as his fingers brushed against the damp sticky fabric, the pockets clinging onto their sacred contents. 

Dazzle was in another area of the rather vast room. They needed to split up to get things done faster, even though he’d rather be in the tragedy mask’s presence.

So here he was, scavenging corpses after corpses.

A morally wrong action on his behalf, yet a fitting ending to these people of crime.

The air reeked of cold iron and rot. What he felt was dried flesh rather than ruined cloth, maybe paper too—

Wait…paper?

A clue perhaps?

He quickly grasped onto the piece and yanked his hand out, his heart drumming beats of anticipation. He squinted his eye, examining whatever fate had blessed him.

It was a photograph.

A man and a woman, holding hands like how a couple would. The man was smiling, his features sharp and prominent, while the woman’s face was scribbled out. Tear stains were visible at the crumpled edges.

The moon toon looked at the face of the corpse in front of him. Beaten, bruised, blood-stained, nothing close to the joyous grin in that image. The impact done was purposefully aggressive, a deep grudge that yearned to be relieved.

To be able to kill off this pitiful man in this brutal manner…he doesn’t know what to say.

On one hand, it is admirable…in a way. The way Dazzle doesn’t show any mercy, as though he never let his emotions grab ahold of him…He wished he could do that, to not let guilt affect his emotional state at all. Only then he could learn what it’s like to be forgiven…

But on the other hand, it’s just…wrong? To kill someone in general. The least he could’ve done was to give them a painless death…even if they were a threat. Even if they…killed your brother—

No. 

He should have only let out that grudge onto the one that actually killed him…Still…Oh who was he to say anything about this?

The moon toon carefully tucked the photo back into the pocket. That man probably died while thinking of that woman…Utterly tragic.

Standing up from his crouched position, he looked back at the past bodies he examined. Only a few he searched, yet they were full of unfulfilled tales.

From a war veteran to a grieving mother…There were many different types of people in this line of work. He knows his only focus should be traces of an exit…but he can’t help but feel morbidly interested in their stories.

Such a shame their lives ended in the same bloody fate.

With a sigh, he turned away from the body and went on to the next. He can’t get distracted by all of—

“Hey…kiddo?”

A raspy voice boomed through the darkness.

Astro practically felt his heart jump. He didn’t move an inch, he didn’t dare to. Whoever spoke that…they must know of his presence. As much as he wants to look for the speaker, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

So he stood still, letting silence take his place.

“…You do know how obvious you’re being now, right?”

The moon toon did not respond.

The voice spoke up again, followed by a sore cough, “If you’re anxious about me attacking ya, I don’t think I’m fit for that—I can’t fucking see anything!”

“…”

“…Kid?”

“…”

“Nothing? Ych, I just wanted to talk, to y’know, not spend the last minutes of my shitty life in silence.”

“…I’m here.”

As he said that, he finally turned his head to the source of the voice—which was just the body across him.

His head was practically bashed into an unknown shape, blood smearing his sealed eyes. His limbs were bent, dislocated in the most twisted way possible. A small smirk crept up his ruined face, “About time you acknowledge my miserable presence, kid.”

“D-Do you know who I am…?” Astro questioned, not approaching the man just yet.

“Ehhh beats me,” The person shrugged, “Probably some youngster tasked to find out whatever the fuck happened here.”

“You…got that right!” The moon toon lied through his teeth, watching the other chuckle.

“Of course I am,” the injured snorted.

Astro let out a quiet breath of relief, seeing how he fell for his lie, “So…”

“…What exactly happened here?” 

He piqued, continuing the act fate had assigned him.

“Oh this?” 

The man scoffed, “Y’know how we managed to capture those two things from Gardenview?”

“Yeah…” The moon toon mumbled, gritting his teeth in distaste at his words.

“Well…One of them—the main character, escaped through the vents, so we were tasked to—“

“I-I already know that!” He stammered out, not wanting to be reminded of his current predicament, “Just go straight to the point…”

“Long story short,” He continued, not suspecting a thing, “The other guy, that tragedy mask, beat the shit out of us.”

“I…can tell…” The moon toon mumbled, fidgeting with a loose string from his blanket.

He was about to turn and leave the man for good, wanting to avoid conversing with him as soon as possible. However, he seemed to have read his mind and spoke up before he could do so.

“Hang in the kiddo, before you leave…”

Astro held his breath, his eye twitching. Just stay calm and listen to what he has to say. Maybe in return…he could maybe ask where the exit was.

“Yeah?”

He replied, his body facing away from the person.

“Y’know that tragedy mask that beat the hell out of me?”

“…What about him?”

“What was his name again?”

“……Dazzle?”

“Ah yes, Dazzle. If I’m not wrong, he had a brother attached to him too right kiddo?”

“…R-Razzle?”

“Ah, I remember now, my brother was obsessed with them.”

“Pardon?”

The moon toon looked back at the man, raising a brow, “What do you mean by that…?”

“My brother used to watch that show…Ah, ‘Dandy’s World’.”

“…And what happened to him?”

“Dead. Cancer got to him.”

“O-Oh…Sorry for—“

“It’s no big deal, I just found it funny that my brother’s favourite character is the very same guy that’s the reason for my death.”

“…You seem indifferent to die like this.”

“I lost my will to live after he passed, which was why I even took this job. Just to waste my life away.”

“That’s…”

“Honestly, I couldn't care less. In fact, I doubt anyone would care about my depressing life…”

“…I’m starting to care—“

“Thanks, but you don’t.”

Astro blinked at the bleeding man. Oh well, it was none of his business anyways…Still, knowing the lives beyond their sick faces, it just…hurts.

He knows it’s not his fault, that their lives were horrible, the pain they had to go through. He just feels…sorry for them. Even if they’re the ones who ruined everything.

He has his own share of ‘mistakes’ that he’s learning to forgive himself for, yet the guilt still attacks him. So why are their sob stories more forgiving than he could ever be?

What a strange feeling.

If only he could be unbothered like Dazzle…To not let empathy control your judgement that easily. Maybe then…he could feel less sorry for himself.

Maybe.

“…Hey, sir.”

The moon toon whispered, wanting his own answers already.

The man weakly turned his head, “Yeah, Kiddo?”

“…Do you know where the exit is? I-I’m still new to this place…”

“Oh, that? Just walk down straight from here to the fifth door and—“

Wham

Astro’s heart stopped, suddenly seeing a force quickly lunging towards the man. He blinked once, twice, still behind time. His vision spiralled, as though it was trying to blur the blood scattering everywhere.

Low coarse screams escaped the man’s mouth, quickly dying down. Just like that, a life ends before it can peacefully do so.

Clank

The familiar sound of a metal pipe was heard. The moon toon immediately knew who it was.

And all fragile admiration he had went shattering.

How could Dazzle…Just do…That?

“…What have you done?”

He gasped out, body shaking in disbelief. A familiar knot formed in his stomach, making his head spin.

The tragedy mask, pipe shoved deeply into the face of that person, turned to him, “(…Huh?)”

“That. H-How…”

“(Oh Astro…)”

Dazzle tried to reason, reaching a hand out to his face as he left the pipe buried.

Astro quickly pushed the hand away, taking a step back.

“(I-I…)”

“Why…”

He choked out, taking a deep shuddering breath,”…Why did you do that?”

“(…I thought he was a threat, so I did what I had to—)”

“No. I get that…But h-he was already dying…You didn’t have to…make it worse for him.”

“(…Seriously?)”

“What—“

The moon toon paused, feeling a hand gripping his shoulder with a force too much for comfort. Suddenly, he felt his body getting yanked closer to the other, cheek pressing against his chest.

The tragedy mask leaned closer to his ear, disgust painfully evident in his tone, “(They deserved it. All of them.)”

A chill went down his spine as the hand caressed his head instead.

“(Why should we treat them decently? Especially when we’re clearly seen as lower beings than them?)”

Dazzle went on, his grip tightening as he spat out each word.

Astro attempted to move in his spot, trying to meet the other’s gaze, “…I don’t know. It just feels wrong. All of this feels wrong…”

“(As it should—)”

“No.”

With a defeated huff, he buried his face into his chest, trying to find comfort in the forced embrace, “I…I know they deserved it, I know…So why am I feeling sorry for them?!”

The tragedy mask flinched at the contact, caught off guard by it, “(…’Sorry’?)”

“Yes. Sorry.” The moon toon clenched onto the latter’s shirt, knuckles turning white, “…Why am I feeling sorry for them when I can’t even forgive myself…”

“(…)”

“…How do you do that Dazzle?”

“(…Do what?)”

“Kill them so…nonchalantly?”

“(…I…I rather not talk about that…)”

Astro sighed.

“Nevermind.”

Astro’s grip lingered on Dazzle’s shirt, but his eye stared past him—into the darkness that awaited more horrors.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Chapter Text

Dazzle’s eyes remained glued to the back of Astro’s head. 

Footsteps echoed down the still hallways, he could feel the hollow souls staring daggers into his. They were practically screaming in distraught, agony, yearning to tame his burning heart. Instead, they acted as fuel to the fire, with stronger disgust and hatred.

Nothing was enough to replicate the empty weight on his shoulder. Except…

The duo continued walking down, the tragedy mask’s gaze lingering on the swaying nightcap of the other. He could feel dried tears clinging onto the fabric of his shirt, sticky and lingering. 

The despair, guilt in those stains weighed his resolve down. Just a little. Maybe. He doesn’t know how to describe the tingling sensation in his heart the feeling caused.

Was it exhilaration? Remorse? Has the euphoria of vengeance died down?

Killing wasn’t even that ‘fun’, it’s…blinding. Still, that doesn’t mean these people don’t deserve their deaths. So what was this feeling? 

All he knew was that it’s slowly extinguishing the fury swallowing him. It’s been gnawing at his thoughts ever since he reunited with the moon toon. Regardless, this all shouldn’t be happening.

He’s already too far gone…

“…Dazzle?”

Dazzle snapped out of his trance, blinking once, twice. Astro was looking at him, with that glint in his eye that painted concern. The way his body subtly shuddered, fingers fidgeting restlessly—

He felt his guts twist. Memories of their earlier conversation struck his mind.

 “…What have you done?”

The distraught…the shallowness of his own reply..the…He could vividly see their bond shattering into fractures.

He can’t afford to lose anything else.

“You’re uh, staring…It feels weird.”

“(…)”

“Are you even listening?—“

“(Sorry.)”

He blurted out. He swore his voice trembled, so why did the latter flinch?

“(I…was just distracted)”

As soon as he said that, he bit the inside of his mouth. Didn’t he use that excuse before?

“Oh, that’s fine…I guess.”

The moon toon quietly mumbled, stopping in his tracks. He felt his heart drop, was that not the right answer?

The tragedy mask quickly spoke up, “(Why did you stop?)” 

Did I say something wrong? He wanted to add, but held back. There’s no reason to express his concern, it’ll only rip zipped stitches—weakness flowing out of the wounds. Ones that a tragedy like him is unable to repair.

“Well uh…” Astro replied, posture stiffening, “That’s all that man could tell me on where the exit was before you did…that.”

“(I see.)” He nodded in acknowledgment, looking at the two paths the hallway had split into.

One was a deep trail, a victim of darkness’s hunger. Ominous doors spoke of misery and death, plastered against the peeling walls. The other was the same, filled with the same agony and sorrow, though the fainter black that illuminated from the hollow path gave a glimmer of hope.

He, no, someone he knew was a fan of adventure tales. He’d always twist everyday tasks into over-the-top stories, once annoying, now painful. And that…toon…would say to go to the darker path. Just because light was always a scam in those stories.

But they weren’t in a story, were they?

This was reality, not fiction…as much as he wished it was. 

Logic urged him toward the brighter path—for the light never deceives. But at the same time, the light was smudged into the dark, blended in so well. What if the light never existed at all, just his mind trying so hard to be hopeful.

After all, his world has been tainted with black. A meaningless void reminiscent of the unknowns of space.

Dazzle dug fingers into his thigh, eyeing the toon in front of him who was just as lost as him.

The way he carries the same guilt, seen the same horrors, held the same fear…

Maybe his world wasn’t so dark.

There was still a dying star in front of him, faintly illuminating light in it.

One that he was extinguishing ever so slowly.

If only he could repair what they had…Perhaps he should start by fixing this awful suffocating silence between them.

So he said the first words in his mind.

“(…Any idea on where we can go?)”

It was obvious, it was simple, but it was enough to break the wordless gap between them.

“To be honest…I don’t really know,” The moon toon responded, looking at the two possible pathways, “There’s barely any difference between the two, it’s a 50/50 possibility of actually finding the right way.”

“(…’Barely any difference’?)” Dazzle raised an eyebrow, looking at the right where he swore the shadows vaguely glowed, “(I thought the right seemed dimmer compared to the left…as though sunlight was present—)”

“I thought it was nighttime.”

“(That fast?)”

“…I guess.”

“(Moonlight, sunlight, regardless it’s still a sign of an exit.)”

“But how sure are you?”

“(Well…)”

The tragedy mask tugged part of his ribbon neck, relishing in the choking sensation it gave out, a bitter distraction from his mistake. Of course he needed to make sure his assumption was correct, their lives were on the line.

Was this why the other was distancing himself away? 

“(You don’t see it?)” 

He blurted out, wanting to redirect the latter’s direction away from his slip-up of emotions, “(The light, I swear it looks brighter…)”

The moon toon only shook his head, “…I guess I don’t.”

“(Oh.)” 

He sighed, “(…I guess my mind must be playing with me…with the…false hope…hah.)”

If he was wrong, he could at least cover it up with a joke or something. That was what that…other person would always do.

Now he just has to wait for the latter to crack a smile, or a soft laugh, just like how he’s able to light up the mood.

…

Nothing.

A chilling sensation clawed his spine, feeling a gaze so calculating lingering on his back.

Did he say something wrong? Was he not supposed to lighten the mood? Did he mess up at doing so?

Oh what was he expecting, of course he’s going to fail. Tragedy is practically synonymous to failure—

“Pft…You shouldn’t say something like that though.”

“(Huh—What…Right…right…I won’t.)”At the sound of that faint, chuckle, his tangled heart strings were loosened with relief. At least he didn’t lose what’s left of his sanity.

“Perhaps we could…go to the right…The one you said where there was light,” Astro suggested.

“(…Should we? After all, you did say you didn’t see the ‘light’?)” 

“I mean, I don’t see the light…But it’s better than anything, right?”

“(…)”

“…It’s probably due to my worsening vision, I guess that’s why I’m unable to see it.”

“(Huh?)”

“I-Ignore what I said!”

Dazzle blinked once, twice at the other’s unexpected confession. Oh well, there were other things to worry about.

“(Yeah…Let’s go.)”

With that, he took a deep breath and headed forth—

“W-Wait…”

The moon toon spoke up, causing him to stop in his tracks, “Yeah…what is it?”

“Do you hear that?”

He fidgeted with a loose strand of his blanket, looking behind him with that widened eye. 

The tragedy mask merely raised an eyebrow, “(What noise…?)”

“The footsteps, and faint murmuring from the back.”

“(…What?)”

“T-They seemed to be coming closer…”

“(…!—)”

Immediately, he found himself getting shoved into a nearby closet, the other nestling next to him as he quickly shut the door. The area was cramped and small, he felt compressed, reduced. He could practically hear the latter’s heartbeat racing, the same rapid thuds that spoke of dread.

He knows he’s telling the truth.

But exactly were the horrific secrets the truth hid?

“Man…This job fucking sucks…Why must I be tasked outside…”

A voice boomed from outside, their footsteps practically invisible. It was short, quick, just a trip past the closet they were in, but yet so aggravating. Dazzle grit his teeth, a familiar rage consuming his heart. 

That croaked raspy voice…the careless ring it carried…

It’s the same guy that brutally ruined his other half.

He clenched his remaining fist, knuckles turning white. His breathing grew. Heavier. Rougher. He couldn’t care less in what that…had to say.

He just wants him gone.

Needs.

Must.

His fingers dug further into his palm. The tension in his veins never seems to fade. Just get out of there, and release everything. Do it. Do it—

A hand gently rested on top of his own trembling one. The action was small, insignificant, compared to the burning ache.

Yet, it felt…comforting. Reassuring. Something he was unable to give himself.

“…Don’t you dare,” Astro muttered under his breath, tightening his hold on his hand.

“(…Why?)” Dazzle breathed out, voice sore with unresolved despair.

“Please…” The moon toon simply pleaded, gaze focused on the wooden doors in front of him. He was afraid, deeply, of the possibilities of his actions. It’s so vivid in the glint in his eye, “Just don’t…”

“(I…)” He didn’t know what to say.

“Just no more bloodshed, we’ve done so much harm already.”

“(But it’s all their fault.)”

He spat out, his grip growing more bone-crushing, “(It’s humanity’s fault, for making me like…this. If only they weren’t so cruel…so…so…)”

“…Not all of humanity…” The moon toon softly added, wincing.

“(But certainly the man out there.)”

As soon as the tragedy’s mask comprehended his action, his heart froze. He quickly let go of his grip, turning his body away with a shuddering breath. 

“(S-Sorry…I didn’t mean to hurt—)”

“…It’s fine…I guess.”

Did he seriously just…shattered that fragile bond all over again?

He…really can’t do anything right. If only was he more emotionally stable, more likeable, more like Razzle…Maybe all of this…wouldn’t have…happened.

“…Dazzle?”

 His breath hitched as Astro placed a hand on his shoulder, that same cursed  reassuring feeling returning. He slowly turned his head to meet the other’s gaze, only to be met with an understanding glimmer in his eye instead of the expected hatred.

“I said it’s fine…” He muttered with a shaky smile, “So don’t fret over it.”

“It’s not your fault, It’s mine for not being understanding—“

“(Stop that.)”

Dazzle uttered, posture tensing just the slightest, “(Stop blaming yourself, especially when it’s clearly my fault.)”

“(I should’ve been more…resonating…)”

“…”

“(…I need a breather.)”

With that, the tragedy mask rested his head against the latter’s chest, taking a deep breath. He could feel the moon toon startled by his action, before he hesitantly embraced it by placing a hand behind his head.

“You know…” Astro spoke up, body subtly trembling, “You don’t have to keep hugging me whenever something like…this…happens.”

“(I…)” Dazzle trailed off, only sinking deeper in the one-sided embrace, “(…I don’t know how else to express myself…)”

“…Fair enough.”

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

“Oh geez, oh geez, OH GEEZ.”

Dandy sputtered, circling around the empty splotch of grass. His widened eyes kept looking back at the tire tracks that lead further into the forest.

He scratched the back of his head, taking a deep breath, “Ok, Dandicus, You’ve faced worse…”

He closed his eyes and swallowed the growing lump in his throat. Immediately, his mind went down memory lane, back to the good old episodes, desperately trying to find possible solutions in old mistakes.

Vee falling into the pool…Pebble getting stuck in a blender during hide and seek…Connie’s little tea time chaos…

Now did he think about it, they weren’t that bad compared to whatever this is.

“…Maybe this is the worst of the worst.”

The flower toon uttered, taking a deep shaky breath.

None of these compare to the possible abduction of your best friend.

Just what exactly was he, a children mascot, supposed to do? Run and tell a trusted adult? 

In what world would a trusted adult be in a forest like this at 2a.m??

He bent down to the same patch of stained green for the upteenth time, grazing his finger over the goo. Yep, same texture, same consistency, same everything. Why was he double checking anyways? Reality has proven itself countless times.

With a groan, he leaned against a tree, sliding down till he was sitting with a frown. A crushing pulsing sensation banged against the confines known as his skull. The cool wind of Mother’s Nature lullaby cradled his body, yet only a tingling heated sensation ran through his veins.

His throat felt dry and suffocating, his heart was pulsing at a speed he didn’t know it was capable of. He kept bouncing his knee restlessly, sight glued to the tiny puddle of ichor.

Brows furrowing, he blinked, once, twice.

“Pfffft—“

He laughed.

He didn’t know why, or how, he was laughing in such a situation. 

Whether it was due to the absurdity of it, or the throbbing in his head whispering jokes straight into his skull, it’s frustrating.

“Ok…Ok,” Dandy huffed, biting his tongue to avoid his mind’s weird tricks, “I actually need to think something.”

The only issue was that this case was a dead end.

He thought about going back to Gardenview, and informing Delilah and Arthur about his findings. However, he’ll most likely get punished for sneaking out instead.

Following the tire tracks isn’t any better, high chance he might face a worse fate than nightshade poisoning.

So in a way, it’s hopeless—

“Ughhhh…Why must that motherfucker boss force someone like me to clean this shit up.”

The flower toon froze. The rapid beating in his heart quieted down, leaving him and the noise of the outside world.

A voice? In a forest like this? Must be no good.

He hid behind a tree, letting the presence reveal itself.

“Like seriously, I would’ve been sooo much better chasing those damn creatures instead of this.”

The croaked voice continued, irritated and tired. He saw a figure emerging from the shadows.

Ew.

The wrinkles and eyebags on his yellowish skin reflected centuries. His posture looks like it had been hit with a wrecking ball, hunched and ruined. Years of violence might’ve resulted in the abstract art of a nose, his greasy grey hair layered in dried sweat.

Yet, despite the hideous appearance, something about him emitted an unsettling aura.

Dandy scrunched his nose as the man approached closer to the tire tracks, trying to cover it with dirt. A foul rotten odor emitted from him, disgust flaring his nostrils.

When was the last time he ever showered—Nope, wrong concern. 

He should be more worried about what he was doing rather than questioning his sanitary habits.

With that in mind, he peeked out of the trunk, trying to get a closer look at—

Creak

Oh.

Of all timings, why must he step on a tree branch now?

As soon as that sound was produced, the unknown swiftly turned his head in his direction.

“…What.”

The flower toon gulped, staying as still as a deer caught in headlights. Unfortunately, the man was smarter than your typical cartoon antagonist.

“Show yourself whoever is behind that tree,” The person commanded, his raspy tone increasing by an octave, “Or I’ll force your ass out.”

The rapid thuds in his heart grew more unbearable by the second. Oh why did he do that? Of course he should’ve been more careful. The show wasn’t even airing for goodness sake.

“Nothing? Alright then, you asked for me.”

Footsteps began approaching his location, slow yet threatening. Dandy took a deep breath, bracing himself. If he wants him to show himself, then he might as well comply.

So he leapt from his spot, his usual smile plastered on his face.

“Hello!” He greeted, expression unmoving as he stared deep into the latter’s eyes.

“…What the fuck.”

He winked, nudging the tree he hid behind of, “I was the guy behind the tree, if you didn’t know—“

“I swore I didn’t smoke weed before this,” the man muttered, “What kind of hallucination is this…idiotic.”

The flower’s toon body stiffened. Him? Idiotic? Well yeah, maybe, but seriously? And a hallucination…

Maybe he could play with that.

“Have you ever thought your mind was the idiotic one instead?” He retorted with a tone simply too joyous.

“…Sounds something my hallucination would say,” the person sighed, “Of all things why must it be the main character from that dogshit centre.”

Dandy rolled his eyes, “Why are you asking me, maybe the rainbow must mean something.”

“…That I’m gay?”

“What is gay?”

The man was staring at him with those empty eyes, confusion clearly swirling within them, “Yeah, I’m going to ignore this shit…like I always do.”

After he said that, with utmost bluntness, he continued kicking dirt over the tire trails. Dandy just stood there, blankly looking at the latter. Of all things, he did not expect to act like a hallucination. He was predicting a rather…heated exchange, not this awkward thing.

Oh well.

It’s not like he’s complaining…But at the same time, he kinda wants the trail to not be covered by him…Astro’s still in danger…So he needs to get rid of him without him actually noticing his presence.

If that’s the case…

“…Mary had a little lamb…”

The flower toon hummed, clasping his hands with a grin, “Little lamb, little lamb…”

The guy’s head quickly shot up in his direction, “…Huh..?”

“Mary had a little lamb,” He grinned.

An eye twitch was observable from the other. It’s working! He’s perfectly getting annoyed, which would make him go away in frustration.

“And her fleece was white as snow!” He continued, “Mary went—“

Immediately, a rock went hurling to him.

“Wha-I—OW?!”

A brutal force smashed against his head, practically shattering his skull. A sharp tingling pain rushed through his veins. He winced as he felt a warm sensation trailing down his forehead.

He held a hand over the wound, breath trembling as the look of sheer realisation overwhelmed the other’s face.

“Wait…” The man murmured, “The rock…it didn’t go through—That dumbass was real??”

“Uh…” Dandy chuckled, stepping backwards. His legs felt wobbly, from the poison and the weight of his predicament, “We can talk about this, right—“

Crash

The flower toon shifted to the side, shoulders jerked up as the man nearly tackled him to the ground. Fortunately, he crashed into the tree, offering a window of opportunity for him to flee.

“You.”

The guy hissed, glaring daggers at him as he began to run, shoving his body upwards.

He could hear the rhythm of the other’s steps matching his heartbeat—fast, threatening, loud. Sweat beads formed on his forehead as he continued his miserable speed, the presence behind him growing stronger.

His legs continued to carry him, yet his body grew heavier. Lungs were burning, scorching from the lack of oxygen.

Eventually, fate forced him to stop. He found himself cornered at the edge of the cliff with the man in behind him.

With a sigh, the flower toon slowly turned around with a sheepish smile, “Heyyyyy there…”

“You sound so fake, like someone with some shitty birth defect,” The guy snarled, crossing his arms as he took a step closer, “Are you sure you're the real big thing?”

A shiver went down his spine at that small movement, yet, he felt a vein pulsing in his head. Of course he was THE Dandicus Dancifer…Even if he's not the…one on the show.

“C'mon now…” He spoke with a sloppy smile, “Try to be a little nicer, eh buddy?”

“I am not your ‘buddy’.”

“...Pal?”

“Eugh.”

“C'mon stranger…spare a flower some harm please?”

“I eat flowers for breakfast.”

“Huh—HEY!”

Dandy squirmed as he found himself being lifted up, kicking his legs in order to break free. However, with the throbbing in his head and naturally feeble strength, all was proven futile.

A wicked twitch of a smile crept up, causing his body to tense up.

“…Oh I can’t wait to rip your insides out once I get back to that hell,” the man snickered, holding him by the petals with a smirk.

He turned his back to the open air of the sea, pulling Dandy closer to his face, “If you ever dare to escape my grip, I won't hesitate to use force, just like I did with them, understand?”

“Uh…” He trailed off, nose wrinkling at the hot breath pressing against his face. It still stank, even in moments like this, “...Oops.”

“What? Giving up that fast?”

“Wait, I see a blue helicopter behind you.”

“Wait blue—The police?!”

As the man turned his head to look at the sky, the flower toon immediately took the opportunity to kick the latter with all his might…which ended up to be a hit in the crotch.

At least he managed to make him let him go while screaming in agony.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU—“

The guy groaned, holding his crotch as he stumbled backwards, nearing the edge of the cliff.

The flower toon’s eyes lit up as an idea struck his mind.

In the shows, antagonists don’t falter without a performance.

Maybe…Just maybe…he could redeem himself as the main character if he just…

Seizing the golden chance, he leapt forth and gave the man a little push, causing him to tumble down from the cliff. A sharp gasp escaped the guy’s lips before he fell victim to gravity. 

…

Dandy silently sat still as a faint splash boomed through the atmosphere. He blinked, once, twice, the silence replicating the cries of death.

He slowly crawled over to the edge of the cliff, each movement deliberately mindful as though a punishment was anticipated. He looked over the cliff, wincing as the raging sea swallowed the man a whole. Bubbles from the man faded a tad too quickly.

No remarks went through his head. Nothing at all. Instead of the heroic pride he should’ve felt, all he got was this eerie numbness in his chest.

A shiver went down his spine. It felt strange. Uncomfortable. He didn’t perish with those kinds of screams…just…silence.

Was this the price of being a hero?

Where was the obviously fake laughter? The forced cheers? 

“Did I…just do…that?”

The flower toon muttered, still staring at the waves that consumed a life. ‘He’ll be fine’ was the biggest lie he could have ever told himself.

Yet he still did.

Not because he was ruining from the truth–No, this was the truth. 

He's just…having a little talk with the fishes!

Besides, he has much graver things to worry about….

The flower toon stood up, clearing his throat as he looked back at the forest. He ignored the darkening feeling in his heart, focusing on much more important things—at least, to him.

If someone like that was tasked to hide the evidence, who knows what kind of people Astro might be with…which leads to the conclusion that informing Delilah is not an option.

Oh well, since when does he need help?

Even if he’s not the best main character out there, he’s still one!

Maybe if he saves Astro by himself, only then he could be worthy enough to be the ideal role model everyone aspires to be. He already fended off that ‘big scary’ guy by himself, a milestone of his own he might say.

He can do this.

He can be his own main character!

Not for a show. Not for an audience. For him.

With a lighted spirit and a spiralling physical state, Dandy rushed into the forest, beyond the trees, further than what the tire tracks had to offer.

Never in his life has he felt this hope before.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

The closet door flung open.

Thud

Astro caught his breath, legs wobbling as he leaned against a wall. Trembling arms supported his body as he stared at the ground.

It took all his might not to make a single noise in there. To avoid outside attention. To disturb Dazzle’s rest…

It felt so…odd. All of it.

He wasn’t fond of physical touch, yet there he was, ‘comforting’ him. Could it even be considered as ‘comforting’? It felt more of a desperate grasp than a hug.

The other’s gaze was lingering on him, it’s vivid to tell. The same unease, the same steadiness, the same unknown emotion—How does he even see him? Was he disgusted? Annoyed? Sorry? Concerned? Regardless, the weight of his silent focus was unbearable.

He could hear the other opening his mouth, perhaps trying to get rid of the tension between them. It’s obvious through the shaken breath he had let out. 

Perhaps he should say something first, to loosen the burden.

“I’m fine.”

The moon toon muttered out, voice coming out dry with old discomfort.

It was quiet for the first few seconds after his words were spoken, before a reply came through the tragedy mask.

“(…That’s…ok.)”

He wasn’t looking at him anymore, those eyes were wandering off as he said that. Instead, footsteps long distanced themself from his spot.

He quickly shifted his attention to the other’s whereabouts, which was down the alternative path the hallway had split into. His brows knit together as he went after him, trailing after his steps.

“Where are you going?” He questioned, keeping up with the latter’s rushed pace by his side.

“(That man,)” Dazzle intoned flatly, “(He went that way.)”

Immediately, Astro grasped his arm.

“I thought we were over that.”

He could hear the tragedy mask’s breath hitch, head jerking to his direction, “(Huh…?)”

“That man,” the moon toon tightened his hold for emphasis, “I thought we agreed on no longer hurting—“

“(Since when did I agreed?)”

“I thought you…”

“(Besides, I’m not focused on…him. I figured the exit was where he was going.)”

“…Really?”

“(Didn’t he say he was tasked…outside? That means he’s planning to head out.)”

“Right.”

Astro took a deep breath, reluctantly releasing his grip on the arm. The other looked at him with those void-filled eyes, one he can hardly tell anything from them. Though…amidst the empty darkness…he could vaguely see a tiny crack.

For seconds, they remained like that, staring at each other.

“(…Are you okay?)”

Till Dazzle brought up the same thing all over. It’s not like he hasn’t heard it before, no, it was the first time he ever said that directly. Yet, it felt like the millionth time he’s heard it.

He doesn’t need pity. He’s more than that.

“(You seem off…)” The tragedy mask continued, “(Was it because of our earlier interaction or—)”

“It’s nothing.”

The moon toon blurted, averting his gaze from the latter. Though, at that action, a familiar sensation gnawed at his heart.

…

And the other’s silence only made it worse.

“(I guess I’ll be going, I guess…you can catch up in your own time.)”

He should’ve been more sensitive, of course. He’s just checking up on him, that’s it, he doesn’t need to act so aggressively like he did just now. Besides, he just lost someone, he should be more mindful… 

“(…Astro?)”

Everything went to blur. Words, surroundings, just…

He could feel his heartbeat sprinting. A marathon of panic. His head spun, pain. Vision flashing through his eyes—a fever dream? Pangs attacked his head, his brain was being split open. Time felt so frozen, why so loud?

His knees went buckling, hands were scrabbling to a nearby wall. Wrongness swallowed his heart whole. 

Dazzle was right in front of him. Affirmation, from him, it’s possible, no?

He can’t speak. His stomach was tying itself into knots. 

An overwhelming feeling attacked his throat.

…

…

Cough

Astro felt a warm drool escaping from his mouth. A metallic sour taste coated his tongue. Forehead pressed against the wall, he stared at the mess beneath him with a glassy eyesight.

Black…thick…puddle…

Ichor?

Slowly, he wiped his mouth. His heart felt at rest, so why was he still trembling? A ringing was banging against his eardrums, but pain had long lost its feeling. 

He felt a hand gently rubbing his back. It had been there a long time ago.

Dazzle…

Cough

“…What happened?”

The moon toon croaked out, acid burning the back of his throat.

“(You just threw up ichor.)”

The tragedy mask replied, voice below a whisper. His hand still continued its soft movements.

“Cough…W-Why…did I do that—“

“(The guilt, maybe.)”

“…What?”

“(Are you going to fret over it forever?)”

“Why?“

“(You always do whenever something small like this happens.)”

The tragedy mask muttered, his thumb wiping some ichor off his chin, “(I don’t know what just happened…it’s weird…how you just threw up your own blood like that…)”

“(…But you’ve only gotten worse with guilt stacking up…So I suppose it’s due to that…)”

“…..I should’ve held back then—“

“(No, not that.)”

“But how else am I—“

He winced in surprise as Dazzle grasped his shoulders, forcing their gazes to meet, “( You keep telling me to hold back my rage, stating that violence is ‘too much’…Yet you’re here, treating every small mistake like a disaster.)”

“(You keep telling me to…forgive humanity…Yet you can’t even forgive yourself.)”

He paused, realisation seemingly striking, “(W-Was I too blunt—)”

“No.”

The moon toon smiled faintly, though a small lump formed in his throat. The other was right…so why did it sting?

“It’s…just enough.”

“(Oh…that’s good…)”

“Should we get moving now?”

“(Yeah…)”

With that, the two went down the hallway. It wasn’t filled with tension before. Sure, some still lingered, but mostly the atmosphere carried something lighter. Resolution or faint dread? Who knows?

He just wishes for moments like this last…

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Chapter Text

Footsteps echoed down the hallway.

“We’re almost there…I think.”

Astro muttered, gaze fixated at the darkness that lay beyond from where they were standing. It seemed to grow stronger with each step, a promise of light on the other side. 

Dazzle simply nodded, looking down at the dried concrete floor as he kept his eyes glued away from the faint glow of the end.

“(Mhm.)”

As dim as the outside world was, it still burnt his eyes. 

He just couldn’t bear to look at the future, where he’s not with him, where his bond with the other is as thin as a strand of hair. He knows he should be grateful for the chance to be alive, yet all of this was just the bare minimum.

The duo continued walking, corridors stretching ahead as they went deeper. Into hope, into doom, who knows? Only time could tell, but would fate’s manipulation spare them from despair life has to offer? 

Footsteps echoed the thunderous drums in his chest. The only sound in the never-ending silence that screams past bloodshed.

The exit sign, glowing ever so faintly. It sat at the end so snuggly, its pale green glow reaching out to him with open arms. Instead of the maternal comfort he should’ve felt, he only saw a paternal wrath.

He doesn’t want to leave. Not yet.

The grudges, the fear, the anger—they still clawed at his chest. To abandon them now would feel like admitting it was all meaningless.
But he couldn’t stay. Not when death is still crawling in these halls.

Time soon outpaced his thoughts. Their footsteps halted. An ‘EXIT’ sign hummed above a rough wooden door—their so called anticipated destination.

There were no codes, no locks, no complicated puzzles to solve. Just that.

If he was here, he’d probably joke about how the exit wasn’t suitable for the end of an adventure story—but was this really the end? A miserable barrier easily taken down with the kick of an ant?

At least he’s given his ‘happy ending’, even if ‘happy’ was out of his dictionary.

“(…I guess this is the end,)” The tragedy mask pronounced with a voice laced with vague solemnity.

He kicked. The door didn’t open—it shattered. Wooden scraps scattered, freedom spilling through the frame.

From the corner of his eye, Astro flinched, “…Oh.”

He doesn’t blame him. Maybe he should’ve been gentler, more charismatic. But that belonged to comedy, not tragedy.

Oh well. All that remained was to step out.

…Step out.

Why couldn’t he move?

“Dazzle?” Astro’s voice was already ahead, out in the night that held the epilogue.

He shuddered, legs trembling. His heart pounded, refusing. Freedom should be salvation—but good endings demanded joy, and joy was dead.

“Hey…Dazzle…?”

Their eyes met. He forced a crooked smile, clutching the hem of his tattered shirt.

“(Don’t worry, I’m fine.)”

”…But you don’t look—“

“(I’ll come out.)”

With that, he closed his eyes and took a step. He paused, then another. 

Strange.

The grass was softer than his fear, sky wider than he imagined. All so calming.

He stepped next to Astro, the moon sprinkling its light above them, a pale lantern marked with craters of ancient collisions. He glanced at the toon next to him, at the glint in his eye—sorrow, hope, awe, all shimmering like a coin tossed into a well.

“…The moon looks beautiful tonight,” 

The moon toon breathed, gaze unmoving.

The tragedy can’t help but feel a twitch of a smile tugging his lips at the latter’s words, “(Mhm…Lovely as ever…)”

The way the moonlight gently dusted his features, highlighting his admiration towards the lunar object. How the gleam in his eye danced along to its radiance. The soft fidgeting of his blanket’s loose strings—a typical habit of his when he’s distracted…

A familiar warmth bloomed in his heart. The same one during that walk to that cliff.

That reassuring comfort.

Maybe a future without Razzle is possible—

The tragedy’s mask hitched, seeing a shadow looming over him. Immediately, he turned.

A man.

He blinked, once twice, confused on why he didn't notice such a presence earlier. Instincts made him grab the back of the moon toon’s blanket. They went several steps back. He could practically feel the other’s shock and dread radiating, evident by the subtle grip on his shirt. A pang of ache attacked his heart.

It’s such a shame he had to interrupt his selenic watching.

“Oh?”

The person voiced faintly with a stoic face mistaken for a rock, “I didn’t expect you to be that attentive…”

Dazzle could see realisation dawning on the latter’s face. With a raise of an eyebrow, he asked, “(…What’s wrong?)”

“That…was a person?” Astro gasped, “I thought those footsteps were just heartbeats…they were so faint…I’m—“

“(No. Now is not the time.)”

As they said that, he picked up a fallen tree branch from the bushes.

“(Run.)”

They uttered to the latter, “(Just run, I got this…even if I’m not the best.)”

“But—“

“(Go.)”

The moon toon took one last look at him, all kinds of emotions etched on his face, before disappearing into the trees.

The tragedy took a deep breath, grip tightening on the branch as though it’s his lifeline. More people appeared behind that person as though it was all planned.

This should be quick. Wipe them out. Let the red consume him—

Dazzle froze.

Among the crowd, a familiar face.

Razzle.

And his dead head was hurling towards him.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Dandy’s mouth hung open, ragged pants escaping.

His chest heaved with resilience, all of his effort focused on staying conscious. The night air was burning cold in his lungs. With a huff, he slumped against a stump. 

How long has he been running?

He last remembered skipping away from that cliff with a big fat grin…then straight up sprinting across the forest. Eventually, exhaustion caught up with exhilaration, leaving him like this. At least those nightshade moonflower effects had worn off….slightly.

Leaning against the tree, he stretched his arms tiredly. All he needs to do now is to take a breather and continue—

Growl

The flower toon winced, a chill going down his spine. He placed a hand on his stomach, trying to silence its hungry pleas.

Growl

Of course it would not cooperate. 

To be honest, he doesn’t blame it. For so long, his body was forced into a run—so of course his energy is drained. The only issue was that there’s barely anything edible. 

Especially in a forest like this at 2a.m.

…Unless he resorted to nature’s ways.

With that, he scooped up a handful of dirt and took a whiff—Ok, maybe dirt wasn’t the option. 

With a sigh, his eyes scavenged his surroundings once more. Maybe he should just continue following the tire trail, but safety is not guaranteed—

Dandy’s eyes lit up.

Underneath the lush verdant leaves of a thick tree lay a promising shrub. It was coated with glossy dark berries, their smooth skin dusted with moonlight. The sight tempted his growling stomach, desire moving his limbs towards satisfaction.

Surely the whole ‘saving’ thing can wait…right?

He quickly nestled next to the bushes, grabbing a handful of those small berries. Oh lord they look so tempting in his hands, practically waiting to be devoured. He shoved them into his mouth.

 Boy he can’t wait to savour the sweet juices of—

The flower toon paused.

These weren’t blueberries.

Sure, they might be wild blueberries, but since when do they have this awful stingy aftertaste?

With dread coursing through his veins, he slowly turned to the bush the fruits came from. Tall sprawling weed, sparse with a few large board leaves. His eyes widened. 

He's seen those before, in the gardening textbooks Devan forced him to read.

Everything clicked. Thoughts snapping into place.

They weren’t blueberries. 

They were belladonna berries.

“…Pssht…I…Whuh?”

Dandy sputtered out, staring at his hands. Fingers twitched as though guilt was weighing them down.

He just ate literal poison. Seven of them in fact. If five of them are enough to kill a child, who knows what seven could do? Sure, toons like him might handle this stuff better… but that paint-induced stomachache was hell.

He already suffered from his carelessness of rolling around the moonflowers, now this?

Panic clawed at his chest. The chilling night breeze did nothing to sway the fire in his stomach. With a gulp, he knew what he had to do.

He doubled over, practically squeezing his stomach. The sour taste rose instantly. Forcing two fingers down his throat, he gagged, choked. 

Only a singular retch.

Crushed seed flew out of his mouth. The bitter stinging taste clung onto his tastebuds. Breathless swallows felt like a punch to his gut, his vocal chords getting tangled up.

More.

He pushed his fingers deeper, harder. Each heave sent him wobbling. Tears welled up in his eyes at every retch. Air was scare, empty, hot, and painful.

More.

More—

The flower toon collapsed onto the ground, coughing till his mouth went dry. His hands were thick with vomit remains, the blue gooey substance crawling on his skin. Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his hands against the grass. His throat burned with an acidic flavour.

He’ll be fine.

Yet, the strange heaviness in his head warned otherwise.

With a huff, he pushed himself upwards. Ignoring the mess on the garden floor, he followed the tire tracks once more—At a much slower pace however. 

Footsteps echoed through the sleeping cluster of evergreen, branches woven into a living wall. Mother Nature’s breath cradled the snoozing leaves, the green blades swaying in a soothing rhythm. Goosebumps tickled his arms, a tingling sensation shooting up in his chest.

The insides of his mouth seemed to remain coarse and croaked. His vision flickered, heart trembling along with his body. Maybe he was overreacting, just some berries…

…

Really?

Dandy blinked, once twice, staring at the figure in front of him.

Colour drained from his face.

Maybe it was bad—for the person in front of him…

Drenched from head to toe, seaweed covering the man’s oh so ruined face. Corals pierced through his body, dried red stuck to his shirt. His limbs looked painfully loose, detached, like an old ragdoll. He might as well be swaying underwater.

He did not move, simply standing there motionlessly, too still. The flower toon let out a soft crooked chuckle—can it even be called a chuckle? It sounded more of a dumbfounded sob.

“Hey there…”

The person only went closer, and closer. His jaw creaks, sand falling out of it.

“…You think being the main character can save you?”

A voice, muffled and stale, escaped his lips.

The flower toon tensed up, fiction gaining reality right in front of him.

Run.

He ran.

Backwards, forth, he doesn’t know anymore. He needs to get away. Away.

Legs tired, head pounding, nostrils blocked, it felt impossible to take a step. He swore the world spun faster as he went. Eventually, his body couldn’t handle the pressure anymore and collapsed onto the forest floor.

He shuffled backwards, closing his eyes. He raised his feeble hands up, a poor defense on his behalf.

“Please…don’t…” He muttered, bracing himself for the incoming impact.

One…

Two…

Slowly, he opened his eyes. 

Nothing.

A rush of confusion overwhelmed the panic in his heart, keeping him rooted to his spot. It’s not because he can’t move, he just doesn’t want to; for it ached so badly. Dandy stared into the forest, chest going up and down. Yet, all wasn’t enough to soothe his broken image. 

Why was this much worse than the moonflowers?

Everything around him became a buzz—distorted hums of Gardenview’s theme. His world buckled like a stage set collapsing, his brain twisting into unimaginable shapes.

Everything felt so…dull…What would be the best course of action now? Well, Devan would usually say to move on, leave the past as it is. He should do that.

With a soft groan, the flower toon pushed himself upwards and dragged his feet along the trail.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

He couldn’t do anything.

Everything had shut down on him. The rotting head hit his chest softly, yet he still fell.

“We got him stunned with shock, the head worked!”

“Oh god mate…you’re a genius…!”

Face split in half, chunks missing, dried ichor clinging like a parasite—was this the same person?

Harsh punishing breaths escaped his mouth, lungs might as well be torn apart. His chest felt tight, agonising. He just wants to gouge out his eyeballs, tear the sight from his memory.

Ceremonial joy blasted all around him, from those four outsiders, their happiness digging open wounds deeper. Ever since Razzle passed, he either saw cruel red or dull grey. So why when he’s finally back, he’s seeing this highly saturated yellow that dug holes in his vision?

“Why why, no need the commotion,” the person who started it all intoned.

They stepped closer, yet the tragedy mask stayed kneeled fixed to his ‘brother’, “After all, it’s normal for a human to feel that way.”

Despite his ethereal, calming voice meant to offer false solace, he felt only true anguish.

“(Just because we aren’t human…Doesn’t mean we can’t feel...)”

Those words rewinded, once uttered out of spite, now replayed like a bitter reminder. He said that to prove that scientist wrong, not to be used against him.

Oh why, why must he be too human?

The individual crouched down to his level, gently picking up Razzle and caressing his ruined cheek, “Ever notice how Delilah makes them seem… alive?”

Dazzle clenched his jaw, silencing any weakness. To err was human after all…

“I’ve seen the way you’ve fought our workers,” they spoke up, looking at him with a smile so carefree. It made him want to stretch his lips apart, to force an ounce of vulnerability to that steady face, “Oh what valuable insight!”

They chuckled, handing out Razzle to him. His intestine tied itself into a knot at that gesture. The glee and excitement in their voice is no better than a condescending mocking one.

“(…W-What do you want?)” 

The tragedy mask let slip, finally allowing himself—albeit reluctantly—to let their eyes meet. It was hard deciphering their true intention, for the glint in their eye spoke curiosity and deceit. Oh please just stop tormenting me with this confusion.

“Simple,” 

The person hummed, opening their arms like doors to a furnace, “You want to see your brother again right?”

“(…)”

“Since no such thing is possible, only in the afterlife, how about you let us experiment with you?”

The individual tilted their head, “You’re going to die. Why not make it useful?”

“(I can…die faster?)”

“Mhm. What do you say?—“

The person winced as they felt a weight against their chest, the letter letting himself fall against it, “A-Ah? What’s this? An act of weakness…what an err…my hypothesis was right—Toons are human!”

“(Yes…to err is human,)” Dazzle spat out, wrapping his arm around his throat. His gaze flickered to the side, a brief moment of hesitance, “(So don’t be one.)”

“…Pardon?—“

Immediately, the tragedy mask held the other in a chokehold, squeezing with all his suppressed rage, “(Why must it be so hard to treat us…normally?)”

Gargles and incoherent sputters escaped their lips. Arms went flailing, yet all was futile. Though, amidst the suffocating blabbering, he managed to mutter, “Y-You damned…”

Dazzle rolled his eyes, grip tightening.

“(I’m not a ‘human’…or a ‘monster’—)”

Crack 

The sound of bone crunching echoed through the silent forest. Exclamations were heard from the bystanders behind, though muted.

“(I’m…me.)”

He dropped the body, taking in deep shallow breaths in response to the rush of adrenaline. His heart was banging itself against his ribcage, bones shattering. Everything was too blurred, dizzy, he didn’t see the shadow looming over—

Whack

“(?!—)”

A burning sensation rose up at the back of his head as he fell to the ground.

“It’s down. Take its head… make him suffer.”

“Avenge the doctor!”

“I’ll strike while he’s distracted.”

The tragedy mask gripped the grass till his knuckles turned white. Have they not learnt a singular thing?

Ignoring the aching, he grabbed the fallen tree branch and shoved himself upwards.

Lord, what were they doing?

Ignoring the two men in front of him, his attention was focused on the other two behind them. Razzle. He’s being thrown around like merchandise, reduced to nothing but a toy. His eyebrow twitched, hand shaking restlessly. 

That’s his brother.

And once again, the familiar ruthless crimson tainted his vision. But the eye-straining yellow didn’t leave just yet. Oh no, it blended in together seamlessly, creating this insufferable hue of orange. It was burning in his chest, bleeding in with thoughts.

The two men approached closer. He wasted no time.

Wham

The branch struck their faces, scarlet spewing everywhere. Screams of anguish then lifeless silence, even the ‘playful’ throwing seemed to stop along with their consciousness.

He turned to the others, glaring daggers into their unforgiving soul, “(…You’re next.)”

Being the humans they are, their bodies stiffened, feet positioned to flee. Mouths agape, tear-filled eyes, it’s pitiful, really.

Yet not enough to gain sympathy from him.

…

…

Dazzle stared at the grass blankly. He wiggled his red-stained fingers, trying to grab ahold of reality.

Grass was a canvas of past violence, splatters of blood scattered across. Bodies were flung and twisted like an artistic sculpture of rage. One was clinging onto a bracelet, another’s eyes were glued wide open. An abstract masterpiece of horror stitched onto the bodies’ faces…

What…happened?

All those screams, those pleads, those cries muffled the present, leaving him in the future. Oh well, it's always like this whenever that red swallows him. 

He scanned through the scattered dead bodies, their significance equivalent to the grass shards. His eyes zoomed into the broken comedy mask in the middle of the mess.

At that moment, he was reminded of the red.

The tragedy mask shook his head, trying to drain the colour. It’s better if his world remained dull. He crouched next to head, slowly picking it up and pressing it against his chest.

“(…I missed you)”

In spite of his attempts, the world remained vibrant—with a shade of melancholic blue, however.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Time flies.

Astro’s legs kept moving, never stopping. His head was heavy, heat rushing to his face. Air rushing in and out felt like icicles shoved down his throat.

Eventually, the basic need for rest interrupted his panic.

By the stream he lay flat, gasping, as the chilling air stung his raw burning skin. Sweat trickled down his forehead, mouth agape. His throat still stung with bitter ichor.

“(Run.)”

Dazzle’s voice echoed an anchor, keeping him rooted in the sea of paranoia. 

Hopefully he’s ok.

The moon toon sat upright after catching his breath. The way he just abandoned him like that, leaving him to mend his past mistakes despite him explicitly telling him to flee. He wanted to help, he really did.

But if you had seen the look on his face, you wouldn’t have judged him either.

The sight still haunted him so much. The tragedy mask’s widened eyes boring into his, so pale and dry. Amidst the hollow depths, however, he saw a glimmer of desperation mixed with fear. All directed to him.

It’s terrifying, how much he wants him to live. 

Who knows how much worse it could get if he met his demise?

Splash

Astro rubbed water across his face, trying to soothe his nerves. Soon, his skin lost its flames, yet instead of ease he was just…numb. Drying his face with his tattered blanket, he swallowed the lump in his throat.

He should wait here for him. It’s the best course of action right now.

Laying back onto the ground, the grass enveloped him like a protective blanket from nature’s wrath. His attention went onto the luminescent being in the sky. It hung high in the sky, their glistening aura whispered sacred promises of peace.

It's hard to believe that this beautiful lunar rock was the reason for his situation.

Did he regret it? Indeed, but did he enjoy it?

Much more.

He raised his hands up into the night sky, framing the celestial guardian with them. Blanket slipped off his shoulders at the action, revealing his healing scarred arms. The memory of how he got them was vivid—driven by guilt, for freedom. It reminded him of the vulnerability he faced, something he didn’t like.

Stars twinkled around them, dancing to entertain. The moon glowed yellow-white, its wrinkled edges only making it more beautiful.

The moon toon felt a smile creeping up his face. That little observation reminded him of Dazzle’s words, back in Gardenview. A little warm fuzz tickled his heart.

At least he’s closer to the thing he’s made after. It’s nice having reassurance…even if the source of that isn’t here now.

For a moment, he could almost believe the night was safe…until the bushes betrayed him.

Rustle

At that sound, any peace he had carefully put together went collapsing.

Astro jolted upwards, heartbeat gaining momentum. The conclusion was clear.

Someone is after him. 

Most definitely from that warehouse.

He turned around, breath hitching. Lo and behold, there was a figure approaching deep down in the trees. It was still at a noticeable distance.

Two options were obvious; flight or fight. As much as he wants to flee, it’ll only make his presence known due to the rustling…So…

His eye caught on a rock. Heavy. Solid. His pulse begged him to throw it.

He…seriously wasn’t going to resort to Dazzle’s methods, was he?

Even so, that person is most likely going to cause harm to him. He doesn’t want that, even though they might have a ‘good’ reason too…And Dazzle’s reaction…

How would he feel if he saw him again at that place—held captive once more?

The footsteps grew louder. His eardrums ached. Between the trees and the rock in his hand…he chose the rock.

Rustle

It’s too close.

Picked the rock up. Rough. Hard. It should do the trick.

It’s his only chance. Dazzle can’t save him now.

Throw and run.

Wham

“Huh?—“

That yelp…

It was…familiar?

Astro slowly opened his eyes, noticing how the figure fell to the ground. Now did he think about it, the shadow was around the same height as him—if not shorter.

Taking a deep breath, he took light steps towards the being. Immediately, a sharp gasp escaped his lips.

Was his eyes deceiving him?

All those months of ignorance…dismissal…

He actually…cared?

“W-What are you doing here…Dandy?”

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Chapter Text

Daisies.

Daffodils.

Tulips.

Dandy blinked once, twice, looking up at the twilight sky. His head spun as they spun, danced, glowed?

His forehead felt warm. It kinda stings. He rubbed it a little, pulling his hand back to examine his fingers. Black goo stained his fingers. Not jam—ichor, rancid and metallic. He squinted, and it became blackberry juice. His vision cleared, and it was gone.

The moon hovered above, wait, there were two of them? One white, next to the ‘flora’, the other blue and trembling. He blinked, but the second crescent didn't seem to fade.

He reached towards it. It felt soft, fragile, not like the cold lunar surface he had expected. Just like…Cheese.

Blue cheese.

Delicious.

Before he knew it, he found himself leaning towards the crescent, trying to get a lick—

Whack

“Dandy, what the heck?!”

His head crashed against the floor as he felt a force pushing him down. That voice…He knows it? 

“I just wanted to taste the cheese…”

The flower toon slurred out, lying limp on the ground.

“W-what cheese?” The unknown replied perplexingly. It felt as though daggers were piercing through his soul.

He pointed to the thing, “You’re the cheese,” he spoke as though it was common sense.

“Huh?”

“What.”

The blue moon crouched next to him, lifting his chin up. A sharp breath escaped the latter, “…Why is your spit purple”

Dandy shrugged lazily, “The…berries…”

“What berries?”

“Blenna…Huh…oh yeah, Belladonna berries…”

“…Didn’t you once say that they were poisonous?”

“Uh, I guess so.”

Through his blurred vision, he could see realisation etching the other’s features before he gave a long sigh.

“The poison must’ve messed up his thoughts.”

He could vaguely hear the being mumble, followed with a dejected whisper. Unable to catch what he said, he spoke up once more, “…Are you talking about me—“

“Dandy.”

The flower toon’s shoulders tensed, both from the sudden contact on his shoulders and the familiar ring in his voice. He swore he heard it before, somewhere, sometime. What was it that gave it this feeling? He tilted his head, the grip on his shoulders tightening.

“It’s me.”

There it was — that tune. Why did it sting so much to hear it?

“…Huh?”

Fingers dug into his shoulders, desperation clawing its way to his heart.

“Me, Astro.”

At that name, the blue moon gained its features — yet it was nothing like the  toon he once knew. His eye had a tint of painful pink in his sclera. Blanket torn, stained with red and black. Scarred healing arms, some wounds still opened with oozing flesh.

“Astro?”

He choked out, neither in disbelief nor relief. Just confusion.

“…Yes.”

The cheese shimmered, then cracked apart — not cheese, not moonlight. Astro. Bruised, bloodied, but still Astro. He could see how his eyes became glossier with each word.

“Astro, really? Astro Novalite…?”

“Yes—“

Astro’s head jerked back as a pair of arms enveloped him. Dandy squeezed the life out of the wounded body, never wanting to let go, “I-I…I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

“I shouldn’t have…treated you like that…I…I thought you left me for g-good—“

Cough

Purple spit went flying, staining the other’s shoulder. The moon toon placed a trembling hand on his back, rubbing it gently, “…There, there…”

“Can’t we go home already?”

The flower toon rasped, his feeble hold enough to shatter his fragile bones, “I hate it here. I hate it. I hate how cruel outside can be…”

Astro didn't say anything, he simply stared at the trees, gaze heavy. He doesn’t know whether he doesn’t want to say anything, or if he just doesn’t know what to say. 

Maybe he was lost in thought. Maybe he was just tired. But to him, it felt like silence had chosen sides. It hurts even more than the poison.

Does he not forgive him? Did he find him annoying? 

Does he hate him?

“…Please?”

Dandy pleaded, for reassurance, for safety.

“…Just bear a few more minutes with me.”

The moon toon finally said something, though soft and unsure. His hand shakily rubbed his back, “Dazzle’s still out there…”

“Huh? Wasn’t it Razzle and Dazzle—“

“J-Just rest while I wait…O-okay??”

The flower toon bit the inside of his mouth. Of course he wasn’t fond of him, why else the highly defensive tone? Yet here he was, treating him like a long lost brother. Slowly, he let his arms drop to the ground, turning his head to the side.

“…Mhm.”

It’s best if he faded into the background of Astro’s story.

He can’t even be the lovable main character right.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Huff

Dazzle’s chest heaved as his arms ached.

Huff

The limp body on the ground clung onto earth’s soil, friction resisting against his pull.

Huff

Thud

The deceased were tossed behind the bushes, piling up one after another. Their gashes were still leaking ugly red, spilling onto the grass below. Staring at his hand coated with the foul liquid, his nose scrunched.

This should be enough to not raise suspicion. 

If anyone came out right now, they’ll assume these…people ran into the forest, after him and Astro.

He wiped his hand against the leaves, trying to get rid of any reminders about this hell. Yet, the red stubbornly stuck onto his palms. He continued to rub and rub, yet the smell remained.

It’s gross. It’s awful.

Human? They weren’t even that. He doesn’t want to be part of them.

It wouldn’t come off—

“It’s pointless, Daz! Accept that you’ll never be normal.”

His breath hitched. The voice was too familiar. Too cheerful, too wrong.

He turned.

Razzle’s broken mask, leaning against a tree. The cracks wept dried ichor, sockets hollow and pitiless.

“(…What?)”

“You heard me,” the voice radiated from it, though the mask’s mouth never moved.

Dazzle’s fists clenched white. 

“…(I am normal.)”

“Nope!” The mask grinned. At least, his mind painted it that way. He knew this wasn’t real. It’s so painfully obvious, he’s gone. And yet the heat in his chest prickled, undeniable. Annoyance.

The head’s unhinged smile grew, “What ordinary toon would kill others just like that? Silly you, do you not know what empathy is, second chances?—“

“(T-They…They killed you.)”

Dazzle spat out,”( W-What else was I supposed to do?!)” 

Vision became blurry. He could hear the other’s amused chuckle, one that used to lighten moods, now darkening life’s meaning.

“Oh Dazzle…”

The comic mask ‘wheezed’, “My death broke you Daz, took the ‘normal’ out of you!”

“(…Huh?)”

His throat burned, “(N-No…I’m my own person—)”

“Yeah. A person like them.”

The words were a knife. He staggered forth, pressing a hand to his head.

“(Stop it.)”

“Just because I'm stating the truth? Aren’t you logical, this is logic Daz—“

Crack 

Silence. His chest heaved. His foot pressed into something soft.

He dared to look down.

Razzle’s head. Split in two.

Ichor puddled outward, a mirror in which he saw his reflection: dilated pupils, shirt painted in stains, eyes as blank as the corpses he left behind. 

A monster. 

“(R-Razzle…I-I…)”

He choked out, his throat unable to produce an apology.

The puddle continued expanding, revealing more of who he truly was.

No.

Wanting to be further from himself, The tragedy mask quickly hoisted the broken mask into his arm and sprinted to where Astro fled. He could still feel his own eyes digging into his back — filled with distaste, vengeance, insignificance.

He really was no different from the people he swore to hate.

The forest around him became nothing but a reminder of who he was, what he was. The trees’ swaying branches were like pipes swinging aggressively. The cricket’s chirps mimicked the cries of the dead. Even the moon’s calming light looked like splatters of blood.

Why were they only bothering him now?

The tragedy mask ran and ran—

He stopped. 

Through the dense leaves, he caught a glimpse of a familiar sight of a nightcap. The navy, the faint splatter of ichor.

Astro.

The thought of him seeing who he truly was made him sick. Yet he’s there, probably waiting for him. Him. A disgrace. 

He could go to him, pretend that he wasn’t that monster. Go back home and forget. But could he, really, pretend that all was okay when he clearly isn’t? Of course he couldn’t, he wouldn’t dare. That’ll make him a hypocrite.

He doesn’t want to be any closer to those ‘humans’

So what can he do?

How can he be normal?

Dazzle looked behind him, where he fled so desperately.

Would it be courageous or escapist to leave the quarantine when you’re contagious?

He could always return, back to that warehouse where he ‘belonged’ like those ‘humans’. But he hated it there, despised every inch of it…Unless he destroyed it. Destroy his ‘home’ to return to home. To Gardenview. 

Eyes were glued to behind. It makes sense. Surely it does. If he gets rid of the thing that made him not imperfect, that’s how he can prove he is otherwise. Clearing every trace of his oddity WILL make him acceptable.

The past makes the future. Once the past is destroyed, the future will perish. What he became will be gone.

Yes.

It will.

The tragedy mask was already retracing his steps, clutching the comedy mask against his chest.

He’s going to be normal. The one he wants to be. Anything that’s not the current him—

Rustle

“Huh…Dazzle?”

Tug

He felt someone pulling his shirt. That voice…Astro…He…already noticed his presence? 

Turning behind, he hid Razzle behind his back, “(…Hm?)”

“W-Why are you going back?” The moon toon sputtered out, panic rising in his voice, “You came all the way here, just to go back…Isn’t that illogical?”

“Don’t you want to go back to Gardenview…?”

Dazzle eyes lingered on the other’s eye. It’s hard to believe it was the same eye that glistened with longing for the moon. Now, it wants to return back to the place it yearned to be freed from. He doesn’t want to drag his friend into his identity. He wants to be his own person.

“(…I need to fix some things.)”

He replied, a smile genuine with intention, “(You can go on without me. I’ll be fine.)”

“Why?”

Astro muttered weakly, his grip on his shirt getting stronger, “If this is about Razzle, surely Delilah could think of something—“

“(No, not…Razzle. I’m going to fix myself. Even if I have to tear things down.)”

“Huh…?”

“(Don’t wait for me.)”

“But—“

“(Let me be.)”

With that, he turned his back on the latter, stepping deeper and deeper back to ‘home’. 

He’ll finally be normal.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Astro stared at the retreating figure. Eyes were glued to the back blending in with the darkness. Wind lightly swept by, causing his body to shiver from confusion’s chills.

His legs trembled, they ached so badly. He wanted to sprint after the latter, knock some sense into him. Yell at his face, that retreating to hell isn’t the ‘solution’, to go home. 

‘Fix myself’, he said, but it’s painfully obvious he’s too broken. They both are. What’s the point?

“…Why?”

The moon toon breathed out, yet only the crickets responded. He was worried, so much, too much, it hurt. Yet his worry wasn’t resolved with a happy ending, or a heart wrenching death. Just this cliffhanger with unspoken questions.

And that hurt even more.

Was this the price of love?—

Cough

Astro choked on the lump in his throat. His head shot to the direction of Dandy, lying weakly by the stream. Curled up in a ball, pressing against his stomach — was this the same toon?

He looked…vulnerable. Strange, all these months he had this perception of this reserved arrogant toon. Distance really does wonders to one’s view of another.

Yeugh 

The flower toon retched, purple spit painting the grass. He winced at the fluids. He’s getting worse, there’s no doubt.

The moon toon looked back to the trees, then at his friend. Biting his bottom lip, he could only helplessly sit next to the other.

What now?

With widened eyes, he stared at the purple stained greenery. He vaguely remembered Dandy cheerfully talking about Belladonna berries. How five of them are enough to kill…how the poison is at its peak after an hour…death in two hours…

He brought up his knees to his chest, taking a short glimpse at the latter. It’s clear on who he should prioritise more…But he just can’t help but to…

Dazzle.

He can’t just leave him there, even if he went there willingly. If he can’t follow, he’ll just wait, wait for that happy ending, for the end of his world. Anything then this crippling worry.

Astro gripped the grass beneath him, his grip begging for an answer. To stay or go — both are undeniably selfish. Either Dazzle’s fate remains unknown or Dandy’s potential death.

…

The moon toon wrapped the other’s arm around his shoulder, supporting him as they both stood up. 

At least this, he could control. Dazzle had chosen his own path, but Dandy’s death in his arms would be his burden. And he couldn’t carry any more. If Dazzle dies at that warehouse, it won’t be his fault. He told himself that. Again. And again.

As much as his heart strained toward the forest, his body stayed with the poison-wracked toon at his side as they went on.

If that’s the case, then good.

Especially since the tragedy mask clearly doesn’t want him to care.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Chapter Text

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

URRK—Huurgh

Stomach fluids stained with purple-black splattered across the grass, yellow streaks of bile mixed through. Skin and pulp poked through the thin mushy liquid. Bits of undigested seeds clung onto Dandy’s cheeks as he collapsed to the ground with shaky dry breaths. 

The most Astro could do at that moment was to pat the latter’s back after each retch. Just what exactly did he go through for him?

“…Are you ready now?” 

He asked as the other’s eyes lifelessly stared at the puddle he produced, “We’re not much further from Gardenview…I hope—“

“N-No Cough”

The flower toon croaked out with a weak smile, “…Still a long way to go!”

“Well uh…” The moon toon trailed off, lifting him up by the arm once more, “…We’ll just hurry up”

“Huh—OW?!”

With that, he forcibly dragged the flora character across the forest grounds. The other wobbled alongside him, clearly struggling to keep up with his rushed strides, "Geez…Y’know being gentle is an option right?”

Those words were laughable, really. How could he be gentle when he’s trying to prevent a death? To fix a fault?

“Yes, an option.”

He bluntly stated, continuing his movements. 

He needs to repair this, now, right now. Pulling harder, tugging faster, his chest heaved with exhaustion. Yet each step felt like a stretch, a long painful one.

He needs to hurry — before it’s too late.

“Hey…Astro?”

Back to Gardenview.

“You’re going the wrong way.”

Faster.

“You’re literally going back to where we came from…”

Hurry—

Thud

Astro’s breath hitched, finding himself tumbling to the ground by a familiar force. His eyes slowly crawled up to meet the gaze of his limping ‘friend’.

“What has gotten into you, Astro??” 

Dandy rasped as he too fell onto his knees, a hurricane of coughs attacking him.

Wasn’t the answer obvious?

He has, must, needs to protect him. 

He attempted to reach out to him, to offer the futile comfort like he always did, but the other swatted his hand away.

Scoffing lightly, the latter turned his body away from him “Can you not…Stop treating me like I’m some rotten artifact…” 

“…What?”

The moon toon’s voice faltered, staying rooted in his spot as he stared at his slightly bruised back. He knows what he wants — He just wanted to save him…but from what exactly?

From the poison or his own fear of guilt?

“Oh don’t act clueless,” The flower toon huffed, still not looking, “At first, you treat me like a ragdoll, then the sudden softness.”

“It’s like your care is conditional.”

Astro’s mouth opened, then closed. He stared at the dirt. Is that how he’d come off?

“Sorry.” 

He muttered. “I’m just…bothered.”

“By me?”

The silence answered for the both of them.

Dandy pushed himself up, legs trembling.

“I guess I’m not the only one who ruined this friendship,” He let out a weak, sore laugh, “Well then, I’ll just…tell the story you left behind. To everyone.”

“W-Wait—“

His hand shot forward, gripping onto his wrist.

“No—by everything. You’re dying because of me. And Dazzle’s…Good as gone…”

His voice cracked as he looked away, ashamed, “I don’t know what to do anymore.” 

“So I just…choose you.” 

Because he doesn’t want him to die. He told himself. Not because he doesn’t want to carry anymore guilt, no, he wants him to…live. His life matters, not its impact.

“…R-Really?”

Contrasting the raging turmoil in his mind, the other only looked at him with eyes softening with…relief? He glanced back, his hold loosening, “…Why did you come after me anyways?”

A small grin formed on Dandy’s face. It felt different from the one he always saw.

More…human…

“Isn’t that what a best friend should do?”

His shoulders jolted for a split second. Best friend?

“…….Really? Even after all these months?”

“Yes….And I’m going to prove I’m still the bestest best friend ever!”

Dandy placed a hand on his palm, determination evident in his features, “ Cough I know things aren’t the brightest right now, but we’re main characters, aren’t we? Let’s pretend things will end happily for us…”

“But we’re not in a show though…”

“I know, but does any of this look realistic to you? Me being poisoned? You bruised and ruined? What’s wrong with a little bit of fictional hope?”

A sense of ease overwhelmed Astro’s dread-stricken heart, “…You seem oddly happy now…”

“Am I really?” The flower toon chuckled softly, resting his head on his shoulder, “I’m just glad you still care….that I still have a chance to redeem myself…”

“…You always had…You just never saw it…”

As the moon toon said that, he wrapped his arm round his shoulder, lifting him up once more. This time, however, it held a sense of caution, though urgency was still evident, “Let’s just go home now, just like you wanted…”

“I guess so— Cough”

“…You ok?”

“B-Better than ever…! Just go on, I can handle it, maybe.”

“…If you say so.”

With that, the duo continued their journey back to home. It wasn’t filled with the rushed selfishness from earlier, completely replaced with a quiet desperate conclusion. To go back to Gardenview, back to safety. Not to fulfill his own selfish needs.

The leaves of the trees swayed as they went forth with steady steps. Damp mud clung onto their feet as they stumbled over roots slick with moss. The forest blended in with the shadows, its shapes twisting into grins. Dandy’s movement faltered at each step, legs trembling as his head lulled on his shoulder.

It felt as though the woods were watching their struggles like the show they came from — But was it really amusing to see two figures fleeing from the consequences of time?

On the way back, Astro saw the cliff where they’d once watched the moon. He forced his eyes away. That night had felt like a prologue — and this, the ending.

The sunrise should clear the darkness soon.

Yet, it still felt like night.

 “…We’re back! Cough”

Dandy cheered, throwing his hands up as he slouched against him.

The moon toon blinked once, twice at the building in front of him. If this was supposed to be the sunrise in his story, why was it still dark? Why isn’t there a sense of resolution—

Right. Dazzle. 

At this rate, the sun might as well rise from the west.

“…Is this really it…”

He muttered, looking at the vents where he came from, “I guess we could quietly enter through there—“

“Wait, no, they kinda improved the security there…” 

The flower toon interjected, forcing his face away from the vents, “If you want a seamless entrance, it’s better if we climbed up a window or something.”

“….Mhm…”

“…Y’know, I could always do it myself.”

“Hm?”

Dandy nudged his shoulder, dragging his body to the nearby wall, “I know you still want to…go back there to the twins or whatever. I don’t really know what happened to them, but it must be bad if you still want to…”

Twin. Astro wanted to correct him. Just Dazzle, but he bit the bottom of his lip as he replied, “R-Really?”

“Well, it’s not like I can’t climb a wall myself…Even in this screwed up state—Cough”

“…”

“If you’re worried about what others may think, I could always twist the story—“

“No, there’s no need.”

The moon toon mumbled, soft yet confident. It doesn’t matter if the sun doesn’t rise, he always preferred the night. Besides, he wasn’t sure if Dazzle wanted to be in his epilogue…as much as he wanted him to be. 

Oh well, if he left him like that, he should respect his decision—

CRASH

A noise boomed through the silent atmosphere, halting their conversation. A painful landing, perhaps. It was followed by a yelp.

“O-OW Cosmo…You didn’t need to push me like that—“

 That voice…

Astro immediately looked at the direction of the noise, the other following foot. There sitting in the patch of grass was Sprout, rubbing his head in agony as he glared at the Swiss-roll toon near a window —Wait, wasn’t that window Dandy’s room?

Without being given a chance to speak, the berry’s eyes meet with his, then to the flower’s, his pupils dilating.

“W-Wait…You’re already back…With Astro?!”

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

This should be quick.

Dazzle stared at the building in front of him. The moss-streaked wall engraved the scene into him; the grass still held the sheen of blood. With twitching fingers, he placed Razzle by a rock before taking slow shaky steps to that bush.

The bush that hid ugly wounds of his imperfection.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed aside the thick branches. The sight was old yet unfamiliar. He swore the bodies were more ruined in his mind — bones sticking out from wounds, limbs twisted into unrecognisable shapes.

Now they just look like another nature’s accessory: repetitive, old, and insignificant. The only difference is that nature is beautiful; sins aren’t.

The tragedy mask crouched next to the bodies, paying no mind to how their hollow eye sockets’ piercing empty gaze. One final objective — Destroy. The toon he knew would’ve run away a long time ago. 

Instincts drive one to kill…but destruction is different.

Others kill for instinctive survival, but he wasn’t surviving, no, he’s doing it for himself. For vengeance. For proof.

The scent of iron and earth flared his nostrils. Carelessly shoving his hand into the pockets, the tattered fabric compressed on it. The silence only enhanced the rustles, every brush a reminder of his failure to be acceptable.

If he remembers right, one had a lighter. He recalled, feeling a hard bulge as he moved them around.

Rustle

Next body.

Rustle

The next.

Clink!

Of course it was in the pocket of that scientist.

In a swift motion, he roughly pulled the small metal box out, flesh squealing at the movement. He opened its hood, flicking it on once, twice.

Nothing.

Clatter

Dazzle’s leg shoved the body away along with the lighter, a force strong and purposeful. He strayed away from the light for this outcome? Rubbing his temples, he looked back at the building once more

A part of him wanted to go back to Gardenview, let the past be the past. Yet another wanted to continue, to demolish everything by hand.

It infuriated him—both choices were his. What could he do that wasn’t just more of the same?

What can he do that’s not him?

The tragedy mask’s body slumped against a tree, staring unfocusedly into the air. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how pointless it is. Every decision, every thought, they’ll all tie back to his own inhumane self.

Fleeing from this place? Proof of his inability to confront the truth.

Destroying everything? Proof of his lack of sympathy.

Succumbing to the opposition? Proof of his weak resilience.

Even staying like this shows that he’s unable to be logical.

The world around him slowly became a disorienting slop. The sky spiralling, the bodies becoming scribbles. He fidgeted with a fallen leaf, relishing the brittle crack.

He’d never be normal. He’d always be this monster.

…

…

So what, then? When has that stopped him?

Dazzle’s hand stopped its movements. Does it matter if he was like this? Nobody cares. Not a single soul. Because at the end of the day, it’s just him.

He made him get rid of these people, he made him avenge his brother, he made him feel…joy as those people perished with painful deaths.

Was that what that red was? Joy?

He…didn’t know…Was that why it all felt so…enjoyable? To see them pay for their mistakes ten times worse…Feeling the blood splatter…He hates the sensation, he really does, but feeling the pride when the smirks on their faces fall…

He is a monster. 

And he’s going to embrace it.

Even darkest places will hold light. He can do good, even if he’s a monster. So what good could a creature like him do right now?

Destroy the place into ashes.

This was where they punished others for desire — freedom. Joy in agony labelled as creation. Once gone, the cycle of loss and suffering will perish. He’ll definitely, certainly, stop more monsters like him from forming.

The tragedy mask pushed himself upwards as he walked over. Back to that warehouse. He picked up a stone along the way, heart thumping as he went. He vaguely remembered how to start a fire, back in a camp episode. Just a rock and another with metal content.

He wedged the lighter under his knee and struck it with the stone. A faint spark — gone. Again. Again. His hand cramped, the lighter slick with sweat. 

On the thirteenth strike, a spark caught the moss between the boards. Smoke. 

An ember crawled, then leapt. 

In minutes the siding drank flame. Heat rolled over him. 

He stepped back and watched the building burn. A small smile cracked his face as orange was painted across. A scream faintly echoed from the inside.

Beautiful.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

The journey upwards was agony.

The walls felt like fuzzy cat fur and jelly swallowing his body. Dandy’s head strained, ears ringing relentlessly. The last thing he remembered was Sprout calling out before pain swallowed consciousness. Well, not really — he could still answer, though it hurt to do so.

So he kinda gave only half-hearted replies.

“You’re already back…With Astro?!”

“Well…Who else?”

“…What in Gardenview happened to you…”

“Something bad I guess.”

Grunt

“Dandy, grab my hand!”

“H-huh—?!”

The flower toon snapped back to reality, a rope hanging from his room window. Sprout’s twitching hand reached out to him, teeth gritted. Well, he doesn’t blame him for the frustration. He looked ready to fall.

“Yeah…sure.”

He raised his hand…only to be yanked upward with startling force.

Crash

He swore he saw faint bluebirds circling his head.

Dandy slumped against the wall, trying to separate imagination from reality. Sprout glared at him from the corner of his eye, though concern flickered beneath the anger. Astro sat by the windowsill at the corner of the room, being treated by Cosmo, glancing over every now and then.

“Dandy.”

The berry toon broke the silence, rubbing his temples. “That. Was. Incredibly. Careless. Of. You.”

“…What was careless?” he murmured.

“EVERYTHING!”

He crossed his arms. “You went out so suddenly, then climbed in that dangerous manner—what part of that wasn’t worrying??”

“Erm…Having Astro back?”

The flower toon grinned, voice light.

Sprout’s brows only furrowed deeper.

“You’re going to be the death of me someday.”

He sighed, crouching beside him. “First you make me doubt my friendship with Astro, then when I decide to talk to you about it…you’re gone. Like him.”

He then grabbed his chin, turning his head as he examined it. “Look, I’m glad you two are back, really. But could you just properly tell me what the heck happened to you…”

“…Were you always that bald?”

“Huh?”

“D-Don’t mind him,” 

The moon toon spoke up abruptly, wincing as Cosmo tightened the bandage on his arm. “I think the poison’s gotten to him.”

“Excuse me?”

Astro looked away sheepishly as Sprout stared blankly. “I should’ve said earlier…but I was distracted by…other things…”

“…Dandy kinda ate belladonna berries—”

“WHAT?!”

Both the Swiss roll and berry toon shouted in unison, turning to each other in shared panic.

“Dandy…” 

Sprout muttered, eyes wide, “I knew you were an airhead, but seriously—eating belladonna berries??”

Dandy shrugged, downplaying the chaos. “Not my fault they looked like blueberries… besides, I only ate seven of them… so it can’t be that bad…”

“…Only seven?”

“Mhm!—”

“Lord, this is so, so much worse than I thought.”

Sprout stood abruptly, head snapping toward Cosmo. “You take care of Dandy,” he instructed, subtly glancing at Astro. “…I’ll deal with him.”

“Huh?” The Swiss roll blinked, startled. “Why me? Can’t you…do it yourself?”

“Well…who’s the better chef among us?”

“What does cooking have to do with treating poison?”

“I’m just saying! You’d make better remedies than me, sooooo…”

“…I guess.”

Cosmo moved to Dandy’s side, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get to the kitchen… hopefully I can find something in the cookbook.”

With that, he dragged the flower toon away. Sprout took a deep breath and turned to Astro. His posture stiffened.

“Now it’s just you and me…”

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Dandy’s back rested on the counter, staring up at the ceiling’s uneven bumpy texture. He tapped his finger against the cold marble surface, ticking away seconds as his vision spun. Cosmo stood beside him, rapidly flipping through endless pages of cookbooks.

“Come on, come on…” he muttered, eyebrows knitting together as he glanced over to him. “Nothing in these books say anything about poison treatments…”

Paper rustled and crumpled. The longer time passed, the faster his hands moved.

The flower toon slowly turned his head, silently watching as his hollow chest begged to do something. Anything. He’s the one who’s supposed to help, not need it. He doesn’t want to see any more pain—any more suffering.

But how could he possibly help?—

Clink

He nearly choked on his spit as a glass of water was pressed to his lips.

“Here… Drink up…”

The Swiss roll smiled, though he was clearly trembling. “I-I heard water should help with poison! From a food poisoning presentation… three years ago… I-I don’t know, I’m not an expert in—”

“No… It’s fine, thanks.” Dandy returned the smile, taking light sips. It felt like the water squeezed his throat tight, yet he forced the same soft expression. “Hey… Cosmo?”

“Huh—Yeah?”

Distracted, Cosmo looked up mid-page, eyebrow raised.

“Just wanna say… Keep up the good work!”

He smiled warmly. If he couldn’t help physically, he could at least help emotionally. Wasn’t that the first step to being his own main character?

“Oh…” The Swiss roll blinked, a faint red dusting his cheeks. “…Thank you, Dandy. I’ll try—”

“Cosmo—Dandy?!”

Both jolted, startled by the sudden voice at the entrance. Their attention shot to the source.

Arthur.

His hair was a mess, sticking out unevenly. Eyebags darkened his tired face, and the wrinkles on his cheeks stood out sharply. The co-founder rushed to Dandy’s side, forcing his mouth open as he examined.

“What happened?? I remembered Sprout interrupting my work because of you going missing… Then I overheard your conversation about eating poison—”

“W-Where’s Delilah?” Dandy muttered, softly pushing his hand away. “She always knows how to fix the issues with my body…”

“…She’s asleep, passed out from exhaustion,” Arthur replied, looking away for a moment. “I was helping her with the paperwork until…”

“Oh—Cough”

The other quickly rubbed his back, though the coughs only worsened. “How long has he been like this?”

“…Ever since he got here,” Cosmo answered worriedly.

Arthur took a deep breath, pulling a small vial from his coat and handing it to him. “Here, take this and put it into something edible. Delilah said it would ‘clean the blood’ or something.”

“Right… Mr. Walton, I’ll be back soon,” the Swiss roll said, gripping the vial as he hurried off.

“Be sure to be quick! I’ll keep Dandy company.”

With that, only the two remained. The flower toon lay on the counter, fidgeting with his hands. The co-founder stood silently beside him, gaze fixed on the floor.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“Hey, Dandy, if you don’t mind, could I ask some questions?”

Arthur scratched the back of his head, meeting his eyes. “I originally wanted to ask Astro, but he and Sprout seemed too busy ‘talking’.”

“Well uh…” Dandy trailed off, zoning out a little. “Sure—”

“What happened to him?”

“Astro, I mean,” Arthur clarified, slipping his hands into his pockets. “He looked pretty bruised, but I hope he’ll recover quickly. We can’t have any damaged toons displayed to the public.”

“…To be honest, I don’t know.”

The flower toon mumbled, gaze falling. “It’s hard to remember…My head hurts whenever I try to think.”

“Ah, I see. Then don’t worry.” Arthur patted his head reassuringly. “Me and Delilah have a bare idea of what might have happened…”

“Which is…?”

“How about the twins? Razzle and Dazzle?”

“I…never saw them once out there, so I actually don’t know.”

“…Oh.”

Arthur coughed, masking the heaviness in his tone, “That’s fine… I already planned what to do if something like this happened.”

“Huh?—”

“I’m back…!”

Cosmo returned with a cup of honey. “I placed the contents of the vial into the honey…Because usually honey’s used for sick people…If that’s ok…”

“That’s more than enough!”

The co-founder quickly took the drink and pressed it to the flower toon’s lips.

“Drink up! And everything will be nothing more than a bad dream…”

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆