Chapter Text
The main characters.
Dandy, Sprout, Shelly, Astro and Vee.
Their job was to provide fun, insure safety, entertain and maintain their status
But what happens when they weren't as resilient as they thought they were?
Three knocks are heard behind her office door. She takes a deep breath, removing her hand from her hair and leaning behind on her chair
She stares at the door for one, two, eight seconds as the knocks get louder and louder. her face doesn't change a muscle. too unbothered to actually get up and open the door herself. One of the documents on her table is stained with coffee, and she feels she might just leave whoever was there to wait for a call in the early morning
"Delilah, we have a serious matter to discuss, The mains have been acting abnormally, and today astro has been acting in an even more worrying way..." Austin said while knocking on the door, his voice muffled
"I never told you I had time. I'm too busy right now, look for Arthur and maybe he can help you with that." She groaned, her voice monotone and deep.
"We haven't seen Arthur anywhere... We were never trained to help them with these temperamental problems or production errors.."
Delilah perked up at that, straightening her posture. "...Production errors?"
She got up and opened the door, sitting down again and plunging her hand to her forehead, already sighing heavily. staring at the faces of the two very nervous employees.
They both entered the room, Austin fidgeted on his gloves, looking albeit panicked. Sam had a stern and serious expression on their face, their lips making a straight line and their eyes looking straight though Delilah's.
"Uh Delilah... The toon, Astro, is acting very abnormally... Y-you know he's always been really quiet and keeps to himself after his shifts, he doesn't talk much or leave his room after his working hours.."
"Hm. Go on."
"But.. Today when I went to talk to him about some plans he had been called, he was crying. And... he wouldn't stop crying. When I tried to talk to him, he didn't speak anything comprehensible.. his movements were lethargic and slow, he couldn't pick up things straight and all the sounds he made were blabbering..."
"Shanon and the mains are keeping an eye on him, he also doesn't seem to want to leave their side in any way. We need some type of explanation on these behaviours, because none of the staff has any idea on what's happening. The mains are all confused as well, and all of his mannerisms are the same ones of a small toddler. why haven't both of you told us that something like this could happen..?"
"...Was he acting like this Infront of the public?"
"W-what? No, but that doesn't answer-
"Did he interact with any fans in that way?"
"No! But that's beside the point, he doesn't seem to be pretending, and we're all worried"
"How long has this been happening?" She pushed her chair forward, leaning her body onto the table and staring at her notebook, jotting something down.
"... I think just a few hours... But if you mean him being quieter and "sluggish" then I guess just for a few months now... But we've been over this already." Austin pressed his fingers on his arm, looking over at Sam
"Hm... Bring him over here."
"Oh, right now!?"
"Yes, the faster you do this, the faster I can solve it." She ordered, moving her chair forward, her eyes narrowed as she picked up some papers and arranged them in order
"O-oh yes, we can get him quickly."
In the chilly hallway, four mains sat against the wall, all of them waiting patiently for Astro and his handler to come out.
The atmosphere was as cold as the marble floor, everyone remained silent as they thought of all the scenarios that this situation could unfold, until Shelly broke the silence
"....Do you think they're going to like... 'punish' him...?"
A collective "What?!?" Echoed itself through the walls to her ear, making her shrink on herself "nevermind! Nevermind-!
"Don't even say something like that!"
"Of course he wouldn't be! It- it isn't intentional!"
"Yeah! They would.. never do that."
"He didn't even act like this on stage so its fine."
[. . .]
"we are mains right..?" Shelly said softly, more to herself then to others. "We aren't supposed to.. y'know, act out. if we do, then what are the consequences..?"
"Nothing. We are naturally precocious, if they ever find a flaw i doubt it would actually be pestilent. Vee observed, her face straight
"..i don't want to feed into that thought process, but what would that help?" Sprout piped up
"It's not about if its useful, its about if its helpful to him. if... Acting like a child will help him keep stable then so be it." Dandy snapped, looking at him as if telling him "this discussion is over."
"But that wasn't even helpful to him! He was crying! For hours! I-its useless and it only makes us and himself confused... You don't know nothing–
The door of Delilah's office opens abruptly, Austin stepping off with Astro on his arms, his face absolutely despaired. As the handler and the mains exchanged eye contact, he walked to their direction
"Ah mains..! Im glad you're all here.. i can't stay here since Delilah dismissed me for the day, could you stay with astro for me..?"
They all watched Austin as he was already handing Astro to Vee without waiting for their response, he gave a brief smile and ran out the place as soon as astro was no longer on his arms
Their pupils dilated, but all shared the same expressions of worry, confusion and fear plastered onto them
Astro used three of his arms to grab onto Vee, resting his head onto her shoulder and putting his finger into his mouth, Vee gets startled for a bit, but shakes it off and gives him a little bounce to get a better grip on him, he lets out shaky giggles, her expression turns even more apprehensive then it was before, but she tries her best to not let it show
". . .i think it'd better if we bring him to his room" the others agree, and they start moving to their floor
They get on the elevator, as it was old it was taking longer then normal to get there. Long enough for Vee and Dandy to start something.
"... You're not holding him correctly." Dandy grunted
"How do you know the correct way to hold him?" She answered, snobbish.
"Please don't act like you don't interact with children All. The. Time." he smiled, not reaching his eyes
"Im not build for immature audiences. In contrast to you."
"Hahaha! Youre such an wonderful comedian Vee."
"Wow, that laugh wasn't joyful at all"
Shelly and Sprout glared at eachother, both too tired to even say anything in remarks to their bickering, Sprout took Astro from Vee's arms. To which she, nor Dandy noticed on the heat of that escalating argument
As Sprout felt Astros gentle weight press into him, his focus seemed to shift, Astro made small shrieking noises and his reaction was instant. Panic? Exasperation definitely ran into his veins as he felt Astro whine and squirm into his shoulder. He immediately started shushing him, rubbing circles into his back and bouncing him in his lap
Shelly walked behind them, she looked up to find astros very big frown, her tail dropped as she though of what to do fast. She put her hand on her chin as she wondered
"If he's like a child then I should do something that a child would like right? ...But i think hes actually very small... Ugh... Only if astro could tell me what to do..." As she stared at the ground she got a fast idea, looking up with a warm smile and suddenly putting her hands on her face
"Peekaboo!"
Astro watched as Shelly hid her face again and again, each time revealing a different silly expression, her funny antics made him stop wriggling, his giggles filling the silence next to a never ending fight. Shelly keeps her antics until sprout stopped, her bumping face first into his back, making Astro giggle even more
"We're here.."
"Oh yeah!"
She steps aside as Dandy opened the door; as curiously he had the key.
Upon entering his bedroom a cold atmosphere hit them, making everyone shiver as they walked in completely. The lights were not on, but there were thousands of stars scattered across the walls and ceiling, the lavender fragrance was relaxing, along with the dimmed lampshade next to his bed, It was puffy and full of fluffy blankets and plushies.
Even when the cold air was making it easier to breathe, the tense fog has installed itself as soon as that door closed. The place was dead silent, the only sounds present being of their shoes hitting against the floor, soft whirring of the air vents and Astros sleepy noises
Sprout took one, two steps ahead and tried opening the blankets so he could tuck astro in, even though he was holding astro with one hand, he didn't struggle much because astro was holding himself like a koala.
As sprout tried laying him down he noticed that all astros 4 arms has wrapped around him, not letting go.
a low, exhausted sigh left his mouth, as he traced circles on his back he murmured "Astro its okay, just let me go and you can have all the rest that you want alright?" Astro didn't move a muscle.
The others looked at him with worry, big frowns and tired eyes watched the scene, all three of them attempted to help, but when dandy moved his arm Infront of the girls they knew only he could actually resolve this issue
Dandy sat on the bed, coming closer so only astro could hear his murmurs "Astro, starlight... Its time to rest now, you like that right? If you come off of sprout I can give you a big hug before bed, how does that sound?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice astro took his face off Sprouts shoulder, slowly moving his way to dandy. Whining slightly at his friends lack of initiative on holding him at the moment he made grabby hands. Dandy understood his wishes, holding him under his arms and laying him on the bed, gesturing sprout to grab more blankets and put them above Astro. The strawberry complies, slowly doing so as his movements are lethargic from exhaustion. Sprout stands up, looking down at dandy and astro, the latter not really looking at anything.
"...if you want you can all go to your rooms, I'll take care of him tonight."
". . . You're going to stay up the entire night? That's ridiculous."
"Are you? Because you seem to be going on a shutdown in just a few minutes."
All four of them stand in silence again, even though Dandy has set his point very clear, that he wanted them out
"... Good night Dandy." Sprout said, turning his back and opening the door, looking behind him for the other two mains still in the room. As vee took two more looks at Astro she made her way into the door again
Shelly stood still, hesitating and then airily whispering something that all of them could hear. "Make sure you rest too! Good night!" As she closed the door, leaving the flower alone with his thoughts.
His thoughts and his mind
They all stared into doom, dread growing with the fluorescent lights that made their eyes burn. Vee groaned, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Delilah saw first hand how he was. And... I must admit I don't know what she's going to do about it."
Both Sprouts and Shelly's eyes widened, looking back their friend "....'do something about it'..? What is that supposed to mean?" Sprout said, panic started to rise on his voice.
"... Y-you think he's going to be repaired..?" Shelly murmured
"Why would he be repaired?! He isn't a malfunctioning machine! H-he.." he stopped talking as he felt the intense glare Vee shot at him, quickly hiding himself behind his scarf
". . . As much as i hate to add onto that analogy, sprouts right. He isn't a malfunctioning machine, he's a malfunctioning star." She said, distress hiding behind her unbothered expression
"....don't start vee"
"Im just stating fact"
"...Then state it quieter.." He hissed, trying not to shout, as the echos from the walls could easily be heard downstairs, where some of toons slept.
"Sprout, im not the only robot on this place"
He planted two fingers between his eyes, both of them closing intensely as he exhaled air stuck inside his lungs. Like its been there for ages
"I need a rest. both of you do. So please, let's not talk about this further... it'll give me nightmares" he said behind his scarf, not giving a chance to continue the conversation, he turned around and started walking to his room, face glued to the ground
"Good night for you too berry boy" Vee waved to his shoulders
"Sleep tight!" Shelly waved harder, maybe the only toon in there that had a fragment of enthusiasm in her bones
As both of them watched him walk down the hall, Vee made eye contact with Shelly. Both of them too stunned from the recent events to say anything about the subject.
"Good night Shelly."
"Night Vee"
Both of them walked to their respective rooms, finally letting the day end
Sprout woke up with a slight headache. Amazing news for the strawberry, that punched his alarm clock and stared at the ceiling for far too many seconds
6:00 am.
Great. just what he needed, unwanted "attention" from the founders and now the whole team is gonna pressure them even more. Sam is not gonna like the news...
The cloudiness in his head somehow made his head hurt harder... With a low whimper he put his hands in his forehead, pressing them against it. He rubs his eyes, quickly getting to his feet and sighing loudly.
"Neither time or a day stops for anyone..." He murmured, walking straight to his dresser and putting on his normal day clothes, picking one of the thousands of the same scarf and tying his apron on. Angrily stomping his foot on the ground when it would come undone after a long time trying to knot it correctly
He walked to the door and left the room, shutting it behind him, he kept walking directly to the greenroom, he watched as he saw staff already walking around the place, none of them directly looking at him
As he entered the greenroom the fluorescent lights hit his tired eyes, flinching back.
"No, no, stop being jumpy."
He murmured, steadying his stance and correcting his scarf, he has to be right. He has to be... Normal.
"Just act like you usually do... Maybe something to eat will calm me down-
"Sprout! There are you are! The other mains are already with their handlers and we have so much to do–"
Sprout flinched as Sam grabbed his arm, checking their clipboard as they dragged sprout somewhere else
"Uh Sam-!
"-Arthur is waiting to talk to you, since yesterday they wanted to get you all in check... You have been acting stranger then normal."
"..stranger then normal...?"
They both walked towards the elevator, .Sam pressed the button for the sixth floor and continued reading what they had written on their list. Several minutes of the sound of the elevator walls scraping against the outside ones, the bright flashing light that blinked repeatedly and Sam's pure silence was making his chest and stomach burn.
He looked down, wondering what "stranger then normal" could possibly mean. Fiddling with his hands and chewing on the inside of his mouth, he accidentally bit his cheek when the elevator finally came to a stop
"We're here. Come on, he's at conference B"
Sam said, pushing his head forward, he continued walking, trembling as the halls looked like they were colder than normal, the framed posters on the walls seemed to glare at him as he passed. Old smiling characters. Old slogans. "Be your best. Keep the studio shining." They told him again and again, he doesn't know how it isn't plastered into his mind with that much repetition.
He watched as Shelly exited the office right ahead, she was holding Shanon's hand, looking up at her with a weird expression... Her face shifted as soon as she spotted sprout.
"Shelly!" Sprout waved, running up to her
"Oh heya Sprout! I guess its your turn now.."
"Turn!? Turn for what? Are you okay?" He came closer to her, and she stepped aside
"I'm okay! They just asked some weird questions. I think they were talking with Dandy and Astro before me, I guess he's normal again"
"He talked to you?"
"Noo.. he didn't, but I saw him enter the room with Austin earlier and he was walkin' like normal"
"Oh.. that's great to hear I suppose"
"Mmhm"
Both toons looked up to Sam and Shanon chatting, clearly not even paying attention to them. The only thing that broke their talk being the sound of a call inside the room.
"You can bring him in!" Arthur said, a cheery voice that made sprout feel less anxious and more suspicious
"Bye! Good luck!" Shelly waved, a small smile gifted to him. he waved back and retrieved the gesture, finally entering the room.
He saw Delilah and Arthur next to eachother, the woman finishing to write something, the man looked at him with a positive expression
"Hey sprout! Are you ready to answer some questions?"
"Uhm i guess i am."
"Great, you can take a seat and i'll just grab my list"
He did as told, sitting in one of the smaller chairs the next to the table Delilah was
He looks back, and her table is a complete mess, papers scattered all around, ink and coffee staining some of them, her face was always tired, but for today it looked like she was more serious then normal. It made his hands tremble a bit on his lap
"You are dismissed by the way" even though her hand motioned to Sam, he still jumped with the sudden affirmation. He watched his handler leave the room, feeling his stomach twist for he's actually alone.
"Okay, here's my list, I already did this with Astro, Dandy and Shelly so don't worry about anything. Just try to answer as best as you can" Arthur said, giving simpathetic smile
"...alright."
He adjusted his glasses, flipping the clipboard to a fresh page “we’ll start this simple.”
He nodded, fingers tightening on the corner of his apron
“Have you felt any difficulty keeping your normal routine lately?”
Sprout blinked “…My routine?”
“Just answer naturally,” Arthur added, voice bright.
“Uh no? Not really. I’ve just been a bit… tired.”
Arthur hummed, jotting something down
“Alright,” he continued, “how about focus? Any trouble concentrating during work?”
“No.”
another scribble
“Any unusual reactions to stress?” Arthur asked, flipping to the next line.
“Emotionally, physically… or anything like that?”
Sprout’s jaw clenched. He shook his head too quickly.
“I–I don’t think so.”
Arthur didn’t respond verbally this time, only made a long note and hummed
“Next one, have you noticed any changes in your coordination? Dropping things? Difficulty with fine motor tasks?”
Sprout froze
His eyes darted to Delilah, her pen stopped mid stroke.
“…No.” he forced out.
“Memory then” he continued “You recall everything from yesterday clearly? No gaps?”
“No gaps,” Sprout answered immediately
Another check, another note
“Hm.. any impulses to act differently than normal lately?”
"No"
“Any emotional spikes?”
“No.”
sprout kept answering without thinking, but Arthur continued before he could wonder anyway.
“One last section” he chirped “Has any other main; Shelly, Vee, Dandy, or Astro seemed… off to you recently?”
Sprout’s heart slammed once, loudly.
"...Astro?"
"Yes, but before yesterday. Has any main acted differently then normal? Have you noticed Astros pattern shifting before he hid? Unstable or unpredictable?" Delilah asked
Sprout felt cold sweat gather under his scarf
He did. He had noticed his shift in attention, his motor skills, everything about him changed when the day started... He knew about his fear of crowds, but he had gotten used to it. All of them have, so his change in behavior was not easily missed
what would happen if he said that, though?
He forced his voice out, tiny and strangled
“N-No. Everyone’s fine. We’re fine.”
Arthur nodded, checking the final box
“Great! Thank you, Sprout. That’s all we needed” Arthur extended his hand towards his shoulder, the cold touch of his glove on the chilly office made him tremble, mentally swearing at himself
"T-Thank you." Sprout said, standing from his chair and opening the door, not bothering to look back, Sam greeted him
"Are you done now? We still have a lot of stuff to do"
Sprout looked up at them, worried.
"Y-Yeah. I'm done." He said, so small Sam almost didn't hear him.
"Nice. We have to prep for another commercial so we're going to the studio now" Sam said as they walked, grabbing his attention and hurrying over beside him, both of them turning to the elevator.
"No, no! Ugh Sprout you need to focus! Are you paying attention to what you're reading at all?"
The director yelled, clutching their head
"I am! I'm just having a bit of trouble-
"Look if you're going to forget your lines the entire session were going to rehearse for more hours then anticipated." Sam soon spoke, pressing their forehead
"-Sam.. I don't mean to rude but we're all trying our best here, don't be so hard on him" Dandy extended his arm Infront of Sprout, his cheery smile not breaking for even a second.
Sprouts face crumpled
"..yes I understand that, but he's interrupting the recording for much longer than we've planned. It's needed for him to put more effort into his work."
"It's been stressful for us, we need a break." Vee rose
"Yes! Uhm- we have done lots of work recently and we are just a bit tired,, maybe a five minute break?" Shelly asked, uncertain
Sam, however did not change their tone
"Listen, were remaking these shots until it's done. Dozens of times if needed. Do your small break and we're filming it all again"
Sprout lowers his head, a weird mix of shame and sadness filled his chest. The tiny frustrated glances and quiet sighs made his anxiety flutter; hence walking to the nearest chair on the back of the set
"Why can't I get this right? Its two lines. Two lines... If Cosmo were here..."
Vee, Shelly and Dandy walked up to him, sitting close on the other chairs scattered around the place. All of them with a look that screamed "are you okay?"
". . .so." Vee started
"..mhm.." he looked up at her, narrowed eyes and a small pout on his face as he pressed his hands together
"Look if you can't record today maybe we can reschedule to tomorrow."
"Yep! Its no big deal, if you're feeling bad you should take some rest" Dandy piped up, his big commercial smile plastered onto his face
"Sigh.. no it is a big deal. If i can't say my line right now I'll mess up our timetable"
"Maybe if you actually rested well enough we could prevent more problems from surging on our hands." Vee said casually, Sprout lifted his head in offence
"...do you think I'm failing? Because if this is the case i'm not." Sprout groaned
"Have i ever said anything of the sort?" Vee turned to Shelly
"Oh! Well.. you didn't but you kinda insinuated it" she shrugged innocently, next to her sprout rested his face on his hands
Muffled sounds of conversation stood in the background, the lighting passed through his hands and the prop production dropped felt like a gunshot. The feeling that everything and everyone we're getting way too close, he scratched the sides of his head, shrinking into himself till it was too much... The feeling of thirst washed over him. The need to be touched. The need to be coddled.
The need to be taken care of.
The need to be seen.
"Don't worry about me." Sprout popped up, a tired smile between his lips
"Hey pal i think you're asking for something impossible" Dandy put a hand on his back, earning a slight shiver in response
"You were ignoring everything we said, were you even paying attention-
"I'm fine. Maybe you should worry about YOURSELF for a change." Shifting his posture, he leaned back, shock in his face and concern on the others
"...sorry, i didn't mean to raise my voice."
". . . Sprout go rest. you look bad."
"Im fine.. don't worry about me"
A lie that no one believed at that point. Lowering his head, he stared at his trembling hands, wandering off another time
"Where even is astro...?"
he swallowed dry, slowly breathing and exhaling
"In... And out.. You've done this countless times, it's not a big deal."
He looked to his side, the other mains stared back, worry clear in their eyes and their silence that they thought something was wrong.
"I'm fine, we can go back now"
Even though he felt ready, the ever-growing fog in the back of his mind kept getting closer and closer, just enough to give him a headache, just enough to make him hesitate.
"Whatever you say berry boy" Vee stood up from her chair, walking ahead
Shelly tapped his shoulder
"Don't worry about messing up, were all a little stressed out, right?"
"Haha yeah you're right. Let's just get this over with."
"Breaks over!"
A voice cut across the set, too sharp and too loud. Sprout couldn't stop himself from flinching
They all walked under the studios lights and cameras, the eyes of the crew locking again on all four of them. The place buzzing with the "work is starting again" tension
Now, the only thing that mattered was that he didn't break.
He's a natural star. a gifted main with an easy-going relationship to the role he was gifted.
Well, he isn't really now.
The work flowed as natural, sprout ignored the overgrowing fog taking over his head, the buzzing sound getting louder and louder, all the cameras pointed directly at him, his back and feet pain from standing for so long. He tried not to be affected. He tried not to show
And with dissociated hours, they finished the recording.
relief washed over his body, even though his legs still shook and his hands twitched, everything was fine now.
Maybe not that fine.. as he heard many complaints about his posing being "too stiff" or his voice being "too low"
Dandy said it was fine. Dandy said that he did his best, and that's all that mattered.
His voice gave him a migraine
Shelly walked behind sprout, her expression like a tragedy just unfolded Infront of her eyes
"Are you okay? Did something happen??" Sprout quickly asked, nerves wrecking inside him
"No.. its okay, i was jus' a bit worried about you.." She fiddled with her fingers lightly, clearly tense.
"Ah just that.. Im fine Shelly. are you sure you don't need anything?"
"No! I don' need nothing! It's jus' that you were getting us worried a tiny bit.. you seemed to be spacing out"
His face went blank. The rising feeling of nausea hitting his stomach like a punch.
"Ah! did i say som-
"No. You didn't say anything. Just go rest okay? If Cosmo is looking for me tell him I'm in the kitchen" and as fast as his answer he turned his back and rapidly crossed the corridor
Sprout kept his head down, the loud noises and lights still buzzing on his head, he throws a hand onto his head as he tried making sense of his thoughts, as it seemed to solve into mush
"I can't be doing this today..."
He spots the kitchen and his pace quickens, with the urgency you'd see in someone that is running for their life- Sprout grabs the handle and slams the door shut. not bothering to check if anyone was in the room.
Trying to calm his breathing, he inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth a few times 1 to 3 times. He looked down at his hands, frowning as they haven't stopped trembling.
He takes a few steps towards the book that was sitting in the cupboard, opening it and pulling out a note on the first page. The recipe for the cupcakes they were supposed to make today. He had completely forgotten about it...
Sprout sighed leaving the note to the side and staring off at the ingredients that were ready to use
Somehow.. the fact that Cosmo couldn't be with him even when he didn't want to, felt worse then everything that has been happening.
Another anvil thrown at his back. Risking break him clean in half
No... No no, cosmo shouldn't see him like this in the first place. Even though everything in his day has been terrible, his back and legs are hurting, he has a migraine and his eyes are burning doesn't mean anything. He would hate to make him worried.
He would hate to... Be hugged. And told everything is gonna be fine. And that the other mains are okay... And that feeling small isn't something bad at all-
No.
No. Fuck that.
He picks up his cooking book off the shelf and frantically turns the pages, moving fast enough that he couldn't even comprehend what he was looking for. He finds the page for standard cupcakes and chocolate frosting and gets to work.
Sprout grabs the the ingredients closer and goes back to the oven to preheat it at 180C. Plotting the butter and the sugar and beating it with all strength he had left in his arms. The
sound of the metal and the ingredients were starting to feel louder and louder, like at any point it would just explode in his ears
He put two large eggs, flour, salt and vanilla and added to the mixture.
Before he could wonder if he put too much salt he notices that batter were splatting around the cupboard, flour stained his hands and his arm felt like it was gonna drop at any seconds notice.
He slowly blinked a few times, closing his eyes and jumping a few seconds after, he finally stopped whisking.
Pouring the mass onto the cupcake cases wasn't easy either. It was falling off to the sides and really not collaborating with his tired whines and pouts.
He walked to the oven with the case, extra slowly Incase he dropped it. Leaning forward to reach deeper of the rack, he felt the heat of the fire burn his face. Instinctively closing his eyes, he tumbled sideways, making his arm hit the over rack, unbearable heat biting into his skin.
He jumped backwards, the door slamming with a loud thud.
The air went still, and that moment remained frozen for a few more seconds
Until it started.
Small hiccups wavered through the kitchen,
quiet enough that someone in the same room might not have heard them
To Sprout, the sound felt like a tsunami inside his head, drowning out every thought before it could finish forming.
His brain felt like mush, his limbs were fragile and he couldn't coordinate his movements normally. Emotions rose as he felt a mixture of sadness, pain and anger build up in his chest, too big to contain.
Everything felt too big.
Too big for someone this small.
No- wait.
He wasn’t small. He was an adult, god damn it.
An adult with responsibilities.
an adult that really needs someone to fix his problems for him
He needs Cosmo.
If Cosmo were here, everything would be better. And he maybe would even be proud that he made those cupcakes all on his own even with everything hurting
It's not something new, but now it felt like a big accomplishment. Something to make Cosmo tell him that he did a good job
The tears had stopped running, and he wiped his nose onto his arm, trying to stop the sniffles that blocked all smells around
He yawns, making little fists with his hands and rubbing his eyes. Why was he so upset again?
Hm... maybe because he didn't see Cosmo at all today? That was probably what caused his migraine, he should really go look for him.
He gets up, wobbling a little bit to the sides, he adjusts himself and walks to the door, just to suddenly... Stop?
No.. there was something wrong.
His chest tightened. He sucked in air too fast, coughing hard as his throat burned.
Sprout turned his head in such rapid speeds that it could have snapped right there. His eyes widened as he stood in shock. His mouth agape
Looking at it hurt his eyes, but he couldn’t look away.
His body refused to move.
Heat licked at his skin—or maybe it was just his own body burning. if he was fast enough he could put it out easily.
so he shouldn't waste any time
anxiety flooded his body, his legs, lips and arms shook uncontrollably. Every second felt shorter than the last, and the fire seemed to swell, louder and brighter than it had any right to be
he felt his chest compress against itself, the anguish crawling inside his skin. his body creating a fire of it's own
Too hot.
Too loud.
He had-
He had to-
Sam told me-
Pull the pin.
Sprout moved. Running to the other side of the kitchen, he took the fire extinguisher out of the wall and dragged it to the fire. metal shrieking against the floor.
He aimed the nozzle and squeezed the handle. The loud sound echoes through the walls
He blinked.
And he looked up.
...The fire hadn't even reached the roof yet.
. . .
He tried sucking in air, it barely managing to reach his lungs.
Slowly, he put the extinguisher down. flinching when it hit the ground
He took one deep breath. Taking in the loud silence of the room. White foam coated the floor, the oven door hung open. The air stung his throat.
Cosmo is going to see this.
They're going to see i did it alone, and it was all my fault.
His chest tightened again, not fast this time, but heavy.
Before another thought could form– he turned, not hesitating for even a second
Like always
He just ran.
Cosmo walked through gardenviews halls with a curious expression, glancing at each corner of the place as he fiddled with his fingers, his eyes flickering through small groups of toons hanging around on the main area.
he looks over at one of the benches and his face lights up as he spots a familiar face, quickly heading over there with anticipation
"Shelly! could you help me a bit?" he huffed, stopping to catch his breath
Tisha and Shelly stopped talking, both looking a tad bit concerned at his exasperation
"oh hey cos! whats with the hurry?" Tisha motioned for him to sit, but he shook his head
"haah.. me and sprout planned to meet over here after he's done with your main stuff, but he didn't show up! he has never done this before..."
Shelly looked down, frowned, pressed her fingers onto her chin, then snapped her fingers
"oh yeah! He told me to let you know that he would be in the kitchen! hehe sorry i forgot..." Shelly scratched the back of her neck, Tisha giggled and Cosmo sighed in relief
"Thanks shells... that actually makes sense. maybe when we're done we could see some more prehistoric plants together maybe?"
"OH YAY!! yes please!!" Shelly beamed, the biggest smile Cosmo has ever seen stamped onto her face. she seemed to be acting a little different then normal.. but that could just be shelly.
with his goal set in stone he hurried over to the kitchen
He walked through the corridors excitedly, Sprout has probably already started to make the cupcakes! he hopes they aren't ready yet... he was really looking forward to decorate them together
he spots the kitchens doors, maybe 3 times as tall as him. before opening it he notices a strange smell
sprout probably has burned something again, just hoping that Sam doesn't get too mad when he gets back from that meeting they were having
he entered the room, then stopped.
the kitchen was a mess. (not an unfamiliar sighting)
there was dough and flour all over the counter, white mess was coated up the oven and walls, and the fire extinguisher was just left there
"Sprout..?"
No answer
Cosmo entered, looking around the room for any clues of his presence. Unfortunately nothing was found
A million questions started to appear to Cosmo all at once.
has he left to look for me...? did he go to his room? did he go to look for Tisha to clean it up??
He walked out, closed the door and He jogged toward the greenroom first
empty.
Then the edge of the studio, peeking past equipment, heart pounding harder with every second
Nothing.
That was when he saw Vee talking to the other mains
“Hey– Vee” Cosmo waved her down, breathless. “Have you seen Sprout?”
Vee's expression didn't waver, Dandy perked up. “He went to the kitchen, didn’t he?”
"Uh.. I guess so.. i-i think a fire started and he left– but I couldn't find him anywhere..Not even his room."
They both changed faces, their eyes widening as Vees tail stopped swinging back and forth
Dandy put a hand on cosmos shoulder "You don't have to worry about it. We're gonna find him"
"Ah can i look for him too..? Im a bit worried.."
"You have nothin' to worry about cos! He prolly just forgot to wait for you" Shelly smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Uhm... Alright..?"
"He's okay... don't worry about it" Astro murmured, moving his stars closer to Cosmo, perhaps to comfort him
Cosmo watched them turn away, speechless.
Sprout wouldn't "forget" about me. I know him better then i know myself...
he's not having it
Cosmo walked behind them, trying his best to be stealthy. Astro looked behind himself a couple times, gladly he hasn't noticed the toon.
Carefully listening like a shadow; Cosmo heard something that catched his attention
"what were you planning on doing?"
"Since hes probably hiding we should check the more remote places. Any that doesn't have people in it."
"Hiding..? What would he be hiding for?"
If hes hiding then you should find him first.
"That's not a good idea... They told me to not worry about it"
Sprouts been acting weirder then normal. What if he's hurt? If he isn't telling you then it's a clear sight for concern.
Cosmo hissed, backing out a bit.
"I should just go"
And off he went. Walking back to the corridor the kitchen resided
He stood Infront of the door, and looked at the rest of the hallway. Multiple different door that he hasn't entered ever. Only when sprout wanted to show him something
He wandered upfront, listening attentively at any sound cues he could hear.
Until he heard it.
A very faint noise inside one of the doors, he pressed his face against it and the sound just got louder.
It's here.
He grabbed the door handle and twisted it, very gently opening it and stepping in
He tip-toed his way in, in fear that any noise could actually startle him– IF he was actually here
He looked around, already feeling the disappointment hit him when–
He heard small hiccups behind him
He turned around with a gasp, his eyes wide with fear and relief.
Till the scene he saw broke his heart completely.
Sprout was sitting in the corner, knees pulled in tight, head hiding inside his arms, his shoulders shook with each uneven breath, hiccups breaking through despite his obvious effort to stay quiet.
He looked impossibly small like that. Folded in on himself. Trying to disappear.
“Sprout…?” Cosmo whispered
Sprout choked on his hiccups, his coughing becoming as violent and uncontrollable as his trembling. Cosmo put a hand on his mouth, trying to step closer– but didn't know if it was safe.
Cosmo lowered himself, careful to stay at Sprouts eye-level
"Sprout. It's okay. Im here"
Sprout flinched.
A few seconds passed before he lifted his head again, sudden and desperate.
a big pout and unstopping tears are shown. without a minute to process he whines to him. Extending his arms towards Cosmo
Cosmo stands struct. complete shock and worry are obviously plastered onto his face: something that sprout strongly dislikes. He wailed, loud and raw, slamming his arms against the floor.
The sound startled them both.
Cosmo stared eyes wide. Too unsure to know if he should say something or move
He looked at sprout for a few more minutes, until he noticed that his face was getting redder and redder. By the looks of it, he was getting close to a meltdown.
Sprout still inched forwards, shaking and scared.
it finally clicked in cosmos head, so he gave him a small hug. which sprout practically melted into. Moving his head into the crook of cosmos neck.
Cosmo’s hand came up slowly and gently, rubbing small, steady circles into his back.
–
Sprout’s breathing was still a mess at first.
Sharp, stuttering inhales scraped at his throat, each one catching halfway in before spilling out again in a shaky sob, his chest hitched against Cosmo’s.
Cosmo persisted, without moving, he took a deep breath, as if trying to encourage Sprout to do the same.
Sprout clutched at his shirt, fingers twisting into the fabric. Another sob tore out of him — then another — but they were smaller now. Less explosive. More tired.
Sprout clung to Cosmo, he faintly heard the latter's rhythmic heartbeats, slowly steadying his own.
A broken sob caught in his chest, then dissolved into a quiet, wet exhale.
His shoulders were still tense, still high, but they sank a fraction with each slow rise of Cosmo’s chest beneath him. He followed it without realizing—inhale, pause, exhale
sprouts head rose- only a little. but it was enough for cosmo to perk up at that, paying close attention
sprout murmured something, as low as a whisper. "sprout? im sorry, i didn't hear that could you say it again?"
sprout lifted his head, humming slowly until he actually babbled something. not really "said" anything but he seemed to be dragging out his words
"Cos- Cossie..." and that was enough to make Cosmo sigh in relief and worry. the two emotions mixing up in an uncomfortable way.
"yeah sprout?" he answered softly.
"mm... i was- i was sad.." Cosmo frowned, rubbing his hand gently on his back
"yeah... i can see that– do you know why you were sad?"
"were mad... an' i did bad..."
"oh you were mad?"
"no... mad at me..."
"oooh– oh... sprout.." Cosmo cooed, tracing his hand to his hair. "its fine now. im sure Sam knows you didn't mean to burn the kitchen down." sprout sniffled at that. way too tired to tell further details.
he closed his eyes, practically melting under the touch as he put his thumb in his mouth
"-ah! sprout your hands are dirty... let's not do that please.." Cosmo tried pushing the finger away, but he just pouted and hid his face in his chest
Cosmo sighed but he didn't insist.
he knew that if he did he would just worsen the situation. better to just keep him calm. hes already endured enough
Few minutes passed, both of them not saying a word. Only a few giggles as sprout poked cosmos star freckles, that glowed in the dark.
Cosmo started getting tense again. as he felt sprouts breathing had evened out he still thought that he should do something. Say something to help him.
"... Sprout it's okay. im always gonna be here, you know that right?" the pastry whispered, looking down as he noticed that his friend has been resting for a while now.
A tiny, exhausted sound escaped him as his forehead nudged closer, seeking more contact. When Cosmo didn’t pull away, Sprout sagged completely, weight fully given over.
"..hm.. missed you..." Sprout mumbled under his breath
"haha.. i did too. I was getting a bit worried while looking for you"
"Whu? Why..?"
"Well..It's unusual for you not to show up when we're hanging out. And it's even less common for you to be hiding here, haha.."
"hm.. s-sorry..."
"Don't worry about it. What matters is that you're not hurt. The fire couldn't reach you did it?"
"No... It w's my fault... an' i burn the cupcakes.. an' i keep messin' up.. i didn' mean–"
"Im know you didn't mean to do anything wrong Sprout. Sometimes bad things happen without our control. What matters is that we fix what's broken and apologize."
"Mhmhm..."
They feel into a deep silence. And Cosmo felt restless. Like there was more to be said, but he shouldn't speak. Maybe sprout felt like this too... As he stared up at him, him big weary eyes looking. Waiting...
Cosmo got a better grip on him, rocking him back and forth unconsciously, stroking his leaves down
"...cos..." His eyes widened, now finally spiraling out of his thoughts
"Yes sir sprout?" He smiled warmly, a failed attempt to avoid making him uncomfortable. Perhaps he was doing it more for himself than the other...
"mm... im wr..wong?" Huh?
"Uh- wrong? What do you mean..?"
"...shouldn't feel like 'tis.. it's wr-ong..."
".. sprout you're tired okay? Your speech is almost incoherent right now... And whatever you're feeling will probably pass tomorrow.. just hang tight with me."
Sprout pouted. Cosmo felt his breathing quickening under him, oh no
"...dumb.."
"What?"
"Youre... Dumb. verwy dumb...."
Sprout pressed his face onto cosmos chest once again, throwing a small, scared tantrum. kicking his feet lightly on the ground
"Ah sprout..." Cosmo looked at him and at the sides, as if looking around on that dark room was going to give him the answers to his infinite questions.
"Im... Im sorry. You're not wrong, and what you're feeling isn't bad. Im just having a hard time understanding it. You're very strong for talking with me, okay? Im proud of you."
Cosmo felt his hoodie start to get wet. Sprout digging up his face and rubbing the tears and his nose on his arm. He bit down whatever reaction he could have had in that moment, rubbing his head with love
"m not bad then...?"
"Of course you aren't. You're always good, even when you do mistakes. That's why so many people count on you. Because everything you do, you do to help. You're a good boy Sprout..." Cosmo kissed his forehead gently, feeling his breathing even out.
"..t'ank you Cossie..." "Of course buddy."
Sprout pressed his head one last time, finally closing his eyes for good. They sunk like an anchor in the sea, quieting down
Cosmo took a deep breath, lifting his head upwards and resting it against the wall. His own eyes starting to drop too.
His mind went blank. his head overcrowded with all the information he had received all at once, he focused on the tip of his fingers.
He felt each leaf stem against his head, forming the figure of his friend in his mind. He felt his other hand move up and down Sprout's back, his heartbeat in complete paralleling with eachother. It was calm.
His friend was in his arms, and he knew he was safe from whatever happened to him today. They were both safe, because they were together.
.
.
.
Cosmo perked up at the sudden noise, instinctively wrapping his arms around him. All of his attention now shifted to the door. As the steps and muffled talk were getting louder and louder.
Cosmo shifted to the side, bringing sprout closer. Breathing accelerating as he heard the door creak.
He jumped, and Sprout stirred.
"Shhh... Shh.. it's okay– just go back to sleep... cosmo whispered. The lights from outside entering the dark room.
"This is the last place we could check."
"If he ain't here then I'd assume he vanished"
Astro entered the room, Shelly following him close. She was holding his hand and practically hiding behind him. Astro crouched down and instructed her to do the same. "Dark places like this are the most likely." Astro mumbled under his breath, squinting his eyes as he tried searching for darkness. Shelly quickly got distracted, searching behind some boxes and chairs until she spotted something that looked rather toon-like. She gasped, excitedly pointing in the direction she saw them.
"Theres something in there!!" She yelled, giggling as the mains turned their heads at the same time. "Great job Shells, just use your inside next time." Astro patted her head as he headed over ag the spot she pointed. "oh! Yeah sorryy..."
Vee ran past him, her eyes widening as she made direct eye contact with Cosmo. Standing right Infront of him in surprise while the others walked behind her. The air stayed still. Nobody dared to move
The first to act was Dandy. He walked next to vee and looked up and down at the toons. HIS corporate stance and smile unbreakable, unlike the way he broke the silence "i thought i told you that this is main business only pal.."
Cosmo cowered, but he stood firm. "He wasn't doing well alone."
"So you 'coincidentally' found him first?" Vee asked sarcastically, the tip of her tail swang from side to side.
"... He's asleep right now."
"Then we're getting him."
"I want to go with you-!"
Dandy took a step forward, his plastic smile already changing into something more harsh.
"Cosmo, as much as we know how much you cherish Sprout, you don't know him like we know him." He took a pause, and crouched down. "He's going to be fine tomorrow. Are you telling anyone about this situation?"
Cosmo was left speechless. Nothing coming out of his mouth other then air. He swallowed dry.
"That's what I thought"
Astro knelt down, reaching one of his hands to sprout, shaking him a little. Cosmo had to bite down the strange urge to slap his arm right then and there
Sprout slowly opened his eyes, gripping cosmos shirt tighter and digging his head in his neck
"Sprout..." Astro whispered, in a comforting, almost astral voice. Almost like how a aurora boreal to sound like. It was calling to him.
He fully opened his eyes, now glaring at the moon that gently offered his arms to him. He let himself be held.
But when he started to feel the loss of warmth, he immediately started whining. Reaching out to Cosmo as he was gently rocked, a small attempt to make him not be as loud as he was getting.
Astro held Shelly's hand, they both leaving the room first. Dandy and Vee stayed there for a few more seconds as a way to remind him. you don't have any say in this.
And he was left there. Alone. Stunned and worried. He looked at the ground as he contemplated what the fuck just has happened.
His hands were no longer warm; the freezing ground chilled his hands and his body. He no longer felt the comforting warmth, only the cold. The cold of not having his sprout for him to hold.
His Sprout...