Work Text:
Wailing of a monsterish reflection chased Astro. His twisted variant used its bony arms to grab at him. As soon as one arm was dodged another immediately followed. Twisted Astro grabbed the back of his blanket, ruthlessly ripping him back. As a desperate attempt to escape he released his blanket but two new arms had grabbed his torso. Ichor dripping from Twisted Astro’s eye on his face. Soon searing pain shot through him as sharp needle-like teeth sunk into his neck. He can feel venom being pumped into his wound.
An air horn rang out. Looey started to distract the massive skeletal twisted, giving Astro a get away. Shelly was finishing the last machine as Scraps kept watch. The panic timer started. All four members dashed to the elevator. Astro gasped feeling weakness spread through his body. He was drowsy, which was normal, but this was a heavy sinking drowsiness. He rested on the cold metal wall. The coolness was refreshing, he stayed for a bit longer as the team bickered about what card to choose.
Eventually the time to get up was necessary. He started to get up, except his body wouldn’t cooperate. His mind commanded his legs to shift but they stayed limp and dead. Next he tried his arms, first set. Can’t even lift an inch. Second? Not a single twitch of muscle movement. Panic started to crawl into his mind. He needs to call out. He tried to move his mouth but it remained where it was. He started to scream mentally, no sound. He needs someone to notice, please someone notice he’s not okay.
Wait, were they leaving? no, please, no, help, help please! Don’t go! Someone help me!
The door closed. He was alone. Nobody to help, completely paralyzed, trapped inside his own mind. The shop gears click, Dandy. Can Dandy save him?
Dandy raised his shop up, expecting to get an empty elevator. He looks to the side and sees a slumped over figure, his hat sliding off his head.
“Astro? Whatcha doing, shouldn’t you be out?” He asked, questioning why he was not with the team.
“…”
At the lack of anything from the moon he started to get concerned . “Hey bud, what’s with the silent treatment, we’re still friends right?” He started to get closer. “Are you dozing again?” He gently lifted Astro’s head to look at his friend, still a smiling grin on the flower’s face. The smile fades at the expression frozen on Astro. His eye was open, it would occasionally blink and look around but it focused on Dandy. Black tears leaked down his cheek. “Astro….” He stared for a bit longer, begging for a response, but nothing came. “Oh ichor..”
he started to gently lift Astro, his body was completely limp. Dandy walked carefully to his shop, leaning Astro against a cushion and double checked him making sure he was comfortable. He needed to talk to Vee despite his personal feelings about her, she could scan Astro and figure out what’s wrong with him. He swallowed his pride, and pulled the leaver to lower his shop. The room under the elevators was spacious and warm. He winced as he noticed Astro was jociled during the dissension. He picked him up once again to place him onto a bean bag.
Dandy got a tape to insert to the old tv as he spoke very softly to his best friend. “Here, one of your favorite episodes, you watch this while I get Vee to diagnose you ok?” He half expected a response or nod or grunt. The silence was unnerving. He made sure to keep Astro comfy while he’d be unattended. He frowned, he was nervous to leave him alone. He gently stroked Astro’s head to show that he wasn’t leaving, just getting help. “I’ll be back, ok?” He started to leave and go back up a different elevator, lifting the shop, leaving Astro alone in the room.
The second team was mostly full, as it was early in the run. Vee looked up with a twitch in her digital eyebrows. “Dandy.. it’s cards, go back down,” she huffed.
He tried to downplay his irritation “well Vee I actually need your help”
That got her attention Dandy never asked for her help “what’s the matter?” She lost most of her sass realizing something serious was going on.
“It’s in the shop room, I need you to scan something,” he spoke, trying to be vague so as not to scare the rest of the team.
“Yeah ok,” she walked onto the shop, sitting on a crate as Dandy lowered the shop floor down to the lower room area. The TV was still on.
Dandy walked over to Astro “hey bud, can you move at all now?” Vee walked over to the scene. “No, he’s still giving me nothing,” he sighed and scrunched his eyebrows with his fingers. “This is what I need help with, something happened in his run, now he’s completely.. limp” Vee expression blinked to a worried one, she gently pushed Astro but he didn’t react. She gently shifted Astro back in place before sitting next to his beanbag.
“Can you scan him?” Dandy asked
“Yeah, yeah,” she started to scan his vitals. Soon a result popped up. “It’s a rare bodily reaction to venom, ichor shock,” she used her screen to search some more “it temporarily shuts down the body”
“Is there any way to heal him?”
“According to my resources, warm water can start the muscles back up”
“Thank you Vee, genuinely,” she nodded in response
“I’m trusting you to take care of him, Astro is my friend too,” she spoke,
“I promise I will”
“I’ll be back with some medicine, Brightney is going to have some knowledge on that,” she went back to the floor lift and sent herself back up to converse with her bookworm friend.
“Ok warm water, come on Astro” he picked his friend back up, holding him gently. Dandy goes to the elevator leading to the Gardenveiw. He tried his best to be discreet with Astro. He covered his body with his favorite blanket, keeping him hidden. He walked to the bathroom, and started a warm bubble bath. He kept Astro wrapped up in his blanket, leaning on the sink. The tub filled up to the brim, foam sudsed up and some bubbles lifted over the tub egde.
He slowly dipped Astro into the soapy bath, using the soothing water to relax the shot muscles. Dandy cupped the water in his hands, before dropping it onto Astro’s shoulders. “There you go, you’ll be better soon” he stayed with him for a few minutes before he saw an arm twitch.
“Mmnn….” He heard a light slur of noise.
“Astro, are you waking up?”
“Mmnn…”
“Ok, you can’t talk super well right now,” he sighed, mostly relieved that Astro was showing signs of life. “Your moving, that’s great,”
At some point Dandy had removed Astro from the bath and repositioned him back in front of the TV, letting have some entertainment while he recovered. Brightney has shown up with herbal tea to help Astro.
“This will help,” she told him “Vee and I have been researching hard,” she bore a determined look before softening for Astro, giving him a head pat and departing.
He watched Astro clenched and unclenched his hand. More moving.
“Mmnghhh..”
“I know.. I know, bare with me “
“Mmnn”
“Do you want more tea?”
“Mmnn”
“Ok, here you go” Dandy lets him slowly drink by putting the mug to his lips and having the moon sip quietly. Astro started to hum. “Good job, good job” Astro groaned into the mug but Dandy continued to coax him “come on, you're almost done,” he tilted the cup more so he could get the final drops. Eventually Astro finished the tea, and Dandy placed the mug down.
Dandy shifted Astro to lean on him, this poor moon, he was exhausted. Dandy felt Astro close his eyes, small noises came from him. If anything, just hearing anything from Astro is an absolute win. Dandy listens to Astro’s gentle breath, he watches as Astro arms would twitch, indicating that his muscles were starting back up. He’s getting better, he’s coming back, that’s all that matters.
Eventually it was time to put Astro to bed, Dandy opted for his room since it was closer and he’d have to carry Astro. Astro can have his bed, Dandy will use a sleeping bag or something. He placed his friend, tucking him well, fluffing his pillow, all the necessary steps for a perfect night. When he was finally satisfied, he took a step back to admire his work when a loud scratching noise came from the door. Immediately know what it was. He let in Pebble. The rock happily barked but Dandy immediately hushed him.
“Shh Astro is asleep, be a good boy and stay quiet ok,” he pets his head before Pebble runs to his owner’s room. He hopped on the bed and tucked himself into Astro’s first set of arms, grunting softly in content. “Heh, good rock, keeping Astro company,” Dandy praised as Pebb's tail thumped on the bed.
“Alright goodnight you two,” he whispered before sliding into his sleeping bag.
tiny paws scurrying across the floor is what Dandy woke up. Before he even opened his eyes Pebble had let out a bark. “Pebble, keep it down,” he grumbled and opened, blinking slightly, when his vision cleared his jaw dropped to the floor. Astro was up, he was standing. Not very well, he was holding the bed frame for support and his legs shook like twigs in a gust, but he was standing, which means he could get up by himself.
“Astro! Oh my ichor!” He practically shouted before rushing over to catch the moon.
“Dannn..” Astro slurred, still not fully in control yet.
“Yeah, it’s me, Dandy!” He hugged him so tightly Astro might have suffocated.
“Tight…” he whimpered which made Dandy immediately pull back
“Sorry, I’m just , so relieved to see you more like yourself,”
Astro pushed himself up with his shaky arms putting his body in a sitting position. He tilted his head slightly before smiling. “Danndyyy..”
“Yeah, you're getting better…”
“Wanna… watch….”
“Oh you want to watch some more episodes?” He questioned before Astro nodded in affirmative.
“Ok whatever you want bud.” He pats the main’s shoulders before helping back onto the couch to watch tv. Even now Astro had so much more life to him. He was getting better.