Chapter Text
The run had ended smoothly. No one had gotten hurt.. everyone was back in one piece. Those are the benefits of having an effective healer and distractor on the team. Vee was chatting with Brightney before she waved goodbye.
Vee was about to walkbback to her room when she noticed Astro was lingering behind her, observing. Vee waved at Astro, smiling at him. He smiled back, his hands clasped behind his blanket as usual. He had actually been preparing for this moment for so long.. and he was finally going to take action. Astro's voice was quieter than usual, a hint of nervousness in it as he spoke:
🌘 : "Vee?"
Vee turned, her screen bright and steady like it always was:
🎤 : “What's up, Astro?”
🌘: "I… wanted to show you something.. follow me."
🎤 : "Very well.."
Vee and Astro stepped away from the others, stopping near the big tree in the middle of Gardenview's main area. Astro faced Vee fully now, his glow flickering in a way that showed how nervous he was.
Vee tilted her head, raising an eyebrow as she looked back at Astro:
🎤 : “So, what did you want to show me?”
Astro lifted one of his hands. Vee was the only Toon he was comfortable showing his hands to. Once he did this, a soft blue shimmer gathers in his palm. Then, with a gentle motion, he released it into the air.
The particles rose, swirling upward until they formed a constellation.. delicate, shimmering lines connecting bright points of light. It looked like a crescent moon wrapped in a ribbon of stars.
Vee’s screen flickered for a split second, her eyes wide as she watched carefully:
🎤 : “Astro… this is visually pleasing.”
Astro smiled faintly:
🌘 : "There’s more..”
He lifted his hand again and another constellation bloomed. This one was shaped like a small TV screen surrounded by tiny orbiting stars.
Vee’s glow brightened as she smiled:
🎤 : “Hey, that kind of looks like-”
🌘 : “You,”
Astro finished softly, a faint blue blush creeping onto his cheeks.
The lights gathered, swirled, and merged into a final constellation.. a glowing heart made of blue and green stars, pulsing gently like it’s alive.
Vee’s processors stuttered. She was amazed by what she was seeing, but there was still something she didn't quite understand. Her voice was quiet as she spoke:
🎤 : "Astro, this is beautiful and all but.. what is the purpose of all this?”
Astro turned to Vee fully now, his glow warm and steady. His heart was pounding hard against his chest. The world around him seemed to blur as he took a deep breath before finally speaking:
🌘 : "Vee, I care about you. More than I expected to. More than I can hide. I wanted to show you something beautiful before I said it..”
Vee's screen flickered as she listened, her attention fully on him now.
🌘: "Vee I… I have feelings for you.. feelings that I had never felt towards any other Toon before. Everytime I'm around you, I feel so comfortable and free..”
The heart constellation pulsed, as if it were echoing his words. Astro's words hit Vee like a sudden system overload. Her screen flickered once before she replied, her tone flat but not unkind:
🎤 : "Feelings.. for me?”
🌘: “Yes.. I know it may be unexpected. But I just wanted to be honest with you.”
Vee’s processors scrambled. This wasn’t in any manual. This wasn’t in any protocol. What was she supposed to do in a situation like this? Vee finally spoke, her voice steady but too quick:
🎤: ".. I cannot reciprocate. I am not programmed for emotions of that complexity. I experience basic emotions, nothing more.”
Astro’s heart sank and his glow dimmed just slightly.. not enough to be dramatic, but enough for her to notice. Despite the disappointment he was feeling, his voice was still gentle:
🌘 : "I understand. I didn’t want to pressure you. I just thought you deserved to know.”
Vee nodded, trying to ignore the strange tightening sensation in her chest. It was a sensation she couldn’t name.
🎤: “This changes nothing. We will continue to work efficiently together, alright?"
Astro smiled, small and sad:
🌘 : “Alright..”
They both stood in silence for a moment. Vee didn’t know what to say. Astro didn’t want to make it harder. Astro murmured as he stepped back:
🌘 : "Thank you for listening. See you around, Vee.."
Astro waved goodbye before he walked away, his glow dimmer than it's ever been. Vee watched him, and when he disappeared into the elevator, Vee finally allowed her screen to flicker.. a faint, confused pulse of green.
Something in Vee's code felt… off. Unstable. Unfamiliar. She placed a hand over her chest, as if that would steady it.
🎤: “This is illogical..”
Vee muttered to herself, kicking a random pebble, but the feeling didn’t go away.