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When did this happen?
It was only yesterday that they were together, giggling over Astro's sleeping habits, making him believe there was nothing going on between the two. And now they're in front of the entirety of Gardenview, announcing that they're 'finally dating after a lot of contemplation...' the other words blurred out. The only thing he was fixated on was Astro, the thoughts that followed would've made him feel terrible if he saw him as a genuine friend, but lately he and everyone else began feeling like competition.
Competition he never thought he'd lose to.
He felt a nerve ready to burst, hands fisting his apron as he fought back the ugly head of jealousy. But why shouldn't he let it surface? His one and only is stolen from him. His best friend chose not to tell him about their secret conversations. For what? To save his feelings? Does he not trust me? His ichor began boiling at the sight of Cosmo pressing comfortably against him, the sly sneak of Astro's hand on his waist wasn't lost to him.
His body jerks away from the voice that appears next to him.
" Sprout, er, you okay? "
It’s just Dandy.
" I'm fine. "
He forces out a reply, tone sharper and more aggravated than he intended. Another glance at Dandy and by the reflection of his pitch-black eyes he saw a red dot- not Dandy's, but a mirror of his own. Quickly he blinks, attempting to remove the obvious evidence of anger. The last thing he'd want is for Cosmo to assume he was upset with his relationship.
" Aren't they cute? "
Dandy voices, receiving a glare in return.
” Sure. “
Sprout hissed through his teeth; every syllable laced with a venom he wished he could poison Astro with.
He never thought he’d come to hate anyone, not to this degree, not to someone that’s supposed to be his close friend. And right now, he wants nothing more than to see his body ripped in half.
Suddenly he’s calm again. His hands unclench, body relaxing, his pupils returning to normal with a deep exhale.
Catching Cosmo’s look of approval, a sight he’s seen one too many times, whether it be learning how to make a new dish or asking if he knitted his scarf well, it felt pleasing to know he sought that even when he’s supposedly made his decision to date Astro.
And all his dearest will be getting is a smile and a nod. Nothing else. He knew it was sick of him to take glee in how unsure Cosmo appeared when he didn’t loudly congratulate him like the other times.
Even more when Astro couldn't help him.
"..it is so. "
Astro murmurs, opening his eyes after three hours. His arms were cradled around his head above the glass of Austin's coffin. Even though he's split in half, at least he appeared peaceful.
The coffin had an unnecessarily comfortable mattress with Gardenia flowers decorated inside and outside of the glass cover. All of which is preserved by his magic, even Austin's body.
Toons find it weird that his body hasn't rotted after seven years, he finds it strange that they invaded this room to check in the first place. He's not their toon handler, is he? So why should they care?
The only being who ever brought him comfort, and it isn't even a toon. He's dealt with humans, all of which brought him more pain than joy, and yet he's expected to keep them pleased? Austin was- IS the only thing that kept him tolerant of them until he could learn to be fine with them. It never happened. The more he found out the more he hated them, a feeling he found rare to feel after the shutdown, because now there is no one to truly hate.
If they made a mistake, he'll brush it off and understand why: they aren't perfect. Helping toons calm down and talk about their emotions became a regular thing, but who's there for him? They don't understand him, and if they did, they'd have no idea how to comfort him.
He knows he should get over it, that too much time has passed for him to still be mourning.
I'm not mourning.
He's well alive, well, as a ghost. Being preserved by his magic meant being stuck in a dream realm, one he manages on a basis, for other toons and for himself.
Even if he can't see him, he's sure Austin is alright, maybe even resting in this very coffin. What a useless waste of being a ghost. Is what he'd say if he were anyone else.
Cosmo left his side a while ago, unwilling to wait for an undetermined time while he talked to him in his dream. It's one thing to see the conversation, another to see people being asleep. He couldn't blame him, though he can't relate, either.
The door pushes open.
He knew who'd be coming, it's the reason he woke from his dream in the first place.
" Sprout, why are you here? "
His voice came out tired, hoarse from being mute for so long. The same tone he uses with everyone unless they're on a run. Unless they enter without his permission. But Sprout was indirectly invited, more so dreaded because it couldn't be avoided. He had no foresight, but the reoccurring glares he got made him uneasy around him.
And that's not including his dreams.
" Can a man not visit his dear friend? "
Sarcasm is the only thing he can pinpoint, footsteps drawing near as he rose to his feet, hands lingering on the glass.
" You should know better than to enter without knocking. "
" Psh, like you'd be able to hear it. "
The door is always locked whenever he entered, room completely sound-proofed to trap the faintest shuffling and block out the talk outside.
" Then you should've either waited or asked beforehand. "
" What if it was urgent? What if someone is dying? "
" And.. what am I expected to do about it? I'm not a healer, you are. "
Sprout quirks a brow, jerking his head to the preserved body of his toon-handler.
" Maybe we need this one day, but UNFORTUNATELY, you're too busy praying. "
" I'm not praying.. and no one needs their body preserved, we've never needed it. "
" Wouldn't it be nice if you did, though? A lot more lives could be saved if you tried. "
Sprout attempts to rest his elbow on the top, only to be swiftly shoved off by two blue stars.
" I can only use it one at a time. "
Astro answered, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He doesn't trust anyone to treat this coffin with as much reverence as he does.
" Then take the spell off him and... "
" No. "
The chef's lips quirks into a grin, crossing his arms with a fake-lax stance.
" A lot of .. lives.. could be saved, you know. "
" Their deaths are a mercy in this hellhole. "
" Austin's too? "
The long pause gave him his answer, the way his eyes drifted over to the handler, like he was trying to gouge an answer from how he looked. But peaceful will always be the answer. Austin couldn't move; it felt like an answer that's been beaten, yet Astro still clung to it.
" He's comfortable. "
" You asked? "
" I know he is. "
Sprout scoffs and begins to stride lazily to the opposite end of the coffin.
" You don't think he might be somewhere else now? Heaven, maybe? "
" He's still here. "
It took conscious effort to keep his hands loose on the glass. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He doesn't know that Austin is still alive, that he hasn't disappeared yet.
" Sleeping in a coffin? I've yet to see him move, Astro. "
" It's not his body that needs to move for him to be alive. "
" Then what? His "spirit"? Might as well consider the twisteds alive, they have a spirit! "
" A sane spirit, Sprout. The twisteds are far too gone to be considered alive. "
Perching his elbows on the glass, hands cupping his slowly tilting face.
" Then what am I? Do you consider me sane enough to be "alive?" "
He took glee in how visibly tense Astro appeared, the slow rise and fall of his shoulders, that desperate attempt to calm down when he poked at the topic.
" You aren't a twisted, that's enough for me to know you are. "
Sometimes it feels like you're at the edge of becoming insane.
All his dreams surrounded Cosmo and only him. Everyone else would be either removed or disregarded completely. He feared that giving him any other dream would make him less tolerate after he woke. Giving him dreams where Cosmo is his made him less hostile, but it began feeling like he was just prolonging an increasingly gory countdown.
" Why are you here. "
" To see if you'll take care of my.. best friend well enough. "
His fingers trail to the bottom of the coffin, tracing the intricate design that is embedded at the edges, then stopping at the latch. A language only he and people in dreams can read. To others, it appears as gibberish, things you'd see in dreams: unclear and vague.
" I will love him dearly. "
" More than Austin? "
" No. "
Astro didn't feel guilty knowing that Cosmo will forever be his second priority, he's only dating him to keep him safe from Sprout and the growth of the disturbing actions he took in his dreams. One that he began believing wouldn't stay a dream for long.
He can't tell if this pleased Sprout or not, his expression stayed a stagnant calm, eyes narrowing just a fraction, but even that is followed by an unfamiliar sparkle.
" What's the point of dating him if you won't make him your everything? "
" Dating doesn't mean I worship my lover. "
" But you worship him, don't you? "
He taps on the glass, making Astro furrow his brows in confusion and increasing worry. He was pissed, but he didn't let it cloud his judgement.
" I'm always seeing you stand in front of his portrait, hands clasped with your head down.. are you sure you don't pray to him? "
" There's a difference between praying and talking, and in my case, I'm talking to him. "
The momentary pause from Astro told Sprout he wasn't done talking, his eye narrowing with a questioning stare.
" I notice you write a lot about Cosmo in your books, is it normal to you to document his words and expressions? "
" You crept into my room. "
" While you were in Cosmo's room, don't try it. "
Sprout clicks his tongue, his posture still unnerved Astro with how causal he was with him knowing this.
" Then we're the same, aren't we? You lie with Austin every night while I do that with Cosmo.. I document his actions and you keep yours trapped in a coffin. "
His finger tucks around the latch of the coffin.
" The only difference is that Cosmo is alive.. and Austin is not. "
The glass of the coffin flies up, and knocks Sprout straight in the face, making him stumble and hold his face.
" AGH! WHAT THE HELL?! "
Before he could check his hand for any blood, Astro had already circled the coffin with his arms imitating his actions, this time around Sprout's neck.
" You don't know what you're talking about. "
" Khh-! You're just..- afraid to admit that your magic can't- agh - resurrect the dead..! "
Astro's lock around his neck tightens, his other arms coming to restrain Sprout's hands from trying to pry him off.
" You accuse me like you aren't doing the exact same thing. "
" Tch- you don't see me- ugh- praying to him, do you? "
" Some worship doesn't involve prayer. "
His eyes narrow at him, keeping him locked enough to not fight back.
" I'm not blind to your dreams, Sprout. "
Sprout's body suddenly went slack, no longer thrashing against him.
" The things you'd do for him is something I can't let happen... "
" Don't pretend you wouldn't do the same for your dead god. "
" I would, but I not as far as you. Not as insensitive as you.. "
He swallows hard and looks back to the open coffin, the glass stained with the black of Sprout's nosebleed.
" Then I'm just more devout, aren't I? Unlike you.. "
" GAH! "
Sprout's gloved hand grinds the knife into his side, the bind around his neck finally loosening and letting him breathe.
He rolls his neck and glares down at Astro.
" .. I'm willing to kill for my god. "
Astro gasps out, stumbling onto the ground and clutching his open wound, his blanket falling to the floor in a heap.
" What is- AGH! wrong with- you?! "
" HAH! It's not ME, it's everyone else that's wrong! "
He lounges over and grabs one of Astro's hands, forcing the knife in his hands till his fingerprints bled into the handle.
" I don't know who you think you are to steal him from me. The only good thing I've gotten out of this was a firm conviction that you are an obstacle I need to get rid of. "
The knife inches to his chest, his grip unyielding despite Astro's hands attempting to save himself. The unbridled joy Sprout took from the gasps and screams was only second to the sounds he'll get out of Cosmo.
" If you haven't seen the obvious signs, let me give you one more.. "
He leans in, his weight pressing Astro closer to the floor and plunging the knife into his chest.
" .. he's mine. "
✴︎
Astro's vision began to blur, fading him in and out of life. Almost instinctively he turns to where Austin rested, only to be greeted with him sitting right next to him, looking down at him with a smile, almost like he was oblivious to the knife that now went through his back and against the floor.
The pain left just as soon as it came; soothed by his toon handler's soft humming. Carefully, Austin's pale hand swept slowly over his eyes, closing them and resting his hand on his cheek. A familiar gentleness that has managed to soothe him to sleep consistently with no fail.
" Sweet dreams, Astro. "
⭑
Sprout's grip limps and releases. Staggering to his knees, he glances passively at the pool of ichor that leaked from Astro's stomach cavity.
" A pity you couldn't die beside him. "
Like he cares. But, just to honor him and make the scene look believable, he drags his body to the coffin, positioning him to make it appear as if he took his own life. He didn't know how to explain the blood trail, the most he can do is say they had a fight to prevent Astro from committing self-harm. One thing led to another and he killed himself.
He's strange enough, they'll believe that.
Wiping the blood from his nose, he takes a moment of thought, then bashes his forehead against the glass and runs the blade in Astro's hands against his arms.
That'll do it.
Pausing at the door, he takes a deep breath to ready himself, then, with a rough yank of the handle and a limp outside:
" SOMEONE- HELP ME! "
✶
GASP
Lifting himself from the soft grass, his labored breathing quickly calmed to a soft sigh.
He didn't need to look around to know where he was.
" Austin..? "
There, his toon handler looked at him from above, Astro's head on his lap like they've always done. His heart steadied, leaning into the hand that rested on his cheek.
" Are you alright? "
" Mnhm. "
His blanket is tucked comfortably around him, the same way Austin always did when cooing him to sleep.
Now that they were in their dream, he had the choice to change his physical form. Well.. I don't think it matters. He's used to being in his toon form so Austin can hold him snug.
So, he always appeared to him like that.
He can hear his friends' crying, the panic over what to do, what he's supposedly done, and all the other stuff that blurs out.
" Am I dead yet? "
Astro looks up at him. For some reason, he can't find it in himself to hate the aspect of death. It just meant he'll get to be with him, talk to him all the time without needing to look like he's praying. How silly. The entire conversation with Sprout felt stupid, but at the same time it gave him more insight to his obsession.
" I don't think so. "
Austin hummed, his thumb tracing patterns over his cheek.
His unsure response didn't deter or annoy him, after all, it just meant they were both confused but also willing to accept whatever happens. It didn't matter if Astro lived or died, though one felt more favorable over the other.
" You're a very resilient toon, you know that? "
He softly pinches his cheek, giggling along with Astro as he tucked the little one safely in his arms.
" You'll wake up soon. "
" I don't want to. "
" Your friends need you, little moon. "
Astro remains silent, feeling no need to reply. He knows he's safe whether he responds or not. He won't be forced to do anything, not as long as he's here.
The Gardenia flowers sway fast, tucking them in for a brief rest.
But the ringing grew louder, the noises from outside became clearer, the pain resurfacing like it had the first time.
His hands cling to Austin's shirt. He had barely been given a moment to rest and already he's being forced outside.
" Do you ..hear me when I talk to you? "
" Always. "
The grip on his shirt vanishes, leaving the space empty.
⭑
His body jerks awake, the gaping wound in his stomach healing through his ichor. He's given no time to process where he is before he's pounced on from the side.
" ASTRO! "
Cosmo exclaims, burying his face into his shoulder and slurring out words, each followed by a hic that made Astro realize he's crying.
" Oh my gosh- I was- I should've- should've stayed I'm so sorry! "
Astro nods and pats his back twice, beginning to find it hard to breathe.
" Alright- alright, don't worry, it's not your fault. "
Gently, he pulls Cosmo off him but still lets him hold onto his hand.
" Astro... "
Vee came forward, arms crossed in a look of bewilderment and disbelief.
" I don't even know where to start. "
Stepping aside, his blood ran cold at the sight of him.
" Why? "
Sprout murmurs, looking at him like none of that ever happened.
" I.. "
Would he look more insane if he pointed the blame at him? The story has already been told; there was no one but them two in the room, no cameras, too. His mouth ran slack, unable to defend himself.
" I know you miss him, but this is taking it too far. "
" Maybe you need to spend some time away from him. "
He knew the tense in his body only reaffirmed their belief that he was insane. Even Cosmo began backing up, Sprout's arms coming to hold him, a hold that was quickly reciprocated.
Astro swallows hard, no matter how much he can try, it's already too late.
" Yeah.. I'm sorry.. "