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It was no secret that he was responsible for ensuring that things ran smoothly.
Sprout worked, day in and day out, to make sure Gardenview was a safe place for his peers after it had shut down due to circumstances that they all would rather not discuss. Though he usually specialised in the kitchen, Sprout pushed himself and others constantly to perform their best.
His actions were never orchestrated out of malice or animosity, but a deep, subterranean care. And, unfortunately, his care for the other Toons made him single out Astro.
Astro, the waning crescent. Careful, reticent, but suspiciously apprehensive. Sprout didn’t know why he was so drawn to the latter. Perhaps it was his distaste for Astro’s claimed best friend, Dandy, and the relationship he had with the flower. Or, was it the fact he theorised about Astro having something to do with the ichor operation? Whatever. He didn’t care, he just knew the crescent was suspicious.
Fortunately for Astro, Sprout’s suspicions were waved off by the other Toons.
The current day was like any other, aside from the temperature issues in the lobby. It was usually cold down there, but Gardenview had some heating problems nearing winter. However, none of the Toons were affected too much by it, so they went by their business.
A run was hosted shortly after breakfast, grouping a random team together in the lobby. This now meant Astro and Sprout had to tolerate each other’s proximity.
Sprout’s face scrunched in distaste. Astro’s eyebrow furrowed in nervousness.
And not long after the random group was formed, they made haste for their descent.
After a few floors had passed, however, Astro started to notice something strange about Sprout. It was barely noticeable. Inexplicable, even. But the moon had picked up on a soft sniffle at the back of the elevator, where the strawberry was sulking.
Maybe Sprout hadn’t even noticed himself. But it was definitely there. Astro had to push the thought into the back of his mind, as the dinging of the elevator pulled him out of his head.
The next few descents, the sniffing became far more prominent. Deep, gurgling inhales through the nasal passages, trying to clear something out.
Astro looked over, and saw Sprout rubbing at his nose, the congestion making a gentle clicking noise. Had the strawberry come to look more pale, or was that just him being a worrywart?
Yet again, Astro found himself brushing it off.
The next descent bestowed Sprout’s floor. The fluorescent lights stung, the twisteds groaned in agony from afar, and all of the Toons toppled out of the elevator and ran about the map.
While working on a machine, stars spinning rhythmically around the wheel, Astro heard a deep breath from behind a set of boxes, where he could see another pipe trailing up the wall. Another machine was there, right there.
He pondered who it was. But just as he was thinking, another shivery breath pulled him out of his thoughts.
"H— hiih.."
A soft hitch. It was breathy, and clogged. Teetering on the urge to suck in a full breath.
Astro dared to peek over the crates. There, on another machine, was Sprout. And he looked to be in bad condition.
His nose was now a prominent crimson, darker than his usual rosy skin tone. Mucus bubbled just barely in the dip of his nostrils, held shut by his calloused fingers. One hand gripped the wheel, the other gripped his nose with fervent. And, he seemed rather sweaty and pale.
Astro’s keen observation came to a halt, as a desperate breath was inhaled through the strawberry’s mouth.
"Hn’tZxch—!"
The strawberry stifled a harsh sneeze into his fingers, seemingly making his ears pop as he winced. After it was done, Sprout rubbed the underside of his nose with his knuckles, quelling the dormant tickle for the moment.
'Typical Sprout. Prioritising his job over his own well-being.'
Astro’s inner monologue chattered away, trying to seize the worry buiding in his mind (and the conspicuous flush to his cheeks).
And after that floor was finally done, Astro decided to confront Sprout. Bad idea? Perhaps. But what had he to lose at this point?
After the elevator shut, blowing a harsh gust of cold air onto the suspecting Toons in the tight space, Sprout shuddered subtly.
That’s when Astro approached. His taller frame hovered over the strawberry, casting a long looming shadow over him. He was unknowingly intimidating, for sure. In a gentle voice, he spoke.
"Sprout. I’ve noticed you’re not feeling your best."
Sprout snarled, and shook his head. He responded with a note of hostility (and congestion).
"I’m fine. Just doing my job around here. Snf."
Astro picked up on the stuffy sniffle that Sprout seemed to want to suppress, but didn’t comment on it. If Sprout was going to be so hostile, then that’s how it’d be.
He wouldn’t call off the run early, he wouldn’t help him out, and he wouldn’t look after the strawberry. Maybe he was petty, and selfish. But it didn’t matter to him, not in the moment.
After a couple more floors, everyone in the elevator seemed to reach their breaking point. The machines had tripled in quantity, so had the twisteds. The distractors, extractors, and support were completely spent. So, they all mutually agreed to return to the surface level.
Though, after a few hours had passed, Sprout’s condition worsened. His stifles had breached contamination, forcing its way out his stuffy nostrils and bestowing yellow sticky mucus to erupt. He was sweating, red, and disgusting.
And no other Toon wanted to approach him due to fear of contamination. If Sprout was unknowingly contagious, which he most likely was, then the entire underground population would be fucked.
But Astro had a weird way of thinking.
'This may be how I prove my innocence to Sprout,'
He debated with himself. Paced around his room a little. Got anxious, nearly scrapped the idea completely.
But he arrived at Sprout’s door with common cold medicine soon enough.
".. As’dro.. whad are you doi’g in’d bmy room."
Sprout turned weakly in bed. He had no energy to look presentable.
".. C—Coming to check up on you, of course.. Since nobody else s—seems to.. want.. to."
Astro trails off as he looks at Sprout’s souring expression. Maybe he was just making things worse with blunt comments. But, he sat at the foot of the strawberry’s bed nonetheless.
"… I.. got you some medicine…"
Astro’s star weakly offers the bottle for Sprout to see.
".. Whadever."
Sprout mumbles, before lifting a hand up to his nose. His fingers kneaded delicately at the drippy prostitution, spreading sticky mucus all over his hand. Then, the hitching came.
"Gh— heh-"
Ah, a long and lengthy buildup. It was something Astro had picked up on, observing Sprout’s allergy ridden nose. He seemed to be sensitive to everything. Dust, pollen, feathers. He never missed a thing, and he certainly never missed the strawberry’s precursors to a sneeze.
"… Hhiih.. oh.. god, id’s stuck."
Sprout groaned in exasperation. There was a burning itch in his nose, yet, it wouldn’t come out.
Astro hesitated, noticing a protruding feather sticking out of the pillowcase behind Sprout. Of course, being a dirty fetishist, he’d picked up on the strawberry’s sensitivity to feathers. And he knew how to operate them perfectly. He’d induced with big, itchy feathers in his own time. He knew the right spots to hit, knew how to manoeuvre around the curves of his nostrils,
So why did he freeze up now? Just induce him, for god’s sake.
He decided it should wait a little. They were still just barely at the ‘talking stage’ anyways. It’d be weird and extremely intimate.
As he was thinking, Sprout kept rubbing his nostrils with his index until the sneeze came bursting out of his cold-ridden snout.
"HET’CHhEUgh—! IIH’TCHyEWw—! EHn’TXXCHT—!"
Three in quick succession, barely able to pull his finger away. Astro’s cheeks would flush unnaturally yet again.
"Paah— pah- Pardon meEEIHG’TZXXHT—! Pardon me."
Sprout pulled out a worn tissue from his scarf, and blew his nose with a deep gurgle, leaving his nostrils red and chafed.
"… Bless you, Sprout."
Astro responded weakly. He swallowed dryly, his telekinetic stars working with prescision to pour the medicine into a spoon, which was then lifted up to Sprout’s lips.
The strawberry accepted the offering, gulping down his doseage lazily. It proved to ease his headache in due time, but did nothing for his nasal predicament.
The day stretched on, with Astro sitting meekly at the foot of Sprout’s bed, and Sprout curled up sulkily under his duvet. Occasionally, he’d suck in desperate breaths that were precursors to sneezes, but he always managed to ward them off.
Astro was getting rather frustrated watching this. Why wouldn’t Sprout let go? Was he embarrassed? Stubborn? Or both? His cheeks flushed, a hand coming out to pinch between his thin brows.
Slowly, his telekinetic stars creeped closer to the protruding feather sticking out Sprout’s pillow. Then, it pulled out the plume slowly. It was small, yet downy, so Astro figured it’d do the trick.
The plume approached Sprout’s left nostril, the strawberry himself unknowing, as he was slowly dozing off. The feather started to circle the rim of his nostril, making it flare in protest. A soft hitch escaped his barely-open lips. His breaths started to snag in his chest.
It was working. Genuinely working. Sprout’s nose was inexplicably sensitive to feathers, and with his cold inducement, it seemed to work even better than it usually would.
".. Sobethi’gs tickling bmy dose.."
Astro’s eye fluttered down to look at Sprout fully. Was he really this delirious? So febrile that he didn’t notice himself being induced?
He swallowed dryly, and kept working on his gentle ministration.
Sprout’s nose was now running wildly, nearing his lip as he sniffled in vain. His nostrils were bright red with irritation, and they flared as wide as they could go before he pitched forward into the air.
"ACK’TESShhhEWW—!!!"
One loud, relieving sneeze. Sprout rubbed his nose fervently afterwards. Astro slowly put down the feather, surprised and impressed by how well of an inducement it was.
Then, things settled for a while. Nighttime came, and so did the coldness of winter.
Sprout shuddered, even under his covers. His cold was amplifying the temperature, and he seemed to be developing a nasty sinus infection too.
Astro wanted to coo, he couldn’t even deny it. Seeing someone as authoritative as Sprout, stuck in bed with a pestering cold, was both adorable and undeniably hot. One hand came out of his blanket to rest it on Sprout’s freckled cheek, stroking softly and feeling the feverish warmth seeping through his skin.
When Astro saw Sprout accepting the touch, he slowly slid into the bed, holding him from behind. He could hear the strawberry winding up for some more sneezes, and he gently shushed him.
The fabric of the duvets were pulled right under Sprout’s nose. One particularly itchy blanket was tucked right into his philtrum, a few hairs sticking up and irritating his nostrils everytime he moved. With the introduction of Astro joining the bed, it moved the blanket further up his face, tickling his cold-ridden snout. It twitched, writhed, then squished into the fabric as he let out a flurry of stifled sneezes.
"Hn’txZt-! Hn’ch-! Hhuh- HN’TZZXXCH—!"
Sprout’s sneezes got less contained, until he was fully erupting with mucus into the blanket being shoved up his sickly nostrils.
"HEhN’TIISHHEW—! It— it ih- itcHHSSHEW—!! Itches- IHHn’TSSZZXXCCHH—-!!"
"Shhh… Hush, hush."
Astro gently hushed the strawberry, trying to ignore the way his cock throbbed in timing with every sneeze. He manoeuvred Sprout around, so his nose was buried in his chest. He could feel his blanket getting soaked with every sickly expulsion.
"HIITCH’YYEW—! snf- HEITTCH’YYEUGH—! c—Cahh— ETCH’TCHEEW—! Can’dT sdop- eIITCH—!"
His nostrils flared obscenely, seemingly trying to get as wide as possible. Yet, they had already reached that maximum. Astro couldn’t help but admire Sprout’s nose for a moment.
It was sharp, always with a light red tint at the tip. His nostrils were rather prominent and large, never failing to write and twitch at irritants. They were very malleable, being squished with ease by Sprout’s finger when he rubbed it. Anyone would be able to see right up them when he worked his ministrations, moving back and forth in a rather cartoonish manner. The slope of his nose was adorned with soft freckles.
Nothing was hotter to Astro. His finger came up to poke his right nostril, making Sprout pitch forward into his chest with another snotty sneeze. His nose was so vulnerable, so susceptible to the slightest irritant… he’d always wondered how the strawberry would fare with a cold.
Soon enough, the medicine properly kicked in. His nose was less sensitive, and the doseage had made him sleepy. It wasn’t long before he was gently dozing against Astro’s chest, letting out snuffly snores in the wake of slumber.
They’d never forget being wrapped up in eachother.
But for now, this would be remembered as a casualty.