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With the way things had been going recently, it was no surprise that Astro had fallen ill. It was bound to happen at some point, with all the strain and stress, gnawing away at his fragile, febrile brain.
The recent operations had been taking its toll. Having to descend down, where things beyond their comprehension lay, completing seemingly multiplying machines, it was exhausting. And everytime Astro got back to the surface of the building, he had tasks to complete.
Checking up on his peers, comforting them, giving them dreams that gradually contorted into freakish alternations of what were supposed to be their happiest sentiments.
His thoughts slowly turned into one big headache, as one clammy hand came up to tug the blankets higher around his feverish body.
Astro had a cold cloth on his forehead, helpfully provided by his best friend, Dandy, and his star pillow stuffed under one arm for comfort. His favourite blanket was pulled up to his chin, and a damp pile of used tissues were slowly moulding together on his nightstand.
He shivered; the unnatural heat mixing with the coldness of the cloth was somewhat soothing, but it was also an extremely uncomfortable sensation.
”Uuck…”
The crescent sniffled obnoxiously, trying in vain to stop the copious flow of mucus. No matter how many times he coughed or blew his nose, it only just got redder and runnier.
With a defeated sigh, he lay back against one of his many pillows, and closed his rheumy eye. Maybe some rest would do him good.
But Astro’s rest was interrupted after roughly ten minutes, by a soft knock on the door.
”Come in…” He croaked, struggling to get the words out past his stuffy nose and sore throat.
And with that permission, someone walked into the room. Someone familiar.
Cosmo’s eyes slowly raked up and down Astro’s spacious room - it was a mess. Tisha would have to come and clean again, he thought.
Then, his gaze found Astro, curled up in the middle of his bed. He fought the urge to overreact.
“Astro, what happened—??”
Despite his words, it was quite obvious what the matter was. Cosmo couldn’t help the slight panic in his voice as he started to speak. Quick to compose himself, he took a deep breath, and darted over to Astro’s side. He cupped the latter’s hands with a gentleness that only he seemed to possess.
“… What are your symptoms,” Cosmo spoke clearly, hoping to drill the fact that he’s serious about Astro’s illness into the other’s head. “And don’t lie about it, please. I need to treat you accordingly.”
Astro hesitated, before responding as well as he could.
”Fever… stuffy nose… irritated eyes.. sniff…sore throat..”
As he spoke, his fingers came up to knead gently at his puffy eye.
Cosmo furrowed his brows. It didn’t seem too major, just a common head cold. Nothing to fuss about, right? But he found himself feeling strangely nervous.
”Right, okay… That seems easy to treat.”
He mumbled, hand tentatively creeping up to feel Astro’s forehead. It was warm and sticky, but he decided to take his temperature manually.
With a sigh, Cosmo got up to leave momentarily. He had to go and fetch some supplies.
Shortly after his return, the swiss roll found Astro in a far more compliant state. Usually the crescent was so reserved, so docile, but never so easily manageable.
”Open wide…”
The soft, almost cooing noise left Cosmo’s lips with ease. He held a spoon with some cold medicine rippling in the divot, prodding gently at Astro’s chapped lips. The crescent opened his mouth, and swallowed the medicine with a tentative gulp.
”That’s a good boy…”
The swiss roll whispered the praise just as easily as he had muttered the command beforehand. Astro’s cheeks abruptly flushed with heat; and it wasn’t exactly from the fever.
To say Cosmo was enjoying the febrility of the other would be an understatement - he just loved compliability, especially from someone who was so reserved.
After lingering for a few seconds, his gaze boring into the other’s, he straightened up and went to go make a light bowl of soup. He could hear Astro’s stomach rumbling from his previous position, and he didn’t want the poor thing to be hungry.
Walking into the familiar space of the kitchen, he put on his apron and got to work making a buoyant bowl of vegetable soup.
At some point when he was cutting vegetables, the soft sound of bubbling water filling in as ambient noise, the Swiss roll heard a soft cough come from the doorway.
”Astro—??”
Cosmo whipped his head around, eyes wide and curious as he stared worriedly at the crescent. The latter had his blanket wrapped around himself, shuddering and buckling in the doorway. He coughed, sniffled, then spoke in what was clearly feverish delirium.
”Cosmo… I’m not feeling well, do you know that..?”
Another stuffy sniffle from Astro, as he makes a mess trying to wipe the yellowish goo streaming from his nose.
”.. My head is so… full.”
He gives a light knock at his temple to gesture the ‘fullness’ of his head currently. The crescent shivered pitifully, his tall and lanky frame now hunched over with illness. Cosmo could not hold back a coo.
”I know, Astro. You’ve got a nasty cold, haven’t you? Poor thing, why aren’t you still in bed, hm?”
Astro took a moment to comprehend the words being spoken to him, but the tone was foreign. So foreign, that the babying made his eye rheumy.
”… I don’t.. know. I don’t know, Cosmo.”
His eye filled with tears.
”I’m already so fed up of feeling this poorly,”
A hiccup.
”I can’t help anyone here at all..!”
Then, as his words dissolved into a whimper, the floodgates opened, and Astro burst into noisy tears. What on earth had gotten into him? Cosmo sighed softly, set down the kitchen knife, and calmly approached.
”Hey.. Ssshhh.. Don’t cry, my dear, it’s okay.. I’m treating you, remember? I’m going to make you feel so much better.”
His hand reached out to rub Astro’s arm under the blanket. Quickly, the tears stopped, but the crescent’s face was still contorted into a wobbly frown.
”Come on, angel… Back to bed.”
And with that, Cosmo ushered Astro out of the kitchen, and back into his room. The crescent quickly fell into a light doze after a few strokes to the forehead.
The Swiss roll retreated back to the kitchen to continue making the soup.
After a few couple of hours, Cosmo was finished with necessities. He had taken Astro’s temperature, spoon fed him soup and another dosage of medicine, all the things you would do to help a sick man. But then he thought about comfort. It was in his nature to console his peers, but he suddenly felt nervous. This was Astro.
He cleared his throat, and spoke, albeit hesitantly.
”Astro, may I…?”
He trailed off, mouth going dry. This wasn’t like him. This wasn’t like him at all. But as the Swiss roll gestured to the space next to Astro, it was clear what his intentions were.
The crescent furrowed his sweaty brow, looked down at where Cosmo’s hand was pointing, and nodded slowly.
With little hesitation, Cosmo slid into bed next to Astro. His short, pudgy stature latched onto the moon’s lean frame, the perfect contrast to one another.
Their soft bodies intertwined, warmth mixing with genuine fever, arms wrapped around eachother like vine.
Cosmo couldn’t help but ponder. Had he been yearning for this long? The sighs he had cast, the longing fogging his vision. He wanted to feel Astro’s presence like a gentle moonlit sky, enveloping him in his companionship. There was nothing to deny.
And right then, in that moment. Once Astro’s bleary gaze was fixed on Cosmo’s face.
He never, ever, wanted it to leave again.
His fragile febrility, his calming existence. Cosmo was completely infatuated. And that would not under any condition change.