Chapter Text
VeeTube. Oh wait, scratch that, it was actually DandyTube. The media platform where toons can upload content for other kids to enjoy or for their own peers in the great Gardenview. Arthur and Delilah thought that not only can having the toons post their own content, under their moderation, they can make slight profit on it to fund for future episodes.
“Hey guys! It’s me Yatta along with Blot and Looey, the rest of my super awesome circus trope!” Yatta screamed into the mic, with Blot and Looey waving along to the camera. On their table were plates of colorful candys laid out in the order of the rainbow. The circus trope each took like a bite of their candy, or otherwise known as a mukbang.
Skipping to another video was Vee, standing in front of her usual gameshow board, “Thanks for the 50k subscribers everybody!”. Vee fixed her bow tie, “Make sure to comment on your favorite toon and the lucky winner will come to Gardenview to pick up their prize from me personally!”
Then there’s Dandy’s channel, with the most subscribers out of all of the toons. He’ll get so many views just by standing there and smiling and doing that same pose he does over and over again, where he points his fingers to his cheeks. Dyle isn’t interested in any of that. Especially if it involves him turning his head just to be engaged in it or lose his focus on the task at hand. Dyle has been listening to autonomous sensory meridian response (asmr) recently. Usually he listens to classical music, but for some reason hearing these sounds makes him feel at ease, especially when it’s his downtime and he’s enjoying a good book.
Multiple toons post these types of videos. One such example was Bassie Bloomington who often posts pressing flower asmr. The sound of the crinkling dried flowers is very satisfying to listen to. However, most of her content are educational flower videos as her main responsibility as a main. Even Shelly tried her hands out using her fossil collection. However there was one anonymous video producer who also posts asmr videos as their main gimmick. The specific video he is listening to has the sounds of nails tapping on different materials. The echo of the microphone, the hardness of the wood, the crunch of dry sponges, and whatever was available. The layered sounds have a tinge in his brain. He scanned his book, line to line, until sometoon was talking to him at the front of his station. Right there, he sees his coworker Dandicus Dancifer, his figure barely reaching the counter top.
“Hey Dyle, have you seen Astro?” Dandicus asks him and he shakes his head. How would he know where his best friend went? Wouldn’t asking some other toon be better than him? Sometimes it puzzles him what Dandicus thinks in his head.
“I was sure he came towards your direction,” Dandicus scratched his chin before heading towards the direction of the elevator.
The video unfortunately has ended, forcing Dyle to scroll to his favorite creator’s page to find a new video was uploaded. He clicks into it to find a whisper tickling his ears. He usually prefers to listen to objects rubbing against the mic, but the toon’s voice in the video is so soothing, it almost made him doze to sleep. He shook his head to keep himself from falling asleep.
“You’ve been working hard,” The voice whispered, the crisp sound of their lips smacking together. “I think you deserved a well earned rest.”
Dyle nodded as if the voice was right in front of him. If sometoon were to look at his direction currently, he would probably look crazy. Luckily, everytoon was just minding their own business. He continued to listen to the end of the video until his shift was over. Dandy who usually sat across from him had also gone to his room to sleep.
“Hey Dyle, how’s my fin doing?” Finn popped up from nowhere, in his arm carrying a fishing rod. Dyle accidentally threw his mobile device into the air and tried to catch it, slipping out multiple times, before landing straight into Finn’s head.
“Whale…this is bad…” Finn looked up to his head to find Barnaby swimming around the device. Poking it with its mouth like it’s some kind of food. “I’m sorry.”
Dyle sighed. Now he won’t be able to listen to the videos to go to sleep now, but it’s fine. Finn didn’t mean any harm from doing that.
“I promise I’ll get you another one, Dyle,” Finn promised, as he fished the device out of his head and returned the broken device to Dyle.
“It’s okay Finn,” Dyle forgave, Finn seemed to have picked up his bitter tone. He walked towards the elevator and pressed the floor for his room. Once the elevator made a “ding” sound, it was his cue to exit it and find his room.
Upon finding his room, he took off his suit and wore a more comfortable pajama. Lying in bed, he closed his eyes. Hoping he would soon doze off into whatever dream, nightmare that was going to conjure. Despite how hard he tried, sleep didn’t arrive for him.He opened his eyes to find Astro’s face directly above his, with his blue stars hovering over his head. The blue stars make a glittery sound when floating in the air. Dyle instinctively sat up, heading Astro straight in the face, knocking him to the ground. Dyle held his head and looked at Astro who was rubbing his own with his blue stars.
“Astro?? What are you doing in my room??” Dyle called out, but Astro just quickly scurried out the door and disappeared in an instant. It wasn’t like he was going to attack him if he found out what he’s doing, but judging from the time, it was his duty to give out dreams to the other toons. Dyle collapsed onto the bed once more. First it was his fault that he broke his phone, now he scared Astro away from getting a good dream. He continued to mindlessly stare at the gray boring ceili when the bed sheets rustled from a figure sitting on it.
“Having trouble sleeping?” Astro asked, and Dyle turned to him.
“A little bit, but I just need a little more time,” Dyle reassured, but his hands were restless.
Astro noticed Dyle fidgeting with his hands and rested one top of his. It was rather cold to the touch, but he didn’t mind. “What kind of dream are you looking for?”
Hmmmm. He doesn’t usually dream about anything and his vision goes dark the moment when his usual asmr videos end, so he turned to see the blue stars Astro always has before coming up with an answer. “I was thinking if you could bring the stars closer to my ears.”
Astro’s face flushed when he heard that response. It’s not like he doesn’t touch the other toon’s foreheads all the time, so seeing him like that caught him by surprise. Despite being flustered, he did as he was told.
The stars brushed Dyle’s side, a nice tinging sensation like the cold pillows on a good night. The stars continued to make a sparkling noise besides his ears, making him rather sleepy…
“Is there anything else that you would like, Dyle?” Astro asked as his lips curled into a small smile.
Perhaps it’s okay to request one last thing before he lets Astro go back to taking care of the other toons. In the video, he liked when the creator tapped their fingers on the mic. “Can you tap my face?”
A pause. Now repeating his thoughts out loud, Dyle turned away, covering his mouth. His face is probably all flustered right now. This was dumb, maybe he should just tell him to…
“Of course Dyle!” Astro surprisingly enthusiastically and then fondled his hat, “I think it would be more comfortable if you lay your head on my lap, so I can grasp your face better.”
Dyle’s clock hands spun wildly. His head on Astro’s lap?!? That was a wild request, even more wild than his own, but Dyle complied. Astro sat himself behind Dyle’s head and gently laid his head on his cold lap. It was much better than any cold pillow he could ever ask for. Astro gently traced the rim of Dyle’s frame with his arms, the soft touch was ethereal.
“Good night Dyle,” Astro whispered, his voice similar to the ones he hears in the asmr videos he watches. It’s as if the toon in the video has personally visited him. Dyle let the tiredness take over him and drifted into a deep sleep.