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The soft, continuous tapping of a knife against wood told Cosmo that his friend had been up for far longer than he considered acceptable. And while he loved working in the kitchen alongside him, he preferred when it was with a fully rested Sprout and not a zombie carbon copy.
The pastry strolled into the kitchen with a firm but exhausted look to his eyes, his steps naturally quiet and consequently imperceptible to the laser focused toon. Cosmo thought about making some noise to alert the other to his presence, as he didn’t want him to get hurt with the cutlery if he were to startle, but the chance to go through with it disappeared the moment the strawberry turned around and all but yelped at the sight of someone at the door, dropping the knife into the counter—and very luckily avoiding injuries.
“Cosmo?” He rasped, voice thick with tiredness. “Why are you up at these hours?”
“Kinda hard to sleep with all the noise.” His best friend answered, raising an eyebrow at the cutting board with what seemed to be carrots on it. Cosmo brushed off the apology before it could even leave Sprout’s mouth. “And what are you doing up?”
At least he had the decency to look sheepish at the question, tail dejectedly swaying low on the ground as he gestured to the half-made recipe. “Nothing, nothing. I just couldn’t sleep, so I thought..”
“That you’d make breakfast? Without me?” Feigning hurt, he walked up to the strawberry and pushed him away from the counter, picking up the knife and the cutting board with care. He shushed the other quickly, not allowing any protests as he read the paper with the instructions messily scribbled on it.
It was almost done, and together they could likely have it ready in an even shorter time. That gave him a chance to get the other at ease and back into bed, if he played his cards right.
“I-I.. well, it was meant to be a surprise!” Sprout finally let him have the board, but he turned to grab a bowl and started pouring new ingredients into it before mixing. So he knew his recipe by memory, then.
“Oh yeah? And for who?”
“If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore!” He stuck his tongue out, lifting the spoon he was using to check the consistency of what could now be seen to be batter. A finger dipped into it, however, and before he knew it he had a bit smudged on his cheek as Cosmo looked up at him playfully with tired eyes. “Hey!”
Sprout poked him on the side, tickling the pastry enough to shoo him away before the teasing could continue. That was odd.
So Cosmo tried again, albeit he kept the distance his partner had discreetly asked for. “We’re keeping secrets now, hm?”
It brought a pause out of the strawberry, who pursed his lips in thought before setting down the bowl of batter on the counter. With his face turned away as he seemed to look for cutters under the counter, it could almost be hard to read his mood, were it not for how expressive his tail was.
And as it was, the thing stayed curled around Sprout’s own leg like he was trying to shrink into himself, away from the world and prying questions like Cosmo’s. “Would be hard to even try to do so.” He finally responded after returning to full height with the instruments he needed.
The rollcake took them from his hands with practiced ease, smiling to persuade the berry to allow him to help with washing them before they needed to be used.
“You’re already done with the carrots?”
A shrug. “They were almost done when I took over.”
It took his best friend a few seconds longer than what it probably should for him to process that, but at least it made it so he gave in more easily. “Right,” He even muttered to himself after, so low that it was clearly not meant to reach Cosmo’s ear. “I guess I’m a bit slower today.”
Sprout turned on his heel to work on whatever else he’d tasked himself with, but what was meant to be a swift spin ended with a subtle wobble that caught his buddy’s eye as it was accompanied by a muffled grunt which could barely be heard over the running water in the sink. Cosmo frowned in concern.
“Honey,” He called, eyes narrowing when Sprout tensed at the attention, every little warning bell going off on his head. “Do you mind getting some sugar from the back? We’re almost out of it.”
A test. He hoped Sprout would refuse, if the new issue at hand really was what he was thinking, but Cosmo knew that could only be wishful thinking when it came to his partner.
“I.. uh, sure. Yeah.” There was a stubborn glint in his eye when he smiled at Cosmo with a thumbs up, but it couldn’t mask the three seconds of hesitance he’d just gone through. “Give me five.”
As soon as Sprout was out of the kitchen however, the pastry dried his hands and made his way to the cabinet near the entrance, checking its low storage of bandages and medkits that clearly needed restocking. He’d been meaning to grab one to corner his partner into a check-up, but something else caught his eye.
Cosmo kept a careful watch on the stockage of all heals. He knew how many bandages were around and could recite every single use for all of the items they had, so it would be no surprise that he’d notice if one single object went missing from the supply.
Even less so when it was a whole two medkits that had seemingly been taken. He tapped the door of the cupboard in thought, perking up as he heard slow and almost heavy steps making their way to the kitchen; nothing like the usual brisk walk Sprout tended to have.
When the berry passed the entryway with a sack, tired eyes and shaking hands holding up the bag like it weighed the very Sun down on him, Cosmo instantly abandoned the cabinet to help him out with the order. He grimaced when he noticed the contents.
“Sprout, this is flour.”
“Yeah?” He seemed confused at the very remark, but allowed Cosmo to take it just so he could really look down at the powder to confirm it. Cosmo in turn smiled softly at the sight, taking in the bags under his already dazed eyes.
“I asked for sugar, buddy.” He hummed, closing the medical cabinet with his hip as he made his way to the shelf with the newly obtained bag. Quietly, he caught the way Sprout’s eyes widened when he noticed what part of the kitchen exactly Cosmo had been taking a look at, before he looked away sheepishly. Guilty. “But it’s alright, we were low on this one too.”
“Ah… uhm, sorry.” He tugged at his already disheveled leaves, walking to stand in front of the offending cabinet like covering it from Cosmo’s view would avoid any related questioning. “Didn’t hear ya well, I’ll go get the—”
“Hold it right there.” His voice took on a firm tone, one that instantly made his partner straighten up and look at him with what was clearly dread in his eyes. Nonetheless, he stayed put as Cosmo approached him, the thorns that adorned his tail digging into cherry skin in what the pastry had observed to be a soothing habit.
He sighed, placing a hand on Sprout’s waist gently and standing up on his tippy toes to clean the smudge of batter in the other’s face. He caressed the taller’s side, both for the simple affection and just as a small check; one that Sprout seemed to quickly catch onto, so Cosmo withdrew with a practiced giggle.
“You still had batter on your face.”
The berry blinked twice, looking at him as though testing something, before he shrugged with a chuckle and crossed his arms right around his midsection. “And who’s fault is that?”
‘There it is.’ Cosmo thought, victorious in his findings as he saw the wince before it disappeared off Sprout’s face right as he touched a part of his waist. But his victory was short-lived, as he reconsidered what it meant. ‘He’s hurt.’
One short answer, although it still left him with questions that tasted sour on his tongue even when he didn’t voice them, and he wanted to figure some things out before he finally took on the job of forcing a heal on Sprout. He knew the other had started to put down his own injuries when they’d found themselves running low on medical supplies, but there was a limit to it that Cosmo would make him learn.
“Fully yours.” Was his chosen answer before he turned back around, to Sprout’s disbelief. “Now get back here and help me out with the oven, I’ll get the sugar before you carry out the whole flour supply.”
“I can get it just fine!”
…
‘By Delilah, why are you so stubborn?’
“I didn’t see the mains at lunch today.” Cosmo observed as he stepped into the kitchen with more dirty plates stacked, leaving them beside Sprout for him to finish washing. The other had stubbornly refused to go rest once they’d finished serving, and so Cosmo had ended up stuck to his side by his own choice.
He watched as the berry paused from scrubbing a plate, as though hesitating. The action was quickly resumed with a response, however. “Right, uh, I guess they’re sleeping in a bit. We have a main meeting later, I’ll bring them lunch.”
“Need help with that?”
“Nah, don’t worry. I got it.” He quickly shut down the idea, tilting his head with a knowing look. “Besides, I wouldn't want you to stand Boxten up on his lessons.”
That made Cosmo frown. “Boxten? He comes in tomorrow!” He went to take a look at the calendar that they kept on the kitchen wall for confirmation, but came up empty when he saw that the thing was nowhere to be found.
“..You’re sure?”
“Super sure.”
“Super duper sure?”
“Super duper mega sure.”
At least it got a laugh out of them both, although from Sprout it ended on a cough that sounded suspiciously like a whimper. “R-right, uh, he told me he was excited to see what he was gonna learn today..”
Cosmo remained quiet for a few seconds longer than would be normal, his gaze pinned on Sprout’s back as the gears turned in his head. He noted the restless behavior of Sprout’s tail, the end of it dragging along the floor tiles like a sad mop.
The audacity.
“Huh.” The pastry conceded, stepping closer to his strawberry so his breath could ghost over the other’s shoulder, relishing in the shiver that ran down Sprout’s spine. “He must have gotten the dates mixed up somehow, or maybe I messed up?”
“Maybe.” The other barely croaked out, tail dragging faster and in tighter circles.
Cosmo knew those signs. “It’s so odd though, I could’ve sworn we’d agreed on tomorrow. If only I could find our calendar…”
He rested his hands on the sink counter right by Sprout’s sides, watching him jerk like Cosmo could burn him with a single touch. It would almost be funny, to see him so skittish and red in the face, if the pastry weren’t so concerned with where the root of the issue lay.
Just as he was about to hug the other’s middle, carefully of course, the timer for the oven went off, the berry instantly looking up like Arthur himself had come down to take him away for a show.
“A-Ah, the cupcakes!” He wiggled out of Cosmo’s touch, carefully avoiding any brushes to his waist as he made his way to the oven. It would’ve offended him if not for the circumstances.
In no time was Sprout done with leaving them to cool like they should before he could apply any frosting nor decorations, yet when he turned around, Cosmo had stolen his dishwashing routine. He opened his mouth to question it, but got shot with an almost severe look.
“Why don’t ya go lay down a bit?” The cakeroll hummed, signaling to the door with his head. “I’ve got this.”
Contrary to what he’d hoped, considering that particular stare always got everyone to listen to him, he only got a huff from his partner along with an even more restless tail. “This was my kitchen first, you can’t kick me out with dishes.”
So he picked up a piping back and got to work on the frosting for his freshly baked treats, back turned to Cosmo like Sprout was daring him to drag him out and strap him to the bed.
…And as tempting as the idea was, the pastry still had a bit of patience left in him. A sigh left him, but he focused on his own work past the time the rustling of leaves signaled Sprout leaving the kitchen, with only a parting kiss on the cheek as he walked away as fast as he could—which wasn’t even a sprint, compared to his usual self.
It left Cosmo alone with his thoughts, allowing him to think through everything he’d noticed yet not mentioned. As cute as the other’s nervous habits could be, he didn’t quite like seeing him in such a state.
The sole possibility of the other being hurt, which seemed to become more and more likely as Cosmo kept prodding, already refreshened bad memories, flashes of spilled ichor and glassy eyes making him almost drop a plate from how badly he’d been holding onto it.
The baker looked up as unsure steps made their way inside the kitchen, having put away the very last one of the cleaned dishes by the time another toon walked into the space.
“Hi Boxten!” He greeted with a wave, smiling politely as he tried to put away some of the many thoughts in his mouth like he’d done all the vases and cups.
“Cosmo,” The music box nodded with a more awkward smile. He glanced around, as though looking for something.. or someone. “Sprout told me you wanted to move the lessons to today?”
‘Caught red-handed. He’s always redhanded though.. strawberries.’ The pastry thought with an ever so slightly smug smile, internally chuckling at his own joke.
Though on another hand, it meant the issue really was as big as Cosmo had initially thought it was. The other was trying to keep him distracted and away for some reason. It was starting to hurt.
Or scratch that, it’d been an ache in his chest from the beginning of the morning.
“Oh, he did?” Cosmo hummed, feigning ignorance.
“Uh, yeah?” The other pulled at the key in the back of his head, becoming more nervous. “Told me at lunch, said you were busy with cooking at the time… I can wait if you’re still busy, though.”
‘Alright. Enough of these little games.’
Cosmo picked up a vase of cookies, offering it to his fellow toon with an apologetic smile that did not encapsulate one bit all of the emotions coursing through him. “Yeah, sorry bud. I think Sprout got us a bit confused, you still up for doing it tomorrow?”
“Oh. Uhm, sure! I was hoping you’d say that.” He explained with a far more relieved look to him, accepting the jar happily. “The other toons are planning a little get together, maybe you’d like to come?”
“Maybe!” He considered, already making his way to the medical cabinet. “Likely not though, I’ve got some stuff to take care of first.”
Sprout had just been walking out of Astro’s room when he was cornered against the door, a yelp escaping his lips before he could bite down on his abused lower lip to muffle it once again. He blinked his eyes open with a sharp remark on the tip on his tongue, only to lose it when he found none other than Cosmo glaring up at him.
A very angry Cosmo, at that; if the tic in his eye and the low growl he was making were anything to go by. The berry gulped, hoping against hope that it wasn’t about what he was fearing it was.
“..H-hey there.” He could barely get the words out before a hand grazed his waist; it was only a breeze of a touch, but it still tore a hiss of pain from him. His side had needed to be freshly patched up for a few hours, but he’d been putting it off.
Especially with the constant attention from the cakeroll, who hadn’t allowed him to scurry off for moto long before somehow finding him again.
The sound had only seemed to make Cosmo’s frown deepen, however. “Can you walk?”
He didn’t sound very faithful.
Silence took over their interaction for a few seconds, enveloping the duo as Sprout avoided the others’ eyes. A huff left Cosmo before he gripped the strawberry’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. “I can always carry you to my room.”
“I—I can walk.” Sprout clarified, making a move to do so, but then he was swept off his feet by the other in one smooth motion, making him gasp and grunt in pain from the sudden shift. He heard a sigh from above, Cosmo’s expression turning apologetic as he pressed a kiss to his temple.
“Can doesn’t mean should.” He explained, already on his way down the halls with the flustered main in his arms. They both fell quiet for a moment, Sprout finally letting his head rest against the other chest while hugging Cosmo’s neck.
Truthfully, the only reason he wasn’t spluttering more was that he was drowsy. He hadn’t allowed himself to lay down at all because he knew the tiredness would catch up to him at once, and it was necessary for him to stay awake, but right then and there it was hard to keep his eyes open when his partner was cradling him so very gently.
“W-wait,” He protested, the sight of Cosmo’s room with an open medkit in the bed making him snap awake, if only the slightest bit. “You’re not going to..”
“It’s long overdue.” Was the explanation he gave while lowering Sprout down onto the bed with a precision he’d learned from the very toon he was carrying. He had to grab the other’s wrist to stop him from standing up, watching him sigh once resigned to sit after a careful stare down.
“The others may need it!” Yet he kept on arguing. It irked him more than any other difficult patient he’d ever had, and Cosmo couldn’t stop himself from leaning in close until their foreheads touched, his grip tightening on the other like he wouldn’t ever let go until Sprout took the hint and quieted down.
He grit his teeth to stop himself from doing anything stupid, and finally breathed out as he deemed himself ready to continue treating the injured. “You already took two medkits. What’s one more?”
That had him pausing, and the pastry couldn’t hold back the satisfaction he got from watching the realization that he was not as sneaky as he thought he was dawn on Sprout. Finally he relented, allowing Cosmo to take off his apron and then his shirt along with the scarf, ichor stained bandages revealed to the very person he’d wanted the least to see them.
“…They weren’t for me.” He explained after a bit of silence, not able to endure both Cosmo’s sweet touch and concerned gaze at once.
“Thought so.” The other whispered, taking off the bandages and wincing when he got an actual look at the slashes on the berry’s torso. He’d tanked a good one. “You bandaged.. this only just the right amount. It needs stitches. Where did you use the other medkits?”
“Cos…” The main practically whined, lifting up a hand to close the medkit. It was shooed away, then intertwined with one of Cosmo’s own to nudge him into confessing after a few caresses to the top of it.
He’d always loved the feeling of the taller’s hands, rough from baking yet still soft and firm when they cared for others. Right then they were pliant and trembling ever so subtly in his grasp, the strength draining out of them the more the strawberry was subjected to the comfort of rest.
“Sprout.” He called softly, free hand coming up to fix the leaves that were falling on his face. He heard his best friend’s breath hitch, and finally he crumbled.
“We went on a run right before dawn.”
“We?”
“The other mains and I.” Came the clarification, followed by a soft gasp when Cosmo got to disinfecting his wounds as per protocol, letting go of his hand in the process. “It, uh.. didn’t go the way we hoped it would.”
“I can see that.” He answered with a grimace, hating the look of the long, black lines in his partner’s midsection, surrounded by spots marred from spilled ichor. “Why did you go down there anyway?”
“For supplies. Heals, mostly. We’re almost out of them, so we thought we’d do a quick search and get back before lights came on.”
“Seems it backfired.”
It got a scoff out of Sprout, making Cosmo raise an eyebrow at him. There was some kind of weight to his posture that was not the sleep talking, but rather something far more common for him to pick up the signs of in his partner. “I’m working on it.”
‘Guilt.’
“Not without actual bands and gauze you aren’t.”
In the blink of an eye, Sprout grabbed the other’s wrists with a surprising surge of strength for his predicament, done with the conversation and the act of being a patient before the actual healing had even begun.
“Didn’t you hear? We’re almost out of these things. You shouldn’t even be wasting it on—”
Cosmo maneuvered their hands, shifting his arms to get out of the blockade. Before he knew it, Sprout was the one restrained and pinned down to the bed.
“Finish that sentence.” He was practically straddling the strawberry, which could not be a healthy strain to put on an injury such as the one he was trying to treat, but even less healthy was letting his stubborn idiot get away from the treatment. “And I swear your bedrest period will triple.”
“Cosmo, it’s a scratch.”
“Yeah!” His voice raised, along with the frustration that’d been bubbling up inside of him. The pastry couldn’t help it, the very idea of his reason for existing being hurt while he was rendered unable to help doubled the impotence he’d been dealing with. “A twisted’s scratch. What’s to go without patching up next, bleeding out in the damned kitchen?”
At least it had Sprout thinking twice, even if he hated yelling when it shouldn’t have been necessary. The main had one look at Cosmo’s eyes, the fear in them having him relent once again as the guilt in his own chest grew.
“…It won’t get to that.” He promised, crossing his arms out of habit before remembering his injury as the pain intensified, as shown by his wincing. “But others could need that med.”
“We need it now.” Cosmo reached out for him, exasperated.
“Then use it for the other mains.”
Close enough now, the pastry took ahold of his shoulders and made him sit down once again, much to Sprout’s dismay. “I will.” He reassured, breathing in deep and massaging along the other’s neck to hopefully get the tension out once and for all. “I know how to ration supplies, bud. I learned from the best.”
The strawberry shivered at the subtle praise, worsened as faint gusts of cold air hit his skin from the lack of his characteristic scarf, but he remained firmly quiet; at least until tender lips pressed against the column of his throat, making him jump as Cosmo went on to leave a trail of kisses all the way down to his collarbones, a bite or two marked in his skin on the way down.
“Hmn,” His tail wrapped around one of Cosmo’s thighs, his acceptance becoming more likely the more he melted into his partner’s touch. They met each other’s eyes one last time, vulnerability reflecting in both pairs of irises, before Sprout let his forehead rest against the cakeroll’s shoulder. “…Fine. Only until I can go out to restock without dragging the run.”
There was a hum of acknowledgement from the healer in charge, the caresses continuing for a few moments longer in hopes of his patient succumbing to the tiredness. But of course, Cosmo wasn’t so lucky, so he decided to work with what he had.
He was able to work through the stitches with surprising lack of arguing, only a few pained sounds that he tried to soothe without making the other feel worse. It was only when he tried to apply the gauze that Sprout withdrew again, a faint fire in his eyes.
“Love,” He tested the word on his tongue, adoring how it made the other freeze up just long enough for him to leave the fabric aside and hold his hands. “You know they can tear if we don’t patch them up.”
‘And it would use up more supplies to care for that.’ But he didn’t need to say it out loud, as the taller hung his head low with a groan and then muttered his go ahead. It brought something close to a grin to Cosmo’s face to win the discussion, barely disguised while he got to work with wrapping up the other’s torso.
Once that was done, he let himself remain in Sprout’s embrace, not having the heart to pull away when the taller was so clearly dozing off with his head against Cosmo’s chest. The thorns in that tail were tickling him slightly too, with how they tried to keep him in place.
Gently, Cosmo tried to push the other down onto the bed so he could get some actual rest, but he could only sigh when the strawberry’s eyes fluttered open and alert. He uncurled his tail from around Cosmo, looking down at the bandage work with an unreadable expression.
“You’ve always had the skills in you.” Were his next words, as he carded his fingers through the fabric. The pastry took that hand in his, leaving a cookie for the other to enjoy before stepping back.
“Means you’ll listen if I say you have to rest now?”
“Hmm..” Sprout looked away guiltily, taking a bite out of the treat before standing up. He stumbled for a bit, caught by Cosmo before he could topple down, though he tried to shrug the help off by patting the other’s back reassuringly. “I will… in a bit. There’s still—”
“—The mains?” His best friend interrupted while rolling his eyes. “You’re in no shape to handle patients.”
‘Especially difficult patients.’ Cosmo pursed his lips, looking at what was still in the medkit. ‘Is that a requirement to be a main?’
The rustle of equipment being put back in place made him scoff, only watching as Sprout clicked the kit shut and picked it up.
“Two pairs of hands are better than one.”
“Hypocrite.”
Astro placed his hand on the fossil’s forehead, whispering soft tunes as he watched her eyes close with a contented hum. His sides stung as he walked, but he wanted to help his friends out at least a bit.
It was the least he could do, after all. Sprout had treated their injuries to the best of his abilities the instant he’d been able to get his hands on them, although trying to check up on the strawberry himself had been met with suspiciously instant refusal.
“Just a scratch,” He’d brushed off Shelly’s touch before she could even reach him when leaving the cupcakes he’d made specifically for them, only to grab her shoulders and turn her around with the purpose of getting her in bed. “I’ll take a look after you guys are all patched up.”
Even then, Astro couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off. Hisses of pain that didn’t come from any of the other mains, a slowness to the berry’s movements that’d limited his flexibility when returning, and it hadn’t slipped his mind how the baker had not entered his realm for more than a few minutes since they’d gone on their last supply run.
The moon remained seated by the foot of Shelly’s bed, eyeing Vee’s powered off form resting by the corner of his bedroom. None of them had stepped foot out of the space as per Sprout’s orders, although there’d been protests when he’d voiced them.
They were all exhausted, after all. Astro was used to the tiredness, but he was also finding it hard to stay sale without the occasional blink out of consciousness.
Either way, he was trying. His lips stayed pursed with frustration as he awaited the next visit from their self-appointed medic just to corner him the way the other had done him; truthfully, he thought they were all stable enough for Sprout to get a bit of shuteye in between retouching.
And soon enough, he could hear muffled conversation approaching his door at a steady pace. It made him frown, curiosity piqued enough for the moon to make his way to the door—from what he’d heard, Sprout had been adamant on telling fellow toons about them being busy somewhere else in the building, but that was his voice along with someone else’s making their way to the mains’ doors, so somebody had burrowed their way through the baker’s stubbornness.
…Astro had a pretty good idea as to who.
“..should be sleeping.” Part of the conversation filtered through the door before it was clicked open, revealing none other than Cosmo, with Sprout standing in front of him as he’d been the one to push the door open.
“Astro?” The berry turned to him with his brows drawn tight. His posture looked far better, still weighed down by exhaustion, but he wasn’t curling up into himself as much as he’d been a few hours ago. One look at the medkit in his hands gave the moon the explanation needed. “Shouldn’t you have joined them in dreamland by now?”
He got a hum in response, as the moon turned his attention to Cosmo with a nod. “You’re taking over, I assume?” His voice slurred slightly with a note of tranquility, one that Astro hoped would carry onto the room’s atmosphere.
“As soon as routine check-up is done.” Cosmo shrugged, placing a hand on Sprout’s shoulder so they would both walk over to the sleep guardian. They set the medkit in a nearby nightstand, and surprisingly, Astro complied with letting go of his blanket for the pastry to take a look at him.
Not missing the curious glint in Cosmo’s eyes, the main looked around before murmuring. “It’s all patched up already, but if it gets Sprout to let it go.”
“You were bleeding out on me!”
“And you took care of it.” He answered with a yawn, already missing his own bed. Stars, once his head hit the pillows, Astro was sure he’d stay in dreamland for at least a season. “Thank you.”
There was a huff from the strawberry, who’d taken to adjusting Shelly’s bedding so she could rest more comfortably. He smacked the pillow softly a few times to even out the feathers in it before placing it below her head for the fossil to snuggle up to. The action brought a smile to Astro’s lips.
“Just my duty.”
He and Cosmo shared a glance as the latter started taking off the last bandages quietly, getting his first real look at the injuries of the other mains. Long black lines ran down Astro’s upper arms, matching many other claw injuries the cakeroll had treated before—they never looked any less painful.
“Do you know what my duty is, Sprout?” The moon began, eyes lidded while he observed Cosmo as he worked on him, even when his attention was clearly elsewhere.
It made the berry glance up from the cushions he was almost playing with from how much he adjusted them. “…Don’t.” He protested, annoyance crystal clear in how he pursed his lips. Restless, he turned around to check on Vee.
“She’s alright.” Astro said before the other could busy himself with mechanics. “Dandy came to look at her a few hours ago.”
“Did he take a look at you both, too?”
They both went quiet after that, Astro unsure on how to continue while Sprout seemed pretty much done with the conversation. It made Cosmo wince, to see how tense the mains became whenever that particular flower was brought up.
“Well!” He piped up, picking up the moon’s blanket and unfolding the thing to wrap it around his current patient’s shoulders. From the feel of it, there were some stitches on the fabric around the spots where the attacker must have pierced through to reach skin. “You should be all good to go, just don’t take on any arduous tasks for some time.”
“You re-remind me of Seedly.” He heard be commented from the corner with a characteristic glitch breaking the sentence. One glance revealed Vee being helped up by Sprout, who huffed once he processed the words.
“How are your legs?”
“Fine.” She pushed him off, although her stance was still rather shaky when alone. There were a few dents on the servos, but otherwise they seemed to be in decent enough condition to Cosmo’s rather robotically uninformed eye. “How’s your side?”
That frown as she spoke, however, he could easily read as the disguised concern it was. The TV made a move to lift Sprout’s shirt, presumably to get a look at the injury—which apparently no one else in the room knew she had caught onto.
“Hands off the chef!” Sprout told her when she shoved him into a beanbag, grunting as the rough treatment pulled at the injuries he had. Vee only let him up then, satisfied when she caught sight of the bandages around his torso.
“How much insistence did it take for you to get that looked into?” She asked, hands on her waist as she scoffed. “You were starting to mess with my sensors.”
“You’ve got sensors?” Cosmo heard himself say, letting go of Shelly after putting a little dinosaur sticker on her cheek. “As in, to tell injury?”
The main shrugged like it was no big deal, but she gave in to the healer’s curiosity like it had been a question asked during her showtime. “I can tell ichor levels and some other stuff, like temperature or similar scales, but it’s less exact. Berry-boy loved testing the limits of it back in the day.”
Sprout stood up carefully, avoiding her like he knew he’d be tripped again should he step too close. Cosmo almost wanted to intervene, but the years had taught him not to get in the way of their squabbles lest he wanted to be caught in the crossfire.
‘Mains..’ He thought, unimpressed.
“It works better with liquid ichor.” The berry explained once he was closer to Cosmo, his tail rather agitated with the way it was alternating between dragging along the floor and smacking against it. “That’s why she can tell bleeding injuries but not quite locate other toons.”
“That’s someone else’s job.”
“If you’d trained—”
A finger was pressed to his lips. “Ah-ah. Commercials are starting!”
“..It tends to come in handy during runs.” Astro told him as the other two turned back to bickering, startling the pastry for he’d thought the other was asleep with how he had suddenly gone silent. “But her microphone got damaged a bit early on for that to work last night, and then a twisted injured her legs by surprise sometime later.”
“The first one down?”
“Would’ve been Shelly if Vee hadn’t stepped in,” Astro added while shaking his head, then glanced down at the fossil with a saddened look. “She got distracted while on the run, but it’s alright. Nobody’s fault. We were all a bit tired.”
He heaved a sigh, for what felt like the thousandth time. Cosmo himself would need one long nap once dinner was served and everyone had been tucked in bed. “You lot shouldn’t have gone by yourselves. Mains or not, each other is all we’ve got.”
Astro stayed quiet for a few moments, enough that the chat seemed to have come to an end. The healer took it for the sign that it was.
‘This is certainly not going to be the last time.’
A loud bang made them both look towards the corner once again, where some of Astro’s decorations now laid as they’d apparently been knocked down… in some way Cosmo failed to comprehend.
At least it’d stopped their messing around, as both toons looked over at the owner of the room with at least some shame in their eyes. That was new for the TV, at least to the pastry’s knowledge.
Astro only sighed at the sight, standing up from where he’d been resting and stretching—though he did not let go of his blanket for one second.
“You should go take care of your own things.” He offered with a tilt of his head that made the fluff of his hat drag along the floor. “I’ll handle the night shift.”
The pastry hesitated, eyeing carefully how his other two friends were by then working on fixing what they’d broken. He winced when more cracks appeared in the decorative moon’s surface, but Astro only hummed.
“Don’t worry, they’ll tire out before they’re done with that. I’m not the sleep toon for nothing.”
“Right,” Cosmo relented, grabbing the medkit and giving one last wave to the moon as he made his way out. His steps were slow, like he wanted to stall in case anything could happen while he was gone, but the rollcake knew he had other things to cross off his list before he could be back. “See you guys later for dinner, then?”
“Good night.” Then, before he could close the door behind him, Cosmo was stopped by the weight of a tiny blue star on his shoulder. “And thank you, Cosmo.”
“…Anytime.”
Cosmo had been cleaning the last of the counters in silence when two arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind, trapping him in an embrace that he’d missed the warmth of.
Dramatic, sure, but his day wasn’t complete without that sugary sweet affection.
“Hey,” He spoke softly, quick to drop the dirty rag he’d been holding to instead turn around and return the hug. “You look dead on your feet.”
There was only a bit of grumbling from the other in response to the comment, the only warning before a familiar tail wrapped around one of his legs once again being that of Sprout tightening his grip, but otherwise silence.
It was nice to have that clinginess back in his partner.
“Should be in bed.” The strawberry complained instead, trying to glare at him. He failed miserably, in Cosmo’s opinion; those eye bags were taking away any threatening appearance the cuteness hadn’t gotten rid off already.
A soft laugh from the pastry made Sprout roll his eyes, yet he didn’t let go even then. “You should be in bed, but alright…” Cosmo huffed, lowering his grip to the main’s thighs and caressing gently through his clothing—he couldn’t help it, not with the way the other’s knees practically buckled from the most gentle of touches. “My room?”
He could only giggle again when Sprout nodded against his neck, the puffs of breath from his mumbling sending a shiver down Cosmo’s spine. “In a min..”
‘How you’re standing is beyond me.’ He thought with a hum, then shifted his grip once again to just below the taller’s hips so he could lift him up, not without earning himself a startled look.
“Are you ever gonna stop picking me up?” Sprout questioned him dryly, his face up to the nose hidden behind the fabric of his scarf, although that did absolutely nothing when Cosmo could tell how flustered he was with his trembling legs locked around his waist. “I’m heavy, Cos.”
“Don’t think so.” He spinned around once, mindful of the injuries, and snickered at the newfound startle he caused. “One singular sack of flour is heavier.”
“It’s gotta be at least four.”
“Half of one.”
His shoulder was smacked playfully, barely any strength behind it. “Show-off.”
“I like holding you.” Cosmo explained instead, pressing a chaste kiss to his best friend’s nose. “It’s.. it’s grounding.”
The other’s hands started playing with his star-freckles to comfort in the silence, allowing Cosmo to truly relax after all that had transpired in the day. “Bed, then?”
“Bed.”