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Sprout opened the door and walked into his own room, heavily exhausted from today's errands. He closed the door behind him, as he furrowed his eyebrows and pinched the bridge of his nose. He has been overworked by Dandy lately, and Sprout knew that he was doing so, he needed to rest. In fact, he has rarely gotten any kind of rest ever since the revival started. However, he couldn't be resting now, not when he needed to make plans for the group's next run tomorrow.
He ran his hand through his disheveled leaves as he slowly walked towards his desk, only for him to pause his sluggish movement once something caught his eyes. A plush of Astro laying on his bed. Sprout believed that he could get good dreams if he kept the Astro plush near him while he slept... That is if he actually did sleep on his bed, and not on his desk. He took a couple steps towards his bed instead, and reached down to pick up the plush.
Looking down at the plush he held in his hand, Sprout sighed. "I wish that we can find you sooner, Astro," he whispered, as he turned his head and looked at his bed. For a moment, he considered sleeping on the bed this time around. He wanted to keep working, but he was also aware of his already poor sleep schedule. "You know what," he said, placing the plush back on his bed. "Maybe I should take a little break, I'll try getting some sleep... hopefully."
Sprout slowly got on the bed, not even bothering to change from his regular attire. He was exhausted enough for the gravity to just pull him straight down. His eyes fluttered shut once his head hit the pillow, and he fell asleep almost immediately.
Things have started to mellow-out, and Sprout suddenly felt a bit lighter than usual, as if he was laying on a cloud or something. Wait, a cloud? He opened his eyes slightly, and looked down. All he saw was white fluff below him, and he felt the fluffy, cotton-like texture after he slowly brushed his hand. After a short delay, processing that he was in a different location, Sprout's eyes widened and he quickly sat up. Bewildered, he shook his head and glanced up. The space was a purple gradient, and it was filled with clouds and stars in various sizes. He looked like he was in awe as he looked around his unfamiliar surroundings.
"Woah... Wait, where exactly am I—"
"Sprout?"
Sprout quickly whipped his head towards the other voice, he got caught off-guard after he saw someone sitting next to him. "Astro?!"
"Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Astro apologized, shifting his position to face Sprout. "You looked a bit tense, so I came over here. Are you okay, Sprout?"
A can of worms might have just opened up, because Sprout decided to tell Astro about the revival and the runs they have been doing. None of the revived toons knew where Astro was ever since the revival started, Dandy wouldn't even tell them about his whereabouts, which was a bit odd considering how close they were.
Even so, Astro was still out there somewhere in the amusement park. He just needed this moment to have at least a small glimmer of hope that Astro was actually real and was right here with him, listening to him. "It's been stressful, and it can be tiring from a lot of work that needs to be done," Sprout added. "I've barely gotten any sleep because of this."
"I see, that is quite a lot to process. Wait, you mentioned that you barely slept?"
"What? I— Uh..."
"..."
"Whoops?"
"Sprout, you need to rest!" Astro admonished him once he caught that small slip up. "I know you're always working hard, but you have to make sure that you're well-rested!"
"I know, Astro, I'm sorry," Sprout brought his hand behind his neck as he apologized.
Astro sighed with a frown. "It's alright... I'm just looking out for you, Sprout. I'm concerned about your well-being," he said those words purely out of worry, and Sprout knew that as well.
Neither of them spoke a word after that. Astro and Sprout gazed upwards and took a moment to relax, they watched the stars twinkle and the clouds slowly move by. Eventually, Sprout broke the silence. "Astro, would it be okay if I..." he paused, a flicker of doubt crossing his face. "Nevermind, ignore that."
Astro raised a brow. "What were you going to ask me, Sprout?" he questioned.
Sprout opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn't sure how Astro would respond. Not wanting to be silent for too long, Sprout cleared his throat. "Sorry, it's just..." he muttered, averting his gaze. "If it's alright, could I maybe... get a hug from you?"
"Oh?" Astro tilted his head. He didn't expect to be asked for a hug, especially from Sprout. Astro knew him as someone who would keep a smile on his face, even when things go wrong. However, Sprout was going through a tough time, so he accepted it. "Of course, Sprout. I can gladly do that for you," he nodded as a soft smile reached his eye, and welcomed him with open arms. There was no rush, Astro let him go at his pace when he was ready. Sprout adjusted his position to face Astro as he scooted himself closer. He paused for a second, before he reached out slowly and wrapped his arms around him.
His body stiffened once Astro enveloped him underneath his blanket, and then allowed himself to relax. It's been so long since he was hugged by someone, he didn't even realize that he needed it until he felt tears running down his face. Sprout let out a shuddering sigh and shut his eyes. He tucked his head under Astro's chin and hugged him slightly tighter, as he found himself sinking into the warmth of the blanket cocoon. "Astro, can we... stay like this for a while? Please?" he murmured, not wanting to let him go just yet.
"We can stay like this as long as you want, Sprout," Astro started, speaking softly as he continued. "However, you should probably take this opportunity to catch up on your sleep. You know how serious I can be when it comes to that."
Sprout let out a small, amused chuckle as he rubbed his eyes, wiping his tears. "Okay, okay... I'll sleep," he said, knowing that he was going to sleep comfortably underneath the blanket while he was in Astro's arms. Once he closed his eyes, he heard Astro whisper something to him.
"Sweet dreams, Sprout..."
Outside of his dream, Sprout already looked content, despite not changing into something more comfortable. His eyelids were lightly closed, and his chest slowly rose and fell, in a slow and steady rhythm. He was also curled up on his bed. There was a small damp spot on the pillowcase, and he embraced the Astro plush subconsciously in his arms.
Astro may not be fully present while he lurked around as a twisted, but it appears that he could still help Sprout find peace in his sleep after all.