Chapter Text
“Are you okay Astro?”
“Hm?”
The toon got up from the grass beneath him. He had just started to sleep again. Why did he have to be disturbed?
Sprout looked at him with a strained patience, and Astro thought up a suitable answer.
Was he really okay?
“I am fine, thank you Sprout. I was just resting.”
The other toon sighed and beckoned for Astro to follow.
“We can't have you sleeping here. Come on, let's get you to your room Astro.”
He froze and made a noise between discomfort and something hesitant.
“I'll go to sleep later. I was resting under the tree, not sleeping.”
Sprout stared back at him for a bit longer than he was supposed to, and tried for a small smile.
“Alright, sorry. Still, try not to pass out in the hallways okay?”
“Mhm. I'll try.”
Sprout walked away entering one of the elevators, and Astro sighed.
He hugged his blanket tighter and returned to his grassy bed. The leaves were falling off now. He assumed it was the season Autumn.
Somewhere he heard Toodles pestering Rodger. He was a voice too familiar. He always asked Astro so many questions.
Gardenview wasn't the way it was before, everyone knew that, but Astro had to make sure it wouldn't feel as disheartening.
That was why he couldn't allow himself to dream when everyone else was living a nightmare.
—
He felt drowsy.
He always did, but today felt particularly worse. He could barely hold a conversation for more than five minutes because he would start zoning out and seeing everything again. Objects seemed farther than they really were, so he kept bumping into them. Sprout noticed, always too quickly, and nagged him about getting to sleep. Teagan offered him some coffee to wake him up before a run. He would have preferred to just stay behind.
At the moment he sat with Boxten at the cafeteria, both not saying much, but it was clear he was anxious.
Astro watched silently as Boxten's wind up key slowly turned, mechanical movements accompanying the tune that played with it.
"Are you worried about something?”
“Uhm… yeah,”
“You can talk to me about it if you like.”
Boxten looked over at the other toon, eyes wide and then soft again, and he sighed.
“It's just the amount of toons that have been injured lately. I was on a run with Goob and he got badly hurt. It's scary, y'know? What if something even worse happens?”
“I understand, but don't worry yourself too much. Goob will get better. We just have to make sure situations like this won't happen again.”
Boxten didn’t say anything.
“If it helps, I can give you a good dream tonight.”
“Oh no…” Boxten mumbled, but still Astro heard him.
“What's wrong?”
“It's just that whenever you promise me a ‘good dream’ I don't often get a good night of sleep, Astro.”
“Are they too short or–”
“No, no!” He chuckled nervously, eyes darting off to the side, “the length is fine. They just feel more like well, nightmares, than ‘good dreams’.”
Astro didn't reply.
“A–Astro?”
“Oh, my apologies. I wasn't paying attention. You said the dreams I give you are more like nightmares?”
“Yeah…”
“Could you describe what you don't like about them so I can tailor them to be a little better?”
Boxten's eyes lit up, and he held back a smile.
“A–are you sure?”
“Mhm.”
“Well, p-please don't include anything that involves chasing or high places…”
“Got it.”
“...and I don't really like being the centre of attention…”
“Got that too.”
“I don't like loud places either unless it involves the children…”
He paused, and clasped his hands together nervously.
“Is that all Boxten?”
“Yeah…”
Astro smiled, rising from where he was sitting and taking his long empty plate with him.
“I'll make sure you get to sleep well tonight.”
“T-thanks Astro…”
“No problem.”
As Astro yawned into his blanket, dumping his plate on the cafeteria bar as Cosmo scrambled to write down orders and hold more than four plates at the same time, he looked around and felt himself relax. Boxten seemed a lot happier now.
Astro relaxed a little too much.
His knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the ground, blanket just barely shielding his second set of arms from public viewing.
Cosmo jumped like a kid had attempted to take a bit out of him to see if he actually tasted like a cosmic brownie.
Vee snickered in the corner of a nearby bench. Astro still didn't know why she could possibly want to be in the cafeteria.
Brightney dropped her books and rushed to help him get up.
“I'm fine.” he muttered, but Brightney didn't buy it.
“I told you to get to sleep, Astro! In fact a lot of us did, but the point is you can't drag yourself around like this. You can barely even stand on your own!”
“I'll be fine, Brightney. I just stood in a weird way.”
“How do you even– Forget it. Just please make sure to rest after you're finished here, okay?”
“Alright, I will. Sorry for worrying you.”
“Don't apologise! Just take care of yourself and sleep more often.” She smiled at him and he smiled back, trying his best to put one foot in front of the other all while shoving his embarrassment down.
Vee would not be getting a good dream that night.
—
Dark soon settled over every corner of Gardenview.
Despite numerous warnings from almost everyone he talked to that day, Astro still hadn't taken a nap.
He didn't know what was wrong with him, because he so very desperately needed it, but still he was walking around and helping out whenever necessary.
As the sky in the glass sun roof above faded from a lovely orange into deep navy, stars twinkling above, Astro mentally prepared himself for what was to come.
He leaned against the elevator walls as the mechanical whir of pulley and gears dying for maintenance of a proper kind lulled him to sleep a little. It was heart wrenching, because he had so much work to do now.
On his way down faces came in and went out, although the strangest was possibly Shrimpo storming in wearing something that resembled a very glittery and pink princess dress.
Shrimpo glared at him like he dared him to say something.
Astro made no comment.
That part of his trip down was the most painful one of them all.
When Astro arrived on the floor that held the rooms of the main toons, which was just below the other toon rooms floor, he nearly fell again. He hurried past whatever object was in his way (although bumping into a few) and opened his room door, his eye fighting to stay open long enough before he reached his bed.
It was surprisingly clean, something he was proud of.
He lay back onto his bed, letting his blanket fall from his shoulders and spill onto the covers below.
He sighed and sat up again, letting himself relax, even more than he had in the cafeteria.
He felt himself slip.
Deeper,
And deeper still…
He was everywhere and yet still in his room. He could feel everyone who lay asleep.
It was time to grant some dreams.
—
The world was dark, lit only by the stars and moon above him and the fireflies right next to him. Boxten sat on a bench in the middle of a grass field, stretching for as far as the eye could see.
He had a blanket on his lap, and a can of POP™ too.
This place was surprisingly nice.
Wind gently rushed past, ruffling the grass beneath him. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining things, but another blanket brushed his leg, and he flinched. A laugh came from the left of him.
It was Astro.
His appearance was… strange, but it felt natural. The light blue part of his face was gone, only another twinkling star for an eye staring back. It felt so uncanny.
“W-where am I? Why are you here? Why do you… look like that?”
Astro only smiled, looking back up into the sky.
Boxten made no attempt to question further. He had the feeling Astro wouldn’t answer.
“Are you still anxious?”
Boxten’s wind up key whirred a little, before he shook his head.
“Astro… do you hate me?”
“What?”
“I just… had the feeling you didn’t like me because you gave me nightmares all the time.”
“Oh Boxten, I don’t hate you. I don’t hate anyone.”
“Really?”
“Mhm. I’m sorry for giving you nightmares. I just thought you might like the dreams I gave you.”
“Why would I want a dream about me getting chased by apples?”
“Uhm,”
Boxten laughed a bit, and sank into the grass below. Astro sat down beside him.
“Thanks Astro.”
“You’re welcome. Don’t worry about Goob, I’m sure he’ll get better soon.”
“Okay…”
Boxten wound his key up, and a melody Delilah gave to him when she first made him played soft and slowly in the background. It had helped him go back to sleep after nightmares, Astro-induced or not, and it sometimes played when he was working on a machine too.
Delilah said it was something special just for him.
“Bye bye Boxten. Sleep well, and dream on…”
Boxten couldn’t hear him.
But when he awoke, he remembered that his dream was nice and sweet.
—
Astro felt even worse than he did yesterday.
He made his way down to breakfast, eye barely staying open past halfway. Everything felt too bright, too loud.
When he arrived at the cafeteria, Sprout practically flew towards him, shaking him so hard and complaining about the bags under his eye so much that Astro got a headache.
“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE TOLD YOU TO GO TO SLEEP ASTRO??”
“If I remember correctly… this is your eighth time now?”
“EAT YOUR FOOD AND GET OF MY GODDAMN KITCHEN I SWEAR ASTRO IF YOU DON’T GET ANY SLEEP I’M GOING TO–”
“Relax Seedly, yelling so early in the morning will make your leaves go brown.”
Gigi yawned as she entered the area, fishing something out of her head.
“Do not–”
“Yeah, yeah. Good morning Sprout, hehe.”
Sprout sighed, finally releasing his grip on Astro’s shoulders.
“Just get to sleep, okay Astro? I’ll let everyone know you can’t do anything for the time being.”
Astro smiled and Sprout grinned back, rushing back behind where Cosmo was watching with the most blank expression he had ever seen on the inedible dessert’s face yet.
Astro walked away and back to his room. If he was being honest he wasn’t very hungry at all. He was definitely going to sleep for a week at least.
But at least the other toons would rest easy.