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Darkness swallowed up the living room only to be pushed back by a glowing blue light. Astro placed the remote down, time having gotten the best of him. He had come to check on Tisha and Shelly, who were having a movie night, only to get sidetracked by the film himself.
Looking over at the clock sitting on the nearby desk, it read 2:30 AM. That should’ve been the time everyone was asleep.
So he thought.
Astro gently hopped off the couch and made his way toward the elevator to finally turn in for the night, but only a few steps in, he paused and sniffed the air.
The smell of cookies.
Surely Cosmo wasn’t giving Boxten a late-night baking lesson again. Maybe Ginger was visiting and helping him bake. Astro wouldn’t blame the pastry Toon; Cosmo didn’t get to see his cousin nearly as often as he wanted to. Turning the corner, the moon Toon expected to find a certain roll cake.
Instead...
“Astro?”
Astro stumbled back slightly at the sudden voice. “Oh, it’s just you, Sprout… wait, Sprout?” One eyebrow raised. “What are you doing up at this time?”
Sprout sheepishly laughed, scratching the back of his neck.
“Wasn’t really expecting you of all Toons either, but uh… couldn’t really sleep, so I figured I’d get an early start on my list for tomorrow. Right now I’m working on the dino-themed cookies Shelly requested for a kids’ dinosaur party.” He proudly held out the tray, revealing several decorated dinosaur cookies.
“That still doesn’t answer my ques—”
“Here, try one!”
Astro was immediately cut off by a T-Rex cookie being shoved into his mouth. The moon Toon stared blankly while Sprout waited expectantly.
“…It’s good,” Astro admitted after a moment.
“Told you.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why you’re awake at two in the morning baking for other people.”
Sprout blinked.
“What?”
Astro crossed his arms beneath the blanket draped around him, tiny glowing stars floating near his shoulders instead. “You’ve been doing this a lot lately,” he said quietly. “Helping everyone.”
Sprout opened his mouth, but Astro continued before he could interrupt.
“You helped Pebble calm down after his sugar rush yesterday, stayed with Cosmo during his rehearsal last week, spent almost all afternoon helping the Toons decorate the lobby for Christmas, and now you’re baking cookies for a party in the middle of the night.”
Sprout looked genuinely surprised Astro had noticed all of that.
Astro noticed everything.
“That’s just… normal stuff,” Sprout muttered, turning back toward the counter. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is when you barely sleep.”
“I sleep.”
“You fell asleep standing up near the elevator three days ago.”
“…Okay, rude.”
Astro gave him an unimpressed look. Sprout sighed dramatically before leaning against the counter. “I just like helping people, alright? Everyone’s happier when things are taken care of.”
“And who takes care of you?”
The question caught Sprout completely off guard. The kitchen grew quieter after that, save for the soft hum of the oven. Sprout rubbed his arm awkwardly. “I dunno. I’m fine, Astro.”
“You say that every time.”
“Well, I am.”
Astro stared at him for a long moment. Sprout always did this. He’d overwork himself helping everyone else and brush it off like it was nothing. Like he had to keep moving or something bad would happen if he stopped.
The stars around Astro drifted closer to the tray of cookies, carefully moving them away from the hot edge of the counter.
“You don’t have to do everything yourself,” Astro said softly.
Sprout laughed lightly. “Tell that to the kids expecting dinosaur cookies tomorrow.”
“They would survive one day without perfectly frosted triceratops.”
“Wow. Harsh.” Astro huffed quietly, though the faintest smile tugged at his face. Sprout noticed immediately.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The smile.”
“I’m not smiling.”
“You totally are.”
Astro immediately looked away. Sprout snickered under his breath before his expression softened slightly. “…You really were worried about me?”
Astro hesitated.
“A little.”
“A little,” Sprout repeated teasingly.
Astro sighed. “You make it difficult not to be.”
For once, Sprout didn’t immediately joke back. Instead he looked down at the cookies quietly.
“I just…” He paused. “I like feeling useful.”
“You’re useful even when you aren’t exhausting yourself.”
Sprout went silent again.
Astro stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You don’t always have to be the one helping everyone else.” His stars gently nudged the tray farther from Sprout’s reach. “Sometimes you can rest too.”
Sprout stared at the floating stars before finally laughing softly.
“You’re seriously confiscating my cookies?”
“Yes.”
“You’re evil.”
“It’s two thirty in the morning, Sprout.”
The strawberry Toon stared at him for another second before finally laughing and giving in.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go to bed.”
Astro nodded in satisfaction.
Sprout carefully covered the cookies before pausing beside him near the kitchen doorway.
“…Thanks, by the way.”
Astro blinked. “For what?”
“For noticing.”
The moon Toon’s expression softened slightly.
“Someone has to.”
For a brief moment neither of them moved. Then Sprout smiled, smaller this time, quieter, but real.
“Goodnight, Astro.”
“Goodnight, Sprout.”
As Sprout finally headed toward the elevators, Astro stayed behind for a moment longer, watching until he disappeared down the hall. Only then did the stars around him dim softly.
Satisfied, Astro finally made his own way back to his room.