Chapter Text
Cosmo and Sprout.
Just Cosmo.
The cake-roll toon rarely had any moments where it was.. Just Cosmo. Not Cosmo and Sprout. Just Cosmo. Though right now was one of those moments where it was indeed just him. In the morning-time, when Cosmo was half awake due to a lack of sleep, the boy told Sprout that he should go on a run with the others on his own.
“ ..Why? I mean, I don't mind but.. “ Sprout would begin, a bit of uneasiness coloring his tone. “ I mean, um, I just think things would be a ton faster and less difficult if you were there! “ The berry had a habit of trying to convince Cosmo otherwise of decisions he would make, not wanting to be on the opposite side of Cosmo’s thinking.
“ Sprout, you do lovely out there. I’m more than sure that you can do this on your own. “ He would encourage Sprout gently, putting a paw on his sleeve and smiling. Sprout, unfortunately always fell victim to his cheerful looks and nodded.
That was how Cosmo discovered himself alone in the garden of the museum. It was nice, a dome with real sunlight beaming down on him. Usually Dandy, or Sprout would hang around here mainly to get their sun in, since well.. They were plant adjacent. Oftentimes the two would sit across the dome, Dandy up, Sprout down. Or Dandy left, Sprout right.
Never would they even attempt to sit close on their own. Even when Cosmo tried to get the two to sit together at a reasonable distance, they would bark at each other like hounds fighting over a soggy box to sleep in. It was sad, almost, as the two were cousins and couldn't get along. Cosmo never understood it at all considering he was close to his little cousin, the sweet toon she was.
He just supposed they had their differences for the most part, as well as their similarities which caused a rift.
Sprout's incessant arguing with Dandy is also why he felt as though he needed some alone time, as Dandy was practically everywhere and so was Sprout. Cosmo’s floppy little ears could barely handle the “Nobody needs your help around here!”s and “Come on, it’s not like you’re any fuckin’ better.”s. The yelling and screaming really put a strain on his hearing and his mental state.
Cosmo curled up a little, his paws brushing against the blades of grass. It felt nice, being out here, surrounded by flowers in bloom. He breathed in and— his nose scrunched up and he sneezed, slightly falling backwards.
His paw came up to wipe his nose and went back stained in golden yellow.. Pollen, he assumed, as now his nose was beginning to run. Cosmo adjusted himself slightly and sat up, wiping his nose with the bottom of his sleeve a bit. “ Gosh.. “ The cake-roll would mutter to himself. That was clearly enough time spent here, as all he did was think about Sprout and his less-than-nice qualities.
.. It was about time that Sprout came back from his run away and Cosmo felt inclined to check on his best friend anyways.
Cosmo got up from his sitting position and dusted himself off once or twice, before assuming a standing position and beginning to wander. For the most part he was wandering down to the lobby, his paw brushing against every wall and railing he passed by. Soon enough the sweet looking lobby came into view, as well as the elevators.
There was a group of toons, some sitting and some standing. Gigi and Toodles on the floor whispering about something, which Cosmo would think is nicking someone, Astro and Boxten looking towards another side of the group, Teagan, Ginger and Bassie worrying over Sprout. Wait, over Sprout? The strawberry toon was hunched over Teagan's shoulder, waving a paw dismissively but clearly looking rough as leather.
Cosmo felt slight alarm bells ring in his head as he padded forward lightly, his mind turning over and grilling possible scenarios that could have happened. Sprout might've been distracting and gotten hit a few times.
That was the more likely option, as ichor was dripping down Sprout’s arms and back from what Cosmo could see. In his worry, Cosmo rushed over to the group, head whipping left to right. “ What happened to him?! “ He urged the group to answer, wanting them to tell him what exactly had gone down as they descended more and more into the perilous center.
The conversation ended somewhat abruptly as Sprout simply.. dropped. He had passed out from the sheer exhaustion working at his muscles and body in general. Cosmo hurried to his side, scooping up the taller male and hoisting him into a sort of fireman’s carry.
This would be the best Cosmo could do, as any more and he’d fall alongside Sprout. “ I’m really sorry, you all, he really doesn't know when he needs a break, honestly.. “ Cosmo panicked slightly, beginning to hobble away with Sprout in tow.
Shortly, Cosmo was on his way to the main’s room. It was a long hallway there from the lobby after a couple of stairs, both of which were filled with posters of Gardenview’s rules and postponed episodes that never got the chance to properly come out.
It was bittersweet to stare at while he walked down the hall. Pictures of himself and Sprout working side by side were hung up in front of the light pink room, with hearts and personal comments from toons like Vee written below them.
“ Aww! “ was one from Shelly, in a light gold marker, Cosmo noted. And a “ >:( “ From Vee. It was nice to know Sprout was cared for up here. Thinking of care, Cosmo snapped out of his reminiscent daze and hurried into Sprout’s room, closing the door behind him before walking over to his bed. It was a comfortable thing, with a plush of himself there, and another but in his Snow-Time outfit. It was an outfit Sprout adored, which made him excited for winter.
Cosmo set Sprout down with a humph, and sat by his unconscious form on the bed. Sprout was still fast asleep, as he had spent a long time distracting down in the depths, and after Cosmo lifted up his shirt, he could see under the torn fabric that there was a very familiar, large teeth indent.
He could assume that the group had gotten Twisted Pebble, the more fast and intimidating version of the little rock dog they've all come to adore. His paws brushed over the bite mark, making Sprout twitch in his sleep.
He wanted to heal him badly. But he couldn't exactly force feed Sprout while he was asleep, as that would probably make him choke or, or wake up startled, or make him jostle his wounds– There was too much that could happen if he, albeit sweetly, put a cookie in the sleeping toon’s mouth. All Cosmo could do was wait. And wait he did.
Since he was waiting he decided to get comfortable, laying down next to Sprout with his elbows propped up slightly under him. This way, he could stare at the berry’s face without struggling much, and he could really analyze his beauty from here. There was, at the surface, not much to Sprout's face.
Cosmo saw beyond the surface, looking past the soft green leaves to the toon underneath. Sprout’s glasses—the ones with thin, dark brown frames that always slipped during their precious baking moments—sat crookedly as usual. His favorite moments were when he could cup the boy’s face and fix his glasses, earning a flustered glance from Sprout, like he was being seen for once.
Beneath those lenses lay freckled cheeks dotted with little seeds. These little seeds smoothed out over the years, starting out rough when he was younger. Sprout would obsessively run his paws over them whenever anxiety took hold, pacing and muttering about the well-being of the other toons. .
It was a heartbreaking state to witness; Sprout’s instinct to care for everyone else left him confused and dazed whenever things went wrong or didn't go in the way he exactly planned it to.
I wish he could care for himself, too, in the midst of everything. Cosmo thought.
Closing his eyes, Cosmo rested his head against Sprout’s chest. His hand wandered from the softness of Sprout’s cheek down to his side, searching for the jagged indentation of the bite. His soft fuzz sort of hid it but it was there nonetheless.
As Cosmo’s fingers brushed the mark, Sprout stirred. Before his eyes even fluttered open, his hand shot out with an almost scary sort of speed, gripping Cosmo’s arm. When Sprout finally looked up from his place on the pillows, his pupils dilated, his breath catching in his throat as he finally caught the strength to pull himself back to reality.
.
.
.
...
“ Cosmo.. ? “
Sprout’s grip on Cosmo’s arm was tight, his breathing coming out in quick pants as the dizziness of waking up melted away. When he realized where Cosmo’s paw had been resting, his expression shifted from tired alarm to a panicked sort of embarrassment. He let go as if he’d been seared by Cosmo’s paw, quickly pulling his shirt down to hide the bite mark in his side.
" I’m fine, " Sprout blurted out, voice pitching up higher from anxiety. " I’m okay, Cosmo. It’s just... it’s just a scratch. You shouldn't be worrying about it. Or me. Okay?! “
“ Sprout. You're not okay. Look at you, I.. I mean,” Cosmo’s voice lowered now, his eyes softening as he moved his paw over Sprout’s chest now. Sprout hesitated, and after a moment of thinking silently to himself, his gaze turned over to Cosmo.
The tension in the air dropped slightly now, and Cosmo instead laced his paw with Sprout’s, the warmth of his palm seeping into his fur and making his head feel slightly dizzier. “ You spend so much.. So much time, looking out for others. Who will be there to look out for you if not yourself? “ The roulade asked, trying to keep his voice low.
Sprout opened his mouth to argue, to give another selfless excuse, anything he could come up with, but the words died in his throat. He looked at Cosmo’s lips, then back up at his eyes, his face flushing a deep, unabashed crimson. For almost a moment, the distance between them felt like it was diminishing.
Leaning forward in a small burst of confidence, Sprout brought their conjoined paws down onto his chest, trying to maneuver here and take the lead. The cakeroll’s question rang out in his head like a church bell, and he honestly only had a single answer for it. This answer was close to his heart, and he wasn't sure if it was okay to let it out so soon.
But Cosmo deserved to know. He deserved more than to know. He deserved to feel and breathe Sprout’s feelings. His dependency.
“ I want you to be there. I want you to look out for me, even when it seems like I'm not looking out for you. Even when I’m gone on runs and you have nobody else to bake with for a few. I want you to be there for me like I want to be there for you. “ Sprout spilled in a breath, his voice hushed as if any louder would torment him. “ Please. “
Cosmo blinked– once, twice, then his face flushed and he looked away, unable to fully digest Sprout’s confession so quickly. “ I.. Sprout..! I feel.. I.. “ He trailed off, his voice becoming smaller under his worry. His grip tightened on the strawberry toon’s paw.
“ I feel the same, okay? I just.. If things are going to be the way you say, you can't keep going about with.. “ He gestured to the side where Sprout was bitten. “ This. “
Kindly, lovingly, Sprout smiled at Cosmo. He knows that if he wasn't hurt, if Sprout wasn't laying here, vulnerable, Cosmo wouldn’t have uttered a word. This wouldn't have been possible, and inwardly, he thanks Twisted Pebble for doing this to him. “ Okay. Careful. I'll be careful. Ill be whatever you want. “ He agreed.
And closer, closer he leaned until the distance between them seemed like nothing. Sprout was close enough to smell the mildly sweet scent of Cosmo’s icing and the chocolate undertones of his fur.
His head tilted back, eyes fluttering closed as if he knew what was going to happen. Cosmo put his free paw on Sprout’s cheek, leaning in closer before–
A thud rang out. A clang, and furious screaming from the one and only.