(its been a while friends! This part took a lot of time to write. I put a lot of heart into it. I will keep uploading this story as this new arc unfolds. Thank you all for sticking with me as I write. Though, slower, I will continue this and The Fork In The Road.
Warnings: mentions of death, sickness, implied suicide attempt blood/ichor)
The hectic chaos had calmed down from the past few weeks. Dandy finally felt comfortable hosting something they haven’t hosted in a while: a mains' meeting.
Vee was in the meeting room first, she was much stronger than when she first recovered. Her ichor was much less contaminated, and her health was improving. By a lot. Her voice was more upbeat and her hands were much less shaky. There were still little glimmers of the sickness when she spoke or stood. Yet, in the end, she was much better than before.
The other mains arrived afterwards, Vee was sitting at the table messing with some of the papers on it. Astro was holding pebble as the other mains followed close behind. “It’s good to see that you’re doing better, Vee. We were all so worried about you when Astro told us what happened! I’m glad Cosmo and I helped out.” Sprout said. Shelly nodded. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you got sick! I’m so happy you’re better!” She added. The moon toon nodded and remarked, “Indeed, you scared me, Vee.” Vee chuckled a bit and reassured them, “I’m fine now, honest. It’s over now. I’m fine.” Sprout sighed. “Dandy isn’t here yet, can we talk about what happened now?”
All of the toons’ gazes turned to Vee. Vee looked a bit nervous. “Whats with the looks?” Shelly spoke up, “Vee! Don’t you think this is the start of something?” Vee shook her head, “No- no what are you saying?” Sprout stood up. “Vee, you did work in the operation. We’re worried that you’re gonna get officially wrapped in it!” He declared. Vee looked shocked and defended herself, “I’m not going to work in the operation! This was a one time thing! Once! I won’t work in the operation again! It was because I love dandy and I didn’t want them straining themself.” Astro leaned over and rested a star hand on her shoulder. “We know Vee, but we really wanted to express how worried we are for you. Dandy is my best friend and I know they wouldn’t wrap someone up in the operation, but this was a very close call.” Vee sighed. “I get that, but I need you all to know I’m okay, and this won’t happen again.” The toons looked skeptical when she said that.
The door suddenly opened.
Dandy walked in with Dyle at their side. “Heya pals! It’s- it’s been a while hasn’t it? Wow! When’s the last time we met like this?” They asked. The mains murmured amongst themselves. Shelly spoke up, “The last time we did this, Dyle wasn’t hanging out up here yet!” Dyle visibly looked discomforted when she said that. The other mains looked over as if asking her not to continue. Shelly got the message quick and nervously chuckled. Dandy wheeled in a whiteboard. “All right! Let’s get started!”
“... and that's about all we know so far about this situation!” Dandy finished their rather short explanation. Practically just a recap of the Twisted Shelly situation and some difficulties they had retrieving toons off of runs.
“So you know absolutely nothing?” Sprout asked, tilting his head. Dandy sharply inhaled. “... Yeah, yeah it came out of the blue. Twisteds getting more aggressive is a HUGE issue! It's like they don’t even respect Dyle or I anymore!” they replied. Shelly looked hesitant as she questioned, “What CAN we do?” Dandy chuckled nervously again as their voice trailed off, “I don’t knoooow….” Astro looked worried. “You don’t know??? What are we supposed to do, Dandy?” he asked. Dandy replied, “I-I wanted to bring this to your attention, maybe you guys have noticed more about the twisteds since you all are around them more!” Sprout shook his head. “Even so, we wouldn’t be able to do anything would we?! It's not like you’ll ever tell us anything about the operation!” he protested. Shelly nodded. “That’s true! You’ve been very keen on keeping information about it out of our view!”
Vee and Astro stole glances at each other from across the table.
Sprout looked at them. “Unless it's Vee or Astro. Isn’t that right?”
Dandy jumped in to defend themself, “No! No no no! No, that's not what I'm trying to get across!” Sprout crossed his arms. “Well you’re not making it easy to deny. You’re best friends with Astro, and you and him talk a lot. You’re dating Vee, and do I need to mention last week’s events?” he argued back. This caused Astro to shrink and Vee to stand up. “We’ve already agreed that it was a one-time thing! There's no need to keep bringing it up!” Vee protested. Sprout scoffed. He spat back, “Oh yeah! Lets just GLOSS OVER the fact YOU ALMOST DIED! You still have ichor seeping out of your vents!” The tv toon reached for the side of her head where her air vents lay, and felt the area.
Her hand came back stained black.
She quickly wiped her hand against her dress pants as she caught Dandy looking away from her with this guilty look. “I’m not fully recovered, but I'm fine now. I was the one who volunteered in the first place.” She defended herself. Sprout sighed, as Shelly stood up with a more worried expression. “Please just sit down Vee… I’m worried about you.” she pleaded. Vee’s voicebox clicked as if she would reply, but she did end up sitting down shakily. Dandy visibly winced.
Sprout looked at Dandy. “So, what now? Will you just keep suffocating in secrets or are you going to actually tell us and TRUST your friends?” he demanded. Dandy looked at Dyle briefly and then shook their head. “I… I really don’t want to drag you guys into this mess… Vee was already a close call. I’d hate for any more of you to get hurt-” they explained, but were interrupted. “OH! OH NOW YOU CARE WE’RE GETTING HURT?! NOT WHEN- NOT WHEN WE BEGAN DYING TO TWISTEDS?! NOT WHEN YOU BEGAN KILLING US YOURSELF?! NOT WHEN WE CAME BACK INJURED AND BATTERED?! NO?! NOW IS THE TIME?!” Sprout completely snapped, standing up to argue. Dandy waved their hands, “No! No no I cared! Honest! I care a lot about you guys! I’m doing this all FOR you guys!!! I keep secrets to protect you!” Their attempt didn't help. “Maybe if you truly cared we wouldn’t go on these runs without any form of defense, hell- AT ALL!!!” The strawberry toon slammed his fist against the table.
Silence flooded the room.
Astro stood up. “Sprout… Sprout please calm down. I know it's stressful, but we can’t just keep arguing like this!” He broke the quiet with a plea. Dyle nodded. “... It’ll only tear us apart further. Teamwork is critical in a time like this. We can’t afford to break apart.” He added. Sprout stepped away from his chair. “Oh yeah, tell that to the one who’s separated themself from everyone. Tell that to the flower who keeps secrets from their own best friends.” he hissed. Then he turned away and walked towards the door. “I’m done, I can’t do this.” he remarked before leaving. Shelly broke, and hurriedly stood up, running out without saying anything. Astro stood up as well. “I’ll go… try and talk to at least Shelly… I’ll see you guys later…” he softly said before following Shelly out.
Dandy inhaled shakily and turned away. Dyle patted their back as vee stood up. “... I’ve got to go do something, Dan. Look, I'm sorry this all went so horrible.” Her words were tender. God, they didn’t deserve such comfort. They didn’t reply, just kept breathing shakily. The television slowly walked towards the door.
“... I’ll be back soon, I love you Dandy.”
Dandy heard the door close, and completely broke down, sniffling, crying, the whole ordeal. Dyle caught them before they dropped to their knees. “God damn it Dyle… I’m horrible…” Dandy said as they hugged Dyle tightly. The pocket watch delicately stroked their petals back. Attempting to comfort them. “... We knew this meeting would go poorly. The topic of runs is a bit sensitive to most of them. Despite the fact death is not as impactful as it used to be, the whole system is very… against them. It's not your fault.” He reassured them. “I caused the shutdown, it was my first twisting that did that. I- how could I NOT be a horrible person for practically causing this whole mess!?” Dandy looked up at Dyle with this desperate expression. Dyle thought for a moment before he replied, “Because you didn’t create the twisteds. Sure your twisting aided in creating them, but we still don’t know what exactly caused them. Look at me Dandy.”
He knelt to Dandy’s level, and placed his hands on their shoulders.
“Calm down, not everything that happens is your fault. All right?”
Dandy kept their eyes on Dyle even through their tears. They sniffled and nodded. “... I should- I should know that…” they replied. Dyle stood up. “It's not like other toons make it easy for you. All Rodger wrote down for your twisted description was… well… I don't need to repeat it. Just, don’t take it to your head. There are many toons who still care about you.”
Dandy sighed. “It's difficult not to.”
Meanwhile, Astro walked into the Library with Brightney. Shelly had been taken care of, she went straight to her girlfriend. Sprout meanwhile didn’t want to talk, just wanted to bake with cosmo. “... It's been really difficult between the 5 of us lately. As the years go by, it feels like we’re drifting further apart.” He explained with a sigh. Brightney nodded. “I can see that… I’ve been seeing you all hang around less and less! I’ve been getting worried for you all!” She voiced her concerns. Astro sighed. “I honestly don’t know what to do. I feel like I should do something! I’ve been the most quiet, hoping it’ll all blow over in a matter of time and- and we can all just be friends again like we used to.” His voice was solemn. Brightney placed a hand on his shoulder. “... Look, it’ll take time, but I assure you that things will work one way or another. In the meantime, when you get lonely, Book Club will always be open for you.” Astro smiled at her words. She walked away. The moon toon walked over to Squirm’s reading corner. He wanted quiet. However, he spotted someone he didn’t exactly expect.
Vee was hunched in Squirm’s reading nook reading books on… birdwatching???
Astro walked over and knelt down, she actually had a lot of books around her about nature studies and documenting. “Vee? What are you up to?” he asked. Vee turned to him. “Astro! Hey! … Well it's a bit of a long story.” she replied. Astro sat calmly beside her. “I don’t mind long stories,” he said. Vee sighed and began, “I was thinking about that meeting. Everything, the main problem that's now arising for us.” Astro nodded along and added, “More aggressive twisteds. I recall.” Vee continued, “Well, I want to do something crazy.” Astro grew tense, and shakily asked, “vee, what exactly are you planning? It better not be something too crazy like joining the operation.”
Vee went quiet.
The TV’s silence spoke for her.
“No- No you’re not actually planning on officially joining the operation! Vee! Vee no no no! No you can’t!” His face broke into worry as he pleaded with her. She picked up the journal she apparently had that was hidden amongst the books.
She wrote a lot. Details of run replacements for her, details of what she could and couldn’t do. Why she is offering this in the first place.
Astro sat in disbelief. Vee stood a bit proud, yet uneasy. “... I recall when Gardenview was open, I could not run my gameshow alone. I had to have my creators, my handler, and Brightney help me. That is four people helping me with my maintenance, stage preparations, script writing, and more. I needed all of them. Dandy is running a whole operation with two toons. Themself and Dyle. It has to be stressful for them, I should know.” She explained, “No one else will step up to help. Despite your friendship you won't. So I want to. I trust they won’t do anything rash or idiotic.” God that sentence punched astro in the chest. She’s right, he would’ve just stuck along the sidelines.
“... Astro, do you want to do something crazy?”
His gaze locked on Vee when she said that. Her eyes opened and held his gaze.
Did he want to do something crazy?
The moon toon didn’t know.
Vee walked into the meeting room where Dandy and Dyle stood talking in hushed tones. They turned around when Vee mimicked a clearing throat.
“I have an offer.”
She spoke firmly, with a very serious tone to her cartoony voice. Dyle looked skeptical as Dandy spoke up. “Vee, you’ve been the toon most involved in the operation that isn’t directly working in it. Toons are already suspicious of you. If you’re offering help, we don’t want it. I love you Cathode, and I don’t want to ruin you any more than I already have.” They stood firm in their decision. Vee’s brow furrowed as she shook her head. “What I’m offering is not you ruining me, I’m ruining myself by doing this.” She replied. Dyle inquired, “what exactly do you have in mind?”
Vee pulled out a strangely professional sheet of paper. She slid us across the table. A resume. She was sliding a resume towards them.
“I want to officially work in the Ichor operation.”
“WHAT?!” Dandy and Dyle screamed at the same time. Dandy nearly passed out from the sheer shock of the statement. She WANTED this?! Dyle shook his head. “There’s no way we can allow you to work in this- you’re not a lethal twisted- you participate in runs! You’re a valuable member of the team!” He scolded. Vee flipped a few pages in her resume. “I have 5 stars of extraction speed as you all measured. Gourdy, Soulvester, Yatta, Squirm, and Glisten all have 5 stars and better survivability stats than I do. Minus Soulvester I think he’s a bit of a lost cause…. Don’t tell him I said that though.” Vee began, then pointed to two trinkets.
“Yatta’s party popper and Finn’s fishing rod. Those mimic my abilities. Meaning if one of them equips those two, they’re essentially me. And they’ll have no need for trinkets to aid in survivability since they’re all already excellent. I need to use Poppy's pink bow because I have only two stars of movement speed due to my joint pain.” She continued, making a clear point. She then looked up, “that’s only if they really NEED my abilities. My abilities are not a necessity, they just make floors easier.” Vee crossed her arms and looked almost proud of herself for thinking of this.
Dandy stood dumbfounded, silent still. Dyle looked over her analysis. “… Dandy she’s right. In a way, Glisten himself could be a… ‘false Vee’ of sorts if he uses the trinket setup Vee has noted.” He said. Vee nodded. “That’s exactly who I had in mind! Glisten! He’s one of my best friends, and he’s the toon I call instead of myself when I can’t be on runs. He’s been taking my place for a long while now because of my recovery.” She noted. Dandy began to sputter, “I can’t- you’re not a lethal! You’re not like Dyle and I!” Vee held up a hand. “What requires me to be a twisted. Or is that part of your sick little operation secrets?” Dandy shook their head. “No no it's just- THAT'S why we don’t go on runs! Vee, I have one heart, and if I lose that I'll lose myself! Because I'll twist! You think we’ll just pick up someone and drag them into the operation!?!” they protested. Vee stayed firm in her decision. “I’m offering myself up. If it helps, I'm not alone.”
Astro walked in with a few sheets of paper.
He set down a resume of his own.
“... Vee convinced me, I haven’t gotten the chance to speak to you properly since this whole thing. I feel terrible that most of my conversation is with small chats. I want to be there for you as any true friend should.” He declared with a bit of sternness in his voice. His star hands flipped pages, “I’m a decently average toon, though my abilities are difficult to replicate. Many toons have high enough stealth, though stamina regeneration is tricky to go without. However…” he pointed to a few passages. “I believe that Bassie’s whispering flower or Goob’s friendship bracelet could assist in making stamina last longer. Toons on runs hold lots of items, and with good teamwork, they can make their teams last.” The moon explained. Dandy stood completely dumbfounded as he continued, “On the other hand, bassie has high stealth, if her team offers her good communication, she can hold the pop pack and provide a pop on hand guaranteed every floor. It's a risky gamble, but if I'm not there, it's worth a shot.”
Dandy and Dyle overlooked what they wrote down. It was so detailed and well researched! How’d they even do this in the few hours it's been since the meeting?!
Dyle cleared his throat, “Let us think about this. Shall we?” He declared. Vee and Astro looked at each other. The TV stated, “Dandy, don’t let what happened make you say no immediately. Just hear us out. You're our best friend, and my partner. You shouldn’t have to do all of this alone, or with Dyle alone.”
With that, they turned and walked out.
“Vee, you don’t think this is too crazy of an idea do you?” Astro asked Vee as they stood outside. The television was fidgeting with the handle of her cane. “... Friendship was the core of the show, remember. You were always one to recall older episodes.” she replied. The moon toon leaned closer to her. He sharply inhaled before sputtering, “I’m scared. I’m scared of what will happen if I don’t do something, but I'm even more scared of what will happen if we get wrapped up in this mess of an operation. Vee, you almost d-”
“Please, quit reminding me…”
Vee’s antenna pinned back.
She never spoke of how that near death experience affected her. It would be too painful. Painful for her partner to hear. She didn’t want to put guilt onto them. She would hate for them to feel guilty about what happened..
Yet, feeling as if at any moment she would shut down forever and never turn back on. Fighting to not pass out for too long. Pain surging through her body worse than it ever had. It was a horrifying memory.
She had been terrified to fall asleep properly since then.
The thought haunted her. She almost died just a few days ago. That isn’t something she could get over so quickly.
Regrettably, this was a feeling she had dealt with before.
The night before the shutdown. Or as Vee recalled it at that moment, the night before her replacement.
She stood at the train tracks with two bags. One slung on her back, the other was her guitar case. The television gazed at the tracks with an increasing well of pain in her chest.
God, she could jump now. What would she even do outside of this damn place? If she stayed she was as good as dead anyway. Vee was almost surprised she hadn’t been woken up and taken to a dark room in the warehouse and locked away. Forgotten, alone, waiting for the ache deep within her battery pack to disappear as she lost power. She could get that pain over with if-
She didn’t want to die.
She didn’t want to be shut down.
Vee would just wait for the train. Maybe she could sneak on, and finally be free of this place. Not like she’d be here in the morning either way. Her fate is decided for her. She’s either spending her life shut down in a warehouse room locked off from the rest of Gardenview without ever being addressed as missing or changed by her own creators, or she’s taking her chances on the train to find somewhere new.
The rumble of the train grabbed her attention as it pulled in front of her. She felt the breeze hit her antenna. It was the most relieving feeling she had ever felt. Just as Vee was about to step on.
“Vee?! What are you doing!?”
A voice she hasn’t heard since she was young. Her head turned in horror to a toon she’d consider her guardian.
Dyle Timesly.
Vee froze completely. Holding the straps of her bag tightly.
He stared for a moment. “... How about we go for a quick ride? Hop on the train. That is where you were heading?” He asked a bit shakily. Vee went silent and nodded.
The train ride was quiet. Dyle had Vee set her bags in the back area of the train and wait for a moment as he got the train moving. The train shifted and began to move. Vee sat in the back and began picking at her pajama pants she was wearing. This was a bit tight… she didn’t exactly like being in such a small enclosed space with a bunch of crates. Dyle walked into the back after a moment.
“What's on your mind?” He asked carefully, “Not many toons just… show up at the train station with a packed bag.” Vee looked incredibly ashamed. “... What were you doing out here?” she asked instead. Dyle sighed, “... Look, I work down at the train station now that I’m no longer taking care of you mains. I was assigned here by Arthur and Delilah. Now, you?” he replied, trying to get her to open up. Vee refused to meet his eyes. “... Dyle, I’m…” she paused, the works were having trouble forming in her voicebox. “I-I’m…. not going to be here in the morning… and I'm scared.” She admitted, "I'm scared! I’m really REALLY scared! I- I want to live-! I want to stay-” She began to spiral and gush out everything. Dyle placed hands on her shoulders. “Calm down! Breathe for a minute vee! What’s going on? Why won't you be here tomorrow???” He asked, cautiously making sure her hands didn’t reach for her antenna.
“Mr. Walton and mum want to replace me… tonight.”
The words left her voicebox shakily. Dyle’s eyes widened for a moment. “... I did hear small chatter about the… ‘Version 2’ project. I thought it was some technological or cosmetic upgrade for you. It's a full replacement?!” He was completely stunned. Vee shakily nodded.
“... I don’t want to get shut down…”Her hands traced her aching knees, she couldn’t stop red pixels from pooling at the corners of her eyes. Dyle attempted to comfort her as the phrase spilled from her mouth again and again,
“I don’t want to get shut down.”
“I don’t WANT to get shut down.”
“I DON’T WANT TO GET SHUT DOWN!”
The phrase changed as she began to grow more and more panicked. Her voice exploded with emotion Dyle didn’t even know she could ever express. Her voice was heavy with static and a terror that should never be experienced by a children’s cartoon character.
“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!!!”
“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!!!”
“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!!!"
"I DON'T-
“I…”
Her voice broke into a staticky sob. God, she was a mess. Crying in the arms of someone she hasn’t seen since she was a child. Dyle held her cautiously as she sobbed into his arms.
How could he comfort her? It’d feel sick to try and reassure her she’d be okay since she knows she’s going to be shut down.
He had an idea.
“... I’ll promise you something.”
This is a decision he’d regret if Arthur or Delilah found out.
Vee looked up at him as he readjusted his tie. “... Vee, I know we can’t change their plans… so instead i’ll make this promise. I will check the cameras and I will make sure that when they leave you…. Wherever it is, I’ll find it and open it. I’ll make sure you stay active and powered. You can help me around the train station. Even if it's not to get back on the show, I'll make sure you’re not shut down.” His voice was stern when he declared that. Vee shakily inhaled as she went to shake her screen free of tears.
“... You will?”
Her voice was shaky. The last time she ever sounded like this was when she was a child. When she watched as he was sent down into the warehouse. He promised he’d return someday. The same phrase left her mouth. Even her next words matched it perfectly.
“... Do you promise?”
Dyle had to blink as he watched her hold up her hand. Her pinky finger extended like she was a kid again. Her eyes were genuine. They were open and clear. The red and green pixels were full of hope and trust. Dyle extended his hand and linked his finger with hers. Sealing their promise.
“I promise Vee. You will be safe when you next wake up. You will be active. You will be alive.”
His voice was genuine.
The train came to a stop. Dyle stood up. “How about you go back to your room for now?” he asked and offered his hand. Vee took it and stood up. The pocket watch guided her out of the train and back into the station. Right where she was before she got on the train.
Vee looked at the lobby, then back at Dyle.
“Don’t forget, you promised.”
With that, she left.
It's not like it mattered, Gardenview was shut down the next day. Vee woke up in her room. Nothing changed. She was alive.
The door opened. Vee was snapped out of her daze. It was Dyle. He looked at them both. “Please come inside you two.” He opened the door for them to enter. Dandy sat at the head of the table with this strange expression. Vee shakily sat down at the table. Astro sat down beside her. Dyle walked over and shook Dandy’s shoulder. The flower was zoned out, and snapped back into reality when Dyle shook them. Vee tilted her head, “Well, petals? Is it going to be a yes or a no?” Dandy ran a hand through their leaves and petals with a heavy sigh. They spoke a moment after, their voice laced with unease,
“Well… let's discuss what you’ll be doing in the operation then!”
Their giggle was shaky and uneasy. Astro gave this gritted smile as Vee looked so proud. “Heh, golly… I never would’ve guessed something like this would ever happen! I mean- I mean I never thought about someone wanting to join the operation! Heh!” Dandy remarked uneasily. Vee messed with the handle of her cane. “A lot of things aren’t exactly going as planned. We should know that better than anyone Dan.” she smirked when she said that. Dandy felt their face grow a soft red as their nervous smile turned more genuine for a moment. “BUT! But before we get any further, neither of you, ESPECIALLY NOT YOU VEE, will EVER work with ichor! That’s for Dyle and me ONLY!” they declared sternly. They tapped their finger in the TV’s direction. Vee nodded. “... I’m still recovering from ichor poisoning. I don’t want to work with ichor. I mean, Sprout’s been over my shoulder every time ichor seeps from my vents.” she nodded reassuringly. Dandy exhaled with relief. “Well, what did you two have in mind?” they asked.
Astro spoke up, “Well, we considered both of us doing… lesser parts of the operation. Moving and replenishing shop supply, running either of your shops when you’re not able too. Maybe even organize research on twisteds.” Vee nodded and added, “Also, maybe while one of us can be quickly dialed for tasks, one of us can go on runs to document new twisted behavior. I’m starting to theorize that their behavior might change soon and make us rethink the format of runs itself.” Dandy nodded. “Golly! These ideas are actually really great! We’ve got a ton of warehouse work and filing work that could go much quicker with six extra hands!” they remarked with a smile, but paused, “Though, does this mean you two will be off runs completely? Will you really REALLY give up your entire reputation as main characters just because you want to help me?!” Their expression was stern. Astro quickly jumped in before Vee said something she’d regret,
“WE DON’T HAVE TO MAKE IT PUBLIC!”
The three toons turned to Astro. He cleared his voice and held up a star hand to stop Vee from interrupting. “... I think Vee and I can assume ‘code names’ of sorts, and- and maybe have disguises! So we can still go on runs but also still work in the operation.” He explained. “Think about it, we won’t be doing the more… morally questionable work, so why would we make a big fuss about it? We could basically… work in the operation in secret.”
Silence.
Dandy smiled suddenly. “That's a great idea! We can hook you two up to the radio station and call you under code names!” They cheered. Dyle nodded, “For disguises, I think black cloaks could help with stealth and concealing your silhouette. I think you two should also have masks to cover your faces. We could make them out of paper plates like when Scraps hosts her craft days.” he added. Vee looked excited, “For code names we could use something short and punch like calling us ‘agents’ or something! That’d be great.” she said. Dandy nodded. “Well! This idea might not turn out so bad after all. What will your ‘agent’ names be then?”
The group thought for a moment. Astro looked up.
“We could use animals. I could be ‘Agent Sheep’ as in counting sheep to go to sleep, and Vee could be ‘Agent Deer’ because she freezes up when there's danger in front of her.” He offered. Vee looked over and punched him playfully in the shoulder. “I do NOT!” she declared. Astro was giggling. Dyle commented while suppressing a laugh, “I thought it was a comment on the fact she stumbles like a fawn.” Vee gasped and turned around as Dandy and Astro laughed. “Dyle, not you too!” she looked betrayed as Dyle chuckled and adjusted his tie.
Dandy clapped their hands together when they stopped laughing, “Well! It's settled, you two will work secretly in the Ichor Operation from this day forward. Golly, I don’t know how much I like saying that.” they said and rubbed the back of their head nervously. “Dyle and I will get to creating some outfits for you and hook you up to the radio station. Get some rest for tonight, and DON’T let any toon know about this.” They commanded sternly. Vee and Astro nodded as they got up. “See you tomorrow then Dan, I love you.” Vee said as she took her can and turned towards the doorway. Dandy smiled warmly, “I love you too ‘Agent Deer!’ See you tomorrow! You too ‘Agent Sheep!’”
Vee and Astro stood outside the meeting room doorway. “Goodnight then Astro, sweet dreams and-” The television was about to leave when,
“You lied to them.”
Astro’s real hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. “Vee, you lied to our friends. You lied to Shelly and Sprout. You told them it was a ‘one-time thing’ and now you’ve wrapped ME into this too!” He cried out, “You just- you lied so naturally! Its almost like you WANT to work in the operation!” Vee felt guilt boil in her chest and boil inside her core. “... astro, if- if im being completely honest. This was a bit of an impulsive choice.” she admitted.
Astro firmly grabbed her shoulders, “And so was the first time! Vee! Vee you can’t just do things like this without thinking! No matter how much you love Dandy! They’re my best friend! I know that I’d want to help them! But getting wrapped up in this sick operation was- was not something I thought I'd ever stoop as low to do!” He clenched the fabric of Vee's jacket. The light scent of hot plastic from her coolant still was present on her fabric. The moon toon looked her in the eyes. “Vee, I really really want you to start thinking ahead, to stop acting with your heart and use your mind! I can’t even believe I have to tell you this! You should be the one telling me this! You’re the most logical toon out of everyone! Vee you are a ROBOT for crying out loud! I know you don’t like to hear me say that, but Vee, please, I NEED you to THINK before you ACT for once in your LIFE!!!” He practically screamed into her antenna.
There was tension in the quiet as Astro let go.
“Damn it… I-I’m sorry Vee, it’s just been so… frustrating lately with you and the operation! You remind me so much of Dandy it's getting scary now… I’m… I'm scared I’ll lose you.” he admitted. Vee looked at him. “You’re right. I haven’t been thinking logically for… a long while. Heck, since I fell in love with Dandy. I’ve just been… thinking with my heart and my heart alone. It felt so… freeing to fall in love. Freeing to step outside my character and think with my heart. I guess since then I just… kept thinking with emotions rather than the logic I'm supposed to. I should really get my mind back in order.” She confessed. Astro sighed. “Its good that you’re opening up to more possibilities Vee, don’t think you shouldn’t listen to your heart. All I’m asking you to do is think over what that heart of yours tells you to do.” He reassured her. Vee nodded. “Gosh, you’re right.”
The tension faded.
“See you tomorrow ‘Agent Sheep?’” Vee playfully asked. She held up her fist for a fist bump. Astro smiled weakly. “... See you tomorrow ‘Agent Deer…’” He replied, and gently bumped her fist.
With that, he watched as Vee turned down the hallway. Regret and worry still boiled in his chest. It was almost suffocating.
… Hopefully it won’t turn out to be a decision they’d both regret.
I want..I want more food, it was very angsty and tasty oh my gosh. I like the characterization of Vee "thinking with her heart and not her mind" is essentially her feeling freedom over her emotions, feeling like she isn't just what she was built too do and OUGH, Astro trying too stop her from getting blinded by her love for Dandy, ohhhh my goooshhhh.
Also BRIGHTSHELL??? THAT IS SO CUTE!!! OH MY GOD. Whats with the Soulvester slander man? What he's do 😭.
Uhmmm anyways, thank you for you're tasty au....very nice 2am bedtime story.
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