🌈💚{ Supposed to Hate }🌼📺
(valentines day special!!! Fun fact, this oneshot is based off the roleplay i was in that got me to ship flowervision in the first place!
Also its really really long)
The questions about their rivalry were becoming far too frequent, and much too confusing to answer.
Did they still hate each other? Did they ever hate each other in the first place? Are they still rivals? If their rivalry was only for an audience, what were they doing now???
Vee hated it, she hated questioning it. Yet the more Dandy asked about it and the more they hung out, the more she found herself LIKING their presence. It made her want to rip her antenna out, but also…not do that at the same time. She found her fans kicking up in speed every time she was around them, but not out of anger. She hated how being around them made her screen burn and coolant bubble under her skin. Yet neither felt inherently bad.
She waved at them as they left for a run while smiling, then realized what she was doing and buried her head in her hands. Glisten came over and tapped her shoulder. “Vee, darling! Why are you screaming into your hands again? What happened today?” he asked, looking rather smug. “Something’s wrong. I shouldn’t be feeling like this,” she replied. Glisten leaned towards her, asking in a teasing tone, “Oh? Feeling what? You can tell me, girl!” Vee sighed, “I don't know… my fans are whirring real fast, my screen feels so hot and is probably really bright, and I feel as if my core is beating in my antennae!” she explained. Glisten poked her antenna, “Ah, and your bent antenna is curling into a little heart! How cute!” he added. Vee looked up and smacked his hand away. “Not important! I think something's wrong. Should I go to Brightney?” she asked. Glisten placed his hand on her shoulder, “Vee, darling, nothing’s wrong with you! You’re simply…..in loooove!” he declared. Vee sputtered. “In LOVE?? No! You're kidding! I can’t be in love with Dandy-”
“WITH DANDY?!”
Glisten beamed. He looked overjoyed, and jumped up. “YES!!! I was right!!! SOOO many toons owe me money!!!” He exclaimed. Vee burned bright green. “It's not- there's no- YOU WERE BETTING ON IT?!” She stumbled over her words. The mirror held his finger to her mouth on her screen and shushed her. “Shh, shh, shh, that's not important darling!! What's important is that YOU'RE in love with your own best rival!!! Let's go tell Brightney!!” he announced as he began to pull Vee towards the elevator. “WHOAH, GLISTEN- I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD-” Vee tried to protest, but it was too late, and Glisten was set on dragging her along to tell Brightney.
“Saving your tapes? That's ok! I’ll uh..I’ll be back in a bit!”
Dandy watched as the toons began to file out of the elevator, and called for Astro. “Hey! Buddy! Mind hanging back for a minute?” they asked. Astro looked skeptical, but hung back. The elevator door closed as the rest of the run continued. “What’s going on, Dandy? Are you going to tell me more stuff about the ichor I'm not allowed to disclose again?” he asked. Dandy shook their head. “Oh! No, no, no, no! Nonono! I’ve been feeling weird lately…” they said. Astro tilted his head. “How so?” he inquired. Dandy began to explain, “You know how I've been hanging out with Vee lately? We played music, and talked casually, and, uh…I don't think I hate her anymore?” Astro nodded. “I have seen that…but that's good, isn't it? It means you won't argue anymore,” he said. Dandy protested, “No, no! It's not like that! It’s nice, yes, but I've been feeling something else. I feel warm and fuzzy looking at her, and I smile around her! My heart beats really fast! I find myself feeling kind of bad when I call her things like ‘idiot box’ and such! I keep asking if we’re still rivals and we’re drawing blank!” Astro nodded, and asked, “This means what..?”
“I think I'm in love with Vee.”
The moon stared at them with a wide eyed expression. “Uh… congratulations, Dandy..? What do you want me to do? I’m not interested in romance!” he asked. Dandy replied, “I-I don't know! I don't know who to tell or what to do! We’re supposed to be rivals! You know, neck and neck competition! How do I deal with this?!” Astro sighed. “How about you talk to Dyle? He’s older than us, and he’s more of a mentor than I am, even if it's about topics like romance,” he offered. Dandy snapped their fingers. “Oh! Good idea, Astro!”
Meanwhile, back with Glisten and Vee, Brightney was with a few other toons. Specifically Shelly, Shrimpo, Sprout, and Cosmo. They were all in the library. Glisten rushed in, dragging Vee behind him. “Ohhhh Briiiiightneeeey~!!! Vee has news! Vee has news~!” he called in a sing-song voice. Brightney looked over. “Oh! Vee! Good to see you! You have news to share?” She asked. Glisten bumped Vee’s shoulder. “I’ve been feeling really strange lately… and Glisten thinks-” Vee began, but was quickly interrupted by Glisten, “She’s in love! With Dandy! You all owe me money~!!!” The toons’ jaws went agape. Shrimpo ran up to vee and shook her by her jacket collar. “WHAT!? WHAT!? WHAT!? VEE!!! YOU HATE THAT FLOWER!!!” they screamed. Vee shoved them down. “Take it easy, Shrimpo. I don't KNOW if I can really say I hate them all that much anymore?” She explained. The shrimp narrowed their eyes.
Shelly looked over and tilted her head, “Well? What makes you say that?” she asked. Vee replied, “Well, we’ve been hanging out more… I've been enjoying their presence… I've found my fans spinning fast when I'm around them… my screen heats up pretty badly too.” she counted the reasons on her fingers. Sprout ran his hand through his leaves, “Oh my gosh you’re actually in love with your rival…” He said in disbelief. Cosmo smiled. “Oh! Well that's great! You two won't argue anymore! And that means you’ll be able to be around each other both on and off runs without bickering! It’s also so good to see you in love vee!” he cheered and gave vee a thumbs up. Vee smiled softly, and looked down. Shelly nodded and added, “Hey! Maybe you can get Dandy out of their room and hang out with us more often? It’s been great seeing them around Gardenview playing music with you! Go for it vee!” Vee felt her screen glow bright. “You think I should?” She asked. The toons around nodded, except for Shrimpo. “NOT BEFORE I TALK TO THEM!!!” They hissed, and crossed their arms.
“Heyyyyyy Dyle! Haha!” Dandy approached Dyle’s shop with astro. Dyle looked back. “Dandicus? Aren’t you supposed to be hosting a run right now?” he asked. Dandy waved a hand. “Oh they’ll be fiiiine!! The elevator will bring ‘em back up once they complete the floor!” They reassured him. Astro interrupted the topic, “Eh… Dandy has a little dilemma, it's why they’re here.” Dyle inquired, “Oh? I could try and help. What’s bothering you Dandicus?” Dandy fidgeted with their overall buttons. “I think I have a crush on Vee.” they were straight to the point. Dyle’s usually half lidded eyes widened into a full gaze, making him appear much more cartoonish than usual. “You?” he asked. Dandy nodded. “With Vee???” he asked. Dandy nodded again. “Funny right?” they said. Dyle shook his head. “It’s so out of character for you. I would’ve never expected it!” He said. Dandy winced. Dyle’s gaze softened, “Well. You have been getting out more often, I think it’s good for you. You should go for it.” he said. Dandy beamed. “Wow Dyle! You mean it? You really think I should??” They asked. Dyle nodded, “Well why not? I don’t see any reason you two should keep up your rivalry, and i’ve seen how you two have been looking at each other.” he explained. Dandy smiled. “Well! That’s great but… what if she… what if she still...”
“What if they still hate me?”
Vee was walking into the elevator, and said that off handedly to Glisten. Glisten crossed his arms. “I don’t think they do, darling! After all, you two have been hanging out much more frequently! And you even said that you two enjoy the presence of each other! Don't give up because of the past!” he said, vee quickly corrected him, “I enjoy THEIR presence. I don't know if they fully enjoy mine. Besides…”
“We were written to be rivals.”
Dandy leaned against Dyle’s shop counter. “But you said-” Astro began, but was interrupted, “It doesn't matter what I said! Look Astro, we’re still characters! We still have plots and personalities written for us!” They explained. Dyle patted their shoulder. “Dandy, neither Arthur nor Delilah are here telling you who you have to be for the sake of the show anymore. You are free to break character, like Tisha and Brusha did.” He said. Dandy shook their head. “Their characters are still lingering, especially with Brusha, and Vee and I were written to hate each other! Sure we’ve been getting along right now! But why would she want to be with me in the long run? Because… why….”
“Why would she love someone she’s supposed to hate?”
“Why would they love someone they’re supposed to hate?”
Dandy walked into the elevator before Astro or Dyle could say something, they did not want to hear the same idea repeated to them.
Vee closed the elevator door before glisten could reply, she didn’t want to hear an answer.
The toons gathered for a meeting in Sprout's room. Everyone in Gardenview was there. At this point, everyone knew it. Vee and Dandy loved each other, but were too scared to confess to each other. Glisten frustratedly grabbed his hair. “She's so STUBBORN!! Still lingering on the past! Goodness, I knew vee was one for nostalgia but this is RIDICULOUS!” He complained. Dyle sighed, and added, “Dandicus believes because of how their characters were written, they could never truly love each other.” Cosmo sat on the table between them, “Okay okay! They both think they secretly still hate each other and that's what's keeping them apart! We just need to make them see they don’t!” he announced, “Anyone got ideas???” Brightney sighed and rested her head on the table, “Oh this is like an enemies to lovers story… and we’re left on the rising actiooon…” She whined, Tisha looked over, and said, “Hey… Before we jump to ‘this is a cute love story’ can we think for a moment about them???” The toons looked over. Tisha continued, “I mean, do we TRUST Dandy? Will we just be setting the Ichor Operation aside for the sake of the plot??? AND how do we know they’re not right? They’ve been rivals for over a decade!” Shrimpo crossed their arms, “I SURE DON'T TRUST DANDY!!! THEY'RE A SKETCHY FLOWER!!!” Rodger nodded a bit, “There's still a lot we don’t know about the operation, and having three toons working on it won’t be good.” he said. Shelly exclaimed, “Whoah whoah guys! Come on, you’re not saying they shouldn’t get together right???” Shelly waved her hands. Sprout winced, “I mean… the worst case scenario in this case isn't one saying no… it's more of… what if they say yes and suddenly Vee’s working IN the Ichor Operation too?” he said. Tisha nodded. “That’s my exact worry.” The toons in the room were now talking about the things that could happen. Glisten looked distraught, and tried to reassure the crowd.
“That won’t happen.”
All eyes turned to Astro. He was sitting next to Brusha on a table, who was nodding in agreement. “Dandy is sketchy and has been acting weird since the shutdown, yes, but they won’t just wrap toons into the operation. The only reason Dyle is helping is because he is a lethal twisted as well. That makes runs dangerous for him and Dandy.” He explained, “Besides, he talks to me all of the time but I'm not working in the Ichor Operation. I just go on runs, and collect ichor and that's it. Just like everyone else.” Brusha nodded, then spoke up, “For anyone worried about their characterizations, you’re missing the point of this meeting.” She stood up, “We’re here because they are in love with each other and don’t think they can. They do love each other. Whatever hate or rivalry was present obviously isn't relevant anymore.” she explained. The conversations died down, and they began to look at each other. Tisha looked away and picked at the feathers in her feather duster. Shrimpo’s scowl softened. Toodles put her hands on her hips as Rodger didn't meet eyes with either of them. Sprout sat more straight and looked a bit guilty.
“So, back to the drawing board, What do we do about this?” Cosmo asked again. Razzle’s hand shot up. “Oooh! We set them up in the toon rooms! Maybe in the tables in the kitchen!!!” he offered. Sprout asked, “Vee can’t eat, a dinner date’s not really that practical.” Dazzle spoke up, “Actually… I have an idea for that. Instead of setting them up at dinner, we still set them up tonight, but not for a dinner date. Let's pretend we’re inviting them to a party in the toon rooms so neither of them get suspicious. Then in the kitchen, we try to get them to talk to each other.” Shelly clapped, “Oh! Great idea!” she exclaimed. Goob looked up, “Scraps and I can set up the toon rooms like it’s a party! We’ll make the decorations!” he proposed. Scraps nodded, “We’ll make some streamers and confetti and all that fun stuff!” Cosmo clapped, “Oh great ideas!” he said as more toons offered to help.
“O-oh! I’ll set the s-scene with music! I’ve got a-a few cassettes with some softer jazz!” Boxten offered.
“ILL BRING CANDY!!! LOTS OF CANDY!!!” exclaimed Yatta.
“I’ll make some balloon hearts! It’ll look so cute!” Looey offered.
“I’ll make sure shrimpo doesn't krill dandy before they get the chance to talk!” Finn said, wrapping an arm around his partner. Shrimpo hissed angrily.
“I’ll make sure there’s a good arrangement of tea that fits the mood. I know Dandy loves hibiscus tea.” Teagen said, and skimmed through the teabags in her purse.
It was honestly a beautiful sight seeing all the toons working together again. It almost brought the mains to tears seeing it.
The plan was set in motion.
“I’ll go tell Vee about the ‘party’ now.” Brusha offered. Shrimpo raised their hand, “I DEMAND TO BE THE ONE TO TELL DANDY!!!” they yelled.
Vee was in her room, and lay against the side of her bed. Her back was against the ground and her legs were on her mattress. She was lazily strumming her guitar. The tune of the strings prevented her from overthinking the events of earlier, and recently. She kept her focus on changing chords and listening to the music instead of thinking. Brusha opened the door to her room. “Hey Vee. How’s it going?” she asked. Vee stopped playing. “Eh, it could be better.” she replied. Brusha sat down on her bed while Vee continued. “Your guitar skills are okay.” she said, trying to ease the tense mood, only making it worse. “I’m not in the mood to bicker…” Vee said and continued playing. Brusha sighed, “Okay I get that… All right, let me just get to the point. There's a party in the toon rooms today. You’ve got to come.” she said. Vee stopped playing and opened her eyes to look at Brusha, “Do I have a choice?” she asked. The paintbrush shrugged, “I mean everyone is gonna be there, do you really want to skip out?” she asked in response. Vee sighed. “I’ll be there.” Brusha smiled. “Great, oh also it's going to be real casual so you can drop the gameshow gear. Think of it like a slumber party.” she said. Vee nodded and got up to get ready.
Dandy was at their shop. Where was everyone??? The run returned, Dyle’s not in his shop, and the lobby was empty. Did they miss something?? They didn’t hang out with the toons much anyway so it was probably fine. Then Shrimpo came out of the elevator and towards their shop. “Shrimpo! Shrimply wonderful to see you! Heh see what i did there? Finn taught me that!” they teased. Shrimpo slammed their hands on the counter of Dandy’s shop. “YOU!!! TOON ROOMS PARTY!!! YOU’RE COMING WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!!!” The shrimp screamed at them. Dandy chuckled nervously. “Toon rooms party? I’m invited? Wow! That's really nice Shrimpo, but uh, who’s gonna run my shop??” they asked. Shrimpo narrowed their eyes, “NO ONE!!! BECAUSE EVERYONE'S GONNA BE THERE!!!” Dandy laughed at their response. “Come on, this is such a sudden party! What's it even for?” they asked. Shrimpo’s eyes darted around the room, they dug their hands into their jacket pockets trying to think of a response. “Uhhhhh…” their eyes landed on the calendar. February. It's February. “EARLY VALENTINES DAY SLUMBER PARTY OR SOMETHING!!!” Shrimpo yelled back. Dandy looked at the calendar behind them. “Oh! Well golly! I didn’t even notice it’s valentines day this weekend! Look at that!” they said. Shrimpo crossed their arms, “WELL?!?! YOU BETTER BE THERE!!! I’LL BE WAITING FOR YOU AT THE PARTY!!! TOON ROOMS!!! BE THERE OR I'M DRAGGING THERE YOU MYSELF!!!!”
Cosmo was setting up some snacks on tables. The whole floor was transformed into a hearts themed party. Smooth jazz music rang in the air, making the environment feel welcome. Everyone was in pajamas and hanging out. Several toons were sitting on crates in the halls and drinking iced hibiscus tea. Yatta snatched one of the cake pops from Cosmo's tray as he set up the snack table. “Yatta! Don't eat everything at once!” he scolded. She just giggled and hopped off. Dyle walked in with his unicorn pajama pants on with matching unicorn slippers. He lazily went over to cosmo. “Are they here yet? How’s their table looking?” he asked. Cosmo pointed over to Scraps, Goob, and Looey finishing up a cute little balloon heart arch behind the table. “Looking good! All that's missing is-” “Where are they???” Glisten and Sprout asked Dyle and Cosmo at the same time, interrupting him. “I’m LITERALLY shaking with excitement!! I can't keep myself together any longer, darling! Where are they???” Glisten dug his hands into the chair. Sprout was pacing, “Are they skipping??? Come on, they can’t skip this!” Cosmo chuckled and reassured them, “Don’t worry, I think they’ll be here soon!”
Right on time, the elevator opened, and vee stepped out. It felt so wrong to dress so casual around other toons. She was wearing a dark green shirt with the word “RADIO” printed across the front in bold black text, and some black boxer shorts. She was fidgeting with the zipper on her dark magenta jacket with light cream colored sleeves, which matched her pink slippers. Her guitar case was slung around her shoulder. Brusha walked beside her, and guided her to the kitchen. Sprout got up and ran over as Brusha joined the crowd around another table. “VEE!!! You took forever! I know you walk a bit slower since the shutdown, but-” He looked her up and down. “Is… is this just the colors of your jacket but in random clothes you found in your closet?” he asked bluntly. Vee dug her hands into her boxer shorts pockets. “Nooo why would I do that? Heh!” she responded awkwardly.
Next, the elevator opened to Shrimpo and Dandy. Dandy felt weird to actually join a party post-shutdown. So casually too. They were wearing a white Gardenview branded sweatshirt that had all the mains across it in little colored squares. The sleeves were a bit longer than their arms, but they didn't mind. They put on a long and flowy pink cotton skirt with a white stripe at the bottom. They had some rainbow mismatched socks on as well. Shrimpo turned to them and grabbed their sweatshirt before they continued. “You hurt my big sis’s feelings and I'll kill you and cut all the film in your Dandy’s World: Season 1 tape collection…” they snarled and pulled the flower right to their face. Dandy walked into the kitchen with a traumatized expression as Shrimpo joined the crowd. They had no idea what that was about.
They tugged on Vee’s sleeve, and Vee turned around to them. Her eyes opened in surprise to see the flower. “Dandy! Hey! I didn’t expect to see you here.” she said, and her antenna curled in their direction. Dandy smiled. “Oh you know, I just couldn't miss it!” they said. They both stood there awkwardly afterwards. The silence replaced what were usually witty insults at each other. Cosmo went and took both their arms. “How about you go sit at the table back here?” he said and guided them to it. Vee looked around at all the decorations as an empty cup was handed to her. Dandy’s was full of tea. There was a little plate with a handful of sweets and candies. They sat down and looked at each other. The toons at the other table quieted down their conversation to listen to them.
Vee made the first move. “How’d that run go?” she asked. Dandy waved their hands. “Oh heheh! I had to take it back early! Not much happened.” they said. Vee nodded. “Okay… okay…” she replied and they sat awkwardly. The softer lighting made the energy feel so strange. Why is it getting awkward now??? They had such a decent time hanging out other times! It had to be all the hearts in the room. It made this whole interaction around 10 times more awkward than it needed to be. “I see you brought your guitar! That's great! I wish my piano was that portable!” Dandy leaned over the table and pointed to the case. Vee smiled, “Yeah, I brought it in case toons wanted to hear a song. Maybe Boxten has a keyboard you can borrow?” she said. Dandy simply nodded and kneaded their hands into their skirt awkwardly. Vee gritted her teeth and nodded as well.
The silence that followed made Vee want to implode her own cathode ray tube.
The toons at the table beside them were getting impatient. Glisten, specifically. “They’re just sitting there… staring at each other! We’ve got to get them talking about each other!” he said. Brightney looked at him as he got up. “Wait- you shouldn’t try and force it-” she tried to say but he was already up.
Dandy looked behind Vee as Glisten was furiously scribbling something on a piece of paper. He held it up to reveal the words “TELL HER YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL EYES” scribbled crudely into the paper. Dandy looked shocked. Vee looked confused. “Are you okay?” She asked. Dandy nodded softly. What was Glisten doing??? Did Glisten KNOW about their whole ‘having feelings for your rival’ dilemma they were having. They barely had time to question before glisten furiously tapped the paper and mouthed the words “LET ME HELP YOU” to them. Dandy took a deep breath in, and said with utmost confidence.
“I have beautiful eyes.”
Vee looked a bit taken back, and nodded. “Yeah, yeah they're nice. I do like your eyes.” she said. Glisten hurriedly held up another piece of paper that said “HER EYES HER EYES” in the same crude handwriting. Dandy quickly corrected themself, “YOUR eyes! I mean mine are great but YOURS! It's like you can see right through them!” Vee grimaced and nodded. Dandy picked up a chocolate off of the plate in front of them and began to eat it when they spotted Astro push glisten aside and held up a much nicer sign that said “Just tell her how you feel” in blue crayon. Dandy began, “Vee.. there's uuhhh… s-something i want to tell-” They began but were still eating the chocolate and began to choke on it. Vee wasn’t looking at them. “You’re getting all choked up…” she looked up and opened her eyes in shock, “OH! OH YOU’RE CHOKING!!! GEEZ!!!”
Glisten and Astro went back to the table and watched as Vee performed the heimlich maneuver on them to get them to stop choking. Dyle buried his head in his hands. “They’re hopeless…” he said. Brightney mimicked an explosion with her hands. After Dandy recovered, Poppy ran in and yelled, “GUYYYYS we’re playing games in the lounge! Come on! We’re still deciding!!!” Glisten looked like he wanted to strangle her. Vee set Dandy down, and asked, “Do you mind if I head to the lounge?” she asked. Dandy nodded, “yeah yeah go ahead! I’ll be there in a second! I’m getting some more tea to help clear my throat a bit.” They said and smiled. Vee picked up her guitar case and walked over to the lounge. Brightney gasped and whispered something in Glisten’s ear. He gasped as well and clapped. “You guys make sure Dandy heads over! Brightney gave me an idea~!!!!” He called in a sing-song voice and skipped over, using his mirror trick to make it before Vee.
Dandy sat down next to Vee and Astro in the lounge. They were sitting in a small circle of toons sitting on the rug in front of the television.. Vee was opening up her guitar case, but Glisten stopped her. “Just wait a moment darling, this is a slumber party, and what sort of slumber party is it if we don't play ‘truth or dare’ at LEAST once?” he announced. Vee chuckled, “truth or dare? What are we? Children?” Glisten stared her dead in the eyes. “We’re children’s cartoon characters, and I'm NOT taking that from the toon who can’t physically swear!” He snapped back. Vee shrugged and nodded. “Eh, touché.” she replied. Glisten sat down in the small circle. “All right, let's start!”
Glisten didn’t want to unveil his plan immediately. He needed a minute for Dandy and Vee to settle down after Dandy choked. A round of a few truths, and one dare of eating shampoo (in which Yatta happily obliged). Glisten was chosen by Poppy. “Glisten! Truth or Dare?” She asked. Glisten got excited, and quickly said, “Truth!” Poppy thought for a minute. “Is it true you have over 20 pairs of leg warmers?” she asked. Glisten leaned back and giggled. “Guuuuiiilltyyyy~! I have around 74 pairs in total!!!” he cheered, and immediately looked over to Dandy. “Dandy! Truth or dare?” he asked a little too quickly. Dandy looked up. “I’m feeling brave! Hit me with a dare Glisten!” they cheerfully responded. Glisten smiled, and took a deep breath in.
“All right, kiss the toon to your left.”
The chatter died down, and eyes turned to Dandy. They looked to their left. Vee was already looking back down at them. They grew red, and stuttered. “A-a bit much for a kids game huh?? Gollyyy….” Their voice sounded really shaky. Vee and Dandy were caught in this gaze. The quiet movie playing on the television in the back felt so loud in the silence. The gazes of each toon on the flower made them feel incredibly small. Vee tilted her head as she continued to gaze at them in soft silence. Her silence felt threatening. The whole silence felt suffocating. Dandy was burning red, and couldn’t take all the eyes on them. How on earth did Glisten catch onto them??? This had to be a setup. Was this some sort of setup??? They hated it, they hated it so much.
They ran out and into Boxten’s room.
Nothing but silence filled the tense room.
Vee stood expressionless for a moment, her eyes were open and wide but showed no signs of change.
She stood up and turned around. “Hey… Glisten… Can I borrow your vanity mirror for a minute?” She asked in a softer voice. Glisten nodded. “Eh! Go right ahead darling!” he replied. Vee closed her eyes and gave a shaky smile. “Great. Thanks.” She simply said, and walked into his room.
Both doors locked with two clicks that rang out in the room.
“What on EARTH was THAT Glisten?!” Shelly exclaimed from the couch. Glisten reasoned, “I thought it would play out like in those romance books Brightney showed me on the computer! Where they would passionately kiss each other or something!” he said. Astro buried his head in his star hands. Brightney looked guilty. “I did offer the idea… but I thought you were gonna ask one of them for a truth or something? You know like in the books where it's like ‘tell us who you have a crush on’ or something like that!” she explained. The toons in the lounge started to also speak up against Glisten’s plan. Finn and Sprout walked into the lounge holding trays to the bickering. “What’s going on?” Sprout asked. Astro sighed, “Glisten intervened again and messed the whole plan up again… Now Dandy and Vee locked themselves up in the rooms.” he explained. Boxten nodded. “Dandy went in mine, vee i-is in Glisten’s room.” he added. “He tried to get them to kiss for a dare!!!” Shelly exclaimed. Finn looked surprised, and crossed his arms. “WOW! This shore went south reel quick! I’m surprised it got this bad!” he said. Dyle looked over to Finn, “Wait a moment… Finn? You and Shrimpo are dating, right? How did YOU two confess to each other?”
Shrimpo got up. “It was EASY! I BLEW HIM AWAY WITH MY AWESOME MUSCLES AND COOL PUNKY DEMEANOR!!!” They announced, and struck a cool pose. Finn laughed, “I do admit they did charm me! But because we knew each other for so long, well, let me just tell you what happened. So, we were in Shrimpo’s room, and we were a lil’ tense from some stuff that happened on a run earlier! Yet, the quiet, the gentle exchanges of apologies from what happened… The way their eyes looked in their dimmed room lights hadn't changed since the shutdown. Well I couldn't kelp myself! I told them how I had been feelin’ for a long time. Then, their gaze softened…” Finn explained, shrimpo wrapped it up, “I couldn’t take his STUPID handsome and PATHETIC face, and I told him I loved him too. Plain as that. The truth. Then we started dating. I felt so STUPID at the moment, but it turned out all right i guess i dont HATE it!” they crossed their arms. Finn wrapped an arm around Shrimpo. “Love ya too Shrimpy.” he said. “So that means…?” Glisten asked. Finn and Shrimpo grinned. “You let ‘em talk it out! They can’t keep it inside forever! BUT you can’t force it. You saw what happened when you tried to force ‘em!” Finn replied. Glisten sighed. “You’re right. I'm sorry for getting a little ahead of myself! Let’s just try and get them to talk to each other!” he said. Finn nodded, “If you want ill talk to Dandy. I’m on pretty good terms with ‘em!” he offered. Astro got up. “I’ll talk to Vee then. I’m pretty good at reading her emotions.”
Finn went up to Boxten's room and knocked on the door. “Heya Dandy! How’s it going? Wanna open the door for a pal?” he asked. Dandy opened the door. They looked very pathetic, like they had been crying into the pillow. Finn knelt to their level. Dandy asked, “Do you know what happened and what's been going on with me?” Finn nodded, “Everyone informed me what happened and I know ‘bout your lil’ CRUSHtacean on your buddy Vee.” he responded. Dandy started to tear up again. “She hates me doesn't she? She probably never wants to look at me ever again!” they cried. Finn patted their back. “No no! It’s nothing like that Dandy! Come on, don't start cryin’ again! I promise she doesn’t!” Dandy pushed him away. “No no! I ran away like a coward! I could’ve told her I loved her and kissed her but I got scared! I got scared she would reject me! I’m such an idiot!” they exclaimed, and pulled their petals over their face. “Dandy, don’t say that. Glisten shouldn’t have done that to try and force you two together. You two obviously need time, and hey! Don’t be upset if today ain't the day you wanna confess to her! Take your time, but you’ve gotta talk to her sometime.” Finn explained, he was very patient with them.
Astro went to knock on Glisten’s door. Vee called from inside, “I'm not ready yet! Please stand by!” Astro sighed. “Vee, it's just me. Mind telling me why you’ve locked yourself in your friend’s room?” he asked. Vee drummed her fingers on the desk. “It's a stupid reason… I guess I felt a bit hurt when they just ran away like that...” she replied with a gentle sigh as well. “Isnt that stupid? They probably didn't even like me in that way, yet I still felt hurt by it. So stupid…” she continued until her voice trailed off into a staticky mumble. Astro softly replied in a hum. “Glisten shouldn’t have tried to force you two together, you two need to take your time. You have every right to feel hurt. Dandy is just as upset.” he spoke calmly. “You two need to talk sometime, it doesn't have to be today, but you need to talk. Tell them how you feel about them.”
“Besides,” Finn and Astro said at the same time.
“I don't think Vee will react how you think she will.”
“I don't think Dandy will react how you think they will.”
Dandy went to Glisten’s room, and knocked on the door. “Vee? Are you in there?” they asked, cautiously. Vee looked at the door and opened it. “Hello Dandy.” she said. They smiled a bit shakily. “I’d uh- I’d like to talk. If that's all right! I mean we don't have to!” They asked. They were so nervous, but Vee gently placed her hand on their shoulder and calmed them down. “That’d be good. Come in, Glisten’s got a couch in here.” She offered. Dandy didn’t know what they were feeling.
Glisten’s room was always very neat and tidy, a stark contrast to both of their rooms. Neither one was ever truly organized. Dandy sat down on the soft pink couch beside Vee. Their hand gently felt the soft pink velvet that lined the cushions. The soft jazz music started up again, but it was muffled by the closed door. The lights were dimmed a lot, leaving the room with a gentle energy. Vee leaned back lazily, and Dandy sat anxiously. They softly turned towards the other. “Look Vee, I'm sorry for running out like that… I shouldn’t have done that.” They began. Vee nodded, “It's fine, thank you though. I mean, yeah I guess it hurt but I forgive you.” she replied, and fidgeted with the strings on her jacket. Dandy nodded back, they were kneading their hands into their skirt. “Great! Awesome!” they remarked.
The tension melted away, leaving only a warmer feeling. Vee looked at them, and how their eyes were still a bit puffy. It didn't matter. They were still so… beautiful to her. She had to say something, she might not get a chance like this again. A chance in the silence. “You know, I do really like your petals.” she began. Dandy looked over. “You mean it? I mean- I haven't really been caring for them as well as I should be.” They replied. Vee gently ruffled their petals. “They’re still as soft as every other time I've done this. I’ve always liked looking at them when I watch old episodes. You always kept them so bright and colorful.” She said. Dandy felt their face grow red. The delicate green light from Vee’s screen seemed to grow brighter. The flower spoke after a brief moment of silence, “I did like coming to your shows, despite how much I said I didn't.” They gently leaned towards vee. She leaned towards them as well. “Did you? I knew it! I knew you liked trivia!” she replied. Dandy playfully punched vee in the shoulder. “Oh stop it idi- …cathode! But, I admit. I adored being in the crowd more than on stage. The way you would carry out every performance was incredible.” They talked rather softly. Vee gently opened her eyes to look at them. “Thanks, I never thought I'd hear something so sweet from you.” she said. Dandy nodded with a grin. “I could say the same.”
The quiet finally felt welcoming.
Vee took a deep breath in, and turned to them. “We’ve been rivals for many years. For many of those years, I thought you hated me, and I hated you back.” she began. Dandy turned to face her. “I'll just get to the point, recently I've been questioning what exactly we are now. Every time we’ve been able to get along, every time I hear you beside me playing the piano, every time I watch you start a run and find myself smiling and hoping you return safe… I realize, I don't hate you. I’m not even sure if I ever truly hated you in the first place.” Her voice was so gentle, and so calm. Dandy gently nodded, and began to explain themself, “I’ve been feeling really similar. We’ve been enjoying each other’s presence more than we ever did when Gardenview was open. I realize that I don't hate you either. It's getting harder and harder to keep up that rivalry we used to have like we used to.”
Dandy’s hand twitched as they softly reached for Vee’s hand. She took it.
“I… I don't think we’re… exactly rivals anymore. I mean, the show’s no longer running! What's keeping us from putting that aside, and… and getting closer.” they said, and looked directly at her. Vee blinked, and softly said, “No.. no you're right, we’re not really rivals anymore...” Dandy felt their heart rate jump as they gazed at her softened expression. Vee felt warmth blossom from her chest to her shaking hands as she maintained a gaze with them. “Dandy… I…” she softly held their hands and leaned closer to them, her voice was shaking, so quiet. It was so unlike her. So out of character for her to be like this.
“Dandy, I love you.”
She said it quickly, and braced herself for a rejection. Dandy gasped, their eyes lit up brightly, and they smiled.
“I… I love you too Vee. I.. I have loved you for a long while.”
Vee softly started to laugh, with light joy. Her eyes welled with tears. They were red like rose petals that bloomed at the corners of her eyes. Dandy began to laugh as well. Their eyes filled with tears like delicate little opal beads. Vee picked them up and spun them as they laughed. They loved each other. They truly did. Dandy held her tightly as they spun. “I was so nervous! I thought you still hated me!! Because of the show!” they cried out. Vee cried back, “I thought the same thing!!!” The two crashed on the foot of Glisten’s bed, still smiling, still laughing. Dandy wrapped their arms around her neck. Vee gently set her hands on their back. They gazed at each other, warmly. “Well, do you want to… fulfill that dare?” she teasingly asked. Dandy softly smiled, and leaned in to her. “The show must go on.” they said, before leaning in and pressing their lips to her screen. Vee leaned in to the kiss.
To them, everything else melted away as they kissed.
They gazed at each other, and smiled. “So… so does this mean we’re not rivals anymore? Heh!” Dandy asked, and gently brushed Vee's antenna out of her eyes. Vee gently chuckled and pressed her screen against their forehead, mimicking a forehead kiss. “Guess not. What a shame, guess we’ll have to be partners instead.” She replied, teasingly. Dandy laughed and wrapped their arms around her again. It was warm, it felt welcoming and warm.
“Should we head back out to the party?” Dandy asked. Vee nodded. “Yeah, besides, I'm sure they’re waiting for us.” Dandy offered their hand. Vee smiled and took it. “I saw a few keyboards in Boxten’s room. Do you think Boxten will lend me a keyboard so we can play a song together?” they asked as Vee opened the door. “I’m sure he’d be up to let you borrow one.” She responded. They maintained a steady gaze at the other, and held each other’s hand so tenderly. It was almost too sappy and sweet.
It was too sappy.
“Can I still call you idiot box and not mean it as an insult?” Dandy questioned, and looked up at her. Vee laughed and playfully punched their shoulder. “Of course! Just because we’re dating now doesn’t mean we have to stop teasing each other, Dan!” she cheerfully replied. Dandy beamed. “All right cathode! If you say so!” they remarked, and continued down the hallway.
The toons in the living room got up to see what happened, and how they were doing. Glisten shoved toons aside to get a good look at them. “Well??? How’d it go, you two?” he asked cautiously. Vee looked at Dandy grinning, and they grinned back at her. “Went fine, I'd say.” Vee said with a soft shrug. Dandy nodded, “I think so too cathode.” Glisten squinted his eyes at them, then noticed they were holding hands, genuinely. He pointed to them and screamed, “YES!!! AH YESS!!! YEEEEESSSS!!!” he jumped up and skipped around, rambling on how he “Knew it would work out” over and over. Astro looked over at them. “So… are you two officially together now?” Dandy nodded. “It's official now!” they declared. The crowd of toons began to clap and cheer. This took them by surprise. “Wait- hold on… was this party a setup?” the flower asked. Cosmo was the first to admit it. “Well… kind of? We intended to try and bring you two closer with this party, BUT someone was a BIT impatient.” his eyes went to Glisten.
Glisten sighed and apologized, “I am really sorry about all that… I tried to help but in the end I got a little impatient!” Vee laughed a bit. “Don’t worry it’s all right now Glisten. Thank you for apologizing though.” She stated. Dandy nodded, and added, “We did complete the dare in the end.” Glisten gasped and began to squeal. The toons clapped again. Vee looked over to Boxten, and asked, “Do you think Dandy can borrow a keyboard for a minute? We’d like to play something together.”
Astro watched as they set up the keyboard and guitar, as well as how they would lean in to each other now. It was nice seeing them get along so well. Brightney stepped beside him. “It’s sweet isn't it?” she asked. Astro nodded and answered, “It almost doesn’t feel real to see them getting along, or holding hands, or even seeing how sweetly they look at each other. Yet they still tease each other…I guess some things never change.” he watched as dandy playfully tackled Vee after she said something. Vee grinned and tried to shove them off. Brightney smiled as she watched them as well. Dyle came from behind them. “They’re a bit more affectionate than I expected, but maybe it's from the confession and they’ll tone it back eventually.” he said, and took a sip of tea. Finn came over. “Ain’t that sweet? Guess that advice worked out! They’re shrimply adorable together!” he remarked, and bumped Shrimpo’s shoulder. Shrimpo was grimacing. “They’re gonna play DAISY BELL! I HATE how affectionate they are!” they complained. Finn laughed as the toons around snapped to the attention of the music.
The familiar music had a newfound spirit behind it. It sounded different yet still familiar. Maybe it was the fact that Vee and Dandy were singing together without trying to one-up the other. Maybe it was the fact that they played an old timey love song. Maybe it was the nostalgia around Vee's guitar contrasted with Dandy's borrowed electric keyboard.
But for right now..
It felt right.
It felt warm.
It felt like the air was filled with love.
It felt like even with everything, the shutdown, the operations, the twisting.
Just for this moment.
Everything was going to be okay.
(the oneshot collection)