Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Honestly, I’m a little nervous. This is my first ever supply run… I’m glad I have Sprout with me though..!” Bassie thinks to herself. And with a ding, the elevator opens. It’s just a regular floor, nothing fancy. Not many twisted have been roaming around, that’s a positive…

As Bassie steps out the elevator, something can be heard in the distance. It’s not a huge shock, all kinds of weird noises are down here anyway. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. She walks down the hallway nearby the elevator, searching for a machine.

She continues to walk down the hallway. At the end, theres a machine. Just like the previous ones, it’s pretty hard to turn the wheel.“how does everyone do this everyday…?” Bassie quietly mumbles to herself.

Something is in the distance… footsteps…? Sounds weird, like heavy footsteps. They’re too heavy to be Sprout’s…They’re coming closer… Bassie stops for a second, keeping her hand on the wheel. Suddenly, the machine makes a loud buzzing noise.

“Oh Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” Bassie blurts out, taking her hands off the wheel. She starts to panic. Those weird, heavy footsteps rapidly approach her location.

“I feel stuck. I should be running, but I feel like I can’t move…” That was the only thing she could make out of the situation. Before she could react further, a twisted came rounding the corner. Seemed like Shelly.

She didn’t move, looking at Bassie like a dog seeing their owner after a long day out. Shelly stared at Bassie, unmoving.

Shelly had reddened eyes. Her dress was ripped and drenched with ichor. her legs were molded into the hind legs of an animal and fully black, most likely from the ichor. Her tail was huge, long, and black. Her head was dripping ichor, leaving a trail. Her arms dangled, like she had no control of them.

They both stared at each other. Bassie was hyperventilating and shaking. To make things worse, Shelly started to run after Bassie, causing her fight or flight to kick in. She ran down the hallway fast as she could. She was surprisingly fast actually.

“I’m never doing this again…” Bassie thought as she literally ran for her life. As she ran, she passed Sprout who was extracting a machine. He seemed like he was struggling to turn the wheel of the machine as well.

He noticed the fact Bassie was running for her life and quickly let go of the wheel, running after them. The machine made a buzzing sound as it was left unattended. After about a minute of running she just couldn’t anymore. She spotted a room and ran inside. She stopped behind some boxes, hoping Sprout would be able to help her.

Shelly’s persistent chase however, did not stop. Her life flashed before her eyes as she was pushed to the floor. The only thing she could see was all her memories. Her pressing flowers, watching Cocoa from afar, small chats with Shelly and Flyte…

“This is it… This is where I die…” Bassie thought. Right as she thought Shelly was about to attack, she started to nuzzle her head onto Bassie’s. Bassie’s eyes widened slightly in shock.

The action was certainly unexpected, but not completely unwelcome. The constant nuzzling was like a cat, head butting themselves into you. It was cute, to Bassie at least. She started to calm down.

It actually tickled a little bit, causing Bassie to chuckle a bit. She smiled as Shelly relentlessly nuzzled her. She used her hands to gently hold her head, keeping her from nuzzling further.

When Sprout finally caught up to the two, he was surprised and confused as to why he was met
with a twisted being so friendly.

He was heavily panting and hunched over, face twisting in confusion and concern. He was finally able to talk, speaking in between pants.

“What… is…going…on…” he was finally standing up straight, head slightly tilted in curiosity. He stopped panting, replaced by heavy breathing.

Bassie let go of Shelly, standing up. She was smiling softly. Shelly rested her head into Bassie’s head, getting ichor on the flowers. Bassie chuckled, tapping her head.
“Heyyy… you’re gonna spoil the flowers…”

Shelly made a grunting sound and lifted her head up. Bassie turned to hold her head in her hands, gently cupping her face.

“Don’t be like that.” She snickered, shaking her head slightly. Sprout watched the interaction, head tilting more. He was relieved knowing they weren’t in immediate danger.

He walked up to them, being very careful. He studied Shelly and how her expression was more relaxed than other twisted’s. He stood next to Bassie, studying their interaction. His head was tilted. He looked at Bassie, noticing her genuine smile. He smiled a little too. It was the first time he saw her smile in a while.

He noticed the fondness in her eyes as she looked at Shelly. He looked back at Shelly’s, noticing a sense of calmness in them. He turned back to Bassie.

“You okay? You’re not hurt right?”
he spoke calmly, as to not startle anyone. Bassie looked at him, slightly turning her head. She nodded.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Maybe a little tired from running though!” She tried to add a little humor their current situation. It wasn’t exactly ideal.

He chuckled, crossing his unusually long arms (Yes the “unusually” was necessary). “Yeah, me too…”

Bassie looked back at Shelly, a weird tension in the air. They both stood beside each other, looking at the twisted with different thoughts. Bassie decided to break the silence, exhaling a little shaky. She looked back at Sprout, giving him an awkward smile.

“I know this is going to sound weird but…” Sprout raised an eyebrow, hearing Bassie speak. He looked at her, waiting for her to continue. Bassie looked away, finding the eye contact unnerving.

“What if we… brought her back with us…?” Sprout’s eyes widened in shock. He stammered for a second, mouth open. He finally cleared his throat, pounding onto his chest with his fist. Thankfully he wasn’t too hurt by that, his binder acting as a shield.

“W-what?!” He was finally able to make out a word, crossing his arms again. He tapped his foot, giving her a stern look. Bassie frowned, sighing. Bassie looked back at Shelly, resting her forehead against hers. Shelly also closed her eyes in response. Sprout loosened his arms. Patted her shoulder once, then rubbing it reassuringly.

“I know, it sucks. But…” He trailed off, remembering something that clearly hit a nerve. He frowned, a sad look in his eyes. “We can’t bring a twisted back.” He shook his head, his voice empathetic.

Bassie opened her eyes, turning her head to look at him. She sighed again. “I know but… she hasn’t attacked us at all… she’s different…”
She smiled a bit, moving her gaze to Shelly. Shelly had a lost expression, looking in between the two. Sprout nodded, listening to her reasoning.

“I know, she hasn’t attacked…yet….” He put emphasis yet. Bassie frowned once more, knowing he wasn’t fully convinced. If she was being honest, she wanted to believe Shelly was harmless, but twisteds are generally unpredictable…

Bassie thought for a moment, looking at Shelly. Shelly looked at her, no thoughts behind her eyes. Sprout observed Bassie, wondering what she was thinking. Bassie then suddenly got an idea, whipping her head back to look at Sprout. As she did so, one of her handles hit Shelly. Shelly made a small snorting noise, clearly annoyed.

Sprout stifled a laugh while Bassie covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped, looking back at Shelly. She gently rubbed the spot she hit, not wanting to hurt her more.

“I’m sorry, Shelly…” Bassie mumbled, guilt lacing her voice. Shelly grunted, gently nudging her head into hers. It was like saying “it’s okay” but without words. Bassie smiled a little at her gesture. Sprout was still smiling a little. He looked at Bassie, still wanting to know her reasoning for whipping her head around.

“Were ya gonna say something?” Sprout slightly tilted his head curiously. Bassie looked at him, nodding.

“Yes… I just was thinking… if we had a twisted, we could see what is causing their… violence…?” She looked uncertain, hoping he would see her reasoning. He blinked a bit, staring at her. He thought for a moment, genuinely considering her idea. He sighed, dropping his arms.

“I just don’t know how Vee and the others are gonna react to this…” Sprout finally spoke after a few seconds of tense silence. He crossed his arms once more, looking to the side. Bassie’s heart fluttered with hope as she started smiling.

“Y-you mean it?! You agree?!” Bassie turned her whole body to look at him, holding her hands in each other with her fingers intertwined. Sprout looked at her, reluctantly nodding.

“Yes… we can… we can bring her back with us…” Sprout mumbled. He dropped his arms again, starting to turn. “We can end this run early, we should get her back fast as possible.”

Bassie grabbed Shelly’s hand, careful of her claws. Bassie guided her to the elevator, following close behind Sprout. They walked in silence, the only sound being Shelly’s heavy footsteps and machines humming.

Sprout pressed the button on the elevator, it humming in response. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Shelly took a step back, growling softly as the elevator opened. Bassie looked at her.

“It’s okay, it’s just the elevator.” Bassie chuckled, smiling at Shelly. Shelly grunted in response and reluctantly allowed Bassie to pull her into the elevator. Shelly left a trail of ichor behind them.

Sprout took a deep breath, pressing the button to bring them back up.

“Here we go…” He mumbled to himself. As the elevator lifted up, Shelly started to freak out. Sprout looked at her, regretting his decision. Bassie gently grabbed her face with her free hand, gently rubbing her cheek with her thumb.

Shelly was still freaked out, but calmed slightly by Bassie’s comforts. Bassie smiled, noticing her calming down slightly.

“See? It’s just an elevator, it’s okay…” Bassie spoke to Shelly, her voice soft and reassuring. Sprout sighed in slight relief, smiling a bit. Her tone of voice reminded him of how Astro spoke to the others when he would help them with nightmares.

Chapter Text

The elevator came to a stop, dinging as it opened. Shelly looked around, taking in the new surroundings. She growled softly, eyes widened in fright. Bassie noticed her panicking, stopping and gently holding her cheek. She used her thumb to rub her cheek, being as reassuring as possible.

They walked out the elevator, it closing shut behind them. Shelly’s eyes darted around the lobby, it being unfamiliar. All her memories from before her twisting was most likely forgotten. Sprout stood as he watched Bassie talk to Shelly. Her words were incoherent to Sprout due to her soft tone.

Sprout stood there with his arms crossed. He watched as Shelly took in her surroundings. Shelly took in all the scents around her, getting used to it. Bassie let go of her hand, letting her roam around. Sprout’s eyes widened in shock, not expecting her to do that.

“What are you doing?!” He shouted, not realizing how loud he was. He immediately covered his mouth with a hand. Shelly jumped at the sound, looking at him. Bassie gave him a pleading look, trying to get him to quiet down. Sprout took the hand off his mouth.

“Sorry…” he mumbled, barely audible to Bassie. Bassie sighed, nodding her head. Shelly slowly walked around, observing the lobby. Bassie followed close behind. Sprout stood where he was. He had his arms crossed, only rotating himself so Shelly was constantly in his view.

Once Shelly finished her walk, Bassie led her to Sprout. Bassie cleared her throat.

“We should probably report back to the others…” Bassie said, looking at him. Sprout nodded, dropping his arms to his side.

“Yeah… let’s go.” He gestured her to follow. Bassie led Shelly, following Sprout. They walked down the small hallway, passing by the garden view sign. The walk to the door wasn’t long, just a few feet from the elevators. Sprout opened the door, holding it open for the two.

He smirked, bowing slightly. “Ladies first.” He said. Bassie snickered, finding his action humorous.

“Okay, Romeo.” Bassie snickered more, smirking. Sprout playfully rolled his eyes. Bassie led Shelly into the door. Shelly had to duck down, as the frame was too short for her.

Bassie carefully went down the stairs, holding onto the railing for dear life. Sprout followed, closing the door behind him. He didn’t comment on Bassie’s desperate clinging onto the railing.

They went down a few floors, passing by many other toon’s rooms. Most rooms were empty now. They finally made it down to ground level. Bassie let out a huge sigh of relief as she took the last step.

Sprout stumbled down the last step, almost tripping on it. He cleared his throat.

“Damn… never noticed all the stairs before.” He said, slightly out of breath. Bassie nodded in agreement.

“How about you stay here, take a seat.” He gestured to the seating area, some chairs in a circle. “I’ll get Vee…” He shook his head a bit, already imagining her scolding.

Bassie awkwardly chuckled, nodding. She led Shelly over to the area, taking a seat. Sprout watched as Shelly tried to sit next to Bassie. She was failing miserably. Bassie was smiling and laughing. Shelly eventually gave up, lying down on the floor. Sprout took that as his cue to go get Vee.

He walked past the rooms as he went down the hallway. All the rooms that housed their friends now were left unattended. Most doors were closed. Sprout sighed, walked past all them.

Walking past Goob and Scrap’s room reminded him of the times when Goob would taste test the deserts Cosmo and him made. Scraps would look after her brother. She also seemed interested in the decoration, she was always a creative toon. Too bad her claws got in the way of most things. That was a bittersweet memory.

He found himself at the end of the hall, spotting Vee and Poppy. Vee was talking about something and Poppy seemed interested. Vee had her bowtie and suit on, just like always. Poppy had her regular pink bow on and her poofy pink, blue and white dress on. The skirt of it was pink and had blue dripping onto it from the top, having white ruffles to complement it.

Sprout walked up to them, clearing his throat. Poppy looked at him, giving him a smile.

“Hey Sprout! You’re back!” Poppy sat up in her chair. Vee turned around, looking at him. She stood up, crossing her arms.

“You’re awfully early.” Vee blurted out. Vee sounded irritated but it was mostly worry. Poppy looked up at the time, noticing it was pretty early. Sprout nodded, looking away. He scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, yeah I know. We ended it early.” He looked at her again as he spoke. Vee looked at him suspiciously. She walked closer to him, starting to check him for injuries. Sprout allowed her to, knowing she was just worried.

“Why?” Vee asked, lifting his arm up and checking it. Sprout didn’t resist it, letting her do what she will.

“Well… about that…” He trailed off. Vee stopped her inspection and looked at him right in the eyes. She put her hands on his shoulders, getting real close to his face. Sprout wasn’t expecting it, leaning back.

Poppy walked over to them, standing next to them. Vee continued staring at Sprout right in the eyes. He was getting more and more uneasy as she did.

“Did you get hurt?” Vee asked, giving him a stern glare. Sprout shook his head. Poppy chimed in, tone worried. “Did Bassie get hurt?!”

Sprout kept his eyes on Vee. He took Vee’s hands and shoved them off his shoulders. He smirked, looking at Vee.

“I ain’t want your dirty hands on me.” He snickered. Vee grumbled, crossing her arms again.

Poppy spoke up again. “No seriously, is she okay?” Sprout turned to her, nodding. “No one got hurt.” He smiled reassuringly. Poppy sighed in relief, giving a glad smile.

“Good! Don’t want our healer to be injured now!” Poppy laughed a little, elbowing Sprout. He laughed also, finding the joke funny. Vee however did not find the joke very amusing. Poppy laughed sheepishly, avoiding her gaze.

“Well, since I know you guys are okay, I’ll leave you guys be. Vee, we can catch up later alright?” She gave them a smile and waved. Sprout waved back, watching her leave.

“You’re alright? Both of you, but mostly you.” Vee looked at him worriedly. Sprout pulled her into a hug as she tried to resist. Sprout snickered, not letting her leave his grip.

“Is someone worried about meee~?” He teasingly asked, snickering still. Vee tried to get him off her.

“YES! NOW GET YOUR NASTY HANDS OFF ME!” Vee shoved him off, scowling. Sprout stumbled back, but caught himself. He smirked, stifling his laughter. Vee glared at him with her arms crossed.

“And for your information, it’s my job to worry.” Vee remarked. Sprout groaned rolling his eyes.

“You are only an hour older!” Sprout whined. Vee smirked, her glare turning into pride. “And that makes me your older sister, lil bro.”

He grumbled, rolling his eyes again. He slumped, crossing his arms. Vee shook her head in amusement.

“Anyways, if you’re both okay, why did you end the run early? We’re running out of supplies.” Vee made her expression serious again.

Sprout stood up straight (unlike him), remembering Shelly. He looked away, not sure how to bring it up.

“Well uh… it’s complicated…” he mumbled, getting a little nervous. Vee raised an eyebrow. “Complicated?” Vee asked, getting a little suspicious.

Sprout sighed and nodded. “Yeah… you know what? I’ll just show you…” he gestured for Vee to follow him. Vee walked beside him, a little worried for what she was about to witness. They walked past the rooms and to the lounge area where Bassie and Shelly were.

Sprout stopped, taking a deep breath. Vee looked in between Bassie and Sprout. Bassie was sitting on a couch. She was looking down at Shelly, whose head was in the baskets lap.

Vee raised an eyebrow, wondering what Bassie was doing. She couldn’t see Shelly from her angle. Sprout gestured his arms to them.

“Go see for yourself.” Sprout looked at Vee. Vee hesitantly walked over, completely unaware of what was about to be witnessed.

When Vee saw Bassie gently petting a TWISTED, let’s say she was shocked. Her head tilted slightly in utter disbelief. She looked at Shelly, the ichor trail she left behind. The huge ichor stain on the carpet. Her tail that was gently wagging.

“WHAT THE FUCK—?” Vee shouted, causing Bassie and Shelly to jump. Shelly growled, sitting up. Bassie quickly grabbed her hand, holding her back.

Sprout scowled. “Vee! Be quiet!” He scolded. Vee whipped her head around, angrily glaring at him. “ARE YOU INCOMPETENT?” Vee shouted back.

Shelly growled more, looking at Vee. Bassie sighed and looked at Vee and Sprout, who were having a glaring contest. Bassie cleared her throat in attempt to get their attention.

It surprisingly worked, they both broke eye contact and looked at her. Bassie spoke softly, trying to not startle Shelly more.

“What Sprout means is that Shelly doesn’t like loud noises. So if you could keep your voice down, we can explain everything.” Bassie smiled, trying to give some comfort.

Vee nodded. “Okay, sorry.” She looked at Sprout. “And you’re a bitch.” Vee remarked. Bassie stifled a laugh while Sprout stared at her in genuine offense. Vee hesitantly walked over to Bassie, keeping her guard up. Sprout grumbled and rolled his eyes. He followed Vee, taking a seat on a chair nearby.

Vee sat next to Bassie, eyes never leaving Shelly. Shelly seemed to have calmed slightly, noticing she isn’t a threat. Shelly started to sniff Vee, trying to get used to her.

Vee uncomfortably sat, allowing her to sniff her. Shelly then sat down, resting her head back into Bassie’s lap. Bassie smiled, gently petting her again. Shelly closed her eyes.

Vee observed her for a moment, taking in her presence. She then looked at Bassie. “Alright, start explaining.” Vee crossed her arms, leaving no room for argument.

Chapter Text

Bassie explained what happened, what happened at the machine and in the room. Vee listened, nodding subconsciously. Vee inhaled sharply, folding her hands and resting her head onto them.

“Let me get this straight…” Vee started, “you brought something that has KILLED most of our friends, because it was friendly?!” Vee whisper shouted, trying to keep quiet as to not disturb Shelly again.

Bassie nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact. She adverted her gaze to Shelly, not wanting to look at Vee. The conversation was certainly unusual.

“Well… yeah…?” Bassie hesitated to say it, not making eye contact still. “She hasn’t attacked us, I mean look. She’s literally lying on my lap.” Bassie started again. She looked at Vee, gesturing to Shelly as she spoke.

Vee sighed and crossed her arms again. “Well, we were also hoping that we could try and find out what is causing the twisting.” Sprout chined in, a little spark of hope in his eyes.

Vee looked at him, thinking. She noticed the hope in his eyes. She knew that losing a lot of his friends made him carry a lot of weight. Especially close ones. She too had friends she missed, one of which they shared.

Vee sighed again, sitting back. “Fine. You have a point.” She nodded, closing her eyes as she did. Sprout smiled, also a little surprised she actually agreed. Ever since this whole mess started, Vee took a big lead.

“But I want her in one of your sights at all times. You two are in charge of…” She trailed off, looking at Shelly. “This.” Vee gestured to Shelly, waving her hand at her.

Bassie and Sprout nodded. “Thank you, Vee.” Bassie said, giving her a smile. “yeah, yeah.” Vee waved her off, looking to the side.

“I can look after her first.” Bassie looked at Sprout. Sprout nodded, he understood Bassie might have wanted to do that anyways. “Fine by me.” Sprout smiled.

Vee looked back at them, standing up. “Also, I want the others aware of her. That’s your job. Gather everyone somewhere and introduce them.” Vee stated firmly.

“You got it.” Sprout said while Bassie nodded. “Good. Now, I’m going to go charge.” Vee said, heading for the stairs. Sprout waved as she left.

Sprout stood up, putting his hands on his hips. “I’ll go gather everyone, you can stay here.” Sprout smiled at Bassie. Bassie nodded, lightly patting Shelly’s head.

Sprout walked off, heading to Poppy’s room first, since she was already down stairs.

Sprout knocked on the door and shortly after Poppy opened the door. She had changed into simple lounge wear. She was wearing black sweatpants and a hot pink off-shoulder crop top.

“Oh, hey Sprout! Wassup?” Poppy leaned on the door frame, giving her usual grin. Sprout smiled a bit awkwardly, looking over at Bassie in the distance.

“Well, there’s something Bassie and I want to show everyone… I’m gonna gather everyone and meet in the dining area…” Sprout maintained eye contact, speaking in a serious manner. Poppy nodded as he spoke.

“Alright. I’ll see everyone there then.” Poppy gave him a pat on the shoulder, leaving for the kitchen. Sprout sighed, turning to the stairs.

He went to everyone’s room, explaining that him and Bassie had something to show them. He went to Flutter’s room next, where Flutter and Flyte were. Then to Bobette’s where she and the dogs were. Then to Yatta’s room, Gigi’s, and finally Connie’s.

Once they all made their way to the dining area, Sprout went to Bassie. As Sprout approached, he waved. “Hey. Everyone’s waiting in the dining area.” Sprout said. Bassie nodded.

Bassie then gently nudged Shelly’s head, waking her up. Bassie smiled, gently patting her head. “Hey Shells… have a good nap?” Bassie knew she couldn’t respond, it was still nice to talk to her though.

Shelly sat up, blinking a bit. She still looked tired. Bassie stood up, taking her hand. Sprout, Bassie, and Shelly walked over to the dining area. Seeing a twisted got mixed reactions from everyone.

The one reaction everyone had was horror. Connie was the first to speak up. “What the fuck?! Did you both seriously bring back a TWISTED?! Do you know how many of our friends they have killed?!”

Bassie shifted uncomfortably, looking at the floor. Shelly growled lightly at the shouting. Sprout held his hands up in a defensive way.

“Alright, please, just let us explain. And also, if you could please keep your voice down?” Sprout started, getting a little irritated. He understood the anger despite his annoyance.

“And why should I?! Do you know how many toons they have killed?! You witnessed one!” Connie retorted, slamming the table slightly. Gigi looked at her like she was insane. Shelly growled more at the yelling.

Sprout went quiet, looking at her. Bassie looked at him, noticing his uncomfortableness. “Hey Connie, I know you’re upset but that was a little far…” Bassie spoke softly, as to not upset Shelly further.

Connie sat back down, a look of guilt on her face. “I’m sorry Sprout…” she looked at the floor, guilt ridden. Sprout nodded in response, looking at his foot.

Bassie took a deep breath before looking at everyone. “Alright, I know this looks weird but let me explain…”

As she explained, mostly everyone relaxed. She told them about their plan and how Shelly dislikes loud noises. Connie still wasn’t really convinced but kept it to herself.

After their conversation, mostly everyone went back to their rooms. It was getting kind of late anyway. Bassie brought Shelly to where she was staying, in Shelly’s room. Sprout went to his shared room with Vee. Vee was sitting on the floor with her head leaned against the wall, looking bored as she charged.

Sprout went in, closing the door behind him. He took off his binder, placing it on his nightstand. The tape in the middle that Vee had put on their floor when they were kids was surprisingly still there.

Sprout climbed in bed, clutching onto the Astro plush he kept. He buried his head into it, thinking of today’s events.

Vee lifted her head up to look at him. “You alright?” Vee asked. “Yeah.” Sprout responded, voice muffled from the plush.

“You sure?” Vee didn’t sound very convinced. “Yes, I’m fine. Get off my back.” Sprout sounded more irritated that time.

“Alright, alright. I just wanted to make sure.” Vee quickly responded, leaning her head back onto the wall.

The room was silent, dark. The only light was the soft glow from Vee’s screen. They sat in silence. Vee looked at the ground. She had a bad feeling about how Sprout came in. He didn’t look very happy.

“How did everyone take it?” Vee didn’t lift her head up. Sprout stiffened a little, thinking back at it. Sprout took his head out from the plushie.

“They took it fine. Shocked at first but eventually calmed.” He spoke softly, like anything louder would set something off. “That’s good.” Vee responded, not moving at all.

They didn’t speak for the rest of the night. Sprout eventually fell asleep, holding onto that plush like it was glued to him.

Chapter Text

Sprout slept for maybe three hours before waking up. He laid in bed, staring up at the barely visible ceiling. He held his Astro plush to his chest.

He couldn’t help but remember whet Connie had said. It stung. He sniffled a little bit.

He looked at the plush of Astro, remembering the day he twisted. They went on a normal run, or so they thought.

Sprout, Pebble, Vee, and Astro did a run together. This was back when they barely knew anything about the whole situation, nonetheless the twisteds.

“Hurry up, Berry-boi.” Vee was clearly impatient, tapping her foot and arms crossed. Astro was wrapped up in his blanket, like usual. “Don’t rush him, Vee. Patience is a virtue.” Astro put his star on her shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. Be patient.” Vee scowled. “Yeah, Vee. Be patient~” Sprout smirked as he said it.

Sprout threw his crossbody bag over his shoulder. It had some heals in it. Vee rolled her eyes. “Come on.” Vee gestured them to follow her.

Astro carried Pebble with his magic, making sure he didn’t get left behind. He was a small dog after all.

They went down the elevator. Floor 1, then floor 5, floor 15.

Astro was trying to help Pebble with his stamina. Pebble turned a corner and Astro had gotten seen.

He ran but tripped, causing the twisted to hit him. The twisted had torn open his cheek, and ripped some of his blanket.

Pebble was able to get the twisted back before further damage was done.

Astro sat on the floor, breathing heavily. Sprout noticed him in the distance and rushed over.

“Hey are you—“ Sprout stopped mid sentence when he realized he had gotten hurt. He immediately crouched down to him, handing him a cupcake. He then proceeded to bandage his wounds.

Astro blinked a few times, shaking his head to get out of his daze. Sprout was delicately wiping some blood away.

Astro watched him, glancing down at the cupcake. “Thanks…” Astro murmured, grabbing the cupcake. He started to eat it slowly, the pain from his cheek still stinging.

Sprout bandaged his cheek as he ate. Once he finished he just watched him eat, smiling softly.

“Feel better?” Sprout asked softly. Astro nodded, still chewing. He eats relatively fast, especially sweet things.

Astro swallowed the last of the cupcake. “You always make the best sweets… don’t tell Cosmo I said that though.” Astro smiled a bit.

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Sprout laughed, hugging him. Sprout gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before putting his hands on his shoulders.

He lightly shook him, squeezing his shoulders. “Be more careful next time!” Sprout exclaimed. Astro nodded, a little nervous by the sudden sternness.

Sorout then stood up. He dusted himself off, offering a hand to Astro. “We should probably finish the rest of the machines.”

Astro took his hand with his magic, standing up. “Yeah, don’t want Pebble too worn out.”

Then they went their separate ways, finishing the floor. They went on with the run, floor 16, 17, 18, you get it.

By floor 22 Pebble was getting tired from all the distracting. There was a significant amount of twisteds on the low floors.

Sprout had gone through at least half of his heals by now. As they stepped in the elevator to descend to floor 23, Astro noticed Sprout getting increasingly nervous.

Astro walked over to him, putting his magic on his shoulder. The sudden touch made Sprout jump. Once he realized it was just Astro he sighed in relief.

“Oh, it’s just you…” Sprout smiled nervously at him. Astro gave him a worried expression. He looked on edge.

“Are you okay? You seem tense.” Astro spoke softly so Vee couldn’t hear. He didn’t want her to worry.

“Yeah but… I’m just getting worried… the amount of these… things… are overwhelming. Pebble is getting tired out and getting hit. I’m running out of heals and we might lose Pebble and it will be all my fault. I should’ve brought more heals.”

Astro listened to his rant, nodding. “It’s okay. Pebble will be okay… but you are right…” Astro looked over at Pebble and noticed his panting.

“We could end the run after this floor. No arguments, alright?” Astro smiled at him, reassuringly rubbing his back.

Sprout took a deep shaky breath and nodded. “Alright…” Astro smiled hearing him agree. “See? No need to worry… just one more floor… nothing is going to happen…”

Sprout chuckled nervously. “Y-yeah I know…” Sprout mumbled back. Astro continued to rub his back in a comforting way.

“You owe me cuddles after this.” Sprout looked at him and smiled, his nerves still apparent. Astro snickered. “When do I not?” He gave Sprout a kiss on the forehead.

The elevator opened and everyone walked out. It was a normal floor, warehouse. Shrimpo and Teagan were on the floor.

Pebble didn’t hesitate and gathered them, already walking around. Sprout, Vee, and Astro all did machines.

Astro volunteered to do last, since he was the stealthiest and it was far away. He extracted the machine like normal. The bandage on his cheek was bothering him.

“Oh fuck it. I can bandage it back up later.” He mumbled to himself. He took the bandage off, it stinging a little. He continued extracting, not noticing anything abnormal.

As he was about to finish, he heard the pipe starting to shake violently. He looked up.

“What the fuck—?” He whispered, not like that made a difference. The pipe then exploded, getting all over him.

The ichor got all over him, especially in his wound. The effects were almost immediate. The ichor got in his eye, causing them to be red.

He felt his limbs start to grow. The pain was unbearable. He groaned out in pain, falling to his knees.

Sprout heard something in the distance. His heart dropped, worried Astro or Pebble got hit… or worse.

Vee heard it too, so he knew it wasn’t paranoia. “Was that Astro?” Vee asked, looking in the direction of the sound.

Sprout nodded, also looking in the area. “I think so…” He immediately started running over to that area, only to be met with twisted Astro.

His eyes widened. His heart was beating into his chest. “A-Astro…?” Was the only thing Sprout could manage to say.

His blanket was ripped, his limbs were longer, he was taller, his eyes were red.

Eyes welled up in Sprout’s eyes, realizing the situation. He backed up, covering his mouth.

Astro looked at him, he was crying ichor. The wound on his cheek was gone. Astro started to run after him, causing Sprout to get hit in the arm.

Sprout took the pause from Astro to run. He felt a sudden wave of fatigue wash over him as he was chased. He ran to go hide somewhere, breathing heavily. He eventually lost him.

After a five minute break down, Sprout was finally able to compose himself. He went to the machine, finishing it. The machine dinged and the elevator went up.

Once Sprout and Pebble got into the elevator, Sprout pressed the button to go back up.

“What are you doing?! Astro’s still out there!” Vee shouted as the elevator door slammed shut.

Sprout turned around and leaned onto the wall. He slid down, burying his head in his knees.

Vee sensed something was wrong. That’s when she noticed the gaping wound in his arm. She walked over, taking a seat next to him.

“Are you alright?!” Vee shouted as she hovered over Sprout. He was tossing and turning in his sleep, making it impossible for Vee to shut down for the night.

Sprout snapped out of it as Vee violently shook him. “Dude wake up!” Vee said, still shaking him.

“OKAY, OKAY I’M UP!” Sprout shouted groggily. He sat up in bed, shaky, sweaty, and panting slightly.

“Are you okay?” Vee asked, worried this time. “I’m fine.” Sprout replied grumpily.

“Are you sure? You were moving around a lot, and you’re sweating right now.” Vee only got more worried hearing his response.

She put a hand up to his forehead. Sprout quickly swatted her hand away. “What are you doing…” Sprout mumbled. He was obviously tired, but the irritation was evident in his voice.

“I wanted to check you for a fever. You feel fine though.” Vee responded, a little relieved.

“I’m fine, just a nightmare.” Sprout mumbled and rolled over, hugging his Astro plush.

“A nightmare?! You normally don’t get those…” Vee sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his arm in a comforting motion.

Sprout didn’t resist it, allowing her to. “You normally only get nightmares when something happens… the last time you got them was…” she trailed off, frowning at the memory.

Sprout’s face twisted, mix of hurt, anger, sadness. “Yeah, I think I know when I experienced nightmares.” Sprout retorted bitterly.

“What happened. You walked in looking like shit and now you had a nightmare. I know something’s up.”
Vee crossed her arms, stopping her rubbing.

Sprout snorted, not moving to turn. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get over it.” Sprout buried his head into the plush.

Vee got up, walking back over to her charging area. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find out myself.” Vee sat down and plugged herself in.

“You do that.” Sprout’s voice was muffled from the plush. Vee had already turned herself off with her remote. Sprout looked over and noticed it.

He rolled his eyes. “Find out yourself. Id like to see you try.” He mumbled into the plush.

Chapter Text

Vee woke up, fully charged (literally). She stood up, stretching her arms. She looked over to Sprout’s bed.

He was sleeping. He looked sweaty but at least he was asleep. Vee sighed, walking over to his bed.

She looked at him for a moment. He was sprawled in the bed, legs dangling off the edge. Vee shook her head.

She struggled a little, as she wasn’t very strong. She moved him on the bed correctly. He was lying on his stomach. The Astro plush was on the ground.

Vee flipped him over and tucked him in. She then picked up the plush, placing it next to him. She patted his head.

“Good night, Sprout.” Vee whispered as to not wake the sleep deprived shit up.

She got on her suit, tying her bow tie. She walked out, gently closing the door (not opening) Behind her.

The time was about 8am. This was around the time her charging stopped normally. Her and Sprout would get up, Sprout would start making breakfast while Vee woke up the others.

Although this time, Sprout wouldn’t be making breakfast. Vee went downstairs, sitting in a chair.

About thirty minutes passed and Vee just sat there, thinking. She didn’t even notice that Poppy had woken up.

“Hellooo! Earth to Vee!” Poppy waved a hand in front of her face. She had her normal optimistic grin on her face. She was still wear her off shoulder crop top and sweatpants from yesterday.

Vee snapped out of it, slightly shaking her head. She looked up at Poppy, who was standing slanted with a hand on her hip.

“Huh? What?” Vee answered. “You were just staring in the distance. Are you okay?” Poppy sat down next to her.

Vee nodded, “yeah, I’m fine.” Vee reassured her. “I was just thinking. Sprout had a nightmare last night about something and he won’t tell me what.” Vee grumbled, resting her head onto her hand.

Poppy seemed a little surprised by it, blinking a few times. “Is he okay?” Poppy wasn’t smiling anymore, replaced by worry.

“He’s fine. But he looked like shit when he walked into our room last night. I know something happened but he’s too much of a stubborn asshole to let me help.” Vee grumbled again.

Poppy paused, thinking for a moment. “Well… I may know why…”
Poppy looked at Vee, whispering.

“What?!” Vee looked at her, giving direct eye contact. Poppy shifted a little uncomfortably at the sudden eye contact.

“Uhm… Connie had something about Astro’s uhh… twisting.” Poppy hesitated to say it, knowing it was a sensitive subject for the two siblings.

Vee blinked a bit, shocked. She then looked away, sighing. “Damn… that explains it…” Vee mumbled, resting her head back onto her hand.

“Wait, why was that even brought up?” Vee looked back at her. Poppy scratched the back of her neck. “We were being introduced to Shelly and Connie got mad.”

Vee nodded, grumbling a bit. “Oh.” She crossed her arms, sitting back in her chair. She can’t really blame Connie for getting mad. She had witnessed a few twistings, ones where she couldn’t help.

Vee sighed “I’m gonna talk with Connie later then.” Poppy nodded, grin returning. “Sounds good. Anyway, what the breakfast plan? I’m assuming Sprout is sleeping in this morning.” Poppy put a hand on Vee’s shoulder, trying to change the subject.

Vee thought for a moment. “I guess I could try making pancakes. I’ve seen Sprout do it a million times, plus I’m pretty sure I have baking skills in my code…”

Poppy stood up, putting her hands on her hips. “Sounds like a plan! I can go wake everyone.” Vee nodded, standing up as well.

“Alright. Thanks, Poppy.” Vee patted her shoulder and walked off to the kitchen.

“No problem!” Poppy shouted back before walking off to go gather everyone.

Vee walked into the kitchen. It was quiet. The atmosphere was calming. The air was cold, but not freezing. It was perfect.

“No wonder Sprout likes to bake so much…” Vee mumbled to herself. She got what she needed. butter, a frying pan, pancake mix, a bowl, a whisk, a butter knife, a measuring cup, and a spatula.

She read the instructions on the box, following it. Poppy came in as she was mixing.

“Everyone is in the dining area and ready to eat!” Poppy smiled, closing the door behind her.

“Need any help?” Poppy asked as she walked over. Vee shook her head “No, I got it. It’s just some pancakes.”

“Alright.” Poppy nodded, sitting down at the counter. Vee finished mixing and turned on the stove.

She put some butter on it, so the pancakes wouldn’t stick. She made enough for everyone to have at least two.

Poppy helped Vee carry out the plates. “You’re pretty good at cooking. Must run in the family.” Poppy smirked, winked at her.

Vee chuckled, shaking her head. “I guess so…” the rest of the like 15 feet walk was silent. The silence was comfortable though.

Gigi rubbed her hands together as they came out. “Hell yeah! Pancakes!” Everyone got up, getting their portion.

“Only two each.” Vee crossed her arms, watching carefully as everyone got their pancakes. Because Gigi is Gigi, she tried to take five.

Vee scolded her and only gave her one. Gigi grumbled but took off with her sad little pancake.

Vee walked over to Poppy and placed Gigi’s pancake on her plate. Poppy paused for a second before looking at her. “Oh, thank you!” Poppy smiled. Vee nodded, sitting next to her. “No problem.”

Gigi’s jaw dropped, staring at them. She stood up, pointing at Vee and slamming the table with her other hand. “FAVORITISM!” Gigi shouted from the table next to Vee.

Vee rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and sat back in her seat. “No, it’s a reward for helping. and it wouldn’t happen if you didn’t try and steal THREE EXTRA PANCAKES.” Vee gave Gigi a stern look.

Poppy ate her pancakes in peace. Gigi scoffed in response. She didn’t butter or add syrup to her pancake. She grabbed it with her fork, taking bites. She gave Vee direct eye contact as she ate.

Gigi glanced at Connie, watching her as she ate. Gigi stared at her. “Hey! That’s my sweater!” Gigi put her fork down. Connie stopped eating and looked up.

“Yeah, I was cold so I took the extra from your room.” Connie shrugged, going back to her eating.

“Damn you. You best give that shit back.” Gigi grumbled, going back to eating her singular dry pancake.

“Yeah, yeah.” Connie mumbled as she ate. Once everyone finished eating, they put their plates in the little dish bin. Poppy and Flutter went on a run, due to insufficient supplies.

Two pancakes sat on the plate. Bassie didn’t show for breakfast. Vee sighed, grabbing the plate of cold pancakes. She wrapped it up in some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

Vee walked back into the dining area to grab the bin. Gigi, Flyte, and Connie were playing poker. Bobette was dealing. Vee rolled her eyes, walking away with the dish bin.

She placed it nearby the sink, as she couldn’t wash them herself. She leaned onto the counter, taking in the silent kitchen.

She pulled out the stuff she needed for pancakes again. She only made enough mix for two pancakes.

Once she was done she put them on a plate. She put butter on them, not syrup. She knows Sprout doesn’t like syrup.

She put some blueberries on the side, also very carefully pouring him a glass of orange juice. She put it on a tray, walking out with it.

She carefully walked up the stairs, going up to their room. She placed the tray on the floor, opening the door.

She picked the tray back up, walking over to his bed. Once she put the tray on the nightstand, she walked over to the door to close it.

She turned on the lights, then walked back to his bed. She lightly shook him awake. “Wake up, Sprout.” Vee spoke quietly, but enough to wake him up.

His eyes fluttered open, looking at her. His eyes were squinted because the light was bright.

He groaned, covering his eyes with his arm. “mmm… what time is it…?” He groggily mumbled.

Vee looked up at the time “it’s around 10:20.” Sprout uncovered his eyes and sat up.

“TEN TWENTY?!” He shouted. He looked at the tray. “What’s that?” He pointed to it. Vee looked over at it as well.

“Oh, it’s your breakfast.” Vee looked back at him. She then picked it up, putting it in his lap.

“I made everyone breakfast, so don’t worry about that.” Vee leaned onto the edge of his bed. She lifted her head up with her hand.

Sprout looked at the tray, blinking in surprise. “Y-you…” he trailed off. “Thanks…” he mumbled, picking up the fork and knife to start cutting it.

Vee ruffled his leaves a bit, smirking. “No problem, lil bro.” She then patted his shoulder.

Sprout rolled his eyes, taking a bite. “Damn… this is actually good…” he said in between another bite.

Sprout finished his food. Vee picked up the tray and put it on the nightstand. She sat on the edge of his bed. She looked at him, getting a serious expression on her face.

“I know why you had a nightmare last night. It was about Astro, wasn’t it?” Vee blurted out.

Sprout’s eyes widened a bit, caught off guard. “Damn, she actually DID find out on her own.” Sprout thought.

He looked away, staring at the bed. He frowned. “Yeah but I’m fine. It was just a stupid dream.” He mumbled.

Vee sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not just some stupid dream. You looked distressed.” Vee looked at him worriedly.

Sprout glanced at her, noticing her worry. “I’m fine.” He mumbled. Vee rubbed his back. “You’re not. I can tell.” Vee argued.

Sprout scoffed, crossing his arms. “I am. Seriously, I’m fine.” Sprout mumbled again.

Vee grumbled, getting frustrated. “Stop saying you’re fine. I know damn well you aren’t.” Vee crossed her arms.

“You don’t know what I feel.” He looked at her, getting defensive. Vee maintained eye contact.

“I can tell you’re not okay! Stop fucking luing to me!” Vee snapped back.

Sprout finally had enough of the constant arguing. “FINE. NO, I’M NOT FEELING GREAT. HAPPY NOW?” He looked at her, tears welling in his eyes.

He was slouched over, arms crossed and knees bent. Vee was caught off guard by the outburst, but it wasn’t unexpected.

Vee sighed, expression softening into one of worry. She pulled him into a hug, patting his back.

He buried his head into her shoulder, bawling his fucking eyes out. (Iykyk that one audio.)

He held onto her tightly, like she was dying or sum shit. “I miss him…” he spoke through broken sobs.

Vee rubbed his back in a comforting way. “I know… I do too…” she whispered.

Chapter Text

Bassie woke up to Shelly nuzzling into to her head. Bassie softly groaned, sitting up.

“mm… What is it…?” Bassie held herself up with her hand. She used her other one to rub an eye.

“Ohh… good morning…” Her voice was raspy from just waking up. Shelly was looking at her, tail slightly wagging.

Bassie had spent most of the night cleaning the ichor off of Shelly. There was ichor stained towels scattered around the room.

Shelly’s body was cleared from all the ichor. Her head still had ichor in it but it wasn’t dripping ichor anymore at least.

Her eyes were still red as ever though. Bassie had taken off her ripped dress and put a sleeveless shirt on her instead.

Bassie looked up at the dinosaur themed clock above the door. It was like 10:30 ish.

“Oh damn… I missed breakfast…” Bassie muttered, sighing afterwards.

She got up, brushing herself off. she was still in her throw away dress, stained with ichor.

"I guess I should shower, huh Shells?" She chuckled, looking down at her stained dress and skin.

She took off her dress, putting it in her laundry bin with all the ichor stained towels.

She got some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom. she tried to close the door but Shelly stood in the way.

"Hey... I need to shower." Bassie laughed as Shelly ducked down to walk in the door.

She laughed more, following her inside. "C'mon, out you go."

She tried to gently push her out the room but Shelly stayed put. she sat down best she could, leaning on the sink counter for support.

Bassie sighed, laughing a little. she realized she wasn't going to be able to get her out.

"Alright then... have it your way." she sighed again, starting to take off her under garments.

she put them on the toilet seat, starting the water. she had a basket in the bathroom to put her flowers in before showering.

she put the flowers in neatly, one by one into the basket. She gently placed it back in its spot.

Shelly watched her every move, just seeming happy to be there.

Bassie washed herself off, doing what she needed to do and such.

The ichor was surprisingly easy to get off. though it did burn slightly.

She got out, Shelly still sitting where she was. She once again watched her movements, observing her.

The constant observation made Bassie a little unsettled but she didn't mind it much.

maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't naked right now... yeah that'd probably make it better.

She chuckled nervously, looking around frantically for a towel. She then realized she had used all her towels to wash off Shelly last night.

they were all in the laundry basket, stained with ichor. "Well, shit." Bassie mumbled under her breath, realizing she was going to have to air dry.

She was a little nervous about the burning though. She checked her eyes in the mirror to make sure they weren't red.

Shelly watched as she carefully inspected her eyes, hands shaking slightly.

Thankfully, her eyes were normal. She sighed in relief, chuckling nervously.

she backed up from the mirror, resting against the wall. She put a paw on her cheek, tilting it slightly.

She tried to calm herself, taking deep breaths. She waited for her to dry off, still calming herself.

It didn't take long to dry, though it felt long. She shivered slightly as the air dried the water off.

Shelly continued to watch her, a little worried. She must have sensed she was nervous.

Once Bassie finally felt dry enough, she grabbed the clothes she got to wear.

She normally wore her spring/flower themed dresses but today she went for lounge wear.

She wore a basic crop top with a flower on it along with some white laced shorts. She also wore her normal thigh high green socks.

She grabbed the basket from before. She carefully put the flowers back in her head, one by one.

"Time to join the rest..." Bassie mumbled to herself, preparing herself to join them.

She walked out the door, Shelly following behind her. Bassie sighed, realizing everywhere she went, Shelly was most likely going to follow.

She went down the stairs, helping Shelly go down. Bassie held her hand, guiding her.

Once they got down, Bassie didn't let go, finding comfort in holding Shelly's hand. Bassie interlocked their finger, squeezing Shelly's hand slightly for reassurance. more for herself though.

As Shelly walked, her footsteps made thudding noises. Bassie took another deep breath before rounding the corner where everyone else was.