One And The Same (Toby X Reader) (Astro Boy 2009)

Toby's Decision

A light tapping echoed in the empty junkyard followed by a small humming. The discarded heads of broken robots had become Astro's drum set as he waited patiently for Toby's arrival. His steady rhythms then increased to fast-paced beats and he jammed to his own tune.

"You could become a drummer." Toby spoke behind him, scaring the living daylights out of him. Astro's sticks were sent flying as he yelped in surprise, before whipping his body towards his doppelgänger.

"Toby!" He exclaimed excitedly as he then jumped to his feet. Toby gave him a crooked smile. He then made his way over to the little pile Astro stood on before taking his place beside him. Astro sat awkwardly beside him as he drummed his fingers along his leg.

"Soooo, how's the circus been?" He asked, making an attempt at small talk. Toby blinked in surprise at the sudden question before a small smile played at his lips.

"It's pretty okay. A lot of the folks there are weird though. Especially Malikai." He mentioned with a light laugh. Astro pressed his lips into a thin line as he thought back to the suspicious man.

"Yeah, he makes no sense." Toby turned his head towards him.

"Wait, you've spoken to Malikai?" Astro nodded his head.

"Yeah. He's the one who suggested I talk to you in the first place. I think he wanted us to meet or something." He admitted, shocking Toby greatly.

"Really? I thought it was just some coincidence."

"Oh, it was. But Malikai sorta pushed me into it a bit more. But I'm glad that he did." Astro spoke, and he looked ahead of him almost thoughtfully. Toby followed his line of sight and the tips of his brows knotted together.

"Is that why you spoke to Y/n? Because Malikai told you to?" Astro's upper body stiffened and his fingers dug heavily into his legs. He then rubbed the back of his neck as he pursed his lips.

"Yeah, I suppose. She's nice. You're really lucky." Toby whipped his head towards Astro in alarm while carefully studying his face. A shudder fell on Astro's shoulders and he subconsciously rubbed the spot where Cora had hit him. "On the other hand, I'm stuck with someone who doesn't know her limits."

Toby became very confused by this. Astro waved him off and he gave him a hearty grin. "Don't worry about it." Toby carefully nodded his head. He then looked ahead of him with his hands closed in on his lap.

"Astro, about your offer..." at the mention of this, Astro's face lit up and he nodded eagerly to his twin.

"Yeah? What's your decision?" Toby clasped his hands together and focused on the mini drum set up Astro had created for himself beforehand.

"I came here to decline your offer." Astro's eyes steadily widened and a visible look of hurt appeared on his face.

"What? But- But Toby-"

"Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind calling you my brother. It's just that...." this comment had made Astro feel slightly better about himself. Toby's gaze dragged off towards the sky and he breathed in deeply through his nose.

"I've made a place for myself there. Everyone in the circus is my family, and I don't want to leave them so soon." He wistfully admitted. Astro's gaze flickered from the lineup of robot heads to Toby's expression. He then looked ahead of him and he frowned.

"But what about dad? Don't you miss him?" Toby turned towards Astro in a hurry.

"Of course I do! I miss him so much! But... with the way things are now, I don't think I'm ready to confront him just yet." He quietly spoke. Astro turned his head to him and he propped his arms in a resting position on his legs.