Shine on me, my love

1 - A New Moon

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The world feels so warm, yet so cold at the same time.

The ground is beneath me, wanting to swallow me up. The grass tickling my the sides of my body and feeling somewhat damp. The moon gave off a cold beam, chilling my face gently. The breeze a conductor to the play of nature, creating tranquil music.

I open my eyes slowly, the stars meeting mine in a beautiful dance. All these stars were the dreams of every one of my friends. I try to make sure they have a peaceful one, all according to their wishes and deep desires.

Not me, however, this was what my dreams were always like. A view at what everyone fantasized, like a movie.

"Astro."

The serene environment of my dream was the one main factor that made me want to stay. Sometimes I wished upon eternal sleep, just to be here. Not because I disliked the presence of my fellow peers, but because—

Nothing lasts forever.

"ASTRO!!"

Astro shook awake at the booming call of his name. He peered at the source of the sound, blinking a few times as he does, to find that it was Sprout.

"Come on Astro, I told you, no dozing off!," Sprout reminded, though it sounded more like a scolding than anything. Right, Astro was in the middle of fixing a machine until he.. fell asleep, he guessed.

"We were all looking for the last machine just to find out you had it."

Astro mustered out a quiet, "Sorry.." Sprout always seemed a bit grumpy when Cosmo wasn't around, especially now since he wasn't in this run. The current team for this run consisted of Goob, Sprout, Shrimpo, Teagan, himself, and—

"Cut Astro some slack, Sprout! Last floor was Twisted Pebbles, so that must've really tuckered the guy out."

.. Shelly.

Astro smiled when Shelly added herself into the equation. Her innocent-like and cheerful nature was a refresher to him, but sometimes it can be overwhelming.

Sprout sighed, choosing to back off seeing how Shelly was here now. "I guess.." He crossed his arms sternly. "Everyone's waiting at the elevator already so finish up quickly."

Shelly nods for me, her usual jolly smile plastered on her face. "Yeah, or else Shrimpo's gonna call you Badstro again." Astro chuckled slightly, since those were one of the many penurious nicknames the little shrimp-head gave him.

Astro then turned back to the red valve on barely finished Ichor machine. He placed his hands, or star-like appendages, on the valve and began turning, letting the black liquid leak from the top and slowly fill up the machine. This was going to take a while, by himself at least.

Suddenly, another pair of hands grabbed the valve, Shelly's.

"Before you say anything, I'm helping," Shelly spouts out before Astro could indeed, question what she was doing. "So I could ensure you don't slip into dreamland, buddy!"

Astro nods at Shelly's words, smiling softly. Though, he felt a little squeamish being so shoulder-to-shoulder to Shelly like this. Close enough that her chest was touching his shoulder—

Astro could feel his face get hotter at the revelation, but immediately shooed away such thoughts to focus back on the machine. Don't be a pervert, Astro. Don't be a pervert, Astro. He kept telling himself, keeping his hands a reasonable distance away from the shell's to prevent any more mental problems.