Astro Boy: Loving What Is Unknown (Astro X Gender Neutral Reader)

Graves Without Names

Astro gently set you down onto the soft green grass and looked ahead of him as an unfamiliar sight fell before him. You took a single step forwards and smiled brightly, this familiar place bringing joy to you. You turned around and grabbed Astro by the hand and dragged him forwards.

"Come on, let's go! I want you to meet the old man who saved me!" You exclaimed and dragged your friend along by the arm. Behind the two of you, Drive had steered the car towards the ground and parked it just outside of a little run down shack. The moment the car was on the ground, Cora pulled the door open and jumped out of the car just as you and Astro had run by her.

You skidded to a stop just before the rickety old door and skipped on the spot. You could barely contain your excitement! You knocked heavily on the door and pushed it open.

"Old man! It's me, Y/n! I came back to..." Your words trailed off your tongue as you were met with silence. Everything was left as it was before, except for a few things being thrown onto the floor here and there.

You furrowed your brows in confusion and looked around the small shack.

"I don't get it, where's the old man?" You asked no-one in particular and began to search the tiny home. Astro watched you carefully and attempted to assess the situation.

"Well, maybe he's not home? Could he have gone out?" Astro suggested and held his chin in deep thought. You stuck out your lower lip and scratched the back of your head.

"Maybe. Aww, I wanted him to meet you guys!" You complained. Cora had just entered the shack when you said this and eyed her surroundings with disgust.

"Ugh, look at this place. I can see why you were such a grot when you came here." She stated and crossed her arms over her chest. You ignored her insult and searched the room for any clues to the old man's whereabouts. Astro made a move towards the chest situated in the corner of the room and began to fiddle with the lock.

After forcibly prying the lock off the chest, Astro pulled it open and looked over its contents.

"Huh, nothing but old clothes and pictures." He muttered to himself and pulled up an old photo. You turned towards him upon hearing this and smiled.

"Oh, that thing. That's where the old man grabbed my clothes from." You revealed and skipped over to him. Astro continued to shuffle through the box while Cora and the others snooped around. Zane eyed an old bear carving and tapped it. He then jumped in surprise as the carving fell off the wooden shelf and cracked upon impact with the ground.

Everyone turned towards him questioningly as he profusely apologized to you. Widget reached down and picked up the wooden carving and looked it over. In between the cracks, she noticed that the carving was hollow.

"Hey guys, look! There's something inside of the wooden carving!" She exclaimed and turned towards everyone. You reached over and grabbed the carving from her and turned it over in your hands. You then gripped the sides tightly and pulled it apart.

"Y/n, are you sure that's okay?" Astro asked, concerned for the item. He wasn't too sure whether it was something precious to the old man or not. You turned towards him with a confident smile and nodded.

"Yep! The old man said that he made this himself. Plus, it's already broken so might as well see what's inside." You said and looked down at both halves of the carving. That was when you noticed that a piece of paper had fallen from the carving and fluttered onto the ground. You reached down and picked up the piece of paper and held it in your hands. You set the two halves aside and unfolded the paper.

Everyone looked over your shoulder and eyed the piece of paper as you looked it over, wondering what this critical piece of information may be.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Hurry up and read it!" Cora urged. You nodded and stared at the paper for a moment before reading it.