(LOBBY/FLOORS)

(DANDY'S POV)

Dandy ran through the floor halls, cursing to himself. He was extracting ichor from a machine attached to one of the tubes he set up in the walls. Unfortunately, Astro couldn't do it because he was sick.

There were strange things happening in the floors that he had just heard about. There were no longer any main Twisteds running around, instead just larger regulars that were stronger. It made sense for the main Twisteds to disappear, but the rest of the drama? Not at all.

Currently Dandy was being chased by a Shrimpo, which had become a bit faster and stronger, a bit concerning to the rainbow flower. Was all of this his and Astro's doing?...

Nah! What the two of them were doing was completely natural and not at all dangerous! Just...experimenting on other living things with feelings, emotions, personalities, and relationships. Not much at all!

Dandy reassured these things to himself, finally losing the angry crustacean. He giggled, going back to his sabotaging schemes. The single digit floors now had three Twisteds always in them instead of just two, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary to our flower friend.

He whistled to himself, swaying side to side while turning the nozzle tightly into the machine. Two Twisteds were nearby, one crawling silently and the other flying. They both spotted him, heading that way.

He finished the machine sabotage, immediately being slowed down. This confused and scared him slightly as he tried running away. Twisted Finn was quickly sliding towards him, a quiet hissing sound coming from him.

Dandy was back to his full speed now, sprinting away from Flutter and Finn. However, since it was usually Astro gathering ichor and Dandy wasn't one to do rounds himself, he didn't know the layout and soon got cornered. Twisted Goob grabbed him, pulling him close and breaking his arm.

Dandy cried out in pain, running away. His arm felt like it was on fire. Dandy was now at one heart. He quickly made his escape through a trap door that led straight to the lab. Searching through drawers for a medkit, he didn't notice that Astro was at a nearby desk.

"Dandy...?.. Are you okay?"

Dandy's eyes widened. He didn't respond, looking for a medkit even quicker. He couldn't show that his permanent smile had been wiped off his face, the tears and frown from the pain replacing it.

Astro sneezed, sniffling. "S-sorry, I know I'm not supposed to work if I'm sick, but I didn't know you'd be back so quickly." He tilted his head. "Did something happen...?" Standing up, he walked over to Dandy, who remained turned away.

Dandy turned around, a scratch on his face, holding back tears and putting on a strained smile. "H-heyyy buddy, y-yea, uh- n-no, I'm good, I'm good..!" Astro looked down at his boyfriend's arm, gasping.

"Did a twisted do that?! I-I'm so sorry! Here, let me help...." He took a medkit from a nearby drawer that Dandy hadn't checked, quickly bandaging and making a sling for Dandy. He put it on him gently, stepping back after it was done. "Better...?" He said softly.

Dandy smiled, nodding. He gave Astro a small kiss on the lips.

"Better."