#aster4

As they walked, Four’s mind drifted over to the events of the day, all he wanted was to help Melony. Yet he manages to make it on the news for the chaos he caused, he takes out his phone seeing comments on his video talking about the scandal. His chest feels tight as he reads them, he feels his eyes sting as he puts his phone away. Seeing people calling him a thing of the past hurt him more than any beating he has taken, he works so hard to be on the top. He spends nights not sleeping just to make the best content he could, in the end he was failing his subscribers for not being perfect. As they arrive at the showgrounds Aster was closing the cafe, Three smiles seeing them “Hey Aster! You can head home now that we are back from the convention, it was nice being with fellow villains again.” Aster smiles at the group only for it to drop when they see Four’s face, Three walks into his home as Mario follows, wanting one of the man's spaghetti donuts. Four sighs as he walks straight into his castle slamming the door, Aster looks at the cafe then at the castle. Slowly they walked over to the castle, they pushed open the door to see everything dark. They squint in the dark waiting for their eyes to adjust, as they look around for the man they notice a light peeking from the bedroom. 

They gently knock on the door, they wait for a moment before stepping in there he sees SMG4 sitting on his bed crying. Aster walks over “I take it..the convention wasn't the best for you?”  Four looks up, wiping his tears, Aster sits on the bed giving a small smile to the man. Four lets out a shaky breath “Melony was selling her and Axol’s manga…I wanted to help her but i-” Four punches his bed surprising Aster for a moment before he continues to speak “I just wanted everything to be perfect i never wanted to hurt her…but in the end thats all i do. I..i can't be perfect no matter what i do, even my own subscribers can see it!” Aster sighs hearing the man's words, they couldn't help thinking back to when they used to live with Ztar. How their father would zap them over any mistake, even now as they live with Three they could hear their fathers words. They rub their arm as the phantom pain of their past abuse hit them, how their body felt on fire as dark energy shocked them. Taking a deep breath Aster leans against Four, staring at the wall “Being perfect is overrated, I would know my father wasn't the kindest man when it came to who I am.” Four sniffs as he wipes his tears “It’s not the same..”

Aster turns to fully face Four “Oh? So you don't have moments when you feel anything you do isn't enough, that everyone will abandon you cause you're not good enough!” Aster’s eyes water “The anxiety of letting everyone down, how harsh you are on yourself cause your trash and how can you make anyone happy as their partner when you can't even do what your father says correctly!” Aster starts to breathe heavily as panic builds, seeing this Four gently caresses their face. Aster looks into Four’s eyes, they blush as they slowly relax “You're a great partner…i mean you're here with me right now.” Four smiles softly at them before slowly pulling away, they sit in silence thinking over each other's words. 

“You know I hear getting air and talking about trauma is a good mix.” Aster chuckles as they get up from the bed, they offer Four their hand waiting to see if the man accepts their invite. Four takes their hand and gets up “Heh I don't have much of a story,” The pair walk out of the castle taking a stroll around the showgrounds. Four looked around to see the crew with Melony manga laughing, he felt his chest grow tight again. Aster frowns, feeling his hand squeeze theirs “Hey you're okay, I’m sure Melony  isn't upset over what happened. After all she got the support of her friends, not to mention you apologize right?” Four nods as he stops walking, slowly he looks up at the trees around them. 

They both stay staring at the trees for a while, neither of them speaking a word. Aster turns to get a good look at Four’s face, they could see the regret in the man's eyes. Aster thinks for a moment about a way to help the man open up, knowing Four as long as they have they knew Four was trying to keep everything to himself. Aster bites their lip thinking before speaking up “My father would expect a lot out of me…he made me for hours cook random meals and outfits. If anything tasted off or if I made the outfit too small, he would teach me a lesson.” Aster’s purple eyes glow as they feel anxiety grow from the memory, they knew they had to talk about this with Four. All they wanted was for the man to smile and feel comfortable to talk about his problems, yet as they talked they felt the eyes of their father staring daggers at them.They failed to be perfect for their father,  taking a deep breath they kept talking making sure not to say their fathers name. “Over time I feared to fail, I knew no matter what I did it must be perfect. Even now I feel I must be perfect, I have snapped a few times at Three because of it.” 

Four looks up at Aster with his eyes wide, the regret filled with anger “What an asshole! I know you had your reasons to never talk about him but this…this is oh memes if i could get my hands on him!” Aster smiles softly patting Four’s head, he gives them a confused expression “Even then I have made my fair share of mistakes, im…not perfect. I’m a hot mess heh yet i found love with Three and sadly with you too.” They tease Four at the end to show him that they are okay, Four rolls his eyes “Haha even in moments like this you're a smartass huh?” Aster smirks, “Would you want me another way?” Four shakes his head as he thinks over what Aster told him, he then turns and stares at his castle. “Your mistake is nothing like mine…I didn't see how bad I was till I bought an eldritch keyboard.” Aster slowly blinks, taking in what their boyfriend just said “You…eldritch keyboard?” Four nods as he feels himself shake, his mind going back to the castle. He was trapped in darkness hearing all his self doubt being yelled at him, how he would lose his friends and be left alone. Seeing Four starting to panic Aster focuses their star energy into their hand, they then gently press their hand on his back slowly taking his fear. Aster felt slightly sick from the processes as they felt Four's fear and panic flow into them. 

Four frowns staring at the castle as he begins to relax not noticing what Aster did “It was a random ad, I didn't think anything of it cause I knew just knew i had to make the perfect video. I almost killed all my friends…yet they all forgave me. They all were glad I was safe. Three almost died…I almost picked perfection over the man I love.” Four starts to cry as he thinks back on that moment “And…that part of me came out again today.” Aster slowly pulls Four close to them to offer comfort Aster fights the nausea from Four’s anxiety as they rub his back “We have more in common than you think cupcake, know this, we both decided to do the right thing in the end. We both picked the better path, sure that what if will always be there. But what matters is what we did here and now, you made it up to everyone. Even with Melony right? I’m sure she isn't upset with you.”  Four shakes his head as he wipes his tears, the star frowns seeing the sad look Four is giving him “I...aren't you upset or scared of me after what i told you?” 

Aster smiles softly at Four “Well your past with Peach and that keyboard doesn't matter to me, I still find you the second best man i know!” Four blinks before laughing, he leans closer to Aster “Second best huh?” Aster gently cups Fours face “Need to work hard to beat Three cupcakes.” With that the two lean in for a kiss, one filled with a promise. A promise of love, a promise to accept each other's flaws. They pull apart smiling at each other “Do you feel better letting it all out?”  they watch Four’s movement waiting for a reply, Four thinks over everything and nods “Yeah..for now i do, think the three of us can do something tonight? I think it would be best to keep me away from the comment section.” Aster nods as they take Fours hand already planning the event without telling Three first, after all when has Three been able to say no to hanging out with his two favorite people. As they approach the cafe hand in hand they make a silent promise to themself to remember it's okay not to be perfect. 

It was a regular day at the Showgrounds, or regular enough for the SMG4 crew that was. It was actually rather boring to say the least.

Two people sat on the couch within the castle. One was an enby with blonde hair and purple eyes who wore an orange plaid flannel with a black t-shirt underneath, a nonbinary pin, and jeans. Their nails, which were currently being run through raven black hair, were painted a dark black. The other was a man with black hair and blue eyes and wore a blue turtleneck sweater and white overalls.

SMG4 was currently lying with his head in Aster's lap as they ran their fingers through his hair. Both were scrolling through their phones aimlessly, sharing different things they found that they thought the other would like.

Really they were both just biding their time until their boyfriend, SMG3, was finished with work. Because it was a very boring day so far.

Aster sighed, setting down their phone and looking at one of their two boyfriends before getting an idea. An evil smirk appeared on their face as they tapped 4's forehead.

"Hey 4," they said, "wanna do something fun?"

"Hm?" 4 asked, barely looking up at them from his phone. "Yeah. Sure. Whatcha got in mind?"

"Well," Aster laughed, leaning an arm on the couch and leaning their hand against their fist, "since we both seem to be bored and SMG3 is currently at work, why don't we play a little game~"

4 put down his phone, giving his partner a confused glance. "What's the game?"

"We go over to 3's cafe, and whoever can make him the most flustered, wins."

"What's the prize?"

"Making 3 extremely flustered."

4 laughed. "Sure. Be ready to lose though," he said, sitting up and stretching.

"I was going to say the same thing to you, Dear," Aster said, grabbing 4's chin and planting a kiss on his cheek before standing up and heading towards the door.

SMG4 huffed as he stood, face going red. "Dammit," he mumbled to himself as he followed them out, "they're gonna win aren't they?"

Meanwhile, inside 3's Coffee N Bombs, SMG3 stood at the counter, taking orders from customers as Eggdog bounced around the cafe entertaining people.

The bell above the door rang, earning 3's attention. His red eyes looked up before seeing two very familiar faces.

Aster waved at the man, SMG4 standing beside them with a large smile on his face.

Clearly they were up to something...

The two walked up to the counter as the most recent customer grabbed their coffee and took a seat.

"Hey Darling~" Aster said, leaning an arm against the counter and giving 3 a flirtatious wink.

"What do you two want?" 3 asked, getting the feeling that his two lovers didn't have any good intentions related to their visit.

"We can't stop by and pay you a visit?" 4 asked, pouting at the man in purple.

"Oh, you two are definitely up to something," 3 said, looking between the two. "Spit it out. What do you want?"

Aster gave a fake scoff, turning away but keeping their purple eyes locked on SMG3. "How rude. We can't come and see our boyfriend while he's at work?"

Oh, they were definitely up to something.

"Or come over for coffee either?" 4 added.

"Exactly!" Aster shouted. "Our intentions are pure, I promise, Darling."

“Somehow, I doubt it,” 3 mumbled under his breath. “Do you want coffee or are you both just here to bother me?”

“Both,” 4 admitted with a shrug.

3 glared at the two. “… so…?”

“My usual, please,” 4 said before giving Aster a side eye. He then reached over the counter, grabbing 3’s hand as he jotted down the order. “But can I take you to go?” He asked with a wink.

3’s face went red as he stared at his fellow meme guardian. “I… um…”

Aster smirked at 4, but quickly turned their attention back to 3. “Darling, are you feeling ok? Your face is all red~” They reached out and gently touched 3’s cheek. “And you’re burning up!”

“OK!” 3 shouted, quickly pulling away from both of them, mind swirling in pansexual panic. “One Cyanide Supreme Latte. Aster, you getting any coffee or a bomb or… something?” He didn’t dare make eye contact with the two.

4 and Aster smirked at one another. It was far too easy to get under 3’s skin.

“Well, I guess I can have one of those too,” the enby said with a shrug. “But one question remains. What’s the price?”

“Huh?” 3 asked, cautiously looking towards them.

“How much do I owe such a beautiful creature like yourself?” They asked, placing their chin on the back of their hand. “I mean, I already know you’re priceless. But how much for the coffee?”

“Oh. Uh… well…” 3 attempted to come up with a coherent sentence, red eyes darting back to the notepad in his hands he was using to take orders on.

4 glared at Aster. There was no way he was going to let them win this. He had to pull out the big guns if he was going to stand a chance against them.

3 went about making the coffee, keeping a wary eye on the other two with a face redder than Mario’s hat.

“I’m winning~” Aster laughed quietly, smiling at 4.

“Stupid… high rizz…” 4 mumbled, crossing his arms as he attempted to come up with a plan to outdo them.

They laughed, placing both hands on his shoulders as they leaned into 4’s ear. “Well, how else did I pull two handsome meme guardians~?” They whispered.

A shiver went down 4’s spine as he glared at Aster, cheeks becoming a faint red. “Asshole.”

“You love me~”

“Sadly…”

3 rolled his eyes as he watched the two before placing their coffee on the counter. “There. On the house. Now go away.”

“Aww, Darling, trying to get rid of us so soon?” Aster asked with a playful pout.

“Yes.”

“Damn. Tell us how you really feel,” 4 laughed, grabbing his coffee and leaning against the counter. “But seriously though, what’s wrong with wanting to hang out with our handsome boyfriend?”

“When you two start nonstop flirting with me?” 3 asked, looking between them. “It’s fine whenever we’re alone or with friends, but seriously? I am working here.”

“Exactly,” Aster said, leaning over the counter and kissing 3’s cheek. “That’s the fun part.”

3 huffed, crossing his arms and looking away, earning giggles from his partners. “Bakas… both of you…”

“Aww, SMG3,” 4 cooed, walking behind the counter and putting an arm around 3’s waist. “You’d be bored without us.”

“My life would be so much more peaceful,” 3 laughed, avoiding the blue and purple eyes looking him over.

“Oh, Darling,” Aster said, looking behind them to see no one paying any mind to their antics. They walked behind the counter with the other two, lifting 3’s chin. “You know we love you.”

If 3’s face could have gotten any redder, it would have.

Whatever braincells were left within 3’s brain finally kicked into gear. “Ok,” he said, pushing the two away from him, “I love you too, but…” He pointed towards the door. “I have a business to run. So… out.”

“But Darling, we’re bored,” Aster whined, grabbing 3’s hand and placing a kiss on his knuckles. “Just a few more minutes?”

“We won’t bother you too much,” 4 agreed, wrapping his arms tightly around 3 and placing his chin on his shoulder, pouting up at him.

Aster joined in, placing their head on his other shoulder and pouted, continuing to hold his hand as they wrapped their free arm around his waist as well.

SMG3 shook his head. “Nope. Out.”

“But-” the two tried to protest before 3 pushed them out of the cafe.

“Out!” He shouted before slamming the door shut behind them.

Aster crossed his arms. “Rude.”

4 sighed. “Dammit… who even won that?”

“Me, obviously,” Aster laughed.

“Damn. I don’t even get a chance in that one?” 4 asked, crossing his arms.

“Nope. Sorry, Dear, but I’ve just got more rizz than you.”

“You saying I can’t rizz you up?” 4 joked, standing up and holding out a hand to help the other.

“Oh, I never said that,” they said, smiling up at him as they took his hand.