Dandy and Astro in…
Lessons in Humility
Summary: After Dandy acted like a sore winner during game night again, Astro had the idea to get a little playful revenge on his flower friend through his dreams, and help him be a better friend.
A/N: My friends really wanted me to do this uwu That flower deserves it for only giving us stopwatches and gumballs! But he’s having fun, no worries :3 Anyways, enjoy! This fic is WAY longer than I expected it to be, so yall are getting fed!
Contains: Fluff, sleepy fluff, playful vengeance, tickles, lee!Dandy, ler!Astro, and pretty much all the mains as lers (technically) playful teasing and stuffs, just all the fluff uwu
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Dandy loved game night. He was always amazing at games, whether he was lucky, or skilled. It was near evening, and he and the other main Toons were playing Go Fish. Sprout would have been spending time with Cosmo, Shelly would have been cleaning fossils with Tisha, Vee would have been working on new questions for her gameshow, and Astro… well, he wanted to spend a little time with Dandy.
Unfortunately, the other Toons weren’t able to get out of game night.
“Got any fives, Dandy?” Shelly asked.
“Nope, go fish!” Dandy chuckled. Shelly groaned.
“Come on, you never have anything! Are you cheating?” She asked as she drew another card. Dandy shook his head.
Astro knew the other Toons weren’t as fond of game night as he and Dandy were. But it was important to spend time with their friend… even if he was a sore winner.
“Dandy, it’s your turn.” Vee pointed out. The flower nodded.
“Sprout… got any nines?” Dandy asked. Sprout was silent for a moment, and sighed.
“Dang it!” The berry cried, handing over two nine cards.
That was all Dandy needed, and he turned the rest of the cards into the center pile.
“I win!” He said triumphantly. The other Toons whined.
“Dandy, come on!” Shelly cried. “You always win, can’t you give one of us a turn?”
“Don’t worry, Shelly. Maybe you can reach my level one day!” The flower laughed.
“Dandy, the way you play is rather unfair to the rest of us.” Vee grumbled. “We are not aware if you are cheating or not and you always rub it in.”
“Lighten up a little, Vee!” Dandy smirked. “They’re just games, it’s not my fault I’m so good at them and win every time!”
“Yeah, and games are supposed to be fun… We don’t wanna play if you take the fun out.” Sprout added.
Dandy’s eyes flashed red for a moment, and he took a deep breath. Though he hid it, he felt… genuinely hurt. Was he really bragging too much? He silently stood up, and left the room. He walked back to his room, and shut the door.
“Astro…” Sprout turned to face the lunar Toon. “I know you mean well, and want us to spend time with Dandy. And we love him, we really do…”
“He just can’t keep bragging and taking the fun out of game night.” Shelly finished.
Astro looked down at the floor for a moment, and nodded. He set his cards down with his magic.
“I know. But he genuinely feels bad, I see it in his dreams… I wish I could push him in the right direction without being aggressive.” Astro sighed.
He thought for a bit. Dandy needed a firm push in the right direction, but he didn’t want to hurt his best friend. That wouldn’t be right, or fair. He didn’t know what to do. How could he be gentle, but get the point across?
Then it hit him.
“Guys, meet here tomorrow. We’ll play another game with Dandy.”
“What? Astro, didn’t you just-“ Sprout was about to speak up, but Astro gave him a look that made him quiet.
“I’ve got a plan. Tomorrow, he won’t be a sore winner anymore. And I get to pick the game, not Dandy.”
The other Toons trusted Astro. He was rather good at what he does. Giving dreams that can make them happy, using dream dust to make them sleepy, protecting them from dangers… If anyone could help Dandy, it was Astro.
“Okay… we trust you.” Shelly said nervously.
“Astro, I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Just be careful.” Vee added. “Your dream manipulation ability has proven to be quite useful, but overuse can be dangerous.”
“Yeah… just don’t exert yourself like you did with Boxten that one time.” Sprout continued. Astro nodded.
“I won’t. I had to push Boxten a little hard in order to help him. His nightmare that night was stubborn.” Astro sighed. “But trust me. Dandy’s dreams are easier. All I need to do is get the point across with something he is familiar with, and enjoys.” He explained.
“Well… good luck. I hope you know what to do, Astro.” Sprout was more worried than anything. Astro smiled slightly.
“I always do, Sprout.” Astro chuckled.
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Dandy was in his room, staring at the wall for a minute. He let out a little sigh. He was morally grey, but he didn’t like making his friends feel bad. Pebble came into his room, and let out a little bark. Dandy glanced to his pet rock.
“Hey buddy…” Dandy sighed. “Was I too harsh with my friends? Am I really as big of a sore winner as they say?” Normally he wasn’t insecure… but if his friends were all upset, he must’ve been doing something wrong.
The flower pet Pebble’s head, taking a little breath. Maybe he was overthinking it, but he didn’t know.
“Go lay down, buddy.” He motioned Pebble to his pet bed, next to his own bed. Pebble let out a little whine, but went to lay down.
Dandy stared at himself in the mirror for a few minutes, lost in thought. He wasn’t entirely sure how to feel now… Knowing his friends were hurt by his actions.
Suddenly, he felt a certain haze come over him, one that felt familiar. Above him was a cloud of a sparkly, blue and purple dust over him. A sweet, lavender scent overwhelmed his senses, and he felt his eyelids growing heavy, and his mind grew foggy. He recognized his feeling, and the scent.
“A-Astro?” Dandy drowsily called out. “Is that you?”
He got no response, as his eyelids grew heavier by the moment. He didn’t even have the energy to walk to and climb onto his bed, as his limbs felt like melted marshmallows. He collapsed on the carpeted floor, as to his hazy mind, it felt like a cloud. His eyes shut, and he was soon out like a light.
Astro slowly entered the room, shutting the door behind him. He softly smiled at his sleeping friend. He might have done a lot of things to upset others, whether they vocalized it or not… but Dandy had a good heart. He knew it. And has proved it many, many times. He just needed some guidance now.
The moon dropped the blanket wrapped around him, revealing his two pairs of arms. He was incredibly insecure about them, but Dandy always assured him they were amazing. He was okay if Astro didn’t like them, because he liked them. He liked them because it made his best friend unique.
Astro picked up the snoozing flower, and rested him on his warm bed. He draped some sheets and blankets over Dandy, smiling softly. Dandy relaxed on the bed, feeling much more comfy and warm. Astro sat at the edge of Dandy’s bed, and crossed his legs. He held his top pair of arms up, and a shimmering blue glow formed between them. He rested his lower pair of arms on the bed, so he could channel Dandy’s dreams.
Astro’s plan was working just fine so far. And he knew exactly what kind of dream to make, even if Dandy would mess with him back after. It would be worth it.
“This is to help, my dear friend…” Astro whispered, feeling Dandy start dreaming.
Time for the fun to begin.
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Dandy slowly opened his eyes, his mind gathering his surroundings. He blinked, and when his vision cleared, he was in a grassy field littered with flowers of many colors. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sun felt warm on Dandy’s skin. He was sitting down in a flower bed. The flowers were rainbow colored like his petals, but they were bell shaped, and seemed to be filled with some sort of nectar.
“What… where am I?” Dandy muttered as he rubbed his eyes.
As he slowly sat up, the flowers he was sitting in reacted to his movement. The flowers seem to turn towards his body, and they sprayed the bigger flower with their nectar. Dandy let out a startled yelp, and managed to stand up and get away from the flowers.
Dandy was rather confused… He was covered in the nectar from those weird flowers, and it was really sticky. He tried to wipe some of it off, but it seemed to be stuck to his body. Dandy groaned. He was really going to be sticky all day?
Then he heard a familiar bark at his feet.
When he looked down, Pebble was staring up at him, and panting happily. Dandy’s negative mood was quickly replaced by joy from seeing his beloved pet.
“Pebble! Good to see you, buddy!” He bent down, and scratched Pebble’s chin. The rock barked happily, and his tail wagged at mach speed.
Suddenly, Pebble pulled away from Dandy’s scratches, and went to sniff his other arm. He could smell the sweet nectar on his friend, and he let out a playful bark. The pet rock then started licking the nectar off of Dandy’s arm.
“Aw, buddy.” Dandy smiled, but was still a little worried. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, some weird flowers got that stuff on me.”
But Pebble seemed to be fine. He didn’t look sick, he seemed perfectly happy. Pebble kept licking all over Dandy’s arm, but then he moved closer to the flower’s unprotected side. He let out a little gasp, and fell to the grassy ground.
“E-easy now, Pebble! You’ve licked me enough!” Dandy squeaked.
Pebble ignored him, and pushed himself to Dandy’s torso. Dandy tried to stop him, but the pet rock was quicker, and he started licking the flower’s sides.
“No! Pebble, that tickles! Enough licking me!” Dandy cried, starting to giggle and snort.
Pebble let out a happy huff from hearing his owner laugh. He wanted to hear more of it, and kept licking, getting all the sweet nectar.
“Pebble!” Dandy laughed and whined. He was trying not to push too much, otherwise he may hurt his beloved pet. “That’s enough, you can- Ah!”
He let out another yelp when he felt Pebble start licking one of his petals. All of them were fairly ticklish. At least Pebble wasn’t at his worst spot. He kicked his feet, giggling and yelping, especially when Pebble started gently nipping his petals to get every last bit of sweet nectar from the soft petals. They fluttered slightly as Pebble nipped at them, but he couldn’t move them away.
Despite being very ticklish, and trying to push Pebble away from his rainbow petals, he wasn’t necessarily hating this. He never hated ticklish attention, even now. It brought back memories of him and the other main Toons when he was younger. In fact, tickle fights with Astro were some of his first good memories. He saw it as a form of play, and he found that after laughing, he was able to feel more comfortable talking about things he didn’t like, and able to find a solution.
“C’mon, Pebble! I’m too ticklish!” Dandy cried as he laughed and giggled.
He couldn’t get away from his companion, and Pebble was very persistent. Pebble stopped licking Dandy’s petals, but still caught the scent of the nectar on his friend’s skin. He moved a bit downward, and started licking and nipping at his belly. Dandy let out a squeal, as Pebble had found his worst spot.
“No, Pebble!” Dandy cried through his cackles. “Not there!”
He was often a little embarrassed by the extra chub on his belly. He knew it wasn’t a bad thing, but he might have a habit to steal treats when Sprout and Cosmo spend a day baking. No one made fun of him for it, in fact, they were rather supportive, like he was of Astro’s extra arms.
Besides, like Astro told him once, having more tummy just means there’s more space to tickle.
Pebble let out another huff, licking and nibbling at the flower’s belly. Dandy had already been tickled a while before Pebble got to his tickle spot, so Dandy finally waved the white flag.
“Pebble, stop!” He cried out through his laughter and squeals. “I-it’s too much!”
Pebble then stopped licking, and got off his friend. Dandy sat up, taking a few breaths. He felt a little better, and Pebble climbed into his lap. Dandy smiled softly, and pet the rock on the head.
“Now, what did you do that for, buddy?” He chuckled softly, no heat in his voice. Pebble let out a little bark and a whine.
“I was a little too harsh with my friends?” Dandy’s smile faded. Pebble let out another bark.
“I guess they can explain it better than you can, buddy. But I’m not sure how to find them from here.” Dandy sighed. Pebble was silent, but had an idea. He got off the flower’s lap, and wanted him to follow.
Dandy was a little confused, but he trusted his pet. He followed Pebble to wherever he was leading. After a few minutes, they arrived at a pond. Dandy stared at the water, even more puzzled.
“Pebble, why lead me here-“
He was cut off, as Pebble rushed into and knocked Dandy into the clear blue water. Dandy let out a shriek, and splashed into the cool water, washing off any nectar that was left from those flowers.
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When he got back up for air, he wasn’t in the pond anymore, or even the field he was in. Now, he was in a dry, rocky environment, with nothing but sand and cliffs as far as the eye could see. And the water he was in was now a large bucket, big enough to fit him.
“Hello? Pebble?” He called out, in hopes his rocky companion wasn’t far. But not a bark nor a whimper could be heard.
Another voice could be heard, though.
“Dandy? You’re here already?”
The flower turned, and he was met with his friend, Shelly. His eyes widened a little.
“Shelly?” He tried to get out of the bucket, but it tipped over, and the water spilled everywhere and he fell out. Shelly gasped, and helped Dandy up. There might have been a few fossils in that bucket, but her friend was more important right now.
“Dandy! Are you alright?” She grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around him. Dandy nodded.
“Yeah, I am…” The flower muttered, sitting on a nearby rock stool. “I-I don’t know what happened! I was playing with Pebble, and he led me to a pond and pushed me in! And then I ended up here!”
“Well, Pebble wanted us to talk, so he sent you here.” Shelly explained calmly. Dandy tilted his head.
“Wait, how could you know that?” Dandy asked. Shelly smirked.
“I have my ways.” She grabbed a pair of gloves and put them on. They seemed to have some sort of texture on the palms that Dandy couldn’t make out. “Now Dandy, I need you to come over here for a moment, and lay down.”
Dandy was confused, but he was always willing to help. In front of Shelly was what looked like a table chiseled out of a large rock. He put his hand on it, and it felt a lot softer, like a firm mattress. Maybe Shelly thought of that so it wouldn’t hurt his back? Well, it worked out. He got onto the rock table, and laid down. Shelly put a pillow behind his head to support it.
“You really are an interesting specimen, Dandy.” The fossil stated. “Almost as fascinating as the creatures of the Cambrian period.”
“Wait… what?” Dandy was confused, both by her words, and her dinosaur terms.
“I just want to know a bit more about you, Dandy. And like my fossils, the only way to find out more is to study you a little. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
“You do realize I’m not a fossil, right?” Dandy was even more puzzled. Shelly laughed.
“Of course you’re not. But I figured it would be more fun to study you like one.” She tightened her gloves.
Dandy realized what the texture on the gloves was, now that he got a closer look. It was a soft, makeup brush-like material. Dandy knew where this was going…
“Now, this might tickle, so try and hold still.” Shelly smirked, and started gently kneading at Dandy’s sides with her gloved hands.
Dandy couldn’t hold back, as he was still a little ticklish from when Pebble licked and nibbled him. He burst into giggles and laughter, unable to hold still. Shelly was an archeologist, so she often worked with precision and delicacy. She certainly tickled like it, too.
“Shelly! Shelly, I’ve been tickled plenty!” Dandy begged as he chortled. Shelly let out a chuckle as she kept kneading.
“You don’t know the half of it, Dandy.” The ammonite hummed. “You better get ready to laugh. You’re in for a long time of tickles and giggles, that’s for sure.”
Dandy wasn’t exactly complaining as he giggled. A long while with his friends, all while laughing from tickles and fun? That sounded wonderful, and like a ride he was willing to take.
“Don’t just mistake this for fun, you silly flower.” Shelly practically read his thoughts. “I am doing this for a reason, like how the tyrannosaurus needs to hunt for a reason. To survive.”
Dandy let out a couple of snorts as he laughed. That was a little odd. Besides the dinosaur fact, that almost didn’t sound like something Shelly would say. It sounded like someone else… He must be imagining things.
Shelly then moved spots, aiming for under his arms. Dandy yelped, and tried to clamp them shut in order to protect them, but it just trapped Shelly’s gloved fingers there.
“Dandy, you got my hands stuck!” Shelly playfully whined. “Lift them a little, so I can pull them out!”
“Well, stop moving your fingers! It tickles!” Dandy cried through his giggles and laughs.
“I can’t! You gotta let them go yourself in order for them to stop moving!” The ammonite playfully shot back.
Dandy couldn’t lift his arms up, even if he tried. And he did try, he tried several times. But each time, it just gave more room for Shelly’s fingers to wiggle, which made him clamp them back down.
“If my arms are always stuck here, how am I ever going to get to your tummy?” Shelly complained playfully. Dandy flinched.
“No, Shelly! Not there, please!” Dandy pleaded. But he obviously didn’t mean it. The fossil smirked.
“Oh, c’mon. You and I both know you love tickles there. And I wanna see if that sap from those flowers affected you.” Dandy opened one eye to look at her.
“W-what? How did you know about that?” Dandy asked through his laughing.
“You’ll get it later.” Shelly chuckled. “Are you gonna let me go or not?”
Dandy didn’t need to let go. Shelly slipped her fingers loose from his hold, and slowly trailed them down to his vulnerable, soft belly. She prodded there with multiple pokes and pinches, making Dandy shriek with laughter.
“Not there! Shelly!” The fossil let out a soft laugh as Dandy cackled.
“Yes there, Dandy!” She shot back in a playful tone. “I got your tickle spot! I got you, Dandy! Gitchy, gitchy, goo!~”
Dandy kept squealing with laughter. Though Shelly was a Toon that wasn’t too popular, she was a good friend. But he never knew how well she could tickle. Where did she get those abilities from?
“Shelly, stop!” Dandy finally caved. “Please, I can’t breathe!”
Shelly withdrew her fingers, and removed the gloves from her hands.
“You’re a very interesting species, Dandicus. Like the sauropods of the Jurassic period.” She got Dandy a bottle of water, and he accepted it.
“Are you alright? I didn’t go too far, did I?” Shelly asked. Dandy nodded.
“Yeah, I’m okay. You didn’t go too far, I promise.” Dandy sat up and gulped down the water in the bottle, leaving only a quarter left. The tickling, as well as the heat, drained him of energy.
“Well, I’m glad you’re alright.” Shelly was silent for a moment, then piped up again. “I wanted to ask… why do you feel the need to brag every time you win a game?”
Dandy’s smile faded slightly, and he sighed.
“I… I was only trying to joke around.” He admitted. “I’m the face of the company, I’m supposed to be silly and confident.”
“We don’t think it’s very funny.” Shelly told him. “You might think it’s a joke. But we don’t. In fact, it’s a little… hurtful.”
Dandy’s smile faded completely. So it was true, he really was hurting his friends. Even if it wasn’t intentional, it still harmed them.
“I… I’m sorry.” He told Shelly. “How can I change it for you, though?”
“I can’t tell you that… but I know who can.” Shelly smiled. “Come with me.”
She led the flower off the table, and to her archeologist bag.
“Shelly? What are you doing?” Dandy asked. He got reminded about what Pebble did.
“Could you find something in there, Dandy?” The fossil asked. “It’s at the very bottom. You’ll know when you see it.”
The rainbow flower was hesitant, but he dug through Shelly’s bag in search of whatever she wanted. Her bag was way deeper than he remembered. He kept digging, and he saw a weird light at the bottom. One he couldn’t help but follow.
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When he reached the light, his head popped out in what looked like a kitchen in the , and the bag he was digging through changed into a bag of flour. Now he was covered in flour, and he let out a little sneeze. He didn’t get it. Why was he ending up in strange places like this?
“Oh, Dandy! I wasn’t expecting you now, I thought I had more time to prepare!” A familiar voice piped up. Dandy recognized it as Sprout.
“Sprout? I… I’m so confused.” Dandy held his forehead, and Sprout helped him out of the bag of flour.
“You’re a mess.” The berry muttered. “Don’t worry about it, buddy. You’ll figure it out eventually.” He gave the flower a wet towel to clean himself off.
Once Dandy rubbed all the flour off his body, Sprout smiled a little. “Glad you could make it, Dandy. I wanted to get your opinion on something.”
“What is it?” Dandy asked, as Sprout smirked.
“I wanted your opinion on a cookie recipe that Cosmo came up with. I think they’re delicious, but Cosmo said I always say that about his baking, so he wanted me to get someone else to try them. Someone who has a… tendency to steal our treats.” Sprout playfully remarked, poking Dandy’s stomach.
Dandy let out a little yelp. “I’m not the only one, y’know!”
“Maybe not, but you’re one of our biggest offenders. Besides Goob and Toodles.” Sprout chuckled. He grabbed a cookie from a pan sitting nearby. “Be careful, they’re still a bit warm. Came out of the oven a little while ago.”
Dandy gladly took it. If it was anything Cosmo and Sprout made, it was going to be delicious. He bit into it, and his eyes lit up. It was amazing! How could Cosmo be insecure about it when he’s a great baker like his friend?
“Sprout, these are really good! Tell Cosmo he should he more confident in his baking, he always does amazing!” Dandy exclaimed as he finished the cookie. Sprout chuckled.
“I could demonstrate the recipe for you if you’d like.” Sprout offered. Dandy nodded.
“Oh, yes! I’d love to see it, you and Cosmo are so good in the kitchen!”
“Well, come over here and pay attention.”
Dandy quickly followed Sprout over to the counter so he could watch. At first the flower stood off to the side, but Sprout had other plans.
“Dandy, how about you sit up on the counter? You’ll see better.” Dandy was surprised at Sprout’s comment.
“Really? But you don’t like it when I’m up on the counter. Or when anyone’s up there.” Dandy stated. Sprout chuckled.
“Well, let’s just say this is a special occasion.”
Dandy didn’t need to be asked twice. He pulled himself onto the counter, and sat on the edge to watch. Sprout would never let anyone up on the counter…
But Sprout had a bit of fun planned.
The berry Toon gathered all the ingredients necessary to follow Cosmo’s recipe. It was a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe, but sometimes simple was the best way to go. That’s how Sprout saw it, anyway.
“For baking, we mix the dry and wet ingredients separately before mixing them together.” Sprout explained. “And you mix them just a bit at a time.”
Sprout pulled a stand mixer from the cabinet, and put some butter and sugar in it. He put the dry ingredients into a separate bowl. He turned on the stand mixer, letting the sugar and butter mix.
“You let those cream together for about… three minutes worth of side tickles.” Sprout said before looking back at Dandy.
“W-wait, what?” Dandy didn’t have time to process as Sprout’s hand went right for his sides, spidering up and down them.
“No, Sprout!” Dandy cried through his giggles. “I’ve been tickled a lot already!”
“I figured. You were covered in sap from those rainbow flowers, right?” Sprout asked. Dandy was surprised that Sprout knew.
“H-how do you know?” Dandy giggled out. Sprout stopped for a moment to explain, and to turn the mixer off.
“It’s easy to tell.” Sprout assured. “Your skin is extra soft and ticklish. That’s what happens when those kinds of flowers get their sap on you. It’s more fun for us, though.”
Dandy took a deep breath, smiling a little. “I guess it would be. You guys sure like tickling me.”
“And we know you do, too.” Sprout said kindly. “Now, the next step… Add in a third of the dry ingredient mixture, and mix it in for… two minutes worth of petal tickles. And repeat that three times.”
Dandy didn’t even have a chance to protest as he felt Sprout’s hands on his ticklish petals. One hand clung to a petal and rubbed it, while the other drew idle shapes on the colorful appendage. The squeal that left Dandy’s small frame was delightful.
“You’re not even trying to get away, Dandy. You’re such a glutton~” Sprout chuckled. “Not just for my pastries, but for my tickles~” The baker teased.
“D-don’t say that!” The flower whined. His cheeks turned a shade of red and he covered his face with his hands. Sprout smirked, and moved his hands down to his friend’s belly for a moment.
“Cover your face, and I’ll make you squeal so much that Finn’s glass would crack.” Sprout playfully threatened.
That convinced Dandy to lower his hands from his face. That devious baker always made good on his threats, so he knew not to mess with him.
Sprout was satisfied, and released the flower temporarily to finish mixing in the rest of the dry ingredients. He took the bowl off the stand mixture, used a spatula to mix the rest. He added in some chocolate chips, and mixed them in.
“Now we let it sit in the fridge for a while before baking them. It’s a crucial step, otherwise they won’t bake as well.” Sprout poked Dandy’s tummy to emphasize that to him.
Dandy let out a little snort. “O-okay, I get it!”
“I’ll be sending you on your way while they bake. But before I do, I want to ask you one thing.”
Dandy leaned closer to listen.
“There is one thing missing from the fridge, and I was hoping you knew what it was.”
The rainbow flower didn’t know what Sprout meant, and he tilted his head.
“It was Flutter’s favorite fruit. But I ran out this morning, since Cosmo and I baked muffins with them.”
Dandy knew Flutter’s favorite fruit by heart. He nodded.
“You guys must’ve run out of raspberries, then.” Dandy didn’t even realize what he said…
Or that he was walking right into a trap.
“Oh, right…” Sprout smirked and glanced to his friend. “Care to help me restock, then?”
Dandy didn’t even have any time to react, as the strawberry toon pulled him off the counter. He was strong enough to lift the flower up with very little effort. That, or Dandy was incredibly light, or there were other forces at play.
Poor Dandy knew exactly where Sprout was going. If he knew what happened with Pebble and Shelly, and while Sprout was teaching him baking… he was going to be shrieking with laughter in no time.
“S-Sprout, can’t we talk about this?” Dandy babbled nervously, already giggly.
“I’m afraid not, buddy.” Sprout chuckled softly. Without any chance to give Dandy time to prepare, Sprout blew a big raspberry on his friend’s defenseless tummy.
The squeal of delight that left Dandy was sweeter than any of Sprout’s pastries.
Dandy couldn’t beg for mercy, call his friend’s name, or anything. All that the flower could do was let out a bubbling stream of laughing and squealing.
Sprout just kept blowing raspberry after raspberry on the flower’s soft belly, smirking as he did so. The strawberry toon’s heart felt warm when he heard his friend laughing in such a carefree way. It almost made him forget why he was doing this.
Almost.
Sprout managed to sense when his friend had enough, and released him, leaving Dandy a giggly mess on the floor. Sprout chuckled, helping his friend back up. He even gave him some water and another cookie to help him recover.
“Are you alright? I didn’t push you too much?”
“Of course not.” Dandy assured him. “You know I can take a lot.”
Sprout laughed slightly. “Yeah, I know. But you’d better recover quickly. You know Vee, she really knows how to make you cackle.” He teased.
“Vee?” Dandy muttered. “Wait, I’m gonna see her?”
“Of course. We all agreed to this. Just go through the pantry and she’ll be waiting.”
Dandy paused, and his mind wandered for a moment.
“Wait a minute… I started in a field with Pebble, then at Shelly’s excavation site… then I ended up here in your bakery…” It finally clicked for him.
“I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”
Sprout chuckled. It took way longer for Dandy to figure that out than he thought it would.
“Dandy, buddy, of course you’re dreaming. You leapt through a few parts of the dream before it hit you.”
“But… why?” Dandy asked softly. “Why would I be dreaming this?”
“Astro did this. He wanted to help. The game night we had… it really upset us. With you being a sore winner and stuff.”
Dandy’s smile faded. So it was hurting them. He didn’t mean it… but he hurt his friends anyway.
“How can I avoid hurting you next time?” Dandy asked. Sprout put a gentle hand on the flower’s shoulder.
“Well… cheering for the other players is a good way to start. And telling them they did good instead of gloating.”
Dandy slowly nodded at Sprout’s suggestions.
“But if this is a dream… Won’t I forget about those ideas?”
“Astro will make sure you won’t. He has a lot of powerful magic, after all.”
Dandy took a deep breath. “I guess I should see Vee then, huh?” He knew she would be a lot, but she wouldn’t push him too far. She never did.
Sprout nodded. “Go to the pantry. She’s waiting. Oh, and good luck… you know how she is when she gets you~” Sprout teased, making Dandy want to hide his face in his petals.
“Y-yeah… I know.” The flower said bashfully, and walked through the pantry doors.
————————————————————————————————————————————
On the other end of the pantry, Dandy walked through a door with green light outside of it. When he entered, he recognized it as Vee’s backstage area. She spent a little time there before going out and doing her game show.
“There you are, right on schedule.”
A familiar robotic voice piped up. It was none other than the computer host herself. Dandy smiled a bit.
“Nice to see you, Vee.” He might have a rivalry with her, but he wasn’t unhappy to see her.
“I trust the others had their fun already?” Vee stated with a smirk. Dandy’s cheeks turned a bit red.
“Yeah, I guess you can say they have.” He chuckled nervously. Vee nodded.
“Well, you’re in my world now, Dandy. And in my world, you had better be ready for a ride. A fairly ticklish one.”
How could a voice that empty and robotic be so teasy?
“Well, the game’s about to start.” Vee straightened out her bowtie, and prepped her mic tail.
“Ready?”
Dandy paused. He knew how merciless Vee could be. But at the same time, it was exciting. Incredibly exciting.
“Well…” The flower hesitated before nodding. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Vee drew the curtains back. The spotlight came down to her, and she held her mic up to her head.
“Good evening, folks! We’ve got a very special show lined up, so let’s not waste any time!”
Dandy stepped out from backstage, a little nervous. It wasn’t stage fright, far from it. He just knew what he was up against. He looked out into the audience, and he noticed none of the real Toons were there. In their places were plushie versions of them. Though this was a dream, he was relieved only Vee would be there to view his performance. However, Vee spoke as if a real audience were there.
“Our show starts the same as it usually does! Our special guest, Dandy, answers a few questions for us. If he gets them right, he gets a little reward! If he gets them wrong, the only noise he’ll make for a while will be snorts and cackles!”
Dandy gulped. He didn’t have stage fright, but he knew what Vee would do.
“So, Dandy. Let’s start without first question, shall we?”
The flower nodded slowly, as Vee held up a card with the first question.
“For your question Dandy, what year did the episode ‘Day Out’ starring Pebble air?”
Dandy knew this… His beloved pet’s episode was one he had to remember. He took a deep breath, and pressed the buzzer.
“It was… 2001.” Dandy hesitantly answered.
A green question mark flashed on Vee’s screen.
“Your knowledge has expanded, Dandy! You’re correct!”
Dandy let out a sigh of relief. He was worried he’d mess it up and get a punishment right off the bat.
“Since you got it right, I’ll go easy on you this time. I think a minute of side squeezes will keep you motivated.”
Dandy had no time to react as Vee squeezed up and down his sides. Dandy squealed, but couldn’t fall to his knees, as Vee’s mic tail held him up.
“But I got it right!” Dandy cried as he giggled. The mic was held up to his face, making his reactions much louder.
“That’s true, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t tickle you if you did get it right.” Vee said nonchalantly. “Besides, you’re having fun. It’s obvious.”
Dandy squealed again, especially at Vee’s tone.
Vee then stopped, smirking. Though no one was there, it felt like Dandy had hundreds of eyes on him. But he only had one, Astro’s. He made this place, and the Vee tickling him wasn’t even real. But did the other main characters know about… how he acted when he was tickled? Or was Astro just making it up to tease him?
He really couldn’t tell.
“Alright, next question. We can’t end after just one.” Vee announced.
“What is your favorite nickname that Astro gives you?”
Dandy’s eyes widened. He didn’t think that would be a question that Astro was bold enough to make! Now Dandy was absolutely sure Astro was messing with him. Astro had only two nicknames for him, and he knew the one he preferred.
“I-I don’t have a favorite.” He stuttered out, shy about Astro’s nicknames.
The red X on Vee’s face proved he wasn’t a good liar, especially when dreaming.
“I’m afraid that’s not the right answer, Dandy!” Vee smirked. “You know what that means~”
“I know, I know.” Dandy rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. He knew what was coming up.
Vee held up a die in one hand, and her mic tail in the other. She stared at Dandy like a mischievous cat, and took calculated steps around his table.
“How we decide your punishment is simple. All I do is roll for it. Whatever number it lands on… determines what you’ll be tickled with.”
Dandy gulped, understanding. Vee then rolled the die on his table, and it landed on a three.
“Let’s see…” Vee pulled out a note card. “Number three, that’s the one for paintbrushes! And I already know where they’ll head!~”
Dandy yelped when Vee picked up two paintbrushes, and held Dandy up with her tail again.
“These petals look like a good spot to start.” Vee commented, and she whisked the brushes all over the flower, making him squeal with laughter.
“Vee, this isn’t fair!” Dandy cried through his laughter. Vee just shrugged.
“You’re the one who got the question wrong, Dandy. We can move onto the next question once you tell me the favorite nickname Astro gives you.”
Dandy was embarrassed by the fact that he loved the nickname, so it was hard to say out loud.
“I can’t!” Dandy snorted when he felt both paintbrushes on his highest petal.
“Then I suppose you’re stuck like this.” Vee said nonchalantly, yet it still had a teasing edge.
After a few minutes of laughter and snorts, Dandy caved to just get his frenemy to let him go.
“Okay! I do have a favorite nickname from him!” Dandy admitted through his laughing.
“And what nickname would that be?” The television smirked, slowing down, but not quite stopping, allowing for Dandy to speak with only giggles occasionally blocking his speech.
“I-I like when he calls me Sunflower!” Dandy giggled out. “It matches with how he is, and it’s cute!”
Vee stopped, stifling a laugh. She set him down, and put the paintbrushes aside.
“See? Astro’s gonna love that. And since you’re just dreaming, the real Vee won’t hold that over your head.” Vee chuckled.
Dandy let out a playful growl. He knew the real Vee would absolutely tease him for that. But Astro made this Vee… It was easy to tell.
“Alright, one more question, Dandy.” Vee smirked. “If you get this wrong, that stomach of yours is as good as toast.”
Dandy gulped.
“And the question is… Do you like when we tickle you?”
The poor flower went just about as red as Brightney’s lampshade. He knew the answer to that, and it was near impossible to admit. This even seemed like a question Vee would ask if she knew. But she didn’t… right?
But Dandy knew that if he didn’t tell the truth, his tummy would be at the mercy of that cursed computer. So he had to either risk that, or just admit how much of a tickle bug he was.
But he ended up choosing a third option. Remaining silent.
“Well?” Vee stood closer to him. “A brave decision, Dandicus. But not exactly a wise one.”
She rolled that die once again to see what she could tickle him with. She read off a card, smirking.
“How lucky of you, Dandy. Rolling a five means getting feather tickles. Hope your stomach can handle that.” She held a feather between her fingers, and waved it teasingly.
“W-wait, Vee!” Dandy tried to back up a bit, but her mic tail held him tightly once more.
“Anything to say, Dandy?” Vee teased, hovering the feather just above his tummy.
Dandy knew Vee was being a jerk, even if he was dreaming. He had a shot to admit the truth, but instead, he kept his mouth shut.
“Fine, have it your way.” Vee shrugged before brushing the feather across the flower’s belly.
Dandy practically shrieked, shifting in the mic’s cord. But the mic was held close to his face, so his laughter was amplified through the speakers.
“How cute. You think you can get away from me now?” Vee chuckled. “Just admit what we already know. You’re a total glutton when it comes to tickles.”
Dandy didn’t want to admit that, even if his life depended on it. But Vee was right. He genuinely loved to be tickled, and it was clear as day. He barely struggled. He squirmed, but he wasn’t actively trying to escape, and all his pleas were half hearted at best.
“Vee, please!” Dandy cried as he squealed with laughter. “It’s too much!” Vee smirked.
“Admit you love getting tickles and I’ll give you a breather. Astro’s been excited for you to get to him, y’know.” Vee taunted as she added a hand of wiggling fingers to the flower’s poor tummy.
Right, Dandy almost forgot about Astro. Turns out he was gonna encounter him next. He knew his best friend would be more gentle with him, but he was still nervous. Astro made him all of this… And he knew exactly how ticklish he was.
And he knew the only way to get Vee to stop was to admit how much fun he was having, which was incredibly difficult. As difficult as it was, he knew the reason Vee asked. Astro had been viewing his dreams for years. Astro knew the flower loved being tickled, and knew his dreams occasionally had that element.
Getting Dandy to admit that he was having fun was just another way to tease his best friend.
Through his cackles and squeals, Dandy finally gave up.
“Okay, okay! I like it!” He cried as he snorted.
“What was that, Dandy?” Vee said in a teasing tone. “I didn’t quite understand that.”
Of course Vee was mean, even when he was dreaming.
“I-I like being tickled! Especially by my friends!” He admitted through his cackles, hoping Vee would accept it, otherwise he’d lose whatever sanity he had left.
“That’s much better.” Vee chuckled.”
She pulled the feather and her hand away, setting Dandy down on the floor. She pet his head.
“Are you okay?” She asked briefly.
Dandy sleepily nodded. “Yeah, I am…” He giggled a bit as the phantom tickles went away.
“Don’t get too exhausted yet. Astro’s still waiting for you.” Vee helped him up.
Dandy gulped. Astro was his best friend, who knew what just him would have in store.
“But before you go, I want to tell you one thing. Some advice for… how to be better with game night.” Vee mentioned. Dandy’s petals perked.
“I’m listening.” The flower muttered.
“If someone does end up winning the game, don’t get pouty or anything. Be happy for their win instead of making them feel bad. You do that a lot.” Vee explained.
Dandy nodded. She wasn’t wrong, he did make that mistake quite often. If being happy for his friend’s victories helped, he’d do so without question.
“I can do that.” Dandy said softly. “What else?”
“If you win, rubbing it in makes us feel bad.” Vee answered. “You can still be happy with your victory, but rubbing it in and gloating doesn’t help. Instead, be excited, but don’t push it. Got it?”
Dandy was silent, but nodded.
“Good.” Vee pet his head. “Come on, Astro’s waiting for you.”
Vee led Dandy to a door with a crescent moon, similar to that of Astro’s face. He gulped. He wasn’t afraid of Astro, far from it. But he was the one making the dream, meaning he really knew how to get him squealing.
He nodded, and went through the door. The flower heard a soft chuckle as he entered.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Upon entering, the flower was hit with a wave of calming feelings. He recognized the room, it was Astro’s. There was a lavender scent, the lights were a shade of blue, there were pillows and blankets scattered everywhere, and he heard a music box’s melody in the background. And in the middle of it all…
Was his best friend.
“Astro…” Dandy walked closer to the moon, who had a gentle smile on his face.
“Welcome, Dandy. I trust you had quite a bit of fun tonight.” Astro chuckled.
Dandy sat down in front of Astro, nodding slightly.
“No one else knows about…” He trailed off, while Astro nodded.
“Of course not, Dandy. I promised to make sure your ticklish secret stayed that way. I don’t break promises.”
Dandy knew first hand the truth behind that.
“Right…” Dandy felt Astro’s hand on his shoulder. Astro ditched his blanket, staring at the flower with a serious expression.
“I hope you learned something tonight… Setting you up to get tickled was the fun part, but remember what they said to you.” Astro reminded Dandy.
“Yeah, I did.” Dandy assured Astro. “I won’t gloat when I win games anymore, and I’ll be happy for my friends if I win. I didn’t mean to make you guys feel bad…” Dandy frowned.
“I know, Dandy.” Astro sighed. “I figured this would be a good way to help. Who better to tell you than all your friends? Besides, them tickling you was a fun idea. And it would help get the point across.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Dandy’s face turned a bit red. “I’ll be better with game night, I promise.”
“Good.” Astro smirked. “Or else I might convince the others to tickle you for real. Then again, you’d thrive on that, wouldn’t you?” Astro teased, repeatedly poking Dandy’s tummy.
“Hey! Astro!” Dandy squeaked, laughter spilling from him. “Haven’t I laughed enough?”
“You had so much fun with the other Toons, Dandy. I want to have a turn first.” Astro chuckled, continuing to poke his best friend.
Dandy wasn’t too surprised. His dream had been leading to this point, and he finally had his best friend with him. Astro acted so sleepy and quiet when he was awake, but he was always there for his friends. But when he was in a dream? He acted the opposite way. He was confident, clever, and always knew what to say. Especially in this case.
With all four arms at his disposal, Astro grabbed Dandy with his upper set, making sure he couldn’t escape.
“You’re not escaping me, Dandy. I just want a turn before I let you rest for the night.” Astro chuckled.
The moon held his best friend in a gentle hug with his upper set of arms, holding him against his chest. With his lower set of arms, he gently poked and rubbed Dandy’s defenseless belly, making him laugh more.
“There we go, Dandy. Much better.” Astro smirked. “Just relax and laugh for me.”
Dandy complied, laughing and squeaking. He was so ticklish that even belly rubs got him laughing, but Astro’s gentle touch got him to melt while his chortles fell from him.
“Astro, it tickles!” Dandy whined through his giggles. “You’re so mean!”
Astro paused when he heard Dandy say that. The flower gulped. He knew he was in trouble now…
“You think I’m mean, Dandy? Believe me, this is far from mean. But if you want mean…”
The moon nuzzled Dandy’s colorful petals, all while tickling all over his tummy and sides.
“This is mean.” Astro teased. “You forget I’m the one who made this place. And made the others tickle you. So of course I know what gets to you, like this adorable tummy.”
Dandy whined again through his chortles. Astro was right, as his reactions spoke volumes. Astro knew him so well, and that included what got him giggling. His tummy was definitely at the top of the list.
“So cute.” Astro teased gently. “I’m sure you had fun tonight, Sunflower~” Astro said Dandy’s favorite nickname. “I’ll stop if you admit how much fun you had.”
Dandy felt too embarrassed to do so, even if Astro knew all about how much fun he had. This was meant to hammer the point of ‘not bragging and ruining game night’ but that didn’t change the fact that he enjoyed himself throughout.
“I can’t!” Dandy squeaked out, which made Astro chuckle.
“You can’t, or you won’t?” The moon asked gently as he traced patterns all over Dandy’s poor tummy.
Dandy couldn’t even respond for several minutes, as Astro’s gentle teasing, his soft tickling, and the general atmosphere made him melt faster ice cubes in the desert. Dandy was nothing but a giggly mess for a while.
“I-I did have fun!” Dandy finally admitted. “Please Astro, stop!” The flower waved the white flag one last time, and Astro pulled away.
Astro nodded, and stopped. “I do hope you learned your lesson, Dandicus.” Astro teased, petting his friend’s head.
Dandy nodded. “I did…” The poor flower felt so exhausted. He had been tickled by all his friends, and dog, so he was worn out.
“I’ll let you rest for now, Dandy.” Astro smirked. “But I warn you. Be a good sport with game night, or I’ll give you an even more ticklish dream than what I made now. It’ll be so much for you, you’ll be dizzy all of the next day.” He playfully cautioned.
Dandy gulped. He had a high tolerance, but not that high.
“Understood.”
Astro nodded. “Of course.” Astro then walked to the corner of the room.
“Rest well, Dandy. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Astro vanished, leaving Dandy in the calm room. Dandy rested in the pillow nest, recuperating from the night he had. He definitely wouldn’t gloat anymore, despite having so much fun…
————————————————————————————————————————————
It was late morning in the Gardenview museum. The mains were at their breakfast table, minus Sprout, who was making pancakes. Shelly, Vee, Pebble, and Sprout were all wide awake, but Astro and Dandy were missing.
“Where is Dandy? I know Astro sleeps in late, but Dandy? He’s usually up first!” Sprout exclaimed. Shelly shrugged.
“I guess last night was tough on Dandy. You think Astro made nightmares for him this time?” Vee shook her head.
“Astro wouldn’t do that.” The television assured Shelly. “Especially not to his best friend.”
Just as they were talking, Astro walked into the kitchen. He yawned, a soft smile on his face.
“Astro!” Sprout was surprised to see him awake before Dandy. “You’re up early! Where’s Dandy?” Sprout gave Astro a plate of pancakes, and Astro took them with his magic.
“He’s still in bed. My work made him need more sleep, so I’m not going to disturb him.” Astro smirked, joining Shelly and Vee at the table, while Pebble barked at him from the floor.
“Don’t worry, Pebble. Dandy’s alright.” Astro assured the pet rock.
“You even made Dandy get more sleep than you, Astro? What in the world did you make him dream about?” Shelly asked, a little worried.
“It wouldn’t be right of me to tell you.” Astro told Shelly. “He’s my best friend. Best friends don’t tell each other’s secrets.”
Shelly nodded. She wouldn’t give out Tisha’s secrets, either. She wouldn’t do that to her best friend.
After a little longer, Dandy finally entered the room.
“There he is!” Sprout laughed a bit. He was just shocked Dandy took so long to get out of bed.
“Nice to see you, sleepyhead.” Vee joked, as Sprout gave Dandy his pancakes.
“Did you rest well, buddy?” Sprout asked as Dandy sat down. Dandy’s cheeks turned a bit red.
“Y-yeah, I did.” He admitted shyly. Shelly smiled at him.
“Did you have fun? Dream about dinosaur fossils?” The ammonite asked.
Dandy’s cheeks flared up more. Vee chuckled at Shelly’s question.
“I think that only happens to you.” The television joked, but Dandy shook his head.
“You could say that, Shelly.” Dandy’s petals folded in slightly.
All the main Toons were a little confused, and glanced to Astro, who just smiled.
“Look…” The flower piped up. “I’m sorry about gloating last night. I was being a real jerk to you guys.” He hugged himself. “I’m hoping you guys can forgive me. And that we can play again tonight. It’s Astro’s turn.”
The others were surprised, except for Astro. They all agreed to play. After breakfast, Dandy was still exhausted, and went to the couch to lay down.
“You really whipped him into shape, Astro.” Sprout said to the moon after he finished with the dishes. “He’s a little… giggly, though. What did you do?”
“I can’t tell you, Sprout.” Astro had a gentle smile on his face.
“But it was fun to help him.”
