You're Sprout!

Sprout skidded to a halt, his usual carefree energy vanishing in an instant. His heart pounded in his chest as he took in the sight before him - Astro, crumpled on the cold ground, his body barely moving. Faint traces of light flickered around him, a sign that his health had already been drained to nothing. The aftermath of Twisted Pebble’s attack was clear, but what made Sprout’s stomach twist was the silence.

Nobody had noticed.

"Guys-!" Sprout's voice cracked as he turned toward the others (Vee, Shelly, Tisha, Flutter, Scraps), but they were too caught up in the chaos, in the fight, in everything else. His ears rang as he realized no one was coming. No one had heard Astro’s cry for help.

But he had.

His hands trembled as he dropped to his knees beside Astro. "No, no, no- c’mon, you don’t get to do this, Astro!" His voice wavered, but his fingers moved fast. His satchel- he had something, anything- his usual stash of healing items, a medkit bandages (why did he even have those bro-)

"You're so lucky I'm always carrying extra junk," he muttered, forcing a shaky smile despite the tightness in his throat. He reached for the bandages first, hands moving on instinct, pressing down on the worst of the wounds.

Astro didn't respond. His body was limp, his face pale, and for once, his usual sharp presence was nowhere to be found.

Sprout swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper. "...You’re gonna be fine, okay?" His gloved hands clenched, determination burning behind his usually playful eyes. "I got you."

Even if nobody else had heard Astro’s cry for help…

Sprout did. And he wasn’t going to let him go.

(Floor 25 btw)