"Thanks again for letting me chill here."

"No problem man."

Astro and Micah sat next to one another on the couch, the two of them playing games at the Young Jojo's house. This wasn't exactly an unusual way for them to hang out, but given the circumstances Astro felt like he needed to thank him. He had needed to find a place to hide out to avoid being dragged along by Maria to Hody's party, and Micah had been his first and thankfully last choice.

He might have gone to Junji but… well, as much as he liked him, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep quiet about things. He definitely didn't trust Kandi. Girls always sided with each other on these sorts of things. And hiding out back home on mewni was just asking to get caught. Somebody somewhere would recognize him, and word would get back to her somehow. It always did.

So he decided to just ask Micah if he could hide out here until it was over. Micah had no reason to turn his friend away, and they'd decided to just stay in and play games for the rest of the night. "On your left," Micah said as his character moved and sniped the enemy player making his way towards Astro's.

"Thanks. I'm going to the point."

"Got you covered." He hung back as Astro went in to plant the bomb, keeping an eye out of the opposition. "So, you really must not have wanted to go to this thing huh? I mean it's not like you to duck out on Maria when she asks you for something."

Astro sighed. "Yeah, I know. But I just can't deal with Hody right now. There's like a million things I have to worry about and I don't need to spend a night indulging him being on the list," he said. "Bomb's planted."

"Sweet, let's get that payload moving," he said, moving his character to go down and join him. "Also, I get that. Guy seems like he can be… you know, a lot." Micah had only met Hody briefly, and the guy didn't seem like he was exactly trying to make friends. It made Astro's attitude when he arrived on Earth seem tame in comparison.

"He's an asshole. And ever since he's started hanging out with Topaz, Maria's been wanting to spend more time with him. And I'm glad she's getting along with her brother again, but he's still an asshole and I don't wanna be around him," Astro explained. He knew one day he was just going to have to learn to deal with Hody for her sake, but today wasn't that day.

The two slowly got the payload towards the end of the goal, when suddenly the doorbell rang. "Ah man… dad, can you get that? Payloads almost at the end," he called.

Boomer stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Oh, don't worry. I got it," he assured. He knew how troubling it was to have to break focus when you were mid game. He went to go get it, and the boys continued playing until they heard the door open. "Oh… uh, hey there Maria."

Both Micah and Astro's eyes went wide, and they looked towards one another. "Hello there Mr. Jojo. I was wondering if you had seen Astro around here." Shit! It really was her! What was she doing here? Astro dropped his controller, standing up and trying to find a place to hide. Micah quickly unplugged the second controller and began sweeping the extra snacks underneath the couch.

"Well, I'm not sure. But you can come in and ask Micah if he's seen him." Micah could hear a hint of nervousness in his dad's voice, but he made a mental note to thank him for managing to hold it together even that well. Boomer wasn't exactly the most… collected, when it came to high pressure situations.

"Thank you."

Astro scrambled into the kitchen, and just a moment later Maria made her way into the living room. Micah sat on the couch, looking casual as she entered. He turned and smiled towards her. "Oh, hey Maria. What's up?" he asked. He was remarkably calm given the sudden situation.

Maria looked at him skeptically, crossing her arms. "Hello Micah. I came by because I was wondering if you had seen Astro. He was supposed to be coming with me to a party my brother was throwing, but he cancelled at the last second. He said he had something to do," she said. "He didn't give me any details though. Which I found odd."

Ah, that was right. Astro said he wouldn't lie to her anymore, so he kept it as vague as possible. He guessed hanging out here was technically 'something'. So as long as he didn't tell her anything otherwise he was in the clear. He doubted Maria would see it that way though. "Well, I don't know where he is right now. But I'll let you know if I do."

Maria clicked her tongue. "Are you sure about that? Because him having something pop up suddenly isn't exactly surprising. But him not telling anyone else about it, and him not bringing Sear with him too. That's strange," she said. When she had seen Sear back at the base with Pepper, it sort of surprised her.

The dragon always went with his rider on missions. For as hard as he had fallen for Pepper, he still made sure to stay at his brother's side when he needed him. She supposed he could have gone to his father's, but why wouldn't he have just said that? Something felt off to her.

When she had asked Junji, he genuinely didn't seem to know. When she asked his sister and Amber, they had no clue either. When she asked Kandi… Well, the girl had suggested maybe something was up, and suggested she take a look at Micah's house since they hadn't seen any signs of the boy either.

Micah shrugged. "Not sure what to tell you Maria. I've just been sitting here playing games all night," he said. "But you know, if I see him again I'll-"

"Can I take a look around?" Maria asked. "I'm sorry if that seems sudden and rude, but I just know you're very close to him, so if he was hiding anywhere it'd be here. Not that I'm saying you're hiding him. He might have slipped on in without you even noticing."

Her tone made it very clear on how she really felt and what she was really saying, but Micah chose to keep playing it cool. "Well, I really don't think he's anywhere around here, but if you wanna take a look feel free," he said motioning around. He really hoped Astro found a good hiding spot.

Maria hummed, but then kept on watching Micah. She stared at him for a few moments, and he did his best to keep his expression neutral. Then she suddenly turned and headed towards the kitchen. "How the hell…?" Micah muttered. Was it just a guess, or did she actually manage to read him?

The princess walked into the kitchen, taking a look around closely. Micah walked in behind her. He couldn't exactly cover for Astro since he had no idea where he was either, so he just tried to keep acting casual. "So, why would you think Astro would be here anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, he's always tried to avoid going to my brother's parties. Honestly I did too before recently," she said, glancing around the kitchen. "But since he's really trying to change his way, I want to start supporting him. And I wish Astro would too."

Micah hummed and nodded his head. "Ah, okay. I get that I guess." She was trying to be supportive of her brother. After all the stuff he's heard about him, it wasn't surprising that now he was turning over a new leaf. She wanted to do her best to keep nudging him in the right direction. "So, is he cool towards monsters now?"

"He's doing his best. At least learning to act civil, which is better than before," Maria explained as she looked under the table.

"And Astro?"

Maria paused for a moment. "That's… still going to take some work. That also has a lot to do with him dating me however. I don't think anybody was ever going to meet his standards who wasn't a waterfolk. The fact that it was Astro just makes it worse."

Micah rubbed his chin. "Yeah, he really doesn't seem to like him. I almost get why Astro doesn't want to go. I mean, having to be around that guy has to be hard for him."

Maria turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She knew he had a point, but she also knew he wasn't exactly an unbiased opinion. And the fact that he was trying to soften the blow for him ditching was not lost on her either. "Yes, I imagine it is. But even still, if it was that hard for him I'd prefer he just tell me."

"So if he just told you about it, then you wouldn't have a problem with it?" he asked curiously. Micah noticed the cabinet above the fridge begin the creek open, and Astro poked his head out curiously. Had he seriously just had to tell her he didn't want to go?

Maria scoffed. "Oh no, we'd still have to hash it out. And I'd probably still make him go anyway. I'd just want him to tell me face to face it all," she said simply.

Astro slowly closed the cabinet door back…

Micah sighed. "That's a little harsh don't you think? I mean I get it. You wanna help your brother. But you know if he's the one throwing the party Astro can't make much of a scene, and Hody's gonna try to take advantage of it. You're asking him to be a verbal punching bag," he said.

Maria frowned. "It's not as if he doesn't also do some verbal jabbing himself. Neither one of those two acts mature around each other."

"So don't you think it's better to just let Astro bail so you don't have to deal with it?"

"They need to learn to deal with one another. I mean it's not as if they're going to have to stop interacting with each other anytime soon."

Micah held his hands up. "Hear me out. Why risk them blowing up at each other at big social parties when you can just try and get them to get along in a more regular social situation. Baby steps, you know? Then they can work their way up to bigger situations. You don't have to drag Astro there, and they don't have to see each other."

Maria thought for a moment, and then groaned. "Okay, maybe you're right! But I still want him to go!" she said annoyed. "If I have to suffer through it, then he should too! We're a couple! Couples suffer through things!

Astro opened the cabinet again, holding his arm out and giving Micah a look of disbelief. If she didn't like going either, why did it even come to this?! Why didn't they both just skip and be done with it?!

Micah shrugged back, and then looked back at Maria who was checking underneath the sink. "Okay… I guess I see your point. Couples are supposed to go through stuff together I guess. I mean, that stuff is kind of out of my expertise. But then why don't both of you just not go?"

"Because I still want to support Hody! Do you see my predicament?!" She sighed and leaned against the counter. "I get where Astro is coming from. I really do. Saying my brother is difficult is an understatement. But I just thought that for me… you know, he'd be willing to put up with it."

Micah winced, and he could see Astro running his hands through his hair in frustration. Why did she have to say that? He was feeling bad enough already, and this was just icing on the cake. Micah and Astro looked back and forth at one another, mouthing a silent conversation at one another.

Once they were finished, Astro silently climbed his way out of the cabinet, crawling across the ceiling and out of the kitchen. Micah walked over towards Maria, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, look. You know Astro would turn the whole city upside down for you. I'm sure if he heard you right now then-"

"I'm here!" Astro slid into the kitchen. He smoothed his hair back. "I uh… I am here. I am finished with that thing I was doing earlier, and now… I am here. And so are you. So now, if you still want, I can take you to that party."

That was about as vague as he could be without lying to her face. Maria looked skeptically. "Should I ask where you were? Or about the seemingly impeccable timing that you showed up at?" she asked.

Astro opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. He looked towards Micah, who just shrugged. "Right so the thing is… I was going to ditch the party because I hate your brother. I hate being around him, and I hate just having to look at his stupid face. If I could just… like, somehow make you not related, then I would- "

"Okay, I get the point you're trying to make Asterossa," she said sternly. "So you hid at Micah's did you?"

"I will neither confirm nor deny Micah's involvement in any of the events that took place tonight," he said. He figured he was screwed already, no need to sell out Micah.

Micah nodded in approval. "Upholding the bro-code. Honorable."

Maria pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay… I'm obviously upset with you for trying to ditch the party. I understand how you feel, but you should have told me. I do however appreciate that you at least told me the truth when you got caught."

"Technically I didn't get caught, I turned myself-"

She glared at him. "Are you serious right now?"

Astro held his hands up. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Maria shook her head. "Look, I know how hard it is for you two to be around each other. Particularly for you. But aren't I always beside you? Don't I always help you deal with it?" she asked.

He hung his head. "Yes, yes you do. Every step. Look, I really am sorry Maria. I should have just told you, monstered up, and dealt with it. I'll go with you to the party, and every other party. I promise."

Maria smiled at him. "Well, thank you. And rest assured I'm going to be making my brother pay for every little snide comment he shoots your way when it's all said and done. Anyway it's too late to go to this one. I don't feel like having to hear Hody complain about us showing up late."

"Huh… oh."

Micah looked at the two, and then motioned towards the living room. "So, do you guys wanna play videogames or…?"

"Not bad Maria. You're getting the hang of this pretty quick."

Maria smiled as she sat between Astro and Micah, who watched as she led her character across the battlefield. "I have to admit, this is much more fun than having to go to a party. I almost see why you wanted to ditch the party so badly," he said.

Astro chuckled. "Does that mean I'm off the hook?"

"Oh no. I'm still going to get back at you. In fact the only reason you weren't pinned to that wall was because I left my trident at home."

Astro winced, and Micah reached over and patted his shoulder. "Sorry dude. Can't win them all I guess," he said.

"Oh, you're not off the hook either. You helped him. So you're on the list too now."

Micah clicked his tongue. "Huh… right." He didn't really know how to feel about that. On one hand he didn't interact with Maria as much as Astro did, so he didn't think he needed to be that worried. On the other hand, he saw what she could do with a trident...

The three of them sat in silence for a few moments. "This is why Micah's the one getting the Ocean's Kiss in the will…" Astro muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Love you more than life itself."

A/N: Someone wanted some Astro and Micah content, someone else wanted some Astro and Maria content, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone lol. There's some more content for Astro/Micah bromance and Astro/Maria coming down the line. Hope you guys enjoyed!