Chapter Text
Red immediately tried to talk themself out of this, to do anything to get themself from having to confront this issue with purple. “hehah, ya see, with all these issues I’ve been so sleep deprived I’ve been bumping and scratching into things, that’s why I must’ve fainted! Thanks for the assist, purps, you’re a real life saver,” hopefully that did the trick.
Purple sighed and pinched the bridge of their nose. Shit. “Red, don’t lie to me. What is all of this?” They gesture at Red’s bandaged arms and legs, which Purple had bandaged themself.
“…it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Red tried to just leave it be, to not have to face this conversation. Fortunately or unfortunately for Red, Purple was not the type to give up so easily.
“No, no, it’s definitely something, Redsie, and you’re gonna tell me what it is,” they spat out. There was concern in their voice, Red could tell, but actually informing Purple of what was going on with them? That sounded like a nightmare.
“Just drop it, damn it!” Red sat up in bed, just now realizing they were in a cot in the med-bay. They could see all of the coffees Purple had gone through while waiting for them to regain consciousness.
Purple’s eyes widened. Red immediately regretted raising their voice towards Purple, but what could they do? They weren’t in a space to address their own deep rooted issues.
“…Is that really what you want? To just ignore it and continue on without ever discussing this extremely problematic habit you’ve seemed to take a liking to?” Purple snapped back. They seemed so exhausted and frustrated. Red could tell. They always could, after all. They weren’t inept.
“Look, it’s not any of your business anyways. Just let me deal with it on my own. Captains orders,” Red’s voice had become much more monotone and increasingly reserved.
“You’re not even a captain anymore! You’re just a moron with a hat who thinks that hurting themselves will solve any other problems! Newsflash, it won’t. So you’re gonna be mature and talk through it, or you’re gonna stop gripping about what I do or don’t do. Got that?” Purple went a short tirade. As soon as they were done speaking, they clasped their hands over their mouth.
Red would have gasped if they had the energy. They would’ve objected, fought back, done anything to prove purple wrong, but they just couldn’t muster up the strength to do anything more than grunt and turn to their side.
“Do what you want. Leave me alone,” Red spat out, bitterness tainting their tongue with the sting of regret.
Purple sighed and took that as their cue to leave, taking their current cup of coffee with them. Red sat there on their side. Trying to stifle the tears welling up in their eyes. Anything to stop Purple from coming back and making it worse.
They eventually garnered enough strength to stand up and walk to the other side of the med-bay, where the supply cabinet stood. Red dug around once more for another scalpel, only to notice that they had all been taken. Shit, did Purple babyproof the ship? That’s some next level paranoia right there.
Red sighed and walked to the door. They were adorned in a hospital gown, their proper pajamas set aside in a neatly folded pile. Upon placing a hand on top of it, Red noticed it was warm. Had Purple run their pajama’s through the wash? Upon further inspection, Red realized that Purple had even remembered the exact settings they washed their clothes with. That struck Red as both incredibly sweet, and slightly creepy.
Red slowly slipped into their pajamas, the bandages rubbing ever so slightly against the silk fabric. After they were fully dressed, Red began to navigate back to their room.
Thankfully, they did not run into Purple. They made it to their quarters and shut the door quietly. Red took a deep breath in and out, and scavenged around for the original scalpel they had taken.
Nowhere to be found. Shit. That means that Purple must’ve gone through their other stuff as well. Red started to internally panic. That means they may have found all of their drafted notes. Red observed the room frantically. The rope was gone too.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
They took a deep breath and decided that they couldn’t put off taking to Purple for much longer. They emerged from their quarters, and lo and behold, Purple was standing right outside the door.
“…I-I’m sorry for what I said, Red. That was impulsive of me, and I wasn’t taking what you’re going through seriously,” Purple apologized. Red didn’t expect that. They didn’t expect that at all. Purps almost never apologized first. That was new.
Red began to speak as well, not even recognizing the words coming out of their mouth. “Yeah, well, I’m sorry too. That was incredibly selfish of me, just like I always am. It’s whatever. You don’t need to apologize to me,” Red forced out.
Purple immediately shot back, a concern painting their eyes a vibrant shade of pained. “No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for. Struggling with hurting yourself a-and suicidal tendencies isn’t selfish or something you should have to apologize for. I acted rash and didn’t consider the fact that you were in pain. You’re my coworker. My friend. I should’ve been more patient and understanding,” Purple teared up.
So did Red. They tried to form coherent sentences, but all that came out was jargon that vaguely resembled something sweet. Red wailed quietly in Purple’s arms. “I-I’m a shitty, selfish, captain and worthless crewmate, a-and I’m unlovable, a-and,” they sniffled, but not before being interrupted.
“No, no you aren’t. You did what you thought was best. You tried to put other’s emotions over yours. Being in pain isn’t selfish. I love you, Redsie. Take that how you will,” Purple used their voice to lull Red into a sense of security.
Red smiled gently. They really needed to hear that. Purple squeezed them tighter than ever before. “O-ok Purps, I can’t breathe-“ Purple promptly let go.
All the ghosts of the Skeld gathered around to serve witness to this heartwarming moment. Purple hadn’t actually gone into Red’s room, nor had they removed any of the sharp objects from the med-bay cabinet. But Red didn’t need to know that.