Chapter Text
Purple grips onto their pathetic excuse of a night stand, its more like those camping tables but with one broken drawer at the bottom. They open the drawer with a struggle before pulling out a small dirty and chipped mirror with a fish poorly carved into it, they don't remember when they got it. They point it at their back, trying to see if they have any bruises from busting their ass avoiding Orange.
Its hard to see from the lack of light in the room, but they can slightly see a big ol' bruise that runs from the bottom of their backpack down to the waistband of their shorts, it may run down longer. The bruise is slightly covering the burn scars that cover a majority of their back and some on their front. They sigh heavily as they shove the mirror back into the drawer before flopping onto their bed and instantly regretting it.
They push themselves upwards to avoid their lower back touching the bed anymore, voice hitching slightly. "Fuck.." they whine. They know damn well that they aren't getting little to any sleep.
____
Orange stares up at their ceiling. They wonder if they actually DID hear something (or someone) fall in security, not like it's fully any of their concern of course.
They anxiously tap their finger on the rim of their bed frame in a slow rhythm as they think. "I wonder if they're avoiding me..?" They mutter to themselves. They sigh and turn over to attempt to rest.
_____5:30AM____
Purple slowly starts drifting asleep, but is interrupted by their alarm blaring, waking them up instantly. They groan and slap their alarm off as they rub their visor.
Purple slowly and hesitantly pushes themselves off of their bunk bed, landing on their feet. They wobble as they walk over to their small dresser, pulling out a wrinkled pair of pants and grayish button up, along with a tie and vest later on.
They slide their shirt on last, flinching slightly as it rubs the bruise. They grab their vest and quickly stuff it in their backpack, to put it on in security so they aren't late again. They lazily slide their tie on, not tying it, they'll also do that in security. They slowly button their shirt, eventually giving up at the last three buttons at the top, which they'll fully button on their way to security. They slip into their dark work boots before approaching the door.
Purple unlocked the door, swinging it open only to be met with Orange. They both pause, staring at each other. Orange silently looks Purple up and down, noting to themselves that their fur/hair is messy, tie lazily thrown over their button up, vest somewhere, shirt not fully buttoned, the slightly pained and uncomfortable expression visible on their face, wrinkled everything, and crooked hat.
Orange hesitates. "What uh... happened to your vest?" Orange points out one of the many flaws of Purples everything. "I was.. I was gonna put it on in Security.." Purple mutters, trying to end the conversation instantly. Orange hums in acknowledgment.
"So uh... about what happened two days ago-" "Orange. The punch was spiked. What I said ment nothing." Purple interrupts. "I was just drunk." They finish, sounding more like they're trying to convince themselves than anything.
Oranges stomach feels like it twists. "Yes," their voice cracks slightly "of course I knew that! I was.. just making sure it was mutually known." They explain as they fidget with the bottom of their blazer as they fall into silence again.
Orange clears their throat. "Now that that's out of the way," they slide back to a somewhat cheerful tone, "may I ask if I can adjust your tie? Its bothering me." Orange asks. "I uh.. sure..?" Purple mumbles in response, slightly caught off guard by the question. Orange carefully grabs their tie and slowly begins tying it. Purple looks away, knowing damn well that their blushing. The gentle warm touch makes Purple shiver slightly, they stand straighter and stiffer to prevent any more touch.
Orange begans to remove their hands but Purple grabs them, stopping them. They hesitate for a moment, trying to gather the courage to speak. "Orange... I.." Purple begins, looking down at their feet. They don't even know what they're thinking, why are their emotions so jumbled up while speaking to this MIRA bootlicker? Purple gains a slight sense in thought. "I just.." "Heya guys! What's up??" Red questions loudly, starling both Orange and Purple. Orange quickly pulls their hands out of Purples grasp as they face Red. "Oh, morning Red..!" Orange exclaims, trying to ignore the burning pain in their stomach aching for more affection. Purple glares angrily at the joyful half dressed captain.
"Where's uh.." Orange hesitates. "The rest of your uniform..?" Orange finishes. It is true, Red is not fully dressed. They're only wearing their uniform jacket, halfway buttoned, and some anime boxers. "Ah! Y'know, laundry day!" Red exclaims, to which Orange nervously chuckles at. "Ah.. I suppose.." "mhm! Anyways, I'll let you two get back to whatever! I'll talk to you later Orange! Bye bye!!" They wave as they skip off to navigation.
Orange sighs. They look to where Purple was standing, only to be met with nothing but air. They furrow their brows before sighing once more. They grab the open door to Purples room and slam it shut before plodding themselves to communications.
____
Orange shuts and locks the communications doors before flopping down into their chair. They let out a long sigh and hide their visor in their hands.
They go through the recent events in their head, mentally scolding themselves for thinking of and speaking to Purple in such a manner.
Orange is quickly dragged out of their thoughts by the desk phones ringing. Orange glares at the phone before sighing and picking it up. "This is Orange, HR representative on The Skeld." Orange says in a customer service voice. The line go's silent for a moment, only heavy breathing is heard on the other line.
"Yes. Orange. How is the Ore+ doing? None is broken or chipped, correct?" Pink askes in a low tone. "Oh. Yes, the Ore+ is in great condition! Don't have to worry about it, Mx." Orange nervously twirls the phone wire around their finger. "Mhm." Pink hums. "Just great?" "Ah..! It.. it's in perfect condition..! I can go check now if you wish?" Orange says in a much more nervous tone, to which Pink silently chuckles at. "No, no. I trust you Orange. Make sure nothing happens to it. You know what will happen if something does." "Mhm..!" "You're excused Orange." Pink hangs up the phone.
Orange sits in silence, still holding the phone. They slowly set the phone back down. They plant their visor back into their hands before thinking back to this morning.
They drag their finger over their blazers and tan dress shirts, eventually landing on the pairs at the end. They pull it out from the closest before holding it outward to make sure its not wrinkled. They slip the dress shirt on and place the blazer onto their bed. Their gaze averts to the blueish tie hanging in their closet, debating weather or not to wear it today, trying to decide weather or not Purple would.. if it would look good on them today. Eventually they decide not.
They walk over to their dresser and pull out a dark brown pencil skirt and long socks and slip them on. They carefully put on their blazer and approaching their miror in the corner to fix their fur/hair. They walk back towards the door and slide into their shoes, one boot and one shoe, before opening and leaving.
They walk towards communications, only stopping and looking behind them at the other crewmates rooms. They think back to yesterday and the date before. They hesitate before nervously walking over to Purples assigned room. They hope that they don't wake up their assigned partner. Orange pauses. Does Purple even share a room with anyone? Everyone that wasn't the "big shots" , consisting of Red, Blue, and Orange, had to share a bunk bed with one coworker. But now that Orange thought about it, they don't think that Purple ever got assigned a roommate surprising.
They shrug off the thought before skipping over to Purples room. As they approach, they begin to feel nervous. Which is odd, because they've never been nervous to speak to Purple before. They brush off the thought and lift a hand to knock, but is interrupted by Purple opening the door. Orange quickly lowers their hand before the door is fully opened.
They let out a long sigh as they rub their temples. A loud knock can be heard, once again interrupting Oranges thoughts.
Orange glances up at the door. The door slides open, revealing Red. "Hey Orange!" They say as they lean against the doorframe.
Orange silently looks them up and down once more, this time though, Red is wearing dark blue shorts with their uniform top. "So, about that talk." They take a deep breath. "I.. I think someone has a petmate on board!" They exclaim as they throw their arms in the air.
Orange leans closer, chair leaning with them. "Oh? Do you have any ideas on who would've boughten it?" They question. "I.. I don't." They sulk, to which Orange sighs at. "Its fine, Red. I'll figure it out. I'll report back to you when I do." They wave their hand dismisively, to which Red let's out a sigh of relief at.
"Oh thank MIRA! I thought you were gonna have ME solve it!" They annouce with a hardy laugh. "Ah.. of course not." Orange thinks for a moment. "May I ask what gives you the idea that someone has snuck a petmate on board?" "Ah!" Red laughs "there has been like, 20 or so gallons of water taken from the kitchen within a day, and I thought that that was suspicious and only a petmate would only be able to need that much!" They announce proudly, to which Orange hums in response to.
"Heh.. now that that conversation done with! I need to get back to some.." they clear their throat. "Important business. Anyhow, good bye Orange!" They wave as they exit the room.
____6:40AM____
Purple sits at their desk with their head in their hands. They sigh and look back up at the monitors infront of them. No sound is heard other than the sound of their breathing and the faint buzz from the rusty monitors.
A noise is heard from the vents behind Purple. They avert their gaze to the vents, only to be greeted by no other than the engineer, Lime, covered in dust and spider webs. Purple stares in silence at Lime, who does the same.
Lime finally jumps out of the vent with a struggle and a scoff. "What'd you do to Orange?" They demand. "Blue has noticed somethings been up since the party." Purple narrow their visor. "What do you mean what did I do?!" "You know what im talking about." Lime pauses, thinking for a moment. "You had to of like..." they wave their arms in the air "corrupt them more than they already are!"
Purple immediately gets defensive. "I didn't do shit!" They jab a finger at Lime. "Why would you care anyway?!" "I don't really." They respond bluntly. "Its just got Blue down and ain't nobody like to see that. I mean, Orange was already a nutjob to begin with! You just made it worse." Purple gets even more defensive, fully turning their chair to look at Lime. "Well duh that Blues worried!!" They exclaim as they grip the plastic arms to their chair. "they worry about everyone on the ship!" They furrow their brows, "AND Orange isn't that bad nor crazy."
Lime stares at Purple for a minute. "Oh. You two are a thing, aren't you?" They ask bluntly, to which Purple scrambles for their dignity. "NO!? I.. I wouldn't date that orange MIRA booting scrum!!" They shout as they clench their pants leg in with one hand, pinching themself in the process. "Whatever. Don't come crying to me when they brainwash ya." They mumble as they crawl back into the vents.
Purple glares at Lime, their breathing heavy. They turn their chair around, facing the monitors once more. They rest their hands on their legs and stare forward at the monitors. The screens are dark. They stare at their reflection in disgust. It stares back. "I hate Orange. I hate their smile. I hate their neat hair/fur. I hate their voice. I hate their mismatched shoes. I hate the way they hum. I hate the sound of their laugh." They think to themselves, clenching their fists, digging their fingers into their palms hard enough to bruise.
Their breathing gets more ragged as they stare back at themselves. They put their elbows on the desk infront of them before laying their head in their hands, not being able to bare staring at themselves any longer. They feel a lump in their throat as they try to swallow down their frustrations.
A knock is heard against the security doorframe. Purple glances towards the sound. Orange. Of course it had to be them. Why wouldn't it be?
"You uh.." they hesitate for a moment. "You good there, Purple?" They question. The sound of their own name coming from their mouth makes their stomach ache. Why do they keep coming back? They clearly aren't welcomed. Well, at least if you saw from the view Purple wanted, then maybe.
Purple doesn't respond to their question. The HR rep watches the security guard for a moment. They aren't very good at feelings, nor comfort. Their gaze softens. They slowly approach the security guard. They rest their hand on the top of their chair, fingers slightly brushing against Purples back. Purple shivers slightly at the contact.
Orange than remembers the one of many trustballs in the pocket of the inside of their blazer. They remove their hand from Purples chair and reach into their pocket, grabbing the trustball. They gently drop it into Purple lap before resuming their prior position.
They clear their throat. "So uh.. just guessing that you won't respond." They mutter. They drag their finger along the top of the chair. They hesitate, not sure where they're going with this. "Well uh... today I went to medbay because I wasn't... feeling well..? I guess." They begin talking about their week, hell, maybe even year if they lose track. They continue rambling, Purple isn't really paying attention, more like using their voice as white noise. They lower their arms, now resting in their lap. They eventually notice the trustball and roll it around in their hands. Their breathe hitches slightly as Orange, most likely subconsciously, traces the stitching lines on the shoulder of Purples uniform. It's not entirely unpleasant, just unexpected.
They sigh as they squeeze the trustball, the texture oddly feels like those red rubber balls that'd hit you in the face at 50mph in PE, which is odd considering the fact that they guessed the stress toy to be foam before.
No part of Oranges ramble really draws their attention, untill the very end. "- oh, and Red reported to me that they suspect someone brought a petmate on board." Purple tenses for a moment. "Wait, what?" Purple questions, a feeling of panic washing over them as they turn to look at Orange.
Oranges appears to be slightly startled at Purple finally gaining awareness. "Wha.. oh, the petmate thing?" They question. "Yes. What did they say about it?" Orange nervously chuckles at the question. "Well uh.. I think that'd be considered classified information..!" They mutter.
Purple narrows their visor. Orange notices their hand resting on Purples shoulder and quickly removes it. They hesitate for a moment. "Though," they sigh "I suppose I should tell you, with you being head of security and all."
"So, according to Red, about 20 gallons or so of water has been taken from the kitchen within the past day I believe they said. So-" Purple interrupts. "Why would they notice that? Aren't you supposed to keep track of the uh.." they pause, trying to think of the word. "The supplies?" Orange finishes for them, to which Purple claps their hands together for a moment before pointing at Orange "Yea, That! The supplies!" They exclaim, to which Orange giggles.
They lean against the chair, their faces about ten inches apart or less. Air gets caught in Purples throat. "Well," they rub their index finger on the chair in a circle. "I did say that Red was keeping track of the supplies for me this week." They explain, a smug expression visible on their face.
"Ah..! Sorry," Purple leans backwards. "I wasn't really paying attention to most of that conversation." They admit. "I assumed so." They hum in response. "Anyhow, do you know anything about it?" "Uh.." they hesitate. "... I don't know anything." They very obviously lie.
They sit in silence for a moment. Orange just stares down at them for a moment. Purple avoids visorcontact, sinking into their chair slightly. "Mhm." Orange finally mutters.
Orange stands up, no longer leaning on the chair. "Well," they rub Purples head like a dog, to which Purple subconsciously leans into. "If you do know anything or see anything, report it back to me." Purple swats their hand away. "Yea yea."
Orange removes their hand and walks towards the door. Purple then remembers that they still have the trustball. "Wait, do you not want this back??" They wave the trustball in the air. "Don't worry about it. Secret between you and me, but I have at least two full crates of trustballs!" They exclaim before leaving.
Purple stares at the empty doorframe before looking down at the red stress ball in their hands. They roll it over. In black sharpie it reads "HR. Orange" in neat handwriting. They sink into their chair.
_____7:50AM_____
Green sweeps the communications hallway, humming a made up beat matching the rhythm of their sweeps.
They are suddenly startled and knocked out of their zone by a hard pat on the back and giggling. "Green bean! My pal!" White exclaims happily as they cling to the smaller crewmate. "Oh!" Green giggles. "Hi White! What's up?" They question, averting their attention to the tall rich crewmate next to them.
White swirls their wine as they lean against Green, using them as a desk in a way. "Ah, y'know my green fellow," they sip from their wine. "Nothing much, to be frank." They say bluntly.
They rest their head against Greens hoodie, breathing against their neck. They twirl the drawstring of their hoodie. "Just missed you I suppose." They mumble.
"... Am I interrupting something..?" White throws themselves off of Green. Orange just stares with a loose grasp on their clipboard. They tug at their polo nervously as they stare at the HR rep. "Well," White walks over to Orange, patting them on the back with much more force than needed. "hello there Orange! What uh.. what are you doing prancing around here?" They question.
"Uh... going to communications." "Ah! Great idea!" They shove Orange into communications, the doors shutting behind them as they appear to lose their balance.
"... was that necessary...?" Green asks in a quiet tone. "Of course! They could've reported us!" White declares. "Plus," they lean down to Greens height. "They have dirty on me!" They whisper yell.
Green stares at them in confusion. "Wha.. why? What'd you do?" They question, looking up at White. White lets out a dramatic sigh. "Oh if you insist I tell you!" They pause for dramatic affect. "I confessed that I was the one that spiked the punch!" They exclaim in a tone so fake it sounds like it comes from a poorly made movie.
Greens visor widens. "It was you!?" They yelp loudly. White nods in response while looking at the ground, looking like a dog in trouble. "It wasn't on purpose of course!" They wave their hands frantically trying to clear their name. "I was intoxicated and tripped, spilling my dear wine into the punch!" They explain, to which Green nods at. "Ohhhhhh!"
______
Orange is pushed, with rather more force than expected, into communications. Just as the doors slam shut, they lose their balance and fall on their ass. Luckily, they don't get hurt.
They let out an annoyed grunt before pushing themselves upwards and dusting themselves off. They grumble in annoyance before sitting down in their chair.
Sleep tugs at their brain. They rub their visor. They shouldn't go to bed this early, they literally just woke up. But why are they so tired?
They stare at the wall infront of them.
They blink.
They open their eyes. Their head is laying in their arms on their desk. They look at the clock, only to see the time being 12 PM. Did they really just fall asleep on their dear job? How could they!
They immediately jump up, panic setting in. They pace around communications. Oh, how will their coworkers think of them now? Falling asleep after at least 6 hours of already assigned rest. Pathetic.
Two hesitant knocks are heard. Orange turns to the door, hesitating to open it.
After a moment, they click the open button, only to be greeted by no other than Purple. They immediately feel an aching amount of excitement at the sight, only for it to dull down to embarrassment in a matter of seconds. What if they knew they were sleeping on the job? Oh my, they probably looked like a mess too! They hope that this doesn't negatively affect how they see them in the future.
Purple pauses, staring for a moment before looking away and covering the bottom edge of their visor with their pointer finger. Did their face always look this plum colored?
Purple clears their throat. "Lunch is done." They mutter. "Oh. Thank you Purple." Orange chirps. "Mhm..."
They sit in silence for a moment. "Imma get going now.. bye Orange." Purple mumbles before walking off in a slightly fast pace. Orange watches before finally closing communications doors once more and seeping into the room.
______
Purple hesitantly knocks on communications door, glancing between the door infront of them and the gemologist peeking threw the storage door. Cyan nods at Purple and gives them a thumbs up before slipping fully into storage and shutting the door.
After waiting for a moment Purple thinks of just running back to storange and telling Cyan that they didn't answer, though those thoughts are quickly interrupted by the door finally opening.
Their breathe catches in their throat. They go quiet for a moment. They try not to pay attention to their ever so slightly messed up hair, the way their shirt ever so slightly wraps around their chubbier frame, and their blazer sliding down their arms. Their throat goes dry. They look away in shame.
They sit there trying to remember what Cyan told them to say, but, completely to their dismay, they completely forgot what to say. So instead they say the first work appropriate thing that pops into their head.
"Lunch is done." They hear themselves say. They cringe internally at their own words. Why is that all they thought to say? I mean, its isn't wrong, but still! They feel like their heart is just about to burst out of their chest from how fast its beating.
They are quickly brought back to reality by the other crewmate happily responding. "Oh. Thank you Purple."
Purple feels like they've just jumped into a pool and out from how much their sweating. Did the skeld always feel this hot?
They are still slightly at a loss for words, only being able to mumble in acknowledgment. They sit in silence again.
"Imma get going now.. bye Orange." They hear themselves mumble before speed walking off to storange, not even giving Orange a chance to speak.
Purple trys to sneak through storage without being noticed, but fails. Cyan grabs them by their forearm, pulling them backwards slightly. "So? Did you do it?" Cyan asks cheerfully as they awate for a response.
Purple covers their face in their hands. "I couldn't!" They admit in a pathetic tone. Black, who neither of them realized was behind them, sighs loudly. "Why not? Don't be a sissy." Purple scoffs and wiggles free from Cyans grasp.
Cyan turns to Black. "Black, don't be mean!" They scold, to which Black rolls their visor at. "I mean, I could just ignore them...?" Purple says quietly as they fumble with the corner of their shirt. "Yea, just ignore me." Black mimics sarcastically. "Wha.. I don't mean you!" They angrily exclaim before sighing.
"I mean-" Cyan hardly grabs Purples forearms, slightly digging their thumbs into the crooks of their arms. "No. Im on a streak of wingcrewing at least two relationships right now, seven if you include off skeld. Do not ruin my streak Purple." Cyan states in a low tone that almost sounds like a growl. Purple trys to pry themselves free from their grasp, failing miserably.
"Ack! Alright alright!" They wine as they try and squirm free. Cyan lets go. "Perfect!" They say sweetly. "Just remember Purple. Communication is key in a relationship!" They exclaim.
Purple grumbles as they rub their arms and drag themselves to security, appearing slightly like a wet mop.
Purple eventually reaches security. They sit down in their chair, shifting around slightly to avoid anything touching the bruise. They stare blankly at the monitors infront of them.
Why should they listen to Cyan about very platonic relationship advice? They sigh before resting their head in their hands. They glance back towards the monitors, reaching a hand up to scroll through the cameras.
They reach the camera near cafeteria, two crewmates are visible. Orange and Green, they seem to be talking about something. Purple stares at the screen infront of them. Why do they suddenly feel irritated at the sight? They wish the cameras had audio.
Purple continues to stare at the same camera even when the two leave. "Maybe I should avoid Orange?" They mumble to themselves. "I mean, they seem to be doing fine with other crewmates." They clench their fists before groaning. Why do they keep acting like this?