Chapter Text
“I said I’m fine,” Purple insisted. They sat against the radiator in Oxygen, doing a poor job of hiding their trembling.
They were here with Green and Brown while another group of crewmates went to fix the electricity and Red made their way to the other oxygen sensor. The room suddenly getting silent was a relief amidst the long span of chaotic accusations, murders, and hypoxia episodes. Purple couldn’t help but feel themself shaking, the anxiety of the whole ordeal finally catching up to them.
They couldn’t trust anybody anymore; that was the issue. They also couldn’t even do their job and keep the ship secure from danger. On top of it all, their closest friend—fishmate—had to say goodbye to the mortal realm. Oh, and several other crewmates as well, some of whom Purple was well acquainted with. Yet there was no time for wallowing in grief, as there were still dangers to face. How long would it be until their own blood was splattered across the floor for others to trip on?
It was horrifying to think about. That’s why they simply repeated, “Everything’s fine,” but Purple couldn’t believe their own words.
Heracles was dead. Lime died. Blue died. White—was kind of an asshole but didn’t deserve to die! Orange was actually an evil alien when they were only presumed to be a stuck-up HR worker! And everybody almost suffocated from lack of oxygen!
How was anyone supposed to be fine?
Then Purple glanced at the two supposed-crewmates sitting in front of them and sighed. Brown hardly spoke and Green was naive, so they wouldn’t have cast their suspicions on either one. But there was one person who made Purple question everything.
Red. God, what was Red doing? Even if they were who they said they were, Red wasn’t doing anything that was going to help the crew survive, that’s for sure. Red was an idiot, accusing them for no reason, refusing to take responsibility, not taking charge in flying the ship, not caring about comms dying, and placing the blame where it shouldn’t have ever gone. No, Red wasn’t an idiot, they were a selfish asshole.
They were screwing up the entire mission, murderer or alien or neither. Either way, how were they expecting Purple’s trust after all this time?
Purple snapped out of their thoughts when Green spoke again, really encouraging Purple to be vulnerable with how they felt while they waited. It seemed a little strange but not out of character for the talkative, worm-farming intern.
So eventually, Purple resigned to their feelings.
“Y’know what? I’m not fine,” they started, hands clenched in fists. “This mission has been really stressful, and,” how could they ever express just how horribly they felt? “I’m having a really bad time,” they settled on, “and it’s all because Red—”
They glanced up from their frustration to see Green and Brown staring at them expectantly. Purple couldn’t articulate a full thought like this, so how were they supposed to elaborate other than going back to where it all began?
So that’s what they did.
“We were. Interns. Together. Back in the day.” Purple relaxed a bit and rolled back their shoulders. There was no use in being so tense when they finally had what could have been their last moment to breathe.
***
It was early morning when Purple arrived at their first ever post-college internship, and it was with worlds-renowned company MIRA! They dressed as best as they could and brought a suitcase with just enough clothes for the three-week trip that awaited them. The place where they had to go seemed strange, an elevator that went all the way to the ship’s dock, but it made sense.
Only now was Purple recalling how anxious they were for this job. It wasn’t paid, but it was big, and any little mistake could ruin them, at least in their mind. Would people like them? Would they like the people? And were they truly capable of this?
It didn’t matter to worry right now, they decided on. This was going to happen regardless, so Purple marched in the door with fake confidence and an even faker smile.
Purple noticed quickly another intern that had arrived before them, sitting in one of the chairs of the fairly-large elevator. They were quivering with excitement and had a giant grin, as well as breathing intensely. Then, they noticed Purple, and the shaking immediately stopped as they diverted their gaze to the ground.
“What?” Purple asked. “Cat got your tongue? Or, er— got your excitement?” They tried to joke and it only came out awkward. What a way to introduce oneself to the person you’re spending over half a month with.
The other intern looked back up and forced eye contact. Wait, were they actually blushing or is that just the red skin—
“My bad,” they responded. “I’m just, well, really nervous.”
“You can say that again.”
Then the other intern sprung to life with a grin again and introduced themself properly. “Oh, I’m Red by the way! It’s, uh, nice to meet you!”
As they were saying this, Purple took a seat near Red, leaving a space in between them. They took more time to observe the room. In front of them both was a dusty old television on an even dustier cart that looked like it had seen a few crashes. On the cart was a variety of items, things from post-it notes to controls to coins and other junk. The air was humid, causing sweat to accumulate on their forehead under the cap Purple chose to wear. Well, it was either the humidity or the nerves.
Purple adjusted their hat and introduced themself as well. “I’m Purple.” Then, “Coolest new intern this company has ever seen, and the best you’ll ever meet,” they smirked before realizing just how cringe that sounded. God, they weren’t any better than when they interacted with coworkers at a fast food place in high school.
Red chose to play along regardless. “Not if I’m the cooler one,” they teased. “I’ve got all the goods, MIRA merch for days at home, a stacked resume from school—”
“MIRA merch?” Purple asked. They couldn’t believe Red had spewed that like it was bragging. “Now that’s cringe.”
“Hey…” Red shied. “MIRA’s a perfectly respectable company, and I’m a perfectly respectable intern. And uh, cooler than you?” The last part sounded like a question, and Purple laughed in their mind. They only let a small snicker be heard, though.
“I’m just kidding, dude.” Then to change the subject, because this job was more important than anything else. “They said to… use this DVD,” Purple added, grabbing it off of the cart before blowing dust off of the label. “They said it was a training video we gotta watch or somethin’, while the elevator goes up.”
Red nodded, but before Purple could reach for the DVD player, Red shot up out of their chair in an instant.
“Allow me!” Red smiled, motioning for Purple to hand over the DVD, which they did. Red then fumbled around with a lot of buttons and clumsily got the tape in the player. The screen turned on, and both of them sat down.
The video was saying some shit like “fun-gagement” and it made them want to un-gage from the video. The slogan sucked and so did the annoying background music. Also, work was not supposed to be fun. Internships were supposed to be boring and just focus on teaching skills that one would use in the real world.
Then, Purple looked over at Red. They sat completely still, totally concentrated on the flashing images. They didn’t even blink behind that visor, as far as Purple was aware.
Cute, Purple thought. I guess a little fun is fine.
Wait, what? Never mind whatever just happened, they were not going to ponder why their brain hated them.
The video eventually finished to reveal the annoying tour guide dressed in maroon who kept making puns and saying nothing that actually mattered to the internship. Then, the two interns were given the trust ball. Red caught it first and spent a fair amount of time contemplating what they were going to say, as if it was going to have so much effort put into it.
“My fun fact is… I once ate fifteen tacos in twenty minutes,” they gleamed. Apparently the “effort” being put into that was imaginary, Purple concluded. Then, Red tossed the ball to them, and Purple realized they hadn’t thought of anything at all. For some reason, their mind was only focused on the other intern. It helped with the racing anxiety, but not for job performance.
“Um, well… I have five fishmates! At home. I like taking care of them, they’re all really neat,” they stumbled over their words but didn’t say the last part: I miss them already.
More MIRA nonsense happened with the tour guide and eventually, the actual interesting part was going to happen; they were actually going to see the inside of a supply ship, for real, and not just in a book! They would jump for joy if they cared at all about putting on a fake demeanor. Red’s demeanor seemed real, though, and they were noticeably thrilled to start.
When both of them got up to begin walking, Red took the time to lean over and whisper something to Purple.
“I have a fishmate too,” they muttered. “They’re named Bubbles.”
And then Red didn’t speak to Purple for the rest of the tour, because either they were ashamed of sharing that or they genuinely had no thoughts in that skull— the only two choices Purple could contemplate.
Regardless, Purple couldn’t help but feel a connection with their new colleague. It’s good to get to know the person you’ll be spending weeks working with, after all, and they assumed they had a good idea of what the other intern was like.
***
Purple’s first task was to move boxes from Storage to the cafeteria. They were still amazed at the size of the hallways and the detailing on the walls and just how massive some of the crates of Ore+ were. But, their task was just moving cardboard boxes. They didn’t know what was inside the boxes nor did they care, only thinking about how this skill could be theoretically transferred to a resume.
Red was also helping and decided this was the perfect time for small talk. Sure, neither was saying anything before, but it was calm and peaceful and they were both being very efficient at the job so there was room for a little chatter. Unfortunately, Purple sucked at small talk, and it didn’t take long to realize Red sucked at it too.
“So, how has your day been?” Red asked awkwardly, picking up yet another box.
“Well,” Purple decided to banter, “today I lifted boxes. Pretty exciting, if I do say so myself,” as they proceeded to talk monotonously. There was no point in pretending like their day had been anything different. “How about you?”
Red paused for a moment. Purple knew by now that their little pauses didn’t imply that anything smart was going to be said afterward. It was… just something they decided to remember. For some reason.
“Same,” Red settled on.
For a moment, it was silent in Storage, and the awkwardness caught up to Purple in a way that made them forget to tape a box before picking it up. Thus, they lifted it and the top flew wide open, allowing a bunch of metal tools and cooking supplies to launch out and across the floor. The noise of metal hitting the ground was unbearable for half a second, but by the next half-second both crewmates were already bursting out into laughter.
During the scramble to pick everything up, Purple remarked, “Clumsy me.” They couldn’t believe how stupid they were, and they hoped nothing had broken.
Red, on the other hand, made light of the situation. “Nah, you should see how clumsy I am, doing basically anything,” they joked. “I’ve gotta be the most clumsiest person ever!”
After cleaning up the mess, Red then attempted to lift an obviously very heavy box; although they tried to hide it, their facial expression was just enough to give away that it was a two-person job. It was almost entertaining to watch, Purple thought.
“I’d say I’m clumsier,” Purple added, before rushing over to assist Red. “But whatever you say, dude.”
When Purple picked up the other side of the box from the bottom, they realized almost instantly that their fingers were overlapping with Red’s, just slightly. This was the most comfortable way for them to pick up the box, but they couldn’t deny that it was strange the way Red didn’t move their hands either. So they were just like this. Red didn’t say a word, so Purple didn’t either.
Yet Purple felt the blood rushing to their face and internally panicked. It really wasn’t a big deal but they were making such a riot out of it in their head. They started to carry it towards the cafeteria, and if it wasn’t the longest walk they had ever faced, they didn’t know what else it could be.
The time slowed even more as Red continued with meaningless small talk.
“So, uh, the weather?” There wasn’t any weather in space. Red was noticeably cringing at their own words.
“Very, um, cold out,” Purple replied. “Has been for a bit.”
“At least there’s no wind.” Red remarked.
“And no rain, or snow.”
“Not cloudy but no sunshine either. I guess you could say it’s dark out.”
They both set the box where it belonged at this point. When their hands disconnected, Purple realized they hadn’t taken a deep breath since before this entire conversation.
“And the stars are pretty today,” Red added before beginning to head back, happy as always.
“Yeah.” Red probably couldn’t hear their faint words at this point, but it didn’t really matter. Purple hadn’t taken the time to observe space yet. They were sure the view was gorgeous, but they may or may not have had a teeny tiny fear of the unknown. Any window shades they passed were instantly closed without Purple even taking one glimpse outside. So no, they weren’t sure if the stars were pretty or not, but if Red said so, it must be true.
“The stars are beautiful,” they answered, talking just loud enough for Red to comprehend. But the other intern didn’t say anything about it, instead gesturing to a box that looked even heavier than the last.
“Can you… help me carry this one, too?” Red asked.
Purple thought about their hands touching, fingers overlapping under the box, how they suddenly felt less tense and more comfortable and safer. They would dare to look at the stars if they felt that way forever.
Then they agreed to help.
Those two previous thoughts were unrelated and in fact, mutually exclusive, by the way. For sure.
***
The next day meant more tasks starting in the morning, as early as possible. It didn’t look like morning, but it was hazy, quiet, and Purple felt invigorated, so it must have been. Unfortunately, this was the day the interns were assigned janitor duty. Of course, they didn’t want to do the grunt work, but it was necessary to keep the place running. All Purple wanted was to feel reliable at their future job anyhow.
Purple was mopping the floors in the cafeteria before anyone else was even awake. They made a note to not gaze into the large windows for too long, lest they felt like they were being suffocated by outer space. Luckily, Purple was typically an early riser, and they especially enjoyed the peace and quiet of a day before the presence of others had to ruin it. There were always insufferable people at every job, and some of the actual crew on the ship proved to be worse than those Purple knew at home. So, even if they happened to be exceptionally tired on a given morning, it was always on their agenda to wake early and have their own time.
Nobody would take that from them, not even the less-insufferable intern who walked in with a feather duster, looking energetic and motivated.
“Mornin’, Purps!” Red called out from the other side of the cafeteria. When their eyes caught the glance of Purple, they smiled wide. It was crazy to Purple how such a person could be even remotely pleasant to be around this early, but Red was already breaking their expectations.
What also broke their expectations was the nickname. When Purple registered what had been said, they immediately paused mopping.
“…Purps?” They inquired.
“Oh, oops— I didn’t even realize I said that, I just meant it as a nickname, I have nicknames for everyone but it’s okay if you don’t want me to—” they rambled, fidgeting with the feather duster in their hands.
Purple cut off what they were saying to reassure red. “You can call me that.” They resumed mopping to hide a small grin on their face. “I just… wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”
Red shuffled anxiously to the kitchen where they were tasked with dusting shelves. The look on their face was penitent and they slouched more than usual. Purple decided to do the right thing and comfort them. They leaned across the kitchen’s serving hatch and spoke.
“You don’t have to act like you did something wrong. I… kinda like the nickname. Only if you want to keep up with it, of course. But I think it’d be pretty boring if you didn’t.”
Red suddenly gleamed and started their work with more energy. “I’ll keep doing that, then!”
They danced along with the duster and bantered to themself while Purple did their more boring part of the work. “Purps! Purpsy!” Red sang. It was like a really ugly out-of-tune song that Purple could listen to all the time. “Purpsicle… Purplecalifragilisticexpialidocious!”
Then Purple made the stupid choice to join along. They didn’t even consciously do so, but they were almost bantering to the same rhythm as Red. “Heh, Redsie…” Ok. There’s not a lot of words that start with red, actually. “Um. Red-eye…”
“You can call me whatever you want,” Red remarked. “It’d be boring if ya didn’t!” They satirized Purple’s previous words. Both of them promptly laughed, and for a moment Purple’s brain rummaged through all the things they would call Red if they had the chance. Shortie, birdbrain, dummy, motherfucker, cute—where did that come from—Redsie. Yeah, they would just settle on the latter for now.
Both laughed together as they resumed work. Red poked fun at the names and Purple listened, enjoying the sound of the other intern’s voice. Who knew work could be entertaining and actually kind of soothing?
Then, amidst the cleaning, Purple heard the sound of a door unlatching in the area. They quickly noticed a new doorway was revealed in the kitchen, at which Red was staring agape. Purple could feel the cold from the new room even from a distance, and the little they could see inside revealed carts stacked with all sorts of supplies and tools.
“Oops,” Red said calmly. “Didn’t even realize that was there.”
“Looks like the intern found the make-out freezer,” a voice said out of the blue that Purple didn’t recognize. They turned towards the hallway to see one of the kitchen staff dressed and ready for their shift. This crewmate walked into the kitchen and went to close the hatch on the door.
“My bad,” Red replied. “I was just cleaning and it accidentally opened and wait did you say ‘make-out freezer’”?
The kitchen crewmate smirked at Red before glancing at Purple with an expression they couldn’t quite make out. They weren’t implying something, right? Maybe Purple heard wrong, or it was probably just some weird joke.
“After a while on this ship, we’ve all spent time in there with someone,” the crewmate chuckled. “MIRA hates it, but I say it makes times more exciting.” Then Red joined in with a fake, uncomfortable laugh, and they tried to busy themself by dusting high shelves in the back.
Purple retorted the statement instead. “I’m here to do work, not to romance a coworker in a frozen closet. I can feel the cold from here; I’d really rather not freeze to death!” They almost regretted talking back, worrying about their internship—not that they could really be kicked off the ship right here—but luckily no one seemed to take their words that poorly.
All Red could reply with was an echo of Purple’s own words. “Yeah, what they said! And if it’s against MIRA policy, that’s…” Then they shrugged and went back to work, obviously not caring that far. Purple appreciated the sentiment, though. When Red looked at them for a split-second, they gave a more genuine smile to each other.
***
All the crew was eating pizza for dinner and chatting around a table, later that same day. Purple didn’t realize how small the crew was— maybe about eight hardworking people besides them and Red. It seemed a little small compared to what they were taught about MIRA crews, but everything seemed to be under control.
Purple and Red sat off to the side at another table, intimidated by the large group and not caring enough to try with them. It was more socializing, and Purple was still adapting to Red. They would get to know at least some of the others before this was over with; they needed referrals, after all, and dinner was the time to chat up other workers— but it was too much to think about for a second day. Purple didn’t know Red’s reason, whether they sat with Purple out of pity or also from fear of the others, but it was nice nonetheless.
Purple took a bite of their slice of pizza and commented, “The salt they put on this is actually really good.” When they swallowed the slice, they turned to Red. “I’d be happy just eating the salt on its own,” they admitted.
“You could say that twice,” Red concurred while taking another bite of theirs. “The food’s gotta be one of the highest quality things on this ship,” they said more softly so as to not be overheard.
“It’s not a high bar,” Purple admitted. Red just kept eating. Purple noticed that Red tended to shake their legs when they were calm, as opposed to the rest of them shaking when fearful. It was a nice thing to be aware of, they supposed.
Purple had also gotten more comfortable being in Red’s company, which was surprising to them. Though they had spent basically every waking moment together for the last two days, this felt different. It was starting to feel like a friendship more than an internship, which was a little worrisome at moments but very peaceful in others. Of course, Purple would never say Red was their friend— it was way too early to be doing that. Red only talked to them because they had no other choice. And, after the internship, they would part ways. Purple would get the job of their dreams and Red would do whatever they were interested in. Red would eventually forget about them. About this.
Then they looked over at Red who was in the process of folding a slice of pizza four times. They wanted to see how much they could bite off at once, and for a moment it seemed like the answer was a lot. Red glanced over at them and attempted to grin, but all the pizza in their mouth made it impossible. What remained was a hilarious sight of crumbs and sauce everywhere on their face.
“That reminds me,” Purple started, “about the time I worked at a pizza place in high school.” Red’s expression told them everything they needed to know; the intern was already somehow invested in the story.
“It was cheap and disgusting pizza,” Purple continued, “but sometimes we’d do crazy shit with it.”
“Like what?” Red asked after somehow swallowing another entire slice of pizza. How did they even— y’know what, Purple wasn’t even gonna ask.
Purple sighed, thinking of the few nostalgic moments of their past that weren’t plagued by things going wrong or trauma or fallouts. “Well, one time on Halloween we threw pizza at people’s homes. We made a ton in advance and went around the neighborhood wreaking havoc,” they chuckled. “Half of the time, it would end up on roofs and rot ‘til the birds got to it.”
“I miss those times,” Purple added, slouching forward in their seat.
Red wiped pizza sauce off of their visor and leaned forward to meet Purple’s gaze. “I’m sure there’s still lots of crazy stuff you can do. You don’t need a minimum wage job to have fun.” They smiled, but Purple didn’t smile back.
“But there’s no more crazy people to do it with,” Purple sighed. “And it doesn’t matter anyway. There’s more important stuff to do.”
“I would throw food at houses with you,” Red simply replied. They used their non-sauce-covered hand to pat Purple’s shoulder, before their eyes widened and they pulled away from the touch. “Oh, I should’ve asked, I’m—” The panic in their voice was noticeable, but Purple was confused as to why they were apologizing.
“It’s fine. You can, uh, do that,” Purple awkwardly spoke again, lessening the tension throughout their body. It felt weird to say, to even acknowledge, but how else were they supposed to convey the message ‘I’m fine with you making friendly physical contact’ without it sounding weird? God, why were they even thinking about the weird connotations? Knock it off, Purple.
“Oh. Okay,” Red replied. Their hand still awkwardly floated as if they weren’t sure whether or not to continue. Red themself seemed frozen in thought. Purple wished they would continue patting their shoulder for some weird reason but of course they would never mention that.
The silence became awkward after a bit. The air felt more delicate than it had before, but someone had to break the tension and Red was having trouble doing so. It looked like Purple’s job, unless they wanted to sit in this uncomfortable atmosphere for the next half hour.
“So… why don’t you tell me more about that fish you’ve got?” Purple asked.
Red’s pizza slice fell out of their hands in what was supposedly surprise. They fumbled with their hands a bit and talked quaveringly. “How did you know I had a fish?” It was as if they didn’t remember mentioning it at all.
Purple almost thought it was cute how forgetful Red was, before shutting that thought away in the dustiest corners of their brain, instead just gleaming and saying “You told me yesterday. Its name was Bubbles, right?”
“Oh!” Red exclaimed. “Yeah, I guess I must’ve told you. I don’t tell a lot of people about him, actually.” Their voice was still shaky but their demeanor seemed more put together now. It was strange that Red would bring this up to a random intern if they wouldn’t bring it up to others. Purple didn’t bother pondering on that idea. “It’s actually a funny story, I’ll tell you about the crazy time when I got him from the fish store…”
***
At the crew quarters, the two interns shared a bunk bed. When it was time to sleep, Red settled into the top bunk, though they ultimately failed to fall asleep in a timely manner.
On the bottom bunk lied Purple, who also couldn’t sleep, and constantly shifted around while the mattress creaked and probably disturbed everyone else. They could only tell Red was awake too because there were small creaks from above them. But Purple’s issue wasn’t just failure to sleep, but instead something that was haunting them.
Specifically, the fact that they could still feel the touch of the other intern on their shoulder and their hands. It was as if a ghost was making contact with them in the same way as the memories of each moment flew through their head. They didn’t feel well enough to close their eyes. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but rather they wished it was real. For some odd reason, they wanted it more. Purple, the lowly intern who never got too close with anyone, suddenly wanted nothing more.
But it didn’t mean anything. They were overthinking, that was all. That was the only logical explanation. It was just stress from the internship, probably. But they were excelling at their tasks, they felt comfortable on the ship. It wasn’t even a paid position, goddamnit. And yet they still couldn’t keep the racing thoughts at bay. Why were they even shaking? Why was a tear flowing down their cheek? This hasn’t happened to them before and it was scary.
Suddenly, a whisper came from above them.
“Purp?” Red leaned over the top of the bunk to look down at them. They spoke with a soft, concerned tone. “Are you alright? You— you look like you’re shivering.”
Purple didn’t even realize their restless limbs were making noise. They snapped out of their thought spiral and took a closer look at Red. For a second, it was as if all their worries were carried away, before the reality of the situation hit them again. “I’m fine,” they mumbled, turning onto their other side to avoid further eye contact.
Then the bunk shook again and Purple realized Red was climbing down, for some strange reason. They didn’t look, but felt the shift in weight on the mattress when Red sat at the end of the bed. Red continued to whisper even when Purple refused to see them.
“I don’t know about you,” Red began, “but I’ve been really homesick. It’s made it tough to sleep. Both last night and today. I just can’t stop thinking about how I’m so far away from everybody now. And— and there’s a lot of other things that won’t stop running through my mind, too. It’s… just a lot.”
“Yeah.” Purple replied. They sat up in the bed and glanced at Red, who of course gave the same stupid grin they always did. “I guess I’m just… nervous. About.” Well, they couldn’t say exactly what it was about. That would be ludicrous. But, they did have other concerns they could use as an excuse instead.
“About the internship. Getting to know the people here, mostly. I haven’t really talked to anyone, it’s just been work and worrying. I’m spending three weeks on this damn ship and I’m just anxious talking to everyone and feeling like I’m always doing something wrong and…”
Maybe it was more than an excuse. It was just feelings that Purple didn’t ever try to think about, and it was easier to repress because they were so used to it. They shook their head, not believing that they were spending the night venting to a colleague. Not a friend, but a colleague.
Red wasn’t their friend. They never would be. Which only made Purple feel worse.
“I’m… even nervous talking to you,” Purple admitted. “I mean, we’re both in the same boat, and I’m glad you’re here, but I can’t shake the anxiety over simply socializing. It’s gone downhill ever since I got here.”
Purple leaned against the headboard and crossed their legs. This gave Red more room to sit comfortably and face them. They weren’t sure why they wanted that so much.
Red took it as an opportunity to speak again. “I get what you mean. I… won’t lie, but I’m intimidated by everyone. Even by you. I think you’re cool, and if I mess up with the person I’ll be working with for weeks, what’s even the point? Um, if it helps, though,” Red fidgeted with their hands, “your social skills are better than mine,” they chuckled before covering their mouth so as to not wake up anybody else. “Though the internship has been stressing me out too. I’d do anything to impress MIRA. Literally anything.”
Red thinks I’m cool? Was the only thought Purple got from that monologue.
Then, suddenly: “You wanna just hang out right now? Um, somewhere else on the ship, so we don’t gotta whisper,” Red added quickly.
“Hell yeah, dude,” Purple answered, already getting up and grabbing their backpack.
They both tiptoed out of the quarters together towards the cafeteria, neither talking until they both sat down at a table in the back, facing outward on the seats. There wasn’t much of a difference in the atmosphere between day and night, actually, so it could’ve been noon on their planet as far as Purple knew. They didn’t care though. They wouldn’t have been able to sleep regardless.
Sitting in each other’s presence, Purple felt oddly safe. They could stay here for the rest of the trip and not be bothered. They only hoped Red could feel this safe around them, too.
“Hey, Redsie?” Purple finally had the urge to talk again. It would distract from all the… other thoughts.
“Yeah?” Red looked very exhausted now that Purple took a closer look at them. Red was on the verge of falling asleep. They had no reason to get up and spend time with Purple. They could have just told Purple to stop moving around while trying to fall asleep, could have neglected to comfort them, but instead they did all this for a random coworker. It made no sense.
They were both grown adults, but this was an irrational way to act, even for someone like Red.
“I think you’re cool, too.”
***
No one batted an eye or asked questions when the two interns both woke up on the bottom bunk. Purple was curled up near the pillow, completely out of it. Their leg was hitting Red who was lying still on the end of the bed.
No one woke them up when it was time for tasks to begin, either, until the captain barged in and yelled.
Purple was surprised that they didn’t wake up early like they typically do, but blamed it all on falling asleep late. They tried hard to forget the previous night and to just focus on today’s tasks, which had them and Red spending the day in Security.
Apparently, despite being thousands of miles from the nearest celestial body, security guards were necessary. There was a ‘high chance of danger’ and questions like ‘what if aliens are real?’ and ‘sometimes crewmates steal pizza crust’ so this was apparently necessary.
Purple was more mesmerized by the cameras and the vibes, not having really thought about this since the tour. It was amazing that one could see every corner of the ship in crisp, colored detail from just this one place. The recordings were also high-quality, so the equipment must have had a lot of effort put into it, compared to the rest of this worn-down place.
And besides, who wouldn’t want a job where someone could sit there all day and play solitaire? That’s what the actual security guard was doing before the interns were put on duty. Purple thought back to their old college days where they would play round after round of solitaire while not giving one ounce of attention to the lecturer saying important stuff about fixing communication equipment or whatever.
With the security guard gone and Purple and Red having the room to themselves for the day, both would be the first to admit that they screwed around quite a bit. Really, there was jack shit to do. The ship was safe, though at one time Purple was watching footage of a crewmate smuggling food from the kitchen, and both interns laughed.
There was nothing else to do so it was all chatting and running around and making up random tasks to attempt. At one point, Red tried to do a cannonball into the vent but got their leg stuck for a solid half an hour.
It was a nice break from the stress both had accumulated. They weren’t even being watched because, spoiler alert, they were the ones on cams. Even if it was a bit childlike, it’s not like they could leave and avoid getting chastised, so this was the better alternative.
At one point during one of many chats, Red stopped in their tracks and said something that caught Purple’s attention. “Y’know Purple, I didn’t really take you for the playful type. When I first met you, you were so locked in, that I never thought I’d get to know you.” Red leaned against the wall to rest from all the stupid shenanigans.
These simple words struck a soft spot for Purple, and they immediately realized they were blushing so they turned to face the other way. “Well,” they said, “I kinda thought the same about you. But, uh, you turned out to be a…really nice person to talk to.”
And there it was again, that fuckass smile that Purple wanted to rip right off Red’s face because if there was anything that would get them to fold in a serious situation it was—
“Purps, I’m glad we’re friends.”
Whatthefuckwhatthefuck
Friends. Friends? Purple couldn’t believe that Red just said this, out of basically nowhere, and they’ve only known each other for three days— is that enough to be friends? When is enough to be friends? What is a friend at this point? Yeah, they’ve talked all day every day and laughed plenty and screwed around a bunch. They had a lot in common and Purple was comfortable being near them. Purple felt as though they could rely on Red. Red told them about the fish they never tell anyone of. They’ve slept on the same bed, separately, but still.
Purple has talked more to Red in these few days than they’ve talked to their friends back home in months. Purple has looked at Red more than they ever try to look at themself in a given week.
And non-friends usually don’t really like when the other person’s hands touch them. Platonically, of course. It was still such a weird feeling. Not that it mattered.
…
God, they’re friends. Somehow, already friends. How fucking crazy is that? At least, Purple felt like they’re going crazy just thinking about it.
“…Um, Purps, you alright?” Red asked, trying to read their expression.
Purple didn’t realize they only responded in their head and continued to zone out in thought for maybe fifteen long ass seconds. Red’s expression switched to worry and their hands were trembling, as was their voice.
“Did I say something wrong…?” Red questioned.
When Purple snapped back to reality, they instantly assured Red everything was good. Everything was great, even.
“You didn’t do anything wrong at all,” Purple shook their head. “I’m… glad we’re friends, too.”
That seemed to cheer up Red for the rest of the day.
***
It was night again after a very, very long day of messing around and forgetting they were even doing work. Purple’s brain was still moving a million miles a minute and they weren’t sure why. They needed to learn to clear their mind before sleeping, because if this continued for the rest of the internship they would literally go insane and maybe kill everyone on board. Then security would be a necessity.
Having images of a cute red crewmate flashing through their head wasn’t helping. They were friends. Why did Purple suddenly feel a pull? An ‘attraction,’ like a positive charge to a negative one, or whatever shit the lecturer also said while they played solitaire. It didn’t matter, they simply had to sleep, and…
The bunk shook and Purple looked up to see Red standing beside their bed. Red had seemed to notice their inability to sleep again, and made direct eye contact with Purple but didn’t say a word. They didn’t stand at the end of the bed, but rather at the side. The sound of Red’s breathing was apparent in the otherwise completely silent space.
Purple, without a second thought, shifted their body to take just half the space of the bed as they curled their legs up towards their chest. Being a small twin-sized bed, they weren’t even sure how they managed to make space, but something inside them was determined to.
Keeping the eye contact steady, Red slowly laid down on the other side of the bed, with an expression that seemed nervous or afraid of something. Purple didn’t understand. But Purple also wanted Red to be close to them and that seemed to be something Red was comfortable with. That was all that mattered.
This was a normal thing friends did, anyhow. They would keep company in the same bed because both of them sucked at sleeping. Completely and totally the norm.
Purple felt calmer already, and almost fell asleep until an arm landed on their torso. They turned their head to notice Red, completely passed out, and who unconsciously decided more proximity was needed. Their other arm hung off the side of the bed and they looked completely out of it. Being able to fall asleep that quickly sure was something.
And then suddenly, Purple had the urge to hug them back.
And then suddenly, a worse thought sprung into their mind.
A thought they had been trying to avoid this entire time.
What?
No.
They didn’t have a crush on this guy, what the fuck?
They met three days ago. They chatted a lot because they’re friends. They’re sleeping in the same bed but they just became friends. They made platonic contact like friends did.
A crush was an entirely new level, and definitely not something that should be happening so soon. Purple’s heart was beating quickly now and they hoped that Red couldn’t hear it, nor feel it in their hand.
Did Red even know what they were doing? No, Red just wanted to be friends. Red wanted this internship first and foremost, and maybe they were a bit happy to get along with Purple. Red would never ever feel anything more.
No, no, no, suddenly all the thoughts of the past three days were making sense. The sleepless night, and the whole being vulnerable thing, and everything else was clicking now.
But this was a job, an internship, not some weird fanfic romance they’d read on their Kindle in the middle of high school. This wasn’t something sweet, they shouldn’t have been feeling this way at all.
Not to mention, feelings, ew.
Purple thought about Red yapping on and on about Bubbles. They thought about carrying boxes and making excuses to touch hands. They thought about Red patting them on the shoulder, Red’s arm currently over their torso like it was normal. Being in the same bed and being comfortable with it while not needing to say a word.
The nicknames. But Red said they gave a nickname to basically everyone, and that’s not something a person lies about—Red wasn’t the type to lie—so it’s not weird, right? It’s not weird when their heart jumps at Red saying ‘Purps” naturally.
The stars are pretty today, Red said once. Purple wanted to reply, you are too.
Fucking hell.
God.
Fucking.
Damnit.
Three days.
Two sleep deprived nights.
And an absurd amount of pizza because nobody here knew how to cook for shit and it wasn’t a matter of time before their task was to cook things correctly.
And Purple had a crush on Red.
…
They felt bad. Red was trying to be a good friend and an even better coworker. Red didn’t deserve this. Sure, would the other intern have an ego boost at knowing this? Possibly. Would they also probably hate Purple forever and not want to work with them or talk to them or eat dinner with them? It was a possibility.
It wasn’t fair.
But it was going to be a long three weeks-minus-three days.