Archive of Our Own

Click.

The elevator doors shut with a small click, as blue stepped inside. The crewmate- Blue- looked around the area, taking in their surroundings. The elevator didn’t look very clean from the last time they rode it, likely due to all the years it’s been used by the many, many crewmates before and after them. The chairs had small rips, along with the walls looking very beat up, but Blue wasn’t one to complain. After all, they were only going to be on this rinky dink elevator for a couple of minutes- plus, it was still holding itself together.

Their attention then snapped over to the small Tv, placed on top of a rolling cart. The Tv had two miniature speakers on its sides, along with a big row of cassettes on a second shelf right below the Tv. Upon closer examination, Blue’s attention landed on a tape labeled “Introduction: MIRA Corporation and You!”

With careful hands, they picked up said tape which had looked far less dusty than the other tapes in the selection. The required introductory video for every elevator ride. Humming, Blue looked up at the Tv, as they then carefully pushed the tape into the slot. The Tv sucked the object as the screen came to life, shining a bright baby blue color. 

Blue then took notice of the remote placed atop of the Tv, grabbing it with a swift motion. Looking back over at the beat up seats, they made their way over, climbing into the seat as they then pressed ‘Play’ bringing their attention back to the Tv.

The screen glitched black and white before shining with another baby blue color, as the words ‘MIRA’ were in bright red. Below the title read a text in yellow that said, ‘MIRA Corporation and You!’

As if on cue, the elevator began to move, vibrating as it was set into motion. Blue glanced around for a small moment before their attention was brought back to the Tv screen to watch the same video they had seen many times before.

“Fun. Engagement. Fun-gagement! Here at Mira incorporation, the company culture is so Fun-gaging, it’ll have you making up words!”

The elevator jittered lightly, the sound of gears shifting and clanking being drowned out by the audio coming from the Tv. They kicked their feet slightly as they took in the words from the Tv, which was now occupied by another person by the name of ‘Orange’. They then began to talk about ‘Ore Plus’ the energy source Mira works to ship from an asteroid over to the facility in Industria.

“First things first, now is a great time to pause your tape and introduce yourself to anyone in the room with you!”

Blue tapped at their knee absentmindedly as the tape itself seemed to give a few seconds to pause before continuing. There were mentions about safety instructions, the pay they would be getting, and the importance of making sure the Ore Plus was properly and safely delivered.

As the tape proceeded, the elevator gave a heavy jolt, nearly causing Blue to fall out of their seat. 

“And finally- to give you a personalized tour of the ship, I want to introduce you to-“ 

The doors behind the Tv let out a loud hiss, as smoke poured in from the other side. Blue quickly covered their visor attempting to fan the smoke away as a black figure emerged from the area.

“-Me! But now I’m real! Welcome to the Skeld, we’re so happy to have you among- Oh my goodness! Blue! Welcome back once again!” Orange, spoke out tossing up a red ball in one hand.

“Bravo! What a lovely introduction once again! I’m very impressed Orange.” Blue gave out a small applause, pleased by the performance they had seen many times before.

“Swooon!” Orange exclaimed. “Why thank you very much!” Orange replied quickly, voice seeming to go up a decimal as they gave a small bow to the other. Fixing their posture quickly they then brought a hand up to their visor, clearing their throat as they brought the red ball forth once again.

“You’re such a great person Blue! It’s always so wonderful to be in your presence.” Orange spoke gleefully. They then backed away as they began to walk out of the elevator, into the ship.

“We have three new members added to the crew from Mira that you haven’t met yet, and two brand new members that will be joining us very soon! Let me introduce you to them!” Blue gave a small hum of approval as they followed behind the other, matching their pace as they trailed behind.

Entering the ship, Blue ran into some familiar faces- Cyan, Black, and surprisingly Purple as well. Eventually both Blue and Orange made their way to the kitchen area, as Orange gave a quick turnaround, holding a hand out towards the two.

“These two are Yellow and Brown! They’re our new cooks for the ship!” Orange said with enthusiasm as Yellow seemed to be inspecting Blue closely, pizza cutter in hand.

“So, you must be that hot doctor that’s the talk of the town.” Yellow stated clearly, pointing their pizza cutter over accusingly and Brown seemed to give a nod of approval. 

“Now, now! Let’s not be rash!” Orange attempted to quickly defend, but Blue was quick to calm them with a small hand flick.

“Believe me, I am extremely flattered and appreciative of any title given to me by my fellow comrades, each holds a special place very dear to me. But even if so, I am not to only be defined by what those see on the outside, but rather, what those see deep down on the inside. The surface can only give so much, and yet- still never enough truly.” Blue adjusted their stethoscope slightly, before putting a hand to their chest.

“Yellow and Brown, it is a pleasure to meet the both of you.”

“Swoon.” Orange muttered.

The three looked over as Yellow’s hard stare changed into something much lighter, along with Brown also having a shift in their visor.

“Damn, you are good. Ah, hell!” Yellow blurted out, spinning the cutter in their hands as they then stabbed it into a pile of dough.

“We are also pleased to meet you as well.” Brown cut in, stepping up to Yellow’s side.

“Oh yeah- Of course! Sorry about that Doctor.” Yellow sighed as Blue gave a small hand wave.

“It’s alright truly! No worries.” Blue nodded before turning back over to Orange who was now on the move.

“Ah, glad that’s all worked out! Now for our next person follow me, right this way!” Orange exclaimed once more, as Blue caught up once again following closely behind.

As the two walked into the reactor, Blue immediately noticed the lack of another crewmate. They tapped at their visor before looking over at Orange who happened to be flipping through pages on their clipboard.

“Excuse me for intruding your work, but isn’t there supposed to be someone else here? The other new crewmate?”

Orange seemed to give small grumble before quickly turning around to look over at Blue, tapping their fingers on their clipboard somewhat impatiently.

“Yes they are supposed to be here, but I think our good friend Lime is probably somewhere.. scurrying- at the moment.” Orange sighed before giving another look at their clipboard.

“Scurrying?” Blue questioned, tilting their head slightly.

“Yes- scurrying! They are our engineer after all! It’ll make much more sense once you actually meet Lime, but have no worries Doctor! I’m sure they’ll come around. After all, this is cutting into your very important work time I’m sure!” Orange quickly changed subjects as they began walking away once more. Blue followed once again as the two made their way over to Medbay, but couldn’t help dwelling on Orange’s words.

What exactly did ‘scurrying’ mean? And how exactly was Lime doing this? They hadn’t seen anyone crawling around the Skeld, and they’re very sure they would’ve noticed the unfamiliar face if they were to have passed by beforehand. So where could the other possibly be?

Entering the Medbay, Blue’s usual working space, Orange then turned around walking backwards as they began to speak once more.

“Now I know you still have quite a few things to set up here, butttt- MIRA needs this paperwork to be filled out!” Orange then side stepped revealing a big stack of documents atop of a desk. They then cleared their throat. “I know this is very sudden, but happens to be very important protocols and I would have another person do it but-“

“Please Orange, do not worry yourself or any of our fellow workers. I will take it upon myself and make sure these papers are properly signed and finished by as early as tomorrow morning. I know how important this is to the company and yourself, I will not let you down.” Blue replied calmly before walking over towards the desk and straightening out a small stack of papers.

“Ah, how wonderful! I knew I could count on you Doctor! I’ll leave you to it!” Orange responded with a small wave, before waddling their way out of Medbay. Blue gave a glance toward the paperwork and then over at the boxes placed around the floor. They hadn’t had a chance to unpack yet, but it seemed like that would have to wait till later. Blue let out a small sigh, walking over towards the papers. 

About half an hour had passed since they arrived on the ship, and Blue was already putting themselves to work. Instead of waiting to unload later, they decided it would be more convenient to multitask. They also would be able to complete some of the other tasks they had set for themselves, such as reading over their crews medical records provided by MIRA, along with moving around the equipment to be more conveniently placed. After all, Blue was always sure to make sure they had a comfortable working environment, not only for themselves, but also for their patients.

“Hmm, about 15 pages left to sign, and two more untouched boxes. If I keep this pace up I should be done in-“

CLANK!

Blue paused, jumping slightly at the noise. They then looked around the Medbay carefully examining the room.

CLANK! CLANK!

Blue looked over at the vent near one of the sinks. 

“Hmmm..”

They walked over, giving the vent a closer look. Kneeling down, Blue looked through the slits of the hatch, eyes squinting. 

CLANK!

Blue jumped back once again, losing their grip on one of the papers in hand. It fell with grace, slipping right through one of the cracks into the vents.

“Shoot.” Blue cursed quietly, standing up quickly. They tapped at their visor, looking at the form of the hatch. It seemed like it was able to be opened, but it was very likely the paper could’ve fallen much further than they’d be able to reach. Nonetheless they had to try.

Blue then slowly reached their hand out to lift the hatch-

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! SNAP!

“GAH!”

“GAHH!”

As the vent abruptly snapped open, Blue jumped back as the rest of the papers in hand falling behind them onto the floor of Medbay. In front of them was what seemed to be another crewmate, currently blinded by what looked like the paper they had dropped just a second ago.

“WHAT IS THIS THING! THESE VERMIN AND THEIR TRAPS I TELL YA!” The crewmate in the vent exclaimed, waving their hands around frantically. Eventually they finally yanked the paper off of their face, which happened to have a picture of them right on the front.

The crewmate looked over at Blue, who still happened to be on the floor from the scare.

“Oi! Did you see the rat that planted this here? It’s gotta be a rat!” They semi-shouted head whipping from one side to the other. Blue then finally stood back up dusting their front before looking at the unfamiliar face in front of them.

“Ah, you must be Lime! Orange had mentioned you before.” Blue spoke pointing a finger at the other. Lime seemed to let out a groan at that.

“I don’t trust that one. Not one bit.” Lime muttered, tapping a finger on the floor as they continued their looking around the room. They then seemed to notice the paper in hand which happened to be their own medical biography.

“GAH! SEE! THIS IS WHAT I MEAN! Documenting me and all this other crap! Who knows what else these people are up to! You’re one of em’ ain’t ya!” Lime shouted, gripping the paper as they pointed an accusing finger directly at Blue.

“I know you may not know of me well but I can assure you I have no intention of doing anything like such. My main concern is our crew’s safety and that you all stay safe and healthy.” Blue spoke softly, in contrast to Lime’s booming voice. They put their hands up in a calming manner as silent took over for a moment.

Lime’s visor squinted at the other as their finger dropped slightly. They grumbled once again, head turning.

“Hmmm. I still don’t trust it. Or you. Or anyone for that matter!” Lime spoke out once again, gripping the paper even tighter.

“If it helps you out, you can feel free to keep your paper! I’ve already taken a look at all of them, and I promise you I won’t share any of the information I know with anyone else if that were to put you in an uncomfortable position.” Blue advised, putting a fisted hand to their chest.
 
Lime’s visor raised just a fraction but it was quick to narrow down once again. Blue could tell they were still skeptical.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why is it that you are in the vents rather than at the reactor?” Blue questioned, tapping under their visor.

“What are you a cop?” Lime spat out, crumbling up their medical record as they seemed to place it somewhere in the vent, though Blue couldn’t exactly tell. Blue was about to answer their question but Lime cut in once more.

“The reactor ain’t the only place that needs repairing! Plus, too many people around.” 

“I see. Are the vents.. spacious enough? They don’t exactly look that big.”

“I don’t gotta worry about that! I have Squick bone syndrome!” Lime explained, sounding somewhat proud. “Getting through these vents is like sliding a hotdog into a bun!” 

“Ah, Squish bone, the condition also referred to as ‘Jiggly bone.’” Blue mentioned, pointing over at Lime once again. “You were diagnosed, I’m assuming?”

“Unfortunately.” Lime muttered visor squinting in annoyance. Blue tapped below their own visor.

“You don’t like checkups, do you Lime?”

“Of course I don’t! I stray away from those info stealing events as long as I can! They’re all just a big set up I tell ya!” Lime exclaimed once again, eyes narrowing even more as they seemed to be inspecting Blue now. Blue then cleared their throat.

“I can most certainly agree that the medical community is most definitely imperfect and has done many wrongs. I’m sorry about such, Lime.” Blue spoke, putting a hand to their chest once again, this time instead flattening it.

“I can only speak for myself when I say this, but I will do my best to make sure I can fulfill your wishes as best as I can Lime, whilst also making sure I fulfill the duty I have to keep you and everyone else safe.”

Lime’s visor opened fully, their expression seeming to soften. 

“H-huh?”

They then shook their head quickly before pointing another accusatory finger at Blue.

“You! Your spells won’t work on me! WITCH!”

And with that-

SLAM!

Lime was gone, once again.

Blue simply just stared at the vent for a moment not moving a muscle. They then noticed the papers scattered from their fall, as they quickly kneeled over beginning to pick the stack up. Orange’s words flowed through their mind as they did so.

‘Scurrying. It’ll make more sense when you actually meet Lime.’

Well, it definitely made sense now.. the scurrying at least. Blue was at least happy to have finally had a proper introduction with the other. Well, would it be considered a proper introduction..? Blue definitely believes a lot could’ve gone much smoother.

Counting the papers once again, Blue carefully placed them atop of the desk before walking back over toward one of their boxes. Opening it carefully, they pulled out a lime colored pen. Upon doing such, Blue glanced over at the vent once again.

Blue was very curious about them. They’d be lying if they said they weren’t a little eager to run into the other once again.

“All 52 papers, completely filled out with signatures.” Blue spoke, presenting the stack to Orange.

“Thank you greatly once again Doctor! You truly are our best!” Orange quickly walked over, picking up the large stack of papers.

“Oh please, there’s no need for that. I am no better than anyone on this ship, nor am I any less. We are all special and truly great in our own unique and different ways.” 

“Swooon. WOAH!” Orange tripped nearly dropping all of the paperwork. Blue was quick to act, stepping forward instantly to grab the papers, allowing Orange to regain balance.

“Here, allow me to take these. Where would you like them put?” Blue questioned, lifting the stack with ease from the others hands.

“Oh! Communications please doctor! Thank you so much!” Orange’s visor seemed to sparkle as they spoke. “Do you need help carrying those? I could take half-“

“No no, it’s truly alright. Thank you for your concern.” Blue cut them off, exiting the Medbay with papers in hand. They heard Orange make some kind of exclamation but heard the others steps retreating behind them in the opposite direction.

Making their way through the cafeteria, Yellow and Brown happened to be sitting at a table having a conversation.

“And get this. Ten dollars an HOUR! Can you believe that?” Yellow spoke very passionately, pushing a finger into the table.

“No roommate?” Brown questioned, eyes and hands preoccupied with the pizza dough in front of them.

“No. Roommate. Nobody!” Yellow shouted, slamming the table this time.

Brown let out a sigh before slightly shaking their head. As Blue passed by Yellow gave a small call.

“Oh, hey Blue! You taking that over to coms?” Yellow asked waving a hand, as Brown looked up from their work.

“Oh, yes indeed I am!” Blue answered looking over in their direction. If their hands weren’t full, they would’ve waved back.

“You need some help with that?” Yellow added, pointing to the large pile of papers.

“Looks like a lot.” Brown also added on giving a small nod.

“Oh, please don’t worry yourselves! I’ve got it, but thank you for your kindness and worry.” Blue turned attempting to shake their head and give some kind of sign.

“Alright then.. if you’re sure!” Yellow shouted once more, as Brown gave a thumbs up beside them. The two quickly fell back into conversation as Blue made their way out of the Cafeteria.

Walking in Communications, Blue placed the stack carefully on top of a desk before taking a quick turn back out. They ended up running into Cyan who seemed to be in a hurry.

“Oh Blue! Sorry if I spooked you!” Cyan spoke out sounding a little out of breath.

“It’s alright, neither of us got hurt so there’s no need to apologize.” Blue advised.

“Swooon.” Cyan replied before walking past the other. “You always lift up my spirits!” 

“It’s truly my pleasure! Your presence does the same!” Blue responded making their way out as Cyan began to look through some of the piled papers.

Making their way out of shields, Blue was about to turn the corner when-

SLAM!

Blue slightly jumped back as a certain crewmate stuck their half out of the vent.

“Dagnabbit. Wrong turn!” Lime spoke before  tapping at their visor a few times.

“Lime, what wonderful timing.” Blue spoke out, attempting not to startle the other. Nonetheless Lime’s attention quickly snapped over.

“Oh, of course it’s you!” Lime replied, seeming to somewhat shrink more into the vent, their hands gripping on the front area.

“I simply just wanted to inform you about the medical checkups that will have to be taken very soon by each crewmate.” Blue added. Lime seemed to scoff at that.

“What, is ‘medical checkup’ a code name for ‘information to put in your bio once I put you up for sale’?” Lime responded, voice filled with skepticism. Their position didn’t change, still looking as if they were about to slip away at any moment.

“Medical checkups are just a simple questionnaire that has to be documented. They are mainly just to give me more insight on your well being from a more personal perspective. Once again as I stated, I promise you I will never share any information you’d be uncomfortable with Lime.” Blue knelt down towards the vent, speaking with ease as they looked over at Lime. 

Lime grumbled once again, before turning their head to the side slightly. Blue could tell they still seemed uneasy, just as they had the first time the two interacted.

“If it helps you, you can look over the document as I am writing it. You can also keep the paper again if that would be more helpful.” Blue added.

“Yeah, yeah alright! When is this ‘checkup’ anyway?”

“We can do it right now if you’d like to get it over with-“

“Deal!”

SLAM!

Lime then slammed the vent shut right in Blues face. The other gave a startled expression as they heard sounds from inside the vents, very quickly moving away.

‘They’re probably heading over to Medbay.’ Blue thought, as they also quickly began to run their way over. If Lime wanted this procedure to be over as quick as possible, Blue was sure to fulfill that wish.

Turning a sharp corner, Blue skidded into Medbay, which seemed to still be empty. Blue then walked over towards the table picking up a clipboard and black pen. 

SLAM!

Blue turned to see Lime once again, upper half sticking out of the vent.

“This better be quick.” Lime spoke out, eyes narrowed. They hadn’t moved from the vent just yet.

“I promise you I will have this done as soon as I possibly can for you Lime.” Blue confirmed, walking over to one of the beds before sitting down. They then glanced over at Lime, patting the space next to them.

Lime didn’t move for a good minute, staring directly at Blue. Then with a small sigh, the other lifted themself up, fully exiting the vent. They left the hatch open, likely due to the fact they’d be hopping back in as soon as this was over.

Lime took a seat as far as they possibly could from Blue, eyes narrowed. Blue then began the checkup, not wasting any time.

“Have you had any procedures or major illnesses in the past year?” 

“No.” 

Blue nodded writing down a small X.

“Do you take any type of medication?”

“Mm-mmm.” Lime shook their head.

Blue nodded once again writing another quick X.

Lime glanced at the clock on the side before letting out another quick sigh.

The questioning continued for a good two minutes. The questions weren’t anything too deep, being simple health related questions like Blue stated in the hallway before. Lime still wasn’t a big fan of all this stuff, but unlike Orange, Blue’s writing didn’t make them feel like they were being dissected by pen and paper. 

Still, Lime didn’t exactly trust them. Sure their words felt more sincere than others normally did, and the way they looked at Lime was… weird, to say the least. Or was it just that their looks made Lime feel weird? It probably had to do something with their witchcraft or whatever spells they had the rest of the ship under. That too was a main factor.

The vents carried many, many secrets, and many of those secrets also carried along Blue. They had this strange spell over about everyone, that had something to do with swooning, whatever the hell that meant! Everyone in this damn ship was under it, but Lime wasn’t falling for it any time soon! 

“And we’re done.” Blue spoke out, holding the clipboard out to Lime.

Lime let out a hum, before snatching the clipboard from the other, beginning to examine it quickly and closely. The paper didn’t have any extra hidden information, just the same questions Blue had asked with either a check or X mark next to it.

“You’re free to leave whenever you’d like. I deeply apologize if the checkup wasn’t quick enough for you, for I know you have your own things to tend to and how much you dislike them. If so next time I’ll-“

“Oh hush you!” Lime quickly cut them off, waving their hand was the plopped the clipboard back on the bed.

Lime then walked over towards the vent before stopping at it for a small moment.

“It was fine. But you still haven’t fooled me, WITCH! I’ve got my eyes on you!” Lime then pointed two fingers towards Blue, before hopping into the vent, slamming it shut right behind them.

Blue looked at the vent for a small moment before going over towards the bed and grabbing the clipboard off of it. Walking over towards their desk, they then placed it down letting out a small sigh.

Lime was very different from all the other crewmates on the ship, Blue knew that much by their first meeting. Honestly it felt.. refreshing in a way Blue couldn’t explain, but they weren’t against it. No, if anything they liked it. Quite a bit. 

“Alright, now for the others… Maybe Purple would like to get it out of the way next.”

Lime hissed, opening the vent hatch that was supposed to lead to reactor. Key words, supposed to. They peeked out noticing Red, who seemed to be very focused on some type of game that was displayed on the big screen.

Lime let out a “Tsk” sound, before quickly slamming the vent shut, changing directions. They heard the captain yelp and mutter something, but they were too far away to make it out by now.

It had been quite a few days on the ship, as Lime was sure they had the ventilation system remembered- for the most part. Sure they tended to make a few wrong turns quite a lot, but they always ended up getting to their desired destination! After all, the vents never let them down. Plus, it saved them from the many conversations they didn’t want to have with the others in the ship. 

Lime was about to bust open another vent hatch when they heard someone’s voice in particular. That same deep calming voice they’d heard one too many times.

“Once again, thank you for helping me bring these in Brown. I’m very sorry to have possibly cut into your time, I’m sure you have much better things to be tending to on the ship.” Blue spoke out, giving some type of bow to Brown who happened to be in front of them.

Lime scoffed before turning around once again. It didn’t seem like they were any closer to finding reactor at the moment, and they most certainly didn’t want to stick around and hear whatever those two had to say.

SLAM!

Lime ended up popping up in electrical, which was fine considering the fact that nobody was there at the moment. Walking towards the wiring, they popped open the junction box taking a quick inspection.

One of the wires seemed to be disconnected, so with a quick pull and tie, Lime got it back together in no time. They closed the box then glancing over at the breaker which also seemed to be completely fine.

“Lime! There you are!” 

Lime whipped around fast, pulling out a wrench and aiming towards Purple who had suddenly appeared behind them.

“Woah! Geez, chill out.” Purple said, putting their hands up slightly as Lime narrowed their eyes. They lowered their wrench but didn’t put it away.

“You can’t just run up on people like that anyway! You can’t blame me for being startled. Anyway, do you need somethin’?” Lime asked, voice returning to more of a neutral tone. They didn’t exactly want to be bothered at the moment.

“Oh, I was wondering if you could take a look at the cameras for me? I’ve been bothering Red about it but they just- ugh. Can you just see if there’s anything that can be helped?” Purple questioned, pointing a thumb towards the exit of electrical.

Lime let out a small sigh, tapping their foot slightly. They had the urge to reject, but they were the groups only engineer. Plus, they weren’t really surprised about Red not doing much, they had a very bad feeling about their fishy captain.

“Yeah, I’ll give it a look over. But I ain’t saying I can fix it, alright?” Lime replied, pointing a finger at Purple.

Purple gave a sigh of relief and a quick nod.

Taking a look at the cameras, they had no color, no audio, and couldn’t playback. Lime watched closely as Purple pressed buttons on the keyboard and explained how useless they were for security purposes, and how they couldn’t possibly do their job with this.

“Well, if they were installed like this, I don’t think theres anything that can be done. The captain is your best bet. It’s also likely due to the older model.” Lime responded crossing their arms. Purple let out a small sigh lowering their head in defeat.

“Well, thanks anyway. You gave me more insight than Red, and at least I know what the problem is.” Purple spoke, still tapping away at the screen.

“Eh, there’s no need. Like I said, there was no guarantee it could’ve been fixed.” Lime reasoned, walking over to the vent and flicking the hatch open with a simple kick.

“Oh, Lime could you-“

SLAM!

Purple turned as the other was now gone, the sound of small clanking coming from the inside of the vent. They sighed once again, turning back towards the screen, staring at one with an angered expression.

Blue tapped at their clipboard in hand, reading over the recording’s they’ve collected over the past few days. They clicked their pen, writing down some notes in a miniature notepad on their desk. They then picked up another piece of paper, which happened to be Lime’s answered questions.

They scanned through the information once again, taking mental notes rather than documenting. After all the other had expressed how much they didn’t exactly like that concept.

After getting another scan through they looked over at another paper that had a list of the things Blue had yet to complete before lift off. It was still quite a bit, but they also had a very large amount of time left to do so, so it wasn’t too troublesome. Though, Lime in particular had seemed like they were attempting to avoid these checkups, being the only main source of trouble for the doctor. Though once again, Blue wasn’t angry about it.

“YEOW!”

Blue glanced over at the vent, hearing the yelp as clear as day. They set down their supplies rushing over once again.

Worry suddenly shot through them. The yell Lime let out sounded quite frantic and they wondered of the other had possibly been harmed. After all they were sure the vents likely had a lot of dangers, which is why they were always unsure about the other who insisted on such being their main source for travel.

Flicking the hatch open, Blue glanced inside the vent. They then cupped their hands before give a small shout.

“Lime?”

Lime yelped out, as they felt a sharp pain in their right hand. Taking a quick look, they realized they had nicked it. The cut was quite deep, oozing blood out pretty quickly. They let out a sigh, continuing to crawl through the area. They didn’t exactly have any bandages on them, but maybe they could find something to help the wound. Maybe.

“Lime?”

Lime jittered, turning their head around at the sound of their name. Their hand stung as they moved it slightly, hissing as they grabbed at it.

“Lime, are you alright? Did something happen?”

The voice- Blue’s voice, spoke out sounding ever so concerned. Lime groaned slightly.

“I am perfectly fine! If it was urgent I would’ve came to you already!” Lime shouted.

Lime’s voice was pretty far, but Blue was able to make out their words. Still, Blue was unsure.

“Could you come here really quickly Lime? I just want to check up on you.” Blue replied once again.

Lime let out something that sounded like a growl, before Blue heard sounds coming from inside the vent. Eventually, Lime’s head popped out.

“What?” Lime spat.

Blue looked at them carefully. They looked how they usually would, covered in dirt and visor showing how they very much did not want to be here. Blue then tapped their own visor.

“Could I see your hands, Lime?” 

Lime seemed to jump at that question, shrinking slightly. Blue expected them to argue, but they simply brought their hands up, gripping at the side of the vent.

“Ow!”

Lime yelped as soon as they had, left hand quickly grabbing at their right. Noticing this Blue then reached their hand out carefully, Lime jumping back a small bit.

“Can I have a look at it?” Blue questioned softly. Lime grumbled, not responding nor moving. Blue let out a sigh, standing as they walked over towards the bed.

“Lime, would you please come out of the vent for a moment at least? I promise it won’t take very long.” Blue asked once again, pulling out some gauze and bandages from a drawer. 

Lime squinted at the supplies, very tempted to just leave the area. After all they weren’t required to stay. Even so, Blue’s worried tone stirred something in them, something that was keeping them there. Turning back around, Blue looked over at Lime once more.

“I know you said nothings wrong, but I just want to check on you to make sure you’re really okay. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself knowing you were to be in pain, and I didn’t do anything about it.” 

Lime let out a final sigh, lifting themselves up and out of the vent. They slowly walked over to Blue, before presenting the back of their right hand towards the other.

Blue grabbed at their hand ever so gently, flipping it over to look at the gash that now looked slightly dirty. Blue inspected it closely.

“Hmmm, this needs to be properly cleaned and bandaged.” Blue spoke before carefully grabbing Lime’s other hand, guiding them towards the bed and having them sit. Blue then grabbed the gauze along with a rag before standing in front of the other, grabbing at their hand once more. 

Lime felt fidgety, not liking the feeling of Blue holding and treating their hand so.. gently. It’s not that it hurt, more so that it just made them feel weird.

Lime didn’t like physical contact with others and often tried to avoid it as much as possible. The feeling of it always rubbed them the wrong way, no matter who the person was. It couldn’t help but make them feel jittery, and want to leave the situation as soon as possible.

Blue then began to wrap the bandages over their hand in quick but gentle motions, looking over the hand as they finished up.

“And we’re finished!” Blue confirmed, placing Lime’s hand back on the bed carefully as they then went to put the supplies away.

Lime looked at their hand, now wrapped very neatly by white bandages.

“If you could, I’d like for you to come back around at least once a day so I can take a look at it and rewrap it properly. Or would you prefer to do it yourself?” Blue added, looking at the other with a questioning expression.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, I can handle it!” Lime spoke. Blue then gave a nod as they handed  bandages, gauze, and some type off fluid over to Lime.

“I know you don’t like me all that much, so I won’t force you to let me bandage you everyday especially since you’re capable. I do ask that you at least come back every day to at least let me glance over your bandaging so I can make sure you’re doing it correctly for your own wellbeing.” Blue instructed.

“Don’t like you?” Lime questioned, looking over. Blue seemed to jump at that, turning to look over at the other.

“Well- yes! I assumed so with our earlier interactions, and how it seems like you’ve been avoiding me. I know it may be bothersome having someone you don’t like as your doctor, so I don’t want to trouble you too much.” Blue spoke, almost sounding somewhat nervous. Lime grumbled, feeling a tad bit guilty. Why were they guilty?

“I never said I didn’t like you. Sure I find you suspicious at times, but I do with everyone here.” Lime added, attempting to lift the others now down spirit.

 “After all, I’m sure you hate having me here anyway. So it’d be mutual, even if I did.”

“What? Oh no, heavens no! I like you quite a lot Lime!”

“Eh?” Lime questioned, looking at the other as they hopped off the hospital bed. Blue then walked over, carefully grabbing at their bandaged hand.

“I don’t hate you, not at all! I don’t believe I could possibly hate any of my fellow coworkers really, but I care about you just as much as the rest of the crew! I would never put you below anyone, and if anything I think I worry for you quite a lot.”

Blue rubbed their thumb along Lime’s bandaged hand, which was quickly snatched back after a small moment. 

“Oh- I’m so sorry! I forgot you’re not exactly a big fan of-“

“Hush you!” Lime responded, but they seemed flustered. 

“You don’t need to worry about me anyway! I can handle myself quite fine as you can see! Well, most of the time!” Lime responded, their voice having no real bite to it. 

“I’ll come back tomorrow so you can do the bandaging or whatever- but that doesn’t mean I like your checkups! It’ll just be faster since you’ll have to check up on my hand anyway!” Lime huffed, pointing at Blue. They didn’t know what else to say to the doctor so they simply just turned away and began walking towards the vent.

“Lime?” Blue spoke softly. Lime turned slightly, looking at the other.

“Please, be more careful.” Blue added before turning around back towards their equipment. Lime let out a choked sound and muttered something before the vent slammed loudly, announcing their departure.

SLAM! 

Lime returned the next day as promised, around the same time they had the day before. Blue turned to glance at the vent, already having the same supplies as yesterday out. Lime groaned, hoping out of the vent and walking towards the bed.

Blue held their hand out, gesturing for Lime to place their own in Blue’s. Lime sighed before reluctantly resting the bandaged hand in Blue’s hand. Blue then began to unravel the bandage carefully.

“Has your hand been giving you any trouble?” Blue asked as they reached for a cloth.

“Not exactly. Hurts a little with too much pressure, but nothing major.” Lime responded, resting their free hand on their knee.

Blue nodded, cleaning the wound carefully. “Has this happened to you before?”

Lime tapped at their knee in thought. 

“A few times I believe. Nothing too serious though!” Lime answered, watching as Blue worked feeling oddly calmer than usual.

“I hope so. It’s best to be careful when it comes to these kind of things. Though I trust you usually are looking out for yourself, yes?” Blue questioned looking up at Lime. Lime felt like they were suddenly on the spot, slightly flushing.

“Well of course I do! Can’t trust anyone else will!” Lime answered. Blue continued looking at them for a moment before returning back to their hand.

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad to hear you take care of yourself Lime, but you don’t have to shoulder that alone. You can rely on me, if you ever feel the need to. I’m here for you, just as I am for everyone else.” Blue added once again, as they began to wrap up Lime’s wound with new bandaging.

Lime sputtered. They didn’t know how to reply to that. So instead, they just stayed silent as Blue finished up.

“You’re good to go. I hope that didn’t take up too much of your time.” Blue spoke before they began to put the supplies away. Lime let out a huff.

“No, you didn’t. You worry too much Doctor.” Lime added before they stood up. Blue glanced over at them. 

Lime then walked over to the vent before looking back at Blue. 

“You should take care of yourself too, just as you do everyone else. You hear?” Lime spoke. 

Blue stared at them for a moment, before giving a small nod. 

SLAM!

Blue looked over at the old bandages before picking them up and tossing them out. They then smiled.

Over the next few days, Lime popped up in Medbay at least once, getting their hand looked at and rebandaged by Blue. Each day it only took a few minutes of wiping, handholding, and wrapping before they were eventually sent back off to do whatever they’d like. 

Some days Blue would try to make conversation, asking how their day had been or if their hand was giving the em any troubles whilst working. Lime would answer, adding in their own questions toward the other as Blue would add on. 

Sometimes- on very rare occasions- Lime would even stay a little longer to talk with the other. Bringing up their theories, rambling about items they would find in the vents, and sometimes even the things they’d hear. Blue usually stayed silent as they spoke, not wanting to interrupt Lime or ruin the moment. They also really liked Lime’s rambles, finding them incredibly interesting.

“It looks like your hand is all healed up now.” Blue said, unwrapping the wound as Lime finished up their rambling, something involving holy water.

“Hmm.. you sure?” Lime questioned, their tone holding something Blue couldn’t quite place.

“Yes, I am. You have made a completely healthy recovery.” Blue added, pointing at Lime’s hand that no longer had the mark from the cut. 

Lime grumbled looking at their hand with an angry expression. Blue blinked in confusion.

“Are you not.. happy your hand is healed Lime?” Blue tilted their head slightly.

“Of course I’m happy!” Lime responded quickly. Blue tapped at their visor.

“I’m sorry, you just seem very displeased. Is something wrong?” Blue asked.

Lime grumbled once again, slightly turning away from the other. Blue was beyond confused and concerned by this point.

“Well I just.. happened to like talking that’s all.” Lime spoke out quietly, which was a very rare occurrence. 

Blue’s eyes widened slightly as they then let out a giggle. Lime looked over.

“What are ya-!”

“Lime, you are free to visit me and chat whenever you’d please.” Blue spoke out.

Lime let out a choked sound before hopping off the bed with another grumble. 

“Well, I didn’t say all that!” Lime responded. Blue also hopped off the bed.

“I’m aware of that! I’m just letting you know. After all, I too enjoy our conversations quite a lot. They’re a very big highlight of my day.” Blue said softly. Lime made another choked sound.

“Well- I don’t want to cut into your time..” Lime added. Blue waved them off.

“Oh, you wouldn’t be cutting into anything! But I thank you for your consideration.” Blue added. Lime let out a small mumble, before walking towards the vent, kicking the hatch up.

“Yeah, yeah. Thank you, for the hand thing.” Lime muttered, hopping into the vent.

SLAM!

Blue gave a smile, before walking towards their paperwork on the desk once again. They hoped the other would consider stopping by daily. They smiled at the thought.

SLAM! 

Blue looked over at the vent Lime’s upper half sticking out as per usual. Lime looked around a few times before scratching at their head.

“Whoops. Wrong turn again.” 

“You’ve been doing that an awful lot lately. Would it help if you had a map to navigate through the vents more smoothly?” Blue asked, as Lime looked like they were about to slip away.

“I don’t need mapping! I got one right here!” Lime spoke proudly pointing directly at their head. Blue let out a small giggle before giving a nod.

“Well, you do make your way through those vents most efficiently at times. I don’t know how you do it. It’s truly just wonderful.” Blue praised, causing Lime to wave them off. 

“It’s child’s play. Nothing special! Oh! That reminds me-“ Lime responded, before digging their hand down in the vent as if they were looking for something. Blue tilted their head as Lime then pulled out a dark blue pen, presenting it proudly.

“I saw a rat carrying this around in its mouth and I noticed it on your desk before. Wanted to return it!” Lime said almost bashfully. Blue let out a small gasp before running over and grabbing the pen carefully from Lime’s hand. Their fingers brushed in the process, causing Lime to jitter.

“It is! I’ve been looking for this everywhere, I had no idea a rat stole it. Thank you very much Lime, you are truly kind.” Blue gushed, patting Lime on the head. Lime felt themselves heat up but just quickly waved Blue off once again. 

“No need to! I was just returning it to its rightful owner, those rats are always up to something..”

Blue gave another giggle before looking at the pen then back over at Lime. They then held the pen back out.

“Here Lime. I want you to keep it.” Blue calmly spoke. Lime raised an eyebrow.

“What? But- it’s yours! I just got it back for ya too!” Lime argued.

“I know, and I am truly very thankful for that. I promise you I won’t forget this moment. But I’d like for you to have it instead.” Blue insisted, holding the pen out further.

“You’re gifting me your pen?” 

“Indeed I am.” 

Lime blinked, looking at the pen then back at Blue. With a careful hand, they pulled it from their hand, fingers brushing once again. Lime now held the pen, hand tightening around it.

“Thank.. you.”

“Why of course!“ Blue replied enthusiastically, before standing back up and walking over towards their desk.

Lime waited there for a small moment, not closing the vent just yet. 

“I didn’t take a wrong turn.” They admitted. Blue stopped in their tracks glancing over.

“Hm?” 

“I just wanted to see you. And return your pen.” Lime spoke quietly.

Blue blinked.

SLAM!

Blue’s heart stuttered. Could hearts do that? They should know, they are a doctor after all, but they couldn’t help but wonder. They let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding before walking over towards their desk their desk sitting down once more. 

They tapped at their knee before letting out a hum of happiness.

They hadn’t felt this good in a long while

Today was once again, another required check up. Apparently the last two the crew was waiting on would finally be arriving tomorrow, which meant lift off was only a day away. 

Blue had gotten through everyone in the crew, all except one.

Lime hadn’t come to visit, likely due to hearing about the checkup today being a blood draw. Despite getting Lime more comfortable with some, they still had their beliefs and skepticism as usual. Blue had let them know of the procedure beforehand as always, which is why they were now hiding away, Blue assumed.

Blue then hopped out of their chair, walking over towards the vent. Flipping the hatch open they took a glance inside.

A simple call of Lime’s name likely wouldn’t work today, so Blue had to take more serious measures. They weren’t at all a fan of tricking their patients in any way, but when duty calls..

“Oh no! A gremlin has entered the Medbay, it appears to be very dangerous as well!” Blue shouted, cupping at their visor. 

After a few seconds, the rapid sound of clanking could be heard until eventually-

“DON’T LOOK AT IT! Resist the urge!” Lime then popped out of the vent, shouting frantically.

“It seems to have been scared away. Thank you once again Lime.” Blue spoke softly, resting on both knees by the vent.

“Oh, well good then! I’ll be on my way, see ya big dog-“

“Since you’re already here-!” Blue quickly cut in before the other could slip away. “Would you mind me getting your blood draw?” 

“No way! I’m not having that thing inject poisons into my body and god knows what else!” Lime responded almost immediately, pointing a finger in Blue’s direction, toward their supplies.

“I understand how you feel Lime, but I promise you it will only be a moment. It won’t hurt one bit, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Blue reasoned. 

Lime grumbled but hadn’t slipped away just yet. Blue took this as a good sign, and carefully took their hand into their own. 

“It’ll only be a pinch for a moment. Afterwards we can also rid of the blood together.” Blue added, as Lime looked up at them. The other then let out a sigh of defeat.

“Fine.”

Blue then happily nodded, lifting the other out the vent carefully before placing them down. Lime let out a small yelp before walking over towards the equipment with Blue. 

Blue pulled out a syringe as Lime let out a small sound. Blue then glanced over, holding one of Lime’s hands in theirs. They felt how shaky their hand was. Blue glanced up at the other before placing the syringe down next to them. They then held Lime’s hand in both of their own.

“Lime, can you breathe with me?”

“Oh come on just-“

“I know you want to get this over with, but I just want to at least help you calm down a bit.”

Lime sighed softly, before turning to face Blue fully.

“…Okay.” 

Blue hummed in approval before grabbing at Lime’s other hand and placing it on their own chest.

“Is this okay?” Blue asked.

Lime seemed flustered, head slightly turning to the side. They gave a small nod before Blue proceeded.

“Breathe in.” 

Lime and Blue breathed in sync, Lime’s breath being slightly shaky. 

“Breathe out.” 

They both let the air out, Blue’s heart keeping at a steady pace. They repeated the same process, until Lime’s hands eventually stopped shaking. Their breathing became more relaxed, as their heartbeat also slowed.

“There. Do you feel better Lime?” Blue questioned, moving Lime’s hand from their chest to in front of the both of them, thumbs rubbing over both fingers.

Lime gave a small nod, face burning up as they looked away. Blue once again grabbed the syringe, holding Lime’s hand carefully. 

Lime looked away as the needle entered, but as Blue said, the pain only lasted for a small moment. After collecting the blood, Blue grabbed a small bandaid, placing it over the small area carefully. Afterward, they walked over towards some strange machine as Lime sat on the bed.

Lime looked at the bandaid, flexing their hand as they kicked their feet. They didn’t exactly want to leave just yet, after all, they had only been avoiding their daily visit for this specific reason so there was no reason to leave now.

“Why do you..” Lime started then stopped.

“Hm? What was that?” Blue questioned, moving items around. 

Lime fidgeted with their fingers. Usually they would just spit out whatever was on their mind, but they attempted to pull their words together. Only Blue could make them do such a thing.

“How are you so patient? And.. gentle?” Lime spoke out, looking over at the other. 

Blue seemed to pause with the task at hand, looking over at Lime themselves. They then let out a small chuckle.

“Well, as a doctor, I’ve learned you should always tend to be careful and patient with things. Impatience can lead to many mistakes, whilst being to rough with things can cause them to break apart if not touched with a right amount of pressure. Sometimes it can even cause them to harden.” Blue spoke out, returning to the work in front of them.

“And then there’s some things that need more care than others. People tend to forget that quite often.” 

Lime looked over at the other silently before shaking their head with a chuckle.

“Sounds like you.” 

Blue hummed happily at that, filling the silence. After they finished up they looked over at Lime.

“Thank you as well Lime, for being patient with me.”

Lime blinked. “Huh?”

“I know you didn’t really like me at first, and it likely took a while for you to get used to. Thank you for opening up overtime, and allowing me inside. It takes a lot of courage and patience to do that as well.” Blue spoke kindly, looking over at the other. 

Lime blushed, face heating up once more.

“Oh hush you! Swoonswoonswoon! You and your words..” Lime grumbled. 

SLAM!

Blue let out a chuckle, as they heard the vent slam shut. They then proceeded grab a paper to jot down their studies.

SLAM!

“And for the record, I want you to know trust you more than anyone here. So don’t go doing something foolish.”

SLAM!

Blue froze once again, looking back at the vent. They placed down the paper, before tapping the pen in hand at their visor. They let out another soft chuckle.

“Swoon..”