Work Text:
Blue yawned, rubbing at their visor sleepily with the heel of their right hand. In their left hand, they thumbed through the stack of papers they still had yet to work through- extra data sheets from the scans they’d taken earlier that day, leftover forms from MIRA they still needed to read over and sign, a few letters from their colleagues and friends back home that needed to be read and responded to. Those could wait til they’d finished all of their work, though.
They’d been awake for almost 25 hours at this point. Yellow and Brown had been incredibly kind all day, dropping off cups of coffee and providing refills whenever they had a spare moment or two. Blue hated to rely on substances like caffeine- it was hardly a bandaid on a mind and body that would benefit most significantly from a good night’s sleep- but under dire circumstances such as these, Blue was forced to accept alternative solutions.
Half the ship had come down with symptoms of a strange illness- Blue couldn’t, for the life of them, figure out what exactly it was or what was causing it. Most of the symptoms contradicted each other- in one instance, Green’s bone would be particularly stiff and achey, making it difficult for them to move without abnormal amounts of pain and discomfort- only for their bone to then suddenly give way, flipping to the opposite end of the spectrum as it flopped and turned hypermobile- like a rapidly onset version of Lime’s bone abnormalities. In another case, Orange- the second to be infected- would be struggling with a sore, dry throat for a half hour. However, the second half of that very same timeframe would be spent with them on their with their head overhanging a bedpan, as their mouth and nose produced excessive amounts of saliva and mucus from God knows where. It was unlike anything Blue had ever seen, and for all of the nice, fancy equipment they’d managed to convince MIRA to supply them with, they still had no fellow doctors of which they could confer with in a timely manner. They were almost at Industria- at this rate, the crew of the Skeld would arrive entirely infected with their tasks half-finished, and then who would suffer blame for failing to keep the crew as healthy and effective as possible?
Blue refused to let such a tragedy impose itself on their crewmates, of whom they were under oath to protect and serve. Which is why they were still up, reading and rereading over Orange’s scan information, comparing it to a healthy patient’s- Red’s- and trying desperately to find any significant differences between their current situations that could indicate a cause- and, in the future, find a cure- for this mystery ailment.
So lost in their research were they that Blue missed the sound of the vent swinging open behind them. It wasn’t until Lime started speaking- rather loudly, as they tended to do- that the doctor turned around quickly, trying their best not to seem too caught off guard.
“-but they’ve gotta be going in and out between the internal and external pipes, cause every time I open the damn thing up- you okay, Doc? Geez, has the crew been up hounding you about that damn curse sickness again?” Blue could hear Lime bang around in the vents a bit- getting comfortable, maybe? “I told them not to keep badmouthing those darn leprechauns-“
It took the doctor a second for their eyes to adjust as they looked away from their well-lit desk to stare towards the darkened corner of Medbay that held the vent- and moreover, their partner- but as they rose from their desk and approached Lime, they were able to make out more detail. Lime was poking their head and shoulders out of the vent- it was rare for Blue to see them outside of the vent in Medbay, for as much as the engineer trusted Blue’s expertise, their longstanding beliefs and general comfort within tight spaces led them to prefer staying in the vents when they could. They looked just as lovely as they had the last time Blue saw them; their bandana was charmingly positioned on their head, their beautiful, sky-blue visor tilted questioningly at Blue as they gazed at them. Their rough hands were propped up on the outside of the vent as well- Blue sighed as they briefly admired their partner’s sturdy build, their well-worn physique taking the doctor’s breath away every time they had the chance to really take it in. It took a not-insignificant amount of effort to finally tear their eyes away from Lime and answer their question.
“I’m doing alright, Lime. Thank you for your concern.” They replied, sitting crisscross on the floor outside of the vent. Blue couldn’t keep themself from reaching over and gently resting their hand on top of Lime’s, noting Lime’s cheeks darkening noticeably, even in the dim lighting. “Your check-ins mean more to me than you know.”
“As for the sickness…” They sighed, absentmindedly rubbing their thumb across Lime’s knuckles in a sweeping motion. Lime let out a quiet grunt, looking away but not pulling their hand away from the show of physical affection. Blue smiled at them briefly, trying not to overwhelm the reclusive crewmate with their show of intimacy. “Scientifically, I cannot say whether it’s been caused by a curse- but the more I study and grapple with it, the more inexplicable this ailment appears.”
“The lack of additional support from MIRA has turned what should be a fully-staffed lab operation into- well.” Blue shuffled, feeling their dissatisfaction towards their present situation rising as they finally got the chance to vent. Lime’s attentive listening and proximity always helped Blue feel safe about sharing their opinion- they didn’t feel like they had to keep up a persona around their partner. “I’ve had to recruit Yellow and Brown for any immediate bedside issues- and I would never gossip about my patient’s private health and wellbeing, but I’m already observing potential symptoms in one of them- and chances are if one of them has it, so does the other.”
They felt a pang in their heart as they imagined even more of their crewmates coming down with this mystery disease- Green, Orange, White, and Cyan were already a handful, and if they ran out of healthy crewmates to take care of the sick, they would be forced to run the entire ship on their own. They were good at a lot of things… but they weren’t perfect. “I love my work, don’t get me wrong. But it’s times like these when I can’t help but entertain the thought that maybe, I should’ve stayed in northern Yeneria. Maybe I should’ve stuck to poetry, even. I’m a good doctor- but this will require the work of a great doctor. Multiple great doctors, even.”
Blue sighed defeatedly and watched as Lime huffed, appearing lost in thought. Blue waited patiently for them to collect themselves before responding. Finally, the engineer reached their other hand up and gently took Blue’s visor in hand, holding them softly. Blue hummed, focusing back on their partner. “Hh…- hey.” Lime cleared their throat. “You- I know you’re the smartest of us all. And as much as I disapprove of some of your methods-“
“Lime, you know the only reason I’m not letting you use holy water is because MIRA won’t approve it-“
Lime nodded swiftly, and Blue silenced themself, allowing their partner to continue. “-yeah, I remember- but, eh… I just wanna say-“ They stared down at the linoleum flooring of the Medbay, but their gentle grip on Blue’s hand and visor never weakened. “-you’re gonna figure this out in no time, okay? I got this whole room on lockdown- no gremlins, no aliens, no lizard people, nuthin’.” Blue could feel themself getting warmer and warmer as Lime went on- whilst they didn’t personally agree with some of Lime’s beliefs, the care behind their actions was evident, and it made Blue swoon more often than they’d care to admit.
“So- gah, this is so-“ Lime turned away fully as Blue struggled not to grin dopily from how cute they were. “-so it’s all up to you now, and I know you can do it- cause you’re damn good at your job and there’s no one on this ship I trust more than you! You don’t need some other doctor-bozo with a fake degree running around here and messin’ everything up- you got this whole crew behind you, and if they know what’s good for ‘em, they know that you’re the best of us, Doc. If anyone here could beat a curse-sickness, it’s you!”
With their final declaration, Lime tried to pull their hands away. Blue caught on quick, though, and swiftly covered Lime’s hand cupping their face with their free hand, trapping it against their warmed cheek.
“You don’t need to be embarrassed, Lime.” Blue sighed softly, unable to prevent a big, sappy smile from spreading over their face like butter over warm bread. “Your confidence and faith in me and my position is the biggest honor I could ever hope to receive.”
Lime blushed and grumbled, but nevertheless, they softly squeezed Blue’s hand. “You n’your sweet-talking…” they muttered.
Blue giggled- the more time they spent sitting down, the more they could feel their exhaustion creeping in around the edges. It was making them sleepy, a little looser than usual. “I just tell it like I see it, Lime.” They responded truthfully, leaning in closer.
The engineer looked up at Blue like a deer trapped in headlights- the same way they had so long ago, when Blue was doing their regular physicals and Lime was a lot less trusting than they were now. Yet, even then, when Blue had held them close to reassure them of their sincerity and the importance of body scans, Lime had given Blue this very look; as if Blue was the only thing that mattered, a precious being to behold as their proximity increased.
“…Jesus H. Christ.” Lime muttered, before finally closing the distance. They pressed their visor against Blue’s gently. Blue melted almost immediately, sinking into the chaste kiss as their hand slipped off Lime’s to instead hold the side of their partner’s visor in turn. The pair let out twin sighs as they parted- Blue with a soft, lovestruck smile; Lime, looking as though they’d just been struck by an eighteen wheeler.
“Thank you so much, dear. I should be getting back to work now, but I adore these check-ins. It’s good to know you’re doing well during all this commotion.” Blue sighed, suddenly plunged back into their own thoughts. I really shouldn’t have engaged in such unprofessional behavior on the clock- and while crewmates are suffering, no less! Come on, Blue, others are depending on you- and you choose to spend your time this selfishly?
Lime finally snapped out of whatever daze the kiss had put them into, shaking their head as they finally pulled their hands away from Blue. “Yeah, they’re- fine. I gotta- I think the reactor could use another lookin’ over.” Blue let them go without resistance- it was rare that Lime was in such an affectionate mood. It may have been due to the decreased amount of time Blue had to spend with them due to all of the hubbub surrounding this mystery illness- could that time apart have increased Lime’s clinginess? The thought made Blue feel sweet and gooey inside, like they’d just had a bite of Yellow’s famous sweet potato pie.
“That sounds very important. I’ll see you in the meantime.” Blue replied, finally rising to their feet again as they immediately replaced their gloves that had been touching the floor with a new, clean pair. “Thank you again, dear. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.”
Lime nodded firmly, still sporting a striking blush. The vent door slammed shut as the crewmate exited; for a moment, Blue allowed themself to ghost their fingers over their visor, brushing the previous point of contact with a private smile. The kiss had reinvigorated them more than any coffee ever could.