Chapter Text
Red sat hitched up against the paneled wall, their body leaning against it, still seemingly shaken. Purple, on the other hand, had their legs scrunched up, arms wrapped around themselves. Red would clear his throat, fixing themselves to face Purple directly,
“It's cold as shit. Do we really have to stay rotting on the floor right now?” Purple complained, cutting Red off completely before snickering and looking back at them.
“I mean, the ship's a wreck. Where are you really expecting to go, now?” They argued, crossing their arms with that look. The one they exchanged every time they were bickering, although a grin still sat still amongst Red.
“You know the answer to that. Just because your room is a mess doesn't mean mine is, Reds.” Red was visibly taken aback from the sudden nickname, especially knowing the fact that just an hour or so they were previously actually arguing.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m seeing a whole lot of talking and not a lot of doing—”
“Shut up.”
***
They were both sprawled across Purple’s poorly-made bed, the cold air of the humming air conditioner pushing onto them. Both of their legs hung of the edges, arms thrown wherever they didnt cross one another.
“Whats with those pizza crusts next to the cameras, I thought you said your room was clean, huh?” Red mocked, eyes steady looking up to the ceiling and then to Purples visor. Purple groaned, rubbing their hands over their visor.
“Firstly, I never said it was clean. I said it wasn't a mess. And second, you haven't even put the bedsheets on in yours.”
Red sighed in response, crossing their arms sarcastically. The faint buzz of the AC mixed with the reactor huffing felt controlled. It felt like for once they had no reason to worry. And both of them were content with that.
The lack of talking felt comforting, in a way. They both weren't used to it. They both didn't mind. It was nice, really. Without having the thought of being shredded by somebody every other hour, you know?
…
Without the others.
They have been ‘shredded.’ They took the fall, for something that now didn't seem ‘fall’ worthy, really. Now Red didn't know what to think. There was no manual objecting their every move, and no crewmate objecting their every move.
Red’s hand twitched, pupils dilated, while still fixated on the cream tinted light that shone above them rudely. The slight movement caught the rough attention of Purple, as they shifted their hand closer to Red’s previously moved one.
It felt like there was a flair lighting off inside of Red’s head. It wasn't immediate. It was odd. Life is odd, and I don't know if they're able to fully note that just yet.
“Purps.” They murmured, a pang of worry shallowing in their voice as they adjusted their eyes to them, who would lay beside one another.
Purple didn't respond. It wasn't a question made to respond to. It was a simple ‘I am here.’ and ‘What do you need.’ altogether.
“Dont leave me again. Please. Even if they try to separate us once we land in Industria.” Purple was dazed, blinking quickly and looking at the ceiling and back at Red. The ‘they’ Red was speaking about was only what Purple depicted MIRA as in this.
That was ‘new.’ Red seemed to be the last person they expected to hear that from. They always seemed indirect with their actions, until now.
I don't assume killing an alien is the creator of this.
“—I won't." Two words. All they responded. I won't. It was a promise.
Purple shifted onto their side, an inch closer to Red. Not noticeable immediately, but it was definitely there.
Red was asleep. Their chest rose in a steady rhythm, calm and uninterrupted. More importantly; leaving Purple in an interesting ‘situation’ one might say.
They could leave. Realistically, they could do a thousand different things right now. Leaving breaks the one promise they just set up.
Purple leaned back forward. Now on their feet. They weren't sure of 999 things, but they knew 1. They weren't leaving. Not for anything.
Although, does grabbing a blanket count as ‘leaving’? It was truly up for Purple to decide, and they decided that it was fine.
998 things. Practice makes progress, I guess.
They would open a cabinet sat about 6 feet away from the bed, populated with comforters and blankets. And bed sheets, which yes, Red needs, but that can wait.
Purple made their way back to the bed, sitting on the edge beside Red, as they would soar a blanket over them, adjusting it once it landed.
Sure, Purple complained about it being cold earlier and now theyre choosing to go without a blanket, so what? Actually—
Click!
The heater, actually. It had a less familiar hum, but it was still working nonetheless.
Any issues that don't involve me are for MIRA to deal with. I'm done.
Purple would lay on their side, facing Red once again. They had no intention of sleeping. (997) They already chose to stay up overthinking instead of having the 8th night terror of this trip. Although— something still didnt feel, normal.
What if Red died today?
What if I died instead of Green?
Would Red really choose them over me?
…
Will Red remember what they said in the morning?
That one stuck. It couldn't be brushed off like the other thoughts. It wasnt of Red to be completely normal when they're running off of 3 hours of sleep and hope, obviously. But that? They weren't sure.
The thought of waking them crossed Purples mind, although it left as fast as it came. They did a long blink, afterwards looking at how peaceful Red looked.
Dark circles flooding behind their eyes, the way they curve into the blanket that Purple placed. Purple smiled lightly, relaxing deeper into the mattress.
Red shifted, it was small, no interrupted breathing, just a shift. A shift closer to Purple.
They would tense up slightly, focusing on Red’s subtle movements. The long sigh they would occasionally draw out.
Red’s collar of his jacket was slipped away from their neck for once, with the faint view of a maroon scar spanning across his neck.
It was from The Accident.
It wasnt information they didnt know, it was just— surprising. It was a reminder. A reminder that Red was there for it.
Red’s gentle breathing caught Purple’s attention again. Earlier, in the morning, before everything happened, Purple caught a glimpse of him sleeping.
That morning, their shoulders were broad. Their breathing was heavier, along with the increase of tossing around. The jagged rhythm that was coming from him compared to now
How long since they've actually slept?
Was I really that important that they thought of me on the brink of drifting off?
Purple let out a yawn, their shoulders rising before coming back down gently. They smiled. Not a small one, an actual smile. Now, they wonder how long it's been since they've actually smiled like this? And for what? Where is the reason?
The blinking kept Purple awake. The blinking from the screen across the room coming from the camera that was shown.
It was calling for them to get out of bed. Not even for cameras, to check around the ship. Just incase they missed anything. Just incase.
Maybe just water? A snack they could scavenge out from the freezer? Anything? Possibly just a quick walk?
What if the lights being on is disrupting their sleep?
If I got up to turn them off would that disrupt them even more?
For someone who was so harsh on Red previously, they sure were spending a lot of time thinking of them.
What changed? What happened?
Literally everything happened, dear god.
The thought made them snicker. Not because it was funny. It wasn't really. At least they think.
Actually, of course Purple is acting weird. They're tired, right? Purple knew they stuck by themselves most of the time—getting attached this quick would be odd? Didn't they just get back on good terms?
It was just today. It was stressful, that's it. Today didn't warrant anything unusual for them. Purple messed with their own fingers, shuffling them against each other, taking deeper breaths than usual.
They sat up. Not fully, but adjusted. The blinking camera persevered. It went on. That repeated blinking.
At least the heater is of actual use now. Probably one of the last working things on this ship, they’d bet.
They would lean back. Resting their eyes, adjusted closer to Red this time.
Purple liked how they both drifted out together without realizing.