Chapter Text
Blue's pen slides across the paper, their mind wandering from themself. It was a daily procedure at this point, everyday Orange would present them with more paperwork, and everyday they would work tirelessly towards finishing it all. They scribbled their name at the bottom of their final paper, taking a breath and tucking the paper into a neat folder. They turn to their computer, reading the next task in the schedule. Discharge papers. The printer whirred as he switched it on, and they quickly realized there wasn’t any paper within it. They walked out to storage, chest puffed out in front of them and arms tucked to their side.
Lime sneezed and a cloud of dust and dirt flew out everywhere. He rubbed his nose and continued on, his vision impaired from mind fog and the dim lighting of the vents. They had their tool box grasped in one hand, and the other pushing them forward electrical vent. The vent popped open and they jumped up with the toolbox landing in front of them. Lime walks towards the breaker box, and takes out a screwdriver.
Blue plopped down the box papers, blowing the dust off of the top. They moved the papers to the side, and spotted a concerning detail of the box. Upon further inspection, the bottom was completely soaked and they could tell that mold must've grown in it. Oh god. He ran towards the lobby and threw the box down the garbage shoot. He returned to MedBay with some cleaning supplies and scrubbed down the floor.
Lime finally finished up. He turned back. And then, suddenly, a shot of pain riddled down his arm and he looked down. His left hand had clearly been electrocuted. He closed his hand and it happened again. A jolt shook him down. Great. Now he had to see that annoying doctor. As he dropped into the vents again he thought about Blue. He was a succubus. Lime knew for sure. Blue was nothing but a soul sucking succubus and even worse, they worked for big pharma. They use their devilishly handsome features to get into peoples minds and then sell those thoughts. Lime growled. Half for his hatred for Blue and half because of the jolt of pain that went through his hand once again. They scowled as they slowly opened the vent. Blue turned around. "Lime!" Lime crawled out of the vent, facing Blue. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh don't try and flatter me." Lime turned their head. "I shocked my hand. Just do your voodoo witch doctor thing and fix it." Lime slowly presented his hand. "Hm. I see." Blue took Lime's hand, and Lime jumped back. "My apologies, did that hurt?" Lime's face turned hot. "No.." Blue led them to a cot, and instructed them to sit. "Do you mind telling me what happened?"
"I was working on some switches, and my hand started hurting."
"I see." Blue wrote something down. Lime immediately furrowed their brows. "Don't worry, I'm going to shred it afterwards." Blue clicked his pen. "Now I'll just need to see your hand again." Lime looked away as he offered his hand.
Purple walked into storage. Blue had personally told them about the mold issue, and Purple was most definitely concerned. Purple paused. They could hear drips of liquid echo through the room. Wonderful. That's it. That's definitely what's causing it. They just had to figure out where it was coming from.
Blue patted Lime's shoulder. "Well, you should be all good now!" Lime sighed as he looked down. ".. Is there anything wrong?"
"Nah, nah, of course not." Blue tilted his head knowingly. Goddamn. Blue had got him. He even had the nerve to tilt his head mockingly. Sensually, even. Lime had been rambling about his latest conspiracy theories to Blue the entire visit, and it was as if Blue was the perfect listener for Lime. He never interrupted him. Never rolled eyes. Never called him crazy. It was amazing. Blue. Blue was amazing. And Lime has fallen under his spell. "Great talkin' to ya, but I've gotta go!" Lime dived for the vent. "Don't forget! Come back tomorrow!" "Yeah, yeah!" Lime. What a great mystery. Blue thought to themself.
"CAPTAIN!" Purple burst through the door. "WHAT!" Red cut off their video game.
"Uh huh." Purple stared at them. "And this is... Bad."
"OF COURSE IT'S BAD!" Purple shouted. "Yes, yes! Horrible! Yes." Red sighed, looking at their TV screen. "Show me to the issue!" They enthusiastically yelled. Purple took their hand and walked down to storage.
Lime crawled through the vents. They were returning back to Blue because, figures, the bandages had snagged on a loose screw. They pushed the vent upwards. They expected a great greeting from Blue, but none followed. As Lime stood up, they noticed that Blue still hadn't noticed they were there. Blue jumped up, feeling a poke on his shoulder. "Ah-- Yes.-" Blue coughed. "Lime, what do you need?" "My bandages had snagged--." Blue heaved in a coughing fit, doubling over. Lime could see tears forming in their eyes. "Christ- Are you alright?" Blue didn't respond.
"Well. That certainly is a problem." Red looked down at the mold growing within the box. "so.." "So what?" "So are you going to tell everyone?" "..Why would I do that?" Purple grumbled. "Because they could get sick?"
Lime burst open the door. "Blue!" Purple and Red looked towards them. "There's somethin' wrong with Blue!" They followed Lime to MedBay. They all looked down at a limp Blue laying in a cot. "I did the compression things- and now he's breathin' but also.. Passed out." Blue's eyes were puffy and their breaths came out as slightly nazally wheezes. As if the situation couldn't get any worse, the lights suddenly dimmed down, and Lime grabbed the toolbox stationed at their feet. "Wait, where are you going?" Red reached for Lime's shoulder. "Well whose else gonna fix that?" ".. Valid point." "You twos stay here and I'll go repair that." Red looked at Purple. Purple looked back. "What?" "Do you see why we need to tell everyone now?" Silence. "Red!" "Alright- I guess we'll tell everyone! Geez.."
Lime finally arrived to electrical. Looking down at the bunches of wires. They reached for the first wire- but stopped mid way. They looked down at their hand.. It was almost like Lime was.. Nervous to fix the wires. But that was ridiculous- they couldn't be nervous at the one thing they are meant to do! Right.. Lime looked to their hand and back to the wires. Back to their hand and back to the wires. Hand, wires. This was so odd. Lime never felt nervous about repairing something, and they never feared being injured. But there was some sort of risk to it. With no doctor. With no lights. With no outer support. "Lime. Dude. You've been staring at that panel for ages." Lime snapped back at the person behind them. Yellow looked at them. Lime grumbled. "I know." "So what are you waiting for? you're just looking at that jumble of wires like a zombie, man." "I get it!" Lime looked in front of them.
Red whistled in boredom. Purple sighed, possibly in boredom, but not as dramatically as Red. Red whistled louder. Red tapped Purple on the shoulder. "What." "You know something?" "What." "I don't think I'm as afraid of doctor offices now." "Whoopie doo." ... "You know what'd be really funny?" "You being quiet?" "What if we put shaving cream on-" "Absolutely not." Red grumbled. "Someone's in a bad mood today."
Lime finally finished the wires and wiped some sweat off their forehead. "Wow. I think I could've done that five times faster." Lime rolled their eyes at Yellow and hopped back into the vents, crawling towards MedBay.
Red yelped at the sudden pop of the vent. "Finally your back." Purple stood up, stretching their back out. Red snickered at the cracks, causing Purple to snap a glare towards them. "And what about Blue? Are they alright?" "Oh yeah, they're fine. As snug as a bug in a rug." Purple looked back at blue. Red yawned. "I think it's about time to hit the hay." Red leaned onto Purple and put a hand on their waist. Purple teasingly pushed away Red's face. "Get a room.." Red and Purple glanced back as they walked out of MedBay.
Lime looked towards Blue. He noticed the soft blush on his face, He didn't know to classify that as a 'blue' thing or an 'alive' thing. Either way, he was happy for him. "Lime.. ?" Blue softly spoke, his voice breaking down the tension in the room. "Blue?" Lime immediately ran to Blue's side. "Yeah?" "So you are there.. What did you need help with again?" "Don't worry bout' that right now, just.. Focus on being awake."
The door clicked closed. Purple threw themself at the bed and groaned. Red flopped down right beside Purple, holding their face in their hands. For second, it could look like they were admiring Purple in the soft glimmer of the stars. And they might've. But Red'll never tell. Once they had realized Purple was staring at them, they gave a playful wink. Purple rolled their eyes and shifted to lay on their back. They stared into the vastness of space and thought about the sick comfort of being in a place so large. A place so scary, so confusing, that many avoid it entirely their whole lives. They, as in the entire crew of course, were so incredibly brave for taking on a place such as this. Red tucked their head into purple's shoulder. It might take a bit more bravery to handle Red tonight though.
Lime brought some tea and set it beside Blue. "And ya' sure you're fine with everything?" "I appreciate you deeply Lime. I promise I don't need anything else, don't worry. I'll be fine." Blue places his hand on Lime's shoulder. "Thank you. Now get some rest." Lime sat on the short chair across from the cot, watching Blue closely. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep on the other cot-" "Nope." Blue shrugged, closing their eyes and positioning their head to the side.
Red let out a hearty laugh, Purple's desperate shushes and giggles followed. "Did they really?" "Yes! I saw it on the cameras!" Purple wheezed slightly, gripping at Red's shirt. Their laughs fade into snickers into snores.
Blue was the first to wake. They look to LIme, who was knocked out cold in their chair. Blue tried sitting up, but immediately was hit with a pounding headache. They plopped their head back down, and loud enough for Lime to wake up. "Th-THE GREMLINS. THEY'RE HERE!" Lime frantically looked to the side. Blue chuckled, but quickly stopped themselves. "It's only me, Lime, I'm the one making noise." "Oh.. Well just know I would be way more prepared if there were real gremlins." "I bet." Blue talked softly. Too softly. Like he was trying to pull someone in. Lime knew he couldn't let that someone be him. A loud alarm bell rang through the halls of the spaceship, piercing through Blue's ears and making his head ache. "You stay here, I'll attend for you." Lime proudly puffed his chest out as he walked to the lobby. "Mn.. My hero. Swoon." Blue said, his head making contact with his pillow once again and instantly falling asleep again.
Everyone was stationed around the middle table of the lobby, with Red and Purple clearly leading the group. Red coughed before being handed the script for the meeting. "Alright.. New food selection, blah blah blah, new packages, blah blah, oh yes! Crewmates.. There is a growing mold within our storage. And its spreading. Fast. It's been found within the vents, in boxes, and under tables. We are not sure of the origin-" "It's probably just water!" Purple said, interrupting their partner. "And I'm not trying to undermine the situation, I'm making a firm observation." "That's great Purple..." Red grumbled. Brown raised their hand. "Will it affect our food?" Purple thought for a second, then finally shook their head. "No, so far, we have only found mold in storage and vents." Purple looked towards Lime, and everyone else followed. "Ach- I am fine! The doctor only fell ill because they're just weaker than me." "Wait- Blue is sick?" Green chimed in. "Uhm.. Yes." Purple whispered. "So what you're telling us is that if any one else falls ill, the doctor will not be able to help." Orange shakily asked. "Well damn I didn't think that far.." Red pulled at his collar. "Wait wait wait- so I could fall ill, and then give it to another, who'll give it to another, and then we'll all eventually die!?" "Well.." Purple looked to red. They had no response.