Chapter Text
Blue was hungry. They hadn’t eaten breakfast, too busy with paperwork that Orange had assigned them to realise they hadn’t eaten until breakfast over and cleared away, and their dinner had been a single slice of cold pizza due to the same forgetfulness. Their stomach hurt, cramping at the lack of food, they were growing increasingly irritable despite their best efforts, struggling not to snap at their patients, and each moment they spend waiting for their lunch, smelling the food being prepared in the kitchen, their mouth watered and they got even more impatient.
Blue was a messy eater. They knew this, they’d been one all their life despite the best efforts of themself and family members, despite how much they knew it disgusted others and they wanted to change it, their poor motor functions always betraying them and making them end meals with debris on their face, hands and clothes, and usually at least one spill of their drink on themself or their surrounding area. They tried their best to make sure no one ever saw them eating, not wanting to tarnish the swoon worthy, perfect image people always had of them. They’d tuck themself away behind a corner or in a different room or - in the case of their current living arrangements on the ship, where there weren’t any rooms they could trust no one to enter while they ate - in a storage closet to eat and clean themself up, making sure no one ever saw them during or immediately after meals, and that they always had excuses ready in case someone asked why so many wipes went missing so regularly, or why Blue always ran off at mealtimes. No one ever did, of course, but growing up the way Blue did made them ready to lie at the drop of a hat.
But they were so hungry.
As soon as Yellow and Brown brought the food out and grabbed something for themselves, sitting at a table in the corner together, Blue grabbed a slice of cheese pizza from the middle of one of the tables and, without thinking of the mess they knew would follow, began eating where they stood, eager to fill their empty stomach.
They finished the first slice, and were reaching for a second when they saw the sauce and oil on their fingers, marking their blue fur that so many praised for its constant cleanliness and well cared for sheen. They felt similar mess around their mouth, the part of them that was almost always where gazes wandered whenever others were given any chance, and they froze as their cheeks flushed deeply, mortified at their state and trying to plan a hasty escape. Lime was the first to notice, pausing on their way to the vent.
“Hey, big dog- you okay? Y’kinda look like yer spirallin’.”
“I just- well-“ Blue fumbled for words, moving away from the engineer in an attempt to escape the conversation, hopefully the room, maybe the ship.. only to bump right into another of their partners, Black.
The geologist looked at them for a second before reaching closer the middle of the table they were eating at, grabbing a handful of napkins and leaning over in their seat to casually hand them to Blue, like the mess was no big deal, like it was a small mistake that no one cared about- not noticing the doctor’s spiral, the goth pressed the napkins further towards Blue and gestured to their face.
“Here. You got a little somethin’.”
“I- you don’t- I mean- I’m sorry, I know I eat like a pig-“
“I spend an unhealthy amount of time at metal concerts and music festivals. Relax, I’ve seen worse.”
Blue hesitated, looking down at the napkins, and then wiped their mouth and grabbed another slice, sitting down beside the geologist as they looked guiltily at their partner,
“I’m sorry, again, that you saw that, my love. I didn’t want to disgust any of you, I know the way I eat looks vile, I just-“
“Blue. Breathe for me. It’s fine. Seriously. I don’t know why you’re apologising so much; it’s kinda cute that you’re a messy eater. Stuff like that reminds me I’m not sharing a polycule with some sort of android, y’know? You don’t have to be perfect for us. Now eat your pizza before it gets cold.”
Blue paused again, nodded, and then kept eating, cheeks a little flushed at Black’s soft words.
No one mentioned the mess, and the doctor ate their first meal with other crewmates since they were eighteen.