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Medical scans.
That is what Red agreed to do.
Not only for the sake of their reputation, but for the rest of the crew as well.
Red will be the first to admit that asking everyone to do a “possibly invasive body scan” for seemingly no reason did come across as fishy, but in their mind it was the best course of action.
And they were the captain! And the captain was always right!
Sure, hiding the fact that there might be an alien killer on the ship may lead to the crew feeling betrayed, but surely they’d understand right? They just didn’t want to cause a panic! And as long as Blue figures out what’s going on and takes care of the issue before it grows into something uncontrollable, then they won’t even need to tell anyone because the problem would’ve already been resolved.
And sure, maybe not everyone will trust the process, but that’s why Red was stepping up to have the scan done on themselves first! Not only as a show of good faith, but to show the rest of the crew that what they were doing was completely harmless.
Yeah.
Everything was going to be fine.
Nothing was going to go wrong.
They were a good leader, and an even better captain.
The sound of the MedBay doors closing behind them echoed throughout the room, Orange granting Red and Blue privacy for the scan, an act courtesy they greatly appreciated.
Not that they were embarrassed about having their body scanned in front of their superior, no siree! Red didn’t fear anything!
Except maybe blood.
And corpses.
And explosions.
And not receiving the validation of others.
But aside from all of those things, Red wasn’t scared of anything.
“Alright so… I just gotta step onto this thing right?” They asked, approaching the Medical Scanner and staring at it.
Blue hummed from behind them, already getting the systems ready.
“Right you are sport, all you have to do is stand on the scanner and stay as still as possible.”
“Alright, good, that’s good.” Red responds, doing their best to hide their nerves as they step on the platform.
“This isn’t like… gonna do anything to me is it? Not that I’m nervous or anything, I just… wanted to make sure.”
At their question, Blue looked up, their visor softening.
“Red, you have my word that I would never do anything to intentionally harm you or the crew. Taking care of my patients is always my top priority. If I truly thought the Medical Scanner was dangerous, I wouldn’t dare think of using it.” They assured, their voice soft and comforting.
As if under the influence of a powerful spell, Red felt the tension in their body melt away, Blue’s words, and the calm elegance they spoke them with, working their magic at soothing their worried heart.
Even now Red wasn’t fully convinced that Blue didn’t have some kind of innate, supernatural ability to assuage anyone's fears and worries through mere words alone, they almost envied it if they were entirely honest with themselves.
To have the power to make everyone feel safe and comfortable around you is something Red could only dream of having. How they wished they could make anyone trust them without even trying.
Maybe then they wouldn’t feel the need to try so hard to make sure everyone was happy.
Maybe then they could make Purple see how sorry they were and how much they wanted things to go back to how they used to be.
Maybe then…
“Red?”
They blinked, the sound of Blue’s soothing voice taking a moment to process.
“Huh? Yeah? Are we starting with the Medical Scan?” Red quickly said, trying to hide the embarrassment of letting themselves zone out during such an important procedure.
Blue however, only smiled, a hint of amusement in their visor.
“It’s already been done, and a marvelous job you did staying still for the scan sport, you make me proud.” They say, patting the top of their head.
Red stood still for a moment, the sensation of Blue’s touch filling them with an undeniable warmth. This feeling… it wasn’t just the result of being swooned, it was something deeper.
Something… almost like a-
They quickly snapped out of their thoughts.
Nope. They were not about to start fantasizing about Blue being their parental figure. That was dumb and stupid and immature, and very much not captainly of them.
“Oh uh, well of course I did well! I’m the captain after all, everything I do is always perfect.” They quickly deflect, stepping off of the Medical Scanner.
“Welp! I better go get Orange so they can have their scan! Don’t wanna waste any time standing around here!” They announce, already making their way for the door, but before they could…
“Red…” Blue spoke quietly, placing an arm on their shoulder. Red stiffened, the feeling of Blue’s soft, gentle hand making them want to explode.
“Listen I… I’ve come to notice how tense you’ve been lately, and while I understand that it’s not my place to ask what is wrong… know that if there is anything you want to talk about… I’m here.”
Red stood there, stock still as the words of Blue’s offer spun around in their head.
They were right, they had been tense, they were tense about a lot of things, some of them were obvious, others not so much.
They’d always buried those feelings down, not wanting to look weak in front of others.
…But this was Blue.
They trusted Blue.
They trusted Blue more than anyone on the ship.
That is… except for…
They let out a sigh.
“Have you ever… done something to someone you really care about, something that you can’t take back no matter how much you wished you could?” They finally speak, not turning to face Blue, though they had the feeling they’d know what kind of expression they’d have if they did.
“Ah… but of course I have.” Blue said, their own gaze turning wistful.
“There are so many things in my life that I wish I could’ve done differently, things I did to other people that I sorely regret.” They admit, turning their gaze to the ceiling.
If Red were to be honest with themselves, they’re not quite sure they believed that. The idea of Blue doing anything remotely wrong felt entirely foreign to them, but they didn’t dispute it, instead they kept talking.
“I just… I messed up really bad Blue. I messed up so badly that the person I care about the most, the person that I…”
They trailed off, the word “love” hanging on their tongue but never quite leaving their mouth, though it didn’t seem like it needed to, for Blue had already connected the dots.
“...I see.”
The older crewmate approached them, returning their hand to their shoulder.
“Red, I’m not going to pretend as if I understand perfectly how you feel or that I know what it’s like to be in your shoes, but I do know this.”
Their grip became gentler.
“The fact that you’re willing to acknowledge your mistakes and take responsibility for them means you’re already doing something right, and shows that you aren’t quite as hopeless as you might think you are.”
Red listened to Blue’s words carefully, and while they did resonate with them, it wasn’t enough to assuage their fears.
“But… what if I can’t fix it?” They turn around to face Blue, their visor glistening with a kind of vulnerability they would never dare show anyone else.
“What if they never want to speak to me again? What if they end up hating me forever?” They exclaim almost desperately, waving their hands around.
“I just… they meant so much to me, they still mean so much to me, and the thought of them never wanting to see me again is…”
They didn’t get to finish, for Blue’s arms were already around them.
It took them a moment to even realize what was happening.
This was a hug.
They were being hugged.
Slowly, hesitantly, Red returned the gesture. This feeling, this… physical contact, it was something they’d never experienced before, a feeling they never wanted to let go of.
Slowly, Blue pulled back, their expression still remaining impossibly soft.
“I can’t say whether or not this person will forgive you, as it is not my place to decide. But…” They slowly raised their hand, placing it on Red’s cheek.
“Even if you fail, even if this person doesn’t wish to speak to you again, you can at least rest easy knowing that you tried, and that…”
They patted Red on the head once more.
“Is something you should be proud of.”
Had Red been a weaker crewmate, they likely would’ve broken down at Blue’s words, but they weren’t, they couldn’t be, not when they had a whole crew relying on them.
So, instead of giving into their emotions, they simply pushed Blue away from them.
“We should go get Orange so they can do their scan.” They say, voice flat. Blue stared at them for a moment, a hint of what looked to be disappointment in their gaze. They raised their hand, looking as if they wanted to say more, but seemed to think better of it, lowering it back to their side and sighing.
“Right, we’ve wasted enough time as is, the crew may be in danger and we need to get everyone’s medical scans as quickly as possible.” Their voice had returned to its usual tone of clinical determination, the final nail in the coffin for Red’s chances of finally being more open and honest with themselves.
Without another word, the captain of the Skeld nodded, and made their way for the exit.
Everything was going to be fine.
Red was fine.
The crew were fine.
Soon this would become nothing more than a silly little story told amongst crewmates as they sat around a campfire in the Fungle.
Just as it should be.
Nobody else was going to die.
Red would fix the bonds they had broken.
Everything was going to be okay.