lime's really weird day

by 0RIrelish

Summary:

"You're not implyin' they're in love with me, are you?"
"Oh, that's what I'm saying. They're far from normal around you."
…fuck.

(or; lime turns out to be more desired than they thought. yellow thinks they're stupid as fuck)

Lime stared at Yellow with pure disbelief and disinterest.

 

"You gotta be joking me." They deadpanned, squinting at the chef.

Yellow huffed in response, wiping their hands on a rag. "And why would I?"

"You make up rumours 'cus you think it's funny."

"I mean, yeah," Yellow chuckled. "It is funny! But, I ain't lying to you about this, Lime. Trust me."

"I don't trust anyone on this damn ship," Lime grumbled. "You know that."

The chef stared. "Yeah, I do. I also know people are startin' to like you, stinker."

Lime was aware that people think they're insane, but this bullshit that Yellow was spouting right now was, frankly, crazier than anything Lime had ever said in their whole life.

Lime was incredibly aware of the fact they were at the bottom of 'Potential Partner'. Some of them were pretty loud about it, their gossip echoing through the vents louder than the gremlins do. They're not exactly oblivious to the way people talk about them, even though Lime chooses to ignore it for the sake of their own safety. Who has time to worry about what others say about you when there are damn gremlins out there that could hypnotise you and steal your skin?!

Calling the engineer crazy was just one of the nicer things people could say. Unambiguous. Eccentric. Batty, kooky, insane, maniac, nutjob, losing their mind… a lot of things that could probably make a younger them cry.

"You're not implyin' they're in love with me, are you?" Lime asked, glaring at Yellow. They needed the confirmation on whether or not the gremlins got to Yellow and scrambled their mind.

"Oh, that's what I'm saying. They're far from normal around you."

…fuck.

They should ask for more clarification– maybe Yellow wasn't brainwashed by gremlins. Yellow was one of three crewmates so far who actually listened to Lime, so they'd know about those nasty little cretins and what they can do. Not to mention, they've got a pretty strong will, and they fight hard (spoken from experience) so it'd be harder to get a hold of them.

"Yeah? How so?"

Yellow gave them a look. "Lime, are you blind? You're joking, right? They're as obvious as those sprouts in those gross crappy romance shows Brown watches sometimes!"

The chef sighed, noting the lack of response.

"You want me to explain why I think they're head over heels?"

"Was it a gremlin?"

"…no, unless you count my definition of a gremlin," Yellow pointed at them, a smug look in their damn visor. Lime huffed. "Let me start with poor ol' victim number one. Blue. AKA, Doctor Obvious."

 

CASE 1 – DOCTOR BLUE

Lime grumbled to themself as they lifted the vent cover, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the light. While they weren't really sure where exactly they were on the Skeld, the sheer bright white itself should have been enough to tell Lime that they were in Medbay.

No other room on the ship was as white as Heaven above… trying to lull Lime into some false sense of security.

No other room on this ship had Blue's mutterings filling it either.

They glared at the doctor, trying to pick up on whatever weird thing they were doing now. Maybe they were practicing their next charming little siren call to lure in another crewmate. Or, it could be them planning on how to finally take over the ship.

What were they…

…writing? They're writing something, with pen and paper instead of typing it on the computer.

"…is this too direct?" Blue murmured, hand over their visor as their scrawling paused. "…it wasn't like I was going to let anyone read this, though…"

Lime was startled when Blue let out a long groan.

"Though, this feels so… embarrassing… and unprofessional…" They sighed. "I can't believe I wrote that I…"

The engineer frowned when Blue trailed off. They what? What was so unprofessional that it flustered the doc this bad? They're a snake, a charmer, so… maybe they know that Lime knows. They're admitting that their attempts have failed.

"What's up, big dog?"

Blue yelped, swivelling around to face them. Now that they were facing Lime, they could see the darker flush spreading across the doctor's skin.

"Ah– Lime, good afternoon," They offered a smile, which made warmth run up Lime's face. "Do you need anything? You don't often visit unless there's an issue."

"Got lost on the way to the kitchen again," Lime huffed, and the doctor let out a light chuckle. Eliciting a slight stutter from Lime's heart, they immediately snapped back up to accuse. "Noticed you talking to yourself. What are you doing?"

"Oh!" Blue's face had just managed to return to its normal shade before immediately flushing. What were they so embarrassed about? "It's just some small, unimportant matter, Lime, no need for concern."

A pause, before Blue added on that it was poetry.

Usually, Blue had never been so nervous to show Lime their poetry. In fact, they were really passionate about it in a way Lime's never seen Blue be… ever. They light up when they talk about their time studying ele… elg… the mourning kinda poetry, which had surprised Lime when they found out that was what Blue was mostly into studying  at first.

"Really? Lemme see."

 

The moment Lime pulled themself out of the vent, Blue's startled reaction had made Lime even more suspicious. Blue was acting really weird.

"I-It's rather personal, Lime."

"Yeah?" Lime frowned, glaring. "You've never had problems with me reading any others. What are you hiding?!"

There was just a tiny bit of hurt that sprouted in Lime's chest. Did they do something? They know they aren't the most pleasant patient to have, but the engineer at least considered the two of them to be acquainted and close outside of the check ups.

Or. Friends, maybe.

"C'mon, big dog..."

Blue seemed to hesitate, before heaving a sigh. "Alright, Lime. Just... I apologise in advance for what's written here."

Apologise? Lime huffed, snatching the paper out of Blue's grasp.

 

They skimmed through the poem.

Something about others seeing scars and how they find them gross or something, though Lime was led to believe that it had more to do about being some metaphor for someone on the ship. Ehh... something about Blue wanting to get to know that person better and not wanting to scare them off (weird concern, did that doctor not know they got everyone wrapped around their finger? Admittedly, Lime's real close to being part of that too). Blue...

...longing for them.

Wanting their trust as if they don't have everyone's trust.

So, love poem. Alright. They were embarrassed about this?

"Nice poem," Lime muttered. They weren't really a poetry fan, but Blue's were always a lot easier to pick apart since they aren't littered with metaphor most of the time. "You've got some crush, big dog?"

The reddening of Blue's face had confirmed it, though Blue spoke up with shame dripping from their voice. "Yes. I'm... I know it's unprofessional of me, as I'm everyone's doctor on this ship. I'm sorry, Lime."

Lime stared at them. Then averted their gaze, starting to feel uncomfortably awkward about the words bubbling up their throat.

"Big dog, look, you... I dunno why you're apologising to me," Lime scoffed, unaware of the shocked look on Blue's face. "Or apologising at all. We're all on the same ship together for months, doc. I know Purple's damn routine better than my own sibling's at this point. Was probably bound to happen eventually."

Lime took a quick glance back at the doctor, who seemed kinda caught off guard. The engineer was too, just a bit. Hearing Blue mutter 'sibling' in a curious tone under their breath made Lime shudder. They averted their gaze again.

"You gotta stop chewin' yourself up for feeling stuff, big dog," They rubbed the back of their neck. They prayed to their God above that they got the power to get through this conversation perfectly normal. "You're fine. Who– eh, don't gotta answer this, but who is it anyway?"

Blue stared at them in a way that made them feel even more out of place. Yeah, definitely a really awful patient to have. And coworker, probs.

Some annoying thing in the back of their head wished it was them. The words on the page were talking about someone people usually avoid... but that didn't narrow down much with this crew.

"I-I'd rather not say, Lime. Though, I can't stop you if you wish to try and decipher who it is." Blue finally looked to their left, glancing at their desk. Or monitor.

Lime peered at the monitor as well, and noted the time– oh, that siren!–

Distracted them! Caught Lime so off guard they got vulnerable and went off track and now they've almost missed out on their lunch window! Damnit!

"Bah!" Lime exclaimed, immediately slamming the vent cover open and hopping in. "I ain't got time for this right now!"

"L-Lime?" Blue stuttered, rushing to the vent. "Hold on–"

What now?

...

Oh. Lime tossed the poem up and out, letting it float back to the ground harmlessly as they scampered away. They yelled briefly, knowing it'd reach Blue through the vents, that they were heading to nab some pizza before others arrived and caused a ruckus.

...maybe they'll try to actually figure out who it is later, if it keeps bothering them and their stupid brain that just wants to be Blue's.

 

–––––

 

"Blue literally wrote a poem full of raw yearning, Lime," Yellow deadpanned, flicking them in the forehead.

Lime yelped before grabbing Yellow's hand. "Yea, so what? I– How do you–"

"Brown cut their finger. Saw it and took a lil peek when Blue was treating Brown," Yellow hummed, trying to pull their hand out of Lime's uncomfortably strong grip. "Not important right now. Listen, are you dense?"

"No." Lime was offended at the notion, not gonna lie.

"That was rhetorical. Lime, that poem was for you."

 

Lime froze. They ignored the rush of warmth in their face. "No the fuck it wasn't, Yellow. You're damn crazy for thinking that."

"No the hell I ain't, I'm right! You are the only one Blue actively struggles to talk to!" Yellow exclaimed, arms slamming onto the counter. "They think you don't trust them!"

"I do," Lime started, before trailing off. "I trust them more than others..."

"And that is a low bar."

Lime grumbled, looking away from Yellow's stupid smug grin. The dots started to connect like that on a conspiracy board– Stop. Hey. That damned doctor's making them spout metaphors out their ass... getting in their head. They hate this. It was one thing to already let the doc get so much of their information (even if it was all destroyed after Blue was done– what if Blue had some secret scanner in their eye that remembered everything?!) but to actually trust and love the doctor was–

...

It felt like it made too much sense to guess that Blue liked Lime from the poem alone. Lime wasn't liked by the crew, Lime hasn't told anyone much about their personal life.

It explained how flustered Blue looked.

Lime looked down at their hands. Blue wouldn't... would they?

Not like they'd be any good for Blue anyway.

"–ld to Lime? Hello?"

 

Lime jolted, shoving Yellow's snapping fingers away from their visor. Their face burned, if it wasn't already.

Damn doctor getting them all lost in their thoughts like this... so what if Blue liked them?!

"Whatever. I– So what?"

Yellow seemed to roll their visor– or try some attempt of it. "So, now that you know I'm right about Blue having the most obvious crush on you since forever, know that I'm right about everyone else. Like Green."

 

CASE 2 – INTERN GREEN

Lime had immediately paused the moment they heard someone humming in Electrical.

As far as Lime was aware, the lights were still functioning. Sure, a few were flickering, but that could be fixed with a few wires being reconnected. Usually, nobody actually comes to Electrical unless all the power goes out.

They immediately scuttled back to their makeshift room– a larger section of the vents, where multiple intersect all at once, now littered with crumpled papers and doodles taped to the wall with industrial duct tape– to grab their trusty wrench. It wasn't much, but it would do. While they'd prefer something sharper, they knew that blunt force would be better so they can interrogate the gremlin messing with the wires and figure out where the hell they're all hiding.

They leaped out of the vents with a roar, claiming they'll send the wrench in their hand right into the perpetrator's skull.

Only to pause when they hear an intern's scream.

 

Green, hands trembling and seemingly slightly burnt as they pressed against their weird worm-like hoodie strings, had screamed painfully loud. They were even crying– jeez, did Lime scare them that bad?

Though, to be fair, they also cried when Lime startled them during the tour.

"Oh." Lime stared at the intern, who was also pushing themself into the corner of the room. "It's just you."

Lime only felt a little guilt when they had continued just after Green seemed to relax slightly. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"A-Ah! I was just– I'm sorry!" Green bawled, making Lime recoil. They felt bad now. "I just wanted to help you!"

What.

Okay, no, this has to be some weird ruse. It's always the cute, squishy looking crewmates that have the nastiest little plots up their sleeves!

"What the fuck are you talking about."

"Well, you know how the Captain's been getting me to follow you around to learn basic engineering stuff, right?" Green whimpered, and Lime held back the insults they'd reserve for Red. "I just thought… you do a lot around the ship, s-so I wanted to try and help!–"

"By sabotaging the wires?!"

"Sabotaging?!"

"You may have everyone else on the ship fooled with your cute face and sparkly visor, intern," Lime sneered, gripping their wrench tighter once more.

"You think I have a cute face?"

Lime ignored them. "But not me. Get your grubby worm mitts off my wires!"

Green yelped as Lime leaped forward, grabbing their wrists with one hand, shoving the intern against the wall to make sure they can't move as they checked the damage. Green was growing red in the face, but Lime could only assume out of embarrassment from being caught in the act. These tricksters are just too predicta…

The wires weren't sabotaged. In fact, they're the very wires Lime presumed they had to repair to fix the flickering Black had been complaining about since yesterday. They were fixed.

They were far from perfect. Not to say Lime's own repairs were, but they were at least functional and safe enough. Green's sorry attempt seemed confused, with wires looking more frayed than they usually looked whenever they snapped, as though they'd struggled. There was a bit of sticky residue where there shouldn't've been, as though Green tried to wrap tape around the wire but had messed it up. It looked like the intern had mixed up two of the wires though… were they colourblind or something?

But Lime had to admit it was a solid and honest attempt. Better than their own first attempt at fixing anything, though that was a hella low bar considering how young they were.

They slowly released their grip on Green, immediately averting their eyes. This is exactly why people tended to avoid the engineer, and they're sure Green would understand it now. They were weirdly interested in Lime's work, as if they didn't see how insane they were.

Lime mumbled out an apology. Slightly half assed on their part, but it was as honest of an attempt as Green's shabby repair job.

"Uhm… d-does that mean you're not mad at me?" Green whimpered out, still trembling and as red as their own captain. "Did I mess up the wiring?"

"Nah," they grunted. "Well, a little. You mixed up the pink 'n red wires and you got tape everywhere that I'll have to clean, but it ain't half bad."

Lime made the mistake of looking back at the intern. Their visor was so incredibly sparkly it'd put diamonds to shame, probably. So happy that Cyan would pale in comparison. It kind of blinded them.

"Uh…"

"Really?! This was my first time trying, I thought it wouldn't really hurt to try since you've told me these wires in this box mostly affect the lights, but I wasn't sure since maybe I mixed up the boxes but I still tried anyway," Green rambled, beaming.

"Why–" Lime sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Why would you try if you didn't know?!"

"Well, I-I thought I could!" The intern stammered. "I just thought… since you've been teaching me stuff, and I've been watching…"

Lime blinked. That wasn't how that was supposed to go.

"You were listenin'?" Lime muttered.

"Of course!" Green frowned, pulling out a little notepad. "I was taking notes so I missed a few things you said, but I should be listening to you! I need to pay attention to the crew if I wanna become a good captain someday!"

Someone could learn to try doing that…

"Huh. Okay." Lime pulled at the notepad to try and take a look at the notes, in case of any suspicious writing, but nothing came up other than notes that did align with their ramblings. What they did take note of was Green's still hurt hands.

They grabbed the intern by the wrist, ignoring the squeak that came out of them as Lime dragged Green out of Electrical.

"Wh– I-I thought that I did g–" Green started, before trailing off with a sad hum.

It was like punching a puppymate in the face. Green definitely knows what they're doing.

…doesn't hurt to get Green checked up on by Blue though. While Lime's gotten desensitized to the feeling of electricity and hot metal against their bare skin, Green's got soft skin and no experience with it whatsoever.

"Taking you to Blue."

"Oh! U-Uh, thank you! What about the mixed up wires?–"

"I'll fix 'em."

"Alright!"

 

–––––

 

Lime glared at the chef that had the gall to look so smug. So what if they were right once?

"What about Green?" Lime frowned. They thought Green was pretty normal.

A coward, but pretty normal.

"They told me they were tryin' to fix the wires for you," Yellow pointed. "…among other things."

Despite Lime's need to know things, need for certainty, they certainly knew that usually asking Yellow for details on 'other things' treaded into really weird territory. The kind that Lime would not like to explore.

"Okay. I get it, this actually isn't that obvious, but Green mostly follows orders if anything. Most of the stuff that intern does was instructed– or at least requested– directly by someone else on the ship," Yellow hummed. "They're pretty clueless on what to do without 'em."

Lime wasn't exactly sure where Yellow was going with this. Obviously the clueless act was just some ruse to get away with doing nothing useful for the crew. They were probably doing something horrible behind the scenes…

Yellow just stared. "They weren't told to fix the wires. Nobody asked them to. They just heard you mutterin' about it, apparently, and wanted to do it for you. And they were incredibly and kinda embarrassingly desperate to impress you."

…nobody was that nice. Right?? Lime wasn't insane for thinking that. People especially weren't that casually nice to Lime except for, like, Brown and Blue. Green wasn't someone Lime completely knew, but that's why they were suspicious. They didn't know enough!

"Lime, quit staring so aggressively at me. I can feel you judging Green from here." Yellow shoved Lime's face to the left, chuckling as Lime flailed and tried to slap away Yellow's hand. "Anyways, I'm like, 90% sure the intern's some hardcore freak, y'know?"

"…I don't wanna hear it! Just tell me the next reason or whatever!" Lime flustered. Lime's own definition of freak was incredibly different from Yellow's, though they knew exactly what the chef was talking about. Everything but that was their business.

"They've probably got a thing for people in authoritative positions, which I'm not getting, but you do you I guess!" YELLOW WASN'T LISTENING. "Or people that yell at them. Like y–"

Lime threw the paper plate right at Yellow's face, making them sputter and try to rub the pizza grease off their face, leaving to the sink. They returned to the window with a disgruntled look, one that made Lime snicker.

"Fine. You asked for the next person! And that's our lovely Cyan."

…lovely?

 

CASE 3 – GEMOLOGIST CYAN

Lime wasn't usually called for by the rest of the crew, so if it was anyone other than Blue or Orange, the usual assumption was simple:

Some tech broke again.

It happened way too often for Lime to take a proper break without worrying something else had been tampered with. Maybe Yellow was right about needing to pester Red into hiring a second engineer, but Lime wasn't really fond of the idea of letting someone else's grubby hands get on their darling reactor.

Lime could only wonder what broke this time. Cyan didn't exactly work with much tech, if any at all. They weren't exactly a devices person either, usually opting to stick to their own yoga (not hot yoga like Lime does, which thank God for that, Cyan still can't move around in the vents) or meditation or their sick little journal that steals people's dreams whenever they're not working. And when they are, they're usually busy talking to Black.

 

They peeked out of the vent, glancing at the mystic. "What is it."

"Lime!" Cyan beamed. Cyan and Orange were always so full of whimsy. Somehow. "There you are!"

"What's broken?" Lime tried to peer around Cyan, who was quickly cornering them at the vent. They felt a cold sweat run down their skin.

Cyan was someone Lime sort of wanted to avoid. Could you blame them?? Cyan was a damn witch! Always talking about vibes or auras or whatever, and the fact they could see those things at all was freaky as hell! Not to mention, they claim those ores they carry around have effects attached to them, and Lime didn't know what sorts of things they could do, which made things worse.

The only thing they really trusted was the whole salt circle thing. But one good thing in a pit of suspicious facts was NOT enough to make Lime trust Cyan.

"Oh, nothing's broken this time!" They smiled, hands behind their back.

Lime squinted. So, what? They just wanted to bother Lime? Waste their time or something? They gotta check on the reactor soon, so if this turns out to have been for nothing…

"I wanted to give you something!"

Lime froze.

Cyan. The witch. Lime knew it was never good to take things from a witch, they're basically like the fey! Except instead of owing them, they'll just curse you! That might be considerably worse– no, it is!

They glared at Cyan, who had averted their gaze and let out some sick little giggle, a hand to their chin. They looked like they were blushing?

…huh?

Lime couldn't guess why exactly. It could be embarrassment, though it didn't seem right… Cyan didn't seem to be able to be embarrassed. They lacked shame. Not a bad attribute to have unless you're Lime, who's trying to figure out what Cyan's motive is.

So why the hell…

"It's nothing bad, don't worry!" They chirped. "It took me a while to figure out something that would be good for you, considering everything you talk about and your aura as a whole–"

Is Cyan trying to imply that they listen to Lime's talks?

"–but I finally figured it out!"

Lime immediately shrinked back into the vent the moment Cyan pulled something out of their pack, flinching.

But when nothing came, they slowly looked up.

 

The mystic had pulled out a strange box– different from the other metal box Cyan usually used for their weird magic stones. This one seemed a lot more fancy– and a lot smaller– than the other. Glossy wood and a glass window at the top revealing those evil rocks. Maybe these ones were… ehh, super-powered or something. They're clearly special, and Lime feared what they could possibly do compared to their normal ones… Lime watched as Cyan opened up the box and traced their finger along each compartment before pausing on one, picking it up.

In Cyan's hand was a dark and glossy stone, looking like some pebble made of steel. It almost looked like liquid metal with how smooth and round it was.

"This is a hematite!" Cyan beamed, taking Lime's silence as confusion, which wasn't far off. "It's a grounding and protection crystal! I thought it fit!"

Lime raised a brow. "You think I'm weak?"

"Not at all, I promise!" Cyan took Lime's hand in theirs, making Lime stiffen almost immediately. Why are cool-coloured beans so fond of touching people without asking?! "Hematite provides courage, willpower, and resilience. It's also good for keeping your mind clear and keeping you steady!"

Cyan pressed the hematite into Lime's palm, before cupping their hands over Lime's gloved one. "I thought it could help with your energy… your aura's full of stress and anxiety all the time."

They closed their visor in a grin, and Lime could only wonder what sort of spells or curses Cyan was trying to cast on them.

"I hope you like it!" They chirped, though were seemingly growing more anxious as the silence stretched. "Hopefully this helps with your… um, goblins?–"

"Gremlins," Lime snapped, yanking their hand away from Cyan as their face warmed. "…thanks."

Cyan's smile only widened, if that was even possible with how big it already was. That damned mystic managed to get into their head, like the gremlins they often warn others about!

Though… as they dived back into the vent and ran a thumb over the crystal, it managed to make them calm, just slightly. Cyan must've riddled this thing with some guard-lowering spell.

…they pocket the hematite. Maybe it'll scare off the gremlins.

And whatever stupid fluttering Cyan's making them feel.

 

–––––

 

Lime found themself subconsciously thumbing the hematite in their pocket again, glove running over the slight imperfections in its surface.

"You said that Cyan pulled that hematite out of some special box, right?" Yellow– who was beginning to prepare the dough for next morning– paused to lean over the counter.

Lime nodded. "Probably had some crystals in there that could sap away electricity or something…"

"Nope."

Lime blinked. "What? How would y–"

"It's not evil. It's actually way cheesier than I think you'd like to hear," Yellow snickered. "It's kinda personal, but I'm not really sure if Cyan wants this to be public, so… don't tell anyone I told you."

Lime shrugged. It's not like they told secrets.

If anything, they held onto them for blackmail. It worked pretty well, though they barely did it on the ship.

"So, that wooden box with the glass window is actually their prized collection?" Yellow waved a flour-covered hand around. "Not exactly rare crystals, but definitely ones they had some resonance with apparently. Something about soulmates."

With that word, Yellow poked a finger into Lime's chest. Lime swatted it away, feeling their heart start to pound.

"And I'm talkin' romantic, babe." Lime needs Yellow to stop going through the evidence now. They think this is enough. "Didn't you also say they were… what, giggling and looking shy? Like a schoolmate trying to confess to their popular crush–"

Lime let out a yell, shoving their hands into Yellow's smug face again. "I get it, I get it! Cyan likes me!"

It felt like a weird admission. At the start of this, Lime was so convinced nobody would like them. And now… ughh… it was just so difficult to try and rationalise Cyan's behaviour, and this was the only conclusion that they could draw that made sense.

What compelled Cyan to like them that way was a whole other issue that Lime would look into later. Could gremlins brainwash crewmates into feeling things about other people instead of just about that gremlin?

Lime glanced at Yellow, who was still giving them that stare. "What."

"I wanna hear you accept the rest of the crew like you too."

"They wouldn't," Lime huffed. 'There are others they should like' went unspoken.

"Alright, fine. I guess I'll just keep talking–"

"NO."

"I'm not usually one to push your buttons like this, Lime," Yellow pried Lime's hands off of them. "But you gotta understand how tired I am of all this… I don't get how you're so smart but so dense. I mean, I'm still thinkin' about you and Brown the other day!"

Gulp.

 

CASE 4 – CO-CHEF BROWN

It was just an average day, which let Lime be pretty relaxed for once.

All that broke was Red's crummy gaming controller and the coffee machine (again), their reactor was acting perfectly alright with few check-ins ever needed, and Blue didn't even need them for anything medical-related!

Not to mention, the pizza today was especially good. Maybe they were getting into the whole salted pizza thing from Yellow, which Lime thought was pretty gross at first. It really only made it even better. And it probably keeps Lime's insides from being torn apart by demons.

It was a pretty slow day for everyone, to be fair. Slow enough that Lime was able to lounge in the kitchen vent without a single complaint from Orange about letting Lime enter the kitchen through the vents due to hygiene concerns, because Orange had lunch earlier and wasn't drowning in paperwork and dragging people under like the spawn of Satan they usually were.

They took another bite of the pizza Brown had laid out for them, melting slightly into the floor as they let out a sigh. It was unusual, but not that bad to be able to relax like this without having to worry about the gremlins for once. All they did was watch Brown and Yellow bustle around the kitchen to clean up dishes and put ingredients back on shelves or in the freezer, Yellow rambling about their current rumour that Red's jealous of Cyan, or something. It was… nice.

 

Which was why hearing their baby scream, alarm blaring through the ship, had startled them out of their skin and made them almost choke on their pizza. They dropped it on the paper plate, diving back into the vents and abandoning the glove they'd taken off when eating. So much for not worrying about the gremlins– they took advantage of Lime's lowered guard and sabotaged the thing they cared for most on this damned ship!

They followed the flashing red and blue lights of the reactor in its meltdown, leaping out of the vents to see the captain standing there, flicking rapidly through some book.

"Move!" They snarled, shoving Red to the side as they ran to the upper scanner panel. They grumbled something under their breath about weird captains as they pressed their hand to the panel, turning around to watch Red do the same across the room.

Lime let out a breath the moment the crimson flashing stopped, moving to check on the inner workings of each piece of tech that contributed to this beautiful reactor. They huffed when their visor landed on a pretty bad dent in the housing of one. Couldn't Red bother to be a little nicer to the reactor?

Speaking of…

 

"You."

Red turned around as Lime trudged forward, hands on their hips. Stars, they were like some peacock. "You didn't have to worry! Your captain was–"

Lime didn't even let them finish before yanking them down by their shirt. "Almost going to kill us all!"

Lime couldn't think– they just yelled. They were angry. Furious that Red thought kicking the reactor would fix it. Sure, it'll work sometimes. Lime knows the difference, Red just has tough luck and an uncomfortably powerful kick that could destroy the machinery on their damn side. Unless Lime fucking died on this damn ship, nobody is allowed to touch the reactor– the thing that could kill everyone if they weren't fucking careful–  without Lime in the room, and they thought that was a pretty clear rule they'd established.

They had been so upset they didn't realise others had reached the reactor room until they felt a pair of large hands and arms wrap around their waist, pulling them off of Red who had been shoved to the ground by Lime prior.

"Lime, stop, that's enough" Brown muttered into their ear, which had made Lime slow down before stiffening. The larger crewmate was almost draped over them entirely, and it made Lime feel so, so uncomfortable. Not because of the touch, but from how they actually felt about it. "Stop fighting Red."

"But–"

"Lime."

Lime froze, trying to look at Brown, only to see Blue and Yellow helping Red get up. Lime's knuckles ached, and they could only feel relief when nothing on Red seemed to be darkened or hurt, the only damage being on the floor near where Red had laid previously. They were already on thin ice with HR and the rest of the crew without this.

"…sorry." Lime looked away, feeling shame burn through them. "Red caused the meltdown."

"…I get it. I can get Yellow to talk to them about that, and I will too, if you want?" Brown offered, voice as low and soft as ever. "As long as you stop trying to leap at them like that."

"Kay. Thanks." Lime mumbled out another short apology right after.

Brown set Lime down gently, letting Lime swivel around to face them. Lime still refused to look them in the visor, rubbing their arm. "Good."

Lime had expected Brown to turn and leave, as everyone else did.

 

They didn't expect the bump of a visor against their forehead, the touch burning through their bandana.

 

Lime froze. Brown, who was straightening back up and had turned around, paused.

Fuck– what– Wh–

Lime's heart raced, their face burned, their skin burned, their head spun– why–

They pressed a face to their cheek, dragging it up their face until it cupped over the spot Brown had kissed.

"I– I am so sorry," Brown stammered, turning around as their hands flailed slightly. "That–"

"What the fuck was that?!" Lime exclaimed. God, their body felt so weak– "What the hell was that for? What are you doing to me?!"

"That was completely on instinct, I didn't really– I usually do that with Yellow," Brown started to gesture, though Lime felt too dizzy to focus on that. "I just– I didn't mean to do that, if we could just–"

"BAH!" Lime shoved themself away from Brown, stumbling backwards and running their foot along the ground until they felt the vent underneath. "Y-You– Uh– You better quit your games, gremlin! I-I know… what you…"

Lime trailed off as they tried to flip the vent and dive in as fast as possible.

They were going to make Yellow not let Brown be in the same room as them. Until. Until they figure out what to do about whatever that was. Oh dear God…

 

–––––

 

"Aren't you and Brown…?" Lime tried, face already as hot as the reactor gets on bad days. "Together…??"

"Yeah, why? What's this got to do about you and Brown?" Yellow huffed as they kneaded away at the dough.

Lime stared. Yellow… couldn't be serious right? Yellow came off as crazier than Lime by the minute.

"Isn't– Wouldn't that be–"

"Oh, no, Brown and I are happily in a very open relationship," Yellow grinned, waving them off. "I don't mind who Brown gets a crush on. Or– Gives a forehead kiss to out of instinct."

Lime flustered. "I– It was an accident."

"Brown's done this with others too, by the way. Like Purple, if I recall," Yellow smirks. "Anyone they care about in a way that's way more than just platonic."

…

Lime couldn't fucking argue with that. Brown was always so straightforward and, in Lime's honest opinion, really easy to read and understand. They didn't sugarcoat things. They were honest, most of the time. Why'd they have to be so… so straightforward about this too?! Lime couldn't pick out any other reason why Brown could possibly do that. Not even being brainwashed, because Brown acted exactly like they always did.

They let out a groan, shoving their face into the counter and ignoring Yellow's laughter. Their face felt hot. Was it normal to have wanted Brown to do that again?

AGH– Not NOW, Lime.

…they didn't know what to do about this.

"You good Lime?"

They looked up, not bothering to lift their head from the counter properly. Yellow looked like they never laughed at all, their brow furrowed.

"I was just teasin', but if this is turning out to be too much for you–"

"'s fine…" Lime mumbled, face burning.

They thumbed the hematite again, trying to grasp the feeling of… everything. It all felt like too much, and even though they knew Yellow was right about everyone else (probably) they couldn't bring themself to admit it.

It wasn't a bad feeling. Lime didn't feel good about their feelings either. It was– Lime let their head thud against the counter again, trying to stop it all.

"You sure?"

"Mm."

"…want me to keep going?"

Lime took a moment. It was a weird thing to feel like this, to even let themself get this bad… too many vulnerabilities, too many ways they could be ruined or exploited–

Yellow's voice cut through Lime's thoughts. "Lime?"

"Mm… yeah," Lime mumbled impulsively. And then immediately bit back a groan because WHY did they say yes. They could have just left and never talked to anyone on the ship ever again, except maybe like, White, because they didn't seem to know anything going on here.

"Just tell me if you want me to stop, yeah?"

"'Kay."

Lime didn't even know who else would…

 

CASE 5 – CONTEST WINNER WHITE

Usually, when people needed the engineer, they simply yelled their name at the top of their lungs. The crew's learned that the vents are able to carry sound upsettingly well, after months of working with Lime.

So, Lime got pretty weirded out when they heard a knock echo through these familiar hot metal walls.

The one they'd expected to see the least out of everyone was kneeling down, squinting at the grates of the vent as they tried (and clearly struggled) to see.

"Whaddya want, jaw wagger?!" Lime exclaimed, bursting out of the vent and eliciting a pitiful scream from White.

They were even less used to Lime than Green was, which was… saying something.

Actually, why was White still here? Weren't they just some rando contest winner? It's been maybe a month since White first boarded. Maybe White was some government spy, sent here under the guise of being an out of touch capitalist weirdo that could get away with sneaking their personal information!

"Goodness!" White forced out a laugh, as if trying to shake off the shock. "I just wanted your help! You see, I might've dropped my wine glass in the vents–"

...wine??

"-and it might have broken, and Green can't exactly get in there or reach it with their broom without breaking it. Red said to call for you!"

Lime immediately hoisted themself out of the vent, giving White a look. "You brought wine onto the ship?"

White stared at them with a clueless expression. Lime was reminded of when they'd see those dumb catmates on the street, acting like they don't know what's going on in the world while begging for food on a full stomach.

"Of course I did!" White let out a light huff. "Honestly, if I'd left my best wine at home, my sibling would have drank it all by the time I got back! I mean, I love them, but they always take my things!"

Lime held back a snort. For the month that they've known that capitalist, they've never looked so ruffled until now.

"I always complained to my parents about how they keep using up everything I own, and their solution is to tell me that they love me and buy me new things for them to take! And–" White paused, glancing at Lime. "…uh, do you wanna try some?"

 

The engineer looked up at White with a very strange look. They let down their guard for one second and White suddenly thinks it's perfectly okay to attempt to poison them?!

"Why're you asking?" Lime glared at White. White looked like an idiot, but a coward. Wouldn't be hard to overpower them if they tried.

White let out a small hum in response. "Well, consider it payment. For the work I'm asking you to do!"

…huh.

"Fine."

 

Lime could feel how warm their body felt against the cold floors and walls of the Skeld. They couldn't lie, this wasn't bad.

There were a few small cuts from the glass shards they had to pick up, but it wasn't nothing a few bandages couldn't fix.

They had also not been listened to for this long. Not even by Blue, though they reckon it's just 'cus they keep leaving quickly. Sure, maybe it was due to letting themself get carried away with the wine, or because White was probably drunk by now. Jeez, if Orange were here, Lime would be chewed out for this… probably on the verge of being fired. White would get away with it. Eh.

"–and if those gremlins had any brains at all, then they'd have cornered the doctor by now without me," Lime remarked, chuckling. "But I know the doc's smart enough to keep 'em away. They keep doin' the stupidest shit though, makes me think otherwise."

"Mm?" White hummed, and a quick glance– the first in a hot minute– at them revealed they actually looked (and sounded) rather sober compared to Lime. "Why? I thought that Blue was… eheh…"

Lime squinted at them as red dusted White's cheeks, before they waved Lime off, clearing their throat. "They seem pretty smart."

"Yeah, well guess what. I tell 'em, 'Don't stare a gremlin in the eye, they'll take over your mind!' And guess what Blue does?" Lime scoffed. "They turn 'round next day and decide they're gonna look one right in the eye."

"Oh, wait, were you saying gremlin?" White perked up. "I thought you've been talking about goblins! Y'know, like those small weird green guys with the big clubs and noses–"

Lime sputtered. "They ain't the same thing at all!"

Before Lime could continue, they were caught off guard by White's strange look at them. "What?"

"Oh– Sorry! I was just thinking about how Orange told me you were unambiguous."

They glared at the nepo baby. "Yeah? They tell every new hire that. Ain't my fault they can't understand me."

White scratched the back of their neck, before pouring Lime another glass. Half full this time. "I mean, I think you're pretty interesting. Haven't met anyone like you!"

…

"Not in a bad way!" White sputtered, cheeks flushing. Maybe they were drunk. "Uh… y'know, if you ever wanna try the other wines I have…"

Their glare only grew more intense as Lime tried to get a read on them. Their head felt just a bit fuzzy, enough to throw them off their game. White also hasn't acted this way other than around Blue, and Lime usually avoids them enough that they haven't figured out how White ticks.

Which Lime has now grown to regret. They couldn't figure out what the hell this crewmate wanted, what nefarious plans they had stirring in their mind.

"Whatever," was what Lime had settled on, abandoning the half filled cup of wine as they hoisted themself up. "Gotta get back to work."

White didn't respond. Lime mentally took note of that as they flipped a nearby vent open to hop into. Time to ask Purple if they've seen White be weird at all…

 

–––––

 

Lime couldn't help but stare at Yellow.

The suggestion of White not only made Lime momentarily think Yellow was some mind-reading monster, but also startled them enough to snap them out of their thoughts.

"Really," Lime deadpanned. "White?"

"Look, with this one, it's kind of more of a working theory," Yellow shrugged, leaning forward. "But the one thing I'm certain of is that White doesn't usually go offering their other alcohol to anybody."

Yellow paused. Then huffed, crossing their arms. "I didn't even know they had more alcohol!"

Lime scoffed. "You're readin' too much into this, you jaw wagger!"

"No, I'm not." Lime had a feeling they knew where this was going, as Yellow planted their arm on the table, leaning even closer as if telling Lime a secret. "White's a capitalist. I ain't a fan. I don't think they're a fan of sharing even their regular wine to someone like you unless they're interested."

Yellow shrugged. "Just look at how they are with Green."

"Don't usually stick around them," Lime scratched the back of their neck. "At all. Why would I?! They're friends with cops–"

"White gets all weird." The chef interrupted, planting their hand right on Lime's face again and eliciting a few yowls from the engineer. Can they NOT??? "They stop talking about themself so much, but they're also weirdly desperate to keep whoever they like talking? They'd egg Green on to keep talking about their weird worms, for example. Or your gremlins or something."

 

Lime's fingers ran over the hematite again, and they briefly considered removing their gloves just to feel the smoothness of the stone. This was freaky. Maybe the stone was protecting them from being sane, and Cyan knew exactly what would make them crazy…

The engineer let out another scoff. "What the hell would that cop kisser even be interested in with me?"

White looked like the kind of person who only liked luxury things. They didn't seem to be the type that liked anything even remotely country–

Actually, no. Scratch that, they apparently liked that intern, for whatever reason.

Maybe they were still drunk because of that damned capitalist, sneaking things into their drink and making them all fuzzy and weird inside… or making them imagine the crazy things Yellow's been rambling about.

Maybe they should observe White more.

A lot fucking more, because that bean has been making their head spin ever since they offered up their wine.

"I dunno, I'd honestly ask the same thing from everyone else on the Skeld!" Yellow remarked, letting out a light laugh. "No offense, Lime, but I'm honestly just surprised they ain't like this with only Blue."

Lime snorted. "No kiddin'."

People liking Blue made sense. They're a siren with powerful charm and objectively attractive looks–

…but also much kinder to them than any other doctor had ever been. They're patient, and they clearly listen (though also obviously forget, unless they're [for whatever reason] doing these reckless things on purpose) to the things Lime has talked about. Lime knows they aren't the only one who's got trust in Blue with the way Blue is with everyone. Even Red, and they can tell Red really gets on Blue's nerves!

Everyone on this old metal box was probably likable to some extent– even White and Red had something going for them, probably.

But to think people liked Lime themself?? Lime liked to pride themself on their intelligence and skill with their precious reactor and other tech but they know they're not exactly someone nice to look at. Or someone nice to talk to, with how people talk and complain about them behind their backs and to their face. Not that they really cared, they were used to it.

It was really weird.

"You know what's crazier?" Yellow continued, either oblivious of Lime's turmoil or aware of it and actively choosing to make things worse. "I think even Orange likes you."

HUH???

 

CASE 6 – HR MANAGER ORANGE

When that familiar humming echoed through the halls of the ship, Lime bit back a snarl and grumble directed towards Orange. They didn't want to alert that raptor HR manager to where they were. They were very happily and peacefully checking in on their reactor.

Orange had been pestering them about their files for ages now, and God knows that Lime wasn't handing over any rights to themself or their body at all! They know those vermin have got some secret invisible ink type of bullshit hidden in that fine print somewhere, that's how they'll get you!

"Oh, Lime?" Lime froze. "Lime! There you are!"

Lime shrunk back, turning around to see that annoyingly optimistic face looking right at them. They immediately turned, trying to dart straight to one of the two vents only to be grabbed and pulled back by their pack.

Lime's face flushed as they immediately swatted Orange's hands away. "Hands off, you alien scum!"

"Ah, I'm so sorry!" Orange's cheeks had grown a bit redder. Good. "I meant to hold onto your bandana! I'll write myself up for that later…"

…jeez.

"Fine. Whaddya want."

Orange beamed, probably because Lime hadn't tried to run again. They knew there was no point– Purple probably snitched on Lime's location or something…

"Well, about those forms–"

"I'm not signing those damn forms!" Lime yowled, immediately grabbing their wrench and pointing it right at Orange's chest. "I know my rights! You're just gonna make me sell my damn soul to MIRA, ain't you!? Well, too fuckin' bad. I know what you're–"

Lime was interrupted by a snort from Orange, which had bubbled into laughter.

What the hell…

"Oh, Lime! You've always been a unique crewmate, haven't you?" Orange chirped, hand on their hip as they used the other to gently push the wrench down. "While I wouldn't usually do this, I went out of my way to rewrite all of the forms I needed you to sign!"

They shoved the forms right into Lime's chest, and continued to ramble on as Lime tried to read whatever crap Orange made… "I spoke about it with Blue and the chefs, since they're the only ones you've listened to, and rewrote them in accordance with MIRA policy but also their own recommendations and criticisms!"

Lime grumbled as they finally yanked the paperwork out of Orange's hands, looking through. Weirdly, there was no small writing. No hidden fine print the size of a single atom, and as Lime ran their hands over the paper, they could only feel the slight sheen of the visible black ink on the page. They were shortened significantly, where what was initially 57 sheets of paperwork for Lime had shrunk down to maybe around like, 21. Which was kind of startling and impressive on its own, but Lime couldn't pick out anything that actually indicated that rat CEO Pink and their little freak henchmates could get their mitts on Lime.

If anything, it was more about bullshit they were already doing, like being willing to take responsibility if they were ever injured from workplace incidents, being willing to work with the temporary doctor aboard the ship, being willing to accept repercussions if policies are broken or if their work is deemed unsatisfactory, normal shit like that.

It wasn't littered with all that HR jargon and fancy words to confuse the reader and make them sign their life away. It was clear and straightforward, with no little loopholes where MIRA could exploit them.

There was one new line that they didn't think was there before.

A line talking about how with one signature, they would now be able to utilise the vents as a method of transport without repercussion. Orange had an issue with this before. Why the hell are they suddenly switching up about it?!

Lime squinted at the forms again. This felt too good to be true, and everyone knows that when something's too good to be true, it usually is. They looked back up at Orange, refusing to take the pen in Orange's hand.

…they read through once more. Then back up at Orange. "Fess up."

Orange blinked. "Eh– I'm sorry?"

"What else are you here for?" Lime snarled, poking Orange in the chest with their wrench. "Ain't you gonna tell me off? For what I did to Red? Or about anything else I've done like you always do??"

Orange looked down at the wrench, then up at Lime, before letting out a laugh once more. Lime raised a brow, wrench lowering ever so slightly. Everyone's been so weird, and Orange doesn't laugh this much unless they're trying to cover something up.

"Oh, Lime! You didn't hear? The Captain took accountability for all of that!" They grinned, waving them off. "They told me that it was their fault it had happened at all, and to let you off the hook– Captain's orders, they said!"

…that's fucking weird.

"So don't worry about that!" Orange tapped the forms as they continued. "And instead sign these forms! If you don't by the end of the year, MIRA has the right to fire you and restrict you from working for us ever again, and I don't want to see that happening with you."

And there they go again, with their corporate chattering, probably saying that grossly sweet stuff to anyone Orange works with because they have to.

They did need this job though. Hated working for MIRA, but they were pretty sure MIRA put trackers on everyone and would hunt Lime down like sport if they were to ever quit so they could kill them and keep them quiet.

They grumbled, snatching the pen right out of Orange's free hand and scrawling their signature over the (still way too many) lines on the pages.

"There, happy?!" Lime huffed, shoving the papers back into Orange's chest.

Orange's gaze skimmed over the papers before they immediately beamed at Lime. "Perfect! Oh, this is wonderful! Thank you, Lime! Keep up the good work!"

Lime watched Orange continue humming, strutting out of the room in their weird mismatched shoes (they never got why Orange did that– the forums couldn't explain it outside of accusing them of being an alien freak learning how crewmates worked).

…that was fucking weird.

 

–––––

 

"Do I even have to explain this one to you?"

Lime's face burned. They had a feeling.

They didn't like the fact that Yellow's whole thing of pulling everyone's behaviours apart was rubbing off on Lime.

And that usually, when someone was acting really weird, they were apparently taking an interest in Lime for whatever damn reason.

According to Yellow anyway.

"Orange doesn't usually accommodate for others to that extent," Yellow hummed, resting their chin in their palm. They're getting tired? Good. "They used to go about how rewording the paperwork for you wasn't technically an HR violation but would make others upset about special treatment or whatever."

…Lime let out an incoherent grumble, averting their gaze. Lime had neglected to mention the whole section about their now official permission to use the vents whenever they wanted without getting in trouble for some random safety violation.

If they mentioned that, Yellow would probably wake up and keep going on about Orange. Lime would rather not. God, please give them strength to keep going with this damn overwhelming crew. They felt sick. They felt lightheaded. Maybe they wanted to throw up.

It wasn't like it was obvious that Orange liked Lime– hell, if it weren't for Yellow's meddling, Lime would have probably forgotten about today with how little Lime usually cared for whatever Orange pestered them into doing. Thanks to Yellow, Lime could read between the lines now. Like they couldn't with Blue's poem– do not think about that.

And with a single thought about Blue's stupid (barely legible, because of their weird cryptic doctor handwriting, but still nice) poem, other things came coming back. Green's interest in them, White wanting to hear them talk, Brown––

Lime groaned into their hands, feeling the startling heat of their face even through their gloves.

They tensed when they felt a hand rest on the top of their head, immediately jolting up to swat Yellow away. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Ah– Sorry, Lime, I'm just worryin' for you," the chef smiled awkwardly, hand still hovering in the air. "You okay? Is this too much for you? Should I get Brown or Blue or–"

In no damned world was either of them the best option to call.

None of their crew was, at this point, if Yellow was right about them having weird childish crushes on Lime.

"Bah! Whatever! I'm fine!" Lime waved their hands around, making Yellow inch back. "Just keep going, or whatever."

Yellow stared. Lime shrunk back. They didn't like that look. They only got that look from Yellow or Brown when they're trying to get Lime to tell them the truth. And they were! Mostly.

Yellow was also definitely some weird alien for mind reading and Lime took a mental note to go put some holy water in their bed before lights out later.

"Just a lot. Feel dizzy. Feels weird." Lime shrugged. "I'm fine. Keep going."

Yellow continued to stare, and despite Lime averting their eyes, they could feel it burning into their skin again. "You said that last time and then immediately folded over easier than a thin slice of ham!"

Lime glared at them. Yellow glared back.

"Fine, fine. Since we were just talking about Orange, then I'll start on Red." Yellow shrugged, leaning back onto the counter. "I mean, I'm actually not really sure about that one."

 

CASE 7 – CAPTAIN RED

Lime winced as their arm rubbed against a sharp piece of metal protruding out of the vent.

As they checked their arm (and sighed in relief; no damage, meaning no trip to Blue) they thought about why they were doing this.

Orange's behaviour was pretty weird on its own, but hearing that Red took accountability was even weirder. Red barely liked to get in trouble, trying to kiss MIRA's ass and suck up to them despite the fact (or maybe even because of the fact) that they actually barely do anything.

Something in the back of their head was hoping that they weren't that mad at Lime.

Poking their head into navigation, they found that there was nobody there. Of course.

Lime let out a grumble, diving back into the vent to keep moving. They needed to talk to Red, figure out what their deal is. Because no way in hell was Lime believing that Red had suddenly become a better captain that gladly takes the brunt of the punishment, especially when its coming from Orange.

A few more failed attempts of finding Red (and one instance of scaring Yellow out of their skin) they circled all the way back to the reactor. Their bone was immediately full of dread.

They wanted to talk about that accident and maybe see if Red was tolerable enough for Lime to give them a proper apology, but if Red is messing with the reactor again, Lime genuinely might act out enough to get booted off this ship before they even land.

And if Red had been kidnapped, stuffed in a vent, and replaced by some freaky impostor Red, then they would have to deal with it because everyone else on this ship is too naive to believe that could happen. Crew's got the annoying bravado to think they're the only intelligent life out here…

They leaped out of the vent, their hypothesis being confirmed by the sight of Red crouched by the reactor's main panel, book in hand.

 

"Hey!" Lime barked, Red screaming like a little sproutling. "What are you doing?!"

Red immediately cleared their throat, face growing red as they tucked the book back into their pack. "Don't worry about it, Lime! I'm just being a good captain, doing captainly things–"

"Oh, after what happened a few days ago–" Lime paused, gaze drifting to the slight indent in the floor from where Lime had thrown a punch, before immediately glaring back at Red. "–I don't trust you alone with my damn reactor."

"Eh– Well– It's not your–"

"What the hell are you doing with it?" Lime cut them off, not caring for their defensive and weak sputtering. Looks like Red wouldn't be getting their apology– not that Red would've cared anyway. "You better not be causing problems again."

"I'm not, I would never!" Red insisted, whining. "I'm just being a good captain and, uh–"

They scratched the back of their neck, before deflating. "I wanted to apologise."

…what.

Maybe White's wine was still affecting Lime.

"Look, I'm not very good at this– Purps made it pretty clear…" Red mumbled, taking their hat off their head to fiddle with. "But I was… Purps and Yellow talked to me. About all this."

Lime took a step back, glare unwavering. They didn't trust this. They didn't like it.

"And Orange also definitely didn't give me a talking to about how to handle machinery on the ship…" Red trailed off, before yelping. "B-But that's not the point! I shouldn't have done that. I…"

This wasn't Red, was it?

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay?" Red was sweating profusely, grip on their hat so tight it was shocking it didn't tear. "I just–"

Lime watched as they pulled out that book– is that a fucking manual.

Red, their captain of almost 5 fucking months at this point, has been relying on a damned MIRA issued manual this whole time.

Actually, no, that made sense. Unfortunately.

"I was just trying to follow protocol! I-I mean, c'mon, who wants to upset MIRA?" Red whined, flipping through the pages too fast for Lime to read. "And I just thought that, y'know, a good captain would handle problems by themself!"

Lime stared. They couldn't be serious. They were an even bigger idiot than that doctor and Orange combined.

"So you thought it'd be fine to kick the reactor?!" Lime snarled, making Red wince back with a yelp. "A good damn captain would know what they can do, not helping the gremlins sabotage the damn ship!"

"I thought it'd be like the shows!! And it worked, most of the time! And it's not like I cared much about the machines at all–" Red stammered. "Look, I just… can you show me then?"

Lime glared at Red, trying to pick apart whether this really was the same stupid captain. "Show you what."

"Show me what to do?" Red peeked out from behind their hat. "I-I mean–"

They immediately straightened, putting their hat back onto their head. "As the captain, I should know about how everything works on the ship just in case you're out of commission, shouldn't I?"

…Red was definitely possessed. Maybe a whole 'fighting the monster in their mind' kind of possessed which is why they're being weirdly competent.

Though, Lime does know that Red can be competent. Sometimes. Usually when they get offended by Purple.

"…fine."

"Come on, Lime, are you still–" Red paused before they began to sputter like some failing engine. "W– H– You– Really?"

"Yes. Move, I'll show you the basics so you don't screw it up again." Lime scoffed, trudging over to the panel and nudging Red aside. "Cus I'm gonna trust that you'll know what to do next time."

Lime turned to look when the captain didn't respond, seeing their wide-visored gaze.

"Ah– Of course!" They grinned, snapping out of whatever that was. Did they see a gremlin or something? "As your amazing captain, you can trust me!"

Lime sighed, turning back to the panel. This was gonna be a long two hours, wasn't it.

 

–––––

 

"Like, I don't really listen to Red that much unless it's some 'important meeting', and Orange actually leads those meetings." Yellow had flopped onto their back over the counter, looking at Lime. "So I'm not really sure if they were weird with you. You notice anything?"

Lime stared back at Yellow in silence. Red was real weird back then, kind of like how they are with Purple.

Lime knew that Red and Purple had some weird fallout– it's most of the crap Purple tells Heracles in Oxygen, and Red talks to (what Lime now thinks is) their handbook about Purple and some incident and trying to figure out how to get Purple to like them again.

Lime also knew that Red would act pretty weird about Purple– trying to get on their good side even though they're really shitty at actually making Purple happy, like, Cyan has a better chance at becoming friends with Purple if they were to start crying in Purple's vicinity. They apparently started getting along again throughout the month White and Green have been aboard, though Lime could still hear them arguing about random bullshit from a mile away.

Anyway.

"Yeah," was what Lime had settled with. "Acts like that with Purple."

"Really?" Yellow had perked up, rolling over. "Like some dogmate desperate to get your attention or something? Tryna look all cool?"

Lime thought to themself for a bit longer– they didn't like how that fit. Red didn't feel as desperate as Yellow was probably implying, but they did feel kind of desperate.

"More apologetic, but yeah."

"Apolo–" Yellow sputtered, before slamming their hands down on the counter and making Lime wince. "Sorry. Apologetic?! You're really something else if you're able to change those bootlickers' minds that way, huh?"

Lime let out a little grumble as their face began to warm up again. Something else?

"I mean that in a good way, by the way," they chuckled, giving Lime a light pat on the shoulder. "I can't remember the last time Red tried to even listen to me and Brown– I don't think they ever did."

Lime huffed. Red… honestly, that made a lot of sense. Annoyingly.

"So, what? You think they like me just because–"

"They treat you like Purple?" Yellow cut them off, crossing their arms. "Yes, I do, hun. You of all people should've noticed they've been making out behind closed doors and Orange's back, y'know?"

Lime went red. "WH– What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I'm not some gross peeper–"

"Jeez, calm down!" Yellow chuckled, trying to avoid Lime's hands, which reached out to grab them by the throat. "I just meant that you've probably seen a lot while scuttling through those grimy vents of yours!"

Lime hesitated, knowing Yellow did have a point. After all, they may have caught Yellow and Brown in compromising positions a few times. And an embarrassing scene of Orange talking to their trust balls in an empty room for about an hour straight.

"But, back to the point. Red's obviously yearning for Purple's attention and love," Yellow grinned. They were getting their energy back… "And if you're saying they're acting like they do with Purple?"

Yellow didn't need to finish that thought. Lime pressed their face back into their arms, flustered as they counted how many that made it… Blue, Green, Cyan, Brown, White, and now Red.

Seven.

They stared at their hand, then looked up at Yellow.

There was one that happened today, and they might have neglected to tell Yellow about earlier that night.

One that Lime couldn't wrap their head around until now.

 

CASE 8 – SECURITY GUARD PURPLE

They wiped their brow with their glove, not caring for the slight smear of grease that now rested on their face. They couldn't care less, not when they were trying to fix the damage that the keypad took.

Apparently Black had hit the buttons a bit too hard last time, when a nasty little ratmate (how it got on, Lime's still trying to figure it out. The forum thought some hitmate brought it on to take the whole crew down) chewed up some of the wires.

The temporary fix of duct tape had been enough to repair the wires and keep them intact, but Lime still hasn't been given the proper replacements they asked Red to order for them ages ago. And now they'd have to figure out how to fix the buttons.

They sighed, stepping back. This would take a while to repair with the lack of shit the ship has stocked on it. Hell, all they gave Lime were roles of shitty duct tape!

They looked up at the tank.

Then behind them, and even peered into the vent to make sure no gremlin was watching.

 

Lime hadn't sung in ages, but they attempted to hum that little tune Purple always did when visiting that dumb little fish.

…what was their name again?

Lime shook their head as they watched the fishmate peek out from behind the fake plants in the tank. They tapped their finger against the glass, watching them– Heracles, that's what Purple called them– swim up to Lime, then swim around in a little circle.

"LIME!"

Lime yelped, back pressing against the glass as they swivelled around. Purple stood at the entrance, heaving and gasping for breath as they double over onto their knees.

Jeez, Lime had heard they didn't do anything physical before they got on the ship, but they thought Purple'd have at least been a bit better. Maybe this was some sorta weird fake act.

"What–" Purple panted, lifting a finger. "What are you doing in here?"

"Fixing the panel to restart the oxygen system in case of emergency," Lime gestured to the panel next to them. "What's your deal?"

Purple glanced up at them, before gasping and rushing forward. They pushed Lime aside, and they watched as Purple pressed their face against the glass.

"Heracles!" They sounded… relieved? Worried? Their hands grabbed at the glass anyway, and Lime thought the glass could probably break if Purple was freaking out any more. "Sweetie, hi! Are you okay? Did anything happen?"

Lime huffed, turning towards the vent. Maybe they could get out of this without getting into trouble–

"Woah, Lime, hold on!" Purple grabbed them by the strap of their overalls, eliciting a yelp from them. "How did you– You better not tell anyone about Heracles, okay?"

They grumbled, trying to pull the strap out of Purple's hand– how the hell was their grip so strong?!

"Why the hell would I?" Lime snarled, still trying. It wouldn't be good blackmail if they told anyone, after all. "Fish's good company."

Purple stared, their grip loosening just enough for Lime to finally yank themself away. "Wh– You like Heracles?"

Lime glanced at the fish, who was looking at Purple. It kinda freaked them out, but they didn't feel any judgement from that little guy. Fish were pretty stupid.

"More than I like some of the idiots on this ship," Lime shrugs. "They make good company when you're tryna fix buttons that are completely fuckin' busted."

"…huh."

 

Purple and Lime had sat in a comfortable silence for a while as Lime fought the duct tape (Green clearly struggled to keep it straight and unfolded, with how much was stuck to itself). It was… kinda nice to be able to work in peace.

It wasn't like Lime to so casually let someone unrelated linger around as they worked, but Lime couldn't rationalise any secret and devious reason Purple would be hanging around other than to just sit by Heracles, occasionally humming to them.

Really, Lime doubts that guard had taken their eyes off of that goldfish for even a millisecond.

Made sense, though. That fishmate was kind of cute? Fish were more for eating than having as a petmate to Lime, but Heracles was edging on being an exception.

"Y'know, Lime, you're…" Purple spoke up, the broken silence making Lime look away from the panel. "You're not half bad."

Lime scoffed, looking back at the panel. That was just because they hadn't said a word at all for the past 5 minutes, they reckon. For just a moment, maybe they'll pretend that it wasn't case.

"You really do care about your work."

They jolted.

Their head snapped towards the security guard, raising the roll of tape over their head like a threat. "A'course I do! What kind of useless damned engineer would I be if I didn't care?!"

"Woah!" Purple startled away from Lime, and Heracles. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then what the hell did you–"

"It was just because most of what I know about you is your– your weird conspiracies!" Purple had been fumbling about, trying to figure out the right words, probably to not upset Lime further. "And I never really got it when the others, like Blue or– or Cyan talked about how amazing you are, so I just…"

Lime's foot tapped against the floor. They almost had a good day. They tilted their head, egging Purple to keep talking.

"I shouldn't have called you those things I did. A-And I'm sorry."

They blinked. What?

"I mean, even Heracles likes you!" Purple had turned back towards their fishmate, a hand against the glass– much gentler this time. "And– And if they like you, and think you're alright, then maybe… I dunno. Maybe I should let myself like you too."

…huh?

Lime squinted at Purple, trying to ignore the heat rising up their own face. What, was Heracles some sort of judge to Purple or something?

"Ah– Hoookay, I should probably head back to Security before Orange finds out I'm gone," the guard declared, for whatever reason, waving Heracles goodbye before stiffly and hastily walking out of Oxygen.

Well, that was weird.

 

–––––

 

"Lime, you good?" Yellow raised a brow, leaning down so their visor met Lime's. "I'm all done with prep for tomorrow's breakfast, so unless you wanted to keep talking–"

"Purple told me something," Lime blurted out. Their face felt hotter than they felt around the reactor.

And that had immediately grabbed Yellow's attention, making them stand straight again. "Shit, really?"

The engineer let out a small noise to confirm. It was incredibly obvious now, why didn't they fucking realise sooner??

Purple wasn't the most social of the crewmates– Lime respected that honestly, they weren't exactly fond of others either. Meaning Lime knew Purple also wouldn't usually show affection towards others. Purple has been affectionate with Cyan so far, and about once and only once with Red, but that's about it.

At least, from what Lime can remember seeing whilst getting turned around in the vents whenever communications go down again. Damn faulty old ship…

"Go on, spill!"

Lime paused.

They did agree to not tell anyone about Heracles, especially after Purple told Lime all about their alleged tragic backstory about going in debt and only having Heracles to make them happy for about a year, but they know Yellow wouldn't really do anything about this information.

…Lime probably wouldn't be happy if Blue told Brown or Cyan about Lime's enjoyment for drawing though. Purple would probably feel the same.

"Most of it's… secret," Lime started. "Can't tell you all the info, but that jaw wagger said something about letting themself like me."

Lime had initially focused a bit too much on the role the fishmate had played in all this at the time. Now that they weren't, thanks to this whole talk with Yellow about everynoe else, it really made it a bit too clear.

They shook their head fast. It was– It was probably just that friendly kind of liking.

…why would Purple have gotten so embarrassed about liking someone.

"Shit."

"What? What??"

Lime's face burned. Maybe they were going to die. Maybe their blood rushing to their face this often was a sign that the gremlins finally got to them.

Maybe it was just a sign they actually reciproc–

No, no, if they let that thought enter their mind even once…

Lime grumbled.

"Don't know what to do." Lime let their head thud against the counter again. "…too much."

They didn't bother to look up at Yellow, but they heard the silence and the slight shuffling of fabric.

This was all too much, and they didn't like that they actually began to believe it.

That people like them that way.

After years of being brushed aside, shunned, made fun of, it felt jarring. It felt overwhelming, and Lime hated it.

What was even worse was that Lime felt like they were liking them too. And not just one of them either. They liked the others a bit too much for their own safety, their own peace of mind. What if Lime lost them? What if they hurt Lime? These freaks must all just be gremlins, because Lime told themself they wouldn't get attached to anyone so their information and heart wouldn't be taken advantage of–

 

An arm pressed against their back.

Wh–

"Sup losers."

Lime froze the moment they heard Black's voice. What were they– were they leaning on Lime?!

"Oh, good evening, Black!" Yellow had replied, and very obviously sounded amused. Lime was going to get back at them for that later. "You, uh, doin' good?"

Black relaxed further against Lime. "Ehh, could be better. Orange was being lame and telling us all about ore safety bullshit again. As if we haven't heard that every single day on this ship."

"Pft– Liking your new arm rest?"

Lime had so much they could rat Yellow out for, they better quit laughing…

"Mm, decent enough. Stinks though," Black remarked.

The engineer finally let out a yell, swatting Black off of them. The geologist yelped, staggering back before wiping their hands off on their shirt.

"Well, I was just here for a quick snack anyway–" They ignored Lime's loud remarks, as Lime tried to defend themself (they didn't want to stink and they damn cleaned whenever they could, it wasn't their fault this ship was sweltering half the time and they had to work with old machines which do not smell good). "–and I'll get out of your fur."

Yellow tossed Black a granola bar and watched as Black walked away, not even looking back.

Grumbling, Lime tugged at the straps of their overalls and their pack, trying to fix it after Black had jostled their clothing slightly after resting on them. It had startled them enough to snap them out of their thoughts, ones Lime was going to promptly and deliberately attempt to forget about.

"Y'know, I didn't think Black woulda liked you," Yellow hummed. "That makes case nine."

"WHAT."

Yellow snorted, covering their visor. "They like you too!"

Maybe Lime should change their identity and move to some far away asteroid. They were already considering doing that once they scraped enough cash up to live if they quit MIRA so they couldn't be tracked down. Maybe they should do that sooner. Maybe now.

"...why?" Lime mumbled. "How do you know."

"They ain't the most fond of people, as you know," Yellow began, glancing at the door that Black had disappeared through.

Yeah, Lime did know that. Black hated everyone. Lime thought they were harboring secrets, but the most Lime had found was just their preference for this one cartoon about space rocks or something. Black was pretty blunt and honest about everything else, including how they feel about Cyan.

"Don't tell anyone I said this, but they're basically like some sorta catmate," they shrugged, leaning against the counter once more. "If they like you, they'll just come over and bother you if they wanna."

"...and they did that with me."

"Yep."

Letting out a long groan, they swivelled around in their seat, hands over their visor. Why did they have to be the one in this position?! They would rather just one crewmate like them at this point.

To be completely honest, Lime wasn't really sure where they stood with Black, and they didn't exactly want to bother with trying to figure that out right now.

The bigger problem was their own feelings. They don't want to get hurt. They hate it. They're going to hurt them, even. They've never even been in a relationship. People have called them dangerous– even the crew themselves called them a risk, a threat. They used to always handle Lime like some animal riddled with rabies.

They hated that they wanted this. They'll make Lime vulnerable, they'll become Lime's weak points, and there are so many– if any of them got hurt or targeted by the gremlins because Lime couldn't keep an eye out, if one of them got tracked down by the damn government if Lime let their guard down even once–

"Lime."

They shook their head. Their face felt like it was on fire. They feel like they might faint soon actually. They didn't want to talk about this.

"Lime, I, uh, I'm sorry for pushing all this on you." Lime felt a hand on their bandana, patting them softly. Lime couldn't be bothered to throw them off this time. "I can help you out here, if you want."

The engineer sighed. Yellow seemed like a safe option, and thank the Lord above for that. "At least your ass isn't in love with me... one less to deal with."

When they looked up, they were not blind to Yellow's incriminating, sheepish expression. Their gaze tilted to the left with an awkward grin.

"Well, actually, I'm–"

Lime booked it. Immediately.

"Wh– Hey! Lime!"

They needed some damn space– none of them were good options to sit around, good Lord.

 

...Lime needed to think about things for a little while.

 

–––––

 

Blue's foot tapped rapidly against the floor, and none of the soothing Yellow and Brown tried to give them had helped.

"Awh, come on, baby, they're not gonna hate you," Yellow cooed, patting their back. "If anything, they'll probably hate me!"

Brown nudged them. "They won't."

Yellow felt pretty bad about the situation that happened the other day. They had good intentions, being that their partner and the others have been obviously trying to figure out how to integrate Lime into this weird confusing jumble of a polycule that had slowly formed over time.

Yellow wasn't even sure if they liked Lime that way! It was leaning into queerplatonic over anything. That's what they were gonna try to tell Lime, though they... probably could have worded it much better.

When Blue had come to them, concerned because Lime hadn't been seen by anyone (not even Purple or Green noticed them around) at all, Yellow had updated the group on what happened that night.

And that Lime would probably stay in the vent system for a good couple of days because of it. This did worry them, though Brown had made sure everyone wouldn't bother them– Lime was already stressed enough by Yellow's prodding.

"I'm just concerned for them," Blue muttered, pulling on their arms. "If it turns out that they've lost their trust in me, I worry for what could happen if they get injured–"

Brown rubbed their back as Blue let out a sob, gently shushing them before pulling out a stem of rosemary, gently holding it up to Blue's visor. Yellow hadn't thought it would get this bad, but they really should've.

"I'm sorry, Blue." Yellow rubbed their hand gently.

They just smiled up at them, squeezing Yellow's hand."No, no need, Yellow. We should have taken it a bit slower with them too."

Yellow's heart fluttered at the touch. They've still been a strange inbetween with Blue, a lot like how they feel about Lime and Purple, though it didn't stop the bubbliness from how soft it was.

So what if Yellow was a bit cheesy? So sue them!

And anyway, Yellow's own feelings for Blue didn't have to be defi–

"Guys!"

The three glanced up to see Cyan running in, dragging a stumbling Green by the sleeve.

"I know you said not to bother Lime, but look!" Cyan lifted up a torn square of paper, a sketch of Cyan themself on it with them holding a butterfly on their finger. "I found this in a vent near storage! And…"

They gestured towards Green, who showed a doodle of their own; Green had been sketched with a bandage around their hand like they were right now, though giving a thumbs up with some taped up wires behind them.

"They drew me too!" The intern beamed. "I don't think they're mad at us anymore!"

"I… may have been trying to read their aura since you told us, Yellow…" Cyan scratched the back of their neck. "…and they've never had a negative aura! In fact, they felt kinda light! They were pretty anxious, last time I checked…"

Yellow couldn't help but laugh.

The stress coiling up in their heart had finally let loose. Of course… it had been the same case with what happened between Brown and Lime– they just needed space.

Yellow should've figured they weren't upset or uncomfortable. Lime never shied away from being honest about when they weren't happy with something.

"See, Blue?" They smiled, nudging Blue, who seemed to have a smile. "Things aren't that bad."

 

Lime huffed, straightening out the small scraps of paper they had stacked in their hand. They continued trudging along through the vents. They still weren't… fond or used to this, but…

…it wasn't that bad.

Their face was already red from the constant concern and worries that echoed through the vents, but it only got worse from the compliments that were beginning to flood through too.

Maybe they'll come up soon.

Later. This just became way too much to deal with the moment they found Lime's sketching again.

But they aren't against the idea of being with the others anymore. Not as much.

For once, they felt content. And they didn't mind letting themself be just for today.

Notes:

for such a long fic im horrendous at tagging. dear god what else could i add to this horrible fic to make the filtering a little better
i also did not proofread this. if theres any errors please let me know ^o^

anyways i hope you enjoyed!!!! a quarter of this was written in about 3 days near the start of august while the rest was written over the span of the last week LOL it took me. a while
i love lime with all my heart and i absolutely love rarepairs and shipping. i do definitely want to write more about lime and polyskeld and lime and lime and polyskeld and /jest

oughh well i post a lil more about lime over on tumblr if you want. over at r3lishjar :3