For two weeks he laid in medical, looking up at the ceiling. Yesterday White had finally let him rest his arms on the bed rather than in slings. Though his leg still had the honor of a hammock. At least his right arm was free to move now. And with the help of the remote, Black was even able to sit up. Black tried to settle his nerves as the lights continued to buzz quietly. Every time he thought too much about it they seemed to buzz all the more. He was shaken from his thoughts at the sound of the medical door whooshing open. He could hear White listing rules to someone as they made their way to Black’s bed. The curtain was drawn back gently to reveal the trio. 

White was still prattling off restrictions and warnings not to exhaust her patient to Rose and Blue. Rose had her helmet off, pointedly chewing gum. It was clear she was just waiting for White to stop talking. Blue was listening intently to the medic’s instructions. Black was sure that she was making a mental list of everything that was said. He chuckled a bit to himself, hiding a wince at the twinge in his chest. 

“And remember not to overwhelm him.” White finished, waiting for the pair to nod in acknowledgement before making her way back to her desk. Blue took a seat next to Black’s bed, shooting him a sympathetic look. 

“How you feelin’ shrimp?” She teased. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Black grimaced, looking down at his bandaged body. When he spoke his voice was rough as gravel. 

“Sore,” he rasped, “and groggy.” Black repositioned his head to look at Blue. “Was anyone else hurt?” He asked. Blue simply shook her head. Black let out a deep breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. For two weeks White, Purple, and Cyan had staunchly refused to discuss the particulars of the accident with their patient. Purple claimed that it would be detrimental to his healing. Now that he had access to outside sources, Black took advantage. “How badly was the cargo damaged?” he asked. He instantly regretted the question when he saw Rose’s piercing gaze settle on him. 

“Are you fucking serious?” Rose demanded, standing abruptly. “You can barely move and you’re worried about the cargo?” Rose paced back and forth ranting in Spanish for a good five minutes before rounding on him. “If you weren’t already in stitches…” Before she could finish her thought, Blue thankfully placed a gentle hand on Rose’s shoulder. 

“Calm down,” She soothed, “asking about somewhat relevant topics is just a subconscious distraction method.” The taller woman let out a frustrated huff, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. Her gaze was still internse, but it had lost some of its heat. Rose turned her head to look at Blue with a mildly annoyed expression. 

“What did I say about using big words around me?” She asked. Blue sighed loudly, her visor staring straight up at the ceiling. 

“That I have the group’s brain cell and big words hurt your head.” Blue deadpanned. Black couldn’t stop the surprised chuckle that escaped him, nor the pained wince from the sudden movement. Blue’s head snapped to look at him when she heard the sound. She walked over to the other side of the bed, inspecting the IV still connected to Black.

“Speaking of the brain cell. Why hasn’t White administered more advanced aid to repair your limbs?” She asked, Black sighed as he rested his head on the pillow. 

“The tech’s not working.” Black mumbled. Blue’s head tilted like a confused cat. 

“I request clarification, Black.” Curiosity tinged her voice as she spoke. Black shifted to better see her. 

“Based on what White said,” He began, pausing to clear his throat, “the nano tech interface keeps glitching and short circuiting. She said that she would get Orange to look into it.. For now it’s traditional medicine.” Black cleared his throat again as he settled back into a comfortable position. The pair hummed curiously before falling into comfortable conversation. Sharing information about their current projects and the repairs being made to the ship. 

Rose had been rambling about a new guidance system for the external blasters she’d been working on when the door to medical whooshed open again. The trio glanced over to see Pink’s large form making his way into the medical wing. In his hands was a meal tray, still steaming hot. 

“I trust you kept to the dietary requirements I sent you, Pink?” White called from where she was fiddling with the scanner equipment. Pink simply nodded as he made his way over to Black’s bed. Rose and Blue shifted out of the way to give the large man room. Rose’s expression was difficult to read, but Black could see a glimmer of mirth in her eyes. Pink ignored this, swinging the attached tray around to rest over Black’s lap. 

Black smiled gratefully, pressing a button on his remote to move him to a sitting position. He did so at a snail’s pace, doing his best not to jostle his leg or his still bound left arm. As soon as he was settled in his new position, Pink gave him a curt nod before hastily retreating from the room. Despite still wearing his helmet, the large man seemed somewhat nervous as he left. Black happily and carefully began to indulge in the savory stew and fried bread that the larger man had brought him. 

Rose was smirking.

Black did his best to ignore her expression as he continued to slowly spoon the stew into his mouth. Pink truly had a gift, and not for the first time Black seriously wondered how such a talent hadn’t pursued a career as a chef instead of working on a cargo freighter. He pointedly did not look as blue removed her helmet to stare confused at the door. Instead he munched on another lovely piece of fried bread. 

“Areeeeee we gonna talk about that?” Rose asked, “because what the fuck just happened?” Black simply continued to eat nonplussed. 

“Ever since White cleared me for more than just an IV diet, Pink’s been bringing me food once a day.” Black calmly explained as he ate. Rose gaped at him, clearly affronted. Blue, meanwhile, hovered close to the bed staring intently at the meal tray. Black smiled as he offered her a piece of fried bread. Blue avoided her gaze but took it gently before beginning to nibble. He knew that Blue had a nasty habit of forgetting to eat. Her eyebrows disappeared into her raven curls. 

“This is far better than anything Pink has prepared for the crew in several weeks.” She mumbled, intent on savoring her treat. Rose nearly shrieked. 

“Seriously! Last night we had protean paste and celery stalks for dinner. It sucked.” Rose deadpanned, flopping back into the chair. Black simply smiled and continued to eat. He was more than certain that his friends were exaggerating, but arguing would get him nowhere. Besides, he had stew to eat. 

Blue and Rose weren’t able to stay after the food had been delivered. They were quickly ushered out by White. The head medical officer insisted that Black needed to eat and then rest. Rose protested, obviously, but was practically dragged out of medical by the ear. Rose continued to gripe as they made their way through the cafeteria. She could hear the faint sounds of Pink working in the kitchen. 

As they entered Admin to work on their tasks for the day, they were surprised to find a small crowd gathered around the main table. Gray, Orange, and Maroon stood crowded around schematics of the ship. Once with bright yellow lines running throughout the floor plan. Before Rose could say anything, Blue suddenly spoke at her side. 

“May I ask what it is you three are doing?” She inquired with a hint of suspicion in her tone. Orange, an older man with salt and pepper hair straightened up and held the plans out for Blue to take. 

“Maroon here asked me to see about setting up some backup generators that can hold a charge to prevent any more spills.” The man explained as Blue took the plans. Rose peeked over her shoulder to see that it was a plan of the wiring throughout the ship. She glanced over at the trio.

“Okay,” Rose began, “I get why Orange and Maroon are looking into it, but what the hell are you doin’ here Gray?” Admittedly, she could have been nicer about her questioning. However, Rose was feeling just a little bit on edge discussing the accident twice in one day. The muscular man bristled, beginning to shout something but he was cut off by their second officer. 

“Gray is the most qualified consultant for determining where the generators should be placed. Out of all four ship hands, Gray spends the most time in the cargo bay.” Maroon calmly explained, one hand on Gray’s shoulder. Rose huffed, grumbling her agreement. She may have a bone to pick with her fellow hot-head, but she really couldn’t argue with the sound logic of Maroon.

“I would like to volunteer my skills in diverting power from the reactor in a safe manner.” Blue said, passing the plans back to Orange. Rose shook her head fondly as Blue began to ramble about the external storage device prototypes she had been fiddling with. Maroon stepped in once more before it could become a full lecture. 

“Your help would be appreciated.” Maroon said, glancing to Orange for confirmation. 

“She can help as long as I’m in charge.” He groused. “Though this would be much smoother if we had a Coral on board…” Maroon punched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Rose couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her as he responded in a long-suffering tone. 

“For the last time, we simply don’t have room on board for another crewmate. We barely have enough room as it is.” Maroon droned. Gray chose then to chime in again. 

“You forgetting that we had to convert a storage room into a dinky ass room for me, old man?” 

“OLD MAN?!?”

It was then that Rose decided she’d had enough. She carefully guided Blue from the room as the trio erupted into a shouting match. They would just do their other tasks first. 

“Sooooooo, Black is amassing a harem.” Rose said. Blue hummed her agreement. “Pink, Gray, and Maroon are all down bad.” She continued, earning another hum of agreement from Blue. “We aren’t gonna say anything are we?” She asked. Blue cracked a smile for the first time in weeks, glancing mischievously at her companion.

“Nope.”