no biggie!

"Purps! Good morning! Wake up!", Red chirped before walking into security without asking.

They peeked at the chair, but it was empty; that was odd, Purple usually slept there, so where could they be?

As they stepped out to look for them, they bumped into someone; both nearly fell over from the momentum of their running.

"Ah! Excuse me, Captain. I was looking for Purple; I came here and didn't find them, and they weren't in the cafeteria either. So I assumed they might have come back here..."

"Mmmm... well, as you can see, they aren't here. And what did you want to see Purps for? Hmm?"

"I-I... Well... We're friends; why couldn't I come say good morning?"

Red hesitated, resting their hand on their chin as they questioned; that excuse sounded so made-up, so they tried to edge away, if anyone was going to wish Purple a good morning, it was going to be them.

What was supposed to be a peaceful moment turned into a very strange chase, with both of them hot on each other's heels until they realized where they might be.

"I got here first!"

"Don't believe him, Purps! It was me—!"

"Shhhhh!"

Cyan hushed them, pointing to Purple, who was asleep beside Heracles' tank. They both crept closer, though Red had the brilliant idea of ​​trying to whisper something to Purple, only for Cyan to shush them again.

"That’s not a very comfortable position... I think we should move them..."

"I have an idea; we need to move them to a more comfortable position. Cyan, please help me with this", Cyan just nodded in agreement.

They both tried to move them, Red taking the right side and Cyan the left; they definitely hadn't planned this out well, as they had both assumed the other would handle the position

They began pressing against their sides, ribs and hips, but stopped when they heard a soft giggle amidst their discussion.

"Hey, Captain... I think I have an idea for a good way to wake Purple up...!"

"Oh, really? Well, what—? Oooooh, I get it now... That sounds perfect. You take their sides and I'll take their belly button, how's that?"

"Okay, but be gentle...! They doesn't like it when things are too rough or cross the line."

Red gave their word as captain that they would be gentle; after all, Purple was their best friend, and it would probably be a million times worse if they found out they were rough

"Wait, why are you holding their hand?"

"Eh? Oh, didn't you know? I usually do that if they lets me tickle them; it’s sort of a comfort thing. That’s strange, I thought you, of all people, would know that."

Red coughed in a very exaggerated, dramatic way, claiming that of course they knew it, but they just wanted to see if it was because they seemed to be waking up.

The truth, however, was that Purple had never been the one getting tickled, it was always Red, and that clearly embarrassed them

"Pfffft, of course I know. Look, it’s simple: if I do this...", they said, gently tracing their finger around their navel.

Purple shifted slightly; faint traces of giggles gave them away, not loud, just soft, nothing bad. Cyan, for their part, gently squeezed their side, varying the pressure and occasionally massaging softly near their belly button

"Ehehehehehe...! AhAHAHAHAhaha...!"

"Well, well, who would’ve thought? Looks like someone’s enjoying this, huh?"

"They do! It’s just a matter of doing it carefully and not pushing past their limit! Oh, and teasing them a bit now and then, that makes them get all flustered."

Red grinned mischievously as their finger darted toward their belly button, quick and precise, causing Purple to squeeze Cyan’s hand a little tighter and turn onto their side to hide their blush.

"Aww, don't be shy! Why are you trying to hide?~"

"I-I caHAHAHAHahahahaHAHAhaaan't...! T-thihis is h-humilihihIHAHAHAhahahahatiiiiing...!"

"Oh really? I haven't heard you ask us to stop...~"

Almost immediately, Purple’s hand let go of Cyan’s, covering their face as they continued to laugh and roll gently onto their side.

"Come on, come on, don't be shy; there's no need to be embarrassed if you enjoy this... Sometimes you just ask for it, and there's nothing wrong with that!"

"Noooo...! StohoHAHAHAhap t-teheheHEHEeasiiing m-meheheheHEHEHEHEeeee...!"

"Oh, just teasing? So, indirectly, you're asking us to keep going?", Purple squealed, but made no further attempt to escape.

Red signaled to Cyan, watching as their gently lifted one of their arms and their fingers lightly dug into their ribs, while his other hand remained on their belly button. Cyan laughed softly as Purple arched their back and began to laugh harder, yet they made no move to lower their arm, even as it trembled

"Heh, oh Purple, you're certainly full of surprises and it's adorable... Does this bother you...?"

Cyan raised their other arm as well, gently tracing random patterns along Purple's ribs, like hearts, clouds, or flowers, and giggled softly when Purple turned away to hide their face.

"WaHAHAHAHAHIHIHit...! I-I cAHAHAHaaaaan't...! I'm t-too eHEHEHEHEmbarraHAHAHAhahassehehehed for THIHIHIHIhihihis...! P-pleHEHEHEaseHEHE!!"

"Just one more minute and we'll stop, okay?"

"A-ahahahalrihihHIHIhihight...! ACK! N-NAHAHAT THEHEHEREHEHEHEHE!!"

That was enough to make Cyan stop and make Red stop too, even though they tried to argue that it was a perfectly normal reaction. Purple gasped, their face flushed, clutching Red and Cyan's hands until they closed their eyes again to calm down and finally snap out of it.

"And now, time to make a run for it...!", Red panicked and scooped Cyan up to flee.

"Hey! We can't leave them! They needs their aftercare!"

"No time! We'll see them at mealtime!"

Cyan kicked their legs but couldn't break free from their grip, and they were too embarrassed to hit them to make them put them down.

Purple finally sat up, still chuckling softly and looking around; there was no one there but Heracles.

"How strange...", they said, standing up carefully; their legs were trembling a little.

"Was it all just a dream...? No... No way... I don't have those kinds of dreams. Or... do I?"

Blue couldn't make heads or tails of the situation in the medical bay; they tried to assume that White and Yellow’s fear stemmed from being far from home, but no theory seemed to convince them.

"Huh? What’s that sound?"

Blue turned around, approached the vents, and opened one, greeting Lime as they poked their head out.

"Oh, how are you, Lime? Here for a check-up?"

"Not a chance. I’m not letting you steal my data, but I have something you might need to examine. I found it in the vents, and it isn't mine. It must be the gremlins; I’ll have to make more holy water to drive them off... Just examine it, you'll see, then they'll stop calling me crazy!", before Blue could reply, Lime left.

Blue examined the vial; the liquid was a pale pink. It didn't look like blood, it looked like slime, a very strange type, but at least it would take their mind off coming up with theories for a moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"(where the heck did I put my cross? Those thieves must have been the ones who took it, but I'll make my own, they don't stand a chance!)"

Lime made their way through the vents until they finally reached the reactor, only to run into Orange.

"Hi, Lime! I noticed you were carrying some liquid; mind telling me what it is?"

"The doctor is still... Wait a second..."

How could Orange know? They had only mentioned it to Purple and Blue, which meant...

"I knew it! I knew MIRA didn't have good intentions! You guys must be aliens! Hahahaha, who's the crazy one now?!", Orange tried to deny it, but Lime pulled out some water, making them recoil.

Orange sighed, saying they hated doing this, but it was something their nature compelled they to do.

Lime didn't understand until they saw Orange transform right in front of them; it was so bizarre, nothing like what they imagined the aliens looked like.

"TO—!", they couldn't finish; two of Orange's tentacles bound their wrists and hoisted they up, causing them to drop his 'holy' water.

Before Lime could scream, the tentacles wrapped completely around them; they literally looked like a mummy given their posture and the way they were bound.

Orange approached cautiously and, smiling, placed a tentacle over their mouth to signal them to be quiet, a simple gesture that only irritated them further, prompting them to try and break free, at least until they tightened their grip around they entire body to keep them still.

"Look, Lime, I know this is bad, but don't get like that! MIRA's main rule is keeping its employees safe, so... I give you a good time, and you hand over your laughter, how does that sound?", Lime muttered under their breath that Orange made a lousy villain, since they were either too silly or too kind.

Feeling ignored, Orange loosened their grip on Lime slightly to give them a playful poke, taking offense when they swatted at their tentacles.

No longer worried about hurting them and feeling deeply offended, they pulled their arms away from their torso while keeping a firm hold on the rest of their body, laughing as all of Lime's attempts to escape proved futile.

"Look at you... You're so tiny... You think I don't know your secret? Go ahead, act tough or play dumb, but I've seen how Blue tickles you to make you forget your fear of shots or to convince you to get your scans done."

Lime turned red; their anger gave way to a mix of embarrassment, that was private! How dare they bring it up?!

"WHAT?!"

"Shhhh... Oh, come on, do you think you're getting away? Like I said, per protocol, you'd best get comfortable and prepare yoursel, unless, of course, you aren't as ticklish as I think."

Orange laughed, slowly inching their tentacles closer to tease them, making them look away.

"Aww, are you embarrassed? Kitchy, kitchy~"

Oh, this was really getting under their skin; those stupid pokes annoyed them. Sure, they were meant to tease, but was it really THAT necessary? If they were going to do something, they should just do it already!

"Aww, someone's embarrassed. Whaaaaat happens if I do thiiiiiis~?"

Gently, two tentacles settled onto their hips, massaging right above the hip bones; Lime’s reaction was immediate.

They shuddered and shook their head, trying not to think about the sensation, trying to make the feeling fade or vanish, but they didn't have much luck.

"Y-yohohohouhuhuhu damn a-alieHEHEn...! Stap t-HIS rihihihight fuHUHUcking nahahahaw...!"

"Uh-uh, watch your language. MIRA rules state that employees must treat each other with respect... though it seems I need to be a little meaner...", yeah, no fucking shit.

Lime was about to say something but held it back, forcing themself not to laugh out loud as the tentacles became more precise, and to make matters worse, they also targeted their ribs, armpits, and hips.

Orange brought one tentacle close and gave Lime a light poke on the cheek, and that just made everything worse.

"W-WHAHAHAHAT THE FUHUHUHUCK?! ACK!! WHAT D-DIHIHIHIHID YOUHUHUHU DO TO MEEEEHEHEHEHE?!"

With the utmost calm, as if they were doing nothing at all, Orange explained that it was a liquid that activated or heightened a person's sensitivity; that was why, when they give them that 'poke', they had left some of the fluid behind, causing Lime to laugh even harder.

Lime began to hurl insults at them between fits of laughter; they didn't care if it sealed their fate or made the other furious, they were not going to give up or beg that being for mercy. NEVER

"Who would've thought? You're laughing almost as loudly as when Blue tickles you, huh? Maybe I should record this; they'd get a real kick out of it. Oh my, are you coughing already? Or is that just your raspy voice making you sound that way?"

"T-THE WHOHOHOHOLE CR-CREHEHEHEW... *snort* IS G-GOING TO FIHIHIHIND *gasp* O-OUT ABOHOHOHOUT THIHIHIHIHIIIIS...! J-JUST WAHAHAIT... THEY'LL K-KIHIHICK YOU OUHUHUHUT...! Y-YOU BITCH...!"

That definitely annoyed Orange; they stopped showing them any consideration or mercy, and one of their tentacles wrapped around them, muffling their laughter, threats, and whatever else they were saying at the moment.

They smiled maliciously when Lime truly became hysterical, they could tell by the tear threatening to spill from their visor; that was all they needed...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmm, this fluid isn't in any research database; I wonder if... Huh?", Blue turned at the sound of something tapping against the vent

They stood up and opened it, realizing it was Lime, who was gasping for air and coughing intermittently.

"Lime! Oh my god! What a mess, come here!"

"Okay, let's see, Red. Two of our crewmates are now terrified of physical contact, and the only thing you're doing is playing games?"

"For your information, I was winning."

Purple glanced at the screen; a big "YOU LOST" was displayed. They didn't even get annoyed; they simply asked them to try to find a solution, warning that otherwise, they'd tell Orange to say something to MIRA.

Red turned off their screen and stepped closer, placing a hand on their shoulder and laughing.

"Oh, Purps, always such a riot. We'll figure it out together. Besides, Yellow hasn't left Brown's side, and White is with Blue, relax, it's not biggie!"

"Yeah, whatever. I’d really appreciate it if the cameras were working, but SOMEONE isn't doing anything about it", they grumbled, brushing their hand off and walking away.

Once in Security, they started monitoring the feeds; nothing seemed out of the casual. They kept watching closely until a shout from behind them made they jump.

"WHAT THE HELL, LIME?!"

"Damn, I got mixed up again! Where's MedBay? I found something Blue needs to see."

"Huh? Explain yourself..."

Lime pulled out a vial containing a pink liquid, explaining that there was a lot of it in the vents; they didn't know exactly what it was, so they were taking it to be analyzed.

Purple took the vial and examined it, then grabbed the ship's map and asked Lime to point out exactly where they had found the liquid.

"They were in the storage room...? Right where the ore is? And you didn't happen to see anything?"

"It's hard to see anything down there. By the way, since we're looking at the map, could you help me get to MedBay?", Purple agreed.

Once free, they grabbed a flashlight and a broom handle; if there really was something in the storage room, they weren't just going to stand idly by.

There didn't seem to be anything there, Cyan and Black likely would have said something about it, but nothing; everything was sealed tight. They kept walking until they spotted some of that strange liquid trailing off behind a container.

"(Okay, whatever is there must be dangerous. I'll sneak up on it, land a hit if I can, and go tell the others...)", gripping the stick tighter, they slowly approached.

Once behind the dumpster, they swung, but there was nothing; the trail ended, it made no sense. They turned around, but found nothing; it must have escaped.

A touch on their shoulders made they spin around and lash out at whoever had done it, but there was nothing there. They looked ahead and saw a pair of tentacles shoot out, bind their wrists, and drag them forcefully.

"HEY, WHAT THE HELL?!", they got no answer.

They tried to struggle, holding their ground to avoid being dragged away, until another pair of tentacles wrapped around their waist and ankles, lifting them up.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! COME OUT AND FIGHT!! AGH!!"

The tentacles squeezed their body, it hurt a bit, but the grip soon loosened, leaving them gasping for air. There was nothing there; it couldn't possibly be a ghost, even though the tentacles were emerging from the very dumpster they had suspected.

"WHO ARE YOU?! COME OUT NOW AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET IT! SO YOU'RE THE CULPRIT! COME OUT NOW!", but no one appeared.

Purple tried to break free, tried to force the way out, but their sides were squeezed tight; they held their ground, but it was no use, none of it made sense.

Their uniform soon felt damp; they saw pink liquid dripping, the same liquid that Lime had talked about. So they had been right; it belonged to the creature.

"(This has to be a joke... It feels fucking weird... If it won't talk, there's not much I can do...)", a tentacle gently brushed against their belly.

Purple blushed, stifling a groan of embarrassment at having nearly laughed; they weren't usually ticklish, something like that wouldn't have made them laugh, EVER, so...

The liquid made the victims hypersensitive; that was why it was so easy to drive them into hysterics.

"Oh Purps, what's wrong? Are you too ticklish for this? I thought you'd put up more of a fight... Aaaaw...~"

They recognized that voice! Red?! Of course, who else but them could know that?! They were not going to forget this... and they certainly wasn't going to forgive it.

"What's the matter, Purple? Are you embarrassed about someone hearing you laugh~?"

Wait, what...? That voice... That was Cyan's voice! Did that mean the previous one hadn't been Red's? Had they been tricked? They couldn't think straight, not with a tentacle gently brushing the inside of their belly button and others sliding up and down their sides.

Their embarrassment grew; that thing knew exactly what it was doing, and even if you don't speak Spanish, let me tell you, I just made a rhyme.

"D-DAHAHAhahamn yohuhuhuhuhu... Y-YOu w-won't m-MAkehehehe me shuuuhuhuhut uuuup...! Whoever yohohoHOHOu aHAHAHAreheheHEHEHE...!", it was ridiculous, but the voices continued.

"But I can hear you laughing. Why won't you face reality, Purps? You're incredibly ticklish, even if you try to deny or hide it. Besides, you know full well that we all know they could tease you, and you'd just take it because you like it...~"

"Aaaaw, how adorable! And to think they're the serious one; we could make them laugh like this forever and they wouldn't even complain! They're so cute!"

Purple felt the blood rush to their cheeks, turning them red; the taunts were stupid and, worst of all, delivered in the voices of people they knew them well, using the very thing that made them most nervous.

The gentleness of the attacks didn't last long; the tentacle at their belly button began to twist directly inside them (NOT IN THE BAD WAY PLEASE), while the attacks on their sides shifted into squeezing motions that moved up and down, varying in position, firmness, and timing with no discernible pattern, making it impossible to predict the next move.

"S-SHIHIHIT! ENAHAHAHAGH! T-THI-THIS W-WON'T STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP MEEEEHEHEHEHE!"

"No? Aww, but look, you're getting hysterical. It's only three tentacles, and you're already like this? You really are ticklish, aren't you...~"

"S-SHUHUHUHUHUT UUUUUP! I WOHOHOHON'T *snort* L-LIHIHISTEHEHEHEHEN TO YOHOHOHOU...! Y-YOU A-AHAHAHAHAHAHAREN'T THEHEHEHEHEHEHEM!!"

"But you can't deny that hearing their voices makes you incredibly nervous~"

Purple squeezed their eyes shut, trying to ignore them and focus their mind on something else, on Heracles, but their mind betrayed them too.

With their eyes closed, they couldn't stop thinking about the fact that it was Red and Cyan tickling them; they blushed even deeper just thinking about everything they were saying to them in that moment.

"Look how adorable, they're blushing! What’s the matter? Is the grumpy security guard too sensitive?"

"Don't call them like that! They prefers being called a ticklish baby! But you're right too, they're really is a sensitive, ticklish little baby~"

Purple tried to scream, but tentacles stopped them from letting out another laugh; the voices kept going, only making things worse.

What frustrated them most was not knowing whom to actually blame; they couldn't say for sure it was any one of them.

(Well, another person to the list... Though now suspicion will fall on Red or Cyan instead of me, smart move, Green.)

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if OrePlus had actually just been an ore? A scenario where no one got infected, no one got hurt, the crew carried on, and some relationships actually improved...

"Oh, Captain Red. Permission to—"

"Hahahaha, relax, kid; don't worry. Come here. How’s it the job going? Tired? Good? Still not used to being a janitor yet?"

"U-uh, well, I have to say it’s very different from when I worked with my family. But at least I’m not alone anymore; White helps me out, only a little, but it’s better than nothing. And Lime... well, lately they're been teaching me what to do with the reactor and telling me stories, they’re interesting"

Due the sound, to hear them better, Red engaged the autopilot; they didn't want to cause an accident, at least not another one like the time they lost some ore.

Green kept explaining how things were going: how he got along with Yellow and Brown, how Purple would sometimes guide them, and how they spent time talking about life with Cyan.

"You fit right in. What has Orange said about it?"

"Well, I guess they appreciates my work. But I asked them how I could go from apprentice to captain. They don't give me much of an answer, mostly just that it’ll happen in due time, and maybe once we reach Industry, they can speak to the high-ranking MIRA executives about letting me get some hands-on practice. I’m nervous though, you know how I am", Red got out of their seat and stepped closer.

"Listen, kiddo, believe it or not, I used to be an apprentice too, right alongside Purple. Good times, but that's not the point. And do you know what I did to become a captain?"

Green denied, but Red just chuckled and gave up the pilot's seat. They were giving them the chance of a lifetime; White had messed it up, but Green seemed, slightly, more responsible, what kind of trouble could they possibly cause?

Nervous, Green asked a question just to confirm their suspicions.

"We aren't in a dangerous zone; look, this indicator shows when objects, like asteroids, are nearby. We're in a clear zone; this is just so you know what to do when your turn comes", Green gulp and sat down.

Once seated, they looked around, upside them, under the chair, at the controls, everything; it all seemed incredibly complex and modern.

They had never seen or manipulate technology this sophisticated

"Green, come on, calm down, okay? Listen, the first step is piloting. No, wait, let me check my manual", they said, rummaging through their backpack to read.

There was nothing saying they couldn't do it, but then again, everyone knew how silly Red could be at times.

When they turned back around, Green was gone. They hadn't heard any footsteps. They looked down and saw Green hiding beneath the chair, looking frightened.

"I don't want the crew to die because of me... I think I need a license first..."

"And how are you going to get a license if you can't get your hands on the controls? Look, come here, I'll guide you. Trust me, just like Purps trusts me."

Green hesitated, deep in thought, but was eventually persuaded; they sat down, and Red positioned themself behind them, guiding them on how to sit and taking their hands to place them on the helm so they could hold it.

"See? It wasn't that diff—", Red stopped in the midsentence; perhaps it wasn't as easy as they had expected.

Green was nervous, nothing bad was going to happen, after all, the autopilot was still engaged, but the way they were trembling was odd; they looked like a bowl of jelly.

Despite Red's 'attempts' to offer words of encouragement (which sounded more like somewhat self-centered remarks), seems like Green couldn't stop shaking.

"Look, calm down; I'm holding you so that..."

Green squeaked; Red immediately pulled their hands away and held them up, as if he’d been arrested, looking at them in confusion.

"Hahaha, sorry if I hurt any bones; sometimes I don't know my own strength. Now come on and..."

"No, it's not that you hurt me... It's just... Well... It's... Embarrassing... You... You tickled me...", they admitted, using their cap to hide their flushed, embarrassed face.

Red blinked repeatedly, trying to process what had been said, and once again pressed the same spots as before, causing Green to even knock their hat off.

"Umm... C-captain... You wouldn't actually... right?", said laughing while instinctively shielding themself.

Red smiled, a mix of mischief and tendernes, and used their strength to lift Green off the chair and set them gently on the floor.

"I've got a new method; think of it this way: if you manage to escape, no matter how, you'll have conquered your fear. Just think of me as the ship's helm; you'll see, it'll work!"

"Wait... This doesn't seem like a proper kind of TRAINING!"

Red grabbed Green's wrists and pulled them away, it wasn't hard at all, while using their free hand to massage the bones of Green's hips, eliciting another squeal from them.

"Come on, come on, put up a fight! Don't make this easy for me!", Green couldn't do it; they weren't the type of person who liked hurting others.

The sensation was pushing them to that point, but there had to be another way. Maybe Purple was watching and would come right over to scold Red for neglecting their post; or maybe Orange, being the meddler they were would show up... though luck probably wasn't on his side that day.

"Greeeeeen, I'm talking to you~. Come on, you aren't going to hurt me!"

"I cahahahahahan't! I-I'm sohohohohorryyyy, I cahaHAHAn't! I d-don't w-wahahahahant to HURT youhuhuhuhuhu!"

"Well, then it looks like we'll be here for a long while... At least you'll be laughing and I won't be bored, we both win!", yeah, that didn't go well.

Green squealed in embarrassment, feeling their hand being let go so they captor could focus better on kneading their hip bones and squeezing their ribs; the sounds they were making, just laughter and snorts, felt utterly humiliating, and they sounded pathetic to their own ears.

They simply covered their face, making no attempt to shield their body or kick their way free; they didn't actually want to hurt anyone

"CA-CAPTAHAHAHAHAIN! PLEHEHEHEASEHEHEHEHEHE! *snorts* T-THIHIHIHIIIIIS I-IS *squeal* E-EHEHEHEMBARRAHAHAHAHASSIIIIIIING!"

"Mmm, maybe, maybe. But... I haven't heard you ask me to stop yet. Does that mean something?"

That actually made them try, at least with one hand, to push the other man away so they wouldn't have to hear the teasing; Red was just embarrassing them.

"Well, well, can't you handle a little teasing? Come on, Green—ow! Hahahaha, that's exactly what I was talking about!", Green had finally slapped their captain.

Immediately regretting it, they tried to twist away, only for Red to grab their ankles, prompting Green to beg them not to do it.

"Even more ticklish spots—who would've thought? You just keep getting cuter..."

"WHAT?!"

"Umm... EHEM..", they locked eyes; Red gave an exaggerated cough and claimed they hadn't said a thing.

Green was certain of what they'd heard, but before they could say anything, they saw, and felt, the mere movement of their captain's wiggly fingers, signaling that laughter was imminent.

"CahahaAPtahahAIhihiN, PLEASEEEEEE...!"

"I'm just wiggling my fingers, aw, don't tell me that—"

"PURPLEEEEEE!!", nice try; unfortunately, there was no sound, so they couldn't heed the warning.

Red smiled before gently squeezing their calves, finally earning a kick to the face and laughed about it before letting them go.

"Hah, I guess you've lost your fear. Now get up, let's practice, unless, of course, you want more ti—"

"NO! Fine... I'll try piloting the ship..."

"Hey Blue, hi there, sorry, I brought the soup you asked for. It’s a bit lukewarm, and I added my special ingredient. I hope this calms White's nerves. Oh, right, I brought you something to eat too, and a drink for both of you. I'll just leave it here."

"Thanks a lot, Yellow. Sorry for bothering you and Brown with this, and thanks again for thinking of me. Please tell Brown that for me, too", Yellow agreed, set the items down, and headed back to the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yellow, what are you doing? I only stepped out to take out the trash, and now you’ve turned our kitchen upside down. Is everything okay?"

"NO! IT'S NOT OKAY! I CAN'T FIND MY COARSE SALT! I SWEAR I LEFT IT RIGHT HERE!"

"Look, I need you to calm down and...", Brown couldn't even finish their sentence; a spice container fell and shattered, causing Yellow to freeze for a moment.

Brown kindly asked them to step out while they cleaned up to prevent accidents; although Yellow initially refused, they eventually left, albeit reluctantly, and slumped facedown onto the table.

"Brown, I heard glass breaking! Is everything okay? No one's hurt, right?"

"Don't worry, Blue. By any chance, did Yellow leave a jar(? in your office?"

Blue murmured for a moment, trying to recall exactly what Yellow had brought on the tray: cups, glasses, plates of food, cutlery and napkins, but nothing else.

"I'm sorry, but I can help you look for it if you tell me what it looks like."

"Yellow will give you the details. They're over there—", the table was empty; no one was nearby.

Blue noted that they hadn't seen Yellow upon entering, nor had they seen them leave. As for Yellow, they began searching everywhere: the medical bay, nothing; the reactor, nothing.

They even considered blaming Lime for taking things without permission, again.

"Oh, Yellow, you look worried. What's wrong?"

"Have you seen my coarse salt? I used a bit for my soup, and now it's gone! I know it wasn't Brown or Blue; Red probably doesn't even know where they are; Purple is with Cyan and Black, arguing over who knows what; Orange is, I don't know, trying to wake White up to sign papers... That just leaves you...", they stepped closer, slowly but menacingly.

Green backed away, trying to make excuses, but when they slipped, the container fell out of their coat.

"I KNEW IT!", Yellow shouted, grabbing the item. "Look, I get that being an unpaid intern sucks as a hell, but you can't steal! I'll have to report this. It's a shame; I actually liked you."

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that... Not if you know what's good for you. And what's good for you is keeping your mouth shut..."

"Pfffft... Hah, you think you scare me? Orange might not believe me, but—", they fell silent immediately; right before their eyes, Green's appearance began to shift and warp.

"Oh fuck...", was all they could said. They were instantly wrapped in several tentacles that squeezed their with enough force to hold them motionless.

"You know? I thought the next person I'd have to deal with would be Blue, or maybe Purple; I certainly didn't expect this. I have to admit, though, you are dangerous with that stuff, I'm not allergic, but I absolutely hate the smell of your coarse salt. And now that you know about this, I simply can't let you go. You understand? Do you know what happens to people who meddle in my affairs?", Yellow grew angry and pointed both fingers at them, a gesture that only irritated them further.

Consequently, they were shaken, literally shaken; whatever that thing was, it was acting incredibly childish, or who knows what else.

After being shaken several times, Yellow was left dazed; they shook their head to steady themself, shouting from within the creature's grip, threatening it and making it clear they weren't the least bit afraid.

"(DAMN IDIOT, EVEN IF YOU KILL ME, I KNOW BROWN WILL AVENGE ME! AND I'M NOT EVEN THAT TICKLISH, YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TIME!)"

Unfortunately for Yellow, their nerves betrayed them. Green rubbed one of their tentacles against they face; were it not for the fact that Yellow lacked a mouth, they probably would have taken a huge bite out of them to buy time and escape.

Surprisingly, however, that initial squeeze triggered a severe reaction.

"What's wrong? I don't see you hurling insults anymore. I've seen your friendly scuffles with Brown; I know you aren't that sensitive. It's a shame I'm so good at what I do. Maybe your partner isn't, but I certainly am...", Yellow felt offended, how dare they to say that about Brown?!

Sadly for them both, they were in no position to defend them, though their face betrayed their deep hatred and disgust at their comment

"Oh, come on, don't get mad. Are you going to say something? Aww, you can't. But I could try to make your suffering end faster, or make it less painful? I don't know... whatever makes you feel better, I guess..."

Yellow was released for a moment and tried to scream Brown's name, only for the tentacles to coil even tighter around their body, wrists, and ankles.

"You don't get it, do you? With White, it took about seven minutes before they couldn't breathe anymore, though that was also because of some damn meddler. I'm curious to see if you'll last longer or shorter than they did"

Yellow raised two fingers again, squealing as two tentacles squeezed their thighs. It made no sense; they were supposed to have kept their sensitivity well-hidden.

Sure, they weren't overly ticklish, but there were spots that could drive them crazy, spots so obscure they’d be the last place anyone would think to touch.

The squeezing intensified on their thighs, calves, and neck, forcing a tentacle to hold their head steady so they couldn't try to scrunch their neck away.

"Oh, come on! You're not even getting hysterical? I'm hitting your most sensitive spots and you're still not laughing?", Yellow squeezed their eyes shut and clenched their fists tighter; that seemed to be the trigger.

Green noticed it, though they weren't going to waste their tentacles stopping that, it wasn't worth the effort, but...

"What's wrong, Yellow? I thought you weren't ticklish...", that bastard.

Yellow opened their eyes; had they just mimicked Brown's voice? It wasn't like they were faking it; the voice was similar, really identical. If they hadn't known it was just them both there, they would have sworn it was Brown.

They blushed and squeezed their eyes shut again, clenching their fists harder. Green smiled sadistically and leaned in closer.

"What's the matter? Won't you talk to your friend? Oh Yellow, you're so mean... I thought we shared something special... Come on. Don't ignore me...~"

Whatever shred of composure Yellow had left went right out the window; Green felt they try to kick out, the strength in their legs nearly breaking them free.

They're definitely hit the mark, teasing them a little made it work even better, so he kept it up, whispering just like Brown, making them increasingly flustered until hysteria took over and they resigned themself to their fate

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We've searched the whole ship. Where could them—?", the door opened.

Yellow walked back, staggering and barely able to stay on their feet; Brown immediately rushed over and caught them before their body gave way completely

"I'll go get another stretcher ready... Brown, please follow me"