Fics Written in the Stars

How does it feel to be correct, Anon?

Because Impostor Red is SUCH a yandere. You took the most pathetic, desperate parts of Red and gave it hunger. I wouldn't be surprised if Impostor Red was just a liiiiittle bit touchier. Gripped a tiiiiiny bit tighter. They have all this wanting and very little context for it. The background of Purple and Red's history together feels so removed compared to the immediacy of the want.

There's even this cute art of them at the end

Sometimes taking a break is all you need

Im actually so happy with this piece yall! It's kind of a fanart for the very first scene of this amazing fanfic "Real Slow" by @zanimez on AO3. The vibe i imagined was so soft and cozy and this image just came to my mind

Red x Purple comic:

it helps a little, actually, bc the transition from intern to captain is so sudden. red already has a thick book of rules, and this is like another of those rules. they aren't some sandal-wearing newbie anymore. they're a captain, doing captainly things. they have epaulettes. what nuclear meltdown? what internship? what purple? that's old red, not Captain Red.

but then red finds out about purple by some passing mention from pink--definitely not from purple, purple cut contact with red immediately after the nda--and the not-captain thoughts all come flooding in like a sledgehammer. red thought that purple had left, found something else to do, purple was more than capable of that, but they hadn't. because mira wouldn't let them.

so! so red will just hire purple, then. red's a captain, now. red gets a whole ship and a fancy cap and nobody can tell them what to do with their own crew. its just like what purple and red had mused about, back when they were stealing pizza crusts from the cafeteria--being successful, finding their footing, actually getting paid! (and then purple would come back. purple would be here.)

but when red finally gets ahold of purple's new number, purple seems the furthest from impressed.

"captain red?" they say in disgust, like they can't muster up the will to be incredulous anymore. "what, you wanted to let me know how well mira's been treating you now? rub it in my face?"

and that's obviously not what red was trying to go for at all, but, well, this was because purple wouldn't sign the nda, but its okay, red can fix this. except each word that comes out of red's mouth somehow is making everything worse until purple is snarling and then goes completely silent, then says, "can you even hear yourself?" so flat and tired that the words die in red's mouth. "you don't sound like yourself, now. i bet you don't even have those stupid sandals anymore," and red suddenly remembers all those times purple teased them for loafing around in those cheap old sandals, and purple is right--they threw them out months ago, almost the first day of their promotion. why had they done that?

but purple doesn't hear the thoughts in red's head. "fine," they say instead, "fine, i'll take the job," and the line goes dead in red's hand.

it's exactly what red wanted. purple said yes. purple's coming. it doesn't feel as good as they thought it would.

nobody's really worried until red just doesn't respond for a full minute, even after purple waves a hand in their face and yells exasperatedly at them for a bit. then ofc once it's clear something's wrong medbay is locked so they have to drag red over to the cafeteria or smth while purple suddenly is put in charge via orange's hr legalese rules. pins a spare medal on them and everything (purple is NOT a fan).

and then later, while purple is trying to bark directions down a vent shaft to lime, red wakes up! and wow!! they're on a new ship and purple is in charge! actually, red is the captain (double wow!!) and purple is taking charge because red doesn't remember anything but that totally makes sense. purple is smart like that, and they've obviously stuck with each other after internships.

god, they actually made it. there's some kind of emergency, but purple can handle it. red can't wait to talk with them.

and it works! the video blows up on the net. a bunch of anonymous people from that colony come out of the woodwork talking about their own experiences, how they've lost their homes and jobs. suddenly purple is organizing a fundraiser and a boycott and getting contacted by lawyers for a class action lawsuit. and what's more, purple's getting messages from other people who've seen similar things, other people who were too afraid to speak up until purple came along.

one of them is asking for purple to come in person. they're part of an assignment to start establishing a colony on polus, except one of the other ships just disappeared last week, no word from the crew. mira hushed it up, but if anyone can put a spotlight to whatever's happening here, it's purple. if purple can come up with an excuse to book themselves aboard the skeld the informant can take care of the rest.

now, the letter is incredibly stiff and weirdly worded in places, but it piques purple's interest, and when they do some snooping it's true--public flight path data shows that easily enough, it's just that nobody's bothered to look at some random industrial ships out in the middle of nowhere. purple packs a bag, sticks on a face mask and beanie, and, in a spot of irony, applies to a new intern spot under a fake name. orange takes them onboard

their stream isnt that popular, its mostly purple playing games in the background while talking to the few people who show up to watch.

~

If Red was smart, they'd have pulled the lever already.

Hah. Just another shortcoming added to the pile, then. Red's entire life is a series of if onlys. If Red was braver, they wouldn't have signed that NDA. If Red was stronger, they never would have caved to MIRA. Hell, if Red had been better at their own damn job, this whole alien disaster never would have happened.

But Red is none of those things. Purple had been, once, but Red had fucked that up too.

Setting down the container of badly cooked pizza dough, Red shifts the sacks of salt covering the trash disposal opening, moves aside the repurposed vent grate behind the bags.

Purple's visor stares up at them from the bottom of the chute.

"Morning," Purple's voice drawls out, and a long tendril of flesh whips out from their shoulder as Red tosses the container down; the alien had stopped caring about pretenses after Green's death had secured their imprisonment. They snag the container from the air easily, tossing it in the air. "Are you finally finishing the job, then?"

Red ignores them, readjusts their cap. "Fifteen days until we reach Industria," they say instead, and watch as Purple's body groans and slumps back down to the floor. It's all wrong, the way their body crumples, legs twisted, joints bent the wrong way, but it doesn't seem to bother them.

"I knew you were a coward, but I didn't know you were a dull coward. What happened to all that captainly bravado?" they complain, and settle on the floor in a way strikingly similar to when Purple used to lounge on the bed and watch Red play video games after work. "Too pathetic to finish me off before you get back to your oh-so-beloved MIRA corporation. Either throw yourself down here or dump the sacks. It's not rocket science, Redsy."

"Don't call me that." Red flexes their hands, clammy. Anywhere else but here, they'd wished once, back when they were young and still applying to unpaid internships. But what was the point of wishing that now? There wasn't anywhere else to be. Red could have been anywhere in the world and their feet would have carried them right here, to the place they deserved. "Those aren't your memories. You don't get to call me that."

Purple's shoulders shrug, unbothered. "Nobody else is here to claim them. Finders keepers, Redsy. If you don't like it get down here and I'll personally ensure it stops. Or salt me, just pick one."

"Shut up," Red says. "Just shut up."

A sigh, unusually sibilant. A stretch that turns into a roil, then an undulating wave, muscles bulging and receding uncannily. "Just saying. I'd have thought you'd want to put Purple out of their misery, honestly."

"Don't you dare talk about them," Red snarls. Tears prick at the edges of their visor. A dry swallow. Calm down. It's no biggie. Calm the fuck down.

Below Red, the alien's head tilts, watching silently. They can sense the shift before it occurs: shoulders hunching in, slouching slightly, knees drawn up to their chest, wary and tired and pained.

"Red," Purple says, exhausted, and when that visor looks up again it's them it's them it's them. "When will you finally let go?"

The vent grate slams back into place so hard it dents. The salt bags topple over it with a muted thud.

Red's hands are shaking. Their palms sting. Oh. They cut themselves on the edges of the grate.

sometimes its the soft interactions from their intern days, and imaginary-purple is understanding, is happy for them, and red can almost forget the look on their face when red took the nda.

sometimes its accusatory, and red can't help but defend themselves. cmon, it was a tactical retreat! you have to take care of yourself first! and theyre a captain, now. they're doing great. they were only able to hire purple because they signed! it turned out okay, can't you see?

why didn't you do the same? couldn't you have come with me?

and then, once or twice, it's just the look, right after the two of them left pink's office and red opened their mouth. "don't," purple had said, a mixture of disbelief and heartbreak and disappointment all in one, the only word they'd said after red had taken the pen. and red doesn't have anything to say to that at all.

those are the ones red tries their hardest to forget. (most of the time, it works!)

but when red finally greets purple aboard, when they finally get to lay eyes on them again, purple is none of those things.

they're just. distant. resigned.

and red swallows a little, faltering in their enthusiastic tour of the skeld, and--it's been a while. it'll take a bit for them to warm up, right? red just has to let them adjust!

they can do that. no biggie.