#lee!white

"Hey, has anyone happened to see White? They were with me, everyone knows and loves them", the crew members present shook their heads.

Green felt a twinge of worry; there was no way White could have been sucked out into space without they noticing. Just then, the door in front of them slid open, revealing a figure staggering in, gasping for air.

"Oh, there you are, White. You had me worried"

Before they could answer, their body convulsed and then collapsed face, falling onto the floor, panting.

Naturally, the other crew members cried out in alarm, what could have caused they to pass out? They definitely needed a doctor.

"Alright, alright, everyone calm down. As your captain, I’m telling you not to worry. Anyone can faint, right? So, stay calm and...", just as they were about to finish, White gently touched them, making Red practically jump out of their skin in fright.

Right, the captain wasn't available to say, at least, something calming, but before they could even ask about Blue, they arrived, pulling a stretcher along.

"I heard shouting; don't worry, I'll do my best to make you feel better. Come here"

They couldn't even touch them before White backed away; they wanted NO PHYSICAL CONTACT, hugging themself and trembling, their expression clearly demanding space.

Blue kept their distance and apologized for encroaching on their personal space, trying to explain that they needed to move them, that they would only touch them to get them onto the stretcher, but White denied, they didn't seem to believe that

"I need to give you a check-up. If you think you have the strength to come over and..."

White didn't hesitate and climbed onto the stretcher. Surprised, Blue glanced at the others, who simply shrugged, accepting the situation; they carefully wheeled them back to the MedBay.

After several attempts to get White to speak, Blue failed. Whatever had happened to them had left behind a haunting, phantom sensation.

The last thing Blue wanted was to make a patient uncomfortable; thinking the security cameras might have recorded something, they tried to leave, but White, on the verge of tears, begged them not to leave them alone for anything in the world.

"(I wonder what happened to them... I’ve seen plenty of cases of fainting, but this one is certainly unique... At least they're sleeping; that should help them calm down...)"

But in White’s mind, everything kept leading back to that same memory...

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

"I bet you can't catch me!"

"Just watch, I'll manage it. Then we'll see who's better at hide-and-seek"

A simple childhood game had set it all in motion; White had been led as far away as possible, after all, that was the only area with places to hide.

"Alright, Green, you win, come out now. I give up. The party's starting soon and I'm really starving. Let's go."

There was no answer; it was strange. White kept walking; the air felt heavy and odd. They stopped to look around, there was nothing but the ore, nothing else at all.

So why did them feel like they was being watched? Before they could take another step, a tentacle grabbed their ankle, and before they could scream, their mouth was covered, turning any words into an unintelligible mumble

"That was actually easier than I thought... You really believed that? You're so weird; I thought being rich meant you'd be smarter... But I see that's not the case. Still, I find fools like you attractive."

White panicked; that thing had Green's voice, but it couldn't be them, right? Right before their eyes, they saw that the creature had mimicked not just the voice but also the face and clothes; anyone looking at it would say nothing was amiss, yet the thing was a monster

"Aww, don't get nervous; this intern is far too sensitive and kind to do you any harm. I, however, could do something to you—something that would make you beg, all without raising any suspicion, leaving you too terrified to say a word..."

The creature paused to think. Meanwhile, White was trying to escape; it didn't matter if it wouldn't hurt them, they wasn't just going to sit there; they had to warn the others.

But they couldn't help letting out a squeal, a completely stifled one, when their sides were squeezed.

"Well, I think I've found a way; if you survive, at least you'll have laughed yourself to death..."

A malevolent smile spread across their lips, not a good sign; a terrible sign. White writhed, out of fear and worry, but worst of all, because of the tickling. They didn't want to experience that; they had just escaped that cycle and had no intention of going back.

Feeling somewhat "kind", they loosened their grip slightly, savoring White's pleas.

"G-GRK! GREEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEN! I KNOHOHOHOHOHOW Y-YOUHUHUHUHU'RE THAHAHAHAHAHAHAREEEEE! OH GOHOHOHOD! PLEHEHAHAHAHAHASEEEE STOOOOOOOP! IT TIHIHIHIHICKLEHEHEHEHEHES TOO MAHAHAHAHAHACH! HA-HAVE MEHEHEHEHECYYYYYYYYYY!", Green softly chuckled; they found it pathetic yet amusing.

Their only response was to pull them closer and use their hands to give them a few more squeezes and scratch their belly, laughing inwardly as White began to hiccup and cough from the exertion.

"Aw, come on, don't tell me I have to stop... I've barely started, aaaaaand since you're laughing, that meaaaaaans you're enjoying it, right?", they didn't wait for an answer; they simply covered White up again just as a sound caught their attention.

It was the sound of someone moving through the ducts, just what they needed. They hated people who meddled in their business, so, left with no choice, they lowered White and let them go right then and there

White gasped as they were released, their body trembling and shaking with laughter, as if the tingling sensation still lingered, clutching themself in an attempt to quell the feeling, and snapping to attention when they heard approaching footsteps.

Green crouched down, their visor displaying a happy expression, and reached out to touch them, only to chuckle when White recoiled in fear, their strength nearly spent.

"That was fun; if you say a single word, what I just did to you will have been nothing more than a small warning...", White absolutely nodded desperately