#ler!lime

"I'll tell you something, Doc! Aliens are real, and they're very dangerous. I haven't had the chance to run into one yet, but I guarantee that when I do, I'll smash it to bits! And I'll protect you completely if I have to!"

"You mean me and the whole crew, right?"

"That's what I said. I'd better get ready, see ya.", Blue waved goodbye before watching Lime disappear into the vents.

They found talking to them very comforting; Lime was so witty with their stories and ideas that they helped Blue relax and almost completely forget about their work.

Speaking of which, they hadn't checked the latest medical records yet, they were already behind schedule.

"Alright, let's see... Correct size, ideal weight, bones... Wait a second... Where are the bones...?", Blue set the paper aside for a moment, walked over to the sink, and splashed water on their face; they must have misread it

That scan had to show a bone; it simply had to. Calmer now, they stepped back in to look, but the result was the same: there was no bone. Before they could see whose scan it was, they felt a sharp prick in their neck, and within minutes, they fell asleep.

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

"Wow... I think exhaustion finally got the better of me... Huh...? Wait... Are those... tentacles...?"

"I see you've woken up, Doctor... I apologize for the inconvenience, but this needs to stay between the two of us", Blue looked up, only to be grabbed by the ankle and hoisted upside down.

Green smiled at them, gently bringing one of their tentacles close to stroke Blue's cheek and remove the mirror from his head, only to put it on themself.

"So? How do I look?"

"Green...? I-I don't understand... What's happening...?"

"Oh, you don't have to understand; if you did, everyone would know about this. I know I look intimidating, and I am, though, sadly, I'm harmless. You won't die; has anyone on the ship actually died? Or have they just been left utterly exhausted?"

Blue quickly pieced it all together: every attack, every crew member's fear of physical contact, had it all been caused by them?

It couldn't be... Lime had said they didn't want to be near Orange, but never mentioned Green; so, they both shared the same traits.

"Ah!", Blue snapped out of their thoughts as a pair of tentacles bound their wrists.

"I hate to admit, you're very intelligent... But that's also a disadvantage for you, you know? If you were as inept as the Captain Red, I probably would have saved you for last, or done nothing to you at all... But you... you're an obstacle..."

"Green... Is there any part of you left in there? Listen, if you want help, we can make it happen. I’ll smooth things over in case they want to kick you out, but I know we can reach an arrangement that benefits everyone. What do you say?"

Green blushed, shook their head, and covered their mouth; they turned away and clutched their head, trying to get a grip on the feeling, it made no sense for that to have embarrassed them.

As for Blue, they assessed the situation: the camera was strategically blocked, as were the vents, there was no way for anyone to open them

"Enough! I’m so sick of you and your 'flirty' talk. I don't know how you trigger that reaction, but you simply aren't going to use it to your advantage!"

"...Mmm...?"

"Ugh...", reluctantly, they removed their tentacle, allowing the other to speak.

Nothing interesting was said, but while the other spoke, Green noticed something: Blue seemed unwilling to take off their gloves, and that gave them an idea.

"Huh?!"

"What's wrong? You won't need your gloves or do you use them for some other purpose, hmm? Based on my deduction, if I do this...", they lightly brushed the palm of Blue's hand.

Blue's reaction was immediate; they clenched their hands into fists and looked away in embarrassment, laughing nervously and trying to avoid eye contact.

Smiling, small tentacles latched onto their fingers, making it impossible for them to close their hands again, while also using them to stroke their palms.

"O-oh deHEHEHAHAHAHAHar...! G-GREHEHEhen...!"

"(Shit... even when they're laughing, they sounds so attractive...) w-what is it? Is it too much? I don't think so.", Blue shook their head, but the lie was obvious.

Their laughter was subtle; the situation was unpleasant, certainly, but not bad enough to make them hysterical, though the anticipation alone had already left them completely on edge

Blue watched as another pair of tentacles approached their knees, squeezing them and scratching the backs of their.

"G-GreheheHEHEHEhehehen!! PleaHAHAHAseHEHE!!"

"Please? No 'please' about it. I'm actually going easy on you. Do you have any idea how I've treated others? If I showed no mercy, I'd have a tentacle stopping you from laughing right now. Is that what you want?!"

"N-NO!! BuHUHUHUhuhut p-pleheheHAHAHAseHEHE!! T-taHAHAHAHAkeheheHEHEHEhe it eHAHAHAHAHasy!!"

Green smiled with satisfaction as another pair of tentacles moved toward their ribs, gently brushing against their armpits, tracing circles, and occasionally digging right into the center.

"Aww, I see someone turning red...~ Is it too much? Or is the doctor just really sensitive~? Mmmm, I think the second one fits better...~"

"OH M-MY GOHOHOHOD!! M-MEHEHEHEHERCY!! I-I... I *snort* C-CAHAHAHAHAHAN'T TAHAHAHAHAKEHEHEHE IT!!", the only response was to muffle their screams again; they had already been far too lenient.

Green had to admit, Blue looked incredibly attractive laughing like that, especially with that blush. They would undoubtedly make quite the trophy once hysteria fully took hold; it would be worth having a camera ready to capture the moment.

"Aww, how cute. Nothing to say, Doctor Blue~?"

"Doc..."

"Doc...?"

"BIG DAWG, I'M TALKING TO YOU!!!"

That voice... Blue slowly opened their eyes and touched their face; had it all been a dream? They felt deeply embarrassed, but more than that, exhausted, though they assumed it was just the toll the dream had taken on them.

"O-oh... Sorry, Lime... I had... Well... A bad dream... Hehehe... Did you need something?"

"Just one question: did you have fun?"

"Yeah... Well... It was weird, but... Wait a second...", Blue froze and glanced sideways at Lime, a smile forming on their lips.

They tried to get off the medical cot, but a pair of tentacles held their in place; they tried to move their wrists, but the only parts of their body they could actually move were their legs.

"What's wrong? Did you see an alien or something? Heh, how pathetic..."

"You... You can't be... The Lime I know would never—!"

"Never let themself get infected? Do you even know what an alien looks like? No, right? Besides, I'm not exactly intimidating, even if I could be, am I?"

They had a point there; the appearance was identical. They looked like a normal crewmate, like the same old Lime, except for a couple of tentacles sprouting from them; Blue couldn't tell exactly where they were coming from, their back, their backpack, or who knows where else.

Lime stepped closer, very close, too close; their visors could easily bump against each other at any moment. Blue’s face instantly flushed bright red; without a doubt, even though the appearance and way of speaking were nearly identical, this wasn't them.

"You're pathetic, Doctor... Who would've thought things like this would make you so nervous, hmm?"

"I... Um... EHEHEHEHE...!", it wasn't a squeeze, but a brush, an incredibly soft touch against their neck.

Blue froze, staring at their captor, their face turning even redder than before.

"What was that? Someone has an extremely sensitive neck...~?"

"Can I explain...?"

"No, but you can laugh about it."

Blue smiled shyly, their embarrassment mounting as they saw Lime move closer to their neck; a soft puff of air made them shudder all over and let out a squeal.

"I haven't done anything..."

"I-I knohohohow... I-It's just that...! ECK! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!", Blue shook his head frantically as a raspberry was planted on their neck.

Blue began begging them to let them go, or, if they wanted to keep going, to do anything but that, but their pleas fell on deaf ears; a series of raspberries were planted on their sensitive neck

Some were long, others short; some were just puffs of air meant to make them nervous, but Blue was seeing stars from laughing so hard.

"L-LIHIHIMEHEHEHEHEEEEEE!!! *snort* PLEASE!!! I B-BEHEHEHEHEG YOUUUUU!! *squeal* STOOOOP!!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASEHEHEEEEEEE!!!"

"Definitely not; I'm just warming up... Besides, you're still talking..."

"PLEASE! N-NAHAHAHAHAHAT AGAHAHAHAHIHIHIHIN!! I-I CAHAHAHAHAHAN'T-! *hics and coughs* I CAN'T BREHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHATHEEEEEE!!! *snorts* I-I'S T-TOO MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHACH!!! I BEEEEEG YOUHUHUHUHUUUUUU!!! *cough* MEHEHEHEHERCY!!!"

Nothing worked; there was no way to escape and no way to stop then. All they could do was accept their forced fate, kicking hard and persistently until their legs were pinned down too.

Tears streamed down their visor and cheeks, and their stomach ached from laughing; their vision began to blur until, at one point, they didn't know if they had passed out or woken up, yet their body retained the phantom sensation

"Blue! Blue! Thank goodness you woke up! You had us worried! Are you okay?"

"S-stay away... Please... I want to be alone..."

"Oh no... Not you too...", Purple squeezed Red's hand; the best thing to do was respect Blue's decision.

Once alone, Blue barely had the strength to sit up; they tried to hug themself, but the mere touch brought the sensation back.

Lime's POV: Lately, the Doctor has been acting really strange, like something’s off. I’m sure it’s the work of gremlins.

"Hey, everything okay?"

"O-oh... Hello there, dear Lime! Sorry, you startled me out of my thoughts."

"I'm the one asking the questions here; are you okay or not?"

Even though they tried to smile kindly while insisting everything was fine, it was clear to me they were lying, it was painfully obvious, but their good looks gave them an edge.

"I appreciate your concern; I'll try to keep a lower profile so I don't worry you, okay...?"

"...If you say so... I'm going to check on the reactor; the Captain said they tried to press a button and ended up getting electrocuted."

I had to leave, but come on! Their tone of voice weren't going to fool me like it did the others. And so what if they were sexy? Wait... AAAAAH! YOU GUYS DIDN'T READ ANYTHING!

Blue's POV: Oh god, I hated going against my ethics; lying to a patient was a serious matter

But ever since that incident with my dream, I can't imagine being in the same room, or even near, Lime... I still feel that tingling and ticklish sensation whenever they speaks; I know it’s ridiculous, but I just need time to process it all.

"Hey, you!"

"Lime? Is everything...?", it was so unexpected.

The moment I turned around, Lime sprayed water directly in my face, not once, not twice, but three times, because apparently the previous attempts "weren't enough."

"Lime... Can I help you...?"

"This makes no sense. If you aren't a gremlin, then why are you acting so weird?!"

"It's just work, don't worry. I... A-ah... Stay right where you are...!"

My, now I could perfectly understand why the other crew members didn't want anyone near them in the first time..

"Huh? I wasn't even moving. That’s what I mean when I say you’re acting really weird! You usually get so close to people, but now you don't want to? Something is obviously wrong with you, and I’m not leaving until I find out what it is!"

"S-stay back... Lime... I’m serious... Back off... Please...!"

How embarrassing, good grief, I was running away from my own patient! But I couldn't control my body, my steps, or anything; I just felt like they were about to do something to me

I suppose it was time to conquer my fear, or else I wouldn't be able to help them if something happened to them later on.

"Fine! I give up, I give up! Alright, I admit it... If something happens to me... But... Ahem... Well, you might find it a bit off..."

"I knew it! You’re an alien with mermaid powers! They called me crazy, but now I’m proven right!"

"No, no, Lime... Look, let’s sit down and talk about this. I’ll tell you everything..."

It wasn't easy; I could feel my face turning red. I was embarrassed, my words were getting jumbled, and I didn't even know how long I could keep my composure before that tingling sensation betrayed me.

Lime's POV: The more thy spoke, the less I understood them. It was like switching from talking about the government to talking about the moon, though, come to think of it, the two are somewhat related.

To sum up what they said: they had a really weird dream where I, yes, you read that right, WHERE I WAS SOME KIND OF ALIEN! You have no idea how offended that made me feel!

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

"I-I know it was completely stupid, but... Huh...? Why are you getting so close now...?"

"...Hehehe...", so, did they want a "evil" version of me?

Well, they were going to get one; I finally had the perfect excuse, not to mention the countless times they're used tickling to make me take my meds.

That’s something that clearly annoys me, and the only reason I hadn't taken revenge sooner was that I hadn't been angry enough! Not because I liked the attention I got from being stubborn! ...STOP READING THIS!

"ECK—! LIME!"

"Don't make a sound. What's wrong? You were the one telling me I needed to get over my fear of intimacy, right?"

"Y-YEAH, BUT...!", it’s one of the few times they're ever shouted; it’s really strange

I gently took their hand, noticing how much it was trembling; I had to take off their tie and tie their wrists because they wouldn't stay still

Hey, don't look at me like that! They uses their body to keep mine still, so it's only fair I do the same, right?

"L-Lime... Please, can we talk about this..."

"Mmm, we could, but you don't give me that option when I have to take my medicine, do you?"

You should have seen how red they turned when I grabbed their wrist again and gently moved my fingers near their palm.

Blue's POV: This was so embarrassing! Funnily enough, I usually wear gloves precisely so no one finds out how sensitive my hands are; the simple movement of their fingers made me so nervous that I started laughing, I don't know if it was out of anticipation or just nerves.

"What's wrong, Doc? Seriously? Of all places, it had to be here?"

"I'm sohohorry...! I can't hehehehelp it...!"

"I've barely touched you; so, what if I do thiiiiis...?"

Oh no, why me? What did I ever do to deserve this teasing? That was all it took for me to start laughing for real, and things got even worse when I felt their finger tracing along my palm.

Their next move was so unpredictable, drawing, scratching, tracing again, or just caressing and I couldn't move my palms even a single centimeter.

"Aww, is the doctor a little too sensitive for his own good? It's ironic, considering this is your 'master attack' on me. Don't you think?"

"Y-yehehehehahah... Gohohohod...! Please...!"

"Begging already? Oh, Doc, I haven't even warmed up yet!"

My face started burning with embarrassment; it wasn't that I was angry or anything like that, but try to understand, I still hadn't gotten over that surreal dream, and I was scared...

Especially of that last thing they did...

"LihIHIHIimeHEHEHEHEHE...! Pleheheheasehe...! EHEHEHEasyehehEHEHEHEhehe...!"

"Nah, this is really fun and you can't deny it... Or do you want me to go somewhere else? Is that what you want?"

Oh no... Please, not that... Anything but this... This has to be a joke... I couldn't handle it; every detail of that dream seemed to be bleeding into real life, obviously with more visceral reality, but even so, the mere thought of it happening made my skin crawl.

"I asked you a question... Blue? Are you ignoring me again? Do you know what you're forcing me to do?"

"N-nohohoHOHOHo...! I'm p-pahahahayiHIHIHIng a-attehehehehentihihihion to yohohouuuuu...! I sweheheheHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHar...!!!"

Lime POV: What are you all looking at? I have every right to make them laugh; I’m their partner or what did you think? Did you think I was doing this out of pure "kindness"? Well, you're wrong ; I have more right than anyone to tickle them, and other things.

Nothing perverted, though; if you have dirty minds and are thinking about stuff like that, go read the Bible, you filthy-minded people.

"Remember what you told me I could do whenever you didn't listen to me...?"

"L-Lime... I'm seheheheheriohohously sorry... I-I didn't mehehehean to... ACK!"

"Oh, come on, I just got close to your neck. Did it really affect you that much?", I saw them nod.

Oh, no way. I guess I couldn't do anything more to them, even if I wanted to... Or maybe I could, what's wrong with it, anyway?

"LihihiHIHIHImEHEHEHEHEhehehe...!"

"Is that better? Forgive me if I crossed a line, but I hope this makes up for it..."

"T-thahahahat's bEHEHEHEtteheheheher... *sigh* thanks..."

Yeah, okay, I’m not big on intimacy, but Blue always enjoys hugging me, so I adapted. I eventually let them kiss me, and believe me, they can go on for hours...

"Thanks... And I'm sorry again... I shouldn't have doubted you..."

"No problem. Though I didn't know you were into that sort of thing."

"...let's keep this between us... Please..."

Bah, who else needs to know? It was more than enough that just the two of us were doing it. I finally let them lean against me, stroking their fluffy hair, it was soft. I think I understand now why they enjoys having me close so much; it’s an incredible feeling.