-….have you thought about what you will do after this?...-
You looked back, taking your eyes off the starry night captured on that poor quality screen, the light young woman with short hair who had spoken looked at you out of the corner of her eye, swinging on the railing with her arms carelessly.
You turned your body to the screen – what do you mean by that? – you answered, consumed by the artificial white dots.
With her back on the railing, the girl leaned her back back, letting her pink hair fall due to gravity and continued speaking -…you know, when all this is over…-her eyes narrowed in suspicion at your silence-…you don't plan to live your life on this seedy ship, right?..- You could feel his accusatory tone, which made you shake your head in amusement.
-…where else would I go?...everything I want is here…-you had to raise your arms quickly because the girl was becoming unstable from pulling back so much and falling from the railing to the couch in a playful way.
You managed to catch her back but even with the uncomfortable fall between your arms, the one with pink locks did not seem to want to leave the topic behind, you kept smiling affectionately at the girl's unruly and comforting presence.
-…come on…you're just chickening out…- the young woman's finger pressed your nose in a gentle touch-...L̶u̶c̶y̶...would follow you anywhere… you know it well…- she exclaimed with that smile that exuded confidence, you rolled your eyes with false annoyance letting him straighten up and sit next to you like a normal person.
You shook your head without being sure what he was referring to -…what are you trying to get at with this? ..- you questioned, watching as the atmosphere in the room became a little colder and more suffocating.
Her blurry face pointed out to you-….let's make this our last trip…-the young woman's face cleared up, letting you see her dark eyes full of youth and determination-…let's give up on pony Expres...B̶r̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶
Your eyes widened at his words, your pupils dilated and your skin began to itch as you sweated from the sudden feeling of panic, the room was distorting, destroying and rebuilding itself with red and black colors, all the shattered metal could be heard intertwined in the background. With the horrible sound of the ship's emergency alarm.
The sticky, wet feeling of your hands made you shudder, noticing all the red liquid falling uncontrollably on the floor, staining the couch, staining your clothes, staining the one with pink hair…
In a panic you tried to speak having the urge to tell him to run away, but all that came out were strangled and incomprehensible sounds, you impulsively clutched your throat with your hands and tilted your body coughing and struggling to speak.
The girl didn't move from your side, unperturbed by the change of environment or your distraught state, not even by the fact that her face was tearing apart and falling into pieces on the floor.
-…I think I would like to see that…-his voice became more and more distorted, wait…was that even his voice? Was that what it sounded like? You can't remember it…
You raised your hand trying to reach the one with pink hair only for the chair to lengthen away from you.
You tried to beg for him to come back, you should tell him that you would like that too!, that when this trip is over the three of you would leave this ship together, just like when you entered.
-..LI̶A̶R̶...-
-…no!... Wait-…please!...-your throat was freed and you were able to speak dryly again, but the young woman was already so far away from you…so…so far…-…! Don't leave me!!..-
-…WAIT!!!..- you opened your eyes and darkness welcomed you, sweating and breathing hard in your room on the tulpar ship, your hand was raised as if you were trying to reach the ceiling and your sleeping shirt was wet Because of the sweat, your chest went down and up heaving.
….~•~…
You walked through the hallways rubbing your eyes with a slight headache, some mornings were good and others bad, you never stopped having nightmares but lately they were becoming more real and disturbing.
You stopped for a moment adjusting the mask on your face when a familiar voice called you from behind.
-…y/n!..- Captain Curly was approaching from behind you, with Jimmy a little further behind him due to the quick walk that the one with golden curls had taken as soon as he saw you down the hallway.
You turned around slowly-…captain~…- you purred the title, opening your arms affectionately, the captain understanding your action hugged you quickly when he reached your side with a wide smile that showed his dimples, you and Curly were the same height The only difference would be that the bearded man was more robust, you comfortably placed your chin on his shoulder.
His arms wrapped around your torso, sticking his body to you like a sticker, in response you gently patted his back.
But why such a change of attitude on your part?
Before you used to avoid the captain with nothing more than short and dry conversations, you weren't rude to him of course, you just didn't look for reasons to relate deeply, but that has changed because of the previous events in the infirmary.
Jimmy was attracted to the captain.
You wouldn't say he was in love with Curly, it was more like the jealousy and resentment he has for his old friend had twisted into a twisted obsession.
It was like a Turkish romantic novel but pirated.
So, you became more attached to curly just to annoy Jimmy, the captain who at first seemed confused when you spoke to him on your own or behaved more affectionately around him immediately accepted the approach, happy to have your attention for the first time since you joined the tulpar ship.
Interacting with the captain was exhausting because you also had to do it when the co-pilot was not present so as not to raise suspicions about your intentions.
But it's not that the one with the golden curls was in any way unpleasant, on the contrary, his hugs were comforting and warm, the man took great care of his hygiene so he always smelled clean and even when he couldn't bathe his body odor managed to remain. With that pleasant "manly" smell.
You understood for the first time why Jimmy felt so jealous of the captain, literally if one looked for the definition of perfection he would appear curly, his topics of conversation were interesting and his attractiveness only added points, but you would never have approached him on your own.
Not with those damn blue eyes.
You look sardonically at the one with brown highlights who, disgusted, watched as you buried your face in the captain's neck, making him jump at the touch.
You walk away almost immediately, letting out a few carefree laughs at the captain's slightly blushing face. "…Why don't we go to the kitchen? Today I'll make something special for breakfast…" you grab the man's shoulder ready to start walking, intentionally ignoring the co-pilot.
-…I will never say no to a good breakfast!....- Curly responded in good humor, forgetting the reason why he was looking for you in the first place.
Jimmy makes his way between you harshly -….we were passing through the room and Daisuke told us that he needed to see you…- he said giving you a contemptuous look, repositioning himself next to the captain who gave him a bad look for his rude behavior-…in the capsule room…-the man emphasized
You move to one side, entertainingly putting your hand on the mask and letting out some friendly laughter when Jimmy pushes you aside. "Then I'll go see the boy and I'll catch up with you in a while…" you said, waving goodbye and turning around. Straight to see the intern.