When I feel lonely I sing dumdeedoe... Hum? Was I writing a story? As always, finals have brainwashed me in a successful, proactive member of society. I haven't written much for the story in a while... Kinda hit a big block-ish shaped object with the word 'Writer's' on it... I wrote this chapter sometime in January or February, I think, and it's one of my favourites. I only edited one sentence during my read-through. Secrets are the hardest things to keep, especially in stories...

Chapter Ten: Sweet Feelings

Purple woke up with a horrible pain in his back. It hurt so much to the point where he couldn't move. Even when he tried to shift his arms, he found himself growing tired quickly. It took all his energy just to open his eyes. The room was sterile and white. Everything was so… clean, except for a dark, fuzzy blotch in the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly and blinked, trying to get a clearer picture.

It was Red, asleep in a chair by his bed.

"…Red?" he asked. He twitched in his chair faintly and looked up, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

"Hey," Red replied, smiling. "You're awake."

"Yeah," Purple grunted. "Where the hell am I?"

"Do you remember passing out?"

"I remember being in the kitchen… and…" he paused for a long while. Red sat patiently next to him, waiting. "I don't know. I remember everything going black…"

"What's the very last thing you remember before everything went black?"

"I… checked the temperature of the oven, and then I… I took a sip of my… Oh, God, Red, did I get drunk again? Tell me I didn't!"

"No, no. You didn't get drunk. You were poisoned."

"What?" he cried. He looked around, finding himself in a room from the medical wing. There was a baggy filled with dark green liquid flowing slowly from a tube to his PAK. "What is that? Is that BLOOD?"

"The medics had to drain your entire body of the infected blood and give you something fresh. What was injected into you was more of a virus than a poison."

"How did this happen?"

"What I think," Red began, taking a small look around to make sure absolutely no one was around. He stood up and sound proofed the room using the keypad to control the slide door. "What I think, is that Council is behind this."

"Really?" Purple asked, his interest upping.

"I think I heard you being attacked before I took my bath, but I didn't think anything about it. It doesn't make much of a difference. You were attacked."

"What are we going to do, now?" Purple asked, fingering the tube with his new blood inside.

"I'm fighting back," Red said. Purple gasped slightly and looked up at him.

"Are you serious?"

"I'll fight, just as long as you remain unseen." Purple grunted, not wanting to stay behind the scenes.

"Why should I hide in your room?" he asked. "They tried to kill me! I wanna fight, too!"

"Don't be stupid!" Red countered. He raised his hand to make a point, but was interrupted.

"What happened?" Purple asked, noticing a small gauze taped to Red's hand and another strapped to the middle of his arm. It was the same hand he had used to pound the touchpad. He quickly lowered his hand and looked towards the ground.

"It's… It's nothing. Just a scratch." He looked up and smiled. "You know how it is. Once you're famous, they start treating paper cuts like detached limbs." Purple glanced up at the ceiling, giving the illusion of thinking.

"No. I don't."

"It doesn't matter," Red sighed. Obviously, trying to win Purple over with jokes, no matter how pathetic, wasn't going to work. This wasn't a time to charm is colleague, though. "I just think that you would be safer in my room or somewhere safe. Since now it's obvious that the Council is after you, maybe if you go into hiding they won't know you're still alive. I-" His tangent was cut short by a knock on the door. Red glanced at it angrily and opened it. A medic walked in with no introduction.

"Sir, it's nice that you want to stay with your… friend while he's hurt, but please don't lock the doors. It's important that we have access to all of the rooms at all times." He turned towards Purple, holding his clipboard. "How are you feeling?"

"Crappy."

"Understood. We monitored that your PAK was regenerated. You've been through a lot. I have a small list of things we did while you were out, is now a good time to go over them?"

Purple glanced at Red, who just rolled his eyes and sat down, annoyed. "Sure."

"First, there was the puncture on your back. We were able to patch that up okay. There might be some itching because of the disinfectant, it's normal. Then there's the replacement of blood," he commented, nodding his head towards the baggy connected to Purple's PAK. "Thanks to an early anonymous donor, that's almost done making a full course and it shouldn't be plugged in much longer. Oddly enough, the poison in your system wasn't deadly. It just got into your back and faded your actions and thoughts, that's why you blacked out and probably acted strangely against your will. We also noticed a small whelp on your neck."

"My neck?" Purple asked, lifting his hand and rubbing it softly until he felt the tender spot. Red shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"It doesn't look like it was made at the same time of the attack," the medic explained.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Purple interrupted, holding his other hand up to quite the Irken. He turned to Red. "He knows that this was an attack?"

"It's okay," Red sighed, trying to hide the small blush in his cheeks. "He's friends with Xloof."

"Who's Xloof?"

"Don't worry about it," Red said. "He's a friend who said he'd back me up."

"Anyway, the marking doesn't seem to have been made at the same time of the attack. We're still a little curious as to where it came from. In my personal opinion, if I may be so bold, it looks like somebody… bit you."

"Bit me? Who would bite me?" Purple cried, glancing at Red for help on the matter.

"I think that's enough," he announced. "Is there anything else you need to say," he asked the medic. He sorted through the files open on his data pad.

"No, that about covers anything. He should rest in here about another day or two. Maybe you should get out, too. You've been cooped up in here for three days." With that, the Irken nodded his head and left the room. Red was left cringing, body turned as far opposite of Purple as possible.

"Three days?" Purple asked, breaking the ice. "I've been in here for three days?"

"Yeah," Red replied slowly, turning around.

"And you were with me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I… You know… You're…" Red tried to draw out, "You're… my partner. We're working together, now. I couldn't just leave you here without any supervision. What if a Council member came in a finished the job?"

"I see, I think," Purple sighed, massaging his arm. "How did you find me?"

"What?" Red asked, hoping he wasn't going in the direction he thought.

"How did you find me? You're never in the kitchen. How long was I sitting there until you realized I was hurt?"

Ouch. Either way Red answered that, Purple would probably ring him into another loop of questions that would somehow lead him to find out about what he did to him when he was drugged.

"Not long," he answered as coolly as possible.

"But your baths take forever! How could it have not been long?"

Red cringed again. "Don't… Just don't worry about it. You're safe now." He sighed and sat back down in the chair. "Go back to sleep or something." Purple breathed deeply and relaxed a little. He looked up at the ceiling dully. Everything in the white room seemed to blend together, except for Red. It was like they were in their own little universe, just the two of them.

"Thanks," Purple said softly.

"What for?" Red chuckled. "Dragging you into this almost got you killed."

"Just… thanks for staying with me. It means a lot." Purple shut his eyes and let the fatigue that had built up since he awoke take control.

"No problem," Red sighed, watching him as he fell asleep again.

When Purple woke up again, he was in Red's room, which didn't surprise him much. Red was asleep on his small couch, looking as if he were going to fall off. Purple felt his arm, and noted that the tube wasn't plugged in anymore. He had no idea how long it had been since he last woke up. He stood up, using the bed frame for support, and attempted to stand alone. His legs had grown weak from being days, possibly a week or more off his feet. He found walking came easy, and he stumbled over to the window, peeking behind the vibrant crimson curtain. The stars from outside the ship glowed palely. They were passing a nearby planet which emitted an eerie yellow color. Purple shut the drape quickly and looked around the room.

It seemed like the only time he ever had a chance to look around, he was drowsy and hung over. He paced around the room slowly, noting every scratch and dent that had occurred since Miyuki had left. It seemed to have a tainted aggressive look. The red and black tints didn't help set the mood. He had always known Red for possessing a temper, but he never saw him do anything. He looked back at him, still sleeping on the couch. He watched as he snorted and rolled on his side. Purple walked over to him slowly. When he got next to the couch, he knelt down to be at eye-level with his strange ally.

"You're such a mystery," he whispered. "I've known you forever, but I hardly know you…" He sighed and continued to stare, nervous about what would happen if he were to wake up. He looked peaceful enough, in his sleep. Then again, most things do. Purple breathed in deeply, a familiar scent catching him by surprise. Red always had the smell of his favorite alcoholic drink on him, but Purple never saw him drink. Purple kept creeping closer, inhaling his scent. It wasn't as sweet as the Décès, but still smelt delicious. It wasn't long until Purple was unreasonably close to Red, now. He could almost taste the drink on his lips.

He felt Red's unreactive lips against his. It was an explosion or new senses and feelings. It was like someone ripped out his stomach and filled it with bubbles. It was the best feeling ever. Purple craved to go deeper, but forced himself to stop when Red began to stir. He'd probably be waking up soon. Purple moved back to the other edge of the room and sat on the bed. Red would probably realize he was faking sleep, but it didn't matter. At least he'd hopefully not find out about what he did. If Red knew he might be developing… feelings for him, he'd disown him for sure. It would be best to see how he really thinks of him before going any further. That would work.