[SLOW UPDATES] potion - a fantube story

3

[Authors Note: Sorry this took forever to come out. I procrastinated alot.]

The effects of potions that could alter a human's emotional responses had been rarely studied.
On all of Test Tube's attempts to research it, she could barely find anything. Not on the internet, and not through books or studies by other scientists - Therefore, it was clear some guesswork needed to be done. This was one of the deepest parts of her lab. Nobody could reach her here; she was locked away by unguessable codes and solid concrete.
And yet, Test Tube was still anxious... She knew a way to solve that, though. Channeling all that into a reason to get started. She had the motivation today. Everything was set up for her success.

Test Tube took one of her notebooks out from the shelf. It was one of hers dedicated to studying the human anatomy. She placed it flat out on the table, and flipped to a new page, spinning her pencil and writing out a title in large, scratchy letters.

"THE HUMAN BRAIN"

She carefully sketched out a skull (which obviously wasn't perfect, she's a scientist, not an artist) and revised every part of it. She made notes of which parts of the brain served which function, and how it carried out its purpose. She then linked these to possible ways that they could be changed. Perhaps a certain chemical could evoke a certain emotion, but how would you determine who that person would be, and futhermore, how to link said emotion to that person?
Then, she got hooked on a certain idea. Perhaps, instead of creating new emotions, she could change and alter what's already there? If Fan saw her as a friend, maybe she could form that into a different type of attraction.
Immediately, she got to work, choosing the certain chemicals that she believed would cause an effect. It didn't take the genius long to sift through the options, and she eventually had a decent plan. Ofcourse, she knew to not expect perfect results first try - but something was telling her this would at least make a start. Problem is, who would she test it on?
She figured it would be best to worry about that later. She didn't want to mess up her workflow.

Swapping out her glasses for her specialised goggles, Test Tube wiped her forehead. She cleared her worktable, arranging the compone-

"*RING RING RING!!*"
..Her phone went off. Who could it be? She already had her gloves on, so it would be annoying to mess with the touchscreen..

"*RING RING RING-*"
The sound was getting annoying now. She could barely focus on her thoughts. Why did she have an alarm bell as her ringtone, anyways..?

"*Beep beep beep..*"
Finally, it stopped. How did she forget to turn on do-not-disturb mode? Her mind was all jumbled up today. She rushed over to check who called while the phone was still on.
...
6pm.
Missed call from Fan | 1m ago

When did it get so late?
Test Tube was reluctant to keep clocks around - she'd just end up worrying about the time instead of work - and it definitely wasn't odd for her to take all nighters to work on her projects, but it felt like time had gone by a little too fast.
She really should take a break. After all, it's scientifically proven that taking breaks contributes positively to the invention process.
Then, something else caught her eye. There was a notification.

-Fan
[hey test tube! just wondering how you're doing, havent seen u all day >_>] > 2m ago

Ah, that's right. She had been gone for approximately 9 or so hours. Of course Fan would be worried about her. That's what friends do, right?
..She should be more grateful for him. Fan was always looking out for her. That's why Test Tube always made it her mission to do everything she could for him. Whether it be listening to him rant, or saving him from an alien's grasp, Test Tube was happy to do it all. Just to keep him safe.
Right now, she was working on something...
Was what she was doing selfish?
This is the absolute definition of playing with someone's feelings, no— literally. If she loved Fan like her heart told her she did, she would stop, right?
And yet, it was her own selfish ambition forcing her to continue working. She was just about to get started, after all. She had so much motivation, so many reasons to keep going. She had to start.
Locking the phone with her gloved, fumbling fingers, Test Tube walked back to her worktable with a newfound determination, and began her project.

[...]

"This tastes off."
Lightbulb examined the honey milk before her, examining every bubble, seeming to look into the very soul of the glass.

"Oh. I might've accidentally added spoiled milk instead of regular milk. Let me throw it out for you-"
Paintbrush was about to reach for the glass, when Lightbulb put her arm out, pausing them.

"Up-up-up. Not yet. It's just.. this doesn't taste like spoiled milk." Lightbulb went back to examining the glass.

"How do you know how spoiled milk tastes like?"

"Why do you keep spoiled milk in the fridge?" Lightbulb said, smirking. She stopped, and took another sip. "Did you forget to mix the hone-"

A loud slam came from the entrance, and both of their heads turned to the door. There, they saw Test Tube, standing in the doorway, looking absolutely exhausted. Almost.. sickly.
She slowly lifted her head higher, beginning to laugh a little. Then, she leaned forward and flopped 90 degrees onto the sofa.
Paintbrush and Lightbulb stared at her dumbfounded. Lightbulb lifted her finger up, muttering an "..Is she okay..?" In their ear.

Test Tube's head darted up from where she was halfway across the room.
"Yes, I'm perfectly okay, actually! I'm perfectly dandy!" She got up immediately and dusted herself off, frantically checking her pockets. It was still there. After so many hours of work, she finally had it. It was a flawless chemical formula - one that would undoubtedly solve a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.

"Ah, Test Tube." Paintbrush caught her attention. "Fan was looking for you earlier. You were gone for a while, after all."
She definitely needed to sleep now. Ah, it was likely that Fan was awake, too; he tended to sleep at around 2am, and it was only midnight. Breakfast tomorrow would be awkward. He would surely ask why Test Tube was gone - or, she could go now, and get it out of the way. She opted for the latter.

"What are you guys even doing awake anyways?"
Test tube asked, as it was already midnight and those two usually slept much earlier.

"..Tasting obscure milk flavours." Paintbrush explained. Test tube raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah.. I don't know why I agreed to it either."

..Perhaps Paintbrush simply wanted to spend more time with Lightbulb, now that she's finally back from the competition. They were apart from each other for a while.

"Let's do the squid one next!" Lightbulb exclaimed, hopping out of her chair and heading back towards the kitchen. Paintbrush followed suit, sighing.

Test Tube smiled at them, and, realising she had distracted herself, quickly took her lab coat and other safety equipment off and hung them up by the door. She then headed upstairs - not to her room, however. She was going to Fan's.
As she reached the door, she brought her hand up to the handle. She hesitated for a second. She had visited Fan's room countless times before.. and yet, something felt a little different this time. Was it was because she had broken Fan's trust, unbeknownst to him? Either way, she'd better get this over with.
The door creaked open, and she shuffled her hand around, trying to find the light switch. She turned it on, and came into the room, then her eyes landed on Fan.
He was.. sleeping?

"Fan?" Test Tube called, just to make sure. No answer.

..Oh.

Test Tube didn't really want to turn on the lights - she figured it would disrupt Fan's sleep - so she left the door open and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Upon looking at him tucked up in his blanket, she could confirm. Yup.. he was fast asleep.
Hm. Fan didn't snore. An odd fact to know about a friend that you don't room with.
She wondered what kind of dream he was having. Either way, she shouldn't wake him up.

Test Tube closed the door and sighed.She walked back to her own room, and twisted the knob, neglecting to change into her pyjamas before tucking herself into bed. She'd better start thinking of an excuse.