Call Me Ca$hlyn

The trust he holds in me and Rocky is so precious to me; I try to hold it close and so delicately. It almost feels like an honor to be this close to him, to see him so open and vulnerable.

My eyes glaze over the screen for a few silent minutes, only filled with Simon's rumbling of content when he shifts his head up. Slowly, I feel him lift my shirt, like if he moves slow enough, I won't notice.

‘...Simon.” I huff from behind the laptop, shivering slightly as the cool air hits my stomach. Focus, Ryland, on your data.

“Keep working Angel…don't let me distract you~” he hums softly. The smirk was evident and clear in his voice. I roll my eyes with an exaggerated sigh. The cool air is replaced by a warm feeling, scratchy but soft. I glance over the laptop again with a small frown. ‘Don't let me distract you,’ he says with his head under my shirt. I lift the laptop and place it next to me on the bed, quickly abandoning my work. Simon starts rubbing his face against my skin, causing me to squirm in his hold slightly. 

I reach out and pull my shirt off of his head, his curly hair a bit frizzy from the friction. He stops a moment, peering up at me through his eyebrows, making me blush slightly. 

‘What are you doing?” I question, quirking an eyebrow up and poking him on the forehead. He says nothing and continues to push his face deeper into my tummy. A small reluctant smile forces itself onto my face as his beard scratches at my sensitive skin.

Simon closes his eyes and his head shifts to the other side. I flinch, feeling the mutated teeth on his right side dig into my skin. Although not all that painful, the added movement of his head worsens it.

“Ow—Simon, you're stabbing me.” He freezes and lifts his head to look down, his hair falling, obscuring his face. A light red mark starts forming on my skin, then a small bit of blood pools in a little pearl and rests on top. 

“Shit, sorry.” His head leans forward and I feel his tongue run across the little area, wiping the blood away. I jump and let out a squeak, more out of shock than anything. 

Ew. 

Simon looks back up at me with this kind of guilty look even though it was clearly an accident and starts shimmying off my lap. I quickly grab at his arm, giving a small frown as he tries to run away, like he suddenly is not allowed to be here anymore.

“Si, it's fine. I want you to stay.” I smile, pulling at him. “It barely nicked me.” Reluctantly, he pushes himself back to his previous spot but holds his head up, his neck quirked up in an awkward position. Surely he's not going to hold it up like that the entire time. 

To prove me wrong, he sits gazing at me, then stares into space for around two minutes, clearly uncomfortable and craning his neck. I roll my eyes again with an amused huff. I know this is his way of being nice and considerate but he can be a little ridiculous without realizing it.

Not wanting him to strain his neck and head more, I reach out and rest my hand on top of his head, pushing it back to my skin. He looks to me once more, looking for assurance, and I sense his slight resistance. I give a soft nod and he lets himself rest back onto me with a sigh, his shoulders untensing.

I card my left hand through his hair, twisting the soft locks around my fingers, feeling him melt deeper into me. He lets out more rumbles and purrs as my fingers lightly scratch at his scalp and move down to his ear. I carefully extend my right hand and use the mutated teeth to cup the side of his face in a gentle and loving way.

Simon jumps and twists his head away, like I burned him. “Don’t. They're gross, and you're gonna get poked again.”

I shake my head. "Stop, they're not gross.” I correct and push my palm into the side of his face again. Although he doesn't flinch away, his eyebrows furrow and a frown comes to his face. His tail flicks behind him in what I have come to know as annoyance.

"They're just teeth, Si.”

“They’re…wrong.” 

“...they’re yours.” My hand moves on its own to lightly trace over one of the ridges of a tooth.

He goes quiet and I watch the gears turn in his head, leaning ever so slightly into my touch.

He's always had a terrible image of his body when it comes to his mutations after everything that happened. Although he never usually voices it out loud, like right now, he does have a habit of hiding any and all mutations he can, even if he shouldn't.

I've told him that I don't mind if he walks around with his mutations out but he seems embarrassed about them, and I guess from what I've gathered from this conversation, he thinks they're gross too.

"...you're still gonna get stabbed. And yes, they are gross.” He opens his eyes to stare deep into mine, almost challenging me to disagree again and of course I do. Like I would just let him feel that way about himself.

“Well…I think they're pretty awesome.” I chuckle while bringing my other hand down. I scratch behind his ear and lightly trail my nails down his neck, watching as one corner of his mouth twitches. He breaks eye contact, squeezing his eyes shut and starting to squirm. 

“Y-You don’t hahave to pretend.” He fights the laughter bubbling in his chest. A frown comes to my face at his accusation. Why would I even lie about that? 

"I'm not. I do think they're awesome.” Well now I HAVE to prove him wrong. Show him that I love every little bit of him, head to toe.

“Stohop.” Soft giggles spill from his lips as he pulls his shoulders up in defense, turning his face completely to the right and stopping my hand from moving, though my fingers continue to scrape against his skin.

“Aw, we can't have that. How am I supposed to tickle your ear now?” I chuckle lightly too, watching him struggle to stay still and keep the smile on his face from breaking through. “Move your head for me, Si?”

I nudge his shoulder with my trapped hand, feeling him shake his head a little bit against it in resistance. His face turning redder by the second.

“Nohohooo!” I move my fingers and hook under his chin slightly, scratching as much as I can, watching his tail start to wag adorably behind him.

“No? Welp, I guess I have no other choice…” My shoulders shrug as I pull my other hand away from his cheek and bring that down to the gills along his neck, tracing over the seam.

He barks out a laugh, his head quickly flinging to the left as I scratch at his skin. With the other side of his neck free, I scratch behind his ear again, fluttering my fingers over the shell.

“G-Grahace—EEEHEhehehee!! Stohohop—NOHOHO—!!!” He starts wiggling side to side; his head shoots down into my tummy again, not knowing which side to protect anymore, desperately pulling his shoulders up more. 

“I’ll stop iiiiif…you say your teeth are amazing.” His legs kick against the bed and notice how he’s not putting up much of a fight; his hand just tightly gripping at my shirt. I trace a single finger around the back of his neck, pinch at his nape, and scratch the small spines that flow down his back, causing him to shoot his face back up at me.

The sight brings a giant grin to my face, his eyes crinkled shut and his cheeks a bright red hue. I slow my fingers to just dust his skin with my fingertips, letting him talk. 

He peeks his teary eyes open at me, blushing more at my stare. “Nohot awesome.” 

So stubborn.

“Fine. Have it your way.” I lift my hands from his neck and ears for a moment as he greedily sucks in breaths. My hands worm under him, scratching at his underarms. His elbow shoots to his side with a squeal, making him fall face-first into me again.

“AH—NAHOHOO!!! OKAYOKAYOK—*SNRK*—AHAHEHE—I-I'll sahahay ihIHIHIT!!” He sputters into my skin. I still my hands and bring them up to push his hair away from his eyes and tuck it behind his ears, earning me a slight squeak in return.

His body goes limp against mine as I continue my petting and scratching at his scalp, messing up his hair as small curls stick up. He waits a moment, hiding his face from me. 

“I’m waiting, Simon~” I grin as he looks up with almost a pout. "Or do you need some more convincing?” I wiggle my fingers out in front of him. Anxious laughter suddenly springs from his mouth and he flinches away, his sharp teeth sticking out from his lips.

“Fuck no!” He yelps and tries to compose himself. “Ahem—no, I do not.” His ears flush with more embarrassment as I look at him with an expectant look. He avoids my eyes, looking out at nothing in particular, and lets out a quiet sigh.

“Fine. They're amazing…” I smirk triumphantly as he looks back to my face. “...amazing for tickling!” Before I can ask what he means, I watch in awe as the skin opens up on the left side of his face. I don't think he's ever shown me how it opens before. I've always wanted to ask but it felt like an overstep and he's already let me run so many tests and experiments at this point it almost felt rude to ask for any more, especially about stuff he's particularly sensitive about.

The sharp teeth flare up and out while the bottom ones open downwards and I can see his normal teeth and jaw behind. It's pretty remarkable; the teeth can flex and move, not stuck to a bone structure like human teeth, giving him a range of movement and motion, from what I can tell.

Simon quickly but carefully pushes the open side into my stomach as I screech, my arms flailing uselessly. He stops for a moment, giving a worried look, analyzing my face. When it's evident by my beaming smile that he didn't stab me this time, he starts right back up again.

It feels like nothing I have ever felt before. His sharp teeth twitch and move, carefully digging into my skin, like he's gnawing on me. Under that, I feel his jaw open and his normal teeth nip at my skin in an agonizing way. 

I was definitely and unfortunately right about the range of movement hypothesis, and on top of that, his skin and flesh of his cheek seem to be able to move and twitch more too.

“AH—NOHOHoho!!! WahaHAIT—SIHIHIMOHOHON—!!!!”  I reach forward, pushing at his shoulders as he starts to sway his head back and forth slightly. Simon pulls loud cackles from me and through all the commotions, I feel him smirk against my skin.

“Hm. I guess you were right. They're pretty fuckin useful." As he talks, his jaw and teeth scrape up and down against me, the rumblings of his voice and the air being pushed through his mouth tingling my skin. 

“N-NOHOHOT WHAhahat I meheheant!!” My eyes squeeze shut, my cheeks flush, and I kick my legs out, digging my heels into the bed to push myself away. As a result, I feel his face move down as I move up, forcing his face to my lower belly, causing me to squeal and buck up my hips. 

“Oh? It isn't? I mean, you sat there tickling me all you wanted with your cute lil tummy just sitting here out in the open begging for some attention.” My blush deepens, rushing to the tips of my ears as I shake my head 'no' frantically again. “I disagree, you sure this wasn't your little plan from the very beginning, Ryland?” I shoot my hands up to my face, trying to hide my embarrassment and stifle my laughter.

To be fair, this was NOT my idea from the very beginning! It was HIM who had his face under my shirt before any of this started and I will NOT take this slander!

“NO! NOHOhoho, ihihit *snrk* wahasnt’!” I peek my eyes open through my fingers and see his own closed in content as he continues to press his sharp teeth lightly into the pudge. They move up and down, just enough for me to feel as his skin lightly swipes against my own. He looks almost peaceful compared to my chaotic laughter. 

“Sure.” He responds, clearly unconvinced. I feel him take a deep breath in and then blow against my skin. I arch up with a squeal as he continues to press raspberry after raspberry. His skin ripples into mine, making the teeth jump and wiggle against me more.

“TOHOHOO MUHUHCH—!! SIHIHIMON—!!!”  I yelp out, my hands abandoning my face to push at him harder now and, in retaliation, he shoves his hand into my armpit.

“Stop pushin so much.” My arm flails back, trapping his wiggling fingers in my armpit. I start to sit up, trying to curl inwards. He digs in vigorously, making me flop back down with more laughter.

“EHIHIHEHAHAHhaha ohoho go-GOHOHOSH—!!!” He snorts out a laugh against my skin.

"I'll ease up a bit for you, Angel, because I'm so nice and all," and he does. Simon stops the raspberries, lifting his face from my stomach while slowly moving his fingers to lightly scratch under my arm, though it's still unbearable.

I watch with wide eyes as the side of his face closes back together and he smiles warmly at me. Though it's short-lived and is replaced by what I would consider an evil grin. He dips his head back down and starts to pepper light kisses against my belly. 

“Better?” he mumbles into my sensitive stomach and although it is, I don't admit it. 

“Nohoo ihits nohot!” My other arm comes out and weakly pushes at his head as uncontrollable giggles spill from me. I fling my head back against the pillow, my legs flailing behind him wildly, doing nothihng to actually stop his attack.

“Look at this lil bellybutton.” He teases, his lips shift to kiss the area, and I hear him start to purr again, clearly enjoying my torture. “So cute," he hums into it forcing a giddy squeak from my throat.

“Ehehehaha stohohop! Nohoht thehehere!” He shifts his head down more, scrapping and rubbing his beard over the little area as I arch up again with another squeal. 

“Quit wigglin so much. I’m tryin to show you my appreciation and love.” 

“I-I dohon’t wahant your lohove—AH-WHAHAIT—!!!” He says nothing, lets out a fake gasp of offense, and shoots his head back down, blowing a raspberry against my navel. “OKAYOKAHAhay I-I dohoho wahaHAHANT IHIHIT!!!” I back track immediately as he blows one last raspberry, then plants another kiss, a cocky grin spreading across his face.

He pulls his hand from under my arm and wipes at the spit covering my stomach, making me squeak and flinch away, my residual giggles filling the air.

“Calm down Ry, I'm done.” I sigh, relaxing back into the bed, glancing at him with a silly smile. “For now at least.”

I decide to ignore that last comment and reach down to pull him in close, holding him against me. He settles back onto my tummy as his eyes flutter closed. 

“I still think they're amazing.” I murmur and look down at him. I absentmindedly run a thumb over the side of his face, feeling the bumps and ridges of the teeth. They truly are beautiful, even if he doesn't see it that way.

“You keep touching them.” He states in an odd tone I can't read while his head rolls to the side.

My thumb stills. "Yeah? Is that okay?”

He doesn't answer but starts purring quietly again. He shifts, hiding his face in my stomach but I feel him smile against my skin with a hum.

Jimmy stifled a laugh from his spot on the couch. "Okay, now I've gotta see!"

"Okay, close your eyes!"

"Come out already!"

"Just do it!"

"Ugh, fine," she groaned playfully before covering her eyes.

"Are they closed?"

"Yes!"

"Jimmy?"

"Yes dude! Just come out so we can see you!"

They heard the bedroom door creak open.

"Ta-da!"

They immediately looked to see what epic costume he'd been working on all month long, only to stare blankly in confusion.

It was a Superman costume. A really bad Superman costume.

"Well?" he asked, smile stretching from ear to ear. He held his arms out to his sides, giving a proud spin. The sleeves were straining around his large biceps, testing the seams for all they're worth. He wore bright blue leggings that were more like high waters, and over that he wore a red pair of Fruit of the Loom underwear. A badly drawn Superman logo was safety-pinned to the front of his shirt, and a red blanket was tied around his shoulders.

"It's..." Lois started, unsure whether she should laugh and hiding her smile behind her hand.

"You look ridiculous! This is what you've been working on?" Jimmy exclaimed. Clark grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"What? I thought it was funny!" he defended his choice. Jimmy smirked.

"Well congrats, 'cause you look hilarious!" he teased, shooting finger guns at his friend.

Now that she knew it was intentionally bad, she couldn't help but laugh. "Oho my God, could you find a smaller shirt?" she asked, walking closer to get a better look. She circled him, looking him up and down, clearly amused. "Those pants look like they were painted on," she chuckled.

"Yeah, I was kinda going for a "kid who grew out of last year's costume" kinda look," he admitted.

"You know what? I see it," she tilted her head to get a better angle, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, it's got a homemade, nostalgic vibe to it," Jimmy agreed.

"Heh, thanks. At first I wasn't sure what- AH!" Clark interrupted himself with a yelp when he felt a poke to his side. "Hehey, what was that for?"

"You got a hole in your shirt, riiiight here," she struck again, this time scribbling against the small patch of bare skin. He barked out a laugh and twisted away, right into Jimmy. Since when was he standing there?

"Well dohohon't make it worse!" he cried out, trying to gently pry her hand out of the now larger hole. Clark shrieked when he felt squeezing on his other side, his laughter growing full and steady.

"Don't worry Lois, I was with him when he bought it and he got like, five back up pairs," Jimmy explained, granting permission to ruin the shirt.

"Ihit was only four! They were hahahaving aha sale!" he tried to justify his purchase through giggles.

“Glad you came prepared! Now I don’t have to feel guilty about doing this!” she made her point by plunging her entire hand through the small hole, stretching it enough to fit her arm inside. She reached around to scribble his bare stomach, relishing it the squeal that left his lips.

Clark could do nothing but stand there and laugh while his friends had their fun picking him apart. But if he were being honest, he was having just as much fun.

“Oh–yeah, yes. You're good, Simon.” I chuckle, glancing in his direction. “You going to be okay?” 

“Yeah. It's been nice, actually. Relaxing.” After everything he's gone through, well, the little bit he's allowed me to know, baths are a pretty touchy subject. Said he couldn't stand the feeling of water around him, being engulfed by it.

When he first boarded the Hail Mary around 5 to 6 months ago, he didn't shower at all, much to my nose's dismay. The one and only bath he had was his first night here while he was unconscious and Armondo took care of it after my EVA to his ship. Submarine? Vessel. I pretty much conked out the moment I got him inside and stable. Let me tell you, Simon needed that bath.

He was covered head to toe in blood. Not splatters, like he got into a fight, like he decided to swim in a pool full of it and soaked for a few hours. Armondo/Mary had nothing to report when I woke up so I assume it went okay.

Slowly he warmed up to at least sponge baths, though he would take a much longer time than you would think to be open to showers. He said he preferred the sponge bath, and I didn't argue, but around a month ago, he took his first bath. 

Although he was clearly nervous and I offered to be there to help, he completely refused. I was a little surprised. He isn't a fan of physical touch, though I selfishly hope that changes; he never seemed to mind too much with me seeing him shirtless. 

N-NOT that I was looking or anything anyway!

"I'm glad you like it.” I push my glasses back up my nose with a smile. “I might go to take a nap—”

“Yes. Grace been awake for 66,823 seconds. Should sleep." Rocky butts in. I just roll my eyes in response. 

He stares for a second with a look I can't quite read and turns, abruptly heading to the dormitory without another word. Weird.

I gather my stuff up and start putting it away and I start to feel those 18+ hours of doing nothing but work catch up with me. My eyes become heavy as I sluggishly put the rest of my equipment away. I feel terrible.

“Should have slept sooner. Rocky tell and tell Grace but Grace no listen. Stubborn.” He trills from his nearby spot on the floor, gathering his own tinkering tools to follow me. He's the last alien who should be talking about being stubborn; he's just as bad, if not worse.

“Yeah yeah.” I wave him off, and he huffs a low note in response, making me giggle. "I'm totally fine, Rocky. Don't worry so much.” A yawn slips through my words, making him tap a claw against the floor.

“Would not worry if Grace listen.” I guess he has a point but theres so much to do. I start my way to the dorm as well, with Rocky clinking behind me, yawning again. We enter the dorm and see the bathroom door shut; I'm assuming Simon is already in there. 

“Are you staying in your suit to watch?” I ask Rock, pulling off my shirt. I throw it to the floor and start to untie my jumpsuit. Although he'll still watch from his side of the Xenonite barrier from time to time, after making his new tighter suit, he stays on our side as much as he can and im not going to complain.

“Yes. Was…hoping Grace Rocky cuddle.” His claws come together and fidget in a way I know is nervousness. He shifts towards the bed slightly as I put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Not sure why he's so worried; I don't think I've ever told him no to cuddles before bed.

“I would love to." He gets up on the bed and chirps excitedly, which makes me smile. 

I hear the water start to run from the bath as I walk over to Rocky. I slip under the covers, holding it up so Rocky can as well. He pushes himself into my chest and the warmth of him travels through my body, pulling me closer to sleep. He wraps three arms around my middle, pushing them under my arms and his claws settle on my back. A fourth claw comes up and plucks my glasses from my nose. 

“Grace need to stop sleeping with eye aid on. Will break or damage.” Ignoring his lecture, I respond by pressing my face closer to him. A soft hum comes from him, vibrating my chest, and I feel my eyes start to weigh while Rocky softly rubs up my spine. The sound of the water from the bath lulling me to sleep—

*BANG*

I startle upwards, well, halfway, with Rocky's weight still around me. My eyes fly to the door of the bathroom and I hear Simon let out a soft groan of pain and some more bangs as what I assume is the shampoo and other products fall to the floor as well.

“Oh fudge!” I push at Rocky, adrenaline from the loud noise scaring me, making me shake slightly as I reach for my glasses. I scramble to get off the bed but Rocky catches my arm. 

“Uh. Rocky go check. Rocky check on Simon.” I pause, listening to the tone of his chords, which sounds anxious but not for Simon. Almost nervous and pleading. “Grace lay down. Go to sleep. Rocky check.” he assures rather insistently again.

“No, I wanna go check too! That was very loud; he could be really hurt!” I shove him off and quickly head towards the door but Rocky tries to block my way.

“Not necessary if Rocky check.” Rocky argues as I try and walk around him but he only slides over, stopping me again. What is with him? He's never acted like this before. 

After moving side to side a few more times and being blocked, I call out instead. “SIMON! A-ARE YOU OKAY—!” I wait a moment and don't get a response, making me panic more.

What if he fell and broke something or has a concussion? What would happen if he fractured his skull?! A million thoughts of the worst-case scenario race through my mind.

I manage to slip past Rocky as he misses his catch on my arm. As I wrap my hand around the handle, he calls out finally.

“YES. I-IM FINE. DON’T COME—” I push open the door and my eyes meet his. "...in…shit." 

I stare, slack-jawed, at Simon, looking his body up and down. 

“Apology Simon. Rocky try. Grace more ‘slippery’ than first thought.” Rocky bumps past me, pulling me from my trance. 

“Uhh—um wha-what—” Words attempt to get out of my mouth. My hand drops from the door in shock. Maybe I'm still asleep—dreaming! That must be it.

"It's fine, Rock. My fault. I slipped inside the tub first.” He sighs, a nervous look taking over his face. ”God, I wish that door had a lock on it.” 

My brain refuses to process what I'm looking at. Simon. Definitely Simon. Same wavy hair, same scars, same stoic face but… he's got this long, fish-like tail that’s spilling over the side of the tub onto the floor. Fins sprout from where his ears should be on both sides, not just the left like normal, and lord, the teeth. There is a giant section of the tail lined with huge teeth, similar to the ones on the side of his face, with others littered around his body.

“Oh gosh…” That's all that manages to get past my lips. 

His eyes flick to me, wide with worry as I stand there absolutely flabbergasted. I try to smile in response while looking him and this new body up and down again. He is larger now too. Not like muscles but like someone scaled him up bigger.

“Simon okay, question?” Rocky asks as he comes back to me, pulling me away from my spot at the door and closer to Simon. I let him guide me closer as I stare, not knowing what else to do or say.

“Yeah, but I'm stuck.” His reply comes out a little flustered. “Can I get some help?”

The Hail Mary has a small tub, not very comfortable but it does what it needs to. It’s rather shallow and I can’t fully extend my legs if my torso is under the water. This wouldn't really be a problem; uncomfortable, yes, but no one would get stuck. As I look more, his shoulders are wedged in the tub while he's almost flat on his back, just enough to see his face peeking up. That’s how much bigger Simon seemed to have gotten. His arm is stuck pressed out in front of him in an awkward position.

“Y-yeah! I can help!” I eagerly move closer, staring deep into his eyes. The one on his left side was always mutated to a light red color but now his irises are now slits, like a cat's. 

I kick into the end of his tail, half-stepping on it, while not paying too much attention and taking in the details of the changes in his eyes. In response, he lets out a soft growl. My eyes run down his face and he’s got his teeth slightly bared at me.

I freeze, holding up my hands defensively. “Whao. Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to!" My eyes look to the floor, side-step my feet away from the new appendage but don’t move any further. After a moment, I fling my head to him, the sounds finally registering in my mind,

“You growl?! You actually growl!”

“...”

“That came from your chest! That's so cool. Can you do it again?” Excitement and awe coursing through my body.

"Definitely not." I had no idea that he could growl—a full animalistic sound rather than a human mimicking an animal.

I watch as his eyes flick to the end part of his tail, fins splayed across the floor while frowning. Oh. I wonder if he didn’t want me near it. I should have asked. Crap, I didn't even ask if he was okay! Nice going, Ryalnd. Worst roommate ever.

He lets out a huff, eyeing me, and I take that as my sign to keep going. I stop at the tub, and he looks up at me, frowning. “Um. Here." My hand reaches out, letting him choose when he wants to take it. 

Simon hesitates for only a second before taking my hand. His grip is careful, like hes worried Id break.

A gasp escapes me at how much bigger his is than mine now, with large claws at the ends. Before I can stop myself, my other hand reaches out as I rotate his in my own. His pinky, ring, and middle finger have webbing between them, leaving his pointer and thumb free. I lightly trace the translucent skin, making goosebumps visibly run up his arm.

“Holy crap, that’s awesome...” I mumble, pressing a fingertip into one of his nails. Not as sharp as they seem, more bulky than thin and sharp.

“...done?” A low groan comes from him and I snap back into reality. 

“O-oh sorry!” Anxious laughter comes from me, and I start to pull and my gosh, is he a LOT heavier too. I grunt, trying to pull him up by leveraging myself against the tub, but he doesn't budge. 

Rocky scuttles over, climbing onto the edge and swatting my hand away.

“Grace weak. Rocky do it.” Wow, thanks, Rock.

Simon shifts his hand over to Rocky, holding it out flat. He places two of his much smaller claws into his palm and Simon gently closes around them. Rocky pulls hard and Simon is suddenly unstuck and upright. Rocky seems to perch himself on the counter that’s on the other end of the tub, carefully observing. I can tell he’s nervous and doesn’t know what to do.

I lean over and turn off the water that was dangerously close to overflowing all of their floor. My eyes glance down and see the teeth running up the front of him. I lean over the tub more, squinting my eyes to try and see clearly through the water. Is it a mouth? Or are they just teeth like the ones on his arm? I stop myself from reaching down into the water to check, even though I very much want to, and look back over at Simon, who now has a growing blush across his face, his arm crossing over his torso, shielding himself.

Oh my gosh, I’m being a creep!

Frantically, I push myself away and sit on the floor, leaning against the tub. I mutter a sorry as my own blush creeps up my neck. He lets out a sigh, and the water splashes slightly. I sneak a glance and he’s lowered himself into the water more, eyes closing. 

I’m shocked he hasn’t tried to explain any of this. And what the heck? Rocky knew before I did AND kept it a secret from me?! Some best friend he is.

My eyes wander over to his tail and it looks amazing, beautiful even. Its overall shape reminds me of an eel. With the way it’s draped over, it seems more flexible than a whale or shark. 

The end looks like what you would imagine a mermaid's tail to look like out of a storybook, though the one half looks destroyed. Holes and gashes cut through the membrane; I grimace slightly at the sight.

Without thinking, I slowly crawl over to the end. The fin on his left looks torn through, holes littering the flesh. Movement catches my eye and I glance over and see him staring me down and I let out a little squeak.

“Uhm…does it hurt? C-can I touch it—you can always tell me to stop!” I try to convince him, maybe a bit too desperately. I hear Rocky make an annoyed noise, definitely directed at me for my question. I can’t help it; he's fascinating. Any scientist would want a closer look!

“You ask now after you were already leaning over the tub, staring at my body?” His tone is a little teasy, making me flush slightly and stay silent. I don't deny anything and he seems to smirk a little more, then frowns again. 

Simon looks from Rocky to me as I give my best puppy eyes to him. He lets out a loud sigh and looks away.

“Fine, yes. Be gentle or you're done.” Done with what? I’m not sure. Maybe it has to do with my touch or my life. Hard to tell with him sometimes. "You were gonna do it anyway.”

“I absolutely was not!” He stares with a deadpan look and if Rocky had a face, I think he would be too. “N-Not without your permission…at least.”

I feel around the broken ridge and he flinches but doesn’t say anything. I follow the split and torn flesh down in swoops until I reach unharmed parts. I pinch at it, rubbing it between my fingers. I glide my fingertips to one of the holes, feeling the frayed texture. I frown.

“Is this why you didn’t want to take a bath for the longest time?” I’m pretty sure I already know the answer. I absentmindedly start rubbing little circles into his fins and I swear I see him relax slightly. 

“Yeah.” He continues to avoid eye contact. “I wanted to tell you, I swear. I just—how the fuck do I explain this to someone?” He looks worried and scared again, his hand coming up to grasp at his cheek.

“You have a point.” If he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, yeah, thanks for saving me and all. Oh, also, I turn into some sort of mutant fish monster when wet. Well, okay, see you later for dinner.’ I’m not sure I would have believed him either.

“But you told Rocky?!” I gesture to him, still perched on the counter. He lets an amused trill escape at my jealousy. “You didn't even like him at first!”

“What the fuck was I supposed to do? The alien can see through walls, Ryland, and you were the one who kept pushing me to take a shower!” he argues, pointing at me.

"Yeah, because you stank up the entire ship with your B.O.!" 

He mumbles something while looking away, and I feel the end of his tail flick slightly against my hand. “I was still taking the fucking sponge baths," he murmurs, frowning more.

“Rocky promise to keep Simon secret from Grace. Until Simon ready.” Rocky explains, his claws fidgeting together again. Ugh, he feels guilty, and he shouldn't; he was being nice and keeping a secret from me for Simon. I should be happy they trusted each other so much.

I lower my tone. “Why couldn't you just tell me when Rocky found out?” I question, looking back down at his tail, my eyebrows furrowed as I look harder at the damage and structure.

“Because you would look at me like…that.” My eyes find Simon’s again and I raise an eyebrow.

“Like what?” 

"Like…I'm some specimen to dissect. I knew you would find this exciting, and I was a little worried about what that would look like for me.” He rubs the back of his neck, shifting uncomfortably in the small tub. “And, shit, if you were scared instead, I was worried you'd shoot me out the airlock.”

I purse my lips. Did I really look like I was going to dissect him? His belief that I would harm or pick him apart hurt more than I expected. I really thought we had grown to trust each other more.

“I-I would never do something you wouldn't want to do. Sure, I’d love to run tests and study you, but if it made you uncomfortable, I wouldn’t have Simon. Did…did you really think I would hurt you?” He stares for a moment, then looks away, guilt flooding his face.

“Stop looking at me like that. I've never met someone like you, Ryland. I'm used to people acting like shit and doing terrible things. It's hard for me...and I was—am—just as scared of myself too. Shit, I didn't feel human anymore.” And he's right. I shouldn't assume he would trust me right away. Rocky and I were probably pretty stupid to trust each other so easily; we should have been more cautious, but I can't just will Simon to trust me. Of course, he would assume someone would do the worst.

"It's okay. I understand but uh, how did you hurt your back fin here?” A frown comes to my face as I feel around the membrane more.

“I-I can’t remember much after I sent out my distress signal. I don’t know.” I look back at his face sympathetically. I can't even imagine what he went through.

“So, water causes it?” I gnaw at my lip while thinking, tilting my head to the side.

“And blood. It seems when my gills get wet enough, it triggers some sort of growth to start happening. It's quick too, taking only about 30 seconds, if that.” I hum in thought for a moment. "That's how I got stuck. I usually lower myself in slowly and trigger the mutation then raise myself back up so it doesn't start while I'm fully in the tub but my fuckin hand slipped and I fell in.” 

“Wait, when Rocky and I found you, you were soaked, and you didn’t look like this.” I frown a little, pointing to his tail.

“I don’t know.” He half-heartedly shrugs. Not helpful at all.

“Rocky have theory.” I swivel my head to him. “Tissue growth need energy to happen. Simon starving when found. Severe dehydration. Could turn back ‘normal’ when out of resources.” 

“Okay that could be it. But your timeline still doesn’t work. You're lying about something, Si. You said you didn't remember but this whole time you knew if you took a bath, this would happen.” He looks away with a blank face and stays silent.

After a moment, Rocky perks up. “Simon awake for Armondo bath, question?” Oh crap, I knew I should have stayed up that night! By that point he was on IV fluids and a feeding tube, so he definitely had the resources to mutate.

“Yeah. I kinda freaked out. You know, waking up after everything and then looking down and seeing your legs replaced with a giant fucking fish tail while sitting in a little ass tub with a massive robot with multiple arms was NOT fun.” I let out a snort while a soft smile came to Simon's face. “Armondo gave me some really fuckin good drugs, though, and I fell asleep at some point again. I actually kinda thought Rocky already knew at that point since he could see through walls.” 

“No,” I shake my head. “Your EVA and rescue kept both of us up. He pushed his sleep back. The EVA alone was around 10 hours of just trying to get the stupid vessel open. It was one of the only times me and Rocky slept together at the same time with no one to watch. We both were just so exhausted, staying up and figuring out how to get you.”

“Could not function anymore.” Rocky adds, a low tone to his trill. He slept in his suit right up next to me. If something were to happen, we both hoped I would wake and make sure everything was okay while Rocky was out of commission.

“Sorry.” A guilty look takes over his features again, making me feel awful. He shouldn’t feel guilty about surviving. It makes me almost frustrated in a way. Like our time and resources could have been used for greater and better things. I want him to feel like he is that great and better thing while on the Hail Mary.

“Haha don’t be. I would have done the whole thing all over again for you.” A baffled and slightly flustered look crosses Simons face and then I realize what I said. I feel my own face heat up a little and look away, sputtering over more reassurances. Real smooth Ryland.

I know we haven’t known each other long but I’ve grown very fond of him. Sure, he isn’t an open book but he makes these little comments. I don’t even know if he’s trying to be funny but it always seems to make me laugh. He can be so caring too; it’s just not as obvious. He leaves blankets near me when I absentmindedly complain I'm cold. Like I'm supposed to think they appeared there by themselves. He tries to be subtle, though he's not that great at it. He gives me hope for the rest of this three-year journey. 

He starts again. “That…sounds not very smart, especially for you guys. You took some random guy from a blood ocean and left him alone while you two slept?” His eyebrows knit together as he pushes wet hair from his eyes.

“Yeah, we were both so sleep-deprived that I’m not sure either of us could have done much anyway. Also, I had full faith in Mary and Armondo to keep you in check. I mean, they clearly did if you freaked out and then immediately drugged you.” Simon glances over to Armondo with a frown.

I move my hand up, starting to feel around the end of his actual tail, the meaty part.

“I guess—AH!” He jolts upwards at the touch. I recoil quickly, scooting back slightly.

“Fudge! Are you okay? Are you hurt there?” I frantically look at the area, though keeping my hands to myself but I get no answer.

“Simon heart rate elevated.” Rocky observes, tapping a claw slightly.

I meet his eyes and his face is starting to flush. “N-no. Just sensitive.” 

“Sensitive…how?” I raise an eyebrow, slowly inching a finger to the spot again. 

I observe his reaction. He starts to squirm, eyeing my descending hand carefully from across the room.

“…just sensitive.” He frowns, looking away, embarrassed for some reason. I take the chance to lightly pinch at the flesh there.

He lets out a squeak and slaps his hand over his mouth. So I of course do it again, pinching and prodding around the fleshy end. He arches up and his tail starts to wiggle slightly.

“Ohoohoo someone’s ticklish?” I tease and pull the end of his tail into my lap, using both hands to feel around. He shakes his head ‘no’ desperately. 

The skin is very smooth. He doesn’t have scales like a normal fish, even though his tail fin is more fish than eel. It’s kind of slippery but not wet; I’m assuming some sort of mucus.

“No? It sure does seem like it but hey, if it’s not, then I guess you don’t mind if I keep doing this, right?” I move up his long tail a little and give each side a light scratch. The sensation makes his skin twitch, causing it to shake even more.

He lets out a squeal when suddenly his tail is no longer in my hands.

“OW—!” His tail flicked up and slapped me across the face. I bring my hand up, holding it where my skin stings. “Did you just hit me?!”

“Ah shit—I didn’t mean—I’m sorry—!” Simon pushes himself up more, frantically trying to apologize while I readjust my glasses that were all but hit off my face.

“Oh that’s it. You're the one done for now.” I grab at his tail, moving up a good foot and dig my fingers into the muscular flesh.

“EEEAHHAhaha! WahahAIT—! GRAHAHACE—!! I-it wahahas a-an accihiHIDENT!!” He slumps back down into the water, splashing some onto the floor while Rocky lets out an amused hum.

“Com’ere Rocky, help me get him back. I know you're curious about his tail too~.” I smirk, watching the way Simon frantically objects, his eyes wide with panic as he tries to stop his smile.

Rocky’s silent for a moment. “Grace right. Rocky very very very curious. Want to feel. Apology Simon” Rocky makes his way over, making Simon squirm more.

“Pfft-heheha—hmhmhmhm—!!” He clamps his mouth shut, covering his face with his hand, trying to stifle his laughter. 

Rocky settles higher up, towards the huge line of teeth and lightly squeezes and traces the flesh with two claws. 

“Eugh, slimy. Grace should have told Rocky. Disgust.” Though he continues anyway. I watch as his claws gently and cautiously dig in as Simon lets out a shriek, bucking his hips up making his tail jerk in my hold.

“NAHAHOhoho! Rohocky p-plehEHEASE—!!” His tail wiggles more, though not much. I assume it’s rather heavy and outside of water; he’s just not strong enough to actually move it away from us, just enough to flick the end across my face. Lucky me.

I trace lightly up and down, lightening my touch as I feel his muscles flex and twitch beneath my fingers. I see tiny dots of pigment begin to flow up his tail as my nails continue to trail upward. With my eyes fixated on the markings, I pause to think for a moment.

“Holy crap! You’ve got lateral lines?” I press into the dots on either side and watch him flail violently in the tub. I guess it makes sense; they're a very important part of many fish and eel, but it's just as insane that he evolved to have them too.

“AH-NOHOHOT THEHEREHEHAHA—IHIHEHAHAHA—!!” Simon attempts to roll over on himself but the tight box and his large size stop him. His hand slaps against his mouth again as he slowly squirms down the tub. To be fair, I didn't think they would be ticklish, though.

“What words mean, question?” I slow my fingers to lightly trace over the spot again while glancing at Rocky. 

“It’s this organ on many fish that runs up either side of their body. It helps them detect vibrations, movement, and changes in water pressure. The organ is highly developed and highly sensitive and helps the creature be able to navigate murky or dirty waters.” My thumbs drill into the spots on either side as Simon arches up again, with a shriek, his hand clawing at the air in front of him desperately. I notice the very end of his tail flicking and wagging harder.

“Show Rocky. Rocky want too feel ‘Lateral Line’—”

“NONONOHOHOhoho!! R-Rohohocky dohohosnt aha-neheheed t-to feel—!”

“Okay!” Excitement colors my voice as Simon continues to protest and laugh. Rocky stops squeezing and lightly taps against Simon's skin. He can't see the spots, so I'll have to describe what the organ should look like from the inside. “See where my hand is?” I still them, letting them rest against his cool skin.

He taps more, trying to hear his insides, pulling light giggles from Simon in the process. ‘Yes.”

“Okay, there should be a canal full of liquid sitting under where my hands are. This is the lateral line. It holds clusters of sensory units called nuromasts.” He brings another claw up, vibrating it to get a good look inside, which makes Simon jerk from left to right.

My eyes find Simon again, sharp teeth sticking out as he tries to bite his lip and his hair sticks to his face in damp curls. I feel my face flush a little at the sight.

Focus Grace. Fish. Science. Not his lovely hair and smile. I clear my throat.

“These neuromasts have sensory hair cells covered in a jelly-like cap. Water movement, or, I guess, blood in this instance, and vibrations push and pull on the caps, bending the hairs underneath.” Rocky pauses for a moment, lifting his claws away. 

“Facinating sensory inputs.” He comments, I think, more to himself.

Simon slumps against the tub, pulling in big breathes of air. His smile is bright and giddy and I see some tears prick at his eyes. His hands come to his chest as he heaves and giggles spill from his lips.

However, this is short-lived, as Rocky quickly and firmly digs his claws into Simon's upper side, causing him to scream out with a sudden jerk. I guess Rocky found them. Feeling rather mean today, lightly scratching again too. Simon's head bangs back against the tub while his arm frantically gets stuck, trying to figure out where to grab.

“RHOHOCKYHIHIHEHEAHAH *SNRK* NAHAHOHO—!!! AH-GRAHAHACEHEHE—!!!”

I slow my hands and run my open palms over the smooth skin, feeling its shape.

“Interesting. This how Simon navigate blood, question?” Rocky starts to tap against his body again, trying to get a better look with all Simon’s movements.

“That’s my hypothesis.” I can't seem to pull my eyes away from Simon for too long. He got a giant smile plastered across his face, his cheeks a bright red color. I notice that his canine teeth are now much bigger too. Although larger and more pointy than the average human when he’s normal, these things look like they could do some real damage. Maybe 2-ish inches long.

“All fish on Earth ticklish, question?” His question makes me snort. 

“No no, this is all Simon!” I laugh, watching his face grow a shade darker.

“Fuhuhuck y-you! Yohou guh—GUYEHEHS SUHUHUCK!” He squirms further into the tub, more water running off the side.

“His tail is so firm," I murmur, ignoring him, pressing more. The muscles have some give but overall it’s rather hard.

“Wrong.” Rocky trills. “Underbelly soft and tender.” 

I look over. My end is flipped so the underside is on the floor but higher up, where Rocky is, Simon’s belly up from spilling over the tub and that’s what Rocky’s been pressing into when not digging into Simon's lateral line.

“Ooo let me feel!” I start to scoot over, eagerly. Simon plants his hand against the edge of the tub and starts trying to hoist himself up. Not sure what his plan is if he did manage to get himself out but Rocky quickly stops him as he brings a third claw up, vibrating into the skin and he quickly falls back into the water.

“NONONOHOhohoo Grahace—SHIHIHIT!!" He screws his eyes shut, shacking his head.

My hands feel around the softer areas. Rocky was right; it’s pudgy and squishy on his stomach, but the further to his side you get, the firmer it is. I squeeze the soft flesh, digging my thumbs in as Simon cackles from the tub. He’s resorted to just hugging his arm around himself; his head is thrown back and his hair is a mess. 

It’s so nice seeing him like this after all this time. Sure, I get a smile, maybe if I’m lucky a light chuckle out of him but to see him bright in the face is nice. He looks rather cute. So carefree.

My hand grazes one of the two rather large fins on either side of his tail. There is an overall different texture than the others around his body. I find it interesting that it looks like evolution just threw a couple of different types together and just hoped at least one of them would be helpful.

I carefully grab at the membrane and pull it out. It reminds me of a betta fish, actually. They would probably be flowy in the water and dense. I’m not sure what purpose they would actually serve but I know some betta fish can vibrate them to warn others of danger but he clearly isn’t built for a pack. This kind of circles back to his evolution thing.

Actually I’m not sure he can even move them.

I run my fingers to the base, feeling around for any muscle or larger spines and he shoots upwards again.

“NAHAHOhoho ah-stohoHOHOP *SNRK* EEEHIHI—!!!” I pull new laughter from him as the end of his tail slaps against the floor. 

To my surprise, I do feel a round socket joint with some muscles around it, though I'm not sure even then how much mobility he has. I press my fingernails deeper into the area and reach over him to feel the spines running down his back. 

Again, softer than the ones around his hip and head but more firm than the two on his sides. They collapse flat and down against his skin as I pet downwards lightly over them. I feel movement by my fingers and glance back down at the fins, seeing the base try to flare up against its own weight and out, making me giggle. I bring my arm back, shoving both of my hands under the fin, encircling the socket, and squeeze.

“AHA-GEHEHET OUHOhout o-of *SNRK* THEHEHERHREHEHIHHI—!!” Another bang comes  from the tub as I squeeze a second time. I decide to give him some mercy and slow my hands to soft tracing.

I glance over to the teeth rubbing up his front. They stop a few inches below his belly button, while on the other end, they curl outwards to either side.

“Hey Si, is this a mouth? Or just more teeth?” I inch my hands closer to the bottom of them. Simon is in a pretty unfortunate position. His pelvis is forced up and out by the edge of the tub. All his squirming and sliding back as he laughs only pushed his tail out of the tub more.

He says nothing, snorting, and loud, pitchy giggles spilling from him, so Rocky answers for him instead.

“Is mouth. Can hear open cavity.” Rocky pulls away, joining me by the tub. “Connected to intestines. Simon intestine and organ bigger than Grace's. Intestines longer and stomach bigger.” He chirps. I decide to ignore the fact that Rocky knows the size of my internal organs.

I’m assuming because Simon would theoretically be eating rather large meals of fish and other big creatures.

“This has to be the sickest thing I’ve ever seen.” I gently run my fingers over the teeth but flinch away when Simon, much more desperately, calls out.

“WAIT—wahait!! Dohon’t.” He pants, wheezy, shaky breaths coming from him.

As much as I would love to see him open it and to have a look inside, I don't push. My hands retract back and instead crawl and stand to look down at his bright face. Although his cheeks are red, they seem to deepen when I stare at him. 

“W-whahat?” he grumbles, peaking his eyes open at me while trying and failing to frown. I think he's trying to look angry but his eyes are still full of giddiness to actually work. He's splashed a good portion of the water out at this point. 

“Can I wash your hair for you? As a thank you for letting me and Rocky touch.” His eyes go wide slightly. I feel my cheeks heat up as silence fills the room. “Um, you know… I assumed it’s kind of hard for you to do with one arm and all.” I sheepishly look away. “You can say no; I won't be offended.” 

“...yeah. That would be nice.” He avoids my eyes as he pushes himself upright again. He said yes… 6 months ago he would've just left the room in silence.

I grab the bottle off the floor and squirt some into my palm. I rub it between my fingers, then gently apply it to Simon's scalp. His shoulders slowly lower and I hear a soft purr start almost immediately. It reminds me of the noise Rocky makes right before I fall asleep. I smile and don't say anything. His head lulls back into my hands. The second he realizes he's doing it, he tries to straighten back up but I keep scratching anyways, digging in slightly harder. His head sways back again, like it's against his will.

I rub the shampoo into his long locks, seeing how they still hold curls and waves even while wet. I start using my nails, scratching against his skin, pulling louder purrs and rumbles from him, making me smile.

I hear a soft cooing noise come from Rocky as he observes Simon melt into my touch. “Very spoiled.” Simon opens his eyes and gives a weak glare in Rocky's direction as I snicker.

I rinse his hair, combing my fingers through the curls, twirling a few locks around my finger. I squeeze the ends, then grab his towel, pulling it over his head as he grumbles. His hair begins to frizz up as I massage his scalp with the towel. After a few minutes I pull the towel off and he's left with messy, damp hair, sticking up in all directions

He rolls his head back, his cheeks a soft red, and stares at me with sleepy, half-lidded eyes. I don't think I've ever seen him so content.

A smile comes to my face as I reach with two fingers and scratch behind one of the fins where his ears should be. His eyes fall closed, and he purrs louder as his head falls to the side into my hand again. I stop scratching and pull away slightly, while his head follows my fingers. I chuckle and let my other hand joins as I run my fingertips down to the gills along his neck, making his shoulders halfheartedly come up in defense while he squirms with a silly smile.