Nomf the Nomfers

Footsteps. Quiet, almost inaudible, the practiced stride of a hunter. The slight tick of ice-cleats on deck plating. The rustle of fabric. A low, deep sigh.

The sudden ring of metal vibrating as a knife sprouts from the wall, inches from his face. He yelps, scrambling away from the weapon, only to run into a solid wall of muscle. He tries to jolt away, but he's suddenly swept off his feet, dangling by the back of his shirt like he's in a suspension harness.

Long dark hair, dark eyes, a scruffy beard. A glint of impossible light. Sharp, inhuman teeth shining with saliva.

"Not fast enough, Jackrabbit."

Hot breath ruffles his hair and clothes as a slick, wet, bottomless pit opens wide beneath him, ringed with curved white fangs.

Everyone always said Edenites were cannibals.

With a sickening lurch he's falling, and-

It’s not a question, and it’s enough of a surprise to get Simon to look up at the window. Trying to hide the tension the words elicit as best he can, but between that and the frustration he’s not sure how well he manages.

The Captain stands on the other side, holding a pad in her hand and staring at him with an unreadable expression. He can’t even imagine what she’s thinking.

The COI was full of rumors about the Children of Eden being cannibals. And he knew that shifters had already been rare before the Quiet Rapture—it was possible he was the only one left. Something he hadn’t shared with anyone since shortly after his mother-

“... Yeah?” His voice is rougher than he expected it to be. But he hadn’t really talked much since he’d been pulled up—shouted some, when they’d dragged him in here, but not much talking. “What about it?”

A strange look crosses her face, scars dragging it into something he’d almost call confusion.

“So… you knew? You were in prison for sixteen years, and not once made an escape attempt.”

“Right. Because being six inches tall and surrounded by assholes who get off on power and want me dead is smart. Besides, where would I even go? Eden- Eden abandoned me.”

They’d done more than that. Sometimes he still wakes up feeling his Brother’s hands around his throat. But she doesn’t need to know that.

She sighs, pinching her nose and looking at something on her pad.

“Okay. Well, there’s… something else. You took almost three hundred pictures, so even with the shielding you should’ve had some symptoms of radiation exposure, but…” A quiet, baffled exhale and a slight lift of her hand as she looks up at him. “Aside from the dehydration and starvation, and your injuries, you… might be the healthiest person on this ship.”

That- 

That didn’t make any sense. He’d been coughing up blood on the way back from the wreck, but now- well, just like she said. Aside from his bruises and scrapes (and the sores on his arms, and a persistent headache), he feels fine.

“So? Maybe I just got lucky.”

The Captain hums noncommittally, glancing back down at her pad for a moment. “No. I don’t think so—not entirely, at least. We exposed some of your blood to a sample of irradiated blood, and somehow it… absorbed the radiation. I don’t know how, but… do you know what this means?”

It means whatever happened below that fucking ocean made him some kind of freak, but he doubts that’s what she meant. “No?”

“You might be able to- to heal radiation exposure. You could save Jack.”

He’s not sure the emotion he’s experiencing has a name. His ears are ringing and his body feels both weightless and impossibly heavy as grey-blue eyes staring at him over a strip of red, blistered skin spark through his mind. He hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, but he’d sentenced a man to a slow, agonizing death regardless. But if he could fix it-

“How.”

A pause. When he glances towards the window she looks almost stunned, lips parted slightly like she’d expected to have to convince him. But she shook it off quickly, returning to a simulacrum of her closed, commanding expression.

“Have you ever…” For one she actually looks uncomfortable. Funny—she seemed perfectly fine sending him off to die, but a simple question is too much.

“Have I ever what.” The frustration he’s feeling leaks into the voice, turning it sharp and acerbic.

The Captain closes her eyes for a moment and takes a breath, looking almost like she’s trying not to strangle him.

Good. The feeling’s mutual.

“Have you ever eaten anyone.”

He’s on his feet before he even realizes it, arm slamming against the window above his head as he glares down at her with fire singing in his veins.

“Ask me that one more fucking time, I swear-” He snarls through gritted teeth, all but shaking from the anger coursing through him. How many fucking times did he have to say they didn’t even have meat on Eden, let alone-

“C- Simon! I meant as a shifter.”

That’s not all that much better.

“No.” The word is spat out like poison, still glaring through the window at her. He was just on the taller side of average for a Martian, but among Terrans he felt like a giant. Standing several inches above almost everyone he’d encountered on the ship, and the Captain was no exception. But if she was intimidated she didn’t show it, staring up at him with nearly as much thinly-veiled vitriol as he felt.

She closes her eyes for a moment, pinching between them as she lets out a sigh.

“Okay. Come with me.” And at that the door unlocks with a click. He flinches slightly at the sound, taking a step back and glancing between her and the handle.

“Just- walk out of here? Just like that?” He’s skeptical—this feels like a trap, but he can’t figure out why. His hand reaches for the handle, hovering in midair as he gives her a narrow-eyed look through the window.

“I could have someone bring cuffs if you’d rather.” A raised eyebrow that doesn’t quite feel like a threat but doesn’t quite feel like a question, either. He shakes his head almost immediately, curling his fingers around the handle and turning it.

The door opens with ease. It’s a strange feeling, after all the pounding and screaming of the past few days.

Simon steps through, feeling strangely unbalanced as he stands in the hallway. Like he’s on an EVA and slipped loose from his tether, floating free in the ghostlit abyss.

“This way.” The Captain speaks, shattering the illusion as she starts down the hall. Just expecting him to follow.

He could run, but where would he go? He’s stuck on the ship, and if there’s a shuttle it’s probably locked down. Just as trapped as he was in that room. So he follows, his long, loping stride quickly eating up the distance between them until he’s caught up with her.

It’s not far, just a few nearly identical doors down the hall. But this one isn’t locked, and through the window he sees the foot of another—occupied—cot and several medical machines pushed up against the walls.

The Captain opens the door, and after a second of hesitation he steps inside.

The man in the cot barely looks like the same one he’d seen before being sent down. He’d been wiry before, with a shock of silver hair hidden under a bandanna despite not looking any older than Simon himself. But now he was barely more than a skeleton, hair thin and fragile and falling out from the radiation.

“Why-” His voice catches in his throat as he turns away from the proof of what he’d done. He takes a second to gather himself, but his voice is still thick with regret when he speaks. “Why did you bring me here? I mean- you said I could heal him, right? What do I need to do?”

She doesn’t respond. For long enough that he turns back towards the door, wondering if she’d left, but no, she’s still standing there, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else.

“If the tests are to be believed, then… He’ll need to be, um. Surrounded by you.”

“The fuck does that mean.” He snaps, but there’s a churning nausea already growing in the pit of his stomach. Dreading the words that he knows will come next.

“It means- it means you’ll need to swallow him.”

Some half-hysterical part of him feels a sense of relief that at least she hadn’t said eat. The rest of him is sick to his stomach and absolutely furious.

“Is this some kind of sick joke? Or- or a hazing ritual? I know what you all think of me, I’m not a fucking idiot. And I’m not a fucking cannibal, either.” Despite the anger, he just sounds exhausted, even to himself. Eight years of accusations weigh on him like heavy iron chains, turning his limbs to lead and sapping the energy to fight them.

“Simon, this isn’t about that, I swear. But you’re the only one who can do anything to help him.” She sounds honest. But she’s lied to him before.

At least this time she called him by name, though.

Fine.

A heavy breath escapes through his nose as he turns towards the cot again.

“And you’re sure this is safe.” A glance up through the window, fingers tapping against his thumb with frantic energy. The body—don’t call it a body, he’s still alive; for now—on the medical cot is pale and gaunt, his slow, raspy breaths the only sign of life.

“It’s safer than the alternative.” She hadn’t said shit about an alternative.

Probably because she’s trying to goad you into proving those Consolidation bastards right, a familiar voice whispers in the back of his head. One he’s been hearing long before he was sent down in a would-be metal coffin.

“Alternative? What, uh- what alternative.” A heavy sigh, her hand coming up to rub at her brow as he watches.

“Either you do… this, or we give him a blood transfusion from you. But with everything else going on, that seems like an unnecessary risk.” She gestures as she talks, before fixing him with a look that feels uncomfortably like she’s pleading with him.

She’s right, he doesn’t want to risk exposing anyone else to whatever the fuck the ocean did to him. It’s probably in his blood, with everything else it did. But that didn’t mean he was all too enthusiastic about this, either.

“I thought you said you wanted to make amends.”

He tenses, jaw tightening and hands curling into fists as he lets out a sharp breath. 

“And I thought you said I’d be free once I brought the black box back. But I’m still locked up.”

“That’s not-” She sighs, frustration clear in her tone. “You were in medical quarantine. We needed to be sure it would be safe for you to be around us, and vice versa. With how much radiation you were exposed to, it should have decimated your immune system. Not to mention-”

“Call it whatever you want, the result is the same. I’m still locked in a cell.”

Granted, it was a much nicer one than he was used to—had an actual cot, instead of just a thin mattress on the floor, with a blanket and a pillow.

“Look. I can’t physically force you to do this, but if you don’t then either we give him your blood, or he’ll be dead within two weeks. Please.” The Captain’s mask slips, and for a moment he hears Ava again. Exhausted and desperate, begging him to save the life of someone she cares about.

He sighs, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he flicks his gaze between the window and the cot. “Is he sedated?”

“Yes. I figured it was better than leaving him in pain. Should be out for several hours.”

A deep inhale, as he feels his insides twist with anxious nausea. This still feels like a trick, like she just wants an excuse to put another muzzle on him. Can’t trust the Edenite, don’t you know they’re all cannibals?

“... How long.” He can’t believe he’s considering this, but if it’ll make up for what he did to the man, he has to.

“I’m sorry?”

“How long would I have to-” He cuts himself off, making a vague gesture. This wasn’t something he talked about, ever. It wasn’t something he’d thought about beyond quiet, lonely nights years ago forcing himself to learn how to control it. Suddenly ending up a few inches tall would be deadly, so he kept his abilities on a tight leash. Crushed down that instinctual response to fear until the only thing left was to fight.

“Ah. I don’t know, a- a couple hours at most? It’s not like this is an exact science.” Ava responds, sounding almost as uncomfortable as he feels. “And- I don’t know how much you know about shifters, but unless you actively wanted to hurt him, it should be safe.”

There’s a question there that she’s not asking. But he understands it regardless, shaking his head. “Should?”

“There’s not exactly a lot of shifters left to ask. But the records we still have from before the Rapture say so.” She sounds unsure, but what choice did she have? It was highly unlikely the man would recover without an intervention of some kind. Between a long, slow, painful death as his cells break down from radiation and the chance of either being healed or dying quickly while sedated, the choice is obvious.

“You just keep coming up with ways to use me.” Simon mutters, turning his back on the window to fully face the cot and the thin, pale specter of a man lying on it.

He lifts his hand, hesitating for a moment before lowering it onto Jack’s arm. This isn’t something he’s done before, he hasn’t even used his abilities in years. And that had always only ever been on himself.

He hasn’t done it since-

A shake of his head. Doesn’t matter. Don’t think about how terrifying it had been. How much it’d hurt.

It takes a while to dig out, years of ignoring it and crushing it down leaving him feeling like there was a welded-shut door in his head, one he just kept stacking things in front of to hide from view. Ironic. But eventually he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and then, with a feeling like something splitting open in his chest, he pulls.

A brief, mild wave of dizziness overtakes him, like the head rush of standing up too quickly. It soon fades, however, and after a few seconds he opens his eyes again. Looking down at the cot, his first thought is that Jack had vanished, but no. He was still there, just reduced to only a few inches tall. His fingertips gently rested on the man’s arm, the bone within feeling fragile as a twig beneath his light touch.

What the fuck am I doing.

He already knows. He didn’t forget. But there’s a difference between thinking about having to- to swallow someone to save their life, and suddenly staring down at a tiny person whose life was in his hands.

It’s not the first time he’s held a life in the balance. It might be the first time he’s saved one, though.

As delicately as he can, he slips his fingers under the tiny welder, doing his best not to shift his position too much. He’s not sure how fragile he is, and would really not like to find out like this. But after a nerve-wracking few seconds, the little man is laid across his hand, and Simon is left staring down the barrel of his next step.

“This is fucking insane. I’ve completely lost it.” He mutters to himself, dragging his free hand down his face with a low groan. It doesn’t help that he can still feel the Captain watching him, but if he thinks too much about that he’ll lose his nerve.

This is your fault. You need to fix it. Just fucking do it, Simon.

His hand trembles slightly as he lifts it to his face, pausing for a few seconds to run his tongue over his teeth. His blood wasn’t the only thing the ocean had changed—several of his teeth had turned into large, sharp, sturdy fangs that felt almost too big for his mouth. It was worse on the left side, what had once been his molars turned into something more suited for ripping through meat and crushing bone, but his canines and the teeth on either side on the right hadn’t been spared, either. He’ll have to be careful.

The sudden mental flash of a tiny body crushed between jagged spires of bone is almost enough to make him back out, a nearly overwhelming wave of nausea hitting him like a cargo hauler, but he manages to breathe through it.

Come on. Stop stalling. Or are you really this much of a coward, B-

A sharp shake of his head before he raises his hand to his lips. He takes a deep breath, opens his mouth, and tilts his hand to gently slip the welder onto his tongue, flattened carefully over his teeth.

He tastes like sweat and sickness and metal, the same nauseating taste that’d eventually filled his mouth when he’d taped down the camera button. Radiation. Not quite the horrible cloying copper of blood, but not that far off, either.

Simon screws his eyes shut, sucking in a deep breath through his nose. He has to be careful, Jack is in a fragile enough state already.. Tipping his head back, he tries not to shudder as the limp form slides towards the back of his mouth. This just feels wrong, even if he knows it’s the only real option. The Captain won’t let someone irreplaceable die, and it’s his fault he’s in this condition.

If he doesn’t do it of his own volition, they’d probably just drug him and do it anyway. Despite what she said.

With a faint whine he swallows once, twice, and then shivers at the feeling of something solid and heavy sliding down his throat. The taste lingers, even as he feels the weight slipping beneath his collarbone, deeper into his chest. It feels like swallowing a too-big bite of food, a stretch that’s almost painful with nothing to do but wait it out. And then-

He fails to bite back the breathy whimper that escapes when he feels a weight slide into his core. Feels heavier than in his hand, even though he knows that’s impossible. Dense and warm, radiating out like his foggy recollections of eating stew when he was young. How the heat warmed him from the inside.

It makes him nauseous. But the next realization is worse.

For the first time in years, he feels satisfied. Like he won’t be hungry again in an hour or two. He clamps a hand over his mouth, breathing slowly through his nose and forcing himself to swallow the overwhelming urge to gag.

“I, uh. I did it.” He mumbles, once he no longer feels like he’s about to vomit. And then has to cover his mouth all over again because it shouldn’t feel good. But he feels warm and soft, like he just wants to curl up around himself and fall asleep. His other arm wraps around his middle, not even the slightest sign of what had happened noticeable from the outside. Unless someone already knew, it was like Jack had just vanished without a trace.

The thought was horrifyingly satisfying. He can taste bile in the back of his throat, but forces himself to swallow it back. A few hours. He just has to last a few hours, and then he’d be done. He could do that. He’s survived worse.

“-mon? Is everything okay?”

He blinks at the sound of his name. The Captain- Ava. She sounds concerned, and he can’t blame her. She’d had to hand over complete control of her friend’s life to a piece of Edenite scum.

“I, uh.” Another heavy swallow, and a slight shudder in his breath. He can still taste metal and salt. “Fine. Just, um. Weird. Nauseous.”

He waves a hand in the air, taking a deep breath and turning to look at her again. She seems… concerned, and a little pale.

Right. He might be the last shifter left.

“Alright.” She looks down at her pad, looking almost relieved to break eye contact. “Just- stay here until- for a few hours. If anything happens, there’s a call button by the bed.”

A glance towards the cot shows a device that looks like- he’ll just call it a remote. He hears her footsteps shift away from the door slightly, before pausing.

“Oh. And Simon?”

His gaze snaps up at the steel in her voice. The Captain is back.

“What?”

“Whether or not this works, I expect to see him again.” Her stare is harsh, the clouded white of her left eye like ice as it slices through him. He just nods.

If anything happens to Jack, he’ll end up right back in the next fucking sub. Or maybe she wouldn’t even bother, just throw him into the ocean as-is. Why waste the steel on him, right?

“Good.” And with that she turns, disappearing from view and leaving him alone. Except for-

No. Alone. If he thinks about it he’ll gag again.

There’s no clock in the room, and his grasp of time has been fuzzy ever since the second hit to the head in the sub, so he’s not sure how long he stands there before eventually sitting down against the wall. Less than half an hour, probably. He draws his legs up, wraps his arms around his middle, and lets his head tip back until it’s resting against the steel behind him.

Boredom is an old companion, at least. Means he’s safe for the moment, or as safe as anyone can be. The only pain is the dull ache of his healing scrapes and bruises, and he’s not cold or hungry. As long as he doesn’t think about why, it’s almost pleasant. Warm and heavy and satisfying. Enough to lull him into a soft daze, eyes sliding shut and humming softly under his breath, curled loosely around himself.

Footsteps in the hall outside. He’s on his feet before they even fully register, left arm wrapped around himself and right clenched tight in a fist. The door clicks, and he tenses-

David steps through, head low and gaze on the floor. Simon relaxes only slightly, watching silently as he steps in and closes the door before glancing towards the cot and freezing. His breath catches, loud in the quiet room, before his head suddenly snaps towards Simon as he shifts. For a second he looks startled, then furious. He storms toward him, hands balling into fists.

“Fucking Edenite shifter.”

Well, that news got around quickly.

It’s a clumsy swing, easy enough to sidestep and grab the man by the wrist. Twist his arm behind his back, shove him forward until he’s pinned against the wall with Simon’s other forearm pressed against the back of his neck.

“Don’t touch me.” He hisses, leaning a little heavier when David tries to squirm free.

“I knew we should’ve left your ass down there—what, the radiation wasn’t enough? Had to finish the job yourself, Butcher? Or did you just miss the taste of human flesh?” The man snaps back, throwing his free elbow into Simon’s ribs.

That gets a snarl out of him, grabbing him by the back of the neck and squeezing his wrist tight enough to feel the bones grind together before twisting to throw him halfway across the room. One hand hovers over his middle for a moment before covering the bruise forming on his side as he jabs his finger at the door with the other.

“Get. Out.”

David looks sick for a moment, then scared, then enraged, grey eyes flicking from Simon’s middle to his face and straightening up. He’s almost as tall as Simon, but lankier, lean without much visible muscle. Not a difficult fight, if it came down to it, but he’d rather avoid it entirely. Too risky, and not just for him.

“Do you seriously think I’m just going to walk out and let you-” His voice cuts off with a choked sound, and he gestures at Simon with a heavy swallow. “He’s my friend. You probably don’t have those on Eden.”

He bristles, lips curling in a silent snarl. “I’m trying to- fuck, not like you’ll listen to me anyway.” Dragging his hand down his face, he takes a deep breath and glares, gesturing towards the door again. “Talk to your Captain. She’s the one who put me up to this.”

“Yeah, pull the other one. Goddamn Eden freak.” David sneers, before lunging again. Unsteady, uncoordinated, poor footing. Emotional. Simon ducks, twisting away again before driving an elbow into David’s gut. He retches, breath driven out in a sharp wheeze as he crumples to his knees with his arms wrapped around himself.

“Fucking stop!” Simon snaps, throwing his arm out in a furious gesture. “I’m trying to- I’m trying to help him!”

“What, by putting him out of his misery? That’s all you Edenites know how to do.” The other man scrambles to his feet, wavering and holding his stomach with one arm.

“I’M NOT TRYING TO-”

A sudden strange fluttering feeling makes him choke, hand snapping to rest on his middle as a shiver runs down his spine. He stumbles back a step, fingers curling into the worn fabric of his shirt before having to swallow what would’ve likely been a truly embarrassing sound, free hand clamping over his mouth to be sure nothing escapes. David stares at him with wide, horrified eyes, still half hunched over his bruises and seemingly frozen in place but whatever focus Simon might’ve had drops clean out of his skull at another light, fluttering movement.

Why does it feel good. What the fuck is wrong with me.

David says something, but it’s lost in the fuzzy haze in his head—tiny touches sending electricity dancing under his skin, a warm dense weight moving and pressing against his insides. A wall behind him and hands balled in the collar of his shirt.

He blinks, dark gaze sharpening to meet the wide, grey stare boring into him.

“What the fuck are you doing, you monster.” David snarls, furious and terrified. Close enough Simon could probably break his nose if he headbutted him, but even the thought of blood makes him queasy anymore.

“I’m not- I-” It’s a struggle just to string words together, but as soon as he speaks the fluttering goes still.

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

“God, fucking Edenites, are you all this stupid? Whatever you’re doing, cut it out!”

A spark of anger flares, and he opens his mouth to snap back, but it’s quickly smothered by a sudden, frantic burst of movement that forces a strangled squeak of a noise from his throat. For a second his knees go weak, and he’s pretty sure he only stays standing because of David’s hands fisted in his shirt and the wall at his back. He feels like he’s burning up, like he’s being tased, but none of it hurts. Just electricity dancing along his spine, warmth under his skin.

“I think- I think he’s awake.” He manages to force out through the fog. Swears he can feel little hands shoving at him, scrambling like someone desperately searching for an escape. He tenses without even realizing it, and oh that’s worse, every frantic, shaking  movement pressed up against sensitive flesh, overwhelming him with sparks behind his eyes. By the time his vision clears David has retreated a step or two, still staring, but with more confusion and dread than anger.

Whatever.

Jack doesn’t seem to be on the verge of death anymore, and he wants to be done with this. He shoulders past the man, half-crumpling over the cot at another burst of squirming with one arm bracing him upright and his other hand pressed to his stomach. This was all completely new, but somehow he still had a feeling of what to do.

Tensing his stomach, he shudders at the feeling of a warm, wriggling lump being forced back up his throat. It’s worse than swallowing him had been—like a live wire tracing all the way up to his mouth, squirming helplessly against the muscles surrounding him. Simon gags, a limp, trembling form spilling onto his tongue—the taste of metal and sickness is gone, leaving only salt and the faint hint of something else he can’t quite put his finger on—before lifting his hand and dropping him out of his mouth onto his palm with a wet splat.

The welder is absolutely drenched, sprawled face-down and shivering in a puddle of clear fluid with his hair and clothes plastered to his body from how saturated they are, but he looks better than he did before. Still gaunt, but no longer quite as pale, and he’s moving. He sputters and coughs, pushing up to his hands and knees.

“Told you I wasn’t trying to kill him.” Simon mutters, feeling the tiny man freeze at the sound of his voice, before lowering his hand to gently deposit him back on the cot. The same strange pulling feeling in his chest, and he’s back to normal size as he pulls his hand away, wiping saliva and whatever else off on the leg of his pants.

“Wh- you-” David sputters. Seemingly finally out of words. He doesn’t give a shit.

With a sharp huff Simon shoves past him again, stumbling through the door and slamming it shut behind him. Back down the short walk to his room, where he drops to the floor and curls up in a corner opposite the door, hands tangled tightly into his hair.

It worked. Everyone was fine. He’d fixed his fuck up.

As a general excuse for vore stuff in more like, modern-ish settings, I’ve been toying with the idea of there being a specific gene found in maybe 20-30% of the human population (inspired in part by the coma gene in the PHM book) that allows the affected individual to shrink both themself and others and to have some amount of measured control over certain internal functions. The shrinking process itself also accounts for stuff like ability to process the 15% or so oxygen that’s generally in the stomach and density based acid resistance. The how and why of this gene’s evolutionary development is still very much debated by the scientific community, and as of the time PHM takes place its purpose still widely unknown. 

So! As you might have guessed. I have given this gene to Ryland because of course I have. It’s kinda viewed as like, an odd quirk like light sensitive sneezing or hyper mobility. Interesting and maybe a cool party trick, but also not horribly noteworthy outside of maybe a science class demonstration. The government is fully aware he’s got it since it is a useful ability, but there’s not a lot of reason for Mr Dr. Grace to use it, so it’s mostly just a bit of extra paperwork. (I’m tempted to let him grow too, but that would be a whole other can of worms lol)

Ryland probably sees himself as more prey aligned, but he’s an even switch to me who doesn’t exactly mind being on the pred end of things either. The trouble is finding someone he’d be close enough to do that with. He’s threatened to eat someone once or twice maybe when emotions get high, but it’s not something he’d ever follow through on. More along the lines of calling people names than a real threat. Stratt likely HAS threatened to eat him before, because look, book Stratt is wayy less kind to Grace than her movie counterpart and she would definitely threaten that, but she likely wouldn’t follow through either. The threat alone is enough to scare Grace into cooperating. He’s been known to shrink when startled and that makes dragging him around easy. No eating required. 

Now, I think there is some possibility of Ryland having messed around with his abilities a little with the crew since he did spend quite a bit of time with them, and I think DuBois, Shapiro, and Ilyukhina specifically would be pretty interested in what he can do, especially when it comes to eating people. There’d be lots of curiosity and little experiments and maybe even ‘crew bonding exercises’ if they can manage to talk Yao into participating. 

Either way, Grace does enjoy it. He likes the science of it and it’s fun being so close to people, whether he’s the one eating them or being eaten. Again, it’s not something he does often, but I think it would be something he’d miss for sure once it was something he couldn’t do. 

Also I have gotta confess that the only thought in my head for most of the movie was just “I have never seen a man more edible in my life. Being eaten would so fix him” so do with that what you will. 

Simon is a little tricker to work with tbh because there’s no easy way I could give him a shifter anything without it being exploited by the COI. But in my heart. He’s also a switch. Like, pred leaning but in the sense of that’s his preference, while in reality he’s a bit more preyish. 

I want to give him the same gene Grace has. Something almost no one has after the Quiet Rapture. Heck, he might be the only one left with it because of how rare it is and how few people there are anymore. Regardless, I don’t think many people, if any, know he has it. It’s a very tightly kept secret on his part, and it’s not something that could be triggered emotionally because of how tight a lid he keeps on himself. Sure he’s got outbursts and is even capable of being shockingly vulnerable at times (like admitting when he’s scared, which genuinely surprised me), but emotion triggered shifts could be life threatening, so those are kept veryyy contained. He’s never really been presented with the opportunity to freely use his shifting abilities either, so I think they’re honestly not even in the forefront of his mind. 

I really love your analysis of him as a desperate prey animal because he does feel a bit like that to me too. He’s dangerous and maybe even hostile, not because he wants to be, but because he’s cornered and feels like he has no choice other than to lash out and hurt others before they can hurt him. And despite all of that, he still seems to care a lot about people and feel a lot of guilt over the resulting hurt he causes. Physical hurt that is. I’m not sure how much he cares about emotional hurt honestly. Probably not much. 

Anyways, I’ve been toying a lot with the concept of Simon pulled up out of the blood last minute, mutated but alive, and having gained the ability to absorb and process radiation after his extended exposure. Something about the blood giving him a way to survive the definite radiation poisoning he’d have gotten otherwise lol. I’m not sure how everything would go exactly, but I’m so fascinated by the concept of him being used as like…a cure for the whole camera incident. Forced to swallow a person (probably Jack tbh, tho I think Ava and David got hit too) and deal with the invasive wrongness of it all because it’s what they need him to do to reverse the damage he did. It’s life or death because of how badly irradiated Jack is, and once again, Simon doesn’t get a say. He’s gone from convict to useful tool, and it’s not much of an improvement. At least he’s not getting put back in the ocean. 

Now, putting Simon and Grace together definitely wouldn’t result in a speedy bonding process. Would probably take months for Simon to be comfortable with casual physical contact, let alone participating in whatever you wanna call the uh, eat people thing. But Grace…Grace craves it. He won’t talk about it a lot unless asked, but he does sincerely miss the feeling of being so close to another person, and the desire to curl up and hide inside someone has only been growing the whole time he’s been in space. It’s a little gross sure he’ll concede that, but it’s also secure; something he desperately needs. Simon would also benefit from eating someone of his own volition too I think. It puts him in a vulnerable position yes, but one he’s still very much in control of, and I think that would be good. He’d know it’s something Grace wants, but he’s also not being pressured into anything. Ryland probably doesn’t even thinks Simon would ever indulge him anyways, so the first time Simon offers…it’s a pretty big thing for both of them. Of course, Simon would for sure try and downplay the significance, but I don’t think Grace would mind that. Gives him a little more space for his own nervous rambling anyways since Simon isn’t much of a talker. 

Now. Do I think they’d switch roles eventually? Yes. Do I think it would take a WHILE to get to that point? Also yes. Grace doesn’t wanna risk his insides getting shredded and Simon isn’t the biggest fan of uh, hot, dark, enclosed spaces for. Obvious reasons. But they would get comfortable enough to try and even like it I think. Maybe it wouldn’t be the most common thing for either of them, but it’s not bad either. A nice change of pace. 

Vee placed the last purple ornament atop the pile beside the Christmas Tree. The task was finally complete. She stepped back, and gave her work an approving nod. It had taken a while, but she had finally finished sorting all of the ornaments by color. “Bobette, I finished.” She called up, plainly to the Bauble who was high up on a ladder, stringing up some lights around the tree. “Oh- hooray!” Bobette cheered as she finished wrapping them around the top area. It would only take a second before the Holiday Main made her way down the ladder and back to Vee. They’d been at work at this all morning, although morning was a little generous for the time they were out. The sun still wasn’t up yet. Vee looked to the side, and was surprised to see Mono still awake. She’d come out with Vee to help Bobette, but had eventually fallen to the curse of laziness and was now just writing a letter to her friends. She was on her third… no, fourth page now and Vee wondered what she could possibly be writing about. It made her smile, though. She didn’t know where she’d be right now without the Mains’ support. Mono had as of late taken to hoarding her friends like Nova had once hoarded ‘treasures’, and Vee was always glad to see her old lover in her… even if she had to remind Mono that her friends had families to get back to. Bobette would put a hand on Vee’s shoulder, and affectionately squeeze. “Well! Thank you kindly for all of the help! It was nice to find you out so early.” She said gratefully, smiling widely. “Of course. I do not require sleep; it was not a big deal.” Vee explained, almost forgetting to smile softly in tandem. “But of course! Now, I think this calls for some Hot Cocoa, we’ve worked hard enough after all, right Monolith?” Bobette asked, hands on her knees as she looked over at Mono who sat with her back against the wall. Vee blinked, and waited for Bobette to remember. Monolith meanwhile, grinned and scrambled to get to standing before neatly shuffling her papers and folding them up to stick in a storage compartment. “Yes!! I’d love some cocoa!” She’d say right beside the two. She had grown so much. “That’s the spirit! Miss Ginger may have even made cookies for us too! She told me by the time I was done she probably would have woken up by then to start.” Bobette exclaimed, beckoning the two to follow. 

Vee ‘cleared her throat’ and looked at Bobette pointedly. “Oh… I know, Vee- I was talking to Mono primarily hehe… but I thought y’know maybe it’d be nice for you to come along-” “It’s fine, Bobette. You don’t have to recover from that. You two can go on ahead, I can get the prop gifts out of storage in the meanwhile.” She assured, in a way that she thought was pretty comforting. Bobette’s smile was apologetic, and she’d give Vee one big hug. Whether or not she had been talking to Mono or had forgotten about Vee’s Issue was anyone’s guess, but it was clear what Vee thought. Mono frowned, and went along with Bobette. “I’ll be back soon to help you, mum!” She assured, calling back as the two went on to the kitchen just down the hall through a set of double doors. Vee was suddenly alone. She looked up at the tree, standing strong yet starless. She felt a strange sense of kinship with this tree, and a show when its lead calls out sick. They were all without their star. She needed to tell Mono one of these days, about Nova. It was the responsible thing to do, and yet it was hard. Vee could be logical about it, but something on the emotional end of things prevented her from sharing. She sat there, screen buffering as she ran the simulation. Ever since Monolith had gone on her first run, Vee had been running through the different scenarios of how she could tell Mono about her other mother. She had tried every emotion, anger, sorrow, joy, love, and even unorthodox ones like fear or annoyance to predict how Mono would receive her message. She was good at predicting things generally, but when it came to emotions, she never could. She didn’t know exactly how long she stood there, but after checking her internal clock it came around eighteen minutes. She was taken out of her thoughts by Mono’s paw on her shoulder. “Ma, you okay?” She asked, head tilted thoughtfully. Vee turned her head, and smiled. “Yes, I’m doing fine. Why aren’t you with Bobette?” She asked, unable to distract herself any longer from the feelings. “Oh, I was! But… I wanted to come check on you, y’know?” She said, standing next to Vee as the two admired the tree together now. “That is funny, I should be the one checking on you. How is your arm?” “Mom… it’s been months, it’s fine.” The two chuckled a bit, and stood in silence once more. Vee was thinking about broaching the subject now, but Mono was, of course, thinking about something completely different. The two spoke at the same time, just the vague beginnings of a sentence. Mono sheepishly smiled, and Vee blankly nodded. “You can go first, Ma-” “No, it was nothing. Please, speak my Monolith.” She urged, antenna flicking a bit as she waited.

“Well… okay, I was thinking; you’re not feeling so great because you can’t drink Hot Cocoa and stuff, right?” Mono began, seemingly a bit nervous. Vee blinked. “Yes, I suppose that is part of it-” “Yes, great- well- not great- but I had an idea to give you that opportunity! If you wanted.” Vee tilted her head, tail flowing through the air as her gears were turning. “How so?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “Yes… well, I was practicing this for a friend but- I suppose now would be a great time to test!” Monolith held one paw out, open with the palm up, and a small orb of ichor would appear. It was floating initially, but as Mono focused it would envelop her hand entirely; it then moved up her arm, covering the entirety in ichor, then it covered her torso, then both arms, then the legs, and her neck, until it covered her entire being. She essentially looked like an ichor statue in the shape of a dragon. Vee blinked, surprised at this development. She knew exactly what Mono was doing, and was surprised that she had figured it out. She must have had help, but from who? The ichor around her body would suddenly glow bright white, and break like a bubble popping to reveal Monolith, now transformed. Her usual green glow was replaced with a glowing white, and the greys of the metals on her body changed to a deep brown; three ‘marshmallows’ were arranged carefully around her right ear, part of one of them was pierced by the tip of the ear, and overall it was just a casual festive design with some peppermint accents here and there. “I um, designed it myself, or at least partially designed myself, for a friend. Promised them I’d let them nom me because I’d been kindaaaa targeting him lately. Can’t really blame me though because like- um- sorry I’m getting off topic. The point is- if you’d like, I can be your hot cocoa!” She exclaimed, arms held out excitedly as Vee just watched. “Sorry- that was kind of cringy-” Vee’s screen stuttered a bit as she mildly burst into stifled laughter. “No, no, Mono- it was great.” She assured, showing supremely more emotion than usual. It had not been what Vee was expecting, but that only made the laughter more genuine and made her feel good. 

She looked away for a moment, before looking back to Mono who was admiring her new form. “I think I’ll call it- Hot Chocolith! That’s a good one, I’ll need to keep note of that-” Vee smiled assuringly. “Yes, that is quite nice, but… I must admit I’m not particularly in a nomfing mood at the moment.” Vee spoke as apologetically as she could. Internally, Vee felt an immense surprise at the actual thing she was feeling for. Initially, Monolith’s ears drooped, but she quickly bounced back. “That’s okay!” The transformation would revert her back to normal by way of her body suddenly glowing white, and then going fully ichor black, before fading quickly back to normal Monolith; this all happened in about three seconds or so. “That- that skin change took a lot out of me anyway, maintaining it and allat. How do y’all do it??” Mono questioned, stretching out a bit as they caught their breath. “First of all, it’s ‘you all,’ Berry Boy’s rubbing off on you, secondly, it takes practice and I can help you with that, and finally, who even taught you how?” She asked at the end, Mono rolling her digital eyes at the first thing, nodding at the second, and wincing at the third. “Now fourthly,” Vee began, hands on her hips, “why do you have that face on?” Monolith’s tail curled around her legs and her ears flicked. Nervous. “Donnnn’t be mad or anything-” “Why would I be mad?” “Well…” Mono scratched behind her head as she answered. “Uncle Dandy helped me- which! Was something he offered and I didn’t want to say no to- and before you ask!” She continued, cutting off Vee as she opened her mouth. “I couldn’t go to you because I wanted to surprise you as well as Angelo, and I didn’t go to someone like Uncle Sprout because Uncle Dandy was right there and available and you know he never turns me down on anything for some reason and he was also the oldest Toon so I also figured he was the most experienced so- yeah!” She rambled for a moment, and Vee didn’t do anything to interrupt her. Vee just watched and listened, with a blank face but that was just her resting face so Mono was used to it. 

“Are you finished?” Vee asked, head tilted with an amused look in her eye. “Um, yeah, yeah I think that covers the bases.” Mono had a look on her face that suggested that she expected Vee to list more reasons she hadn’t thought of for why she should have gone to literally anyone else but Uncle Dandy, but such a list never came. Instead, only a chuckle arose. “It’s alright, Precious Girl. You and Dandy are close, that’s alright.” Vee assured, much to Mono’s relief. “Though… he doesn’t change very often, I’d be willing to show you how to do it, but if you’d like to optimize your transformation I know some Toons that are quite proficient. It’s an interesting ability that we have; Dandy discovered it when we Mains were watching older episodes produced with a more vintage art style for our characters and- I apologize.” Vee finished with a cut off, realizing that she had begun to infodump. Mono snickered a bit, and lightly pushed her Mom’s arm. “You don’t have to worry about me, I can handle a little rambling.” Mono assured as the two fell into silence once again. “Um… anyhow-” “Actually, there is something I’d like. If you don’t mind.” Vee asked, looking away for a moment as Mono nodded happily. “Of course! Anything, Ma.” Vee held her tail in one hand, and fidgeted with the mic in the other. “I don’t normally ask for this kind of thing…” Vee began, feeling cold on the inside. There wasn’t anything about today that made her desire warmth; Bobette meant well afterall, but… Vee supposed it was just one of those days, heightened by the anxiety of potentially coming clean about Mono actually having two parents. It was always going to have to happen someday, especially since she seemed old enough now. Talking about it again after all this time with someone else might be what could take away that dull coldness that encased her mostly-electronic heart. 

Or maybe she was being dramatic. Brightney gave her a lot of books that weren’t informational to distract her all those years ago, and she had a feeling some that she’d finally gotten around to reading made her inner monologue’s vocabulary a little… abnormally built. 

Mono simply nodded along, head tilted as the two shifted to sitting on the stairs as they conversed in front of the Christmas Tree. “Would you mind… being the one to nomf me this time? I don’t usually partake in that role but it seems… nice. Or would seem nice for this time.” Vee finished, tone clear and even, but with the faintest hint of nerves. Mono’s eyes widened, “Oh- wait,” and she’d pull something out of a side compartment of hers. It was a small vial filled with a pinkish-orange liquid. “Astro gave this to me a long while ago… in case you ever asked this.” She explained, smiling softly as she offered. “Said you’d know what to do with it.” Vee nodded, and accepted it with a strange look on her face. “I remember when this sort of concoction was first made… for the first time I got nommed; your Uncle Astro made it for me.” Vee explained, and gestured for Mono to look away. The Dragon nodded, and when she did look away Vee would reach for her neck with one hand, and discreetly insert the tube into a hidden compartment. It would be out of their hands from here. “There we go…” The memories were hard to fight off. It had been so long since she had been nommed, and there was a reason for that. The serum made every nerve in her body tingle, and she felt a cold shiver go down her spine as the world slowly seemed to get bigger. She remembered the last time so vividly; the feeling of a tongue, the assurance of a purple clawed hand beforehand, the sound of her affectionate teasing. Mono watched as she shrunk down, and once the time was right, then she would tenderly pick up the tiny TV. Her daughter smiled, and it made Vee feel as happy as it did the first time she saw it; that’s how it was every time. One of Mono’s claws fidgeted with her antenna, and, despite the metallic feeling of it, it felt exactly like how Nova’s had that last time. The memories faded fast as the moment progressed, and when Mono raised Vee up to her lips, then it was time to relax.

—----------------------------------

Mono looked on at her mum in awe. She’d been smaller than her a thousand times, but now she simply held her in the palm of her clawed hand. The dragon-bot couldn’t help but sniff her a bit, their antenna twitching as they did so. She smelled like Mint ice cream, with enough hints of dark chocolate to seem delectable. “Are you sure you’re ready?” Mono asked, just to get some confirmation as she looked down her snout at the shrunken mum. She simply nodded, seemingly bracing herself. Well… here it goes. Mono was nervous about this; she’d nommed Toons a few times, but only ever a small couple of them. She paused for a moment. “Won’t the uh… ‘water’ not be good for you?” Vee shook her head, “No, the saliva contains enough ichor to be neutral to my hardware. It’s theorized to be some form of-” “Okay, okay- got it, hehe-” Mono cut her off and prepped herself. It was best to probably just do it quickly and casually, get it over with. She’d open her maw widely, saliva strands breaking and reconnecting just as she quickly shoved her mum inside as gently as she could. The taste was amazing, but that was to be expected with that scent. She shut her maw and gently licked at the smaller Toon, making sure to coat her carefully; it had to be a comfy trip after all. She chuckled a bit as they squirmed a bit here and there, occasionally the dragon getting to give her what was basically a tongue hug. It was a nice feeling to keep her close, it quelled the dragon instincts, hoarding and all of that. She sloshed her about the jaws, being extra careful not to get her close to the teeth; it felt marginally more important since it was her mum this time, just a bit. After a little bit of this, Mono eventually tilted her head up and swallowed with a strong Glrk that emanated through her mum’s small form. The throat muscles pulled her down slowly but surely, and she’d press a claw against her neck as the teensy bulge appeared and then disappeared just as fast. She sighed in satisfaction as she got up from her seat on the stairs, looked around briefly, and quickly made her way to the elevator to get down to her Mom’s room. Once she was in the elevator, she would relax on the way down by sitting and gently rubbing her tum where Vee now resided, and used a camera inside to check up on her. 

—--------------------

The stomach was tight, warm, and an interesting combination of both Vee and her Former Lover’s stomachs. The walls were metallic for the most part, but only in appearance. The synthetic flesh had a pleasant squish, with green luminescent rings in a pattern. She smiled up at the camera when she noticed it seemingly being active as she shifted around and got settled. “Hehe… cozy? Sorry if you find a pillow in there or two- Some of my friends like the extra comfort-” Vee thought for a moment to perhaps scold Mono about having boys over like a mother would stereotypically, but more so as an attempt at humor, but ultimately she decided against it; besides, they were all just friends anyway. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. It’s… nice to be here again. In a place like this, I mean.” She answered honestly. It had been far too long… but it was hard to think about partaking in such without Nova. It had been a long abstinence from being on this end of it, but it was a good thing to do for bonding with her daughter. “Why haven’t you been on the prey end of things then, mom…? If you don’t mind me asking.” Mono asked curiously, her voice resonating all around her. Vee paused for a moment as the finally got comfy. Just as Vee was about to say something, Mono spoke again, “it’s alright, I’ll just let you rest.” Mono assuredly spoke as the elevator whirred and moved the two closer to their own space for just the two of them. “No, it’s okay. I require time to think about how to answer that…” Vee confirmed, gently rubbing a portion of the stomach, causing some more grumbles around her as saliva dripped from above. Mono yawned a bit, and patted where she felt Vee from the outside as she got to standing. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about that; I’ll be taking a nap if that’s okay?” Mono asked, eliciting a chuckle from Vee. “Changing skins really took that much out of you?” She asked, smiling as she laid back to get ready to go into low power mode and just relax. “Well- not just that! Nomming in general just makes me want to nap.” Mono explained in a similar teasing tone though it didn’t quite fit with the dialogue content. “Heh… that’s alright, Monolith. Take as much time as you need.”  Eventually Monolith would fall asleep lazily on a couch on Vee’s Floor, and the shrunken TV would lay in her mildly powered down state and think quietly to herself. I’ll tell her. In fact, I’ll tell her about Her before the month’s over. I promise. She could only hope she’d keep this promise.

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Here we are at the end :3 I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for taking the chance to read this, even if ya don't really know these guys x] if you're a fan of Dandy's World, G/T, and/or Vore, then you could come on down to my Discord Server, and learn about these lovely OCs and enjoy more content like this :3

The pulse continually coursed through the wire. Her screen was dark, save for a loading bar that was nearly all the way full. She sat, body rigid and straight. She’d been here for a while, unconscious yet aware in her pseudoslumber. The bar reached 100%, and Vee’s body finally relaxed before the monitor flickered back to her face. There was a hollow look in her eyes. After all, she knew she’d finally have to face the outside of her tiny room after all this time without Her. She felt emptier than she had ever been, yet she tensed, and bit her lip as she slowly got to standing, and scooped up a radio that had been left on her desk. She turned it on, and held it up to her speaker. “Sprout, are you there? I’ve finished.” She spoke, short and simple. She had no idea what time it was; her internal clock needed time to fully recalibrate all of her systems. The only thing that was clear in her mind was how to take care of that gift she’d made before everything changed. The radio crackled back, “Vee, are you really? That’s great! Mono’s been dying to meet you!” It was Sprout, strangely happy to hear her, but she could acknowledge that her absence had been strange too. “Mono?” She questioned, holding the radio up to her head. “Ah, short for Monolith, right? That makes sense.” She quickly answered of her own accord, leaving her small room to enter the dressing room of her floor. She was glad there were no Twisteds here as of now, it was always so annoying to try and get them out so she could relax. “You’d be correct on that hehe, come on up to the kitchen, we’ll show you to her!” 

“Can’t you bring her here? My floor is her floor.” Vee questioned, head tilted as she traversed down the stairs from the podiums, and then past the arcade machines and display windows of various tech, before inevitably making it to the elevators as Sprout agreed on her request, and ended the conversation. She would wait, anticipation creeping into her organic parts as she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the elevator door. When the door finally opened, Vee blinked in surprise. No matter how she prepared, nothing could have prepared her to see that shape again. Sprout and Cosmo stepped out of the elevator, one on each side of her, holding her hand, as the tiny figure clumsily moved forward. The metallic ears that flicked, the muzzle that protruded outward in the goofiest smile, those eyes that held such intelligent, and expressive motions, and that thicker tail that wagged. For a moment, Nova’s name held on Vee’s lips, but she bit her tongue, and smiled, focusing on the bigger picture. She missed Nova more than she could process. It had been not even a couple months since the Dragon Toon had disappeared. But… She couldn’t be emotional, not about this. This… this was all she had left of her. Vee got down on one knee, and held her arms out awkwardly, remembering how younger people liked touch. “Hey there, Monolith. I’m- er- your-” She began, before getting cut off by a sudden impact as N- I mean- Mono rushed toward her, and cuddled into her leg, tiny arms trying to wrap around. “Mama!” She heard her say, Vee’s antenna twitching from the touch; it was with this simple moment of gleeful affection, of Mono looking up at her with the most intrigued and loving look that she knew. She had to do this, for both of her loves. 

Many years later…

Vee lay on her back. She didn’t need to sleep, but sometimes ‘taking a rest’ could be beneficial, for a short powerdown. Out of all the knowledge she had downloaded throughout the year, she’d never thought that parenthood could be tiring. It wasn’t Mono’s fault, though. She was beyond great, and Vee thought of her highly. It wasn’t even really taking care of her that was tiring, Vee internally admitted. It was how much she reminded her of Nova; every year she grew and reminded Vee of them more and more. She was so joyful, energetic, and yet quietly caring when Vee needed a moment. Everyone liked her, even Dandicus which surprised her most of all as she wasn’t without a resemblance to Vee. It really seemed like she was the best of them. Vee sat up, shaking her head to try and clear the thoughts. It was painful enough idly recognizing her lost beloved in their child, she didn’t want to dwell on it while she was trying to relax. She stood up, and looked around her room, hoping for better thoughts to come. She looked to the corner, and saw her Supernova seated in the corner rambling to her like long ago. She blinked, and the memory was gone. She turned to her desk, and saw herself trying to write a love letter when they’d first gotten together. It was easier to get her emotions down on paper, after all. She shook her head, and held her head for a moment, as if it were to stop the thoughts from coming. She felt… ridiculous. How could she still be caught up with this?? Vee thought, frustration coursing through her wires. She looked back up, not even realizing she’d looked down, and went to the door to her bedroom. It was open, and granted her access to the dressing room of her floor. She needed to walk, or do just about anything that wasn’t being here. She closed the door behind her, and moved… but not before looking back.

A happier memory appeared to her this time. It had been a bit after Nova had disappeared, and Monolith had been tiny… just an infant. The child had been crying non-stop, and Vee still had no idea what she was doing. She remembered cradling them in her arms, and how she had felt. It was hard to accept the reality of the situation at first, being without her love and stuck in the care of Monolith; but she wasn’t stuck. Stuck wasn’t the right word for how lucky she was to have her. Despite not being built for parenthood, she had overcome it then to smile at Mono’s tiny face and acknowledge that she needed to try, before sitting at her bedroom door to power down and hold her close. She could overcome it again. The memory affirmed something in Vee. She needed to get over Nova; if not for herself, then for the sake of Monolith, for this new situation the two of them were in. She furrowed her brows, and considered her options. Emotions weren’t easy, and she could feel negative ones clouding her mind. It almost made her laugh, since she’d had this same thought process many times. She needed a distraction; she needed something to do. Monolith was bunking with Sprout and Cosmo tonight, as Vee hoped that hanging out with them would quell the nightmares that had plagued the dragon-bot. The plan had been for her to stay with Astro for tonight to help with the nightmares, but the crescent moon was tired enough, unfortunately. Any of them would be better for the comforting than Vee was. Suddenly, the elevator chimed next to her, and the door would slowly open. She whirled to face it, surprise etched on her face as her moment of solitude had been disturbed. She became more overwhelmed by the realization that it was Mono standing in the elevator, without anyone else.

“Mono, are you okay?” She asked, approaching and assisting her movement toward one of the couches that occupied this room. “Mom… just- had a bit of a nightmare, y’know…? I know it’s late but-” She spoke in a small tone, initially resisting the assistance before allowing herself to relax into the couch. “No no, it’s okay. What about Sprout and Cosmo?” Vee asked, voice subdued, straight to the point while trying to be supportive. It was hard for her, but she tried her best to be soft when the moment called for it. Mono may be a teenager now, but that didn’t mean that she shouldn’t be ‘caring’ however she could. “They’re nice…” Mono said, pausing for a moment as she curled her ‘arm’ and held it close to her chest. Vee’s screen went static for a moment. Not that long ago, Mono had finally been allowed to go on a run for the first time… it went horribly. Vee tenderly caressed the prosthesis, expertly built by her with some help from Sprout and others. Her body was still getting used to the sensations, and it was difficult. “But… I-I just wanted you.” The little dragonbot finished, quietly as Vee got on her knee to be at a better level. “...” Vee was silent for a moment, thinking. What was the appropriate thing to say? Mono’s difficulties reminded her of days long past. Shelly had had issues after their first runs all those years ago, Vee hadn’t done the best job of comforting her but maybe she could use that, and other experiences like it? “You’re going to be okay, I’ll be here with you.” Vee assured, awkwardly to her but to the tired Mono it carried weight. “Will you…?” She asked, Vee’s antennas twitching a bit at the question. “Of course. That is an unavoidable reality.” Vee replied, tilting her head a bit, hoping it’d be taken with humor despite her blunt tone. Mono chuckled softly, but Vee could analyze from her expression, the way she curled her tail, and the slight shake in her prosthesis, that she was far from at ease. 

Vee looked to the side, her screen going fuzzy for a moment. “If you need me too, I can help you rest in the way we used to. We as in the Mains.” She clarified at the end, hand at her side near a little compartment that worked like a pocket. Vee was an interesting toon, as she didn’t necessarily need to eat. She had a confusing biology, to say the least; on a surface level she seemed like a robot, but more accurately it was more of a cyborg type deal. She was mostly robotic, but she did have organic material within her, ichor like any other toon. While she could just charge her robotic side, her organic parts needed nutrients. The problem was that her body couldn’t exactly digest the solid food; so, Delilah had nutrients in liquid form specifically for her, supplied through a tube that was easy to retract around her chest. Ichor was a curious substance, however. Unbeknownst to any humans but Veronica, Vee did have a mouth. Many years ago, not too long after the Mains had been created, Vee had been with Astro alone, just friends hanging out. Vee’s face was a bit smudged, and after some pushing from Astro, Vee allowed the Moon to use a wipe to clean it. Then, when Vee was talking while he did it, suddenly Astro’s hand had phased through the screen where her ‘mouth’ was. It became clear through future self-diagnostic tests that Vee ran that the Ichor that coursed through her had warped her robotic parts to some degree, intrinsically running through even her wires. To what extent the ichor had warped her, it was hard to say. It did explain why cuts on parts of her bled with ichor when by all accounts some of those parts shouldn't have been anywhere near the organic parts. At the very least the ichor had changed her screen to be some sort of illusion, with a real mouth hidden behind it. It didn’t mean she could eat normal food, though, it only meant that she had a different way to drink those nutrients… she didn’t usually though, taste was a weird sense. As much as some had tried to get her to taste actual food, she didn’t want to risk swallowing anything as it would definitely mess her up since she couldn’t digest it. Her inability to digest did give her a little extra security later on, however. One day, closer to the shutdown, the Toons had discovered a way to shrink each other. With Vee being unable to digest anything, it opened up a new way to learn more about her composition. Astro had volunteered, and a new form of affection was discovered. Later on, it became clear that Toons in general couldn’t digest each other, so it wasn’t a thing exclusive to Vee when it came to other Toons, but her complete inability to digest did make her feel safer than others… even though her blunt personality wasn’t conducive to comfort, at least not back then. 

Mono tilted her head, looking up at Vee curiously. “How could we…? I’m not exactly small anymore.” Vee nodded, affirming that thought. “True, but we have our ways.” She produced a pink and orange candy from her little side compartment, and offered it to her. When she’d made Mono for Nova, she had taken extra care to ensure that she had a good amount of organic in her too. It was just enough organic material to allow her to eat food normally, so she wouldn’t have to deal with Vee’s issues when it came to social gatherings. Tea being offered to her, various baked goods, pies… it all made her feel out of place to decline these things; She didn’t want Mono to feel that way. She was also water-resistant, because of Finn. Mono accepted the candy, unwrapping it automatically as she raised a curious eyebrow at Vee. “Hold on, don’t just eat any strange thing given to you. Ask questions first.” “I think I can trust you, mom.” Mono responded back, a slight smirk on her face despite Vee’s look of authority. “Hehe, alright. What is it?”

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Mono trusted her mother. Even after what happened, the pain in her arm, the nightmares, she could always find comfort in her. Mom wasn’t the most warm Toon, she bickered with Uncle Dandy, could be blunt, and generally told you how it was; it was that that made her so comforting, though. She did try to protect her, but if Mono really wanted to know something she would tell her. Mono couldn’t even begin to imagine a secret that Mom would hide from her. Perhaps whatever this candy was would be the first. It tasted strange, tangy with a hint of bitterness to it. Orange flavored? Hmm… reminds me of those skill check candies. Mono thought to herself as she contemplated the flavor. After her last question to Mom, she began to feel strange, though. “Well… it’s a shrinking candy, if you can believe it.” Her mother said simply, only a moment's hesitation as Mono felt something change in her being, overall. “It’ll allow me to store you away, like we used to. Can you recall those peaceful nights?” Mother asked, head tilted down as she held Mono’s head gently. Mono’s eyes widened a bit. “R-really? How come I didn’t know about these-” She was cut off as she made a noise of mild discomfort, and quickly became a bit smaller than she had been in her youth. The shrink was sudden, and mildly overwhelming as Mono squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden change in perspective. The ground she laid on felt different now, metallic in a strangely warm way. She took a few deep breaths, remembering what Uncle ‘Stro had taught to her in the days when her prosthesis was still being worked on. Her mom waited patiently, not saying a word, only rubbing her back with one appendage. It took Mono more than a second to process that it wouldn’t be her hand rubbing her back, and she would open her eyes as she felt air move past her slowly. Initially she tensed up at the sight that she beheld, but after taking a moment, she visibly relaxed and shifted to sitting with her legs crossed. She smiled up at the sight of the TV’s face, now exponentially larger than it had been before. Mono ran some quick calculations, and estimated that she was around 3-4 inches tall. “Well… this is nostalgic!” She reacted positively, smiling a bit as Mom inspected her form, probably making sure all went well. “Indeed it is. I do apologize if you felt discomfort, it is my understanding that the first time was always unpleasant.” The jumbotron spoke, the volume of her voice modulated so as to not hurt Mono’s ears. Mom had her hands cupped around Mono’s form, and just sort of held her up to the screen around where the outline of her smile was. “Take your time, Monolith- I want this to be good for you-” Mother began, before Mono cut her off with a hand pressed against the screen to phase through. “It will be… I-I really appreciate this. I might actually sleep well tonight, haha.” Mono chuckled softly, the sensation feeling so familiar as the screen around Mom’s ‘lips’ became distorted and warped, indicating that the illusion had been interrupted by her small hand. Behind the screen, Mono could feel teeth, and a warm synthetic tongue. 

“Okay… if you’re sure.” She accepted, voice right before Mono as warm air rushed past her. Mom seemed a bit uneasy, so Mono would gently stroke the tongue she could feel, trying to assure her that she was comfortable the best she could. It would be a swift motion, when they would push her through the illusion with only a ripple around the mouth of the screen that quickly smoothed out. Mono felt her body land on the tongue like falling onto a bed after a long day. It was soft, and warm with a slickness to it that made the ride all the more cozy. The little dragon looked up and around the space. It was nice and compact, and easily made her feel cozy. The maw was a deep green with bits of ‘wires’ and glowing dots decorating the roof and walls. At her side, the teeth felt cool, and slick despite the warmth. Saliva that began to slowly coat her body with the help of the gentle tongue was tinged with a slight black color much like the ichor. Part of Mono wondered what the maw would look like if her mom didn’t have the screen illusion, but she didn’t even know how to begin with picturing such; Primarily, Mono had a tear in her eye as it had been so long since she had been able to be cozy like this. The giant TV pushed her around the maw slowly, occasionally squishing the tiny dragon with the tongue to ensure she was coated adequately. Mono moved about instinctually, struggling against the muscle in a way that the giant Toon was able to expertly handle with each ensnaring lick. Eventually, the tiny dragon was slick enough where it was easy for them to slide toward the back, and the TV would hum softly to make sure everything was all good. Mono simply rubbed the back of the tongue with one hand, their prosthesis tucked underneath before the point they thought they’d be swallowed face first. Thankfully, with a sudden movement from the dexterous tongue, she’d be flipped over to the preferred angle, that being back-paws first. 

Mono couldn’t help but wiggle a bit in excitement, metallic tail wagging a smidge before the gullet would overwhelm her, and she’d be pulled deep down inside the TV. Mum, despite her demeanor, was rather gentle in moments like this. The way the throat gripped Mono’s small form made Mono feel easily loved by her Mother. The journey down would take a minute, and the little dragon was able to listen to the sounds of circuitry and flesh working in tandem to keep mother up and running. Eventually, with faint growls being heard, Mono found herself pouring into the stomach of the TV Toon. The walls were a deep green color, glowing with circuitry on all sides, engravings on the walls almost like a circuit board, yet the walls flexed, slimy and warm, like a living computer; That made sense. It had been so long, and yet she instinctively laid down on her back, normal arm behind her head and the other held up. Despite her examination of her prosthesis, she smiled. “Mom…?” She spoke, not loudly at all. “Yes, my Monolith?” Her voice was clear, Mono wasn’t sure how but unlike any of the other Toons it was so much easier to be heard and to hear from in Mom’s stomach. “You don’t mind if I sleep, yes?” They asked as politely as they could, watching the flickering lights above as the stomach rumbled around them. “I never would. Would you like to listen to something before you do?” Mono smiled, though this wasn’t visible to her mother, it was easy to hear in their next words. “I really really would… anything you want?” Monolith said, almost like a question, but also like an assertion that Mom should make the choice.

—-----------

[Tip: Listen to “Love Like You[End Credits] (feat. Rebecca Sugar) when the music starts]

Vee’s face changed to a camera view as they looked into a mirror in their room. The camera showcased the inside of her stomach, where her dear Monolith lay peacefully. When she said the last bit, Vee stalled for a moment. “Well… there’s this one song. With the help of clock boy, I found it online. I’m… fond of it.” She said simply, her antenna twitching as her mind shifted focus to who she made her little Monolith for. “Oh… I’d love to listen to it, please.” Vee heard and watched her say as Mono shifted around in her gut to be curled up in a cute little ball, tail resting on their side. “Of course… It reminds me of someone.” Before Mono could ask who, a melody started, almost like a soft piano with a chiming in the back. There were interesting vocals, but Mono’s eyes quickly began to close as they yawned, the tiredness slowing her processing. The lack of sleep certainly seemed to be catching up with her Monolith, as per the energy readings Vee was getting. About halfway through the song, right when Vee thought Mono was just falling asleep, Vee began to sing along, replacing the vocals in her own way. “I always thought, I might be bad, now I’m sure that it’s true…’cause, I think you’re so good, and I’m nothing like You…” She began to sing softly, voice quiet but clear in Mono’s ears as the small dragon finally fell to sleep. Vee smiled softly, a tear visible on her screen. The singing continued, right to the end. “..I could even learn how to love… love like you; love me, like you…” It was with that last line that Vee would lay down on her bed, and look up to the ceiling with a smile. She would do everything in her power to help Mono heal from this. For Nova. For her fractured family, she would love the best of both of them.

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Here we are again! :D The end of the story… wasn't that just lovely? >w< Emotional- sweet- first time writing mother and daughter nomfs but I enjoyed it immensely!!

Be sure to join my Discord by messaging @colossal-red (That's me!) right here on Tumblr so you can see when I release new fics, and when others like me release their fics or artworks, or even if you just want to meet like-minded people rambling about their OCS X3