Iāve yet to see people doing Bloody Mary x reader and you know what they say, be the things you want to see in the world.
(CW: Gender neutral reader, medical stuff, Simon having symptoms of PTSD and self loathing tendencies, & a few religious themes)
The discovery of the Iron Lung and thus Simon in the ocean of blood was jarring. He was barely clinging to life and surely wouldnāt have survived the trip back to Erid if it werenāt for your efforts with Grace and Rocky. He was lucky that you were the desegnated medic of the Hail Mary that managed to survive. No offense to the boys but Simon needed all the medical attention he could get considering he was missing an arm, experiencing cell mutations, and needed to be placed under a medically endured coma to give him a chance to heal. During that period, the three of you were scratching your heads (and carapace). All you could confirm was his name. But how exactly does a submarine end up in an anomalous planet thats just an ocean of blood? You didnāt know, so you needed to hope that he remembered. Turns out Simon wasnāt too thrilled to wake up to two strangers and a weird rock spider in a hamster ball examining him when he the last thing he remembered was drowning in blood and condemned to die, let alone find out heās on an alien planet.
Itās a slow process on developing trust. It takes Simon a while to realize that, no, you are not there to bring him back to the people who sent him to die. You have no clue what heās even talking about. And, no, you and Grace are not angels and Erid/the biodome is in fact not heaven. Heās 100% alive and safe.
Even when he was in the āIām dead, this is heavenā phase, Simon was a little reluctant to let you tend to him at all. It was like he was a scared animal that still didnāt know if he was safe or not. You and Grace tell him he is but how is he supposed to confirm that? If youāre not going to send him back and youāre not angels then what are you? Why would you want to help him? Heās a convict! Heās done terrible things! Heās even surprised he lets himself think that he would earn the right to be in heaven. You try to give him space. Grace might try his best to worm his way into being friendly a little too hard but you let Simon take his time.
It starts with you providing simple check ups where you regularly ask if heās okay and wants to continue and helping dress his amputation with little to no attempts at small talk from you. The most you do is ask if heās feeling well, has any symptoms, feels any different, or has any pain. You let the ball be in his court if he wants to talk at all. It takes a while and Simon tries to fight it but the fact that he can tell that youāre allowing him the choice coupled with how gentle you are with him starts getting to him. Itās been so long since heās been treated like a human being rather than a dangerous animal and he can see that you, Grace, and the Eridians care about his comfort that nearly makes him cry.
The ball gets rolling more after it finally clicks for Simon that he truly is safe. He joins you and Grace on your walks around the biodome that serves as both āphysical therapyā and showing him around his new home. He eats with you instead of just taking his food and eating in his living space that you gave him. He partakes in conversation. It takes him a long time to tell you everything because heās scared that if he admits to what he is and what he did then you and Grace will actually turn on him and shun him. But then again, he feels like he must because it eats away at him to see you being so kind and considerate to him. He feels like heās taking advantage of your kindness and he hates it. It comes as a shock when you and Grace donāt freak out. You listen to him. And what really tips him over the edge is when you and Grace basically tell him āWell, you havenāt done anything bad since you got here so either something changed within you or you just fell down the wrong path.ā. Youāre still continuing to care for him and see him as a person??? A person who can change??? Whoās allowed to change??? To be complex and have the chance to redeem themself instead of solely seeing him as either good or evil and arenāt scared of him???
Can you tell Simonās been trapped in the guilty convict mindset for a long time?
Simon doesnāt ask to become you and Graceās third. He can clearly see that you and Ryland are a couple and tries not to get in the way of that. He tries not to see the little moments he has with both you and Grace as anything romantic and will even reprimand himself when he does. He lets himself stay as your friend and third wheel. Furthermore, you and Grace donāt really mean to make Simon your third⦠it just kind of⦠happens??? Like you just absorb him into your relationship till heās both of your boyfriends. Simon just finds himself in the cuddle pile and youāre just sort of forced into having that āWhat are weā conversation and you all confess that you have feelings for each other and awkwardly decide to give it a go.
I love the idea of Simon taking on the care of the plants and gardening in the biodome. After he opens up about his life before being placed in the Iron Lung, you and Grace find that the task is very healing for him. It gives him peace to not only see plants but be the one tending to them. And if heās ever having a rough time but doesnāt want to talk about it, he uses it as a way of grounding himself till itās passed or heās ready to talk.
Simon is a man of few words. Originally it was because no one ever asked how he felt or what he thought. But now itās just manifested as him just preferring to be the listener rather than the speaker. Which perfectly contrasts to Grace being a chatterbox when heās talking about his research and discoveries. It is a bit intimidating at first because heās this completely silent big string guy with this deeply brooding and intimidating resting face, but thatās literally just how his face is. He just sort of forgets to display emotions sometimes. Grace and you are sort of the oneās in charge of being those displays.
Heās still getting used to physical affection. He still jumps and stiffens up when you and Grace hug him, cuddle up with him, or lean your head on him but almost immediately melts once the shock leaves. But trust me, he secretly wants to be held in you and Graceās arms when settling into bed. Give him a little peck on the cheek to make him feel loved. Simon mostly displays his affection through quality time. Heās like a cat. He just sort of goes off to maintain the garden and comes in and quietly bundles up with you two when the day is done.
Simon still has a ways to go. He still has his moments. Still gets nightmares that heās either back in the lung drowning or heās back in his cell rotting away and this was all just a dream. Things that trigger flashback and his flight or fight response. Sometime heāll even relapse into moments where heās just so full of anger and rage, though he never aims any of it at you and Grace. You give him his space when he needs it, but you also stay by him and help him come down. Remind him that itās over. Heās safe. Heās changed. Heās redeemed. Heās earned his freedom.
Simon knows that this isnāt heaven.
But what could possibly be better than this?