Chapter Text
Some things were still bugging Simon. This was as good of a chance to ask. If he even remembered this when he woke up.
He walked for a very long time, but the knee-high blood never ended.
It was thick and clung to him and dried in some places. It hurt to scrub off even when dry.
He walked for a long time, trying to find Hayati. He called her name but she wasn’t appearing.
He eventually gave up and sat down in the blood. It went to his chest.
He tried to convince himself it was no different from the baths ♩♪♫♬ gave him. It was not working.
“Someone’s down,” a warm voice called from behind him.
Simon flinched, turning quickly. Hayati was there. Impeccable timing, as always.
“I know, I know. I was… having a talk with Aksinia,” she said, pursing her lips.
“You have questions for me?”
“Oh. Right. Yes,” he stood out of the blood, shivering when his tail shook off excess. He still didn’t know how to make it not… move on its own. He really hoped the big blood eel didn’t have control over it.
“It doesn’t,” Hayati assured.
“Okay, um.. What really caused the Quiet Rapture?”
She stared at him, then whistled awkwardly.
“Wow, starting with the hard-hitters, eh? Ah… there is not… a defined answer.”
“Great, tha-”
“But, we have come to an agreed theory,” she said quickly. Simon went quiet.
“Here turn around.” He did, and predictably, she began to detangle his hair.
“As you’re aware, we have been in the blood ocean of AT-5 for… a hot minute. We have thought long and hard, and we thing we know what… at least caused a part of the Quiet Rapture. You should know by now the stars aren’t really gone.”
“Yeah, it’s the star-eaters blocking them out.”
“Star-eater? Hm. You’ll have to tell me more about that later.”
“Will do..”
“We believe the Quiet Rapture was caused by an event we call The Blink. At least, that’s the first part of it. A god… sees through these moons. And when a god blinks, the world is only the same as it remembers when its eyes are closed.”
“So… a god blinking… changed things?”
“Yes. Were it to blink again, with humanity in its sight, there is no telling where or when we may end up.”
“The best choice would be to get as far away from the blood moons as possible?”
“The best choice would be to get as far away from the blood moons as possible,” Hayati confirmed, tying his hair into a bun with a band she had.
“And… I gave humanity a chance to do that.”
“You did,” she hummed, patting his shoulder.
“You did good, Simon.”
“Yeah, well… still doesn’t feel that way. I’m stuck here.”
“Are you really? Because… There's someone waiting for you. It’s almost time to go.”
Simon turned over his shoulder, eyes widening.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I hope you take this talk in stride, Simon.”
“Perhaps one day I’ll have the pleasure of speaking to you again.”
♩♪♫♬ traced small shapes into the glass. They had long ran out of things to sing. Home was only a few days away, and Simon still hadn’t woken up.
They had begun to think that, just maybe, he wouldn’t ever.
“You need to eat,” the Scientist said softly, pushing a dish towards them.
“I don’t want any,” they refused, turning back to watch Simon sleep.
Something was different. They strained to listen.
Slowly, the soft thumping got louder.
And then his two eyes opened.
They nearly shrieked, scrambling upright when he looked around. And then right at them.
“♩♪♫♬..? Are… you okay..?” He whispered, pressing a pointy hand to the glass.
“I am fine. How are you?! Safe, hurt?!” They cried.
Simon smiled faintly and slowly sat upright. His face twisted and he grabbed at the fifth appendage and pulled it to the side.
“What is that… question?”
“It’s called a tail. It helps me… swim.” Their friend made another face, and groaned.
“Swim…? Simon can swim?”
“Hypothetically… Fuckkk… okay, um… is there any chance I can have some food..?”
“Oh! Of course!!”
Simon wasn’t sure he wanted to tell ♩♪♫♬ what Hayati told him. Or that he talked to her in some weird liminal blood purgatory. Or that he really, really needs a bath.
But it was nice to be awake and mostly dry. He curled up around them and found out one upside to his new tail was he could very well make it stretch out and curl around ♩♪♫♬ if he put some muscle into it. So he was completely encircling them. Yeah, that was pretty nice.
They sang softly to him while he held onto the warm glass covering their leg.
The Doctor carefully tucked Simon’s blanket in beneath him.
He fell asleep watching ♩♪♫♬ breathe.
Simon sat on the floor of his room, using a strip of clothing to clean out between the membrane between his toes. Now that it wasn’t covered in grimy blood, it was… even grosser. The membrane was pink and veiny and came right out of his skin.
It didn’t exactly make his feet easier to walk on. Especially not barefoot. But he left his one pair of shoes back home.
Damn it.
“What Simon doing, question?” ♩♪♫♬ trilled softly.
“Trying to… clean my new appendages. I hate to say it; I think they looked better covered in blood,” he huffed, spreading two toes to study the veiny webbing. When it was all cleaned, he worked on the webbing between his fingers. It was the same membrane that made him shudder at the texture.
♩♪♫♬ trilled softly, poking at the reddish tail. It twitched.
“Eugh… I hate this,” he groaned, rubbing his face with his real hand.
“Not so bad. Now we match! Five limbs, five limbs!” They pointed to themself, then him.
“I guess you’re kinda… right…” Simon made a face.
“Take mind away from tail. Come eat, need to eat,” they sang, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards storage.
“Whoa-! Okay, bud! I’m coming!”
Simon was sitting on the edge of his cot, slowly swinging it back and forth. Maybe he could get the spiders to build him a little pool. It would be a lot of water… but he wanted to see if he could swim. It would be embarrassing to jump in and still not be able to breathe. He was pretty sure he had gills, too.
Maybe a four feet pool would be best.
The ship rumbled, then came to a stop. He sighed, and jumped off of the bed.
♩♪♫♬ was already waiting at the door with most of his things packed up.
“Ready, question?” They chirped.
“Ready for what? Home? Oh, yeah.”
He stretched out his limbs, and glared back at his stupidly swishing tail.
Maybe after he failed miserably at swimming, he could get the Doctor to just cut it off.
There was a faint rumble, then a hiss. Simon straightened out his torn clothes the best he could, and followed them down the corridor.
“A nap, would be nice. Could you put some of that powdered ice in my enclosure again?”
“In time,” ♩♪♫♬ chittered. They were walking rather quickly.
“Is everything okay?” Simon asked.
“Fine! Fine fine fine. Walk faster, Simon.”
“Uhm.. okay.” He walked after them, borderline jogging to the airlock. And into the tunnel they went.
“So… why are we going so fast?” He asked. The spider chittered softly and moved side to side.
“What are you planning?”
“Nothing! Am same! Am fine!” ♩♪♫♬ skittered faster.
“Okay- hold on!” Simon shouted, running down the tunnel. Gravity did a big shift and he fell flat on his face.
“Surprise!!” a chorus of voices sung. He grumbled and looked up.
Fuckkk.
About 40 spiders were there, all of his crab babies, and they were all wearing metallic celebration clothes.
“A surprise?” He mumbled as ♩♪♫♬ peeled him off of the floor and helped him upright.
“Surprise party! We celebrate Simon’s success of mission! Why Simon have new leg?” a spider he didn’t recognise asked.
“Uhhh…”
“Back up!!” They howled, making him some space to breathe.
“It’s not a leg, it’s a tail. And I don’t… uh.” He blanched when a rosy clouded spider came forward with a pile of cloth resting on its head.
“♩♪♫♬ say your clothes ruined. We make new clothes!” They said happily.
Simon froze.
“New… clothes?”
“Yes, yes! You are ♩ ♪ ♪ now… You are home.”
He couldn’t help it. He cried a little while he ducked back into the tunnel to change. The clothes were made out of the synthesized fibers the spiders used for their own things. There was even a moon embroidered onto it.
The clothes smelled awful and now he smelled like the dorm rug did back on Mars. Dog piss.
It was probably burning his eyes and that was why he was crying, but it was definitely emotional sobbing.
When he finally picked himself up enough and put his hair up in a bun, the crew of the ship was already partying.
Simon took a few deep breaths, and went out to party with them.