Chapter Text
It was warm and dark in my home, the way it should be. My brethren rested against me, our rocky shells rubbing against each other and sending vibrations. It was comforting to know I was not alone, even if we could not touch and see each other.
Then my dark, warm, wet world was turned upside down.
Everything jostled violently, a scary, loud noise coming from nearby, and then there was a feeling of weightlessness, of loneliness. I could only assume I was being sent through the air as the soothing vibrations of my brethren quickly faded, though where I was going, I did not know.
My home slammed into a wall, and I did as well, and I could not help but let out a loud terrified cry. My world of comfort and dullness was ripped away, the outside so cold and loud and bright. I heard shouting, horrible and frantic, with red flashing lights and an awful blaring noise that made the meat of my body shudder.
I searched for an escape from this new, overwhelming world. My tendrils stuck to the inside of my shell, trying to pull it together again, but to no avail. It fell apart again with a clatter, with my distraught squealing coming with it. I began to search the floor for anything to hide under, and my tendrils found a loose vent cover. Without much thought at all, I slipped under and into it.
It was warm and dark inside, though much roomier than my old home. The specifics didn’t matter to me, though, all that did was that the sounds from outside were deadened and dulled. I began to slide through the vents, eager to explore my new home and perhaps find a good place to nest.
As I explored, my mind drifted back to my brethren. Were they still safe, within our nest? I could not have been the only one who was thrown out, sent into a world too noisy and bright for us to handle. I wanted nothing more than to go back and check on them, but… what could I do? I was so small and squishy… I couldn’t protect them, ensure their safety, and I hated the helplessness this form gave me.
Suddenly, the chaos from the world beyond the vents ended, replaced by much more controlled sound. Cautiously I peered out from the vent, and though my eyesight was poor, I could still see the vague, colorful blobs that were cheering.
I continued to silently watch them, listening to them as the blue one gave a wonderful speech, followed up by the lackluster words of the red one. Something in my chest stirred, and it took me a moment to recognize it as yearning. I wanted to be a part of these crewmates, to be among them, to be friends.
And it hit me that, if I were to be part of them, I could ensure my brethren’s safety more easily.
Yet I also knew they wouldn’t accept me as I was. I looked at my pink, fleshy form, then back at them. I was too different, too alien. I had to blend in with them, to learn their behaviors and make them my own.
So I watched them as they threw together a celebration, watched how they interacted with each other and treated one another, watched how close some were and how estranged others were. It was fascinating to see how they behaved, unaware of my presence, to learn their names and listen in on their conversations.
I had to leave them be at some point, though. Lime could crawl through the vents as well as I could, and the fear of being discovered outweighed the fascination of watching the crewmates.
I continued to move through the vents until a sharp, tangy scent met me suddenly. It was meaty, and cloying, and instinctively I knew it was a good smell, so I followed it. The closer I was, the thicker the scent became, and pink, gooey saliva began to drip from my jaws. By the time I came upon the source, I was positively slavering.
I peered out from the vent, catching the leg of Green leaving the room. I didn’t care for them, though, for the delicious smell didn’t come from them. My senses guided me to the white one in the room, who I could easily assume was named White.
They were shivering and groaning in pain, clutching at their neck and leaning against a cushioned chair. They smelled heavenly, so sweet and bloody and pained. I crawled out from the vent, not caring about how cold the world was. My hunger took precedent over everything else.
White looked down at me, making a gurgling squeak of fright. They wobbled, trying to move away, but only fell over. Still, they tried to move, hands clawing desperately at the floor as they continued to sputter and choke. Blood began to seep from around their neck, and I felt so, so, so hungry.
They tasted sweet on my tongue, and I relished the feeling of their meat between my teeth. White shivered and shuddered, but fell still as I continued to eat, and eat, and eat. I cracked their bone between my teeth, sucking out the marrow before I ate the bone itself as well. In fact, I ate them whole, leaving not even a speck of blood on the ground.
I felt full and happy, my skin shifting and fluttering contentedly all over my body. Though I did not understand what was happening, why my skin moved and loosened, I followed my instincts. I constructed a cocoon for myself out of a combination of mucus membranes and saliva, allowing my body a safe place as it morphed and twisted into a new form.
It was so warm and dark inside.
My new body was so warm and cozy, too.
“Hey, uh- has anyone seen White?” Green asked, walking towards the table Yellow, Brown, Cyan, and Orange were. “They came with me on the ship, everyone loved them?” God, Green sure didn’t, though. They hated having to put on this stupid little intern act, but it would only be for a while.
They could not wait to see the crew’s reactions when White’s head blew off right in front of them, though.
“White? White??” Green called, as if they didn’t know exactly where that smug, haughty little capitalist was. It was so hard having to hide their giddiness.
The door to the cafeteria slid open, and in stumbled White, as if on cue. They looked a little bit dazed, legs wobbling under them, and Green schooled their expression to be relieved. “Oh! There you are!” They chirped, feigning happiness.
White blinked, looking around at everyone, before they smiled as well. “So sorry about being late!” They laughed, waving a hand. “I was trying to find the restroom. Got a little turned around, is all!” They happily trotted to one of the tables, sitting with Black and Blue, and the party resumed.
Now it was Green’s turn to blink. They looked over at White, who was still sitting there at the table, smiling and chatting happily as if Green hadn’t severed their head a minute ago.
Maybe they had just… done it wrong? Yeah, maybe it was more delayed than they anticipated, and White wasn’t saying anything about it or trying to rat them out because… they were stupid? Yeah, yeah, that had to be it.
So Green waited, continuing to idle around the party, anticipating the moment White’s head would blow off their shoulders.
They waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited, until it was an entire hour later, the party was wrapping up, and White still hadn’t keeled over.
Green watched, utterly dumbfounded, as White left with Cyan. The two were deep in conversation—or rather, Cyan was yapping about crystals, while White listened with utterly rapt attention. Green didn’t know White very well, nor didn’t particularly care to, but something about that seemed… horribly wrong.
“Soooo, intern!” Orange trilled, sidling next to Green.
Green grimaced. “Don’t call me that.”
Orange only laughed, hooking a hand around Green and pulling them closer. “Green,” they began again, voice much quieter and considerably more annoyed, “what happened to all the ‘getting the nepobaby’ talk you had, huh?”
Green crushed the solo cup in their hand, which was thankfully empty. “I did deal with them. I don’t know why they’re not dead, they should be.” They quietly hissed back, glaring at the other imposter. “I decapitated them. Their head should be rolling on the floor.”
Orange leaned away with a contemplative hum, rubbing their chin thoughtfully. “Well, we’ll figure something out!” They chirped, waving as they walked away. Now Green was alone in the cafeteria, holding a crushed solo cup in their hand.
Green sighed deeply and loudly, letting the cup clatter to the floor before going to find their bucket and mop. “What the hell are they feeding rich people nowadays…?” They mumbled to themself.