Chapter Text
“Grace! Grace! There is human! Come quick!”
“.....What?”
I’m awoken by Rocky sticking his face, or lack there of, right in front of mine. I rub my eyes and sigh, feeling around for my glasses. I rest them on my head while Rocky takes me to the front of the ship. He makes me peer through the glass, and I gasp.
“Holy crap.”
In front of my eyes, slowly floating in space, is a lone ship. But it's not a normal spaceship, it’s similar to a submarine. The sub is rusty and looks like it’s been poorly slapped together by screws and scraps of metal. But it’s not moving, so whatever engine it uses is either broken or dead. That isn’t my main concern, though. I’m more worried that Rocky is pushing me toward our pilot base and repeating that there’s a human within it.
I push my glasses down onto my eyes so I can read the interface Rocky provides me. Rocky is still yelling, but he’s not wrong about the situation.
“Move quick Grace! Human heartbeat faint!”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it, Rock! I’m trying.”
My eyes widen as I look at the ship. Through Rocky’s viewfinder, I can see the outline of a human. I can’t tell if they’re still breathing, but Rocky assures me he can hear a heartbeat. Thank goodness. I rush over and slip my spacesuit on, clicking as many buttons as I can so we can get closer to the sub. To be honest, I’m panicking. I haven’t seen human life in way too long, and now there’s another person a few feet away from me. But what if they’re already dead? What if I go out and retrieve the sub, and this is all for nothing? I can’t have another body on this ship. I just can’t. Rocky nudges against me as I hesitate. I think I’m crying, but I don’t care.
“Go outside Grace. Rocky handle it. Human alive for now. You can save.”
I rub my eyes and give Rocky a pat. He always knows what to say to ease my panic. I shove my helmet on and open the depressurization door. This part never gets easier. I nervously stare into the vast abyss of stars, but I lock my eyes on the ship. That’s all that matters, time to ignore my own problems for a while. I push myself against the ship, gaining enough momentum to float towards the sub. The rope tied to my waist unravels as I reach the sub and ungracefully grab the sides of it.
“Alright! I’m here! I got it. I…um…I think the door is welded shut.”
My hope slowly dwindles, but Rocky yells over the intercom in my ear.
“Human still alive! Stay there, Rocky bring tool.”
After a few minutes of deafening silence, I grip the outside of the ship tighter as I see a Rocky-made tool float towards me. I lean forward and grab Rocky’s Eridian version of a crowbar. The sharp base pries open the only entrance I can find. I’d say I’m a pretty strong guy, however dang this thing is hard to open. But I’m not giving up, and after a few shoves, I weld the metal open enough for me to slip in. I try to hold in my shock as I move inside the ship. I expected the human inside to start floating towards me, but instead I get splashed in the face by blood. Gallons of blood come pouring out of the ship, flying into the void of space behind me. Thank goodness I have a helmet on. I swim through the small ship, which is covered in some kind of fleshy material. I grimace and dig around until I fish out the human.
“I’ve got them! We’re on our way back, I’m gonna go as fast as I can.”
The human I’m carrying is drenched in blood, but most is starting to float off their body as we drift back to the Hail Mary. I also have to princess carry them, which I’m not great at. This person is heavier than I expected in zero gravity. I really can’t tell what they look like, but I think I’m holding a man. I really hope this blood isn’t his. I know for a fact the blood in the ship wasn’t, there’s no way he could’ve bled that much and lived after.
I can’t see many details under the blood, but oh my goodness he’s missing an arm. The cut looks clean. Doesn’t make me feel any better, though. I try to feel around his body a bit more for any other injuries, but I start to feel awkward and focus on floating back to the ship. I swear I can hear him start to talk as we drift back.
“It’s alright. I’ve got you.”
I don’t even know if he can hear me. We float for a bit before I hear another noise come from the man.
“Angel…?”, he barely whispers.
He blinks before seemingly passing out again, which isn’t surprising. I smile and hold on a little tighter. I can’t believe he thinks I’m an angel.
I don’t see any other injuries, but I’m also primarily focused on not letting this dude float off into space right now, so I’m not paying much attention. I land in our ship’s entrance as Rocky comes speeding around the corner with Armando. The robot arms take the man into its care, heading for the medical bay. My muscles burn a little, but it’s worth it for this guy. I sigh and take off my suit, still covered in blood. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and glasses.
“Grace okay, question? Grace hurt, question???”
“Rocky, chill out bud. I’m alright. There’s just blood on my suit, the stuff I’ve explained before, but it’s not mine. That’s the stuff I saw come out of the sub. It was filled with it, but I have no idea how. I mean, this whole situation makes no sense. I’m just glad we got that dude out. I think he really needs help.”
I thank Rocky for his help and we both head back to our quarters.
I want to fall asleep, but I haven’t felt this nervous since I first met Rocky in the tunnel. I need to check on him. Rocky is starting to fall asleep, but he notices me fidgeting with my jacket.
“Grace okay, question?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just worried about the guy we found. I…I haven’t seen a human in a really long time, and I just hope we weren’t too late. I know we couldn’t have done anything. I mean, we don’t even know where this person came from, but I just need to make sure they’re okay because I can’t have another person…”
I cut myself off. I’m rambling, and I still can’t find the strength to say that word. Rocky walks closer up against his wall.
“Grace go check human. Rocky want human live too. Rocky wait for Grace, tell Rocky everything when Grace return!”
I smile and nod in agreement, sort of rushing over to the med room. My heart is pounding, I can't tell if I’m just nervous or really panicking this time. I always expect the worst, so when I reach the room, I’m greeted with a very pleasant surprise. The monitors are beeping steadily as Armando bandages the man sleeping in one of the beds. He’s still covered in blood, but nowhere near as much as he was before. I think Armando just wiped off enough to see if he had any injuries. I’d like to say I don’t see any, but there’s no way that can be true. Almost his entire body is covered in bandages, including the stump where his right arm should be, but the monitors say he’s doing just fine. I’m inclined to believe the robots who were programmed to help people in comas, so I end up sighing a deep breath I didn't even realize I was holding in. I pull up a chair to sit close and watch the man until I fall asleep.
Rocky wakes me up, like usual, by charging into the room. His ball slams against the floor and I’m startled awake, catching my glasses in my hands. Rocky is surprisingly not berating me for sleeping without him.
“Grace! How human doing, question?”
I rub my eyes and try to wake myself up a little, forgetting this is where I fell asleep last. My eyes widen and I hop up, prepared for the worst, again. But my nerves go down as I see the man still unconscious, robot hands steadily frozen in place in case they need to assist. I sit back down, sighing quietly.
“I don’t know. He’s not awake yet… I’m sorry if I’ve seemed stressed, I’m just concerned. I really want this guy to be okay, and I guess I feel a sort of duty to make sure he’s safe.”
Rocky chirps in agreement, rolling closer to me and staring at the man as well.
“Rocky understand. Grace want fellow human safe. Rocky feel that way about mate. Human will be fine, Rocky promise.”
I blush a little at Rocky’s response. I mean, sure, the guy is kinda cute, but I can’t really tell from the blood. And wow, that should not be my concern. What is wrong with me?
Anyway, Rocky’s right, like always. Naturally I feel an attachment to this guy, so it’s normal to feel worried.
“Yeah, you’re right. I really hope he wakes up soon. But from what I can see, he’s doing just fine.”
Rocky chirps again and jumps up and down.
“Rocky happy! Grace should still watch human, Rocky will return when Grace say human wake.”
I nod and yawn, stretching against my chair.
“Thanks, Rocky. I’ll tell you when something new happens. Just lemme know if we get any updates about Erid, alright?”
“Rocky will tell Grace update. Now Grace need watch! Go watch.”
I laugh and wave as Rocky speeds out of the room. Now I turn my attention back to the bed. He’s still unconscious, but I’m just glad he looks peaceful. I scoot my chair a little closer to the edge of the bed, propping my arms up against the side.
“Please wake up.”
I’ve tried to spend as much time as I could in the medical bay, but there’s still work to be done on the ship. Curse this mission, curse this sciencey crap. I get it though, we need to make it to Erid. However, this doesn’t mean I still can’t complain. Rocky hasn’t checked on our mystery guy yet, which makes sense. He doesn’t have any reason to check on another space blob.
I’m catching my body falling asleep as I slump against my desk. Trying to keep your brain occupied in stressful situations is hard, considering I’m exhausted so my body is trying to sleep, but my brain is so worried I can’t go to sleep. The only thoughts that occupy my brain are about this one guy. Alone and scared, floating in space. Guess we’re pretty similar after all.
I’m startled awake by a shrill alarm. I most definitely scream and almost fall out of my chair. My glasses fall onto my nose as I rush out of the lab. Rocky comes barreling around the corner, yelling musical noises as I try to find the cause of the issue.
“Grace! Grace! Alarm! What happening??”
“I don’t know! Maybe the fuel? But we haven’t had any problems recently with the fuel you made, so maybe it’s the centrifuge? I know I’ve done it wrong in the past so it could be messed up again-”
My rambling is cut off as I turn a corner and I’m met with flashing red lights in the med bay.
Crap.
I see the silhouette of the man from the sub. He grips the doorframe and pulls himself to his feet. I swear I’m going crazy, but I see something growing out of his right arm’s stump. Our eyes meet as he fully stands up, and he glares at me. I yelp and start breaking into a sprint. I have no idea why I’m running, but apparently it’s my body’s first instinct. I race around each corner of the ship, but of course, I trip. My face slams against the hard ground, right in front of the doorway to the lab. Rocky spins around and comes back for me. He’s yelling something at me, but my ears are ringing a little. I think I hit my head or something? A few drops of blood slowly drips down my face from my nose, and I crawl in an attempt to stand up. I hear loud footsteps behind me. I probably look like a wild animal, scrambling around on the floor trying to run away. I whip my head around, my slightly cracked glasses fall off my face. The man has reached me, and he slams his hand into the doorway to keep the door open. Rocky chimes next to me as he gets the lab door open, but my body doesn’t move at first. If Rocky could pull me into the room, he would. I finally register Rocky’s noises, and I stumble to my feet. They almost get caught on the bump on the ground for the door, but I remember to step over it and sort of awkwardly land in the lab. The door shuts, and I close my eyes in anticipation. I’m expecting to hear the sound of the door closing, but I don’t. My eyes slowly open and I almost scream again.
The door is being held open by a hand. The hand and arm are covered in some weird red mass, and large red claws scratch the door. I can see big, deep red veins that pulse as muscles work to hold the door open. I’m standing up, but not for long, as my body reacts again and I’m soon back on the floor. My hands scoot me backward against the cold ground. Rocky flies around the room, swiftly moving circles around me in his ball.
“Grace! Bad man! Bad man! Door not close!!”
“I got it, I got it! Just be quiet for a second!”
I feel bad for yelling at Rocky, but I’m sure he’ll understand. I scramble yet again, trying to shove the door closed with the same button used to open it. I almost hit myself in frustration. The door slams open, both from the button and sheer force of the man’s arm. I land back on my tailbone, blood still flowing from my nose. I don’t even get a chance to look up before I’m hoisted to my feet, yanked by my shirt collar. The man stares at me with wild eyes, he honestly looks more scared than anything. We both whip around quickly as he slams my back into the closed door. I hear his voice for the first time, and I hate to say it’s exactly what I expected.
“Where the fuck am I.”
His voice is low and hoarse. The right side of his face is still covered in bandages, but a few have started to rip off. I can see some extra….teeth..? beneath the bandages on his cheek. Parts of his face are the same red color as his arm, which I guess has now regrown. Cool. Cool cool. Definitely not supposed to happen.
It’s hard to actually come up with anything to answer with, so I sit in silence for an uncomfortably long minute. I’m also still in fight or flight mode, so he’s gonna have to forgive my lack of response. I can’t read his expression, but his grip on my collar tightens after we’re both quiet.
“Answer me.”
He growls through gritted teeth. I squeak in an attempt to not scream. That was embarrassing. But I gulp and blink a few times, trying to regain my composure.
“Uh….you’re on the Hail Mary. I’m-I’m Grace. Ryland Grace. Uh, Dr. Ryland Grace. I run this ship, I guess?…Spaceship. Yeah. We found you in space. You’re in space.”
Wow, great response, Grace. Very professional. Apparently I’m still not good at talking during stressful situations. To be fair, when I was put on this ship, I didn’t have that reasonable of a response either, so I think it’s fair.
I’m closing my eyes, apparently, because after a while all I see is darkness and I notice I’ve been keeping them shut as an instinct. I’m honestly expecting him to hit me or something, but to my surprise, he lets go and I rest against the wall. My eyes open, and the man steps back. Rocky is hiding, I suppose, in one of the various corners in the lab.
My head turns back to the man, and he’s stopped walking backward. He’s looking down at the ground, then at his right arm, then back at me. My eyes are wide, but I still make eye contact. He doesn’t hold it this time, and his eyes drop back to the ground. They dart back and forth as I take this time to slowly approach him. He doesn’t notice at first, but when he does, he freezes. I hold my hands up in defense and stop moving closer. He looks…sad. I can start to see tears form in his eye that isn’t covered. It’s only natural someone in his situation would respond with violence. I’m not offended. My nose still hurts though, but that’s my own fault, so I try my best to ignore the throbbing pain.
“What’s your name? Maybe this time we can start off a bit better?”
I laugh a little, trying to ignore how weird this entire situation is. But to my surprise, the man looks back at me. He’s clearly crying now, and his eyes look scared. I take a single step closer.
“My….my name?”
His voice is shaky and not as growly as before.
“Yeah. I want to know your name.”
He looks at me like he’s just seen a ghost, and he holds onto the table behind him. He grips it like he’s never going to let go, his head falling down to the ground. I take a few steps closer until I’m right in front of him, but I make sure to keep some room between us. My hands go down to my sides. I wait patiently, and a smile starts to form on my face. Here’s some progress. He’s not being hostile towards me on purpose, right? That’s gotta be it. I’ll just treat him like a human being.
After a while, he whispers a response.
“…Simon. My name is Simon.”
He says the last part louder. I smile fully, trying to meet his eyes.
“Nice to meet you Simon.”
He’s still looking at the ground, standing frozen in place.
Now scientifically speaking, his arm has definitely regrown. The mass is still the shape of his arm, but it’s covered in red…scales? I’m surprised he didn’t cut me with those claws, either. But logistically speaking, this makes zero sense. I really want to ask him some questions, but that would be the worst thing to do right now. I’m gonna take it slow, no matter how much the scientist part of my brain wants answers immediately.
Simon still hasn’t moved at all, so I cautiously get a little closer. He looks lost in his own mind. I’m still slightly worried he might lash out at me again, but I’m honestly willing to risk it. He’s literally the only other human I’ve seen in ages, so I’m not messing this up. After some time, Simon locks eyes with me. The cloudy dark brown eye stares back at me, and my heart feels a bit better about all this.
“I know this probably all seems super confusing to you, and I hope in time I can explain it all to the best of my ability. But I just want you to be comfortable, ok? Just know you’re safe now. Whatever happened to you in that sub is over.”
Simon looks at me, and his face kills me. He looks like a lost child, trying to grasp onto anything that might make him feel better in a time of peril. It kills me because I’ve seen this before. I’ve lived it. A long time ago, this is exactly what I was going through. A never ending nightmare, only made worse because I had no idea who I was. And now, another man across the galaxy had experienced something similar, all alone. Just like me. But he never met any alien company. He never had anyone with him, no one to help him with his journey after he thought it was the end. That was his end, he was never supposed to leave that ship, I assume.
I don’t even notice I’m crying until a teardrop falls against my glasses. I rub my eyes and sniff, turning my attention back to Simon. I hold a hand out, no longer cautious.
“Why don’t we get you back to the med bay so I can make sure you’re healthy, alright?”
Simon looks skeptical at first, but his normal hand eventually creeps forward and grasps mine, lightly. I smile and hold on a little tighter as we start walking. I make sure to walk slowly. Not really sure why, maybe just to be careful. I’m not really scared of Simon anymore. I doubt the robot will have anything to say about his mutations though, so I guess it’s up to me to document and solve. Now, that is exciting, but I’m still concerned for Simon’s actual health. Mutations aren’t a normal thing, obviously, so I’ve gotta make sure his body is still doing alright after all this. Which I severely doubt. But I should stay hopeful. For him.
We enter the med bay again. There isn’t much blood leftover on Simon’s bed, just some fresh droplets. Probably from ripping his IV out. Ouch. Been there. I pat the parchment paper on the bed and Simon eventually sits down. He looks around and scans the room. I pause for a second and look at the info Armando has for me. I’m dumbfounded.
All of his vitals look normal, but that’s impossible. I’m positive that regrowing back a missing arm cannot mean everything is normal.
I step closer to Simon.
“Hey, I uh, need to take the bandages off of you. Just so I can see the damage. N-not that there is any damage, ha, it’s just a saying.”
Is it really possible to fumble this many interactions? Geez, I guess being away from humans for so long has left my social skills terrible. I mean, Rocky isn’t actually a human being, so I kinda forgot how hard it is meet on the same page with another person.
Simon doesn’t answer at first. It honestly just looks like he’s staring off into space. Eventually he snaps his eyes back to me. He looks frightened about something, but I can’t tell just from his face.
“…Are you okay?”, I mutter.
Simon just blinks a few times before speaking. His voice is soft again, calmer than I’ve ever heard it before.
“I’m sorry I attacked you. I just…I was scared. I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
His head bows down again as he grips his pant legs. I move a little closer and crouch down a bit to get on his level. His answer makes me smile, though. This is progress. And I’m kinda surprised the first thing he has to say to me after all that is an apology. But I’m really glad.
“Hey, it’s okay! I forgive you. Trust me, when I first got on this ship, I had a similar reaction. I was freaking out big time. So I don’t blame you.”
Simon looks a little confused, turning his head to look at me.
“…When you first got here?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of a long story, and a complicated one at that. But the gist is I was put on this ship for a mission against my will. So naturally when I woke up here, in the middle of outer space, I was super freaked out. It took some getting used to, obviously, but you’re off to a better start. You’ve got me to help you!”
Simon smiles. He actually smiles after I finish talking. I mean, his lips barely moved, but I count it anyway. That’s still a frickin’ smile! Like I said, progress.
It quickly fades as he goes back to processing all the information.
“Right.”
“Sorry, I’d tell you more, but my story’s not that important right now. I’m honestly more concerned about yours.”
Didn’t mean to admit that so early on, but whatever.
Simon squints a little and frowns. Crap. I must’ve struck a nerve. Of course he doesn’t want to talk about his situation!
“Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t bring it up. I don’t really care what happened to you out there. Like, you don’t have to tell me your whole story. I just wanna make sure you’re okay, I guess. I-I haven’t met another human in like, a really long time, so I’m just a little jumbled-“
I catch myself rambling again, so I cut the talk short and sigh.
“Nevermind.”
Simon doesn’t look uncomfortable. He just stares back at me, nodding while silently understanding.
I lift a hand slowly close to Simon’s face.
“…Can I?”
I tilt my head to the side as a gesture to make sure he’s okay with this, and he eventually nods again. I notice him flinching a little as I place my fingertips along the bandages, but he doesn’t move away, so I continue.
I carefully pull the bandages on his face away, peeling each one off slowly. I try not to gasp as I take the bandages off, but it’s pretty hard not to. I’m sure my eyes widened, though. I’m met with rows and rows of small, sharp teeth. They jut out from Simon’s cheek and the corner of his mouth. Some are bigger than others, like the ones closer to his gums. A layer of red scales and flesh cover the side of his face, and a deeper red layer trails along where his eye is a different color. His pupil is thin like a snake’s, the actual eye a bright red with a dark pink-ish sclera. It’s hard not to stare, to be honest. My eyes follow the rest of Simon’s body as I take off the other bandages. I make sure my hands are moving slowly, though. I can’t help myself, and I carefully press a few fingers against Simon’s neck and chest. His flesh is more splotchy down here, but the scales are still there. I confirm that as I touch them, feeling the rigid but smooth texture against my fingertips. Simon flinches again, but not as hard. Probably just a reaction to my touch, which I just realized I didn’t ask him about. Craaaaap.
However, even as I sit here thinking about the awkwardness of this interaction, I don’t move my hand away. In fact, my fingers move to where my entire hand now touches his collarbone. The scales rub against my skin. My eyes stare wide at his arm, too. It’s entirely regrown, like a lizard’s tail after being cut off. The red scales are darker, and cover his entire arm. His claws are razor sharp, too, but super shiny under the fluorescents. I don’t move my hand much, just enough to feel the scales and confirm a few suspicions I had. Simon isn’t looking at me. He’s looking away, actually, and I think I can see him holding his breath. He looks a little uncomfortable, but not in pain or anything. I notice his cheeks get redder. Now is the time my brain actually starts to register how weird this really is, so I blink a few times and jolt my hand away.
“Gosh, I’m so sorry! I-I don’t really know why I just did that, I honestly should have asked you before. I was just insanely curious because of my stupid scientist brain, and I just wanted to make sure it didn’t hurt you in any way, which seemed correct, so that’s great! But not really that great considering your body is mutated. Kind of. I know that sounds bad, I’m still thinking of a better word-“
Simon cuts me off this time, which startles me.
“It’s fine. I’m alright. Just felt…weird.”
I sigh in relief and realize I’ve been awkwardly crouching this entire time. I pull a stool over and sit in front of Simon, pushing my glasses up and adjusting my posture.
“Good. That’s good, glad nothing hurt. How…do you feel otherwise?”
“…Okay, considering the circumstances.”
“Yeah, I figured. Does anything hurt at all?”
“Not really. Your freaky robot did a pretty good job at fixing me up.”
“Ha ha, right. I’m glad. Sorry if you were scared of that, by the way. I sure was when I first saw it.”
Simon shrugs.
“I’ve seen worse.”
I pause. This is the most concerning thing I’ve heard come out of his mouth, and I haven’t even known him for that long. But he didn’t look nonchalant when he said that. He looked…scared. Jeez, what did he see on that ship? Where was he before this? Alright, hold your questions, dumb dumb. Be patient.
“…Oh? Really?”
I laugh a little as I say this, attempting to break up the tension. I probably shouldn’t have questioned though, because Simon goes quiet again. His eyes dart around like our first interaction, and I feel my heart sink. Why couldn’t you just shut up, Grace?
“…You don’t want to know. I don’t…I don’t think I can talk about it.”
I think I can hear him trying to say more, but he cuts himself off by putting a hand up to cover his mouth. I feel like crying. I’m such an idiot.
But I know the obscene amount of apologies I normally do isn’t going to make Simon feel any better, so I just scoot my chair closer and let my emotions try to understand him better. He sniffles, muffled against his hand. I think about touching him, just as a gesture or something. I hear him quietly apologizing, though, and I lean in.
“I’m sorry. I can’t. I can’t do it. It won’t leave me. I shouldn’t be here.”
He mumbles more phrases similar to those, and I instinctively place my hand against his knee. He looks back at me when I start talking.
“Hey, hey, it’s alright. You’re safe now. You don’t have to tell me anything about the ship or whatever you went through. That doesn’t matter to me now. You’re gonna be okay.”
I’m usually not the best comforter in times of crisis, but Simon’s probably so distressed that any words of encouragement will be enough. I rub my hand a little against his knee. I’m hoping he doesn’t move away, and to my surprise, he doesn’t even flinch this time. He looks at me like a lost dog, and I’m reassured again. My brain takes the hint, and I slowly pull Simon into a hug. I usually don’t touch people in any way when I don’t know them, but these circumstances are much different than Earth customs. Simon needs help right now, whether he’ll admit it out loud or not. I needed someone when I was recovering my memories, trying to live through the loneliness, and he needs someone too. I grasp onto his back, but not too tight. I only hold on tighter when I feel Simon slowly but firmly hug back. He grips my shirt and holds on like he’ll never let go. He instantly melts into me, keeping his arms around me as his body slumps. His arms are surprisingly big. Jeez, shut up, brain.
He mutters similar words like before, but he mainly just repeats his apologies. I occasionally repeat my phrases too, reminding him that he’s okay. I hear him whisper one more time before he goes quiet.
He buries his head against my neck, and I blush a little. Forgot that I’m sensitive there. Crap. This is fine.
I find the courage to hug Simon tighter as I hold him in my arms. I’m really glad he reciprocated this, though. Part of me thought he would flip out or something. But I wasn’t scared he was going to hurt me. His entire body weight is against mine, and I’m happy to hold it, sharing and understanding his problems for a small moment in time.
He shifts a little and we break the hug. It lasted much longer than I was expecting, so this is going good! Well, as good as this type of situation can go. My expectations were fairly low.
As we separate, I think about our very first interaction.
“You know what’s funny? You called me angel when I took you out of that ship.”
I notice a little blush form on Simon’s cheeks. His eyes widen and he looks pretty surprised.
“…I did? Oh shit I did.”
“Don’t worry, that’s not a bad thing! I just thought it was cute.”
I laugh a little to ease the tension. I don’t want him thinking I hated it or something. If anything, I really liked it.
“It made me feel like…I don't know, like I truly saved someone. Like I’m a hero. I haven’t felt like that in a long time, not since I was put on this ship. So I’m glad we found each other.”
Simon smiles again, and I fight the urge to pick him up in another hug. He still looks away from me, but he smiles for longer this time.
“…Thanks. You are a hero. I still can’t believe I’m here right now. I’m…I was supposed to be dead.”
“But you’re not. Doesn’t matter that you were supposed to, no one should be trapped like you were. Now, I don’t know much about your story, but I can tell from that weld on the outside that you probably weren’t supposed to leave, right?”
Simon just nods. Goodness, this whole situation just keeps getting worse and worse. Maybe I should feel like an angel right now.
“Whatever, that’s over now. What matters is that you’re here. With me. And I can at least try to keep you safe. I’ll try my very best.”
“…I believe you. Thank you, I’m forever in your debt.”
“Pff, please. You don’t owe me anything. You get to live, that’s the payoff.”
His eyes glisten a little. Maybe from tears, maybe from a new found light in his eyes. He grips my pant legs and leans his head against my chest. Eep.
Simon sniffles a little, like he’s trying to hide the fact that he’s crying. My hand stays in midair awkwardly. I don’t want to push any further on boundaries, but I guess he’s moving first. So, I place my hand softly against his head. His hair is remarkably soft. His curls lay between my fingers. He flinches a little, but once he realizes it’s just me, he rests again. His grip on my knee tightens, and I can hear him whispering.
“I’m safe. I’m free. Finally, I’m free.” His voice is shaky.
It makes me feel better knowing nothing will hurt him now. We’re so close to Erid, I can feel the weight of being stranded in space lift off my shoulders. We can both start a new life. And I’m gonna make dang sure nothing ruins him again. It’s the least I can do for another person forced into something against their will. Before this, I wasn’t feeling very brave. After everything with Rocky and the fishing trip, I felt good, but still nervous about something. I could never tell what it was, I just had this stirring feeling inside me. Like I hadn’t fulfilled any purpose of my own, not the universe’s or Rocky’s. But now, I have a purpose. I have a person to look after, an actual human! We can both benefit from this, I know it. He gets another chance, and it makes me feel so good. Maybe this is my second chance, too, to do something for myself.