Starlight, Starbright
Pairing: The Convict (Simon) x Gender Neutral!Reader x (Very Light) Engineer!Mark
Word Count: 5.5K
Summary: After engaging with the Light in the Blood Ocean, both Reader and Simon are forced through a wormhole that dumped them on a strange, unknown ship in an unknown galaxy. Would they be allowed to stay? Or dumped out into space?
Warnings: Singular use of [Y/N], otherwise Simon has nicknamed reader Starlight.
A/N: Hellooo everyone! I promise you all I'm working on part 2 of Mutated Love, but hit a bump in the road and came up with this wacky idea instead! A crossover of Iron Lung and In Space with Markiplier. There will be some other small fics to tag along with this one about reader and Simon's interactions on the Invincible II, but for now this is what I've got. Who knows, maybe there will even be some Engineer!Mark x Reader alongside Simon? Let me know what you all think and enjoy!
"Simon- Simon please we need to leave!" You pleaded, your grip tight on the seat as he stood nearby, his eyes blown wide as he stared at the speaker before him as if coming to a realization, one you weren't aware of. If it wasn't for the sudden pounding in your head, which you assumed he was suffering from as well but was somehow masking it a lot better than you were, then the voices you were hearing surely clouded his own sense of hearing as they whispered and spoke the same promises to you both.
"Something isn't right- We shouldn't be here!" You pleaded once more as you attempted to move closer to him, your hand outstretched to grab his arm but the sudden throbbing in your head only worsened and you winced, moving your hands to grip at your head as the voices all but continued their sickly promises and talks about god, causing you to slowly curl into yourself as they grew louder.
"Simon-" You whispered as his gaze finally turned to you, immediately moving to be by your side before the sub was suddenly jostled forward, the movement so rough that it caused you to lose your footing and for your head to slam onto the corner of the console, your body going limp as you fell onto the metal flooring of the sub. Your vision swam as Simon crouched over you, having tripped but caught himself on the console unlike yourself. He yelled your name, you knew he was yelling because you saw his lips move yet your ears didn't register his words. The panic that grew in his eyes as he reached out to cradle your cheek to try and keep you awake as the sub was jostled once more, causing him to catch himself by extending his arms out beside your head and glare towards the front of the sub. Your vision slowly faded to black despite your best efforts to not fall unconscious, the voices slowly leaving you as you drifted off into a rather peaceful darkness.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
You felt something wet against your cheek; Not once, not twice, but three different times. You'd let out a small noise as you began to shift, your body all but aching and your head still pounding. If you were dead, surely you wouldn't be feeling this much pain, right? Let alone something wet against your cheek. Slowly you opened your eyes, trying to adjust them to the rather dull lighting in whatever room you were in, your ears slowly growing accustomed to the low humming of what sounded like technology around you. What really caught your eye though was the furry creature standing over you. It's fur, from what you could tell in the dark, was this pale golden color though most of it seemed to be hidden under a bright orange jumpsuit that hung off her frame loosely, her tongue hanging out of the corner of her mouth as she breathed heavily against your face.
Well, at least it wasn't an underwater mutated monster. You'd take the little win there and even allowed your head to fall back against the floor, your eyes shutting yet again as you began to relax against the rather cool flooring. Wait- Furry creature?
You suddenly sat up despite your body all but screaming in protest at the sudden action, the creature before you taking a few steps back before she happily sat before you, her tail wagging across the floor below her. So many questions ran through your mind as you stumbled ungracefully to your feet, your gaze finally being torn off the fuzzy looking creature and falling on your surroundings; You certainly weren't in the sub, that much was for sure. Everything was… Clean. New, almost; Not a single speck of rust coated any of the walls, the server towers behind you were what illuminated the room in a light blue color as they hummed with electricity and a warmth that was pleasant unlike the submarine where it felt like you were on the surface of the sun.
"Where am I…?" You began to question before a new if not more important question crossed your mind as you began to quickly look around the room, spinning at least once or twice and almost loosing your footing in the process.
'Where's Simon?'
You were about to move to try and find him but didn't take into account just how sick you felt, the room suddenly began to spin as you raised an arm to brace yourself on one of the server towers nearby, making a pained face as everything hit you at once. Your body ached in all the worst ways, your head continued to pound from where it had collided with the console on the sub, and the previous injuries you sustained while within the submarine were still very much present. You could only let out a shaky breath as you shut your eyes for just a few moments, though none of the pain ever subsided. As if sensing your pain, the creature whined and moved closer to you after rising to her paws, gently nudging your free hand as if to get your attention.
You looked down towards the creature through half lidded eyes, your brows furrowing together as you tried to get your thoughts straight. You needed to find Simon, that was top priority right now. After that you would attempt to figure out where you were and what this rather adorable looking creature was beside you. You were ripped from your thoughts just as they began to form though as you heard voices outside the door, the sound of boots on metal growing closer to the very room you were in. Not long after, the door let out a hiss as it opened to allow entry to whoever it was.
"Come on Chica, don't tell me you ran off in here again. You know you're not suppose… Too…" The man spoke, stepping foot into the room to look around before his gaze landed on you and his sentence fell into a long silence. His frame remained in the doorway, his eyes wide as he took in your rather beaten and ragged form through the light that shined in through the hallway. It honestly made your head hurt even more, but you wouldn't risk taking your eyes off this strange man.
"You're not Chica." He simply stated before he looked down towards the creature you now knew as Chica, who all but wagged her tail and made her way over to the man in excitement. She nuzzled against his hand before she turned to look at you with a small whine, her gaze flickering up to the male beside her in worry. Confusion quickly found it's way to your face as you slowly took in the features of this man who, for some very strange reason, seemed to resemble the very same man you were looking for. Same height, same features, though his hair was much shorter under the bright orange beret he wore atop his head.
"Simon…?" You questioned as you slowly straightened out; Had the alcohol you drank within that med-kit finally kicked in? Or perhaps it was the radiation poisoning? Or maybe even the lack of oxygen. Regardless of which reason it was, this man looked eerily similar to Simon but the look on his face after you mentioned the name clearly told you this man was not him.
"Simon? Who the hell is Simon?" The man questioned as he crossed his arms, cocking his head ever so slightly to the left as he continued his sentence. "Better question is who are you and how did you get into the server room?"
"I don't… I don't know how I got here." You answered truthfully, moving to take a step forward before your knees all but gave out under you and you began to fall. You allowed your eyes to shut and your body braced for impact, though you quickly realized you never collided with the ground and instead fell into something. Or better yet someone. As you opened your eyes again, you shifted your gaze to the ground below before you turned your head to look at the man who, for some unknown reason, had stepped forward to catch you in his arms. You both remained in silence, just staring at each other intently before he began to clear his throat. Was that a faint blush you saw dusting his cheeks or had you gone crazy?
"You um, you really don't look to good." He inquired after having gotten a really good look at you; The main thing that grabbed his attention was the blood that ran down the right side of your head, the glazed look in your eyes also added onto it. Most of the blood looked dried from what he could tell, but there was still a nasty gash left behind that if not treated sometime soon would surely get infected.
"Given the fact that you just fell trying to take a single step, I'll just go ahead and carry you to the medical bay." He began as he shifted you into his arms, lifting you up bridal style before he adjusted you accordingly and continued his sentence. "We can discuss everything after you've gotten looked at and taken care of. Hopefully the Captain doesn't mind…" He muttered the last sentence under his breath, hoping you were too delirious to actually hear him before he turned and made his way out of the server room, the door opening with a hiss as he left with Chica following closely behind.
You wanted to argue with him, tell him you could walk just fine on your own and most certainly didn't need to be taken to any kind of medical bay, but after moving into the brightly lit hallway against your will, you decided to just shut your mouth as your head all but pulsed in pain as your eyes tried their best to adjust to the sudden change. You shut your eyes in an attempt to block out the light but it did little to no difference as the man walked under overhead lighting. After some annoyance, you decided to bury your face into the mans jumpsuit to try and make your surroundings as dark as possible which honestly seemed to help even if it was just for a fraction of a second. You heard hushed whispers as he carried you along, most likely from other people who inhabited this place, but at this moment you really couldn't give a damn what anyone had to say.
By the time you both had reached the medical bay, you had somehow fallen asleep against the man. He honestly hesitated in placing you down onto the medical bed, sensing some sort of need to keep you close to him, to protect you from… Something, but he couldn't place a finger on exactly what it was. Regardless, he reluctantly placed you down onto the bed to allow the medical team to being their assessment over you. He never left, only lingering in the corner of the room and out of the medical teams way as he kept a close eye on them, ensuring they never overstepped any kind of boundary that may even make himself uncomfortable. Throughout it all, Chica remained right at his side, as if she was waiting for her new friend to wake. He'd be around when you woke to answer any and all questions you may have had for him, though he still wanted his own questions answered. Like just where did you come from? Why did you look like you fought in a war of some kind? And just who the hell was Simon?
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
"And this is the Invincible II, my pride and joy." The man, who you've come to know as Mark, spoke with a wide grin as you adjusted the jumpsuit you had been given to get you changed out of those nasty, blood stained clothes you wore earlier. Whatever medicine this space ship had, it did wonders for you. You felt a thousand years younger and any pain you had felt earlier had long since gone. Sure you still had some bandages wrapped tightly around your head where the gash was from and across your forearms to cover up some of the cuts you received while on the sub, but the medicine didn't exactly instantly heal wounds. Regardless of that fact, you still felt fantastic.
"So… We're in space?" You questioned as you turned to look at Mark who nodded at your question.
"We are. Lightyears away from any known planet or solar system that we've been able to actually log but I assure you we're on the right course." He informed you as you slowly nodded, trying to take it all in at once. Somehow, someway, you ended up on a spaceship known as the Invincible II which was currently on a journey to take over 100,000 colonists in cryogenic suspension to a new planet to begin anew.
"And… All the planets and stars are still here? None are missing?" You questioned again, watching as Mark's face contorted into one of pure confusion as he gently petted Chica who sat nearby; Mark had kindly informed you that the 'fuzzy creature' you kept mentioned was none other than a dog named Chica who, to your suspire, was also a very valuable member of the crew. He had begun to spiral into insanity when you mentioned that where you were from, animals had long since disappeared. Little did he know the current question you were asking was about to send him into an even bigger spiral of insanity.
"Missing?" He said with a laugh before continuing. "Why would they go missing? I mean, sure the stars die out every so often but nothing ever just… Vanishes." He finished, looking at you as if you had grown another head or suddenly sprouted teeth along the side of your head.
"Where I'm from an event known as the Quiet Rapture happened… All the habitable planets and stars just suddenly… Vanished. We were forced to live on space stations just floating about space." You informed him which caused him to fall silent real quick, his eyes growing wide.
"Wait wait wait- Just suddenly vanished?" He questioned as you nodded, adjusting the fingerless gloves you were given before you sat yourself back down onto the medical bed, looking down at Chica as she all but forced her furry body between your legs, her head resting against you as she sat herself down. You couldn't help the small smile that graced your lips as you gently reached out to pet her, your fingers running through her soft fur as her tail swiped across the floor below her.
"Vanished without a trace. It's what forced a group known as the COI to begin investigating leftover moons for any sign of life or information as to what occurred." You began, making a pained face as you kept your gaze on Chica who began to sense your unease and anxiety and moved even closer to you.
"I was apart of Eden," You began, motioning to the tattoo that was burned off the side of your neck, "one of the larger space stations at the time that contained the last few trees in the universe. Eventually with lack of resources, the COI and Eden clashed which… Caused a fight that lasted quite a few days." You continued to tell your tale to Mark, though you never dared to lift your head to look at him and decided to keep your gaze on the fluffy companion between your legs. In a way she brought you some comfort as you told Mark your rather traumatic and depressing past.
"The fight ended on Filament Station when it exploded. The COI arrested me and Simon as a result despite our surrender and enrolled us within the conviction realization program. In that program, we were sent to explore AT-5, a moon that contained an ocean of blood, in a submarine that they welded us into. At first things were fine for awhile but little did we know something was living down there… In the end, after so much damage to the submarine and to ourselves, we were led to something that we thought was another person who could help us escape. But I guess that resulted in me being here." You finished recalling it all to Mark, though flashbacks began to hit you as hard as you hit your head on the console in that sub.
Flashbacks to you and Simon being welded into that sub, of the blood ocean itself, of the monster that hunted you down like sport just to drive you to the point of insanity so you'd become a part of Her in the end, of the so-called Light you and Simon made your way towards after the COI had all but deemed you both dead. It made your stomach churn and your heart ache the more you recalled, just where was Simon? Was he somewhere on this ship with you? Perhaps he was transported to a inhabitable planet where he was safe, somewhere nice with tall trees and lush green grass where he could live out his life in peace.
"That... That sounds really rough… I'm so sorry that happened to you and your companion." Mark said with an exhale of breath, his eyes never leaving your form as you just fell silent and continued to stare Chica down, almost as if you were in some kind of trance. He didn't know exactly what to say. I mean, who does after being hit with that much information all at once? Not to mention it wasn't the good kind of information either.
He barely knew you yet you were more than willing to tell your story to him, to place that trust in him and he was glad that you did. He wanted to understand you better, to get to know you more, to find ways to help you through whatever it was you just came from. You wouldn't be leaving this ship anytime soon, that much he knew. Like he said earlier, the Invincible II was far away from any inhabitable planet that they could leave you at, so you'd just have to become part of the crew. He just hoped that the Captain would be alright with the idea.
Just as he was going to speak, shouting could be heard from the hall. A voice Mark hadn't heard before but clearly you knew who it belonged to with the way you suddenly sprang from the bed, scaring Chica in the process.
"Don't fucking touch me!" The voice shouted from the hall, rough and hoarse and overall just exhausted. You knew that voice; It was Simon. Quickly you dashed out of the medical bay, following the commotion with Mark right behind you. By the time you turned the next corner, a yelp was ripped from your throat as you stumbled backwards but quickly caught yourself this time. Looking up at what you collided with, your eyes widened immediately.
"Simon!" You exclaimed, quickly wrapping your arms around his frame as you buried your head against his chest, even if he did still wreak of blood. His body tensed as you suddenly engulfed him in a hug, his breathing ragged as he tried to comprehend just what was happening and just who was touching him.
"Starlight…?" Simon spoke as his vision finally became clear, wrapping his arms around you as he pulled you in close to him, burying his head into your hair and tightening his hold mere seconds after when he began to realize you were actually here. You were safe, you were real and not some trick his mind was playing on him; He could smell the fresh shampoo in your hair, the smell of antiseptics on you from your injuries and overall, he could feel your heart beating. It was enough to finally force his body to relax.
His thoughts began to leave him as he realized you weren't stuck in that blood ocean, welded into that sub alone without him and on the verge of death. Slowly his body began to go limp against you as the exhaustion finally caught up to him, causing you to squeak as Simon passed out against you. You struggled to keep his large frame up, but Mark was quick to help you lift him and carry him to the medical bay without another word spoken. Mark had a lot more questions that yet again needed to be answered, at least this time you were awake so he could ask them.
You had kindly asked Mark and those within the medical team to stay outside the room after Simon had been properly treated; You didn't want to risk him getting violent with the few people who were kind enough to actually patch you both up and not throw you out into the vacuum of space. Mark gladly ushered the medical team out after your request, telling you that it was no worry at all and gave him time to quickly run an errand while you waited on Simon to wake.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Currently you were sat in a seat beside Simon's bed, his hand in your own as you gently ran your thumb over the back of it as you quietly looked him over. Similar to yourself his forearms had been bandaged tightly to help the healing process of the wounds he suffered, and although the remainder of his body seemed to be clear of any other noticeable injuries, there was this lingering scar across the bridge of his nose that flushed the skin there a faint red. You were almost certain it was some effect from the blood on AT-5 that had shot across his face and into his eye, but the medical team had assured you no harm would come from it though it would remain like that for the remained of his life.
You couldn't help the shaky breath that escaped you as you released your hold on Simon's hand, putting your head into your own hands as you shut your eyes upon feeling the sudden flush of welling tears. You had found Simon and, for the most part, he was safe. You were both safe, but something inside you didn't feel safe. Was it really that simple? That you both managed to escape that hell hole without something much more serious happening? What would happen to everyone else that was left behind? Would that thing be able to find you all the way out here? Wherever here was? The more and more your mind thought, the more and more you began to spiral as you tried to come to some kind of understanding of it all.
It was all too much in the end, your body began to shake as you did your best to conceal the broken sobs that escaped you in your seat though even that was becoming difficult. You were exhausted, both mentally and physically and honestly? You prayed to whatever god was out there that this was the peace of mind both you and Simon deserved, the freedom you both so desperately wanted. Through your sobbing, you didn't even hear as Simon began to stir in his bed, his gaze snapping awake when he began to hear your quiet sobs.
"Starlight? Hey hey... What's wrong?" Simon spoke quietly, shifting in the bed to gently reach out and place his hands over your own; Despite having just woken up, you were his first and only priority. He could figure out the rest later with you beside him. Your gaze suddenly snapped up onto him, tears still vividly falling from your eyes as you attempted to speak, but it was as if the air in your very lungs was ripped away from you. Simon could only frown seeing the tears, his thumbs moving to wipe away the tears before he shifted and pulled you in close to him. He felt you bury your head within his neck, felt the tears begin to soak the shirt he was given for the time being and it made his heart ache at hearing your hiccups and sobs.
"We're alright… We're gonna be fine… Shh shh…" Simon began to console you, gently rubbing your back as he swayed you both from his spot on the bed. To be quite honest, he wasn't sure if you both were gonna be alright. You were somewhere entirely new, in a galaxy he was almost positive neither of you could plot on any type of star map, with a crew that neither of you were able to fully trust. Despite that, Simon would tell you whatever lies you needed to hear because regardless of the situation, you both were together and he was okay with that. You'd get through this crazy adventure together, one way or another, just as you were doing together back in the sub.
After several long minutes, your sobbing died down to quiet sniffles which caused Simon to gently move his hands to your shoulders and push you away just enough to see your face. He quickly took notice of your reddened eyes, the tear stains that ran down your cheeks and moved his hands back to your cheeks to gently rub at your eyes and any remaining tears that lingered.
"How do you feel now?" He questioned to which you hummed, moving your hands over his once more as you spoke in a hushed voice.
"Better… Thank you, Simon…" You informed him, gracing him with one of your small smiles. Simon couldn't help but return the smile, bringing you down to gently press a kiss to your forehead.
"You're welcome."
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
After your little session in the medical bay, Mark was kind enough to get Simon a jumpsuit of his own to match your own; Dark in color as if to match the clothes you and Simon had previously worn while on the sub, a pair of fingerless gloves and a new pair of black combat boots. Simon was quick to grab the medallion you both had found within the submarine and after several questions from Mark, tied it back around his wrist without another word. Attached to your jumpsuits were quickly made tags that Mark insisted everyone needed to have. You could only guess that it helped keep tabs of everyone on the ship, or perhaps sorted them into their respective departments.
Simon's simply read 'S0013' which you couldn't help but snort at; Regardless of where you were at, it would seem the numbers of that submarine would haunt your remaining days for however long you lived. Simon even asked Mark what the chances were of getting a new number, but Mark just gave him a questionable look and went about making your tag which read 'R5140.' You weren't quite sure what it stood for, but honestly you just shrugged your shoulders and went about it without a care in the world.
Once you both were ready, Mark began to lead you guys through a series of halls, informing you both that you would be meeting the Captain of the ship and they would be the one to decide whether you both could stay or if something else would occur, but he did his best to assure you that the Captain was a nice person and that they wouldn't dare do anything of the sort to cause you both harm. Regardless, it had your mind racing but before it could spiral out again, Simon was quick to distract you as he lanced his fingers with your own, giving your hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance. It relaxed you in mere seconds and you moved yourself close to Simon's side out of instinct.
It took quite awhile and you passed through several parts of the ship that interested you, but eventually you three stood just outside the main doors that lead into the main control room. Mark turned to face you both with a rather serious expression, something that just didn't look right on his usual cheerful face as you had noted thus far.
"Are you ready?" He questioned, his hands on his hips. You and Simon could only glance at each other before looking at Mark and nodded. He flashed a quick grin, spinning on his heel before he placed his hand on the panel beside the door. It opened with a hiss and the dual doors opened wide to reveal the large control room. Various screens littered the walls, a large control panel in the center of the room where someone stood with their back turned to the both of you, but that wasn't what grabbed at your attention.
It was the large window that looked directly out into space. You heard Simon's breathing hitch, your eyes growing wide as you stared out into space, at all the stars that littered its dark sky. It was beautiful and it simply took your breath away; You honestly hadn't realized just how long it had been since you've seen a sky full of stars like that. It left both you and Simon distracted long enough that you didn't even hear the person clear their voice in front of you. Snapping out of the daze you fell in, you turned your attention the person before you who, for some odd reason, wore a helmet to hide their face. Their jumpsuit was certainly extravagant and very clearly read 'I'm the Captain.'
"Captain," Mark began, now standing beside them and motioning to you and Simon. "These are the two I was telling you about earlier."
The Captain turned their attention from Mark to you and Simon, taking a step forward and extending a hand to you. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the two that are causing such a ruckus on my ship… May I put a name to a face?" They questioned and Simon was the first to act, taking the Captain's hand in his own after letting go of your own hand.
"I'm Simon. This is [Y/N]." Simon told the Captain, motioning to you at the mention of your name. It felt weird hearing it fall from Simon's lips, so used to the nickname he had given you. You gave a small nod of your head towards the Captain, taking their hand after Simon had let go.
"It's nice to meet you. I apologize for any trouble we may have caused you and your crew…" You apologized, though you weren't exactly sure for what. It just felt like the right thing to do; You wanted to make a good impression after all to ensure you both could stay. The Captain only let out a laugh at your response which caused you to blink.
"Ah please- We could use a little excitement here every once in awhile, though with Mark around there seems to be enough of that." The Captain informed you which left Mark slightly blushing at the comment, completely lost for words as any remark seemed to die on his tongue. It caused a small laugh to escape your frame while Simon let out a small grunt of a laugh.
"Regardless, Mark had informed me of your… Situation." The Captain's tone switched to something more serious which had you and Simon standing at attention, your hearts all but pounding in your chests. You were pretty good at reading people's faces but with that helmet on, you couldn't tell just what the Captain was feeling or possibly thinking and it made your heart pound even harder in your chest.
"I would like to propose something to you both. A deal, if you will." They began and Simon immediately began to make a face; He was tired of deals, tired of false promises that fell on deaf ears. Seeing the face Simon made, the Captain quickly added on. "I promise it will benefit all of us in the long run."
"Go on." You urged the Captain, already getting squeamish in your boots the longer they took to answer.
"You both help out around the ship. Whether it's with Mark and the other engineers or perhaps with the astroid defense systems. Whatever you're good at, I want you there." The Captain began, shifting their weight as they held their hands behind their back, looking between you and Simon. "If you can't find something to help in, we'll find you something to do. In return, you are allowed voyage upon my ship. Whatever you need we shall provide. Seem fair?" The Captain finished.
You turned your head to look at Simon who in return did the same; It was as if a silent conversation was happening between you both but in reality it was a simple answer to give. There was nowhere else to go unless they decided to kick you both out into space and as nice as it would be to see the stars again on a closer level, you'd like to do so within the confines of a spaceship. Turning to look at the Captain, you gave a nod and extended your hand out to them. "You have a deal."
The Captain must surely be smiling under that helmet because as they took your hand, they spoke in a rather joyful tone.
"Welcome to the Invincible II."
