#unpresented reader

[moss-in-my-shoes]

YESSS the heat & rut fic was perfect, im so glad you see my vision. now how about some abo angst as a treat >:)

so reader has been on the hail mary for a while and is adjusted. they’re close with everyone and at the point of calling the guys dad and pa. one day, they’re being a bit of a menace/danger to themselves somehow (whether it be messing around with tools/equipment, maybe not taking proper care of themselves and refusing to sleep, etc) and won’t listen to simon, grace, or rocky. simon gets fed up watching his pup needlessly risk their health while his omega is trying to hide his distress, and decides enough is enough. with the best intentions he scruffs his pup to bring them to the nest.

however as you’ve said - asora was not a kind place and reader’s family would dole out unnecessary punishments. i can see scruffing being used, especially to drag them to the closet while preventing them from fighting back. so reader PANICS. even though they know simon is safe and would never do something like that, scruffing has only been used against them to hurt them.

neither simon or grace expected this reaction - grace immediately is trying to calm reader down while simon is internally freaking out. eventually when everyone is settled, both reader and simon feel so guilty, reader for their body not trusting their pa and simon for hurting his pup. cue comfort and affection in the nest <3

this ended up being way longer than i meant but i simply have so many thoughts i can’t help it!!! as always, your writing is peak, thank you for feeding us well 🫶

- 💫

Uggggh bro I always love your ideas!! You’re so good at describing everything, it’s incredibly cool. Thank you for the kind words, I try!

All ya’ll just love putting Reader through the wringer also. I get more angst -> fluff asks than anything else. I obviously don’t have a problem with that! I find it very funny honestly lmao.

Ask and ye shall receive!

Project Hail Mary x Iron Lung x Reader (platonic!)

Reader is twenty, Simon is late thirties, Grace is early forties, Rocky is an old ass rock!

TW: references to past abuse, panic attacks, angst.

MDNI - Masterlist Here!

—

Scruffed

—

“That kid never takes a break, huh?” Simon and Grace stood in the doorway to what had become the general communal area in the ship, watching you pick up the 50th interest that week. It had gone from the hibernation habits of mammals, to how crystals formed, to how houses were constructed. Rocky sat with you as you glued together flat pieces of xenonite he’d made for you, essentially a puzzle of attachable pieces to make little buildings.

“Sure doesn’t.” Grace snickered, “I wonder what it’ll be next. Any movie we watch could set off the next hyperfixation, like when we watched Spirited Away and they binged every Studio Ghibli movie they could find.”

“And all the drawings.” Simon tacked on, chuckling to himself as he remembered the bin in the storage room full of your artwork. The two men grinned at each other, Grace quickly tucking himself under Simon’s arm and continuing to watch you, getting a whiff of Simon’s comfortable scent of soil and morning dew in the grass. He closed his eyes to nuzzle closer and take it in, enjoying the peaceful moment.

He heard you mumble something, moving around the room, grabbing what sounded like a chair; what could you possibly be doing now? He only opened his eyes when Simon’s content smell went murky, peering up in confusion and immediately understanding why.

Rocky had stepped away for a moment and you’d taken the opportunity to clamber onto a chair to dig through a particularly high shelf, searching for- for whatever you needed.

“Hey- [Name]. Get down, that isn’t safe.” Grace tried, but you didn’t get down, continuing to dig, “just a sec! I’ve almost got it!” The omega in him whined quietly in worry when you got on your tip-toes, the chair obviously unsteady with the uncentered weight you were putting on it. Simon growled a warning, nothing threatening, but something that made you wince, “I promise! Just need..” you pulled out a small pencil box, something Rocky had hidden away when you stayed up hours past communal bedtime drawing. How you knew it was up there was a mystery, but Grace was more concerned with you not getting down.

You stood flat on the chair and dug through the box, too distracted with your search to see Simon come up behind you and pluck you off the furniture. You made a surprised sound as he put you back on your feet, “No more getting up on chairs.” You gave him a look, sass you’d most definitely gotten from Grace, but went back to what you were doing with little thought.

Simon huffed, “don’t sass me.”

“I’m not sassing. I didn’t even say anything.”

“You know how you looked at me.” You grumbled in response, “I was fine. It was just a chair.”

“M’kay. That’s it.” Simon didn’t sound angry, more frustrated and a bit exasperated, but suddenly the pencil box hit the ground, you were not on your feet, and you couldn’t move.

You were being scruffed.

“If you can’t keep yourself safe then you’re going in the nest.” Simon sighed, holding you up easily with one arm. You were completely immobile, dangling off the ground. It didn’t hurt, but it scared you, felt claustrophobic, felt too familiar. You let out an involuntary sound of panic, whining like you were being attacked, “put me down!! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!”

Simon flinched, immediately setting you down and letting go, the sound of your panicked voice startling the alpha to his core. You rushed over to Grace and hugged him, tucking your face away under his arm to hide. The omega immediately wrapped you up tight, chittering comfortably to try and calm you down as you clung to him for safety. You were mumbling apologies into his cardigan, no amount of shushing and reassurance calming you down.

“Pup..” Simon tried to get closer, but backtracked when you jumped, holding on tighter to Grace. His hearts clenched, hands shaking as he kept his distance. Rocky trotted back in, stepping into the middle of the chaos, “what happened? Question. Rocky not gone more than five earth minutes!”

“Just a little mishap Rock, it’s okay.” Grace picked you up, letting you wrap your arms around his neck as he supported your legs, “Rocky? Can you grab the pieces [Name] was using? I’m gonna put them in the nest.”

“Yes yes yes.” Rocky started gathering the pieces, not noticing the glance Grace gave Simon, confused and worried, something that said, “give us a minute.” Without verbalizing it. Everyone’s scents had gone murky and scared, an edge to the space that followed you and Grace into the “don’t go crazy” room. He got you settled, laying you down and tucking you in before curling up beside you, “want to tell me what happened back there?” You shook your head, hiccuping quietly.

“Well, I think you should. What made you so scared? If we know, we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” You sniffled, wiping your face with your sleeve, “don’t like bein’ scruffed.”

“Why? Does it make you claustrophobic? Is it because you’re off your feet?”

“No- no. It’s..” you told him of an instance that stood out to you in particular, something clear as day that had shaped you as a person.

Your eldest brother had scruffed you for the first time when you were ten, using it to drag you to a closet so you wouldn’t thrash and fight back. He locked you inside and left you there, screaming and banging on the door. Your little brother had snuck you a few snacks under the door, but that had gotten him in trouble and he never helped you again. The isolation was mind-numbing, cold with nothing to keep yourself warm with besides the clothes on your back, dark and scary when shadows turned into monsters when stared at for too long.

You were stuck in there for three days and came out a different person. Something in you wasn’t the same after that, everyone noticed, nobody cared.

Grace had gotten paler and paler during the story, looking downright horrified as you finished, “I’m sorry.” Your voice cracked, you hated crying, but felt like you did it all the time, “I know Pa wouldn’t hurt me, but my body doesn’t know that. My body doesn’t trust anyone or anything- and I can’t blame it! People who were supposed to love me and keep me safe didn’t..didn’t do that. Now my body is convinced that everyone will turn around and hurt me eventually. I don’t know how to make it stop.” Grace reached out to cradle one of your hands, rubbing his thumb over it soothingly, “I’m so sorry that happened. What they did to you is despicable, you never should’ve been treated that way. You’re an amazing kid, bright and curious, full of a life we were truly missing on the ship. We love you and we want you happy. Simon only scruffed you because he didn’t want you hurting yourself, not to lock you away, but to settle you down in the nest. I swear.” You sighed wetly, sniffling again, “He didn’t do anything wrong, but he probably thinks he did.”

“Maybe, but everything will be okay. You guys can talk it out, yeah?” You hummed, tired, “yeah.”

Simon sat down in the very same chair you’d been using before, burying his face in his hand. Being a dad was hard- harder than he thought it would be. He felt like at every turn he was doing something wrong and then suddenly you were afraid or upset, like he just couldn’t get it right. He wanted to be the best he could be for his pup, omega, and alien friend. How could he be the best for the very small pack he had when he could barely get parenting right?

Why couldn’t he get it right??

“Simon.” Rocky stood beside him, gently tapping his knee, “[Name] okay. Statement. Simon okay too.”

“Rock. I have no idea what I’m doing, what if I keep messing up?” He felt like his mouth was a leaky faucet he couldn’t turn off, “what if I hurt them in a way I can’t take back? Traumatize them more? [Name] is so damaged and I..and I keep making it worse.”

“Not make worse! Make better!”

“Look at what just happened!”

“Simon didn’t know. [Name] go through many things, too many for pebble. Bad bad bad people hurt [Name], not Simon’s fault pebble not feel safe sometimes. Statement.” Simon groaned, hating how Rocky was continuously right when it came to detangling human emotions, like he could think much clearer than any human ever could, which was probably true.

“Yeah. You’re right.” He also hated admitting that Rocky was right, hurt his pride a bit.

“Rocky always right.”

“Pfft- whatever. I’m going to check up on them, want to come?”

“Yes yes yes.” Rocky and Simon walked into the “don’t go crazy” room, but Simon lingered at the doorway while Rocky sat beside the nest, placing a gentle claw on your back. You looked guilty, an ocean’s worth of emotions in your eyes, “Pa..”

“Hey pup, feeling better?”

“Yeah. I am.” You looked away, biting the inside of your cheek for a moment, gathering your thoughts, “sorry-“

“Please, don’t be. I know you’re not afraid of me. I didn’t know scruffing would affect you like that and I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.” Grace grinned, opening an arm for Simon, scent comforting and inviting, “get in here before pup starts crying again.”

“I wasn’t going to!!”

“You cry just as much as I do!” You flipped Grace off, earning yourself a quiet, “behave” and your hand being gently swatted at. You laughed, welcoming Simon into the nest to curl up and take a well-deserved nap.

“Love you Sapling.” A firm hand rested on your head, warm and familiar. You sunk into the touch, “love you too.”

—

That’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

- Moss Man

[moss-in-my-shoes]

Hope you don’t mind another Project Hail Mary and Iron Lung ask. I really like the photonic A/B/O. I keep thinking once they are on Erid reader gets zoomies, since they have plenty of room and in a new place. Or just burst of energy and needs to burn it off. Honey anything you write is amazing and I hope you are taking breaks

Thank yooooou omggg! And yes I am! This is super fun for me so when I take breaks it’s usually the time I take to write. I’m a-okay! Thank you for the concern!

I love a silly prompt and I’ve been writing a lot of angst recently so this is a good break in between, hope you enjoy!

Project Hail Mary x Iron Lung x Reader (platonic!)

Reader is twenty, Grace is early forties, Simon is late thirties, Rocky and Adrian are old ass rocks!

Masterlist Here!

MDNI

—

Feral Thing

—

The biodome was an act of scientific genius. You couldn’t imagine anyone on Asora could achieve anything as brilliant as this. A species that primarily relied on sound and echolocation with a very vague sense of sight had somehow manufactured a day and night cycle, weather, a beach, forest, and an entire home for you and your dads. Rocky insisted that everyone on Erid was eager to help and make your lives more comfortable after saving the stars and suffering in space for so long.

You’d been in space for way too long, cooped up, no place to let the energy out. You tussled with Simon and would clamber all over Grace on occasion, but that wasn’t what you’d been craving. The minute you were cleared and mostly recovered, you abandoned your shoes by the steps leading up to the house and started to run.

You dashed this way and that, doing cartwheels, rolling around, tossing sand everywhere. You were panting, sweating, covered in sand, and you never felt more alive. Your heart was beating around in your ribcage like a beat to a song and that song was open space to do whatever you wanted! The pup in you hadn’t been this free in such a long time, your scent strong and appeased, excited and ready to live.

You ran, jumped, and ran some more until Grace came walking by from his classes, smiling wide when he saw you digging a large hole with your bare hands. You tossed the sand aside, trying to see how deep you could go, dirty and disgusting in a way that made you feel like yourself. Crud under your nails, hands stained and coated in a layer of dirt, sand in your hair and scrapes on your knees. You perked up when you smelt him, sending him a smile as bright as the sun. He returned it with a wave before leaving you to your antics, assuming it’d be best to let you at it for a bit.

Rocky and Adrian came by soon after, walking around the biodome inside their specialized suits that made moving around much more efficient than the glorified hamster balls. They saw you standing knee-deep in the water, reaching down into the waves to pick up rocks, inspect them, then toss em as far as you could. You even skipped a few, getting more and more excited every time you managed to skip them further and further. Rocky hummed in question, looking up at their mate. The larger Eridian trilled down at Rocky, the two agreeing to go their separate ways for a moment.

Rocky went up to the house to check on Grace and to talk about lesson plans while Adrian trotted up to the edge of the water, “Little note, why are you so dirty?” They could echolocate the dirt and sand all over you, though a lot had washed off in the ocean, “Hey Adrian!” You turned in the water so fast you sloshed it around, getting the edges of your shorts wet, “this place is awesome!” Adrian made a sound akin to laughter, opening their front arms for you. They wrapped you up the moment they could, taking a claw and dipping it in the ocean to gently wipe dirt smudges from your face.

“Adriaaaan! I’m not that dirty!”

“I’ve seen pebbles fresh from recess cleaner than you.” They finished their affectionate cleaning with a purr, “do you wish to come up to the house with me?”

“I want to stay down here a little longer.” Adrian stood up, stretching out their long limbs, “I will call when Grace and Simon start dinner.”

“Okay! Thanks!” You waved as they left before getting back in the water, giggling when the cold touched your skin. It was about an hour later when Adrian called for you, but they got no response.

“Simon?” Adrian stepped into the kitchen where Grace and Simon stood in front of the stove, “what’s up Dri?”

“I called for [Name], but they have not answered. Where do they usually go in the biodome?” Simon perked up, “they didn’t answer?” Adrian shook their carapace in an imitation of the humans they cared for, “They were in the water last, not there anymore.” Grace’s scent went from content and happy to being tainted with a twinge of worry, but Simon kissed his cheek to calm his nerves, “I’ll go find them, you guys finish up dinner.” Grace nodded, “alright, call if you need us.”

Simon pulled his boots on and made his way around the biodome, searching spots he could smell your lingering scent in. It made him a bit giddy, the smell you left everywhere was happy and excited, making the alpha in him very very happy. His pup was happy and safe wherever they were.

He went into the forest last, your scent the strongest in the trees. He came upon you finally, taking fallen branches and building some kind of fort. You whipped around when he stepped into the small clearing you’d found, “Pa! Hi!” You put a branch down and rushed over to hug him, watching him make a face that was adoring and loving, “pup, you’re a mess.”

“Adrian said the same thing.”

“Have you been rolling around in the dirt?”

“More or less, yeah.” Simon playfully rolled his eyes, wrapping his arm around you to start leading you back to the house, “it’s dinner time, but you need to wash up before you eat. Okay?”

“Yeah yeah, I know the deal.” He shook you a little at your sass, making you snort. Grace and Rocky stared in amusement at how dirty you were when you walked inside, ushering yourself to the shower before you tracked grime everywhere.

You watched the gunk go down the drain, suddenly very tired, like you could sleep for a hundred years. You barely got dressed before you collapsed onto the couch, face first and out like a light.

The four others in the house watched, a collective thought shared between them.

A mutual love for their pup.

—

That’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

- Moss Man

[moss-in-my-shoes]

Loving the a/b/o bloodymary x reader series!

Only if you are interested, and all good if not, may I ask how you'd think Grace and Simon (and Rocky) would react if pup reader hid injuries / tried to treat own wounds. Cause they had to do it on their own then they were one the other vessel (bonus points is reader used diy medical supplies to fix own wounds/injuries cause they were never allowed to use the actual medical supplies and would be punished if they were found using it) please and thank you!

Gaaaasp! Yes! Love some angst (as we all know) thank you for the request and kind words!

Project Hail Mary x Iron Lung x Reader (platonic!)

Reader is twenty, Grace is early forties, Simon is late thirties, Rocky is an old ass rock!

TW: Mild injury, blood, infected burns (so kind of gross be aware), medical jargon, references to past trauma, angst, past child neglect/abuse, references to substance abuse.

MDNI

Masterlist Here!

—

First-Aid

—

Being used to living off scraps and whatever garbage you could find was a useful skill, developing to become extremely crafty over the years. You knew how to sew, fix furniture with a barely coherent selection of tools, get stains out of literally anything, and could have a PHD in botched medical care.

When your little brother sliced his foot open on a loose floorboard in your old home, you stitched him up good as new and fixed the floor. When your dad would come home, completely out of it from whatever he took, you knew just what to do to make sure he didn’t die on the floor and would make it to see another morning. Your eldest brother broke his arm when you were teenagers and you wrapped it up so firmly that you had to saw through the wrappings when it finally healed.

All in all, you were a fixer because it’s what kept you and your family alive for so long.

The shitty thing was how that translated on the ship you’d been sent into space with. Your crewmates withheld many things from you, ignoring their instincts that probably screamed at them to protect you. Most alphas and betas had the natural instinct to protect, especially when it came to pups and omegas, but the ones you met on that mission were hostile and cruel.

You were deprived of food besides rations, water was only allowed once the dehydration started giving you nosebleeds, and medical supplies was completely out of the question. You once stole a mostly empty tube of disinfectant and got slapped by an alpha so hard you saw stars, causing a cracked tooth you ended up ripping out with pliers to lower the risk of infection.

You still had it funnily enough.

Anyways, that led you here, where you weren’t sure what line could be crossed when it came to medical supplies on the Hail Mary. Simon, Grace, and Rocky were kind, made it known that the food and water needed to be rationed but wasn’t being withheld. That was incredibly appreciated, but you’d never asked about bandaids or gauze. Armando fixed you up when you joined the Hail Mary crew, but it’d been months since and you only now needed any kind of medical attention.

You’d slammed your hand into one of Grace’s freshly-used burners by accident two weeks ago, the skin of your palm blistering and oozing. It was definitely getting infected, ached and itched like crazy, but you didn’t want to risk asking to use Armando- god forbid the first aid. You sighed something weary and instead made your way to the storage room. It smelt like Grace, that nice scent of freshly printed paper and an ocean breeze, something that made your pup mind a little more at ease as you searched one-handed for something no one would miss.

You found an old piece of scrap fabric and figured it would be enough, grabbing a small amount of soap and sitting up on the bathroom’s sink counter to begin your shitty medical practice. You washed it with the soap and water to clean it, put a wad of fabric over it, then used the remaining cloth to firmly wrap up the burn.

It hurt. A lot.

Better than getting the shit smacked out of you though. Anything was better than that..

You must’ve smelt in trouble or hurt- or something, because suddenly there was a knock at the door. You smelt Simon before you heard him, a protective scent of soil and pine, like a dense forest on a rainy day.

“Yeah?” You tried to make your voice even, but the pain made it waver. You smelt the worried tinge on the other side of the door, cringing at how you were probably about to get caught. You- you knew Simon and Grace were kind, but that traumatized part of you, a pup with a bruising face and bloody mouth didn’t want to risk it. Your inner pup was a feral thing, brought up on survival and violence instead of safety and consideration. It hated the way you so easily trusted these two- especially an alpha of all things.

You’d be dead if you didn’t, so you had to tell your instincts to shut up and let you handle it, because your instincts obviously weren’t the rational part of you- at least not anymore.

“Your scent smelt weird, like you were hurt. Can you come out so I can make sure you’re okay?” Simon’s voice broke you away from your thoughts, taking deep breath and trying to push aside old fears and take on new ones, “I..I don’t want to come out. I’m scared.”

“What’re you scared of?” Simon’s scent wafted through the crack at the bottom of the door, purposefully creating something comforting to make you feel safe, “I promise whatever it is, Rocky, Grace, and I are all here. There’s no need to be scared.”

“Promise you won’t be mad?”

“I promise.” You fiddled with the cloth on your hand, staring at it for a moment before finally talking, “I burnt my hand.”

“How badly?”

“Probably second degree. It hurts.” Simon’s scent went a bit murky, like a swamp in August, worried warning bells going off in his head, “why didn’t you go to Armando? Or tell us?”

“I didn’t know what I was allowed to use.”

“Allowed to use?” You nodded despite him not being able to see it, “yeah. Uh- the alphas on the old ship didn’t like when I used much of anything. I didn’t know what- medically speaking- was off limits.”

“Oh- pup. Nothing’s off limits. If you need it, you need it. We’re trying to save some of the pain killers so the Eridians can manufacture replicas when we get to Erid, but that’s pretty much it. Can you come out so we can make sure you’re okay?”

“You promise you’re not mad? You smell mad..” Simon hated the fear in your voice. He was mad, but not at you. He was mad at those sorry excuses for alphas that made you scared of using supplies, so scared that you’d rather haul yourself up in the bathroom and suffer by yourself. Simon was your pa, he had to take care of you.

“I’m mad, but not at you sapling. I promise.” You made a sound of acknowledgement and finally opened the door, letting Simon carefully unwrap your hand and get a good look at it. He winced at the infection that was steadily spreading, turning ugly colors and irritated. He ushered you to Armando and plucked you off your feet to sit you down on the examination table, giving Armando instructions to tend to the wound while he went to grab Grace and Rocky.

Rocky whined in concern, rolling up beside the table just as Armando finished his work. You thanked the robot, looking down at the alien with a sad look on your face.

“Simon say [Name] think [Name] isn’t allowed to use medical supplies? Question.” You averted your gaze even though Rocky couldn’t make eye contact, but Grace was on the other side of you. His brow was furrowed and his scent could drown you from how overrun with worry it was. They waited for you to speak, patient as the gears turned in your head, “When I was on my old ship, I got a bad cut on my arm. I grabbed some disinfectant from the first aid, almost empty because the alphas on board were constantly trying to kill each other fighting for dominance. One of them caught me with it and smacked me across the face, cracked my tooth, so I pulled it out with pliers.” The air in the room went cold, but you continued, “I wasn’t allowed to use anything in the first aid and we didn’t have much medical supplies on Asora, so I’ve always made due. I was scared to cross some invisible line again.” You flexed your freshly bandaged hand, feeling the sting of the burns, dulled by cooling gel and firm wraps.

Grace cupped your face and made you look at him, “They did what.” It was less of a question and more of a statement of rage, his eyes darker than you’d ever seen them, that bright blue now a murky ocean of crashing tidal waves. He took a very deep breath, “can I see your missing tooth?” You nodded and pulled the skin of your cheek back; showing off a missing molar. A growl burrowed deep in his throat, gritting his teeth as he stood to his full height, “I’ll be..right back.” He turned and left the room, making you whimper, “did I make him mad Rocky?..”

“No no no, Grace not mad at [Name]. Statement. Grace mad at bad humans who hurt pebble, needs a moment.”

“I didn’t mean to upset him though.”

“[Name] not worry, Grace is okay.” You looked around, “where’d Simon go?”

“Making special gift for pebble! Follow Rocky.” He rolled out of the room and you hopped down from the table to follow. He led you to the bunk room, where Simon was clipping the clasps of a plastic box shut, “there you are. Thanks Rock.”

“What’s that?”

“I understand being scared to ask for things, so I made you this.” He handed the box over, the words “[Name]’s first aid” scribbled on the front in marker. You gasped, eyes wide and enamored, “for me??”

“Yeah. I don’t want you hiding injuries from us, but if you get a small cut, burn, or need medication, it’s all in here.” He tapped the box gently, “you can keep it in your bunk or wherever, but it’s your’s.” He blinked when you hugged him, scent happy, clutching the box to your chest, “thank you.” He smiled and hugged you back, “of course.”

In the “don’t go crazy” room, Grace looked up a documentary on Alpha, Beta, and omega dynamics and instincts. He’d show you how actual alphas were supposed to act, so you’d know how truly terrible those people treated you. He sighed, placing the computer aside.

He wished he could do more.

—

That’s all for now! Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

- Moss Man

[moss-in-my-shoes]

hi i’m back with another omegaverse request because i adore it (and the last one you did was so good!!!!!)

if i remember right you are also an aroace ryland & simon truther (same 🤝) so what abt a situation where heats & ruts are less abt sexual interest, but more focused on protecting & taking care of the pack? ive seen some people write heats & ruts that way if a person/couple already has pup(s) or a pack they feel responsible for- they instead are affected by the caretaker side of instincts.

so ryland falls into heat (or an equivalent) and is immediately keeping reader close to him in the nest for the next week. he insists on having some level of physical contact the entire time. he’s extra protective - may even let out warning growls at simon if he gets a little too close to the nest when ryland has not yet given permission.

when simon falls into a rut (or an equivalent), he is constantly keeping a close eye on reader and ryland. they Must be safe in the nest at all times, preferably with his arms wrapped around them. he will not hesitate to sling someone over his shoulder if he finds them doing something unsafe (aka literally anything except resting in their nest). he’s not super verbal, speaking in short commands or animalistic noises.

okay i think that’s enough rambling for now but i love omegaverse and bloodymary and pup reader so i had to share.

i’m going to claim 💫 if that’s alright! (hopefully i remember to actually sign off in future asks LOL)

- 💫

UGH BRO YOU ARE FEEDING THE PEOPLE WITH THIS IDEA! FEED PEOPLE! FEAST! (And omg thank you so much!!! <3)

I do very much enjoy Aroace Grace/Asexual spectrum Simon and Grace. It’s a big spectrum and it’s fun to play around with ideas! Asexual/Aromantic people need more rep!!

I love love love this idea! I enjoy yknow the romantic and sexual stuff with omegaverse, but if that’s all people write about then it can get kind of boring, so I love when people switch stuff up!

Project Hail Mary x Iron Lung x reader (platonic!)

Reader is twenty, Grace is early forties, Simon is late thirties, Rocky is an old ass rock!

MDNI

TW: very brief and vague mentions of suggestive material, but nothing suggestive actually happens, but I’ll say it just to be safe. This is a platonic x reader fic.

Masterlist Here!

—

Heat and Ruts (Non-Sexual)

—

Grace’s Heat

It didn’t happen often- hell, it hadn’t happened since Grace had been on Earth. Even when he was, it was just a week of being a little restless and the tiniest bit horny, nothing crazy or outrageous. He understood why he hadn’t had a heat until now, stressed out and scared omegas didn’t have any as a defense mechanism. Your body turns the function off when it’s too dangerous for it to happen.

Now Ryland Grace is safe. He’s safe and cared for on the Hail Mary with his mate, pup, and best friend. His body is calming down, starting to function normally again. Though, he notices something strange, something he didn’t expect.

He doesn’t want anything sexual. He doesn’t have any embarrassing urges, no heat traveling down his skin, not even a sheen of sweat. He just really really really wants you to stay in the fudging nest. Ryland Grace’s pup was a restless thing, always doing something different whenever he checked up on them. You’d be reading one minute and then lying on top of Rocky’s ball the next, asking him a million nonsensical questions that he’d answer as best he could. Grace always found your antics adorable, watching you skitter around as you healed from your trauma over time.

He’d just tugged you back into the nest for the third time that day, even abandoning his own work to hold you close to his chest and scent you seven ways to Sunday. He heard your grumble and felt you relax in his hold, his anxieties about your health and safety ebbing when you were safe in his arms. His pup needed to be close! How could he confirm you were okay if you were in the plant room? Or the storage room? He wasn’t like Rocky with handy echolocation and the ability to see through walls, so you had to stay there with him.

“Love? Sapling?” Simon stepped into the “don’t go crazy” room where they’d all agreed was the best place to set up the nest for easy access to entertainment and nice rain sounds to sleep to. Grace felt a surge of irritation, like lightning in his veins that had him half-way sitting up over you and growling at Simon from deep in his throat. The alpha immediately took a few steps back into the doorway, hands up and crouching down to the floor to look less threatening, “woooah, hey. I’m just checking in. Gotta make sure my two favorite people are okay, yeah?” Grace glared at Simon, scent a bit sour and angry, still boxing you in protectively. He glanced down at you and received the most confused look he’d ever seen on his pup. You didn’t seem upset, but that look in your eyes could’ve asked a million questions on its own.

Grace leant down to scent you comfortingly before sitting back up, staring Simon down as you moved, sitting and turning to your equally as confused papa, “Dad is like..not letting me out of the nest.” You could physically see the gears turning in Simon’s head before realization flashed over his expression, “ah. I’ve seen omegas be like this on Eden. He has a pup, so when he goes into heat, he doesn’t want to make one, he wants to keep the one he has safe.” You awed a little, turning to Grace as he flustered, “daaaad, that’s so sweet.”

“Shush. Lay down and take a nap.”

“Wha- but I’m not tired!” You were pushed down anyways, Grace’s patchwork quilt tossed over you, “don’t care. Sleep.”

Your voice came out muffled and quiet under the thick blanket, “This house is a nightmare.” Rocky’s voice chimed in, “not house. Spaceship.”

—

Simon’s Rut

Simon had ruts before, annoying and terrible things that he had to lock himself away with to keep from embarrassing himself. He wasn’t a feral knot-head alpha like some people on Eden were, but he just- wasn’t comfortable walking around being that on edge. Every sense was turned up to ten and his blood felt like it boiled under his sweaty and gross-feeling skin.

He had a few ruts on the Hail Mary since he got there, but didn’t let Grace near him when they happened. He was going through not just night terrors and the ache and pains of his mutations, but also his body demanding he have a pup that very second. He wasn’t in his right mind, irritable and (he feared) dangerous.

Now he and Grace were mated, scarred-over bite marks decorating the junction of their necks and shoulders. Simon particularly liked the rings Rocky made that decorated their fingers. He also had a pup that space had blessed him with, a beautiful rascal he couldn’t possibly think of ever being away from. You were creative and smart, bright and talented. He watched you skitter around the Hail Mary, always able to cure your boredom with tasks or hobbies you’d picked up.

Hey, if it kept you from going crazy, Simon was more than happy to watch you do it. Now though, he was on edge at the thought you could be doing something dangerous. You could be messing with Grace’s equipment, digging through his tools, or-

Or standing on a chair and reaching for a book at the top of a shelf.

Simon made a panicked sound, a half-growl-whine thing that startled you. He quickly wrapped his arm around your waist and hoisted you over his shoulder; out of harms way.

“Wha?!- aye!! Pa! Put me down!” You squirmed, kicking your feet as Simon carried you with ease to Grace’s beautiful nest. He carefully dropped you inside, shushing your complaints with a stern look that had you shutting up fast. He immediately scented you as an apology, getting up again to go find his mate with a quiet, “Stay.” thrown your way.

You snorted when Simon came back with an equally peeved Grace tossed over his shoulder, dumped into the nest as gently as you were. Simon clambered in beside you both, holding you in his arm and wrapping a leg around Grace to keep you both close. Simon felt crazy, not able to stop peppering the two of you in kisses and his thick scent until he couldn’t smell anything but pine and soil on the two of you.

Grace tried to get up after a second, but earned himself a warning growl and a hand tugging him back down.

You tried to sneak away and had a horror movie moment when Simon grabbed your ankle and tugged you back.

You shared a confused look with your dad, but all Grace could do was shrug, “guess we just have to accept our fate kid.” And you did- until Simon fell asleep at least. You snuck out of the nest to grab a few things, unbearably bored being stuck, but a very loud and low growl made you jump like a startled cat. You heard Simon’s footsteps as he sniffed you out, in the doorway of the storage room instantly, “nest.” You blinked at the harsh demand, whining sadly like you were in trouble, pulling at Simon’s heartstrings, “I just wanted to grab some stuff..” Simon immediately softened at your sad tone, crouching down beside you where you had dug through art supplies and books. He grabbed everything from your arms and gently led you back to the nest, making sure you got in before setting everything to the side and curling back up with your asleep dad.

You smiled and grabbed a book to start reading, finally content with your week-long imprisonment.

—

That’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

- Moss Man

[moss-in-my-shoes]

i love abo so HEAR ME OUT…… alpha simon and omega grace with unpresented pup reader….. as much as simon is like who let an omega into space ?? they both lose their minds because who let a PUP into space???????? grace who has never made a nest before immediately wrapping reader up. like he doesn’t know what he is doing but his instincts are screaming yknow! i love omegaverse so i would love to hear any thoughts you have including reader as well

Omg anon you’re a genius, I love angsty fics so much and a/b/o is honestly so interesting to me!

Project Hail Mary x Iron Lung x reader (platonic!)

So, I do want to keep reader 20 years old just because I really don’t think an actual child would end up in space, even on a planet as terrible as Asora. We’ll say for the sake of the story that people don’t present until they’re 25, like how the human brain isn’t fully developed until then. Ya feel?

So in their eyes, you’re still a pup.

Spoilers for PHM/IL so be aware!

MDNI

TW: References to abusive situations, PTSD, angst, anger issues, you’re traumatized basically. Mentions of non-sexual grooming.

Post 2

Masterlist here!

—

Star child

—

Ryland Grace was a male omega.

He’d honestly never felt any need to act on his instincts like others did, going about his life like any average person. He acted more like a beta than anything else, but people knew he was an omega. He smelt like one, basically made his entire 8th grade class his pack, treated them like family, (especially when some of those kids didn’t have any family or came from troubled homes) and had all the natural functions of an omega.

He didn’t really get the point of nesting though.

He’d, on occasion, made a few crappy ones when the stress of life almost sent him spiraling, but a day-to-day nest wasn’t something he felt like he needed. Even after the man was sent up into space, he still didn’t feel the need to keep one around. He was sent up with plenty of items to make one, but those got moved into the “don’t go crazy” room on the Hail Mary to make movie watching with Rocky more comfortable.

His boyfriend, Simon, didn’t really get that about him. Simon was an alpha from an entirely different solar system who had been taught from a young age that omega’s were to be treated with the upmost respect. On Eden, omega’s were seen as leaders, caregivers, and level-headed in the face of a bunch of hormonal-driven alphas. They basically ran the place even as resources dwindled and people starved.

Ryland had asked about betas, but Simon looked at him like he was stupid.

Anyways, Simon thought the worst about the situation, imagining that Ryland wasn’t allowed to nest on Earth and refused to out of fear. He tried for at least a month to get Ryland to nest after becoming friends, scenting many items and leaving them out for Ryland to use.

Ryland appreciated the gesture, but had to explain to Simon that nesting wasn’t a big deal to him. Simon didn’t like it, his instincts screaming that an omega without a nest meant that they were too scared or stressed to make one, but he’d have to take Ryland’s word for it.

Asora was a terrible place, like if a child smushed together a bunch of puzzle pieces that didn’t fit and called it a picture. It was chaos, dangerous, violent, unsafe. You were groomed into making a deal with the space volunteer program that opened in your town and sent off before you’d even presented, shoved into a tin bucket spaceship with four alphas and one beta. The alpha’s fought all the time, pulling you in every direction, trying to make you take their side or agree with them to make a point.

“Even the pup agrees with me!”

“If the pup can understand this, why can’t you?!”

“I bet they could do this better than you- and they’re just a pup!”

The fact they could all acknowledge that you were a pup but still treat you like absolute garbage was something you mulled over many times in the dead of night. The nights where you slept on the cold ground of the closet you’d taken as your own with only a folded up jacket as your pillow and a towel as your blanket. You and the beta had been banished to the floor early on when there weren’t enough beds, but even though you and the beta shared this abuse, they didn’t like you.

The beta would sneer down at you, ignore everything you said, shove you out of the way.

The alphas, (when they weren’t trying to use you in an argument to make a point) snapped at you, snarled in your face, used that disgusting authoritarian voice to make you step down, anything to keep you quiet and out of the way.

Asora’s systems were badly managed and built with corners cut, ending up with you stuck with these repulsive people for months on end as you floated aimlessly through space. You thought you were a bad person when they all died and you couldn’t bring yourself to feel anything but relief.

There wasn’t any remorse, tears, or empathy.

All you felt was a sense of freedom as you slept in a bed and got a decent share of the food for once.

The isolation did start getting to you after a while, floating through space without a purpose. Your body craved comfort, a place to sleep that felt safe and didn’t stink with the smell of dried blood and bleach. You missed your siblings, even missed your shitty dad, your neighbors, people who probably forgot you the moment you were gone.

This ended with you stepping aboard the Hail Mary after being found by someone named “Ryland Grace”, praying to whatever fucked up gods were out there that whoever was on this ship wouldn’t be a repeat of situations that haunted you.

Ryland was immediately distressed, maybe the most distressed he’d been since waking up alone on the Hail Mary. You were so young, so scared, making yourself small as you stood in the airlock. You feared to get closer, trembling where you stood and looking around with a frantic expression.

“Is there an alpha here?..”

Ryland could throw up. You were so afraid of the chance of an alpha being there that you were prepared to skitter back into your ship and float away again. Ryland had held up his hands to make sure you saw how little of a threat he was, keeping his distance even as the omega in him screamed and thrashed.

Pup!! Pup left alone in space!! All alone! Scared! Need to put in nest! Needs to eat! Bathe! Sleep! Nest nest nest nest nest nest!! Make sure pup is safe safe safe safesafesafe!!

He finally understood why nesting was so important, why it was such a big deal. You were so scared and fragile, but he could keep you from shattering if he plucked you up and placed you in a soft and safe nest. He let out a comforting scent, fatherly and gentle on the senses, watching you inhale it and deflate a little, “there is an alpha on the ship-“ you flinched, backing up into the ladder you came down from, “but! But! He’s very kind. His name is Simon.”

“Alphas- alphas aren’t kind! He’s gonna- he’s gonna-“ you whimpered in terror, a sound that made Ryland tear up and quickly make his knees hit the ground to come off as less intimidating,

“I promise he won’t hurt you. He’s been taking very good care of me and Rocky- and he helps keep the Hail Mary running- and pilots! You don’t have to meet him right now, but I really want to make sure you’re okay. When’s the last time you felt safe sweetheart?” The pet name slipped out without a second thought, but Ryland saw how his words and scent made the last of the tension slip from your shoulders. Tears immediately started streaming down your face, stumbling over into Ryland’s arms, clutching at his shirt as he cradled you close, “there you go. You’re safe pup, don’t worry.”

He brought you to Armando and introduced you to Rocky, surprised at how the literal alien was less scary to you than the thought of an alpha being around.

What had they done to you??

He quickly ushered Simon aside as Rocky kept you company, explaining what had happened. Ryland had never seen Simon so angry, his scent coming off sour and murky as he grit his teeth, “they sent a pup into space with- with what?? An alpha?? Multiple??”

“I’m not sure, I haven’t gotten the whole story yet. They’re terrified of an alpha being aboard, so I need you to stay out of the “don’t go crazy” room for a bit, just so I can make a nice nest for them and calm them down.” Simon was still pissed, but he let himself deflate a little, nodding in understanding, “I won’t hurt them..”

“I know that, but they don’t. You can scent a few things so they can get used to your smell, then I’ll introduce you two, okay?” Simon agreed and Ryland “didn’t see the point of nesting until he found a pup in space” Grace got to work.

He wasn’t familiar with the process and started out clumsy and confused, but soon got the hang of it. He weaved blankets together to make a barrier, piled pillows around to create soft places to rest, dragged in one of the mattresses from the bunk room to use as a base, scented whatever he could.

Once you were fed, clean, and given the go ahead by Armando, Ryland set you up in the nest. He tucked you in, staying out of it to give you your space, watching you doze off. You, a pup, were safe and sound in his nest, where you belonged.

Slowly over time, he and Rocky managed to get you and Simon to meet without causing a freak out. It took many days, Simon scenting a bunch of Grace’s clothes, and peeks of each other from a distance before you came around to the idea of Simon.

Now you wouldn’t leave him alone. (Simon wouldn’t want you to anyways)

You clung to Grace and Simon as your parents, the neglect and abuse you endured causing a very clingy reaction. This was the first time people doted on you without expressing disdain for having to do so, making you feel loved and special. You ended up becoming a permanent crew member of the Hail Mary, accompanying them to Erid. Rocky promised no other alphas would be there when you got visibly nervous about the idea, as Eridians didn’t have a secondary gender like humans did.

Grace made sure you slept in the nest every night, cuddled up with him and Simon, safe between them. Nothing could hurt their pup if they were around and if you were safe in the nest.

Grace’s nest.

You were his pup.

—

That’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

- Moss Man (but with a million pride flags sticking out of the moss)

[moss-in-my-shoes]

It Was Three in the Morning

I am physically weak when it comes to making new AU’s. I tried and I failed miserably. So here ya go!

Project Hail Mary x Iron Lung x reader (platonic!)

A/B/O AU but not related to the one where they’re on the Hail Mary. This is more of a modern, non-space AU.

Reader is 20, Laika is 19, Rocky and Adrian are mid forties, Grace is early forties, Simon is late thirties.

MDNI

Masterlist Here!

TW: foster care system, inaccurate descriptions on how the foster care system works, angst.

—

“I’m tired of you two being brought in here. How many more phone calls are we going to get?” Laika (your best friend) and you sat in the office of the town sheriff. It could’ve been the second time or the hundredth time, you weren’t exactly keeping count.

“Laika at least has the sense to look guilty.” The sheriff sighed angrily, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I understand you both are in a tough situation, but you can’t be running around at night causing trouble.”

“We weren’t causing trouble!” You tried to defend, but the sheriff glared at you, that kind of glare only alphas could pull off, like an angry father or a mother about to throw a slipper at you, “Walking around on top of buildings at three in the morning is the exact definition of causing trouble! You two were trespassing and endangering yourselves! What bright idea had the both of you twelve stories up?”

“Recording a music video..” Laika mumbled, burying herself deeper into her worn jersey you’d sewn planet patches onto in highschool. The sheriff didn’t seem to like that answer, the crease in his brow deepening, “Laika, the social worker will be here in a second to pick you up.” You shared a worried look with the girl, were you about to spend a night in a cell? Was the sheriff that done with your shit? The anxiety festered and your scent turned sour with fear, making the sheriff soften in worry, “[Name], you’re getting placed with a foster family until further notice.”

“What?!” Laika gasped.

“What?!” You growled, complaints on the tip of your tongue, but there wasn’t a chance to ask anymore questions when an elderly man was let into the room. The social worker who was probably more like family to you and Laika than anyone else. You stood with Laika, angrily following the man out of the office and into the waiting room. The lady at the desk, who was always very kind to you both, waved with an excited smile. You had a feeling she heard about the foster family.

You and Laika were both unpresented, barely twenty years old, living in the system. You’d both grown up in it, stuck together like otters in a fast-moving river. She and you came from similar situations, bonding over the similar traumas you shared. You didn’t want to be separated from her, but the system didn’t give you a choice, not until you were twenty five anyways.

The social worker, Mr. Weston, ruffled Laika’s shaggy brown hair and gave your shoulder a comforting pat, “[Name], this is Rocky. He’ll be your foster parent for the foreseeable future.” You reluctantly looked up, eyes landing on a man who looked built to last. He had brown hair going gray, glasses perched high on his nose, olive skin, and looked like he hit the gym regularly. His jacket was big and green, full of pockets, probably used for work. He looked tired, which wasn’t a surprise since it was almost four in the morning.

You’d been sent to foster homes later than this; he could suck it up.

Rocky stood up and waited for you to join him, “bye [Name]..” Laika looked like she was about to cry, quickly doing your secret handshake before she was ushered out the door by Mr. Weston, who waved goodbye with a wish of luck.

You stood there anxious and angry, hands shoved in your hoodie pockets, refusing to look at Rocky. The man sighed, running a tired hand down his face, “C’mon, my car is out front.” You followed him, reluctantly tossing your bag into the passenger seat’s floor and clambering into the black pick-up. You and Laika learnt early on to carry all of your belongings everywhere you went, having gone from school to homes without any warning. That bag was literally everything you owned- which truly wasn’t much, but it was better that way.

Rocky got into the driver’s seat and started the car, reaching over to buckle you in before setting off into the night. You curled up in the seat, knees up to your chest as you stared out the window, watching the orange glow of streetlights pass by. Rocky’s scent was overwhelmingly fatherly, like he was made to have pups, but my god why did it have to be you??

“Like you heard, I’m Rocky. I got a phone call about an hour ago to see if I could take you in, so my mate should be setting up your room right now.” You internally groaned. Great. There wasn’t just one, there was two.

“Mm.” You replied, still not looking at him. He didn’t seem offended, driving for a bit longer until he pulled up to a rather large home in a typical looking suburb. You got out and grabbed your things, waiting until Rocky headed for the door before following, staring down at your shoes as he let you inside.

You didn’t want to memorize the home or what was inside, you wouldn’t be here long anyways-

“Rocky! You’re home! This must be [Name].” That made you look up, staring up at a blonde man who looked much too excited for how late it was. You were anything but that, the words angry and murderous coming to mind. The blonde smiled at you like the sun, the overwhelming scent of a happy (but albeit anxious) omega hitting you like a freight train, almost making you cough. Rocky smiled and kissed the man’s cheek, “I’m heading to bed, can you get [Name] set up?”

“Yeah, Adrian just finished setting up their room and Simon is still asleep.” You froze up, stopping dead in your tracks. How many people lived in this house?! Was there a whole pack in here?! You couldn’t help the anxiety that tainted your scent, gripping the strap of your duffle bag like it could ground you in reality. The blonde smelt it, immediately releasing a calming scent in return. You hated how it made your nerves settle, able to take a deep breath through your nose, “Sorry hun, that must’ve been a surprise. We do have a few more people living in the house with us, but they’re all very kind.” He held his hand out to you, “my name is Ryland Grace, but you can call me Grace.”

“You already know my name..” you snarked under your breath, shaking his hand unenthusiastically. His brow furrowed into something worried, but he didn’t seem angry, just that concerned look everyone always stared at you with.

You hated it.

Rocky made his way back to bed and Grace showed you to your room, “You have your own bathroom since this is normally the guest room. There are clothes in the dresser in all kinds of sizes, but if nothing fits we can go to the store. Uh- and there’s unopened shower stuff in the cabinet below the sink.” You dropped your bag on the ground beside the foot of the bed, sitting down on the freshly laid blankets, “thanks..”

“Of course. We’re upstairs, second door to the left if you need anything. We’ll see you in the morning.” He shut the door and you let out a weary sigh, thumping back-first into the bed and pulling your phone out to shoot Laika a text,

“Made it. They’re nice. Sleep well.” She wouldn’t respond until morning, so you curled up on top of everything and shut your eyes, kicking your shoes to the ground.

—

That’s all for now! Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

- Moss man

[moss-in-my-shoes]

i’m so intrigued by the first chapter of “it was three in the morning” and very much looking forward to seeing more !!

- 💫

I’m so glad! I got the idea from a song, but the song had literally nothing to do with the plot??? Just the vibes I guess, I’ll link it at the bottom!

Project Hail Mary x iron lung x reader (platonic!)

Reader is twenty, Laika is nineteen, Simon is late thirties, Grace is early forties, Adrian and Rocky are mid forties.

TW: Inaccurate descriptions of the foster care system and how it works, angst.

MDNI - Masterlist here!

—

The next morning came with sun peeking through blackout curtains and the sounds of cheeping birds. It would’ve been peaceful and nice, but you felt anything but that. You washed up as slowly as possible, brushing your teeth at snails pace and staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror for longer than necessary. The invitation to use the things they’d “gotten for you” was kind in nature, but you still changed into your own clothes you’d brought with you and used your dollar store toiletries. People in the past had claimed they’d gotten you welcome gifts to make this transition in your life easier, but then demanded repayment in forms of labor or money. You weren’t taking your chances with that again.

You checked your phone, smiling at the text Laika sent you about thirty minutes before you woke up. She was always an earlier riser than you, just by a bit,

“Bro I can’t believe they did this again. This is so sick and twisted!!!! >:(((“ you texted back, hearing the people in the house starting to bustle and move, “I know. I can’t wait to turn 25, then we’re out of this stupid town.”

“Yknow, we could just run off.” This wasn’t the first time Laika had brought up running away, but you didn’t really want to end up on a missing poster, stressing about people finding you, and the two of you not knowing where you’d sleep next or get your food.

“We could, but there’s more cons than pros at the moment.”

“Booooo!! Stop being right.” You snickered, about to respond when someone knocked on your door, “brb”

“Come in..” you mumbled, hoping they didn’t hear you, but they did. Grace, the blonde man from the night before, gently cracked the door open and peeked inside, “Goodmorning! Did you sleep okay?” You shrugged, indifferent, maybe a bit bitter, “it was fine.”

“That’s good. Simon and Adrian are cooking breakfast if you wanted to join?” Hunger was something you’d gotten good at ignoring, but not taking the chance of food was a stupid move, especially since you hadn’t eaten since early morning yesterday, “mm..yes please. Thank you.” Grace beamed like he’d just heard some spectacular news, beckoning you out of the room and showing you to the kitchen, “[Name], this is Adrian and Simon, they’re apart of our pack.” You took in the two strangers who turned from sizzling pans and cutting boards to greet you, “hello dear.” Adrian was a tall motherfucker, taller than anyone you’d ever met. They were absolutely gorgeous- like model gorgeous with their pretty gray eyes and teal hair. It splayed out across their back and over their shoulders, framing their face and deep brown skin perfectly. They were broader than the others, strong arm muscles covered in tattoos, matching the ones Rocky had.

Simon was shorter than everyone but not by much at all, still taller than you anyways. He looked gruff and tough, like he’d be the first to start an argument and would be determined to win. Black hair was tied back into a ponytail, a headband holding the rest of it back and out of the way. He was just as strong looking, leaf and root tattoos lining up the inside of his tanned wrist, the other arm missing from the bicep down. His good eye was dark and intimidating, the other milky white and seemingly blind, surrounded by scarring and damaged skin, but it still felt like they were staring into your soul.

“Hi..” you mumbled, suddenly very intimidated. Adrian looked giddy, giving you a kind and bright smile, “it’s nice to meet you, like Grace said, I’m Adrian. I hope your room was comfortable last night?” You nodded, “yes, thank you.”

“Oh, so polite.” Adrian chuckled, turning back to the stove. Simon didn’t say much, nodding in your direction as a greeting you returned. He went back to the cutting board and Grace sat you down at the kitchen island, “it’ll be just a second, want anything to drink?”

“Water is fine.” You pulled your phone back out and texted Laika as you waited,

“Bro where are you??? Did they take your phone??”

“No I’m okay, just meeting the rest of their pack.”

“Their pack??? Since when do we get put with pack families???”

“Now I guess? They’re being nice so far, but that’s never meant anything.”

“Be super duper careful!! 😔😔 I don’t want to have to come find you like that one time.”

“Oh god that sucked, so glad the foster system put me back in the home instead of sending me back.”

“Maybe the one good thing they everrrrr did. Text me if you need me! Stay safe!”

“You too man! <3”

“<3”

You slipped your phone away again, desperate to keep it out of sight as much as possible to make sure nobody got any ideas to take it away. A plate was sat in front of you with a cold glass of water, fruit slices, scrambled eggs, and bacon, “wow..thank you.” Adrian nodded at you and put together more plates, but they and Simon made so much food and that was so many plates, what was going on?

“I’m back!” The front door opened and Rocky stepped into the kitchen, looking a bit tired from the night before. What got you was the two additional people behind him, people whose scents were obviously connected to the pack around you.

You really needed to ask how many people were in this pack, it was freaking you out.

They were both stern and strong looking women, it wouldn’t surprise you if they were in some position of leadership or power based on how they held themselves high. The slightly taller one had long ginger hair that sat over her shoulders, pale skin wrinkled by stress and eyebags heavy like Grace’s. She was wearing this long coat and scarf as the temperature had started dropping, but it didn’t only serve to keep her warm, but intimidating also. The other woman was badass looking, like a war torn solider in a video game. She had brown hair tied back and braided long against her back, a scar not unlike what traced along and around Simon’s blind eye decorating her own features. The fact two people in this house were blind and scarred on one side of their face was a bit surprising.

Grace looked a bit nervous for you, staying close as he gestured towards the women. He moved his hand towards the ginger woman first, “this is Eva.” And then the brunette woman, “and Ava.”

“Eva..and Ava?” Eva smiled something small as Ava snickered, “we get that a lot. It’s nice to meet you..”

“[Name]. It’s [Name].” You sputtered out, something in your chest suddenly becoming tight and uncomfortable. There were so many people, so many scents, so many eyes on you.

“I-I gotta go.” You jumped from the island stool without waiting for a response, snatching your bag from your room and slipping into your shoes as fast as you could. You bolted out the door, aware that someone was calling for you, but you were already down the street.

You tugged your phone out when you were sure you were far enough away, clicking on Laika’s contact. The ringing felt like a death sentence, but the sound of her picking up felt like justice, “[Name]?”

“Meet me at the park.”

“Oh shoot- uh- yeah! Be there in ten.” You hung up and started running again, desperate to get away, desperate to feel normal again.

—

That’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed! Have a nice day and stay safe!

- Moss Man