Simon wasn't happy with this situation. Some freakish half-monkey idly playing with himself, while the Dr. Hershel is trying to reduce him to that same level. But a nagging thought in the back of his mind makes it seem not that bad. Simon thinks to himself, "Maybe if I play along a bit, I can get them off my case, get them to let their guard down so I can escape, find my dad again."
He lowers his hands away from his junk, letting himself air out. He's embarrassed to see Dr. Hershel look him up and down and actually applaud him. "Good job, Simon, the first step can be very difficult, but I'm glad to see you take it so quickly."
He shakes his head, and itches at his stomach "I just had an itch is all. It's not a big deal." But he doesn't cover himself up again. And it feels good to not have to think about being naked. It feels normal. And really, with the body hair he already has it's not cold in the locker room.
"Of course Simon. This is how you're supposed to be, so it shouldn't feel out of the ordinary." She writes something down and then looks back to him "You've been suppressing your gorilla side for your entire life, so you need to allow it to take dominance over you. Once you've advanced far enough, we can move you to the habitat we've set up for our primates. You'll be much more comfortable there. But apes are social creatures, so you need to learn how to act like them to better integrate. First, go practice greeting Benji."
Hearing his name, Ben pauses, but keeps his hand on his balls. Simon tries to look up and not at his junk, and as he approaches the tailed boy. Simon starts to extend a hand, but that suddenly doesn't make sense. Instead, he sniffs the air and pats his chest "Simon." Ben responds "Baa-aahn" and beats his chest. The other primate seems less intimidating, and Simon speaks slowly for Ben's sake. "Simon. Ben. Friends." Gesturing to each of them to get the point across. Ben grins and spits out the word "Fuhhrend!" and hoots, and before he can process it, Simon responds the same way, letting out a series of three primative ooks and beating his chest with his closed fists.
That throws him out of that sense of comfort. "Wh...what the hell?" he rubs his throat. "Very good Simon, you're a fast learner. It may not take you years to acclimate the way it did Benji here. Keep this up and you'll be with the other gorillas soon. But you should work on your stance. With your proportions, I think you could move comfortably walking on your knuckles. Let's get you accustomed to how your body should work."