Chapter Text
First dates are always awkward. You’re practically two strangers who decided to meet up on a whim. You know little to nothing about the other person so you sit there asking ‘What's your favorite color?’ like you’re middle-schoolers with a crush on each other. It makes it worse when there isn’t anyone else around, and you’re the only humans for almost 17 light years.
Even though Grace was the one to suggest talking, he finds that he’s the one hesitating. The silence settles thick in the air, neither person looking at each other. Gosh Grace is such a dork! This is the first person he’s met in forever and he can’t even muster up the courage to-
“So you’re really not from the C.O.I or Eden?” Simon starts, his dark eyes bore into Grace. Grace shifts in his chair.
“No, I’m not. I’m from Earth. I’ve never even heard of Eden or C.O.I. Wait, isn’t Eden, like, a religious thing? Sorry, I’m not religious. B-but I don’t mind if you are! …Are you not from Earth?” Now Grace is looking at Simon, not making eye contact but staring at the rise and fall of his chest, making sure that the fishy-man won't just poof out of existence. Or maybe he doesn’t want to hold eye contact right now, who knows.
Simon swallows, “… So this really is a planet. You really don’t know about-“ Simon speaks quickly, as if he might be excited, but he abruptly stops talking and forces out a cough.
“-the C.O.I.” Simon finishes with an awkward sideways glance towards Ryland.
“Um, again, no. B-but if you’re not from Earth.. where else could you possibly be from?” Grace sits forward and rests his elbows on his knees. The whole ‘giant-tree-appearing-out-of-the-fake-ocean’ situation was already enough of a crazy, unscientific surprise that had happened. Grace couldn’t stand not knowing the reason why things happened, and this was no exception. So if he doesn’t get to know why a tree miraculously popped out of nowhere, then he at least gets to know everything else.
Simon shifts around in the bed, not so much looking uncomfortable with the question, but more so with the room.
“Mmm-no. Was born on Mars before we moved to the Eden station. I grew up there.”
“Ok, sure, great in-fact!” Grace looked like a maniac right now, “You are presumably human, you… look and talk the part. But! You come from a place I’ve literally never heard of. And, and! Humans never colonized Mars! So how can this even be possible?!” Grace spins around in his chair, catching glances of Simon staring at him like a scared cat.
“Well, I did have this one theory when I was, um, there?” Simon looks at the broken glass bracelet on his wrist. Grace stops his hysterical spinning and stares expectantly.
Crimson eyes glance up at Grace, feigning worry for a split second.
“Look, Ryland, you look- smart,” Simon does a mimicking motion of putting on glasses, he stops when he sees Grace's furrowed gaze. “Um, err, here- I don’t want you to think I’m crazy.”
Grace lets out a humorless laugh. “Simon, you could tell me you somehow traveled universes and I would hear you out.” The blonde says it like a joke, but the brunette stares at him with raised eyebrows.
“YOU THINK YOU CHANGED UNIVERSES?” Grace, kind of, yells.
“W-well I fuckin’ told you I didn’t want you to think I’m crazy!” Simon shrinks back into himself. The other man, who’s now standing, notices this act of embarrassment. Grace swallows around the lump in his throat and sits back down.
“S-sorry… I’m a scientist, molecular biologist, if you will. It’s why I’m not religious, everything has a reason. If it doesn’t then- then I must be some sort of fudging fraud.” Grace explains. In reality, he doesn’t need to explain himself to Simon, but Grace wanted to form a real connection with the man. How could he not want that?
“I mean it’s not impossible, per-say. M-maybe if there was like a wormhole? It’s just never been done. Ugh, I need to talk to Rocky. But who am I kidding, there's also never been a human with teeth growing out of their face, so first time- for… everything…” Grace’s rambling trails off as he notices the shocked- almost betrayed look on the other's face. “Oh… so that's not normal for, uh, you?” Ryland smiles sheepishly.
—————————
Simon freezes and stares at Ryland.
“Is what not normal for me.” Simon thinks to the ‘teeth’ comment. “Ryland what aren’t you fucking telling me?” Simon bristles, of course he couldn’t trust this stranger to tell him shit.
“U-um maybe you want to look for yourself.” Grace turns his chair and brushes off the papers covering the computer. He opens it, clicks around for a second, and then hands the computer to Simon.
Simon all but rips the tech out of Ryland's hands and turns it towards himself.
Simon gapes at his reflection. Teeth that start at the left side of his mouth and get longer as they go up. His eye looks adjacent to how people draw a cat’s eye. Not to mention it’s fucking glowing. Simon raises his hand to poke at the teeth; they shift and try to reach out for the finger before realizing it's part of them and settle again.
Simon opens his mouth, the teeth copy. It shoves the skin near his left eye up, almost closing the eye. Simon can literally see the entire side of his mouth right now. He can see his too-sharp canines on his left. He can see the entire row of teeth with the complementary set of gums.
He promptly shuts his mouth, making a click, followed by several other clicks. It’s his face-teeth setting back together.
Simon's breathing quickens, the sides of his vision darken as he watches his reflection turn into that- monster. The one he saw in the sub. The monster that looked more eel than man.
“No, no, no no no no…” Simon's spiraling now, “Knew I couldn’t fuckin’ trust you…” His eyes turn to Ryland but they don’t look at him. The man- monster grabs one of the teeth and pulls.
“Whoa! Hey, stop that! You can trust me, okay? I j-just didn’t know if…” Ryland gets up and walks over to Simon, who jerks away from the other's touch.
“Get the fuck away… I’m a monster. I-I can’t be this.” Simon tugs at the tooth again, a sick ripping sound comes from where the tooth juts out.
Simon's gaze is hazy, his mind is foggy. He can’t be a monster, he has to- he will fix this.
“C’mon, Simon, you really need to stop.” Grace advances on the man again.
“I told you to get AWAY!” Simon swings his arm around, using his now ripped-off tooth as a weapon and slices Grace across the face.
A yelp jumps out of Ryland as he falls to the floor, gripping his face in agony.
“Shoot! That hurts, ow ow owww.” Grace takes his hand away from his face, the cut bleeds violently and he immediately slaps his hand back on the wound.
This seems to snap Simon out of his daze, the blood on Grace's face and hand is all too familiar. Simon drops the tooth and hurls himself off the bed to Grace's aid. Ryland flinches back as the man reaches out. Monster, of course he wouldn’t want you to touch him. Look at yourself. Butcher.
Simon lets out a sob, leaning down on his one arm, face to the ground.
“Sorry, I-I’m sorry. Didn’ mean to, promise. I-I’m scared. I don’t want to h-urt y-you. I’m sorry Ryland, so so sofuckin’ sorry. Please forgive me I-I’m sorry.”
—————————
Ryland is shocked, the sobbing man on the floor looks worse than him.
“Hey, hey…” Grace pushes himself up using his elbows, “It’s okay, I get it. Waking up from a coma in an unknown place is… unsettling to say the least.” Grace lets out a breathy laugh, remembering when he woke up on the Hail Mary and pounded candy and vodka. Ryland hesitates before reaching out and setting his hand on Simon's back, touch light as a feather.
The brunette flinches, hard, before coming back to the utter warmth of the touch. Grace watches as Simon, oh so slowly, raises his head. His eyes are bloodshot and teary, his still crying and spewing out nonsensical apologies.
Grace smiles weakly, “Simon, it’s okay. I’ll be alright, Armando will fix me up.” As if activated by the name, Armando swings over to sew Grace’s cut shut. “A-and you’re no monster, maybe a little fishy-looking, heh. B-but that's okay! It’s quite fascinating really.” Grace winces as Armando stitches him up. The robot finishes quickly and goes back to settle in its resting spot.
“See?” Grace smiles and points at his now fixed cheek, “All better.”
Simon sniffles weakly. “Y-you really don’t think I’m a monster? You’re not scared… of me? Scared to- touch me?”
“Nope! See, I am right now! Touching you, that is.” Grace rubs the spot on Simon's back that he’d settled his hand on. He looks like sunshine itself has been reincarnated.
Simon lets out a choked sob and jumps towards Ryland. He buries his face into the crook of Grace’s neck and wraps his arm around the other. The blonde lets out a surprised ‘oof’ but he returns the gesture, snaking his arms around Simon. Grace is so glad, he tears up a little. He’s so glad there's finally someone else here, that he can feel- skin to skin.
“T-thank you Ryland… you’re too kind. I don’t- I don’t deserve this. And I still don’t trust you, but… thank you.” Simon speaks against Grace’s skin, letting out warm puffs of air that make Grace unnecessarily happy.
“Of course, Simon.” Grace leans back, wiping the moisture from his eyes before looking at the spot Simon ripped his tooth from. It’s swollen and more red than usual, and it’s bleeding.
“Now let’s get you fixed up, ey?” Ryland says as he points to the spot.
Simon also pulls back, and Grace savors the fading warmth.
“No way.” Simon uses his arm to scrub away the tears from his eyes. “I’m not letting that- that hunk of metal near me.” He hisses, “And I don’t deserve the wasted resources. It will heal- hopefully…”
“Well, that ‘hunk of metal’ is named Armando. He means no harm, he’s just a medical robot who’s very good at his job. And it’s not a waste, I have plenty of stuff lying around!” Grace reassures the man.
Simon warily glances at the robot and then back to the other man. “Do I… have to?”
Ryland's heart shatters. Simon is looking at him like a scared, wet, cat. Ryland is reminded of when Stratt had alluded him with a choice, but it never really mattered what he chose- did it? Grace shook his head violently.
“No! No, of course not! You always have a say in what you want to do.” Now, Simon looks like he’s never made a single choice for himself in his life. His eyes are wide and they have a hint of gratefulness.
“Really?” Simon speaks so quietly, Grace might not have heard it if Simon wasn’t the only thing Grace was focused on right now.
“Really.” Ryland punctuates his sentence with a confident nod.
“Then, no. I don’t want the robot to fix me.” Simon eyes Grace like he might change his mind and have the robot do it anyway. Like Simon might be forced into another unpleasant experience.
But, Grace just nods. “…Well, could I fix it up then? I-it’s fine if the answer is still no! It’s just bleeding a lot, and I really don’t want it to get infected-“
“Okay.” Simon agrees, just like that. Ryland is relieved, but oh so surprised.
“G-great! Let me just get the supplies and we’ll get you fixed right up, Simon! You’re in good hands!” Grace walks away to fetch the supplies he needs.