Chapter Text
Carl stood at the door to Director Stratt’s office, face carefully blank as he listened to the phone call the Director, First Officer, and Lead Engineer were having with mounting concern.
”..and when exactly were you going to inform the Petrova Task Force that Gloom Co had purchased Luminate Inc and that our contract was now void?” Stratt’s voice was the eerily calm tone she used when she was dealing with idiots she wasn’t allowing Dr. Grace to verbally eviscerate yet. It chilled Carl and caused a shiver to run down his arms and upper back. It sounded like she was barely holding her temper at bay. If she was in that level of annoyance already, Dr. Grace was seconds from verbally murdering someone.
”We here at Gloom Co did nothing wrong. The contract with the Task Force clearly states that several metric tons of specific metals and alloys were to be supplied to the Gansu every 3 weeks and…”
The Gloom Co representative was a snake oil salesman if ever Carl heard one. He had obviously grown up hearing the line on catching more flies with honey and not realized his voice was the problem. It sounded like someone had never washed his hair in his life.
”And nothing,” it seemed Director Stratt was tired of talking in circles with the idiot on the line and had finally let Grace have a go. “And Nothing! Mr. Adeen, did you even bother to read the supply contract the Task Force sent to you when we were originally scoping out suppliers for the build? We sent identical contract requirements to every potential supplier and compared the responses before making a decision. Gloom Co’s response and pricing was so insulting that we blacklisted your company from any and all project support we could possibly need.”
….Carl was wrong.
If Director Stratt had sounded glacial, Dr. Grace was infinitely worse. His words blazed, even from outside the door.
”And further, Mr. Adeen, even if you hadn’t flagrantly broken the contract we had with our original supplier, the lack of correspondence about the change could be seen as fraud at best and obstruction of the Petrova Task Force, with whatever else we can make stick, at minimum. You, in particular, as the VP of Acquisitions, would be held liable for the breach of contract, and for the murder….”
The silence that settled in the conversation at Grace’s words creeped into the hallway.
”….what?…” the voice on the other end of the phone squeaked out. Carl would have laughed in any other circumstance. Now, though, it was insulting.
”Murder, Mr. Adeen. You would be liable with approximately 8 Million counts of premeditated murder. A global genocide the world has never seen.” Carl could imagine Ryland’s lip curling into a sharp sneer, fists either clenched at his sides, or across his arms, as if holding himself back.
”…wha….” The voice was almost too quiet too hear now, only audible by the volume the meeting occupants had the speaker phone on.
”Well, what did you expect when you sent the Task Force building a spaceship meant to travel at speeds the closest to lightspeed humanity has and probably will ever go, shoddy alloys that barely hold up under the pressure of a prosthetic arm, let alone pressure greater than Earth’s gravity?” Dr. Grace was really on a roll today, words dripping through the cracks in the door Carl and Steve had pushed themselves closer too. They almost wished they were in the room, watching this unfold.
”The premium alloys that do not match any of the component specifications that we demanded, that do not hold up under normal wear and tear, that do not suit our needs at all, are so shoddily combined that the hull panels that have been completed already bent when being shifted to a new work bench and had to be completely scrapped! Those premium alloys?”
The snort of derision was chilling.
”You’ll be hearing from the UN about the charges we are levying against Gloom Co in general, and you, in particular,” the wheezing chokes echoing from the phone did not sound pleasant. “And be sure to send the full refund for the last 5 months of worthless scrap and wasted hours. I’m sure the UN would be very interested to know what you did with the funding several countries supplied.”
The call ended with a decisive click.
**************
Simon stood, straight back, waiting for his name to be called by the Dean. After years of study, hard work, and countless hours on the phone with Rocky, complaining about how incompetent the professors were, SImon was officially an engineer.
(Rocky was a firm believer of ‘why do something the stupid way if you can do it the right way’ and Simon took to the same mentality like a duck to water.
Adrian simply chuckled at their two boys shooting the shit every other call. They mostly complained about one professor who wasn’t worth the oxygen plants wasted on him. It was the most normal thing Simon had ever experienced. And he would never willingly give it up.)
He was one of the first names to be called across the stage, alphabetically coming second to Marius Abbian.
”Simon Aguilla-Fiesher.” Simon held himself straight as he walked across the stage, the left sleeve of his graduation robe pinned up so it wouldn’t annoy him by flapping around. When he reached the professors lined up before the dean, he bumped fist with a couple of them before holding out his hand for the dean to shake.
The man startled at the lack of a second arm, but adapted quicker than almost anyone SImon had even interacted with.
He was handed his diploma and cheers erupted from a row of seats towards the left of the waiting graduates.
Rocky and Adrian were leading their section of the graduates' families in a raucous cheer that made Simon grin and fight to hide the flush in his cheeks in equal measure.
Man, his siblings were embarrassing.
He wouldn’t have them any other way.
****
The trio took what felt like a million pictures before Adrian finally pronounced themself satisfied with the quantity of ‘family photos’ and allowed them to leave.
The three fell into comfortable silence as they tucked themselves into Adrian’s blue four door and pulled away from the University.
Simon closed his eyes, knowing the two would wake him when they reached home.
He was surprised when he was shaken from his stupor by Rocky a short while later. Adrian had parked them at a fancy looking restaurant Simon had never heard of and the married couple was twisted around to look back at him from the front seats.
”Come on, our treat!” Rocky let out an enthusiastic whistle as he launched himself out of the car, Adrian following at a more reserved pace.
Dinner was amazing. Simon had never had steak before and don’t get him started on the vegetables.
Simon watched his family chat softly to each other once the plates were cleared and floated in the warm feeling in his chest. (Contentment, he was pretty sure that was what it was called.)
He refocused on the pair in front of him when he realized both Rocky and Adrian were staring at him expectantly. He held up his hand in surrender.
”In my defence, it’s been a long day.” They gave him a shared look. “What did I miss?”
Rocky leaned forward in his seat, barely sitting still with his enthusiasm.
”I have an important question for you.”
”O…kay?” Simon watched his older brother with narrowed eyes.
”Have you thought any further about what I offered you at Christmas?”
Simon rocked back in his chair slightly.
Christmas….Rocky and Adrian had offered to build him a custom prosthetic. The whole process required surgery to fit a port into the remains of his left arm and had a nerve attachment Simon didn’t even pretend to understand the complexity of.
He’d asked to think about it, stunned by their generosity. (He shouldn’t have been. That was just who they were.)
He looked between them for a moment and slowly nodded, grin spreading across his face.
”yes…” His cheeks ached from how wide his smile felt. “My answer is yes.”
Rocky beamed back, whipping his phone out of his pocket.
”Good! ‘Cause I already built it.” He shoved the phone under Simon’s nose. “Take a look!”
***************
(2 Hours before Rocky and Adrian Arrive on the Vat)
Ryland stood outside the workspace Simon’s friends, Rocky and Adrian Tau-Ortiz, were going to be assigned. Well, had been assigned. The couple would be arriving in a few hours and Ryland wanted everything to be perfect.
The pair were extremely important to his partner and as the first of Simon’s many stable life influences, Ryland was determined to get the bare minimum of approval from the couple.
(Court watched him fret, an amused grin on his face. He’d normally step in to settle his baby brother, but Colt had paid him $20 for a recording of Ryland’s “meet the family” moments. And while Courtland didn’t need $20 per se, he was still going to be recording his brother regardless, so may as well get some money out of it.)
The youngest of the Gentry/Grace/Seavers brothers mentally reviewed the checklist he had been building in his head since SImon had said he knew someone who could potentially fix the metal and alloy issue.
- Coffee maker
- Access to relevant alloy component percentages
- Proper ID access
Ryland paced back and forth a few more times, tapping his fingers to keep track of the different things he’d thought up in the last day.
Simon’s hand on his shoulder stopped him from taking another pass.
He looked up, eyes meeting Simon’s brown ones. The warm calm the older man held in his gaze settled the buzz under Ryland’s skin. He found himself taking a breath and giving his partner a cheeky grin.
”Hey, Ry. They’re almost here.” Simon draped his left arm carefully around Ryland’s shoulders, tugging him gently into his side before steering them towards the flight deck. Court followed a step behind, phone still recording in his pocket as he trotted after the pair.
When they reached the deck, Dimitri jogged up to meet them.
”Ryland! Simon! And Courtland, always a pleasure, my Friends!” (The Russian’s grin was full of the slight insanity Court was beginning to associate with all of Ryland’s close friends.)
Simon patted Dimitri on the arm with his free hand and directed the group over to the waiting area, fidgeting with excitement.
Ryland’s first impression of the couple was giddy amazement. The pair fit each other well, almost opposites complimenting each other.
One had greying dark hair that fluffed up over his forehead, thicker grey streaks settling into the bangs over his eyes. Thick green frames settled his glasses on his nose and the engineering overalls he wore reminded Ryland vividly of something Simon had in his own closet.
That must be Rocky, Simon’s engineering friend.
‘Rocky’s partner stood calmly at the engineer’s side, hair artfully dyed white with teal streaks and pulled up in a half-bun. Teal-blue eyes observed the approaching group, high cheekbones and straight eyebrows framing their face. Thin lips tilted in a slight grin at whatever they were seeing.
The two fit each other perfectly.
Simon tugged Ryland forward by the arm still resting around his shoulders, grin overtaking his face as he rushed forward for hugs that he barely released the blond for.
”Rocky! Adrian! I’m so excited you’re here!” The pair hugged him back, clutching the back of Simon’s yellow flight suit. It reminded Ryland so sharply of hugging his own brothers, that he felt a twinge of sadness that Colt wasn’t there with him and Court before shaking the feeling off and paying attention to Simon and his siblings.
”I have so much to tell you! And don’t get me started on the projects I’ve been working on!….” It seemed Simon rambled just as much as Ryland did when he was excited. The biologist tucked the information away for later, content to watch Simon relax fully. Brown eyes turned to meet his blue before snapping back to the pair in front of him. “Oh! Adrian, Rocky, meet Dr. Ryland Grace, Doctor of Molecular Biology, First Officer of the Petrova Task Force, Middle School Teacher, World’s Leading Expert in Astrophage, and my Partner.”
Ryland flushed, ducking his head as Simon said all of his ‘official’ titles, as he took a step forward and met the couple’s eyes.
”Simon…You don’t have to say all of those things. Middle School Teacher is enough….” He muttered, embarrassed. The teal hair half of Simon’s siblings stepped forward, holding out their hand to shake.
”Nonsense! Let Simon brag about you a little, Sunshine.” The shy smile the nickname got out of Ryland had the older enamored almost immediately. “It’s lovely to finally have a face to match with the name. Simon barely talks of anything else during our weekly phone calls. I’m Adrian, Doctor of Geology and Fabricator. I work with minerals and metals.”
Ryland was beginning to understand why Simon had wanted to pull in these two. He turned towards the other half of the duo, holding out his hand to the engineer.
“Hi! I’m Rocky, an Engineer and Blacksmith.” The pair shook hands, matching grins spreading across their faces “So….greenhouse, huh?”
”Yes!” Ryland tugged at the hand still holding the older engineers, half dragging the man behind him. “I’d been working on the plans for a while before I brought them to Dimitri, our head engineer. Apparently, I’d had too much caffeine and brought him the schematics while basically intoxicated. Not that it mattered in the end….”
Rocky listened for a bit while Ryland rambled, happily adding his own input as the skittered towards the lab space Ryland had appropriated.
The pair hadn’t realized how far behind them the rest of the group had fallen until he looked up for half open schematics and alloy chemical breakdowns and caught SImon’s eye. He had just pushed the door open and was watching Ryland and Rocky work.
Ryland shot him a smile so bright, he almost blinded himself. The answer smile Simon sent back settled in Ryland’s bones and stomach, fluttering butterflies, sending addicting warmth all the way to the blond’s fingers.
’Oh…’ The realization filled his chest. ‘I love him.’
*****************
Rocky walked behind the broad, dirty-blond haired man who was leading the pair to a dormitory room a bit away from the labs. The man who could only be Ryland’s older brother. The two were almost identical.
”We usually put people farther away from Ry’s room, but Simon vouched for you both and requested you be in the room next to his since that one was empty and an almost decent size.” The man had introduced himself as Courtland Gentry, one of Ryland’s guards. There was no mention of family relation or other job title, so Rocky had come to his own conclusion.
”That sounds just like Simon.” Adrian remarked from Rocky’s right, bags in one hand, their other arm around Rocky’s waist.
The guard chuckled and nodded in agreement.
”He’s a good man.” The way he said it, like it was simply a fact, earned this man points in the couples books.
They reached a door at the end of the hall and Courtland opened it before letting the pair through.
They both dropped their bags to the floor, turning back to the tall man in the doorway. The slight grin on his face was identical to Simon’s biologist. Rocky couldn’t hold his curiousity any more.
”Are you and Ryland twins?” The words tumbled from the engineer.
Courtland laughed, a grin spreading farther across his face.
”Oh, no.” He kept chuckling, eyes crinkling at the corners. “He’s my baby brother. He does have a twin, but Colt is a stuntman and doesn’t visit as often as either twin would like. If you see someone who looks like Ry but very much isn’t, that’s Colt.”
He waved off any further questions on the matter, motioning them to follow him.
”Ry can answer those questions better than I can. C’mon. It’s dinner time. Carl should have both the trouble makers there by now.”
Rocky pulled Adrian along in his wake, only his partner’s arm around his waist keeping them together. He was just so excited to talk more with Grace.
The way the other’s mind worked was enchanting. Rocky could see why Simon was so enamored with the young man.
Courtland led them to the mess hall and waited with them in line before leading them to a table and taking what looked to be his usual seat. A young girl with brown hair was settled into the seat beside the man, smiling up at him before telling him about her day.
Ryland and Simon arrived with full trays soon after, Ryland settling into the spot across from Simon, leaving space for Rocky and Adrian to sit next to the younger engineer if they wanted. He was such a sweet man.
The moment trays were on the table, all bets were off and soon the other four were watching in horrified awe as Rocky and Ryland spoke.
”but what abo…”
”No… because….”
”But wouldn’t that…”
”You would think, wouldn’t you….”
Finally Simon couldn’t handle the tennis match any longer.
”What have you both figured out?” He looked between the two geniuses, exasperation taking the place of the mild jealousy he’d felt earlier.
”Oh,” Ryland’s sunshine grin was back. “Rocky and I figured out how to use the astrophage to make his Xenonite alloy faster.”
Rocky nodded approvingly.
”Exactly. We will need to test it. But we’re pretty sure we’ve cut production times in half.” The quiet in the mess hall suddenly had nothing to do with people eating, all eyes suddenly on the pair at table with their small group. “If the process works right, we should have enough to replace all the shit the so-called supplier fucked up by next month.”
Rocky laughed as Simon put his head in his right hand, elbow leaning on the table. He blew out a breath before staring between two of his favorite people.
”I knew introducing you was a mistake. You get along too well for the rest of our sanity.”