Chapter Text
Ryland Grace has forgotten how many days he had been on Erid. Long enough he had started calling it home.
The now older man sat on the beach. Fog over the bay. Next to him sat Simon. The man from the stars. Hand curled in his. Shaggy dark hair blowing softly in the damp beach air. On the other side stood Rocky. The cold material of his small enclosure pressed into Grace’s side.
Home. In every definition.
He had found love. Love for Rocky, love for Simon, love for his Eridian students. Love for his new home. Love for himself.
And of course love for earth. But it wasn’t a longing kind of love, but a love of memory, of something passed. He missed earth but not more than he loved Erid. This is where he wanted to grow older, and eventually die, and be buried in the sand of his ocean.
But love came first from forgiveness. Forgiveness for himself, forgiveness for his family, forgiveness for Eva, forgiveness for earth.
Knowing that in the end that was all life was, sacrifice, forgiveness, and most of all the love despite it everything else.
Whatever the condition of earth now, united, divided, burned, frozen, in war, in peace, he wished that they would find love. He wished his students love. He wished his family love. He wished Eva Stratt love. Whatever form that may be.
Ryland shifted his arm around Rocky and tilted his head onto Simon's shoulder. Rocky made a little whistling noise. Not a word, but a confession of contentment.
The three sat and watched the waves roll along the beach. Despite all they’d been through- the sacrifices, the loses, they had chosen to forgive.