Chapter Text

Epilogue

Simon was awoken by the smell of us-bacon.

He smiled, and without even opening his eyes flicked out his unusually long tongue (thank you, mutations) and lapped the piece of meat right from Ryland's fingers. He was rewarded with a small shriek and a slap to the forehead.

"Simon—!"

Simon finally opened his eyes to see the perfect face of his angel (metaphorically, this time) completely filling his vision, and blushing a pretty pink— even as a scowl clouded his features. Simon only hummed noncommittally and snaked his hand out from under the covers to pull that face down into a kiss. It was a gentle, domestic one, nothing fancy, but Simon wouldn't trade it for the world.

When Ryland drew away his frown had been replaced with a smile, though he still rolled his eyes. Simon smiled back at him, eyes still half-lidded. "Come to the kitchen and you can have more bacon," his angel offered. Simon's eyes widened, and he sat up immediately. Ryland laughed.

"Wait, there's more?" Simon asked. "I thought you just reheated one of the two we kept from last month's shipment— no, wait, we ate those last week! How the fuck did you get more so early?!"

His angel laughed again, a light, beautiful sound. "I maaay have lied when I said they had to cut back on how many pieces they could give us and I maaaaay have been saving them instead," Ryland grinned.

Simon blinked. A small wave of betrayal churned in his stomach at the fact that Ryland had been lying to him about food,but… he had to have had a good reason. The wave just as quickly smoothed back out to a glassy sea. "What? Why?"

Ryland pressed his lips together, trying to hold back a beaming smile as his cheeks flushed fuchsia again. "It's… it's our anniversary, Starlight."

Simon knew all at once what of. It had been an Earth year since Ryland had, for some unfathomable reason, asked Simon to be his boyfriend. Simon's heart skipped, and to suppress the urge to make out with Ryland right then and there he asked, "And you celebrate that with bacon?"

The tease did exactly what Simon had hoped as Ryland sputtered and grew an even deeper shade of magenta. "Well— no, but I— you just— you seemed to like it so much and—"

Simon was a weak man. He gave in and stood, shutting his angel up by cupping his jaw and drawing him into another kiss. This one was a little deeper, but he had to save something for later, so he drew back after a moment.

There were stars in his lover's eyes, and Simon couldn't help but plant another kiss on his forehead. "I love it, Angel. Thank you."

Turns out, there was more than just bacon in the kitchen— an entire feast was laid out before him on the table, and, suddenly, Simon's throat was very tight, and his eyes burned.

Ryland, somehow, was both a night owl and a morning bird, and, as such, was usually up hours before Simon rolled out of bed at 10 at the earliest. (Simon had found that when he was allowed to go to sleep and wake up whenever he wanted, he preferred to stay up late and wake up even later.) Because of the discrepancy, Ryland usually made himself coffee and a bite when he woke up, and then Simon, because he found great pride in being trusted with and making food for them, made them both breakfast later.

So a table set with more food than Simon would've been given in a month in prison already made when he woke up was… a surprise. Distantly, Simon felt something wet roll down his cheek.

"Ohmygod Simon are you okay?! I'm so sorry I didn't—"

Simon laughed a wet, choking thing as he turned to grasp his angel's flitting hands. "It's not—" Simon chuckled again, looking back to the food. "What… we can't even eat all of this in a day, I don't deserve—"

Grace frowned and tutted and placed the hand that Simon wasn't holding on his hip reprimandingly. "Nope! Do not get started on that, Si, you know it's not true." He squeezed Simon's hand as his lips morphed into a soft smile. "Now what do we say, Starlight?"

Simon huffed wetly and ducked his head, even as a smile wormed its way onto his mouth, mumbling, "I'm worth everything I have and so much more, and my fuckin' boyfriend will always love me and will never leave me."

Simon's breath stuttered as Ryland gently tipped Simon's chin up to look into those Martian-sunset eyes. "Yes you are, and yes I will," his angel whispered before planting a kiss atop Simon's curls. Simon let out a long, shaky breath as his shoulders finally dropped down from his ears and he smiled a little wider. He opened them again as Ryland pulled back all to quickly to beam, "Now lets eat!"

After gorging themselves on every human-edible food Erid had to offer, Ryland informed Simon that Rocky and Adrian were waiting for them on the beach to swim. It had taken Simon about a year and a half, and a frankly absurd amount of panic attacks, but Simon had actually gotten used to the ocean (mostly), and even enjoyed dipping in up to his ankles. He and Ryland quickly changed into their board shorts and held hands as they ambled down the steps to the seashore.

As soon as Ryland's feet hit the sand, so did his ass as Rocky tumbled into him with a screech. Ryland laughed and hugged Rocky back. "Rock! Oh my god that thrum took forever right?! I'm so happy you're back."

"It only took a week old man," Rocky teased, the fuckin hypocrite. Ryland, apparently, thought the same as he rolled his eyes and shoved Rocky off of him in favor of taking Simon's hand to help him up. A second later, however, Simon was suddenly pulled into a crushing hug as Adrian squeezed him and then picked him up, cradling him in their ginormous arms. Simon gasped in surprise as he was manhandled.

"Jeez, Adri, I missed you, too," he laughed, playfully shoving at her as they nuzzled him against their carapace.

"God, Simon, it was boring boring boring, notes of songs past! I was wishing every second that the suits had enough oxygen for you to come with us. It was just politics, politics, POLITICS! Can they not just figure it out?! Why does Rocky have to be involved?!" Simon laughed again at their drawn-out, dramatic notes.

"Because, now that I saved the stars, I am a very important public figure," sang Rocky cockily, and even though Simon couldn't see him he knew he puffed out his carapace.

"You mean we saved the stars?" Ryland chuckled.

Simon heard Adrian lightly kick Rocky over with a foot and both she and Ryland burst into laughter at Rocky's cursing.

A few minutes later had them all toeing or leaping into the water, cackling or screeching as each was splashed in turn by somebody or another. Simon stood in the shallows as Grace dove off of Adrian far enough off the shore that he wouldn't get hurt, Simon whooping at a clean dive or laughing and teasing at an accidental belly-flop. Eventually Ryland swam to the shore and Rocky declared a sandcastle competition with Rocky and his mate to a team, and Simon and Ryland to the other.

"How is that fair?!" Simon objected, crossing his arm as he scowled at the smaller rock. "You're literally an engineer."

"Grace is a scientist!" Rocky shot back, "you know he will science the sand or some shit."

Simon growled, but Ryland was, in fact, already "sciencing the sand" when Simon turned to kneel next to him.

Ryland and Simon's sandcastle was far superior, in Simon's opinion, but Rocky (because of course the little shit was the judge) declared that his and Adrian's was better because it was taller. Of fucking course it was taller!!! Adrian was like 10 feet tall!

After he had cooled down and they had their picnic lunch/dinner (they had eaten breakfast later than usual), Simon sat comfortably against Adrian, leaning his left side against one of her arms that was lightly curled around him, facing the sea and watching his angel and Rocky practically try to drown each other as they fucked around in the waves.

It… It had taken a long, long, long time for Simon to trust Rocky. He still didn't… Well, he didn't know if he forgave him, but—

But he knew that Rocky did what he did because he cared for Ryland above everything else, and that alone was proof that Rocky was good.

They had a strange relationship, made mostly of pissing each other off playfully, but they got along for Ryland. And—!Simon had even hung out with Rocky separately, recently, to check out how he was thinking about improving the human xenonite suits. The second Rocky had started to sing about it Ryland's eyes had glazed over, but it actually seemed pretty interesting to Simon. It wasn't the best afternoon he'd had ever had, but it was… fun.

Adrian's snicker rang prettily all around him as Rocky yanked Ryland's ankles from under him and sent him yelping into the waves. Simon would be lying if he said it didn't spike his blood pressure a little, but he knew Rocky would never hurt his angel. He smiled at the beings in the water and then looked up at Adrian fondly, who ruffled his hair, making him snort. "What is it? You look all sappy," she teased. "Ugh, do not not not get leaky on me."

Simon laughed. "Don't worry, I would never taint your beauty with my bodily fluids," he grinned back.

"You better not."

Simon smiled and huffed, but then fell silent for a long moment, letting the air still and the crash of the waves and the hum of the eridian tide-maker under the water fade into the background. "I just—"

Simon looked back into the water, where Rocky and Ryland were now sitting talking quietly in the shallows, Ryland resting his chest and head on the littler as they gazed at the sunset now beginning to paint the sky gorgeous oranges and pinks. Simon blinked hurriedly at the pressure building behind his eyes.

Adrian tucked Simon a little closer, rumbling softly, "Just what, sweetheart?"

Simon tried to come up with the words to describe it— but his brain was drawing a blank every time he went to speak again. He huffed in annoyance, but he turned to his other option and finally signed,

"All.

All of you.

So good.

So so so good."

All of a sudden Adrian sung a sweet, low note and scooped him into their arms once more, squeezing much gentler this time.

"Simon, you are so so so good, too," she rumbled, holding him close. Simon just huffed breathlessly, a smile wobbling onto his face despite himself as he was pressed against a smooth, deep turquoise carapace. "We are blessed by the stars to have you."

Simon decidedly did not start sobbing at that.

But, for once, in joy.

It was long after Adrian and Rocky had walked Simon and carried Ryland to their house— Simon told him to use his cane, but the old fucking man wouldn't listen, as usual— and now Simon was cuddled against Ryland's collarbone, kind ofwatching a movie, but mostly getting hit in the face by "stray" pieces of the eridian equivalent of popcorn, and trying to ignore the giggling above him in favor of actually hearing the movie.

Finally, one hit his eye (it didn't hurt, but that wasn't the point) and Simon growled and suddenly snatched Ryland's wrist that was poised to throw another piece, in a firm, clawed grip, and in the same motion whipped his face to the other's so that they were barely an inch apart. Simon felt satisfaction curl in his chest as his boyfriend's face quickly turned a deepshade of fuchsia. Simon grinned as he growled lowly, "Caught you red-handed, Angel?"

Ryland blinked rapidly for a moment as his brain desperately tried to come up with something coherent, probably, and ended up babbling, "I-I don't know if I'm an angel, I did just popcorn your eye! Aha, sorry for that, by the way. I was… going for your teeth." He cringed.

One or two of Simon's mutated teeth did, in fact, stick out a bit from his face— Ryland was making a game out of fucking trying to skewer a piece of popcorn on Simon's tooth!

Simon laughed at him, but then, looking up into those oceans of adoration, he felt his demeanor soften into something sweeter as he slid his hand from his Ryland's wrist to lace it in between his fingers, and stretched his neck to kiss his lover's soft, delicate lips.

When Simon finally pulled back, Ryland was breathless with eyes wide, while Simon's heartbeat was slow and steady and his eyes half-lidded. "You're no angel, Ryland Grace," he whispered into the waiting, poised air, "you're better than an angel— you're real, and…" God dammit. Simon sniffed as tears rolled steadily down his cheeks. "And some-fucking-how, you love me?

I wouldn't trade you for the nicest angel in the universe, Ryland Grace."

The kiss and more that followed were a star being born, a supernova, a universe coming into being. Simon had never experienced anything like it. Simon hoped he could every night.

And after it all, as Simon was pressed skin-to-skin against his lover, more comfortable than he'd ever been under plush sheets and pillows and safe in his Ryland's arms, just as Simon was about to succumb to the sweet inky veil that he even looked forward to, now, Simon had a thought.

It came to him all at once, and its truth and entirety sent full-body shivers though him.

"What?" That lover huffed softly, a smile in his beautiful voice.

Simon was quiet for a long, long time.

"…I'm not going to live here, am I?"

~"…I just want to live. Why doesn't anybody else want that?…" "…PLEASE, I JUST WANT TO LIVE!!! I'LL DO FUCKING ANYTHING— I JUST WANT TO LIVE!!! DON'T SEND ME TO HELL, DON'T SEND ME BACK THERE, I CAN'T—…"~

"I'm going to fucking thrive."