Chapter Text
He hasn’t had anything, or anyone worth protecting after his mother died. So he protected himself, even if he wasn’t worth anything.
But now, he has Grace to put above himself.
And he isn’t about to lose the first person he’s cared about in years to a weird rock alien.
How did it even get in here?
Not important.
The thing that was important is that the thing is getting closer, and he couldn’t find a fucking weapon.
He slowly backed away from the thing, and in turn, Grace did too. He did this until he knew that they were near the medical bay.
He turned around, grabbed Grace by the hand and shoved him inside, shutting the door behind him. After Simon let go of his hand, Grace started to move his lips and gesture wildly with his hands. Too bad Simon couldn’t hear him, his ear was ringing too loudly.
Simon was trembling.
Grace stopped, and walked closer to him. He put his arms on both of Simon’s shoulders and mouthed something that Simon still couldn’t hear.
But, the touch was comforting. He hadn’t realized how starved for gentle touch he was until that very moment, under Graces gentle hands.
He ignored the voice nagging in the back of his mind saying that he was infecting Grace, that he would destroy him like he has everything else.
Even if he knew that the voice was right.
Selfish.
The ringing in his ear was starting to get irritating.
Grace rubbed his shoulders up and down, until the muscles were fully relaxed. Grace then trailed his hands down Simon’s arm until he reached his hand, grabbing onto it. He led Simon over to the bed he’s been sleeping on, and sat them both down.
He realized the hand holding his was a weird, bumpy texture. It wasn’t unpleasant, (no touch from Grace ever will be), just odd. He looked down to see what was causing the sensation.
Graces entire hand was bumpy, ragged, dark pink scar tissue that continued even under his dark blue hoodie. He looked up at him, only to realize that the scar tissue peaked out of his shirt collar, on his neck.
How the hell did Grace get this?
Who the hell did this?
And if it was a who, they will have to pray on their hands and knees to the tree that he wouldn’t find them.
The ringing in his ear intensified.
His body felt both hot, cold, and in need of throwing up.
The scars reminded him of the ones that lied on the woman’s face that sent him down into the blood ocean. What was her name? He couldn’t recall. Had he been given one?
Grace interlocked their fingers, and whatever train of thought Simon had was forgotten.
Grace used his thumbs to make small circular movements on Simon’s rough, calloused hands.
The bed he and Grace were sitting on, the soft clothing he was wearing, and Grace. His presence alone was relaxing. Simon hadn’t been this comfortable in years.
The ringing in his ear came to a stop.
“Simon? You with me?”
Even if he could hear him now, his voice refused to come up with a response, so he nodded his head silently.
“Good, uh, okay, can you try breathing with me?”
He hadn’t even realized his breathing was irregular until Grace pointed it out. He watched as Grace put a hand on his chest with his other hand, (lucky), and take a deep, exaggerated breath. He tried to copy, but his body wouldn’t cooperate.
He couldn’t stop shaking.
“It’s okay, try again.”
Grace once again took a deep, exaggerated breath in. And when Simon tried to follow, his breath hitched in the middle of it.
“You’re doing great, Simon.”
He found Graces soft reassurances beyond comforting. They felt real, instead of something mocking. That he actually cared if he felt better, instead of giving him false reassurance just for him to shut up and ‘do his job’.
Simon leaned closer to him, until his head was resting on Graces shoulder.
He couldn’t put into words how amazing it felt.
That’s when Grace pulled away, unlocking their fingers.
Oh.
He fucked up.
He’s such an idiot, why the hell did he think it was okay for him to be so vulnerable with Grace?
He was disgusting.
He was the convict.
He looked like a monster.
He was a monster.
He was the butcher.
And the butcher was trying to infect Grace.
He was about to lift his head and apologize profusely, saying that he would accept any punishment that Grace deemed necessary, until he used the hand to pull Simon in closer by his shoulder, making Simon rest his head on Grace once again.
Oh.
His ragged breathing came to a stop, and he pushed deeper into his shoulder until his forehead was touching Graces neck.
“Simon? Are you okay?”
He still cant speak, but he nods into Graces neck.
“Alright, uhm-“
Grace taps his fingers on his pants, thinking of what to say next,
“I might’ve.. forgot to tell you something?”
Simon hums against Grace.
“During my way to Adrien, I might’ve.. found an alien..”
Oh.
So Grace knows the freaky rock alien?
And Simon..
Tried to protect him from his friend?
What if, in this timeline, or wherever the hell he is in the universe, rock aliens are normal?
Maybe Eden wasn’t so bad after all.
“Rocky’s-“ wow, that’s his actual name? “-sun was also dying, so like me, he was sent on a mission to go to Tau Ceti. But he just couldn’t figure it out, until I got there.”
Just how long was ‘Rocky’ waiting?
“We helped each other save our worlds, and parted ways. But the Taumeba evolved to get through xenonite, and Rocky’s ship is xenon-“
Isn’t xenon a gas?
“So I wrapped the breeder tanks with plastic wrap, and switched course to save Rocky.”
So not only did Grace save him, he saved Earth, and a rock alien?
“Now he lives on the Hail Mary, until we get to his home planet, Erid, save their sun, and find a way to breathe oxygen since our different atmospheres-“
And now Grace was going to save another fucking planet?
“And our different diets. Sorry for er, not warning you about the alien living with us, I kinda didn’t think that through.”
At least he apologized.
“I-it’s.. okay.”
“Oh, you can talk now!”
Simon flinched at his loud volume.
“Sorry, uhm, if you have any questions about our situation, ask.”
This is the most Simon has ever heard the word sorry, and the permission to ask questions in his life.
Yeah, he changed his mind, Eden was fucked.
“Uhm, why can’t you just drop off the.. Taumeba, and go back to Earth?”
Simon could feel him tense up at his question.
“Well, I can’t really, I don’t have enough fuel or food for the trip back.”
What?
Was Grace sent to die here, alone, at the edge of the universe, to starve or die on his own accord after he sent the probes?
Grace?
The fucking saint was sent here?
No. Nobody would do that to someone like Grace.
He knew first hand who really deserved that fate.
So it was voluntary, then.
So Grace saved the world, saved him, saved Rocky, and was on the course to save another planet, and he did that all, on a suicide mission?
Simon owed him his mind, his body, his soul, his everything.
If Grace didn’t have enough food to make it to Earth, was Grace going to survive sharing his food with another on the trip to Erid?
If Grace was taking Simon with, that is.
“..how much longer until we reach Erid?”
Grace finally went back to being relaxed. Good.
“About.. five months and twenty five days?”
Oh thank fuck.
“Do you have enough food for another person?”
Simon felt the vibrations in Graces throat as he thought of an answer.
“Yeah, you’ll have enough food until then.”
Oh thank fuck.
“We will.” He corrected.
Grace curtly nods.
They sat in silence for a while, after that. Simon was actually starting to doze off, Grace was comfortable.
“Are you ready to meet Rocky yet?”
No, he wasn’t. But he nodded anyway.