Chapter Text
Months ago, Simon had been taken to Erid. He had been lucky when a ship had made a pitstop on AT-5, just for a moment to refuel or recalibrate something. Simon was unconscious when the movement of the blood had dragged the mangled remains of the SM-13 to the surface. He didn’t know why, didn’t know when, and couldn’t even fathom HOW he’d woken up mostly intact in some… glorified fishbowl. His arm, or rather his stump, had been patched. Before long, he’d been introduced to Ryland Grace and his companion, Rocky, who Simon had a very hard time adjusting to the presence of. As well as Adrian, the Eridian who had saved his life. He hadn’t told them much about himself, if anything at all. Simon had purposely chosen to avoid speaking about himself, actually. In fact, any time he thought about doing so, he was overwhelmed by the fear that they would turn him away. He couldn’t have that, he couldn’t lose the only kind human (hell, the only kind anyone) he’d met in years. So he rarely spoke, unless it was to ask about chores or if he could help Ryland with anything. Usually, the other man told him no, to rest, to recover from wounds that still hurt despite having closed, and Simon hated that. He’d been conditioned to be useful, one way or another, and having nothing to do was driving him up the wall, but he waited it out.
Grace was a teacher, Simon soon learned. He, to some extent, enjoyed watching Grace work, even if he didn’t understand much of the science talk. That was another thing. Grace felt smarter than him, and Simon couldn’t stand it. He grew up in a place that was heavy on religion, and he was a centerpiece of their actions. Of course it wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t the kind of guy to know complex physics. But that didn’t make it any better when he heard Grace say something smart, and he just had to nod along like he understood. When his glass ego had finally splintered, he had lashed out, made some remark about how Grace must love making him feel like an idiot. When the emotionally awkward teacher had comforted Simon, explained things step by step, encouraged him to ask questions when he needed to. When Grace had been sweet, kind, understanding, and a whole list of other nice things to a man that had barely ever experienced that… Well, little did Simon know, that was when he fell in love.
Fast forward to current time, and Simon was having a full on-breakdown. The poor man had begun having vivid nightmares again, paranoia flaring like nothing else, and his whole world began to come crashing in. He didn’t know what it was that was making his nerves act up. Maybe stress? Maybe it was just how his brain worked? Regardless, his first, and only, thought was that something bad was going to happen, and he wouldn’t be able to stop it. He was huddled underneath a small outcrop near the house, curled up where nobody would see him. He was so panicked that he didn’t notice the Eridian that had skittered into the bio-dome (at least, that’s what Grace called it) in his little jumpsuit. He approached, tapping Simon gently on the arm. The ex-convict just about jumped a foot into the air, but managed to collect himself. “Oh, Rocky. It- It’s just you,” he let out a dry laugh that was closer to a strangled little sob. “You scared me for a second.” He adjusted himself, scooting so he could properly face the alien. “Rocky came to visit Grace, but heard Simon make sound of distress. Is Simon alright, question?” Rocky chittered, tilting his carapace slightly to one side. Thank God that Grace had taken the time to help Simon understand Eridian language, even if translations were… iffy sometimes. The man sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “I.. I’m okay, just some bad thoughts,” he shook his head slightly, looking at the ground.
“Ohhh. Rocky understand. Grace have bad thoughts sometimes too, gets sad and won’t get up even when been awake for hours. Bad, bad, bad.” It came closer, likely trying to ‘see’ Simon more clearly. “When Grace have bad thought, Grace talk to Rocky. Simon want to talk to Rocky, question?” Simon shook his head. “No, not really. I don’t really-” before he could get the rest of his sentence out, Rocky spoke again. “Simon no talk to Rocky about problem, then Simon talk to Grace about problem!” Simon snapped his head up, making an attempt to tell the retreating Eridian to stop. “ROCKY NO!- aaand he's gone. God fuckin dammit..” He grumbled to himself as he heard footsteps approaching. It was Grace, of course, who else could it have been? “Hey Simon.” His voice was gentle as he crouched beside Simon “Rocky told me you weren’t doin’ so hot. What’s up?” he slid to sit down fully. “Just… just some anxiety. I’m fine, Grace,” he muttered, bringing his knees to his chest. “Ah, I see. That’s fair, honestly. I mean, a whole new planet with a whole new lifeform, and a whole list of things you’re not used to… seems pretty stressful,” he nodded, trying to fully understand Simon’s anxiety.
“It’s not just that, Grace... I… I guess I’ve been having these… I don’t know, night terrors??” he leaned forward, his chin against his knees. “Night terrors...?” Grace mused, his head tilted just slightly. “Like what? I- I mean if you’re comfortable talking about it, that is.” The elaboration came out rushed, almost as if Grace were worried he’d crossed a line. Simon sighed, still avoidant of Grace’s gaze. “My childhood, the... blood ocean, that sort of stuff,” he grumbled. Grace’s eyes widened slightly, sympathy crossing his features. “Oh gosh… I’m sorry, Simon. That sounds rough.” It was at this moment Rocky reappeared to chime in, “Agree, agree, agree. Very rough. Simon have bad dream, bad dream make Simon stressed... Rocky thinks Simon needs to talk, statement.” Rocky chirped, sitting down nearby. Simon looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. “I- ugh. It's a long story, and definitely not a nice one to listen to. I doubt you’d want to hear it,” he curled further into himself. “Woah, hey. You don’t have to tell us anything you’re uncomfortable with, we just wanna make sure you’re okay.” Grace scooted closer, putting a gentle hand on Simon’s back. Simon flinched briefly before leaning into it with a sort of need that made him look like a desperate animal rather than a grown man. “Fine, I’ll talk, I guess. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”