Work Text:
In. Out.
In
Out
Simon just laid there trying to remember Grace's words from months ago. He'd been in the biodome for a while now, accepting Grace's help and... tolerating Rocky's and the other Eridians presents. He liked Adrien the most, at first it scared him, a silent presence just there, but it slowly came to be a comforting feeling.
He mostly just stuck with Grace.
He laid there for a long time before he noticed movement in Grace's room. They'd decided that it was best that Simon lived, if not with, than near Grace due to the trauma of that place oh god please not that place.
Grace came out in his sweater.
"Cold already?" Simon managed to get out.
"Says the walking furnace. I don't know how you're not cold!"
"Whatever you say angel. Do you have class today?"
"I do! Today I'm going to teach the kids about molecular organisms!"
"Didn't you already do that?"
"Yes but the kids wanted to learn more about Earth's microorganisms."
Simon was losing track of what Grace was even talking about, and before he could ask more, Rocky just busted down the door in excitement.
Grace nearly jumped out of his skin, before regaining his composure. "Rocky! Bud we've talked about this! I know you can make new doors but it's the principle of knocking!"
"Rocky sorry. Rocky excited! Rocky must tell Grace something outside!"
"Why can't you just tell me too?" Simon was confused. Rocky and Grace, especially Grace, never kept secrets from him.
"Well, um, it's, well, a surprise?"
"Bad Grace! Bad, bad, bad! Will ruin it for Simon!"
"Ruin what for me?"
"Nothing! Bye! Have a good day!"
Grace was pushing Rocky, in his xenonite suit, out of the house.
"Bye? I guess?" Simon was extremely confused at this point.
———————————————
Adrien had stopped by, bringing Simon's requested item. It was hard for the Eridians to see color, but with the "laptop", as Grace had called it, a red yarn like material was made.
Simon didn't understand how it was soft, or even how they made it. But he was grateful for Adrien's help.
He was getting frustrated though. The yarn was not turning into the bracelet he'd imagined.
It had to be perfect. For Grace.
"What Simon doing, question?" Adrien sang out.
Even though he still needed the translator to understand them, he could listen to Eridian speech forever if he could.
"Well, it was supposed to be a bracelet for Grace."
"Similar to Eridian mate mark, question?"
"Well. I guess. I hope so at least."
"Why need specific color, question?"
Simon put down the yarn and xenonite crochet hook. Another thing Adrien had given him. His mother had taught him how to sew so how much harder could this be?
(The answer was much harder. Even with the advanced prosthetic the Eridians had made him, it was nearly impossible to get the yarn to cooperate.)
"Well. It might be a thing from Eden," saying that name still gave him shivers. "There are things called the strings of fate. Green is for family, it's typically around your waist. To anchor you to your past."
Adrien letting out a hum, letting Simon ramble.
"Yellow for your friends, on your right wrist. To show that you give and receive amongst each other."
Maybe Simon could make matching ones for Grace and Rocky. He thinks they'd like that.
"And finally, red for your soulmates, around your left wrist. You and Rocky have one, connecting you to him."
Simon paused. Suddenly his mouth was dry.
"And I hope Grace and I share one."
Adrien hummed again.
"Similar to the Great Song. Why make one if already connected, question?"
"On Ed- Where I'm from making one signifies interest to another. Or at least that's how it used to be. I don't know, I've only heard my mothers stories."
Adrien purred. A semi-new noise to Simon, Grace had to show him videos of cats to get the idea of what was happening (and why Grace found it adorable).
"Grace will love, statment"
"I hope so, Adrien."
Hoped he'd like the abomination that Simon had created.
———————————————
Simon was in front of the stove, cooking up some Gracepattys, trying to prep dinner before Grace got home. He checked the clock.
Late. Again. He must have lost track of time.
Just as he was taking off his apron, adored with a ridiculous space pun, Grace's idea, the man walked back into the house.
"Grace! I was just about to come looking for you."
Grace had a far look in his eyes, with something akin to excitement swimming in the blues. Simon was, of course, happy to see Grace happy, but he still had questions about this morning.
"Si, I need you to trust me on something"
Fear striking his bones, he managed a weak "ok"
Grace took his right hand in his, and led him out of the house.
The bracelet heavy in his pocket.
"Ok, so you have to promise to not freak out, even though this is going to be a lot."
Simon would willingly let himself be slaughtered, if it were by Grace's hands. He'd never voice that out loud, but even in his mind he knew that was true.
Grace rambled about everything and nothing as he led Simon up the rocky cliffs, up and up. Until he abruptly stopped. Until they reached a door
"Ok, so. Can you close your eyes?"
Simon did, a sliver of fear, quickly dismissed by his brain.
He'd never hurt me. There's not a violent stand of DNA in his body.
Grace walked him through the door, and down a short corridor. Or what he'd assumed was a corridor, until they reached another door.
Simon could tell Grace was excited, he kept bouncing and fidgeting with Simon's, very warm and sweaty, hand. When had he gotten so sweaty?
The second door opened.
"Ok. You can open your eyes now."
Simon did so.
In front of him stood a forest.
A real forest with so, so, so many trees.
He felt his eyes sting. A few trees had fruit on them. A few had bark that was white. Many were triple his size. Some looked pokey with their weird looking leaves.
He felt his lungs empty of all air, as he just stood there and took it in.
He could see Grace staring at him, gauging his reaction. And when he didn't move, Grace started speaking.
"When I was sent off, they made sure to send a whole bunch of seeds with me, so they could study long term exposure to space in plants. I don't know who's job that was going to be because no one, to my knowledge, was a botanist."
He stood there. Breathing in real, freshly made oxygen. Grace continued.
"But I gave them to Adrien, figured they could study Earth plants and such. But then you came. And I figured 'hey this guy has seen one tree in his entire life. Maybe I could change that'. I talked to Adrien and they were already planning on making another biodome to study the plant's growth, so it wasn't hard to convince them."
Simon turned his head to Grace, jaw gaping open.
"You- you did this for me?." He managed to croak out. "It's beautiful."
The smile he received was even more beautiful. Grace lifted his hand to Simon's face, wiping tears that were replaced with new ones instantaneously.
Simon reached back into his pocket. The red bracelet sat heavy in his hand.
Suddenly, it didn't feel like enough.
Grace watched his movements. Watched as he brought the bracelet between them.
"What is this?"
Grace took Simon's hand into his own. It looked bad. But it was too late now.
"It's a braclet." Simon said dumbly. "I wanted- I just. Ugh. I've never done this."
He pulled back, but Grace was still holding his hand.
"Forget it. Please. We can just enjoy the trees."
"No. Now I'm curious. What does the bracelet mean?"
"Does Earth have the strings of fate?"
"Hm. Maybe. I've never heard of them before though."
Simon deflated a little. Scared of being rejected. He didn't know what he'd do if Grace said "no".
"Well- basically green is for family, yellow is for friends and-" Simon couldn't do this. He tried to pull his hand back crushing the bracelet. Grace held strong.
"Red is for lovers?" Grace finished. Ever intelligent.
Simon nodded.
Grace finally released his hand, instead caressing the scarred left side of Simon's face. And suddenly, Grace's lips were on his.
He pulled back.
Simon opened his eyes. When had he closed them?
Grace looked heartbroken, to say the least.
"Did I read this wrong? I'm sorry. We can just pretend that didn't happen. Gosh, I'm sorry."
He rambled on, Simon couldn't hear any of it.
When Grace pulled further away, Simon grabbed his forearms, and smashed his lips back onto Grace's.
Grace pulled back this time.
"Whoa! Si, please I need you to tell me what's happening! I'm very confused!"
Simon tried to form words that all that came out were sobs. He wilted against Grace's, full body sobs pulled him closer to the ground.
Grace, even confused, followed him down, trying to cushion the landing.
"I'm sorry, my angel, my Grace, I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing. My angel."
Simon didn't really know what he was saying, nor what Grace was saying, but he could feel Grace's chest rumble with, while rocking him back and forth, rubbing his back.
After he calmed down, he could understand what Grace was saying.
"It's ok sweetheart, there's nothing wrong, I should be apologizing, I went too fast, you did nothing wrong. Oh my heart, I'm so sorry."
Simon tried to pull back, but Grace's hold was firm.
"You back with me sweetheart?"
Simon hummed. He didn't think he could speak right now.
"That's ok. Can you try? For me? I need to make sure I don't mess this up."
"You didn't. I thought I was ready. I guess I wasn't." He didn't know how he managed to rasp that out, but he did it. For my angel.
Grace continued to rock him.
In. Out.
He didn't know what tomorrow was going to bring.
In. Out.
But he felt it in his bones.
In
Tomorrow was going to bring hope, maybe more.
Out.
He felt sleep taking him.
"Grace?"
"Yeah sweetheart?"
"Can we talk tomorrow?"
"Of course hun."
Simon felt him place a kiss on his hairline. Simon felt safer here, trees as his witness, than anywhere in his life.
He unfurled his hand. Letting the bracelet fall in between their bodies.