Chapter Text
Simon.. wasnt the most sociable person, or maybe he just didn’t like grace, but since the man had crashed into the biodomes artificial ocean, soaked in blood and missing a very important appendage, he had avoided ryland at all costs, and he knew it had to of been particular to him because well he was just so much kinder with the eridians. When grace had the blessing of catching the burly man talk to the aliens, he would be mesmerised by the care and just lack of anger he displayed, before he spotted the scientist and his walls are daggers.
it wasn’t like grace cared too much, simon had obviously been through a lot in his time in space, and he could understand that he may not be the exact pinicale of safety when he had been bretrayed by so many of his kind, and simon wasn’t violent towards him, other then that one time when he first met grace and choked him almost to death. So maybe he could deal with Simons hatred, he still had rocky and all!
“Grace, rocky has requested you stop aggravating the new human, statement.” Adrian sung at him.
Ryland had just woke up when Adrian had requested to see him, they did this a lot, usually just to chat, or gossip if they had anything intresting, but they hadn’t been able to in a while due to the stress of the new arrival.
He also hadnt been able to see rocky in a considerable amount of time, both being busy, rocky especially since he had been put in charge of the new humans wellbeing, knowing the most about humans, spending more then 4+ years with one during project hailmary.
grace was dissapointed at the lack ot his friend but understood that the simon, the traumatized suffering human, needed more attention then grace, the recovering, only-really-needing-attention-as-reminders-for-his-meds-and-selfcare human, but he cant say he didnt miss rocky ridicously.
Which is why he was actually excited to see adrian but as he was leaving, he left at the same time as simon, who for the moment was still living in his house, simon wasn’t in a good mood to see the man, and instead barked at him to go away, as he ran out the house, leaving grace stunned.
Eventually grace left to see Adrian still slightly shocked when the eridian told him of rocky request.
“But I haven’t been doing anything!” Grace argued before quickly doubting himself "...have I?"
“New grace exited house angry, when asked explain, he explain grace to be fault, but not much more” it suddenly felt as though Adrian was scolding ryland for something he did on porpouse, which made him nervous, did they really think he would do this..? Well mabye he did do it and just wasnt aware.
“i...i’ll try my best..“ grace spoke, voice uncertain.
“good, rocky also suggest grace make friendship gift, arm for simon.“ adrian adding way more nonchalantly then appropriate for the request, like that wouldnt take weeks and weeks of research and building, but grace wouldnt dare say anything especially since he already felt as though he had wronged his friends.
“I will try to make something, but I can’t say I’ve made anything like this before,” ryland tried his best to not sound as lost as he actually was in his own life.
“good.”
They stay in silence across the beach for a hot minute, sitting on the sandy beach of grace’s (and now simon’s) biome.
“…is there a reason rocky didn’t want to say this to me himself?”
“Rocky is.. conflicted.”
Grace perked up, confused and turned around to face Adrian, “conflicted? How?”
“eridians not know much about humans, little information, do not know who at fault of conflict between two humans” Adrian stated, it made grace worry that rocky didn’t know If grace was starting fighting between him and simon, despite the fact, ryland had tried his best to be friendly and was positively overjoyed at the prospect of having a new human around, but he couldn’t blame them for any confusion, they were just aliens to them. “Rocky try and separate other human to find out conflict, and keep grace out of recovery way”
That stung slightly. He didn’t mean to be a hindrance, he was just trying to communicate, but he couldn’t say anything, he shouldn’t anyways, they had already done so much for him.
“Right.. sorry about all this, I’ll uh..” Grace fiddled with his thumbs, pondering over how to stay out of Simon’s way, “..try my best.”
“That all Adrian can ask.”
“…hows erid doing?” Ryland tentivly asks.
“Adrian glad you asked.” Adrian preceded to sing every event, and creation made since the new human.
Ryland wasn’t teaching a class today, actually he hadn’t been teaching classes for a while due to simon but whatever.
Grace was sitting on the dining room table, tinkering with one of his many arm prototypes, his hands throwing it back and fro when he was confused.
He had been doing this for 4 hours now.
Ryland couldn’t sleep soundly that night, like something was going to happen, he didn’t like It, but even when he managed to close his eyes and fade into sleep, he woke up merely 3 hours later, giving up as soon as he looked to see the homemade sun cycle being upside down, painting the sky a dark blue with stars scattered, it was beautiful but way too early and late at the same time for him to go back to bed.
So Ryland decided to start on the prosthetic for his new resident.
He was tinkering haphazardly when he began to hear footsteps making their way down the stairs, to where he quickly hid the prototype and began to just work on a piece of it as non caltanty as he physically could
Simon finally made his way down the stairs, blinking rapidly, trying to race away the sleepiness in them, when he met eyes with grace’s.
The man began to glare sharply, unsure as he tentatively walked past, Grace tried his best now to shrink into himself while working.
Why did this man hate him so much, what did he do? It had to have been something..right? Mabye he looked like someone, or mabye he just didn’t give off the right energy, mabye Simon just didn’t like sharing with a stranger.
Ryland continued to dig his hole of answerless questions when he realised that he hadn’t been paying attention to what he was tinkering with, until it blew up in his hands, burning his palms and causing Simon to jump back and fall straight onto the floor.
“Oh shoot!” Grace exclaimed, as his hands bubbled with burns, my god did that hurt, not to mention it reopened the old burn wounds on his right arm from rocky. “Ow ow ow,”
Ryland stood up to go get medical attention and clean up his mess when his gaze fell back to the man who had fallen in his kitchen.. oh no.
Simon was curled up, eyes glazed over, shaking like he had been in Antarctica with stratt when she blew it up. He seemed to be scratching at the ground with how hard he was digging his nails into it, like he was trying to ground himself. He knew what it was, a trauma response, he himself use to have some on the Hail Mary and after court and his father died, as well as Colt.. wait who is Colt or court?
It wasnt the time anyways, he had some sort of knowledge from his broken up memories, so he was going to use it.
“Hey hey, Simon. It’s me, Grace” Simon didn’t react. “Ryland Grace. You’re okay. Don’t worry.”
Ryland knew little about Simon’s trauma other then he came from a place with no stars or planets, so mabye telling him where he was would help?
“You’re on erid, a planet filled with rock creatures called erdians, they created the home your in now, you’re safe, nothing is going to hurt you again, the noise was a mechanical error.”
Simon slowly began to look up, meeting graces eyes. “There you are, si”
Grace suddenly seemed to remeber that Simon was horrified by his presence and he caused this attack, god why couldn’t he have just payed attention.
The scientist moved far back so Simon was out of his arms reach, making sure he knew that he wasn’t able to attack him “do..do you want Rocky.. or uh Adrian?” No response. “Or I’ll just uh leave.. or stay?” Grace sighed heavier then he intended, many worried and sleepless nights worrying over Simon, then worrying over the fact he’s done something to make him feel afraid seeping out into the exhale. “I don’t know how to help.. please tell me how to help.”
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“..leave me alone, grace.” Simon spoke his name with so much spite it shocked Grace, as he shoved the scientist, more gentle than Ryland expected, and ran off.
..
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The second time
That was the second time Simon had told him to leave him alone, first at the door, and second now. That was the issue, it wasn’t his acts, it wasn’t his behaviour, no, it was Grace. Suddenly he knew how to not be a bother for once and make sure he does lose Rocky, just disappear till Simon’s ready.
Of course he doesn’t mean literally disappear such as run away or anything, not like he could while he lives in a biodome, just completely stay out of Simon’s way, not matter what, he couldn’t mess up the only salvation Simon has had and the only home Ryland has had.
No matter what
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