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"Warning: Oxygen recycler damaged."
Mary's voice echoes throughout the ship, surprising the crew aboard. "What the-?" You stand up, rushing towards the cockpit to check the monitors.
Ryland and Rocky follow closely behind her, equally distressed at the sudden warning. "Shit." You curse under your breath.
"What is it?" He leans down behind you, trying to get a look at your monitor.
"One of the oxygen recyclers has been damaged by a stray asteroid." The monitors show one of the five oxygen recyclers hanging onto the ship by a cord.
"I need to fix it." You immediately stand up from your chair, but Grace stops you, holding your wrist. "It's too dangerous."
You look back at your crewmate, annoyed, because you are wasting time as you speak. "Grace." You say, sternly. "Having less oxygen on the ship doesn't sound too comforting, does it?"
His grip tightens on your wrist, not letting you go. "It's on the most dangerous part of the hull, next to one of the thrusters." His free hand points at your monitor. "You could get hurt."
The grip on your wrist grows more uncomfortable by the second, making you retract your arm to free yourself. "What do you want me to do?!"
"I'll fix it." Grace insists.
You pinch the bridge of your nose, growing more annoyed. "Grace— I literally invented them for the spaceship back on Earth."
Grace grows silent, knowing you are more qualified to fix the ship. But he insists on not letting you go out.
"Do you not trust me?!" Your voice slightly rises.
Rocky notices the change in the tone of your voices, immediately recognizing it was an argument. He leaves the cockpit to give both of you privacy—Mary taught him that one.
Grace was surprised by the sudden change of tone, "You literally— You could die!" He scolds you.
You sigh, realizing that Grace is never gonna let you go out there, "But this ship— This mission is the only hope Earth has." You pause.
"We need to make sacrifices, Ryland!" You practically shout loud enough that Rocky can hear it from the other side of the spaceship.
Grace was taken aback by your anger, him growing angrier too at your stubbornness.
"Okay, look—" He forces out an attempted calm tone. "I'll let you go. But—" Ryland breathes out.
"Thank you!" You cut him off, flailing your arms around.
"But you can only go once we're through this asteroid cluster." He stares at you through the rim of his glasses. "Because if you go now— You could..."
"I could get what, Ryland?!"
"Just— Agree with me so we can be done with this and stop wasting oxygen."
"Oh. So you think I'm a waste of oxygen now, huh?" You cross your arms.
Grace never meant it that way. It only sounded like it did, but you interpreting it that way hurt him.
"Just let the ship pass through the asteroid cluster, then you can go out and do whatever you want." He sighs in anger, walking out of the cockpit.
You sigh, silently agreeing that he was right. It was a waste of oxygen arguing about what time is safest to fix the recycler. Plopping yourself back down onto the chair, you stare at the monitors, processing the first fight you had with your crewmate.
The next few days were torturous. No teasing, no jokes, no laughing, no meals together. It was the longest wait you had to do for the asteroid cluster to pass the ship.
The experiments requiring two humans were awkward, to say the least. "Spectrometer." Grace points at it, across the lab. You drag your feet to get it and hand him the tool with noticeable force.
Rocky was also more silent than normal when hanging out in the lab with the two humans. He resorted to talking either to Armando or Mary about the two leaky space blobs.
And yes, you both indeed were leaky space blobs.
You silently cry yourself to sleep at night. You didn't regret wanting to fix the recycler. You knew you were right about that. What you regretted was the look on his face when you raised your voice.
Because for the first time since waking up on the Hail Mary, Ryland Grace didn't look like a scientist solving a problem. He looked hurt.
Grace was also deeply affected and concerned about how he worded his argument to you. He tries to distract himself with astrophage research, but later breaks down on the laboratory floor when no one is there.
After the asteroid cluster passes, you finally have the opportunity to fix the oxygen recycler. You get ready in the EVA room, putting on your suit. You look over and see Ryland doing the same thing.
"I thought you were the one to be on comms while I go out and fix it." You say in a forced monotone voice.
He jumps a bit from your voice, not expecting a conversation between the two of you. Grace had his back turned towards you and didn't look back at you when you spoke up.
It took him a second to reply, swallowing his tears. "Just in case."
"Just in case, what?"
"Just in case something happens."
You scoff silently, not wanting to argue further, as you click on your helmet. "Ready."
His footsteps were heavy against the metal floor of the spaceship as he headed towards the cockpit. You admit to yourself, he did look funny waddling in his EVA suit towards the cockpit.
A small smile escapes your lips, but you force it away, not wanting Grace to see you smiling at yourself during an argument.
"Why Grace in suit? Question." Rocky tilts his carapace at Grace. "Just in case I need to save her, Rocky." He sits down at the captain's chair, switching on the intercoms.
"Grace care for friend. Grace love friend." Rocky's translator echoes throughout the intercoms. "Wha—" Your voice gets cut off from the comms when Grace immediately turned it off.
You stared at the static for a moment, confused. Then you looked down at your communicator. "Grace?"
No answer.
On the other side of the ship, Grace closed his eyes, already regretting everything.
"Rocky." He turns towards him. "Her and I aren't okay. It would be great if you don't say that right now."
The eridian grows more confused. "But Grace and friend vitals okay. Why not okay?"
"Emotionally, we aren't, okay?"
"Oh. Humans confusing."
Grace looked away. "Yes. We are."
He hesitated before turning the comms back on. The moment the connection returned— "What did Rocky say?"
Grace froze.
Because lying to you had never been easy.
Not when he had spent months learning every small expression on your face. Not when he knew exactly how you sounded when you were joking, frustrated, scared, or pretending not to care.
"Nothing." The answer came too quickly, and you immediately noticed.
You sigh, and the air lock finally opens. You step out onto the hull and start to slowly walk towards the damaged oxygen recycler.
The mission was filled with silence. It threw you off. Because normally, it would be filled with either you or Grace telling stories to keep the other outside the ship company.
You finally reach the border of the safe part of the hull and the dangerous part of the hull. Grace hesitates to say anything, but as you step into the danger zone, he mutters, "Careful."
"What?" You struggle to decipher what he had just said.
He swallows and mutters again, enough for you to hear, "c-careful."
The word was quiet. Almost swallowed by the static between you. You froze. Because after days of silence, after days of pretending that the distance between you didn't bother either of you, that was the first thing he had said that sounded like the old Ryland.
"Thanks." The reply came softer than you intended.
A pause.
Then: "You're welcome." And for a moment, neither of you knew what to do with the fact that talking didn't hurt.
You finally reach the oxygen recycler, the thruster just a few feet beside you. Grace looks over at the monitor displaying your vitals, reading that your heartbeat was climbing at an alarming rate.
"Is friend okay?" Rocky was worried.
"Hey—" He hesitates again. "Calm down."
"I know."
You technically weren't scared of the thrusters being just a few feet ahead of you. I mean— Yes, it was in fact a scary sight, seeing flaming red circles ready to toast you alive, but you were almost used to it due to having to repair the hull multiple times.
The reason for your heartbeat climbing was the fact that you were required to talk with Ryland. Your survival depended on it. You're not allowed to avoid it anymore.
You finally got to work on the recycler. Normally, something like this mission, your heart rate would go down a bit. But no. And Grace, of course, notices.
"Your heartbeat is still increasing." He looks at the feed of the camera attached to your helmet.
"Maybe because I'm standing next to a giant engine." You pull out your wrench.
His answer comes too quickly, "No."
You stop unscrewing the device. Grace is staring at the feed and readings, but he isn't looking at the numbers anymore.
"It's not the thruster." Silence followed.
Because, of course, he knew.
Ryland Grace always knew.
You were almost done reconnecting the recycler. "Almost there," you muttered, tightening the last bolt. Grace was about to answer when Mary's voice interrupted.
"Warning. High-velocity object approaching." Neither of you had time to react.
SNAP
Another asteroid hits the recycler, snapping the remaining support cable.
The recycler lurched free, spinning wildly on its remaining cable before whipping across the hull.
It slammed into your side with enough force to rip your hands from the ship.
Your camera cuts into static, Grace completely losing sight of you. "HEY!" He calls out to you. Silence.
"ANSWER ME!"
Nothing.
"Come on..."
Still nothing.
"Ahh shi— Rocky, suit. Now." He rushes to the airlock. "Keep the ship stable."
Rocky was equally distressed. "Friend okay? Question." He asks through the intercoms.
Grace clicks his helmet on, "I don't know, buddy." He heads out the airlock, the vast space staring at him.
"HEY!" He shouts out to you.
You flutter your eyes open, hearing a ringing in your ear, and your vision blurry. You blink a few times and see that you were several meters away, the tether wrapped around a hull support.
One of your legs is twisted underneath a structural brace. You planted your other foot against the hull and pulled with everything you had.
For one hopeful second, the brace shifted.
Then—
CRACK.
White-hot pain exploded up your leg.
"ARGHH!" Your groans echo in the intercoms. "Friend!" Rocky's translator echoes. "Talk to me!" Grace's voice was full of distress, and what sounded like him was on the verge of tears.
You broke your ankle, trying to break free from the structural brace. You couldn't hold it in anymore as tears started to fall down your face. Everyone on the ship can hear your sniffles.
"Where are you!" Grace was frantically searching for you across the hull.
He finally looked behind him. And there you were. Curled against the hull, one leg trapped beneath twisted metal, tears floating inside your helmet.
For one terrifying second, he couldn't move.
Then instinct took over.
He hurries over to you, a broken part of the ship in hand. "Took you long enough." You manage to spit out through your tears.
Grace lets out a shaky breath. "Don't do that."
He doesn't waste any more time before smashing away the structural brace that trapped your broken ankle. It finally breaks off, and you start floating away.
"Ry!" The unused nickname for days escapes your lips in panic.
Grace immediately reaches out to catch your hand, pulling you towards him. "Hey.." His voice came out softer.
He looks down at you to assess if you have any injuries. He notices the ankle that is angled wrong.
"I've got you." He carries you in one of his arms, the other stabilizing him to the hull.
He slowly makes his way towards the airlock, apologizing every time you wince in pain.
"Sorry."
A few steps. "Sorry."
He adjusts his grip on you. "I know. I know it hurts."
Another wince. "I'm so sorry."
Grace slowly sets you down in the EVA room, then closes the airlock.
His gloved hands trembled as he unlocked your helmet. The moment it came free, he cupped your face for only a second, as if reassuring himself you were still there.
Then he remembered your ankle.
You bite down on your arm to silence yourself through the pain. "I left you alone..." He mumbles loud enough for you to hear.
"Ry..." He looks up at you, tears drenching your face. "Not now."
Rocky's ball hurriedly rolls towards the EVA room. "Armando. Now now now." Grace remembers they have a robot nurse onboard, picking you up to carry you to the dormitories.
Every hurried step of Ryland felt like someone was punching your broken ankle. It made you wince and cry even more. Resulting in Grace apologizing for every step.
The three of you finally reach the dormitories. He gently places you down. Armando remained motionless beside the bed, patiently waiting for the patient's suit to be removed. "Help her!" Grace commands the robot.
"Grace stupid. Armando and friend need privacy because friend need to change to medical dress." Rocky rolls away.
"Oh."
Grace looked at you one last time."I'll be right outside."
He waited.
You gave the smallest nod.
"Grace!" Rocky was irritated.
Only then did he step out and let the door close.
Not even a few steps away from the door, he collapses onto the floor, crying. "I almost lost her." Rocky looks back at him.
"Oh. Human leaky again."
"That's not comforting at all, buddy."
"Words of encouragement."
"Nope." He sniffles.
"Words of great encouragement."
A few hours pass, and Rocky tries his best to comfort Grace. You finally wake up.
"Eye movement detected," Mary announces.
Grace immediately stands up and rushes towards the dormitories, faster than Rocky could roll his ball down the hallway.
There, he saw you sitting up on the bed, your ankle and body covered in bandages. He freezes a bit, not used to seeing you in this state. He slowly makes his way towards you. Then the moment he's close enough, he can't stop himself.
He pulls you into a hug.
You freeze; neither of you speaks for several seconds. Then you slowly hug him back
"A hello would've sufficed." You smile weakly.
He silently laughs, almost broken.
You couldn't see Grace's face, but he takes one deep breath. Then another. Then his shoulders suddenly shake. "I thought I lost you."
You slowly rub his back, also tearing up. "You didn't."
He shakes his head.
"I almost did."
You take a deep breath and relax your shoulders, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."
He pulls back from the hug and interrupts you. "No." A pause. "I'm sorry I tried to stop you instead of trusting you."
You softly smile. "When Rocky said it..." Ryland suddenly avoids eye contact with you.
"...said what?"
"Never mind."
"Ryland." You smirk.
He stays silent, and his silence tells you everything. "He said you love me, didn't he?"
He freezes. Because the worst part was that Rocky wasn't wrong, and Ryland Grace hated when someone else figured out the answer before he did. "Rocky doesn't understand human emotions."
"Grace."
"He interprets attachment differently than we do."
"Ry."
"There are several explanations for why he would say—"
"Ryland." And he stops. Because you don't need the explanation.
You already know.
"I didn't want to say it because I thought it would complicate things." He plays with his fingers.
"Everything on this ship is complicated."
He sighs. "I spent months convincing myself that I was just concerned about the mission. That I was worried about losing a valuable crew member."
You tilt your head slightly. "And?"
"And then you almost died." He pauses for a bit. "And my first thought wasn't about Earth. Or the mission. Or the oxygen recycler."
He breathes deeply and finally gathers the courage to look into your eyes.
"It was you."