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As an Alpha, Ryland Grace was familiar with how the ranks worked. Alphas, like him, were the leaders. Not in the aggressive, macho fashion that most alphas he’d met tried to be, but in the more paternal sense. Alphas were meant to be the ones to provide the food, help the struggling members of their pack, and be good with the children. They were protectors, yes, but only when necessary. Betas were the voice of reason. They were the ones to size up situations, weigh the pros and cons, and advise others with a more level head. They weren’t the ‘boring’ option like his students had thought. Omegas, meanwhile, weren’t just the breeders and housewives, they were the ones to make sure the pack stayed strong and healthy. They were the ones that were trusted to pick the most suitable areas to raise pups, to settle down for the night, and the ones to bring comfort to the group.
At least, that’s what they were inclined to be. Naturally, the attributes shifted and changed person to person, some Alphas were more level-headed and not good providers while some Betas knew how to keep the group together far better. Simon, though, didn’t seem to fit the mold very well for any of them.
He didn’t have the pungent, authoritative odor of an Alpha, he smelled like pine and earth, a fresher, gentler scent then Grace’s more chemical-esque fragrance. Yet, his scent wasn’t as addictive as an Omega’s.
When it came to behaviors, Simon was initially aggressive and hostile like Alphas tried to be, but after a week or so, he simmered down to a quieter wariness. He didn’t bite or snarl at Grace when he saw him, but he didn’t leave the dormitory. When he eventually settled down, he was as logical and slow to anger as a Beta, but also weirdly touchy, like an Omega might be.
The affectionate nature was what really threw Grace off. After the sturdy man accepted that Grace and Rocky meant him no harm, he wasn’t very talkative, but he was willing to brush his hand over the scientist’s shoulders while he was hunched over an experiment. He also brushed against him whenever he walked past and casually left his scent on Grace. It was as if the mutated man had been on the Hail Mary for the entire trip, not a handful of months.
Easy, Ryland. Don’t overthink things. He warned himself while he sat in the dappled light of the don’t-go-crazy room’s forest scene with Simon. Ask before you assume. He might just have a wonky equilibrium.
“Hey, Si,” Grace tried as casually as he could while he listened to a stream gurgle across smooth rocks with his ocean-blue eyes stuck to the screen save for a few glances at his companion. “Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”
Simon took his time to reply, too busy with the beautiful forest the ship showed to respond for a couple of minutes.
“Depends what the questions are.” Simon responded, and Grace could hear a wall being pre-emptively raised with each word, even though his mismatched eyes didn’t leave the scenery. The blonde swallowed a lump of nervous energy, then made sure to pick his next words carefully. He didn’t want to offend the ravenette when they’d been co-habitating so well.
“I just wanted to ask why you rub your scent on me. N-not that I mind, I’m just not used to it, is all.” He hummed with a glance towards the man. Who, looked back at him with confusion.
“What do you mean why? I’ve been apologizing, for...y’know, the way I threw you around at first?” He said, as if it were obvious. Oh! Wait, is this a cultural difference thing? Did his community have different standards than America?
“That’s how you apologize?” Grace asked, almost gasped, really. He inwardly winced at how giddy he sounded, but Simon didn’t clam up like he feared he might.
Simon instead took a moment to scan the blonde over with an expression that the teacher recognized as expecting mockery or insult. But, Grace only looked at him with bright blue eyes and a wide smile on his face. So, he nodded slightly.
“That’s how we apologize on Eden. It keeps bonds strong and shows that our scent isn’t harsh.” He explained. Then, he asked Grace’s next question. “You are an Alpha, right? You’re part of the heirarchy?” and the ex-teacher nodded so hard his glasses nearly bounced off.
“I am! But we don’t scent people to apologize, we just say it verbally, or get them their favorite snack.” Grace explained, then he turned to face the one-armed man properly. “What if you scent me and your scent is harsh? Does that mean anything?”
“Usually if someone apologizes and their scent is harsh, it’s not an apology. It’s considered backhanded.”
“Are there other ways that you’ve been apologizing? I’m sorry if I seem like I’ve been holding a grudge, I haven’t been. I completely understand why you were so hostile at the start, I’ve forgiven you.” Grace rambled slightly, and Simon simply nodded at that.
“I haven’t, but back in Eden, another method of apology would be if I took a strongly-scented item of mine and presented it to you. But, all of mine was cut off by that nanny bot.” Simon explained, and that time Grace nodded.
“That’s so interesting...And you do this to anyone? Brother, friend, lover?” He asked next, and Simon shrugged,
“I mean, I didn’t have a lover, so I don’t know what to do with a partner, but yes, that’s how you’d apologize to your brothers or sisters.”
Grace leaned back slightly as he mulled that over. The forest scenery forgotten as he thought of so many questions. What other things did Eden do? Did you have mates or was it one big family? How was the heirarchy handled? Was it different from earth? How different?-
“Could I ask a question now?” Simon asked, snapping Grace out of his thoughts.
“Of course! Go ahead!”
“Why did you forgive me so easily? I hurt you, I’m a monster that you don’t know.” Simon asked, an edge of suspicion in his words, but Grace could tell by how his scent had muddied that he was also sad. So, Grace took a slow breath in and was careful with his words again. This time, so that he didn’t upset himself.
“Like I said, I understand why you reacted like that. You were confused and scared with a stranger standing over you and a weird rock alien rolling around. I...would’ve been the same way if I were in your shoes.” He didn’t mention how he had been similarly scared and confused, and thankfully Simon didn’t pry. His scent simply muddled together further.
“I just didn’t want the blood to mutate you like it did me. Then, I didn’t want to go back to the C.O.I. I’ve done enough for those backstabbers, I don’t want to be used for more fucking suicide missions.” Simon grumbled, glaring at the metal floor while he ran a finger over the teeth on his cheek.
Grace gave him a moment or two to stew, then he gave a slightly awkward laugh,
“Well, I still don’t know of any Coalitions of Iron, so you’re safe from them at least. Plus, I doubt there will be one of those on Erid, so you’ll probably never run into them again.” He assured, and Simon eyed him, but gave a nod.
“Okay. Do you have any other questions?” He asked to change the subject, and the blonde was happy to follow his lead.
After that, they simply went back and forth explaining how their groups handled certain aspects of the heirarchy. It was so interesting for Grace to learn how physical and close-knit the people of Eden were, and Simon seemed almost flabbergasted by how prudish earth was in comparison.