Chapter Text
The end credits to The Little Mermaid started to roll on the screen as Grace slowly got up from his desk, with pebbles cheering in song at the movie.
"So class, what did all of you think of the film?" Grace asked thinking that his class probably didn't understand half of what happened because of the culture barrier, but he couldn't care less as he just wanted an easy end to the day.
They all took some time to discuss with each other to come to one conclusion, then three of Grace's students stepped up to the glass.
"Is that how Mr. Grace and Mr. Simon met???"
The class erupted in song as they all now scrambled to the glass waiting for Grace's response. All Grace could do was stand there for some time taking in the question, not sure how to respond, internally he laughed his ass off at his students abruptness and genuine interest at how their science and horticulture teachers met.
"Definitely, the two of us are just like Ariel and Prince Eric." Grace joked snickering a little.
Unfortunately for him the class didn't pick up on the joke aspect of it and started going wild with this "correct" information, and before he could set things straight the end of the day bell rang and they all scattered with none of them even grabbing their homework sheets on the way out.
"Uuuhhhh, wait! class I was... just... joking..." Grace sighed, he knew he would hear all about this from the parents of his students at parent teacher interviews.
"Well, fudge..." He said walking to his desk to pack up some loose notes and sketches.
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Walking back to the house was different that day, he couldn't focus on the waves today or even what to make for dinner as all Grace could imagine was Simon as a mermaid like Ariel, sighing he knew what he had to do.
"I have to sketch this out." Grace stated with determination and started sprinting back to the house hoping to get there before Simon so he could get some time to bring his silly idea to paper before he had to start dinner prep now deciding on chicken flavored meburgers.
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Simon finally finished his prep for his class the next morning with some small potted plants standing in a line. He was still so grateful that Ryland and the Eridians allowed him to work in the greenhouse and to share his passion for plants with others.
Simon started down the path to the house excited to see what Ryland had decided for that nights dinner, opening the side door leading into the kitchen he expected to see Ryland flailing about trying his best to not burn something but all he was greeted with was an empty room, not even looking like anything was touched since that morning. Confusion seeped into him with a twang of fear that something might have happened.
"Ry, Angel, where are you? Are you home??" Simon called out hoping for a response only for it to fall flat with nothing in return.
He started to creep through the house with caution as if something might jump out at him, that was until his hearing picked up the familiar pencil scratches of a pesky scientist, simon sighed with relief, 'oh Angel, of course you got caught up in another one of your notes.' simon thought. He quietly opened the door to their office so as not to startle Ryland.
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The sight was something comfortably regular in the household as Grace was shrimped over the desk, his long earrings dragging on the wood with a scrape, and paper strewn around.
Simon could not help but pick up one of the many crumpled papers thrown behind Grace, he unfurled it, a hard blush started to speckle his face, as he looked over the paper that had an almost realistic but scratched out drawing of Simon on it... With a fish tail... for legs. Simon stood stunned for a moment then all he could do was quietly creep forward to see what grace was drawing now.
Grace wanted to rip his hair out at what he did with this drawing, he felt he couldn't capture Simon's face right and he was starting to actually lose his mind over it as he knew Simon would be home soon and he needed to start dinner, but he could not stop sketching, he had to get the drawing perfect.
"Maybe if I just... Do this... No, no that's wrong... Maybe this?? Ugh nooo, this isn't working..." Grace said as he pushed his chair backward only for it to stop not even after an inch of moving. Then he felt the familiar heat of Simon on his shoulder, his head resting there. He froze realizing he had been caught.
"You're pretty good at art, you should teach me some time Ry." Simon hummed not aware of the internal panic Grace was going through.
"What, No I'm Not, HAHAHAHA!!! ANYWAY! NOTHING IS HAPPENING HERE! I'll, uh... AHA! GO START DINNER, WHY DON'T YOU COME WITH ME..." Grace said in a panic standing up and sort of shoved both men out of the room into the hallway, both stood there awkwardly.
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Grace quickly started down the hallway to the living room almost hoping to escape Simon as well as what he was just doing, then a hand stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulder just at the entrance to the living room, it sent a shiver up his spine, his face flushed.
"Y'know you're allowed to draw me right?" Simon laughed as he shuffled around grace to be face to face with the man.
"Now stop standing there like I'm going to bite your head off, let's go make dinner, oh! Did you decide what we'll have tonight?" Simon started to lead Grace to the kitchen.
"I, um, do, uh, ch-chicken meburgers sound good?" Grace choked out half frozen like a deer in head lights from Simons words.
"That sounds perfect Angel." Simon said looking back at grace who had now suddenly stopped.
"Um, are you sure it's okay, cause, uh, you know, I-I don't mean to draw you like, that, but I, um, I just couldn't get the idea out of my head after watching The Little Mermaid with my class, and..." Grace stammered struggling to meet Simon's eyes.
"Grace I'm sure, I don't care what you sketch up, now can we please drop it, I'm starving and we have a lot of prep to do seeing as someone forgot." Simon teased and pulled Grace into the kitchen, and started taking out vegetables from the fridge.
"I-hm, alright heheh." Grace laughed realizing he had gotten quite distracted early, he helped Simon grab stuff, then started chopping up the veggies.
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'Oh shoot' Grace thought, he completely forgot to mention to Simon how his entire class now thinks the two men's lives were similar to the movie from earlier, he sighed internally planning to mention it later as to not spoil the dinner the two were eating. Grace so knew this would bite him in the ass later, but he resigned that to be his future self's problem, and went back to enjoying the dinner him and Simon made.