Archive of Our Own

Ryland Grace knew he wasn’t a typical alpha. He wasn’t imposing, aggressive (with a couple exceptions proving the rule, he supposed) or dominant in his relationships (especially, ahem, the intimate ones). Sure, he did get protective of people he cared about, his kids especially, but not to a degree as great as any textbook alpha would. 

So he knew it for a fact – Ryland Grace was not a typical alpha. 

And then Simon came along and turned everything Ryland thought he knew about himself upside down. 

That was what was going through Ryland’s mind as he pinned an Eridian to the ground, a deep, guttural growl spilling out over his lips as he bared his teeth, standing between the Eridian and Simon, who was huddling in on himself a few feet away, breathing heavily in distress. 

Which only served to make Ryland’s grip on the Eridian tighter. 

Some part of his brain, the one not consumed by whatever primordial urge was making him do this, screeched at him to stop, to release this poor poor Eridian, they didn’t mean any harm, it was just an unfortunate accident. 

Too bad that the primordial part was drowning it out, making Ryland clench his fingers. 

He was vaguely aware of other Eridians rushing in, but he knew they would only intervene if the Eridian’s life was in danger, the fear of hurting him much bigger than the one of him hurting one of them (with that carapace? Yeah, no, it’d take much more than this to seriously maim or even kill an Eridian). 

“Don’t you ever,” he spat out, “Make Simon scared again. Ever.”

The poor Eridian trembled, whistling a “no, no, of course not, I won’t, I’m so sorry!” 

That appeased Ryland somewhat, enough for him to ease his hold, but he still didn’t let go completely, not until he heard–

“Ryland.” A sweet voice calling to him. A quiet sound, more of a gentle breath than anything, but he heard it, turned to it, craved it. 

Slowly, Simon was crawling to him on all fours, eyes fixed on Ryland’s face, scanning every small twitch and microexpression, and Ryland knew he was noticing it all, cataloguing and evaluating it in the way only –his breath hitches– a mate could. 

A mate. Oh how he’d love that, how he’d love the sweet, beloved omega in front of him to have, to love and to hold. Simon was now right in front of him, lifting his hand to Ryland’s cheek, and Ryland could feel the cotton wool-like haze in his brain fading, his sense slowly gaining control over his impulses the longer he gazed into those deep, dark eyes that were communicating a million things to him at once.

I’m safe. You’re safe. We’re all safe, no need to worry. The threat has passed, if it was ever a threat at all. It’s okay. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. 

“You’re… okay,” Ryland said, choking up. He lifted his own hands, pressing them against Simon’s and leaning even further into the omega’s hold, and he swayed forward, gently bumping his forehead against Simon’s. He could feel Simon’s shaky exhale against his neck, and finally felt like he could take a breath. 

“I’m okay,” Simon confirmed, his palm leaving its place against Ryland’s cheek to rub soothing circles against his back instead. “I’m okay, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Ryland didn’t respond, just leaned forward so that his face was pressed into the crook of Simon’s neck. He breathed deeply, in and out, noting that Simon went slightly rigid against him for a split second until he, too, relaxed. Ryland’s arms wound up around Simon, and he wondered how it came to be that the omega fit against him so perfectly. 

He breathed in, soothing pheromones all around him, and he held back a snort. Simon had said he didn’t smell much at all, had never smelled particularly attractive according to other alphas he’d met, and Ryland had to stifle a laugh at that now. Sure, Simon’s scent was subtle, barely there most of the time, which was unlike most of the omegas Grace once knew, but it was so… need word, as Rocky would say, because no word Grace knew could compare. It was a cross between musk, sweat, spice and, strangely enough, Ryland pressed his nose closer, cinnamon, but it was everything. 

Ryland wanted to make his home in the crook of Simon’s neck, wanted to live there forever, in that subtle yet addicting scent, between the warm muscle. 

“Are you calm now?” Simon asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral. 

“Mm-hmm,” Ryland only hummed, very comfortable where he was. 

“Alright, um, well,” Simon replied, “do you think you’re well enough to let the other Eridians come closer?” 

“I-whuh?” 

Only now did Grace look up, turning around. The Eridian he’d been pinning down laid as still as they could, apparently not daring to move, not even to right themselves. The other Eridians –mostly maintainers of the biodome, Grace’s mind supplied– that had been alerted were standing in a semi-circle around them, also holding still. 

That was when it all dawned on Grace.

He’d just been violent. He lashed out, threatened someone, all teeth and growling, aggressively attacking–

Attacking?

No, that wasn’t right. He’d been defending, yes, defending–

Defending Simon.

An image of what happened played in his mind – him in his teaching cove, finishing up with the class, Simon approaching him, walking casually. 

An Eridian –Becca, he remembered, one of the zoologists studying humans and their social customs– approached Simon. 

Well, approached is pushing it. She pretty much ran up to him from behind and pushed him.

And he fell.

And whimpered, clearly scared. 

And that’s where Grace’s mind darkened, pure instinct taking over as he leapt into action. 

Grace could now see that Becca had no ill intentions, that it had been an accident, she’d miscalculated her motions and smacked Simon’s ass and lower back with more strength than she’d intended, she’s clumsy like that sometimes, but back then, all Ryland could perceive and understand was omega hurt, scared, in danger, danger, danger. 

“Oh my god, Becca, I am so sorry,” Grace stammered out, pushing himself to standing. “I didn’t mean to, I, it was just–”

“Understand, Grace,” she spoke evenly as she shuffled to right herself. “Apologies apologies apologies for scaring Simon,” she made a half-bow towards the omega. “More careful next time, no approach from behind. Apologies.” 

Then she quickly ran off, clearly more shaken than she’d let on. 

The other Eridians began to disperse too, seeing the moment of danger was over. Grace sighed. He knew he’d be the talk of the town soon enough, and then Rocky’s bound to visit to question him and, yeah. Oh dear, what a mess. 

“Ryland?” Simon said, turning to him, voice betraying nothing. Grace turned to the sound of his name again, just as mindlessly as he had the first time. 

“Simon I’m so sorr-”

“It’s fine,” Simon said, somehow sounding... not mad, definitely not mad, but... something. Tight, a little hoarse? “Let’s just… go home,” he offered. Grace nodded, turning to follow him up the slope of the hill, pausing in his steps as he turned back towards the beach where all of that had happened. 

He reacted with aggression, with anger, possessiveness, the need to protect what was his. 

His thoughts came sluggishly. 

What…was…his…? 

Oh dear. Oh dear, perhaps… perhaps he does have more of a typical alpha in him than he’d previously thought. 

And it was all because of Simon.

 *

When did it start? Grace wondered while listlessly munching his burger with a fresh assortment of vegetables Simon and the Eridian botany team managed to grow. When did I start behaving… like that? he pondered while a movie he wasn’t paying attention to played on the screen of his laptop in front of him. He turned his head slightly so he could see Simon, the omega’s face illuminated by the light of the screen, his expression enraptured. He’d chosen a nature documentary today, one that he knew Simon would like. He’d seen it before, so he wasn’t missing anything and was free to wander through the crevices of his own mind. 

He remembered the day Rocky came barrelling through his door yelling about the new human as if it was yesterday. Grace had been astounded, could hardly believe that the Eridians somehow managed to find another human floating in space in a– submarine?? The details weren’t clear and ultimately didn’t matter. What mattered was that there was a human, very injured and barely back from the brink of death, but even so. He remembered running alongside Rocky to the hospital wing of the biologists’ lab where he’d been initially treated upon first landing on Erid. He remembered barely being able to see the face of the other man through all the face masks and intravenous cords they’d needed to put on him. Grace had quickly stripped his suit, rushing to get a good look at the man. He remembers reaching out to card his fingers through Simon’s hair, the first thing he’d seen of him, to reassure himself that yes, this was actually happening. He remembered thinking they were soft, matted and wet as they were (the Eridians had given Simon a good washing, but they forgot that hair takes longer to dry than skin). He remembered barely seeing his face, but realizing that oh, it’s alright. I’ll have more than enough time to look my fill. He remembered cringing in sympathy at the stranger’s ripped-off arm, all his scars and damaged skin. 

And finally, he remembered carefully sniffing the air, searching for a thing he wasn’t sure would even be there at all.

But it was - so faint he needed a good moment to notice it, but it was there. The faint scent telling him this person was an omega.

Maybe that was when Ryland’s ‘alpha’ instincts first awoke from lying dormant for… most of his life, actually. Or maybe it was when Simon first opened his eyes weeks later, drowsy and sedated, but present as he glanced at the room from down to up, left to right, until his gaze finally settled on Grace, and Ryland rushed to his side. 

The deep, dark gaze levelled him and he felt as though the stranger had put him under x-ray, bringing him the uncomfortable feeling of being seen much more deeply than he’d like. 

Almost immediately, Simon’s eyelids drooped again, but the impression had already been made. 

Somehow, something deep inside Ryland Grace purred. 

*

Grace shook his head as he chased the memory. Perhaps even back then he’d known that Simon was… special. That he’d bring him as much comfort as Ryland would bring the omega. 

Back in the present, Simon yawned. Cute, Grace couldn’t help but think. The documentary was coming towards an end, only five-ish minutes remaining. 

“I still almost can’t believe that this all exists, somewhere out there,” Simon spoke quietly. Grace turned to the screen displaying a tropical rainforest, trying to appear nonchalant. 

“Yeah, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” 

“It is,” Simon replied warmly, the pheromones of a happy omega wafting towards Ryland, who breathed them in as inconspicuously as he could. “Your Earth truly is beautiful.”

As are you, Ryland’s mind supplied unhelpfully. 

He settled on a “Oh yeah.” and a “Wanna head to bed? You seem tired.”

Simon hummed, yawning again and standing up. “Yeah, I think it’s time for me to go to sleep. You coming too?” 

“Hmm, no, not yet,” Grace replied, pulling his laptop close and closing the movie tab. “I’ve still got a little bit of work left.”

“Alright, but don’t stay up too late, okay?” Simon said with a slight frown. “Or I’ll drag you to bed,” he added good humouredly, and fair enough, there were a rare few times when Simon did actually have to drag Grace to bed. 

“Aye aye,” Grace mock-saluted with a smile, which Simon returned.

Ryland’s insides grew warm at the sight. 

When Simon was out of the room, Grace instantly opened ten new tabs.

He was a scientist, he was going to get to the bottom of this. 

*

Bit by bit, Simon got better. The second time he’d been awake, Grace wasn’t around and he regretted that. Adrian had been the one to talk to him, to get a name for the new human. Understandably, Simon freaked out at first, seeing rock-spider creatures walking around, but when he managed to accidentally hurt one of the caretakers, he regretted that deeply, apologizing thoroughly. The Eridians then managed to herd him back to the bed, with Adrian taking the lead. They performed all sorts of check ups on him, threading carefully around his injured left side, all while conversing. Grace knew firsthand just how soothing Rocky’s mate’s attitude could be, their dulcet voice easy to listen to, so he was glad that Adrian had been there for Simon. 

Ryland had only been informed of Simon waking up again hours later, when the man had fallen back asleep. All of a sudden, inexplicable angry feeling clawed its way up his throat. They didn’t tell him, they kept it from him, they kept the other human, the omega from him…

Grace shook his head then. What was he thinking?! The Eridians only wanted to help them both, and it’s not like he had any claim over the other man, secondary genders be damned. 

Thank god for Rocky bringing him out of his stupor, as he had much experience in, with one sentence.

“New human name is Simon.” 

Simon, huh? Ryland’s thoughts screeched to a halt. The desperate urge for Simon to like him arose in him, threatening to spill over his lips in a series of whines. He’s going to be the only human Grace will ever see again in his life, and Grace needed 

him and Simon to get along nearly as much as he needed oxygen. He never was a very sociable person, but the whole sixteen lightyears away from Earth thing changed that. He was never a religious person, either, but he prayed that Simon would like him. Any concerns about how and why Simon was in space seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things, though it’s something to be discussed later for sure. 

“Simon angry at first, confused,” Rocky added, “but he good person, Adrian say.” 

Ryland really hoped so. He really, really hoped the omega would not reject him. 

*

Two hours later Grace had a seven-page document filled with bullet points, notes and quotes from various scientific papers. 

The problem was, not much of it was actually useful. 

There were cases of second presentings later in life called awakenings, sure, but those usually affected said alpha in every aspect of their life – their scent grew stronger, their senses heightened, their need to protect or possess twice as strong, affecting every meaningful relationship in their life. He didn’t really feel any different in those ways, he didn’t think. But perhaps it had to do with–

At that moment, his train of thought got interrupted by a scent so warm and inviting he just had to turn around to look at the dear person standing in the doorway.

“Ryland,” Simon said, leaning on the doorway. 

“Simon,” he replied with a warm smile. Oh how wonderful it is to have an omega calling you to bed, his subconscious supplied, making slight heat rise high on Ryland’s cheeks. It’s not like that, inner alpha! 

“You’ve been at this way too long. It’s time to go to sleep,” Simon demanded in such a tone that left no space for arguments. 

He couldn’t help it, his smile grew wider. “Alright."

“Al-right?” Simon blinked, taken by surprise. Usually it took at least a little bit of back and forth to get Grace to bed when he was focused on research. 

“Alright, I’m going,” Ryland agreed, standing up and walking over to where the omega stood, a smile still in his face. 

“Well, that’s– good,” Simon said, surprised, awkwardly wiping his hand on his pajama pant. “Let’s go?”

“Wait, Simon,” Grace caught the other man’s arm. “Can I ask you something?”

Simon’s eyes darted back and forth, nervous. “Uh, sure?”

“Do I smell different?”

“Huh?” 

“Do I smell any different now than, say, yesterday? Last week?” 

“I-” the omega’s dark eyes bore deep into Ryland’s blue, bewildered. “Um, I don’t know? I don’t… think so?” 

Hm. Interesting. 

Grace squinted, thinking. That likely meant that this was a different thing altogether. To be sure, though, he should ask–

“What do I smell like to you?” 

That caught Simon even more off guard, his eyes widening and a note of uncomfortableness spiking his otherwise lovely scent, Grace noted with displeasure. When Simon didn’t speak for a while, only staring at him, blinking, Grace opened his mouth to say that Simon didn’t need to answer that only for the man to do just that. 

“Um, I don’t– well, mostly fresh like laundry? And a bit herbal, with a bit of antiseptic, that sterile lab smell, you know?” 

Grace hummed, turning the information over in his head. “And how strong would you say my scent is?” 

Simon was definitely uncomfortable now, he noticed, which the alpha in him just wouldn’t have, wanting to tear his own hair for making Simon’s scent sour so. 

“Well, it’s usually not super strong, but I guess it’s stronger to me since we’re the only humans here,” Simon mumbled, glancing at where Ryland’s hand was still connected to his arm. Grace noticed it too and quickly released Simon. 

“Sorry, sorry. I was just… scientifically curious.” 

To his credit, this made Simon grin right away. “Right, scientifically curious,” he repeated mirthfully, quite used to said scientific curiosity by now, after many months of knowing him. 

“Well, let’s go to sleep then!” Grace chirped, overly cheerfully to mask his nerves and push down the urge to ask if Simon finds his scent at all pleasant. 

Simon only hummed, turning around to walk back to the bedroom. 

Ah, right. The bedroom. 

*

“And this is the living room. Feel free to sit wherever, seriously. My home is your home, as they say, right?” Grace rambled as he led the omega through his house. It’d taken a couple months since Simon was deemed healthy (both physically and mentally) enough for the two humans to be introduced, but it had been so worth the wait, Grace thought. Even though he’d like to know so more than thirty minutes before it was supposed to happen. Grace’s inner alpha howled in agony at the thought of the omega seeing him all dishevelled, hair messy, clothes rumbled and teeth unbrushed (give him some grace, he’d just woken up thirty minutes ago!). 

“Dammit, Rock, couldn’t you have warned me a bit earlier?!” he yelled as he ran through his house, flitting from doing this and that to make himself just a bit more presentable. He would not have Simon smelling his morning breath or his scent, sour with displeasure. 

In the end, he thought he managed to get the worst under control, making his scent, mild as he was told it was, as friendly and welcoming as possible. Soon enough, there was Adrian (who became very close to Simon, according to what he’s been told), leading the way for… for the omega, Simon, as he made his way towards Ryland and Rocky standing on the beach. The breeze blew, carrying the faint smell of surprise, apprehension and uncomfortableness, and Ryland released his own, as soothing as possible. You’re welcome here, no need to be afraid, his entire being tried to communicate. 

Simon’s eyes grew wide, his steps slowing, but he kept walking until he was standing a couple feet in front of Ryland, expression closed off and unreadable, but his apprehensive scent mellowing out somewhat as he sniffed the air and took in Grace’s non-threatening posture that clearly communicated safety and comfort. 

They just stared at each other for a while, assessing each other both with their gazes and scents. The Eridians stood still, unsure of what was happening, which gave Ryland a bit of gleeful joy, the fact that he and Simon had something that was theirs and theirs only, that the Eridians could not take notice of. 

Ryland, for his part, was sure he looked starstruck. Simon cleaned up nicely, very nicely, in fact. He was shorter than Grace (which made a surge of protectiveness rush through him), but he was built more sturdily, with clearly defined musculature, from his strong arms to equally strong (get your mind out of the gutter, Grace!) thighs, his chest straining the front of his shirt. Ryland’s shirt, actually, and damn if the fact that he was wearing Grace’s clothing didn’t make his inner alpha purr. Grace shifted his weight from foot to foot, unsure of where would be proper to look so that the omega didn’t take offence. His face had to have been a safe zone right? 

Well. Turns out it was not a safe zone for Ryland’s heart, actually. 

Simon was handsome, that much Grace could see even with half of him wrapped up and hooked to Eridian medical machinery, even with his left arm gone (who did that, Ryland wanted to ask so that he could find them and give them a beating of their lives, barely keeping his mouth from baring his teeth in a snarl), even with all the scarring on his face. He just didn’t realize how handsome until he was face to face with the man, Simon’s dark eyes once again darting to and fro, from Grace’s face to his shoulders, legs and back up, gaze carefully neutral, assessing, as their scents mingled, talking wordlessly. 

Who are you? What do you want from me? Is it safe? Are you safe for me to be around? Simon’s seemed to ask, the hint of sweat and musk becoming stronger.

It’s completely safe, I would never attack you or let anyone hurt you, Ryland’s answered, as soothing as possible, just like when he was comforting his students back on Earth. And I don’t want anything you wouldn’t be willing to give. 

Feeling rather like a bug under a microscope with the weight of Simon’s gaze on him, Grace smiled as pleasantly as he could, hoping it was giving “cool and unbothered alpha” rather than “an evil scientist who wants to experiment on you”. 

“So, um, hello,” Grace said at last, internally cringing at his voice cracking, betraying him. “My name is Ryland Grace, I’m, uh-”

“I know who you are,” Simon interrupted him, though not unkindly, and woah. His voice was deeper than Ryland had expected, rich and velvety, quite un-omega-like, but gorgeous even so. “You’re the star savior, Rocky’s best friend and teacher of the new generation of bright young Eridian minds,” he said as if reciting a poem. “Right?” 

“Ah ha, yeah, I see you’ve done your research on me, huh?” 

Simon tilted his head to the side, lifting his hand to pat Adrian’s carapace. “Adrian told me a lot about you,” he replied neutrally. “But it’s… different, meeting you face to face.”

“You got that right,” Grace agreed. Alright, good going! Simon didn’t look like he wanted to rip him to shreds or run away and throw himself against the wall of the biodome so far. 

Though Adrian didn’t tell me much about you, so,” Grace pushed his ever-slipping glasses back onto his nose, “that doesn’t seem fair.” 

He said it as a joke, but now Simon seemed uncomfortable as he stepped from foot to foot. Grace immediately felt bad, so he coughed while gesturing vaguely in the direction of his house. “Would you like to take a look inside my house?” 

And so here they were, Grace giving Simon a house tour. 

“That’s my built-in lab over there, and the bathroom is this way,” he kept rambling as his mind ran a mile a minute, noticing every little thing - the way Simon’s scent seemed to fill the space that’s smelled like nothing but cleaning supplies and Ryland for so long, how the man hovered in each doorstep as if unsure whether he was allowed to enter, the way his eyes darted to and fro, clearly taken aback by– he wasn’t sure by what, but something, as if he’d never seen a (mostly) clean, comfortable room before–, how he sniffed the air and seemed to evaluate the entire space. Ryland was high strung, try as he might to appear calm and unbothered, anticipation for whatever verdict the omega would give his house, his territory, making his breaths short and his fingers tap nervously. It was generally a pretty big deal for an alpha to let an omega into their living space and vice versa, even though Ryland had never before felt as tense in the presence of an omega as right now. Strangely enough, he never cared much for what his previous partners thought of his apartment, but then again, those weren’t circumstances where said omega would be literally the only other person he’d ever see in his life. Luckily though, Simon seemed to like Ryland’s house, nodding his head and humming in approval as he was, the movements so small they must’ve been instinctual, and –as subtly as possible– Ryland heaved a relieved sigh. That made Simon look over at him, and he tensed again, desperate not to ruin this. 

“And there’s the bedroom,” Grace finished, turning around to stand face to face with Simon again. “Um.” Suddenly, something dawned on him. “Wait.”

Simon tilted his head questioningly. 

“You- do you have your own house or are you,” Grace asked, already knowing the answer. “Are you going to live here with me?” 

Adrian, who had been silently observing the two humans from a corner so far, spoke up. “Need Simon to live with Grace for some time. Eridians work build Simon own biodome, but will take time,” they bounced on their feet anxiously. “Hopefully that okay.” 

Well. Ryland’s inner alpha sure didn’t like the thought of Simon living far away from him, if the swoop and clench in his stomach was anything to go by. 

“That’s fine by me,” he replied in an even tone, managing a friendly smile as well.

Simon kept his head low, eyes downcast, scent souring juuuust a bit. “If you’re okay with it, then so am I.” 

Okay, he clearly wasn’t happy about something, but what?

Oh! Ooooohhhhh.

“Well, I think I could make you your own space in the living room for the time being if I move some of the furniture. It’s not ideal, but you should have enough space for a nest and to put your things there. Or I can move to the living room and give you the bedroom, whichever works best for you.”

Simon looked up at him, blinking. “My… nest?” he asked as if that was the first time he’d ever heard about such a thing. 

Grace cocked his head. “Ye-ees?” 

“I’m… you would… I’m allowed to make a nest here?” he asked Ryland in a voice so vulnerable Ryland wanted to cradle it in his hands and kiss it. 

“Yes, obviously you are??” he replied, a ball of something uncomfortable growing inside him. 

“But I don’t- um,” Simon once again looked down, shuffling on his feet. “I don’t know how.” 

A realization dawned on Ryland, one that made his anger, his visceral rage, rear its ugly, ugly head. 

“What do you mean, allowed to make a nest?” he asked, voice shaking with anger. “Have you never made a nest before?” he asked, already knowing the answer from the way Simon’s scent shifted and soured. Who would be so cruel as to deny an omega their own nest?! What absolute monster would do that?! 

Simon, apparently sensing the emotion behind that statement and thinking it was aimed at him, tensed up suddenly, arm and legs moving to steady him, as if he was going into fight mode, waiting for Grace to do the first move, to crouch down and attack. 

Ryland swallowed the rage down, shaking his head to calm himself. It would do no good to anyone if he had a tantrum, however justified he felt it’d be. 

“I’m not mad, not mad at all,” he put his hands up, palms facing the omega, plastering a smile on his face. “Just, well… that’s kind of unheard of where I’m from.” 

Simon frowned, a crease appearing in between his eyebrows, and Ryland wanted to reach over and rub his thumb against it until he smoothed it away. Without thinking, he reached forward, clasping Simon’s shoulders and looking into his eyes. 

“Simon,” he said seriously, as the omega’s eyes darted up and down, left and right, looking at anything but Ryland. “Simon,” he said, gently now. “Look at me.”

The omega’s eyes snapped up at him as if commanded to do so.

“You’re allowed to do whatever you want,” Grace continued. “Well, as long as it’s not hurting you or anyone else, but yeah. Other than that, you can do anything, you don’t have to ask for my permission. This is now your home as much as it is mine. You’d be doing me a disservice if you always felt like you have to be allowed to do things.” 

Simon’s eyes, those dark pools, widened as his breathing picked up. 

“Please, I want you to feel at home here,” Ryland nearly whispered. 

“I don’t- don’t know how I can ever repay you,” the omega said just as quietly, unaware of just how much that statement broke Ryland’s heart.

“You don’t,” he said firmly, pressing into Simon’s shoulders more. “You don’t have to repay me for anything. Seriously. Don’t do things just because you think you’re repaying me, or- or doing what I ask just because I asked you to. If I ever make you uncomfortable, tell me to stop. And if I don’t, feel free to kick my butt,” he said, pleaded, almost, but huffed a puff of laughter at the end. “We’re equals here, you and I. Don’t you ever forget that.” 

“I- I won’t,” Simon agreed, uncertainty present in his tone, but so was a particular firmness that told Grace that he’d gotten through to Simon. 

“Simon not worry,” Adrian chirped, and both humans jolted from where they’d been engaged in conversation, having completely forgotten the two Eridians in the room with them. Ryland hadn’t noticed they’d come so close that their noses were almost brushing, too. Ah-hem. 

“If Grace hurt Simon, Adrian stomp on Grace,” they stated gleefully, and if they had a mouth, Grace would bet they’d be smirking right now.

“But if Simon hurt Grace, Rocky yeet Simon back into space,” Adrian’s mate couldn’t but add. “Easy, easy,” he said darkly, flexing his claws. Simon, to his credit, only nodded. “Fair.”

“Oh-okay guys!” Grace put a hand up. Force of habit, he supposed. “That’s… thank you for that,” he pointed at the Eridians, “but nobody is going to hurt anyone here! For now, we should just decide the sleeping arrangements.” 

“Hmm,” Simon hummed, moving from his crouched-down stance to stand straighter. “I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.” 

Something about the way he said that made Grace frown. He said that as if… as if he was used to getting less than he deserved, less than he needed. 

“Oh, are you sure? You’re my guest, I can totally take the couch!” 

“I’m a guest, I can’t throw you out of your own bed,” Simon reasoned, voice not betraying any emotion. 

“No, I insist. The couch is good enough for me.” 

“Which means it’s good enough for me.” 

“Hey now–”

Whatever protest Grace had been preparing to make died on his lips when Rocky spoke up.

“Can humans not share bed?” he said, sounding exasperated like he did whenever he called humans and their technology or bodies inefficient. “Is king size, is big enough.” Adrian nodded solemnly. “Physical contact good for humans, too,” they added. “Grace Simon without it for too long.” 

“I-” Grace began, only to come empty on what he should say. What do you even say when your best friend and his spouse are trying to make you share a bed with an absolutely gorgeous omega whom you’ve met like ten minutes ago? “I don’t–”

Simon, though, seemed to perk up. “We can do that,” he said. “I’d be fine with that.”

“What did we say,” Grace breathed, taking off his glasses to wipe them, “about not doing anything you don’t want to?”

“I don’t mind,” Simon said. “Seriously. I’ve been sharing a bed with my Brothers and Sisters– with other omegas for years.”

“But-” Grace began voicing what went unsaid. “I’m an alpha.” 

That made Simon pause. “Yes, and?” 

“Human genders confusing confusing confusing!” Rocky complained from where he’d been loafing on the floor. “One gender not enough, noooo, add second too! Humans greedy!” 

At that, Simon nodded wordlessly. 

“But fascinating,” Adrian supplied as they poked at their notebook. “Why alphas different? Because alphas and omegas can mate, can make pebbles?” 

“Ssssort of,” Grace managed, rubbing his neck as he did when he was more nervous than he let on. “It’s also mostly about sharing a bed with a stranger, but yeah, I bet me being an alpha doesn’t help–”

“Why not? You just said you weren’t going to hurt me, and told me to kick your ass if you did anything I didn’t like,” Simon said, trying to keep his voice even, but Ryland could smell the cinnamon-like shyness on him. It was rather pleasant…ly endearing. 

“Well.” Grace pushed his now slightly cleaner glasses up his nose a bit. “If you really don’t mind…” 

So that’s how they ended up sharing a bed. 

Grace had been extraordinarily nervous, and they weren’t even touching. They only laid down, turned on their backs, each towards an opposite wall, and all Ryland could think of was the very faint but noticeable smell of Simon wafting in through the bathroom door. 

Simon had showered in his bathroom. He’d eaten in his kitchen, sat on his couch in his living room while wearing his clothes. All of that made a pleasant shiver run up Grace’s back. One day, he thought, there’d be many things of Simon’s scattered throughout the house, his scent would be present everywhere, his nest on their bed and–

Okay, Ryland, woah. Slow down, man, slow down, he told his inner alpha. He couldn’t seem to be able to help it, though, he’d gone without any human contact for so long he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised that he’s going haywire over the first one in years. 

He guessed his scent reflected that, since he could hear Simon shifting, and then– 

“Ryland? What’s–”

*

“-- on your mind?” 

Presently, Grace blinked into full consciousness. “Hm?” 

“You’re thinking about something,” Simon stated, propping himself up on his elbow. “What is it?”

“I– well–” He really couldn’t think clearly right then, with all of Simon’s attention on him, looking down at him from where they’d been laying. “Just thinking about the first time we’ve shared a bed,” he mumbled, glancing away, unable to hold Simon’s attentive gaze for long. 

Simon’s eyebrows lifted up, but he didn’t say anything as he lowered himself again, laying his head back in the crook of Ryland’s arm. Then he wrapped his arm around Ryland’s torso again, and Ryland relaxed back, reassured by the warmth and security. It always felt great to touch Simon –not like that!!!--, but it was their sleepy cuddling he was always looking forward to the most. It just felt so right, their bodies slotting together so nicely, surrounded by warmth, their scents mixing until he couldn’t tell them apart anymore. 

“Oh?” Simon hummed sleepily, “what about it?” 

Grace chuckled “I was so nervous!” he could admit that now. Simon hummed again. “Yeah, I could tell,” Grace felt more than saw him grin against his side. “But it worked out, didn’t it?” 

“I- yeah, it did.” 

“Hmmm. Go to sleep, then,” Simon replied, squeezing him tighter. 

And Grace decided that any issues about secondary genders could wait for tomorrow. 

Simon had a way of convincing him so. 

*

The first night they’d agreed to hold hands, Simon’s callused one resting tightly in Grace’s longer and smoother palm, and it was simultaneously too much and not enough for Grace, but he reasoned they’d cuddle more as they got used to each other more later. 

Later turned out to be the next morning, when he’d woken up with Simon’s arm thrown across him and Simon’s head on his chest, his own chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, his scent comfortable, the cinnamon in it quite prominent all of a sudden. 

He’d looked down at him and thought maybe, everything is going to be okay. 

Simon awoke an hour later, rolling off of Grace and stretching. 

“Good morning,” Grace said, and Simon nearly fell off the bed. 

“Are you okay?!” Grace gasped, sitting up. 

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” Simon mumbled, turning to look at him. “Just… I’m not used to… well…”

That made Grace chuckle. “No, no, I get it.” He offered Simon a hand with a smile. “Wanna go eat some breakfast?” 

After breakfast, which Simon chowed down like no tomorrow, Grace gave him a tour of the entire biodome. Simon didn’t seem to be too keen on the whole ocean aspect of it, but the garden more than made up for it. He couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he watched Simon observe all of the plants, starry-eyed and intensely focused, his scent once again spiking with happiness and cinnamon. Grace knew that somewhere beyond the biodome’s wall, the Eridians were keeping watch to make sure the two humans get along, but he allowed himself to forget that. Simon made it easy to forget anything and everything around Grace but him, and it wasn’t just the subconscious calling of an omega to an alpha, but… with everything he did, Simon charmed Grace. He was so gentle, so painfully unsure still, but there was a hardness in him Grace had not seen in many people. It was clear Simon also wasn’t a typical omega, if those muscles and all those scars were anything to go by. Not that omegas couldn’t be strong, tough, ruthless, aggressive, dominant, fighters or leaders or whatever the alpha stereotype was, of course, Grace still remembered barging in on Stratt as she swallowed what he later learned was a heat suppressing pill, but with Simon, the intent behind that felt… less like a personal choice and more like something he was trained to do, always, which left a sour aftertaste in Grace’s mouth. It was clear Simon wanted to be gentle, but was painfully unused to it. Well, all in due time, Grace supposed. He wasn’t a typical alpha either - they were well matched in that. 

Touch was still rare and uncommon in those first days, and they haven’t exchanged many words, either, preferring to communicate with their body language or scent, which Grace had to brush up upon, but he soon found out that it really was like riding a bike - a skill one never forgets, no matter how long it’s been (and a skill the Eridians, especially Adrian, loved to observe). Grace found that just being around Simon, being in his presence, soothed him immensely. There was a human-shaped hole in his heart he didn’t know how to fill, didn’t think would ever be filled, but here they were. Whatever circumstances brought Simon to him, he was grateful for it. 

Even though the circumstances turned out to be far crueller than he’d ever imagined. 

*

All these months later, sitting in the kitchen next to him, Grace frowned when he remembered how he’d found out about Simon’s origins. 

It was about a month or two after he moved in with Grace. Grace came back from teaching one day to find a heap of Simon’s blanket and some of his original clothing that was recovered on their bed, twisted together to make an incomplete circle, and his heart swelled. 

“Sorry it looks like shit,” Simon said quietly from the doorway, noticing Ryland’s staring. “It’s, um… it’s my best attempt yet.”

“Oh Simon,” Ryland breathed out in awe. “It’s– it looks great.” 

The omega rolled his eyes. “It looks like shit, you don’t need to try to spare my feelings.” 

“No, no,” Ryland insisted, “for your first go at it, this looks really good!” And he did it in his bed, in their bed, and that means he trusts Ryland and feels comfortable here and wants to be at home here and– and a million other implications that had Ryland’s head spinning with a bout of sudden affection. 

“It’s, hum, it’s not finished yet,” Simon stated, looking down bashfully. “I was wondering if, if it’d be okay for me to uh, to use some of your clothing too.”

Ryland must’ve died and went to heaven. There was simply no way this was happening. 

“Yes!” he jumped up, startling the omega. “Yes, of course! Whatever you want!” he took a couple of long strides to open his wardrobe. “I’ve got shirts, hmm, probably not that one though, that one’s kinda scratchy, but all these are free for you to use.”

He turned back to smile at Simon, who stared back, looking slightly dazed. 

“Um, are you sure- is that really okay?” 

“Of course!” Ryland all but yelled, his inner alpha desperate to please and provide. “Please use whatever you like!” 

Simon smiled at him. It was nothing more than a quirk of his lips, gone in a second, but it was real, it was there and it made Ryland’s world brighten. “Thank you.” 

Over the course of the next week or so, the nest grew steadily. Simon added a quilt and a blanket to it, as well as a couple of Ryland’s shirts, the sight of which never failed to bring a smile to Grace’s face. Soon enough, the Eridians took notice of the soft pile as well. 

“What pile of clothes, question? What function, question?” Adrian had asked one afternoon, brandishing their notebook on human behavior. 

“Oh, that’s Simon’s nest!” Grace replied, sitting on the bed while changing his socks. 

“What human nest, question? Same as Eridian, question?”

“Well, sort of. They’re mostly just for comfort, but some omegas do choose to give birth in them too.” 

“Ah. So no other purpose but comfort, question? Only omegas make nests, question?” 

“Yeah, alphas and betas don’t usually feel the need to, though I’ve met couple of alphas that liked to make nests too, or help their partners in doing so. It depends on the person, though, since some omegas would interpret you trying to help them as an insult and would throw you out,” he explained, rubbing his neck, suddenly feeling like he used to know one of those alphas very well, a long time ago, in another life. 

“Or worse,” a deep voice spoke up from the doorway, startling Grace. 

“What Simon mean, question?” Adrian questioned, scribbling away. “Worse?”

“Well, a lot of omegas would maim or even kill an uninvited alpha, or one messing with their nest without permission,” Simon said evenly, then backtracked. “Not me though! I wouldn’t- wouldn’t hurt you!” he all but pleaded, but that was not what Grace’s mind had stuck on.

“A lot of–? That’s not- that can’t be right,” he muttered, as if to himself. “Sure, most omegas are fiercely protective when it comes to their child or mate, but I’ve never heard of one killing an alpha over their nest. Hurting, attacking, yeah, I can understand that, uncommon as it is, but killing?” 

“Uncommon?” Simon quirked an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? Where I come from, omegas are the best fighters, killers with deadly precision.” 

“Wha-” Grace’s mind screeched to a halt. Is that why– how Simon got all those scars?!

“Where do you come from?” 

The question was out before he even realized he’d said it. 

There was silence. Even Adrian stopped scribbling. 

“That’s… a long story,” Simon said finally, quietly rubbing the hem of his shirt between his fingers. 

“We have time,” Grace said, leaning back, lifting an arm to beckon Simon closer. The omega obeyed the silent almost-command, taking a few steps closer to sit next to him. 

The next hour was filled with mind-boggling realizations, shattering worldviews and questionable science, but what Grace remembered most prominently had been the anger. The rage when he realized that Simon had not only been a child, a person in a dog-eat-dog world, but an omega trained to kill. 

Someone out there, in his universe, realized that omegas were stronger and fiercer than they were given credit for and made it their life’s mission to abuse that. Because an alpha, however scared or enraged, could be reasoned with, but an omega, once in fight-or-flight? 

An omega would fight to the death. 

“So at about fourteen, the omegas, which were raised together with all of the children so far, would be sorted out to be either paired off with a suitable alpha or trained,” Simon explained, voice hollow, emotionless, all while Ryland’s heart boiled with rage. 

“Given that I wasn’t very attractive-” well that was an understatement of the century, “and wasn’t expected to be very fertile, I was sent off with the other omegas –we called each other Brothers and Sisters– to be trained.” 

A sound pierced the air of the bedroom, making Adrian tilt in surprise and Simon’s mouth to close and his eyes widen.

A snarl. Ryland had just snarled like someone threatened everyone he’s ever loved, his very being, his very soul. 

“Ry-land?” Simon said in a small voice, turning to look at the alpha properly. 

“Oooh, Grace angry angry angry,” Adrian commented, clearly mentally rubbing their hands together, evil-scientist style. 

Looking back, that’s when Ryland really felt it. Really felt the all-consuming rage mixed with the overwhelming need to protect, uncaring of how he was looking right then, uncaring of the rows of teeth he was baring. His world narrowed and he saw only the figure of that… that monster, that evil, evil man, the Father that didn't deserve to be called that, the one who decided to make Simon a killer, making him go through so much only to abandon him when he stopped being useful. And his life after that– Simon’s life after Eden had been truly hell on Earth. Ryland’s alpha howled and snarled when Simon casually mentioned what he’d endured. 

Howled and snarled, but also–

Simon had endured so much. I should protect him. I need to protect him, to give him a safe home, to be there for him, and one day, maybe, hopefully–

Grace reached out to Simon with open arms, slowly and carefully wrapping them around him. He could feel Simon stiffen, unmoving, but the omega didn’t pull away, which Ryland counted as an absolute win. He squeezed his arms, just a little bit, and Simon–

“Ry-”

*

“-land? Ryland, are you feeling well?” Simon asked him, reaching across the table to card his fingers through Grace’s. 

The alpha in question looked up from where he’d been staring at his breakfast with murderous intent, plastering his best fake smile on his face. “Hm?” 

Simon wasn’t fooled, though. “You’ve been acting a little weird since yesterday,” he stated noncommittally, “what’s going on? Is that incident still on your mind?” 

“I- yeah, you could say that,” he decided to answer. It wasn’t technically a lie, and the truth might be too much for Simon to handle. The truth that Ryland didn’t know exactly when it happened, but he realized he could no longer imagine his life without Simon in it. He’d gotten used to the omega too much, so much so that his house would feel empty without the other’s scent, his clothes in their nest, his hairbands on the bathroom shelf, his humming as he worked or simply walked around the house, his warm, content scent, his curious dark eyes, his–

Grace shook his head. Right. What an amazing and totally convenient time to find out that… what? That he wanted to make Simon the omega his omega? That he wished he could wake up next to him for the rest of his life? That he hoped Simon would never leave him, even if he had the opportunity? That Simon filled a hole in him he didn’t think would ever be filled, and that he found that every whiff of the musky, spicy scent told him more than words could ever hope to convey? 

Simon must’ve smelled something in his own scent, because he frowned slightly, tilting his head. “What’s all this abo-” he began saying, only to be interrupted by a polite knock on the main door. 

“That’s Adrian,” the omega knew, standing up to go answer them. Inwardly, Grace heaved a sigh, relieved from having to answer the omega. What would he even tell him?! Hey Simon, I think I want you here with me forever, will you please please please stay? Will you have me as a life partner, a mate? 

Yeah right.

“Adrian, hi,” Grace waved at the green Eridian walking over to him. 

“Good morning,” they greeted, then held their claws together. “I have big big news!”

“Oh?” Grace lifted an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“Simon biodome almost ready to move in!” they exclaimed. “Simon house need finish, but otherwise done! Will Simon please go check with Adrian today, question?” 

Ryland blinked, taken aback, sudden black hole opening in his chest. “What?” 

Simon seemed equally confused, blinking as his scent piqued with something chilli-like. “I- my biodome? Ah, my biodome, right…” he trailed off. “S-sure, we can go check it out today. It’s not like I had much else to do.” Despite his words, he seemed uncomfortable, his stance straightening slightly in a way Ryland wouldn’t have noticed a few months ago, but certainly did so now. 

Adrian bounced on their feet excitedly. “Good good! Can come now, question?” 

“Uh, sure.” 

As the two left, closing the door, leaving Grace in silence, alone, he couldn’t help but growl. 

They’re taking Simon away from me, his inner alpha supplied, and he shook his head  to clear it again. No, no, that’s not what this was, he calmed himself. It’s not like he won’t see Simon anymore, they’ll still see each other, but they won’t be sharing the house anymore… or the bed… and Simon will definitely want to move his nest, too…

Ryland didn’t notice his breathing getting erratic or falling off the chair or blacking out until there was a familiar, brown Eridian kneeling next to him, nudging him up with hums and trills of concern. 

“Grace okay, question?? What happen, question?? Grace answer Rocky, demand!” 

“I- ah, I-” he lifted himself up to a sitting position, his hand patting the floor - he’d lost his glasses somewhere on the way. “I’m fine,” he settled on.

He should’ve known better than to lie to Rocky, though. 

*

“So Grace sad because Simon no longer sleep in same bed, question? And because Grace Simon won’t see each other as much because Simon have new own biodome, question?” 

“I-” it sounded kind of ridiculous when he put it like that, but yeah. Essentially. “Kind of, yeah.” 

Rocky rocked back and forth on the sand. They went outside so that Grace could get some air, but really it was so that he wouldn’t need to stay in the kitchen alone, replaying the moment over and over again. “Then tell Adrian that new biodome bad bad bad? Simon no have to move?” 

“It’s-” he pinched the bridge of his nose,”it’s not so easy, Rock. This isn’t my decision to make.”

“It is if Grace health concerned!” 

“That’s not it, I just-” he paused in an attempt to make sense of his thoughts. “I just want to be with him as much as possible,” he said, realizing just how truthful that statement was as he did so. 

“Then tell Simon,” Rocky supplied. “Then Simon not move.” 

“It’s not so easy, Rock,” Grace sighed. 

“Simon want Grace happy. If Simon move away make Grace sad, then Simon not move,” the Eridian said, stomping a little. “Easy. Grace just need to talk.”

“And what would I say?!” Grace jumped up in frustration. “Hey Simon, I’ve gotten used to you so much that I don’t want you to leave, not even to have the privacy of your own home? Oh and by the way, I think I love you and want to be your mate?!” 

“Exactly that,” Rocky deadpanned. 

Grace shrieked. 

*

Surprisingly enough, Simon didn’t look too thrilled himself when he came back from the new biodome tour in the evening. 

“Hey,” Grace said mildly, tapping away at his laptop. He frowned when he smelled the unhappy chilli-like scent that followed Simon from the door to the kitchen. “Everything good?” 

He heard Simon sigh. “Yeah, yeah,” he replied. “The biodome’s really nice. They managed to grow more trees, can you imagine?” 

Grace was not surprised. The Eridians had their ways of making the seemingly impossible possible. But why did it sound like Simon wasn’t happy with it? 

This wouldn’t do, his inner alpha complained. My omega is unhappy. I need to do something about it. 

Not my omega, Grace shook his head dejectedly, choosing to call after him instead. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah,” came a reply. “Just… tired. Very tired,” Simon sighed, sounding truly exhausted. “I think I’ll go shower and then go straight to bed, if you don’t mind.” 

He was already halfway to the bathroom when Grace called after him. “Sure, but don’t you want something to eat?” 

“‘m not hungry,” came a quiet, husky reply. Oh. He must’ve been really exhausted. Exhausted, and– Ryland sniffed at the air where Simon’s been standing. And something else. Something that had his scent spike with cinnamon and sweat, something Ryland had not smelled on him before. He frowned, his glasses falling down his nose. Something enticing, something he hadn’t smelled before…

What was it?

*

Simon’s newly changed scent had hit Ryland square in the face when he’d come to bed a few hours later to find Simon curled up under the quilt, only his wet, shining hair peaking out from underneath it, snoozing away.

Or at least it looked like he was snoozing away. Every so often he’d groan a little bit, press himself down or turn ever so slightly. Grace knew of his nightmares, it’d been something they both learned about each other the hard way, but he also knew they’d been diminishing with every safe night spent touching, with every day spent gardening or talking to Adrian, and with every therapy session with the Eridian therapist Adrian had recommended. But he also knew the progress wasn’t linear and Simon couldn’t just get rid of them instantly- he couldn’t either. Simon had been here for a little over a year, he couldn’t just make all his trauma disappear, no matter how much he’d like to. 

Sighing, Grace decided to do the one thing he could to help. He washed up, got changed and climbed inside Simon’s nest. Simon was on him pretty much immediately, reaching for him and tucking himself under Grace’s arm, squeezing his torso with his one arm. The frown line between his eyebrows eased up, too, the unhappy, spiky scent giving way to something softer, gentler, cinnamon-like, warm and content. 

Grace couldn’t stop his own smile from splitting his face when he saw Simon’s own lips quirking up in satisfaction. 

He reached his hand to card it through the omega’s hair, frowning when it came back hot and sweaty. He hoped Simon wasn’t developing a sickness. He listened closely, but his breathing was now even, his nose clear with no signs of developing, say, a cold, so Grace calmed down. Maybe he’s just too warm laying on all these blankets, he thought as he adjusted the quilt, drifting off to sleep himself. 

*

Grace woke up to more heat. Literally.

“Simon?” he whispered sleepily, “Simon, are you alright?” 

The omega was way too warm. He wasn’t burning, no, and he was usually running hot, but this was not a normal temperature for even him. 

And also, he’d become unusually cuddly, Grace found as he felt Simon’s arm around his torso tighten possessively. They were not shy around each other anymore, and they did cuddle a fair amount, but now the omega was wrapped around Ryland like a python, his breathing uneven, his backside pressing into Ryland’s–

Grace’s eyes flew open.

Oh. Oh no. 

“Simon,” he extracted himself enough to shake the omega’s shoulder. “Simon, wake up.”

The omega only made a keen sound that did nothing to quench Ryland’s growing interest. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead. 

“Simon, you’re in heat.” 

That made the omega groan quietly. “Whuzzat?” he asked, the words nearly incomprehensible. 

“You’re in heat, Simon!” Grace stage-whispered. “I need to get out of here–”

“No.” Simon growled. Actually growled, low and almost intimidating. “Join me in my nest,” he said resolutely, cracking open one sleepy eye to look at Ryland, to look into Ryland’s eyes the way he had that first day, the very first day when he’d looked at him and knew him.  

“Want you to stay, alpha,” he added, all clarity gone in an instant, the air filling with even more cinnamon headiness, and Ryland’s alpha loved it, adding its own heat-affected scent to the mix. 

Stay stay stay, Simon’s scent pleaded. I will, will, will, Ryland’s answered. 

Ryland’s inner alpha roared. It was wrong, it was so wrong, but… what if… just a little… 

“No, nope, I can’t,” Grace wiggled out of Simon’s hold and the omega whined at the loss, Ryland’s heart breaking at the sound. But he had to go, for both of their sakes. Simon wasn’t in his right mind, and he couldn’t just– “I can’t do that with you in this state–” 

“We don’t have to do…” Simon trailed off, voice hoarse, and he coughed. “That. I’m not even sure– well. We can just cuddle. Please,” he begged. He literally begged Ryland to stay here, eyes gleaming wet, body warm and pliable and–

“Please just… stay,” Simon implored him from the mess of his nest, pupils blown wide and desperate. “Ryland. Please.” 

“Cuddle?” Grace asked uncertainly, his interest cooling down to manageable. That… didn’t seem like a bad idea. Provided it doesn’t escalate to anything else. 

“Mmmmmnkaaaayyyy…” he hummed as he sank back into the softness of the nest, his alpha purring with victory. 

Simon was already reaching for him, grabbing him by the arms as he resumed his earlier position, this time careful not to touch near Grace’s genitals. “Sorry about… earlier,” he murmured into Grace’s back. 

“It’s okay, Si,” Grace assured him. “I’m not mad or anything, I know it’s not your fault.” 

“Thank you,” Simon said, barely above a whisper, and it felt… ceremonial, almost. 

“Of course,” Ryland replied, suddenly feeling shy and out of his element. But once Simon turned him to face him, looked into those deep eyes and saw that gentle smile, well… 

He couldn’t help but think it would all be okay in the end. 

“Rest, omega,” he craned his neck to kiss the top of Simon’s head, emboldened by the wanting cinnamon scent all around him, and Simon closed his eyes in contentment. “I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

*

When Ryland woke up next, it was to a lovely sight of Simon looking up at him from where he was laying next to him, observing him with shining dark eyes. They were less clouded with heat than before, though still not quite back to normal, and they were watching Ryland as if he had hung the stars. It made his stomach flutter and his cheeks redden. 

“Good morning,” Grace managed. Simon gave him a lovely small smile. “Hi.”

“So, um,” Grace said bashfully, “how’d you sleep?”

“Better,” Simon hummed, his smile slowly slipping. “I’m,” he heaved a sigh, “very sorry about all of this,” he moved to lay his head down next to Grace as to not have to look at him, perhaps. 

“Hey, it isn’t your fault,” Ryland reassured him like his inner alpha was screaming at him to. “It’s biology-” 

“But I should have known,” Simon sighed again, moving his head, black hair tickling Grace’s arm as he did. “I should have realized this was what was going on, I-” 

“It’s okay, really,” Grace didn’t know how much physical contact Simon wanted at the moment, so he opted to gently push his hair out of his eyes - and playfully boop his nose while he was at it. 

That got Simon to smile a little, at least. “I should have known I was going into heat. It’s just been so long since I had one – the C.O.I. had me pumped with whatever suppressants they could get their hands on – and even then, they were pretty irregular. But at least they usually don’t last too long.” 

“That’s… good,” Ryland said, grimacing at the mention of unknown suppressants being used on Simon. It was nowhere near the hot-white, blind rage he once felt, but the alpha anger was there all the same – and then dissipated when Simon laid a hand on his arm, turning to him. 

“Thank you,” he said earnestly. 

“Anyone–”

“And before you say anyone would’ve done that, no, no they wouldn’t,” Simon interrupted him, reading him like a book, turning to him. “You did, Ryland.” 

Grace felt like he was drowning in those sparkling dark eyes, and, for once, didn’t know what to say. 

Then there was a knock, followed by a louder knock, followed by a familiar string of whistle-like sounds. 

“GRACE SIMON WAKE UP, DEMAND!” 

The pair groaned in unison. 

“Roooockkyyyyyy,” Grace sighed, “right now’s not a good time, man!” 

“Rocky not human man. Also, yes, now right time, statement.”

Simon quietly snorted, and Grace smiled. 

“Simon’s in heat, though, and–”

“SIMON WHAT, QUESTION???” shouted another, deeper voice, and uh oh, now Adrian was involved too. 

There was a loud bang as Adrian presumably tore down the door, and then there were two Eridians hovering above their nest, Rocky standing on his mate for extra elevation. 

“Simon in heat, question?” Adrian said, elated. “Can Adrian observe, question?” 

Simon snorted again. “Sure, Adri, whatever,” he groaned as he turned to his side. 

“But right now the both of us could use some breakfast, guys,” Grace said, clapping his hands, his inner alpha’s need to take care of the vulnerable omega overpowering him. 

Simon whined a little bit at seeing him getting up, but he gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I won’t be long,” he promised, and smiled wide when he heard Simon mutter, “you better not be”. 

A couple minutes later, both of the humans were sitting up, holding a tray of their breakfast in bed while Adrian bombarded them with questions about human biology and secondary genders. Grace did his best to answer, with Simon chiming in every so often while Rocky sat there, loafing. 

“So what triggered this heat, question?” Adrian asked as they tapped away at their notebook.

“Uh, well,” Simon swallowed, then gave Ryland a side-eye. “I have a theory, but I’m really not sure–”

“Theory good enough, please.”

“Well, I think I was stressed about um,” he blushed slightly, and oh, if that wasn’t a lovely sight. “About being separate from, uh, from you,” he finished, looking at Grace, whose eyebrows shot up. "And the incident didn't help. I think... that might've actually kickstarted it." 

Something like realization was dawning on Grace. “The incident... Separate from me… because of the new biodome?” 

“Yeah, I realized that I,” the omega wiggled guiltily, “I really don’t want to live by myself, without you.” 

Grace couldn’t believe it. And here he was, stressing over it, when Simon had been doing the same. Laughable, really. They were truly two ridiculous men. 

Rocky jumped up. “Humans ridiculous ridiculous ridiculous!” he shrieked. “Rocky tell Grace to just talk, but noooo, had to be all conflicted about it when it simple as hell.”

He pointed at Grace, “Grace not want to be separate from Simon, and,” he turned to Simon, “Simon not want to be separate from Grace. Easy easy easy fix.” 

He made a couple more exasperated gestures while Adrian laughed fondly.

Simon’s head swiveled to look at Grace. “You… you also didn’t want-” he began saying only to chuckle. “We’re really stupid, aren’t we?” 

“Afraid so,” Grace shrugged, humming in delight at the happy omega scent in the air. 

“Biodome issue resolve when Simon feel well again,” Adrian decided when they’d stopped laughing. “In meanwhile, Grace Simon take time off to spend time together, to take care of each other, yes?” 

“Yessir,” Grace saluted. It wasn’t quite what he wanted to tell Simon, wasn’t all that was on his heart, but he figured there’d be plenty of time to talk to him when he’s better and not heat-addled. He had a good feeling about it, if Simon’s current scent and behavior was indicative of what the omega thought about it. 

“I think we can do that,” Simon agreed, nudging Ryland’s arm and laying his head on Grace’s shoulder, a vulnerable gesture full of trust and love, and his alpha’s heart soared. 

Yeah, Ryland agreed with a big, dopey grin, we sure can.