Work Text:
Simon was perfect, he had been since the moment he was born.
Twins were rare in Eden and considered to be gifts from God himself. Simon was a twin, emphasis on was. When they were both born, it was only Simon who had survived. That meant he had been a winner the moment he came into the world and he was treated as such.
Him and his mother were in special favour to Father his entire life and Simon had been personally trained by Father's loyal guard.
By 4 years old (7/8), Simon had started taking down kids twice his age with little problem. By 5 (10) he had started studying the ancient text to recite to the younger kids, teaching them the righteous way to live as they were still learning to talk.
His first kill was at 6 (11). Father led him to a holding cell and guided him through it as if he was teaching Simon the word of God.
Simon didn't like killing, but if it was God's will to have these people exterminated, then so be it.
Simon started leading full sermons for the station at 8 years old (15). He would stand in front of the crowd and preach to them as Father had done for him his entire life.
It was also around that time the Simon started sleeping in the same courters as the other soldiers. He assumed it would be of little difference to where he had been sleeping before, but he was sorely mistaken.
Almost every night, Simon had to turn his head and pretend not to see the sin around him. No mater how quiet anyone tried to be, it was clear what they were doing and it disgusted Simon. They were ruining their bodies for the sake of fleeting pleasure. If their future wives were to ever discover this, surely they would all suffer damnation.
The worst part about it was that he could feel the men's eyes on him like he would join them. He had gotten no less then 20 invitations in the first few nights he was there. To set the record straight, Simon's next sermon had been about the sin of giving into temptation.
Everyone avoided him after that, but Simon didn't mind. He preferred not to be included in their baseless sin.
Simon's first temptation came in the form of a new member of Eden. The man had betrayed the COI and fled to Eden, begging to join the cause. Simon was tasked with informing him of the rules and what started out as a firm talk gradually faded into gentle tones.
The man, who he learned was named Ryan, had messy blond hair and a soft spoken voice that made Simon want to melt into his arms.
Wait what?
Simon paused where he had been walking with the other man. Ryan paused too and looked back, eyes gazing into Simon's soul. "Something wrong?"
Simon wanted to duck and run, cleanse himself thoroughly the second he realized the buzzing in his chest wasn't respect, but Simon didn't run. He pushed on and tried his best to keep stern the rest of the time they talked.
Simon's second temptation was during a sacrifice. The man on the chopping block for the butcher was going to be sacrificed to the tree for it's continued growth.
Begging was to be expected. No one wanted to die despite the tragic place they all resided, so when Simon lifted his sword to finish the man off, he expected the usual screaming and crying. What he didn't expect was for the man to look up at Simon with blue eyes clouded from so much pain and silently beg for mercy. What he definitely didn't expect was for his face to get hot and to feel a tightening in his gut as he scored the final blow.
Simon knew feeling those things was wrong and he tried to ignore the twisting guilt in his soul for not resisting enough. Filament Station was certain his price to pay for the sin he had committed.
He didn't fight when he was captured. He deserved it.
When he dared to hope he could be free, he was faced with a worse punishment. He deserved it.
When he woke up to paradise, he had hurt the man who saved his life. The blond had then kept his distance and his alien best friend made sure Simon never got close enough to apologize. He deserved it.
When Rocky finally eased up enough to let Simon talk to his saviour, he didn't even know what to say. So Simon did the only thing he could do, he bowed. He lowered himself to his knees and bowed his head low enough to be vulnerable.
His saviour apparently didn't know how to respond to that and had just stared at him in silence until Rocky chirped something that made the blond finally open his mouth. "Uh, apology accepted I guess. You can get off the floor now."
Simon nodded and rose back to his feet before it occurred to him that he didn't know his saviours name. "And what should I call my saving grace?"
Rocky let out a few squeaks that sounded suspiciously like laughter and the blond rubbed the back of his neck. "Just that actually. Not the saving part, but my name is Grace, Ryland Grace." He extended his hand. "A little overdue, but it's nice to meet you."
Simon took the offered hand and shook him, quickly pulling away to not overstay his welcome. "It's an honour to meet you as well." He noticed an expectant look in Grace's eyes and started searching to see if there was anything he missed. He searched every inch of his mind and came up empty. What did Ryland want from him?
"Uh..." Ryland cleared his throat. "And your name is?"
Oh. The blond wanted his name. That was unusual. No one had ever wanted to know Simon's name before. No one ever needed to know. "Simon." He said it like it was an afterthought because it really was.
"Great, nice to meet you Simon." Ryland repeated himself. "So, Rocky, what should his Eridian name be?"
Right, Simon hadn't even considered until now that his name would be different in their language. Rocky tapped the floor in thought for a minute before saying something that made Ryland laugh softly. Simon felt his heart clench at the smile on the other man's face.
He quickly shook it off. He should not give in to temptation, even in paradise. "So, what did he say?"
Ryland stared at him for a second before his eyes widened. "Oh shoot! I forgot you can't understand them." He ran over to a computer nearby and clicked a few buttons before typing something in the system. "There we go, translator back on."
"Grace stupid. How Grace not think of Simon no understand?" The question was emphasized with two taps on the ground.
Ryland let out a little trill that seemed to be annoyance. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up Rock. It just slipped my mind. It's been awhile since there's been a human who doesn't understand you."
Rocky shook his body back and forth in disappointment. "Rocky remember. Nothing slip Rocky mind. Grace no listen when Rocky tell."
"Well, I was a little preoccupied when you told me."
Simon was standing perfectly still, patiently waiting for the two to stop bickering. He was used to things like this, just stay unseen until it's your turn to speak.
Rocky turned to Simon, their argument didn't last nearly as long as Simon thought it would. "Simon meet Adrian, question?" The question was once again emphasized with two taps. He was starting to wonder if that was just how they asked questions.
"Uh, yes. They were the one who actually encouraged me to come apologize."
Rocky nodded. "Good. Simon like Adrian, question?" The same two taps. That was definitely just how they asked questions.
"Yes."
Rocky nodded again. "Good, happy happy happy."
It took a while for Simon to get used to Rocky and Ryland's dynamic. It was a foreign concept to him that people could argue without actually anger, but he came to find their bickering quite amusing.
The first time he laughed at their constant arguing, but of them had stopped talking at the spot and just stared at him. At first he thought he did something wrong, but then they both rushed over to him and started celebrating that they finally made him crack a smile. The genuine joy in Ryland's eyes had forced an even bigger smile on his face. The joy was infectious.
Simon tried everything he could to avoid the constant temptation, but nothing worked. No matter how much Simon tried to think of women, Ryland always creeped into his mind like a parasite.
One day as they were sitting on the beach, it finally hit Simon that he was done for. He was in love with Ryland and that meant he was a sinner, but he couldn't bring himself to resent Ryland for it. He only had himself to blame.
"Hey." The voice broke Simon's train of thought. "I just realized I never asked you how old you are."
Simon looked over at Ryland who was partly leaning against him. "I didn't think that was really important, but I'm 16."
Ryland flinched so hard Simon was concerned he may have pulled a muscle. "You're what?!" He created some more distance between them.
Simon silently mourned the touch, but decided to brush that off. "16. Why are you acting like that's such a big deal?"
"You..." Ryland stumbled over his words for a minute before speaking again. "You're a minor? !" He sounded completely dumbfounded and Simon felt a similar way.
"What are you talking about? I've been an adult for 7 years." Simon had no idea why Ryland was freaking out.
"Huh? That doesn't make any sense. Not unless... Simon, how long is a day?"
Simon tilted his head in confusion at the question, but answered anyway. "25 hours."
"And how many days are in a year?"
"669.6 days."
Ryland just stared at him for a few seconds. "Do you know how to convert to earth years?"
Simon blinked once and twice before he understood. "Oh, you wanted my age in EIC. In that case, I'd be 30."
Ryland let out a long breath of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought I was being a creep for a second there."
Simon tilted his head. "Why? How old are you?"
"52... I suppose that still makes me kind of a creep, but not as much as if you were a minor."
Simon looked Ryland up and down. The man definitely didn't look as old as he claimed. "You don't look that old and your body is in quite good condition."
Ryland rubbed the back of his neck. "That's because the Eridians decided to artificially slow my aging. Still don't know why or how they did that, but I'm not exactly complaining."
Simon shifted closer to Ryland. "I think they did an amazing job."
The blond turned his head toward him and suddenly their faces were closer than Simon calculated for. Their eyes met and he knew it was over for his self control. Simon's eyes flickered close as Ryland's lips touched his and he suddenly felt so warm, so right.
Simon opened his eyes to look at Ryland and caught a glimpse of a tree behind him.
Thou shall not lay with a man as you would with a woman.
Simon broke the kiss, shame and fear flowing through his gains as he scrambled to his feet and ran. Where to, he didn't know, but he couldn't stand to face the sin he had just committed. He didn't even look back to see the look of heartbreak flashing in those blue eyes.
It was Adrian who found him in his hiding spot, a small cave off the coast of the beach. They didn't speak at first, just sat next to him and started humming comforting tones. Simon leaned against it, steadying himself with the vibrating mass against his body.
After Simon's heart rate settled, Aridan spoke up. They had brought the translator with them and Simon was grateful for the elegant voice that came through the speaker. "Why Simon run away?"
Simon sighed heavily and stared up at the ceiling of the cave. "Because I disgraced myself."
"How?"
"Because I'm a man and Ryland's a man. I'm not allowed to be with a man."
"Why?"
"Because it's a sin."
"Why?"
"Because..." That one made Simon pause because he had never dared to ask that before. "Because it's unnatural. Relationships are for reproduction and two men can't reproduce."
"What if woman can't have baby? Wrong to be with woman then."
"Well..." Simon genuinely didn't have an answer for that. Adrian was clearly trying to make him admit that his belief was wrong, but how could he reject the only thing he had ever known to be true.
"Only two human here. No baby made anyway. Even if baby concern, Edridian scientists figure out baby with no woman."
Simon stared at Adrian for a minute before nodding. "But I still messed up. Ryland probably wouldn't even want me anymore."
The next thing Adrian told him got Simon to his feet faster than he ever had before and he was suddenly running toward the house, their house.
Ryland opened the door right as he was approaching, so they accidentally ran into each other. Simon caught the blond before he could fall. "Simon... You're back already. Are you oka-"
Simon cut off Ryland by kissing him, holding the other so close you could hardly tell where one ended and the other began. Ryland was definitely surprised but quickly melted into the embrace.
Once the kiss broke, the blond stared at him in shock. "Um, not that I didn't enjoy that, but why?"
Simon held him closer somehow. "I was an idiot. I didn't mean to run away I was just being stupid. Please, if you'll have me, I'd love to be your partner."
Ryland's face went red, but a smile crept in. "Yeah, I'd love that. I'll gladly take you as my partner."
Adrian was following close behind Simon and went to stand beside Rocky to watch the scene unfold. "What Adrian tell Simon?"
Adrian let out a little laugh as they witnessed the two humans kiss once more. "As the humans would say, a magician never reveals their secrets."