Archive of Our Own

Grace had always assumed he'd be the sole human inhabiting Erid, and he really did try to make peace with that fact; he tried to convince himself the company of the other Eridians was enough, but deep down, he knew otherwise. 

No matter how much he pushed the bad thoughts down and tried to pretend his feelings didn't exist, he knew they did, and that they always would.

He would always feel a sense of quiet emptiness, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

And, as expected, as the years passed, the ache only grew, to his immense dismay.

He knew he would be the sole human on Erid until the day he died.

Until one day, Rocky came barging through his faux wooden door, exclaiming, "Adrian find human ship for Grace, human life inside, Excitement!" He skittered around the room, bumping into the legs of Grace's couch and coffee table, as he went he knocked over the various scattered teacups and books stacked on top of the coffee table.

Grace was speechless, mouth hanging agape for what felt like hours, though in reality it was only around a minute or two. He didn't even register the fallen cups, instead, he took a seat on the couch and leaned forward, pushing his hands into his thick blonde hair, this cannot be happening.

Slowly, he began to speak, questioning what Rocky really meant, that another real, true human had been found, that this wasn't some sort of dream or hoax. He muttered under his breath, "You're sure, absolutely sure, I don't believe you th-there's quite literally no way." He tugged at the soft tufts of his hair as he spoke.

Rocky seemed taken aback, as much as an alien with no real face could be, "Why Grace think Rocky lie, Question?" He rolled closer to grace as and his clicks and whirs came out faster than normal. Grace shook his head, and he quickly backtracked, explaining that, "Of course I trust you, Rocky, I just can't believe it, how is this even possible?"

Rocky still seemed a bit offended, and he responded, "Rocky not know, just repeat what Adrian said." he continued, "New human sick, very sick, Adrian worried about recovery, Statement."

Grace began to worry his bottom lip between his teeth. He couldn't lose this; he couldn't, this could be his first shot at real human connection in maybe decades, he didn't know how long it had really been. There had to be some way to help, he knew humans, he was one, he was good at science, he could help.

He glanced at Rocky, plainly asking him when he could meet the new human. Rocky moved side to side; his little chirps sounded a bit nervous to Grace. "New human sedated, Adrian worried human may act violent." He shifts around again, "Drenched in blood when pulled from ship, Rocky worried, Statement." 

Grace understood, he doubted anyone would be okay waking up on a foreign planet with little rock aliens surrounding them, especially if they had already been through something bad. Which it sounded like they had.

That could not be good. 

At all.

Grace felt like he was going to freak out; he needed to calm down. His grip on his hair loosened and he instead started to fidget with his glasses, taking them off and feeling the small joints repeatedly with the pads of his fingers in a self-soothing motion.

He felt his throat start to close and his eyes start to water. He knew Rocky would help him if he really wanted it, but he just desperately needed to be alone right now. He wanted to process the fact that there could be another person out there now in close proximity to him. It was a lot, and he didn't know what to do with the information yet, he just knew he wanted to see this person. He couldn't yet though, he was too out of it. Grace wanted to thank something, anything, and though he was agnostic with little to no spiritual beliefs, he knew this had to be fate caused by some higher being.

As he ushered Rocky out, he swallowed the lump in his throat as his friend asked, "Why Grace so leaky, Question?"

There was no answer he wanted to give him. Grace shut the door as he hobbled out, walked to the couch, curled up, and let the tears roll down his cheeks as silently as possible.

—

The last thing Simon remembered was the stench of blood and gore, a bright light, and an eye.

An all-knowing, all-seeing eye. Larger than anything he could ever truly comprehend.

He was coughing up more and more blood as he felt his body rip apart, roots taking hold of him and tearing his organs apart from the inside out. White-hot flashes of pain in his limbs as he was stretched, and then nothing. Just a sort of deep red clouding his vision and mind behind his eyes.

He knew he was dead. This was hell, it was nothing like Eden had taught him, it was just nothing at all. No noise, no violence, no suffering, no eternal punishment for his sins, just an overbearing stillness. Honestly, he might've preferred the gory hell he always assumed awaited him when compared to this emptiness. Aching and alone he lay for what he assumed would be eternity.

A bright flash behind his eyes, and he awoke violently, hacking and gasping for air. Blood clotted his throat.

He was utterly confused; he had to be dead, he knew he was, yet somehow, there was someone else. Someone standing in front of him, observing.

It was a man, his silhouette was backed by an almost blinding light. 

Simon was in heaven.

As the man came into focus, Simon realized how different they seemed. He looked experienced but soft, his eyes still seemed full of life.

There were subtle wrinkles around his eyes and his mouth, and his lips curved upwards, forming a subtle O-shape; All Simon really registered was the fact that he was beautiful. 

Sort of like an angel, he had to be, after all, he was dead. 

And this had to be heaven, not hell.

Maybe his God had taken pity upon him.

—

Grace learned the human's name was Simon; that was it. No last name, no middle name, just Simon.

He liked it.

Simon was a complicated person, scarred by years of heavy religious indoctrination and a harsh, unforgiving life, as Grace came to learn.

It took around a month, Simon was distrustful and closed off as a result of his attempted execution. He was also sick, Adrian had discovered it was the result of radiation poisoning, it was a miracle he had survived.

Yet eventually, he opened up to Grace, if only a bit.

Grace learned all about Eden, the Quiet Rapture, and the C.O.I., or as much as Simon could bear to share. It had happened gradually, after many late nights of talking between the two, as they temporarily lived together while Rocky worked on a second house. 

It was very emotional for Simon.

 He was extremely appreciative of Simon's ability to open up to him even if it was hard and there still wasn't a full sense of trust between them. 

To Grace, it brought a sense of pride, as Simon trusted him enough to share the burdens of his past. 

Still, it was hard, he didn't know if he would ever totally heal.

His heart broke for Simon; he knew how it felt, minus the apparent dying and rebirth, or the time travel or whatever it was that had brought them together, as well as the dead stars, which sounded eerily similar to what had happened to his solar system and others around it, though the stars had never fully disappeared. 

They had dimmed, so not at all similar to Simon, and the complete disappearance of all living flora and fauna on any given star in his universe.

Okay, so he could only relate to some parts, especially to the part about being sent on a suicide mission for the betterment of humanity and the feeling of ultimate betrayal with no hope of return.

It brought them together, at least for a short time, Grace was grateful, he had another person with him, one who seemed to actually enjoy his company, or so he thought, even if at first he pushed him away. Grace didn't hold him to it, he understood why the man would be so untrusting and scared of both him and the Eridians. 

Simon still kept his distance, treating Grace more as an abstract concept to be worshipped rather than a real normal human.

To grace it was strange and uncomfortable, he liked feeling special, but not to this extent. This treatment did get a bit tiring after about a month or so, Grace was starved for any type of meaningful social connection with the other man. 

It was to the extent that he often lay awake at night, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, longing for any sense of camaraderie or touch between the two. 

He wanted it so bad, he didn't know if Simon did too, he seemed obsessed with the idea that Grace was above him in every way, he seemed scared to upset or touch or hurt him in any way, even if by accident.

Grace couldn't care less, he wanted it and wanted him, and he knew it. Simon was someone he wanted to be around, he was a good person, and no matter how much distance was put between them, he could tell. Simon was kind, it was just a fact, they never really talked anymore now that Simon had moved out, just those talks at night he had memorized, all about Eden and the Quiet Rapture, but Grace knew. 

He knew by the way Simon looked at him, through his fear, and how he treated both him and the Eridian's children, he did so with as much respect as possible, even through apprehension and despite his aversion to the pebbles, he did his best to treat them well, though he still struggled at getting along with the adults.

As Grace lay awake during one of these bouts of loneliness he decided he had to do something, anything, to prove to Simon that he too was human and not above him in any way, shape, or form. 

It would be hard, he was sure of that, they got along well, sure, just the distance and reverence on Simon's end was difficult for Grace to cope with.

He didn't want to have to prove something like that, he wished it was just a fact Simon could accept, that they were equal, and he wasn't special.

 In fact, it hadn't even been him that really saved Simon, it had been Adrian and his team, yet Simon only directed this weird admiration towards Grace. 

The dopey scientist who did practically nothing. He didn't understand.

All he knew was that it had to do with Simon's upbringing and his belief that he really had died. Sometimes, when he thought Grace couldn't hear him, he would whisper soft prayers under his breath about nearly everything, sometimes they even included Grace in them. Most included Grace, but the man pretended not to notice, content to let Simon do as he saw fit, even if it was a little freaky sometimes. 

After Simon had moved into his own small house away from Grace, their talks had become fewer and farther between as he distanced himself more and more from the scientist.

 It was still his stupid— well in Grace’s mind, stupid religious beliefs that were keeping them apart. He was sick of it. While he rolled over in his bed, he kicked off the blanket and let his hand wander down his chest and under his shirt, feeling the soft hair there. His hands skirted lower until he reached his boxers, he really shouldn't, it was bad, and probably disrespectful to Simon. Grace couldn't help it though, he had been thinking about him for months, wanting to close that gap that had been forming and open him up as best he could again. 

Who wouldn't after all, Simon was the most attractive man he had ever seen, and he'd seen a lot of men in his time. He loved the sharp bridge of his nose, the strange mutations he had about him, how he wasn't fully human, his tangled black hair, his sharp teeth, the way he breathed, looked, smelled, acted, nearly everything, Grace knew it was more than just a physical attraction. And he appreciated the man as best he could. 

God, it was bad, he had gotten a few glimpses of the real Simon while talking, and he wanted it back, they had gone from no contact and Simon only being fearful of him to some semblance of contact then back to nearly no contact because of Simon's own irrational fears. 

Grace couldn't stand it anymore. Sweat dripped down his forehead, it was way too hot, he groaned softly, he just wanted to die. Rocky would need to work on his summer climate immensely. Actually, no thinking about Rocky right now, no thanks, nope! He really was going to ruin his mood even more, he tried to shut his brain off as he tugged down his boxers, and let his hand start creeping towards his cock. 

Simon's body, naked from the waist up appeared as he closed his eyes, his curly hair falling into his face as he stared into Grace’s eyes, in his mind, Simon’s hand would trail up his side to rest on Grace's waist as he mouthed along his chest slowly, his long hair brushing along Grace’s naked torso. Grace felt himself grow harder at the thought, and he let out a short whine. Simon’s build was far stockier than Grace's, he loved it, he imagined how his hand would feel up and down his body. Would he treat him roughly, maybe, Grace didn't really know, but he hoped to find out as soon as possible. His breathing quickened as he stroked the length of his dick slowly, it was too much, he needed Simon or he might just keel over and die. The heat obviously wasn't helping these thoughts either. He wanted to touch Simon so badly, holy cow.

He wanted to push Simon down and take the length of his cock into his mouth as he jerked himself off, with permission of course. 

To hell with his fantasy of Simon ghosting his hands across his body, he wanted something more. Grace rarely touched himself anymore, only occasionally when the thoughts got bad or Simon looked extra hot one day. 

An overwhelming fear of Rocky or Simon seeing him also stopped him before he could get too far, he knew sadly, it was more likely for Rocky to find him, after all he could practically see through walls. The thought always turned Grace off immensely. 

On the other hand, though, the thought of Simon finding him often excited him.

 What! He couldn't help it, he often imagined what he would do after seeing Grace with his face pressed into the mattress or pillow, hips softly snapping against his hand as he moaned Simon’s name. Maybe he would do nothing, run again, and hide himself away.

But there was always a chance for something more to happen, Grace wished for it every time he did have enough courage to go through with his desires. 

It was one of his most common fantasies. 

But there was a slim to none chance it would ever come to fruition. Grace let out a hushed chuckle between groans, he guessed it would be more likely that he would be the one to walk in on Simon pleasuring himself. 

Actually, scratch that, he didn't even know if Simon really took part in that, he assumed Eden would have portrayed it as some evil sin you could never recover from, and knowing Simon, he assumed the man would follow this belief, whether it be involuntary or not.

Thinking about this stuff was a mood killer, Grace let out a muffled whine, face still pressed to his pillow with his hand between his thighs, he layed on his side as he worked himself, attempting to forget the thoughts he had conjured up in regards to Simon, his upbringing, and sexual tolerances. Gosh, he really shouldn't have gone down that path and instead focused on his stupid imagination.

Despite the minor setbacks Grace eventually got back on track, he imagined Simon kissing down his chest again and this time onto his stomach as he whispered his slightly freaky muffled prayers into Grace’s skin. It was a lovely thought, and he wanted it to become a reality. 

His pace quickened, a heat settling in his lower abdominal region, he was so close. With one final push of his hips, he spilled into his hands, and for the first few seconds after he felt rather ashamed. What would Simon do, if he knew how Grace thought of him when he was alone at night, in his fantasy he would pin him down and tell Grace all his feelings and admirations before touching him all over when he realized he had the right to, but he knew the more likely outcome would be that he would hate him, find him disgusting, or just outright ignore him. If that really did happen, Grace didn't know how he would live with himself. 

With his cheek still pressed onto the pillow and gaze far away, he finally dragged his hand out of his boxers, glancing down at the sticky, disgusting mess he had made. He wanted to cry.

 Instead, he forced himself to get up and walk to his bathroom before washing his hands and turning back to his room. Grace face planted into his mattress and shut his eyes, he desperately hoped for a rest he doubted would come. 

What with this overbearing heat and his subtle guilt, he knew he wouldn't, so instead he forced himself to roll over onto his back yet again and focus his eyes above him. 

All he could do was stare at that minuscule bit of paint peeling off the ceiling while imagining Simon and all the conversations they could have. Truly, he did plague his mind at all times.

Grace lay awake for what felt like hours, random nonsensical thoughts about Simon swirling around in his overreactive brain. Eventually, though, he did manage to drift off, resting one hand up his shirt and the other above his head on his pillow. He dreamt about Simon, because of course he did, of course, he literally could not catch a break, even in his dreams!

Grace did have to admit though, that his dream was rather pleasant, it involved him, Simon, and a garden. 

He had guessed the other man had a strong sense of connection to any foliage, based on how he had reacted upon seeing the biodome and its plant life inside.

 Simon loved them, and Grace could tell, after all the man had never really seen any other types of plans besides what he called 'The Last Tree' which seemed a bit dramatic to Grace before he found out it was meant in a literal sense, then he just felt guilty for doubting Simon.

Anyway, he would have to tell Rocky to look into bio-engineering more crops if he could, he wanted to please Simon and make him feel at home, maybe if they got close enough he could convince Simon to let him study the seed he kept so close in case there was a way to replicate it and grow a forest for the man. 

The thought was pleasant, Grace missed forests as well, though he was the only one who had ever experienced a real one. He had shown Simon the 'Don't Go Crazy' room on more than one occasion once he had learned the truth of where Simon had come from. 

When it first happened Simon was immensely overwhelmed, but happy, which in turn made Grace happy. Simon didn't really ask Grace to visit it anymore, he just did it himself now, and Grace missed it, god, he missed him. 

This was pathetic, they were the only two humans for years, and years, and years, away, and yet they no longer interacted for more than a minute because of Simon's dumb belief that Grace was some sort of higher being sent from above.

 He was sick of it. 

—

Grace awoke as a result of that incessant heat, a bright artificial light shining through his window, hand still up his shirt and hair tussled from his tossing and turning during the night. 

Cheese and crackers, he needed to talk to Rocky about this immediately, he couldn't survive another day in this climate, he might melt!

As he stumbled out of bed he clumsily made a grab at his jeans, almost tripping and falling flat on his face as they were on the floor next to his bedframe. 

While he tugged them up he considered his schedule for the day, Grace realized he had to teach the pebbles soon, that he knew, he just didn't notice how soon. 

Shoot! He was going to be late. Grace regretted agreeing to schedule a class today of all days. Still, without even eating, for fear he might be even later, he rushed to the door and gave Armando a quick hello and goodbye on his way out.

As he tripped out his front door and down the scraggly rock path towards the ocean, he could vaguely make out a shape in the water. Simon, it was Simon, though he could barely see him, courtesy of his glasses hanging crudely off his face, the frames holding on for dear life. Huh, maybe Simon had the right idea, Grace really wished he had the foresight to cancel his plans today.

As he approached the shore, he noticed the small waves forming from the machine Rocky had built, the soft foam tops of the waves lapping up along the sand.

 There was the subtle sound of artificial machinery humming in the background, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, it created a sort of background white noise that Grace enjoyed. 

He didn’t like the silence, after his experience waking up on the Hail Mary, he preferred noise. He imagined Simon felt similarly.

Finally, he raised his head, attempting to look at the man in front of him. Grace quickly attempted to fix his glasses, pushing them back up his nose bridge, Simon had his back turned, and Grace wanted some time to stare. 

He was gorgeous, Grace really didn’t have any other words to describe him, handsome worked too, but Grace preferred gorgeous. 

With his shirt off, Grace could easily admire everything about him, from the scarred tissue that ran along his chest and all the way down towards his lower stomach and back, to the small amount of dark hairs that multiplied the closer they got to his pelvis and hips. His dark hair was lovely, and he had let it grow further down his back, the curls he sported now looked relatively healthy compared to when they had first met, Simon blood-splattered and scared, his hair tangled and far shorter than it was now.

Grace couldn’t express his gratitude enough, Simon looked to be in good health, and he was well built, even more so now that he had access to proper food. Grace wasn’t exactly skinny himself, but he was relatively leaner when compared to Simon.

“What are you doing?” Simon’s voice carried above the sound of the wind. Grace jumped, he was caught, but he wasn’t really trying to hide his admiration in the first place.

Grace attempted to compose himself and think up a response, “Just looking,” he let out a breath, “At the sea I mean.” Grace continued, trying to salvage his dignity, “Geez, it really is hot today, huh?” 

Simon stared back at him.

“Yes, it is. You should talk to your rock friend.”

Oh my gosh, Grace had been so distracted by Simon he had forgotten about the pebbles. The classroom was right there! And he had gotten distracted far too easily. He was a horrible teacher, too focused on his silly crush and relationship problems.

He didn’t even know if the pebbles would still be waiting for him, he doubted it. 

For once, he didn’t feel compelled to go check his classroom tucked away in the cave, just to the left of the cove. He just wanted to stare at Simon, he missed seeing another human being so much it was almost indescribable, let alone someone as beautiful as Simon.

Grace was still staring, he had left the other man unanswered.

“Ah…yes, yes I’ll be sure to tell him, don’t worry.”

He didn’t know what else to say, it was pathetic really, he knew Simon could tell he wasn’t looking at the view. Honestly, he didn’t even know if Simon cared anymore.

He seemed unbothered, still locking eyes with Grace from where he stood in the waves 

“Would, I mean...” Great, Grace couldn’t even get the words out fully, gosh he was a mess. 

“What, just spit it out Ryland,” Right, Simon enjoyed calling him Ryland, and Grace, if he was being fully honest with himself, loved it.

“Well, uh, would you really care if I kind of also came into the water as well?” He rushed out that last sentence as quickly as possible, hoping the words slurred together. If they didn’t, he might die of embarrassment.

“It’s just so hot, and I really—“ 

Simon, honest to god, laughed. It was a relatively brief laugh, but it was one just the same, and Grace hadn’t heard it in months, he wanted to hear it again. For as long as he could, maybe until he died. Geez.

“Of course you can, I don’t bite.”

Grace didn’t even register the second half of what he had said, but Simon had, for some reason,  stated that, of course, he could, like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like he hadn’t tried to treat Grace like some sort of unusual higher being for as long as he knew him.

He was absolutely ecstatic. This was the best day of his life, minus meeting Rocky of course.

“Great, just, just give me a second okay,” he let out a nervous laugh that came out more like a cough. Couldn’t get more embarrassing than that, could it? 

Simon didn’t even care, he just nodded back at Grace, finally turning his back to him to admire the rest of the artificial sea. 

Grace grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt, the one that read ‘I had potential’ and pulled it up over his head as quickly as he could, relishing the pleasant feeling of the air hitting his chest. 

By the time he was done tugging off his pants and belt, his heart was already racing, he was going to be close to another person. 

And of all people, Simon! Goodness, thank god Rocky isn’t here, he didn’t know how he had never been called out by Rocky before for his overactive heart when he was near Simon. 

It had been far too long, and though Grace doubted they would make any skin-to-skin contact, just the thought of being in his presence and hearing his voice was enough to make Grace giddy.

Left standing in only his boxers, Grace looked out to Simon one last time before decidedly stepping into the frigid water. Salt spray danced across his legs as he moved farther and farther into the faux ocean. He was approaching Simon’s space, his heart speeding up more as he did so. The man’s back was still turned, he made no move to turn towards Grace yet.

Finally, the man glanced back towards him as he approached, “Hello, Ryland,” two simple words, and Grace felt like he wanted to cry.

He missed his voice, his face, his overall presence, so much. He swallowed down another lump in his throat for the second time in two days.

“Uh, hi.”

Grace was standing next to him now, shoulders almost touching, he could feel Simon’s curls on his back as the wind blew towards him.

It was the nicest he’d felt in days, the water temperature was heavenly when compared to the scorching heat surrounding them. He wanted to stay here forever.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Simon was looking at him now, eyes tracing the curve of his glasses and his chin.

“Yes, I’m really, really, glad Rocky was able to get the water temperature nice, I don’t know if we’d survive if the water was somehow warm as well!” He let out a nervous laugh at the end, he felt overwhelmed so close to Simon.

“Actually, I was thinking and, I wanted to talk about something to you..” Grace trailed off and Simon looked into his eyes this time, “About what.”

 He seemed curious.

“Well, you know I’m not special or anything, right?” 

Simon looked a bit confused, his mouth quirked open and he responded with a short, “Yes, why?”

“It’s just, well, you always avoid me, and I, honestly, I really hate it. I’m not special, I’m not some higher being, I’m nothing. Just a science teacher launched into space who somehow ended up on Erid, with you.” 

Simon looked like he wanted to say something, but Grace continued on his rant, he needed to get this out no matter what, he couldn’t risk Simon closing up again, “If anything, I’d say you were the special one, what with how you got here and what you’ve been through, it’s amazing, I just wanted you to know.”

Simon was quiet for a bit, his eyes focused on the water washing past his bare legs.

Grace was starting to feel awkward, maybe he shouldn’t have blurted it out, saved it for when they were in a more normal situation. Though he really doubted there would ever be one. 

Then, “I know, I’ve known for a long time,” his gaze was still downturned.

“Then why avoid me, treat me like I’m something above you, when I’m clearly not and will never be, I don’t want it to be like this, it can’t be, I miss you Simon, I barely even know you, but I want to, so bad.”

By this point in time, Simon’s face had begun to heat slightly, Grace didn’t know if it was a result of the heat surrounding them or his prior words.

Secretly, he hoped it was his words, he wanted to make Simon feel anything, literally.

“I know Ryland, okay? I’ve known since I was coherent, after I woke up, I was just nervous, you make me nervous, and I wasn’t sure how to act in case this was all fake and I was put back into that godawful submarine again if I acted even a step out of line.”

His hands clenched at his sides as he glared into the water, “Fuck, I don’t know okay, I don’t know what to think.” 

He continued, “I know you want to ask about the stupid prayers, I don’t know why I did it, it just—well it just helped me deal with, I guess everything,” His chest rose and fell with each word, “That is that—I mean, that maybe it all was a lie, and that maybe whoever was controlling this whole thing would take some pity on me if I continued to pray like I did before.”

Grace didn’t want to push it, he could tell it was hard for him to talk about, he just needed him to know this was real, it wasn’t going away, and Simon was safe. The C.O.I and Eden would never be able to even catch a glimpse of him again, they could not hurt him anymore.

Simon’s voice sounded constricted, Grace could tell his eyes were quickly becoming damp with tears.

“Simon, can you…Do you want to, I mean that is, come here—maybe? It’s okay if not, totally okay I just want to make sure you’re fine and I—“

He was cut off by Simon turning to him and burying his face in his shoulder, Grace’s arms wrapped around his shoulders and back, Simon shook as he sobbed into his bare chest. The water was still icy to the touch

“Simon, I want you to know that, whatever this is, it’s not going away, you’re never going back. Honestly, I’d rather die than ever let whatever happened to you happen again. And please, please, let me treat you as an equal, I understand it helps, but don’t consider me anything more than you, I know this is a lot, just, I really, I mean—gosh I’ll just say it,” Grace still held Simon to his chest. Still cold.

“I really care about you, I want to be with you, always, if you would allow that.” Grace didn’t really expect an answer from Simon right now, nor did he need one, all he wanted was to make sure Simon knew someone cared, someone who didn’t just want to use him up and then forget his name.

Grace felt himself getting emotional after all of that, chest tightening as he buried his face into Simon’s dark hair, his cheek pressed onto the top of his head as the artificial wind swept by, dissipating some of the outside heat as it passed.

He was content, he would stay forever if Simon needed him like this.

Simon’s breathing started to even out, but Grace still felt his tears on him, some drying and leaving an uncomfortable bit of salt as they did, sort of like the sea. Grace still held him.

Finally, Simon raised his head, and though their height difference was minuscule at best, he could still look up at him. His voice sounded a bit shaken as he talked, “I know, I know, it’s just, it’s terrifying to think about, what would happen.” He seemed embarrassed, like it was hard for him to admit. Grace knew well that vulnerability could be hard.

He brought his hands up to the other man’s face, his hand resting on his beard, it felt rough, and it felt good on Grace’s skin. 

“It’s hard, I get it, I just want you to know, it’s okay, nothing will change unless you want it to change, me and Rocky will always be here for you.”

That startled Simon, his face turned upwards into a shrewd smirk, his rough canines showing as he smiled, “Rocky?” he let out a breath, “I thought that guy hated me?”

“Uh well you see, he’s warmed up, I’ve made sure of that.” Not a total lie, but also not the full truth either, Rocky still didn’t fully trust the man. He was used to Grace, a very different type of person, at least personality-wise.

Grace gave him an apologetic grin, ”Anyway! Point is, we’ll always be there for you, just say the word and bam, I’m totally there,”

“Thanks, Ryland, I’m really not sure what to say except this helped me, I think?” He seemed a tad unsure, better than nothing though. 

“Great, that’s absolutely great I’m so glad, gosh I don’t even know, just that’s great.”

They were both staring at each other now, there weren’t any other words to share, at least for right now. Grace was content to look, just as he always had, except this time, they were locked in an embrace. 

Geez, it really is heating up again. He knew his face was absolutely bright red by this point, Simon could definitely tell. It was the stupid weather, that’s what he told himself.

Grace knew it wasn’t, the artificial sun was setting by this time, and the warmth was beginning to recede, and wow, he really did wake up late, there was no way any of the pebbles had even attempted to stay for class. Lucky him? 

On the other hand, Grace probably didn’t have to worry about his blush, Simon, despite being straight-faced, was also sporting quite the impressive flush. It even traveled down towards his chest, and that harness he wore. Grace didn’t know why he wore it in the water, it seemed kind of silly.

He wasn’t really complaining though. Right, they were both bare-chested, pressed up against each other, in the sea, for no reason anymore, other than to be close.

Grace was on the verge of freaking out, he hadn’t had skin-to-skin contact in who knew how long, it felt good, even better that it was Simon of all people. Who hopefully knew how much he cared about him now.

Who seemed to also reciprocate that admiration, at least based on his reactions.

“So uh, what now?” He wanted to die, maybe try to drown himself in front of Simon. Gosh, he always knew how to ruin a sweet moment.

Simon had no reply, he just looked at him, eyeing his lips as his gaze travelled along his face yet again.

Geez! It really was warm in here, wasn’t it?

Grace looked back, his gaze swept down Simon, from his lips, to his chest, which was greatly accentuated by the harness he ever so helpfully had on, down to his abdomen and hips.

He could definitely feel and see something poking his leg now, there was no way. He might pass out right then and there. Fall into Simon’s arms or into the water below them.

Screw it, when was Grace ever going to have another chance like this one, Simon was obviously hard and pressed close to him as the ‘setting’ sun cast an orange glow across his face and body.

Grace glanced at Simon one last time, attempting to confirm what he saw and felt, before leaning down to press a tentative kiss to Simon’s lips.

Almost immediately, the other man wrapped his arm around Grace and pulled him closer as he tangled his hand in Grace’s hair, he yanked him away. 

Before Grace could apologize or even get a single word out, Simon pressed another kiss to his cheek before pulling back and asking, “You really want this, right? It’s not just some random whim, tell me it’s not.” 

Grace couldn’t answer quick enough, “Of course not Simon, I—gosh this is embarrassing to admit, I’ve wanted this for a while, I mean, wanted anything to do with you, even talking is okay and—“

Simon cut him off again, pulling him as close as physically possible. His teeth sunk into Grace’s neck, it would bruise, he wanted it to stick.

Grace’s head lolled to the side as he tried to allow Simon easier access, a whine escaped him as Simon bit again.

“Fuck.” That was all he said before continuing to bite downward, more and more until he reached Grace’s chest. There, he pressed his tongue across his nipples, focusing on only one at first before moving on to the other.

Grace might actually curse, if he wasn’t at a loss for words, a mantra of all his PG-rated curse words swirled in his head as Simon continued to work his chest.

God, it felt so good, his tongue pressing onto Grace’s nipple and sucking as gently as he could manage. Simon’s hand had traveled down to hold onto Grace’s hip, his thumb moved in circles as he continued, soothing the skin there as best he could.

It didn’t feel like enough, Grace grabbed Simon’s hair, his hands knotting into his curls as he attempted to hold him closer to his chest, urging him to go harder. He let out hushed whimpers each time Simon sucked or licked particularly hard onto his chest.

He had to get them out of the water, he needed more, he imagined Simon did as well, if he could go by the now filled-out tent in his boxers.

“Simon—hey, w-we, can we get out, out of the water?” And then, “Please, I need more, I don’t want to maybe drown and—“ A high-pitched moan escaped his throat as Simon started to pull him back towards the shore, detaching himself from his chest and focusing his energy on Grace’s hip as he tugged him out.

Grace followed his lead as quickly as he could.

They soon tumbled out of the water and onto the rapidly cooling sand resting along the shoreline. The sand felt lovely, but Grace knew it would stick to him uncomfortably when he tried to get up. Which he currently could not do, as Simon was perched atop him, staring pointedly down.

Before Grace could get a word out, Simon began to grind his hips down, urging Grace to buck his cock upwards towards Simon. The contact felt so good, Grace didn’t know what to do with himself besides hold onto Simon’s waist as he twitched, he was so hard it hurt. 

Simon was relatively quiet while sucking his chest, minus the obscene noises that slipped through occasionally, yet now he started to moan in earnest, grinding down as hard as he could onto Grace’s dick.

Suddenly Grace remembered, he desperately wanted to suck Simon off, have his cock hard and aching in his mouth. Decidedly, he dug his hands into Simon’s waist and yanked him off his lap. Flipping them over so Simon was below with Grace pressed chest to chest with him, heaving as he stared.

Simon raised an eyebrow as he dragged himself onto his elbow, it was a bit awkward for someone with one arm, and Grace felt bad. Simon didn’t seem to mind though, looking down at Grace who had already started to slide down between his legs, palming the other man’s cock with his hand as he moved lower.

He wanted his mouth on Simon, more than he had ever wanted anything else in life, he wanted to lie there and have him fuck his throat, or just lay there as Simon did really anything. He wouldn’t mind.

Grace mouthed along Simon’s clothed dick, hard and leaking beneath his boxers, Grace could see the small wet spot that had formed as a result of his precum.

By now, Simon had obviously figured out what Grace meant to do and his eyelids began to droop, he felt drunk on whatever this was. Soft whimpers escaped his mouth as Grace began to pull down his boxers.

Simon’s cock popped out, wet already as Grace could previously tell, it was strangely tapered at the tip, and a far darker red than could ever be normal. 

Nothing too extreme when compared to Simon’s other mutations. But it was hot.

Grace licked a strip upwards from the bottom to the top, flattening his tongue across the head of Simon’s cock and experimentally toying with the slit there. 

Simon gasped, letting out a placid, “Shit, Ryland, that feels—“ Moaning as he continued, “So good.”

Grace let out a low hum around him as he attempted to swallow the head before decidedly pulling off and tracing his tongue down towards the base of his cock. He instead replaced his mouth with one of his hands, pushing his thumb into the opening there as gently as he could manage, massaging the slit with the precum leaking out of it. Simon threw his head back and keened.

It was everything he dreamed of, and more. If that was even possible.

He continued up and down again for a while before working up the courage to attempt to swallow him. It would be a lot, but it was worth it to see Simon’s face. 

His hand pulled away as his tongue met the tip of Simon’s cock yet again, and after a quick suck, he pulled off, saliva and precum mixing to connect the head of it to his mouth and neck as it all dripped down in a slurry. 

He glanced up at Simon who seemed fully out of it now, eyes hazy and cheeks flushed even more than before, his arm still propping him up as best he could to stare at Grace as he sucked him off.

Grace ground himself onto Simon’s leg, humping him like some sort of animal in heat, his knees dug unpleasantly into the sand, it would leave marks on his exposed skin. 

There was not one single part of him that cared at the moment.

Finally, he focused his attention back on Simon’s cock, sliding down as slowly as he could manage to not gag himself, he wanted to take him fully.

Reaching the bottom of his cock, he sucked softly, hollowing his cheeks as best he could, Simon twitched in his mouth, filling out his cheek and dripping precum onto his tongue. His face was almost buried in the hair there, and Grace shut his eyes for a few moments, relishing in whatever strange pleasure this brought him.

He opened his eyes and began to stare up at Simon, who locked eyes with him. Those hushed moans continued under Simon’s labored breathing, and it was the hottest thing he had ever heard, especially with his harsh gaze directed at him. Brows furrowed and mouth barely open, just enough to let his gasps escape him.

“So—how…does it,” Grace sucked harder, Simon’s cock deep in his throat, “Feel?”

Simon could barely get the words out, “Don’t…talk with your m-mouth open,” then, “Holy shit, of course it does Ryland.”

Grace let out a content sigh against his cock, he was so full, but he had to move. He continued the sucking ministrations, taking note of when Simon gasped louder or quieter, he seemed to like it when he closed his mouth around the head and sucked particularly hard. 

He was close, Grace could tell, his dick twitched in his throat and the precum escaping from his tip increased tenfold. 

Grace continued to work him until completion, never stopping his own sorry grinding on Simon’s leg as he sucked him off.

After what must have been at least ten minutes minimum, Grace felt the cock inside his mouth pulse, and he began to move his mouth as best he could. 

Soon, Simon let out an extra loud moan, and came down his throat. It tasted weird, but it was warm, and hot, and holy shit, Grace felt his own cock jump as he ground down harder than he had before onto Simon’s leg. 

He pulled off quickly, attempting to swallow what he could, before burying his face into Simon’s stomach and cumming in his boxers, still humping his leg.

Letting his mouth hang open, he began to feel the excess cum dripping out onto Simon’s skin.

Simon hadn’t noticed Grace had cum yet, instead, he looked down to him, pulling them both up to sit in each other's laps before asking if Grace needed help finishing. He hadn’t noticed the large wet spot on Grace’s boxers or his relatively soft cock.

“Ah, well, um, that won’t be a problem since it already kind of happened.”

Simon let out a surprised chuckle, “Well now I can tell, that was, that was something,” he smiled at Grace, “I’m glad Ryland.”

Despite him just having cum, he felt his dick twitch, but he pointedly ignored it, instead choosing to wrap his arms around Simon and roll them back onto the sand, burying his face into his neck and planting gentle kisses there.

This was good, he could die like this.

They lay there for around 20 minutes, before Ryland eventually started to notice the itch of the sand, grumbling complaints into Simon’s hair.

Simon, straight faced as usual, hefted him up after standing by himself, dragging Grace back to his house just up above the beach to shower.

Maybe they could even shower together, Grace would like that. He would like that immensely.

He hoped Simon would too.