😘

type: one shot

You’re a researcher on Stratt’s boat and Ryland Grace has come to the unfortunate realisation that he has a crush on you. How could he not? You listen to his rambles, follow up on his research questions with thoughtful ones of your own, you’ve learnt his coffee order - you even laughed at his pitiful “whoomp there it is” (and assured him afterwards that sure, it was funny, it wasn’t a pity laugh).

sorry he has no fight in him anymore

and yes you do use this information to your advantage … like you’ll flip to a page in a magazine showing a pretty bag you want to get, and you just show it to him wordlessly with those wide, shining eyes of yours

and he stares back and is like, “you … want me … to get you this?” trying to figure out what you’re saying

then you turn on the puppy eyes even more and he just sighs and says, “yeah, okay.”

like so clingy you sometimes have to push him away in the summertime otherwise you’ll get overheated

he’ll be deep, deep asleep, and suddenly you just feel his arm flop over you and pull you into his chest (he also might murmur in his sleep, probably about his beef with that guy at the unesco conference)

when you wake up, he is 9 out of 10 times going to have his arms and legs clinging to you/strewn over you like spaghetti

we’ve seen his sass+crashouts (esp now in the deleted scenes), this man can be legitimately unhinged

like one day you’re on the Hail Mary working side by side, and he just looks up from his microscope and asks, “hey, if I turned into a skittle would you eat me?”

and you sort of roll your eyes and say, “no, ryland, I wouldn’t eat you” and you both laugh cos you know it’s just for shits and giggles, plus that he mostly asked it to fill the silence

but then his laugh kinda trails off and he’s quiet for a bit and you already know he’s up to something

and then he’s asking you, “wait so, um, why? is it cos the other skittles would taste better than me? ha”

type: one shot

description: you're another researcher on the project hail mary mission. you're dating ryland - but for one playful evening, the two of you pretend you're not.

tldr: basically the bar/karaoke scene in phm but you + ryland pretend to be strangers oo la la

nights on the ship have never felt this warm, this electric. it’s karaoke night - stratt’s overworked crew have an evening to unwind and drink together, and ryland grace is currently sitting by himself.

he’s sitting at the counter of the bar, nursing a beer while the drunken singing of ilyukhina fills the room. but it’s not like he minds terribly. after all, you told him you just had to finish up some tasks and then get ready; he expects you’ll be here sometime soon. until then, his beer, and now yao and ilyukhina’s combined karaoke efforts, are enough to keep him entertained.

he’s not sure how long he’s been sitting here, and he idly watches the bartender mix up some drink across the counter when—

“now what’s a guy like you doing here all by himself?”

oh, ryland knows that voice even without turning around. his lips quirk into a small smile over the rim of his beer bottle. he finally, slowly, turns his head slightly to the side - and sure enough, there you are, looking unfairly pretty as you smile back.

ryland shakes his head slightly. his eyes hold a little glint of playfulness that almost has you breaking your act - it’s so affectionate, so him. “I was supposed to meet someone, actually.”

your smile widens as you realise yes, he indeed is playing along, and you take a step closer. “oh?” you look around, narrowing your eyes as if carefully scanning the room. “hm. doesn’t look like they’re here.”

you see ryland biting back a smile before taking another swig of beer. “no?”

“no.” you now rest your elbow on the counter and tilt your head slightly at him. “y’know, it’s their loss. a guy like you… they don’t know what they’re missing. hey, maybe i can be your date for the evening! you serious about this, uh… ‘someone you were supposed to meet’?”

ryland looks at you again, his gaze still playful but now filled with that familiar glimmer of warmth. “unfortunately I am. very serious, actually.”

“no!” you say in a soft gasp, feigning shock. “well, what is it about them? they clearly stood you up.”

ryland gives a small shrug. he’s not even trying to hide his smile of amusement, which now reads *this is so silly but I like you so much I’m gonna keep going along with this*. “well,” he replies, now sighing as well dramatically, “I’m kinda crazy about them. they’re very, very smart, and funny. and they laugh at all my stupid jokes, even though they probably think they’re pretty stupid, too.” he chuckles quietly and takes another sip of beer. all the while, your expression is softening with each word he says. ryland clears his throat and continues. “they’re also incredibly gorgeous. I, uh, have no idea how I even…” instead of finishing his sentence he simply tilts his beer bottle thoughtfully.

you’re not amused anymore. no - now, your cheeks are hot, eyes wide and barely blinking, any playful response you might’ve had ready to go now caught in your throat. and ryland, after saying all that, is just drinking his beer and now glancing over at the karaoke scene with mild amusement.

“are you kidding?!” you finally say. ryland blinks and turns back to face you.

you’re still staring at him, jaw hanging open slightly. “what on earth was that? I wasn’t prepared for you to say something that romantic!”

ryland grins incredulously at you. “you started it!” he says, to which your eyes widen further and you sputter, “yeah, but I wasn’t thinking it would get like that!”

and minutes later you’re sitting beside him, head in your hands as he laughs and orders a drink for you (great, now he’s being a gentleman, which is not helping the swarm of butterflies in your stomach).

and he thinks he's sooo good at hiding it, but then dubois hands you some coffee one day and ryland can't help but cross his arms and say from his desk, "Um, they actually put two sugars in their coffee! So." he tries to make it seem lighthearted by adding a little smile after but it only comes across more passive aggressive (oops)

eridian welcoming committee deciding to make more mini earths for Grace to decorate his home with

they decide to give him a letter hinting about his present before giving it, and they really want to show off their newfound knowledge of colours that they learnt from Grace (who obliviously helped point them to the right colours) !!

and then Grace opens the letter and it just reads:

ryland, in the school basketball court, would definitely point at you and say, “this one’s for you” as a joke before tossing the ball