[🌱˚SM-13 Logs˚🌱]

Can't you just leave me alone?... I'll never go into the light.. You've been trying for- I- I don't even know how long... You know I won't do it...

[Simon jolts at the sound, the voice's scenario sounding...oddly familiar.]

Hello-? Hello?

[Could he...help?]

[She thinks to herself.]

[He had to stop them. He had to save them.]

“Exactly,” Grace says as he once again sifts through the sand with his free hand.

He blushes when Simon complements him, glancing away from the man. The sun has fully set and the simulated stars are visible now, so Grave is hoping his blush isn’t too visible in the dark. “Um, y-yeah, I am.” He chuckles, brushing the sand off his hand before he rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t think it’s that impressive. I was a teacher on earth too after all.”

He watches the stones Simon throws splash into the water, smiling softly as the water ripples from the impact.

@dr-captain-ryland-gracee

[The stars reflect in Simon's eyes, flickering with light brighter than what he was used to. And there were so many more. It was...nostalgic. He still didn't fully believe that all of the planets and stars had been returned, but- it was nice to pretend, for tonight.]

Ah, well- At least to me it is. Back where I come from, besides the Father, we didn't have classroom teachers. We had mentors. If you were lucky enough to be assigned one, it practically meant you had a secured spot within the station. You were useful.

So- you teaching people? And so many of them? Yeah, that's impressive.

He nods, listening oh-so intently as Simon speaks, hanging on to his every word. He’s glad he’s willing to talk about where he comes from, to share these things with him. It makes him happy.

“Thank you, Simon.. for the compliments, and for sharing that with me.”

His smile widens and he gently squeezes Simon’s hand back before suddenly letting out a deep yawn. “Oh goodness, sorry. I didn’t realize I was so tired. You’ve gotta be tired too though, I’m sure.”

You're right. I hadn't even noticed how late it was.

[He nods, not wanting to make a move to get up. It looks like Grace wasn't going to either, honestly- but he needed sleep, the both of them knew that. Simon pulls himself up and guides the other man with their intertwined hands.]

C'mon, Ryland. Let's get you back.

He chuckles whenever they bump into each other, gently squeezing the man’s hand each time it happens.

No, I- don't think so. Do you need...anything?

He blushes, glancing away from Simon. He stays still for a moment before letting go of his hand and wrapping his arms around him in a gentle hug. “Goodnight, Simon,” he says softly before letting go of him and heading into his own room, shutting the door.

He slips off his shirt and changes into a pair of sweatpants before flopping onto his bed, sighing. Today was certainly very eventful.. and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

~~~~

Hours go by, and it’s well into the night cycle. Artificial moonbeams shine through Grace’s open window, the ocean breeze making his curtains flutter. While the night is peaceful, his rest unfortunately isn’t.

Grace is stirring in his sleep — he’s rolled over onto his stomach, his face buried in his pillow as his legs begin kicking of their own accord.

In his dream he’s running — running for his life… he gets tackled.. oh god, no, no!

Night, Grace.

[He watches the other man depart before finding his own way to his room, exhaustion quickly falling over him. The events of the day hit Simon like a truck, and soon enough he was deep asleep]

~~~~

[Screaming startles Simon awake. It was a usual occurrence, in the C.O.I., but- where was he? This isn't his usual setting. There's soft sheets, and a window with moonlight, and-]

Grace.

[His feet are moving before his brain is, up and out of bed, swinging his door open.]

Grace!

[The yelling is coming from inside his room, Simon can easily recognize that. He doesn't know what to expect, as he stumbles inside- and finds Grace alone. No threat, nothing for him to fight.]

He looks over at whoever called his name — it’s Simon. Tears are flowing down his cheeks as he continues gasping for air.

“Simon… I, I-I’m so sorry for waking you up. I..,” he trails off, not quite sure what to say as he wipes at his eyes.

No, no apologies. Are you alright?

He looks down at Simon’s offered hand. He ignores it in favor of wrapping his arms around the man, hugging him close. “I’m.. I’m sorry, if this is too much you can pull away..,” he murmurs softly, burying his face in the crook of Simon’s neck.

I don't...mind.

[It was the truth. Simon loved the contact, even if he wouldn't happen to admit it.]

After a few long moments he pulls away, suddenly embarrassed. He completely forgot that he’s not wearing a shirt. He’s about to move, to go grab a shirt, but then he locks eyes with Simon. His breath hitches in his throat. The moonlight is illuminating Simon’s face, making the hair framing it shine beautifully.

Ry? You okay there?

Without meaning to he leans closer to Simon — their faces are only mere inches apart now. “I.. I’m sorry, I just… I just want to be close to you,” he says quietly, afraid that if he talks too loud whatever spell has fallen over them will break.

[Simon mutters, barely paying attention to the words leaving his mouth. Instead, his attention is focused on the way Grace's breath hitches, voice quiet and warm in the space between them. He's caught in the orbit of Ryland's gravitational pull, drawing closer until their foreheads knock together gently.]

He wants to kiss him so bad — he doesn’t think he’s ever wanted anything this much in his life. But he won’t. Not without asking.

[Simon leans into the hand on his face, falling into the comforting touch like he'd never recieve it again. He can feel himself falling forward, agreement quick to spill from his lips, and yet-]

[He places a hand on Grace's chest despite his brain urging anything else.]

He shakes his head as he looks into Simon’s eyes. “Simon… there’s no way I would regret anything I do with you. I know, we hardly know each other, but… but I feel like I know enough,” he says softly as he gently strokes Simon’s hair.

“You’re kind, patient, gentle.. strong,” he continues, blushing. “I can tell you’re a good man, Simon. So I know I won’t regret this.”

He bites his lip as he glances away from the man. “We… of course we don’t have to if you don’t want to. If you’re not ready. But.. just know that I wouldn’t regret it if we did.”

[Simon places a soft kiss on the side of Grace's cheek, and matches the expression on the other's face.]

Let's...talk tomorrow. I'll- stay here for the night, if you want?

He smiles softly as he returns his gaze to Simon. He’s glad the man offered to stay — he’s not sure he would’ve had the courage to ask him to stay himself. “Yes, I’d like for you to stay.” He averts his gaze from Simon again as his blush deepens. “I’m just gonna, uh, put a shirt on,” he says before getting out of bed and doing just that.

Ah- right. Sorry about that...

[Simon's face flushes, and he quickly darts his eyes away. When Grace resettles into the bed, offering Simon a place besides him, he goes quickly. The sheets are soft against his skin, and his hand is quick of find a matching one to hold onto.]

“Exactly,” Grace says as he once again sifts through the sand with his free hand.

He blushes when Simon complements him, glancing away from the man. The sun has fully set and the simulated stars are visible now, so Grave is hoping his blush isn’t too visible in the dark. “Um, y-yeah, I am.” He chuckles, brushing the sand off his hand before he rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t think it’s that impressive. I was a teacher on earth too after all.”

He watches the stones Simon throws splash into the water, smiling softly as the water ripples from the impact.

@dr-captain-ryland-gracee

[The stars reflect in Simon's eyes, flickering with light brighter than what he was used to. And there were so many more. It was...nostalgic. He still didn't fully believe that all of the planets and stars had been returned, but- it was nice to pretend, for tonight.]

Ah, well- At least to me it is. Back where I come from, besides the Father, we didn't have classroom teachers. We had mentors. If you were lucky enough to be assigned one, it practically meant you had a secured spot within the station. You were useful.

So- you teaching people? And so many of them? Yeah, that's impressive.

He nods, listening oh-so intently as Simon speaks, hanging on to his every word. He’s glad he’s willing to talk about where he comes from, to share these things with him. It makes him happy.

“Thank you, Simon.. for the compliments, and for sharing that with me.”

His smile widens and he gently squeezes Simon’s hand back before suddenly letting out a deep yawn. “Oh goodness, sorry. I didn’t realize I was so tired. You’ve gotta be tired too though, I’m sure.”

You're right. I hadn't even noticed how late it was.

[He nods, not wanting to make a move to get up. It looks like Grace wasn't going to either, honestly- but he needed sleep, the both of them knew that. Simon pulls himself up and guides the other man with their intertwined hands.]

C'mon, Ryland. Let's get you back.

He chuckles whenever they bump into each other, gently squeezing the man’s hand each time it happens.

No, I- don't think so. Do you need...anything?

He blushes, glancing away from Simon. He stays still for a moment before letting go of his hand and wrapping his arms around him in a gentle hug. “Goodnight, Simon,” he says softly before letting go of him and heading into his own room, shutting the door.

He slips off his shirt and changes into a pair of sweatpants before flopping onto his bed, sighing. Today was certainly very eventful.. and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

~~~~

Hours go by, and it’s well into the night cycle. Artificial moonbeams shine through Grace’s open window, the ocean breeze making his curtains flutter. While the night is peaceful, his rest unfortunately isn’t.

Grace is stirring in his sleep — he’s rolled over onto his stomach, his face buried in his pillow as his legs begin kicking of their own accord.

In his dream he’s running — running for his life… he gets tackled.. oh god, no, no!

Night, Grace.

[He watches the other man depart before finding his own way to his room, exhaustion quickly falling over him. The events of the day hit Simon like a truck, and soon enough he was deep asleep]

~~~~

[Screaming startles Simon awake. It was a usual occurrence, in the C.O.I., but- where was he? This isn't his usual setting. There's soft sheets, and a window with moonlight, and-]

Grace.

[His feet are moving before his brain is, up and out of bed, swinging his door open.]

Grace!

[The yelling is coming from inside his room, Simon can easily recognize that. He doesn't know what to expect, as he stumbles inside- and finds Grace alone. No threat, nothing for him to fight.]

He looks over at whoever called his name — it’s Simon. Tears are flowing down his cheeks as he continues gasping for air.

“Simon… I, I-I’m so sorry for waking you up. I..,” he trails off, not quite sure what to say as he wipes at his eyes.

No, no apologies. Are you alright?

He looks down at Simon’s offered hand. He ignores it in favor of wrapping his arms around the man, hugging him close. “I’m.. I’m sorry, if this is too much you can pull away..,” he murmurs softly, burying his face in the crook of Simon’s neck.

I don't...mind.

[It was the truth. Simon loved the contact, even if he wouldn't happen to admit it.]

After a few long moments he pulls away, suddenly embarrassed. He completely forgot that he’s not wearing a shirt. He’s about to move, to go grab a shirt, but then he locks eyes with Simon. His breath hitches in his throat. The moonlight is illuminating Simon’s face, making the hair framing it shine beautifully.

Ry? You okay there?

Without meaning to he leans closer to Simon — their faces are only mere inches apart now. “I.. I’m sorry, I just… I just want to be close to you,” he says quietly, afraid that if he talks too loud whatever spell has fallen over them will break.

[Simon mutters, barely paying attention to the words leaving his mouth. Instead, his attention is focused on the way Grace's breath hitches, voice quiet and warm in the space between them. He's caught in the orbit of Ryland's gravitational pull, drawing closer until their foreheads knock together gently.]

He wants to kiss him so bad — he doesn’t think he’s ever wanted anything this much in his life. But he won’t. Not without asking.

[Simon leans into the hand on his face, falling into the comforting touch like he'd never recieve it again. He can feel himself falling forward, agreement quick to spill from his lips, and yet-]

[He places a hand on Grace's chest despite his brain urging anything else.]

He shakes his head as he looks into Simon’s eyes. “Simon… there’s no way I would regret anything I do with you. I know, we hardly know each other, but… but I feel like I know enough,” he says softly as he gently strokes Simon’s hair.

“You’re kind, patient, gentle.. strong,” he continues, blushing. “I can tell you’re a good man, Simon. So I know I won’t regret this.”

He bites his lip as he glances away from the man. “We… of course we don’t have to if you don’t want to. If you’re not ready. But.. just know that I wouldn’t regret it if we did.”

[Simon places a soft kiss on the side of Grace's cheek, and matches the expression on the other's face.]

Let's...talk tomorrow. I'll- stay here for the night, if you want?

"H-Hello Simon from Eden."

Despite its robotic sound and occasional stutter, it didn‘t seem to come from the speakers.

There was another person on the ship.

Well, if that‘s what it could be called. It‘s posture was stiff, too stiff to be considered human, and its eyes seemed to be faintly glowing in the dim light. It‘s expression stayed neutral the entire time that it was observed. Whatever that thing was, it was far from human.

"My name is Googleplier. I was sent here to gather information on you. C-Compliance would be preferred."

— @googleplier-irl

[The voice is strange. It nearly sounds automated- Simon whips his head to the speakers, though he knows it isn't the source of the noise. Reflex, he assumes. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots the other...being in the sub.]

[Simon practically throws himself backwards, back hitting the controls and bolting the sub.]

What. The. Fuck. Who on Eden are you?!

What the hell do you want?!

Google did not move any further from its position, its eyes now focusing solely on Simon.

"I do not have any bad intentions yet. Cooperate with me and you will be fine."

[The next words out of the man's- robots?- mouth chill Simon to the core. Alright. Cooperation. He'd been doing that his entire life, surely he could manage a little bit more- just until he could figure out a way to get this...thing out of here.]

“Exactly,” Grace says as he once again sifts through the sand with his free hand.

He blushes when Simon complements him, glancing away from the man. The sun has fully set and the simulated stars are visible now, so Grave is hoping his blush isn’t too visible in the dark. “Um, y-yeah, I am.” He chuckles, brushing the sand off his hand before he rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t think it’s that impressive. I was a teacher on earth too after all.”

He watches the stones Simon throws splash into the water, smiling softly as the water ripples from the impact.

@dr-captain-ryland-gracee

[The stars reflect in Simon's eyes, flickering with light brighter than what he was used to. And there were so many more. It was...nostalgic. He still didn't fully believe that all of the planets and stars had been returned, but- it was nice to pretend, for tonight.]

Ah, well- At least to me it is. Back where I come from, besides the Father, we didn't have classroom teachers. We had mentors. If you were lucky enough to be assigned one, it practically meant you had a secured spot within the station. You were useful.

So- you teaching people? And so many of them? Yeah, that's impressive.

He nods, listening oh-so intently as Simon speaks, hanging on to his every word. He’s glad he’s willing to talk about where he comes from, to share these things with him. It makes him happy.

“Thank you, Simon.. for the compliments, and for sharing that with me.”

His smile widens and he gently squeezes Simon’s hand back before suddenly letting out a deep yawn. “Oh goodness, sorry. I didn’t realize I was so tired. You’ve gotta be tired too though, I’m sure.”

You're right. I hadn't even noticed how late it was.

[He nods, not wanting to make a move to get up. It looks like Grace wasn't going to either, honestly- but he needed sleep, the both of them knew that. Simon pulls himself up and guides the other man with their intertwined hands.]

C'mon, Ryland. Let's get you back.

He chuckles whenever they bump into each other, gently squeezing the man’s hand each time it happens.

No, I- don't think so. Do you need...anything?

He blushes, glancing away from Simon. He stays still for a moment before letting go of his hand and wrapping his arms around him in a gentle hug. “Goodnight, Simon,” he says softly before letting go of him and heading into his own room, shutting the door.

He slips off his shirt and changes into a pair of sweatpants before flopping onto his bed, sighing. Today was certainly very eventful.. and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

~~~~

Hours go by, and it’s well into the night cycle. Artificial moonbeams shine through Grace’s open window, the ocean breeze making his curtains flutter. While the night is peaceful, his rest unfortunately isn’t.

Grace is stirring in his sleep — he’s rolled over onto his stomach, his face buried in his pillow as his legs begin kicking of their own accord.

In his dream he’s running — running for his life… he gets tackled.. oh god, no, no!

Night, Grace.

[He watches the other man depart before finding his own way to his room, exhaustion quickly falling over him. The events of the day hit Simon like a truck, and soon enough he was deep asleep]

~~~~

[Screaming startles Simon awake. It was a usual occurrence, in the C.O.I., but- where was he? This isn't his usual setting. There's soft sheets, and a window with moonlight, and-]

Grace.

[His feet are moving before his brain is, up and out of bed, swinging his door open.]

Grace!

[The yelling is coming from inside his room, Simon can easily recognize that. He doesn't know what to expect, as he stumbles inside- and finds Grace alone. No threat, nothing for him to fight.]

He looks over at whoever called his name — it’s Simon. Tears are flowing down his cheeks as he continues gasping for air.

“Simon… I, I-I’m so sorry for waking you up. I..,” he trails off, not quite sure what to say as he wipes at his eyes.

No, no apologies. Are you alright?

He looks down at Simon’s offered hand. He ignores it in favor of wrapping his arms around the man, hugging him close. “I’m.. I’m sorry, if this is too much you can pull away..,” he murmurs softly, burying his face in the crook of Simon’s neck.

I don't...mind.

[It was the truth. Simon loved the contact, even if he wouldn't happen to admit it.]

After a few long moments he pulls away, suddenly embarrassed. He completely forgot that he’s not wearing a shirt. He’s about to move, to go grab a shirt, but then he locks eyes with Simon. His breath hitches in his throat. The moonlight is illuminating Simon’s face, making the hair framing it shine beautifully.

Ry? You okay there?

Without meaning to he leans closer to Simon — their faces are only mere inches apart now. “I.. I’m sorry, I just… I just want to be close to you,” he says quietly, afraid that if he talks too loud whatever spell has fallen over them will break.

[Simon mutters, barely paying attention to the words leaving his mouth. Instead, his attention is focused on the way Grace's breath hitches, voice quiet and warm in the space between them. He's caught in the orbit of Ryland's gravitational pull, drawing closer until their foreheads knock together gently.]

He wants to kiss him so bad — he doesn’t think he’s ever wanted anything this much in his life. But he won’t. Not without asking.

[Simon leans into the hand on his face, falling into the comforting touch like he'd never recieve it again. He can feel himself falling forward, agreement quick to spill from his lips, and yet-]

[He places a hand on Grace's chest despite his brain urging anything else.]