Queer Platonic Relationship HC's with Ryland Grace
What is physical affection like with him? (And other alternatives if you don't like touch.)
Word Count: 1506
A/N: These HC's are only based on movie Ryland Grace, so don't expect them to be book accurate.
Happy Pride Month :]
GN reader
Aro/Ace reader
Physical Intimacy (if you’re the type who loves it):
Grace is not used to freely expressing affection without the fear of it being labeled as romantic or sexual, so he would be very hesitant at first.
Even if it’s the simple desire to hold hands, he feels the constant need to clarify that he doesn’t mean anything more by it.
The more you reassure him that you understand, the more he will grow comfortable with casual intimacy.
Grace’s favorite thing to do is cuddle up against your side. Especially when he gets to rest his head on your shoulder after a tiring day.
One time you let your fingers drift through his hair. You weren’t really thinking about it, but Grace was almost purring under your attention. He went completely slack against you. It felt too nice to be embarrassed about.
“Uhm, can you maybe do the thing again?”
You squinted at him. “What thing?”
“The hair petting thing. You seriously don’t remember?”
It becomes your thing.
Even if it’s a little pat or scratch on his head, Grace will crave it for the rest of the day.
You enjoy ruffling his already messy hair before he leaves. Especially when it makes his glasses go wonky.
Grace won’t even bother fixing it, just gives you a little grin.
If you will allow him to lay on your lap, he will make these times specific occasions. Like when he’s feeling extra tired or has a headache.
Grace is actually quite awkward with hugs. Even if it’s a frequent thing between you two, please warn him in advance so he can plan where to put his hands.
On the off chance he gets them right, he loves resting his hand over your nape and pulling you into his chest. If you’re taller than him, he will go crazy if you push your nose into his hair.
Embraces (that aren’t cuddling) are quick with him. If you want a longer hug, you will have to communicate that.
When it comes to kissing, he’s an absolute mess.
The topic didn’t surface until you were the one who initiated.
You came home to find the fairy lights you talked about strung up on your curtains.
“I hope you like them.”
You turned to find Grace standing in your doorway. “They’re so pretty. But what’s the occasion?” You were sure that today wasn’t any holiday, and you couldn’t remember doing anything to warrant this.
He shrugged. “Does the day need to be special to do nice things for you?”
Grace was trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but you couldn’t have loved him more in this moment. You threw your arms around his shoulders and planted a big kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
He stood there, stunned, while you continued to hold him.
“Yeah, uh, it’s no problem.” Grace gave your shoulder a few soft pats.
Under his breath: “You kissed me.”
It had him overthinking for a few days. But kissing can definitely be a platonic thing, right? He wanted to try it more often.
“Heading out.” Grace gave your shoulder an affectionate squeeze, bicycle helmet under his other arm.
Same old routine. You hardly gave him a glance from over your phone. “See you later. Have a nice day.” Then there was a brush of whiskers against your cheek. A gentle peck.
“You too.” And Grace was gone.
He didn’t expect you to bring it up when he got back. Or he hoped.
“So. That kiss this morning?”
He half-regretted it, afraid of the expectations that may follow. What if he caused a misunderstanding? The last thing Grace wanted was to make your dynamic uncomfortable.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve asked. I honestly didn’t mean anything by it–or–I did, but it was only meant as a friendly good-bye-”
“Grace. It’s okay. You’re okay. I knew what it was.”
The tension immediately dissipated. “So we’re good? It didn’t make you uncomfortable?”
“I honestly wouldn’t mind if it happened again.”
“Oh. Right.” His nervous laugh made you smile.
And so it became a tradition to give each other little farewell or good night kisses. Mostly on the cheek, but you two alternate with the forehead or temple.
Physical Intimacy (if you’re hesitant about it):
He completely understands you.
It doesn’t matter if it takes years for you to get comfortable with the smallest things. He will be patient and take whatever steps are necessary to build trust.
He will always ask before he does something.
If you tell him you don’t want to be touched, he won’t take it personally. He’s highly responsive to your boundaries and moods.
In the times that you allow it, Grace will go for small touches. Hand-holding. Or he may place his hand over yours. When you’re watching TV together, he’s okay with just sitting side-by-side. Legs touching and nothing else. Or he’ll playfully bump your foot when sitting across from each other.
There was a night when you passed out on his shoulder, and he had to summon divine help to stop his usual jitters. He felt like a family friend who finally got on their skittish cat’s good side.
The fruity/floral/spicy scent of your shampoo soothed his senses. Every slight tickle of your hair against his cheek made him go fuzzy.
If you have a lot of boundaries in your relationship, though, you’ll have to constantly reassure him. Grace will even overthink his tone when talking to you.
If kisses on the face are too much, he’ll settle for your hand.
Physical Intimacy (if you’re averse to it):
If you’ve made it clear that you don’t ever want to be touched, Grace will let you initiate things.
I feel like he is definitely the type to crave physical affection, but that doesn’t make him love you any less.
There are lots of ways to express that.
Just your company is enough for him. Existing in the same space in content silence.
He loves it when you talk. Conversations don’t have to be deep or scientific with him. Just hearing an anecdote about your day can bring him joy. It’s a favorite when you ramble about topics that interest you. Yes, please tell him about that character you’re obsessed with. Relay every detail about that three hour video essay on YouTube. Rant about your problematic family members and annoying coworkers. Even if it’s the eleventeenth time he’s heard about them. Grace loves watching your facial expressions. The glint in your eyes. Or hearing your laugh.
“Were you listening to anything I’ve been saying?” You wanted to be annoyed but couldn’t help the smile that twitched at your lips.
“I swear I was listening. It’s just– I think I know what’s causing your stress lines.” Grace pointed to a spot on his face with a teasing grin. “You get this twitch in your eyebrows whenever you talk about this person. It’s kinda funny.”
You rubbed at the space in between them, frowning.
“And cute. You’ve got a lot of cute quirks.”
Your insides liquified under his fond expression, but you weren’t ready to accept that. Your hands slid down your face with a groan. “Damnit, Ry. Can’t you see that I’m trying to stay mad?”
“And can’t you see I like making you smile?”
“I hate you.”
Grace will do extra chores for you here and there. Like if you’ve had a stressful day at work/school, suddenly the dishes that had piled in the sink are no longer there. Or the dust bunnies that lived on your bedroom floor were vacuumed and evicted. And sometimes your portion of the bathroom is squeaky clean by the time you force yourself to get up.
He also likes fixing your favorite snacks and drinks when you’ve been stressed or you’re relaxing together.
You and Grace love to leave messages on sticky notes where you know the other person will find them. This mostly happens when you know that your schedules aren’t aligned. If you leave earlier than him, he will start his day with a little note from you that reads something like, “I will know if you touch my leftover lasagna <3”. But when he opens the fridge he’ll find tupperware with another that says, “JK, I made some extra just for you. Have a good day :)”.
Grace has so many plants around the flat that it’s sometimes hard to look after them. If you notice that one is dehydrated or its leaves are dying, you will place a sticky note with a frowny face on the pot so he will know it needs tending.
Since Grace loves the sound of your voice, he will get into the media you like to excite you. And you try (try) to do some research about molecular biology to better understand his tangents.
“Something something Hershey and Chase something something progeny phage particles something something radioactive phosphorus-”
By this point, you’ve given up on memorizing the definitions he gave you. “So true king.”
All of this stuff still applies in your relationship if you’re okay with physical touch.
A/N: Will probably do multiple parts to this.
Divider credit:
@uzmacchiato
