Ro writes.

" I'd… honestly miss her. We get along pretty well now, once she learned I wasn't a threat to you. And um… I like hanging out with her. " " Oh my god… You like my sister. Geez, " Dex rubbed at his temples. " Ugh… Fine, reinstate her too… But keep her on Red base. That way I can micromanage her and maybe give her a boring desk job or something. " Simmons took a moment to realize what Dex meant by that. " I… " his face flushed. " I mean, sure, I think Kai's a great girl and everything but…" " Please, Dick. Please…Don't elaborate. It's… It's fine. I have a crush on somebody else too… You're okay. " Simmons chuckled, " Well, Sarge is objectively handsome in a seasoned veteran with lots of experience. Dex stared at him. " What? " " Okay, I'm hanging up before I find out you fancy more people besides me. " " … I love you the most, though," Simmons said. Dex shook his head and smiled. " You better," he said and hung up the phone.

notes :

Simmons and Grif will eventually form a polycule with Simmons dating Kai and both of them dating Sarge.

Dex stared at him, a hurt look crossed over his face. " … Well, If you don't want me to come back… I can just go. " " That's-" Simmons was forced out of his thoughts by that. " Dex, of course, I want you back. I want to see you…in person, so I can hug you and … other stuff… but I… " He pulled away from the button, Head in his hands. " What if… I can't protect you again? " Simmons whispered. it was Dexter's turn to tense up. " … I worry about that too… But, I'd rather be there when something bad happens… so maybe I can help …even if it's a little bit. " " … Yeah. I feel the same. " Simmons looked up at Grif. " I… love that you're coming back… I'm just.. surprised. " " … I love that you love that I'm coming back…but what do you mean? This is totally In Character for me. " Dex wheezed out a laugh. " I've never followed orders from my superior officer before, Sir. " Simmons shivered, a deep flush spread over his face. " Oh shit… Don't start calling me sir, Dex. " That Authority kink was still firmly part of Simmons's makeup. " I mean, I kinda have to? You outrank me and shit. " " … What if I promote you? " Simmons suggested, his tone made it hard to tell if this was a joke. " Wow, Gross nepotism in the army? Call the presses. " Dex grinned before another coughing fit struck him. Simmons waited for him to recover. " I could get used to having a sugar daddy in the military…" Dex said with a wide grin. Simmons sputtered, " I did get a big pay raise… But… I should use it responsibly. " " Yes, by giving me access to your debit card," Dex joked. Or at least, Simmons hoped it was a joke. Could he do something like that? Break rules, use his power for evil? The idea was strangely alluring. " You're a bad influence on me," Simmons said with a wide smile. " And you love me for it, " Dex said. He held onto the smile but he looked noticeably tired. " I'm going to hang up now. Go sleep… You deserve a nap. The base is practically the safest spot to be. " " Yes, Sir, Mr. Sargent Dick, Sir," Dex said, mimicking how Simmons used to talk around Sarge. Simmons chuckled as he shook his head. " Love you, Good night, Dex." " Love you a lot. Bye, Dick. See you soon. " That made Simmons's eyebrow quirk but he hung up anyway. Simmons sat back and thought about what just happened. Grif was coming back here. He was going to stay.

Was Grif actually fine with not knowing right away or was that just another thing that Simmons had hidden from him that annoyed Grif? Simmons refused to ask about it. It was better to let the happiness of the moment stay a little longer. He had a bigger issue to deal with. He could not sleep. He might have fallen into a dreamless sleep for an hour but he woke up the next hour. This cycle repeated until he looked at the clock and saw it was six am. He had to get up now. Simmons did his morning drills, distracted the entire time with Thoughts of what Grif was doing right now. As soon as it was over and they broke for Lunch, Simmons called for a Pelican to fly him to the main base. He used the Long-distance communicator to warn Grif that he was coming. But Grif seemed tired when he answered it so Simmons kept it short. " I installed a chatting app into our helmets, Dude, Remember? " Grif had grumbled as he yawned. Simmons was amazed that the Coms device had a webcam and a screen to display the video feed. Grif had set all this up in their room and Simmons had never noticed it? What else had Grif kept a secret? Simmons shook his head and slapped his face. He had to stop doubting Grif like that. The man had poured his heart out to Simmons with no guarantee that Simmons was going to take it well. Or reciprocate. That was brave and Simmons owed Grif big time for that. Several wonderful, elaborate dates worth. Simmons sighed as he looked out the window and saw Grif standing there. Unfortunately but sadly predictably, he was not alone. " ...Hello, Dex. " Simmons said in his soft squeaky voice. His voice dropped down an octave when he turned and eyed the other person. " Sarge..., why are you here? " Sarge looked theatrically offended by the question. " Well, I'm here to make sure you two don't get too handsy! " he said, as though it was perfectly reasonable. " I'm Twenty-nine years old, " Grif interjected. " Remember what happened the last time you two were left un-chaperoned. " Sarge retorted. Both of them turned scarlet. " H-how does he know about that? " Simmons squeaked. " ...I mentioned it when I confessed to you? " Grif said, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. " Well, I have something Private to discuss with Grif. So... uhn... Go away, Sir. " Simmons tried and failed to be assertive. " Beat it or I'll tell Simmons what you said this morning over breakfast. " Grif said. Sarge's eyes widened and he stepped back. " You, Monster! " he shrieked, scurrying back a good ten feet away from them. " Good enough," Grif shrugged. He looked at Simmons expectantly. " What's up? " " Well... You know how we usually sleep...in the same room? " he glanced at Sarge and started to cover his mouth with his hand. " Yeah? That sucked, by the way. " Grif frowned deeply. "Agreed! I concur ... It... I couldn't sleep at all. " Simmons nodded his head a bit too much. His neck started to ache. " Oh? I slept fine. But, I felt kinda cold... not having you to like... snuggled against and junk," Grif's face was flushed again. He looked up at Simmons, his mismatched eyes locked onto the nerd's eyes. "So did you think of why you can't sleep? " he asked innocently. A wry smile formed over his face. Simmons screamed internally. Grif absolutely knew why. He just wanted Simmons to SAY IT. Simmons felt his will leave him. " I... can't sleep with you... Your snores," he mumbled, shuffling in place. This was probably payback for yesterday. Simmons had stayed over at the Main base for roughly two hours after the confession and Grif kept trying to do lovey-dovey stuff with him. Grif scooted up next to Simmons and started to lean against the other, with his head almost touching Simmons's shoulder. Only, Simmons suddenly slid six feet away. Grif nearly fell over. He stopped and stared at Simmons, who avoided eye contact. Before he could open his mouth to shout at the nerd, Kai appeared out of nowhere and sat herself down in between them. She ignored her brother's death glare and turned to Simmons.

" So I heard from Dex that you like making charts? Why? What's so great about math? " she asked.

Simmons took the opportunity to ramble for the next forty minutes to almost an hour about the pros and cons of chart making.

Sarge had walked up about twenty minutes in and sat himself directly opposite of the three. He shot Grif a questioning look and when Grif let out a huff in response, Sarge's face turned to a sympathetic look.’

Grif seemed to become even more annoyed when he saw it. Grif stood up and walked over to the Cafeteria stand.

Sarge turned and glared at Simmons, who quickly avoided eye contact. Sure enough, Grif returned with two pizzas with three toppings each and several other kinds of junk food.

Sarge cleared his throat and quickly took two slices from one. Kai took three of them from the Pineapple, red peppers, and bacon one. Which must have been Grif's favorite combination because Grif only yelled at Kai. Simmons looked at the spread but did not take anything.

Kai slid two hamburgers in front of him and made a face at him until he took up one and started to eat it. It was a rough day. Simmons was forced to leave because of his duties and when he got up the nerve to be romantic to Grif, the other just stood there and pouted at him.

In the present day, Simmons sighed deeply at the memory. Time to eat crow. " Grif, I ... need you to sleep." Simmons reiterated. " Wow... That sucks for you." Grif mumbled, his face puffed up as he struggled to not burst into snickers. " That's... so... adorable? " he wheezed out. Simmons blinked at him. " You...You're so fucking cute, Dick. What the fuck? Why are you like this? " he doubled over as he held onto his sides. Simmons pursed his lips at Grif. Grif straightened up and cleared his throat. " So... What's your solution to it? " Simmons sighed, of course, Grif would expect him to have a solution. It was annoying to Simmons that Grif correctly assumed as much. " Easy. You just need to record about 24 hours of your snores and put it on an mp3 file so I can play it all night long. That way, I can sleep." Grif sighed," Wow, you're making Coconut Simmons seem reasonable. Simmons paused and looked at Dexter. " Coconut what? " " N-Nothing. " " He means the construct of you that he made out of coconuts because he missed you - And me too - while he was stranded on the moon. " Sarge explained, both of them flinched when they realized that Sarge had snuck up on them. " ... SIR! You ... Wait..., Grif made a coconut of YOU?! " Simmons looked at Grif. Dexter Grif blinked at him. " That's...what you're focusing on? " he wondered, tweaking an eyebrow at him. " I made coconuts of everyone... well... the people I actually missed. And Lopez, he was there too." Grif was not ready to admit he liked Lopez yet. Simmons let out a sigh and rubbed at his temples. " Okay... so.. You missed me... while you were stranded on the moon..because you correctly decided not to go out and save Church? " Simmons asked. " Yep. " " And... You didn't want to tell me? " " Why would I tell you? That... That I practiced confessing to you and you interrupted me every time I started to? " Simmons stared at him with a mild annoyance. "Wait... So the coconut version of me was a dick? You...imagined me being a jerk and interrupting... " he paused when he saw Grif's flat look and recalled how many times he interrupted Grif. " Okay, Fair. " Simmons put his hands up. " ... I dunno if I can record myself snoring but I can try it? " Grif offered. Simmons scrunched up his face. " ... That was weird of me to ask, Dex. I'm sorry...I'm being weird," Simmons mumbled. " Grif, I can deal with this." " ...No, I want to help. "Grif said as he stepped forward. He took hold of Simmons's hands and squeezed them gently. Simmons leaned in and smiled. " I appreciate it." "... I lied earlier... I slept like shit too. I missed you too. I just didn't want to say anything 'cause you're the type who'd worry about it." Grif admitted. " Oh... did you have trouble breathing at all? " Simmons asked. Grif huffed, Simmons had a bad feeling he was dead on. " I forgot to take the medication 'cause I'm so used to you nagging me into taking it on time," he grumbled, flushed in the face. Simmons groaned, " I'll have to make a voice recording too. I can send you several variants of me gently reminding you to take your pills and drink water too. " Simmons beamed as he

said this in the most sarcastic tone he could muster. Grif grinned at him. "I love your annoying voice. I missed that too." Grif said, his grin widened. Simmons could see his pointed molars stick out of the row of mismatched teeth. " I love you, Dex. Period." Simmons said and Grif laughed so loudly that it echoed through the valley. " Aw, Dang it. You two are too precious, " Sarge sniffled. Grif glanced over at the old man and sighed. " Wow, way to ruin it," he griped. Dex did not let go of Simmons's hands and neither did Simmons. " I'd hate to have to tell you this but,"Sarge turned to Simmons. " You're lunch break ended about twenty minutes ago. You're late. " Simmons's eyes widened. " Oh SHIT." he cried. He looked at Grif who reluctantly let go and stepped back. " Go...hurry up before you get in trouble," he mumbled. Simmons sighed and walked forward. He gulped before he grasped Grif's shoulders and pulled the other close. Their lips pressed against each other quickly. Grif's eyes widened for a moment before he fluttered them. They almost shut when Simmons pulled away suddenly. " Damn it... I'll be back! See you later! Love you! " he shouted as he scurried away. Grif remained there, frozen in place. " Aw, that was a good kiss," he muttered. A loud thud caused him to blink. Sarge looked over and saw that Grif had fainted.

Grif knelt down by a fallen Sarge who the damned Meta had stabbed. “ We gotta go back and get a med pack.” Sarge insisted they stay on course and gave Simmons a promotion. He turned his old eyes to Grif. “ Sarge , Wait…” the orange-armored goof breathed out. He was going to fix Sarge up somehow. He owed him. “Grif, I was hard on you...because I believed in you. You should believe... more in yourself. Stop getting in your own way…” Sarge said, helmet still on. “...R-Right,” Grif breathed out, noticeably trembling. / thank God I'm wearing this helmet so he can't see me cry like a bitch. / he thought to himself. Sarge smiled inside the helmet. / I bet that tugged on his heart strings. Hehe sucker. / he thought.

After Sarge passed out, Grif took over the ship and forced it to go back. Simmons and him went on a mission to go get the med-packs and managed to get out of it mostly unscathed. Well, Grif did, because Simmons had brought his knife.

“Good news, Sarge. You're making a full recovery. But I'm keeping the promotion. No Take backs.” Simmons chirped as he leaned over Sarge, who was on a medic cot. Grif took off his gloves and let out a sigh. He had not meant to reveal that he had emergency Technician skills but now was not the time for secrets. “ Yeah, And you can stop being such a dick to me now…”

Sarge laughed in a dry way. “ Hell, no. I just said that cause I thought I was going to die, and I wanted to motivate you.” he barked out, sitting up and touching the wound on his chest. Just another scar for him.

Grif stared at him, blank expression on his face. / This fucking bastard got me to heal him again. / he thought bitterly. “ Aw, Damn it. You suck.” Grif threw the empty med-pack and stomped off to wash his arms in the sink. They were noticeably covered in blood. Sarge paused and took in what he saw. / Damn it, now I owe that brat again? / he bitterly thought as he looked down at his wound. “Time to change the subject.” Sarge announced, “And Simmons, You'll regret not giving me my job back.” Simmons blinked at him. “Ha.. Yeah ,right.” Simmons had said then.

Kai tensed up at the usage of her real name. Kaina was the name that her close family called her, and that was pretty much Dex only.

" Dang, Using my real name? I guess, you want me to be nice to your boyfriend… I can try.."

" He's not… " Dexter Grif sighed, deflating as he looked at Simmons. " I want him to be but, I don't even know how he really feels about me," he grumbled.

" Wow, that sucks. " Kai offered sympathetically.

" … Yeah, it really does. I mean we've been together as field buddies for years and I still don't know if the guy really likes me or just needs someone who takes all the shit from the others so he won't get bullied instead. " Grif looked at his hands. the different skin tones from the Tank Incident had marred his body all over. He knew that Simmons was a target for bullying just like him, and part of him was happy to be the one taking it for his buddy. But, when the shit came from his buddy too, it hurt more than anything.

" … I want to stay… but I can't. I can't live like this anymore, Kai. " Grif shook his head. Kaina patted him on the shoulder. " Yeah, And you can't stay either. "

Grif looked up at her with confusion. Kai pointed to the guy who had been waving at them from the Pelican for the last thirty minutes. " Your ride's about to leave with all your luggage," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Grif's eyes widened. He looked at Simmons and sighed in frustration.

" Kai, Tell him that I'm waiting for him at the main base. And tell him to hurry up cause I'm getting so tired of Waiting for him. " Grif shouted as he rushed towards the ship.

" Okay! " Kai chirped as she loomed over Simmons's body.

Grif watched from inside as she called over a Medic. he closed his eyes and held his face in his hands. The question of why he was still waiting on Simmons rang through his head. Why wait when it seemed clear that he wanted Grif gone?

But Simmons's question replayed in his head. Giving him hope.

That Simmons wanted him to stay.

But that was probably wishful thinking. If that was true then Why did Simmons release him from the contract with the army?

Why did he let go?

--- Grif looked back at Simmons. He was glad they had been honest about their feelings for once, it felt like a huge load off his chest. But, he wondered if he would be able to get on that Shuttle to Earth now. Would he really be able to live without Simmons's nerdy ass?

---

Notes :

Sister Grif rolled her eyes and shoved the old man away from the other two. She catches Simmons's gaze and mouths something vaguely threatening at him. Simmons gulps. Grif continues to look apathetic.

Simmons sighed in relief. " Finally. "

Grif turned to face Simmons, a resigned look on his face. He was not used to being without his helmet. " … Okay. Let's hear it. "

Simmons froze in place. That look on Grif's face sucked away all his air. " Uhn… "

Nothing. Absolutely Nothing came to him.

Grif stared at him. Waiting expectantly there is an uncomfortable silence. Grif scoffed, breaking the silence. " … Really? Even now, You've got nothing to say? "

Grif narrows his eyes at Simmons. He can tell Simmons is thinking. Or he hopes that Simmons is thinking. /Say something… Anything. /

Simmons tried to explain himself. " I tried to think of something on the ride here but I couldn't..think of anything. "

" … This is so..typical of you. " Grif mumbled, he groaned in frustration and rubbed at the side of his face where the graft was. his face is a little bit paler on that side. the side that used to be Simmons's flesh. " You came all this way.. but you're going to make me do all the work… AGAIN? " Simmons looked lost. Grif scrunched up his face and looked away. Simmons stared at his face. Grif spoke again, a tired tone in his usually upbeat voice. "I hate to have to say put up or shut up but you've left me no choice. "

" What are you talking about? " Simmons asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Grif looked over at him. " I waited for you, Richard. " " What? "

Grif closes his eyes for a moment, breathes in, and sighs. He opens them and looks at Simmons with both eyes.

His expression is distant and a little bit sad.

It hurts Simmons to see him look like that. " I waited for you to stop me from leaving. But you didn't. So..I quit you, again. And yet, here you are forcing me back."

"Forcing me to carry us over to whatever on the other side of this talk. Forcing me to wait til you get around to telling me how you feel in the hopes that I'll take that leap for you."

Simmons interjected with: I forgot how poetic you are when you're mad."

" Shut up, Richard." Simmons clamped his mouth shut and waited for Grif to continue. He needed to hear his best friend out. That was long overdue. " You never step up. It's always me who has to be vulnerable and risk it to give you comfort. "Grif said finally.

"Hey.. You left before. You quit and you said you hated me. " Simmons attempted to argue. " Why would I put myself out there after that? " Grif grimaced at that reminder. " Well , that was obviously a lie. I meant I hate what you make me do for you. All this crap where I'm stuck holding all the emotional conversations where you barely contribute things cause you're too afraid to be vulnerable…. " Grif paused and tried to collect himself. The last thing he wanted to do right now was cry. Not in front of Simmons. "When I came back I had hoped that you'd be better. Maybe actually tell me that you missed me.. or ANYTHING. But you didn't. You just went right back to the old ways and I was just happy to be around you again so I let it go… "

Simmons interjected again. " … I didn't want to rock the boat and annoy you. I was just happy you were back. "

" Right. And then last month, you sent me away. " Grif reminded him. Simmons tensed up.

"… I thought you wanted to leave. " Simmons murmured, looking down at his feet. He forgot to change out of his armor in the rush to get here. " I did. I wanted to leave the war… Not you… "

" … Oh? "

Grif stares at Simmons, closes his eyes again, and groans. he is so frustrated that it is happening again.

"Ugh. Fine. I'll be the one who puts myself out there," Grif huffed. "You better stand up with me, or I swear I'll consider punching you. " Grif added in a vague threat.

Simmons gulped." … I would not like that. " "Just… shut up and listen. I'm about to humiliate myself in front of you and those two who are listening from some super secret spy tech. "

Sarge's voice rang out from their hiding place nearby " Dang it, he's on to us. " Sister shushed him. " SHH. This is getting good. " Grif glares at the other two and shakes his head. "… I came here to escape my problems but when I came here… I met you. And you became my new problem. " "I …tried to be cool for a while, act like we were just friends but… I let you into a part of me that I usually keep private. I trusted you with the fact that I'm not stupid… I just pretend to be. And you went along with the act, you contributed to it. And I appreciated it…at first. " Grif's face scrunched up again. As though he was repressing another emotion from showing on his face. Simmons has never seen so much of Grif's little micro-expressions. Grif usually hides his face behind his long curls or his helmet. "But… then you started to make me worry that you'd forgotten that I'm a person with feelings. Someone whose feelings you could hurt… " Grif glanced at Simmons. As though he was checking to make sure Simmons was still there. Grif quickly looked away before their eyes met. "So I quit. I quit you. And, I immediately regretted it but I had no way of contacting you. " Grif said.

" … I should have stopped you. " Simmons admitted. " Yeah, You should have. "

Simmons and Grif stare at each other for a moment before Grif breaks the eye contact and coughs into his hand. "But anyway, I… came back and tried really hard to act like it was all fine. Even after that… creepy sex temple and the extremely regrettable things I did to you there. "

" … Grif, we made a promise not to talk about that, " Simmons reminded Grif. They swore to put what happened under that Sex Temple behind them. "I know you wanted to but, Why can't we talk about it? Are feelings too hard for you to deal with?" Grif huffed in irritation. " I wanted to talk about it but not in front of the other guys. I wanted to…confess back then but, you backed out and I got spooked. " Simmons's eyes widened. "Confess… You mean… " "Fuck, Dick. Would you please shut up and let me pour my heart out? Geez, you are such a pain in the ass." He rubs at his temples. Simmons falls silent. He feels helpless. All he wants to do is hug Grif but something stops him.

"I … wanted to stay with you. Even though I hate it here, I was willing to stay…for you. " Grif started again. "I wanted you to tell me why you wanted me to stay. But you just asked me… and waited for me to back out of it. " His face scrunched up as he struggled to keep it together. He gripped his hands into fists as he gritted his teeth. /Here goes. No turning back after I say it. / "Because you're my home, Dick. You're the only home I have left… Kai literally burnt down our old house. I'm going to earth but I have nowhere to go when I'm there. " Grif refused to look over at Simmons. He is afraid to. "And I was hoping that you'd stop me, and confess you felt the same way that I always felt about you. I was really upset when you didn't… " " … Sorry. " Grif paused and looked at him. Finally meeting Simmons's eyes with his mismatched ones. " Oh…Sorry. I interrupted. Is there… anything- " "… Just that… I like you… in a gay way. That's all. " Simmons froze again. Air left his lungs.

" Oh." he paused "OH! " his eyes widened and the human side of his face flushed. The metal on his other side heated up. " You mean you love me? You're in love with me?! " Simmons shouted at the top of his lungs in excitement. he stepped forward and beamed. Grif blushed more as the minutes ticked by. " Y-yeah " He wheezed a laugh and looked around. Everyone was staring. " Dick, keep your voice down… " he said in a hushed whisper. Grif stepped closer too. "But yeah, I'm in love with you … despite all of your many obvious flaws and faults. " " Hey! " Simmons looked indignant. The playful insults remained a part of their antics. Grif stared at him. Silence fell. It was Simmons's turn. Simmons tensed up as he struggled to form words. The silence was broken when Grif let out a sigh. His form deflating as he grimaced. "Really? Not even an' I love you too, Buddy? ' " Grif stared down the other.

"Oh… yeah I… " Simmons started to explain himself again but Grif cut him off. "Save it. I'm going now. Thanks for listening. "He turned to leave but Simmons grabbed him with his robot hand. Grif didn't turn around. " Wait… , Grif…. , Dexter. Please…Wait… just a little longer. "

Grif looks at him. / No fair, using my name like that. /

"How much longer do you plan on making me wait til you tell me how you feel about me? " Grif's face shifted to worry as a terrible thought sprung into his head.

"Do you hate me or something? If… you hate me or you're grossed out by me being gay for you just tell me. " he looked down. Pulled ineffectively at his arm. "Then we can quit pretending to be friends and move on with our lives. "

"No! No… I… " Simmons closed his eyed and groaned"… God, I'm such an idiot. "

"… Glad you could admit it. "Grif smiles grimly. "Grif, I wanted to have some big, romantic speech prepared and sweep you off your feet with some great, dramatic gesture. But I got nothing… " " Well, that's encouraging… " Grif interjected in a dry tone. " … Look, I … You're my person, Dex. You're my favorite person. I like everything about you. Even the way you eat( Which is disgusting) - I like that too. "

" Hey… " Grif interjected in self-defense.

His face is more flushed than ever. He can hear his heart beating in his ears so loud he almost can't hear Simmons. He steps forward so he can. He is so close to Simmons's now that he can feel the other's breath on his face. Simmons takes up Grif's other hand. Gently this time. And he loosens his grip on the other so he can hold Grif's hands in his. " Dexter Grif, I want to date you..because I love you as well. Sorry, I don't have a big speech prepared. I'm not good at that stuff unlike you… " Simmons paused and smiled. Swinging Grif's hands a little bit. "Really, that was… amazing. And so you… "

Grif stared at him with wide mismatched eyes. Tears slowly formed in them as he sniffled hard.

Simmons steps forward and closes the distance between them. Grif laughed as continued to cry. They were tears of relief. " … Why does it feel so weird when you're nice to me? "

Simmons leaned down and touched his forehead to Grif's. He smiled softly. "It feels weird for me too. But also Right? Somehow? Like I should do it more often… " he spoke quietly. Which was weird for him.

Grif gripped Simmons's arms with his hands and sighed. He felt like he would fall over if he did not do that. " It would be kind of weird if we dated and you were still mean to me. " Simmons's face lit up " … Can we? Can we do that? " "Long distance? I…" Grif looks at Simmons briefly. "Can we survive that?" He looked fearful. "Could I live without seeing your dumb-ass, stupid face every day? " he joked. Simmons thought about it. He did not want to miss seeing Grif's face. Not after he had seen it now after so much time. Not since…the Temple. " … I should just quit. " he suggested suddenly. "Dick, no. You… " Grif struggled to keep it together again. " You've wanted this from the start. You talked about taking over Sarge's job at that pretend funeral and junk. You love the army. " Grif hoped that reminder was not going to upset Simmons.

"But you're not going to be there. " Simmons interjected. " … I …could just stay. " Grif suggested.

Simmons shook his head. " No way, Dex. I can't make you stay here where you're miserable and sad. You hate the war and being in Blood Gulch… even if I'm here. You'll resent me too. And I'd hate that. "

"So… long distance. Phone Sex? That whole thing? " Grif waited for that to sink in. Simmons blushed. “Phone… W-what?” Grif grinned before he quickly changed the subject, ducking his head down. His face is the color of a tomato. " Well, it's a good thing I built that two-way coms unit before I left the base. You should be able to call me whenever the signal works. "

Simmons blinked. " … What? You…planned that far back? " "I made it a long time ago, stopped when I thought we weren't making it back…then finished it when you gave me the papers. " He shrugged his shoulders, letting go of Simmons. "… So… when Sister said you had an engineering degree…" " Yeah, that was the truth." Grif smiled cheekily. "You're the dumb one in this relationship. " it was a joke. He hoped that Simmons knew it was a joke.

Simmons stared at him and let go of Grif. He starts pacing " … Fuck, Dex. You let me be the smart one all this time? What are you some kinda of secret genius too? " "W-what, no… I…" Grif felt the red return to his face. Simmons was taking this wrong.

Sarge yelled from their hiding spot "His IQ is way higher than yours too, Simmons! "

Grif tensed up, his face was a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. his cover is fully blown now.

"WHAT? So I'm the dumb one? That's… And, You hid this all this time? " " Yeah. You seemed to want to be smart more than anything so I kept quiet." he turned and looked at Sarge. "… But how did you know that? "he squinted at the old man.

Sarge grinned as he escaped containment. " I read your classified profile without all the reductions. "

"Oh… " Grif glared at Sarge. "Yeah. I know all of your secrets, Grif. Remember that. " Grif squinted at him. / Great, so the old man knows all about my tragic backstory and education? No wonder he was always a hard ass with me. /

"Great…and I have to ride to earth on the same shuttle as you… This is a mistake." Grif turns to look at Simmons, a deep frown on his face.

"Simmons , I change my mind. I want to re-enlist," he said, absolutely serious.

" No. You're getting on that plane, Grif," Simmons said." You'll regret it. Maybe not immediately but … eventually. "

Sarge gasped dramatically. "Hey, Casablanca is my favorite movie. If you're going to reference it at least do it right." he gets in front of Grifm shoving Simmons out of the way.

"Listen, Kid. You have to get on that plane. You'll regret it. Maybe not today. But soon and for the rest of your life. "

"… Is it weird to mention that I had a massive crush on Sarge too? " Grif asked, hoping to change the subject. Sarge backed away " What? I had no idea. "

" You don't remember? " "Remember what? " Grif threw his hands up, even more annoyed. "Never mind. Okay, I'm going. Uhn… Bye, Dick. Talk to you soon. "

" Oh. Okay. " Grif paused. He looked at Simmons expectantly.

"Simmons, Go over there and kiss him. Or you'll regret it. Maybe not tod-" Sarge was cut off by Grif kicking him.

"… Could you leave us alone first? " "Aw… I wanted to watch the gay stuff happen. " Sarge stomped away, grumbling under his breath. "… Well, Sarge being oddly accepting of this was unexpected. " Simmons commented.

"No kidding.' he looks at Simmons. " You…don't have to kiss me. I'd settle for a hug. " he opens his arms wide for Simmons. He is lying. Grif would love to be kissed dramatically and romantically but he has to meet Simmons where he's at. Simmons swallowed loudly and walked into Grif's arms." Thanks, Buddy. " " How are you so shy after I- " "I'm shy…about that kinda stuff. " "Oh. Well, Yeah… me too. I'm just good at bluffing. I thought you… wanted to do that stuff. " Grif lied. He really was not bluffing back then. "And I thought you did. "

"Yikes. So…we just made a huge mistake at the Temple, huh? We could've avoided a lot of awkward crap if we had just been honest earlier…" Grif laughed awkwardly. Memories of that closet time together were a blur but he knew that he had shamed the family in there.

" I'm sorry, Dex. I should've said something before you quit… I should've said something when you got run over. " Simmons apologized. " … Oh. I actually hated your guts back then. " Grif admitted sheepishly. He scratched the back of his neck where the tattoo was.

"Really? " "Yeah, I felt like I was stuck with you. And, then we were literally stuck together. I felt like I owed you. But the feeling changed over time. By the time we got to the Temple… I was full-blown in love with you. " Grif held Simmons tightly to him as he looked slightly up. "Same with me. But I… didn't think you were gay. " "Yeah, I was trying to tell you I wasn't a slut but I worded it wrong. " Grif explained. / I'm the real family embarrassment. / " I never thought that you were. "

Grif sighed into Simmons's chest." I regretted what happened in the Temple but, I was scared to tell you. I thought you wanted to do more stuff like that but you never asked. "

"We messed up. We slept together before we locked down our feelings. So of course, we ended up fighting. " "I buried my feelings after that. I assumed you just wanted to be pals and I never brought it up. Then suddenly, You released me from this hellhole and I realized that I was too late. " Simmons lifts Grif's chin and kisses his nose.

Grif laughed. His face flushed more than ever. "I kinda want to make out with you again… " "Like the time in the shade? " Grif said, a smile formed at the good memory. But he also flushed in shame. " Yeah. But… we should probably get promise rings first. " " Simmons, This isn't a romantic comedy. Slow Down. "

He pats Simmons's human face. "Relax… I'm not going to forget about this when I'm on Earth. I'm going to call you so much that it's annoying. "

"Good. And I'm going to come down there when I get time off…We'll go on a date and hold hands. Maybe make out…" Simmons paused, looking up for a moment before he looked at Grif. " Where do you live? I mean, Did you live? " "Oh… Honolulu on Oahu… That's in Hawaii. " Grif said. /Or at least I did live there. /

"Oh. I'm from Ireland… but our family moved so I don't have the accent. " "Huh… I wouldn't have thought you were Irish. You seem really unlucky. "

"Hey, I was lucky enough to be paired with you. " Simmons interjected.

Gri laughed at that. " True. I dunno if I want to go back there or move to another island instead. But… " he looks over at Kai. "Is..she coming too? " he asked, hopeful for a good reply. Simmons followed his gaze and smiled. "Oh. Yes, I signed the papers. She's been dismissed too. " Grif looked at him. A warm smile formed on his face.

"Thanks for that. " "Well, I only half did it for you. She got reassigned to The Red Team. " "Oh? I get it. " Grif laughed. "Yeah, I don't want this nerd bossing me around anyway! " Kai said, suddenly appearing next to her brother.

Grif tenses up and pulls away from Simmons. He is not ready for Public displays of affection around his twin. Not yet. Sister looked at Simmons with a dangerous glint in her eyes. " Kai, no. You can't punch him. " Grif warned.

"Aw, damn it. I was really looking forward to it. Can I punch the old guy?" " Sure? " Grif shrugged. Sister ran off to punch Sarge.

"Grif… What if she kills him? " Simmons asked, looking concerned at the thought.

"Sarge is tough.. right? " he paused " Shit. Kai, Wait. Never mind. Abort. Don't kill him! " Grif rushed off to help Sarge not to die.

Simmons stood alone for a moment, watching the three of them interact.

" It's going to suck when they leave me here alone," he mumbled before he rushed off to help Grif save Sarge's life.

notes :

( differences from canon:

Sarge and Grif got drunk at some point and something happened that only Grif remembers. The Temple thing is still canon but Grif has mixed feelings about it.

Grif and Kai are twins. )

He refused to turn around and watch. Despite hearing the pressure release from Grif's helmet and it hit the ground when Grif tossed it down. He could hear Grif remove his armor. Simmons looked back just in time to catch Grif's eyes. Even from this distance , Simmons saw the tears shine in them.