During the whole time, he was working, Simmons was thinking about what North and Kai told him. Even on his way back he was thinking. Which was why he hit a low hanging tree branch he normally would avoid easily. The wood knocked him off the bicycle, sending him on the concrete ground. Simmons cursed loudly when he noticed his scraped hands and knee (And destroyed jeans) as well as the slight scrap and the bump on his forehead. Great! Just fucking Great!

Picking up his bike angrily, he walked the last meters to the apartment-block he lived.

Coming home later than usually, Simmons was surprised not finding Grifs truck outside. Normally he would come by every day? However. The redhead was happy that he didn't had to deal with Grif right now.

Entering his apartment, he could see a note laying on the ground behind his door. It was a note from Grif. Who else would slip notes underneath the door when the owner has a mailbox?

I don't know what I did wrong, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry.

Please call me.

Grif

Simmons laughed bitterly. "You didn't to anything wrong, silly. This would be me." His voice sounded bitter and sad. What was how Simmons felt right now. Sad and bitter and alone. He have had something with Grif. Something special only they had. Their own little thing. Somehow, Simmons had the intention that this thing fled in the same moment he had ran away.

On the other hand, didn't North say Grif would be loyal? His attempts to call or visit him seem to fit in this scheme. However, Simmons didn't know if he could forgive himself his stupidity, his inability so understand what was happening.

Carefully, almost lovingly, he pinned the note on the pinboard beside the entry to the kitchen, going to the bathroom to take care of his bruises and go to bed after.

At least he wanted to sleep. In the end, he was tossing and turning, not being able to find sleep. He couldn't even bury his face in the blanket like he would usually do and smell Grif because his scent wore off days ago.

After three hours of trying without success, Simmons got up and went to have a shower if he wasn't able to sleep properly (This insomnia kicked in some days ago. More concrete since their date). It was morning by now, the sun already fully risen. The Omega trudged to the couch, turning on the TV, only to turn it out minutes later because there was only bullshit on.

His studies went a bit better, where he spent most of the next hours, busying himself. When he looked up it was three in the afternoon, all his homework finished and he had learned as much as possible from the subject they had in class.

Again, he began wandering around the apartment restlessly. It was spotless clean, nothing to do either. His phone buzzed. Only short. It was a text. Checking the ID, he saw it was Kai. Right, the workers all have the numbers and addresses of their co-workers.

Yo nerd

Grif's still moping. He stopped eating and doesn't sleep well since he showed up the other Saturday. (His two favorite past-times).

He has holidays this week if you want to visit him.

Make your mind up already.

Further down was the address of the Grif-siblings.

It was in one of the better quarters not far away from his place. Well, that explains why he would drop by every morning before work. Unless this week as he has holidays and would stay home.

Simmons smiled sadly. That was typically Grif. Too lazy to go out of the house if he hadn't to.

After mulling over all the shit during the last twelve hours and more, Simmons decided to just give it a go and visit Grif. If it wasn't to make up, because he was pretty damn sure he ruined everything between them, then to at least say sorry and finish this wonderful part of his live with a honest and sincere chat.

He owed Grif that much.

Grabbing his backpack with his stuff in it, Simmons left the apartment and locked it for good measure. Down in the hall was his bike waiting, looking less bruised than Simmons. It had an ugly scratch at the side where it hit the concrete, but except of that, it looked pretty well in shape.

Opening the lock and pushing it out of the block, he could see Sarge entering one of the blocks nearby where Matthews was living. Obviously, he made the grocery run for him. Simmons saluted the red clothed old man, who waved back with a smile before disappearing out of sight.

Simmons sat on the bike, starting to cycle to Grifs place. He knew where it was, but he wasn't in a hurry to get there. Or, to describe it more accurately. Part of him already wanted to be there and part of him never wanted to arrive. Just keeping pedaling like he was, without ever reaching his destiny. After more than half an hour, Simmons pedaled up the driveway to the little apartment-block the siblings were living in, putting his bike to the sidewall, and hiding it a bit before putting on the lock.

Entering the block, he could see that they were living on the third floor. Simmons just stood there, slightly hidden by a bigger plant standing in the entrance hallway. Should he really go up there? At his apartment, this idea sounded like a good one. Now he wasn't so sure anymore. He could understand when Grif would be angry with him, when he would tell him to get the fuck away. The redhead would understand when he would beat him up, leaving him alone and never showing up at the bar or his place, ignoring the calls and texts like Simmons did with Grif.

But didn't he think to himself that Grif had the right to have a clarifying talk with Simmons? That the redhead owed him that much after what happened? He felt like a heap of nervous trembling nerves, his whole body shaking slightly. He was terrified to no end, scared how Grif would react, but at the same time, he wanted to see the Alpha again, he wanted to smell this scent again he was so fond of.

Walking up the stairs, he felt like having to wade through ankle deep thick mud, making every step exhausting and strained.

It felt like walking for hours until he was up the stairs and standing in front of the apartment. He could hear music playing inside, a girl chattering inside. This was Kais voice. Maybe she was talking to her brother.

The redhead didn't dare to ring the doorbell, so he knocked. Although he had the impression that the knocking was too faint for Kai to hear. Despite his expectations that Kai wouldn't hear the knocking, he heard her saying that she had to hang up because it knocked. So she was talking so someone else, not her brother.

Simmons felt nervous when he was standing in front of the door. His shoulders slumped slightly, his head hanging, kneading his fingers nervously. He wanted nothing more than to run away, his whole body screaming at him to run and never look back. Shaking his head, he pulled himself back together. He couldn't run now. Not when he messed up. He had to set things right again before he could run for his dear life.

When the door opened, Simmons caught a glimpse of yellow – Kai.

"Oh hey, nerd."

Simmons opened his mouth to protest, that his name in fact was Simmons and not nerd, but Kai didn't give him a chance to as she pulled him in the apartment.

"Dex is moping the whole week." Lamented the lively sister of the fatass. The week wasn't that far gone anyway. It was just Tuesday, but Simmons didn't say a word about this.

"He locked himself up in his room when he came home on Friday, not coming out ever since. Since your date he won't even eat or sleep properly."

Simmons let his head hang more. He felt the bad conscience sitting on his shoulders like an elephant.

"I… wanted to talk to him." Muttered Simmons, standing in the middle of the floor, now out of his shoes and jacket, head hanging and looking like the picture of misery.

There was a short silence, before Kai answered. "Alright. His room's the left one at the end of the hall. There's a keep out sign at his door." A grin flashed over her lips. It looked like she was the reason this sign was hanging. However.

Simmons nodded. "Thanks." Beginning to shuffle down the hallway until he reached the door with the 'Keep Out!' sign nailed at the door.

Said door was closed shut. It was eerily quiet on the other side. At least almost. Simmons had the intentions he would hear breathing from the other side of the door, but it could just be an imagination.

Knocking at the door, Simmons actually expected no answer. Only after some moments, he heard shuffling on the other side. Like someone got up and scuffled towards the door. The telltale scraping of a key getting turned in the lock it belonged to, to open up the door signed Simmons that he would have to face Grif in some seconds. He still didn't know how to react or what to say. He rather would stay the fuck away from here, but he owed him that much.

The door opened slowly, revealing Grif with a sullen expression. His hair was tousled and he smelled like haven't had a shower the last hours. He had bags under his eyes and his face looked slightly paler than usually. He looked horrible. Really like haven't slept and eaten at all the last days like Kai said. Simmons shoulders slumped more, knowing exactly that he was the reason why Grif looked so miserable.

"You?" Simmons couldn't help but notice the hurt, the pain and the anger in his voice. Well, he deserved that much, hadn't he?

Still not looking up from the spot on the ground, he nodded weakly before answering sheepishly.

"I wanted to apologize."

Grif snorted. "For what? Not answering my calls? Not replying to my texts? For running away when I show up at the bar? For locking up in your apartment? For not-"

"For everything, okay!?" Simmons head shot up, his voice slightly snappy. "I know I made a terrible mistake but I'm sorry. I just wanted to say it to you in person, okay? Saying I'm sorry and leave after if you won't want to see me."

Although Simmons had lift his head, he couldn't see Grif in the eyes. He was too embarrassed, too afraid to look in there and see the damage he had caused. Before he was even able to form a thought, he got dragged into Grifs room.

"Holy shit, what happened to your face?" Oh, right the branch. The redhead hadn't bothered to patch up his injury properly, just wiping it out and wait until the crust formed.

"I haven't seen a low hanging branch. It threw me off the bike." Replied Simmons, not really fighting Grif when he made him sit down. Much to the Omegas surprise, the room was rather cleaned up, a desk with a computer sitting in one corner. The bed was on the opposite wall in the middle of the room, having a huge television right beside the computer, in the right height and angle to watch television from the bed.

"And you didn't care to patch them up?" Grifs voice definitely was concerned. Simmons tried to shrug it off. "They heal anyway…"

"Yeah but like that they could get infected. Stay here, don't run away." Grif left the room in a hurry, leaving Simmons in the room, sitting on the bed, head and shoulders still hanging.

There he was again. This scent. Now surrounding him fully, indulging him, and making him feel like he was at home. A scent so well known by now that he would recognize it out of thousands of scents.

The door opened again, Grif stepping in and closing the door shut with his right foot.

Sitting down on the bed beside the Omega, he put down the first-aid-kit, pulling out different gauzes, plasters and disinfectants.

The redhead hissed when the sharp alcoholic liquid of the disinfectant made contact with the wound at his head. He didn't notice that the cut was that deep. When he came home, it already had built a crust, so he didn't really care to treat it properly. After some moments, the stinging cotton ball with the disinfectant disappeared, followed by a plaster.

"You hurt anywhere else?"

Simmons first wanted to shake his head, but then decided to nod. Grif would find it out eventually. Without another word, he silently lift his hands, showing the wounded flesh. He could hear the Hawaiian take in air in a sharp breath but didn't comment it, just began treating it.

"My knee's hurt too." Muttered Simmons, feeling somehow awkward. Shouldn't Grif be angry with him? Angry because he didn't reply to him, because he ditched him, because he… did what he did? Because he wasn't born to have someone looking after him like Grif does.?

Maybe he had spoken out these questions loudly, because when Grif was done with patching up his hands, he held them steady in his. His broad, calloused hands, which felt so warm and Simmons just knew how they felt when traveling over his skin, how they would move, memorizing every inch of his body.

Simmons pulled the emergency stop at these thoughts. He wouldn't think of that when sitting here.

"I am angry. But you already apologized and you came over personally. That's more than I expected to happen. Which is why it's okay. It would be too much work anyway to be angry with you longer than absolutely necessary." The corners of Simmons mouth pulled up slightly at this statement, although he still didn't dare to look up in Grifs eyes. "However, just because I'm angry doesn't mean that I stop caring for you. You're hurt and I won't stand by and watch when you get hurt. Otherwise I wouldn't have stopped those jackasses at the Omegan back then."

This time, the redhead dared to slowly look up to Grif. He met his ocean-blue eyes full with concern, full with love, full with compassion. What he couldn't find was the anger, the pain, the hurt. There was nothing.

"Besides, you are good for me. Don't ever think you're not good enough for me. You're perfect the way you are. Besides, in the End it's me who decides who is good for me and not."

It took some seconds for Simmons to catch up with what Grif said. Enough time to let go of Simmons hands and make him lay on the bed to treat the knee. Wincing when Grif touched the bruised flesh through the jeans, Grif gently began to roll up the trousers, soon revealing the torn up skin at his limb.

"Looks kinda bruised. I'm no doc, but I think you shouldn't burden it too much." Muttered Grif, gently beginning to disinfect and wrap up the knee in bandages.

"Uhm, actually I have two days off. Today and tomorrow. I gotta go back to work the day after tomorrow."

Grif looked up, something like an amused glint sparking up in his eyes. "Then you better don't move from the bed here for the rest of these two days and make sure to get better."

"Yeah, su- What!?" Immediately, Simmons face flushed crimson red when he realized what Grif had said.

The only response from the Hawaiian was a low chuckle. "I said you stay here and let me look after you, you dummy."

"But-But why!? I don't understand why you aren't angry with me! Instead you patch me up and even look after me!" exclaimed the Omega incredulous, yet a bit panicked. He only stopped his rant when he heard Grifs low and please chuckle, what made him stare at the Hawaiian like he lost his mind in this very moment.

"You're such a nerd. Really." Simmons blinked. Uh, what?

"Haven't I already told you that it is okay? You already apologized so stop peeing in your pants." The redhead still blinked dumbfoundedly.

When no answer came from the Omega, Grif obviously decided to turn his attention fully back to Simmons knee. He put the last bit of gauze around his knee, before giving it one last examining glance.

"Well, here you are. Almost new."

"Thanks." Muttered the redhead, carefully pulling up the knee to his chest. At least he tried. In the end, he gave up because Grif made it impossible to bend or move the knee the way he had bandaged it.

"Where did you learn to treat wounds like that?" asked the Omega when the Alpha returned to the room. He had shortly brought away the first-aid kit and threw away the bloodied cottons.

"Learned it because I had to patch up Kai more than not. She thinks she's an oh so good fighter and whatnot, but in the end, she gets beaten up if I'm not taking the fist for her. Anyway, it's up to me to patch her up. We don't have much money and can't really afford trips to the hospital at least once a week."

"So you're saying that Kai gets in trouble often?"

Grif snorted. "That's the understatement of the year dude."

Simmons blushed slightly turning his gaze away to look out of the window. He pulled up his left leg, wrapping his hands around it. He still didn't feel comfortable here.

…

Okay, he felt comfortable here. Grifs scent put him at ease. Because this scent told him that everything would be okay, that he would be fine and that he had someone protecting him.

Somehow, he still was restless.

He felt this nagging unease inside of him. That he had messed up and hadn't apologized properly, that he hadn't made up. Instead he showed up here like a picture of misery, only to get treated and pampered again by the Alpha.

It wasn't what he wanted to do. It wasn't what he wanted at all.

Fuck, he couldn't even understand why Grif wasn't freaking out. Simmons had avoided him like the pest, ignoring him, not bothering to make up. He ran away like a fucking coward when he felt that Grif had chosen him. Well, he didn't know it then, but thinking back to this situation, he was pretty damn sure his instinct knew exactly what this kind of sound was meant to say.

However, he ran away like a coward, locking himself up, hiding away, like this would make it any better.

Then, after days of moping and thinking, he got two kicks to his ass, forcing him to make up his mind. Now he was showing up, trying to make up for everything, expecting Grif to be (justifiably) angry with him. But noo, all he finds is a concerned Grif, immediately seeing his bruises and patching him up. Seriously, Simmons had some big troubles getting this whole shit straight. He should be angry; he should be yelling at him, he should be kicking him out.

Instead, he took him into his room, he patched him up, he even casually flopped down on the bed like nothing happened!

They sat in awkward silence for almost fifteen minutes now, Simmons desperately trying to figure out why Grif wasn't snapping or freaking out or being angry.

Instead he laid on the bed beside him, eyes closed, something like a faint smile on his lips and looking completely relaxed.

It wasn't right! He shouldn't be so relaxed and chilled. He should more be angry with Simmons, yelling and maybe even throwing things around. At least throwing him out. However, he should do something and not just sit there and do nothing!

"Will you relax some when or just sit here like you turned into a pillar of salt?"

"Uh, what?" Simmons blinked, ripped out of his thoughts and trying to proceed what Grif had asked.

"Are. You. Going. To. Relax. Anytime. Soon?" Grif sat up, while punctuating every single word.

"How could I?"

"In laying down and relax."

Simmons blinked, before shaking his head. "I don't mean it like that. I mean that I cannot relax because you're supposed to be angry with me."

Grif sighed deeply, a somewhat defeated sound. "Simmons, did you listen to me before?"

As the redhead didn't really know to what Grif was referring, he just blinked sheepishly.

"Didn't I tell you that it is okay? You came over and apologized. I'm good with that."

"But, aren't you angry with me?"

Grif chuckled, before shrugging somewhat nonchalantly. "Eh, you know, being angry over a long time is way too much work for me."

The first seconds, Simmons couldn't help but stare at the other man. He could impossible be serious, right?

"You can't just stop being angry because it was too much work!" worded the Omega his thoughts, looking at the Alpha as if he went crazy the second before.

"Why not?" Asked Grif, looking at him.

"I- I messed up! Bad! I ignored you! I hurt you! I ditched you! You're supposed to be angry! You can't just sit here and act like nothing happened!" Simmons was getting excited about Grif being so lazy that he wouldn't even get angry with Simmons for his asshole-y behavior.

Grif sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Simmons, for the last time. Shut up. You came over and apologized. Thing is settled for me. You don't need to go down on your knees. It's over, so stop getting your panties in a hue."

"I- what!?" Simmons face turned beet red when Grif mentioned something about panties. He had no idea how he had to assess the situation at hand. The Hawaiian was all relaxed and didn't seem to mind anymore. But could he really accept that? To just drop it?

It seemed that Grif was able to read his mind. "Drop it. It's okay. Now relax. I don't like stress in my bedroom."

Simmons blinked, looking over to Grif who was grinning lazily before he laid down again.

"Uh okay, if you say so."

"Yep." The Alpha popped the 'p', empathizing what said previously.

Although it didn't sit 100% well with Simmons, he slowly began to relax when he noticed that Grif really was okay with his apologize.

"So we're good?" Simmons couldn't help but ask sheepishly. He never had a friend who was as close as Grif was now. He had no idea how he should react on things, which seem perfectly normal for others.

"We're good. Now lay down. I'm tired and judging by the way you look you're not any better." Muttered Grif.

Simmons nodded shortly, before he went to his backpack. Grif groaned. "What now?"

Awkwardly, with a blue and white carton in his hands, the Omega stood in the room.

"I- uh- actually brought something. You once said they cheer you up when you're not feeling well." Muttered Simmons, holding out a pack of Oreos. He could practically see Grifs face lighting up in joy as he snatched the pack and opened one of the smaller packs inside.

"Oreos! I love them!"

Simmons smiled when he sat down beside the Hawaiian who was happily stuffing his face with the candy. Much to Simmons surprise, the Alpha offered him one of them. He accepted with a thank you, taking the cookie and beginning to nibble at it, nursing the food until Grif had eaten the pack and dropped back on the bed with a satisfied grunt.

It wasn't long until he tugged Simmons down to lay on the bed beside him.

"Come on, let's have a nap." Muttered Grif, the Omega indeed feeling the leaden heaviness in his limbs.

He nodded and soon both of them drifted off to sleep.