Summary: The Reds and Blues adjust to life in retirment.
Things after the 'temple incident' were awkward to put it mildly. No one really knew how to react to what had happened. For many couples it hadn't had an impact. For others it got solved the issue of taking the next step. For those who weren't in a relationship it was a bit trickier to deal with. Some people decided to become a couple while others tried to navigate what it had all meant for their friendships. For some it meant avoiding certain people all together.
Grif and Simmons had taken another option of pretending that the entire incident hadn't occurred.
Neither knew how to deal with what had happened. For Grif it was like a dream. He finally had the man of his dreams within his reach and lost him. For Simmons he saw it as the potential end to the only relationship that really matters to him. Safe to say neither were dealing with it particularly well.
Luckily there was their move to the moon base to take their minds off of it.
"Sarge why do you need this many weapons? We're going into retirement." Grif asked as he watched Simmons and Donut lift cases onto the ship. Sarge, who was doing the same as Grif, bristled, "You never know what kind of enemies we could meet on this moon. We have to be prepared."
Grif sighed, 'Great. He's looking for a fight. We're going into retirement and he wants to find more enemies to fight.' Why did his life have to be like this? He just hoped that the moon base did actually offer some relaxation. They were all overdue a break and all of them deserved one. Hopefully no one ruined it.
While Grif and Sarge were arguing Simmons glared at them while he continued loading up the ship. Why did he always get left with the heavy lifting and Donut's innuendo filled company. Eventually the ship was loaded and the Reds and Blues were flying to the moon base.
Excitement filled the ship as the group neared their destination.
"Caboose sit down. We're about to land." Washington called as he and the others buckled up for landing. Caboose turned towards his teammates, "Okay."
It wasn't long before the ship touched down and disembarked.
As they looked around they couldn't believe their eyes. Green hills and grassland all around them. There were crystal clear lakes and blue skies as far as we the eye could see. The smell of fresh grass, distant trees and seaweed filled the air. But the scenery came in second to the accommodation that Kimball had built. Chorus had gifted them five star apartments with their own suites. One for Red team and one for Blue team and the Freelancers. Kimball and the rest of Chorus had even attempted to design each suite according to the Reds and Blues personalities and interests.
"This is awesome!" Tucker exclaimed as he exited the Blue team apartment building, "Seriously it's got everything I could want or need. Well, apart from the cute girls." Everyone rolled their eyes at Tucker's antics but agreed with the sentiment.
"I agree this is fantastic but let's try to enjoy this. I think we've more than earned it. Especially after…" Washington didn't finish the sentence and everyone's thoughts turned to Church. The loss was still fresh and the wounds would take a while to heal. There was a moment of silence before they all went to investigate their respective rooms.
The first night in a new place is always the hardest and it was true for the Reds and Blues. No one really slept, too pent up from the excitement of retiring and getting the chance to finally relax. It almost seemed too good to be true.
The first month was spent getting to know their new homes and enjoying the downtime.. They learned what was in their new rooms and apartment blocks. They didn't venture out much. The second month they took to exploring the area…That's when they found the dinosaurs. Large, scary, hungry dinosaurs.
They spent weeks trying to avoid being eaten. When Caboose somehow made friends with the dinosaurs. It seemed there wasn't a life-form, even some artificial life-forms, that existed that Caboose couldn't make friends with. While trying to figure out a way to deal with the dinosaurs, a disaster struck. Donut had managed to burn down not one but both bases. They pretty much lost everything.
The group salvaged what they could and made a make-shift base which became their new home. They carried the remains of their property and organised themselves as they always had. Reds and Blues in separate areas. Although there now was a strict ban on all candles inside or close to the base.
But the Reds and Blues quickly realised they had two major problems.
One: they were very low in supplies like food. Two: they had very little money to restock.
As desperation set in the group decided to sell their story and its movie rights to Hollywood in an attempt to make some cash. And it worked. Sort of.
After receiving the money the team didn't do the logical thing and rebuild their bases, oh no. They decided to build a water park. And build Freckles a new body.
And still Donut was able to burn down the water park. After an accident involving lube. How he managed it no one knew.
With nothing else to entertain them as their endeavours burned in front of them, they decided to start a band. With Carolina singing the lead. At least she was having fun.
Sarge on the other hand was still upset about having to give up the soldier's life. He still grumbled that he hadn't died a heroic death of Chorus so he decided to create his own enemy. By building an army of evil robots. As with anything involving them it went wrong. The robots malfunctioned and instead of attacking them, attacked the dinosaurs. That was a sight none of them would ever forget. Once again without an enemy Sarge decided to fight something that would lead to a never-ending war. An enemy that could never be bested and the fight going. His enemy…gravity.
After Sarge had attempted to reinstate the Red vs Blue war the group had decided that they needed to create some sort of order in their chaotic world. After debating about which political system was best. Surprising everyone, Caboose's option of malarkey won. Meaning that nothing changed really.
Speaking of Caboose he managed to fall into another dimension that for some reason had a gateway on the moon. He called it the 'dark place' and for some reason really enjoyed himself there. But then this was Caboose and no one was really surprised that this ha happened to him.
They had even thought that Donut had died for a short period. They even buried him. Turned out he was skinny dipping in the lake. No one understood why they kept having to remind Donut to put on clothes. They had all seen more of Donut then they had ever wanted to.
The craziness of their new home kept everyone busy. Even Carolina had gotten in on the action and was trying to learn how to relax. She also couldn't seem to get over the fact that Washington had grown a beard. It wasn't out of the ordinary to find her playing with Wash's beard. He didn't seem to mind though but did complain how itchy it was. Simmons even took the time to learn Esperanto. The benefit of this was that everyone was too busy to deal with the fallout of the 'temple incident'. This worked out fine for Grif and Simmons.
The two sim troopers always avoided the topic of Chorus and focused on whatever was happening on the moon base. It was easier that way than dealing with the emotions.
It had even allowed them the opportunity to return to some semblance of normalcy. Their previous banter made a comeback and spending time together became a little easier. Grif had even managed to convince Simmons that Game of Thrones had really happened. Grif chuckled to himself as he thought about that. But even then moments of tension would arise when glances lasted a bit too long or they got too close. At that point the awkwardness returned.
Grif sat cross legged on the floor as he attempted to teach Carolina how to enjoy doing nothing. As he relaxed his mind wandered. He soon fell asleep. His dreams were filled with the memories of moans and pleasure. Reliving what had happened in the store closet allows Grif to imagine what being with Simmons would be like. However his dreams were never pleasant for long. Soon the memories of blood splatter and fear took over the pleasure. What once had been nightmares about the doomed colony he'd first been stationed on, now turned to Hargrove's ship. The memories of Simmons bleeding of the floor and the fear of losing Simmons became the focus of any dreams he had.
And he hated it. It was exhausting dealing with all the emotions and Grif just wanted to go back to the way things were before. They had a system. He enjoyed their system. Why did it have to change?
The awkwardness between the two seemed to increase with each passing day. They tried to ignore it. The others tried to ignore it. But it was obvious something was wrong. They attempted to go back to the way things had been before but it wasn't working.
Small, casual touches that lasted a little too long, glances and looks that encompassed entire conversations and little to no personal space between the two now became awkward and tense. Where once these would have been normal now they were glaring neon signs that what was between them was more than friendship. And neither knew what to do about it.
Luckily the events on the moon base had kept everyone occupied enough that the 'temple incident' wasn't on their minds too often.
One night Grif sat leaning against the cliff face and stared at the stars. Nights were always the hardest. Nothing to occupy his mind which allowed it to wander to things he really didn't want to think about.
And that is how Tucker found him.
The aqua soldier sighed as he approached, not sure if Grif knew he was there or not. He kind of felt bad for the guy. He had the guy he loved within his grasp and lost him. It was still painful to watch the orange and maroon sim troopers dance around each other. He really hoped they could figure it out or they were going to die alone because they were stubborn or scared or, or… something.
"Dude, you alright?"
The question brought Grif out of his thoughts. He scowled at Tucker and stood up, "What do you want Tucker?" He folded his arms, defensive.
"Hey! I'm just trying to be nice. You've been acting weird since before we left Chorus. It got got anything to do with you and…"
"Stop it Tucker! I really don't want to talk about this. Especially not with you." Grif interrupted and looked around, refusing to look at Tucker. Tucker held his hands up defensively,
"Really dude, what's your problem? I'm trying to help you. Do you know how painful it is for the rest of us to watch you and Simmons dance around each other. I thought you would be happy that the temple gave you the push you needed to finally admit your feelings for each other and do something about it. Like seriously, what did he do? Reject you or something? Because this should have been the push you guys needed." Tucker's speech to Grif just made him uncomfortable. Too much of it hit way too close to home. Grif's heart ached at the memory of what had happened once the effects of the temple had worn off.
Tucker watched Grif's reaction expecting a snarky response, or any response but he got nothing. Grif simply stood there silent, refusing to look at him. Tucker's stomach dropped, 'Shit. What did Simmons say to him after the temple? These idiots have been in love for as long as I've known them. These no way that Simmons would…' Tucker thought as an awkward silence stretched on between the two.
"Well, shit." Tucker muttered to himself as he took a step forward.
"Dude…"
"Don't."
Grif hated how his voice sounded. He was not going to get emotional over this. Not again, dammit!
He took a deep breath and faced Tucker. "Well, that sucks. Sure it's not just you two being emotionally constipated again?" Tucker asked, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Look it's really not my place or area of expertise…"
"You don't say." Grif said rolling his eyes. Tucker just huffed.
"Just shut up and listen would you?! You two need to figure this out. As you said he's the love of your life and they two do you are going to die alone if you don't grow a pair and talk this out." Tucker advised. Grif stared at him. He knew he needed to do something but the risk of losing Simmons for good was not a risk he was not willing to take. Realising he wasn't going to get a response Tucker clapped a hand onto Grif's shoulder and walked away.
Tucker shook his head as he made his way to the base. Only Grif and Simmons could make getting together the most difficult thing in the world. He wanted to bang their heads together. Only Grif and Simmons could forced to act on their feelings for each other by an aliens temple after years of pining after one another and come to the conclusion that the other must have feelings for someone else. If he wasn't seeing it happen in front of him he never would have believed it.
As he entered he passed Carolina who was making her way towards Grif.
As she reached him she watched for a few seconds. It was only in moment where the sim troopers thought they were alone did they drop their guard. Her heart went out to Grif. It was obvious that his feelings for Simmons went beyond the platonic. She had hoped that they would figure it out on their own but that didn't appear to be the case.
"Hey Grif." She called out as she approached. Grif turned surprised to see someone else at this time.
"Uhh, Carolina what are you doing here?" He was still confused as to why she was looking for him now. Carolina smiled beneath her helmet. She had grown to care for this ragtag group of sim troopers and wanted to help. As she had told Washington before they fought Felix and Locus, they were a family now and she would do anything for them.
"You alright?" She asked, pointedly ignoring Grif's question causing more confusion.
"Uhh, yeah." Grif replied still not sure where this was going. Carolina stepped closer and put her hands on her hips, tilting her head, "You sure about that? You've not been acting yourself for a while."
Grif sighed at Carolina's observations. 'Great. If she's noticed that means everyone knows.' Grif was not looking forward to this conversation. The advice from Tucker was already swirling around in his head.
"You know, you really can't be afraid of moving forward. I was and ended up losing someone very important to me. Don't let that happen to you Grif. You'll regret it for the rest of your life." Carolina said as she thought of York. He was probably her biggest regret. She wished that she could go back and tell him how she really felt, give them the chance that had always seemed to allude them. She knew how much that hurt and she didn't want to see that happen to anyone else.
"Come on, let's get some sleep and tomorrow you can teach me all about switching your brain off." She suggested as she chuckled and started to head back to the base. Grif follows closely behind silently.
He had known that Carolina had lost people but he didn't realise that she could have been in the same boat as him. He didn't know what to do with this information. Nor did he know what to do with the impromptu advice he had been given by Tucker and Carolina. But Carolina was right he needed some sleep, he could think about this all tomorrow.
Simmons watched from the first floor of the base as Grif and Carolina entered. Ever since Carolina had asked Grif to teach her how to relax they had been growing closer. And it left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
His stomach tied itself into knots whenever he saw them together. He left out and didn't know what to do about it. 'Is Carolina the one that Grif and Tucker talked about in the hospital? No she can't be. Tucker said 'him' in regards to the person Grif has feelings for. But what if he were covering for Grif? No that hasn't been an issue since the 21st century…' Simmons' thoughts continued to circle as he stood under the night sky.
He was still trying to figure out who Grif had fallen for. Ever since 'that incident' Simmons mind had constantly and unhelpfully trying to rationalise that fact with what had happened between them.
He hated the way all this made him feel. It felt like high school all over again. Not sure what the appropriate social actions were, the awkwardness when you did it wrong and the distance between you and the person you wanted to be around.
There was no way that Grif and Tucker had been talking about him. He was a pale, red head with cyborg parts replacing about half of him. Plus he was socially awkward and a nerd. Who would ever fall for that?
It hurt more than he was willing to admit because Grif was the person he was closest too. He had shared much more of himself and his past with Grif than with anyone else. He trusted him. He didn't want to watch Grif be with someone else. 'I want him to be with me.' The thought shocked Simmons. That was the first time he had openly admitted to himself that he wanted Grif in any other way than as a friend.
The statement didn't shock him as much as he thought it would though. While it was the first time admitting it, the content of the statement was something he had known for a while.
But why did he have to realise it only after he knew that Grif had feelings for someone else?
Maybe that was why. Things never seemed to go right for Simmons, this was just another thing. He really didn't want to lose his best friend.
He hung his head as he retreated inside. Maybe one day they could figure it out. At least Simmons hoped so.
The next morning offered a welcome distraction with an unwelcome problem.
Sarge was still attempting to win against gravity, there was still a debate about what to call their band and Simmons had eaten some meth-shrooms after eating spiked cous-cous. While trying to deal with the craziness that was their lives, a couple of unexpected visitors showed up.
It was difficult to keep track of everyone with all the weird and wild things people kept doing. So no one noticed Caboose wondering off. It only became an issue when their visitor approached and informed them that Caboose had fallen over the edge of a cliff. He was fine. Caboose always was.
Grif really couldn't have cared less about who these people were. He just wanted to go and nap somewhere quiet. He wanted to relax and permanently retire. The first thought that had run through his mind upon seeing them had been 'Please not another adventure. I don't want to do that anymore.'
He didn't even pay attention to their names.
As Washington and Carolina approached and questioned the two Grif had the distinct feeling that another adventure was about to begin.
Crap.
Took me a month but I finally got the next chapter out. The next one should hopefully be out sooner.
I didn't want to spend too much time on going over the antics on the moon base as I feel that Grif and Simmons probably would have been in an awkward limbo in terms of dealing with what happened.
