RvB Oneshot Compilation

Grimmons Post-Restoration

A rush of emotions flooded Simmons's head. Alright, deep breath, he thought, ground yourself. What are you feeling?

Well, first of all, he'd been skeptical. When Admiral Donut had recruited him for a mission, he wasn't sure what to expect from a squad led by his least intimidating friend. How in the hell could Donut get an army to listen to him? Yet, he was surprised to find that Donut held his squad together incredibly well.

When he'd been paired with a soldier so... as Donut put it, Grif-like, he'd been irritated. His friend surely meant well, thinking the dynamic would be comforting to work in again. But coming from someone else, unmotivated laziness and insubordinate comments just grated on Simmons. Especially on such a functional team! And the fact Donut didn't understand why he found it so insulting...

Then he felt pain. The scuffle with this decidedly not-Grif lieutenant was actually a pretty fair fight, but Simmons really couldn't explain what exactly made him explode like that. Sure, it was partially Donut's assumption a total stranger could take Grif's place. It was the soldier's offhanded joke about what duties might come with "pretending to be his boyfriend for him." But mostly, it was the fact he hadn't seen Grif in 5 entire years. How did he let that happen? Where did the time go?

Lucky him, the temporary, mandatory leave Donut assigned him for attacking a fellow officer gave him plenty of time to stop by Earth.

But now, he was afraid. What if Grif's invitation all those years ago had been in jest? He'd certainly had time to misconstrue the memory as it spent the last five years rattling his brain. What if Grif had moved on? Seeing him with a replacement best friend might just shatter his entire world. What if Grif was angry with him? It'd taken Simmons so long to reach out, what if his offer had been rescinded by now? He couldn't bear the thoughts trying their hardest to convince him that this was a bad idea.

So, he drowned them out with the good memories. Following the blues on adventures he didn't entirely care about, saving the world a good handful of times. But the best of times were nothing more than standing around red base with that orange bastard, bantering and arguing about everything and nothing.

As the taxi came to a stop in front of what was, apparently, his best friend's house, Simmons didn't stop to think. If he hesitated for a moment, he knew that he'd panic and retreat to some hotel, succumbing to all the what-ifs. He had to face this the red team way: running in blind, without a second thought.

And here he was, knocking firmly before he could even process what he was doing. "Who is it?" The exasperated yell only drove him to knock again. He knew he couldn't give a response that wouldn't shake Grif to his core, the way hearing that voice again was doing to Simmons.

"I said, who is-" Grif froze only a moment, before an enormous smile overtook his face. Without a second thought, he pulled Simmons into the tightest hug he'd received in a long time. He wasn't sure how long the two just stood there, but Simmons could have sworn it was a single second and an eternity all at once. However long it'd been, it certainly wasn't enough.

"It's been a while, buddy. How's the job been treating you? Oh- uh, come in, come in." Grif spoke fast, excitement gushing out of every move he made. The living room seemed smaller than it really was, overcrowded with pizza boxes and off-brand soda cans. As aggravating as he'd found it before, the mess was somewhat comforting. Exactly what he would expect Grif's living space to look like.

"Oh, you know. Same old Blood Gulch, most days. The occasional wacky adventure I get swept into." The anxious soldier concentrated on not letting his voice shake as his friend cleared a place for him to sit. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't come by sooner-"

"Hey. I get it. The whole army thing works for you. I'm just glad you found some time for me." The warm, sincere smile he was met with eased Simmons's fears. And soon, they fell right back into their old dynamic. Teasing and joking, even bickering just like old times. Until Grif asked the one question he'd been dreading.