It's really important to me that Simon is the plants guy in the Bloodymary dynamic.
As many have pointed out, it's a crucial part of Grace's story that there was no romantic interest. That he was happy and found his home with friends, in a place that would accept him exactly as he was, and view him as a whole person rather than the perceived gaping hole by his side. That friendship is what saved him.
Make no mistake that I wholeheartedly believe Grace is Aroace. That in Canon, he lived out the rest of his life content and fulfilled. I don't believe he ever would have felt an absence, except maybe sometimes as far as human companionship.
But Grace is not a botanist. Living by an ocean, I don't imagine he would think about the lack of trees or plants. I think he would just love the beach. But say there were seeds on the Hail Mary. A hydroponics room that Grace never knew how to make use of and never got the hang of.
And then there's Simon.
Simon knows plants. He knows how to nurture them, how to breed them. How to start colonies of mycelium and mold and how to branch that out to flora and food. He knows how to plant a garden.
Grace has never wanted a garden, and has never wanted to be a gardener, but I think having a garden around, and someone who loves to tend it, eventually leading to biodiversity Grace never imagined would be possible, ends up enriching his life. Not in a way he ever would have missed or felt incomplete without. Not in a way he ever would have sought out himself. But in a way that makes him feel glad he has it.
And I think this is also an excellent metaphor for aroace people in relationships. They might not be interested in a partnership, or seeking one out. Their lives would be just as satisfying with or without that partnership. And still, the garden is beautiful. It's nice to walk through. And it's nice to know that someone who does love the garden is looking after it.
Anyway, this is also the basis of their QPR. Simon is the gardener of Grace's heart. They take care of each other where no one ever has, and they love each other, and refuse to label that love because anything they could call it, any restriction, would do it an injustice. They are best friends, they love each other, and they would do anything for each other.
And Simon is so grateful to be trusted with something as sacred as a garden.
