People who came across Ryland Grace tended to make two assumptions about who he was as a person. Assumption one: Ryland Grace was kind. Assumption two: Ryland Grace was always kind.
Typically people who believed assumption two were those who were too young or have had yet to see Grace's very public crashout during his academia days (and Ryland dearly wished for the day where is outburst would be forgotten about entirely).
The truth was Ryland Grace had to learn how to be kind. He chose to be kind; Ryland's anger had always gotten him into trouble ever since he was a child. From slapping away hands who hadn't asked permission to touch his belongings to yelling at others whenever they 'weren't doing x activity properly.' Ryland had quickly been labelled as a troubled child, a classroom nusiance, a brat who thought he knew better and refused to accept when he was in the wrong.
In actuality Ryland just had trouble reniforcing boundries and asking others to follow them; instead his brain automatically went to anger because anger was better then drowning in shame and anxiety. Anger was respected. Anger was better than bursting into tears in the middle of the classroom and being accused of being a crybaby.
So yeah. Ryland was angry. Less so since now he had a classroom full of twenty something kids for six hours a day and he would rather eat gum off of the sidewalk than make a kid cry just because he, the adult in the room, couldn't keep his temper in check.
If Ryland Grace was kind, it was because he chose to be kind.
When people met Ryland's partner, Simon, (No last name, that last name was dead and gone for all Simon cared-) they often made two assumptions about him. Assumption one: He was always serious. Assumption two: He was the angry one in the relationship. People who made assumption two insantly changed their attitude upon properly meeting Simon and realizing the man was actually very kind, if a little sensitive, and just had the unfortunate luck of having a very intimidating resting face.
It wasn't always like that. The resting face.
Simon was an expressive child, he wore his heart on his sleeve. His facial expressions and body language always gave away his feelings, his thoughts, his fears. He was the complete opposite of the word 'stoic.'
Eden ate him alive because of that.
Simon quickly learned how to school his expression, how to bite his tongue, how to repress sobs, how to hold himself rigid and always at attention.
Simon learned that anger was respected, anger could be a shield. And so Simon learned to wield anger as both a shield and dagger, he hid beneath anger, he sheltred behind rage.
...It was tiring.
It was performative.
It wasn't real. The anger.
It was because if people thought Simon was angry they'd leave him alone, and he would be safe.
Crying wasn't safe.
When people saw Simon and Ryland together they'd always assume Simon would be the one that needed to be held back during an altercation.
And there were times where that was true, though Simon would always attempt to solve conflicts with words first. (The one time he had hit someone was because they kept putting their arm around Ryland despite being brushed off several times. Stupid Tom Ryder-) and even then Simon had grabbed ice for the jerk celeb afterwards.
Simon's temper didn't hold a candle to Ryland's.
Ryland would soon be getting his wish of his academia crashout being forgotten.
Because now he would be remembered for tackling a Brother Of Eden who had begun harassing Simon. From an outside perspective Simon appeared unaffected, bored even. But Ryland knew his partner.
Ryland knew that when Simon's jaw tightened it was because he was holding back tears (Simon's true anger was always in the form of tears much to the man's chagrin. Ryland would always kiss away the tears if Simon let him (which he did)). Ryland knew that when Simon's shoulder's curled around his ears he was fighting against long honed instincts screaming at him to either run away or hurt the threat before it could hurt him.
(Simon wasn't a violent dog. He didn't want to bite but his body trained him to in order to keep himself safe).
Ryland Grace chose to be kind. He chose -when- to be kind and to whom.
Ryland's kindness was an intentional choice. Not an inherent part of his character.
So he tackled the Brother Of Eden and verbally tore into him, defending Simon with everthing he had while also denouncing the death cult that Eden was.
(If Ryland were asked if it was worth needing to go into hiding for about a month he'd say yes because it meant he and Simon got to spend more time together.)
Ryland Grace chose kindness and Simon chose to wield anger as a protective shield.
Their choices were not who they inherently were.
Thought the assumptions were always amusing.