Chapter Text
Adrian tries hard to suppress the loud thrum of excitement building in their carapace, not wanting to spook the pebble that's still peacefully eating? It was a strange process but anything their pebble did was adorable.
They quickly tapped out a message and failed to contain a squeal when an affirmative message was tapped back. Pebble Grace was seemingly finished, letting out a strange noise before humming out a questioning note.
Adrian responded with a pleased rumble. "Mate Rocky awake, science team set up safe atmosphere for Pebble Grace. We go to Mate Rocky, question".
At the first mention of their mate Pebble Grace was upright, his carapace shaking up and down rapidly before he trilled out, "Yes! yes! yes!" Coupled with very excited waving of his claws.
Adrian mimics the gesture, though they're a little anxious, it's insignificant compared to their excitement. "Grace ready go question?", they chirp out, rising to stand.
The pebble trills out his agreement, taking the soft toy, the puzzle from Forster Pebble Watcher Obsidian, he cradles both items in one claw and puts the next device in his mouth.
On Erid, when pebbles are newly hatched their carapace isn't fully hardened, until that happens they're surrounded only by the softest nesting material. Whilst Adrian is aware that Pebble Grace is not Eridian, they can't help but make the comparison.
They're drawn out of their thought when pebble Grace, gently takes hold of one of their front claws, his five attempting to wrap around their three. He tilts his warming down and Adrian can't help but coo at him.
"Let us go", they say gently. The statement jolts the pebble into action and he starts tugging on their joined claws, the action is endearing and Adrian allows their excitement to show as Pebble Grace and them scamper towards the elevator. Foster Pebble Watcher Obsidian trails behind with an amused chord.
---------------------Rocky's POV----------------------------
The first thing Rocky is aware of when he wakes is that he's on Erid. The second, more startling discovery is that he cannot hear the steady thumping of Grace's heart, the sound he fell asleep too. He bolts upright, startling the Eridian's who were watching him sleep.
"GRACE?!?",he calls loudly, uncaring of the questions about how he's feeling and such. He taps the ground in agitation, spinning around, a motion he's picked up from Grace. "Where Grace, question?"
The medic, who Rocky remembers, Healer Amethyst answers, "Pebble Grace is ok statement. Still on-board the ship, but him and Adrian are enroute".
Rocky carapace warms at the mention of Adrian. Oh Adrian, his song, his beating hearts, his- wait. "Pebble Grace question? Why are you calling him that?", he's confused and the medics chirps let him know they're all in the same boat.
It clicks suddenly and Rocky puffs out some steam in a sigh, "Grace is human, he does not have the same vocal chords of Eridian's, so he can only mimic simple words", he explains.
"Oh," an Eridian, Rocky does not says, embarrassingly fiddling with their claws. The revelation that you've been treating an adult like a pebble will do that to you he supposes, even if said adult sometimes is Pebble minded.
"But Pebble uhm, Grace said he's only 32 years old!", the same Eridian exclaims seeming, genuinely confused.
With another weary sigh Rocky says, "In earth years yes, time is calculated differently on earth and humans have shorter lifespans. In Eridian years Grace is 276 years old". Numerous squeals of shock ripple through them and Rocky decides to drop the last metaphorical bomb on them.
"On earth there are things called Classifications, Grace is what they call a 'Little'. What we know as Pebble minded", the medics pause clearly thinking it over. It explains some of the pebble behavior Grace had displayed.
Pebble Minded are Eridian's who act like pebbles for varying reasons and are widely accepted and given their easy acceptance of Grace, Rocky doubts anyone would give him any grief. If they did, they'd find out the hard way Rocky is very protective of his human.
"Papa Rocky!", he hears an all to familiar trill and a Grace who's definitely regressed, comes into range, holding the claws of Adrian who sounds just as beautiful as Rocky remembers. Rocky trills loudly in excitement a sound both Pebble Grace and Mate Adrian copy.
He realizes belatedly that the medics have placed him in a xenonite suit and he wastes not time bounding over to Pebble Grace and Adrian. Pebble Grace is leaking, which isn't to unusual, babbling in broken English, "Rocky, missed you. Don't leave 'gain", with a pout and angry stomp.
Rocky is quick to soothe him, wrapping around him in the first proper hug they've had. It helps calm Pebble Grace exceptionally well and then suddenly both him and the pebble are lifted and twirled around by a very excited Adrian.
Rocky sings out joyfully, uncaring of their audience as he presses his carapace close to his mate's. He's home.