Chapter Text
With the prospect of regular communication between Earth and Erid, Adrian was asked to visit the astrophage facilities to participate in the upcoming thrum, particularly in regards to the ocean's ecosystem. Ideally, with the star having returned to full luminosity, the temperatures should remain stable enough, but one still had to check. Alongside advancements aided by their two darling humans, their presence was invaluable.
"Please! Just to see! I won't even get in the way, promise!" Grace begged, clinging onto their limb while on his knees. Adrian apologetically peeled him off.
<Dearest Grace, your exosuits are not built for the oceanside. The temperature regulators cannot keep up with the ambient humidity. You would sweat to death.> Erid's general environment was already hazardous to humans. The oceanside was even more extreme.
They don't even like Rocky visiting during certain seasons. The high speed winds, rapid weather changes, and towering waves were no problem for Adrian due to their size and weight, but Rocky would struggle navigating the area. Poor Grace would be washed away in an instant. A human's very liquidy, water based form wouldn't survive, unless they built the equivalent of a fortified tank exosuit.
Though Rocky would absolutely rebuild the entire astrophage facilities to make the hallways large enough for fortified-tank Grace, they had to put a 𝄻 to some ideas.
"Are you sure I can't come?" Curse their species' 360 vision, for no matter where they turned, Grace's little wobbling bottom lip and leaky eyes were visible. Curse their species' hearing, for they could hear the small whimpers in the back of his throat.
… There was the prototype color camera. Inspired by the Hail Mary's cameras, Rocky had been trying to build one that could withstand Erid's heat and pressure, so when he left for conferences or work trips, he could take pictures to bring back to the biodome. If it could withstand the extremes of space, then surely it could withstand Erid.
The "flash" function was finally added, so the pictures should come out in color rather than "pitch black" or "barely visible".
<I'll take some pictures for you.>
"Yes!" Grace threw his arms around them, Adrian chirping and hugging him back. Ah, they can't say no for long to their lovely mate.
Simon was a lot less enthusiastic, the words "facility" and "ocean" in the same sentence already making him tense up and poised to run before they finished speaking. Trailing his fingers over the various jewelry pieces he wore, he finally took a necklace off his neck and held the pendant in his palm.
It was engraved with a maple leaf, bordered by winding vines. A few xenonite wires tethered it to the thread, also in the shape of vines. One of the first jewelry pieces Simon made.
"May the roots guide your path and the leaves sing of home," he recited, pressing a kiss to the leaf. Adrian purred and let him place it into the xenonite suit's compartment, chirping as he also kissed their claws and carapace.
<Do not worry so, little melody. I designed all the safety precautions and failsafes, alongside three other thrums worth of backup procedures.>
"I'm still going to worry." Simon tapped his fingers against their carapace with a sigh. Once the compartment finished cycling, Adrian took the necklace out and looped it around their upper limb. The pendant clinked against them with each step. "Stay safe and out of trouble."
<Of course.> Nuzzling against his wood horns, Adrian trilled as Simon nuzzled back, gills lightly flaring as he added a happy rumble and reverb to his purr. He lowered his head enough to scrape the horns' branches against the xenonite panels, sending little vibrations through.
Simon and Grace said goodbye at the airlock, dragging their left hands over right forearms.
<Take care of each other, and no overworking, okay?>
"You too! Don't you worry about us, safe travels Adrian!"
"Safe travels and come home soon. Take care."
Rocky accompanied them to the station, every few steps knocking their limbs together. At the station platform, he fussed over their bags, double and triple checking the contents as they waited for the shuttle to arrive.
<And you will send messages every few days?>
<I'll do my best, but the oceanside is rather brutal this time of season. Postal service might be spotty.> Adrian bumped against Rocky as he let out a sad whine. <If the weather isn't too terrible, I'll also be sending some oceanic samples to the biodome. Bring those to our loves, alright?> One firm tap and a nuzzle.
One of their hearts sang at the sight of Rocky fidgeting with his claws, tapping to count the seconds until they had to say goodbye. Adrian tapped alongside them, the clock next to the timeboard rotating its numbers.
They used to be apart for weeks at a time. During the astrophage crisis, sometimes a month or two. Despite being married to each other for so many years, they both knew Erid and work came first. On their rare date nights, Rocky happily showed off all the jewelry he made for them, as they serenaded him a ballad of new melodies they came up with while away.
Then the launch of the Blip-A happened.
Nobody on Erid knew what it was like, to be in isolation for over four Eridian centuries.
Rocky flinched as the station bells rang, the shuttle pulling up. Adrian gently, sadly pulled away from him, adjusting their bag so it sat snug on the side of their carapace. Already, they missed their harmony's warmth.
<The nest will be a lot more lonely without you.> Rocky ran his claws over his goodbye ridges slowly, catching on the last notch with a sad warble.
<My other half, I'll be back before you know it. It'll just be a few weeks.>
<A couple weeks is too long.> Rocky morosely sang. But Erid continued to turn and work called. As much as they would love to spend all their time in the biodome, Erid still existed outside.
<Don't overwork yourself. Take care of Simon and Grace and make sure they don't overwork either.> One sad, but affirmative note. <Take care of yourself as well.> Nuzzling one more time, Adrian finally stepped away with a farewell trill of their own. Rocky held up his limb and sang farewell, continuing to run his claws over the notches until the shuttle doors closed and pulled away.
~~~~~~
So.
They might've gotten a little sidetracked.
To begin, Adrian didn't realize just how outdated the facilities were. The first couple of days were just spent thrumming on what needed to be fixed and replaced first, supply shipments, and status of the foundation. Any meal and sleep breaks were taken in the backroom, Adrian briefly reminded of their time before the Blip-A launch. An additional week was tacked on as they had to contact their old thrum and figure out the safe parameter to changes in the ocean's temperature.
If they were to get serious about regular communication with Earth, the rate of astrophage production needed to go back up. Trips around Erid's solar system and cleaning up space debris was one project, powering wormholes was another deal. Though Simon's null engines and hybrid fuel made the process more efficient, astrophage was still needed.
One notice message to Rocky, a collection of ocean corals samples, the prototype camera, and a reminder to continue taking care of each other were sent in post.
Then a minor construction accident put them in the infirmary for a few days. To be fair, explosions and gas leaks were almost commonplace in their line of work. Adrian lost track of the amount of accidents they've witnessed over the years. Some searing and scorch marks along their carapace was nothing, a quick buff out or polishing cleared it up. Better them than a smaller Eridian where a carapace crack would be much more severe.
They had to host another safety seminar lecture, though.
By the time the facility was running smoothly again, Adrian felt like their vents were expelling smoke rather than steam. They nearly fell asleep on the ride back to the city.
As soon as they stepped down, Janice had left a message, apologizing for dropping out the thrum last minute due to a family emergency. Since it was on speculative alien biology, hosted by Lorri, of course Adrian had to attend. Grace's laptop held all of Earth's known creatures on it, and several were bizarre beyond Eridian imagination.
The horseshoe crab was a big hit.
As the thrum wrapped up, there was an adjacent conference on DNA splicing and gene adaptation, following the discovery of a new species of plant discovered in the deep caverns. Capable of growing in ammonia, water, and sulfur, changing its cells depending on the environment.
<If we introduce other elements, would it adapt so quickly?> Adrian mused. Lorri hummed and shuffled the observation records, her vents clicking. Strange, she usually had more to say. Adjusting the magnifier, Adrian slid the resonator into place, tapping to see the cells clearer. It shriveled up under the introduction of argon. Strange.
What else could it adapt to—
"AD-" "-RI-" <-AN!>
Though they didn't need to, they still slowly turned toward the doorway. Lorri finally stopped shuffling the records with an amused huff.
Simon's gills were flared, eye twitching and fangs bared. Grace's arms were crossed and his hip was cocked, even while sat in his wheelchair. Rocky's stomping all five limbs with great fervor, with a focus on sending annoyed vibrations. The total average number of vocal chords among them came out to around two point six repeating, yet everybody in the building could hear the disappointment and displeasure as if the average was five.
<Think that's your cue to go home,> Lorri sang. She knocked against their carapace, shoving them away from tab table. Adrian didn't even get to honk in indignation before Rocky was shoving himself underneath their carapace, making them quickly side step to not trip over him. Simon immediately wound around their underside, making them scramble to not hurt his soft body.
Within a few seconds, they stumbled out through the exit door and into the hallway. Grace immediately swiveled his wheelchair around to block the lab doors, Simon and Rocky following suit.
<We'll see you another day! Rest up!> Lorri yelled, shutting and locking the doors behind them with a click, officially leaving them at the mercy of their three melodies.
Grace crossed his arms again, the wheelchair's front legs stomping twice with a click of a button. "What do you have to say for yourself?" He said, expression tight. He was even using the teacher voice, only reserved for unruly pebble students and when Rocky and Simon were about to do something stupid.
And now Adrian.
<… I apologize.>
"Apologize with cuddles. And sleep. And a meal, when was the last time you ate?"
When it took longer than a minute for them to recall, Rocky stomped angrily and jabbed at their side. <You're always telling me to eat! What about you?> His yelling was very similar to Grace's tea kettle when the water was done boiling. Grace hit their carapace with the chair's front legs, the physical impact very light, emotional impact very devastating.
Simon looped his hand under their limb joint, gazing at their carapace. He clicked his tongue a few times and squinted. "… Did you get hurt?"
They thought the medical team buffed out all the scorch marks! And at both thrums, nobody said anything!
… But they also left before their carapace got properly polished to remove all the scorch marks, since they still had to observe the changes in solar panels.
"WHAT?!> Rocky and Grace pressed up against Adrian, Rocky tapping a couple times against their sides and venting out a shriek. <Adrian, what happened?!>
<A minor accident, nothing major.>
"Nothing major, bull! Change of plans!" Marching his wheelchair forward, Grace held up his hand. "You're not leaving for at least two weeks! Rocky, cancel all of Adrian's meetings, we have too many date nights to catch up on!"
<Already done.> One of their meetings was with the head of the ecology committee on the progress of Eridian-Earth GMO crossbred medicinal crystalline species! Even during the astrophage era, Adrian would get written up for missing a meeting with them! Unless…
<Did you leverage your savior status?> Adrian honked, outloud in disapproval, underneath with glee.
<Adrian's presence is vital to the continued health of Savior Rocky and Savior Grace. And if Engineer Simon gets anymore upset, the botany team will be fighting to be his new mate.>
"They don't mean that," Simon quickly interjected.
"No, they do. Just three days ago they offered to make Eridian divorce papers for us, modeled after Korea's divorce papers." Grace pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "I shouldn't have let them borrow the laptop, I thought they were looking for new irrigation system designs."
"They're… joking. Probably."
Adrian should feel angry or jealous, but the botany team had a good point. Their absence was far too long, by both Eridian and human standards. Despite it being years since the launch of the Blip-A, it was far too easy to slip into their workaholic routine, too caught up to remember they did, in fact, have a full nest to return to.
Simon tugged on their limb joint, marching forward. Even with his back turned, they could see his downturned mouth and eyes. Deep in his throat, a sad rumbling growl. Rocky and Grace followed, Rocky honking especially loud at those that tried to stop Adrian for a question or thrum invitation.
Reaching the biodome, Simon took off his exosuit while Grace moved from the wheelchair to the more form fitting suit. His padded crutches were already leaned up against the airlock.
"I'll go prepare some food," Simon said, bumping Adrian's side with his horns and a tongue click before jogging in the direction of home. The botany team in the greenhouse all waved at Simon as he passed by. Upon spotting Adrian, they all sent a displeased reverb, the equivalent of tapping on a carved sign that read "welcome home, deadbeat" except slightly nicer.
Simon sent a threatening growl back, shutting them up. Before the door closed, they saw him pick up his knife holster from the planter shelf.
Adrian whined. It's so rare to see Simon using his knife. Those fingers tightening around the soft leather handle, the material creaking under his strength. The little click as he unlocked the strap holding it secure against the holster. The callouses and nicked scars twirling it around, as dexterous as Rocky's claws.
Alas, Simon seldom liked using it with others around. Besides, two different sets of pretty, capable hands were dragging them in the direction of the workshop. Halfway there, Grace huffed and slowed down his steps, leaning up against one of the trees.
<Do you want a lift?> Adrian offered. Grace huffed more loudly, knocked his crutches against their side, and moved to sit on top of Rocky. Rocky didn't even complain like usual, only helping hitch up Grace's skirt so it wouldn't get caught under his limbs and continued marching toward the workshop.
Ah, they really were mad at them. At least Grace was sending little furtive side-glances and Rocky's purrs had a hint of amusement.
Finally arriving at the workshop, Grace stayed on the oxygenated side as Rocky pushed Adrian to the Eridian side, prompting them to sit in the cleared out middle.
<What are we doing here?>
<Carapace polishing!> "Eridian manicure!" Oh! It's been years since they got their claws filed. <Was going to decorate after meal and nap, but Adrian should be polished first.> Rocky made a very pointed tap on a part of their carapace still marked by scorch marks.
Grace fitted Simon's noise-cancelling ear protection over his ears on the other side of the barrier as Rocky slid the soundproofing xenonite across. With a whoop, Rocky began to buff out all the nicks and bumps on Adrian's carapace as Grace brought over a collection of various inlays and materials. The vibrations sent a soothing rumble through their insides, Adrian purring and leaning into the buffer.
Another buffer loosened and dislodged all the sand and dirt stuck in the deep crevices of their joints. Rocky purred alongside them, sneaking in plenty of nuzzles and happy taps as he worked out all the debris. He even cleaned their vents, smoothing out a chip that had been grating their vocal chord since they got back to the city.
As they got up to sweep all the shavings, Rocky quickly sat down on their carved limbs with a honk, Grace coming in and sweeping instead. Much to Adrian's protests.
"You aren't doing anything today. Let Rocky and I take care of you for once," Grace said, waggling a finger. Rocky copied Grace's movements with a vindicated note.
It was two against one. They can't argue against science.
<Bad bad bad texture! This one better!> All the materials were spread out in a circle, Grace holding the container away from Rocky, foot pressed against his carapace.
"Are you kidding me? That clashes with Adrian's color!"
<Beloveds, you don't have to—>
"Shut it!> Grace and Rocky yelled in unison, pointing their tools accusingly at them. Adrian settled back down, watching as Grace held Rocky's choices too high for him to reach and Rocky threatening to run into the back of his knees.
After more bickering, one warning honk, and some apologies, they decided on a geometric diagonal design in "yellow". It sounded like a good color. Simon once described Grace's hair and personality as a sunny yellow. Gently carving away at their upper carapace, Grace pinched his tongue between his teeth as he tried to keep a steady hand. Rocky attached the crystal linings, tapping on it to make a lovely little melody.
After some nagging, Rocky got to attach one along their claws, one with raised diamond ridges and in "purple".
<Why did you not like the other choice?> Adrian asked as Rocky attached the pieces to their claw tips, moving them every few checks to ensure they still had easy mobility.
"Popcorn texture. And colored landlord white," Grace muttered, shuddering and sticking on another inlay. No other explanation given.
One quick sandbath later, Rocky and Adrian emerged back onto the biodome side, properly refreshed. Carapace shiny and polished, limbs adorned, claws decorated. All the stress and grime the oceanside left had been left behind proper.
Grace tapped his cane impatiently on the workshop floor, exosuit tossed to the side to be picked up another time.
"Into the nest with you now!" At least this time, he wasn't mad enough to refuse a ride on Adrian.
Back at home, Simon was cutting up the last bits of meat into fine, stringy bits. His knife cut through the sinew smooth. Even with the xenonite barrier and gloves, he easily twirled the handle between his fingers, snapping it shut with a flick of the wrist. Grace and Rocky whistled in awe, blood rushing to Simon's cheeks as he quickly looked away and held the plate up.
<Beautiful work!> Rocky praised, clacking his claws together. They all bullied Adrian into the Eridian side of the nest, right by where the barrier was most malleable.
It was a little embarrassing, eating in front of all three mates, but what was their little family if not unconventional? As Grace once put it, in the biodome, they made their own customs. Rocky wasn't the same after forty six years of isolation. Adrian wasn't the same after nearly fifty years of waiting and grieving. Grace wasn't the same after being shot 11.9 light years away from Earth. And Simon wasn't the same after the events of AT-5.
So if they wanted to eat together with their mates, then so be it. Besides, Simon and Grace ate together all the time.
Between bites, they could see Simon and Grace moving around on their side, carrying over extra couch cushions and blankets. Bunching it around the barrier, they debated briefly over some placements, Simon carving out a little walled nook for himself as Grace added extra cushions for his lower back and legs.
Rocky tapped the top of their feeding hole as the last piece of food was dropped in, purring happily. Full, sleepy, and refreshed, Adrian dragged themselves to lean against the barrier. Their limbs easily slotted through the slats, Simon and Grace adjusting so they were all leaning against them.
Rocky immediately climbed onto the top of their carapace and splayed his limbs out, perched as was his favorite watching spot. Simon got out his reading tablet and curled up around their right limb, while Grace sat on their left limb with his crochet hook and basket of yarn. They were just conscious enough to hand Rocky his weaver needles.
With the comforting weight of all three of their mates, sleep was approaching fast. The kind that they knew would be deep and relaxing, unlike all those naps stolen in the backroom.
"We're watching. Have a good rest, Adrian." One kiss to their carapace.
"Sleep well." A gentle stroke along their claws.
<We'll be here until you wake up.> Three happy taps on their vents.
They slip off to sleep to the sound of their three melodies intertwining with each other, of seven heartbeats, all alive and well. Grace's ramblings about the newest scientific breakthroughs in the lab, Simon's soft breaths and low purrs, Rocky's xenonite tinkering.
The best song in the universe.
Adrian will not take any other suggestions.