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It started with Christmas.
Well, really it started with Grace's birthday. And trying to figure out how old he was. And doing the math of how many days since the launch, and what would today's date be, and realizing they had just missed Christmas.
Which led to a whole series of conversations with Rocky, about holidays, and seasons, and weather.
Erid doesn't have seasons like the Earth. Or moon cycles and months. There's slight fluctuations in temperature when the sun is up, and when days are longer or shorter due to the tilt of the planet. But with the way the thick atmosphere holds onto the heat, for the average Eridian those differences aren't noticeable.
They count the days and the years. But that seems to be more of a record keeping thing, and not a thing that the average Eridian takes note of in their day to day life. They have festivals, but they tend to be to celebrate the milestones in an individuals life, like births and coming of age and marriage. Or natural phenomenon, like the migrations of animals.
Which is how they end up sitting around tinkering on their projects, listening to Christmas music, while Grace explains Earth holidays to Rocky, month by month. Christmas. And Valentine's day. And St. Patrick's day.
And June. And pride month. And gender and sexual identities.
And at pride, you wear the different flags question? To find your tribes question?
"Well, not really. Kind of, I guess. There's not really a practical purpose to them. It's more just that they're just fun and colorful."
Which color is your gender flag friend Grace question?
"Oh well, I'm cisgender. There's not really a flag for that. I've only had sex with women, but I guess I'm theoretically bisexual though?"
I am agender. And also bisexual. Rocky declares with a happy trill.
Grace burst out laughing. "Ok, I'll give you the agender, but how do you figure you're bi? Your species doesn't even have gender!"
Rocky lets out a chord that Grace has come to understand is some sort of shorthand that Rocky translates as something like, "you're thinking like a child" but Grace has started to suspect is closer to "dumbass." I attract to my own gender, and your gender.
Grace laughs again. "No Rocky, that's friendship. Attraction is like, when you want to mate with someone. Have babies."
Yes! Grace friend make excellent mate! So smart! Good Scientist!
It surprises him, Rocky's enthusiastic praise. In all of his life Grace has never been told he would be an excellent husband. Or even boyfriend material. "Me a good mate, that's a good joke," he says, flustered.
Rocky stills all his arms, and tilts his carapace toward Grace, and speaks with that slow low quality to his voice that he uses when he wants to add weight to his words. Not joke Grace friend. You make excellent mate. Would be honor honor honor to lay eggs together.
Grace feels his chest grow warm and fluttery, even as he protests again. "But, how-- we're not even the same species, I can't lay eggs."
Rocky trill scoffs at him. You just tell me that this does not matter for humans. That humans with incompatible sex organs, sex gametes, can still become mates. Is same for Eridians. Mates not always make babies together.
Grace opens his mouth, not sure what's he going to say, maybe to protest again, but Rocky isn't done yet.
Maybe can't happen. But still, would be happy to lay eggs with you Grace friend, make babies. You scientist, me engineer, our babies would be smart smart smart.
Rocky's arms all ripple like he's setting the matter to rest, and he picks up the device he had been tinkering with a few moments earlier. Now tell me about seven month. What holidays then question?
Grace couldn't feel more like he's soaring if they turned off the ships engines and he was floating around in zero gee. He doesn't quite cry, but he does take a big deep breath about it. And somehow, he picks up his train of thought and starts telling Rocky about the Fourth of July.