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Grace was used to being ill. Being a teacher, he spent way too much time surrounded by sick kids, and getting ill himself was always inevitable. It always crept in quietly. He felt more tired than usual, then a bit warm, then the dizziness slipped in.
Grace sipped his usual morning coffee, leaning against his kitchen table and gazing at the beach Rocky had made him through the window. He could feel himself coming down with something, though he wasn’t sure where he’d gotten it from. His heartbeat was elevated and he could feel himself burning up, which the coffee certainly wasn’t helping with. He thought about going back to bed, but he decided not to give in. Rocky would be expecting him to be ready for their experiments, and the group of young Eridians who would be expecting Grace to teach them.
“Good morning, Grace. Are you ready, question?” Rocky asked as he rolled into Grace's kitchen.
“Nearly, buddy,” Grace replied, finishing his coffee and placing his mug into the sink to be washed later.
“Why isn’t Grace ready, question?”
“Because I’m tired, bud. Give me a minute,” Grace said.
“Why is Grace tired, question? Grace just slept,” Rocky persisted.
Grace let out a chuckle. “Sometimes humans get tired, Rocky, even when they’ve slept.”
“Humans are weird,” Rocky said, slightly confused.
“Yup.”
Grace pulled on his coat and boots before the pair wandered outside, closing the door behind them as Rocky always reminded him to do. They wandered across the breezy beach, stopping every now and again to let the waves wash over Grace's boots. Eventually, Grace pulled off his coat, finding himself sweating more than usual.
“Grace should keep coat on. Grace will be cold,” Rocky said matter-of-factly.
“I’m fine, Rocky. I’m warm today.”
“Wrong. Grace will be cold,” said Rocky.
“I’m not going to be cold, buddy,” Grace insisted as they continued down the beach.
Rocky sighed. Grace had gotten used to Rocky's very logical, black-and-white thinking, even if it sometimes led to heated debates (like when Rocky insisted Grace got exactly 8 hours of sleep every day, to the second). This time, though, Rocky was right. Grace began to find himself shivering slightly as the wind hit his bare arms, though his skin still felt warm to touch.
“Grace is shaking. Why, question?” Rocky asked.
“It’s called shivering. Humans do it when they’re cold, but I’m not cold.”
“Then why is Grace shivering, question?”
Grace sighed. “Because I’m ill, buddy, so my body’s warm when it should be cold.”
Rocky stopped in his tracks, trying not to sound afraid. “Grace is ill. Why is Grace ill, question?”
“It just happens to humans sometimes, bud,” Grace replied.
“Rocky's crew was ill. Rocky's crew went to sleep. Crew did not wake up. Rocky watched them. Rocky couldn’t save crew. Rocky protects Grace. Grace not die, statement,” said Rocky, his voice shaking slightly as he stood still.
Grace gave a reassuring smile. “I’m not going to die, Rocky, not from this. Humans get ill all the time, it goes away after a few days. They just have to rest for a while.”
“Grace go home and rest, Rocky watch,” said Rocky, turning around and rolling back to the house.
Grace paused for a moment before following his friend. “Bossy,” he whispered.
Rocky waited outside of Grace's bedroom whilst Grace changed into some comfier clothes.
“Can Rocky come in, question?” Rocky asked loudly.
“Yep,” Grace replied, crawling into his bed. Fatigue had set in quickly, and his head had begun to spin each time he moved.
“Grace rest now, statement,” Rocky said, rolling against the bed until he had enough momentum to get himself up, sitting at the end of the bed.
“Thank you, Rocky,” said Grace, resting his head on his pillow and curling into a small ball before his eyes eventually fluttered shut.
When Grace eventually awoke, a brow of sweat laced his forehead, and his stomach churned violently. He groaned quietly and rolled over, clutching his stomach as he tried to gain some composure. The light creeping through his bedroom window was too bright, attacking his pounding head over and over again.
“Grace is okay, question?” Rocky asked, rolling closer to his friend.
Grace didn’t answer. His stomach continued to perform flips, and he forced himself out of bed and into the bathroom. Opening the toilet lid just in time, he heaved into the toilet, emptying the contents of his stomach until nothing but bile came up. He paused, trying to regain control of his breathing.
“Grace is disgusting. Grace is okay, question?” Rocky asked louder, standing at the bathroom door.
“I’m fine, bud,” said Grace, shuffling across the soothingly cold floor tiles so he could rest his head against the bathroom wall.
“Rocky knows how to help. Hug, hug, hug,” Rocky said, moving closer to Grace.
Grace chuckled. “You’re right, that would help.”
Rocky leaned against his dome, spreading his limbs out wide, and Grace hugged him back.
“Rocky saves Grace. Always.”
“You do, bud,” Grace whispered.