Chapter Text
He should have expected this honestly. Still, the scientific method, or possibly denial, won out over acceptance and he took his glasses off and put them back on a few more times, watching the emergency instruction signs at the end of the Hail Mary's cabin/ main living space/ science lab go from blurry splotches to slightly clearer splotches. The starbursts from the lights in the spacecraft were fitting at least. He groaned. A questioning chirp answered from the corner.
“Grace okay question? Need sleep?”
“Uh, no, I'm good.”
He'd probably need to get Armando to examine his eyes. Could the medbot even do that?
“Why Grace keep taking glasses off question? Can hear.”
“They don't work anymore, it's been eight years, I'm a little overdue for new ones at this point.”
That was an understatement. He'd gone to the eye doctor every two years on earth. He'd probably gotten his current pair of glasses just before Project Hail Mary began.
“Why Grace wear question?”
“I need them to see.”
“Grace see Rocky question?”
Rocky rolled up against his leg. The phial in his hand wobbled.
“Uh yeah, you're right next to me, I'm working with kinda volatile chemicals here, so you gotta back up, bud.”
“No science if can't see!”
“Technically I can see, I'm not doing anything unsafe, promise.”
“How Grace see?”
“I can see fine up close, I'm nearsighted so everything far away is blurry.”
“What means 🎶🎶 question?”
“Um, similar to how things look to you when it's really quiet.”
“Oh, do not like.”
Rocky picked up Grace's glasses in his mesh covered hand, turning them over and tapping on them gently.
“Make 🎶 like xenonite!”
“What?”
“Need human word, like light colors Grace saw on ship.”
“Oh, rainbows, my lenses have prisms in them, they bend light like the xenonite in your ship, prisms separate white light into different wave lengths, that's where the rainbow comes from.”
“Rocky build Grace glasses!”
“Sure, why not?”
Grace explained refraction and astigmatism correction. Rocky complained about the inefficiency of the human eye. He was particularly puzzled when Grace explained that prisms helped align the eyes.
“Can tell only one of Grace's eyes looking at finger,” Rocky said, he gently held his xenonite covered claw near the bridge of Grace's nose.
“How?”
“Can hear other eye move away, human eyes leaky and squishy.”
“Yeah, forget I asked,” Grace shuddered.
Rocky tinkered for a few more hours before proudly squealing and hopping.
“I build! Rocky fix Grace's eyes!”
Grace reached out his hand.
“Let cool!” Rocky stomped his foot.
He backed away slightly.
“Safe now,” Rocky said.
Grace slipped them on his face. He could read the emergency instruction signs from their usual science corner now. The tell tale light reflections from the prisms were especially bright in the dimly lit ship. He took them off, inspecting them. Xenonite was highly durable, even more so than his usual polycarbonate lenses. Plus, Rocky had somehow built progressive lenses which were way more comfortable than the bifocals he could afford with his vision insurance through the school he worked at.
“Thanks, Rock.”
“Grace see now question?”
“Yeah, really well actually.” He was honestly impressed.
“Grace doesn't need Rocky to teach echolocation question?”
“Uh, no, maybe later, could come in handy.”
“Why question?”
“You know, if a less friendly alien gouges out my eyes or I accidentally spill chemicals in them and blind myself.”
He shuddered, wiping his sweaty palms on his flight suit. Rocky let out an angry chirp.
“No, no, no, Grace not get hurt, Rocky protect, Grace tell students wear safety goggles, Rocky tell Grace! Grace see like Eridian because is fun and efficient, not because hurt eyes!” Rocky stomped his feet.
“It's okay, bud, I'll be careful, I didn't mean to worry you, it was supposed to be funny, humor.”
“Humor confusing.”
“Yeah sometimes, sorry I made both of us anxious, you don't need to worry about me.”
“Always worry, you leaky space blob, let Rocky talk to other aliens first, make sure is safe.”
“If we find any I will,” Grace rested his hand on the top of Rocky's ball.