Work Text:
Rocky had long since abandoned any projects now, seven Earth hours into Grace's sleep. He honestly found human sleep fascinating in a horrifying way. They were so loud when they slept. Grace would twitch a lot, sometimes completely rolling over, and sometimes he would even talk in his sleep, though most of the time it was complete nonsense. His breathing and heart rate were slower than when he was awake, but they were also still there, and sometimes, like right now, Grace’s breathing was louder, making a sort of droning noise. Rocky wondered if that was because Grace was on his stomach right now instead of on his side like he normally slept.
Rocky felt a small thrill of amusement as he remembered Grace faceplanting on his bed before promptly passing out. They had ‘partied’ for a while. After Grace came back from seeing Rocky’s ship, he'd gotten quieter for a bit, and then he'd dug out a bag filled with a strange liquid that Grace had explained humans drank for fun. Rocky had learned pretty quickly that the drink made humans extremely stupid. Grace had been even clumsier than he usually was, slurring his words and laughing at nothing by the time he'd drained the bag, and eventually Rocky had had to use his ball to nudge Grace to his bed before he passed out on the floor.
Humans were so strange.
Rocky shifted a little, tapping softly against the xenonite a few times to get a clearer picture of Grace. While there were many things Rocky found strange about humans, the strangest to him was that apparently they didn't need to watch each other sleep. How would they stay safe if nobody was there to watch them sleep? Grace had explained that it was because humans could wake up quickly, and Rocky had observed by now that Grace was easy to accidentally awaken many times now, but still. Grace didn't look any less vulnerable while sleeping than an Eridian did.
Rocky tapped his claws together, ‘lost in thought’ as Grace would say. Grace wouldn't have anyone to watch him sleep again soon. They had found the astrophage predator. Rocky had promised to give Grace enough astrophage to go home. Rocky could now go home after so many years alone, but . . . they would both be alone again.
Rocky sunk lower, pulling his limbs closer to himself. He didn't want to be alone again, even if he knew he was going home. He had been alone for so long . . . no one to watch him sleep. And then Grace had come, and they had found the way to save their stars, something Rocky had been unable to do for 46 Earth years. Rocky wasn't a scientist. He was just an engineer, surviving when his crew didn't by luck alone. Because of Grace, Rocky could now go home. And because of Rocky, now Grace could go home too.
But there would still be no one to watch either of them sleep.
Rocky knew it didn't bother Grace if nobody watched him sleep, but . . . but it bothered Rocky. Nobody would be there to protect his friend.
Rocky sank fully to the floor with a dull thunk, air escaping his vents in an imitation of what Grace did sometimes when he was sad or frustrated. This wasn't a problem that Rocky could fix. They both needed to go home. Their planets needed them.
If only Rocky could build something to keep Grace safe. Rocky tilted a little to the side as he got an idea. It wouldn't be the same, not really, but maybe he could . . .
Rocky stood up, carefully gathering his things to begin sculpting.
~~~~~
Grace woke slowly, and immediately regretted it when he did. His head was pounding in time with his heartbeat, and he let out a groan, reaching up with clumsy fingers to rub his face, which was half pressed into his pillow.
Oh. Oh the vodka had been a horrible idea actually. At least he'd finished it off last night so he wouldn't be tempted again. Or at least . . . he thought he had. Everything was kind of a blur now.
⟨⟨Grace awake, question?⟩⟩
Grace winced as the volume of the computerized voice made his headache spike.
“No,” he mumbled, turning his face into his pillow.
⟨⟨Grace sound awake⟩⟩
Grace sighed loudly, but it was muffled by the pillow, before he turned his head to look over at his alien friend.
Rocky was in his xenonite tunnel next to Grace's bed, one claw pressed against it, his carapace tilted in his direction.
⟨⟨Happy morning!⟩⟩ The trill of Rocky's real voice underneath the translator was way too cheerful in Grace's opinion.
“It's ‘good morning’,” Grace sighed, rolling over onto his back so he could rub his face with both hands, “And it really isn't.”
⟨⟨Grace ok, question?⟩⟩
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh, dropping his hands onto his chest and blinking blearily at the ceiling, “Just have a headache, that's all.”
⟨⟨Why, question?⟩⟩
Grace sat up with difficulty, biting back another wince as the room spun a bit. He was definitely going to ask Mary for painkillers.
“The vodka,” he explained, swinging his legs over the side of the bed facing Rocky and squinting up at him, “It's called a hangover.”
⟨⟨Ah yes the stupid juice⟩⟩ Rocky said, bobbing his carapace in the imitation of a nod he'd picked up from Grace ⟨⟨Rocky no like the stupid juice. Make Grace more stupid than he already is⟩⟩
Grace let out a choked wheeze, immediately regretting the laugh as it made his head feel like it was about to split open.
“Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with you there bud,” he replied with a strained smile before sliding off the bed and onto his feet. He only swayed a little bit thankfully, before he walked over to Armando to request some ibuprofen.
After downing the pills with a cup of water the robot handed him, he turned back to Rocky.
“Oh—kay time to start the day,” he said, stretching one of his arms over his head, making his spine pop. Rocky shuddered at the sound and Grace couldn't help but smirk a little. He’d long since gotten used to Rocky thinking a lot of human things were gross, and now he found Rocky’s disgust pretty funny. It was good payback for all the times Rocky riled him up. Grace knew Rocky was doing it on purpose, despite how much the Eridian feigned innocence.
⟨⟨Rocky have something for Grace!⟩⟩ Rocky said, bouncing up and down a little before beginning to scuttle away down his tunnel ⟨⟨Follow! Follow!⟩⟩
“Wait, wha—?” Grace blinked before quickly following Rocky out of the room toward the lab, “What do you mean you have something for me?”
⟨⟨I make while watch you sleep!⟩⟩ Rocky said, wiggling a little as he stopped next to the little drawer he'd built to transfer things between his and Grace’s atmospheres. He pointed at a little box inside the drawer.
“Oh,” Grace stared at the box for a second before he said, “You didn't have to make me anything, I said it was fine that you didn't get me anything, and you showed me your ship anyway so—”
⟨⟨Grace open!⟩⟩ Rocky interrupted, stomping once for emphasis.
“Ok ok!” Grace held up his hands placatingly before reaching into the drawer to take out the thankfully already cool xenonite box.
He spent probably a bit too long fiddling with it trying to figure out how it opened because Rocky said ⟨⟨Is hatch. Not twist⟩⟩
Grace found the seam at the same moment, popping the box open. “Yeah yeah, I know,” he groused, before he looked inside.
It looked like a little figurine. Grace reached in and carefully took it out. It was a mini Rocky. Standing tall on five little legs, it could easily sit in his palm.
⟨⟨So Grace not forget⟩⟩ Rocky said softly. ⟨⟨Grace like?⟩⟩ he added, and when Grace looked back up at him he was tapping his claws nervously together.
Grace smiled softly.
“I love it buddy.”