Chapter Text
The sound of waves splashing across the surface fills the salty air inside the biodome. It's calm, creating a peaceful white noise encapsulating the entire biodome.
The feeling of the cool, smooth rocks underneath your fingertips creates a soothing feeling that practically brings you to sleep. This is a common position you find yourself in on Erid, laying down on the beach while peacefully listening to the environment created for both you and Ryland.
While the man in question found his calling on Erid quickly as a teacher, you found yourself still figuring out what you want to do as a job to keep yourself occupied. In doing so, you tend to spend your time chatting with Adrian about life on Erid and sharing about Earth in return.
During the times where both Ryland and Adrian are gone, you find yourself lonely. After spending so long with both of your crewmates for years in space without a moment of being alone, it's been a hard adjustment to having time by yourself. Your alone time was something you used to treasure back when you lived on Earth. Now, it was something that you dreaded, as it meant you were alone with your thoughts.
Your mind would usually get interrupted from said thoughts the moment Ryland would walk back in through the door, chatting about his students endearingly, with the fondest look in his eyes as he recounted the day's events. Your home had a sense of domesticity in the air, as you both converse with one another while doing mundane tasks, such as folding the laundry or stitching a hole in someone's clothes back together. You couldn’t imagine ever wanting anything less than this.
However, you easily imagine wanting more. Something more than just the two of you. A family.
It was something you thought about often, selfishly bringing another person into you and Ryland’s life just because you were lonely. It was something you’ve talked about before with your husband during your chats about what the future would hold. You loved seeing how he interacted with his students on Erid and on Earth and you always knew in your heart that he would make an amazing father.
Some part of you hoped it would be possible to have kids of your own here on Erid, but that fantasy was broken easily the moment you were brought to the Eridian hospitals. From the stress your body underwent with the long-term coma, to the stress of saving two planets, and the malnutrition on the way to Erid, it had left an impact on your body.
You’ve recovered as a fully functioning human in Erid’s conditions, but on the inside your reproductive health would never recover. It was something you had come to terms with over the few years you’ve been living on Erid, but it never truly stopped the hole you felt in your heart when you thought about what your life could have been like with Ryland if you were still on Earth.
After sulking for a bit, you pick yourself up by the bootstraps and continue on your merry way, making the most out of this beautiful life that you have now. You have people doting on your every move 24/7, alien best friends, and a wonderful, handsome husband.
Although in recent months, it seems as though the desire to start a family with your husband has increased tenfold in both you and Ryland.
Many of Rylands students have expressed how they are getting younger siblings, and in the curiosity of all children, ask their teacher all the time about when he is going to have ‘eggs’ of his own. He of course waves them off every time, giving a vague answer and trying desperately to change the subject, but this only seems to encourage them. It seems that was a trait that was shared across all Eridians, not just Rocky.
As a result, this gets brought up a lot during your daily conversations with him about how his day went. The thought of having a larger family was constantly on your minds and it was evident enough that your alien friends have begun to notice.
“(Name) okay, question?”
Your thoughts get interrupted by the presence of the teal-ish eridian next to you. For being larger than Rocky, Adrian has a bad habit of sneaking up on you without a sound. After getting over your initial shock, you sit up from your position on the ground, moving to look head-on with your friend.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Why do you ask?” You tilt your head a bit in confusion. It wasn’t as if your moments on the beach were unheard of. Adrian begins to fidget with one of the pebbles on the beach absentmindedly.
“(Name) has been…distracted lately.” You could hear the concern in the eridian's voice. “Distracted state has been more than normal. Worry Adrian.”
You don’t want to bother the alien with the complex feelings of wanting to expand your family. For god’s sake, they were a world-class scientist. They had better things to worry about than a squishy alien and their feelings.
You wave off Adrian, a weak smile across your face. “It’s fine, really. I’ve just been caught up with my thoughts.” You look away from the Eridian, hoping they don’t dig any further.
Adrian shuffles in place, tilting their carapace towards you. “Thoughts about what, question?”
Damn it.
“Just about the future, y’know? What to do, what me and Ry’s relationship will be like, and lots of other stuff.” You hope the answer will satisfy the eridian, even if said answer was vague.
“(Name) lies. Can see heart rate and blood pressure increase. Not good. Please tell Adrian thoughts, statement.” Adrian taps their foot into the ground lightly as an emphasis to their request.
Between the eridian duo, Adrian was definitely the calmer and more collected one. It was something you enjoyed, creating a very welcoming presence after being stuck with Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum (Ryland and Rocky) for years. They had a very grounding personality, something that you often looked for atop this foreign planet.
Speaking of which, this means that when Adrian does provide emphasis (such as tapping their foot…) it means that they are really serious. You sigh, realizing that you need to just come clean about your feelings. You mentally damn the eridians and their ability to work as a living lie detector. You don’t want to just spring it on the alien, so you ask a question to try and ease the topic into conversation.
“Adrian…have you and Rocky ever thought of starting a family?” You question, fidgeting with the ends of your sleeves.
“Don’t need to. Adrian Rocky already family. Family started when Rocky Adrian become mates.” They tilt their carapace to the side almost in confusion, a little human quirk that Adrian has picked up in the time they’ve spent with you and Ryland.
“No, I mean like having kids or um…eggs…?” You don’t know the cultural term for ‘having kids’ but from your knowledge of eridian biology it might be eggs? Who knows, you don’t get out much.
“Oh. Understand. Was discussed before Rocky leave to space. Is wish to have eggs in future when, as human say, time is right.” They take a small step closer towards you. “Is (Name) wanting eggs, question?”
Your cheeks dust a bit out of embarrassment from discussing the topic with your friend, but you nod.
“Yeah, it's been something me and Ryland have discussed. I mean, don’t get me wrong! I am perfectly happy with how life is right now. I just…sometimes I wish that it was more than just me and him in our little family…you know?” You avoid looking at the alien during all of this, staring down at the too-large grains of sand. Adrian knew about your reproductive health, as they were one of the scientists that were there when you were given the news.
The alien is quiet for a moment, taking in the words you just expressed, before speaking up.
“...Understand.” They shift and move closer, leaning up against you through their xenosuit. They were much larger than Rocky. While Rocky only reached around your mid-thigh in height, Adrian reached your waist.
A comforting silence floated through the air as you both sat there together.
“...Adrian had similar feeling when Rocky in space. Adrian family in space. Adrian left alone on Erid.”
The words cut through you deep. On your way to Erid, you wondered how Adrian felt waiting for Rocky. You knew it had to be gut-wrenching, but knowing now that Rocky was their entire family, it twisted the knife in your heart a little more.
You lean your head on the top of Adrian’s carapace, watching as the eridian-made sunset goes down across the beach. Silence encapsulates you both, comforted in the presence of one another.
Unbeknownst to you, a similar conversation was happening back at the house. Albeit… a little louder.
A table shakes, almost knocking over the papers sitting atop it as Ryland’s back lands against the table. A few feet away, the melodic laughing of Rocky can be heard.
“Ack- come here!-” Ryland shouts with a smirk on his face, quickly getting up and going to chase after the eridian.
“Grace weak and slow. Can push Grace over easy-” Rocky says, skittering away as he gets chased by Ryland. In the eridian’s hands is your husband’s hat, which he had stolen moments ago.They run until they are on either side of the couch, neither moving one direction or another so as to not get caught or lose the other. Both have very open body language, ready to sprint when needed.
While in his western showdown between him and Rocky, something catches his attention through the window. While he doesn’t have the greatest eyesight, he can still make out your figure sitting at the beach, something he knows you’ve been doing a lot recently, alongside Adrian.
Before he can dwell on the sight any longer, Rocky takes his chance and books it while the other is distracted. Ryland’s focus snaps back into the game of cat and mouse they had been playing, sprinting to catch up with him.
Rocky’s laughter echoes through the walls of the house before quickly stopping, realizing he had been backed into a corner during the pursuit. Ryland’s face perks up in a smirk as he closes in on Rocky.
“Not so fun now, huh? I gotcha! -” He shouts, pouncing towards the eridian, reaching for the hat. This attempt is futile, as all it does is prompt Rocky to pounce at the man back. This results in a play-fight scuffle in the middle of your guys’ living room.
Ryland grunts and laughs can be overheard throughout the tumble, as well as Rocky’s squeals of excitement in return. If you were there watching this play out, you would smile and shake your head at the boy-ish antics they often got up to.
The scuffle ends in both of them laying on the ground, exhausted and sprawled out. Ryland breaths heavily as he weakly shoves his fist in the air holding the hat. “...I…. got it….”. Rocky is no different, with his vents working faster to regulate his temperature after all that action.
“Rocky let Grace win, statement.”
“...Okay pal…whatever you say…” Ryland breathlessly muses, a smirk growing on his face, even though he knows for a fact that Rocky is right about him winning.
They lay there for a minute in silence. As Ryland’s body regulates itself after that pursuit, his mind continues to rattle on. He thinks back to when he saw you and Adrian through the window. What were you two talking about? Before his curiosity can continue to run wild, he thinks back to the conversation you two had when he got back from teaching the day before.
The talk had been another heart-to-heart about wanting a family, wanting kids of your own. The feelings he had felt during that chat rush back to him, as the smile washes away on his face and his eyebrows furrow a bit.
Rocky, the genius he is, senses the mood shift in his friend, clicking softly to get a better look at what was going on with Ryland.
“Why Grace sad, question? Rocky did not break hat, even if hat is ugly.”
His words get a snort out of Ryland. The man shakes his head before turning to look at the alien. “No, it's not that. It's something else. It’s not important though.”
If Rocky could do an eyeroll, now would be the time he would use it. “Humans so vague. Bad bad bad. Not helpful to Rocky at all. Just say thought so Rocky can fix.”
Rocky pushes his claw against Ryland’s arm, urging him to just let out what he was thinking about. Ryland pushes his arm back against Rocky in retaliation.
“Ok bud calm down, but you can’t really fix this one.” Ryland looks back to the ceiling as he talks. “(Name) and I have been talking about wanting kids. Like, kids of our own. Have been for months, but the feeling has gotten really strong lately.”
His chest tightens a bit at the confession, thinking back to the tears in your eyes during yesterday's conversation. Even though Rocky can be a bit of a diva, he knows when to calm it down.
“Oh.”
That is all the Eridian says in response. Silence fills the room as they both lay there calmly. Rocky has been there for you both during your arrival on Erid. Translating for you, advocating for your safety, and consequently, delivering the news of your condition to you. Rocky understood the sadness behind the usually joyful thoughts.
Ryland cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable in the prolonged silence. “Alright well, y'know we can’t do anything about it so we’ve made peace with it.” He goes to stand up, brushing some dust off his pants and putting on a brave smile, hoping the eridian would forget about it.
Unfortunately for him, Eridians remember everything. Rocky knows he's lying about making peace with it. Hell, Ryland hasn’t made peace with anything in his damn life. But, the alien doesn’t mention anything for the man's sake, knowing that in this moment it wouldn’t bring about any good.
“Hey, weren’t you going to teach me how to play that one board game? The one with the sticks and stuff?” Ryland tries to change the subject, going over to his bookshelf that is filled with both Eridian and Human board games and books. He starts looking through the games, reading the names of each one. “Which one was it again?”
“...♫♬♪♪♫♩. It is good one.” Rocky doesn’t press on any further and goes along with the distraction Ryland is providing. They both sit on the floor, Ryland losing at this complicated game to Rocky while soft music plays throughout the house.
It’s a good distraction, but it can only work for so long.