Work Text:
”Grace. Did. What?”
I freeze and look over at Rocky, who is holding himself very still over on his side of the barrier wall. We’re both sitting on the floor, neither of us feeling especially stable on our feet yet. I’ve been filling him in on what happened while he was unconscious and incapacitated the last few days. I just got to the part where I opened up the sampler in the replicated Adrian atmosphere in the lab after our fishing trip but didn’t think it was important to replicate the correct temperature because I was too high on painkillers to think straight.
”I, err, left it at room temperature for a while. But they were fine! It’s fine!”
My voice is suddenly much higher than normal, I feel like Ross from that one Friends meme.
”What Grace mean when say ‘room temperature’?”
”Like, normal ambient temperature for a room in my atmosphere. The temperature Mary is right now on my side of the barrier.”
“Mary, what temperature is air in laboratory?” Rocky asks the ship.
”The current air temperature in the laboratory is 63 degrees Fahrenheit or 17 degrees Celsius," Mary answers helpfully.
”Grace say temperature inside sampler minus 51 degrees Celsius?” Rocky continues, his tones are clipped.
“Yeah, that’s what the reader you put on it said.”
”And Grace know laboratory room temperature also suitable for Adrian life sample?”
”No.”
”Then why Grace open sampler in temperature that might be incompatible with Adrian life question? Why Grace not keep sampler closed until Rocky able to help?”
“Because I… I…” I falter. I have no idea what I was thinking other than that I clearly wasn’t thinking at all.
Rocky is actually shaking a little.
”Stupid stupid stupid!” He trills louder than I’ve ever heard him before. “After all danger Grace Rocky go through. Grace almost die! Rocky almost die! If Grace Rocky die all Earth die, all Erid die!”
He is absolutely furious with me and he has every right to be. I’d thought I was making the sample safe but I’d actually risked everything we’d done together. Yes I was under the influence of some pretty strong painkillers when I did it, but I still should have known better. If I’d accidentally killed the life in the sampler by exposing it to those temperatures, we’d be completely fudged now with no way to replicate what we did and get another sample.
Rocky is back to calling me stupid but then pauses mid rant.
”Grace get translator.”
”What?”
”Grace hear fine. Get translator. Go.”
I shuffle away and return a few minutes later with the machine.
”What do we need this for?” I ask, sitting back down and firing up the software.
”Stupid word insufficient for Grace today. Grace going to add new words for Rocky.”
He wants me to add a bunch of new words purely so he can use them against me. I know I deserve this but it still feels like cruel and unusual punishment to have to actually teach someone words for them to then lambast you with them. I’m not stupid enough to say that out loud though.
”OK, first word?” I ask, resigned to my fate.
”Word means much not care about consequences of actions, proceed to act regardless.”
"Word is ‘reckless’,” I say, typing it in while Rocky trills his equivalent.
”Next word mean person without sense, low intelligence, casual word, like stupid.”
"Idiot,” I supply meekly, adding it to the list.
"Next word is like unwise, lacks sense, lacks caution.”
"Foolish,” I sigh. It’s like being slowly insulted by an angry dictionary.
”Next word,” Rocky continues.
”Another one? Haven’t you got enough words to make me feel bad about myself already?”
”Need one more, is important. Means not capable of accountability, immature, thoughtless; should not be given authority to make important decisions.”
"Irresponsible,” I tell him and add it to the vocabulary list. That one hurts. It's not the first time I've been called it. I look up at him and swallow. “OK, let me have it then.”
Rocky jiggles slightly in a motion I’ve come to associate with someone rolling their shoulders, then he stands in his disapproving pose. I stay sitting on the floor and allow him to loom over me as best his stature will allow.
”Grace reckless ♫♪♫♫ idiot!” He begins and he’s actually shouting at me as best he can through the software. “Grace could destroy all Grace Rocky hard work. Grace almost kill all life on Earth and Erid because Grace irresponsible ♫♪♫♫ foolish human! Grace too ♫♪♫♫ impatient to wait for Rocky and work safely. Grace act stupid and not ♫♪♫♫ think! Grace never do that again. Stupid, foolish, irresponsible ♫♪♫♫ idiot!”
All I can do is sit silently looking at the floor and take the verbal onslaught. I am being fully and completely chastised. When I think he’s done, I chance a look up at him and he’s clearly waiting for me.
”What Grace have to say?”
”I’m sorry.”
”Good. Rocky very angry because worried for Earth and Erid. Now Rocky been able to express full opinion, put bad event in past.”
“OK,” I nod, then curiosity gets the better of me. “Erm, Rocky, there was another word you used a lot just then that the translator didn’t pick up.”
“Yes. Rocky not give translation for this.”
“Why not?”
“Grace too young to know rude rude word.”
“Hey! I know 36 is very young to you but I’m a fully grown adult in my culture.”
“Yes, Grace grown adult who says fudge instead of human curse words. Grace too innocent for word.”
“Aww come on, tell me!” I whine.
“No. Grace can stew on it. Will be good punishment.”
Darn it he’s got me. There are two facts I know for certain right now. One, I desperately need to know what that word translates to and two, Rocky will not tell me not matter how much I plead with him. It really is the perfect punishment. I let out a dramatic sigh and I swear I hear him giggle.
”You win for now, but we are coming back to this topic another day.”
”Grace can believe this if Grace wants.”
I glare at him.
”I’m going to sleep.”
”Good, Grace sleep. Be less stupid tomorrow.”
I stick my tongue out at him, grab my blanket, and crawl over to sulk in my bed. Dammit, maybe I really am too young for that word after all.