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It wasn't every day that you found yourself living on a extra-terrestrial planet, in fact, it wasn't something you'd usually ever think of doing, but it was something that Grace accepted the moment he stepped foot on Erid's soil all those years before, his ribs poking from underneath his skin and his body weak from months of malnutrition he had been forced to endure.
To say that he had been ill when he and Rocky had finally reached the planet would have been an understatement, because Grace was practically on the verge of death by the time the Hail Mary had descended into orbit. It was something he had thought about over and over whenever a moment of silence had appeared to him, the feelings of weakness and hunger being something his body still remembered even after he had been cured from the illnesses that plagued him, and though it wasn't a pleasant experience, it reminded him of how lucky he had been to survive it at all. Rocky had worked endlessly once they had arrived on Erid to ensure that Grace wouldn't die, and with his knowledge leading the way, the Eridian Doctors had been quick to synthesise the beginnings of the many nutrients and vitamins Grace's body needed to work properly, admitting them into his system as quickly as they could.
It was a slow process to become healthy once the diseases had been eradicated, after all, all fat and muscle mass that Grace once held had been sucked dry by his starving body, but the days soon turned into months, and before he knew it, Grace finally felt comfortable enough to say that he was feeling better. There were a few missing pieces, of course, mainly the fact that he would never get to eat an earth-made hamburger slathered with thick, cheesy sauce ever again, but he was alive, and that was enough for him.
But building a life on a completely new planet, one that was entirely different to the world that you had grown up in, was hard, and it was no secret that Grace was getting worse the older he got, his bones grinding together every time he walked and the sound of constant cracks and pops quickly becoming background noise as the years went by.
Unforunately, this was just the price Grace paid for choosing to stay on a planet that had twice the amount of gravity that he was used to, and though it meant that he would only get another 20 or so years out of his body, Grace would make that choice every single time as long as he could stay with his best friend.
And so, when Rocky had come to him one day and brought up a way for him to live a longer life on Erid, Grace thought he was purposely pulling on his leg.
It had taken him a while to truly understand that Rocky had not been teasing him when he had brought up the idea of moving Grace into an Eridian body, and the moments after this realisation had been filled with tears, loud and blubbering to Rocky's sense as he clacked his claws together nervously.
Happy tears, Grace had assured him as he wiped the wetness from his face, smile wide, and the mere words were enough to make the Eridian realise that Grace had not been upset at the idea of losing the body that he had grown up in, but he had instead been happy that he didn't have to say goodbye.
Because in the end, Grace was just as upset to leave Rocky one day, and the idea of being able to spend many more years with his best friend brought more relief than he could express.
The world was dull against Grace's senses as awareness crept in, slow and steady as he found himself being pulled from a sleep deeper than he had realised.
It was strange, Grace thought as the sensation of his body got his attention, limbs heavy and what he thought to be his torso feeling oddly angled as he sat scrunched up. He hadn't remembered going to bed, hell he hadn't even remembered being in his dome, but somehow he was on the floor and sat in a way that could not have been comfortable.
The last thing he did remember was lying down on the bed that the Eridian Doctors had created for him, and then-
Oh.
That's right.
He was an Eridian now.
The memory rushed into his mind like a flood once it had been sparked, and the dull surroundings that sat in front of him now made sense as Grace remembered the last thing he had promised to Rocky.
That the transfer would work, and that he wouldn't mysteriously die halfway through.
Rocky had grown anxious just before the swap had occurred, and despite knowing that his worries were silly, a part of him was still adamant that something was going to go wrong, claws tapping against the floor nervously as he studied the Doctors apprehensively. Grace had just laughed at his fidgeting, smile amused, and with a pat to his Xenonite-covered carapace, he assured him that nothing would happen. He had the best Doctors on Erid, and his best friend would be the one to ensure that his fleshy, human body would be treated correctly during the whole process.
In the end, the transfer had worked like intended, and the longer Grace sat in his new body, the more he realised the world around him was slowly coming to life, vibrations hitting his torso- no, his carapace, as the faintest blurs could be heard shuffling around him.
The Eridian Doctors, Grace quickly understood the blurs to be, were going about their final checks now that Grace was fully situated in his new body, and it didn't take long for Grace to notice the blur that was sitting closer to him, shape muffled and unsteady but nonetheless a figure he was able to recognise.
It was Rocky, he noted, the other Eridian sat a few feet away as he warbled softly. The words went straight through Grace as he sat and attempted to listen, and it didn't take long for him to realise that it was because his chords had been unintelligible to start with, nothing more than different pitches of whistles and whines.
He had been expecting something of the sort, after all, a whole new body came with a whole new learning curve, but Grace had been wanting to hear his best friend the very moment he woke up, not at a later date once he had settled into his body.
Impatience bubbled up in his carapace as he sat helpless, and without really thinking about it, Grace lifted what he assumed to be a finger and tapped it down onto the ground in irritation, aiming to show his displeasure at having to wait.
But that action did more than he was intending it to, and soon enough, Grace nearly jumped on the spot when the room around him suddenly rippled to life, the blurs he had once been trying so hard to focus on becoming solid as everything around echoed back at him.
It was exhilarating and overwhelming all at the same time, and he was desperate to see more.
"Grace okay, question?" The words he had once been unable to understand came to him with ease now that he had given himself a vantage point to hear from, and focusing his attention on the shape that was in front of him, Grace watched as Rocky shuffled closer, the other Eridian excited to see that he had moved, even if it was just briefly.
I'm okay, Grace had wanted to say, but when he had opened his mouth to voice his well-being, all that came out was a strangled warble, his Eridian chords unintelligible as he aimed to speak English through a mouth (if he could even call it that??) that wasn't able to produce the needed sounds.
.
.
.
Well...
Grace paused as the sound finally died down, and feeling a rush of awkwardness flood over him, he was internally grateful that he no longer had a fleshy body that could turn bright red. That could have gone better, he found himself thinking, but knowing that Rocky was waiting for him, Grace pushed it aside to instead tap his claw on the ground.
Rocky twitched the moment he heard the response, and soon crouching down and tucking his legs underneath his carapace, he came to sit beside Grace's new body, a soft trill leaving him.
"Grace cannot speak yet. Is okay." Rocky said calmly, rocking from side to side for a moment as he got comfortable. "Will learn later."
Grace had long learned Eridian since arriving on the planet, and so to hear Rocky intentionally structuring his words like English after speaking with Eridian grammar for so long was odd, his words now slower and understandable.
It was something that Grace realised was being done to ensure that he wasn't overwhelmed, and he wouldn't be lying to say that he was quite thankful for it.
"Want to try out legs now, question?" Rocky's voice soon came again once he had given Grace enough time to process what he had said, one of his legs tapping the ground in wonder as he sat patiently.
Grace had finally started to get a feel of his body, the vibration that Rocky sent off lapping over his carapace in waves, and the suggestion of getting up was quick to send an excited shiver up through his carapace.
His claws twitched in anticipation as he brought his attention back down to them, and moving one leg after the other, they all shakily lifted into the air before tapping back down, the world echoing back to him as he felt out the movement.
It was a lot, trying to control more than two legs at a time, but something was happening, and when Rocky saw this, he let out an excited warble, legs tapping against the floor in response as he shot up.
"Happy happy happy!" He whistled, spinning around on the spot. "Grace try and get up, question?" He then asked once he stopped, tapping his two closest limbs together in a behaviour that Grace knew to be all too familiar.
He was nervous, even if the main worry had passed.
Grace hummed at the idea of standing up, a noise that was the same no matter what language he spoke, and tapping his claws to get a better idea of where things were around him, he finally felt confident enough to get up out of the nest that he had been sitting in. A blanket was sat snuggly around him, something that Grace only processed now, and as he opened his hands and planted them onto the floor, he felt the way it moved underneath him.
It was weird to see the world without colour, the blanket that he had once understood to be red now being a soft grey as it echoed back to him through his echolocation.
It was soft against his hardened feet (That was another thing he had noticed. Things felt different against his 'skin'.), and Grace noted that it had been muting the world around him as he finally secured his feet in place and stood up, body shaking a little more than he had wanted.
He felt like a newborn foal, unsteady and uncoordinated on its feet.
"Grace up!" A high-pitched trill came from nearby as Rocky witnessed him stand on his own, and hearing as he scurried forward, Grace focused on the other Eridian as his legs wobbled, body unstable as he stood awkwardly.
He hadn't noticed it at first, but he had been standing with just four limbs for the past few moments, and when Rocky noticed just why he was so off-balanced, he was quick to circle him, footsteps echoing back to Grace as he moved away.
"Put leg down. Easier." Rocky said as he lifted one of his 'front' legs, and when Grace felt the soft touch of three fingers against the leg he had been calling the 'very back one', a shiver rushed through his carapace, a soft chirp of surprise exiting his body.
It was, indeed, easier to stand with all five legs, Grace noted quickly as his body stabilised itself ever so slightly, but he wasn't able to think deeper about that as he froze on the spot, mind unable to process that Rocky had just touched him.
Without a barrier between them.
Rocky let out trill of excitement in response, and the action pulled Grace out of his thoughts as he realised he could see Rocky standing behind him, the desire to widen the eyes that he no longer had coming over him.
Yet again, another thing I will never get used to.
Grace found himself thinking, shifting his carapace to the side as he unconsciously tried to roll his eyes. It didn't work, just like the last attempt to use his eyes had.
Standing was coming to him easily now, all five of his feet planted on the ground steadily, and with the confidence that came with achieving it so quickly, Grace wanted to take a step forward, his body practically vibrating with excitement.
Walking should be just as easy as standing, right? Granted, he had to move more than two legs now, but Grace had gotten the hang of standing up with all five upright, and it shouldn't be any harder to simply move them one after the other.
.
.
.
Or so he thought. The moment Grace lifted his legs proved to be a fatal move for him, and before he could stop himself, he had fallen forward with a panicked warble, tripping over his own limbs and landing away from the nest with an awkward sprawl.
"Grace?!" Rocky had panicked, of course, and rushing towards him, he came to his side once again, claws tapping on the ground anxiously as he waited for Grace to respond.
There was nothing worse than tripping in front of someone, and so feeling the bashfulness in his carapace rise higher, Grace did nothing more than simply right himself with a soft hum, front limbs pressing together in an attempt to hide his shame.
It didn't take Rocky long to catch the way Grace was feeling, and seeing that he wasn't injured like he had orginally feared, he soon pushed a sigh from his vent and settled down again.
"Grace too impatient." He said with a soft jab to the side, his seemingly sharp words unable to hide the amusement that was hidden underneath. Grace just huffed in response. Rocky was known for telling everyone he could about the many falls that Grace endured back on the Hail Mary. He knew this time would be no different.
It took Grace a moment to finally want to try again, carapace lifting off the ground once he had enough of sprawling around, and forcing his legs outwards, he stumbled around in an attempt to find his ground, adamant that he was not going to fall again.
"Do not rush. Will hurt yourself." Rocky warbled out the moment he was up again, gracefully stepping closer to watch over him.
Rocky's ability to use five different legs all at once had always left Grace in awe, and even now, he found himself watching the way the Eridian propelled himself with such ease, each leg working with the other like an elegant dance.
It was a simple process really, similar to that of a spider, and after collecting enough data, Grace swallowed his pride and finally raised his leg. He would never learn if he didn't try.
Placing his claws in front of himself came with ease, his limb following his order perfectly, and once he was sure he wasn't going to fall over, he raised another, until all five of his limbs had moved and he had inched ever so slightly forward.
His carapace had jutted slightly at the sudden push of weight, but Grace was quick to catch himself, body stabilising as quickly as it shifted. Rocky let out a pleased chitter in response, and stepping closer, he urged Grace to continue, his carapace held up in excitement.
The next few steps were easy, each foot gliding forward without any trouble, and Grace almost thought he was getting the hang of it as he stumbled on, his excitement rising the further he got.
But just like the time before, Grace had grown too confident in his ability to walk in a body that he had only been in for a few minutes, and before he knew it, he had tripped over his legs and fallen once more.
A squeak of panic left his carapace the moment he felt one of his 'back' legs hit his 'front' leg, but the feeling didn't stay in his body for long before Rocky rushed forward to grab a hold of him, clawed hands grappling to hold him as he pushed Grace back up to his feet.
"Grace!" He called out in a hurry, claws tightening around Grace's as the two stood carapace to carapace. Grace could feel his body shaking as he struggled to stay upright on only three legs, but Rocky wasn't going to let him fall, the other Eridian holding onto him tightly.
Assured that he would be fine, Grace moved his back legs to a more comfortable location before he squeezed Rocky's hand as carefully as he could. Walking might be easier if he had someone to hold onto, after all, he had noticed Rocky walking with his 'front' legs raised more than once.
"Grace ready to try again, question?" Rocky, however, misunderstood what the squeezing had meant, and when Grace felt him putting his hands down, he was unable to stop the string of startled noises that left him, claws scrambling to grip Rocky's hand once again.
Rocky responded back with a startled chord of his own, stumbling back a brief moment as Grace pushed against him, but once he realised that he had just been nervous, Rocky settled, readjusting his claws to hold Grace's hands more easily.
"Stupid." Rocky said softly, amusement laced within his words. Grace just huffed again at this, air coming out of his vents, but the soft teasing was soon ignored once Rocky stepped back carefully.
Grace tensed as he felt Rocky pulling on his hands, and feeling as his carapace shifted forward, his legs scrambled to follow, shaking a bit too dramatically.
"Do not fall." Rocky whistled, steps slow as he led Grace across the room.
"Try-ing." Grace attempted shakily, his chords unsteady as he slowly placed his legs on the ground one after the other. The only reason he remembered how to say this particular word was that it was so frequently used on the Hail Mary. It was practically ingrained in his brain at this point.
Rocky trilled softly at hearing Grace respond, his 'thumb' claw tapping against Grace's hand happily, and the touch shot through Grace's body once again, rippling through his carapace and causing air to rush out of his vent.
If Rocky had noticed the reaction, he didn't mention it, focusing his attention on leading Grace forward.
They practised for what felt like minutes, Grace managing to take a few steps without falling over, and once he was confident he could walk without assistance, Grace finally let go of Rocky's hands, pretending that he didn't notice the loss of warmth.
"Grace try by himself, question?" Rocky asked as he stepped back to give Grace some space, 'front' claws shaking in front of his carapace excitedly. Jazz hands, Grace knew it to be. He wondered if he would be able to replicate the same movement without falling over.
A noise of agreement left Grace as he straightened his own carapace and pushed the thought side, and soon tapping his feet to see more of the ground around him, he finally pushed one leg forward, remembering the last few minutes of practice he had done.
The first few steps were alright, wobbly but balanced, and it didn't take long until Grace had reached the middle of the small room they were in, now a few feet(Eridian Feet, that is) away from his starting point. It was exciting, Grace noting as his carapace shook with euphoria, and each step further made him want to continue on until his new legs ached with hurt.
"Amaze Amaze Amaze!" Grace could hear Rocky cheering him on in the background as he slowly increased his speed, and his words of encouragement urged him to try and make his first lap around the room, the weight of his carapace strange but quickly becoming familiar as his legs got used to moving all at once.
It was too easy, he thought to himself as he brimmed with confidence, his carapace rising higher the more he felt his balance grow. He no longer needed to be so aware of what each of his legs was doing as they moved in sync, propelling forward without him even needing to put all of his energy into it.
That is until he ended up tripping on one of said legs.
It took no more than a few seconds for Grace to stumble, and before he knew it, his carapace had done a complete roll over and landed on the ground with a splat, legs splayed out in all different directions as a startled noise left his mouth once more.
Chirps of laughter were the first thing Grace heard once he had fallen, and he very quickly realised that it was Rocky who had been making such a noise as the other Eridian took his time in coming over, carapace high as amusement practically radiating from his body.
"Like pebble." Rocky teased him once he had stopped beside him, poking his shell with a singular claw.
"Shut." Grace just huffed out finally, vents hissing in embarrassment.
Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as good at this as he originally thought he was, after all.