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Realizing that he never volunteered for a suicide mission was not on Grace’s bingo card. I mean, neither was finding and befriending an alien, but here we are. It was a shock really to his very fragile mental state. But who was he kidding? He was never brave. Not like Rocky thinks. Unless you count what he was doing right now. He was racing towards said best friend in an effort to rescue him. What made it worse was the fact that he was flying blind. He only had a general estimate of where Rocky would be, but it was good enough for him. He was going to save him. Anyways, back to what he was saying. He wasn’t brave. He begged. He screamed. Hell, he even tried to run away from the mission. Look where he is now.
“Mary, how much longer until we reach our destination?”
“Approximately 18 hours, 6 mins, 3 seconds and counting, ”
“Thank you Mary.”
Sighing, he made his way to his bed. He got comfortable, wrapping the blanket around him and burying his face into the pillow. He couldn’t look up at the empty barrier. He didn’t want to look up and be reminded of the fact that his friend wasn’t with him. That his friend could be dead- A sob left him, and curled into himself more. Rocky wasn’t dead. He can’t be. He could feel the wave of exhaustion hit him, and he closed his eyes. He needed to sleep. He was woken up from the sound of the alarms from the taumoeba escaping, and hadn’t slept since then. Thirty minutes later, he was dragging himself out of bed, and making his way to the Taumoeba farms. His blanket was wrapped around his shoulders in an effort to keep warm. He just couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes all he could picture was Rocky dying or being forced violently onto the Hail Mary. Both thoughts made him nauseated. He ran his fingers over the scar on his arm and took in a deep breath. He was going to save Rocky.
“Coffee, please.”
---
He found him! He sees the ship in the distance. Adjusting his course, he started scrambling to prepare. First things first. He down his coffee and took in a shaky breath. He ignored the way his stomach twisted, begging for anything but liquid caffeine. His body ached and he could feel the way he swayed when standing still. He couldn’t risk closing his eyes though in fear of collapsing on the spot. Pushing himself forward, he continued on with his preparations. He triple checked the farms, made sure things were cleaned up, and double checked that the course was on track. The next thing he knew, he was hurrying to put on his suit, and staring out the airlock.
“Rocky!? Rocky, where are you!? Please answer me.”
He was scrambling towards Blip-A, ending up at the barrier where they first met. He squinted, adrenaline running through him as he tried to make out anything. He didn’t see Rocky. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Was his friend dead?
“Don’t be dead, bud. Please god.” He whispered, before taking in another deep breath. “Rocky! Bud, please!”
He banged hard against the ship trying to get his attention, repeatedly calling out his name. Finally, he noticed movement in the distance. The familiar figure of Rocky appeared from the depths of the ship.
“Rocky!”
“Grace, question!?”
“Yeah, it’s me bud. The taumoeba farms. We might have, uh, made them a little too good at being adaptable…”
“Rocky notice… Tried to fix, but not fast enough. No astrophage left…”
“It’s not your fault bud.” Grace reached out and pressed a hand against the barrier. Rocky quickly pressed his hand against it as well. He couldn’t help but smile. “Come on, let’s connect the ships and get you moved in.”
---
“I’m making you move all my bags when we get to Erid.” Grace grumbled. It had taken two hours to get everything Rocky needed for the journey home moved over into Mary. First, Rocky had to pack the bags, which he demanded Grace make room for on the ship. Therefore, he had to clean out a spot to pile all the bags in the meantime. Once the packing was done, he had to move all the bags by himself. Rocky had the lovely excuse of being in his ball. Despite all this, he could finally breathe knowing that Rocky was safe on his ship.
“Grace whine whine whine. Could have brought more.”
“Yeah yeah. Laugh it up.”
Grace dropped the last bag onto the ground, before taking a step back. Finally, he was done. Now, he just needed to disconnect the tunnel and set the course for Erid. He took a step back and let out a shaky breath. Exhaustion hammered through him. One more hour. He could last one more hour.
“Grace okay, question?”
“Sorry sorry. I just needed a second… and some more coffee.”
Rocky trilled, rolling forward and pressing lightly against Grace’s legs.“Grace heart beat fast fast fast. Too much coffee. Take break, question?”
“No. I’ve got to remove the tunnel and set the course to Erid then I’ll rest.”
“Grace…”
“Fine, I’ll skip the coffee, happy?”
“Take break, then Rocky be happy…”
“It’s just another hour, bud. I’ll be okay.”
Brushing a hand against the top of Rocky’s ball, he ignored the angry chirp sent his way and made his way towards the tunnel to disconnect it. An hour later he was dragging himself out of the pilot seat of the Hail Mary. He had finally finished going through the safety checklist and successfully set the course to Erid. He stumbled forward, catching himself just barely before falling. His body was screaming at him to lay down. His vision was blurring from tears? He didn’t feel good. He needed to get back to Rocky. Using the walls for support, he stumbled his way back into the lab.
“Grac- What wrong, question!?”
“Rocky…” Grace whimpered, all adrenaline leaving his body at the sight of his friend. He was safe. A wave of relief washed over him before his knees buckled and his vision went black.
--
“Grace!? Answer now, demand! Grace?”
Rocky hurried over towards Grace, trilling frantically trying to get him to wake up. Something was wrong. His heart beat was slow, like he was in a deeper sleep than normal. It reminded him of his crewmates sleep before they died. He tapped frantically against the ground. He couldn’t pinpoint any injuries on Grace. He chirped, frustrated that he couldn’t touch him. If he couldn’t find anything, maybe Mary can?
“Mary..?”
“Yes, Chief Engineer Rocky. I am here.”
“What’s wrong with friend Grace, question?”
“Dr. Grace is currently experiencing the effects of sleep deprivation.”
“How long sense last sleep, question?”
“Approximately, 36 hours.”
“36 hours, confirm!?”
“That is correct.”
A wave of concern washed over him. Grace needed to sleep every eight to twelve hours. Why wasn’t he sleeping? Did he stay awake coming to save him? Something else has to be wrong. Why wasn’t he taking care of himself? He trilled, not liking that thought. He rolled closer, pressing himself into Grace’s side. He noticed some of the tension hovering in him seemed to disappear with his warmth. He knew he couldn’t hear him, but he spoke anyway.
“Grace sleep. Rocky watch.”
--
Grace gasped, his body slamming into the ground hard. He could barely breathe with the pressure of someone on top of him. He cried out trying to rip his arm out of their grasp. He was going to die. He didn’t want to die.
“Please, Carl. Help me! I’m going to die. I don’t wanna die. Please!”
“You know who you are.”
No! No no no no no. He felt the sharp prick of a needle in his arm and a choked scream escaped him. He was dying. He was going to die in space. He gripped into the earth, fighting the drugs pumping through his system. Was this the last time he was going to feel grass? To feel the dirt underneath his fingernails? To see the sky? He dragged his eyes to the far horizon. A rainbow.
He felt the tears pooling in his eyes as gut retching acceptance ran through him. He was going to die.
Grace gasped, dragging in frantic breaths as he shot up out of bed, err- off the floor. Why was he on the floor? He dragged himself back until he hit the wall. He couldn’t breathe. He curled in on himself, sobbing into his knees. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be home in his bed. He wanted to be at school teaching the next generation of children the difference between mitosis and meiosis. Not here- Not out here dying in space without another perso-
“Grace, breathe! Rocky right here. You're safe.”
The pounding in his ears turned into a sharp desperate trilling. Rocky. He launched himself forward, tackling Rocky into a hug. He sobbed harder, pressing himself into the warmth. He wasn’t alone. He had him. He wasn’t going to die alone.
“Grace… Safe with Rocky, promise promise promise. Copy breathing. In… Out… ”
Grace took in a shuttering breath, focusing on Rocky. It was just them. They were safe on the ship. No one was holding him down. He was safe. Slowly, the panic seemed to ebb from his system, leaving him exhausted. He sniffled, holding Rocky close against him.
“Sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t- I didn’t mean to-”
“No apologize! You did nothing wrong. Safe safe safe. Rocky always here. Promise promise promise.”
Grace nodded, taking in another shuddering breath. “How long was I out?”
“Not long enough. Need rest. Bad bad bad. Grace should go sleep in bed.”
“I… You know don’t you?”
“Yes. Asked Mary. Told me no sleep for 36 hours! Why… Why you no sleep!? Very important for function.”
“It’s complicated- I don’t know. I just couldn’t knowing that you were- Rocky you could have been dead and I- I couldn’t leave you to die. I just couldn’t-”
“Grace…”
Grace jumped at the feeling of a hand brushing against his. Rocky was reaching for him through the mesh barrier. It was the first time since- He hasn’t been touched in years. His heart lurched as he frantically grabbed onto Rocky’s hand. He let out a shuddering breath as another wave of tears overtook him. Rocky was warm. Not in the obvious way considering his atmosphere. In the way that proved that he was alive. That he was someone he could touch. It hurt. It hurt a lot. He took in another deep breath.
“Grace go bed. Sleep. Talk when wake. Rocky stay. Rocky watch. Keep Grace safe.”
Grace swallowed, his hand holding tighter against Rocky’s. He didn’t want to let go. He wanted to stay like this. He didn’t- This could be the last time he ever-
“Grace, please…”
A gentle squeeze brought him back from his racing thoughts. His eyes zeroed in on their hands. He was on the Hail Mary. Rocky was safe and currently trilling soft words at him he was too tired to try and understand. He wasn’t… He wasn’t going to die. Taking in a shuddering breath, he released Rocky’s hand, before forcing himself up onto his feet. He felt his knees try to buckle, energy barely there, before he caught himself on the wall. Dragging himself forward, he stumbled his way towards the dormitory. The constant steady pressure of Rocky behind him urged him forward. A soft whine of relief escaped him when he finally collapsed into his bed. His ears were ringing from the exertion, and he was panting trying to drag in the much needed oxygen. Once again, he felt his vision close around him, before he slipped back into the darkness.
--
Gently, Grace felt himself slip back into the land of consciousness. The steady noises of the Hail Mary combined with the soft singing of Rocky grounded him. He sighed contently, dragging the blanket tighter around him, and curling closer to the warmth that pressed into his side. The singing appeared to come to an end a few moments later.
“Grace awake, question?”
“Mhm…”
“Good good good. Rocky has surprise!”
“Wha-” His voice cracked, the dryness irritating his throat to the point it hurt. A soft whine escaped him as he forced himself to sit up, “W-water.”
A bag of water was produced from thin air and he quickly grabbed onto it. He drank it greedily, downing half the bag in one go, before pulling away to take in a few deep breaths. He brought the straw back to his mouth slowly drinking the rest of the water. He let the bag drop to the ground, before finally relaxing back against the wall.
“Grace okay, question?”
“Yeah… Yeah, I’m good. You said you had a surprise?”
“Yes yes yes! Started it when first on ship together. Finally finished it when you sleep!”
“Well, can I see it? The suspense here is killing me Rock…”
“Grace die, question!?”
“No no no. Sorry, bad human idiom. Just means that I really wanna see it and don’t want to wait.”
“Grace eat first, then show then talk…”
“I- Fine, okay. We can do that.”
Rocky trilled softly, before rolling his way to his area of the ship. He watched him for a moment, before getting up to get something to eat. He changed his clothes too. He had been wearing them for awhile now and felt gross in them. Finally, he settled back on the bed. He dragged a pillow between him and the wall, then grabbed his blanket and draped it around himself. It was perfect timing really.
“Grace close eyes. Rocky ready!”
“Huh? Oh! Okay.”
It seems that Rocky remembered that part when talking about Earth culture. Smiling, he closed his eyes, relaxing back against the wall. He expected to hear Rocky approaching him. The tell-tale sign of his ball rolling towards him and frowned when he didn’t. Instead he heard someone shuffling in front of him.
“Rocky? Can I open my eyes yet?”
“Yes, but Grace no panic.”
Standing in front of him was Rocky. Who wasn’t in his ball… A wave of panic overtook him. Rocky was going to die. He was going to get hurt in his atmosphere and-
“Grace, Rocky said no panic. Use eyes…”
Finally, he noticed the way the light gleamed against a small layer of xenonite. It seemed similar to the mesh area on the original suit, but sturdier. He took in a sharp breath. Does that mean he could-
“Can I- Can I touch you, Rocky?”
“Yes, intended purpose but-”
Before Rocky could finish, Grace launched himself towards him, tackling him into a hug. He heard the sharp trill of his name, before two arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. He melted into the touch. Rocky was warm, really warm. It felt nice. He pressed himself closer, ignoring the way his throat tightened in an effort to conceal a sob. A soft coo and a hand running gently down his back had him bursting into tears.
“Grace safe now. Rocky protect.”
He sobbed harder, attempting to drag Rocky closer to him. Rocky trilled softly, pressing into him. Grace only cried harder. Slowly, the tears stopped, leaving him sniffling against Rocky. “‘m sorry…”
“No apologize! You did nothing wrong. Even if leak all over new suit…”
“Yeah yeah. You love me…” A soft snort left him as he reluctantly dragged himself away.
“Yes yes yes. Rocky love love love Grace. Always, promise.”
“Even if…” Grace swallowed. He pulled his knees up to his chest, glancing away from Rocky, “Even if I’m a liar.”
“No understand… What Grace mean, question?”
“I didn’t- I didn’t mean to lie. I forgot, ya know? Because of the amnesia. I told you that I had that right? I can’t- I can’t really remember if I did or not. It’s why my memories are so messed up and-”
“Grace! Calm down. Rocky no understand word. Grace has what, question? That makes memories bad!?”
“Oh uh… The word is amnesia. It’s when someone loses their memory. It can be a temporary thing or permanent. It varies depending on how the person got it. A lot of them are from head injuries or when something is wrong with a person’s brain.”
“Word for this is 𝇒𝇓𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅱. Very rare to happen to Eridians. Only happens when a sickness takes over. Grace has 𝇒𝇓𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅱, question!?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Grace… bad bad bad. Grace injured. How did Grace get hurt, question?”
“Rocky, if I tell you, then I have to tell you everything and- and You’re gonna hate. You’re gonna hate me, Rocky. And probably leave me alone and I can’t be alone again. I can’t. I’ll die-”
A sharp trill of distress and Rocky was lunging towards him, dragging him into another tight embrace. “Bad bad bad. Why Grace think that!? Would never ever abandon Grace! Rocky here. Rocky keep safe. Promise Promise Promise.”
“Rocky- I’ve been lying. I didn’t- I’m not brave. I never wanted to go to space. I was a coward. I said no. I said no and they- they chased me. I wasn’t fast enough. They forced me to sleep. Gave me drugs to make me forget and put me on this ship anyway. I didn’t- I didn’t…”
Rocky went rigid against him. A series of words he couldn’t understand exploded out of him. Sharp, distressing notes, made him flinch back, but Rocky held him closer, immediately calming back down. He trilled a soft apology, running a hand down his back. “Apology, apology. Rocky angry. Angry angry angry at Earth. Rocky hate Earth. Not mad at you. Never at you.”
“You don’t hate me? But I-”
“No! Not mad at you. Mad at Earth. Earth sent you to die, Grace… Cannot express anger enough… You saved them. They don’t deserve you. Rocky hate hate hate Earth, statement…”
“Rocky… I never- I never wanted to die… But I get why they sent me. I was the best option. I was the only option that made sense, so- so she did what she had to. I don’t blame her really. It was one person versus the life of billions. I might have made the same choice. I was just too much of a coward to go.”
“Grace not coward! Brave brave brave. Grace choice was taken. Still saved the stars. Had every right to quit, but did not. You are brave, Grace.”
Grace remained silent, burying himself into the embrace. He was safe. Rocky didn’t hate him. The overwhelming dread that he had over this seemed to be gone. But now? Now, he was exhausted. He couldn’t hold back the yawn.
“Grace sleep, question?”
“Mhmm, tired, bud”
“Rocky watch. Grace rest.”
Grace nodded, before getting up and getting comfortable in his bed. He dragged his blanket around himself, before glancing over at Rocky. He frowned, noticing Rocky heading towards his side of the room. Presumably to watch him sleep from above. “Rocky, I-”
“Grace okay, question?”
“Yeah yeah. Come here, bud.”
Trilling softly, Rocky approached, clearly a bit unsure on what Grace wanted. Grace patted the space besides him, prompting him to crawl up next to him. He stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. Grace couldn’t help but snort, before dragging Rocky closer. He wrapped one arm around him, before curling against Rocky. He hummed contentedly, relaxing into the warmth. Rocky erupted into a soft series of purrs and happy trills. He kept Grace close, wrapping another arm around him, providing more comfort. He felt his eyes lid start to droop, causing him to yawn again.
"Good night, Rocky."
"Good night, Grace. Sleep well."
Yawning, Grace nuzzled closer, before drifitng off to sleep.