Work Text:
Thunk thunk thunk
“Mmmfive more minutes…”
Thunk thunk thunk!
“Mmnnm…”
“Grace wake the 🎶🎶 up!”
Groooaaan…
I lift my head up, and lo and behold there is Rocky in his totally-not-a-hamster-ball.
“What- what is it Rock? What’s so important that you had to wake me up-“
“Grace been asleep for 17 hours!”
… wait what- I push myself up and- wooaah okay that was a bad idea to do that fast and now my head is swimming, my vision is kinda staticky and I’m going sideways-
BAM
“GRACE-!! Grace okay!?!”
… I am halfway off the bed and- ow- I’m face first on the floor fudge that hurt- why did I-?
“Yeah- yeah I’m okay Rocky- I- ow- gimme a sec-“ I fumble a bit aaand the rest of me goes toppling off the bed.
I lay in silence for a second, pondering why I have the grace of a cereal box as i stare at the ceiling while mangled in my blanket.
A shadow falls over me as I tilt my head up and despite the lack of a face I can see the concern eating away at Rocky, that he’s failing to mask as annoyance.
“Grace dying question???” Tap tap.
“No Rock- am not- I’m not dying- just- dizzy, really really dizzy and still tired- sorry did you say 17 hours?”
“Yes!! Grace sleep long long long time! Rocky worry! Worry worry worry!! Grace worry Rocky-”
“Okay okay I get it, I’m sorry I scared you- just- ah geez gimme a sec-“
“Grace already said that, Grace sustain brain damage from fall question?” Tap tap.
“What- no- I- its a common phrase Rock.”
I sit up in all of my gracelessness- somehow still bleary-eyed despite all the tumbling and somehow the first thing I think about is how hungry I am, really really hungry…
Grooowl.
“Grace need eat, statement.”
“Easier said than done Rock.” I sigh as I prop my legs underneath me and push myself off the ground and- I did not learn from the first time as I immediately stumble and sway.
“Grace!!”
Luckily Rocky rolls forward and I catch myself on his ball, leaning on it heavily as i try to squeeze my eyes together and blink away the fuzzy-bits.
“What wrong with Grace question?” Tap tap. “Grace worrying Rocky again-!”
“I- I’m just dizzy Rocky I… ah geez-“ I stand up straight- slowly this time and Rocky less than subtly positioning himself to be at the ready to catch me again if need be.
“Bad bad bad!! Why Grace dizzy?? Grace hurt head question??” Tap tap.
“No no Rock- I- I’m not sure- i just woke up-“
“Grace wake up plenty of times, Grace not often sleep long long long time and then give self concussion statement!”
“I didn’t concuss myself! I just fell outta bed! I do that sometimes!”
“Yes because Grace is clumsy leaky space blob, not because Grace is dizzy after sleep long time!”
I sigh and rub my face- feeling my glasses missing, as I turn away from Rocky and wow everything is blurry-
“Grace face crystals on bed statement.”
“Ah- thanks pal.” I squint and feel across the bed a bit before coming across one of the hinges on my glasses, and proceed to pick them up and adjust them onto my face, blinking a few times as reality becomes distinct shapes and colors again.
“Grace go eat, statement.” Rocky’s firm translator voice rings through the air again, impatient and insistent. Even though he finds it disgusting- he’s been insisting on making sure I eat my daily meal of flavorless taumoeba, to be fair it tastes disgusting but I guess I’m already thin enough as it is.
“Yeah yeah Rocky.” I sigh and head out of the dormitory, the less than soft clunking of Rocky’s hamster-ball following behind me.
___________
One disgusting portion of taumoeba that I struggle to stomach and keep down later-
Im sitting against the wall, legs crossed on the floor and staring at the ceiling again, when Rocky rolls infront of me, sporting that same expressionless concerned look.
He’s been so worried about me since I started losing weight, hovering constantly and often fidgeting, it’d be cute if it wasn’t a little disheartening.
“What’s the matter pal?”
“Rocky worry. Rocky worry much much much for Grace.”
“Im okay bud- i told you-“
“Grace not okay! Grace sleep very long time! Grace wake up dizzy! Grace fall out of bed and Grace-“ his voice shrills, tones high and overlapping-
“Rocky! Rocky I’m okay! I’m just- tired, really really tired I guess.”
“How Grace still tired after sleep for so long question??” Tap tap. He tilted his carapace at me, mimicking how i tilt my head while asking a question sometimes.
“Well… ah geez how do I explain this-“ I roll and rub my neck, pondering for a second before deciding to just try my hand at explaining it right off the bat.
“Long story short- my body is just conserving energy, without the same amount of food, my body needs to draw energy from elsewhere, in this case sleep.”
“But Grace still tired, statement.”
“Yes- I am, and that’s because food is still important to maintaining energy levels… without enough food- well… I suppose it explains why I was so uncoordinated earlier.”
Rocky went silent for a moment, seemingly curling in on himself a bit. “… Rocky not like, Rocky worry.”
“I know buddy- but I’m okay.”
“Grace lose mass, lose much mass… Rocky not like, bad bad bad.” He tilts up towards me again, body language determined all of a sudden. “When get to Erid, Eridian scientists make food for Grace, Grace gain mass and Grace no longer be tired and dizzy, statement. Rocky make sure of it.”
I really am lucky to have this stubborn rock looking after me. I smile as I lift my hand and place it atop the ball, it much thinner in comparison to when I first met him. I stroke the xenonite as Rocky presses himself towards where my hand is, as i utter. “I know buddy, I know you will.”