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“He needs me,” Rocky insisted for the nth time. “I can’t leave him alone.”
“He is safe,” Adrian soothed as much as they could. “As are you.” They ran a claw over one of Rocky’s arms, at a loss over how to help their mate. “You need sustenance and sleep. Let me help you, love.”
Rocky harshly blew out of their vents. “I need to stay with Grace. I cannot watch him if I am asleep.”
Adrian resisted the urge to remind Rocky that there were countless other Eridians who would happily watch their alien saviour, knowing that wouldn't matter to their mate. Not that Adrian could blame them! After years of solitude with naught but death and silence surrounding them, it was little wonder Rocky could not bear to let a being so incredibly alive out of their hearing. But that did not change the simple fact that they needed to rest or risk harming themselves.
“I will watch them, my song,” they said gently “You have given me all your knowledge on his safety and health. I promise you, I’ll keep him safe.”
Rocky sagged against them, limbs weaker than they had been before they’d left for the stars. Adrian mentally went through their ongoing plan for their mate’s recovery, knowing it would be a long process; one Rocky would hate every moment of. Adrian couldn’t wait—hearing their mate’s complaints would remind them Rocky was alive and safe and back at their side where they belonged.
But that was a later problem, and an argument Adrian would inevitably win.
“I know,” Rocky finally sang, voices low as to not disturb the sleeping alien. Adrian couldn’t wait to study that particular phenomenon more. Being aware while asleep was a fascinating concept. “But…”
“Go eat,” Adrian finally ordered. “Then come back here and sleep. I will watch you both.”
Rocky fidgeted slightly, and old tell they had all but overcome before leaving on their mission. Adrian wondered when it had come back. Had it been as the crew succumbed to death? Or during their many years along, on a silent ship? Or, perhaps on the way back to Erid as they watched the alien slowly wither away?
Rocky huffed again, drawing Adrian from their morose thoughts. “No,” they said firmly. “I promised them.”
Adrian remained silent. They were sure Rocky had promised many things to Grace. They were also sure, given the alien had all but given up their life to save Rocky and Erid, that they would want Rocky to be healthy and safe.
As if hearing Adrian thoughts, Grace shifted on the bed before sighing softly, a barely there noise that made Adrian want to tuck them in and sing them a lullaby. They mentally scolded themself for the thought. Grace was an adult, not some small pebble for them to care for, regardless of what sounds he made.
Adrian was, if nothing else, adaptable. They always had been, even as a small pebble. The trait had always served them well, from their early years to medical education, and all the way to sending their beloved off to the great silence above.
Rocky, their sweet (though not many others would call them sweet, what with their constant cursing and rather blunt manner) and wonderful mate, tended to panic when plans went awry or if too much changed. Case in point, their utter refusal to leave the alien to take care of themself, even when it was obvious to everyone else they were at their breaking point. Adrian had seen it time and time again with families of their patients, all terrified of leaving their loved ones alone just in case they needed them.
Adrian ran a claw over Rocky’s carapace again, thinking. “Do you still trust me?” they finally asked softly. They already knew the answer, but Rocky didn’t need to know that.
As Adrian expected, their beloved jolted, making a high pitched noise of displeasure that was, thankfully, out of Grace’s hearing range. “Of course, my love!” they spluttered. “I—”
Adrian cut them off with a laugh. “I know you do, my song. So trust me to look after you both. Eat, and return here to sleep. I will keep you safe, and keep watch over Grace.”
“He may wake up…” Rocky hummed, clearly at their wits end yet too anxious to leave.
Adrian pulled them closer for a moment, protecting their smaller form. Rocky relaxed slightly at the motion, making Adrian feel warm and comfortable. Even after so long apart, Rocky was still their finicky little mate. They never wanted to let them out of their hearing again.
“And if he does, I’ll be here,” Adrian said immediately. “And, if you eat and come back soon, you’ll be as well.”
Rocky mumbled something likely rude under their breath, making Adrian laugh. “Go,” they ordered again. “Let me get to know Grace.”
“He’s sleeping! You can’t get to know him now!” Rocky sang, tones distinctly grumpy. Adrian just laughed again and shooed them out of the human’s hospital room. One argument won, with more to come in the future.
They settled close to Grace’s bed to watch, taking advantage of having a moment alone with the alien.
“I owe you everything,” they said conversationally, keeping their song soft. Grace sighed softly and turned towards them, one long-fingered hand brushing against Adrian’s xenonite covered claws. It was cool to the touch, and oh-so delicate. This was a creature made of air and water, something a planet like Erid could never even think of in its wildest imaginings.
“I have a plan,” they continued, holding their claws still. Grace moved again, and fully wrapped their fingers around Adrian’s, shuffling closer to their constant warmth. “You’re going to have to help me—from what Rocky’s told me about you, you won’t mind. From what Rocky’s told me, you need family. You’ll have that here. And, you and I can keep Rocky from overworking themselves like the fool they can be,” they continued affectionately. “You belong to Erid now, and we take care of our own. And you, Grace, are ours.”
They settled in closer, monitoring Grace’s vitals as they plotted and planned how to make sure everyone in their family was taken care of and happy.
They had always liked having a project.
“Adrian wants us to what? Go where?"
Their parent made a tittering noise over the intercom, and ♫♬♭♬ fought the urge to bash their carapace into the wall.
“Are we even allowed?” Last they had heard, no one but a select few of experts were allowed anywhere near the space elevator. Adrian had only bullied their way in given their expertise as a doctor, and even that had taken a fight.
♫♬♭♬ wished they’d seen it. Adrian was, by and large, calm and incredibly adaptable. But when they decided to be stubborn, not even Rocky could change their mind.
Their parent laughed this time, a note of hysterical relief in the tone. They had all thought Rocky was lost to them, having them back now, with a cure for their dying star and an alien in tow.
Leave it to Rocky…
“Do you think Adrian cares what’s allowed?” Their parent continued without waiting for an answer. “They’ve likely bullied their way into being the head doctor for Rocky and the alien. What they say goes. And they want us to come.”
“I’m pretty sure the alien has a name,” ♫♬♭♬ said somewhat irritably. They would hate it if they were the one who came to a new planet (saving everyone), only to be referred to only as ‘the alien’. It just seemed rude! Even if, in their own mind, they couldn’t quite come around to calling them by their name.
Their parent only hummed, then continued as if ♫♬♭♬ hadn’t said anything at all.
♫♬♭♬ half listened to them and began to plan as well. Being the only (relatively) sane Eridian in an insane family was a full time job.
An alien. Rocky had met an alien.
♫♬♭♬ still wasn’t over that. They didn’t think they ever would be.
Their star was already saved, apparently thanks to the alien’s insistence. It was the one that made them stop by Threeworld to release the cure. It was the one who’d turned back for Rocky and Erid at great cost to itself. It was the one who had saved them all.
It was the one all of Erid already loved.
… It was the one keeping Rocky away from their family.
♫♬♭♬ shook themself, desperate to stop their thoughts from spiralling further.
Grace. Its name was Grace. If ♫♬♭♬ was going to insist everyone else used its name, they should as well.
…. ♫♬♭♬ still thought it was a stupid name. Who named their child Grace? The planet it was from must have some absolutely idiotic naming practises.
“You will come?” ♫♬♭♬ forced their focus back on their parent, hearts aching at the hope in the voice. They had thrown themselves into work once it had become clear the ship was never returning, and their relationship with their parents, siblings, and extended cluster had suffered for it. They tried to tell themself they didn’t care.
“I’ll come,” they finally said, then winced at the sounds of relief from the other end of the intercom. All their parents were listening it seemed, and at least two additional siblings. Lovely. So much for an iota of privacy.
They blew air harshly out of their vent, annoyed at themselves.
Rocky was home.
That was what mattered. Not the alien, regardless of what everyone else thought.
_
♫♬♭♬ was actually going to bash their carapace against the wall this time.
The alien was barely alive and they were already talking about building it a biodome! ♫♬♭♬ understood Rocky needed a project so they didn’t obsess over the alien’s ailing health, but this was ridiculous.
“Are we sure this is a good idea?”
Their second parent shifted closer, huffing in surprise. “Why wouldn’t it be?” they asked, sounding genuinely curious.
They shifted awkwardly, feeling like the odd Eridian out within their own family for what was likely the millionth time. “Building a biomdome already?” they kept their voices low, knowing without needing to be told that Rocky could not hear their doubts. “Is it healthy enough for that?”
Their parent fell completely silent, and ♫♬♭♬ could sense their disappointment. “It’s the very least we can do,” they finally said, nearly too quietly to hear. “We owe them everything.”
They did. ♫♬♭♬ Knew that. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t be practical, especially as it seemed no one else was. It was going to be a miracle if the thing survived the week.
“♫♬♭♬ !” their youngest sibling scuttled over to them, all but dancing in their joy. “Grace gave me a human name, just like Rocky!”
Their parent laughed and ran a claw over the young Eridian’s head. “Did they?”
Rocky called them over, joy apparent in their voice. It was different then it had been before they had left, their cadence off. ♫♬♭♬ hated the change.
“You go,” they told their family. “I’m happy here.”
Their youngest sibling made a questioning noise but obeyed, scampering back over to Rocky, Adrian, and their pet dying alien.
“They’re kind,” ♫♬♭♬ ’s parent said after several moments spent listening to the joy in the rest of the room. At least the sound of so many Eridians drowned out the rather disgusting sounds of the alien. ♫♬♭♬ couldn’t begin to fathom how no one else was as disgusted as they were, and they worked with bizarre creatures!
“I know they are,” ♫♬♭♬ said after a moment. That was never in question. “I’ll greet them later. No need to overwhelm them.”
Their parent sighed, a sound that told ♫♬♭♬ they hadn’t hid their true feelings as well as they had thought. That was fine. It wasn’t like they mattered right now—Rocky did, and the alien.
♫♬♭♬ was simply there, as always.
“Rocky misses you,” their parent finally said, before following the rest of the family. The alien was asleep again, draped over Rocky like some sort of growth.
♫♬♭♬ listened for several more minutes, before leaving on silent claws.
They’d say hello later.
♫♬♭♬ didn’t like the alien.
Their parents and siblings loved it with a desperation that urged on fanatical, and Rocky was all but obsessed with it. And that wasn’t taking into account the rest of the planet!
Even Adrian, who could normally be counted upon to be somewhat calmer than their mate and mate’s family, had fallen under its spell.
♫♬♭♬ was slightly terrified of it. It was a creature made of gas and water that bent in strange ways and weighed next to nothing. It was a being that shouldn’t exist, especially on a planet like Erid. It wasn’t just alien, but completely and utterly wrong.
Yet there were already Eridians talking about it as if it were Holy. It had saved them, after all, brought their salvation.
♫♬♭♬ thought they might hate it.
So many people forgot about all Rocky had done, and Rocky themself encouraged it! They sang the alien’s praises to anyone who stopped long enough to listen, and everyone indulged them. Even the entities loved the creature! It was absolutely lunacy.
♫♬♭♬ wanted to shake them all and demand why there were treating this alien like it was some precious thing, but they knew that wouldn’t go over well.
Rocky and Adrian loved it and treated it like a beloved child, their parents all but treated it like a grand-pebble, their siblings were all charmed… ♫♬♭♬ was the only sane being left on Erid. Of that they were convinced.
It was just baffling!
“You sure you don’t want to come?” their youngest sibling asked, dancing on three of their legs while they gesticulated wildly with their front two.
“I have work to do,” ♫♬♭♬ said, mostly honestly. They did have some things to catch up on, but not nearly as many as they pretended they did. No one else needed to know that though.
Well. ♫♬♭♬ Was absolutely convinced Adrian knew, but Adrian always seemed to know everything. It was funny when that skill was directed at Rocky, but ♫♬♭♬ had never quite got used to it directed at them.
Their sibling hummed, tone more unsure now. “Rocky misses you,” they sang quietly. “You haven’t been around much. I think Adrian’s about to drag you over.”
♫♬♭♬ winced, chastened and guilty and angry all at once.
“I’ll come soon,” they promised. “You can tell Adrian.”
“Soon?”
♫♬♭♬ exhaled sharply. “Three days. I’ll come in three days.”
They hoped they didn’t regret it.
_
Three days passed far too quickly for their liking.
It was fine! It was all fine. They would see Rocky, Adrian, and the alien. Then they would be free until the next time someone guilted them into paying the strange creature (Grace, they corrected themselves, they didn’t want to know how Rocky would react if they called it the alien around them).
They loitered outside of the door in their xenonite suit, unsure of what to do.
Should they have brought a gift? Something from home for Rocky? They felt useless and like the worst sort of sibling imaginable.
“You can go in.”
♫♬♭♬ startled. “Adrian,” they said, annoyed at themself for missing the large doctor approach.
Adrian stopped beside them, humming softly. ♫♬♭♬ relaxed slightly despite themselves. Adrian, even in the hardest of times, had a calming aura that they had always appreciated.
“Go on,” Adrian prodded. They put an arm over them, touch familiar and warm. ♫♬♭♬ leaned into it for a moment, guilt almost consuming them. They’d pushed Adrian away in their own grief; they didn’t deserve their kindness now.
“I…”
Adrian pushed them gently, chiming in laughter. “Grace is asleep,” they said, “it’s just Rocky in there. They’re the same as ever.” They paused for a moment, and let out another wry laugh. “Well, they talk differently now, but that’s all. They’ve missed you.”
♫♬♭♬ hummed but didn’t reply further, all but vibrating in anxiety.
This was for Rocky. Their beloved older sibling they had all but given up for dead. Nothing else mattered.
Adrian shoved them through the door, using their larger size to bully them into the room.
“♫♬♭♬!!!”
Rocky bowled into their arms, bumping against their carapace so hard it was a wonder neither of them cracked. ♫♬♭♬ didn’t give a singular fuck. They keened, ignoring every other sound, and concentrated on the feel of the sibling they’d given up for dead. They had mourned Rocky for years, along with the rest of the crue and their very planet. Rocky’s arms tightened around them in a strange, new way, and ♫♬♭♬ burrowed closer. Rocky had been the one they’d looked up to the most as a child. The one who hadn’t cared that they didn’t want to be an engineer like everyone else in the family. They had always supported them in everything, and ♫♬♭♬ hadn’t realized until now how empty they had been with them gone.
“I’m sorry,” they said, all of their voice boxes crescendoing into one. “I’m so sorry.”
Rocky ran their claws over their back, making them feel like a small pebble again. “For what?” they demanded, the same bossy tones in their voice ♫♬♭♬ had desperately missed.
“For not visiting more,” they said. “I…” they trailed off, embarrassed now that they were in Rocky’s arms again. All their reasons seemed so stupid now.
“The others think you’re scared of Grace,” Rocky said bluntly, a hint of laughter in their tones. “I told them all that’s ludicrous–Grace is the opposite of scary.”
♫♬♭♬ laughed nervously. They wouldn’t say they were scared of Grace, they just didn’t like the thought of them, for many reasons. Rocky didn’t need to know that though, not after everything they’d been through.
They let Rocky lead them closer to the bed, carefully noting each and every change in their sibling while they ignored the alien as much as possible. It was diffiicult. Even asleep, it was so incredibly alive and loud. It reminded ♫♬♭♬ of some of the creatures they’d studied from the small bodies of water high up on the mountains, things that most of Erid could not fathom existed.
Air and water, a creature that should not exist yet was so astoundingly alive.
Eventually, Adrian interrupted. “Rocky and I need to speak with another doctor,” they said bluntly. “Watch Grace sleep?”
Rocky started, attention swivelling to their mate. After a moment of silence, they laughed.
♫♬♭♬ ignored them both. They couldn’t say no to watching it sleep. But by Erid they wanted to. What do you mean they were going to leave them alone with the alien!! Last ♫♬♭♬ had heard, Rocky was so overprotective they didn’t even want to leave it with Adrian, and Adrian was a doctor!
“What if it wakes up!” they sang. On the bed, the alien shifted, reminding ♫♬♭♬ abruptly that sound could rouse them from sleep. They shuddered, suddenly terrified.
“You’ll be fine,” Adrian said kindly. “Grace has been looking forward to meeting you.”
Rocky was less kind. “Then he wakes up,” they said bluntly. “Not it.”
♫♬♭♬ crouched down in apology. “Rocky…”
Adrian made a soft noise and dragged their still complaining mat from the small hospital room, leaving ♫♬♭♬ alone with an alien they had tried their best to avoid.
It was fine. Hopefully, it (Grace they corrected again, it’s name was Grace) would stay asleep. ♫♬♭♬ didn’t want to know what Rocky would do if they upset it in any way shape or form.
Grace shifted again and made a soft noise. ♫♬♭♬ froze. It sounded like a pebble. It moved again, long upper arms stretching over its head. It shifted again, and ♫♬♭♬ heard th orbs on its face (eyes, it reminded themself, they were called eyes) blinking open.
“Oh,” it said, the one voice box jarring. The translator in the corner of the room sprang to life, making ♫♬♭♬ flinch. “Hello!”
♫♬♭♬ fought the urge to back away. Grace wasn’t scary per se, but ♫♬♭♬ was terrified they were going to hurt it. Or worse, offend it.
Rocky would never forgive them. And at this point, neither would anyone else in their family. Grace was beloved by all.
“Hello,” they finally said. “You can understand me?”
The alien made a strange expression and shifted their top carapace up and down. “I can,” they said. “You are Rocky’s middle sibling, right?”
“One of them, yes. I am ♫♬♭♬.”
Grace’s strange expression widened. ♫♬♭♬ wondreed what it meant. “I’m so glad to meet you!” they gushed. “Rocky told me all about you. You work with aquatic life, right? I would love to hear about it, if you ever want to share. No pressure, of course!”
Despite themself, ♫♬♭♬ softened slightly. This was not what they had expected. “I do,” they said. Then, after a moment of hesitation, continued on. “You remind me of some of the creatures I’ve worked with.”
The human perked up, single heart thumping loudly. It was comforting, in a way. No wonder Rocky loved hearing them so much. There was no way one could ever mistake them for anything but incredibly alive. They must have been an incredible comfort on their journey home.
“Oh! That’s fascinating, but also makes sense?" they moved a long-clawed appendage, tapping on its own cheek. “Rocky mentioned you work with species that live in higher altitudes as well as those in the ocean? Golly, I’ll have to show you some of earth’s–that’s my planet–ocean life.” he laughed suddenly, a sound that was startling similar to Eridian laughter. “It freaked Rocky out.”
Dispite himself, ♫♬♭♬ laughed as well. “So does ocean life here,” they confided. “It’s very amusing.”
Grace made a noise that didn’t translate, then shifted again. They moved so much! ♫♬♭♬ itched to ask questions or study them. “Thanks for coming,” they said after a moment. “Rocky’s missed you.” It fell silent, but ♫♬♭♬ sensed it had more to say. The alien was, perhaps, better than they’d assumed.
“He’s amazing,” it said. “I’d be dead without him. Rocky is the best person I’ve ever met. I’m…” it trailed off, voice oddly wet. ♫♬♭♬ mentally panicked before pushing the emotion away. Rocky and Adrian wouldn’t have left them with it if it was about to die.
“I’m so thankful to him,” Grace continued in a rush. “And so glad he’s home.”
“I am too. Thank you.”
Grace waved both claws frantically. “Oh no, no need for that. It was all Rocky. I couldn’t have done anything without him.”
♫♬♭♬ stilled. That was very much the opposite of what Rocky, and everyone else, said. Interesting.
“Rocky says otherwise,” they finally noted.
The liquid in the alien’s body rushed to its upper carapace. ♫♬♭♬ itched to know what it meant. “He shouldn’t,” it said softly. “He’s brilliant.”
“He is,” ♫♬♭♬ agreed.
Damn it. They may have misjudged the alien after all.
It laughed again. “We can agree on that, then!” It paused for a moment before continuing. ♫♬♭♬ hoped they learned its language soon–the translator was rather annoying. “Could I give you a name in my language? Yours is beautiful, but I’m afraid I can’t pronounce it with my measly single voice box.”
♫♬♭♬ shifted, charmed despite themself. “I’d love that,” they said, surprised that they were being fully honest.
One conversation with the alien and they were melting. This had to be magic of some sort.
“How does Nemo sound?” it asked. “In earth media, there’s a captain named Nemo that explores earth’s oceans, and another character–here they said something the translator couldn’t work with–named Nemo I’ve always adored. But I’m happy to think of something else! Or let you pick, I don’t want to presume. It’s the first name that popped to my head, what with you working with water and—”
♫♬♭♬, or Nemo, started to laugh, cutting off the alien’s anxious rambling. “I love it,” they said honestly. Nemo. It fit them. “Could you tell me about them?”
“Captain Nemo, or (unintelligible human language) Nemo?”
Nemo made themself comfortable in Adrian’s normal spot, chiding themself mentally for their own stubbornness. “Both,” they declared. “If you’re able to. I understand you are still recovering.”
Grace laughed again, and shifted on the soft nest. “I am,” they said, “but Rocky is also overprotective. I’ve been trying to get him to leave more.”
“I have too!” they said. “But Rocky is stubborn.”
“You’re telling me!” Grace laughed. “I have so many stories.”
Nemo made themself more comfortable, a part of them hoping Adrian and Rocky would take their time returning. Partly because they wanted to avoid hearing them both tell them I told you so, but also because they wanted more time with Grace.
“Nemo first,” they said firmly. They wondered if Grace knew how important names were to Eridians. “Then we shall share stories.”
Grace made a soft noise, some odd cross between a laugh and sound of utter relief. “I can’t wait.”
Adrian was painfully smug when they finally returned, as was Rocky.
Nemo just continued to hold Grace’s delicate claw carefully, uncaring of their smugness. They had their sibling home, and a new family member to get to know.