Archive of Our Own

“Rocky can guard the entrance of the cave, offer. Promise. Fealty swear.”

Grace sighs, shuffling around in his newly improved xenonite suit. The inside is noticeably less sharp than earlier versions but it is unfortunately still a bit clunky. As he turns his foot catches on a stone and he stumbles in place before stabilizing himself against the tunnel wall. Grace gazes down at his small bemoaning friend, standing in the spotlight of the flashlights affixed on both sides of his helmet.

“Rocky, for the fifth time, and I know you haven’t forgotten because you literally can’t, we do not need a guard at the entrance of the cave. We’re just looking for some bugs. Relax.” Grace slowly turns his suited frame around in the tunnel.

“Though if you’re scared and you wanna wait outside–”

“Rocky not scared. When Rocky get murdered in cave by stupid bug, Grace and Adrian can pull his body out of cave, assurance. Who cares if Rocky get murdered in cave by bug, question? Not Grace and Adrian, affirmation.”

“Wh-” Grace sputters, “since when do you hate caves so much? Do you have something against underground tunnels?”

“Rocky not scared of cave,” Rocky snaps, “and Rocky does not hate tunnels. Likes tunnels. Tunnels nice. Like uninhabited tunnels. Sterile tunnels. Rocky no like dirty tunnels,” with a musical sigh he adds, “literally dirty tunnels not bad human sex joke dirty tunnels.”

Grace closes his mouth.

“Whatever,” Grace relents, “on a separate topic to your completely non-existent fear of caves, have you seen Adrian?”

“Is far far ahead,” Rocky groans, “in muddy dirty tunnel.”

“I like mud.” Adrian’s voice echoes down the dark tunnel.

Rocky’s whole body sags tiredly as he marches forwards like he’s heading to the gallows. “I know Adrian.”

“Is nice and squishy.”

“I know Adrian.”

Rocky sighs dramatically as Grace runs a hand along the wall as he walks towards Adrian’s distant voice. “Why can’t Grace and Adrian be hunting for rockadillos, question? Is normal creature. Live above ground. Not skitter. Have normal number of legs. Does not crawl onto Rocky’s carapace. Makes normal noises. ”

“Is that a genuine quest-”

“Rhetorical.”

“Okay.”

Rocky returns to his bemoaning. “Rockadillo no live in dampy muddy gross cave. Does not move around like gross clump of shaved Grace face hair caught in Hail Mary ventilation system.”

“Come on that was one time-”

“And can eat afterwards.” Rocky finishes crudely.

“Can eat bugs too!” Adrian chirps happily, finally reappearing in sight with their carapace covered in streaks of mud. They’re wearing a cross body bag and what Grace can only describe as the eridian equivalent of khakis on all five of their limbs. He’s pretty sure they’ve got at least four dozen pockets right now. Their two meter tall form, bulging out at the sides with countless pockets full of specimen jars, nearly blocks the entire tunnel.

“No.” Rocky shudders, combining human and eridian negative indicators as he desperately shakes his carapace back and forth and balls up two fists to knock them together loudly. “No no no no no no.”

“Need demonstration, question?” Adrian offers coyly. Pulling a small bug out of one of their many pockets.

“NO,” Rocky screams, “IF ADRIAN EAT BUG ROCKY WILL NOT SLEEP IN NEST. WILL SPEND SLEEP CYCLES IN GRACE BIOSPHERE.”

“Already spend most sleep cycles in Ryland biosphere,” Adrian replies, the bug still dangling from their claws, “threat ineffective.”

“You do too Adrian.” Grace chimes in to the marital disagreement.

“Is true,” Adrian agrees before cooing as a thought strikes them, “Ryland should spend sleep cycle in Adrian Rocky nest! Slumber party, exclamation!”

“Can Adrian put bug back on ground before arrange slumber party, plead.”

Adrian stops waving the bug through the air with their excited jazz hands.

“Party pooper,” they honk, “and this bug is not from ground. Is a silver grub from Rocky-Adrian home, food for Precious and good bait for cave bugs.” Adrian plops the bug onto their carapace, letting the silver grub settle into a shallow groove. Rocky lets out a barely suppressed whimper.

The silver grub is about 6 centimeters long, legless, and looks almost identical to a maggot on Earth. The only visible difference, which Grace learned when Adrian and him played with microscopes together in the lab, is that the silver grub’s mouth completely seals up similar to an eridian ventral seal. Despite the relatively large size of the grub Grace hadn’t been able to even see any of its mouthparts without a microscope.

Grace has seen silver grubs many many times both while visiting Adrian and Rocky’s home and whenever he peers inside Precious’ enclosure. Precious is an insect that looks a bit like if a hockey puck with four legs and a wide wobbly gait ate a small pyramid. It is Adrian’s most cherished, and oldest, pet. It even predates the departure of Blip-A. When Rocky left, Precious, or as Rocky prefers to call it “Bitter Shit Stain”, was the only insect that Adrian had as a pet. Now, decades later, there are a few dozen pet bugs (and hundreds of feeder insects) in Adrian and Rocky’s home. An elderly Precious remembered Rocky, and their mutual grudge, enough to try to bite him upon their reunion (re: Rocky re-entering their own home after decades away). Apparently Precious is so infamously bitter that Adrian was incredibly excited for the ambivalence Precious displayed near Grace, Rocky claimed it was just because Precious couldn’t smell Grace’s lifeblood through the xenonite. Adrian themself only gets a small amount of recognition from Precious which is practically a declaration of love coming from the bitter little bug.

Adrian continues. “Got earlier today from breeding tanks in spare room-” they freeze momentarily, shoulders hunching in. “In Rocky’s workshop. From breeding tank in Rocky’s workshop.”

Even though the Hail Mary returned a few years ago Adrian still spent many many many years alone in their home. While Rocky was separated from Adrian for over half a human century he got to experience the shorter side of dilation. Their separation was even longer than that from Adrian’s perspective. They’ve only recently started relishing in the opportunity of being able to sleep in their own home rather than crashing at the homes of friends and family or at work.

Rocky steps up to Adrian and runs a claw down their leg, clicking soothingly at them while Grace lays a xenonite covered palm onto one of the crags of their carapace. Adrian presses their carapace up into Grace’s palm and gently oh so gently, runs their claws over the top of Rocky’s carapace.

“Found good tunnel,” Adrian draws back, scuttling off, “this way this way.”

“So,” Grace draws out, “you still haven’t reclaimed your workshop back from all of Adrian’s bugs, have you?”

“Is work in progress,” Rocky grunts.

“From what I recall,” Grace goes to stroke his chin, knowing it annoys Rocky, before wincing as the xenonite suit bumps into itself. “You’ve been slowly regaining territory, from The Great Bug Colonization, also known as Adrian’s Insectoid Acquisition of Decades Past, for the last few years since we returned to Erid. And you’ve succeeded in getting back, how much space?”

“Have convinced Adrian to stop breeding many species in house,” Rocky declares, “moved to their laboratory instead. And have convinced them to not replace insects in enclosures when they die.”

“Uh huh,” Grace did not miss Rocky’s stumbling redirect and avoidance of Grace’s actual question, “and how many enclosures have actually been left empty after the mourning period?”

“...a couple,” Rocky grinds out, “many insects have longer lifespan than Rocky would prefer.”

“So, I repeat, how much of your workshop have you actually gotten back?”

“Most of it!” Rocky grumbles before hunching over and doing the Eridian equivalent of avoiding eye contact by tapping away from Grace. “Technically, maybe more like 65%...” Grace waits, “maybe 40%...Rocky is working on it, okay. Grace shut face and stop smile.”

“That’s-”

“Be sad and quiet Grace.”

When Rocky and Grace eventually catch up to Adrian they find them waiting proudly next to a large flat stone. Adrian throws out their arms dramatically, wiggling their claws as they present the stone.

“What want.” Rocky huffs.

“Rocky flip over please.”

Rocky balks. “Can hear bug under there.”

“Yes,” Adrian trills out slowly, “is why Rocky should flip rock. To show bug to Ryland.”

“Why Rocky need to be the rock flipper, question?”

“You do it best, dear.”

“...shut the fuck up, statement. Grace shut up too.”

“What?! I didn’t even do- oooh.” Grace gazes at the bug that has been newly revealed by the designated rock flipper, who immediately cringes backwards with their whole body.

The insect is a deep shade of earthy red and looks alarmingly similar to a sand dollar. With a slightly rounded but thin circular carapace. Less like a sand dollar are the long centipede-like legs it has around the entire circumference of its body.

Adrian gently pinches the middle of the insect’s carapace between two claws and lifts it into the air. Its many legs wave through the air fruitlessly for a few moments before it gives up and goes limp. Adrian holds it out in front of Grace who adjusts his head to get his flashlights pointed in the right direction.

“This is ♪♪♪. Is a bit small, has one more moult before adult, but normal for species. Fun fact,” Adrian declares with relish lifting what Grace is deeming the “Sandtipede” dramatically into the air, “species is very very very old evolutionarily speaking. Lineage evolved on Erid before hearing did. But can sense environment by feeling vibration on ground. However- cup hands together,” Adrian waits for Grace to cup his hands obligingly and places the sandtipede in them, “is not smart. Think is hidden and cannot be heard if it cannot sense any stimuli. Just lift up legs and look stupid. Is like pebble who cover auricles during hide and seek and think they are silent.” Grace grins as the bug in his palms does just that. Settling down on its carapace and lifting its many legs into the air frozen.

“Evolution is so fun. Very weird but so so fun.” Grace lightly tips his hands to the side, snickering as the sandtipede lowers its legs to walk back to the centre of his palms before settling back into its ‘I can’t hear you, you can’t hear me’ position. “You’re sure it’s not playing dead?”

“Yes,” Adrian replies, “species does not look like that when dead. When die they do, hm.” Adrian taps on the ground as they think for a moment. “They do pose Grace describe as ‘sploot’. Legs all out straight.”

Grace grins, gently tipping the very alive and very not invisible insect onto the ground, “Good description, Adrian.”

Adrian trills happily and sways back and forth, they love human vocabulary.

Rocky, who has been diligently keeping a few good meters between himself and all the bug handling, finally breaks his silence. “Found bug, yippee, statement,” Rocky says very quickly in a not very ‘yippee’ tone. “Time go home yet, question?”

“No, statement. Just started.”

“Time go home, plead.”

“Rocky can go home if they want. Adrian not trapping Rocky here against their will. Can just be Adrian-Grace hangout.”

Rocky grumbles to himself, like an angry organist having a minor tantrum between songs, before making up his mind.

“Cannot let creepy crawlies steal mate, will stay to save sanctity of Rocky-Adrian marriage. Cannot let Adrian run away from marriage for creepy crawlies.”

Adrian just hums an “mmhmm” and keeps creeping around on their claws with light steps and gentle clicks searching for more creepy crawlies.

“Adrian not even deny allegations, question? Rocky return from saving stars just to have mate Adrian leave them for creepy crawlies, question? Will be all over radio by next day cycle, ‘Star saviour Rocky marriage fall apart, mate seen galavanting with gallery of thin-carapaced bottom-dwelling round leggy bugs.’”

Adrian lets out an offended hoot. “Not round leggy bugs!” They cry, “misnomer, bad bad. Is in order circapteran not polyartapteran.”

Rocky regards their mate in silent disbelief.

“Okay, okay,” Grace chimes in, “I don’t think you need to worry about bugs stealing Adrian,” Grace glances at Adrian as they gently push one bug into a collection vial with one arm and scoops another insect, bare clawed, loose into their pocket, “at least not anytime soon.

“Actually,” Grace continues, “if you're worried about anything in this cave stealing your mate you should be worried about me.”

“Good joke,” Rocky crumples over with laughter, “needed that. Thank thank thank.”

“Wh- you don’t need to laugh that hard!” Grace sputters.

“Grace steal mate impossible, statement. No chance.”

“It’s not that unlikely!”

“Is less than that unlikely. Extremely unlikely. More likely astrophage do tap dance and sing song about singing song in precipitation.”

“Excuse you Mr. Jerkface,” Grace huffs, “I could romantically steal someone’s partner if I wanted- not that I do, but if I wanted to I could- stop laughing so hard!”

“How Grace romantically steal mate, question? Leak all over them, question? Trip over like literal interpretation of human fall in love, question?”

“I- I- um,” Grace stammers, “seduction? With my- uh- body?”

The responding silence is deafening.

A sudden, polite, knock on the ground makes both Grace and Rocky flinch. They turn towards Adrian who has emerged from a tunnel neither noticed them going into.

“If anyone is stealing anyone,” they sing, “is me. Adrian is only one who is sneaky. Rocky and Ryland both distractible and noisy, bad at stealing but easy for Adrian to steal.”

They wander back off through the tunnel, Rocky and Grace stumble along after them trying to compile an argument.

“But stealing not necessary,” Adrian continues expertly maneuvering their large form through the tunnel, “Rocky, Adrian, Grace already all together. We are best combo meal deal in universe.”

Grace and Rocky both find themselves endeared, much to their own annoyance.

“Well, I mean-”

“Rocky suppose that-”

“Though if stealing was necessary Adrian would still be best. Have snuck many many many many many dirt samples and specimens past pest control and natural park border control.”

“Why have you-”

“Do not get them started, statement.”

“Pest control stupid,” Adrian grunts out emphatically, “regulations strict strict strict. Want control pests but not let Adrian have enough specimens to study and understand insects they view as pests. So Adrian take out specimens safe safe, Adrian not stupid, does not let specimens out into non-native environment, and then Adrian hide specimens in clothes and in parts of carapace. Pest control and border control officers ignorant untrained. Mistake easily identifiable insect noises for embarrassing Eridian medical problems like leaky seal or squeaky gas bladder. Officers no ask questions, too awkward, just let Adrian past. Is easy.”

“That’s…impressive. Weird but impressive. Do you have any white whales?”

“Large Earth marine animal, question? Too big to conceal. Adrian cannot do, unfortunate.”

“Wh- no no. It’s a human expression that originates from a book about a whale. It means something that you’ve pursued for a long time but have never been able to fully grasp.”

“The ♬♬♭,” Adrian responds as quick as a snap.

“Not this again,” Rocky lets out a frustrated tone.

“Had in the centre of my claws,” Adrian cries are directed at Rocky now, “fertile individual ready to lay eggs but Adrian not allowed to take home. Eggs too gross for Rocky.”

“Was too gross!” Rocky cries, “Adrian cannot expect Rocky to endure listening to that whole incubation period-”

“Have incubated eggs in house before! Went fine! Rocky survived was no-”

“You know the ♬♬♭ is different. Incubate ♬♬♭ eggs is not the same as incubate other insect eggs.”

“What’s so different about these eggs?” Grace asks.

“♬♬♭ is parasite that incubate eggs inside Eridian tissue. Is like human botfly but for Eridian. Adrian want to incubate eggs internally.”

“...really Adrian?” Grace brings out his finely honed disappointed teacher voice.

“Is barely internal,” Adrian lets out a lofty musical sigh, “just a few centimeters into carapace. Only possible damage is minor physical appearance change, small hole in carapace can whistle. Is cool! Good memento! Not annoying! And Adrian could have heard incubation period so well! Would be able to take notes everywhere and not get annoyed clicks on public transit vehicles for bringing insect enclosures. Adrian not understand what big problem is.”

“Adrian is big problem.”

“Yeah,” Grace draws out, “I have to admit, I think that’s a bit too far for research, Adrian.”

“Buzzkills.”

“Again, question?” Rocky asks.

“Last time, promise.” Adrian points into a weird dark crack of the tunnel wall.

It is not the first crack, or crevasse, or hole, that they’ve come across in the tunnels. Adrian led their trek through the tunnels with quiet footfalls despite being a couple meters tall and nearly as wide as the tunnel. They stopped occasionally to drag their claws through the dirt to unearth bugs which they would inevitably place on top of their own carapace or onto Grace’s head, much to their amusement and Rocky’s distaste. Trailing right behind Adrian was Grace who tripped over his feet every third step. Whereas Rocky, despite being a very tactile and clingy eridian, especially towards Grace and Adrian, kept a wide berth from them both. He made an extra effort to stomp as he walked to further dissuade insects from getting close to him.

“Said that last three times in past hour, statement.”

“Not specify time, statement.” Adrian takes some sympathy on their exasperated mate, who is currently resenting being the smallest of the group. “Adrian would go instead if could fit. Rocky does not need to touch bugs. Just usher towards Grace and Adrian.”

Rocky lets out a musical sigh, resigned to his continued fate of venturing into grungy crags and holes to collect bugs for his partners.

“Hey bud,” Grace consoles, “once I get more used to this clunky, but very well engineered, suit I’m sure I can take over some hole duty for you, promise.” Grace extends a hand to give a reassuring thumbs down and manages to bang his arm in said clunky suit into the wall and then the ceiling in quick succession. He grimaces and shakes out his hand, flinching when he accidentally smacks it into the clunky suit surrounding his torso.

Rocky lets a very long exasperated note out of their vents.

“Fine,” He huffs crawling into the dark crack. “Rocky go in hole, again. Since Rocky good mate.”

“Best mate,” Adrian coos.

“The most aerodynamic among us.”

Rocky freezes with one leg still outside of the crack. He quickly reemerges to tap confrontationally at Grace.

“What, question? Grace has tested aerodynamics without Rocky, question?” Rocky lets out an offended honk, “Grace has learned aerodynamics without Rocky, accusation? Betrayal. Grace is cheating bastard who has learned aerodynamics and done aerodynamics without Rocky traitor traitor-”

“I didn’t actually-,” Grace stammers, “I haven’t done any- I meant it as-”

“Oh,” Rocky interrupts with a disappointed warble, “Grace try to make short joke, question?”

“...yes.”

“Bad short joke,” Rocky declares, “not even make sense. Why aerodynamics matter in tunnel system, question? Grace joke had bad delivery and make no sense. Shame on Grace. Shame on Grace’s Armando. Shame on Grace’s-”

“Oh just shut up and go in the hole already.”

“Wow,” Rocky remarks, waggling a claw at Grace like a disappointed parent as he crawls back into the crack, “Grace is rude and bad at jokes. Shame shame shame.”

Grace and Adrian stand silently outside the crack for a few seconds.

“...wanna play rock, paper, scissors?”

“Yes,” Adrian chirps back without hesitation, “cheats allowed, question?”

“Sure.” Grace

They shake their fists before coming to a standoff.

“What’s that?”

“Is claw,” Adrian flexes their extended claws, “pick up Grace hand gesture and drop in pit.”

“Actually,” Grace points at his hand, “I played Spock and he uses logic and reason to end the conflict amicably but in a way that is more beneficial for him than his opponent.”

“Mmm no,” Adrian hums, “claw no care for logic and reason. Drop Spock in hole anyways. Claw win.”

“Okay but have you considered-”

Adrian shushes Grace and points excitedly to the crack. Grace squints and watches as a round green object, about the size of a baseball, rolls out. Behind the sphere he sees a small white spindly creature about the size of a thimble pushing it along. It reminds him a bit of a very desiccated, dung beetle.

Adrian scoops up the round green object, with the small spindly clinging onto it, as Rocky crawls out of the crack, shaking out his legs with distaste.

“Here is example of one of the best known symbiotic relationships on Erid,” Adrian presents the green object with the spindly white creature now balanced on top.

Grace blinks with shock as the green object, which he now realizes is another insect, rocks back and forth slightly. When he leans in closer he can see a line of small spiracles opening and closing on the green creature’s sides as it breathes. Grace immediately decides that the appropriate names for these creatures are “Sisyphus” for the tiny creature and “The Boulder” for the larger round one.

“The boulder’s form of locomotion is based on rolling. Can shift weight and shuffle pieces of thick thick carapace. Very well protected, very sturdy. Very slow. But,” Adrian holds out a claw in a way they’ve learned from listening to Grace’s lectures, “thick thick carapace make moulting very very difficult. That is where sisyphus come in.” Adrian uses a single claw to gently lift the smaller bug off of the larger bug.

“Sisyphus strong and have sharp sharp mandibles and tips of limbs. Help the boulder with shedding moult and in return sisyphus eats moulted carapace. But that not all, one main component of the boulder’s diet is carnivorous fungus that preys on and traps sisyphus. So sisyphus use the boulder to crush and chew path through deadly fungus. Give safe passage for sisyphus and free meal for the boulder. Is what humans call ‘win win’.”

“That’s amazing,” Grace cheers, “Y’know it kinda reminds me of how ants, an insect on earth, can farm, or I suppose ranch is a more appropriate term, aphids, another insect on Earth. The ants protect the aphids and make sure that they can access food without being predated upon because the aphids secrete a concentrated component of their food, glucose which the aphids can’t digest, which is a desirable meal for ants.”

“Very very cool,” Adrian chants, giant body bouncing excitedly in place.

“It is!” Grace agrees, “I really miss checking in on iNaturalist every once and awhile and seeing if anything cool had been spotted in my area.”

“Word question?”

“Oh iNaturalist? It was a really cool website we had on Earth, people would use it to post pictures of animals or plants they saw, sharing the exact geographic location of where they saw it, online. Some people would use it for foraging, some people used it for research, some just wanted to show cool pictures they’d taken! It had a really nice community so some people would use it just to ask if anyone could identify a creature they saw outside and quite often people would answer, whether they were passionate hobbyists or researchers.”

Adrian’s arms have gone limp and the boulder drops and bounces on the ground. Sisyphus hops off of where it was clinging to Adrian’s claw and begins pushing the boulder along the floor.

“Adrian want iNaturalist on Erid.”

As the trio wanders down yet another tunnel Adrian dissects the ambiance of the insect orchestra echoing around them. They point a claw down an offshoot tunnel towards a grinding and clicking noise that Grace can’t stop himself from associating with a jammed printer. Specifically the infamous one in the north side of the library when he was in grad school…that he may or may not have resorted to using semi-regularly in a frantic panic whenever he forgot to print out his essays and lab reports.

“That one,” Adrian says as the sound starts whirring like a broken motor, “has holes in carapace that make noise when it jumps and also has rough striations on legs that make noise when rubbed against its carapace. Ryland guess now.”

“Hmm,” Grace squints as he’s hit with multiple unwelcome memories of staring desolately at that printer as he got later and later for his lectures, “intimidation?”

“Wrong, mating call.”

“Darn.”

Adrian points their claw down a small narrow crevasse bisecting their path at a rumbling “ouack ouack ouack ouack” call. “Gas bladder compression and carapace vibration. Ryland guess.”

“Um, is this one intimidation?”

“Yes!” Adrian praises, lightly patting Grace on the head, “Is intimidation! Good good identification. Got V of ∀ right. Improvement improvement.”

Grace preens.

Trudging along behind them Rocky flinches away from a crack in the wall which emits the sound of a muffled humming giggle. They shiver in distaste, increasing their pace to put themselves in between Grace and Adrian.

“Why insect noise sound like that, question? Freaky freaky freaky.”

Adrian lightly taps a claw in the direction of the crack. “Is circapteran nymph calling out to parent. Harmless harmless.”

“Are insect calls useful for identification?” Grace asks.

Adrian hums in thought. “Calls useful for identifying insect order or sometimes family. Need closer inspection for identify species. One of best methods is listen to digestion. Diet and digestion very very variable in insects.”

“That’s so interesting,” Grace says, “we should inspect the stomach more next time we dust off the dissection microscopes.”

Adrian freezes.

“Human expression or Ryland get literal dust on microscopes, question.”

“Human expression.”

Adrian lets out an extended hum of relief before bouncing excitedly. “Yes yes yes Adrian and Grace do dissection again soon, plan. Adrian loves loves loves human dissection tools and hearing visual light spectrum information from Ryland. Fun fun fun.”

“I’d never turn down dissecting alien insects with one of the most renowned entomologists on Erid.” Grace smiles fondly at Adrian. It truly is charming how adorable they manage to be in spite of their intimidating stature.

“Grace and Adrian have fun dissecting bugs on their own,” Rocky chirps in, “Rocky want no part of it, statement.”

Adrian rumples out an incredulous note.

“Rocky speaking out of ventral seal. Complain just for sake of complain.”

“Do not!” Rocky vibrates with indignation, “Rocky no want to be involved in dissections.”

“Lies,” Adrian replies, “Rocky say ‘I want no part of this’ first time Ryland and Adrian make dissection plans then Rocky modify both eridian and human dissection microscopes and tools so both Adrian and Ryland can enjoy. Rocky say ‘leave me out of this for the love of Erid, why do I hang out with these people, question’ then turn down social invitation from other eridian to keep hanging out with Adrian and Ryland. Rocky all talk. Rocky sucker for Adrian and Ryland.”

“Hearsay,” Rocky grunts, “Adrian have foul foul mouth.”

“Hey, hey,” Grace interrupts, “you’re both incredibly crude by Erid standards.”

Before the argument can continue Adrian lets out an excited chirp. They start adamantly, but gently, prodding Grace in the shoulder.

“Is insect close close close that Ryland should be able to pick up,” they cheer, “even if Ryland slow clumsy at bug catch this bug is slow slow slow. Good for Ryland!”

Grace sputters in mild offense, which hits a bit deeper since he knows Adrian wasn’t intentionally dissing him, as Adrian scuttles off to a nearby slate of stone. They wedge two arms underneath the edges and usher Grace closer with another. He gives up on being offended and steps closer.

“Insect is ♫ø,” Adrian lectures, “notorious for being very very inactive and non-responsive to sound. Does not hear, does not feel for vibrations, only has scent receptors to find fungal food source. Ryland can catch! Won’t even need net, can use hands easy easy.”

As Grace gets close to the rock, feeling a bit like an umpire as he crouches slightly and extends his hands, Adrian lifts the slate straight up. Grace is barely able to catch a glance of the insect before it darts off in a flash. Adrian lets out a honk of shock but swiftly drops the slate and takes a couple steps to snatch up the insect.

They hold the thrashing insect in their claws and click at it intensely to hear it better.

“Abnormal abnormal abnormal,” they mutter in disbelief, “never heard ♫ø move like that. Never read account of ♫ø moving like that. Why react to only Ryland, question? Never never never heard account of it moving like that before. Why why why, question?”

Ryland steps closer and the insect’s thrashing increases within Adrian’s gentle hold. The insect looks like an oblong oval completely surrounded by branching bristles of antennae. It reminds Grace of when he, in a panic, got a cheap snow brush in Denmark and, ineffectively, pressed it directly down onto the windshield of his rental car and the bristles all popped out around the sides. Even before his, very public, breakdown at the UNESCO conference his trip in Denmark wasn’t going particularly well.

And then, Grace sees something that makes his breath catch in his throat.

“Adrian,” he whispers and the entomologist immediately quiets and focuses intently on him, “it has eyes.”

“What.”

“It’s covered eyes,” he lets out a laugh of disbelief, “they even look like the simple eyes, ocelli, that insects have on Earth.”

Adrian stands frozen for a few moments before their whole body jerks into motion.

“Excuse me excuse me,” Adrian stumbles off a few meters down a nearby tunnel. The ecstatic shrieking they let out echoes down the chambers and makes the xenonite of Grace’s suit vibrate. They pop back around the corner shaking with excitement.

“Sight evolved on Erid!” They shriek, stopping to let out another excited musical squeal. “♫ø reacted to Ryland’s helmet lights! How how how, question? Why why why, question? Adrian needs to study study study.”

“It’s unbelievable,” Grace says with a dumbfounded grin, “if its eyes are truly like the ocelli Earth insects have then they can probably only detect if light is present or not though-” he tilts his head to peer at the insect, which he has decided to call a “Cyclopti” (it doesn’t make sense but he likes how it sounds), from another angle. “Based on how many eyes it has it would be able to detect light from quite a few different angles. On Earth insects often have ocelli alongside more complex eyes. The ocelli will commonly be on the top of their heads to help them maintain their orientation while they fly, using the sun as a reference point.

“Y’know,” he continues suddenly recalling a fact that would always either interest or depress his students, “on Earth lots of people think moths and bugs are attracted to flames and light but in reality the light just makes them extremely disoriented and they can’t figure out what direction they’re flying in. So they just keep circling around it until they either exhaust themselves or get lucky and circle around wide enough that they get enough out of range to reorient themselves. It’s kinda sad when you think about it.”

“Amaze amaze amaze,” Adrian chants, claws lightly tapping on the cyclopti’s carapace to better hear what they now know are its eyes. They let out a displeased warble as it continues to thrash around in their grasp.

“As much as Adrian wants to study study study now now now…cyclopti is stressed stressed stressed. And species is abundant so Adrian can find more later.” Despite their declaration the insect remains within their grasp.

Then, with resignation at literally letting an exciting research opportunity slip through their claws, Adrian sets the cyclopti down on the ground.

Grace, Adrian, and (a much less invested) Rocky watch the cyclopti run off into the darkness. Right as it is about to escape the range of Grace’s flashlight he sees a flicker in the corner of his eye. Before he can blink another insect glides down soundlessly and viciously attacks the cyclopti. Grace stares slackjawed as he watches the flickering glow of the new insect get smaller as it drags away the body of the cyclopti.

Rocky breaks the silence.

“Predator had light, question?”

“Yep.”

“...Ryland and Rocky want to go closer and listen to predator eat, question?”

Graces oos in interest. Rocky shivers with such intense disgust that their body jerks back.

“No no no,” Rocky objects loudly, “that is it! Too much! Rocky abandoning Adrian and Grace in cave! Rocky will wait in car!”

Grace and Adrian stand still as Rocky scuttles off towards the entrance of the tunnel. After a beat they slowly meander towards the dim light of the predator feasting on its freshly caught meal.

“Is no car.”

“I know,” Grace hums in agreement, “he’ll be back in a minute.”

“Will be surprising if they even wait that long to return.”

Rocky, motivated by pure pettiness, waits a full two minutes before returning to their sides.

Adrian lies prone with their carapace on the ground. They warble out mournful notes as Rocky and Grace stand around them. They are stuck. They can no longer move.

“Adrian cannot go on,” They cry.

“Adrian can go on,” Rocky responds, his notes dripping with exasperation, “just needs to let go of bugs.”

Adrian harumphs, all five sets of their claws continue to gently clutch bugs.

“Too hard to decide,” Adrian complains, “Adrian can’t do it to bug friends, statement.”

“Adrian would rather squish bug friends when walk, question?” Adrian lets out a distressed note. “Thought so. Otherwise Adrian live on dirty cave floor forever.”

Adrian lets out a note of consideration.

“No,” Rocky blurts out, “Rocky was being sarcastic, clarification. Adrian cannot live on dirty cave floor forever.”

“Rocky would not bring supplies for Adrian to survive in cave, question? Would not watch their mate sleep in cave, question?”

Rocky stands in silence. Unable to, in good conscience, figure out a denial to their mate’s irrational questions. His attention shifts to the human standing at their sides.

“Grace would die,” he blurts out as the man in question chokes on his own spit at the random outburst of his demise, “run out of oxygen and perish in cave next to Adrian. Sad sad sad.”

“Sad sad sad,” Adrian echoes, “Adrian no want friend Ryland to die. Fine. Adrian can make ‘Sophie’s choice’. Sad sad sad.”

“Um,” Grace interrupts, still a bit discombobulated by his survival being used to win an argument, “why can’t you put them into your specimen vials?”

“Adrian no want as specimen, just as bug friend to hold…also Adrian running low on specimen jars.”

“I can hold onto some of them for you, if you’d like,” Grace offers.

Adrian rocks their carapace with delight, immediately one of their arms shoot up into the air with their insectoid payload.

“Here here here,” they chant, “this species slow and weak enough to not escape Grace’s hold.”

“I- thanks Adrian.” Grace diligently grabs onto the proffered insect.

“Rocky hold insects for Adrian too, question?”

“Rocky not touching that,” Rocky replies immediately, “no thank you. Kindly fuck off, statement. Please have fun with insects approximately five meters away from Rocky, thank you no thank you.”

Adrian lets out a disappointed, but unsurprised, melody. After great deliberation they release two bugs from their claws.

“Bye bye friends,” they call out as the bugs skitter away into the darkness of the tunnel, “Adrian will miss you.”

With a heavy heart, or rather, a heavy collection of hearts, Adrian stands up on three bugless limbs.

“Adrian back in motion,” they proclaim despondently.

The trio manages to get a whole four steps in before Grace trips over his feet. He manages to stay upright, catching his balance with windmilling arms, but in the self-inflicted chaos he drops the bug recently entrusted to him by Adrian.

“Shoot,” he curses watching as the bug skitters off, relatively slowly but still too quick for him, “Adrian I am so sorry-” Grace pauses, attention grabbed by a stone nearby the route of the departing insect.

There is a rock, about the size and shape of a balled up sock, that does not match the colour of the surrounding stones at all. Their current tunnel has been a section of smooth grey stone and this rock is a warm shade of brown. Coincidentally it is the same shade of brown as Rocky’s carapace. But while the colour difference alone was enough to catch Grace’s attention, it is not that feature that keeps it. Because Grace is fairly certain he just saw it twitch.

“What’s that?” Grace points at the stone in the corner.

Rocky and Adrian both let out a confused tune.

“Adrian cannot hear anything,” they say, “is just rocks.”

“No it’s,” Grace squints at the stone intently, “Adrian can I borrow one of your nets?”

Adrian hands Grace a net. They click and tap in the direction Grace indicated but they still can’t hear anything.

“...Grace so desperate to catch something that Grace catch rock, question?” Rocky drones out, “This is new low, statement. Grace should just-”

Rocky and Adrian both let out a sharp note of surprise as Grace slams down the net and the rock moves within.

“Ryland has caught insect,” Adrian cheers, “well done well done! Adrian is very proud, good job good job!” They scurry over to give Grace a big hug from behind.

“What is it?” Grace grins proudly, leaning back into Adrian’s hold.

“Adrian is…not sure,” Adrian admits, releasing Grace and venturing closer to the bug trapped within his net, “need to listen closer.”

Adrian extends two arms, tapping one set of claws against the ground while the other lightly taps on the bug itself. They freeze for a moment before they lurch back, bouncing as much as they can in the cramped tunnel with frantic jazz hands of excitement.

“♭♬♭! ♭♬♭! ♭♬♭!” They scream, they turn to Grace, their claws opening and closing excitedly before they physically hold themselves back from crushing his soft human form. Instead they scurry over to Rocky, lifting him up into the air and squeezing him to their carapace as they swing around in circles of sheer delight.

Grace smiles, staring fondly at the adorable scene even though it makes him feel dizzy.

“That good, huh?”

“Yes,” Adrian stops spinning, still clutching Rocky against their carapace. Rocky accepts their newfound position with dignity and reaches around Adrian to pull a thin metal slate out of their bag.

“Rare rare rare rare rare rare rare rare,” Adrian continues, “♭♬♭ hard hard hard hard hard to catch. Very very very good at hiding self, distort echoes and mimick the sound of rocks. Only two specimens have been caught live. Both caught accidentally. All other research done on dead specimens, much easier to find since less active echo distortion but still hard.”

“Holy smokes,” Grace breathes out, double checking that the edges of his net are flush against the ground to contain his rare catch, “it’s a Rocky mimic.”

“Name bug after Rocky, rude,” Rocky complains halfheartedly, unable to muster up his usual degree of indignation while he is being actively hugged by his mate who is still vibrating with sheer joy. He drags an assortment of tools against the metal slate in his grasp.

Adrian takes a few shaky steps towards the net, gently setting down Rocky and they take out an empty specimen jar from one of their many pockets. Adrian's voice warbles with emotion as they delicately push the rocky mimic into a specimen jar. “Adrian has their own rocky mimic. Happy happy happy happy happy.”

Adrian cradles the specimen jar against their carapace. Rocky reaches out a claw to tap against one of Adrian's arms before returning to his slate.

“How Ryland find, question?” Adrian asks softly.

“Its colour,” Grace responds, “it’s a very different shade of colour from the rest of the rock in this tunnel. It’s actually the same colour as Rocky. And once I noticed it I also saw it moving slightly.”

“Human light-sense is amaze amaze amaze.”

“I just lucked out on being less susceptible to it’s particular brand of mimicry,” Grace brushes off the compliment, “I’m sure you would be much better than me at identifying Earth insects’ mimicry. Their mimicry is mostly visual but I’m sure you’d still be able to hear them.”

“Cool cool cool,” Adrian responds, for once too overwhelmed to demand follow up questions.

“How spell rocky mimic, question?” Rocky cuts in.

Adrian lets out a bunch of notes related to Eridian writing language. Rocky scratches them into the metal slate in his hands before turning it around. Carved into the slate is an extremely detailed etching of the rocky mimic. The diagram also includes some drawings of what must be its internal system.

“Is beautiful,” Adrian coos with delight, reaching down to hold the slate with the same level of care that they demonstrated for the rocky mimic. “Adrian has best most talented mate in all of Erid, statement.”

Rocky lets out a pseudo-humble warble, nuzzling their carapace against Adrian.

“That’s amazing, Rocky. I didn’t even know you could draw.” Grace steps closer to admire the etching as Rocky’s carapace tilts up with pride.

“Rocky prefers models, more math, but etching nice too. Sometimes.”

“Need to put with the others.” Adrian slips off their bag to take out a thick book of metal slates. As Adrian unwinds the shining braided metal rope binding the slates together Rocky cuts small holes along one side of his rocky mimic etching.

The newest slate looks sharp and shiny amongst all the others pages with dull lustres and edges worn smooth with age.

“Woah,” Grace breathes out, watching the pair weave in the new page together.

“Ryland want to look through, question?” Adrian asks.

“Yes.”

Adrian hands over the book and Grace sits on the ground to lay it out in front of him in its full glory. Slowly flipping the pages and admiring the dozens and dozens of insects that lay within.

“Rocky has made insect etchings for Adrian since Rocky and Adrian started courting,” Adrian explains, softly stroking a claw along the border of the slate Grace has on display, “back when Rocky pretend they were not afraid of bugs. Adrian worried date had been a bust. Worried they had scared Rocky away. Then Rocky give Adrian their first etching of an insect,” Adrian pauses to let out a sweet trill of delight as they reminisce, “after that Rocky stopped pretending they were unafraid of bugs. Rocky complain complain complain that insects gross scary leaky. But Rocky come with Adrian to find bugs anyways. Making new etching any time Adrian catches a new species.”

“Rocky you sap,” Grace turns his teary eyes towards the rock in question, grinning as Rocky shivers with embarrassment, “that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Both of you shove some food up your ventral seals and go to sleep,” he grumbles, “give Rocky peace and quiet where he won’t be able to hear you talk talk talk anymore.”

“Rocky’s etchings are beautiful and practical,” Adrian says ignoring the half-hearted grumblings of their mate, “Adrian has sorted into multiple collections based on biomes and uses collections regularly as reference point and identification guide.”

“That’s the dream,” Grace sighs, flipping through the slates, “your own custom identification book.”

Grace stops as he comes upon a page that has noticeably more detail, and specimens, than all the other ones. It is intentionally intricate down to the penmanship on the species name. Rocky clicks with recognition.

“Grace has found the one good insect,” Rocky taps a claw on the page, “is smart smart smart and mixes mud with specific minerals to make compound of good density and structure for nest construction.”

“Of course you’d have a soft spot for the engineering insect.”

Grace flips over the slate and is faced with the antithesis of the intricate detail and care of the previous page. This particular etching seems to be intentionally shitty. And Grace recognizes the subject matter.

“Precious,” Adrian croons while Rocky repeats the same tones with a much more grumbley tune.

By the time they’ve gone through the entire book, getting distracted by half a dozen tangents along the way, they’ve been inside the cave system for a few hours.

The trio sits on the ground, reference book and specimen jars tucked into pockets and bags, uncertain what to do next.

“...time go home, question?”

“...I wouldn’t mind a break from this exosuit.”

“...And I am out of specimen jars.”

Rocky leaps to his feet.

“Time go home, statement!” He cheers, leaving Grace and Adrian in literal plumes of dust as he desperately gallops in the direction of the exit.

Adrian and Grace slowly get to their feet, following the frantic footfalls of their friend.

“I don’t think Rocky wants to leave the cave,” Grace conspires with Adrian.

“No no,” Adrian agrees, “Rocky love cave, want to stay forever forever forever.”

“Fucking finally!” echoes down from the tunnels ahead of them.