Idk What I'm Doing

It’s boring, really. I’m no scientist and I don’t have much wisdom to impart. I’m just the engineer. The Eridians needed me for a few weeks to explain how the computer works, but that was it. Their engineering was much more advanced than ours in every other regard, so they don’t have much to learn from me. 

I spend my mornings taking engineering classes with a bunch of young Eridians. I’ve started to learn how to use xenonite. 

My daily routine: wake up briefly to say bye to Grace before work, fall back asleep, wake up and eat, go to class, come home. Wait for Grace—this is most of my day. Hang out with Grace. Go to bed.

Rocky keeps me company—engineer buddies!—while I’m doing nothing during Grace’s work hours. We go for walks together. He’s a good walking companion. Sometimes Adrian joins us. 

I used to love going on walks with my dad back on Earth. Sometimes it reminds me too much of him and I’m too sad to go out. Rocky and Adrian never know what to do with me when I’m like this. They usually just hover nearby, and they’ll play with my hair soothingly if I let them.

I do get depressed occasionally. I go through periods where I’m mostly okay, and then there are times when I can’t handle being so useless, so sedentary. Grace always tries to skip teaching to stay with me, but I never let him. It’s good that one of us has a purpose here. 

I’ve been feeling better recently.  When Rocky knocks on our door, I’m excited to see him. 

I open the door, looking down to find Rocky in his xenonite suit, covered in rainwater. “Hey, Rocky,” I chuckle as he shakes off the droplets from his suit like a dog before coming inside.

“No understand the point of rain in the biodome,” Rocky complains. 

“Grace likes it,” I explain. “I never liked rain that much.” 

“Remind Rocky what humans do when it’s raining,” Rocky says, climbing onto the couch with me. 

“Grace likes to go outside and get wet, but must people watch TV and stay inside,” I reply. “Or we take naps. The sound of the rain is calming.”

“I watch you sleep, question?”

“No, it’s okay, that would be boring for you,” I reply. “Want to watch Mean Girls?”

I put Mean Girls on. It’s about the 50th time we’ve watched it together. I think it’s a comfort movie for Rocky, given that he suggests it so often. Which, I mean, good choice.

“Do you remember the first time we watched this movie, question?” Rocky asks.

“Mm, no, remind me,” I murmur absently, smoothing my hand over the top of Rocky’s carapace. 

“You were leaking,” Rocky says. “A lot of leaking. And you were lonely. So I told you to pick movie.”

I’m paying attention again, not sure where he’s going with this. “Yeah.”

“We watch movie every time you are sad,” Rocky continues.

“Oh,” I say softly. “I thought it was because you liked it.”

“No,” Rocky says. “Well, is good movie. Funny, statement. But Rocky suggested movie when I thought you were sad.”

I’m quiet for a minute. Rocky pushes himself up a little, bracing his front legs against my lap. “You wanted to watch movie now. I mention the first time we watched it because I wanted to know if you are sad now, question?”

I look down again. “No, I’m not,” I say. “I was feeling okay today.”

“Good good good,” Rocky trills.

I keep watching the movie, but I’m distracted now. Of all the times we’ve watched this movie, I’ve suggested it maybe three or four times. Rocky picked it the other times. Had I really seemed sad that many times?

“If not sad, can Rocky try something, question?” 

“Sure, Rock, what is it?”

“Want to tickle you,” Rocky chirps.

I feel my face get hot as I do a double take. “What?”

“Tickle you, question?” 

“W-why?”

“Make you laugh,” Rocky explains. “Fun fun fun.”

“Where did you learn about that?”

“Saw you have tickle fight with Grace,” Rocky says matter-of-factly. “Saw you lose. Badly, statement.”

I stammer in protest. “I did not lose.”

“Grace pinned you on floor and you laughed so hard your face leaked,” Rocky counters, prodding me in the side.

“Fine, maybe I lost,” I grumble. My face is fully red, and I squirm in place at the tickly memory.

“So, can tickle, question?”

I bite my lip. Rocky taps his claws together in a gesture I know to be hopeful excitement. 

“Fine.”

“Good good good,” Rocky trills excitedly. He repositions himself in my lap, pushing my shoulders down so I lay back on the couch. He braces himself with two legs against the couch on either side of my waist, keeping the weight of his carapace off of me. 

Rocky has three limbs remaining and they hover menacingly over my torso as he decides where to tickle first. I smile nervously in anticipation, my hands fidgeting. 

“Why smiling, question? Did not touch you yet,” Rocky says.

“Well, you’re gonna,” I say with a huff of laughter. 

“Anticipation makes it worse, question?”

“Yes,” I whine. 

Rocky lowers his claws towards me a few times and pulls back right before touching me. I squeak predictably every time. He wiggles in delight at my silliness. 

“Rocky, stohohop, just do it already…”

Rocky finally pushes up my shirt and scribbles his claws across my tummy. I burst into giggles. His claws can’t articulate as much as human hands, so it doesn’t tickle as much as it does when Grace tickles me. But it still tickles like hell. 

He tweaks up and down my ribs. His claws are great for pinching. “Want to try spot that I haven’t seen Grace try before,” Rocky trills. 

“N-ahaha I won’t tell you—“

“If I keep tickling, will you tell me a new spot, question?”

“No- nonono I wohohon’t!!” I squeal. 

“What if Rocky tickle here, question?” He uses one limb to hold my arm up and the other two dive into the exposed hollow underneath. 

I shriek with laughter. “OKAHAHAY OKAY FINE!!”

Rocky stops, letting me speak. “You cahan try my lower body,” I relent. “My feet or my legs.”

Rocky eagerly scrambles down my body. I pull my legs closer to my center of mass and he grabs an ankle. He gives the sole of my foot a few experimental pokes. I giggle softly.  

“Is better if remove clothing, question?” Rocky asks. 

“Y-you can take my sock off if you’re done faster,” I say, trying to bargain. 

“Deal, statement,” Rocky says, happily peeling off my sock. 

He runs all three fingers down the sole of my foot curiously. I burst into giggles, tugging uselessly at my leg but his third claw has it held fast. He uses two claws to torment the foot in his grip, scribbling at both the top and the bottom. 

“What humans say when tickling other humans, question?”

“Ahahaha- ahall sorts of thihings,” I manage. 

“Teach me,” Rocky demands. 

“Yohohou can, uh, repeat the word tihihickle a buncha times…” I trail off into squeakier giggles as he starts to play with my toes like a curious toddler. 

“Tickle tickle tickle,” Rocky says experimentally. My face burns hotter. 

“Ahaha- ah- you cahahan make fun of the peheherson you’re tickling…”

“Make fun? No is mean, question?” 

“It cahan be fun if you’re a lihihittle mean,” I explain. 

Rocky scribbles at my heel and I nearly lose it. He thinks for a minute. “Why laughing so much? Too ticklish for own good,” he tries. “Like this, question?”

I cover my face with my hands, nodding in embarrassment. “Yohohou can gihive the person compliments…”

Rocky coos at me. “Compliments? Make humans flustered, question?” 

“Yeheheah…”

“Cute cute cute,” Rocky trills. “Human brain is so silly. Acting like a pebble, statement.”

I grab the pillow behind my head and smother my embarrassed, giggly groan with it. 

Rocky puts my foot down and moves up to snuggle into my middle. “Feel better, question?”

“M’yeah,” I mumble back.