⭐︎⋆˚࿔ rocky is very observant of you and ryland grace. a little too observant.
Whenever you’re hours deep into planning, Ryland ends up close in your orbit without fail. Like, really close. The kind of close where your shoulders brush. Not that you mind. It’s nice to remember you’re not alone.
You can’t remember when those affirming touches started making your heart pound.
They started standing out everywhere. An excited high five when you’ve figured out the latest calculation, a silly tap of your arm when he laughs at your joke.
Today, your face won’t stop heating up as you work on the latest puppet show model for Rocky. To avoid bumping into each other in the tight space as he steps past, Grace keeps murmuring a quiet “excuse me” and, more agonizingly, placing a hand on the small of your back.
After the latest brush, you notice Rocky stops scuffling excitedly. “Why…hmm, need word.”
“What word?” you ask, voice wavering.
“Beating sound inside human. Near upper mid of body.”
“No, Rocky know heart. Unless heart make sound. Need word for sound.”
“Oh, you’re thinking heartbeat,” you explain.
“Okay, okay, okay.” Rocky pauses. “Why Grace and Y/N heartbeat go up around each other, question?”
You almost drop a huge piece of xenonite on your foot.
Grace starts choking on nothing.
“I think we’re just working really hard on the model,” you say quickly. “Takes a lot of energy.”
“Then why heartbeat change around each other all the time, question?”
“What?” Grace exclaims, voice going up several octaves in genuine horror.
A million emotions flash through your mind. Then you bite back a smile. This has been going on long enough. If neither of you can catch a break…might as well have fun with it.
“Maybe that’s a question Grace and I can talk about later,” you tease.
“Oh.” Ryland turns you with wide eyes, then adjusts the glasses on his quickly flushing face. “Yeah, I — sure.” He gives a goofy grin and totally nonchalant thumbs up. “I feel normal about this.”
“Then why Grace heartbeat worse now, question?”
Ryland practically shrieks. You burst out laughing.
Well, that what-are-we conversation had to happen eventually.
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