stressed, depressed,and occasionally well dressed

grace : rocky…… do you think adrian hates me…?

I’m also gonna need the opposite of this, except it’s not really the opposite, it’s Adrian realizing that he’s been accidentally scaring Grace and making him think that he hates him. Poor guy is DISTRAUGHT realizing his favorite alien thought he was barely holding himself back from hurting him - especially if he wasn’t holding Grace as gently as he thought and left bruises on him that Grace took as a silent threat.

The elevated heartbeat whenever Adrian was around was not because he was excited to see him. The stretched silences between them was not because Rocky is Grace’s favorite and he only babbled to Rocky (I mean, it’s true, but not the point!)

Hewwo @twiggyart6 👋

I have very normal feelings about your Eridian Grace AU, I love it a normal amount and I would love to have some very normal conversations about it. I do not bite.

Here's some fanart and thoughts

grace: please just call me grace

I mean full-on khaki-shorts-wearing, traversing-wilderness-with-nothin'-but-a-machete Adrian who yoinks snakes outta trees and pets swamp puppies and will unflinchingly dig around in elephant faeces for signs of a rare parasitic tapeworm if needed.

Oh, humans eat socially? No problem, Adrian has observed many many animals eat. Did you know that an obscure species of small underground dirt creature from the north side of Erid also eats socially? Adrian can give you a not-so-short presentation on them.

Oh, the human has no external carapace and so its internal sounds are absurdly loud, wet and off-putting? No problem, Adrian was just conducting an expedition last month researching the incredible eridian animal, the Wet Loud Worm from the south-east region of Wet Loud Wormland. They're desensitised, it's fine.

Oh, Grace leaks often from many orifices and it can be a bit of a learning curve to get used to? No problem for Adrian, see Wet Loud Worm paragraph again!

side effect of watching james cameron’s avatar and sharing one very smart brain cell.

no touching happened that day bahaHAHA

Rocky: It was their turn to watch you sleep last night.

Adrian: Yes, but you doubled up because I was busy at work. So it's only fair that I have extra time.

Grace: ...You can both sleep over if that's what you're arguing about?

Rocky: ...Oh. I didn't think of that.

Adrian: Ryland is very reasonable. I will prepare our things.

Love the soft, curious moments of them sharing about their own cultures, biology, etc. I do think Rocky would have a field day when Grace explains skin as a very sensitive and permeable organ with lots of stuff packed tight on the surface. Since goosebumps are very tactile, I thought Rocky would enjoy hearing those.

Also, bonus.

G: "I thought you said it was rude?"

Rocky has a plan. It's just going to take a while.

---

The improved xenonite suit took...okay. The damned thing took so much trial and error. It doesn't help that -he- had to recover from his time in space as well. He would watch Grace every day, seeing him barely able to function, feeling completely useless on the other side of their divided room.

This awful box could and should be renamed 'the torture chamber'.

But he still has that plan. And Grace would be so surprised.

---

His friend takes significantly longer than Rocky does to be cleared for visitors...well, visitors in his side of things. Rocky could have gone home months ago, but he refused to leave Grace alone.

Even if he has his medical team. But that doesn't fucking count. Rocky finally got clearance to enter with his new suit.

He greeted the human softly, but it was so worth everything he'd put into it just to hear Grace's surprised voice. To hear levity seep into his song.

Rocky didn't do much that night. He simply crawled into his bed and watched over him. Tracing the muscle groups beneath his skin.

Soon.

---

The first time he tried was three years after they'd touched back down on Erid. Grace's bio-dome had been finished, and he'd been greenlit for teaching children.

But he was so achy. So he's going to fix it.

Grace is understandably nervous. He's not big on being held down, but he assured Rocky they could try.

He intentionally started with his legs, that way he didn't feel trapped. They have a moment of adjustment where he accidentally tightened his grip too much, but soon...

Grace is practically melting into the contact. Groaning in relief as Rocky kneaded his sore flesh.

And the Eridian is all too glad to be of service. He knows he loves Grace. This was something he could do to feel the closeness he craved without overstepping this...invisible boundary he's built up in his mind.

Adrian often chastised him, wondering why he tormented himself like this. Telling him to just ask the teacher. But he wants to wait. He wants to do this right.

And right now? He's content to sink his hands into the softest skin he's ever felt. Even when there's a suit separating them.

G: *trying to explain that he's fine between sobs.*

R: I not hurt you, question??

G: H-human thing. Need physical c-contact.