Insane again. Do people understand just how crazy the Adrian Rocky love story is??? They were separated for like half a decade, human years, CENTURIES in Eridian years. Adrian probably was told by the people around then at every turn that Rocky was dead, that they should start grieving, hell, maybe a particularly rude Eridian told them they should give up and look for a new mate. But they didn't. Decades past when the mission was meant to return, they didn't. They knew somehow, even as every other family of the 22 scientists, engineers, commanders and doctors on that ship started to grieve, that their Rocky was alive and they just had to wait one day more for them to come back.
There's help by governments for people who lost their partners at war, isn't there? I imagine Adrian starkly refusing it. Their family tries to subtly help them instead when it gets too hard. They watch Adrian sleep and Adrian watches them sleep, but everyone knows they would've slept better if it was Rocky.
"Adrian just won't accept it"
"Grief affects people in different ways, we just need to give them time"
Imagine people not telling Adrian that the government was starting talks for sending another ship. Imagine the reaction. Adrian probably could've been very helpful with the new mission, but they just broke down whenever they thought of working on it because that meant they had given up on Rocky, Rocky who they had been with for nearly 150 years. Rocky who they should've been with for another 400 more.
Imagine how they felt when they got that weird radio signal from that weird ship up in orbit. At first no one would've told them, wanting to wait for confirmation for Rocky before getting that poor, heartbroken widow's hopes up. But Adrian found out anyways and they are so goddamn hopeful. Sure it's not an eridian ship. Sure the radio signal is this weird, garbled, non-eridian thing. But what if Rocky is on there.
AND HE FUCKING IS AS WELL
Can you even imagine?? How Adrian must've felt hearing their soulmates voice over the radio once more, once it's been translated to frequencies they can receive? They are dropping everything. They're gone. They're going to the space elevator site. They are demanding to be let up. Rocky is alive and Rocky is home. Nothing else matters. In that moment Adrian doesn't even give a damn if the astrophage problem has been solved. Rocky is safely home.
The microsecond that Rocky has been medically cleared off the ship, he's gone to the room where Adrian waits patiently alone, he's getting tackled. He's getting hugged harder than he ever has before. Doesn't matter is Adrian is taller or shorter than Rocky, they have half a decade of pent up sadness and love and yearning behind them. They tap his carapace, his legs, everything just to confirm it's him he's real he's here he's safe. Words fly out of their mouth, words of relief and love and joy so fast it sounds like someone playing rush e badly. Rocky is shell shocked at first and then starts replying in turn, fast and loud because Adrian is here! Adrian still loves him, still wants him! He saved Erid, he saved Adrian, they're safe again!
Can you fucking imagine? They're the eridian Romeo and Juliet. They're getting books, they're getting (Eridian equivalent) movies, they're getting referenced in every love song from now until forever. Star crossed lovers and they LIVE
