#asks!!!

It had only been another day on the Hail Mary. Rocky had been tinkering with his xenonite to create more helpful advancements for the ship, Grace watching with that astonished look in his eyes when he passed by.

However, when you’re stranded in space on a ship for so long, you’re bound to get bored. And when it came to Grace, with boredom comes ideas for curing it.

So, the scientist decided to have a little fun with the alien.

He’d opened one of the ship’s many hatches to the room he slept in with Rocky, using some sellotape he had spare to create an invisible wall between the gap.

And with Rocky’s complete lack of eyes, Grace knew the alien was bound to fall for the little prank. Hook, line and sinker.

“Hey, Rock! You free for a sec?” He called out, laid across his bed and tossing his yarn ball of Earth up, catching it and repeating the action to look as innocent as possible.

Soon enough, metal clanks could be heard as well as excited chirps.

“Rocky hear Grace. On way, on way, on way.” The translator answered, and when Grace looked up, he was met with Rocky in his xenonite ball tumbling through towards the door.

And then, just as he expected, the cornered ball toppled through the wall of tape, the sudden force making Rocky lose his balance on his nubs of feet slightly before the ball came to a halt, now covered in the sticky material.

Luckily the alien wasn’t hurt, Grace would’ve heard some kind of alarmed chirp come from Rocky otherwise.

Speaking of Grace, his head was thrown back while he went into a laughing fit, arms around his midsection.

“Ohohoh, mahahan! Hahahahah-!”

It was at this point Rocky realised he’d been tricked, slumping down in his ball like some kind of puppy that had been regretfully informed the dog park was closed.

“…Grace laugh seriously now. Question.”

The flat tone of that computer generated voice made it a lot harder for the now astronaut to stop his chortling. For a creature with no face, even he could tell he was not amused in the slightest.

And Rocky’s inability to properly conjure common human phrases didn’t help either. Grace guessed he must’ve meant ‘Are you seriously laughing right now?’

“Ohokay, okay buddy, I’m sohorry, lemme getcha outta thihis-“ He rose from his bed, kneeling down in front of the ball to peel the sticky strips away.

“Why Grace make Rocky sticky, question?” A tiny warbling grumble followed after the translator spoke for Rocky.

“Ihits just a little joke, Rocky. Happens a lot back on Earth. Just a way people mess around with each other.”

“…Humans not funny.”

Grace chuckled again, ripping the final piece of tape away before standing up.

“There ya go. Good as new.” He nodded, patting the space ball before giving Rocky a smile with a hint of lingering mischief as he searched for a nearby trash can.

“…Grace will pay Rocky for trick.”

The ex-teacher only snickered.

“Sorry, pal. No money in space.” He joked, knowing that’s not what Rocky meant. But what he didn’t realise, was Rocky was in fact very serious.

A few taps against the floor of the room made Grace turn around, noticing Rocky stalking closer in his ball.

“Grace. Pay. Rocky.”

Before Grace could even get a word in edgeways, the ball sped forward. The scientist just narrowly slid past with a startled scream, booking it down the hallway of the ship as Rocky followed.

“Grace run! No point, I will catch! Fun chase, fun!” The alien chirped happily, surprisingly able to keep up a decent speed in his ball as he stumbled after Grace.

“Dangit, Rohocky-! Slow down a secohond, let’s tahalk!”

“No talk. Catch Grace.”

Soon enough, Rocky had somehow gained enough momentum to bump into the back of Grace’s legs, meaning it was now his turn to lose his balance, crashing to the floor too.

“Agh, mother…fluffer-” He groaned, rolling onto his back. Rocky skidded to another halt, his head-body(?) titling to one side.

“Accident, accident. Grace okay, question?”

“Yep, I’m alright…” He chuckled with good nature in the sound, moving to sit up. But it wasn’t long before the weight of Rocky’s ball was on top of his chest, keeping him down on the ground.

“Good, now Rocky can continue plan.”

“Uhuhuh… what is this plan exahaHACTLY-?” A small squeak had punctuated the end of Grace’s sentence once he felt two claws digging into his sides through the mesh material of Rocky’s ball.

“ROHohock-! Nohoho, don’t do thihis, come ohon!”

“But tickles good way to teach Grace a lesson. Rocky see how Grace react. Grace get embarrassed like I was after being sticky!” Another round of warbling chirps left the alien as he continued to dig, even moving up to the bottom set of his ribs.

“Tickle. Tickle, tickle!”

Gosh darnit, why did Grace have to teach him the actual word?? He could’ve lied and made up a word a bit more… bearable to hear, even if it was just coming from a computer generated voice.

Then again.. it wasn’t like anyone else was gonna be around to witness it any time soon. Unless the ship ended up activating the video diary for Earth on its own or something.

…The impossible thought wasn’t helping the flush spreading across his cheeks, though.

“Yohohou don’t have to speheheak doing this, Rohohocky-! Oh gohohosh-!” The scientist barely suppressed a snort as he felt two of Rocky’s back legs vibrating into either sides of his belly too.

“But talking works! Grace change colour, is funny! Tickle, tickle!” Those claws finally wormed their way under Grace’s arms, making him let out his loudest squeal yet, elbows pinned to his ribs as his glasses became askew from his head tiling back again.

“YOHOHOU LIHITTLE-!” The man cut himself off with a proper snort that time, smile wide and genuine as ever as he drummed his heels on the ground behind the tickle monster of an alien on top of him.

“Grace surrender, question? Rocky win?” Grace somehow almost heard a cheeky grin in that robotic voice. He shook his head, giggling too much to form a response that would be coherent at the very least.

…And that was when he instantly regretted those words, feeling the legs that had been previously shaking into his tummy now pressing right into the sensitive cluster on nerves at his hips.

One of his infamous high-pitched shrieks filled the hall of the ship, followed by hysterical belly laughter as he writhed and squealed under Rocky.

He did pride himself on lasting what felt like a good few minutes (but was actually about 20 seconds) before he weakly tapped the side of the space ball keeping him trapped.

The weight instantly lifted as Rocky rolled to the side, more excited trills coming from him as he did his victorious jazz hands gesture.

“Good job, good job! Rocky win, Grace defeated, am Master of Tickles, statement!”

“Ihihi…” Grace hiccuped as he pushed himself back up. “Aham never calling you thahat. Or pulling a prank on you ever agahain-“

He was interrupted as Rocky pressed his ball against him, leaning his being as close as he could. His version of a hug.

“Rocky have fun. Grace laugh is nice, contagious.”

The rookie astronaut huffed, wrapping an arm around the ball as much as he could. He could never stay mad at him, not really.

“So did I, pal. But I’m gonna find a way to get to you eventually, y’know-“

“Not possible. My atmosphere impossible to be touched by you.”

“Hey, I’ve met an alien, I’m convinced anything is possible at this point.” Grace smiled and patted the ball before standing up. “Now c’mon, show me those new advancements you’ve cooked up.”

The alien perked up, quickly guiding Grace back to his tinkering area.

“Yes, yes, yes! Am proud of creations, and so will Grace be! I show, I show!”

Grace chuckled, shaking his head as he followed the eager alien. Though he did kind of lie.