Word of The Day
Lee!RylandGrace
Ler!Rocky
Description: Grace teaches Rocky what tickling is and it epically backfires on him.
Part one based off my poll. I’ll be posting the other prompt soon!
…………………………..
While bored on the trip back to Erid, Grace proposed a new game they can play. Grace found a small pocket dictionary in the lab and wanted to use it to broaden Rocky’s vocabulary. Around a quarter way through their trip they started doing a word of the day. Grace would teach Rocky the word and the definition then it was Rocky’s task to try and implement the word into their speech that day somehow.
The little game was very effective and educational as Rocky was incredibly adaptable and he began using much bigger words on the daily after Ryland taught them.
This morning was no different than any other day
Grace grabbed the book off the table and came to sit by Rocky.
“Alright bud let me know when.”
Grace held the book in his hand and flipped through it.
“Now.” Rocky said
Grace stopped flipping through and landed on a random page.
“Okay.”
Then he waved his finger around the page.
“Now.” Rocky said
Graces finger stopped on a random word. Grace looked at the word and paused.
“Chole- ch choledo-“
“Hmmm”
Rocky waited patiently.
“Huh?”
“Does Grace not know how to say new word. Question?”
“Nono I got it.”
Grace attempted the word again.
“Chole-doch-o…
“Grace does not know how to pronounce.
“no Rocky, I know how to pronounce it!”
“Grace look away when he lies. Statement”
Grace sighed before he gave up and looked at how to pronounce it phonetically.
“cho· led· o· cho· li· thi· a· sis”
“It’s a noun and it’s when a gallstone is trapped in the bile duct after being formed in the gallbladder.”
Rocky sat in silence before saying,
“Well how am I supposed to use new word casually. Question?”
Grace laughed “I’m not sure. If you want we can pick a new word.”
“Yes.” Rocky replied
Grace began flipping through the book again.
“Now.”
“Okay”
He traced his finger along the page again.
“Now.”
Graces eyes widened when he read the new word of the day
……
“Grace can’t pronounce this word either. Question?”
Grace snapped out of it.
“The word is Tickle”
He began to read the description
“Verb: to lightly touch,stroke or poke sensitive areas of the body in a way which causes involuntary laughter, twitching or spasmodic movements.”
Rocky listened carefully to the definition but didn’t fully understand.
He knew what the other words in the definition meant but context clues were not helping him understand much.
“Rocky confused.”
“Uh well it’s a human thing.”
“Touching makes humans laugh. Question?”
“Yeah but usually not every touch is a tickley touch yknow? A fist bump doesn’t tickle, see?”
Grace fist bumped Rocky through the suit.
“What kind of touch tickles humans. Question?”
“Like soft touch in certain sensitive places could tickle.”
“Involuntary laughter due to a soft touch seems like a human design flaw. Is Grace going to laugh if I poke and lightly touch him. Question.”
Grace thought for a split second. He knew he was ticklish as a kid but once he stopped getting tickled he assumed he could have grown out of something like that. In addition to that it’s not like it came up very often so he hadn’t actually thought about his ticklishness. Being an astrophysicist and all it’s not like his colleagues really wanted to tickle him, a grown man. Not to mention his lack of friends and family.
“Well Rocky, I’m sure I’ve grown out of it. A lot of times when you get older you become more tolerant.”
*Poke*
“Gah!” Grace jumped.
“It works!” Rocky exclaimed
*poke*
“ah! Rocky stop it.”
“Can Rocky tickle Grace. Question?”
Rocky asked while inching close to Grace who was scooting away slowly.
“No-NO Rocky tickling is not for dignified scientists like me it’s for small children and- and- BABIES!! Rocky cuhhut iiittt outtt!”
Rocky giggled to himself and shot one last poke at graces side before he stepped away ready to pay attention again.
“Ahuha- ahem.. okay. Other tenses.”
Grace flipped open the book again.
“Other variants include-
Tickling: the act of tickling someone.
Ticklish: someone who is affected by tickling.
Tickled: used as the past tense or used in praises like “tickled pink” or “tickled my fancy”
“Understand Rocky?”
“Phrases confusing.”
“They just mean you’re pleased with something or enjoy it.
“Well that has tickled my fancy.” Grace stated in a posh accent as an example.
“Humans enjoy tickling. Question?”
“Uhm well everyone is different. A lot of people hate it but I suppose it could be sorta fun. For like young kids I mean. Not me..”
“Grace contradict himself. Statement.”
Grace smiled at the big word Rocky used. Remembering the word of the day from a few weeks ago.
“Nice word bud. How so?”
Grace say tickling not for him. Tickling for young kids. But Grace is a young kid. Grace hardly 40. Not yet reached adulthood.
Grace realized his grown age on earth is a measly pebble on Erid.
“Bud I think we have been over this. But time and age is very different on earth. I’m probably halfway through my lifespan already. Definitely not a child. On earth a child is like 10 years old.”
“Grace so bad at math.”
Rocky crawled close to Grace and wiggles his little appendages in graces direction.
The sheer sight of it made Grace blush and struggle to stifle the giggles in the back of his throat.
Rocky froze a moment.
“Rocky is going to tickle Grace now. Statement.”
“NooHaoho no you’re nohahahaut!”
Rocky wiggles his arms in circles toward some grace.
“Stop it- AHNO!”
Rocky pounced onto Grace and began poking and prodding him again.-
“ROHOCKKYY hehahHA!”
Rocky evolved from poking and moving his arms in circles to squiggling his claws open and closed.
Rocky lets out some coos after seeing graces adorable expressions.
“Cute cute cute.”
“NoNO no not cute!”
“If Grace could see himself he would say cute.”
Grace let blush run through his face and squeezed his eyes shut. Trying to stop himself from accidentally kicking Rocky.
Rocky tried exploring and moving his claws up graces torso to above his ribs.
A sudden burst of laughter erupted from his mouth.
Rocky froze and looked towards graces face.
Then slowly resumed in graces armpits.
Scribbling in circles varied in pressure
Graces realized even after all these years he was still ticklish. He was reminded of his parents who would tickle him as a little boy. He was flailing and thrashing around trying to escape Rocky’s grip but simultaneously he was comfortable relaxed and feeling right at home.
“Hihihihhah! Rohockyy noo.”
“Grace smile. Statement. Grace enjoy question?”
“nooohOhoHO!”
“Grace look away when he lie. Statement.”
“It’s a panic response of the body. It’s not because I like it or I’m having fun it’s just SCIENCE! HAHha!”
Rocky slowed down.
“So Grace not having fun. Question?”
Suddenly Grace felt a wave of sadness as his companion seemed to lose all the joyous energy.
“Ah no rock I’m ha-having fun. I swear I am!”
“Rocky only having fun if Grace having fun too.”
“I am I am this is fun!”
“Okay”
…
“GAHAhah! Nohono okay! Anywhere but there! I can’t HAH!”
Rocky giggled at graces human sounds.
As Rocky slowed down Grace took deep breaths and grabbed at his torso to soothe the lingering ticklish feeling.
“Rocky tickle Grace. Statement”
….
“Rocky done tickling Grace. statement”
“Perfect sentences rock.”
“Grace extremely ticklish. Statement”
“Yeah ok you have learnt enough today.
