#tiny grace

 He listened to the steady rise and fall of Grace’s chest, listened to his heart beat at 60 per minute and reminded himself that that was Grace’s normal resting heart rate. Other than the fact that Grace had shrunk, he seemed fine otherwise. But that did nothing to dissolve the anxiety in Rocky’s chest. Because Grace could still have injuries that Rocky couldn’t hear and he wouldn’t know until Grace woke up.

 Rocky hadn’t moved from his spot on the floor, right next to where he had laid Grace on the bed. He wanted nothing more than to get into bed with Grace, but he was scared of hurting him in some way. He had gotten used to not using his full strength and weight with a normal-sized Grace but he didn’t want to risk trying something with him so small like this.

 He flexed his claws again. He had been so scared to fully close them around Grace’s body. What if he had miscalculated his strength? What if he was the reason Grace got hurt or worse? So he hadn’t closed them fully but that had caused Grace to almost slide out of his hold and then Rocky had to fear dropping him.

 It was a good thing Adrian had been there to suggest putting Grace on the bed, otherwise Rocky might have gotten lost in that fear and panic.

 Speaking of Adrian, Rocky could hear them in the airlock, coming back inside. His mate had taken Simon’s clothes, as well as the submarine, and had left the room with them. Rocky heard as they passed off both things to Orion and Tonk, who had still been on the other side of the wall watching everything and freaking out.

 Now, there was no one watching except Rocky, because Orion and Tonk had taken the sub and dirty clothes away and Adrian had gone to Grace’s biodome to grab some new, clean clothes. But that had been close to 1800 seconds now and so it was no surprise that Adrian was back.

 Simon still hadn’t come out of the bathroom. Rocky was glad for it.

 The airlock doors hissed open and Adrian walked in, holding a noticeably cleaner pile of clothes in their claws. Rocky watched as Adrian opened the bathroom door just enough to slip the clothes inside before closing it again. It was done so fast, and silently, that Rocky was sure Simon had no idea they had done it. Especially since Rocky could still hear the falling of water, indicating that the human was still in the shower.

 Adrian moved away from the bathroom and closer to Rocky. “Any changes?” Adrian asked, in a frequency that not even the translator picked up on. A way to have a private conversation when it came to human ears.

 “No, Grace is still unconscious.” Rocky said, matching Adrian’s frequency and enjoying the fact that they didn’t have to worry about being eavesdropped on.

 There must have been something in his tone because Adrian hummed a soothing sound and linked a claw with one of Rocky’s. “He’ll wake up soon. I’m sure he’s fine.” Adrian reassured him. Normally, Adrian’s reassurances were enough. But the worry he had over this entire situation couldn’t be fixed with simple words. Not even soothing ones from his amazing mate.

 “Right.” Rocky said anyway, not wanting to push his worry onto Adrian. Besides, he’d just work himself up again if he started talking about how worried he was over Grace’s sudden new size. Instead, Rocky turned his focus on something that was just as important, especially for keeping Grace safe. “We should get Grace back to his biodome. He’ll be safer there. More comfortable.” Away from Simon, Rocky didn’t say but was heavily implied.

 Adrian paused. “That’s not a good idea. We shouldn’t be moving anyone before making sure things are settled.” Adrian’s claw left Rocky’s. “Besides, Grace no longer has a xenonite suit that fits him.”

 “I can make him one. Easily. It won’t take long.” Rocky flexed his claws again. “I don’t think…” Rocky trailed off, wondering if he should say the implied out loud.

 It turns out he didn’t need to. Adrian knew him well enough to know already. “Simon has done nothing wrong.” His mate said and Rocky wasn’t really expecting it to be honest. He knew Adrian defended him before, and Rocky had backed down, although that was more so because of Adrian’s tone and his worry for Grace.

 “Adrian, my love, he turned Grace small! And hurt him! That seems pretty bad to me!” Rocky raised his voice and he could admit that he hated disagreeing with Adrian. But at the same time, how was it so hard for his mate to see the threat Simon posed to Grace?

 Adrian remained calm…actually, no. They radiated calm but Rocky knew Adrian too well and could feel the tension hidden below the surface. “Simon didn’t do it on purpose.”

 “You can’t know that.” Neither of them could really tell what had happened after Simon and Grace had touched. They just knew that Grace started freaking out and then was thrown backwards and shrunk.

 “Simon said. You heard him.” Adrian said and Rocky stood up a bit straighter in small shock.

 “And you believe him?”

 Adrian didn’t even hesitate.

 “Yes.”

 Rocky dug one of his back claws into the ground. “That’s-That’s reckless! We don’t know him! He could be lying to us as a way to hurt Grace!” Rocky stomped his limb down for emphasis, his voice raised out of frustration and maybe a hint of fear.

 “He isn’t lying.” Adrian’s tone had shifted, it was low still, but no longer calm.

 Rocky was starting to find this all a bit ridiculous. “You don’t know that! Simon just suddenly appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood, and you trust him already? He might not even be human! All of this could have been a trap to-“

 “Rocky!” Adrian’s notes were sharp and raised, a very rare occurrence that had Rocky cut off his own sentence and stand there in shock. Adrian sighed. “My beloved, please, you weren’t…” Adrian trailed off but Rocky waited, knowing they would continue.

 “You weren’t there when we first found him. He was…distraught, in a way that can’t be faked. He was hurt, broken, and he cried when I offered him the barest of reassurances.” Adrian scratched at the ground absentmindedly as they thought back. “Have you even realized he’s been crying this entire time?”

 The question startled Rocky. “N-No…” Rocky focused toward the bathroom, and Adrian was right, he could hear the low but hefty sobs of Simon, almost covered up by the water of the shower, but not quite. Rocky must have been so focused on watching over Grace that he hadn’t even noticed. “Oh.”

 Adrian came up right next to him, bumping carapaces. “He is scared. And hurting. Hurting in ways we haven’t even seen yet. But he’s choosing to trust us and I want to give that back to him.”

 Rocky fidgeted with his claws. “I…I’m still worried.” The fact that something did happen between Grace and Simon was still evident. And yes, Simon had looked nervous, scared even. But that could still be a lie. Rocky had since watched many movies with actors that had everyone believing the lies they told to tell a story. What if this wasn’t much different?

 “Just…trust me. Like I trusted you about Grace.” Adrian said and Rocky straightened up a bit more.

 “That’s different. I knew Grace for years before-“

 “I know. I know it’s not exactly the same. But it was still not the easiest thing. Trusting this strange alien you found. A bit easier knowing he saved you and helped saved our stars, but still, it took me trusting you to learn to fully trust Grace.” Adrian paused for a moment, letting what they said sink in. “If you can’t trust Simon yet, then at least trust me to trust Simon. Please?”

 Rocky focused on Grace for a moment, still lying unconscious, and then toward the bathroom, where Simon was still crying. The cries, soft and shaky, reminded him of Grace.

 Rocky let out a small note. “Okay.”

 Adrian let out a soft, happy trill and pushed further into Rocky. Rocky returned the gesture. “Thank you, my star.”

 Rocky hummed and hoped that their trust in Simon was not misplaced.

***

 Simon wiped his face off with the towel and then reached up to dry his hair. It had taken a while to get all the muck, grime, and blood off of him. Especially when having to deal with doing it one handed. He’d managed, though.

 The towel was soft and far bigger than Simon was used to. It didn’t scratch his skin as he dried it off which was strange but no less welcome. The soaps that Simon had used were also unlike anything they had back on Eden. They had a fruity scent to them that Simon didn’t even think was possible for something like soap to have. Combined with the water actually being hot, Simon didn’t think he had ever felt so clean in his life.

 He didn’t deserve it.

 It was that thought, and many others, that had kept his tears flowing throughout the entire shower. He was grateful, he was guilty, he was a lot of things together that just accumulated into one big mess.

 His head throbbed, low but aching.

 He shook his head and hung the towel where he found it once he deemed himself dry enough before stepping out of the actual shower. His eyes immediately settled on the pile of clothes on the floor near the door. Adrian must have put them there for Simon.

 Simon wasn’t really a big fan of the fact that Adrian had managed to do so without him knowing. But he was grateful for the clothes, so he let the uncomfortable feeling pass.

 He leaned down and looked through the clothes. There was the basics, underwear and socks, of course. There were some jeans, a deep blue color. A black t-shirt that said ‘I had potential’ on it which Simon didn’t fully understand. And then there was…

 Simon blinked at the piece of especially thick fabric.

 No. No, he couldn’t accept this. This had to be a mistake, there was no way they were actually letting him wear something like this.

 It was old. Vintage. Made of thick, knitted fabric that was well worn and made even more comfortable by that fact. Simon ran his fingers over the thick threads with awe. It was a white cream color and had foxes on both the front and back of it. A cardigan, a distant memory gave him the word for it. A rare comfort almost no one on Eden could afford.

 Simon swallowed thickly at the thought of wearing it. It was one thing to accept Grace’s clothes for himself, but another thing entirely to accept a piece of clothing this precious. But then again, would not accepting it make him look ungrateful? It had obviously been put into the pile of clothes for a reason. Still, the fact that he was holding something like this at all was making his head spin a bit.

 He gently put the cardigan down and picked up the rest of the clothes to begin putting on.

 They were a weird fit. Loose in some aspects but tight in others, especially around his chest. But it didn’t feel bad overall, it was a lot better than the clothes he received on Eden. Everything on Eden was made for work and survival. This, Simon could tell, was made for comfort. A foreign concept but one that Simon didn’t find himself minding. 

 Once his clothes were on, he finally turned back toward the cardigan. He picked it up, movement slow, and looked at it for a long moment. He ran his fingers over the threads of the fox. Despite it being so old, it was obviously well loved. He didn’t deserve something so nice, but…at the same time, a selfish part of him wanted to know what it felt like to actually wear it.

 Biting his lip, Simon put on the cardigan before he could talk himself out of it.

 It was soft and warm, just as Simon had suspected. The weight of it wasn’t the same kind of heavy that came with wearing a bag or a thick piece of protective clothing. It was comforting. Simon pulled at the collar and couldn’t help but bury his face into it, feeling the soft fibers over his skin. He took in a breath. It smelled nice too. He couldn’t place the smell itself though. Something grainy and fresh, light and breezy.

 Heat covered his cheeks as he realized what he was doing and he dropped the collar, smoothing it out. Okay, he should probably take this off now before-

 Before he could shrug the cardigan off, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

 “Simon done yet, question?” A voice asked, most likely Adrian if Simon had to guess. Simon tensed, realizing in that moment just how long he had taken. Back on Eden, and even in prison, if you took longer than 5 minutes, you were punished severely. Not only for wasting precious time but for hogging their resources. It was a sin to take more for yourself in any aspect of life and Eden was harsh in reminding its citizens of that. 

 Simon couldn’t believe he had allowed himself to go so far beyond that time limit just because the water had been hot.

 “Y-Yeah!” He called out, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice and probably failing. He was preparing himself for punishment, something he deserved. He briefly forgets about the cardigan wrapped around him as he practically runs to the door in order to not waste any more time. He was met with Adrian waiting outside the door.

 He felt tense, expecting some anger or even annoyance but Adrian lifted a pair of claws and made some gentle jazz hand-like motions. “Simon clean, clean, clean! Good, good. Feel better, question?”

 Simon was a bit taken aback by the lack of anything negative. They didn’t even mention how long he had taken. Staying tense, he shrugged. His one hand wandered down the cardigan and slotted into an opening. Huh. He hadn’t realized this thing had pockets. “I…yeah.” Simon settled on because he did feel a bit better being all clean. His head still throbbed but even that had gone down a bit after letting the hot water fall over his scalp.

 There was a startled, high-pitched note and Simon snapped his attention from Adrian and over toward Rocky, who still hadn’t moved from his place by Grace’s side. Simon was worried something had happened with Grace but when he looked, he saw that the flat part of Rocky’s carapace, which Simon had taken to thinking of as his front, was facing him.

 “No, no, no! Adrian, why-” 

 “Rocky calm. Is okay.” Adrian said, cutting Rocky off before he could even get the full question out. Rocky let out a faint note, which Simon interpreted as a huff, and stomped one of his limbs. 

 “Is Grace’s favorite!” Rocky exclaimed and Simon blinked, realizing they were talking about the cardigan.

 D*** it, he knew he should have taken it off. Or better yet, never put it on in the first place. It was probably some sort of test. One that he had failed if Rocky’s reaction was anything to go by. He felt himself start to shake as he pulled his hand out of the pocket. “S-Sorry, sorry I’ll take it off.” Simon said hurriedly to try and defuse the situation, starting to pull the cardigan off.

 He was stopped by a teal claw on his arm. He froze.

 “No, is okay. Adrian wanted Simon to be comfortable. Grace would not mind, Adrian sure.” As they said this, they tilted their carapace toward Rocky, as if directing the last part to him. Rocky tensed and then seemed to deflate, fidgeting with his two front claws. “Right, Rocky, question?”

 Rocky was quiet for a moment. “Yes, Adrian right. Grace would not mind.” Another pause. “Rocky sorry.”

 Simon blinked at the apology. He didn’t know what to say to it, didn’t think there was anything Rocky really needed to be sorry for, and so he just nodded awkwardly. The clawed hand left his arm and Simon kept the cardigan on.

 A small groan snapped all of their attention toward the bed. Simon felt his chest tighten as he locked onto the small form of Grace, who was starting to stir from his unexpected nap. “...Rocky?” Grace called out with another groan.

 “Yes, yes, yes, Rocky here.” Rocky said, his claws fidgeting nervously.

 Simon stayed glued to his spot near the bathroom as he watched Grace’s eyes blink open. He felt like he couldn’t breath, just waiting for Grace’s reaction.

 Grace reached up and rubbed at his head. “What hit me?” He asked and then sat up, his eyes fully opening.

 Simon watched as Grace blinked and turned his head toward not just Rocky, but the rest of the room. He watched as Grace’s eyes went from Rocky, to Adrian, and then, finally, his eyes landed on Simon. Their eyes met.

 Grace paled.

 “O-Oh.” He croaked out, his voice higher than normal. “Fudge.”

 Simon’s brain uncensored the word subconsciously and he couldn’t help but agree wholeheartedly.