Chapter Text
Grace loved to keep track of things especially when it came to numbers. He knew every single constant the science world could throw at you. Planks constant? 6.626 x 10^-34 Joules divided by seconds….it was easy to remember like second nature.
Just like how other numbers are constant. The temperature of Astrophage? 96.415 Celsius. The number of years on Erid? One and a half. The number of Eridians? One billion approximately. The number of humans on Erid? One…it was always one.
Grace had taken the day like any other dragging the covers off his face before grumbling to the sun creeping in. He went stumbling to throw on his fox cardigan over his red bridge shirt. The music box the Eridians made started playing after his alarm clock which was ironically “One” by three dog night.
His fingers splayed over his face with a sigh at the music. His glasses followed by kicking his converse with grains of sand itching to get past his socks.
🎵One is the loneliness number that you’ll ever do… 🎵
He skips over to press it to stop. As the whirring of Armando starts up in the other room. The noise of it picking up the blanket that Grace left on the ground was normal. As the entirety of his waking up was normal.
Knock knock
Another knock happens before the scientist grumbles knowing who it is because who else would be at his front door.
“Hey buddy I’ll be right there…thanks for knocking”
Grace hit his shoes on the ground a bit making the sand inside go to his toes before walking over. His breath light from just waking up but his mind was spinning fast as a sports car wheel.
“Morning Armando” gestures at the robot as he is returned with weird movements from the metal arm.
WOOSH…..
“Rocky I said-“ before his words could continue a massive weight threw him onto the floor.
Rocky is shaking so much with his carapace as he stomps up and down.
🎵Rocky found found human! Blood blood bad bad bad 🎵
His eyebrows creased together in confusion as he gathered himself from the ground. Rocky hasn’t acted like this since-since he saved him from his ship.
“Yes you have found a human…..I got class-“ he tries to grab onto the coffee table to get up before a xenonite covered claw pokes him.
🎵No. No! Rocky found other human. One in blood many blood bad blood.🎵
His eyes widened at what Rocky was trying to convey. Another human…another person Grace couldn’t believe it. The blood went over his head at the thought of interacting with another human.
“What?! How?……Rock-“ interrupted once again by the eridian.
🎵Eridian scientists capable scientists work on him now. Short time until arrival🎵
He scrambled to his feet immediately as he heard another noise outside. The scientist’s eye catches the big blue carapace up the steps.
“Adrian? What-oh my god.” His heart drops as another Eridian follows between with a somewhat made stretcher with a person.
Two…..
Two humans on Erid. Grace could keep track of so many things but for a couple hours he had the number of humans on Erid wrong.
A pale man laid on the bed in front of him. Some blood was behind his ears. His hair was entirely coated in blood that was dried. Grace put a million towels underneath the man.
Ryland looked at the bandage around the stub of what was the right arm. It bled through again meaning it was time for Armando to change it. Grace wasn’t one to get queasy but the sight of the man’s left face was one to get his stomach churning. He put his own bandage around it while Armando did the arm.
Rocky told him of how a ship was found in the system not far away from Erid. The ship was extremely warm out in space. They actually used the Hail Mary with guidance from Rocky of course. After they found it the heat signature of a life form
was inside. They took the structure down to Erid before opening it to have all the blood spill out. The man in front of me was in some type of cocoon? The explanation Rocky gave made absolutely no sense.
Eyelids become heavy once the day has passed. Grace couldn’t just fall asleep when there was a living human being in front of him. Rocky trilled next to him because Adrian left and now boredom was apparent in the Eridian. Rocky lifted his carapace in a gesture toward the available couch.
🎵Rocky watch Grace sleep🎵
“No buddy, I’m waiting…” his words are soft while his laptop sits open on his lap untouched.
Rocky moves his carapace back down but he is not giving up. Two of his hands are busy making a xeonite structure.
🎵Human dumb awake too long. I watch Grace and new Human sleep 🎵
Grace sighs while his glasses hang to the tip of his nose. The teacher didn’t care enough to move them back.
🎵Grace?🎵
His hand finds his way to the top of the shell of Xeonite to have Rocky shoot up into his hand. The heat feels comforting for a moment.
“You have to promise to wake me up if he wakes up”
🎵Yes, now Grace sleep while Rocky watch🎵
The nerd sighs while rubbing his face making his glasses fall into his lap. The lamplight provides a warm look to the room.
A shudder enters the air as the two of them shoot their eyes and carapace at the man on the bed.
“No-no talking oxygen…preserve oxygen” the man on the bed mutters hoarsely.
Grace jumps up, putting his laptop to the side. He is already leaning over looking at the man. Dark stubble outlined the mysterious man’s jaw while his wavy hair stuck to his sweat dotted skin.
The man’s hand grip the towels underneath tightly. Grace has his hands up in case of anything. He wish he could help he wish he could-
“Damn it…you're not…” the man creases his eyebrows in frustration.
Grace hesitates in doing anything in the moment but his instincts to touch someone kicked in. He gently puts his hand on the man’s hand. Immediately the other man was on top of Grace.
“Who the hell are you?” the man barked.
A drop of sweat and a drop of blood both hit Grace's face. He put his hands up in the gesture he would show to the police.
“Umm-my name is Ryland Grace-we’re here to help”
Grace would always resort to sputtering out words. He was going to continue but the man on top of him gained another level of confusion in his glance.
“We’re? You mean..”
His head lifted to have his sight on Rocky. Which surprises Grace that Rocky hasn’t said or done anything.
🎵Grace okay?🎵
Simon jumps up like a scared cat to the bed. He looks around the room frantically for anything because he wants a weapon.
That’s when Grace sits up and turns around. He stands between Rocky and the man.
“How about you tell me your name? What if we-“
Simon's knees start to shake.
“Simon-my name is Simon” his words sputter out before he flops onto the bed.
“Simon…Simon Oh!” Grace is way too late to catch the man.
Grace scrambles to move Simon onto his back which is a struggle. Simon is definitely jacked to the point Grace can’t deny that it’s hard to turn over the mass of muscle.
“Oomph…” and with that Simon is on his back.
Grace couldn’t believe someone with that much blood loss could get up like that. He equates that whatever scenario Simon was in before was a survival one.
Yep…Grace wasn’t going to sleep after this which would definitely make Rocky mad.