i see a lot of takes where Adrian has mixed feelings / is avoidant of Grace to begin with, but have seen comparatively few takes of GRACE being avoidant. Grace, infamous coward. Grace, explicitly afraid of failure. Grace, who ran from saving the Earth because of said fear. Grace, who (if not aroace) avoided relationships with other humans to avoid getting hurt
i want a Grace who withdraws almost immediately when Adrian doesnât react the same way Rocky said they would in best-case-scenario (because Adrian is a complex person whoâs world has upended when their mate brought home a sick alien). he becomes distant and relies on old habits to be friendly, but not open.
through gritted teeth, he shoos Rocky away so he can go visit or spend time with Adrian. and it hurts every time Rocky takes up his offer, exactly 50% of the time (because Rocky so very carefully wants to give his most special people his attention, equally). Grace doesnât want it to hurt when Rocky inevitably chooses Adrian over him. when Rocky chooses to go back to a normal life.
when Rocky visits alone, Grace is the same as heâs always been. when Rocky visits with Adrian, heâs the same as heâs always been. he jokes too much, is self-deprecating in ways that Rocky doesnât recognize, is quick to brush off things that Rocky knows would bother him if it was just the two of them.
heâs got an invisible xenonite wall between him and Adrian, and Rocky can see it. but he canât do anything about it, because Grace wonât admit thatâs whatâs happening. Rocky calls him out, asks why he doesnât like Adrian, asks why Grace wonât come with him on visits. Why is Grace pushing Rocky away, question?
itâs not until Adrian asks that Grace sees how stupid heâs being. Adrian doesnât ask outright, but theyâd noticed that Grace acts differently around them and gets advice from Rocky. Adrian is bigger than Rocky, could Grace be afraid of Adrian, question? is Grace overwhelmed by how alien everything is? so the next time they visit, theyâre dressed in soft clothes like what Grace wears and almost crawling across the floor, as small as they can make themselves. Grace thinks itâs a little odd and funny, and asks what theyâre doing. Adrian says plainly, Do not want Grace to be afraid of Adrian, statement.
itâs an eye opener for Grace. heâs been so focused on avoiding the upcoming heartbreak that he didnât see how much he was worrying and hurting Rocky and Adrian. it takes seeing Adrian, a proud and large Eridian, make themselves as small as possible at the chance to connect to him.
finally Grace, who is able to overcome his fear of failure/rejection with how strong his love for Rocky is, opens up. it comes out in choruses and sonatas, how worried he is about disappointing Rocky or keeping Rocky chained to him now that theyâre home. Rocky reassured him that Grace is here to stay, so Rocky is here to stay with Grace. (Adrian reassures him that, yes, they have mixed feelings about him, but they are willing to learn who he is. that makes Grace feel so much better than he expected.)
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