your ler holding your face and cooing over you and then, thumbs on your cheeks, they hook the rest of their fingers under ur jaw and js start scribbling away. even adding some scratches behind your ears
eeeksjdksj if your rqs are still open… your artstyle is so gorgeous and i’m such a sucker for grace being destroyed so maybe just rocky or simon gushing abt how cute he is while being tickled. ryland ‘can’t take compliments’ grace btw
ok i suck at dialog so this one is significantly more embarrassing than the rest of them </////3 to make up for this fact, i have drawn both rocky and simon ❤ hope it suffices ❤❤
op is a minor, please keep in mind when interacting!
Author's note: Aliens and creatures learning about new human concepts, MY BELOVED. I wrote this fic in the span of a week, which is quick for me 😭, because I was too excited to write some silliness between these two! Shoutout to my friend who impulsively went to go see the movie with me last Sunday an hour before it started ✌️. Now we both are in love with this movie. This fic is also inspired by all the wonderful fics and headcanons I’ve seen so far! Enjoy!
(Also available to read on AO3!)
Series: Project Hail Mary
Characters: Ryland Grace and Rocky
Word count: 2,579
Summary: Rocky learns about the concept of “tickling” when he accidentally gets a giggly reaction from Grace. Rocky wants a demonstration of the new concept and, being the only human around, Grace is that demonstration.
---
Living with an alien in the middle of outer space was not on Ryland Grace’s bucket list, but Rocky hasn’t been a terrible roommate. Sure, he can’t talk to himself without Rocky’s immaculate hearing picking up on Grace’s one-sided conversation, but he doesn’t mind being joined at the hip with his boulder-looking pal. They’ve been able to learn more about each other and their worlds this way.
They even take turns to watch over each other while they sleep (since it’s part of Eridian culture) like they’re a police duo on a stakeout, though when Grace mentioned that reference to Rocky one time, the human had to clarify that we was not, in fact, talking about steak as in the slab of meat.
Grace doesn’t mind teaching Rocky about human phrases or culture though. Honestly, it makes him feel like he’s back home and in a classroom teaching his students.
Like a usual day on the ship, Grace was supposed to be on ‘watch’ duty while Rocky slept, but Grace, in the quietness of the ship and his thoughts keeping him company, must have dozed off next to Rocky.
When Rocky wakes up, he rolls out in his xenonite ball to see Grace sitting on the floor, his head lying to the side on the wall of the alien’s see-through enclosure, snoring softly.
“Grace. Time to awake,” the computer voice translates Rocky’s foreign chirps. Rocky bumps into the scientist’s shoulder, but it has no effect on him. He tries again, then again, only managing to get an exhausted groan from Grace as the human nuzzles his head closer to the enclosure that he’s using as a pillow.
“Grace. Awake. Awake, statement,” Rocky persists. He taps on his ball to try and get Grace's attention with the glass-like cling of the taps. Nothing.
If the sound of tapping doesn’t work, then perhaps the physical touch of a tap will work. Rocky rolls right up next to Grace. Reaching through the mesh material built-in to his ball, Rocky taps on Grace’s side like he is tapping on a fish tank.
“Grace. Awake,” Rocky repeats, tapping Grace’s side even faster like he’s pushing a button.
Finally, Grace huffs out a breath of air through his nose, like a chuckle. It’s followed by a few more huffs, which is then accompanied by a soft giggle as he begins to shift from his sleeping position. “Rocky,” he says with another chuckle, “That tickles. Okay, okay, I’m up,” Grace slides an elbow to his side.
Rocky pulls back his arm into his ball, observing the human curiously. As Grace stretches himself awake, Rocky tilts his stone body to the side like a cat tilting its head. “Glad Grace is awake. But what does new word mean, question?”
“Hm? What word?” Grace fixes his glasses and blinks at the creature.
“New word when Rocky tapped Grace’s side, statement.”
“Huh? What did I-” Grace ponders for a moment, recalling what he may have said that is unfamiliar to the alien. “Oh, you mean when I said ‘That tickles?’” Grace asks.
Rocky stands up straight on his legs, thrilled. “Yes! That is word! Grace laughed when word was spoken. What does new word mean, question?”
“Oh, um…” Out of all things today when Grace woke up, this is not what he expected. It’s understandable that Rocky would be curious though. To the creature, it must have looked like a strange reaction to laugh out of nowhere.
He struggles to find an explanation. Ironic, he thinks, considering he’s a scientist who can solve complex mathematical problems, but he’s having trouble coming up with a definition for something as simple as tickling.
After thinking about it, he provides an answer, “Well, it’s like a tingling sensation in our nervous system that makes humans laugh when we’re touched in certain places. Kind of like a reflex, but we laugh from it. It’s called being ‘ticklish,’ but not all humans are ticklish.”
“It doesn’t hurt, question?” Rocky asks.
“No, no. It doesn’t,” Grace clarifies. “This might be a weird description—but it’s like the opposite of pain. Instead of feeling hurt, it feels…tingly and funny? And that funny feeling makes us laugh.”
“Why does it make humans laugh, question?”
“Not sure, really. It’s a scientific mystery.”
Rocky tilts his body to the side again, trying to process the new information. “Rocky still confused. Could Grace show demonstration?”
Grace huffs out a laugh at that. “Sorry, buddy. I can’t tickle myself. It’s another one of those scientific mysteries. The only way to see it is if you tickle me. That is unless you see any other humans around.”
“Only human Rocky see is you.”
“That’s the joke, Rocky,” Grace smiles at him.
“Oh, yes. Joke. Humor. Can be confusing,” Rocky replies before getting back to the topic of interest. “But can Rocky try on Grace?” Rocky shakes with excitement like he’s wagging a tail.
Grace pauses at the question; his muscles already stiffen out of reflex. “Well, uh…” he babbles out. Although, now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t know why he’s babbling. After being away from others for so long, he’s forgotten how ticklish he actually is. Clearly, he’s somewhat ticklish due to feeling Rocky’s pokes from before, but the extent of it remains unknown to him.
Oh, heck. What’s the harm in it? Rocky seems curious to learn about it and this opportunity, Grace guesses, will be a good reminder of his own nervous system to answer his own personal curiosity.
“Alright,” Grace smiles and nods. “Go ahead.”
“Amaze! Amaze!” Rocky cheers, and in an instant, the creature rams into Grace with his giant hamster ball, pinning the scientist with an oof against the wall of the clear enclosure behind him. Grace adjusts his glasses that nearly jumped off his face from the impact.
Rocky’s form rattles with joy. “Where should Rocky start? How to make Grace laugh? Question.”
“You’re asking me???” Grace keeps his wobbly smile and the giggles already bubbling up inside of him at bay. He is not in a position to try and explain to Rocky why he’s already giggling before Rocky even starts touching him.
“Is Rocky not supposed to ask, question?”
“No, you can. Just um…” He can’t believe he’s about to tell a rock alien where and how to tickle him. What is his life…
“You just wiggle your fingers—er claws at the spot. Like this.” Grace shows the creature the dexterity in his fingers by wiggling them above his side, almost looking like he’s acting out a monkey. “Start at my sides. We already know they’re ticklish.”
“Rocky understand! Commence at sides!” Rocky chirps. He reaches through his mesh ball with both arms and presses them into Grace’s sides.
To both of their surprise, Grace coughs out a giggly yelp, suppressing it just enough so Rocky doesn’t worry that he hurt him. His instincts activate, telling him to hold in his laughter, but that quickly fails—a crackle of snickers is followed by giggles tumbling out of the scientist like an avalanche.
What Grace realizes is that, yes, he is still ticklish.
Really ticklish.
Rocky hops on his back legs with delight. “Grace is laughing! Means Rocky is doing correctly, question?” the creature asks, still gently scratching at the ticklish spot at Grace’s sides with, shockingly, accurate precision.
Grace could just combust red right now from embarrassment. He tucks his head near his shoulder and folds his arms closer to himself, hovering his elbows over his sides. At the same time, he pulls his knees in towards him, only to be blocked by Rocky’s ball like a toddler sitting on his hips.
“Yehehehep! Yohohohou gohohohot it,” Grace says sarcastically, but he realizes Rocky will just take it as a compliment.
“Amaze! Rocky like seeing Grace happy! Grace said other places make humans laugh. Does Grace laugh anywhere else, question?”
“Nohope! I’m nohohohot telling you that!” Grace replies and wiggles in place—not that he actually remembers where else he’s ticklish, but he can make an educated guess based on the potency of current ticklishness at his torso.
For a moment, Rocky leans his body to the side, wondering why his human friend is refusing to answer his question. Then, it hits him. “Oh! Starting to understand. New word is like game. Grace is stubborn, so Rocky has to discover! Like seek and hide.”
“Ihihihit’s hide and seek!” Grace corrects through his laughter, “Ahahahand I am nohohohohot stubborn!”
Rocky chirps out a chuckle. “Rocky disagrees, statement. Grace just prove why stubborn. Try here now.” Rocky moves his claws closer together to test the reflexes of Grace’s stomach.
“GAH-ha!” Grace jolts forward, bouncing right off of Rocky’s ball and leaning back on the enclosure’s wall. He instinctively goes to wrap his arms around himself but he’s interrupted by the placement of Rocky’s ball. Right… Rocky is still on top of him.
If Grace thought his sides were bad, he had another thing coming when Rocky’s tiny appendages started scratching at his belly.
“Rohohohohocky!” Grace paddles his legs behind Rocky as the alien paws at his stomach like a puppy digging in the dirt. He folds his arms to his sides again and leans his head back, letting out wheezy, gravely cackles.
“Squishy middle makes more laughter!”
“Yehehehes it dohohoes!” Grace, embarrassingly, admits.
“Then Rocky will focus here, statement!” Rocky chirps and quickens the pace of his claws. Grace and his big mouth…
“AH! Nohohoho, wahahahait!” Grace calls out of reflex, but he amends his statement so he doesn’t confuse his friend, “I mean- yohohohou’re not wrong, buhuhuhut my belly ne-hehehehe-needs a break! Mohohohove somewhere else!” Grace waves his hands in front of Rocky’s ball.
The alien listens, “Understand. Rocky will try new place.”
Moving from Grace’s stomach, Rocky reaches up to examine Grace’s ribs.
Grace barks out a loud giggle followed by more overflowing laughter. He leans forward and squishes his arms to his sides, though it does little to stop the curious alien. He bumps the front of his forehead on Rocky’s ball to hold up the weight of his giggling head, as if Rocky’s ball is a pillow Grace is face-planting in.
“Better for Grace, question?” Rocky’s computer voice beams at the closeness of Grace’s smile.
“Nohohohot much better!” Grace compacts his head closer to his chest with his giddy smile, suddenly letting out a snort.
Startled, Rocky immediately pulls his arms back into his ball.
“Grace make snarl! Grace not angry, question? Did Rocky hurt, question?” The creature frantically asks.
Grace snorts again, catching his breath. “Nohoho, no. I’m okay,” he puts up a reassuring hand and takes the opportunity to adjust his glasses. “It’s called a snort, not a snarl. It happens when I-” Grace stops himself. He did not want to make himself out to be the most ticklish human on Earth to Rocky. “-When humans are laughing a lot.”
“Oh! Then Rocky like when Grace makes sound! Means Rocky is doing good!” With confirmation that his friend is okay, Rocky happily pounces back onto Grace, alternating between the human’s sides, belly, and ribs, now knowing where the scientist bursts out laughing.
Grace nearly jumps out of his skin, “AHA! Yehehehes! Too good!” Grace playfully shoves at the giant hamster ball on top of him. “How are yohohohou so good at this?!”
“Had good teacher!” Rocky praises.
“Great, sohoho I only have myself to blahahahame.” The scientist takes another two-handed shove at Rocky's round container, “Gehehehet off me ya tickle monster!”
“Rocky is not monster. Rocky is Eridian”, Rocky says like he’s stating a fact.
“It’s juhuhust a phrase, Rohohocky!” Grace laughs, letting out another snort. “Seheheheriously though! Cuhuhuut it ohohohout! I need to breheheheathe!”
In an instant, Rocky stops his tickling and scrambles off of Grace. He looks up at him, alert. “Did not mean to near suffocate Grace! Grace, okay, question?”
Grace wraps an arm around his torso, still giggling out the remaining tingles. “I’m okay. I was being dramatic, heh. I did need a break though hehe…”
Rocky relaxes knowing Grace isn’t hurt. Now with the worry out of the way, Rocky’s curiosity comes back. “If Rocky not using new word on Grace, why is Grace still laughing?”
Rocky’s question even makes Grace giggle. “It’s just the after effects. I’ll be okay, just give me a sec, hehe.” Grace rubs a hand on the side of his face and through his hair, a giddy smile still lingering on his face. He fixes his glasses to their proper position. “Heh, I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. They probably heard me all the way on Earth with how much I was laughing.”
“But Earth is long way away. And sound does not travel through space,” Rocky replies.
“Joke, Rocky,” Grace clarifies for his friend.
“Oh, yes. Another joke. Still confusing.” Rocky looks up at Grace. “But Rocky like using new word on Grace, statement. Can make Grace laugh without confusion. Makes Rocky happy.”
Grace huffs out a soft chuckle at that.
The alien rolls forward, closer to the human. “Did new word also make Grace happy?”
Grace pauses. He leans his head back, facing away from Rocky, and he blinks at the air ahead of him.
Like he said to his friend, he hasn’t laughed that way in a long time. He was too busy re-learning his own nervous system to think about it at the time, but now that it’s over, it was…nice. He wouldn’t expect himself to admit it, but he liked the feeling of letting himself go. To lose himself completely in his own uncontrollable, goofy smile. To forget about the vast unknowns of the world around him.
For those few minutes, it was just him, Rocky, and the play they were sharing.
It made him feel, well, alive again.
“Yeah,” Grace reveals his answer in a relaxed breath. He turns to his friend and shows him a soft smile, “It did.”
Rocky bounces on his legs, filling the room with energy. “Amaze! Amaze! Rocky overjoyed! Can Grace input new word in translator, question?”
“Sure, pal.”
Grace stands off the floor and makes his way to his laptop on the table. After hearing Rocky’s versions of the word ‘tickling’ and all its variations in his Eridian chirps, Grace makes a showing of pressing the enter key, placing the new words into the system.
“Alright, you’re good to go,” Grace says and leans his back on the table.
“Amaze!” Rocky cheers. “Rocky is pleased. Now Rocky can say Grace is ticklish!”
Grace jokingly cringes at actually hearing Rocky say it for the first time. He lets out an airy chuckle, “Let’s not do that.”
The alien happily shakes. “Grace is flustered. Does saying Grace is ticklish make Grace flustered, question?” The computer voice makes Rocky sound as if he’s putting on the widest smile.
“W-What? Noho, of course not.”
Rocky’s excellent hearing picks up on Grace’s tone. The alien puts his claws near the front of his face like he’s about to cover up a laugh. “Rocky is going to have fun with this.”
“Okay, you’ve been given too much power,” Grace states. Rocky chirps out squeaky giggles into his claws as a response. The scientist rolls his eyes, having trouble holding back a smile of his own.
This is one lesson about human culture that Rocky certainly won't forget, and Grace, like all their other lessons about each other’s worlds, doesn't mind in the slightest.
Grace's years of isolation from humans result in severe touch starvation. Rocky takes one look at this problem and says, "Hold my minerals."
Word Count: 3,687
Warnings: None
This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)
Inspired by an adorable series on A03 focused on Grace being a wet cat and Rocky learning about human quirks (physical contact and mental health) Link Below!
Archive of Our Own: Platonic Cuddling Series
The journey to Erid was slow going.
Space. More space. Some stars. A little more space. And oh, hey, would you look at that! Space again!
During his lonely trek back to Earth, Ryland Grace had considered cracking out the cocktail of Knockout Juice to slip him into a coma until he was home. Now, however, he wasn’t alone aboard the Hail Mary. Heck, he wasn’t even going home anymore.
He’d been on such a rollercoaster of emotions over heading back to Earth. Despair, acceptance (not really), hope, then acceptance again (for real this time). With the finality of his choice to stay permanently in foreign space, something festered within Grace.
Despite the companionship he has, an awful emptiness latched its teeth into his core and wouldn’t abate. No matter how much time he’d spend with Rocky or watch clips of Earth in the Don’t Go Crazy Room, the feeling of wrongness stayed, and Grace has no idea how to stop it.
A shudder runs through his form, making Grace hunch further in on himself, gripping onto his arms. His skin ached something fierce, despite his hands rubbing along the surface in a meager attempt to self-soothe against the barrage of phantom needles.
What he would give to be bundled in his mother’s arms like he was ten again after tumbling off his bike and scraping his knee. Or being smothered in his dad’s all-encompassing embrace after a failed science experiment, a promise that one day, “He’d be the smartest and coolest of all scientists”. What he’d give for any form of hug at all whilst in deep space-
The invisible aches haunting his body intensify in a sudden surge. Grace freezes in place, struck by a daunting realisation.
…Oh.
It was cruel and unfair, but it made sense. The urge to cry welling up behind his eyes has Grace's breath shuddering out of him sporadically.
“Grace, okay, question?”
The doubled thudding of the Eridian’s back leg cuts through the static building in Grace’s head. He looks to the side and finds the alien ‘watching’ him intently, his carapace shifting in blatant concern.
Grace has to push the word out of his throat. “...No.” He rubs his palm along his arm with a disconnected fervor. It doesn’t feel as though the warmth of his own skin is even getting through.
“What problem, question?”
How could he even begin to explain the torrential emotions wreaking havoc on his wrung-out body? “There’s something wrong with me.”
“Grace sick? Question?” Rocky is growing restless, feet thunking against the xenonite shell of his ball.
Grace swallows back the lump trying to start an uprising of sadness in his throat. It was a persistent battle. “It’s a human thing,” he rasps. “I don’t know if it can be helped.”
“Explain. Rocky fix.”
Grace shakes his head as he burrows into his arms, both to hide his burning eyes and to escape this conversation. Rocky couldn’t fix it. Bless that alien’s heart of gold for trying, but he just couldn’t. What Grace needed, what he was craving, was human touch. It had been years since he left Earth, and his skin was growing desperate for an inkling of steady, warm contact. But by abandoning his journey to Earth in favour of saving his best friend - which he didn’t regret for a second, mind you - he’d robbed himself of the chance to ever experience it again.
Granted, the last memory of touch was being forcibly restrained to the ground, suffocating pressure pinning him down as he screamed for help that would never come. Not exactly a golden recollection of human connection.
A steady series of tapping filters into Grace’s ears, getting past the marching band thumping away. He peeks over his forearm. Rocky has rolled himself so close that he’s right beside his friend.
“Heartbeat fast,” the Eridian states, worry warbling through his medeloic voice. “Bad, bad, bad. Oxygen needed.”
He’s close enough that Grace can feel the alien’s warmth through the xenonite. His skin practically buzzes with the idea of leaning against the Eridian’s stone-like form, multiple arms encircling him with a pressure that could settle his racing thoughts and lonely heart.
Grace can’t help it. He gives in to his pathetic, human instincts.
His arms stretch out from his self-contained ball of panic to clutch around the xenonite, drag Rocky into his chest, and slump against the warm, glass-like surface. A sob tries to strangle his throat, but any noise is kept locked behind Grace’s pursed lips. Rocky tucks himself against the wall separating them, soft melodic noises rumbling from his form in an attempt to settle the erratic pounding he can hear within Grace’s chest. He’d only heard this in moments of extreme distress for his human, and it hurt every time. Though Grace is trying to stay quiet, soft plinks of moisture hitting the top of the zenonite were heard loud and clear for the alien.
Grace clings to the zenonite ball as tightly as he can, trying to trick his mind into believing that the smooth, warm surface was what it was after. That this hug shared between two species unable to co-exist within the same environment is enough for his human instincts.
His skin prickles. The tears keep falling. It isn’t enough. And it is going to stay that way for as long as he is away from Earth.
A shudder runs through the man at this bleak thought, the ever-expanding pit in his chest feeling as though it’s swallowing up his entire being.
As if he heard the emotional casam split further, Rocky’s warbles take on a mournful croon. “Grace, tell Rocky what wrong. Please?”
Grace presses his tear-stained cheek against the warm surface, sighing miserably.
“I’m touch starved.” He says it quietly, fingertips brushing over a surface that isn’t organic enough to trick his brain into thinking it’s skin. “Humans are social beings; we naturally seek connection, and with that comes physical contact. It’s common with anyone we’re close to, not just mates. It’s ingrained into us to co-regulate, so when we go for a long time without that, it causes us to experience skin hunger. It makes humans feel bad.”
Rocky cocks his body to the side, akin to tilting one's head. “Is hug helping badness?”
Grace wishes he could say yes, but then he’d be lying, and he didn’t want to do that to Rocky. Shaking his head miserably, Grace scrubs a fist across his eyes to stem the flow of tears. “No. I’m hugging you, but I can’t feel you hugging back. Pressure is a key thing with hugging; it feels safer that way.”
Rocky trills sadly. “Apologies.”
Grace shakes his head again, but this time it’s paired with a weak, sincere smile. “It’s not your fault. Just sucks that our biologies are so different. I bet you’d give really good hugs without this thing in the way.” Grace knocks twice on the ball, emphasizing the distance between them.
Rocky chitters, though there’s something contemplative about his tone now - an inquisitive warble rumbling through the plates atop his body. He leans away from Grace, his back legs thumping against the casing of his ball as he thinks. “Rocky has idea.”
“Yeah?” Grace lets his arms fall away, desperately ignoring the loss they feel as the warmth disappears from them. There was no need to be clingy. It wasn’t exactly like the hug was helping him in the long run. It was like putting a sticky plaster over a gaping chest wound and calling it a day.
Rocky trills again, more full-bodied. Determined. “Yes. Need to begin work now. Will show Grace when ready.” Rocky is practically buzzing. An eagerness tugging at his limbs as he fidgets in place, itching to start whatever ‘mystery project’ he’s begun cooking up.
“...You gonna tell me what your idea is?”
The alien gives Grace his version of a thumbs up and happily chirps, “No.”
To make it even more peculiar, he hasn’t allowed Grace anywhere near him as he crafts. Any time Grace sets foot in the lab, he gets hissed at. Forget Eridans being extraterrestrial lifeforms of complex intelligence. That sentient stone spider is a cat in disguise. Grace has it on good authority that the little guy practically purrs whenever he’s smug or has done something clever. There was simply no other way to describe the happy trills rumbling from his body.
So, Grace has been forced to amuse himself with other things on the Hail Mary, as his only companion is acting like a kid fresh into puberty and staying in his room to play video games. Fortunately, Stratt had been generous enough to provide enough stimuli aboard the ship to keep the passengers entertained while they slowly died in an eternal abyss of stars.
Unfortunately, he could only consume so many episodes of Star Trek in total silence before he felt an oncoming existential crisis about watching a space show in space.
Thankfully, just as he’s considering going into the lab and risking being cursed out in Eridian, a series of clunks from multiple legs echo through the ship. Only… it didn’t sound like it was coming from inside the hamster tunnels running throughout the vessel. Nor was the clunking dulled slightly by a xenonite ball following the demands of five limbs.
It sounds clearer. Closer. Concerningly faster than the ball as well.
Grace drops the Comfort Quilt™ from his shoulders and scrambles up from his crossed leg position. He doesn’t even know what he’s bracing for, but what greets him when it stomps into view is not what he’d been expecting in the slightest.
Rocky is encased in xenonite. Not a ball. His body is literally wearing such close-fitting xenonite that it follows every crevice, bump, and grain on his form.
“Hi, Grace!” He chirrups, sounding utterly exhilarated as he holds up a claw and splits it into the famous Vulcan greeting from Star Trek. “Surprise!”
Thank god Grace put down his mug of coffee before preparing for a potential ambush, or the inventory would be down a cup. His jaw has long hit the floor in place of ceramic shards, eyebrows high as if pulled by a passing moon’s gravity. “You’re- you made a suit,” he sputters out.
“So Rocky can fix starvation of skin!” Rocky bounces and wiggles in place, the thin xenonite moving with him flexibly. He eagerly reaches out with his two front limbs. “Can hug properly now!”
Grace stares. His ears heard it, but his brain could not comprehend the development. That being said, his heart definitely could, and it felt full enough to burst.
He practically dives for Rocky and slams his full weight into him, knees colliding heavily with the floor. Rocky’s three back limbs counterbalance instantly, and the other two wrap tightly around his human. His claws grip into the fabric of Grace’s cardigan and stay there, keeping the man close against his body heat.
After months of being on the ship - technically years, but Grace didn’t count the coma for his own mental health - with absolutely no physical contact from another being bar a ball of xenonite, this hug was everything.
It was tight, yet not enough for Grace’s deprived body. Every nerve was screaming from overwhelming warmth and pressure, but the idea of letting go only made Grace grip harder. He barely acknowledges he’s sobbing into the top of Rocky’s carapace; he’s too preoccupied trying to convince himself he isn’t dreaming.
Rocky stays put, soft notes humming out of him in a gentle, soothing coo. He’s seen Grace cry before - that man had earned the title of ‘Leaky Space Blob’ after all - but this is different. It’s relief, it’s despair, it's everything the man has been silently yearning for in the depths of his subconscious.
Rocky is more than content to stay where he was with Grace practically smothering him from his doubled-over position, all his strings cut and emotions raw. He would stay put for as long as Grace needs. He lifts one of his limbs from the floor and runs it through Grace’s hair.
He pretends he doesn’t hear the high-pitched, wounded keening that leaves the human in a cathartic, emotional release.
“How did you do this?” Grace asks. “This looks too thin- heck, it feels too thin to be safe for you.”
Rocky chitters, pleased. “Much trials and errors,” he says. “Important. Needed to make.”
Grace tightens his arms around Rocky for a moment before letting him go again. Well, kind of let him go, Rocky is lying over Grace’s legs with the man’s arms draped over his limbs. Yes, he was being a little clingy, but his entire nervous system was recovering from months of neglect. He needs this.
“It means a lot,” he swallows back tears that threaten to have another revolution and overthrow his ability to see. He’s already shed enough to fill a water bottle or two.
They’d moved to the dormitory once Grace felt reasonably steady to become a functioning human being again. (For those curious, it took a decent while for that to happen.) Now, he’s lying on his back atop the bedclothes with an Eridian carefully perched on his lower body as a steady source of contact. It seemed the small alien was enjoying the newfound freedom of touch without a ball getting in the way.
One of Grace’s hands is being diligently studied by the Eridian. “Humans soft.” Rocky remarks, something like awe filtering through his musical tones as he delicately handles Grace’s fingers. “Too easy to damage.”
Grace snorts. “We can’t all be sentient canon balls, Rock.”
“What is ‘canon ball’, question?”
“Projectiles we have on Earth. It was used in battle.”
“Rocky is terrifying space spider and dangerous ball, question?”
Grace thinks of when Rocky first barged into the Hail Mary and proceeded to almost cause irreparable property damage to multiple items and devices within the ship. “Yes.” He states with a laugh. “You’re a force to be reckoned with.”
Rocky perks up. “Good reputation to have!” He prods at Grace’s fingers. “Better than leaky, squishy, space blob.” He pokes at the softer skin of the man’s side to further drive his point home.
Grace yips, batting Rocky’s claws away from his torso instinctively. “Hehey!”
Rocky jolts upright, removing himself from Grace’s legs. “Hurt? Grace hurt? Rocky hurt Grace?!” His voice flits up several octaves as he panics, hands tightly curled against his body to keep them far from his friend.
“No. No, no, you didn’t- hey, come back here, you silly goose. Stop freaking out.” Grace grasps one of Rocky’s retreating limbs and gently tugs him forward with an exasperated chuckle.
Rocky hesitantly steps closer, but doesn’t settle back down. Grace’s legs mourn the loss of their weighted blanket. “Grace make hurt noise,” he states. “Make same sound when burnt with solder iron.”
Grace sighs and sinks deeper into his mattress. He didn’t think this would be a topic he’d have to explain to aliens, but here we are.
“Humans have a pretty complex nervous system that has evolved to alert us when we’re in danger, specifically through touch. When you poked me, my body was telling me something was digging into a place where vital organs sit. The noise I made was just a byproduct of that.”
Rocky considers this explanation, then makes a confused warble. “You laughed afterwards.”
Damn. Grace had been hoping Rocky didn’t catch that.
“...Yeah.”
“Why, question?”
“...It’s a human thing.”
“Explain. Grace live on Erid in future, need to know human biology.”
Well, no dodging the question now.
Grace sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It just tickled a bit, that’s all.”
“No understand word.”
Double damn.
“...Tickling is when humans are touched in a certain way that makes us laugh. It’s attached to the nervous system thing, part of our fight or flight response.”
Rocky tilts his carapace and extends a claw to wiggle against Grace’s side again. The small squeak Grace lets out causes heat to flush his ears. Rocky chirps, delighted. “This make laughter on command!”
Grace opens his mouth to parry that point, only to gasp and fall into bouts of snickers when Rocky’s claws start prodding at his stomach insistently with both claws. “R-Rohohocky!”
It’s been years, even more than he’s been on the Hail Mary, since he’s felt this sensation. The scuttling, electric sparks spread through his nerves, causing him to flail helplessly. His hands scrabble to both grab onto and bat away Rocky’s curious limbs. Neither tactic got him very far.
“Grace sound very happy,” Rocky informs him. Thank you, Rocky. We’d be lost without your keen observation skills. “Are all humans this sensitive?”
Grace makes a strangled, embarrassed noise in the back of his throat and tries to yank his legs up so he can curl into a ball and hide.
“No, stay stationary. Rocky is not done exploring this.” Rocky’s claws grab onto Grace’s knees to simply push them away, only for Grace to yelp and kick his legs out.
“Nononono- Rohohocky c’mohohon!”
Rocky chirps, curiosity singing through his melodic voice. “Tickles happen all over, question?” He inquires, his back hand squeezing Grace’s knee and thigh twice in place of stomping.
“ROHOHOCK!” The hearty cackles that sprang forth like an exploded fire hydrant were answer enough.
Rocky scuttles and prods over the muscular limbs, little chirps of excitement emanating from the depths of his carapace with every new noise he draws from Grace. Scratching at the underside of the human's knees produced a series of breathy, unstoppable giggles that vividly reminded Rocky of the young Eridians back home with newly developed squeaks perpetrating their vocal cords.
Rocky relays that thought to Grace, and the temperature of the human’s face increased dramatically.
“Grace embarrassed, question? Sound cute.” Rocky reassures, wiggling his claws into Grace's lower abdomen.
A flustered noise left the man, quickly buried behind his arms as he wriggled incessantly from the tickling. “E-Enohohough wihihith- my knees!” He pleads, the feather-light wisps of touch sending his brain into a haywire state of laughter.
“That okay, plenty more to try!”
Grace feels pressure firmly lay across his legs, keeping them still despite their instinctive desire to kick. Rocky has become essentially deadweight, using his higher body mass to easily pin Grace to the bed. At first, his heartbeat kicked up in learned fear from being pinned down amongst dead grass, but the gentle touches and familiar warmth of the Eridian dashes his anxiety instantly.
It was kind of hard to focus on the last memory of being pinned whilst Rocky's two front claws had taken to prodding all over the man’s torso. Light and experimental pinches being tossed in just for curiosity's sake.
“Grace should have informed Rocky of this sooner, could’ve cheered you up easily,” Rocky says, mirth filling his voice as he takes in Grace’s blinding grin, flushed cheeks, and bubbling laughter. He made sure to keep his touch light, not wanting to accidentally hurt his friend; however, in doing so, the tickling was simply more unbearable.
And as much as Grace's touch-starved body is relishing in this newfound, sorely missed companionship, it’s tiring quickly.
“R-Rohohock! Plehehease! No- Nohoho mohohore!” Grace wheezes out a laugh before slumping back into the rumpled bedclothes, all fight disappearing and leaving him in a puddle of giggles.
Rocky chirps, withdrawing his claws from Grace’s stomach. “This hurts, question?” He stomps his back foot into the mattress to punctuate his concern.
“No, not at all.” Grace drapes an arm over his eyes and takes in grateful gulps of air, the last of his laughter shaking his chest. “Just overwhelming, bud. It’s been a long time.”
“But Grace is okay, question?”
The hollowness is gone. Grace’s cheeks hurt from smiling. He feels good. “Yeah.” The scientist reassures. “Better than okay. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a while.”
“Want me to do again, question?”
Grace’s arm that’s draped over his eyes shoots down to preemptively cover his stomach, an embarrassed grin spreading across his face. “Uh- no, no, that kind of touch is usually for play. Kinda wanting to get some rest now, Rock.”
Rocky chirps, leaning a bit more into Grace’s chest, akin to a weighted blanket. He wraps his claws underneath Grace in a hug, while one reaches up to scratch through his hair. Grace practically melts, a blissful sigh heaving Rocky up and then down in a slump.
“Better, question?”
“Yeh, feels n’ce,” Grace slurs out, eyelids long since closed, and wrapping his arms over Rocky’s warm, xenonite-enclosed form. It was like hugging a hot water bottle made of glass. Sleep was sneaking around the corner with a bat and a trip to Night Night Station.
A claw slips down his scalp, scraping close to the skin of his ear. Grace flinches with a small grunt. The claw pauses.
“Grace is serious? Here as well, question?” The amusement is abundantly obvious.
“Shut up,” Grace grumbles, gently taking Rocky’s front limb and guiding it back to his hair.
Rocky chuckles. “Humans are very endearing. Will be doing this again, statement."
Grace rolls his eyes, trying to pretend there wasn’t a blush practically living on his ears now. Rocky let him dodge answering that. After all, he plans to use this newfound information to keep Grace’s spirits up. There would be plenty of time to prove to his friend that humans were loveable space blobs.
“You sleep, I watch.” He murmurs, carefully scratching the man’s scalp in rhythmic patterns.
Grace’s fingers intertwine with Rocky’s and squeeze. “Thanks, Rocky. …And thank you for fixing this. You’re a miracle worker.”
“Will always fix for Grace. Grace family, statement.”
Grace squeezes a bit tighter, hoping Rocky understands the love being projected through the gesture. He pretends his voice isn’t choked up as he whispers, “You’re my family too. Statement.”
The rumblings of the Hail Mary almost match the lyrical purrs emitting from Rocky, sending Grace into the deepest sleep he’s had since being aboard. Safe. Protected. Loved.
So obviously there is the concept of Rocky using the flexible part of the ball to engage in tickling with Grace, right? But because of the language, and somewhat of the tone, barrier, Rocky gets really concerned about the tickling because Grace is obviously trying to get away and telling him to get off while it's happening.
And so poor, embarrassed Dr. Ryland Grace has to over and over again, through his laughter, confirm that he's fine and that he's having a fun time and that he wants the tickling to keep happening, and it's killing him to admit out loud but he knows Rocky needs that and he doesn't want the other to feel bad
Of course, after a while Rocky understands implicitly that he wants this, but keeps up the pretense of having him confirm it because it's clearly getting to the scientist so badly
sometimes i just want to feel my cheeks become unbearably hot at the mention of tickling. sometimes i just want to flusteredly hide my face and pretend to be unbothered, even though it’s totally not working and everyone around me sees that i am beet red. is that too much to ask
Tickling someone in order to make them admit how much they love being tickled.
Imagine just poking all over their little tummy as they just giggle underneath you. They would think that by finally admitting it, the tickles would stop... but they are so wrong.
You suddenly hit them with
"Aww! I'm glad you love it so much! Good thing I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon~"
The immediate whine would be so adorable, but just imagine going to their absolute worst spot after. I mean.. if you love it so much.. you wouldn't mind, would you?
PROJECT HAIL MARY PROJECT HAIL MARY PROJECT HAIL MARY
For the requests lee Grace ler Rocky with number 5 and/or 23 please? (you can tweak it to Rocky's way of speaking) Hope you're well!
Can you tell I like PHM
Earth Jokes Gone Awry
NSFW/MDNI ACCOUNTS DNI THIS ACCOUNT IS RUN BY A MINOR!!
Word Count: 1.3K
Summary: Grace thinks it’s funny to pull a joke on Rocky. So, the alien gets revenge the only way he knows how.
A/N: AAAAAAA MY FIRST PHM FIC AMAZE AMAZE AMAZE!!! Thank you so much for your kind words anon I accepted this without hesitation and I couldn’t help making it a full fic either 🥹 These two are circling in my brain so hard right now so I had a lot of fun writing this, hope you like! <3
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.
He was definitely pulling another prank on Rocky another time. Because a playful punishment like that wasn’t all that bad.
it made me cry twice but i love it (i will cry at the drop of a hat it does not take much at all)
ALSO GUYS I TRIED A NEW RENDERING METHOD AND IM ACTUALLY IN LOVE WITH IT ITS SM FUN AND LOOKS SO GOOD IM DEAD
they should have taken advantage of rocky's little mesh glove thingy imo HKFDSHHEHHEE
ALSO IM SORRY IDK HOW TO DRAW ROCKY I THINK I MADE HIM TOO SMALL BUT IDC
im so serious a tiggle scene would have fit so well honestly cuz its such a cute movie i dont think it would like be cringy at all it would make sense and just be so cute im sobbing
ALSO IM SEEING PPL SHIPPING GRACE AND SIMON FROM IRON LUNG AND I AM SO HERE FOR IT OMG THE SHIP NAME??? YALL ARE SO SMART hello i am calmmmm
