Chapter Text
Two eyes, two ears, a mouth, and a nose. These are the distinct features that make up a face.
A human face.
Excluding Yao and Ilyukhina, I haven’t seen any other human faces since I got sent off Earth. My reflection has begun to look uncanny as the years pass by during my time in Erid. On a planet where its inhabitants have zero concept of facial features, it's inevitable that I’d feel out of place here.
Two eyes; I blink. Once, twice, three times. My eyelids are droopy, with blue irises reflecting the headlight of my bedroom, shining a glint of greyish-white.
Two ears; The thin, crooked metal arms of my glasses hook lazily over my ears, the plastic tips digging into the soft skin behind them.
A mouth; My lips curved in a delicate bow, as if drawn by a careful hand. I remember being bullied for them when I was younger, with the bigger kids saying I looked ‘too pretty for a boy.’ My teeth clink together as I bite onto nothing, jaw snapping shut on empty air.
A nose; Mine is bent gently, as though snapped by patient wind over the many years. There can be found a thin scar that’s crossed on my nosebridge, soft against my skin yet sharp in my memory. I trace it with my finger, the subtle ridges whispering about close calls and narrow escape.
I cup my cheek with a palm and close my eyes. I miss Earth, despite myself. I miss my kids back at school; hearing their laughter echo through the hallways, listening to their stories about what happened during their weekends, seeing their faces light up whenever I mention anything about prizes for getting first place in Kahoot quizzes.
My lips tremble, a thin sheet of tears blurs my vision as I feel my heart ache. I can’t handle such thoughts so early in the morning—I forcefully wipe away the tears that are threatening to burst out. I take a sip from my coffee, mouthing out a ‘thank you’ to Armando when they pass it over to me.
I look out my window, taking in the sight of the morning sky of my biodome. It’s not too sunny, not too dark—just the right amount of fog in the way I love. I see a little something—or someone—scuttering on the beach, heading towards my home.
Rocky usually comes by a couple hours after I wake up to check in with my health and wellbeing. And, well, because he misses me too. Ever since my biodome’s infrastructure had been completed, he had no reason to be stuck next to me all the time anymore.
So, he only gets to watch me sleep on alternating days instead of every night now. I suggested he do this, I felt bad for ‘stealing’ him away from Adrian. Sure, there was a lot of convincing I had to do, but we ultimately ended up with this schedule.
I take a second look at myself in the mirror, lightly slapping myself in the face a couple times.
Does it look like I’ve been crying? Surely not.
I try to rub away the exhaustion etched within my features with the heel of my palm. I place my coffee on the counter and put my cardigan on while heading over to the door.
Knock–knock–knock–knock–knock–knock–knock—
“Gosh, Rocky, I’m coming!” I spoke out with a soft chuckle. His knocking is relentless and enthusiastic, like he’s hammering the door with all five of his limbs.
I swing the door open to find Rocky standing there with his Xenosuit slightly damp from the morning dew.
“Good morning, Grace! Did Grace sleep well last night?” He greets me with a wave of his claw.
Thanks to Rocky and Erid’s language instructors, I’ve become fluent in Eridian and can understand Rocky’s speech fully without any translators. One downside however, my normal speech has turned incredibly ‘sing-songy’ —with my words having their individual pitch, tones and melodies.
“Mornin’ Rock, I slept just fine.” I gesture at him to come into the house, shutting the door behind as he steps in. “What have you been up to lately? I heard from some of my students that Adrian’s Biology team has been working on some kind of ‘big project’.”
Rocky’s body visibly perks up. I tilt my head, was this not meant to be disclosed? He turns around to face me,
“What else did Grace’s students say?” He taps his claw onto the floor.
“Uh, something close to the lines of ‘me liking it a lot.’” My brows knit in confusion, eyes darting around the room. “That’s all. I swear.”
Rocky paces around the room for a moment. From the looks of it, he’s definitely playing a role in Adrian’s project. I take a seat on my bed, fiddling with my thumbs while I watch Rocky walking back and forth in a tight line across my room.
I hear a murmur of thrills coming from him before he speaks again, “Grace… miss Earth, question?”
“Eh?” I almost choke on my coffee, thumping my fist on my chest. “Why would I? I mean, I love it here.”
“Don’t lie. Missing homeworld is unavoidable. Grace miss Earth, statement.” Rocky’s carapace tips to the side, I can somehow feel him staring into my soul.
“...Okay. I miss the people, that I admit.” I avert my eyes to the ceiling, wiping my lips with the back of my hand.
Rocky walks up to me, setting himself comfortably next to me on my bed. He hides his limbs underneath his carapace as he scoots closer to me.
“If Rocky told Grace that we found a way to help Grace with this problem, would Grace want?” His voice quietens down by a ton.
I feel my heart sink to my stomach. Don’t tell me they found a way to send me back to Earth already. I can’t… I can’t see myself without Rocky. I snap my head to look at him,
“No! Don’t… I’m not ready to go back to Earth—”
“Wait, no-no-no,” Rocky’s laughter cuts me off, a high-pitched thrill that baffles me even more. “We’re not sending Grace back to Earth. Why would Grace think that?”
I flail my hands in the air aimlessly, “What else could you possibly mean?!”
“Adrian’s Biology team created a new Eridian technology to help Grace…” Rocky’s words trail off as he finds the correct words, “... reconnect with human traits.”
The last few words echoed in my skull, refusing to make sense. So he knew all this time.
“How long have you known that I’ve felt like…?” My brows furrow, mouth parting in a silent question.
“Rocky knows Grace. It is not subtle that Grace hides these feelings.” He tilts up to look at me. I look back at his flat carapace, blinking rapidly. “Rocky and Adrian brainstorm methods to help Grace.”
“Adrian invented a way to transfer consciousness into genetically engineered ‘Eridian-made human bodies’. This way—Eridians can experience living as a human being for a prolonged period of time.” Rocky explains further, fidgeting with the blanket beneath him.
“Just like James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’?” I thought to myself, in disbelief. I laugh once, sharp and humourless, before falling silent.
“No. No, that’s—That’s not possible.” I whisper. Rocky stays there, staring at me. He’s serious. He wasn’t kidding one bit with whatever he just said to me.
“Rocky will be testing the technology tomorrow. Would Grace want Rocky to give a visit while—”
“Yes!” I stand abruptly, Rocky flinches. My heart thuds so hard it feels like it could leap out of my chest.
“I’d love to see you tomorrow.” I feel a rush of heat bloom in my cheeks, not realising how I phrased my words. Rocky giggles in chirps, carapace wiggling in amusement.
“Good-good-good.” Rocky steps off the bed, standing in front of me now. “Rocky will meet Grace again tomorrow morning, with a new humanoid model.”
I kneel down to Rocky’s height, he leans in slow and presses his carapace against my forehead. It’s a gesture he’s learnt from me, an imitation of a human kiss.
I feel the warmth radiating from him through that thin layer of Xenonite as he lingers for a short moment—his carapace rippling with tiny, rapid vibrations that I’ve come to recognise as his version of a giddy smile.
Then he pulls back and wraps his limbs around me in a full-body hug, the kind only an Eridian with no personal space boundaries would dare to give.
I stumble slightly but laugh into it. My eyes sting again, this time from elation. He loves me so much—more than anything on Earth ever could’ve loved me.
The next morning, the sun isn’t even fully up yet—it’s that soft, gray-blue haze before dawn.
This is stupid. I feel like a jumpy teenager getting ready for his first date.
I’m already dressed and pacing near my front door like an idiot. My hands won’t stop fidgeting—adjusting my shirt collar for the fifth time, checking if I have coffee ready (I do), making sure my hair isn’t a complete mess (debatable).
Rocky’s going to be in a human body.
A human body.
And he’s coming here. To me. So we can… what? Hold hands? Hug properly without his carapace and extra limbs getting in the way? Kiss with actual lips?
My stomach flips violently at the thought.
There’s a series of knocks at exactly II:ℓλ AM. (7:03AM)
I swing open the door so fast it nearly hits me in the face. Standing by the entrance is…
Not Rocky.
At least—not as I know him.