They were beginning to run out of food…

They were on their way back to Erid, and would get there soon enough— but… they were still running low on food. He knew this day would come, he was well aware it would and had explained to Rocky numerous times that they’d likely run out and he’d have to begin eating taumoeba. He wasn’t looking forward to that moment, and did his very best to preserve the food rations to last him long enough. Unfortunately… He was down to his very last one.

Grace had a ‘leave the best for last’ mentality, and the last food ration was a freeze dried “Lasagna” (really just pasta in tomato meat sauce). He added water and prepared it accordingly before finally sitting down with his hot meal. He stared out into the vacuum of space as he contemplated what this meant… he’d have to, at some point, probably eat the Coma slurry. There was still plenty left, though he didn’t imagine it tasted very good.
“What grace thinking, question?”
Rocky interrupted his thoughts.
“Ah— this is my last ration. I’m uh… after this, it’s coma slurry. And while I’m eating that I’ll be breeding extra taumoeba for me to eat when the coma slurry runs out. It should be alright, buddy, but you… might start to notice some changes in how I look and act. I’m… really sorry”
Rocky shifted slightly in his ball.
“Grace afraid, question?”
Grace flinched. How direct…
“Honestly… yeah. A little bit. I’m terrified of how bad it’s gonna taste. I don’t wanna be choking down sludge for weeks. But, it is what it is. Its either that or starve to death” he closed his eyes and sighed.
“I will be alright though. Don’t worry about me” he gently pet the ball, trying to ground himself as he finished up the ration.

DAY 1

Grace was facing the cup full of coma slurry, disgusted by its mostly brown colour with tiny specs of what could be vegetables.
He looked to his right, and Rocky was there, making jazz hands at him.
“Eat, Human must eat!, statement!”
He stomped his foot twice for emphasis
“Okay okay, Rock. I’m gonna do it”
Grace grumbled and took the cup, raising it to his lips and taking a deep breath before finally allowing some to fall into his mouth. He did his best to pour it right down his throat with minimal tasting involved, but it didn’t work. The slightly sour— pungent taste of the slurry still coated his entire mouth and he found himself gagging before the cup was empty. He stopped drinking it, put the cup down and began gagging as he covered his mouth with his hand.
“Grace okay, question?!”
Rocky began frantically pacing around Grace, watching him choke on the drink.
Grace managed to keep it down, but his stomach felt sour and queasy and he did not want to risk drinking any more.
“I think— that’s all I can take for now buddy. I’ll try the rest later?” He offered.
Rocky conceded, fearful of what he saw already.
“Grace need more calories… what will happen, question?” He asked
Grace dreaded facing this head on as Rocky was forcing him to.
“Well— um… im going to begin losing fat, and then I’ll get muscle atrophy… I might begin to faint and throw up more often. I’ll be absolutely miserable, and… well. Hopefully I’m not desperate enough to do anything drastic”
He laughed nervously and looked down at the cup of slurry.

“I’m gonna go watch some videos… this has really made me feel. Gross.”
He began to make his way through the ship to the ‘don’t go crazy’ room. He sat down and turned on a video of quiet rain, closing his eyes and enjoying it as Rocky listened in and tapped rapidly on his ball.
“Rocky make sure Grace not alone, Statement” He said, gently bumping the ball against me before settling down.
As I spent some time coming to terms with my imminent starvation, I began to wonder what I should do while I still have the energy. I decided then and there to make a list.
Fix some things
Breed taumoeba
He stared at his tiny list as another, more deviant thought came to mind…
He knew damn well he wouldn’t be ‘in the mood’ or perhaps even physically able, to do anything with Rocky at a certain point. He may as well do it while he can…
He turned to Rockys ball and gently pressed a kiss to it.
“Rocky… Do you want to… Do that thing again?” He asked.
“What thing, question?” Rocky responded.
Grace flushed and laughed nervously
“You know, the thing.. Where I um.. Rub against your ball?”
Rocky let out a laugh.
“I knew. Just wanted Grace to say it. Yes, Am willing, statement.”
Grace gave a frustrated grumble and fiddled with his pants.
“You know once I start really starving, I’m not gonna wanna do this anymore.”
He got his pants down past his knees and began to shift his boxers.
“So we should enjoy it while we can, yea?”
He gently stroked himself a few times, hardening in his hand as he pressed the tip against the soft Xenonite barrier. It gave way, and let his cock press into the ball, and allowed Rocky to begin touching it.
His hands were hot, even with the xenonite between them.
He groaned and ground his hips into Rockys hands.
“Fuck that feels good”
He closed his eyes and adored the foreign feeling of Rocky rubbing at his cock. The times they actually engaged in this kind of ‘play’ was few and far between, only happening when Grace was so pent up he couldn’t take it anymore usually — now, he knew he’d be unable to experience this pleasure for a while, so he took what he could get. He gently began petting the ball as a sign that Rocky was doing good.
“Good god, you’re so good at this Rocky” he muttered under his breath as he thrusted again into the waiting hands of his alien companion.
Rocky quietly flared his vents and continued enthusiastically stroking Grace’s leaky mating appendage.
“Leaky leaky leaky”
Rocky muttered, smearing the precum around and enthusiastically trilling.
“You’re really cute, you know that?” Grace said quietly, loving to hear Rocky trill with his cock in his hands. The vibrations also sent shivers down Grace’s spine. He felt his climax approaching and did his best to prolong it as long as possible— playing mind games with himself to try and lower how horny he was before he finished. Sadly, it didn’t work for long, and he found himself holding onto and humping desperately into the Xenonite ball.
“Fuck— Rocky—! That feels so good, I’m gonna—“ he bit at his lip and came into the Xenonite. It leaked down and dripped onto the floor, and Rocky was making a wide range of happy trills
“Good job Grace! Good good good!”
Grace slumped down over the ball and began to catch his breath.
“Thanks, Rock” he muttered as he pushed himself up and then sat himself right down onto the floor to further relax. There were blankets and pillows all over the place and it was a rather comfortable nest for him. He appreciated the soft ebbing of pleasure through his body. He tried his best to appreciate it considering how long it’d likely be until his next orgasm.
He sat up and pushed himself to his feet, stumbling out and to the bathroom where he got himself a wet wash cloth and began to wipe down his cum from Rocky’s ball and the floor.
“Grace okay, question?”
Rocky asked
Grace nodded
“Yeah— I’m feeling a lot better now. Thanks bud. I think I’ll even try to get down more of that slurry… c’mon” he got up and finally fixed his boxers and pants before making his way to the kitchen…

DAY 14

Grace had begun to really start feeling the effects of starvation. His stomach ached with pain, all of the time— always wanting more food. He constantly day dreamed about different dishes and would talk enthusiastically to Rocky about different foods from different cultures and how they tasted. Or well, how he remember them tasting.
The coma slurry was still as difficult to eat as ever, even in his aching gnawing hunger. He gagged every single time he had it, and more than once ended up at the brink of vomiting.
He stood in the food area and stared down at his slurry cup.
“Just another day. Get it down Grace”
He muttered to himself.
“Rocky hear Grace talk to self, statement”
Rocky piped up
“You sound like crazy person”
He continued.
Grace groaned and rubbed his face
“Shut up! I’m just working up courage”
He sighed and just chugged it as fast as he could. He managed to get it all down today, but gagged plenty during it.
“Ugh…. I’m so hungry”
He whined and slowly made his way back to the mental health area, plopping down onto the floor and changing the screens to a video of a Christmas party. There’s a huge table set up filled with all sorts of foods. Grace drools as his stomach groans audibly and he doubles over in pain.
“Ow ow ow…” Grace did his best to hold it together; he had to make it to Erid.
“Grace hurt!?” Rocky ran over to him, spinning in his ball
“Bad bad bad!! Must fix Grace!!”
He frantically ran a circle around Grace as Grace groaned and shook his head
“No, no buddy — there’s nothing you can do, I’m just so.. so hungry.” He slowly opened his eyes
“I’ll be okay— it’s passing… see? I’m okay” he uncurled and gently pet the ball Rocky was in.
Rocky began to relax as he pressed against the ball to be as close to Grace as possible.
He trilled and began to relax.
Grace looked back at the banquet video and sighed longingly at the food set up.
“I can’t wait until I get to eat whatever the Eridian scientists come up with. Whatever it is, it’s gotta be better than this”
He closed his eyes, knowing it was only going to get worse.
“I am Intaking just barely 1000cals a day. By now my body has started actually burning away fat and muscle. I’m going to start looking different as time goes on. It’s natural, it’s a survival mechanism.”
He finished his ramble and looked towards Rocky.
“Try not to freak out about it, okay?”
Rocky bounced in place
“Rocky do best to not stress mate Grace out with reaction, statement.”
He tapped his foot for emphasis and curled up in a loaf in his ball, thinking to himself.
[If Grace change too much, Rocky get scared…]
[Rocky no want to scare Grace. Have to control self.]

DAY 105

Grace was DEFINITELY skinnier now, visibly. He wasn’t filling out his clothes the way he used to, and he was starting to slow down significantly. He wasn’t nearly as energetic as he used to be, and Rocky couldn’t help but notice that Grace was struggling often with basic tasks, getting side tracked mid conversation and was overall not acting at all like his usual self. This deeply disturbed Rocky, who knew this could get worse. He did his best to help Grace with tasks, provide him with Water and comfort him when he was in so much agony and discomfort that he would simply lay down and cry.
Grace was thankful for the coma slurry, even if it tasted terrible. He knew he could technically get more calories in if he could just stomach more slurry, but he was struggling to even drink his one cup a day as is. And even then, they would run out of coma slurry eventually. Then his caloric intake would be even lower, and he’d be getting even sicker.
He didn’t dare check how much coma slurry he had left, he was terrified it’d be lower than he was prepared for and he’d be stuck preparing for an even worse quality of life.

Grace had felt nauseous and sick all day. He felt a wave hit him, and he was honestly shocked when he felt something actually start coming up. He thankfully had a bag nearby, just in case, and managed to puke directly into it. It was mostly acid, anyways, since he hadn’t had his slurry for the day.
Rocky tensed and began to panic, running circles around Grace.
“Bad bad bad!! Grace body deteriorating! Eject food!”
He sounded more distressed than Grace had ever heard him before, his song turning high and shrill with stress.
“This just happens sometimes, Rocky— Too much stomach acid, not enough stuff in the stomach. I’m amazed it took me this long to puke” Grace sighed as he tied the bag off, putting it into the trash chute and made his way slowly to his proper bed. His body hurt and bruised more easily, and he was often tired. He let out a yawn as he got into bed and closed his eyes
“I need some sleep Rocky… I’m sorry. Watch me?” He asked.
Rocky immediately nodded his carapace
“Yes yes! Rocky watch sleep. Sleep good Grace” Rocky settled nearby and waited patiently.
As grace fell into a deep slumber, the Eridian worried for him deeply.
[Grace getting worse]
[Hope Grace survive til Erid…]

The day dragged on.
Grace awoke from his nap, and felt his stomach ache with pain.
“I think I need to try to get the slurry down” Grace muttered mostly to himself.
“Yes, Grace need nutrients!” Rocky piped up before standing.
“Rocky can get Grace slurry, statement.”
Rocky began to trot away to the medical lab where the coma machines and slurry were kept. He returned with a cup full of brown sludge and held it out to Grace.
“Grace try to eat. Rocky eat too” he stated.
As soon as Grace took the cup, Rocky scurried off to where he had food stored on the Hail Mary. He had moved his food storages from his ship to the Hail Mary when they began to make their way to Erid and thankfully since Rocky had many more crewmates than him, there was more than enough food that he wouldn’t have to worry about starvation. He took the Rocky looking ball and began to stop the Rocky exterior off, revealing meat underneath.
As Grace watched, he salivated… meat… real meat…!
He felt crazed as he watched Rocky eat the meat ball.
“God, I’m so hungry — that looks so good, Rocky. I wish I could eat it” he blurted out.
Rocky stopped and ‘stared’ at Grace, though he had no eyes.
“Full of murcury. Would kill and poison you, Grace. Statement”
He said plainly.
“Maybe you could wash the murcury out??”
Grace suggested
Rocky considered this.
“Will try, for you. Cannot promise success”
Grace nodded
“That’s fine..! Thank you Rocky” he gently reached out and pet the ball he was in, and Rocky instinctively pressed himself against the ball to reach Grace’s touch.

The next few days were spent with Rocky doing his best to engineer some way to try and completely devoid his own ration meat of mercury so Grace could potentially try it. This would be difficult, considering he had to make sure it had less than 40mg of mercury left in it overall. He kept washing and rinsing it, going so far as to inject water into it to try and press the mercury out, but it was no use. Rocky did not feel confident he could rid it of enough mercury to be safe for consumption.
Frace was miserable to hear the news— but accepted it. It is what it is…

DAY 150

Grace was starting to seriously deteriorate.
He was barely able to lift anything, and he spent many days curled in his room— crying.
Rocky hated the sound of Graces wailing. He knew he could do absolutely nothing to soothe it, just gently lean against him and hum a song in hopes of calming Grace.
Grace cried against Rocky’s ball, heavy heaving sobs.
“I’m so hungry…!!” He wailed
“My stomach hurts so bad… I feel so nauseous, god— I feel like I’m going to die… I don’t want to die before we reach Erid…” he babbled mostly to himself.
Rocky felt panic rise up. Die ?? No, no ! Grace could NOT die!
Rocky did his best to pick up the slack and take on Grace’s duty’s— breeding taumoeba so Grace had something to eat once the slurry was gone.

DAY 200

Today was a particularly bad day.
Rocky reminded Grace of how long it’s been.
200 days since his last proper meal.
Grace cried for hours. Then went stoic and quiet. He spent long hours in the ‘don’t go crazy room’ watching movies and videos that involved food. His stomach would growl and he’d take small sips of the slurry,
The only positive, is that Grace found himself more able to stomach the slurry than he’s previously been able too.
It still tasted awful, but he was coming to terms with the fact this was his life now.
200 days…
He was surprised he was even still alive, half a year with less calories than what a toddler would expect. Hah! He was nothing if not resilient.

He began to try and up his slurry intake, wanting the extra calories if he can afford it.
He spent the next few weeks, slightly better off— he was alive, at least.

DAY 250

They were almost there… unfortunately— the coma slurry was finally depleted. Grace knew this day would come and he utterly dreaded it. He was already sickly skinny and barely hanging on and he dreaded how it could get any worse. Every day he felt like he was dying. Slowly, as the days passed by. He was terrified.

The first time he tried the taumoeba, he hated it.
It was slimey. It had a similar texture to boba pearls, so when he chopped the mass up and drank it with his last bit of slurry– it was almost like the worst boba he’s ever had in his life!
He did his best to reminisce on the foods back on earth. Never again would he eat takeout Chinese food, popcorn, shawarma, pretzels… ugh! His stomach churned and groaned as he curled up in pain. Soon they’d be on Erid… Soon he’d be given medical care by the doctors there, and they’ll figure out a food situation.
He knew they’d keep him alive. He trusted Rocky, and trusted the Eridian species.
He just hated that he had to endure this.

DAY 300

Grace was officially on thaumoeba only diet. He despised it, and he had only managed to somehow grow even weaker. He did his best to calculate it, figuring he was managing maybe 800…? Maybe 900 calories, at most… From here he knew he was going to be really, officially, dying. It was a ticking bomb in the back of his mind as the day dragged on.
He closed his eyes and did his best to eat his thaumoeba, chewing the mush into thinner mush and swallowing it down. It felt so good to have something somewhat solid to eat and sit in his stomach again, but it may as well be gelled air! It felt like nothing, and he was still left aching and hungry at the end of the day.

DAY 330

The scurvy has officially set in.
His gums felt swollen and inflamed, bleeding on and off even when he did his best not to poke and prod at it with his tongue.
His burn from Rocky was beginning to swell and irritate again, and he was gaining small lesions over his body. He never knew such agony before… The pain he felt every day made him begin to feel crazy in ways he never had before.
He sat and stared at his own let, beginning to salivate as he imagined cutting it off and grilling it.
He had gone as far as to tie a tourniquet and grab a saw before Rocky managed to step in and press himself against Grace, Screaming at him to stop. Grace dropped to his knees and began to cry. He took the tourniquet off and just hugged Rocky's ball, sobbing about how he wanted to take his leg off to eat.
Rocky was horrified…
[Grace friend going CRAZY!! Have to protect, have to protect!!]
Rocky guided Grace to his bed and tucked him in, demanding he sleep since he was feeling so unwell. Grace complied, and drifted off.
As Rocky got comfortable against Grace, he noticed some clumps of hair begin to fall from Grace’s head.

DAY 365

They had finally arrived on Erid. Just in time, as Grace wasn’t sure how much longer he could take this. Every day had gotten worse and worse– he was spending the last few days just in bed, barely able to leave it even to use the restroom. He was sick with scurvy and iron deficient– Rocky had a lot of explaining to do.

As the space elevator approached their ship, Rocky paced anxiously.
“Don’t want to leave Friend Grace alone… Scared.”
Grace forced a smile.
“It’s okay Rock. I’ll be fine, you gotta go tell em what I need to survive, right? We discussed this– Food, ideally meat and some time of greenery– oxygen. A place to sleep, warm. Thank you, Rock, for everything” he mumbled as he closed his eyes.
Rocky heard the space elevator connect and click into place. He approached it, terrified. He stepped into it and heard the door close behind him, and ever so slowly…he was brought back down to Erid.

The further he got from Grace though, the more anxious he felt. He couldn’t hear Grace’s heartbeat anymore and it scared him! What if something happened to Grace and he wasn’t there?! What if this was all for nothing! Well, not NOTHING, his planet was saved– but could Rocky even move on if his Grace wasn’t alive and with him?
He cried and wailed a warbling song as he was brought down.
The Eridians could hear it getting closer and closer, never expecting to be hearing such a sound upon their heroes return.

As soon as the doors opened, Rocky was bombarded with questions, which just completely overwhelmed him– it was a messy cacophony of noise and it rattled him deeply after just enduring that suffocating silence.
Finally, one Eridian yelled over the others.
“STOP TALKING!” they bellowed.
Silence fell, and finally, Rocky was able to speak.
He stumbled over his words, and struggled to explain just how horrific it was for him– having his crew mates die, how he was alone. How Grace came into his life and helped him save the stars. How deeply sick Grace was and how he needed their help deeply.
Thankfully, the best of the best scientists were present for his arrival and they agreed– having an alien to speak and learn from would be extremely helpful.
They began work at once, building the biodome for Grace.
Adrian lead its construction, and Rocky entrusted his mate to do what was best.
He was excited to see Adrian again, but all things take time. For now, he was busy with thrums and explaining the things Grace needed and how to handle him medically.

Soon, it’d be time to bring Grace onto Erid officially. And Rocky would make sure everything was perfectly in order for that. For now, medical teams in proper xenonite suits went up the space ladder themselves, with Rocky of course, to attend to Grace. They had liquid nutrients they would feed via IV, hoping it would help pep him up.
Grace was barely coherent when he saw himself surrounded by chittering Eridians. He felt the prick of the IV and gave a whine, and felt Rockys claw pet his hair– Now having access to a bulky suit to get closer.
Grace felt safer.. Rocky was here.
“Thank you, Rocky…”
“No, thank YOU Saviour Grace” He replied, filled with love.