Chapter Text
Grace realized really quickly that he was not good at sitting still. Life on Erid was wonderful. They figured out the food issue pretty quickly- that one was high on the priority list. They built a greenhouse for him, attached to the back of his little home, so he had a pretty good garden going thanks to the seeds they sent on the Hail Mary. It took a while to engineer Eridian soil to not kill them, but eventually he had tomatoes and zucchini and potatoes, basil and rosemary and thyme, peppers and a tea plant- and a very… very small marijuana plant… He could never indulge on Earth, but hey, why the fuck not? They reverse engineered from the extensive information stored on Mary's computers powdered milk and fake coffee- it didn't necessarily taste the same, but the day Rocky told him they figured out how to put calcium in the fake milk he could've kissed him- His body was so desperate for food he was used to.
Anyways. Boredom.
Adrian had been a huge help in getting him out of the dome. They were a biologist much like he was, but since he showed up, they became more of a bioengineer. They had harvested quite a few of his cells to inject them with Eridian worker cells so he could withstand the gravity a little better. It wasn't going well- yet- he had to remind himself. It wasn't going well yet. Adrian was extremely capable- steadier than he or Rocky could ever be. As cute as his human brain saw the Eridians, he sometimes gave himself metaphorical whiplash when he saw just how smart they were. Sometimes, they gave him ideas he could never come up with himself.
“What if… what if Grace teaches?” Rocky asks. He's in his EVA suit, sitting in a little spherical shaped chair so he could curl his limbs underneath him comfortably. Grace had gotten pretty good at Eridian this point, no longer needing the translator. Although sometimes he still needed some help with the more complex words and sentences that went out of his hearing range.
“Like, a class?” Grace asks, standing in his kitchen as he made himself some breakfast- they just harvested his first round of strawberries. God he missed strawberries so much.
“Of course a class. Stupid question.” Rocky grumbles, but it's half hearted. “There are dozens of Eridian young who would love to learn from Grace. Grace have much to teach.”
“Its kind of hard to teach kids who have perfect memory, bud. Like… Half of education is giving tests to see if they know it all.” Grace says. He didn't know why he was protesting so quickly. As much as he loved science, the classroom was his home. He wanted nothing more than to go back to a classroom. He was already formulating plans. Maybe he could use that amphitheater on the other side of his biodome… He was already imagining the benches full of excited students. He'd need the translator again- he was sure he would be overwhelmed by the amount of voices talking to him without it. He'd need a little keyboard to explain concepts that didn't have easy words in English. He'd need a blackboard, but there was gypsum naturally in Eridian soil to make chalk. Oh god he was already planning it out in his head and he wanted it so badly.
“That's why Grace give practical tests, not knowledge tests. Eridian young not good with dexterity yet. Take long long time to get good for complex work.” Rocky says.
“I hate when you have good ideas.” Grace says, fondly shaking his head. He grabs a cup of coffee from Armando with a thank you. “Alright, let’s get me a classroom.”
He wondered how long Rocky had planned this, as he soon learned that the little amphitheater was attached to the largest school in the major city they resided in. Of course, smaller schools dotted the little villages that spanned the enormous island most Eridians lived on, but this was the biggest institution they had. They were split up into groups sort of like grades, but also like a community college, adult Eridians could sign up to take a class here or there if they wanted to.
Being a public school teacher, Grace was used to making something out of nothing. With Adrian and Rocky’s help, he set up decorations in the amphitheater. With their help, he made little flags like what his Earth classroom had, but instead of countries on them, they were embroidered with the names of the different riverbank villages most of the Eridian population originated from before moving to the major city. Of course, there was a little flag with the city as well, but most of his students would be from the outskirts. They got the translator set up on his laptop with a little stand, got him a blackboard and chalk and tables for demonstrations. They got him a little microphone tube thing so he could talk to his students through the barrier. It was perfect.
“Grace’s classroom is beautiful.” Adrian says, admiring our handiwork as they tap lightly against the clear barrier to see into my half of the classroom better. “Students will love it. Grace love it, question?”
“Grace loves it, statement.” He says, adjusting his desk for the thirteenth time. He felt like he did when he had his first day as an actual teacher- and he didn’t have students yet! It was just him, Rocky, and Adrian. He could feel familiar butterflies in his stomach, the familiar nerves of knowing he will be providing knowledge to the next generation, who were, on paper, older than he was. With some conversion, most of his students would be about ten or eleven in Earth years, outside of whatever adult Eridians signed up for his class, “Earth and Humanity”. Of course, he would teach them about science concepts they had no chance of ever learning about otherwise- like radiation or relativity. He would also be teaching about humans and Earth animals and weather and culture. It was a lot. He loved it.
“Grace need anything, question?” Rocky asks. He was with Grace in his EVA suit, pattering around the setup, making sure everything was connected and secure- especially the wires. “Will fix whatever Grace needs.”
“No, it's perfect, Rock. This is… More than I could ever ask for. I can’t believe I’m going to teach again… Will either of you guys be in a class session?” Grace asks. Somehow, he thought it would be a little easier if he knew they were there.
“Busy busy busy… Not too busy for Grace, statement. Will be there sometimes.” Rocky says. Adrian was already mimicking Grace’s nods as well. It made his heart swell, knowing they would want to be there to see him teach, to help him, to support him.
It was perfect.