Chapter Text
No one seemed to question it when they went public about being together. If anything, the Eridians were happy for them, even if they frequently teased Rocky for finding someone so much like himself amongst the stars, and teased Adrian for falling in love with the same personality twice. Grace thought it was exceptionally adorable. His children at class often would ask him questions, not unlike ones he got back on Earth from students. They were always innocent, just questions on whether he liked having Eridian partners, or if he wanted to get married (which Rocky and Adrian found particularly funny given the length of their relationship), and if he did, if Rocky would make the jewelry since they couldn’t inlay stones into his skin like Eridians could.
Oh, how Grace missed the innocence of young minds. Young being a… fairly relative term, seeing as most of his students were older than he was.
“Now, who has their family tree assignment ready to go?” Grace asks. This week they had talked about family structures on Earth, compared to how they were different from those on Erid. Eridians were social creatures, often having large families, multiple parental figures, and fewer boundaries on what counted as “family”. His students were amazed, and horrified, to discover that most humans only had two biological and social parents, only had one or two siblings (or god forbid, none at all, which they found especially distressing), and how strict on Earth familial ties were.
“This… Is my family tree.” Grace says, drawing it up on the board as his students dropped their writing tablets into a little collection bin that he could transfer between sides of the wall. It was what he remembered of it anyways- His mother and father, his grandparents on his moms side and grandfather on his dads. Two aunts, an uncle, no siblings, one set of cousins. “Theres my immediate family, that's what humans call yourself, your parents, and siblings. And then my grandparents, aunts and uncle, and my cousins, who were my aunt and uncle’s children.”
“Mr. Grace, why does your dad only have a dad?” One of his students, who he called Terra, asked.
“Well… Uhm…” Grace hesitated. Why did his dad only have a dad? He couldn’t remember for the life of him. He racked his brain, trying to recall. Divorce, he eventually decided. That sounded right in his brain. “Well, they weren’t happy being married anymore, so they got what’s called a divorce, so they wouldn’t have to be married.” He tries to explain.
“Oh… Why would they get married if they didn’t love each other?” Terra asked. There were a few trills of agreement from the other students.
“Sometimes people do love each other, but loving people can be hard, especially when bad stuff happens. Sometimes that means they need to love each other in different ways.” Grace says. He approaches the bin, sliding it out onto his side and pulling the tablets out. “Alright, class is almost over so I’m letting you all out a few minutes early. No homework tonight, do not make me regret that tomorrow!” He says, waving at his little students as they filed out of the room.
He settled at his desk, starting to sort through the tablets, scanning over them to make sure the basic rubric he gave them was met. He did a lot of projects like this, being unable to give tests, in order to show his students grasping concepts.
Most of them were what he expected them to be. Three or four parents, a good handful of siblings, more grandparents than he could count, cousins galore.
There was one though that was immediately raising his teacher alarm bells. The tablet was inscribed with only two names inscribed on it, the students, and then one parent. The parent drawing had been scratched over and restarted multiple times by the look of it. Grace frowned, bouncing his knee as he flipped the tablet over to see whose it was in his English writing on the back.
It only made him more concerned when he saw it was Athos’. They were a newer student, being a recent addition to the school, and one of his younger ones. They were about thirty, which was roughly nine in Eridian years. Something unsettled formed deep in his stomach. That wasn’t right. He felt a little sick.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Mr and Mrs. Grace. I just wanted to ask you some questions about Rylands recent assignment.” Ms. Brown says, holding a stack of papers. His parents sat displeased in front of her desk, while Ryland sat in the back of the class at the play area with the box of trucks, lining them up by size. “I want to start by saying that Ryland is a great kid… But I’m worried about his.. Social skills. He avoids playing with other children at recess and gym class, he runs out of music class… He seems to get really overwhelmed when the class is loud… Have you considered, maybe, getting him screened for autism?” She asks carefully.
“My son is not autistic, he's smart.” His father says. “He’s in first grade and he’s doing fifth and sixth grade math.”
“I didn’t say he wasn’t smart. I said he might need some accommodation.” Ms. Brown says. “I’m just saying that maybe a screening could help him succeed in areas he’s struggling in, like English or music-”
“Our son is perfectly normal. I don’t need you telling us that there's something wrong with him.” His father barks, standing up with his hands on her desks. His mother shrinks down into her chair a little, looking back at where Ryland was playing.
“Ry, stop that.” She hisses at him. “Play properly.”
Ryland looks up, eyes wide. “Sorry, mama.” He murmurs, messing up his line of cars and trucks, even though it made his heart race faster in a way he didn’t like. It made his chest feel tight and uncomfortable.
“Put those away, we’re going home.” His father suddenly says, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. “I don’t need to be insulted by some teacher.” He growls. He said “teacher” like it was a bad word.
Ryland hurried to put his toys back in the box, putting the box back on the shelf before he ran to grab his backpack. “See you tomorrow Ms. Brown!” He waves at her before grabbing his mothers hand and being led out to the car.
“Ryland… You want to tell me why your teacher talked with us?” His father asks, starting the drive home. Ryland swung his feet back and forth as he looked out the window and shrugged. “Your words, Ryland.”
“I dunno..” He says, his hands curling uncomfortably in his lap. He didn’t like so much attention being put on him.
“The truth, boy.” His father slams a hand down on the wheel, making Ryland flinch.
“Jim-” His mother tries to say, but she gets cut off.
“No! It's bad enough he can’t make any goddamn friends. I don’t need his teacher putting filth into his brain! He’s six years old for god sake! My son isn’t no damn re-”
“-Ace? Grace, listening, question?”
Grace snaps out of whatever hell his brain just fed him to find Rocky and Adrian standing in front of him, in their biosuits. The sun went down at some point. How long had he sat there?
“Sorry.. What?” He murmurs, blinking a few times as he gains his bearings.
“Got worried when Grace late coming home.. No one had seen you. Figured you’d still be here.” Adrian says gently, pressing their warmth and weight against his knees. He reached out, subconsciously rubbing over the top of their carapace.
“Sorry, I’m sorry.. Lost track of time..” Grace says. His voice sounded wrong in his ears. Strained and coming out distorted and far away. Maybe he was tired. Maybe. “Lets get home… Sorry I worried you guys, again. I’m sorry.”
“Grace stop apologize.” Rocky says, letting Grace brace on him and Adrian as he stood and they started walking back towards their house. “Nothing to apologize for. Rocky Adrian find Grace just fine.”
“Yeah.. Yeah, bud.” Grace murmurs. He made sure all the tablets were in his bag to grade later throughout the week. Something still just felt so wrong. “I think I just need some sleep.” He says.
“Great. Adrian and Rocky will watch.” Adrian says, butting against him gently a final time as they walk their shoreline home.