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Honestly, all thoughts of sex had kind of been pushed aside since the Hail Mary finally made it to Erid. But can you really blame him? He's met dozens upon dozens of new Eridians, from Rocky's loved ones, to scientists, diplomats, and historians eager to document their species' first contact.
His days have been focused on science, explaining the complexities of taumoeba, radiation, relativity, and computers, but also on the basics of human nutritional needs so they can get to work keeping him alive.
Now, months after arrival, he is finally living in a small habitat planetside, and enjoying at least the bare minimum nutrition to keep him functional. They still have a lot of vitamins left to synthesize, but he's out of the woods for now. It's still bland taumoeba goop that he can sometimes only force down with an NG tube, but at least now there's as much of it as he could possibly want, and he gets to enjoy the feeling of a full stomach again.
For the first time in years he doesn't have the threat of imminent death hanging over him every day. It's nice. It gives him a chance to hope and dream about all the things the future might still hold for him.
He gets to see Rocky be with his family again. He gets to see Rocky be with Adrian again, Adrian who waited for him all these years, and never gave up hope that he would come home. And Adrian more than lives up to the adoring descriptions Rocky gave of them over their long journey. He and Adrian are now friends in their own right, even apart from Rocky.
He hasn't thought about asking for the kind of intimacy they shared during their journey. They never talked about how they would handle things when they arrived, and they haven't talked about it since.
They were in a wholly unprecedented situation during their long, isolated journey, and Rocky was there for him in every way he needed. They were there for each other. Now that neither of them are so utterly desperate anymore, no longer living one bad malfunction away from certain death, both of their needs have changed. And they have more people than just each other to help them meet those needs.
And anyway, Rocky is back with his mate now. And no matter what, Grace still has him as his best friend, and the guy who has made it his personal responsibility to keep him alive. That's more than enough. So he's made it a point to get used to the idea of returning to a life of celibacy here on Erid.
In the back of his mind, he always knew that returning home to Adrian would change things for them, whether Adrian had moved on or not. And, as it turns out, Adrian is pretty amazing, and now he has a second best friend he can rely on. That's more than he usually had back on Earth. He's not so desperately lonely and understimulated as he was, cooped up on the ship. So maybe he doesn't even need to have that kind of relationship with Rocky anymore. He might have his hopes, no matter how it turns out, he is eternally grateful to his best buddy, and his new hope for a long life.
Then one day, Rocky walks in and cheerfully announces that he explained their complicated history to his beloved mate, who not only completely understood and was glad they could be there for each other, but was actually quite curious about the whole thing and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
Grace just about falls out of his chair.
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Rocky and Adrian come over the following evening, right on time, both in their xenonite suits. All the other scientists working on his habitat usually clear out in the evening anyway, to give him some privacy. They have the place to themselves.
When they come in, Rocky is practically vibrating with excitement. Adrian's body language is still a little trickier to read, but they at least seem happy and calm. Grace is fidgety and nervous after spending the afternoon getting in his head about the whole thing, but having Rocky there and be so enthusiastic calms him down a little.
Rocky is very good at taking care of him. All he has to do is trust in that.
"Hey, Rock," he says with an awkward little wave as they come through the airlock. "Hello, Adrian."
"Hello, Grace," Adrian replies, a little too calmly. "Thank you very much for inviting me to join you."
"Uh, yeah, sure, no problem." No problem? Get it together, Grace. But what else is he supposed to say? He and Adrian are becoming close friends, but right now he can barely look at them.
"This is an unusual situation," Adrian says as they walk down the corridor to his private living area. "But I truly am happy that you and Rocky were able to take care of each other on your journey. You are wonderful. I understand why Rocky cares for you so much. And... I am eager to get to know you better."
That warms his heart, and he calms down a bit more. "Yeah. Thanks. Me too."
"Come come come," Rocky says impatiently, ushering them both inside and closing the door. "Let's begin now. Grace, go change clothes."
"All right, all right. Are you gonna be this bossy all night?" He goes into the bathroom to change into the pink satin robe, even though it makes no difference to them. He's feeling a little shy, can you blame him?
"Yes," Rocky says bluntly. "I have everything planned out. Change clothes then come sit on the couch."
Grace chuckles and takes off his shirt.
"Before humans mate they often begin with enjoyable courtship activities," Rocky explains to Adrian. "To set the mood and make their mate feel special and appreciated. They usually share a meal together, which is gross gross gross, but it makes humans happy. Then they relax and talk and get comfortable together."
The robe is just barely long enough to cover his package, and he feels so exposed. But when he comes out, he discovers Rocky has brought a cup of Eridian wine and left it on the coffee table next to the couch, along with a cup of plain water. Calling it "wine" is being generous, it's just some seriously watered-down straight ethanol with a little bit of sugar added. It's not great, but it's drinkable, and it does help take the edge off.
Rocky emerges from the bedroom with an armful of pillows piled on top of his carapace. "First we must build a comfortable nest for Grace." He drops them on the ground in the middle of the living room. "Adrian, you sit down right here and – Grace, do not help!" He scurries past him to stop him from entering the bedroom. "I will do everything! I will take care of Grace. Grace drink wine and relax." He immediately starts piling all of the blankets together.
"Okay, okay," Grace laughs, holding up his hands in surrender. "You can be in charge." He goes to the couch as instructed and sits. He has a hard time getting into a position that doesn't leave his package exposed. It really shouldn't matter, he's about to have sex with the two of them for God's sake, and they can already perceive most of the details of his anatomy whether they have a direct line of sight or not. Still, his face heats up rapidly when he tries to just leave it out there, so he ends up grabbing one of the throw pillows and putting it over his lap.
"Why did he do that?" Adrian asks very quietly, as Rocky arranges their arms just right.
"Humans are shy about nudity," Rocky says, at regular volume. He places the first pillow against Adrian's carapace. "There are many cultural taboos around nudity, mating, and pleasure. Also he heard that. At close range he can hear sounds as quiet as Iℓ+ℓ 🎵♩♩ ." He arranges more pillows, fussing and pressing them into just the right shape. "If you want to say something without him hearing, you will have to be quieter."
"I mean," Grace muses, fidgeting with his drink glass. "Ideally you wouldn't talk behind my back at all while we're having sex, but whatever." He sips the wine while Rocky adds a blanket to the nest and arranges several more pillows.
"My apologies," Adrian says at a regular volume. They remain perfectly still, letting Rocky use them as the base for their love nest. "I only wish to understand. Rocky has explained the basics of how this works, but I'd like to learn more about humans. And about you." They pause. "You are important to Rocky, so you are important to me."
Something about the way they say it is... sweet, affectionate in a way that makes him blush and his heart rate go up a tick. He stares down at his drink, then finishes the last of it in one gulp.
"Yes yes yes, Grace's body is fascinating," Rocky explains as he arranges the pillows against Adrian's carapace. "Human bodies are very sensitive and fragile all over, especially the reproductive organs. Their skin doesn't need to have sonar receptors, so instead it is sensitive to pressure, friction, texture, and temperature. So we must build a comfortable nest. Any discomfort can ruin the experience. They need squishy, flexible bedding and soft textiles. Human mating activities usually take place in the same bed where they sleep."
Grace is very amused by the way Rocky explains everything to Adrian. It reminds him so much of the way his neurodivergent students would infodump about their latest special interest. It's sweet and endearing to realize that's how Rocky thinks of him. It makes him feel very special and warm deep down, in a way he can't quite name.
When Rocky finishes building the pillow nest, he comes to get Grace from the couch. He sets down his empty glass, and takes Rocky's offered hand to guide him over. Rocky sways excitedly as he encourages Grace to lie down.
His cock feels heavy between his legs, filling with blood as his heart hammers away. He's not hard yet, but he soon will be. With slightly trembling hands, he undoes the knot on his robe and slides it off his shoulders, dropping it onto the edge of the pillow nest. He stands there naked, taking a moment to get over the overwhelming sensation of being perceived, even as he lets Adrian get a clear listen at him. He looks at Rocky for reassurance, and tries to remind himself that Adrian has already been perceiving all the intimate details of his anatomy since they walked in the door.
"This is Grace's reproductive organ," Rocky says bluntly, but with a sense of wonder, as he points at Grace's dick. He feels his balls tighten up with nervousness and anticipation, and another surge of blood flows into his cock and it starts to rise. "Humans have different types of reproductive organs, but this is what Grace has."
Rocky takes him by the hand and encourages him to lay down and get comfortable. He does so awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed, but then Rocky is hovering over him and fussing with the pillows, helping him. It's been a long time, but his body knows what this is, remembers what comes next, and he instinctively settles down and gets himself ready.
Adrian makes a noise of surprise. "It's getting bigger! Is that supposed to happen?"
"Yes yes yes!" Rocky trills excitedly. "Arousal and pleasure cause many fascinating physiological reactions!" His xenonite-covered fingers fidget just a hair's breadth from his skin, one hand over his hip, another over his heart. "Remember, he will seem like he is in pain or distress, but he is not. These are all normal reactions to mating pleasure."
His cock twitches eagerly, now standing at full attention, high noon. It throbs with another surge of blood, and begins to curve back down toward his stomach. He covers his face with both hands, shoving his glasses up into his hair, and takes a deep breath to steady his nerves.
"Grace, glasses."
He takes a hand away long enough to pull the glasses off and give them to Rocky, who sets them on the coffee table. When he returns, he runs a hand gently through Grace's hair.
"Is Grace nervous?" he asks in a low, reassuring frequency that almost sounds like purring. Grace asked once why Rocky still talks about him in the third person sometimes, even as he got better and better at understanding Eridian. He answered that it simply made him happy to say Grace's name as much as he could.
He chuckles and leans into the hand in his hair. He peeks out between his fingers and says, "Yeah. Guess I'm not used to you talking about me this much." Normally Rocky just makes his lovely trilling and chirping and purring noises, or else says his name and sweet nothings. All of this added academic scrutiny and attention – from both of them – is a lot.
"Do you want me to talk less?" Rocky asks in all seriousness.
A hand on his hip joins the one in his hair, rubbing soothingly. He lets the sensation wash over him, and wills himself to take a deep breath and relax. "Um... no, you can talk. All in the name of scientific inquiry, right?" He tries to give a lighthearted chuckle. "But, maybe just a little quieter?"
"Yes," he says, instantly half his normal conversational volume. "The most important thing is for Grace to feel comfortable and safe."
He picks up the discarded satin robe and drapes it over his torso. He touches him through it with a light pressure, rubbing the soft fabric over his skin. It slides over his nipple just so, and he lets out a soft moan. Rocky starts moving over Grace's body, shifting his weight to different legs so he can touch with different hands in different places, with and without the robe. He plays all the greatest hits, caressing all over his chest and torso, his hips, his thighs, up his neck, and even the gentlest of touches against his face. Everywhere except the straining cock, now fully hard and curved against his belly.
"Many pleasurable areas on human body," he explains softly. "Touch erogenous zones all during mating for affection and pleasure. Always gentle gentle gentle for sensitive humans." He adjusts the robe so that he can rub the largest face of the xenonite suit up and down Grace's chest with no friction. "Humans rub their entire carapaces together and wrap their arms around each other."
Rocky then reaches over for the bag Grace hadn't noticed earlier, now tucked behind Adrian's leg. He pulls out a container of liquid. "The chemistry hive was able to synthesize the type of water-based lubricant used by humans for mating." He smiles – having something other than his own saliva to use will be a game changer.
"They need more fluids?" Adrian asks teasingly.
Grace chuckles and tilts his head back until he can see just the very top of Adrian's carapace. "He told you I'm going to get extra leaky and gross, right? He was supposed to tell you that before we got started."
"Yes yes yes," Rocky trills impatiently, swaying above him. "I explained already. I also have this." He sets down the lube and reaches into the bag again, and pulls out a mottled-green-gray color squishy silicon tube. Grace gasps and reaches for it. "I finished it yesterday. Also four other versions to try later. But this one now."
Grace squeezes the silicon tube to get a feel for it. He slides two fingers inside, experimentally stretching it out and marveling at the raised nubs neatly arranged inside. His face breaks out into a huge smile. "Oh, wow, Rocky, this turned out great, that's..." He gulps. I'm going to be inside that in a few seconds.
"Yes, good good good," Rocky trills as he snatches the cock sleeve away. "Grace relax, I begin now. Adrian, remember to be still."
"Yes, my beloved song," they reply patiently, and Grace gets the feeling that if they had eyes the two of them would be sharing a look about Rocky right now.
Rocky flicks open the lube and pours it into the cock sleeve. He overestimates its viscosity and pours a bit too much, leaving it to spill out over Grace's lower belly. Luckily none gets on the robe, thought it would probably wash right out.
"Apology," he trills, reaching for the corner of a blanket to wipe it away.
Grace shudders at the contact. "S'okay, bud, we're all a little nervous."
"Grace ready?" he asks in a deep, sultry voice, reverting back to the simpler language they shared for so long.
Grace takes a long, shuddering breath and closes his eyes. His heart is hammering so hard in his chest that he can practically hear it with his own ears. He lets out the breath out slowly, spreads his legs wide, and nods once. "Y-yeah, buddy, I'm ready."
Rocky rotates clockwise above him, leaving each of his limbs in a new position. The one holding the cock sleeve, his most dexterous hand, is now between Grace's legs. With his other best hand, he carefully extends a finger, places it underneath, and lifts his cock up. The warning touch makes his balls clench up in anticipation. And then, Rocky slides the sleeve onto his cock.
He sucks in a sharp gasp, and lets it out as a high-pitched, warbling moan.
"Start out slow slow slow," Rocky murmurs soothingly. He adjusts his grip around the sleeve, and rotates it a couple of times to evenly distribute the lube. Then he slides it all the way down to the base of his member, gives it a little squeeze, and slides back up again. He pumps it over the head of his cock a few times, giving it a little twist along the way, and he knows from experience just where to put the pressure. "Gradually increase speed, increase pleasure. Not too fast, or Grace will reach climax too quickly. Much less pleasurable. Much less fun."
Grace holds tight on the edge of Rocky's carapace with one hand, while the other twists in the blankets. Unlike the faint ridges of the cock sleeve they managed to cobble together back on the Hail Mary, these individual round nubs press into every little crevice of his member, every vein, every ridge, every curve. And the nubs don't line up and hit the same exact spot on every stroke, which somehow makes it that much more thrilling. He bites a lip to stifle a moan as Rocky changes the angle of his strokes.
"Grace," Rocky chides, low and almost slurring. He runs a hand through Grace's hair, gentle and tender and accepting. The hand working his cock never falters, just keeps up a maddeningly slow rhythm. His cock is already throbbing, and his balls are pulled up tight against his body. "Do not hold back. Do not be quiet. Your pleasure sounds are pretty pretty pretty." He rests the flexible xenonite palm of his glove gently onto Grace's cheek. "Let Adrian hear how beautiful you sound."
He slides the sleeve to the base of his cock and squeezes with a gentle but firm pressure along the underside as he slowly moves back up. It's a move he perfected a long time ago, one of his tricks when he wants Grace to get loud. Right on cue he lets out a pleading, desperate moan, and he bucks his hips up into Rocky's hand. "Rocky-!" he gasps, his whole body tightening. His hands scrabble for purchase on the suit, and he bucks up again – into empty air.
Rocky grabs a hold of his upper thigh with the extra-long fingers of his split leg, and holds him down against the pillow nest. Far away from the thrilling caresses of the cock sleeve, which Rocky is now holding well out of reach. As Rocky ordered, he doesn't try to hold back a loud wail of protest. He squeezes Grace's thigh tight, just a breath away from his balls, but not touching, not giving him any relief.
"Rocky, please," he hears himself whine.
"You're right," Adrian whispers, sounding wary, "He does sound like he's in pain."
"He is not in any distress at all," Rocky assures. He takes up the robe again with a free hand, and rubs it all up and down Grace's left side. "He is just greedy and impatient and wants to climax. Humans always want orgasm orgasm orgasm. But the kind of reproductive organs Grace has typically are not capable of climaxing multiple times per sexual encounter. Usually Grace can only climax once, then has to wait many many minutes before he can climax again. Sometimes you have to ease off so he doesn't climax too quickly."
Grace whines and tries fruitlessly to thrust up, to get any kind of sensation on his cock, but it's no use. Rocky is far too strong to resist. "I'm not gonna come yet," he protests. "Just – please, Rock –"
"Yes, will climax," Rocky counters authoritatively, leaving no room for argument. "If I did not stop stimulation, Grace would have climaxed in less than five Earth seconds."
"Wh-what?" he sputters incredulously.
"Patterns of heart rate and respiration are obvious and easy to identify. Muscle tension, face expression, body movements, all easy to identify. It is very easy to tell when Grace is about to climax. This is good, it makes it easier to extend pleasure time."
His cock jumps, twitching up so suddenly and forcefully that the tip actually bumps some part of the xenonite suit for a maddening fraction of a second. He squirms, trying to wiggle an arm into position so he can touch himself. But Rocky easily maneuvers his arms and carapace to block everything he tries, and he never gets so much as a finger on his cock.
He groans. "C'mon, Rock, please, give me something!"
"Grace must be patient, I am explaining complex alien biology to Adrian."
He takes a deep breath, and lets out a long, pleading whimper that transforms into a frustrated, desperate groan. "Rocky, don't – nngh! – don't make me safe word!" Grace has a few sure-fire moves, too. Back on the ship, when Rocky first discovered the concepts of edging and orgasm denial, he had entirely too much fun trying it. The third or fourth time he tried it, he pushed it too far, and Grace well and truly could not take it any more, so he sobbed out his safe word. The instant Rocky was off him, he rolled onto his hands and knees and desperately pumped his cock until he came, sobbing and screaming into the nearest pillow. Rocky had pouted for a week after that, but he took to heart the lesson that Grace can only be pushed so far.
Rocky grumbles low in frustration at the threat, but then the sound turns into a deep, resonating rumble as he presses the large, flat face of his carapace against Grace's member. The xenonite vibrates against his balls, the lower two-thirds of his cock and his inner thighs. Only the head, curving slightly upwards, misses out on the fun.
Grace lets out a long, slow moan as he writhes helplessly against the pillows.
Adrian makes a noise that sounds like excitement, and he feels a tiny but perceptible shift in the pillows behind him. "He can respond to 🎵♩🎵? I thought he could only hear with the two organs in his head. And what is a safe word?"
Rocky has to stop vibrating long enough to explain, and Grace mewls like a kitten at the loss. "He's not responding to the sound, but to the vibration. Humans make vibrating tools to give additional sexual pleasure." Rocky begins gently sliding his carapace up and forward, in a very distinctive thrusting motion, and there is just enough residual lubricant gradually drying on his cock to make it glide smoothly, without catching anything delicate.
"And a safe word is a dirty mean trick humans made up to torment Rocky," he complains sourly. "If he says the designated word I have to stop teasing and let him do whatever he needs. But Grace is just impatient, wants to climax fast fast fast, so he threatens to use safe word when he doesn't really need it so he can touch himself. No appreciation for slow seduction."
"Strawberry," Grace hears himself mumble. "That's my safe word, by the way. For future reference."
"It's a type of food, of course," Rocky sneers. "Disgust."
"Mmmh," Grace moans, his eyes shut tight. "How long are you gonna torture me like this, Rock?"
"Humans are so impatient," Rocky complains with a sigh. But then he stands up straight again and readjusts himself. He carefully guides Grace's cock back into the sleeve, and gives several long, slow pumps, until he lays completely limp against the pillows. A low, almost-contented sigh slips out of him.
Grace wraps a hand around the xenonite-covered arm just above his right shoulder. He turns his face and leans in, pressing a firm kiss against one of the panels, then resting his forehead against it. Rocky squeezes his other shoulder with a different hand, then caresses his cheek with the back of a finger.
Rocky gradually begins to move faster, stroking with an angle and pressure that feel good, but not so good that he'll spiral out of control. Grace just lets his eyes fall shut, breathing through it and letting the pleasure wash away every coherent thought and worry in his head. He is only vaguely aware of the sounds he's making, moans and sighs and gasps falling from his lips. One tiny little portion of his brain has the wherewithal to be pleased with himself for following the rules and letting them hear all his pretty sounds.
"If he starts to thrust," Rocky says tenderly, after a few minutes of silence, "adjust to move with him." It's only then that he realizes he has, in fact, started thrusting upward gently, one leg slightly bent and his heel braced on the floor for purchase. "It's a natural movement for humans during sexual encounters, it feels good. Doesn't it, Grace?"
He tries to respond, he really does, but all he can manage is a lilting whimper of gibberish.
"Yes, feels good good good," Rocky purrs. "So many different ways to make Grace feel good. So many positions, so many places to touch, so many things to do." His voice suddenly gets even quieter, little more than a whisper. "But this is my favorite way to make Grace feel good. Watch Grace relax and be pretty and forget all problems." He emphasizes it with a gentle twist and squeeze of the cock sleeve on the next stroke, and a gloved hand placed over his pounding heart.
He smiles a little, and opens his eyes just enough to gaze at the blurry shape of his friend above him. "Really?" he asks.
"Really," Rocky confirms.
His eyes focus and unfocus in time with Rocky's strokes, and soon they fall closed again. Rocky adjusts his angle slightly to pump the cock sleeve even faster, and Grace throws his head back with a moan. He clings to the xenonite suit for dear life. The heavenly, delicious, telltale heat swirls low in his belly, and his thrusts become more urgent and erratic.
"Remember," Rocky says distantly, "climax is not dangerous, even if it seems alarming." Then his voice gets lower and quieter, without any teasing or joking or pretense of any kind. "Human orgasms can be very beautiful, if you let them be."
"Y' really think 'm beautiful, Rock?" he manages to ask between gasps of air. His face burns as he slurs the words.
"Yes," he says simply. "Yes yes yes."
His orgasm erupts suddenly, with a sharp thrust of his hips into the tight, wet grip of the cock sleeve, and he throws his head back, writhing and wailing in ecstasy, every muscle in his body jerking uncontrollably. His balls clench and tighten, sending fast, energetic bursts of seed shooting across his abdomen. Rocky sees him through it, keeping up his fast, rhythmic strokes, until he has wrung every last drop of pleasure possible from his body.
There's a brief moment of blissful nothingness, and the next thing he knows he's lying on his back, gasping for breath, with a limp cock laying against his belly and two of Rocky's hands stroking his hair.
No, he realizes, as his eyes flutter open and he gradually comes back to himself. Not two of Rocky's hands. Only one of the hands is his. The other hand gently carding through his hair belongs to Adrian.
"Good good good Grace," Rocky purrs softly. "Beautiful Grace let Adrian hear how beautiful he sounds. Happy happy happy."
He smiles and lets his eyes slip shut again. He tries to say something, anything, he's not sure what, but his mouth is too dry from all the moaning and screaming.
Rocky disappears for a moment, but he's back at his side by the time Grace manages to open his eyes. He's holding the cup of water from the table.
"Humans are extra leaky during mating," he explains in his usual teasing trill. "Very important to replenish lost fluids right away."
His pleasure-spent muscles feel extra useless at high gravity. Together, they help him sit up and lift the cup to his lips. Rocky adjusts pillows behind him as he sips, and Adrian scoots forward, until the pillow nest is more of a chair than a bed, and they help him recline comfortably again.
"Thank you," he murmurs as Rocky fluffs one last pillow.
He looks down at the cup in his hands, and then to the faint streaks of come painting his abdomen. The little science part of his brain is functional enough to note that the streaks don't reach quite as far up his chest now as they did up on the ship. The higher gravity means they fall faster and land sooner. Which is slightly less of a mess to clean up, he thinks as Rocky reaches for the towel. It tickles as he wipes it across his still sunken-in belly.
He takes another sip of water, and a more coherent part of his brain ponders the intimacy of it. To another human, watching him drink water would barely be worth noticing. But to an Eridian, well. That's a whole different ballgame. It's not a stretch to say that it's almost a more intimate thing to do than the sex part. To have not just one, but two Eridians willingly watching him do that, while happily fussing over his comfort... It's a strange sort of comfort, a level of intimacy and safety and care he hadn't expected.
"Grace feel good?" he asks. One hand is on Grace's naked thigh, gently tapping his fingers, and another smoothes his hair back out of his eyes.
"Grace feel amazing," he sighs, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against Rocky.
"Good good good."
"Hey bud?"
"Yes, beloved Grace?"
He smiles. "We're gonna show Adrian what cuddling is all about, too, right?"