Title: Party
Fandom: Project Hail Mary
Rating: PG
Length: short-ish
Content notes: none apply

Summary: Grace is gonna be late for the party!




Rocky squeaked in rapid high-pitched tones. He was even waving one arm admonishingly.

"Okay - okay..." Grace responded, trying to tug his shoe on and close the door at the same time. "What's the rush?"

"Late," Rocky said as he skittered away.

Grace frowned. "Late for what?" There wasn't much he could be late for. Class was done for the day.

"I tell you when we get there," Rocky said. "You sleep already why still slow?"

"Because I don't know what we're doing."

Rocky turned so he was walking backwards - or what looked like backwards to Grace. "Is surprise."

Grace groaned. He wasn't super stoked about surprises after...everything.

"No. Is good surprise." Even from Rocky, Grace wasn't sure he found that reassuring. "Faster!"

Oh my god, Grace groaned to himself and jogged a little to catch up. "That's as much faster as you get."

"Yes yes. Fast. Good surprise."

At this point, he had to go along with it. He couldn't let Rocky down after he's been this excited about something.

Rocky ran into the cave - the dark cave that was fine for Rocky who didn't need light to 'see'. Hesitantly, Grace stepped in behind him.

Only to be half-blinded by sudden light and two dozen Eridians chirping excited sounds at him. It kind of sounded like 'surprise'. But Grace couldn't figure out why they'd all be yelling that at him.

"What - what's all this, Rock?"

"Is surprise party!" he answered cheerfully. "We did math and find out it you day born."

Grace frowned. "You did all that math for this?"

"Math easy. Eridians good at math."

"Yeah, I know. Why though? Why a party?"

Rocky skittered over. "Earth thinking-machine say day born important. Is not true?"

"It's true. Birthdays are important. Just didn't think you guys would do something." He was definitely surprised. "This - this is nice. Yeah. Thanks, Rock."

"Welcome, Grace."