Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Okay. I wanna start by saying that you? Don't need to be here. There isn't any reason for you to be here. You can just- go on home, because I don't need some- some therapist telling me that I’m an accident prone burnout pickpocketer. I already know. Shoo. Bye.”

The woman sitting across from him looked up at Gary through her glasses, the clipboard still in her hands and a deep, deep apathy in her eyes. “Gary. We've been over this. I’m your psychiatrist, here to prescribe medication and therapy for your mental health. You blew up someone's car and got caught stealing a diamond in the same night; that doesn't exactly-”

Gary laughed sardonically, cutting her off. “Don't forget the impersonating an officer charge. They sure as crap won't let me forget it.”

The woman- Gary recalled her name was Ms. P- sighed bitterly. “I could see what I can do about getting you an ETP.” an Empathy Therapy Partner, Gary remembered. An alien with the ability to read minds to some extent. “Knowing who your father was, it should be fairly easy, but for now I’m just going to have them send in another long term isolation-”

“ No! Cmon, miss, no, don't make me spend another week with that thing ! This is cruel and unusual punishment!” he whined, leaning across the kitchen table pathetically. Ms. P stared at him, unphased by his childish outburst. She was a really bad psychiatrist, having no sense of kindness whatsoever, no sense of understanding, no sympathy for what he was going through!

After all, it wasn't her with a microchip embedded in her skull that kept her locked on her own property. That was Gary’s punishment, for his ‘crimes’.

It wasn't on purpose, either, it wasn't like he wanted to blow up that restaurant, or the cars outside! It was an accident! An accident !

...Maybe the robbery part was on purpose. And maybe the 'impersonating an officer' part was on purpose, and maybe that led to the whole blowing up a restaurant thing- but it wasn't his fault, really!

Ms. P shuffled her papers together and stood up, brushing off her dusty grey pantsuit as if it were dirty just from being in his presence. “You don't have anyone who is willing to be your roommate, Mr. Goodspeed-”

“ Don't call me that! And I have HUE, what’s the difference between him and KVN, huh? A few lines of code?”

“Gary, HUE is a probation AI, it isn't built for the constant care of a living person. Especially not one in your condition.”

Gary glared at her, his resolve cracking. “Oh, yeah? And- and what condition is that?”

She groaned. “Gary, you're emotionally unstable. House arrest for the next few years is the absolute nicest thing they could have sentenced you to, so I, as a professional, prescribe that you suck it up and deal with your punishment.”

Gary sat down in his chair like a puppy being scolded, flinching as she raised her voice. “...Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled, gripping the skin on his arms to ground himself. He would not cry in front of her; he wouldn’t let himself stoop that low.

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I have another appointment to get to. Call me if you need anything, alright?”

He nodded slightly and she left him alone in the clinical darkness and isolation of his own home.

It was only two weeks into his sentence and he already felt like he was losing touch with reality, the days blurring together. The world was passing by without him and all he wanted was to be a part of it again. He felt so trapped .

He made a bowl of cereal and tried eating it, talking out loud, mostly to himself. HUE occasionally chimed in, making him feel less alone, for once. He thought about Quinn, the girl in the bar. Did she remember him? Did she worry if he was okay or not?

Months passed by slowly and painfully. He spent most of his time in the backyard tending to his butterfly garden and building little houses for the insects out of sticks and leaves, or playing video games. It really wasn't too bad, it felt nice to be able to focus on himself most of the time. KVN was the most annoying part, the long term isolation insanity avoidance unit being a major nuisance once he was installed, even if he had been the one to stop Gary from hurting himself further when he was having a panic attack. At least the backyard was safe and quiet, seeing as KVN wasn't allowed to go there. It was like his own little patch of the real world, and he loved the feeling of peeking over the fence into the yards of people around him. 

His neighbors on the left had an electric fence, but the neighbors on the right didn't. They never went into their backyard, which ment it was overflowing with wildlife and flowers and bugs. Gary loved bugs, loved to watch them and learn about them. He spent a solid month studying and researching all the kinds of bugs he could find in his yard, his little slice of the universe. It was the only thing that really made him excited anymore, other than the one day a week when he could have pizza, and even then it was always stale and flavorless. He wanted out more than anything, at that point.

The ETP that Ms. P had hired for him finally showed up about eight months into his sentence. Apparently it had taken so long because there was some kind of mishap with paperwork, rendering him isolated for much longer than he expected. Ms. P seemed to be avoiding seeing him in person at all costs.

He had been playing an old racing game at the time, KVN looming over his shoulder, being as bothersome as ever and trying to get him to crash his cart. There was a knock at the door that split the air like a bomb going off, followed by someone talking outside to nobody in particular.

He paused the game and stretched, his back popping loudly. “Whoooooo’s at the door, HUE?”

“I believe it is your empathy therapist, Gary,” HUE responded.

He resumed his game, trying to act unimpressed. “Let them in, then, HUE!”

The door opened, the sounds of the outside rushing in and filling Gary with a sense of pained nostalgia. The alien behind the door continued talking, rambling to themself. “Oh, the door opened. I’ll just go on inside, then.”

Gary looked back for a moment and paused the game again. This person wasn't… Professional. Not even a little bit. They were a rather short alien with six eyes and light green skin, their tongue sticking out between their teeth. Gary almost mentioned the box in their hand, but there were a few more pressing things about their appearance that brought up questions.

They were decked out in all sorts of clothes, a gaudy yellow scarf around their forehead, a pair of clearly hand-cut jean shorts and a thick wool sweater contrasting each other greatly and making up the rest of the outfit. They looked like they were dressed for every season at once. Gary looked down and noted the neon orange crocs and mismatched socks. One of them had a shark on it. Awesome.

He patted the couch next to him and the alien smiled warmly, half-jogging over to him and sitting down.

“Hello, my name is Tribore! I’m an ETP in training , mhmm. You must be Gary!”

Gary nodded and bit back the little spark of hurt over the idea that they sent a trainee instead of someone who had more experience, but he couldn't complain, considering they actually managed to send anyone at all, which was significantly more effort than he had originally expected. He finally noticed the box in Tribore’s hand.

“What's that you’ve got there? Some kinda box?”

Tribore blinked one eye at a time, looking down at the box happily and opening it to reveal a small dish of food. It looked like something Japanese, being rice based and having some kind of fish and what looked like seaweed. Some kind of sushi, he guessed. “Did Tribore bring snacks? Yes they did .”

Gary gasped. “Wait, you brought this for me ?”

Tribore nodded and set the little container on Gary's lap and he took a bite, sighing. “Thank you,” he mumbled between bites. “You're the nicest person I’ve met in eight months… This is the best meal I’ve had in eight months...”

Tribore smiled and patted Gary’s back gently as he ate. The feelings of relief and honest, genuine love and gratitude radiating from the human put them at ease, letting them know they were doing their job properly.

The antenna on their head was very receptive to hormones and electrical signals from other creatures, which was what the ETP program was all about, finding the root cause of psychological issues by pinning down what emotions are harming the patient. Tribore had a lot of pride in the work they did, and really genuinely looked forward to their first real assignment.

Gary finished the meal with a sigh, leaning against Tribore’s shoulder happily. Tribore wrapped an arm around him and tuned in deeper, looking for anything notable, any disturbances that they could remedy.

Lonely. He was lonely, which was a given. A living roommate was first priority, surely. He needed the interaction, and the affection. He needed someone who cared about him. Tribore gently rubbed his back and Gary sighed, closing his eyes. This kid wasn't a criminal- he had issues, but he wasn't dangerous .

After a minute, Tribore took a small paper notepad out and scribbled some notes down, his tongue sticking out. Gary leaned over, squinting at the almost incomprehensible jumble of symbols.

“What language is that?”

“Secret code,” they said simply, doodling a smiley face sun in the corner. Gary nodded as he added sunglasses and a little cloud.

“Cool. Can I ask what it says?”

“Mmmmmmm. Nope,” they popped the ‘p’ sound. Gary frowned.

“Why not !”

“Because it's a secret . It isn't a secret if you tell it, silly.”

Gary huffed, as if he were angry, but Tribore only felt slight disappointment coming from him, along with a jumble of other, mostly positive things. They made a note of this.

Gary leaned back against the couch. “So, like, am I supposed to do something…? Or is this just a ‘make sure Gary isn't trying to kill himself again’ thing?”

Tribore shrugged, their eyes blinking out of sync, unphased by the comment. “Pretty much that last bit. You seem very nice , though. Nicer than I thought you'd be.” They patted his back again and he smiled brightly.

Pride. Confidence. Happiness. Validation.

Tribore made another note.

Curiosity.

They decided to change the subject, scanning their memory for the list of questions they were supposed to ask. “So, what have you been doing to keep yourself occupied?”

Gary sat upright as Tribore clicked their pen over and over, noting how scripted their tone became. “Well, mostly video games, gardening… Making video logs to Quinn.”

The clicking stopped and Tribore tilted their head. “Quinn?”

His eyes lit up and he smiled, tapping his feet on the hardwood excitedly. “Yeah! I met her at the bar the night that I… Y’know. Got arrested. She’s really awesome and brave and beautiful… “

Admiration. Respect. Love. Regret. Shame. All coming at them in waves. Tribore thanked the stars that they were never particularly sensitive to actually feeling emotions, because just being near him was like being caught in a hurricane. They smiled, still.

“I have a friend named Quinn! She's very smart. Maybe everyone named Quinn is smart. Is everyone named Quinn smart?”

Gary nodded with a very serious look on his face. “In my experience, yes.”

They continued talking back and forth for a few hours, Tribore occasionally making notes, Gary making jokes that he then explained to Tribore when they didn’t quite get it. It was nice to have someone around, and there was absolutely an opportunity for friendship there.

They talked about his HRT and how well it was going, and how he was recovering from his top surgery (good things on both fronts, but he was tired of having to stay sleeping on his back while his chest healed). Tribore brought up the fact that human gender presentation never made a lot of sense to them, and Gary agreed wholeheartedly.

Eventually, Tribore packed their things and gave HUE a number to call if they needed anything, giving Gary a big hug before they left and promising to come back in another two months. Gary stood in the doorway, staring outside, staring at the line that would set off his house arrest alarms. He could step over it, and go on the run. He could change his name and move across the country. He...

He sighed and went back inside to find that KVN had unpaused his game when he wasn't looking, and now he was losing. Fantastic.

Chapter Text

Gary was getting used to being on his own again, but there were some trials. When you live in a sketchier part of America, which Gary did, there’s a little game that ends up being played by everyone in a few miles’ radius of any given bar. This game is colloquially known as “gunshots or fireworks?”, where you try and guess if the distant explosion was a gunshot, or a firework going off.

Gary was on round six of gunshot or fireworks that night, and the explosions were getting louder. Closer. He wanted to be hopeful, to believe that maybe someone had gotten their hands on some roman candles with an extra kick or something of that sort, but there wasn’t enough of an echo from the sounds for that to be possible. It had to be gunshots. Every noise made him flinch, especially the ever increasing sound of shouting from down the street.

He watched the TV, barely paying attention to it and trying frantically to keep his head clear, anxiety filling his stomach as he held his breath in an attempt to suppress it. Loud noises were never a good thing with him. They always set off a long forgotten part of his brain that went into overdrive and made him want to curl up and cry in a corner. A seventh shot rang out just outside his house and Gary felt himself start to slip into a panic attack. Quickly, he grabbed his blankets and the little stuffed dog he always slept with and ran into the bathroom, tossing everything into the bathtub and sitting as low to the ground as possible. He rolled around, twisting the blanket around himself tightly.

The feeling of being protected on all sides helped calm his nerves a lot and he sighed, wrapping his arms around his stuffed animal and nuzzling his cheek against its soft fur. The air settled around him.  The moonlight outside shone in through the high-set window, setting the room in a gentle bluish glow.

Until it wasn't. There was suddenly something blocking the light, and then there was a soft popping sound as the screen was ripped off and the window was quietly opened.

He was on the verge of tears at that point, sure he was going to be killed or have his organs harvested or something horrible . Whoever it was stuck his legs through the window first, twisting his body around so his stomach was against the wall as he climbed inside. He stepped on the back of the toilet, but slipped at the last second. He must’ve been counting on the lid being down, because there was a splash. The splash was immediately followed by an upsettingly loud noise that was almost positively the sound of Gary’s toilet seat being ripped off its hinges and slammed against the wall as the intruder tried to get his footing, ending up with his foot stuck in the water as gravity brought the rest of his body to the ground.

“Oh- nasty!” He muttered. Gary stifled a laugh as his anxiety went down, replaced with nervous amusement over the ridiculousness of the situation. Gary realized, hey, this guy is a normal person, just like him. He’s probably not a murderer. He’s got his foot stuck in a toilet. What’s he gonna do to him?

He slowly and silently stuck his head out of the bathtub, seeing what kind of person he was dealing with.

His eyes met with glowing yellow orange ones, and he froze.

Neither of them dared move, dared breathe . Gary took in his appearance through the edges of his vision. He was well built, not human, but clearly strong. He looked uncannily catlike, ears flattened against the top of his head, his tail flicking back and forth nervously. His eyes flickered over Gary’s body, even as he hid in the bathtub.

Gary wasn’t really sure what to do. He went with the first instinct that came to mind, climbing out of the tub and sitting on the edge.

“You, uh, need a hand there?”

The person stared at him, looking more and more unnerved by the second. He put both hands up and Gary, still running off the adrenaline high of his near-panic-attack, reached out and laced their fingers together, carefully pulling him back and dislodging his foot. They both winced at the horrible squelch sound that his boot made as it hit the ground. Gary laughed. “That’s- that’s really gross.”

“Please don’t call the cops,” he suddenly blurted out.

Gary stared at him for a moment, the silence thick in the air. He burst out laughing. “Me? Call the cops? Buddy, that’d be as bad for me as it would be for you. So what, you on the run from somebody?”

He blinked. “I… Yeah. My old boss.”

Gary patted him on the back and he flinched, still in a state of shock. “Need to lay low for the night? You can stay with me!”

The person, who’s name he hadn’t caught yet, pulled away and backed against the wall. “Okay, are you like, some kinda organ stealer or somethin’? I just broke into your house! You should be at least, I dunno, a little concerned about that?”

Gary shrugged. “I’m on house arrest for the next, uh, year or so. I’m just happy to see a person who isn’t paid to be here, fellow criminal or not. My name’s Gary, by the way.”

“...Avocato.”

Gary paused. “Wait, like, your name is Avocato? Like, the fruit?”

“Yeah, whatever. Look, man, I appreciate the whole random act of kindness, but you don’t want me here. I’ve got a gang leader after me, and if he finds you here you don’t even wanna know what he’ll do to both of us.”

“Actually, I am a bit curious,” Gary replied, dead serious. Avocato stared at him blankly.

“Do you like having skin on your body, Gary?”

“...Usually.”

“Then mind your business. You don’t want anything to do with me, trust me! I’m a danger .”

Gary put a hand on Avocato’s shoulder and smirked. The look in his eyes made Avocato nervous. “I’m gonna level with you,pal. I don’t trust you all the way, yet. But you seem to be in a rough situation, and I’m offering you a break for the night. I’ve got some video games, a deck of cards, and some drinks I’ve been saving for an emergency. You in?”

Avocato stood there, still stunned. He had never really… known that this kind of thing could happen. There had to be some kind of catch. There was a lingering feeling in his chest that this was a trap, that he was going to be thrown out at any moment, but…

“What do you want from me ?” he asked, ears flattening down against his head. Gary had to want something from him, right?

Gary shrugged and smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. “A game of cards and someone to talk to. I’ve been stuck out here for months with nobody to talk to but freakin’ robots! It gets boring! I’m gonna lose it if I don’t get someone to talk to soon.”

Something inside of Avocato wanted to believe that there was actual good in the world- in Gary, even if he was a total stranger. He nodded carefully. “Cards. Cards sounds good.”

Gary lit up like a christmas tree and took his hand again, leading him back into the living room, rambling to himself. Avocato couldn’t find it in himself to worry anymore as he was led through the house.

It was a fairly nice home, if he was being honest. Very cozy. There was art on a lot of the walls, some of it still drying, clearly hand painted. Most of it was of insects and plants or spaceships and stars and planets things like that, all in stunning detail. He couldn’t stare for long, though.

Gary pulled him down to the couch and excitedly rummaged through the fridge for some drinks, getting a bottle of orange juice and a pair of plastic cups.

“Orange juice,” Avocato stated. He laughed through his nose. “Y’know I thought you meant something different by drinks.”

Gary was going through a drawer under the table in front of the couch, not looking up as he responded. “Oh, HUE won’t let me get drunk after what happened last time.”

Avocato blinked in confusion. “That was… a loaded sentence.”

Before he could ask for elaboration, Gary stuck his head up triumphantly, grinning, his hair a mess from sticking his head in the drawers. “Found the cards! Any game requests?”

“Hmm.. Not a lot of good two player games, are there? How about a round or two of blackjack?”

Gary pulled up a stool and sat across from him, his eyes sparkling blissfully in the low light. His happiness was contagious and Avocato felt himself relaxing more and more by the second, giving into the vibe as Gary delt the cards.

They ended up playing together well into the night. Avocato was, admittedly, having a good time. Gary was a fun person to play with because every reaction he had was loud and silly and made Avocato feel at home.

He felt at home . That was… new. He didn’t want to think too much about it, but in the moments where the conversation lulled into a comfortable silence he couldn’t help but dwell on the idea that he wouldn’t mind waking up here in the morning.

He planned, of course, on leaving at some point when Gary had gone to sleep. He needed to go, he couldn’t stay here. That much was transparent.

“So,” Gary’s voice cut into his thoughts, “are you ever gonna tell me why you broke into my house?”

Avocato shifted and sighed. “I was running from someone.”

Gary laughed and rolled his eyes. “Uh, no crap. Care to give me a few more details, Avocato?”

“...I got caught up in some bad stuff with some bad people. I messed up… I messed up bad . I owe a lot of people a lot of things and if they catch me, there’s going to be some big issues,” Avocato rambled, not meeting Gary’s eyes. Gary hummed.

“Been there, buddy. Been there.”

Avocato felt hurt, a little thrown off at the idea. “I doubt it.”

“Gang stuff, right? I’m willing to bet that you were just-” he paused, taking a drink of his juice, “that you were just trying to get by the only way you knew how.”

Avocato spluttered and sat upright, looking up from his cards. “I… I guess so. It’s…”

He sighed. Now or never.

“It’s my son. He’s in trouble, and I don’t have long to get him back… He’s just a kid, he doesn’t-”

Gary shushed him, reaching across the table and pressing a finger to Avocato’s lips. “I know what you mean. Do you want my help getting your kid back?”

Avocato stared incredulously. “What...?”

“Do you want my help getting your kid back?” Gary repeated, looking up at him. He looked… determined. Sure of himself. Hopeful.

Avocato nodded, not noticing he was doing it at first. Gary smiled wider and reached his hand out. “Alright, but first, we clasp.”

“We what?”

“Just- just shake my hand. Complete the ritual of friendship. Doooo iiiiiiit. ”

Avocato laughed and rolled his eyes, taking his hand and squeezing tightly. Gary looked like he could burst with happiness as they locked eyes and their friendship was sealed in the presence of the universe.

They remained like that for a while, close together and happy, their hands linked. It was Avocato who pulled back first, smiling and scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Gary went back to playing cards, still with that blissful smile. “So what's your kid like?”

Avocato seemed to soften around the edges. “He's… He's somethin’ else, man. He’s not even a year old yet, but…” He laughed, then his smile fell into something more melancholic and hopeful. “I need to be there to see what he grows up to be, y’know? He deserves it.”

Gary blinked back tears. Thoughts of his own father flashed in his mind, and he reached across the table, setting his cards down and wrapping his hands around Avocato’s. “Avocato, I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure you two are safe. Nobody deserves that kind of life, especially not the kid of someone as cool and awesome as you.”

Avocato flinched at the contact, eyes flickering between their hands and Gary’s eyes. Something felt… Warm, within him. He didn't want to believe it, but Gary was being completely honest. There was hurt behind his actions, though, that was undeniable. Avocato smiled in return, pulling one hand back and placing it on top of Gary's. “ Thank you. It… It means a lot to me, really.”

Gary smiled wider and gently squeezed their hands together.

“It’s the least I can do, y’know? Just promise me when we get him back we can all have movie nights and junk. You're really fun to hang out with!”

Avocato laughed. “Yeah. You're not too bad yourself.”

Gary seemed to blush, but as he spoke he cut himself off with a yawn. Avocato smiled sympathetically.

“So, I guess that means we should go to bed…?”

Gary blinked then nodded, standing and stretching out. “Yeah. You can take my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch. You've had a rough night already.”

Avocato was alarmed by this. “Huh? No. I’ll take the couch.”

“Just- take the bed! It’s more comfortable, I promise.”

“Fine, fine.” Avocato raised his hands up, heading back where he saw the bedroom. Gary walked up behind him and carefully put a hand on his shoulder. He looked back.

“Hey, uh… Thanks. For the uh, cards.”

Avocato nodded slowly, trying to figure out the look in his eyes. “No problem, man. G’night!”

“Sweet dreams, Avocato,” he smiled, heart warm for the first time in a lot long while.

Avocato walked back to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping himself up in the blankets. He intended to leave once Gary was asleep, but.. Everything was so warm, and soft...

Just a few minutes of sleep, he said to himself. 

Just a few minutes.

Chapter Text

The first thing Avocato noticed was the music distantly playing from under the door. It was bubbly and warm and had a good beat behind it, gently pulling him back awake. Avocato grumbled to himself before opening his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts. There was sunlight filtering through the blinds on the far end of the room, making everything around him glow. He didn’t recognize where he was at first, partially because of how comfortable he was and partially because of how hard he had been sleeping. His arms were wrapped around a pillow and a blanket was pulled over his shoulders, cozy and safe. Everything smelled like Gary, which he noted wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

He internally cursed himself for letting his guard down for so long, and there was a part of him that wanted to put his boots on and leave without looking back, to forget this whole experience.

The second thing he noticed was the smell of something cooking nearby, and that took up most of his senses. His stomach growled as he sat up on the edge of the bed, noticing that his boots were sitting next to the door now rather than in the living room where he left them.

There were papers of all sorts taped up around the walls, hardly any actual wall visible past all the decoration. A lot of it was cut out from various old science magazines, specifically space travel related articles and pictures of spaceships. Some of the posters were for classic sci-fi and horror movies, but there was an occasional romance movie poster up there among the clouds of polaroid photos and hand drawn sketches of insects. 

He decided to get up and start moving around, definitely not because he was extremely interested in the food that might be cooking. He opened the door only to be greeted with something flying past him quickly, followed by Gary chasing after whatever it was, in his socks, slipping around clumsily like a deer on a frozen lake. Avocato stood in the doorway, confused and still barely awake.

Gary slipped a few paces down the hall, whoever he was chasing rounding the corner with a bitter laugh while he collapsed to the ground in a huff of anger as he landed on his hands and knees with a thud . Gary gripped his leg and groaned, hitting the ground with the heel of his hand before he noticed Avocato. His face lit up and he grinned, the happiness on his face so genuine that it made Avocato feel... Odd.

“You’re up! Hey! Good morning!” Gary ran a hand through his hair, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Avocato stared blankly for a moment before smiling sympathetically and shaking his head. “Mornin’.”

Gary stood up and brushed himself off, waving for Avocato to follow him. “HUE let me try to cook again today, so you get the privilege of getting to eat my five star cuisine,” he boasted, looking back with a wink. Avocato was almost sure he was still dreaming, but he followed Gary around anyway.

Gary slowed down a bit to keep pace with Avocato, smiling like the sun. Everything felt so… nice . It wasn’t something Avocato was used to- waking up to a warm breakfast and a warm person . He wanted to let himself get used to it. He felt so out of place, like he was alone at a party for someone he didn’t know. He wanted to feel at home here, desperately, but there was a voice in the back of his head that reminded him this was temporary, that he didn’t know anything about this place or this person, that he would lose it all again soon.

He noticed that the door to the backyard was wide open, a screen door covering the space. It looked so different in the daylight, a rainbow of flowers blooming around the fence and what looked like a bunch of vegetable plants growing in the middle. Butterflies and bees flew between the plants, a bit of a haze in the air from all the creatures moving around.

Gary looked back at him and smiled proudly. “Oh yeah, that’s my handiwork! Been working on it for nearly a year now. It’s almost butterfly season so that’ll be awesome . There’s a little beehive back there too, but they just showed up one day and never left.”

Avocato nodded slowly, eyes locked on the door as he went into the kitchen. The windows were all open, a light breeze flowing through the entire house. He noted the screens covering them, clearly there to keep the massive swarm of insects out. “You really like bugs, don’t you?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Loved ‘em since I was a kid! I used to raise butterflies in my backyard and I figured I’d keep that tradition alive,” he said as he took something out of the oven. The smell was intoxicating. Avocato’s mouth watered as he tried to see what it was, steam and a bit of smoke rising off of it, as bacon does.

“You make bacon in the oven? I thought that was supposed to go on the stove.”

Gary shrugged and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “The grease popping makes me nervous. Plus it’s crispier in the ov-”

The smoke alarm went off and they both flinched, Gary frantically tossing the bacon onto the stovetop and trying to cover his ears with his shoulders as he climbed on top of the table and started pushing the button to turn it off as fast as possible. Avocato’s fur stood on end and the sound didn't stop.

“Stop! Beeping! You! Useless! Machine!”

“Ooh- let KVN help!”

Avocato watched helplessly as a robot (apparently called KVN) flew into the room and promptly swatted the entire smoke alarm off of the ceiling, smashing it against the wall. The beeping stopped.

Gary stared in horror. “You-! KVN! That’s- why would you--”

The alarm started again from the wreckage and Gary jumped off the table, stomping on it until it finally whirred to a stop. A thin stream of smoke rose up from the pile of crushed metal and plastic. How ironic.

KVN floated there, looking far too proud of himself for his own good. Avocato put a hand over his mouth to try and stifle his laughter.

Gary groaned and picked up the pile of debris and tossed it into the garbage can. “HUE, we need another new smoke detector.”

“Again, Gary?”

Avocato flinched, looking around for the source of the sound before realizing it was just… everywhere. Huh. Must be some kind of AI.

“Yes, HUE, again , because KVN is the worst,” Gary groaned, shoving the robot. KVN just laughed. “Don’t make me shove you back in the basement!”

“D’awwwww, c’mon, Gary! Hey, who’s your new friend?”

KVN flew up into Avocato’s face, far too close for comfort. Avocato growled.

“Heh. Feisty. I like it.”

Gary grabbed KVN by the arm and tugged him down the hallway, shoving him into the hall closet and locking the latch hooked onto the wall. He clapped his hands together and looked back at Avocato. “So… Breakfast?”

Avocato smiled and laughed weakly, unable to meet his eyes. “Breakfast.”

Gary quickly dished everything out (pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, surprisingly none of it being burnt) and they started eating. Avocato’s eyes went wide after the first bite and smiled through the food in his cheeks, giving Gary a thumbs up that made his heart feel fuzzy. Neither of them spoke, happily falling into a peaceful silence until their plates were cleaned off. Avocato wiped his mouth on the back of his arm, smiling behind his hands. He looked up at Gary and noticed that Gary was looking at him from across the table, sunlight filtering across both of them like warm honey.

Gary took out a small camera and started filming himself halfway through the meal, talking about the food and Avocato and everything. He seemed to be talking to someone behind the camera, and Avocato couldn't place why it made him feel… Bad.

“Who’re you recording for?”

“Huh-? Oh, this girl named Quinn. Met her at a bar before I got put on house arrest. Sheeeeee’s kind of my soulmate.”

Avocato hummed and went back to eating. Something didn't feel right about that statement, but he pushed the feeling aside and minded his business.

Gary finished off the last of his glass of orange juice and Avocato finished off the last of his milk, both of them looking out the window as a butterfly sunned itself on the screen. Avocato sighed.

“I… I should be going.”

Gary looked over at him, wringing his hands nervously. “I mean… do you have to? I kind of really like having you around and-”

“Gary.”

He stopped. Avocato looked back at him, their eyes meeting. Gary held his breath, waiting for the inevitable I don’t want to be here that was sure to follow. He wanted to say he was ready for it, but even he couldn’t lie to himself that well. Just another day of Gary getting his hopes up and-

“I can come back, if you want.”

And the heavens opening up and the Bad Luck Magnet no longer bringing in bad energy. Gary stood up quickly, sending his chair backwards with a distressing screech as he leaned across the table with a smile so bright Avocato thought he would go blind from the sheer power of it. He wrapped his hands around Avocato’s, squeezing gently. “You mean it? You- you’d want to come back?”

Avocato smiled and nodded, looking at their hands and then back up at him. There was still an air of anxiety about him, like he wasn’t sure of his words. “I… I’d like that. If it’s not a problem, I mean.”

Gary jumped up, fist-pumping the air in excitement. “Yes! Awesome! Man, I’d let you move in if you wa-”

There was a knock at the door. They both paused and looked back at the front door. “HUE? Who is it?”

“It’s your therapist- Tribore.”

“Oh, sweet! Avocato, you should meet them!”

Avocato bristled at the thought. “I really don’t think that’s such a good-”

Gary was already at the door, opening it to reveal Tribore in another absolutely fantastic clash of clothes. Avocato squinted from the kitchen table as Gary ushered them inside, watching the edges of the door for any bugs that might have gotten in.

“Gary! This is just gonna be quick but I have great news! This news is so great , you’re gonna love it,” Tribore rambled, tilting their head and smiling. They put their hand on Gary’s and paused, tilting their head. “What happened?”

Gary opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he saw Avocato, smiling brightly. Tribore actually jumped , their hands still providing an emotional link. Gary gently pulled them into the kitchen.

“Tribore, meet my new friend! Avocato, meet Tribore!”

Avocato stared coldly as Tribore walked over, offering their hand. When Avocato took it, they paused again and opened their eyes, seeming to have realized something. “Ohhhhhhh. Oh.”

Gary and Avocato both blinked. “Huh?”

Tribore just smiled and shrugged. They had a smug look on their face that made Avocato nervous. “ Nothing. Don't worry about it.”

Gary tapped his foot impatiently. “Soooooo what's the news?”

Tribore perked up and tapped their hands together, not loud enough to be clapping but still something close to it. “You've been approved for a roommate! Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy !”

Gary gasped and rapidly flapped his arms up and down, bouncing in place. “YES! FINALLY! Oh, yes! Yes yes yes!”

Tribore nodded and hummed, clearly proud of their work. “Now, wait, there's more .”

“There's more?!”

“There's more!”

Gary grabbed their shoulders and nodded. “Well, tell me!”

“You can have one day a week to go out and do stuff and get sunshine, because vitamin D is very important to treating post traumati-”

Gary was already jumping around again, absolutely ecstatic at the news. He turned to Avocato and wrapped his arms around him tightly, nuzzling his cheek. Avocato awkwardly patted his back, laughing nervously as Gary pulled back. “God, a whole day every week?! Avocato! I can help you get your boy back so much easier now!”

Avocato snapped his attention back to Gary and laughed in surprise. “You're- you're really serious about that, aren't you?”

Gary took on a very dramatic look and took his hand, interlocking their fingers and looking deep into his eyes. Avocato felt remarkably exposed, subconsciously aware of the blood rushing to his cheeks.

“Avocato. We did the clasp of friends . That stuff’s for life , man!”

“You'd think we had gotten married last night, the way you put it,” Avocato mumbled. He was clearly trying to hold back his excitement and relief and hope at the idea of Gary actually fulfilling his promise.

Gary laughed and pulled him close again, patting his back and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Tribore smiled as they looked on, despite having no idea what the two of them were talking about. “Well, just tell HUE before you head out and your chip will be deactivated for 24 hours exactly . Any later and you're in trouble. Like, a lotta trouble.”

"That's a risk I am willing to take!" Gary saluted and gave a thumbs up before standing up straighter and gasping. “Wait- does that mean, like, today? Can- can I walk you to your car? Outside, on the front lawn?”

Tribore thought for a moment before nodding. “I guess you can, mhmm!”

He looked up. “HUE?”

“Sounds good to me. Chip deactivating in ten seconds,” HUE’s voice rang over the intercom. Gary laughed in excitement and punched the air, running up to the door and standing in front of it. He turned back to Avocato and motioned for him to come along.

“Let's go get your boy back, man.”

Avocato felt something in the back of his chest. Gary had this resolute look on his face, like there was nothing in the world he was more sure of than this. Avocato felt himself smile as he walked over, taking Gary's hand and squeezing it gently.

“Yeah. Let's go.”

“Three. Two. One. Your twenty four hour break has started.”

Gary swung the door open and ran outside as fast as he possibly could, dragging Avocato along with him for the first few paces and then letting him go, taking off down the street before running back. He tackled Avocato and spun him around, laughing maniacally. Tribore walked towards them, shutting the door behind themself.

“This is the greatest day of my life! It-...”

Gary trailed off, looking into window of the the small blue car parked outside his house. There was a girl in the front seat.

“Hey. Tribore?”

“Mmhmm!”

“You said you, uh... Have a friend named Quinn, right?”

Tribore nodded.

“Is that her?” He pointed to the girl in the car. Tribore nodded again.

“She dropped me off here. We're on our way to go get drinks, now.”

Gary leaned against Avocato as all the adrenaline left his body at once. “Oh.”

Oh. That was all he could think to say. Did she recognize him? Had she gotten any of his videos?

Avocato patted his back. “You wanna go talk to her, now’s your chance.”

Gary whined and tapped his hands together before taking a deep breath and sighing, running a hand through his hair and turning back to Avocato.

“How do I look?”

Avocato looked him up and down, biting his lip. In his own, honest opinion? Instant 9/10. “I'd give you a 7/10.”

“That's it? Really?”

Avocato shrugged and smirked, pushing him out towards the street. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Gary rolled his eyes and puffed out his chest, walking up to the car window and knocking on it. Quinn looked up and blinked, smiling politely but with clear confusion in her eyes. Tribore waved from behind Gary and she shrugged, rolling the window down. “Can… I help you?”

Gary laughed. “Ah, Quinn, how I missed your wit.”

Her smile seemed a bit more forced. “I'm sorry, do I know you?”

Gary laughed again, nervously. “It’s- Quinn it’s me! Gary…!”

Avocato and Tribore watched from the lawn. Avocato laughed sadly and shook his head. “Man, she has… No idea who he is, does she?”

Tribore shook their head and shrugged. “It happens.”

After a minute, Gary made a horrible, anguished sound and walked back over to Avocato, looking absolutely heartbroken. “Let's- uh… Let's go. I need an adventure after that- that soul crushing, heart shattering experience.”

Avocato patted his back and nodded, ignoring the strange aching feeling in his stomach when he saw Gary upset like that. “Let’s go cheer you up.”

Gary turned to face him and balled his fists, determination taking over the sadness that was just there. “Lets get your kid back!”

“...you sure?”

He nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. Quinn waved from the car. “Tribore, c’mon! We're gonna be late!”

Tribore said their goodbyes and jogged over to the car, sliding across the hood and stumbling at the door. Quinn rolled her eyes.

“Do you have to do that every time you get in the car? You keep getting pollen on my jeans, which you stole from me.”

They nodded. “Now, gimme the details on what happened with Gary. What's the full stoooory?”

Quinn groaned and slid down in her chair as they started driving. “Nothing happened, I don't even know who he is! How does he know who I am?”

“He says he met you at a restaurant when he got arrested.”

Quinn perked up, looking at them in confusion. “Arrested…? What’d he do?”

They rounded a corner and Tribore tsk’d, shaking their head. “Doctor patient confidentiality.”

“Tribore, you're not a doctor.”

They nodded. “Maybe so… But it is my responsibility -”

“Just tell me.”

“He impersonated an officer and blew up a bunch of cars.”

Quinn snapped her fingers. “That’s right! Now I remember! He kept asking me to buy him a drink!”

They laughed for a bit and Quinn sighed. “If you want, you can give him my number next time you see him. Seems like he could be a good pal. Y'know, once he works out all…” she gestured vaguely to nothing. “That.”

Tribore smiled, happy to take on the responsibility given to them. “Yeeeaaah. I will do that.”

Chapter Text

Gary hadn’t known that Avocato owned a motorcycle.

It shouldn’t have really surprised him so much, but Avocato had quickly dragged him into town to a tiny pawn shop on a shady street corner. You know the kind of store that you’re not sure is entirely real, because it doesn’t have a sign, it just has a piece of torn plastic tarp with the word PAWN printed on it in bright red ink; the kind of place that has bars over the windows, and you never see anyone go in or out but the lights are always on somehow?

That was the sort of place that Avocato kept his bike. Apparently, the owner of the store had a bit of a debt with him, for some reason or another. Avocato refused to elaborate on it.

Before they went in, Avocato stopped him and looked him in the eye. “Alright, Gary. This is the point of no going back. You sure you wanna do this?”

Gary nodded. “I’m sure. I promised, didn't I? I’m like, super ready. Lets go.”

Avocato nodded and patted his shoulder.

The two of them walked inside and Gary held the back of Avocato’s shirt as he followed, looking around at all the things the store had to offer. There were old car parts and gently glowing bottles of mysterious liquids lining the shelves haphazardly, multi-colored fluorescent light bulbs setting the entire store alight in an almost otherworldly haze. Two aliens were putting up items near the back corner, one passing them up to the other, taller one.

Gary stumbled along as Avocato continued walking forward, snapping his attention to the man sitting behind the counter. Avocato walked around back as Gary followed close behind.

“Avoca to , aren’t you going to spare a hello for an old friend?”

Gary jumped and turned his attention to the man behind the counter who had blended in seamlessly with the background. Avocato looked over his shoulder with a sense of aloof severity that Gary hadn’t seen in him before. “We aren’t friends, Clarence. Never have been.”

Clarence shrugged and leaned back in his rotting office chair, turning to face them. “Who’s your little… companion , there?”

Avocato looked over at Gary, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from the 8tracks player he was trying to grab, intertwining their fingers and gently squeezing Gary’s hand to get his attention. Clarence nodded and laughed to himself, earning a scowl from Avocato.

“This is Gary. I'm crashing at his place for a while.”

“Oh? Didn't know you swung that way, but I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Avocato turned around, blushing wildly. “Not- we aren’t- it’s-”

Gary was distracted, deep in thought, looking at a faintly glowing bottle of purple goop with little creatures floating around inside. Avocato tugged him close again and he smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Avocato groaned and shook his head. “We’re going for a ride. Any idea… Any idea where we could find another old friend of mine?”

Clarence leaned towards them, crossing one leg over the other and tapping his fingers together. “Well, that all depends. What kind of friend might you be looking for, hmm?”

Avocato looked at the shelves lining the far wall, his tail twitching in distaste. “ Terk . Where’s he hiding out nowadays? I need something from him.”

“Mmm. That kind of trouble. I might know… Something. What’s in it for me?”

Avocato growled and in one swift motion had Clarence by the front of the shirt, half of his body yanked over the counter. “I’m going to go into the back, get on my bike, and by the time I’ve got my helmet on you’re going to come back with an address in your hand. Got that?”

Clarence put both hands up, not really seeming to care about being swung around. He only laughed. “I figured you’d go in that direction. Alright, I’ll see what I can do. You owe me for this, though, Avocato.”

Avocato rolled his eyes and pulled Gary into the back room of the shop, which turned out to be a garage of sorts. There were several old cars and a few busted up spaceships that needed some serious repairs before they could be considered functional.

Leaning against the back wall of the garage was a sleek black motorcycle, a helmet with room for Avocato’s ears hanging off of one handlebar. Avocato grinned, climbing on and revving the engines. Gary covered his ears at the sound but stared in awe nonetheless. Avocato held his helmet under one arm. “You comin’ or not?”

Gary nodded slowly, walking forward. “Where do I…?”

“Just sit on the back, behind me. Hold my waist while I drive.”

Before the statement could process, the door opened and Clarence walked out, a piece of paper in one  hand and a faded red bike helmet in the other.

Clarence reached into a bag on his back and pulled out a small raygun. “Figure you might want something like this. Just in case.”

Avocato took it and slid it into part of the sash around his chest, nodding in thanks. Gary took the helmet and put it on, buckling it carefully and climbing onto the bike behind Avocato. He hesitantly held his hands in front of himself, not sure if he should touch Avocato or not. Avocato took the paper and read over it, setting a course on the bike’s GPS.

“Good luck, boys! Have fun!” Clarence waved. “I’m going to need that helmet back when you’re done!”

The garage opened with a small cloud of dust and Avocato grinned under his helmet and revved the engine. Gary quickly wrapped his arms around Avocato’s waist, a bit of a thrill going through him when he realized that Avocato was actually wearing a crop top, the bottom of his stomach being the first thing Gary’s hands met. He was so soft…

“Hang on tight, baby.”

Avocato hit the gas and sped out onto the street with Gary clinging tight to his back, nuzzling against him as he swerved between cars. Gary looked up as they passed under some trees, the warm sunlight filtering through the leaves with all the ethereal beauty of stained glass in a church.

It was late spring, so there was a sort of vibrance and life in everything that made Gary feel right at home. Avocato took a sharp turn and Gary held tighter to him, resting his chin on Avocato’s shoulder. Avocato was so warm against him; it was calming in a way.

After a few minutes of Avocato doing some likely illegal driving, they pulled into a sketchy old trailer park and Avocato started counting the trailers, finally stopping in front of one of them and leaning his bike against it. Gary climbed off, a little reluctant to loosen his hands from around Avocato’s waist. Avocato turned to him and put a hand on each of his shoulders.

“Alright. I'm… Going to have to explain some things to you. Can you listen to me?”

Gary nodded and blinked, taking his helmet off. His hair stuck up and he shook it, making more of a mess. Avocato sighed and cupped his cheek, smoothing his hair back carefully with his other hand. Gary closed his eyes and sighed happily, leaning into him. After his hair was more presentable, Avocato pulled back a bit but kept a hand on his cheek.

“The guy in there is… My ex.”

“Ouch. Thats rough.”

“Yeah. In case you can't tell, we weren't on the best of terms when we split.”

Gary hummed. “No kidding.”

“Now he practically eats out of my old bosses hand.”

“Gross. I already hate this guy.”

“So, if anyone knows where Little Cato is, it's him.”

“Alright. Cool. Let’s d-”

The trailer door opened and they froze. Terk stood in the doorway, leaning against it in a way that screamed ten minutes sober, on a good day. “What the hell do you think you're doing on my property?”

Avocato groaned and mumbled something under his breath before pulling back from Gary and glaring at Terk.

“I’m here on business. Besides, this isn't your property, its a rental. You're too cheap for that.”

Terk growled. “I know what you're here for- you wanna know where your kid is. What's in it for me?”

Avocato rolled his eyes and reached into his sash, pulling the raygun out and aiming it at Terk, taking a few steps forward to press it against his chin. “How's living to see the end of this conversation sound? Fair enough for you?”

Gary gasped quietly and Terk’s eyes flickered back to him. He laughed, a cruel and bitter sound, as he pulled a gun from his back pocket and aimed it at Gary. “Depends on how much your boyfriend there likes having his head attached to his b-”

Avocato pulled the trigger with a soft pop and Gary yelped in surprise. Terk dropped to the ground and laid there, convulsing as arcs of violet energy flashed across him. Gary walked over, keeping his distance still out of anxiety.

“Is- is he-?”

“Nah. He's just knocked out, unfortunately,” Avocato said, kicking Terk in the ribs. He looked at the gun in his own hand, turning the safety back on. “Clarence must’ve known I’d go off on him.”

“Cool. Cool.”

They stood there for a bit, staring at Terk’s body. Avocato rubbed his hands together and stepped on him, kicking the trailer door open. “Well, let’s raid his stuff.”

Gary carefully stepped over him and into the trailer behind Avocato, taking in the state of it. The plastic wallpaper was peeling and there were empty beer bottles littering the floor. It was, in a word, depressing.

Avocato took a sharp right into the bedroom, rummaging through a drawer and pulling a faded old notebook. Avocato stared at it for a moment before flipping through to the last few pages that had been written on, ripping one out and pocketing it.

Gary walked in and leaned on the bed. “...he thought I was your boyfriend.”

Avocato didn't look up from the drawer, his tail twitching nervously. “And?”

Gary laughed. “That’s- that’s a little… It feels a little weird, don’t you think? You’re way out of my league. You’re out of most people’s league, really.”

Avocato paused and looked up at him. “Huh?”

“Well, duh. You own a motorcycle and- and you’re all cool and mysterious and handsome and junk. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fantastic, but you…” he whistled. “You’re one of a kind.”

Avocato just stared at him, not sure how to respond. His chest felt tight and he felt a little dizzy, his whole body burning beneath his fur. He coughed. His first instinct was to deny it, but he pushed that down. “Tha-thanks, man. We- I have Lord Commander’s… Address. Where he is. Terk has the worst memory- he writes everything down.” Avocato shook the notebook in his hands.

Gary nodded. “Nice.”

“...”

“...”

“...wanna help me break some of his stuff before we go?” Avocato smirked. Gary’s eyes lit up.

“Hell yes.”

After a very entertaining ten minutes of smashing empty beer bottles against the side of his house, the two of them sat on the bed together. Avocato got up and started going through the drawers again.

“Oh, woah.”

Gary sat up. “Hmm?”

Avocato pulled out an old denim jacket, the elbows torn from being scratched too many times. “I can't believe he kept this, I thought I lost it…” He slipped it on and popped the collar up, raising his arms to make sure it still fit. “How's it look?”

Gary rolled onto his stomach and smirked. “I'd give it a 7/10.”

Avocato paused, then laughed. Gary laughed with him and looked up, smiling. “All jokes aside, you look muy caliente, my friend.”

Avocato looked down at the jacket one more time and rolled the sleeves up. “I'm gonna have to wash this thing in vinegar to get the smell of disappointment out of it…”

“Does that work?”

“...maybe. Probably smells better than cheap beer and,” he sniffed the sleeve and cringed, “cheaper cigarettes.”

“Gross. You can use my washing machine when we get back home, if you want.”

Avocato sat back on the bed, laying so his head was next to Gary's. He sighed. “Thanks.”

“...Not to pry into your tragic backstory or anything, but why'd you ever date a scumbag like him? He seems like a real- like just a real ass wagon.”

Avocato laughed again, turning to face Gary as he propped his head against his elbow. “Ass wagon?”

“Yeah, like, he's constantly spewing so much crap that- you get the idea. You’re waaaay far out of his league.”

Avocato just laughed harder. Gary found that he really liked the sound of it. After a while the laughter died down and he sighed into his arm, looking down at the sheets and away from Gary. “I guess I didn’t really think I deserved anyone better, y’know? Like he was the best I would get, so I overlooked all the bad stuff to see whatever good was there. And, I mean, I still don't think I deserve anyone better th-”

Gary sat up abruptly. “That’s a load , Avocato, and you know it! I want you to look me in the eyes. Gaze into my magnificent jello spheres.”

Avocato was confused, but did as he was told, sitting up.

“Now tell me that you deserve better.”

He broke eye contact and Gary cupped his cheek, looking into his eyes again. “Say it!”

“Gary, I’m not going to-”

Gary squished his cheeks together and Avocato made a small catlike noise. Gary smiled. “Saaaaaay iiiiiiiit.”

Avocato was sure Gary could feel his cheeks burning against his hands. He looked at the ground. “I… Deserve better.”

“Look me in the eyes and say it!”

He looked up. “I deserve better,” he laughed a little bit, still not entirely believing his words. Gary wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, hugging him quickly before pulling back.

“That's damn right you do!”

Avocato shook off the weird fuzzy feeling in his stomach and smiled. “Glad you're satisfied. Now let's get outta this hellhole and go rip Lord Commander a new one.”

“Hell yeah! Let's do this!”

They got up and back on the motorcycle, leaving Terk passed out on the ground outside as they sped off onto the road, their mutual anxiety bubbling into shared excitement.

Chapter Text

Gary and Avocato sped down the highway, the sun slowly making its descent in the sky and bathing everything in a tint of gold that made the world seem to sparkle. Gary watched where they went, mentally noting how much time they had left.

(14 hours.)

That was plenty of time, surely, although the driving was taking a lot longer than he had realized it would. Gary adjusted his hold on Avocato’s waist, scooting close enough that their legs touched. Avocato tilted his head back and let Gary rest his chin on his shoulder.

This was so exciting to him, the entire idea of this adventure. It was so incredible, really, that he was getting a chance to help this guy, this totally amazing guy. Avocato was… Incredible. Probably the best and coolest person he had ever met.

He thought back on their conversation back in the trailer. He had replayed the series of words spoken between them in his mind over and over and over again, and when he had said home he was referring to both of them, and Avocato didn't seem to have noticed. Tribore said he needed a roommate, well, how about two? It would help Avocato too. Having someone to help watch his kid, he could get a job, he could fix his life up.

(Gary imagined waking up, imagined Avocato waking up next to him- why would we share a bed, mind?- and smiling and both of them cooking together, and Little Cato waking up a few minutes later, and everything is so good , and he decides then and there that if Avocato wants that future he will get it, no matter what.)

They turned around another street and slowed to a stop, parking the bike behind a bush. They were a couple hundred feet away from a sort of warehouse. It looked like the kind of place you overlook, not knowing or caring what goes on inside, but Avocato took his helmet off and nodded. “This is it.”

Gary leaned on the bike, looking at Avocato as he climbed off and turned to face him. “I'm gonna ask you one last time, are you su -”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, I'm sure, I know it’s dangerous, let's just go !” he said, bouncing excitedly in place.

Avocato shrugged and held out a hand, pulling Gary down off the bike.

“I still don't know why you're doing this. I’m- this isn't worth all the trouble on your end. You're not getting anything from it.”

Gary put a hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. “I want to do this because you're my friend, Avocato. I don't want anything in return. Your chance to get to be a good dad- that's what makes it all worth it for me.”

“You don't even know me!”

“I want to know you! Stop trying to change my mind! You deserve help, you deserve a chance!”

Avocato froze. He heard his own words echo in his mind. I deserve better . “I… Thanks, man. It.. It really does mean a lot.”

Gary patted his back. “Let's go, then.”

They walked around the side of the building and stayed low to the ground, Avocato’s ears perking up. The duo carefully slid around to a door, Avocato turning the handle.

To his surprise, it actually opened, revealing a dark room with boxes stacked to the ceiling. There was a desk with a small lamp on it, papers scattered across it with diagrams of ships and buildings carefully drawn out on them. Gary moved closer to Avocato.

“What is this place..?”

“Keep your voice down,” he whispered. “It’s the Lord Commander’s storage warehouse.”

Gary shivered and put a hand on Avocato’s shoulder as they crept around the hallway, making sure there was nobody else around. “This feels like a scene from The Labyrinth. Like we're about to see weird inverted stairs and crap. And David Bowie is there, being just the creepiest weirdo possible.”

“Gary?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

“Right, sorry.”

They continued walking forward and Avocato froze. In the distance, surprise surprise, there was the soft sound of a baby cooing.

“Little Cato!” Avocato took off running as his instincts and adrenaline took over, and Gary followed close behind, but then they rounded a corner, and Avocato was gone.

“Crap…”

Gary kept walking around. His every step echoed like a bomb as he slowly meandered through the halls looking absentmindedly at the shelves filled with boxes and crates that filled the space from floor to ceiling. He crouched down, carefully opening one.

“Wooooaaah…”

It was filled to the brim with guns . Infinity Guard laser guns. He took one out and carefully examined it, oohing softly. It was expensive, really, and hard to get ahold of unless you worked directly with the Infinity Guard. Why would Lord Commander have these?

“HEY!”

Gary jumped at the unfamiliar voice and the gun fired, a large explosion blocking his view of the end of the hallway. The dust settled and he saw an alien, collapsed on the floor, probably dead. Another alien stood over the body in shock. Gary blinked.

“...He startled me.”

The surviving alien turned towards him and Gary had enough sense to run for his life, the stolen gun still clasped in his hands as he stumbled from hallway to hallway.

The gun fired again and he yelped, staring in horror as it hit a box next to a canister of what looked like gasoline.

He ran. It was all he could think to do.Avocato kept going, faster and faster, following the sound until he came to a room. The ceiling was high and there was a makeshift throne from various boxes and crates sitting directly in the middle. To the right of the ‘throne’ was another box, with a small, orange-brown paw sticking out. Avocato gasped, and ran forward, and-

His feet were pulled out from underneath him, his body being pulled forward and upwards by an unseen force that coiled around his chest like a snake. Lord Commander clapped slowly, hovering up from behind the boxes and seating himself on the top of them. He had the smile of a wild animal, all venom and blood and malice.

“Avocato! Fancy seeing you here. Have you finally brought me what I asked for?”

Avocato hissed, swiping at nothing. “You. Are. Insane ! There is no extra dimensional being that's going to swoop down and make you into a god! Just give me my kid and let. Me. Go. ”

Lord Commander growled and yanked him up to his eye level. He laughed. “Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves, here. That's no way to talk to the strongest person in the room. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now.”

Avocato’s pulse raced. He struggled to breathe as the pressure in his lungs went to a dangerous level. “I-”

The door slowly opened with a loud, annoying creak .

Both of them paused and turned to look as an explosion went off in the distance, orange light flashing from further down the hallway.

Gary stood there, panting, gun in hand, smiling weakly. “Avocato! There you are. I, uh, I think I messed up! Heh…”

There was another explosion, a little closer this time. Gary smiled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. Lord Commander released his hold on Avocato, dropping him to the ground. He landed on all fours and scrambled over to Little Cato, holding the sleeping child in his arms tightly, tears falling from his eyes. He ran. He ran out the door and crouched outside, catching his breath.

Gary was pulled forward, Lord Commander’s eyes glowing a sickening yellow as he moved down to the floor.

“ What did you do ?”

Gary squirmed as the pressure around his chest increased, his breathing becoming short. “I- there- a gun went off, this whole place is going to fry with us inside if we don't leave-”

Lord Commander clenched his fist. Gary cried out in pain and Avocato winced from behind the door.

“Avocato! Avocato please- ”

He looked down the hall, the fire getting closer. He could run. He could leave Gary to die and take Little Cato and-

I want to do this because you're my friend, Avocato. I don't want anything in return.

Little Cato looked up at him, pawing at his face, and he felt like the earth had stopped turning. His big green eyes, his warm orange fur.. He looked just like...

“Avocato, hurry !”

They had died like this, at Lord Commander’s hand, a few months ago. He hadn't known their name, much less anything else about them. He didn't even know they were pregnant until they showed up on his doorstep with a kid he didn't know was his.

“He isn't coming.”

He sighed and took his jacket off, wrapping Little Cato in it and carefully setting him down. Gary couldn't suffer the same fate as Little Cato's other parent.

Avocato took his gun out and cocked it, lunging through the doorway and shooting Lord Commander directly between the eyes.

Lord Commander fell to the ground, a burst of energy surging off of him as the stun gun hit its target, knocking him off guard.

Gary collapsed. There was a sound, like steak being cut.

The only thing he was aware of was that he hurt his knees when he fell, and that he might have bruises there tomorrow.

Then there was warmth. His left shoulder, it was warm, and that was it. He couldn't hear anything, it was all muffled. He could only feel the warmth, pounding from his left shoulder, and nothing else.

Then all at once there was cold, then pain and-

“Wh-”

And his arm-

And he screamed-

And Avocato pulled him back into the hallway, picking up Little Cato in one arm and helping Gary run with the other.

“Holy crap holy crap holy crap-”

“Keep going, hurry!”

They reached the outside and the building made a horrible groaning as the flames scorched its core, the metal expanding. Thick smoke poured from the doorways.

They kept going until they got back to the motorcycle, the world fading in and out. Gary looked at his arm- or where his arm used to be. There was a film of glowing green stuff over it, stopping the bleeding. His bone jutted from the wound and he sighed, sitting on the grass and catching his breath.

“This sucks.”

Avocato sat down next to him. “Yeah. You… alright?”

Gary looked up at him and smiled weakly. “Yeah, mostly. Thanks for having my back there.”

Avocato’s ears pressed against his head. “Gary, your arm is gone.”

He shrugged. “What can ya do. Can you, uh, gimme a hand? My phone is in my back pocket.”

“Why do you need your phone?”

“Because I don't want to drive home on your motorcycle with Little Cato under my one arm! I'm calling Tribore to pick us up.”

Avocato sighed and rolled his eyes. Gary leaned forward and Avocato stuck his hand into his back pocket, pulling the phone out. “Which number is it?”

“They're saved as ‘mx america 2xxx’.”

Avocato stared blankly down at Gary. “Hold Little Cato while I take this, alright?”

Gary nodded, not thinking much of it, until Avocato carefully sat the infant down into his lap, resting his head on Gary's thigh so he had his hand free. Avocato dialed the number and walked off just a little bit.

Gary looked down at the little creature and blinked, absolutely wonderstruck. The only thing that would register in his head was perfect.  This kid is perfect. Tiny and fragile and soft, with big beautiful green eyes and round cheeks. Everything was perfect about him and Gary felt his chest tighten with all the overwhelming affection that being this close to Little Cato brought.

He gasped as the baby took his hand and wrapped his fuzzy little fingers around it, chewing on his hand gently. “I think I might cry.”

Avocato patted his back, setting the phone down on his other thigh. “Don't cry, man.”

“It’s really, really hard not to. He's- he's so tiny ….”

“He’s 8 months old, Gary, of course he's tiny.”

Gary looked up at him and wiped his eyes on his clean shoulder. “Yeah… Yeah. Are they on the way?”

Avocato nodded and sat down, gently rubbing his back. “Yeah. So… what do you plan on doing about that arm?”

Gary shrugged. “I mean, it shouldn't be too hard to get a decent replacement and HUE is pre-programmed with like, every medical procedure ever.”

Avocato hummed to himself. “...I'm sorry. About this. About everything. I understand if you just- want me out of your life.”

Gary looked up in alarm. “You kidding? This was the most fun I've had in… ever! You're amazing! Full disclosure, I… I wanted to ask if you wanted to move in with me.”

Avocato felt his stomach flutter at the idea, cheeks warming. Gary kept rambling.

“I- I don't want to push you into it or anything but I wanna help you! I really liked today and if you wanted I'd be happy making you a part of my little universe. My garyverse.”

Avocato laughed and rested his head on his shoulder. His smile faded. “I… Have nothing to give you in return.”

Gary nudged him. “Yeah you do, yo. Your friendship, yo.”

Avocato smiled and nodded. “If it makes you happy… I'd like that. Being with you.”

Gary smiled wider and leaned against him, closing his eyes. “Rad… We can go shopping for baby stuff tomorrow, after I get a new arm.”

Avocato looked down between them and intertwined their fingers, gently squeezing his hand. “Thanks, man. It… It means a lot to me.”

Gary just smiled and sighed.

Headlights pulled up from down the road, blinding them. Two people got out of the car. 

The lights turned off, and there stood Quinn and Tribore. 

"Oh. Crap."

Chapter Text

Gary had experienced some pretty awkward car rides in his life.

He had driven home covered in paint and dirt and blood before, a couple of times in a couple of different cars. He had ridden home packed into the back of a cop car with 4 other people, eyeliner running down his cheeks and glitter covering most of the rest of his body. He had to admit, though, having his crush of nearly a year driving him home, one entire arm missing, his best friend sitting like he might pull out a gun and shoot somebody, and a baby half on his lap, while his therapist sat shotgun and stared at him with all six of their eyes? Pretty awkward.

They rode down the highway and Gary tried to distract himself by playing with Little Cato. The baby really, really liked to chew on things- especially Gary’s hand. Gary didn’t really mind it, petting back the little blob of dark brown fluff on the middle of his head. He squeaked and batted at Gary’s hand until he wrapped his paws around it, pulling it into his mouth.

“He’s so cute… ”

Avocato looked up and blinked quickly at Gary, his adrenaline going down and sapping the last of his energy away. He eventually processed the words and smiled warmly, his hand resting across Little Cato’s stomach as the baby gently gnawed on Gary’s hand. “Yeah, he really is…”

“Okay,” said Quinn, not taking her eyes off of the road, “can I please get some sort of explanation here? Because I'm not positive, but I'm fairly sure Jerry had both his arms this morning, and now he doesn't. I'd appreciate a little context, or something!”

Avocato’s ears flattened down against his head. “Gary.”

“Huh?”

“His name is Gary, Quinn,” he grumbled, stressing her name- a challenge. "You ought to know that by now."

Gary nodded, leaning forward. “Yeah… How do you not know my name by now, Quinn?”

Quinn shook her head and sighed. “We haven’t even known each other a full day yet- and you're dodging the questions!”

Tribore watched them from their seat, eyes flickering between the three of them. They didn’t speak, simply observing. Gary frowned and leaned back against the back of the seat. “First of all, We all know your name by now, and I’ve known you for almost a year ! Second of all, I’m not dodging anything ! It’s a long story and all three of us almost died, like, an hour ago! I’m still dizzy from, oh, you know, having my arm! Ripped off of my body! I lost a lot of blood! Cut us some slack, please!”

His voice cracked towards the end and he finally relaxed, closing his eyes. The silence crept back in and Quinn huffed, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. Tribore nodded slightly and turned to rest their head on the middle console, sighing to themself. The tension in the air was draining, especially to an empath.

Gary carefully kept his hand still as Little Cato continued chewing on it, slowly drifting off to sleep. Gary smiled fondly and shifted, brushing a thumb over his cheek and marvelling at how soft and fragile Little Cato was. 

Avocato watched closely as a strange feeling swept through him. This felt… This felt right . This felt safe . Gary was smiling, and Little Cato was resting between them, and his stomach felt warm and the back of his head felt fuzzy.

And then Gary looked up at him, that fondness giving way to a thrill of excitement that Little Cato had fallen asleep so close to both of them. Their knees knocked against each other and their hands touched, and Avocato was hyper-aware of every single point of contact they had. He felt his chest tighten as Gary pulled his hand back, putting it on top of Avocato’s and lacing their fingers together.

Tribore sighed and smiled, just taking in the feeling of the car as they rounded the last corner to Gary’s house. The lights were off and as the sun was setting, Gary realized he still had a few hours. He could go and do stuff still, outside. He had some freedom left.

He turned to look at Avocato, clearly exhausted, blood staining his coat. He looked at Little Cato, sleeping, still gnawing on his hand.

They parked the car and he tried to unbuckle his belt. Nothing nothing happened until-

“Gary, are you trying to use your left arm?”

Gary looked up at Avocato and shuddered, passing his arm through the place where his other arm was supposed to be. “Get me inside, I’m- I need to fix this.” His voice shook slightly in a way that made everyone nervous.

Quinn got out as Avocato unbuckled him, gently picking Little Cato up and cradling him in his arms as they all walked in. “So,” Quinn began, “Do you just have backup arms lying around?”

“Yeah, don’t you?”

“No.”

Gary didn’t elaborate. Quinn wanted very badly for him to elaborate, but she settled for pouting at him while he fumbled one-handedly for his keys and let the five of them inside.

“Alright, make yourselves at home. Sorry it’s a bit of a mess, but uh… Yeah.”

“Welcome home, Gary,” HUE chimed over the intercom. Gary smiled and waved a bit at the sky, knowing the AI could sense it. “Gary. You're missing an arm.”

Gary spluttered. “Oh, am I? I didn't notice, HUE! I had noooooooo idea! Thank you for informing me of this-this life changing development!”

There was a faint thumping noise and Gary grinned as he realized KVN was still locked in the closet. He frowned, however, when he realized that the spare parts were also in the closet.

“You know,” he began, “I don't have to have a new arm.”

“Gary,” HUE said. Gary groaned.

“ Fine.”

He went over to the closet and carefully stood away from the door as he opened it. KVN burst out the rest of the way and clattered to the ground, whirring into the living room to bother everyone else. Gary pumped his non-existent fist in celebration. Stealth: successful.

He grabbed one of KVN’s older model backup arms and looked it over carefully.

He had so many extras because he had a tendency to rip KVN’s arms off when he got too…. KVN-ish. It had happened four or five times already and the company that makes the machines got tired of doing repairs. Still, the way they were designed, it worked well. The old models had actual hands, too, so that was nice.

He carefully looked it over and smiled, kicking the closet shut. He walked back and smiled proudly to see they had already managed to get KVN shoved into the hall bathroom and were now sitting on the couch together, Avocato carefully playing with Little Cato while the other two checked their phones.

“Alright, HUE, how do we robot my arm up?”

The sun finally set as Avocato fully attached the arm. Gary opened and closed the synthetic hand, carefully reaching up and touching Avocato’s own fur covered one. Avocato watched, entirely still, as Gary intertwined their fingers and looked up at him.

“Thanks a million. Now I’ve got a super sick robot arm!”

He carefully squeezed Avocato’s hand and Avocato felt his stomach flutter. He kicked himself internally, even as his breathing picked up alongside his heart rate . Was this normal? Was he just this starved for affection and validation that he felt like-

No. No! No, no no no. He tried to push the fluttery feeling down and smiled at Gary, squeezing his hand back. “Everything feel alright on your end?”

Gary rubbed his thumb across the back of Avocato’s hand and nodded. “I can even still feel stuff with it- that’s so cool! Hey, wait right here!”

He got up and ran back into his bedroom. Avocato sat down on the couch next to Little Cato and took a deep breath, tilting his head back and sighing. This felt… strange. He was going to live here- that idea was still setting in. No more couch hopping, no more worrying about his next meal, no more fear... Unless-

Oh, no .

Unless this wasn’t really permanent, and Gary would kick him out once he realized the mistake that he had made by letting Avocato into his life. That would happen, wouldn’t it? It always did! It happened with Terk, and Terk wasn't anywhere near as good to him as Gary was.

Avocato looked at his hand, where Gary’s had just been. He opened and closed it thoughtfully and looked up as Gary came stumbling back in, an old electric guitar in hand. It had stickers and scratches covering the surface, the black paint chipped to reveal wood and metal underneath it. “I don’t have an amp, but I wanna make sure I can still play guitar. Any requests?” He winked.

Avocato shook himself out of his downward spiral of anxious thoughts. “Just play anything you want, man. I’m good with whatever.”

Gary adjusted the guitar and thought to himself, miming out various chords and such as he decided on a song. He snapped his fingers and carefully plucked out a chord.

The metal of his hand hit the strings in a way that made it sound a little strange, a little more metallic, but paired with his voice it felt right . He played for a while, and Avocato felt every last bit of lingering anxiety wash away with each note.

He would be okay here.

He had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but he knew, with every ounce of his heart, that it would all be okay in the end.

After all, this was just the beginning, wasn't it?