Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Being the Lord Commanders second in command was definitely no easy task. It required lots of labour, and lots of loyalty. Being by the Lord Commanders side was priority nearly 24/7, yet that didn’t exactly mean being BY HIS SIDE was necessary. For Avocato, being by his side meant doing all of his bosses paperwork, and by GOD did he have a lot. Legal problems, ownerships of galaxies, reports from other star systems,, the whole package. Avocato was left with all the paperwork, and there was nothing he could do about it, except silently nod and get on with his duties. So there he sat, slaving away in a dimly lit office, with only the glow from the desk lamp to accompany him, its hums singing a soft, slow, melodic tune. The silence alone could be enough to drive one mad, but Avocato was used to it. The loneliness though, was something hard to adjust to.

Avocato enjoyed calling himself a hard worker. In school, he would always get his work done first, and to a high standard. He maintained this work ethic throughout all his childhood, as well as his adulthood. It was a good skill to have, but in this case, it seemed a bit of a burden. Avocato would get his work done within a few hours, and if he wasn’t demanded to do some physical task by the Lord Commander, he was stuck, in an oak incased, dusty smelling jail-cell of an office. Things would be a lot less boring if he could go home early, or invite his son to work with him, but even the slightest mention of any of those ideas caused his boss to go into a fit of rage. So, Avocato had no choice but to just sit there, and do.

Now you may be asking, what do you mean by do? Well, just do things. Make things, read things, go over every file and REDO things. There was a time where Avocato would spend hours upon hours building origami cranes, gradually making them smaller and smaller until he discovered the technique behind folding a paper crane the size of a thumbnail. This fun was short lived though, as the task only got repetitive, and the dent in his pay from using an overabundance of printer paper wasn’t very pleasing either. Avocato started bringing in books to read, heavy, hardcover books about boring planetary facts and books about different species living all over the universe. He’d read them thousands of times- he had to, as a galactic dictator’s second in command- and could name many facts off by heart, but it was something to keep him amused. Of course, there had been incidents where he had just tried to up and leave his office, but the Lord Commander would just tell him he wasn’t allowed to leave until his shift was up. Sneaking out wasn’t an option either, as there were literally no other exits or escape hatches from his room. One of the last things he had to keep him from going insane though, was an old, dusty radio.

Avocato knew what this radio was for, and he KNEW he wasn’t meant to touch it, but he couldn’t help but try to get it to play music. He missed the strums, the violins, the brass instruments slowly weaving their way through lyrics. When he’s off the job, when of Avocato’s favourite past times is listening to music. He always finds himself caught in the rhythm, whether he likes what he hears or not. Music would make his long days go by so much faster, but none of the channels had any music. In fact, none of the channels had anything at all. So while flipping through each channel hopelessly, he rested on channel 40 and leaned back on his chair. If he couldn’t be able to listen to music, he might as well make it look like he hadn’t touched it. He yawned, stretching his legs downwards and reaching for the sky. His claws extended and his teeth shone a shiny white as he settled back into his seat, thinking maybe a nap might help him pass the time. As his heavy eyelids started to droop, he heard what was faint static coming from the radio. “Just what I need,” he hummed pleasantly to himself. “Some good old fashioned white noise.”

Wait a minute. There was static coming from the radio.

Noise wasn’t meant to be coming from the radio, no not at all! From the start Avocato knew that this wasn’t a typical radio. This was an Omniradio, used to pick up signals from all over the galaxy. It was only used in dire situations and only by those with a high status. Avocato obviously liked to entertain the idea that he might be able to hear some music on the radio if he browsed through the channels, but the presence of static was now nerve-wracking. The sparkling noise coming from the speakers made Avocato’s ears twitch . He proceeded to lean in closer to the device, trying his hardest to hear any semblance of noise whatsoever. To his surprise, he heard shuffling. Very faint shuffling. Then, there was another, much louder noise.

“Aw crap, wrong freakin… wrong freaking note.” A man speaks, his voice washing over the room. Avocato jumps back into his chair, startled by the unexpected sound. The ventrexian stared blankly at the radio as the voice continued to shuffle and mutter to themselves, plucking at what sounded like guitar strings in an odd attempt at tuning the device. Whoever was on the other end correctly tuned their string and then strummed the guitar once more, the melody of a single strum sending chills down Avocato’s spine.
“Haha, there we go! Finally got this puppy tuned. Nooow what was I going to play…” the voice tuts to himself as he taps something. Avocato is in so much shock that someone managed to reach this radio, that he cant bring himself to stop staring at it. He does however settle back down into his chair, listening, intrigued about what the stranger might play.

“Well then, how about I just play something I’m used to.” The voice had finally stopped pondering on what song to sing and had now brought their voice to a low hum. Avocato was tempted to interject, to turn on his side of the radio and ask how they managed to contact this channel, but he’d been so starved of something to do, someone to listen to, that he just let it… play out. Whoever was on the other end wasn’t in any clear danger, they were just playing their instrument.

So Avocato listened. As the voice sighed. Then began to play.

Chapter Text

The mysterious artist on the other side played their sweet serenade of a song, the notes wafting through the air like the smell of coffee on an early winter morning. Suffice to say, Avocato was spellbound. He had never heard someone play so genuinely, so personally before in his life. He felt as though every single note was somehow catered specifically to him, but yet that was outlandish to think such a thing.

The song felt like it both went on forever and was over all too quick. Of course the playing wasn’t perfect, there were a few hiccups here and there,, and there were no vocals to accompany it, but it still just felt so… real. Once the last note was played, Avocato was snapped out of his trance like state by an intense loud strum of a guitar. A chuckle came through the radio.

“Hahaha, classic guitar finish. It does not- it does not get better than that.” The lone voice said through laughs, the sign of a smile apparent in the way they spoke.
“Oh well, guess it’s time to check yet another channel. That is unless there’s, ohh I don’t know, someone listening?”

Avocato blinked. He wasn’t sure if he should say something, or just stay silent. For one he wanted to ask how they had access to an Omniradio, and he DID want to hear more of this stranger’s playing. On the other hand, this could be a ploy, a trap even? The Lord Commander had dozens of enemies who would want to try and worm their way in from the inside, and Avocato did not want to be there first hand to experience that. Apparently he took too long sitting on his decision because the voice then spoke up again.

“Seriously? Nearly 40 freakin channels and not a single person on one of them?. Urghhhh alright, okay, that’s cool. Next channel then.”

Before Avocato could even think his hand raced for the microphone.

“Wait.” Panic was clear in his voice. How embarrassing, Avocato thought. The first words he says to this mysterious technological bard and he sounds like a goddamn lost kid.

“Oh ho ho my GOD! There is someone on this wavelength!” They shout. “I knew it I knew it I knew it!” The voice on the radio frantically strums their guitar and knocks over something on their end, causing an array of objects to scatter all over an unknown surface. Their voice grows faint as they start running around shouting things like ‘I sure proved her wrong about this’ and ‘Eat that, you!’. Avocato sighs as he drags his hands down his face. He takes a deep breath, composes himself, and speaks into the microphone again.

“First of all. How did you gain access to an Omniradio? These are only in the possession of those with high ranks of power.”

The person on the other end stops their incessant chatter and moves back closer to their end of the radio.

“An Omniradio huh? This was just my dad’s old radio, or at least I thought it was until like. Just now.” They ramble through the other end, picking at guitar strings.

“I see… well then, are you in any immediate danger or distress?” Avocato decided to get straight to the point and ask the important questions first. Only those who are in trouble use this radio, and he needed to make sure the person on the other line wasn’t before asking other sorts of questions.

“What? Haha, no, I literally was just playing my guitar. Unless, wait, unless you didn’t even hear that. Did you hear me play?” The other end of the radio asked casually but carefully.

“Yes, I was listening.”

Silence. It was admittedly a bit awkward. Avocato fidgeted in his seat waiting for a response.

“Did you…” the voice trailed off. “Did you think it was good?”

The ventrexian slumped in his seat. Of course he thought it was good! At least, that’s what his heart was telling him. His brain? Well, his brain was sending him mixed singles, confusing jumbles of commands. He wanted to tell this stranger exactly how their playing made him feel, but putting it into words was proving harder than expected. Avocato was so used to repressing any sort of emotion that he couldn’t present himself as anything but stoic to anyone,, bar his son.

So Avocato took a more logical approach. He just put his thoughts simply.

“It was adequate.” Crap. Maybe that was TOO simply.

“Oh. Adequate. I was hoping for a good maybe, maybe even a great! But uh, adequate is, well, good haha.” The person on the other end got quieter, the sound of disappointment in their voice. Damnit, why did someone he didn’t even know take his comment so personally anyways?

“Well mystery man on the radio, expect to be hearing more of me,” The voice started up again. “because now that I know that there actually is someone on the end of this line, I’m definitely gonna try and keep in contact with you!”

“Need a remind you that this device is only for emergencies?”

“But alas my serious friend, extreme boredom IS an emergency!”

Avocato opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. To be fair, if this stranger could be the distraction at work he was looking for, then why try to stop him. Avocato sighs a long, drawn out sigh.

“Okay. Just don’t expect a response. I have copious amounts of work to attend to.” Now that was just a lie, but in all honesty he didn’t feel like talking to this living ball of static electricity on the other end of the radio.

“Oh you can count on me to keep talking though. I’ll be like your own personal radio host! DJ Thunder-Bandit! Although I don’t DJ I just play guitaaaar!” The voice frantically strums the guitar again, garnering a smirk from Avocato.

Having someone to fill the empty noise of the work day might not be so bad after all. Speaking of work day.

“Crap. My shift is nearly up. Alright then, Thunder Bandit, you keep doing what you’re doing or whatever.” Avocato stands up from his desk and checks his watch. Yep, he’s got five minutes til he’s off the hook.

“Ooo a working class man! What’s your job stranger?” The voice- or rather Thunder Bandit, as they called themselves, pestered.

“That’s classified information.”

“Oh come oooon don’t you think you could tell me? I’ll keep it a secret, promise!”

“Goodbye ‘Thunder Bandit’” Avocato retorts in a sing-songy voice before shutting off the Omniradio and groaning. He’d been so preoccupied that he didn’t even realise the time. He had to make sure he was home by sundown, otherwise his son would get stressed out. Like he needs that on his plate as well.

He packs his satchel and pats his side. Everything’s accounted for, his keys, his gun and his wallet. He takes one last look into the old wooden room before closing it up and looking it for the night. His eyes linger on the radio, but only for a moment. Avocato tears his eyes away and turns the key, isolating the room from the outside world for another day.

Avocato was about to leave the premises when he’s stopped by his boss. He felt a small chill go down his spine as he stood up straight and saluted to his boss.

“I can presume you finished all of your work, Avocato?” The Lord Commanders voice scraped like nails on a chalkboard.

“All done and accounted for sir. No stone left unturned, no paperwork left unfinished.”

“Good… you may leave. Rest well Avocato, for you have lots of work ahead of you tomorrow, ahehehe” His sickeningly creepy laugh echoed around the small room, enveloping it in a sense of unease. Avocato doesn’t respond with more than a nod as he leaves the workplace.

He lets out a small sigh of relief as the doors shut behind him. He doesn’t dare look back as he starts heading off towards his home. Avocato isn’t afraid of many things, but if there was one thing in the world that terrified him it was The Lord Commander, which is exactly why he had to stay on his good side. You’re as good as dead if The Lord Commander didn’t like you, and if hew wanted someone gone then he would get exactly what he wanted, every single time. Avocato turned the corner and approached his place of living on the other end of the path.

Avocato’s house was just just as he left it the previously, except for a small, orange ball of fur resting patiently in the window, shooting daggers with his eyes at anybody who dared pass too close to their house. His son, Little Cato, would always keep a close watch on the house, as if he was waiting for a fight. The kit’s eyes locked onto his fathers and were suddenly filled with a bright stars. He leapt down out of sight of the window and before Avocato had a chance to even take out his keys the door flung open.

“Dad!” The small child screamed in glee, jumping forward for his father to catch him in his arms. Avocato stumbled back in surprise, but returned the hug anyways.

“You’re getting a lot stronger there kid. You been practicing your training?”

“Oh you so know it!” He squirms to get out of his dad’s arms and starts making punching actions towards the air.

“I’ve been punching and jumping and running and climbing and-“

He was cut off by a large growl coming from his stomach. Avocato just laughed as the kit stopped in place and patted his stomach.

“I can assume all this exercise made you hungry?” Avocato questions, walking in the door and into the main room. He puts his bag down but not without reeling back in surprise as his son races in after him.

“Yeah I guess I’m preeety hungry.” He jumps onto the couch and crosses his legs, staring with wonder and joy. His orange tail swished left to right in a hypnotic motion, something Avocato noticed his son doing whenever he was waiting for something. Avocato always noticed small details like that with his son, like how his ear twitched when he was lying, or how when he was happy he would scrunch his nose. It’s always the little things that really make a person, well, a person.

“Well then, what do you say I make us some dinner?” His son groans in detest as Avocato walks into the kitchen. “I’ll make your favourite.” Bingo. This was the comment that caused Little Cato to jump to his feet.

“The one with the Earth rice?” He exclaimed, running on the spot with his hand pulled into his chest, anticipating his dad’s obvious answer.

“Well unless your favourite food has changed then yeah, it’s the one with the Earth rice.” The older ventrexian states, pulling out several spices, foreign vegetables, some rice and what can only be presumed to be some sort of alien street meat.

Little Cato screams out in delight and starts first pumping the air. He runs over to his dad and climbs onto his shoulders pulling his ears hair in the process.

“Yes, yes, yes! Arrgghh thank you dad! You’re my favourite dad ever!” He shouts, giving his dad a tight squeeze.

“I’m you’re only dad, son. Now get off my shoulders so I can make this food you little rascal.” Avocato reaches up and wrestles his son of his shoulders, sending the kid into a fit of giggles on the floor. Once Little Cato stopped giggling and moved off to his room to do his homework, Avocato turns on his radio and gets set to work.