Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gary stands and stares at the star in front of him, a firm frown on his face. Final Space grows more and more horrifying every day, but there are moments like this where it’s hauntingly beautiful. Space is always empty, yet the emptiness in Final Space is replaced with tangible evil, fear, and hatred. The crushing weight of it is hard to escape from, but staring at it from behind a glass shield eases his worries.

Well, some of them.

”Avocato killed the royals of Ventrexia?” Gary asked, sitting next to Little Cato on the couch in the currently empty biggest bedroom.

The boy nodded, his ears folded against his head in frustration and upset.

The team squad finally got a moment of respite in between the constant bouncing between battles and stressful situations, and Little Cato had quickly disappeared to Gary’s worry. Quinn was focusing on showing the Galaxy 02’s controls and innerworkings to Avocato, so his fellow co-parent probably hadn’t even noticed yet. Luckily, Gary was able to follow the boy’s trail to here quickly. It wasn’t the best hiding spot the kid had ever managed to find, so Gary knew a conversation was going to go down.

“I didn’t know he just gave up my planet like that. I thought I knew everything about him, but he’d been hiding this from me for so long. I...hate that he killed them and everything he did for the Lord Commander. He’s still my dad, though.” Little Cato hesitated, lifting watery eyes to meet Gary’s. “Is that wrong of me?”

“Hey,” Gary said softly, bringing the boy into a side hug. Little Cato’s head fell limply onto his shoulder, as if all the feelings he had bottled up finally wooshed out of him. “However you’re feeling about this is a-okay, alright? What Avocato did...it isn’t good. Not by a long shot. So, you take as much time with this as you need, little man.”

Little Cato hugged his father back, smiling into Gary’s shoulder. “At least I know everything now.”

Gary told the kid that of course it was everything, but….

There’s a part of Gary that is waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something to surface that changes the game. What Avocato did was horrible, of course, but it makes sense. The guy worked for the freaking Lord Commander as his second in command general, he was bound to have a bloody, bloody past. But Avocato had a look in his eyes once the moment of rest began, screaming to Gary that something big was brewing in that dude’s brain.

“Hey, Gary, when’d you disappear on us, man?”

Gary turns around to see Avocato’s arms fall back to his side, the Ventrexian approaching his spot at the window. He shrugs in response, shoving his hands into his pockets just to have something to touch.

“Little Cato dipped, so I wanted to check on ‘im,” he explains quickly, making note of how Avocato’s eyes flick away briefly with guilt.

The man laughs awkwardly, “Thanks, it’s been a rough few days for him. For all of us.”

“You can say that again. He, uh, told me about the stuff with Ventrexia,” Gary says quietly in a rush.

Avocato’s mouth opens in surprise for a minute, then he flinches away in guilt. Gosh, the emotion is practically radiating all over the guy. He feels bad even bringing it up, but they can’t just ignore the betrayal of his own home planet for long.

“Yeah, yeah. Of course he told you,” Avocato says, trying his best to sound casual. “I don’t expect any of you to forgive me for that, especially Little Cato. I know that I don’t.”

“Hey, he still loves you, alright? I think he just needs a bit of time to process everything,” Gary assures.

Avocato nods, and the two lull into silence for a moment. They stare directly into the star in front of them, watching the violent solar flares thrash across the surface of the star, attacking itself just to do what it is meant to do. Gary’s eyes will hurt later for sure, but the pervasive feeling of emptiness and darkness that follows him all throughout Final Space is concentrated right next to him. Gary hates to admit it, but the light of the star reflecting in Avocato’s battle weary eyes makes his insides churn uncomfortably.

Little Cato said that everything was out in the open now.

Gary, despite everything, feels like that is a lie.

“Avocato, I know you’re my best bud and everything, and I trust you a whole lot.” Gary interrupts himself with an awkward laugh, pushing his way through his unfounded words with as much casualness as he can muster, “And this is really stupid, like I have no idea what my insides are wiggling around for, but I just wanted to check and make sure that absolutely everything was out to air dry, you know? I really have no idea where this even came from, and---”

Gary cuts himself off when Avocato bites his lip, his eyes boring into Gary’s soul. He...can’t remember a time where he has ever seen anyone look so guilty. The pressing feeling on Gary’s chest turns into full on anxiety, deep-set and raging with the terrifying realization that there’s more.

“Avocato,” Gary says in an unsure whisper.

The Ventrexian bows his head, placing a shaking fist against the glass pane. He doesn’t speak a word as he closes his eyes against Gary’s silent judgement.

“Avocato,” Gary says with a shake in his voice. “You’ve gotta tell me, man.”

“I can’t, Gary,” Avocato mumbles miserably.

Gary shakes his head in disbelief. “How could it be worse than what’s already out? We can’t keep secrets anymore, not when Little Cato thinks everything is done.”

Avocato stands back up to his full height to look at Gary, and the fear still shines in his eyes as he hardens his expression. “I’ve already told him everything he needs to know. Can you let me choose what information is important? Please, Gary.”

The Ventrexian is practically begging, something he never thought the strong Avocato could be brought down to. It makes the fear he tried to keep outside seep in deeper and deeper, burrowing its way into his bones.

“Avocato, it will only get worse if you don’t tell me,” Gary pleads.

“I didn’t kill all of the royal family,” Avocato begins in resignation, refusing to look Gary in the eye. “I thought I did until I saw him, and I…couldn’t just leave him there.”

Gary takes a step away from Avocato, and the Ventrexian finally looks up at him with 14 years of regret on his face, his voice cracking as he says, “I killed Little Cato’s parents, and took him on as my own.”

The blond doesn’t know what he did until his anger singles onto Avocato, the sight of the Ventrexian laid out onto the ground with a smarting cheek being the only reason Gary can realize that he punched Avocato. And he doesn’t think he regrets it.

“I’m telling Little Cato,” Gary states, no room left to argue in his surprisingly calm voice.

Avocato pushes himself back up as he practically snarls, “Don’t tell him that.”

Gary huffs. “Well, how would you like me to say it, Avocato? Sorry that you’re a little upset right now, I’m about to make it a whole lot worse!”

“He doesn’t need to know!” Avocato shouts, curling his hands into fists. “I messed up, and that doesn’t even begin to describe it. But he doesn’t need to deal with more pain!”

Gary nods. “Of course he doesn’t, but I’m not hiding this from him, Avocato. This is important!”

“He’s my son, Gary, let me decide what to do about this!”

“You stole his parents from him!”

Avocato swings a fist at Gary’s eye and lands the hit, making Gary trip backwards, giving Avocato a moment to punch his other eye and swing another fist hard into Gary’s cheek. The Ventrexian’s claws managed to cut his cheek, and Gary uses the stinging of his blood to energize his metal fist directly into Avocato’s nose. Avocato stumbles back with the force of it, blood spurting underneath his nose with a grunt.

Gary grimaces, putting both of his fists in a fighting stance as Avocato lunges at him with a fist flying, knocking his head back as blood sprays from the hit. He doesn’t have time to recover before the Ventrexian uppercuts him, his own nose leaking blood. Gary is dizzy and disheveled, but he takes a moment to breathe as Avocato bunches his jacket in his furry fists. And before Avocato can duck away, Gary headbutts him hard enough to knock Avocato onto his ass.

The blond pivots to the side from the force of his hit, hanging his head down exhaustedly. Avocato forces himself up to his elbows and turns his head towards Gary with an enraged growl.

He knows that he and Avocato could do this all day, but Gary emotionally can’t handle a fight like this after everything.

“Avocato,” Gary breathes, earning a glint of acknowledgement in Avocato’s eyes. Gary wipes some blood from his face before continuing tiredly, “I don’t want to fight you over this. I can’t.”

“I’ll keep this up if you try to tell him, Gary!” Avocato shouts.

Gary feels like tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, and he huffs wetly. “Little Cato loves you! Even after all the shitty things you’ve done, he still loves you! You can’t...you can’t keep this from him, I’m sorry.”

Avocato sits up, his face crumpling as tears pour out of his eyes. His grimace tells Gary all he needs to know, as if this was the first time he had let himself cry in ages. Bottling up the worst secret in the world that no one would gain joy to learn. And despite it all, Gary lets his body sag down near his friend.

“I know he loves me, Gary,” Avocato cries. “I don’t deserve to be his father, and there’s nothing I can do to make up for what I did. I’ve tried to make up for it the only way I can, and it isn’t enough.”

“Maybe you don’t deserve to be his father, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are,” Gary sighs, nursing his bruised and bleeding nose.

Avocato continues to cry the years worth of guilt out as Gary sits there. He’s angry, hurt, and has been lied to for this entire friendship. But Gary still sits, with his legs crossed and his eyes on his friend finally letting everything out. He wonders if it feels like relief to Avocato, or if the steady flow of tears is just another burden to add to his shoulders. He wonders if the Ventrexian would even want to tell him.

“Gary, you’ve been there for him more than I could be. Please take care of him for me,” Avocato pleads, trying his best to wipe away the various fluids dirtying his face.

Gary laughs, the sound coming out hollow. “Just because I’m here doesn’t mean you can just leave it all up to me. You’re his father, the only one he knew until me. That relationship doesn’t go away easily, trust me.”

“I shouldn’t be,” he growls.

“Well, you are. So, what are you gonna do now?”

Avocato meets Gary’s gaze for a moment before looking away.

“I’ll tell him. Soon.”

“God,” Gary groans, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Don’t drag this out, buddy, it’s gonna hurt either way.”

Gary wishes that the dark oppressing vileness could stay locked out of the ship to the confines of Final Space, but his friend with too many demons to count sure did drag all of that negativity inside. A part of Gary doesn’t want to blame him for the atmosphere, but that would just be another lie to add onto this crappy sandwich of a situation. This pain is going to continue until Little Cato and Avocato can figure out their thoughts.

“What if he hates me?”

“Then he hates you.”

“That isn’t what I wanted to hear,” Avocato mumbles.

Gary sighs. “None of this is up to you or me, it’s all Little Cato. But even if he rejects you, it doesn’t mean you get to stop trying to do better by him, alright? He won’t forgive you, but he might still be able to love you.”

Avocato meets Gary’s eyes, searching for something behind Gary’s determined and serious expression. “You’ll be there for him?”

“Of course I will,” Gary says earnestly.

The two fall into silence and sit, gathering their bearings and preparing for the future ahead of them. Soon, Little Cato will know everything. Gary wonders what could be in store for them, but he fears the possibilities all the same.

Final Space truly is a void of despair, isn’t it?

Gary wishes that Little Cato’s history wasn’t painted in horrors a boy his age should never have suffered, but he’s going to be there at every step of the way. Only Little Cato can decide how his tragedies end now.

Chapter Text

Little Cato remembers seeing other kids with two parents as a child and wondering why he only had his father. He loved his dad and didn’t need someone else, but all of his friends looked at their family and assumed brokenness. Like something was missing in their relationship without his dad having a spouse, that they were lonely with just the two of them.

“Dad?”

His father inclined his head towards him in silent acknowledgement, not stopping his task of chopping up vegetables for dinner. Little Cato scurried up onto the stool next to his dad and sat crisscrossed, sneaking a tuber into his mouth. His father frowned at his lack of manners for a moment before going back to his task.

“Did I ever have another parent?” he asked casually.

It came as a surprise to see his father tense and set the knife down. His large hand curled into a fist before his whole body relaxed in one breath. Avocato turned to face his son in the eyes, a neutral yet firm expression on his face, not differing from the norm much. “I didn’t know your mother for long before she had you, and then she died not long after you were born.”

Little Cato blinked. “Oh.”

“Where is this coming from?” his father asked, crossing his arms.

Little Cato shrugged. “Kids at combat training were asking, said it was weird I didn’t have another parent. So, that’s it?”

Avocato nodded. “That’s it, and it will do well not to listen to those children. Some of their parents put unnecessary ideas into their heads.”

And that really was that. Little Cato had his dad, and that was all he needed.

Until the battle campaigns grew longer and longer, his father leaving him in an empty house to rotate between school, combat training, flight training, and whatever else could keep his interest for longer than two minutes. The lonely days and nights were hard. He always refused his friends’ offers to stay at their house because he worried that he would be seen as weak if his father ever learned. The son of the Lord Commander’s second in command couldn’t be a weak-willed child, it would ruin his father’s reputation!

So he dealt with the loneliness…even when his father would return home. And he would greet him at the door and get a smile and a hug, only to be whisked away for more important things minutes later.

Not that he wasn’t important to his dad. He was. And is, present tense.

Little Cato sometimes just thinks too much about what his father has done. Maybe obsessively. Okay, Final Space doesn’t have many things to keep him occupied, so sometimes he spirals into thinking about everything his father has ever done when left alone. Everyone does that though, right? That’s a normal kid thing, for sure. For sure.

It’s just, sometimes Little Cato remembers the good moments, sparring as his dad egged him on to punch harder and harder because he needed to know how to fend for himself in cases of life or death. And mixed in with the good moments, there are the memories of his father’s actions. Granted, he never saw any of them himself, but….

His father has done horrible things and killed so many that he cannot keep track. And he can’t forgive him for that, but he’s still his dad. He’ll always be his father’s son, nothing can change that.

Nothing.

Little Cato and Avocato are sitting together in silence, watching the horizon for any threats for the night in their makeshift team squad shelter. Little Cato has had worse living conditions, but he does miss his bunk on the Crimson Light and the vents of the Galaxy 01. His dad has his blaster in a loose grip on his lap, his trigger finger waiting for something to give him a reason to shoot. It’s quiet in Final Space, away from Fox’s snoring and Mooncake’s surprisingly soothing humming he does in his sleep.

His father has been silent the whole time, and Little Cato has remained quiet as well. He...hasn’t really spent any prolonged amount of time with his dad alone since before his imprisonment. To say the least, the adjustment is awkward. The young Ventrexian thinks it’s been about an hour already without a word said.

Gary told him once that once an awkward silence goes on for too long, there’s no way to break it without it being super awkward.

“You look taller,” his dad says suddenly, startling Little Cato out of his thoughts.

He turns towards his father and sees him awkwardly glancing between their surroundings and his son. Damn, Gary really was on the nose with his nugget of advice.

Little Cato nods slowly. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, it’s been like three years since you last really saw me, so….”

Avocato focuses back onto Little Cato with a forced smile. “Yeah, it really has been a long time since we last saw each other. Things were pretty chaotic.”

“Chaotic is...one word for it, sure,” Little Cato says uncomfortably.

They both know what chaotic refers to: Avocato dying, being brought back, then getting possessed just for the heck of it. Little Cato doesn’t think his dad really wants to talk about it, and he doesn’t know if now is the time to either.

“I, uh, feel like I should be asking you a lot,” his dad says with a laugh. “Nothing can come to mind, though.”

Little Cato shrugs and twirls his fingers around his tail just to have something to do. “I don’t think we’re used to being alone together like this for long.”

“I’m sorry.”

The kid frowns in confusion at his dad’s sudden apology. “What?”

Avocato turns his body to focus on his son, yet his eyes stay downcast onto the blaster in his grip. “I should have been around more, and done so many things differently.”

“Hey,” Little Cato says softly, placing a hand over his father’s. “It was the Lord Commander, you couldn’t really do anything about it. We can just...work on not having super awkward conversations now. No big deal.”

Avocato smiles at his son, Little Cato smiling back.

“Alright, then I’ve got a question for you: what is the deal with Gary’s mom?”

And to Little Cato’s enjoyment, they talk, real actual talking until Gary comes to switch out the watch shift. Maybe they can finally fix all of the things that went wrong in the past, without any fear that they’ll be separated again.

“How are your arms feeling, Ash?” Little Cato asks, dangling the upper half of his body off of the girl’s bed.

Ash stays silent for a moment before shrugging. “They’re fine, I guess. I just hate feeling useless,” she grits out.

Fox pulls her into a side hug that she leans into greedily. “You are not useless, Ashy.”

“What Fox said.”

She sighs and focuses her attention back on Little Cato. “I’ll be fine in the long run, I suppose. How are you dealing with the whole...your dad handing over your entire planet to the Lord Commander thing? You haven’t brought it up again since.”

Fox nods encouragingly alongside his sister, but Little Cato remains silent.

He didn’t know. He was never told what happened to Ventrexia, he just knew the Lord Commander had control over the planet. His father---trusted, revered, respected---betrayed the king and queen and every single other Ventrexian. And just because he could. It sits heavy on his conscious, guilt pulling him down when he wasn’t even old enough to have done anything to change it. He hates what happened, but Little Cato knows.

No more secrets for these Ventrexians, right?

“You’re still mad,” Fox notes.

Little Cato frowns at the Tryvulian. “Maybe, okay? It’s just a lot. I knew he did...a lot of bad things, but not to Ventrexia… And Gary and I already talked about it, so you don’t have to give me the emotionally supportive sibling speech.”

Fox groans sadly, “Aww, man. Ash and I had it all prepared, about how your feelings are valid and that we’ll support you in whatever you feel is best---”

“Yeah!” Ash shouts. “We spent like an hour coming up with it! We’re just gonna have to write it down now for the next time you learn some universe tilting revelation about your dad.”

The Ventrexian sits up at that. “There’s not gonna be another one, my dad even said so himself. He’s told us everything about what happened. I can’t even imagine what kind of thing he could still be hiding.”

Ash holds up her bandaged hands in defense. “No worries, just next surprising thing that happens. We can make it general.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t have to be used again, but with our lives I doubt that,” Little Cato jokes.

His older siblings laugh tiredly, and Fox’s yawn makes Little Cato and Ash yawn with them. God, he wishes he wasn’t tired all the time from trying to survive in a dimension made to be a prison for an ancient evil, but here they are anyways.

“I think it’s a great time for a nap, how about it Ashy?” Fox asks.

Ash shrugs and burrows deeper into her brother’s shoulder, but Little Cato doesn’t join them. His thoughts are still swimming like they always do about his dad. He really needs to turn his stupid brain off and listen to his adopted but equally as good dad and his siblings. He’s allowed to be confused.

“Little Cato,” Fox says warningly.

The youngest shakes his head determinedly. “Not sleeping, Fox. You’ll just have to live with it.”

Before Little Cato even has time to retaliate, Ash’s hand scratches the sweet spot behind Little Cato’s left ear, and his body flops down onto Fox’s lap against his will. He’ll be asleep in seconds, but before he drifts off he can hear his siblings laughing at him for being a lightweight.

When Little Cato hears the knock on Ash’s door the next day, all three kids refuse to move and acknowledge it in the hopes of getting some more sleep. The knock comes again, louder this time, but still none of them move.

“Li-Spidercat, you in here?” Gary calls from the other side of the door.

Little Cato groans and rolls off of Fox, walking over to the door and walking out. He rubs his eyes tiredly, then looks up at his dad and is suddenly wide awake.

“Gary, what happened to you?!” Little Cato shouts frantically, reaching out his hands towards the bruises mottling his dad’s face.

Gary smiles weakly at him. “I’m fine, but we gotta go see Avocato.”

“Dad? Why?”

Gary doesn’t speak, just gently sets a hand on Little Cato’s shoulder and starts leading him away. The bruises on his dad’s face are large and precise, and fear pools in Little Cato’s stomach unbidden. He doesn’t like being left in the dark, Gary knows this. He needs to calm down, everything probably just looks bad because he likes to worry about things. Everything is fine.

The two walk into the large room with the windows of the ship, and Little Cato unconsciously takes a step back when he sees the disheveled appearance of his father, crusted blood stuck on the fur underneath his nose. Gary sighs at Avocato’s appearance and pinches the bridge of his nose, shouting across the room, “You didn’t even try to clean up!”

Little Cato glances between his two dads with apprehension, and Avocato’s guilty expression paired with Gary’s no-nonsense stares makes the puzzle pieces click.

“You two fought,” he states plainly. Avocato’s wince makes his heart beat hard in his chest, an explosion waiting to happen. “Why?”

Avocato meets Little Cato’s eyes, the same guilt he saw when his father admitted his role in Ventrexia’s fate written across his expression. “Son, I have to tell you something.”

Avocato waves him over, and his feet move on autopilot. He sits without a word and just stares at his father’s hands gripping his knees tightly. He should want to flee, run away from whatever truth he’s about to learn and pretend like nothing has ever happened. The daunting prospect of knowledge keeps him rooted in place, the morbid curiosity calling to him sickeningly. He glances towards Gary, who stands off to the side and looks like he hates being here as much as Little Cato.

Avocato starts speaking quietly yet assuredly, like the words he says have been waiting to be spoken for ages, “When I killed the king and queen of Ventrexia, I didn’t know they had a child until it was too late.”

“You killed their kid?” Little Cato asks in a haunted whisper.

“No, the child managed to survive the explosion.”

Little Cato’s nose scrunches in confusion, not knowing where his father could be taking this. “Okay, so what happened to them?”

Here, Avocato releases a shaky breath and his gaze bores into Little Cato, pushing the full weight of his father’s guilt onto him. “I took him home, and promised that I would keep him safe, even if I had to give up my life to do it.”

“I don’t understand,” Little Cato says shakily.

He does understand, he understands perfectly. He just refuses to believe it.

Avocato’s eyes begin to prick with tears as his hand reaches out towards Little Cato. “Son, I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

The older Ventrexian’s hand gently squeezes his arm, and Little Cato is ripping his arm out of his father’s grip and stumbling back before he can even process it. He doesn’t want his father---he’s not your father he never has been it’s all a lie---anywhere near him right now.

“No, that’s a lie,” Little Cato mutters under his breath, as if saying the words out loud give him more reason to believe what he knows in his broken heart. “You never wanted me to know, did you? Because you said that I knew everything, which was a lie. All you ever do is lie.”

Little Cato laughs suddenly, doubling over onto his knees as he laughs, tears stinging his eyes. When he looks back up to Avocato, he grabs the fur on the side of his head and tugs it to center himself.

“God, I’m so stupid! How could I have believed you? You kept something like that a secret from me my entire life, and I thought that when you said that was everything, you were being truthful? I can’t believe I was so gullible! You’re you, I don’t know why I expected this time to be better! I thought, ‘Hey Little Cato, maybe after being lonely and neglected throughout your childhood, imprisoned for years, then watching your dad die and bringing him back only to see him get possessed, you could have a better relationship with him!’”

Little Cato is grinning so much it hurts, laughs bubbling up from his chest as he tries to say through the loss of his sanity, “You killed my birth parents and made yourself my father, and I never would’ve known! It makes so much sense now.”

He huffs out one more laugh, then a sob breaks the surface of the thin cap he placed on his overwhelming emotions. “You killed my parents, and you were never going to tell me.”

The Ventrexian starts sobbing in earnest, his legs giving out over the full revelation. He doesn’t dare try to catch himself, but he leans into the weight of the person who catches him, letting the metal palm against his back keep him steady as his chest breaks with the force of his crying. Little Cato blinks, giving him a moment of clarity to see his dad standing with hands outstretched as if he thought he still had the right to hold him.

“Stay away from me,” Little Cato spits venomously, his voice trembling. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Little Cato, everything I’ve done has been for you,” Avocato pleads, taking a step closer to him and Gary.

Gary takes a hand off of the kid to put in front of his friend, and Little Cato can barely see the angry expression on his human dad’s face. “Avocato, if he wants you away from him, you need to listen.”

The traitor steps back with a hurried nod, and Little Cato grips Gary’s jacket hard. “I-I just wanted to make sure he was okay.”

“Why would you care if I was okay?!” the boy screams.

“Because you’re my son, Little Cato, despite everything. I swore to protect you that day, and I’ll keep protecting you.”

Little Cato sniffles and shakes his head. “You lied to me, and I trusted you.”

Avocato’s own breath hitches as he stares at his stolen son. Because Little Cato understands now, that he was stolen from his parents and his parents were stolen from him. And oh god, everything is awful and the world will never free him of pain, will it?

“Little Cato, I-,” Avocato pauses as he begins crying, “-I love you, I always have.”

Little Cato, who knows that Little Cato is someone entirely different now, gently pushes away from Gary’s protective and supportive hold to stand up himself. He wants to fall apart and let the pieces flow away into the abyss so that he can never be put back together. If there’s nothing there, it can never break again. His father--his parents’ killer--doesn’t move as Little Cato wipes away his tears as best as he can.

“I always wanted to hear that,” he says. “But you’ve lied to me so many times that I can’t believe you anymore. I don’t even know what my parents look like, but I’ll always remember you. And you lied.”

Avocato just stares him down, tears dripping down his face for the first time Little Cato can ever remember. Funny how much he craved hearing those words and seeing his father jump to make sure he was okay, but now he can’t enjoy a single second of it.

“Avocato, you should leave now,” Gary orders firmly.

The Ventrexian looks once more at Little Cato, then walks past him and out of sight.

Little Cato doesn’t move until Gary’s arms envelope him, his dad whispering in his ear, “You can let it all out now.”

And he sobs, falling into Gary and bringing them both down to the ground, where his only remaining dad holds him close. Little Cato weeps as if he had never experienced pain before in his life, wounds new and old tearing his heart to shreds. He cries, and never stops.

Chapter Text

Avocato tosses the few items he has aboard the Galaxy 02 into his bag, tidying up his temporary room aboard the new ship to make it look as if he had never been there. He double checks the area around him for anything left behind, flicking his eyes away from the picture of him and Little Cato peeking out of his bag. It had been in his old helmet, the one Little Cato uses now, but the boy had placed it in his room at some point without his noticing.

It’s upsetting that his son doesn’t want to keep the picture, but Avocato is going to take the victory that it was left intact for some reason. It’s the only win he’s gotten lately.

He sighs, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder, walking out of his room and towards the hangar bay on the Galaxy 02 towards the smaller ship. Gary and the others will probably be mad that he’s taking it, but, well, someone being mad at him is nothing new. His pace is quick and steady towards the hangar, and he’s praying that he can sneak out without anyone noticing. No one would complain over his departure, and he’s fine with that. Honestly. That’s...how it should be, really.

Avocato deserves everything he’s gotten and more, which is why he needs to leave and---

“I’m going whether you want me to or not!” Little Cato shouts, and Avocato quickly ducks behind a set of crates to avoid being seen.

“I never said you couldn’t go, I’m just saying that maybe we should think this out before we go anywhere,” Gary says calmly, trying to placate his frazzled-looking son.

Little Cato’s tail is swishing back and forth in frustration, his arms crossed against his chest defensively. Gary’s surprisingly more frequent face of tiredness and maturity is rearing its head again as the human cards a hand through his hair with a sigh. Avocato wonders what they could be arguing about, it isn’t every day those two fight.

“I don’t have time to talk about it. I’m going to Ventrexia...alone if I have to.”

Gary’s face softens into a gentle frown, and he takes a few steps closer to Little Cato and sets a gentle hand on his shoulder as he kneels down. “Hey, none of that going it alone stuff. I’m sorry that I yelled a bit ago, I was just scared that you had taken off into the night without even saying goodbye. Which...is apparently what you were planning, and I’m not gonna lie, that one hurts a bit, buddy.”

The young Ventrexian’s ears fold down sadly as he dips his head down. “I’m sorry, Dad,” he mumbles, making Avocato’s eyes widen at the title. “I just didn’t want to worry anyone and you’ve gotta worry about Quinn and everyone else already, and I know what you’re about to say so you really don’t have to remind me--”

“Worrying about you is my whole shtick, Spidercat, and yes I’m saying it just to annoy you now,” Gary interrupts, earning a small smile from the boy. “Don’t disappear on us all like that, alright? We’re all here to support you, plus I can worry about multiple people you know. It’s kind of like a dad superpower, almost.”

Little Cato laughs quietly. “What, super-worrying? That’s such a lame superpower. At least pick, like, super dad reflexes or something.”

“Oh, I’ve already got that one, little man,” Gary teases, standing up and ruffling Little Cato’s mohawk. “Now come on, let’s go have a talk about going to Ventrexia with everybody else without you having to pull some vigilante move. We both know Ash and Fox are gonna kill you for trying to sneak out without them.”

“Eugh, don’t remind me,” Little Cato says.

The boy opens his mouth to say something more, but then his head turns and meets Avocato’s eyes, causing the little happiness he managed to muster up to drop and mistrust to cloud his face. Gary turns around and frowns, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder without even thinking about it. It makes Avocato’s heart clench to see Gary do what he so desperately wants to do, but he doesn’t have the right to feel left out when it is more than intentional.

Gary’s eyes zone in on Avocato’s bag against his hip, and the blond groans. “Oh, do not tell me you were about to sneak out, too.”

Avocato steps out from behind the crates to give himself a moment to think carefully about his words. “It...would be for the best.”

Little Cato mutters something underneath his breath that Avocato can’t catch, but it makes Gary’s frown deepen. Even when Avocato is trying to not make things uncomfortable, he manages to mess it up. Gary must notice something in Avocato’s expression because he gently squeezes Little Cato’s shoulder to get the boy’s attention.

“Hey, why don’t you go talk to Quinn about Ventrexia and see what she says, alright?” Little Cato nods and walks away quickly, giving Avocato a wide berth to avoid getting too close to him. “And don’t try to sneak into the vents to listen in on us! I know your tricks, Spidercat.”

Avocato can hear the kid grumbling as he exits the hangar bay, but now he’s left alone with Gary. And honestly he has no idea where he stands with his friend, if Gary would even consider him a friend anymore. It’s too terrifying of a prospect to even guess, but in light of how little they have talked unless it was absolutely necessary since their fight indicates the worst for Avocato.

Gary sighs, breaking the silence between them and puts his hands on his hips dramatically. His robotic hand, the one that pretty much forged their friendship, waves around aimlessly as Gary tries to piece together his thoughts.

“You know,” Gary starts, “I want to say just make sure the Dragon Hawk 5 gets back in one piece, but I’m pretty sure that if you leave you’ll be gone for good. Is the vibe I’m getting from your packed bag correct?”

Avocato grasps the strap of his bag tightly, looking away from Gary. “I need to do something, Gary. And Little Cato clearly doesn’t want me around, so it’s the best option in front of me.”

“I thought you wanted to fix things between the two of you,” Gary wonders. Avocato can hear the accusation in his tone.

“We both know he’s not ready for that,” Avocato admits.

Gary just nods, not sugarcoating it or anything, just telling him the full, honest, brutal truth. He’s noticed how much his friend has changed since they first entered Final Space, and now that they’re out...the differences are even more striking. It was strange to adapt to a Gary that had matured, still a goofball, but so much more prepared and put together than he could have ever imagined.

“Where were you even planning on going?” Gary asks out of curiosity.

Avocato looks away again, then meets Gary’s gaze once more. “Ventrexia.”

Gary’s eyes widen in surprise as he sputters, “Ventrexia?! What the hell do you need to do there?”

“I need to face my past head on, Gary. So, where better to go than Ventrexia. I’m sure I’ll get whatever punishment I deserve there.” Gary’s mouth opens and closes, but Avocato continues on, “You never should have brought me back. If I had stayed dead, none of this ever would’ve needed to happen, and my death would’ve brought justice to all the people I did wrong.”

“A sacrifice isn’t justice, Avocato. Look, if that’s what you think is gonna be the best move to fixing things, be my guest to do it. You’ve gotta figure it all out for yourself or it’s never gonna happen.”

The blond scrubs his face tiredly with a yawn. “Okay, you know what? This whole dealio is gonna be a you problem. Instead of shooting your shot in the last seconds of an overtime game, you just dropped the ball. Like on purpose. Hard. And everybody saw it, and everyone was rooting for you to toss that ball so high in the air we would all lose it. But now everybody knows how you messed up. If Little Cato and I are going to Ventrexia, too, you need a game plan, buddy. Because whatever happens to you is gonna affect him, and he already went through so much to get you back.”

Avocato rolls his eyes. “And this is why leaving me dead would have been better.”

Gary raises an eyebrow at that, shaking his head in disappointment. “Did you ever consider that living for him is better? Even if it’s the hardest thing in the world, at least it shows you’re in for the long haul. That sacrifice didn’t mean what you think it did.”

The blond walks past him without another word, leaving the hangar bay empty for Avocato to stand in.

He doesn’t know what Gary is going on about, that his sacrifice wasn’t meaningful. He died for Little Cato, how could it not prove that he cared about him and loved him? Isn’t protecting your kids no matter what the best thing a parent can do? It doesn’t make any sense.

The Ventrexian drops down onto a crate with a huff, tossing his bag listlessly onto the ground and waiting for his chance to pay for what he has done.

Avocato watches Little Cato storm onto the Dragon Hawk 5 as Fox follows after him, Gary and Quinn frowning at the boy from where they stand together at the base of the ship’s ramp. Gary sighs quickly before turning to face Quinn. “Man, I am so excited to deal with an angry teenager for a whole trip in a confined space.”

Quinn stares at Gary with concern in her eyes. “You’ll be fine, Fox is coming along for a reason. Plus, we both know he’s not mad at you.”

Avocato ignores Quinn’s comment as best as he can as he loads supplies on the ship. It’s not the first time someone has commented on it, and it for sure won’t be the last. Getting frustrated over it won’t do anything productive.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. You gonna be okay though? You’re still feeling better? Less pain and everything?” Gary asks, worry lacing his tone.

“I feel fine, Gary, and Ash is staying here with me. And we’ve got HUE keeping an eye on me, too.”

“Okay, I’m pushing again, I know. But if something happens--”

Quinn laughs, “I’ll call you, stop worrying.”

She plants a quick kiss on Gary’s lips that the blond leans into with a stupid smile on his face. They pull apart, and Gary takes a step back up onto the ramp to head off. Avocato walks up to join him, walking into the body of the ship with Gary a step behind him. They head towards the cockpit of the ship, and upon entering the two youngest on this trip look towards them. Little Cato focuses on Gary first, then switches his gaze onto Avocato, following his each and every move. The distrust between them is palpable, and Avocato can sense that Little Cato would bite him if given the opportunity. The boy always did enjoy biting people to release his anger towards them.

“So,” Gary starts, “Ventrexia, huh?”

Little Cato nods, not taking his eyes off of his first adoptive father. Avocato breaks the eye contact first and says, “I can pilot the ship there.”

Gary and Fox share a look, but the blond just shrugs. “Alright, we’ll leave you to it. Come on, Spidercat.”

Little Cato doesn’t move, even when Fox and Gary are standing outside of the cockpit. The Ventrexian just sits with his knees curled up to his chest, his feet on the seat too large for him, and his razor sharp gaze bores into Avocato with the weight of everything. Gary leans back into the cockpit with a frown at his son’s lack of movement.

“You coming, buddy?” Gary asks slowly.

The orange Ventrexian shakes his head. “I’m staying, go on ahead.”

Avocato meets Gary’s gaze with an equally as confused one, both of them silently communicating how odd of an outcome this is. He doesn’t think the other man knows how to deal with the situation just as much as he doesn’t, not knowing how to process his son wanting to be in the same room with him for longer than a few seconds. Gary looks like he wants to protest the idea, but Fox grabs the collar of his leather jacket and starts dragging him backwards. The door slides shut with a soft whoosh, leaving the Ventrexians alone together.

Neither say a word as Avocato flips all the switches he needs to, charting the course to their home planet and piloting them out further into space. He engages the lightfold, then sits back.

“Why are you going to Ventrexia?” Little Cato asks. Avocato turns to see him glaring at him in suspicion, and he holds back the sigh of disappointment that today won’t be a good conversation.

“I’m turning myself in for all that I did,” he replies.

“And you think it’s gonna fix everything? Just like that?”

Avocato looks away from his son’s gaze. “I hope it can.”

They lull into a tense silence, reminding Avocato of how far he’s fallen in the eyes of his son. Does Little Cato even look at him as his father anymore? Is he someone who raised him and looked after him, or someone who stole him? Deep down, he knows the answer, his guilt screaming it at him every waking second, but he’s too much of a coward to ask.

“Why do you want to go to Ventrexia?” Avocato asks, even though he doesn’t need to.

The boy curls up into himself defensively at the question, and he huffs, “I need to see it, after everything.”

“You want the throne, don’t you.”

Little Cato glares at him. “As if you can talk. I would be on Ventrexia now if it wasn’t for you, so what if I maybe wanna do what I’m supposed to?”

Avocato winces, his guilt welling up to the surface at the dig. He deserves it, he deserves every angry word the boy spits at him, but it still feels like a knife digging into his chest.

“You’re going to be in a lot of danger if you chase that crown. You could get seriously hurt, we have no idea what it’s like there anymore,” Avocato warns.

“I’ve already been hurt,” the kid says in a broken voice. “They’re...they’re my people, and you made me abandon them. I can’t just leave them to fall apart like you did.”

Ah, there it is. The confirmation that Avocato has been dreading ever since the truth came to the surface. Even after they escaped from Final Space, that would follow him until he dies. And it’s catching up with him again, and it needs to happen. He hates it. God, does he hate it. But he’s run from his past for too long now, right? Even when he tried to be better, he hadn’t changed at all.

“I’m sorry that I kept it a secret from you, but I was worried it would hurt you,” Avocato says softly.

“You were supposed to be a different person now, you know,” Little Cato starts. “And we were doing better, and you were there, and it was great despite everything. It’s not my fault that I’m mad at you, it’s because you thought you could control the situation like always.”

Little Cato jumps to his feet and stalks up towards Avocato, and Avocato rushes to get his words out before his son finishes his thoughts and storms off, “It’s going to be hard for them to accept that you’re alive, after so long. You should put me in cuffs when we get there and hand me over, tell them exactly what happened. That I betrayed your parents and stole the prince, but you’ve returned with me to put me on trial for my crimes.”

The Ventrexian stops in his tracks, smiling grimly at Avocato’s words and then frowning angrily again. Avocato notices the quirk of his eyebrows that resemble his biological father’s own expressions so much that it hurts to know that even never having known him, the boy still got so much from him.

“There you go again, trying to control it to benefit you. You know, you’re just as manipulative as the Lord Commander. I’m not gonna do that for you because you can’t just help me out when it’s convenient for you.”

“It’s to help you,” Avocato emphasizes.

Little Cato crosses his arms across his chest, shrinking into himself under the weight of everything. The boy is only fourteen, and he’s gone through more than Avocato has throughout his long life. There isn’t even a crown on his head yet, but Avocato can see how its weight is pressing down on him already, threatening to crush him under the weight of being the sole heir responsible for an entire planet. Avocato can’t even imagine how it must feel, to have everything he knew turned around so completely. Now that it’s out, he’s willing to admit it was always going to happen, even if he never wanted it to.

Honestly, how could he hide from his guilt when he was raising it from infancy?

“Why didn’t you just kill me when you found me,” Little Cato says in a whisper.

Avocato takes in a shaky breath. “I had too many regrets, and losing my first son and killing your parents are my greatest.”

“So you did it for you.”

“I did it because I care about you--”

“But at that moment,” Little Cato grounds out, “you did it for yourself.”

Avocato bites his lip as Little Cato forces his gaze away from him, and he doesn’t have the strength to respond. Little Cato nods at the silence, and they both can agree that Avocato is a coward.

“Of course you did,” the prince whispers. “Good luck with whatever you think will fix you, Avocato.”

And he walks out, leaving Avocato alone. Yet, after so much time separated from the boy he raised, this is the moment where the wedge between them forms into a ravine, cracking under his feet and dropping him down to wallow in the guilt that has never left him.

Gary and Fox deliberately form a barrier between him and Little Cato as they exit the Dragon Hawk 5 and walk towards the capitol of Ventrexia. It’s only a matter of time until the guards pounce on them, but Avocato worries speaking the warning will only make things worse.

And soon enough, the pounding of soldiers running in tandem towards them overwhelms his senses as they are surrounded, soldiers yelling at them to get on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Apparently, the planet is just as Avocato left it. At least armies never change.

“None of you have the authority to be here!” a soldier shouts, pointing his gun closer towards Avocato.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Fox’s fear at being surrounded by Ventrexian soldiers, and the resulting anger from Little Cato at his friend being threatened. Gary’s face is shockingly neutral, focusing on the two boys and making sure that they’re okay and unharmed.

Avocato breathes deeply, filling up his chest and preparing himself for what he must do.

“Your guns should be trained on me,” he says calmly, infusing his voice with the authority ingrained in him from years of being a general.

“Avocato, I can’t believe you came back,” someone voices from behind the many soldiers. A path is cleared as a general makes her way forwards, glaring at Avocato with a stare that would kill a weaker man. Her fur is speckled with more grey than he remembers, but her short black fur gives her the same intimidating form in her armor as it always did. “For a war criminal with a brilliant military past, you didn’t think this plan through.”

Avocato meets her gaze with a firm one of his own. “Hello again, Licatrice.”

She hums condescendingly before speaking again, “And who are these friends of yours?”

“They’re all innocent, they have nothing to do with what I’ve done,” Avocato says, removing his hands from the back of his head to hold out in front of him. “If anyone was going to cuff me, I figured you would want to do it the most.”

Licatrice’s eyebrows raise in controlled interest, but she waves as a soldier who hands her the offered cuffs. She cuffs him without fanfare, the click of them locking feeling like relief to know that his fate is out of his hands now.

“How interesting that you gave yourself up after fourteen damn years, what changed, Avocato?” Licatrice asks, her voice icy in her hatred of him.

“Him,” Avocato says, nodding towards Little Cato, who suddenly looks a lot more afraid than before. The kid’s facade of strength is falling, leaving him looking like the frightened boy that he is.

“And what’s so special about this kid? He looks awfully small to be someone who could make you come running back here for punishment,” she taunts, walking towards Little Cato to crouch down and examine him closely.

Gary has broken through the threat of the soldiers to place a comforting hand on Little Cato’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile despite the guns pointed at them from all angles. The kid nods once and stands up, meeting the much taller Licatrice at an equal height with her lowered down.

Without any fanfare, Little Cato says with a strong conviction, “I’m the crown prince of Ventrexia.”

Licatrice’s calm demeanor falls as the soldiers around them start whispering to each other in confusion, and she turns her head to meet Avocato’s gaze. All he does is nod, and she hangs her head down low, grimacing the whole time. “Oh, I am going to enjoy your trial, you bastard,” she grits out.

The general stands to her full height, towering over Little Cato, and she gestures to her soldiers to escort Avocato to the prisons. Several soldiers grab him roughly, and he can feel the bruises forming through their collective anger as they drag him to his feet and haul him away. Avocato turns his head to look behind him to see Gary, Little Cato, and Fox all standing and talking with Licatrice, who is urging the remaining of her soldiers to follow her and protect the crown prince. Gary has a supportive hand on Little Cato’s head, ruffling his hair to calm him down from the stressful situation.

When a soldier shoves Avocato’s head to face forwards, he swears that the last bit of Little Cato he can glimpse is staring at his retreating figure sadly, but Avocato doubts he’ll ever find out for sure.

Chapter Text

“You’re really the prince?” Licatrice asks, eying Little Cato in disbelief and Gary and Fox in distrust. “I figured if the prince had survived we would have known sooner.”

Little Cato rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, avoiding Licatrice’s gaze and the stares of dozens of identical helmets from the soldiers around him. They’re watching him like snipers, as if they’ll blink and he’ll disappear forever. The only thing keeping him from the incoming panic over finally saying out loud that he’s a prince is Gary’s steady hand on his back and Fox’s large body keeping the Ventrexians from clustering around him. Little Cato’s waiting for them to try something with Fox, knowing just how much a bunch of soldiers would love to tear into him if given the chance.

“I didn’t...really know until recently,” Little Cato admits.

Licatrice raises a calm eyebrow in interest. “And how does that story play out?”

“It’s long and probably should be saved for when we tell a lot of other people,” Gary jumps in with, taking the attention off of the kid for a bit.

“You know the prince how, exactly?” she questions towards Gary with suspicion.

“I’m his dad, and you believed him about being the prince awfully quick,” his dad replies.

Licatrice turns her eyes back towards Little Cato. “Avocato may be a traitorous bastard, but he isn’t a liar.”

Little Cato’s chest stutters at her words, just knowing how much of a liar the man who raised him is. He doesn’t...he isn’t looking forward to having to talk about that whole situation.

“Plus,” Licatrice says, gaining his attention once more. This time, her gaze has softened as she looks down at him. “You look just like your parents. Perfect combination of the both of them.”

How could Little Cato possibly respond to that? After so many days looking at his reflection, looking for all the signs that he looked more and more like Avocato as he got older. When he was older, putting the differences down to the mother he never knew. The weight knowing that so many other people like Licatrice will see him in the coming days and mourn people he has never met sits heavily on his heart. A whole family he’ll never be apart of.

“We’ll inform your grandparents that you’re alive and well once we get to the castle.”

Little Cato’s eyes widen as he stops in his tracks, Gary and Fox stopping in shock with him. “My what?”

Licatrice sends him a pitying gaze. “Both your mother and your father’s parents are alive. They will be pleased to hear the news. Now, come on, we shouldn’t waste time.”

The young Ventrexian forces his feet to follow the woman, forcing the thoughts about having living grandparents out to worry about later. Preferably never, but it will end up being later. He never even thought having living biological relatives was something that could happen, but now it’s...happening. Whether he likes it or not.

“Hey, are you okay?” Gary whispers next to him as they continue to speedwalk through the ruins of Ventrexia. His dad has a concerned look on his face, and when he reaches a hand out for comfort, Little Cato leans away.

He smiles thinly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? Because that was kind of a bombshell right there, and you don’t look so good,” Fox chimes in.

Little Cato, overrun with something coursing through his chest that he can’t name, glares hard at Fox and snaps, “I’m fine, alright? Leave me alone.”

The Ventrexian speeds up his pace to walk alongside Licatrice, ignoring the pointed and worried stares his family is most certainly aiming towards his back. He wants to curl into himself and hide away from all of this, but the soldiers are more focused on him than their surroundings, their helmets identical gaze glued onto his every move. He grew up used to living in Avocato’s shadow, earning jealous and weary stares from every person on Terra Con Prime, whispers about his...stolen father’s legacy following him wherever he went. It never used to bother him, people wondering what he would grow up to be and what kind of man he would become.

Little Cato never thought that would become such a loaded question, about what legacy he will leave behind. And the thought terrifies him.

The broken landscape is the only thing that distracts him, the crumbling towers and buildings that he can glimpse from behind his tall Ventrexian soldier barricade helping him understand the true extent of the damage to his home planet. He can see glimpses of Ventrexians watching them make their way through the city, and the shouts of soldiers to move out of the way becomes background noise along with the nervous buzzing that won’t leave his ears. Little Cato doesn’t know how to process that everything is destroyed so entirely, and that a large portion of it can be boiled down to the actions of his first adoptive father.

Finally, after walking over endless rubble, the castle comes into view, small attempts at rebuilding evident from the hazardous scaffolding around it. The place that should have been his home obviously used to be beautiful, but the reconstruction has been focused on turning it into something functioning, not a brilliant display of architecture. The recent fortifications contrast with the burnt marble-like stone of the old foundation, the royal coloring and design scorched away in war.

Little Cato should feel something, right? Some sense of sorrow or loss that he’s never seen this place before. Maybe it should spark some memory from when he was a baby, make him suddenly remember the parents he never met. But...it doesn’t happen, even when he focuses so intensely on the castle’s arches and the destroyed cobblestone under his feet. His first memories are still Avocato, and he’s afraid to admit that that will never change.

Little Cato is so focused on forcing himself to have memories or experience some sort of emotion that he misses that the hands pushing him through carpeted halls are a stranger’s until Gary-sized hands are ripping him back. He jolts back into focusing on the people around him when he looks up, his head butting into Gary’s chest, to see the man frowning at the Ventrexian who was previously grabbing a hold of him.

“Hey, you can’t just start grabbing the kid and bringing him wherever!” Gary protests. Little Cato notices Fox nodding protectively alongside his dad, and heat rises to his face in embarrassment.

Licatrice sighs loudly. “We don’t have time for this. The prince needs to meet with the other generals immediately, wasting time arguing with outsiders isn’t going to get this situation figured out. Macatroni, let’s go.”

The striped orange Ventrexian who was previously urging Little Cato forwards nods quickly and starts moving to grab Little Cato again, and this is when Gary physically pushes Little Cato behind him and stands in front of him protectively. “He’s not going anywhere without us.”

The Ventrexian soldiers all point their guns towards Gary and Fox, who have both readied their hands for combat if needed. Little Cato sees the determined faces of his family, and the angry and fearful ones of Licatrice and Macatroni, respectively. They’re all going to fight over him again, and he can’t stand the guilt that he still feels over that first fateful fight over his true history. He can’t let it happen again.

“They’re not gonna hurt me,” Little Cato says, glancing between Gary and Licatrice. He doesn’t know who he’s addressing, probably both by the way their eyes narrow in tandem.

Licatrice directs her gaze to him, her prince, as she says, “Come, then, we musn’t waste anymore time.”

The Ventrexian soldiers lower their weapons, but Gary’s arm stays in its gun form until Little Cato pushes it down. His dad glances back to him and sighs, finally turning it back into his hand and walking forwards.

Licatrice shakes her head. “No, only the prince is allowed in.”

Little Cato notices how Gary furrows his brow, his protective streak very clearly about to flare up again, so he grabs his dad’s hand and gives him the best attempt at a smile he can muster. Gary’s frown only deepens, so Little Cato knows that he’s failing miserably.

“I’ll be fine, just wait out here,” he says.

“Are you sure? I’ll come in if you need me to, no matter what she says,” Gary replies, ignoring the blatant look of annoyance on Licatrice’s face.

The young Ventrexian desperately wants to grab his dad around his middle, hug him tight, and profess just how much he needs him. That he doesn’t want to face people he’s never known and explain where every part of his life went wrong and have to face that he is royalty by blood but feels no connection to this planet beyond what Avocato ingrained in him as a child. He doesn’t want to do this alone, and he doesn’t even know if he wants this period.

Little Cato needs his father, but...the crown prince of Ventrexia shouldn’t.

So he smiles wider, giving Gary’s hand a squeeze, and says with a confidence he hasn’t felt in weeks, “I got this, Thunder Bandit.”

And he lets go, letting Licatrice and Macatroni lead him into some massive doors that shut behind him with an echoing finality.

Macatroni and Licatrice start talking as Little Cato examines the room around him, taking in the arched ceilings and the large table. He aimlessly walks around the table, looking at the damage around him. How many battles has this room seen? Are the scorch marks because of what Avocato did to the home he should have grown up in?

“We should probably get you new clothes for later on, your highness,” Macatroni says, suddenly appearing next to him. “The generals should get on call in a few seconds.”

Little Cato raises an eyebrow in confusion. “New clothes?”

“Well, uh, yes? Your current clothing choice isn’t very royal, pardon my bluntness.”

“Clothes are the least of our worries right now, Macatroni. We need to talk about anything other than what he needs to wear. Now, shh, they’re joining,” Licatrice says, pushing Little Cato towards a spot at the head of the table.

When she takes her hands off of his shoulders, the holograms of intimidating Ventrexians flicker to life in front of him and focus their gaze on the general at his side. None of them have noticed his presence, but it’s only a matter of time until that changes.

“Licatrice, what was so important that you needed to call all of us,” a general with a deep voice asks. His surprisingly fluffy white tail flicks behind him in annoyance, and his look is shared by every other face at the table.

Licatrice rolls her eyes at their disdain. “You are all awfully blind for your stations. Would you like to greet our esteemed guest?”

All eyes land on Little Cato in tandem. He can see some Ventrexians’ expressions, their emotions flicking between intrigue and surprise quickly, while other generals keep their faces carefully blank, not giving away a single thought. Little Cato has the urge to fidget with something, but he knows that any movement of his will be analyzed with razor sharp gazes.

“You have a child here, wonderful. Why,” a different general drawls, leaning forwards dramatically. Little Cato’s drifting thoughts absently note that he likes her skirt, but it’s not important at the moment.

Licatrice nudges him with her elbow. “Introduce yourself.”

“My name is Little Cato,” he says, with a confidence he sure as hell doesn’t feel. He doesn’t even know if that really is his name anymore, but he continues on. “And, uh, I’m the prince.”

A few generals laugh at his proclamation, a surprised sort of chuckle. Others gasp, staring at him with a new sense of interest and horror. When the people who laughed stop, actually looking at him for the first time, their eyes all widen, joining their colleagues with similar expressions of surprise and confusion. They are all upset, processing his words and the implications behind them. The silence hurts more than the stares.

“Looks just like his mother,” someone mutters.

“Spitting image of his father, really. Look at his face.”

“This is quite a day, huh?”

“He’s a skinny thing, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah, he’s small for his age. How old are you, Little Cato?”

Little Cato jumps at being addressed, having been content listening to the chatter. It’s a pretty easy question to answer for anyone else, and even him, to be honest. It’s always going to be loaded though, and he wishes it wasn’t.

“Fourteen.”

“And you’re that small?” The white-coated general who first spoke scoffs, “Neither of your parents were that small at your age. How can we even prove you’re the prince?”

The young Ventrexian can’t help it when he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

“It’s been so long, as well,” another general says. “Where have you been? What happened these past fourteen years that kept you from us?”

Little Cato doesn’t know how to begin, at which tragedy his story starts. There are so many things that have messed his life up that he can’t even decide which is the worst. Finding out his whole life has been a lie might be the cherry on top, though. And now he has to bare his deepest traumas to a whole group of people gathered solely to judge him. Which probably wasn’t what Licatrice intended this meeting to be, but he can only see how each Ventrexian gazes at him with a thousand burning questions, waiting and wanting to believe whatever story he’s about to tell that will make every piece fall into place.

He...doesn’t understand the puzzle that his life has become, though. He hates to admit it, but he was hoping that by coming to Ventrexia, everyone would give him the pieces he was missing and maybe, just maybe, everything would make sense. Little Cato would know who he is, and he wouldn’t need to keep searching for the answer.

But, now he has to tell them. Who he is. Where he came from. His origins that they think is a surprise, something that never could have been a possibility.

Maybe it’s easiest to start with the fallout, and go from the worst parts to the ones that will be the worst to everyone else.

“I didn’t know I was the prince until...pretty recently. It was a surprise,” Little Cato says, cutting himself off because he genuinely doesn’t know what else to say.

“How did you find out?”

“My...dad told me,” the boy says quietly.

Licatrice frowns next to him and turns towards the doors that lead to the hallway, where Gary and Fox probably are still standing. “The human? How would he have even known that?”

Little Cato can’t look at the generals whispering about his dad being a human, the scorn and confusion in their voices evident. Plus, the next part is the hardest, so he says sadly, “It was my other dad.”

“And who is that, exactly?”

A liar. A traitor. A man who raised him for as long as he can remember. Who died to save his life, and who he was willing to die for just to get him back. Who’s now locked in a prison cell because he was always exactly who he said he was, but Little Cato could never see it past the facade of them being family.

Little Cato frowns deeply, gripping his leggings tight between his fingers to ready himself. He breathes in deeply, letting the nerve-wracking silence comfort him from his fears roaring their head inside of him.

“Avocato.”

Silence. For one short, brief, miniscule moment, no Ventrexian says a word or breathes, as if time has stopped completely. Then, all hell breaks loose as generals start ranting and screaming, some in anger, others in fear, but all in collective betrayal. Macatroni nearly collapses, and Little Cato rushes to catch the man as best as he can, trying to help him ease down into a seat because his larger form is too much for Little Cato to hold. He focuses on Macatroni in front of him to ignore the swears and vitriolic yelling going on around him, Licatrice slamming a fist down on the table adding to the ruckus.

He knew they would react negatively, it was bound to happen based on Licatrice’s feelings towards Avocato when she put him in cuffs. But the hatred that he can sense, even when some of these Ventrexians must be millions of kilometers away, hurts him physically, leaving his chest tight and hollow at the same time.

“Avocato! That traitorous bastard! He kills the king and queen and steals their son from their corpses? I’m going to kill himself myself!”

“No wonder we never knew he survived!”

“Of course it was Avocato, the man is an endless killing machine. He would do anything to add insult to injury.”

“You poor thing, everything you must have gone through. Fourteen years with that monster?”

“Heh. The boy’s too small for his age, probably was starved by him.”

Little Cato frowns, turning his attention back to the raging generals. “Starve me?” he questions quietly, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“How badly did he hurt you? All the injuries are probably hidden under your fur.”

Little Cato moves away from Macatroni to stand his ground, shaking his head at the furious Ventrexians. “He didn’t hurt me.”

Yes, he did. Avocato hurt him so much when the truth came out. But he never...beat him or starved him. The thought alone makes him feel sick to his stomach.

“You don’t have to lie with us. We’ll hunt that fucker down and make sure he can never see you again.”

“Would you believe it,” Licatrice says, “that Avocato is in chains as we speak.”

“What? How is that possible,” the white-coated general speaks again.

Licatrice scoffs. “Bastard turned himself in when Little Cato came. I can’t understand a lick of it, Pawtermelon.”

“Probably thinks it will gain him a lighter sentence now that he was caught,” Pawtermelon spits out.

“He regrets it.”

All the generals whip their heads to Little Cato, who only now realized that he had spoken.

“Pardon me?” Pawtermelon asks with venom in his voice.

Little Cato swallows a lump in his throat. “Avocato. He...regrets what he did. All of it. That’s why he turned himself in.”

Each general frowns either in anger or pity at Little Cato’s words, and he feels just as small as they all see him.

“Avocato is a manipulator, young one,” another general says to him. “He will say anything to get what he wants. I wouldn’t trust a single word he says.”

“A bastard through and through, that one. Why would you believe him after fourteen years of lies?”

Little Cato doesn’t know. Why is he defending Avocato in the first place? He says he hates Avocato, whenever the man tried to approach him on the Galaxy 02 and amend what he broke between them. But...did it ever break? Was there anything there built on truth?

His whole life. His whole entire life, he had his dad. The idea of him, this strong man that would do anything for him. How could Avocato have broken their relationship when it never existed. And it hurts, god it hurts to admit, but Little Cato knows, deep down, that it was all an illusion all along. Any sort of love or care from his father wasn’t real, just built on an idea of his son like Little Cato built it on an idea of his father.

It wasn’t real for either of them, was it? Avocato lied to himself that he had a son, and Little Cato lied, too. Just an idea. And even in Final Space Little Cato believed it, thinking that they could repair and make up for lost time as if...as if it wasn’t a relationship doomed from day one.

What can he do now. The illusion of a family is gone, finally. It never clicked until now, surprisingly. That there isn’t a single real memory from his childhood. There’s nothing.

So much for solving that puzzle of his messed up life. Little Cato doesn’t think there is any life to solve for in the first place, anymore.

“Well, we need to plan for the coronation now,” a general says, snapping Little Cato out of his spiral temporarily.

“Coronation?” Licatrice questions. “He isn’t even old enough to take the throne, and dealing with Avocato is more pressing.”

The generals start talking over each other, making Licatrice pinch the bridge of her nose with a sigh. She turns towards Little Cato and shakes her head.

“Macatroni, take him and get him settled somewhere. We need to discuss things without him present.”

Little Cato wants to protest that he should be included in discussions about himself, but everything has finally come crashing down on him that he just wants to wallow in his thoughts for days. The generals just see him as a little kid right now, victimized by the big bad Avocato. And Little Cato doesn’t even have the energy to prove them wrong, that he’s more than just Avocato’s crime.

But the hollowness in his chest lets him be led away by Macatroni’s hands, the Ventrexian chattering away about getting him better clothes and other things as he leads him through empty halls. The emptiness seeps so deeply into Little Cato’s bones that he doesn’t even notice that Macatroni is leading him out a different door from the one Gary and Fox still wait outside of anxiously.

Chapter Text

Gary taps his foot impatiently, still leaning against the wall. The same wall, for three hours. Three hours!

He’s worried about Little Cato, is the kid doing okay in there? The boy was obviously putting on a strong face for him, to let him go off and do prince-ly things on his own. Gary obviously understands why Little Cato wants to do it alone, but it frustrates him to no end. None of them have been here before, well, minus Avocato. Actually, Little Cato was born here, so---

Nope, he’s getting distracted. Little Cato is just as clueless as the rest of them. Gosh, he’s worried about his son. He’s about two seconds away from busting down those doors, the small army’s worth of soldiers eyeing him and Fox with laser eyes. The hatred for Tryvuulians he reluctantly understands, but Gary, too?

It’s incredibly infuriating, and he has officially had enough. He’ll blast down the door with his arm if Little Cato doesn’t walk out in three, two, one---

Licatrice exits the room, her back perfectly straight and her gaze tired yet vicious. Her soldiers stand at attention and all not-so-subtley look towards Gary and Fox, making the general turn her head in their direction. Her gaze levels at them dissmissively.

“And what are you still doing here?”

Gary walks away from the wall and up to Licatrice. “Where’s Little Cato?”

“Macatroni took him to get him settled somewhere. He’ll be fine in our hands.”

Gary crosses his arm against his chest with a displeased hum, narrowing his eyes at the Ventrexian. She looks down at him with distaste in her eyes. Gary gets the vibe from her that she’s the type of person to complain about a single pea in her pasta when there shouldn’t be one, and he feels it deep in his bones. They have a staring match for a few moments before Licatrice tsks and rolls her eyes.

“Ugh, you humans are so persistent for no reason. I’ll escort you down, but you’ll be wasting so much of my time.”

She waves away her soldiers and leads Gary and Fox down battered hallways. The sun sets through the shattered stained glass windows, casting sad colored lights over the ground as they walk. Gary noticed the damage and destruction earlier, but it’s as if Ventrexians can’t escape war. It follows them into every aspect of their lives, permeating their houses and cities and families. He knew the planet’s situation was bad, but….

“This is what Avocato did,” Licatrice says suddenly.

“When...he killed the king and queen?” Gary asks.

Licatrice nods. “We were being torn apart by war, it’s just the way of life around here. I hate to admit it, but Ventrexia was in decline since the war started. Avocato was...he doomed us. We had a chance to win with him. We trained together, him and I. I watched him become the killing machine he is, and no one had anything but praise for him. He was loyal, what more could you ask for in a soldier. Loyalty, what a joke.

“Anyways, he killed them, left us all in ruin. Without the king and queen, us generals were as lost as everyone else. I don’t know what made him do what he did, but I can say he sure did make an impact. Ventrexia lost everything because of him, but we’ve still got war.”

Licatrice pauses in front of a door and opens it, revealing what looks like the only intact room in the entire palace. A massive bed sits at the center of the room, so regal compared to the rest of the palace. And there lies Little Cato, swallowed up by the luxury sheets and the massive bed, passed out to the world. This...is the life the kid was supposed to have. Beds he will never fit in that just eat him up, vaulted ceilings and windows that lead to elegant balconies.

Gary walks over to his son and sits down next to him, running a hand through the boy’s fur. Little Cato purrs in his sleep, making his dad smile softly. The kid sure did have a busy day.

“Fox, I gotta go do something. You got it from here, right big man?” Gary asks, turning to the Tryvuulian.

Fox nods with a smile. “No worries here, I’ll take care of this stupid little Ventrexian.”

The blond leans down towards Little Cato and gives him a kiss on his forehead. “Rest up, my little Spider-Cat.”

Then Gary stands, walking out of the room, letting the door close behind him. Licatrice is standing there, eyeing him curiously.

“What?” Gary asks defensively. “Not good enough for your prince?”

The general shakes her head. “How did you end up knowing Avocato?”

“He’s my friend. Had me look after Little Cato when he, uh, died for a while. Ended up adopting the kid, though, you know how these things go,” Gary explains lamely.

Licatrice just stares at him, then huffs. “Did you know who Avocato was? What he did?”

“We kicked each other’s asses when I found out. I haven’t forgiven him for it obviously, but...I know he wants to be better. That’s why he came here, so that Ventrexia could get some sort of justice or closure. For him, too, I guess. But he’s doing it all for that kid.”

And it might never be enough. Gary came here knowing that this could tear the Catos apart forever, but this isn’t his fight. His job is to protect Little Cato, make sure that that kid has the future he deserves after all of the heartbreak he’s gone through in his short life. Avocato is doing the same, in trying to right his wrongs and prove to the boy that he does love him. Gary doesn’t know how this will end, whether Avocato might get executed and never get a chance to be better, or if Little Cato will never be able to look at Avocato without hating him again.

Gary knew the truth would destroy Little Cato, and he remembers how hard and how long that kid cried for. It lives in his memory and resurfaces whenever his son’s ears droop. It’s...it’s going to be a long road, for all of them.

“Then we know two very different Avocatos,” Licatrice says, her voice sad from its conviction.

Then, she walks away, leaving him alone in the hallway.

“I guess we do.”

“Hey, Spider-Cat, you got a minute to--”

Little Cato frowns apologetically at his dad as Macatroni and his group of Ventrexians start ushering the kid away for whatever stupid thing they think is necessary at the moment. Yesterday was apparently twelve straight hours of a history lesson about just the palace, not even getting to the people that lived in it. And the day before, Little Cato was swept up into etiquette lessons and fittings, and the day before that had the kid stuck in a military meeting all day.

To say the least, Gary is getting fed up with not being able to see his son at all. Fox has been nervous this entire time, the Ventrexians judging stares boring into him and leaving him to self-confine himself in his room he was given or the sad remains of the palace gardens. Gary hasn’t been very welcome either, getting shut out at every turn when all he wants to do is support his kid.

They only have a few minutes together every day, when Little Cato is finally allowed to crash in the bed too big for him. His kid gives him a quick recap of the day and then falls asleep in the middle of his sentence, leaving Gary alone to card his fingers through the boy’s fur and calm him back to sleep if he has nightmares. Of course, Gary doesn’t mind comforting his son like this, but...he wants to be there for him when he’s awake, too.

“Sorry...you,” Macatroni says dismissively. “There’s so much to do and not enough time in the day, we can’t have you distracting the prince!”

“He’s my son! And the name’s Gary!”

“Gary, yes, well, still too much of a distraction either way,” Macatroni snides, pushing Little Cato into a room and letting the door shut behind them.

Gary groans loudly, pettily hoping that the stupid Ventrexian who won’t let him see his freaking son can hear him. Oh, he is so going to ring his stupid striped tail out when he sees him next.

Well, another day, another plan failed. He tries the pad against the door to see if it was left unlocked, but sadly that fails, too. What can he do? Especially when Little Cato is letting himself be dragged along, as if he doesn’t know what to do either.

The blond sighs, running his fingers through his hair frustratedly, and he grimaces when his robotic finger gets stuck in a knot. It’s too early to feel this old.

Now, what is he going to do all day? He can’t just sit around again, there’s got to be something he can do that’s productive or helpful. Actually, there is something he’s been meaning to do...well, this is as good of a time as any.

Gary starts walking towards the palace’s entrance, planning on snatching one of the few hoverbikes available to use for his own purposes. Little Cato had told him the other night that Gary has permission to do whatever he wants, and no one should stop him. It’s weird for his son to be the one giving him permission to do things, but that’s just how strange their family is, if Gary’s being honest.

The blond walks through the halls, forcing his gaze away from the hung portraits of Little Cato’s ancestors. He doesn’t have the strength to look up at them and see Little Cato’s features, to know intimately where the boy’s eyes came from, to understand the full weight of the history the kid still doesn’t know. Little Cato is his son, and he obviously knows that it isn’t by blood at all. But this isn’t the family the kid grew up with.

He enters the palace’s hangar, ignoring the eyes of the guards and their whispers. Gary finds a bike he likes that isn’t in horrible condition, and he’s about to hop on and ride off when a Ventrexian taps his shoulder. Gary turns to meet her stare, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

“I was told to escort you if you needed to travel, sir,” she says, standing at attention.

“Oh, uh, alright,” Gary says awkwardly. “So you know where the prisons are?”

She nods and waves at Gary, so he slides back on the bike and lets her take over. They pull out of the hangar and head out into the city, both of them ignoring the various states of disarray the Ventrexian capital is in. He knows the soldiers must be used to it, living and breathing war, but it must still hurt.

“Hey, what’s your name?” Gary asks.

“Oh! Cinnameow, at your service,” she replies excitedly, her ears twitching in the wind. “Sorry that I was all stuffy before, didn’t want to get in trouble for breaking protocol or whatever. Plus, no one really likes you, so that’s why I’m here!”

Gary frowns. “Well, that sorta hurts. Do youlike me?”

Cinnameow shrugs. “No clue yet! But you kept the prince safe, so you get a gold star for trying! We’re...not used to outsiders unless there’s an invasion, people might just not know what to do with you yet.”

“Noted. Alright, I’ve got a question for you, Cinnameow.”

She nods. “Hit me with it.”

Gary takes in a deep breath, steeling his nerves. “How do you feel about...Avocato?”

Cinnameow’s excitement over meeting a new person deflates, and she rubs her chin in thought. The ride is silent for a few moments, and Gary’s heartrate increases as he waits.

“Man, I don’t know. I was a kid when Avocato betrayed us, so I grew up with everyone telling me to hate him. And, you know, obviously I do, but it’s not the same. Everybody loved him, I just knew him as that guy that did a really bad thing.

“So, how do you feel about him? Clearly you’ve got thoughts, mister,” Cinnameow asks.

Gary rubs the back of his neck with a sigh. “He’s my best friend, but I clearly don’t know that much about him. Trying to figure it out.”

His travelling escort hums noncomittantly. “Hm, yeah. You should probably figure it out soon before he’s executed!”

Gary’s jaw drops open. “Excuse me?!”

“Yeah, he’s like, a major war criminal. I know they’re putting him on trial and whatnot, but it’s just a formality,” Cinnameow explains casually. “He’s...pretty guilty. It’s not a matter of did he do it, we all know he did.”

Gary sits back and lets the words sink in, Avocato’s words from before they left the Galaxy 02 leaving him uneasy. The two let the ride carry in silence, Gary mulling over what Avocato’s fate is going to be. He knows how Little Cato feels about the Ventrexian, but what is this going to do to him now?

Time passes quietly, and Gary and Cinnameow dismount the hoverbike when they arrive at the prisons. Guards are stationed all around the yard, their guns locked and loaded for any sign of danger. Reluctantly, the guards give Gary access to go inside, and Cinnameow leads him through the prison halls, past cells with Tryvuulians and a few sporadic Ventrexians. It makes his stomach churn uncomfortably, seeing this side of the war. These Tryvuulians had no more reason to fight than the Ventrexians, and he’s willing to bet that the Tryvuulian prisons don’t look much different.

Cinnameow leads him into an elevator, taking him up to the highest level of the prison. When they step off, Gary notices instantly how the guards are bigger and more armored, as well as there just being more of them. Oh, they really did not like Avocato, huh.

They walk down the hallway, the number of guards growing the further they go, until a row of guards in front of a cell catches Gary’s eye. Behind the guards and the electric red barrier, Avocato sits on a bench, cuffs on his wrists that are chained to the ground. Avocato is staring resolutely down, his drab prison uniform only adding to his sullen look.

“Avocato,” Gary says quietly.

The Ventrexian looks up at him, a small, forced smiling pulling at his lips. “Hey, Gary.”

Gary walks up to the guards, staring them down until the give in and deactivate the barrier. Gary walks into the cell, and the barrier comes up again immediately, locking him in with his friend.

“Man, they, uh, really don’t like you,” Gary says with an awkward laugh.

Avocato levels him with a stare, clearly unamused. “Yeah, I noticed. What are you even doing here?”

“Wanted to check in with my bromigo. How...how you holding up?”

Gary sits down next to Avocato as his friend sighs, leaning down to where his chest almost touches his thighs. He looks...tired. Weary, like Gary only saw a few times from the man. Avocato even looks old, his eyes depressed and the creases in his brow that look like they’ll never go away. And, is there gray starting to show amongst his blue fur?

“I’m here, reliving memories. The usual. How is Little Cato?”

Gary sighs, too. “I get to see the kid for five minutes before he falls asleep, so I’ve got no updates on the son front. It’s...I’m worried about him.”

Avocato nods solemnly. “It doesn’t surprise me, he’s trying to learn about this whole new way of life. He’s gonna try to rush through it.”

“Yeah, you can say that again,” Gary responds.

They lull into silence quickly, neither one knowing what to say. Gary notices how the guards are watching them subtly, making sure Avocato doesn’t make an escape attempt. He knows...some of what his friend did, but Gary hasn’t felt the true weight of it until now.

“They’re really going to execute you. And you...you chose to come back,” Gary says matter-of-factly, no judgement in his tone.

Avocato laughs humorlessly. “Gary, you’re surprised? I betrayed the entire planet, and that isn’t even the only thing I’ve done. I-I can’t even tell you how many crimes I’ve committed, how many people I’ve killed. If I want to be better for...for Little Cato, I can’t...I can’t keep running from the consequences. You were right.

“It really would have been easier if I stayed dead, but I can’t take the easy way out.” Avocato laughs, burying his head in his hands. “I fooled myself for so long thinking I could...I don’t even know anymore. Raise him without ever dealing with this? I think deep down, I always knew I’d come back here for him. And if it means I have to...finally get the consequences of my actions, well, that’s what needs to happen.”

“If...if you’re executed, it’ll destroy him,” Gary whispers, his voice choked up.

Avocato meets Gary’s eyes, a deep-set frown on the Ventrexian’s face. “He already hates me, Gary. And...no matter what I do, I always hurt him. But this-this is the right decision.”

His friend’s eyes are determined in a way Gary hasn’t seen since they went to rescue Little Cato so long ago. Avocato is sure about this, and he’s clearly accepted and welcomed whatever punishment he’s going to face for what he did.

Gary nods seriously. “Yeah, I think it’s the right decision. But you’ve gotta make sure Little Cato knows you’re not doing it to run away.”

“I think I’m the last person they would let get near him right now,” Avocato huffs.

The blond puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Avocato smiles thinly, giving his best attempt at showing his appreciation. It’s...weird that this is the second time Gary has had to go visit someone he knows in prison before their execution. But this time, it leaves bile rising in his throat, the thought of his friend dying…again...leaving his emotions in a whirlwind. He shouldn’t...worry about that right now, it’s only a possibility.

“You should get out of here before they think you’re conspiring with a traitor,” Avocato teases, elbowing Gary’s arm.

Gary pushes Avocato, earning a small but genuine laugh from the Ventrexian. “Hey, I’ve done time before, what’s some more?”

Avocato shakes his head. “Go, seriously. Little Cato needs you more than I do. If I know that kid, he can only stand so much formality.”

The blond stands, clasping Avocato’s hand even though it’s cuffed. “See ya, buddy.”

Then, the barrier deactivates, Gary steps out in between the wall of guards, and then they come back up again, locking Avocato away. His friend nods at him with a smile, and Gary smiles back. He turns away, his heart in his throat, and lets Cinnameow escort him out.

Gary rolls his shoulders, sighing as it releases some of the tension he’s had built up for days. Man, he really is getting old. That’s kind of sad.

He leans with his elbows against the railing of the balcony attached to Little Cato’s room with his jacket off, staring out at the view of Ventrexia. Gary can see every place where the city must have been beautiful, the few unscorched parts of the architecture that remain showing stunning colors and art. The rest of the landscape is just rubble, in various stages of being rebuilt for habitation. Other buildings are just left untouched, too far gone to even bother with.

Gary hears the door open behind him, and he turns around to see Little Cato walk in, the kid sighing deeply.

“Hey there, Spider-Cat. I’m loving the new look,” Gary notes.

Little Cato looks up at Gary and then down at his clothes, as if he had forgotten he was wearing an entirely different outfit. And it sure is different, Gary has to admit. The white silk-like fabric of his flowy shirt blends nicely with the boy’s purple leggings and his golden short skirt. His brown boots don’t look functional in the slightest, but Gary doubts they were made for that purpose.

Little Cato shrugs, walking over to his dad on the balcony. “Oh yeah. I asked for a dress but Macatroni had a fit about it, saying that it didn’t work for an everyday outfit. And he already had gone on a rant about what fabric this was for an hour so I was too tired to argue.”

“What fabric is it? Is it silk?” Gary asks.

“That’s what I said! But noooo, it’s not, and when I asked what it was he went off. And guess what? I still have no idea what it’s made of,” the kid huffs.

Gary laughs, ruffling the kid’s hair and earning a weak smile in return, but Little Cato’s face falls quickly as the boy buries his head in his arms bundled on the ledge. The blond frowns at his son, leaning down to be closer to him.

“Hey, what’s up, son?”

Little Cato sighs. “I don’t know, I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m just being weird for no reason.”

Gary flicks his kid’s nose gently. “Nope, you’re gonna tell your old man what’s up. Hit me with it, that’s why I’m here.”

His son glances at him out of the corner of his eye, then mumbles something into his arms. And goes completely silent, even when Gary waits patiently for him to share with the class. Okay, fine, he can work with a moody teenager who doesn’t want to admit defeat.

“Okay,” Gary huffs. He sits down with his back against the balcony, staring up at Little Cato. “We’re gonna play a game called Small Talk, alright, buddy? I’ll go first: hi, how was your day?”

Little Cato rolls his eyes but sits down next to his dad. “My day was fine.”

“Good, good. What’s the coolest thing you saw today?”

“Um, I tripped Macatroni with my tail earlier, and he fell down the stairs, so that was pretty cool.”

Gary laughs, making his kid smile. “A nice, solid prank. Learn anything new on your adventures of tripping annoying people?”

“Well, a lot. Apparently, they had to rebuild the stained glass in the main dining room like 100 times in one month because so many fights broke out during dinners with diplomats,” Little Cato explains with a smile.

“Ventrexians are good at getting into scuffles, huh? Got any more fun trivia like that?”

Little Cato’s grin brightens as he shifts where he sits, facing his dad more. “There’s an old Ventrexian legend that the first sword in the entire universe was made here, on the castle grounds. That’s why Ventrexians are such good warriors, because it was born with us. Isn’t that cool?!”

Gary smiles at his son’s excitement. “What’s the sword look like?”

“Okay, so, it’s hilt was forged from a wedding bracelet. But not just any wedding bracelet, but it was the husband of the blacksmith who made it. And he made it to avenge his husband’s death, so he put his own blood and tears into it and even today its supposed to be the strongest weapon ever. The metal is like pure black, no one knows what it could be made of.”

“And where’s this sword now?”

Little Cato shakes his head. “No one knows. Technically, it’s all legend, but I bet it’s real. There’s a bunch of hidden passageways throughout the castle that I wanna explore, it might be hidden somewhere in the palace.”

“That’s really cool, bud, but don’t leave me out of those hidden tunnel explorations. I wanna get in on those adventures,” Gary teases.

Little Cato laughs, making an X over his heart. “I promise, I’ll let you come if you can catch up, old man.”

Gary scoffs. “Oh, old now, huh? Just the other day you said I was too spry for my age?”

“Depends on the day, Dad. You gotta keep up with this stuff.”

The two go silent for a moment, then burst into a quick fit of laughter that ends as quickly as it started. Little Cato leans against the bannister, staring out at the city as Gary does the same. They take in deep breaths together, then release them. Well, it’s now or never. Gary hopes the game worked.

“And how are you feeling, Spider-Cat?” Gary asks casually.

Little Cato stares at the sunset over the rubble and says, “Lonely. I feel lonely.”

Ah, there it is.

Gary has his arms open wide for when Little Cato sadly shuffles into his dad’s hold, resting his head against his chest for Gary to hold close. He watches his son rub a fist against his eye to stop his tears, so much like a little kid that it hurts. The kid sniffles, and Gary gently scratches behind his ears to comfort him.

“I don’t know anyone, and they just keep pushing me around like they know me and I don’t know what I’m doing! And-and it’s so stupid that I’m crying in your arms like a baby because I can’t handle a little stress. I’m the...I’m the freaking prince, I can’t be weak...I’ve gotta be strong, Dad, or else I-I can’t be a good leader,” Little Cato pushes out in a rush, the genuine distress bleeding into his voice. “I want to be a good leader.”

“Hey,” Gary soothes, “it’s alright. If they expect you to know everything at once, then they’re idiots. Total idiots, got it? You’re a kid, on a planet you’ve never been to, trying to take on a whole lot of responsibility. Anyone in your shoes would be stressed.

“But it’s not all on you, that’s why Fox and I came along. You’re not gonna do this alone, so no more feeling lonely, just come get me. Heck, if they try to keep me out of one more of their dumb meetings, I’m slamming my arm in the door and forcing my way in. And my son is gonna be the best prince Ventrexia has ever seen, got it?”

Little Cato laughs wetly. “You can’t say that, you’re biased.”

“And? Sorry, but my son’s the best. That’s just a fact, little buddy.”

His Spider-Cat finally wraps his arms around Gary in turn. “I’m just...worried I’m gonna fail. Leaders are supposed to do things by themselves, right?”

Gary frowns down at his boy. “Where’d you get that idea from?”

Little Cato stays silent, burying his face further into his dad’s chest. And oh, it clicks. Of course. Oh, Gary is so stupid. Why wouldn’t the kid’s only example of leadership be from Avocato, no wonder he’s so worried about being good. God, this damned prince. What is he going to do with him?

“You’re a good kid, Little Cato. I know you’re gonna do a great job because you care about these people, even if you don’t know them all. Just be you, and you’ll be fine,” Gary encourages, planting a quick kiss on his son’s forehead.

“Thanks, Dad. I’m sorry I’ve been...you know, lately.”

Gary just hums in acknowledgement, rubbing circles into Little Cato’s back. Wow, that silk is really soft, Gary might have to steal some of it for Quinn. That’s a later problem, right now, Gary just focuses on being there for his son. But, he’s so focused on being his support system that he misses the furrow to Little Cato’s brow as the kid stares at the spire of the Ventrexian prisons from under Gary’s arms.

Chapter Text

Avocato listened to the music, swaying on his feet in his lovingly crowded kitchen. If he could manage to not burn this pie, then he could leave having lovingly surprised his wife and son. He doubted he could do this without burning it at least a little, he was rusty. That was what he earned after being gone from home for so long on campaigns. Well, it wasn’t like he ever had a choice.

Now, where did that bowl of berries go…?

“And what are we doing here, hmm? Baking, in my kitchen, without me?”

Avocato whipped his head around, meeting his wife’s smug gaze from where she held the bowl of berries across the kitchen. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing, and Avocato shook his head fondly.

“Your kitchen? Last time I checked, this was my childhood home,” Avocato teased, walking over to her and snatching the bowl from her hands. “Honeycat, where did you even get these from?”

Honeycat grins at him. “Oh, General Avocato, I thought you were the greatest warrior Ventrexia had ever seen. You didn’t notice your wife sneak up on you and snatch these boys?”

To make matters even worse, his Honeycat picked up a single berry and popped it in her mouth, chewing overexaggeratedly just to piss him off. And oh, it worked, alright.

Avocato tossed the bowl onto the table smoothly, and he entwined his fingers into one of Honeycat’s paws while grabbing her around her waist with his other hand. She laughed as he brought her into a dance, goofy in all its nature. Together, they swayed and dipped and bounced around their small kitchen, Honey quickly taking over the dance to lead him around. Avocato laughed from deep within his chest, and happiness bloomed across his face when he met his wife’s beautiful eyes. Their dance continued until the song ended, which left them to hold each other gently, their tails wrapped around each other as their noses touched.

“I love you, baby,” Avocato breathed.

“I love you, too, you goof,” Honeycat replied with her country drawl that could turn Avocato into a puddle on the ground.

“Well, would you like to help this goof make a pie or what? It’s not going to bake itself.”

Honeycat gasped dramatically, letting her limbs go limp so that her husband was forced to catch her. “You’re gonna make me help you make a pie for me? And on our anniversary of all days?”

“I could never forget our anniversary, baby. But I will save this pie all for Purrito if you’re gonna be so mean to me like that,” Avocato teased with a smirk.

Honeycat rolled her eyes, her creamy golden brown curls bouncing as she laughed. Her lips came up to press against Avocato’s, and the two let themselves be absorbed by their love for just a moment. For just this moment, they were the only two in existence, their adoration for each other overtaking every part of their souls and minds. God, what would he do without this spitfire in his heart and his arms.

“Papa? Mama?”

Avocato and Honeycat broke apart, and Avocato’s grin merely grew at the sight of his little boy leaning sleepily against the doorway. His little white paw rubbed at his white-ringed eye, his blue and golden tortoise-shelled fur an absolute mess after his nap.

“What’s up, baby?” Avocato asked gently, crouching down.

Purrito stumbled sleepily right into Avocato’s chest, the man having to catch his son to stop him from tumbling over. “Makin’ pie?”

“Hell yeah, we are, Purry,” Avocato shouted in a whisper, making his son giggle.

Avocato placed a big kiss on Purrito’s forehead, then blew a giant raspberry that woke the kid up, Purrito giggling like a madman in his dad’s strong grip. Avocato tossed him in the air, and Honeycat caught him and gave him her own raspberry, the love in her eyes only reserved for the two of them. The Ventrexian grinned, then rushed up behind his wife and son and swung them up in his arms, making them both shout in surprise. The three devolved into laughter, Avocato finally putting them down when his wife smacked his arm.

“So, Purrito, my little bundle of joy, wanna help your dear old man make a pie for us so we can get summerberry juice in his fur?” Honeycat asked their son conspiratorilly.

“Yeah,” Purrito screamed at the top of his lungs, making his parents wince. Avocato was so glad that his parents were out of the house at the market for the day, the noise would drive them up a wall.

So, as a family, content as could be, Avocato held his son in his arms and let the boy arrange the berries as best as he could in the pie, Honey fixing things as they went along. Avocato poured in the sugar and jam mixture he had made, the one recipe he could say for certain that no one else could make like him. Then, with all three of them combined, they placed the top layer of crust over it and pinched it as a team, slid it into their old, decrepit, falling apart oven, and sat back to relax.

Avocato walked out onto the porch of his childhood home in the country, so far away from the capital and its neverending bustle. He collapsed down onto their outdoor couch, the one Honeycat’s parents had made for them when they got engaged, Purrito in his lap and Honeycat leaned against him. Avocato let his head drop into his wife’s curls, soaking up her scent before he had to leave soon.

“Papa, miss you,” Purrito mumbled, trying his darndest to wrap his arms around his father’s torso with his little toddler arms.

“I’m gonna miss you, too, buddy. But don’t worry, your dad is gonna be back real soon.” Avocato shifted to meet his wife’s eyes, and he lifted a hand to rub at the worried furrow in her brow. “Maybe, I might be home for good this time.”

Honeycat sat up in shock, staring at her husband with her mouth open. “You’re kidding me, Cato. Seriously?”

Avocato smiled. “As real as it gets, Honey. Now, I don’t know for sure, but this next fight we have planned...it could be the one that ends the war, for good. If we can pull it off, it’ll at least be the start of the end.”

“End of the war,” Honeycat whispered. “I don’t even know what that would look like.”

Avocato’s hands came up and cupped his wife’s face, and he smiled as earnestly as possible. “It means I can stay here with you and our little rascal. No more long campaigns, just us. Here.”

Honeycat laughed breathlessly, shaking her head. Her own hands reached up and cupped her husband’s cheeks, and they pulled each other into a slow kiss, savoring the feeling of being together until they would be without each other for a long while. Avocato would miss the feeling of her warm body pressed against his in bed, and getting to watch Purrito grow more and more every day.

“Well, until then, we’ll just have to survive without you,” Honeycat said quietly, like a private secret between them. Tears pooled in her eyes, and Avocato ignored the warmth in his own eyes. “You’ve got yourself a strong wife and son, so you better not start missing us while you’re off being the hero, you hear? You’ve got to hurry back so you can help me finish fixing up this house, it’s practically falling apart, and I’m not going to do all the heavy work myself when I’ve got to watch over this furball.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Avocato choked out.

The husband and wife pressed wet kisses against their boy’s head, who had managed to drift off to sleep again. Soon, Avocato would be able to come home and never have to worry about needing to leave again. He could come home and rebuild their home, make it bigger for a bigger family but with just as much love. He hadn’t even left yet, but Avocato couldn’t wait to return home to his Honey and Purrito.

The ceiling is gray. No, maybe it’s a dark brown. Avocato knows it isn’t black, luckily. But the damn red from the barrier of his cell makes it impossible to figure out what color stone is above him. He had seen the cells a thousand times before, but he never spent enough time in them to know what color the ceiling was. And now, he wishes he had the foresight to have checked. It might’ve kept him sane for this prolonged prison stay.

Actually, if Avocato had foresight, he wishes it could be used to stop him from ever making the mistakes he did. Maybe then the color of the cell’s ceiling would never have needed to cross his mind in the first place.

The Ventrexian breathes in through his nose, then lets it out as a sigh. He’s...tired. Of the waiting, of the not knowing, of so much of it. But, he’s tired of himself. That even with nothing but his thoughts, left with absolutely nothing but himself...he still runs. He runs from the weight of it, crushing down on him from above like the weight of his son sitting on his shoulder’s because nothing will ever be enough to make him not want to run from himself.

He is a coward. A deserter, leaving the only battle he can fight behind because he is too afraid to see what is on the other side.

Avocato...is a coward.

If there is one thing he will learn before his second end, it is that he will die a coward.

“Look alive, bastard, you’ve got more visitors,” one of the guards sneers towards Avocato.

Avocato’s mouth opens in surprise, his brow furrowing in confusion. It wouldn’t be Gary again, but who else would come to visit him?

He stands, the chains keeping him to the floor rattling with the movement, reminding him that everything happened because of him. The barrier of his cell drops before the guards part, letting two Ventrexians through, and Avocato’s heart plummets in his chest. His father waves him away from the bench, and Avocato complies on instinct, his jaw to the floor as his parents take a seat on the hard bench. He hears the cell’s barrier raise again, and they fall into deep silence.

His parents. His mother and his father. Here. Visiting him. Why? Why now, after so long?

“I–”

“No, no excuses. We’re not here for you to lie to us again,” his mother says, interrupting words that Avocato didn’t even process he wanted to say.

His parents finally look their age, time catching up with them since he last saw them...how many years ago? Sixteen? It...it feels like a lifetime ago, a whole different world that he’ll never be able to enjoy again. That he can’t even remember properly because of the memories he has. And it eats at him, clawing at his chest, to know that maybe it would have been different if he had just...stopped. For one minute. Just one minute, and thought.

Gray doesn’t just speckle his mother’s blue coat of fur, it’s a second color now, mottling her face and arms. His father is much the same, gray peeking in through his black fur and the white on his face. Now that he’s older, Avocato really does look like a carbon copy of his father but just with his mother’s blue, and it makes his chest feel tight.

He’s afraid to break the silence. They could have come just to look at him, to judge him silently and leave, making his thoughts swirl indefinitely because he’ll never know what they think of him. Their hard stares say enough, and he doesn’t...he can’t...he can’t bear to know just how deeply they hate him, he just can’t. There’s only so many people he can lose, and he can’t lose them, too. Heh, as if he didn’t already lose them years ago, but Avocato hates looking the truth in the eye. He’s just a coward like that.

“Nothing to say? Not even a word? Fine, sit there in silence and sulk,” his mother says bluntly.

“Bluepurry,” his father says warningly, setting a hand on her arm.

His mother rolls her eyes. “What, Purrsnip? We came all this way, and we’re not leaving until we...until we understand.”

His mother’s sharp gaze bores into Avocato, and whatever facade of resolve or strength he had cracks under her presence. His shoulders slump, his words and emotions get stuck in his throat, and he furiously blinks away the tears in his eyes.

“I-I’m so sorry,” Avocato chokes out.

His mother sighs. “See, I don’t believe that. And-and I want to so badly, but where’s the proof? What’s sorry going to do to get everything back? To get everyone back?”

Avocato shrugs. “I’m back, aren’t I? I don’t know how else to prove it.”

“You may be here, but our Avocato isn’t,” his father rumbles, his deep voicing shocking Avocato out of his guilt.

His head whips up to stare at his father, whose eyes are old and sad and so unlike the man who he grew up under. His father has always been quiet, so it shocks him to hear him speak so surely. Oh god, Avocato messed up.

“What...what do you mean?” Avocato asks. He’s going to regret it. His father won’t answer, and he’ll die never knowing.

His father shakes his head, his slightly unkempt fur moving with him. “You are a killer. Some monster. Did you know kids are told stories about you? About the loyal soldier, the hero of Ventrexia, who went rogue and turned traitor. No one can understand how someone like you did what you did, so they call you a devil. Avocato the Betrayer, the Heartless,...the Monster. Because the only way it makes sense is if you were rotten from the start, just waiting for your moment to strike and hurt everybody.

“And, damn it all, we knew you, son. You were a good kid, a good man, a good husband, a good father. So we hear all these stories, and what the hell are your mother and I supposed to think? You look just like we remember, more tired, maybe, but I can see it in your eyes. You...you are not our Avocato.”

Avocato...Avocato laughs, whether because it’s all just so crazy or because it might help him ignore the burning hurt in his chest, he doesn’t know. He shakes his head, then meets his parents’ upset stares again.

“Yeah, I’m not,” he states calmly.

“Then help us understand, Cato. Just...anything,” his mother pleads.

“I don’t even know. There’s...nothing I can say to make what I did make sense. Or make it better,” Avocato starts slowly. “The Lord Commander...manipulated me, but that doesn’t excuse it or explain it. I wanted a cause, something to keep me going because I didn’t have anything else. It was just war, and war, and I-I hated it. I hated every second I had to fight and I just needed it to end.”

“Oh, come on, Avocato. You thought that would end wars? You’re not an idiot, what the hell was actually going through your mind,” his mom accuses, glaring at him openly.

His father sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Blue, it was Honey and Purrito.”

Avocato’s throat tightens, his heart racing in his chest. “What do they have to do with this,” he says in a rush, his voice strained.

“They’ve got everything to do with this. You lost them, and it ruined you.”

“No,” Avocato growls. “Don’t bring them into this.”

His dad shakes his head dismissively. “No, we lost you when they died. Don’t deny it, Avocato. The last time we saw you was their funeral, so—”

“Dad, I am not talking about them, not right now,” Avocato interrupts angrily.

“Is that why you took that boy? The prince,” his mother asks.

His father nods along. “The skinny orange thing in the vents?”

Avocato sighs, “Yup, the one in the vents.”

At the same time, Avocato and his parents look up at the ceiling, where Little Cato is sheepishly trying to back away from view. The kid meets their gazes and winces.

Avocato closes his eyes tiredly. “Get down here, come on.”

Little Cato moves the grate and drops down guiltily, avoiding their eyes. The kid smooths down his wrinkled clothes, small smudges of dirt on the once pristine white shirt. Avocato always knew who Little Cato was, but seeing it for the first time like this is jarring. The kid in front of him, still finding ways to get into mischief like usual, is the crown prince of Ventrexia.

His mother smiles at Little Cato, making room in between her and her husband so that the kid can sit down. Gingerly, Little Cato sits, relaxing a bit when the two older Ventrexians smile at him.

“Well, it’s a surprise to be meeting you here, but a pleasure,” his mother says, her signature mom voice in action. Avocato hasn’t heard it in...so long. “What’s your name?”

The kid smiles politely. “Little Cato, and it’s nice to meet you, too.”

His parents turn and glare at their son, his father scoffing. “You didn’t even give him a proper name?”

Little Cato’s ears fall at the hostility, and Avocato is willing to bet that the kid had been uncomfortable with the whole situation since he had joined. His parents catch onto the boy’s shifting mood immediately, so his father gives him a supportive pat on the head, to Little Cato’s surprise.

“We’re not mad at you, sorry for yelling, son. I’m Purrsnip, and this lovely lady is my wife, Bluepurry. It’s an honor to meet you,” his father says.

“Oh, you don’t have to be like, all formal or whatever with me just ‘cause I’m the prince or whatever,” Little Cato says nervously. “You don’t need to...honor me, or something.”

“It’s an honor to just meet you as you, honey. You won’t get any boot licking from us, that’s probably annoying you to death, huh,” Bluepurry teases.

Any remaining tension in Little Cato snaps away at that assurance, and the kid smiles genuinely. Little Cato sitting in between his parents like this makes his heart yearn for this. His son can’t...enjoy anything like this, having a family to look out for him. Avocato wonders what his parents would have done if he had brought the boy to visit or told his parents that he had adopted a child. Would he have gotten a better childhood, surrounded by family? Would Avocato be different? Would he be sitting in this prison cell now, waiting for his death?

Little Cato adjusts his gold skirt, and Avocato’s thoughts about a life the kid will never have vanishes. Because he’s already killed that dream, after killing the boy’s parents and raising him the way he did. It’s too late for regrets and wishing for things to be different, but it doesn’t change how much he does regret.

“You’re fourteen?”

Little Cato nods. “I think I’ll be fifteen soon? I kinda forgot what month it is.”

His parents laugh good-naturedly, but Little Cato’s eyes drift towards Avocato with an unreadable stare. He can’t figure out what’s going on in the kid’s mind for the life of him.

“How…,” Little Cato starts, messing around with his hands, “how old was your son?”

Oh. Oh. That’s why he was hesitant. Little Cato wants to know about...his past. That...that can’t be good.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past,” Avocato says quietly.

Little Cato crosses his arms in a challenge. “I don’t care, I want to know.”

Avocato’s parents look at their son’s frown, then at the kid sitting in between them, then meet each other’s gaze, having a silent conversation. Avocato misses having those intuitive parent talks with Honeycat, keeping their son in check.

“Purrito? He was three,” his mom offers.

“Oh,” his son mumbles. “That’s really little.”

His father nods. “Little Purry was a good kid, it hurt us all when we lost him, and our daughter-in-law.”

Little Cato nods, bringing his attention back to Avocato. The kid keeps direct eye contact with his adoptive father as he asks, “What was her name?”

His parents shift to watch him, too, and Avocato shifts his wrists, making the chains clatter from where he still stands. Little Cato wants answers from him, not Bluepurry and Purrsnip. But if he gives them, that means he has to relive it. And he...Avocato is so afraid to reopen those wounds. If he opens it up again, who will he be?

Avocato has fallen so far, and he’s terrified to look up at the cliff he jumped off to see just how deep he is in the abyss.

“Honeycat,” Avocato says, all the love he locked away for his wife unleashed in that one word. “Her name was Honeycat, but you could call her Honey if she thought you were sweet enough.”

Avocato smiles at the memory, the bruise on his face after she had punched him for calling her Honey without earning it.

Little Cato’s ears shift in the way that Avocato knows means that he’s excited but doesn’t want to admit it. Huh, that’s new.

“You said...you said I reminded you of your son, when you–you know. Took me,” Little Cato says. “Why?”

His mother frowns, and his father just pinches the bridge of his nose. Avocato wants to do the same, but Little Cato is judging him. This is the real trial, whether the kid can believe him or not. Whether Avocato wants to be truthful, too. And he doesn’t, Avocato wants to keep his past a secret for the rest of time and never let this boy, who he loves more than anything in this world, know Avocato the Monster. Little Cato doesn’t deserve that burden.

But...the kid’s eyes are energetic and fiery in a way Avocato hasn’t seen directed towards him since the truth came out.

“You...really want to know everything,” Avocato asks reluctantly. “You’re not going to like a lot of it.”

Little Cato nods, and the boy turns his focus onto the way his shirt scrunches underneath his grasp. When he finally looks back up, he looks so tired, the weight of everything coming down on him. But he’s got that Cato determination.

“I already hate you,” the kid admits calmly. “I just...need to know who you are, because you’ve never told me anything. I don’t wanna be in the dark anymore, Avocato. So please, just tell me something new.”

Avocato purses his lips, but he nods. But before he can start speaking, the barrier behind him drops and two guards grab his biceps, forcing him down to his knees. Avocato grunts from the sudden impact, and his parents’ frown at the guards. But Little Cato, that kid stands to his full height with a pissed off frown, stalking up to the guards until another one tries to set a large hand on his thin shoulder.

“What are you doing,” Little Cato demands, pushing the hand off of him.

Then, in comes the warden, who glares at Avocato before smiling condescendingly at his son. “Your highness, this environment is not safe for you, nor appropriate for your station. We shall escort you back to the palace immediately.”

“I can determine what’s safe for myself, so you can go now,” Little Cato challenges.

The warden frowns. “This is a high security environment, how did you even get in here?”

Surprisingly, Little Cato smirks. “I’ve got my ways, and I’m staying. You can’t force me out.”

The warden’s eyebrow twitches, and Avocato recognizes the anger that is about to come forth. Little Cato may be the prince, but right now, he has no real authority other than people deciding to go along with his orders. Avocato doesn’t think the kid knows that yet.

“You snuck out without telling anyone, didn’t you,” Avocato guesses.

Little Cato pouts and crosses his arms. “No...maybe.”

Avocato sighs. “Go back, your dad is probably worried out of his mind.”

“But you didn’t tell me anything!”

“I will tell you, I swear.”

The young Ventrexian stares at him, searching for something in Avocato’s eyes. So, the man stands as much as he can on his knees, being held down, and in cuffs, but he makes sure that the boy knows that he’s serious this time. He lied before, and Little Cato has no reason to trust him.

But...he has to make it up to him now, because the kid is still giving him a chance for some insane reason. He must have gotten that from Gary.

“Okay,” Little Cato says softly.

The boy turns towards Avocato’s parents then and rubs the back of his neck. “I, uh, thank you for letting me crash in on your, uh, time. It was nice to meet you both.”

The older Ventrexians smile at him.

“Oh, it was our pleasure. We’ll be in the city for a while yet if you need anything,” his mother offers.

Little Cato smiles back, holding out a polite hand to shake. But, in his parents’ typical fashion, they both bring the kid into a hug, and Little Cato melts into it. They pull apart, smiling at each other one last time, then Little Cato looks at Avocato before being led out of the cell, the guards accompanying him and the barrier falling back into place.

Avocato and his parents sit in silence for a few moments, letting the environment without Little Cato set in.

“Oh,” his mother says, “that boy loved you.”

And tears spring unbidden in all of their eyes, his parents holding onto each other. Avocato’s face burns and his heart hurts, so he can only imagine how his parents feel.

“That’s...that’s our grandson, Cato. You felt it, didn’t you? That kid hates you, but he still only knows you as his family. And that’s the worst thing you could’ve ever done. Dooming him to be connected to you. He can’t change that, even now that he’s here. Why the hell did you take him in?”

Avocato takes in a shaky breath, giving him a moment to process his father’s question. “He needed someone, even though it should never have been me.”

“We were your family, too. Losing Honey and Purrito killed us. If we had just...no, this isn’t on us. It was your stupid big heart again, huh? Cause I could tell you love that kid as if he was Purrito,” his mother says through her tears.

“I-I do love him,” Avocato cries.

Purrsnip nods sadly. “You knew loving him was a mistake. God, that poor kid. And now he has to deal with loving his father and hating Avocato.”

All Avocato can do is nod from where he still kneels on the ground. He knows this all, and he always did. He is the worst man in the world.

“But,” Bluepurry whispers, “Little Cato is a good, sweet kid. I think he learned that from his father.”

A sob breaks through Avocato’s chest, and he begins to shake.

He can hear his father sigh, and he can’t look at his parents right now.

“Whatever punishment you get, Avocato, it will never satisfy that kid of yours. Nothing is worse than hating someone you love, because all you do is beat yourself up and wonder why. So...you deserve the harshest thing that trial will give you, for ruining that kid’s life and everyone else’s,” his father says, his deep voice so certain that it hurts.

And then, his mother waves at one of the guards, and the red barrier drops. His parents wipe away their tears, stepping out of the cell. Avocato’s knees give out on him as he falls back against the floor, his head staring at the ceiling. In a single blink of the eye, the barrier returns, and Avocato still doesn’t know the color of the ceiling.

But he knows so much more.

Avocato was running. No, no no no no no nonononono, this wasn’t real!

Why was his intel wrong? It had never been wrong before today, why now. God, why now.

The moment his troops had gotten word of where the Tryvuulian ambush actually was headed after the decoy sent him flying to the nearest battalion to get him there immediately. Oh god, why the countryside. Why did they have to pick the southern countryside?

When his soldiers engaged the troops, Avocato had leaped out of the tank and sprinted towards his home, shooting every person that stood in his way. He didn’t know who he had shot, whether they were enemy troops or even his own soldiers or civilians just trying to get him to help them, because none of them matter. Honeycat and Purrito were at home, they were at home safe and sound and the war was going to end so why now?

Why?

Bombs dropped all around him, blasterfire was trailing after him and he did not care. Honeycat and Purrito needed him, and he wasn’t home. The blasts did nothing to stop his protective rampage, his anger and fury and upset licking at his chest and consuming his soul.

Homes he had grown up in were ablaze or already turned into cinders, and please, oh god please, not his. Not his babies, not his love, please he couldn’t stand the thought of losing them. He would let everything else be destroyed if it meant he could save his family.

Avocato sprinted up the hill to his house, panting from running so far. The destruction had gotten worse as he had gone along, the Tryvuulians had come from this direction and god he wanted nothing more than to see his cluttered kitchen and kiss his baby boy’s fluffy cheeks and hold his wife and never ever let go.

He closed his eyes as he breached the top of the hill, and when he opened them again, he screamed at the top of his lungs. Avocato didn’t know what possessed him as he had the strength to walk towards his burning home, glass from picture frames and decorations crunching beneath his boots. A bomb. It was a bomb, from the way everything radiated out from within his beautiful sweet country home and where...oh, where were his country loves.

Who welcomed him home every time with smiles on their faces and warm him to his core, and no matter how tired he was he would always have the energy for his Honey and his Purrito.

His boot clanged against something small on the ground, and Avocato didn’t know why his gaze drifted towards it. Maybe because his heart had been destroyed, tossed in the raging flames that encompassed his home, or maybe because he needed something other than the agony of fearing that he lost the only people he needed.

Avocato’s burning eyes looked down, and his legs collapsed underneath him slowly, as he sank into the ash and rubble. His shaking hands gently held the burnt metal of Honey’s wedding bracelet, ignoring the burns it gave him.

His Honey. His beloved Honey. And somehow, his broken heart found the burnt remains of Purrito’s favorite plush, and that was when Avocato broke. He did this, because he wasn’t good enough.

Avocato screamed, burning his hands as he clutched the bracelet, and all he knew was that his Honey and his Purry were dead. And he cried.

He cried.

Oh boy, he was crying again.

Avocato sighed, getting up from his bed and walking out into the hallway to go into the room next to his. When he entered, the baby was crying his little chest out, trying his hardest to be the loudest thing in the universe.

The Ventrexian rubbed a tired hand against his face with a sigh, going over to the crib and staring down at the orange ball of fur who just did not know when to quit.

“I just fed you, and changed you, so I don’t know what you’re crying for,” Avocato mumbled to the baby.

Avocato picked the boy up and cradled him in his arms, deciding to walk around the nursery and bounce him in the hopes that it would calm him down. And he kept doing it, around and around in circles, but this little kitten kept on weeping. Something was upsetting him, but he couldn’t figure out what.

Like the night they first met, Avocato put a finger in front of the boy’s face, knowing that it worked all the time. Desperate times called for desperate measures, they always said. But when he lifted his finger for the baby to grab or put in his mouth, the kid batted it away, crying even more.

The Ventrexian groaned, and Avocato dropped down into the chair in the room and sit, holding the kid. He was gonna be up all night at this rate.

“You know,” Avocato said to the air. “It’s almost like you don’t want me. That you just realized you’re never gonna see your mom or dad again.”

The baby hiccuped, and he stopped crying, for just a second, where his eyes opened wide and stared right into Avocato’s soul. It was like the little guy was telling him he was right, that the only reason he was crying was because he was in mourning. And oh, Avocato’s heart hurt, and he wrapped his arms around the baby tighter.

“Hey, it’s...it’ll be okay,” Avocato said, his voice thick. “I’ll protect you.”

The baby started his crying again, burying his little orange face into Avocato’s chest, his tiny little fists hitting him wildly.

Avocato sighed. “Purrito, Dad can take a lot of hits, but not yours, bud.”

No. Avocato’s heart stopped. His eyes fell onto the boy’s fire bright orange fur, and tears started pouring down Avocato’s own face. This wasn’t his Purrito, and this boy never would be. That life was gone, he almost had himself fooled for a minute, that he was a good man with his beautiful, amazing wife and their sweet little boy. But Avocato stole this one, he would never be his unless Avocato forced it to be true.

“No crying after tonight, okay?” Avocato said the words aloud, but he didn’t know who he was talking to. “We’re...we have to be strong, or else this will never work. We’re not gonna get them back, so you and me, we can’t keep worrying about how they’re gone, got it?”

Avocato sobbed, clutching the baby tight as he let out another piercing wail that stabbed his chest.

“We’re Catos, and Catos can’t worry about the past. Okay? So, you’re a little Cato, and it’s gonna be easier for you. Let me take care of you...Little Cato. Everything...everything will be okay as long as we never second guess this.”

The baby’s cries slowed, and Avocato rocked Little Cato to sleep as he wept silently, his body’s trembling from loss lulling the stolen kid to sleep.