Final Space Oneshots

by DysfunctionalRequest

Summary:

A bunch of Final Space Oneshots, mainly focused on Gary Angst, because there isn’t enough.
Requests are welcome.

ON HIATUS DUE TO WORK OVERLOAD, BACK SOON (HOPEFULLY)

Chapter 1: Ear Scratches

“So do you like getting scratched behind the ears like a cat?”

“Don’t even try.”

“Huh.”

“…”

“…”

Avocato looked at Gary with a raised brow. Gary stared at him back, raising a hand into the air.

“Gary, no –“

“Come on, just a little tickle!”

Gary grinned, running towards Avocato so suddenly that the Ventrexian barely had time to dodge the oncoming hand. Gary smashed into the wall, laughing.

They had known each other for some time now, and Avocato just couldn’t understand why the question arose now. He thought they were past all the strange questions.

Apparently not.

“Avocato it’s for science!” Gary yelled out as they ran down the halls of the Galaxy One, sliding across the smooth floors. Despite the childish game, Avocato found himself smiling, letting out a small laugh.

He found, more and more, that laughter was easier to come across around Gary, probably because of his immature antics.

(Or maybe it was because Gary was the first nice person he’d met in a while.)

Avocato let out a small noise as he slid around a corner.

“Avocato!” Gary dragged out his name, keeping up the chase.

“You’re not scratching my ears!” He yelled.

Suddenly, Gary was in front of him, slinging an arm over his shoulder. Avocato stared at his sudden appearance in disbelief.

“You know you want them scratched. Every kitty does.” Gary replied.

“I’m not a cat.” Avocato pointed out. Gary shrugged.

“Close enough.” The blonde grinned hugely, wiggling his fingers into the air. “Now lets get scratching!”

Avocato smiled, shaking his head.

“I don’t think so.” In one fluid movement, Avocato flipped Gary over his shoulder like a rag doll, pinning him on the ground with a loud thump.

Gary yelped, glaring up at Avocato, who was still smiling.

“Oh you just got into a fight with the finest ass in the universe.” Gary warned him. Unfazed by the threat – Gary didn’t stand a chance against him – Avocato’s smile turned into a grin and he cracked his knuckles.

“Oh I look forward to it, baby.”

When Gary lunged, Avocato began to sprint down the hall again, playing chase.

“I advise you do not go down there.” HUE’s voice drifted through the walls. “The SAMES are still repairing the ship, and lots of areas are still dangerous.”

“We’ll be fine, HUE.” Avocato brushed him off, weaving through the SAMES and their various tools.

“Really, I don’t think –“

“Shut up HUE! I’ve got to win against Avocato!” Gary’s comment made him laugh and he ran faster. Gary’s footsteps were growing louder – surprisingly, the human was gaining on him. Most likely because of all the robots blocking each hall; Avocato wasn’t used to so many of them, but Gary could probably do this with his eyes closed.

The Ventrexian threw a robot out of the way (it had been dubbed Boobs by Gary) and finally, he was out of the construction area. The ship was surprisingly big, seeing as it was only for a prisoner, and he was almost lost.

Avocato would’ve kept running all the way to the kitchen, but the sudden absence of Gary’s footsteps were concerning to say in the least.

“Gary?” The Ventrexian retraced his steps, ears twitching at the sound of the SAMES panicked voices.

“Oh no.”

“We’re doomed.”

“He won’t move.”

“Panic.”

“HUE?” Avocato still couldn’t see Gary, but something inside him twisted for his companion.

(That was a lie.)

(Gary was his best friend.)

“It appears that Gary has fallen unconscious a few metres away from you.” HUE told him. “I cannot give a full diagnosis here, but due to probability he has most likely experienced an electric shock.”

“Shit.” Avocato searches through the crowd of SAMES, eyes falling on a still figure crumpled on the floor.

Gary looked asleep, if it weren’t for the odd position he was in. It was almost as if he were –

(Dead)

Avocato shook his head, eyes narrowing as he felt for a pulse. It was quick, but it was better than none.

“Gary?” Avocato tapped Gary’s cheek lightly, but got no response. A sudden spark of blue caught his eye and he jumped back at the slight shock that raced through his skin on contact. He cursed, glaring at the source.

Gary’s robotic arm was spitting sparks, the fingers twitching.

“Okay…let’s get you out of here.” Avocato gingerly dragged Gary out of the hazardous place, growling at any SAMES that stepped near. They were still panicking, running in circles.

“The med bay is in the second corridor on the left.” HUE supplied once Avocato was in a safer area.

Not wasting any time, Avocato scooped up Gary bridal style, holding him close to his chest.

(He wasn’t going to die.)

(He didn’t know what he’d do if he did)

When the fluorescent lights almost blinded him, he knew he was in the right place. Following HUE’s instructions, he placed him in the bed, flinching as a glass dome closed over him.

“Is he going to be okay?” Avocato asked the AI, locking his eyes on the human in front of him. He looked pale and still, a direct contrast to the energetic Gary a few minutes ago.

“This is why I advise not to run through corridors.” HUE said unhelpfully. “But thanks to my brilliance, Gary should be just fine now.”

Avocato sat down, staring at the needles poking through Gary’s skin. A robotic arm removed Gary’s artificial limb, placing it on a table.

“What was the damage?” The Ventrexian asked lowly, hunching in his chair.

“I can’t disclose any patient’s medical information without their permission unless it is life threatening.” HUE informed him. Despite the frustrating privacy, Avocato let out a sigh of relief.

“So nothing life threatening?” He asked.

“No. Gary is safe.”

(It was still his fault)

 

~

 

It was quite late into the night when HUE decided to take Gary off the painkillers and pull him back into consciousness. Avocato was there when the human opened his eyes blearily, apparently not too surprised to see himself in the med bay.

“Again?” Gary muttered, slapping a hand on his forehead. “HUE? What did I do this time?!”

“You got yourself shocked, idiot.” Avocato rose to his feet, stretching. Gary jumped at his presence.

“Hey, ‘Cato my man! Or my cat? My Ventrexian? My alien? Hmm…” Gary furrowed his eyebrows. Avocato smirked, helping the blonde to his feet.

“Man will do.”

“What about dude?” Gary pressed, grinning.

Avocato thought. Dude sounded nice.

(As if Gary thought of him as a friend too)

“Dude sounds good.”

“Aw right! Best buds forever!” Gary tried to jump and fist pump the air, but his legs were too shaky to hold him up for that long.

“Gary I do not recommend any physical activity for at least a day.” HUE suggested too late.

“No kidding HUE!” Gary stumbled. Avocato caught him before he could hit the ground, letting him rest in his arms.

“Wow, we really are bros.” Gary muttered. He gave Avocato a sly look, grinning.

“What?” Avocato asked uneasily. Gary’s gaze moved further up, staring right at – oh no.

“Ear scratch…” Gary whispered.

“No.”

“Come oooon…”

Again, Avocato was consumed with the immaturity and relaxation that came with being in close contact with Gary for any length of time. He sighed, unable to say no to the blonde lying in his arms.

“Fine.” Avocato rolled his eyes. “A few seconds only.”

“Five.”

“Three.”

Gary huffed.

“Fine.” The grin slid back on his face as he reached out for Avocato’s ears. “Tickle time…”

The experience, Avocato concluded, wasn’t that bad.

(It was actually really nice but he wasn’t going to admit that)

 

Chapter 2: “For the Best”

Summary:

A request.
Gary, after the recent death of Nightfall, feels like Ash should hate him, and avoids her.

The sky was pitch black, swallowing him in its depths as he stared out into the stars.

Gary let his head fall into his hands as he perched on the windowsill, closing his eyes.

Nightfall, smiling as her skin burnt away, giving him her last goodbye –

Taking a deep breath, he looked back as the stars.

They weren’t as comforting as he thought they’d be.

(They never worked, no matter how long he stared at them)

The clock ticked but time was meaningless in his state of mind. He was getting swallowed by the outer space, because he let it happen again when he promised himself –

Quinn, her voice cracking over the radio as she said those words, those words that made his blood run cold, that made him scream for the impossible; her name tearing from his lips after she was gone. She was gone, gone, gone, g –

He has promised himself that he would never –

Avocato, his chest torn open and gaping, floating aimlessly through space like an abandoned rag doll. He, holding Little Cato back when he wanted to jump after him because was it really worth living when his best friend was –

That he would never –

“Gary?”

Gary jumped, automatically pulling out his gun at the intruder. At the sight of Ash in the doorway, he lowered the weapon with a muttered apology.

“It’s fine, I do that sometimes, and by that I mean all the time – but I’m getting off point here.” Ash moved closer to him, her eyes wide and tearful with grief.

Ash’s cry of anguish was louder than his, her voice bringing silence to his own. Because Nightfall, the closest thing she’d had to a mother, was dying in front of her –

“We’re worried about you –“ Ash began but Gary couldn’t take it. The guilt tore his entire being.

(It was his fault she had died)

“I’m fine, no need to worry!” Gary put on his best voice, waving a hand for emphasis. “Captains don’t need to be worried about.” He tried to look at her face but the vivid image of her grieving features flashed over her present ones, and he settled on staring at the floor.

He slipped past her, ignoring the hurt radiating off her as he brushed past.

It was for the best that this should happen.

(Maybe)

“Gary –“ she began but he cut her off with one of his dazzling smiles that never reached his eyes these days.

“You relax and stop worrying about Gary.” He told her.

Gary couldn’t take it any longer, and ran down the hall, holding his chest as if it was going to fall apart. It certainly felt like that.

His room was less inviting than the main area, but he moved inside anyway. Sighing, he shut the door with a loud bang.

“AVA, could you lock this door?” He asked the AI.

“If you insist.” AVA replied cooly. “But it’s not a very good idea in your current mental state.” Despite her words, the door clicked. Gary let his head rest against the metal, closing his eyes.

The glow was blinding, but he knew Nightfall was in there. Gary screamed her name again, but she refused to back down.

And Ash was screaming her name louder, but they were both powerless as the glow grew brighter to the point where his eyes stung.

Gary refused to look away, not when his eyes started to burn and sting. She was in there, dying. He could do anything.

“Nightfall!” He screamed. Ash echoed him. “Nightfall” –

Gary stumbled back, breathing hard. His body trembled as he sank to the floor.

“Nightfall…I’m sorry…” Gary lay down, staring up at the ceiling. It reminded him of the good times, when he and his Dad would stargaze far into the night.

When did everything get so bad?

(When he made friends. When people cared about him)

It had been a long day, and Gary was exhausted. The floor was hard and uncomfortable, his mind plagued with black thoughts, but he found himself falling deeper and deeper into slumber.

 

He couldn’t recall the exact time he fell asleep, but knew he was dreaming when he saw Nightfall in front of him, arms folded.

“Nightfall?” Gary whispered. He reached out for her, but his arm passed through her body as if it were air.

“I’m not alive, Gary.” Nightfall told him. She blinked, as her eyes were suddenly glowing like they had done when she was dying.

“I know…I know…” Gary stood up, noticing that they weren’t in his room anymore. The vast darkness of space surrounded them, stars glinting from far away.

“You killed me Gary.” Nightfall’s voice was hard. Gary stared at her, feeling tears build behind his eyes.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” He tried to hold her hand but it passed through her. Nightfall only glared at him, shaking her head.

Gary’s tears floated around them as they stood in silence.

“Nightfall, I –“ but words failed Gary as he watched her die again before his eyes, her body disintegrating in the centre of the glow.

“Nightfall!” He screamed but was as helpless as before.

Nightfall looked at him, shaking her head at his pitiful efforts.

“And you killed her idol. Her mother.”

Gary raked his hand through his hair, tears spilling from his eyelids as Nightfall was reduced to nothing again.

“You killed her!”

Gary turned.

Ash was sobbing behind him, suspended in space. Her giant orbs were locked on him.

“You killed her…”

 

Gary blinked, and he was suddenly in his room again. His cheeks were damp.

He placed a hand on his face, breathing heavily.

“AVA, unlock the door.” He sat up, quietly asking the AI. AVA didn’t reply, but the door swung open, revealing the dark corridor.

The room was suffocating, and the deep breaths he took in the hallway were like a drug, calming him. Wrapping his arms around himself, he shuffled to the kitchen, aiming to get a glass of water.

“Fuck.” He flopped into the chair, images of his dream invading his mind. Nightfall’s words burnt a hole in his heart, and Ash…how could he face her?

(He couldn’t)

The water long forgotten, Gary amused himself by staring at the ceiling. He wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep anytime soon.

(Maybe he deserved it)

“Gary? I thought I was the only one awake…”

Gary jumped, his heart clenching at the familiar soft voice. He didn’t acknowledge Ash, just stayed staring at the ceiling. He prayed for her to go away – it was better for her. How could she even look at him.

“Gary, I know something’s wrong with you – “ Ash was persistent and sat down next to him. She sighed. “Of course something’s wrong with you, after Nightfall…” her voice grew quiet at the name, and Gary closed his eyes in a grimace.

“You should go back to bed.” Gary muttered. He didn’t look at Ash when he spoke to her, hiding his face from her eyes. She would see his pain that he couldn’t quite mask this late into the night.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” Ash ignored his comment, moving her chair closer to his. Gary didn’t answer again. “Why? Can’t you see that I don’t blame you?”

Gary froze.

“What?”

“I don’t blame you for what happened to Nightfall.” Ash repeated. Gary turned to look at her, shocked to find her crying. Her hair was blocking her face more than usual, casting a shadow on her features.

“When Harp died…I felt the same way. I blamed myself, and refused to even think that maybe, maybe it wasn’t my fault and it would’ve happened if I was there or not. My sister…she was amazing, and beautiful and funny, but when death takes someone, it doesn’t care about your qualities or how much you were loved.” Ash took a deep breath, her eyes meeting with Gary’s. “But one day, I was able to stop blaming myself. I realised that it would’ve happened. I was just watching. And I only realised that…when I met all you guys. You helped me, Gary.” Ash smiled weakly. “So don’t push me away. I don’t blame you. Nightfall was many things, but she wasn’t a pushover. Once her mind was set…”

“…nothing could change it.” Gary finished, feeling hot tears spill down her face.

Ash suddenly launched herself over to him, hugging him tight around the waist. Gary froze, not used to the sudden affection from her. He rubbed her back soothingly.

“Ash, I’m sorry.” He whispered as Ash cried into his jacket. She needed him, his support, but he was too wrapped up in his haunting anxiety to realise that. “It’s just I promised –

Avocato falling further away from them, his lifeless eyes staring up at him.

“I promised that I’d never –“

Quinn’s last goodbye close to his ear as her silhouette moved closer to the rift.

“I’d never –“

Nightfall, getting lost in the blinding glow, smiling as she slowly died.

“Let anyone die because of my actions again.” Gary was crying, his eyes tightly shut. “And I couldn’t even keep it.”

“That’s because it was a stupid promise.” Ash muttered, her face squashed into his chest. Gary found himself smiling at her words.

“Oh yeah? What do you think I should promise then?” He asked. Ash broke the hug, folding her arms and glaring at him.

“Don’t ignore anyone again for some stupidly heroic reason.” She suggested. Gary laughed lightly, nodding.

“I can do that.”

(And he would)

“Now…it’s late. We really should be getting to bed.”

 

Chapter 3: Never Again

Summary:

A request by CuteAgata17
Gary and Little Cato talk about how much loneliness can kill you, and seek support from another.

It had been almost a week.

Almost a week since Little Cato had been trapped on the other side of the time crystal, and ever since he hadn’t left the main area of the ship – not even to sleep.

When questioned, the exhausted Ventrexian refused to say anything, but unlike when Avocato died, didn’t run away from them.

Sometimes, Gary would catch him staring at his own reflection in the window. He would be struck with how similar the action was to when he was on the Galaxy One for five years.

The kid was getting eaten up by his own fears and doubts, just like Gary had been. But, as Gary looked over to Little Cato now as he sipped his cola, he vowed that the Ventrexian wouldn’t end up how he had when no one talked to him about his feelings.

Little Cato hadn’t seemed to notice Gary enter the room, still curled up in a chair against the wall. Ash was next to him, talking lowly, before sighing and getting up. Her eyes met with Gary’s, a silent communication.

Talk to him, he trusts you the most, they said. She glanced once back at Little Cato before leaving the room.

Gary’s eyes softened at the sight of the kid, a small sigh escaping his lips. He purposefully opened the can of cola loudly, alerting Little Cato. It was starting how quickly he moved towards Gary, practically launching himself into the chair next to him.

“Hey Spidercat.” Gary smiled. He gestured to the other cola can. “Want one?”

Usually, Little Cato would be jumping at the chance to get extra caffeine that he really didn’t need. There was even a label on the bottle saying “not for Little Cato.” in bold letters. But Little Cato just took the can, opening it quickly with his claws.

“Thanks.” Little Cato muttered. Gary smiled, determined to keep his worrying feelings inside.

“No problem buddy.” They sat in silence for the first time in a while. Little Cato drummed his claws against the can whilst Gary held his tight. He didn’t even like this cola, but Little Cato did.

“Gary?” Little Cato asked.

“Yes?”

“…nothing.” The Ventrexian looked away from him, gazing on the floor. “It’s nothing.”

Gary gave a small I-don’t-believe-you hum. He stared in concern at the bags under Little Cato’s eyes, the slumped posture. The way his tail hung limply, how his eyes kept closing for seconds at a time.

These were all signs of deep distress and exhaustion, but Little Cato didn’t acknowledge them. Knowing better than to ask the Ventrexian straight up what was wrong (they had done before but he would stay silent), he got up slowly. It was getting late.

“Get some sleep Little Cato.” Gary told him, ruffling his Mohawk. Little Cato let out a brief smile, slapping his hand away. Gary chuckled, rubbing his shoulder.

“I’m here if you need me.” He whispered. Little Cato didn’t answer in any way, but as Gary walked out of the main room, he could feel Little Cato’s eyes on his back.

 

Gary was sleeping; twisted in his covers, mouth slightly open, arm twitching. He was having a good dream for the first time in a while, until a loud knock forced him awake.

With a small yelp, he twisted for his gun, only to fall out of the bed with a thump. He cursed, stumbling as he ran to the door (the gun was lost somewhere, who knows where). He was expecting to see an emergency, but was surprised to find Little Cato standing in the doorway, eyes cast to the floor.

He quickly got over his surprise, blinking in the bright light.

“Hey Spidercat.” Gary smiled softly at the smaller. He watched as Little Cato seemed to struggle with himself, arms wrapped around his middle.

“Can we talk?” He eventually asked quietly, tail twitching.

“Of course little dude!” Gary gently pulled him inside, closing the door. Little Cato stood awkwardly, so he gestured him towards the bed, hopping in it himself. When the Ventrexian still looked unsure, Gary gave a reassuring smile and patted the covers.

“This is what my Dad used to do all the time when I had things to talk about. Deep things. It really helps, well it did for five year old Gary.”

Little Cato gave a weak smile, climbing onto the mattress. With a flourish, Gary wrapped a sheet around them both, making Little Cato giggle as the folds covered him completely. His head popped up from the sheet, and he wiggled into a more comfy position.

“This is nice.” He said, his tail ticking Gary’s foot. Gary smiled.

“Just as good as I remembered then.” Gary answered. His smile faded. “Now, what did you want to talk to me about Spidercat?”

The smile slid off Little Cato’s face, and he shifted in the covers. Gary waited patiently, guessing what it was about.

“I don’t know how to start…” the Ventrexian gave an unsteady laugh, curling up.

“Is it about the whole time crystal thing?” Gary prodded. Little Cato nodded, turning to him.

“What was it like when you were in the Galaxy One for those five years?” He asked quietly. Gary blinked, caught off guard by the question.

“Honestly?” Gary sighed, gently scratching Little Cato’s ears. “I’ve never felt anything like it. The days just merged into one and…it was really lonely, to be honest.” Little Cato stared up at him, listening intently. Gary took this as a signal to carry on. “I used to pretend fridges were people, anything to try and pretend that I wasn’t alone in space. It felt like part of me…”

“…was gone.” Little Cato finished. Gary nodded.

“Yeah.”

“So I’m not overreacting when I say that’s how I felt when – when –“ Little Cato couldn’t finish, sniffing.

“No feeling is overreacting. I was alone for five years, I don’t know how you survived sixty like that!” Gary sighed. “I understand what you are going through, even if it wasn’t as long for me. It sucks.”

Little Cato gave a small laugh.

“Yeah…it does.” He snuggled closer to Gary, making him smile. “And…I don’t want to go to sleep, because if I do I feel like I’m gonna wake up and you’ll all be gone again…” Little Cato let out a small cry. “I don’t want to be alone again!”

Gary felt tears burn in his eyes at the distress in the younger. He did the one thing that his dad had always done when Gary was with him. He pulled the Ventrexian into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around his small frame. Little Cato melted into it, his tears soaking Gary’s shirt.

“Let it all out, Spidercat.” Gary rubbed his back. “I’m not going to leave you, alright? You are one of the best people I have ever met, and if you think I’m going to let myself be taken from you? Because I couldn’t cope if I was away from you, little dude. No matter what, I will be there.”

Little Cato hugged him harder before releasing his hold.

“All these thoughts are so loud.” Little Cato rubbed his head in emphasis. “How did you cope with them? They hurt.” He whispered. Gary grinned, snatching some earphone wires from his desk. He pulled out his phone, plugging them in.

“I drowned them out for a while.” Gary placed one bud into Little Cato’s ear, and the other in his own. Soon, soft music was playing, and Gary closed his eyes. He caught a glimpse of Little Cato doing the same thing, snuggling closer to Gary.

It was just like being back at the Galaxy One, but someone was sharing the pain of loneliness, both understanding of another. The words in the music made his body relax, his mind only focusing on the soft melody.

“Gary?” Little Cato asked sleepily. Gary paused from stroking the Ventrexian’s ear.

“Yes?”

“Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

Gary smiled, letting his eyes drift shut.

“I’m always here for you. Remember that.”

Chapter 4: Rocket Man

Summary:

READ PLEASE
Requested by Darkraider46, who wanted Gary to be singing Rocket Man and the whole crew hears, realising how depressed he is.
THIS IS SLIGHTLY AU
I just made Avocato live here - he wasn’t taken over by Invictus, but still got his memories back.

Gary woke up with a start, breathing deeply as he sat up in bed. 
The explosion shook the ground and he could only watch as his dad’s ship was engulfed – 
“Fuck.” Gary curled in on himself, hugging the pillow in his hands. He looked out at the dark sky around him, frowning. The absence of something simple like clouds still bothered him, though he had been in space for a few years now. He remembered how he and his dad used to “cloudgaze” and try and spot some pictures in them.
(He wishes he could go back to those times)
Gary sighed, now fully awake. The clock on his desk read four in the morning. Again, he was up before anyone else.
Stretching, he ran a hand down his face and shuffled to the door. It opened with a small click, cold air blasting in his face. Gary shivered but kept walking, his feet padding quietly against the shiny floors. 
It was odd to hear the Crimson Light so silent. It left Gary to only think of his own thoughts, and Gary didn’t want to think of those. 
Gary watched in horror as the Earth – his home – was pulled into the light by a giant hand. It was gone in a second, as if it was never there. His treehouse, his belongings, his town, his father’s grave: gone in a heartbeat. 
Gary paused at Little Cato’s door, which was open slightly. With a small smile, he looked inside to find Avocato holding his son tight as they slept peacefully. It was the most relaxed Gary had seen him since he had recovered his memory. 
(His dad used to hug him in the night too)
Gary moved past the door, his father’s face still printed in his mind. Lights flicker on from above as he walks past, which is a surprise. Last time he heard, the ship was still experiencing many problems after crashing into the time crystal – one of them being power cuts. He supposed AVA had managed to fix it whilst he had been sleeping. 
“Awake again, Gary? This is not the normal human sleeping habit.” AVA commented from above. Gary jumped slightly, looking towards the door.
“Quiet AVA.” Gary hissed. Her voice was much louder than his, echoing around the ship. He guessed she was doing it on purpose so someone could take him back to bed. “I’m not exactly the normal human.” 
Gary shut the door, leaning his head against the frame. The view of space was even bigger in this room. A large window was stretched across one wall, showing thousands of stars and meteorites. 
“I can agree with that.” AVA commented. “But this is the twenty-fourth night in a row, which has almost beat your record. This isn’t healthy, is it?”
“I don’t need a lecture.” Gary muttered, turning to the window. The view was better when he was on Earth, where everything was still mysterious. The stars would fascinate a younger Gary for hours, but now they were so close they didn’t look as spectacular somehow. 
Gary suddenly threw his fists against the wall with a yell, gritting his teeth. He slammed his head soon after, screwing up his eyes.
It would be better if he could just forget.
(His childhood therapist said that this was a bad idea. Gary never went to see her again)
Gary slammed his head against the wall again, feeling some unwanted tears slip past his face. He wiped them off fiercely.
“Gary, I will have to inform someone of your emotional distress if you don’t calm down.” AVA’s voice cut through his thoughts. Gary gave a small chuckle.
“‘Emotional Distress’…” he whispered. He quickly slid on a smile, straightening up. “That’s not me. I’m not distressed.” 
“Your behaviour would suggest otherwise.” 
“It often does.”
The silence was getting to him, his thoughts growing louder. Curling his fists into tight balls, he looked around the area.
“Hey AVA, is there any music here?” He asked quietly. AVA paused. 
“Most of the music I have was damaged in the crash. I do have karaoke versions of each song however.” She answered. Gary scoffed.
“Only karaoke versions? Clarence did karaoke?!” The idea of Clarence singing made him shudder. “Thank God he’s gone.”
Gary flopped into a chair, eyelids half closed. He looked out the window, sighing. It was never light in space. No pale blue skies.
“What about Rocket Man?” Gary asked. “I know the lyrics to that one.”
AVA didn’t answer, but the music came on quietly. Gary closed his eyes.
(He misses what he had)
“She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine AM
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then.” Gary sang. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. 
His dad used to sing the same song to him before he went to bed. It was Gary’s favourite part of the night. 
“I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight…” Gary stared at the window, rising from his chair. His voice was growing in volume, but he didn’t notice. The blonde walked to the window, watching the dark void around them. For a moment, he thinks he sees Earth, but it is just his imagination. Earth is gone.
“And I think it's gonna be a long long time…”
Earth was gone – 
“'Till touch down brings me round again to find,”
The treehouse he and his father made together – 
“I'm not the man they think I am at home,”
And even in space he had been forced to change himself – not that it had saved any lives along the way. 
“Oh no no no I'm a rocket man,” 
Gary feels a tear burn in his eye but he blinks it away, forcing his voice to stay steady as he sang. He refused to take his gaze away from the darkness through the window, the stars that really weren’t that pretty up close.
“Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone…” Gary sang. His fingers touched the glass, surprised at how cold it was. 
“And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone…” Gary sang louder, trying to stop thinking about anything for a few seconds. He let out a small sigh. He didn’t even know why he missed the Earth so much, out of all the things. 
(Everything was so familiar on Earth. He didn’t miss the Earth, he missed his treehouse where the happiest days of his life were spent)
“Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man.” 
Before he was just a street boy, stealing for a living and getting into bad business with gangs. He joined one when he was sixteen, almost lost his life running from it. Here he was different, seen differently. But he still felt the same coldness of that when his dad died, not that anyone could do anything about it.
(He wouldn’t let them) 
(He was fine)
He was fine
He was fine.
Gary sang louder.

~

Little Cato’s ears pricked, the detected noise pulling him from sleep. The current position (snuggled in his dad’s fur, wrapped in his tail) was very comfortable, but the noise only made his curiosity grow. Soon he was wiggling out of his father’s arms, trying not to wake him up. It wouldn’t hurt to see what the noise was.
“Little Cato where are you going?” Avocato’s voice asked sleepily as Little Cato began to open the door. His dad’s ears twitched. “And what is that noise? It sounds like music.” 
“That was what I was trying to find out!” Little Cato explained, pulling the door open further. “I think Gary might’ve left the CD running when we were dancing earlier.” 
“Well I’m awake now.” Avocato stretched, massaging the bandages over his rib cage. “Let’s go check it out.” 
“Ok.” Little Cato pulled them door open completely and the Ventrexians moved out into the hallway, blinking as the lights blinded them.
“I think it’s coming from over here.” Avocato nudged his son in the correct direction, walking down the halls.
“I didn’t leave the music on –“
“Well what is it then?” 
“I dunno maybe AVA fancied a dance.”
“AVA can dance?”
“Chookity!” 
The pair turned the corner, finding that Ash, Fox, Nightfall and Mooncake were standing in a huddle, debating quietly. The music was louder now, but Avocato couldn’t recognise it. Probably Earth music. 
“Hey Ash! What’s going on?” Little Cato asked. Ash turned to him, unaware of his presence. 
“Hey! We were just trying to find out where the music was coming from.” Ash glared at Fox. “He thinks I put it on when I hate Earth music.”
“Chookity pok! Chookity!” Mooncake flew in a circle, then rammed into Avocato’s shoulder. 
“Whoa little guy! Calm down!” The older Ventrexian rubbed them on the head.
“Oh and Mooncake is trying to tell us something, but only HUE and Gary understand him so…” Ash explained. She gestured to them all. “So now we are here!” 
“Chookity!” 
“Did someone mention HUE?” 
They all turned around, watching as the small robot made their way slowly towards them. “HUE can solve this!”
“Can we please find out where that music is coming from?” Little Cato asked, his curiosity reaching its limit.
“I think it sounds real nice from what I can hear.” Fox commented. “Which isn’t much. It’s all muffled. But it sounds good!”
“Chookity!”
“I agree.” HUE turned to Mooncake. “It is strange Gary isn’t here. He is actually awake right now, I believe.”
“Gary‘s awake?” Little Cato asked as his father furrowed his eyebrows.
“Why is he up so late?” Avocato asked.
“He is up most nights at this time. He won’t tell me why though.” AVA informed.
Little Cato pulled on his dad’s wrist. “Let’s go and find where this music is coming from, then we can talk to Gary.” Little Cato suggested.
“I like that idea.” Nightfall nodded. 
The group followed the music down the hall and to the main room, pausing at the door. 
“Something feels off.” Ash whispered. Fox nodded.
“Let’s peak inside.” He suggested. Slowly, they all looked through the gap, surprised at what they saw.
“Gary?” Avocato whispered.
The blonde was staring out of the giant window, seemingly in his own world as he sang. His posture was different than he had ever seen, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone.” His voice was filled with an empty sadness that made Avocato’s heart clench. He was frozen, watching as Gary sang. The others also were still around him, all absorbed by his song.
“And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone.” Gary sang. Avocato watched as he sat on the windowsill, staring out at the black space around them.
Gary let the song go on without him, letting out a large sigh and curling in on himself. His eyes were shadowed by his hair, but Avocato swore he saw a tear glisten on his cheek.
“Gary?” Little Cato was the first to move, slipping though the door. Avocato followed, and so did everyone else. Gary jumped, wiping something from his cheek.
“Hey Little Cato…everyone…” he gave a small smile. “You were listening to me sing though the door…I hope I was good enough for you all…err…”
“Are you okay?” Avocato asked. Gary gave a false smile, waving his hand dismissively.
“Yeah! I was just singing!” The human shifted on one foot. “Anyway, it’s late so…” He slipped past the group, giving a small chuckle.
“It didn’t sound like you were okay.” Nightfall commented, trying to snatch his wrist. Gary danced out the way.
“It’s fine! I’m fine! No need to worry about me!” 
“Gary –“ Avocato began, but Gary cut him off.
“I’m fine.” Avocato looked at Gary’s face, seeing something shadowed over his eyes. Gary turned away from him, slipping through the doorway. 
“Night!” 
And Gary left them all standing in the centre of the room, thinking about what they just saw.

 

 

Notes:

Don’t worry, there will be more chapters about is mental health.

Chapter 6: It’s Okay Not To Be Fine

Summary:

Sorta sequel to Rocket Man, where Avocato wants to talk to Gary, but Gary doesn’t want to talk. He says he’s fine, but Avocato knows it isn’t true.

Avocato drummed his claws against the table, staring up at the ceiling. His eyebrows were furrowed, deep in thought, as his son nibbled on his toast. 
“I like it when Da – Gary makes them better.” Little Cato stared at his toast which he had made himself. Avocato watched as he licked some butter off the crust. “He somehow gets them just right, and the butter sinks in…he’s the god of toast…and all cooking, actually.” 
Avocato smiled at his son for a few seconds, pushing his worry back. 
He had heard his son refer to Gary as “Dad” before, which was understandable. He had been gone – presumed dead – for so long it was only natural. It was actually comforting for him to see that Gary had fulfilled his promise to the point where his son called the human “Dad.” 
“It’s okay to call Gary “Dad” around me you know.” Avocato told his son, smiling. Little Cato’s eyes lit up.
“It is? I just thought you might get mad, or jealous or something…” Little Cato babbled. Avocato chuckled, patting his son’s back. 
“I don’t mind. You can have two dads.” Avocato sighed. “You deserve that much at this point.” 
Little Cato nodded, biting his toast again. 
“Where is Gary, anyway?” Little Cato asked. The tone of voice told Avocato that this wasn’t something his son had just noticed – the smaller had been worrying for some time. In truth, everyone had been worried since they found Gary singing alone, his voice grief filled and hollow. 
The voice had been haunting Avocato for a while now, and he needed to talk to Gary. Despite his insistence, the blonde wasn’t fine.
“He’s still upstairs, fixing HUE up a bit.” Avocato looked back up at the ceiling. “Usually Nightfall would do this kind of thing, but she’s out with the others.” 
The ship was indeed much quieter, with less chaos happening than usual at that time in the morning. Ash, Fox and Nightfall had volunteered to stop off at a nearby planet to buy supplies, leaving Avocato, Little Cato, Mooncake, HUE and Gary in the ship.
“Chookity pok!” Mooncake chirped from under the table, hugging Avocato’s leg. They had made a strict rule not to let Mooncake be at the table when they ate, as they always inhaled all the food before they could pour drinks.
“Are you gonna eat that?” Avocato watched as his son dropped the toast, shaking his head. 
“It’s just not the same.” Little Cato replied sadly, sighing. Avocato looked at the ceiling for a few seconds, tapping his foot.
“He’s avoiding us.” He said sulkily, glaring at the roof. 
“I know.” Little Cato replied. “He usually makes me toast each morning. It’s kinda…sad without him.” 
Avocato stood up, chair scraping against the floor.
“I’m going to talk with him. Don’t feed Mooncake.” He said, moving to the lift.
“Chookity!”
“I won’t Dad. Just get him back down here again.” 
Avocato nodded, jumping to the upper floor. Immediately, he heard the murmurings of conversation through the hall.
“Gary, I’ve been fixed for a while now. Why am I still here?” HUE’s robotic voice asked through the door. Avocato paused, leaning against the wall as he (shamefully) listened in.
“Because…I need to make sure you are fixed…yeah, that’s it.” Gary replied. Avocato frowned.
“That is the third time you have said that Gary. It seems like you do not want to go back to the others.” HUE’s voice was laced with concern, only something those who had been around HUE long enough could hear. 
“I do, it’s just that they think that I’m not fine!” Gary paused. “I am!” 
Having enough of listening in, Avocato pushed the door open. Gary turned around quickly whilst HUE waved. 
“Hello Avocato.” The robot greeted. 
“Avocato! Didn’t know you were there…” Gary laughed uneasily. Avocato raised an eyebrow, looking at the newly repaired HUE. It was a better job than he thought.
“Nice job…Gary can we talk?” Avocato quickly changed the subject, aiming to catch Gary off guard. Gary hesitated, then gave him a smile.
“Sure!” He replied, standing up and brushing himself off. They stepped out of the hallway, HUE walking back towards the main area whilst Gary lead the way in the other direction. 
“What do you want to talk about bro?” Gary asked, giving a small smile. 
“You.” Avocato replied bluntly. Gary sped up notably, looking away from him. He clearly didn’t want to get into this conversation, making Avocato wonder darkly whether the human had ever spoke about his feelings before. 
“Me?” Gary gave a false laugh, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Why would you want to talk about me to me?”
“Gary, do you think we are stupid?” Avocato asked, picking up his pace to keep up with Gary, who was almost sprinting to his room. 
“What? No! Why?” Gary asked.
“We all know something is bothering you, and that you have been avoiding us over it!” Avocato replied. 
They reached Gary’s bedroom door, but Avocato held a hand out against the wall before Gary could get inside.
“There’s nothing that has been bothering me. I’m fine.” Gary told him. As he spoke, Avocato saw that his eyes looked shadowed, staring at the ground. 
“You’re not Gary.” 
Gary suddenly ducked under Avocato’s arm, flinging himself into his room and shutting the door after him. Avocato growled, knocking.
“Avocato, it’s nothing! I’m fine!” Gary certainly didn’t sound fine, his breaths coming too fast. 
“Gary, if you say the word fine one more time I will take all the cookies off the ship and launch them into space!” Avocato knocked on the door again, trying to pry it open with his fingers. “Please open the door.” 
“There’s no need!”
“Gary, please.”
“Really, I’m good. No need to worry.”
Avocato sighed, sliding down and leaning against the door. Little did he know, Gary was in the same position on the other side. 
“Look, I know how hard it is to talk to somebody.” Avocato said. “But when I talked to you, I felt a little better about myself. You helped me, so let me help you.”
Avocato heard a sniff at the other side of the door, and a sigh.
“It’s so stupid.” Gary gave a small chuckle, but it sounded pathetic and weak. “I just…I miss it, you know?”
“Miss what?” Avocato asked.
“Miss how things used to be.” Gary sighed. “I remember when me and my dad used to sit in my treehouse doing nothing, and we could do that because the universe didn’t need saving. I could just do absolutely nothing of worth, and I would be okay with it.” He heard Gary shift at the other end of the door.
“Before you say it, that’s not stupid.” Avocato told him. He closed his eyes. “We all wish for that sometimes.”
“Earth is gone.” Gary said suddenly, so bluntly and emotionlessly that it made Avocato’s heart twist. “So I can’t – I can’t even pretend that one day, I can go back to not caring.”
“Please open the door Gary.” Avocato stood up, pressing his paws against the metal. “You can’t just stay alone. You have me here.” 
For a moment he thought Gary had ignored him, but the door slid open.
Gary was curled up in a corner on the ground, his arms wrapped around himself. His breathing was uneven, bordering on a panic attack. 
Avocato quickly sat at his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Gary visibly calmed, looking away.
“I’m sorry.” Gary muttered. Avocato looked at him in shock, shaking his head.
“For what?” He asked. 
“For not being fine.” Gary’s answer made Avocato pull him into a hug, holding him tight. Gary melted into it, always loving physical touch. 
“It’s okay not to be fine.” Avocato murmured. “This is what the clasp of friendship was for right? We get through this as a team, as a squad.” Avocato smiled. “As a team squad.” 
Gary gave a weak chuckle.
“That’s my line.” He teased, giving a smile. 
“Well I just stole it baby.” Avocato suddenly stood up, picking Gary up and slinging him over his shoulder. Gary yelped.
“What are you doing?!” The human kicked his legs. “Avocato!” He screamed, high pitched.
“I’m getting you down to the kitchen to make our son some toast.” Avocato jumped into the lift, making Gary scream louder. “You’re going to make him some toast, just the way he likes it!”

 

Chapter 7: White Eyes (1)

Summary:

Gary takes Ash, Little Cato and Fox to a market for a treat, but problems start to occur.

“Little Cato! Little Cato!” 
Little Cato’s ears perked at Gary’s excited call and he ran to the cockpit. Gary was waiting for him, almost at jumping on the spot. 
“What?! What?!” Little Cato caught his excitement and copied his actions without realising. 
Gary grinned, pointing at the large window. Little Cato gasped at the sight of a colourful planet, covered in stalls and people. It looked lively and bright – Little Cato had never seen anything like it.
“How would you feel about going to an extra cool, totally awesome market?!” Gary shouted happily, fist pumping the air. Little Cato laughed.
“With super cool dangerous stuff to buy?!” He asked, and Gary nodded. “Let’s go!” 
“Shouldn’t we be finding dimensional keys?” 
They both spun around, finding Nightfall in the doorway. She raised her eyebrow, shaking her head with a small chuckle at the sight of their faces. 
“Come on Nightfall! This looks awesome!” Gary pleaded. Nightfall sighed, smiling.
“Take Ash and Fox with you. They could use cheering up.” She said, gesturing to the hall. “And don’t get in trouble, or I will kill you myself.”
“Gotcha.” Gary replied, winking. Little Cato giggled, hopping on Gary’s lap once he sat in the pilot’s chair.
“AVA, lets go to that kick ass market!” Gary yelled, pointing dramatically. Little Cato reached over, turning on the radio.
“Oh I see what you are doing Spidercat!” Gary thrust the ship forward. Little Cato grinned, turning up the music until it blasted through the ship.
“Who’s playing Loggins?” Ash asked, stumbling into the room. Fox followed her, clicking to the beat. 
“My friends, we are going to a space market!” Gary announced enthusiastically, hovering the ship over a landing area. Seeing the colours up close made Little Cato more excited, and he wiggled out of the seat to run to the window.
“A space market! This sounds great!” Fox squealed, eyes shining. Ash reacted similar, running over to the window beside Little Cato.
“Whoa! Look at all the colours!” She whispered. Little Cato grinned.
“I know right! And all the music…” they could hear the music drumming from inside the ship, showing the planet’s culture. 
The ship rocked as it landed. Gary leapt out of the pilot’s seat, dashing to the door. 
“Let’s go!” Gary lead the way, jumping out of the ship and paying an alien looking after their ship from bandits. Little Cato looked around in awe, tail twitching in excitement.
“I want to go to that place!” Ash pointed to a dangerous looking cabin with smoke drifting through the windows. Little Cato smelt the air, humming in confusion.
“That doesn’t smell like normal smoke…” he muttered. “Let’s check it out.” 
He was suddenly grabbed by Gary, who was dragging him away from the strange place.
“Nope! Not there!” Gary wouldn’t let go of him until the cabin was completely out of sight, and they had entered the main market. 
“Look at all the stuff!” Fox cried out happily. He gasped, pointing to the stall next to them. “Ooh! Can we go to that one!” 
Ash sighed, tugging Gary’s hand. 
“No, lets go to that one up there first! It has animals!” She grinned. Little Cato rolled his eyes.
“We don’t need a pet on the ship!” The Ventrexian grabbed Gary’s free hand, pulling him another way. “Let’s go look at these cool weapons!” 
“No, lets go here!”
“Here!”
“Hold up!” Gary shouted, wiggling his hands free from Ash and Little Cato. “Team talk here!” 
Fox, who started to wander, ran back to them.
“I know that this is all exciting and cool and stuff,” Gary began, “but we need to keep a level head here. These things are huge, and any one of you could get lost and you would be too pumped up to notice.” Gary stared around the market. “We have loads of time to explore all the crazy things this place has to offer, so no need to run off. Stick with Gary.” 
“Okay.” Ash calmed herself, looking around the market. “Where first?” 
“We go in order, as all shoppers do.” Gary announced. Together they moved through the market, all finding new things they hadn’t seen before.
“Street meat!” Gary shouted, running to the next stall. “Whoa…I’ll take that one!” Gary turned to them, whispering, “I got some street meat!” 
“Look at these guys!” Fox called them over to a stall covered in small trinkets and souvenirs. Little Cato gasped, picking up a small gun that was hooked on the side. It was glowing green, with small patterns on the side. Next to him, Ash was studying a small doll. She blushed when she saw him looking.
“It’s just a kid’s toy…I’m too old for it…” she muttered, but she didn’t let go. Fox had a small bag in his hand, gushing about how many zips it had.
“I’ll take the gun, the doll and the bag please.” Gary said behind them. Little Cato turned around, eyes shining. 
“Really?!” He asked. Gary grinned.
“As real as it gets.” The human tossed the money at the seller. 
“Thanks!” Ash whispered, stroking the doll’s hair. Fox grinned at Gary. 
“Yeah. Thanks!” 
Little Cato fiddled with his gun as they walked, studying the patterns as they moved further into the crowd. Gary had to keep pulling him back on track and stop him from getting lost.
“Come on Spidercat, this way – oh my gosh!” Gary suddenly cried out, running to the stall in front of them. 
The stall wasn’t too flashy, instead filled with cages and containers of different kind of bugs. Little Cato hadn’t seen half of them before. 
He also never knew how much Gary clearly lived bugs until now. The blonde’s eyes had lit up drastically, a large smile appearing on his face. 
“You like bugs?” Little Cato asked. Gary nodded. 
“Ever since I was a kid.” He whispered. 
“Feel free to have a good look and study each bug.” The seller wheezed. Little Cato narrowed his eyes at him, feeling something off about him. Gary didn’t seem to notice, picking up a large bug with a shiny shell. 
“Careful,” the seller warned halfheartedly, not even looking at Gary anymore and tending to a large winged bug, “some do bite.” 
Gary was too engrossed in looking at the bug to listen. Ash and Fox began to talk about their gifts, arguing who’s was better. Only Little Cato saw Gary get bitten by the bug. 
Gary withdrew with a small curse, dropping the bug back into the box labelled “white-eye beetle”. 
“That wasn’t very nice.” Gary muttered. Little Cato studied the injury, frowning at the blue ring that surrounded the small bite. 
“Are you okay?” He asked. Gary smiled, ruffling his Mohawk. 
“I’m good. Now let’s keep shopping.” Gary grinned. “I still got some money left for food.”
“Are you going to cook tonight?” Ash asked and Gary nodded.
“Yes!” Ash laughed, walking ahead with Fox. Little Cato went back to fiddling with his gun. 
It wasn’t until later when things started to feel wrong to the Ventrexian. He noticed that Gary’s pace had slowed quite a bit, and his hand kept moving to rub his eyes. When the teen looked up, he was startled to see how pale Gary looked, and the red rim surrounding his eyes. 
“You don’t look good.” Little Cato stared worriedly. Gary gave him a small smile. 
“I’m fine.” He answered. Little Cato took Gary’s hand, squeezing it. Gary was clearly not feeling good, and he didn’t want him to stretch himself. He thought back to the bug bite, frowning.
“We should get back to the ship.” Little Cato said, searching for Ash and Fox in the crowd. They were at a stall a few metres ahead of them, unaware of what was happening. 
Gary didn’t answer, but swayed suddenly. Little Cato grabbed him the best he could, helping him stand upright. Gary rubbed his eyes again, blinking hard a few times. 
“I’m really fine. Just space pollen or something.” Gary muttered. Little Cato shook his head. 
“Please Gary! Lets go back to the ship - I’m tired anyway, actually this shopping trip is getting boring!” He lied, hoping to persuade Gary. 
“It’s fine Spidercat…it’s…” suddenly, Gary collapsed to the ground, landing hard. 
“Gary!” Little Cato cried out, shaking his shoulders. The cry was loud enough to alert Ash and Fox, who ran over at the sight of Gary on the ground. 
“What happened to him?!” Ash asked, rolling him into his back. Little Cato felt tears pool in his eyes, shaking his head. 
“I don’t know – he just fell and –“ the sight of Gary, pale and still, was too much for him. It looked like he was – 
“We need to get him back to the ship, I’m sure he’s fine.” Fox sounded uncertain, but gently picked up Gary bridal style. Gary didn’t react. 
“Lets go.” Ash took Little Cato’s hand, and they began to run back to the ship. Little Cato kept his eyes glued on Gary’s still form, praying that he would be fine. 

Chapter 8: White Eyes (2)

Summary:

Gary wakes up.

Gary felt like he was in a box. 
Really, he was more concerned about how normal it felt to come to the conclusion that he was in a box. 
Gary gave a light groan, opening his eyes only to see black around him. There were some distant voices, but his mind was too muddled to try and translate them at that moment in time. He was more fussed at the fact that he was lying in complete darkness, and no one seemed to care. Or maybe they did, he wasn’t one to judge. 
“-ry...” 
Someone was trying to say something now, and he felt kind of bad when he ignored it. Because all of a sudden, he began to feel horrible, like waking up from a hour long drinking game. 
And he knew how that felt. 
“-ary –“
Gary closed his eyes again (it really didn’t make a difference but it felt better) and let out a sigh. It felt like he was too hot, and then too cold. He was shivering, but he could feel sweat sticking to his brow. He didn’t know whether he wanted a blanket or an ice pack. 
“Gary? Gary?” The voice was familiar. They were calling out his name, so whoever put him in a box (or turned off the lights or whatever) knew who he was and wasn’t trying to kill him, which was a nice surprise.
Gary opened his eyes again and, despite the darkness, tilted his head to the voice calling his name. As his senses slowly came back to him, he realised that he was actually in the med bay of the Crimson Light; the smells of disinfect were making his stomach churn. 
So he wasn’t in a box, he was in one of the cylinder bed things that all ships seemed to have. It still didn’t explain why it was so dark. 
“Thunder Bandit? Are you awake?” Little Cato. Gary blinked a few times, trying to see in the dark. It didn’t help.
“Yeah…hey Spider-cat.” Gary smiled, sitting up slowly in the bed. Any movement made him dizzy, and someone was holding onto his arm to stop him falling off. By the large hand, Gary identified them as Fox.
“Thanks Fox.” Gary closed his eyes, leaning back. He really didn’t feel that great. “What happened?” He asked. All he remembered was the market. 
“You passed out in the market.” Ash was also beside him. “Little Cato said a bug bit you or something, so right now HUE, AVA and Nightfall are trying to identify what it was, and what it can do…” Ash gave a nervous laugh. “…you seem to be fine though, which is good because…I would’ve destroyed the entire market…” 
“What have we talked about Ash?” Gary reminded, despite feeling like he wanted to die three times over. “No destroying things unless Gary says so.” 
“How are you feeling?” Little Cato spoke again, quietly. Gary gave a small smile, still keeping his eyes shut.
“Like absolute crap.” He replied. “But apart from that, pretty cool.” 
Little Cato gave a weak laugh. Gary smiled, opening his eyes again. It was still black, and he sighed.
“Could someone turn the lights on please?” He asked no one in particular, staring at where the ceiling would be. “I can’t see anything here.” 
When all he got was silence in return, however, he knew something was horribly wrong with what he just said. There was a gasp, and a furry paw touched his hand. 
“You…you can’t see?” Little Cato asked him, shock evident in his voice. Gary felt his chest constrict. 
“You can?” He whispered. Little Cato didn’t reply, but his paw began to tremble in his hand. Out of habit, Gary squeezed it in reassurance as his thoughts began to run wild. A memory, buried in his childhood, came to surface.
He was crying as he wondered around the garden, his hands thrust outwards. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t see – was he even in his garden anymore? All he wanted to do was to hold the strange bug and draw it. He could add it to his collection. He thought that he could give it to his mum to try and cheer her up and notice him. 
Gary let out another cry, screaming for his mother as he tried to feel where he was going. It was raining. He wanted to go back inside. 
Gary tripped, water soaking his clothes as he cried harder – 
He could barely breathe, his breaths coming out in pathetic wheezes. He raked a hand through his hair as Little Cato’s grip tightened in his hand. He was scared. 
The thought made Gary force himself to calm down, doing what HUE advised him to do on the Galaxy One. It worked mostly – enough to convince Little Cato that he was okay. 
“Nightfall! Nightfall!” Ash was yelling. To Gary it felt like white noise. There was no way he was blind, it was just a mistake. 
“What’s wrong?!” Nightfall was suddenly in the room, and despite his lack of eyesight, he could feel her gaze burning into him. 
“Hey, it’s going to be fine.” Little Cato’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He heard the tremor in his voice, the tears behind the words. Gary gave a small laugh at the role reversal.
“I should be telling you that.” He muttered. 
He suddenly felt a hand touch the area around his eyes and he jumped back in shock. He let out a shaky sigh, however, after realising it was just Nightfall. 
“Your eyes…they’re all clouded.” She murmured, gently inspecting them. 
“I may know what is wrong with Gary.” AVA announced. 
“What?” Gary asked, crossing his fingers underneath the blanket. 
“It seems, due to my analysis, that Gary is suffering from a bite from a White-eye Beetle. The beetle is infamous for blinding whoever it bites for a period of time, and giving flu-like symptoms.”
Well that explained a lot. 
“Not again.” Gary muttered, wrapping his arms around himself. The terror he had felt as a child struck him again as if only a minute had passed, not years. 
“Not again? What do you mean?” Nightfall asked. Gary didn’t answer – he couldn’t – and dug his nails into his skin. 
“Gary, calm down for us, okay?” Nightfall’s voice was closer to him, but he couldn’t pin where. The darkness was suffocating, and the room felt unfamiliar, strange and frightening. 
“Could I just get to my room please?” Gary asked weakly, a drowsy fog enveloping his mind. There was a brief silence, which in Gary assumed they were communicating through looks, and then Little Cato spoke.
“Yeah…I can take you there...” the Ventrexian offered. Gary shook his head.
“I can find my way.” He insisted, knowing that he was lying through his teeth. But he needed to. He couldn’t be useless, not now.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” Fox began, but Gary stumbled out of the bed, holding out his hands.
“I’ll go with him.” Little Cato muttered behind him. Gary didn’t say anything, but found his way to the doorway. Pressing his fingers against the wall, he moved down the hall. His room couldn’t be that far, right?
“Gary, watch out!” Little Cato was suddenly in front of him, pressing his paws on his chest to prevent him from going any further. 
“What?” 
“You almost headed into the engine room.” 
“Oh.” Gary sank down to the ground, hearing Little Cato’s sound of surprise. His head pounded, sweat trickling down his back. The blackness around him made him fearful and tense. He couldn’t help anyone.
He couldn’t even help himself.
“I can’t do this, who am I kidding?” Gary muttered into his hands. He heard Little Cato sit next to him. 
“No one could navigate a ship without their sight.” The younger told him. Gary shook his head.
“I thought I wouldn’t have to do this again. I didn’t want to not see again!” 
Gary screamed, unable to breathe though his tears. His mother wasn’t coming. 
He wanted his dad. 
Why did he always wish for the impossible?
“You got bitten by one of these beetles before?” Little Cato asked him, pulling him from his memory. Gary sighed, shivering.
“Yeah…it wasn’t as big as the one at the market, but it did the same thing. I didn’t know where I was going…it was terrifying.” 
Gary lay in the grass, shutting his eyes tightly. Maybe he could pretend he could see, and was just sleeping.
“That was only for a few hours though…it must’ve been younger.”
“You have the worst luck.” Little Cato replied. Gary nodded, giving a weak chuckle. 
“And it’s just like that all over again. I don’t even know what’s here, where I am...” Gary broke off, sighing. “It’s stupid.” 
“No.” Little Cato grabbed his hand. “You still got us, even if you can’t see us.” The Ventrexian places Gary’s hand on his shoulder. Gary blinked, letting his fingers trace his fur. The physical reminder pulled him back down to Earth. He didn’t feel so alone as he had. 
It felt pretty nice to feel that way.
“Now I’m going to lead you to your room before you walk out of the ship.” Little Cato joked, and Gary laughed lightly. The Ventrexian’s paw slipped into his hand, and they stood up.
“Besides, AVA said it wasn’t forever, just a few days.” Little Cato reassured. “Then you can go back to dancing on the ship.”
Gary laughed, trusting Little Cato to guide him.
“Oh I’m going to have the biggest dance of my life once I can see again.” He smiled. Little Cato’s laughter rang through the ship, making the darkness surrounding him seem less empty. 

Chapter 9: I Will Carry You

Summary:

Request by Sujs
Gary, during a fight, sacrifices himself to save Avocato’s life. Avocato is left realising how valued his friendship is with the human, and vows to tell him. That is, if he can keep him alive.

Another blast pieced the metal container next to Gary, and he yelped in surprise. He quickly risked looking out from his makeshift barricade (behind a large storage container, squashed in between boxes) to find that the enemy was coming closer, gun raised. 
It was only meant to be an innocent supply run.
It was his idea – after all, he and Avocato hadn’t left the ship in a while, and the Ventrexian needed some way to relax and take his mind off his son for a few hours. So when HUE announced that they were running low on petrol, Gary seized the opportunity to drag Avocato to the small town of Naciresso. 
And he really was enjoying it, and so was Avocato. Heck, he’d even seen his friend laugh six times within the first hour. The laugh made his heart feel warm, glad that the Ventrexian was getting some shred of the joy he deserved. 
Now, as he rolled to the container beside him, Gary realised that it might have not been the greatest idea in hindsight. He and Avocato has created a name for themselves, and with that, a lot of enemies. Today it was bounty hunters. 
Another bullet was too close to his ear, and Gary ducked, reloading his gun. He cast a glance at Avocato, who was shooting and yelling violently. Gary grinned as two more bounty hunters went down. They could do this.
The rain of bullets stopped as the enemy began to reload, and Gary knew this was his chance. With a yell, he jumped up from behind the metal, shooting down two more bounty hunters with his pistol.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Avocato shouted, another three falling in front of him. 
Only the meanest, toughest bounty hunters remained. Gary quickly ran to Avocato, flashing him a grin. 
“I’d say there are four left of them.” Avocato smiled back confidently. They ducked in sync as more gun fire assaulted them. 
“To think this was just because we wanted to into a sweet bar.” Gary replied. Avocato shook his head, chuckling.
“You wanted to. I knew it was a bad idea.” He replied. Gary wiggled his eyebrow.
“Yes, but that small sip of a drink was worth it.” Gary shot a few times before taking cover again.
“I didn’t even get a drink!” Avocato countered. The gun fire paused again. He and Avocato exchanged a look, grinning.
“Once this is over, we are going back to that bar. I’m getting you a drink.” Gary announced, jumping over the boxes. He heard Avocato laugh beside him, but after that all he could hear was the sound of his own gun firing at the hunters. 
Avocato was yelling next to him, taking down a bounty hunter with ease. Gary shot another in the legs, kicking the gun away from them. 
He scanned the surroundings, searching for the last bounty hunter. Avocato had almost beaten the third, and for a moment he thought the last had fled. 
However, nothing is ever that simple.
As Avocato defeated the third bounty hunter, as the Ventrexian gave him a huge smile, as Gary was about to say a well placed joke, he saw them. 
The final bounty hunter had a target aimed at Avocato’s back, and Gary knew that, even if he shot the guy now, it would be too late. The trigger was about to be pulled.
“Avocato!” Gary yelled. He did the only thing he could to in that moment: push him out the way. He didn’t have time to consider the fact that he was now directly in the line of fire. No – he could only think that this was not the way for Avocato to die, his son was relying on him. 
Gary heard the bang before he felt it, but when he felt it he wished he hadn’t. He froze as the bullet tore through his chest, blood spraying out of the wound from the force. His body remained suspended in air for a moment longer, his eyes widened. Then he fell, his legs folding beneath him. He thought he heard a shout from Avocato, but the pain was too much. It burnt into his flesh, and Gary wanted to scream, but he could only let out a splutter. Blood droplets stained the ground as he coughed, blocking his throat until he couldn’t breathe. 
He realised with some certainty that this could possibly his last moments, but he found he couldn’t regret what he did. Avocato needed his son. 
Gary? 
Well, Gary was only temporary.

~

“No!” Avocato watched in horror as Gary fell, his body still. He was still on the ground from when Gary pushed him, and could only watch the scene unfold. “No!” Snarling, he shot the bounty hunter in the head, killing him instantly.
Avocato wasted no time running to Gary’s side, eyes burning. 
His friend was lying on his front, blood pooling underneath him. His skin was pale, breaths coming in wheezes. Avocato was shaking as he turned him over. 
The Ventrexian had seen blood many times, whether that was what he had done to someone or someone had done to him. He had seen much worse that Gary’s wound, but this was Gary. The man who was his first real friend. The man who played cards with him each night without fail. The man who was the only being in the universe to help find his son only because he wanted Avocato to be happy. Gary’s lax features with blood soaking his skin was enough to make Avocato freeze – something he had never done. 
“Come on, Gary.” Avocato pulled off one of his layers of clothing, pressing it down on Gary’s wound. “Wake up. Please.” 
Gary stirred, opening his eyes slightly. He smiled at the sight of Avocato. Avocato tried to smile back, unsuccessful. 
“That was a stupid move.” The Ventrexian told his friend, trying to ignore the blood soaking through to his hands. Gary gave a weak chuckle but didn’t answer, closing his eyes again. 
“No no no! Open your eyes Gary. Do this for me. Hold on.” Avocato shook him gently, eyes wildly searching the area for any help. As usual, he was alone. 
“HUE!” Avocato suddenly shouted into his earpiece, almost forgetting about the AI. HUE’s voice came loud in his ear.
“I am trying to find a place to land so Gary can be treated.” HUE answered. “But I cannot due to restrictions and dangers. I did find a safe place, but you will have to carry Gary there.” 
Avocato looked down at the pale human, who’s breaths were coming quicker and raspier. With a short nod, he gently picked up Gary in his arms, cradling him. He was heavier than he thought.
Gary’s weight wasn’t a burden, because burdens are something unwanted and Gary was certainly not wanted. Avocato stumbled back towards the ship, pressing Gary against his chest. The walk was a long one, and Avocato felt himself tiring. 
“Gary’s heartbeat is weakening.” HUE’s voice informed him through the speakers. Avocato gritted his teeth, forcing his legs to move faster. He could barely hear Gary breathe and he hugged him tighter. 
“That was stupid to do...What am I going to do if you die, Gary?” Avocato muttered. “I need you to help me get my son, or at least play some cards, or take me to a bar that is ridden with bounty hunters.” Avocato suddenly lost his footing. He fell onto his back with a hiss. The small wounds that he had gained over the fight were aching and stinging, but he pushed them back. Struggling, he stood back up, and that was when he noticed Gary was awake again. 
“Gary…hang on.” Avocato could already see Gary’s eyes shutting again. His friend was gasping as if he was being starved of oxygen, his lips turning a pale blue.
“How long have I got?” Avocato began to run. He pushed his own exhaustion aside, it wasn’t important. He looked down at the dying man in his arms, praying to anyone that would listen that he would make it to the ship on time.
“Ten minutes.” HUE answered after a moments hesitation. “To get back to the ship it will take twelve minutes. I’m afraid you won’t make it.” 
“I’m going to make it, HUE.” Avocato ran as best as he could, stumbling. The weight of Gary was putting him off balance, restricting him. 
“Five minutes.” 
He could see the ship ahead of him. It was the best thing he had seen in his life. Avocato forced his legs to move faster. 
“Three minutes.” 
Avocato was finally beside the ship, and he let out a small laugh of relief. The med bay was close, and Avocato placed Gary in a bed carefully as the ship took off far into space. 
He couldn’t hold himself up anymore and fell to the ground, panting. He didn’t let his eyes leave Gary, however.
“He is saved Avocato.” HUE’s voice drifted from the walls. Avocato’s vision blurred. “You can rest now. You saved him.” 
Avocato, though he vowed not to, must’ve fell asleep shortly after HUE’s words. He awoke suddenly, still curled up on the floor beside Gary.
Gary.
Avocato stood up, eyes wild as he studied Gary’s body. He had a bandage tightly around his ribs and tubes sticking out from his skin. And he was awake. 
His eyes were staring at Avocato’s face, a small smile twitching on his lips. 
“Hey.” Gary said. Avocato rolled his eyes, carefully perching on his bed.
“You say “hey” after almost getting yourself killed?” Avocato asked skeptically. Gary gave a small shrug.
“It was…worth it…your son…” Gary broke off in a cough. 
“Your life wasn’t worth that Gary.” Avocato turned to face Gary fully. “Gary…you are the only one ever to give a shit about me and my son without thinking of any personal gain. You don’t care about where I came from, or what I did. It just doesn’t matter to you.”
“Yeah…of course it doesn’t…you’re a good…friend…” Gary told him tiredly, a small smile gracing his lips. Avocato shook his head. 
“You’re a good – scratch that – great friend to me Gary!” Avocato leaned closer to his friend, narrowing his eyes. “You have to promise me that we do anything from now on together. No stupid sacrifices. No leaving another behind.” The Ventrexian held out his hand. 
“Clasp on it.” 
Gary grinned, grabbing Avocato’s hand in his. 
“Sure thing buddy.” They shook hands, and Avocato grinned. 
“Get some rest. I want to play cards later.” He ordered. His heart felt lighter than it ever had. He had a big feeling that Gary had something to do with it. 

Chapter 10: Do You Get Tired Of This?

Summary:

READ PLEASE
Gary, ever since that day where he couldn’t see, has been terrified of the dark. But Goodspeeds are never scared, so where does that leave Gary?
Read White Eyes (1 -2) if you haven’t already. In that, Gary explains what happened.
A kinda request by someone on Wattpad, who only suggested this as a what if.

“How many days until the end of my sentence, HUE?”
“Gary, it has only been a week since you have begun your imprisonment.”
“Oh. It felt like longer.”
Gary sat silently in the centre of the room, stirring his breakfast slowly. He let out a sigh, staring out of the window. At least it was a nice view. Gary still didn’t understand space, but he still allowed himself to enjoy the little things about it. It almost made him feel like he was a free man.
“Gary,” HUE began after the silence stretched further, “I noticed that you did not use your room again for sleeping.” 
Gary automatically turned his head to the pile of blankets on the floor a few metres from him. He rolled his eyes, trying to wave it off. 
“I like it down here better! It’s got food…a nice view…” 
(And it wasn’t dark in here, is what he was going to say)
“Gary I know you are lying to me.” HUE’s voice echoed above him, making him flinch.
“I know you’re lying Gary Goodspeed!”
“Stop lying!”
“Do you get tired of this?”
L i e s 
Why could he just tell the truth? 
“Well you are wrong!” Gary slapped on a smile. Curve your lips. Look happy.
“I am an AI. I am never wrong.” Strange, he swore HUE was human some times. “And you are a liar, Gary.” 
“Hey, what else is new.” Gary gave a dry laugh, stirring his oatmeal again. The mixture still stayed unappealing as ever, but he wasn’t going to eat it anyway. 
“You could tell me the truth, Gary.” 
The spoon slipped out of his fingers, dropping into the gloop.
“It will be easier for the both of us.” 
Gary watched the spoon sink into the brown mush. He grabbed the bowl in his hands, clutching it as his knuckles grew whiter. 
“I’ll go and sleep in the room tonight then.” Gary muttered. He dropped the bowl, hands stinging. 
(He just couldn’t think of that day, that’s all he had to do)
It was dark when he shut his eyes, what was the difference?
“Gary.”
“Leave me alone. Do your job.” Gary glared up at the ceiling. “After all, you’re always right.” He spat. His oatmeal stayed untouched as he stormed out of the room, snatching up his blankets. It only occurred to him afterwards that he spent all that time preparing the meal, only for it to not get eaten. He was sure there was some irony or symbolism there, but he really didn’t care what it was. 

~

Gary tried to be brave that night, staring down at the bed in front of him. Hesitantly, he placed the blankets on the cheap mattress before settling down himself, his body tensed.
Gary fooled himself a lot, and this time he persuaded himself that it wasn’t as bad as it was. It had been a long time since that day – he was an adult now! He didn’t need city lights or moonlight to keep him from going insane. 
“Two minutes until lights out, Gary.”
Gary jumped at HUE’s voice, breathing heavily. He kept his eyes locked onto the ceiling – 
– breathe Gary, breathe – 
 – and tucked himself in a bit more. Gary was once again falling into the lie that Gary was fine, Gary was overreacting. Gary wasn’t scared. Goodspeeds never got scared. Take his father for example. 
His mind drifted to children’s rhymes, one in particular standing out in his mind because it was so ironic he almost laughed.
Scaredy cat, scaredy cat, don’t know what you’re looking at!
Because Gary knew that, once the lights went off, he wouldn’t know what he was looking at. It was funny, he supposed, if he wasn’t the one scared of the dark like a child. 
“One minute left, Gary.” 
His therapist (she was only around for a brief time before he ran away from them all) said that it was something that he could grow out of if he chose to move on. He had laughed out loud at that, which must’ve been scary to her as he was only thirteen at that point. Of course, she thought that his dark fear was the only problem; at that point, his mother had left him a good number of years ago, and this fear was tiny to him. 
Insignificant.
(“You say that you are fine, but you lie, Gary.” She had said on the last day. “Do you get tired of this?”)
“Lights our now Gary.” 
With a dull click, the lights died. Gary saw them die, and darkness quickly swallow him whole. 
He wasn’t fine.
Gary sprang out of the bed a few seconds after, falling to the ground. He was no longer in the small room. He could be anywhere, everywhere. The darkness was sealing him, never letting him go.
Already he was crying, he noticed with some bitterness. Tears hot down his cheeks, nose clogged. 
Next, he screamed. Over and over. He couldn’t stop, locked in a cycle. 
Darkness, everywhere. 
A younger Gary, screaming for his mother in the long grass because he couldn’t see – 
He couldn’t see.
His breaths constricted. 
He couldn’t do this.
(Why did he have to fool himself?)
“Turn on the lights!” Everything happened in a matter of seconds, but hours had passed in Gary’s mind. His hands scraped the metal door as another cry tore from his throat. 
And then the lights were on, buzzing into life. Gary gave a small moan, curling up beside the door. He was shivering, staring at the lightbulbs until his eyes stung.
“What is the problem Gary?” HUE asked. “You are showing signs of deep distress.”
The voice was so inhuman that it calmed Gary to some degree. At least, enough to spit out a few words. 
“Don’t…turn out the lights…so dark…” he felt like a child again, a panic attack on the verge of exploding out of him in a fire of fear and tears. 
“Are you scared, Gary?” HUE asked into the deep silence. Gary shivered, pressing his head into his knees. 
“Stop lying to yourself Gary, and then you could tell me.” HUE continued. When Gary still didn’t answer, the AI surprisingly chose to keep talking to him. “We are in space Gary. No one else will know apart from you and me.” 
“You already figured it out. You know everything.” Gary whispered. Shame crawled into his heart, making him choke on air. He was almost hysterical still – it was only a few seconds in the dark, why was he like this?
“You shouldn’t be ashamed, and yet you are.” HUE replied. Gary curled up tighter. He mutely shook his head, furiously wiping away the tears.
(He was tired, so tired of this.) 
HUE’s voice faded from his ears, a low buzzing filtering through his brain. 
(He was tired)
“I cannot keep these lights on all night. Let me try something.”
Gary suddenly stood up, pleading with the AI.
“No! I need light! Please!” He slammed his fists onto the door, not listening to any of HUE’s other words. He was panicking again, reduced to screaming. 
With a click, the lights turned off again. Gary gasped, but not because of the darkness surrounding him. Because it wasn’t dark.
Small, green lights threaded up the walls, gathering on the ceiling in a swirl. Gary hesitantly touched one, blank staring at it. 
“These work.” Gary felt his legs give out beneath him. He looked up at the ceiling. “Thanks, HUE.”
“Goodnight, Gary.” HUE answered. Gary blinked.
“Yeah…night…”

~

(He ate his oatmeal the next morning, eating it whilst it was still hot)

~

“A power cut!” Gary screamed, slamming his body against the door. 
Everywhere was black, black, too black and he couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t take it. 
(Would it be easier if he could just stop feeling?)
Gary screamed again, tears running down his cheeks. He couldn’t breathe. 
“I will have to go offline for an hour to fix this.” 
“NO!” Gary screamed, begging. “No HUE please YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME!” Gary sobbed. He didn’t even know where he was anymore. HUE had been the one thing holding him back from complete breakdown. 
(HUE was leaving like everyone else)
“I have no choice Gary. Stay calm. Do the breathing we practiced.” 
“HUE!” Gary yelled, slamming his fists onto the wall again. HUE didn’t answer.
He was alone again.
“No! NO!” Gary was burnt out, a candle on its last length of flame. Fear consumed him, reducing him to lying on the floor, huddling. He squeezed his eyes shut, but nothing helped. 
He was alone
A L O N E
He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move. Everything was too big, too intimidating. He was crumbling, something that Goodspeeds never did.
(“Don’t you get tired of this?” She asked him. He never answered.)
He was five again, crying out for his mother.
He was twelve, crying alone in his tree house
He was twenty six, crying alone in space 
Gary didn’t scream after that. He didn’t react as the lights clicked on, covering the ship in a layer of certainty that Gary would usually crave.
“It is okay Gary. It is over.” 
Gary’s knuckles were bleeding, shivers taking over his body. His eyes stared at nothing. 
“Gary you have to get up. You have to keep going.” 
“But I’m tired of all this.” Gary replied quietly. 

~

(Gary threw the oatmeal at the wall the next day)

~

Any other person would be asleep at this time, so they wouldn’t know about the power cut. 
But Gary was still awake on the Crimson light, and was fully alert when the lights clicked off. For a moment he froze, dropping his pencil onto the ground.
Then, as usual, panic.
He was forced to do it in silence, not wanting to wake the others. He muffled his screams with his bedsheet, punched the mattress instead of the walls. 
Why again?
Gary hadn’t noticed HUE enter, didn’t hear him as he clumsily made his way towards him in the dark. He did feel a small robotic hand on his arm as he trembled in the corner. 
“Its okay. HUE is here.” HUE patted him. With a clunk, his middle suddenly lit up, a small beacon in the surrounding darkness. 
Gary pressed his shaking fingers against it, gasping. He could still feel the darkness trapping him, but the small light allowed him to see HUE – something that had been a certainty for the past few years of his life. 
Gary’s choked cries were the only things heard for a while. HUE stayed silent, still keeping his hand on Gary’s arm until the lights came on again shortly after. 
Gary gave a small gasp of surprise, but didn’t move from his current position. 
(Why was he so over dramatic?)
“It’s okay, Gary. The lights are on again.” HUE told him. The robot sat beside him. “Did my light help? I thought you might want help when the lights cut out.”
“Always right, HUE.” Gary whispered, shivering. 
“No.” HUE said unexpectedly. Gary looked at him in surprise. “I was wrong about one thing. About you. You are not a liar, Gary. You are scared. Scared of a lot of things.” 
Gary closed his eyes, trying to get his breathing under control. To hear it from someone else was strange. A small Stan of shame hit his heart for making it so obvious. What would his dad think of him now? 
Because Gary was a liar, he wasn’t scared. He lied to others. Lied to himself. 
Lies
HUE was trying to make him feel better.
Lies
Gary was nothing else.
Lies

“Don’t lie to me Gary Goodspeed!” His mother had told him at four years old. “You killed your father and you know it! You are just a liar…and I will never love you.”

“That’s nice of you HUE.” Gary sighed. He opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling again. A lone tear slipped out of his eye, splashing onto HUE’s body. 
“Do you get tired of this?” HUE asked into the silence. 
Gary didn’t answer.

Chapter 11: Operation Gay Dads

Summary:

Request by RandomReviewer, who wanted a one shot where Gary and Avocato were oblivious to their love for another, so Little Cato steps in.

EVERYBODY LIVES AU

Notes:

This hasn’t been edited or proof read so my autocorrect may have been stupid and replaced some words without me knowing. Sorry

Little Cato drummed his claws on the table, pouting as he stared at the two people in front of him.
“Come on…just do it already.” The small Ventrexian muttered. Ash flicked her eye up to the scene before going back to stabbing her meal with a fork.
“They won’t do it.” She pointed out. Little Cato sighed, dramatically flopping himself on the table.
“Why?” He watched as the two interacted off each other, laughing loudly. 
“Grown-ups.” Ash shrugged.
“Chookity.” Mooncake agreed, flying lazily over to where Gary was currently making toast.
“I mean, I’m not a top chef or anything…” Gary grinned, flipping the toast in his hand. “But I do know how to make smiley faces in toast!”
Avocato was standing behind the blonde, studying the piece of toast with a smile on his face.
“Yeah, but now I just don’t want to eat it.” Little Cato watched as his dad’s hand skimmed against his other dad’s, but his ears dropped when they didn’t do anything else. 
“Come on! He wants to get eaten!” Gary waves the toast in Avocato’s face. Avocato rolled his eyes, biting it out of his hand. 
“You humanise breakfast too much.” Avocato mumbled through the toast. Gary laughed loudly, then went back to stirring his cereal. 
Little Cato groaned again. 
“See? They obviously have the hots for each other! You should see my Dad when I talk about him!” 
“Which one?” Ash asked. 
“Both of them!” Little Cato cried out. “They are just both too scared to – “ 
“To do what?” Avocato interrupted, sitting beside Ash. Ash blushed whilst Little Cato hastily looked away. 
“Err – nothing!” Not his best lie (actually this was his worst) but thankfully his father didn’t question it.
“What are we doing today?” Ash changed the subject, stabbing her meal again.
“Gary thought it would be nice to go out for the day.” Avocato told them. Little Cato watched his dad’s eyes soften at the mention of the human. “And I think it’s a pretty good idea, how about you?”
“Yes yes yes!” Ash giggled. His frustration momentarily forgotten, Little Cato grinned, wiggling in his seat.
“That sounds cool!” He replied excitedly. Avocato chuckled, rubbing his son’s back.
“Go tell Fox and the others then, see if they want to go.” 
Little Cato slid off his seat, Ash following him as they jumped into the elevator. 
“Did you see that?!” Little Cato burst out once they were out of earshot. Ash nodded.
“Avocato got all mushy at the mention of Gary.” Ash said as they walked down the hall. Mooncake began to follow them with a small chirp. 
“I know! It’s so annoying!” Little Cato shouted. 
He and Ash entered another room, finding Fox easily. He was tinkering with a gadget, engrossed in his work.
“Hey Fox! Want to go out?!” Ash called from the other side of the room. 
“No I’m good! I wanna find out what this little thing does!” Fox replied before his eyes were locked back into the small hunk of metal. Ash rolled her eye and they walked out the room.
They walked in silence for some while, occasionally breaking it to ask other members of the ship whether they wanted to join them. It was only when they asked everyone (who politely declined – after all, it wasn’t exactly pre-planned) that Ash spoke again.
“We could…help them.” She suggested as they dropped down the elevator again. Little Cato gasped.
“Yeah! They just need a little nudge! We could do that!” The Ventrexian grinned. “They’ll realise they’re in love by the end of the day!”

~

Stage one of “Operation Gay Dads” (Ash named it) came in to play as soon as they landed on the planet Zirkal, which was known for its bars, clubs, shopping centres and restaurants. 
A planet with such high class had a special area to park ships, away from their main city. This meant, of course, that the crew would have to get a ride into the main frame.
“Look Ash! Two seats!” Little Cato pointed to the mode of transport furthest from them. It was only two seats placed on top of a large creature with a singular horn and six legs. 
“Two seats means they have to sit together…and talk. Alone.” Little Cato explained. He shrugged. “It works in movies.”
“Ok.” Ash smiled, climbing up on one of the animals. This, of course, brought Gary’s attention. 
At the sight of the animals he melted, immediately running over and stroking them. 
“Avocato! Look at these!” Gary called out as he scratched one. Little Cato bit back a laugh – Avocato could never say no to Gary. And this time was no exception. 
“Fine. If you like them that much…” Avocato shook his head, but Little Cato saw the small smile on his lips. The smaller Ventrexian quickly scurried beside Ash, making sure his dads would sit together. 
Avocato pulled himself up, then offered a hand to Gary. Little Cato squinted at the human, he swore he saw – 
“A blush!” Ash whispered. “Gary’s blushing!” 
And so he was. 
Shame Avocato didn’t seem to notice. 
“Is your dad blind?” Ash whispered. 
“Yes.” Little Cato sighed. “But hopefully not deaf.” 
The animals moved without any instruction, not needing guidance to know where they were going. Little Cato watched as Gary giggled as the animals began to walk. The blonde was pointing out things as they went, and occasionally Avocato would say something back. But mostly, Little Cato realised, the Ventrexian was happy just listening to Gary talk. 
“So what’s stage two of the plan?” Little Cato asked, not taking his eyes off them.
“Fair games.” Ash stated. “Couples love fair games.” 

~

It took them a while to find the fair as it was buried in the centre of the town. But once they did, they were quickly excited by the colours and lights.
“Look at that! And that!” Little Cato stared up at the huge rides. 
“This is the first fair I’ve been to in a while.” Gary stood next to him, ruffling his hair. “Though that ride is very high. Scary.” He shuddered and then smiled as Avocato came into view, balancing ice creams for them all. 
Gary ran over to help him, grinning as he took his own and Little Cato’s. 
Little Cato pretended to lick his sweet treat as he listened in on them.
“Cookie dough?! Wow! I didn’t even know they did that!” Gary laughed. Avocato joined in, chuckling. 
“I thought you might like it as you have an obsession with the things.” Avocato laughed. Gary swatted him playfully on the arm. 
“Ok Mr Smart-Cat, let me guess yours.” The blonde challenged. He hummed.
“It’s white…but I don’t think you’re a vanilla type…hmm…” Little Cato glanced up, seeing Gary studying the ice cream intently. “I’d say you’re a lemon drizzle kind of guy.” 
“You got it, baby.” Avocato replied smoothly. Gary gasped.
“I did? Oh my gosh, we are super connected…” Gary whispered. Avocato chuckled again. 
Deciding the conversation was over, Little Cato strolled over to them both, trying to hide his grin. 
“So? What first?” He asked casually. 
“When I was a kid, me and my dad would always start with hook-a-duck.” Gary smiled at the memory. 
“What, like that one?” Ash asked, pointing to the plastic ducks bobbing on some water. Little Cato never had heard of hook-a-duck before (it was presumably an earth thing) and so was confused by what he saw. 
Gary, however, gasped and ran over. 
“It’s just like on Earth…” Gary muttered. He frowned sadly all of a sudden. “I didn’t realise how much I missed it.” 
Little Cato didn’t know what to say, but luckily his other dad wrapped an arm around his shoulder. At his touch, Gary smiled again, grabbing one of the long poles. 
Money was slapped on the counter and Little Cato watched as Gary carefully hooked a duck carefully, and pulled it to the front. 
“What prize?” Gary asked, humming at the cheap selection. Ash was grinning, pointing to the binoculars hanging on the wall. The owner handed them to her.
“These will come in handy.” She whispered. Little Cato nodded.
“My turn!” Avocato grabbed the pole off Gary, trying to hook another duck. Despite his efforts, he kept missing and accidentally dunking the poor ducks. 
“How am I not doing this?!” Avocato stuck his tongue out, trying to get another. Gary laughed.
“I suppose it could be hard if you haven’t done it before. Maybe?” He giggled. 
“Hey we’re going on a ride. See ya.” Ash suddenly said. She grabbed Little Cato’s arm, running to the large wheel in the middle.
“What are you doing?” He asked in between breaths. 
“Giving privacy! And spying!” Ash answered. Together they sat in the seats and slowly moved upwards. Once they were at the top, Ash pulled out her binoculars, searching for his dads.
“There!” Ash found them. “They’re talking…and are pretty close…oh?”
“Let me see!” Little Cato grabbed the binoculars, finding his dads quite easily with the zoom.
Avocato was still trying to hook a duck, but this time Gary was helping him. The human’s hands were over his paws, their bodies pressed together (which Little Cato thought was unnecessary).
“How have they not confessed yet?” Ash asked, taking the binoculars off him again. Little Cato shrugged.
“Beats me.”

~

The final stage of “Operation Gay Dads” took place in a mall.
He and Avocato had split off to a separate shop whilst Gary stayed with Ash, and helped her find the outfits that would suit her most. 
It was when Little Cato spotted an illustrated book on insects that phase three came into effect. He glanced at his dad, putting his plan into motion.
“Hey Dad! Can I buy this?” Little Cato pointed to the random book next to it, not even interested what it was about. Avocato walked over, nodding.
“Yeah. Sure.” For a moment Little Cato thought he really underestimated his dad’s intelligence, as he didn’t seem to acknowledge the book at all. But then he did a double take, picking up the book with both hands.
Little Cato pretended not to notice, but watched as Avocato flicked through the pages with a small smile on his face.
“Hey, you think Gary will like this?” He asked. Little Cato pretended to think.
“Yeah! He likes bugs, doesn’t he?” Little Cato grinned when his dad nodded, holding the book to his chest. 
They paid and moved out of the store. Little Cato spotted Ash immediately, looking happier that he’d ever seen her. She was holding a large shopping bag, talking with Gary happily. 
“Hey Ash! Hey Thunder Bandit!” Little Cato ran up to them both, grinning. Ash caught his look, quickly moving her gaze to Avocato.
“I got you a little something.” The Ventrexian said to Gary, presenting the book from behind his back. Gary’s face broke into a grin as he took the book from Avocato, stroking the cover.
“You got this for me?” He asked. “Wow…thanks. I love it.” The blonde opened it, gasping at the illustrations. “Look! This is so cool!” 
“Thought you might like it.” Avocato grinned. Little Cato didn’t miss the fond look in his eyes as he stared at the human. 
“Like it? This is amazing! I love it!” Gary laughed, holding the book against his chest. 
“Now all we have to do is wait.” Little Cato whispered. 

~

“What’s that one?” Avocato asked hours after the trip. It was night, and he was sitting close to Gary, who had the book on his lap. Gary grinned, moving closer to Avocato. The movement made his smile grow.
“That’s a Peacock Butterfly! I used to love these as a kid. They were so colourful!” Gary explained happily, tracing the picture with his hand. Avocato didn’t look at the illustration, instead watching Gary’s face. Gary looked up at him.
“What?” He was blushing lightly, and Avocato took the chance. It was now or never.
He pressed his lips against Gary’s smooth ones. Gary froze, but his heart leapt as he felt him return the kiss. It was short, but the moment seemed to last forever.
Gary shuffled closer, leaning against Avocato’s side. 
“And what’s that one?” Avocato asked. Gary smiled.
“Postman Butterfly.” 

~

Little Cato thought nothing had changed in the morning. He was about to give up on all hope when he caught sight of the shape that Gary had printed on Avocato’s toast. 
A heart. 

 

Chapter 12: Not Again

Summary:

What should be a celebratory day out turns south quickly, leaving Gary alone with his new life dying in his arms.

Notes:

Again, not edited so autocorrect may have destroyed everything

Gunfire rained down on them from the sky in a great wave. Gary widened his eyes, quickly leaping and grabbing Little Cato to the ground. 
It was all his fault.
He had only just adopted the kid, for God’s sake, and was getting the papers finalised today when he decided to do something unbelievably stupid and risky. 
He got into a bar fight.
He couldn’t even justify it – maybe he was running off the excitement of finally adopting the kid, or maybe it was because a large alien had made a racist comment to the Ventrexian as he walked past. Either way, a few words of warning would’ve sorted out the situation but before Gary knew it his fist was crashing into someone’s jaw. 
The thing was, they were fine. Yeah, a little bruised up, but Gary was proud at the way Little Cato took on three at once, coming out victorious. It made him feel something Gary had never felt before, an undying warmth growing in his chest. Later he realised it was pride. 
But Gary knew from past experiences that fights always come back to bite you, and this was no different. They were stuck on the ground as the enemy – the same racist as before, Gary noticed – was currently destroying them with wave after wave of gunfire from their hovering ship above. Unfair odds, unfair weapons. Gary only brought a small pistol, thinking that today wouldn’t need such violence. Heck, he was just about to buy Little Cato his first ice cream sundae when this asshole attacked.
And the most frightening thing was that this alien was mostly aiming for Little Cato, putting him in the most danger. Fear was pounding in his chest as he constantly tried to keep the kid from harm. But he knew, without external help, that he wouldn’t be able to protect him forever.
The gunfire drummed around him as he pressed his body against Little Cato, who was squashed underneath. There was a sudden, almost unbearable pain blooming in his non-robotic arm. He could feel warm blood quickly soaking his dad’s old jacket. Pressing back the pain, he dragged Little Cato over to some makeshift cover as the ship paused to reload. Though small, the metal wasn’t penetrated much by the new wave of bullets, giving Gary valued time to contact AVA. 
“AVA, I’m sending the coordinates, please come and get us!” Gary yelled into his mic. He didn’t hear AVA’s reply, more focused on Little Cato, who was shaking slightly. The poor kid was shaken up at the close death experience, a contrast from his usual self. Or maybe it was the fact that Gary was bleeding over the floor. 
“Your arm!” Little Cato scooted over, ducking under the gunfire. He too had only one gun. It just wasn’t enough. 
“It’s fine, just a scratch.” Gary brushed it off. Little Cato’s face, despite Gary’s reassurance, turned to anger.
“He shot you…you were protecting me…” Little Cato suddenly grabbed his gun, reloading. “I gotta do something!”
“Spider Cat, no!” Gary pulled him down with his robot arm, shaking his head. “Not even you could take out a whole ship!”
The Ventrexian smiled mischievously at him all of a sudden; Gary knew the look well, and felt a smile creep on his face too.
“What are you thinking?” He asked. 
“We just need to take out the gun…and I think I can do that.” Little Cato quickly glanced at the ship before ducking down again. “I just need to get a good enough view and kabam!” 
“Oh I like that plan…” the gunfire paused again, and before Gary could say another word, Little Cato jumped out the shelter with a cry. Gary watched as the kid jumped to higher rocks, then began shooting madly from his gun. It reminded Gary of Avocato in so many ways that he couldn’t help but smile, seeing his spirit passed on into his son. 
But he really should’ve known by now that good things never last. 
Just as the gun began to smoke, more bullets were fired. Gary cried out as Little Cato was shot down, falling backwards and out of his view.
“Little Cato!” Fear and guilt gripped his heart, and he didn’t bother to try and dodge the new fire. The bullets bounced off his metal arm as he ran, because Little Cato wasn’t getting up. 
“Spider Cat!” Gary jumped behind the rock, his hand slipping in blood. He saw Little Cato shortly after, his blood running cold. 
Little Cato – his son – was lying spread-eagled and lifeless, chest barely rising with each wheezing breath. Blood was pooling beneath him, staining the rocks, his clothes, Gary’s own hands. 
“No, no, no!” The situation was too familiar, too close to his heart. He fell to his knees, desperately trying to stop the blood flow from the gaping hole in his chest. Little Cato shifted, opening his eyes weakly. 
“Dad?” His son whispered. His eyes were filled with fear, reflecting deep into Gary’s own. Gary forced a smile, trying to ignore the blood steadily leaking through his hands.
“Hey Spider Cat…we’re going to get you fixed up, okay?” Gary told him. He removed one hand from the wound, using it to hold Little Cato’s smaller one. Too small. Too young for this. For any of this.
“You will?” The question came out as a desperate whisper that made Gary’s heart break all over again. It was a chilling reminder why he, as a young child, had vowed to stay alone. But here he was, with someone who just became his son, his new life – dying. In his arms.
There was a sudden, deafening explosion, but Gary ignored it.
“Yeah. Yeah we will…you’re going to be just fine.” Gary saw that Little Cato was deteriorating quickly, his eyes fluttering shut again.
“AVA! AVA please!” Gary felt tears spill from his eyes, the image of Little Cato blurring to a red stain in his vision. 
“We are here Gary. The enemy has been dealt with.” AVA smoothly responded. 
Gary gently scooped the limp Ventrexian in his arms, running out of the rocks. The Crimson Light was now in the clearing, the other ship nowhere in sight. 
“Please! Help him!” Gary screamed as he ran into the ship. Blood was dripping under him, so much blood –
“We need to take him to the med bay Gary!” Nightfall was in front of him, pulling him partly out of his nightmare. Gary quickly followed her as she ran through the halls. Little Cato’s head rested against his chest, too lax and lifeless. 
He lay Little Cato in one of the pods as soon as he got there, watching desperately as AVA’s machines got to work quickly. 
“Please…please…” Gary whispered. He watched in horror as the heart monitor grew wilder, the pattern breaking. “No!”
“Gary!”
“No! Please not again!” Gary cried out. Someone had taken his arm, pulling him out of the room. He struggled, ignoring the flares of pain that brought to his own wound. “I can’t! PLEASE!”
“Gary!” Nightfall had forced him out of the room completely, shutting the door firmly behind her. Gary slammed his fists against it, crying.
“He can’t die!” He cried, trembling. Deaths leaked back into his mind, Avocato’s the boldest of them all. 
“Gary, we have to let AVA do her work. If anyone can get Little Cato to live, it’s her.” Nightfall explained. She gently pushed him onto a chair, sitting next to him. “We just have to wait.”
“It was my fault…” Gary whispered, laying his head into his hands. 
He didn’t speak after that, each minute dragging by painfully. At one point Nightfall asked whether he was hurt, and whether he wanted to change, but Gary shook his head for both, despite the growing pain in his arm. It felt like someone was repetitively stabbing him in the area of injury. 
It was only when seven hours had passed that AVA gave the all clear, and allowed one visitor inside. Throughout that time, Gary’s arm pain had been growing steadily worse until he had to bite his lip to stop him crying out. He reminded himself to get the injury checked out once Little Cato was fully recovered – he didn’t want to waste AVA’s time. 
Gary sprang up, almost jostling Ash awake (her head had been resting on his shoulder) and quickly pushed through the doors.
Little Cato was in one of the smallest pods, his fur still matted with blood and dirt. Thick bandages covered his torso and most of his arm. Tubes were threaded into his arms, pumping painkillers into his system.
“How is he AVA?” Gary knelt beside his son, pressing his fingers against the glass. 
“He will be fine now if he rests.” AVA answered immediately. “I found a chemical released into his bloodstream that was poisoning his body. It seems that the one who attacked you used this on all of his weapons.”
Gary’s arm suddenly gave a spike of pain, but he brushed it away.
“But he’ll be fine now, right?” He asked, leaning against the glass separating him from the child.
“Yes. I have just enough of the cure to give him until it moves out of his system. It cancels out all symptoms.”
“Thanks, AVA.” Gary suddenly began to feel oddly tired, and he rested his head against the cool glass. He shut his eyes tightly as his arm throbbed again, more blood staining his jacket. 
“It seems that you have a fever, Gary. Is everything alright?” AVA asked, making him jump. He nodded hastily, unable to stop the wince slip out of his mouth.
“I’m just tired…I’m glad he’s okay though.” Though his limbs begged to rest, Gary stood up unsteadily, swaying. “Thank you AVA.”
“No problem Gary. It’s part of my job.” AVA opened the door for him. With one last glance at Little Cato, Gary exited the room, leaving time for others to visit. Nightfall was waiting for him, Ash and Fox now at her side. Mooncake hovered over to him, nudging his face.
“He’s going to be fine.” Gary told them, feeling the room sway around him again. He was really starting to feel like crap.
“Thank god.” Nightfall murmured as Ash hugged Fox. Her brother was smiling, rubbing her back. Gary felt too exhausted to talk to them, so slowly made his way to his room. His feet dragged and he almost fell a few times, but managed to get inside and shut the door tightly after him. 
Gary let himself collapse then, not even making it to his bed. He was shivering, a cool sweat settling on his forehead. 
It was obvious, even for him. He was experiencing the poison AVA had been talking about, explaining why he felt worse for wear. Despite this, he refused to ask for the antidote – the AI had mentioned that she only had enough for Little Cato, and who would he be to take that for himself.
A sudden, blinding pain raced through his arm and Gary did scream that time, digging his nails into the floor. He was thankful for the soundproof walls surrounding him, keeping his noises muted. The last thing he needed was someone finding him in this state. He would just wait the poison out. 
Easier said than done was the perfect phrase to describe the current situation he was in; his arm felt like it was on fire, and his body was trembling immensely. He was hot, disorientated and in pain, stuck on the floor of his room. 
Gary screamed again as the pain spiked more, spreading to his shoulder. It felt like hot needles were dragging under his skin. He was exhausted, but the pain blocked him from sleeping though he desperately wanted to escape for a few hours. 
He wasn’t sure how long he was lying on the ground for, but the lights shut off, leaving his room dimly lit by the night lights HUE had found for him. 
Gary lay panting on the ground, any movement amplifying the pain ten-fold. He was unaware of the world around him – that was until a small knock on the door pulled him from his hell. He would recognise the knock anywhere, and slowly got to his feet. Using the wall as support, he stumbled to the doorway. As expected, the door swung open and revealed Little Cato. 
The Ventrexian was leaning heavily, but smiling as he saw Gary’s silhouette in the doorway. 
“What are you doing here? You should be resting!” Gary asked weakly, trying to ignore the pain burning through his arm. Little Cato smiled sheepishly, shutting the door.
“There was no one there and…I was lonely…” he explained. Gary, despite his circumstances, gave a small smile, sliding down against the wall. 
“Nice lights.” Little Cato moved closer, snuggling next to him. The movement made the pain spike, and Gary couldn’t help but let out a small scream in response. Little Cato looked up at him sharply, eyes studying his face in worry before resting on his blood soaked clothes.
“You’re hurt!” Little Cato gasped, eyes widening as Gary’s breaths grew more ragged. 
“It’s only a scratch…” Gary muttered, closing his eyes. “Nothing to worry about…”
“There’s blood all over you!” Gary suddenly screamed again, making Little Cato jump. “Gary what do I do?! How can I help?!” The Ventrexian cried out, panicked. He tried to take off Gary’s jacket, but the movement only created more pain. His body had finally reached its limit, and Gary’s last view was Little Cato’s scared face before falling unconscious.

~

The first thing he noticed that the pain in his arm had weakened. Gary opened his eyes, finding himself staring into Little Cato’s eyes. 
“Hey Spider Cat.” Gary muttered. As he grew more aware, he saw that his new son was sitting on the bedside. He was in the med bay. 
His thoughts were scrambled by (presumably) high dose of pain medication, but he remembered blacking out in his room.
“Are you okay?” Little Cato asked him. Gary noticed the kid was on the edge of tears, and felt his insides twist with guilt.
“Yeah, I’m good.” Gary replied.
“Why did you do that?! Why didn’t you just –“ Little Cato suddenly became angry, unable to fully express what he was feeling with words.
“You were much worse off than me. I didn’t want anyone trying to patch me up and not fully focus on you…” Gary sighed, grabbing Little Cato’s hand and sitting up. “But I messed up, didn’t I?” 
Little Cato shook his head, a small smile creeping on his face. 
“Yeah…but you had good intentions, so I can’t stay mad.” The Ventrexian slowly moved onto the bed with him, wincing and his stitches shifted. “Just don’t be stupid next time.”
“Only if you be more careful.” Gary smiled, ruffling his mohawk. Little Cato giggled, swatting his hand away.
“Dad…” He whined. Gary’s heart leapt, and he felt his smile grow on his face in delight. The word left a warm feeling inside of him, making him pull Little Cato closer to him fondly. They both laughed together, and in that moment, Gary knew he’d do anything to keep the smile on his son’s face. 

 

Chapter 13: Sickness (1)

Summary:

Gary gets sick, but doesn’t tell anyone because he thinks he doesn’t need help.
After all, it always has been him before now.

Notes:

Man it’s been a while...I’ve been working on a new story so sorry :)

At first it was a sniffle.
Then a cough.
Really, Gary thought that it should be illegal to get sick in space because you couldn’t even get medicine that easily. Or a nice blanket. 
The day before Gary had woken up to have a clogged nose. It was annoying, but nothing too bad. He’d dealt with worse on his own, he could deal with this. Even when, later that evening, he began to feel lightheaded he didn’t dwell on it, more engaged with playing cards. 
But now it was the next morning and Gary is feeling a little – okay, a lot – worse for wear. His throat burned, his chest rattled with coughs and a sheen of sweat had settled on his forehead. 
He woke up in a tangled mess in his sheets, legs sprawled at different angles. As always, the sickness doesn’t hit him until he begins to get dressed. 
His throat tickled and he was suddenly bent over in a fit of coughs that made his eyes burn. His head pounded as he leant against the wall, catching his breath. 
He could already tell it wasn’t going to be a good day.
Gary sighed, shuffling over to the medicine in his draw. One pill of painkiller rolled out of the box disappointingly. 
This was going to be a really bad day.
He swallowed it nevertheless, only to begin coughing again as the powder itched his throat. He considered asking someone else for some medicine, because there was no way he could last a day on one pill.
“No…I’ll be fine.” Gary told himself. He pulled on a loose shirt. “I wouldn’t even know how to ask…I can’t just walk in and be like “hey could I have some pain stuff because everything hurts?”” Gary muttered. Heck, he wasn’t even familiar with what he needed to make himself feel better. For as long as he could remember it had always been him that looked after himself when he was sick. Just Gary. 
Just Gary in his treehouse.
“That’s just depressing.” He whispered. Despite feeling hotter than usual, he still pulled on his jacket – his dad’s jacket – and looked quickly in the mirror.
“Looking okay Gary, looking okay.” His reflection was passable, the dark shadows under his eyes were more due to the fact he hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few days. He wiped the sweat off his brow, running his hand down his face. His head, despite the painkiller, was pounding persistently. 
“Let’s go.”
Instead of full-on running as he usually did (what could he say? The smooth floors were fun to skate down each morning) he shuffled into the dining area. Already most of the crew were at the table. Clarence preferred to eat in his room, thank goodness. 
“Hey Gary!” Little Cato greeted him as usual and, as usual, Gary couldn’t help but smile at him. He ruffled the kid’s Mohawk, making him whine. 
“Nice to see you awake. Never seen you come down this late before.” Nightfall said from the end of the table, sipping her coffee. Gary laughed, trying to play it off. 
“Forgot to set the old alarm.” He didn’t even have an alarm. 
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Little Cato’s paw try and take some of the fizzy pop from the counter. Before he could touch it, Gary leant over and pushed it far away from him. The teen grumbled something in disappointment.
“You know not to have that stuff at breakfast! Not good!” Gary scolded. He poured himself a drink, looking up to see Ash piling sugar onto her cereal. He batted the spoon away, tutting. Fox was next to her, creating a double decker toast sandwich for himself, grinning. HUE was humming and cooking some pancakes for no one in particular. And Mooncake…
“Hey! No feeding Mooncake at the table!” Gary spotted Little Cato trying to sneak some of Ash’s cereal to the small alien. The kid jumped, laughing nervously. 
For a moment he felt completely normal in the presence of them all. He pulled out some bread, placing some in the toaster for Little Cato. 
The world suddenly spun around him, his head pounding. He gripped onto the counter top to keep himself upright, breathing deeply. His mind felt sluggish, and he almost let Little Cato’s toast burn. 
He considered telling at least Nightfall about how bad he was feeling, but dismissed it again. He could manage. He always had done. 
Gary forgot to make a smiley face on Little Cato’s toast, but it was too late. He saw the Ventrexian study him curiously – everyone knew that Gary always made toast faces – but the blonde quickly looked away. 
“So is it true that there’s a planet that is completely made out of daisies? Because that is so cute?” Fox began the conversation as usual, sitting at the table. 
“That is so not true, idiot.” Ash replied. The conversation filtered out of Gary’s ears as his stomach rolled unpleasantly. The food smells were getting to him, making sweat break out on his forehead. 
“Look, if there were flowers…” Little Cato’s voice faded from his ears. His stomach lurched again, and with a stammered excuse, Gary slipped out of the room. Once out of sight, he sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door after him. 
Gary was violently sick into the bowl, chest burning as his body brought up everything it could. He gripped the bowl until his knuckles were white, panting. 
It was really unfair that a common cold turned so south so quickly. If he was being honest with himself, this definitely wasn’t just a “common cold” but his medical knowledge didn’t pass that, apart from getting the flu that one winter. 
He was alone then too. So it really (not really) made sense for him to just tell no one. They had bigger things to worry about, like getting the keys and saving Quinn. 
“Gary? Are you in here?” Nightfall was at the other end of the door. Gary was tempted to stay quiet, but the possibility of the door being blown off its hinges was too great.
“I’m good! Just needed to go to the bathroom!” Gary tried to make his voice sound less like it was getting grated with sandpaper. 
“Gary you’ve been in there for almost twenty minutes.” Nightfall replied. “So come out before I shoot the door down.” 
“Don’t do that! I’m coming!” Gary hadn’t been aware of time passage until now. He bit his lip, wondering how to explain himself. He quickly flushed the toilet and stood up unsteadily. 
“Gary! I’m not waiting much longer!” Nightfall warned. Gary yelped, trying time walk straight to the door without falling. 
Maybe hiding it was harder than he thought. 
“I’m just washing my hands!” Gary shouted as loud as he could. He fumbled with the door handle, wrenching it open. Nightfall was standing with a gun pointed at the door.
“See! I’m good!” Gary reassured. He quickly walked past her, feeling her judgemental gaze on his back. 
He could barely function with his headache and fever, but managed to slide into his room unnoticed. 
His legs immediately collapsed, and he hit his bed with a soft thump. The movement made him dizzy and he groaned. 
Gary didn’t realise he had closed his eyes, but found that he didn’t want to open them. He figured that a few minutes of sleep wouldn’t hurt. And maybe he would wake up feeling better. 
So he let himself drift into a fitful sleep, slung awkwardly across his bed. 

Chapter 14: Sickness (2)

Summary:

Last part to this

Little Cato tapped his foot, tail swishing. Gary’s bedroom door remained shut in front of him.
“What’s up?” Little Cato turned to Nightfall, who was passing by. She frowned. “Is Gary still in there?” 
“Yeah…but I figured he was sleeping so…” Little Cato trailed off, kicking the floor.
“So you’re waiting for him?” Nightfall smiled with a chuckle. 
“Well I have nothing else to do.” Little Cato explained hastily. “He was going to teach me how to drive the ship so I thought I’d wait.”
“I remember now…didn’t you almost crash into that meteor last week?” Nightfall laughed. Little Cato nodded, laughing with her.
“I thought I was better than I am, but Gary is really helping me improve!” Little Cato frowned at the mention of the human, staring back at the door. “But he hasn’t came out of his room. He never misses any diving lesson we do.” 
Nightfall hummed. 
“I say go wake him up. He’s been acting different this morning.” She suggested. The elder began to walk away, giving him a small smile. “Call me if you need anything, I’ll only be in Ash’s room.” 
“Thanks Nightfall.” Little Cato, now with the new adult permission, opened Gary’s door and peered inside.
At first he didn’t see Gary as his eyed moved to desks first. But he found the human lying on the bed, apparently asleep. 
Little Cato moved closer, ears twitching. It was highly unusual for Gary to be asleep at such a late time, especially now with the search for dimensional keys. 
“Gary?” Little Cato was now standing next to the bed. He shook Gary’s shoulder, trying to get him to wake up. All Gary did in response is murmur something.
Now that Little Cato was closer, he began to see how bad Gary looked; dark bags rested under his eyes, sweat was gathering at his brow, and his breaths were sounding uneven. He frowned, placing a paw on Gary’s forehead.
“Oh no.” Gary’s head was definitely hotter than it should be. Little Cato shook Gary again, and was rewarded with Gary opening his eyes. 
“Spider Cat?” Gary muttered, furrowing his brows. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on you after you weren’t at the cockpit for my driving lesson and –“
“Oh sorry buddy…did I sleep that long?” Gary began to sit up despite Little Cato’s protests.
“Gary you shouldn’t be doing that - you’re sick!” Little Cato tried to push him gently but Gary stood up, swaying alarmingly.
“I’m not sick…you don’t need to worry.” Gary murmured more to himself. He took an unsteady step forward. 
“Gary –“ Little Cato watched as Gary suddenly collapsed with a moan. “Gary!”
Little Cato dropped to the ground, brushing Gary’s hair away from his face. His eyes were closed, features lax. 
“Gary wake up!” Gary didn’t answer, breathing heavily. 
“Nightfall! Nightfall!” Little Cato cried out, cradling Gary’s head.
Nightfall was almost immediately by his side, flinging the door open. At the sight of Gary on the floor, she dropped to the Ventrexian’s side. Her dark hand felt Gary’s forehead and she frowned.
“Knew it.” Nightfall muttered. 
“What should we do?!” Little Cato panicked. The sight of seeing someone so close to him looking like death shook him up more than he’d like to admit. Nightfall turned to him.
“I’m going to put him back in his bed. Could you pull the sheets off for me?” Her voice was calm, slowing his racing heart. He nodded, yanking the white sheets off as Nightfall scooped Gary off the ground.
“There.” The older human placed Gary down gently, pulling off his jacket. Little Cato stared at Gary’s face, watching it twist in pain. 
“AVA, any idea of a diagnosis?” Nightfall asked the AI. Little Cato sat at the edge of Gary’s bed, taking his hand. He wasn’t used to it feeling so lifeless in his. It hurt. 
“After scanning his vitals, the most possible sickness is what humans call Space Flu; humans that travel through space can pick it up once in their lives, but other species are immune.” AVA diagnosed. 
“Thought so.” Nightfall sighed. “I got it when I was younger.”
“Will he be okay?” Little Cato asked. Nightfall nodded.
“He’s in for a rough few days – especially since he hadn’t told us – but then he’ll be fine.”
“Is there medicine or anything?” The Ventrexian asked. Nightfall shook her head.
“You just have to ride it out.” 
At that moment, Gary began to moan softly, twisting slightly in his sleep. His eyes opened slowly, glazed from fever.
“You never told us you were sick.” Nightfall told him with a frown. Gary stared at her for a few seconds too long, processing the statement.
“Didn’t…need to.” He whispered tiredly. Nightfall shook her head but didn’t argue the case further – at least, not until Gary was well enough to answer her questions.
“How are you feeling?” Little Cato asked him. Gary shrugged, closing his eyes. 
“Okay-ish…kinda crap actually…but who doesn’t?” Gary gave a small laugh which ended up being a series of coughs. Nightfall thumped his back to clear his lungs again.
“Don’t try and talk.” She hushed him, pulling up a thin sheet. Gary was shivering but sweating buckets, which Little Cato couldn’t understand. 
Gary soon fell asleep again, his wheezing breaths the only sound in the room. Nightfall’s brow creased in worry.
“AVA, what’s his temperature?” She asked the AI.
“103 degrees. I suggest trying to cool him down before it gets dangerous.” AVA answered. 
“What can I do?” Little Cato volunteered himself immediately. 
“Get some wet cloths and water.” Nightfall hummed. “And a bucket, just in case.” 
“Got it.” Little Cato ran out of the door, sprinting to the kitchen for the supplies. He scanned the area, snatching the various equipment off countertops. Not wanting to leave Gary alone for long, he sprinted back to his room. 
“Nightfall I got the –“ the Ventrexian stopped, searching the room. Gary and Nightfall were gone. “Nightfall?” 
“Over here.” A voice called from the end of the hall. Little Cato ran over to it, slipping into the bathroom. He winced as he heard retching from behind the door.
“Could you pass me the flannel?” Nightfall asked him. The teen nodded, watching with worried eyes as Gary seemed to collapse on the woman’s shoulder. He was panting, looking like death warmed over.
Nightfall wetted the flannel and pressed it to the blonde’s head. 
“Feeling better?” She asked him quietly. Gary gave a small nod. 
Little Cato walked behind Nightfall as she practically carried Gary back into his room and placed him on the bed. Gary was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
“Get him to wake up again.” Nightfall asked him. She pulled a bottle of medicine from her pocket. “He needs to take this.”
Little Cato nodded, shaking Gary gently again. Gary opened one eye, giving Little Cato a small smile.
“Open up.” Nightfall ordered, pressing the bottle against his lips. Gary muttered something, turning away. Nightfall sighed. “Look, drink it or I let KVN loose in here.”
Little Cato almost laughed at how quickly Gary obeyed and did as he was told. He was asleep in moments. 
“Now we wait it out.” Nightfall said into the silence. Little Cato stared at Gary’s lax features, tail twitching with anxiety.

~

Hell was a good word for Nightfall to describe the flu, and Little Cato was thankful he couldn’t catch it. 
Gary was in a constant state of pain even when he was sleeping, his dreams turning into nightmares fast. All the crew (excluding Clarence) took turns watching him. Little Cato only left his side to eat and sleep.
The Ventrexian had decided to actually skip sleep that night to stay with Gary – though it was against Nightfall’s wishes. Each day Gary seemed to grow worse, not better like he was promised. Nightfall said something about a fever breaking, but he was too tired to listen.
Despite his worry, staying awake was a challenge. Slumped on the corner of Gary’s bed, Little Cato watched Gary’s chest rise and fall as his eyes closed for seconds at a time.
However, Little Cato was immediately alert once Gary began to wake up. His eyelids fluttered, and his gaze moved to Little Cato.
“Hey Spider Cat.” Gary smiled, looking healthier than he had been through the week. Little Cato placed his paw on his forehead, smiling when he felt no temperature.
“Your fever’s gone!” The Ventrexian grinned. Gary gave a chuckle, looking around his room. 
“How long was I out?” The human asked.
“A week and a bit.” Little Cato answered. He yawned loudly, missing Gary’s curse. 
“That was a loud yawn buddy.” Gary yawned himself, settling back into the covers. “Actually I’m pooped myself…”
“You were sick.” Little Cato pointed out. 
“Fair point.” Gary’s tone became more serious, his smile turning softer and with more concern. “You could use some sleep too.”
“Me? Nah…” Little Cato knew he only made things sound worse without meaning to. He sighed.
“Get in here Spider Cat. Sleep time.” Gary opened up the covers, squishing to the wall to give him more room. Too tired to argue, Little Cato crawled inside, closing his eyes happily. 
“Night Thunder Bandit.”
“Night Spider Cat.” 

 

Chapter 15: Date Night (Little Cato x Ash)

Summary:

A request by Jacob Peña:

Little Cato and Ash have a night out like HUE and Mooncake did, but end up running into Jordan Hammerstein, Ash’s old crush that dumped her at prom.

Notes:

Sorry it’s been so long, I’ve been busy with real life stuff

“Come on Little Cato, you got this.” 
Little Cato looked up at Ash again, watching her fiddle with the hem of her shirt. Her head moved towards him and he quickly looked down again, scuffing his feet on the white floor. 
His tail twitched, a small blush rising to his cheeks. 
“You don’t got this. You don’t got this!” Little Cato whispered to himself in a panic. Ash was oblivious to his struggle, now combing her hair with her fingers.
“Chookity?” The Ventrexian jumped, but relaxed at seeing Mooncake floating next to him. The small alien’s face was a picture of confusion, looking from Ash to Little Cato.
“Hey Mooncake.” The teen smiled and rubbed the creature’s head. Mooncake gave a small chirrup in response. Little Cato stole another glance at Ash as he did so.
“Chookity pok?” Mooncake asked slowly. Though not able to understand him, Little Cato still got the gist of what he was trying to ask.
“Nothing.” He responded, sighing. “You wouldn’t know, by any chance, how to ask out a girl?” 
“Chookity…Chookity pok.”
“Thought so.”
He wished Gary was here – he was sure the blonde would know what to do – but he was somewhere else on the ship, way beyond his reach. Going to get him now would mean that Ash would be gone by the time he came back, and he would be too late. 
The next scheduled stop on the ship was a small planet which was a suspect of containing one of the keys. As a plus side, the place was one of Ash’s favourites. Little Cato thought it would be nice to ask her out…if he could get the courage. 
“Chookity!” Mooncake suddenly spun behind him and began to push him forward against his will.
“Mooncake! Stop!” Little Cato was helplessly pushed towards Ash despite his pleads.
“Chookity pok pok!” With a final shove, Little Cato crashed into Ash, sending them both spiralling to the floor.
“What the –“ Ash said from underneath him. Little Cato blushed, managing to aim a glare at Mooncake.
“Sorry…” he hastily replied. He rolled off her, standing up. “Mooncake pushes me.” 
He offered her his hand, which she accepted.
“It’s fine. I’ve had stranger greetings.” Ash’s face grew mysterious. “Much stranger.”
“Ok…” Little Cato didn’t know how else to reply, but smiled nonetheless. He was rewarded with a shy smile from Ash, which made his heart leap.
“So…err…nice planet we’re going to, right?” Little Cato began awkwardly, sitting down. Ash sat next to him, giggling.
“This was where me and Fox snuck away from Clarence for a few hours and did what we wanted! It was so funny when we got back…” she grinned. 
“Sounds like a blast.” Little Cato laughed, tension leaving his body. 
“It was.” Ash agreed. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
“Ash?”
“Yeah?”
Little Cato nervously looked away from her. 
“Do you want to go to the arcade there with me? Like –“
“Like a date?” Ash asked curiously. Little Cato shyly nodded.
“Or it could not be!” He quickly said when he received no answer. “We could just go as friends and –“
“No, I would like to go.” Little Cato looked over at Ash, who was grinning. “Like a date. With you.” She answered.
They both stared at each other for a few seconds before laughing. 
“Well I gotta get ready.” Ash smiled at him, standing up. “See you soon.”
“Yeah…” Little Cato watched her go before letting out a happy cry, jumping up.
“I did it! I actually did it!” He giggled, but suddenly froze. “I’ve never been on a date before. Oh no…” 
The Ventrexian ran to the elevator, jumping to the higher floors. 
“Gary!” Little Cato cried out in a panic. He raced down the corridor. “Gary!” “Gar – oof!”
Little Cato has slammed into Gary’s chest, almost knocking him over.
“Gary!” Little Cato cried out in relief. Gary just stared at him, confused. “I need your help!”
“What’s up little guy?” Gary asked. Little Cato let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, explaining in one hurried sentence.
“I may or may not have asked Ash on a date but now I don’t know what to do because I’ve never been on a date before or even talked to a girl!” He rambled. The teen looked up to find Gary’s eyes shining, a large smile on his face.
“You asked her out? I’m so proud.” Gary stared at him for a few more moments before snapping out of it. “How long until we land?” He asked the AI determinedly.
“Two hours.” 
“Two hours…that should be enough time.” Gary grabbed Little Cato’s hand, and they both ran down the hall.
“Let’s get you sorted Spider Cat!” He yelled. 

~

“What about this? Is this too casual or not casual enough?” Little Cato asked Gary from his bed, flashing the shirt to him. Gary turned from looking through his wardrobe, grinning.
“That is perfect.” The human gushed. Little Cato smiled. “You’re really getting the swing of things!”
“I know! I’m gonna be so awesome!” Little Cato suddenly stopped, flopping onto his bed. Gary paused, moving beside him.
“What’s up?” He asked. Little Cato sat up, sitting beside him. 
“What to I say? What do I do?” The Ventrexian fretted. His tail began to twitch, only to be stopped by Gary’s hand. He looked up at the human, seeing affection and pride reflect in his eyes. The open emotion made him feel warm inside. He liked it.
“You be yourself. She agreed to go out with you because she liked,” Gary poked his nose, “you.” 
Little Cato giggled, twitching his nose. 
“What if I mess up?” Little Cato asked more seriously. Gary smiled at him, ruffling his Mohawk. 
“You won’t! You are a catch!” He grinned, throwing him the clothes they picked. “Now put these on, and go steal Ash’s heart!”
Little Cato grinned, suddenly pulling Gary in a tight hug. 
“Thanks Dad.” He muttered before letting go. Gary grinned.
“Its all apart of the job.” 

~

The ship landed a minute early. As the planet’s surface came into view, Ash surprised Little Cato by tapping him on the shoulder. 
“Hey!” She greeted happily. Little Cato smiled at her. She looked quite beautiful, her hair glossy and smooth. Like him, she was wearing semi-casual clothes – a black skirt and a navy shirt which was completed with a jacket which he recognised as Nightfall’s.
“You look pretty.” Little Cato said nervously. Ash smiled.
“You do too.” 
Little Cato blushed. Together they watched the ship’s door open and stepped outside. Immediately, Ash grew excited.
“It’s just how I remember!” She giggled. Taking Little Cato’s hand, she ran into the town, pointing at all the places that she had been in. Little Cato listened to each story happily, laughing with her.
Soon all nervous tension left them and they chatted casually. At one point, Little Cato took Ash’s hand, and they hadn’t let go since. 
“There it is!” Little Cato pointed to the large building with flashing lights across the street. It was an arcade, built in with a diner. Ash gasped.
“Wow.” She smiled. “It’s huge…”
Little Cato laughed, opening the door for her like Gary said he should. 
Holding hands tightly, they weaves through the crowds and to the diner. Little Cato figured that a meal was a good place to start.
Gary had kindly donated a large sum of money for him to use. With this money Little Cato ordered food for him and Ash and they sat at a table.
“I’ve never been to a place like this before.” Ash admitted as they waited to be served. Little Cato smiled.
“Me neither.” He reassured. “My dad was always busy so we didn’t get time to do things like this.” 
“Clarence was too scared to come in case someone who he ripped off recognised him.” Ash chuckled. 
“Really? In a diner? What on Earth did he do?” Little Cato asked. Ash rolled his eyes.
“What didn’t he do?” They both laughed as plates were placed beside them. 

~ 

“Favourite colour?”
“Black. Favourite game?”
“Go fish. And by the way, black isn’t a colour.”
“It is now. And I like it. Now ask me another question.”

~

“And that was the first and last time I tried ice cream.”
“There’s no way Gary managed to knock the entire van off a cliff.” 
“Well it wasn’t exactly him, more of the people who were next in line…which he got into an argument with. They were jerks. We just wanted ice cream.”
“Does trouble always follow you?”
“It mostly follows Gary but I think it’s rubbing off on me.” 
“Well I hope you don’t pass it onto me!”

~

Little Cato payed the bill and stood up, stretching.
“This was nice.” Ash rose from her chair, smiling. 
“Yeah it was.” Little Cato grinned. “You know what would be even cooler? Playing in that arcade!”
“Yes! I’m going to shoot every character possible!” Ash laughed, feet rising off the ground for a few seconds.
“Not if I don’t beat you first!”
“Oh yeah –“ Ash suddenly cut off, her features morphing into a frown that made Little Cato’s stomach drop. She was staring ahead of her. Little Cato followed her gaze. 
She was staring at a boy in the crowd who, in Little Cato’s opinion, had a too big ego just by looking at him.
“Who’s that?” The Ventrexian asked. Ash hung her head down. 
“It’s Jordan Hammerstein…it’s nothing to worry about.” 
Little Cato felt his fur rise at the name.
Ever since he heard about Jordan being a jerk to Ash on prom night, he wanted to kill the guy. Now it seemed like he would get the chance. 
“Where are you going?!” Ash asked Little Cato as he strode forward, glaring at the brunette man in the crowd. Jordan noticed him as he was a few feet away, a mocking smile lacing his unpleasant features as he spotted Ash behind him.
“Are you lost kitty?” His voice was worse than Little Cato imagined, an annoying drawl filled with arrogance. 
“No. I just came here to do this.” Little Cato, in the blink of an eye, punched Jordan’s smug face, sending him crashing to the ground. 
He didn’t spare the jerk another chance, stepping over the whimpering body with Ash’s hand in his. They walked straight out of the arcade and into the fresh air.
“I can’t believe you did that…” Ash smiled. “…for me…thank you.”
“He didn’t ever deserve you. He was doing you a favour when he dumped you, trust me.” Little Cato flexed his knuckle. 
“No one’s ever done that for me before.” Ash said into the silence. Little Cato looked at her in surprise as they leant against the wall.
“Well maybe more people should.” The Ventrexian replied. “You deserve it.”
Suddenly, he felt Ash’s lips press against his cheek shyly. They were gone in a second, but Little Cato’s cheeks heated up and he gave a short purr. 
“And you deserve that.” She said, looking at him nervously. Little Cato grinned, stroking his cheek.
“A-anyway, is there anywhere else we could go, seeing as we probably just got banned from here?” Ash quickly changed the subject. Little Cato grinned. 
“You choose.” He answered. Ash smiled, taking his hand once again. 
The stars glinted above them as the two teens ran through the streets, laughing happily into the night. 

Chapter 16: Time Shards (1)

Summary:

After touching a time shard, Gary is reverted by to his teenage self with no memories of who he will grow up to be

Notes:

Kudos and reviews appreciated.
Requests are also open, but there may be a delay as I write chapters in advance

~~ALSO~~
This is in the AU where Avocato wasn’t taken my Invictus so everyone is happy for once :)

Avocato hummed, staring at the object in front of him. He flinched as it suddenly pulsed a light pink.

“A time shard?” He asked his son, raising a brow. “What is this doing on the ship?”

Little Cato wanted to give him a tour of the ship now that he had fully recovered his memory. After many days recovering from the fight with Invictus, the older Ventrexian was finally up and about.

It was actually Gary’s idea (he was a captain now – who would’ve thought?) to give Avocato a tour and so, with a pat on the shoulder, he told Little Cato to show him around.

His son rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Long story…we kinda crashed into one…” his son explained.

“You crashed into one? Was anyone hurt?!” Avocato asked, panicked. He breathed a sigh of relief when Little Cato shook his head.

“We all recovered in our own time.” The teen suddenly grinned, eyes lighting up. Avocato knew that look.

“What are you planning?” He asked cautiously. Little Cato grinned wider.

“Wanna touch it?” He asked.

“No way! You know what could happen, right?” Avocato refused, staring at his son in disbelief. He was really going to have to give him a lesson on “safe things to touch in the universe” soon.

“What? I’ve touched it before.” Little Cato said casually, paws reaching out for it. Avocato slapped them back, heart racing.

“Don’t!” He pulled his son away before he could touch it again. “Look, when these things begin to get unstable they can de-age anything that touches it. I’ve seen it before.” He explained. Little Cato’s mouth dropped to a perfect “o” shape.

“Well how come that’s never happens before?!” He asked in confusion. Avocato glanced back at the shard, which was now pulsing alarmingly.

“It’s never been this unstable before.” He pointed out. Little Cato was now looking slightly afraid, so to ease the tension he added, “it still looks cool as a display though.”

“I know right!” Little Cato lit up again, smiling hugely. “It glows in the dark and stuff! It’s awesome!”

“Sure is.” Avocato chuckled, patting his son’s back. “Now, what else can you show me?”

Little Cato was about to reply, but was interrupted by a very familiar singing voice.

“Dancing Queen…” Gary literally danced into the room, finishing with a twirl.

“Hey Avocato! Hey Spider Cat!” He said before humming again. Avocato smiles as Little Cato giggled.

“Our son has just been showing me the collection of items you have here.” Avocato said. Gary grinned.

“Are you super-impressed? Don’t answer, I know you are.” Gary finished his dance by striking a pose dramatically. Avocato shook his head fondly.

“Do you actually dance everywhere?” He asked jokingly. Gary smiled, walking over to them.

“Dance away the pain, brother!” He cried out, ruffling Little Cato’s Mohawk. The blonde’s eyes caught sight of the time crystal and his hands reached out to hold it.

“Hey Little Cato, wanna play some time catch?” He asked as he moved to grab it.

Then, a few things happened at once.

Little Cato lunged forward, trying to stop Gary from touching the object.

Avocato cried out “You play Time Catch with this thing?!” in shock before copying Little Cato’s movements.

But they were too late – as soon as Gary’s fingers brushed against the jagged surface there was a bright glow and a bang that sent the Ventrexians flying backwards.

“Gary!” Avocato called out, getting up with a wince. The room was a mess – shelves broken, glass shattered on the floor. He squinted in the bright pink light, searching for a familiar figure.

“There!” Little Cato pointed out beside him. Avocato followed his gaze, eyes widening at the sight on the floor.

Gary – well, sort of Gary – was lying unconscious on the floor, covered in dust. He wasn’t hurt as far as he could see – but his features had changed. They were younger.

Gary’s hair was more unkept, his clothes were now too big for him and he was smaller in height. There were also a few items with him that the present Gary didn’t own, but he couldn’t see fully under the jacket. If Avocato was taking a guess, he’d say that this Gary was the same age as Little Cato.

“Is he…” Little Cato asked, crawling over to the body.

“Younger? Yes.” Avocato shook Gary’s shoulder gently. He wasn’t sure how Gary would react when he opened his eyes, but to completely freak out was not one of them.

Gary stared at Avocato’s face for a few seconds before letting out a yell, kicking him in the stomach. As Avocato doubled over, the human stood up quickly and backed against the wall.

“Who are you?!” The teen was panicked, his breaths coming in short gasps. He looked around wildly. “Where am I?!”

“Gary –“ Little Cato began but Gary cut him off.

“How do you know my name?!” He demanded, trembling against the wall. Avocato stared in shock at the now younger Gary.

“He doesn’t remember.” He muttered to his son softly. “His mind was reversed too.”

Little Cato nodded, staring at Gary with wide eyes.

The human looked like he was a caged animal, his eyes darting to each exit of the room. On closer inspection, the kid looked underfed, and cuts and bruises littered his body.

It was then Avocato realised that he knew nothing about Gary’s years before he was on the Galaxy One – he didn’t know whether this teen Gary was the same, or how to interact with him.

“Hey, calm down.” Avocato told the trembling teen. He held out his hands, dropping his gun to the floor. “We won’t hurt you.”

Gary’s blue eyes burned into his, full of mistrust and fear.

“Where am I?” He asked again, narrowing his eyes.

“What’s going on down here?!” The door burst open, revealing Nightfall, Fox and Ash in the doorway. Avocato tried to warn them, but it was too late – Gary took his chance, darting towards the door.

“Wait!” Little Cato blocked his path, grabbing onto his arm. Avocato watched as Gary, without hesitation, punched Little Cato hard enough to send him slamming against the wall.

“Stop him!” Avocato cried out to them as he ran to his son, who was groaning on the ground.

A frightened yell told him that Gary had been caught. He quickly glanced upwards to find him pinned in Fox’s arms.

“You okay?” Avocato turned his attention back to his son. The smaller Ventrexian groaned in pain, standing up slowly.

“I didn’t know he could hit so hard…” he muttered. Avocato helped his son up, turning back to Fox.

“Okay, what the hell is going on here?!” Nightfall asked, staring at Gary. “Why is he younger and wanting to attack everyone?”

“Time Shard. He touched it when it was unstable and…” Avocato pointed to the human.

“This is young Gary? Wow, this is amazing!” Fox gushed, squeezing Gary harder by accident.

“He doesn’t know us?” Nightfall asked Avocato. The Ventrexian nodded.

“Let go of me!” Gary struggled.

“We need to calm him down before he hurts himself.” Nightfall said. She walked closer to Gary, keeping eye contact.

“We’re not here to hurt you, I promise.” She began. Gary didn’t listen, shaking his head. It was a stark contrast to the present Gary, who had faith in many people, and their intentions.

Avocato was pulled out of this comparison when he saw Gary pull his arm out of Fox’s grip. It wasn’t the arm that frightened him, however; it was the small pocket knife that was clutched in his fingers.

“Fox!” Avocato shouted, but Gary plunged the knife into Fox’s arm. Fox yelled, dropping Gary in shock.

Immediately, Gary darted out of the room, dodging Nightfall and Ash.

“I’ll get him!” Little Cato shouted, and in a heartbeat he was gone, chasing after Gary.

Avocato ran a hand down his face, watching as Nightfall treated Fox’s wound.

“What kind of kid carries a pocket knife?” Avocato muttered. He came to the dark conclusion that there must be a reason Gary didn’t talk about his childhood, and his heart twisted at the potential suffering Gary had to go though.

“Gary…” Avocato murmured, staring at the hallway he had disappeared down. “…what happened to you?”

 

Chapter 17: Time Shards (2)

Summary:

Second part to Time Shards

Little Cato learns more about Gary, but not what he wants to hear

Little Cato skidded around a corner, almost slamming into the wall. His feet echoed as they ran down the halls of the Crimson Light, his eyes focused on the teen giving him the chase.

The Ventrexian was slowly gaining ground on the younger Gary, but at the last second the human would do something that would slow him down. It was frustrating to say in the least.

Little Cato yelped as Gary threw shelves onto the ground, forcing him to slow down as he jumped over them. In that small movement, Gary had disappeared into the thin air.

“Gary?!” Little Cato turned the corner, and for a moment he thought he had gone. But there was a clang to the right of him, and Little Cato saw a tip of a foot inside the vent beside him.

“Oh no you don’t.” Little Cato jumped up easily, climbing into the vent.

The younger Gary looked behind him and, seeing Little Cato was still giving the chase, began to crawl through. The Ventrexian followed, panting.

Fortunately, Little Cato knew the vents of the Crimson Light much better than this Gary did. The human didn’t see the vent coming to a close and, with a yelp, fell into the next room. Seeing his chance, Little Cato leapt on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

“Got you…” Little Cato said breathlessly. He looked around, recognising the colourful walls of his own room.

“Get off me!” Gary struggled fiercely despite the sweat dropping down his brow. Little Cato almost lost grip when a leg managed to stamp on his tail.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Little Cato yelped. Gary didn’t listen, managing to throw Little Cato off him.

“AVA lock the door!” The Ventrexian shouted as Gary tried to escape. There was a click just as Gary reached the door, and all the human could do was kick against it.

“Thanks AVA.” Little Cato sighed, standing up with a wince. His ribs still throbbed from a few moments before.

“What do you want with me?!” Gary asked, pressing his back against the door. Little Cato got a proper look at him for the first time. It was strange, to say in the least, seeing a younger version of his second dad. His eyes held a different, more guarded look in them that the Ventrexian would only see in brief flashes. They were wild and untamed, full of mistrust.

“Nothing!” Little Cato answered, holding out his hands in surrender. Gary narrowed his eyes.

“Then why am I here?” He growled. Little Cato thought fast, feeling hurt by the hostile look that was being given to him.

“We found you on our ship! We don’t know where you came from!” Little Cato internally cringed at the bad lie. Gary didn’t seem to be buying it either, gripping something in his pocket.

“That’s the truth. I swear.” Little Cato kept eye contact, letting his hands fall to the side.

“Then why did you chase me?”

“Because you ran!” The Ventrexian tried to act casual to help Gary calm down. He sat on his bed, tail twitching nervously.

“I’m Little Cato.” He said into the silence. Gary stared at him, trying to back further into the wall.

“Why aren’t you attacking me?” His voice had lost all the venom it once had, being replaced with confusion.

“Because we don’t want to. Trust me. We’re miles up in space, we might as well get along.” Little Cato watched as Gary suddenly grew pale, his eyes widening.

“Space?” He asked, more to himself. “On…a ship?” The teen wrapped his arms around himself, crouching into the corner. “No…no…I can’t…”

He began to shake, muttering the same words under his breath.

“Hey, what’s wrong?!” Little Cato began to panic when Gary’s breaths quickened, bordering on a panic attack. The Ventrexian tried to approach him, but Gary held his hand out, shaking his head.

“I want to get off this ship.” His voice was determined, but trembled with fear that the Ventrexian couldn’t place.

“We will, as soon as we can land. It’s safe though.” Little Cato tried to reassure. “Completely secure.”

They sat in an awkward silence as Gary controlled his breathing, slowly calming down.

“So…where are you from?” Little Cato asked into the silence. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, he was still eager to hear pieces of Gary’s mysterious past.

“Nowhere.” Gary answered disappointingly, sitting beside the door. “Now could you let me out?” His voice was back to being tough and mean, and Little Cato couldn’t help but wonder whether it was just a clever façade.

“You’ll run again.” He pointed out. “And until I’m sure you won’t, you’re staying here.”

“You’re keeping me hostage. Great.” Gary muttered, drawing his knees in closer.

Little Cato found himself staring at Gary again, studying his posture. If he was being honest, it reminded him of some of the people he had passed when he was becoming a bounty hunter – guarded, alone, and dangerous.

“Stop staring at me.” Gary snapped at him. Little Cato quickly looked away, staring at the wall.

“Look, I don’t know what you think we are going to do to you, but it’s not what you’re thinking.” Little Cato began. Gary looked up at him with an unreadable expression. “We don’t want to hurt you. I promise.”

“Yeah. Right. That’s what the last guys said to me.” Gary answered. Little Cato looked at him curiously.

“What other guys?” He asked, but again received no answer.

They sat in silence for a few minutes longer, Gary slowly becoming less guarded, before Little Cato suddenly got up and walked to his closet. Gary backed away from him, moving to the other side of the room.

“Relax, I’m just getting some clothes that fit for you.” Little Cato tried to hide his hurt at the sight of Gary being afraid of him, forcing a smile on his face.

“Why?” Gary asked. However, he seemed to understand when he saw how big his clothes were.

“Do you want to choose?” Little Cato suddenly offered. He remembered how much Gary liked styles and clothes shopping, and hoped that this younger Gary wouldn’t be any different.

A large smile spread across his face when Gary stood up, cautiously making his way over to the closet. He was still gripping the item in his pocket, but relaxed slightly when Little Cato backed away from him with his hands held up again.

The human picked quite quickly, holding the items against himself before pulling off his own clothes without warning.

Little Cato gasped as he saw too many cuts and bruises littering his back. The one most concerning however was a large slash on his side, which looked like it had only just healed. He could see shaky stitches keeping the skin together. It looked like Gary had done them himself.

“Where did you get that?” Little Cato asked, voice quiet with shock. Gary seemed to know what wound he was talking about, pulling on his shirt.

“Turf fight.” He shrugged, as if it was normal.

It really wasn’t normal.

“Turf fight?” Little Cato had heard the term before.

“When you live on the streets it happens a lot. It’s normal.” Gary explained, putting his jacket back on. A knife fell out of its pocket.

“You live on the streets?” Little Cato murmured.

All this time, he had just assumed that Gary had lived a great childhood, even after learning that Gary’s father died early. He’d always assumed that he was surrounded by family, but the hard truth was that Gary had been alone for most of his life.

Which brought up the question – what had Gary been through?

He always thought that being in a space prison for five years was tough (Gary never wanted to talk about it) but was it possible that he was unintentionally saved by his sentence?

“Since I was seven.” Gary answered. On the bright side it seemed like he was beginning to trust Little Cato more, now that he was sure he wasn’t a threat. “I used to sleep in my treehouse but I moved.”

“Why?” Little Cato asked. Gary’s face suddenly looked haunted, and he never gave a reply.

“You’re really not going to hurt me?” Gary asked, picking up his knife. Little Cato’s heart squeezed at the amount of disbelief leaking through his voice.

“Nope.” He replied. “So you won’t run now?”

“No.” Gary answered after some hesitation. “As long as your crew doesn’t try and kill me.”

“They won’t. I promise.” Little Cato looked at the younger Gary, noting his bony arms and legs. He thought of taking him back to his dad, but maybe it was too soon.

He needed to gain Gary’s full trust, and to do so he would have to keep him hidden for a few moments longer.

“You want something to eat?” Little Cato asked. He jumped up to the vent and held out his hand for Gary to take. “I know where we can get some food.”

Gary hesitantly took his hand, making Little Cato grin.

“Come on, I know where they keep the cookies.”

Chapter 18: Time Shards (3)

Summary:

Third part to time shards

Notes:

Probably one more chapter after this

With ease, Little Cato jumped out of the vent and onto the counter, landing perfectly. Gary stared at him, refusing to get out of the vent.

“Come on, it’s okay.” Little Cato tried not to frown as Gary shook his head. The lack of trust was worrying to say in the least, and the Ventrexian wondered for the umpteenth time how Gary became more trusting towards everyone.

He felt Gary’s blue eyes watch him carefully as he opened the first fridge, revealing all the items inside. Little Cato quickly glanced at Gary and, seeing his thin features, grabbed a pot of cheesy pasta he had got for himself the day before. It was partly eaten, but otherwise fine.

“Here. One of my dads made it for me…he’s great at cooking!” Little Cato placed the food on the counter underneath the vent, hoping to lure Gary out like a wild animal.

Though only through a few sentences, Little Cato had placed together some parts of his life as a youth, and understood to some degree why Gary was acting the way he was. The way Gary was so dismissive of his injuries – the way he shrugged them off – even reflected in the Gary today. He was thinking that Gary at least had his mother with him, but he was wrong. So wrong.

The younger Gary was studying him as he thought. With a short nod of his head, he slipped himself out of the vent, stumbling as he hit the floor. Little Cato let out a small smile and sat as the table with his own bag of crisps.

After some hesitation, Gary did the same. He opened up the pasta pot, picking out a pasta piece with his fingers.

“Oh! Here.” Little Cato handed him a fork, which Gary took slowly. It seemed like he hadn’t used one in a while.

It was worth it when Gary let out a smile as he ate, savouring the pasta in each mouthful.

“Like it?” Little Cato asked happily. Gary nodded.

“Your dad’s a great cook.” He answered, stabbing another piece with his fork.

“Yeah, he is.” Little Cato smiled softly. Gary was looking at him, expression blank.

They are in silence for a few more minutes until Little Cato began to ask the human more questions. He needed to know more.

“So…how did you end up on the streets?” Little Cato’s asked, kicking his feet under the table.

“You really want to know a lot about me, don’t you?” Gary said, sighing.

“Hey! You’re the only other person my age on this ship! We might as well be friends!” The Ventrexian answered. Gary looked up at him in surprise.

“Friends?” Little Cato watched as his eyes suddenly darkened. “I don’t do friends.”

“Well you’re my friend, and I’m bored.” Little Cato could feel his heart sinking, but tried to stay light and casual in front of the other teen. “And your story is more interesting than mine so…”

“Look, my mum did a runner after my dad died, that’s all that to it.” Despite the short words, Gary was growing distressed at the memory. He ran a hand down his face and sighed. “Okay?”

“Okay.” Little Cato answered quietly. “Did you ever have any pets?”

“Did you?” Gary didn’t answer the question, the same haunted look appearing in his eyes despite the casual tone of voice.

“I had a few mice for a while, but I wasn’t supposed to have them. They were rodents and ate all our stuff.”

“Mice aren’t that big.” Gary said, confused. Little Cato laughed.

“The ones on Ventrexia are! My dad had to chase them out…it took weeks.” He giggled at the memory. “I was angry at him for ages…until he brought me an apology ice cream.”

Gary smiled.

“You forgave him over ice cream?”

“In my defence, I was five. And the ice cream was nice.” He defended.

“I had a caterpillar when I was younger.” Gary muttered. “My dad gave him to me in a jar. I loved it.”

Little Cato was surprised he had never heard about this pet before from the older Gary, and was intrigued.

“Your dad gave it?” He asked. “What happened to it?”

Gary was silent for a minute, his eyes empty. Little Cato grew cold at the sight of them, all hope lost in the orbs. He regretted asking the question.

“They died.” Gary said quietly. “Someone smashed the jar…their wings broke and they were killed by the glass.”

“I’m sorry to hear that…” Little Cato murmured, shocked. So many pieces of his childhood that Little Cato wanted to know were horrible, traumatic even. He felt a few tears build in his eyes, and blinked them away.

“What was its name?” He asked. The answer Gary gave shocked him to the core.

“Mooncake.” He muttered.

The silence was broken as the door suddenly slammed open. Gary jumped to his feet, immediately grabbing the knife from his pocket and pointing it in front of him.

Avocato was standing at the door, Mooncake at his side and HUE behind him. His eyes looked from Little Cato to Gary.

“Hey! It’s okay! That’s one of my dads!” Little Cato ran in front of Gary, spreading out his arms. “He won’t hurt you.”

Gary looked deep into Little Cato’s eyes, slowly putting the knife away. He was still tense, fists curled ready for a fight.

“We’ve been looking for you everywhere!” His dad strode forward, embracing Little Cato in a hug. “I thought you got hurt!”

“Dad, I’m fine.” He reassured, but didn’t let go of his embrace. The truths about Gary were all catching up to him, and he hugged his dad harder.

“Hey…what’s wrong?” Avocato asked quietly. Little Cato shook his head pulling away.

“I’ll tell you later.” He muttered. He turned and found Gary watching them, expression unreadable.

“You’ve calmed him down?” Avocato asked, standing up. Little Cato nodded.

“Chookity!” Before anyone could say anything, Mooncake flew forward, latching himself onto Gary’s face. Gary yelped, stumbling backwards.

“Chookity pok.” The small alien rubbed himself against Gary, confused when he didn’t return the affection. The human was standing still, muscles slowly relaxing when he realised that he wasn’t a threat.

“Hey there.” Little Cato watched as Gary carefully stroked Mooncake, giggling when the alien chirruped in response.

“I’m Avocato. Little Cato’s dad.” Avocato introduced himself. His dad was acting confident, but Little Cato could see his tail twitching nervously.

Gary eyed him cautiously, still stroking Mooncake.

“I’m Gary.” He responded. “But you already knew my name somehow.”

Avocato was about to respond, but HUE stumbled forward.

“I’m HUE. I am a robot, as you can see by my metal body and blinking light.” HUE introduced. Little Cato assumed Avocato filled him in on what was going on.

Gary looked at HUE strangely before staring back at Avocato. His stance was still on guard.

“I want to go home.” The human’s voice was hard and angry again. “When can you take me home?”

“Earth, right?” Avocato tail gave a large twitch of panic as Little Cato lay his ears back. He hadn’t even thought about the question of Gary wanting to go back to Earth, but now it struck him in the face.

To his credit, Avocato didn’t give anything away.

“It’ll be a few days. You’re just going to have to wait until then.” Avocato answered. Panic flashed in Gary’s eyes and he stiffly nodded.

“Chookity…” Mooncake rubbed Gary’s cheek again, instantly calming him down. Whilst Gary was distracted, Avocato whispered:

“The side effects only happen for a day or two more, okay?”

“Okay.” Little Cato watched Gary as he suddenly laughed, pulling Mooncake closer.

The action shown for the first time how young Gary really was. His laughter rung loud, rough around the edges as if he hadn’t laughed in a while. Avocato was also watching him, eyes filled with concern.

“He told me some bits of his past…” Little Cato said quietly. Avocato looked at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He…he…he had it rough…I had no idea…”

“I guessed as much as soon as I saw those bruises and that knife.” His dad answered. “You can tell me later, it’s fine.”

“A few days right?” He changed the subject quickly. Avocato nodded.

“We just have to keep him on the ship until then.” He answered.

Gary was now staring back at them, noticing them whispering to each other. His eyes were guarded, still holding the wild look.

“We just need him to trust us.” Little Cato replied. He frowned “But how can we do that when he has no reason to?”

Chapter 19: An Update On This Oneshot book (why chapters are late)

As you may have noticed, it’s been over a week since I posted a chapter for this one shot book, and here’s why: 

LITERALLY ALL MY FILES ARE GONE

They all just deleted after a data transfer gone wrong, so I have to rewrite everything again :(

So unfortunately this means that I won’t be rewriting some of the ones I had planned because they were too long. So sorry if anyone’s requests never get written.

But don’t worry! A chapter should be posted tomorrow, and the weekly schedule will continue after that. 

Which means...

NOW WOULD BE A GREAT TIME FOR REQUESTS!!!

As all my files are gone (and I don’t want to rewrite most of them any time soon) I want to hear some ideas! Just no smut, that’s all I ask ;)

Thanks for your patience and votes!

See you tomorrow :)

 

Chapter 20: Time Shards (4)

Summary:

Last part to Time Shards.

Avocato watched as the younger Gary stuffed his hands into his pockets as Fox walked past. His eyes flicked from his tense posture to his narrowed eyes, and he sighed.

It had been two days since Gary had been de-aged, and Avocato hoped that the younger human would start to trust them more. Even though the Ventrexian knew that the older Gary wouldn’t remember this, he couldn’t help but feel saddened by the fact that this child still refused to trust anyone. That was, anyone but Little Cato.

It made him smile to see the two teens got on very well, and Gary almost acted happy around his son. Any other time Gary wore a haunted expression that he had only seen in glimpses in the older Gary.

“It’s his last day like this, right?” Avocato leaned over to Nightfall, pulling his gaze off the human. Nightfall nodded, sipping her drink.

“That’s what AVA said.” She paused, studying Avocato knowingly. “This will be your last chance to talk to him like this.”

“What’s the point?” Avocato sighed. “He won’t remember, and he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Maybe not. But there’s no harm in trying.” Nightfall replied.

“It’s just…” Avocato’s mind replayed what Little Cato had told him a few nights ago. His son was distressed as he retold what Gary had told him, and Avocato could see why.

“…I never knew how hard he’d had it.” Avocato glanced up at Gary again, who was trying to be as small as possible. “And that’s only an inch of what he’s been through! I just…I just want to tell him…”

Nightfall interrupted his ramblings by putting a hand against his lips.

“Save those words for him.” She told him. Avocato blinked at her, then nodded.

Nightfall stood up, exiting the dining area to retreat to her room. Avocato looked back at Gary, who had not touched his food despite his thin frame.

He only ever ate what was in packets, sealed up tight. It seemed that he was under the impression that they were trying to drug him, which made Avocato’s heart clench unpleasantly.

But tonight they couldn’t help it – they were eating a mess of leftovers that had gathered in the fridge as they were out of any sealed foods. Thankfully, HUE hadn’t cooked any of it.

“It’s okay! It’s just leftovers. We have them sometimes.” Little Cato hadn’t eaten much of his either, spending his time trying to persuade Gary to.

Gary just shook his head.

“Little Cato.” Avocato decided to take action, and called to his son. “Give me his plate.”

Hesitantly, Little Cato passed it over. Gary’s blue eyes followed it, and finally met Avocato’s own.

It’s was like they were seeing straight into his soul. They were frightened, angry, confused – and yet a small shred of innocence glinted in the centre. Avocato didn’t want to look away, but Gary broke the contact to stare down at the plate.

Avocato grabbed his fork, stabbing into a big chunk of Gary’s meal. Then he ate it, trying to prove that the food hadn’t been tainted in any way.

“See. It’s just regular food.” Avocato said. He pushed the plate back to Gary, giving him a warm smile. “Now eat it before it gets too cold.”

Gary hesitated, then picked up the fork awkwardly and began to eat. Avocato had noticed over the few days that he hadn’t held his cutlery right. It was only a bold reminder of how early Gary had roamed the streets.

“You gotta mix it all in, like this!” Avocato smiled as he watched his son enthusiastically show Gary the “proper” way to eat leftovers. Gary watched him silently then did the same.

“Now you get every good food together! I call it a food tornado!” Little Cato finished, shoving a large chunk into his mouth.

“Gross.” Ash shuddered from the other end of the table. Her eye lingered on Gary before she stood up, making her leave.

“I’ve never had leftovers before.” Gary muttered, stabbing his fork into the food.

“Never?” Avocato asked. Gary shook his head, and Avocato was pleased to note that Gary looked more open to him now that he had gained some of his trust.

“That’s all I ate as a kid.” The Ventrexian grinned. “My parents didn’t understand why you would limit yourself to one type of food each meal time.”

Gary opened up to both Ventrexians more after this, and Avocato couldn’t be more pleased. They had quiet conversations about their planets and customs, and it was only when Little Cato was falling asleep at the table did they stop.

“Get to bed Little Cato. Or I won’t let you take a look at my guns tomorrow.” Avocato ordered. Little Cato stood up groggily, muttering phrases under his breath as he made his way to his room.

Gary had been sleeping in the main room for the past few days, not wanting to restrict himself into the locked rooms. So Avocato let him do his own thing as he cleared the table, hiding his concerned frown.

Nightfall’s words came back to him, and he sighed quietly. This was the last evening, and Avocato didn’t know whether he wanted to just leave Gary alone or tell him everything he wanted to say.

When Avocato turned around, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Gary was fiddling with his older self’s playing cards, shuffling them in his hands.

“You play?” Avocato asked, strolling over to the table. Gary jumped slightly.

“A little.” He answered.

“Well then deal me in.” Avocato smiled. Gary studied him for a few seconds, then sat in the seat opposite him and began to dish out the cards.

“What are we playing?” Avocato asked.

“Go Fish.” Gary replied. Avocato couldn’t help but grin – it was Gary’s favourite card game, even now.

Avocato grabbed his cards, but he was paying more attention to the teen in front of him than the game itself. And, in that moment, he chose what he was going to do.

“Gary.” Avocato paused the game, placing down his cards. Gary watched him carefully, shoulders tensed.

Avocato took a deep breath, and spoke what he needed to say.

“Gary, I know that your life is hard right now. I know that it seems hopeless for you.” Avocato began. Gary stayed silent. “And it’s going to get harder before it gets better, and you’re  going to want to quit before you get there. But Gary, please trust me when I say that it is worth it.” Avocato gave a small smile. “You will meet people and do things that you only dreamed of, have adventures far beyond the universe. But sometimes, you will be scared.”

Gary was still staring at him, his blue eyes piecing into his.

“But when you do get scared,” Avocato said quietly, “you will have someone to share that fear with. To share happiness with. To share grief with.” Avocato stared back at Gary. “So when you get to that point where you want to quit, to give up, don’t. Keep going. Please, keep going.”

Avocato stood up slowly, watching the time tick on the wall. Two minutes until midnight.

“But what if it’s too hard?” Gary’s quiet voice asked him. “What if I get there, and there’s nothing?”

“There will be. I promise.” Avocato smiled at the teen. “Trust me.”

The last minute until midnight was spent in silence, the hum of the engine the only sound to be heard.

And when midnight finally did strike, and when Gary’s features grew older in a flash of pink light, Avocato was hugging him tight.

 

Chapter 21: Whiskers (1)

Summary:

A request by several people on Wattpad and Archive who wanted Gary to become a Ventrexian. This story will probably have one more part after this, I only intend it to be a two shot :)

Though a light sleeper, it still often took Gary at least ten minutes to respond to his alarm clock. Today was no different.

With a stretch and a sigh, Gary slammed his hand onto the beeping clock, eyes still closed and sticky with sleep. With a grunt, he turned in his bed, ready to fall back asleep when he felt something brush against his leg.

His sleepy mind immediately thought it was a bug, but then he reminded himself they were on a ship in the middle of space – no bugs would be getting in unless they were already dead.

With a hum, Gary cracked open one eye, looking down at his body to try and find the offending thing.

And promptly screamed.

“What the –“ Gary yelled, twisting out of his bed sheets. His arms were the same, and so was his chest. “Oh no no no! Am I – “

Gary’s entire body was covered in golden fur, the shade changing to a lighter yellow on his chest. The blonde moved to pull at the locks, only to scream again.

His hands were longer, finished with black claws hooked at the end of his fingers. Gary held them out in front of him, shaking.

They looked almost like –

“NO WAY!” Gary ran to the bathroom, only getting a few steps before his new body tripped over. He wasn’t used to the larger feet and longer legs. Stumbling to his feet, he locked himself in the bathroom.

A mirror hung on the wall, and Gary slowly inched over to it.

This has to be a nightmare!

Gary tried to scream again, but was cut off by seeing his refection (it wasn’t his reflection, it couldn’t be!) react in the same way. The sound died in his throat, and he was left staring at the face that couldn’t be his.

Staring at him with bright blue eyes was the face of a Ventrexian. Pointed ears, whiskers, nose – all of it was new and foreign. Darker spots gathered beneath his eyes, looking like leopard spots. Gary followed them as he travelled down his neck, across his arms and back, stopping at his tail.

Oh god he had a tail.

He hadn’t noticed the additional patterns before, and supposed that they were quite pretty – that was, if he wasn’t the one wearing the fur.

Gary watched as the Ventrexian’s panicked expression – slitted pupils, teeth showing underneath his lip – relaxed slightly to one more of shock. Hesitantly, Gary lifted a finger to his face. The Ventrexian did the same.

“How is this…” Gary muttered, prodding his cheek. “How…”

His new tail suddenly gave an unexpected twitch without his command, and he jumped. A strange, almost comedic cat screech emitted from his throat as he jumped into the air, fur bristling.

Gary calmed himself down to the best of his ability, trying not to look at the tail swishing nervously. He always thought Ventrexians had complete control over them, but he guessed he was wrong. It was responding to his core emotions.

Gary looked down at himself again, wiggling his new, longer toes. The panic rose in him again as he heard his alarm clock beep for the second time – time to get awake and get going.

It meant that Gary had been staring at himself for half an hour. And in that time, he hadn’t realised that he was completely naked.

His pyjamas lay tattered in his room, torn apart by his new body. He was sure he was wearing them when he first awoke, so they must’ve been destroyed when he fell over.

Yeah, that would do it.

“I can’t show myself butt-naked as a cat!” Gary yelled to his reflection. “I’d get thrown out of the ship on sight!”

Gary slammed the door open, running to his closet and searching through his clothes. Already, he could hear the sounds of the ship slowly waking up. Could he hear this well before? He didn’t know.

He was pleased to find out that it was a smaller disaster than he thought. He found some jeans that, when he had a human body, were slightly to long for him. Now they fitted fine, despite his fur itching beneath them.

His fur. The sentence sounded weird.

The shirt was much more of a problem. Each one would begin to tear as he tried to get them over his body, unable to fit over his new cat physique. It didn’t help that he would accidentally tear holes through them with his claws.

“Fuck!” Gary yelled as he tore through another. He rested his head in his hands, digging his claws into his skull. Panic was overwhelming him, and fear for what might happen. He tucked in his knees, trying to pretend that he was human Gary again. It wasn’t like he had a thing against Ventrexians – this just wasn’t his body.

How did this happen anyway?

“Gary?”  

Oh no. Holy crap.

Avocato.

This was the first and last man he wanted to see. Though he was a Ventrexian and could help with all of this mess, he didn’t want his best friend to freak out and potentially attack him. There was no way Avocato would recognise him.

“Gary? You up?” Avocato knocked on the door.

Answer Gary! He’ll get suspicious!

“Yeah…only just!” Gary was relieved to find that his voice sounded just the same. He wasn’t paying attention to the fact before.

“Well, are you ready to go?” His friend asked. Gary bit his lip (a much more painful experience now that he had mini fangs instead of teeth). His tail swished next to him.

“Err…give me a few more minutes!” A few more minutes was an understatement.

“How many?” Avocato was getting suspicious, and he had every right to be. They were going to take Little Cato to his first sporting event today, and they knew how much he like ship racing.

Gary had almost forgotten all about it, and felt tears burning into his eyes at the thought of having to bail on his son. He couldn’t go out like this. His senses were on overload in a quiet room, a race track would be torture. How did Ventrexians do it?

“Gary? Are you okay?” Avocato’s voice was more urgent, but Gary found he couldn’t answer. He couldn’t even say that he was fine, let alone act it.

Please, just go, just go…

“I’m coming in!” Avocato announced.

“No no no!” Gary cried out, but it was too late. Avocato opened the door, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of a Ventrexian curled up on the ground.

“Err…” Gary said anything to stop the silence. Avocato was just staring at him, eyes wide. “You probably have a few questions…”

Wordlessly, the Ventrexian strode towards him until they were inches apart. Gary got lost in Avocato’s amber eyes staring deep onto his own.

“So you are Gary.” Avocato eventually said, pulling back. Gary blinked, then nodded.

“I have no idea what’s going on.” The blonde whispered, raking a hand through his fur.

“You’re –“ Avocato pointed to himself, and back to Gary. “You’re like me.”

“Yeah.”

“How?!”

“I have no idea.”

Avocato hummed. After a pause, he pulled Gary into a enormous hug, squeezing him tight. Gary immediately returned it, nuzzling into his friend’s fur.

“I have to admit, I’ve never seen this happen before.” Avocato eventually said, pulling back. Gary stared at the floor, trying not to look at his changed body.

“I just woke up this way.” Gary told him. He felt Avocato’s eyes staring at him, looking at him up and down. “What?”

“Nothing.” Avocato blinked, tail twitching. “It’s just you have such a nice pattern. Quite handsome for a Ventrexian.”

Gary felt heat rise to his cheeks and couldn’t stop the small smile grow at the compliment.

“What now?” Gary asked nervously.

“I could help you get dressed properly.” Avocato suggested. Gary looked down at his half-naked self, then nodded. “And then we see what AVA can do.”

“But the others –“

“They will find out eventually.” Avocato interrupted. He grinned. “It’s breakfast time and you aren’t there to cook. They’re going to be suspicious.”

“Fair point.” Gary said.

Avocato stood up then held out a hand to Gary. The blonde took it, stumbling to his feet. He still wasn’t used to moving. Everything felt off balance, like he was walking a tightrope.

With a smile, Avocato held his arm, steadying him. Gary stumbled again, and Avocato winced as his claws dug into his arm.

“Sorry!” Gary stammered. Avocato gave him a reassuring pat.

“It’s fine. I didn’t learn to sheathe my claws until I was seven. It takes practice.” His friend slipped a hand around his waist, making Gary blush again. The touch calmed him, making him smile properly for the first time that morning.

Maybe being a Ventrexian for a few days isn’t so bad, he thought hopefully.

After all, he had Avocato at his side.

Chapter 22: Whiskers (2)

Summary:

Last part to Whiskers
READ END NOTE

Gary followed Avocato silently, eyes resting on his friend’s back. At first he thought the Ventrexian was taking him to the kitchen, but when he turned into another hall he piped up curiously.

“Where are we going?” He asked. Avocato slowed down, walking beside him.

“My room. You need better clothes now that you’re a Ventrexian.” Avocato studied him for a moment, humming. “Though you are skinnier than me.”

“All good things come in small packages.” Gary protested with a small smile. Avocato laughed, and Gary felt himself blush.

He wanted to think that being a Ventrexian was unlocking these more…romantic feelings for Avocato, but the truth was he fell head over heels from the moment he heard his smooth voice.

“Ladies first.” Avocato pulled him out of his thoughts, gesturing to his bedroom door with a grin. Gary huffed, swatting Avocato over the head playfully.

“I’m not a lady! I’m a man!” He said, but stepped inside. Avocato shut the door after him, chuckling when Gary almost tripped over his own tail.

“I can’t tell you how weird it is to have fur instead of skin.” Gary said when he heard the laugh. “I mean, I just went to scratch my arm and –“

“Whoa! Who’s this?!” A cry suddenly came from the far side of the room. Gary jumped, springing onto the bed and digging his claws into the covers.

“It’s alright, it’s just Little Cato.” Avocato reassured, petting him gently. Gary found himself leaning to the touch, letting out a small purr without realising.

On queue, Little Cato popped out from a closet; his fur fluffed and messy.

“I leave for one minute and you managed to sneak into my room?” Avocato asked amusedly. Gary, now calmer, plucked his claws out of the mattress.

“I was looking for my shoe!” Little Cato enthusiastically thrusted out his shoe-less foot with a grin. “I thought you might have it.”

“Next time don’t tear apart my closet.” Avocato grinned, patting his son’s back. Gary tensed as Little Cato’s eyes moved back to him suspiciously.

“Anyway, you never answered my question. Who is this?” The young Ventrexian asked, pointing at Gary.

“Err…” Gary felt his tail twitching nervously behind him. It was still a very strange sensation.

“Well…this is…Gary.” Avocato introduced. Little Cato’s eyes widened.

“No way!” He jumped forward and looked Gary up and down.

“Yeah it’s me Spider Cat.” Gary said. He gave a little wave. “Ta-da…”

“NO WAY!” Little Cato was suddenly all over Gary like an orange blur, looking all all the new parts of him. “How?! Why?!” He asked rapidly.

“I have no idea. I just woke up this way.” Gary explained.

“Can I tell Ash? Can I tell Nightfall?” Little Cato asked excitedly, practically bouncing up and down.

“I mean, they’ll find out soon enough so why not?” Gary answered. Little Cato nodded, grinning.

“This is so cool…” he whispered to himself before darting out of the room. Gary blinked at the place he once was, shocked.

“I didn’t think he’d be that excited.” Gary muttered. Avocato gave a loud laugh, putting an arm around his shoulder.

“This is our son you’re talking about!” He joked. Gary laughed, feeling himself blush again at his words. It was probably for the best that his face was covered in fur.

He was disappointed when Avocato let go of him, moving to his now messy closet. He picked up one of his smaller items of clothing – a simple black t-shirt with a hole near the bottom.

“This should fit.” He handed the shirt to Gary, who took it gratefully.

“Thanks.” He placed it over his head, but immediately took it off again in annoyance.

His fur was making it uncomfortable, and he could feel the knots digging into his skin each time the fabric was placed on top. It didn’t feel right.

“How do you guys wear clothes?!” Gary cried out in frustration. He placed the shirt on him again, only to pull it off in the same fashion.

“If it’s uncomfortable it probably means that your fur needs grooming.” Avocato told him, taking the shirt gently out of his grip.

“Grooming?!” Gary asked in shock, looking down at himself. “Why can’t I take a shower?”

“It’s bad for our fur, and makes it rough and itchy.” Avocato explained.

“So that’s how you keep your fur silky smooth.” Gary muttered. Avocato nodded with a smile, sitting on the bed.

“Just lick in the same direction. Small and quick.” The Ventrexian tried to explain. Gary nodded, sitting down next to his friend.

He stuck out his tongue nervously, looking down at his golden fur. He slowly moved forward, body tensing.

“I can’t do it.” Gary stopped suddenly, slumping his shoulders. “It just feels weird to me. I’ll just wear the shirt, it can’t be that bad.”

Avocato stared at him, then shook his head.

“You’ll give yourself a rash.” Gary watched as his friend shuffled closer to him nervously. “I…I could do it for you…it’s just…”

“Just what?” Gary asked. Avocato looked at the floor.

“Ventrexians only do it to each other when they’re…you know…”

“A thing?” Gary felt heat rise to his cheeks.

“Y-yeah.” Avocato stammered. Gary let out a small “oh”.

“Ok…I’ll just figure it out…unless…”

“Unless you…want me to?”

Gary looked over at Avocato, who was smiling. He raised a brow.

“I think you’re pretty hot. Ventrexian and human.” Avocato gave him a grin, eyes glinting. Gary felt his stomach flip.

“Yeah, I think you would be a nice guy to date.” The blonde said, unable to fight the grin stretching on his face.

Both Ventrexians shuffled closer to each other, looking into another’s eyes.

“Are we…going to kiss right now?” Gary muttered as they moved closer. Avocato gave a small nod.

“I think so. Should we let it happen?”

“Heck yeah.”

The kiss was shy and quick, but Gary felt his lips tingling long after it was over. Avocato gave a wolfish grin.

“Not too bad. You have a fine pair of lips.” He said. Gary grinned.

“Not too bad yourself. I tasted a few years practice. A pro.” He returned.

They resumed like nothing had happened, apart from the fact that Avocato was now grooming him gently. Gary felt the tension leave his body, and let out a few bursts of purring. It was a new sensation, but he couldn’t stop it so he decided to embrace it.

“The only way you would’ve been changed to another creature is if someone botched a poisoning.” Avocato said in between licks. Gary looked at him in surprise.

“Really? Someone tried to poison me?” He asked. Avocato gave one last lick, then nodded.

“Yeah. I don’t think you realised this, but you’ve made a lot of enemies.” Avocato handed Gary the shirt.

“Makes sense.” Gary paused as he pulled the shirt over his head, pleased to note that it settled nicely with his fur. “But how do you mess up that bad? I mean, I’m a cat now.”

Avocato chuckled.

“It’s actually somewhat common. It wears off, don’t worry.” He reassured. Gary hummed, standing up.

“When?” He asked.

“A few months.”

“Huh.” Gary looked down at his body, watching his tail twitch. “I better get used to this then.”

“I thought you’d be more shocked by the news.” Avocato said, standing up beside him. Gary shrugged.

“All I’m thinking is that I could’ve been turned into a mini Clarence for a few months.” He grinned. “Out of all the things I could’ve turned into, this one’s pretty sweet.”

 

Notes:

READ ME PLS

I know this ended quite suddenly, but there is a reason for that:
Some of you may have seen in the comment threads, but I’m thinking of starting a mini series in this one shot book called “The Adventures Of Gary The Ventrexian”. These will be mini adventures, not linked to each other, of what Gary got up to within the few months of being a Ventrexian. They could be serious or pointless depending on my mood.
But I don’t know whether this is worth my time or not, so I need you guys to drop a comment on whether this is a good or bad idea, and what you would like to see in these adventures if you do like it.
Thanks for your help :)

Chapter 23: The Cost Of Everything

Summary:

He never realised how happy he had been until now.

Pain.

Pain was throbbing through Gary’s body, and he would’ve screamed if he had the energy.

He had been in similar scrapes as this, but he never could he remember being in this much agony.

Pain.

And, oh god it hurt.

Gary didn’t want to move but he could feel his limbs twitching out of instinct, begging to get away – but the ropes held him tight against the chair.

The human, as a rough guess, knew he had been here for some time. Or at least he hoped so. It was long enough for the bandits to take a break, and that’s all that mattered to him.

“Little Cato!”

Gary finally opened his eyes (well eye – the other one had been gouged right out of its socket, it’s blood running down his face and into the pool below) and focused on the door. It was the only thing in the room that wasn’t the cold slabs of brick imprisoning him.

“Little Cato! Run!”

Gary let out a low moan despite his wishes. The pain wasn’t fading, but building as his body woke up. He hadn’t even been aware that he had passed out; the last thing he remembered was a glinting knife plunging down.

(Oh.)

A dark stain was on his side, growing steadily bigger. A twisted blade was stuck into it deeply, and he was sure it was hitting the other side of the chair.

(So that’s where the knife went.)

“Little Cato you have to stay here no matter what, okay?”

“O-ok...”

There was a steady dripping echoing through the room. Whether it was a loose pipe or his own blood he didn’t know, but it was driving him insane. He just wanted to die in peace, goddammit, could they just give him that?

Gary’s breath hitched as another wave of pain pulsed through him, making the world tilt around him. He closed his eye tightly, letting out a small cry. The dripping grew more rapid, confirming Gary’s grim suspicion. His blood was pooling under him, making his feet slip as he writhed.

“W-will we get out of this Gary?”

“Sure thing SpiderCat. Don’t worry…we’ll find a way…”

“Gary?”

“Yeah?”

Because the pain was too much for him now, and he wanted it to stop. He wanted it all to stop but he was forced to endure it all slowly.

“I don’t want to die…”

Gary began to choke and he spluttered out a thick wad of his own blood. He let it dribble down his chin as he lay his head back, panting. Each heaving breath his chest took pulled at his injuries, making him cry out each time. His vision grew dark around the edges as he tried to keep going, keep breathing, but it was getting hard.

He was running out of time.

“I won’t let you die, okay? Never.”

When he thought of the way he was going to die, he thought it would be quicker, like a bullet to the head. Sure, he knew he was going to die before he could hit retirement, but not like this. Anything but this.

But he couldn’t regret his actions for one second.

(He was going to turn thirty-nine this week – a good number of years alive. It was good enough for him.)

The door handle turned slowly, and Gary watched as two of the bandits pushed it open with a bang. They had cleaned all of his blood of their clothes, which was nice he guessed.

What wasn’t so nice was the fact that one of them was carrying a hammer and a kitchen knife. The other was wearing gloves.

Gary didn’t take his eye off them, swallowing his fear down and replacing it with the flicker of pride in his chest. He was dying anyway.

“I’m going to ask you one more time.” The first bandit hissed, grabbing the hammer off his peer. “Where is your crew?”

“Gary wait! DAD!”

“I’m sorry SpiderCat.”

Gary couldn’t speak anymore so he couldn’t retort in the way he wanted. Instead he shook his head.

“What a shame. Such waste of life.”

The hammer slammed down onto his arm with a sickening crunch, over and over. Gary didn’t make a sound, biting his lip until it bled. Instead he thought about the life he had before now – before all of this. He thought of the warm feeling that he would get from being around the ones he loved, and the way they would always make him smile. But he couldn’t stay in his fantasy forever.

It was only when he could see bone that he let out a wail.

This was indeed the end for him.

“Finish him.”

And to him, this was a sacrifice well made.

“Why do they want us so bad?” Little Cato asked from beside him. Gary gave a small smile from crouched behind the bar table.

The bar was destroyed, with bullet holes in every wall, bottles and windows smashed. Somehow, the jukebox had survived, and was playing “We’ll meet again” as they fought. The calming music was almost comical in their situation.

“Are you seriously asking that after seven years of this crap?” He asked. Little Cato chuckled.

“Yeah, that was a stupid question.” The Ventrexian jumped up and quickly shot a few of the bandits down. “Where’s Dad?”

“He ran after some other bandits, don’t worry. He’s fine.” Gary reassured. Little Cato smiled.

“Good.”

Blinding pain flared over his jaw as the hammer smashed into it –

Gary dared to look up, eyes widening with horror when he saw one of the bandits pulling a grenade.

“Little Cato! Run!” Gary yelled. He took his paw (not small anymore, but strong and steady) in his hand and tugged it towards the back door. He pushed his son through first then dashed onto the streets himself just as the ground blew up around them.

—and Gary screamed, choking as blood blocked his throat –

Dust clouded the air as Little Cato’s hand slipped from his own. Gary searched desperately for his son.

“Little Cato! Little Cato!” He yelled, all too aware that he was giving away their location. In that moment he didn’t care – without Little Cato he wasn’t going anywhere.

“D-dad?” He heard a small voice cough. And finally, a few metres to the side of him, he spotted Little Cato on the ground. As the smoke began to clear, he ran over to him and knelt down.

“My leg…” Little Cato explained, clenching his jaw in pain. Gary looked down, finding his ankle twisted and swollen.

“Hey – we’re going to get out of this.” Gary said as Little Cato looked up at him. He could hear the bandit’s footsteps run closer, and he knew that time was short.

—the knife plunged into his chest and Gary writhed as it was slowly dragged upwards, mouth open in a silent scream –

“Come on.” Gary helped Little Cato up, letting him lean on his shoulders. He spotted a cluster of crates ahead, big enough to hide behind.

“Almost there.” Gary reassured when the bandits began to shout louder, their voices surrounding them. It would be a matter of seconds before they were found.

“Can you get behind there?” Gary asked his son as they approached the boxes. By this time, Gary was basically dragging the injured Ventrexian, heart twisting guiltily as he let out shouts of pain.

“Y-yeah…”

—and again the hammer came down, crushing his lungs –

“Little Cato you have to stay here no matter what, okay?” Gary told him, taking hold of his paw tightly.

“O-ok...” Little Cato’s eyes met his fearfully.

 “W-will we get out of this Gary?”

Gary smiled, rubbing his hand against his son’s cheek.

“Sure thing SpiderCat. Don’t worry…we’ll find a way…” he said quietly.

“Gary?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to die…” The Ventrexian whispered.

Gary reluctantly let go of Little Cato’s hand. He watched as the Ventrexian’s face changed from fear to confusion.

The bandits were almost here – he didn’t have time. No goodbyes.

This wasn’t the way he wanted things to be.

“I won’t let you die, okay? Never.”

—Gary felt a tear slip past his cheek as his vision began to fade around him –

Gary looked at his son one last time, giving a small smile.

“Gary wait! DAD!” Little Cato’s scream tore at his heart and he desperately wanted to hold him close and never let go.

He didn’t look back, running as fast as he could.

“I’m sorry SpiderCat.” He whispered. He turned the corner and immediately into a crowd full of the bandits. With a grin, he held out his arms wide.

“Here I am! One Gary Goodspeed at your service!” He yelled. He felt a tear slip from his eye, a tear for the could-have’s, the what-if’s.

For what he was leaving behind.

Gary was alone again.

His breaths were uneven gasps, each one wheezing and ragged. Yet, he still spoke, the words barely a whisper on his lips.

“Maybe…maybe one day…”

He let his eye close.

“I’ll see…you…all…again…”

And, with his promise fulfilled, Gary let go.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Chapter 24: So Much Better

Summary:

THIS WAS A REQUEST:
This was requested by Darkraider46, none of this amazing idea was mine, nor are the characters. :)

It was like it was real time.

He could feel their eyes burning into his, their frozen smiles excited for the future ahead. He couldn’t bare to look at them, and yet he couldn’t look away.

He could’ve done so much better.

“Gary?” Little Cato’s voice pulled him out of his haunted thoughts, and he quickly shoved the tattered photo in his pocket before turning around.

The rest of the crew were staring at him from their campfire circle, all waiting on him. The crumpled Crimson Light lay behind them, still smoking slightly.

It had been a few hours since they crashed, and Gary wasn’t sure how much more he could take of being here. The dry dirt, the glowing rocks – it was the same. After all these years of running, it had found him. He was sure, if he walked far enough, he would find her.

“You in?” Ash asked him curiously. Gary wasn’t even sure of what was going on, but nodded and sat down next to his son. He focused his eyes on the floor, trying not to look back to the scenery around him.

It was his fault.

“Ok, I’ve never told anyone this, but I accidentally blew up a science lab when I was thirteen, and blamed it on some other kid. He got suspended.” Nightfall said with a chuckle. Fox gasped, thrusting up his hand.

“My turn, my turn!” He announced with a smile. “I’ve never told anyone this, but…” Gary became distracted again, focused on the bright smiles and shining eyes of the people around him. He remembered similar days before all of this, when he thought life was getting better for him.

The memories were almost at breaking point, the grounds around him forcing them all back. He shut them away, away forever. And yet, he was pulling out the photo again, the last piece of evidence that they existed. Now they were nameless, soulless, lifeless. It hurt in the worst way to know that he was here whilst they had moved on.

“What’s that? Who are they?”

Gary jumped, tucking the picture back into his pocket. Little Cato was staring at him with innocence.

“Nothing. No one.” Gary replied quietly, but it was too late. Little Cato’s question had got the attention of everyone. He could feel their eyes on him. It was too many.

Gary stood up quickly and walked away from the group. He found his feet steering him to the place he never wanted to go to again, vowed he would never see again.

(She would be there, waiting for him)

“Gary! Wait up!” Gary did the opposite, picking up his pace. They caught up anyway, and he was left wondering why he bothered with anything. It all didn’t matter.

“What’s wrong?” Little Cato’s asked from his left, jogging to keep up with him. Gary didn’t reply, not even sparing a glance his way. If he did, then he’d break. He wasn’t allowed to break again.

“Who were they?” Nightfall’s hand rested on his shoulder, her voice calm and smooth against the ringing in his head. Gary slowed to a stop, letting his shoulders drop. Something about her calmed him down, like they had.

He missed them.

“They were my old crew, before any of this happened.” Gary quietly said. “Before…anything.”

“What happened to them?” Ash asked from behind him. Gary began to walk again, knowing where he needed to go. He pulled out the wrinkled picture, pointing at each of them.

“Luna, Jack, and Lucas.” Gary tore his eyes off their frozen faces, hiding the picture once more. “We were a crew of burglars, and we didn’t stop for anyone but ourselves. We worked well that way, only caring about each other. It wasted less time.”

“What are you nerding out about now?” Gary asked, ruffling Lucas’ hair. Lucas laughed, swatting his hand.

“It’s hacking you idiot. And you won’t believe what I just found.” His friend grinned goofily, pointing to the screen.

“I don’t understand any of thi – oh.” With a flicker, the screen changed. Gary read its content, smile widening.

“So that’s where they’re hiding it. To think after all this time, it wasn’t too far away.” Gary mused.

“What’s not too far away?” Luna asked from the doorway, her heels clicking rhythmically on the ship floor as she walked closer. “I’ve left Jack carry those things by himself so make it quick.”

“And one day we found out about the Ocean’s Diamond. We had been tracking it for years, and you can imagine how we felt when we found out where it was hiding.” Gary continued. The dirt crunched under his feet as he walked. “So naturally, we started planning right away.”

“We should go in through here.” Gary pointed to the vent on the top of the building.”

“That’s quite a drop.” Lucas said from beside him. “And guards are stationed under it. It’s too risky.”

“Not with Luna.” Gary grinned and turned to his cousin in question. “You think you can seduce them long enough?” He asked. Luna huffed, rolling her eyes.

“They have the IQ of a toothpick. I’ll be fine.” She replied.

The ship rumbled, signalling to Gary that they were almost there. They had never planned so quickly before, usually leaving a few months in-between, but they wouldn’t get another chance after today. Once the Diamond was relocated, they would never see it again. It was risky, but Gary was sure it would pay off. Quite literally.

“I’ll follow Gary with all the equipment, and Luke can open the doors for us. Right?” Jack said from the corner, already lifting up the bags. Lucas nodded.

“Probably. But be prepared to wait.” He warned. Gary grabbed a gun off Jack, nodding.

The ship came to an abrupt stop, making them all jolt in their seats.

“I swear, the first thing I’m going to do with that money is buy a nice new ship.” Luna moaned.

“You know what to do.” Gary grinned, giving them a thumbs up. “This diamond is ours!”

“Come on…” Jack gave a chuckle, pulling Gary in the right direction.

“And then…” Gary grew silent, footsteps slowing. He couldn’t.

“And then what?” Nightfall asked gently. Gary shook his head.

“I could’ve done so much better.” Gary whispered.

It was when they were halfway through the building that everything began to fall apart.

“Err, we have a problem!” Lucas’s crackled voice shouted through the earpiece. Gary tensed, letting Jack continue his work as he focused on his friend.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“They know! They know! Get out of there!” Lucas yelled. Jack stopped the blowtorch immediately, grabbing his gun.

“Where are you?” Gary asked urgently.  

“I had to move, they saw me and now –“ there was a bang, and his friend’s voice cut off.

“Lucas! Luke!” Gary yelled through the mic. Jack grabbed his arm, forcing him to run.

“We need to go! Come on, he’ll be fine!” The blonde urged. Gary nodded, shakily pulling out his gun.

This had never happened before.

Jack suddenly pulled him to the ground as bullets shot through the windows and over their heads. Guards charged around the corner, and he quickly gunned them down.

“This way!” Gary pointed to the smaller corridor. Jack followed him wordlessly, only stoping when the sound of footsteps grew too loud.

“There’s too many.” Gary whispered, holding his gun tighter. “We won’t be able to get out.”

They were coming on all sides; any moment now they would be trapped and blown to pieces.

“Up there.” Jack pointed up to the air vent they had entered prior.

“It’s too high –“

“Get on my shoulders.” Jack ordered. Gary obeyed and was quickly lifted up to the vent, where he grabbed the rope they had used.

“Take my hand!” Gary reached out and so did Jack, their fingers locking together. Jack grinned.

“Not too bad yourself.” The blonde said. Gary rolled his eyes and began to pull but froze.

He was too late.

He didn’t even have time to say a goodbye.

Jack’s face changed from joy to shock, his eyes impossibly widening as blood spurted out of his mouth. Gary screamed as his fingers went lax, his body falling like a puppet with broken strings.

“Jack’s entire torso was torn apart by torn by the bullets…and I…I just…”

“Gary…” Nightfall began, but Gary shook his head. His chest tightened with the familiar anxiety, but he uttered out the phrase that haunted him for the rest of his life.

“I…I just ran…”

Gary tore his gaze off his fallen friend, scrambling up the rope as tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. His hands burned and arms shook when he finally reached the top, heaving himself out.

“Gary!”

“Luna?” Gary ran to the edge of the roof, spotting his cousin down below. She was limping, but otherwise seemed unharmed.

“Look out!” She yelled. Gary jumped off the edge as the guns began to fire again, narrowly missing his body.

“Where’s Jack?” Luna asked as she took his hand and made him run. Gary’s breath hitched as he spat out the words.

“Gone.”

He saw Luna flinch as if she’d been shot herself, her eyes blinking fiercely to stop the tears.

“Duck!” Gary suddenly yelled as guards blocked their path. He and Luna rolled out of the way, hiding behind a truck.

“Just through that fence and we’re out.” Luna told him as she reloaded her gun. “I managed to take one of the guard’s keycards before we were found out.”

Gary nodded wordlessly, backing away from the truck. His foot caught on something and he stumbled. He turned to see what he had tripped on and his heart stopped.

“I found Lucas lying dead on the ground just after I escaped.” Gary said tonelessly, staring at the ground. He was barely aware of the people following him anymore, only focused on one thing. “He was my first ever friend. I didn’t want to leave him.”

“Luke.” Gary whispered, dropping down to his knees. His friend’s eyes were still open, staring at the darkening sky above them. “No…please…no one else…”

“We have to go! They’re coming!” Luna shouted to him. Her shaking hand pulled his arm but he moved away, wrapping his arms around his friend’s still form.

“Gary please!” Luna begged. “He’s dead! We have to go!”

“No!” Gary yelled, cradling Lucas’ head.

“Gar –“ Luna suddenly screamed and fell to the ground.

“Luna!” Gary ran over to her, chest twisting in guilt as he saw the blood staining her torso.

“Go…” she whispered, eyes fluttering.

“No! I’m not leaving you!” Gary scooped her up gently, holding her tight. “You’re all I have left.”

“I picked up Luna and ran as fast as I could to the ship.” Gary was almost there now, he could feel it. Any moment now he would see the remains of what had once been.

(And she would be there, waiting for him.)

“And I was able to get away.” Gary continued. “But I couldn’t fly properly back then, and I had to crash on the first planet I saw.”

Gary crawled out of the wreckage, gasping. Luna was held tightly under him, successfully shielded from the crash.

“Luna. We made it. We got out.” Gary tried to smile at her.

“We did?” Luna whispered. Gary pulled her into his lap, pressing his hands against her wound. The blood seeped through his fingers but he tried to ignore it.

“Yeah! Now we can get help…” Gary looked around. It didn’t look like the planet had any life apart from plants. “…somehow. You just need to hold on.”

“Gary…I want you to forget about me.” Luna coughed. Gary made a noise of protest but she pressed a finger against his lips. “Listen to me. Forget about me. Move on and be the person I know you can be.”

“You can’t die…” Gary whispered, tears burning in his eyes. “How can I be anyone if I’ve lost everyone?”

Luna didn’t answer, her eyes fluttering shut. Her hand fell to her side silently.

“She never woke up.” Gary said quietly.

He was here.

The remains of the ship were the same, only rustier and dirtier than he remembered.

“It all happened right here.” Gary walked into the clearing, searching for her. She wasn’t far from here.

There.

Beside a tree, three stones lay in a line, each touching the other. The dirt wasn’t freshly dug anymore but he could spot her anywhere.

“I buried her here.” Gary stood in front of the stones silently. He never thought he would see her again. His last relative.

Luna.

“Gary –“ Nightfall began, but Gary couldn’t take it anymore.

“You have heard my story.” Gary turned his back from the grave and began to walk away. “Enough.”

 

Chapter 25: The Adventures Of Gary The Ventrexian: 1

Summary:

This mini series takes place between Whiskers 1 and 2. People seemed to want a mini series about Ventrexian Gary when I suggested it, so here you go:)

Huh. The air smells like mint. Sorta.

Gary sniffed again, parting his jaws slightly. Now that his sense of smell had changed (along with other senses), he found himself tasting the air whenever he could, even if places were familiar to him.

“Cat Powers” is what Gary liked to call them. When saying this out loud to Avocato, his boyfriend responded with quick swat over the ear (apparently that was like a punch on the shoulder for Ventrexians, who knew?) and warned him to never say it again.

“If these are cat powers, what are human powers?” Little Cato had asked him immediately after this incident. Gary had thought, only coming up with one thing.

“Whistling.” He had answered. Ever since he had became a Ventrexian, his whistling powers had went away. He had been, and still was devastated by this fact.

But apparently that was the worse answer he could’ve said, because now Little Cato was on a mission to prove Gary wrong because there was no way he couldn’t do something as easy as that -  

And he was doing it now, Gary noted as his ear twitched in the direction of the ginger. The younger was making pathetic noises with his lips, none of them coming close to whistling.

Space mint probably, Gary thought as he took another sniff of the air. They had crash landed - of course they had, it was just their luck – on an island which just seemed like a great big jungle. Gary had been overwhelmed by all the new scents, and didn’t notice he had been wandering off until Nightfall shouted at him.

“Gary! I thought I told you to stay close!” She tugged him back towards the group, sandwiching him between Avocato and Fox.

“Little Cato is wandering off! Why am I getting told off?!” Gary argued with a pout. Avocato rolled his eyes, gesturing to the wire that was connecting him and his son together.

“Because I put him on a leash.” Avocato gave a tug and yanked Little Cato away from some dangerous looking berries. “But now I’m thinking I should’ve brought two!”

“It’s not my fault!” Gary argued back. Before he could continue, a butterfly-looking creature fluttered past him, and he had a great urge to follow it. He began to run after it, only to be stopped by a hand on his collar.

“Ga-rry!” Avocato growled. Gary shrugged sheepishly with a small laugh.

“Sorry!” He apologised. “Everything’s so new!”

“Err, maybe it was a bad idea to bring him with us…” Fox said, pointing to Gary who had began to wander off again.

“We need all the help we can get. Gary is a useful fighter.” Nightfall said from the front. She looked back at the new Ventrexian with a sigh. “Most of the time.”

They had been walking for a while, leaving HUE and Mooncake (mainly for protecting HUE) at the ship’s remains. The map had said there was civilisation nearby, but it had lost signal an hour ago.

“I think we took a wrong turn somewhere…” Fox said as the trees only grew thicker. Gary hummed in agreement, weaving his hand in Avocato’s.

“Hey dads! Look at this!” Little Cato shouted happily, tugging the rope around his waist. The younger was standing next to a large bush with silver flowers. They were opening and closing on their own, looking like something out of a fairy tale.

Gary grinned, ready to run to look at the strange plant. But then stopped, eyes widening with alarm.

The strange mint scent was back, rushing through his nostrils and into his brain. It didn’t smell right.

“Get out the way!” Gary connected two together once the flower moved higher, spreading its petals out wide. At his cry of alarm, Avocato was by his side as they ran to their son.

This happened in the space of a second, and as it passed, many things happened at once.

Gary reached Little Cato first, tacking him to the ground. The silver flower shot some liquid out of its centre which burnt a hole in the ground where Little Cato had been standing moments before.

Avocato was tugged with them as the fell down a slope in a tangle of rope and limbs. They crashed through the shrubbery, landing directly in the centre of –

Oh no.

Gary wanted to laugh at the strange turn of events, but let out a shrill scream as thousands of giant spiders turned to face the three.

He literally couldn’t be making this up if he tried. He just happened to fall into a pit of spiders after escaping an acid-spitting plant.

“Run!” Avocato yelled, scooping up Little Cato in one arm. The poor kid had became tangled up in the rope.

Gary didn’t need telling twice. He followed Avocato, trying to ignore the steadily increasing volume of scuttling.

(And oh god it was terrifying)

“They’re coming, they’re coming!” Little Cato called out in alarm from his upside down view. Gary gave a shriek and ran faster, crashing though the shrubbery.

He spared a glance behind him but quickly regretted it as he saw thousands of eyes following him hungrily. He felt his fur bristle out and his claws extend, keeping his eyes trained in front of him determinedly.

Something suddenly snagged his tail and the blonde was dragged to the ground with a yelp. Gary kicked out automatically, his pupils turning into slits at the fear of what he saw when he turned around.

A giant spider was slowly reeling him in with a string of web. It’s fangs were grinding against each other, drool dripping from its tongue.

“Avocato!” Gary screamed in panic, trying to fight his way out of its grip. It was no use, however. The spider’s silk was stuck and wound around his tail, knotting into each strand of fur.

“Gary!” He heard Avocato cry. His boyfriend suddenly growled, turning back to face the spider.

With Little Cato still slung under one arm, Avocato swung his fist into the spider’s ugly face.

And in that moment, as the sun gleamed onto his amber irises, as the spider’s blood spattered onto his fur – he had never found Avocato any hotter.

Gary was free a second later with a quick slice through the web (man, these claws were really freaking amazing) and he was brushing himself off.

“We did it!” Little Cato was still a bundle of rope on the ground, but he gave a big grin up at his dads. The teen tried to whistle in victory, but not even a near death experience could teach him how to succeed. As his son made a sound resembling a dying vacuum, Gary chuckled and picked him up.

“No spider is going to stop the cat squad!” Gary announced proudly. His celebration however was quickly cut short with a tap on the shoulder.

“Err, babe?” Avocato was looking past him, pointing shakily. “I think we better run.”

“Why?” Gary turned and was met with a face full of giant eyes. “Oh. My. Crap.”

“Spoke too soon?” Little Cato asked sheepishly from Gary’s shoulder.

“Yup.”

“Oh boy.”

With a shriek, the spiders surged forward, their legs tearing up the ground after them. Gary screamed, taking Avocato’s waiting hand and running.

“We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die!” Little Cato panicked. Gary sped up, beginning to pant.

These spiders just couldn’t leave them alone. All because the landed in their nest, probably crushing all of their eggs underfoot? Pretty pathetic if you asked him.

Together, he and Avocato jumped over a fallen tree. Gary gave a loud grunt as his muscles aches from the strain.

“Yep! This is definitely cardio done for today!” He said in-between breaths. “I’m not doing fitness for a week when we get out of this!”

“Duck!” Little Cato suddenly warned, and Gary didn’t think twice before obeying. A string of web narrowly missed him, getting stuck on the tree.

“Thanks there buddy!” He thanked. He jumped over a few rocks, skidding down the surface. “I would’ve been spider meat!”

Gary could feel himself tiring, and one look at Avocato and he knew his partner was feeling the same way. Avocato’s eyes met his, flashing with excitement and recklessness. It was the let’s do something crazy look, and Gary felt his face light up each time.

“Let’s jump down.” At first Gary didn’t know what he meant, but quickly realised when he looked in front of him.

There was a literal crack in the ground which opened up a deep crevice. Water rushed at the bottom, lashing against the rock.

Gary found himself grinning.

“Heck yeah!” He yelled triumphantly. Little Cato gave another god awful attempt at a whistle but Gary didn’t have the heart to say so. All he did in response was tie the two ends of the rope around his waist. It was like a backpack, except the backpack was Little Cato.

It was going to be a nightmare trying to untangle him. Like, how in the heck did some rope get in his ear?!

Gary gave a whoop and leapt off the cliff edge without hesitation. He let out a laugh as he heard Avocato screaming behind him, and the angry hiss of the spiders as they lost their prey.

“Oh boy are we going to be wet!” Gary shouted as he fell. A second after, he hit the water with a loud splash.

 

~

 

“Let’s do that again!” Little Cato giggled madly.

“No.” Avocato said from his sunning spot, rolling onto his back. Gary was sat beside him, slowly untangling their son. “Not without swimming trunks. You’re clothes are ruined.”

Gary hummed, pausing from his work.

“Who’s going to tell Nightfall?” He asked into the silence. No one volunteered.

 

~

 

“You did what?!”

“Sorry! Wait don’t throw that –“

 

~

 

Gary vowed to himself later that night that he would never let his boyfriend persuade him to do anything again.

(It was broken the next morning)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 26: In The Alternate Universes

Summary:

AU. That’s about it

The drink was bitter on his tongue and burnt his throat, but he took another long swig before dropping it to the ground. It’s brown contents spilt over the grey gravel and splattered on his boot, but it was already too stained to be a problem.

“What are we gonna do to them?” The man on his left said. He couldn’t remember the man’s name, nor did he need to: after this he would be dead on the ground along with the kids in front of him.

Because they were kids, and reminded him of himself in a simpler time. Their faces stared up at them with wide eyes filled with sorrow. He watched them cower from underneath his helmet, glad for the blacked out screen.

It had been too long since he was able to breathe air fully without the aid of a mask – Earth was long gone, swallowed seemingly into thin air. He didn’t even see it happen – his home coordinates suddenly disappeared from the map, erased from history.

It has also been to long to ask what happened that day. It had been six years since the final day of his sentence came to an end, and he wasn’t sure how he hadn’t ended up in that ship again.

He could still see it now; the white walls, the bright lights, the empty corridors – not an ounce of company (real company that was, he didn’t count the AI) for five years. Actually, it was a bit longer after he tried to escape during his last days. He had had enough.

“Hey. Blackout!” He almost didn’t recognise the name, even after all of these years. It felt foreign to him. Someone somewhere had given him that name after he finished an assassination, and it had stuck ever since.

“You know the drill.” He answered roughly, staring into the frightened eyes of the teens. Heck, they were only kids.

He knew all they saw was the black visor of a helmet, so he let himself close his eyes when the gunshots rang out. He always did if he could help it. Even now he couldn’t face the death of someone innocent. Unfortunately that always seemed to happen when he was around.

When he opened his eyes, they were dead. Eyes still open, blood running from their mouths, they lay still. Wordlessly, he walked up to them and uncurled their hands. There lay what he needed. What they wanted.

“Nice job dude! Maybe next time –“ the poor man didn’t have time to finish before Blackout shot him, a bullet wedged in between his skull. He was a pawn until the end.

“All clear. Got the items you requested.” He spoke into his earpiece. His helmet lit up around him as his employer spoke back.

“Good. They weren’t kidding when they said Blackout got the job done.”

It’s Gary, he wanted to scream back, My name is Gary. But the words died on his throat almost immediately.

Gary was someone else. Gary Goodspeed was sentenced to isolated prison for five years all to impress a girl which he never saw again. Gary was the man that spent the years in solitude, only living with himself and his own thoughts. Gary didn’t kill for revenge or in cold blood.

But Gary also burnt his house down as a teen, watching the flames swallow the only safety he had.

Far into the future he did the same, but rather it was his own mother he watched burn to ash this time.

(“You left me.” Gary had told her that day. She was barely conscious, so she didn’t notice that it wasn’t water he was pouring onto her. “And now I will leave you.” )

He doesn’t think back to the past, because each day is only another mistake that he will not learn from. These kids, for example, were really in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they were dead on the floor.

He didn’t really take their lives into consideration, even though he tells himself he did.

The police will be here soon – he can’t remember what they call them on this planet but it doesn’t matter because he won’t ever come back here. He pushes the bags of white powder in his bag before taking a running leap forward, landing gracefully onto the building above him. He doesn’t bother cleaning up the bodies as they are nameless, shoved at the back of the slums.

He continued in the same fashion, leaping from building to building silently until he reached the ship bay.

Now here he could easily hack into a ship and leave, but in doing so he would be acting like his mother and he didn’t want to be associated with her in any way.

He had never shown his face to others, so no one he had met yet had made the connection that the two were related. Anyone who did would be killed immediately.

“Where do you want to collect it?” He asked through the comms. Buzzing filled his ear for a few minutes as his employer thought of an answer.

“Two planets over. You should be able to take the taxi. All costs will be covered by me.” His boss replied smoothly. He scoffed, knowing that it was a lie.

“Give me ten minutes.” Shutting off the comm again, he casually made his way to the black and blue ship with a white flag waving on its roof.

Of course, the pilot recognised him immediately. For a moment he thought the alien wouldn’t take him, but a glance of the gun around his belt was enough persuasion.

“You come here often?” The pilot asked shakily. The poor man was trying to clasp onto conversation. With a smile, he noticed the younger had a faded blue Mohawk styled on his head. It suited him.

“No. Not anymore at least.” It felt strange talking to someone this casually. As he watched the planet slowly shrink under him, he sighed.

“It feels strange.” He murmured. “I’ve never gotten chance to see a planet from above before. Not like this.” The pilot never answered, probably too afraid to answer. The engine hummed around him, soothing him into a relaxed state.

“Have you ever thought back to when you were younger?” He found himself asking the pilot. A moment passed, and the Ventrexian (he thought that’s what they were called anyway) looked at him through the mirror.

“Sometimes.” The pilot turned his attention back to the space around him, eyes fixed ahead. “But I don’t like to. It was a hard time. My father and I were prisoners…and I was the only one that made it.”

“Oh.” Gary, almost surprised by his own actions, took his helmet off. He knew, deep down, what this meant, but he ignored it for now. “You’re a Ventrexian, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And when did you lose your dad?” He asked.

“Fourteen.” The Ventrexian answered, his eyes darkening. Gary studied him, feeling something twist in his heart for the younger. He was beginning to sympathise, which would only make the next part harder.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He muttered, slipping his helmet back on as the ship slowed. The pilot seemed surprised at the sentence (to be fair, he was known as a cold blooded killer, an assassin, a thief. It must’ve been pretty strange.)

“Thanks…Err…” the pilot stammered.

“It’s Gary.” The ship slowed, and he stepped out of the ship. He took as long as he could. Again, he was glad his black visor was a barrier to his emotions. At least the Ventrexian wouldn’t have to see his guilt.

“I thought you should know before…”

“Before what?” The ginger Ventrexian had only just finished the question when a gun was pressed against his head, digging into the skin. The cat froze, slowly raising his hands in surrender.

“Please…” the pilot whispered. Blackout didn’t answer, instead resting his finger on the trigger.

“I don’t want to.” He spoke the truth for the first time since his father died that fateful day. He stared into the Ventrexian’s wide, fearful eyes and knew the image would haunt him for the rest of his days.

“Ple –“ with the pull of a trigger, the younger slumped against the metal, blood dripping down his face and onto the metal floor of the ship.

Wordlessly, he began to walk away, the gun held loosely at his side.

It was then, as the third sun began to sink under the planet’s hills, that Gary Godspeed saw himself for the first time. He wanted to laugh, but he could only let out a choked sob at the realisation.

In an act to become anything other than his mother, he had become something far worse than she was.

But his opinion didn’t matter anymore. He learnt that years ago. There was no time to dwell on the past.

He would collect his cheque, and thus the cycle would start again.

 

Notes:

In case it wasn’t clear, this is a alternate timeline where Gary never met any of the other characters, and wasn’t involved with the whole plot to save earth.

Chapter 27: Escapism

Summary:

Request by LightningOpal, who basically wanted me to write about Gary using the skills he learnt on the streets to get out a situation
Apologies for the drop in quality, it’s almost 1am in England rn :(

“Gary?”

“Gary wake up!”

“Dad?”

Whoever was calling his name over and over again was really making his head throb. He let out a small groan, pushing the small hand that was cupping his cheek out the way.

“Gary!” The voice was more urgent as it came into focus and Gary found himself opening his eyes. He squinted in preparation of harsh light, but was surprised when there was none.

“Gary!” Avocato. The name organised his jumbled mind, easing the pain in his head. It wasn’t the first time he had woken in a situation like this, but it never got any easier.

“Dad. You there?” Another, higher voice. Little Cato. Gary turned his gaze over to the voices slowly, swallowing. Damn, his head hurt.

The only reason he could spot them was because of the sheen in their eyes, and their faint outline silhouetted by the small cracks in the brick.

That’s where they were – a brick room, dark and small. There were probably bars on the other side of the wall.

But why were they all here?

Yeah, he fully expects this himself – too many times he’s got onto the wrong side of gangs and their territory. But seriously, why was a fourteen year old – who he last remembered making a cake for him – trapped in the same prison he was?

“Babe?” Avocato touched his shoulder and Gary jumped back automatically, pushing himself away. The situation was all too familiar.

Why were they here?

He probably had to wait again (like he always had done) for his brain to catch up. Judging by the way blood was running slowly down his cheek, he must’ve been bashed pretty bad.

As if a reminder, other wounds started to pulse in pain on his body. Off the bat, he knew they weren’t too serious; his ribs were bruised, sure, but he could still breathe with them and that’s what counted. His ankle was also stinging. Experience told him it was just a sprain.

“Whoa! It’s us!” Avocato pulled him out of his thoughts. Gary squinted in the dark, but could barely see anything. He couldn’t trust his own judgement.

“Prove it.” He muttered. His throat was raw, and he wondered exactly how long he had been unconscious for.

“What?” Little Cato asked in disbelief. Gary shook his head feverishly.

“Just…just do it.” Gary asked. “Please.” He had to know.

Too many situations started like this.

“Hold out your hand.” Avocato demanded. Gary, after a long pause, slowly uncurled his hand from his chest.

In the darkness, fingers met his own and pulled him closer, squeezing his hand tight.

“The clasp of friendship. Of partners.” The Ventrexian assured him.

Gary let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

“Sorry. I just needed to check…” he muttered.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Gary knew the cat’s tone of voice. It was a spill it, now tone that never failed to force him to tell the truth.

“I’ve just been in situations like this before. Nothing much.” Gary breezed past the topic, stumbling to his feet. “What happened?”

“Gary sit down! You’re hurt!” Avocato demanded. Gary shook his head, knowing Avocato could see the action better than he could.

“No. You need to get up.” Gary pressed his palm against the wall, confirming his suspicions. “The stones are damp and cold…not good if you want to stay awake.”

“How did you – “ Avocato began to ask, but Gary ignored him.

“You good Spider Cat?” He asked the smaller. He could hear strained wheezes from the other side of the cell, which did sound like a couple of broken ribs.

“Good…” the kid huffed. Gary found his way over to him and pulled him up gently. He ran a careful hand down his arm and to his chest, prodding the skin.

“You got a couple of busted ribs there bud.” Gary pulled off his jacket and wrapped it tightly around the injured area. “Try to keep pressure on them, you got that?”

“Yeah.” Little Cato took his hand, moving back to the older Ventrexian.

“Can someone give me a recap of how we got here?” The human asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. His mind was giving him snippets, but the unhelpful ones. He really didn’t care what he had for breakfast this morning, thank you very much.

“Some guys just tackled you.” Little Cato explained. “We were on our way to –“

“The Ganplazax Market.” Gary remembered vaguely. He remembered them planning it, and surprising Little Cato on the day.

“Yeah. One of the guys had a snake tattoo around his neck.” Avocato described. Gary swore loudly, knowing exactly who it was. The tattoo had been imprinted in his mind, the snake’s golden eye following him in his dreams.

“Serpent.” Gary muttered. Serpent was one of the gangs he had got onto the bad side of a good number of years ago. He fled the gang after a couple of years, and needless to say they were pissed. He also stole their diamond, which didn’t help matters.

“Who?” Little Cato asked. Gary didn’t answer, focusing his attention to rooting in his pocket.

“How long have we been here?” He asked.

“Three hours.” Avocato answered. “Gary, are you sure you’re –“

“I’m fine. We need to go.” Gary didn’t let him finish, too preoccupied with his own worries. With a muttered “finally” he pulled out an old metal wire that he had since he left his home. It sat deep in his pocket with his old lighter that set that very house alight all those years ago.

“If this is Serpent – which it is – they usually to patrols every three and a half hours.” He told them over his shoulder as he felt his way over to the lock. “But they like to do it a little earlier to catch people off guard.” He jammed the wire into the keyhole, pressing his ear against the metal.

“How do you know all this?” Avocato asked quietly. Gary didn’t answer, because he knew Avocato must’ve guessed the truth, or close to it. It was whether he wanted to admit it. It was a part in his past that he had buried for years, and he hadn’t planned for it to resurface.

His fingers were experienced, and they quickly unlocked the cell door. It creaked open loudly – too loudly for his liking.

“Come on.” Gary tugged on Avocato’s hand and pressed against the wall. Automatically, he pulled of his shoes and tied them around his belt.

“They echo when I walk. It always gives your location away.” He answered the unasked question. The raw skills he had taught himself were coming back to him full force, almost overwhelming his senses. So, when he heard a scuffle of a footstep which was definitely not one of theirs, he paused.

“Well well well…what do we have here, eh?”

Gary span around, grabbing the knife hidden in his shirt’s lining. Even now, he always kept it close, and he was glad he did.

Immediately, he knew this man wasn’t apart of the Serpents – he looked like a land dealer. He should’ve known a gang wouldn’t have an entire prison cell to themselves.

“I know you aren’t one of them.” Gary pushed Avocato and Little Cato behind him. “So why not make a deal? It would be better for both of us.”

At first, the larger alien seemed shocked at his street knowledge. After all, only someone who had been homeless would understand the universal codes and nicknames that had been used for many years. Gary watched as he pondered.

Then, the man grinned unpleasantly, nodding.

“Gary Godspeed, is that right? I’ve heard a lot about you…a lot of information I have to keep to myself…” he wheezed. Gary tensed.

“Two favours, a bargain and a return.” He suggested. He heard Avocato try and ask him another question but he stamped on the Ventrexian’s foot in warning. Deals were tricky at the best of times. And this certainly wasn’t a good time.

“Three favours, a deposit, a bargain and…two returns…” the man answered back. Gary shook his head.

“No deposits. I don’t have the cash on me. And only one return.” He gripped his knife tightly. “I know you’re gonna milk it for all you’ve got. I’m not coming back to this planet after this.”

“Then no deal.” The man acted quickly, but Gary was quicker. As he yanked a machete from his coat, Gary pushed the two Ventrexian’s back into the wall.

“Gary wait!”

Gary closed his eyes, forcing their voices out of his mind.

He was fifteen again, staring up into the eyes of his much bigger opponent, knowing that if he lost this fight he would freeze on the streets.

“Endurance or death?” The man asked.

He should’ve never agreed to endurance, it was worse than death – he was bleeding so much, why did he think this would be better? No one was coming for him – he was alone – bleeding – all over a stupid shed –

“Death.” Gary forced the tremor out of his voice at the unpleasant memory. He breathed deeply, keeping his cool. “I don’t have lots of time, and you know that.”

“I thought it was worth a shot.” The alien leapt, and Gary only just rolled out the way of the sharp blade. “No one had ever won against me before!”

“I can see, seeing as you’re clearly still alive.” Gary slid across the ground, slashing the man’s ankle. Blood spurted out of the cut and his opponent cursed.

“Gary! Let me help –“ Avocato was running right in the centre of the fight and the human felt a flash of fear. Forgetting about himself, he pushed the Ventrexian hard enough to send him flying across the ground.

“No! You can’t!” Gary tried to explain. He was interrupted by the machete cutting deep into his arm, blood bubbling around it. Gary hissed, yanking his arm away.

“This is a turf fight! You can’t just barge in!” He shouted angrily. His suddenly grew dizzy at the quick blood loss. Unable to avoid the next attack, he grunted as the blade was shoved into his back, getting dragged slowly across the skin.

“Gary!” He heard someone scream as he fell to the ground, but he couldn’t tell who over the buzzing in his ears. He coughed, digging his nails into the dirt.

“Let this be a warning to ya kid! Stay away from us unless you know how to win!”

Gary curled up into a ball on the ground, clutching his side. At least his blood was warm, and it was close to real company.

“You hear me? No one wins when you fight me!” The alien was boasting. “I’m gonna get paid quite a bit for this, so your life isn’t completely wasted!”

Gary, taking advantage of his arrogance, took the opportunity to snatch his knife off the ground and dig it into his leg. With an angry yell, his opponent turned with his blade held high. But Gary was already gone.

“Fuck you.” With a snarl, the human sliced his knife through his thick neck, dragging it down to his chest.

He didn’t watch him die, deciding to turn around and keep moving. They didn’t have much time left.

“Gary…” Gary stumbled past Avocato, pain drumming through his body.

Finally, he could see proper daylight, and he followed it to the surface. As he suspected, they had been underground.

“We need to move.” It wouldn’t be long now. He didn’t want them getting hurt.

“Gary, you’re hurt! You throw yourself carelessly in front of a mad man, the you walk off like it’s nothing? Let me help you.” Avocato grabbed his shoulders to steady him but Gary shrugged him off with a wince.

“It’s alright. I’m used to it.” The blood was quickly soaking his shirt, a feeling he had grown used to. With a deep breath, he straightened from his slouch, not even flinching as his skin stretched across his back. “It’s always been this way. I can’t seem to get away from it.”

 

 

 

 

Chapter 28: Fractured from Himself (1)

Summary:

Another mini series I guess. Sorry for the slow updates I’m just busy with stuff

Really, Avocato wasn’t snooping.

If he was snooping by any chance, then his son would be wholly to blame, as he pointed out the behaviour in the first place.

But then again, he wasn’t snooping. So the fact that he was quite literally on his hands and knees, sneaking into the Virtualasium because Gary was currently in there.

No, this was not snooping.

He was just curious.

Gary had been oddly withdrawn for the past few days – no weeks – and Avocato didn’t know why, for once. The blonde was upbeat and his usual joyful self before then, but Avocato knew the human too well to know the emotions was genuine.

Gary had wordlessly withdrawn to his room, only allowing HUE inside. When Avocato asked why HUE said it was for Gary’s own safety.

(Avocato wished he never asked.)

Truthfully, Avocato wouldn’t have even known Gary had come out of his room if it wasn’t for Little Cato waking him up.

“He left his room. I watched him through the vents.” His son had told him. Avocato reminded himself to talk to him about privacy after this was over.

“Over here!” Little Cato whispered. He too was pressed close to the ground. Avocato followed his son’s outstretched paw and nodded.

Quietly they slipped through the crack of the Virtualasium door, shutting it behind him. Avocato looked up, finding Gary standing far in front of them with a small chip in his hands.

Long shadows were covering the human’s features, blurring his emotions. His hair was messy, his stance stiff and fearful. A small sigh was released from his lips, his arms wrapping around his middle.

He had never seen Gary look so defeated.

Avocato knew he should make his presence known at this point – he wasn’t snooping, so it would make the most sense – but he stopped when Gary raised the chip to his forehead, and the room around them changed.

They were in what Avocato could only guess as a tree house. The wooden walls were covered in bug posters, jars of the critters all over the floor. As if to confirm who’s treehouse this was, a small blond boy was crouched over the largest of the jars, his tongue sticking out as he watched the small big move.

“What are you doing up here Spaceman?” Avocato turned, spotting a brunette male climb up the ladder. The younger Gary shrugged, and for the first time the Ventrexian noticed tears pricking in the corners of his eyes.

“That’s not a very good answer…” his father (because who else could it be?) surprisingly chuckled, hauling himself into the treehouse fully. “How’s Mooncake doing?”

Avocato blinked in surprise at the name. His confusion was quickly resolved when the young Gary hugged the jar closer to his chest with a sniff.

“He’s fine. He should be going into his cocoon soon.” The young human muttered.

The present Gary was standing above his younger self, expression unreadable. He refused to meet eyes with his father, however.

“Really? Well how about that.” John Goodspeed sat beside his son, crouching to his level. “He’s growing up so fast.”

“Why do you have to go?” The younger Gary whispered suddenly. Avocato watched as their Gary dropped to his knees, still watching the conversation avidly.

“For the same reason I always go. To save the Earth. No wait – universe.” His father smiled. “Universe sounds much cooler.”

“But why?” The younger Gary placed the jar to the ground, looping his arms around his father’s waist. “I want you to stay…” he buried his head into his chest.

“No…” Little Cato murmured, eyes fixed on the scene. Avocato looked at him curiously.

“What do you mean?” He whispered, but Little Cato didn’t give an answer.

“Please don’t go!” The younger Gary pleaded, and the present Gary said the same words at the same time. It was like he had replayed the memory in his head for years. With a sinking feeling, Avocato realised this was probably true.

Sadness was etched into his friend’s features, fractured grief shining in his eyes. Still, the human watched, prolonging his torture. Torture of what Avocato still didn’t know.

“Son, I know you know that I have too.” John held his son tight, a smile gracing on his lips. Avocato wondered why Gary didn’t talk about his father more – he clearly loved him. “It’s what the Infinity Guard do best – save others.”

“And one day I’m gonna be like you…” he heard the younger mutter. “…and we’re going to have a bunch of adventures, right?”

“That’s right. Bunches and bunches.” John chuckled, ruffling his hair. The younger Gary giggled, whereas the older looked on, looking more tired by the minute.

Avocato smiled as he watched the two embrace, letting himself get lost in the moment.

“My darling son, remember when…I would sing to you and I would do it again,” Gary’s father began to sing quietly. The child’s sniffles quietened as he sang. “Beloved child, remember this too, in this world of gems there’s no one like you…” he carried the last note, playfully tapping the younger Gary’s nose. The kid laughed, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“You…” they both carried the next note together, the younger’s voice growing louder as it continued.

“You…” As they sang together, Avocato looked up, expecting to see the same smile on Gary’s face; instead he found that he was crying, thin trails of tears silently slipping past his eyelids.

“No…” Little Cato murmured again, and Avocato didn’t ask again. He had a nasty feeling he would find out the source to the grief.

All he could do now was watch the memories unfold, hoping it wasn’t what he was thinking.

The Virtualasium shifted around them, the setting changing to a lone Gary standing outside his home. The jar was clutched in one arm, the other waving in the air at a space craft travelling through the sky.

“No…” it was the first time Gary had fully spoken, his back still turned to them. “Don’t – don’t wave – you –“ he was glaring at his younger self, tears brimming in his eyes. “Don’t – “

Avocato was focusing on the one-sided conversation, so he nearly missed it.

He wished he had, for the deafening scream of a grieving child was one he never wanted to hear.

Like a great rumble of thunder, an explosion rocked the Earth. The proud ship getting lost in the sky was now a mess of fire and smoke, flaming pieces raining to the ground.

 Silence.

The sound of a choked gasp, then a scream. A horrible, grief-stricken yell of a name so personal.

“DAD!” The young Gary screamed, the jar dropping to the ground with a dull thunk. His small legs began to run, as if he could run into the sky and save him. “DAD NO!”

The younger Gary fell to his knees, snatching the jar off the ground and hugging it tightly to his chest.

Gary was standing over the image as it flickered, expression morphing into one of emptiness. He watched his younger self cry, casting a dark shadow over his memory form.

“He…he…” Avocato couldn’t take his eyes off the child, longing to give comfort like Gary had done with him. However, as he looked on, he noticed that no one was coming to Gary’s aid. Where was his mother? Grandparents? Anyone?

“I saw him relive this memory back when we were in Bolo’s mind.” Little Cato muttered. His son too was staring at the broken child before them, eyes shining. “But that time Gary was in the ship with his dad just as it was exploding. Even then, he didn’t get a full chance to say goodbye.”

Avocato turned to the younger Ventrexian, about to ask a question, but the world suddenly flickered into static.

“Avocato? Little Cato?”

Ok, so Avocato knew he had been snooping all along, it had always been his intention – and by the look on Gary’s face when he finally spotted them, he wasn’t too pleased about this fact.

“Hey…” Avocato stood up awkwardly, and so did his son.

“How much did you see?” Gary asked immediately, voice hard and defensive. Avocato never had heard him talk like that before.

But then again, Gary had never looked as awful as he did now – tear tracks still on his cheeks, eyes dark and hollow, trembling slightly in his jacket – he was falling apart, and Avocato was shocked that he was keeping it together until now.

Was he not a good friend? How had he not seen this, when Gary could always spot his depression from a mile away?

Exactly how long had Gary been like this?

“All of it.” Little Cato answered for him. “Look –“

“No no, it’s okay! Just a few of the old…memories…you know what it’s like…” just like that, the careful façade slipped back onto Gary’s face. He waved a hand dismissively, attempting to pull the chip from his head.

“Gary, we can talk –“

“Nothing to talk about! Hey AVA, why isn’t this chip coming off –“

“You’ve always been there for me Gary, and I think it’s time I should –“

“Repay the favour! No need! AVA, could you get this off me!”

“Gary –“

“No!” Gary suddenly burst out. The human took a deep breath as a failed attempt to calm himself. “I mean…it’s alright, I’ve got this. AVA?”

“I’m sorry, but the chip can’t be removed until your request has been completed.” AVA returned. Gary froze, his hand moving away from his head.

“What?” He asked. “What do you mean?”

“You requested that you filter through all your most memorable points of childhood. The chip cannot be removed until this has been completed.”

“No!” The scene around them began to change, morphing back into what Avocato now recognised as Gary’s childhood home. Gary himself was close to hyperventilating, trying to block it from view.

“Can’t we just leave? Or-or skip? Come on!” He begged. Avocato quickly put a hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face him.

“Gary. It’s okay.” He said firmly. Gary shook his head in frustration.

“No it’s not! I don’t want anyone to see – “

“Well you don’t have a choice now.” Avocato interrupted bluntly. “So please calm down.”

“I’m sorry.” Gary muttered, sitting down on the fake grass. Avocato turned to him in confusion.

“For what?” He asked.

“For having to see this.” Gary replied quietly. Avocato didn’t comment, but watched as the next memory formed in front of them.

Notes:

~~READ PLS~~
The song is actually a segment from “Dear Old Dad” from Steven Universe. I HIGHLY recommend a listen because it sums up Gary and Johns relationship perfectly, and it’s all in all a sweet song about a father and his son.

Chapter 29: Fractured From Himself (2)

Gary said no more, sitting down in defeat as the next memory began to form. Avocato sat next to him, giving a concerned half-glance before focusing on the scene in front of him.

It was clear now that he was watching a funeral take place. Many members of the Infinity Guard sat in the rows at the back, shoulders slumped in sadness.

The front row was reserved for family, however only two seats were taken: Gary, and what Avocato could only assume was his mother.

The present Gary was staring hard at the woman, eyes narrowing as she shifted in her chair. Avocato’s own focus was on the younger Gary.

The boy was crying hard, the large jar clutched against his chest like a vice. He wasn’t watching the ceremony, lost in his own grief.

“John was a good man,” someone was speaking, but the Ventrexian was sure none of the Goodspeed family were listening. “He was a great friend. He always stuck his neck out for others even when it would backfire onto him. Bravery is what I always called it. Dumb, noble bravery.”

Avocato listened in silence. The younger Gary clutched his jar harder, whispering against the glass.

“It’s just you and me now, okay?” He said tearfully to Mooncake. “We’ve gotta stay strong for dad. He was always strong.”

“Quiet.” His mother suddenly hissed. She moved for the first time since the start of the ceremony, yanking the jar out of his hands and dropping it onto the floor. “Don’t you care?” More mascara ran down her cheeks as she looked away.

The action was concerning, to say in the least. Avocato reminded himself, however, that the woman was grieving – it would get better, he was sure.

But if it did, he realised with a sinking feeling, how did Gary end up on the streets?

The funeral was shifting before his eyes. The crowd gathered around a coffin as it was slowly lowered into the ground. Avocato swore he felt his heart snap when Gary burst into fresh tears, reaching out for the wood. He had the jar in his hand again, despite his mother’s wishes. The rain ran steadily over the glass and splashed against his black shoes.

A small hand reached for the reassurance of his mother, tugging at the dark fabric dress. In one sudden movement, the woman kicked Gary off her dismissively. Avocato made a noise of disgust, shaking his head.

“You invited her into our ship?” Little Cato asked in disbelief. It was strange to hear any voices, and Avocato jumped.

Gary was watching the events unfold with, at first glance, was a stony face. But Avocato knew better, and saw the tear glistening at the corner of his eye.

“Everyone deserves a chance.” He muttered, but it was obvious he doubted his words.

Avocato felt Little Cato’s hand slip into his, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze despite the despair churning in his chest. He could only watch on, hoping that the end wouldn’t be as hopeless.

He somehow doubted it.

Their surroundings shifted again, changing to what Avocato guessed was the interior of the house. The younger Gary was in the kitchen, trying to reach for the countertop. His appearance was ragged, but he was still in his funeral clothes despite them being dirty. If he was to guess, Avocato thought it was a couple of days after the funeral. Which raised the question of why Gary was still wearing those clothes.

The Ventrexians watched as the child tried to reach the counter again, with little success. Tears were slowly falling down his face, and the jar was at his feet.

The kid’s attention turned towards the fridge, but he couldn’t reach the handle. He jumped in vain though it made little difference.

“Gary…” Avocato stood up, shaking his head in disbelief. “Are you looking for food?”

“She was busy.” Gary gave the sickening answer that he didn’t want to hear. “She was grieving.”

“How long was it? Two days?” Avocato whispered. He walked next to the younger blonde, longing to interact with him. Up close, the child was miserable, his blue eyes brimming with tears of frustration and loss.

“Tell me it gets better.” Avocato said, turning to Gary. It was the first time he looked away from the suffering child before him. “Tell me it gets better.”

There was a heartbreaking silence as Gary looked down at the floor.

“She…she was upset…” Gary said emptily. It was like it was a rehearsed line.

“Upset? Tell me, when I was supposedly dead, did you do this to my son?” Avocato asked.

“No, I would never –“

“You weren’t even related to him, and you didn’t treat him like this even though you were grieving yourself.” Avocato continued. The younger Gary began to climb up the stairs, but only Little Cato was watching.

“I don’t believe it.” Avocato said quietly. “And I think you don’t either.”

“She was upset.” Gary folded his arms tightly, turning away from him. “She…”

The words died on his lips as his attention turned to the younger version of himself that was slowly pushing open a door.

Inside the room was his mother, a bottle clutched in her hand which was identical to the ones scattered around her. Sloppily, she raised it in the air and threw it at a family picture on the wall. The glass shards and remaining booze splattered over Gary’s grinning face. The liquid sank into into paper, staining it brown.

The past Gary’s eyes widened, a small squeak coming from his mouth. The noise was small, and caught the attention of his mother. Slowly she turned around, stumbling forward towards the door. The child visibly tensed as the door was slammed in his face.

The kid buried his face in the jar, hugging it tight. Alone, he stumbled down the stairs again and to the kitchen.

Little Cato’s hand tightened in his grip.

“She needed space. From me.” The present Gary spoke quietly, watching the scene. “And I get that. I understand why.”

“Gary that’s –“ Avocato began but cut off when the child began to talk in a hushed whisper.

“She’s just sad. I’m sad too.” The younger was talking to cocoon in the jar, sitting against the cabinet. “I miss dad. Why can’t he come back?” He hugged the jar closer. “Was it my fault? Is that why mom is crying?”

With extreme care, Gary placed the jar on the floor and tried to reach for the counter again. His small feet managed to hang on to a drawer handle and he managed to push himself up after a few tries.

“Don’t move…” the child called down to Mooncake quietly, shuffling along the counter. “I’m getting some food for us…”

The younger pulled open a box, and reached in for the items.

Slowly, he pulled out a bag of cookies and dropped them onto the floor below him.

“Erm…” The child looked down, unsure how to lower himself from the counter. He tried to dangle his legs off but slipped and landed on the ground with a cry.

Avocato watched on in misery, wishing he could hug the child tight and never let go.

“I got some cookies.” The younger Gary told his pet, ripping them open. He paused, tears brimming in his eyes. “Me and Dad made these before he – he –“ the child wiped the tears from his eyes fiercely.

Already he was pushing his feelings in the irritating way Gary was prone to doing now. Before Avocato thought it was because he didn’t want people to know about us own suffering, and whilst that still was partly the case, the Ventrexian realised it truly started because Gary had no one. No one to reassure him that things would be fine, so he had to reassure himself. No one to wipe his tears, so he wiped them himself. The streak of independence that was often Gary’s downfall wasn’t because he wanted to be heroic, but because he didn’t know any other way.

It was wrong in so many ways, but it was the reality that had come to be.

The younger Gary bit into the cookie, quickly demolishing it and moving onto the other. It was clear how hungry the child was, because he demolished the bag within two minutes.

The child curled up against the counter, hugging his jar again. The kitchen wasn’t even lit (Gary was probably too small to reach the switch) so their only light was the silver light of the moon threading through the windows.

“Dear old Dad, remember when…” Gary softly sang to Mooncake in the half-light, voice barely a whisper. “…I would sing to you and I would do it again…”

Gary hugged the jar closer, a tear falling from his eye.

“Dear old Dad remember how, I would sit on you shoulders – well how about it now?” Gary sniffed.

“Me and Dad sang that song. He even let me play his guitar.” He told the cocoon. “Do you think he can hear me now?” Gary, after a pause, continued to sing softly. “Dear old Dad, remember this too…in the whole wide world there’s no one like you...”

Gary rubbed away his tears again.

“Do you think he will come back if I sing it louder?” He asked the jar.

Avocato felt himself tearing up, blinking quickly to rid the water from his eyes. He watched as the child in the moonlight began to cry, his tears dripping onto the jar and running to the ground.

The child suddenly gasped, eyes widening as he peered into the jar.

“Mooncake!” He cried out, joy in the shout. Avocato didn’t understand why until he saw a butterfly break out of the cocoon, fluttering around the jar.

“You’re a butterfly!” Gary said happily, hugging the jar close. “You’re so pretty…”

In that moment, the room seemed to get slightly brighter, and Avocato hoped that the joy would stay in the child’s heart for life.

The memory flickered and changed around them quickly, showing Gary talking to Mooncake at the bottom of the stairs.

“I hope she’s okay.” The child sat beside the front door, pressing his cheek against the jar. “She’s been out for a long long time.”

“Out where? Who?” Avocato asked the present Gary, though he already knew the answer.

“My mother. She was at the pub for an entire day.” Gary said, glaring at the door. Avocato didn’t understand why until it slammed open, almost hitting the past Gary in the face.

“Mom!” Gary greeted as enthusiastically as he could, but he could tell the child was nervous; the way his voice trembled, his grip on the jar tightened. He was still in his funeral clothes, so it couldn’t have been much more than a day since the last memory.

Wordlessly, his mother went upstairs. The younger Gary sighed, tears brimming in his eyes.

It wasn’t long before the stairs squeaked again, and the child looked up, a small flash of hope dancing across his features.

But Avocato knew something was horribly wrong when he saw his mother dressed in a long coat, a briefcase in her hands. He watched in heartbreak as the child’s face fell, reaching out his hand.

“Mom wait!” He cried out. His mother ignored him completely and opened the door. Gary ran towards her.

“Mom!” The child yelled, but was kicked back by a heavy boot. His mother wasn’t even looking at him, eyes shielded by her sunglasses.

“Please!” His pleas fell on deaf ears, and the door slammed shut. Gary pressed himself against the door, tears running down his cheeks.

“I waited.” The present Gary spoke. Avocato saw the time change through the windows, day and night flashing before his eyes. “And I waited.”

Gary was still beside the door, occasionally moving to find some food until there was no more to find. Each time he returned to the door, not looking away from it.

“But no one came. I was on my own.” Gary looked down with a sigh. “I hoped she would come back.”

“Gary –“

“I don’t want to talk about it.” His friend interrupted, shaking his head. “You were never supposed to see this.”

“But –“

“No.” Gary narrowed his eyes as the scene changed again. “I’m not discussing it.”

Avocato sighed, turning back to the next memory.

Chapter 30: Fractured From Himself (3)

Notes:

Sorry for the bad quality

Avocato was looking at a treehouse, which was rocking in the harsh winds around them. The Ventrexian now recognised it as Gary’s own, and looked inside curiously.

There he found a slightly older Gary, only a week or so since his mother left at most, sitting on the wooden planks and talking to Mooncake. He was huddled in a big duvet, jar pressed against his chest. He would’ve looked adorable if the circumstances weren’t so glum.

“And we’re gonna have a spaceship! And then we can go and find dad! Because he’s out there…” Gary was telling the butterfly. Another gust of wind rocked the treehouse and the child retreated further under the covers.

“Who needs that house anyway?” For the first time, an expression close to hate flickered on Gary’s young face, before being replaced by a hollow sadness. “We’ve got everything we need in my treehouse! And one day…” the younger stood up, grabbing a pen from the side. Beside his bug posters on the wall, he drew a simple picture of a small stick figure with a giant butterfly beside him, standing on a planet with a flag on top. The stick figure and the butterfly both had large smiles.

“…one day we’ll have lots of adventures.”

Gary yawned, tucking the jar into the sheets and lying down.

“Night Mooncake.” Gary muttered sleepily, closing his eyes. “See you tomorrow.”

The older Gary was watching intently, his hand curled in a fist. Avocato placed a hand on his shoulder in a small attempt of comfort, but he shrugged it away uncharacteristically. Avocato opened his mouth to say something but the next memory came quickly.

This time Gary was walking down the street, a little worse for wear but smiling nether the less. He was nibbling at a packet of sweets slowly, showing a few to the butterfly in his other hand. He was in the same basic clothes he had been wearing in the day before, so it couldn’t have been long after.

“I know Dad said it was wrong to steal, but I can pay them back when I get a job.” Gary was telling the butterfly. “And I’m gonna write them a thank you letter for not phoning the –“

“Well well well, look who it is?”

Gary stopped in his tracks, staring up at what Avocato could only describe as the most stereotypical bully he had ever seen. The kid was a few years older, overweight and even eating a damn apple, which was thrown at Gary a heartbeat later.

“Hey guys, it’s bug boy!” The boy shouted, and his goons chuckled behind him. Avocato had to roll his eyes as the stupid name-calling, but for a seven year old that was the equivalent of punching him in the gut. The blond clutched the jar with both hands, dropping the sweets to the ground.

“I’m not a bug boy!” Gary shouted back. “You’re a meanie! My dad said –“

“My dad said!” The bully mocked in a high pitched voice. “I don’t give a darn what your dad said! He don’t care about you!”

“He does!” Gary cried out fiercely. A flash of anger flickered in his eyes. “Shame your dad doesn’t cos of how ugly you are!”

Avocato felt like cheering, and Little Cato did. Gary, however, stayed silent, turning away from the memory.

The bully was shocked into silence, mouth opening and closing like a fish. But the moment passed and his face flushed red with rage.

“You think you can say stuff like that without getting punished, Bug Boy?” The bully smiled dangerously, signalling his goons closer. The larger suddenly faked a friendly voice, lunging towards the younger Gary.

“Hey! What kind of bug is that Bug Boy?” The bully asked, grabbing the jar in his grubby hands.

“No!” The younger Gary sensed what was about to happen, and tried to yank it away, but he was starving and thin – the bully was strong, and had weight on his side.

“Come on! I just want to have a look!” The bully yanked the jar from his hands, holding it high into the air.

“Stop!” Gary screamed and tried to run forward, but the two goons held him back with an arm each. Gary struggled wildly in their grip, eyes brimming with tears.

“Stop?” The bully asked, grinning. He shrugged. “Okay…let me put him down for you!” With a grunt, the bully threw the jar to the ground.

“NO!” Gary screamed as the jar shattered, the glass shards scattering onto the gravel.

The bullies laughed around him, throwing him to the ground beside the jar. Avocato watched in horror as they walked away, leaving him alone.

“No…” the younger Gary whispered, scooping up the butterfly in his hands. It lay still, covered in small glass shards. “Mooncake…”

The child before them began to cry, holding the butterfly gently in both hands. Everything lay forgotten as he walked back to the treehouse, where he carefully buried the small bug. The child sat beside the mound, shivering in the cold.

Little Cato, Avocato noticed, was staring at Gary in undisguised concern and worry, holding his own hand tight. Gary himself was staring at his younger self passively, not giving any hint of emotion.

Avocato knew that Gary would dismiss anything he had to say, so resumed watching the memories unfold. He watched as the child climbed into the treehouse when the sky grew dark, sniffing quietly.

He sat in silence for some time, so Avocato was surprised when he ran to the woven chest and grabbed a rolled up poster. The younger Gary placed it on the only gap on the wall left, covering up the drawing he had made a few days prior.

The poster was flashy, with large letters filling most of the space.

Beyond the Stars!, The words read, and below was a picture of a spaceship similar to the Crimson Light.

“I’m going to go to space for you Mooncake.” The child said determinedly. He stared up at the poster, the images reflecting in his tears eyes.

Avocato felt himself smile slightly, hope flaring in his chest. He thought that Gary would give up, but instead it made him stronger. He hoped it would stay that way.

“Did you manage to do it?” Little Cato asked. Avocato felt dread seize him as Gary turned to them, the hollowness still reflected in his eyes. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t need to.

“Gary…what happened?” He asked quietly. Gary stared straight ahead, and the memory changed.

They were in an old garage, where Avocato immediately spotted an older Gary. The boy was now a teen, roughly fourteen years old.

“It’s only one night! I can’t miss it! Please?” Gary was pleading with someone from behind the desk, and Avocato didn’t have to wait long until he saw who that was.

“I thought you said you wanted this money badly to save up for somethin’” A balding, middle-aged man grunted, eyeing him beadily. Avocato recognised him, after some thinking.

“Myron Gooheez. Why were you working for him?” The Ventrexian had seen his name on wanted posters – still a hunted criminal even in his older years. The man had a reputation of being sneaky, and was hired as a “cleaner” for gangs and criminal organisations. He was dangerous, and how Gary had met him he didn’t know.

“He found me on the street one day. I asked him for a job. He said yes.” Gary answered vaguely.

“And that job was?” Avocato pried worriedly.

“Just cleaning and remodelling cars. Taking away the license plates and stuff.” Gary answered again in the same way, but Avocato could fill in the blanks. A dodgy job was a good word for it, but he imagined that it paid quite a bit for him to stay silent.

“I do! I’ve just been working all year, I’m only asking for one day. It’s important.” The younger Gary pleaded.

“Why?” Myron grunted.

“It’s…it’s my Dad’s death anniversary. I would like to be there tomorrow.” Gary looked back up at his boss. “I’ll do anything.”

Gooheez paused, eyeing him carefully.

“Anything?”

“Yes. I just need that day off.”

“Well…” Avocato didn’t like where it was going, not at all. “Work the later shifts tonight then. I need to have a word with the guy you’ll be stepping in for and I need someone to take over whilst I am.” Myron explained. “And don’t tell anyone, got it?”

“I won’t.” The younger nodded.

“Get back to work then. Stay quiet.” His boss ordered, and Gary obeyed hastily.

Avocato watched as the hours passed. Gary worked quietly, not daring to look up from his work. It was only when a loud blast of gunfire rang across the garage did Gary look up with a start.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”

“You told your family! Now they know I’m working here! You know what that means?!”

“Please! I’ll tell them it was a joke or –“

Another gunshot, and the younger Gary flinched, eyes wide with fear.

“Wait! I swear I won’t tell anyone else!” The door burst open, and a man ran into the room, bleeding from his arm and leg. His desperate eyes spotted Gary hiding behind a car, and stumbled over to him.

“Save me! Please!” He fell onto the bonnet of the car, reaching for Gary’s hand. “He’s gonna kill me!”

“You can’t run from this Potts!” Myron briskly walked into the room, pointing a pistol at the man’s back. “You know the rules! Don’t tell anyone about this job! And what did you do?!”

“It was a mistake!” Potts turned to Gary, pleading. “Help me!”

Avocato watched in shock, turning from the past to the present Gary. A haunted, fearful expression was hidden under his stoic charade, not quite concealed fully.

“Please tell me you get out.” Little Cato pleaded. Gary didn’t answer, his expression becoming fully masked once more.

“Goodspeed!” Myron yelled. The younger Gary looked up, eyes widening when the gun was thrown at him.

“Finish him off.”

“What?” The teen whispered.

“If you want to keep your own life, finish him!” Myron grinned.

The younger Gary picked up the gun quietly with a trembling hand, and Avocato covered Little Cato’s eyes because he knew what was going to happen already, he knew that Gary wouldn’t be alive if he didn’t –

A final, echoing gunshot rang across the garage, and the wheezing breath stopped abruptly. Avocato watched as Gary threw the gun to the ground, tears spilling down his cheeks. Potts lay still.

“Didn’t think you had it in you.” Myron said into the silence. “Good shot for your first try. You’d be a good –“

“No!” Gary shook his head, pressing himself against the wall. “I just wanted to –“

“Do what? Save up enough money so you can have a happy life?” Myron mocked. “Life ain’t like that. If you were gonna have a happy life you wouldn’t have shot him. You work here for a reason.”

“Then…then I quit…I…I…” Gary stammered, stumbling away from the body.

“You ain’t never achieving that dream, you know that kid?” Myron shouted as Gary began to walk away, arms wrapped around his middle. “You gonna end up just like the rest of us. Don’t try to pretend you’re anythin’ else!”

His yells faded as Gary began to run. His footsteps echoed loudly as he dashed through the streets, barely looking at where he was going.

“I ran, like all cowards do.” The present Gary spoke, his voice quiet and flat. “And for some reason I found myself waiting for her again.”

Avocato hadn’t even realised that they are back at the treehouse until the younger Gary was scrambling up the ladder, breathing heavily. He was watching out of the small window, eyes fixed on the house entrance.

“But she didn’t come back, like I expected.” Bitterness filled the present Gary’s voice, eyes narrowed with resentment.

Avocato could only watch as the blond teen in front of them began to tear down his posters with a yell of rage and grief, tearing them into pieces. The last he pulled was the one that had begun his hope.

With a grunt, Gary yanked it down, tearing it in two. He paused, eyes fixed on the wall hidden underneath.

The drawing was faded almost into nothing, but it was still the same. The smiling faces were staring up at the teen, and for a moment Avocato thought everything would be okay.

The moment ended when Gary dragged a pocket knife over the wood, digging a line in between the faces. His eyes filled with rage and he jumped out of his treehouse, a lighter clutched in one hand.

The memory changed, morphing into what Avocato could only describe as complete destruction.

Fire coiled around walls, windows and floors, fiercely burning Gary’s childhood home. The sky glowed in its light, burning ashes drifting to the ground. Smoke was enveloping what wasn’t burning, snaking around Gary’s legs.

The teen himself was standing still, watching it all burn with empty eyes. Avocato watched in horror as he turned away, a bag slung over his shoulder.

The house was left to burn, no longer a home.

Chapter 31: Fractured From Himself (4)

Summary:

Final instalment to this arc.
Avocato wishes he wasn’t there anymore. He’d rather be anywhere else, selfishly.

Notes:

NOTE - I will not be adding anything else here until season 3 has aired.

Avocato did not speak. He couldn’t. Though the image in front of him flickered like static television, it was like he was there, and he almost reached out to drag the broken boy – no, man – away from the harsh lights.

Gary also said nothing, watching his younger self stare at the flames as they climbed higher, the orange blazes reflecting in his hollowed eyes, refining his pale skin. The house was burning, smoke coiling around the surrounding trees and into the fields around it. The younger Gary didn’t even blink as stray embers burnt into his clothes and skin. Instead, the younger turned on his heel and walked away, his worn shoes silent as he stepped.

Sirens began to scream loudly from the distance, growing in volume as they descended closer. The younger Gary flinched, darting into the thick cover of the trees before the blue and red lights found him amongst the wreckage.

No one spoke for a while, only watching as this past Gary made his way onto the shadowed streets and further into the night.

Avocato did not speak. He couldn’t.

Memories flickered around them in a dull mirage of brown and grey, each one looking as hopeless and as gritty as the other. The younger Gary was slowly deteriorating, eyes full of a blank misery as he searched for a place to stay safe for a few days before moving on. Avocato still couldn’t concentrate, his mind still full of the house burning, Gary’s soulless, hapless eyes, shining in the light –

Avocato could not watch anymore. He’d rather be selfish than be dammed to see more suffering from the human that had grown to be his closest friend and ally. He recalled bitterly how curious he had been when he snuck into this cursed room in the first place, remembered the excitement fluttering in his chest.

Now? He wished he never opened the door.

His comforts were futile, his words were useless; Gary was not responding anymore, and Avocato knew he had chipped away at the trust that pulled the two together. Such personal memories and experiences were stripped away from the human and were forced into the prying eyes of himself, all because he was bored and fancied a change of pace.

The world around them flickered again like dying lights, and another hopeless image of the past Gary died in front of him before being replaced. He would’ve looked away again – finally seeing enough – but the sudden and desperate movements automatically made his head turn sharply.

“Come on kid! Show us what you got!”

The younger Gary was scrambling away from large, sweaty hands that were clamped around his body like a vice. The human yelled out in pain and rage, kicking his attacker in the chest with a stray foot.

“I was here first!” The past Gary growled, sounding more like a feral animal than a human. “This place belongs to me!”

Avocato absorbed more of the situation, and pieced together that the two males were fighting over some shelter at the back of an alley. The young Gary was gripping a pocketknife tightly in one hand, eyes narrowed. But it seemed that the meagre tool did not faze his opponent, who was twice the size of him with a baseball bat slung over his shoulder.

“So what?” The man shrugged, grinning wolfishly. “Mine now. Get off.”

Avocato watched in worry as the younger shook his head fiercely, heart sinking.

“Alright then.” It was as if the man was waiting for this, and he cracked his knuckles delightedly. “Don’t say I didn’t warn ya, kid!”

The younger Gary leapt out of the way as the man made the first swing, his bat smacking against the ground with enough force to make the pebbles jump around it. The younger kicked him swiftly in the shin and jumped onto his back. The knife sank into his flesh, and the opponent let out an angry yell.

“You’ll pay for that!” The man slammed his back against the wall and the past Gary was forced to let go as his bones cracked on impact. Dazed, it was impossible for the human to get up in time to dodge the boots that stepped on his back.

“No!” Avocato cried out without thinking, hand reaching out in an attempt to stop the beating. He retracted it quickly, realising it was futile. Once again, he was forced to watch as Gary suffered, mercilessly bruised and tossed onto the ground.

“You put up quite a fight, you know that?” The man plucked the beaten human off the ground, pressing him against the wall. “You could be quite useful…”

Little Cato was clinging onto his arm, rigid with fear. Avocato barely noticed, eyes unable to leave the younger Gary’s bloody face.

And yet the past version of his friend did not plead once, almost too accepting of his potential fate. He hadn’t even closed his eyes, but was staring up at the star-scattered sky.

“I’ll tell you what. You work for me, and I let you live.” The man grinned unpleasantly. The younger’s eyes fell down to the man’s face, pausing at the snake tattoo on his neck.

“I…I’ve heard of you…” the past Gary gasped, coughing as his windpipe was getting crushed slowly. “You’re in that gang –“

“- which means you could die very painfully, kid! But do as I say and you get to live for a little longer. That doesn’t sound too bad, does it?”

Avocato risked glancing at the present Gary, watching as the human kept his eyes cast to the white tiles under his feet. Gary must have felt his gaze, because he folded his arms resolutely.

“It was the only thing I could do.” Gary looked up, watching as his past self shook the man’s hand. “I knew what was going to happen. I wasn’t stupid.”

Memories scattered around them, and Avocato was once again overwhelmed by the pure suffering that was displayed through each one. Every time he would see the past Gary, he would be progressively look worse until he was a pale, jittery shell surrounded by cruelty and pain. The younger human could not escape, it seemed – the one handshake had abruptly pulled him down the twisting slope of hell, where he only knew blood and fear.

Not that the human would let it show.

Avocato knew the pain mostly due to the fact he was seeing it all unravel from behind a glass wall, but his heart twisted each time the younger would stay emotionless, turning to pretty candies and shining powders in a broken attempt to keep himself sane.

Avocato could not stand here any longer. He realised this too late, and turned towards the present, still suffering Gary. Only now he spotted the faint scars across his neck and arms, the way his eyes were shining – were always shining – with the same misery he had seen in the few fragile seconds in the eyes of a child. The misery was more defined, less and somehow more raw than what he had seen through these cursed memories.

Avocato’s own emotions were spilling, and he wanted to hold Gary tight. He wished he could go back, take the fragile seven year old away and hide him from the cruel fates that were lurking behind the corner.

But he could not. He settled for a hand on the shoulder, firm enough to stop Gary from shrugging away. Gary did not react, still lost.

“Hey! You give that back!”

Avocato watched as a much older Gary was racing down an alley, two aliens hot on his heels. Avocato saw a quick gleam of a diamond in his fingers before it was hidden in the folds of his jacket.

“Come on…” the past Gary muttered to himself, darting around a corner and into the doors of a building. The two aliens did not see, and continued to run down the street.

The memory paused abruptly, flickering and dying. Nothing else was shown, and Avocato was brought back into the Virtualasium with a snap.

“That’s it. I met Quinn in that same place, and you know the story from there.” Gary said quietly, ripping the chip from his head.

“Why were you here in the first place?” Little Cato asked into the silence, as AVA opened the doors that would finally take Avocato away from this place.

Gary paused in his step, refusing to turn back to look at them.

“I just wanted to know why she did it. Whether she made the right choice.” The blonde muttered. He continued to walk, his final words almost inaudible. “And she did. I wasn’t worth it.”

Avocato did not speak.

He couldn’t.

But later, as he stated at his bedroom wall and only saw twisting flames, he wished he had.

 

Chapter 32: Oxygen

Summary:

Oxygen, Gary realises, is overrated.

Notes:

READ FOR A SEC —

Oh WOW it’s been ages, hasn’t it? Lots of work, and I kinda just felt like writing this one.
This was a very old request that wanted me to follow up on my one shot “I Will Carry You”, and the promise that is made between Gary and Avocato at the end. I’ve left the ending passage up at the start, so before you ask it is not dialogue from the show, but rather an interaction I wrote myself.

I don’t know how often I will update, as life is getting tough rn, but I will when I can and when the inspiration strikes me :)

You're a good – scratch that – great friend to me Gary!" Avocato leaned closer to his friend, narrowing his eyes. "You have to promise me that we do anything from now on together. No stupid sacrifices. No leaving another behind."

The Ventrexian held out his hand.  "Clasp on it."  Gary grinned, grabbing Avocato's hand in his.

"Sure thing buddy." They shook hands, and Avocato smiled.

 

It’s nights like these that the silence is like a blade driving into his chest. Nights when he wakes, sweating, choking on the air that burns into his lungs like hot coals. No longer oxygen – vital to his survival, keeping him alive – but a poisonous curse that forces him to stay standing when he wants nothing more than to simply not.

It’s nights like these that Gary experiences too often, staring up at the white ceiling, feeling detached from his own body. Nights where he wishes to be anything but himself.

“It’s back to back…for life…”

Oxygen, Gary realises as he jolts from his bed, gasping, is overrated. More of a burden, rather than a relief. His chest is on fire as he fights to breathe, his body begging him to though he wants to stop. It’s exhausting, especially since this is the fifth night in a row. He misses the times where he could sleep, knowing that he wasn’t alone in this god-forsaken ship.

“Clasp on it.”

Avocato’s image is in the corners of his vision – if he turns fast enough, it’s almost like he’s beside Gary again, his eyes shining in the star’s blinding light. Gary stands, exiting his small room in favour of roaming the silent halls of the Galaxy One.

He is suffocating, slowly.

Cold seeps into his feet as he pads across the smooth floor. He is no longer choking, but he aches, inside and out. His voice is raw from screaming. The walk does not soothe his nerves, but he continues to put all his attention in simply moving one foot in front of the other – because by God anything is better than letting himself think about the quiet laughs and calming touches that he misses so dearly –

He was dreaming about him again, he realises. It is not often that Gary remembers his dreams, but it’s also not often that his heart throbs as much as it does these past five days, so he supposes it’s linked.

“For life.”

The words taunt him, making Gary freeze in his steps. This time, his nightmare was slightly different, but hauntingly the same. Colourful explosions, distraught cries, those fear-stricken eyes they realise what is going to happen, what this means.

Gary, left alone as he stares at Avocato’s corpse, staring in terror at the crater in his chest. He sees ribs, lungs, blood, and screams.

But the difference in his dreams is that Avocato is still alive. Their eyes always meet as he drifts further away, whispering a phrase Gary never wants to hear again.

“For life.”

Gary is gasping again, sweat dripping from his brow. His body is weak, forcing him to lean on a wall as he tries to desperately gather himself. He is like porcelain, his pieces shattered on the ground, smaller than splinters. Impossible to fully fix, always becoming more delicate with every fall.

He closes his eyes, but it is a mistake as he sees blood and bone, seeping into his memories until he can’t breathe. Oxygen is burning him once more, pulling through his lungs like saw blades.

Gary snaps his eyes open again and forces one foot in front of the other. He makes it to the main room of the ship without even realising. The sight of playing cards stacked on the table is enough to make his eyes water.

He wants to burn them all. Watch each card curl and twist into ember and ash.

It’s dizzying, confusing, terrifying; grief strikes him, threatening to knock him to the ground, but Gary refuses to. He is the only thing left standing, a pillar that others lean on. Though he wants nothing more than to let himself drown, be overcome by this torturous sadness washing over him, he cannot. It is his responsibility (curse) to be that pillar for Little Cato. The least he can do is honour his only friend’s wishes.

“Take care of my boy.”

Said boy is still hiding in the ship, refusing to even look at Gary. Gary still talks everyday, through the vents, silently begging the small Ventrexian to at least notice him.

Loneliness is crippling, so crippling.

He has failed, he knows that much, as he is forced to watch Little Cato’s tail disappear around a corner every day. Every day he is left, standing uselessly, his breath the only thing cutting through the heavy silence.

It’s nights like these, when he reflects on his mistakes (everything) when he wonders what it would be like to simply turn Oxygen off. He imagines the air leaving his lungs, the way his throat would constrict, the sounds of his painful gasps. He imagines the relief finally not having to breathe, letting his lungs rest for the first time in their lives. He imagines how beautiful it must be to just stop, forever.

There is one moment, Gary knows, where he has managed to achieve such feeling in his gruelling life. Only for a single second, but he remembers the weightlessness and happiness it gave him each time.

He painfully recalls the soft smiles exchanged, the way Avocato’s eyes lit up for the first time, and how happy it made Gary to see such honesty. He knew they might die, both of them, but he found that he didn’t care as he watched the light shine in on Avocato’s ebony fur, dancing in his eyes as the colours of space swirled behind the glass. The warmth emitted from Avocato’s knuckles as they shared a singular fist pump – an action so simple, but enough to make Gary forget to breathe, his breath catching as his and Avocato’s eyes met, because it was the first time he realised someone could care about him as much as he cared about them.

“So no backup. Just two hombre’s with a dream!”

“HUE, let’s do this.”

And it was beautiful, the way that he did not have to breathe to live in that moment.

A moment that now lay in pieces, never to be fixed.

Gary almost does cry then, because he misses his friend, he really does. He hates how cruel the world is, taking his only reason to live away, a few fragile weeks after meeting him. He hates Avocato, because why didn’t he throw the bomb, he shouldn’t have died that way.

But he hates himself more than anything, for letting everything happen. Each action leads back to him, and he’s so sick of it he can’t even look in mirrors anymore. He wants to kill the thing that reflects into its depths, he wants to just stop –

He is a pillar, but he is crumbling, slowly. He wonders, when he finally does erode, whether someone will try and fix him. Or will he be swept away, out of sight.

He suspects the latter.

His breaths are still loud and uneven, and it reminds him bitterly that he cannot stop breathing, wasting precious oxygen on lungs that are not deserving of such privileges. A chest that should be blown to pieces. A body that should be drifting in space, beautifully lifeless, in exchange of a life much more deserving.

But he stands, he moves, he lives, breaths dragging on aimlessly. He is forever undeserving, ungrateful, of this oxygen that rips his lungs, forcing him to keep moving when he wishes he was dead and cold, blissfully unaware of suffering. He remains stuck in a life where he is devoid of a purpose, where he has no pillar of his own to lean on, because it had shattered before his eyes.

He swears he can still smell burning flesh. Hear the screams. See those tortured eyes staring blankly up at him.

It’s nights like these that he realises that his mind will not stop haunting him of those times where he was grateful, where he enjoyed the blessing of oxygen in his life, because it meant he would be beside Avocato, making him happy.

It’s nights like these where Gary talks to the dead, waiting for some answer.  

“You promised.” He whispers. His throat is raw. “For life…but…”

Gary does not cry, will not cry, even under the cover of the darkness that is slowly consuming him. Instead, he breathes.

The air burns his chest like hot coals. Oxygen pulls through his lungs like saw blades.

He lives on.