Sudden Engagement

Avocato had one mission: Rescue his son from his former leader, and escape alive. He didn't expect to run into a strangely helpful human aboard the prison planet, or end up engaged to him. It seemed that there was more to this 'Gary' than he realized.

Setting: John Goodspeed and his husband, Jack, went on a mission. Only ONE came back. Changed forever, Jack went on to become the Lord Commander. Now, if only he could get his SON to stop trying to run away from his duties.

Avocato was quick to notice that one of the vents on the wall was slightly askew. With the guards moments away from discovering his presence, he pulled it open, only to find himself staring at a mostly-hairless person. Wait, no, it was a human.

"Quick, get in!" the other man insisted, pulling the Ventrexian up into the vent shaft. They ended up pressed close together in the tight space. The human put one hand over his own mouth, and one over Avocato's as the guards raced past the now closed vent. Once he was sure the guards were gone, the young man pulled his hand away. "So, what are you hiding from?" the blond asked, glancing over at the Ventrexian.

"The guards. I'm here to rescue my son. What about you?" Avocato insisted. The feline patted his belt to make sure his gun was still in place.

"The same… well, minus the son part. Hey, I could help you rescue him!" the human suddenly exclaimed, smiling with excitement.

Avocato was suspicious of the sudden offer, but the boy couldn't be too bad if he was on the run from the guards, too. "Do you happen to know where holding cell 43 is?"

"Oh, sure I know where the holding cells are. I even escaped from one once, so if your son is in there, I can totally be your wingman. I'm Gary, by the way," the blond said, smiling far too cheerfully for someone on the run.

"Avocato," the Ventrexian grumbled, his ears still perked to catch any sounds from the guards beyond the vent.

"Clasp of friends?" the man suddenly asked, holding out his hand.

"Uh… okay," Avocato said, quickly shaking the other man's hand.

"YES! Friendmode engaged!" Gary cheered, holding the Ventrexian's hand a little longer than necessary.

"Shhhhhh!"

"sorry."

The human proceeded to babble as they crawled through the shafts, only quieting when the guards passed below their hiding space. Maybe he could take Gary with them. He seemed like he'd make a good rebel.

Once they reached the brig, Gary easily unscrewed the vent, indicating a strange familiarity with the area. Avocato didn't dwell on it. Not when his son was only a few feet away from him, separated only by a clear, massive dome. "It's okay now, little Cato. I'm here to rescue you," the Ventrexian insisted, pressing his hands against the dome.

"He can't hear you. It's soundproof. But luckily the next cell is open," Gary said, stepping into the other cell.

Avocato couldn't quite see what his new human companion was doing, but in moments, the dome was shut down, and little Cato was rushing into his waiting arms.

"So cute!" Gary squealed, unable to resist the urge to throw his arms around his new friends. "We did it!"

"Yeah, I guess we did. We make a good team," Avocato agreed, throwing a smile at the cheery blond. "Now, we have to get going before…"

The door opened, and they were quickly surrounded by armed soldiers. Avocato pulled his son close as a chill ran up his spine.

"Leaving so soon? Did you really think…" the Lord Commander's eyes suddenly locked on the person standing behind Avocato.

"GARY!" the little alien shouted in a guttural tone.

"Hey… pops," Avocato's new companion whispered, waving a hand hesitantly.

"Why is my only son and heir consorting with treacherous rebels in the brig?" the Lord Commander demanded, turning his attention to the guards around him.

"Sorry, sir. He escaped from his rooms again. We were trying to find hiIIICK!"

The other guards stepped back quickly as their fellow guardsman began to levitate off the floor. The Lord Commander was glowing, his eyes like surging pools of golden light. "Thankfully my son is in one piece. If he had been hurt, I would have ripped off your arms, and thrown you into the Darkzone! But…" The Lord Commander calmed down a bit, waving at the blond young man. "He's clearly fine, so I'll give you a quick and merciful death."

There was a sickening snap, and the guard fell to the floor, his head at an unnatural angle. Avocato pulled his son closer, even as one of his ears swiveled to catch the horrified gasp from his new companion.

"You didn't have to kill him. I'm the one who ran away," Gary exclaimed.

"It's always best to set a good example," the Lord Commander insisted, in a parental tone. His attention returned to the guards. "Clean that up. And you two – escort my wayward son back to his rooms. And if he escapes again, I will not show you any mercy!"

The little alien's attention turned to the two Ventrexians huddled on the floor. "And as for you, I am going to have you both executed for crimes against the empire." The Lord Commander began to laugh, even as Avocato clutched his son close. He could feel his son's tears against his chest, and he knew he was crying, too. To think that this was how it was going to end.

"You can't do that!" a familiar voice suddenly protested.

Avocato looked up in amazement to see the Lord Commander's son standing protectively in front of them with a determined look on his face.

"And why not?" the Lord Commander asked.

"Because he's my…" Gary seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

"Your friend?" the Lord Commander suggested, chuckling in amusement.

"He's not JUST my friend, pops. He's my boyfriend!" the human blurted out. Avocato just started up at him, wide-eyed.

"Really?" The Lord Commander seemed skeptical of this.

"Yep. It's pretty serious, too. And that's why you can't kill them," Gary insisted, standing his ground.

"I see… So, you've been dating for a while now, I presume," the Greytrexian commented, throwing an amused smirk at Avocato.

Nope, he was not fooled one little bit, Avocato realized. This was it. They were as good as dead.

"Yep. We started dating after I got back from being in 'time out' on the prison ship when I was 18. So, you know, we've been dating for like, five or so years. That's like, a long time, pops," Gary stated, narrowing his eyes at the little alien standing before him.

"Eeeeee! How exciting," the Lord Commander suddenly exclaimed. "I'll start planning the wedding!"

"Wow, okay, that's really sudden. We haven't really discussed settling down or anything…" the human said, scratching his head.

"OR I KILL THEM RIGHT NOW!" the Lord Commander hissed, baring his razor-sharp teeth.

"Nope, nooooo. Marriage is fine. I've always been a ball and chain kinda guy," Gary insisted. He threw a look over his shoulder. "Right, boyfriend?"

"Uhhh… yes," Avocato ventured, getting hesitantly to his feet. Cato slid out of his lap, and former general was quick to put himself between the Lord Commander and his son.

"Wonderful!" the Lord Commander cheered. It was astonishing how rapidly the Greytrexian went from genocidal to pleasantly amused. "I'll have Melanie begin the preparations at once. Is next week too soon?"

"Yessss…" Gary said, only to be cut off.

"You're right, son. It's not soon enough. We'll have it tomorrow night. Wouldn't want either of you getting COLD FEET, after all," the Lord Commander stated, grinning past his son at Avocato.

What have I gotten us into? Avocato thought to himself.

"Avocato can stay in your rooms, Gary. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. I'm going to put my soon-to-be grandson in your childhood suite," the Lord Commander insisted, grabbing the little feline by the arm.

Avocato reached for his son, but Gary pulled him back. "You mean the room with the bars on the windows, and all the toys and games and stuff?"

"That's the one. He'll be nice and safe there. Come along, grandson."

Note: I've been wanting to write a Gary and Avocato-centered fic for a while now, but Jack and John always end up at the forefront of my mind.