Chapter 37: Behind Locked Doors

He awoke a second time to the warm weight of Gary Goodspeed partially on top of him and the sound of whispered voices as a blanket was spread over him.. Avocato saw a flash of orange fur, as, boots in hand, Little Cato slipped from the cabin and joined Ash in the hall. Then the door closed, leaving them drowsy and together in Gary's dimly lit room.

"S'okay. He's just going to help stow supplies," Gary murmured, his eyes firmly closed. "The new coil for the lightfold is being delivered today."

Avocato lay back again, idly stroking Gary's hair. The human let out a little moan of appreciation, cracking one eye open a slit to look at his fuzzy pillow. "How you feeling?"

"Much better. Alert." He shifted, and grimaced. "Sore."

"Well, duh. You took out how many slave traders? And got shot how many times?"

He didn't have an exact count. "Lots."

"Mmm." Gary smiled, still sleepy. "You really cleaned house."

Avocato took that to be a good thing. That smile was definitely a good thing. "We should check the local news feed."

"Nightfall already did. There was no mention of any of us, and no one's come near the ship. The port authority is pretending to be shocked and scandalized that there were slavers here in Geegua."

Avocato snorted derisively at the suggestion of their innocence. "Operations that large can only exist with tacit approval of the authorities. I may have to pay them a visit before I leave."

"Take 'em apart, General."

Avocato smirked at the use of his title, finding he rather liked the way Gary said it. "Was Little Cato hurt?"

"Not a scratch."

"How are you? Your arm? Was anyone else hurt?"

"I'm good. We all are. Fox had me fixed up in half an hour. I'd be even better if you keep on with the hands in the hair."

Relieved, Avocato smiled and resumed the slow and gentle caress, enjoying the feel of the soft hair through his fingers. With a garbled sound of bliss, Gary practically melted as Avocato moved to the back of his neck. He had noticed that Gary was far more inclined to touch the people around him and receive their touches in return than Nightfall. He wondered if it was a human male thing, or a Gary thing. "I don't have much experience with humans. Is touch as important to you as it is to Ventrexians?"

"Yeah. Most of us. Some are more into it than others. Once I lost my dad, I really didn't get much . . ." He struggled to find the right adjective, "- welcome touching until . . . well, you."

He was struck by the world of unspoken pain and loneliness behind those words. Thirty-one years of it, though Avocato knew instinctively that now was not the time for that discussion. Gary opened his eyes and saw the quiet distress his answer generated in his friend and husband. Wanting to reassure him, Gary reached up and stroked the smooth, short fur on Avocato's cheek, shaking his head over such deep concern. He clearly wasn't looking for sympathy, and for now, at least, the past was well behind them.

"Growing up wasn't easy, but I managed it, Cato. We're here now, for however long it lasts. Let's enjoy it. But feel free to make up for lost time with the whole touchy-feely thing."

Avocato let himself be reassured. Well, he knew now what Gary needed. In ten years, when they were together again, he would be able to give Gary what affection and reassurance he could. But until then . . .

Instead of picking up the massage again, Avocato gently drew a willing Gary nearer, bending close until they were almost nose-to-nose. He took a moment to enjoy the sight of hazel eyes with dark lashes, a pert nose, those strangely square teeth framed by smooth pink lips, that strong jaw and silky skin topped with gold hair that all came together into a surprisingly appealing package. What had Gary called himself? Humanoid trash? It was a hell of a pet name, but he'd be happy to take out this trash.

He closed the distance to capture those smooth lips with his own, and he was not surprised to feel Gary respond with enthusiasm. It was as long and perhaps even more enjoyable than the first kiss they had shared, now that a deeper understanding and desire had grown between them. When finally they drew apart – but not far apart – Gary was breathless, which left Avocato feeling remarkably smug. He had not had a lover since he lost Purrsis. None before her, none after. He hadn't dared, hadn't really wanted one, and so he hadn't looked. Gary was right – he hadn't had a chance to deal with a fraction of the emotional upheaval he'd endured. Now he was so grateful his older, wiser self had made the decision to make Gary's offer into so much more than was meant. Looking into those searching eyes, feeling Gary's warmth where their bodies pressed close, Avocato was glad he had waited. He would wait again for this for ten years, and it would be worth it.

"Tell me something, Captain Goodspeed," Avocato said in a voice pitched for Gary's ears alone, looking to see if Gary's rank was as much a turn-on for him as it was for Avocato. He suspected it was – at least from him. "Are you still game to give it a go?"

Gary blinked, caught off balance by the question. It took him a quick few seconds to remember his flirtatious proposal from that long night of drinking and talking when he and Avocato realized they were married, and Avocato danced around (or was that ran away from?) the idea of being intimate with a human. Gary stole another quick kiss before he glanced up and called, "AVA, lock the door!" Then he turned the full focus of his attention back on the Ventrexian in his bed, that silly and happy megawatt grin on his face and his eyes shining with anticipation.

"Game on, General Avocato."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Last time, Cato - are you totally sure you want to do this?"

"I started it."

"Okay. Fair. So . . . have you ever done this with a guy before?"

"No. Have you ever done this with a Ventrexian?"

"Only in my dreams."

"Looks like we both have a lot to learn."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Nightfall, Fox, and HUE were on the bridge checking the drive panels when the transmission came. AVA pinged an alert, saying,

"Incoming request for communication on the private channel from Colonel-in-Command Nikos on the Tera Con heavy incinerator Vulpen Keo."

"Finally," breathed Nightfall, climbing to her feet. She wiped sweat off her brow with the back of her hand, looking about for a rag. "Do we have a visual?"

"Negative. The request is an audio-only relay."

Odd, but Nikos probably had a reason. Perhaps he was trying to avoid bringing any attention to them, or it could be a security measure. She took the cloth HUE offered, wiping her hands as she said, "Play it."

Knowing the speaker was Ventrexian, Nightfall could detect hints of the same inflections that distinguished Avocato, though the accent was different. "Crimson Light, this is Colonel-in-Command Nikos of House Cordon of Bharata, aboard the Tera Con ship Vulpen Keo requesting a channel. Please respond."

"It keeps repeating the same message," advised AVA.

"Where are they transmitting from?" asked Nightfall.

"Well. This is interesting. I'm detecting a number of ships approaching this system from at least sixty directions," said AVA. "The transmission was relayed from beyond them. Their fleet formation allows their sensor arrays to overlap so they'll be able to detect anything leaving or entering the system."

"How many ships?" asked Fox warily.

"Orbital satellites are detecting almost three hundred ion signatures at maximum range. At this distance, details are sketchy but they must be deep-space-class vessels. The smaller ships won't show up until they're closer."

AVA's words were sobering to say the least, and Tryvuulian and human exchanged a nervous look.

"That's a lot of ships," said Fox in a very small voice.

"They really want their commander back," she said, hiding her anxiety behind a wry tone. She had not expected . . . this. Not such a massive response. She had underestimated Avocato's status, a mistake she mentally kicked herself for since it was based on nothing more than personal prejudice. They would have to tread lightly. "AVA, can you alert Avocato?"

"Negative," was the unexpected reply.

Exclaimed Nightfall, "What?"

"Gary locked the room," the AI explained. "Unless hazard protocols are met, I can't reverse the lockdown."

There was a prolonged silence as each one of them pondered the situation as presented. Locked doors weren't anything new on the Crimson Light – except in the case of Gary, whose room was always open. Always. He had gotten so used to being alone on the Galaxy 1 that locking anything up was pointless, and he'd never gotten out of the habit. There wasn't a one of them that hadn't walked in on him in the refresher some state of undress at some point or another, and despite the many screams generated from both sides of the equation, to this day he still hadn't learned his lesson. So Gary locking a door was suspect. To say the least.

"It was Gary," confirmed Nightfall, her voice sharpening. "Not Avocato?"

"Avocato does not have that authority on this ship," AVA said with supreme haughtiness, failing to mention her conduct when Avocato had been going after the slavers and issuing demands left, front, and center. That was different. Besides, she was enjoying all their expressions and the looks they exchanged as all three of them came to the same conclusion at almost the same time.

Fox frowned. "You think they . . . " He trailed off, blushing, belatedly realizing he didn't want to pull that thread any further. He had seen enough interaction between Gary and General Avocato to note the growing affection, and he knew the importance Ventrexians set up marital bonds. Avocato would take a field marriage as seriously as his first marriage. Fox had met the older Avocato before Invictus rolled along, but since that man had lost his memory, how he acted towards Gary really didn't count, even if he was always just straight-up polite and quiet. Fox had, however, seen how Gary reacted to Avocato in the few days they had together, and even before they knew they were married, it was clear that Gary had a thing for Avocato big enough to see with the unaided eye. It wasn't lost on Fox that Avocato's memory hadn't started to return until their second run to Zetakron Alpha and exposure to Gary. And now, well, they were husbands and watching out for each other and their kid. They fit together really well, despite how different they were. Clearly both sides of the equation wanted to make things work between them. So them taking the time to get to know each other a bit more intimately wasn't surprising, just . . . not something he wanted to imagine in too much detail.

One glance at Nightfall's clenched jaw and blazing eyes told Fox she had come to a like conclusion, but unlike him, she wasn't glad for them. Drawing a deep breath, she muttered, "Damn that cat!" before she turned, clearly ready to march down the hall and pound on the door to Gary's cabin until she had disrupted all goings-on despite the fact that it was not her place.

"Well," reasoned HUE, trying to still the waters but forever on Gary's side before anyone else's, "they are married."

She glared at HUE for this unwelcome reminder, though she couldn't deny the simple truth of his words. Nightfall hesitated, closing her eyes as she fought the desire to hate on Avocato because he was the one Gary had chosen, not her. There was no one to blame but herself for the situation, and in some selfish corner of her mind, she railed against Gary being happy with anyone but her. Anyone but Avocato. She was the one who had advised Gary to be open to the possibility of a relationship with the Ventrexian. She had no right to be jealous.

But she already was. Was she out of line? Yes. Did she care? No. It was always Avocato who so effortlessly slipped into the spot she so desperately wanted. Even in those times where there was no Avocato, Gary always seemed to sense his absence . . .

Fox edged for the door, not wanting to get caught in her wrath. With a squeaked, "Uh, I hafta watch Bodek next," he practically ran from the bridge.

"Nightfall . . ."

"Not now, HUE!"

"If not now, then when?" was his calm reply. "You seem determined to hold Avocato responsible for Gary's decisions."

Unspoken was the fact that if Avocato couldn't seal the cabin, then it was Gary who had to have initiated the lockdown to ensure privacy. And Gary had every right and reason to want to be alone with his husband, and what they did was no one's business.

"I'm biased," she growled.

"Clearly."

"You haven't seen all the futures I have, HUE."

"I would argue that I have. I simply don't have the means of inter-dimensional travel that would allow me to escape a particular universe and therefore remember events as you do."

That gave her pause. Yes, there had been many HUEs in her past. And many Little Catos and Tribors and Ashes and Foxes. Some had lived, some had died. They had not been granted the option of simply picking up and moving to the next timeline to continue the search for another Gary like the first one she had lost. "I'm being selfish, aren't I?"

"You are being human. There's nothing wrong with wanting to find love."

She sighed, conceding. "I just have to deal with the fact that I'm not going to find it here."