Disclaimer: I don't own Final Space. Just two Mooncake plushies that I call my children. Jokingly, of course.
Authoress' Note: So yeah... kinda on a kick here. But can anyone blame me? This series is just SO good! And writing is a proven therapy for me when I'm being thrown through the ringer emotionally when it comes to my favorite series. -looks at the mounds of Dr. STONE fanfiction written during the past five or so chapters- So... enjoy!
Also, going canon divergent here, and mixing a bit of all three seasons together. Namely I want to ignore the Lord Commander coming back and all of the stuff with Invictus at the moment. Because I want to. I want to focus on fluffy moments in time. So yeah... you've been told. Things are different.
A Different Story
Gary Goodspeed was no stranger to awkward or embarrassing situations. If anything, he was a king of them. Chalk it up to growing up with little to no parentage then spending five years alone with nothing but robots on a prison ship. Or, as Quinn had put it once: cute guy, but he has issues. It's just a part of what makes Gary... well, Gary.
Although, if he were to personally rank his worst awkward and/or embarrassing moments, the one that was popping into his head right now would be right at the top, since the sheer recollection of it was currently causing him to turn a bright red, metal hand at his mouth as he was trying to recover from choking on air, and trying to ignore the confused and worried looks coming at him from a few of his friends as they tried to figure out what the hell happened.
Not that Gary knew what the hell happened either, in terms as to why that particular scene returned to his head all of a sudden. There wasn't much reason for it to just suddenly pop into his head. After all, all that was going on was some talking amongst friends. And some hugging from Little Cato. And him being happy over being in the same room with his two dads. And Gary and his best bro Avocato smiling at one another as they listened to Little Cato tell the story of a mission they had just completed to those that weren't there, going on and on about how great his dads were and how cool it is to see them working together.
Then, at some point in the story, Gary had stopped paying attention to Little Cato's words and more on Avocato's prideful grin and soft affection in his eyes. A look he didn't see too often, but when he did, it caused his stomach to do powerful loopy-de-loops, ones that topped those that he had for Quinn. And when Avocato would look up at Gary with that fantastic smile of his, it would send things into an overdrive that caused his brain, heart, and stomach to all go crazy and he had to try to keep them all from trying to escape his mouth in a (metaphorical) mess.
"Oh hey! Have you seen my boy? I mean, he's my friend's boy. A boy I know. He's my friend. He's- I guess you can say he's my boyfriend- guh, that's a different story that I, uh-"
And that was it. That memory. That mess. And why now Gary was, again, coughing despite trying to explain that he was fine, that he just took in a breath wrong, and that's the only reason why he was choking and blushing, although he was failing to get that point across. While Little Cato, Avocato, Mooncake, Ash, and Fox were all looking at him with those worried and confused looks of theirs.
"You sure you're okay? You're still looking really red there," Ash asked with her own awkward concern, "Maybe you're getting sick?"
"Well, it was pretty cold, and he wasn't really wearing anything heavier than his coat, so it wouldn't be a surprise," Little Cato added, rolling his eyes with a teasing grin on his face.
"N-no, I'm not- I'm not getting sick- It's just-" Gary tried to dissuade the crew's concerns, although it came out in a heap of words between clearing of his throat.
Avocato's right ear flicked as he scooted closer to his friend, placing a paw up on his forehead in a common way to check for fever, and the human turned an even brighter shade of cherry red with how close the Ventrexian had got. "H-hey, I'm n-not running a fever, I promise! S-s-so you can back up a bit there, Avocato..." he continued to stammer, and the loopy-de-loops in his stomach was becoming more nauseating than he could ever recall them being.
Why wouldn't they, when literally Gary could feel the warmth of Avocato's breath on his face. And the softness of his fur against his forehead. And gazing into those amazing wonderful eyes of his that somehow had a habit of catching him off-guard when he looked at them. And let's not forget that deep voice of his that would give the human goose pimples more often than he'd probably care to admit.
"You're pretty warm, though. Maybe we should get you something from the Medbay just in case," the warrior replied, noticing the temperature difference against the pads from what he had known of Gary's usual warmth.
Oh boy, here came the metaphorical puking that Gary was trying to avoid, and his entire body stiffened up as he roughly pushed Avocato away from him, covering his mouth again to keep from coughing out on him, the Ventrexian looking at him with widen expression in surprise over the push. "I'm fine! I just- I need some water, to clear my throat! That's all!" he furiously denied all of the chatter about him being sick, getting up and stomping out of the room they were all sharing, ignoring all of the looks that were certainly on his back.
Mooncake quickly followed after him, making little "Gare" noises as if to try and call out for its friend to wait up. The rest looked at one another confused, Ash and Fox shrugging their shoulders while Avocato and Little Cato debated visually on who was going to follow them next. Ultimately, the kid took up the initiative, using his nimble sneaky skills to follow, keeping several feet between him and the duo that were going down the winding halls towards the commissary.
Gary was making a bunch of nonsensical noises – well, more nonsensical than what he usually did – as he stomped down the hall. The coughing cleared up, but the red tint to his face remained, hands running through his blonde locks in rabid scratches. Mooncake tried to convince Gary to slow down, to relax, to talk, but his little "pah"s and "chookity"s were ignored in the sound of the human's rambling.
"Of all things, why why WHY did that come into my head!? That was one of the embarrassing things! Ever! And sure, it was in front of a complete stranger that we never, ever saw again, but still! And sure, she didn't seem like she was at all caring about what I saying, but also still! Of all things, that? THAT? REALLY?"
Little Cato was more confused than before, although Mooncake seemed to know what was being said, floating in front of Gary to force him to stop, again making its usual noises in its way to communicate. Maybe he should put effort into making that translator device Mooncake had in that timeline shift to make things easier, the younger Ventrexian privately remarked, although he immediately regretted that idea as he remembered how much of a jerk the blob became with that device on.
Gary did stop as Mooncake moved into his path, and he sighed deeply, shoulders slumping hard as a hand went to his forehead, holding it and almost swearing that he could still feel Avocato's paw against it. That blush on his face wasn't going to fade away any time soon, that was for sure. He pressed his back up against the steel wall of the hallway, slowly sliding down the metal as he nearly curled himself into a ball, with his little buddy following him the entire way down.
"I've been really torn up about this before, little buddy. Like... I love Quinn. A lot. Really, I do. But at the same time... Mooncake, he's my best friend! My bro... my Brocato! I love him, but it shouldn't be like that. That should just be for Quinn, but... ugh! This is the worst!"
Little Cato had to cover his own mouth to keep from squealing and giving away his position. He had some suspicion that maybe – just maybe – Gary's feelings for his father ran a bit deeper than just their already deep friendship, but to actually get some sort of confirmation had the boy practically jumping out of his fur. Now if only he could get some sort of confirmation of the same thing from his father, because the boy had his suspicions about him too, but one revelation at a time.
Mooncake hummed, gently pushing itself against Gary's shoulder, "Chookity... Chookity-chookity-pah!"
"Yo, you don't have to remind me of what I said! I can hear myself clearly," Gary scolded with a glare before rapidly running his metal hand through his hair, "I know I got all tripped up and was trying to describe Little Cato, but when I said "boyfriend", I instantly thought of Avocato and that's the problem! He's not my boyfriend! He's not! And...! And... he never had been."
Oh, what Gary could give to just slam his head into the wall without it causing massive damage to the ship or himself. Or for a cookie. But he was pretty sure they were out of cookies. That was KVN's fault, of course. He hated that piece of scrap.
"This is tough, Mooncake. Super tough. And I know it's not getting any easier. I mean, we have a kid together now. Well, he's still Avocato's kid, for real, and I'm just the vice dad, but we talked about it and they're both okay with me being a dad-dad, and that means a whole lot to all three of us. I don't know what that actually means on Ventrexia, but it means something more on Earth. Two dads and a kid? That's usually a marriage and family. We don't have that. Well, the family thing, maybe, technically, but not marriage. And don't even get me started on trying to figure out how Quinn fits the situation. She's motherly, obviously, but does she actually want to be a mom? And will Avocato even allow that? Or Little Cato? And if we ever decide to go our separate ways, then what?"
Gary could feel his head wanting to split open from all of the facts and logistics running through his head. Mooncake cooed, frowning and showing sympathy for its friend, cuddling up against his shoulder and he sighed, patting its head with a sweet brush.
"Thanks, bud... I just... hate being this conflicted. Especially when there shouldn't be any conflict to start with. I'm supposed to be with Quinn. Avocato is supposed to be with... well, whoever he wants to be with. The two of us are only meant to be best buds. Best friends, back to back, for life. That's it. We're not... we're not supposed to... we'll never be anything else... no matter how much I may want to think or believe that we could. Or that we should."
Little Cato, from his hiding spot, frowned and ears fell back as he heard the sadness and torn up feelings in Gary's voice. Clearly, this was something weighing very heavily on his shoulders for some time now. It probably wasn't as bad before, but now with bringing Avocato – literally – back from the dead, then there was the whole Invictus possession thing, and then the adoption, and then... well, he could go on and on, but that's not what Little Cato should focus on. Quickly, he scurried off to a different part of the ship, his brain trying to think of what he could do to help ease some of those concerns.
Sheryl and Quinn didn't have a lot of moments spent together, just the two of them, but it wasn't as though they weren't cordial with one another. At least enough for them to work together on small projects, such as moving equipment from one part of the ship to the other. They made some small talk, namely in filling in the absent mother on events Quinn knew about Gary's life and Sheryl sharing some of her adventures in return, but usually they just worked in tandem on what they needed to do.
Transporting supplies this time brought them past Little Cato's room, in which the young Ventrexian had his door wide open, him sitting upon a chair and spinning around as he pondered about what he had heard and seen earlier.
"Hey, HUE. How common are three-way relationships with humans? And how do they even work?"
Both ladies immediately dropped the boxes they were carrying, completely thrown for a loop over what they had heard. The sound of the boxes falling caused Little Cato to jump, him realizing that he had completely forgotten about his bedroom door being open, clinging to the ceiling with his fur puffed out and tail curling in surprise. He shook his head, fur settling down, his ears falling back as he glared at the two people that caused the intrusion.
"What the crap was that!?" he asked almost in a hiss.
"What the hell was that question!?" Sheryl replied in tandem, stepping into the room at the boy came down from the ceiling, taking his seat back on the spinning chair.
"That's a rather... intimate... question for someone like you to be asking," Quinn added as she also entered the room after picking up the boxes and moving them to the side.
Little Cato did a small pout; honestly, he wouldn't be asking if it wasn't for Gary and his lofty feelings towards one of the women interrogating him at the moment, but he didn't let on this info right away. A beep came through the room, indicating HUE's transmission.
"Such relationships are collectively known as polyamory. It is not uncommon for humans to engage in such relationships, but there are many facets of human culture where this is frown upon. As for how they work-"
"HUE, I'm begging you not to answer that part of the question," the former Infinity Guard cut the AI off before it could continue, more so out of concerned over how deeply involved of an answer this could become.
The AI didn't say another word, and Quinn sighed, kneeling down by Little Cato as he continued to softly pout over the intrusion. "What's with the sudden interest in this subject?" she asked sweetly, trying not to sound like she was shaming him for any potential curiosity, although her voice turned more deadpanned as she thought about it a bit more, "... Nobody's drunk right now, are they?"
"What? No, no one is drunk!" he answered almost as though he was offended by the weird question.
"No one is discussing sex or anything around you?"
"Seriously!? Where the heck is your mind right now?"
"Well, I had heard of The Drilling Factory coming into conversation once-" Sheryl interjected, although she didn't get a chance to continue her statement before Quinn shot her a look and Little Cato yelled in irritation over the third degree he was getting.
"It's nothing like that!" he screamed, pulling himself away from Quinn until the chair hit the bunk beds, jolting him to a stop.
"Then... what's up with the question?" she continued to press, and Little Cato sighed, curling himself up into a ball on the seat.
He was unsure if he should actually reveal the truth behind his inquiry. He didn't want to risk Gary finding out that he was spying on him after his initial outburst. He also didn't want Quinn to feel uncomfortable either, having respect for her and knowing that her relationship with Gary has been a bit of a touchy subject since rescuing her from Final Space. However, with both ladies staring down at him and demanding an answer, he really felt pushed up against a wall, and he sighed again as he relaxed his legs with tail flicking against the side of the chair.
"... Gary said that he loves my dad. But he loves you too. So I wanted to know how it all works so maybe... maybe I could help so he can have you both."
Both ladies blinked, looking at one another, then back at Little Cato, before Sheryl broke the ice with a light laugh. "Well, that confirms somethin' for me," she followed up her laugh, "Thought those two had somethin' more between them."
"They're a bit too obvious. Gary more than Avocato, but still," Quinn added, also sharing a short smile.
Now it was Little Cato's turn to blink, although the emotion that filled his chest was not any sort of relief or levity, but of further annoyance that it seemed like he wasn't being taken seriously. He was ready to lash out before Quinn placed a hand on one of his shoulders, keeping him pinned to the seat.
"Look, Little Cato... those kinds of relationships work when all partners involved love each other. Avocato is a great guy, and I consider him a good friend, but he's not... well, he's not my type. Pretty sure I'm not his type either. So a relationship like that between the three of us would never happen anyway," she explained evenly, trying to quell any sort of thoughts that may rise in his head that could've sparked from her opening statement, "And it wouldn't be fair to Gary for us to try and force something just for his sake."
His ears fell back as lips turned into a frown. The ladies could tell he was not pleased to hear such an answer, and Quinn tried to comfort him with a smile. "Hey, come on, don't frown like that. That sort of relationship will never happen, but it's not like there isn't some sort of love there."
"Yeah, but-"
"Little Cato."
He flinched at the call of his name. Quinn sighed, shifting back and sitting on the floor, arms laying against her crossed legs, still keeping that smile intact. Sheryl didn't join in sitting, but did relax a bit herself, leaning up against the desk the chair was once sitting by.
"If Gary wants to be with Avocato, I'll support that. And if he wants to be with me, I'm sure Avocato will support that too. In the end, what we both want is Gary's happiness. I love Gary, I do. And I know Avocato loves him, even if he hasn't or doesn't say it. And that love will never change, no matter who Gary chooses to be with."
"I guess, but... I think he's scared to pick. Because he doesn't know what's going to happen in the future when all of this is over. Like... if you two get together, will that make you my mom? And if my dad would accept that? Or what will happen if we ever go our separate ways-"
Sheryl had to laugh a bit too loudly at that last statement, and Quinn glared at her lack of tact. "I wouldn't worry 'bout that part, love," she explained once she cleared her throat of the hearty sound, "Pretty sure this family is never goin' to split up. Hell, wouldn't put it past Gary to be floatin' the idea of adoptin' Ash and Fox before too long."
Little Cato did his very best to hide how much he liked the sound of that, given his own attachments to the odd sibling pair, although the flickering of his tail gave him away more than he wanted it to. But there was still reservations in his eyes that remained unresolved and Quinn patted one of his knees in a comforting gesture.
"I don't have plans to go anywhere. And pretty sure Gary won't let his best friend get away that easily, especially not with both of them being your dads now. Not that he'd even want to leave. So I'm sure we'll be all together for a long, long, long time. As for the "me being your mom" thing... well, that's a whole other kettle of fish, but I want you to know that I care about you too. So no matter what happens, I'll be here for you. Okay?"
He turned his gaze away, feeling suddenly sheepish with the attention she was giving him, and the ladies couldn't help but softly giggle at his reaction. Teenagers, no matter what species, always seemed to clam up when it came to such familial attention, and it never ceases to be adorable. He eventually relented, hopping down from the chair and wrapping his arms around Quinn's neck, giving her a grateful squeeze that she was happy to share in return. After he had pulled back, Sheryl gave him a polite ruffle to his mohawk, and he had to swear that he didn't purr in response to the attention because, like his dad, he was not a cat, and the tension that had built up in the room had finally relaxed into bouts of laughter and playful banter.
From outside the door, a figure smiled as contentment leaked out of the room. There was never an intent to eavesdrop, and unlike the ladies, they would not make their presence known and give hint that they had heard much of anything of the conversation. They did hear a portion of it, of course, but they wouldn't let it be known. With a low and gruff chuckle, they went back the way they initially came, a bit of an odd determination in their step.
Gary sighed as he buried his face into a pillow. It took a bit of work, but he managed to wrangle away some alone time for him to gather his thoughts and feelings up. Ash and Fox were still greatly concerned that he was trying to hide being sick from them, bringing him all types of medication that they thought would work. He was grateful for their help, but told them that he wasn't sick, and politely told them to return everything to the Medbay. They weren't entirely convinced until he had offered a deal: they'd let him sleep for a couple of hours so he'd "feel better", and afterward he'd join them for any sort of "reasonable" activity they wanted. It was enough to convince them to let things lie, and he thanked them both with sweet head pets.
He understood their worries and attachment, especially now after losing the only guy that they had called "Dad". Not that Gary even missed Clarence for a second with how much of a pain in the ass that he was, but his feelings towards the sleazeball held no candle to what they felt. Losing their parent, regardless of what kind of person they were, had to be a weight on their shoulders, and Gary knew full well how heavy that weight can be. It's why he was willing to do whatever it took to keep them happy, safe, and knowing that they were loved, much as what he was doing with Little Cato.
"Hmm... wonder if they wouldn't mind being siblings... okay, no, push that thought away for a bit," he mumbled aloud to his pillow, shaking it away for the moment; given how much his brain was tearing apart over his feelings for Avocato and Quinn, he probably shouldn't be trying to figure out the logistics of adopting two more kids and bringing them into the mix.
His eyes shut and he tried to relax the tension in his shoulders. He didn't actually intend to go to sleep, but he couldn't deny how good of an idea it felt. Not only just because he was tired from their previous mission, but to be able to escape the stress for a little bit. Maybe after a couple of hours of sleep, he could face things with a clearer mind. Be able to face Avocato with (hopefully) less blushing, blustering, and mentally reminding himself of other embarrassing memories. Ah, yes... a little bit of sleep may just do wonders...
There was a small round of knocking on his door, and he flinched at the echo the sound made throughout the room. It seemed way louder than it actually should've been. Huh... he should set up something for some light music to play to maybe offset that sort of echo. But another thought for another time. He uncurled his arms from around his pillow, shifting his form to sit on the edge of the bed before standing up completely, taking a few steps towards the door and pressing his hand against the control pad.
He nearly jumped back when he saw Avocato standing in the doorway, and he knew that the blush that took him forever to fade away was starting to come back. "O-oh! Hey Avocato, what's up?" he initially stammered, much to his inner screaming, before he turned things about to save face.
The Ventrexian warrior had a soft smile on his face that only grew an inch upon seeing Gary's flustered reaction. Without a word, he stepped inside Gary's room, throwing his arms around the lankier human in a very meaningful embrace. The pink blush turned cherry red again as Gary tried to restart his brain, the fleshy muscle turning to a pile of metaphorical goo upon the embrace. He, at least, was coherent enough to awkwardly return the hug, almost praying that his friend couldn't feel how shaky his arms were.
The embrace didn't last too long, only a handful of seconds, before Avocato pulled away, and Gary let go of a breath he didn't fully realize he was holding onto. "Wha... what's going on?" his voice was barely above a squeak, trying to figure out any sort of answers from his friend's expression.
"I love you, Gary."
Blink. Blink. Gary short-circuited again. "... Eh?"
Avocato could only chuckle. "You heard me."
Blink. Blink. A bunch of nonsensical noises. And again, Avocato chuckled. If Gary didn't know any better, he'd almost thought that the Ventrexian was just screwing with him, but the way he was smiling and how he stood so casually watching him act like a blubbering mess was telling the captain that, no, he wasn't joking.
"Y-you... love me. You... love... me?"
"Yeah."
"Y-you... l-l-love..."
"You can keep saying it, but it doesn't change what I said."
Gary cleared his throat, trying to regain some composure. "You... love me. Avocato... I... wait... when? H-how? Why?... Wait, no, those aren't important- Well, they are, but-"
"You're rambling."
"How can I not right now?! You came into my room, pulled me into the most surprising – but still rather amazing – hug ever, and then tell me you love me! My mind is blown right now. BLOWN!"
Another round of chuckles, followed by crossing arms over a muscular chest. "Yeah. And you're leaving me hanging waiting on a response."
"G-give me a minute here! I'm trying, man!"
The human sighed, running hands nervously through his blonde hair, turning himself away enough from Avocato in order to not feel like his gaze was oppressively upon him, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. He turned back, feeling a lot calmer after another round of breaths, arms at his sides with fingers slowly flexing in and out of half fists.
"I... I love you too."
He meant that. Avocato knew that. But the hesitation was there, in his voice. Still, the smile didn't waver from the warrior's lips. "You love Quinn, too."
Gary had to keep from choking on air again. "Gary, relax. Quit trying to die on me," Avocato replied with a playful roll of his eyes.
"I would if you'd stop surprising the hell out of me!"
"You shouldn't be surprised by me stating a fact."
"Th-that's not the point-"
"No, it's not. The point is, no matter which of us you want to be with, we'll support you. Because we love you, and we want you to be happy. You don't have to make a choice right now, and there's no pressure to choose, and no matter what happens, we'll still be with you. We're not going anywhere."
All of the blustering and loopy-de-loops and all other strange feelings simply fell out of Gary's form, mouth agape and heart racing. "Avocato..." he whispered, his shoulders squaring up as if he was afraid of something about to hit him.
The pose didn't escape Avocato's gaze, and his stance faltered as if he was afraid he had said something wrong. Gary's head fell a bit, eyes becoming glazed over with the hint of tears, and momentarily he shuddered, as if he was about to start to sob at any moment. "H-hey, Gary, are you okay? I didn't mean to-"
Now it was Avocato's turn to be surprised, thrown back a step or two by Gary practically launching himself onto him, not unlike what happened minutes ago. Arms wrapped tightly around his upper torso, face buried into his shoulder, ignoring the press of metal armor against bare skin. He could hear Gary sniffling, and he didn't quite know what to do now. He wasn't prepared for crying!
"I love you, Avocato," Gary mumbled against his shoulder, "I really, really do."
The human could feel Avocato's chest rumble as he laughed softly, and he almost tightened his grip when the hug was finally returned. It was like, all at once, every fear and feeling Gary had in his mind was alleviated. He knew that it wasn't, but it felt like it, and that was enough for now. That Avocato loved him was enough. That Avocato understood his feelings for Quinn was enough. It was all enough for now.
When they pulled back, they still kept close, foreheads pressing against one another's. "You're still pretty warm. Sure you're not running a fever?" Avocato joked, more still making fun of how pink Gary's face was.
"I'm fine. Really, truly... I'm fine," Gary replied with a small laugh, and his friend hummed contentedly.
Finally, they pulled back for good, leaving a few inches between them. "So... overheard Ash and Fox saying something about making you cookies," Avocato brought up, and Gary childishly bounced on his heels at the sound of fresh baked cookies.
"YES. Wait... KVN doesn't know, right?"
"... Gary, it's KVN."
"... Crap!"
Grabbing Avocato's wrist, Gary led the charge with dragging his friend behind him, leading the way to the commissary, making comments about KVN being a no-good cookie thief. While the grasp on his wrist didn't last long, Avocato still followed behind, still smiling at the dorky human that he had fallen for.
When Quinn and Sheryl walked into the commissary, finally finished with moving supplies around, they weren't exactly sure what they were going to walk into. Little Cato said that he heard something as KVN passed by about cookies, and left the two to return to their work to check out what exactly the bot was going on about, so it wasn't a surprise to see him in the thick of the activity.
The cookies that HUE somehow was able to make up wasn't enough, so an attempt was made at making cookies from scratch... although one can't say it was truly an attempt based off of the mess left behind. There was a few batches of batter in the shape of cookies made, at least, but they were far from the crispy discs they should be. Instead, what was actually made was chaos, with cookie batter, sugar, and flour being flung all over the commissary walls and all over the six beings that were inside.
They would be angry if it weren't just too funny seeing Mooncake looking like a ghost with the amount of flour that coated its squishy body, or watching Fox and Little Cato as they were trying to help get cookie dough out of Ash's long locks, to which she seemed to be enjoying the attention despite the tangles in her hair. But what really made them smile was seeing Gary and Avocato sitting in a corner of the room, partly hiding behind a set of turned over chairs and a table, each of them eating a cookie that they could only assume HUE made up when it was clear that they weren't going to be making any themselves. They were sitting close to one another, shoulders pressed together with Gary's head leaned over a little bit to where his sugar-covered locks tangled itself with Avocado's equally splotchy fur, and if they didn't know any better – and they were both sure that they did know despite not having the best visual – they swore that they could see the human's fleshy hand wrapped up in one of the Ventrexian's paws.
And Quinn couldn't really feel any happier at seeing the ones she cares about most all in one place, having such fun after all of the hell they have all gone through. What more could she ever really want, when she had it all already?
Well... she could do without cookie dough falling from the ceiling and all of the flour on the floor. She cleared her throat, making her presence known to those in the room.
"So... you all will be cleaning up this mess, right?"
- end -