23. One of Us

Leaning his head on his hand, Gary very happily lay in bed and just looked at the sleeping Ventrexian beside him. It had to be the best view in the whole sector and it was all his. Really, he'd never tire of it. He knew a lot of people were totally and completely jealous of him. He couldn't blame them. Heck, he was almost jealous of himself. Boyfriend of the next king's exceedingly hot adopted father? Cool alien boyfriend, no less? Living close by with his kids, with easy access to the king of the whole planetary system? Oh, yeah. Goodspeed had arrived. Eat your heart out, Ventrexia.

The work had been non-stop, though Gary had seen very little of it. He had been too busy taking care of his family. Things had settled to a dull roar in the aftermath of the rebellion, and the Ventrexian fleet had entered their own space a little over a week ago. To give the planet time to prepare for both crown prince and soldiers, the fleet was taking a long, slow route through the system, passing each planet and allowing dignitaries and nobles and representatives to shuttle back and forth between Ventrexia and the Sabertooth. The Ventrexians wanted to meet their ruler and see their generals again to curry favor or help with the recovery efforts. There was caution and excitement in the air, and more than a little optimism.

Ventrexia was still reeling from a millennium of almost continuous war and poor leadership, and a lot of decisions needed to be made and priorities set. Avocato was on a lot of committees, had constant meetings, and if he'd been five people, they all would have busy all day. Gary's job, however, had not changed. His only task, as assigned by Dr. Mogs and Little Cato, was to look after Avocato and get him to eat more. That actually endowed Gary with a lot of authority, though he didn't abuse it. Too much.

His efforts had paid off, though. Constantly following Avocato around with food and drinks and an extra coat (the t'Rakkidan rebels had very smugly made a show of replacing Avocato's black uniform coat, which the native Ventrexian had gone positively feral over, sparking a new wave of fashion across the sector), and making him rest at regular intervals had gone far towards getting some much-needed weight back on his frame. There was also the added advantage of an unofficial extra set of eyes and ears at every meeting Avocato attended. Recovery had been slow but steady, and Avocato had gone from frail and broken to about on par to when Gary had first met him over a year ago, maybe even a little better. He still tired quickly, and could not swallow easily, but that was nothing unexpected. The akusan had flared up only twice, neither time as badly as aboard the Mynn. Mogs was confident the poison was almost out of his system. Still, Avocato was not allowed to be out of range of the medical department, and he was well enough now to find that mildly annoying. That fact delighted everyone who knew him, especially Mogs and Cataloupe and Little Cato.

And Gary, of course.

Yellow eyes cracked open, and Gary smiled at Avocato's sleepy expression and his grumble at finding himself awake. Avocato reached out and laid his hand against Gary's cheek, and Gary leaned heavily into the caress.

"Have we landed yet?" rasped Avocato, closing his eyes again.

"Not yet. Noon-ish ship's time. We have the medal ceremony first, then a reception, then we'll land."

A groan rose up. "I'm beginning to hate that word."

"Reception? Seems like the go-to pastime of politicians. I like the food. But I like anything that's not zoo chow."

"They're going to want to give you a few medals, too, Captain," warned Avocato.

"Huh? What for?"

He smiled. "Oh, nothing much. Saving the crown prince. Saving me. Killing the Lord Commander. You know. Little things like that."

"Oh." Gary blushed. "Being here's enough for me."

"And me. But Ventrexia and the Rebellion leaders want to thank you. Let them. You deserve it."

"Okay. I just hope none of the Ventrexian bigwigs expect me to remember them this time. I've lived here for months and I still can't tell all the crew apart."

"Just stay with me," said Avocato, shifting closer to settle in against Gary's warmth. "You'll be fine."

"I know," whispered Gary, choosing to interpret the advice as a promise. He leaned in for a kiss, smiling as he said, "That's the plan."

Avocato clearly understood his meaning. He slowly opened his eyes. "That's a good plan. Maybe we should do something about making it a rule."

He liked where this was going. "I'm onboard with that, General. What did you have in mind?"

"Do humans get married?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, we do."

Avocato nodded thoughtfully, then offered proof positive that getting shot by this man was the smartest thing Gary had ever done.

"So do Ventrexians. So, why don't we?"

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Y'know, Dad, for the first time, I feel like I deserve this uniform."

They stood side-by-side atop the Sabertooth's open docking ramp, waiting for the welcoming ceremony to begin. A warm breeze swept up into the hold, giving adopted father and son a scent of their home planet such as they had not enjoyed in over a decade.

"You earned that uniform, Colonel, and your rank, and that medal." Avocato brushed at some imaginary dust on Little Cato's shoulder, then straightened his epaulets just so before lifting the medal to see the embossed image. Leadership and outstanding courage in battle. Little Cato watched Avocato's expression. The pleased little smile on the general's face told Little Cato he had proven himself. Carefully setting the medal back, Avocato slowly knelt down before Little Cato so they could see eye-to-eye, his voice gentle as he said, "You still have a choice. The moment you step foot on Ventrexian soil, you'll be king. If that's more than you want, then say so right now and I'll take you as far away as you want to go."

Little Cato smiled in appreciation, but in his heart he knew he didn't have such an option. It had been almost half a solar year since the downfall of the Tera Con Empire, and only now had things settled enough – and his adopted father had recovered enough – for them to safely return to Ventrexia. Immediately following the Battle of Tarb, the Infinity Guard and Resistance fleets had secured Tera Con Prime and what was left of the Lord Commander's forces. The Tera Con military had been disbanded, its ships and soldiers scattered among the various fleets of the rebel forces. The soldiers had been given the option to return to their home planets, and many took advantage of the offer.

Trusting Gary to take care of Avocato during his long recovery, Little Cato had spent most of his time at General Cataloupe's side as they worked to restore territories and treaties that had been in place prior to the Lord Commander's rise. It hadn't been easy, but he had learned a lot. The governments of many of the conquered systems had balked at Cataloupe's insistence that Avocato had to be granted a full pardon and immunity from prosecution, but the general was adamant. Ultimately, Cataloupe got his way, even if the government of the Theta Shra Federation complied only after the Tryvuulians announced they would invade and take over the territory of any authority they didn't recognize - and anyone who didn't pardon Avocato wouldn't be recognized. Little Cato knew his father would never have asked for such concessions for himself, so he was grateful beyond words that General Cataloupe was in charge of negotiations.

Taking Avocato's hand in his, he said, "No. All my life you've shown me what duty means. I have a duty to Ventrexia, to fix the mistakes my parents made."

Overwhelmed, there was a pause before Avocato could say, "I don't think even they could possibly be as proud of you as I am."

"Thanks, Dad." He gave Avocato's fingers a squeeze, trying to convey how much his father meant to him. Everything was not an exaggeration. "You'll stay with me?"

"As long as you want me and as long as you need me."

He gave a little shrug and a wry smile. "Forever, then. Good."

Pulling him in, Avocato touched his forehead to Little Cato's for an extended moment in a wordless display of devotion, then pressed a kiss to the same spot. "Forever," he promised before leaning heavily on Little Cato's shoulder to stand again. He straightened his uniform - a winter uniform despite the heat of summer - and smiled down at his son.

Reassured, Little Cato turned to the officers and dignitaries assembled in the Sabertooth's docking bay. They were waiting for him to give the word that would start the next chapter in Ventrexia's history. Most, not all, were Ventrexian, and had arrived over the past few days to greet their generals and fleet, meet their crown prince, and catch up on the latest news first hand. All looked quite satisfied with the outcome of Avocato's rebellion. An empire had fallen, multiple planetary systems were free of tyranny, and Ventrexia had a prince who seemed equal to ruling a proud and ancient race. Searching the crowd, Little Cato spotted Mooncake bobbing about, and easily picked out the other two people he wanted by his side as he reclaimed his birthright.

"General Cataloupe. Captain Goodspeed," he called. "Will you join us, please?"

So with his father and his friend on his right and his general on his left, Little Cato lifted his chin, squared his narrow shoulders, and became a king.