Meeting the Boyfriend

"Gary, you're home from the academy early!" Jack said, smiling up at his son who was standing in the doorway.

The blonde bent down to engulf the shorter man in a tight hug. "I missed you, pops."

"I missed you, too," said Jack. "And who is this handsome gentleman?" he asked, looking past his son. There was a blue-furred Ventrexian coming up the walkway with several bags in his arms.

"Hello, sir. I'm…"

"This super hottie is my boyfriend!" Gary blurted out, interrupting the feline. The young man in question blushed at his words.

"Is he now?" Jack mused, chuckling at his son's enthusiasm.

"As I was saying… Hello, sir. I'm Avocato," the Ventrexian said, extending a paw toward him.

Jack suddenly found himself coughing, his cheeks starting to burn pink from embarrassment.

"What wrong?" Gary asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Just a bit of dust in my throat, is all," Jack lied. "Lovely to meet you, Avocato. Just call me 'Jack.' None of that sir stuff. Now, we weren't expecting you home until tomorrow, but your father just had to start up the grill," the Greytrexian said, rolling his eyes. Honestly, what was with human men and grills? John hated cooking indoors during the summer, even if it was cloudy.

"I can't wait. I haven't had Dad's cooking in a long time," Gary said. The young men followed the pilot into the house.

"Jack, who was at the door?" John asked, wiping his hands on a dish towel that was tucked into his blue 'Kiss the Captain' apron. His dark eyes lit up at the sight of his son stepping onto the patio. "Gary! Come give your old man a hug!"

"Dad!" The young man was quick to cross the deck and wrap his arms around his father's waist. The pair embraced for a long moment, then Gary pulled away. The captain glanced back toward the door, only to raise an eyebrow at the blue-furred alien stepping onto the porch. "And who is this strapping young man with you?" John asked, a smile curving over his lips.

The Ventrexian was quick to step forward, and extend his hand. "Nice to meet you, Captain Goodspeed. My name is Avocato."

John's grip suddenly tightened, his eyes widening at the young man's name. "Ah, sorry," he said, recovering quickly. Shooting a quick glance at his petite husband, he returned his attention to the boys in time to hear Gary to say, "He's my boyfriend!"

"Good to meet you, son. Be good to my darling boy here, and I won't have to hunt you down," John warned, putting a hand on his only child's shoulder. "

"Dad!" Gary groaned, rolling his eyes.

"All right. All right," John laughed. "How would you like your steak, boys?"

"Raw and soaked in blood!" the blonde exclaimed, posing dramatically.

"Uh huh. Medium rare, it is," the captain stated.

"The same for me, sir," Avocato added.

"Your boyfriend is very polite," John informed his son as he turned back to the grill. "You could learn something from him."

"Nah. Not my style," Gary insisted, flopping into one of the deck chairs. The Ventrexian took a seat next to him, reaching out to twine their fingers together under the table.

"I made a salad, and some iced tea," Jack announced, returning from his short trip to the kitchen.

"It looks great, Mr. Jack," Avocato said, enthusiastically.

"Mr. Jack? I can live with that. But only until we get to know each other a bit more," the Greytrexian said, amused.

"Hey, that's not fair. You have to call me 'Mr. John,' and quit the sir stuff," the captain stated, pouting over his shoulder.

"See," said Gary, nudging his boyfriend. "They do like you."

John glanced over his shoulder in time to catch the pair sneaking a kiss, and could only smile to himself.

"So, Gary's training to be a pilot. What are you training for, Avocato?" Jack asked, taking a on the other side of the table.

"Actually, I joined the Academy to eventually become a Captain," Avocato told him.

"Really? Well, if you need any pointers, I'd be happy to help," John asserted.

"Thank you, sir. I mean, Mr. John," the young man said, clasping Gary's hand under the table again.

"Awww… you two are so cute!" Jack said, clapping his hands. "John, our grandchildren are going to be adorable!"

Three sets of eyes widened at the announcement. "I'm pretty sure they're both boys, Jack," the captain said, setting the steaks on the table.

"They can adopt," Jack argued back, humming Gary's favorite lullaby as a child.

"Pops, please, we haven't even been dating that long," the blonde groaned, sneaking a side-glance at his, thankfully, amused boyfriend.

"So, tell us how you met," the Greytrexian insisted, letting the subject of grandchildren drop — for now.

"Funny story, actually," Avocato laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. The rest of the evening was filled with family bonding and laughter.

(Bonus)

"Darn it. What other kind of vegetable does Gary not like to eat," John groaned, throwing his hands into the air.

"Avocados are fruits, dear. Berries, actually. Hm… he likes my pumpkin pie, and your green bean stew," Jack said, counting on his fingers.

"Wait, pumpkins and beans are fruits? Since when?" the captain asked, raising an eyebrow at his husband.

"Since forever. What about kiwi? I don't think Gary likes kiwi much," the pilot said.

"Alright. Kiwi it is. Do you think we'll remember it?"

"I hope so."

Note: Darn it, boys! This was supposed to be a quick story.