4. The Closer You Get

Gary spent that long night holding vigil with Little Cato. He listened as the teen told stories about his adopted father, and Gary was relieved to laugh a few times with his friend. As the night wore on, they spoke less and less. Eventually the Ventrexian fell asleep, and Gary covered him snugly with a blanket before resuming his seat and just . . . waiting. The hours dragged, the guard changed, Gary dozed, and finally one of the doctors came to give Little Cato an update.

". . . asleep now, and breathing on his own, Your Highness," the doctor was saying as Gary roused. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling fuzzy and stupid from inadequate and uneasy sleep. To Gary's surprise, the doctor was Ventrexian. There were very few of them serving the Lord Commander, and he later learned this doctor had been recruited after the rebellion started, for the sole purpose of tending Ventrexia's next king, and by extension, the king's adopted father. "Once he stabilized, we were able to give him a pain killer. That's helping him rest."

"Did his heart stop again?" asked Little Cato in a small voice.

The doctor hesitated, then admitted, "Twice. Briefly. I know it's frightening, but this has been the longest interval between these episodes to date. That's a good sign the poison is working its way out of his system. Against all odds, he's made it this far. He's not about to stop fighting."

"What can I do?"

"What you've been doing. Look after him as he looks after you. He should be home by this evening, but I'll send word when he wakes up. He'd like a visit, I'm sure."

Back in his room a little later, Gary dropped into bed fully dressed. He didn't expect to sleep, but when he woke at noon shiptime, he felt a hell of a lot better. He also had a hell of a lot to think about. Little Cato sent word - literally, one word, delivered by the guard Gary had come to see as his personal tour guide, a grunted, 'Home' - when Avocato was released from medical. Gary found himself immensely relieved, which led to the realization that he'd never felt so anxious about anyone before in his life, himself included.

Two days later, another invitation came.

It was too early to be dinner, too late for lunch, and Gary was escorted to a small and comfortable lounge reserved for the ship's officers. As it turned out, Avocato enjoyed something along the lines of tea in the afternoon, a brief rest and chance to refresh in the midst of long hours of work. A steward brought them an elaborate setup for hot drinks and plates of snacks - things to suit both human and Ventrexian tastes, Gary noted with a sudden rush of appreciation and, heaven help him, affection.

As usual, the room was warm. Actually, no, it was positively hot. He didn't mind, especially now that he knew the reason why. Gary pulled off his leather coat, and the steward hung it up for him. He was shocked when the steward left. There was no Little Cato. No officers. Just them. Him. The ridiculously gorgeous cat in uniform. Alone. Together. Unchaperoned.

"I apologize for not standing, Captain," said Avocato, looking up in greeting. "I'm only allowed to stand and walk when necessary."

Feeling supremely awkward all of a sudden, Gary stammered, "Uh, shouldn't he . . . um . . . are you okay with just me?"

Amused, Avocato set aside the padd he had been reading and gave Gary that little head tilt and curious look that always set his heart racing. "I'm fine with it if you are."

Gary blinked, shooting a glance at the comm unit by the door in case of emergency. Lights were on. It was working. Good. Because . . . this was quite the crap ton of responsibility. Despite how casually Little Cato mentioned Avocato killing the assassin who poisoned him, this was also a phenomenal display of trust. Was this a test of sorts? He really didn't want to fail.

"I . . . yeah. Yeah. I'm good. Are you good?" He tripped as he went to take the seat opposite Avocato, and finally he slunk into the chair and tried not to die of embarrassment.

Avocato, ignoring his klutzy fit, carefully poured Gary some tea and passed it to him. His motions were slow and deliberate, as if each action called for more focus than normal. Gary allowed himself a close look. Avocato wore a very striking fitted tunic of dark orange with yellow and green trim and an insane number of gold buttons. One of the officers had explained to Gary that as a sign of respect, Avocato regularly wore the uniforms of all the factions of the rebellion against the Lord Commander. Today he wore what Gary recognized as a Zintabo general's uniform adapted for a Ventrexian. The bright colors suited him, though Gary had long ago concluded Avocato could dress in a burlap sack and still look sharp. Though neat and trim as always, Avocato appeared tired, that bone-weary air of a man who's worked too hard for too long without an end in sight.

"To answer your question, yes. I'm good. Or as good as can be expected. It will be a few more days before I'm . . . as fully recovered as I can be at this point."

"Well, I'm glad you're up. Home. All that." Gary looked at the fragrant pink liquid in his cup. For some reason, the smell made him think of springtime, something he hadn't seen or experienced in ages. "Um, Little Cato told me what happened. With the Lord Commander and the lizard mage dude. That sucks, yo."

Taking a moment to process that mess of a response, Avocato nodded. "Agreed. Some of the damage the poison did will be permanent, but I'm lucky to have survived. Not many do. I was planning on telling you soon myself. You understand why it's a closely guarded secret, and why you cannot say anything."

"I understand. And I wouldn't. But . . . why tell me?"

That curious look again. Gary wondered if he'd somehow put his foot in it, but then Avocato smiled faintly. "The same reasons I've asked you to join Little Cato and me so often, Captain: I enjoy your company and I've come to trust you. I hope someday you'll feel the same about me."

Enjoy his company? Oh, dear god, that was the understatement of the millennium. And trust? That had never even been a question. He was about to answer when Avocato gave a small twinge and hastily set his cup down. The general placed his hands at his sides, bracing himself as he rode out this aftershock of akusan poisoning. A small grunt of pain escaped Avocato, and he gritted his teeth reflexively. Gary froze, watching and ready to leap over the couch to the comm unit to call for help if things didn't improve in the next second or two, but after a few tense moments, Avocato relaxed and opened his eyes again.

"Apologies. That happens a lot following these episodes."

Gary shook his head. "Don't apologize. Avocato, you saved my bacon. I passed the enjoying your company and trust thing about twenty minutes after meeting you. Hell, thanks to your kid, I think I trusted you before I met you."

He nodded, pleased by Gary's answer, then wondered, "What's bacon?"

"The candy of meat. Oh, you'd love it. But what I mean is, you saved my life. You gave me this way cool robotic arm. You gave me your time, and I know that's something you don't have a lot of. I appreciate that. And I really enjoy your company. I know it doesn't mean much, but if there's anything I can do to help, just say it, and I'm there."

"You've already done more than you know." Avocato sipped his tea and nibbled on what looked like a chunk of fancy jerky. "You've been monitored since you arrived. It's standard procedure for anyone not fully vetted by security. It means a lot that you haven't complained or tried to access other parts of the ship without an escort, including the computers. Some of the officers are jealous of the time we spend together. They're extremely protective of me, and don't quite see that you're the only adult onboard I can simply talk to as a peer."

Gary paused, his cup halfway to his mouth. "Wow. Avocato, that's like, super lonely."

The Ventrexian smiled again, quietly admitting, "It was."

Liking where this was going, Gary asked, "And now?"

"Not so much."