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metamorphicrocky · 4 years

Text

Forgettable Birthdays

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SONNNNN. Little Cato deserves good times for his birthdays that most definitely have probably not always been amazing

Birthdays were never a big thing for Little Cato.

The earliest birthday he can remember was when his dad brought him into work and gave him a little cake. That tradition continued for a few years until his dad began to say that celebrations should only be for victories. A day that happened every year wasn't a special occasion in his books.

Little Cato didn't mind. He shouldn't have been wasting so much time on childish things anyways. His dad would give him a pat on the head and a special sparring match instead of a cake. It was just as fun...even if one year, Little Cato had to remind his dad what the day was. And he had to start writing it on his father's calendars after that. Little Cato was never mad that his dad couldn't remember; he was a busy general and had more important things to worry about than his son's birthday.

Then he was captured. Birthdays just became a normal day, except he missed his father even more. He was so alone. Always cold, probably in pain from a beating from a guard for acting up again. His birthdays he spent sulking and wishing his dad could scoop him up into a big hug that he would never let go of. Maybe when his dad rescued him, he could get a cake again with candles and frosting.

That plan fell apart once his dad died, but especially when he was trapped for sixty years on the other side of a time shard.

He kept track of the dates for a couple of years. Whenever his birthday rolled around, he would take his picture of Gary and bring it into his room where his dad's hologram was. Little Cato would curl up in his chair and sing happy birthday to himself, staring at the images of two men who he could never get back. He always cried by about the sixth run of the song and simply fall to the ground and sob until he passed out.

The years went by, and he forgot the dates. He would make meaningless tallies for each day that passed, not caring what they meant. Birthdays were the farthest thing from his mind as he only grew lonelier and lonelier until he learned that he didn't have to be alone anymore.

He was rescued from that, too, eventually. Whatever good memories Little Cato ever had with birthdays didn't matter after everything.

----

Little Cato is always on edge, but so is everyone else on the Crimson Light. Final space isn't the best living environment, they've grown to learn.

Today isn't any different. He yawns and stretches as he wakes up after another rough night, Gary's presence on his side lacking like usual. Gary is always awake before him.

He needs to fix some wiring in the dining room today. Gary mentioned it to him yesterday, so that's his mission for the moment.

Little Cato stands from Gary's bed and walks out into the hallway, barely paying attention to where he's heading after knowing the layout of the ship so well. It should be a quick fix, and then he can check up on everything else like he does every day. This'll be an easy day with no surprises.

The Ventrexian yawns again as the doors to the dining room slide open. He takes one step into the room, and then—

"Surprise!"

Little Cato's eyes fly open and alert as he jumps, staring in, well, surprise at the gathering of people in the room. All of them are smiling as best as they can, most of them looking forced except his dads' grins.

"What?" Little Cato says, his eyes darting between what looks like a cake and everyone's faces.

"Happy birthday, Spidercat!" Gary shouts.

"Happy what?"

Gary's smile falls minutely as his other dad steps forward. "You didn't think we would forget your birthday now, would you? After all, it's the big fifteen."

Gary's nose scrunches up in confusion. "No, sixteen is the big one."

"Gary, are you insane?" Avocato laughs incredulously, staring at his co-parent like he has two heads. "It's fifteen, baby."

"Sixteen! That's when you get your license and stuff!"

The two are glaring at each other now as Avocato shouts, "That's what happens at fifteen!"

Before his two dads can get into a full blown argument, Quinn puts a hand on both of their arms as she smiles thinly at the youngest member of the crew. "Either way, happy birthday, Little Cato."

Little Cato's mouth is wide open as he blinks at everyone blankly. "It's my birthday," he says under his breath.

Gary and Avocato look confused for a moment, but they turn to each other in unison with shared frowns. Gary walks over to his son and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, little buddy. We figured that you probably haven't celebrated your birthday in a while, so we had to do something," his dad says gently, a warm smile slipping onto his face.

Avocato joins Gary on Little Cato's other side. "Sorry that it isn't much, we can do something bigger when we get out of here."

Little Cato's gaze flicks between his dads and the awaiting cake on the table in guilt. They made him a cake for something as trivial and dumb as a birthday. The thought of his dads using limited rations to bake it for him sits heavily in his stomach.

"You shouldn't have made a cake for me," Little mumbles. His vision grows blurry the longer he stares at it.

Gary ruffles his hair gently. "Hey, we all decided that you deserved it for your birthday. I think we all need something to celebrate right now."

"If you don't like the cake, blame Gary. But maybe later we can do one of our sparring sessions?" Avocato asks fondly, smiling encouragingly at his son.

"You, me, and Fox can have a sleepover later!" Ash pipes up, her brother nodding with a genuine smile on his face.

Mooncake squishes himself against Little Cato's face. "Chookity pok pok!"

"Oh! Almost forgot!" Gary says as he starts taking off his jacket. Then, he holds it out to his son. "Didn't have anything nice to wrap it in, but—!"

Little Cato's arms cut off Gary as he pulls both of his dads into a bone crushing hug, burying his face into their chests as his eyes begin to water. It takes a moment for him to feel two strong arms wrap around him in return, and the smile on his face is so wide that it almost hurts.

"I love you guys," the teen says, his voice cracking in the middle.

"We love you, too, Little Cato," Avocato says, tightening his hold on his son.

Little Cato knows that this happiness will be short-lived, but he doesn't care right now. Birthdays might finally be something worth remembering if there are more like this.

#this boy deserves the world #final space #little cato #gary goodspeed #avocato #quinn ergon #mooncake #fox #ash graven #dadspeed #avodad #fs fics

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metamorphicrocky · 5 years

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Neither is He

did the discord just start going off an angst earlier? yes. did I start thinking about s3 angst between Gary, Little Cato, and Avocato? yes. so did I write this? absolutely :)

Ever since the Crimson Light went into Final Space, Avocato has been very confused.

Which is to be expected, seeing as how he died and then was brought back to life only to be possessed right up until he was flung into a nightmare dimension with his friends and a bunch of strangers.

Was everything explained to him? Yes, Gary and Little Cato did an...enthusiastic retelling of the events. But is he still utterly lost? Oh, absolutely.

Avocato has never been someone who likes being in the dark, so their current situation has put him seriously on edge for the past few weeks. He doesn't know what to expect in this new environment with a new crew, and the new developments between a certain two have to be the most unexpected parts of this whole thing if he's being honest.

"Hey, Dad?" Little Cato asks, peering his head around the entrance way into the bridge.

"Yes?" Avocato says at the same time as Gary says, "Yeah, buddy?"

The two men look at each other, and Gary flicks his eyes away when he notices the slight annoyance in Avocato's expression.

The kid doesn't even bat an eye at the very slight tension in the room. "Do you wanna go do something in the arcade?"

Avocato watches as Gary smiles and jumps up, bounding over the kid to ruffle his hair and smirk. "Oh, you wanna get beat again, little man?"

Little Cato smirks back, crossing his arms, "Oh, you're wrong on that. I'm gonna beat you so good, Thunder Bandit!" Then, he turns towards Avocato. "Dad, you coming?"

The Ventrexian stays silent for a moment, staring at the way Gary's hand naturally sits on top of his son's head and how Little Cato's tail wraps around Gary's leg unconsciously. The two of them interact like they've known each other for years, not the few months that Avocato knows it's been.

"No thanks," he states plainly.

Little Cato's face falls slightly almost in tandem with Gary's doing the same. "Are you sure?" the human asks, raising an eyebrow. "We could fit a game of cards in?"

He shakes his head. "I'm good."

Gary and Little Cato glance at each other, then together, they walk out of the room. Almost instantly, Avocato can hear their distant excited chatter over what games to play and the two of them playfully egging each other on.

His best friend adopted his son. That's a reasonable thing to do when someone dies, but Avocato is more than alive now. Yes, he asked Gary to take care of him, and he's grateful that his friend took on that responsibility....

But now? There isn't any reason why Gary should still be in that role.

A blooming anger forces a low growl from Avocato as he ruminates on the bridge.

----

Avocato yawns as he walks out of the bridge after his shift, Tribore taking his place. He is so ready to sleep in his room and not think about the floating corpses that he sees every second of the day.

As he's marching tiredly to his room, he hears some quiet talking in the hallway up ahead. He stops in his tracks and sneaks towards the corner to see who's there. He leans out from his hiding spot, only for Gary and Little Cato to be in his sight.

He freezes in place, watching as Gary cards a hand through the boy's fur. His friend is holding the boy tight to his chest as Little Cato clings to Gary's shirt, trembling fiercely. The shine of tears glisten on the kid's cheeks under the dim light of the ship's hallway, and Avocato frowns.

Little Cato hiccups, burying his head into Gary's stomach miserably.

"It's okay, bud. Let it all out," Gary soothes. "You're on the Crimson Light with me. We're both alive, and you're not alone. You're safe, okay?"

"I'm–I'm safe," Little Cato tries to say in between sobs.

Gary nods, rubbing the Ventrexian's back. "Yeah, you're safe with me."

The kid takes a few more moments to calm down, then he loosens his grip on Gary's shirt and hugs him instead.

"Do you know how you got here?" Gary questions softly.

"I had a nightmare about...," his son mumbles too quietly, so Avocato misses what he says. "I woke up and went to get you, then you brought us out here in case I woke anyone up."

Little Cato specifically wanted Gary?

"Good job, can you tell me anything else?" his friend encourages softly.

"I'm fourteen. You're thirty-two. You're real. We're in Final Space."

"There you go!" Gary smiles fondly at the boy. "Feeling more grounded?"

The boy nods, and Gary plants a soft kiss to the top of Little Cato's head. He snuggles into his adoptive dad as Gary starts rambling about something random.

Avocato finally stops his spying, disgruntled that he feels like a stranger over checking into his own son's well being. He glares at the wall across from him and walks away.

The next morning, the only sign that Little Cato was ever upset is the way Gary is extra affectionate towards the kid. Neither of them talk about it.

The anger in Avocato's chest grows.

----

The more Gary and his son interact, the more annoyed Avocato is.

He needs to fix this. His relationship with his son was going to be rough to navigate through, and Avocato was well aware of that fact. But this is ridiculous, the kid is with his friend more than his biological father.

Right now, Little Cato is in his room according to the weird girl.

Avocato strides down the hallway, then knocks on the kid's door. Little Cato opens it after a few seconds, and his blank expression turns into excitement when he sees his dad.

"Hey, Dad! What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could do a little father-son bonding," Avocato says, smiling at his son.

The boy lights up, pumping a fist in the air. "Yes! That is tight! I'll go grab Gary!"

Avocato's face scrunches up in confusion, and he grabs his son's shoulder before he can run off. He laughs awkwardly as the kid stops and tilts his head. "I was thinking just the two of us?"

"But...you said father-son bonding?"

Little Cato's confused expression shockingly resembles Gary's, and he tries to ignore it.

"Just us today. It'll be just like old times, right?"

His son still looks confused, and maybe even a little worried, but he puts on a smile anyways. "Um, okay. What are we doing?"

Avocato smiles, knowing that his son is going to love this. He leads him to the weapons room and spreads his arms out, gesturing towards the array of guns set out.

"We're gonna fix these babies up, just like we used to!"

Avocato's ecstatic smile drops when he sees the boredom already on his son's face, but Little Cato scrambles to appear excited when he notices his father looking at him.

"Well," Avocato says, at a loss for words for one of the first times in his life, "Let's, uh, get going!"

They both sit down and begin working in silence. Avocato is content enough with the calm quiet and rudimentary cleaning and replacing of parts. Little Cato, on the other hand, looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"Hey, that's a GXV-76 over there. You always wanted one of those, so I'll let you deal with that one," Avocato says, knowing that his son will at least enjoy that.

Instead of the expected reaction, his son stiffens as he sees the gun, and he laughs nervously. "You can do that one. I'm kinda over those now, anyways."

"Well, what's your new favorite blaster, then?"

Little Cato shrugs. "Dunno, haven't really thought about it much."

Well, that's new to Avocato. His son not being obsessed with weapons of all kinds? Come to think of it, the gun he uses now is one that he had no interest in previously.

They fall into an awkward silence again.

"So, uh, what's some stuff you did before all of this?" Avocato tries to ask, hoping he doesn't come off as pushy.

"Other than trying not to die, a bunch of stuff. Ash taught me how to paint nails. Gary's been giving me homework and stuff since there isn't a school in this area." Little Cato laughs at his own joke. "Oh! Gary and I play this game called—!"

"How about something that doesn't involve Gary?" Avocato cuts in, a little too forcefully. "Something that's just Little Cato."

The young Ventrexian's face falls, the excitement draining from his eyes. He shrugs. "I don't know? Everything's been so hectic lately, and when we were first on the ship, I was with Gary most of the time."

The conversation falls as Avocato's increasing frustration with this bonding activity makes its presence known. This is not going according to plan.

Does Gary really have that much of an influence over his son?

As if the universe just wants to make Avocato's life as difficult as possible, Gary happens to walk by the room. The blond stops as he notices them, bounding into the room with a bright smile on his face.

"There you two are! I've been looking all over for you!" Avocato doesn't miss how Little Cato brightens like the rising sun when Gary comes. "You two wanna get in on a team squad BS game?"

His son leaps out of his seat, running up and doing a weird handshake with Gary. The two of them laugh when they finish, and Avocato's chest tightens.

Gary's smile turns towards his best friend, the signature Gary Goodspeed smile that Avocato knows from back when everything made sense.

"What d'you say, buddy? Ready to get beat by me yet again?"

He smiles tightly. "Oh, just you wait, baby. I'll finish this up and be there in a few."

His son nods and bounces out of the room, trailing on Gary's heels to go be with the rest of the crew.

The anger morphs into rage.

----

Another night of Little Cato going to Gary for comfort over him, even though they were in the same room at the time.

Little Cato has a panic attack one day, and Gary is the one to calm him down.

They dance to some music called Loggins.

Little Cato wrestles and spars with Gary.

Gary ruffles his son's hair.

Gary plays games around the ship with his son.

Gary is the first to praise his son when he does something impressive.

Gary and Little Cato.

Gary and his son.

The rage consumes him.

----

"Gary, we need to talk about something."

The blond turns around, an open expression on his face. "Yeah? What's up, man?"

Avocato doesn't sit down across from Gary. He stands over him, a deep frown on his face.

"You can stop fathering Little Cato, you know."

Gary's face scrunches in confusion—just like Little Cato—as his mouth opens and closes as he tries to process his friend's words. He moves his hands around aimlessly, not knowing how to react.

Finally, he speaks, "What?" Confusion laces his voice.

"I know that you had to do it while I was gone, but now that I'm back, you can step back now, Gary. You don't have to do everything for him anymore," Avocato states.

Gary laughs incredulously. "Avocato, I don't think I can just stop being his dad."

"Yes, you can! It's simple!" he growls in frustration.

Gary stands and stares into Avocato's eyes, searching for something within them. He looks for a solid few seconds, and he steps back when he doesn't find what he's looking for, his face portraying the definition of devastation.

"You're serious?"

"Yes, why would I joke about this?"

Gary splutters. "Because you sound ridiculous! Do you even know what you're saying?!"

"Gary! Yes! I can parent him on my own, just like it was supposed to be before everything!" Avocato shouts.

"I can't just stop," his friend says sadly. "It'll crush the kid to lose another person."

The Ventrexian waves off his concerns, rolling his eyes. "He's a tough kid, he'll get over it."

Gary crosses his arms, lifting an eyebrow as a challenge. Avocato glares at him in response, not appreciating how Gary has been way too eager to keep his son so far.

"Do you really know that, Avocato? You haven't been around the kid in over three years; he's not the son you knew anymore," he states calmly. "He–he won't react the way you think he will, trust me, buddy."

Avocato scoffs. "Yeah, the reason why I don't know my own son anymore is because you changed him! He doesn't even care about GXV-76's anymore, and he loves them!"

Gary stops at that. "Is that the yellow gun? With the curved handle?"

He huffs in response, nodding his head as his rage continues to grow.

His friend groans, burying his bead into his hands and then throwing them out with frustration. "He tried to kill himself with that gun! This is why I'm trying to tell you that you don't know anything about him anymore!"

"He what?" Avocato whispers, glaring at Gary in shock. Fury overcomes him as he shouts, "No wonder the boy is so fucked up. The only reason I don't know my son anymore is because of you!"

"Avocato—"

"No!" He's seething, his chest rising erratically. "Gary, this is my job, and I don't want you to keep taking my kid away from me!"

Gary's face is white as a ghost, his hands shaking. "I just want to help you guys, that's all. Isn't it better to have more people in the kid's corner? Helping out?"

"Help is fine, but you're not doing that," he growls. "You can't take my son away from me!"

"...Dad?"

Gary and Avocato whip their heads towards the doorway, and there stands Little Cato, Mooncake trailing behind him. The boy's eyes are dilated, fear reflecting across his face.

"What's going on?" Little Cato whispers, his voice shaking.

"Don't worry about it, buddy. It's just a dad to dad conversation," Gary says, somehow managing to sound calm.

"But—"

Gary smiles encouragingly at the boy, but the kid just keeps looking between Avocato's angry and surprised face and the other man. "It's okay, Spidercat."

Avocato groans, "This is what I'm talking about, you need to stop!"

"Okay, Avocato, this is clearly not the time," Gary tries to reason, and for some reason, he's still so fucking calm.

"Tell me what's going on," Little Cato pleads, walking up to his dads.

"Buddy, it's fine—"

"No, you two are upset—"

"And I said it's—"

"Tell me, please!"

"Spidercat, not now—"

"Yes, now—"

"Enough!" Avocato roars, silencing them both instantly. Both of their shocked faces—they look so alike—turn towards him. "Boy, get the hell out of here!"

Little Cato flinches back at his dad's tone, full of rage and hatred and weeks of pent up emotions, and tears pool in his eyes. Avocato hears gasps from the hallway, and he turns towards the other members of the ship all crowded around the doorway.

His attention is brought back to Gary when the man grabs him by the shoulder, heatedly forcing him to turn around. Avocato's glower drops from his face when he sees one on Gary's, the emotion of pure fury looking wrong and foreign on the generally happy guy's face.

"Don't you ever yell at him like that again," Gary says, quiet and strong like an incoming storm. Avocato notices that Little Cato has moved to stand next to Gary. "This kid is the best thing that will ever happen to either of us, okay? He's my son as much as he is yours, whether you like it or not. If he gets the chance to have more than one parent, I will never take that opportunity away from him."

Little Cato's head whips up to stare at Gary in what looks to be fright, then he stares at Avocato in shock. "You don't want him to be my dad anymore?"

The raw hurt in his son's voice causes Avocato to falter in his rage, pausing momentarily before continuing on his rampage. "You have me now! And all you've been doing is spending time with him over me! I barely know you anymore!"

Little Cato shakes his head, his face absolutely distraught.

Gary moves to stand slightly in front of his son, something that Avocato cannot let slip from his notice. "Avocato," Gary says calmly. "Come on, man! Let's not fight, you're obviously upset and not thinking straight."

"You stole my son away from me!"

"He didn't steal me," Little Cato says firmly, his voice cracking. It slows his anger. "I want both of you to be my dads!"

Something inside of Avocato—something fierce and powerful and conflicting, that feels almost familiar—sparks. His glare sharpens as he growls, throwing his arms out furiously. A culmination of everything, especially the way his own son is cowering behind the man that stole him away, lights that spark.

"You would choose him over your own father?!" Avocato screams, guttural and full of rage like the force of a typhoon.

The sound almost echoes, fading into a dead silence. Little Cato and Gary have blank expressions on their faces, but his son's quickly turns into one of horror as he steps out from behind Gary and—

click

Avocato is frozen in place, staring down the barrel of a gun that must not have been one that Little Cato tried to commit suicide with, because his son has a gun pointed directly at his chest. Little Cato's face is a mix between terrified and determined, his eyes sharp, yet they almost have the appearance of being empty. The tears shine against his fur where they fall. No one is making a sound or moving, the tension almost tangible.

"Little Cato," Avocato breathes, shocked beyond belief.

"I'm not letting you shoot him again!" his boy screams, his arms shaking from holding his gun so tight.

Avocato glances to Gary, who also looks horrified at the kid in front of him. The blond slowly moves to be in front of Avocato, and Little Cato's facial expression stays the same. Gary gently kneels down in front of his son and whispers, "Buddy, it's Gary. Everything's okay, no one is trying to kill anyone."

The boy shakes his head. His eyes remain glossed over. "No no no, he's gonna kill you! He's mad at you and me and he's gonna try to kill us," the kid cries.

"We're on the Crimson Light. Avocato and I just got into a bit of an argument—," Gary takes this pause to glare at the Ventrexian who's still frozen in spot. "—that got pretty heated. Something upset you, but everything is fine right now."

Little Cato sobs. "No, he's gonna kill you! He thinks you stole me from him!"

Gary takes in a shaky breath. "No, he doesn't, Spidercat. You can put down the gun."

"But—"

Gary gently places his hands on top of Little Cato's, pushing it down to face the floor when the boy offers no resistance to the motion. The gun clatters to the floor as Little Cato's grip slackens. His eyes focus again, and he starts blinking rapidly through the tears. He glances at the two men in front of him, his eyes widen, then he bursts into sobbing as he falls to the ground. Gary catches him and holds him protectively in his arms, quickly whispering reassurances and comforting words to him.

Avocato steps back, his eyes wide and breath coming fast as everything that has happened comes crashing into clarity. He did this to his son.

"Gary, I—," Avocato starts, but Gary's heated glare shuts him up.

"Don't say a single word right now," he orders, his voice staying scarily calm.

He stands, picking up Little Cato into his arms and holding the boy's head to his shoulder. He tosses a sideways glance towards Avocato, making the Ventrexian back away from them. As Gary enters the hallway, the crew parting to let him through, a sobbing boy in his arms, he stops.

Everything is silent for several moments other than the sound of crying, then Gary says in a frigid voice, "None of you let him out of here."

He walks away with Little Cato, and Avocato falls to his knees, punching the ground with a shaking fist.

The rage dies.

----

"I don't even think I could possibly tell you how mad I am right now," Gary says, the rage buried within the usually easygoing man making itself clear.

Avocato doesn't lift his gaze from his hands in his laps as he sits hunched over on a bench.

Gary sighs and slams down in the spot next to him. "If you ever try to do that to Little Cato again, I will not hesitate to snap on you."

"Noted," Avocato says.

The two stay silent as Gary leans back and crosses his arms. Avocato doesn't want to see the anger on Gary's expression because of the guilt swirling viciously inside of him, and his friend's reaction will only make it worse.

Would Gary even want to be his friend after this?

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

Avocato wants to voice his need to apologize to his son, but Gary probably knows that and won't let him even near the kid. Honestly, Avocato agrees. He hurt his son badly and his best friend, too.

A sniffle makes him finally look at Gary, only to see the blond wiping tears away.

He reaches a hand out, maybe for comfort, but retracts it almost immediately. "Gary—"

"I had Ash and Fox hide all of the guns on the ship while Little Cato cried himself to sleep again. I had to tell him that it wasn't his fault that he pulled a gun on his father again," Gary whispers, his voice cracking again. He finally looks at Avocato, and the stress on his face makes Avocato's heart clench. "That it wasn't his fault that you didn't want me to be his dad anymore.

"It doesn't matter if we don't agree on parenting decisions or whatever, Avocato. The kid isn't gonna see it like that. He's been through so much, he can't lose a dad again. I don't care if you don't want me to do it, and I can't blame you for it...but he isn't the son you knew. You have to accept that."

Gary sighs, scrubbing his face tiredly and blinking away stray tears. "What you did to him just now, and in the past, you're gonna have to work hard to earn that trust back."

"What if he doesn't want me back?" Avocato chokes out.

Gary looks him dead in the eyes, complete exhaustion radiating from his body. "You're just going to have to live with it." The human squeezes his shoulder as he stands up, walking towards the entryway. He stalls, his hand holding the wall and his back towards Avocato. "I'll tell you when our son can handle looking at you without feeling immense guilt."

Then he walks away, almost stumbling from how mentally exhausted he has to be.

A large part of his brain knows that Gary will never forgive him for the way he has treated Little Cato, and he deserves that. He may not've had a strong relationship with his boy, but now they're starting from square one.

A tear slips down his cheek, and he wipes it away with his thumb.

In the void where rage once burned, regret floods over the ashes.

#y'all are gonna kill me #I'm ready for the pitchforks #final space #gary goodspeed #avocato #little cato #dadspeed #avodad #fs fics

162 notes · View notes

metamorphicrocky · 4 years

Note

is the little cato au still active? if so, could i get some more angsty headcanons?

baby cato au is ALWAYS active but I've just been busy with college lol. but yes you absolutely can get more angsty headcanons

Little Cato is still sort of traumatized from the time when his father almost killed him for the Lord Commander, and after the whole possession thing trusting his dad is hard for him. but he also loves Avocato so it's a difficult situation, but there are moments where he asks if his dad is gonna try to kill him again and it breaks Avocato's heart that he's messed up with his son so badly

being a little kid who's separated from his family for a year while being captured means the poor kid is severely touch starved. that's why he always clings to Gary, because he just wants to feel grounded and he needs the touch badly

sometimes after Gary calms down Little Cato after a breakdown or something, Gary sets him down to rest and then has his own because he feels like he's only making things worse for the kid, and bringing him into final space definitely isn't helping him feel like a better dad

Little Cato preferring Gary over Avocato makes both dads feel guilty, and Gary tries really hard to get Little Cato to trust Avo again because he really feels like he replaced his best friend and that wasn't what he wanted to do at all and he worries that it'll ruin his friendship with Avocato. but he also doesn't want Little Cato to think that he's trying to leave him or anything when he tries to get him to be with Avocato more

Gary and Sheryl have a rocky relationship to say the least. Sheryl watches Gary with the kid and kinda feels jealous and confused over how he does all of that with a kid that isn't his. so sometimes she says one-off comments to Gary like "you're being too soft on him" or "he's getting away with that?" and other things that are just jabs at how he's not doing a good job. it builds up and keeps happening until finally Gary just blows up on his mom saying that she has no right to judge his parenting decisions when she's never had a day of parenting in her life. but then when he's done yelling he just breaks down because he wonders if she's right and that he's a terrible parent and Sheryl is there for the whole thing

continuing that, Little Cato walks in during Gary's breakdown where he's crying and tries to comfort him. Gary keeps on trying to put on a strong face for the kid but then Little Cato is just like "you say it's okay to cry all the time to me, so you can cry too, dad." that's when Sheryl realizes she messed up, when the kid does something that she knows is a good thing and is a direct result of Gary being a good dad

#sorry it's a short list but more will come soon when the semester ends in a few weeks #final space #gary goodspeed #little cato #avocato #sheryl goodspeed #baby cato au #dadspeed #avodad

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metamorphicrocky · 5 years

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Any new fluff and angst for the baby cato au?

oh you know I can always come up with stuff:

Gary does that thing people do with kittens where they just move their hand around to play and the kitten just goes NUTS

sometimes Gary messes with the kid and will be like "hey buddy want a cookie?" and the kid runs over excitedly just to watch Gary eat it. the kid is DEVASTATED and Gary feels so bad and luckily has another cookie to console him with

they like to watch movies together so Gary always picks the kid friendly movies but one day he lets Little Cato pick and it's literally just a rated R action movie and the kid is completely fine during the whole thing, but Gary definitely covers his eyes and ears during the sex stuff

Little Cato is around a lot of different people, so the kid picks up swear words easily. Gary has to tell him not to say those words until he's older and Little Cato asks how old, so Gary says thirteen. cue the kid's thirteenth birthday, he wakes up and runs around the ship screaming swear words at the top of his lungs. no one is amused except Gary

you know the vine of the little girl mispronouncing who? yeah, that happens

now onto some angst, when they're in final space, Little Cato is very happy to have his dad back but the Gary corpses and the possession thing are not making it easy for him to show how happy he is. like at first he was super excited and then his brain kicked in and he was terrified and clutched to Gary desperately. Gary had to physically push the kid to give his dad a hug and the kid was really distraught over it and Avocato made Gary stop. it breaks both of his dad's hearts that the kid is so upset, so Gary has to start hugging Avocato in front of the kid every chance he gets to show that he trusts him and that he won't hurt them. Avocato just wants to finally be with his boy but it makes him feel terrible that the kid wants nothing to do with him

Little Cato tries to comfort Ash with Fox when she's upset, whether it's about Nightfall or something else, because he doesn't want his big sister to be upset

Little Cato and Gary tag team up against Avocato in cards because Little Cato wants to play but he's terrible at bluffing

Gary tends to comfort the kid more than Avocato only because the kid doesn't want to talk about what's upsetting him but Gary can usually guess because he knows what the kid's been through, but Avocato always does help out

Sheryl doesn't know what to do when the kid wants to be around her. he keeps on calling her grandma and she feels like she'd break the kid or piss of Gary if she messes it up somehow

Little Cato's been through a lot, so it's probably safe to say the poor kid is just a little emotionally and physically stunted in his growth because he is a small and traumatized boy. so Gary asks if all of the kid's behaviors are normal for a kid his age and Avocato is super confused about some of them. Avocato says not to worry about it too much because the kid is doing better now, but they're both on the look out for if anything changes drastically

once Gary finds out about the Soda Parlor, he makes Little Cato the most massive waffles he can think of and they go nuts over them

everyone is definitely concerned about Gary's lack of an arm, but Little Cato says it's okay because he climbs onto Gary's back and pretends to be his missing arm and it is so sweet that Gary just melts

Quinn is so surprised that Gary stepped up how he did but she's really happy that the kid looks like he's doing pretty good all trauma considered. she also can't resist how cute and cuddly he is, and she definitely helps to teach him the finer schooling things that Gary definitely doesn't know because he didn't get to go to school

#final space #gary goodspeed #avocato #little cato #ash graven #fox #quinn ergon #dadspeed #avodad #baby cato au #sheryl goodspeed #fs spoilers

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metamorphicrocky · 4 years

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OKAY BUT IN THE BABY CATO AU WHENEVER LITTLE CATO BEING A BRAT AVOCATO WHILE PICK HIM UP BY THE SCRUFF OF HIS NECK WITH HIS MOUTH AND AT SOME POINT GARY HAS WALKED IN ON AVOCATO GROOMING LITTLE CATO AND GARY'S JUST LIKE "??? the fuck"

YES TO ALL OF THIS. Gary would absolutely join in on the picking up Little Cato by the scruff thing

#final space #gary goodspeed #little cato #avocato #dadspeed #avodad #baby cato au

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metamorphicrocky · 5 years

Text

Second in Command

I randomly started thinking about why Little Cato was the only kid being restrained when the Lord Commander ordered everyone to kill their kids, so I wrote this because I am a monster that cannot be stopped

Avocato marches back into his house, his back ramrod straight. His face is a steely mask that hides the battle raging in his mind over the sole thought racing through his head. He walks up the stairs briskly, heading right into his son's room without a knock.

The boy is practicing gymnastics moves, flipping onto his bed and bouncing all over the room. The boy stills as his father enters, and the excited grin on his face diminishes to a more reserved smile.

"Hey, Dad," the young Ventrexian greets, walking up to him. "What's for dinner because I'm star—!"

"We're leaving," Avocato cuts off, his tone a vicious blade.

Little Cato scrunches his nose up in confusion. "But tonight is training night, don't we have to do that?"

"No, now move it," he orders. He remains expressionless.

"Are...we eating out?" Little Cato asks innocently.

Avocato glares at his son with a growl. "I don't want to hear another question. We're going this second."

The kid shrugs sheepishly and walks out of his room, running to the top of the stairs and sliding down the railing with a whoop. Avocato walks normally, his hands behind his back as his permanent scowl deepens. His boy waits next to the door for his dad to walk out first, and he trails after him contentedly.

"So what are we doing?"

Avocato glances at the bouncing kid, his newer yellow sweater on with the skirt that he insisted on buying. His mohawk is a bit of a mess from the exercising moments before, but nothing is amiss with him. His eyes stare up at Avocato, trusting him completely and without question.

He looks away, a weird feeling in his chest making its presence. "You'll see."

The boy gasps. "Ooh, a surprise!"

Then his attention is caught when a few of Avocato's fellow generals walk out of their houses, their firstborns all in tow. Little Cato immediately runs over to greet a few of his friends, tackling them and wrestling them to the ground. The children all laugh as the generals continue marching onwards, meeting each other's eyes in silent knowing and determination. Avocato is too aware of how the generals all follow behind him in perfect tandem, and he notices the weight of his uniform for the first time while working under the Lord Commander.

In these moments, the generals have an unspoken agreement to let the children continue on with their fun, chasing each other around and wreaking havoc all over without interruption. Some of them ask what's happening, but no one has an answer. So, they drop the subject and play tag. To them, everything is great.

These are their last moments, the last times anyone will see their eyes blinking and chests rising rapidly from exertion. The generals are quiet with the exception of their military-grade boots stomping as they move further on the march of death.

Avocato studies the way his son's tail swishes and ears twitch, not a care in the world. He's just a boy with his friends who are all going on an adventure together.

Little Cato pounces on another one of his friends, and they go tumbling and rolling across the ground, landing on their backs in the middle of the open outcropping. The two laugh, but Little Cato stops when he opens his eyes to see a guard staring down at him. He sits up slowly, then walks over to his dad in confusion.

The other generals gather their children and push them to their knees before them. The Lord Commander stands, regarding the scene in apparent glee.

"Dad? What's going on?" Little Cato asks, grabbing one of Avocato's hands.

"Get on your knees," Avocato orders, not sparing his son another glance.

The boy tugs on his hand. "Why? What's happening?!"

"Do it, boy!" the second in command yells, his tone frigid and furious.

Little Cato flinches, immediately letting go of his father's hand. His eyes dart around the area to see guns being pulled from holsters as his friends do what they're told. Avocato glares at the boy, trying to intimidate him into behaving one last time.

The boy's eyes widen as his pupils dilate, and Avocato is too slow to realize what the kid is thinking until he slips through his father's legs and sprints in the opposite direction of the mass execution.

"Hey!" Avocato shouts, alerting the guards around him of the escapee.

He watches as a few soldiers try to grab the kid, but he's too agile and small for them to be able to hold him for long. Little Cato slashes at one man with his claws and bites another on the leg in his futile attempt to be free, but now all of the soldiers have converged on him. His frantic adrenaline kick fades the moment two guards are able to drag him back to his father, who stands unfazed next to the Lord Commander.

Cries from the other children fill the air, their fear tangible.

Little Cato continues to try to rip his arms out of their hold as they drag him on the ground, the boy screaming and yelling obscenities and demands to be let go. The guards stop directly in front of Avocato, and his son goes limp in their grasp as he stares at the generals behind his father.

They shout, "For eternity! For the Lord Commander!" Dozens of shots ring out simultaneously as fear explodes inside Little Cato's eyes.

The boy stares up at him, his arms being held up by two faceless figures. There isn't betrayal in his eyes, nor is there remorse or sadness. Anger is absent, but the boy is scared.

Frightened and terrified. He doesn't want to die, Avocato can clearly see.

The expression is so open compared to the sharp, fierce glare painted across his own face.

He draws out his gun, pointing it blank at his son's head as the boy just stares and stares and stares with his mouth open in shock.

"Do it, Avocato. And become my first. Do it," Lord Commander promises next to him.

He sharpens his gaze, looking into Little Cato's eyes once more—

"Dad, if there's anything you believe in, believe in me."

—and his expression falters. He sharpens his gaze again as he shoots twice, killing both of the soldiers instantly with a glower on his face.

Little Cato collapses and stares at the corpses in pure disbelief. He whips his head towards his father, but Avocato turns at the same time and aims his gun directly at the Lord Commander. He tries to fire, but the leader just grins sinisterly and breaks his gun, ripping it out of Avocato's hands with his powers. Fear ripples through his body, and he turns back around to face his son.

The boy reaches out for him as he starts running, and Avocato tries to reach him as well. But they're both stopped. The Lord Commander directs vines out of the ground beneath them, pinning Avocato to the dirt as Little Cato is lifted into the air in a trap of roots.

Avocato gasps and stares at his terrified and struggling son in horror. His head swivels to the Lord Commander with a growl in his throat, a desire blooming within him to murder that man with his bare hands.

"If I sense doubt in you ever again, remember: I own your son. And now, I own you!"

His voice is demonic, full of rage and fury, and it fills Avocato with more hatred and dread than he's ever experienced.

Desperately, he reaches his hand towards his son as the vines surrounded his small frame. Little Cato has tears streaming down his face as he yells for his father, and Avocato is shouting for his boy as guards drag him away.

As Little Cato disappears from view, Avocato collapses with a curse, defeated and alone, the scent of children burning and blood boiling introducing him to a world without his son.

#why did I do this I literally need to study for a test #final space #avocato #little cato #lord commander #avodad #fs fics

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