For AmazingGracesPouringDown

"-And then he shoots- me, in the thigh! And it didn't break either! It hurts like, ten times more when it doesn't break!" Gary hissed in irritation, gesturing to his thigh in mock horror and jostling a sleepy Mooncake resting in his lap.

Little Cato laughed hysterically at Gary's wid mannerisms, watching him with rapt interest.

"Hahahaha! A-are you serious?! You were such a dork!"

"Haha! Maybe so, but I told you this was a victory story! And I am many things Little Cato, but a liar is not one of them! Patience!"

Little Cato snickered and nodded, leaning forward on the dining table for Gary to continue.

"Okay, so then I yell "SON OF A W-"

"Hey! So I checked around the ship, inside and out and it looks like we're in the clear. No trackers, no bombs." Avocato came over to the dining area, ignoring the pout Gary gave him at interrupting his story in favor of giving his son's shoulder a soft squeeze.

Little Cato smiled at his dad and Gary couldn't bring himself to break up the tender moment by complaining about Avocato's unintentional interruption. He grabbed Mooncake who was still napping in his lap, and squeezed the squishy ball to keep himself from squealing in glee at seeing the two Vetraxians together at last.

"So buddy, you wanna get the grand tour of the ship?" Avocato asked, gesturing to the rest of the Galaxy One.

Gary felt a small pang of something at the term of endearment, but quickly swallowed it down in favor of petting a very cuddly Mooncake and needlessly reminiscing about the aftermath of Little Cato's rescue.

They'd only rescued Little Cato a few days ago, but considering all the ship repairs that needed to be done, and the objectively rational paranoia Avocato had over trackers, bombs, and the like, Little Cato hadn't really gotten to see much of the ship. Mostly, Avocato and Quinn left him with Gary and Gary passed the time by telling the small fry stories about his childhood on earth.

Gary had to admit, he liked babysitting duty. It made him feel useful and it was something he could actually do well. Plus, Little Cato was fun to hang with!

Mooncakes nuzzled Gary's chest as Little Cato stood up confidently smirked.

"Counter idea. You give me a 30 second head start and I bet I can find a hiding place on this ship you never even knew was there!"

Quinn walked into the dining area and raised an eyebrow incredulously. "You mean hide and seek?"

Little Cato blushed then scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away. Avocato gave Quinn a 'Must you?' look and quickly covered her question up dad style.

"No no, wait! I thinks he's on to something. I wanna see where he's going with this."

Quinn rolled her eyes and smiled in response to Avocato's, 'Just go with it.' look.

"Well, okay then. I want in. I'd like to see if he can find a secret area of the ship. Might be good to know. For security reasons of course!" She added as Gary smiled at her smugly, still petting a more awake green ball friend .

"Uh-huh, suuuuure Quinn."

"Chookity-Pok!"

Avacato smiled at his son proudly and pulled Little Cato over with his arm, ruffling his head hair with the other. "You'd be surprised! This kid has a gift!"

"Ah! Daaad!"

Quinn, Avocato and Little Cato all laughed at the two tousled each other's head hair lightly, Little Cato yelling something about 'Messing with his doo' and filling the room with a light air, leaving everyone smiling and hopeful.

At least, almost everyone.

"Ch-chookity?"

Mooncake nudged Gary's chin uncertainly as the man's eyes seemed to stare off into the distance, his hands shaking just enough to alarm the small creature.

"And you found all of these in our yard?"

"Yep! All by myself! Aren't they cool?"

"I don't know sweetie, they look nice, but won't you have to let them go?"

"Awww. Okay, fine! But I'm gonna go take pictures of them first!"

"..."

"Honey, I'm a little worried the other boys might make fun of him."

"Nonsense! Listen, what Gary's doing is really advanced! I mean, think of what kind of amazing things he'll be able to find in the future!"

"Like what you and Jack did with that space leech?"

"You'd be surprised! Our kid has a gift!"

"Oooooh" Mooncake nudged Gary's cheek, and hummed in concern as his friend finally seemed to reenter the waking world. As his eyes and ears refocused, Gary realized Avocato had been talking to him.

"-so no cheating! You in Gary?" Avocat asked, looking more energetic and excited than Gary had ever seen him.

Probably had something to do with that fact that he was spending time with his son after years of not knowing if he was safe or not. Little Cato was his world after all, it made sense that Avocato would be so happy now. Little Cato, despite trying to work the 'Too cool for this." pre-teen look, looked pretty giddy too. Just a father and his son, reuniting after a long, miserable separation.

Well that wasn't helping.

Gary frowned despite himself and shook his head, then realized that that was sending a stronger message than he'd intended and pulled on an awkward, very fake smile.

"Uh, Nah, I don't- no, yeah. I'm, I think I'm just gonna chill here, so-"

Avocato, well trained in the arts of bromance fu, drew his brows together in concern and looked Gary over. He noted that Mooncake looked worried too and placed a hand on Gary's shoulder.

"Gary, are you okay? What's up? Talk to me baby."

Avocato smiled confidently at his friend, obviously still coasting on his previous rescue mission triumph. Gary forced himself to smile wider and attempted to physically and emotionally shrug off the unwelcome feelings intruding on this wondrous and happy moment.

"Yo, I'm totally fine! Just-just a little tired. I'm crusin' for a snoozin right about now!"

Quinn went to stand beside Avocato and tilted her head incredulously. "Really? You seemed pretty energetic before. Are you sure you're alright Gary?"

Quinn and Avocato shared a look and Quinn placed her hand on his remaining shoulder, smiling in a way that made Gary feel warm in all the right places. Those places being his heart and his face. You perv.

"Yeah I'm sure Quinn, I just- Okay you want the truth? When The Lord Commander invaded my mind fortress, it may or may not have been an inordinately taxing endeavor! It was like he blended my brain on pulse and added some LSD to the saucy mix!"

Quinn rolled her eyes, and Gary internally congratulated himself on his amazing tangents of misdirection, which actually did come in handy! So useful they were almost like an extra pair of hands! You have a gift Gary. A GIFT!

"Well, okay, but are you sure you don't want to try to stick around for one game?" Quinn asked. "I'm pretty sure we can find Little Cato pretty easi- Wait! Where'd he go?!"

Quinn whirled around, scanning the room in confusion as Mooncake ooh'd in interest.

Avacato pulled his hand away from Gary's shoulder and smiled triumphantly. "I told you he'd surprise you. He probably left the second you took your eyes of him, gave himself a good forty second head start."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Quinn announced, stomping out of the room with a focused purpose.

Gary watched Quinn go, relaxing now that he was no longer under her hawk like gaze.

"I better go after her, who knows what trouble those two can get up to? Little Cato can get real competitive when it comes to hide and seek." Avocato said casually, smiling with that proud father look in his eyes again.

Gary looked away and smiled, trying to focus on something else, like just how green Mooncake really was! Super interesting! Mooncake started hmming in worry again and Gary shushed him, petting him gently and giving him a warm squeeze.

"So you admit it is Hide and Seek?" He asked after making sure his throat was clear. If his voice cracked then he might as well just jump out the window with no helmet, save himself the trouble

"Yeah, but Little Cato started getting embarrassed about it when he turned ten, so we just call it hunting. He thinks it sounds cooler."

"Huh." Gary said, then a little more quietly. "That's, really cool of you. The-the hide and seek thing. Some parents don't-they don't go the extra mile for their kids, so it's really cool that you obviously do… You're a great dad Avocato."

Avocato smiled, scratching behind one of his ears and glancing away. "Well, I wouldn't say that. Little Cato was being held hostage because of me. I just want to make up for all the trouble I put us through, give him the childhood he didn't get to have."

Gary couldn't take much more of this, friendship be damned! He nodded, then moved to get up, holding Mooncake under his arm like a cute basketball.

"That's great of you, really, um, I'm gonna go grab some z's-"

"Gary. Wait."

Gary foze, pulling Mooncake in front of him and looking like a criminal caught in the act. This was it, Avocato was gonna ask him why he was being a tool belt and the Gary would have to-

"I just wanna say...thank you, Gary."

Gary raised a brow in confusion and lowered Mooncake into a general resting position in his arms.

Avocato grabbed Gary's shoulders and squeezed them as he continued

"I would have never been able to save him if it weren't for your help. And, well, I hope I'm still welcomed here on the Galaxy One after we defeat The Lord Commander, because I want Little Cato to know you Gary. Like I do. You really are my best friend…"

Gary's jaw dropped, his arms falling to his sides and Mooncake falling from them for a second before floating up and nudging Gary's arm worriedly. Avocato stiffened at Gary's reaction and had he not had hair covering his face, would have had a very visible blush burning him up.

" If- if that's okay, like, I understand if you don't want us to stick around after all is said and done. After all the trouble I've put you through- I mean you didn't exactly sign up to deal with-"

Gary shook his head and help up his hands. "Woah! Woah there. Pump your brakes! You want to stay here? With me? And- and you want me to hang out with your kid and-and-"

Avocato hunched in embarrassment and pulled his arms away from Gary, or, at least he tried, until Gary ran right into said arms and gave him a big hug.

"YES! You can stay here with me for as long as you want! That'd be like, a dream come true Avocato! Your son is almost as much of a badass as you, I'd love to hang out with him! I mean, I was kind of worried you were thinking I was a bad influence actually, so this is a total upgrade from what I thought would happen."

Avocato smiled and squeezed Gary back as Mooncake flew around their heads happily.

"Wah-Pa!"

"Hehehe, that's right Mooncake! We got some permanent crew mates!"

Avocato laughed and pulled away, patting Gary's back as he did. "I really better go check on Quinn and Little Cato. She might not admit it, but she probably needs help."

Gary smiled and stood there long after Avocato had vanished from his vision. Mooncake nudged him, smiling and looking over to where Avocato had disappeared to eagerly.

"Chookity!"

Gary took a breath and internally cataloged his energy reserves, smile waning as he realized with every passing moment that the powerful concentrate of friendship could only power him for so long. He wouldn't last a game of hide and seek, especially if Little Cato was a good as Avocato said he was.

Gary rubbed his neck and sat back down. "Hey, why don't you go look for Little Cato with Quinn and Avocato? You got good eyes Mooncake, they could use your expertise!"

Mooncake smiled, but hesitated and gave Gary a concerned look around the room. Probably meant something along the lines of 'But you'll be alone.". Gary waved his hand dismissively and scoffed.

"I'll be waiting right here little buddy! And besides, I got HUE! I'm fine, go track down that mini Cato!"

Mooncake waved his nubs excitedly and flew off. "Chookity-Dookity!"

Gary watched Mooncake fly off and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. He sat in silence for a full minute, the sighed and buried his face in his hands. Talking with Avocato had eased the tight, painful throb in his chest, but it could only do so much.

Just as Gary was weighing the pros and cons of just getting up and going to his room, (He hoped Mooncake wouldn't be upset that he hadn't stayed where he'd said he would) HUE's voice echoed across the dining area soothingly.

"Gary, are you having an "off day" again? Do you want to talk about it?"

Gary scowled and sat up, rubbing his eyes and glaring at the ceiling.

"No, HUE. I'm fine, so drop it."

Gary felt a small pang of guilt at yelling at HUE for trying to help. After all, HUE had always been there when he had bad days, so he was only doing what he'd always done. Still, Gary didn't want to go over such depressing topics now that he had company.

"You need to talk about your feelings Gary." HUE urged. "Talking always makes you feel better."

"No THANK YOU, HUE! I said I'm fine!" Gary insisted.

HUE, if he had the ability to, would have sighed. "You are a bad liar Gary."

Little Cato snickered as the sounds of Quinn and his father echoed throughout the ship. She was super frustrated cause he'd gotten a head start, but that was just business. Not that he needed it, considering just how easy it was to break into the ventilation shaft. He'd even found a cool room!

Right now he was just exploring and seeing just how long it would take for his dad and Quinn to find him. His dad played dumb sometimes when he was in a good mood, but he always found him eventually.

Little Cato's ears twitched at the sound of a familiar voice, and he smiled in anticipation. It was Gary, and it looked like he was still in the dining area for some reason. Little Cato was getting hungry, and he'd been wanting to get his hands on some of those cookies. Maybe Gary wouldn't tell the others where he'd been hiding and let him get a cookie. He probably would, Gary was a pretty fun guy.

As Little Cato got closer to the vent window in the dining area, he smiled as he recognized the tone Gary was using. He seemed peeved, and while Little Cato was usually one to tense up around upset people, Gary had a way of making everything seem tame and safe.

"- Hmmmm. What If I gave you a cookie in exchange for your cooperation?"

Little Cato watched as Gary balked in surprise as a twinkle of temptation sparkled in his eyes. He smiled and decided to watch HUE and Gary trade barbs. He had nothing better to do.

"WHA-? Wait! HUE are you bribing me? Didn't you tell me bribery is bad?"

"Actually, when dealing with children, it is common for guardian figures to-"

"I am NOT a CHILD, HUE!" Gary wined, waving his arms in offense.

Little Cato covered his mouth to stifle his giggles, watching Gary writhe around and flail his arms dramatically.

"Keep your sugary disks of sin! I want no part in their consumption!"

HUE went silent for a moment, and Gary found himself holding his breath in anticipation.

"I see...What if I were to tell you I would reduce your sentence three days of you talked to me about your feelings?"

Little Cato frowned as the actually subject of the fight came to light. Feelings? Yeah, he should leave. Little Cato quietly readjusted himself as he began once again crawling through the vents.

"...What?" Gary asked. "Are you serious HUE? I heard that right, right? You said reduce?"

"Yes Gary. I will reduce your sentence three days if you talk about your feelings." HUE confirmed.

"..." Gary fell silent for a moment, then huffed and slouched down in his seat in defeat.

"Fine. I-...I was just thinking about my dad…"

Little Cato had just begun to crawl out of earshot when Gary's confession hit him like cement truck. Gary loved his dad, Little Cato knew that much from talking to him, or more accurately, listening to him tell stories about his life on earth.

"- and I felt so guilty! Like, making the cookies was my charge! So when I see this dark figure in the night I thought, "Oh my Glob it's Santa! I have to repent!" so I got down on my knees and just poured out all my secrets to him! I was like "I steal quarters from my dad's coin jar!" and "One time I spit in his underwear cause I thought it would be funny!"."

"Whoa, seriously? I thought homosapien Santa was just the kids parents?"

"Oh, it was! It was obviously my dad, just, in a robe. He had to convince me he was me from the future to get me to go back to bed! Like, he wanted me to believe in Santa so badly that he convinced me time travel was real."

" Whahaha! What?!"

"I know! He was the best."

Gary talked about his dad like he was describing a hero, had even said as much once. Why didn't he want to talk about him now? Feeling slightly guilty about snooping, but unable to resist, Little Cato quietly crawled back to the dining area vent and peeked out to watch Gary.

"Why were you thinking about your father Gary?"

"..."

"Gary."

"It's-I don't know! I guess, seeing Avacato with his son, it just made me remember some stuff…" Gary rubbed his arm anxiously as his eyes darted around the room, as if looking for an escape.

Little Cato leaned forward at the mention of him and his dad, concern growing.

"Like what Gary?"

Gary groaned in frustration.

"JUST- When Little Cato came on board, I realized just how similar to Avocato he was. I just SAW Avacato in him, and I just think-I missed-..."

Gary sighed and rubbed his cheek.

"...I just wonder what I would have ended up like, if he'd survived."

"Who Gary?"

Gary scowed again and slapped his hand onto the table, annoyed by how HUE was phrasing every question like he'd never heard the answers before."My dad HUE! Who else? Honestly, I've always wondered that! Who could I have been? I swear I've even had freaking dreams about it!"

Gary ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up and causing a few cowlick to stick up. Little Cato would have found it funny had the subject stressing Gary out been less serious.

"And you know what? No matter how weird those dreams are, like, even if I end up turning into a flying robot space cop in the end of it? It's always better than where I am now. Like how badly do you have to mess up your own life to think literally anything is better?"

"Why do you think you have "messed up" your life Gary? I think you dad would have been-"

"DON'T-" Gary's voice took a dark tone for a moment before he cut himself off, taking a deep, shaky breath and covering his face with a hand.

"Don't...say proud HUE. He wouldn't have been proud of ANY of this! I'm a criminal HUE! I've wasted FIVE YEARS here! How could he be proud of that?"

At this point, Little Cato was pretty sure this level of negative feelings was probably abnormal, at least for Gary. Dude did not wear brooding well. It just made him look sad, and tired. Little Cato started crawling through the vents to where he last saw Quinn and his dad, hoping that they could do something about HUE so Gary could catch a break. They would know what to do.

"Do you think you would have not been imprisoned on the Galaxy One had your father remained with you?" HUE asked in conversational tone some would call inappropriate when discussing such topics outside of the therapy practice.

"Of course! If my dad had stuck around I'd have probably become a member of the Infinity Guard or something! Maybe even become a hero like him!" Gary insisted, brushing some stray flyaway hair out of his face.

"Do you think your father would have also pledged his allegiance to The Lord Commander as well?"

Gary froze for a second as his brain caught up the what HUE had just suggested, then he paled at the implications. Would his dad have-

"Wha-No! He wouldn't-No! No way! My dad was a hero HUE! He would have probably stopped The Lord Comander by now with hyper lasers or something equally cool and awesome!"

Gary stood as he ranted, a newfound energy bursting forth to protect his dad's honor.

"Your father sounds like a remarkable man Gary. I can see why you miss him."

Gary deflated and sighed, sitting back down. "Yeah...he was."

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

"Hah! I win! So that means-"

"Wha-No way!" Quinn waved her hand in frustration. "You cheated!"

"Whoaa! Pok!" Mooncake looked offended on Avocato's behalf, floating away from Quinn and giving her a stern pout."

Avocato rolled his eyes and smirked. "And how does one cheat at Rock Paper Scissors Quinn?"

Quinn glared and narrowed her eyes at him challengingly. "I guess I'll just have to find out. Another round!"

"As much fun as it is to watch you two fight over rock paper scissors, we have a problem." Little Cato interrupted, kicking open the vent grate and swinging out of the hole.

Avocato's smirk quickly fell into a concerned frown and Quinn went straight into no-nonsense mode.

"What happened? Did you find something? Where you attacked? Is it the Lord Commander?" Quinn grabbed Little Cato's shoulders and as she questioned him.

"Wh-No! No It's not like that. It's Gary!"

Mooncake gasped and flew over to Little Cato worriedly. Quinn relaxed, though she looked annoyed now.

"Gary is an adult Little Cato, he can take of himself. Though I can see why that seems hard to believe."

Little Cato scowled and pulled out of her reach, looking over to his dad pleadingly. "It's not something stupid, okay? Gary's- He's talking to HUE and he's getting really upset and, and I think it's about his dad. Dad please. He's you friend right? He looks like he needs a friend right now."

Avocat never stood a chance against his son in the first place, but when Little Cato brought out the sad eyes, he was totally gone.

"Alright Little Cato, we'll go see how he's doing, okay? Do you want to stay here?"

Little Caro looked nervous for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I want to help. Gary's...he's nice. I want to help him."

Avocato smiled proudly at his son, remembering the first time he'd thought the same thing about Gary himself.

"Eh-Hem? I'm still here." Quinn stated, looking unimpressed with Little Cato's display.

Avocato shrugged at her and raised a brow expectantly. "So? Are you coming too Quinn? Or do you want to stay here and research all the various ways someone can cheat at Rock Paper Scissors?"

Quinn bristled at the jab, but as Little Cato and Mooncake both looked over to Quinn, their cute faces and big eyes tore down all her stubborn resolve in an instant, leaving only a somewhat petty husk. Mooncake gave her a small coo and a nudge and with that, she huffed in frustration and stomped off towards the dining area. "Fine! Let's just do this."

"Jeez, I'm being selfish aren't I? Oh yeah. I'm being real selfish right now. Avocato's my best friend! I should be happy right now! I should be celebrating and playing hide and seek like Quinn and Mooncake and, heck! Probably even KVN!"

Gary slumped forward into the table and groaned in shame.

"Oh my Glob, I'm worse than KVN…"

"Why are you unhappy Gary?" HUE asked.

"I don't want to be HUE. I really want to bask in all the success happening here like everyone else, but...I don't even know HUE. Something's off. Something's always been off. I don't even know HUE. Why am I so unhappy?" Gary finished lamely, resting his cheek on the cool table surface and sighing in defeat.

Avacato and Quinn had been planning on storming into the dining area and knocking Gary upside the head for worrying Little Cato, but had found actually breaking the tension in the room to be too risky. They weren't proud to admit (Mostly in their heads) that their decisions were based solely on curiosity over the topic and a strong urge to avoid emotional conflict.

As of right now, they were all hiding behind a booth in the dining area, Little Cato pouting and hugging Mooncake as the only other adults on the ship stooped to the same tactic he'd went to. Sure, he'd snooped too, but he was like, 13! The only reason he wasn't stepping up himself was the fact that he didn't know if that was the appropriate response.

What if Gary got angry at him? What if he and his dad were kicked out because of him? What if HUE got angry?

He just couldn't risk it, no matter how sad seeing Gary upset made him feel. He would never admit it out loud, but Gary made him feel safe. He was just so nice! Maybe that was why his dad was friends with him. Gary wasn't the type to shoot you in the back.

Avocato watched Gary rant to HUE as he tried to fight down the guilt tying knots in his gut. He was supposed to be Gary's friend, and yet Gary had actively avoided coming to him for comfort or just to talk. They'd hugged and Avocato had thought Gary had been fine, but seeing this? Obviously not! Literally Gary's only requirement of him was to be his friend and yet he couldn't even do that!

Avocato unconsciously pulled Little Cato closer and sighed quietly, disappointed in himself, but also Gary. He would never admit it, but he'd put Gary on a bit of a pedestal when he'd realized what a loyal person he was. He'd wanted to show Gary the same vulnerability, trust and kindness Gary had shown him and maybe come to a point where he felt worthy of such a genuine friendship. Now? Now he new that Gary didn't seem trust him as much as he'd hoped he had. Heck, Avocato couldn't blame him.

Quinn watched Gary as he expressed a series of emotion that she hadn't thought he was even capable of. Anger, grief, fear, depression. It was all so...alien. From what she'd been exposed to with Gary so far, she'd unintentionally come to the conclusion that like a newborn, Gary seemed immune to the evils of the world. Naive, flighty, kind to a fault, and desperate for attention, he seemed shallow in an almost charming way, though just as often irritating.

But seeing Gary like this...It was an uncomfortable position to be sure. She knew of course. Everyone had depth, everyone had their own story to tell, but considering that that someone was Gary, she couldn't fathom why he hadn't told it. She was pretty sure Gary could talk someone to death if he wanted to, so why the secrecy?

"Am I to conclude that the newest members of the Galaxy One are the source of your distress Gary?"

Gary sat up and scoffed in offense at HUE's suggestion.

"What... in the name of everything deep fried and covered in beef?! HUE, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! No! That's not it at all!"

"Please explain Gary. So far, you seem to be telling me that our new crew members only stir up melancholy and grief."

The rest of the crew collectively shifted to peek out from behind the booth, curiosity thoroughly agitated as Gary stood again and waved his arms as he spoke.

"No, that's not-" Gary sighed in irritation. HUE is usually never this dense.

"HUE, them being here makes me happy, okay? Sure, sometimes I get sad cause I remember stuff or I my arm gets torn off, but there are way more pros than cons!" He explained.

"Like what Gary?"

Gary smiled with more confidence that anyone had ever known he possessed and placed a thoughtful hand on his chin. "Where do I start? Well, Mooncake is probably the most pure, lovable, quality being in the entire universe! He's like, the little ball friend I never had and never actually knew I wanted!"

Mooncake beamed at Gary's praise and pulled out of Little Cato's arms, cooing happily and floating over to Gary with absolute adoration in his eyes. Avocato hissed to Quinn and she grabbed him by his nub, pulling him back and giving him a stern glare.

"We're hiding Mooncake. No hugging Gary." She whispered.

Mooncake pouted and Quinn handed him back to Little Cato who pet the sad gree alien placatingly.

"And then Avacato! He's so cool! Like, I'm not even kidding, the dude is a certified badass!" Gary takes a fighting stance and punches the air for effect.

Avocato smiled despite himself and held back a chuckle at seeing Gary try to imitate his moves.

"I think I saw him eat an apple off a knife once and I still haven't gotten over it! He's also the best friend I've ever had. I trust him with my life, and I think he might trust me with his, which, considering he's probably the picture you get when you look up lone wolf, is pretty humbling."

Avacato felt a pinch of guilt again, but this time it was only directed at himself. Gary did trust him. Why had he doubted that? Guy lost an arm for him and didn't even blame him for it. He unconsciously squeezed his son tighter as another thought struck him. Gary had saved his world. Maybe if you couldn't trust himself, he just needed to trust that Gary trusted him.

"And Quinn! Jeez, there's probably not enough adjectives in the universe to describe how amazing she is. I mean, she's so capable and smart! And she's got this laser focus that just drives her like no tomorrow! She's...She's a real leader. I'm actually really glad she's here, because I don't think I'd be able to do any of this alone. She's just so strong, I can't help but trust her. I have no doubt she'll be the reason we defeat The Lord Commander"

Quinn's blushed and a rubbed her arm distractedly as Gary sang her praises. When the soft sound of someone clearing their throat reached her ears she looked to her side to see a very smug looking Avocato. She glared at him and tried to set her face straight, but she just couldn't help the small smile that formed as Gary confessed his respect for her.

Not enough people did, in her opinion, and knowing Gary saw her as a leader just made her feel more confused. People who she'd pledged her loyalty to and years of her life to hadn't even done that. Yet Gary did, and she'd been the one to sucker punch him and send him to jail for five years!

"And hey! Little Cato? He's such a cool kid, just like his dad, but with a little more spirit! I don't really know him super well, but that kid is sharp! Funny too."

Little Cato smiled and hugged Mooncake closer. He'd been a little distant to Gary the first day they'd spent together, and while he'd opened up a bit more, he'd been worried that Gary thought he was just a bratty kid. Maybe when they talked again, he'd tell Gary some stories about his life.

"If you admire all the members of your party so much Gary, why can you not enjoy success with them?" HUE asked.

Gary deflated with a guilty frown. "That's the thing HUE, I can't help it! It's a me problem, I just-I'm-I'm-I'm not unhappy because of them. I'm not even really unhappy! I just can't- It's like a bad date!"

Everyone behind the booth looked to each other in confusion. Had they heard what they'd thought they'd heard? A date? What the heck was Gary talking about?

"What is like a bad date Gary?"HUE pressed.

Gary waved his hands and beginning pacing in thought. "This! Okay, so, imagine you're on this first date at a fancy restaurant with this person who just refuses to stop taking things off your plate. You're like, yeah, okay, we're on a date so maybe that would be cool, but it's also the first date so it's really not? And they keep snatching little bits off and it's annoying and even though the food is good, it's not as good because you know it's missing some stuff?"

Quinn looked over to Avocato and mouthed, "Is this making any sense to you?" and Avocato shrugged, then looked over to Mooncake and Little Cato. Mooncake just shook his head and Little Cato gave them a so-so hand gesture.

"And then dessert comes and you are so stoked for this, because you know it's gonna be the culmination of the entire meal in a trifecta of sugary goodness! Then, just as the waiter is setting it down, your crappy date decides to take a big 'ol chuck right out of it!"

Gary made a tight angry fist, miming someone snatching something as he continued to pace erratically.

"And you eat your dessert anyway, but in the back of your mind all the way home, you know, it could have been so much better if that piece wasn't missing!"

Something in Gary finally breaks as he finished his rant, slamming his fist into the table and then face planting into the surface in frustration.

For a moment, the entire crew of the Galaxy One fell silent as they all collectively tried to decipher the word vomit Gary had just laid before them.

"...I see...Thank you for talking to me Gary. Do you feel better?" HUE questioned quietly.

Gary kept his face mushed into the table for a few seconds before responding.

"No HUE, remarkably, I feel even worse. So thanks for that."

After a tired groan, Gary finally stood and rubbed at his face tiredly.

"Listen HUE, can you tell everyone I went to bed early? I...I'm gonna go take a nap."

"Of course Gary. You have had a long day."

"Thanks…"

Gary slowly trudged out of the dining area, letting himself fall down the shaft to the floor with his room.

After a beat of collective silence, HUE spoke up once more.

"You can all come out now."

"Oof!" Little Cato fell forward as Mooncake abruptly pulled out of his arms, flying straight to where he saw Gary last and humming sadly.

"Please remain here Mooncake. I need to speak with all of you." HUE said.

Avacato stumbled out from behind the booth first, standing and pointing to the ceiling incredulously. "Wait! You could see us?"

"I am an AI meant to monitor this entire ship. I see all."

Quinn quickly stood as well and gave HUE a suspicious glare. "So are you telling me you knew we were listening to Gary the entire time? Why?"

Little Cato brushed himself off as he stood and nodded in agreement. "Yeah! What's your deal?"

"I had Gary vent his feelings in front of you all because I believe that Gary is in need of assistance, and you all owe him." HUE responded.

Quinn balked in offense as Mooncake floated over to a distressed Little Cato and Avocato frowned. HUE was notoriously critical of Gary and his immature behavior, so this was a surprise to be sure. What what did he mean by owe?

Quinn was the first to voice her thoughts. "What do you mean we owe Gary, HUE?"

"I thought it was obvious. " HUE said. "-But I find it understandable that you might overlook it."

HUE suddenly brought up a holo screen and the crew took a collective step back. The screen flickered to life and started playing footage of the Galaxy One crew. They all quickly realized what most of the footage consisted of. It was Gary. Gary saving each crew member, helping them, or just talking to them.

"To put it simply, Gary has offered all of you help and support in your various endeavours, at the risk of his life may I add, and all of you have accepted with little to no regard for Gary's needs in return."

Mooncake cooed sadly in agreement, Little Cato giving the alien a small comforting squeeze in response. Avocado's looked down, then pulled Little Cato to his side protectively as he watched.

He already agreed with HUE, so there was no need for the short film. He finally had his son back after years of trying to go it alone. Gary had helped him do it in a month, and he'd left with less blood on hands too. Whatever HUE had in mind, Avocato was ready for it. He owed Gary that much.

Quinn watched the footage stubbornly, shoulders tensing as she refused to be swayed by the her fellow crew members guilty looks. She didn't owe anyone for anything. Gary had saved her because it was the right thing to do, not because he thought she'd owe her. And besides, while they were wasting time with this, the Lord Commander was busy trying to destroy the Earth.

She wavered slightly as footage of one of Gary's video logs to her popped up, images of him smiling and telling her about his day. Maybe she didn't owe him, but-Wait! No. She had more important things to worry about. Friendship and love could till after the world wasn't ending.

HUE continued "From the moment all of you entered Gary's life, he has offered nothing but companionship,-"

Mooncakes noded as the screen showed him pictures of him and Gary hugging.

-friendship,-"

Avacato watched as the screen flickered to a shot of him and Gary playing cards.

"-protection,-"

Little Cato pulled himself closer to his dad, looking around at the group of people who all risked their lives to save him.

"- and even love."

Quinn finally breaks as her shoulders loosen and she looks down.

"And yet despite all this, none of you have tried to assist Gary with his own problems. Gary too, has fears and grief, yet none of you seem mature enough to offer the same support and kindness he has shown to you."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Little Cato interrupted, distress ad frustration evident in his eyes. "I mean, isn't he sad because of me anyway? How am I supposed to fix that?"

"You nor I can "fix" Gary, Smaller Cato." HUE explained. "You can only hope to ease heartache with love and support. You can start by giving former prisoner Gary a cookie. They are fresh out of the bakery."

Avacato stepped forward and waved his arms haltingly. "Wait! Former prisoner Gary? I thought he still had a few days left?"

"Were you not listening to our contractually binding deal? I have removed three days from Gary sentence, therefore, Gary is no longer a prisoner on the Galaxy One."

Quinn clenched her fists and pointed to the ceiling angrily. "Why didn't you tell him?!"

"Chookity!" Mooncake agreed, glaring at the ceiling.

"So you could do it for me, simultaneously "lightening up" Gary's mood and hopefully using that news as an excuse to have him open up to you. Considering he has nowhere to go, Gary will probably feel very vulnerable no longer being imprisoned on this ship."

"You really thought this through, didn't you?" Little Cato said, crossing his arms in a slightly impressed manner.

"I am an AI, Smaller Cato. It's what I do."

Quinn rested her chin in her hand and thought over HUE strange request. All this to get Gary to open up about something having to do with a missing father and a broken son. It made sense, she supposed, for HUE to become investor in the mental health of his charge, especially since they'd been together for five year.

Still, if this was going to work, the whole vulnerability thing would have to go both ways or there was a chance that Gary would just close himself off. Not to mention the fact that she didn't even know if she wanted to do this! Really, what was the point? Other than piece of mind and bonding time, the was no real value in helping Gary with his-

"I'm gonna go talk to Gary. He looks like he needs a friends right now." Avocato stated resolutely.

He glanced back to his son who nodded and looked down to a determined looking Mooncake who needed as well.

"Let's go dad."

"HmmHm!"

Quinn watched her crew mates start marching to the shoot and came to a sudden realization.

This was the value, right comradery, the trust, the loyalty. That all came from Gary. None of the people on this ship would be working together so smoothly unless Gary was there to grease the gears with smiles and hugs and unending positivity. They needed Gary in peak condition if they wanted to close Final Space.

"Wait." Quinn burst out, raising a hand and stepping forward.

The crew turned around, Avocato raising his brow curiously.

"I just wanted to say...If we're going to do this, we have to be prepared."

Little Cato cocked his head and frowned. "Prepared for what?"

Quinn took a few more steps forward. "Gary is probably emotionally exhausted from talking to HUE, and when we tell him his sentence is over, he'll be teetering over the edge. We need to be gentle, and more importantly, we'll need to be ready to be as vulnerable as he is."

Avocato huffed and crossed his arms. "I-I know that." He insisted.

"Oh? Well if we mess up, we not only might end up hurting Gary and making him shut us out, but he may no longer trust us. This is Gary we're talking about, and yet he's never mentioned what exactly happened to make him this way. Not to you, not to me."

Quinn got right up to Avocato and started him down.

"I've seen every log he's sent me, and none of them include whatever happened to his father. Five years and not a peep, not a single slip up. Tonight we need to establish ourselves as people he can not only trust, but people he can rely on."

Quinn marched forward past Avocato and his son and went to the edge of the shoot confidently.

"I hope you're all ready, because we have some serious emotional baggage to unload. Let's go."

And she jumped.

For a literal saint and very good writer, AmazingGracesPouringDown! I hope I did your cool prompt justice!

This got too long, so it's probably going to be a two parter. Comments and critique welcome

I based this HUE off of the headcannons and ideas of cookiexrevoked in this story! They're on Tumblr and they're awesome!