again a snippet and this time A BIG SPOIL ! It's not the end end but it's not far from it.
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Because of the Moclan's many wounds, old and new, badly closed, badly cleaned and badly healed, the treatment took several hours. Ed took the opportunity to give Bortus a detailed report of everything that had happened during his absence on the USS Orville, including ESPECIALLY Klyden's actions, who, for his part, sat outside the medical office waiting the all time. Seeing the captain enter the sickbay just after Doctor Finn and his mate, Bortus' companion already knew what the captain was going to do. It was protocol to brief Bortus on the events of the month he'd just missed. He secretly hoped, but didn't quite believe, that the captain would overlook his few…excesses of behavior and not tell Bortus. If he was more than happy to see his husband again, he now wasn't looking forward to their first conversation.
When Topa saw Papa Bortus waiting for him at the school gate, he was overjoyed : “PAPA ! YOU ARE BACK !!” before rushing into his arms and hanging onto his neck. Bortus hugged him tightly with that sweet, tender smile, Klyden behind him, smiling
“I knew you'd be back!” exclaimed Topa, determined to NOT let go of his dad.
“I am.” replied Bortus tenderly ”Now, you're going to tell me everything you have done this month. I hope you have been very good.”
“I have !” then he whispered in Bortus's ear, enough for Klyden to hear, ”But Daddy Klyden much less so.”
Bortus cast a sidelong glance at his mate, who took great care to look everywhere but at his husband.
Apart from the few words exchanged when Kelly and Bortus arrived after being finally rescued, neither of them had spoken to each other. This continued during dinner, which was spent with Topa happily recounting and showing off all the homework that Bortus had missed, and what he learned and what he made, and drew, and paint and built. They even watched Alice in Wonderland afterwards, Topa snuggled up between his two fathers. All the while, Klyden, as an officer's spouse, was able to read the two officers' detailed reports, casting long glances at Bortus with each photo of the wounds Dr. Finn had taken during treatment. First he read Kelly's and learned everything that had happened, from the torture inflicted, to their escape attempt and then their narrowly avoided execution. Then he moved on to Dr. Finn's, which contained precise photos of every wound, burns, bruises, scars, broken bones she'd had to repair. Bortus could feel Klyden's gaze on him at multiples moments. He knew what his husband was reading but he chose to remain silent, preferring to focuse on their son and the film in front of them.
Then Topa slept through the night, curled up between his two dads, who, for their part, were entangled in an awkward silence. Neither dared speak, and neither dared move.
