Adam knew there was going to be trouble.

Conn didn't often to get to meet large crowd of people and when he did it was usually a disaster. The billowy bastard had a hard on for making people suffer, and it seemed as if today was going to be no different.

"Conn." The entire table looked up at him in surprise.

He didn't realize until that moment that he was using what Sunny called his "Admiral Voice." He hadn't noticed when he stared using it, but he had been unconsciously using it for some time now, and Sunny said she liked it which meant he was trying to be able to do it on purpose, but so far he was to quick to laugh every time he tried it intentionally.

This, however, was unintentional.

The voice boomed around the table, deeper and more stern than his actual voice could ever get on its own.

Conn turned waved a hand dismissively at him. He could never get Conn to stop the first time. He generally had to yell at him two or three times to get the star-born to behave. He knew that, but the others didn't know that, and the worst part of it was... he really didn't want conn to stop.

So he sat back.

Conn must have heard this internal dialogue and took it as permission to keep going forward.

He floated forward, "So these were the people you went to school with."

Adam grunted.

"They didn't really amount to much did they?"

Adam tried not to smile.

"Conn." He warned again.

Amanda stood up her short A line haircut waving around her neck squaring up to Conn as he floated in front of her, "How dare you."

Conn looked her over, but instead of saying anything he looked through her and then floated past her waving a hand, "Not even worth insulting."

The look on her face was one of sheer rage.

Adam tried not to laugh.

Krill had floated over to stand on his other side from Sunny, who was looking on rather smugly at all of what was going on.

Conn stopped in front of the next girl in line looking her over with a critical eye. She grabbed for her purse about ready to leave, "Oh when were you going to tell everyone you had a crush on the weird UFO kid?" The entire table turned to look at her. Adam's eyes went wide with surprise, "But you were too desperate to be popular to let him know, it really would have ruined your reputation if they learned how you really felt now wouldn't it."

He left her red in the face and blushing as he floated over to the others who where trying not to be noticed.

Adam rubbed the back of his neck in surprise.

Sunny glowered at the woman who shrunk into her seat.

Adam didn't recognize her.

How

Ironic.

"And you, well now that is interesting. Weren't you just making fun of Thomas earlier? Seems weird considering your considerable cocaine habit."

Adam was shocked at that one, the man got up and walked out as the others stared after him.

Conn moved right on down the line insulting everyone within visual distance reducing them to bugs below his boot heel. If there wasn't some big high school secret he could use against them, he went straight for their insecurities.

"You know Krill there is a surgeon, he could probably fix that nose for you."

"CONN!"

This was done, he couldn't let him keep going. He grabbed the starborn by the arm and pulled him back, "Would you behave ourself."

Conn gave him a look, but Adam squeezed his arm, internally threatening to take off his gravity belt if he continued to cause problems.

Conn huffed but floated back sulking and making faces as the group sat stiffly in their seats.

"I'm sorry about him. He's an asshole."

"Yes, yes I am."

Amanda stepped forward and jammed a finger at his chest, "Maybe you should learn to keep your pets in line."

Adam didn't really like Conn, or at least that's what he told himself. The truth was a bit more complicated and involved him having a bit of a soft spot for the billowy bastard. He didn't really know what to do with people making fun of him. That was fine, he had lived with it for a long time, but to have them openly insult his friend like that. Well that was just not going to fly.

He stood rising to his full six two height towering over her hands at his sides palms open and relaxed at his sides despite the sudden plunging of his eyebrows as concentrated rage flooded into his chest. His voice grew soft and cold. The Admiral had morphed into one of his other.... Personas? Sunny said that he didn't' come out often but when it did his voice could darken a room.

"Say that one more time."

He didn't shout, he didn't yell, and he didn't threaten. His voice was soft, almost gentle or even melodic, but there was no question.

Those comments would not fly.

Amanda sat right back down in her chair, both scared and put out.

Adam returned to his seat almost immediately switching back to his usual self. Friendly and easily embarrassed. Like he was being possessed by two different people one after the other, "So what do you all do for a living"

The group looked around at each other.

Mumbling answers under their breath.

It wasn't that what they did for a living was not perfectly acceptable or even important in some cases. But when you had spent a whole early childhood bullying a weird kid only to learn that he had become one of the most powerful men in the universe, suddenly being a small town fast food restaurant manager didn't feel like all it was cracked up to be.

Yes they had managers.

Office workers.

Call center employees.

IT guys

Social media coordinators.

Josh was a firefighter, and still seemed overly oblivious to the tension at the table. Adam kind of liked him, and he noticed rather conspicuously that Conn had not targeted him during his little tirade. Conn himself was busy scaring the people at the table, mouthing things at them that probably equated to their deepest darkest secrets. He didn't actually say them out loud, though if anyone at this table had been able to read lips they would have learned some very interesting things.

Unfortunately, Amanda wasn't done yet.

"So.... Adam, are all of your friends.... Not human."

It was an innocuous question enough, but the way she said it made the real meaning clear. Can you still not find human friends? Are you still so weird that your own species isn't even interested in spending time with you. Plus he didn't much like the way she said NOT human, like that was some horrible problem on their part.

HE didn't like any of it.

But he kept quiet.

"No I-"

It was just then that his marines proved to have the best timing in the universe. The door to the bar was thrown open, and two marines barged into the bar still wearing their ACUs, one of the m tall handsome and tan, and the other short severe and blond.

"The party has arrived." Ramirez announced. He shot finger guns at the bartender who blushed and had to hurry to turn away. Ramirez was probably the first best looking person here, and when he smiled about ninety percent of the women and at least ten percent of the men took notice, if not to ogle him than at least to be jealous.

Maverick rolled her eyes and continued into the room.

The two of them walked over and Ramirez slapped Adam on the back, "There you are, Martha said you would be here. Not causing any trouble eh/"

Adam shook his head.

Ramirez looked up at the table, "Who are these."

Adam watched the eyes of the group of people at the table noting that there was a large portion of them who seemed more than interested in their newcomers. Maverick pulled up a chair next to Adam sitting on it the wrong way, but she was kind of known for never using chairs like a normal human. Ramirez remained standing with a hand on his shoulder.

Adam motioned a hand to the group, "Ramirez this is my.... Graduating class, or would have been if I hadn't gone to the academy."

He looked them over with a critical eye.

A few people shifted and stood a little straighter sucking in their guts.

Ramirez, being able to read the room like no man Adam had ever known smiled, "Well not a great year." The table wilted and he waved a hand, "Oh I'm just kidding."

He said it like he was joking but with just enough seriousness to make that questionable.

Was he really joking.

He pulled up a seat.

"So, we were actually looking for you. Maverick and I are going to tear up the town, but considering that she doesn't drink, it will be kind of hard to tear up the town."

"You want me to go get drunk with you/"

"Yes?"

"That seems like a bad idea, you remember the last time that happened."

"Yes we sand we drank we danced, we caught a wild west outlaw, and then we passed out in a bar as heroes."

"You make that sound a lot more fun than it actually was.'

The table was staring again.

Ramirez grinned, "That was a fun story actually. We were deputized and got to fight bandits on the back of a speeding hover train. True story, I still have the badge."

He rested a hand on the back of Adam's chair, anyway what do you say?"
"I don't know Ramirez."

"Actually." The group of the m turned again to Amanda.

She cleared her throat, "Actually, Adam was just going to tell us about the girl that he was dating."

Adam felt his face flush.

He couldn't help it.

Amanda knew what was going to catch him. She knew that there was something related to this that he didn't' want to talk about. It was likely that she thought he was making things up, that this "Girl" that he was talking about didn't even exist.

She knew something was up.

Like flies smell out a corpse.

Little did she know that that girl was standing right behind him and to his right.

Ramirez took in the look on Adam's face and the look on the girls face and then gave Maverick a look. Maverick shot him a look back that said soemthing like.

Don't even think about it.

He shrugged.

And then turned to look at Amanda.

The exchange hadn't lasted more than a second, so no one would have noticed, or if they did they wouldn't have known what it meant.

"Ah yes, of course, look at him." He patted Adam on the back, "I mean how could you be like this and NOT."

Amanda crossed her arms.

"Well who is she."

Adam could see the cogs turning in Ramirez's head. His brain completely shut down in that moment, and he had no idea what was going on, so he just stood there mouth opening and closing.

And then he saw the expression on the marine's face change.

"Well actually it's not a she."

Adam frowned.

Amanda didn't look convinced, "Fine, then where is HE?" She looked at Adam, "Did you not bring him. Doesn't he want to be seen out with you or soemthing." Sunny inched forward raising her spear slightly off the floor. Adam held out a hand.

Ramirez grinned.

"Of course I do."

The rest of the table went quiet mouths open some of them staring at Adam who's neck had gone bright red and his cheeks flushed, "I.... well I.... didn't"

"_Didn't want to make a big deal about it." Ramirez cut in sitting down and Grabbing Adam's hand.

"You know we met on the Enterprise." He said squeezing Adam's hand, "Love at first sight and all that, you know."

Adam was to stunned to say anything mouth opening and closing as his brain did its best to keep up with what was happening though, he was having trouble even articulating thoughts inside his head. Ramirez pulled him a little closer hugging him from the side.

It was pretty convincing.

Though there was one person whose eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Really."

She was looking at Adam.

He wasn't selling it well.

He was coming out of his stupor enough to know that.

Ramirez grinned.

"Anyway, when you are done with these guys just call me and meet us out on the town ok babe."

Adam opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"So cute when he gets like that."

Ramirez stood took one more like around the table seeing the occasional skeptical eye, then, like a marine.

He moved by instinct.

Leaned in and kissed Adam catching him and the table completely off guard.

It lasted WAY longer than it should have before Ramirez stepped back wiped his mouth and grinned before waving at the table and stepping out. Adam was left looking shocked, Sunny was left looking just as shocked.

And Amanda looked angry.

Josh patted Adam on the arm asking him how long they would have been together.

Adam's brain churned slowly forward, "T-three years? I I'm not good at numbers." He said lamely.

Slowly the rest of the table seemed to warm up to him, and he was able to pull himself out of his funk long enough to share a few colorful stories before finally finding an opening in the conversation, getting up grabbing the three of them and hurrying outside to where he found Ramirez and Maverick sitting on the patio outside talking and laughing.

He walked over and sat down.

Staring out at the dark.

Ramirez looked at him, "Hey buddy..... you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" There was a pause, "Did you have to add tongue?"

Maverick snorted

Ramirez shrugged, "What! I had to make it look convincing, didn't I?"

He looked up at Sunny who had just stepped outside, "Sorry about that."

"Sorry for sticking your tongue down my battle partner's throat/'

"Well that makes it sound bad."

She snorted, "I'll let you live this time."

He turned to look at Adam still registering the shell shocked look on his face, "Oh come on don't be like that its just a kiss. Not like it was your first time or anything."

There was silence.

Adam looked away.

Ramirez froze.

"Wait, hold on, are you saying?"

Adam cleared his throat awkwardly.

Ramirez blanched, "Shit Adam, I I am so sorry, I didn't think I thought you I.... shit......"

Maverick started to cackle like a hyena as she looked between the two of them.

"Its fine," Adam grumbled, "I its not like I wouldn't have. Sunny just doesn't have lips you know."

"I guess that's true. I am really sorry...." He paused then grinned a bit, "If its any consolation you aren't bad for a first timer, maybe a bit stiff."

Adam frowned, "Seriously."

"No really firm but not to much, and you don't slobber either which is good."

Adam groaned and rested his head in his hands.

Maverick cackled even louder.

"So.... What did you think." Ramirez pressed.

Adam looked up through his hands, "Really/'

"No really I'm curious."

Adam looked over at Sunny, which luckily for him looked almost amused with the entire ordeal rather than angry or jealous.

He sighed, "it was.... Weird."

"Good weird or bad weird."

"You know I really don't want to talk about how my first kiss was with a subordinate officer."

"You forgot the part where I am also your best friend. Plus, since I am past feeling guilty about it, now I am sort of just pleased with myself. I mean its not every day you get to make out with the most powerful human in the universe.'

"Ramirez!"

"ok ok, fine, but seriously, if you ever want a little fun, I am sure Sunny wouldn't mind letting me practice a little platonically of course."

That had both Sunny and Maverick laughing.

Even Krill was humming slightly at Adam's expense as he rested his head in his hands and groaned, though he couldn't stop a bit of the laughter that bubbled up from inside.

He just felt bad for Sunny.

He had kissed Ramirez and had a child with Conn.

What was next?