Bo couldn't find where the rice was. Well, it wasn't that there wasn't any rice. There was a whole row of different kinds of pasta and noodles and rice and grains, but there was one brand that he always got because he was familiar with it, and it wasn't there. So that meant sifting through the numbers of different kinds and looking closely at what was in them. There were some with extra nutrients packed in, there were some grown on farms on earth-like planets, there were some that came in cool colors but gave you indigestion if you didn't have a second stomach, and so on and so on.
Grocery shopping wasn't always so complicated, but it was good that he had time, and he had a list. He always made a list when he was out getting food for the family. He was the one who actually cared the most about what they got anyway, so his mom didn't really mind letting him take over the job while she was somewhere else in the store, getting other supplies.
Bo hummed along to the song playing over the speakers. It was some bouncy, upbeat tune with words in some other language he couldn't recognize. There were a lot of beeps and boops though. Those he could sing along with.
He bounced slightly on his feet down the checkered tile of the aisle, reading all the labels, and the automated cart rolled beside him at a steady pace. He had to squint to read sometimes, as the colorless fluorescent lights lining the ceiling flickered a little every now and again. At least he could see though, even if dimly.
It had been a long day, and it was barely the afternoon.
Nova had spent the morning doing Galactic Federation business. It didn't matter what that business was. All that mattered was that it was tiring, and that Nova was starving after working through the morning. Maybe he should have just gone out to eat in a restaurant, but he wanted something to eat now.
Another thing: Nova was used to being recognized. He should have changed his form, but he didn't want to waste his one shift of the day on something minor like that. He had to savor it - it was hard to guess when he'd actually need it.
So he just kept his head down as he looked through the vast array of food available to him. His stomach would hate him later, but Nova was craving something sweet. He eventually picked up a tin of cookies and some cheap, fried food.
He turned down the next aisle.
If he cut through it, it would hopefully get him to where he could check out. There was someone else in the aisle, but he looked young - Nova doubted he'd be recognized by him. Federation figures weren't people kids usually paid attention to. The boy might have known who Vice Admiral Nova was, but he wouldn't put the name to his face.
He went to pass them.
Then he stopped.
The boy looked...familiar. Nova could have sworn he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't figure out where. It took him a good few moments of staring to realize he was looking at a much younger version of Kazimir Petrov. And seeing that Kazimir was in his thirties and sitting in prison, this had to be...
"Andrei Petrov?" Nova asked. It was only after he spoke that he realized how strange this whole situation must have been to Andrei: a Federation officer had just called him by his name in the grocery store, his arms laden with cheap foods that looked out of place in front of pristine white uniform.
Bo hadn't even paid attention to who was walking down the aisle apart from noting how close they were in proximity to him, but when he heard his full, lega name said out loud, his entire face pinched in confusion. People didn't just go around saying his full name if they were surprised to see him. It was so formal.
When he turned around, though, he tensed and stared. It was a fed, and he recognized the uniform immediately. He... well, he knew the feds probably kept tabs on him and his family or something, but he didn't expect to run into one in the grocery store. And why did he say his name? Why did he look as surprised to see him and Bo was to see a fed saying his name?
Bo's head tilted down and to the side.
Was he in trouble? No. They were just in a grocery store. He hadn't done anything wrong.
It was only after Andrei spoke that he realized how badly it could be misinterpreted - given Kazimir's history, he wouldn't be surprised if Andrei thought he was there for him, too.
"There isn't problem," he reassured him. He readjusted the cookie tin and package of friend chicken in his arms. "I just wasn't expecting to see you here - I've spent awhile trying to find you, but I never thought I'd find you when getting groceries."
(Groceries, Nova decided, sounded a lot better than saying a very unhealthy lunch.)
"This is a little abrupt," he said, "but I was there when they arrested your dad. I know you probably have some idea of what happened, but we weren't able to find where you or your family were. I've been trying to track you down for the past few years..."
He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish smile.
"But I haven't been too lucky," he admitted. "I was actually starting to give up hope!"
Bo hadn't been sure of what he'd expected to hear in reply, but it definitely wasn't that.
The feds had been trying to find him and his family? Well... of course they were, weren't they? They wanted his mom and grandparents in jail too, right? He was pretty sure the feds didn't have any dirt on the rest of his family, but that didn't really help to calm his nerves. The fact that the fed said it all so casually didn't help either.
He squinted uncomfortably. Why did the fed feel the need to tell him all this?
"Uh... okay? I mean, I already knew my dad had been, uh, incarcerated."
"That's good," Nova said. He tried to ignore how awkward he was feeling right now - this moment had played out a lot differently in his head. Maybe it was because he had never imagined it happening with a grocery store as a backdrop, or with his arms full of a very questionable meal.
"I just wanted to make sure you knew what happened to him," Nova said. He paused, his gaze softening a little. He thought over what he wanted to say next carefully - he didn't want it to come across as silly or cliche. "I didn't want another boy growing up and not knowing where his dad went."
The fed wanted him to know what happened to his dad, do he wouldn’t be left wondering what happened to him. That was all? Bo felt a whole different breed of nervousness wash over him, causing him to cast his eyes to the floor.
“Oh. Uh. That’s-that’s nice of you. Thank you, officer... what did you say your name was?”
"It's Nova," he said. Nova desperately hoped Andrei would think he wasn't the Nova. Nova wasn't too uncommon of a name, right? His smile returned, this time more warm than sheepish.
"That's me," he confirmed. He knew he didn't look the part right now - not that he ever really did. No one ever guessed that he was just in his twenties. They also seemed to think he was older and had more experience than he did.
He was just a hard worker who had spent a lot of time doing his job - and some connections in high places definitely hadn't hurt.
Bo felt like his mind was shutting down. Was it wrong of him that his first thought was to ask for a picture with him? It wasn’t even like he was a fan or something, he just thought no one would believe him if he said he met THE Vice Admiral in a FoodMart.
But picture or no picture, that meant the Vice Admiral had dealt with his dad’s case and had been keeping tabs on him and his family. What did that even mean?
Bo realized he felt a little damp. Sweaty, in his armpits especially, but just in general.
He let out a nervous laugh. “You-you-uh, wow uh, you look...” He swallowed. “... more normal than I expected.”
Nova wasn't oblivious. He could tell that Andrei was getting nervous. If Nova had been in his shoes, he might have felt the same way. Whatever he did, Nova had to make sure Andrei didn't see him as a threat - that had never been his intention.
"It's probably the cookie tin and the fried food," Nova said, holding up both of the containers and giving Andrei. It wasn't the kind he gave to the press or people high up in government. It was just...a smile. A little bit sheepish, warm and overall natural. The kind of smile someone would expect a regular guy in his twenties to give.
Bo forced an awkward, weak sort of smile. Why was this guy still here...? He could sort of understand, with him wanting to make sure he knew about his dad and all, but he was still the guy who put his dad there. So what was he gonna do? Apologize? The Vice Admiral of all people wouldn't do that.
"Yeah, probably," he answered quietly.
He'd completely forgotten about his search for pasta by now.
But he wouldn't be getting anywhere if he kept trying to force it - he had to just be himself, and then Andrei would feel a little more at ease. He looked at the row of food that Andrei had been staring at before Nova showed up. Andrei had been there when he turned the corner, and was still in the same spot when he started to walk by him.
Maybe he couldn't find what he was looking for?
He glanced back at Andrei.
"Are you having trouble finding something?" he asked.
"...Pasta," he said quietly, wondering how long he was going to have to talk to this guy. He was the Vice Admiral. It wasn't like he could just peace out disrespectfully, right? He wasn't sure what to do.
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