Chapter Text
"Here we are. Home sweet home," even in his dazed state, Reath couldn't miss the sarcasm and even more so the nervousness drenching the words.
The first floor apartment in the middle of the bustling city was exactly as Cohmac had hastily described it on the way here - small, clearly newly moved into and a mess. That hardly mattered of course - he was lucky to have a place to stay at at all. And besides, an old wooden staircase ran up the wall directly in front of him, hinting at more rooms upstairs. He should - and would try to - stay positive.
The last few weeks had been nothing short of absurd - and horrible. Moving away from Coruscant City, going ahead with old acquaintances of his mother, the road ahead of the very remote pass being blocked by falling rocks, being stuck in the wilderniss for a few days upon the fear of the still roaring thunderstorm, discovering a poisonous plant thought to be extinct in an abandoned Amaxine company factory, his adoptive brother getting lost in the forest for a day and then being found very much hurt-
All of that already sounded straight out of a whacky sci-fi movie, but it could've up to that point all been resolved by some therapy sessions until bit by bit it became a crazy story to tell over dinner far off in the future. But when they'd finally been able to get back to Coruscant City, his world had truly shattered. The thunderstorm that had also led to their being stranded had... hit his Mother's car, sending it to crash into the side of the road, killing her instantly? It still sounded too ludicrous and unlikely to Reath to be true.
Numbly, he'd joined Cohmac, Orla, the busdriver, his trainee and their rock/coworker to go back with some specialist because of the plants, known as Drengir, a few days later. On the way back, he'd told Cohmac, the somewhat strange elderly librarian/historian who'd been along and whom he'd grown quite fond of and close with during the course of their adventure, of his mother's fate. He'd expected condolences, a hug, comforting words. He'd gotten the older man looking absolutely shaken, embracing him tightly and comforting Reath as though he were a child - which hadn't felt all too bad at all -, and, most to his shock, offering for him to stay with him until he knew how to continue.
So, after a visit to his mother's place to pick up a few of his things and a trainride to the city, here he was, standing in this almost stranger's livingroom, awkwardly clutching a suitcase in either hand.
"It is a two room apartment," Cohmac said as he went past him to lock up the door. "But the one that's not my bedroom is currently an office. So for now I can only offer you mine to sleep in, which I'll have to clean up a bit before..."
Reath frowned in confusion: "Where'll you be?"
"Sofa bed," he explained, nodding over at an old yellow couch in the middle of the living room.
Reath laughed once hysterically, then quickly shook his head: "No, that- No. I'll take the couch! You're already letting me stay here, I won't let you-"
Cohmac smiled, crinkling the skin around his eyes: "I insist. Besides, we can get a bed or a mattress or something for the other room soon."
He was about to say his intention wasn't to take Cohmac up on his kindness for so long, but suddenly it dawned on him he might just have to - legally, he was still a minor with 17, in need of a legal guardian. Until that could be arranged, he would be lucky to have a place to stay at like this one.
"Let's just get your stuff upstairs for now," Cohmac answered to his silence, throwing back a reassuring smile at Reath as he went ahead.
The constant feeling of pain, anger, confusion that clawed at his guts called for short grief had been ingnoreable when he'd busied himself best as he could helping Cohmac set up their beds and bring his belongings upstairs, but now, sitting awkwardly at the small, round table taking up the space behind the couch in the living room, he felt like it was eating him alive.
His gaze kept jumping to Cohmac, standing in the kitchen with his back to him as he rummaged through his fridge for something suitable for dinner. There was something almost mysterious about him...
Facts he knew about the man: Around 45, maybe a bit younger, warm brown skin, grey eyes, black curly hair with white beginning to show, maybe a meter seventy in height, probably less. Childless and without a partner or spouse. Part time jobs at the library and the museum, though Reath didn't know what exactly in either case. Always seemed to have deep rings under his eyes. Very nervous, almost as if experiencing PTSD, at several point throughout their journey, most notably after the initial accident and losing sight of Dez and finding him bruised and poisoned in a ditch full of Drengir. Very kind towards Reath, trying and oftentimes failing to be serious when faced with Orla's friendly teasing, stern when Mizi and Orincans stranded alongside them had stirred trouble. There was much he didn't know yet about Cohmac, and though he was curious, he would do his best not to overstep the other man's boundaries.
Surmising this had momentarily helped to soothe the all encompassing dread inside him, or rather distract him from it, but as the facts about his host ran out, he was again face to face with it. The whole thing just seemed so... unlikely. Unreal. The person who'd been his mother for years now - he didn't even think about the adoptive anymore, she simply was his mom - dead? He couldn't picture her warm, comforting, hug-giving body cold and dead, buried in the ground.
"Hey," A warm hand clasped his shoulder, voice lowered. "You okay?"
Reath, with a chocked, sobby noise escaping his throat, looked up at Cohmac's concerned face peering down at him. Managing a smile, or something close to it anyway, he nodded: "I'm fine."
As he walked over to his own seat across the table, Reath could've sworn he heard the older man mumble a phrase akin to "Somehow I doubt that", but when he faced Reath again, a smile was on his face.
"We'll have to make do with frozen pizza for tonight," Cohmac said apologetically, changing the topic and inclining his head towards the kitchen area to Reath's left.
He nodded, mumbling: "That's alright. Thank you." His eyes drifted away from the other man, scanning through the room; the apartment continued upstairs, but it wasn't a lot of space. Or maybe the movingboxes and piles of books scattered around made the room feel more cramped. Downstairs consisted mainly and almost exclusively of the living room and kitchen, separated only by a thin wall with a window. The passage between the two areas didn't even have a door. Upstairs were the office, Cohmac's room and a bathroom, in that order, to the left of the staircase. The apartment was located at the very edge of the building, so windows could be found on both the street side and along the left side.
They ate in silence for the most part, Reath avoiding eye contact as much as possible. Cohmac obviously wasn't too unhappy with the lack of talking either. After cleaning away his plate - Cohmac insisted just leaving it by the sink was fine - he went upstairs, saying he'd go to bed already. Cohmac nodded, understanding look on his aged features.
Sleep alluded him. A knot tight as a stone had formed in his guts, his thoughts kept churning and the warm blanket around him couldn't keep out the chill in his bones. Cohmac's bed was uncomfortably hard, and the moonlight filtering in through the window on his right bathed the room in a ghostly light.
Nothing was right. He was here, safe and well, while his mother was maybe already buried somewhere. Would he have to organize the funeral? It was unlikely Dez would do it - he'd immediately driven off to see his therapist to who knows where after they'd returned to Coruscant city, and Reath knew it wasn't Dez' way to contact home often - not that there really was a home he could contact left anymore.
Jora was gone. Dead. He'd never be able to hug her again. Couldn't discuss his problems and worries with her. He was alone. Tears he'd been holding back all day flowed freely now as he gripped the pillow closer, burying his face in it, and sobs tore free from his throat.
'Child orphaned now do what'
The internet had instructions and suggestions plenty for the next legal steps to become someone's guardian or what organizations to turn to that could handle the adoption process, but it couldn't quite tell Cohmac what he was supposed to do with the sad little 17-yearold currently sleeping in his bedroom upstairs. Putting his phone down, he rubbed his eyes, internally trying to calm his thoughts - there wasn't one definitive way he could help Reath through this, all he could do for now was be there for him.
All too well he knew how hard it was to go through losing your only parent with no one by your side. He wouldn't let that happen to Reath.
Realizing he'd left his toothbrush upstairs he sighed, prying himself off the couch - already made into his makeshift bed for the near future - and set out for the stairs, careful not to make any noise loud enough it might wake the boy. But as he reached the upper floor, a noice not unexpected but clawing at his insides nevertheless reached his ears. The sobbing sounded muffled, probably by the pillow, but it was still heartwrenching. For a moment, he stood in front of the door of his room as though frozen. Was going in the right thing to do here? Would Reath even want his comfort?
Excuses.
Knocking gently against the door with one hand, he pushed the handle down with the other, moving carefully and calmly.
"I'm," Reath started off, puffy face lifting from the pillow. His mind was clearly hazy from the crying and already half in the grip of sleep. "I'm sor-" Sobs kept interrupting the poor thing, barely able to rasp out the words. "I'll- I'm s- S-"
"Shhhh," Cohmac hushed quickly, kneeling down besides the bed. "It's okay Reath. It's okay."
Unsurprisingly, the sobbing and babbling continued, so with an increasingly sad expression, Cohmac took a seat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking Reath's back while continuing to whisper soothingly to him. To his great surprise, Reath snuggled closer to him, allowing Cohmac to drape his other arm across the boy, like a very awkward hug. Reath in turn nuzzled himself against Cohmac, burying his face in his loose night shirt.
Cohmac's heart ached at how desperate this search for closeness was. Despite his admirable show of maturity and calmness throughout the day, Reath was a child who'd just lost his mother, anxious for any sort of comfort.
After some time the sobs died down and Reath drifted into a probably fitfull sleep - still cuddled up against Cohmac, trapping him in the bed as well. Trying to escape the boy's embrace posed too much of a risk of waking him, Cohmac soon realized. Sighing quietly, he threw one last look down at Reath, sleeping with his head resting on Cohmac's shoulder, then closed his eyes, accepting he'd just have to take sleep in this far from comfortable position tonight.
He didn't mind it all that much, really. Reath was - and would be for some time to come - his priority. He'd experienced firsthand what it was like to be suddenly torn away from your guardian figure and tossed into the real world, and he would not let that happen to this kid.
Slowly drifting off to sleep as well now, he moved one hand to cup the back of Reath's head, cradling him closer against himself. Tomorrow, he suspected, a new chapter of both of their lifes would begin.