The Reunion

[Anauri Rabeak]

There was something about the sadness in Joey's words that pulled Anauri back to a seat as well, though not upon the desk chair. Instead he sat down beside his son on the bed, and for a moment it felt like they were back on the bench seat of his old work truck, talking about life as they so often had those many years ago.

Though he feared to say it, Anauri had to know the rest of the story, no matter how painful it might be. Placing a paw on Joey's knee, he rubbed it lightly, a reassuring touch to let him know that Anauri was there for him.

"Why didn't you go, then?"

[Joey Rabeak]

Silence. Joey sat still, not even his tail twitching as he stared at someplace far beyond the floor. He could still feel the pain in his heart as if it were fresh and new, jagged gashes rent by the red-hot claws of some infernal hellbeast.

"Because he killed himself," the younger male replied at last. The paw on his knee squeezed tighter, partially from shock, but also from compassion, and Joey fought through the ancient pain to elaborate. "He was living on the street or in shelters, and the only comfort he could seem to find was drugs. I didn't like him doing them, but I couldn't stop him either. I wanted him to go to rehab, but he wouldn't go, insisting he could handle it, and like a fool I believed him. About six months after mom caught us, he overdosed. His parents wouldn't accept his ashes, so I did, and I scattered them over our favorite places."

His head fell, and he cradled it between his paws. "I should have done more for him, Dad. I should have mad Mom take him in, or I should have gone to live with him wherever he was, to protect him from himself. He didn't do anything wrong. Neither of us did anything wrong!"

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri did not even have to think about his next action, simply acting on the instinct of a father as he moved his paw from his son's knee to wrap around his shoulders and pull him close. Joey's arms threw themselves around Anauri's middle, hugging him tightly as hot tears were shed into the chest of his father's thee shirt where Joey buried his head.

"I know you didn't, Jo-jo," Anauri reassured him. "You loved him, there's nothing wrong with that."

As Joey cried out the pain and anguish which had been so deeply buried, Anauri simply held his son, hugging him close with one arm while the other rubbed the small of his back like he used to when Joey was a young child and had suffered a nightmare.

"It's not your fault. It's that stupid law, and your stupid mother. But it's okay. You're here now, and so am I, and I need you to know that I still love you. Just cry it out; crying isn't weakness, Joey, it's natural."

[Joey Rabeak]

And so Joey did cry. He cried out the pain of loss, of his family torn apart, and opportunities denied him. He cried out the years of living without the father he admired so much, the struggle which had taken him off-world, and he cried out the anger he harbored for his mother who had ripped their family apart. It was a display of emotion he'd needed to vent for years, to someone who understood, and Anauri accepted the burden of his son's anguish while holding him up, assuring him things would be okay.

In the end, Joey disentangled himself from his father, wiping his eyes dry as he struggled to regain composure. "Thanks, Dad," he said with a sniffle. "I... hadn't told anyone else about Hamesh. I was too ashamed. He deserved better, and I still miss him."

[Anauri Rabeak]

"You always miss your first love, son," Anauri replied, rubbing Joey's back once more. "There's times I still pine for Rostelana F'sharr, but I know I had to move on. If I hadn't, I'd have never met your mother, and I wouldn't have you."

A playful hug pulled Joey into his side again, before letting him go. "But, surely you've met someone else since then. Are you seeing someone now? Is he nice? Or she, if you've become interested in females?" Anauri's bushy eyebrows went up in a bit of hopeful worry. "I'm not a grandfather yet, am I?"

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey laughed, and it was a most needed laugh at that point, as it brought a smile back to his face. Shaking his head, he looked back to his dad through tear-reddened eyes. "No, Dad, I'm still just into guys," he chuckled. "I've had a few boyfriends, and... more than a few lovers since Hamesh, but I'm single right now. It was hard to form that kind of relationship at the Academy, as you never knew where you might get sent. I've not been in an actual relationship in about two years."

It was awkward to talk about things like that with his dad, which seemed funny now that he looked back on it. Anauri had, as he said, permitted him and Hamesh time to finish after catching them in the act that first time, and had made himself scarce when he knew that Joey and Hamesh had wanted 'alone time' in the past, even permitting them their own tent on the two or three camping trips they'd taken as a trio. To most, Hamesh was simply Joey's best friend, but since that fateful day, Anauri had known better. Yet despite the awkwardness, it also felt cathartic, being able to be so open with his father now, knowing there were no prying ears which might hear, or care.

"What about you? Have you seen anyone since Mom?" Joey turned the tables on his father.

[Anauri Rabeak]

The blush on Anauri's face was impossible to hide, his inner ears burning red as he gave a sheepish smile. "Well... not a lot, really. Yeah, there were some flings, but I didn't seem to connect with anyone until, well, until recently, actually." He shifted in his seat, attempting to find the best words.

"Only thing is, I'm not sure it wasn't just a fling, itself," he attempted to explain. "A few months back I met someone, a Kroskovan gal, and, well... we kind of hit it off right away in a manner I wasn't expecting. But, she's now a long way from here, and she's also, um... about your age."

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey's ears and eyebrows both went up in surprise before he laughed and gave his father a playful punch in the arm. "You sly dog, you," he chuckled. "Does this mean I should be expecting a little brother or sister before long?"

It was difficult to think of his father as still having a sex life, but thanks to Joey's often fertile imagination, an image was quickly conjured before his better judgment blocked it out entirely.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"No," Anauri chuckled as he shook his head. "Though it wasn't for lack of trying!"

The expression on Joey's face at that was worth a good, hearty laugh, and so Anauri indulged himself completely.

"Ahhh, but seriously, no, I was smart enough to use protection. I already had one son I wasn't able to see, it'd kill me to have another," he explained. "But we haven't spoken in a little while, and she's busy, so... I'm not sure much more's going to come out of that relationship. But enough about that, I want to know about you. Tell me everything that's happened in your life since we've been apart. We've got a lot of catching up to do."