Litvir felt better now that they were outside Kyr Gath’s home. Since part of the Junior Stratos base where Litvir lived had caught fire, in order to repair things more quickly, all Rethan kids were sent back home to their parents and guardians until the repairs were done. Apparently it would only be for a week, and since most of the students were preparing for exams at the end of may, they weren’t given much homework either, and were expected to use the down time to study.
Before Litvir could even knock, the front door opened up, and Litvir immediately found themselves being hugged by Gath.
“You are such a brave kid!” Gath exclaimed as they dragged Litvir inside, took their school bag off them then sat Litvir down on the sofa. “You are so, so brave!”
“I appreciate it…” Litvir hesitated. “Is Kyr Relkir at work?”
“Yes, but they will be home shortly. However, I have taken the liberty of taking time off work, so I can look after you and help you study for this week.”
“You… took time off work… just for me?” Litvir blinked. “But you are the Keeper! You are very important! Also… can I have a drink please?”
Gath nodded and got up. They headed to the kitchen, pulled out two diet fizzy drinks, then came back and handed one to Litvir. Litvir opened the can and took several sips, before sighing.
“Is something wrong?” Gath asked.
“A… a little. I am thinking, vok like me now. Same way they started to like Kyr Relkir. It feels weird. I had to prove that I am a guardian. I have done that now.”
Gath shrugged. “I will be honest, I think a lot of Rethans were surprised when the Lady of Light introduced you, because no one knew who you were.”
Litvir sighed. “Because I did not exist before then. You all expected a hero, resurrected. You ended up with me.”
“That is a fair concern, but I think we do know who you are now. You are the kid who saved a lot of other kids from a dangerous, fiery situation, with complete disregard of your own safety. Now every Rethan knows you are just as strong a guardian as any other Rethan.”
“I guess…” Litvir sipped their drink. “Could have been faster though.”
Gath put an arm around Litvir. “It is fine. You are fine.”
“Hm. Yes. I am fine…” Litvir paused briefly. “No one died, I did the best I could do in the moment. But also all us kids got, technically, a week off from school.”
Gath smiled. “I know you have studying to do for your exams, but you can continue just relaxing with us.”
“I am going back to my normal duties tomorrow though.”
“Again, it is not a problem.”
A click at the door distracted both Litvir and Gath. The handle twisted, and Relkir stepped inside. Ever since Relkir got their new job as General of the Legion of Advisors, they had stopped wearing 47th Legion armour and were wearing more casual pieces.
“Oh, hello, little hero!” Relkir beamed. “How are you?”
Litvir smiled. “I am good. How are you?”
Relkir closed the door, then dumped most of their stuff in a pile on the floor and sat down on the sofa opposite Gath and Litvir. They glanced at Litvir, then turned to Gath, smiling oddly.
“You want to adopt me?” Litvir suddenly asked. “Wait… sorry… I did the stupid mind thing again… I wish I knew how to not listen.”
Gath and Relkir both looked at each other, then shrugged.
“I will be honest, as your parental guardians, we somewhat already have,” Relkir explained. “But what we want to do is be actual parents for you. Meaning you can live with us all the time when you are not at Junior Stratos, and can remain here after you have obtained your education certificate, until you are inducted into a Legion proper. At the same time, you can come to us whenever you need help, and we will act as completely normal parents for you.”
Litvir didn’t immediately respond. They thought to themselves for a moment, then looked up at Gath.
“If you adopt me, will you be my mama? And will Relkir be my dada?”
“Yes.”
“And I can stop calling Kyr Elkay my mama?”
Gath glanced at Relkir. Relkir hinted that they should just go along with it.
“Yes, of course.”
“And I can live here? And sleep on the sofa?”
Gath shook their head. “No, you will not sleep on the sofa any more. We will move some stuff around, and we will put a bed in my office for you to sleep on properly.”
“You will be looked after the same way any kid gets looked after!” Relkir smiled. “We will need to do some paperwork, to make things official, and we may also need to speak with Tessar, the General of the Legion of Deitic Affairs. But all you have to do is say yes, you want us to be your parents.”
“Really?” Litvir started bouncing excitedly. “Because you two have looked after me the best! And I want to spend time with you!” Litvir suddenly paused, then settled down a little. “I would also like to tell Miisa that I do actually have parents.”
“Who is Miisa?” Relkir asked.
“My school friend.”
“I see… Anyway, Litvir, I know that you are going back to godly work next week, but let us know when you are free, and we can make arrangements to deal with the paperwork.”
Litvir grinned, not really knowing how to deal with the news they had just been given. “Can we… should we celebrate?”
Relkir and Gath both nodded. “Of course we can.”
“Can we make a cake?”
“Indeed.”
“Can we have pizza too? I like that. With lots of cheese them.”
Gath patted Litvir on the shoulder. “Kid, you can have whatever you want. Within reason, of course.”
Litvir smiled some more. “Thank you, so much. I think everything is better now!”
“No worries, dear!” Relkir beamed as they got up. “Do you want to help me make pizza?”
“Yes!” Litvir leaped from their seat, then rushed to the kitchen, getting everything out. “I am so happy!”
“Good. Because you deserve to be happy.”