How to Fly with Broken Wings...

Chapter Four

A few days went by, and Kairo only saw Loomis when he came home to sleep, still ignoring him. It was clear he was exhausted from everything. He worked nearly every day, and when he wasn't working, he was studying and doing projects for college.

Kairo was starting to get frustrated with Loomis's avoidance tactics. He wanted to talk to the Umbreon, to apologize for being a jerk, but every time he tried to approach him, Loomis would brush him off or simply ignore him. Kairo knew that he had messed up, but he didn't know how to fix it if Loomis wouldn't even give him the chance.

The Miraidon decided to try a different approach. He waited until Loomis was at work one day, and then slipped out of the dorm room to go visit Sol's parlor. He knew that Loomis worked there and figured it was the perfect opportunity to catch him alone.

Loomis was out running a delivery when he got there, but Sol was there. He and Kairo had never met yet.

Kairo walked into the parlor, scanning the room for any sign of Loomis. He didn't see him anywhere, but his eyes landed on Sol, who was sitting behind the counter, working on something on a computer.

Kairo approached the counter, feeling a bit nervous. He had never talked to Sol before, and wasn't sure what to expect. "Uh, hi..."

Sol looked up from his computer, his expression neutral as he saw Kairo standing in front of him. "Hey. Can I help you with something?"

Kairo shifted uncomfortably, trying to find the right words. "Uh, yeah... I'm Kairo, Loomis's roommate. I was wondering if I could ask you something... about him."

Sol raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Here was the fabled roommate, and possibly the answer to why Loomis had been so grouchy lately. "What kind of question is it? And why couldn't you ask him yourself?"

Kairo sighed, feeling a bit awkward. "Well... we've kind of been having a bit of a... disagreement. He's been avoiding me like the plague, and I figured you might be able to help me figure out why."

Sol chuckled slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Sounds like Loomis. He's not the most sociable guy, that's for sure. What exactly is the problem between you two?"

Kairo ran a hand over his scales, looking a bit sheepish. "I may have... gotten a bit drunk, teased him, called him some pet names and stuff... and now he's barely speaking to me."

Sol let out a soft sigh, his expression softening slightly. "Ah, I see. That explains a lot. Loomis doesn't really like it when people get too close to him, and he's especially sensitive to teasing. You really pissed him off, huh?"

Kairo nodded, feeling a pang of guilt in his chest. "Yeah... I guess I did. I didn't realize how much it would affect him. He's been ignoring me for days now, and it's driving me crazy. I just want to make things right, but he won't even give me the chance to apologize."

Sol studied Kairo for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Look, I can understand why you're frustrated. But you have to understand that Loomis is a very private person. He doesn't open up easily, and when he does, it's usually because he feels like he can trust you. The fact that he's been avoiding you is probably a sign that he doesn't feel that way right now."

Kairo let out a frustrated sigh, running his hands over his scales again. "Yeah, I know. I just... I don't know how to fix this. I want to make things right with him, but I don't know how to get him to even look at me."

Sol leaned back in his chair, considering Kairo's words. "Have you tried talking to him directly? Just telling him how you feel and apologizing for what you did?"

Kairo rolled his eyes slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Of course I've tried talking to him. I've tried everything. He just ignores me or gives me the cold shoulder."