the harder the rain, the sweeter the sun

the conversation

After dinner that night, the four Alimagians and Roman relaxed in the living room, Emile cuddled up to Remy's side on the couch (where Roman slept) as the three teenagers sat around.

Emile was asleep, his wings puffed out around himself and Remy as Remy ran their hands through their soft feathers. Virgil lay curled up in a little ball on his favorite love seat, dozing as Roman read a book on the floor, leaning back onto Virgil's feet. Diego just stared at Roman, eyes narrowed but his teeth gnawing on his lip.

Roman sighed, looking up at the merperson who startled as he realized Roman knew he had been staring at him.

"Look," Roman said quietly as to not disturb the others slumber, "I don't know if I have personally done something wrong to offend you, but if I have, I am truly sorry. And I'm sorry about the river this afternoon, it was an accident, but," Roman looked him in the eyes, "I literally have no clue what I could've done directly to you to cause this anger and hatred. Please, for the love of anything, can we at least try to put away this...rivalry until I leave, because I won't be here forever."

Diego looked at him in silence, an eyebrow quirking, "Why aren't you planning on staying?"

Roman's heart started beating faster at the sound of Diego's voice and the fact that the merperson was actually speaking to him, and he quietly said, "Well, no matter how my family feels about it, I need to return home eventually."

"Your family?"

Roman sighed, "I'm not comfortable going into detail about it with you, since you've obviously shown you hate me throughout this past week."

The room grew quiet after Roman said that, enough time for Roman to open back up his book of Alimagian folk tales and begin reading it again when Diego spoke again, causing Roman to drop the book, "I don't hate you."

The clatter of the book had Emile groaning, digging his face deeper into Remy's shoulder. Roman winced, "Apologies. But, what do you mean that you don't hate me?"

"I mean that I don't hate you," The scaled boy stared at his feet, his arms crossed across his chest, "You haven't done anything to me, but I still have...resentment towards humans. It's nothing to do with you as a person, just your race."

Roman's eyebrows shot up, but fell again as he thought deeper. What happened to Diego to cause this sort of...resentment?

"Care to explain further?"

"I...hmm." Diego hummed, thinking about it, but flinching as Virgil snored loudly.

"Fine." Diego whispered, looking at his sleeping family, "I'll tell you, but come with me. I don't want them to wake up."

Diego stood up and Roman followed, leaving his book on the floor next to Virgil and following Diego into his room. Diego sat on his bed, cross-legged while Roman awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, arms clasped behind his back.

The room was extremely clean, with mustard walls. It was small, with his bed in the corner of the room and a desk next to it, but it was cozy, the lantern next to his bed coloring the room a soft gold.

Diego sighed, patting the bed next to him and scooting over so Roman could sit down, which he did.

Diego lay back his arms behind his head, and he sighed, "I've been thinking about this for a while. Well, the past week. I know you as a person have nothing to do with the royal family or their views," Roman winced, "But just seeing a human...just...scares me."

Roman's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "I scare you?"

"Of course you do. You're a built human who could break me in half and can run back to your village and accuse all of us of kidnapping and have us literally executed."