Seri stared back.
UGH—fuck a duck, was all this awkward… It had been tense since he’d stormed off to his room the other day, and he hadn’t figured out how to fix things. Well, more Severo had been tip-toeing around him, being super nice and apologetic. The guy had even apologized. Which was new. Not many people apologized to him for anything.
Either way, Severo tip-toed around carefully at first, when Seri had gone full grump. The man continued to do so, even after his anger had subsided, due no doubt to Seri remaining silent…
Except, he’d kept quiet, not out of anger but embarrassment. Seri was too embarrassed to admit he wasn’t mad anymore. Which was immature as hell, and he knew it was, yet…
Seri had never been great at conversation, even before being abducted. He just didn't meet people that often. And while he knew he wasn’t wrong in wanting Severo to stop digging into his past, he also wasn’t sure he was completely right. If, and it was a big ‘if’, the Dweller was right about him being taken, then technically a crime had been committed. So, it would be in his purview to investigate it further. But, at the same time, it was still his past, and wasn’t it only natural to not want possibly painful shit dragged up?
“Seri…” Severo set the playmat instructions aside. “Say what you want to say, I won’t get mad.”
“Yes, but what if I get mad after saying it?!” Seri blurted, before frowning and covering his face with a groan.
Severo chuckled. “Well, I’d rather younotget mad about something you…said…but I suppose we can deal with it if it happens?”
“That’s… Look…” Seri flopped over on his side on the couch with another groan. “I suck at peopling. I just want to say that I’m sor—” His words were cut off by a loud squeal as Skya sent the bell she’d been playing with flying, while at the same time snagging hold of the instructions which she then started to shake violently. The sound of crinkling paper instantly filled the room.
“Ahh, no. No, gummy bear, that is not a toy.” Severo gasped in horror and began to try to extract the paper from her.
His lips trembled, barely holding back his laughter at the man failing again and again to negotiate the papers from her. He snorted when Skya’s face settled firmly into a determined pout.
Getting up, Seri snagged a plush toy that made a crinkling noise when you squeezed it and crouched down beside them.
“Skya, my dewdrop, why don’t we play with this instead, hmm?” he asked, squeezing the little plush bee.
She eyed him and then the bee, before looking at the paper and then the bee again. A second later, she was releasing the paper and grabbing the bee.
Chuckling, he let her have it. “That’s my good girl.” He ruffled her curls as she hugged the bee to herself.
Severo snagged the instructions and moved them far away from her reach.
“Some advice about babies. Don’t put anything you don’t want them playing with within reach,” Seri drawled. “Or you’ll either have to barter for it, or play tug of war to get it back.”
“Good advice,” the Dweller sighed.
“So…” Seri cleared his throat.
“So…?”
“I’m sorry!” Seri blurted. “For being difficult…and grumpy…and snapping at you about the one thing.”
“The one thing. About that?—”
“No. We aren’t going to talk about that because I will get mad if we do. I just wanted to apologize for yelling. And for making it awkward.”
“You aren’t difficult.”
Seri scoffed. “Severo…you don’t need to lie.”
“You aren’t difficult, you are…complicated. But you have also been through a lot, Seri. And to be honest, I sometimes have trouble with overstepping when I think I’m being helpful. We also don’t really know each other…so us butting heads is expected. As much as I know about you, it doesn’t mean that Iknowyou. Because knowing someone can’t happen through paperwork. It takes time and effort. And I hope we do get to know each other in some capacity. Even if we are here together due to a horrible situation.”
Seri frowned. “Why?”
Severo’s head tilted. “Why, what?”
“Why do you want to get to know me?” Seri asked.
The way the Nymph said it with such confusion caused his chest to ache. It wasn’t pity, just sadness that Seri couldn’t fathom someone wanting to know him.
