8 | Before They Collide

Zarion takes Roan to a tiny diner hidden on the edges of the third floating city of Varian. They sit in an empty corner away from the other customers where they can speak quietly to one another without being heard.

The waiter takes their orders and leaves just as quickly as she appears, leaving Roan wondering how Zarion stumbled ono this place. "Interesting." he hums quietly to himself.

"If I ask you a question, promise you won't freak out."

"Why would I promise anything to someone I barely know?"

Zarion tires of Roan's stubbornness. "Just, promise me, okay?"

Roan rolls his eyes. "Fine." he replies, slouching over the table and waiting patiently for Zarion to speak.

"You're a Draven, aren't you?" Roan looks up slowly but does not say anything. It is enough of a reaction for him to dig deeper.

Zarion sits up in his seat meaning that once again Zarion looks down on Roan with the same expression that he had that time he smelt Roan's scent. "It's why you always smell like reptile, why your resting heartbeat is lower than it should be...

Zarion cups Roan's hands into his own. "...why your skin is always so cold."

Roan immediately flinches away from Zarion once he realizes his mistake.

When Roan refuses to say anything Zarion continues to question him. "How many have you seen die?"

Roan shakes his head, struggling to find the lies that usually come so naturally to him. "No, I'm not doing this."

"Sit."

Roan notes that the little commands that Zarion gives always sound like warnings and he is not someone who likes to press buttons without knowing what they do.

Zarion does not immediately start talking when Roan sits down, he lets things cooldown a little so that tensions are not so high.

"I know what it's like...to see your people die without you being able to help them."

"Your eye? The Alpha that did it to you...you knew him didn't you?"

"You mean my father?" Zarion chuckles bitterly. "Yeah, he was a real piece of crap."

"You don't have to speak about it." Roan utters.

"He became the pack leader of a group of Alphas when I was born, something that had never been done before, ever."

Zarion looks at Roan to make sure he is listening. "He was incredibly powerful back then, but he wanted more and more power and so, in pursuit of that power, the list of Lycan, Alpha, Skin-walker and Yokai spirits that he murdered got longer as time went on."

My mother, Amelia, found out she had another soulmate...Alpha Dean Micah of the Micah pack. Thanks to him, we were able to escape. That picture of us was taken a few days after our escape."

"Is that why you are here now? Are you hiding from your dad?"

Zarion nods his head, smiling inside when he sees how interested Roan has become. "My father is all about power and dynasty. Since I am his only living heir, he would stop at almost nothing to get me back."

"What about your mom and the Micah pack, wouldn't your father attack them to find you?"

"I said almost nothing...my dad is still in love with my mom." Zarion shakes his head. "He wouldn't hurt her."

Once again, they fall into their comfortable silence as Roan receded inside his mind. Zarion watches Roan quietly, analysing every movement, like how he checks every few minutes to make sure Zarion is still there or how his ears turn red when he feels embarrassed.

"Fifteen." Roan finally confesses. "I've seen fifteen Draven die."

"When was the first?"

"I don't want to-"

"Don't shut me out now roomie. Trust me, I'm not judging."

Roan rolls his eyes to stop himself from crying which, of course, only makes things worse. "I was..." Roan thinks up an estimate. "Four, maybe five. My mother she..."

Roan takes a deep breath in, his shoulders feeling heavier than usual. "She shifted when we were in the middle of town because I told her I wanted to see her scales."

Roan smiles and strokes the air. "They were, um, the most beautiful blue I've ever seen, and I was a child, so I had no idea what I was doing but um...she shifted and....well, you know what the Valsari are capable of."

"So, she just did it because you asked?" Zarion brows furrow. "Why would she do that?"

"I'm kind of...royalty." Roan outwardly cringes at the fact.

"Your parent too?"

Roan shakes his head and suddenly becomes hyper aware that they are sitting in a diner. He lowers his voice and leans closer to Zarion. "No... just me."

"How does that work?"

"Well, there are different kinds of Dragon, I mean you have your Drakes, your Wyrm, your Wyvern your Lindwrum, Amphiptere and to make things even more confusing you also have your Black Dragons and your Emperor Dragons."

"Yep, you lost me."

"It is mostly to do with how many legs they have and if they have wings or not for most of them but if you were born a Black Dragon then you are royalty and I'm sure you already know what the Emperor Dragons are."

"So you're a Black dragon?"

Roan nods his head. "We are bigger, stronger and faster than the rest, but we also have an ability called Regnum, which gives us control over other dragons."

"I'm guessing you are kind of rare in the dragon world then?"

"I'm one in a billion." Roan leans back, realizing that he is getting too excited. "I've never met any other Black Dragon before."

"So, you used reg... whatever it's called on your mom and she had to listen?"

"Regnum...and yes...but I didn't know what I was doing, and I was only four I-"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, I got my own mess enough for the two of us." Zarion yawns when he stretches.

One of Roan's tears drops on the table. "Oh...okay." Zarion stares at Roan and smiles which creeps Roan out a little. "What?"

Zarion takes Roan's hands into his own again. "You're my little rarity." Zarion grins when Roan's ears practically start glowing.

"No, we aren't doing this." Roan groans.

"I'm just messing with you roomie."

The server returns with their orders and stops when she sees the two of them. "Why are you crying? Your boyfriend is right here?"

Roan almost chokes. "Boyfriend?"

"The two of you are such a cute couple." she adds, smiling kindly at the two of them.

Zarion quickly lets go of Roan's hand. "Oh, we're not dating."

Roan, with fresh tears in his eyes turns to the server. "He just broke up with me." he lies, blinking innocently at Zarion.

The server shakes her head and slides the extra vanacian bites she gave to Zarion over to Roan which immediately puts a smile on Roan's face.

"Nicely done."