When Roman was five, he truly began to understand his powers.

Before that, he didn’t really get when his parents took him to the doctor and she diagnosed his powers as absorption.

She tried to describe it with metaphors. He was a mosquito. But a good one. Where he could take pain or emotions from people.

At the time, he didn’t get it. A mosquito. Those pesky bugs that he hated. He was like one of those.

As he learned more, he started to realize what that meant. He could absorb bad things that people didn’t want. He could make them better.

Not having that much practice, he only knew how to take pain. It’s not the most pleasant, but he likes helping.

Once he got old enough to comprehend the snide comments and bitter tones that his parents exchanged, he understood the emotional side of his absorption abilities.

They would send him to his room and then they would argue. They talk pretty loudly.

Sometimes he would try to drown it out with headphones and music. But other times he would put his ear to the door and just listen.

Little Roman was a naive fixer. He thought his powers could fix anything. After all, he was a good mosquito.

When his mom would come in after the fight and hug him, he used his powers. Absorb the anger and irritation.

His dad would come in after she left the room and Roman would do the same to him.

It appeared to work. Only for a short time though. Temporary.

Things would be happy. Like how he wanted them. But it never lasted.

It wasn’t until he got to middle school and the fighting only intensified in both quantity and quality that he realized something.

It was his fault.

He took their negative emotions before they could deal with them. His parents don’t know how to deal with each other. Because he never let them.

It is a heavy weight he carries even to this day.

He stopped taking their feelings. But it was too late. He did it for too long.

After that realization, he never took emotions like that ever again. At least not with his parents. Pain is easy, but emotions are complicated.

Every time he uses his ability, he tries to make up for what he did to his own parents.

But deep down, Roman knows he will never forgive himself.

———

(Working on a story with Liam and Jeremiah next! Stories have been a lot slow because I had a busy week. Hopefully this week will be a bit calmer.)