#sormikweek2016

Thank you for checking this out!! I hope you liked it!

I imagine this taking place right after Mikleo becomes a sub-lord in the game, and he’s training with Lailah to get stronger, while at the same time Lailah, is remembering her time with the previous shepherd.

I love this song and I loved getting to cover it, and even though it took a long time to finish the art for it, I had a blast drawing it. I feel like you can tell which drawings I spent more time on but whatevs, just wanted to finish this at a certain point and get it over with.

This was originally intended for Sormik week 2016  for the second day, growth/earth, buuuuuuuuttt this took a lot longer than I thought it would, due to my tablet breaking down on me, but I was finally able to get this out!

Once again a huge thank you to Rjrr (https://soundcloud.com/rjrr-671591639) for helping me with the audio part of this project. I’ll hopefully have more stuff coming soon! If ya’ll have any requests send me an ask and I’ll check it out!

It was the middle of summer; of course that weather was irregular. Though, Sorey still said nothing as Mikleo stepped through the now forming puddles, his footsteps loud. It wasn’t as though it was silent between them as the chatter of city people filled the quiet. In fact, they treaded a popular city that was always bustling with both native people and tourists; Sorey had even heard a news reporter speaking nearby.

Though, he had been too busy paying attention to Mikleo’s back to realize the sloshing of shoes approaching the two of them, along with a cameraman and said reporter. “Excuse me!” the reporter would call, stopping them in their tracks as both Sorey and Mikleo turned to gaze at him. The reporter held the mic to his own mouth first, speaking, “This is the most rainfall during summer we’ve gotten in over fifteen years! How do you two feel about this abrupt change?”

‘You two’? both of them would think in surprise, looking at each other. Can he see me...? Mikleo briefly mused, watching as the camera was directed towards them and the mic was directed at the either of them. Sorey spoke. “Well, I did come outside expecting for it to be perfectly sunny, but that’s alright with me. As long as I’m with Mikleo, anywhere is fine!” He flashed a happy smile, while Mikleo, who hadn’t expected to be included in this comment, immediately buried his face in his hands. “Sh-shut up, Sorey...” he mumbled, unable to sound angry as much as he was embarrassed. 

Seeing as this wasn’t at all the response the reporter expected, he chuckled. “You two are quite the lovebirds.” They then offered their thanks to the couple before shuffling off, and Mikleo immediately turned to grab at Sorey’s sleeve roughly. “What was that?” he asked, now frustrated as the warmth in his cheeks spread further. Chuckling awkwardly, Sorey responded, “I wanted to cheer you up, but instead I just ended up embarrassing both of us...” He scratched the back of his head with his other hand.

“A-Anyway, we should get going!” Sorey would say as an excuse, stepping in front to grab Mikleo’s wrist and weave through the ongoing crowd of people.

By the time they get home, the two say nothing to each other as one lays on the couch and the other reads a book. The ceiling fan provides white noise, and the occasional flip of a page is heard. At some point, Sorey hears the book shut, and then the voice that follows it. “Do you really not know?” Mikleo asks, taking off his reading glasses and setting them on the desk. Sorey lays up, turning to look at him. “Am I missing something really obvious...? I still don’t know why you were mad, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Mikleo sighs, and Sorey realizes he’s correct about that much. “Well, if you’re too dense to even get that much, then...” He glances away. “Don’t you realize how much attention you give your fans? And how much they give you? I’m jealous of both of those things. But mostly, I miss you. Some days, I don’t even feel like you see me anymore.” His voice progressively grows sadder, and he crosses his arms and looks at the floor. “And I was only thinking at the time... ‘maybe it’d be more convenient for him if we were to break up’, but then you went ahead and were careless with your words—”

Sorey rises from the couch, takes a few steps over to Mikleo, and then immediately wraps him in his arms. “And now you do this,” Mikleo says quietly, and there is no sharpness this time, but mixed emotions. “Mikleo,” he begins softly. “I see you. And I love you. I’m so sorry I never noticed we weren’t spending enough time together, but if the lack of attention is too much for you, it’s okay if you want to... leave...” He trails off, barely getting out the last word as Mikleo curses under his breath. Sorey doesn’t know whether it’s directed towards him, or himself. Maybe both. “Of course I don’t want to leave you, but I feel like... I feel like you don’t look at me the same way anymore.”

And Sorey falters for a moment. “...You’re right about that,” Sorey tells him, and Mikleo feels his heart stop. He continues, “The way I look at you isn’t the same. Because when I look at you, I feel a sense of... desperation. Like I want to spend more time with you, like I want to go back to quiet afternoons and laughing carelessly as we stroll through the park. Longing, I guess they’d say. And I think that ever since I’ve gained this ‘popularity’, I’ve wished to see you more than ever, Mikleo.”

He embraces him a bit tighter, and despite the bitterness, Mikleo has it in him to smile a bit. “So that’s how it is,” Mikleo asks, and breathes a bit in relief. “You promise what you said is true?” he adds, and Sorey laughs as though the question is bizarre. “Of course. So... forgive me. For everything,” he responds, his voice even softer than before.

“There’s no need for that,” Mikleo tells him. “I already do. Every time.” The smile grows, and then suddenly he hears Sorey beginning to sniffle. “O-Oi, are you crying, Sorey...?” Turning his head to look at the teary-eyed Sorey, he wipes his tears with the bottom of his palm and says, “I just—I feel so bad...” Surprised at the amount of sentimentality, Mikleo continues to hug him back. “You’re such a sweetheart,” he sighs quietly. “No wonder you have so many fans.

“But, really... I understand now. So you don’t need to cry.” Sorey nods, still sniffling and doing his best to dry his face of the dampness. “Do you want to grab some tissues and we can watch a movie together?” Mikleo suggests, and Sorey lights up a bit at the idea. “I’d love to,” he says, rubbing at his eyes with a small grin.

The two fell asleep that night snuggled up under a blanket, the end credits to their movie rolling on the screen in front of them.

Author’s Note: LOL I’M SORRY THIS IS SO FORCED-- i just wanted an excuse to use the 特別な気分 (tokubetsu na kibun / special feeling; i linked it in the summary) meme somewhere in here so this is terrible a ha ha /sweats

Chapter 5

Mikleo felt very conflicted. On the one hand, he found that he enjoyed Sorey’s company much more than he thought he would have. Back when he first met him after regaining consciousness, he was having mixed feelings about the brunette. On the other hand, he still knew nothing about him, so he didn’t feel comfortable interacting so easily with someone who was basically a stranger.

Wanting to end the awkward tension that continued to hang above them, Mikleo decided to ask about their past. However, Sorey spoke up first: “Say...do you think you could tell me what things you do remember?”

He beat me to it… Mikleo crossed his arms, trying to think past the dense fog that still clouded parts of his mind. He couldn’t remember a single detail pertaining to this supposed expedition that he had agreed to go on with the boy in front of him, but he could vaguely remember having gone on similar excursions in the past. “I think...I’ve been on trips like this one before?” he asked uncertainly.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Sorey seemed to instantly brighten at the knowledge of Mikleo’s small fragment of memory. “We’ve been going on expeditions like this for years now, ever since we graduated from high school together.” He then smiled, looking like he was caught up in fond memories.

Oh. Apparently we’ve known each other for a long time… Mikleo thought sadly, wondering why he couldn’t remember someone so close to him. “So...we met in high school, then?”

Sorey’s smile instantly disappeared, replaced instead with a look of pain. “You really can’t remember, huh...”

Even the physical pain he felt after waking up couldn’t compare to the intense bout of guilt that instantly hit Mikleo like a truck. He wished nothing more than to simply remember everything so he could stop causing such emotional pain to the anguished boy in front of him. However, nothing came back to him, so he chose to silently avert his gaze.

“We’ve known each other even before elementary school, as far back as I can remember actually. I don’t think there was ever a time in our lives when we were apart,” Sorey said quietly, his voice tinged with sorrow. “When we were young, we would always go on little adventures together, like exploring a cave in the nearby forest.” A fond smile touched his face again. “And as we grew up, we’d always try to be in the same class, no matter what. If we weren’t, we’d throw a fuss until we were! Everyone came to know us as the ‘unstoppable inseparables,’” Sorey laughed lightly, then paused before continuing. “Somewhere in the middle there, we decided that the archaeology we experimented with as kids was something that we wanted to keep doing for the rest of our lives. So, we tried our hardest to graduate early and get a head-start on our careers. Eventually, we did just that, and soon got our own expedition team formed just like we dreamed.”

Sorey looked at Mikleo now, almost expectantly. He had no idea how to respond to what he had just heard. To learn that they had such an extensive history together was a shock, to say the least. “Sorey...I’m sorry, I don’t...”

“...it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Sorey tried to reassure him, but his expression gave away how he truly felt. Before Mikleo could say anything else, Sorey continued, “We should probably be getting to sleep soon. We’ll want to be up before our help arrives.”

“...right...” Mikleo said reluctantly. Sorey was obviously upset, but apparently he did not want to talk anymore. This didn’t help the accumulating amount of guilt that Mikleo was feeling.

“Good night, Mikleo,” the brunette said, lying down on the ground.

“...good night, Sorey...”

Having heard his full history with Sorey, Mikleo was now more confused than ever as to why he couldn’t remember such a vital person in his life. What else do I need to help unlock my lost memories…? he thought wistfully as he lied down to fall asleep.

* * * * *

Sorey didn’t want to cut their conversation where he did, but he just couldn’t take any more emotionally. He had hoped more than anything that explaining their past would bring Mikleo’s memories back, but the only thing it brought was more suffering to Sorey. Utterly lost on what else he could possibly do, he decided to just settle down for the night. The last thing Sorey wanted was to break down again in front of Mikleo.

After lying down for a while, he found that – unsurprisingly – he couldn’t sleep. What-ifs and worries about the future surged throughout his mind without end, tormenting him. What else could I have said about us? Sorey brooded. We’ve been best friends since childhood, and more recently roommates, and – and what else? He felt like there was something more, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Sorey also thought about bringing up their current expedition again to see if it would help him recover his memory, but he just couldn’t bring himself to talk more about the tragedies that had occurred.

Wanting desperately to focus on anything other than the bleak situation he was still faced with, Sorey decided to open his eyes for a bit. Now that the blackness of night was fully upon them, there was no longer any residual daylight to illuminate the cave, even remotely. Nevertheless, since his eyes were now more than adjusted to the dark, he was just barely able to make out Mikleo’s small frame lying near him. At first, Sorey thought that he was shifting around in his sleep, judging by the amount of movement he was perceiving. He wondered if maybe Mikleo was having trouble sleeping as well. However, the brunette quickly realized that the rapid movement he was seeing was actually shivering.

Mikleo was very thin, Sorey remembered, and thus got cold very easily. They could barely hear the storm from this deep inside the ruins, but it was probably raging full-force and likely brought in a cold front. The temperature in the caves was noticeably lower now than it was earlier.

From somewhere inside him, Sorey had the urge to sleep close to Mikleo to try to keep him warm. However, his rational side told him to keep his distance, since Mikleo still thought of him as a stranger. Instead, the brunette settled for removing his jacket and draping it over the shivering boy like a blanket.

Sorey watched as Mikleo’s trembling slowly came to a standstill; thankfully, it appeared that the addition of the jacket was enough to keep him sufficiently warm for the night. If nothing else, Sorey was at least glad to be able to help with something small like this. As he continued to watch Mikleo, he found himself subconsciously filling in the dots on what he couldn’t see of his friend in the dark.

After all the time that he knew him, Sorey could paint a clear mental picture of Mikleo even if he was asleep. The subtle curvature of his face, the way his long bangs were probably shading his eyes right now, the way he tended to part his lips ever so slightly as he slept...Sorey found every aspect of Mikleo beautiful. He oftentimes felt himself drawn to those lips especially. Even now, he felt a desire to meet them with his own...oh. He suddenly realized what that unknown factor he had been contemplating was all along. It seemed so silly now that it had taken him this long to realize it. But that he realized it only at this moment, now that Mikleo was suffering a serious case of amnesia, was all too cruel.

“Please come back to me, Mikleo,” Sorey pleaded softly. “I think I’m in love with you.”

* * * * *

Things were difficult for Mikleo. First of all, he was still feeling guilty over his impressive ability to keep putting Sorey in a depressed mood. His mind was racing so much that he just couldn’t fall asleep. Then to top it all off, he couldn’t stop himself from shivering on the cold ground. How embarrassing…

Mikleo’s thoughts ceased as he suddenly heard movement and soon felt something being draped across his body. Is this...Sorey’s jacket…? Somehow, it was nostalgically comforting. It was still warm, and also had a vaguely familiar scent. Mikleo guessed that this probably wasn’t the first time that he had been taken care of like this.

As his body warmed up, his tension started to ease, and Mikleo got to thinking that maybe he would finally be able to fall asleep. However, as he was about to drift off, he heard Sorey start speaking scarcely loud enough to hear. Mikleo barely even heard the last part, but it replayed over and over in his head. Did he say love? That he loves me? Love…?

Like a slap across the face, Mikleo suddenly remembered that he himself had been thinking the same thing earlier that day. That he had been about to confess his own feelings towards Sorey, right before they both fell into this pit…

“Ah…!” Mikleo immediately shot up. He remembered everything. Their childhood together; their growing up in school; their archaeology team; the terrible things that had happened on this trip; everything came rushing back at once, like a flood.

“Mikleo?” Sorey called out in worry, turning on the lantern that they had been using earlier. He crawled over to Mikleo, who was currently holding his head in pain from the onslaught of recovered memories.

“Sorey...I...” Mikleo had trouble speaking, the throbbing of his head being a real hindrance at the moment. But I have to tell him…!

“Mikleo? What’s wrong?” Sorey looked at him with wide eyes, brows furrowed.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he replied with a small smile, shaking his head. “Not anymore.”

“What are you–”

“I remember, Sorey,” Mikleo said warmly. The brunette’s face immediately lit up in response. “I remember everything.”

“For real? You’re absolutely sure?” Sorey said cautiously, seeming to hold back on celebrating until he was absolutely positive he wasn’t imagining it.

“As sure as I am that you’re the absolute densest person I’ve ever known in my entire life,” Mikleo let out a sigh, but couldn’t help himself from grinning. “I can’t believe it took you this long to figure out how you felt.”

“Mikleo!” Sorey cried out. He had never heard anyone so simultaneously relieved and overjoyed in his life. The brunette then tackled Mikleo with what was also probably the tightest hug he had ever felt in his life. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Idiot, I never went anywhere...” Mikleo said quietly with a persistent smile, returning the hug.

After a while, Sorey broke away, looking a bit bashful as he scratched the back of his head. “So, uh...about what I said...”

Mikleo knew exactly what he was talking about, but decided it would be more fun to torture Sorey a bit. “Hm...what was it that you said again? I’m afraid some of my amnesia might still be acting up...”

“Come on, don’t mess around like that!” he whined. “You know...how I...”

“How you...what?” Mikleo prodded, unable to stop himself from smirking slightly.

“How I...love you,” Sorey finally finished. He immediately looked down, his face a very noticeable shade of pink now.

Mikleo smiled now. “What about it?”

“Well, that was kinda...you can just ignore it, if you want...” A tinge of sadness touched his voice.

“You really are an idiot,” Mikleo sighed.

“Huh?” The look of utter confusion on Sorey’s face now almost made Mikleo burst out laughing. He resisted, however, wanting to finally end the poor boy’s suffering.

“I love you too,” Mikleo replied with a smile. Sorey’s mouth dropped open, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he had just heard. “I’ve loved you for a long time, actually. You just beat me to the punch.” The smaller boy winked. “This time, at least.”

He watched as Sorey’s expression morphed from open-mouthed shock to a wide grin. “Mikleo!” The ecstatic brunette charged in for another bear hug.

“Sorey, you’re really crushing me now,” Mikleo said, a bit breathless.

“Ah! Sorry...” Sorey drew away, nervously scratching his head again.

Once he was free, Mikleo sighed. “Is hugging the only thing you know how to do?”

“Eh?” Sorey responded cluelessly.

“There’s gotta be a limit to how dense you can be.” Mikleo tenderly placed a hand on Sorey’s cheek, settling his thumb below his mouth.

He could just see the realization spread across the other boy’s face, followed immediately by a bright blush.

“Do you get it now?” Mikleo said with a smile. Sorey simply nodded in response. “...do you want to?” he asked, a bit more hesitantly.

“Yes,” Sorey answered, surprisingly firmly. Maybe he noticed the uncertainty in Mikleo’s eyes, or maybe he just really wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Regardless of the reason, Mikleo strengthened his resolve and leaned forward to softly press his lips against the other boy’s. The kiss only lasted a second before Sorey pulled away, seeming upset.

“What’s wrong?” Mikleo said dejectedly, wondering if he did something wrong. “Did you...not like it?”

“No, I loved it. I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Sorey replied with a sad smile.

“...but?”

“But it just doesn’t feel right! Our friends have gone through so much agony today because of me, yet here I am, as happy as can be!” Sorey said exasperatedly. “I don’t deserve to be happy like this...”

“Sorey, now you’re making me angry.”

“Huh?”

“It’s true that if we hadn’t gone on this trip, nobody would’ve been injured the way they were,” Mikleo admitted sorrowfully. “But there’s no guarantee that the next trip wouldn’t have had some kind of danger, or the trip after that. It’s an occupational hazard.”

“But Millie–”

“I’m not saying we’re blameless, either. We are partially responsible for what’s happened, make no mistake, but there’s something you’re not understanding. You are not the only one to blame for everything that’s happened, so stop acting like it!”

“Mikleo...”

“You always, always try to take on the burden all by yourself, no matter what it is, and then you only end up hurting yourself. It hurts me, too, to see you like that,” Mikleo said quietly. “So, please, learn to lean on me a little more. We’ll bear this burden together.”

Sorey looked away, appearing to be thinking about everything Mikleo had said; he seemed conflicted before finally settling on a decision. Turning back towards him, Sorey said, “Alright, Mikleo.” He extended his arm forward, hand balled into a fist. “Together.”

Happy that Sorey finally came around, Mikleo smiled and met his arm with his own. “Always.”

After they ended their gesture, Sorey laughed nervously, “Sorry I’ve been so difficult today.”

“Today?” Mikleo deadpanned. “Sorey, when are you not difficult?”

“H-hey! That’s not fair,” the brunette complained, crossing his arms. “You were pretty difficult earlier too, you know. Slurring your speech and not being able to walk straight, and all.”

“Wha–? This and that are two different things!” Mikleo also crossed his arms, looking away with an angry blush on his face.

Apparently Mikleo’s expression was hilarious, as Sorey immediately burst out laughing. Looking back at how happy the brunette was now, Mikleo couldn’t help but join in on the laughter.

Once they had stopped laughing, both boys sat together in a comfortable silence. After a while, Sorey rubbed his eyes and said, “Well, after all that’s happened today, I really am tired now.”

“Yeah, me too,” Mikleo agreed. “Let’s finally get to sleep.” He lied back down from where he was still sitting. Then, realizing he still had Sorey’s jacket on him, he sat back up and said, “Oh, uh...here’s your jacket back.”

Sorey seemed confused, and Mikleo now asked himself why he was giving back a source of warmth that he’d actually need. He didn’t have to look too far into himself to find out why, however, and he quickly lied down again before his friend could say anything. Mikleo heard Sorey put his jacket back on and turn off the lantern before settling down next to him.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Mikleo started shivering again from the unceasing cold that pervaded the air around them. In fact, he was sure it was even colder now than it was just a few minutes ago. Just as Mikleo was cursing giving the jacket back, he heard movement next to him and suddenly found a pair of arms wrapped around his body. Sorey had positioned his chest against Mikleo’s back so he could keep him warm. He’s spooning me…! he thought, a bit embarrassed.

The recycled heat of a jacket or even a proper blanket couldn’t compare to the comforting warmth he felt now from the living body that was touching him. It seemed to reach into his very soul, warming him up from the inside out. Smiling, Mikleo placed his own arms on Sorey’s and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Sorey and Mikleo were quickly located by the rescuers and helped out of the hole into which they had fallen. They had little trouble finding their way back to the entrance of the ruins, and were soon enough reunited with the welcome brightness of the outdoors where a rescue helicopter was waiting for them.

Inside, they found Francis sitting in one of the seats. He glanced at Sorey and Mikleo as they entered the chopper, but otherwise ignored them, choosing instead to stare at a sheet on the ground with an all-too-familiar shape underneath it. The two friends took their own seats in silence and chose likewise to remain that way for the entire duration of their journey to the hospital.

After this whole thing cools off, I’ll let him know Millie’s last words, Mikleo thought solemnly. I hope he takes them to heart. As he looked at Sorey next to him, he decided that there were other things that needed to be taken care of in the meantime.

* * * * *