#sormik

Title: Growing Pains
Rating:G
Character/Pairing: Sorey, Mikleo, Sorey/Mikleo
Spoilers: None, set pre-game.
Words:2,050
Summary: First he was tall. Then they were even. Now, he is small.

A/N: I brought Starbucks. This is my Day 2 entry for Sormik Week that I teased yesterday~! It took me all day to write (I also kept getting distracted).

Thank you to @fortunesrevolver,@twilight-symphony, and @nelfes for the beta reads~!

AO3|FF.Net | And here…

Day 2 – Growth

Anxious, violet eyes watched closely as his hair was pressed down, allowing the brief shocks of lightning from the finger of their caretaker to safely make it to the wood above his head. Sorey held his breath, daring himself not to move as he let Gramps do his work.

This was one of the many traditions he and Mikleo had together. Another form of competition between them besides the various ones they came up with while exploring ruins. Unlike those competitions, though, Sorey was determined not to lose this one!

“All done,” said Gramps, prompting Sorey to quickly move away from the door frame so he could turn and look at where he had been.

“Yes!!” he shouted triumphantly, both fists going into the air when he saw how tall he was in comparison to Mikleo.

The water seraph’s face was anything but joyous.

“Wha—no fair!! Gramps you didn’t measure close enough to his head!”

The older seraph simply chortled softly and pet Mikleo’s head, assuring that he’d measured accurately and fairly. A pout formed on the water seraph’s face as he crossed his arms, which Sorey responded to with a beaming smile as he bounded closer to the other.

“A whooole inch~!” he sang-song, placing his hands behind his back, smile still plastered to his face and probably not leaving any time soon, “Mikleo, you know what that means, riiiiight~?”

For a moment they simply stared at each other, Sorey with his beaming face of sunshine and joy and Mikleo with his pouting face of dark annoyance. Finally, the water seraph breathed a resigned sigh, uncrossing his arms before turning on his heel to walk towards the door.

“Fine. Come on.”

Sorey made a happy sound as he went to follow the other young boy, throwing a quick thanks to Gramps over his shoulder as they left the house. He quickly caught up to Mikleo and walked in step next to him as they made the trek down the hill to the house they shared.

“Vanilla, right?” Mikleo asked without actually looking at him.

“Mhmm!” he hummed as he bounced happily next to the other, oblivious to his friend’s mood.

The tradition had always been like this, ever since they were three years old. Gramps would measure their heights and whoever was the tallest had to do something for the other. For a little while it’d been Mikleo who won these competitions, but the past few years had been going to Sorey. When Mikleo won, he’d ask for small, simple things. Like the Celestial Record or a certain kind of flower or new clothes. But when Sorey won there was only one thing to ask for, of course. Vanilla ice cream! Mikleo made the best, so what else would he ever ask for?

By the time they approached the small house, Sorey had come down from his victory high for the most part and was finally taking notice of the sour mood his friend had been in since they left Gramps’ house. Sorey frowned in thought as he took to observing his friend, sitting in the middle of the main room while watching Mikleo flit about. From the outside he probably didn’t seem any different than usual, but Sorey knew better. He could tell by the way the water seraph’s shoulders were tensed up as he set everything out and began making the ice cream. Normally his movements in this process were fluid—or at least as fluid as they could get with them being so young—but right now his movements were rigid. Sorey was confused.

“What’s wrong?” He finally asked, the question being the only thing said since they got to the house.

“Nothing.” Was the only response he got, but he could tell immediately it was a lie born of the other boy’s stubbornness, especially because he began pointedly stirring the sloshy mixture as soon as he said it.

Sorey’s frown deepened. Of the two of them, he was the worst liar by far, but Mikleo wasn’t that great at it either. With Mikleo’s back to him he shifted so he could stand up again.

“Come oooon,” he cooed, crossing the distance to the other boy and draping himself over Mikleo’s back, “you’re a bad liar and you know it.”

He wasn’t tall enough to properly rest his chin on Mikleo’s head, so he settled for resting it on one of the other boy’s shoulders. He got no response from the seraph, but he did notice Mikleo’s stirring become even more pointed, angry almost.

“Are you…are you really mad about me being taller than you again?” He blinked curiously as the thought came to him, shifting his gaze to the side so he can observe his face, noting the pout that had returned.

“No.”

By which he meant, yes.

Sorey’s frown remained. Why was Mikleo so adamant on lying? It wasn’t like this was a big deal, was it? Well, it was a competition, so he could understand Mikleo being upset about losing but…he never got upset like this the very rare times he’d win a ruin competition. Why now? Why this?

“I’m sorry,” he breathes it out in a tiny whisper, turning his face down to nuzzle into Mikleo’s shoulder like an apologetic puppy as he tightened his arms in a more proper hug around the smaller boy.

He both heard and felt a heavy sigh shake through the slightly smaller frame, prompting him to lift his head again in curiosity. The pout was now replaced with a regretful frown. Sorey wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.

“It’s fine. It’s not like you can help it.” Which was true, but still…

“But it upsets you…why?” His voice is smaller than he means it to sound, but he honestly just wants the other boy to be honest with him. They always were, usually.

Mikleo sighed again and paused his ice cream making to set the mixing bowl down, prompting Sorey to unlink his arms from around the other, though he didn’t step away too far. The seraph turned to face him now, expression twisted in such a way that made a pang of guilt hit Sorey in the chest.

“I’m not…It’s just…” A frustrated sigh as Mikleo tries to find words, “It’s just, this is the third, maybe fourth year in a row, right? I was taller than you for a long time, and then one year we were almost the same height, and now you’re taller than me! And you keep being taller than me! How am I supposed to catch up or be taller again if you—if you keep growing like this?!”

Sorey brought a hand up to scratch at the back of his neck, not sure what to say to that.

“Well, yeah, but…Gramps said this is normal, didn’t he? We’re both growing up, and didn’t he say something about humans and seraphim growing at diff—”

“That’s not the point!”

Sorey jumped with a start at how loud Mikleo had shouted, his eyes wide and mouth slightly hung open mid-sentence. Mikleo’s eyebrows were scrunched in anger, his teeth showing from how much his jaw was clenched and his hands were curled into tiny fists.

He’d barely recovered before Mikleo continued his tirade.

“I’m older. I’m supposed to protect you. I’m supposed to be bigger. How can I protect you if I’m not taller than you?” And like water breaking through a dam, the tension that had been in his body from anger suddenly flowed out of him all at once, and with it his voice became quieter, but Sorey could still hear him, “How am I supposed to do the only thing I’m good for if I…if I’m not…”

He didn’t get to finish because his voice cracked around a choked sob and it was only now that Sorey noticed the tears that had formed at the corner of Mikleo’s beautiful eyes. The sight of them made him forget any momentary shock he felt and immediately spring into action.

“Mik. Hey. Mikleo…” he whispered softly, as if afraid that speaking louder than that would shatter the fragile air between them.

He stepped closer to the smaller boy once more, quickly enveloping Mikleo in a tight hug and holding him to his chest. Mikleo didn’t fight, he merely grabbed two fistfuls of the back of Sorey’s shirt and cried quietly into his chest.

Mikleo never got this openly emotional, especially around him. Usually Mikleo was the picture of strength, grace, and beauty—as far as Sorey was concerned. That’s exactly why he sobered up so quickly to treat this as seriously as he is, because if Mikleo was being this emotional, it meant the issue was serious.

For the moment he just stood still and held Mikleo to him, one hand smoothing through silky white hair while the other one ran up and down the other’s back in a soothing gesture. The ice cream was all but forgotten.

When it finally feels like Mikleo’s calmed down enough he dares to speak, “Are you okay?” It’s the first question he thinks to ask, because that’s what’s most important right now.

He doesn’t get a verbal response, but the feeling of Mikleo nodding is answer enough.

“Good. It’s my turn to talk now.”

Carefully, he releases Mikleo from the hug, though he keeps his hands gently on his shoulders as he holds the other boy at arm’s length. He wants to be able to see Mikleo’s face before he continues talking.

“Who said you had to be tall to protect someone? Who said you had to stop doing that after a certain height, anyway?” It was Sorey’s turn to pout now, mostly at the unknown people who’d put these ideas into the seraph’s head, “You’re so strong, and cool, and beautiful, and perfect. It doesn’t matter if you’re tall or not. Protecting each other doesn’t have to be a competition, does it? I’ll protect you whether you’re shorter or taller than me, and you’ll protect me regardless too, right?”

His lips curve into a warm, kind smile as he moves one of his hands to gently tuck some of Mikleo’s hair behind his ear. The seraph’s face was stunned, but the tears had at least seemed to stop for now.

“I’m sorry if it feels like I took something away from you. You still have it, and you always will. As long as you want to have it!”

Mikleo’s stunned expression melted away into a more contemplative one. A soft hum was all he got in the way of a verbal response before Mikleo decided to speak, “It’s okay, you’re right. I was being stupid.” As he made this comment he turned his head away a bit, his cheeks warm with a faint blush.

Sorey’s smile grew and he shook his head.

“You weren’t.” Because it was the truth, after all.

The mixture in the bowl had since melted again into liquid, but right now the boys’ focus still remained on each other. Sorey made a thoughtful sound as he slid his hands down Mikleo’s arms to hold the water seraph’s hands instead.

“Hey. You may be shorter now, but your height is good for one thing, Mikleo.”

The other boy’s brows furrowed in confusion at the statement, silently asking for explanation.

“It means I can do this now~!”

And without another word, Sorey leaned forward, tilting his head up only just enough to press his lips gingerly to Mikleo’s forehead. He held it for only a short moment before leaning back to beam down at Mikleo.

“See? You’re the perfect height for that now. That’s something, right?”

For the second time that night Mikleo was struck speechless, his cheeks steadily growing warmer as the kiss finally dawns on him. He ducks his head, largely to hide how red his face is, but he also can’t disagree with the statement.

“Hm…I suppose I can live with that.”

The victory ice cream was left forgotten as the two boys decided to head to bed, curled up together like usual. They were young, so they still had a lot of growing left to do. How much, only time would tell. But Mikleo was alright with that, at least for now.

Title: The World Will Heal
Rating:G
Character/Pairing: Sorey, Maotelus, very light implied Sorey/Mikleo
Spoilers: End-Game Spoilers
Words:825
Summary: As he gets ready for his long nap with Maotelus, Sorey takes a moment to reflect and dream on the world to come.

A/N: I’m sorry to inform you that this isn’t the next chapter of Stolen Kisses. That update will be coming soon though!! I promise!! I just….gotta….stop feeling inadequate ; v ;.

This is instead my entry for Day One of Sormik Week. I used the prompt “healing” and as you can see, it’s very Sormik Lite because of how I decided to take the prompt. The rest of my week entries will be much more heavily Sormik I promise. This one also makes use of my not-yet-published “Always a Dragon” theory.

AO3|FF.Net or click below to read here~!

Day 1 – Healing

In the wake of the final battle—when the resounding thud of Heldalf’s back against the stone throne reached his ears—Sorey allowed himself a moment of relief. It was over. It was finally over. They’d achieved the hardest part of what they’d set out to accomplish, but now a new task lay ahead of him.

The moment the dragon appeared, momentarily blinding him with his light, Sorey knew that the pure being hovering just above the now-human man was Maotelus. Their missing Maotelus. By now he’d met a number of dragons on his journey, so he knew the feeling associated with witnessing the pain and suffering of a fallen seraph.

But this time…this time felt different. He wasn’t able to dwell on it much as he made his slow walk towards Heldalf, ending his long, tortured life with a single, decisive thrust of the sword Rose left him. Nor was he able to dwell on it in the moment when his chest swelled with relief at the sight of the spirits of his friends he’d been unsure would survive. The cool caress of Mikleo’s light against his cheek before he watched them fly up to rejoin Rose was the only good night kiss he was going to get for the next who-knows-how-many-long years.

He was only really able to study and dwell when his attention was finally on the great dragon, floating before him now. Despite the overwhelming malevolence that surrounded them like a cage, there was none being emitted from the white dragon. Unlike Tiamat, unlike Eizen, this seraph did not cast a malevolent domain. If anything, all he cast was an aura of purifying light that warmed Sorey as he drew closer to Maotelus, reaching out to press his hand gently against the large snout.

Even in appearance there was nothing malevolent about this dragon. Where Eizen and Tiamat had had sharp spikes and horns, this dragon’s horns were blunted and smooth. Incapable of hurting someone. Even the spikes that were along his arms—while they looked sharp—were not nearly as pointed as the spikes he remembered from Tiamat or Eizen, or even the hellionized Maotelus they’d fought just a while ago. Maotelus’ wings were also much different from the wings he’d seen before, and the wings the other dragons had. Covered in scales, but much more feather-like now in shape. Overall the dragon before him was softer and purer than any dragon he’d fought before.

So this is how you’ve always been… he thought, certain that the seraph could hear him.

If he thought back far enough, he could remember an old man in the Shrinechurch saying that Maotelus was said to always appear as a sacred creature of light. He hadn’t considered what that meant at the time, but looking at the pure dragon now, it made sense. This whole time he’d thought that Maotelus, along with the land, would need to be healed. But now that he’s seen the seraph’s true form, it was clear the only thing in need of healing was the land itself.

That was the main goal here, and he closed his eyes as he felt the seraph’s warm purification begin to surround him with his hand still resting on the dragon’s snout. It was time for him to sleep, like he’d told Mikleo not too long ago on that Lastonbell balcony. As long as he was here, the malevolence of this place and the world wouldn’t be allowed to touch Maotelus ever again.

The dragon stirred beneath his hand, but only to briefly open his eyes before closing them again, disappearing in a familiar flash of light before Sorey felt his presence settle in alongside his own. He welcomed it, holding his arms to his chest as if he were holding something precious. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel a cocoon of warm light forming around them, keeping them aloft in the air.

As he begins to feel the weight of sleep on his mind he can’t help but think about the world he hopes to wake up to see. A world with little to no malevolence. A world with no war. A world where seraphim and humans live together again, in harmony. A world that’s healed from the sins of his distant forebear. Maotelus shows him what that kind of world used to be like, thousands of years ago. He remains confident that humanity has since learned and will continue to learn. He must, for the sake of the future he wants to build.

When he finally succumbs to sleep, the last remnants of his conscious thought are on his water seraph. The one who will be most affected by his absence. It’ll be hard, and he’ll have a lot of apologizing to do when he wakes up, but Mikleo is strong. He’s always been strong.

The world will heal, just like he knows Mikleo will too.

Title: Water is Wet
Rating:PG
Character/Pairing:Sorey/Mikleo
Spoilers: None in this chapter, set very early in the game after Alisha leaves the village
Words:~1,755
Summary (for the whole fic): Sorey and Mikleo aren’t usually big on PDA, especially once their party of two begins to grow into a family of nosy seraphim and humans. But like a tea pot on a stove, you can’t hold back passion and affection that has always been freely given. This is a chronicle of all the times on their journey when Sorey–and sometimes Mikleo–sneak in a little affection.

A/N: SO I PROMISED MYSELF THAT I WOULD NOT START WRITING ANY OF THE ACCUMULATED SORMIK IDEAS UNTIL I’D BEATEN THE GAME. Well friends that’s partially a lie because I’m only somewhat near the final boss. But these ideas were beginning to gnaw and claw at my brain so I figured whatever I’ll at least write these up until the point where I need to wait to have completed the game.

So as the summary implies, this fic has a similar sort of concept to LFM in that it’s a collection of one shots related to a specific topic. In this case, I really wanted to write all the times in the game I could see the two of them sneaking in some smooches. Mikleo’s canonically more private about their relationship so he’s the one that mostly shies away from PDA which is why this fic is called “Stolen Kisses” because Sorey had to get creative lmao.

This is also the first time I’ve written either of them and this chapter is written from Sorey’s perspective. Let me tell you, I have respect for everyone ever that RPs Sorey because holy shit. I won’t spend a lot of time explaining how my writing character pieces goes for fear of sounding crazy, but basically–syncing with Sorey is inviting horrible amounts of purple prose into your head. I didn’t fully sync with him until about 800 words into this and let me tell you. You can see it. You can see the exact moment he fully took over.

Enjoy my first contribution to the English-release Sormik fic pile. And don’t worry, there’s plenty more where this came from. 13 more chapters to be specific. Special thanks to @nelfes​ and @cherrim​ for being my awesome betas!

Also, one more note, this whole fic is Established Relationship because honestly, anything BUT already established feels wrong with how they act in canon.

AO3|FF.Net | And here:

Mikleo is beautiful. He’s beautiful in the same way water is wet and the sky is blue. This was a truth of the world Sorey had always known and always asserted and it continued to be true even with Elysia at their backs.

The air gets cold around the mountaintop at this time of night and it shows in the small puffs of warm air leaving his mouth as he walks in step behind the water Seraph. The soft crunch of the grass beneath both their feet promises frost in the morning.

Despite the urgency behind their departure and the fact it was Sorey’s own decision, he can’t help but let his eyes wander their surroundings. He’s not sure when they’ll be back, so he wants to savor what he can of his home. This clean air, the bright canopy of stars hanging above their heads and the peaceful feeling of knowing they can walk like this without a Hellion attacking them. He brings his gaze back down from the stars to the distant barrier of clouds that shield Elysia from the world. His eyes only linger a moment before shifting to his best friend again, still walking a few paces in front of him. Even though there was urgency, Mikleo wasn’t walking fast either.

“I think we’re about halfway down the mountain by now.” Mikleo read his mind, like always. “We’ll get there in time, so don’t worry about it.”

A smile tugs at his lips at his friend’s poorly concealed concern, the knowledge of it warming his heart. He picks his pace up a bit so he can walk in step alongside the other boy, beaming a teasing smile at the Seraph.

“Aw, so you do care!” He quickly side steps the half-hearted punch that he gets in response with an amused laugh.

Despite the darkness around them, the moon is bright enough to reveal the cute dusting of a blush on Mikleo’s cheeks.

“S-Shut up! I only said anything because I can practically hear you worrying. It’s annoying,” or so his friend claims even though the words lack the bite they would have if he actually meant it.

“Mhmm,” is all he responds with in a tone that conveys that he doesn’t believe Mikleo for a second.

Sure, Sorey knows he himself is a terrible liar and Mikleo knows it too. But the water seraph was just as terrible of a liar as he was, in his opinion.

“Thanks, Mikleo.”

“Don’t thank me.”

They continue to walk quietly side-by-side, Sorey’s hand eventually gravitating towards Mikleo’s as it’s naturally wont to do. The water seraph seems to anticipate it, because about halfway there his hand reaches out too and they wordlessly intertwine their fingers. It’s familiar and comfortable, just like Mikleo.

He lifts his gaze to the stars above them again, slightly dimmer than they’d been moments before.

“The stars are beautiful tonight, don’t you think?”

From the corner of his eye he can see the water Seraph look up as well with a thoughtful hum.

“So they are,” he agrees, the smile he allows only when they’re alone gracing his features, “You know, if the lower world’s Malevolence is really as bad as Alisha made it sound…they might not see quite as many stars as we can here.”

He responds in turn with his own thoughtful hum of agreement. He hadn’t thought about that part. Stargazing was something he and Mikleo often did in Elysia on nights when the Celestial Record had been read at least eight times and neither of them could get to sleep. But, he thinks, even if the stars won’t be as bright in the lower lands it’ll be okay because—

“’It’s okay Mikleo, because in losing the stars we’ll gain a whole world of ruins!’, am I right?”

A soft laugh bubbles up from his chest at how accurate the impression was and he gently squeezes where their hands are connected as he answers, “Exactly!”

Ahead of them a ways he notices a small rock outcropping along the mountainside, the fog of the clouds they were walking through seeming to fade near it. He tugs gently on their linked hands to catch his friend’s attention, guiding them both through the fog and toward the cliff. Passing through the barrier of the clouds that concealed Elysia’s existence was something neither of them had done before. With the way the fog started to thin gradually into a fine mist, he feels that just a little beyond it, they could both see the whole world. He squeezes Mikleo’s hand in his own to silently convey his excitement, receiving an equal squeeze in return.

With each step forward the mist grew thinner and thinner and Sorey could feel his heart beginning to beat loudly in his ears in a way it had only done so a few times before, a thrum of excitement radiating out from his heart and bursting into a wide grin on his face.

“Mikleo, look!” he exclaims, unlinking their hands to allow himself to burst through the last threads of mist and run towards the cliff.

He stops a safe distance from the edge, gazing out toward the view of the world below with wide-eyed wonder. Far in the distance on the horizon that he vows to someday reach, the sun is beginning to rise with its first rays bathing the world in a pale yellow light and creating a gradient of blacks and purples across the sky. He feels almost breathless at the sight.

“This is our world,” he states, voice light and airy in a reflection of the wonder he feels.

Reluctantly, he averts his gaze from the gorgeous view to turn and observe Mikleo’s reaction. Once again, the air leaves his lungs and gets caught in his throat at the sight he sees instead.

Much like his own, the seraph’s eyes are wide and shimmering a bit in what Sorey recognizes to be Mikleo’s own version of excitement. The morning light bathes them both in soft hues of yellow, pink and purple, but the colors dance against his friend’s features like a shimmering symphony of incandescence. The soft hues of pink swirl and mix into the purple of his eyes, making them stand out more brilliantly than they normally do. The pale yellows waltz across the white and aquamarine of his hair, making it seem to Sorey as if Mikleo has a halo of multi-colored light. It reminds him all at once just how beautiful, just how amazing this boy really is.

He forgets to breathe. He doesn’t even realize his mouth was hanging open until Mikleo’s gaze shifts to him, confusion and concern replacing the previous wonder.

“What’s wrong?” Mikleo’s head is tilted now slightly, in a way that shifts his bangs just slightly and allowing the light of the sun to catch the gold of his circlet.

A sudden inhale as the memory of breathing returns to him and he closes his mouth once he takes a few deep breaths in order to offer the other boy a reassuring smile. He can feel his heart beating loud and rhythmic against the bones of his ribcage and in his ears still, but for an entirely different reason now.

“Nothing,” he answers finally, truthfully, because in all actuality everything feels right in this moment.

He holds his hand out wordlessly to Mikleo, his expression as soft and warm as his beating heart, “C’mere.”

The concern has since left the other boy’s eyes, but a hint of confusion still remains. Despite that, their hands find each other again and Sorey gently pulls Mikleo closer to him, leaning down to press their lips together. His friend is only startled for a moment before he feels the other leaning into it as well.

They linger like this for who knows how long, the world having dissolved into a condensed bubble where only he and Mikleo reside. For just a moment, all worries of Alisha being in danger have left him. For just this moment, he can pretend that they’re setting out on the world-wide adventure they always dreamed about, instead of racing against an unknown clock to protect a new friend.

He doesn’t break the kiss and right himself until his lungs begin to scream for air, though he keeps his eyes fixed on Mikleo’s face, still admiring the beauty of this boy he’s lucky to have. Mikleo is slower to react, still recovering from the unexpectedness of the kiss. Their hands still linked palm-to-palm, the seraph averts his gaze shyly, Sorey now noticing the new shade of pink being added to his friend’s cheeks.

A comfortable silence hangs between them, Sorey’s eyes wandering still over the sight of the other boy’s face, wanting to savor it before the sun rises too high and loses this kaleidoscope of colors.

Finally, Mikleo lifts his gaze to Sorey again, though the tinge of pink remains on his cheeks. He opens his mouth as if he’s about to speak before closing it again, pausing for only a moment before giving it another try,

“W-What was that for?”

The question only makes the grin from before return. When he answers, his voice is soft and gentle, achingly honest in a way only Mikleo ever gets to hear it,

“Because you’re beautiful. And…” he trails off as he shifts his gaze back out over the cliff, the hills below becoming more visible as the sun draws higher, “we’re finally seeing the world below the mountain. So, I wanted the first thing we share together in this world to be a kiss.”

Mikleo listens attentively, as usual, his face growing visibly redder as Sorey goes on. He casts his gaze to the side again shyly, but makes no move to disagree. Instead he hums in a way that’s both acknowledgement and agreement and for Sorey, that’s all the answer he needs.

“Let’s go,” he says softly, though his voice is beginning to go back to his earlier excitement.

Mikleo nods with verbal agreement and together they return to their walk down the mountain. Keeping one hand intertwined with the other’s, they make their way down the slope to the forest at the mountain’s base.

Sorey decides as their hands gently swing between them that no matter what happens with Alisha or with anything else that may occur in this new world of theirs, none of it will be a problem because he has Mikleo with him.

Because water is wet, the sky is blue, and Mikleo is beautiful.

toriyoo:

sketch with soremiku holding hands

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No cause the way Mikleo looks at Sorey at the end of Zesty game is ridiculous. That’s true love that lasts for eternity.