Work Text:
It's one of the few calm nights they’ve had in a long time, and of course their first priority is to call it in early and feast merrily at the inn. Sorey is on his fifth bowl of beef stew, Rose on her tenth mabo curry bun, and Zaveid on his seventh pint of ale when the topic of romance inevitably comes up as it always does when there is a tipsy Zaveid around.
After he’s been stabbed four times by Edna’s umbrella, smacked twice by Rose, kicked once by Mikleo and glared at more times than he can count by Dezel—he knows when he’s being glared at, ok? Despite the fact that you can’t even see the other wind seraph’s eyes—he stops making the more lewd jokes and lets the conversation steer towards the more innocent aspects of romance, courtesy of the females. Of course, that isn’t before he whines a bit about the unfairness and cruelty of his treatment and nurses a reddening jaw.
Ten minutes into the new course of the conversation, in which Lailah is busy sharing an amorous account of her own—Zaveid manages to make only one sleazy comment—the topic of marriage is brought up. The fire seraph immediately blushes and slaps her hands to her cheek. “Oh my, Rose… we weren’t that involved.” She giggles behind her sleeve.
“Who wouldn’t want to marry the lovely Lady Lailah? If I weren’t such a free-spirit that simply was not made for marriage, I would take up your hand in an instance,” Zaveid proclaims dramatically, leaning over the table and offering up a hand that Edna pokes aside uninterestedly with her umbrella.
“Please keep trash off the table,” she comments dryly.
Rose laughs. “Sure thing, Zaveid. ‘Free-spirit’. Perv. Anyways… as if anyone would want to marry you even if you offered.” She snickers at the affronted expression on the wind seraph’s face.
“Hey, I’ll have you know the great Zaveid is in high demand by many noble ladies.” He sends a wink to Alisha, who is sitting diagonally across from him. She immediately blushes and stammers out a denial.
“I-I have no interest in a crude man who can’t even be bothered with dressing decently!” she shouts, rising a bit and drawing the attention of some other customers nearby and immediately clambers down, cheeks a furious pink.
“Yeah. The Princess would sooner marry archaeology geek number one than you pervert. Much sooner,” Edna inputs with a thin smile, entertained by the way Alisha’s cheeks redden even more.
Rose cackles and slaps her thigh. “Haha as if Sorey would ever get properly married! He’d probably get so distracted by the architectural details of the altar at which his ceremony is conducted that he’d forget all about the bride!”
This earns a round of laughter from the table, with the exception of Sorey, who pouts, Mikleo, who frowns, and Dezel who simply hides a faint smile.
“I can totally get married properly! I’m not that bad!” Sorey whines, only mildly irritated that everyone is taking a jibe at his hobbies again.
“Oh yeah? And who’re you gonna marry, huh? Gotta be someone as nerdy as you when it comes to archaeology.” Rose snickers, leaning into Sorey’s personal space and enjoying the way he backs up uneasily. Alisha laughs nervously, while Lailah appears to actually ponder the possibility of such a match.
“Well duh.” Sorey rolls his eyes, relaxing a bit as Rose retreats to her own chair. “Our honeymoon will be a whole expedition starting with the ice shelves of the north and ending with the great reefs of the south!” His eyes light up with so much honest excitement, there is no way he is lying.
Rose blinks, as do most of the people at the table. Mikleo chokes on his water, but regains himself quickly enough as to not draw attention. After a few passing seconds, a sly expression slips onto Rose’s features. “Ohoho… sounds like you’ve got it all planned it out, Sorey. Mind sharing with us who your secret bride shall be?” It’s half joking, half serious, of course. Rose isn’t sure if their Shepherd actually has a secret lover stashed away, but if he does, this is her opportunity to find out!
A look of confusion flitters across Sorey’s face. “Huh? What do you mean? The person I’ll marry is Mikleo, of course,” he states as if commenting on the sky being blue and the grass being green, then proceeds to scoop another spoonful of stew into his mouth. Of course, it isn’t until after several bites that he notices the shocked or blank stares of his companions and finally slows down his food-shoveling. “What?” he questions through a mouthful, frowning.
“Oh? You’ll marry Meebo, is that right? Please don’t tell me that was the proposal just now,” Edna snickers once she recovers from the (very brief) moment of surprise.
A brow rises on the clueless Shepherd’s face. “Proposal? Of what?”
“Marriage? Duh, dummy. You plan to marry Meebo?” the earth seraph smirks, cocking her head to the side cutely. Her gaze flickers briefly over to the side where Mikleo is sitting and appears to be desperately debating between drawing attention to himself by calling the other boy out on some misunderstanding and just remaining as invisible as possible until the conversation shifts again.
Sorey nods fervently, grinning as he finally gets a question that he understands. “Yeah! We’ll get married when we are old enough and Gramps okays it.” Beside him, Lailah mutters an ‘oh my!’ before covering her mouth daintily with a blush. Alisha is openly staring, and would probably be slack-jawed if not for the upbringing she had.
“Why, Sorey…” Zaveid grins lasciviously, leaning across the table to throw an arm around the boy and pull him in. “Didn’ know you already had a sweetheart in Mickey boy here… I wouldn’ta been so adamant if ya’d just have said…” His eyebrows waggle suggestively, which only leaves the other in a further state of perplexity.
“Huh? Adamant about what? If I said what?”
Zaveid shrugs. “Just sayin’ I get that you bat for the other team now. Wouldn’ta tried so hard to have you be my base runner if ya’d been on the other team.” He winks and leans back comfortably in his chair.
“What? But Sorey’s not—“ Alisha pipes in frantically, then immediately clamps up right as Rose cuts in.
“Oho… is the Princess disappointed?” the female assassin teases, which earns her a few flustered noises and finally a ‘That’s not what I meant!’ from the other girl that she ignores. “Well… I can’t say I completely didn’t see it coming, but this is quite direct even for you, Sorey!” she chirps, clasping her hands together and eyes wide with excitement and thought.
Alisha looks between Rose and Sorey anxiously, clearly still trying to make heads and tails of the whole thing. “But marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman…” she argues a little weakly, features scrunching up in apprehensive confusion.
“Maybe in your high society fanciness, but there are all kinds in the real world, Alisha,” Rose points out with a smile.
“That’s a stupid human custom.” Edna counters readily, throwing the knight a sidelong glance of disapproval. “Seraphs have no such distinction between marriage of genders.”
“Hey now, there’s no need to gang up on Her Highness. She just hasn’t seen much of this part of the world is all,” Zaveid cuts in a placating manner, although he probably had ulterior motives judging from the giddy look he got at seeing Alisha’s rush of gratitude towards him. “Ow!” he cries out in alarm when a wisp of his hair seems to magically catch fire.
Across from him, Lailah smiles innocently. She then turns to Alisha and says, “What everyone is trying to say, Alisha, is that marriage originally was simply the bonding of two souls, and it didn’t matter what the genders or races were. They still don’t for us seraphim, but it seems humans have tied up the definition of marriage heavily with the necessity of procreation.”
Alisha frowns, but digests the information seriously. “Oh. I had no idea that… I see.” She nods. Then to Sorey, she adds a little stiffly, “My apologies on the misunderstanding.”
Sorey just scratches his head and looks even more confused. “Eh… I didn’t know humans had such a weird definition of marriage?”
“And what is your definition of marriage, Mr. Shepherd,” Rose asks curiously, following a hunch she has.
“Oh look. Meebo’s practicing his impersonation of juma berries,” Edna points out innocently, taking sadistic pleasure in the way the water seraph’s cheeks brighten even more now that attention finally hones in on the other party of interest in the conversation.
Fully aware of the eyes now on him, Mikleo fights all urges to slink down in his chair and internally pleads for the blush to fade. Straightening up and clearing his throat in a last ditch attempt to recover some of his dignity, he addresses the other boy with a thin smile. “Sorey,” he says slowly, face pulled into a grimace. “I think you’re misunderstanding what marriage is…”
Sorey frowns and his gaze flickers down briefly in thought. “I am? How?”
“Yes, Meebo, do explain,” Edna encourages a little too eagerly, leaning forward with her chin propped up by both arms.
Mikleo shoots a glare at the earth seraph, biting down a retort he knows would only distract them onto a tangent. “I suppose Gramps never actually told you what a marriage was…” he grumbles, then mutters something about elders not properly educating their youngsters and why did it fall on him to explain it to Sorey of all people.
“Yeah he did?” Sorey rebuffs, puzzled. “He said two people get married if they really love each other. But of course, it requires the blessing of an elder, and should only happen when you’re adults,” he recounts with a nod and a grin, as if reciting from a textbook.
An eye twitches as Mikleo recognizes the unhelpfully vague explanation Zenrus had given them when they first came across the concept as children. “Yes, but the key point is love, Sorey. And—”
“You don’t love me?” comes the crestfallen response. Emerald eyes shine with genuine hurt.
“N-No… I do love you, Sorey—” he starts, and glares at the snicker that sounds from his left before returning his attention to the other boy. “—but the kind like marriage is—”
“So you love me less than someone else?” Sorey is staring at him with such a look of betrayal, and the spoon he’s holding falls to the table with a dramatic clatter.
“Yes, Meebo. You got a secret lover stashed away somewhere you want to tell us about?” Edna chimes in unhelpfully. Across the table, Lailah is hiding another smile and Rose is watching the proceedings with a keen grin.
Mikleo scowls, pale cheeks tingeing pink once more. “No…” He bites his lips and avoids the earth seraph’s knowing gaze.
“‘No’, you don’t have a secret lover or ‘no’, you have a secret lover you don’t want to tell us about?” Edna presses purely for entertainment value.
“I don’t have a secret lover!” He slams a hand down on the table, causing the plate to clatter and momentarily drawing unwanted attention. He ducks his head in response, despite the fact that no one is able to see him anyways.
Sorey’s expression relaxes, the relief written all over his face. “So you don’t love anyone more than me, right?” he asks eagerly and confidently.
Mikleo stares at his childhood friend openly and blinks, casting his gaze downwards as he mumbles at his plate “Idiot. Of course not…”
The insult does not faze Sorey in the slightest. “And aren’t you supposed to get married to the person you love the most?”
“Well… yes.” The water seraph is busy internally pleading for the ground to swallow him up whole now, all too keenly aware of the heat rising from his cheeks. Hmm… his salad never looked more interesting with the little bits and pieces sticking out.
“He’s got ya there, Mickey boy,” Zaveid snickers and folds thick muscular arms across a toned chest.
Sorey beams. “Well there you go! I love you the most, so why aren’t we supposed to get married?”
Mikleo’s head snaps up. “That’s not—! It’s a different kind of love, even if it’s just as strong!” he proclaims, flustered, and folds his arms tight across his chest.
A perplexed look falls over Sorey’s features. “Different kind… how?”
Violet eyes dart sideways uncertainly. “You’re supposed… “ He worries a lip. “…You should want to spend the rest of your life with them and start a family!” he finally offers as an explanation.
Sorey blinks. “Well… but I do want to spend the rest of my life with you. And aren’t we family already?” He cocks his head to one side in confusion. Mikleo groans and presses his fingers to his forehead in response.
“So what you’re saying is, if you could only spend the rest of your life with one person, it’d be Mikleo, right?” Lailah chirps up helpfully with a knowing smile. Beside her, Rose melts a little at the implication and resists the temptation to just reach over and hug the hell out of the two.
Sorey frowns. “Well ideally, I’d still be able to see my friends and Gramps and everyone else still… but if it has to be… then yes. Without a doubt, I’d pick Mikleo!” he declares happily, completely unaware of the effect his words have on his best friend. Suddenly, the exuberance falters and melts into a countenance of concern. “Why? Does marriage necessitate you depart from everyone else? But we know people who are married and—” He’s already coming up with plausible theories about the strange thing that was marriage when Lailah thankfully cuts him off.
“Oh no no no,” Lailah reassures him, shaking her head with a kind smile. “Just a thought exercise,” she hums.
“You’d have to see me every day!” Mikleo suddenly cries, shooting out of his seat upon having just thought of the next rebuttal.
“I do see you every day,” Sorey points out simply, looking up at the other boy.
Mikleo draws a breath only to falter upon realizing he had a short reserve of arguments. “Y-You’d have to put up with my bad habits for life!”
“I do that already too.” Sorey grins, amused by how frustrated the other was becoming.
“But…” His shoulders sag a little, and his gaze flickers away from Sorey’s briefly. “For life! Forever,” he counters a little weakly, the tail end of his statement losing much of the original vigor.
Sorey smiles and taps his chin thoughtfully. “Well we’ve done pretty great so far.”
Mikleo bows his head in defeat, slowly falling back into his seat. “…Won’t you get tired of me eventually?” he mutters a bit delicately, unwilling to meet Sorey’s eyes.
The other youth scowls, looking a slight bit hurt by the question. “Why would I?”
“It’s… it’s still… different…” Mikleo bites a lip.
“Whoa ok… I think you guys are missing a vital piece of this discussion,” Zaveid jumps in with a forced laugh, trying to liven the conversation away from the sensitive turn it took.
“Like what?” Sorey asks, his features shifting once more to confusion.
“Well… for starters,” Zaveid grins, a certain gleam entering his eyes, “we should talk about the chemistry and physical aspects of your… relationship. Do you feel a strong burning deep within the pit of your body, an ache and yearn to hold Mickey boy close and press your—“
“Aaand, that’s enough out of you, Zaveid!” Rose cuts in with an awkward chuckle, reaching across the table and slapping a quick hand over the wind seraph’s mouth. A warmth spreads across her cheeks, but she takes relief in realizing hers wasn’t the only ones aflame. Alisha is sporting a much more colorful hue, and if the way Lailah is nearly covering her entire face is any indication…
Oh. Looks like Edna was the only one completely unperturbed. Sometimes Rose forgets just how old she is. And Dezel… she sweat-drops a bit.
“Mmf… hey! I didn’t even—!” Zaveid complains after finally freeing himself of Rose’s hands. The Scattered Bones leader doesn’t pay him any mind of course.
“What Zaveid meant to say, was that the marriage kind of love often involves some more… physical aspects. Uh… you like to… touch each other?” Rose explains pitifully with a grimace followed by a strained smile.
Sorey looks oddly contemplative and actually considers the question seriously. But the only follow-up question he can offer after a few seconds of thought is, “Hmm… but that is what we do?”
Mikleo’s cheeks flare up again, and violet eyes widen in horror. “That’s not…. That’s not what they meant, stupid!” He huffs and knocks a fist down on his friend’s head.
“Ow!” Sorey cradles his head gingerly before frustration starts to color his face. “I am so confused! What do you mean that’s not what they meant? She said to love someone in the marriage way, you have to like touching them. I like touching you, Mikleo!” he finishes the declaration in a near whine, and the poor water seraph’s cheeks are so red, Rose briefly wonders if he’ll faint.
“Whoa, TMI there, my friend,” Zaveid chuckles, holding up his palms mock-defensively.
“Oh my,” Lailah gasps.
Alisha gapes.
Rose snickers.
Edna smirks. “Can you please shout that a little louder? I don’t think the entire inn quite heard.” She doesn’t bother pointing out the fact that strangers had already been pointing at the strange party of three that kept talking to thin air, so it isn’t as if Sorey’s choice of words is any more of an attention-grabber.
Of course, Sorey ignores all of their reactions and continues. “I mean, would I be tickling you all the time if I didn’t like touching you?” he reasons.
Mikleo palms his face, not knowing whether to be disappointed or relieved at the other’s choice of example. “That’s still not… “
“Then what?”
“Well, there’s also kissing, ya know….” Zaveid chimes in once more, raising a finger in point.
“Oh. I kiss Mikleo all the time!” Sorey announces happily.
Violet eyes widen in alarm, and Mikleo quickly clarifies, “On the cheeks!”
Sorey pouts. “Yeah, but only because you got all weird when I tried to kiss you on the lips or anywhere else!” If it were possible, Mikleo turns an even brighter shade of red.
“Oh? And this happened when?” Rose raises a brow, a gleeful light entering her eyes. She leans in a bit further towards the pair, and Dezel has to subtly tug on her to stop her subconscious advance.
Lailah purses her lips to hide a smile and says nothing. Alisha seems to have just a bit of trouble processing it all and keeps flickering her gaze from Sorey to Mikleo and back. Zaveid is roaring with laughter, tipping his chair backwards and slapping his stomach.
Of course, neither Shepherd nor water seraph pay their friends any mind.
“Yeah, because you’re supposed to save that for someone you want to marry or would be interested in marrying!” Mikleo conveys desperately.
“But I am interesting in marrying you! So why wouldn’t I want to kiss you? You’re saying I need to kiss you to marry you, but now you’re saying I need to marry you to kiss you! That doesn’t make any sense!” He throws his hands up in the air and slumps forward in frustration.
“This is too entertaining,” Edna comments gleefully from the side.
“You—ugh. You want to kiss someone you would want to marry! Someone you want to marry is someone you want to kiss! It happens together!” Mikleo repeats, starting to feel awfully like a broken record. And oh dear, is it him or is the room feeling entirely too hot?
“And I’ve always wanted to kiss you!” Sorey reiterates, eyes bright with determination to get the point across.
Mikleo shrinks a bit from the other’s display of fervor. “Y-You… even if you… you can’t have always wanted to kiss me, you idiot,” he finishes softly in a mumble.
“Well, no… I’ve only wanted to really kiss you more recently… but it’s not like we haven’t kissed before, right?” Sorey explains and reasons.
“Y-You…. Wanted to kiss me recently? Aside from… my cheeks?” Mikleo swallows heavily, breath catching and suddenly overtly aware of the way emerald eyes kept flickering to his own lips.
“Yeah. So many new things have happened, and lately it’s made me really want to kiss you on the lips! Do you not want to kiss me?” Sorey asks a little disappointed.
Mikleo’s eyes widen in panic. “No! I mean yes! I mean… no, I don’t not want to kiss you, but I’m not saying I want to kiss you…” he stammers out, “I mean I wouldn’t mind kissing you. Not that it’s a chore either! But I mean, you should only kiss someone you might want to marry…” he trails off weakly.
Sorey groans and throws his arms up again. “Now you’re making no sense again!”
“Let’s try a different approach,” Rose cuts in suddenly, a look of pure determination lighting her eyes. “Sorey. When you think about Mikleo, do you get… weird reactions? Like your body feels really weird? Oddly excited?”
“Please tell me this isn’t the sex talk you are attempting to have,” Edna pleads dispassionately. Across from her, Dezel is looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here.
“What?” Sorey ponders Rose’s question. “I’m really happy when I see Mikleo and I get excited sometimes, but he’s always there, so it’s not like I can always be excited, right?”
Rose blinks, then squints as if she’s trying really really hard to make sense of everything. “By excited you mean…”
“He means just a normal state of emotion,” Mikleo cuts in quickly with a cough before anyone can get lost in the innuendos and euphemisms that have clearly failed to penetrate Sorey’s realm of understanding.
“Maybe Sorey hasn’t hit puberty yet,” Zaveid offers with a shrug.
“Or maybe Sorey could have a low sex drive,” Rose suggests with a sigh, edging back into her seat.
“Rose!” Alisha admonishes, appalled at the blatant manner of speech.
“Hey! It’s been known to happen with people!” Rose defends with a shrug.
“I don’t mean that!” the knight says with a high voice.
“Sorey, do you yearn for the intimate touch of another body to yours?” Zaveid picks up where Rose left off, emphasizing his point by making a gesture down his person.
“Intimate…?” Sorey blinks.
“Like close. Really close. Nothing between you two.” His voice is low, almost husky.
The effect is entirely lost of Sorey, who just pipes, “What, like sleeping naked beside each other?”
“Yes! Exactly like that!” The wind seraph claps enthusiastically. “And if one thing leads to another and you’re even closer…” He makes a vague motion with his hand and grins, waggling his brows for effect.
Sorey hums in understanding. “Well I don’t know about completely naked, but me and Mikleo used to sleep together in our underpants. I always thought it was nice. He’s got really soft skin! But now he won’t do it with me anymore…” he trails off into a whine and pout, dragging needy eyes over to that of the water seraph, who, for the umpteenth time that night, burns a bright red.
“You idiot! I can’t just…” Mikleo mumbles, but decides against redrawing unnecessary attention to himself.
“But if you didn’t have underpants on?” Zaveid presses, raising a brow.
“Um… isn’t that kind of unsanitary?” Sorey questions with a frown.
Mikleo can’t decide between laughing at Sorey’s response, punching the other for his obtuseness, and feeling out the cavity of disappointment that formed. He decides to ignore the slightly painful lurch in his chest and bites his bottom lip, shying a bit further from his corner between the two.
Zaveid sighs and scratches his chin. “It’s… different if you’re with someone you love or like that way…”
“But if it’s Mikleo, I wouldn’t care!” Sorey points out, starting to get a little irritated.
“You idiot. It’s more than saying you wouldn’t care, you would be happy about it!” Mikleo finally cuts in again, frustration and ire of his own creeping into his tone. He wishes Sorey would just see, just understand that…
Sorey shakes his head repeatedly. “Why would I be happy about seeing you without underpants?” Doesn't one get cold down there?
“See!” Mikleo thrusts out his arms, scoffing so Sorey wouldn’t hear the small crack in his voice.
“No! I don’t!” Sorey shouts back, throwing his head against his palms and mirroring Mikleo’s own desperation to be understood.
Suddenly, a thought occurs to Zaveid. “Ah. Sorey… tell me. Do you ever look at someone in a moment, and realize you want nothing more than to hold them close in your arms and never let go?”
Everyone blinks.
“That was… surprisingly not lewd and… just romantic,” Rose comments in a daze, clearly impressed.
Lailah giggles. “Perhaps there’s a story there too.”
Zaveid smirks and shrugs, leaning casually back in his seat and reaches around to put his hands behind his head. “What can I say? Zaveid’s got the looks and the charms.”
“Aaand he’s lost it again,” Edna narrates impassively, poking at the wind seraph’s chair legs with her umbrella as the other tips backwards on them again.
This time, Sorey is actually quiet for a few moments. Violet eyes shutter as the seconds drag on, and the water seraph wills himself to ignore the way his heart is slowly descending into the pit of his stomach. But then, Sorey looks up and smiles abashedly. “I always thought that was pretty normal.”
“You look at everyone and want to hold them close?” Rose asks incredulously, face scrunching up in bemusement.
“What? No. Just Mikleo,” Sorey states as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “But I don’t think I’ve ever had to ‘realize’ it. It’s just always… been there. A feeling. For as long as I can remember.”
Mikleo expression softens. His heart warms at the other’s words, but a flicker of doubt still shadows his thoughts. “But…”
A look of hurt crosses Sorey’s features as he searches out his best friend’s gaze. “Do you not want to hold me? I thought you were happy when we hugged or sat by each other…” he trails off a little uncertainly, the most unsure Mikleo’s seen him in a while.
“No, that’s not what I meant…” Mikleo sighs.
“Then what? You can’t stand it if I’m naked beside you?”
Pinkness creeps up into Mikleo’s cheeks again. “That’s not… that’s not… it’s about what you want—"
“But I already told you! I want you!” the youth stresses again, utterly miserable now.
“How can he be so innocent,” Edna wonders to no one with a shake of her head.
“You… you don’t want me want me…” Mikleo says quietly, looking down at his lap and sounding like he’s painfully trying to convince himself more than anything else.
Sorey groans and palms his face. “What do you mean want you want you? You’re worse than an Asgardian puzzle jar!”
“Ouch. Using archaeological references as insults… one hundred percent effective,” the earth seraph commentates again from the sideline. Lailah and Rose both shush her.
Hurt flashes momentarily across Mikleo’s eyes, but he swallows and answers, “It’s different!”
“How?” Sorey asks, exasperated.
“…” Mikleo looks away and doesn’t answer.
Sorey sighs and tries again. “You like to hold me and be close, right?”
“Yeah…” comes a mumble.
“You like being naked beside me?” He tics off the next question.
“I… don’t mind…” Mikleo responds hesitantly, getting rather tired of blushing.
Sorey blinks. “Ok…” He supposes that’s a yes. “You want to kiss me?”
Mikleo’s blush starts waxing again. “…Sometimes… I guess.”
“You like touching me?” Sorey points to himself, as if needing to emphasize who it is he’s talking about.
The blush on Mikleo’s cheeks reaches full capacity. “That’s a ‘yes, he does’, Sorey,” Edna supplies helpfully, to which Sorey nods.
“You wouldn’t mind spending forever with me and just me?” he asks, ticking off the next question.
Mikleo nods weakly, eyes now fully trained on bright emerald ones that are simultaneously soft and passionate.
“And you love me the most, right?” Sorey asks the last question, already confident in the answer.
Mikleo’s shoulders sag, and his gaze drops. There’s a brief pause, but it’s with a heavy heart that he finally says, “Yes.”
“And I feel the same for all of that. Shouldn’t we get married?” Sorey concludes hopefully, an encouraging smile on his face.
Mikleo closes his eyes. “…No…”
Sorey groans and thumps his head on the table. “You’re making no sense at all!” he cries out in frustration.
A flicker of hurt and irritation flitters across Mikleo’s face. “It’s not… you don’t understand! I…” he bites his lips and briefly looks as though he’s about to cry. “Anways… what does it matter if it’s not that sort of love?” he asks hollowly.
“Because I don’t want to love anyone more than you, and I don’t want you to love anyone more than me! I want us to be each other’s most important persons, and I don’t want to live out my life with anyone other than you! I want to hold you close, and I want you to hold me close, and together we can face any hardship in the world!”
“Because you’re my best friend and one and only partner. It’s always been you, and it will never be anyone else! Is that so much to ask?” Sorey finally shouts, desperation tingeing emerald eyes, and despair crafting his visage. His chest is heaving when he finishes, and his throat constricts painfully. His eyes are stinging for reasons he can’t fully articulate, but he can’t look way for even one second, not now.
Mikleo’s eyes soften, and all lines of ire slowly melt away from his face. Instead, a small smile blossoms. “It is a lot to ask…” he starts off with a mumble, and shakes his head at the other boy’s crestfallen expression. “…but I happily accept,” he finishes with a bright smile.
Sorey blinks. “Oh.” He straightens up now, tension ebbing from his shoulders, and cocks his head to one side, momentarily puzzled, as if forgetting what he had been arguing about.
A happy sigh sounds to their left, and it’s then that they are suddenly reminded of the audience they had. Lailah clasps her hands together, eyes watery and completely melting at the scene. “How wonderful! Congratulations are in order, I suppose!”
Alisha is also smiling. “I’m happy for you two,” she says sincerely.
Rose has a grin that splits across her entire face, and her eyes are glistening with unshed tears. She gives Sorey a thumbs up. “You go, Sorey! That was—“ She sniffles. “—the most—” Another sniffle. “—heartfelt declaration of love— ” She laughs and punches the air. “Ever!” Beside her, Dezel pats her back sympathetically and offers a quiet ‘congratulations’ of his own.
Edna purses her lips thoughtfully. “Hmm. It was sickeningly sweet. And the longest and most dramatic proposal I’ve ever been forced to sit through. Well done on making me want to puke.” She smiles.
Zaveid lets out a roaring laughter. “I think what little Miss Edna is trying to say here is congrats, you two. And I must say…quite the unconventional method, but… may you two have many happy years to come.” He raises a glass in toast and downs the rest of his ale.
Sorey grins sheepishly and scratches the back of his head. “Ah… thanks everyone? Um… what exactly are we getting congratulated for?” He laughs nervously.
Everyone stares.
“Your proposal getting accepted, dummy,” Edna says, being the first to recover and rolling her eyes.
Sorey blinks. “My proposal?”
Mikleo rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve agreed to marry you, you idiot.”
And with that, all other thoughts were cast from Sorey’s mind. “Really? So you agree that we should get married?” he asks excitedly.
Mikleo purses his lips in a futile attempt to wane a smile. “There was never any question on my side…” he murmurs a little quietly.
“What? Mikleo, what’d you say?”
Mikleo shakes his head with a faint smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
Sorey blinks. “Okay…” he acquiesces warily. Then, he suddenly remembers something. “Oh yeah. You guys kept saying ‘proposal’…” He frowns. “What’s a proposal?”
Everyone blinks.
“Sorey…” Lailah starts off hesitantly. “Could it be that this entire time… you had no idea what a proposal was?”
"Uh... no?"
Everyone groans.