#( Maybe he can be a Malak part of that one shadow group )

[vigilant-morning-star]

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[eachainn]

Requested by @valerianights: xjdnx maybe some protective mikleo towards sorey? And sorey amazed/scared because mikleo shouldn't do this anymore? (Here's Part 1 and Part 2.)

Sometimes it felt like all he was doing was falling unconscious and then waking up in strange places. 

Sorey groaned and propped himself on his elbows, glancing around. At least he wasn’t in an inn, although he almost wished that he was in the inn room because they meant that everything they had done wasn’t a bad dream. Sorey would have loved stumbling through the Earthpulse to be a horrible dream.

He sat up slowly, looking around the ruin. His interest perked up at the carvings on the walls, Sorey scooting closer to them.

He gently touched some of the carvings, brushing off a layer of dirt and some dead vines to see them more clearly. He caught a glimpse of a person stacking blocks before the scuff of a boot over stone pulled his attention away.

Sorey froze, turning his head to bring the other end of the room into his line of vision. There wasn’t anyone in the room with him, but he could see shadows moving on the wall. Sorey frowned, staring at them for a moment before pushing himself off the ground.

He vaguely remembered stumbling out of the Earthpulse with everyone, but even that was fuzzy. His fever had been running high at that point and it was hard to pick out what had been real and what had been some twisted form of his imagination. He was sure that the cool hands that he had felt against his forehead had been real, but only because the had been there the last time he’d been injured.

Sorey carefully moved towards the front of the room, trying not to make noise. As he got closer he could make out raised voices, picking out his name. That was almost enough to get him to stop, but Sorey kept moving. 

If they were talking about him, then they were only doing it because they thought that he was still unconscious. If he wanted to hear more, he would have to keep quiet, and he desperately wanted to know more.

No one in the group seemed eager to talk to him, but Sorey couldn’t blame them for that. He was an exorcist that they had saved on a whim and he was more trouble than he was worth. He hadn’t been high enough in the ranks to know any helpful information and he still wasn’t used to his blind right eye, which meant he was next to useless in combat. He was perfectly content to be alive and allowed to travel with them for his own safety, but that didn’t mean that he liked being left in the dark.

Sorey braced himself against the doorway, careful to keep himself tucked out of sight. He would have been tempted to lean out around the lintel and check to see who was talking, but he would have practically stepped out into the open with his eye the way it was and that would defeat the whole purpose.

He stood still through a lull in the conversation, his eyes widening when he recognized Michael’s voice when the man spoke. “There are ways to transfer this. I’m sure of it. We can ask Lailah.”

“No.” Sorey rocked forward at the sound of Mikleo’s voice, keeping himself from stepping out of the room.

He wanted to check on the malak. The last time he’d seen Mikleo, the malak had been unconscious in the Earthpulse and in danger according to Lailah. He hadn’t gotten the chance to see him awake since they had made their pact.

Sorey shifted in place, debating making some sort of announcement of his presence when Michael groaned.

“I’m not asking much. Just maybe think about this more. Selene would make a good vessel, as would Rose or anyone in the next town when we figure out where we are. Just anyone but him.”

“And why not him?”

“Because he’s an exorcist!”

“That didn’t stop you and Muse the first time.”

“We had no other choice! You were in danger, and Edna was in danger because she wouldn’t leave you. The exorcist offered.”

“If you don’t approve, then why didn’t you?”

“What?”

“You’re human. You could have acted as my vessel. If you had any problems with it would should have said it then.”

“I...I couldn’t.”

There was a telling silence, Sorey wishing that he hadn’t chosen to listen in on the conversation. It felt private, but he couldn’t step away, not when his heart sped up at the thought of anyone taking Mikleo away.

It wasn’t that he wanted to use the malak, if he had wanted that he never would have let him go int he first place or volunteered to help Mikleo. It had never been about the power, it had been about preserving the freedom that the malak had just found.

He swallowed, rubbing at his arm as the silence went on. Then he heard Mikleo huff. 

“If you couldn’t be bothered then you have no right telling me what to do about my vessel. Besides, I thought you’d be happy. Now we have someone to watch him in case he betrays us like you’re always talking about.”

Michael made a choked sound. “You’ve just gone back to the way you were before.”

“No. Now I’m in control of my own thoughts, my own feelings.”

“But you can’t trust him.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Sorey leaned back against the wall, startling when he heard someone walking his way.

He glanced around the room, trying to find a place to hide or a way to make it look like he hadn’t been listening in. The room was completely blank, anything that would have been in it had been removed when the ruins had been abandoned all those years ago.

Sorey slid a little bit down the wall, offering Mikleo a sheepish smile when the malak walked into the room.

Mikleo pivoted to look at him, Sorey rubbing the back of his neck as Mikleo stared at him. “I’m...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...if you want me to I’ll just...”

“No.” Mikleo shrugged and walked towards the center of the room. “You would have heard it eventually. It’s probably better that you heard it like that then all of them hiding it from you. Knowing you, the guilt would have eaten you up and I need you as my vessel.”

“There are others that-”

“No!” Mikleo rounded on him. “I told Michael no and I’m telling you no!”

“Why?” Sorey took a step forward, not daring to reach out to Mikleo. He didn’t have that right. He’d never had it.

Sorey fumbled for words, trying to string them together in a way that made sense. “I only did it to save you, but I never intended it to be permanent. If there’s another way, then you should take it.”

“Why should I do that?”

“Because I’m an exorcist. I tethered you before against your will! I used you and Edna.”

“You freed me and Edna.”

“That’s not the point!”

“It is. It’s the entire point.” Mikleo took a step forward, Sorey stepping backwards. The malak continued to back him up, only stopping when Sorey ran into the wall.

He grunted as he back hit, Sorey glancing back at the wall before looking over at Mikleo and finding him too close. 

The malak didn’t seem to notice, his attention completely on Sorey. That kind of attention made the hairs on the back of his neck prick up, because he’d seen Mikleo fight and it had been awesome and terrifying.

He licked his lips, trying to come up with something, but Mikleo beat him to the punch.

“I don’t know any of the others, not like I know this about you. You will serve as a suitable vessel, so I’ll take it. More than that I...I..” Mikleo frowned and looked away, Sorey seeing a blush dust the malak’s cheeks. “I don’t trust you but you’re the known. I know what you will do. If you freed me before, then you’ll do it again. You may be an exorcist, but you have a conscience. And that’s enough for me right now. Besides,” Mikleo looked back up at with him determination in his eyes but still blushing, “if you step out of line I know that I can handle you.”

Sorey blinked, trying to sort through what Mikleo was saying. He swallowed, trying for a smile and not sure that he succeeded. “So...you’re watching me?”

“If you want to put it that way, yes. Someone needs to.”

Mikleo reached up like he was going to touch the right side of Sorey’s face, his hand jerking back at the last moment. The malak curled his fingers towards his palm before he sighed and stepped back. 

Mikleo looked at the door before shaking his head. “Since you’re up, we might as well get moving. Just because we’ve stopped doesn’t mean Heldalf hasn’t. And I don’t like what I sensed it there.”

“Do you know what it was?”

“No. But I’m sure we’ll find out.” 

Mikleo turned on his heel and walked towards the door, Sorey remaining pressed against the wall.

He was suddenly struck by how much he didn’t know Mikleo. He thought he had, at least while the malak had been tethered to him. That malak had liked reading or listening as Sorey read, and Sorey had always thought of that as a quirk, but that had been the only remarkable thing. 

Now there was so much more, and Sorey felt like he was only scraping the surface each time and making no progress. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He looked back up at the malak, surprised to see Mikleo waiting for him at the door. 

The malak made an impatient motion, Sorey pushing himself away from the wall. 

There was no point in staying behind, not when Heldalf was still moving forward with his plans. Stopping them would mean saving the malakhim, which was his main goal at the moment. Besides, it was about time he stopped being the weak link in their team. If that happened, they just might kick him out. They didn’t need dead weight with what they were doing, it was too dangerous for something like that.

He stepped up to Mikleo’s side, tempted to hang back but the triumphant smirk that Mikleo had kept him in place. If this was what Mikleo wanted, then he could bow to that.

As long as Mikleo and Edna wanted him around, he was more than happy to stay.