Late again, but here's the entry for Day 2 of Sormik Week. Prompt was "Growth", but I mixed in some "Stubbornness" too. They're meant to be young here, but how young is up to you.

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

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.