king of the ruin geeks
"This whole place…was made for me?"
Sorey murmurs it to himself in astonishment, reaching out to run his hand along the faded image of his sleeping self depicted in the huge mural. Perhaps if he touches it, he'll actually be able to truly convince himself that this is all real, because even though Mikleo had told him beforehand, he can still hardly believe that such skilled artistry was put forth just to honor him. That not just this wall, but the entire expansive, centuries-old shrine that it was painted in, was created in his name.
"Are you really so surprised?" Mikleo chimes at his side, playfully bumping his shoulder with Sorey's. "You've gone down in history as the Shepherd that brought about the Age of Reawakening. It's only natural that they would honor you."
"I…guess so," Sorey finally agrees, an eager grin splitting across his face. "Ohhhh man, this is so cool! I get to explore my own ruins!"
A pause hangs in the air, and Sorey sheepishly brings a finger up to scratch his cheek.
"…That came out kinda weird, didn't it?"
"Definitely," Mikleo deadpans, then points down the nearby passageway. "Come on, let's head deeper in. Most of the treasure chests have long since been looted, but all the puzzles should still be operational."
"My shrine has puzzles?!" Sorey squeals in delight; this all just keeps getting cooler and cooler!
"You know it. I helped design some of them, actually." Mikleo smirks, his chest puffing with pride. "Which means that it'd be cheating if I helped you, so don't ask."
Sorey, recognizing the beginnings of their usual banter, makes a face at him. "I wasn't planning on it," he retorts, and receives a chuckle in response. Stepping aside, Mikleo extends his arms out in an after you motion—but Sorey inches closer to Mikleo instead, wrapping his arms around the other's thin waist. Mikleo blinks, surprised, but makes no move to escape and voices no protest.
"Kiss me before I go?" Sorey proposes, gazing straight into wide lavender eyes, leaning in until he can feel Mikleo's circlet pressed against his forehead. "You know, for good luck?"
Mikleo rolls his eyes, and scoffs, but when he tilts forward, his lips meet Sorey's rather emphatically. Sorey smiles into the kiss before returning the favor, heart fluttering pleasantly in his chest up until the moment Mikleo pulls back.
"Good luck, then," Mikleo drawls, a teasing glint in his eye. "Though I doubt it will be of much help to an idiot like you."
Sorey just jabs Mikleo in the stomach, delighting in the startled squawk-laugh that results, and declares, "Oh, we'll see about that."