I started re-watching SDS while I wait for new 4KOTA chapters and that inspired me to upload this. It's just Mael and Gowther having a conversation about their not-relationship after the end of the series when Mael knows basically all his memories were lies.

To anyone who asked for a Part 2 of Promises: I sincerely apologize. Imagine waiting for nearly eight full years for a Part 2 and getting this instead, I'd kill a man. To anyone new here: Enjoy!

Chapter 2: The End

"May I ask you something?"

Gowther, once Gowther; Commandment of Selflessness, then Gowther; Deadly Sin of Lust and now, finally, just Gowther, glanced up as he was spoken to.

His breath caught when he saw the speaker. The Archangel Mael, once known as the Commandment Estarossa of Love.

Gowther's ex-lover.

Kinda.

Sort of.

"You can ask me anything," said Gowther. His sharp ears immediately caught the way Mael's heartbeat sped up rapidly but, for the life of him, he couldn't tell why.

If Gowther had a physical heart, his would have been beating equally as fast.

Their relationship had started when Estarossa was younger (and smaller), first befriending Gowther when Gowther was Estarossa's brother Meliodas's second in command of the Ten Commandments and then wooing him after Meliodas betrayed the Demon Clan.

Only problem?

None of that, except the part about Meliodas leaving the Demon Clan, had ever happened.

Estarossa wasn't Meliodas's younger brother, he was actually an Archangel, he'd never known Gowther when Meliodas was a Commandment and when Gowther and his creator, the original Gowther, had re-written Mael's memories they'd written in false memories of this Gowther and him in a romantic relationship.

What Mael didn't know was why.

He didn't like that they'd rewritten his entire identity and sense of self to tip the balance of the war, but he got it.

But what was their relationship supposed to accomplish?

He posed this question to Gowther, keeping his hands clasped behind his back, trying to make himself look as non-threatening as possible.

"I'm not angry or anything," he assured Gowther. He felt the assurance was necessary considering just how badly he'd taken learning the truth the first time around. "I'm just curious, that's all."

"Of course you are," Gowther was very steadily not looking at Mael, "it's only natural to be curious when someone goes to such incredible lengths to hurt you and doesn't seem to have a reason."

Mael had been attempting tactfulness by not saying that part out loud, but that was Gowther for you.

Gowther was still not looking at him, but something about his posture told Mael if he could blush, he would be blushing, "unfortunately; I can only give you a partial answer. You're aware that the Rewrite Light we used on you was incomplete and unravelling the discrepancies in your memories is what allowed you to regain some of your original ones."

It was a rhetorical question but Mael answered anyway, "I'm aware."

"Well there were a lot of gaps and they were filled in by you and the people around you. We didn't write in Zeldris not accepting you as his brother, he did that. He wouldn't have accepted you and so the memories twisted to fit the two of you. The same goes for your reaction to Meliodas's betrayal. You would have wanted to kill him, but still loved him, so you did."

Mael was pretty sure he did understand what Gowther was saying but really hoped he didn't. "So what you're saying is that if, hypothetically, Estarossa did exist and I really was him, I would have pursued you romantically so my memories told me that's what I'd done. You didn't have anything to do with it."

It wasn't Mael's imagination, Gowther was definitely avoiding looking at him, "I could have rejected you. But I wouldn't have, so that's what our memories showed us. So I had a little to do with it. But the question you asked was why I wrote those memories in the first place. And the short answer is: I didn't."

So he'd understood perfectly. Mael felt his face growing hot, "so what you're trying to avoid saying is that you didn't essentially wish our relationship into being, I did."

"That was what I was trying to avoid saying, yes." Confirmed Gowther. If Mael's cheeks got any hotter, he'd catch on fire.

Let that be a lesson to you all: don't ask questions unless you're sure you want to know the answers.

Mael clapped Gowther lamely on the arm, "good talk." He managed to croak out, "thank you for being honest with me. I'm glad we had this conversation."

"No you aren't."

No, he wasn't. Gowther's astuteness and lack of tact were 100% as always.

Mael turned to go. Returning to his quarters, throwing himself on his bed and burying his face in his pillow like a blushing maiden was beginning to seem really good right now. But Gowther's voice stopped him.

"There's one more thing."

Oh Good Heavens, what now?

Mael was a lot of things and some of them were not too great but he was no coward, he forced himself to turn back to his not-not boyfriend, trying vainly to beat down the blush from his cheeks. "Yes?"

Finally, Gowther turned to face him. "First; I wanted to say I'm sorry. We had our reasons for what we did but the relationship between you and I wasn't part of the plan. It was an unnecessary cruelty and I'm sorry I helped put you through that, even accidentally. And secondly, I wanted to say: thank you."

What?

Gowther placed a hand over his chest where his heart would be. "I am a doll created to be the original Gowther's eyes and ears and go where he couldn't. That was my purpose, given to me by another. But, though they may have been based on a lie, your feelings for me and my feelings for you were genuine and they were the one of the first things I ever had that were truly mine. So thank you, Mael, my Estarossa."

My Estarossa… Forget blushing, Mael was beginning to feel slightly dizzy. What in the world was he supposed to say to that? He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Someone nearby called for Gowther so he bid the Archangel goodbye and walked away like he hadn't just turned Mael's world upside down. Again.

Yup, crawling into bed and burying his face in his pillow like a blushing maiden was beginning to seem really, really good right now. His head understood that their relationship had been a solid 70% fake and the rest was based on those fake memories but his heart clearly hadn't gotten the memo.

My Estarossa…

Do not be fooled by the chapter title, there's going to be one more chapter on how they met, which might be a little more like what people were hoping for when they asked for a part 2 so look forward to that.

Hope you enjoyed! Bye guys!