Work Text:
Another restless night. This is the fourth (or maybe fifth?) one in 2 weeks. They had all headed for the hallowed mountains as they all thought is was the best corse of action. And Carys head as been swimming with thoughts of arius, the prophesy, everyhing that he had learned at the obelisks.
Carys didn't know what time it was but it was late, probably around 2 or 3 am.
He was trying to clean up a bit, yet he couldn't be productive, he just wandered around, moving idlely and occasionally picking something up and moving it if it was out of place. It didn't help that his darling lover snores, very loudly.
When they went to turn in for the night earlier Samiel had passed out, almost immediately he apparently hadn't sleep well the night before him self, alot of paperwork kept him up, (in his words)
The idea of taking a walk outside felt very appealing to Carys, it would be cool, quite, and for some reason it always helps him get sleepy. So he did, he put whatever he was holding down and walked outside after he gave Samiel a quick kiss.
It was nice, it was beginning to be summer so it wasn't that cold but still better than the day. Carys always had a distaste for the summer, so hot and uncomfortable. That might have been because he already runs exreamly warm.
He took a deep breath letting the cool air fill his lungs and started to walk with no real purpose. They had set up camp for the night in some clearing in a forest, so he walked farther in.
About 5 minutes in to just walking around he heard a sound almost like panting, at first he thought It was an injured animal but it sounded more like a person than any animal he had ever encountered before. He instinctively tried to push up his glasses realizing he isn't wearing them.
"son of a bitch!" he quitely mumbled to himself, he had made this mistake twice before and wasn't going to make it again. He very quickly walked back and grabbed his glasses before returning to make sure he wouldn't be in to much danger if this was some sort of threat.
He slowly approached where the sound wad coming from, making sure to be cautious not to make much if any sound to alert them to his presence. He reached a little clearing where he saw a figure leaned up against a tree, that's where the sound of heavy breathing was coming from.
They didn't necessarily look like a threat, mare tired than anything but still alot bigger than Carys himself, bother taller and more muscular. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that the person looked familiar but he thought that everyone else was asleep right? Maybe it was one of the bleak guard, or a paladin abiet he didn't know them as well. If so why were they out here?
After what was about a minute of staring at the stranger he decided to speak up, it would be better to say something and risk them being harmful to him than not and them potentially being hurt themselves.
"Hello?" He spoke quietly but the person seemed to hear him just fine. The stranger looked up, from what Carys could see they had a look of recognition on there face, like they knew his voice.
"Boy, is that you?" The 'stranger', who Carys now realized was Micheal, spoke back to him. He seemed confused to see the boy out here but didn't seemed to mind all to much, he was just confused. "What are you doing out here."
"Ah, hi Micheal, I couldn't sleep and so I decided to get some fresh air when I heard you breathing rather heavily and came to investigate, what are you doing out here?" He walked over to where Micheal was leaning. He was far less nervous now that he knew who he was talking to.
"Well, I was thinking about some things and it was keeping me up so I came out here to try and tire myself out." He vaguely gestured to one of the training dummys the guards use and Carys understood well enough what Micheal was doing out here and why he seemed so out of breath, the dummy looked like it had really seen better days.
Micheal stood up properly, wiping some sweat from his brow, his dirty blond hair getting pushed back in the process. He gave the boy a sweet smile before filling the comfortable silence that had grown between them. "Well, if we're both awake, why not spend some time together my friend, we don't actually know eachother that well despite having been traveling together for the past few months."
He wasn't exactly wrong. They had spoke a few times but surprisingly they didn't know much about eachother. Of course Carys had heard ilyian go on and on about Micheal and he'd assume Samiel spoke about him to his older brother, Carys couldn't recall anything more than a few basic facts about the man beside him.
"Thats a good idea, I'm not all to familiar with this area so could you lead the way?" He took micheals arm and he gave him a quick laugh and a nod before starting to walk
---‐--------
They walked around together just talking and keeping eachother company for a while before another comfortable silence over took them. Micheal eventually broke that silence with a question for Carys.
"So, my friend, I have to ask.. has ilyian really had a crush on me for years..? I mean you would be the person who knows being his best friend and all." He seemed almost embarrassed asking the boy that, of course he already knew the answer but he wanted confirmation from the boy.
The boy stared at him for a while an almost giddy expression on his face. He stared for a few seconds before laughing, hard. Once he stopped (after almost falling over) he answered the burning question that Micheal had.
"Yes, I can assure you that I wasn't lying. Ilyain has been going on and on about your, 'perfect dirty blond hair, tall muscular build,' and 'beautiful blue eyes' since he met you."
He spoke fondly of ilyians yearning for Micheal but still seemed atlest a tiny bit annoyed he had to listen to it all this time.
"Really.. he likes all of that, on me..?" Micheal was blushing, he was just told his crush liked specific parts of his body who wouldn't be blushing? He attempted to move past that topic by changing the subject, he did have more questions to ask the boy after all. "Ehem.. why are you called 'sweet boy' anyways? I know it has something to do with you being Samiels servent but why did he start calling you that?"
"Your not wrong, the nickname started from Samiel calling me his sweet boy in an attempt to tease and fluster me when we first properly met, I will say he was successful.." he trailed off for a moment, his mind recalling the first night the met but he continued on, "but it just kinda stuck and now that's what people call me."
Micheal seemed to accept that answer, another silence filling the cool summer night air around them. Carys sat down, the grass gently swaying as a breeze sweeped by. Micheal soon joined him sitting on the floor, both of them enjoying the night something keeping them the both up.
It took a few more minutes for one of them to speak up but eventually Carys spoke up,
"If you don't mind my asking, what was keeping you up so that you came out here originally?"
Micheal didn't answer for what felt like an eternity to himself. In reality it was only a few minutes. When he did his voice was shakey, and quiet. Nothing like the man he normally presented himself as, "regret. I couldn't sleep thinking about everything I did wrong. I failed my brothers, the world. I could have done so much more."
Carys took a moment before responding, fidgeting with the grass beneath him. "You did what was necessary at the time and delt with the consequences for a thousand years. I don't think your a bad person Micheal, no one does, you were justified for what you did."
"I still hurt them. I hurt my only remaining family." Micheals tone was somber, quiet, sad. The sound of a broken man.
"I know Samiel, he would have been hurt either way, if you told him he would still been hurt, just in a different way, as much as his reputation makes him seem like he has no care for others, he cares. I know he does, you do to. and hey, in a way, your the reason I got with him." Carys cracked a smile, trying to lighten the now heavy mood.
"He does doesn't he? Always caring for those around him, no matter how hurt he is. He's a good king, despite the murderous tendencies.. it's hard, to not regret everything I've done. I've been convinced that I failed for so long, it's hard to not think like that." Micheal smiled, he wasn't wrong, carys himself knew that very well. He knew how hard it was to unlearn a specific way of thinking. He wouldn't fault him for that.
"Thats fair, it's hard to unlearn or convince yourself that what you thought for so long is incorrect. We'll all be here for you Micheal, me, Samiel, The Custodian, Ilyian especially." He poked Micheal in the arm, giggling. Micheal pushed him scoffing in a foe offended way.
They had both sprawled out on the ground laughing softly. Micheal yawned, finally tired out after a night of taking a stroll and talking. He felt alot better after talking through his feelings. He still far from healing from everything fully, it would take a lifetime to heal from all the trauma he had endured, but he was getting there.
Carys turned over to the paladin, a soft smile on his face as he started softly speaking. "You know Micheal, you actually remind me of a flower in a way, silly I know.." His eyes were half lidded as he idlely fidgeted with the grass beneath him.
Micheal turned to the boy, confusion and intrigue shown in his expression. "Well are you going to tell me which one my friend?"
The boy almost looked surprised when Micheal asked him, he laughed softly before answering, falling onto his back once again. "A Gladiolus, they almost look like little swords in a way but that's not why. One of the many things they symbolize is strength. And well, your one of the strongest men I know. Hell you faced the scorn of knowing the only living family you have hates your guts for thousand years, not many people could handle that."
He turned back to Micheal, his face still sweet but sleepiness showing through. He hadn't expected Micheal to be on the verge of tears. "You really think I was strong for that.. i-i had just assumed that I had to continue on if Samiel or the world ever needed me.. I didn't feel very strong"
"Of course you were! Micheal, you have gone through so much and gotten back up afterwards. That's not something that a weak person could do." Carys had sat up, legs tucked up to his chest with his head rested on his knees.
Micheal sat up aswell, looking up at the moon high in the sky, "I guess your right, i survived that and much more."
The boy streached, letting his back hit the grass, yawning. "You gonna be able to sleep now? If not I could always bother ilyian for you" he giggled, the bad joke making them both laugh.
"Yes my friend, and you have no need to awak ilyian for me." He stood, offering a hand to the boy layed out in the grass, eyes fluttering shut.
Carys took the hand stretching once again before starting to walk back idlely chatting with micheal as the two headed back.
They reached the camp and said there goodbyes, micheal went to bed and Carys rejoined Samiel. As he layed and stared at the man that lay next to him, the idea that he was so special and needed for this world to continue felt alot smaller.
Micheal lay on his bed, eyes starting to shut. He had so much regret with every failure he has had and every bit of pain he caused. But he wasn't alone anymore. He had family now. He's survived until now. He could definitely go on now that he wasn't alone anymore.