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Forever With You

Chapter Five

***

Ever since his unintended outburst that night, Sothe had been surrounded by his fellow mercenaries. Each of them encouraged him to confess to Ike the next morning, that the commander would understand. The emeralde had no way to respond, for he was busy doing Soren a favor and keeping his secret. After sitting there as long as he could stand it, Sothe retreated into his and Soren's tent. He looked around the empty space.

"...Damn it..." Sothe knew that Soren wasn't returning that night. He didn't bother to dwell on it. He simply laid awake and hoped that the sage had a safe night.

***

Soren rose from his spot on the cold ground the next morning, sleep deprived and anxious. He had thought of Ike all night and went over the various ways that he could react to Sothe moving in and taking his place.

He skipped breakfast to try and avoid the others for as long as possible. With very little thought, he decided to leave the group, run ahead and meet with Ike before Sothe could confess his feelings. He pushed himself through the forest, knowing that Rhys and Mist would slow down the group enough for him to make it there first. All he could think of was seeing Ike again before he passed out from lack of sleep and food. He willed himself onward, never glancing back.

Though as he traveled, he began to think of every rational reason why he and Ike shouldn't be together.

***

Back at camp, Titania was confused when Soren hadn't met with her that morning. She knew that the previous day's events had probably upset him, but would he abandon his tactician's duties?

"Sothe, did Soren sleep here last night?" she asked, approaching as Sothe packed their tent.

"No. I don't know where he went." Sothe replied, not turning around from his task.

Titania knew Soren wouldn't do anything stupid, so she didn't press the subject. If anything, he would meet them at the castle. He just needs time to cool off. She rationalized. With that last thought, she mounted her horse and led the group to Gallia's castle.

***

Ike roamed the halls of Gallia's capital, waiting anxiously for the rest of his team to appear. He had met with the King and discussed what he could with him, and now all he had left was apprehensive boredom. Mordecai stayed with him, trying to reassure the bluenette. "They will come. Ike should not worry."

"Hn," the bluenette replied, monotone. In truth, he was more concerned about Soren than any of the others. Gallia held bad memories for the spell caster; the commander could only hope that his lover was doing okay without him. He held on to the knowledge that they would be together again soon.

Soon came much faster than he could have imagined.

Beast guards alerted Mordecai that a black-clad Beorc was moving rapidly towards the castle. They asked if he should be intercepted, and Ike overheard. He knew who it was.

"No!" Ike called. "That's Soren! Something must have happened!" Without another word, the commander rushed towards the entrance, both praising the Goddess for Soren's safety and fearing for the fates of his other friends. Mordecai didn't follow him, only gave brief instructions to the other laguz that there was no threat.

Ike made it to the entranceway as the spell caster staggered up the steps, looking exhausted and haggard. Upon seeing his lover he stopped, collapsing on the stone steps and not flying into the bluenette's awaiting arms like Ike expected.

"Gods, Soren! Are you okay?" Ike hopped down the steps, three at a time, until he stopped beside Soren, who shook his head and scrambled away.

"You should leave me!" He gasped, avoiding Ike's gaze. Ike stared at him in utter confusion. "I'm no good to you! I'll never be any good and you deserve so much more!" Soren's voice cracked and he finally lost his composure. He cried despite himself. Ike stood a foot away from his lover, watching with wide eyes. He didn't understand.

"What?"

"You can be with a worthy woman, or Elincia! I've seen how you look at her…" Soren brought his arms up to his face and his black robes covered his sobbing face. Though he didn't understand, Ike had heard enough. He rushed forward and gathered the branded youth into his arms. Soren weakly pushed at the bluenette, but it did nothing to stop the commander. He pulled Soren up to his feet and pulled him away from the eavesdropping Laguz. "Ike, please! Let me go and just--"

Ike stopped when he reached the empty hall that held the guestroom he stayed in. He pushed the sage up against the wall and held his face upward, blue eyes concerned. "Now explain to me what's going on." Ike's voice was strong and brooked no refusal. It was his commander's tone. Soren blinked his eyes as he gazed at Ike's beautiful face. Tears continued to fall.

"I just... love you so much..."

Ike couldn't help but allow his features to soften. He held Soren's face in place by his chin and asked, "Then why all these tears?"

The sage wanted nothing more than to disappear, but he couldn't look anywhere but the adoring face of his lover. "Ike, I'm a branded," he stated, trying to remember the list he had constructed earlier of all the reasons Ike would be better off without him.

"I know," the bluenette replied and placed a gentle kiss on the youth's brand. "You've already told me that, and I still love you."

"I... I'm male! I could never give you a family!" He protested again and again, Ike kissed him, only this time between the eyes.

"I never asked for a family. Only your love."

The sage shuddered as a fresh wave of tears fell from his eyes. "You could do so much better than me... You could have any woman in the entire realm... and at least half of the men." The swordsman chuckled and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of the spell caster's nose.

"I suppose there's some truth in that, but I don't want anyone else but you." Ike allowed himself to smile and brought their lips dangerously close together before asking, "Any more concerns?"

Soren nodded, ashamed. "The others are coming... Sothe admitted his love for you and the others think that the two of you are a good match. That you'll understand his feelings. They're all so supportive," he whispered, his lips trembling.

Ike's face contorted in confusion and his brows raised. "His love for me? Sothe..." Ike looked down in contemplation, for he didn't know how to respond. Soren wiped his tears on his robe, never taking his eyes from Ike's face. Just as he raised his gaze from the floor, Mordecai's voice interrupted them.

"Ike," his deep voice bellowed, "Your friends. They have arrived." The blue-haired Laguz looked at Soren's tear stained face questioningly, but he said nothing.

"Th... Thank you, Mordecai. I'll be right there." Ike said. Mordecai nodded and excused himself. The bluenette turned to Soren as he smoothed his hair down and tried to gather himself. Ike grinned at how cute he was. "We'll talk later," he said, catching Soren's lips in a quick kiss. The sage nodded.

"Ike, can I go to your room?" He asked quickly. "I don't want to see anyone." Soren looked down, crimson eyes showing signs of hurt and humiliation.

"Yeah, it's at the end of the hall." Ike pointed and Soren turned to leave, but his commander pulled him back. "I love you." He sounded out each word, looking the sage directly in the eyes. He turned and headed to the main hall where the rest of the mercenaries waited.

As Ike entered the main room where the group had settled, Titania approached him. "I can't find Soren," she whispered quietly and then added in her normal tone, "Glad to see you again, Ike."

Mist bounded up to her brother, "Hi, Ike! We're going to all set up, but Sothe has something very important to tell you!" Ike looked from Titania to his sister, wondering who to address first. He nodded at Mist, then turned to his deputy commander.

"Soren is here. He said that he just went ahead of the group." Ike didn't wait for Titania's response as he turned to Mist. "Not now, Mist. I'm sure it can wait."

***

As evening fell, Soren patiently waited for his lover to rejoin him, which he did not fail to do. The bluenette stepped into the door and was met with his lover's embrace.

"By the Goddess, I've missed you," the sage said in his soft spoken tone, planting a soft kiss on the commander's cheek. His red eyes looked bigger in the evening light that filtered in through their window, his pupils narrowed to feral slits. He cupped his lover's face in his hands, wanting nothing more than to hear Ike reaffirm his undying love, something the spell caster needed as much as the air he breathed.

Ike placed his strong hands on Soren's sides and closed the door behind him with his foot. He smiled as Soren adorned his face with those special kisses and caresses. "I've missed you, too..." His arms wound themselves around Soren's thin torso and lifted him easily off the ground. He walked over to the bed and dropped the sage gently, straddling him immediately after. "I'm sorry that I had to leave you yesterday." Ike murmured. Soren's hands snaked through Ike's hair and untied his headband, letting it slide down and fall to his chest.

"I forgive you," he replied softly, placing another kiss on the mercenary's waiting lips. "You did what you had to, and I love you for that." He allowed his lover to remove his three hair clasps and rewarded him with another bout of intense kissing. He felt Ike open his robes, but he allowed it. Ike was the only person who had ever seen him in his entirety, and he was the only one who ever would.

The bluenette smiled as he ran his hands along the exposed flesh of his lover. "Anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?" he asked playfully, kissing the sage's pale skin.

Soren smiled, exposing the points of all of his draconic teeth, something Ike accepted without question. "Only you."

Ike smiled and dragged his lips down Soren's neck, kissing the creamy skin lovingly. His lips made it to the sage's chest and Ike hummed lowly as he licked and nipped at the exposed skin. His cock swelled uncomfortably in its clothed prison and the bluenette had to stop his ministrations to attend to the matter.

As his hands reached to remove his pants, Soren leaned up, hand moving to stop Ike's. "No... let me."

***

The two made love for the next hour, switching positions and discovering once again that wonderful feeling of their bodies and spirits entwining. When Ike finally decided that they should stop for the night, he pulled Soren up against him, still drunk on the ecstasy of it all. Soren's back was to the mercenary's strong chest and Ike's arms were around his stomach. They lay there in that loving embrace. With one hand, Ike pulled the covers around them.

"Ike," the spell caster whispered softly, earning a gentle groan of acknowledgment from his lover. "I... I'm so glad to have you... any part of you. I just love you so much." His hand reached back and stroked Ike's cheek. The bluenette nuzzled his head and together they sat in a comfortable silence, the only sound in the room being that of them trying to catch their breath. Ike moved one hand to search for Soren's and their finger's laced.

After a moment, Soren lay sleeping on Ike's chest. The bluenette smiled and closed his eyes. He whispered something in the sage's ear, so softly that he wasn't even sure that he heard his own words.

"Will you marry me?"

His only reply was the soft sound of the sage's breathing. With a final kiss to his lover's neck, Ike too drifted off to sleep.

End Chapter Five

Description
Forever With You

Chapter Five

***

Ever since his unintended outburst that night, Sothe had been surrounded by his fellow mercenaries. Each of them encouraged him to confess to Ike the next morning, that the commander would understand. The emeralde had no way to respond, for he was busy doing Soren a favor and keeping his secret. After sitting there as long as he could stand it, Sothe retreated into his and Soren's tent. He looked around the empty space.

"...Damn it..." Sothe knew that Soren wasn't returning that night. He didn't bother to dwell on it. He simply laid awake and hoped that the sage had a safe night.

***

Soren rose from his spot on the cold ground the next morning, sleep deprived and anxious. He had thought of Ike all night and went over the various ways that he could react to Sothe moving in and taking his place.

He skipped breakfast to try and avoid the others for as long as possible. With very little thought, he decided to leave the group, run ahead and meet with Ike before Sothe could confess his feelings. He pushed himself through the forest, knowing that Rhys and Mist would slow down the group enough for him to make it there first. All he could think of was seeing Ike again before he passed out from lack of sleep and food. He willed himself onward, never glancing back.

Though as he traveled, he began to think of every rational reason why he and Ike shouldn't be together.

***

Back at camp, Titania was confused when Soren hadn't met with her that morning. She knew that the previous day's events had probably upset him, but would he abandon his tactician's duties?

"Sothe, did Soren sleep here last night?" she asked, approaching as Sothe packed their tent.

"No. I don't know where he went." Sothe replied, not turning around from his task.

Titania knew Soren wouldn't do anything stupid, so she didn't press the subject. If anything, he would meet them at the castle. He just needs time to cool off. She rationalized. With that last thought, she mounted her horse and led the group to Gallia's castle.

***

Ike roamed the halls of Gallia's capital, waiting anxiously for the rest of his team to appear. He had met with the King and discussed what he could with him, and now all he had left was apprehensive boredom. Mordecai stayed with him, trying to reassure the bluenette. "They will come. Ike should not worry."

"Hn," the bluenette replied, monotone. In truth, he was more concerned about Soren than any of the others. Gallia held bad memories for the spell caster; the commander could only hope that his lover was doing okay without him. He held on to the knowledge that they would be together again soon.

Soon came much faster than he could have imagined.

Beast guards alerted Mordecai that a black-clad Beorc was moving rapidly towards the castle. They asked if he should be intercepted, and Ike overheard. He knew who it was.

"No!" Ike called. "That's Soren! Something must have happened!" Without another word, the commander rushed towards the entrance, both praising the Goddess for Soren's safety and fearing for the fates of his other friends. Mordecai didn't follow him, only gave brief instructions to the other laguz that there was no threat.

Ike made it to the entranceway as the spell caster staggered up the steps, looking exhausted and haggard. Upon seeing his lover he stopped, collapsing on the stone steps and not flying into the bluenette's awaiting arms like Ike expected.

"Gods, Soren! Are you okay?" Ike hopped down the steps, three at a time, until he stopped beside Soren, who shook his head and scrambled away.

"You should leave me!" He gasped, avoiding Ike's gaze. Ike stared at him in utter confusion. "I'm no good to you! I'll never be any good and you deserve so much more!" Soren's voice cracked and he finally lost his composure. He cried despite himself. Ike stood a foot away from his lover, watching with wide eyes. He didn't understand.

"What?"

"You can be with a worthy woman, or Elincia! I've seen how you look at her…" Soren brought his arms up to his face and his black robes covered his sobbing face. Though he didn't understand, Ike had heard enough. He rushed forward and gathered the branded youth into his arms. Soren weakly pushed at the bluenette, but it did nothing to stop the commander. He pulled Soren up to his feet and pulled him away from the eavesdropping Laguz. "Ike, please! Let me go and just--"

Ike stopped when he reached the empty hall that held the guestroom he stayed in. He pushed the sage up against the wall and held his face upward, blue eyes concerned. "Now explain to me what's going on." Ike's voice was strong and brooked no refusal. It was his commander's tone. Soren blinked his eyes as he gazed at Ike's beautiful face. Tears continued to fall.

"I just... love you so much..."

Ike couldn't help but allow his features to soften. He held Soren's face in place by his chin and asked, "Then why all these tears?"

The sage wanted nothing more than to disappear, but he couldn't look anywhere but the adoring face of his lover. "Ike, I'm a branded," he stated, trying to remember the list he had constructed earlier of all the reasons Ike would be better off without him.

"I know," the bluenette replied and placed a gentle kiss on the youth's brand. "You've already told me that, and I still love you."

"I... I'm male! I could never give you a family!" He protested again and again, Ike kissed him, only this time between the eyes.

"I never asked for a family. Only your love."

The sage shuddered as a fresh wave of tears fell from his eyes. "You could do so much better than me... You could have any woman in the entire realm... and at least half of the men." The swordsman chuckled and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of the spell caster's nose.

"I suppose there's some truth in that, but I don't want anyone else but you." Ike allowed himself to smile and brought their lips dangerously close together before asking, "Any more concerns?"

Soren nodded, ashamed. "The others are coming... Sothe admitted his love for you and the others think that the two of you are a good match. That you'll understand his feelings. They're all so supportive," he whispered, his lips trembling.

Ike's face contorted in confusion and his brows raised. "His love for me? Sothe..." Ike looked down in contemplation, for he didn't know how to respond. Soren wiped his tears on his robe, never taking his eyes from Ike's face. Just as he raised his gaze from the floor, Mordecai's voice interrupted them.

"Ike," his deep voice bellowed, "Your friends. They have arrived." The blue-haired Laguz looked at Soren's tear stained face questioningly, but he said nothing.

"Th... Thank you, Mordecai. I'll be right there." Ike said. Mordecai nodded and excused himself. The bluenette turned to Soren as he smoothed his hair down and tried to gather himself. Ike grinned at how cute he was. "We'll talk later," he said, catching Soren's lips in a quick kiss. The sage nodded.

"Ike, can I go to your room?" He asked quickly. "I don't want to see anyone." Soren looked down, crimson eyes showing signs of hurt and humiliation.

"Yeah, it's at the end of the hall." Ike pointed and Soren turned to leave, but his commander pulled him back. "I love you." He sounded out each word, looking the sage directly in the eyes. He turned and headed to the main hall where the rest of the mercenaries waited.

As Ike entered the main room where the group had settled, Titania approached him. "I can't find Soren," she whispered quietly and then added in her normal tone, "Glad to see you again, Ike."

Mist bounded up to her brother, "Hi, Ike! We're going to all set up, but Sothe has something very important to tell you!" Ike looked from Titania to his sister, wondering who to address first. He nodded at Mist, then turned to his deputy commander.

"Soren is here. He said that he just went ahead of the group." Ike didn't wait for Titania's response as he turned to Mist. "Not now, Mist. I'm sure it can wait."

***

As evening fell, Soren patiently waited for his lover to rejoin him, which he did not fail to do. The bluenette stepped into the door and was met with his lover's embrace.

"By the Goddess, I've missed you," the sage said in his soft spoken tone, planting a soft kiss on the commander's cheek. His red eyes looked bigger in the evening light that filtered in through their window, his pupils narrowed to feral slits. He cupped his lover's face in his hands, wanting nothing more than to hear Ike reaffirm his undying love, something the spell caster needed as much as the air he breathed.

Ike placed his strong hands on Soren's sides and closed the door behind him with his foot. He smiled as Soren adorned his face with those special kisses and caresses. "I've missed you, too..." His arms wound themselves around Soren's thin torso and lifted him easily off the ground. He walked over to the bed and dropped the sage gently, straddling him immediately after. "I'm sorry that I had to leave you yesterday." Ike murmured. Soren's hands snaked through Ike's hair and untied his headband, letting it slide down and fall to his chest.

"I forgive you," he replied softly, placing another kiss on the mercenary's waiting lips. "You did what you had to, and I love you for that." He allowed his lover to remove his three hair clasps and rewarded him with another bout of intense kissing. He felt Ike open his robes, but he allowed it. Ike was the only person who had ever seen him in his entirety, and he was the only one who ever would.

The bluenette smiled as he ran his hands along the exposed flesh of his lover. "Anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?" he asked playfully, kissing the sage's pale skin.

Soren smiled, exposing the points of all of his draconic teeth, something Ike accepted without question. "Only you."

Ike smiled and dragged his lips down Soren's neck, kissing the creamy skin lovingly. His lips made it to the sage's chest and Ike hummed lowly as he licked and nipped at the exposed skin. His cock swelled uncomfortably in its clothed prison and the bluenette had to stop his ministrations to attend to the matter.

As his hands reached to remove his pants, Soren leaned up, hand moving to stop Ike's. "No... let me."

***

The two made love for the next hour, switching positions and discovering once again that wonderful feeling of their bodies and spirits entwining. When Ike finally decided that they should stop for the night, he pulled Soren up against him, still drunk on the ecstasy of it all. Soren's back was to the mercenary's strong chest and Ike's arms were around his stomach. They lay there in that loving embrace. With one hand, Ike pulled the covers around them.

"Ike," the spell caster whispered softly, earning a gentle groan of acknowledgment from his lover. "I... I'm so glad to have you... any part of you. I just love you so much." His hand reached back and stroked Ike's cheek. The bluenette nuzzled his head and together they sat in a comfortable silence, the only sound in the room being that of them trying to catch their breath. Ike moved one hand to search for Soren's and their finger's laced.

After a moment, Soren lay sleeping on Ike's chest. The bluenette smiled and closed his eyes. He whispered something in the sage's ear, so softly that he wasn't even sure that he heard his own words.

"Will you marry me?"

His only reply was the soft sound of the sage's breathing. With a final kiss to his lover's neck, Ike too drifted off to sleep.

End Chapter Five