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That Aimee was part of how Ike realized his feelings for Soren was a secret that he just might have to take to his grave.
Well, Soren would forgive him for it, he had no doubt of that, but he would tease Ike about it forever, probably. Smirk and call him Ikey-poo in that overly sweet tone he made when trying to copy Aimee's manner of speaking. And was exactly where the heart of the matter lay, because Ike didn’t think that would be a bad fate.
Ike had been enjoying one of the rare moments in which he had Soren's full attention to himself when he had that particular revelation.
With how busy the war had left the two of them, along with his friend's new habit of avoiding him, it had become less common that they would just spend time together. Thus when he’d been able to steal a moment alone with Soren after they’d finished a meeting and were left alone in the makeshift office they'd made in the captured fort, he'd been relieved. It settled something in him, to have Soren all for himself.
There was so much Ike wanted to ask him about but didn’t, only because right then Ike had wanted to steal this moment with his childhood friend, to bask in the familiarity of Soren's presence rather than to press him for answers. He knew a better time for that would come, thus he saw no harm in allowing this brief reprieve from their duties to pass without mention of the lingering awkwardness between them.
Of course that'd been when Aimee had decided to show up.
That Ike's first response had been to hide definitely spoke to what kind of relationship he had with her. After soundlessly pleading with Soren to send her away, he crouched behind the table in a poor attempt to hide without waiting for his answer. Thankfully, his trust had not been misplaced – as he knew it wouldn’t be. Soren granted his request without question, although he had stopped very briefly to smile at Ike in amusement and whisper, "Your hair is sticking out."
Those five words were what led Ike to what he had to admit was one of his most... unconventional strategies yet. In addition to crouching even lower in an attempt to make himself smaller, he'd pulled the edge of Soren's robe over his head, hoping that somehow it would conceal his hair without looking too odd from the other side of the table.
Soren shook with silent laughter for a brief moment before composing himself and inviting Aimee inside. Ike was both glad to be the cause of that reaction and sorry to have missed it; it had been too long since he'd seen Soren laugh.
The conversation that followed didn’t last long. Disappointed that Ike had apparently already left for his own quarters, Aimee had little reason to speak to Soren. She only stayed long enough to ask him to send Ike a message and ask for some advice that Soren purposefully botched, then went on her way – to both Ike and Soren’s relief.
"She's gone,” Soren announced as soon as the door closed behind her. “You can come out now, Ikey-poo."
"Oh, don't call me that too..." Ike complained.
Those, of course, were the words that sealed his fate. Once he left his hiding spot, Ike found that Soren's eyes glimmered in a way they hadn't in quite some time now, set alight with mischief.
"But Ikey-poo," he said. "How else am I meant to show the depths of my affections?"
Despite knowing very well that Soren only meant to imitate Aimee, that there was nothing serious in the way he batted his eyelashes and feigned a lovesick sigh, Ike's heart still skipped a beat at the words themselves. He swallowed, hoping to bury with it that strange feeling, and said, "Perhaps calling me by my name?"
Soren huffed, shoulders shaking ever so slightly in laughter. "Where would be the fun in that?"
And Ike... couldn't take his eyes away.
It had been far too long since he'd seen Soren's carefree laughter. So long that now all he could think in response to his teasing was that indeed, where would have been the fun in that? If it made him smile like that, happy and earnest, looking at Ike without that strange weight behind his eyes, Soren could call him Ikey-poo or whatever else he liked.
So long as Soren smiled at him like this, he'd gladly accept being teased for the rest of his life.
Ike knew he stayed silent for too long when Soren took a step closer, exchanging his smile for a confused frown . The light had yet to leave his eyes, however, and his voice was still light when he asked, "What is it, Ikey-poo?"
He wanted to reply, he truly did, but in that moment, nothing could get past the fluttering of his heart.
He…
"Ike? Is there something wrong?"
… is so cute.
Soren took another step closer, as though he could decipher Ike’s thoughts from his expression alone should he remain silent. Perhaps he could; sometimes Ike thought Soren knew him better than he knew himself.
"No," he forced himself to say, not wanting to truly worry his friend. "Nothing wrong. You just made me think of something, that's all."
Soren’s frown deepened. "What is it?"
That was an expression Ike had seen countless times, more than enough to know that, now that he’d piqued Soren’s concern, it would be difficult to dissuade him. Nevertheless, Ike would have to find a way. He couldn't very well speak his mind on this. It was not yet the time to say the words echoing in his heart.
'I missed you,' was what he wanted to say. 'I've just realized how beautiful you look when you smile."
"Well…" Lying was not one of Ike's strengths, much less to Soren, who knew him so well. Thus he was left scrambling for something to say, some way to tell the truth without revealing more than he was ready to share.
That was, thankfully, the moment someone knocked at the door again.
It was amusing to Ike how only a little while ago he'd been upset at Aimee's interruption and now he was grateful to whoever this was for buying him this time to think. Of course he would have still preferred spending more time with Soren, but the intervention was welcome for its aid.
"I'll tell you soon," he promised, both to Soren and himself. “Once we can speak properly.”
Soren sighed, but acquiesced as Ike knew he would. After all, neither of them could afford to refuse work at the moment, no matter how much they would like to. The last of that precious cheer left Soren's expression, however. Clearly it was his turn to be angry at the intruder eating at their limited time together. Ike found that this, too, was incredibly endearing to him.
"Alright," he said. "Don't you forget."
"I won't."
I’ll tell you soon, he thought. Maybe then you'll tell me what's on your mind, too.