We Need to Talk
Boyd looked around the room, let out a deep sigh of worry, and then slowly approached his commander. He had no idea how to broach the subject. He was afraid of what Ike's reaction might have been. "Hey, Ike," Boyd said, carefully, "We need to talk."
"About what?" Ike asked.
"It's about love and romance," Boyd said.
"Hmm?" Ike asked.
"Well, y'know how when we were fourteen you had that awkward conversation with me about how you liked boys and I freaked out at first but eventually realized that it didn't really concern me as much as I thought it did?" Boyd asked.
"Yeah, you kinda remember that sorta thing," Ike said. "You avoided dressing in my presence for a month."
"It took about that long for me to realize I wasn't your type," Boyd said.
"Even if you were, I know my boundaries," Ike said. "I'm not Gatrie."
"True," Boyd said. "But enough about digging up old drama, this concerns the here and now."
"I'm listening," Ike said.
"Yeah, well, you know… I know that you understand better than anyone that you can't help who you fall in love with, so I hope that you'll be understanding now."
"Oh, my, my, my," Ike said, "So…?"
"I'm in love with your sister," Boyd said, and then flinched preemptively.
"I know," Ike said simply.
"You… what? You know?" Boyd asked.
"Yep," Ike said.
"How long have you known?" Boyd sputtered.
"646," Ike said.
"That was three years ago! Wha… I didn't even know I was in love with her yet!"
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Ike chuckled. "You'd be surprised at how shocked I was that Jill and Haar weren't living together."
"In 646?" Boyd asked.
"No, 648, but still," Ike said.
"How did you figure out I was in love with Mist in 646?" Boyd asked.
"I saw you try to comfort her when she was crying even though you had no idea what to do," Ike said.
"You were there?" Boyd asked.
"Yeah," Ike said, "But I didn't want to interrupt the moment."
"So… you're okay with it?" Boyd asked.
"Of course," Ike said, "Like you said earlier, it doesn't really directly concern me, and since you're not a terrible person like Shinon, I can't really disapprove."
"But how am I supposed to tell her how I feel?" Boyd asked.
"Just do it," Ike said.
"Well, I'm not a master romantic like you," Boyd said.
"A master romantic is not what I'd call myself," Ike said.
"I don't know what you did but you have Soren ensnared like a fish on a hook," Boyd said.
"I just did what came naturally to me," Ike said. "No pretense, just simple honest care and affection."
"No pretense," Boyd said, "Of course! Ike, you're a genius!" He hugged Ike. "I love you man… you know, like a brother. Or like a friend. No…"
"I know what you mean, Boyd," Ike said, starting to get annoyed.
"Right, uh… Ike?" Boyd asked.
"Yes?" Ike asked.
"Thanks," Boyd said.
"What are friends for?" Ike asked.
Boyd approached Mist and said, "Hey, Mist, I really like you a lot, and I… well, I think we should be more than friends."
"I was wondering when you were gonna tell me," Mist said, grinning.
"Seriously? First Ike and now you?" Boyd asked.
"We get our perceptiveness from our mother," Mist said. "But yes, Boyd, I'd like that very much indeed." Mist nuzzled her face into Boyd's chest. Boyd gave Ike a thumbs up across the room. Ike responded in kind. Mist pulled her face back and then with a perplexed expression asked, "But you asked Ike for romantic advice? Really?"
"Well, he is my best friend," Boyd said. "Plus, his methods might be unorthodox but you can't argue with the results." Boyd pointed in Ike's general direction. They could see that Soren had found his way over to where Ike was and that Ike had wrapped his right arm around Soren's shoulders.
"I suppose that's true," Mist said, as Boyd mimicked the gesture with his new girlfriend.