A/N: I borrowed FE:PoR. In my first game, I lost Boyd and Rhys. Then I got pissed and I started resetting whenever someone died. Anyway, when Boyd died, I got this scene in my mind...Yeah...then I got bored in a hour and half of Study Hall without anything to do. Thus, this fic was born. I forgot when Boyd died, so I made it the first Defend stage; you know, the one where you're defending the mercenaries fort.
Warnings: Shonen-ai, angst(slight), death, all that good stuff...
Disclaimer: I don't even own my own copy of FE:PoR. What makes you think that I own all these lovely little bishis?
When Boyd died, Oscar was saddened. He grieved for his brother, but kept himself busy with his duties and caring for Rolf. Death was bound to come for any member of the mercenary company at any time. Such is the life of the sell-sword. Boyd and Oscar had known the risks when they joined the company, but the need for a home to raise the then baby Rolf in was strong. With the Greil Mercenaries, they'd found a home, of sorts, and love, of sorts.
Boyd's fancy had been captured by a certain red-haired healer. Alas, Rhys had been killed fighting some bandits who'd taken Rolf and Mist, Ike's kid sister, hostage.
Ike, Commander Greil's blue haired son, was a strong swordsman. His father had been grooming the young man to be his successor since Ike could hold a sword. Oscar was intrigued by Ike, and not because of his unusual, and rather good, looks. Yes, Oscar is bisexual and had come to peace with that fact a long time ago. But no, Ike had aroused his curiousity for many reasons. His deterimination to keep everyone safe, his leadership skills, his naivety, just to name a few qualities. Gradually, Oscar had come to love the younger man.(1)
Oscar was fairly sure that Ike was straight as a piece of paper, so he was surprised when Ike approached him the night Boyd died. There had been a knock on Oscar's door when he was finishing some packing and getting ready to sleep. "Hold on a moment!" He called, carelessly tossing a dagger he was holding onto his bed. Opening his door, he say the top of a bright blue head. "Ike? Come in!" He hastily invited, afraid that Ike had found out about his feelings and was disgusted with him.
Ike obediently walked behind Oscar and into his room. He however, wouldn't sit down as Oscar had gestured him too. Oscar merely shrugged and remained standing, shifting from foot to foot nervously.
"I...I'm so sorry Oscar." Came a broken whisper from the blue haired commander-in-training.
"Sorry? For what?" Needless to say, Oscar was confused.
"It's all my fault." Ike choked on a sob.
With dawning realization, Oscar tilted Ike's lowered head up to meet his eyes. He stifled a gasp, seeing those normally happy orbs were luminescent with tears. "No, Ike, don't blame yourself." He tried to console a crying Ike, holding him tenderly and rubbing soothing circles on his back.
"Yes it is. It was my poor leadership skills that got your brother killed. If the Commander had been there, he wouldn't have died."
Oscar looked at Ike and wiped the tears in his eyes away with his thumb. "Stop blaming yourself. Rolf doesn't blame you and neither do I. Boyd would understand; we both knew the risks of mercenary life when we joined. Now go get some sleep. We'll be leaving as soon as the Commander gets back. Giving Ike a gentle kiss on the forehead, he steered the young man out into the hallway and made sure Ike was in bed.
That being done, he returned to his own room to finish getting ready for bed.
"Titania, where is everybody?"
Oscar heard Titania fidget, obviously not wanting to tell Ike that Shinon and Gantrie had left. Soren was the one to break the news to him, just as Oscar walked in. "I'm sorry Ike. I couldn't convince them to stay." Shame flooded Oscar, shame for failing his love and his commander.
Ike sighed. "It's not your fault they left Oscar. You did your best, I'm sure. They just didn't want to risk almost certain death under an inexperienced commander. And I don't blame them. The question is, where do you all stand?"
Everyone unanimously agreed to stay. After Titania had offered what reassurance she could about Ike not being inexperienced, everyone left. Everyone but Oscar that is. Oscar walked over to Ike and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know Mist's been taking your father's death poorly; Rolf's been sitting with her. Tell me Ike, how have you been handling the death of your father?"
Ike looked up with a weary smile and replied, "When Boyd died, you taught me mourning for a dead person won't bring him or her back. So I'm not." He hastily stifled a yawn. "In fact, my respect for him keeps growing as I discover more and more duties my position demands."
Oscar returned the smile and replied, "I believe that night I also told you to go to bed. The same applies here. We can handle any emergencies that may arise. And you need your beauty sleep." He teased.
Ike gave Oscar an odd look. "You look like you could use a nap too. You're paler than normal and there are huge bags under your eyes."
Oscar shrugged, deciding that Ike really didn't need to know how he'd stayed up most of the night with Mist, when he wasn't on watch, so Rolf would go to bed.
A couple hours later, Oscar- still tired and fighting back yawns- shook Ike awake. "Shhhhhh, Ike. I could hear you screaming from Mist's room. Whatever it was, it was only a nightmare." He sat down next to Ike on the camp cot.
"Oscar...it was horrible! I say my father's death all over again and then I saw the Black Knight kill you and Mist and Soren and everyone else!" Ike clung to Oscar desperatly and once again, Oscar found himself comforting a distraught Ike.
"Shhhhh, it's OK." He murmmered nonsense words and slowly, Ike began to calm down.
"I...I think I'm all right now. Thank you Oscar."
Oscar nodded to show he had heard and acknowledged Ike's thanks as he yawned, covering his mouth guiltily.
"Oscar, when did you last sleep?"
'It only took a little yawn to bring Ike to full business mode,' Oscar mused. "This morning?" He lied. He was fine. Besides, there was still so much to do to help Ike get used to his new position. He could sleep later.
Ike looked at Oscar, took in the still too pale skin, the even bigger bags and the fact that he looked liable to fall asleep any second.
"Don't lie to me. When was the last time you slept?"
Looking down, Oscar replied quietly, "The night Commander Greil died."
"WHAT! You only got two hours of sleep in two days! I don't care what you say, you're sleeping at least another two hours." Ike ordered.
"But, I'm on watch for Titania so she can sleep and I promised Rolf I'd take care of dinner tonight so Mist wouldn't have to deal with it and..." Oscar's feeble protests were cut off by Ike's look of doom.
"I said I don't care what you say and I mean it." Ike's eye softened. "I need you Oscar. Please, get some sleep. For me."
Oscar nodded in aquiesence and started to get up, but a tug on his wrist stopped him. "No. Use my bed. That way I know where to find you to make sure you're obeying my orders."
Oscar sat back down and pulled the daggers from his hips and his boot out of concealment and placed them on the ground within easy reach. By them, went his boots.
"Now remember, no less than two hours of sleep." Ike reminded him as Oscar drifted into some much needed sleep.
Oscar awoke suddenly to feel a soft pair of arms holding him close to a warm, living body. He was not surprised to find he was trembling and there was a faint sheen of sweat on his brow. He sat up properly, on his own as the arms released their grip on him. Looking down into his lap, he blushed and apologized. "I'm sorry for pulling you away from your duties Ike, for a mere nightmare."
Ike tilted Oscar's pink face up to his own. "Don't be. I was coming to check in on you anyway; I just sped up when I heard your moans. From the sounds of things, I wouldn't say it was a mere nightmare."
Oscar didn't pull away when Ike silently offered him comfort, pulling Oscar into his embrace again. "Relax. You're still shaking. Do you want to talk about it?"
Oscar nodded. "In my dream, I was asleep. We all were. I can only assume that at this point you went out alone to challenge the Black Knight who killed your father. I woke up, in my dream, when the Black Knight came into the castle where we are staying bearing your severed head. Titania and Soren were enraged and blindly attacked him. They were killed effortlessly. Even though Mia and I tried to protect the Princess, Rolf and Mist, he still killed everyone of them. He tortured them one by one, starting with Mia and ending with Rolf. He made me watch." Oscar's violent shaking increased as he retold the nightmare that had caused him such terror. "The Black Knight tossed your head at my feet and rode off. He left me alive to bury the dead and mourn them, alone. That's when I woke up."
Ike pulled Oscar closer still and held him, as Oscar had once held him. "That explains why I heard you moaning, 'Please not him, take me and spare him.'" Ike simply held Oscar close, soothing him and gradually stopping the tremors that still racked his body.
"Thank you Ike." Oscar pulled away gently from Ike's comfort. It was one luxery he wouldn't let himself have. "How long was I sleeping?"
"Two hours. And think nothing of it. I still owe you."
"You don't owe me a thing Ike. I serve you."
"Nonsense. I still have a debt to you. If you hadn't been so understanding of my guilt when Boyd died, I probably would be worse off." He gave Oscar a soft kiss on the forhead. "There, for good luck and pleasent dreams."
Bending down to pull on his boots, retrieve his daggers and hide his growing blush, Oscar was once again trapped by Ike. Ike informed him, "From the sounds of that nightmare, you didn't get a very restful sleep. Nap for a little while longer. Soren told me I need more sleep. It seems he and Mia and Titania have everything under control. Maybe we can keep the nightmares away by sharing a bed. Who knows?"
Ike lay back down and with a soft tug, had Oscar lying down in front of him. Smiling a smile no one would ever see, he let himself drift off again. 'After all,' was his last thought, 'I can always make a quick meal when I wake up.'
Up in Heaven, Boyd twined an arm around Rhys's waist. Looking down at Oscar and Ike sharing a restful sleep, Rhys wrapped an arm around Boyd's waist as they watched what would prove to be a strong and loving relationship.
A/N: Whew, that was long. OK, quick clarification:
(1) One of my reviewers on turquoisefox, told me Oscar's real age! Many thanks, my fellow fangirl.
This is the edited version, which will make it's debute on ff as soon as they let me log in and post it. Frickin' a-holes...-wanders off grumbling to herself-