Title: Supporting Me, Supporting You
Author: sigf
Summary: A one-shot based on the support conversations between Mist and Boyd in FE9: Path of Radiance. Boyd/Mist undertones.
Status: Complete
Rating: PG
Length: About 2,300
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, and if I did I'm sure the series would be less awesome.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The dialogue in this story is based exactly on the dialogue in the FE9 support conversations between Mist and Boyd. Everything else is my interpretation. The italics indicate Boyd or Mist's thoughts. This is the only Boyd/Mist story I know about, so I'm not sure how well this will be received... but if people are interested I'll consider writing more in the future, perhaps a Boyd/Mist/Rolf triangle sort of thing.

"Hyaaa! Gyaaa! Hrrraaaa!" Boyd yelled while swinging his weapon mightily. For all his efforts, his target remained still, almost mocking him with indifference. Stupid scarecrow. This sucks.

His desire to train had been sincere, as it always was when he started out. After a few minutes, though, he couldn't help but get bored. What was the use of sparring with an inanimate object, anyway? He'd be better off getting some sleep or something.

"Phew... That's enough for today. I just don't feel into it. Maybe I'll take a quick nap..." he said, expressing his thoughts out loud as if that would somehow justify his decision to quit.

"Done already, Boyd?" he heard a deep feminine voice calling from behind him, taking him by surprise.

"Huh?" he said startled, but quickly regained his wits and started whacking at the scarecrow again. "Um... Gyaaa! Hyaaa! Oh, Titania! I didn't see you there. I'm training so hard that..." but he was interrupted by a mischievous giggle. "Huh?"

"Tee hee!" Boyd heard, as the giggle broke into a full-fledged laugh.

"Who the--?" he wondered and turned around, dumbfounded to see Mist standing there instead of the red-haired soldier. "Mist! Ooo! What a jerk!" She must have disguised her voice earlier. Why that little…

"Hey, you're the one who tried to blow off training! If you keep ignoring your drills, I'm going to become a better mercenary than you!" Mist teased. There was nothing she enjoyed more than riling Boyd up. It wasn't completely her fault – he made it so easy, being such a hot-head and all. Besides, maybe she wouldn't take so much pleasure in it if he didn't tease her mercilessly at every given opportunity.

"Better than me? Ha. HA!" he replied, adding some extra cynicism on the extra "ha" to emphasize his point. The thought of her being a better mercenary was absolutely absurd. "Dream on, kid! You've got some nerve saying that to me!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, hating how he could push her buttons. He had no right calling her a "kid," when he acted younger than her most of the time! "Kid? You better remember who my father is! Fighting ability runs in the blood, you know," she stated, hinting at the embarrassing defeat he had suffered to her brother some months ago.

Her subtle hint was missed, however, as Boyd turned red with anger. "Aw, that's a bunch of hooey! Survival on the battlefield depends on experience and luck. Nothing more!" Geez, with an attitude like that she'll be going one-on-one against warriors and get herself killed or something! Fear seized his heart at that thought. Not wanting to acknowledge the emotions buried deep behind that fear, he instead focused on his anger and raged at her with startling force. "If you dive into battle with a conceited attitude, you'll end up dead no matter what blood is in your veins!" he scolded.

Taken aback by his fury, Mist remained speechless for a few moments. She had never seen him that angry, except during certain moments on the battlefield. At the very least, he had certainly never directed that kind of anger at her. Whenever the two of them fought, it was usually light-hearted. Perhaps I pushed him too far? She figured if he was that upset, she ought to apologize. "Gee, sorry, Boyd. I was just joking..." she explained, hoping he would calm down. After all, this was Boyd – the guy was hardly ever serious. When his expression didn't soften, she pleaded, "Hey, don't look so angry..."

"This is no game! We don't fight for fun!" He didn't mean to get so mad at her, but he couldn't help it. Didn't she notice how enemies in her range constantly went after her, thinking they could score an easy kill? He certainly did. And if she wasn't careful, she'd end up dead. He couldn't even look at her now without envisioning her lifeless body cradled in his arms. As the imagery overwhelmed him, he knew he had to get away from her and fast. "Now get out of here... I mean it! You're in my way!" he yelled, suddenly anxious return to his training so he could beat the crap out of the inert scarecrow.

Using all her effort to bite back the tears that threatened to fall, she was unable to speak. Finally regaining her composure, she managed to squeak out a "sorry" before running away from him at an impressive speed.

Seeing the hurt on her face caused him to fill with remorse. "Mist, wait..." Boyd begged, but to no avail. She was gone before he even got the chance to apologize. "Ah, heck," he lamented. The guilt was almost too much to bear. Lifting up his weapon, he took out his frustrations on the scarecrow. Dammit. I'll apologize to her the next time I see her. He took another whack at his unmoving partner, and then another, until he was once again attacking it with remarkable force. If anyone had been observing Boyd at that time, they would have been both surprised and impressed by what appeared to be dedication to his training.

Mist was wandering around the camp for what seemed like hours, looking for her brother. "Ike!" she called out, getting no response. "Brother!" she tried, also unsuccessfully. "Where did he go?" she wondered aloud. It seemed as if she had searched everywhere for him.

Meanwhile, nearby in the camp, Boyd also sought out the blue-haired commander. "Ike? Hey, Ike! IIIKKKEEEE!!" he called out, with a lot more volume than Ike's other seeker. "Man alive, where did that guy get to?"

The yell caught Mist's attention, but she couldn't make out the words clearly. Who was that? Was that Ike? Deciding to investigate the voice, she headed to the place that the sound originated. When she came across Boyd, she was tempted to quietly slip away before he noticed her. She had been avoiding him lately, worried that he was still mad at her. The last thing she wanted was to experience Boyd yelling at her again – she had hardly managed to keep her composure last time. His search for Ike, however, caused him to look around intently, and it wasn't long before she was spotted.

"Oh… Hi, Boyd," she said dumbly, pretending that she hadn't been standing there for quite a few moments.

"Hey, Mist," he replied, happy to see her. The last time they talked was the day he yelled at her. He had tried to find her for weeks after that, wanting to apologize for his words and tone, but he could never manage to find her. The only time they interacted was for brief moments on the battle field. He suddenly realized that she had not responded to him, and the silence hung heavily between the two. "Um...do you know where Ike is?" he asked awkwardly, not able to remember a time when things were so uncomfortable between them.

"Nope. I was looking for him too," she stated cautiously. It doesn't seem like he's still angry with me…

"Huh. Well, he's been pretty busy lately." Hah, that's an understatement. It takes a lot of time and energy to command a group of mercenaries, let alone an entire army. "Maybe I should just give up and find someone else…" he trailed off dejectedly.

Mist's ears perked up and she asked curiously, "You need a training partner?"

With a nod Boyd answered, "Yeah. I'm just not motivated unless I'm sparring with someone."

Mist opened her mouth and then quickly closed it, as if she was unable to pose the question on her mind. Taking a deep breath she finally asked shyly, "Can I… Can I be your partner?"

"What, you? Seriously? Why would you want to do that?" he wondered stupidly. Sensitivity was never his strong suit.

"Because I want to prove that you're no match for me!" she said jokingly, trying to alleviate some of the embarrassment she felt. As he looked at her with disapproval, she was worried that he might start yelling at her again and decided to just be honest with him. "Umm… Actually…I need to toughen up, or I might not survive these next battles. That's why." She almost sighed with relief when he gave her a slight smile.

"That's a good reason," he stated sincerely. Sure, training with Mist probably wouldn't help him out at all. But he'd certainly feel better knowing that she was more prepared for battle. "Maybe you can be my partner after all," he said jovially.

"Really?" Mist asked, with surprise and enthusiasm.

Boyd gave her a smirk and teased, "Well, it's better than hitting a scarecrow with a stick."

Grrrrr! What a jerk! Without thinking she ranted, "That's terrible! After all, I am Greil's—"

"Yeah, yeah, you're Greil's daughter. I know. You won't let me forget it!" Boyd interrupted, rolling his eyes.

Realizing how arrogant and stupid she probably sounded, Mist averted her gaze from Boyd and looked to the ground in shame.

"Hey, listen…" he started, worried that he had hurt her feelings once again. "I'm sorry about the other day. I was too harsh on you." That apology was long overdue, but he hoped that she'd manage to forgive him anyway.

To his surprise she responded, "No, it's fine. You were right. I was naïve. You just opened my eyes a little…" She lifted her head and once again met his gaze with hers. "I'm grateful to you, Boyd," she said tenderly.

Her words coupled with the innocence and sincerity in her big, doe eyes made something tighten in his chest. She rendered him speechless, which is not something that often happened. "Don't… Don't thank me for insulting you!" he stammered. "Sheesh!" he added for good measure.

"But it was a good thing! You're making me strong!" she protested, wanting him to know how his words affected her. "You're so good to me…" she said softly, and leaned up on the tips of her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. When his face turned beet red she asked baffled, "Huh? Why are you blushing?"

"Quiet! I'm not blushing!" he exclaimed, yet somehow managed to turn even redder. His reaction confused him as much as it did her. Why am I reacting this way to Mist of all people? She's just a kid… Becoming more and more aware of her proximity to him, he stuttered, "Uh… I gotta go!" This time it was he who made the hasty exit, leaving Mist even more perplexed.

"Boyd! Wait! Where are you going? Aren't we going to train?" she called out, wondering what would make him leave in such a huff. She shrugged her shoulders and decided to look for her brother again.

Boyd was returning from another short-lived training session when he saw Mist standing outside one of the tents, looking completely lost in thought. Normally he would take this as a perfect opportunity to scare her, but the forlorn look in her eyes made him hesitate. Instead, he decided for the direct approach, hoping he might find out what had been bothering her so much for the past month. "Hey, Mist," he greeted, breaking her daze.

"Boyd..." she merely responded, as if she didn't have the will or the energy to say more.

He furrowed his brow in concern. It wasn't like her to be so distant. Not only that, but the past few times that he teased her she just smiled and took it instead of firing back at him. That was most definitely not normal. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned. "You look depressed. Actually, you haven't been yourself lately. Did something happen?"

She looked at him and her lip trembled. "B-Boyd, I... Sniff...sniff... Whaaa! Whaaaaaaaa!"

"Whoa!" Boyd exclaimed, taken aback by her sobbing. He wasn't expecting that. "What is it?" he asked, wondering what could have gotten her so upset.

"Oh, Boyd, it's... everything! Every...thing..." It really was everything. Her father's death, the war, the fact that any one of them could be killed at any moment, her medallion being stolen, finding out the truth about her mother's death… it was all just too much! "Sniff... Boyd, I... Whaaaaaa!" She wanted to explain to him what was going on, but she couldn't even manage to get out a few words before bursting into tears again.

"Um... Ah, gee..." Boyd said, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. His instinct told him to run, but he couldn't leave Mist like this. Unfortunately, he was more used to making fun of people when they cried than actually comforting them. "I'm not much good at this kind of thing, but if you need to cry, go ahead," he offered.

To his surprise, Mist launched herself into his arms. "Whaaaaaa! ...Snifff... Sniff... Awaaahaaahaaahaaaaaaaaaa!!!" she sobbed into his chest.

"Umm... Once you settle down, we can talk. All right?" he said, glad that she couldn't see him blushing again. "But go ahead and let it out. You'll feel better." He wondered how long she'd been holding in her tears, trying to be strong for her brother and the rest of them. Hoping it might make her feel a little better, he lightly stroked her back in a circular motion.

" Whaaaaaaa... Whaaa..." Mist cried, but after a few moments she seemed to calm down. "Sniff... ...Sniff... Tha-thanks..." she said, looking up at him gratefully with her puffy eyes.

"Hey, don't worry," Boyd said sincerely. "You have me and everyone. You're in good hands. We'll take care of you," he promised.

Mist almost smiled at how gentle he was being. Who would have thought that the rough joker could be so sweet? She sniffled and burrowed into him again, finding comfort in his presence. "...Sniff... Oh, Boyd..." she murmured into his chest, and he responded by wrapping his strong arms tightly around her. The two remained there like that for a long time indeed.