title: lucky black cat

day/theme: July fifteenth - : plausible impossibilities (late)

fandom: fire emblem 9

character(s)/pairing: Ike & Neko!Soren, Greil Mercenaries cast.

summary: Ike brings home a stray. AU, childhood gen and Ike & Neko!Soren cuteness.

a/n: for r-amythest, as always.

Ike had once heard the black cats brought bad luck. He'd not thought deeply on it because superstitions didn't interest him. Mist threw salt over her shoulder just like Rhys taught her to, but things like bad luck and driving out the evil spirits might as well been stories about monsters in closets to Ike. And he stopped believing in those at a very young age; in fact, even when he believed in them, Ike was more prone to taking small knives and lying in wait than huddling under covers. Shinion felt the edge of Ike's knives more than once when coming back to the mercenary fort drunk.

That's why when the old woman proclaimed Soren a horrible omen, Ike never gave it a thought.

She was crazy, an old ragged hag with white milky eyes and wrinkles that looked like a dried riverbed. She cast her gaze on Soren and opened her drooping mouth to expose a mouthful of rotten teeth. She shrieked and pointed at Soren with one long, spindly finger with unkempt sharp fingernails that looked like talons.

"Black cats are bad omens!" she said. "They will bring nothing but bring destruction!"

Ike paid no attention to her warning. She was obviously crazy, if anything, he felt angry that she would treat Soren like that. He glared at her and gripped Soren's arm.

Soren's ears were pressed flat against his head. It wasn't like all the times he'd Soren angry, though. It was a sort of mix, anger and rage with fear and terror all mixed into one. He'd never seen Soren shake like that before.

"Soren? Soren! Come on, let's go."

Ike pulled at Soren's sleeve, but Soren just kept standing there, staring out at the crazy woman as she cackled, shrieked, and proclaimed doom to everyone that could hear her. A small crowd had drawn now, to investigate the commotion. This only seemed to encourage the woman, as her bird-like cackles filled the air.

And Soren just stood, as if rooted there.

With some time, Ike dragged him away. By then the villagers had closed in on them, their fierce gazes penetrating and frightening. They looked as if they might turn upon him at any minute. Ike hadn't really been afraid, but he breathed a lot easier when the city gates were behind him and home was numbered steps away.

Soren didn't say a word on the way home.

Soren seemed reticent after that episode, but Ike couldn't figure out why. As it was, Soren barely spoke, but he was always open to Ike. Now Soren was drawn so tightly into his shell. He would curl up in dark places far in the supply room and sleep longer than Ike had ever known him to. He even refused milk and mint tea mixed together; his favorite treat.

Ike didn't even consider that time as a reason because he never took her words to heart for a second. He couldn't believe that Soren would either.

It went on like that for a week, Soren even stopped sleeping on Ike's bed, choosing instead to take a lumpy leftover cot at the back of the fort where no one ever went.

Dark purplish appeared under his eyes, like bruises. For as much sleeping as he was doing, Soren seemed awful tired. He even began to look even paler, his eyes were always focused on some far off object or place.

"Soren, you're acting so weird, what's wrong?"

Soren wouldn't look at him.

"Soren!"

Ike gripped his shoulders, and turned Soren to face him.

When Soren's eyes finally met his, they were filled with such sadness that Ike was shocked. He'd known something was wrong, but he hadn't thought it'd be like this. Maybe some cat's illness, Rhys had used a heal staff on him, that made everything ok, right?

But Soren looked as if he was barely holding back tears. Without thinking, Ike threw his arms around him.

"Soren..."

Soren finally spoke, in voice so soft, Ike had to strain to hear.

"I've brought nothing but misfortune to you, haven't I?"

Ike blinked.

"But it's not like that, Soren! You're not like that."

He held Soren tighter, so tight that Soren couldn't squirm out of it. Soren was so itense/I, like he'd break at any moment.

"I–Ike–"

"You've brought us nothing but good luck, you must be a lucky black cat!"

"L-lucky?" Soren said.

"Yeah! You're the opposite, instead you pushed away the bad luck and brought only good luck. You must be a lucky black cat."

"So...you don't want to..throw me away?" Soren said

"Of course not! We'll never let you go, even if you run really far away! Well, maybe if you clawed and bit and ran really fast... But you wouldn't leave us, would you, Soren?"

"No...I'd stay I'd— as long as you'd have me," Soren said. There was a faint stutter in his voice, and he let out a mew – something Ike hadn't heard from him in a long time.