Ike bolted from the crumbling castle as fast as his exhausted legs could carry him, which was not as fast as his sister on her horse but still faster than Nasir and Ena. It wasn't until he was clear of the wreckage that he allowed himself to rest his hands on his knees and get his bearings.
He'd done it. He'd won. He'd avenged his father! He couldn't have done it without Mist healing him, but that was fitting since he was her father too. People were bustling around, but the sound of his heart pumping and blood flowing drowned out everything else.
Breath mostly under control, he looked up to the sea of excited faces, but the only one he wanted to see was in the back.
Soren looked wrong. It was hard to describe. Paler than usual, a blend of terrified and distressed and hurt, shrunken back behind everyone else.
Well, Ike's sister was okay, his mom-figure was okay, so it was time to make sure his boyfriend was okay.
He walked through the crowd to Soren, gently pulling him into his arms. "I really had you worried, didn't I?" he murmured. They were both shaking.
Then duty called and he had to deal with Nasir and Ena, and then he had to pass out from exhaustion, but throughout he didn't let Soren go.
The next day Ike awoke feeling rejuvenated for once. Sure the biggest battle was actually yet to come, but he was still riding high on his victories.
Only problem was that Soren wasn't in their tent. They had only been a couple for a short time, but sharing a tent came easily to them and whoever woke up first usually waited until the other did. It was grounding. So this was not a good sign.
Ike left the tent, stepping into mid-morning sunlight. That explained why Soren hadn't waited for him.
"Good morning, Ike," said Titania. She hadn't been waiting for him, it seemed, she just was in the area. "How are you feeling?"
"Really good," he admitted. "Although I'm sorry that I kind of stole your vengeance, if that makes sense."
She smiled at him, bittersweet. "You and Mist had a stronger claim than I did. But I do wish I'd given the killing blow…. Oh. Just to warn you, Soren is incredibly angry."
"Really? He seemed in shock yesterday."
"He growled at me this morning like a laguz. I blocked him coming in after you so I get he's mad at me, but growling? He also hasn't spoken a word. Normally I would say you'd be the only one who could calm him down, but…"
Ike nodded. "Okay, I'll check on him. Thanks for the heads up." He strode off, giving token greetings to others as he looked for his wayward best friend.
He was not, as Ike would have guessed, alone. He was looking over maps with Ranulf of all people, the cat man amused. "Absolutely he was a moron! Charging off alone to fight a veteran murder machine! The gall! I'd be just as mad as you if I was dating him. Just proof that he's still just a dumb kitten. And Titania shouldn't have stopped you from helping! We hate her too. You would have been waaay more useful than Mist. Who rides a horse in a fort, anyway? Mist's dumb."
Yikes. That explained why Soren was tolerating Ranulf's presence, but did he really need to stomp all over Ike to do it? "Good morning," he called out.
Soren looked at him with a scowl before looking away. Ranulf was grinning broadly. "And here's the prodigal asshole. We're very mad at you."
"Clearly." Ike knew that Ranulf was the kind of cat who wanted to be around someone he knew didn't like him, hence why he was trying to bond with Soren. He was obviously not mad. But Soren… hoo boy. "Can you leave us though? Since you're so angry and all."
"Sure. I'm going to march away in my fury. Don't worry Soren, I am still on your team here!"
"Go away!"
"Yeesh, some people…" He sauntered off.
Ike waited until he was out of earshot before looking to Soren. "Are you okay?"
"… … …"
"Uh…"
"I am… overwhelmed with emotions and am struggling to manage them and put it all into words," Soren said carefully. "Short story is I am unbelievably pissed at you and Titania. I'll probably forgive you eventually. I will piss on her grave."
"Don't do that," Ike said gently. "I had to-"
"No you didn't. You did not have to do anything. Your pride and your stupid sense of honor made you want to fight him alone, but the entire army could have marched in and killed the Black Knight and you would have lived just fine. You almost didn't live with this and that is… infuriating." The wind started to pick up.
"Okay okay okay," he said quickly, not wanting a tornado in the middle of camp. It was just more proof that a couple did not need to agree on everything to work out; Ike was concerned with honor and doing the right thing and proving himself, but Soren was only concerned with whatever made survival more likely. They would likely never agree on it. "I'm sorry. I'll also yell at Titania, so try not to hate her either."
"No promises."
"Are we going to be okay?"
Soren was silent. "Eventually."
Ike winced. That wasn't exactly what he'd been hoping to hear. Soren was really and truly pissed. "Okay. I'll wait for you. And… thank you for caring. I love you."
Soren sighed, deflating some. "Just hug me, you dumbass."
He did.