Ike had never noticed it before, but Soren looked like he was dancing. The mage was practicing Elfire on a collection of hay bales. One by one he incinerated the hapless "enemies". He spun into each attack, his long robes swirling around him. A whirlpool of black-gray fabric. Ike smiled from the tree where he was eating. The mage stopped, Ike noted with glee that there was a slight glisten of sweat along his best friends forehead. Soren wiped off the moisture and looked at the twenty-or-so hay bales he had just decimated.
"Hrm...still not as fast as I'd like." Soren grumbled under his breath. Ike chuckled from his leafy seat, only Soren would be unsatisfied with that show of excellence.

Ike swung out of the tree and landed right beside the Soren, who didn't so much as flinch.
"Hey Soren." Ike smiled. He ruffled Soren's hair much to the mage's chaugrin.
"Ike." Soren replied, ducking out from the commander's hand an smoothing his hair into roughly the shape it had been pre-Ike. "How long were you in that tree?" The hero shrugged, indictating that he wasn't really sure. Soren sighed. He looked up at his best friend and gave Ike a very small smile, "I take it you've eaten?"
"Yep." Ike said happily, he then produced an apple and a sandwich from his pouch, "But I know you haven't yet." He handed the food to Soren who took it with minimal grousing. The mage sat down in the shade of the tree Ike had been in and proceeded to eat. Ike plopped down next to him and the two passed the afternoon in bliss.

Even as Ike wandered back into his quarters to sleep, the image stayed with him. Soren, his thin face set with a determined scowl, the magic flowing from his fingertips as he spun into the attack. Ike lay down on the bed. He stared with unseeing eyes at the plain wooden roof, Soren was beautiful. Maybe it was the fact that he could be easily mistaken for a woman. The soft black locks and long dress-like robes gave the apperance of being a rather...attractive woman. Ike smiled to himself, heh, Soren would kill if he knew.

"What are you smiling about?" A familiar sulking voice intruded. Ike sat bolt upright.
"Not much." he gave the sage an easy grin, "nothing important anyway." Soren raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh..." he set down the Elfire tome he was carrying around and unhitched the cloak around his neck, folding it neatly beside the book. The mage sat down on his bed and studied Ike's face for a moment. The commander felt something akin to terror, wondering if Soren knew what he was thinking.

Either Soren found his answer or gave up because he lay down to sleep instead of asking questions. Ike sat there, awake for what felt like hours. The image of Soren dancing repeating itself in his head, robes spinning, light playing from his fingertips, the elements (and Ike) at his beck and call. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Ike sank into sleep.

II.

Ike was not a morning person. Everyone knew that the commander was for the most part useless until someone poured coffee down his throat and put some manner of food in front of him. The light from the window was painfully bright as some son-of-a-bitch pulled the drapes open. Ike grumbled in protest like a small child, pulling the covers over his head and muttering groggy threats at the perpetrator.
"Wake up Ike." Mist scolded. Ike popped his head out of his little blanket-cave.
"Idonwanna." Ike muttered incoherantly. His sister rolled her eyes.
"You're hopeless." She said, tugging at the blanket. Unfortunately for her, Ike had formed a cocoon and the blankets were going nowhere.
"Idoncare." Ike snuggled back down. He had no reason to be awake. They weren't scheduled to do anything today, and he was entitled to sleep in as late as he wanted...or into tomorrow...now there was a pleasant thought. He smiled, pulling the blankets over his head and drifting back into sleep, again.

"Ike..." different voice this time, acompanied by the scent of fresh coffee and bacon. Ike peeked his head out of his fabric-fortress.
"Morning..." the blue-haired blanket monster yawned. Soren gave him a half-amused look.
"Ike, it's past noon."
"Really? Great." He said, untangling an arm and reaching to grab the food Soren was holding just out of reach. Ike scowled.

"Soren..." he said sitting up and extending over a little further, Soren took another step away. Ike fell out of bed as he over-extended towards the bacon-laden plate and the coffee mug. Soren controlled a chuckle as the half-naked hero stood up, disentagleing himself from the sheets that had accompanied him to the floor. Ike scowled again, and started walking towards his best friend and current tormentor. The mage was always just a step ahead, the food just barely out of Ike's reach.
"Sorennnnnn" he whined, chasing the mage all over the room. Soren had excellent balance, holding both plate and cup, not spilling a thing as he evaded his commander.
"Yes, Ike?"
"Baconnnnn" Soren smiled just a little as Ike stumbled. But he didn't fail to notice the spark that suddenly ignited in Ike's sapphire eyes. He spun out of the way as Ike leapt, but found that much to his dismay, he had miscalculated, just a little.

As he spun, Ike's finger had caught his belt, food and drink went one direction, Soren went another. The mage had spun and landed flat on his rear, right beside Ike, on top of the pile of blankets.
"You spilt my bacon," Ike said, his voice jokingly accusatory.
"There's more down stairs."
"You spilt my coffee."
"The pitcher's on the table."
"You woke me up."
"That was the plan." Soren said, trying subtly to remove Ike's fingers from his belt. Ike laughed and pulled the mage into him.
"You're a brilliant tactician."
"T-thank you..." Soren said, blushing profusely, "Um...Ike...you are embracing me..."
"You're a fantastic dancer."
"Thank....WHAT?" Soren asked.
"You're a fantastic dancer."
"I don't dance."
"Yes you do." Ike said, he explained the hay bales, and Soren shook his head.
"That's insa-" He was silenced by Ike pulling the blankets up and around them. "What are you doing?"
"Foiling your plans."
"What?" Soren said, he tried to push Ike away, but the hero had already wrapped the blankets (and his arms) around the confused tactician. Soren blushed, how this would look to anyone who walked in.

But, he thought, snuggling against Ike who was already mostly asleep, he didn't really care how it looked.