A/n- Well, back to this series. And Mark's with an actual tactician this time! XD Anyways, one of my good friends loves Soren as a character, so that's why Soren has been in a number of these. Enjoy!
The Commission Files- File #561 Bonding Tacticians Part 3
Characters: Mark, Soren
Based on: a commission by Pegaslick on Twitter
Mark and Lyn were eating lunch together in Askr's dining hall. It had been a slow day for the couple, but sometimes that was a good thing. It allowed them to rest and get some perspective on how things were going and to maybe meet some new people since they had the time. When they were about done though Soren, a tactician from the continent of Tellius, came up to speak to the pair. Well, more specifically Mark.
"Hello Mark, Lyn." Soren greeted them in a comfortable tone. At first when they all had met Soren had seemed very cold and standoff-ish, but once they got to know him Mark and Lyn realized all he needed and wanted was friends who would accept him and they gladly filled that role for him when they could.
"You seem to be in a good mood today." Lyn commented with a smile. "Everything going alright?"
"Yes, everything is going fine. I just came over wondering if Mark had some time for a chess match." Soren replied. Mark looked over to Lyn and she gave him a nod to tell him that she didn't have anything planned for them later.
"Yeah, I think I've got some time for that." Mark noted. "You want to do it in our room or yours?"
"Come to my room in about an hour, I should have everything set up by then." Soren explained. "And thank you as always for taking time out of your day to spend with me, I truly appreciate it."
"Hey, no problem, that's what friends do." Mark replied with his own friendly smile. Soren nodded and then walked away to get things ready. For you may not know, but 'playing chess' was Soren's way of saying 'I'm in need of some physical intimacy' when he was in public and didn't want other people to catch on to how he was really feeling. And of course Mark was all for it, he got to play chess and have sex with a handsome friend, it was a win-win in his book.
"Soren has really come to trust you Mark, I think that's really great for him." Lyn commented when Soren was out of earshot.
"Me as well. And I'm glad to give him what I can to make him feel good, since Ike really isn't interested in that kind of stuff." Mark agreed. "You sure you don't have anything planned for me today though, I figured we'd be getting up to something with how the day was going."
"I had some ideas, but nothing solid." Lyn noted. "You helping Soren out is a better use of your time than anything I would have come up for with the day."
"Well, thank you Lyn." Mark said before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You're always so thoughtful, and I love you for that."
"And I love you as well Mark." Lyn told him back. "Now get going, don't want to keep Soren waiting too long do you?" So Mark finished off his food and resupplied his robes with emergency snacks before making his way to Soren's room. Even though he was invited he still knocked on the door and waited to be allowed in.
"The door is unlocked!" Soren said through the door. "Lock it when you get in though." So Mark opened the door and closed and locked it behind him. Soren's room was as neat and clean as it always was. Not to say it was sparse either, there were maps, tomes, staves, regular books, and even a few knives all around the room, but they were all nice, neat and organized. It would be the polar opposite of Mark's room if Lyn wasn't there to keep the mess in check.
"Hmm, smells nice in here." Mark commented as he stepped into the room. "Did you get some new candles?"
"Yes, Anna was able to procure some from Tellius and I bought a few from her." Soren explained. "This is the smell that really reminds me of being back home with the Greil Mercenaries. It makes me feel a bit more safe and it helps me sleep at night." Since Mark and Soren had become such close friends Soren was more willing to be open with him, kind of like he was with Ike.
"That makes sense, home is where I sleep the best as well." Mark noted as he thought back to the ger he shared with Lyn back in Sacae. "Maybe I'll see if Anna can do the same for Lyn and I. Either way, thank you for inviting me again, it's about time we break this stalemate of ours."
"Agreed. And I made some tea as well to drink as we play." Soren said pouring some into some cups that were sitting on the table with the chessboard.
"I assume you want to use the same stakes as always, winner gets to top?" Mark asked.
"Yes, that's worked out well for us so far, I don't see a reason why we should change it." Soren agreed. So the the two tacticians took off their outer robes and hung them over the chairs they would sit in, sat down, shook each other's hand, and then started to play. Both of them were tactical geniuses and both of them had played enough matches to know how the other thought, so they were very meticulous with their moves, not rushing even one in case there was a better one that could be made. The room was silent until about halfway through the match when Soren brought up a topic Mark didn't expect to have to talk about.
"Mark, can I confide in you something?" Soren asked as he planned out his next move.
"Of course Soren, you can tell me anything you'd like." Mark assured him.
"Thank you. Well, you know that hero that just got summoned the other day, the one who has the beat up Ragnell and claims to be Ike's descendant?" Soren asked.
"Priam wasn't it?" Mark pondered. "What about him?"
"I guess he just makes me feel weird about my relationship with Ike." Soren noted. "Like you and I both know that Ike really isn't into intimate moments, he has other ways to show he loves people. That's why we're here doing this and he's okay with it because he understands I have urges that he doesn't. It just sits wrong with me, thinking that maybe I won't be enough for Ike in the end."
"I kind of get how you feel." Mark noted. "It's like how it was with me and Rutger. Since he can't, and probably wouldn't, tell me what happens in Elibe's future, I have to wonder what happened to him to change him from the happy and cheerful son I know back home to the sad and angry man I know him as here. Like, did I do something wrong raising him? Did we have a big falling out? I worry about it all the time honestly."
"And how do you reconcile those feelings?" Soren wondered.
"Well, I take a page out of your book Soren, I think about it logically." Mark noted. "I know myself pretty well, and I know that I'm not just suddenly going to become a bad person, and neither is Lyn. I know that Elibe is at peace now, but it's still a bit fragile. Nations still have issues with each other, dragons are still out there somewhere, and people are hoping that I work for them if a war does breakout, so I know something could be brewing. Actually I have a good idea that it is since we were all given a warning by the wisest man we've ever met. So something tells me that something is going to happen to either Lyn or myself, maybe even both of us, and that the heartbreak from that is what makes Rutger like that. It's not the happiest conclusion, but it's the one that makes the most sense and makes me worry the least."
"You almost sound like you'd be ready for your own death." Soren commented.
"Maybe I am." Mark countered. "I've lived a good life, made many friends, started a loving family, if I'm to die sometime in the next decade or so, I don't think I'd have any regrets other than leaving the ones I love behind."
"Mark, you are something a lot of people aspire to be, you know that?" Soren asked as a bit of a joke, which got Mark to chuckle. "So, if you were to think my issue through logically, how would you do it?"
"Well, there are many ways to look at it." Mark started. "First off he could just be lying. That Ragnell could just be a replica and he took on the mantle of being Ike's descendant like Lucina did with Marth."
"That is reasonable, seeing as they are both from the same realm." Soren noted.
"Second off, he could just be related to Ike through Mist's future bloodline." Mark continued. "Nothing against Mist, but if anyone were to chose who they said that they were related to, they'd most likely choose Ike over her. I know I probably would."
"That is true as well, even if the Mist I know is just growing up, there is no doubt she'll want to start a family and try to do things better than her parents did." Soren commented.
"And lastly, and of course this isn't the last reasonable thing it's just the last one I could think of, you and Ike could adopt a kid in the future that ends up being the one Priam is related to. If he's so far in your future as he says he is, no one is really going to go through his bloodline just to see if he's adopted to prove him wrong, they'll just see records of Ike raising a child and assume it was his someway." Mark finished off.
"I could see that to." Soren agreed. "Or maybe we have a surrogate of some sort since I'm willing to be intimate with someone even if Ike isn't."
"See, you're already on the right track." Mark replied. "Just keep on thinking of the positive outcomes of the situation and how they outnumber the negative ones and you should be able to deal with it." After he said that Soren gave him a chuckle. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing. I just appreciate how you tell me all this stuff but still sneak in there to be my realistic self still." Soren told him. "It's like you really know me and pay attention to what I tell you, it's rare to find someone like that back home."
"Well, just like I have to be realistic about possibly dying young, you have to at least have something in the back of your head telling you every possibility. It's kind of the curse of smart people like us, but we grow stronger mentally because of it." Mark noted.
"I sure hope so." Soren commented. "And I know I pretty much already said it, but thank you for listening. This is why I like inviting you over, it's more than just the intimacy, you're a true friend Mark."
"I'm glad to hear that, I feel the same way Soren." Mark said genuinely from his heart. "Now, it seems like we're at the critical moment here in the match, let's see who can pull off a miracle first." So the two of them went back to being silent and just focusing on the game of chess before them. Eventually the two of them got down to just a few pieces left and it wasn't clear cut if either of them would win.
"King takes Knight." Soren said declaring his move.
"King takes Bishop." Mark said quickly afterwards, their moves getting faster with the lower amount of pieces on the board. "That just leaves our Kings left on the board, I'm pretty sure that constitutes a draw."
"Pretty sure?" Soren wondered.
"I've never gotten this far with anyone before." Mark admitted. "I either win or lose in a landslide, though I do have to say our matches have been getting closer and closer with each one, so I guess this is the logical conclusion."
"Well, okay, I can accept a draw." Soren commented. "But what does that mean for our stakes, neither of us won? I don't really want to do another match, I think my urges may pass before we finish. You have any ideas, you're the more experienced one between us."
"We could do it laying on our sides, there are a few positions that work that way." Mark suggested. "That's kind of a middle ground, wouldn't you think?"
"It's better than anything I could think of. I'll let you take the lead since you know what you're doing more than me." Soren noted.
"Sounds good. Well, first things first as always, might as well take our clothes off." Mark said before starting to strip down. Soren followed shortly after and soon enough both of them were completely naked. They were also both a bit sweaty, thinking so hard for so long got their blood pumping. Soren, still coming into his own when it came to intimacy, was fully erect pretty much right away while Mark, knowing how to control himself a bit more, waited until he got a good look over Soren's body before getting excited.
"You look as handsome as ever." Soren commented as he looked at Mark with a bit of lust in his eyes.
"I could say the same about you." Mark replied with a smirk. "Okay, get in the bed and lay on your right side, I'll get the lube ready." So Soren got into the bed and Mark lube himself up. Since they were used to each other they didn't have to use so much so just Mark using it on his dick was enough. A few moments later Mark slid into the bed, laying behind Soren. "You need any foreplay or do you just want to get right into it?"
"Let's just get right into it." Soren answered. So Mark slipped his right arm under Soren's armpit to hold his back and placed his left hand right under Soren's cheek before moving in and tenderly kissing him on the lips. Soren responded by wrapping his left arm behind Mark's back and placing his hand on the back of his neck to keep him close.
"Is this a comfortable position for you?" Mark asked after they held the kiss for a while.
"Yes, I think I can work with this, though let me do this." Soren said lifting his left leg up and wrapping it around Mark's hip. "You should be able to get better access that way."
"Good idea, I like that more than before." Mark noted before going in for another kiss. He also took the time to line himself with Soren's entrance and started to nudge and tease it while they were making out. Of course this was everything Soren was wanting, the feeling of being wanted, the feeling of being with someone who cared about him, and of course the feeling of some nice hot sex as well. Mark was about to pull back from the kiss to ask if it was okay to slip inside but Soren pulled him back in as if to tell him to just do it and not break the moment. So Mark listened to Soren's body language and slowly pushed himself inside. He could feel Soren's breath hitch through their kiss, but he knew all too well that it meant Soren was feeling good and he could continue.
How far you've come since the day I could get you off with just a handjob. Mark thought to himself as he continued diving deeper into Soren's mouth with his tongue and his ass with his dick. Mark too felt an air of acceptance when he was with Soren as well. Most people knew him as a flirt, but that came with the assumption he only flirted with women. Being able to find another man to share moments like this with was a godsend for Mark and he savored every moment he could get with him.
The two men went on like that for quite a while, Mark could last longer because of his experience and Soren's Branded physiology gave him more stamina than your average mage, so they were locked together for almost as long as they went with the chess match. But eventually the time came where the both of them were ready to get off and Mark knew just the trick.
"You ready for a big finish?" Mark asked Soren in a breathy yet seductive voice.
"I'm always ready with you Mark." Soren replied with the same tone. So Mark moved his hand away from Soren's cheek and used it to reach down and start stroking his dick, using his thumb to move over all the sensitive spots on the head. Simultaneously he started trusting deeper and harder in to Soren, reaching as deeply as he could inside his body. Both of their already hot and sweaty bodies started to heat up even more and their hearts started beating even more quickly than before. Soon everything started to snowball and Mark continued to stroke and thrust faster while Soren bucked back against his hips and used his tongue even more for the kiss they shared.
"Soren! It's coming! Do you want me to-"
"Shut up and kiss me!" Soren replied, connecting their lips one last time before the both of them started to cum all over the place. Mark couldn't stop himself from cumming as deeply as he could into Soren and Soren's seed spilled all over his stomach, Mark's hand and arm, and some even got onto Mark's chest. It was a big finish as Mark promised as well, Soren was pent up and kept cumming for a bit long after the main portion and even Mark had a bit more to give before it was finally over. When the figurative dust settled the two men laid on their backs so they could fully catch their breath together. It was a good ten minutes before either of them spoke again.
"Sorry, I was a bit forceful there at the end." Soren finally said as his mind cleared up enough to speak.
"Nah, it's fine. Lyn does that to me all the time." Mark assured him. "Sometimes you just want what you want and don't want to be interrupted, I get it."
"Thank you, again, for everything." Soren replied with a genuine smile on his face. A few moments later Mark got up and grabbed a towel for each of them so they could clean themselves off. "You want some more tea before you go?"
"Yeah, I think I'd like that." Mark replied. So Soren got up off the bed and poured them each another cup of tea. "Heh, surprised you didn't put your clothes on in case you spilled it."
"Unlike you, I don't have silly accidents like that." Soren teased him. "Besides, I'm comfortable being naked around you, it's very freeing in some respects."
"Fair enough." Mark said before sipping his tea, making sure to not have a 'silly accident' proving Soren's point. "This tea is quite good, very relaxing."
"Thank you, Oscar taught me how to make it." Soren noted before yawning a bit. "Though it can make you a bit drowsy."
"You're telling me." Mark said yawning as well. "I feel like could take a nap after all that action. Of course I always feel that way, so I should get going."
"How about you stay a bit longer, we can nap together." Soren suggested. "And when we wake up we can have that second chess match, what do you say?"
"A nap with a friend and more chess? What more could I ask for?"