Notes: Basically this is just a rewrite of Ike and Soren's conversation after Soren's paralogue. The dialogue is great already but you know, wouldn't it be even better if it was longer and even more obvious that they love each other?
Words: 1896
Summary:
The first thing Emblem Soren does when he is awakened is go to battle. The first thing he does after the battle is go to Ike.
Crossposted to AO3.
As soon as the battle ended, Soren went straight to Ike, flushed with the exertion of the recent battle, the shock of seeing Ike, and a not-insignificant amount of righteous indignation.
“You attacked me!”
“Nice to see you too, Soren,” Ike said, unruffled as ever. “I seem to recall that you got some hits in as well.”
“In self-defense because you were hitting me with your giant sword, Ike,” Soren retorted. “And you say that I’m the one who likes making things difficult. You know I would have joined as soon as I knew you were here.”
“Eh, that wouldn’t have been as much fun. I like seeing your strength, and we’ve never been on separate sides before.”
“And never will be again, I hope,” Soren said with the air of someone willing something into existence.
“Of course not,” Ike said. “I would never actually fight you, Soren. You know that.”
Soren huffed, but his overall demeanor calmed. “So we’re Emblems, then. And this is not Tellius.”
“Elyos, it’s called.”
“Hmmm,” Soren considered. “Well, we always said that we were going to leave Tellius someday. This wasn’t what I expected, but I suppose it counts. Are there any other…Emblems from our world?”
“No. Several from other worlds, but none from Tellius other than the two of us.”
Soren considered this. “I’m sorry. I…cared for some of our companions, but not nearly as deeply as you did. You must miss them.”
Ike shrugged. “Sure I do, but I’ve always believed in making the best of a tough situation. And I feel a whole lot better now that you’re here.”
“How long have you been here? In…Elyos, right?” Soren asked.
“A few weeks, by my reckoning,” Ike said. “It’s a little hard to tell time when you disappear into a ring rather than sleeping. Or a bracelet in your case, I guess.”
Soren hummed, considering. “Can you feel pain?”
“Emotional pain, sure. Physical pain? I don’t think so, or at least not in the same way.”
“Interesting,” Soren remarked, going quiet as he fell further into thought. Ike watched him fondly, comfortable in the silence.
“It’s strange,” Soren finally said. “I feel like myself, and yet I am not the ‘real’ Soren. I know it, somehow. And you’re not the ‘real’ Ike, although you’re as identical to him as I am to my counterpart.”
“How do you figure that?”
“It just wouldn’t make sense, otherwise. We function unlike we would if we were simply humans summoned to another world. We’re something slightly different. I have to admit it unsettles me to think that I did not exist before the Divine Dragon awakened me.”
“It is strange,” Ike agreed, “but in the end, does it really matter if we’re the real Ike and Soren? I’m not sure it does.”
“How so?” Soren asked, brow furrowed.
“You know I’m no philosopher, but what makes a person other than his memories and experiences? We have all the memories of the ‘real’ Ike and Soren and all the feelings and lessons that came with them. We act based on those memories and how they shaped us. So even if there’s another version of us back in Tellius, who’s to say we’re any less real than they are? Maybe we’re all equally real, the same people put on two different paths.”
“Are you sure?” Soren said wryly. “I don’t think the Ike I know is smart enough to come up with that idea.”
“But the Soren I know wouldn’t miss the chance to take that shot at me, would he?” Ike smiled. “Come on, Soren. I’m no philosopher, but I’m not a meathead either.”
“Not just a meathead, anyway.” Soren’s smile would have seemed mocking to anyone else, but Ike knew there was no edge to it. “I wonder if we…branched off, so to speak, at the same time. What is the last thing you remember from Tellius?”
“Do you remember all of that business with the goddess?” Ike asked, somber.
“Yes,” Soren replied, “and a little ways past that as well.”
Ike nodded. “We were rebuilding. The last thing I remember…it’s a little hard to recall because I have several weeks of memories here too. Oh! It was the day that Kieran tried to give himself a haircut!”
“And he ended up with a bald patch the size of an apple,” Soren continued.
Ike laughed. “Oscar ended up having to shave his whole head. He never stopped yelling, and by the end of it his face was so red you almost couldn’t see that he had no hair.”
“And then Rolf suggested that Rhys donate some of his hair for a wig.”
“Rhys?” Ike frowned thoughtfully. “I thought it was Shinon.”
A modicum of the tension in Soren’s body went slack. “It was Shinon. I was testing to make sure we have the same memories. It seems that we do. That is the last day I remember as well.”
“And what a day it was. I don’t think Rolf expected Shinon to be quite that mad, but he’s always been a little vain about his hair.” Ike’s fond smile dropped as he remembered where he was.
“You miss them, don’t you?” Soren said. “I do too.”
“Even Shinon?” Ike managed a half-hearted smile.
“No.” Soren’s reply was so immediate and definitive that Ike couldn’t help but laugh. The moment lightened, but they soon fell back into a somber silence.
“If we have the same memories,” Soren said, finally, “does that mean that you remember…” he trailed off.
Ike floated a stride towards Soren, close enough to touch but not touching. “That I love you?” he said, looking down to meet Soren’s gaze. “Of course I do. That’s not the kind of thing that I could ever forget.”
The relief showed so nakedly on Soren’s face that he would have been ashamed if anyone other than Ike could see it. “Ike,” he said, the name coming out like a benediction.
“Soren.” Ike’s voice was firm, solid, exactly the voice that Soren knew.
“Being Emblems, there are clearly limitations,” Soren said. “You mentioned we cannot sleep. But can we…touch?”
In answer, Ike raised his hand to Soren’s cheek. Soren leaned into it, noting that while there was a slight layer of strangeness, it came from the world, not from Ike. The hand was all Ike, all warmth and strength and rough calluses. It felt like home.
Soren’s eyes fluttered shut. He placed his hand over Ike’s much larger one and squeezed with surprising strength. “I didn’t want to live in a world without you,” he said, equal parts vulnerable and fierce.
Ike kissed the mark on Soren’s forehead and wrapped him in an embrace. “You’ll never have to,” he promised.
Rafiel is both a wonderful character and also a perfect juxtaposition to Reyson, because Rafiel is serene and kind and everything a heron royal should be.
And then there is Reyson, who looks like an angel but is Rage Incarnate.
