December: Mark and Ivan
[tell me what you'd like to see me post about in December!]
james: I would like a post about Things Ivan and Mark Have Unexpectedly Bonded Over.
Also, what does Ivan gift Gregor with on their first anniversary.
Neither Ivan nor Mark wanted to bond with each other. Both would insist they haven't bonded with each other. But having both had the shared emotions over Miles being killed and then lost and then returned, that did open a crack in their resentment.
They bond over using physical parts of their bodies and existence to indicate their not-a-threat nature. Mark changes the way his body looks to differentiate himself from Miles, so that everyone would know who to point their weapons at. Ivan can't do that, but what he has done is make himself seem less of an attractive prospect by being too stupid to be a threat.
Less direly, they have also bonded over the best places to get specialty catering after midnight (Mark uses it to surprise Kareen; Ivan uses it for snacks), and how great it is not to be Gregor Vorbarra. Really, their biggest point of agreement is how great it is not to be in charge of anything on Barrayar. Mark would rather be an entrepreneur. Ivan would rather be alive.
Mark is also the person Ivan turns to when it's time to get Gregor a first anniversary gift. It is a mental health counselor.
This entry was originally posted at https://lannamichaels.dreamwidth.org/1167303.html.