Work Text:
“Children should not be present at a meeting such as this, Icedagger.”
Icedagger let out a sigh, bringing his hand up to rub at his eyes with the pointer and thumb. “Illumina, we’ve gone over this before; I’m a god, too.” Ignoring how the rough skin of his fingertips tugged at his eyelids, he stepped around Illumina and into the meeting room that Banhammer so graciously let them use.
Stars above, the heat of Banland was already starting to give Icedagger a headache. A headache that, once he saw who he’d be sitting next to, amplified tenfold.
He took a seat next to the King of Crossroads before focusing all his attention on the expensive wooden table they were at. Maybe if he didn’t acknowledge Firebrand, he wouldn’t say anything—
“... Icedagger. ”
Fuck. Okay, new plan.
After a moment of silence, Icedagger turned his head to Firebrand before a cheeky grin made its way to his face. Firebrand seemed mad, maybe Icedagger could use that to his advantage.
Icedagger bit, drumming his fingers. “What do you want, Firebrand?” At Firebrand’s eye narrowing, Icedagger’s grin turned more into a grimace, more forced as he looked away.
“Why are you here?” The king asked. “I thought Illumina didn’t want you joining us today?”
Icedagger forced out a laugh, tracing circles with his claws into the table. “ Well ,” he started. “He doesn’t , but I really don’t actually care what he wants.” He began picking at the blackened skin on his fingertips, resting his head with his other hand. “I’m as much of a god as the rest of you, right? I’m allowed to be here.”
“You shouldn’t care about what he says, anyways. He hates you just about as much as he hates me. ” A light frost began to grow inside of the details in the wood, slowly creeping along the swirled patterns.
“Anyways,” Icedagger spoke once more, cutting off whatever Firebrand’s response would’ve been. “Where’re the others? I know Illumina’s outside, but what about Venomshank? Darkheart? Hell, what about Ghostwalker? He usually has his two cents in these stupid meetings."
Icedagger heard a chuff come from Firebrand. “If they’re so stupid, then why do you always fight tooth and nail to come to them?”
A shit-eating grin found its way to Icedagger’s lips. “I like seeing how many arguments I can cause,” he said. “Current record’s five. Gonna see if I can double that today. Maybe if I say something about Sword—”
He was cut off by Firebrand’s tail whipping him in the back, causing both him and the chair to jerk forward. “Don’t,” was all Firebrand said, the air around him heating up.
Great. Absolutely perfect, even. Just when Icedagger began to forget about his headache. ‘Next time everyone meets up,’ Icedagger thought. ‘I’m forcing them to have the meeting in Blackrock. That’d show them.’
More silence passed, about five minutes, before Firebrand predictably broke it. “Icedagger. While we have a moment, I want to talk about our.... altercation, from earlier this year.”
Ah. Yes. That. Icedagger’s hand unconsciously went up near his face, ghosting his fingers along the jagged scar, sticking around where it split his lip. Fuck. Shit. Damn it. Whatever other curses Icedagger's heard the others say before— He wasn’t good with stuff like— like this !
He still remembers the day it happened. Kinda hard to forget something like that, after all.
— –
He clawed at the boot on his chest, wheezing in breaths as it slowly applied more and more weight. “Apologize,” a voice said, low and raging. Distantly, Icedagger heard shouting, but the cotton in his ears made it impossible to make out what they were saying. Despite everything, Icedagger didn’t say a word, instead opting to keep gasping for air.
He felt a warmth press against his cheek, slowly beginning to press down harder, cutting into the skin. He panicked, flailing his limbs as he finally got enough air in his lungs to speak.
“Fire— FIREBRAND —–”
The harsh scream that filled his ears shortly after, surely it couldn’t have come from Icedagger! It had to have been Valk, he always hated the sight of blood. Maybe Sword? It didn’t really matter anyways, the only thing Icedagger could focus on was the white hot pain and the coolness that dripped from it.
The weight left his chest, allowing Icedagger to scramble to his knees and press a hand to the wound. Pulling it back, he saw it was slick with blood. The same blood now dripping down his chin and neck, the blood that dripped onto the floor, onto the fluffy fur of his jacket.
All he could focus on was the blood
— –
“I wasn’t in my right mind, Icedagger,” Firebrand explained. “The joke you made was in poor taste, but it wasn’t right of me to hurt you.”
Icedagger just groaned quietly, rubbing his eyes with his palms. That stupid fucking headache was back once more, biting at his skull. “Get on with the point, Firebrand.”
“...I want to apologize.”
Icedagger whipped his head around to stare at Firebrand. “..Huh???”
“We’re family, and family doesn’t hurt each other.” He let out a breath, finally looking Icedagger in the eyes.
“I’m sorry. What I did was inexcusable, and I understand if you don’t forgive me.”
He sat in silence, tracing small patterns into his skin with his claws before speaking. “I guess I do. Just don’t throw me into walls and slice open my face anymore, pretty please ‘n thank you.”
“Also, hide your notes next time,” Icedagger smirked, chuckling when Firebrand closed his fist, crushing he piece of paper
Firebrand’s claws dug into the wood, tail swishing behind him as he grumbled. “Don’t make me hurt you again.”
He just chuckled in response, sitting up straighter once the door opened to show Illumina and Ghostwalker side by side, with Darkheart standing behind them. As the meeting went on, Icedagger chimed in here and there, but there was one thought at the back of his mind the entire time.
Firebrand is dumb as hell if he didn’t catch that lie.