Dedicated the the sweetest girl with the most awesome imagination. Amazing friend as well. A well rounded package!

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Chapter 12

Flame

It takes awhile to finally quieten Ice down enough so that I can concentrate on the documents on my desk. However, as soon as it's quiet enough, I start to notice every single movement she makes. The way she blows her hair away when it falls in front of her eyes. The way her nose scrunches up when she doesn't like something. The fact that her eyes are such a beautiful color. The fact that her skin is just the perfect shade, not super dark, not super white. Just right. The way- What am I doing? I'm not supposed to keep checking her out. This is not right.

"Yo Flame! Whatcha up to now!" Fang, my stupid brother barges through my door interrupting the silence and breaking my gaze away from Ice.

"Wha- What are you doing here Fang?" I stuttered, trying to keep my face from turning red again.

"Heard you got the beautiful and infamous IceFlame-" Ice snorted at her nickname.

"And I wanted to check out to see if the rumors are true. To see whether she really is one hot and sexy body."

'Thud!' At this point, Ice had started guffawing and had fallen on the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to regain her breath.

"Well, this must be her. Must I say, oh so infamous IceFlame, you are as sexy and hot as the claim."

This sends her into another round of laughter and tears.

"Bro, you are really greedy you know keeping her all to yourself. Well, it's okay now. We can share her, right? I mean, you can't be selfish. I want to spend time with to beautiful, sexy IceFlame."

He had approached her, his steps making no sound. As if about to pounce on her, I got up, strode over and smacked the back of his head.

"Seriously?"

"Ow! Seriously, bro! No need to be so jealous, just because I can make her laugh and you can't, doesn't mean you have to take out your jealousy on me."

I growled in frustration. Ice's giggles had started to calm down. She still held her side as if the laughter had caused her pain, not that I would be surprised.

"Please stop Fang. I am flattered, a lot. However, I am afraid that one, I will die from laughter. Two, your brother will kill you, and maybe both of us. Three, if your brother kills you I would lose my new source of entertainment. Finally, four, your brother will kill me and then I will never have the pleasure of teasing him until misery again."

When finished with her little speech on why Fang should stop teasing me, both Fang and Ice fell into another bout of laughter.

"Bro, I like her. Can I keep her?"

Reaching to hug her, my frustration breaks and takes the better of me and I pounce on him. We rolled away from Ice, wrestling with one another.

"You will keep away from her!"

"Wait, stop-" 

By this time I had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. Hauling him over to the door, about to push him out of the room.

"Woah! Calm down dude! Just teasing you! Stop being so jealous! You are as green as the Hulk!"

"I am not jealous! She is a prisoner! You don't associate with prisoners this way!"

"Guys, stop-"

"Then why do you keep a prisoner with you in your study? Shouldn't prisoners go straight to the dungeons?"

He pushed me back into the room, making us tumble over each other again.

"I was going to question her! Make her tell us information!"

Our voices, grew louder and louder, our fight grew stronger and stronger. Punch to the face. Kick to the stomach. Hit in the side. Knee to the groin. Scratching. Biting. Pulling. Tugging.

"Stop-"

"Hah! Like a leader of a rebellion would give up information so easily! Seriously, just admit that you have the hots for her and just want to keep her to yourself!"

"I will never like a girl like her! She isn't my type anyway!"

"Stop!"

Her voice pulled us apart. Our breaths heavy in the air. Our shoulders heaving heavily as we pulled oxygen into our lungs. Our foreheads dripping with sweat.

"Stop, you guys are brothers, you shouldn't be fighting. As much as I like to see two boys fight over me. Blood should be thicker than water. Bros over hoes right? Family first."

Our heads bowed at the truth of her words. Guilt came to the front our minds. Yet, neither one of us wanted to be the first to apologize.

"If neither of you want to apologize first, then I will. I'm sorry Fang, for urging you on in teasing your brother. I'm sorry for getting you in a fight with him. I'm sorry Flame for teasing you and annoying you. I'm sorry for getting your brother to tease you too. I'm sorry that you guys started fighting because of me. I'm sorry-"

"We get it, Ice. All is forgiven."

"Yeah, my beautiful Ice, all is forgiven, but you really didn't need to apologize. I'm sorry Flame, for riling you up like that."

"It doesn't matter, I'm sorry for pouncing on you like that."

"I should go now, I was supposed to go prepare for Princess Liana's arrival."

"Already?"

"Yeah, it's in a week and a half. Oh right, I remembered why I'm actually here. I was also here to tell you that dad requires your presence at her important arrival."

"Noted. I will be there. Thanks."

As Fang strolled out the door, I turned to face Ice. Maybe it was time to bring up the past and talk.