𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐒: bnha x atla

⌞#𝟎𝟏𝟔⌝

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐈𝐑 was almost palpable as Iluliaq, the aloof prince from a realm of water and ice, entered his stark apartment— a dwelling that mirrored his frost-bitten demeanor.

His eyes, as cold and piercing as the arctic ocean, settled on the figure draped in fur nestled among his sparse furnishings. Hawks, a man more accustomed to the skies than the frigid embrace of Iluliaq's world, sat there, his presence an enigma.

"Why are you here?" Iluliaq inquired, his voice carrying the weight of the northern glaciers. "I thought my decision left a sour taste in your mouth."

Hawks, his golden eyes sharpening like the talons of his namesake, met Iluliaq's gaze unflinchingly. "Of course I'm upset, Frostbite. Your choice to join the Hero Commission is reckless!"

Iluliaq's eyebrow arched higher, his expression unchanging as the winter's dawn. "Though here you are. Why bother?"

Hawks stood abruptly, the fur coat falling from his shoulders as he closed the distance between them. "You really don't get it, do you, Frostbite?" His voice crackled with a mix of exasperation and warmth— a warmth that seemed to fight against the coldness of the room. "I care about you, you infuriating block of ice!"

Iluliaq regarded Hawks as if he had just declared his intention to renounce flight forever. "Why would you care about me?" He asked, genuinely perplexed.

Hawks threw his hands in the air, the feathers there bristling with his rising irritation. "I swear you're as emotionally stunted as they come! I might not share your bloodline, but that doesn't stop me from seeing you as family. You're my brother. My stubborn, irritable, haughty little baby brother who flirts with danger and death like it's a courtship dance!"

The prince remained unfazed, as if Hawks' outburst was no more than a breeze against his icy exterior. "You are too sentimental. It's a liability."

Hawks' voice soared with intensity. "I've spent a year shielding you from them, from becoming a pawn in their games. And yet, you stride right into their grasp, indifferent to the consequences!"

Iluliaq's cool demeanor never wavered. "You worry over trivialities. I am no pawn." He stated, his voice as chilling as the frost clinging to the windowpanes.

"They make child soldiers!" Hawks countered, his voice rising with urgency. "They'll mold you into something you're not, like they tried with me!"

"I am no one's soldier." Iluliaq returned calmly, his eyes reflecting the conviction of a man who had faced more battles than most could dream of. "I am not someone to be commanded. I am a general— a leader of my own making."

Hawks studied Iluliaq's impassive face, searching for a crack in his frozen facade. "I just don't want you to lose yourself in their schemes." He said, his voice softening. "Promise me you'll stay true to who you are."

Iluliaq's gaze drifted past Hawks, out the window where the world of heroes and villains continued without pause, wholly unaware of the prince from a distant land.

"True to who I am? Who I am is a cold-blooded killer— a monster." Iluliaq stated, his voice devoid of emotion.

Hawks, undeterred by the darkness that seemed to envelop his companion, countered softly. "I don't believe that."

Iluliaq fixed Hawks with a gaze as sharp as ice shards, a dangerous intensity swirling in his cold, oceanic eyes. "You don't know me. You may think you do, but you don't. Nobody in this world does." He declared, his words a frosty barrier between them.