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off with their head, the Joker said
while the Queen cried, brother, no
Doflamingo slams the door to the small room behind the throne room and whirls round.
"You don't do that to me, Corazón," he says to his brother. "You don't."
Corazón's mouth is set in a hard line mirroring Doflamingo's own, and his red eyes glare back and Doflamingo's skin pricks like tiny, hot barbs of poison.
"No, Doffy," he says back, and his voice is just as deep as Doflamingo's own, and his eyes level. He is nearly as tall. In times like this, when he isn't playing the fool and fumbling with some delicate task, his presence is nearly as royal as Doflamingo's own.
Doflamingo freezes.
"No?" he repeats, feeling very far away from his hands. His hands are cold, numb. "You just undermined me . In public."
Corazón does not back down. He stands tall. His shoulders have gotten so wide, and his coat, matching Doflamingo's own, makes them look wider still.
"You can't just throw people you don't like into the lab or the coliseum, this isn't the dark century anymore. It's wrong. "
"He insulted this entire country, Corazón. He insulted me. I can't let that go, or this country is ruined. Is that what you want?"
"You have to be better than them!"
For a moment he can't believe the words that had just come out of his brother's mouth. He feels impossibly hot and cold at once. His hands are tingling and he flexes his fingers. His blood rushes in his ears.
He can't believe that—
How could Corazón even say—
How could he even think—
Corazón is glaring. He is glaring at Doflamingo.
Something snaps.
"I AM better than that trash! " Doflamingo roars, arms spread out at his sides (look at me, look at me, gaze upon your king ).
Corazón's mouth opens to speak and Doflamingo just can't have that right now. He can't have his kid brother come back from only semi-competently killing people and trip getting up on some high horse to look down at him.
"No, you listen," Doflamingo snaps, snapping his fingers. Pale threads of power shoot out and drag Corazón backwards, make him stagger and fall into a beautiful red velvet and gold chair. The threads wrap themselves around Corazón's throat before he can get a word out.
Corazón's eyes widen, but Doflamingo misses it, seeing but not quite registering anything except the words, still seeming to hang in the air. They feel burned into the fabric of reality, fiery letters upon the wall.
"I took back the country our ancestors lost. For years, I feed you, clothe you, and keep you safe. I made you a prince , Corazón. I'm not asking for a thank you because we're family. I'd do it again. But you owe your allegiance to me. I MUST have your respect. You don't tell me I don't know how to run my own country in front of some peasant!"
Corazón is not breathing, his eyes are lowered in regret? Repentance?
Doflamingo hasn't been breathing either. He takes a breath and feels the wind leave his sails.
"Do you understand, Corazón?" Doflamingo asks, suddenly tired. He lets go of everything, falls back into another red velvet and gold chair, mirror to his limp brother.
"Corazón, answer me when I speak to you," Doflamingo prompts.
His brother's head is bowed still. He is not breathing.
"Corazón," Doflamingo prompts again, frowning.
His brother does not move. His face is pale, but it always is, from the contrast of dark makeup.
"Corazón?"
Doflamingo blinks and then suddenly, he sees . The unconscious loll of head, of hands. The startling blue of veins in pale wrists. The red welts starting to rise on Corazón's throat, half hidden by shirt collar and then further by coat collar.
He bolts out of his chair.
"Rosi —!"
===/\===
Hear ye, hear ye, by royal edict of the king:
All mages capable of the healing arts, be they trained or untrained, are to present themselves at the castle.
The mage capable of the task the king sets shall be richly rewarded.
The mage found to willfully disobey this summons shall be hanged by the neck til they are dead.
===/\===
The boy is a foreigner, dark skinned and golden eyed, barely able to speak the language and rude and fumbling when he does speak. He presents himself along with the other mages called from the foreigners seeking asylum. He is not able to say what his power is, but ten minutes with his pale blue magic radiating from his hands and Corazón is up and moving around.
Doflamingo adopts the boy right there and then. He commands the boy to stay with Corazón, and to work his healing magics, to help Corazón's recovery along.
Corazón still does not speak.
For the longest time, Doflamingo thinks his brother can not speak at all, thinks his brother's speech is lost forever, and thinks perhaps it is for the best.
Once, he thinks he hears laughter, and a low scratchy rumble of a voice, and a young boy's voice in answer. But Corazón never speaks to him again.
===/END\===