Peace At What Cost?

Summary: Ikaris takes issue with Druig’s actions
Warning(s): Disciplinary spanking; spoilers for the Eternals; magical mind-control; AU

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They'd all separated. All gone in different directions. Ikaris knew that Sersi expected him to go with her, but he'd asked her to go ahead without him. To go on without him.

Druig had been the one to start it. Their family had split, because he hadn't been able to stand back and let humans kill each other. Much like the human children they'd seen, he'd thrown a tantrum. Used his powers to control the humans around them.

And Ajak had allowed it to happen. Had allowed Druig to have his tantrum. Had made no attempt to stop him and had told all of them to leave and find their own way in the world.

But Ikaris couldn't leave. Not without talking to Druig. Not without confronting his fellow eternal. So, he'd told Sersi to wait for him and flew to where he knew Druig had taken the people he'd walked away with. He made no attempt to hide his presence. After all, Druig would have humans watching, in case one of them came to confront him.

Druig knew almost immediately when Ikaris entered his territory. His people had let him know, sending messages ahead to him. He wasn't surprised one of his family had come after him; wasn't even surprised it had been Ikaris to do so. He waited in front of the lodge that had been built for him.

His people were living in peace, all intent to harm each other removed through Druig's ability. Anyone who stumbled onto the hidden village with intent to harm, or intent to expose his people to outsiders, quickly found themselves assimilated through his ability. He knew the others didn't approve of him removing free will from the humans, but he thought it worth it to stop their killing each other.

He couldn't help being worried at what Ikaris intended. He hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms with his family.

Ikaris had half-expected Druig to stay out of view; to send one of his people to confront Ikaris, rather than revealing himself straight away. He was a little surprised to easily find Druig, standing in front of a lodge, but it was quickly gone.

Gesturing towards the lodge, Ikaris said, "We need to talk. And it would be better to do so in private."

Druig narrowed his eyes but reached behind him to open the door. Stepping to the side and gesturing toward the now open entryway, he waited for Ikaris to go into the lodge. "Welcome to my home, brother. To what do I owe the pleasure?" His voice held a hint of mocking sarcasm, even though it mostly sounded neutrally welcome.

Stepping inside the lodge, Ikaris took his time answering, allowing himself to look around Druig's home before focusing on the other man once more. "I take it you've not changed your mind."

Druig watched Ikaris move around his home, cautious but curious what the other man's opening gambit would be. It wasn't as authoritative or demanding as he'd expected. Still....

"They were killing each other... and I could stop it!" Druig raised his chin defiantly.

"We weren't to interfere with them," Ikaris said. "That was never our purpose here."

"Maybe it should be!" Druig's defiance this time was more querulous, closer to how it had been when he left. It was frustrating to him that no one could see how wrong it was not to 'help' if they were able.

"Do you really think that taking away their free will is right?" Ikaris asked.

"They're happy!" Druig pointed toward the door, obviously meaning his group of villagers. "They don't know they're being controlled, so what's the problem?"

"Happy because you made them so doesn't mean they truly are," Ikaris said. "And the problem is that you acted no better than one of their children. Throwing a tantrum and storming away because you didn't like what you heard."

"Because none of you were willing to listen!" Druig accused, ignoring the fact they had listened. They just hadn't come to the conclusion he wanted.

"But we did listen," Ikaris pointed out calmly. "You disagreed with us, but instead of handling it calmly and maturely, you walked away. You left our family. Abandoned us."

"To help my people..." Druig frowned. It was obvious Ikaris' words bothered him, though. That had been the only thing he'd felt any regret at, the way he'd left his family, but it wasn't something he allowed himself to dwell on. He focused on the people he'd abandoned his family for instead.

"We were your people too," Ikaris said quietly.

Druig looked away at that, unable to refute Ikaris' claim and not wanting to face him. Instead, he said, "You didn't... don't... need me."

"That's not true," Ikaris replied. "You are my family. My brother."

Druig's smile, when he finally looked back up at Ikaris, was bleak. "Maybe. Still... I believe stopping the humans from fighting is important and as I am the only one willing to do it, their need is more important." He said the words confidently, though the look on his face was anything but confident.  A small part of him feared he was wrong.

"You've only stopped the humans here in your home," Ikaris said. "Other humans fight and hurt each other. Would you expend all of your energy, all of your life force, on stopping all of them?"

"Better some than none!" Druig said stubbornly, his chin going up defiantly again.

Ikaris stepped closer to Druig. "As much as I understand how you feel, you went about it the wrong way and you abandoned your family to do this. I won't allow that to pass unpunished."

Druig narrowed his eyes and backed away hesitantly. "Your threats won't scare me into giving up my people..." he muttered uncertainly.

"I'm not threatening you, Druig." Ikaris advanced on the other man, reaching out to grab Druig's arm.

Druig instinctively held up a hand. "Wait!" he said, a bit of his power escaping and washing over Ikaris before he thought better about it. His eyes widened in instant remorse.

Ikaris paused, looking at Druig, a disappointed look coming over his face. "We don't use our powers on each other."

Swallowing hard, Druig let his hand fall. "No, sir... we don't..." he whispered contritely, with a hint of nervousness. "I didn't mean to... didn't think... I'm sorry...."

Ikaris gripped his arm a bit more firmly and began to lead Druig towards one of the chairs in the room.

"Ikaris... I... I truly didn't mean..." Druig said, in a voice filled with dread and reluctance. He'd been in this position before, though not recently. It was a very unpleasant position to be in. Although he couldn't help believing it was deserved, since he had tried to use his powers on his brother, deliberately or not. He noticeably didn't try and pull away or fight, which he always did in the past. He also didn't attempt to stop his brother again, not wanting to potentially risk repeating the use of his powers on Ikaris.

"It's far too easy for you to play at being a god, brother," Ikaris said seriously. "We don't use our powers on each other. That's one of our biggest rules. I'm disappointed that you broke it." He stopped close to the chair and sat down. Drawing Druig in front of him, he began to undo his brother's pants.

"I didn't mean to..." Druig's voice was small and regretful. And a tiny bit frightened. Had he become so full of himself and his power that he no longer thought before using it? Maybe his siblings were right to disapprove of how he 'protected' his people. Maybe it wasn't best. Had he given it enough thought? Was he nothing more than a bully, enforcing his will on those too weak to fight him?

Swallowing hard, he held his hands up and out of the way so Ikaris could remove whatever he felt necessary. "...I didn't mean to..." he repeated, voice strained and no longer holding the angry temper of a child. Instead, it was the worry of a child that knew they'd messed up but weren't certain how badly yet.

Ikaris eased Druig's pants down and then followed those with his underwear, before guiding his brother across his lap. "The humans are weaker than you. Weaker than us. They have no way to resist you, Druig." He made a few adjustments to his brother's position, then lifted his hand and brought it down in a crisp, firm smack at the crest of Druig's backside. He left his hand in place as he continued, "That you tried to use your power on me without thinking only proves how far you've fallen." Lifting his hand once more, he brought it down in the same place as the first smack, then delivered a matching two swats, on the other side of Druig's backside.

Druig breathed in sharply at the first swat and whimpered softly as his brother began to punish in earnest. He tried to defend himself. "I... I am sorry I used my power on you, Ikaris! It was wrong... but I am helping them!" Druig honestly believed that. After his actions, he knew he'd never convince Ikaris he was right, though.

"You are controlling them. Taking away their free will. Turning them into little more than slaves." Ikaris smacked firmly, covering every inch of Druig's backside down to mid-thigh before he paused, letting his hand rest once more on his brother's bottom. "And you abandoned your family."

"They are alive!" Druig left unsaid that he thought them living was better than allowing them free will. "And you all turned on me first!" His accusation was brittle... the accusation of a child who knew they were wrong but were still too hurt that no one had agreed with them to see where they were wrong. He shifted slightly at Ikaris' hand resting on his bottom. He was already very sore. How long would Ikaris keep up a pretense that he truly wanted Druig around? How long would his brother spank? Ikaris was not known for gentleness or mercy.

"We never turned on you, brother." Ikaris began to swat again, covering skin that had already received attention, turning Druig's backside a darker shade of pink before pausing once more, hand resting on one thigh. "You were the one who walked away."

"You all told me I was wrong and to let the people fight and kill each other. That I couldn't stop them..." Druig swallowed hard. His voice was shakier than he liked. His bottom and upper thighs stung. He expected they'd burn before his brother was through... using his powers on Ikaris had been... bad.

Ikaris began a third circuit of swats, this time going a fraction harder and faster. "That didn't mean you should have walked away. That didn't mean you should have abandoned us."

"I didn't.... I di... didn't think you'd care! When I disobeyed and took the people with me!" Druig found it impossible to hold still, wriggling helplessly over his brother's lap. He threw his hands back over his bottom with a choked cry.

Ikaris only paused the spanking long enough to gather Druig's hands in one of his, moving them to the small of his brother's back and holding them there. "I care. I always cared. You're my brother."

"I had to leave... you wouldn't let me save them if I stayed..." Druig's voice wobbled. His squirming calmed slightly, though, at Ikaris taking hold of his hands.

Squeezing Druig's hands gently, Ikaris completed the circuit of swats and rested his spanking hand once more on the reddened skin. "Because you weren't doing the right thing, brother. You were naughty."

At those words, Druig began to squirm again, though he was obviously fighting tears. "No! I was helping!" he protested vehemently.

"Did you ever stop to consider what they wanted?" Ikaris asked.

"Wh... why would I?!" Druig yelped in obvious confusion. "They were killing each other!"

"Did it occur to you that they might prefer death to living as little better than slaves?" Ikaris began to swat, this time focusing more to Druig's sit spots and thighs.

"...N... no?" Druig gulped, the first tiny sob escaping his throat. Was he really that wrong? Ikaris obviously thought he was. His backside was throbbing.

Ikaris continued to swat firmly, Druig's sit spots and thighs turning red and hot under his punishing hand, before he returned to the rest of his brother's backside. "Do their lives have any meaning to them if there's no free will left?"

"... I don't know!" Druig began frantically squirming at that question. He did know. He didn't want to admit it.

In response to that, Ikaris delivered a much harder, firmer smack. "No lies, brother."

Druig yelped, then sobbed at the harder smack. "...I don't want to answer!" he blurted petulantly... truthfully, but with attitude.

Delivering another smack that was just as hard, Ikaris asked, "Is that because you thought of nothing but what you wanted?"

"No!" Druig struggled to get loose, sobbing harder when he realized Ikaris had too strong a grip on him. "Wanted to help!" He repeated his earlier assertion. It was easier than admitting he hadn't thought of how the people he 'rescued' would feel, or how 'fair' it was to make them little more than slaves.

"By taking away their freedom. By turning them into slaves. By turning them into your slaves." With each word he spoke, Ikaris delivered harder smacks.

"No... not my slaves..." Druig protested. It was obvious at this point he was trying to convince himself and not Ikaris. Guilt was heavy in his tone. 

"What else could you call it, when you take away their free will and impose your own on them?" Ikaris began to focus the harder smacks to Druig's sit spots and thighs.

"...No... please... hurts, Kar... had 'nuff...." Druig moaned. What really hurt was having to face exactly what he'd done. If Ikaris made him admit it... admit he was wrong... he was sure he'd break into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Don't you think your actions have hurt these humans enough?" Ikaris' voice was stern, as he continued to smack, turning Druig's bottom and upper thighs a deeper, darker red.

"I protected them!" Druig wailed, feebly trying to get his bottom and thighs out of the line of fire.

Ikaris tightened his hold on Druig, making sure each smack landed on target. "You enslaved them."

"I didn't!" Druig wailed, sobbing hopelessly, beginning to shake. "...I di...  didn't... did I?" he finally asked, in a forlorn, helpless and guilt-ridden voice.

"You did," Ikaris replied. "You've taken away these people's choice. You've made them do what you want, not what's best for them."

"I... I... I didn't mean to..." Druig blubbered. "Was trying to help...."  He choked on his tears before finally admitting, in defeat, "I enslaved them. I made them do what I wanted. I abandoned my family because they told me no! I'm a monster!" He slumped, finally accepting what Ikaris had been trying to tell him and finally accepting the punishment without fight.

"Not a monster, Druig. You made mistakes and you were naughty, but you can still put things right. You can still come home." Ikaris wasn't swatting as hard as he had been, but he was still smacking Druig's bottom and thighs.

Druig was still sobbing softly, but he was also listening. He carefully twisted his hand in Ikaris' grip; not attempting to pull away but attempting to hold onto his brother. He remained slumped, accepting the smacks as what he was due. He'd abandoned his family. He'd tried to use his powers on his brother. He'd made a proud people into slaves. He knew he deserved so much worse than what Ikaris was currently giving him. "I... I was extremely naughty..." he bawled.

Ikaris squeezed Druig's hands, holding them in both of his tightly and firmly. He was still swatting, though they were lighter compared to the smacks he had been giving out. "When we're finished here, you will free all of these people and then we will go home," he said.

"I can come home?" Druig's sobs eased into slightly less frantic crying. His voice was filled with hope that he was still wanted and pain from the punishment.

"You can come home, brother," Ikaris promised. He finished with a final few smacks and then moved Druig carefully into his arms, on his lap, cuddling him close and tight.

Druig immediately twisted into his brother's arms, clinging to Ikaris, and burrowing against him, head under the larger man's chin. "I'm sorry..." he whispered, in a tear clogged voice. He slowly settled, the shaking and crying ebbing as he began to feel forgiven.

"I've got you. I love you. I forgive you." Ikaris wrapped his arms around Druig in a tight embrace, pressing a kiss to his brother's head.

"I love you too..." Druig sniffled, his voice catching. Wordlessly, he held a hand up, sending a stream of power outward, releasing the villagers from his spell. He the snuggled close and tight again. "I obeyed you..." he whispered. "I don't want to be naughty anymore."

"Good. You're being very good for me now." Ikaris rubbed his hand over Druig's back, tightening his embrace around his brother.

"Watching them hurt each other and not doing anything... hurts... so much..." Druig whispered, needing Ikaris to understand.

"I know," Ikaris replied. "But turning them into little better than slaves isn't the answer."

Druig nodded wearily, sorrowfully, but didn't argue. "I want to go home," he whispered, in a small voice.

Nodding in understanding, Ikaris replaced his brother's clothing and then stood, lifting Druig into his arms, intending to fly them both out of there.

Druig wrapped his arms around Ikaris tightly, counting on his brother to fly him home.

Now that he had Druig safe and in his arms, Ikaris flew out of the hut, soaring up into the sky and flying towards their home.

The End