He was in trouble.
He had just demolished the pretty porcelain teapot sitting on the table so thoughtlessly and now his father was mad at him.
He listened to the tirade for a while, but honestly he was turning it all out. Daddy was always on a tirade.
"It was your grandma's."
Those words made him pay suddenly much more attention. His father was no longer spouting loud words. He was serious, stern. "Your mother brought it with her all this way."
For the first time in forever, Igneel Dragneel was SAD that he was in trouble.
Because Mommy was going to be sad.
He teared up, wiping them away with a grubby fist. "Will Mommy cry?"
His father sighed. "I don't know, squirt. But you need to apologize to her, understand?" Igneel's heart quailed. He hated apologizing, even to his little sisters for breaking their toys, but this time Mommy was going to be sad because he broke Grandma's teapot.
His father led him down to the kitchen, where Mommy was busy feeding baby Layla and watching toddler Nashi eat with a spoon and one hand. "Hi honey. Igneel's got something to say to you."
His mother looked up and smiled at him. "What is it, Iggy?" She frowned when she saw him hiccup and wipe his eyes. "Aw, don't cry. Have you hurt yourself?"
"I-I broke something." Igneel sniffed. He trembled, but his father put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Grandma's t-teapot…"
His mother froze, staring at him. "The one with the gold paint and the red roses?" Igneel nodded. His mother leaned over and hugged him. "Oh, sweetie, that wasn't Grandma's teapot."
"It wasn't?" His father squawked. "No it wasn't! It was the teapot you won at the carnival at our honeymoon, remember?" His mother shook a finger at him. "My mother's teapot is in our room. And it's ceramic, not as nice as porcelain."
"Oh. Oops." His father laughed sheepishly. "Sorry buddy. Looks like you broke the guest teapot."
Igneel tilted his head to one side. "But why is the nicer one downstairs and not in your room?" His mother shifted in her seat, smiling guiltily. "I wanted to show off a bit. Guess I paid for it, huh?"
"Gaa!" Layla agreed, speaking through a mouthful of baby food in her mouth. Igneel smiled at his littlest sister. "Gaa is right!"
Nashi threw an animal cracker at him. "Gaa is not word!" She said indignantly. "Teach baby real word!"
Igneel threw the cracker back at her. "We are! You're not helping, that's all!" Nashi shrieked in indignation, and threw the entire bowl at him, but missed and hit her father instead.
"Are you attacking your daddy, now Nashi?" Daddy looked wounded, and sooped her into his arms. "Daddy's gonna get back at you!" He tipped the cup of juice she was clutching and it splashed on Mommy.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, NATSU?!" Mommy screeched, jumping up with Layla still attached to her.
YOU'RE GONNA PAY, DRAGNEEL!"
"Mommy's mad, Daddy!" Igneel called, ducking under the table. "Let's run!"
Mommy was beating his father with a little kid spoon now, calling him names and protesting as he yanked playfully at her hair. Igneel laughed, hiding under the table with Nashi.
But this was the type of mad he preferred to see Mommy be.
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