Fanfiction Archive

“Hey kid, nice to see ya up and breathing.”

Strolling into the seedy Madripoor bar, Sabretooth clapped Daken on the back in his own approximation of a friendly gesture.

Daken, who was sitting half-slumped over the bar,  looked back over his shoulder up at him.“Tch, thanks. Gonna tell me what we’re doing here, old man?”

Sabretooth grinned and sat down next to him.

“Told ya I’d buy you a drink if he killed you, didn’t I?” He gestured for the bartender, and in short order there were a couple large, potent drinks in front of the two of them.

Daken looked at him incredulously as he picked up his drink

“Yeah, and I assumed you were making a joke at my expense. You know, on account of how most people don’t get to go out drinking after they’re dead.”

Sabretooth, still grinning, shook his head, and raised his own glass to the younger man. “Yeah, well, tell that to your pappy. Me and him put each other in the ground a few times now already. Welcome to the come-back club.”

Daken snorted, and raised his glass in return with a shrug. “Thanks I guess.”

The two men men were silent for a long moment as they drained their glasses.

Daken set his empty down on the bar with a thump.

“Man… what the hell was even the point?”

“The point?” Sabretooth cocked his head.

Daken snapped up to glower at him.

“Yeah! The point! It’s pretty fucking clear you knew I’d come back. Hell, were you banking on him coming back too? If you ever even believed that I could do it.”

He set his glass down and held up his hands. “Whoa, take it easy, kiddo. If anybody had a shot it was you. And I wanted to help you take that shot.”

“Yeah? Why? Just to use me as some fucking fodder to jerk Wolverine’s chain around?”

“Partly,” Sabretooth shrugged. “But also, because you deserved it. You deserved to get a shot at whatever you’d feel if you managed to put the runt in the ground. Triumph. Relief. Regret.”

“Well, I failed,” Daken snapped. “And I didn’t get shit.”

“Wouldn’t say that.” Sabretooth tapped the bar, ordering them both another round. “I’d say maybe what you got was better.”

“Don’t bullshit me, cat man,” Daken growled.

“I ain’t bullshitting,” Sabretooth growled back. He turned and pointed a clawed finger at Daken. “You did something bigger than killin’ him, boyo. You reminded him that for all he condemns you, all the evil he sees in you. He’s worse.”

Daken glared at him questioningly, brow furrowed.

Sabretooh grabbed the fresh drink as the bartender slid it to him, and raised it in a cheers. “Ol’ Logan– he wasn’t man enough to love his son; but he sure was monster enough to kill him. Pretty funny, ain’t it?”

Daken sat with that thought for a long moment, before he grabbed his new glass with a sigh. “Yeah. Hilarious.”

“You’ll appreciate it later,” Sabretooth promised. “Can thank me later too. After all, we both got plenty of time, eh?”

“Yeah, I guess we fucking do.”

Sabretooth patted him on the back again, a little less roughly this time. “You want a hug, kid?”

Daken stared at him even more incredulously this time.

“Don’t fuck with me, old man.”

Sabretooth smirked at him. “Maybe later.”

Daken drained his second drink.

“Ugh. Buy me another fucking round, bastard.” Murmuring over his empty cup, he added, almost inaudibly, “Maybe later.”

Sabretooth grinned, and kept the drinks coming.