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liam wilhelmina knows he’ll never replace jet.
he knows he will never, ever be able to replace her. he knows that jet and ruby’s bond is something he can never break, something he can never achieve with ruby. they are twins, after all. bonded since birth. never one without the other.
her death is brutal on him too. he tells ruby he cries for preston, but he’s crying for jet too. he’s crying for the loss of someone he considers a sister. jet and ruby make fun of him, yes. he’s too soft. he leaves theo notes about where he’s going— and usually, where the girls are going to. but under the teasing, he hopes she loves him as a brother. liam doesn’t have as strong as a bond with his biological siblings. most are cruel to him. but jet and ruby are kinder, in their own way, he supposes.
so he cries with the rocks family at the top of the hill.
he cries for jet on his own too. he cries late at night when he hopes nobody can hear. war guys don’t show the emotions motivating them. jet’s death is rough. it shows him even more how hard life can be. preston and lapin’s dearh introduces the concept, jet’s death strengthens it.
ruby teaches him twinspeak. they can use it sometimes, she says, to pass messages. he’s amazed by the concept, but he doesn’t use it for a long time.
night has long fallen when he tries it for the first time.
ruby?
liam. it sounds like relief in her voice. her voice is echoing in his head. it sounds like ruby.
i can’t sleep.
neither can i.
liam pauses. then he tries again.
ruby?
yes, liam?
i miss her.
silence for a moment. liam wipes tears off his cheeks.
i do too.
i wasn’t crying for preston. well, i was, but not entirely.
i know, liam.
i’m sorry i couldn’t do more.
i can’t wait to kill ciabatta.
me too, ruby. me fucking too.
the next morning, they go about business as normal. like nothing happened. he and ruby share this understanding. ciabatta is dead. they’ll stop at nothing for jet. she deserves it.
it’s the least they can do.
after the war, liam sends her messages through twinspeak sometimes. she sometimes messages back. and at inconvenient times, she’ll message too.
liam’s resting with primsy under a tree, reading her a book about flowers and seeds. his favorite topic in the world. ruby reaches out, startling him from his peaceful bliss.
where are you?
“in the garden,” liam responds aloud, and primsy furrows her eyebrows. he realizes, and with a blush, responds again in his head.
in the garden with primsy.
do you want to go on an adventure?
liam cracks a smile. primsy tilts her head, her head is resting on liam’s leg, studying the book of botany in his hands. his fingers are running across the pages while he thinks, tracing the shape of the flowers’ petals.
can it wait?
he meets ruby after his date with primsy, peppermint skin stained pink from goodbye kisses and promises of next time. ruby has her bow across her back, but she is not suited for battle.
“i want to try something,” she grabs his arm and drags him into the surrounding forest. targets are set up across the wood, some hidden, some obvious.
“are we playing a game?” liam raises an eyebrow, taking his crossbow out. ruby smiles and looks at him.
“jet and i used to do this,” her voice is melancholic, “practice fighting. back before the war.” she pulls an arrow and fires at the closest target. dead center. “i thought we could try.”
they take down every target. they collect their arrows, peppermint arrows mixed amongst ruby’s for the first time. they walk back to the castle in relative silence, liam spreading seeds as he goes.
he’s not a seed or a war guy anymore. he’s a guy who wants to spread seeds, but can be a war guy when it’s needed. he has a girlfriend, and he supposes, he has a sister now too. one who cares enough for him to use twinspeak, something she used only with her sister since birth, until she passed and they had to avenge her somehow.
hey ruby?
yeah?
thank you.
for what?
for treating me like a brother.