Work Text:
Standing in the middle of the road, he is greeted by a smashed clock tower in front of him, the building that, presumably, used to be its proper home peeking out from behind it, boarded up just like many of the other store fronts lining the street. The eerie red tint that seems to surround everything makes him shiver; giving of a sense of foreboding that no one can escape.
Without a word from any of the handful of people wandering past, Liam knows instinctively this is the Underworld. Limbo. A place for the unrest. He has to laugh at that, a small smirk turning a corner of his lips up. Acceptance washes over him at the knowledge. Not because he caught glimpses of his fate the first time the Dreamshade overtook him before Neverland’s eternal waters brought him back. No, Liam accepts his fate because he knows he’s unfinished business.
Breaking sworn promises for the pure sake of keeping his stubborn pride intact. Letting his ego and need to always be right overtake his familial bonds.
Liam knows he won’t be able to move on until his brother knows just how much guilt he already carries on his shoulders for not believing in him and leaving him alone.
He’s torn between being reunited with Killian quickly and wanting his little brother to live as full a life as he possibly can. Even at the expense of the emptiness he feels, far beyond the loneliness one would expect being in the Underworld.
---
It takes a decade of existing in the Underworld before Liam hears any solid word about his brother. Sure, whispers of a Captain Jones make their way to this realm with the various new soul, but nothing definitive; nothing Liam can hold onto. Until he meets the realm’s newest resident, a brunette lass with kind eyes and cautious smile, emitting an air of confidence and weariness.
“You must be Liam,” is her way of greeting him.
His answer is a look of confusion, lips parting with the intention of responding, except she continues before he can.
“Your eyes. You and Killian have the same eyes. Not many men are lucky enough to have such striking features.”
Liam chuckles at that, relaxing now that he knows he’s in the presence of someone who knows his brother well. “And how do you know my brother?”
“I spent the last nine years sailing on his ship, falling in love with him,” she answers in full honesty, matching smiles pulling at both their mouths. “I’m Milah. He’s told me a lot about his older brother.” Her smile falters, turning into something sad. “It would break his heart if he knew you were here.”
The two quickly dissolve into long talks about Killian, becoming fast friends in their shared love and adoration for the lieutenant-turned-pirate.
---
Liam easily accepts that his brother became a pirate after his death, that prideful side of himself pleased with how Killian took the path of revenge over his death. Despite his innate dislike towards pirates, he knows his brother and understands his reasons, and cannot find a single part of himself disappointed. Although Liam does begin to wonder and fear if his career change might bring him to an early grave.
---
Brennan shows up one day and Liam refuses to acknowledge his existence; for once his stubbornness is a blessing, and allows him to hold onto this resolve. Never once do they talk, Milah intercepting the small handful of times the older man tries to connect with his firstborn until he finally gives up.
---
Years turn into decades, and slowly into centuries before a confused Liam meets the next person who can possibly give him any real news towards his brother’s fate. Once, decades ago, he wondered if Killian might have already passed, moving on without issue, completely skipping the Underworld. A wonder that only lasted mere seconds. No, Liam knew without a doubt his brother was still alive. He can feel it, feel Killian still very much alive and living.
Surprise, and annoyance, is obvious on Liam’s features when he’s faced with the damn boy from Neverland. The infernal child he’s cursed more than once for the brothers’ change in fates.
Pan taunts him with hints of Killian’s life, of the near 300 years spent bouncing back and forth between Neverland and whatever other realms his brother found himself in. The whispers of a Captain Hook are confirmed to be of his brother, his new identity. When Liam tells the demon child he wants nothing to do with his stories, they both know the blond wants nothing more than to hear every little detail Pan has to offer but is too stubborn to admit so.
He returns to Milah, informing her of Pan’s presence in the Underworld, and the two reassure each other that, no matter what has happened to their beloved Killian, he’s still the same man underneath the layers he dons for show.
---
He meets Cora for the first time months after her appearance in the Underworld. While he believes her when she says she knew Captain Hook, he’s hesitant to believe the details she offers up so freely about him. Instincts tell him not to trust her, and he doesn’t, but he does wonder just how much truth there is to her strangely friendly offerings.
It’s also the first time he hears about that Swan girl.
---
Cruella is psychotic and refuses to stop ranting on and on about an author of sorts and the damned savior that sent her here. Once he overhears her mentioning some annoying pirate with his insufferable innuendos and disarming charm, which only makes Liam and Milah glance at one another with knowing smiles.
---
He feels it, deep in his chest, the day Killian meets his end. Something inside him shifts. A sadness fills him, knowing that his brother has finally come to the end of his story despite the lingering sense Killian wasn’t quite done yet. Yet a flicker of happiness comes to life underneath, confident that the two brothers will be reunited soon.
Milah leaves him to his search, knowing this is something he has to do on his own. Leaving him with words of encouragement and a sisterly kiss to his cheek, she goes back to the mundane non-life she’s carved for herself in the Underworld as she waits for the day her own unfinished business is resolved, and he goes off to begin his search for his brother so he may be able to move on, hopefully with Killian at his side.
No matter how hard he searches, he can’t find Killian. He knows his brother is here in the Underworld; knows it with every fiber of his being. Wherever Killian is, he’s being hidden, that much Liam is certain of. Whether Hades himself has something to do with that, he isn’t entirely sure. And has no desire to find out for certain either way.
His unsuccessful searching only lasts a day before the Underworld erupts with chatter over the group of living souls make their appearance. A warning message from Milah, stating that her ex-husband is among said group, keeps him on his toes as he listens to the other whispers that wash over the realm.
The Evil Queen.
Prince Charming and Snow White.
Emma Swan.
He doesn’t find the group until a chance encounter after they’d managed to find his brother and rescue him from whatever prison he’d been kept in.
Relief floods through him as soon as he sets eyes on Killian, and can see the disbelief that washes over his brother’s features before being replaced by guilt he has trouble holding back. Just like Milah said all those years ago.
Liam grins and ignores the obvious limp in his brother’s step as they close the distance between them and embrace in a hug so tight both men would have trouble breathing if either were still alive. Neither has any desire to separate anytime soon; a sense of fulfillment overcomes Liam now that he has his brother back, the ever constant ache in his chest finally coming to an end. He knows it won’t last, that the group surrounding them has come to take him back, but he’s okay with that. He has Killian now, and that’s all that matters to him in this moment. They separate only when the impatient shuffling around them grows.
Arms stay wrapped around each other’s shoulders, Emma taking up residence at his brother’s opposite side, hands clasped firmly together, as the group walks toward the Underworld equivalent of David and Mary Margaret’s loft.
He learns everything he possibly can about his brother and the new life he’s made for himself in the hours that follow. He eagerly soaks up the stories provided, satisfaction slowly filling every inch of Liam as each one ends. His time in the Underworld is swiftly coming to an end. He knows it, and accepts it. Only because it means he’s that much closer to settling his unfinished business, of ensuring that neither brother holds any more guilt over what transpired in Neverland.
Eventually, the living members of their little clan resign to the fact they still require sleep, and slowly slip away one by one. Emma is the last to leave, reluctant to be separated from the man she came here to rescue, but both men see the understanding shining in her eyes as she finally bids them goodnight.
“She’s quite the lass, brother.”
“Aye, she is.” Killian’s smile disappears as his attention is drawn back to Liam. “How are you not angry with me, Liam? You’ve been stuck in this damned place for three centuries because of me. In Neverland, if I hadn’t-”
A hand rises to cut him off, Liam shaking his head. “Milah told me you would react like this. Not that I doubted her.”
Eyes widen in obvious surprise. “Milah’s here? You’ve spoken with her?”
“More than just spoken.” Liam laughs at Killian’s incredulous look, head shaking once more. “Not like that, brother. We are merely friends whose bond was formed through our shared love for you. But my point is, Neverland was not your fault, Killian. You’d every right to question the validity of our king’s orders. I was the one to bloody stubborn and prideful to accept the fact I might, for once in my life, be wrong about something.” Killian’s snort elicits a playful glare from him, a corner of his lips turning up as well. “Which brings me to why I’m here.”
“Why are you here?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Aye, Killian. My unfinished business is you. I broke my promise to never leave you like our father did. My own actions led to you being left completely alone. I’ve carried that guilt with me every day since. You must understand that my fate is in no way your fault. You were the better man that day, not me. The only way I can move on is if you stop blaming yourself.”
“Move on?”
He smiles. “It is what happens once someone has dealt with their unfinished business, after all. Half of my business is done, knowing first hand that you found your way in life. You’ve found your happiness with Emma, with her family. Knowing that, I can rest easy now. But I need you to let go of your guilt. I may be dead, but the pseudo-life I made for myself here has been as good as one could hope for in the Underworld.”
“What if I don’t want to let go?” Killian’s voice is quiet, neither men commenting on the crack in it.
“You have to, brother. I love you with all my heart, but you have to let me go. You were able to move on from Milah, you have to do the same with me. You’ve a new family now. David is a good man, let him take up my mantle. I’ll always be with you, no matter what. Even if you did give Emma my ring.”
The quirk of Killian’s lips is exactly what he hopes for and he pulls his brother into another tight hug. His heart, while it no longer beats, is full, feeling Killian’s acceptance as he returns the embrace. “I love you, Liam.”
“I love you, too, little brother.”
“Younger brother.” Which isn’t entirely true any longer, but neither points it out, the familiarity too comforting.
A bright light shines in front of the two, causing them to break apart and stare, understanding washing over both of them. “You’re leaving now?”
“No need to stick around any longer.”
“What about everyone else? They’ll want to say goodbye.”
“We said our goodbyes already, Killian. They know.” Once, Liam might have made the decision to stay until morning, but there was no reason to. Not when he knows any sort of parting message he has for them is already fact; take care of Killian, give him the love and family he deserves.
The two stand and embrace once more. “Take care, Liam.”
“You as well, Killian. And don’t make me wait another 300 years to see your sorry arse again.”
With a shared laugh, the brothers break apart and Liam moves towards the light. Although he’s being separated from Killian once again, his heart doesn’t feel the separation, the loss, this time. His business finished, a lightness fills him instead as he steps into the light.