Who: Liam and Ruby What: Liam’s Arrival When: April 2 Where: Street, then Ruby’s Apartment Rating: low
The weather was finally getting nicer and for that Ruby was appreciative. She was out in just a light jacket as she was walking through the streets trying to decide what she wanted to do for dinner. Life was quieter here in Madison and Ruby was pretty okay with that. Sometimes she felt guilty for being here - the survivor’s guilt was real - but overall she tried to live ‘in the moment’ because she knew from all her friends who had come and gone over the years that life here could be fleeting. She had no real idea what was awaiting her when she returned home except she knew it wasn’t good - it would never be good.
She paused outside the Cajun place, trying to decide if that would be dinner tonight.
–
Liam was frantic. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t admit to himself that he’d actually seen his brother die. His brother. They didn’t get along all the time, but they were family, and in this world that was important. And Cole was dead. Very dead. And he didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing with himself. He’d talked to HQ, but they didn’t seem to know much either and he was seriously going to hyperventilate if he didn’t get control of himself and soon. He leaned over and put his hands on his knees, trying to concentrate on his breathing. Just that.
He was so messed up in his own mind that he didn’t even notice for a few moments when the scenery around him changed. It was actually the smell of cooking food that attracted his attention - he hadn’t smelled anything that good in literal years and they were almost always hungry anymore.
He looked up and saw a Cajun restaurant, and standing outside…
He blinked.
“Ruby?”
***
It was the accent and the way the voice said her name that took her breath away even before she turned and saw Liam. She hadn’t heard that voice in so long. Cole had a similar accent, sure, but he didn’t say her name the same way Liam did and even then, Cole had been gone for a long while too.
Turning on the spot felt like slow motion and it was like her eyes had to work extra hard to focus on the details of Liam standing there in front of her. In front of her and alive. After a moment, she unfroze enough that her eyes roamed him briefly as if looking for hints of how old he was and when he might be from, but all she could tell was he was confused and upset and something bad had probably happened - that didn’t really narrow things down for her, not for them.
“Liam?” His name was a whisper like she was worried saying his name too loud would break a spell. His name seemed to give her permission to actually move, though, and she ran over to him. She didn’t say anything else except embrace him in a very tight embrace that took her own breath away because the moment she hugged him she felt his warmth and how solid and real he was.
And then suddenly reality kicked in about what had happened back home for her and her face that was buried in his neck pressed in further. Maybe they could just never move from this exact moment and deal with any of it.
–
Liam almost automatically wrapped his arms around her. They belonged there, holding her close. He breathed in the smell of her; so familiar and so very precious to him. For a moment, his heart dared to flutter before reality brought it back down to grief.
“He’s dead, Ruby. He’s dead. Cole. They killed him.”
He still wasn’t making sense of where they were or what was going on, his emotions were still too electric to allow him to do much other than wallow in them.
“How are you here?”
And then finally…
“Where is here?”
***
Her hands which were wrapped around his back curled into his shirt at the mention of Cole. So he knew then. The memory of seeing those images came flooding back and the panic of whether they were Cole or Liam came back too. There had been relief, of course, that the body had been Cole’s, but only the smallest of relief since she had known and liked Cole and she also knew what Cole meant for Liam.
“I know… I’m sorry.” She said it barely above a whisper, her voice hoarse as she clung to him. Maybe a part of her hoped there’d be another reality where both of them would have survived.
Finally when the question came, Ruby took a breath to try and concentrate so she could properly answer. “Um. This is - it’s not home. You somehow ended up in another reality which I know sounds impossible, but it’s true. It’s so different here. No camps. Peaceful.” Well, more or less, but Ruby could explain the other parts later.
–
“No camps,” he said slowly, his accent broader than usual - which it tended to be when he was upset. “And food.” He couldn’t help but smell it. He’d been hungry since he turned ten, basically, with only a few times here and there he’d had enough to eat.
He didn’t want to let go of her, not even a little, but after a moment he forced himself to, because he had to look around him. He had to see this place, prove to himself that the Skip Tracers and PSFs weren’t after them. They were, after all, out in the open, and he could even hear other voices nearby. Adult voices that seemed to be coming out of the nearby restaurant. And, after a moment, another adult who came towards him, carrying a phone and a key and other various paperwork.
He took a step back, holding out a hand in defense, if they got too close.
“Ruby? Who are they?” He turned his attention back to the adult who was clearly heading towards him. “Back off.”
***
She swore inwardly, but she took a step so she was in front, but to the side of Liam so Liam could still see the adults and have a clear ‘shot’ at them. Even if putting them in danger was probably technically wrong, Ruby wasn’t about to make Liam feel like he had no control over the situation.
“They’re from the Welcome Committee. It’s okay.” But instead of letting them get too close, she put up a hand and told them to stop and explain from a good enough distance. They did their whole spiel and Ruby went to grab Liam’s things from them before they turned and left with a little more hurriedness to their step then they arrived. As Ruby closed the distance again, she exhaled with an apologetic look. “It’s going to… take some time to get used to so many people.” Both adults and kids, but the adults were the hardest. She still had trouble looking some of the more authoritative ones in the eyes, but being here for three years had helped Ruby learn how to be more ‘normal’.
“...My apartment is close by, if you want to get off the street. I have food and I can probably try to explain better.” Ruby scolded herself for even thinking about kissing him at that very moment. Liam had other things to worry about and her mind was going in all the wrong directions.
–
Liam calmed down a bit when the men left, dropping his hand back to his side and turning his attention back to Ruby. But every time a car went by, or he saw pedestrians on the street…pretty much any time he saw people around him, he tensed noticeably. He wasn’t used to this. He wasn’t used to this many people, or this much…movement. This town was alive, like he remembered them being when he was just a kid, and he was absolutely not used to that anymore.
He nodded at Ruby’s words, still scanning the world around him. He grabbed her hand, needing the support, and gave her a small half smile.
“That sounds good, darlin’. Your place.”
***
She let out a long breath. “God it’s been so long since I’ve heard you say that.” And it felt good to hear him call her that again even if she felt a little guilty for missing it that much. She squeezed his hand tightly and started to lead them to the apartments. She explained on the way that they were in Indiana and that IAAN didn’t exist here except for the two of them. In the elevator she explained how there were mutants here and people who were witches and werewolves and others who were used to being ‘different’.
Opening the door, the apartment was neat and big considering Cole used to live here too. In fact, if Liam looked around enough he’d see photos of his brother - photos she forgot were out. She hadn’t gotten to Cole yet not because she was avoiding it or anything, but because she wanted him somewhere safe first with some sort of basic understanding of this place.
“It… took a while for me to get used to it here… so don’t feel like you need to get used to it quickly.” He might, though. Cole had adapted quickly.
–
He listened closely to her words, his face an open book as he reacted to the things she told him. He was glad IAAN wasn’t a thing here, even though it was weird to see all the kids as they walked back to her place. There were so very, very few of them left back home. It kind of sucked the soul out of a place. Hearing about all the different people was also strange. Werewolves, mutants and the like were all just legends back home, stories their parents had told them in the days Before. He remembered being a werewolf once for Halloween, after his mom and Harry had gotten together.
When they reached her apartment, his eyes widened as he looked around in surprise. It was huge. Bigger than anything they’d been used to back home. And it was clean and comfortable and…
His heart skipped a beat as he saw a picture in a frame by the sofa.
“Is…is that Cole?”
***
She took a breath and nodded, her hands clasping in front of her as she stood there and let him explore. “Um, yeah… he was here for a while. He even, um.. Dated someone? He was happy…” She wasn’t sure if that would make things better or worse, but it was the truth. “At the time I was under eighteen so he had to be my guardian, actually…” Thankfully it was just in writing since Cole knew she was plenty capable of taking care of herself.
She shifted her weight from side to side, wondering how he was processing everything. It had to be… a lot.
–
Tears came to Liam’s eyes, he couldn’t help it. He sucked at hiding his emotions anyway, and having just come from seeing his brother horribly killed…well, it was just too much to handle. He blinked his eyes furiously, but the tears just streamed down his cheeks.
“I’m glad…I’m glad he had some time here. To be happy.”
His heart ached so badly. Even though he and his brother had a volatile relationship, he still loved him deeply.
Then, almost suddenly, he reached out for her, pulling her into a hug, his whole body trembling as he embraced her.
***
She hugged him back feeling guilty again, but hoping she could give him some sort of comfort in hugging him. Ruby took some comfort in Cole’s disappearance here by reminding her that he was able to live his life here for a while. It wasn’t enough and not nearly as much as he deserved, but it was something.
She closed her eyes as she held him tight. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”
**
Liam forced his tears to stop as soon as he could, wiping them away.
“It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. We weren’t even supposed to go in there, but he had to see, because…you know why. Because they were like him.”
It was still hard for Liam to accept that his brother had been a Red, but he’d seen it with his own eyes. He wish he’d known sooner, but he knew that some of the people with the more dangerous psi abilities liked to try to hide them more. Like Ruby. Like Cole. It was like it somehow made them a bad person, which was utterly ridiculous.
“At least you’re here,” he said. He really didn’t know what he’d do if she wasn’t.
–
Somehow it felt like it was her fault. It usually was, if they were being honest. Somehow it always came down to her and in Ruby’s heart she’d always believe that was true. She knew better than to voice that to Liam though, especially right now, so she just nodded and held him close until he chose to untangle them.
“Every day I’ve spent wishing you were here… I felt guilty I got to be here when everyone else wasn’t…. So I’m glad you’re here now. You deserve this place.” He did way more than her, anyway.
–
“Everyone back home deserves this place. Zu, Chubs, Vida, everyone. Except maybe - “ He stopped before the name ‘Clancy’ passed his lips because god knew that guy didn’t deserve anything except maybe a bullet in the head. But he didn’t want to talk about that right now. He was here, away from all that, in a seemingly amazing place with Ruby at his side. He squeezed her tight for a moment longer before letting go, but not really moving away in any sense of the word.
“I want to know more. About this place. About what you’ve done here. But can we get something to eat? I’m starving.”
***
Ruby knew exactly who he meant and she tensed just a little before forcing herself to relax again. Clancy wasn’t here and he couldn’t hurt anyone. Thankfully Liam brought up food and Ruby laughed a little before nodding. “That I can do.”
Her fridge was full of food. “I can order pizza or Chinese if you miss it and while we wait I have some other stuff.” She mostly kept fresh fruit and vegetables on stock, but there were always Twinkies in her cupboard as if she were expecting Zu any moment. “Just make sure to pace yourself… I learned the hard way what happens if you over eat after not eating a lot for a long time. It’s not fun.” Or pretty.
–
Liam definitely believed her on that, but he didn’t know if it was going to change his actions. When was the last time he’d had fresh food? Fresh fruit? Anything that didn’t come out of an old, dented can?
“I’ll try,” he said, and he would, but he was pretty convinced he’d fail. And it might even go worth it.
“Maybe you can go to Walmart with me sometime? I…started to go, but I hadn’t even gotten through the door yet and it was just too much.” The memories of Walmart combined with the unbelievable amount of stuff he was seeing people happily and peacefully carry out…it just made his head hurt.
***
She nodded. “Yeah, of course… and I know I’m probably saying this without you hearing it, but you don’t have to do everything at once, right? Like, you don’t have to push yourself? If you’re here, then you have time.” That wasn’t technically true since he could disappear at any moment and Ruby had to work hard to fend off the fear that bubbled up inside her at the thought of that. She only just got Liam and she knew how quickly he could be taken away, but she had to tell herself he’d be here for a while.
–
To Liam, it did feel like he had to hurry up and do everything all at once. He had to experience everything he’d never had a chance to, not just for him but for all the people that weren’t here, and for all the people they’d lost. And who knew when he could be sucked away, back to whatever awaited them in their broken world?
“Well, I kind of think there’s way too much to do to do it all at once,” he laughed. “But I’d kind of like to get started. Fresh fruit and vegetables. I miss them the most, I think.”
***
“Then I know just want to make.” A salad and some sort of charcuterie board of fruits and vegetables. She’d throw in what cheese she had but he didn’t have a lot of deli meat or fancy breads for a true charcuterie board. Somehow she didn’t think Liam would care. She also decided she’d let Liam have full range of the board without her picking at anything until it seemed like he had tried everything.
“... Do you want to stay here?” She looked up as she finished placing the last strawberries in place, the ‘board’ done for him. Ruby then added quickly, “ - You don’t have to. There’s just, there’s two bedrooms here already. But if you want space I get that too.”
–
“You mean space like my own apartment?” He grimaced a little. He wasn’t used to being alone like that. He couldn’t remember being alone like that. It was sure to be quiet and lonely, and it would have been a perfect way for all his demons to find him.
“I mean, if there are two bedrooms here and you don’t mind?”
He grabbed a strawberry and popped it in his mouth, almost nonchalantly, but when the explosion of flavor hit him, his face brightened.
“Holy cow, I didn’t know that’s what strawberries tasted like.”
***
There was a part of Ruby that wanted to suggest they really only needed one bedroom, but the thought made her cheeks start to burn so she refocused on something else so she wouldn’t full-on blush for no reason. Instead she nodded. “I don’t mind. It’d be nice to have someone here again.
She smiled at his reaction. Had that been hers? Probably. It felt like ages ago now. “Good, right? They’re one of my favourite. There’s this cake - Strawberry Shortcake. It’s my favourite dessert.” The sponge cake reminded her of Zu as well, though she didn’t say that. “I learned how to make it last year. It’s one of the only things I’m good at making. Everything else I’m just okay at.” She knew how to cook - had to, to survive - but she hadn’t yet mastered how to make things truly delicious like the dishes at restaurants.
–
“I don’t know exactly what that is, but it sounds delicious.” Especially if it had these strawberries in it. And everything made fresh was delicious, and would be to him for a long time now.
“We could learn to make new things, I guess? I mean, I’ve never been much of a cook but there’s no reason we can’t learn. Now that we actually have like…real food to work with now.”
It sounded kind of fun, actually.
***
She smiled. His excitement was infectious. “We could take cooking classes, if you want.” Ruby wasn’t the sort to do that kind of thing before, but with Liam she could see herself doing that kind of thing - he’d make it fun. “We can do lots of things, I promise.”
–
“Is that a thing?” It sounded like school, but fun at the same time, and he was definitely for it. “Let’s do it. Everything. All of the things we can’t go back home.”
And with that, he was decided, and grabbed another strawberry. He was determined to make the most of his time here.