Re: [Diner: Aleksi, Hannah, Si]
If you broke it down to actual biology, to genetics, Si and the Amy sitting beside him hadn't actually shared a womb. It got complicated sometimes, in Si's head, where he tended to overthink things. Was it a disservice to his sister? The one he loved and the one he felt die, neck snapping in a crack so fucking far away? He hadn't forgotten her. But, in a way, her memory had merged with the Amy beside him. Hannah. Who had Amy's memories, her personality, but was her own person in a hundred other ways. He couldn't pull it all apart. He'd stopped trying, most of the time. But, Rabbit—Aleksi—was right, in that they fit together like puzzle pieces. They hadn't shared a womb, but there was this deep, indelible connection between them that led to a comfort and familiarity Si had with no one else. Beside her, arm draped over the back of the booth, waving the menu in her face, Si wouldn't have been able to tell you she wasn't Amy. They had no past, but the history was there.
Si, who hadn't thought anything about the handshake and making sure it was light or crushing, gave Aleksi a smile, crooked upward and wry. "Nice to meet you, Aleksi," he said as he lifted his eyebrows to look over at Amy. A "hey," was interjected when she said he wasn't good at advice, but it was good-natured and easy. He tipped his head to his other shoulder. "No, she's right." Dryly, he added: "Teamwork."—Si lifted his head to look at the waitress. His arm was still around Amy and he cinched it, after she gave her order, so he could read the menu, playing the part of annoying brother well. "Pancakes. Sausage. And lots of syrup." He let his sister go and looked back at the waitress. "And a coffee."
Amy was already going into her spiel, and Si took another deep breath and tried to focus enough to listen. He glanced a handful of times at Aleksi, just taking him in, but, I promise, Amy, he really was listening. Brows knitting together, Si frowned as he thought about it. "If she doesn't say it, no." That seemed obvious to Si. He dropped the menu on the table and let his arm loop loosely over Amy's shoulder. With his free hand, he moved a lost sugar packet around with an index finger, leaving a sticky trail the smudged tabletop. He didn't say anything more, in case Aleksi had some input.