Rue's emotions was too big for his body for him to react properly. He was frozen between being endlessly excited, and overwhelmed. Both good, but terrifying when you had no outlet for them.
All he could do was stare at the dark blue haired boy acrossed from. It couldn't be real. It couldn't be.
No part in him didn't ever think they would meet again. For he knew without a doubt they would meet again. Nothing in life could separate them. Rue just never knew they would meet like this.
His sweet innocent younger brother Liam. Fen may be his heart, but Liam was his other half. His world. He couldn't even say he would be himself if there was no Liam in his life.
Liam ungently pinched Rue's cheek, a fond smile on his face. "You look like you're about to cry, Bambi."
"I am. Do you have any idea how much I missed you?" Rue mutters, rubbing his sore cheek.
Liam didn't downplay Rue's feelings. He acknowledges them like he always did. "I missed you too. Being alone must have been bad for you."
Rue nodded too choked up to respond properly. "I wasn't alone after Fen." He gestured to Fen who sat beside him.
Liam only stared at Fen who stared back. Both sizing the other up. Neither would back down. Backing down meant losing Rue to the other.
Liam suddenly smiles turning back to Rue, not before casting a smirk in Fen's direction. "Can we talk alone? I have many thing I want to tell you."
Rue didn't respond immediately like he usually would if Liam would have asked him before. Now he had Fen to consider. They hardly separated, just like how him, and Liam hardly separated before.
All eyes was upon Rue waiting for his answer with bated breath. Rue scrunched his nose at having to choose. In the end he chose his lifeline. The person he would always choose when it comes down to it.
"Fen, can you give us a moment?"
Fen smiled hiding his dark feelings behind it. He already didn't like this Liam person. Liam wasn't good company for Rue to keep in his opinion.
"It'll only be just a moment, I promise." Rue assures as Fen stood, grabbing Fen's hand before he could walk away.
Fen easily slipped out of his grasp. "I understand."
Rue watched Fen as he left out of ear shot going to an empty table that was far enough away from them, but still in sight. The moment Fen was out of ear shot Rue flicked Liam on the forehead, glaring at the smiling boy.
"Stop starting things."
Unlike Fen Liam was open with his thoughts on things concerning Rue. "I don't want him around you."
Rue glared still dissatisfied with Liam. "I know, because why else would you be starting things with him. I saw that little smile you sent his way."
Rue watched as Liam once again glance back at Fen a suggestive smile as he gestured to Rue, implying things that shouldn't be implied in their case.
"Stop starting shit with Fen. He's mine." Rue's words stopped Liam short.
"Yours?"
"Mine."
Rue watched as Liam flipped the words around in his head, dissecting them. He could see the moment Liam settled on something.
"Do you love him."
…
Rue couldn't answer that, and Liam knew he couldn't. Liam, and him worked because the only people they could love was each other.
Liam changed his question into something that would make more sense. "Does he know about you?"
Rue looked out at the window, staring at the people that past by. "No. I'm keeping it that way."
"Fair enough." Liam sipped his milkshake seemingly done with talking about Fen.
Liam's eyes softens at his older brother, his person. The person he needs like air to breathe. "I missed you more than words could say. It was hard being without you, Bambi."
"It won't happen again. From now on we'll have each other like always. I have you. Nobody else, but you." Rue promises, taking Liam's hand in his own as if that would solidify his words.
Both of them stared at each other as if there was no one else in the small coffee shop with them. Millions of things going unsaid, but never unheard. They understood each other more than they understood themselves.
The moments passes quicker than it came. "We need to stop being so cheesy." Liam jokes trying to clear the air, his voice rough from unshed tears.
"We do." Rue agrees, pulling back his hand to play in his coat pocket. "Now what's the news?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Liam moved to Rue's side of the table, his mouth touching Rue's ear.
As Liam whispered in what he wanted to say. Rue couldn't help the widening of his eyes in shock, and the way a grin took his face that he tried to suppress with his hand.
Liam pulled away looking at Rue knowingly. In response to how knowing look Rue smacked him in his arms, his voice low to stop from being overheard.
"What the fuck? I don't keep an eye on you, and you cause mayhem? How the hell did you get married? I don't approve. You're too young."
Liam rolled his eyes. "What are you my father?"
"Your father's dead. May that bastard not rest in piece." If anyone overheard Rue's words he would be considered rude, and unkind. If they spoke up about their opinions they would find shards of glass down their throats.
Liam smiled, placing his head on Rue's shoulder. "Just be glad I didn't marry your brother. You know I would have."
"He would eat you alive."
"In only the best ways."
Rue snorted, his drink coming up through his nose. He loves Liam, but sometimes he needed to shut up. He didn't want to hear about his brother, and his fantasies with him. With how freaky Liam was he sure Declan would be scarred by the fantasies Liam had of him.
Though he couldn't say much about it. He had own preferences that was different too.
Rue clean up his messed, very much done with Liam. "I'm going to class. Try not to cause trouble on the very first day."
"Bye-bye, Bambi."
"See you later, Candy. Don't forget to call me on my number. It's still the same."
Fen followed behind Rue as they left the coffee shop. Their footsteps falling in sync as they walked side by side.
"I forgot to ask him if he has somewhere to stay." Rue says absentmindedly, tapping alway on his phone.
"Is that so he could stay with us? I don't think we have room."
Rue briefly glanced up at Fen. Knowing what he was doing. They had plenty of room in their house. "I can make room, or he can sleep with me."
Fen glowers at that, annoyed at Rue's words. To him Rue needed to stop sleeping around with everyone.
"I can feel you insulting me."
"I'm not. I'm just thinking how kind you are." Fen lies, hiding his emotions away. It would be bad if Rue saw the ugliness in him.
"Thank you, but I'm far from kind."
Fen stopped Rue in his tracks. How could Rue not believe he was kind? How could he still believe that after what he did for Fen? Did he not see himself how Fen does? Fen wouldn't allow that train of thought to continue. "You're the most benevolent person I know."
Rue stared back at him, before looking away. When people stare at him it's always like they see what's hidden away. The dark parts of him that he keeps hidden away from those who wished to know him. Either to judge him, or simply to know him deeper than they ever could. Only one person knows him. Knows the darkness that he keeps away.
That's Liam.
Liam who accepts him with open arms, not once asking for him to change, or fearing him. Liam is the light, and him the darkness. Both of each other's worse halves.
"I'm not. Don't say otherwise. You don't know me as much as you think you do."
"Is this about you killing those kids?" Fen questions, curiously watching Rue's reaction.
Rue whirled on Fen so fast that Fen ended up stumbling back. It happened before Fen could even stop it.
It took awhile for Fen to even feel the sting of the hit. He couldn't get over the shock of what just happened.
Did Rue just slap him?
Rue hand aches with the slap, as it fell limply by his side. "Don't. Ever. Bring. That. Up. In. Public. Again." He emphasized each of his words.
"So I can in private?"
Rue closed his eyes to stop from choking Fen and putting his bratty ass in his place. Fen wanted a reaction. He wanted to pry. Rue wouldn't let him. He would hate to have to kill Fen for prying.
Rue didn't say nothing else, taking off running, his shoes slapping against the asphalt.
He couldn't be around Fen right now. There was only one person he could talk to right now about this. Hopefully he was still in the same spot he left them.