A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read "Little Brother" and leave me feedback (even you Krusty)! I really appreciate it. I thought I would write a brief snippet of what came next for the Jones boys as a thank you.
Several days had passed since The Sovereign had put out to sea, and Liam had hardly seen his brother. They'd been placed on opposite watches, and Killian was assigned to another Lieutenant learning the specifics of how a warship operated. Liam was busy with his own company of midshipmen and seamen, and hadn't really had time to check in on Killian until now.
He tread softly along the humid and darkened gun deck where the midshipmen of the first watch were berthed, their hammocks swaying with the movement of the ship. He didn't want to wake them, nor be seen himself away from his post. Once his eyes adjusted to the dim, almost non-existent lighting, Liam finally spotted Killian's mop of dark hair, aft of the others. When he got closer, he could hear his brother's soft snore he would fall asleep to when they were younger and sharing a room. For a brief moment, he felt homesick.
As he got closer, Liam saw Killian's navigation log lay splayed atop his chest, and in an amazing feat of balance, one bare-footed, breech-clad leg dangled over the edge of the hammock. Seemed some habits were unbroken even at sea.
Liam reached down and shook Killian's shoulder, bracing himself against the boy's side so that when he woke up, he wouldn't flip out of the hammock onto the floor. At first, Killian didn't move, but when Liam whispered in his ear to wake up, Killian's eyes snapped open, his notebook slid into his lap, and he began reaching for his coat that hung on a hook over his head.
"Sorry, Lieutenant, didn't mean to oversleep," he said drowsily.
Liam smiled at Killian calling him "Lieutenant" without being teased first. He placed his hand on Killian's shoulder and whispered, "Shhh… You needn't get up. It's only me, brother."
Blinking rapidly, Killian tried to focus on Liam. His whispered response was panicked and harsh. "Bloody hell, Liam! What're you doing here? Are we in trouble?"
Liam shook his head. "No, no. Nothing like that. I wanted to check on you is all."
Killian took a deep breath, and carefully readjusted his position in the hammock, tucking his navigation log and a pencil stub that had rolled under his hip, into the pocket of his jacket.
"I'm fine, but you are going to get the lash if you don't get back to your post," Killian warned Liam, his eyebrows pinched together in concern.
"No one is going to miss me for a few more minutes, little brother. Don't worry. Are you eating enough?"
"Aye, but the meat's a bit tough, and the bread is dry."
"It gets worse."
"Wonderful."
Liam knelt down to save his back from aching. He still had a couple of hours or so left of his own duties. "No one is mistreating you, are they?" he asked, keeping his voice low to be sure none of the other midshipmen would hear.
Killian shrugged. "A few of the lads tried," he said, holding up his blouse to show bruises along his ribs. "I didn't let them get away with it," he finished and nodded toward a couple of the boys in hammocks ahead of him.
Standing up to glance at them, Liam could see one had a cut on his cheek, and the other a split lip. He knelt back down.
"While I'm glad to see you standing up for yourself, brother, I'm obliged to remind you be careful or you'll find yourself on another ship, or facing the lash yourself."
Killian sighed. "I know, Liam. It won't happen again. You have my word. I will be a model sailor, as I promised."
"Good," Liam said, patting Killian's arm. "Lieutenant Franklin tells me you are the best navigator of the lot," he said, his pride evident.
Killian smiled. "I am, but that's not hard with my company. They have no experience."
"Still, keep up the good work. A crack navigator can mean all the difference to a successful mission. No one likes to be lost," Liam said.
Killian nodded then yawned deeply.
"What time is it, brother?"
"Sometime after three bells. Perhaps close to four?"
"Bloody hell, I've got to be up at five bells," Killian groaned as his head dropped back into the curve of the hammock. "Feels like I just fell asleep."
"I get it. I'll leave. I just needed to make sure you were all right."
Killian reached out and tugged his brother's sleeve like he used to do when he was a small boy. "I am, brother. Don't worry so much. I'll be fine. Always am."
Liam smiled tightly at his brother and shook his head. He wasn't sure he'd ever stop worrying or wanting to keep Killian close. They were all they had left in this world, and after the heartache of the last month, Liam finally understood that they could not be together forever. It wasn't the way of the Navy, nor was it the way of life. But he would hold on as long as he could, and hope the King was serious when he said he would send the brothers on missions together.
He ruffled Killian's hair, earning him an eyeroll, and said, "Aye, little brother, that you are."
