darker_london | Just call him Dorothy (Julian, Joe)

Julian had spent almost the entire ride back to Bristol, staring out the window, feeling very strange. He had no way of remembering the trip to London in the helicopter. He'd been unconscious and very sick still. All he knew is that he'd awoken, strapped to a bed, in agony. Now, there was no agony to be felt. It had been replaced, however, by anticipation, anxiety and a dull ache that was not constant, but it let itself be known from time to time. Julian was going to ache for the drugs he had lost himself to forever, now that he had been found. But the ache for his life? That was a trade he was okay with making.

Returning to the house he'd spent almost his entire life in, was terribly surreal. The last time he'd been here, was the night he'd run away. Well that wasn't true, he'd been there the night he'd overdoesed and been rushed to hospital as well, but he hadn't gone inside. He'd threatened his father on the stoop and then run off into the night. Walking inside the house again made him feel terribly small, even though the house felt smaller somehow as well. Sure it didn't make sense, but it made more sense than the hallucinations his mind had come up with while high... "I'm uhm...just going to put my things in my room, okay?" Julian smiled at his parents, who nodded. Julian took the stairs two by two and he entered his bedroom.

God, it was weird. He was surrounded by all his things, but they didn't feel like they were his anymore. His clothes, his books...his electric guitar (which he was overjoyed to see) none of it belonged to him. It belonged to the old Julian who didn't really exist anymore, though there were definite shades of him in the new Julian. He rested his bag on the bed, and then he sighed, staring out the window at the view which hadn't changed in seventeen years. Only the viewer had changed.

"Hey." Joe was leaning in the doorway, watching Julian just staring and that made him a little nervous. He had been very quiet the whole way home, and he didn't want Julian to feel like he had to be okay right away. Not at all. "What are you looking at?"

"Backyard." Julian said, pointing. "It's the same."

"Only it's in need of a good weeding." Joe said, stepping forward to stand beside his son. "Clearing out of the old things to allow new things to grow."

"You're being metaphorical again, Dad." Julian chuckled and he looked sideways at his father. "But I think you're on to something there. Only...this kind of uhm...weeding...I don't think it should be done alone."

"No. For the garden is dangerous." Joe nodded wisely.

"And you're a big, scary lumberjack." Julian grinned.

"You'll never be alone in this, Julian. But if the words, 'Daddy, weed my garden' come out of your mouth, you're grounded for life. Just a warning."

"Hah!" Julian finally turned away from the window and he faced his father completely. "Can I say them in front of mum to freak her out!?"

"Well, alright. That is acceptable practise in my book." Joe nodded. Freaking Jordan out was fun. Even when she got screechy. "Are you feeling okay then? About being back?"

"It's...different." That was all Julian could really say about it. It was different. "But I'm not going anywhere. So you don't need to put bars on the windows."

"Cancel the jailer. Check. He was coming by to take measurements. He'll be glad it's unnecessary because he lost his good measuring tape." Joe reached out and he pulled his son into a hug, kissing the top of his head, completely unashamedly.

"Dad. Do you want me to help you find your measuring tape?" Julian asked, looking up at his father who gave a sharp laugh.

"Some other time. Let's have dinner first, alright? And maybe a movie afterwards?"

Julian's lips slowly spread into a smile. Dinner and a movie and his father making strange jokes, all the while being so wise and strong beneath his whimsical facade... Maybe some things didn't have to change just because Julian had. And that was plenty alright with him.