Chapter 5
Julian was in his old house again. Why, he didn’t know. He stepped forward, his surroundings wavering around him. His legs had a mind of their own. They wouldn’t listen to his brain, and they carried him up, up, up, in front of his parents room. No, no, NO. Julian tried to struggle, but his hand reached out towards the doorknob, which was colored red, for some reason. The last time he had been here it had been brown…
He turned the doorknob, and stepped forward, freezing. Paralyzed, he couldn’t move. There was his father. He tried to scream, but couldn’t. His father… With his black hair, and hazel eyes, smirked at him, and Julian’s mother turned around from the corner. She was covered in blood, and her wrists were chained together. There was tape over her mouth, and she gave her son a lifeless stare. Julian still couldn’t move, as he father crept towards him.
“Julian… You’ve been a very bad boy…. And you know what I do to bad boys…” He was eight-years-old again, and his mother vanished, as his father raised his fists in his direction. And he still could not move, as his surroundings swirled once more, and suddenly he was inside of the old wardrobe his father owned. His mother was clutching him tightly, and she had a hand around his mouth, as they both peeked through the crack in the door. Julian remembered this. Praying, wishing, desperately that his father wouldn’t find them. And then, his father entered the room, and staggered towards the wardrobe. He was almost there -
Julian awoke abruptly, tears running down his face. He sat up in bed, taking a few shaky breaths, before glancing at his alarm clock. 2:40 am, great. Julian briefly considered just rolling over, and trying to go back to sleep, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to dream again. So instead, he slipped out of bed on shaky legs, grabbing his red blanket and tossing it over his shoulders, one feeling of security, as he left the room. Julian made his way to the kitchen, turning the lights on, and pouring himself a glass of tap-water. He stood there, for a few minutes, pulling his blanket tighter around his shoulders, as he took a few sips from the glass he was holding with trembling hands.
The door to Alexander’s room opened, and Alexander walked out, still clad in blue pajamas, and rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. He paused, noticing Julian, and giving him an alarmed look. Alexander made his way over, gently feeling Julian’s forehead, and frowning,
“Julian, what’s the matter? I heard you leave the room. Are you sick?” Alexander asked, Julian shaking his head, and brushing Alexander’s hand away,
“I’m fine,” He whispered, sitting up on the counter, Alexander crossing his arms, while Julian stifled a yawn,
“Julian, I know something’s wrong. Make this easier for the both of us and tell me,” Alexander said, Julian sighing, and leaning his head back against the wall, his trembling hands dropping the glass of water onto the counter, and then the floor, shattering it. Julian gasped, and tears pricked in his eyes, as he clutched his now bleeding hand, as some of the glass had been caught in it, and gave Alexander a mournful look,
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He exclaimed, attempting to hop down from the counter, Alexander pushing him back, not wanting him to land in the glass, “I’ll clean it up, I promise!” Alexander sighed, and lifted Julian up, setting his tiny friend down on the opposite side of the glass, so that he wouldn’t get any cuts on his feet,
“It’s alright Juli, It’s fine,” He murmured, frowning at the glass. Julian glanced nervously at Henry’s door,
“Do you think that woke him?” He asked, Alexander shaking his head and chuckling,
“That boy could sleep through an earthquake and then some,” He replied, Mouse the cat walking around the corner, giving her owners a small meow, and the glass a curious look. Alexander picked her up, shoving her into Julian’s arms,
“Here, cuddle Mouse, I’ll clean up the glass,” Alexander left the kitchen, probably to go find shoes, a broom, and a broom pan, and Julian buried his face in Mouse’s brown fur, Mouse giving him a few loud purrs in response. Once Alexander had cleaned up the glass, Julian let her down, and she bolted away with a chittering sound. Alexander gently lifted up Julian’s bleeding hand, frowning,
“Go bandage this, and use antibiotic ointment. If there’s still a shard left in it, call me,” He ordered, Julian doing as he said, before coming back into the room. They were both silent, for a second, Alexander’s brown eyes meeting Julian’s blue, and Julian sighing,
“I… Uh, had a bad dream,” He admitted, shifting nervously from foot-to-foot. Alexander nodded,
“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, Julian shaking his head. Alexander, of course, understood, “Alright,” He thought, for a moment, “Would you like to come sleep in my bed, for the rest of the night?” Julian blinked at him, hesitant, despite wanting nothing more than to snuggle into bed with his older brother,
“... Are you sure?” He enquired. He already felt himself enough of a burden to Alexander, though Alexander always assured him that wasn’t true. Alexander gave him a warm smile,
“I know you’ll have trouble sleeping, and I’ll have trouble sleeping knowing you will,” He explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Julian gave him a short nod, and Alexander smiled, taking Julian’s hand, and leading him into Alexander’s bedroom.
Alexander’s walls were painted baby blue, and he had a desk in the corner of the room, along with a bed in the middle, and bookshelves lining the rest of his walls, close to bursting with medical books, and other topics that piqued his interest. The desk was full of papers, scattered in random directions, the only part of the room that didn’t appear organized. But Julian knew that it actually was, and Alexander just had his own unique system when it came to sorting through papers. His curtains were dark blue, and so was his blanket, which actually resembled a map of the solar system, his numerous pillows all themed after some sort of planet. Seriously, Alexander had a lot of pillows. Hanging up on the wall were all of the achievements and awards that Alexander had won throughout his lifetime, starting in Kindergarten, and still ongoing. He also had quite a few dead bug specimens preserved in picture frames and jars, the jars of which were on top of one of his smaller bookshelves, and the picture frames hung around the room in some sort of pattern that made sense to Alexander’s mind. Everything was spic-and-span, not a single spec of dirt to be seen. Basically, Alexander was a nerd. And Julian loved him for it.
Alexander climbed into bed, patting the spot beside him, which Julian slipped into. On the ceiling of the room were yellow glow-in-the-dark stars that Alexander had put up a few months ago. In the same way that Henry was obsessed with fairies, and Julian was obsessed with social justice, Alexander was obsessed with space. He always had been, as long as Julian could remember. He could briefly recall when he was two, and Alexander, who was eight, would get into cardboard boxes with him, and pretend that they were flying to the moon. Julian had loved it. However, Alexander’s main passion was doctoring.
Alexander would always joke that the time he decided he wanted to be a doctor was when a four-year-old Julian had come to him in tears because his stuffed doll had been executed by Henry’s dog, and Alexander had sewn her back together and made her “all better.” Julian knew that Alexander had always been into medical things, however, as he had always voluntarily cared for Julian when he was ill as a child, and was that one kid who would watch his shots at the doctors office, and ask the nurses loads of questions. He had broken his wrist when he was nine, and had been more fascinated with the broken bone than disturbed. Though when he broke his arm a year ago at that protest, he was more annoyed than anything.
Julian snuggled into Alexander’s chest, Alexander already having fallen back asleep, lightly snoring. Mouse ran into the room, launching herself onto the bed, and settling down next to Julian, purring. Julian stroked his hand through her fur, willing himself to fall back asleep.
The only place Julian truly felt safe was in Alexander’s arms. It had been that way since Julian was a tiny baby.
And eventually, he drifted off to sleep.
_____________________
“Why aren’t they done yet? I thought they were only going over the Affordable Health Care notes, and then Ella was leaving,” Julian whispered to Henry, who clucked his tongue, rolling his eyes,
“Julian, Julian, Julian,” He murmured back, “You know nothing of love.” Henry closed the door to his bedroom that they had previously been peeking out of, and Julian frowned,
“I have a boyfriend, Henry,” He argued, Henry sighing,
“Yeah, and you two spent three whole years pining over each other, before you both realized that the other actually liked you. AND to make matters worse, you asked each other out in the LIBRARY, there’s nothing romantic about that!” Henry countered, Julian frowning,
“Didn’t you ask Esperanza out in a gas station restroom?” He asked, Henry blushing,
“... That’s different,” He replied, Julian simply smirking in response, before turning to Ava and Matthew, the two kids of which were sitting on Henry’s bed.
“Ava, Matthew, Alexander doesn’t have a crush on Ella, right?” He said, Ava giving him a raised eyebrow in response,
“What planet have you been living on?” The ten-year-old asked, Matthew giggling,
“Oh, he TOTALLY does!” The seven-year-old exclaimed. Julian frowned,
“... Really?” Henry groaned, slapping Julian’s shoulder in a friendly sort of way,
“You are so dense sometimes, Juli,” He exasperatedly said, the door to the bedroom suddenly opening,
“We’re done,” Alexander said, poking his head into the room, Julian letting out a sigh of relief, and exiting it,
“Good, Henry’s taste in color was starting to make my eyes bleed,” He remarked. Henry crossed his arms,
“My room is flipping awesome, I’ll have you know,” He defended.
Henry’s room was… Interesting. That was probably the bed way to describe it. Every single object was a conflicting color, that horribly clashed with the one next to it, and his wallpaper was a weird multi-colored floral pattern. Henry had an interesting collection of rugs that covered the floor, and the textures felt strange underneath Julian’s feet. He also still had a bunch of his childhood toys that he was unwilling to part with.
Ella, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room, stood up, “Uh, thanks for the notes, Al,” She murmured, stumbling over her words in a very un-Ella-like way. Henry raised an eyebrow,
“...Al?!” He repeated delightedly, giving Alexander a smirk. Alexander’s eyes widened, and he lightly shoved Henry, who simply laughed in response. Ella’s phone beeped from her pocket, and she pulled it out, frowning,
“Oh, I’ve got to go, I’ve got work,” She said, “I…” She began, giving Ava and Matthew a nervous look, “The kids have nowhere to go… I don’t want to leave them home alone again...” She murmured, Alexander laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, and smiling,
“We’ve got them, El, don’t worry,” He promised, Henry giggling from the corner,
“Ellllllll,” He said in a sing-song voice. Julian defended Alexander’s honor by punching him in the shoulder. Ella dug through her pocket, pulling out a crumpled 20 dollar bill,
“I’ve been saving up, for a while, so the kids could have Halloween costumes this year,” She explained, handing it to Alexander, “Would you mind taking them out to buy costumes?” Alexander pushed the money away,
“It’s on us,” He said, Ella frowning,
“Oh, that’s very kind of you, but it’s fine -” She began, Alexander shaking his head,
“No, we’ll pay,” He firmly said, Ella embracing him, Alexander looking shocked,
“Pst, hug back,” Henry whispered from the corner, Alexander wrapping his arms around Ella, the two staying like that for a few seconds before Ella separated, and looked at her siblings,
“You two be very good for Alexander, Julian, and Henry,” She ordered, Ava and Matthew nodding,
“We will Ella!” Ava reassured her sister, Ella nodding, and walking out. Henry looked down at his phone,
“Oh, I need to head to Esperanza’s, I’m helping them with some of the housework they’ve been having trouble with since the surgery,” He explained.
“Give Esperanza our best,” Alexander said, Henry smiling, and walking out the door,
“Will do!” He called, closing the door behind himself. Alexander turned toward the kids,
“So, what do you two want to be for Halloween?” He asked, Ava thinking,
“A kitty cat!” She exclaimed, Matthew grinning,
“Can I be a wolf please, Uncle Alexander?!” Alexander nodded,
“Okay, put on your shoes and jackets, we’re headed to Target. You’re coming too, Julian, you need to get out of the house,” Alexander said, Ava and Julian putting on their jackets and shoes, and Julian helping Matthew tie his shoes. They were out the door in about five minutes, and all of them piled into Alexander’s car.
Alexander and Henry each owned seperate cars, and Julian didn’t own one at all. Whenever he needed to get somewhere, he either walked, or had Alexander or Henry drive him, in long-distance cases. The entire town was walkable, so it wasn’t really a big deal. The only time it had really mattered was when he had full-blown pneumonia that one year when he was around 18. All of those walks through the snow and freezing rain probably hadn’t helped his condition, and may have made it worse, therefore contributing to the fact that he was eventually hospitalized. Now whenever Julian had so much as a sniffle, Henry made sure to drive him places instead of let him walk, not wanting a repeat of the pneumonia incident.
Alexander’s car was as clean as his room, and was also blue. Blue was Alexander’s favorite color. He was still paying off loans on it, and would be for a while. Despite coming from a fairly well off family, Alexander’s parents had always wanted their son to learn to provide for himself, rather than just lean on them all of the time. Henry’s parents just pretended that their son didn’t exist, so Henry was on his own when it came to finances as well. Julian’s mother would occasionally send him money for social justice work behind his father’s back, but that was the extent of it. All three boys had learned to provide for themselves early on.
They pulled into the parking lot of the store, and Julian helped Matthew, who had somehow gotten tangled in his seatbelt, unbuckle, and he grabbed the small boy's hand as he exited the car.
“I’ve never been inside here before,” Ava, who was holding Alexander’s hand, suddenly said, as they crossed the street. Alexander frowned,
“You’ve never been to Target?” Ava shook her head,
“Nope. I think Ella’s looked through the dumpsters here for something once, but I’ve never been inside,” She explained.
“... How often do you all go looking through dumpsters?” Julian enquired, Ava thinking for a second,
“A few times a week,” She replied, Matthew enthusiastically cutting in,
“Sometimes we find really cool stuff! Like a couch! That’s actually how we got our couch. And sometimes we even find food we can eat!” Both Alexander and Julian exchanged looks, and Julian made a mental reminder to try and convince Ella to take money again. Ella refused to take anything that she saw as “charity,” though when it came to her siblings' health she would sometimes stray from that policy.
Julian didn’t think it was fair. He knew it wasn’t. It wasn’t fair that the siblings had been born into an abusive situation in the first place. It wasn’t fair that because of this situation, because of their limited resources, they had to push themselves into poverty in order to escape. It wasn’t fair that the children often went to bed with empty stomachs. That they were used to this. Ella worked as hard as she could, and put 100% effort into everything she did, and she was still left taking from dumpsters, and occasionally robbing stores, so that she and her siblings could eat, or have blankets to sleep with. Almost all of the money Ella made from her three jobs had to go towards paying rent for the two-room apartment she and her siblings lived in, and towards her college loan debt. Ella took online college, and she needed to graduate, if she ever had any hopes of getting a proper job. The rest of The SFJ’s did their best to help Ella and the kids, but all three of them were stubborn as rocks.
The inside of the store was warm, and Alexander grabbed one of the hand-held baskets, thoroughly sanitizing it, before they started walking.
“Blasted cold and flu season,” Alexander muttered, “Work’s going to be fun…” Lately Alexander had been too tired to do anything after work, except collapse on the sofa, and fall asleep, until Julian woke him up, and gently led him to bed, usually after getting him something to eat. Alexander was the sole cook in the “Alexander, Julian, and Henry household,” as he was the only one who actually knew how to cook. Henry could make sandwiches, but that was about it. And Julian had once set orange juice on fire. Needless to say, Julian was banned from cooking.
“Y’know,” Matthew said, as they walked down the aisle of the store, “I like walking with two adults.” Alexander gave him a curious look,
“Why?” He asked, Matthew grinning, still clutching Julian’s hand,
“It makes me feel like I’m normal again! Like I have two daddies instead of no mommy and daddy,” Matthew replied, Ava sighing, and giving her little brother a pitying look,
“Having two dads isn’t… Normal, Matthew,” She murmured, “At least, not to most people. Specially’ the people round’ here.” Matthew frowned,
“Why not?” He asked, Julian patting his shoulder,
“Because some people think the Bible tells them to hate men who like men, and women who like women,” He explained, Matthew giving the ceiling an exasperated look, as if he could somehow communicate with all who thought that way,
“Well, that’s stupid!” He exclaimed, “The Bible says to love everyone, and that’s what we do, right Uncle Alexander?!” Alexander smiled,
“Right, buddy,” He replied, Matthew thinking for a second,
“Julian could look like a mommy, though,” He pointed out, Julian letting out an amused sigh. Whenever people saw him, they tended to think he was a girl. And as he was 5’2, with long flowing golden locks, and curves in ordinarily female places, he couldn’t exactly blame them. Ava scoffed,
“Julian couldn’t be the mommy, Matthew,” She said,
“Why not?” Matthew replied, Ava sighing, and running her hand along side the shelves that held the products they passed by,
“Because, he’s white, we’re black. People wouldn’t think that was normal either,” She explained, Matthew rolling his eyes,
“Well, then they’re idiots, because families can be ANY color!” He yelled, Alexander clapping,
“You said it, buddy.” They continued on through the store, eventually finding the appropriate materials for the kid’s costumes, before turning around, and walking in the opposite direction, Ava and Matthew skipping a little bit ahead of the adults. Alexander turned his head in Julian’s direction, as they continued walking,
“I’m planning on getting Ava the Harry Potter series for Christmas,” He murmured, so that Ava wouldn’t hear him. Julian nodded,
“She’d like that. I remember when you first got Harry Potter. You were 10, right?” He said, Alexander nodding,
“Mhm,” He confirmed,
“You breezed through that series in two weeks,” Julian said with a chuckle. Alexander nodded,
“You and Henry weren’t happy about the time I spent reading that. You probably wouldn’t remember this, since you were 4, but you climbed into my lap, and gave me the most adorable pout, before saying, ‘Do you still wove us?’ I suppose you felt neglected.” Julian laughed. He had always been clingy with Alexander. Even when he was four.
Alexander, who was 6 years older than Henry and Julian, had been born into a loving family, on November 12th, with two amazing parents, Jeanne and Paul. Jeanne, his mother, had been best friends with a young woman next door named Ariana. Very young woman. She was sixteen. Yet she had a 36-year-old husband named Philip. Ariana had given birth to Julian on May 5th. Paul had always been suspicious of Philip, and when Julian was three-months-old, Ariana had come to Alexander’s house, saying that she didn’t know how to keep her baby safe from her husband. She was scared of what he might do to their son. Jeanne and Paul had agreed to watch the child for a few hours a day, to get him out of the house. Julian hadn’t been happy to have been separated from his mother, at first, and he had cried the entire first hour it had started, until Alexander held him in his arms. Then he started cooing. Jeanne and Paul learned that their son had a special connection with Julian very quickly, and Alexander had become his baby-sitter of sorts. By the time Julian was one-year-old, he was only at his own house three times a week, and only for the night. Alexander had offered to watch Henry when he noticed that the two-year-old was being neglected by his parents. His parents had agreed. And then, Alexander, who was still a child himself, had ended up raising two other children. Julian had run away from his house when he was 12, and ended up living permanently at Alexander’s. Alexander had gone to college early, at the age of 16, and had recently become a fully-licensed doctor. He had gotten his own apartment at 19, and Julian, who had been 13, at the time, had moved in with him, while Henry had waited until he was 18 to move in.
Julian and Henry were both employed by a local news station, and had become so through Jeanne and Paul’s connections. They both also balanced all of their social justice work on the side, and Julian also worked in a local grocery store, which he hated.
“Uncle Alexander?” Ava suddenly asked, Alexander focusing on the young girl,
“Yes?” He said,
“What’re you gonna be for Halloween?” Ava enquired,
“It’s a surprise,” He replied, Ava nodding,
“Okay!” She said, walking back up to her brother’s side. Julian frowned at Alexander, as they neared the check-up line,
“You're not by any chance doing a partner-costume with Ella for Halloween, are you?”
Alexander blushed.
_______________
“Alright, don’t do anything particularly strenuous, if anything feels off at all call me,” Henry ordered, Esperanza rolling their eyes,
“I’ll be fine, Henry,” They tried to reassured him, Henry tapping his finger against the wall anxiously,
“I know… I know… Still,” He said, walking over, and kissing Esperanza, before embracing them, “I love you,” He whispered, Esperanza smiling, and cupping their hand around Henry’s cheek,
“I love you too,” They replied, “Now, you oughta be heading out, Alexander and Julian will be wondering where you are, it’s already dark out.” Henry sighed,
“I know. Be safe,” He gave Esperanza one last kiss, before heading out of the apartment. Esperanza’s apartment had an array of colors, much like Henry’s room, but all of Esperanza’s colors blended and matched in beautiful ways. The apartment was warm, and smelled like a combination of basil, and some sort of spice. A few of August’s paintings were hung up in the room, a large framed picture of the SFJ’s proudly displayed on the center of the front wall. Esperanza loved their apartment. They glanced at their kitchen, knowing that they probably should be eating something for dinner, but they didn’t feel like it.
“Luna!” They called, and their brown tabby cat ran into the room. Esperanza had rescued Luna and her four kittens from the side of the road four years ago. He had found homes for three of the kittens, but had kept Luna and her son Gato, who was probably asleep underneath Esperanza’s bed, “Cat?!” Esperanza called, getting no response. Gato was definitely asleep. One of Luna’s kittens happened to be Mouse, Julian’s cat. Esperanza lifted Luna into their arms, and walked out onto the balcony. The town was beautiful when it was dark. All of the building lights were still on, but the sky’s stars were still visible. Some people were still driving, and walking. Esperanza smiled, leaning their body against the balcony railing, and looking out.
“It’s beautiful, Luna,” They whispered, Luna letting out a meow of agreement, before they pointed at the moon, “See the moon, Luna. You are my moon.” Luna purred, and Esperanza sighed,
“Most of those people walking and driving don’t want me to exist. They would lock me up… Or kill me… Maybe if so many think this, they’re right…” Luna bit their hand, to tell them how stupid they were being, and they laughed, “You are the best… Luna, my moon. I sometimes can’t help but wonder, though. It wasn’t until I moved here that I knew how much hate there was. Mami and Abuela were always so supportive.” Esperanza could still remember when they had come out to them. They had been six.
“Mami! Abuela!” Esperanza ran into the kitchen, where the woman in question were putting away groceries. They had a discovery they needed to share.
“Sí, cariño?” Their Mami replied, Esperanza panting, while their Abuela put the tomatoes in the fridge.
“I am not a boy or a girl! I am neither!” Esperanza proudly exclaimed, their Mami smiling, and opening out their arms, Esperanza running in to hug them,
“I love you, my child,” She whispered, Esperanza beaming, before turning towards their Abuela, who’s English wasn’t 100 percent yet. Their Abuela put her hands on her hips,
“Okay,” She said, “I do not care if you are boy, I do not care if you are girl, I do not care if you are none. I care if you help with groceries,” She replied. And Esperanza ran out to embrace her as well. In their Abuela and Mami’s arms they were safe. And sheltered from the rest of the world.
Chapter 6
“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this in front of everyone.”
“C’mon Juli, get into the spirit!”
“The spirit of what? There’s no spirit of Halloween, Henry.”
“Well now there is! ABRA CADABRA!”
“That’s not how Halloween costumes work.”
Julian was sitting on the toilet seat of one of Christopher, Landon, and Maria’s bathrooms, while Henry, who was dressed up as a fairy, did his hair. Henry dressed up as a fairy nearly every Halloween, and had done so since he was five. Julian, on the other hand, had to be coaxed into dressing up as anything. They were getting ready for the SFJ’s annual Halloween party. Henry and Julian had arrived together, and were the earliest people, as Alexander said that he had something else to do before he arrived. Christopher, Landon, and Maria were downstairs, getting the house ready for the party. Any SFJ parties were always hosted at Christopher, Landon, and Maria’s, as they had the biggest house.
“Henry, you’re pulling,” Julian complained, wincing slightly as Henry tugged on one of his blonde strands of hair.
“Well sorrrrry, you should have brushed it better in the first place, now I have to detangle everything with my fingers which is not fun, I’ll have you know,” Henry replied, pausing for a second, before pulling Julian to his feet, and looking in the mirror, “There done. You look beautiful!” Henry proudly exclaimed, Julian giving his reflection a small smile. He thought he looked alright. He grabbed the glitter bottle from the sink,
“You wanted help with the glitter, right?” He said, Henry grinning,
“Yes, glitter. Glitter is magical. You can’t be a fairy without glitter,” Julian laughed, sprinkling the pink, purple, and blue glitter all over Henry,
“You know you fit into like, half of the gay-guy sterotypes there are, right?” He asked, Henry rolling his eyes,
“Well, I’m not gay, I’m pansexual. There’s a difference,” He replied, Julian lightly kissing his cheek, and saying,
“I know,” Before pushing him in front of the mirror, “There you go, all the glitter anyone could possibly wear. What’d you think?” Henry beamed,
“I love it!” He exclaimed, “We should go down and help the trio with the setting up.” Julian nodded, and the two boys made their way down the stairs, to where Maria was hanging up decorations in the living room. She turned around from where she was struggling to put up a paper bat, and smiled,
“Well, don’t you two look stunning,” She remarked, as Henry hurried over to help with the bat. Julian frowned at Maria,
“...What are you supposed to be?” He asked, pointing at her black shirt, and black pants. Maria smirked,
“A shadow,” She replied, Julian giving her a respectful nod,
“Smart,” He said. Julian and Maria shared a mutual respect for each other, that was different from one they shared with anyone else. They were the same, in many ways, and opposites in others. Both were forces to be reckoned with.
“MARIA SOMETHING WENT WRONG!” Landon yelled from the kitchen, his shout followed by a crash, and Maria rolled her eyes,
“If you’ll excuse me, I think my boys need help… Again,” She walked off to the kitchen. The door opened, and Ella walked in, closely followed by Ava and Matthew. Ella was dressed as a wolf, as was Matthew, and Ava was dressed up as a cat.
“Hey, guys!” Henry exclaimed, the door opening again, and a blushing Alexander, who was also dressed as a cat, walked into the house. Matthew ran over to Julian and Henry, grinning,
“Look, look!” He exclaimed, “Uncle Alexander is a cat like Ava! So we’re all a family, we match!” He enthused, Henry grinning,
“Congrats, pal,” He replied, Alexander smiling at his two dearest friends,
“You both look lovely,” He said, Julian smiling back,
“Thanks,” He said, before walking off to help the trio with whatever Landon and Christopher had broken. 20 minutes later, Julian was positive almost everyone had entered the house, due the rapidly climbing, and rather uncomfortable, noise level. He decided to step into the living room, where he was sure most people were. So he did. He made his way over to August, tapping on his boyfriend's shoulder. August turned around, blushing,
“Wow….” He murmured, “You look beautiful… Angel.” Julian laughed,
“Get it, cause everyone’s always calling me Angel for whatever reason,” He explained, August chuckling,
“Very clever, my love,” He replied, Julian grinning at him, before turning towards William and Grant, who were standing right behind him, Grant holding Jamie in his muscular arms. Julian took Jamie out of Grant’s arms, holding her up, and looking at her,
“Oh, a little bee, how adorable,” He said, Jamie giggling at him, while William crossed his arms, giving Julian a teasing expression,
“You and the others seem intent on stealing our daughter from us,” He joked, Julian kissing Jamie’s forehead, before replying,
“Jamie’s going to be a lucky kid, she’ll be raised by this entire group,” He pointed out, Grant nodding,
“Mhm. She’s going to have everything William and I couldn’t have. We’ll make sure of it,” He and William shared a loving look, the two men giving their baby one as well, before William reclaimed her, lifting the tiny baby-dressed-as-a-bee into his arms.
“Beeeeeeee!” Jamie exclaimed, everyone in the room freezing for a second, before Alexander cut in,
“It’s common for infants at her age to make random sounds, that don’t mean anything. Bee is simply easy for her to pronounce,” He said, everyone in the room groaning, and Ella rolling her eyes,
“You always ruin everything, Alex,” She said teasingly, lightly brushing her fingers against his shoulder. Both adults blushed, and August, who was still standing next to Julian, groaned,
“They really need to kiss already,” He whispered into Julian’s ear, Julian giggling, and kissing August’s cheek. A few minutes later, Caroline and Maria ran up the stairs, both girls leaning over the railing,
“Calling all girls and Esperanza!” Caroline exclaimed, everyone in the room going quiet, as Maria began to speak,
“Secret meeting in the spare room. No boys allowed,” All of the girls and Esperanza quickly joined Maria and Caroline on the stairs, giggling and whispering among themselves, before disappearing upstairs. Every year, on Halloween, the SFJ girls and Esperanza planned some sort of prank on all of the boys. It was half sort of a revenge on the gender that frequently violated their rights, and half for fun. Last year, three days after the party, all of the boys returned to their houses to find their underpants hanging out of the window, and scattered across their roof or balcony, in plain sight for everyone passing by the house to see. How they had gotten the underpants on the roof was beyond any of the boys. Whoever said that girls were less capable than boys had no idea what they were talking about. Whoever said girls were more mature than boys also had no idea what they were talking about.
“Oh, Jamie, in five more years, you’ll be joining their evil ranks,” Grant said to his daughter, Jamie squealing in response. William took Jamie from Grant’s arms,
“Have some mercy on your dads then, huh?” He said, Jamie letting out a few random syllables, and squirming in his arms, “Eh, who am I kidding, you’re going to destroy us.” Melvin, who was sitting in the bay window, dressed up as a polar bear, of course, looked up,
“Why don’t we ever prank the girls and Esperanza?” He asked, Julian, who was now leaning against the wall, giving him a pointed look,
“Do any of us have laws on what we can and can’t do with our own bodies?” He replied, all of the boys giving a hum of agreement that they didn’t. Julian walked over to William, taking Jamie from his arms, and lifting the baby into the air, “Look at her,” He said, “Look at how innocent she is. She doesn’t know yet, that people are going to overlook her, and underestimate her, just because of her gender. She doesn’t know yet, that she’s at risk of being sexually violated just by walking down the street. She doesn’t know, yet, that her body, her beautiful little body, her body, will have men like us trying to control it.” He gently lifted Jamie down, cradling her in his arms, Jamie smiling at him, and cooing, “She’s going to have to face racism. She’s going to have to face homophobia. This kid is going to have such a hard time, just because of the way she was born. Just because she has two dads who love her. Just because she has dark skin, and different private areas than men, just because she’s a female. And that’s why we fight. We fight for innocent little infants like Jamie. We fight for their futures. We fight, to give everyone, a better tomorrow.” As Julian returned Jamie to William’s arms, the rest of the men in the room burst into applause and cheers, and Julian realized that he’d unintentionally given a speech. He tended to do that, a lot. August always teased him about it. At that exact moment, the girls and Esperanza came back down the stairs, whispering among themselves, and giggling just like before.
“We’re done,” Maria remarked, leaning against the wall, and crossing her arms, smirking.
“Who invited Mike?” Alexander suddenly whispered in Julian’s ear. Julian turned around, sighing when he saw the tall man. Alexander, Julian, Esperanza, Maria, and Henry all despised Mike. Everyone else seemed to like him, though William and Grant had been keeping their distances as of late. They had a daughter. And Mike was infamous for his… Affairs with women. And drug dealing. But mostly the women.
“Ugh,” Julian muttered, Alexander sighing, and leaning his head back against the wall, rubbing at his ear, as people talked and laughed all around them,
“ ‘Ugh’s’ a pretty good way to describe how I’m feeling,” He muttered, Julian giving him a sympathetic look,
“Too many people?” He asked, Alexander nodding, and firmly closing his eyes. Julian patted his shoulder, before dashing off into the crowd to find Maria, “Hey, Maria!” He gently touched her arm, Maria grabbing his hand, and slamming him onto the floor. She blushed once she saw what she had done,
“Sorry, kid,” She said, lifting him up, “Instincts. I’m on high alert, what with Mike here and all. Dude tried to get me alone in a closet last time…” She grumbled, Julian nodding,
“Understandable,” He replied, “I’ve just come to inform you that Alexander and I will be taking our leave,” Julian said, Maria frowning,
“This early? Did Alexander get called in for a shift?” She asked, Julian shaking his head,
“Nah, it’s just been a busy day, and the… Excitement’s getting to him,” Julian explained, Maria nodding,
“Alright, give Alex my best,” She said, patting Julian’s shoulder, before walking away. Julian made his way back over to Alexander,
“Hey, Alex, we’re good to go. You brought your car, right?” Alexander nodded,
“Mhm, and you’re not driving,” He confirmed, Julian making a whining sound, as they walked out the door of Christopher, Landon, and Maria’s house, closing it behind them, and leaving the noises and lights behind.
“Why can’t I drive?” He asked, Alexander unlocking the door to his car,
“You don’t have a license,” He replied, Julian rolling his eyes,
“Oh, come on,” He said, as he sat down in the passenger’s seat, closing the car door, “I’m probably a better driver than Henry.” Alexander shook his head exasperatedly,
“I don’t know how that boy still has his license, the way he drives. Henry once told me he thought he’d make a good NASCAR racer… I still shudder at that thought,” Julian giggled, as Alexander pulled the car out of the large grey driveway.
The journey to their apartment was easy and short, and soon, Julian was sitting on the living room couch, while Alexander rifled through the pantry,
“Julian, do you remember where I put the chocolate?” He called, Julian, who was scrolling through possible movies on the TV, shrugging,
“Did you check the ALL SHELF?” He yelled back. Alexander, Julian, and Henry’s pantry was split into four shelves. One for Alexander’s food, one for Julian’s, one for Henry’s, and one for them all.
“Ah, there they are. Behind the apple juice,” Alexander walked over to the couch, “Scooch,” He ordered, Julian moving, and letting him sit, before snuggling into his side, Alexander stroking his golden curls. Alexander set the chocolate down on the table, and took the remote from Julian,
“It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?” Alexander enquired, the selection bar on the TV hovering over the movie.
“The same movie we watch every year after we flee the party. Heck, yeah,” Julian replied, Alexander clicking the movie, and popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth, staring out the window. The sky was dark, but still welcoming. The lights across town still shone, and the tree branches from the tree just outside the window trembled lightly in the soft evening breeze. Alexander rubbed Julian’s shoulder,
“Just me and you again, huh buddy?” He whispered, Julian chuckling,
“Yep.”
“Us against the world?”
“Always.”
_______________
“Hey, c’mon August, my man,” Mike said, pulling August into the garage of Christoper, Landon, and Maria’s. August frowned,
“... What do you want, Mike?” He asked. He’d been dealing with Mike since he was a child. He, Ella, and Mike had all grown up in the same neighborhood. Their neighborhood wasn’t great. And Mike hadn’t turned out so great. August was slightly uncomfortable around him.
“Ah, we haven’t seen each other in ages. Had a real talk. Ever since you and that little pretty boy started dating,” Mike drew out. Mike had short black hair, and brown eyes. His T-Shirt was torn, and battered. How it had gotten that way, August didn’t want to know.
“Leave Julian out of this,” August murmured, Mike smirking, and pulling something out from behind the tire of Maria’s truck. August froze,
“Mike, no,” He murmured, backing away slowly, into the wall. Mike smirked,
“Eh, c’mon August. Just a few sips. You won’t even get drunk. You’ve been no fun, lately, since you and Little Mr. Perfect started going out,” Mike said, August shaking his head,
“No… I had enough trouble with alcohol in high school. I swore it off, Mike!” He attempted, Mike waving the bottle in front of him,
“C’mon. Or are you chicken?” August shook his head,
“I’m NOT chicken!”
“Then drink.”
August took the bottle.