Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ever since their meeting, both Evan and Julian had maintained some form of contact through their cellphones. Evan was one of the first people he'd gotten contact information for that wasn't part of his immediate family (though Julian considered Evan a brother of sorts, regardless) and that made their conversations just a little bit more special.

Setting aside time every day to check his phone and respond to message, Julian and Evan, two of a kind, had formed a special bond. Both young men remembered a time when they were not part of the human race, skittering in the darkness at the behest of someone else. They bore little will of their own, and little ability to act on desires they might have had beyond feeding and sleeping. Evan knew what nightmares the darkness held without Julian having to explain. As supportive and wonderful as Roddy was, the poofy young man was more than relieved to know his roommate would never experience that horrendous unlife. People like Roddy didn't deserve that, even if it meant they could empathize more with those who suffered.

The dishes needed to be loaded into the dishwasher, but it had been a good 36 hours since Julian had last sent a message to his dear friend. Standing before the dishwasher, morning sun shining through a blanket of gray clouds, the young man picked up the cellphone on the counter beside the sink and tapped out a quick message.



Even if Evan didn't respond, it didn't matter. Letting his fellow survivor know that someone was thinking of him was the best thing Julian could do today.

Folding laundry was easy, especially when listening to an audio book and watching Staccato nap on the chair. Roddy’s clothes were much bigger than his own, and the time it took to fold them neatly increased accordingly. Julian’s phone buzzed on the other end of the coffee table, and he set down the folded shirt in the pile before picking it up. Evan always had a way of making him smile.



With a sigh, Julian placed the phone down on top of the pile of soft shirts he’d just folded, as high as his knee on the coffee table. Cradled in the fabric of one of Roddy’s favorite (and well-loved, by its threadbare appearance) shirts, Julian chewed his lower lip. Evan would understand, wouldn’t he? Surely, Evan would at least be sympathetic to his plight. Evan was the only other person Julian knew of that underwent the same transformation he did.

Gingerly picking up the phone again, he sent one more message.

Are you okay?

Oh, what a question.

Julian wasn't sure if he was okay, truthfully. When he really thought about it, his days were clouded with anxiety and self-doubt, wondering if his feelings were real or a figment of something less-than-honest. Julian prided himself on being a good person, a good human being, so anything less was simply unacceptable. He wasn't sure if Roddy would feel the same way, if he would still be welcome in the house if the object of his budding affections felt too uncomfortable... Delilah could probably take him back, but why put that burden on her again...?

Working himself into a anxious froth, Julian took several deep breaths while folding Roddy's pants before lifting the phone to reply to Evan.



With a sigh, the young man returned to folding, trying desperately not to focus on what may or may not be when Evan arrived. Surely, Evan could help sort out these feelings. Evan understood what it was like to not be human, and to become human once more, having to relearn everything that humans took for granted.

Opening the door to see Evan standing there was a relief - in many ways, they were veterans of a war only they had experienced. Evan understood some of the issues when it came to reintegrating back into human society (or, in Julian’s case, integrating for the first time). Stepping out of the way immediately to allow Evan to come inside, Julian closed and locked the door behind Evan, just as he always did.

“You didn’t take very long at all, Evan. You’re always… very punctual. You can sit with me in the living room. I’m still folding laundry. Roddy did a lot of work on his car and got several things dirty, and I have to wash the towels once a week, too… so there’s always lots of things to fold. Roddy probably doesn’t care, but I don’t want his shirts to be all wrinkly…”

With a sigh, Julian padded into the bedroom, walking over the soft carpet he so adored. Even now, six months later, simple things like a soft carpet and warm bedding pleased him like nothing else. “Thank you, Evan, for… for talking to me. I wasn’t sure who else to ask…?”

Julian returned to his position in front of the couch, with the hamper on one side of the coffee table. A stack of folded and clean clothing sat atop the table, and would be added to momentarily. Picking up one of Roddy’s well-loved and nearly threadbare shirts from the hamper full of clean clothes freshly pulled from the dryer, he continued. “Evan, do you… um… well. I’m sure you do. It’s… you’re very likable. Um, but… what do you do if… you… might… have feelings, for someone?”

Wheezing, Julian covered his face with the shirt, not out of the desire to smell the dryer sheets, but from embarrassment. His ears and scalp were turning bright pink. “It’s Roddy, he’s… he’s so kind to me and… he’s so easy to be around, and fun and easygoing, but… I’m not like him… I don’t know if I’m really human or if I just have a human body and I look like a human… I know you are, Evan, because you’re very nice and you have your family back, but… Oh, I don’t know….”

“Butter you up? N-no, I…” Julian hesitated, wheezing through his teeth as anxiety coiled in his stomach. “N-no, Evan, you’re… like a hero to me, so… I just… you’re hard on yourself, sometimes, and… you don’t deserve that. You’re just… When I think I can’t do something, I tell myself, Evan does this all the time, so you can do this too!, s-so…”

Another deep sigh. He’d messed this all up with his blathering.

Evan’s admission of having feelings for someone else as well was a weight lifted off Julian’s shoulders. Curiously, almost in wonder, and clutching the shirt he was trying to fold, Julian tilted his head at Evan. “R-really? That’s… that’s wonderful! I bet they’re very nice, and I hope they like your mac-n-cheese, because… You’re going to be famous, with your food truck. I just know it! You might be on television someday, with that fat man with the bleached hair, he goes all over and tries different small food places…” Sputtering, Julian had to stop himself. Evan very likely already knew the man (and his name), being that the short young man was opening up a restaurant on wheels. “I’m sorry.”

It’s like you’ve got the pieces back but you don’t know how to use them.

Julian nodded vigorously, eyes widening. He knew Evan was the best person to ask - Evan would understand more fundamentally than anyone else Julian knew. “Y-yes! Yes, that’s… that’s exactly it. I guess I… was just… I don’t know, thinking that maybe… Maybe it wasn’t allowed?” With a sigh, Julian gave up on the shirt and plopped down on the couch, crossing his legs beneath him. “...Like, maybe… since I probably did all those horrible things, maybe… maybe love isn’t okay, for me. I just… I didn’t know, but I knew you would know, and…”

Sitting on the couch like that, asking Evan pertinent, important questions about the state of being human brought back a sense of deja vu, recalling a time not too long ago, where Evan had introduced Julian to mac-n-cheese and clicking pens and Rubik’s cubes for mental challenges. Evan was a guiding light, even back then. The dark haired boy still was. “...would you mind telling me? A-about your someone special? Y-you don’t have to, I just… I bet they’re wonderful.”

Julian was quiet, thoughtful, throughout Evan’s explanation. Whoever Tobias was, he trusted this man would be good to Evan in whatever capacity Evan felt comfortable. His friend - the senshi, the one who helped bring Evan back - would probably be as protective of Evan as Delilah was to him, and if anything bad came from Tobias, she would be on top of it. Julian was sure of that. The fact that Evan trusted Roddy was another point in the larger man’s favor, though Julian wasn’t sure if that would sway his opinion either way - infatuation was what it was.

“Evan, you… Always know what to say.”

And it was true! Sitting there, beside him, much like the time shortly after his birth, before he could form full sentences without stopping for several stretches in between thoughts, Julian felt whole. Trusted, and perhaps more human than he ever had before. Evan understood more than anyone else he’d ever met. Evan understood what it was like to navigate humanity as a new and trying experience. Evan had successfully managed to find someone (circumstances unimportant) to share something truly special. That was something Julian found he wanted.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Julian stood to begin folding laundry again. He was still nervous, yes, because he couldn’t predict the future, but… Evan always knew just what to say to smooth things out in his head full of jumbled thoughts and emotions. “Evan, I’m really happy for you. I think this Tobias person sounds wonderful, and… You deserve lots of happiness. You really do. You’re always so patient and kind. ...thank you, for talking to me, like this. On such short notice. You didn’t have to, but… I appreciate that you did. Really. And,”

With a sigh, Julian folded in the sleeves of the last of Roddy’s old shirts he used when cleaning something in the house or in the car. It didn’t matter if it was stained, but Roddy always appreciated when they smelled clean and not like motor oil. “...and, I… I’ll do it. I’ll… I’ll tell him how I feel. You’re right. If it works out then… then…” Lifting his hands, Julian cupped his cheeks, which blushed brightly as he let out a nervous chuckle. “Then that would be wonderful. I’ll bake extra-special cookies. He loves cookies, so… that’s probably the best way to ask, isn’t it? What do you think, Evan?”

Julian gratefully took the sandwich and started to gingerly unwrap it, but his mind was elsewhere. Not on food or laundry, but on planning and gratitude. Evan really was the only other person he knew of that would understand such things on this fundamental level. And, Julian thought that was a good thing. No one else should be subjected to such a fate.

The wink did not go unnoticed and Julian had to laugh at the idea of Evan suggesting - gasp - bribing someone, even if it was just a joke. Maybe Evan was slowly becoming more comfortable in the world, too? “He loves sweets, so… maybe I can sweeten the deal with cake, too? Then he definitely can’t say no. He loved the lemon cake I made from a recipe I found on the computer. Not too terribly sweet, and the frosting was fun to make, all… yellow, you know, like a lemon. I tried to decorate it too, like it had little lemon seeds, but I think they looked more like teardrops. But it was a good try. You were right, Evan.” Wiggling his pinkie fingers, just as he did when the two first met, the young man with puffy hair smiled warmly. “Everyday, I try to use my hands more, and even day, it gets a little easier. I even still have that clicky pen you gave me. My handwriting is better now, too. Practice, right?”

Taking a bite of the sandwich, he didn’t realize how hungry he’d become. All this worrying and folding laundry must’ve been a great way to burn excess calories. “I’m glad you like Staccato. He’s lovely, isn’t he? Roddy took him to training classes, to help when Anais first got into her accident. Anais is his older sister, and they run the tattoo shop together. Anais was in an accident, and it put her in a wheelchair, so… But, she’s very strong, and it doesn’t seem to slow her down! Now Staccato helps me, especially if I get lost or dizzy. He knows just what to do, and he wears his vest so people know he’s working. He’s napping on the back porch right now, but I could go get him if you wanted to see him? He likes you.”

Staccato liked just about everyone, really. The pup would probably like Tobias and Evan’s new food truck, too.

“Roddy is…” Julian sighed, looking up from the sandwich to gaze at some of the portraiture hung in the house. Those pictures were there long before Julian arrived, displaying happy moments with Roddy and Anais and her children. Some of them were Staccato, the loveable pup, and some were tattoos the siblings had completed that they were particularly proud of. “...he’s kind, talented and generous, and very patient. He doesn’t seem to mind that I’m a little dopey sometimes, and he includes me in many things, which I appreciate. I try very hard to make it up to him, and… Oh, you’d be proud, Evan!” His eyes lit up, forgetting the sandwich in favor of a new accomplishment. “Two of the neighbors are letting me exercise their dogs, so now I have some money coming in! I give most of it to Roddy, even though he says I don’t need to pay rent. It just… makes me feel better. The rest, I give to Mercy, because she set up a fund with her father to help pay victims of youma attacks. What do you think? That’s a good way to start giving back, right?”

“Mm… Evan, it’s okay to be scared.”

Evan said that once, that it was okay to be afraid, okay to have troubles, and okay to struggle and have sleepless nights. They’d come from a darkness few can escape from. How could anyone blame them?

“Mercy said it’s like post-traumatic stress disorder, I think.” Tapping his chin, Julian looked up at the ceiling, recalling that conversation with his older surrogate sister that day. “...I’m still sometimes afraid of the dark, thinking something in the dark will crawl out and try to get me. Mercy said that was okay, that PTSD is like that. Sometimes we can’t help but be afraid of things. Besides, you were smaller and more vulnerable, so…” The sandwich wrapper crinkled beneath tapered, human fingers, and Julian smiled. “I don’t think anyone can blame you… If I was small like that, I’d be scared too. I’m still scared of bugs… I have Roddy take care of them for me.”

It wasn’t something embarrassing to admit. At least, not to Julian. Evan understood more completely than most anyone else. Grasshoppers and bees were of particular detriment, and Roddy had to shoo a couple from the porch on more than one occasion, with Julian clinging like a koala to his back. “Grasshoppers are the worst.”

He made a face, partially as a joke.

“I think you’d be good with a pet, Evan. You’re very attentive.” Sandwich finished and laundry mostly done, Julian felt it was best to give Evan his full attention. Cupping his cheeks, Julian leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Maybe not a dog, but something like a cat? Or a rabbit. Rabbits are very cute and soft! And they use litter boxes like cats do, but they chew everything, so you’d have to rabbit-proof your house. So maybe a cat would be better?” He understood the desire for a pet, a warm and fuzzy companion. Evan being much bigger than he used to be, perhaps something small like a cat would be a good compromise. “You wouldn’t have to train a cat, either!”

Still, the idea of the dark-haired boy having a series of heart attacks or strokes at the sight of an animal was distressing, even if Evan exaggerated. “The food truck is great though, Evan. How close is it to being done? I told Roddy we have to be first in line, no matter what. Your Mac-n-Cheese is the best I’ve ever tasted, and believe me, I’ve tried to make some myself. I found some recipes online, and they’re okay, they’re just not as good as yours. I think you’ve found the real secret, Evan. Just think,”

Lifting his hands, Julian spread them wide as if painting a picture for his companion. “Your truck will be so great that the foodies downtown will want to talk about it in the local newspaper! Maybe you’ll be locally famous! Nothing too crazy, I think all that attention would be too much.”