Who: Julian Randol Murphy and John Sheppard What: Meeting up with an old friend Where: The Silent Dragon When: Not long after Sheppard's arrival to the OC Warnings: Low Status: Closed | Complete
Julian felt like he had been running around all day, he hadn't been though. The dreams were a pain in the ass and his mind was also going a mile a minute. Not because of the dreams but because of a message he'd gotten. A message that made him sick to his stomach and made his blood run cold. It might of been a simple 'I want to see you.' However, his life hadn't been simple before coming home.
Some of the other cooks even realized just how on edge he was. One of them he'd accidentally snapped at. That had been about an hour ago, and he'd apologized to the poor guy. Not wanting any of their cooks to feel like they couldn't be where they had fun. Where they felt safe. Everyone needed one of those.
Daryl had needed something sent over to Eliot. Despite the fact that the two of them had some kind of rivalry, they had been friends for like forever. Julian had met Eliot a while back and the guy was a bit intense. Which had only amused the fuck out of his boss. And he'd known some intense people in his life.
He'd grabbed what was needed and headed straight to the Silent Dragon, with the intent of finding Eliot. Or even Diego. Not that he thought he'd find him since he hardly came out. Didn't stop him from peeking in when he had to drop something off to say hello.
Diego wasn’t much for talking, as anyone who knew him knew. He lifted a hand in greeting when Julian popped in, and said a simple hello, but that was about it. He’d come a long way, and having Patch nearby helped immensely, but he avoided full-fledged conversations as much as possible. He’d talk freely to his family, which included Eliot, but most everyone else got one or two words at a time, and not much more.
As Julian was leaving, someone was coming in. He’d been craving a good steak, and he’d read decent reviews about the Silent Dragon. It seemed like a good place to start, and if for some reason he didn’t like it, there were plenty of other restaurants that specialized in steak that he could try. To be fair, he’d probably try them all before it was said and done, since he planned to stay in the OC for a while.
“Julian?” he questioned, his tone clearly laced with shock and disbelief. He had hoped to find Julian, but he certainly didn’t expect it to be this easy.
Julian honestly didn't expect to get much out of Diego. He knew that the guy didn't really talk that much, it didn't bother him any. Eliot talked enough for the both of them. He's sure that the other's brothers talked enough for him too, not that he'd met the other Hargreeves boys yet.
He didn't know anyone in the Silent Dragon except for Diego and Eliot, maybe some of the line cooks. So, no one should've been saying his name like that. Much less with that tone in their voice. That put him a bit on edge. Had someone actually found him that shouldn't of? It meant that he'd have to stay gone for a few days. He wouldn't lead that to his brother and sister-in-law's door.
However, when he actually looks his brow furrows a bit," Sheppard?" That was a guy who he hadn’t seen since, well, he wasn’t sure when. Nor had he ever really looked back to find out.
He would have felt foolish if it wasn’t Julian, but it clearly was. John took a step toward him. He didn’t go for a hug, because he wasn’t getting a good read on Julian, and wasn’t sure it would be welcome. “It’s good to see you, kid.” Julian wasn’t a kid, hadn’t been a kid for a long time, but it was a pet name. John was nearly old enough to be Julian’s father, though not quite.
“You look good,” he added. John tried to do the mental math to figure out how long it had been since he’d seen Julian. It had been quite a while. “The OC seems to agree with you.”
It was probably a good thing that John hadn't gone in for a hug. Julian hadn't really been the hugging type since high school. Before he was shipped off to military school and separated from his twin. Didn't stop Raven or Johnny from hugging the shit out of him, though. He's pretty sure that nothing would stop those two from doing that.
"More like my brother and sister-in-law agree with me, not really the place itself," he tells him. "I need to drop something back off at work, but I'm sure that Eliot will take care of you until then." Then again, it was possible that John probably thought he'd just up and disappear too. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd done it.
John was well aware of Julian’s history of ghosting. The last time John had seen him, he’d sent Julian on an errand, and that was it. The kid was gone as sure as he’d dropped off the face of the earth.
Honestly, there was a part of John that wondered if Julian was even his name.
“I wouldn’t want to get in the way of your work. I would like to meet up with you later. Maybe you could show me around town?” He figured there was a good chance, even if Julian agreed, that there would be no tour of the town in John’s future.
Julian hadn't meant to ghost anyone. Well, he had, but that was a different story. He'd been running with a crowd that was probably bad news in all honesty. Some of the people he ran with after military school were. John had been the only good one in all of the people. He'd tried to keep him out of death's grip. Easier said than done some days.
"Talk to Eliot. I'm going to drop this off at work and then I'll come right back," he tells him. Not that the older man had any reason to believe him. Much less after last time. "I'm actually done with work, just need to drop off the slips." Besides, if he ghosted town he's pretty sure that his boss and boyfriend would be pretty pissed.
John knew he wasn’t the one Julian had intentionally ghosted. Knew his relationship with Julian was a casualty of the younger man’s life. He had accepted that, but then when a business opportunity opened up in the OC, and he recalled that was where Julian was from, he had intended to look him up. Had sent him a message saying as much. He wondered if Julian had received it.
“All right.” He nodded. A little trust could go a long way. Or end things before they had a chance to begin. John honestly wasn’t sure Julian would come back. But he knew better than to try to force the kid’s hand.
While Julian is away, Eliot gets Sheppard taken care of with a nice little steak dinner. Though, he knew that the kid would be back. Julian had, after all, started working for Daryl and there was no coming back from that. Well, there was but that was a whole other story.
It probably takes the young Murphy a few minutes longer than he anticipated before he slips back into the Silent Dragon. He gives Eliot a bit of a nod before slipping into the seat across from Sheppard. He doesn't even ask permission, just does it. Some old habits never truly went away.
He would, however, just wait until he was done eating or between bites before bothering with any type of conversation.
He’d almost finished eating, just a few more bites before he’d push his plate to the side. The Silent Dragon didn’t disappoint. John would say that was one of the best steaks he’d had in a very long time.
“Did you get my message?” John asked Julian. “I wasn’t sure if you’d have the same number.” Never mind that his had changed. He didn’t really think about that, either.
"Pretty good, huh? Now you'll just have to visit the Squirrel."
His eyes narrow slightly, however, when John asks about the message. The only message that he'd gotten had been ominous and from a number that he hadn't recognized. One that he'd been worried about bringing to his sister-in-law's door.
"That was you? The ominous bullshit from an unknown number."
“What is The Squirrel?” John asked. He had read about Squirrel Creek Chop House but didn’t make the connection.
He shifted a little. “It wasn’t meant to be ominous,” he said. “I guess I got the new number after you left.” There was a bit of a twinge in his voice. “Didn’t think about you not knowing it was me.”
"The Squirrel is where I work," Julian states with a bit of a smirk. Which would probably confuse someone as to why he'd suggested John sit down and deal with The Silent Dragon. He knew that the owners of both places were friends. So, this was a way to get a genuine take on both places. "I'm a line cook over there."
He shakes his head," Well, it was ominous. I didn't know who the hell the message was from. I thought that my past had followed me into the OC and that I'd have to find a way to keep them away from my brother and sister-in-law." He gives a half-smile," Looks like my past did follow me. Just not the one I need to keep them from."
John remembered that Julian had been more than capable in the kitchen. It was good to hear he was doing something he liked to do. At least John remembered that he’d always seemed to enjoy cooking.
And flying. But that was another thing altogether.
“I hope that means you’re not upset I showed up in town. I’m opening a new location out here. A few miles from here actually,” he said. He was more than a little excited to be expanding his business.
"Nah. I'm not upset that you showed up in town. Though, you always did follow me around like a lost puppy," he teases. "I'm not so sure that my boyfriend would like that too much." Honestly? Neither of them had followed the other around like a lost puppy. Even if John had become kind of like a big brother to him, family even. Seeing as his wanted nothing to do with him. His parents hadn't, at the very least.
He leans back and gives a bit of a smirk," Wait, you're actually expanding for once? We'll both have to get up there at some point. I might even have to take Johnny out." It didn't really occur to him that he hadn't mentioned the whole knowing how to fly to his brother. It had never come up in their conversations.
“I’m looking for qualified staff, if you need a second job.” John would never try to take him away from the job he had. That was dirty business, stealing employees, even if the businesses were completely different. That wasn’t John’s style, never had been.
“Or if you know anyone who needs a job.” Julian knew John was a good person to work for. He’d give just about anyone a chance. Trust and respect had to be earned, but he was willing to give anyone a chance.
“Boyfriend, huh? You’ll have to tell me about him.” And preferably introduce him, but John wasn’t going to push for that right out of the gate. He’d been out of Julian’s life for a while. It would take time to get resettled, even if being with him now felt natural. Like only a few days had passed since they’d seen each other, instead of months.
"Not me," Julian states with a small smile. "Though, maybe you should talk to my sister-in-law. Or, well, I guess if you need a mechanic of sorts then she's your girl." He remembers a lot of the stuff that Raven talked about, especially where this dream shit came about. "Though, if I threw her at you, then you'd have to start learning sign language. You'll need to learn it anyway."
He thought about it for a moment," Maybe on my days off I'll come help you." Didn't mean that he'd work for him, though. Not really. Helping out wasn't the same as working for him. It'd be a little brother helping a big brother out when it was needed.
"You'll have to go to the Squirrel if you want to meet him," he states with a smirk. "He's the owner and head chef over there. Also, he's Eliot's best friend." He's quiet for a moment before giving a soft smile," Daryl's a pretty great guy."
“I know a little. Functional, mostly. Not fluent,” Sheppard said. He’d learned some basic signs and a few general sentences. He was pretty sure he could learn fluency if he really set his mind to it, and maybe he would. He recalled that Julian’s brother was also deaf.
“I’d like to talk to her. If you recommend her, she’s worth talking to.” Who knows, maybe she’d be interested. Maybe not. He wouldn’t know unless he talked to her. “And of course, you’re welcome any time.”
John smiled. He could read Julian pretty well, and his body language was saying he really liked this Daryl. “I definitely want to meet him. And see the place where you work.”
"You'll definitely need to be fluent, especially if you want to talk to her." Julian wasn't trying to put Raven on the spot or anything, but he figured it was better to be up front about these things. Something to keep the topic going. No, not keep the topic going. Just a pre-warning, of sorts.
"She's pretty great. Definitely makes Johnny happy," he tells him with a smile. That girl was the light of his brother's life. That much was obvious. "Also, if you want to talk to her or anyone else, you should poke at the valar network. You'll find a bunch of people on there. Mind you, some of the stuff they talk about can be a bit weird, but you get used to it."
He slips out of the booth and stretches a bit," You'll meet him, eventually. Just not today. I'm actually going to put your name in this damn phone now. And I will deck you if you ever pull that ominous shit again."
“I can handle that,” he said. He had a basic understanding of sign language, and he’d learn more as needed. Maybe take a class, if it seemed profitable. Or learn from Raven in the day to day. If she even wanted to work with him. That remained to be seen.
“I’ll be sure to identify myself when I text you.” Which meant, even with the name in his phone he was going to get texts starting with ‘Hey it’s Sheppard’ before he got into the message. It would be their running joke now. Especially since John was planning to stick around.
“It’s good to see you, Julian.” Especially good to see him happy.
"Good to know."
He can't help but give a bit of a smile to that. Sheppard didn't have to identify himself every time he texted, but he'd take it. Sometimes things just became a bit of a habit. This would be one of them. One that he could live with. Even one that he wouldn't mind.
"It's good to see you too, John," he tells him. "I'm going to head back to Daryl now. Let me know if you need anything while you're here." Considering that Sheppard was like family to him, he could help him if he needed it. He gives a mock bow and a smirk before turning and heading out the door.