Who: Abby and Julian Maitland. What: The siblings reunited! When: Shortly after Abby's arrival. Where: Julian's townhourse. Rating: PG. Status: Complete!
Abby stared down at the note in her hands, trying to descypher the crooked pencil scrawl. She frowned, her brow knit tightly, curses rolling through her mind. Not being able to read one's own writing was maddening.
At long last Abby decided she had the correct address and shoved the paper in her pocket. She hoisted her backpack higher on her shoulder, jogged up the stairs and knocked on the front door.
Julian woke up with a start when he heard the knock at the door. As a club promoter, he didn’t keep regular hours, and a nap at four in the afternoon was a luxury that he enjoyed. He’d fallen asleep on the sofa while reading a book, but woke quite easily. He wasn’t expecting anyone, and as such, looked cautiously through the peephole. When he saw a crop of white-blonde hair just like his, he swung the door open as fast as he could.
“Abby?” His voice was quiet, but his grin was ear-to-ear.
Realizing she did have the correct address, Abby went from grumpy-tired to ecstatic with a snap, dropping her bag and flinging herself at her brother with a leaping, high-pitched cry.
'Surprise!!' she shouted, wrapping arms and legs around Julian and clinging like a monkey. He just smiled to himself, wrapping his arms tightly around her and laughing. “I’m so glad you’re finally here, what took you so long?”
Still not letting go, Abby replied against Julian's lapel, squeezing as tight as she could. 'Oh... You know... This and that?' “Right, this and that. Especially that,” I’m sure.” He chuckled, walking backward while holding his big sister with one arm, shutting the door behind him. “Do you have a lot of bags?”
Once inside. Abby finally let go, dropping down to the ground again. 'No,' she replied, looking around the entrance, 'Just the one. Hard to get around the jungle if you're dragging along a bunch of baggage.'
Turning back to her brother, Abby took a moment to just look him over.
He was taller than she remembered, cheek bones more defined. Two and a half years could do a lot to a person but aside from a few normal-growing up features, Julian was the same. It was a comforting sight.
'And how's my baby brother?'
He grinned, moving to flop back down on the couch. His hair was longer, his body leaner, but that was about it. “I’m good, really good. Honestly, I think I got more boring since you left.” Sobriety would do that to a person; his life was mostly work, NA meetings, and reading at home.
'Not too boring I hope.' Abby walked over and plopped down on the couch next to Julian, her feet up over his knees. 'I wouldn't want a boring roomie.'
“Sorry, that’s what you’re getting. Lots of movie nights and books on my Kindle and naps. The only time I’m exciting is when I come home at six AM after work and immediately take a shower.” He laughed and wrinkled his nose. “I swear, I always end up with the most glitter on me. It’s awful.”
'Glitter... Really?' It wasn't hard to believe, just difficult to imagine her moody, once drug-addicted baby brother covered in sparkles and rainbow-sunshine.
'Well... I suppose I can live with that since I'm.... Maybe sort of broke and not paying any rent?' She grimaced, offering Julian a pathetic, uneasy smile. It was one thing to show up unannounced after nearly three years and ask to crash on a couch for a couple of days. Announcing you we're moving in was quite another. Not paying rent took the cake but since it was either Julian or their parents, she was hoping he could cope.
He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. “You’d better not pay me rent, or I’ll smack you. You’re my sister, sisters don’t pay rent. Come on, you can have the guest room. So … your room. Since you’re moving in.” He didn’t want her to just stay for a week, he wanted her to live there. Just the two of them against the world, just like it had always been.
Slumping against Julian, Abby laid her head on his shoulder. Her feet, she pulled up underneath her bum, her hands found his and took a firm hold and she just settled in, comforted and happy. 'Thanks,' she said simply and closed her eyes.
Of all the things in the world Abby had left behind, Julian was the one she'd wished she could have taken with her. They had always been together, side-by-side, two peas in a pod, the very definition of every cliched metaphor on inseparable objects imaginable. School had caused somewhat of a rift between them as Abby's studies had absorbed a lot of her time but even that was only temporary. Slated to last only as long as her degree course.
And then came the job. A once in a life-time opportunity and Julian had supported it. With his backing, there wasn’t anything she could do but find homes for all her lizards, sell her belongings and buy a plane ticket.
The past few years of her life had been a maddening whirlwind. And as much as she had enjoyed every second of her adventures, Abby was grateful that it was over. Now it could just be the two of them again. The way it was always meant to be.
'You don't have some creepy jealous girlfriend that's going to come in and try to throw me out by my hair, do you?'
Julian snorted. “I haven’t really dated much since I got clean. The thing that sucks the most is that you kind of have to find a whole new set of friends, because the friends you have when you’re using suck.” He’d only gotten off of heroin with the help of his sister, and even though she’d been gone, her absence had motivated him to stay clean. She’d yell at him if she came back to find him wasted again, so he’d always made sure to go to NA meetings when he felt weak, and always before work. Clubs were a double edged sword; he loved making people happy, but temptation lurked in every bathroom stall.
“You’re more likely to have an ex than me,” he grinned, tickling her.
Abby punched him hard on the fleshy part of his shoulder. It was a miracle she found it; he was that lanky. 'Just the one. A Kiwi. You'd have liked him.'
“Oooh, he had an accent too, I bet.” He let up from the tickling, sprawling out a bit more. “What was he like?” He’d dated one guy in her absence, trying it out, and while he preferred women, he didn’t mind it overmuch.
'Very clean,' Abby said after a moment, enunciating quite clearly. It was a joke of course, a counter to her brother's love if glitter and dingy club houses but only he would ever have known it. Abby's sense of humor wasn't very overt.
'No, he was a nice guy, in the end. Just not for me. He loved music, but he was allergic to fur. Not overly fond of snakes, either, as it happens.'
“How can someone like you and not like snakes?” Julian chuckled, shaking his head. “I almost got a bearded dragon once, just because it reminded me of you. But I always hoped you’d come home and pick out your own pet.” Maybe someday she’d surprise him and get a puppy.
That nearly made Abby snort; Julian had a difficult enough time taking care of himself. How could he ever take care of a reptile? A potted plant perhaps, but even then something sturdy was more appropriate. Like a weed.
But she'd never say that to him. Despite his slip ups, she was incredibly proud of him. A person couldn't come back from the brink where he had been without a lot of strength and even more determination.
'Well, I'm home now! I guess I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for strays.'
“Yes. Stray lizards. I’m sure there’s someone with an iguana who is going to release it into the wild,” he quipped. He ruffled her hair before standing up and taking her bag. “So, nobody’s lived here since Devin,” he murmured. He really hoped she wouldn’t notice the boy’s name.
“And that was about … right after you left, actually.”
Abby didn't mind the hair ruffle; it was a sorely missed familiar gesture and anyway, she'd been on a plane for twenty six hours. It wasn't as if Julian could muss it up worse.
Standing on all too sleepy feet, Abby followed him through the house back to what was now, she supposed, her bedroom. 'Who's Devin?' she asked, making no assumptions or connections. She was too sleepy for that and too happy to be someplace she could call home.
“Guy I dated for a few months when I was just getting sober. Wasn’t the world’s best idea,” he shrugged. “We met at a NA meeting and we both had stuff to work on so we shouldn’t have focused on each other.” They didn’t fall off the wagon or anything, but they had driven each other fairly crazy.
Abby stopped in the doorway and leaned against its frame. Her face was expressionless, a clear sign to someone who knew her as well as Julian that she was thinking, processing.
Growing up in Hollywood, Abby had known and seen a lot of homosexuality. Kids in her classes, strangers on the streets, even she had snogged a girl or two in college just to try. Open orientation wasn’t exactly taboo in her experiences but it wasn’t something she had ever associated with Julian. Not that it couldn’t be, it just hadn’t.
After about three seconds, Abby’s mind caught up with her body and she walked into the bedroom, flopping down on the bed and testing the springs. ‘Have you been keeping up with your meetings alright then?’ she asked, passing over the topic of Devin. She had zero issue with it, as long as her brother was happy and healthy. He could tell her more if he wanted, but Abby wasn’t the sort of person to pry. Not unless she thought her kid brother was in trouble. And a little sex with another guy? Hot, not trouble.
“Yeah, I go every work day before I hit the club, and then on Wednesday just to keep me up with it.” He shrugged, glad that she wasn’t fussing too much about his dabbling with guys. He didn’t think she would be upset, but the fact she hadn’t said anything was perfect.
He flopped onto the bed with her, laying on his back. “Feel free to redecorate in here, since it’s your room now.” Turning his head, he grinned impishly. “Pack it up with lizard stuff.”
‘Can I paint it?’ she asked, staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t a bad color, but having seen and lived in some interesting places, Abby was over the eggshell white of American society.
“Of course.” He’d painted his own room a dark blue, the color of the ocean when it was coldest and most turbulent. “My room is painted too.” He was just glad she was there. If she wanted to paint a room, that was more than fine.
Turning over, Abby flung an arm and a leg over her brother’s torso. She buried her nose against his shoulder, closed her eyes and felt, finally after two days of traveling, comfortable. ‘Will you help me? I don’t care much for ladders.’
“Duh. Aren’t you glad you’re the only one who got the tiny gene?” He was six foot two, a respectable height for a guy, but a full foot taller than his big sister. She was adorably tiny every bit as much as he was lanky and tall.
‘I may be small but I can still kick your ass,’ she replied, snuggling closer. The juxtaposition was not lost on her and she smiled, stupidly. It felt so perfect, being here with him. ‘I may just pass out... mind. Do you work tonight?’
“Nope. I did last night, and I try not to work two nights in a row.” He would’ve gotten too tired to do his job well. “And I know you can kick my ass, I’m well aware of this. You’re the tiniest Amazon.” He hugged her closer to himself, grinning.
‘Amazon with two breasts,’ she corrected, grinning just as widely as her brother. If the hair wasn’t a dead giveaway, when they smiled there could be no mistaking their shared genes. ‘Hey, Julian?’
“I’m glad you didn’t cut one off.” He smiled, squeezing her hand, appreciating that sometimes looking at Abby was like looking into a mirror. “Hey, Abby?”
‘Thanks for taking me in,’ she said. There was more to it than a simple thank you, and the depths of her appreciation only Julian knew, but they were the only words necessary.
“You don’t have to thank me.” She was more than his big sister; it was more like they were the survivors of their childhood. He didn’t think he’d have gotten out without her, habit or no.
Sleepily, Abby mumbled, ‘Fine. I take it back,’ but the smile remained on her face. She would always thank her brother, for every last little deed he did up and to allowing her to crash. The research job had been a once in a lifetime opportunity, but it hadn’t paid beyond expenses. And now with a sizable school debt hanging over her head, the last thing Abby could afford was the day to day.
She’d find a job though, soon enough. Maybe when she woke up she’d go trade her camera in for a laptop and start looking that very evening. There had to be something out there for a well educated young woman. Maybe.
Until then, she was happy to cozy up next to her little brother and nap. Home again where her heart had always been.