Archive of Our Own

Turning his head swiftly as a tall, thin figure passed him in the bustling high school hallway, a messy-haired blonde boy in a blue band uniform gasped. "Julian?!"

He hadn't seen this boy for a good couple of weeks now. Or...he assumed it was this boy. In every way, the other teen looked like his goth boyfriend, except that instead of having black hair and being donned head to toe in purple, the boy walking past had white hair and was garbed entirely to match.

Halting with a raised brow, the snow-white boy turned to look quizzically at the other. The shorter boy wore an expression of swirling emotion. There was an imploring blend of confusion, joy, relief, hurt...it was a bit uncomfortable to look at, really.

"Are you talking to me..?" the doppelganger inquired. His name was Julian...in a way. But more correctly, it was Evil Julian, and having been born from an orb of power and granted his own consciousness through magic, he knew nothing of any of the true Julian's connections. Finding out was not part of his mission, either.

Brow knitting further, the blonde boy's face turned grimmer. "Of course I am." Reaching out, he took one of the other's hands between his. "I know we've been distancing a little since the Best Buds contest fiasco, but you've practically fallen off the map..! I've been worried. So...why are you wearing white? I mean it looks nice..."

Quirking a brow, Evil Julian couldn't care less about whatever teenage drama was apparently going on with Julian and this boy. Especially since this boy may well never see Julian again. Evil Julian had swapped dimensions with him, trapping the true goth boy in the vacuous realm of monsters and magic. The only thing Evil Julian had to note about the petite teen in front of him at all was that he was the first and only to even notice him, much less that he looked any different to regular Julian.

"Thank you," the pure white party acknowledged a bit vainly, unable to dislike the compliment, but then moved past it by asking simply, "You don't happen to have a glowing green orb of unimaginable power, do you..? Or know the location of where one might be..?"

"Huh..?" Very confused, the band geek in question could only answer truthfully, "No..?"

"Then I have nothing more to say to you," Evil Julian closed the discussion promptly, pulling his hand from the other's and placing his own neatly behind his back as he continued walking.

"What..?" Perplexed, and now a little stung, the shorter boy hustled after, protesting next to the goth's tall strides, "Julian, what's the matter with you? Are you still upset with me? I know I got a little miffed after you flubbed out on our first turn, but at least give me a chance to make up..! I'm over it, I swear..! Very over—waaaaugh!"

Not paying attention while he walked, focusing entirely on the boy he thought was his snubbing boyfriend, the blonde missed the first step in a flight down from the second floor, quickly toppling into a clumsy and animated freewheel down to the first floor.

Evil Julian observed casually, not changing his even pace as the boy toppling down past him and crashed into a heap. Other students paused to give shocked glances through the spill, but the only pause Evil Julian gave was when he reached the bottom of the stairs himself. Turning a half-step back as he passed the other boy, he tossed over his shoulder, "It may be faster, but I really would recommend using the stairs as opposed to bouncing off them." With a hearty titter to himself, he carried on his way, leaving the other in his pain and puzzling.

Puzzling indeed, the blonde boy righted himself and rubbed his head, stinging internally more than anything. That was...nothing like the Julian he knew. It was so callous, so nasty. And he hadn't even taken a second to hear what his boyfriend was trying to say. The Julian he knew would have been pining just as much to stay apart, just waiting to make up after a tiff same as him. Watching Julian leave, hardly noticing as a few students gathered to check if he was alright and picked up the feathered shako he'd lost in the fall, the gap-toothed blonde felt a tear come to his eye.

Meanwhile, in the glass of the fire extinguisher case behind him, a face shimmered into existence, painted with imploring panic. Palms pressing to the inside of the reflection, this black-haired boy sent his eyes flicking around as he sought anyone who could see him. Hear him. Free him from this wretched prison. This was the true Julian.

"Hello?!" he called out to the student body he'd been attempting to reach out to, multiple times a day over the past pair of weeks. "Anybody?! I am in desperate need of rescuing, so if any of you feel up to the task..!"

A sharp gasp as he registered the scene he'd manifested into. One back stood out among the crowd. That bright fly-away hair, that uniform worn as everyday clothing...this was unmistakably Bucky! More than anyone, Julian had been trying to reach out to this boy, and he would happily try again, but just now Julian was noticing how he'd obviously been injured, and was crying?!

"Burkhart..." Pressing his palm more gingerly out in front of him, the other coming to his own chest, Julian felt a sharp pang of empathy. He noticed Bucky's gaze off into the distance as he stood and absently thanked the girl passing him his hat, and followed it to see that white back disappearing into the crowd.

Another gasp. The boy claiming to be him. The one who had stuck him here. His doppelganger had hurt Bucky, hadn't he?!

Once more desperate, but for a different reason, Julian slammed his fists into the glass, though he had been learning that he was stuck between the layers as a reflection no one could see.

"Oh, Burkhart, dearest, don't you listen to him! He's not real! Whatever he's done to you, I swear I would never! Burkhart?!"

Of course his words fell on deaf ears, not a single person in the cluster right before him turning to glance his way. All that happened was Bucky putting his hat back on, assuring everyone that he was fine in a hollow tone before glumly walking away.

Pressing all of his fingertips to his fanged lips in worry, Julian pulled back from this window, darting his gaze about for the next portal as he willed to follow the other boy. Responding to his wish, the monochromatic void obeyed, shimmering to life another sparkling silvery window in the endless brown. The rock platform he drifted on carried him to meet it.

As Bucky walked, he didn't know at all that the real Julian was following as best he could, appearing on every reflective surface and trying to tell him he was there. That he was asking what had happened. That he was wishing he wouldn't be sad.

Bucky just walked heavily back upstairs, carrying on his way to Science class. He sat with his head sagging into his hand, Julian floating tensely curled in the large window beside him, watching in concern.

Finally, he did get some insight when one of their mutual friends, Theresa, sat beside the blonde boy and naturally noticed his sniffing. Bucky was usually a ray of sunshine, so his slouch and frown were a dead give-away something big had happened.

"Bucky..? What's up?" was the first thing the black-haired girl asked gently.

Glancing at her, looking almost unsure like he even wanted to discuss it, Bucky then sent his gaze drifting off through the window, unwittingly right through the boy he was about to mention.

"I think...Julian hates me..."

Eyes widening, Theresa reached a bell-sleeved arm out quickly to touch Bucky's back in consolation. She and Julian both exclaimed, "What?! No!"

Alone, Theresa insisted, "I literally cannot imagine that ever happening. Why would you think he hates you?" Those two were the most in-love couple she'd ever seen. Sure they'd stepped back a little to cool off after a small recent quarrel, but that had been all it was..! She'd honestly have expected them to have made up already.

"Well I mean..." Bucky continued heavily, "I haven't seen him in two weeks, but I just did, and he...he just wasn't himself at all. He was really mean to me..!"

Julian's hands clapped over his mouth again as his brow pinched in sting. He wanted for all the world to be able to fly out of this world just so he could hug the other boy and assure him he meant the world to him and he could never hate him, but all he could do was be grateful that Theresa was there to do a fraction of the job for him.

"Okay, what?" she was blinking, "Now that I really can't imagine. I've never seen Julian be mean to anybody..! Ever..! Okay, maybe a little revengey that one time towards everyone who hated our Klüb..." She had in fact been one of the ones directly involved in that revenge scheme, as one of several hideous, magic-infused monsters.

Brow furrowing in annoyance now, Julian groaned in grumpy distaste that Theresa was not doing a great job at selling him, as well as that he couldn't defend himself.

"But he'd never be nasty to you! Nobody hates you!" Bucky was an oddball, sure, the biggest geek on campus, especially when it came to Band, but he was too friendly and bright to hate. "And Julian's floopin' head over heels for you! He's been your boyfriend almost all year, for Pete's sake!"

Julian felt like this was a much better sell, shifting his eyes with a hopeful smile towards Bucky.

"Hmph." Bucky crossed his arms and plunked his elbows dejectedly onto the science table in front of him. "Tell that to the bruises I'm gonna be feeling after falling head over heels down the steps."

Lips shifting in deep concern, Theresa took her hand back. None of this sounded right. "I guess I haven't actually seen Julian in a couple weeks either...was he really acting that different..?"

"Acting different, looking different...I definitely don't think he wanted to listen to me..."

"Hmmm..." The girl's face pinched in sympathy. "I...I'm really sorry, Bucky. I don't know what might be going on. I hope it was some kind of misunderstanding, though. It's gotta be..."

"...yeah."

Gripping his hair haphazardly, Julian let out a frustrated scream. "It is! It is a misunderstanding! Burkhart, please don't sound so defeated! You know I would never abandon you! Please..!" It almost sounded like Bucky thought Julian had dumped him. That was unthinkable!

Class was starting, and there was no more for Julian to listen to about what had happened to upset his boyfriend. Unable to just sit there and watch Bucky stuff his emotions down, Julian ripped himself away from the window into the regular realm. Crossing his arms firmly, he sat sharply into a sulky huff. That evil version of him was just...well, was not very nice, to say the least! Trapping him here. Making his boyfriend sad like that. Doing who knew what else!

Feeling his stomach grumble, Julian's posture relaxed some as his lips wavered and he placed a palm over his gut. "Oh, right. Food." In a place this barren, it was nigh non-existent, but as it had been necessary, he'd managed to discover it within the first couple of days here.

With a sigh, he stood back up, picking up the pink satchel that was the only earthly good he'd seen thus far, and waited for a passing rock that looked promising. With a dainty 'wheeee~' he took a prancing leap over to it. Indeed this equally-dusty platform was covered with small stalagmites, which he bent at the waist to begin collecting into the handbag.

Pausing as he picked, he held one between forefinger and thumb and sent it a grimly-stretched expression of flat distaste.

"Blecchy." Despite this, he tossed the thing into his mouth and munched it as he carried on gathering others just like it. The rocks tasted horrible, much like...rocks, but they were oddly edible, and that had to do. Julian did his best to stay optimistic, and was working on trying to trick himself into enjoying them.

As he gathered, he perked in notice as he happened across something different lumped in with the various non-stalagmite rocks scattered about – a skull. The rest of the body was obscured under a boulder, telling a tale of the creature losing a spontaneous battle with gravity as these ever-shifting platforms drifted, but the skull was perfectly intact.

Not much larger than a human's, this skull had horns, impressively sharp teeth, and symmetrical spikes jutting from its lower jaw. "Well, hello there!" Julian beamed, picking the thing up and popping the rock he'd been sucking out of his mouth. Offering it forward, he asked the dead thing in his hand, "Rock-sicle?" This was the closest thing to another being he could talk to he'd seen, and quite honestly he was getting a bit stir-crazy, hollering for no one to hear. Of course, speaking to imaginary friend puppets wasn't outside his usual, but here he was perhaps a bit more disjointed to latch onto an object like it was properly alive. Normally he was pretty self-aware of his puppetry.

"Not a fan of the boysenberry?" he carried on to the skull, "Me neither, really. Oh, but you don't have to be so rude about it..! How about lemon?" He held up another, identical spike.

Silence.

"Oh, you're quite right! Forgive me for being such a scatterbrain, I've had quite the trying morning, basically realizing I'm hopelessly trapped here for certain and that I – or some sort of me, I suppose – have put myself in a serious kerfuffle with my dearest..!" Firmly, he hugged the skull to his stomach as his eyes widened emotionally.

Blinking, he held the skull back up and bit, "I know you didn't ask for my life's story..! I'm just explaining –" Cutting himself off, Julian closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. Letting it out, he re-opened his eyes and smiled at the skull. "No, you're right. Manners first. Let's start over. So, I'm Julian. And you are..?"

Silence.

"Tyler!" Julian perked, "Oh, that's a nice name. Not as nice as 'Burkhart', but then I might be somewhat biased. Have I mentioned my dearest sweetheart yet? His name is Burkhart."

Silence.

"You have quite the pottymouth, don't you, Tyler? It is most unbecoming." A scolding finger wagged at the skull for its inappropriate language.

Hours later, he was still speaking to this skull as he pranced from rock to rock, happily filling it in on how he had been stalked by his evil doppelganger and pulled into this realm, and spent the last two weeks slowly giving up on the idea that he could get anyone to hear him from here. He was still holding out hope for finding some sort of exit, but it probably wasn't going to be the mirror portals. Not unless his evil counterpart decided to be rather generous and swap their places back. It could happen. Maybe. Then again, he'd been seeing the other version of himself less and less as the days went. Which on one hand was good because Evil Julian was scary, but on the other hand, was bad because there was less chance of convincing him to free him. And Evil Julian was the only one who seemed to be able to talk to him in reflections.

Swerving away from venting out all of his frustrations and fears, Julian had just taken a sudden chipper detour into asking Tyler about the feng shui of the imaginary 'open-concept kitchen and living quarters' he'd arranged his dirt and rocks into, when another glittering mirror portal opened in the sky, causing Julian to gasp and clutch his new bony companion in fear as his platform drifted towards it. He hadn't chosen to view the outside world. From what he knew, this could only mean one thing.

"Hello again, me~," his own voice breezed from the other side of the glass.

"Um. Yes, hello." Julian fidgeted nervously, not knowing what to expect. "Any luck finding that...orb thingy you've been after?"

"As a matter of fact, no, no thanks to you," Evil Julian groused, "But before I simply leave me to rot, I thought I might as well ask since you were in contact with one of them: do you happen to know anything about either of the other remaining orbs..?"

Spine straightening, Julian began sweating and racking his brain. Drumming fingers against his jawline, he hemmed, "Uh. Other orbs, other orbs...you are referring to the same variety of glowing, green, scarily evil ones, yes..?"

Rolling his eyes, the white-haired party sighed, "Yes. Those ones."

Nervously, Julian replied, "Well, I know I would love to help me out, that is to say I-me would tell you-me if I-me could, but I'm afraid I-me doesn't have any idea what you-me is talking about. But Tyler might know. Have you asked him?"

The snowy-haired doppelganger quirked a brow. "Tyler?" he asked flatly.

With a small, hopeful smile, Julian slid the skull up into the mirror's frame.

"I'd be careful, though," the boy in purple tailcoats warned, whispering around the back of his hand, "He's rather touchy."

Evil Julian hung his head with a frustrated scoff. Clearly his counterpart was just as fruity and useless as ever.

"Wait!" Julian thrust a finger into the air. "I can search around here for you if you like! Just like for the first one you asked about. How many are there?" Kneeling, he began brushing his palms around in the dirt. "Nothing here..! But perhaps under the dinette set..." Naturally, nothing was underneath these neatly-arranged pebbles either. In sing-song, Julian called out as he shuffled around on his knees in search, "Oh, ominous orbs of infinite poweeeeer~! Where are youuuuu~? Come out, come out, wherever you aaaaare~!"

Still flatly, Evil Julian looked back at his mirrored self and said with heavy unimpress, "You know what? Forget I asked. I'm embarrassed I was even created from you."

Sensing finality in those words, Julian scrambled back to the mirror in plea. "Wait, no! Scary other me! Don't go..! I-you know, if I-you let I-me out, I-me could help you-me much more easily..! Or perhaps we-us could just share a delightful rock-sicle picnic..? Freshly harvested~!" In further hope, he held up the pink satchel. In the next moment, a misshapen demonic creature flew past and snatched the thing as it was held aloft.

Julian remained still for a moment, eyes trained in stun where the beast had gone. Then his eyes slowly slid back to Evil Julian and he grinned in sheepish appeasement. "Back to the idea of letting I-me out, then..."

"Nice try," Evil Julian said sarcastically, "But trust me. I know what we want, and we want the orbs. And you have just proven ultimately that you're completely useless towards that goal. You want you to be happy, right? So you will be better off right where you are...for eternity~."

Puzzling through the grammar and conflicting emotions, Julian puzzled, "But...wait...do I want that..?" Pressing against the glass as his counterpart stepped back evenly, Julian urged, "But I don't want to be here..! Will I at least do me a favor and undo some of the naughtiness I've been doing? I've seen what I've been up to..! I'm disappearing entirely, even from my most loved ones..! How can I want that?"

Smiling darkly, Evil Julian purred in assurance, "Trust me...after you see what I have in store, you'll wish you had disappeared~..." With that, he waved a hand as he turned away fully, leaving Julian to gape at empty air.

"I—what?!" Thoroughly confused, splay-legged, Julian sank his rear completely into the dirt, at a loss. He had no idea what the boy claiming to be him was plotting, but he always seemed adamant that it was in Julian's best interest. No matter how awful it sounded. And now...now he was saying Julian's best interest was to not exist. Julian had no idea what he could be thinking, but he was pretty darn sure he still wanted to exist!

Powerless to do much else after yet another failure to appeal to his captor, he lifted Tyler in his hands and figured, "Well, chin up, I suppose..! I'm sure I must know something I don't...right?"

As usual so far, Tyler was unhelpfully without input.

…

An entire month later, Bucky had not seen Julian a single time since he'd brushed him off and laughed so harshly at his misfortune. This was entirely too long. It still hurt to think about that incident, but it was the last bit of contact the blonde had to hold onto, and to him, it signaled something must have been very wrong after all.

Even if he was angry, or lashing out, there was no way Julian would just up and abandon everyone he knew. None of Julian's friends in the small circle of outcasts had seen him. Bucky was the only one to have seen Julian wearing white as well. The more days had passed, the more Bucky knew this was definitely not a case of the goth boy being moody. But with nothing to go on but a sudden swap in wardrobe colors, he had no idea where to take the trail. He longed for closure. For Julian to come back. To just have an explanation and work things out.

He was hopeful things could still work out. One weird interaction wasn't enough to take away a whole year of happy memories. If Julian did come back, Bucky was sure he could have his Julian back. The sweet, optimistic, giddy boy he cherished. Among Julian's few friends, it was reasoned that weird stuff happened in Norrissville all the time, so maybe something magic had happened to him, but none of them could guess what would cause such a prolonged absence. However, magic was still their best guess to give Bucky some solace, as he was the one most obviously effected by the absence. Bucky could only hope Julian hadn't been magically erased from time or killed somehow. Or if he was, that it was possible to retrieve him. And while he was hoping, he still tried to find any breadcrumbs that could lead to a more solid answer.

Approaching a purple-haired boy in a hooded sweater by his locker at the end of the school day, Bucky cleared his throat. Randy Cunningham pulled his face back sharply, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. The sound of a snapping book could be heard and Randy hastily and noisily tossed whatever he'd been reading further into his locker before slamming it shut and leaning an elbow on it, now very poorly trying to look nonchalant.

"He-heeeey, Buckyyy..!" the taller boy greeted, "Mah man..! What's uuup? I totally wasn't reading anything mystical or forbidden or anything. In case you were wondering. It was just...homework! Very doable in a locker...homework. In fact, very sensible to do in a locker. Homework. Standing here. With Howard."

On his other side, a stout, overweight ginger boy sarcastically approved, "Nice save. I woulda gone with 'book from the '70s found at your uncle's'? But ya tried. Three points." A pause. "Two and a half."

While Randy glowered at his friend for critiquing his excuse in front of the person he was using it on, Bucky flicked his gaze between them for a short second.

"Uh-huh. That's great," he brushed off, not really caring what Randy had been doing either way, "Yeah, so, Randy? I just wanted to talk to you for a second. It's about Julian."

Blinking, Randy's posture straightened some. "Julian? Why would you want to talk to me about Julian?" In a spot of nervousness, his eyes flicked away and back again. Did Bucky somehow know he'd been fighting Julian recently? Or...'Evil Julian' as he was apparently going by? Randy wasn't too clear on the details, but it looked like the goth freak had a clone brother or something..? And he'd turned himself into one wicked opponent for his ninja protector alter ego.

Twiddling his fingers, Bucky reasoned, "Well, before he disappeared, I know you were the last person he hung out with. I overheard you guys talking about Snow-klahoma. It's cool and all, I'm not mad. I'm just wondering if you noticed anything off about him while you were there?"

"Off about Julian..?" Howard snarked, "You mean like everything, always..?"

Randy elbowed him pointedly to shut up.

"Oof! Hey, don't act like you don't think I'm right!"

Ignoring Howard, Randy replied to Bucky, "Well, I don't know why you'd be mad, but that trip was really more of a convenience thing than anything." Julian had been terrified and highly at risk of magical possession that day. Randy just happened to be the person Julian came running to for protection in the bathrooms, and he also just happened to be the one most fit and morally-obligated for the job as resident ninja.

"If by that you mean in-conven—oof!" Another jab from Randy's elbow cut Howard off. "Hey, quit it!"

"Quit being mean to Julian. He's not even here to defend himself..!"

Bucky's face fell. One index finger rubbed the back of his opposite hand as he held them meekly. "Yeah. About that...so you really didn't notice anything special? Anything that might suggest what happened to him..?"

Randy rubbed his chin and cast his eyes up in thought. Around when Bucky was talking about, he'd thought he'd just saved Julian from a routine stank mutation. But just recently, the goth had turned himself into some mechanized, skeletal hellbeast that was all sorts of terrifying. However, to ease Bucky's worries, he opted to refrain from mentioning how he was fairly certain he'd killed that monstrosity. And anyway, if that thing hadn't been Julian, then by all logic, the Julian that had been stanked should be the real Julian, and all normal now, right? Or were they the same Julian? Ugh, Randy's head hurt.

Opting in for the most comforting half-truth, the purple-haired boy lifted a palm and assured, "Sorry, Bucky, but last I knew, Julian was fine and normal. He left Snow-klahoma looking like himself, anyway. I'm sure it's nothing too big. Just try to keep an eye out. I'm sure he'll pop up eventually. You know how he is...with the popping up, and the fangs...haha..." Awkwardly, he illustrated one of Julian's signature jumpscares with arms overhead, then drawing his fingers in towards his mouth to indicate the vampire fangs the goth always wore.

Gaze drooping to the side, Bucky's lips only spread further in disappointment. "Yeah...I miss that." A lot of the shock had worn off, but Bucky still enjoyed Julian keeping his day spontaneous with those scares. They were fun.

Posture neutralizing in the ensuing silence, Randy and Howard both registered how serious this seemed to be and exchanged glances. Even Howard seemed to be aware that there was some kind of line that shouldn't be crossed here, but neither boy really knew what to say.

As the kinder of the two, Randy came forward and gave an odd sort of pat to Bucky's shoulder. "Hey, I mean it. He was fine..! He'll be back in no time, you'll see..!"

With a sigh, Bucky had to wonder. If Julian really was fine and normal the last time anyone had seen him, then maybe it really was something he'd done? Somehow? Would Julian really have been so effected by their tiff? It still seemed entirely out of character, but maybe Bucky was forgetting something else. Something worse. Had he been blind to something going on in Julian's life? If so, how? He'd always tried his best to be there for the other boy.

"Yeah...thanks anyway, Randy," he muttered, and turned to walk away from the taller teen.

Watching Bucky walk away, Randy waited until he was out of earshot to direct his hands urgently towards Howard as he put on a game face. "Okay, so it's not just me, right? Julian is missing? We should probably look into that, right? I mean if he's missing, then Evil Julian might still be alive, right? I kill the bad guy, and everything's supposed to go back to normal. Right?!"

Stepping to put a hand on the small of Randy's back, Howard held up the other one to stop his friend's train of thought. "Wooooah, woah woah woah woah woah woaaaaaah." Seeing he had Randy's attention, he flipped that staying palm over and reasoned, "Did you, or did you not, just fight that guy?"

Posture relaxing slightly, Randy puzzled, "What, Evil Julian? Well...yeah, but what's that got to do with--?"

"Exactly." Howard cut the taller boy off with a sharply-pointed finger. "You just fought him. Give it time, man..! I'm sure regular old creepy Julian will be back in no time, just like you lied to Bucky about."

Brow lowering in scrutiny, Randy noted, "Buuut...if I was lying to Bucky, and you're lying to me, then...doesn't that mean it's still a lie? And...Julian is missing? And he won't come back?"

"Nope..!" Howard countered confidently, "Bucky's saying Julian's been missing since Snow-klahoma. That's obviously not true, because you just fought him..! Clearly he's been around. Bucky doesn't know what he's talking about. Evil Julian is dead. I saw you smash punch him into the stratosphere. Ergo, bad guy defeated. Julian will definitely come back, and you can just cool your ninja jets. And come buy me pizza."

A moment of processing silence while the gears in Randy's head turned.

"Works for me!" he then beamed, "Pizza, here we come~!" Arms pumped overhead, he trotted off with the other boy, oblivious to the angry red glow starting up in his locker, the ancient tome that had granted him his powers vibrating in protest of this irresponsible action.

Meanwhile, Bucky had thought that if anyone might know what was going on with Julian, it was his parents. He would have gone to them sooner, but a combination of last-ditch hope and a wish to respect boundaries just in case had kept him away. Maybe, of all things, Julian was stuck at home sick. Or maybe he was even being silly and staying home out of some sort of refusal to see his friends, though that sounded even dumber than a month-and-a-half-long illness. But why had no one heard anything about it? Surely if it was an illness, someone at the school would have mentioned it.

Walking up the path of a bright pink home with a white picket fence, glancing about at the array of vibrantly-colored flowers planted throughout the yard, Bucky didn't see anything out of place. It was not the type of home one would normally expect to see a goth living, but Bucky was well accustomed to the juxtaposition between Julian and his parents.

Knocking on the door, he did raise his brow, however, when the sound of thundering steps almost immediately came towards him. The door was yanked powerfully open, and two tall, rotund adults appeared, round, friendly features painted with expectation.

"Jul-?!"

A moment's freeze as the man and woman realized that this was not, in fact, their son. Rather their gazes were locked with another familiar face, though it was wide-eyed and leaned back in a spot of stun.

Clearing his throat, Bucky offered a little wave. "Uh, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Armbruster. Sorry, no. I'm guessing Julian...isn't here, then..?" Taking a quick glance up and down, he registered that instead of their usual matching Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts in bright colors, the pair were wearing Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts in black. A knot formed in his stomach as his thoughts jumped to the worst.

Cheeks pinching, in hesitation, he added, "Wait. D-Did Julian...die..?"

Eyes widening, then glancing down at their attire, the pair realized what Bucky must have been thinking and placed matching hands to their collars in a bit of nervous, relieving laughter.

"Oh, heavens. No, I'm not giving up on that boy coming home to us..!" the woman assured, voice melodic and twinkling despite the stress it held. "Apologies, Bucky, deary. Please, come in, why don't you." Stepping back, she welcomed the teen inside.

Bucky followed, brow furrowing as he wondered, "But...why the black, then..?"

Voice clear and warm by nature, though also weary with stress, the man explained, "It's what our Julian would've wanted, don'tchya know." Seeing Bucky still unsettled, he explained further, "I mean to say there, we're wearing his colors in his honor. We miss him sorely, and I guess ya could say we're just tryin' to stay close to him."

"Maybe even hope it does something to bring him back, though that's a bit silly..." Mrs. Armbruster chimed in.

Finally relaxing some to hear that, Bucky gave a tiny smile as he walked the familiar path down the hall and to the left, into a large living room with pink, paw-print-patterened wallpaper. "Aw. No way. I think that's really sweet. If he could see it, I'm sure he'd be touched. He has always wanted you guys to wear more black."

Unbeknownst to him, as he took one of the four sofas adorned with happy, lethargic cats, Julian was here. The goth boy had never stopped following Bucky, checking up on him at least once a day. He'd realized that yes, no one was going to answer his cries from inside his reflective prison, but keeping tabs on his sweetheart just helped him feel a little more sane. It hurt, however, to see how sad Bucky was a lot of the time. The messy-haired boy did his best, Julian could tell, to live as his usual sunny self, helpful and chipper, but he'd also heard Bucky discuss him with his friends. Seen those conversations happen less often as no one had answers to give, nor new theories to pursue. Seen Bucky look wistful when he was by himself and he thought no one was looking. Seen Bucky miss him.

Julian missed Bucky too. The fact that he could only watch the boy's emotions eat at him was painful. He knew that Bucky wished the last time they'd spoken hadn't been so curt. So short. He had the same wish. To make up for it, he spoke to Bucky a lot now. Even without Bucky knowing it, it felt somehow better to talk to him. Julian would assure Bucky that he was alright, update him on his adventures in the weird realm he was living in, comment on the things he saw Bucky doing. Most importantly of all, he would encourage the other boy to buck up. He didn't like to see him sad. If only he could have touched him. Just tucked one of those stray strands behind his ear, caressed his cheek, given him a comforting peck on the forehead. Alas, all Julian had was the glass he could look through, the rocks around him, and Tyler.

Seeing Bucky had gone to his home hit Julian in a way he couldn't have expected. He hadn't thought Bucky would reason that he could still be there. He hadn't expected his parents to have reacted so strongly to the expectation of their son knocking at the door. In fact, now, seeing them wear the black clothes he'd gotten them for their anniversary, and hearing their explanation of why they were now wearing them for the first time ever, it made Julian tear up. He sniffed lightly and wiped an eye with his finger as he sat unseen in the far window, watching his parents sit on the sofa opposite Bucky and hold hands to comfort one another. All three parties reached automatically for a cat to stroke on their laps in further comfort.

"Well, it's sweet of you to come calling," Julian's mother was returning to their guest, "I really am sorry to say, though, we have no idea what's become of our little dark prince boyo."

"Yeahp," Mr. Armbruster nodded glumly, "Sure wish we did have a clue. Darn it if Heaven doesn't know we've tried contactin' the police, there, but with no clues, no leads, no nothin', wellsir, there's not a whole lot they can do but keep an eye out. It's like he just went and fell off the face-a the Earth..!"

Feeling like he'd been doing a lot of sighing lately, Bucky let out another one as he looked downward, crestfallen, and sought some soothing in the fluffy tabby purring on his lap. It rubbed happily into his palm and rolled over comfortably. Giving a tiny smile, the petite boy gave the cat's chest some affectionate scratches.

In the window, Julian pressed a palm forward, wishing he could console his parents just as much as Bucky. "Moth—Mummy...Deadums...I'm still here..! I'm here..." Fingers clawing uselessly in emotion, Julian's forehead bowed to press the cold portal glass. It hurt. Being well and truly vanished, kept so close and yet so far from those he loved most...it just hurt. His doppelganger didn't know what he was talking about. There was no way he could want this. Of course, his doppelganger hadn't shown up again since the last visit. It seemed he'd well and truly decided that Julian was useless to him and that he was better off in the void.

Julian was doing the same as he'd advised Bucky, trying to stay optimistic at every turn and just live as best he could, but even as an optimist by nature, whenever he looked in on the lives going on without him, it became unbearable eventually. It came to a point where he had to retreat back into his prison, where he was able to let his imagination run free, and imagine that his closest circle was doing fine. Forget that the rest of the world outside those few hadn't even noticed or cared that he was gone. Pretend that he would get out of here soon and return home..!

Most of his friends weren't even finding a normal life hard to carry on with. They'd noticed his absence and missed him, but Accordion Dave had taken over as Game Master in their role playing group, and most everyone appeared to accept that Julian was just...gone. It was hard to say if that or this scene of lingering pain in front of the goth hurt more. Was there really a comparison? No matter what, watching yourself being disappeared just...hurt.

Watching the blonde boy stroke one of their several dozen cats so wistfully, the Armbrusters' hearts went out to Bucky. "Ah, we don't mean to say we haven't done our share of lookin'," Mr. Armbruster carried on, "We thought to call ya, but figured you had enough ta worry about. You boys are so close, I know. It's gotta smart. But if'n ya got anything, well, darn tootin', we were actually thinkin' you might know somethin' we didn't, if anyone. So we're right glad you decided to stop by."

Looking up to meet the adults' smiles equal parts consoling and hopeful, Bucky's lips fell once more as he had to inform, "Thanks, but also, sorry. No. It's pretty much like you said. He was there one day, and then..." Tearing up suddenly, feeling a sharp swell of unexpected emotion, Bucky tried to contain it, but his lip trembled. Shifting the cat out of the way, a long, high note slipped from his nose as he tried to stuff it down, and he hid his face shamefully in his knees as he drew them high. His arms wrapped around himself firmly to try and hide his tears from the others.

At once, both parents stood, rushing from their sofa to swarm to either side of Bucky, reaching consoling arms to stroke at his back, head and arms.

"Ohhh, there, there, sweetie...you do what'chya need ta..."

"Gosh darn it, I'm gonna start cryin' here too in a minute...I miss that little night stalker, don'chya know it..!"

"Oh, I miss him too hard to bear it..! No shame in lettin' it out."

"Yeahp, just go with it..."

As a cluster, it seemed their stress and grief overwhelmed all three of them. In no time they had become a quietly sobbing bunch, tears leaking freely as they found they had mutually hit dead ends on where to find Julian. Bucky may not have been their son, and the Armbrusters may not have been Bucky's parents, but they all needed each other now in this moment. They'd been a final straw of hope for one another, and now they were the only ones to understand the crushing realization of this moment.

Fists pressed tightly against his lips, Julian felt hot tears running down his own cheeks, feeling he'd most certainly hit his limit for this visit. Twisting away from the portal, he let it vanish as he crushed his eyes shut. Seeing his parents cry for him, feeling so hopeless but still trying to comfort Bucky as the blonde could no longer take his boyfriend's absence, it was too much.

Rubbing his eyes vigorously, trying to keep it positive, Julian consoled himself since no one else was there to do it. "I-It's alright..." he reasoned, "It'll be over in minutes..! They're all going to feel much better and...go for ice cream! Yes! Then they're going to be so happy when I get out of here, and we'll all have a great big laugh..!"

Pulling his hands away to find them heavily stained with the makeup he'd all but smeared entirely from his eyes, he turned and picked up the skull he'd kept with him this entire time in the void.

"I must look my best when I greet them..! Tyler! Help me mix up some more eyeliner!"

Turning the skull upside down and removing the jaw, he dumped a handful of some nearby black rocks into Tyler, then using one of his rock-sicles to grind away as a makeshift mortar and pestle. Effectively, he'd created busywork for himself.

In reality, the trio on the sofa was not done crying within a mere minute or two. It lasted several, and felt nigh impossible to stem. At last, however, it did, though it felt moreso because they'd run out of tears than because they felt any better.

While Mr. Armbruster continued to stroke Bucky's hair in consolation, Mrs. Armbruster stood and notified, "I'll go and get us some waters. Help steady the old nerves."

Shortly, she returned from the kitchen with a tray sporting a clear glass water pitcher and three matching glasses. From here, the group sat in a thick silence, drinking while letting the atmosphere speak for itself. No one knew what to say, feeling like if they tried any words, that fragile atmosphere would shatter and crash down on them in a new and horrible way.

Bucky was grateful. He loved his own parents, but the fact that Julian's were here for him now, supporting him when they didn't need to, he was so appreciative. It made him feel a bit guilty when the first thing he found to ask was selfishly, "Can I...see his room..?"

The adults glanced at each other over Bucky's head, their faces melting the next moment into empathetic smiles.

"Of course, deary," Mrs. Armbruster hushed, "You love him too."

Her husband nodded. "Spent more than a few minutes in there ourselves. When yer ready, let's take ya up."

"Thank you." Bucky offered the two a small smile. They were so understanding. Bucky just needed to be somewhere that felt like Julian. Just for a little.

Soon enough, the gap-toothed teen was escorted up the stairs, to a familiar black door. Mr. Armbruster unlocked it, and they stepped into another world, saturated in purples and blacks.

Walking to the center of the room, Bucky closed his eyes and inhaled. Julian...

Stepping about, he ran his fingers over the missing boy's things, each and every one a hard-hitting memento. His theremin, stowed away in the corner. His shelves of magician's tricks and old-timey laboratory beakers. The oversized raven skull and ornate candlestick on his nightstand. The curtained four-poster bed itself. The full vanity, every mirror outlined in a row of lightbulbs.

Bucky stopped at this station, touching the handle of Julian's brush. The same brush he would use when doing Julian's hair for him. Julian liked when they touched each others' hair. It was one of his favorite intimate things. And of course, there was the mannequin head, sporting one of Julian's spare purple top hats, the skull on the brim pointed neatly forward. Unable to help it, this object Bucky picked up. Holding it in his hands, just remembering the boy wearing it, he bowed his forehead to touch the silken material with eyes crushed shut. Nothing could have symbolized Julian better. Even Julian valued it as such.

If he tried hard enough, Bucky could almost pretend Julian was there.

In the doorway, Julian's parents smiled sadly as the forlorn boy wandered about, soaking in the past times shared with the one he missed.

"Yeahp..." Mr. Armbruster hemmed, "Hey there, Buckaroo...why don'chya bring that one along with ya..."

Looking up, Bucky blinked in silent questioning.

Mr. Armbruster nodded. "We got all the rest-a this...you don't got one."

Glancing from the man to his wife, she was stroking the man's arm in favor of his compassion and nodded in agreement with an emotional smile.

Feeling a fresh brimming of tears, Bucky felt a wider smile than he'd managed out of public view in a while. Stepping back over to the couple, he reached to hug them both again. "Thank you..."

That night, even though Julian had been supposedly sure it would only take minutes for his loved ones to get over their little teary spell, he waited until the darkness to come check on them. He couldn't stay away. He had to at least be certain that the scene was brighter than it had been.

His parents were easy enough. From their dresser mirror, he found them sleeping peacefully in their bed. With a sigh of relief, he then flashed over to Bucky's house, but this scene was less assuring.

Unexpectedly, Bucky wasn't asleep yet. Even more unexpectedly, he was curled loosely around a hat. Julian's hat. He was hugging it firmly and looking for all the world like a kicked puppy. It felt like a sharp kick to Julian's own gut to see him like this. It looked like for Bucky, that hat was the only sign Julian had ever existed, and he never wanted to let it go. Hovering beside his bed in the blonde's window, the black-haired boy felt his eyes close as he thunked his head grimly against the glass. This was going to be a hard one to imagine his way past.

Sliding his eyes back open, however, he also felt a touch of softness. In some horrible, twisted way, it warmed his heart to see his memory being clung to so hard. Someone out there really, truly did long for his return. Someone beyond a relative.

"Burkhart..." Julian found himself hushing. Crouching lower, he just tried to be as close as he could to the pining boy, though it of course did nothing for his actual ability to close their distance. Eyes twinkling softly, Julian decided to have another one-sided conversation with the blonde.

"Buck up, Burkhart," he whispered, "I'll find my way back to you eventually. But in the meantime, I'm right here and I'm not leaving your side. Please keep me. Don't forget me. I still very much want to make up with you when I'm free."

As he spoke, unbelievably, he saw Bucky's eyelids flutter heavily lower in a sleepy trance. "Julian..?" he muttered breezily to the air, one hand lazily stroking down the side of the hat, "Julian...I can't explain it, but...I feel like you're still out there. I know you're still around, and I have faith I'm gonna see you again. It's prob'ly stupid, but...I wanna see you..."

Maybe it was just because he was holding something of Julian's, but in that moment, he had just felt an inexplicable assurance wash through him. Rolling his eyes for the window, he sighed as he looked out into the night sky, seeing nothing but endless speculation on where the missing boy truly was. So, closing his eyes fully, he nestled up tighter with the purple top hat, at the very least finally feeling like he could go to sleep.

"Come back, Julian..."

Smiling down at the other boy, Julian didn't even mind being looked through this time.

"As quick as I can, dearest..."

…

Deciding he'd had enough of bottling his sadness, Bucky decided to take the opportunity to lighten his spirits when Flute Girl announced that she was throwing a Band party. Getting out there, Bucky thought, and trying to have some proper social fun, would help him manage his stress.

Julian had been missing for almost three months now. Of course Bucky still missed him. Of course he wanted to see him come home. But he just couldn't wallow in those wishes forever. And, for the most part, the party ended up being great.

When he got there, the first question he was asked, by Flute Girl, was if his arrival meant he was finally over that spooky Julian kid he was always whining about. Sourly, Bucky pointed out that he found that question in poor taste. All Flute Girl had to say was, "Sheesh. Sensitive." She'd never been one for tact.

Aside from this, Bucky was able to let go and mingle quite nicely with his fellow band members. More than that, he took to the dance floor and garnered quite a bit of attention as he lost himself in the rhythm and danced his worries away. Before he'd known it, he'd become the life of the party, everyone cheering him on as he lived it up and performed silly party tricks.

Of course, then Randy and Howard had showed up. Perhaps even worse than Flute Girl's momentary slight, these two crashed the party, just showing up at the front door and grinding everything to a halt with their lame struts and fake machismo. Then, as only seemed natural for those two, when they were kicked out, they brought on a giant monster attack. Their stupid shenanigans were not fun to be dragged into, to say the least. However, since drawing the monster out meant the party got a visit from the Ninja, it seemed they were forgiven and allowed to stay.

Bucky could agree that the Ninja was cool and all, but he couldn't really say he found Randy and Howard's presence to be adding much more than it had the first time around. Still, by the end of the night, he felt that he'd gotten a load off his mind that he'd really needed. He'd most definitely needed to let go.

Inside the alternate dimension, approving of this healthy outlet for his darling, always preferring to see him smile and appreciating the loyal bite-back given to Flute Girl, Julian had otherwise been pouring his time into prancing about the floating rocks, trying to find some non-mirror-related way back to the earthly realm. He interrogated Tyler endlessly about local legends, and explored endlessly for weeks, just looking for something he hadn't seen before. And shockingly, through his aimless meanders and use of a dead thing's head for directions, he managed to find something. He finally got Tyler to tell tale of another portal, but also of the arduous journey it was locked behind. The sad part was, the things Tyler told him were all things he was rather sure were beyond his means. Particularly the final stage, which involved going up against a feisty creature that enjoyed gnawing its opponents down to their bones.

Julian had paled, lifted one arm to take a look at the absolute stick it was, and then lamented how cruel Tyler was to actually tell him of this place. He'd gotten quite used to the horrid beasties randomly roaming about, but sadly not used to them enough to best one in combat. He would never be able to take on such a challenge without meeting death, and the entire point of getting out of here was so that he could see the other world again!

While Tyler laughed at him, Julian had a change of heart, however. Renewing his vigor to think of the people back home waiting for him, he turned away from the floating ruin walls he definitely hadn't been reading this entire time and clenched a fist in determination, declaring firmly that Tyler may laugh now, but with enough patience and due diligence...someone capable enough would surely come along and assist him through the obstacles.

He'd sat promptly, smiling into the ether, remaining optimistic. At least he knew there was a way home now. All he needed was a guide~! It couldn't be long. Home was in sight!

If Tyler had had eyes, he would have rolled them.

...

In the regular plane of existence, it hadn't been a week where Bucky felt like enough of his old self that he began to wonder if everyone else was right, if Julian was really gone. Coming up on four months, all of the rest of Julian's friends had pretty much started living as if he was in the past. They no longer had hopeful words for Bucky, and it seemed like the blonde boy and Julian's parents were the only ones willing to treat him like he was still alive. Honestly, it was disheartening to watch the world move on without the boy, the majority of them never having mourned at all.

Could it really be true, though? Could Julian not be coming back..? Bucky didn't want it to be true. He just couldn't accept a reality where they'd left things off on such a meaningless squabble. Where they would never reconcile. Where he would never get to hold him again. And yet, he found doubt edging his mind.

Wait...was that doubt edging his mind? Or was it just the need for a glass of water?

Having been seated at the kitchen table, staring at the purple top hat he'd been ruminating over, Bucky sat up and smacked his lips. Yeah, he could go for a glass.

Drifting away from the table, he shortly had one in hand and took a swig, wishing there was just some kind of sign that would tell him if Julian--

"DIIIIIIIIG!!"

A loud, commanding voice tore through Bucky's brain as soon as he'd swallowed. His brow went up and his face went slack. The glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground as his eyes were flooded just as instantly with a glowing, poisonous green. Compulsively, he began clawing at the sink, attempting to dig through it with his bare fingers.

"BRIIIIING ME THE POOOOOWER BAAAAALL!!"

That voice tore through Bucky's brain again, accompanied by a fearsome face. It fluctuated with an image of a glass orb filled with a magical liquid the same color as the one emanating from Bucky's eyes. Suddenly all he could think about was digging, that voice and that face. That twisted voice and face that looked oddly familiar, but he didn't even need to think about placing it. His new puppet master graciously came with an instinctual name to bring the Power Ball to: Evil Julian.

…EVIL?! JULIAN?!

Though he was suddenly being piloted without his consent, Bucky still had a vague consciousness underneath it, watching himself act from within his own mind. But for the moment that consciousness was simply dumbfounded, all at once being flooded with the information that an Evil Julian existed, and had apparently been on the hunt for power for a grueling four months.

Suddenly. Suddenly it all made sense. That face in his mind. It was warped from when he'd first seen it, but there was no mistaking it for the snow-white boy who had brushed him off all those weeks ago and laughed at his tumble down the stairs. It was an evil doppelganger he'd encountered! This evil doppelganger! And by that point, something must have already happened to the real Julian!

"SEEEEEK THE ULTIMATE PRIIIIIZE!!"

Feeling himself lurch toward the window, Bucky then tumbled out of it in search of a better spot to dig.

Wait. Forget digging! What happened to Julian?!

Just by sensing the being controlling him, he could tell that it wasn't human. Its essence was magical as it fused with Bucky's brain and everyone else's in town. But that just meant even more that something else had become of actual Julian. Moreso than the fact that he was currently a zombified mind slave, Bucky felt a sharp surge of worry for the goth boy's fate.

As he watched his body stop outside The Game Hole and plop down to start scraping away at the concrete, he racked what was left of his brain to try and figure out how he could find more answers. Well, he was being mind controlled by Evil Julian. Surely Evil Julian knew what had happened to Julian. Bucky had wanted a sign, and if this wasn't a sign he didn't know what was. But how did he read it?!

Then, suddenly, a risky idea. He wondered if he wouldn't be able to make use of the magical mind link. If he opened his mind up to being controlled more, would that let him have more access to Evil Julian's mind too? Like say...his memories?

Spending a moment debating, just burrowing away mindlessly like the rest of the drones around him, Bucky decided to bite the bullet. It wasn't like he could really do anything in this state anyway, and the burning question had been tearing him apart for too long. It was this or nothing.

Willing his thoughts to relax, Bucky let the field of green wash over his mindscape as well as his vision. All he saw was that vibrant green, inside and out. Evil Julian's voice pounded through his skull. The villain's feelings resonated inside him. Evil Julian's face flashed through the very core of his brain. The quest this monstrous being had embarked on. Whispers of his drive and what he'd done to get here. The actions that fueled his maniacal lust coming forward now. Evil Julian seeking Power Balls. Evil Julian fighting the Ninja. Evil Julian grabbing Julian's hand to forcibly swap places in an icy labyrinth mirror at Snow-klahoma.

If his face wasn't already gawping, and he had any control over it, Bucky would have done so in shock. Other snippets and pieces flashed through, pouring into Bucky's mind, but rather than being able to analyze them, they were having their likely intended effect. Bucky found himself roiling with a greedy, insatiable need to find that Power Ball. He was frustrated by how long this quest was taking and wanted to take full advantage of Evil Julian's access to this many workers. The Ball. Take it! Give Evil Julian his rightful place as ruler of--!

All of a sudden, his mind was a different color. Red. The Ninja was all he saw. He was being told to back away from Howard. What? Howard? When had he gotten here? When had everyone in town gotten to the quarry?

Suddenly again, his mind was green, screaming at him to grab the ball.

Again it flashed red, compelling him to back down.

This back and forth went on for several more switches, Bucky watching along with the rest of the town subconsciously as the Ninja first did battle in this mental tug of war, and then left all of the citizens standing around in a neutral state while duking it out with his foe.

The townsfolk could only stand caramelized, brains magically idling with no master, hearing an explosion now and again, or perhaps catching a glimpse of a body soaring overhead. Hear mildly descriptive comments shouted out. Their minds were free to wander for the moment, but like most of the others, Bucky was now wondering how likely it was that he would be crushed.

Thankfully, by the end of it, the citizens of Norrissville could all gasp collectively as they felt the fog lift. It seemed the struggle was over. Most people wandered away back towards their homes or what they'd been doing, rather used to bizarre incidents interrupting their day and finding them an inconvenience more than anything. Bucky felt the rush of memories he'd uncovered as he regained his brain and hastened to process them.

Julian...Julian was trapped somewhere. Somewhere magical. Bucky felt himself smiling, hardly believing it but having confirmation he was alive. Julian was alive! They could get to him! Of course, he immediately wanted to rescue the boy, but he had no idea how to do that. However, there was one person who might have an inkling.

Looking towards the Ninja, who was just tending to Howard after the battle, Bucky clasped his hands and shuffled forward respectfully.

"Uh...Ninja? Sir?"

Perking at the arrival, Randy quickly changed his posture from post-battle wind-down to alert and majestic.

"Yes, random citizen~? How can I help you?" he greeted in an overly theatrical manner. Seated on the ground, Howard rolled his eyes at the showmanship.

Bucky scratched the back of his neck. "Well, first-off, thanks for saving everyone. As usual. But second, I know you probably know everything that's going on. Because you're the Ninja. But you're my only hope at this point, and I just wanted to say to please, please, pleeeeaaase bring Julian back home to me." His fingers interlaced to beg. "I miss him so much..!"

The only things visible under his mask, Randy's eyes blinked as he quirked a brow. "Wait, what? You don't mean Evil Julian, right? Guy who was just up here terrorizing everyone? You don't still have glowy goop sloshin' around in there, right?" A finger swirled vaguely towards Bucky's head.

Bucky shook his head. "Nuh-uh."

"We're talkin' Julian-Julian?"

A nod. "Uh-huh."

"Okay, sooooo, if it's not a case of magical Stockholm Syndrome...why do you care about Julian exactly? Since when has he been anywhere else?"

Sagging with a fed-up hem, Bucky countered, "Okay, I know no one pays me or Julian any attention, but come on, Ninja! Even you? He's only been my boyfriend for like an entire year now!"

Though he had nothing liquid on him, Randy performed an overexaggerated spit take, his eyes bulging out from the slit in his mask.

"Boyfriend?! You're telling me Julian actually has a boyfriend?! Since when now?!"

Howard gave a low whistle. "Wow, man, you really do not pay attention to the geek squad, huh?"

"Oh, like you paid any more attention! Uh. I'm guessing. Random...other citizen."

Face dropping flatly, Bucky observed, "Wow. Could you be any more insensitive right now? I'm trying to appeal to you for comfort with a vulnerable long-term connection here. Some hero."

"Er...right." Randy rubbed the back of his masked head, then adopted a heroic power pose. "What I meant to say was...yes, of course! In addition to saving the world from the evil menace of Evil Julian, I will most certainly save your...boyfriend. Who is...regular Julian. Who is somehow dating before me! Whatever that rescue may involve!" Quite honestly, he had no idea how Julian was mixed up in all this. Would he even run into him?

Bucky's hands clasped again, seemingly taking this promise much better than the wild spit take. "That's more like it! Thanks, Ninja. I feel so much better knowing you're on the case!" With Randy waving him off proudly, he took his leave.

Behind Bucky's back, Randy put his hands on his hips and marveled. "Wow. Julian...boyfriend. Julian, Bucky's boyfriend. Yeah, y'know? No matter how I say it, it just doesn't sound right. Are you sure they've been together that long?"

Howard shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't follow the geek squad gossip."

Clawing his hands, Randy made a strangled noise at his friend before sagging and just deciding to drop it. And well, hopefully this would all end up working out for him. That was usually how he operated.

By the time Bucky had gotten home, it was getting dark, and not just because the sun was setting. Like many other residents, Bucky leaned out his window and warily observed the thick, swirling clouds glowing with that same toxic green. They coated the entire sky as far as anyone could see. It was incredibly ominous, signaling that though the foe had been vanquished for today, a bigger storm was brewing. Arms wrapped around Julian's hat, Bucky put his faith in the Ninja that he would finally see the other boy again by the end of this.

That storm was brewing fast.

The very next day, as Bucky attended school – they were so used to magical disruptions there was no way it would be canceled for a little evil clouding - he would find himself thrown into the middle of another dastardly plot. Those at the school had missed the first phase of this plot, but had seen the green energy culminating around Mt. Chuck, their local volcano. Now, however, they found their school walls being crashed through by Evil Julian, the energy re-converging over their own roof as the spindly, mutated cyborg teen warped the building into a prison covered in gnarled cages.

Bucky was one of dozens wrapped in a personal cell, only able to observe the goings on from a staple vantage point in the main entryway. For the most part, he didn't see much. He saw Evil Julian gathering up the vile magic that possessed the student body on a regular basis. All of it in the school. He saw Evil Julian bossing around some sort of tentacle-headed monster. For a good couple of hours it seemed like most of what was going on was simply gathering enough power to unleash more monsters on this realm. Bucky wasn't sure how to feel. Most of it was pretty uneventful by villainous attack standards. Lots of sitting around. Pretty boring. However, if that portal did open, would it bring Julian back with it? The Ninja promised he would bring Julian back. Surely he could, and without unleashing a horde of evil onto the world.

Then, when the portal did open, it had Bucky's attention. He watched while apprehensively gripping the misshapen bars to his cage, waiting to see what came through. And lo and behold, it was the Ninja cannonballing through, right into Evil Julian's head. Bucky felt his heart jump into his throat. The Ninja had the upper hand! This could mean not only an epic victory, but Julian's safety along with it!

What happened next was a reveal no one in the school likely saw coming. Rather than fight alone, the Ninja decided to...unlock the floor? And what came out of the glowing prison pit revealed before them was a weathered, leathery being that once appeared to have been a man. Apparently this was the source of all that evil magic that possessed students on a near-weekly basis. Bucky found himself slack-jawed to witness the Ninja team up with this entity, and together they used their power to take Evil Julian down in an admittedly impressive display. They began their own fight shortly after, betrayal honestly expected, but what truly made Bucky's heart skip a beat was when, during this ensuing sword fight, a new portal opened and sent Howard and a second familiar face shooting into the leathery man thing.

Eyes widening, jaw dropping, Bucky couldn't believe it. There he was. Julian! He was safe and sound! Well, mostly. The leathery man thing didn't seem all-too happy about his position, but the next second Julian was sliding across the floor, seemingly magnetized towards his opposite half. In a flash, those halves were one and Julian was standing there gigging in confusion like his same old self, seemingly having taken everything as it came and having no idea what any of it really meant.

Bucky didn't care what any of it meant. Julian was! Right! There! After all this time, there he was. Not a hair out of place. Overwhelmed, Bucky felt himself misting up as his gaze locked onto the boy below, the entire rest of the fight tuned out as all he could fixate on was how happy he was that that boy was alive and smiling, even if he was utterly lost.

How it happened, Bucky didn't know, but his cage was suddenly dissipating around him. He fell to the floor, still not really sure how to process what he was seeing. There was something about a glowy ghost man, the Ninja gave Doug a non-explanation about why there was some ancient evil locked under the school, and Bucky didn't really pay attention. Instead, realizing he had free use of his legs, immediately he stood and beelined for the far side of the entryway. Walking briskly, his face was neutral as his insides danced a mambo of tension. The moment was really about the be here. The reunion he'd longed for.

And then, there he was. Julian, inspecting some of the rubble in a spot of mildly woozy-looking curiosity, but also delivering an 'I told you so' about a rescue escort to a funny-looking skull taken from under his hat. As Bucky approached, however, the raven-haired boy seemed to register a presence behind him and perked, spinning to face the smaller boy. Woozy though he may have been for having several months' worth of two split consciousnesses suddenly splorped back together, he was no less peppy as he registered the face in front of him.

"DEAREST~!!" he gasped loud as could be, and opened his arms wide to fly the few steps between them, grabbing Bucky as tight as he could in a crushing embrace.

Finally feeling able to emote, Bucky's face split into a massive grin. There was no doubt about it. This was Julian. His own voice croaked, however, when he tried to address the other by name.

For what felt like an eternal minute, Julian swung the shorter boy back and forth, their cheeks crushed together in glee, and Bucky did nothing to fight the lung-crushing hug as he was swung like a ragdoll. All he did was crush Julian back, clinging to him for dear life as he felt his eyes getting hot with the sting of tears, and soon was just letting the streams fall as he couldn't force himself to stop grinning.

Eventually, Julian did wish to let the other boy have his own two feet, and moved to let Bucky down. However, though Bucky let his sneakers touch the floor, he kept his hands clung tight to Julian's sides as he tried to pull away from him.

"No...don't ever let me go again," he choked through a continued red-faced grin.

Blinking, Julian's face then softened with concern as he saw the condition of Bucky's face. Reaching one palm to cup one cheek burning with emotion, and seeing Bucky crush his cheek into that hold with a mighty sniffle, Julian was taken aback. "Burkhart, dearest..." he hushed, "Whatever is the matter? Are you not as over the moon to see me as I am to see you? I'm positively giddy!"

Shaking his head at a loss, Bucky just felt like he couldn't do anything but cry, smile and clutch at Julian's coat.

"I'm so happy to see you, Julian. I'm so happy. I never want to lose you like that again. Just please...please don't let go..." Bowing his head forward, he crushed his face into the taller boy's chest, smothering himself in the other as if to keep checking and rechecking that he was real. He had Julian's scent. He was solid. He had a heartbeat. He was there!

Blinking at this desperate affectionate display, Julian felt a flutter of butterflies ripple through his stomach. My...this level of emotion, all for him? Reaching around the other boy further, he held him close and stroked through his wild hair with delicate fingers. "Oh, Burkhart, darling, I never did~," he cooed, "And neither did you. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you never once gave up on the idea I would wish to return to you. If you had found another boyfriend in my absence, especially after all those nasty things that evil me did, why I would have been beside myself. And it would have been all my fault."

Fisting Julian's coat harder, Bucky's brow furrowed to match and he spat, "Never! I'll never want anyone else! You can't make me leave you!"

Blushing at how adamant and immediate that was, Julian dug his fingers gently into Bucky's hair again. "Dearest...you couldn't ever make me try."

"Mh!" Another clench of his fists as Bucky clung possessively to the taller boy. Having one point catch up a bit late, Bucky then noted, "W-Wait...how do you know what I was thinking? What do you mean you never let go?"

A short giggle from the goth. "Just what I said~..! While I was imprisoned, I could still look out and see you when I chose. I just couldn't touch or be heard. It was...not fun," he admitted, "But I was there to encourage your smile the same as ever. I wanted you to know I was coming back to you."

Hearing this actually seemed to make Bucky feel a lot better. His hug eased up and he sniffed a few more times, trying to get himself a bit more under control. "You were there..?"

"Quite often."

Another press of Bucky's face into the other's chest. "I'm...I'm glad. And Julian. Even if you heard, I'm so sorry about before you left. I'm so bummed the last thing I said was about how miffed I was at you, and I wasn't even mad anymore, and I wanted to make up the next time we hung out, but you were already gone by then and I was so worried I'd never see you again and the last thing I said would be so stupid and--!"

As his breath hitched while he was forced to inhale, Julian carried on petting his hair to soothe. "It's alright, dearest. I never truly left your side, just as you never truly gave up on me. My memory seems to be a bit spotty at the moment, but I'm sure I've been long over whatever we were bickering about myself."

A grin wobbling its way back onto his lips, Bucky gave an equally shaky tut. "Y-Yeah. I'd be happy to fill in any missing pieces for you, if you need. And catch you up. You've missed a lot."

Warmly, Julian lowered his cheek to press against the top of Bucky's head. "I would love that."

"Yeah." Pressing forward with what sounded like effort for these words, Bucky insisted, "And I mean it about not leaving you. I never want to leave because I...I love you, Julian. And I'm sure I'm gonna love you for a really long time!"

Julian gasped lightly as he heard that confession whispered against his chest and burrowing straight into his heart. His eyes were wide and shimmering and he felt a warm tinge spreading more openly across his cheeks than the first.

"Why...I love you too, dearest Burkhart," he beamed radiantly down at the other. "I've never been more happy." A giddy titter. "Oh, won't Tyler be thrilled to see our bond has only grown~..!"

Just happy to hear Julian say those words back, feeling them swell inside him, Bucky immediately answered, "Yeah..!" Then he registered the rest of what Julian had said and managed to pull his head back a few degrees in confusion. "Tyler..? Who's Tyler..?"

Julian scoffed. "Oh, there I go, forgetting my manners again. Introductions first..!" From seemingly nowhere, he produced the skull that had been keeping him company for so long. "Burkhart, Tyler. Tyler, Burkhart~!"

A moment of silence where they both stared at the incredibly pointy and inanimate skull.

"He says you're much shorter in person," Julian informed, and to the skull scolded, "And I say that's very rude. Burkhart is the perfect huggable size!" Back to Bucky, he plead, "You'll have to forgive him, I may have already talked his ears off about you. If he ever had ears..."

Brow raised at the sudden reappearance of that skull he hadn't really registered a few minutes ago, when Julian was done, Bucky just felt himself cracking up. After the way his emotions had just burst out of him, he could use a good laugh, and Julian was just...so kooky. The way he made up characters out of the most random objects was so clever, creative and endearing.

"Well, Tyler, I may not be the tallest, but I'm still taller than you~!" he quipped back at the skull, and reached to 'shake' one of its jaw spikes politely. "Nice to meet you anyway. You'd better have taken good care of Julian while he was away!"

Julian watched with a pleased, giddy titter as Bucky joined the conversation as readily as ever. The way Bucky accepted all of his quirks never failed to make Julian fall for him over and over. "Tyler says he likes you."

Lifting his arms to loop around Julian's neck, Bucky chuckled, "Tell Tyler to get in line~." The two shared some more giggling as they bowed in close and let their foreheads nuzzle.

"Say," Julian wondered offhand, "With that sorcerer fellow defeated or whatever, do you suppose there will even be a need for a ninja anymore..? That all looked very exciting, but I wonder..."

Bucky shrugged. "Who knows? I think I'd be happy if things were normal around here, but I'm mostly just glad he kept his promise to bring you back." He would never know that this had been completely unintentional, but he didn't need to. "But since he didn't stick around to thank...thank you, Ninja." Reaching for one of Julian's hands, he held it close to cherish as he displayed his gratitude in spirit. Opening his eyes and glancing up at the goth, he then offered, "So, how do you feel about making up for some lost time?"

With another short, but lower giggle, Julian's eyelids lowered slightly. "Mm. Yes, there are quite a few things I wish I'd gotten a chance to do over the last few months." Indicating one of them, he cupped around the base of Bucky's skull and came in to smother him in a deep, inviting kiss, kneading his lips sensually against the other's and nipping at him with his fangs.

Squirming as he was lovingly assaulted, Bucky was torn between modest stun and simply melting into the out-of-nowhere affection. "Not that kind of stuff..!" he gasped during one break of their lips, but then did nothing to fight falling back against the black-haired boy and reveling in a fresh round of kisses. He couldn't say he was opposed, really...he'd missed this stuff too.

Parting once more, smiling cattishly over how Bucky had clearly fallen prey to the advance, Julian placed two fingers to the shorter party's lips and purred, "You don't seem terribly upset. Why don't we continue this at your place~?"

Flushing, Bucky really couldn't find himself that willing to argue. "Okay," he reasoned, "And then I can take you home to show your parents you're alright."

At once, Julian's spine perked. His parents! "Mummy! Deadums! Oh, no! How could I have forgotten! Oh dear, I simply must go and console them straight away!" All flustered, Julian detangled himself from Bucky for the first time since spotting him and daintily darted, wrists flapping in panic, towards the nearest massive hole in the wall he was counting as an exit.

Hot under the collar, stunned, and saddened to have Julian leave his hold, Bucky simply stared after the other boy for a short moment, before letting out an endeared chuckle at Julian's scatterbrain. Some of it might have been the magic mind meld, but he'd always been a bit that way. And it was incredibly cute. Unable to be upset, and willing to make certain he'd have Julian claimed in another embrace soon enough, Bucky bent to retrieve Tyler from the rubble pile he'd fallen into, knowing Julian was going to want to keep that trinket, and followed after the antsy boy heading for home.