Chapter Text
Julian Blackthorn had grown up surrounded by a supportive family from the day he was born. Sure, at age twelve his parents died and his only living relative in the city - a mentally unstable man - couldn't take him in didn’t mean his life had to suck. Thank the Angel for Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, Simon and Magnus. When he was temporarily orphaned, Magnus had heard and told Alec, who spread it to Isabelle, who had to tell Simon who told Clary and Clary informed Jace. From there, the six of them ‘adopted’ Julian and his siblings.
Yes, it could be weird having six parents who weren’t even related to you, but Julian loved it. He wasn’t a loud person, he didn’t love a big crowd, but when it came to family, he wasn’t sure what he would do without everyone in his life.
So, a little after he turned eighteen, when his family decided to move out and continue their lives, it had been a big shock - as big as the US dropping a nuclear bomb on Japan during World War 2.
He always knew that one day the time would come when he’d be on his own, but he hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
The going away party was fun and bittersweet at least.
There were lots of singing and dancing and it felt like old times again. The events of the night brought Julian back to the time when he was twelve and his life had so drastically changed, only with an upside to it: having a family as great as the one he had now.
His best friend Emma was there and Jace even invited his sort-of nephew Kit to meet the family and hang out. Granted, Jace was supposed to babysit him that night, but still, it was nice.
Julian wished it could’ve been easier though. He wished he could live like this forever.
When Julian walked downstairs the next morning, groggy, disoriented, and slightly hungover, the smell of greasy bacon, fried eggs, and butter toast wafted through the air hitting his nostrils hard. “By the Angel! Who’s cooking?” Julian wandered aloud.
It was 8:30 in the morning and walking into the kitchen with breakfast being made was certainly a first in years. Usually, Julian was the one cooking for his siblings because often, his parental figures left relatively early for work.
He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and could now see Magnus at the stove, swaying his hips to imaginary music as bacon sizzled on the pan. Alec was wrapped around Magnus’ waist from behind, his head tucked into the crook of his boyfriend’s shoulder. Julian wondered if he’d ever find love like that one day.
Jace was buttering toast hidden away in the corner (though how could he be hidden, he was one of the biggest guys in the room), and by the coffee machine, there was Clary, pouring the steaming drink into mugs.
Emma, Isabelle, and Simon were nowhere to be seen.
“Coffee, Julian?” Clary asked, holding out a cup. Her flamboyant bright hair was tied into a ponytail like it usually was in the mornings.
Julian nodded. “Yes, thank you,” he said and politely took the cup and walked to the dining table joining his siblings and Kit.
“Morning,” he mumbled, voice hoarse and raspy with sleep. “Where’s Emma?”
“Oh, she’s out on a run,” answered Livvy, biting into her toast. “She’ll be back soon.”
As if on cue, Emma burst into the dining room with sweat dripping from her forehead, with her put into a high ponytail as per usual. “Sorry,” she panted. “Hope I made it on time. Where’s the food?”
She walked by Julian and crinkled her nose. “Coffee lovers,” she grumbled. “You all disgust me, especially you, Kit. You’re too young to put that nasty stuff in your body. There’re better ways to take your caffeine.”
Magnus smiled, a low chuckle escaping his throat. “Hope you’re hungry, then,” he said. “We have a lot of non caffeinated food.”
Emma pouted. “I didn’t say I didn’t like caffeine; I’m just saying I don’t like coffee.”
Alec pulled himself off of Magnus. “Someone needs to wake up Izzy and Simon,” he announced to the room. “And please not me. There was this one time I walked in on them. . .” and he trailed off, gazing at the kids at the table.
Ty had his head down, his headphones on, reading one of the many infamous Sherlock Holmes, completely absorbed into his fictional world and unaware of the world around him. It was one of the many things Julian loved about his little brother.
Dru was playing with Tavvy, making him giggle as she fed him some scrambled eggs airplane style.
Livvy and Kit had seemed to really hit it off. becoming fast friends over night. Livvy was talking animatedly, her hands flying everywhere as she explained something incoherent to Julian while Kit smiled, nodding along and adding his opinion when needed.
Jace barked out a laugh when Magnus said, “I certainly will not. I’ve walked in on enough of you for a lifetime, thank you very much.”
Emma giggled. “It’s fine, I got this.” She rushed up the stairs to wake Isabelle and Simon.
Despite all the havoc, Julian still did not feel awake. Not like that was unusual. It took him at least two cups of coffee before he could really work usually, but even when his phone began buzzing and vibrating like crazy in his sweater pocket, he felt very discombobulated picking it up and didn’t even bother checking the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Julian!” an overeager voice responded.
Julian’s jaw dropped and he felt a goofy grin appear on his face. He could recognize that voice anywhere. Though he had not seen his sister Helen in six years, he would never misplace her voice for the world.
Excited, Julian beckoned everyone over as he put the call on speaker. “It’s Helen!” he exclaimed with a smile as bright as the sun. This childhood feeling of giddiness surged through his body.
“Helen!” everyone chorused with smiles and tones mirroring his own.
“And Mark!” quipped a deeper voice from the phone.
“Mark!” They all cheered again.
Save Kit, who wasn’t even sure whose house he was at. “Who’s Helen?”
He didn’t get an answer until Ty had taken off his headphones and placed his book down to join reality. He briskly explained that Helen and Mark were their half-siblings who moved to Canada.
“It is good to hear you all,” Mark said as Isabelle, Simon, and Clary descended the stairs.
“What the hell is going on?” Emma asked.
“Is it like some cultist activity?” joked Simon, taking off his glasses briefly to rub his eyes.
Behind him, Izzy facepalmed looking as gorgeous as ever.
“It’s Helen and Mark,” informed Jace without sparing a glance as the three joined the rest of the family.
“It’s great to see you again, too,” Helen said and chuckled. "For real."
“What?” everyone asked in confusion.
“Look behind you,” she said, and everyone whipped their heads around and screamed.
There, standing in the kitchen, were Helen and Mark Blackthorn, baring similar grins and watery eyes. They hadn’t set foot in this house for six years, and finally, they were back.
The next few minutes were chaos.
There were many hugs and some tears being shed. They were so loud that Julian was surprised the neighbours hadn’t filed a noise complaint yet, considering it was only nine. Sometime during the pandemonium, Ty had escaped (presumably to his room) and Kit along with him. (For reasons Julian was unsure of.)
But soon enough, everyone had settled. The kitchen was jam packed with people munching happily on breakfast.
Within the hour, the majority filed out and began to start the day, packing their last night's belongings so they could leave and continue with the next step of their lives, leaving Julian and Emma alone to clean the kitchen.
“I can’t believe they’re all leaving,” Julian admitted softly out loud and furiously scrubbed at the plate he was washing, if that would make all his problems go away.
Emma frowned. “Angry-cleaning won’t help,” she said and dried a glass cup. “But I get what you mean. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Six years and all of a sudden they're leaving. It's been so long, but so short."
“Feels too short, huh?”
“Yeah. Six short, amazing years. A third of my life.”
Julian handed Emma the plate to dry. A sudden feeling of negativity engulfed him. He wasn’t sure how he’d survive on his own. “It’ll be really crazy. . . and different.”
Emma nodded. “Definitely.”
“I mean, Magnus is moving to New York for his talk shows and Alec’s going with him to pursue a political career. Simon and Isabelle are travelling the world for Isabelle’s acting and Simon’s music. Clary’s opening an art shop in Brooklyn, and Jace is doing a gym trainer thing. I can’t believe it.”
Julian looked over at Emma who was bent over, putting away the toaster. “Next thing we know Magnus is the new Oprah, Alec’s Donald Trump, Simon is Ed Sheeran, Isabelle is frickin’ Marilyn Monroe and Clary is da Vin-key.”
Julian stifled a laugh. “I think you mean Leonardo da Vinci.”
“The one who painted the Mona Lisa?”
“Yes.”
“Exactly. And I’m pretty sure you mean da Vin-key. Spelled V-I-N-C-I, right?”
Julian sighed and began wiping down the countertops. “But it’s pronounced da Vinci.”
“Potato, patato,” was all Emma said instead.
They worked in silence after that. Everything unspoken buried deep in their souls, just trying to enjoy the presence of each other while it lasted because deep down, they knew that one day, they’d grow apart. Emma had applied for college and Julian still hadn’t. She would move on, and Julian would be stuck taking care of his siblings. On his own.
I don't want them to go, Julian wanted to say; wanted to let himself be vulnerable for just a moment. Because after this, he'd have to be strong. It would be Julian Blackthorn against the world, and though he was used to being independent, without some form of guidance, he just felt so lost.
A wailing noise blared from the baby monitor and Julian groaned. “I’ll get Tavvy.”
Het was ruined. trudged upstairs leaving Emma to clean.
Clary wandered in with Mark and Helen. She was dressed now, wearing overalls and a sage green sweater, her let down like a river of fire. “Need a hand?” she asked, already grabbing silverware from the table and bringing it to the sink.
“No dishwasher?” Mark did a double take. “What’s happened here since I left?”
Emma shook her head. “It broke and we can’t afford to replace it. Washing things by hand is fine though. Usually because Julian does it.”
“Shh, shh, shh,” a lulling voice startled Emma and she focused on the baby monitor.
She could hear faint shushes and Julian’s footsteps, no doubt trying to put Tavvy down for a nap.
“Hey, hey, hey. You’re alright my Octavian. We’re fine. It’s okay.”
Now, Emma, Mark, Helen, and Clary were all crowded around the baby-spying device. There was a long stretch of silence until they heard a choking, strangling noise.
Not my Julian, Emma thought, please no.
A sob came next, and Emma felt her heart break and shatter into a thousand pieces for her best friend. She hadn’t heard Julian break down like this since he was 12, the day his parents died.
“We-we’ll be okay,” Julian said through pained sobs and hiccups. It sounded like he was trying to reassure himself. “It’ll be hard, but we’ll do it, right, Tavvy? I mean, I still have to go to college and get a good job to support us, but I’ll manage, right?
Oh, God, I haven’t even applied and I’m so late,” Julian whimpered. It sounded like he was trying to suppress violent sobs.
When Emma couldn’t bear to hear another word, with her eyes pressed together tightly, she turned off the machine, and fell onto a chair, staring blankly at a wall.
When Julian came back downstairs, he found everyone gathered in the living room with a melancholy vibe.
What was going on?
“H-hey, everyone. What are you all doing? Aren’t you supposed to get going now?”
Emma swallowed and stood up. “We all were. But we couldn’t help but overhear you on the baby monitor.”
Julian paled and tried not his best to lash out. “You were all spying on me?” His words were slow and cautioned, hiding so many emotions. He was trying so hard to say the right thing.
Emma put a hand to his shoulder. “No, Julian, stop it. You need help.” She could feel Julian loosen up, but he was still pretty uptight, so stressed still.
“That’s why we’ll stay,” explained Alec. “All of us. For you.”
Julian felt a sting from his nose and swallowed hard, blinking rapidly, not making eye contact with his family. His heart was in a million places right now. It was all too overwhelming. He was speechless. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“You act so much older than your age we forgot you’re only eighteen. But, thinking now, that’s too young for you to be on your own raising your siblings. We’re all putting our careers on hold to help you,” Magnus said, looking at Julian.
Julian was standing in front of them all, it was overwhelming. He was tugging his hair hard, so conflicted. His hands itched to touch a cigarette. Just light the damn thing up, go outside, and have a smoke. This was so hard; his hands were shaking.
Somehow, God bless her, Emma sensed something and grabbed his hands, intertwining their fingers and giving it a squeeze. He felt his worries wash away, for the most part at least. He could feel the dread lurking in the back of his mind, but with Emma holding his hand, a silent reminder that she was with him forever, it made things slightly more bearable.
“No,” Julian said firmly, staring the family down. “You’re not throwing away your lives for me. You’ve all been through enough. I’m fine.”
“What?” Mark gasped. “You. . . you’re not fine! I heard you, Julian! You were crying! And you haven’t even thought about college because you’re too busy thinking about them!” He gestured to Dru, Livvy, and Ty. “You can’t just throw your life away for them! You’re not their dad!”
That hit Julian hard. He wasn’t their dad, but yet, sometime during the years, he stopped thinking of his siblings as the children. Over the years, they’d morphed into my children. Because essentially, they were. He felt anger boil in his stomach and then he saw red, he didn’t even realize he was shouting at Mark.
“SHUT UP, MARK! SHUT UP ALL OF YOU! YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING! YOU AND HELEN LEFT ME ALONE WHEN DAD DIED! YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THEM ANYMORE! I DO! I’VE BEEN RAISING THEM WHILE YOU’RE ALL OFF IN PARADISE! AND I SHOULDN’T EVEN BE RAISING THEM! YOU SHOULD! I’VE BEEN ALONE THIS WHOLE TIME AND YOU’RE SAYING I . . . I WILL ALWAYS BE MORE OF A DAD TO THEM THAN YOU.”
The room was quiet after Julian’s outburst, not sure what to say to that because they knew it was all true. There was no denying what Julian said.
Panting hard, cheeks red, Julian fled from the room.
“Will Julian be okay?” Dru asked, tugging Emma’s arm gently.
Emma nodded. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. Jules is tough, you know that, Dru.” She turned to Ty and Livvy, quietly conversing in whispered breaths. “Ty? Livvy? You two alright?”
They nodded and Emma groaned, facing everyone, sliding to the floor. “What are we going to do?” she whined.
Clary sat next to her, crisscross applesauce style. “Don’t worry, Emma, it’s not your fault. It’s ours. We should’ve checked on Julian more often.” She gave an encouraging smile.
Emma returned the smile, though briefly.
“We really need to sort this whole thing out,” Alec said aloud.
“I’ll stay to help,” they blurted out at the same time.
“Ty? Livvy? Dru? Go up to your rooms please. And one of you bring that blonde one,” Emma instructed. The kids obeyed, leaving the adults to talk things out.
“So, who’s staying? Obviously one of us must at the very least,” Helen said.
“I think it should be me,” volunteered Emma. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious.”
Clary shook her head, hair swishing with the movement. “No. That would be putting you in the same situation as him. We can’t do that to you.”
Emma shrugged and grinned. “But it’s not like I haven’t basically lived with him my entire life.”
“Should we just rule out who we don’t want here, then?” Simon wondered. “It’s easier than yelling ‘pick me!’ because I know all of you would help out in a heartbeat.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “It’s just an idea,” he rambled on, when no one said anything.
Isabelle grabbed his hand and caressed it gently. “No, no, Simon, it’s a fine idea. It’s just we’re all actually surprised that’s the best thing we’ve heard so far.” She let out a little breathless laugh at the end.
“So, there’s six groups,” Magnus said. “Let’s rule out which groups definitely will not.” He paused to let the information sink in. “I vote Solomon out.”
Simon made a face. “Rude!” he protested. “I would totally do it if I had to.” He made a guilty face after.
Isabelle shrugged. “Well, Simon, I’m not exactly in favour of this to be honest. I really do want to travel with you and start a real career. Sorry.”
Simon frowned. “Fair, I only agreed to be nice.”
“Next,” Magnus said, “is me and Alec I’m ruling out. Out of all of us, we’re the most capable, but we have business.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “Well, so do we!”
Helen raised her hands. “Stop! Everyone! Just stop! You all clearly have somewhere important to be and me and Mark already had this whole thing in Canada! It’s only fair for us to help out. You’ve done it your whole life, let us take a turn.”
Mark nodded solemnly. “I agree with Helen. We shall stay with Emma and Julian. We can help.”
Alec raised an eyebrow. “For sure?”
Mark and Helen nodded earnestly. “Yes.”
And it seemed to Emma with relief, all things were final and decided. Everyone would go and Mark and Helen would stay. Maybe Julian could live a better life now. “I’ll go find him,” she told everyone and walked out of the room.
She found Julian in the backyard, bent over on the porch swing with a lit cigarette in hand. She watched as he took a long drag, then exhaled, the smokey grey air trailing upwards in a mesmerizing fashion.
Tentatively, she took a seat next to him. Julian looked up at her with those special Blackthorn eyes, but he didn’t say a thing. “You know you shouldn’t smoke,” she said softly. “It’s bad for you.”
Julian sighed. “Oh, God, I feel so bad.”
Emma shook her head. “No, no, no, Jules. You didn’t do anything wrong. You have every right to be angry. Stop apologizing.”
Julian took a deep breath. “No, no, Emma. It’s not that.” His breath hitched and he began to tremble. “It was the look on their faces. My. . . Dru, Ty, Livvy. . .”
Emma shook her head again. “No, Jules, it’s not like that. They weren’t scared of y-”
“Yes, they were! Did you-did you see them when I yelled? Because I did! And you know what I saw? Fear! They were scared of me. My poor Ty, he looked as scared the day they were shot. . . when I lost them.”
She knew what he was talking about, she was there when it happened. She witnessed his parents' death. Emma grabbed his hand, taking the cigarette away. “Stop, Julian, stop. You have nothing to do with that. They’re worried about you. They care.”
Julian didn’t seem to be listening, he continued his rambling. “A-and Dru, she was in tears. Emma, you don’t get it! They weren’t scared for me or the loud voices, they were scared of me!”
Emma put the cigarette to the side and faced Julian. “Jules, I need you to look at me.” Her fingertips ghosted his chin as she tilted his face up, making him look her in the eye. “You need to get your act together. You are the strongest person I know, okay? You’ve been through a lot, please don’t break down now. Get yourself together, go out there, and we’ll figure things out.” She was going to add that Mark and Helen were staying, but she felt like she didn’t need to break the news to her distraught friend quite yet.
He nodded, still shaking and Emma engulfed him in a hug, wrapping her arms around his slender shoulders and squeezing him tight. She pulled away and smiled, stood up, and held out a hand. “Now, let’s go.”
They walked into the living room and to Julian’s surprise, everyone was still there, somehow all fitting onto their couch with grim expressions.
Mark stood up. “Brother,” he said calmly, “I’m sorry for the shouting match earlier. I did not mean any harm.”
Helen gave a tight smile. “There’s something we have to say quickly, though.”
“Everyone is leaving, but you’ll have me, Helen, and Emma,” finished Mark quickly.
Julian’s jaw dropped to the floor, and he ran a hand through his brown curls, expression flashing through multiple emotions. “What?”
Emma, still holding his hand, whispered, “we decided that they’ll stay to help. Please don’t argue about this,” she pleaded.
Julian exhaled. Emma could feel his breath in her hair, sending shivers down her spine. “Okay, okay,” she said. “This is all settled.”
Clary nodded. “I guess it’s goodbye now.”
Many tearful hugs and goodbyes later, (they of course called Kit to come, well, almost. Jace had forgotten), the house was empty with just the Blackthorn’s and Emma.
This would be an interesting year or more, Emma thought.