Julena

[Monochrome]

A slice-of-life about the Ice Queen and the Golden Bum living in a dome situated post-apocalyptic world.


Featuring: Superman, Jack Sparryin, Peter Pan, & Fairy Godmother.


@CaseD12b6

 

[Monochrome]

He remembered when he would walk in the HQ with his suit people would be cheering for him like it was a rave party at work. Did the population decreased? Did everyone die because he would have sworn it used to be so crowded that he could barely squeeze himself through the alley unless there was a red carpet for him to walk on. Tired but determined, Julian continued his march towards the door that lead out of the wartech station. There his eyes fell on a petite and familiar figure. The person stared square into his eyes with parted lips. Walking towards her direction, he pulled out a necklace with dog tags and a scrunched up paper. Never halting, he handed Yin her deceased husband's last remains and the coordination of his corpse. With no more than an apologetic and defeated look in his bloodshot eyes, he entered the locker room. After a long, proper shaving and grooming, Julian walked out of the shower. He tied his hair back and stared at the suit that no longer fit him. His baggy eyes trailed off to the side and he looked at his reflection. Years of an unhealthy life where he struggled to survive, he could clearly see he was no longer the same man.


Who would have thought that gold would tarnish.


“Did you stop to think that maybe the only surprise I would have wanted was for me to be the first thing on your mind when you came back?"


He neglected the voices around him. Suit on and a surprisingly chunky wallet he left the HQ.


"Maybe I wanted to be the one holding your hand shopping for a cake we could have shared together."


A cake. Her favourite cake. A bouquet. Red and white roses. White because he had so much to apologize for. And one last trip before he climbed the stairs to where he used to live. It slowly re-occured to him that he heard Michelle's voice while thinking back about Elena. But all he heard clearly was the number of his place. His scrawny body was crying bloody murder but the pain numbed at the eagerness to find his significant other.


"It would have been a better experience than watching you two.”


The keys to his home was still the same and when he opened the door, it was no other than Elena on the floor. He dropped whatever he had in his hands. Cake and roses be damn. He dropped to his knees and held her from behind, pulling her closer to his body. He could smell the fragrance of his shampoo mingled with her perfume. "Elena," his voice croaked. Julian readjusted his embrace, tightening it. "Marry me," he sighed out and closed his eyes. "Be the reason for me to come home." His eyes clouded but no tears were shed. He was just so tired. So damn tired of everything. Damn tired of being away for so long. "Be the reason for me to keep living because I don't think I can keep doing this."

 

[CaseD12b6]

"You're being unreasonable." Mother.


"Is this a call for attention?" Father.


"They're all dead." Co workers.


"He's dead." Everyone.


"You're being unreasonable." Mother.


"Is this a call for attention." Father.


"They're all dead." Co workers.


"He's. Dead." Everyone.


It was always the same words over and over and over like a broken record as the older Haven members said, and her response was always the same: smile and walk away. Just because the entire world believed in a concept, did not make it right. Ancient civilizations were convinced that the world was flat after all. That was why not one person could get under her skin with their crazy accusations. Of course with all things dealing with Julian, she was wrong. After two years of patiently waiting, some poor unfortunate soul found the exact button to push.


"It's not like you cared about him."


Her words were completely uncalled for in retaliation for Elena accidentally bumping into her. She was admittedly distracted thinking about the time ticking slowly closer to the official two year mark, but she wasn't distracted enough to let that comment slide. Elena herself didn't know what happened. One second she was raising her hand, and the next people were holding her back from tearing the woman's head off while she shouted "Don't you dare question what we had!" The only reason that woman walked away was because Elena had to get back and bake her daily cake, but the damage had been done.


Julian the golden ass was dead.


For two years, she denied it. She convinced herself that there was no way he would be inconsiderate enough to die and leave her lone, especially with the way their last conversation ended. If he loved her as much as he said, he would come back and let her apologize, but...he wasn't coming back. She managed to hold herself together long enough to get inside; however, when the door closed, she couldn't stop the tears. "Please come back." She whispered over and over and her prayers were finally answered.


Shock caused her to freeze when the door opened and a very familiar set of arms embraced her. So many emotions ran through her body but the primary one was fear that if she turned around, it would turn out to be a dream. "Are you real?" She whispered when she finally worked up the nerve to face him. The man in front of her was thinner and older, but one touch of her hand to his cheek confirmed that he truly was alive and in front of her. "You came back." Elena cupped his face with both of her hands and kissed every inch of his face that she could reach. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She had to speak between kisses.


Eventually she did have to come up for air but she leaned her forehead against his to still be as close as possible. "I love you, Julian. I love you so much, but I can't be the reason you come home because I'm always going to be by your side. No more running or hiding. I can't let you go again. Whatever you need me to be, I'll be it. Friend, lover, wife, I don't care. Just promise me that you'll never leave me."

 

[Monochrome]

If Julian wasn't real and just a dream, he pretty damn sure hoped it was the best dream she's ever had until now. To respond to her question, the man gave his significant other a light squeeze to affirm his presence. When her delicate hand met with his face, the Chinese solider leaned onto it, his stretching smile grazing her soft palm. Elena expressed joy and love but the golden ass had noticed that her face was damp and that her eyes were red. Just how long had he made his woman cry? He wanted to be upset but every planted kiss numbed out all thinking process. He was engulfed with a familiar warmth.


There was a different light in her eyes that he didn't recognize, though it was as she said it, she was no longer hiding. It was a shame he had been away for so long to never see that progress of that change; Julian did promise to be with her every step of the way, so together, they would work on their flaws and become better people for a lasting relationship. Yet there she was, in full splendor without his help. He chuckled between the kisses. Julian had robbed two years from her. They may have been older, slimmer too, but Elena was much more beautiful than he last saw her. He thought she'd impale him for going missing for so long. In fact, he imagined all types of scenarios but nothing came even close to the perfection in the present. If anything, he was truly blessed with the best woman the Haven could offer.


The hands on her waist rose to rest on her cheeks. His thumb brushed against her cheeks and jawline before he dipped in for a tender kiss. Easing her to a prolonged one, he lured her back on her feet so he could step into their apartment. Closing the door with his feet, he leaned against it and pulled Elena closer to him again. When their lips parted, he lowered his head to plant a kiss on her neck. "If you agree to continue being my everything, there won't be any reason for me to leave." Wrapping his arms around her again, he gave her a strong hug, rocking side to side. "I love you, Elena Fleece. I'm sorry for making you wait for so long. Just know that it won't happen again. If you decide to to run and hide, I'll be running beside you and hiding with you."


"Thank you, for believing in me." He ran his hand through her red hair and gave another kiss on her forehead. Before he would forget, he pulled out the jewelry box he bought after purchasing the flowers. He opened the box for her and revealed the ring. Carefully, he removed the item and held out his hand for hers. "Is Elena Ngo, your final answer," Julian questioned with a weak yet teasing smirk.

 

[CaseD12b6]

Elena had done enough wrong in her life that she knew she was destined to go to a bad place after death, but at least she had this taste of heaven. God...Why did it take losing him to realize how big a part he was in her life? He was the band aid her soul had been missing. For so long, there had been a piece of her lost. The child who wanted attention grew into a young woman desperate to be accepted to finally a cynical shrew who had zero cares left to give. For her entire life, all she wanted was for someone to acknowledge that she was good enough. She didn't expect anyone to think she was perfect, but this man did for some reason she'd never understand. It was equal parts wonderful and terrifying, but she let terror win so many times. No more though. She didn't just want this moment to last forever. She was going to MAKE it last forever.


Their lives weren't going to be perfect. They were both far too dysfunctional for that, but it was going to be close.


Rather than jumping up and down and taking his hand like a normal woman, Elena suddenly turned around and crossed her hands over her chest. She couldn't let him see the fresh wave of tears that threatened to come out of happiness this time. Had she always been such a crier? "Julian Ngo...You've been gone two years, and you're still such an ass. You were supposed to come back on one of the days I was waiting down at the docks for you in my fancy dress, but instead you wait until I look like a mess. Then you have the nerve to purpose without being on one knee." Even if the banter was familiar, the malice was gone.


She glanced over her shoulder and actually smiled at him. "When you do it the right way, then I'll give you my final answer." At this point, they both knew she would say yes (they could even elope that very minute), but that didn't mean she had to completely give up the game of playing hard to get. Speaking of their game, some of Julian's spunk seemed to be missing. It wasn't often that he could go longer than 5 minutes without making some pass at her, but it was then that she realized that he had been out in the wild exposed to God only knew what. Knowing him, he had skipped all medical procedures which meant it was up to her to make sure everything was in working order. She just had to be clever about it. "Until then, I'd love to play doctor with you..." She slyly commented as she undid the top button of his shirt. "Are you willing to be my patient?"

 

[Monochrome]

His arms spread out and his head dropped to the side. Giving her a shrug and a smirk, he he mirrored her amusement. If they were easing back into a banter, than the worst was over. "What's wrong with how you look now? Looking your best or worst, I still want us to be together."


The tired man wanted to rest his hands on her waist as she unbuttoned his shirt. If this wasn't some kind of invitation to the bedroom or the bathroom, than he wasn't interested in her teasing. Going through several forms of torture was a bit taxing on his psyche. His hand against on neck dropped to her shoulders and slid to hold her hand. With a bit of effort, he knelt before the woman. "You're killing me now, Elsa," he chuckled as his thumb brushed over her finger joints. Julian would have simply preferred that she agreed but he was dealing with Elena. She never going to say yes, thus, he slid the wedding ring on the appropriate finger. "Whatever, I'll just make you my wife anyway. It won't be the first time I'm be pushing crazy ideas on you and this won't be the last time either."


The position was quite comfortable; there was less strain on his body and he definitely had a nice view of her legs. He leaned the side of his head on her stomach. Hand on each side of her outer thigh, he said, "Let's skip the formalities for a bit, I just want to lay and rest in bed with you."

 

[CaseD12b6]

Who would have guessed that Julian Ngo would be so agreeable. "So then I guess this makes our engagement official. When do we start taking bets on how many heads will explode." She responded with a slight smile on her face as she lightly stroked the top of head. Each time, her hand lingered a few additional seconds on his forehead to check his temperature. From what she could tell there was no fever which was a good thing. Amazing actually. Had his forehead been the slightest bit warm, she would have dragged him to the medical ward kicking and screaming to test him for every disease known to the haven. The effort it took for him to get on one knee was concerning, but fatigue only needed rest to recover.


Rather than going to the bed as he suggested, she went to her knees on the floor as well and pulled him back into a tight hug. She never considered herself a clingy woman, but she was making up for months of her self-imposed deprivation. "Thank you for coming back, Julian." She whispered against his neck before she forced him back to the floor. The floor wasn't the most comfortable place in the world, but as she laid on top of her man, she couldn't think of any other place she'd rather be. "We can go there in a few minutes. Right now, I just want to stay like this for a while." Why? In their position, she could feel the rise and fall of his chest which was yet another reminder that he was there alive and relatively well with her.


"I believed in you because you're the only person who's never broken a promise to me. Even when I was at my worst, you were still there especially when I thought I didn't want you to be. One year, two, twenty...It didn't matter. I was going to wait on you." She commented as her thumb absently toyed her new ring. "Because we've made each other miserable for so long, let's make everyday the best day of our lives from this point forward."

 

[Monochrome]

Although his eyes followed her movements, his mind failed to registered whatever followed. He missed his bed but settling for the floor wasn't half as bad with Elena resting on him. With a bit of readjustment, Julian used his arm as a cushion and wrapped his other arm around his fiancee's mid-back. As the Chinese soldier listened to his significant other's words, he stroked her back with his thumb. Anywhere was fine as long as she was there with him.


There was nothing more rewarding than to hear her express her love for him. All the struggle in the past seemed trivial. He couldn't remember the number of times she had accused him of breaking promises. True, both were anger and words were never thought out. However, she admitted that in the end, he kept his promises did make his heart swell with pride. This woman surely knew how to keep her man motivated. Planting a kiss on her head with a smile, "Was that a challenge? I can't possibly back down from a challenge."


He chuckled and gave her a squeeze, "I won't make you wait another moment; that would be mean. Two years is the most you'll ever have to wait and there will be no more waiting." The thought of settling down was simply more appealing. Never would he ever want Elena to go through a hard time alone and the ring on her hand would be a reminder if he ever decide to change his mind. "Thank you for bringing me back, Elena." He rested his cheek on the top of her head. "Why from now on though? Wasn't that what we aimed for?" He smirked. "I'm kidding." Moving his arm from the back of his neck, he gave her a full embrace.