Julian Ellis

[sweetcatastrophes]

who: gabe & julian ellis ( @julianxellis ) when: thursday evening where: the rusty anchor

Just another night in paradise, Gabe thought as he stared out the window at his father's bar. instead of paying attention to the door. No one had come through in at least thirty minutes, which actually made that timespan feel like a year.

It wasn't that he resented his father's help, exactly. It was that he resented needing the help in the first place. He resented his choices and himself, and that was a hell of a lot harder to reconcile when he didn't have something to keep his mind occupied or his body active.

The appearance of his older brother, who definitely had more of his shit together, didn't particularly help quell anything that was churning inside him. Maybe he could talk Julian into watching the door so he could go run around the block.

"Here to save me from myself?" He asked, trying to keep his voice light so it sounded less like hope and more like kidding.

[julianxellis]

Julian stepped through the door and immediately clocked the look on Gabriel's face. Same old window, same old thousand-yard stare...different year. He had set his keys down behind the bar and glanced briefly at the register before finally looking over at this borther. "Pretty sure you've got that covered on your own," he replied evenly. "I'm here because somebody's gotta keep this place open." There was no bite, but the insinuation was still there.

After a moment, Julian's gaze moved around the empty room. Some nights were busy, some were slow. Today it was slow. "Has it been like this all evening?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Julian moved beind the bar, grabbing a towel and started on a glass more out of habit than necessity. "If you need to get out of here for a bit, then go. I'm not here to babysit you. Take twenty or thirty minutes. Whatever." His voice remained calm and even. He had a million other things running in his head. "You look like hell, by the way." Julian didn't mean it in a cruel way, more out of brotherly love. He picked up another glass and another wipe. "Go take a break, you're making the window nervous."

[ofwildxhearts]

Listening to the other man, he gave him a small smile before nodding a little bit. "Yeah, work can do that sometimes. And yeah, sometimes it doesn't stay where you left it. No that isn't a boring answer at all. I see that as an honest answer." At least to Sawyer it was, he had asked the other man and it seemed like he answered honestly. Which was he was thankful for.

"It's nice to meet you, Julian." He gave him another small smile. "I do believe I'm still trying to figure it out. See I'm from a town in Florida and I came looking for someone. I just don't know how to approach them. I know I should just suck it up and rip off the band aide but I guess I'm afraid to do it."

[julianxellis]

Julian's expression shifted, becoming quieter but attentive. He listened, his full attention on Sawyer instead of the water behind them. "Yeah, that usually means it matters more than you want it to." His voice was understanding, he knew how stressful those moments can be. "For what it's worth, I don't think being afraid of something doesn't mean you're any less than. If anything, it shows that you really thought of every possible way it could go wrong."

A faint smile softened on his face. "Florida to South Carolina is a pretty decent distance to travel for something." He added. "I'm guessing part of you already knew you were gonna do it eventually?" There was a brief pause as Julian took a breath. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to but, does the person you're looking for know you're here?"

[oceangraces]

Bree watched him as he spoke. Not interrupting, not correcting, just… observing. "You’ve always had a habit," she said smoothly, a faint smile touching her lips, "of pretending you’re surprised by situations you very deliberately walk into." Her gaze lifted to him, softer than the words might suggest. She didn’t push it further than that, though. She never did—not with him. Instead, her attention drifted briefly to the music in his hands, watching the way he organized it, the quiet care in something that looked like chaos to anyone else.

At his next words, something in her expression shifted. "The bar," Bree repeated lightly, though her tone carried a faint trace of thoughtfulness beneath it. She had this completely different idea of Julian, so hearing the news of him owning a bar were a surprise. It still did every time the place got mentioned. "I imagine it does." As business owner of her own, Bree could relate even if the best thing about her job was it never bound her to a certain place. But people had very little idea of what being your own boss actually meant most days. "So, tell me, is this your form of relaxation? Because if I remember correctly, you always were good at finding reasons to stay busy, but we all need to slow down sometimes."

[julianxellis]

Julian's gaze lingered on her for a moment as he decided whether or not to argue the point, but ultimately he decided against it. There was no point coming up with some reasoning when Bree was in fact correct. "Yeah, well..." he said quietly, a small smile still lingering, "walking into things on purpose sounds a lot better than admitting I don't always know how to walk away from them." His attention shifted back to the music in his hands again, straightening out one of the corners of the paper, more out habit than necessity. He wondered for a moment if the community center had become a sense of escape for him, a way to still enjoy a part of his life he longed to have continued with. After a brief moment, Julian snapped back to reality and cleared his throat.

At her question though, Julian glanced back up at Bree in amusement. "You say that like slowing down comes naturally for either of us." Everyone seemed to think his world was far too dull, but Julian was so busy he barely even thought about that. "I like the fast paced. The bar, while demanding keeps things going and having to put out little fires keeps me on my toes. You and I both know that if we slowed down too much, our brains would linger on things it shouldn't." He paused again, making eye contact with her. "I don't think either one of us would find any fun in that."

[ofwildxhearts]

@julianxellis

Where: Downtown

"Well, well. If it isn't Julian Ellis.." Byron stated, looking over at Julian for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't mind the man, but they had a small little rivalry going on due to their occupations. "So did you fix up that squeaky door yet?" He challenged a little bit, raising a brow slightly.

[julianxellis]

Not much actually annoyed Julian. He was the oldest of four, he learned to let most things slide. There was only three things that truly got to him. The first being styrofoam rubbing against itself, the second was loud chewing and the third was Byron Lafever. "The door only squeaks like that because of how many people we have coming in all the time. I know that's not something you're use to."

[thestormsxmelodies]

"I say flattered for sure and I just happen to have perfect timing and it's interesting our schedule always seems to align," he replied with a grin on his face as he replied before a chuckle escaped his lips. "I tend to keep track of people's schedules, just an habit of mine and it makes it easier when I would admit that the person is handsome too and also in need of more fun in their life," he added with a grin on his face. Honestly in a way, Henric was one who had a routine, due to the male's personality it might not seem it. Henric was someone who also notice things too and patterns as well.

"I am the king of fun and I hate it when people overwork themselves and I feel like you deserve to have some fun and take a break. It's like a super power of mine," he spoke as he walked closer to the male. "My spidey senses are telling me other wise Mr. Julian."

"I know, I love going all out and it's part of my signature. Plus, made plenty for all the staff, kids and parents to have left over to take home too," he spoke. Henric always liked to make plenty of food because he never knew if there were those he needed it and at least they have something to take home and eat.

[julianxellis]

Julian let out a quiet breath before chuckling. "Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and circle back to concerned." His tone was dry, but not unfriendly. "Keeping track of schedules is one thing, but announcing them is a little more suspicious." Julian's brow lifted as Henric continued. "Right, so now it's perfect timing and spidey senses? Wow! The list just keeps going," he teased as he looked back at the table.

At the compliment, the man shifted. It threw him for a loop in the moment. "Careful," Julian muttered as he adjusted his sleeves. "You keep saying things like that and people might start thinking you've got an angle." Getting himself organized, he put his bag in its designated spot, he was a man of routine after all. "You definitely went all out. Everyone will appreciate it. And it will mean a lot to more than just a few people here." Even if Henric poked at his buttons sometimes, his actions were that of someone who cared and that had to be acknowledged.

"But I wouldn't get too confident about your 'King of Fun' title," Julian continued. "I'm pretty sure I've survived this long without needing supervision, even if you seem real determined to change that."

[ofwildxhearts]

There was a small smile on her lips, as she looked over at him for a moment. "Are you sure?" Bailey questioned, raising a brow slightly. "This might actually be on both of us." She chuckled lightly, looking over at him before looking down at Charlie, who was now trying to hide behind her leg. "I'm sorry he can be a bit shy at times. But he will definitely come out of his shell for an ice cream apology." She smiled a a little bit ore. "I think we would definitely like to give you that apology ice cream as long as you will join us."

[julianxellis]

Julian glanced between Bailey and Charlie, catching the way the kid tucked himself just out of sight. His expression softened as he nodded his head. "I'm sure, but I appreciate the commitment to making it a shared responsibility." At Charlie's shyness, Julian dipped his head to acknowledge him, hoping it would help. "Hey, no pressure. Ice cream tends to do most of the heavy lifting anyway." At Bailey's offer, he couldn't help but agree. "Alright! One apology ice cream. But that's it. I don't want to get a reputation," he teased.

[ofwildxhearts]

Ezra continued to look over at him for a moment, that small smile still on his lips. Last thing he wanted was for his family to worry. But he didn't blame them if they did. "Things are okay. With work and don't worry I'm still going to my meetings." He stated with a small shrug of his shoulders. Like it was no big deal. "I did run into someone though recently."

[julianxellis]

As the oldest brother and cousin, it came natural for Julian to worry about his family. He just wanted them all to be the best versions of themselves, which at times could come off nitpicking. However, it really came from a place of love. "I wasn't necessarily asking about that, but I'm glad to hear that you are. If you ever need to talk, you know I'm here, right?" Glancing at one of the pieces of the shelf, his gazed turned back to his cousin. "Who did you run into?"

[ofwildxhearts]

Zane was glad that Zeus didn't bother the other man. "He is a very friendly dog and doesn't understand the mean of personal space at times." He chuckled a little bit. "Thank you for being understanding. If you aren't busy we can totally just walk him along the beach or something he seems to like you."

[julianxellis]

Julian bent down to pet the dog again. "It's his world, we're just living in it, right?" He had to admit, he had always been more of a dog person than a cat person anyway. "I don't mind one bit. If I wouldn't be intruding that is."

[ofwildxhearts]

@julianxellis

Where: Glass Odyssey

Right now, Ezra was feeling distracted but yet he was trying to focus on work and of course not burning himself. But he felt like he couldn't. So that was when he stopped making the glass for right now. Maybe focusing on something else would help him. That was when he heard the bell and he popped his head out. Seeing his cousin, he smiled a little bit. "Hey. Shopping or just visiting?"

[julianxellis]

Julian had been on autopilot all morning. He had a laundry list of things that needed to get done, which was why he left visiting the Glass Odyssey last. It would give him some extra time to catch up with his cousin, without being rushed to get to his next task. Seeing his cousin, he gave him an identical smile. "Both actually. I need to pick up a gift and I figured why not see how you were doing." He started half-looking at one of the shelves. "So, how are you doing?"

[ofwildxhearts]

Hearing the other man, Sawyer nodded his head a little bit. "Thank you." Looking over at the man for the moment. "Yeah, I was up in my head as well so I get it." He rubbed his hands together for a moment. "What were you thinking about? If you don't mind me asking. I mean if it's too personal you don't have to tell me." Which was true, the last thing he wanted was to do was to pressure this guy tell him what was thinking about or anything like that. "I'm Sawyer, by the way."

[julianxellis]

Julian let out an amused breath, his gaze drifting towards the water thinking of what a lame answer he had for the guy. "Honestly, it's nothing exciting." His voice was steady as he tried to think of a way to cram everything he wanted to say in a single sentence instead of dumping all the craziness on a random stranger. "It's mainly work. The usual stuff that doesn't really stay where you left it. What a boring answer, eh?"

At the introduction though, Julian's expression softened and became more present in the conversation. I'm Julian. It's nice to meet you." He let a moment pass before continuing. "You mentioned that the town's been interesting so far. Is that a good interesting or are you still trying to figure it out?"

[oceangraces]

She stayed where she was for a beat longer than necessary, watching him before he acknowledged her presence. A faint smile pulled at her lips. "I would hope so," she replied smoothly, a hint of teased settled in her tone. Stepping further into the room now, her gaze drifted over the table, the scattered sheet music, the notes layered over notes—organized chaos in its purest form. She reached out, lightly straightening the edge of a page that didn’t quite align, more out of instinct than intention.

"Helping it from falling apart," Bree echoed, glancing back at him, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. "How come you're always stepping in just before things collapse?" She teased, leaning against the edge of table. At his question, her expression shifted subtly. "I was invited," she said, almost casually. "Though I suspect that was more suggestion than request." Her eyes lingered on him, just briefly. "And I was curious. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in your element."

[julianxellis]

Julian watched her move through the space like she’d never really left it. The way she even adjusted the page was all familiar in a way that sat between easy and unsettling, like it was in the twilight zone. He let out an amused huff at her question. "Someone's gotta have decent timing. Or there's the fact that I always think someone else will be able to handle it. Even though I know full well they can't. So basically I set myself up for this," he rambled, picking up a stack of music and beginning to sort it by character.

He looked at her amused, a small smile on his face. "Well that tracks. You know the door is always open." Her last comment lingered in a brief silence, before he tilted his head towards her and put the music sheets down. "The bar just takes up so much time, it's hard to find any time for anything else now a days. So I try to take the enjoyment where I can get it."

[ofwildxhearts]

@julianxellis

Where: Polar Cave

"Don't go too far Charlie." Bailey stated, looking over at him with a small smile on her lips. She loved her son, and would do anything for him. That much was obvious. "Did you want to get some ice cream?" The blonde questioned, moving over to her son. "Let's go!" He exclaimed, taking her hand. Now she couldn't help but smile more, as they moved into the boardwalk and into Polar Cave. Bumping into someone now on accident. "My bad, I'm so sorry." She told him. "That was my fault. Can I get an ice cream for you? Just to make up for it?" Was she rambling, she was. It happened from time to time.

[julianxellis]

Julian had been reaching for the door when the impact caught him just enough to throw him off balance. It wasn't hard, just unexpected. He steadied himself easily, as Bailey started to apologize. "Hey. No, you're alright," he said as he shook his head reassuringly. His gaze flickered between Charlie, before returning back to Bailey. "Pretty sure I should have been watching where I was going too." A warm smile appeared on his fave. "An entire ice cream as an apology?" he echoed. "You don't have to do that. Besides, I've got a feeling there's someone jonesing for an ice cream even more right now," he added, glancing at Charlie again.

[pmanxiety]

"Right, I did read something in a book one time that said they may remember it, they might not but the feeling and the laughter they are feeling is something they remember. Like when it comes down to it, they aren't a hundred percent remembering why they were enjoying themselves, they just know they did." Asher replied as he shrugged a bit. He scoffed a bit when he heard the other gentleman talking about parents just handing out a phone or tablet to their kid to entertain themselves. "Exactly. I don't like that. I think we try to limit his screen time and do more interacting with him ourselves but sometimes the screen can be a nice break for us when we need it sometimes."

[julianxellis]

"Exactly! And it also helps create the bond between you and him because he's connecting you with the feelings and such." He added, feeling like he was telling Asher basically everything he already knew. "I feel like it's a tool. It's not something to be scared of because it's useful. It does have the ability to teach and help with so much. It's when it's relied on to step in as just a way to keep a child out of your hair, that it becomes a problem. I still see it in some of the kids when I'm directing at the community center. Some of them are so attached to their phones, I swear they wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they didn't have access to them." Pausing for a moment, he started to chuckle to himself. "I didn't realize just how old I was starting to sound until right now."

[oceangraces]

( closed starter for @julianxellis ) WHO: bree & julian WHERE: the community center

The space wasn’t polished. Bree noticed it right away. The floors bore the faint scuffs of too many rehearsals, chairs slightly mismatched, a corkboard crowded with overlapping notes and handwritten reminders. Nothing curated. Nothing designed to impress. And yet—there was something undeniably alive about it.

She stepped further inside, heels quieter than usual against the worn floor, her gaze taking everything in. A faint smile touched her lips. "You always did have a talent," she said, "for making chaos feel… purposeful." She tilted her head slightly, studying him. "So, are you going to tell me what you’ve gotten yourself into this time…" Her eyes dipped briefly to the scattered materials, the signs of something mid-creation. "…or am I meant to piece it together the way I used to?"

[julianxellis]

Julian didn't turn right away when she spoke. However, he had heard her the second she stepped in. It was the heels on the floor that gave it away. Still, he let the moment sit, finishing what he was doing before straightening a stack of sheet music and glancing over his shoulder. "Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you." He teased before turning around and leaning on the table. He briefly gazed around the room and took in the scene before him, it was indeed a mess.

At her question, he a smile fell onto his lips with amusement. "You always did prefer figuring things out on your own. Wouldn't want to ruin that for you." He paused briefly only for a moment, his fingers tapping against the table behind him. "It's the community production. I'm helping it from falling apart. I think." Julian said, looking for a sticky note he had written previously. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not thrilled to see you."

[pmanxiety]

"Well nothing wrong with staring. When parents are here and talking all baby like to their kids then it's something that is worth staring at. I know that I've had plenty of entertainment from watching other people with their kids. Never thought that I would be on this end of it but hey, it's pretty cool." He mentioned to Julian as he looked at the man and then chuckled softly. "Actually, I haven't been here before. This is something new for us. I just wanted to get him out there and maybe do something that's educational for him. Not that he's really going to remember this but..." Asher shrugged his shoulders a bit as he then looked over at Dax who was entertaining himself now.

[julianxellis]

Julian let out a quiet huff of amusement. On one hand, he was really impressed by Asher's disposition on it all, but on the other, he was a little jealous that he got to enjoy being a dad. "Oh yeah. It's always a different perspective when it's yours," he added with a chuckle. Julian listened to Asher's explanation as he leaned back against the railing and folded his arms loosely. "I don't think that part really matters. Whether he remembers or not." His eyes flicked back to Dax and than Asher. "Kids don't remember all the little things. But they do remember the feeling of it. The doing something different and having your attention, that's the part that stays with them." It was nice to know his college education was still able to pay off at times. "And for what it's worth, you're better than half the people in here just handling their kid a phone and calling it a day."

[pmanxiety]

Starter for: Asher & Julian @julianxellis Location: Marine Conservation

Asher had Dax in the stroller as he was walking around the aquarium that the Marine Conservation had to offer. He knew that there was so much marine life to see around the area and he thought that Dax would enjoy it. As he walked around, he stopped to make sure that his son was entertained and he would talk in an almost baby voice. At one point though, he realized what he was doing and saw that there was someone staring at him. "Sorry... I tend to have a baby voice when it comes to this little guy."

[julianxellis]

Julian hadn't meant to stare, at least in not such an obvious way. He wasn't judging the man in any way, if anything he admired how hands on he seemed to be. When he was studying for his education degree, he took a large interest in early childhood education. His face flushed when it turned out he had been caught. “No, you’re good,” Julian said, tone warm, not a hint of judgment in it. “Honestly, I think that’s kind of the point. I'm the one who should apologize for staring." He looked down briefly at the stroller before returning his gaze to Asher. "Looks like it's working," he added. "He seems pretty entertained. More than most of the adults around here actually." His attention returned, a small smile settling in. "Have you been here before, or is this his first time checking it out?"

[thestormsxmelodies]

starter for @julianxellis Location: Turtle Bay Community Center

"Just the person I was hoping to see and run into," Henric spoke with a smile and grin on his face as he finished setting up the food and noticed the other walk in. Henric often stop by providing food free of charge. The chef and model always liked giving back to the community and he stopped by often and often saw Julian around. He found the male interesting and also in a way could maybe sense a wall and distance and that got Henric interested and wanted to get close. "You know, I am starting to wonder if you actually live here and do have fun because you seem to always be working."

[julianxellis]

Julian barely made it a few steps inside before Henric caught his attention. He paused for a moment, like he was deciding whether to lean into it or turn and run. Letting out a quiet breath through his nose, he continued closer, gazing at the table and the food before settling on Henric. "I'm starting to think you've got my schedule memorized," he replied, looking at the man curiously. "I can't figure out if I should be flattered or afraid I might have a stalker." His voice was more amused then serious.

Readjusting his bag on his shoulder to occupy his hands, Julian's attention went back to the food. "You make it sound like a problem. But someone has to get all this work done," he added, gesturing to the mess of paperwork and everything else on his desk. "And for the record, I have plenty of fun." Looking back at the food, he gave Henric an honest smile. "It looks really good though. You didn't have to go all out."