ICoS spin-off, Julian Files 01: Negligible
The Julian Files is a series set in the past of In the Company of Shadows, focusing primarily on Private Investigator Julian 'JJ' Jones, but including Cedrick and his family as well. SERIES WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED ICOS!
For context, this scene takes place the same year that Hsin shows up at the Agency.
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Julian Files Part 1: Negligible
Thursday May 12, 2005; Lexington, PA
Even on the far end of Crandall Park's sprawling playground, shrieking kids disrupted the otherwise calm morning. Julian's fingers twitched and he resisted for the third time reaching for his pack of Winstons. He'd have gone for it anyway if the adulterating mom across the way didn't give him the evil eye every time he touched his pocket.
Jennifer Groves, twenty-seven years old. Whitebread America mistressing it up with a certain Latino charmer named Joaquin Padilla. He doubted she knew he was the PI who had given her husband the racy photos of the two of them going at it like horny teenagers against a window of the White Oaks, but being as she recently stopped smoking she knew a fellow nicotine addict when she saw one. Not that her attempt to go clean living was liable to last long, once good ole Chris Groves was done raking her through the divorce proceedings.
It never ceased to amaze Julian how stupid so many people were. What made them think being in a mid-range hotel made the windows any less see-through when they decided to have sex against it? And so many of them had the receiving partner splayed against the glass face out, too. Made his job a whole hell of a lot easier to get the money shot.
He considered whipping out a smoke anyway just to fuck with her when he noticed Cedrick approaching.
The man was a conundrum. He wasn't bad looking by any stretch, but he easily could have been forgettable. Stocky build, average height, brown eyes, brown hair... Nothing stood out at a glance. In a photo, he would have been the guy in the background no one thought to look at twice. The gift of anonymity. Julian wished he had the same at times.
But in motion, that was when all the little bits came together and made Cedrick recognizable. His easy, loping gait. The smile that seemed ever ready on the edges of his lips, and that goddamned infectious grin that popped out at the least expected moments. Made his whole face light up like a Christmas tree, and at times even made Julian fight a grin in return.
The trademark Beaulieu not-yet-smile was in place as Cedrick strode toward him slower than normal, and when all the trees and kidlets were out of the way Julian saw why.
He raised his eyebrows and flicked a glance down at Cedrick's side.
"Brought the kid, huh?"
"Couldn't get a babysitter." Cedrick rested his hand around Boyd's skinny little shoulders, pulling him against his thigh like some sort of tall dog. The fond smile aimed down at him probably wouldn't have looked out of place in those circumstances, either. "Can't say I'm sad about it, though. I don't get enough time with him as it is."
Cedrick dropped easily onto the park bench next to Julian, and soon it was the both of them who stared at Boyd.
Truth be told, the kid creeped Julian out. Like Cedrick, his photo op impression was different than his video. He was a cute kid by looks alone; fine blond hair, huge eyes an unusual golden brown color: a skinny little thing with pouty lips. He hovered in that childlike androgynous zone of not seeming resigned to either gender entirely.
Maybe if he smiled once in a dinosaur's age it'd be fine but he was like a little alien. He stared at people like he was dissecting their motivations, filing it away in some five-year-old version of Enemy vs Friend, or maybe he was just trying to figure out what the fuck was going on around him. Julian might have thought he was slow but he'd seen the kid write and draw well beyond his nephew who was four years older. And when the kid talked, which wasn't often, there were times his sentence structure and astute observations were like he was twice his age.
Julian sometimes wondered if the kid was going to turn into a serial killer someday. If so, he should probably make sure he wasn't on his hit list.
"Hey there, champ." Julian patted the bench next to him. "You can sit down. Last I checked you weren't a vampire and this bench wasn't a house so I'm pretty sure you don't need an invitation."
When Boyd only stared at him with his too-guarded-for-a-five-year-old face and luminous eyes, Julian felt the same weird mixture of aggravation, bemusement, and devilry he often felt around the kid. He didn't resist the temptation to reach out and ruffle his hair so harshly it made his head rock back and forth like a little bobblehead.
When his hand dropped, Boyd's hair stood up in huge tangled tufts not unlike the aftermath of a balloon rubbing. Julian smirked in satisfaction. Boyd staring just as seriously out of that made him look like a grumpy, rumpled cat and that made Julian let out a loud "Ha!" of a laugh.
Cedrick chuckled and leaned forward, gently smoothing Boyd's hair back down. He rested his fingers on Boyd's chin and turned his face toward him. Boyd let his head move but his eyes remained on Julian until the last second when they flicked over to his dad.
Like Julian always said. Fucking creepy.
"Why don't you go play with the others, Boyd? We came here so you could have some fun."
Boyd's pouty little lips turned down even further. Jesus. He had the same disapproving stare as his mother. If he didn't turn out to be a serial killer, he'd become something equally terrifying. Julian was sure of it.
"They won't approve of me."
Seriously, what five-year-old talked like that?
"Yes, they will." The fatherly smile of Cedrick's was all manner of affection with a little bit of mischief tossed in for spice. "And if they don't, forget them. They aren't good enough for you. You can have fun on your own."
Boyd looked over his shoulder at the playset, looked back at his dad, and hesitated. There was something vulnerable in the slight quaking of his shoulders; the way his eyebrows drew in and his feet seemed poised between flight and folding. Those little fingers of his twitched at his sides.
"I don't want you to leave me. What if I go and when I come back you're gone?"
It was said in such a small voice, made all the smaller for coming from a young kid like that. A pang pulled at Julian and he had to look away.
Continue reading at Julian Files 01: Negligible in Ais' writing section
For context, this scene takes place the same year that Hsin shows up at the Agency.
---
Julian Files Part 1: Negligible
Thursday May 12, 2005; Lexington, PA
Even on the far end of Crandall Park's sprawling playground, shrieking kids disrupted the otherwise calm morning. Julian's fingers twitched and he resisted for the third time reaching for his pack of Winstons. He'd have gone for it anyway if the adulterating mom across the way didn't give him the evil eye every time he touched his pocket.
Jennifer Groves, twenty-seven years old. Whitebread America mistressing it up with a certain Latino charmer named Joaquin Padilla. He doubted she knew he was the PI who had given her husband the racy photos of the two of them going at it like horny teenagers against a window of the White Oaks, but being as she recently stopped smoking she knew a fellow nicotine addict when she saw one. Not that her attempt to go clean living was liable to last long, once good ole Chris Groves was done raking her through the divorce proceedings.
It never ceased to amaze Julian how stupid so many people were. What made them think being in a mid-range hotel made the windows any less see-through when they decided to have sex against it? And so many of them had the receiving partner splayed against the glass face out, too. Made his job a whole hell of a lot easier to get the money shot.
He considered whipping out a smoke anyway just to fuck with her when he noticed Cedrick approaching.
The man was a conundrum. He wasn't bad looking by any stretch, but he easily could have been forgettable. Stocky build, average height, brown eyes, brown hair... Nothing stood out at a glance. In a photo, he would have been the guy in the background no one thought to look at twice. The gift of anonymity. Julian wished he had the same at times.
But in motion, that was when all the little bits came together and made Cedrick recognizable. His easy, loping gait. The smile that seemed ever ready on the edges of his lips, and that goddamned infectious grin that popped out at the least expected moments. Made his whole face light up like a Christmas tree, and at times even made Julian fight a grin in return.
The trademark Beaulieu not-yet-smile was in place as Cedrick strode toward him slower than normal, and when all the trees and kidlets were out of the way Julian saw why.
He raised his eyebrows and flicked a glance down at Cedrick's side.
"Brought the kid, huh?"
"Couldn't get a babysitter." Cedrick rested his hand around Boyd's skinny little shoulders, pulling him against his thigh like some sort of tall dog. The fond smile aimed down at him probably wouldn't have looked out of place in those circumstances, either. "Can't say I'm sad about it, though. I don't get enough time with him as it is."
Cedrick dropped easily onto the park bench next to Julian, and soon it was the both of them who stared at Boyd.
Truth be told, the kid creeped Julian out. Like Cedrick, his photo op impression was different than his video. He was a cute kid by looks alone; fine blond hair, huge eyes an unusual golden brown color: a skinny little thing with pouty lips. He hovered in that childlike androgynous zone of not seeming resigned to either gender entirely.
Maybe if he smiled once in a dinosaur's age it'd be fine but he was like a little alien. He stared at people like he was dissecting their motivations, filing it away in some five-year-old version of Enemy vs Friend, or maybe he was just trying to figure out what the fuck was going on around him. Julian might have thought he was slow but he'd seen the kid write and draw well beyond his nephew who was four years older. And when the kid talked, which wasn't often, there were times his sentence structure and astute observations were like he was twice his age.
Julian sometimes wondered if the kid was going to turn into a serial killer someday. If so, he should probably make sure he wasn't on his hit list.
"Hey there, champ." Julian patted the bench next to him. "You can sit down. Last I checked you weren't a vampire and this bench wasn't a house so I'm pretty sure you don't need an invitation."
When Boyd only stared at him with his too-guarded-for-a-five-year-old face and luminous eyes, Julian felt the same weird mixture of aggravation, bemusement, and devilry he often felt around the kid. He didn't resist the temptation to reach out and ruffle his hair so harshly it made his head rock back and forth like a little bobblehead.
When his hand dropped, Boyd's hair stood up in huge tangled tufts not unlike the aftermath of a balloon rubbing. Julian smirked in satisfaction. Boyd staring just as seriously out of that made him look like a grumpy, rumpled cat and that made Julian let out a loud "Ha!" of a laugh.
Cedrick chuckled and leaned forward, gently smoothing Boyd's hair back down. He rested his fingers on Boyd's chin and turned his face toward him. Boyd let his head move but his eyes remained on Julian until the last second when they flicked over to his dad.
Like Julian always said. Fucking creepy.
"Why don't you go play with the others, Boyd? We came here so you could have some fun."
Boyd's pouty little lips turned down even further. Jesus. He had the same disapproving stare as his mother. If he didn't turn out to be a serial killer, he'd become something equally terrifying. Julian was sure of it.
"They won't approve of me."
Seriously, what five-year-old talked like that?
"Yes, they will." The fatherly smile of Cedrick's was all manner of affection with a little bit of mischief tossed in for spice. "And if they don't, forget them. They aren't good enough for you. You can have fun on your own."
Boyd looked over his shoulder at the playset, looked back at his dad, and hesitated. There was something vulnerable in the slight quaking of his shoulders; the way his eyebrows drew in and his feet seemed poised between flight and folding. Those little fingers of his twitched at his sides.
"I don't want you to leave me. What if I go and when I come back you're gone?"
It was said in such a small voice, made all the smaller for coming from a young kid like that. A pang pulled at Julian and he had to look away.
Continue reading at Julian Files 01: Negligible in Ais' writing section
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