Cosmo || Doctor Who

5 : Leaving Home Ain't Easy

𝔏𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔫, 𝔈𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔄𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔩 2005

Home looked the same way it always did, and that was scary. It was still an average looking flat in a concrete block not far from the centre of London. It was still surrounded by five flights of stairs, making it a horrific fire hazard. The door was still slightly skewed off its hinges, almost ready to fall, but it was home, and it was his.

After everything he had been through in the past day, it seemed like everything should have been different in the same way it might in a movie. It wasn't raining, or storming at all. For some reason, EJ thought it was going to change, but it didn't.

The world had just kept turning, completely ignorant to all he had been through. Every event, every word, it would all be forgotten, especially the man who had saved him. Even if the rest was lost to time, EJ would make sure he always remembered the Doctor. His first ever alien.

     Fumbling around his pockets, he searched for his keys, all of the key rings kept getting in the way, and found it a more troubling task than he would ever care to admit. Though it was only at the bottom of his jean pockets, the ring loops seemed to catch on everything, including his Nokia and the gum packets. And then, he had to search for the right key, as there were many to try, including a few old ones.

     The second silver key he pushed into the lock worked, only after jiggling it around a few times, and even then the door stuck. Inside, he could hear the tv playing, and vague muttering, but nothing that could become coherent enough for him to understand. He didn't even know who would be there... or if they cared where he had been.

     There was always the hope that someone would miss him when he was gone. So, when he opened the door, he was slightly relieved to find exactly what he hoped on the other side. It was his family.

     Ty was the first and only person he saw as he stepped through the door, sat on the deep red sofa. His hands were clamped together, as he stared ahead, lifeless in the way a porcelain doll might be. Whilst concerned with the coverage the news decided to show, he could hardly watch it. His breath was baited.

     The kitchen had only a smart partition from the living room. When he peered through, EJ could see an attractive redhead sat round the table. He was holding onto Elliott, he was curled up onto his like a koala, almost completely asleep. It was unlikely to ever see Angel without Elliott, especially when they were home. They were joint at the hip. He was attempting a crossword puzzle, but had given up on it soon before.

     Soren and Taylor were arm in arm, facing the ceiling, lying on their backs. Whenever Angel called out an question to receive answers, they were ridiculous. The two of them always had been, but thankfully, they were entertaining enough to occupy their minds. It was their specialty, especially when they needed a distraction.

     EJ almost laughed. Their kindness, and their stupidness, was enough to make him want to cry, and burst into a fit of joy at the same time.

     The door shut behind him, the lock clicking louder than he had expected, and their heads all turned to focus. He grinned, brightly, not expecting to feel so overwhelmed with emotion so quickly. There was a sense of relief flooding through the flat, but he knew that there was probably something more to it. They were glad of him, and his return, but they didn't have anything to say.
 
     "I've just saved the bloody world and no one's going to give me a hug?" He scoffed, mockingly, dropping his skateboard to the floor as his bleach blonde friend embraced him.

  Ty sobbed heavily, the relief hitting him harder than the others. "We thought you'd died." He hit his shoulder. "You didn't say anything you blummin' idiot! I thought I'd lost you."