#orpheum lofts

[jmrothwell]

Kiss prompts! Wild, breathless kisses brought on by a heartfelt gift for Rulie?

Ever since the Orpheum the gigs they've been able to book, Ray and time willing, were insane. The checks Reggie managed to glimpse for a couple of even more so. He's pretty sure he saw Ray actually weep over it. 

Most of the money went into equipment upkeep, band merchandising, and savings. Julie had tried to split it with him and the rest of the guys but it's not like they could really spend it anywhere. After a lengthy, drawn out over many days, discussion, pushing and pulling, the guys finally seemed to manage to convince Julie they really were ok with how the money was currently being utilized. Julie at least stopped pestering them about it and no longer constantly looked guilty. 

Then the gifts started to roll in. 

It started simple, new journals designed for songwriting instead of the cheap 50 cent ones that were supposed to be for school they used to get. This was followed up by some new clothes for all of them, which Julie made them tag along and pick out themselves. 

Then Julie got Alex a new dance game. Which for Alex also meant getting a new game system he could play it on. Apparently the version for the game system the Molina's already owned tracked the dancer with a camera that wouldn't be able to see Alex. This other system's version tracked the gaming controller.

Luke got a new record player along with a truly remarkable collection of classic and new rock albums. A few of which Reggie noticed had even been signed. JUlie had even set up the new player up in the loft with a set of headphones so that Luke wouldn’t have to worry about anyone walking in and shutting his music off randomly. 

Reggie had started to wonder if the other two had also noticed that Julie was clearly trying to spend what would have been their shares of the checks for them. It wasn’t like she was being subtle about it. If that was her plan maybe he should just let her know what he would prefer. It was easy to see what Alex and Luke would like, he wasn’t so sure about himself.

He never got the chance. 

Julie’s phone rang out, a happy high pitched sort of tune, one day as they were going over a potential new arrangement for Stand Tall. Despite Luke’s grumbling none of the guy’s were fast enough to stop her when she squealed, “It’s finally here,” and ran out of the studio.

He exchanged confused looks with Alex and Luke, questioning if he should have followed her. With that level of excitement it was probably something for Luke. The two may not have been hanging out as much these past few weeks. Something Reggie only noticed because he and Julie had been spending more time together. All the same, Luke and Julie still oozed chemistry together. So it would only make sense that she’d get excited to shower Luke with more gifts.

His musings were interrupted as the lifer awkwardly kicked the garage door open, struggling to comfortably carry a large box with the Lego logo emblazoned on it. Reggie didn’t think Luke was that into Lego.

“Reggie.” Julie squeaked through a heavy exhale as she deposited the box on the table by the couch. He gaped at her, why was she saying his name? She spun to hit him with the full force of her bright smile as she waved him over. 

His eyes were far too wide, but he couldn’t figure out how to get them back to their normal size again. Luke and Alex bemusedly urged him to join Julie by the table when he looked to them for guidance, his own brain not enough to get his legs to move. Julie had to grip his hands and pull him herself, Luke stepping forward to get his bass from him. 

“Ta-da,” Julie sang, hands gesturing towards the box on the table. “This is for you.”

“Me?” Reggie dumbly asked as he tried to stop his brain from automatically trying to do the math to figure out how much anything that fit in a Lego box that big would cost. A bad habit he’d developed at some point and struggled to break. 

“Yes, you.” Julie laughed as she impatiently pushed the box towards him. “Open it.”

He didn’t need to be asked again, his own curiosity got the better of him. Carefully he opened the box and his eyes and mouth both started to ache from how wide they were growing now. Julie excitedly giggled from his side as he gaped down at the picture of a Lego Millenium Falcon that greeted him. 

“Han Solo’s your favorite right?” She chattered as he processed what was happening, almost convinced he was dreaming. “I wasn’t sure if you’d like Lego, but you seemed to like trying to fix things yourself and enjoyed the few puzzles we have around the house. So I figured you might have fun with this.

“You like it right?”

"Jules, this is amazing! Thank you!" Reggie cried out, catching Julie in a tight hug and spinning her around. It still didn't feel like thanks enough.

He began to litter kisses all over her face, his thoughts rapidly splintering away from him. 

How many hours, maybe days would it take to finish this thing? Julie's nose scrunched up with her giggles as he kissed between her eyebrows. He enjoyed being able to kiss Julie like this now.

Oh! Would she help him build it? That would be awesome and so amazing if she did. Her cheeks were quickly warming up, hands sliding up his back. It happened more and more but he enjoyed it when she'd kiss his face too, warm fluttering swarms of butterflies attempted to escape his chest. Her giggling had morphed into barely audible pleased hums.  He could just imagine the two of them goofing around and singing loud boisterous music as they worked. 

Her chapstick wasn't as sticky against his lips as he thought it could be. …wait…shit. 

His eyes popped open–having closed at some point during his barrage of kisses–to meet her wide eyed stare. He began to pull away, to shape his mouth into the apology he could feel ready to spill out of his mouth. She held him tight where he was. Pressed further into him only long enough to grace his lips with a lightning quick kiss of her own, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

His words froze in his throat. He really liked kissing her. Fluttering butterflies reminded him how much he liked her kissing him back. 

The two of them stood there and stared for what felt like eternity. Eyes darting around trying to read each other. The air grew tense waiting for something to break, to shatter. 

Julie's hand scratched through his hair at the nape of his neck and his mouth was on hers again with a groan. She pressed her body flush against his and he slid his hands to grip onto her hips. Fingers traced along the warm soft skin just above the waistline of her pants.

The small whines and moans she made grew more and more desperate the deeper their kiss grew. His tongue was eagerly exploring her mouth, something nagging in the back of his brain he was forgetting something. Multiple things but he didn't care enough to try and figure it out, he wanted to live in this kiss for forever. Drown in it even if he didn't really need to breathe.

Julie whined again and, oh shit, Julie still needed to breathe. He pulled back, breaking the kiss, giggling when she tried to chase after it in spite of how out of breath she sounded. He nuzzled their noses together, idly tracing shapes into her hips, as she dazedly blinked up at him with the prettiest of smiles.

Someone cleared their throat from behind him and he suddenly remembered they were in the middle of practice. Practice with Alex and Luke. Reggie attempted to spin to face his bandmates while not releasing Julie, it almost resulted in both of them stumbling into a heap on the floor.

Alex poorly bit back a smirk, "Geez, get a room you two."

Luke scoffed at that and for the briefest of instances something unpleasant flared up in Reggie's chest. The feeling immediately dissipated when the boy whined out, "but practice."

"Reggie was a lost cause for this practice the instant that box arrived." Alex said, moving out from behind his drums and grabbing Luke around the shoulders. "C'mon, Willie mentioned something about knowing where Dave Grohl lives."

Luke's eyes lit up with that before he quickly deposited his guitar and poofed out with Alex. Julie giggled and pulled away from Reggie. Or tried to anyway he didn't want to fully release the hold he had on her hips, his fingers hooking into her belt loops.

"So, what do you want to do?" She asked as she leaned against the giant lego box sitting on the table.

[mac-lilly]

Black (stupid) songwriting journal of fate - Part III (Epilogue)

Last round of the Kimi no na wa AU. Happy Juke Jeudi!

Part I / Part II / Part III

A few years later:

Five years have passed since The Orpheum burned down, and Luke has to admit his plan ("Rock The Orpheum then shoot to stardom") didn't quite work out.

After they escaped death spectacularly, they got another shot to play a showcase. It was a successful show, landing them a manager, a real studio, and even a small North America tour. 

And this really should have been their breakthrough, except it wasn't.

While his friends all had some accomplishments to show off (Reggie's about to graduate college, Alex is in a stable relationship with Willie, and Bobby has become a single dad), Luke feels like he's stagnating. 

Because ever since the Orpheum incident, he's been experiencing a serious case of writer's block. (And he thinks it's ironic that his songwriting journal with the missing page has become a metaphor for his life because that's how he feels -- like a part of his soul has been ripped out.)

Anyway, their label is unsatisfied and threatens to terminate their contract if they don't come up with new music soon.

(Slight detour because this user adores Reggie and wants him to shine: Reggie buys them some time by uploading "Home is where my horse is" to Sunset Curve's official YT, and it goes viral, and Luke is only slightly cranky about it because it stops their label from kicking them out (for now).) 

Meanwhile, Julie is equally unsatisfied with her life. She's enrolled in college, and while she's fine singing and playing music in general, she, too, struggles with creating her own brand of music. There's a song stuck in her head.  

Random side note: They've both developed inexplicable mannerisms when trying to write: Julie toys with a folded piece of paper (a blank, ripped-out journal page), and Luke absently touches his cheek. 

Anyway, both feel like they're missing a part of their soul.

As time grows on, Julie and Luke have a few almost encounters (Luke's visiting Reggie on campus when he catches a familiar piano tune but ultimately being unable to locate where it's coming from. Julie walking past the ruin of The Orpheum, hearing the strum of a guitar, remembering the band that almost died there.)

One day, on the anniversary of their Orpheum performance, Luke's frustration escalates. So he grabs his guitar and his journal and drives to their old studio.

The same night, Julie gives in to an unexplainable magnetism that draws her to her mom's old studio, which she's been mysteriously avoiding for the past three years because every time she walks into the studio, she's overwhelmed by a feeling of loss. (Her dad believes it is related to her mom's death. But Julie's not convinced. This loss feels different.)

She settles behind her mom's piano and starts playing the melody that's been haunting her, and suddenly she's accompanied by a guitar. Julie should be bothered. But for some reason, it's soothing her and gives her inspiration.

Together, they finish the song.

Luke's been up in the loft the entire time, and when he comes out from his hiding place, Julie is not amused. But she cannot help but sense a cosmic connection between them.

Luke explains his backstory with the studio and is surprised (and proud) when Julie tells him she used to listen to their songs back then. 

There is a bit of awkwardness because they both feel the bond, but neither has the courage to address the elephant in the room.

There's this usual back-and-forth between them that's solely there to make the reader suffer. 

Eventually, Julie asks how Luke knew about the song, and he explains he has no clue. It's the first time in the last five years that he finally felt music again. 

Julie says it's the same for her (because they are soulmates and they need to be together in order to be complete), and she starts toying with the paper again.

And, of course, Luke spots it and gets overly excited and shows her his journal and how it is missing a page. And Julie places the page where it supposedly belongs, and the words Luke wrote during their sunset meeting reappear. And so do their memories. 

Another hug.

And then, it's Julie who hands Luke the page, and this time Luke kisses her -- not on the cheek.

The end. 

Part I / Part II / Part III

Does this qualify as HEA?🙃

Is this ending kinda cheesy? Yes, it is ... AND I LOVE CHEESY JUKE CONTENT! 👻

So, I hope you've been enjoying my rambly posts about this AU. Thank you for all the kind comments in the tags (and the threat of getting blocked). 💜 (It feels like this won't be the last post about it. Fleshing the storyline out just made me more invested in the idea.)

Anyway, I'm gonna watch Suzume no Tojimari (a new movie by Makoto Shinkai -- the director of Kimi no Na wa) next Thursday. So there's a good chance another Jatp-meets-Makoto Shinkai AU will haunt me very soon.

[invisibleraven]

One more cause I'm on a roll. "I have to tell them", sweet tarts, bonus if it's somewhat canon-compliant?

After the Orpheum, Carrie offers Julie a mea culpa, and they become, well maybe not friends again, but friendly enough, Sure they still snip at each other, but it's more playful bark than bite, and Carrie feels better about having Julie back in her life.

Especially since it means she has her Spanish tutor back, because even growing up around the Molinas, she has never really grasped the language.

Julie had texted her that she was running late, but Carrie was free to wait out in the studio, grab a soda from the mini fridge or a snack from one of the bins out there. Carrie had just settled down with a bag of apple chips and a sparkling water when she hears a noise from the loft.

"Hello?" she calls out. "Carlos? Is that you?" She starts climbing the ladder, and spies a flash of red flannel on the bean bag. "Oh hey. You're Julie's bassist."

"You can see me?" he squeaks.

Carrie rolls her eyes at that. Man these guys take the hologram thing too far. "Yes, what did Julie leave her projector on or what?"

"Something like that," he grumbled. "I'm Reggie, by the way."

"Carrie."

"I know," he says. "You here to hang with Jules? I think she's still helping drop little dude off at practice."

"Yeah, she told me that I could stay here until she got back. We're gonna do Spanish homework. Then math, bleh."

"I-I could help you with the math," Reggie offered. "It's been a while since I've done it and I honestly don't understand why they teach it to you the way they do, but it was always my best subject."

"That'd be great honestly, both Julie and I suck at it." Carrie descends the ladder, and goes back over to her spot, patting the cushion next to her as Reggie hesitates. "I don't bite you know."

He settles down next to her tentatively, then skims the problems on her page, before spouting off about equations and numerical functions that has Carrie almost lost. But then he gives a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks darken. "Sorry, math nerd. I get overenthusiastic."

"It's okay, I get it. I'm the same way about baking."

"you bake?" Reggie says, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Yeah," Carrie replies, twirling a lock of hair with her fingers, glancing away. "Our chef, Marta taught me, and it was... nice. She was classically trained, so I get the passion from her."

"Huh, I learned how to make a few things from my MeeMaw, but I'm pretty hopeless in a kitchen," Reggie says. "You never learned from your mom?"

"You mean Paige?" Carrie chuckled wryly. "Please, I doubt that woman knows what a kitchen is. And she walked out when I was still crawling. She doesn't even send me birthday cards, so not exactly the warm and fuzzy memory making type." She lets go of her hair, and wipes her palms down on her legs. "It's okay though. I have dad, and for a while, I had Rose, she was the next best thing to a mom."

"I wish I could have known her," Reggie says quietly.

"She was the best," Carrie whispers, then sniffles. Wipes at the water collecting in the corner of her eye. "We-we should get on with this math before Julie gets home."

Reggie reaches out, his hand lingering near hers, as if he wants to squeeze it-offer her some reassurance. But he's hesitating, and well, Carrie has never been one to sit by the sidelines while waiting on a (really really cute, admittedly) guy makes up his mind, so she reaches for him instead.

Only her hand goes right through him.

Carrie's eyes widen, because she hadn't seen Julie's projector, and Reggie had lifted things earlier, heck, she could see where he was denting the couch cushion by sitting on it. Reggie grimaces and looks at her. "I think I owe you a bit of an explanation."

~

After that, Carrie's world view changed a little bit.

Ghosts were real, who knew?

She had a lot of questions, and Reggie had very few answers, but she hadn't run away screaming or gone straight to therapy, so they considered that a win.

"Why can I see you though?" she asked.

"We think... Julie did something the night she kept us from fading? We're solid to her all the time, and the people she cares about can see us. Guess you're one of the lucky few. We're still working on being solid to people who aren't Julie though," was Reggie's explanation. He bit his lip and looked at Carrie. "Are you going to tell her you can see me?"

Carrie shook her head. "We just got back to an okay place, and this... it just complicates things. Is that okay?"

"So we can be secret friends?" Carrie had nodded and Reggie beamed. "I've never had a secret friend before, this will be neat!" Then he paused. "I guess that means I shouldn't tell Alex and Luke though."

"Probably not."

"We tell each other everything though," Reggie said. "I have to tell them about this."

"I mean, you don't have to," Carrie replied, aching to tangle their fingers together to stop his from fidgeting with his flannel.

"I really do, considering your dad used to be our bandmate," Reggie said.

That had lead to Carrie shrieking and a whole other explanation, and her vowing that she would sit down with her father (once he was back from his now totally explainable mental retreat) to set some things right.

“I kind of wish I could give you a hug right now,” is all she can say in the end. “I give killer hugs.”

“Think one of those would have been preferable to the hot dogs,” Reggie snarks, making Carrie snort out a laugh, leading to Reggie breaking down on giggles.

It isn’t until they finally stop shaking with laughter that Carrie realizes she leaning against Reggie, a solid warm being, and she throws her arms around him. Reggie almost jolts back but then her arms are around him, and what can he do but hug her back?

They only pull apart as they hear Ray’s car pull into the drive. “Still want to keep this a secret?” Reggie asks.

Carrie smiles and leans in, pressing a tiny kiss to his cheek. “I think I’m good keeping you all to myself for a bit, yeah.”

Reggie turns vibrantly red but gives her a crooked grin and a wink before shimmering out of view just as Julie opens the door.

“Hey Care, sorry to keep you waiting so long,” Julie says, sitting herself right where Reggie had just been.

“It’s okay,” Carrie replies, glancing up to the loft where she swore she saw a flash of red flannel. “I kept myself busy.”

[theliterateape]

The Hanging Out Conundrum

by Don Hall

May-August 2022 Holed up in an apartment in Las Vegas. Ex-wife three apartments away, squatting in a friend’s place practicing her trade with anyone with a penis and some cash. I stay inside for most of those four months, rarely leaving except to go to the grocery store, the liquor store, and to walk for miles with no place to go.

September-January 2022-2023 Living in a room above my mom and dad in their house. Like a nice dorm room decorated via Southern Living. I go out to the gym and look for work. Some days I hang out at one of the two bookstores in town and write. I do not go out and look up old friends and I make no new ones either.

February 2023- I now have a rad (yes, I use that word in regular conversation because I grew up in the eighties…) loft apartment, a job I really like with benefits. On the other hand, I feel like I’ve lost the ability to make new friends. I have zero desire to date because the prospect of yet more heartache is more than I can stand (Sex? Sex would be fun but not at the potential costs that accompany the afterglow). I live near a few bars and places to see shows but I find myself holed up in the new place or spending time with my family (which is wonderful but hardly a road to making a few new friends unless they’re my mom’s church friends).

Years ago, in Chicago, going out and hanging with people was effortless. I had tons of friendly acquaintances and could sit in a theater lobby or bar and talk for hours with complete strangers who then became either women I dated or dudes I could hang out with. Today, my closest friends live hundreds of miles away and I keep in contact via FaceTime calls. Those calls are important but they lack that small talk to profound bullshit ratio that crashing in someone’s shitty apartment with no agenda meandering conversation.

Vegas was hard to find friends although I managed a few I consider lifelong types. The place is filled with transient citizens who blow into town seeking riches only to split shortly thereafter. Granted, at three and a half years, I suppose that I fit that description so it isn't any real surprise that I didn't find a crowd. I don’t become entwined with the lives of people I work with—I’ve been burnt too many times and I neverdate anyone from work because I’m not a complete moron.

My mother advises that I volunteer for something. She thinks hanging out in a bar is a terrible way to make friends. Find something I'm passionate about, find an organization that engages that, and volunteer. She may have a point and the oldest movie theater in Kansas is a block from my house—The Orpheum—and once I have a little bit of disposable income, I may spend some time over there and volunteer for some of the work they do. I am passionate about stories and hanging out is all about stories.

I'm hardly the only person finding it challenging to find a group of like-minded conversationalists. In 1990, 63% of Americans reported having five or more close friends. In 2021, only 38% did. On an average day 20 years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Time Use Survey, 38% of Americans socialized or communicated with friends. By 2021, that number was down to 28%.

“Signs suggest that the role of friends in American social life is experiencing a pronounced decline,” according to a May study published by the Survey Center on American Life. Study authors revealed that “Americans report having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal support.”

SOURCE

That isn't just alarming. It may be why we're dying younger.

In 1938, Harvard researchers embarked on a decades-long study to find out: What makes us happy in life?

The researchers gathered health records from 724 participants from all over the world and asked detailed questions about their lives at two-year intervals.

Contrary to what you might think, it's not career achievement, money, exercise, or a healthy diet. The most consistent finding we've learned through 85 years of study is: Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer. Period.

SOURCE

Knowing all of this, my conundrum is that the very idea of hanging out, making conversation, getting to know other people is daunting. Certainly elements of distrust based on my most recent experiences are coming into play. My judgment of people is highly suspect. Not only is it difficult to trust new people, I can’t trust myself. It’s established that I find a woman even remotely attractive I need to run as fast as I can. My track record sucks balls. I am, however, far better at judging friends.

What I know is that the true friends I have, while all are on corners of the country far enough to take a day or two to drive out to see them in person, I cultivated the relationships doing something collaboratively creative. Theater, music, writing, and storytelling are all gateways to my most lasting friendships. If there is a mantra I repeat, day after day, it is “Live, Work, Create.”

In Wichita, right now, I’m living fine. I have my family here and the joy that they bring to my day is incomparable. Time spent with my mother, father, and sister is long overdue and I love them without reservation. They’re also incredible fun and funny. I have an excellent home, a loft apartment that I couldn’t possibly afford in a major city. Sometimes I simply stand in the middle of the place and marvel at what a phenomenal place I’m in. I have work to do that is fun, weird, and I look forward to each day. Enough of the familiar (I’ve worked in non-profit radio so commercial radio is just enough different to be challenging but just enough the same to be comfortable). I create with my friends—podcasts and this digital magazine all which I have so much fun creating—but to make new friends, I need to be creative with other people as well. Through that pathway, the hanging out will happen naturally.

Also, there’s karaoke.

I empathize with the millions out there, unsure of how to find the ease of hanging out I did when I was in my twenties and thirties. Dating digitally is a fucking horror show based entirely upon physical traits and subtle lies. Online friendship is only a facsimile of a real relationship. My days of going to someone’s apartment, getting drunk or high, and finding myself deep in discussions of Nabokov, Didion, and David Foster Wallace are probably over but to find myself hanging out, talking about anything more important than the current culture wars or political divisions, sounds pretty goddamned divine.

So, I go forth. The only route is to engage. To find people who enjoy films I enjoy, music I dig, writers I admire.

The only way way forward is, well, forward.

[multifandomsimagine]

Imagine Luke finding out that you, his old crush from when he was alive, is married to Bobby

Get Lost. Long Weekend. Crooked Teeth. My Name is Luke.

As Luke walked through the hallway of Bobby’s - or should he say Trevor’s - house and stared at the platinum records that decorated the walls, a combination of hurt, anger, and sadness filled him. He had been angry when he and the guys left the loft. When Julie told them about the stolen songs, he couldn't even describe the feeling of betrayal he felt that someone he had once considered his brother could do such a thing. But seeing the physical evidence right in front of him just made everything more real.

Not being able to stand looking at the records anymore, Luke turned away but he almost wished he hadn't as instead, he was now facing a huge photo of you and Bobby on your wedding day. Staring agape at the picture, he focused on you. You had obviously aged as he noticed the telltale signs of time's passing: how your face had sharpened, how you were taller, and how you changed your hair from how you usually wore it as kids. He knew the world would have moved on after his death so the pain wasn't from seeing you with someone. No, that came from seeing that you were with Bobby.

He had a crush on you since the day he had met you and the guys had always encouraged him to confess to you, Luke had brushed off these comments telling them that he wanted to focus on the band first and as the band finally booked the Orpheum Theatre, he was finally going to do it after the show. A culmination of everything he had worked for accomplished and he wanted to share that with you.

But he could see that Bobby was quick to act after his death to take everything Luke had. How could someone he had considered a close friend, a brother, do something like this? Did they really mean so little to him that Bobby would be quick to push them out of his mind? Did he even mourn them before taking everything for himself?

[yourlocalfictionalenthusiast]

IN LIFE, IN DEATH..

Part Two

Part One

Warnings: swearing

‘Carefully, you reached towards the piano and tried to touch a vase of flowers but they passed right through your fingers. Your entire hand went numb then a tingly feeling spread throughout your body.

Well, two things were for sure.

You were definitely back, but you were definitely dead.’

-

“(Y/n)?”

Alex appeared by your side, pulling your hand away from the vase that you couldn’t seem to stop sticking your hand through.

You had been so distracted, you didn’t realize that the girl had come back until you heard her scream. Alex covered his ears and shouted over the noise.

“Please stop screaming!” He shouted.

She did, but she kept eyeing the four of you suspiciously. 

She was holding a cross out as she slowly stepped into the room. Her eyes were still wide with fear but she stood her ground. “Who are you and what are you doing in my mom’s studio?”

Luke gave her a look of confusion as he stepped forward. “Your mom’s studio? No, this is our studio.”

He yelped as she came at him with the cross. He jumped up on the piano and slid across the surface. “The grand piano is new, and-”

Luke cut himself off suddenly and in a fit of excited giggles, he ran towards the other side of the room. “My couch!”

You watched as he ran his hands over the worn leather, a dreamy look on his face. Despite the situation, you couldn’t help but laugh a little. After your time in the dark room, it was comforting to see some things never change.

Luke’s eyes flickered up to the ceiling, his eyebrows knitting together as he inspected the lights and chairs hanging down and you were reminded that more things had changed than stayed the same.

You decided you couldn’t take it anymore. You had to get to the bottom of this. And to do that, you needed the boys to focus for more than a few seconds.

“Boys, can I see you over here for a minute?” You said, gently leading Alex and Reggie away and gesturing for Luke to follow before turning back to the frightened girl.

“Excuse us for a second.”

You gave her an apologetic smile and shuffled over to the other side of the garage with the boys in tow. Once you got far enough away, Luke frantically whispered. “What is going on? How did she get her stuff in here so fast?”

“Maybe she’s a witch. I mean, chairs are floating on the ceiling.” Reggie exclaimed. You could feel Alex glaring at him as you placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“There’s no such thing as witches, Reg.” You said.

“You sure? Cause I used to think that there was no such thing as ghosts.”

Alex nodded reluctantly. “That’s fair.”

“Okay,” Luke butted in, “So, we’re going with witch?”

“No!” Alex scoffed. “We’re not going with witch. Look, she’s just scared. Let someone with a softer touch handle this.”

He turned towards the girl and approached her slowly before practically yelling in her face. “Why are you in our studio?!”

“Real soft, Al.” You whispered to him before extending your hand out to her, wincing at the awkwardness once you realized that like the vase, you probably couldn’t touch her either.

“I’m really sorry we scared you. I’m-”

Before you could finish, she jabbed her arms forward until the cross went clean through your chest. The tingling sensation came back in full force and you resisted the urge to shiver.

“Oh my gosh! How did you do that?” Her eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared at you.

“Clearly she doesn’t get it.” Alex said, turning back to the boys and then back to her, obviously exasperated. “We’re ghosts, okay? We’re just four ghosts who are really happy to be home.”

“We’re actually in a band called Sunset Curve.” Luke explained, his tone full of pride like it always was when he talked about the band.

“Tell your friends!” Reggie piped up with his signature line and you snorted. It was nice to know that even in death, Reggie was still the best hype-man.

“Last night was supposed to be a big night for us.” Luke said. “It was supposed to change our lives.”

“I’m pretty sure it did.” Alex interjected.

“This is freaking me out!” The girl shouted, keeping one hand held out towards you with the cross and the other pulling something out of her back pocket which she began frantically tapping on.

“What is that?” Luke asked, and the girl rolled her eyes.

“It’s my phone.” She cursed herself and shook her head. “No! Stop talking to them. They aren’t real. There is no such thing as cute ghosts.”

Reggie flashed her a dopey smile. “You think we’re cute?”

You rolled your eyes and Alex leaned forward. “Who are you calling?”

“I’m googling Sunset Swerve.”

You couldn’t help the surprised giggle that escaped your mouth as the boys groaned in unison. “Sunset Curve!”

Over Alex’s shoulder, you could see the bright screen of her phone as she pulled up an article. At the top was your professional band picture you had taken a year before the Orpheum. Luke was goofing around and playing Alex’s leg like a guitar while you stood by his side, sticking a finger in Bobby’s ear.

“Whoa.” She muttered. “There is a Sunset Curve and you did die. But not last night.”

You tried to keep your composure as she turned to look at the four of you, the fear in her eyes replaced with a small trace of sympathy. “25 years ago?”

“What? No, that’s impossible. After we floated out of the ambulance all we did was go to that dark room where these two cried.” Reggie gestured between you and Alex.

“Well, I think we were all pretty upset.” Alex said in his high pitched voice that usually made you laugh, but the mention of the dark room made you remember your moment with Luke. You turned around to look at him only to find him several feet behind you, eyes focused on a spot on the wall just past you. 

The fact that he was still avoiding you didn’t escape you, but you forced yourself to swallow the sad feeling and focus on the issue at hand.

“But that was just for like an hour.” Luke said. Despite the tension between you, the sound of his worried tone made your heart ache. “We just showed up here.”

The girl sighed. “I’m just telling you what my phone says. You died in 1995 when you were 17. It’s now 2020.”

“So, this is the future?” Reggie asked.

Your head was spinning. There was no way it had been that long, right?

“It’s really been 25 years? I’ve been crying for 25 years, how is that possible!?” Alex shouted. You rubbed his back softly.

“You’re an emotional person.” Reggie shrugged.

“I am not!” He said, his high-pitched voice coming back as he pouted.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice chimed in. “I thought you were too afraid to come out here.” 

You turned around to see a kid standing in the doorway, smiling as he came into the room. “You talking to your ghost friend? Is he hideous?”

“He can see you.” Alex snorted, bumping Reggie with his shoulder.

“No, he can’t.” The girl blurted, receiving a weird look from the younger kid.

She asked him what he wanted and he rolled his eyes. “A normal sister for starters, now stop being weird and come eat.”

The girl blinked at the garage doors her brother had just exited from before looking back at Alex. “He couldn’t see you.”

“Well, yeah. That’s kinda how ghosts work.” Alex said.

The girl huffed and marched towards the doors, spinning on her heels to face you again. “Look, I’m sorry for what happened to you guys, but this isn’t your studio anymore. You have to leave.”

“Wait.” Luke took a step towards her. “We didn’t get your name.”

“It’s Julie.”

“Cool.” Luke smiled. “I’m Luke, by the way, and this is…”

“Reggie! Hey.”

“I’m Alex, how’s it going?”

“I’m (Y/n).” You waved to her awkwardly as Luke stretched out his arms and made a little ‘tad-da’ sound.

“Okay...” Julie said before disappearing out the doors.

“Julie seems nice.” Reggie said brightly, making Alex sigh.

“Did you miss the part where she kicked us out?”

As you patted Reggie’s shoulder, your eyes drifted up to the loft where you could see the outline of more instruments. “Alex, aren’t those your drums?”

Alex followed your gaze and poofed up to the loft. “All of our instruments are up here!”

Luke immediately shot up from the couch where he had been sulking and faced you and Reggie with a mischievous grin on his face.

Half an hour later, you had your instruments set up in the middle of the room. Once it all came together, you could almost convince yourself you were back in the old studio having a normal band practice. The boys must have felt the same way because before you know it, you were singing as loud as you could as Luke played the opening of ‘Long Weekend’

You got lost in the music, smiling and dancing around. Even though it felt like it had only been a few hours since you sang at the soundcheck, it had been 25 years. It was as if everything you didn’t get to feel in all that time started pouring out.

You felt like you were floating - and not in the ghost kind of way. 

It wasn’t until you heard Julie’s annoyed rambles that you came back to reality. You stopped singing and the boys followed, though Luke couldn’t resist doing an extra few riffs on his guitar.

“The whole neighborhood can hear you!” Julie yelled. “I thought I told you to leave.”

“Wait, people can hear us play?” Luke asked. Your stomach fluttered with hope as Julie sighed.

“Yes! And so did my dad and my brother.”

Alex stood up from his drums. “So, only you can see us, but everyone can hear us? What kind of ghosts are we?”

Luke gave him a fistbump. “Who cares, man? People can hear us play!”

Suddenly, the door swung open and a man stepped in.

Julie smiled nervously. “Dad!”

“Hey, I was just making sure you’re okay.” He smiled.

“I’m fine. I just had to turn off the CD player.”

Julie’s dad nodded before turning around and looking at your instruments. “Is this the junk that was in the loft?”

“Junk?” You and Luke scoffed. His eyes flickered to yours but you looked away as the man started tapping on Alex’s drums with his fingers.

“Hey, man! Tell him to stop touching my drums!” Alex complained. Julie just shrugged as the man pointed to the CD player.

“I liked that song you had on.”

“Sweet! We’re Sunset Curve.” Luke cheered.

“Tell your friends!” Reggie said as if he could hear him.

“It’s just an old CD I found.” Julie explained.

Her dad smiled. “Well, it’s still nice to hear you listening to music again. Out here you can play whatever you want, whenever you want.”

Something in his voice was a little sad even with the smile on his face, and you noticed something seemed a little heavier about Julie too. You got the sense that the conversation wasn’t just about music.

He stretched his arms and they went straight through Reggie and Luke’s chests. They both shivered but smiled brightly.

“That’s nice.” Reggie said, which made Julie sigh in frustration.

“Stay out of this.” She snapped and her dad gave her a confused look and started to apologize. Julie shook her head frantically.

“No, no. Not you. You know what? Just give me a minute.” She grabbed her dad’s arm and started leading him out of the garage.

Before he stepped out, he gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. “We’ll figure out this music program thing.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

He gave her one more reassuring smile before he disappeared out the doors. 

Julie paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. You were just about to ask if she was okay when she whirled around and glared at all of you. If you weren’t already dead, you’re pretty sure that her stare would’ve killed you.

“He liked our song!” Luke yelled.

“He doesn’t count. He’s a dad.” Alex said.

Julie stomped her foot. “Why can’t you just be normal ghosts? Go haunt an old mansion or something! I heard Pasadena is nice!”

She stormed out and Alex whistled. “I think she’s warming up to us.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Pasadena.” Reggie said.

“I feel bad.” You admitted. “I mean, if I was her, I’d probably be pissed too.”

“I don’t think-” Alex started, but before he could finish, Luke poofed out of the garage. 

“Rude.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before you heard Luke’s voice just outside the studio. You pointed towards the doors and Alex and Reggie nodded.

You closed your eyes and focused on where you wanted to go. Within seconds, you were standing on the pavement of the driveway, facing Julie as she and Luke talked.

“Look, I’m sorry we came into your life.” Luke said. “But what I just felt in there actually made me feel alive again.”

He looked back to the three of you and you nodded.

“We all felt alive again.” Luke sighed. “So, you can kick us out if you want. But we’re not going to stop playing music. I mean, we can play again! That’s a gift that no musician would give up. You gotta know that. I mean, clearly your mom is into music.”

Julie’s look shifted from understanding to sadness. She took a deep breath. “Was. She passed away.”

Luke exhaled. You could tell he was beating himself up a bit as he chewed on his lip. “I am so sorry.”

“Yeah, we didn’t know.” Alex said. Reggie nodded solemnly behind him.

“It’s okay.” Julie shoved her hands in her pockets and looked at Alex. “You haven’t seen her anywhere, have you? Like from wherever you’re from.”

“Uh, no. I mean you’re kinda the first person we’ve seen.” Alex said.

“Yeah, but she’s not dead so that doesn’t answer her question.” Reggie piped up, making Alex roll his eyes.

“I think she knows what we mean.” Alex turned to Julie. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Julie’s gaze fixed on her shoes and she shrugged. “Thanks. Sorry I got mad. You guys are kinda good.”

“Kinda?” Luke scoffed. “That’s just 25 years of rust getting dusted off.”

“Yeah.” Reggie agreed. “Do you play piano too?”

Julie shook her head, a sad smile on her face as she stared through the studio’s window. “No, that’s just my mom’s stuff in there.”

“No way! She’s an amazing songwriter.” Luke said.

“She was.” Julie tore her eyes away from the garage. “Wait, how do you know that?”

Luke shrugged. “There’s a song on the piano, if that’s hers…Your mom was really talented.”

You nodded and Julie scanned all of you one last time. “I guess, if you need a place to stay…you can stay in there.”

You all cheered and Julie rubbed her temples. “This is just too weird.”

“Thanks, Julie.” You said. The other girl gave you a weak smile before she disappeared behind the gate leading back to the house.

-

An hour later, as you paced around the garage, you got an idea. Your hand flew to the front pocket of your jeans and you turned to Alex. “Hey, Al. I’ll be right back.”

Before he had a chance to ask why, you had poofed away.

It didn’t take long before your feet landed on the doorstep of the house. You wandered inside and it took a full minute of searching before you arrived at Julie’s bedroom door.

You tried to knock, but your hand went straight through the wood. You cleared your throat. “Hey, Julie?”

“Come in.” Julie said.

Carefully, you stepped through the door and into her bedroom. It was decorated a lot like the garage, with bright lights and pretty paintings. Julie sat in the middle of the room on her bed, and even though you probably couldn’t sleep anymore, you wanted nothing more than to lay down and take a nap.

“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you.” You fiddled with the zipper of your jacket. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry about your mom.”

The friendly smile she had wavered before she nodded sadly. “Thanks. I’m sorry again for freaking out back there. I guess I just still kinda think of it as her place.”

“Don’t be sorry!” You told her. “Believe me, I wouldn't have handled it as well as you did.

 I know we’re a lot to handle sometimes. And by ‘we’ I mean the boys.” 

You both laughed and Julie shrugged. “They’re not so bad. As far as ghosts go I would’ve expected them to be a lot scarier.”

“It’s really nice of you to let us stay. But I’m sure we can find somewhere else to go. I wouldn't want to intrude on your mom’s space.”

“No!” She said, sitting up slightly against her pillows, “I think it’s what she would’ve wanted.”

“She sounds like an incredible person.” You said. 

“She was.” She nodded. She took a deep breath in, “It’s just kind of hard to talk about her sometimes.” 

You nodded. “I understand. My dad died before I was born. All I really have of him are a few pieces of clothes and this picture.”

You reached into the pocket of your jeans, pulled out a polaroid picture and handed  it to Julie. It was of your mom and dad on the day they got engaged: your mom showing off her ring and your dad unable to stop smiling as he kissed the crown of her head.

It had been on you since the day your mom gave it to you with a box of his old things. The sight of your mom made your heart wince, but you weren’t ready to think about that yet.

Julie smiled as she stared at the picture then pointed to your jacket. “Is that his?”

It was a dark blue hoodie with sleeves that were a little too long for your arms so you had to bunch them up to fit your hands through.

“Oh, uh. No, this is Luke’s.” You explained, trying to fight the blush spreading across your cheeks. “Or at least it was before he waged a war on sleeves.”

Julie laughed again, and you couldn’t help but feel a little lighter.

“Anyway, I know it’s not the same,” You took the photo back and shoved it in your pocket. “But I do know what it’s like to miss someone, and if you ever want to talk about how much it sucks, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener.”

She nodded, a grateful smile on her face. “Thanks, (Y/n).”

You nodded and waved goodbye before poofing back into the garage. 

Between working at Cece’s, going to school, and making music, you never had much time to make friends when you were alive. Especially girl friends.

But you were starting to think that maybe you could have one now.

July 1994

“Slow down!”

You yelled over the noise of the crowds, your tone sounding a lot less intimidating than you wanted due to your laughter as Luke dragged you up the boardwalk.

He responded with a smirk over his shoulder while he waved through dozens of excited carnival-goers. The smell of fried food, funnel cake, and fresh ocean air flooded your senses as you tried to stay on your feet. The pace was almost dizzying, and your body was buzzing from the excitement.

You hadn’t realized where he was taking you until you saw an array of flashing neon lights spinning above you. The Ferris wheel.

“Seriously, Luke?”

“It’s tradition.” He beamed, fidgeting excitedly as he got in the line. It was not lost on you that he was still holding your wrist in his left hand. “I mean, can you even remember the last time we did this?”

You didn’t. But you weren’t going to prove Luke’s point for him.

“Next, please.” The ride operator gestured for the line to move up and before you knew it, Luke was shoving you into the cart. It was a faded red one with a ‘7’ painted on the side.

“You know, it’s okay to admit that you only dragged me over here to avoid everyone seeing me kick your ass at Skee ball.” You joked.

The ride started and your cart was lifted into the air while more people got on.

“Excuse you, I dragged you over here because I wanted to spend time with my best friend.” He said sincerely, but you could see the mischief behind his eyes. “Or maybe I wanted to do this!”

Luke suddenly jerked forward, then pulled himself back, making the cart wobble.

“Luke!” You gripped the support bar and glared at him. Once your heartbeat righted itself, you shoved him with your shoulder. “You’re hilarious.”

“About time you admitted it.”

The ride spun around a few times before slowing to a stop just as you reached the top. The sun was gone now, but there were still soft streaks of pink in the sky left behind. The noise of the carnival faded out beneath you and the playful mood shifted into something different as the sky began to darken.

“Are you cold?” He asked, looking back at you for the first time in a few moments. Something in his eyes seemed softer, but you tore your eyes away before you could figure out what it was.

You shook your head and tried to hide the fact that you had goosebumps from the cool night air. Despite Alex’s reminders, you had forgotten your jacket in the car. But you were too stubborn to admit that you needed it, especially knowing how much Luke would tease you for it.

“Dude, you’re shivering.” Luke laughed and rolled his eyes before shrugging his jacket off his shoulders and wrapping it around you.

The material was warm and soft against your skin. It smelled faintly like cinnamon and laundry detergent and suddenly your head felt dizzy all over again. "Thanks, Lu."

You weren't sure what gave you the confidence for your next move, but you ignored the screaming voice in your head as you slid over and tilted your head until it rested on his shoulder. It was something you’d done before out of comfort, but you felt out of your element in this moment.

Some hair on the top of your head ruffled as he took a deep breath and you could hear the soft smile in his voice when he spoke.

“Anytime.”

There was a moment of anticipation, like just before a big drop on a rollercoaster. Neither of you dared break the silence for fear of shattering the moment and the feeling that came with it. Just as it seemed like maybe it would last forever, the Ferris wheel suddenly moved forward and the moment evaporated.

"So." You said, trying to distract yourself from the fluttering in your stomach. "How much do you wanna bet that I actually can kick your ass at Skee Ball?"

-

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[innytoes]

Dialogue prompts! Rarepair: Carrie/Reggie, (mostly) canon compliant if you want the extra challenge, dealer's choice

To make the ghost thing even more confusing, after Julie's Magic Hug Of Love, they could be seen by lifers. But only lifers who Julie loved. Which meant a very awkward conversation when he'd poofed into the kitchen to hang out with Ray the morning after the Orpheum. On the upside, now they could hang out with Flynn and Carlos. Now when he told Ray to have a good day of work, he said something back.

Now, when Reggie felt like he wanted to crawl out of his skin and he just needed to talk and talk and talk and he didn't want to annoy anyone, he had nowhere to go. The beach was apparently a great hang-out spot for ghosts. The last time he went, some old lady on a bench turned to him after fifteen minutes of his non-stop rambling and said 'that sounds hard, deary', and he'd startled so badly he'd poofed into the loft and almost on top of Alex.

If there was some kind of ghost-dar, then Reggie didn't have it. So public spaces were out. It felt creepy to just hang out in random people's homes, and the one time he tried, this old woman who lived down the street from Julie who seemed lonely, her two cats had stared at him so unnervingly that he'd quickly apologised and phased right back out the door.

He wasn't sure why he started to hang out with Bobby. Trevor. Whatever. Reggie was still hurt by the betrayal of him stealing all of their songs and taking all the credit and all the money, not giving their families anything. But... under all the douchey sunglasses and stupid little manbuns and weird rich people things, he could still see glimpses of the old Bobby. And that felt comforting enough that Reggie kept going back. Besides, the guys never thought to look for him there.

Today when he poofed in, though, Bobby wasn’t home. He wasn’t in his stupid little meditation room. And his helicopter was missing. Still, Reggie couldn’t go home yet. If he went home he’d try to talk to Ray and then he’d say something dumb or annoying and then Ray wouldn’t want to hang out anymore. So instead he wandered around Bobby’s big stupid house, poking at weird art things and resisting the urge to try and deface the giant poster of Bobby on the wall. Who even did that?

He was just about to try and re-organise Bobby’s CD collection (who organised by alphabet but not genre) when there was a shriek behind him. He whirled around, hands in the air.

In front of him was Carrie. At least, Reggie was pretty sure it was Carrie. She wasn’t in her usual Pink Candi outfit. Hell, she wasn’t even wearing pink at all. She was wearing blue Snoopy pyjamas and her hair was in two messy braids and she had on these big, chunky glasses. They were see through, but with glitters in them. Which was pretty cool.

Reggie had one second to think aw, Julie still loves her and then she threw a statue at him. Which of course phased right through him, and made an awful sound against the CDs behind him. “Get out of my house!” she shrieked, and then, when she realised what had just happened: “What the hell?”

“Um,” Reggie said, thinking fast. “Sorry, wrong mansion!”

Not fast enough.

“Wait, aren’t you in Julie’s stupid hologram band?” Carrie asked. She’d grabbed another ugly decorative... ceramic thing from the shelf, holding it like she intended to pitch it at his head any second. Which, girl had an arm on her, the damage she had done to Bobby’s CD collection was way worse than Reggie rearranging it.

“Um... yes?” Reggie said. “Yes! She snuck in her projector and we were going to- um- to surprise you!”

“Don’t lie to me,” Carrie snapped. “I’m like a bloodhound. But for lies.” Then she winced, like she realised she sounded stupid, and okay, that was fair. You shouldn’t have to be the cool witty mean girl when you were in your Snoopy Pyjamas and you thought you just caught a burglar.

“Okay, the truth?” Reggie asked, because honestly, if Carrie could see him, that meant Julie loved her. And Julie had pretty good taste in people. “I’m a ghost.”

The ceramic orb-thing sailed right through his head, smashing against Bobby’s CD collection spectacularly. Then Carrie started screaming again.

“I’m sorry!” Reggie said. “I’m sorry, I’ll go! I’ll go!”

“Why are you even in my house, you creep?” Carrie shouted at him. “You some kind of pervert? Sneaking into teen girls’ houses to watch them?”

“No!” Reggie said, insulted. “I’m not here for you, I was looking for your dad!” Which, now that he thought about it also sounded kind of pervy. “We used to be friends. Before I died.” He shrugged. If Bobby hadn’t told anyone about them, about their songs, had he told his daughter? Doubtful.

Carrie sat down on the couch, as if her legs couldn’t hold her up anymore. “Is that why he’s been going to therapy every day since Julie’s show at the Orpheum?” she asked. The demanding tone slowly slid away into something else, though. Not fear. But worry. Oh. Yeah, it was probably a bit of a shock for Bobby if he’d been at the show. Seeing his dead friends, and all. Especially after their haunting.

No wonder Carrie was worried about her dad. “Okay, so, we ate these bad hotdogs... no wait... so I met Alex when I was six and I moved here with my family from Montana. And then we met Luke and Bobby - that’s your dad, by the way - when we were nine...” And suddenly, the whole story just spilled out, and out, and he didn’t have to worry about being annoying because Carrie was listening intently, even when he went on a tangent to tell her a funny story about her dad, and when he finally ran out of words, she blinked.

“Okay, I am definitely not going insane, because I could not make any of that up,” she said. She put her head in her hands, rubbing at her eyes. 

“I like your pyjamas,” Reggie offered. Carrie gave him a half-hearted glare, but didn’t throw anything at his head when he went to sit next to her on the big couch.

“How can you walk through the coffee table but sit on the couch?” she asked.

Reggie shrugged. “I don’t know, ghost stuff is weird. Like, we can’t be seen, but everyone can hear us. But people can see us when we play with Julie. But now after Julie’s magic hug, people she loves can see us too!”

“But I can see you,” Carrie pointed out, like that was a flaw in his logic. He gave her a soft smile instead of saying anything, letting her work that out for herself. It was quiet for a while. Carrie fidgeted with one of her braids for a while, and it got messier and messier.

“You know... if you ever want to hang out with someone who’s not, you know... you’re welcome to come over whenever you want,” Carrie said haltingly. She looked unsure, and kind of lonely. It probably was lonely, being so mean all the time. Reggie kind of got it, though. He didn’t just wear his leather jacket because he was cold. “Just don’t go into my room without asking.”

“Oh, no, I know. Girls rooms. Always knock,” Reggie agreed eagerly. “I can really come back? I have a ton more embarrassing stories about your dad. Like this one time, when we were twelve, Luke bet him that he couldn’t jump over this ditch filled with water...” Carrie rolled her eyes, and he stopped. “Sorry. Sometimes I talk too much.”

“No!” Carrie said, awkwardly. “It’s just... he tried to jump and failed, didn’t he? He’s still like that. When the camera’s aren’t around, I mean. When it’s just us.” She looked kind of far away for a moment. “When he has time for me.”

Reggie bit his lip. He didn’t know how to fix the fact that Bobby was apparently not just a shitty friend, but a shitty dad. So he did the next best thing. He tried to make Carrie laugh as much as possible. He told the story about Bobby walking home with sodden shoes, and then the one about the time Luke tried and failed to stage-dive, complete with re-enactment. Carrie giggled until she snorted at that one, and she looked kind of embarrassed, but Reggie just beamed at her.

“Come on,” he said. “You must have some embarrassing Bobby stories as well.”

The spent the whole evening talking, and when Carrie started yawning (shoot, it was 1 AM and she had school in the morning), they reluctantly agreed he should go.

“I can really come back?” he checked, just in case she’d changed her mind.

“I hope you do,” she said.

[mrsbrookegillespie]

+Perfect Harmony+ (Part One) Luke x Reader

Description: For Y/N Molina, it never came easy for her. The hardest part not being able to do the one thing she loved, creating music. With her cousin Julie joining a ghost band that she’s been secretly admiring for years, her all time crush not returning the same feelings, and having many untold secrets, something is bound to go wrong.

Warnings: ANGST, swearing, mention of suicidal thoughts, Ray not being that nice (I’m sorry Ray, we love you), mention of slight sexual harassment, mentions of death (duh), terrible writing, typos, and probably more that my brain can’t think of at the moment. 

After Writing All Of That I’m Questioning This Story, But I Do Love It So... Many Songs Will Be Featured, Feel Free To Listen To Them When They Come Up.

+Perfect Harmony+

For Y/N Molina life wasn’t easy. Her parents, one being the sister of Ray Molina, dropped her off in front of the Molina household at the age of fourteen before going off to explore the world. At the time she was upset about the situation, but it wasn’t surprising. Her parents never wanted a kid, she practically raised herself while they were in Greece eating seafood, and sipping at the finest wine, no doubt. “How are you doing?” Rose, her cousin Julie’s mom, asks. 

Y/N shrugs. “They’re never coming back, so I guess I’m going to be stuck on this couch for a while.” She actually grew quite fond of the sofa that pulled out into a bed.

“We’ll make you a room up in the loft,” Rose assures.

“So, we agree, my parents are…” Her voice fades off, inhaling through her nose.

“You know, this used to be the studio of a band.” Y/N tilts her head, looking at the older woman. “A rock band, I met them when they were going to play at The Orpheum--”

“The Orpheum?!” Y/N exclaims. “That’s amazing!” 

“They were, but they died that night.” Rose stands up, walking to a box. “This is some of their stuff.” She picks it up. “I’ve heard the music you listen to, and I think you would like them.” Setting down the box in front of Y/N, she wastes no time searching through it.

“Sunset Curve?” she questions, staring down at the logo printed on the shirt. “Cool name,” she compliments with a wide smile, setting the article of clothing in her lap. She picks up a picture showing four boys. “Were these them?” 

“Yes, that one was Bobby, he’s a flirt, Reggie, sweetie, Alex, very sassy--” Y/N giggles, “And Luke, he was the lead singer.” 

“He’s… Quite decent looking,” Y/N observes sheepishly.

“I knew you’d think so.” Rose ruffles her hair. “Listen to the CD, you never know…” 

“I will.” Y/N clutches the photo to her chest as Rose leaves. Hastily she picks up the CD that had the band's logo plastered on the plastic case. She gently places it in the player, waiting for the music to come through the speakers. And then, there it was. “They’re amazing.” She grabs the box again, pulling out an orange beanie, placing it on her head. 

By the end of the night she had searched the entire studio for more stuff, gathering it, trying things on, she stayed up ‘til sunrise listening, and trying to learn each and every one of their songs, painting each of the members on canvases, writing songs about the guitarist that even though died years ago, she couldn’t help but feel connected to. A crush on a dead guy, what’s better than that?

“Boo!” Luke poofs in next to Y/N who’s currently getting her textbooks out of her locker.

“God!” she shrieks. “You need to stop doing that to me, gonna give me a heart attack,” she mutters as her fellow classmates, and random people she had never met give her weird glances. “Make people think I’m crazy.” Luke opens his mouth to reply, but Y/N beats him to it. “Yes, Luke, I know ‘we’re all a little crazy’.”

He pouts. “Someone’s grumpy today.” He crosses his arms, leaning against the locker next to hers. “But, anyways! Do you know where Julie is?” 

And there Y/N’s heart was punched. “I mean, she has to be around here somewhere,” she answers, slamming the locker door. “Now, if you’d excuse me, I have to go to class.” She takes her time to turn around on her heels.

“You’re gonna be at band rehearsal before our performance, right?” he asks, making her stop.

Turning only the upper half of her body to look at him. “I think you forget I live in the studio.”

He lets out an airy chuckle. “Right.” He playfully rolls his eyes.

Unlike Julie she didn’t care if people thought she was crazy, for the number one reason being that people already thought that. Wacky, coocoo, freak, those were just some of the words people called her before her favorite band suddenly popped out of nowhere because Julie played their CD.

That always confused Y/N, why is that when she played the CD all that time ago they didn’t show up, but when Julie did, they did? She never mentioned her already known infatuation with the band, even though it most likely answers the question of why Julie and her can see the ghosts. “But, I’m grounded so…” She carelessly shrugs. “I’m stuck on party duty for the time being, so probably won’t be there for that, but I’ll be there for the actual performance.” Even though she would’ve done it anyway, Ray wanted Y/N to be more ‘supportive’.

“Oh.” His smile falters a little. “Cool, I’ll catch you later then.”

An awkward tension fills the air. “Yep.” She salutes towards him, walking off. 

Grounded. No phone, only can drive her car to school, and home. Y/N wasn’t even allowed to listen to her records which she’s collected over the course of three years. And it was for the reason that she's failing multiple classes, but Ray didn’t understand the struggle she’s going through.

Let’s rewind… When Rose died it left the whole Molina family broken. But, it also left another part of Y/N broken when music became Julie’s thing at that moment, Ray not allowing Y/N to even have a guitar in her room. She loved music, all she wanted to do was sing, play every instrument, write every song with any word that popped into her mind. Julie couldn’t even touch a piano until recently, and yet, it had to only be Julie’s thing. So, now Y/N has to just secretly write songs in her red notebook knowing they’ll never be used, and secretly play in the school’s band room before any student takes a foot into the building, while she watches her cousin and the guys become ‘Julie and the Phantoms’.

What does hurt her everyday, is not being able to do something she loves because they’re afraid of how it might affect someone else. But, if Julie really cared for her family member then she’d be happy for her, right? Not to mention the way Luke looks at Julie hurts a little too, the chemistry. No one can deny it. It’s not like she’s had a crush on him before they even met him as a ghost. No, the biggest crush that she’s ever had is totally not a dead guy, and no, she’s never in the past thought about killing herself in hope to meet him if there were an afterlife, which she guesses there is now. She’s sure he loves Julie not being an absolute mess for him, and he probably knows that Y/N’s in love with him and is trying to show her he doesn’t like her in the worst way possible. “Y/N!” she internally screams, hearing the familiar voice.

“Josh…” she drags out his name. Maybe she should just give him a chance? He gives her plenty of attention. She giggles to herself when the thought crosses her mind. That wasn’t funny. An inner voice replies. 

“Hey, I just… Wanted to see how you were doing, you know--just friend to friend.” 

“I actually have to go to class, so we’ll talk later, ‘kay?” She tries to turn around to leave, but Josh grabs her arm to pull her back.

“Class doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes,” he counters.

“Y/N!” Luke exclaims, poofing right next to Josh. “I still haven’t found Julie, are you sure you don’t know where she is?” He almost didn’t even notice the other boy that had also been fighting for Y/N’s attention.

“I like to get to class early,” Y/N replies to Josh. “And you haven’t seen Julie around here, have you?”

“I think I saw her in the dance room.” She gives Luke a pointed look. “You know, practicing for that dance thing.”

“Yeah!” Y/N responds, not even an ounce interested in this conversation. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she noticed Luke not leaving.

“Who’s this?” he asks.

“So, Josh, I really have to go,” she claims. “I’ll see ya around!” 

“Wait,” he starts. “Is this about when I tried to kiss you the other day?” Y/N tenses up, 

Luke’s jaw dropping slightly.

Followed by a wide smile. “Does Y/N have a boyfriend?!” he mocks. 

“No, well, yes, it is. We aren’t dating, Josh, it’s uncomfortable.” Josh huffs out. “That’s not a weird reason for why.” Y/N’s blood starts to boil.

“You should feel honored that someone would even want to kiss you, I mean your reputation here isn’t all too great, Y/N,” he states. 

“Goodbye, Josh.” She turns on her heels. 

Luke watches as she angrily walks away, glaring at Josh who obviously couldn’t see him. He turns slightly, glancing over his shoulder to see Julie by her locker. Giving Y/N one more glimpse he goes to do what he came here to do. 

Y/N sits at her desk, rereading over the words that she colorfully wrote in her journal. “You pretty thing, with pretty things inside,” she sings quietly. She slams the book closed when she finds herself getting annoyed by just how untalented she was. 

“I think that Nick guy has a crush on Julie,” Luke reports, once again magically appearing in front of her. He was taken aback when she didn’t react.

[missmitchieg]

It's Not What You Lost, It's What You'll Gain

It had been nearly a month since playing the Orpheum, weeks since Julie told Carlos, Ray and tia Victoria the truth about the band, to varying reactions.

Ray was surprised but just insisted the boys follow any rule or boundary Julie set for them, and the boys promised they would.

Victoria fainted. Luke apologized for scaring her seven times.

Carlos was just excited to be proven right about ghosts in the house. Reggie gave him a ghost fist bump.

With time, the phantoms grew fairly close to everyone, much to Julie's delight. Now, she was sat with her guys, startling as she heard a loud thunder clap. She shook her head, turning her attention back to the chaos in front of her.

Giggles left Julie's mouth as she sat on Luke's couch, watching her phantoms play wrestle on the floor in the studio. She rolled her eyes fondly as Luke kneed Reggie in the stomach and Alex accidentally kicked Luke in the chin, both boys grunting in pain. "Ok, ok! That's enough play time." She clapped her hands as she spoke, pulling Luke up off the floor. "It's getting late, guys. Plus, I think it's about to storm. I should get to bed."

Luke chuckled giddily as Julie helped him up, giving her his famous pout. "Aww, come on. Just five more minutes, Julie?" He begged, tilting his head.

A tight smile formed on Julie's face as she fought with herself to say 'no' to Luke. She let out a tiny shriek as another clap of thunder roared, her hand automatically reaching for Luke. "Um. Sorry, Luke. I wanna get to bed before-" She gestured toward the dark gray sky. "-that gets any worse." She reasoned with him.

Luke looked up at her words, wincing lightly and rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. You're right. We can hang tomorrow, though!" Her said cheerily, barely aware of Reggie and Alex retreating to the loft to not hear as much thunder all night.

"Yeah, sure!" Julie nodded with a grin, leaning up to press a kiss to Luke's cheek. "See you tomorrow, Guitar Boy."

Luke felt his cheeks warm up and his jaw drop slightly as the spot Julie kissed started to tingle a little bit, stuttering out a reply. "Uh, yeah! Yeah, see- t-tomorrow. See you, Superstar." He grinned, watching her wave before running out to go into the house. She walked inside and shut the door behind her with a sigh of relief. "Oh, hey, papi. I'm just going to bed."

"Hey, nena." Ray got up from the couch and kissed the top of her head. "Sweet dreams." He hummed and yawned, heading up to get himself to bed.

Julie quickly changed into her pajamas and did her usual hair and skin care routines, climbing into bed. She flinched at a particularly loud thunderclap, wincing as she wondered how her phantoms must've been feeling. None of them did well with loud noises like thunder, and especially not Reggie. She shook her head at the thought, laying her head on her pillow. She felt herself slowly drifting off, pulling her blanket tightly over her shoulders.

[mac-lilly]

Black (stupid) songwriting journal of fate - Part II

It's Juke Jeudi (in my timezone) again, so welcome back to the Kimi no Na wa AU nobody asked for.

Part I / Part II / Part III

And sorry, originally, this was supposed to be a "short summary" of the plot. It got a little bit out of hand. 

In an article, Julie discovers a list of fatalities and finds Luke's name among them. Alex and Reggie are also listed. But Bobby is missing.

There are a few more victims, mostly fans and employees. But also a very unlucky skater boy -- Willie -- who got hit by a truck outside, as both he and the driver were distracted by the inferno. 

Julie realizes that their timelines aren't in sync and wants to warn Luke about the fire. 

Unfortunately, after discovering the truth, they never switch places again, so Julie has to find another way to connect to him and seeks out Bobby. (Flynn and Nick (and maybe) Carrie are helping her track him down.)

At first, Bobby, thinking she's a lunatic but also still traumatized, dismisses her. But since Julie is a woman on a quest and has learned (from Luke) that she has to fight for her goals, she doesn't back off. 

Eventually, Bobby admits that there had been days when Luke seemed like a different person. (Reggie kept saying he was being possessed and called him "not-Luke Luke" -- to Alex and Bobby's annoyance.)

Bobby also informs her that Luke was acting weird on the day of their performance, growing increasingly desperate and frantic as he was waiting for someone special to arrive. But when nobody showed up, he suddenly ran off.

He returned a few hours later (sneaking in through the fire exit, making the security so angry they locked the door), lacking his cheerful and energetic attitude as well as his notebook, telling them he wouldn't need it anymore. 

And this stirs up some memories in Julie because she suddenly remembers how she received the notebook: Luke gave it to her. 

As it turns out, to clear his head, he returned to Sunset Curve's rehearsing space, which happened to be the Molina's garage -- Rose had rented the place to them -- and there he ran into a younger Julie (and her mom). 

She'd been a bit weirded out by the strange boy who had known her name and who had been so shocked seeing her. But when he gave her his songwriting journal, she accepted it anyway because she sensed an unexplainable connection between them. 

(She isn't even that surprised by the revelation. This memory-altering soul-magic sucks ... a lot!) 

It also explains why "Now or Never" sounded so familiar. Younger Julie had enjoyed listening to them and even snuck closer to the garage to watch them play from afar. (But she didn't have to courage to meet them/get too close.) So she was extremely saddened by their unexplained and sudden absence. But since it was around the same time her mom got sick, she quickly had more pressing concerns.

Present-Julie curses Luke for not telling her the truth and is even more determined to save his stupid butt so that she can tell him that he's an idiot ... and that he was wrong about not needing the notebook anymore.

Anyway, Bobby hints that Luke's acoustic guitar is maybe still there, and since Luke believed that their instruments are attached to their souls, this is her best shot.

Okay, take a breath, get yourself a cup of tea/coffee/cocoa/beverage of your choice, and then continue.

That night, Julie sleeps in the loft with the guitar by her side, and the journal cradled against her chest.

When she wakes up, she's still in the garage but back in Luke's body, and it's the day of their show at The Orpheum. (After another fight with his parents, Luke had run out on them and spent the last night of his life in the garage.)

She convinces the boys to believe her story, and together, they plan to evacuate the fans and the staff and take precautionary measures. (They cannot cancel the gig as it could ruin Sunset Curve's reputation.)

Afterward, she returns to the garage, hoping that Luke has stayed there in her timeline and that the proximity will trigger a final swap.

They can sense each other's presence but can't see each other, and suddenly, with all the exhaustion, fear, and agony kicking in and sending her mind spiraling, Julie's on the verge of a breakdown.

That's when she hears the faint tune of a piano -- her piano, figuring that Luke is playing it in her timeline. She responds by strumming on Luke's guitar. (They picked up a few skills during their swaps ... and let's imagine they create a raw version of "Perfect Harmony"... or the acoustic version of "Bright".)

And when sunset falls (Sunset Curve ... it's a prophetic name 😉), their timelines merge, and they can finally see each other. 

And they can touch. And hug. And the hug should be awkward because they are still stuck in the wrong bodies. But it isn't.

And once they hug, their souls revert to their rightful bodies. 

Afterward, Julie explains what they did to prevent them from dying and returns his journal, telling him he was wrong about not needing it anymore. 

Luke accepts it and then, to Julie's surprise, rips a page out. He scribbles a few words on it and hands the page to Julie -- just in case the plan fails. 

Julie's not amused and throws him a death glare because she just saved his butt, and that was a hassle, and she's not sure he's worth doing that again.

And then she pecks him on the cheek. And ... duhfskbhfdbdf... flustered/dazed Luke. (sorry, this person just enjoys flustered/dazed/lovesick Luke too much)

They figure they don't have much time left together, and Luke asks if she wants to continue working on the song -- now with Julie playing the piano and Luke on his guitar.

They do until dusk passes, and their timelines separate again.

Julie notices the sound of his guitar fading, implying that he's gone. She remembers the paper and unfolds the page, lowkey expecting to see "Unsaid Emily" and that she is supposed to give it to his parents. 

It isn't. The page only contains a few words: "I love you."

Suddenly suspecting that all the events were her mom's doing, she thanks her before eventually falling asleep, still clinging to the note. 

As her consciousness drifts away, her memories of Luke gradually fade into oblivion. The following day, she wakes up, and her memories are entirely gone, and the page is just a blank piece of paper. 

In Luke's timeline, before returning to The Orpheum, he visits his parents to play the song to fix things before it is too late.

Their plan works out, though. They all escape and survive. And when they stumble out of the exit, Willie pancakes Alex instead of getting pancaked by a truck.

But just like Julie, Luke has to pay the price for meddling with time: He, too, has lost his memories. 

Thus, they are forever cursed with a constant sensation of loss and longing and the feeling of being incomplete. 

The end.

.

..

...

Part I / Part II / Part III

I'm kidding. So please, do not block me (yet). 👻

Listen, there was no way not to include the "I love you". (Gosh, that scene in the movie made me bawl my eyes out.)

Btw, I'm relieved to hear that a) others were plagued by a Kimi no Na was (or a similar movie) AU, and b) getting very emotional just thinking about this movie.

And I had never heard of "The Lake House" -- so I watched it on Saturday. I enjoyed it. It's very Juke, indeed.🙂

Also, I found this among the little snippets I wrote for this AU. The timestamp dates back to May '22. See, that's how long this AU has been haunting me. (Taki and Luke kinda look alike, huh ...)

[invisibleraven]

❛ you feel like home to me. ❜ + whatever self-indulgent ship you're dying to write right now

Okay, this prompt screamed direct follow up to this prompt that I filled for you not that long ago. Another jaunt into your Reggie is the one that survives AU sandbox.

"So Reggie, how are you doing today?" Dr. Butler asked.

He gave a non-committal shrug. "I'm fine."

"What have we said about using the f word?"

"That it masks how I'm really feeling without giving you an answer," Reggie grumbled. His therapist looked at him expectantly, and he sighed. "I'm... I'm okay. Some days are better than others. We finally have the house all unpacked, which is a relief."

"And what about the garage?" Dr. Butler asked.

Reggie shuddered, and shook his head. "Not yet."

The therapist reached forward and squeezed his hand. "I know it's hard Reggie, but it's not going to get any easier the more you put it off. It's been almost a year. I think you owe it to yourself... to them to try. Okay?"

Reggie nodded, biting his lip. He could do that.

~

But once Reggie got home, confronted by the studio, he turned and went back up to the house. Back to where Ray was arranging his home office, where Rose was humming a tune as she made a late lunch. The garage-his memories-they weren't going anywhere. Tomorrow. He'd go out tomorrow.

Except of course he didn't. Reggie kept putting it off, finding reasons to avoid going out there, to really go back to the place that had meant so much to him, to his friends. Because he knew going out there would finally cement that it was real. That they were gone, never to come back. And Reggie couldn't bear it.

But then, the anniversary came, and Reggie found himself slipping from his warm bed, sandwiched between his two loves, and plodding down the path to the studio. It was a cool grey morning, the sun not even cresting the horizon yet, and Reggie sucked in a breath before flinging open the doors.

The pale morning light filled the space, and it looked like no one had touched it since they left that afternoon a year ago. Luke's blue coat was slung over a chair, still musty from not going to the laundromat in favour of buying new guitar strings. Alex's half finished Coke can sitting on the table, the one he never finished because he was too anxious about burping half way through his solo. Bobby's book, left open to the page where he had left off, because he was a heathen who didn't believe in bookmarks... it was all there.

The instruments, he knew where up in the loft, Celia had them collected from The Orpheum and kept them here, even though Reggie knew it pained her as much as it did him. She had hired people to get the instruments and store them, she had confessed it hurt too much to come out here to Reggie over tea. She would always expect four smiling young faces to greet her, and couldn't bear it if they weren't there. Reggie knew that feeling all too well. He had offered to let her keep Bobby's guitar, but she had scoffed, claimed she didn't want to be known as the rock and roll grandma of her new home. He was sure his bass was up there too, but he didn't think his shaking legs would support him climbing up the ladder.

He sank onto the couch, the familiar creak of the springs and leather under his weight almost like a gunshot in the silent space. Everything was coated in a fine layer of dust, particles of it filled the air from where he had disturbed the couch, and it gave the space an eerie quality. Reggie wondered if the guys were ghosts now, or angels, watching over him. He hoped so, that they were living it up in the afterlife, meeting all the legends. He just wished... well that line of thought led down a dark path, and Reggie couldn't bear to go down it again.

He ambled to the piano, gently lifting the lid, and sat, fingering a few keys. "Still in tune are you old girl?" Reggie positioned his fingers, but found they were almost frozen. How could he even think of playing today of all days? But music was what brought Sunset Curve together, what kept them going when everything else around them was rotten and awful. He could keep playing, honour the guys through it. Carefully, he plunked out the first few notes of 'Bright'.

His voice was shaky, uncertain as he started to sing, the song missing the harmony of Luke and Bobby's voices alongside him, Alex's steady beat behind him. But Reggie soldiered on, the tears streaming down his face as he got to the pre chorus. "Life is a risk but I will take it/Close my eyes and jump/Together I think that we can make it/Come on let's run..."

"That's beautiful carino," came a soft voice, and Reggie turned to find Rose beside him, running a hand down his arm. Ray was on his other side, gently dabbing away his tears with his ever present handkerchief, smiling sadly at Reggie.

"How-How did you know where I was?" Reggie asked, sniffling.

"Where else would you be mi amor?" Ray responded. "Where else to remember your friends than in the home you shared with them?"

Rose's fingers found Reggie's on the keys, giving him a small, encouraging grin. "Play for them Reggie, finish the song."

Reggie took in a shuddery breath, and nodded. His fingers knew where to go, so his eyes never left Rose as he played, Ray's chin hooking over his shoulder as the words came. "Rise through the night you and I/We will fight to shine together/Bright forever..."

Once the song was over, Reggie started to talk. About the band, his boys, everything that came to mind. Talked until his voice went hoarse, tears long dried on all of their cheeks. Yet Ray and Rose never stopped him, lapping up every word, laughing and scoffing and crying at all the right spots.

Finally, Reggie felt like he couldn't talk any longer. He was starving, and dehydrated from crying to the point that his head was pounding. But... he felt lighter. Freer. He closed the piano lid, and stood, stretching out the kinks in his back, and almost feel down from how stiff he was. But Ray and Rose were there to catch him, and he knew they always would be. "You know," he said with a raspy voice, "this place was my home... they were my home. But you feel like home to me too."

Rose shot Ray a warm look over Reggie's head and Ray smiled right back, the two of them helping their partner back into the house. It would never truly be easy for Reggie, grief was like that sometimes. But as time went on, he found that the studio no longer made him stop and ache as it once did. Just a warm sense of familiarity and belonging. Of home.

You can never really go back again, Reggie mused as he watched his children grow and play in that place that had meant so much to him as a youth. But as Julie pulled him towards the piano, urging him to teach her the notes to Bright once more, Reggie figured that a part of him never really left it in the first place.

[retvenkos]

golden | l.p.

requested Julie and the Phantoms - Luke Patterson x Reader, fluff

tw: none

word count: 567

song: everybody wants to rule the world - tears for fears | 🔍

A/N: so this song had the potential to be... how do you say.... very emo. i decided to let the bittersweetness of foresight do the job for me and instead made it very fluffy. i mean... look up the lyrics to this song. there is so much i could have chosen from, but i went for happiness. 

Summary: Luke has good news for Sunset Curve, and tonight, you would celebrate.

The Los Angeles sun shined down brightly as you walked through the neighborhoods, bags slung over your shoulder. The day was warm, and the whole world seemed to buzz. You breathed in deeply as you walked, a spring in your step.

You heard your destination before you saw it - music echoing out of the studio, filling the afternoon air with the unmistakable sound of Sunset Curve. You smiled to yourself, rolling your eyes. They were great, but one of these days, they'd get themselves thrown in jail from all of the noise complaints. Luckily, they had a friend like you to bail them out. Unluckily, if they ever made it into the pen, you'd make them wait a little while before fetching them - just to scare them senseless.

You were a great friend.

"Guys, I could hear you all the way down the block." You opened the doors to the studio, and music flooded outward, hitting you full force with a wave of adrenaline. You stepped inside, expecting to be met with a handful of grinning boys but instead walking into dead air. The stereo was blasting the demo Luke had been so proud of recording, but there was no sign of the boys. Typical.

You rolled your eyes and crossed the room to turn the CD player off. As soon as your finger hit the button, a voice cried out.

"Hey!"

You turned to see Luke pop his head down from the loft, his face momentarily annoyed but melting into joy when he saw you.

"Hey yourself."

"(Y/n)! I have great news!"

"Yeah?" In a flash, Luke was at your side, beaming. "Where's the rest of the guys? You rarely make announcements without them."

"They're out celebrating already - as we should be!" Luke poked your sides, eliciting giggles. He always had that effect on you - the ability to make you forget everything but was right in front of you. And most often that was two things: good music, and joy. "Sunset Curve is playing the Orpheum!"

"What?!" you shouted, all the surprise hitting you full force, joy building up into your chest. "Luke!"

He let out a shout of joy and turned the music back on, the bass making the room jump. Luke grabbed your hands and pulled you up onto the couch. He jumped along to the beat of the song. "We're gonna be famous!"

You released another whoop of joy, and Luke grinned even broader, his hazel eyes sparkling with the thrill of life and the excitement of adventure. He took your hands and started dancing to the music, only laughing harder when you lost your balance on the couch cushions. Today was for victory. It was the beginning of something new - impossibly bright, with possibility burning hotter than the sun.

The song eventually died, and Luke jumped off of the couch, pushing his hair back triumphantly. "Everything's going to change - just wait and see."

"'Just wait'? I'm going to be cheering from the front row!" You shot back. Luke turned and winked; you rolled your eyes, laughing. If you could feel like this forever, you would. "You're gonna rule the world."

"Hell yeah, we are! Sunset Curve is going to change the game," Luke promised, golden with the light of the sun and bursting with energy. It was impossible not to believe him. "But first, we celebrate."

Luke offered you his hand and tilted his head toward the doors. You took it gladly, shaking your head, laughing still.

-- taglist: @brokenandheadoverheels​, @amortensie​, @amirahiddleston​ // add yourself to the taglist here!

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer & Ray Molina Characters: Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina, Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn Taylor (mentioned), Carlos Molina (mentioned), Ray Molina Additional Tags: Sickfic, IFWAD 2021, Asthma, Asthma attack, Post-Canon, The Phantoms Come Back to Life (Julie and The Phantoms), Good Parent Ray Molina, Disordered Eating, Alex Mercer Needs a Hug (Julie and The Phantoms) Series: Part 2 of After the Orpheum Summary:

Alex wakes up before the sun has risen, stares at the vaulted ceiling of the Molinas’ garage from the air mattress Ray set up in the loft for him, and feels his body.

It’s become something of a routine for him since he and his bandmates came back to life. Being a ghost made him feel like he was floating, sometimes, like a particularly strong gust of wind could make him blow away. Now that Julie’s brought them all back to life somehow— even Willie— now that Alex needs food and sleep and oxygen, and his heart beats strong in his chest, and his arms bruise when he knocks them against a doorframe by mistake, he likes to take stock every morning of his own physical form, likes to remind himself that this is real. That he’s real, and solid, and something, not just music and air.

It’s only because he’s made himself so aware of his body in the last few months that he notices something today is off.

--

HAPPY @internationalfuckwithalexday!!!!

Taglist:  @whenweremarried @sunsethimb0s @pink-flame @penguin0613 @fighttoshine @sunsetcurvecuddles @teenagedirtbag-dot-jpeg @brightattheorpheum @queenmolina @jandthephantoms @lexilucacia @sapphossidechick @acnhaddict @shrimp-colours @sunset-bobby @lenacarstairspotterstewart @conversationaltreestump @burntchromas @molinapattersons @julieandthequeers @joyandthephantoms @it-tastes-like-lizard @jatpfs

[jaskiers-sweetkiss]

Ghosts Still Have Souls

Pairings: Luke x Reader, mentions of Willex

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: none? 

Summary: For his whole life Luke Patterson had anxiously awaited the day he’d meet his soulmate, and then he died. 25 years later he and his bandmates are mysteriously resurrected and Luke’s hopes return. Could he find his soulmate in death? After all, Willie says ghosts still have souls. 

A/N: it took me all day but here is my submission for Day 2 - AU for @jatp-week JATP appreciation celebration. I’m such a sucker for soulmate aus and I haven’t written any in the JATP universe yet so this was the perfect opportunity! Send me an ask if you’d like to be tagged in any future works and as always, let me know what you think!

Masterlist

___

Luke Patterson had always loved the idea of soulmates. When he was a little boy his parents would regale him with the story of how they met. They ran into each other on the quad at their university, his mom knocked to the ground and his dad dropping his books. In her flustered state Emily had combined “Hey, watch where you’re going!” with “Are you okay?” and ended up crying out “Hey, watch where you’re okay!” while his dad had cursed “Shitfuck, are you okay?” When Mitch offered his hand to help her up they noticed each others’ tattoos and the rest was history.

It was Luke’s favorite story in the whole world and he grew up daydreaming about the day he’d meet his soulmate. He couldn’t wait to see what words would appear on his skin when he or she said their first words to him. He wondered if he’d feel the tingle that some reported feeling when the mark formed on their skin, or what the handwriting of his soulmate would look like permanently inked onto this skin. No matter what he knew he’d cherish the mark, it would be from his soulmate, after all, his other half, the person he was destined to spend the rest of his life with.

Dying before he could hear the words that would change his life forever kinda threw a wrench in his plans.

The thought of his soulmate out there, having grown up without him, never to meet each other because of his untimely death had plagued him for days after Julie “resurrected” them. Then Alex had met Willie. The skater ghost had died more nearly a decade before they had and yet he and Alex were soulmates, “You dinged my board.” proudly displayed on the blond’s wrist.  

The knowledge that soulmates existed even in death had brought hope back into his life and he started spending his free time daydreaming about them again.

He’d been channeling his daydreams into songwriting one afternoon when Julie had walked into the garage with Flynn and another friend. He assumed you hadn’t been informed about the ghosts as neither Flynn nor Julie made any remarks towards the guitarist despite typically doing so. He wished that wasn’t the case as you were quite cute. You were absolutely the type of girl Luke would’ve crushed on hard back when he was alive, soulmates or not.  

“Oh, and who is this?” Luke asked, employing his teasing tone as he spoke to the newcomer as you set down your backpack though he knew only Julie could hear him.

He had expected a quiet laugh or at the very least a dramatic eye roll from the girl but when he turned to look at her she was staring at her friend’s wrist. Luke turned to look as well and his stomach immediately sank.

There inked on your wrist in his chicken-scratch handwriting were the words he had just spoken to you.

“Oh my gosh,” Julie gasped aloud, drawing everyone’s attention as she opened her mouth to announce what she had just observed.

Before he even had time to think about it, he was stopping her. “No! Julie don’t!”

She stared at him puzzled for a moment but closed her mouth anyway.

“What?” Her friend asked, looking at her perplexed.

“I just… forgot to tell my dad you guys were coming over,” Julie saved. “I’ll just text him real quick.”

You and Flynn nodded, unfazed by the excuse, and plopped down onto the available seating. Luke sighed, pulling his eyes away from you and poofing out of the garage.

He reappeared at his parent’s house. He had hoped to vent to his mom but she wasn’t home so he plopped down on his old bed. His parents hadn’t done much to the room since his death and as he laid there in silence it almost felt like it was still ’95. That pit that had started to form in his stomach continued to grow as he laid there, his thoughts swirling as his hopes thrashed around him once more.

He’d finally found his soulmate but she was- what had Alex called them?- a lifer. She couldn’t even see him. How were they supposed to meet and fall in love and build a life together when she couldn’t even see him and he couldn’t even touch her? How were they supposed to pass their story on to their future kids when she hadn’t even been able to hear the words that were now permanently etched into her skin? As he thought more about it he realized that he hadn’t received a mark of his own. His heart sank as he ran his thumb over the bare skin of his wrist. He’d stopped Julie before she could tell her he was even there so she’d never had a chance to say her first words to him.

It was worth it, he decided after a while. It was worth never hearing the words, never having the tattoo and knowing for certain that his perfect match was out there. It was worth it if he could spare you from the pain of knowing that your soulmate was there but he was dead and invisible.

___

Luke was almost grateful for the distraction of the Hollywood Ghost Club. The last few weeks had been torture, him constantly trying to avoid being in the same room with you and Julie. She had told you about them being ghosts not long after the appearance of your soulmark and had even invited you to meet the band which you had readily accepted. Luke, however, had run away before you could come that day. It killed him that you had met Alex and Reggie and not him, but he figured it would kill him more to have your first words to him appear on his wrist.

They talked about you sometimes, about how funny and adorable you were. It made his blood boil but he had to restrain himself, what right did he have to be jealous when he refused to even meet you.

Still, the rush to book the Orpheum was a welcome distraction from his internal turmoil. It was even enough to distract him from the fact that no matter what happened at the end of the night, he’d never see you again.

He’d miss you. That much was obvious. He’d miss hiding in the loft when you came over to work on homework with Julie, just out of sight so Julie wouldn’t see him but he could still watch you. He’d learned a lot about you that way, how your smile could light up a room, how gorgeous your laugh was but he could tell you hated it by the way you covered your mouth when you did it, how you fidgeted with the hair ties on your wrist whenever you were thinking (he noticed you always had at least two), and that you were almost always cold. He wished he could give you his flannels, you’d look so cute wrapped up in them and they’d certainly keep you warm.

He was thinking of you as he and the guys gathered around the piano in the studio. Julie had just left to head to the Orpheum with her dad and the mood in the garage had immediately grown somber. Their heads filled with worries of what would come next, what was on the other side? Luke’s only comfort was the thought that maybe if he crossed over you’d get a second chance at a soulmate, one who was alive. You’d never even spoken to him and yet he’d do anything for you.

It was that dedication to you that had pulled him out of the Hollywood Ghost Club and onto the Orpheum stage.

It was that dedication that kept him from running straight to Caleb to save his soul when they didn’t cross over. He’d let his soul be destroyed if it meant your happiness.

He never could’ve anticipated what had happened that night nor the repercussions.

He’d spent the next day journaling, writing down all his thoughts- and there were a lot seeing as he had expected to die yesterday, again. He was alone in the studio, Alex out celebrating with Willie and Reggie was who knows where (probably showing Ray like usual), then you walked in.

He sighed, getting ready to poof up to his hiding spot in the loft before Julie showed up when he was stopped.

“Am I dead?” You asked, staring at him in alarm.

“What do you mean?” Luke asked warily, not understanding the premise of your question.

“Well, you’re dead, and with the exception of Julie, you’re only visible to other dead people and I can see you,” you explained carefully, eyes wide.

Luke nodded at your train of thought before it hit him.

“Wait, you can see me?” He gasped, and you nodded. “You can see me! You talked to me!”

His head snapped down to stare at his wrist, sure enough, “Am I Dead?” was scrawled across his skin in the most beautiful handwriting he’d ever seen. Sure, some might say it was a little messy but to him it was perfect.

Before he could even think about his actions, he was rushing towards you and pulling you into his chest. You stiffened, shocked by the sudden action.

“What’re you-“ started to ask but you were cut off by him violently throwing himself away from you.

“I just touched you,” he gasped, once again stating the obvious. “Why can I touch you? Are you dead?”

“No! At least… I didn’t think I was but now I’m really not sure.” You shook your hands anxiously before reaching for one of your hair ties as you started pacing.

“Sorry for taking so long Y/N, I got caught up with Reggie in the house- what on earth is going on in here?” Julie paused in the doorway as she observed your pacing and Luke’s panicked look.

“Oh thank god, you can see me,” You breathe out before turning to Luke, “Julie can see me, so I must not be dead.”

“What?”

“Y/N and I thought maybe she was dead since she can see me and I could touch her,” Luke explained and you nodded.

“What?!” Julie repeated, more shocked than the last time. “You can see him? And you, you can touch her?”

“Yeah, look!” Luke exclaimed, reaching his arm out to tap your arm but it just went right through you. “Huh, why…?”

“Maybe the first time was a fluke?” You supplied before something caught your eye.

You reached out to grab his arm as it fell back to his side. This time it worked, and you pulled his limb closer to you, turning it over to examine what you had seen.

“Woah, see?” Luke said pointedly to Julie, though you weren’t listening.

“That’s- how? You’re-“ you sputtered as you stared at the mark on his wrist. “Soulmates.” You whispered finally.

“Um, I’m gonna give you guys some time,” Julie said, eyes wide as she walked backward out of the garage.

You didn’t let go of his wrist, your eyes flitting between your words and his eyes.

“That’s why I didn’t hear them,” you muttered, bringing your own wrist next to his.

It had been puzzling you for weeks, how you couldn’t remember hearing the words the day they had appeared on your wrist. It made sense now, you couldn’t hear them because Luke had said them.

“I’m sorry,” Luke said, dropping his wrist from your grasp. “I thought maybe if you didn’t know you could find happiness somewhere else. With someone who wasn’t invisible and intangible.”

Your gaze softened as you looked up at him, his face was tilted down, unable to look you in the eye. You sighed, taking a deep breath before reaching your hand up to cup the side of his face. It took a couple of tries but you were finally able to place your hand on his cheek, tilting his face to look up at you.

“Luke,” you said softly, “How could I want anyone else?”

He shook his head at your words, though his hand came up to rest over your own. “How could you know that? This is the first time we’ve ever spoken.”

“Because the universe put us together,” you answered surely, bringing your wrists together again in the space between you. “I have no idea how this is going to work but I know it’ll be worth it because these mean we’re meant for each other.”

“You are better than I could ever imagine,” Luke confessed softly, and you smiled shyly. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Well you’re stuck with me now,” you joked lightly, before pulling him to the couch. “Now c’mon soulmate, we’ve got some catching up to do.”

[yourlocalfictionalenthusiast]

IN LIFE, IN DEATH...

PART SEVEN

:Masterlist:

Warnings: none, I think :)

A/N: ahh we’re getting dangerously close to Unsaid Emily territory, folks. Also idk if I’ve said this before but feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! <3

-

“This isn’t gonna work.”

You said as you watched the boys practice their apology song for Julie for the dozenth time. Alex just glared at you in response as he crouched behind Luke, and you tried to contain your laughter as the side gate clicked open and Julie walked into the studio.

Reggie immediately burst into song and Luke followed, then Alex popped out from behind Luke’s back. Once the song was over, Julie stared at them with a blank expression.

“In case you missed it,” Reggie said. “We’re really sorry.”

Julie sighed. “Yeah, I got that part.”

“Look, it wasn’t okay that we flaked on the dance,” Luke explained. “We know we let you down.”

“Yeah, we never wanted to disappoint you.” Alex said. “You’re the best thing that happened to us since we became ghosts.”

“In hopes that you’ll rejoin the band,” Luke pulled the poster out from behind his back. “We booked a new gig.”

Julie didn’t say anything as she ran her fingers across the paper. You could tell that she was still upset by the way she kept her eyes trained on it. 

Reggie cleared his throat. “It’s a mind-blowing, life-changing gig.”

“There’s going to be all kinds of managers there. All we gotta do is blow their minds and we’ll be living the dream.”

“So this is important to you, huh?” Julie said, finally looking up at them. “Like the dance was important to me?”

Alex stepped forward. “We know we messed up.”

“But we need you in the band.” Luke finished and Julie rolled her eyes.

“Of course you do. Because without me, no one would be able to see you play.” Julie said, turning to Luke. “I thought the music we were making was special, but you’re too obsessed with your past to even care.”

“I do care!” Luke insisted. “We have a chance at greatness. I don’t want it to slip away from us again.”

“So then why did you bail on me and (Y/n) to get back at Trevor?” Julie crossed her arms as Luke stared at her with sad eyes. “I’ll tell you why. Because the only thing you care about is yourself.”

Luke glued his eyes to his shoes and Julie whirled around and marched back towards the house with the flyer still clutched in her fist. 

“Luke-” You stepped towards him but he phased away, leaving the studio clouded in sadness. 

“Where do you think he’s going?” Reggie asked.

“Where do you think?” Alex sighed. “Remember what today is?”

Even though Luke had never really cared about birthdays, you knew that his eighteenth was one he had been looking forward to all his life. Your heart broke for him when you realized that this was the way he would have to spend it.

You tugged his old jacket over your shoulders and looked towards the house. “We need to tell her.”

“About his mom?” Alex asked and you nodded.

“He can’t spend his birthday like this.”

Alex and Reggie both looked a little hesitant but nodded, following your lead as you poofed into the Molina’s living room.

Julie was on the couch, pouring over a textbook. She didn’t even look up when you all phased in front of her.

“Hey.” Alex approached her carefully. “Got a second?”

Julie kept her focus on the book and you sat next to her, using your best pleading look. “Julie, please.”

She finally looked up at you. “(Y/n), I already told you, I can’t be in the band.”

“I know.” You said. “But just, listen to us for a second, okay?”

Julie closed her book and set it on the table before looking at you all expectantly. 

“Luke isn’t as selfish as you think.” Alex said and Reggie nodded in agreement.

“You remember that song in his journal? About Emily?” You asked and Julie’s eyebrows furrowed. “We wanna show you who it’s about.”

 -

The Patterson house was almost exactly like you remembered it.

Dozens of memories swirled around in your mind as you walked up the pathway to the patio and crouched behind a chair. You could see Emily and Mitch in the window, Emily blinking tears out of her eyes as she frosted a triple chocolate fudge cake, Luke’s favorite. 

And as if that wasn’t enough to break your heart, Luke sat on the counter with his head propped up against his knees.

“Emily is his mom?” Julie asked, her voice light.

“Yeah, he comes here a lot.” Alex said. “He thinks we don’t know, but we’ve been following him.”

You close your eyes as a pit of guilt opens in your stomach. You had been so wrapped up in your stupid feelings that you didn’t notice how much Luke was hurting.

“All he does is sit and watch them.” Reggie explained. “They don’t do much though.”

“They’re eating cake. That’s something.” Julie said.

“It’s a birthday cake.” You managed, avoiding everyone’s eyes as their heads snapped towards you. “For him.”

“And it’s even harder for him ‘cause he left on bad terms.” Alex said. “His parents didn’t want their seventeen year old in a rock band. So he ran away.”

You watched as Mitch lit a candle in the center of the cake and gripped Emily’s hand across the table. Luke leaned forward and blew it out immediately, making them share a look of confusion.

“That’s why Luke was so mad.” Reggie twisted his fingers. “If Trevor gave him credit for the songs, then they would’ve known that it was all worth it.”

“That his dreams were worth chasing.” You finished, another wave of guilt washed over you. You hadn’t been thinking about Luke’s parents when you fought with him about the old songs, and now you wished you could take everything back and haunt the hell out of Bobby.

Emily and Mitch blew out the candle again and Luke sank back into his chair, staring at his parents as tears streamed down his face. Julie sniffled next to you and more than ever, you wished you could hug your friend.

Alex stood up. “We all know how much it hurts when someone who should’ve had your back completely lets you down. We never meant to make you feel like that.”

“We love our band, and Luke does too.” Reggie said. “Please give us another chance.”

Julie took one last look into the window before she nodded. “Okay.”

You all shared sad smiles and you cleared your throat. “Well, then I think we have a gig to rehearse for.”

 -

As you walked back into the studio, you couldn’t stop thinking about your fight with Luke.

How it must’ve felt for him to feel like you weren’t on his side when he was just trying to make his parents proud. You had been so caught up in your feelings of him ignoring you and being late to the dance that you didn’t stop to think about how he was feeling.

“Actually, guys,” You walked over to the couch and shrugged Luke’s old jacket on your shoulders. “Start without me. There’s something I have to do.”

“Oh?” Alex teased. “I wonder what?”

“And if it has anything to do with our birthday boy.” Reggie finished, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Do you guys want to die again?” You said and they both raised their hands in surrender. “I’ll be back soon.”

They just smirked at you knowingly as you felt yourself poof away into your old bedroom.

It was exactly the way you had left it.

Old pictures and countless band posters plastered all over your walls, a messy bed, and clothes everywhere. It was like time had been frozen in here, and as you looked around, it almost felt like you were alive again. 

Like at any minute, your mom would walk in and kiss your cheek. Or there would be a soft knock at your window and it would be Luke sneaking over for movie night.

But then reality came crashing back in when you looked over to your dresser and you spotted the thing you had come for. 

It was a small, dirty shoebox covered in faded stickers. You were thankful that your mom must’ve recognized it as something important and didn’t throw it away. No doubt she remembered helping you dig it up in 1995, just days before the Orpheum show.

You looked down and smiled at the words carved on the surface of the lid in Luke’s handwriting, 

Luke and (Y/n)’s Time Capsule!

Open on 18th birthday :)

You snorted, realizing his writing was exactly the same as when he was six. You wiped the surface of the box off with your sleeve and tucked it under your arm. Technically, you weren’t meant to open this until you were eighteen, but also, you were technically dead, so you figured your six year old self would forgive you.

With one last look at your old bedroom, you poofed away from your house and into the studio’s loft where you quickly tucked the shoebox behind an old guitar case before making your way down the ladder.

Julie’s voice floated through the air and you joined in, taking your spot next to her on the piano bench. She gave you a teasing look and you jokingly glared at her as the song ended and Luke suddenly phased into the chair across from you.

“Julie?” He asked, stunned. “What made you come back?”

“I realized that music is important to all of us.” Julie shrugged. “We’ve already lost so much, we can’t lose this too.”

Luke nodded, a trace of a smile on his face. “Thanks.”

“Oh, and happy birthday, by the way.” She said and Luke smiled as he grabbed his guitar. “Let’s go from the pre-chorus.”

Alex started the countdown.”1...2...3...4!”

You looked over at Luke, expecting him to be looking down at his guitar as he played but his eyes met yours. He winked as he came closer to sing with you, making you laugh. As he stopped in front of the piano, you realized that while it sucked, being a little distant from Luke had it’s advantages. 

At least then, you didn’t have to pretend that every little thing he did made your heart skip a beat.

 -

“Knock, knock.” You called out from behind Julie’s bedroom door, pulling Reggie’s arm back from inside the room.

“Come in.” She said and you all walked through the door. 

“What are you still doing up here?” Luke asked when he saw her snuggled up in her bed. “We go on in like twenty minutes.”

Julie sighed. “I lied to my dad so I’m stuck in here all night.”

“But we were just at the venue.” Alex said. “It was packed with people and managers. It’s kinda crazy.”

“My aunt is right downstairs.” Julie crossed her arms. “There’s no way I can get past her.”

Luke scoffed as he walked over to the window and pulled it open. “Well, it’s a good thing that you’re not taking the stairs.”

Julie’s jaw dropped, looking at you all with wide eyes. “I can’t sneak out!”

You sat down on the bed across from her. “C’mon, Molina. Live a little.”

Her eyes went back and forth between you and the boys hesitantly but she eventually gave in with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

-

By the time you all got to the venue, it was even more packed than before.

Every table was full and you could tell by their clothes that they were definitely in the music business. Your attention was pulled to the stage when upbeat music started playing as Carrie started to sing.

You turned to talk to Julie but then there was a bright flash on stage and Alex landed in the middle of the dancers. Julie looked around confused, but you just laughed as he followed Carrie around the stage and copied her moves.

You laughed and cheered for him. “Woo! Go, Alex!”

As the song ended, he posed and bowed before poofing back to your group with a pink tint on his cheeks. “I was just doing that for you guys.”

Reggie snickered. “Uh-huh. You can stop smiling now.”

Julie watched Carrie leave the stage with a conflicted look on her face. “I’m not gonna lie, that was pretty good.”

Flynn nodded. “Yeah, I kinda forgot why I hate her so much.”

As if on cue, Carrie came strutting off stage and laughed as she looked Flynn and Julie over. “Hey, girls. Isn’t past your bedtime?”

“Now I remember.” Flynn said with a stiff smile.

Carrie looked over at Julie. “If you’re looking for Nick, he didn’t come.”

More than ever, you wished someone could see you purely so you could give her the finger. Being a jerk for no reason was bad enough, but taunting Julie about Nick was unfair.

“Actually, that’s not why I’m here.” Julie said as she took a step closer.

On the stage, the accouncer spoke into the mic. “Alright, looks like we have one more act tonight. ‘Julie and The Fat Ones’.”

Carrie and her group laughed and you turned to Luke, dropping your voice to a whisper. 

“Okay, I know it’s not the right time. But I totally told you that would happen.” You teased, thinking back to that morning when you filled out the sheet and Luke insisted that his handwriting would be legible enough.

Luke scrunched his nose at you. “Shut up.”

You snorted as Julie walked up to the stage and sat in her spot behind the piano. She put her mic in the holder and took a deep breath. “It’s actually ‘Julie and The Phantoms’.”

When the crowd quieted down, Julie started to play the opening. The gentle piano bored some people and you watched as they turned back to their conversations. But then Julie started to sing and caught everyone’s attention.

“Hearts on fire,

We’re no liars,

So we say what we want to say.

I’m awakened,

No more fakin’

So we push all our fears away,”

You felt yourself getting more excited as it came closer to your cue. You hadn’t played for this many people since you died, and even though you were a little nervous, you were filled with a need to perform again.

“Don’t know if I’ll make it cause I’m falling down under,

Close my eyes and feel my chest beating like thunder,

I wanna fly, come alive,

Watch me shine!”

You all appeared on the stage and if people weren’t paying attention before, they definitely were now. You heard shocked gasps over the music and smiled, grabbing your mic and joining in on the chorus.

“I got a spark in me,

Hands up if you can see,

And you’re a part of me,

Hands up if you’re with me,

Now till eternity,

Hands up if you believe,

Been so long and now

We’re finally free.”

You watched as Luke walked over to Alex’s drum set, playing along with Reggie as you and Julie made it to the front of the stage.

“We’re all bright now,

What a sight now,

Coming out like we’re fireworks,

Marching on proud,

Turn it up loud,

‘Cause now we know what we’re worth,”

Luke settled back behind his spot and smirked, his hair falling in his eyes as he shook his head to the beat. You kept your eyes on him as he played, and Luke winked at you in response. Even though you hadn’t done it in forever, your on-stage flirting game was like muscle memory.

Before you knew it, the bridge came and Luke abandoned his microphone to share yours. You took it off the stand and leaned towards him. Behind you, Julie dropped out and your and Luke’s voices filled the venue.

“I got a spark in me,” You sang and Luke echoed your words.

“And you’re a part of me,

A part of me,

Now till eternity,

Now till eternity,

Been so long and now we’re finally free!”

Just like every other time you sang with Luke, the air disappeared from your lungs and someone hit the pause button on the world. Luke’s eyes never left yours and your skin tingled under his intense stare. You lightly shoved his chest and winked back at him as he went back to his microphone.

The bright lights flashed as Julie’s high note rang out and the song ended. The crowd instantly erupted in cheers and almost everyone gave a standing ovation as you bowed and phased away, making another wave of gasps and cheers run through the crowd.

You landed next to the coffee bar on the far side of the room and instantly saw Teddy, who was leaning on the edge of the counter with a smirk on his face.

“What, you’re stalking me now?” You joked.

“It was a complete coincidence, Gorgeous.” Teddy came closer and nudged your shoulder. “But a great one. Why didn’t you tell me that you could sing like that?”

“Like you’d believe me If I did.” You said as you laughed, still a little breathless from the performance. You could feel your friend's eyes on your back and you turned around. Alex and Reggie were standing there awkwardly while Luke crossed his arms.

“Ah, the famous bandmates.” Teddy smirked. “You guys were great.”

“Thanks.” Luke smiled stiffly at him before turning to you and gesturing over where Julie was talking to her dad. “Sorry to interrupt, but (Y/n), we should really go check on Julie.”

You tried to ignore the way that he was already wanting to get back to Julie made your heart sink into your shoes but you nodded and turned back to Teddy with an apologetic smile. “Bye, Teddy.”

You turned to leave but Teddy’s hand came up to grip your wrist. “Hey, uh, come to the diner tomorrow. There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Something bad?” You asked and Teddy sighed. 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. I promise.”

“Okay.” Despite the pit of worry in your stomach, for some reason, you trusted Teddy. “See you then.”

-

After you watched as Julie got steered out the doors by her dad, you phased into her room and waited for them to get back.

You couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Sure, it was all of your idea to sneak her out, but you definitely encouraged her and now she was in trouble. As you waited, you looked around her room, admiring all the pictures and colors.

There were little paper butterflies hanging from the ceiling and you went to touch one, but then the door swung open and Julie came in.

She yelped but relaxed as soon as she realized it was you.

“I’m sorry.” You said. “I didn’t mean to scare you, or get you in trouble tonight.”

Julie shook her head. “Hey, it was my choice to sneak out. Besides, I’m not in trouble. I mean, I have to focus more on school and stuff but I’m staying in the band.”

“Thank god. I definitely couldn’t go back to a band of all boys.” You joked and Julie laughed before wiggling her eyebrows.

“Speaking of boys, don’t you have one to go give a birthday present to?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay first.” You said.

“Thank you, (Y/n). But I’m good.” Julie smiled warmly. “Now go get your boy.”

“He’s not my boy.” You protested but Julie just rolled her eyes and threw a pillow through your torso. “Hey!”

Julie laughed as she picked up another pillow. “Get out of here or else I’ll do it again.”

“Okay, okay!” You giggled as you poofed away.

You landed in the middle of the studio and frowned when you realized that it was empty. You assumed that Alex was probably out looking for Willie and Reggie was probably with Ray or Carlos, but Luke was usually hanging around the studio this late.

“Hey.” A voice called out from behind you and you whipped around to find Luke leaning against the railing of the loft.

“Hi.” You cleared your throat. “You okay?”

Luke nodded and gestured to the empty air next to him, and with a flash, you poofed to his side. You could tell that he was still thinking about his parents from the way that his eyes lingered on the studio doors and the guilt you felt earlier returned in full-force. You wanted to say something, do something to make him smile.

“I got you something.” You said, trying to put on a bright smile as you crossed the loft and pulled the box from its hiding spot. “You probably don’t even remember this thing, but we did say we were gonna open it when we turned eighteen.”

Luke knitted his eyebrows in confusion but a look of realization flashed across his face when you handed it to him. Just like you were hoping for, he instantly brightened as he read the carvings on the top of the lid.

“Oh my god...” He said. “I can’t believe you dug this up.”

For some reason, you didn’t want to tell him that you really dug it up twenty five years ago back when you stopped being friends. It seemed almost too sentimental, and after finally getting Luke back, you didn’t want to scare him away again.

“All it took was an hour, and technically some property damage if you count my mom’s rose bushes.”

It wasn’t technically a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

Luke threw his head back as he laughed. “Oof, be thankful that you’re already dead or else she would’ve killed you.”

You snorted as you gestured from him to open the box. He carefully pulled the lid off and slid a little closer to you so you could both see inside. There were some random drawings and toys, but what caught your eye was a box of crayons in the corner.

“Wait,” You gasped as you picked them up. “Are these the crayons?”

“The ones that you stole from me on the first day of second grade?” Luke said, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth to keep from laughing. “Yeah.”

“Excuse you, they were mine to begin with.” You reminded him with a raised eyebrow.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Luke smirked.

You cleared your throat as you stepped away from the railing and faced Luke. 

“Hey, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for not listening to you about Bobby. I just got so caught in up in memories of how we all used to be and stuff that-”

“(Y/n), hey,” Luke chuckled lightly as he reached over and grabbed your hand, the gesture immediately stopping your ranting. “Don’t be sorry. You were right. I mean, I’ll always be bummed that our old music is gone, but a friend helped me realize that we should focus on the future.”

He gently squeezed your hand and you laughed. “This friend of yours sounds pretty smart.”

Luke hummed. “The smartest.”

You could feel his calloused fingers on the back of your hand and it felt so familiar and warm. For once, the silence between you wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward.

“Thank you, (Y/n).” Luke said, his voice barely above a whisper.

You took a deep breath before responding with a soft smile. “Happy birthday, Lu.”

 -

September 1994

“Sweetie, your shift is over.” 

Cece said with a raised eyebrow as she watched you pour creamer and sugar packets into cups of coffee. 

“I know and I know that I shouldn’t be behind the counter when I’m not working.” You smiled up at her before placing the coffee pot into its holder, practically shaking with excitement. “But I have band news and the boys will be here any second.”

You put lids on the drinks and set them on the counter just as the bell on the door chimed and Alex and Luke strolled in, followed by Bobby and Reggie.

“Okay, what was so important that you had to wake me up and drag me down here?” Alex complained as soon as he saw you.

“It’s barely ten, Al. When did you turn eighty?” You teased as you handed him a paper cup of cocoa. Alex just grumbled at you under his breath as they all sat down in front of you. “I’m sorry for interrupting your beauty sleep, but this couldn’t wait.”

“We’re listening.” Reggie said as he grabbed his coffee.

“Okay, so you remember that guy who saw us play at the beach a little while ago?” You asked and they all nodded. “Well, I called him and it turns out that he owns a club downtown.”

“Wait.” Luke perked up and Bobby leaned forward in his chair. “A club club?”

You nodded. “And he wants us to play there every weekend next month.”

Alex choked on his cocoa. “The whole month?!”

You nodded again and there was a minute of stunned silence as they all exchanged looks. You smirked as you took a sip of your coffee. 

“Oh, and also, he knows the owner of the Orpheum. Apparently they used to go to college together or something. And he said that if we impress him next month, that he could maybe pull a few strings.”

There was another moment of silence before Bobby turned to you with a serious look on his face. “(Y/n), I could kiss you right now.”

“Gross.” You scrunched your nose and the rest of the boys laughed.

Luke, who had been bouncing in his seat a minute ago, suddenly looked serious as he jumped up and grabbed Bobby’s shoulder. “C’mon, Casanova. I’m starving.”

Bobby rolled his eyes but followed Luke over to the counter and started scanning the menu. Reggie whistled quietly, making you frown in confusion.

“What?” You asked.

“I think Lukey boy is a little jealous.” Reggie said and Alex hummed in agreement.

“What?” You asked. “He’s definitely not. But even if he was, it’s just Bobby. There’s nothing to be jealous about.”

“That doesn’t matter when you’re in love.” Reggie sang and you cleared your throat.

“I’m gonna give you three seconds, Reginald.” You warned and Reggie scoffed, but then got wide-eyed when you started counting.

“Uh-oh.” Alex snickered and Reggie scrambled to get up from his chair and run across the diner just as you got to three. You caught up with him in seconds and jumped on his back, making him sigh in defeat.

But before you could brag about winning, Reggie suddenly bolted towards Luke and Bobby with you still on his back. The action caused a surprised laugh to bubble out of you making Bobby look at the two of you in confusion.

“What did Reggie do now?” He asked.

“All I said was that (Y/n)’s in lo-” Reggie started but you quickly slapped your hand over his mouth.

“Nothing!” You said quickly.

Once everyone got their food, you all sat down and started scribbling ideas for the setlists. You could hardly focus with all the excitement coursing through your veins. Ever since the day you formed Sunset Curve, you dreamed of playing at the Orpheum with your best friends and you were finally almost there.

You looked across the table and smiled at Luke, knowing that he was thinking the same exact thing from the way he was beaming back at you. You just had to impress one club owner, and you could live out your dreams.

Together.

-

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[creativeashproductions]

Lost Time II // Luke Patterson

Summary: Weeks after discovering his greatest joy Luke visits his former girlfriend to make up for the lost time. Unable to do it alone his band gives their support to find her and stand by his side as he faces his greatest regret.

Warning: Talk of death, allusion to homophobic parents, teen pregnancy and angst

Words: 3.1k

The book Midnight Club by Christopher Pike came out in 1994 but to fit this fic the book came out in 1993. Also, Alex’s last name will be Mitchell in this.

*For the sake of the story the time frame has been altered, it takes place in the mid-2000s. Also! I tried to make the reader as generalized as I could to make sure that everyone can relate. The reader is Alex’s sister, for inclusion that can be biological, adopted, half or stepsiblings. I want to make sure all people can be the reader.

A/N: Jesus I love Ben with my entire heart and I am a cruel person to have ripped Luke and Ben from each other before they had a chance. Enjoy!

Part One

Masterlist

Los Angeles, 1993

A sunny summer day spent outside reading a new book that had come out recently nestled in your hands under the large tree. The tree that had many tire swings before your parents caved to get a swing set. Now the tree was a companion on lovely days providing shade under the hot sun.

Alex was at band practice with the rest of Sunset Curve in the garage, or studio as Luke deemed it. More often than not, you would be in the studio watching them rehearse, but things changed, things had gotten more serious with Luke in the past six or so months. Plus, Bobby seriously was someone you wanted the least amount of time spent with.

“Hey.” Luke sighed, dropped on the faded blanket you had settled on. Raising one finger, you finished the page before placing the bookmark in.

“Hi.” You grinned leaning in as he pressed a kiss to your soft lips, “Used my Chapstick again?”

Luke hid his face in the crook of your neck, “I’m addicted to it, or it’s just your lips.”

He snuck another kiss before nudging you to adjust lay against his chest between his legs, a familiar position. One where you could read a book, and he could wrap his one arm around you while he wrote in his songbook with the other. God, you loved the boy with your entire heart.

“How’s the book?”

“It’s okay.”

“What’s it about?” Luke asked, wrapping his arms around your midsection.

“Five terminally ill teens living in a hospice tell scary stories every night. They all made a pact together that whoever died first would have to try to contact the others.” You sighed, dropping the book beside you to rest your arms on his.

“Sounds depressing.” Luke hummed, pressing a kiss to your neck, “I can think of more exciting things to do.”

“Over my dead body.” Alex snickered walking passed the young couple on his walk to the house. Reggie following after him with a laugh of his own; it was still odd to see Luke so loved up.

“I was talking about going to a concert!” Luke called out as his friends entered the Mitchell house, leaving the couple alone.

“You totally were not.” You spoke already knowing the answer as Luke nodded his head, “It’s a shock he lets us be alone.”

Turning to face Luke, you couldn’t help the blush that grew from the soft look in his eyes that you had only noticed after he asked you out. The boy had had a crush for a long time even if it was awkward given the previous thing he had with Alex.

“He’ll have to get used to it.”

“So, have you gotten a gig at The Orpheum yet?” You asked, shifting again to nestle against his side content to spend the time there in the backyard.

“Nah, we booked some smaller venues, but we’ll get there. I know it.” Luke was completely confident that one day he would be playing in the most popular venues. The other thing he was confident was his relationship.

“Where will I be?” You spoke looking at the recently turned sixteen-year-old boy who had quickly become the most important thing in your life. Never expected to fall in love with Alex’s ex-fling.

“Cheering us on. Have to have my number one supporter and wife because she’s been there since the dream began. The dream just expanded?”

 “Wife?” You breathed.

“I’m not dating you just to date. I’m dating you because when I dream of my future, you are right there next to me.” Luke admitted caressing your cheek the pad of his thumb, “Wherever in the world, we find ourselves I want you there.”

“What about kids?”

“We’ll have as many as you want. Or however many we are lucky to have.” Luke breathed growing more excited as he finally revealed his ideas and firm belief, “Of course I want to be married first. After The Orpheum I want the next thing to focus one hundred percent on is a wedding that you deserve and-“

“Ask me.”

“What?”

“Ask me.” You raised to your knees cradling his face in your hands, “That’s what I dream of too. Having a career but something that lets me travel with the love of my life and my chosen family.”

“It’s not how I want…I want it to be special and romantic because you deserve it.” Luke adamantly spoke, pressing his hands on yours still resting on his face.

“Luke. I love you. Just sitting here like we are is special and romantic.”

“Will you marry me?” Luke whispered, leaning to press his forehead on yours. The orange beanie tickling your skin.

“Yes. As soon as I turn eighteen.” You didn’t care if you had two more years to wait. As long as Luke was by your side, you didn’t care about how you got married just as long as you married him.

Los Angeles, 2004

There are times that Reggie knows that the last thing people need is his goofy personality and jokes. When Luke returned from wherever he had gone, it was evident that something had drastically changed since the last time they had seen him.

“Luke?” Reggie gently spoke hesitantly moving to the boy curled on the couch, sobbing into his hands. Reggie had never seen Luke like this before, not even when it cemented that they had died and Luke’s future with Y/N shattered in a moment.

“Reg-“ Alex poofed in next going stock still at the distraught teenager. His eyes widened as he quickly made his way to Luke, “What’s wrong?”

“I-I saw Y/N.” Luke choked out, shaking his head, “I knew it would hurt, but it felt like I died again. Like I literally watched my hopes and dream just shatter before me.”

 Alex was quiet taking in that Luke had seen Y/N. Alex missed his sister with everything in him, but Luke had plans.

“How is she?” Alex whispered, grabbing the hands of one of his best friends in the entire world. The one guy he had wholly trusted with his sister’s heart.

“She looks so good. God, it’s been nine years for her but only a few weeks for me. She’s more beautiful than I remember.” Luke breathed, raising teary eyes to meet Alex and Reggie’s concerned expressions, “I also saw Ben.”

“She got married?” Alex questioned surprised, “Please tell me it isn’t Bobby. I don’t think I could stomach that.”

“His name isn’t Ben and he probably tried after deciding on a respectable time for it to be okay-“

“Reggie.” Alex hissed motioning him to stop talking while Luke knew that Bobby had had feelings for you, he didn’t think he would try anything.

“I don’t think she’s married, but Ben is definitely a big part of what I missed out on.” Luke sighed, picking at a loose thread on his jeans, “I’m sure you know that in the three years, I was actually alive and with her that things happened.”

“Things like…?” Alex trailed off having a feeling he wouldn’t want to know about whatever Luke was hesitant to announce.

“Um…well we were, I am in love.” Luke grimaced at how odd it was to word his feelings for a girl he had died while planning a future, “in relationships you show affection in particular-“

“Okay as you struggle to finish that I will.” Reggie spoke, turning to Alex, “Luke and Y/N as a couple were having sex.”

Alex’s eyes went wide at the blunt statement that he never wanted to hear again in his life because you were his sister! He didn’t need to even think of anything to do other than the kissing he sometimes walked in on. He knew already but didn’t want to know either.

“I died, leaving Y/N pregnant! Which I didn’t know about.” Luke shouted poofing to the other side of the garage when he saw Alex’s fist start to clench. He poofed to the loft when Alex appeared to his last place, “C’mon man!”

“You knocked my sister up!”

Reggie’s mouth dropped at the physical aggression that Alex was showing because Alex was more peaceful and non-violent.

“I didn’t know! He’s eight!” Luke yelped when Alex grabbed him in a headlock, “Dude! I didn’t know! We were gonna get married when she turned eighteen! I love her, man!”

Reggie pulled Alex away from the lead guitarist before a fight happened, and even though part of Reggie wanted to see Alex fight…he wanted Luke here as well.

Alex was quiet, “What does he look like?”

Despite the agony of not being there for his son Luke launched into a description of the little boy.

With a white lie out of Julie’s mouth, she had gotten the address from Emily and Mitch for Luke and Alex. The address led to a small house with pretty flowers and a bike in the front yard; the place where Luke’s son had been growing up in since he was two years old.

Julie’s fist raised, knocking on the white door listening as footsteps sounded on the other side of the door. The door opened, revealing a little boy with startling green eyes that he inherited from his father.

“Benjamin Lucas!” You huffed turning the corner with a frown, “You may be eight, but you are still not allowed to open the door alone!”

The little boy slouched at the greeting before his eyes met three boys behind the Peurto Rican pretty girl.

“Oh my god. He looks just like you!” Alex hissed to Luke unable to remove his gaze from his…his nephew. His attention pulled to the woman his sister had grown to be.

“Julie, right?” You spoke gently tugging Ben closer to you, “Can I help you?”

“Yeah.” Julie nodded, mumbled a thank you as you welcomed the girl into the small home you had made. It was small but perfect, “Did he get stitches?”

“Oh yeah! I guess you were there when he got hurt.” You nodded, moving a book from the couch for Julie to sit down. Your attention was on Ben as he went to the corner to play with toys, “He did. He’s kinda like my brother and his dad in that way.”

 “Oh, god.” The overly familiar voice snapped your attention.

Sitting on either side of Julie were exact replicas of three boys that tragically died back in 1995, everyone froze. Even Ben looked up from the tension.

“Mama?” Ben asked, furrowing his brow.

“It’s okay Ben. Can you go to your room?” You asked, staring pale at the two people that you hadn’t noticed before. They hadn’t been visible to you at the time until they sat beside Julie. The scampering of feet and the gentle closing a door left you alone with four people.

“She can see us.”

Mutely you nodded at Alex’s statement slouching into the couch in shock, “What is happening?”

“I found a CD in my garage, and I played it. Out of nowhere, Luke, Reggie and Alex literally appeared in the room. They’re ghosts.” Julie spoke softly, “I’m not sure how I can see them, but I can.”

“Wow.” You breathed leaning back into the couch, unable to tear your gaze from the three boys, “Let me guess. Your first order of business was haunting the hell out of Bobby?”

Bobby, Trevor as the world knew, had lived up to your predictions of him being a lowlife rat boy. If you didn’t have Ben, you would have gone after him, but you couldn’t risk what little you had at the time.

“He stole our songs,” Luke grumbled crossing his arms so like you remember from years ago. He was still the passionate, caring musician you fell in love with so quickly.

 “I know. I tried everything but with Ben…it was too hard, but hey he’s gotten little success from his new stuff. Guess he didn’t think of how stealing songs wouldn’t pan out.” You shrugged, twisting a ring on your finger that Luke gave you a few weeks after the spontaneous proposal.

“So Ben?” Alex questioned, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees with great interest in the new topic.

The tsunami of happiness broke through the heavy fog of sadness when your favourite subject came around. Talking about Ben could go on for years you swore with the amount of love for him.

“His name is Benjamin Lucas Patterson. He’s eight years old and obsessed with music, they say playing classical music helps with mental intelligence. Still, he wouldn’t settle unless I played rock.” You laughed glancing over your shoulder at the closed door, “He adores Bear in the Big Blue House and Dragon Tales. Not fond of Barney or Sesame Street but he’ll still watch it.”

The guys ate it up listening to every detail of a little boy they missed even if they only recently learnt about him. Reggie was silent listening to your stories of the young boy.

“His prized possession…come with me.” You gestured turning to head to the bedroom, “I didn’t ask for a lot of baby stuff, just the essentials and anything someone could make. Sunset Curve. You guys were significant to us, so I wanted Ben to have that.”

Ben was settled playing with the cars by his toy chest barely glancing as four people came together. Julie decided to stay in the living room. With a hand, you grabbed the blanket Ben absolutely always needed. It was a homemade blanket made entirely out of clothing—one of Reggie’s flannels, a few shirts from concerts with Luke and clothing that Alex loved.

“Y/N,” Alex spoke, brushing his fingers over the worn material touched at the action of doing something so little yet powerful.

 “I’m going, to be frank. After you died and I went to your fun-“ the word choked you as if you were back in 1995 sitting beside your mother wearing that black dress; a dress you burnt in the bathroom tub, “Mom found the test in my room. Rookie mistake. They weren’t thrilled about the baby and who the father was.”

“They kicked you out?”

“And Luke’s parents immediately welcomed me into their home. I owe them a lot, and Emily made this for Ben, she may not have approved of the band, but she knew it was important, so she wanted Ben to have a piece of his father’s greatest joy.”

“Mama? Can we have burgers tonight?” Ben asked quietly from his toys, “Can they stay for supper?”

Ben was shy with new people, but once he got to know someone, he was just like Luke with his bubbly and passionate personality. He was the spitting image of Luke with his hair and eye colour, but he got your nose and skin colour.

“If they want to.” You smiled, reaching over to pull the eight-year-old into your arms only wanting him to never grow up.

Alex, needing a break from the grief, wandered to a picture hanging on the wall that was a shadow box with his very first drum sticks. Underneath was Reggie’s old necklace that had to be replaced. Lastly underneath was the very first pick Luke used for the first song the band had performed.

“I’m Ben.” The boy spoke, meeting the eyes of the newcomers, “You’re the band that passed away, right?”

“Yeah. This may be confusing but Ben this is Alex, Reggie and Luke.” You replied, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. Ben returned to his quiet nature before looking at your eyes.

“That’s my family, right?”

In perfect sync, Alex and Luke started silently crying at the little boy’s words wishing that that night had never happened. It seemed at the time the right way to start the new chapter with one last street dog.

 “Yeah, baby.” You cleared your throat nodding along to the innocent words your son spoke before he was wandering out of the room, “One hour of cartoons young man.”

“I’m gonna go.” Reggie spoke gesturing after the boy, “I wanna watch Cartoons.”

Reggie poofed out of the room following the little boy out of the room, leaving three sad people. The room was heavy in loss, so sad it could choke a person.

“Does Mom and Dad have anything to do with him?” Alex asked as the boys covered their grief by wandering around the bedroom. Taking in the pictures of Ben from throughout the eight years, some with you or with his paternal grandparents. Few had Alex and your parents.

“They moved a few months after you died.” You admitted, “After the way they reacted to Ben I didn’t want him in that environment. We get Christmas cards and calls on his birthday, but I don’t have the time to travel.”

Alex nodded vividly remembering the way they reacted after he had told his parents that he didn’t like girls. It was challenging since Dad was always excited for the family name to be passed down, he didn’t see that the name could continue no matter who Alex loved. Mom was more open but stepped in line with her husband instead of her hurting son.

“I’m sorry.” Luke blurted stepping closer to you, allowing you to see the ocean of tears and pain swimming in his tortured gaze, “I shouldn’t have gotten that street dog. I should have stayed with you, you weren’t feeling good.”

“Things happen for a reason, Luke.” You sadly reminded the boy, “I wish it didn’t happen, but it did, and I’ve learned to live with that. Ben has a wonderful family and a good life.”

“He knows about us too,” Luke spoke, thinking back to barely half an hour ago when Ben acted as if he knew Luke all his life. God, Luke wished he could have seen everything.

“I have videos of Ben if you want to see them.” You offered the boy, “There’s a television in the den where Ben has his baby book, and the home videos if you want. You can stay in there all you want.”

Luke nodded, playing with his fingers, “I’d love that.”

“If you want to be alone, I can take Ben for ice cream. You can have the whole house to watch alone.” You graciously offered the boy you would always love and believed before that you would see him in decades after your own death.

Luke silently nodded following as you took him to the den where it had a child-sized guitar and floor to ceiling bookshelves. A television was tucked in the corner with a video camera stored on a shelf with a VHS player. In a sealed container, the home videos were kept safe along with the baby books.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. It’s nice to see you, Luke. Really.” You told the now younger boy keeping his eyes on the opened bucket. A bucket that held all the firsts he had missed out on a little boy he had loved since first seeing him in his family home weeks ago.

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