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yourlocalfictionalenthusiast · 3 years

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IN LIFE, IN DEATH...

PART FOUR

Pt1, Pt2, Pt3

Warnings: fighting with parents and some swearing

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The bright sunlight hit your eyes and you squinted a little as your feet hit the driveway.

Julie’s song was still playing through your head, and so was your conversation with her last night. The passion in her voice when she sang was the same as when she talked about her mom.

You wanted to run in and comfort her somehow, but Luke seemed insistent on staying outside, making Alex grumble next to you.

“Dude, why did you stop me? Julie needs a hug.”

“A ghost hug is not the feel-good moment you think it is. Trust me.” Luke said. What Julie needs is some privacy.”

“I think you poofed us out because you can’t handle when other people cry.” Alex waved his finger in Luke’s face, making you frown at his words.

It wasn’t a secret that Luke wasn’t the best with feelings, but he had always been there for you. Last night in the darkroom, and again at the diner, and countless other times.

“I should know,” Alex continued, gesturing between Luke and Reggie. “I cried in a room for 25 years, and I didn’t get a single hug from either of you.”

Reggie sighed, opening his arms. “Bring it in.”

“Don’t touch me!”

“This is why no one but (Y/n) hugs you.” Reggie mumbled as you rubbed Alex’s arm.

“Okay.” Luke interrupted. “So, once we get the courage to go in there, we should ask Julie why she lied about playing the piano.”

Alex shrugged. “And maybe tell her how amazing she is?”

You nodded and Reggie exclaimed. “She’s legit! I got ghost-bumps.”

Just then, the gate leading to the house swung open and a girl made her way down the pavement. As she got closer, you could hear her sobbing quietly.

“Oh no, was she crying too?” You asked as the girl entered the garage.

“Yes!” Luke shivered. “We definitely can’t go in there.”

“No, but we can listen.” Reggie ran towards the door, standing on his tip-toes to peek through the window.

“Guys! We can’t eavesdrop, that’s creepy!” You whispered, but the boys ignored you and crowded the door.

Seconds later, they all ducked to avoid being seen and you couldn’t help but be curious. So you ran over and squeezed yourself between Luke and Alex.

“I’m not okay!” The other girl shouted. “You got kicked out of music! I’ve been up all night thinking about what I was gonna say, and I might’ve had seven sodas but I need to get this out.”

“Flynn-” Julie started but Flynn shook her head and started ranting.

“Jules, if you leave the music program, we’ll be apart forever. Sure, we’ll see each other in the hallway sometimes but we’ll make new friends.”

“That’s not true.” Julie said.

“You’re right, I won’t make any new friends. The only time we’ll contact each other is by liking each other’s posts on Instagram. Every time I hit that little heart, mine will be breaking because my best friend left me.”

“What’s Instagram?“ Alex whispered to you. You shrugged, making a mental note to ask Julie later.

Julie sighed. “I just played piano and sang again.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was trying but then your seven sodas kicked in.” Julie laughed.

Flynn squealed. “I’m so happy for you! Look at you, looking all alive again. What made you play again?”

Julie slid her mom’s song across the piano to show Flynn and you couldn’t help but smile. You obviously hadn’t known Julie for long, but you were so happy that she reconnected with her mom and music.

“I was so scared to play it, cause everything having to do with music reminds me of her. But I woke up this morning, realizing that’s exactly why I should play it. To keep her memory alive.”

“We need to tell Mrs. Harrison that you can play so you can stay in the music program. My girl’s back! Double Trouble lives again.”

“Not our band name.” Julie laughed as the girls started walking out of the garage.

“Shit, she’s coming!” You whispered. “Act natural.”

You and Reggie sank to the floor, Luke leaned on his arm and Alex pretended to inspect the light hanging above you. Julie made eye contact with you and smiled.

“Oh, hey!”

Flynn turned around and watched Julie expectantly. Julie laughed awkwardly and started skipping down the driveway.

“Let’s hustle!” She grabbed Flynn’s arm and started walking up the stairs, waving goodbye.

“We weren’t listening!” Reggie said, earning a pinch on the arm from you and a kick to the ankle from Luke. Julie started swatting the air, trying to play it off like there was a bug, and pushed Flynn up the stairs.

As soon as she was gone, you made your way back into the garage. You sat at the piano bench, mindlessly playing the few chords you knew.

“I wonder why Julie didn’t tell us she could shred on the piano.” Reggie said.

“It probably has something to do with her mom.” You guessed, your fingers gliding across the keys.

“Yeah, that must’ve been hard.” Alex added before climbing up to the loft. “I really feel for her.”

“Yeah, but now she’s got music back in her life. Just like us.” Luke said, reaching over and hitting the note next to your finger.

“Yeah, I’m not sure you can call what we have a life.” Alex said and you snorted. “Hey, I think some of our old clothes are up here.”

He threw down a black trash bag filled with clothes and you sighed in relief. The night you died, you wore a plain pair of jeans, and your favorite old t-shirt of your dad’s. You usually wore one when you played a gig, so that a part of him could be with you in some way and of course; Luke’s jacket.

And as much as you loved your outfit, being in the same clothes for 25 years was not exactly sanitary, even by ghost standards.

“Sweet!” Luke exclaimed, taking off his shirt.

Shit!

You tried as subtly as possible to look away before anyone saw the blush on your cheeks, and you thought you had gotten away with it until Reggie laughed from across the room.

You sent him a glare, but that only made him laugh harder.

Suddenly, the studio doors opened again and Julie’s dad came in. He had a sad look on his face and a camera in his hands. It had ‘Ray Molina’ engraved on the handle so you figured that was his name.

The man walked right through Reggie, making him shudder. “That was weird. But somehow I can tell this man has a kind heart.”

“So, how have you been?” Ray asked, his voice heavy.

“Honestly, not that good.” Reggie said and you rolled your eyes. “See, we ate these hotdogs and-”

“Julie sang for the first time again this morning.” Ray took a picture of the room. “She hasn’t done that in almost a year. You would’ve loved it.”

“Yeah, we heard cause we-.” Reggie wiggled his fingers in front of Ray’s face. “Oh, I get it. He's not talking to us."

"Dude, you are so lucky you play bass." Luke said.

"I think he's talking to Julie's mom." Alex sighed.

Ray started walking towards the piano. "She's such an amazing young woman."

He started running his hands on the keys so you slid off the bench. You knew you definitely shouldn't be listening, this was definitely not something you weren't meant to hear but you couldn't help your curiosity. "Everyday she reminds me more and more of you."

"Called it!" Alex cheered.

Ray shifted the camera between his hands. "I'm taking pictures for the real estate website. I don't really wanna move, but...it's what's best for Julie."

Alex came down from the loft and you all crowded around the piano. Luke stared at Ray with wide eyes. "Move?"

Ray gently played a few notes of a ballad before he spoke again. "There's so many memories out here. Like, Julie sitting next to you and Carlos trying to sing with his missing front teeth."

Luke let out a shaky breath and you realized he was crying. It wasn’t until a tear rolled down your cheek that you realized that you were too. You frantically wiped your eyes, doing your best not to break down.

Ray was exactly what you always pictured your dad used to be like, and his love for Julie was exactly the same kind you knew he would've had for you. Thinking about your dad made you think about your mom, and that made trying to stop crying a whole lot harder.

"Come on guys, not you too." Reggie said.

"It's just...he's talking about moving but the poor guy doesn't wanna move." Luke sniffled.

Ray stood up and took a picture of right where you were all standing. "It's like they grew up out here."

Reggie fanned his face. "Now he's got me too."

Alex scoffed. "Okay, how am I the emotional one?"

"Can we go see my family? See how they're doing?" Reggie asked, his voice shaking a little.

You nodded. “Yeah, listening to this doesn’t feel right.”

Just as you go to leave, Ray laughs. "Remember when the kids were at your sisters and we came out here on our anniversary..."

"Yeah, no! " Luke cringed. "Definitely wrong.”

The beach was where you spent a lot of your free time when you were alive.

Usually after a long day when you just needed a place to work on new lyrics in peace. But sometimes after playing all day at the pier, the boys would drag you down to the water and you would all stay there as long as possible. Away from parents and responsibilities.

But just like everything else, it had changed so much.

"A bike shack," Reggie sighed. "Right where my house used to be."

"I'm sorry, Reg." You rested your head on Reggie’s shoulder.

"Why couldn't they at least have turned it into something cool like a pizzeria or something?"

"They tore down the whole neighborhood." Alex said.

"I guess my folks are gone."

Alex kicked his foot into the sand. "Everyone's gone. Twenty-five years, gone. Friends, family, Bobby, everyone."

That was another person you hadn't wanted to let yourself think about. Even though you and Bobby weren't super close, he was still a part of Sunset Curve. He could be a little bit of an asshole sometimes but he was still your friend.

"Bobby, that's right." Reggie said. "Guess that vegetarian lucked out. Wonder what happened to him?"

"He probably just got old like everyone else and moved on." Luke grumbled.

"Dude, how are you so chill about all of this?”

“Yeah, don’t you want to figure out what happened?” You asked.

“Let’s be real for a second.” Luke exhaled, clearly getting worked up. “It’s not like any of us were close to our families. My parents always regretted buying me that guitar. Reggie, your parents were literally a fight away from divorce.”

Luke ran a hand through his hair as he ranted, talking with his hands the way he always did when he was upset. “Alex, I- Your parents were never cool again after you told them you were gay.”

His eyes landed on you and he seemed to ease up a little. “(Y/n), you practically raised yourself since your mom was gone all the time.”

“Yeah, okay.” You said. “None of us had it great.”

“But at least we had something! What do we have now?” Alex shouted. “And before you say cool teleportation, I’m not cool with that either. It tingles. In weird places.”

Luke sprang to his feet. “I’ll tell you what he had. It’s what we’ve had since the day we came together. Guys, we have us. We’re the only family we’re ever gonna need. You wanna know what else we got?”

“I’m gonna guess death breath?” Reggie said.

“Our music, you dork.” Luke laughed. “People can hear us play again! They can’t see us, whatever, but they can feel us. I wish I had my guitar.”

Suddenly, the air around you made a sharp ‘whoosh’ sound and Luke’s six-string appeared in his hands.

“Whoa.” You said.

“How did you do that?” Reggie asked.

“I-I don’t know. I mean I wished for it and then...” Luke played a few chords and beamed.

Reggie jumped in place with his arms open, trying to wish for random things before he eventually gave up and slumped into the sand.

“I think I know what will cheer you up.” Luke said. He played the opening of ‘This Band Is Back’ and you couldn’t help but smile. Out of all the Sunset Curve songs, this was one of your favorites.

“Come on, Reginald.” Alex said as he started hitting his legs and chest to make a beat.

You offered Reggie your hand and pulled him up as Luke started the countdown. Reggie took it and twirled you around, effectively getting sand in your shoes. You laughed and spun him around before dragging him up to the tables in front of the restaurants as he sang.

The people around you seemed confused by the sudden music, but they danced around anyway. You forgot how much you loved seeing people react to your music. Watching them dance and smile made all your worries float away, even if it was just for now.

And for the first time since the Orpheum,

It really did feel like the band was back.

August 1994

It was just after sunset when you called the Patterson house.

The sound of your mom slamming the front door was still fresh in your mind and before you could stop yourself, your fingers were flying across the buttons. Luke was the only person who knew about your relationship with your mom.

You didn’t want to worry Cece, or Alex, or anyone else. But hiding things from Luke wasn’t easy, especially with how stubborn he was. So you told him everything, and he told you,

‘Call me next time, okay?’

The line only rang twice before someone picked up. “Hello?”

It was Emily, Luke’s mom.

You took a deep breath, trying to keep from crying. “Hi, Mrs. Patterson.”

Emily laughed and you could practically hear her roll her eyes fondly. “(Y/n), sweetie, what did I tell you about calling me that?”

Even though you and Luke had been friends most of your lives, you had only met Emily a handful of times. Luke didn’t really like hanging out at his house, especially when he started fighting with them regularly. Still, Emily always treated you like her own kid whenever you were around.

“Sorry, Emily.” You said. “Is Luke around?”

You heard some shuffling as she called out for him and after a few minutes, Luke picked up the phone. “Hey.”

“Hi, are you busy?”

“No, why?” He asked.

“Well, I made enough cookies to feed a small country and my mom’s gonna be gone for the night so I thought we could hang out.” You rambled. “Maybe finish ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark?”

Luke laughed excitedly. “Yeah, sure! Give me like 20 minutes.”

Luke’s laugh was so infectious that you had to fight through a giggle. “Okay, see you soon.”

As you went to hang up, you hear Emily’s voice again. She was teasing Luke about something but all you caught was the word ‘Girlfriend’, making you turn bright red.

You put the phone back on the hook just as the oven beeped to signal that it was ready to bake the cookies. You put them in the oven and turned your attention to the huge bowl of cake batter in front of you. At this point, there wasn’t anything left in the kitchen you hadn’t baked.

There was no way you would be able to eat all of it, even with Luke’s help. But you needed something to distract yourself to keep your mind from overloading.

True to his word, Luke arrived twenty minutes later, bursting through your front door and screaming the Indiana Jones theme song at the top of his lungs. He skipped his way into the kitchen, immediately sensing something was wrong when you didn’t join him or even acknowledge his presence.

“(Y/n)?” Luke approached you slowly.

“Hey.” You tried to sound as casual as possible, not looking up from the bowl. “So, you ready to finally finish this movie?”

Luke didn’t say anything as he scanned the kitchen. There were piles of cookies and cooking utensils all over the counter, and you had flour in your hair. You could see the realization flash across his face through your eyelashes.

“Okay, you’re baking everything in the house, which can only mean one of two things,” Luke said, his voice becoming more serious as he jumped up on the counter. “You either watched Sixteen Candles unsupervised again or…”

You stayed quiet as you slowly stirred the batter. It was ready to put in the pan ten minutes ago but you needed something to do to distract yourself.

Luke’s hand gently gripped yours before taking the spoon from you and letting it fall into the bowl. You looked up at him to find him already staring at you with a furrowed brow.

Damn it.

You should’ve known he would see through your thinly veiled excuses and promise of cookies. Luke was more observant than people gave him credit for.

“C’mere,” Luke said, opening his arms. You moved between his legs and buried your head in his chest, covering his shirt in tears, flour, and batter. But he didn’t seem to mind as he rubbed circles into your arm with one hand while the other cradled your head.

“She hates me.” You said through a deep, shuddering breath.

“She doesn’t hate you,” Luke reasoned. “It’s impossible for anyone to hate you.”

One of the things you loved about Luke was his protective streak when it came to his friends, and the way that no matter what, he could only see the best in them.

And as his best friend, you were pretty much perfect in his eyes. Which meant that when you didn't immediately agree, Luke launched into a rant.

"First of all, you're like the smartest person in the world. You manage to get good grades while also working at the diner three days a week which is nuts.

Secondly, your voice is insane! And your lyrics, (Y/n), we wouldn't even have half the Sunset Curve songs without your killer songwriting skills!"

"You done, Lu?" You joked as you pulled away just enough to look up at him, trying not to blush. No matter how hard you tried to play it cool when he complimented you, it always made you melt inside.

"I'm just saying," Luke laughed softly. “You are literally the best person I know, Squeaks.”

You let out a watery laugh at the mention of your childhood nickname. It was one that Luke had given to you in 4th grade after he put a bug on your arm and you had squeaked in fear.

“And just think,” Luke whispered, his voice sounding a little wistful. “One day, we’ll get signed to a label and end up somewhere far away from here.”

“We barely started making our demo.” You said, making Luke scrunch his nose in the way that always made you giggle. "Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself?"

“Nope.” He smirked. “Okay, I gotta ask, were you planning on baking this or is this a new look you’re going for? ‘Cause I gotta be honest, it’s not your best.” Luke said teasingly as he swiped some batter from your cheek.

“Oh, really?” You asked, dipping your finger in the bowl and smearing the batter across Luke’s face, making him gasp. Then you took a slight step back and hummed thoughtfully. “Definitely looks better on me.”

“You know what?” Luke scoffed, trying to hold back a smile and before you could blink, he reached into the bowl and flung the spoon at you, splattering your shirt. “I think you’re right.”

“Jerk!” You laughed, wiping off your shirt as Luke tried to lick the batter off his chin but he only managed to make an ever bigger mess.

“Did I get it?” He asked, making you giggle.

“Not quite.” You reached forward and carefully wiped it off, desperately trying to focus on anything other than how close your faces were. But it was impossible when you could feel Luke’s breath on the tip of your nose. “There.”

Luke’s face was unreadable as he looked down at you. The playfulness had evaporated in the air and was replaced with something else that you couldn’t really read either. Just when you thought the moment would last forever, the timer for the second batch of cookies rang through the kitchen, and you practically bolted to the oven.

You pulled them out and put them on a plate. “So, you know that we have to watch Sixteen Candles now, right?”

Luke groaned, pretending to be annoyed. Even though he would never admit it, you knew he secretly loved romance movies. “Fine, but Raiders of the Lost Ark after?”

“Deal.”

As Luke went into the living room to start the movie, you sighed to yourself. Maybe you would never have a normal relationship with your mom.

But you had your band, your friends, and even if it wasn’t exactly in the way you wanted;

You had Luke.

In Life, In Death Taglist:

@ifilwtmfc @instabull @wanniiieeee @tenaciousperfectionunknown @nxacomposts @merceret @itismeasmolpotato @lilostif16

JATP Taglist:

@caitsymichelle13

Let me know if you wanted to be added!

#luke patterson #luke patterson imagine #luke patterson x reader #julie molina #Reggie Peters #Alex Mercer #jatp fanfic

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incorrect-julie-and-the-phantoms · 4 years

Note

Jealous Luke+famous Julie (they’re both together now)

Hi there! Thank you so much for the prompt. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope that this is what you meant when you sent the ask. You can read the fic under the cut or you can click on the link here to read it on AO3. Enjoy!

Green Eyes and Fame

Pairings: Luke/Julie, Alex/Willie

Tags: Fluff, angst, jealousy, miscommunication

Five years since the band first made a splash, Julie and the Phantoms was one of the most popular bands in America. As the lead singer of the band Julie was the most well known and, thanks to her sweet disposition and how she went out of her way for her fans, everyone adored her. People just liked her, romantically as well as platonically. As her boyfriend of three years though, Luke kind of wished people would stop flirting with her in front of him.

Also known as the five times Luke was jealous because of people flirting with Julie, and one time he realized there was never a need to be.

1 - The Number 1 Fan

Luke was really glad in moments like these that the band wasn’t required to do meet and greets. He loved playing for people and he loved meeting people who were genuinely touched by his music, but after performing for two hours in the hot stage lights for the third time that week, he was pretty wiped out.

Management did require Julie to do these meet and greets once a week after a show though, what with being the lead singer and the name brand. Despite how she was just as physically drained as he was under the surface, and despite being at this for over two hours, Julie still greeted each fan with unending enthusiasm and her signature toothy smile.

He was meant to be there to keep her company, but found himself staring at her in fond amusement as she started admiring the little girl wearing Julie and the Phantoms keds. “My daddy got them for my birthday last week!” The girl beamed at her dad who was standing slightly to the side so his daughter could have her moment.

“They look super cool,” Julie said in an impressed tone, “and happy belated birthday.”

“Can you sign them?” The girl bounced up and down in excitement. “Please, please, please, please please-”

“Easy there,” Julie laughed, “I can't sign them with you jumping around like that.”

The little girl looked like she was gonna pass out from happiness as she hurried to pull off the sneakers. “Thank you Julie!”

A minute later, the little girl was sporting some autographed keds and a picture of her and her icon on her dad's phone. The man politely shook Julie’s hand before leading his daughter out of the room.

“I love you Julie!” The girl shouted behind her as she walked out.

“That girl was so adorable,” Julie gushed once she was gone.

“You think every little kid is adorable,” Luke reminded her.

“That’s because they are.”

Luke laughed good-naturedly at his girlfriend’s defensiveness over literally every child on the planet. She wasn’t wrong, kids were adorable. Especially when they were bouncing around in excitement over meeting their idol. Luke had helped her babysit her brother when they were in high school though, so he knew exactly how much of a pest they could be.

Luke pulled out his phone to scroll through Instagram as the next fan in the line up walked into the room. Luke only glanced at her briefly to see it was an older girl, probably around their age. He liked a picture of Alex, Flynn, and Reggie at an after-party and kept scrolling.

“Hey there,” Julie smiled at the girl as she approached, “what’s your name?” She held out her hand which the other girl took for a handshake.

“Lucille, but you can call me Lucy” the girl replied in a tone that sounded a little flirtatious. Luke raised an eyebrow and looked up, certain he had imagined it. He noted that the girl was holding the handshake just a little too long.

Julie just smiled back unaware, “nice to meet you Lucy. Did you enjoy the show?”

“I could watch you perform all day,” Lucy smiled back widely. Luke barely stopped his frown, definitely flirting.

As subtle as he could, which wasn’t very, Luke began to take her in fully for the first time. She was kind of pretty, tall with dark skin and almond eyes, hair pulled into a ponytail that showed off the buzzed underneath. Her nose was pierced and she was sporting a pair of cuffed jeans.

“I’ll take that to mean a yes,” Julie laughed warmly. “Well I’m glad you enjoyed it. And that you found the time to come for the meet and greet. You got a camera for the picture?”

Lucy pulled out a handheld camera and handed it to the photographer. “I was actually hoping we could do a pose?”

“Sure,” Julie smiled, “whatcha have in mind?”

“It involves your friend, if he doesn’t mind.” Lucy gestured over to Luke who startled in surprise at being addressed.

Julie looked over uncertainly. “I’m not sure-“

“I’m happy to join in,” Luke interrupted her. Anything to get between those flirty eyes and his very hot girlfriend.

Lucy smiled widely, “awesome! My idea was to have the hot guy look all jealous while I pretend to propose.”

Luke struggled to not glare at the girl. Choosing to keep an easy smile on his face and laugh. “Well I feel like anybody would be jealous of the person with Julie.”

He walked over to stand in front of the two while Lucy dropped to one knee. The jealous glare on his face was a little too easy for him to make as his girlfriend pretended to gasp in excitement. The camera flash finally went off and Julie hugged the girl goodbye. “It was nice to meet you,” she said brightly.

Lucy smiled back and handed her a piece of paper. “my number, in case you miss me.” At that she turned around strutted out of the room.

Once she was gone Julie turned to Luke, holding the paper between her thumb and pointer. “She was so sweet, it was nice of her to ask to hang out.”

Luke raised an eyebrow, “babe, you know she was flirting with you right?”

Julie’s eyes widened, obviously unaware of the fact. “Oh! I had no idea.”

Luke laughed. “I can’t believe you didn’t notice. Babe she proposed to you.”

“Shut up,” Julie blushed in embarrassment, “I can’t believe she didn’t recognize you as my boyfriend.”

“Trust me, she probably barely even noticed me there,” Luke kept the possessiveness out of his tone as he said it. Instead he batted his eyelashes and made a dramatic kissy face. “Oh, Julie,” he tried to mimic Lucy’s flirty tone, “I could watch you perform all day.”

Julie groaned and playfully shoved his shoulder. “I hate you so much.”

Once she turned to face the next person, Luke took the piece of paper with Lucy’s number on it to throw away. Feigning surprise when Julie told him she lost it with a confused look on her face.

2 - The Cute Barista

A couple weeks after the incident, the two were visiting their hometown for Julie’s father’s birthday. Before making their way to the house Julie dragged Luke to a hole in the wall cafe for breakfast.

“I don’t remember this being here in high school,” Luke mused.

“It’s new. I heard about it from an uh… Friend?” Julie’s smile was a little bit too innocent. Luke mentally prepared himself for whatever mischief she had planned, letting her lead him into the cafe. He was greeted with the intoxicating aroma of roasted coffee grounds and cinnamon pastries blended together and the din of people laughing, enjoying their drinks.

Luke went to the counter to place his order while Julie left to find a booth for them to sit in. He made a double-take as he recognized the barista.

“No way, Carrie?”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of him, mouth spreading into a wide smile. “No way.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I got the job for the summer while I’m not in school. If I had known they really let just anybody walk in here I wouldn’t have taken the job though,” Carrie teased him.

Luke laughed. “I remember Julie’s creative manager saying something similar when I signed on to be her guitarist.”

Carrie swatted his arm over the counter. “Shut up, we both know it wouldn’t be the Phantoms without you.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t nearly fistfight the manager when we first met. Anyways, how’s school?”

The other girl rolled her head to the side, a soft crack emitting as she cracked her neck. “Honestly? Amazing. I’m so glad I just decided to stick with the dancing side of performance, the whole singing and ‘dirty candy’ thing was kind of just cause I thought it was cool.”

“You’re cool though,” Luke insisted, “and I know that Julie is just waiting for you to graduate so she can snag you as a background dancer. She really misses you.” He paused for a moment. “Thinking about it now that’s probably why she dragged me here.”

Carrie blushed at the compliment and waved him off. “She knows that I want to make it on my own first, not ride on my friend’s coattails.” Still slightly pink, she gestured to nothing in particular, “what can I get for you in the meantime?”

Luke rattled off his order which she deftly took down. She then began to make his drinks and put his pastries in the oven simultaneously. Luke listened politely to her chatter about her different classes at CalArts as she worked, only interrupting to ask questions when she started talking in technical terms that he had no clue about.

If somebody had told Luke in high school that one day he would be having a conversation like this with Carrie of all people he would have said they were crazy. The girl had been a constant negative towards Julie up until their junior year, always trying to belittle her or one-up her with her own band.

One day though, Julie had decided she was through with being passively polite to Carrie as Flynn defended her. So, Julie made Luke drive her to Carrie's house in the middle of the night to verbally berate her to submission and hopefully get Carrie to back off.

The conversation had taken a different turn though.

It turned out Carrie was mad at Julie because Julie had completely shut her out when her mom died at the end of eighth grade and started ignoring her for Flynn. Then, when Julie started to be better and more like herself, she had ruined Carrie’s big premiere performance that she had spent months working on by showing her up with a last-minute song.

That hadn’t excused her being a bully, but after a lot of crying and apologizing on both ends, the girls were soon best friends again, this time with Flynn.

When Flynn and Carrie had first spoken to each other after the argument with Julie, they had gotten on like a house on fire. Reggie, Alex, and Luke had been equally surprised that they were able to get along at all after three years of fighting and horrified of what the two of them accomplished when they worked as a team to roast them.

It had been even more surprising when Reggie and Luke caught the two of them in a janitor’s closet at school, but that was a story for another time.

Despite constantly teasing him, she had turned out to be surprisingly cool without her ‘mean girl’ persona. She loudly called out people who were homophobic to Alex and verbally eviscerated people who made fun of Reggie. After she turned Dirty Candy from a pop group to a dancing group, she had let Alex join and would hang out with him until late teaching him. She also helped tutor Reggie in math when his ADHD had made it hard for him to focus, patiently explaining quadratics and Algebra.

In Luke’s eyes, anybody who was good to his friends was good to him. So, naturally, Carrie grew on him quickly.

As she finished making his drinks, Luke looked around the cafe for Julie. Despite how small it was, there was a surprising amount of people there, filling the atmosphere with laughter and idle chit chat. He kind of wish it had existed while they were in high school, it would have been a great place to hang out.

He finally found her sitting in a booth by the window, freezing once he noticed that she wasn’t alone. There was a guy there wearing a barista uniform, admittedly handsome, who was braced on the edge of the table in a way that was obviously meant to show off his arms. His pose was suggestive, leaning slightly towards Jullie.

As Julie laughed at something the man said, a familiar curl of jealousy wrapped around Luke’s gut. He glared down the man’s head, wondering if it was possible to kill somebody from this distance with his mind.

“Easy there,” Carrie interrupted his thoughts. Luke startled and turned back to face her, surprised to see she had finished making his order without him noticing. “What’s got you so angry?”

“Nothing,” Luke mumbled unconvincingly. Carrie looked over in the direction he had been staring in and smiled in a way that Luke meant trouble.

“Wow,” she said in feigned surprise, “I didn’t know that Jesús and Julie knew each other.”

“Jesús?” Luke asked. He knew he was being obvious but he had always been bad at subtlety.

Carrie’s smile was predatory, knowing she had caught him. Her face smoothed out innocently and waved her hand dismissively. “He’s nobody, just a new hire. His family recently immigrated from Spain so he’s still got the accent, has a habit of making nearly every girl here, and quite a few guys, swoon.”

Luke clenched his jaw and glared across the room at the man again. Turning back around, he paid for his food and slipped an extra hundred dollar bill into her tip jar. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice until they were gone.

Right before walking away though, he turned back to Carrie. “Hey I might need your help later, Ray is going to give me…” Luke trailed off, eyes flicking back to his girlfriend, “a family heirloom. He told me about a shop to get it altered but I don’t want to go alone.”

Carrie’s eyes widened in understanding. “Are you-?” Luke nodded, smiling bashfully. The girl beamed, “you bet your ass I want to go with you.”

“Thanks Carrie,” he smiled at his friend as he grabbed the drinks and pastries, “it was nice to see you.”

Carrie grinned widely. “You too man, pick me up tomorrow. I’ll come up with some excuse so Julie isn’t suspicious.” After she finished speaking she turned to the next customer in line to take their order.

Forcing the glare off his face into an easy grin, Luke made his way over to his girlfriend.

“Hey babe,” he said a little too loudly, startling the other man. Luke felt a curl of dark satisfaction as Jesús jumped a little in surprise. “I got one large black coffee with cinnamon for you, you sadistic weirdo, two lemon blueberry scones, and a salted caramel iced mocha, for me of course.”

Julie rolled her eyes as she took the coffee from the tray, “liking black coffee isn’t weird you know.”

“Plain black coffee is something that only people who hate themselves, are on a diet, or psychopaths enjoy.”

“It’s not plain,” Julie reminded him, “it has cinnamon.”

“The only reason I haven’t called a psych consult and you know it.”

Julie laughed and took a sip of the coffee, “you never know. I could be a psychopath.”

“Or a high functioning sociopath, if you do your research.” Luke grinned as Julie laughed at the reference. He loved watching her when she laughed, leaning back in a way that showed off the endearing gap in her two front teeth as her entire body shook with the force of her laughter. On rare occasions she would even snort, if the joke was funny enough.

Luke slid into the booth next to her and linked their fingers together while she laughed. Once she stopped laughing she gestured towards Jesús with the hand still holding the coffee.

“Luke this is Jesús. Jesús, this is my boyfriend Luke.”

Luke felt warm all over, being introduced as Julie’s boyfriend. Even after dating for three years it still made him happy. “Nice to meet you man.” He held out the hand not entwined with Julie’s for a handshake.

“Likewise,” the man responded. Luke felt a flash of surprise at the lack of accent.

“Jesús and his sister were adopted by...” Julie trailed off, eyebrows furrowed as she did some math in her head.

“Your mom’s second cousin,” Jesús finished her sentence. “moved down here from San Francisco. I’m starting at Caltech once the summer’s over.”

“That’s neat.” Luke tried to not be embarrassed over being jealous and thinking Julie was flirting with family. “Whatcha studying?”

“Double major in mechanical and electrical engineering,” he said proudly.

“Jesús was just telling me he wanted to be a robot engineer so he could build Norm from Phineas and Ferb,” Julie said as she took a sip of her coffee.

Jesús grinned. “You laugh, but that man shaped my childhood.” Carrie shouted for Jesús as a crowd of teenagers walked in, loudly messing around and joking. He grimaced, “looks like Carrie needs some backup. It was nice to meet you though Julie, and you Luke.”

“See you at the party later!” Julie called after him as he walked away.

“I didn’t know you had other family in LA,” Luke mused. He took a sip of the mocha, pleasantly surprised at how great of a job Carrie had done on it.

“Neither did I,” Julie confessed, “when my aunt heard I was in town she told me about him though and said to keep a lookout.”

“Is that why we came here?” Luke asked, snagging a bite of his scone.

“Nah, I just heard Carrie was here and wanted to see the horror on your face once you realized I brought you here for a dark roast and a Carrie roast.”

He choked on his scone. “That was a horrible pun, and a horrible thing to do.”

“Pun still made you laugh though,” Julie said with a smug smile.

Luke glared at her for a minute before turning back to his scone, sulking. “Just shut up and eat so we can go to your dad’s house.”

He tried his best to stay annoyed with her. When she leaned over and kissed his temple in apology though, his resolve shattered and he couldn’t help the pleased grin that spread across his face. Wow am I whipped, he thought to himself, but for the life of him he couldn’t find any problem with that fact.

3 - The ‘Nice Guy’

A month later, Luke had to miss a scheduled practice session with the band for the first time ever.

The only reason he was missing in the first place was because of Bobby. The man had finally gotten back to him about a favor he needed, saying he was happy to help. However apparently there was only one opening at his recording studio for the next six months, something about the starlet booked being sent back to rehab? Six months was too long for Luke to wait though, and he was already in NYC. So, he told Bobby he would be there.

He knew that, even without telling them his reason, the band would all be fine with him missing. But even with Julie insisting that it was completely fine, Luke still felt like a horrible person that they would have to cancel practice because of him.

The guilt gnawed on his chest until Reggie and Alex told him they were still going to practice as scheduled. Apparently, they had asked one of the backup guitarists to cover for him. Some guy named Billy?

“If you ask me,” Alex confessed to Luke while they were telling him, “I only asked him cause the dude really needs the practice. He’s literally paid to know all the songs in case you need time off and to play back up. But at the last concert, he was right next to me, and the dude couldn’t even keep up with ‘Bright,’ for longer than a couple seconds. The rest of the songs ”

Luke raised an eyebrow, “that song is like, four chords. If he can’t do it then why did management hire him?”

“Do we all have backups for our time off?” Reggie piped up.

“Yeah, mine is some named Owen, seems pretty nice. I’m surprised you guys didn’t know about yours. Jeremy is a pretty funny guy, way more level headed than you.”

“You sayin I’m not level headed?” Reggie said defensively.

“I met Jeremy,” Luke said in surprise. “I’ve seen him around everywhere but I didn’t know he was the backup bassist. Did you know he does voice acting?”

“My backup does voice acting?” Reggie flipped from defensive to excited in a moment.

“Anyways,” Alex got them back on topic, “Billy’s only your backup because his dad is the head of Covington Entertainment. Dude could ruin us if we don’t let his son have the job.”

“On that note, I will be sucking up to him,” Reggie said nervously, “quite a bit.”

After that Luke had felt a little bit better about skipping. He left for the studio a couple minutes later, after saying goodbye to Julie of course.

Bobby himself was the one who sat in the recording booth for Luke’s session. “You think I would let just any old person produce your music? You’re family, and family looks after each other.”

The whole thing didn’t last more than half an hour. It had been fun at first, messing with the different equipment and such that was usually off-limits. Without the band though, and he found it a little bit boring after a while. At the very least, this was a confirmation that a solo career was not for him. After Bobby called it a night he promised he would send over the demo once he was done editing it.

Luke thanked him a hundred times before running off to his car. Based on his watch, there was still an hour left to rehearsal. If he was careful and took the highway he could get there on time for a least a solid forty-five minutes of practice.

There was no music coming out of the studio as he arrived, probably meaning the band was taking a break. He was passing by the bathroom when there was the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Luke was going to keep walking until he heard something that caught his attention.

“-think I might actually have a chance with Julie, man.” Luke froze at the excited words, wondering if the person was talking about his Julie. He couldn’t hear whoever the man was talking to so he assumed it was a phone call. As quietly as he could, he inched closer to the bathroom door so he could eavesdrop.

“I’m not crazy,” the man said defensively, “the band personally asked me to cover for their guitarist while he’s off doing god knows what. We’ve been practicing together for a couple hours now and the guys love me.” A laugh. “Alex is exactly as much of a Mary Sue as all the magazines said and Reggie is the biggest dolt on the planet though so it really wasn’t too hard.”

Luke felt his teeth grind together. The Mary Sue thing was something that he knew bothered Alex. His friend was polite to everyone he didn’t know, even those who were rude to him, and tended to be a people pleaser. If the magazines ever had to deal with Alex when he was tired or stressed, they wouldn’t be so quick to call him a Mary Sue.

And Reggie wasn’t dumb. Anybody who bothered to get to know Reggie figured out pretty quickly that he only needed to be told things multiple times because his ADHD affected his short term memory and made it hard to focus when people were speaking to him. And despite what people thought, Reggie was a little shy. So, being around new people made him a little nervous which made his hyperactivity worse. So random outbursts, fidgeting, or rambling made him seem ‘spazzy’ and outgoing.

Luke was about to burst in and give this guy a piece of his mind. Yell at him about how Alex was actually a grumpy dumbass and Reggie was not a dolt, but stopped himself once the guy spoke again.

“I know that doesn’t mean Julie likes me. I’m not stupid. I know Julie likes me cause she keeps watching me while she sings and stuff. The chemistry is practically tangible dude. Trust me when I say that she wants a piece of Billy.”

Jealousy began to pool in Luke’s gut. Usually Julie sang to him, not whoever this wannabe was. Now that he thought about it, when was the last time Julie and him got so into a song that she kissed him at the end? When was the last time they went on a date? When was the last time they even kissed period?

She literally kissed you before you left for the recording studio idiot, his brain reminded him.

The voice was silent as the guy listened to whatever the person on the other end of the line said. He made an offended noise. “It’s not weird to talk in third person, it shows confidence. And why would I make up practicing with the Phantoms?” So this was the Billy Alex told him about, interesting.

There was another beat of silence, longer this time. “I’m not being delusional, you and I both know I would be amazing for her. I’m only here because her crappy boyfriend bailed on the band and I was man enough to step up and help. Once Julie stops being a stupid bitch and realizes I’m an actually nice guy- ”

Luke felt the jealousy and possessiveness burn into anger, slamming the bathroom door open before the guy could finish his sentence. As he took in the guy he noted that, other than being tall, he was kind of unimpressive. Especially when he looked like he was about to shit his pants at the sight of Luke.

“Hey Billy,” Luke said icily, “I’m the shitty boyfriend, nice to meet you.”

Billy blanched. “I can explain-”

“I heard enough,” Luke practically growled, cutting the guy off. “I can understand saying that Julie is amazing since it is super obvious to literally even the stupidest people. I can understand wanting to treat her right. Hell, I can even forgive you thinking that I’m the biggest piece of garbage ever.”

As Luke spoke he stalked closer to the man in front of him, watching as Billy stepped back nervously to avoid him. He kept walking forward, herding the man until his back was pressed against the wall. He stepped closer still, until he was practically in the man’s face. Despite being nearly a head taller, Billy still cowered like Luke was twice his size.

“Do you know one thing I will not tolerate though?” Luke asked as he plucked the phone from Billy’s hand and hung up on the man on the other end of the line.

“N-no?” The man squeaked.

“I will not tolerate anybody calling my girlfriend, or any girl for that matter, ‘a stupid bitch’ just because she doesn’t want to get with them. And I certainly won’t tolerate you making fun of my best friends.” Luke’s voice sounded dangerous to his own voice, despite being at a quiet, even tone. “You feel me, nice guy?”

“I’m sorry man, I wasn’t thinking.”

“You’re right,” Luke agreed, “you weren’t thinking, and I’m not even slightly finished with your dumb ass.” He stepped back just an inch, crossing his arms to prevent himself from throttling the guy in front of him. There was a nagging voice that sounded suspiciously like Alex in the back of his head telling him that this was a bad idea.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything cause I’m not one to rain on your parade, but you really pissed me off. First of all, since you are apparently unaware, it’s literally your job to cover for me when I can’t be there. There was no ‘being man enough’ idiot when it’s in your job description.”

“It’s not my job to go to practice, the team asked me personally-” Billy protested.

“That brings me to the ‘second of all.’ The guys only ‘personally’ asked you to practice cause you can’t even play the most basic songs, and rather than letting you embarrass yourself, they were trying to be nice and help you. Cause unlike you, they are actually nice guys. And what you,” Luke jabbed his finger into his sternum, “did to thank them is turn around and talk bad about him to your friend the second they were gone.”

I didn’t mean any of it man. It just slipped out on accident.” Billy looked like he was about to cry, which was not a good look on him. The only reason Luke didn’t feel bad is that Billy looked like a petulant child who was only upset at being caught doing the bad thing and not remorseful because he did it in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, Luke stepped back from Billy before doing something stupid, like punching the son of the guy who owned Luke’s career. He stared up at the sky, tapping his chin as he pretended to think. “Say, I just had a great idea. Wanna hear it?”

Terrified, Billy nodded.

“Since I’m such a nice guy, I’m gonna do you a favor.” Luke practically growled at the man “Since your not thinking led to you ‘accidentally’ trying to degrade my girlfriend and talking smack about my friends, I’ll do your thinking for you for the rest of the night. Just so you don’t slip up again, understand?”

Billy opened his mouth to reply. However, even though he phrased it as a question, Luke didn’t actually care about his answer. So, he just kept talking before the man could speak.

“So, I’m thinking that, since you just feel so bad about all of this, that once we walk out of this bathroom we pretend we never had this conversation okay? But when we go back to the studio you are going to be unbelievably polite and nice to Reggie and Alex. Then you are going to work your hardest for the rest of practice until you have a basic grasp of every song. Then you are going to leave.”

“Can I at least talk to Julie?” Billy asked hopefully.

A wave of anger rose up in Luke. “You aren’t gonna speak to her unless she speaks to you.” Billy sagged in disappointment, nodding to show his agreement.

Satisfied, Luke backed up so that he was no longer cornering the taller boy to the wall. He felt Billy’s eyes on his back as he turned on his heel, marching out of the bathroom.

As he opened the door to the studio, Julie, Alex, and Reggie were sitting in the center laughing about something. The three of them looked up at the sound of the door, eyes widening in surprise.

“Didn’t expect to see you here man!” Alex smiled at him.

“Dude, do you know how weird it is to practice without you? I felt like I was in the twilight zone.” Reggie laughed at his own joke.

Julie walked over and placed a kiss on his cheek, rolling her eyes at Reggie’s joke. “Billy’s in the bathroom but he should be back any minute so you can meet him. He’s a nice guy, you’ll like him.”

Another irrational stab of jealousy pierced through Luke. “Great,” he answered her. His friends must have noticed the irritation in his tone because their smiles dimmed down.

“You okay?” Julie asked, a concerned frown on her face. He opened his mouth, ready to brush it off and pretend nothing had happened, as Billy walked into the room. He was all swagger now, a contrast to the boy Luke left in the bathroom who looked like he was going to pee himself.

“Hey guys,” Billy smiled. Luke didn’t miss the way his eyes passed over Julie and stayed just a moment too long.

Another stab of jealousy. “Just met this really rude guy today. You wouldn’t believe the things that came out of his mouth.” Billy froze, a flash of panic over his eyes that Luke only caught because he was looking for it. “It’s not that important though,” he continued, watching as Billy relaxed again. “I might tell you later if I don’t forget by then.”

“How about we get back to practice?” Billy suggested nervously. “Any chance you can help me learn Luke?” This time when he looked up at Luke he pointedly avoided eye contact with Julie.

Luke felt another pang of guilt in his stomach. He knew he was being an ass, but he really didn’t like this guy. Trying out a genuine smile for a peace offering, Luke went over to his guitar mounted on the wall. “Let’s play.”

4 - The Old Fling

The day after Luke accidentally put the fear of God into him, Billy quit the band to go work for his dad’s company. Luke felt kind of bad for him, but to be fair he was wholly unqualified. Even with Luke painstakingly showing him each cord he still couldn’t get it. The new guy they hired for his backup guitarist was named Charlie, who he liked infinitely better because he never flirted with Julie.

After Billy went home, Luke ended up telling everyone about the incident in the bathroom. Julie had gotten annoyed with him for defending her honor like she was some helpless maiden, but she seemed glad about him defending Alex and Reggie. The two guys had just shrugged and said he was really annoying anyway.

As an ‘apology’ to Julie for defending her honor without asking, Luke took Julie out to Coney Island for a date. He was pretty Julie just wanted an excuse to go there but Luke didn’t complain, any time spent with Julie was a good time.

The trip started out great. They went on the ferris wheel, visited some candy shop Julie had heard about, and rode the cyclone. It was hot there in late August and there were countless people on the beach. Julie closed her eyes and looked up every once in awhile, basking in the sun.

“You’re like a cat,” Luke teased her.

“Cats do nothing but eat, sleep, poop, and play all the time and are called cute even if they are little devils to their owners,” Julie replied without opening her eyes, “sounds like the kind of life most people would be jealous of.”

“Cats also lick their own buttholes,” he reminded her.

A shrug. “Well we can’t all be perfect.” Julie looked down from the sun and grabbed her water bottle from Luke’s backpack.

“Yeah, but I still think I’m gonna pass. I would have to stop eating taco bell, which is definitely a dealbreaker.” Great, now he wanted tacos.

Julie rolled her eyes at his bad joke, opening the bottle to take a sip. “Even still,” she said, “with all the team meetings, songwriting, and late-night concerts I’ve barely been able to enjoy the sun. I’m either sleeping or stuck inside.” Her shoulders slumped a little.

Luke pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead comfortingly. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, tucking her under his chin.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Julie said, voice muffled against his chest, “I love what I’m doing, and I love that I get to do it with you. I just wish that they didn’t make a meeting to decide if they wanted to make the ‘and’ in Julie and the Phantoms into that weird eight symbol.”

“Well obviously it was life or death,” Luke said in a grave tone, “can you imagine the outrage if we changed something that literally nobody would notice?”

Julie giggled, “I imagine it would be the same level of rage if we made the ‘J’ in merchandising a little larger.”

“Well that would just be unforgivable,” Luke said in mock horror.

His girlfriend laughed and hugged him back tighter. A familiar warmth spread throughout his core and his brain felt like it was saturated in happy hormones. He smiled and tucked his head in her neck. Luke let out a grumble of complaint once she finally pulled away, trying to pull her back into the hug.

“Luke, you’re cute and all but it's hot out.”

“Oh that? It’s just my burning desire for you.” Luke grinned as Julie groaned at his corny joke.

“I changed my mind,” Julie took a step back as she spoke. “I don’t think you’re cute and I actually hate you.” There was no malice in her tone though, and her exasperated smile was still fond.

“Nobody’s perfect,” Luke parroted back to her, inevitably bringing tacos to mind again. His stomach churned in anticipation.

Julie started laughing again, another one of those full-body laughs that showed off her toothy smile. “God you’re so…” Julie trailed off as she saw something behind him, eyes widening.

“I’m so what?” Luke pressed. He glanced behind him to try and see what caught her eye, heart dropping once he saw it. ‘It’ being Nick, Julie’s boyfriend from when they first started playing together and became friends. All distracting thoughts of tacos left his mind.

“Nick!” Julie called out, running towards the blonde man. He had grown up since Luke had seen him last, literally. Nick was definitely a couple inches taller than him, which Luke stubbornly refused to acknowledge bothered him. His baby face was gone and he had five o’clock shadow.

Nick caught Julie as she ran to him and twirled her in a hug. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were in town,” he said in a pleasantly surprised tone as he lowered her, hands still on her hips. He looked up as Luke made his way over, giving him a polite smile.

“Hey Nick,” Luke waved. His eyes flickered down towards Nick’s hands still on Julie’s waist, trying to stifle his possessiveness. Julie was her own person and it wasn’t her fault that he was still jealous of Nick.

The blonde didn’t seem to notice, amazingly observant as ever. Thankfully, he still moved his hands. “Man, it's weird to see you guys outside of a magazine tabloid or a video call. How long has it been? A year?”

“Three,” Julie corrected him, “either that or I managed to skip to junior year of college alarmingly fast.”

Nick’s eyes widened, “it’s already been three years since high school?” He looked like he was about to have an existential crisis.

“And yet Luke is still a child,” Julie joked.

“Hey,” Luke complained.

“We’re actually about to get some tacos if you want to join us.”

“We are?” He turned to Julie excitedly, immediately forgetting why he was offended.

“Yeah, I know you. The second you bring up tacos you’re basically impossible to distract.”

Except for the blonde idiot I had to watch you obsess over for two years. It then processed that she had invited said blonde idiot to join them for tacos. Jealousy and hunger conflicted in his mind. Great, now Nick ruined tacos.

The blonde chuckled in amusement. “I would love to but I'm here with my mom. She’s not gonna last another five minutes without asking me to take her back to my apartment, let alone going out to eat.” Julie pouted at that, and Luke couldn’t tell if he was more annoyed at the disappointment in Julie’s face or at Nick for disappointing her.

“Well you have to tell your mom I said hi,” Julie ordered him.

“Of course, my mom adores you,” Nick said sincerely. Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw a familiar flash. Turning to look he saw a small group of paparazzi starting to form. Julie and Nick were completely unaware though.

“Jules,” Luke reached out to tap her arm for attention, to warn her.

It was too late though. Julie propped herself up on her toes to plant a friendly kiss on Nick’s cheek. Luke couldn’t help the spike of jealousy in the pit of his stomach as he saw her lean over, feeling the frown on his face before he could stop it.

The paparazzi went nuts, cameras flashing like strobe lights as they tried to catch a picture of the scene. Julie turned in surprise as they surged forward and started hounding her with questions.

“Are the rumors of your split with Luke true?”

“Is this man your new boyfriend.”

“What’s your opinion your gay drummer.”

“Is it true that you had an illegitimate love child when you were sixteen.”

Julie’s eyes widened, frozen at the onslaught. Luke reached out his hand and yanked her free of the crowd. The paparazzi had drawn a lot of attention, causing a crowd to gather to see what they were going nuts over.

“It’s Julie Molina!” Somebody shouted from the crowd. A bunch of people started murmuring in agreement, pulling out their phones. Luke cursed, their cover was blown. So much for a day without work.

Luke began to lead Julie away from the crowd at a hurried pace, making sure to wave and smile as he walked by them. Julie had recovered from her initial shock and joined him in their smile and wave.

Finally they made it to their car, breathless from exertion. The car was quiet, save for the sound of their labored breathing, until Julie broke the silence with a burst of laughter. Luke looked over at her in bewilderment, certain she had cracked from stress. She looked over at him and whatever she saw only made her double over harder, snorting between laughs.

“Are you okay?” He asked in concern.

“I’m, I-I’m just.” Julie struggled to catch her breath so she could form her sentence. “I’m just imagining the tabloid covers tomorrow. Poor Nick’s mom is going to think we’re a thing again.” Luke’s eyes widened in horror at her realization. Julie just started laughing again, “oh my god PR is going to kill us.”

“We’re so screwed.” Luke agreed.

The next day, the headlines showed Julie kissing Nick’s cheek while Luke stood to the side with a pained grimace.

“Sweetheart or Heartbreaker? : Popstar Julie Molina flaunts new relationship in front of ex-beau Patterson. Does this mean the end of Julie and the Phantoms?” Read all about it on page 3.”

5 - The daredevil

“I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried,” the PR representative declared as she beamed at the photo like Christmas had come early. “There’s nothing like a scandal to catch media attention, and ultimately what people think you did was unproblematic enough that people have no reason to ‘cancel’ you.” She looked up at the two of them pensively, “did I use that word right? My middle-schooler taught me it the other day.”

“You used it fine?” Julie glanced at Luke in confusion which he returned with a shrug to convey he was equally lost. He wasn’t sure what to say here. They had been prepared for a lecture, to get chewed out. Not whatever this was.

“So just checking, you aren’t mad about us accidentally causing drama?” Julie sounded skeptical.

The woman scoffed "Are you kidding me? Management is over the moon with your band’s popularity ranking. Sales for their latest album went up by 15% in middle aged women and 3% in college students. You’re even on the Billboard top 100 music charts now.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “Oh honey no of course not. Frankly it's a miracle you made it as long as you had without appearing on the front page of some crappy gossip magazine. This scandal was so mild that it probably helped you. Honestly you just show up a couple times acting like a happy couple and the bad part will be gone, leaving you with all the juicy benefits.”

“Wha…” Julie gaped at the woman like a fish, expression bewildered. If Luke looked hard enough he swore he could see the error message as her brain tried to process being freaked out for nothing. Luke reached out and linked their fingers together, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

“We aren’t in trouble Julie,” he translated for her.

“We aren’t in trouble?” Julie repeated skeptically.

“Look,” the woman leaned forward. “Your brand is defined by keeping your nose clean, not getting involved in anything controversial, being politically correct, and staying appropriate for all ages. All you did was make yourself a little messy, bored housewives and angsty teenagers like messy. And a little messy can also lead to good more messy.”

“Oh,” Julie nodded in understanding. She leaned over to Luke and whispered in his ear, “can you translate?”

“You were a perfect person, now you’re human, and something messy?”

“That’s so stupid,” she hissed, “I’m not perfect at all.”

“I didn’t say I agreed with her,” he retorted.

“Oh, so you don’t think I’m perfect?”

Luke felt the blood drain from his face. “Hold up-”

“And don’t even get me STARTED on Luke,” the woman interrupted him, “nothing is hotter than a heartbroken man.”

“Julie is,” Luke said defensively. Julie blushed and kicked his shin under the table. She still had a pleased smile on his face though, so he figured he was forgiven for earlier.

“Well not everybody is you,” the PR rep reminded him. “People want more of you now, and I have to say this is the perfect opportunity for you to start your solo career. Bobby sent over your rough demo to the big boss and is ready to make a team for you, just say the word.”

“I don’t want to release it now though,” Luke argued, ignoring the quizzical look Julie sent his way. With the argument with Billy, seeing Nick, and freaking out about them getting in trouble Luke had been too distracted to talk to her about it. The three days since recording the demo felt like an eternity ago now.

“Well obviously not now, the demo song isn’t fully edited yet.” The woman rolled her eyes like ‘duh.’ “We want you to announce it on the red carpet when you go to the premiere of The Other Side of Hollywood next week.”

Luke sat in quiet, thinking about what the woman was offering. “Can I have some time? This is kind of a big decision.”

The woman waved him off, “yes fine. We don’t have to announce it at the premiere, but we need your decision by the end of the month.” The end of the month was less than three weeks away, not too much time. The woman turned to her computer and waved them off, “just act like a couple and the scandal blows away. See you at the end of the month.”

As soon as he left the room, he let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “That was the opposite of what I expected.”

Julie laughed. “I think all it proved is that we are too goody two shoes to keep up with drama.”

“Maybe we should turn to a life of crime,” Luke suggested, “nothing too bad, just interesting.”

“What, like jaywalking?”

Luke staggered back in exaggerated horror. “I said nothing bad, you monster. I thought it was just a theory that only psychopaths drink black coffee but you just proved it right.”

“My bad,” Julie apologized, “how about cold-blooded murder?”

“Now we’re talking.” Luke smiled at Julie’s exasperated smile, leaning closer to link their hands together. “I got an idea on where you can start actually.”

“Jaywalking?”

“No, murder. You can kill me so I don’t have to go to the premiere of The Other Side of Hollywood.” It had been exciting to write a song for a big budget movie soundtrack, and he was excited to see the film. It was just the whole formal event thing that he wasn’t a huge fan of.

Julie rolled her eyes at her dramatic boyfriend. “It’s not going to be as bad as you think.”

“Wrong, I’ve been told if I want to go I gotta wear a tuxedo. Nobody should be cursed by the sight of me in a tuxedo.”

Instead of replying Julie stopped them in the hallway, turning him to face her and taking a step back. Her eyes trailed slowly up and down his body, her gaze hesitating on his neck, wrists, and lips. Luke felt himself start to flush at her shamelessly checking him out, nervously reaching up to scratch his forearm.

Finally, Julie nodded. “Thought so.” She turned heel and walked away.

“What?” Luke called after her.

Julie turned her head over her shoulder, eyes sparkling mischievously. “That it’s a damn shame you won’t see me in my dress.”

A week later, Luke was wearing the tux.

Unfairly though, Luke turned into a flustered mess once he saw Julie in her movie premiere dress. He struggled to pick his jaw up off the floor as he watched her blue-clothed figure make its way down the stairs. To be fair though, what did one expect him to do when an absolute goddess greeted him casually before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“We get it,” Reggie sighed, “you two are in love and hot and all single people everywhere hate you. Can you just get in the damn car now, I was promised champagne and pigs in a blanket.”

Luke flushed at being called out by Reggie. He reached out his hand to lock fingers with Julie, helping her get the long dress into the limo. He kept that hand the whole ride, tracing the veins while he pretended he wasn’t staring at her. She could have told him to jump off a bridge that moment and he would have done it.

He wasn’t able to stick with her once they got to the red carpet though. After taking a band group picture she was pulled to the side for solo pictures, flashing an apologetic look their way. Luke knew she felt bad for being more famous than the rest of them but the guys honestly didn’t like the attention fame brought them. The three of them were more than happy to let somebody else be their face and stick to the background. Luke knew Julie couldn’t stand it either, but it was kind of hard to hide while being the lead singer.

He gestured to let her know that they would be inside waiting for her and she blew him a quick kiss goodbye. Luke felt the dopey grin on his face as Alex and Reggie dragged him inside to the party.

“Can we stay here instead of watching the movie,” Reggie mused. Luke couldn’t help but agree with him. There were tables overflowing with food and a champagne fountain in the corner. There were also three separate bartending stations spread throughout the room that Luke was pretty sure were all open bar. Besides, the movie sounded kind of dumb anyway. It was just a drama musical about ghosts haunting the Ritz.

“Guys, we literally helped make the movie,” Alex reminded him. “The man who owns the company who manages us produced this movie.”

“Okay,” Luke agreed slowly, “ counterpoint, Caleb Covington is an ass and we should eat all of his food in silent protest.”

Alex shrugged, “I’m convinced.”

Skipping the movie meant that Luke lost Julie for the duration of the film. He sent a quick text to let her know the others were skipping and she replied that she was going to watch it still. It ended up being nice to goof off with his friends for a while, having hot dog eating contests with overpriced pigs in a blanket just hit different for some reason.

He finally found her again later chatting with a guy Luke didn’t know. The man was wearing a black suit over a low cut flower print button up. His brown hair was tied in a knot at the base of his neck and there was a scar expanding down the side of his face. Luke made his way over to say hi with Alex trailing after him. He started catching their conversation the closer he got.

“It’s not that I’m against dating or hookups, it's just that people my type are usually not interested.” The man shrugged in an ‘oh well’ gesture and took a sip of his champagne.

Julie leaned in close to him. “Well I know somebody exactly your type who would be interested,” she whispered loudly. Luke frowned at the suggestive tone as she went to take another sip of her champagne. He was almost to them now with Alex not far behind.

“Oh yeah,” the man smirked, leaning in closer to her, “and who might that be?”

Oh HELL no, Luke’s inner voice growled. He pulled up next to them and coughed, startling the two out of their exchange. The man took a step back from Julie who just stared at him without moving.

“Luke!” Julie said in an excited tone, a wide smile spread across her face. “I missed you so much. Never leave me alone at a premiere ever again.”

Luke wrapped a possessive arm around his waist, staring at the man in front of him to make sure he was getting the message to stop flirting with his girlfriend. He planted a kiss on her forehead, “I promise.” Julie grinned up at him, her eyes just a little too bright. Looking down at her empty champagne glass he wondered just how many she had already had.

“You look too serious, Willie isn’t serious. Willie is the stunt double for the main character. Willie is a badass. Willie, Willie, Willie.” Julie laughed at some internal joke that he wasn’t privy to. Leaning towards his ear she whispered “Willie’s been keeping me company for you, slacker,” just as loudly as her earlier whisper.

Luke felt a flare of jealousy that his drunk girlfriend was waxing poetic about some guy he had never met while he was right next to her. The flare only fueled at Julie’s loudly whispered confession. He turned a dark stare towards the other man.

“You call it badass, I call it a paycheck,” Willie’s mouth formed a small fond smile at Julie, completely unaffected by Luke’s glare.

“Bad. Ass.” Julie insisted, reaching forward to poke Willie’s chest to enunciate each word.

Willie looked up at Luke in amusement. “Is she always this stubborn?”

“Worse actually,” Alex spoke up. He slid up next to Luke holding his own glass of champagne. The glass looked completely full, and Luke would have bet money that it was purely for show. “She’s easy to distract when she’s drunk so you can just change the subject to start arguing.”

Laughing, Willie turned to face Alex. He opened his mouth to say something but paused halfway through, mouth snapping shut. As the two made eye contact Luke could swear the room got a little quieter. Alex’s smile faded into a small ‘oh’ of amazement as he stared at the other boy while the small smile on Willie’s face stretched out into a crooked grin, eyes crinkling.

“Uh, hey.” Willie broke the silence.

“Hey there,” Alex replied awkwardly.

Luke jumped as Julie poked his side excitedly. “Luke and I gotta got. Alex.”Julie gripped the boy in question’s arm and leaned toward him “You need to take care of Willie, cause he hung out with me all night. I’m drunk so I think I’m not good to take care of him. I couldn’t even take care of a baby.” Julie’s laughter at her own joke quickly transformed into a haunted stare, “my god could kill a baby.”

“Yeah, she’s done.” Luke pulled Julie back to his side. “Thank you for keeping her company,” Luke said to Willie, the words felt like poison in his mouth.

“It was nothing, Julie’s cool.” Willie glanced over for just a moment before turning his gaze back to an oblivious Alex.

“Wait, we can’t leave until Alex promises me,” Julie protested as Luke tried to lead her away.

“I promise I’ll take care of your friend,” Alex’s tone was serious but his lips turned up in a very amused smile.

“I hope you take very good care of me,” Willie mused, casually raising his champagne glass to his lips. Alex turned red as a fire truck and started stammering at the bold flirtations.

And on that note. Luke grabbed Julie and began to lead her away from the pair, his good mood back. He was already looking forward to teasing Alex mercilessly tomorrow. Not to mention the green-eyed monster had calmed down a little now that he knew Willie was gay.

“Alex is so cute and Willie is so cute and they are both so nice,” Julie rambled. Luke smiled down at her in amusement, she always was a happy drunk.

“How did you know Willie was gay though?” He asked, leading her down the hall to the cars. He pulled out his phone to order one of those discreet taxis that usually brought the other drunk celebrities home.

“What?” Julie asked in confusion, “Willie isn’t gay he’s bi. Bi bi birdie.” She giggled. “Willie is so cute.”

The green-eyed monster raised his head again to wink.

+1 The Mother?

Luke was absentmindedly plucking the chords to Flying Solo on his acoustic. He had a flight that morning to Los Angeles, but his anxiety over what tomorrow had in store was making it hard for him to sleep. His plans to relax and spend the day with Julie had only made his nerves worse because she was pissed off at him for seemingly no reason.

So here he was at 2 am, less than three hours until he needed to be leaving trying to figure out what exactly he had done to piss her off.

It wasn’t that he kept the demo to himself, as far as he knew, because they had talked about it already and she said she understood not wanting to say anything until it was official. Luke even gave her permission to listen to it before it was ready. It wasn’t for losing her at the party because he would have gotten an earful the day after. It certainly wasn’t because he had left the toilet seat up in their apartment, he had learned a while ago not to do that.

The only thing he wasn’t sure about was the whole ‘solo career’ thing.

Luke had planned his trip so that he got back to New York the day of the deadline, which absolutely boggled his mind that he only had six days before making such a big decision. He and the rest of the band had discussed it at length, it was the kind of thing that concerned them after all. The other guys had been excited for him and Julie had been as encouraging as ever, talking about all the recognition and fans he would have.

When he thought about going solo though, he thought about how boring it was recording alone in the studio. How great it felt to be a part of the team, to succeed with his favorite people in the world. How much he hated being the center of attention. After talking to them it hit him just how much the idea of doing the music performing thing without them sucked. Luke was never in it for fame anyways, he just wanted to connect with people through music.

Luke told Julie as much in private, that he was pretty sure he wanted to stay with the band but wanted to wait to tell the others. Then he confessed that this trip would decide if he even wanted to release the single at all, since the song was so personal. Julie had patted his hand and given him one of her sad smiles. Since then, the crabby mood.

Hence, the solo career being the number one culprit. There was a thought nagging at the back of his head though, insisting that he give it the time of day. What if Julie wants you out of the band because she’s getting tired of you?

It wasn’t the craziest thing to think about. Julie was meeting amazing people who did amazing things all the time, and Luke knew they all were well aware of how much of a catch she was. People like Willie, her highschool sweetheart Nick, even prince Nikolai of Denmark.What if Julie had realized she was tired of foster kid Luke and his issues and realized she could have a literal royalty.

What if the only reason she hadn’t broken up with him already was that she was too nice? If that was the case, him refusing to go solo would have made her realize it would be basically impossible to escape being around him. Luke felt his stomach churn with anxiety over going home and jealousy.

In Luke’s opinion, it would really suck if his girlfriend dumped him. Especially since part of his reason to go home being that he needed to pick up her mom's engagement ring from the jewelers.

Or maybe she was just stressed because of her Rolling Stone celebrity profile photo shoot tomorrow, and Luke was making up her being mad at him in his head. Luke really hoped that was the case.

As the time neared 3 am, Luke finally accepted that he wasn’t going to calm himself down enough for even just a quick nap. Sighing in resignation, he began fingerpicking notes in random order until something started sounding good. He eventually realized he was humming to himself as he played, no words just a melody.

Lyrics he had written a couple weeks ago drifted in his mind. He had thrown out because they were a little too cheesy and knew the guys would have teased him if they ever read them. They hadn’t even managed to be half a song, so he wasn’t too beat up about ditching it. But now, he was alone and writing songs had always been a good backup to just practicing.

“Step into my world, bittersweet love story 'bout a girl shook me to the core. Voice like an angel I've never heard before. You set me free, me loving you is more than chemistry. I'll hold your music here inside me while my heart is in your hands. Melody and words are all I am, and when I’m with you there’s perfect harmony.”

Luke trailed off and sighed. All the song made him do is think about Julie, which made him sad again. Besides, the song didn’t feel right. He turned to put his guitar on a stand, pausing as he saw the figure leaning against the doorway.

“Julie?” Luke was confused. “What are you doing here?” The studio was a ten minute drive from their apartment, and last he checked she was asleep when he left. His girlfriend was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a band tee and her hair was pulled on to the top of her head in a messy bun. She looked like she had literally rolled out of bed.

“Why are you hiding in the practice studio at 3 am?” Julie raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Luke sighed and looked down at his guitar. “I just needed to think, to clear my head.”

“Why? So you can decide whether or not you’re going to dump me for some girl in LA tomorrow?”

Luke felt his eyebrows rise so high on his face, he was pretty certain they were at his hairline, from his surprise at Julie’s accusation. What the hell was she talking about? Asking if he was going to ‘dump her for some girl’ like he was even capable of noticing somebody other than her. “What are you-”

“Oh I’m sorry,” Julie said in mock remorse, “I forgot I was supposed to play stupid about you pining over some girl named Emily. Silly me, I just got a little upset when you implied the whole point of your super-secret personal trip was to go see your long lost love. You know I have a little difficulty being properly supportive when I’m upset.”

Luke stared at his girlfriend in bewilderment as she glared back at him. Her words were processing slowly in his head, not quite understanding how she got the idea that he was in love with mom. Then it hit, his eyes widened in understanding.

“Oh! You listened to the demo.”

“Yeah,” Julie said icily, “I listened to your love ballad apology.” She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. Luke realized in a start that she looked like she was about to cry. She looked back down at him, face melted from angry to devastated. “You know everything about my exes, you were with me through Nick breaking my heart. Why didn’t I even know about this ‘Emily’ girl? Did you not trust me?” Julie choked and a tear slid down her cheek. “Or did you know that the second I found out about her I would realize you were still in love with her?”

“Julie.” Luke felt his heart drop at the sight of her crying. His movements were so instinctive he didn’t even realize he was going to hug her until he was already doing it. Her body shook as she cried but she didn’t try and push him away. “Julie,” he said gently, “before you get more upset, I need you to remember what my mom’s name is.”

“E-Emily. But why?” Julie froze as she realized, pulling herself away from the hug. She looked up at Luke, tears still on her cheeks. “Unsaid Emily is for your mom.”

“Yes.”

“You aren’t dramatically telling a girl you are still in love with her.”

“Nope.”

“You just wrote a heartfelt emotional song apologizing to your mom.”

“Yes.”

“This trip is for you to go see your parents and try to apologize to them, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.” Julie stared up at him blankly. Luke watched her, waiting for her to say something else. Finally, the girl reached out to smack his arm not ungently.

“You jerk!” She yelled at him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were trying to do that. I would have tried to help you!”

“I know,” Luke sighed, “to be honest, I didn’t want you to come in case I backed out last minute or they rejected me. Cause if you were there, it would be real. And you got that big Rolling Stone article tomorrow, I didn’t want you to cancel.”

Julie’s face dropped into something more sympathetic, reaching out to hold his hand. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for accusing you of leaving me for your mom”

Luke let out a short laugh, lacing his fingers with hers. “I can’t believe you thought I would leave you at all though.”

“To be honest if it wasn’t this I probably would have thought it at some point anyway,” Julie confessed with a shrug. “I’ve kind of thought you were getting bored of me honestly.

His eyes widened in surprise. “What could I have possibly done to give you that impression?”

“You want a list?” Julie raised an eyebrow. “I saw the way you kept staring at that fan Lucy. Then you and Carrie were all chummy and went out together the day after my dad’s party without me. And while I was trying to set Willie up with Alex you got all mad at me and possessive over him.” Julie’s shoulders slumped, “I didn’t say anything cause it technically wasn’t cheating I didn’t want you to get annoyed and leave me.”

Luke stared at her sad face in bewilderment before bursting out in laughter. Julie glared at his amusement, “I really don’t know what you found that so funny.”

“Babe,” Luke grinned, “I was staring at Lucy because I was jealous of her flirting with you. At the premiere I wasn’t possessive of Alex, he may have been my ex but he isn’t my very sexy, smart, funny, and talented girlfriend. I was getting jealous because you kept rambling about how awesome Willie was and calling him your night and shining armor.”

“Oh,” Julie’s glare shifted into surprise.

“You’ve been so worried about me getting bored and I was worried about the same thing,” Luke confessed, “I am so completely in love with you and I’m not sure what I would do if you didn’t do the same.”

Julie smiled, stepping into Luke’s space, reaching up to intertwine her hands behind his neck. “I kind of love you too Luke Patterson.” Luke beamed, moving his head down to capture her lips in a kiss, wrapping his hands around her waist.

Julie shivered under his hands, better than any kind of high Luke ever experienced. He smiled at Julie’s little gasp of surprise as he pulled her closer, arching her back to pull him into a deeper kiss. Luke slanted his head in a different angle, humming in contentment.

Julie was the one to break the kiss, still locked against Luke in his arms. “I should make you jealous more often," she gasped against Luke’s cheek, as he kissed the corner of her mouth.

He froze, “don’t you dare.”

She laughed. “Well maybe you should convince me not you,” she teased flirtatiously.

“Well maybe you should marry me,” Luke blurted out.

Mid laugh, Julie’s face froze in surprise. Luke felt his heart start to beat like crazy, instantly regretting his words.

He hadn’t meant to say it like this. His plan was to bring her to her studio at her dad’s place. To tell her how he had realized he loved her the first time she hugged him after they performed, how he realized she was the woman he was going to marry after they wrote Edge of Great at 1 am their senior year. How he wasn’t able to stop smiling for a week when she told him she liked him at graduation. How the past three years have been the happiest of his life.

It was not meant to be blurted out after the two of them just had an argument over whether or not Luke was sleeping with his mom. He didn’t have his ring, wasn’t down on one knee, and definitely looked like crap from not sleeping. Julie deserved better than that. She wasn’t going to say-

“Yes,” Julie blurted out, cutting through his train of thought.

His brain circuited. “What?”

“Yes I’ll marry you, you big idiot.”

Luke beamed, heart soaring with joy. She said yes! He cupped her cheeks and started peppering her face with kisses. He was so happy that he was sure he could fly. Finally, he settled on her lips for a slow sweet kiss.

Once again Julie was the one to separate them, leaning back. “I am so canceling my Rolling Stones shoot.”

Three days later, Luke knocked on the door to a brick house in the suburbs of LA. He started fidgeting nervously, unaware of his fiddling fingers until Julie’s warm and slid into his own. He looked down at their joined hands with a smile, Julie’s mom’s engagement ring catching the light. He could do this, he could do anything as long as she was by his side.

The door swung open to reveal a tired grey-haired woman. Her eyes widened as she saw Luke.

“Hi mom. I’m home.”

#julie molina #luke patterson #alex #Reggie #juke #julie and the phantoms #carrie is just misunderstood I swear #fanfiction #Willex #flynn

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thiswasinevitableid · 4 years

Note

#7 with Sternclay, for the prompts?

Here you go! I went NSFW

#7: I’m assigned to write a piece rounding up all the bad press that you, a famous celebrity, have been getting and you show up in my office and demand me to write a retraction and get the ‘real’ story”

Barclay is so excited; he’s going to be spending two weeks on the Dual Mesa set, writing an exclusive behind the scenes story that’s sure to give the magazine a big sales boost.

“Ah, Barclay, come in.” Ned Chicane, the show’s director, ushers him into his office, “I assume they told you we will be leaving to shoot on location tomorrow?”

“Yes, I, uh, I’m really honored that you chose Q to run your story; your cast is so diverse, it really resonates with our readers.”

Ned waves a hand in faux-humility, “Why create a show with paranormal elements that simply recreates homogeneity? However, my dear boy, you were not chosen by me.”

“I requested it.” Barclay turns as a tall man with dark hair enters the office, and has the sudden urge to hide under the nearest table. The man currently staring him down with bright blue eyes and a mild-yet-clearly displeased expression is Joseph Stern, star of Dual Mesa and subject of a very unflattering article Barclay published a week ago.

“Look, Mr. Stern, I-”

“Quiet.” Stern holds up his hand, “I asked Ned to give Q a boost by granting access to the shoot because I think the magazine does excellent work. I asked for you to give you a chance to prove yourself.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your writing is quite good, but clearly your research and fact checking needs some work.”

“Just because you don’t like it-”

“I don’t, but that’s not the issue. You published things that are patently false and easily provable as such. For instance, the claim that I got this role by sleeping with the director has two major flaws; one, Ned is not my type.”

“There’s no accounting for poor taste.” Ned says, clearly unbothered,

“And two, Mr. Mosche would break my fingers if I tried to fuck his husband.” He points to the corner of the room where a large, tattooed man sits reading.

“Right you are.” He looks up long enough to reply.

“And anyone on set could have told you that. Whatever your sources were, you didn’t do due diligence. So you’ll be trying again.”

“Look, buddy, where do you get off giving me orders?”

“By being the star they’d have the hardest time killing off.”

“And by raising good points.” Ned stands, “asking for a flat retraction would reflect poorly on the show, as it would look as if we were trying to hide the truth. This allows you to correct misconceptions as well as get exclusive looks at next season.”

“You’re literally a paid actor, how the hell do I know you aren’t faking these two weeks?”

“You won’t be spending all your time with him; you’ll be interviewing others as well and have opportunities to observe him without him knowing.” Ned pats Barclays shoulder, “but he will be responsible for introducing you to the rest of the cast”

Barclay glances at Stern, who lifts an eyebrow with a smirk.

“So. Have fun with that!”

-----------------------------------------

The introduction the next day goes as well as trying to light a match in a hurricane. Stern is polite and professional when Barclay arrives, introduces him to the cast and the main crew without mentioning the article. But it’s clear Barclay’s reputation precedes him.

“You really got Joe figured all wrong.” Duck Newton, who plays good-hearted Sheriff Frank Roosevelt on the show, pulls Barclay aside as Stern and co-star Aubrey Little (who plays Lucille, a plucky young woman with a dark past) get ready to shoot.

“So everyone keeps saying, but I didn’t make that stuff up. It turned up when I researching him.”

“Don’t mean someone else didn’t just pull it out of their ass.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Barclay sighs, rubbing his forehead.

“Look, all I know is Joe’s been nothin but kind a professional to me. I’d even call him a friend. Know he can come off as intimidatin and rigid sometimes, but he’s a good guy.”

Barclay hears variations of this sentiment over and over during the next two days. It’s part of why he’s currently sitting inside his motel room not far from the main set, eating dinner alone. Indrid, the costume designer had actually invited him to eat with a few members of the crew. Barclay demurred. If the bulk of the people on set think he’s a jerk, he doubts they’ll be that open to getting to know him. Plus, he’s kind of humiliated at how little actual evidence he can find for the claims against Stern, and doesn’t want to give the other man a chance to gloat.

There’s a knock on the door, and he opens it to find the last person he expects, or wants, to see.

“Good evening, Barclay.” Out of costume, Stern almost looks ordinary. There’s still the unfair symmetry of his face, the way he makes jeans and t-shirt look somehow sophisticated.

“Uh, something you need from me?”

Stern looks past him to his cobbled together dinner; Barclay’s a good cook, but the damn room doesn’t have anything more than a microwave.

“The chance to buy you an actual dinner.”

Barclay’s about to point out that he’s not eating in the commissary tent because of Stern when the actor adds, “please?”

He grabs his wallet and joins Stern in the still-warm evening air, following him into the few blocks that make up downtown Sagebrush, the former mining town that makes up much of Dual Mesa’s background. He expects them to stop at the Mizpah, the sole fancy hotel and restaurant, but Stern guides him past it and into a kitschy diner.

They study their menus in silence, the pleather booths squeaking awkwardly whenever one of them moves.

Barclay orders the burger plate that comes with a slice of pie and Stern, surprisingly goes for an omelette off the all-day breakfast menu.

“Barclay I, well, it’s obvious we got off on the wrong foot. I want you to know that as much as the article upset me, I don’t want you to be miserable while you’re here. No ones going to shun you for what you wrote.”

“Pretty clear they’re all on your side.” Barclay sips his water, meeting Stern’s gaze.

“There don’t need to be sides; you want to write an accurate profile of what it’s like on set, and I want to not have my name dragged through the mud anymore. Those come out to be the same thing.”

“You seem real fucking confident.” Barclay narrows his eyes.

Stern’s hackles go up, but then he sets his hands on the table with a measured breath, “I don’t pretend to be perfect, Barclay. I’m aware, well aware, of my flaws. But none of those flaws match what you wrote about me. I’m not asking to look untouchable in your piece, I’m asking to look like myself.”

Barclay looks down, spots him nervously shredding his napkin. As he’s thinking, a teenager in a tricolor tank-top approaches the table.

“Um, sorry, but are you Joseph Stern? The guy who plays agent Hooper?”

Stern smiles, genuine and reassuring, “I am.”

“Could I, uh, get a picture? Like a selfie?”

“Of course.”

Barclay watches Stern pose with the kid and compliment his pride shirt, before waving goodbye as he scurries back to his table to show his friends the photo.

“That doesn’t bother you?”

Stern shakes his head, “It happens pretty often, especially in town where most people know what I look like in my street clothes, so I’m used to it. Besides, for a lot of these kids there’s more than just the celebrity angle. I can count the number of gay, trans, Asian-american actors on T.V when I was kid with one hand,” He holds up a fist to indicate a zero, “if the price of being that person for kids now is posing for some pictures, I’ll pay it any day.”

Warmth blooms in his chest, the sincerity making him want to trade a truth in return, “Yeah, I remember looking for guys like me and not seeing them. I’d just pick a character I liked and kinda projected. Except the X-Files; then I just had a huge fucking crush on Mulder. Oh, thanks.” He smiles at the waitress as she sets his food down.

“I know that feeling. Somewhere there are pictures of me dressed as him for a Halloween party.”

“Heh, I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in ages.” Barclay munches on a fry, “Last three times I went as Bigfoot. It was an easy costume and kept my face hidden.”

“That’s a shame for the other party-goers.”

Barclay coughs, choking on his fry, as Stern blushes, shoves a piece of toast into his mouth, and changes the topic to books.

The next day, when Barclay arrives on location and everyone is milling about getting ready to shoot, Stern pats the chair near his own and talks with him until he’s needed on camera. Over the next week, Barclay finds himself next to Stern more often than not, comparing notes on the mystery novels they’ve been passing back and forth, or explaining his job moonlighting as a cookbook editor, or listening to the actor describe his travels to the locations of famous cryptid sightings. What surprises him most is how charming he finds Stern when he’s nowhere near a camera. On set, in character as Special Agent Alex Hooper, he radiates the quiet charm that makes his character so beloved. When they’re alone it’s different, a little less polished and little nerdier, and rather than captivating him it makes Barclay want to protect him.

It turns out that slips of the tongue happen to Stern a lot, at least when he’s around Barclay. “Sec” routinely becomes “sex” and comments about Barclay’s size and strength come often, Stern always sheepish afterwards. As if his attention is something Barclay may not want rather than something he craves like a four-course meal.

When he starts daydreaming about asking Stern back to his motel room after one of their now-regular dinners together (that Stern always pays for), he knows he’s in trouble.

“Helllloo?”

He jumps, chuckles in surprise as Aubrey finishes waving her hand in front of his face, “Sorry, was thinking about dinner.’

“I was saying thanks for coming out while we shoot this. I know how hard it can be to pull away from your ‘muse’.” She wiggles her eyebrows and Barclay feels the blush overrun him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let him figure it out on his own.” Aubrey winks, the groans, “aw fuck here he comes.”

Robert Hayes, who plays the recurring role of Hooper’s supervisor, appears in the grove where they’re shooting a scene with just him and Aubrey. Barclay steps out of frame, Aubrey hissing “don’t leave me” as he does.

“I can’t believe Ned is letting Indrid do more alternative looks for you.”

“It works for Lucille.”

“It would work better if she was more conventionally attractive.”

Barclay growls under his breath; how dare this guy talk to his friend that way?

“Well, obviously not, because the audience likes me like this. And they have opinions worth listening too.”

The tension remains throughout the shoot, Barclay tensing every time Hayes opens his mouth. He pretends to be busy when the actor comes over to join him.

“I’m glad you’re planning on expanding your take-down of Stern.”

“I never said that. I’m writing about the new season of the show.”

“If you want more information about what he’s really like, I’ll be happy to chat with you in private.” The older man pats his shoulder and heads off to his trailer.

Barclay waits until he’s gone, then goes to look for Ned. He has a hunch the director might like to know about Haye’s offer.

-------------------------------------------

“...guess Ned put him in his place.” Stern finishes adjusting his tie as the scene sets up, “Sounds like he wanted his character to become the eventual lead, and thought shit-talking me would be the way to go.”

“I’m glad it’s sorted out.” Barclay pretends to be studying his notes so he doesn’t stare too noticeably at Stern’s ass.

“Me too. Thanks, Barclay.” Stern steps onto set, and as Ned begins running through the scene with Stern and the actor playing his (unbeknownst to him) alien lover, Bee, Barclay wishes he’d chosen to be elsewhere. Because this is a sex scene. With Stern. That he will be watching.

No, damn it, he’s a professional. His butt is staying in this chair.

He makes it through the several takes of the dialogue just fine, starts sweating a little when he kissing begins. Stern’s kisses strike a balance between tender and passionate, perfectly in character, and Barclay would give his right arm to trade places with Bee.

The action moves to the bed, Stern caressing his lover as they unbutton his shirt.

Okay, now he’d give his right arm and leg to be the one beneath him.

He reminds himself this airs on TNT, not HBO, so it can’t get much more explicit.

Sterns whole body drips with soft dominance as he pins Bee to the bed, cooing that he’s never seen a finer sight.

Fine, his right arm, leg, and any non-vital organs, he’ll trade them all in a second to hear Stern say that to him, even if it’s only pretend.

He doesn’t make it through the second take of the bed scene, hurries away as quietly as unobtrusively as he can. There’s no way he can make it to his motel like this, cock pressing so hard against his jeans he’s afraid he’ll end up with a zipper mark. And the bathrooms aren’t exactly private. He does have the key to Stern’s trailer, the actor having given it to him in case he needed somewhere air conditioned to rest from the heat. The trailer that is very nearby.

Does he dare?

The question hardly registers before he’s at the door, unlocking it and ducking inside before anyone sees. He leans against the counter with a groan, unzipping his pants and praying the pre-cum that immediately streaks his hand hasn’t made a noticeable spot in the denim.

He fumbles around to find some tissues, not wanting to face the humiliation of Stern walking in to find him cleaning cum off of his cabinets (he does actually want that humiliation, and badly, but not without Stern’s consent).

The strokes are hard and fast, his eyes shut so tight he sees static as he imagines Stern behind him, saying how much he wants him, how needy he is, how he’ll take care of him. He grits his teeth, breath leaving him in faint hisses and stifled moans until the temptation to say Stern’s name overwhelms him.

“Joe, Joe, fuck, Joe.”

“Yes, big guy?” A voice purrs in his ear as hands bracket him against the counter.

“Fuck” He tries to freeze, finds he’s shaking too much from want and worry to do so.

“You forgot to lock the door, silly boy. I, however, did not.”

“I’m, I’m sorry, I just needed to, fuck, I didn’t mean for you-”

One hand leaves the counter, strokes the base of his neck and toys with his hair, “what about this suggests I’m angry with this, um, development?”

Barclay whimpers, feet unwilling to turn and look Stern in the eye.

“Should I stop?” The tease goes from his voice.

All he can do is whimper again and shake his head.

The hand leaves his neck, slides down Barclay’s arm to rest atop his hand on the counter. The other takes it’s time snaking down his stomach and hips.

“Poor Barclay, no wonder you had to leave.” His hand nudges Barclay’s aside, takes it’s place around his cock, “you can probably see this thing from space. I’m taking this as a testament to my acting skills.” A laugh as he kisses Barclay’s neck, stroking him slowly.

“Please don’t say this is acting too.”

“It’s not.” A kiss to his cheek, a twist along his cock, both making him weak-kneed, “do you know what I was thinking about during that scene? I was thinking about you, what you’d look like if I fucked you. It’s only a quirk of anatomy” he grinds against Barclay’s ass, “that means I didn’t have a noticeable reaction on camera.”

“Fuck, Joe, more, please I need more of you, all of you, I’m so fucking close.”

The hand on his cock pulls away, “not just yet, big guy. Do you want me to fuck you?”

“Uhuh.” He whines, pushing his hips forward to bump his cock along Stern’s hand.

A light smack on the ass, “behave. Take everything off and wait for me on the bed.”

“Uh huh.” He turns, only for a hand to firmly grasp his chin and force him to stay eye to eye with Stern.

“Try that response again, big guy, with better manners.”

“Y-yes, s-sir, I, I understand.”

He’s yanked into a demanding, possessive kiss, Stern stroking his cheek approvingly when he releases him, “Good boy. Is this alright?”

“Yes, yesyes, Joe, please, I love it, don’t stop.”

“I won’t, unless you say so. Promise you will if you need to?”

“I swear, cross my heart, babe, please.”

A loving laugh, coupled with a peck on the lips, “bed.”

Barclay strips so quickly he loses his balance, landing on the bed as he fights to pull off his pants. He tries to calm himself by folding his clothes and setting them aside, certain that if he gets more excited he’ll become the first confirmed case of human combustion.

“Hands and knees, please.”

“Oh fuck me.”

Stern is standing by the bed, naked from the waist down save for a strap-on, but still in his special agent clothes from the waist up.

“Do you like the suit, big guy?”

“Yessir.”

“Good to know. Maybe next time I’ll wear the whole thing while I fuck you. Now” he climbs onto the bed, “try to relax for me.”

A condom-covered finger presses against his ass as soon as he’s on his hands and knees, Stern working him open efficiently yet gently until he’s begging for more. Stern ruffles his hair, and then the toy is pushing into him. It’s narrow, so the stretch isn’t too bad, and for a moment he wonders if it will even do much for him.

“Let me see, if I just-”

“FUCKfuck” The curve of the toy finds his prostate.

“That’s part of why this is a favorite of mine, it’s so effective” he thrusts harder, “at finding the right spots.”

“Mhhhmmmmm” Barclay bites the pillow to muffle his moans and growls, wiggles his hips as Stern finds his pace.

“The other reason I like it…”

“SHIT, babe, baby, ohfuck that’s good.” The toy vibrates, sending heat all through him, “fuck, I’m gonna come in like th-thirty seconds from that.”

“Thirty seconds? Let’s see if you’re right, big guy.”

“GaaAAHfuck, Joe, yeah, yeahyesbabeyes.” He gives up on being quiet as the actor rams into him, drops to his elbows when the intensity makes it impossible to anything other than moan and and grunt and take it.

“That’s it, good boy, let’s see just how hard you are for me” Stern pants as he reaches around, teasing the head of Barclay’s cock, “perfect, you’re doing wonderfully, fuck” a groan of gratification as Barclay spurts across the bed, “messy, god I love making you come apart, even I might make you clean that with you tongue later.”

“Oh god.” Barclay moans, drool staining the pillow, as Stern loops an arm tightly around his waist and grinds, the toy still bumping and rumbling inside his ass.

“Nnn, Barclay, yes, hold out just a little longer, let me get off on this perfect ass.”

Barclay whines, sensitivity overloading his circuits and driving him wild.

“Just a little more big guy, fuck, fuck, lord almighty I’m close, c’mon, you can handle it, you can be good and take me as long as I need.”

“Yes, yes, wanna take you, wanna be yours, wanna serve you.”

“Fuck” Stern doubles over, hips working frantically, “that’s it, good boy, if you’re in this bed you, fuck, your only job is to please me.”

“Yes” Barclay sobs just as Stern moans into his shoulder. When he pulls out, Barclay flops, limp, onto his side.

“You with me, baby?” Stern wiggles out of the harness, lays so they’re face to face and cups Barclay’s cheek.

“Mmhmm. Fuck” he pulls Stern into a hug, “I can’t believe we just did that. That was fucking amazing.”

“Didn’t take you for the sub type.”

“Everyone always wants me to be big ‘n dommy. Don’t wanna. Wanna be someone’s good boy.” He’s slurring, mind still a bit foggy.

“You can be mine. In, um in not just a sex way, although it can be just a sex thing if you want it to.”

“Nope” He cuddles him closer, then it hits him, “you’re asking me to be your boyfriend?”

“Please?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes” He kisses him after each answer, making them both laugh.

“It won’t fuck up your work?”

“I’ll ask Mama what she thinks, we might need to transfer the rest of the article to Thacker. Uh, maybe this is silly but, uh, can I take you to dinner? My treat?”

Stern kisses him, stars in his eyes and a hundred watt smile on his face, “that sounds perfect, big guy.”

#sternclay #meet ugly #agent stern/Barclay #celebrity AU #prompt fills

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jisungsjheekies · 5 years

Quote

Surprise Bitch - Part 14

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1695

Warnings: None

Requested: No

Summary: Meet Haley, a girl who loves dancing and her youtuber brother, Alex. What happens when Alex invites 9 famous boys to surprise his sister in his upcoming video?

“Why do you keep staring at the clock?” Mia asked Haley, who jumped in surprise.

“I must have just zoned out, my bad.” Haley shook her head.

“What’s got you all distracted? You’re not usually like this.”

“Nothing. I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Unconvinced, Mia narrowed her eyes before shrugging her shoulders, “If you say so H.”

Haley watched as Mia walked away into the kitchen. She wasn’t lying when she said she didn’t sleep well but that was all because of a certain boy who refused to leave her thoughts. Every time she closed her eyes, the scenario from the studio replayed over and over and all she could picture was Jisung looking back at her.

The way his eyes flickered from her lips to her eyes. She could’ve sworn that he had begun to lean in but maybe that was just her mind playing tricks on her. He’s leaving soon anyway. The thought popped into her head, feeling stupid for getting her hopes up so quickly. It’s not like he would like someone like her when he has girls throwing themselves at him every day. Still, she couldn’t help but think about what might’ve been.

Shaking her head to rid her thoughts of the boy, Haley cleared an abandoned table for the next customer as her boss approached her.

“Need me to do something boss?”

“After you finish with that table, you can head home early.”

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “But I don’t get off until 5 today.”

“We have enough staff to get us through the rest of the day. You deserve it for helping us through yesterday.” Her boss smiled.

“I don’t mind staying to finish my shift.” Haley tried to argue with the man but he just shook his head.

“I won’t take no for an answer. I’m giving you paid time off, now go home and relax.”

“Getting to paid to relax? I guess I can’t complain now.” She grinned as her boss just laughed in amusement.

“You can have Monday off as well.” Haley was about to argue before her boss interrupted her, “with pay.”

“If you insist.” Haley began to remove her apron, “You know you can call me if you need me.”

“I know, have a good weekend Haley.”

“You too, boss” Haley waved goodbye to the rest of her coworkers before heading to her car. Notifying Alex that she had gotten off early, she started on her way home.

Meanwhile, Alex was hanging out at the apartment with the rest of the guys. Him, Changbin, Seungmin and Felix all sat on the couch, controllers in their hands as they played Smash Bros, while the rest of the guys watched around them. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket in the middle of their match but continued playing. Shortly after, Changbin was the first to die, thanks to Felix while Seungmin soon followed, leaving just Alex and Felix fighting to win the match. It had begun to grow intense as all of the guys cheered for the two players.

No one had noticed Haley enter the room, eyes focused on the game as they continued yelling. Haley walked behind Alex before making her presence known.

“Having fun?”

In a flash, Alex threw his controller across the room as he jumped in fright, letting out a high-pitched squeal. Felix took that as his chance to knock Alex off the map, effectively winning the match.

Alex turned around with a hand over his heart, looking at Haley with wide eyes, “DON’T DO THAT.”

Haley threw her hands up in defense before moving to sit on the floor next to Jeongin.

“Why are you home?” Alex asked once his heart rate returned to normal.

“Didn’t you get my text?”

“I was kinda in the middle of something important WHICH you interrupted, thank you very much.” Alex glared at the girl who just shrugged her shoulders.

“If y’all weren’t so damn loud then you would’ve heard me.”

“We weren’t that loud.”

“Bitch I could hear you from my car.”

“Your point is?”

“My point is that you’re gonna get us kicked out like that.”

“I–you right” Alex nodded his head in agreement before remembering something. “Wait, you never answered my question. Why are you home early?”

“Boss let me go because I stayed to help last night. He’s even letting me have Monday off.” Haley smirked, “with pay too.”

“Nice.” After giving Haley a fist bump, he stood up and finally retrieved the controller he had thrown earlier.

“What do you guys want to do today?” Felix asked the group.

“We could go to the studio?” Haley suggested, “We need to do our cover of I am YOU.”

“I’m down. How about you guys?” Chan asked the members. Everyone nodded their heads as Haley ran to her room to grab her equipment.

Returning to the living room, all the boys were waiting for Haley. “Got what you need?” Felix asked, Haley giving him a thumbs up. They gathered inside the cars, driving to the studio but not without stopping and grabbing something to eat on the way at the nearest burger joint. Once they’d arrived, they quickly ate before Haley began to set up her equipment.

“Don’t mind me, i’ll just be over here on my phone.” Alex stated as he flopped onto the couch.

“Let’s run through the routine a few times so we can figure out the best placements for Haley.” Hyunjin recommended. Doing as Hyunjin said, the boys moved into their original positions before beginning. Every once and awhile, they would throw out suggestions for where Haley would fit best in the already established choreography.

“Before we add you in, can you show us your cover first?” Minho asked Haley. Moving from her spot against the wall, she stood in the center of the room to do as they asked. Flowing through the choreography, the boys watched closely at how she danced. Once she was done, they proceeded to stand around her.

“Alright, so for the beginning, you’re going to stand in the back. When Jisung lays his hand against your shoulder, you’re going to pop up and do your own move,” Hyunjin began to demonstrate.

“When the chorus begins, you’ll stand between Chan and Changbin then move to the center next to Chan when his part begins” Minho added. The members continued to accommodate Haley into the choreography.

Next was the “you and I” part where Hyunjin was in the center. Felix had moved Haley to stand between Jisung and Woojin but Hyunjin had a better idea. “I think Haley needs to be at the front for this part because you can’t see her behind me.” He motioned for her to come up, moving her next to him, “Much better.”

“At the end of the song, we usually stay standing after dropping our hands. But with Haley in the back, I think we should kneel down and only have her standing.” Changbin recommended.

“That’s actually a good idea,” Felix complimented. After several practice runs, they finally perfected their new version of the choreography.

“Let’s take a short break before we record,” Chan advised, drinking his water as everyone began to follow suit. One by one, they settled into the beginning position.

“Alex, could you hit record?” Haley asked the boy who’d been engrossed in his phone the entire time. Moving from the couch, he walked over to the camera and did as Haley asked. As the song began, they danced without mistakes until Changbin and Haley accidentally stumbled into each other.

“That was my fault, sorry guys,” Changbin apologized, sheepishly smiling at Haley. Restarting the song, they danced more carefully to avoid more mistakes. Alex watched in amazement at how well they accommodated each other. As they finished the final move, they dropped their hands to the side and crouched, leaving Haley in complete visibility.

Everyone panted heavily as they completed recording the video. Before Haley could process it, the boys jumped up in excitement.

“We did it!” They shouted. Felix lifted Haley in the air and swung her around as the girl burst into giggles.

“Put her down before you drop her,” Chan playfully scolded the boy, who did as the leader said.

“Is that what you wanted for your video?” Jeongin asked the girl.

“Absolutely. Thanks for doing this,” Haley stated, gratefully.

“Of course! We’ve never done anything like this before so thank you too,” Seungmin said in return. Haley stopped the camera before turning to Jisung.

“Should we do it now?” She asked the boy.

“Might as well since we’re already here.” Jisung shrugged his shoulders.

“Do what now? What are y’all talking about?” Minho asked, everyone looking at them in confusion.

“Then let’s go,” Haley stated before restarting her camera and the music as Jisung got into position next to her.

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin and Felix said immediately after they heard the beginning of Bomb Bomb flow through the speakers as the two started dancing. Everyone watched entranced at how well the two paired together. Finishing the song, Haley turned to Jisung as she held her hand up. Jisung laughed before giving the girl a high five.

“This is why you skipped our game night?” Alex asked, pretending to be hurt.

“Sorry A. Jisung and I wanted to do one more dance before he left.”

“Nah it’s cool. I had Felix to play games with anyway,” Alex stated, the aussie boy’s cheeks reddening at the mention of his name.

“So what I’m getting from this is that you guys ditched us so you could dance and play video games.” Hyunjin narrowed his eyes at the culprits. “I demand a sleepover.”

“A sleepover?” Alex asked, sighing in relief.

“Did I stutter?” Hyunjin jokingly replied, “Tomorrow is our last full day together so we HAVE to have one.”

“Yeah let’s do it!” Felix shouted in agreement.

“What do you say?” Chan asked Alex and Haley.

The two siblings shared a look, “I’m down if you are,” Alex announced, making everyone turn to look at the girl who just pursed her lips.

“Looks like we’re having a sleepover.”

#stray kids #stray kids imagines #stray kids fluff #stray kids han jisung #skz #skz imagines #skz fluff #skz han jisung #han jisung #han jisung imagines #han jisung fluff

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helloalycia · 5 years

Text

your secret // kara danvers

summary: It wasn't difficult to put two and two together - Kara was an alien and you knew that. Hiding the fact that you knew she was hiding this was much more difficult however...

warning/s: none.

masterlist

Kara Danvers was strange ever since I first met her. University was full of weirdos (as I was kindly warned by my parents), but Kara was more 'strange' than 'weird'. Don't get me wrong, she was an amazing person, but certain things about her were... odd.

We were roommates at National City University and I remember meeting her and thinking "wow, this girl is always happy". As time went on, we became closer and closer and suddenly, we were best friends. But it was in all of that time, and more, that I noticed the little things about her that were different.

She could lift things heavier than herself, which certainly caught my attention. Then there was the fact that she would never wear oven gloves when taking things out of the oven. Or the fact that I sometimes witnessed her heating up her hot drink with lasers from her eyes.

Honestly, at first, it was shocking, mind-blowing, unbelievable and– well, you get the hint. I was very confused (to say the least), but I eventually got over that confusion and kinda got used to it. I never asked her about it because she was obviously trying to keep this power a secret. But I did have so many questions. Mostly along the lines of "is she even human?"

Despite the many pressing questions I had, I never pressured her or even made it noticeable that I knew of her powers. She was keeping them a secret for a reason and she would tell me when she was ready. If anything, it made her kind of adorable. She was this bundle of sunshine that was my best friend who I may or may not have had feelings for and she had powers that were beyond imaginable. Hm.

That brought me to now. Three years later and we were roommates, again. Except this time, we lived in an apartment in National City. She was a journalist at CatCo Media and I was an English teacher at our local high school. We kept each other sane in this grown up world and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Y/N, I'm leaving now!" I heard Kara call from the front door, and I immediately dropped my pencil and called back.

"Wait! Lemme see you!"

I jumped off my bed and went to the living-area. Our apartment was an open space, so I could see her from here, hovering by the front door. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a blue jumper and a white leather jacket that made her look very attractive.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, biting her lower lip and glancing down at her outfit. "I'm hoping this won't be my first and last Tinder date."

I chuckled at her uneasiness and smiled reassuringly. "You look beautiful, Kara. I'm sure this Kevin guy will say the same."

Kara smiled bashfully and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose – a nervous habit of hers.

"Thanks, Y/N," she said, her blue eyes meeting mine. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

I glanced at the watch on my wrist before stepping forward and opening the door for her. "You'd be late. Now go on, Danvers. You don't wanna keep Kevin waiting!"

Her melodious laughter echoed around me and I felt the butterflies in my stomach swirl a storm at the sound of it. She leaned in to give me a quick hug before waving goodbye and leaving me alone in our apartment. When she was gone, I released a heavy sigh.

I was happy for her, I really was... but it didn't mean it didn't hurt me a little to know that she was going on a date with somebody else. She never was good with the whole dating thing. Even in university, she didn't really find anyone she connected with. That's why this was a big deal to her now and why I was showing my utmost support. But even so, I still wished I could suck it up and ask her out.

Barely an hour had passed when I saw something completely unexpected. I was sat in the living-room, on my laptop, planning a lesson. The TV was on, the news playing in the background. The sound of a presenter narrating a flight crashing caught my attention as I recognised the flight number as the same number Alex (Kara's sister) was flying on.

I fumbled around for the volume button on the remote before turning it up and watching the screen with wide eyes.

"It seems that the plane is slowing down and... wait a minute. That's a person holding it!"

The camera zoomed in on an individual directing the plane into the water. The crash didn't look like it had hurt anyone because it was slowed down. The same figure who seemed to be strong enough to carry it down emerged from the water and stepped onto the wing of the plane. Helicopters were flying above, directing spotlights on the anonymous girl. The news reporter was babbling on about a new superhero, meanwhile, my jaw had dropped.

It was Kara.

The picture wasn't clear and it was dark outside, so it was hard to make out her face, but I knew it was her. She was wearing the same outfit, I recognised her hair and she was the only person I knew with super strength!

"Holy shit," I said, unable to believe my eyes. The whole world now knew that she existed. Maybe not who she was, but they knew she was there.

I stayed up that evening, until Kara returned from her date. As I was pacing, I realised how amazing Kara was. She saved all of those people, including Alex, and risked her life in the process. But she did it and now everything was okay. Nobody got hurt. She truly was a hero. And I was so proud of her.

I wondered if she would share with me who she really was when she came home. Maybe she knew that I knew? Would this be when she would finally reveal her secret?

When I heard keys rattling in the door, I sat at the kitchen counter and pulled out my phone, pretending to be using it. Kara soon walked in and squeaked with surprise when she saw me up.

I smiled and looked up, only to act confused when I saw her soaking wet from head to toe. Though, that confirmed my thoughts of her being the girl on our TV. She was the hero.

"Erm... bad date?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I secretly hoped she would finally tell me the truth.

As she closed the door, I saw her smile awkwardly. "Yeah... the guy was an ass. So, I walked it home and it, uh, rained."

I stifled the urge to laugh at her bad excuse. I figured she wasn't going to share the truth with me just yet, and I respected that, so I allowed her to come up with an excuse, despite how terrible it was.

"Okay, well, I'll let you get cleaned up," I said, offering a small smile before heading to my room. It wasn't really private seeing as it was all open space, but it gave Kara time to think about everything.

After she sorted everything out, I remembered the two of us watching the news and talking about this 'mysterious saviour'. Kara obviously tried her best to hide the fact that it was her, but she was just so darn excited and I couldn't help but let her ramble freely about how amazing this 'person' must have felt.

She was bad at hiding things from me, but I let her have it because it was her secret to keep. Plus, I liked seeing her eyes light up with excitement as she recalled the events. She looked beautiful.

Alex stopped by that evening, too, probably to check on Kara. From the looks of it, she wasn't too happy with Kara's actions. I said I'd give them some space to talk, so I never actually heard their conversation, but I could only presume it was good. I mean, why wouldn't it be?

As time went on, Supergirl became the hero of National City. Everywhere I went, I saw the superhero that was my best friend, plastered on billboards, in magazines, on my television. She was saving people left, right and centre and I felt so proud of her. Though, she still hadn't told me the truth.

Everything I learnt about the real her was through interviews with 'Supergirl'. I learnt she was Kryptonian and Superman's cousin when Kara interviewed, well, herself, and accidentally revealed that information. It did hurt to learn these amazing things about her through secondary sources. It made me question whether she trusted me just as much as I trusted her. Did she really think I didn't know? But I wouldn't let that bother me because something was holding her back and I had to respect that and wait until the time was right. If it ever was.

A lot of things added up, though. She was adopted, which made sense because she was a literal alien. Whenever we were at university, she would get homesick and I would try to comfort her and make her feel better. That made sense now though. She didn't miss her home. She missed Krypton.

I remember coming home from work one evening and finding her curled up on the couch, staring ahead at nothing. I left my coat and bag by the door and headed towards her, sitting on the couch. She was wrapped in her fluffy blanket, and barely acknowledged my presence.

"Kara, you okay?" I asked gently, resting a hand on her lap.

She glanced at me before moving forward and laying on my lap. A shaky sigh escaped her lips and I frowned at her discomfort. I moved her hair from her eyes and ran my hands through it soothingly. I felt her shoulders relax as I did so.

"I miss home," was all she said.

I knew she was talking about Krypton. About her family there. I wondered what happened. Why she came here. How old she was when she came. If she wasn't too young, then having some memories of what she once had must have been hurting her inside. And so it hurt me.

But she didn't know I knew who she was. She didn't know, so I had to play dumb.

"You can visit anytime, Kara," I feigned reassurance, only causing her to sigh quietly. She thought I didn't understand. I wished she knew I did.

"It doesn't matter," she mumbled quietly.

I frowned and looked down at her. I wished she would talk to me and not bottle everything up. I truly wished she would trust me enough to share this important part of her life with me. Not for me, but for her.

I just wanted her to be okay.

Surprisingly, we still remained as close as we were. She skirted the topic of discussing Supergirl and managed to avoid slipping the truth out to me. We would hang out, spend time together (which we kind of had to since we lived together), but not once did she tell me the truth about her.

At this point, admittedly, I was growing self-conscious to our friendship. I was eighty percent sure that her close friend from work, Winn Schott, knew about her powers. There were times when I'd see the two privately discussing matters, acting secretive around me and blatantly hiding a secret which I could only presume was about her superhero status. James Olsen, another friend from her workplace, would sometimes be involved in their discussions, too. She began to spend a lot more time with the two, which made me feel a bit left out.

Okay, a lot left out.

I figured she trusted them more than me, but it was when she returned home late in the evening when I realised that maybe she didn't tell me because she wanted at least one person to be just Kara around.

I was reading a book on the couch, settling in for the evening, when I heard the front door open. Presuming it was Kara, I called out to her, not looking up from my book.

"There's some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry."

There was no response, so I looked up and saw the blonde hanging up her coat. It was unusual for her to not say anything; she was usually so outspoken and bubbly, so I tried to get her attention.

"How was work?"

She finally turned around, managing to give me a forced smile and a little thumbs up. I instantly noticed the sadness in her red eyes. She'd been crying.

"Kara..." I dropped my book in a heartbeat and went to her, wanting to get a closer look and see if my eyes were betraying me. But no. Her eyes were glassy and the smile on her lips only showed sadness and regret.

"I'm okay," she lied, her voice hoarse and her hand shaking slightly as she tried to motion for me to step back. "I'm–"

"You're not okay," I breathed out, stepping forward.

She tried to shake her head, but obviously her emotions got the best of her and she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. Tears escaped her eyes and I couldn't help but move forward and pull her into a hug. She finally let it out, no longer hiding how she felt, and my heart ached as she sobbed into my arms.

"You're okay," I consoled her, rubbing circles on her back. "Everything is okay."

I never did find out why she was crying that night. What could have possibly been so horrible that it caused the girl of steel to crack? To break down horribly? But it did make me realise that at that moment, she wasn't the girl of steel at all. Not Supergirl.

She was Kara Danvers, my best friend, and she needed comforting.

***

As time went on, Supergirl's shifts at saving the world happened to be more and more frequent. Kara was rarely around, and when she was, she was tired or had to come up with some lame, unbelievable excuse as to why she had to leave again. Yes, it was very selfish of me to wish she wouldn't have to go save lives all the time... I just wanted my best friend back, was that too much to ask for?

But there was a time when she didn't come back. It was a Tuesday evening. I'd said my goodbye's to Kara in the morning at breakfast, as usual, before I went to work. I started earlier than her so she would make us breakfast and we'd eat together before I had to leave. But it was unusual because I hadn't heard from the blonde throughout the day. Usually she dropped a little text or gave me a call and we'd share stories of dumb things we'd done that day. But she hadn't this time.

When I returned home after work, the apartment was empty. I figured she was doing some Supergirl stuff so I continued my evening as usual, but it was almost midnight and she was nowhere to be seen or heard. So, of course, I worried. I rang and texted, but no response. I went to sleep nonetheless (with great difficulty) and decided to see if she'd show in the morning. But nothing.

Of course my mind thought the worst thoughts. She could have been hurt? Imprisoned? Tortured? She was Supergirl for crying out loud! Always putting herself before others. What if something terrible had happened?

However, it was that same morning, just as I was about to leave for work, when I opened the front door to reveal Kara, appearing unharmed and slightly nervous. Upon instinct, I pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug before pulling apart and glaring at her.

"Where on earth have you been?!" I asked angrily, though I felt slightly reassured to see she was fine.

She smiled awkwardly and walked in, taking a look around. I knew my best friend, so I knew something was different about her when she turned around and met my gaze.

"I had to run some, erm... errands," she blurted out unconvincingly.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"I should have called," she admitted, but something was off. Her mannerisms were all different. They were only small details, but I could tell from them that this wasn't Kara. It couldn't be. Even if there was no logical explanation. "I'm going to be gone for a few days, Y/N."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek and avoided my eyes. "I'm heading to Eliza's. I need some time away for a bit. I hope that's okay."

I studied the person who looked suspiciously like Kara. "You've never needed my permission before."

'Kara' widened her eyes and smiled with embarrassment. "Right! I haven't." Her eyes wandered around before settling on the clock hung on the wall. "You should get going! You're going to be late."

I knew she was right, but I wanted to know what was happening here.

"I'll be gone when you're back, and I won't be using my phone much when I'm there, but I'll see you in a few days, yeah?" She leaned forward and pulled me in for a hug, but it was limp and forced and uncomfortable.

This wasn't Kara.

Whoever it was though, was correct about being gone by the time I returned home that evening. Kara's things were still there though, including her suitcase. Something wasn't right. When I tried to contact Alex, she wasn't answering her calls or texts. She only sent a single text confirming what 'Kara' said this morning – she was at Eliza's. I refused to believe that though.

All I could do was wait and wonder where Kara was and whether she was okay. It wasn't a good feeling.

Few days had passed and it was the weekend. I was watching TV, barely paying attention to what was playing. I felt too anxious to focus on anything. Kara's well-being wouldn't escape my mind. I knew she was practically invincible, but that didn't help ease my nerves at all. Why hadn't she contacted me? At least let me know she was okay?

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts and I sighed as I got up to answer it. It was probably the delivery guy – I had no effort to cook today.

I pulled open the door and caught my breath when I saw Kara stood there. The real Kara. I knew it was her because she was smiling, only a small smile, but it reached her eyes and made her look beautiful. She was wearing a hoodie and some jeans – very unlike her. Her glasses weren't on her face and she seemed tired, but she wasn't hurt. Physically, anyway. I felt relieved.

"Y/N," she breathed out. "Hey... I forgot my key when I left," she said as she stepped inside. "And I've just seen your calls and texts... sorry I couldn't answer. I needed some space at Eliza's for a bit..."

I knew I was supposed to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary and as if I hadn't been worried sick about her. But I couldn't help myself as I pulled her in for a hug. She was alive and well and in my embrace.

My arms were wrapped tight around her shoulders and I tucked my face into her neck. Her familiar and comforting scent filled my senses and I knew it was her. No doubt about it.

"I know you were only gone for a few days at Eliza's," I mumbled into her hoodie, playing the part, but not very well, "but I missed you... a lot..."

I wasn't sure if she suspected anything, but I did feel her body relax as a sigh escaped her lips and she wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I missed you, too," she whispered quietly. "So, so much..."

I was curious to what happened to her and what she meant by that, but I knew it wasn't my business to ask. And I knew she wouldn't tell me either. So I suffered in silence and thanked God for bringing her back home safely.

***

I knew of Kara's secret. She thought I didn't know. Everyone thought I didn't know. But I guess I'd become so used to the fact that she did have powers that sometimes, I forgot to play the part of the oblivious best friend.

Kara wanted to host a dinner party at ours for her friends, and since I didn't really have a problem with that, I said yes. She'd invited James, Winn and Alex over.

It was a relatively normal evening, honestly, but certain things would occur that I guess I didn't realise were an issue till later on...

"Kara's been practicing, and it's actually not so terrible," I chirped, glancing at the Kryptonian with a teasing smile.

"Hey," she argued playfully, nudging me in the arm. "My cooking isn't even that bad!"

I raised an eyebrow and simply looked towards her sister and two friends. They all avoided Kara's threatening glare, which only proved me point.

"I hate you all," Kara said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"We're sorry, Kara, but Y/N is kinda right!" Winn tried to apologise. "Your cooking isn't exactly the best..."

Kara rolled her eyes, only making me laugh at her childishness. Just in time, the alarm from the oven went off, signalling the chicken had finished cooking.

"Come on, let's go see if you burnt it," I joked, dragging Kara to the kitchen with me. I heard her grumbling incoherently from behind which made me chuckle in response.

I bent down to the oven and opened it, feeling the heat escape and brushing over my face.

"Kara, can you pass us the oven gloves?" I asked, glancing up, but she merely bent down and grabbed the tray of chicken herself.

"It's okay, I got it," she assured, pulling out the tray with her bare hands.

I was used to this behaviour, since she was an alien and literally felt nothing, from a pinch to a burn. So used to this behaviour in fact, that I forgot it technically wasn't normal behaviour.

"It looks pretty good," Kara complimented herself, and when I stood up beside her, I saw she was grinning like a child.

Her smile was contagious and I found myself mirroring her expression, before checking out the chicken. Roasted to perfection, really.

"Wow, Kara, you've actually done a good job!" I said with sarcasm dripping from my voice.

Kara licked her lips before pouting ever-so-adorably. I gave her a knowing look.

"Oh, Kara, you know I'm kidding," I reassured, before putting an arm on her shoulder and directing our attention to the food. "But we do have to make sure it tastes good."

We called the others to help lay the chicken out with the rest of the food, and as we did, I couldn't help but notice the stare Alex was giving me. A puzzled expression was directed my way, and obviously, at this point, I had absolutely no idea why.

Dinner went by smoothly, and the food was delicious, courtesy of Kara. It was when we were all cleaning the dining table and taking the pots to the sink when another fault on my part came about.

I was washing the dishes when I heard a smash come from behind me. I turned around to see Winn (unsurprisingly), had accidentally dropped a wine glass on the floor. I rolled my eyes at his clumsiness and guilty smile.

"Oops?"

I suppressed the urge to smile at his dismay before continuing with the washing.

"Kara, do you think you can–?" I began, but was cut off.

"Already on it," she responded, and I glanced over my shoulder to see she was picking up the bits of glass with her hands.

Another action, so simple and thoughtless that I was used to her doing. Many time, she'd cleaned up a mess, that I'd usually made, with her bare hands, so I was used to it. But once again, I forgot that this wasn't normal behaviour.

I finished off washing the last dish before drying my hands. I saw Kara putting the glass in the bin and when she looked up, we exchanged a quick smile. The two of us headed to the living-room, where the others were chatting mindlessly. Once again, Alex was staring at me with a puzzled expression.

The rest of the evening was pretty much that, and it was when we had said goodbye to everyone that Kara had pulled me aside.

"What's up?" I asked the concerned blonde.

She seemed nervous as she avoided my eyes. "Y/N..." She breathed in and out, slowly, before finally looking at me. "You know about me, don't you?"

I certainly wasn't expecting this. She'd made no sign that she was going to talk about her secret, so I was surprised to say the least.

"Know about you?"

She gave me a knowing look. "C'mon, Y/N... at first, I didn't realise. But Alex noticed today. You know I have powers. You let me take the tray out of the oven without gloves. And you've done so in the past! You watched me clean that glass up and not get cut, just as you've done in the past. You've known this whole time, haven't you?"

I suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders as she spoke. I hadn't realised how hard it was pretending not to know until now.

"I knew," I admitted, offering a small smile. "I figured it out in university, Kara."

Her eyes widened at this revelation. "What– why didn't you tell me?"

Her blue eyes were glistening with confusion as she didn't look away once. I grew nervous as I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm not sure?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know, Kara, I guess I just thought, well, it's your secret to tell, isn't it? I couldn't just reveal to you that I knew you were an alien when you were obviously trying so hard to hide it."

She seemed speechless as she finally looked away. She rubbed her head, trying to relieve some sort of tension that was building up.

"Kara, what's wrong?" I asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She spread her hands in defeat, a conflicted smile on her lips. "What did I do, Y/N?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

She sighed heavily. "You know that Winn and James know, don't you?" I nodded. "And yet you stuck by me this whole time. You didn't get angry with me or pressure me, but I can only imagine how annoyed you would've been. Believing I didn't trust you with something like this. Especially when we tell each other everything."

I smiled with reassurance as I looked her in the eyes. "Kara, no... at first, maybe I felt a bit jealous that you chose them over me. But I grew to understand and I don't want you feeling bad about any of this."

"But Y/N–"

"No," I interrupted firmly. "No more buts. Let's just move on. I know and you know I know. Everything is okay. Okay?"

She searched my eyes for any sign of hatred or annoyance or anger, but there was none. I had no hard feelings about any of this.

"Okay," she agreed, before smiling. "Thank you."

I merely nodded in return. "Now... since this is finally out in the open..."

I said nothing more as I rushed forward and hugged her as tightly as I could. She couldn't get hurt anyway, so I held her with all my strength and didn't let go.

"All those times on the news, when I would see you fighting aliens and criminals... I thought that you wouldn't..." I closed my eyes as she wrapped her arms around me. "You would always come back. And I couldn't say a thing about it."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, regretfully.

I didn't know what else to say, so I just stayed there. Still and in her strong, safe embrace. Where I knew she would be okay.

#kara danvers imagine #kara danvers x reader #kara danvers #supergirl imagine #supergirl x reader #supergirl #melissa benoist

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pofcroyalfanfiction · 5 years

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Chapter Two - A New Palace

September 1st 2028

Marlborough, England

The drive back into Marlborough was always difficult on the 1st of September. Traffic would grind to a halt in the sleepy little village as students started returning to school, their parents desperate to find an empty parking space so that moving their children's things was that much easier. The Cambridge family were no different, stuck in traffic in the middle of the high street as they waited for the roads to clear. It took them thirty minutes to travel a mile, and then another thirty sitting in a side road outside Ivy House as they waited for a parking spot to free up. Kate could still vaguely remember her own mother driving her back to school, in a time where Marlborough was less famous and the student body was still something that the small town could handle.

What days those were.

She passed the time by browsing photos on her phone, trying to pick from the hundred that she'd taken of her kids together on their first day of school. It was a good distraction from the growing restlessness inside the car, trying to find one photo where Charlotte was looking at the camera or one where Alex wasn't making her little brother laugh by pulling silly faces.

"Oh! How 'bout this one?" Kate asked hopefully, holding up her phone so that Ellie and Alex could see from the back seats of the family Range Rover.

"No! Only one of my eyes is open there!" Ellie shot her down quickly and impatiently, like she'd done for the entirety of their journey.

"You've rejected every one so far Ellie." Kate pouted at her in the rear view mirror. Getting her eldest daughter to take nice photos was always difficult, but Ellie's pickiness meant Kate could take as many photos as time would allow and then get to coo endlessly as she scrolled through every single one. Will had noticed her getting teary eyed more than a few times during the trip to Marlborough.

"Just pick one already. It's obvious she's not gonna help out." Alex threw her head back against the seat and groaned at her older sister. She would have been perfectly happy with any one of the last hundred that Kate had showed them.

"Can we get in yet?" Ellie asked, noticing a car leaving the parking lot.

"Nope, still full." Will said, glancing around the cars ahead. "I'm sure if we let them know we're here, they'd make a space for us."

"No!" Ellie denied him quickly. "It's fine. We can wait."

"Speak for yourself why don't you?" Alex rolled her eyes at her sister.

It was hard not to find Ellie a little irritating. She had been restless and overeager to be back at school ever since they'd left London. Kate had tried to get her to unwind over the journey but her daughter was having none of it, she was a bundle of energy that was itching to explode.

Kate had never seen her eldest acting this way, definitely not when it came to her education, something which for the last three years Ellie seemed only half interested in at best. This year there was a spark inside of her that had never been there before, a drive to do well and achieve great things. Kate was loving her daughter's new spirit, but she couldn't help but be a little worried.

She's planning to do everything. Every class, every club, every team, every sport. Even ones she knows she won't like. She wants to make a million friends and pass every exam with top marks. She wants to craft the perfect school life for herself, but she thinks it'll happen straight away.

Kate wanted her daughter to do well, as any mother would, but she didn't want to pressure her. The performance reports she had been getting from Ellie's teachers implied that her daughter was an average student, that she wasn't trying, and most worrying of all that she wasn't making any friends.

Kate couldn't figure out what to do. She knew Ellie was being naïve thinking she'd be able to do everything and not have it affect her classes, but she didn't want to crush her daughter's new found adventurous attitude. This wasn't the Princess Eleanor she'd been raising previously, this was her Ellie, her bundle of curious and excitable energy before she'd been told what her future role would be.

Kate wanted to keep that going, but she didn't want Ellie doing all this because she felt she had to, she wanted her doing well in school because she wanted to. Kate could only hope that the school would look after her daughter, help her achieve everything she was aiming for this year and not pressure her to do anymore.

Ellie is putting enough pressure on herself as it is. And besides, Marlborough makes no secret of being proud to teach two Royals. They want them to be shining examples of excellence.

Ivy House itself was a collection of buildings that had been squeezed into a narrow plot of land, stretching back at least half a football pitches length away from the high street. The oldest part of the house was all anyone could see from the main street and was built in the sixteenth century, but the rest of Ivy was built via multiple extensions over the years to accommodate more and more girls. The whole complex was so squashed into the middle of the town, a hundred meters from the school grounds and requiring a ten minute detour to get to the parking spaces at the back.

Kate regretted Ellie and Alex's placement into Ivy House every year, with the struggle for parking spaces and the squashed atmosphere, but she knew that the girls would be comfortable once everyone had moved in. Ivy was one of the smaller houses at the school even after Marlborough started accepting more students, and on any other day it would be relaxed and peaceful, the perfect place for her girls to live while studying.

When they were finally able to get a parking spot outside, Ellie couldn't wait to get out of the car. They were all restless after sitting on traffic for hours, but Ellie was on another level. She was outside, closing her car door and breathing in the Marlborough atmosphere before anyone else had a chance to undo their seatbelts.

"Did you bring the toddler reins?" Will asked her, wiping pretend sweat from his brow.

"We'll have to buy some in town." Kate told him, gathering her things and sliding out the car gracefully.

Immediately she could feel the eyes following them, excitable young kids carrying suitcases were stopping in their tracks to watch their every move. Kate waved at some of them before their parents smiled apologetically at her and shepherded their children away, allowing the chaos of moving in to return.

New students.

Kate looked around for her own children. Alex had already rushed off and was hugging another girl, a short and awkward looking girl who beamed at Alex and proudly introduced her to her parents. Kate couldn't remember the girls name, Susie was her best guess, or Lola. Alex had never spoken at length about her friends at school, only that there were lots of them.

Ellie was a different story. Kate found her hovering by the old noticeboard that stood by the back entrance, reading all the different postings for clubs and sports teams. Kate watched her for a moment, seeing how she acted around the other girls who were nearby. Some girls said hello to her, but nobody greeted her like a friend they hadn't seen in months. Kate could sense her daughter's nerves as she tried to hold conversations with other girls, obviously fighting herself to be more talkative. She knew how awkward her daughter must be feeling, but a smile was forming on her lips.

Kate watched proudly, clasping her hands together and full of joy. Ellie was immersing herself in school and putting herself out there. She wasn't standing out either, wearing the same uniform as all the other girls meant there was no hint of a Princess there, which seemed like the only thing that was holding her daughter back.

Will tapped her on the shoulder. "Kate, the new housemistress wants to say hello."

He had Alex with him, having wrangled her from her friends, and was gesturing to a strict looking older woman in her forties, with wavy red hair, a large nose and wearing a black pantsuit. She was waiting patiently, briefly and politely greeting other parents. Kate found her gaze unsettling as it repeatedly focused back on her and William, clearly showing which royal couple she wanted to speak with.

"Ellie. Grab your things." Kate called back over her shoulder to the group of girls at the noticeboard, hating to ruin her eldest's fun. When no response came she turned and tried to pick Ellie out from the crowd, but the oddest feeling stopped her. She couldn't recognise her daughter, all the girls seemed to blend together. Normally Ellie's awkwardness made her stand out, but now all she could see were a bunch of giggling school girls in the middle of a reunion.

"Ellie." Kate shouted again. Her daughters face snapped to her direction and immediately Kate could see the disappointment in her eyes. She said her goodbyes and trudged away from the group, leaving the rest to keep talking.

"You can go back to them in a bit." Kate said, putting her hand on Ellie's back and looking at the girls, wondering if all this time her daughter really did have friends here. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Mum." Ellie said to her casually, not sensing the significance as she repeatedly looked back over her shoulder.

The housemistress stood at attention as Kate approached. Another woman was beside her, looking slightly younger and more welcoming. Her summery dress and sandals came across as less professional, but there was an obvious friendliness about her that Kate could appreciate.

The older woman shot Ellie a glance and then subtly looked at Kate.

"Mum, this is our new Housemistress Rachel Hunt." Ellie looked quite put out as she hastily introduced them, her voice professional and slightly bored. Kate watched and smiled as the older woman's chest swelled with pride at the sound of her new title.

"Your Royal Highnesses" Miss Hunt sunk into a deep curtsey as she shook both her and Will's hand. "A pleasure to meet you both, ever since I was made Housemistress of Ivy I've been looking forward to this moment."

"Please, just Will and Kate is fine." Will heartily shook her hand with a disarming smile.

"We're just excited and proud parents today." Kate told her as she shook Ms Hunts' hand gently.

"And our House Dame, Jenny Moon." Ellie introduced the younger woman in a clearly more excited voice which Kate and Will quickly picked up on. Mrs Moon offered a lighter curtsey, focusing more on a relaxed, welcoming handshake. "Nice to meet you both."

"So you'll be making sure the girls don't get into trouble?" Will asked jokily, wrangling Alex with his forearm like she was a wild lioness as she rolled her eyes and snickered quietly.

"Of course, though Ellie won't be any trouble. We can count on that." Miss Hunt said proudly whilst Ellie looked away and grumbled.

"And we'll make sure Alex cuts out the late night T.V" Mrs Moon said, crossing her arms and already laying down the law, yet her familiarity with the girls made her seem more like a big sister who wanted to watch the T.V in peace.

"Don't worry." Alex laughed mischievously. "There's nothing good on this year."

#royalfanfiction #pofcroyalfanfiction #emmawatson #royalfanficcollection #royalfanficcentral #katemiddleton #writing #fanfic

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echo-three-one · 3 years

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Chapter 42

THE ROAD SO FAR

This chapter was a mess. But it's my mess.

FOUR weeks of Silence

Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Veteran's Village

A peaceful Sunday meant that Roach, Alex and Soap were chilling at the house Samantha and Maxine were in. It had been 4 weeks since that Cuban incident and Francine had gone to therapy for her near death traumatic experience. If it wasn't for Soap, she would've been left out there for good.

France thought that it would be healthy to stay in a more domestic setup rather than the base so she took her time off duty to recover in the veteran's village. And ever since that day in Cuba, Soap and France's relationship was more expressive than ever.

"If we're having a barbecue tonight, we better head off to the meat shop." Alex peeked by the door, giving a heads up to the rest of the people sitting on the couch. Soap turned his head to Alex and tossed his keys as Roach stood up and came with Alex.

"Any other requests?" He looked at the group then to Maxine, who shook her head and laughed.

"Just be back safe." She replied.

"Got it." Gary nodded and waved goodbye at them. Soap wanted to come along but France had been falling asleep on his lap for quite a while. And Maxine and Samantha noted that she hadn't had decent for days.

"Oh, Roach! Grab me a cigar maybe." He whispered, trying not to wake France up.

"Roger that." He nodded and made his way to Soap's jeep, where Alex was already waiting on him. He sat himself on shotgun and let Alex lead the way to their destination.

He turned on the radio as it played a song about driving. Roach was quick to shazam it and found out it was Automobile by KALEO.

"Now this is going to be on my playlist." Alex said as his head nodded to the music, taking him where the winds take him, far away.

"Agreed. Oh, Soap actually asked for cigarettes so we might have to stop by a convenience store on the way back." Roach informed as the song ended.

"Okay. That's cool. Maybe add a few sodas for the girls. They probably haven't had those i ages." He said as he turned the radio off and switched it to AUX.

"Here. Grab my phone and play that song again." Alex instructed as he drove through the streets, and Roach followed him. Playing the song again.

"Ah yes. This song is good." Alex sighed.

"Yeah. It's fire." Roach commented, making Alex raise an eyebrow.

"You know, fire… lit… slaps… Modern terminologies." Roach explained shyly as Alex chuckled.

"I'll never understand the young ones of today." Alex chuckled as he stopped by the parking lot, pulling his phone and leaving the car.

Dinner was the best part of the Sunday evening as the three couples enjoyed a hearty meal together, sharing experiences and funny stories like an extended family. Roach talked about his raccoon story once again as one topic led to another until such time that the inevitable topic was discussed.

"Speaking of fires, do you have any leads on Nero?" Samantha asked innocently as the men fell quiet, looking at each other. Wondering who would open up the topic.

"Well, uh… After his assault in New York…" Soap trailed off, his eyes went to Alex, signaling him to continue.

"Alex, it's your girl's question! Go answer it!" Soap complained as France laughed, wrapping her arms around Soap.

"He's gone silent." Alex muttered. Samantha was kinda sad she asked about it so she tried to make up by brightening up the mood.

The night continued on as the group played charades, girls vs boys. For an hour or so the soldiers forgot about their worries and acted like they're normal people living their normal lives outside work. It wouldn't hurt to pretend like that, especially when the baggage of guilt was hard to handle.

"So, Gary. I've been meaning to ask you something…" Maxine said as she assisted him in the kitchen.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"How are you… like mentally. You seem… off." She asked, Gary sighed and eased his shoulders.

"It's just… we almost lost a life back there… for nothing. Lannister hasn't said any useful information and as the days go by another assault might occur." he breathed out his worries, earning a back rub from Maxine.

"People have their limits. Lannister could break anytime. Let's just hope we're not too late." She assured him. It was a very negative statement but somehow it's actually helpful. Gary smiled and gave her a hug.

"Thanks Maxine." he said.

"Yeah. Don't ever think you're alone. I'm here for you. Actually, just last night. I had another memory restored. And it felt so important that you have to know it first. Before…" she said, her voice lowering down after every word.

"Before what?" Gary whispered jokingly. Maxine laughed and hit his chest gently.

"Nevermind that word. Back to my memory…

I…" she trailed off, looking like she was too shy and scared to finish the statement.

"You…?" Gary raised an eyebrow. Maxine took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I had an ex-girlfriend." She blurted and paused right after saying it, bracing at what Gary's reaction.

"I- uh.. That's okay… There's nothing wrong with that, Maxine." He said like he meant it. Maxine was too shocked about his reaction. Maybe she thought about it too much.

"Like… does that change anything?" She asked.

"Nothing at all. Oh wait! Yes! It does." Gary announced and Maxine's smile almost dropped.

"It means that if I want to have you, I'll have to step up my game. I have more competition now." He realized and Maxime sighed in relief. This man was about to get some scolding.

"You worried me, you know!" He continued gently hitting on Gary's chest, giggling away all her fears. He still accepted her. This was great.

"My point's valid!" He laughed, defending himself from her hits,.like children playing house. This may seem like a simple event, but this was the beginning of something new for the two of them.

Task Force 141 Base - Interrogation Room

Price sat in front of Gabriel, they've been silent for about an hour now as Gary and Soap stayed on the viewing area to observe the interrogation. Alex was here thirty minutes ago but he left after he got a phone call.

"What kind of twisted play is this?" Soap asked, crossing his arms and looking at Gabriel.

"The bastard won't talk. Just cut off a finger or something." He scoffed. To Gary, it would make sense, but with all the cameras and the formalities, It wasn't allowed. Especially that Gabriel's alibi was that he got their first to investigate. Which was total bullshit.

"He still has his ace on his sleeve. As long as we don't find proof of involvement, he's going to be free soon." Gary commented, making Soap grumble some Scottish curses.

"It's pretty obvious!" Soap yelled as Alex entered the interrogation room, saying something to Price as they immediately left him alone. Whatever that message was, looked way more important than Gabriel.

"We've got a lead on Nero!" Alex said as he peeked on the door, making the two stand up immediately and head to the briefing room.

"Operation Eye of the Storm." Price announced.

"In 24 hours, Nero and his newfound friends will meet on a hotel in Prague. This intel was from one of the Resistance Leaders Alex once teamed up with. They reached out for help since Nero started to secure the whole city." Price paced back and forth on the big screen.

"The plan is to eliminate Nero and his allies. As simple as that. We have the element of surprise in our hands. Soap, I want you to position yourself on the clock tower, just by the hotel. A bullet to the head should work. Alex will be watching your six. Jack will be our eyes and ears inside the convention. He'll be signaling when they'll be out on the open. Roach and I will enter the building for cleanup. We only had one shot at this so let's make it count." Price briefed and everyone else murmured their thoughts, some were already thanking for a solid lead. This was it. The final showdown. The end of the war.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Alex and Soap already left the resistance safehouse, they had to be at the clock tower tonight, using the concealment of the night and the noise of the rain for cover. The perfect opportunity to say under the radar. Meanwhile, Roach and Price stayed to defend the place as Nero's men once again ransacked the streets just to ensure his safety. The world may have announced that the war in US was over, but Nero still had some cities under his control. This minor setback was the reason he's planning for something new. And they're here to stop it.

"Alright, Roach. Your replacements here." Price said as he stood up from his spot.

"Get ready for the big day tomorrow." He added as he nodded and left his gun for the next person to use. Tomorrow's battle is going to be tough, and even though he didn't want to admit it, Roach needed some rest.

Despite the occasional gunfire and screaming, Roach was able to sleep. He didn't mind the battle outside the building as his battle was with Nero. Once Soap shot him dead, he would also want to shoot him again, just to feel satisfied.

0639H

Hotel Lustig

Prague, Czech Republic

Roach hid on the west wing of the hotel, while Price was on the other side. They were both clinging on to the walls as their entrance was at the small opening where Soap would shoot Nero. Roach eyed the convoy just below him.

"Convoy's up ahead. Nero should be in one of those cars." Soap muttered.

"Can't see shit through the lens. He could be anywhere." Alex added.

"Easy lads. We'll have a clear shot once they're in the balcony. Right Jack?" Price asked. Jack didn't respond, but maybe the signal inside was too weak.

"Jack? Do you copy?" Price asked.

"Da. I do copy, Captain Price. I'm just here to get my old prisoner back. I've had him in the gulag for quite a while but it seems this is our first time meeting face to face." A russian voice which everyone assumed to be Nero said in the most villainous tone possible.

"You're too predictable, Captain." he said as he clicked something, prompting an explosion on the clock tower.

"Get down! C4!" Price yelled as the two soldiers jump out, falling on to railings. Alex landed on a fruit cart by the tower while Soap landed on the car, crashing it as it alarmed.

"Roach! Go help them out!" Price ordered as Nero's men started to circle around the two while the resistance team helped them defend.

Roach quickly pulled Soap up who was groaning in pain. Alex looked pained too but the look in their eyes says that they're still willing to end this today.

"Let's catch up with them." Alex said as a resistance member tossed them a rifle and quickly hid for cover, pushing their way into the hotel. At the corner of Roach's eye, he saw Price enter the building, loading his gun and ready to end this as well.

Next Chapter : THREE Bullets

Notification Squad my Beloved

@smokeywhalee @enderio @samatedeansbroccoli @whimsywispsblog @ricinbach @bumblingbee1

#alex echo 3 1 #john soap mactavish #horrayfic #john price #gary roach sanderson #whateverittakes

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isntthisenoughwhatwouldbeenough · 7 years

Text

Time Will Take Them Away (Chapter 7)

A/N: Hello Lovely Wonderfuls! I’m very sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy it! this is the calm before the storm, so get ready! As always I wish you the loveliest of days!

Chapter 7

Alexander was growing increasingly anxious with each passing day. He missed her, more than he should. He couldn’t stop thinking about their kiss and how angry she was with him. He wanted to call her and write her a million letters. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to hold her. He felt like he was going crazy.

It didn’t help that him and Angelica had been fighting about nearly everything. He tried not to think about Eliza. Really he tried, but it was like his brain could hardly think of anything else. He loved Angelica. She was beautiful, intelligent, funny, sharp, kind, and confident. He knew he still loved her, he just wasn’t sure in what way anymore.

He groans, pulling at his hair and laying his head down on his desk. Trying to focus on his work. He didn’t know how to deal with all his emotions. He’d never felt this way before and it was throwing him through a loop. He sighs, getting up to get more coffee.

He enters the kitchen, seeing Angelica making herself a sandwich. He goes and kisses her cheek, he swears he sees her cringe slightly. He ignores it, sure it’s his lack of sleep and derailed emotions.

“I’m going to spend the weekend with Eliza, so I brought some of those microwave meals for you to have.”

“Oh, thank you,” he takes a sip of his coffee, a still silence between them. “How is she doing?”

“Really good, she seems happy,” he can hear the small smile in her voice.

Eliza brings joy with just her name. He shakes his head at himself.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah,” she turns to him. “You’ll be okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” she nods.

She pauses a moment, kissing his cheek and leaving the kitchen.

Angelica had never felt so unsettled in her life. She had been fighting with Alexander all the time. She felt so annoyed. She wasn’t sure what it was, but nothing felt the same. She thought maybe it was Eliza moving, but if she was honest with herself, she’s felt this way for a long time.

She just didn’t feel close to him anymore. Maybe they were going through a slump, but maybe their relationship was running it’s course. She shakes her head not wanting to think about it. She makes her way to work, relief seeping through her. She loved going to work. It was a welcome distraction, besides the fact that she loved what she did.

She types away at her desk, when she’s interrupted by a knock on her desk. She looks up to see John Church, a fellow employee and work friend.

“Working hard there, Schuyler?”

He smirks at her playfully, and she smirks as she continues to type.

“Aren’t I always?”

She looks up at him with a raised eyebrow, her smirk still place. He laughs and hands her a cup coffee.

“Thank you,” she smiles fully.

“No problem,” he winks. “It was my pleasure,” he pauses taking a sip of his own coffee, “it’s worth it to you smile.”

She catches her breath and a light blush rushes to her cheeks. He smirks at her once more and she’s quick to compose herself.

“What a reward for you,” she turns back to typing, pretending to ignore his presence.

He laughs, giving her a bright smile and nodding his head.

“That it is, Schuyler,” he starts to walk away backwards, slowly. “A fantastic reward.”

She looks up at him once more before he turns around. She smiles at him without being able to stop herself, he smiles back and winks at her, before turning and leaving.

“Already flirting this early, Angie?”

She turns to her friend, Sarah, looking at her confused.

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Church,” she laughs.

“We weren’t flirting,” she shakes her quickly.

“Okay,” she says, turning back to her own work.

Angelica turns back to her desk, starting type again. Was he flirting? Could she really deny that maybe she was too? But that’s the way they had spoken to each other for months. Why did the thought of him flirting with her, make her heart flutter? She shakes her head at herself, not the time or place. She focuses on her work once more, without anymore interruptions.

Her day flies by and she can’t wait to see Eliza. She missed her sister dearly, things just didn’t feel the same without her. Peggy readily agreed, she had been talking about going to see Eliza all week. Laf was only mildly hurt, that she wasn’t going to miss him. She picks Peggy up and they head straight to Brooklyn.

They arrive at Eliza’s place and squeal as soon as they see her. They all jump in a group hug, before entering her apartment and getting ready for their girls weekend. Eliza and Peggy get the snacks, while Angelica sets up the living room.

“What are we watching, ladies?” Eliza asks her sisters as she gets comfortable.

“I say Parks and Rec,” Peggy suggests from Eliza’s right.

“What about The Good Place, Betsey hasn’t seen it,” Angelica nudges her.

“You haven’t seen it?”

“Nope.”

“I guess we’re watching that first then,” Peggy says, snuggling into Eliza. “But,” she lifts her head, looking at her sisters, “after that we’re watching Parks and Rec.”

“Of course, dearest,” Eliza smiles, kissing her forehead.

They watch the first season, swapping snacks, making drinks, and giggling the night away.

“This is exactly what I needed,” Angie sighs, leaning back against the couch.

“Has work been really hectic?” Eliza smiles sympathetically, leaning on her shoulder.

“No,” she sighs in frustration, “Alex has been such a pain lately.” She shakes her head, running a hand through her hair. “Its like we’re always annoying each other.”

Eliza glances over at Peggy, she just frowns and shrugs her shoulders.

“I’m sure he’s just swamped at work, Ange,” she rubs her arm. Angelica only shrugs her shoulders. “Besides you’re never annoying, you’re always delightful,” she smiles big, while Angie chuckles.

“I’m glad you think so, dearest,” Angelica smiles at her, bopping her nose.

“What about you and Laf,” Eliza sits up, turning to Peggy. “How are you guys doing?”

“We’re good,” she smiles, nodding. “I do feel a little bad,” she laughs.

“Why?”

“I left in such a hurry because I was so excited to see you, and I barely said goodbye,” she frowns.

“He knows how much you love him,” Eliza reassures her.

“Yeah, you practically never shut up about him,” Angelica smirks.

Eliza tries to hide her smile, but a laugh escapes her lips instead.

“Betsey,” Peggy gasps out, glaring at her sisters.

She picks up a handful of popcorn and throws it at them and laughs at their shocked faces. Before they know it, chips, popcorn, and pretzels were being thrown back and forth. They get up, each with a bowl of snacks, tossing a different snack at each other. Once they’re done, they fall back onto the floor in a mess of giggles.

“Your hair is a mess,” Eliza laughs looking at Peggy.

“So is yours,” she laughs.

They look over at Angie, bursting into another fit of giggles.

“Mine can’t look any worse than yours,” she laughs along with them.

“Wait, nobody move,” Eliza says reaching for her phone. “This is a Kodak moment.”

She switches on her camera, and they take a whole bunch of pictures of them on the floor, smiles and giggles galore with chips, popcorn and pretzels stuck in their hair. They finally calm down and lay there in a comfortable silence, before Angie remembers something.

“I almost forgot, Betsey,” she turns to look at her, “what’s your news?”

“Oh yeah,” she smiles with a light chuckle. “I met someone.”

Both of her sisters bolt up, looking at her in shock as she sits up herself.

“When?”

“Where?”

“How?”

“We met yesterday, at the store,” she smiles as she remembers. “And he helped me get some chips that I couldn’t reach.”

“Is he cute?” Peggy smiles at her excitedly.

Eliza nods with a big smile.

“Was he nice?” Angelica asks, more wary.

“Yes, he behaved like a perfect gentleman,” she smiles, patting Angies hand. “We walked around the store talking and after we checked out, he asked for my number.”

“Has he called?”

“Yeah, we have a date next week,” Eliza grins.

They all pause looking at each other before squealing.

“Wait, what his name?” Angie stops them.

“André, he’s actually from England, which is probably why he was so proper.”

“I hope this all works out, Betsey,” Peggy takes her hand with a smile. “You deserve so much to be happy.”

“Pegs,” Eliza smiles softly, placing a hand over her heart.

“You really do, dearest,” Angelica smiles at her.

“You guys are going to make me cry,” she hugs them both tightly.

“We just love you, Eliza,” Angelica says pulling away.

“Plus, we haven’t seen you in forever,” Peggy adds with a frown.

“I know, I’m sorry,” she places a hand on her shoulder. “I promise I’ll come visit this weekend.”

“Yay!” Peggy tackles her in hug, and Angie joins in.

“I’ve missed you both so much, I hope you know that.”

“Duh, we’re awesome,” Peggy rolls her eyes.

They fall into another fit of giggles before cleaning things up and ordering actual food. They fall asleep on the couch, Parks and Rec playing on the tv, and snacks still in their hair.

They wake up the next morning and decide on doing a spa day at Eliza’s apartment. After going to breakfast, they pick up a few spa essentials, before heading back to her apartment. They do facials, paint each other’s nails, and even do each other’s hair and makeup. They take another bunch of pictures, and then head to Eliza’s favorite restaurant. The day goes by in a blur and before they know it, it’s nearly midnight and they fall asleep in Eliza’s room this time.

Sunday morning comes, and Angelica is dreading going home. She doesn’t want to go home and deal with Alex. She’s not sure she even wants to see him, and it scares her how true that feels.

“Everything okay, Ange?” Eliza looks at her worried. “You look upset.”

“It’s nothing,” she waves her hand, dismissing her sisters worries. When Eliza just looks at her with raised eyebrows, she sighs. “I just don’t want to go home and argue with Alex that’s all, we’ve been at each other’s throats lately.”

“I’m sure everything will be okay,” she grabs Angelicas hand in hers. “Besides, since you came to see me, it’s given you some time to miss each other,” she smiles.

Angelica nods, even though she didn’t feel like she had missed him at all. She felt more relieved to be away from him. She shakes her head of the thought, and smiles at Eliza.

“He better have,” she jokes, making Eliza laugh.

“Of course he did,” she smiles.

“Alright, I guess I’m ready,” Peggy frowns, looking downcast.

Eliza gets up to embrace her sister, giving her a squeeze.

“I promise, I’ll be there this weekend to see you,” she pulls away, giving her a soft smile. “I won’t even pay attention to the boys,” she chuckles. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Peggy smiles, giving Eliza another squeeze, before stepping back.

“Call me when you get home, okay?” She tells Angelica, embracing her tightly.

“We will,” she smiles.

“I love you, darlings.”

“We love you, dearest,” they say together.

After making sure Peggy got home, Angelica arrived at her apartment opening the door quietly. She sighs in relief when she sees Alex is nowhere to be found. She sits on the couch, turning on the tv and wondered if she still loved him the same way anymore. She knew she cared about him, she didn’t want to hurt him, but was she in love him? She wasn’t sure anymore. But, when he came through the door she plastered on a smile.

“Hey, babe,” he greets her with a gentle smile of his own.

“Hey,” she reaches out for a hug, it’s quick, but it was something.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a nightmare lately,” he looks down at his hands, before looking up at her. “Works just been crazy and,” he pauses, shaking his head, “I just, I’m sorry.”

“Its okay,” she brushes a stray hair from his face.

He smiles, kissing her wrist and moving to wrap an arm around her.

“How was the girls weekend?”

“It was great,” her smile genuine, as thinks of the time she spent with her sisters.

“How is Eliza doing?” he asks, trying not to sound overly curious.

“Really good, she seems happy,” she snuggles into him. “Oh, and she met someone.”

He does his best not to tense, and keep his feelings at bay.

“She met someone?”

“Yeah, some guy named André,” she shrugs her shoulders. “He sounds nice enough and she’s really excited about it.”

“That’s great,” he tries to sound happy for her. “I’m sorry, babe, I have this report I have to finish, so I’ll be in the office.”

“Okay,” she sits up, so he can leave.

He places a kiss on her head and leaves the room. She sits back breathing another sigh, maybe she still loved him, maybe it was just a little rough patch. Maybe she was lying to herself, she couldn’t tell.

Alex had received a text a few hours ago from Eliza, that simply said:

*Be sweet to Angie, she needs it right now, and she deserves that from you. That’s all I have to say.

He wanted to ask her a million questions, but none of them had to do with her sister and she didn’t seem to want to talk to him. He sighs and types back his reply.

-I will, and you’re right, she deserves a lot more.

As he put his phone down, he closed his eyes and if he concentrated hard enough he could almost forget the way she felt in his arms, and the touch of her lips on his.

#hamilton imagine #alexander hamilton #alexander x angelica #hamliza #alexander x eliza #eliza x alexander #eliza schuyler #Angelica Schuyler #angelica x alexander #peggy schuyler #Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette #lafayette x peggy #peggy x lafayette

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