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ashleycatchemm · 11 months ago

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1-24: Finally Free

Part 24 of??

Pairing: Reggie x Reader, Luke x Julie, Alex x Willie

Summary: (Y/n) (L/n) has been able to see and feel ghosts ever since she was little, which made it hard to tell the ghosts from the humans. Everyone has always thought she was a bit crazy, even her best friends, Julie and Flynn. But when three ghosts with a love for music appear in Julie's garage, suddenly (Y/n) doesn't seem so crazy anymore.

Song: Finally Free (Julie and the phantoms)

Season 1 Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

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Pulling into my driveway I parked the truck and hopped out, leaving the door open for Arius to come out behind me. Once the black cat jumped out of the blue truck I shut the door behind him, a banging noise catching my attention from across the street. Looking over, at the big blue house across the street that's been for sale ever since I remember, no one has wanted to buy it, and when they do, something always seems to cause them to back out.

People have been saying that it's haunted, but I've lived here all my life, and I haven't seen or heard a single ghost from over there. My eyes drifted down to the man hammering in a new sign, only this one was different, it had the word 'Sold' written on it in big bold letters. "Hey Arius?" I didn't bother looking back at the black cat, eyes trained on the sign across the street.

A hum in response gave me the okay to ask my question. "Do you think there are ghosts in that house?" Nodding my head over to the house across the street, watching the man start to pick up the sign he pulled out before replacing it with the other. "I doubt it." Looking back at the cat, I noticed he disappeared, (e/c) eyes glanced around to catch any sign of the demonic cat, only to see him sitting next to me. Blue eyes glued to the house in front of us, tail moving in an annoyed way.

"Your grandmother cleared out that house ages ago."

My brows furrowed in confusion, "So then how did it not sell for years?" I shoved my hands in my pockets "If it's been cleared out for ages, how is it just now getting sold?" Arius didn't give much of a helpful response "I don't know." he turned around and started making his way towards the front door. "Wait." I stated, quickly following after him "What do you mean 'I don't know'? Aren't you supposed to know everything about my grandmother?" Sitting by the door, he growled out a response "I don't know, because I wasn't there." Arius' temper seemed to flare up at the subject and that's when I felt it. The pang of emotional hurt, it wasn't big enough to get a reaction from me, but I knew one thing. It wasn't my emotion I was feeling.

No.

It was the demonic cat in front of me.

Arius' ears were drooped downward a little, tail wrapped close around him, the end being curled between his front paws. Sitting down on the steps of my front porch, I asked the question on my mind, not knowing if he'd answer me or just yell at me and go back to being closed off, either way, I need to know. "Why weren't you there?" He was silent for a second, tail whipping back and fourth in an agitated manor. After a minute or two, he finally spoke up "Once witches and warlocks get older, they start settling down. Having kids. Getting married. That sort of thing." I stayed quiet, not wanting to jump in.

If there are warlocks out there, then I wonder just how many more people there are like me..

"Eventually, there is a point in our lives where we feel we aren't needed anymore to our masters, so we would leave. No goodbyes, or farewells. Since demons get attached to their witch or warlock, we feel it's easier on us to leave without goodbyes. Breaks the bond faster."

I watched as the cat next to me looked up at the sky his blue eyes shining with an emotion I've never seen on him before, admiration? Maybe even love. His mouth opened a little, as if trying to smile, pointed teeth visible for all to see. "Your grandmother was different than the other witches and warlocks in your family. She could tell I was going to leave. She knew that something was off when she talked to me that night. She sensed it." Arius looked out in front of him at the house across the street, the same house that started this conversation.

"(G/n) engulfed me in the biggest hug, and begged me to stay with her. And so I did, because she was my weakness. Anything she asked of me I would do, all to make her happy."

Arius' expression seemed to falter "But then, it all turned to shit." His teeth bared in anger, claws gripping onto the front porch. "One of her sons got themselves into deep shit. And so your grandmother sent me away in order to protect her family from the ministry." His expression shifted into a scowl as he laid down, front paws hanging a little off the end of the porch. "I'm not mad at her for what she did. I know that they could've easily tracked me and then her family would've been in danger. I just... I wish there could've been another way. 36 years I spent with (G/n), and yet it still wasn't enough. I wanted a little more time with her." The black cat grew silent, not wanting to say anything else as he rested his head on his front legs.

I stared at Arius, having another aching feeling in my chest, it was the same as the last one, having not been my own emotions. Raising my hand up, I brought it over so that it was hovering over the demonic cat's head. I kept it there for a second or two, debating my choices, He'll probably swat at me. But in that moment I decided that I didn't care, because I felt like I should give him some kind of comfort, even if he does swat me away. Bringing my hand down, I gently rubbed his head, cautious of his movements, not wanting to get hit.

To my surprise, he didn't fight back, closing his eyes, Arius let out a small sigh in content. This bond has to start somewhere. Looking up at the clear blue sky a small smile crossed my lips, feeling good that I finally did something to help someone I'm glad it's starting here. And talking about Grandma no less. Looking back down at the black cat, he let out a small huff before shaking my hand off of him and sitting back up.

"So I don't know what (G/n) did to that house. She probably put a spell on it to keep the ministry from finding her. Or from finding her sons. Everything she did was to protect the people she cared about."

"Before she sent me away, she told me to look after you if something were to ever happen to her. Your mother was pregnant with you at the time. And, well, I could feel it. The bond. Before you were even born. I sensed that you would be a powerful witch and I could tell that (G/n) sensed it too. So now I'm going to train you the best I can, and look after you. But I can only do so much."

I nodded my head, understanding what he was saying. I can't keep running away from what I am. That means I'm gonna have to start cooperating with Arius. The black cat looked over at me, his usual bland stare on his face. I opened my mouth to say something but the noise of a ghost appearing caught my attention. "Hey (N/n)!" The boy clad in his leather jacket was quick to state, walking forward a little he pointed back and forth from me to the cat sitting next to me.

"Is this a bad time?"

I shook my head a little, a smile gracing my lips at just the sight of the ghost in front of me. "No. Not at all." Feeling the pull at my chest, causing me to stand up and walk towards Reggie. "Why?" The bassist in front of me radiated happiness as he met me halfway and grabbed ahold of my hand "We got to practice! Our first gig is tonight!" Dragging me down my driveway "Woah, Woah, Woah, Tonight?" I was quick to stop in place at the end of my driveway, causing Reggie to come to a halt as I pulled back on his hand.

The dark haired bassist in front of me tilted his head a little as if confused as to why I stopped him "And I thought Julie was all done with the band? She told me herself that-" Reggie jumped in, successfully cutting me off to answer my questions. "We all made up. But we have to hurry and practice because our gig is in a couple of hours." He pulled me a little bit along the side walk, only for me to quickly come to a stop once again. Still not processing the information.

"Wait Julie forgave you? When? And when did we get a gig?" Reggie rolled his eyes in amusement "What even-"

I was cut off once again, as Reggie pulled me toward him and wrapped a hand around my mouth. Faces inches apart, his award winning smile sitting on his face "I'll fill you in on all the details later. Right now we need to go, okay?" His arm sat wrapped around my waist, I felt my cheeks grow warm from the close proximity. I nodded my head in response, that being the only thing I could do, even if his hand wasn't covering my mouth, I don't think I would've been able to muster a single word.

Well, At least non that would make sense...

His hand left my mouth, finding my own once again. Gripping it tight, he pulled me along to go to Julie's. Looking back I caught sight of the black cat following close behind me.

I don't think he's gonna leave my side anytime soon.

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"Okay. What's with the cat?"

Alex had his eyes trained on Arius sitting on the couch, as Julie walked over to him. "I think it's cute" reaching her arm out to pet him, I was quick to jump in "Uh, Julie, I wouldn't..." the black cat was quick to jump up from his position on the couch. Hissing at Julie, his fur standing up, back arched, ears pulled back to show his agitation. The curly haired singer pulled her hand away in surprise, Arius was quick to make his way towards the other end of the couch, settling down. His eyes glanced at Julie, sending her one more growl before looking back at me.

"What's its problem?"

Alex questioned, seeing as how Arius almost hurt one of his friends. Picking up my rhythm guitar, I put the strap over my shoulder while speaking on the cats behalf. "He just isn't fond of most people. So don't try to force it." Arius growled briefly as I spoke, causing me to send him a look as if to say 'Behave' the black cat huffed while whipping his tail back and forth in aggravation, but overall growing silent. "Well, now that the cat conversation is out of the way..." Reggie grabbed everyone's attention as he walked over next to me, swinging his bass strap over his shoulder.

"Let's get started."

Julie nodded her head in agreement as her and Alex made their way over to their instruments.

"Right."

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All four of us were playing the cords to Finally Free as Julie sang "Marching on proud, Turn it up loud, cause now we know what we're worth." Luke suddenly appears in the chair by the coffee table, causing the four of us to stop playing. Letting out a small "woah" he noticed the four of us by our instruments. Standing up out of the chair "Julie." He stated, surprised to see her by the piano.

"Grab your guitar. We got work to do."

Luke started at her for a moment, mouth agape, only to let out a small chuckle as he grabbed his guitar, which stood by me. Walking over to Julie he asked "What made you come back?" Julie stood up from her seat "I realized how important music is for all of us. And we've lost so much already. We can't lose this too." Luke nodded his head a little "Thanks." He responded, only to ask "All right boss. Where we at?" In order to lighten the mood a little, letting out a small chuckle at his own question.

"Oh, and by the way, happy birthday."

Julie sat back down in her seat in front of the piano, a small chuckle passing her lips, again Luke stared at her in disbelief. Glancing over at the guys as if they would tell him how she knew, looking back at Julie a smile crossed his lips before making his way across the room.

"Let's take it from the pre-chorus." Julie stated

Alex banged his sticks together "One, Two, Three, Four." And with that the five of us started singing and playing, in order to practice for tonight.

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"You can't come with me Arius. We've already discussed this."

The black cat sat on my bed as I proceeded to do my make up for the gig. "I'll go in my human form."

"What about if Julie and Flynn see you?"

"I'll make up an excuse as to why I'm there."

Putting the mascara down, I turned around to face the black cat on my bed, the two of us stared the other down as if trying to silently win the argument. Letting out a sigh, I pinched the fridge of my nose all while stating "Fine. You can go" The demon determined to be by my side every second of everyday let out a small cheer before getting cut off by me "But..." his cat like eyes seemed to narrow in aggravation as I told him the terms of the agreement. "...You have to stay outside of the coffee shop, in your cat form the entire time. Got it?" My eyes narrowed back at him as if daring him to challenge my decision.

A huff of defeat passed through the black cats nose "Fine. As long as I'm there, I really don't care." The sound of a ghost warping could be heard, grabbing the attention of both me and the demon across from me. "Hey (N/n), you ready to go?" Near the door stood the boy that made my heart practically jump for joy, just from the sound of his voice. Reggie stood clad in his black tank top, biceps clearly being shown which caused my eyes to drift a little to look at them.

My bottom lip found its way between my teeth, all while my thoughts started to get impure. "(Y/n)?" The bassist's voice brought me back to reality, I was quick to let go of my lip as my eyes darted back up to his own. "You okay?" He continued, raising his brows as if to question my behavior. Shaking my head a little to bring myself back to my senses I sent him a small smile "I'm fine. We should get going." all while making my way towards my bedroom door, Arius hopping off my bed and following close behind.

Reggie followed me out the door to my room "The place isn't to far from here is you want to walk together." I started to walk down the steps as I explained "Reggie, if I walked down the street with you, people would think I'm a crazy person talking to herself." The sound of a ghost warping could be heard behind me, only for the dark haired boy to reappear right in front of me at the bottom of the stairs. This surprised me causing me to almost fall back, only for him to grab my arms and hold me steady, our noses inches apart. I felt my face grow warm at the proximity, feeling that tug from my chest, the urge to just lean over and capture his lips in my own.

"We don't even have to talk, just walk and hold hands or something."

Reggie's eyes went wide as he let go of me and took a couple steps back "I-I mean..." I could tell that he was frantically trying to come up with an excuse, but I didn't care at that moment. "not hold hands, but ya know..." because when I looked from his eyes to his hands, I realized how much I wanted to hold it in my own. "I just-" reaching over I snatched his hand in mine, effectively cutting off the dark haired bassist

"Let's go." I stated, all while dragging him towards the door.

Getting a small response of "Okay" from Reggie as Arius followed the two of us out the door.

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Once we got to the coffee shop, I was quick to try to let go of Reggie's hand, only for him to tighten his grip and pull on it a little, refusing to let go. Looking back at the golden retriever boy behind me, my eyes narrowed as if to tell him to let go. "I know. But, just let me hold your hand a little longer...Please?" I was confused, I didn't know why Reggie was acting like this, but tonight feels different with Reggie. I couldn't place my finger on the reason why.

Looking around at the people walking in, I noticed a lot of them eyeing me and whispering to their friends. Looking back at Reggie I leaned over a little to whisper "Reggie. People are staring." It felt suffocating to be standing there with him at the moment, knowing that what everyone was seeing, was that my hand was out in the air holding onto nothing, and I was talking to no one.

Reggie's eyes held an emotion I couldn't quite place, maybe desperation? "I don't care if they stare." The dark haired bassist took a step forward, bringing our interlaced hands up to his chest, eyes begging me to just hold his hand a little longer. "Please (Y/n). I just want your touch right now." I didn't know what to do, I took another glance around at the people and noticed more staring and pointing fingers. I looked down at Arius as if to ask him for some kind of help, only for him to hop on a trashcan and say one thing.

"He's a ghost. So be careful how you handle this. I will explain to you want is happening later. But for now, focus on taking care of this."

My eyes landed back on Reggie's, not knowing what to do or say, I just shook my head all while saying a quick apology "I'm sorry." Pulling my hand away, I walked off into the bustling coffee shop.

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"Hey did I miss anything?"

I asked Julie and Flynn as soon as I got over to them. "Nothing exciting, that's for sure." Flynn stated, directing my attention to the stage. There clad in all pink to perform with her dancing divas was the queen bee herself, Carrie Wilson. "Hope you all came to have a great time!" Carrie's obnoxious giggle left her lips as the crowd clapped. An annoyed growl left my lips from her appearance to ruin my night "Dirty Candy?" Julie asked only for me to jump in "How did she get on the list?" Flynn gave both of us a look, as if we should already know the answer.

"Her daddy made a call"

Crossing my arms across my chest, I stared daggers at the girl on the stage all while Flynn commented on Julie's outfit.

"Whenever I walk in the room, All the focus on me"

Carrie walked forward on stage, her girls joining behind her "The way I talk, the way I move, they all want on my team." I rolled my eyes at her cheap dance moves, not wanting to sit through this what so ever. "Not trying to brag, brag, but I'm flawless. I'm taking over your playlist. Ain't perfect but I can't miss. Yeah" looking back at the boys who suddenly appeared behind us, I noticed Luke smiling and enjoying the performance, Alex looked a bit antsy, and Reggie held a pensive look on his face, not seeming to interested in the girls dancing in front of him. Almost as if he was lost in his own thoughts.

He's probably just as confused about what happened as I was.

Looking back on stage I noticed Alex appear behind Carrie who was now on the floor, I covered my mouth as a laugh almost slipped past my lips. Julie seemed confused, looking back at the boys to see why he did that but Reggie just shrugged in response. Alex seemed lost for a moment, only for the girls to stand back up as he started dancing with all of them, causing a small giggle in amusement to escape my lips.

When he was done he appeared back next to me, I sent him a smile and shook my head at his funny antics while Julie commented "You having fun out there?" Alex cleared his throat before coming up with an excuse "It's not my fault, it's my um..." he paused "It's my feet" I just shook my head while saying "Yeah, okay."

"Put me back in coach."

And with that Alex was gone, back to dancing on stage with Carrie and her crew. I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind as Reggie took Alex's spot beside me. "Can we talk?" I shook my head in response "not here Reggie." I glanced over at the boy next to me only to see his eyes narrowed in aggravation. "I don't care. We need to talk about this. Because what happened earlier was weird, you must have noticed that much. I don't know what's going on with me and, and I'm confused-" I kept facing forward as to not draw attention I whisper yelled at him "Reggie!" Successfully cutting him off I stated "Not. Here." Saying it firmly worked to an extent. An angry scoff left his lips as he crossed his arms and went back to standing next to Luke.

The song was soon to end as Alex took in all the praises. Before warping back next to me a giant smile on his face "I uh... I was just... doing that for you guys" Reggie nodded his head "Mhm. yeah. You can stop smiling now." Alex chuckled at Reggie's comment. Julie grabbed our attention "Not gonna lie. That was... kind of good." Flynn nodded her head in agreement "Yeah. I forgot why I hate her so much." I scoffed while saying "I didn't forget my reason for hating her." I noticed her making her way over to us.

"Speak of the devil."

I stated all while receiving a glare from the bitch in response, I sent her a sarcastic smile all while flipping her off. Carrie ignore my actions and turned her attention towards Flynn and Julie "Hi girls. Um, isn't it past your bedtime?" Flynn looked between Julie and I "Now I remember." Before looking back over at Carrie. "If you're looking for Nick, he didn't come." Flynn and I both scoffed in response to her statement, knowing she was just trying to take a jab at Julie.

Stepping towards Carrie, Julie was quick to stick up for herself "That's not why I'm here." The sound of the microphone was quick to grab everyone's attention.

"Ok, it looks like we're closing the night out with one more group, Julie, (Y/n), and the fat ones"

The four of us turned towards Luke in annoyance while the girls in front of us laughed. "Really?" Alex asked.

"Yeah man, my Handwriting sucks."

The four of us rolled our eyes as Julie and I went to walk on stage, but not before I angrily bumped my shoulder into Carries.

Julie was quick to make her way to the piano, as I grabbed the rhythm guitar "Hi, it's actually Julie,(Y/n) and the phantoms" looking around she noticed no one was really paying attention, taking a glance over at me I motioned for her to continue. "Okay." She stated into the mic and started to play the piano. "Hearts on fire, we're no liars, so we say what we wanna say." I played my rhythm guitar as I continued the next line of the song "I'm awaken, no more takin' so we push all our fears away." The two of us started singing together "don't know if we'll make it cause we're falling down under, close my eyes and feel my chest beating like thunder." Julie now sang alone.

"I wanna fly, come alive, watch me shine"

The boys appeared playing their instruments as Julie got up, bringing the microphone with her, I stood in the back behind Luke as the two of them sang. "I got a spark in me, hands up if you can see, and you're a part of me, hands up if you're with me, now till eternity hands up if you believe, been so long and now we're finally free." Julie started singing by herself while she hit a tambourine on her hip.

"We're all bright now, what a sight now coming out like we're fireworks"

I sang the next part alone "Marching on proud, turn it up loud, cause now we know what we're worth"

Julie and Luke sang the next part together as I went back near Reggie "We know we can make it when we're not fallin' down under, close my eyes and feel my chest beating like thunder." All while Julie and Luke stared contently at each other "I wanna fly, come alive, watch me shine" Reggie and I leaned into our mics as we sang "ooooh" while Julie and Luke sang the Chorus "I got a spark in me, hands up if you can see, and your a part of me, hands up if you're with me, now till eternity, hands up if you believe, been so long and now we're finally free"

Reggie suddenly jumped over to Luke's Microphone and sang with him, I felt a jolt of pain corse through my chest for a second as I watched Reggie's every move, I could feel the pull on my chest getting stronger and stronger with each passing day, and it doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon, considering the effect it's starting to have on Reggie. That's the only explanation for his behavior earlier, but the only way to be sure is to ask Arius.

"I got a spark in me, hands up if you can see, and you're a part of me, hands up if you're with me, now till eternity, hands up if you believe, been so long and now we're finally free"

Julie and Luke now sang alone, meeting halfway Julie sang "I got a spark in me" she leaned the mic over to Luke as he echoed "I got a spark in me" the way Julie and Luke were staring at each other made me look back at Alex and Reggie for answers "And you're a part of me" Alex just shrugged with a small smile "And you're a part of me"as Reggie shook his head a little as if to say that he didn't know either.

"Now till eternity"

"Been so long and now we're finally free"

We all started playing our instruments again as Reggie, Luke and I all sang the chorus while Julie sang in the background "I've got a spark in me, hands up if you can see, and you're a part of me, hands up if you're with me" Julie sang "Yeah" as the rest of us continued "now till eternity, hands up if you believe, been so long and now we're finally free."

Reggie, Luke, Alex and I went back to doing the "oooh" as Julie sang "Finally free, yeah" Luke and I jumped in at the end "Been so long and now we're finally free" everyone stopped playing as Julie let me have the last note.

"Finally free, yeah..."

The crowd went nuts as they all cheered and applauded, the five of us took a bow as the boys disappeared. The crowd continued to cheer as walked over next to Julie she stated "Thank you, we're Julie, (Y/n) and the Phantoms." I was quick to grab the mic from her and state "Tell your friends." Before walking off stage with Julie.

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Once we got off stage Julie ran over to Flynn excitedly, engulfing her in a hug as the two of them giggled and squealed in excitement. I leisurely made my way over to them, only to get dragged into the hug as well. Once we all let go Flynn stated "You two were incredible!" To which Reggie smugly replied "Yeah we were." While looking back at Alex and Luke who were currently sitting on the bar.

"Hey, Hey! Whoever Carrie was trying to impress is headed our way!"

Luke was quick to call out to Julie and I, as the two of us turned around to see a women in a pants suit headed in our direction. "She looks all business" Alex commented and Reggie started to panic, asking "Wait. Who should do the talking?" Then once realizing what he said he quickly fixed it "Right, Julie and (Y/n)." Julie glanced back at Luke for support, only for him to say "You got this." The women was quick to grab ahold of my hand to introduce herself.

"Hi I'm Andi Parker, and I would-"

"Julie."

Our attention went from Andi to the man that said Julie's name, which just so happened to be her father. Andi looked back at the man behind her "Dad." Julie stated, not sounding to happy.

"It's time to go."

Ray didn't sound to happy but I couldn't let us loose this, it could be our big break and Reggie would be upset if I didn't try. "Mr.Molina, if we could just have 5 minutes to-" he cut me off, not wanting to hear anything I have to say. "No. Julie is going home. And I'm calling your uncle." I scoffed and shook my head "seriously? What did I even do?" Andi finally spoke up deciding that this was a bad moment. "This seems like a bad time, so I'm gonna take off, wonderful performance, the both of you." She stated, looking from Julie to me before taking her leave.

"No! Wait!"

Luke yelled but of course she didn't hear him. She couldn't. Luke went to go chafe after her, but let out an exasperated sigh after realizing it wasn't gonna work.

"What did you do? You brought my daughter out here on a school night, to entertain your band fantasies."

"Dad!"

Julie said and was quick to speak up before things go south "She didn't drag me out here, I left by myself." Ray shook his head in disappointment "we'll talk about your punishment later. For now I have to get you both home." Turning towards me he stated "And don't think you're off the hook yet missy. Just because you live in that house by yourself doesn't mean you get to go home scott free. I was told to look after you and that's exactly what I'm doing by giving your uncle a call." I felt trapped in a hole, unable to climb out. I hated my uncle. And I hated that I could loose the freedom that I currently had.

He's definitely going to come down here now, and when he does I'm screwed.

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#fanfic #fem reader #x reader #julie and the phantoms #reggie peters #luke patterson #luke jatp #alex jatp #alex mercer #caleb covington #carrie wilson #trevor wilson #reggie jatp #reggie peters x reader #reggie x reader

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veysxrge · 7 months ago

Text

Story of My Life (J.A.T.P)

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mentions of Parental Death

Pairings: Luke Patterson x Julie Molina

AU: Everyone lives, no one dies (minus Julie's mom, for plot, of course)

In honor of the fandom growing again, and the possibility of a second season, have this little story.

Written in these walls are the stories that I can't explain

I leave my heart open but it stays right here empty for days

Luke always watched Julie from afar, admiring the girl from a distance. His friends always made fun of him for it. Especially Alex, who later on became quick friends with Flynn, Julie's best friend.

But, he never talked to her, he knew she knew who he was. He was sure Alex told her a story or two about him to embarrass him. But he never talked to her, he always clammed up whenever she was around.

Luke was content with admiring her from afar, staying quiet as he watched her interact with everyone around her with an energy that could never be contained.

Everyone loved her, that was the thing. Julie was kind to everyone, always helping out people who needed it. He couldn't even count the amount of times she went out of her way just to make sure a stranger passed a class.

She told me in the morning she don't feel the same about us in her bones

It seems to me that when I die, these words will be written on my stone

But he watched her light dwindle, fade over time. No one around her seemed to notice, except maybe Flynn. He could see the way her smiles stopped reaching her eyes, and watched as she stopped going to play a random tune on the piano in the middle of class.

But soon enough, she stopped trying to put on a front. It was like a switch flipped and she stopped caring. The light left her eyes, she stopped helping people out, she even distanced herself from Flynn. Well, she tried to. But Luke knew that Flynn was way too stubborn to let herself be pushed away.

He didn't know exactly what happened, but from the whispers in the hallway it seemed that her mother passed. When he found that out, he felt his heart break for the girl he adored so much.

A piece of him seemed to break every day as he watched Julie become a shell of her former self. He hadn't seen her touch a piano or hum a tune in almost a year. He yearned to hear her angelic voice once more, but alas he didn't know her, nor did she know him.

And I'll be gone, gone tonight, the ground beneath my feet is open wide

The way that I been holdin' on too tight, with nothin' in between

Luke wanted to be able to help her, to bring back the life and energy that she had lost. But he couldn't, he couldn't find the words. He couldn't figure out what to say to her. How he would start the conversation, he had so much he wanted to say but he didn't have the ability to form it into words.

He sat at his desk every night, thinking about the beautiful girl who had lost her spark. The girl that had to grieve over the loss of such an important figure in her life. The girl who had stolen his heart without even realizing she had.

He wished he could tell her the way she made him feel, but he knew if he ever got the courage to he wouldn't say it. He couldn't tell her, not while her wounds are still so fresh. If there was a way to make her happy again, he'd do it. He'd do anything to see her smile again.

Luke went through pages and pages of his notebooks, crumpled up papers overflowing in the trash can that rested under his desk. But he couldn't find the words, he couldn't figure out how to explain the storm that was going on in his head. He didn't know how he could help her.

The story of my life, I take her home

I drive all night to keep her warm, and time is frozen

In a perfect world, Luke saw himself and Julie smiling and writing songs that they sang together. Their friends surrounded them and helped bring their songs to life. In this world, they knew each other and they loved each other deeply. But sadly, a perfect world doesn't exist.

So instead, Luke was going through a funk. Everyone could see it, his friends were worried. He hadn't written a song in months, and his last one was barely a song if he was being honest. He couldn't write, his brain was in scrambles and everything he had written down wasn't good enough.

This went on for long enough that even Reggie had told Luke that maybe it was time to take a break from the band. That's the moment that Luke felt his heart completely shatter. He knew he had to do something, he had to get out of this funk.

But his mind was only filled with Julie, filled with the ghost of what the girl used to be. Overflowing with ways he could help but also the anxiety of being rejected. Filled with longing and anguish for this girl that he had never spoken a word to. He couldn't figure out what to do.

The story of my life, I give her hope

I spend her love until she's broke inside, the story of my life

Eventually, his friends started to give him space. They still hung out with him, gave him ideas of how to get his rhythm back. But they just gave him a bit of space, which Luke was immensely grateful for.

He still watched Julie from afar, finally, after a year it seemed that she was opening up a bit more. She was smiling again, joking around with her friends. She stopped pushing people away, started helping people out again. But she didn't touch the piano.

He saw the longing in her eyes whenever she passed the piano in Music class. He also saw when Mrs. Harrison stopped Julie one day to talk after class. When he saw her leave, dejected and nervous, he knew what the conversation was about.

The need to help her had finally grown too strong, he knew he had to do something. He couldn't watch her be kicked out of music, even if she was having a hard time singing. His choice was solidified when she choked the next day, starting to play a tune only to not be able to get the words out.

Written on these walls are the colors that I can't change

Leave my heart open, but it stays right here in its cage

As Julie ran out of the class after Carrie's particularly harsh comment, Luke had finally had enough. He got up, sending a glare towards Carrie, "That's a new low for you Carrie, real mature of you."

He saw the way her eyebrows furrowed, Luke never got upset. He was a pretty energetic, gung-ho type of guy. He never glared at people, and he definitely never was rude or talked back to someone if it wasn't directed at him or his friends.

But he still walked out of class, after Julie, much to the surprise of all of their mutual friends. He looked both ways, trying to figure out which way Julie turned, seeing her curly ponytail turn around a corner at his right.

He was quick to follow, and once she was finally in his sights he spoke, "Julie, wait!"

At the sound of his voice she turned around, shock evident on her face once she realized who called her. He wasn't surprised that she reacted that way, he never spoke to her despite their mutual friends.

I know that in the morning, I'll see us in the light up on the hill

Although I am broken, my heart is untamed still

"Luke?" She asked, tilting her head as she looked his figure up and down, making Luke scratch the back of his own head.

"That's my name." He mumbled, becoming shy once they were face to face. "I just, I wanted to say to not give Carrie any mind. I'm sure you'll be able to sing again soon."

Julie smiled sadly, shaking her head, "Thank you for that, but that was my last chance."

Luke furrowed his eyebrows, a frown appearing on his face as he looked at Julie. "I'm sure they'll be another, you're way too talented for Mrs. Harrison to give you up."

Julie sighed gently, her eyes flicking back to something behind Luke before going back to him, "I appreciate the encouragement Luke, and I really hope you're right." She mumbled before walking past him.

Luke turned around to watch her walk away, towards Mrs. Harrison. From the look on the music teachers face he knew that it may be the last chance for Julie. He knew he had to figure out a way to make sure she didn't get kicked out of the music program.

And I'll be gone, gone tonight

The fire beneath my feet is burnin' bright

When Luke sat at his desk that night, he finally knew how to word how he was feeling. He finally knew what to write, and that's what he did. He wrote, he put words to how he felt. The want and need to help Julie, the adoration he felt for the girl he barely knew.

When he finished writing, he was quick to message his bandmates that he finally finished a song. A song that he actually loved, one he was proud of for once.

Alex was the first to reply, expressing his happiness that Luke was able to get his groove back and Bobby was quick to second that. Reggie of course just sent a bunch of keyboard smashes that caused a small smile to form on Luke's face.

They ended up meeting later that night, meeting up at Bobby's garage and finding out what melody and music they could add to this song. They worked hard, and were happy that they would have it ready for the pep rally at the end of Spirit Week.

The way that I've been holdin' on so tight

With nothin' in between

The next day, Luke went up to Mrs. Harrison, giving her a small smile, "Hey Mrs. H, I was wondering if the offer to play at the pep rally was still open for us?"

He could see the way that Mrs. Harrison's eyes lit up at that, "Of course it is, you can perform after Carrie and her group."

Luke grinned at that, nodding at Mrs. Harrison before going back to his friends. It seemed that while he was gone, Flynn and Julie had ended up joining the conversation.

His eyes ended up meeting Julie's and he gave her a shy smile before turning towards Bobby, Alex and Reggie, "We're in."

Reggie was quick to bring the 4 of them into a hug, wrapping his arms around all of their necks and pulling them towards him, "The band is back!!" He exclaimed, causing Bobby and Alex to laugh.

Luke looked back over towards Julie, noticing how she smiled softly at the boy's actions. He grinned a bit before finally pulling away from Reggie, clapping his shoulder as he did, "We still will need to practice, we've only played the song once."

"You finally were able to write a new one?" Flynn asked, raising an eyebrow towards Luke. Julie seemed surprised by this, obviously unaware about his current creative block.

"I had a bit of inspiration." He replied, forcing himself to not glance over at Julie as he said it. But Alex just rolled his eyes, letting out a soft laugh.

"That's one way to put it." He said before turning his attention to Flynn, "He wrote a love song."

Luke felt his cheeks heat up as he awkwardly scratched his neck, "There is no way, actually?" Flynn asked, grinning a bit as she looked at Luke.

"Yeah, it's actually really cute! A bit sad, but it's such a mushy song!" Reggie said, smiling brightly, "Like one of those cheesy one-sided love songs you hear on the radi-"

"Alright alright, enough with that, would ya?" Luke said, wanting to turn the attention off his song and the implications of it. He wanted it to be a surprise. He looked towards Julie once again, realizing she was already looking at him. He smiled a bit towards her before looking away once more.

The story of my life, I take her home

I drive all night to keep her warm, and time is frozen

After that day, Julie and Luke seemed to finally get closer. Surprisingly it wasn't because of Luke, but because of Julie herself. She went out of her way to walk up to him after class, and pair up with him instead of Flynn in their shared Biology class.

Flynn didn't mind, instead pairing with Alex seeing as he usually paired up with Luke. All these things made Luke beam, brighter than he had before. It was embarrassingly obvious to almost everyone how infatuated he was with Julie. To everyone but her that is.

Julie herself seemed a bit happier, even offering to help Luke write another new song. She didn't sing it, but she did hum along to the melody he came up with which surprised Luke immensely. He ended up gifting her the lyric and music sheet, saying he'd rather hear her sing it when she was able to again.

He didn't notice the way Julie's heart almost leapt out of her chest when he said that. He didn't see the way her eyes practically formed hearts at the fact he'd rather wait for her to be ready so she could sing it instead of doing it with his band.

He couldn't tell that all these little things, all these small subconscious things he always did with people he cared about slowly made Julie feel less empty. He didn't realize he was helping her find her music just by existing by her side.

The story of my life, I give her hope

I spend her love until she's broke inside, the story of my life

The pep rally was close, Luke was feeling more and more anxious by the day. There was no way for Julie to know that the song was about her, but he still felt nervous at the fact she was going to hear it.

He yearned deeply to know what she would think of it. Would she hate it? Would she love it? Would she not think anything of it at all and just be counting down the minutes until she could go back to class?

He knew the last thought was ridiculous. Julie was too much of a compassionate and kind person to not have her full attention on the band's music when they performed. But the knowledge of that didn't ease his worries.

His friends were quick to notice his nerves a few hours before the pep rally started. Alex was the one who decided to confront him about it, seeing as he himself knew what nerves Luke was feeling.

"Hey bud, you doing alright over here?" Alex asked, making Luke jump up from his thoughts, staring at his friend like he gained two heads in the last half-hour since they had talked.

"Yeah." Luke finally answered, wringing his hands together as he glanced off to the side of the room, "Just pre-performance jitters."

Alex nodded hesitantly, pursing his lips in thought before he responded to Luke's obvious deflect of his original question, "She's going to love the song, just don't think about it too much." He said before walking away, pretending not to notice the way Luke's shoulders sagged in relief at the assurance that it'll be alright.

And I've been waiting for this time to come around

But, baby, runnin' after you is like chasin' the clouds

Before Luke knew it, he was on the stage, staring at his peers looking back at him from the bleachers. His eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find the familiar set of curls among the students. Soon enough he found her, sitting next to Flynn and Willie, smiling at him.

Luke shyly returned the smile before averting his attention away from her, "Hello, Los Feliz Bobcats! Thank you for having us today at the Pep Rally, we really hope you enjoy the few songs we've got today."

Bobby was quick to join in next, grinning and winking at the crowd as he spoke, "My good friend Luke here wrote all the songs from deep within his heart, so please show him some love for that!" Applause was quick to follow, seeing as Bobby was the more popular person in their band.

"Without further ado! We are Sunset Curve!" Alex said, causing Reggie to quickly chime in, "Tell your friends!" Laughter settled over the students before they eventually quieted down at the start of their first song.

Luke felt his nerves quickly vanish as he sang, his song for Julie wasn't until the end, and this he was extremely grateful for. He could lose himself in the music he spent ages on writing and composing to the best of his abilities. Smiling and running around the stage as he sang his heart out, having to force his laughter to stop when Reggie made a face when they harmonized on the same mic.

This is what he missed, performing, the cheers of the people around him as they learned the chorus as tried to sing along for later verses for the songs he hadn't yet released and sang for the public.

He caught Julie's eye multiple times throughout the first couple of songs, and he knew she loved them. He saw her eyes light up when she realized she knew the song, mouthing the words, but he knew she wasn't singing. He'd recognize her voice among the crowd that harmonized before him.

Soon enough, it was time for her song. He waited for his classmates to calm down a bit before grabbing the mic and pulling it closer to him, "This last song is a bit slower... Don't get me wrong, the chorus is obviously still upbeat- But..." He subconsciously glanced towards Julie's direction, "This song is one that's close to my heart, I wrote it for someone I've always admired from afar."

He smiled a bit, looking at his shoes before shaking his head, "Sappiness aside, I really hope you all enjoy it. Here's our final song, Story of my Life."

As he performed, he couldn't help but look at Julie. He didn't care if he was being obvious, and by the way her smile seemed to brighten as she listened to the words that he sang to her, he didn't think she minded either. He never wanted to see her smile fade ever again.

When they finally finished, they all bowed, smiles never fading as they stepped off the stage. Mrs. Harrison was quick to take their place, saying her final speech before sending the kids back to their classes.

The story of my life, I take her home

I drive all night to keep her warm, and time is frozen

Luke wasn't sure what he expected as he checked the strings on his guitar, not yet having unplugged it just yet. But he definitely didn't expect to hear a piano start to play a few feet away from where he stood in the wings of the stage.

He glanced over, recognizing the cords that started to play, but he was surprised to see Julie sat at the piano. She glanced over at him, not too surprised to see him staring in awe back. She sent him a nervous smile, and he was quick to give her a beaming one back, mouthing the words 'You got this.'

That seemed to be all she needed, smiling softly before she started to sing the song they had written together. She had quickly caught the attention of the students and teachers, pausing in their leaving to watch the girl in surprise.

Luke could see the way Julie stared at the keyboard, her voice still a bit timid, not the usual loud and bright voice he missed dearly. He glanced at his bandmates, and by the way they were all reaching for their instruments, it seemed they had the same idea.

So soon enough, the boys joined on the stage, joining in on the music. Julie was surprised, but obviously happy at the surprise addition to her performance. Soon enough they were singing together, smiling and dancing around each other.

Luke and Julie's voices harmonized beautifully, not that it was much of a surprise. It was obvious that they would, you could ask anyone with a musical bone in their body and they'd say it was clear they would sound amazing together.

It was clear that Julie didn't expect the reaction of the crowd when they finished, surprise evident on her features as she stared at the crowd that was cheering and clapping in front of her. Luke smiled softly, glancing towards the crowd as well. When he noticed the principal and Mrs. Harrison whispering, he knew that this might be Julie's chance to get her spot back.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, heart melting just a tad when he saw her bright smile directed towards him. He said nothing, instead motioning towards their teacher and principal who seemed to want to speak with her. He watched as she walked towards them, nerves already showing just by how she walked away from him.

The story of my life, I give her hope

I spend her love until she's broke inside

Luke sat nervously on his truck in the school parking lot. He hadn't seen Julie since the end of the pep rally, he was worried that it hadn't worked out well for the girl.

His friends were sitting in front of him, but he barely paid them any mind. He stared into the sky, watching the clouds pass as he chewed at the skin by his fingernails anxiously.

After what seemed like hours, he felt the hood of his car move slightly, signaling someone had sat down beside him and successfully breaking him out of his trance so he could look next to him. Julie sat there, smiling fondly at the boy.

"Julie!" He said, immediately standing up so he could face her properly, "Tell me, how did it go? Did you get in trouble? Did you get kicked out?? Are you rejoining the music program? DID YOU GET EXPELLED??"

Julie laughed softly, placing a hand on Luke's shoulder to calm him down a bit, "Slow down, cowboy. Nothing bad happened." Luke felt his face light up at those words, waiting patiently for Julie to finish, "They were able to pull some strings and add another spot so I could rejoin the program, as long as I was sure I wouldn't choke again after this."

Luke couldn't help the smile that grew, immediately moving and wrapping his arms around the girl, "I am so happy for you, you deserve it Jules." He felt her arms wrap around his middle, melting into his embrace. He knew he wanted to stay like this forever, but he knew it wasn't likely.

"So, that song you wrote." Julie started, pulling away a bit so she could see his face, "Who was it about?"

Luke felt his cheeks heat up, glancing away for a second before returning his attention to Julie. He was about to answer, but by the grin that was growing on Julie's face it seemed like she already knew. He groaned in annoyance, resting his head on her shoulder as if to hide his embarrassment.

His suspicions were confirmed when he heard her beautiful laughter hit his ears and her hand came to pat his back, "It's alright, rockstar. I like you too."

The story of my life

Luke glanced up at Julie, tilting his head to the side instead of lifting it up so he wouldn't have to lose the close contact he craved from the girl, "Do you?" He asked, his voice soft as he scanned her face as if to try to guess if she was lying or not.

"Have for a while now, I thought I was being pretty obvious." Julie responded, her smile softening at the hesitant look on his face. His own smile finally appeared, pulling Julie close once again and burying his face in her neck.

It turns out he did end up saving her, just like he wanted to since the beginning.

The story of my life

#julie and the phantoms #julie molina #luke patterson #alex mercer #reggie peters #bobby shaw #carrie wilson #flynn taylor #juke #julie x luke #jatp #jatp fanfic #angst #angst with a happy ending #story of my life

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legolasghosty · 29 days ago

Note

"There's a cactus in my car..." is giving me Willex vibes for sure.

Hehehe okay here you are! With... pretty darn close to the original context.

It was in the fridge first. Alex opened it one morning to get out the milk and there it was, on the top shelf, wearing that sleepy smile he's now become quite familiar with. He'd just stood there for at least a minute, shivering in his pajamas in front of the open fridge as he stared at it. Willie had entered the room a moment later and busted up laughing.

Apparently it had been a gag gift from some friend of theirs. Willie claimed it, "Added enrichment to their enclosure." Alex wasn't totally sure about that. But he chuckled anyway and went on with his day.

The next time, it was in the medicine cabinet in their bathroom. Alex, still half asleep, went to grab his toothbrush and found the mirror already partially ajar, held out an inch from the frame by the soft, creamy white 'pot'. He'd laughed that time, less confused by its existence. He'd taken a picture and sent it to Willie, who'd left early for work, claiming it must have borrowed their toothbrush.

When he found it in the microwave a few days later, he decided it was time to get revenge. He re-hid it under one of Willie's hoodies and went about his day. It became a Thing after that. One would hide it, the other would find it somewhere in their home and move it. It became a part of their routine, like going grocery shopping on Tuesdays and sleeping in together on Fridays. One more part of their daily existences twined together in a way that made Alex's chest feel all floaty.

----------

Alex stares into the back of the van. He really shouldn't be as surprised as he is. Willie has found all sorts of insane places to put it, from tucked into their bed to hanging by its fluffy little feet from a light fixture. And yet, the thought that Willie would have figured out a way to make it follow him to the band's out of town gig in San Fransisco never crossed his mind.

"Hey Alex, something wrong with the gear?" Luke asks, coming around the side, already nearly vibrating out of his skin with energy.

Alex shakes his head quickly. "Nope," he answers, voice pitched a bit higher than he intended.

"Then let's get stuff unloaded," Luke decides, moving past him to reach for his beloved guitar case. Then he freezes, apparently spying their little stowaway. "Uh. What is that?"

Alex shrugs helplessly, then bursts into giggles. He can't help it. The whole thing is just too random and so deeply Willie. They'd gotten all of their gear into the van the day before, so Willie must have snuck it in sometime between dinner last night and when they left LA early this morning.

"What are we staring at?" Julie mumbles as she joins them behind the van, stifling a yawn.

Luke points to it silently. Alex pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of it, nestled just right between his kick and the cymbals.

"What even is that?" Julie questions, rubbing at her eyes. Alex sometimes envies her the ability to sleep in moving vehicles.

"It's Willie's," Alex explains. "Long story." He leans forward and collects the little plush. "Don't worry about it."

Reggie comes back just then with one of the venue people right behind him. "Good news, we can unload right here," he announces, before catching sight of Alex's little friend. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Awesome, thanks Reg," Alex says quickly, avoiding the question. He ducks back into the front seat and sets the visitor down beside his duffle bag.

He can hear his friends laughing behind him, but he ignores it in favor of pulling his phone out.

Alex - There's a cactus in my car.Willie <3 - Wow, weird! You really gotta clean that thing out more often if things are growing in it...Alex - Yep, got some prickers in my hands getting it out.Willie <3 - Youch! Be careful up there in the wild north!Alex - Will do. Love you <3And thanks <3Willie <3 - Love you too, have a good show!

Alex sends back a cactus emoji and the photo he'd taken of the stuffed potted plant in the trunk, then rejoins his band with a smile and a little more energy in his step. Leave it to Willie to make him feel cared for with a stuffed plant in the back of a van. He wouldn't have it any other way.

(The cactus in question)

#legolas tag #julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp fanfic #willex #alex mercer #willie jatp #yes this is in fact a real thing that happens in my house #I got three of these stuffed plants as a gag gift #and have started hiding them all over for my parents to find #and my dad started hiding them back #mom recently went down south for a few days for a school thing #so I hid one in her car #and got that text in response XD #hope you enjoyed inny!!!!

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jatpfanfics · 7 months ago

Text

Echoes of the Heart (A Juke lovestory)

Summary: Luke Patterson, a rising star in the music scene, grapples with his feelings for his childhood best friend, Julie. Despite his fear of commitment, Luke's love for Julie is undeniable. However, when Julie shows interest in someone else, Luke must confront his feelings before it's too late. Will he risk it all for love, or will his fear drive them apart? Follow their journey of friendship, love, and music.

Chapter 1 - The Night We (almost)Owned

22 January, 2020

Luke leaned against the cold concrete wall, the thumping bass from the stage reverberating through his body and his chest still heaving from the encounter he just had. Even though he's outside he can feel the wall slightly thumping from the bass inside.

"Thank you sweetheart. You just blessed me with some good luck before my show." He says showing off his perfect pearly whites as he is getting ready to leave this scene.

The groupie, her eyes still glazed with desire, sidled up to him, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Leaving so soon, Luke?" she purred, trailing a finger down the front of his shirt.

Luke flashed her a charming grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Yeah, duty calls. Can't keep the fans waiting."

The groupie pouted, her lower lip jutting out in a playful pout. "But I thought we were having fun, Luke. Don't you want to stay and play a little longer?"

"I'm good sweetheart. This is kinda my thing, I don't do well on the whole commitment thing" He says shooting her a wink.

"Yeah, yeah, you always say that," she said smugly. "But then you also always come back around. That's some kind of commitment isn't it."

The sound of her smugness slightly annoyed him. He didn't like her thinking she had some sort of power over him. She could never. That was reserved for one person only. The one person that had Luke's heart in a chokehold. Luke felt a sharp pang in his chest thinking about the last time he saw her.

_________

20 January, 2020

The moon cast a soft glow through Julie's bedroom window as Luke slipped through the shadows, his heart pounding with a mixture of anxiety and relief. He had been here countless times before, seeking refuge from the storm that raged within his own home. As he reached Julie's window, he tapped lightly on the glass, the sound barely audible over the distant hum of the city. Julie's face appeared in the window, her expression calm and understanding. She didn't even need to ask what he was doing here; it was routine for them. Without a word, she swung the window open, allowing Luke to slip into the room.

He didn't waste any time in crossing the room and collapsing onto Julie's bed, the weight of the world heavy on his shoulders. Julie followed, closing the window behind her before sitting down beside him. There was a familiarity in their movements, a silent understanding that had been forged through countless nights like this one.

"Rough night?" Julie asked softly, her voice a gentle reassurance in the darkness.

Luke nodded, his gaze fixed on the ceiling as he struggled to put his feelings into words. "I just...I don't know what to do anymore, Jules. It's like no matter what I do, it's never good enough for them. They just don't understand why music means so much to me. It's the only thing I'm actually good at."

Luke gets up to make his way to Julie's dresser to retrieve his sleepwear. He opened the bottom drawer and rummaged around for a moment before finding his shorts neatly folded at the back.

"You know, Luke, you don't have to keep pretending like everything's okay with your parents. It's okay to admit that you're struggling."

Luke paused mid-motion, his gaze meeting Julie's in the dim light of the room. There was a vulnerability in her eyes that made his heart ache, a tenderness that he couldn't help but be drawn to.

"I know, Jules," he said quietly, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "But it's easier to just pretend like everything's fine, you know? It's easier than facing the truth." Julie nodded in understanding.

With practiced ease, Luke peeled off his shirt, revealing the smooth lines of his toned physique. Julie's eyes flicked over to him, her gaze lingering on his bare chest for just a moment longer than necessary. She quickly averted her eyes, cheeks flushing with a faint pink hue, even though she was definitely already familiar with the sight. This was routine for them, after all.

Luke caught the subtle shift in her demeanor and couldn't help but smirk, a playful glint dancing in his eyes. "Like what you see, Jules?" he teased, his voice laced with amusement.

Julie's cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of pink as she hastily returned her attention to her book, hoping to hide her embarrassment. "Shut up, Luke," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Luke chuckled softly as he pulled on his shorts, the fabric hanging loosely around his hips. "You know you love it," he teased, unable to resist the opportunity to tease her further.

"And you know you love being the little spoon" Julie fires back while sticking her tongue out.

Luke chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he settled onto the bed beside Julie. "You know it," he replied, flashing her a playful grin.

Julie rolled her eyes, but a fond smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Luke scooted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace. "Come on, Jules, you know you love being the big spoon," he teased, nuzzling into her neck.

Julie laughed, her heart swelling with warmth at the familiar banter between them. "Only because you hog all the blankets," she retorted, leaning back into his embrace.

They settled onto the bed together, Julie's warmth enveloping him like a cocoon as they snuggled close, seeking solace in each other's presence. It was a familiar ritual, one they had shared countless times before.

They lay there together in comfortable silence, the soft rhythm of their breathing filling the room. In moments like these, surrounded by the warmth of each other's presence, they felt like nothing could touch them

_______________________

22 January, 2020

As the memory of their intimate moment faded into the recesses of Luke's mind, he blinked back to the present. With a forced chuckle, Luke gently extricated himself from the groupie's grasp and headed toward the venue, leaving her behind with nothing but a lingering memory of their brief encounter.

"I'll see you around Patterson" Is all he heard before he entered the venue. He pushed open the door, the thumping bass sending a jolt of electricity through his veins. The stage was their sanctuary, their domain where they reigned supreme. The neon lights of the venue flickered and danced in the night as Luke made his way through the entrance. The familiar buzz of excitement pulsed through the air, mingling with the distant hum of the crowd inside.

As he made it backstage Reggie and Alex looked up from where they were tuning their instruments, their expressions a mixture of relief and concern.

"Luke, where the hell have you been?"

Reggie's voice carried a hint of exasperation as he eyed his bandmate. Luke flashed them a winning grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh, you know, just tying up some loose ends. Nothing to worry about." Alex raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident in his tone.

"Tying up loose ends? Is that what you call it now?"

Luke chuckled, his laughter ringing out in the dimly lit corridor. "Hey, a man's gotta have his goodluck charm, right?"

Reggie shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. Alex rolled his eyes "I hardly think your disgusting alley way hookup is gonna be the reason we kill this show."

Luke waved off their concerns with a dismissive gesture. "Relax, guys. I'm here, aren't I? And besides, I always deliver when it counts."

______________________________

As Luke stepped into the spotlight, the roar of the crowd washed over him like a tidal wave. With a smirk, he launched into the first chords, his fingers dancing across the strings with practiced ease.

This was where he belonged, in the heart of the chaos, where the music flowed like a river of fire. And as he sang, the lyrics pouring from his lips like molten gold, Luke felt alive in a way he never had before.

Luke shredded through the final chorus of their latest hit, the crowd erupting into cheers, their voices blending with the pounding rhythm of the drums. Sweat dripped from his brow as he grinned, adrenaline coursing through his veins like wildfire. This was the high he lived for-the raw energy of a live performance, the intoxicating rush of being on stage.

With a flourish, Luke tossed his guitar pick into the crowd, a gesture that sent the audience into a frenzy. He soaked in their adulation, reveling in the momentary fame that came with being the frontman of a rock band.

But as the lights dimmed and the band made their way off stage, Luke's thoughts turned to the real reason he was here-the music. It was his passion, his obsession, the one thing that consumed his every waking moment. Everything else-the parties, the girls, the fleeting fame-was just a distraction, a temporary fix to numb the ache in his soul.

As the band members made their way backstage, their adrenaline still coursing through their veins, they exchanged excited chatter and high-fives.

"That was insane!" Luke exclaimed, his eyes shining with exhilaration. " The energy in the room was off the chains tonight!"

Reggie grinned, his usual playful demeanor in full swing. "Yeah, especially when you whipped out that guitar solo, Luke! You had them eating out of the palm of your hand!"

Alex rolled his eyes, his sarcasm dripping like venom. "Oh yeah, because we all know how much Luke loves being the center of attention."

Luke chuckled, unfazed by Alex's barb. "Hey, someone's gotta be the face of the band, right?"

Alex shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, Patterson."

Beneath the banter, there was an unspoken bond that tied them together-a bond forged through countless late-night jam sessions and the shared dream of making it big. Luke couldn't help but feel a pang of gratitude for the bandmates who had become like family to him. They may not always see eye to eye, but when it came down to it, they had each other's backs no matter what.

______________________

The boys gathered in the garage studio, the familiar scent of stale beer hanging heavy in the air. Reggie and Alex sat on the worn-out couch, their guitars resting against their knees, while Luke paced back and forth, his mind still buzzing from the adrenaline of the show.

"Man, that was crazy!" Reggie exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. "Did you see the way the crowd went wild when you threw them your pick?"

Luke flashed him a grin, his chest swelling with pride. "Yeah, they were eating it up, weren't they? It's like they couldn't get enough of us."

Alex nodded in agreement, a smirk playing on his lips. "Yeah, it's like we're unstoppable or something. We're gonna be selling out stadiums before you know it."

However amidst the excitement of the successful show, there was a noticeable absence-the absence of Julie, who was usually a fixture at their gigs. Reggie and Alex exchanged a knowing glance, silently communicating their concern.

"Hey, where's Julie?" Alex asked, his voice laced with curiosity. "She's usually always here to support us. I don't think I've ever seen her miss a show."

Luke's smile faltered slightly, a flicker of unease crossing his features. "Oh, she had some stuff to take care of tonight. Nothing important."

Reggie raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident in his tone. "Really? 'Cause it seems kinda strange for her to miss out on a show like this. You sure everything's okay?"

Luke shrugged, attempting to brush off their concern. "Yeah, everything's fine. She's probably just busy with school or something. You know how it is."

But Reggie and Alex weren't convinced. They knew how close Luke and Julie were, how they were practically inseparable both on and off stage. Something didn't add up, and they weren't about to let it slide.

"Come on, Luke," Reggie pressed, his voice tinged with frustration. "You can't expect us to believe that. You and Julie are practically joined at the hip. What's really going on?"

Luke's jaw tensed, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. "Look, it's none of your business, okay? Julie probably had her reasons for not being here tonight, and that's all you need to know."

Reggie shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "When are you gonna drop the act like you don't like each other anyways? It's obvious to everyone that there's something more going on between you two."

Luke's annoyance flared into anger, his fists clenched at his sides. "I said it's none of your damn business, Reggie. So just drop it, okay?"

But Reggie and Alex weren't about to let it go. They knew that where there was smoke, there was fire, and they were determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on between Luke and Julie, even if it meant prying it out of him one painful word at a time.

__________________________________________

20 January, 2020

Luke and Julie lay tangled together on the bed. Their bodies molded perfectly against each other, fitting like pieces of a puzzle as they sought comfort in each other's arms.

Julie nestled her head against Luke's chest, her fingers tracing lazy circles on his skin as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She felt a sense of peace wash over her, a feeling of contentment that only came when she was wrapped up in his embrace.

Luke sighed contentedly, his arms wrapped protectively around Julie as he held her close. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

They lay there in silence, the only sound the soft rustle of their breathing as they basked in the warmth of each other's presence. It was a moment of pure bliss, a fleeting glimpse of happiness in a world filled with chaos and uncertainty.

Julie hesitated for a moment, her fingers tracing patterns on Luke's chest as she gathered her courage to speak. "Luke," she began, her voice soft but determined, "we need to talk."

Luke tensed at her words, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach as he braced himself for what was to come. He knew all too well what she wanted to discuss, but he wasn't sure he was ready to face it.

"About what?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he avoided her gaze, unable to meet her eyes.

Julie sighed, her expression tinged with frustration as she searched for the right words. "About us, Luke," she replied, her voice tinged with sadness. "About what's been going on between us."

Luke's heart clenched at her words, the fear and uncertainty rising like a tidal wave within him. He knew he couldn't keep avoiding the truth forever, but the thought of confronting his feelings for Julie filled him with a sense of overwhelming dread.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jules," he muttered, his voice barely audible as he turned away from her, unable to face the truth that lingered between them.

Julie's eyes filled with tears as she reached out to him, her hand trembling as she brushed his cheek gently. "Luke, please," she pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion. "We can't keep pretending like this anymore. I know you feel it too." Luke's heart ached at her words, the weight of his own denial pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket. He wanted nothing more than to tell her the truth, to confess his love for her and lay bare his soul.

Julie took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation ahead. "I... I love being here with you, Luke. I love being able to be there for you, to comfort you when things get tough. And I always will," she said softly, her words tinged with emotion.

Luke's heart swelled with affection for her, his fingers gently stroking her hair as he listened intently.

"But," Julie continued, her voice trembling slightly, "if you can't commit to me, if you can't give me what I need... I need to put some distance between us."

Luke's heart sank at her words, the weight of them settling heavily on his chest. He knew deep down that he had been hurting her, that his inability to commit had been taking its toll on their relationship.

"I-I understand, Julie," he murmured, his voice thick with regret. "I-I never meant to hurt you. I just... I don't know if I can give you what you need."

Julie's eyes filled with tears as she looked up at him, her heart breaking with each word he spoke. "I know, Luke," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the sound of their breathing. "And I-I don't blame you. But... but I can't keep doing this anymore. It's killing me to see you with someone else every week and then have you come back to me like this."

Luke's heart clenched at her words, the realization of what he had been putting her through hitting him like a punch to the gut. He had always known that he was hurting her, but hearing her say it out loud made it all too real.

"I'm so sorry, Julie," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion as he held her close, his arms aching with the need to protect her from the pain he had caused. "I-I don't know what to do."

Julie shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she buried her face in his chest, seeking solace in his embrace. "I don't either, Luke," she admitted, her voice muffled against his skin. "But... but I can't keep pretending like this anymore. I need to do what's best for me, even if it hurts."

Luke listened to Julie's words, his heart heavy with the weight of her pain. He knew he had pushed her away time and time again, too afraid to confront his own feelings and too blinded by his own fears to see the hurt he was causing her. And with that, they held each other in silence, their hearts heavy with the weight of their unspoken words. Even though neither of them said it, they both knew this would be the last time finding comfort in eachothers arms like this.

_________________________________________

22 January, 2020

Alex leaned forward, his expression serious as he met Luke's gaze. "We're just worried about you, man," he said quietly. "You've been acting kind of... off lately. And Julie's been MIA for the past couple of days. You two have a fight or something?"

Luke's jaw tensed, his fists clenching at his sides as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. He knew he couldn't tell them the truth, couldn't admit that Julie had walked away from him because he couldn't give her what she needed.

"We just... had some stuff to work out," he muttered, his voice tight with frustration. "It's nothing you guys need to worry about."

Reggie raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "Come on, Luke," he pressed, his tone gentle but insistent. "You know you can talk to us, right? We're your bandmates, but more than that, we're your brothers. We just want to help."

Luke's chest tightened at Reggie's words, the weight of his guilt pressing down on him like a lead weight. He knew he should tell them the truth, should confide in them about what had happened between him and Julie. But the fear of exposing his vulnerabilities, of admitting that he had failed her, held him back.

"I appreciate the concern, guys," he said finally, his voice strained with emotion. "But I think I just need some time to sort things out on my own."

Reggie and Alex exchanged a glance, their concern evident in their eyes. But they knew better than to push him further. They had always respected Luke's boundaries, had always been there for him when he needed them. And even though they couldn't fix whatever was going on between him and Julie, they could offer him their support, their friendship, and their unwavering loyalty.

As Luke turned away, his thoughts drifting back to the night he and Julie had shared that intimate moment, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. It had been two nights since he had seen her, two nights since they had laid their hearts bare and faced the truth of their feelings. And in that time, she had been avoiding him, avoiding the pain of their relationship that would never be.

He had tried to reach out to her, had called and texted her countless times, but she had ignored his attempts at reconciliation, leaving him to wallow in his own guilt and self-pity. Luke's reasoning for being afraid of commitment stems from a deep-seated fear of losing Julie, the one constant in his tumultuous life. Despite his love for her, Luke has always struggled with maintaining romantic relationships, preferring the freedom and unpredictability of his rockstar lifestyle. For Luke, music is everything-it's his passion, his purpose, his escape from the chaos of his troubled home life.

Julie, however, occupies a unique space in Luke's heart. She's not just another girl he's infatuated with; she's his rock, his anchor, his best friend since childhood. They've weathered countless storms together, supporting each other through the darkest of times. From Julie's grief over losing her mother to Luke's own struggles with family turmoil, they've leaned on each other for strength and solace.

Luke can't imagine his life without Julie by his side. She's been there for him through thick and thin, offering unwavering loyalty and unconditional love. The thought of risking their friendship by pursuing a romantic relationship terrifies him, especially considering his track record of failed romances. Despite his intense feelings for Julie, Luke fears that committing to her romantically would only lead to heartbreak and disappointment. He's seen firsthand how relationships can crumble under the weight of expectation and responsibility, and he's not willing to risk losing Julie's friendship for a fleeting chance at love.

In Luke's eyes, Julie is worth more than any fleeting romance. She's his soulmate, his confidante, his everything. And while he longs to be with her in every sense of the word, he's paralyzed by the fear of ruining what they already have. So he continues to push her away, keeping her at arm's length to protect both their hearts from potential pain. However now, as he stood in the garage studio surrounded by his bandmates, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness creeping in, a sense of emptiness that threatened to consume him whole.

But he couldn't let them see his pain, couldn't let them see the cracks in his facade. So he plastered on a fake smile, pushed down his emotions, and buried himself in the familiar rhythms of their music, hoping that one day, he would find a way to mend the broken pieces of his heart and make things right with the girl he loved.

____________________________________________________________

Let me know If you liked it and if you would like a second chapter!

#julie and the phantoms #jukebox #juke #luke patterson fluff #luke patterson smut #fluff #fanfic #charlie gillespie #julie molina #jatp fanfic #jatp netflix #light angst #luke patterson #alex mercer #smut

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sky-neverending · 1 year ago

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writing willex fanfic at 4 am 👍

“Alex, get UP!” was the first thing that Alex heard the morning everything changed. The second was the sound of a pillow flying through the air and hitting him straight in the head with a thump.

He groaned, rolling off of his makeshift-bed and covering his face with his hands. “What? What could you possibly want at-” he raised his hand to his face to check his watch, “6 in the morning?”

Reggie smiled down at him. “Your little boyfriend followed us on Instagram!” he exclaimed happily, like the statement meant anything at all.

Alex blinked. “I don’t have a boyfriend,” he said, pulling himself off the ground. “So I have zero clue what you happen to be talking about.”

From behind the couch-turned-bed, Luke let out an exasperated sigh. “Willie! Your skater friend, he followed us on Insta!”

“Good for him?” Alex said as he walked toward the small kitchen in the house he and his bandmates rented. “Why is this important enough to wake me up so early on my day off?”

Before anyone could respond, the front door sprung open, Julie on the other side. “Can someone explain to me why Alex’s boyfriend, who is practically famous, followed the band’s Instagram?”

“Oh my God!” yelled Alex, throwing his hands dramatically to his sides. “He is not my boyfriend!” He looked at the disbelieving faces around him. “He’s not. I swear, we’re just fri- wait. Did you say "famous?”

Julie nodded, holding out her phone. It was open to an Instagram account, the follower count nearing the 2 million mark. “He has even more on Tiktok,” she said as Alex peered at the phone, dumbfounded. “Did you not know?”

“I knew he made videos…” Alex trailed off, rethinking all of his conversations with Willie. Not once had the other boy mentioned having any sort of large following. “Did you guys know?”

The other four nodded simultaneously, and Alex glared at them.

“Look, buddy,” Luke started, walking toward him and resting a hand on his shoulder, “it’s not our fault you have the social knowledge of an old man.”

#sky writes #julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp fanfic #julie and the phantoms fanfic #willie jatp #alex x willie #willex #luke patterson #reggie peters #alex mercer #julie molina #jatp willex

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fredlikesbreakfast · 21 days ago

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Rated T for Teen

Alex Mercer/Willie, Jay/Carlos de Vil

Jatp/descendants crossover fic

Chapters 1/?

3.3k Words

Summary: Ghosts aren't an uncommon sight on the Isle- after all, the dead don't stay that way. But after Willie and his brother's crew of villains are invited across the border to Auradon, that fact changes. The people of Auradon have yet to meet their first ghost.

Willie doubts they'll like him.

#fanfic #fanfiction #descendants #jay son of jafar #jay descendants #carlos de vil #carlos descendants #jaylos #willex #willie jatp #willie nolastname #jatp #julie and the phantoms #alex jatp #alex mercer #guys there needs to be a feature where i can anonymously post my stuff #or like where only mutuals can see my fics because this is getting embarrassing

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ellsfloriographyy · 8 months ago

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past, present, and future.

chapter 1 <3

summary:

After the night of the Orpheum, Julie Molina found herself in a dizzying realization that she barely knew about the lives the phantoms had before they died. Of course, she heard stories occasionally, and the '90s impact never left their sides, despite the fact some of their references didn't stick with her. Yet they pushed through to let go of the past and focused on the future. Instead of Sunset Curve, their future was Julie and the Phantoms, and they couldn't be happier. Yet Julie wasn't. There's a particular grief she's experiencing, and she feels selfish for feeling it in the first place. But she grieves the lives they could have lived if they were alive today.

She understands that a massive weight remains on their shoulders. She wishes to help them alleviate some of that trauma as she did for Luke when speaking to Emily… But there's only so much she can do.

Past. Present. Future.

What could she do to make this second chance perfect? And would it be enough? Enough to make everything last?

She can't lose to the test of time. She won't allow it this time.

Chapter 1: entering the past <3

Frustrated.

It was the only word that came to mind for Julie Molina when describing her current mood. Frustration was the only thing she could pinpoint in the rollercoaster of emotions she was experiencing. At six in the morning to make matters worse, she couldn’t get more sleep even if she tried, so she opted to stay in bed for a while. Plus, her mind had already bolted her awake, and now she was in a bad mood. At least the sunrise was pretty.

It had been roughly over a week since the band’s performance at the Orpheum and well over a week since she almost lost the boys, yet despite all her fears, they were still there. She should be overjoyed; don’t get her wrong, she is! It’s a miracle that they remained, but it leaves another mystery for her to overthink. They may have broken Caleb’s curse, but he could still be lingering... Regardless, she could never have imagined being able to embrace them as she did that very night. The warmth, the presence, and the comfort they provided through touch were simply a daydream of hers. To have it come true made her heart skip a few beats, albeit Luke held her as if she meant everything to him. And a part of her believed it.

“No music is worth making, Julie, if we’re not making it with you.”

His words echoed in her head as she buried herself under the covers, her face heating up as she groaned into her hands. Luke and their “interesting little relationship” were another concern in her mind. Something had changed between them, but with all the chaos surrounding them, she hadn’t had a moment to talk to him, or rather, she had no clue how to bring it up to him… her almost alive but not crush. This past week, they were left with longing glances, shy smiles, and tension that even Reggie could notice. But it wasn’t the only thing killing her.

After the night of the Orpheum, Julie found herself in a dizzying realization that she barely knew about the lives the guys had before they died. Of course, she heard stories occasionally, and the ’90s impact never left their sides, despite the fact some of their references didn’t stick with her. Ultimately, they were still the same 17-year-olds as 25 years ago; all those years felt like nothing to them. Yet they pushed through to let go of the past and focused on the future. Instead of Sunset Curve, their future was Julie and the Phantoms, and they couldn’t be happier.

Yet Julie wasn’t. It didn’t stick right with her that they were practically caught up with her current life. The guys had begun catching up on music, trends, and even movies, even if they were still behind. They knew the latest gossip at school, the new vocabulary, and heck, with the new abilities they carried… It was even possible for other people to see them, too. Although Willie had advised them to play it safe and stay in the garage as things calmed down, they hadn’t tested that theory out yet. Regardless, she felt like a total asshole for not being more involved with their lives, or rather with the lives they had. They had put in so much effort to be in hers, and she adored it more than anything. They were her home, after all. (It was close second place with Flynn, but Carlos, Rose, and Ray always came first.) But she couldn’t help but wonder what they did in their free time, how hard it was at home, and how school was for them. Alex was most likely a fantastic student, Reggie was the class clown, and Luke could have made Sunset Curve the greatest accomplishment of their school. But she couldn’t have known, and she’ll never be able to experience it firsthand. That’s the part that kills her.

There’s a particular grief she’s experiencing, and she feels selfish for feeling it in the first place. But she grieves the lives they could have lived if they were alive today. She understands this new second chance is everything to them, but it’s unfair that their first chance was even ruined in the first place. She understands there’s a massive weight on their shoulders that remains. She wishes she could help them and alleviate some of that trauma. Like how she did for Luke when speaking to Emily… But there’s only so much she can do. That’s where her frustration comes in; she wishes she was more help, and she feels like an idiot for not doing much for them. They made her feel alive again; she could never repay that blessing.

She shuffles around in her bed as her mind wanders to Luke. She shakes the thought away as she sits up and looks out her window at the sunrise.

Past. Present. Future.

What could she do to make this second chance perfect? Was she doing the best she could? Were they happy? What if she loses them again? What if, after everything, she’d be back at square one, grieving and mourning? What could have been? She only snaps out of her spiral when a familiar blonde ghost knocks through her door.

“Julie?” She can almost laugh at how hesitant Alex sounds. He’s the only one so far who’s understood the word “boundaries,” and she appreciates how respectful he is when entering her space. The garage is left for the boys, but when it’s her room, it’s her space alone to breathe. He gets that.

“You can come in,” she coughs to clear her morning voice. She bets they’re the only ones awake right now. “Don’t judge too hard; I don’t look my best! I just woke up.”

He eventually walks in with a small smile, sporting his iconic pink hoodie, but he seems more reserved than usual. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Are you okay?” Julie automatically feels concerned as she looks at Alex. They share lingering eye contact before he looks away at the wall.

“No, yeah, uh, sorry. I just couldn’t sleep anymore. I was looking for some company. Would it be okay if I stayed here with you? Luke and Reggie are fast asleep, and I didn’t want to wake them up. You were the best option. I was just hoping you were awake–”

Before he continues explaining, she pats her bed, asking him to lie beside her. Alex eagerly follows, and his head rests on her lap. Julie can’t help but smile a little. After all the new contact, Alex seems to seek her affection the most. He’s still adjusting to the warm skin, eating again, sleeping again schedule. You know, the basics of life, and she’s happy she’s some comfort to him. But he’s still missing something, and she can only assume it’s the presence of a particular ghost. She hadn’t heard much about Willie, but it was so clear Alex was head over heels for him.

“You’re always welcome to stay here, Alex. You know that, right? And don’t worry; I’ve been up a bit and can’t sleep much either.”

“Yeah. Thank you, Julie.”

Julie smiles at their shared acknowledgment. A few minutes pass, and now she’s running her hands through his hair, humming a familiar tune, but he can’t pinpoint what it is. The silence is comfortable, but he breaks it with a question that leaves a bittersweet taste in her mouth.

“We’re in the same boat, aren’t we?”

She’s not stupid and knows what he’s implying, but it’s hard to admit they’re both stuck in a loop of longing and confusion. She plays with her curls as she sighs in response and nods.

“You gotta talk to him, Julie. I know he’s probably as hesitant as you. But Luke means everything he says, you know? He’s just... He has a hard time putting words into words other than lyrics. He can’t say it, but I promise you he cares.”

That’s her problem. Luke cares too much, and so does she.

What an interesting relationship they have.

Past, Present, Future.

Notes:

hii! my name is ell, i'm a new fanfic writer out here!! anyway, i hope you enjoyed the first chapter of past, present, and future <3 i apologize if its no good, but i hope to only improve as i continue to write! so i hope you stick around :D i wish it was a longer chapter but this is my test run HAHAHA, i hope u understand!

i truly do love this fandom, these couples, and this show so so much. :,) couldn't help myself, so i had to start writing too! i know we've def calmed down as a fandom, but i hope you guys are still here like me :)

i try to be as active as possible, and ill also try to update the moment i cannn! feel free to message me so we fangirl or fanboy together <3

thanks for entering my garden of love & admiration for this media !! ^^

#julie molina x luke patterson #julie and the phantoms #julie molina #luke patterson #reggie peters #alex mercer #found family #i just want them to be happy #jatp netflix #jatp #angst with a happy ending #fluff #hurt/comfort #first fanfic #yayyyyy #willie x alex

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innytoes · 2 months ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Caleb Covington & Willie, Caleb Covington & Alex Mercer Characters: Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Caleb Covington, Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms) Additional Tags: Good Parent Caleb Covington, Stuffed Toys, Mild Angst, Fluff Series: Part 11 of The Care and Feeding of Dragons Summary:

Listen, it wasn’t Willie’s fault that Dad hadn’t caught on to Alex secretly living with them yet after his parents kicked him out. Alex was scared to tell him, and honestly, Willie kind of liked the chaos of sneaking around.

He should have known better.

Happy Willex Wednesday! After @floating-in-the-blue‘s amazing dragon photoshoot, I decided to post this old prompt fic in the Little Dragon Universe to AO3. In which Willie likes chaos and sneaking around, Alex has brain weasels, and Caleb is smarter than he lets on.

#julie and the phantoms #fanfic #willex #alex mercer #willie throckmorton #caleb covington #I wrote a thing #little dragon willie #lancelot the plush dragon #and his boyfriend dancelot #who isn't actually named in this fic yet

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siriusly-rem-writes · 8 months ago

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Where Will We End Up? (Headcanons/Context)

In honor of the resurfacing of JATP S2 rumors, here's some context set in the WWWEU? Universe.

Warnings: mentions of absent fathers, relationships with parents, implied hostile home environment, use of Y/N, Alex is Catholic, implied homophobia, female reader (Let me know if I missed something!)

Luke Patterson

Born November 25, 1977 (13 at the start of the story)

The oldest of the group

Born and raised in Canada

Moved to LA when he was 12 for his 8th-grade year

Only child

Lives with both his parents

Has a good relationship with both but struggles to communicate with his mom more

His dad plays guitar and taught him how to play

Has ADHD

Has a slight accent

And a stutter

Started cutting the sleeves of his shirts because too much fabric bothered him

Was overstimulated on the first day of school

He bumped into Alex in the cafeteria causing both of their trays to fall down

It was his last straw and he exploded

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

Y/N put him in his place after he yelled at Alex

He looked for them a few days later to apologize

“I uh, brought cookies?”

He brings cookies every time he messes up

Doesn’t have physical boundaries with his friends

It took getting smacked on the forehead by Bobby many, many times for him to understand not to hug him unprompted

Emily loves hosting

The group used to sleep over at Luke’s a lot

The more serious Luke got about music, the more arguments he had with his mom

It got so bad he eventually ran away from home

He actually wasn’t allowed in Alex’s room alone anymore after they got caught kissing

Every time he went over to Alex's the air was tense

He stopped showing up the way he used to, instead opting to sneak in

He picked up a job as a waiter at a local diner

The group loves to go in just to terrorize him

Firmly believes that you choose your family and he chose his

Isn’t bad at school, he just can’t focus on it for the life of him

Gets detention a lot because he gets caught not paying attention

The reason they have a zero-tolerance after 3 tardies rule

He takes boxing lessons with Jose Camacho to release his pent-up energy

Forgets he knows how to fight

Reggie Peters

Born May 06, 1978 (12 at the start of the story)

Third oldest of the group

Born and raised in LA

Lives by the beach

Likes to sneak out and listen to the waves

Can surf

Lives with both his parents

But he doesn’t have a good relationship with either

He doesn’t hate them nor have they directed anything at him, he just wishes they’d listen and spend more time with him

Only child

But he babysits Diego Miller, the little boy next door who he decided was his little brother

He’s not as dense as he makes himself out to be

He just doesn’t like to think about things too much because it stirs his feelings

Really good at Math and Science

He likes that it's logical thinking, not emotional

Doesn’t like English because it requires him to tap into emotions and he really doesn’t want to

He doesn’t like History either because it leaves him bothered by the shitty and unfair past

Has selective mutism

It kicked in badly during one of his parents' fights

The longest he’s gone mute was 2 months

It kicks in every now and then but not for as long and not around everyone

He learned ASL because of it

Sometimes he uses it outside of an episode just because it’s easier

Everyone else tries to pick it up, levels of proficiency vary

He found “Wright’s Domain” a comic book shop one day after he had walked out of his house

He spends most of his Summers there

He sits in the same bean bag

The more time he spent there, the more he found himself doing random things

He’d reorganize comics, reposition figurines and when someone asked him where they could find a specific section he pointed them to it

The couple that owns the store started to notice him

They left snacks by his bean bag chair with a note thanking him for fixing up

He wrote back a thank you with a doodle of himself holding two thumbs up and an arrow pointing out his name was Reggie

The snacks waited for him every visit

His voice did come back, at the shop

He spoke to the owners, Donna and Michael, quite often, they love hearing about his day

He eventually got a job there

Ended up bringing everyone one day

He was a little nervous because the shop was his safe space but so was the group

The owners loved the group too

Donna and Michael live in THE house

Alex Mercer

Born August 23, 1978 (12 at the start of the story)

Second to last youngest

Lives with both his parents

The eldest

He has a younger sister named Sophia

Had a good relationship with both his parents up until he came out

Always watches out for his sister

He plays tea party and dresses up with her

His dad made a comment about it and Alex stopped doing it so frequently

Grew up Catholic

He never really thought much of it until he noticed he looked at boys a lot for being a boy himself

He’s not the biggest fan of it anymore

Was already an anxious kid but as he got older; his religious background, his dad's expectations, and being more aware of the world's problems made his anxiety skyrocket

He fidgets by tapping his fingers on a surface or hitting his thighs with his hands

His parents got him a drum set to help ease it

He met Y/N when they were 7

He defended her against a bully

He got detention

She walked home with him that day and they realized they lived 3 streets down from each other

Really wants to make his dad proud

His dad has a lot of traditional views of men which contradict with Alex 95% of the time

His first crush was on Ryan, a boy he went to church with, but he didn’t know it yet

His stomach dropped when he saw Ryan and another girl share a quick kiss at the park

Developed a crush on Luke

His first kiss and boyfriend was Luke

His dad opened the door to Alex’s room and caught them kissing

His dad stood there, closed the door and walked away

His dad didn’t speak to him at all through dinner

The next day, his dad told him he’d take him to church to repent

Alex said no and came out when he was 15

They got into an argument

His dad didn’t kick him out (to save his image) but told him that until he repented, he wasn’t his son

He was the first to meet Reggie

They’re in the same Math class and the teacher asked Reggie to tutor him

They met up after school twice a week

Alex wasn’t looking for a friend but Reggie being the social butterfly he is, didn’t care

The more times they saw each other, the more Alex got used to him and his antics

He actually understood Math the way Reggie would teach him

One day Luke didn’t want to go home because he had fought with his mom and Y/N was busy, Alex found Reggie to tell him he had to stick to Luke

Reggie told him Luke was welcome to join their session

Luke sat across from them and wrote in his journal but was still fidgety

Reggie cut the tutoring session short and invited them out for ice cream

Alex questioned his life choices as Luke and Reggie’s loud personalities mixed

He initiated his and Luke’s first kiss

And then immediately panicked before Luke laughed and pulled him back in

He was the one who broke up with Luke

There was an awkward air for like 2 minutes before they talked about everything and went back to being best friends

Bobby Shaw

Born March 16, 1978 (13 at the start of the story)

The second oldest of the group

Never knew his dad

Lives with his mom and grandma

Has a good relationship with both

Only child (not really but we'll get into that later)

Keeps to himself mostly

Skates

He paints, though he doesn’t like people looking at his art

Took an art class during his freshman year

He never did anything in class

He’d do it at home and sneak in the assignment the next day, nameless

His art teacher caught him one time and told him he’d leave the art room open for him to do his assignments so as long as he starts signing his name

He spends a lot of time in the art room

Close to the art teacher, Mr. Cervantez

He was the first positive male influence in his life

Befriends Y/N first, she takes an art class with him

He’s actually not sure how to handle social interactions

He’s pretty awkward

He helped Luke on their first week of high school

Luke was being picked on and they had taken the beanie off his head

He stopped Luke from launching himself at the other guys

“Come on guys, give it back.”

One of the guys looked at him questioningly

Bobby stood his ground

The guys tossed the beanie back at Luke and Bobby walked off as soon as they left

Luke approached him weeks later and he internally panicked the whole time

Has problems with authority

That guy that will touch something after you said not to

His grandma hates that he does that but he can’t help it

He’s respectful to both his mom and grandma, no one else really

Lacks a filter, has accidentally hurt people’s feelings because of it

Not a big physical touch guy

He has to be very comfortable with you to initiate touch

All talk

Like he can’t fight

He’s gotten by on physical appearance alone

The guys hide behind him all the time and when Y/N needs him, his tall looming presence behind her has people running for the hills

He’s punched one person and one person only

It was Alex’s dad

Y/N Y/L/N

Born September 01, 1978

The youngest of the group

Only child

Lives with her mom

Dad walked out when she was 7

Her mom started drinking, causing the mother-daughter bond to break

Spends the night at Alex’s a lot

The first time, her bed was set up in Sophia’s room

After everyone had gone to sleep she snuck into Alex’s room

The next day, his parents found her sleeping at the edge of his bed with his blanket draped over the edge also to cover Alex who slept on the floor

After it happened 3 more times, they stopped trying to separate the two

She has clothes in the bottom drawer of Alex’s dresser

Alex’s number 1 protector

They made friendship bracelets, purple yarn for her and blue for Alex

Luke and her = sibling energy

Likes to wear other people's clothes

Makes her feel like they’re with her and she’s not alone

Literally carrying their love with her

It started with one of the shirts her dad left behind

She likes Alex’s hoodies, Luke’s beanies and in the Summer she’ll snag one of his sleeveless tees, Reggie’s flannels and in the Winter his leather jacket, Bobby’s t-shirts and vests

The guys knock on her door when they can’t find the item they want to wear because they know she has it

She and Alex remade their friendship bracelets to include Luke (Orange)

She made them remake them later once Bobby (Green) and Reggie (Red) became part of their little group

All 5 of them wear it no matter what

She likes to draw

Was the first to befriend Bobby in art class

She admired him from afar (because look at him) and wondered what he did, given that he always slept in the class

One time while waiting for Alex and Luke to get out of detention, she walked around school and caught Bobby in the art room

His back was to her and he wore headphones as he painted

She loved his piece and wondered why he never did anything in class

Wrote him sticky notes encouraging him to show his work

Eventually, he wrote back saying he’d reveal his work if she revealed who she was

It was a deal and they started talking more afterwards

Luke was upset when he learned she was friends with Bobby

Mostly because he thought Bobby was a dick (a dick he tried to be friends with first but failed)

TEASER

#fanfic writing #julie and the phantoms #jatp fic #bobby shaw #reggie peters #luke patterson #alex mercer #sunset curve 90s #sunset curve x reader #sunset curve #wwweu?#ash writes #bobby shaw x reader #reggie peters x reader #x reader #insert reader #julie and the himbos #sunset curve headcanons #jatp headcanons

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moonstruck-writing · 9 days ago

Text

drabble challenge | day 12: brawny

“This is ridiculous.” Reggie eyed Luke’s back as he performed push-ups. “You know, you don’t have to look so… Brawny. All the time.”

“I need to sweat the nerves.” Luke puffed out.

“Dude, we’re gonna kill it on stage,” Reggie assured. But he also felt the tingling sensation his fight or flight response elicited.

“Guys, has anyone seen my drumsticks?” Alex's panicked voice interrupted. He was roaming around anxiously, and now they knew why.

“They’re in your back pocket. Where you put them to not lose them, remember?” Luke got up and rubbed his palms on his jeans. “Band circle?”

#drabblechallenge2024 #julie and the phantoms #jatp fanfic #luke patterson #reggie peters #alex mercer #jatp fic #jatp #jatp luke #jatp reggie #jatp alex #julie and the fat ones #julie and the himbos

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1mnobodywhoareyou · 7 months ago

Text

rewrite the pain

JatP | G | 2217 words | alive, aged-up AU

Is a special gift for @narcissusbrokenmirror - hope you like it! It'll get posted to ao3 sometime after I wake up :D

Bobby’s been running behind all day. Almost entirely of his own doing, of course: he’d stayed in bed longer than he should have, let himself get lost in nothing instead of getting ready, forgot to eat until it was almost too late. And it’s not even early. There’s no reason he couldn’t have been ready to be somewhere for 10am. Other than the way his brain just won’t LET him get things done.

He shakes his head to clear his mind, not letting himself fall down the self-hate rabbithole. He’s learning to not beat himself up about this kind of thing any more but, well, old habits die hard.

Bobby looks up at the house shrouded by more greenery than Bobby’s ever seen on a residential lot before. He doesn’t even want to think about how much time, energy, and money it takes to maintain this yard. So he doesn’t. Or tries not to, anyway.

He double checks the address and makes his way up the walk. He rings the doorbell and waits. When there’s no answer, he knocks a few times. He backs down the walk when he’s met with nothing and triple checks the address. He confirms that he is indeed in the right place and looks around, trying to find signs of life or clues to where everyone could be.

Bobby notices a sidewalk that crosses the front of the house and makes his way down it, peering around the side of the house as he reaches the corner. He can hear voices coming from the backyard and decides to brave the rest of the journey.

He attempts a futile knock on the gate, knowing that nobody will hear it anyway, before pushing it open. He lets out a sigh of relief when he notices people he recognizes.

Luke immediately catches sight of him. “Bobby!” he exclaims, running up to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Glad you could make it. Bex will be so happy to see you!”

Bobby huffs out a light laugh, “Thanks.” He holds out the gift that he’d had tucked under his arm. “Where do you want me to put this?”

“Oh, I’ll take it. Let’s introduce you to everyone!”

Bobby hands Luke the gift as he agrees to the offer. He trails behind Luke as they make their way around the yard to meet Bex’s… family, he guesses. Who knew that one child could have so many adults who wanted to show up for her? He smiles in amusement to himself as he notices a distinct lack of other children in attendance.

“So you’re Bex’s… babysitter?” one of the older men asks when Luke introduces them.

“Yes, sir.”

“Huh. How does a man your age wind up babysitting toddlers?”

Bobby gapes at him. It’s not like it’s a question he hasn’t faced before. Or asked himself, quite frankly. But it’s not often that people are so up front about it.

The more he sees about the inner workings of Bex’s family, the more confused he winds up about his answers to the question. How did he, a man in his early 30s, wind up babysitting Bex, a toddler with more than enough grown ups around to ensure she never gets a moment alone for the rest of her life? Granted, a LOT has happened in the last several months. Very, very quickly, even. But Bobby’s still not entirely sure how HE got here.

“Could ask how a man your age winds up at a toddler he’s not related to’s third birthday party, no?” a familiar feminine voice says from behind Bobby.

Bobby turns to greet Carrie with a smile. “Hey, Care.”

“Hey, loser. Don’t mind Caleb. He’s just…” she narrows her eyes at Caleb, “like that.”

Bobby looks back at Caleb who’s mid-eye roll.

“I’m here for the same reason the rest of us are. She asked,” Caleb rebuts.

“Yeah, lucky us,” Carrie mutters under her breath. She turns her attention back to Bobby, “Did you and Luke finish the rounds?”

Bobby looks around the backyard, noticing that Luke had disappeared at some point, and confirms that he had met everybody new. Most of whom were Julie’s family.

Carrie grabs him by the elbow and steers him toward the refreshment table.

“Luke should have at least gotten you a drink before subjecting you to the chaos,” she says as she shoves a plastic cup full of punch into his hand.

Bobby lets out a light chuckle. “It wasn’t that bad. Everyone seems nice and it’s only like four new people. They can’t be any worse than what I’m used to.”

Just as he’s about to take a sip, he’s shoved backward by tiny arms wrapping around his legs.

Bobby steadies himself and his drink, being careful not to spill it on Bex’s head. He looks down with a smile. “Hey Bex!” he greets, stopping himself from ruffling her hair when he notices that she’s sporting neat pigtails. He can’t help but wonder how many people it took to actually get her hair done. He laughs lightly to himself as he imagines a few possible scenarios.

Bobby crouches down to meet Bex properly. “Happy birthday, kiddo! You having lots of fun?”

Bex nods vigorously. In typical Bex fashion, she starts to rattle off all the things she’d been doing before he got there. Far too quickly for Bobby to follow.

When she finishes, she stares at him expectantly.

Bobby laughs. “Why don’t you just show me?” he offers.

She reaches up for his free hand and pulls him away from Carrie.

Bobby holds his cup up to Carrie in apology. She waves him off with a fond smile of her own.

Bex leads Bobby around the backyard, showing him all her favourite things (and people). He waves and nods in acknowledgement to everyone Bex (re)introduces him to. He can’t help but laugh every time she pulls him away before he can get more than two words out in any given conversation she butts them into.

Bex eventually bores of Bobby and is successfully lured away by games and treats and family. Specifically by Carlos deciding that he wanted to experiment with what kinds of things he could convince Bex to do. Bribery with candy included.

Bobby shakes his head in amusement as he watches them walk away. He looks around the backyard again, taking in the mishmash of ongoing conversations. He notices that every single adult somehow manages to keep half an eye on Bex at all times. It’s not something he sees often from families of his other babysitting clients, not that he gets to see them engage with their kids directly very often.

He tops up his cup of punch and climbs the handful of stairs to the porch. He leans over the railing as he takes in the chaos. While he has no issue being a part of the action when he’s wanted, he does still have a general preference for watching from the sidelines. Bex and Carlos are taking turns chasing each other around the yard, occasionally tagging in someone new who plays for a round or two before resuming whatever they’d been engaged in before.

The creak of the porch stairs redirects his attention. He turns to see Alex climbing up the steps, wiping at his eyes. As observant as Bobby is, he’d somehow manage to miss whatever it was that had loosened Alex’s emotions.

“Oh, shit. I didn’t think anyone would be up here,” Alex says when he notices Bobby, a slight wobble in his voice.

“It’s okay, man. There’s room for two,” Bobby moves over to sell the point. “Y’alright?”

Alex sniffs before directing a grateful look Bobby’s way. He settles in against the porch railing in the open space beside Bobby. “‘S just a lot, you know?”

Bobby coughs out a dry laugh, “Which part?”

Alex turns to look at Bobby, brows furrowed. “All of it.”

They both redirect their attention to the party below them.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Okay. Well, if you change your mind…”

“I won’t. But thanks.”

Bobby hums in acknowledgement but doesn’t say anything further. While he doesn’t get it, he gets it. It’s weird coming from a life like his and seeing kids be loved so deeply. It’s beautiful but hurts in a way that he can’t quite put words to. He can only imagine how much more complicated those feelings are as a parent.

They stand together in silence for several long minutes. Bobby takes a sip of his punch. “This is how it should be, you know?” he finally says, breaking their not-quite-but-almost-comfortable silence.

“What d’you mean?”

“This,” Bobby repeats, gesturing out at the backyard. “A group of adults showing up for their kid. Loving their kid.”

Alex nods slowly. “Yeah. We try.”

Bobby huffs out another light laugh. “I’m not just talking about you, you know. Look at all these people who love Bex. It’s incredible. You built the most beautiful family. Every kid deserves this.”

“Yeah,” Alex agrees softly, “they really do.”

They fall into another comfortable, contemplative silence.

This time, Alex breaks it. “Do you want your own one day?”

“Kid? God no. I’d only fuck them up. I love kids, obviously. But the best part of what I do is that I get to give them back. And any trauma I cause is probably pretty easily fixable, on the grand scale of things.”

Alex coughs out a dry laugh. “Yeah. That’s fair. Reggie had that fear for a long time. But I know some people never really get over it.”

Both of their gazes track over the backyard, landing on Luke who has Bex perched on his shoulders. She’s pulling on his hair and ears to steer him around. Alex and Bobby share a chuckle at their antics.

“No, I guess not,” Bobby agrees with a fond smile. “I’d guess it’s probably pretty common for people who come from fucked up families. They either want to save anyone else from experiencing what they did. Or they overcorrect hard in the other direction and want to do it all different. Prove it’s possible.”

Alex hums thoughtfully. “Yeah, maybe,” he agrees before letting a grin take over his face. “That’s a lot of words for a Bobby,” Alex teases.

“Yeah. Just been thinking.”

“Careful. I’ve heard that kind of thing’s contagious. And can hurt.”

Bobby lets out a dry laugh.

“I think that might be one of the hardest parts about parenting?” Alex says after a moment. “Imagining what could have been different. Questioning why things weren’t. For us, I mean.”

Bobby hums in acknowledgement, encouraging Alex to continue.

“I don’t know. I mean, I know we’re gonna fuck up. We have fucked up. But it’s not that hard to just… love your kid?”

“So then you keep asking why you weren’t deserving of that love?”

“Exactly. Shit hurts.”

“Do you and the guys talk about it often?”

Alex shakes his head. “No, not really. I mean, we don’t really need to. We all get it. We’ve been all each other’s had for pretty much our entire lives.”

“And now look at you. Giving Bex everything you never got and then some.”

Alex laughs bitterly. “Who knew there were families overflowing with so much love that they’d so readily adopt 4 wayward rockstar slash artist adults and their toddler.”

“The Molinas seem as great as you’ve all been saying.”

“And more,” Alex sighs. “We’re so lucky to have them. But it also shows how… I guess, unfair it all is? We should have had more. Bex should have had more. Like, yeah, gratitude for what we have, blah blah blah, but that doesn’t change what could have been, you know?”

Bobby offers Alex a wry smile, “I think Reggie or Julie would call that grief or something.”

Alex laughs. “Yeah, probably.”

“Well, they don’t deserve you.”

“That’s what Willie and Reggie try to remind me of. ‘If they can’t love all of you, they don’t deserve access to any of you,’” Alex says, mocking their voices. “And they don’t deserve the joy that is Bex either. And she deserves better than them.”

“Exactly. Enter the Molinas.”

“Enter the Molinas,” Alex firmly agrees, “The family none of us could have ever dreamed of.”

Bobby lets out a self-deprecating laugh, “Can you imagine what it would have been like being raised by someone like Ray? An adult who cares about where you are. What you’re doing. How you are? More than just some trophy to show off? Or inconvenience to hide away…”

“Loves and encourages you in your full self.”

“What would Luke even write about without shitty parents?”

Alex laughs. “Would we even have the band? This family? I guess that’s a silver lining or some shit.”

“Or some shit,” Bobby agrees with a grin.

“It’s cake time!” Reggie yells from the kitchen, just inside the porch doors. He must have snuck past them at some point. Bobby and Alex exchange a fond smile.

“Time to give this kid and her… everyone even more of a sugar rush,” Alex says through a grin.

Bobby offers Alex his fist and Alex immediately knocks their knuckles together. “Right behind ya,” Bobby agrees as he follows Alex into the house.

#there's absolutely no reason whatsoever that this is scheduled for exactly right now #nope #this takes place alongside the final chapter of the main bex verse fic (that is absolutely not written yet)#so contextually this might not make complete sense to all of you #i'm kind of almost halfway sorry #but also enjoy the preview?#bex verse #jatp #fanfic #nobodys fics #julie and the phantoms #bobby shaw #alex mercer

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aletterinthenameofsanity · 8 months ago

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Looking over my main characters/the arcs I tend to write/the characters I tend to be attracted to writing 200k+ words about, patterns start to emerge (most of which describe me pretty well, ngl). So I'm kinda curious.

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legolasghosty · 8 months ago

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if this doesn't scream boggie, i don't know what does: They smell like sparkles and sunshine and I want to kiss their stupid face so bad

Bobby slammed the apartment door behind him, heading straight for the couch. He didn't slow down until he was flat on his stomach, his burning cheeks hidden by a Gayosaurus throw pillow ("Like a normal gay, but more awesome!") that Willie had found somewhere six months ago. Bobby wasn't ever sure where he found this sort of thing. He'd given up on asking when they were still in college, the two of them and Alex randomly paired up in a freshman dorm.

"What happened here?" the previously mentioned pillow finder said from somewhere above Bobby.

The soft click of Alex closing their front door properly was followed by the drummer's sigh of, "Reggie, what else."

Bobby felt the couch dip near his feet as probably Willie sat down. "You wanna talk about it, dude?" they asked. Bobby couldn't decide if their tone was sympathetic or teasing.

"No," he mumbled into the pillow.

Look, dating your bandmates didn't work out well. Reggie and Luke had been together for a bit when they were all in college and it had burned hot and fast. Bobby had been sure the band would break up for good when they called it quits. It had taken a whole new person, Luke's now queerplatonic partner and their band frontwoman Julie, to get the two of them to talk it out and become friends again. Even then, it had been a rough couple of months for all of them.

So, no matter how pretty Reggie was or how sometimes Bobby thought he leaned a bit closer to their shared mic than necessary, they couldn't be a thing. It wouldn't work.

"Dude, you can't just keep ignoring it and hope it goes away," Alex sighed, now sounding much closer. "Remember how I tried that and it failed? Epicly?"

Bobby lifted his head just enough to shoot Alex a glare. "That's not the same thing," he protested. "No offense, Willie."

"None taken," they chuckled. "But Lex has a point. Shoving it down doesn't work, and it might just turn out better than you think."

Bobby dropped his face back down to the pillow and flipped them both off. "No."

He felt a foot nudging his shoulder, indicating that Alex had found his perch on the back of the couch above him. "Bobby, Reggie likes you back, you guys just have to get your acts together and talk about it."

"Hypocrite," Bobby mumbled. But he groaned and rolled onto his side, glancing up at his roommates and best friends. Maybe talking it out would help erase his stupid crush on his bandmate. "I know he maybe thinks I'm cute or whatever, but it wouldn't work. The band almost broke up when Luke and Reggie did, and I can't be responsible for doing that to you guys. I just can't."

"Okay, I get that," Alex began. "But what makes you so sure the two of you wouldn't work? I mean yeah, Luke and him didn't go so well, but there were a lot of reasons for that."

"Very much including the fact that they were 19 and neither of them had actually been in a serious relationship before," Willie added. "And I love them both, but their communication skills aren't the best now, let alone two years ago."

"You and Reg are good for each other," Alex continued, giving Bobby that heavy, open stare that he usually masked behind several layers of sarcasm. "He gets you out of your routine and trying new things. You help him slow down and talk things out."

"You're both better people for being around each other," Willie agreed, one hand resting on Bobby's ankle. Then the corner of his mouth quirks up. "Not to mention the fact that you guys practically make out at the mic every other song."

"We do not!" Bobby insisted, forcing himself up on one elbow. "Mic sharing is totally normal."

"Mic sharing, yes. But you two take the phrase 'eat the mic' a little too literally," Alex laughed. Then his amusement faded. "But seriously. You like him. He likes you. And we're all semi-functioning adults who can at least pretend to be emotionally mature. At least talk to him."

"Even if you decide not to give it a shot, at least you'll have been honest with each other," Willie said.

"But what if it messes everything up?" Bobby asked, hating how small his voice sounded. "I mean, yeah, he smells like sparkles and sunshine and I wanna kiss his stupid face so bad, but I don't want it to destroy the band. Or our whole... family."

Willie's expression is now solidly in the sympathetic zone. "But what if it makes it better?" they countered. "I mean, Lex and I were great as friends, and we're better as partners, and we're both better friends to the rest of you because of being together."

The smile Alex gave them for that is enough to make Bobby fake gag and throw the Gayosaurus pillow at them. But... maybe they're right.

"Hug time?" Alex questioned.

Bobby just nodded, suddenly feeling heavy at the possibility of having Reggie as something other than a bandmate. But heavy in a good way, like crawling under his weighted blanket at the end of a long day.

Alex dropped down onto the couch beside him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and pulling him in. Bobby let Willie resituate both of their legs on his lap. He usually wasn't one for being manhandled by his friends, but it was nice to let them take care of him every once in a while. He tried to focus on the clean and salty scent of Alex's hoodie and the easy movement of Willie's thumb on his ankle.

Maybe, just maybe, they had a point. At the very least, he owed it to Reggie to let him be a part of the conversation, right? Bobby let out a soft sigh. This meant he'd have to actually have a conversation about it with the bassist. But he was getting better at those at least. It was 'healthy' or something. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe they would be okay.

"So..." Willie mused after a while, "what do sparkles and sunshine smell like?"

"Screw you," Bobby groaned, hiding his face in Alex's chest.

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